Technology Slice Blog

Claire Danes "Temple Grandin" - Broadway veteran Claire Danes has been awarded a Golden Globe for 'Best Actress in a Mini-Series, or Motion Picture Made for Television' for her portrayal of the title character in HBO's TEMPLE GRANDIN. In April 2000, she appeared off Broadway in Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues. In November of that same year, she appeared as Emily Webb in a one night only staged reading of Thorton Wilder's Our Town at All Saint's Episcopal Church in Beverly Hills. The production was staged by Bess Armstrong who'd played the mother of Danes' character on My So-Called Life. Also featured in the cast were several other My So-Called Life actors including Tom Irwin, Devon Gummersall and Paul Dooley. Later in 2007, Danes made her Broadway theatre debut as Eliza Doolittle in the Roundabout Theatre Company revival of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, directed by David Grindley at the American Airlines Theatre. Claire Danes ...

Annette Bening "The Kids are all Right" - In movies, Annette Bening took home the award as best actress in a comedy or musical for her role as a suburban lesbian mom in The Kids Are All Right. She paid tribute to one of her rivals in the category, Julianne Moore, who played her partner in the film, and talked her into doing the movie. "Julianne, you are a class act, thank you," she said. She also paid tribute to whom she called the 1962 award winner for "most promising young actor," her husband Warren Beatty. Disney/Pixar's Toy Story 3, a box-office juggernaut, won for best animated feature film, against major competition such as Disney itself for Tangled. Christian Bale took the night's first award, for best supporting actor in The Fighter, the story of a Massachusetts boxer and his family and their effort to win a championship. The Fighter is also up for five other awards, including best picture, at the 68th annual Globes, the prizes for f...

Steve Buscemi Boardwalk Empire - The HBO series "Boardwalk Empire" scored two of the first Golden Globe awards given out Sunday night. Steve Buscemi thanked "table 114" in his acceptance speech for best performance by an actor in a television series - drama for his role on the freshman HBO show. "I'm only as good as the people I work with, and I have the best cast," Buscemi said about his series, which also won for best TV series - drama. Veteran actor Al Pacino won the Globe for best actor in a miniseries or motion picture made for television for his role as Jack Kevorkian in "You Don't Know Jack." Steve Buscemi Boardwalk Empire "It's kind of a special thing for an actor when they get to play a real person," Pacino said. "That relationship is so intimate and special." Claire Danes was awarded best actress in a miniseries or motion picture made for television for her starring role in "Temple Gradi...

Chris Colfer "Glee" - When Chris Colfer took the stage at the Golden Globes on Sunday night to accept his prize for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, he had a major statement for anyone feeling like they don't fit in. But, first, he made sure to thank the people who helped bring him to his Golden Globes win. Chris Colfer "Glee" "I think I just dropped my heart between Natalie Portman and Julianne Moore, so if anyone sees that, please give that back to me," he joked to the room, filled with Hollywood's biggest names, as well as his "Glee" co-star Lea Michele, who cried as he accepted his award. "I can't believe this. Thank you so much, Hollywood Foreign Press. I have to thank [show creator] Ryan Murphy for basically being my fairy godfather. Everybody at Fox, our amazing crew, who keep us sane and our very talented cast — you guys deserve this as ...

Katey Sagal Sons of Anarchy - Katey Sagal and Steve Buscemi both won their first Golden Globes for top actors in television dramas on Sunday, with Buscemi's Prohibition-era "Boardwalk Empire" on HBO also be honored as TV's best drama. "I hope we do it for years and years and years," said Buscemi, who plays the Atlantic City boss in the cable drama. "Boardwalk Empire" won on its first year on the air, beating another hot freshman show in AMC's "The Walking Dead" and "Mad Men," which had won the last three top drama awards. Katey Sagal Sons of Anarchy Terence Winter, who created "Boardwalk Empire," seemed ready to pinch himself. "To my family and friends in Brooklyn, I can't believe I'm sitting at a table with Al Pacino, either," he said. Sagal won for her role in "Sons of Anarchy" on the FX network, the motorcycle drama created by her husband Kurt Sutter. She had been nomina...

Christian Bale The Fighter - Christian Bale won the Golden Globe for best supporting actor for his role in “The Fighter.” Comedian Ricky Gervais is hosting the 68th Golden Globes for a second year tonight on NBC. The Globes, chosen by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, are a prelude to next month’s Academy Awards, the film industry’s highest honor. “The King’s Speech,” a film about Britain’s George VI and his struggle to overcome a stutter on the eve of World War II, has the most nominations with seven, including one for Colin Firth as best actor. “The Fighter,” a drama about Irish-American boxer Micky Ward, and “The Social Network,” about the founding of Facebook Inc., each received six nominations. Christian Bale The Fighter A Globe statuette is an imperfect gauge of Oscar prospects. Last year, “The Hurt Locker” won the best-picture Academy Award, beating Globe drama victor “Avatar.” Two years ago, “Slumdog Millionaire” swept the Oscar and the Globe. Nominated this y...

Unemployment Rate Drops to 9.4 - The unemployment rate declined from 9.8 percent in November and 9.9 percent a year ago. It is the lowest rate since May 2009. Although the economy did grow enough to generate jobs, the drop in the unemployment rate represents something more dire: a dramatic decline in the nation's labor force as more people, discouraged about their employment prospects, gave up looking for work and dropped out of the job market. "When I look at the whole basket of labor-market-related data, it is improving," said Robert Dye, senior economist at PNC Financial Services Group in Pittsburgh. "Within that basket," he said, "you are going to find some data points that tick down, but I think it is a fair statement to say labor-market conditions are improving." He cited Wednesday's ADP National Employment Report, which showed an increase of 297,000 private-sector jobs in December, with the bulk of them in small and midsize companie...

Frances Mcdormand Voice Madagascar 3 - Frances McDormand has been cast to voice the villain in "Madagascar 3," DreamWorks Animation's latest instalment of the zoo animal-based franchise. Eric Darnell, who co-directed the previous two movies and was a writer on them as well, is helming solo with this new venture. Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer and Jada Pinkett Smith are slated to reprise their roles as big-game animals who escaped a New York zoo and end up on the island off the African coast. Frances Mcdormand Voice Madagascar 3 The new story sees the animals reunite to try to find their way home by joining a travelling circus. A host of new characters will be introduced, expanding the ethnic flavour of the group. Among the new additions are an Italian sea lion, a Russian tiger and a Latina jaguar. Due to the rather fluid nature of the animation, however, the nationalities could change. McDormand will voice a calculating and goal-oriented animal cont...

Andy Samberg Adam Sandler 'I Hate You Dad' - Adam Sandler and Andy Samberg are in talks with Columbia Pictures to star in "I Hate You Dad," a comedy that Sandler's Happy Madison banner is producing. The story centers on a father who moves in on the eve of his son's wedding and promptly begins feuding with the bride-to-be. Sandler would play the dad, with Samberg as the son, even though less than 12 years separate the two in real life. "Dad" is still in the development stages, and no director is on board, but the two actors are attached. The project is one of several in development at Happy Madison as possible starring vehicles for Sandler. Columbia initially picked up the project in August 2008. Sandler is a "Saturday Night Live," alum while Samberg is among the current cast's stars. He has made ventures into film, starring in 2007's "Hot Rod" and playing supporting characters in such comedies as "I Love You,...

Starbucks Trenta Size Cup May 3 - Starbucks Corp will roll out its biggest drink size yet -- the 31-ounce "Trenta" -- in all of its U.S. coffee shops by May 3, the company said on Sunday The new size will be available only for iced coffee, iced tea and iced tea lemonade drinks in the United States. The Trenta is 7 ounces larger than Starbucks' "Venti" cup for iced drinks, which currently is its largest size on offer. Drinks in the Trenta size will cost 50 cents more than similar Venti-sized iced drinks, the company said. Seattle-based Starbucks tested the new size in several U.S. markets last year, saying it was responding to customer demand for larger cold beverages. Starbucks Trenta Size Cup May 3 The Trenta size will debut in 14 states, including Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Texas, Hawaii and Arizona, on January 18 and in California on February 1. The world's biggest coffee chain said unsweetened drinks in the new size will have fewer than 90 ...

Arnold Schwarzenegger 200 Million - Serving as California governor cost Arnold Schwarzenegger at least $200 million, the bodybuilding star turned actor and politician told a newspaper in his native Austria, insisting 'it was more than worth it." Counting expenses and lost income from acting in Hollywood films, "in all it is probably more than $200 million," he told Krone when asked how much his two terms in Sacramento had cost. "But I'm not sorry. It was more than worth it," he said. "What was much worse was the damage my time as governor did to the family. There is a lot there that needs to be repaired," he said, recalling the many Sunday evenings when his wife, Maria, and children broke out in tears at his heavy work schedule. "We hate your job," Schwarzenegger quoted family members as saying during his early years as governor when he would leave his Los Angeles home every Monday morning for the capital, Sacramento, and no...

Israel Computer Worm Tested - Israel has tested a computer worm aimed at knocking out Iran's nuclear centrifuges, and it seems to have worked, according to a published report. The New York Times reported on Sunday that the Stuxnet worm shut down a fifth of Iran's nuclear centrifuges in November. The newspaper said testing of the worm has been taking place for the past two years at a heavily guarded secret nuclear plant at Dimona in the Negev Desert. There has been no official response from Israel to the story. Experts interviewed by the newspaper said the Stuxnet worm caused the Iranian centrifuges to spin wildly out of control. They estimated 20 per cent of them have self-destructed. The worm also reportedly has another feature: to help avoid detection it creates a "situation normal" screen for the computer it has taken over, while it is, in fact, busy destroying the centrifuges. The New York Times cited unidentified American intelligence experts, includ...

Diane Sawyer First Mark Kelly Interview - ABC's Diane Sawyer will air the first television interview with astronaut Mark Kelly, the husband of shooting victim Rep. Gabrielle Giffords. The network said that Kelly spoke to Sawyer on Saturday at the hospital where Giffords continues to recover from being shot in the head on Jan. 8. ABC said Sunday the interview will air in a prime-time special on Tuesday night and in various ABC News broadcasts. It's a big get for Sawyer, who has long been competitive in the race for major newsmaker interviews. Diane Sawyer First Mark Kelly Interview

Young AZ Cictim Organs Donated - The father of the youngest victim of the Arizona massacre says some of her organs have been donated to a girl in the Boston area. John Green said he had received a phone call from medical authorities about the transplants, but did not know any other details. He told the Boston Globe that the call "really lifted" his spirits, adding that he and his wife are proud parents once again of their daughter, "who has done another amazing thing". Nine-year-old Christina Taylor Green had just been elected to her Tucson school's student council, which is why she went to see Arizona congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, who was critically wounded in the attack that left six dead. Barack Obama spoke movingly about Christina during a memorial gathering in Tucson last week. "In Christina we see all of our children. So curious, so trusting, so energetic and full of magic," he said. "Christina was given to us on September 11th,...

Octomom tells Oprah Baby Addict - Octomom Nadya Suleman, who revealed she's sleep-deprived and overwhelmed caring for her 14 children, confesses she had a destructive "baby addiction." "I think I could have been self-medicating through children," Suleman said on the Oprah Show Jan. 14, 2011. "I felt like a watering can with holes in it," she recounts. "In my delusional mind, the more I give to them, the more of me is leaking out. When it's empty I go back. Doctor. One more [baby]. “Kids won’t leave you. You can create this safe, predictable little society. I created this village, my own little safe, predictable, safe village.” As a result of Nadya's self-professed delusional thinking, the unemployed 35-year-old has struggled financially to care for her children, and her house in California is in foreclosure. Suleman is facing eviction after failing to repay a $450,000 balloon payment on her house. While Nadya made $100,000 last ye...

Woman Finds $280 000 Drugs Inside Vacuum - The Brown County Drug Task Force says a Green Bay woman who bought a refurbished vacuum cleaner found $280,000 worth of drugs inside the box. According to the drug task force, the woman bought the vacuum from a local department store on Christmas Day. Wen she opened the box, she found three shrink-wrapped packages, which she first thought were parts. Then she called Green Bay police. The drug task force seized the drugs -- 2.2 pounds of cocaine and two pounds of crystal meth. Investigators aren't revealing what store sold her the vacuum, but they say the store is cooperating fully with the drug investigation. Authorities say the woman who bought the vacuum doesn't face charges. In fact, the drug task force replaced her vacuum with a new one. Woman Finds $280 000 Drugs Inside Vacuum

Lego Replica Ohio State Stadium - A Columbus-area man has built a Lego replica of Ohio State's horseshoe-shaped football stadium, complete with an archway and scoreboard. Mr Paul Janssen used about a million Lego pieces to build the 2.4m by 1.8m model. The 42-year-old Ohio State researcher told The Columbus Dispatch it was a challenge to create the rounded model out of the mostly rectangular blocks. It took about 1,000 hours over two years. He bought or traded for pieces and improvised, such as making the restroom pipes out of a Lego truck. Lego Replica Ohio State Stadium

Baby Sitter Chases Robber with Broom - A tiny dog in a houndstooth sweater and a broom-wielding baby-sitter with a softball-player's swing thwarted a burglar Wednesday, authorities said. Cedric Williams, 39, is charged with burglary of an occupied dwelling and aggravated assault, authorities said. Cindy Davis had just arrived to baby-sit for homeowner Rob Sims' children on Forest Woods Drive on Wednesday afternoon, when Sims, who was driving away, called to tell her he had noticed a man in the yard as he left the house. Moments later, Davis said the man kicked in the back door and lunged for her purse on the bar next to the door. Baby Sitter Chases Robber with Broom That's when Cinnamon, Sims' Jack Russell and rat terrier mix, took action. "Cinnamon attacked him, and he kicked her from the back door over the coffee table," Davis said. The dog was unharmed after her roughly 10-feet flight, she said, and proceeded to bark and snap at the man. Th...

Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz Dies - Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz, the trainer who prepared President Barack Obama's dog Bo for life as the first dog, has died. Sylvia-Stasiewicz, 52, died Wednesday of respiratory failure at a Virginia hospital, her ex-husband Paul Stasiewicz said Saturday. Sylvia-Stasiewicz initially had no idea the Portuguese water dog that arrived at her Virginia home two years ago was destined for life at the White House — an experience she described in a recent book. Dawn Sylvia-Stasiewicz Dies Vicki Kennedy, the wife of the late Sen. Ted Kennedy of Massachusetts, had contacted Sylvia-Stasiewicz to ask if she would determine if the 5-month-old puppy was suitable for a family with children. The Kennedys had previously trusted Sylvia-Stasiewicz with training their dogs, so the request wasn't unusual. When Kennedy called to check on the puppy a few weeks later, Sylvia-Stasiewicz reported the dog was perfectly suited for a family with children. Kennedy then conf...

Best Free Date Night Ideas - Date night doesn't have to be an expensive affair. There are enjoyable and romantic things you can do that won't cost you anything. Going for a walk along the beach during a sunset is very romantic, it's free, and it's good exercise at the same time. Going for a picnic night picnic at the park is also a good idea. Pack the picnic from home and find a nice, well lit park. Star gazing can be magical. Drive out of the city to somewhere in the country where all the stars a visible. It is a wonderful site and something we don't take time of our busy schedule to do. Best Free Date Night Ideas

Golden Globes Nominees - Ricky Gervais has revealed which A-listers he'll be targeting at this weekend's Golden Globes. The Globes host joked on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in the US that Charlie Sheen and Mel Gibson could be the subject of his put-downs. According to Access Hollywood, he tells the show: "Charlie Sheen has obviously put his head above the parapet. Like last year, Mel Gibson was a gift from the comedy god. So yeah, that'd be two good people out of the audience." Golden Globes Nominees The funnyman, who is hosting the event for the second consecutive year, said that he was not worried about potential comebacks. He joked on the show, which is being broadcast in the US on Thursday: "I'm not going to have a go at Russell Crowe or Mickey Rourke. Mickey Rooney maybe. Betty White, I'm not scared of her. You've got to choose your targets wisely." Despite his success, Ricky recently revealed he was mistaken for his former rad...

How to Argue Respectfully Most think arguments are black and white but there is a right way to argue and a wrong way to argue. Arguing respectfully is the right way. Arguments aren't just arguments. They are meant to solve a problem or correct a misunderstanding. This is why it is important to argue respectfully. Arguing without purpose will just drag the argument on. When arguing respectfully, never raise your voice. Always stay calm and keep control of your temper. It may be hard when the argument has an emotional aspect but still you must keep control. Use of foul language is definitely a no no. Some people's first reaction is to swear to vent their anger but this doesn't get you anywhere. If you follow the points above your point will be made and the argument will come to an end. If you don't, the person you are arguing with will get defensive and nothing positive will come of the argument. How to Argue Respectfully