A lot of people always find the entertainment scene very interesting and exciting. When watching the news on TV or reading a newspaper, many would not miss the news on celebrities, upcoming films and television shows and the TV and movie industry in general.

If you’re interest is in this field and you see yourself interviewing celebrities and executives in the industry, a degree in journalism or communications would help you pursue a career as an entertainment writer or blogger in the future. Pursuing this path would suit you and allow you to work in an environment where you can bring out the best in you.

Take note, however, that it’s not easy to get into the entertainment industry owing to the stiff competition these days. A good option is to join a college newspaper while you’re still earning your degree and become a reporter. This will develop your writing and interviewing skills early on.

Another option is to create your own entertainment blog. This is an avenue where you can showcase your writing and blogging skills and who knows, advertisers will be attracted to your site and decide to place ads on there. So that’s income for you while you’re still in the process of completing your degree. Continue reading »

It’s not always easy to have a baby and even big stars can suffer from infertility. The following celebrities have in the past all struggled with trying to conceive.

CELINE DION

Canadian singer Celine Dion has two children thanks to IVF.
In 2000, after six IVF attempts she gave birth to her son Rene-Charles. Ten years later in 2010 Céline and her husband Rene Angélil conceived their twin boys Nelson and Eddy thanks to in-vitro-fertilization.

EMMA THOMPSON

The Oscar winning actress and star of Nanny McPhee’s daughter Gaia was conceived by IVF.
She has since tried again but the fertility treatment sadly failed.

MARIAH CAREY

Mariah Carey and her husband Nick Cannon’s twins Moroccan and Monroe were conceived by IVF. Previously, Carey had suffered a high profile miscarriage.

NICOLE KIDMAN

Nicole Kidman has suffered from infertility for many years; she and Tom Cruise adopted because she was unable to conceive, Nicole and Keith Urban’s daughter Sunday Rose was an IVF baby; and their second child was born via a surrogate mother.

COURTNEY COX

After struggling to conceive, and Courtney experiencing a number of  miscarriages. Courtney Cox and David Arquette’s daughter Coco was born in 2004, thanks to IVF. It s thought they did try for more children and it is believed the couple’s recent split was in part due to their struggles with infertility.

JANE SEYMOUR

2014 Golden Globe winning actress Jane Seymour suffered two miscarriages and underwent two unsuccessful rounds of IVF before giving birth to her twin boys in 1995 at her third attempt.

Interestingly, no big male stars have come out and admitted to struggling with male infertility. A trawl of the internet looking for male infertility blogs shows that this is still very much a taboo subject, despite almost 50% of all problems with trying to comceive being due to problems with the man.

Who among our popular celebrities are taking it to Instagram on a regular basis? There are a lot of familiar and popular faces to be found there. Who among them are somewhat into seeming  insta challenges as they regale the public with their consistent and eye-catching contributions to the platform?

Miley Cyrus

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With the tremendous effort to make herself very visible, Miley‘s presence in Instagram is to be expected. In fact, not seeing her there is more surprising. Her efforts seem to be working so far in terms of getting attention. Her Instagram pictures are as colorful as her life.

Kim Kardashian

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Kim Kardashian , visible as she is in the public’s eye, is another expected presence in Instagram. Like the other notoriously regular celebrity Instagram users, Kim takes to the platform for just about everything including some very personal moments best kept private.  Some actually welcome the thought of having a lessened presence of Kim in social media.

Rihanna

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Rihanna is probably one of the most overexposed celebrity in Instagram. She has provided the public a whole gamut of images of herself that usually seem like over-sharing either because they just seem to show too much or mean not much.

If you’re a movie buff, Hollywood might be on the top of your list of places to visit, but you’ll want to add Chicago to that list, too. In Chicago, you can take a variety of tours where some of Hollywood’s biggest blockbusters were filmed, including Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, When Harry Met Sally and The Fugitive.

When planning a trip, you can stay in Chicago hotels that were featured in movies. Scenes from Risky Business, My Best Friend’s Wedding and Mission Impossible were filmed at the Drake. Are you a Batman fan? The penthouse ballroom at the Wyndham Grand Chicago Riverfront was Bruce Wayne’s apartment and the setting of the party scene with the Joker in The Dark Knight.  Continue reading »

After some observers saw the aspect of  ”unfair competition” with celebrities dipping their hands into crowd sourcing platforms like Kickstarter to obtain funding, the glaring question has risen. Should celebrities  be using the crowd sourcing platform to fund their personal projects? Being celebrities, don’t they have enough sources within their own circles to make it happen without “depriving ” unknown project creators of the much-needed financial backing. Celebrity projects as it will turn out are only rivaled by Kickstarter games in terms of successful funding.

Reach Me The Movie

This project as proposed by John Herzfeld succeeded in obtaining a little over its $250,000 funding goal. Boasting of an all-star cast with the likes of Sylvester Stallone, Thomas Jane, Tom Berenger, Kyra Sedgwick, and Kelsey Grammer, Herzfeld decided to turn to Kickstarter when the movie project lost an investor. He was able to finish the picture alright and has since cancelled funding activities through the platform.

The Newest Hottest Spike Lee Joint

When writer/director Spike Lee turned to Kickstarter, he did so without much qualms. Claiming that he has used the crowd sourcing platform for some much earlier projects, he sees no reason not to use Kickstarter because he calls himself an Indie filmmaker. According to him, Indie filmmakers are always in search of funding, notwithstanding the fact that he himself is a wealthy filmmaker. Apparently, the financial backers see nothing wrong in it as well as evidenced by his successful bid for funding. He obtained a total of $ 1,418,910 from 6,421 backers, surpassing his funding goal of $ 1,250,000.

Amanda Palmer: The New RECORD, ART BOOK, and TOUR

This is not the first successful attempt to raise funding by musician Amanda Palmer.  Having the double advantage of having a famous husband in the person of author Neil Gaiman, Palmer’s successful Kickstarter attempts have made a crowd funding evangelist out of her. The first project “An Evening with Neil Gaiman and Amanda Palmer” was successfully funded through Kickstarter in 2011 with its original funding goal of $ 20,000 surpassed with obtained pledges amounting to $133,341. This particular project had a $ 100,000 funding goal but obtained a whopping $ 1,192,793 from 24,883 backers. Palmer experienced a backlash when she tried to have musicians collaborate with her in exchange for free beer even after the very successful Kickstarter funding drive.

There are several other project proposals made by celebrities through the Kickstarter format. Not all have been successfully funded however. Whether or not these celebrities are actually taking funding opportunities from non-celebrity project creators still remains to be seen.

It is no joke to succeed in any startup project. The work involved in it is such that it is not exactly for the faint-hearted and this is not to mention the required funding to push the project into full realization. It is a good thing that there are funding platforms now existing that could address this concern. Kickstarter is one such platform.

The platform does not only provide funding but also follow through options that will ensure better opportunities for commercial success to successfully funded and completed projects. A Kickstarter Store helps expose the final products to the public who can buy Kickstarter products of their choice. This advantage is not lost even among celebrities thus the great interest of some to participate in the crowdfunding platform to finance their own ventures.

Business-Savvy Celebrities

Whether through self-funding or external funding, there are many celebrities who have shown that they have what it takes to succeed in business as well. Star power is certainly an advantage. With the many failed celebrity-started businesses however, it is evident that it is not enough. Here are some celebrities who succeeded in their business start-up efforts:

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Venus Williams

Anyone who comes across Williams Interior Design Inc. would not have Venue Williams as the likely person behind it but she is. It would be easier to associate her with a business related to her sport or even fashionable sports wear. This just shows that there are unknown personality facets in every person which would result to decisions that are totally unexpected.

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Raquel Welch

When Raquel Welch ventured into the wig business, it just seemed natural and expected. For a woman who has capitalized on her natural beauty and hair to gain stardom, going into a business related to beauty is just but fitting.

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Paul Newman

No other celebrity has come close to establishing a food company giant like Paul Newman. Starting out with a homemade salad dressing, Newman catapulted the brand into the consumers’ consciousness. Co-founded with A.E. Hotchner, the food company and not-for-profit corporation continues to give all profits to charity even after the actor’s death.

This one proves how one simple startup idea can create vast opportunities for employment and greater things like helping other people through charity. In startup projects proposed through Kickstarter , creators are able to develop their products through financial backers. Wouldn’t it be great if some of these projects end up helping humanity as a whole? Help begets help.

Several Hollywood celebrities have been enjoying cigar-smoking for some time now when they are in their relaxation mode. While some are move visible with their cigars in public, some are not quite so. Still, almost all of them acknowledge their love for good cigar.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Whether it is to reprise a role in a movie or to be simply himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger has never hidden his preference for a good cigar smoke. He fits the usual image of a cigar-smoking man because of his built, his popular action movie roles, and a man who has reached a certain level of affluence. Even when he signed a law as governor that prohibits smoking in common-use areas, he purposely had a smoking tent made outside his office so he can continue chomping on his cigars with the advantage of exemption.

Jack Nicholson

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A smoker since he was a kid, Jack Nicholson tried to stop the habit when he got married in 1962. He successfully did so for about 10 years until he had to play the role of a cigar-smoking petty officer. He never stopped since he figured that the only way to stop the bad habit of cigarette smoking was to replace it with the better habit of cigar smoking. Cigar smoking is said to calm him especially when playing golf.

Sylvester Stallone

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Sylvester Stallone prefers to smoke his cigars in private thus he is rarely seen brandishing his habit in public. Having been a cigarette smoker since 12, he tried to go easy on it. A movie role that he thought would perfectly jive with cigar-smoking sort of introduced him to cigars. He quit cigarette smoking and cleared out his lungs for about three years. After which, he resumed cigar smoking “intelligently” , which is his term for connoisseur smoking.

Demi Moore

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Probably the only highly publicized pictures that can be found of Demi Moore smoking cigars are those for magazine covers or article. She however does not deny her “romance” with smaller cigars. She considers cigar smoking as a great social activity.

Jennifer Lopez

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Jennifer Lopez does not hide her smoking habit whether it is cigarettes or cigars. That is if we judge this by the number of photos available that show her smoking not because of any movie role. She has been quoted many times though to have said that she doesn’t smoke.

About the Author:

Jason Rose is a professional blogger that provides the latest news on premium tobacco products. He writes for Gotham Cigars, a leading retailer of cigars online.

It is not only ordinary mortals like us who are going gaga over our smartphones. In fact, many celebrities wouldn’t be caught without theirs.  Smartphones have become an indispensable part of daily life for many. Let us check who among the famous celebrities are practically inseparable from theirs.

Barack Obama

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The President of the United States, Barack Obama, reportedly refused to give up his Blackberry to the great dismay of his security advisers. He is said to be the first American President  to use email while serving his high profile position. It is expected though that security measures have been doubled many times over to ensure that his safety is not compromised because of his decision not to part with this smartphone.

Justin Bieber

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You have to have been hiding in a hole not to know that Justin Bieber absolutely loves his iPhone 5 by his side at every possible time. Whether it is to take some selfies or to take some shots of the event where he’s at, his smartphone looks every inch like a mainstay in his person. Add to that the constant need of young people (okay even older ones) to stay perpetually connected.

Rihanna

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Rihanna is not exactly known to be  loyal to a specific brand but she usually has a smartphone in her at any given time. Whether she gets paid to promote them or not like many other celebrities is beside the point. She certainly has a unique way of going about it. Remember her “Rihannified” One X+ which has her initial on it?

Paris Hilton

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Pictures of Paris Hilton holding a smartphone are so many, one is tempted to ask if the device is part of her usually fashionable persona. Holding the latest technological devices has now become part of fashion statements nowadays that many fans are taking their cue from celebrities. Many are considered fashion accessories if we are to consider the efforts of phone manufacturers to cater to design-conscious consumers.

Tom Cruise

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Tom Cruise will always have something to remember Katie Holmes and the iPhone by with this photo, although not necessarily in the same context. One thing is clear though, celebrities are using their smartphones to create memories like most of us do. Smartphones have certainly made themselves indispensable to many.

About the Author:

Sara Wells is a travel writer who blogs on behalf of car rental insurance brand Protectyourbubble.com

Many Hollywood celebrities are able to speak foreign languages and the public is usually not aware of this. Blame it on the fact that these celebrities are usually seen in English-language films and shows. But whether by reason of country and ancestral origin or by purposeful efforts such as learning Thai,French, or any other foreign language, it is a fact that there are many Hollywood celebrities who can carry themselves in confidence with not only one but two or more foreign languages.

Jodie Foster

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Born Alicia Christian Foster, Jodie is an American actress, film director, and producer. She went to a French-language prep school and spent a considerable amount of time in France . As a result, she became very fluent in speaking French. She can also converse in Italian and understand German and Spanish.

Natalie Portman

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Born Natalie Hershlag to a Jewish father and American mother, Natalie holds dual citizenship as an American and Israeli.  She is said to have shared her thoughts of Jerusalem as her home even while professing love for America. By default then, it is expected that she knows how to speak Hebrew which she does. In addition to that however, she can also speak French, German, Japanese, and Arabic. Such an interesting mix of foreign languages to know.

Charlize Theron

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Charlize Theron is a South African and American actress. She was born in South Africa and has a long line of ancestors who were of French, Dutch , and German origins. She is quite fluent in English but Arfikaans remains to be her original language. She is a naturalized citizen of the US although she chose to retain her South African citizenship.

Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Although Arnold’s surname is a dead giveaway of his foreign descent, the public tend to forget this because of his wide exposure in English speaking films and American politics. He was born in Austria and even served in the Austrian army to fulfill the one year service requirement. He spoke very little English when he moved to America but eventually overcame his thick Austrian accent to become one of the most popular action stars in Hollywood. He continues to speak fluent Austrian though.

Like any other regular person, Hollywood celebrities learn to speak foreign languages by virtue of their origins or education. There is no magic formula around it. If someone would like to learn Thai for example,it is either he or she will live for sometime in Thailand or study Thai in school or any other means.

Women rule the world, at least in Hollywood they do.

According to Forbes 2013 List of the Most Powerful Celebrities (released last June) and List of Top-Earning Celebs (released just a few days ago), Oprah and Madonna are biggest celebs in Hollywood right now.

Photo Credit: Spooky English Public Relations

Oprah, who’s a regular at the Forbes list both as a top-earner and her power player, has lost her place before but has now laid claim to her throne once again. Though her earnings went down drastically this year, from $165 million to $77 million, it has not affected her influence as she continues to be mentioned in the press and social media. Aside from her undiminished power and fame, Oprah’s revenue dip has not affected her purchasing power. Sure, she claims that the $38,ooo crocodile bag that sparked much controversy is too expensive for her taste, but she’s willing to spend millions on something she values – her home. In fact, she’s had home renovations done on her already super expensive house, increasing the value from $50 million to a whopping $85 million. And because of that, she now lays claim to yet another record, being the Hollywood celebrity with the priciest home.

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