The best-ugliest Dog 2008

You may argue, but I am convinced that our planet and our people are the most unique and extraordinary. We don’t know much about other civilizations and lives, but we are sure to be always #1! Why? The answer is clear: we are eager to see something original and even beautiful in the most unexpected things. Understand, what I mean?

I am speaking about World’s Ugliest Dog Contest. According to Wikipedia, World's Ugliest Dog Contest is an annual contest at the Sonoma-Marin county fair in Petaluma, California, U.S., to decide which of the dogs entered in the contest is the ugliest. Along with the title of "The World's Ugliest Dog", the winner's owned gets a USD $1,000. The winner of the 2007 World's Ugliest Dog was Elwood, a Chinese Crested-Chihuahua mixed breed dog owned by Karen Quigley, a resident of Sewell, New Jersey.

This year California Competition was fierce at the 20th World’s Ugliest Dog Contest at the Somona-Marin Fair in California, where the bald and drooling crossbreed Elwood was fighting to retain his title and secure the $1,000 (£510) top prize.

They are sweeties, aren’t they?

Rascal Elwood

And who will dare to say now that beauty will save the world??? :)

BELIEVE in Eurovision 2008

The 53-d Eurovision Song Contest, hosted by Serbia, came to an end on the 24th of May. 25 participants, who represented their countries in the final, were trying to win the main prize and get the right to host the well-known contest in their capital in 2009.

Among the favourites, Russia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey were named. As the final showed, the representative of Russia, Dima Bilan, knew perfectly well, why he decided to take part in the contest for the second time. Among the large number of possible representatives of Russia at the contest, Dima represented his country with dignity and won – Russia is №1 this year and Eurovision 2009 will take place in Moscow. Dima Bilan and his friends figure skater Evgeni Plushenko and violin player Edvin Marton created unforgettable atmosphere on the stage and made the whole Europe BELIEVE! Dima claimed that the number 24 is lucky for him – he was the 24th at the final and was born at this very day!

As for other leaders of the contest, they are Ukraine and Greece – beautiful girls from these countries managed to make the real hit of their songs and the hall in Belgrade danced with them. Ukraine is trying to duplicate the success of Ruslana who won Eurovision 2004. Last year Verka Serduchka was the second and this year Ani Lorak again only the second… But I think the representative of Ukraine Ani Lorak was very convincing with her Shady Lady! Armenia is the fourth in the draw.

All countries who took part in the contest and all the audience were really fascinated by this bright show and thanked Belgrade for this nice opportunity to have rest and to enjoy the number of the most talented representatives of different countries all over Europe.

It is interesting to point out, that the contest like Eurovision became very popular and the rights for organizing such a show went to East and America. So perhaps, in the near future, some other countries will enrich their culture by organizing such contests!

As for Eurovision 2008, it didn’t lose its originality and novelty. The contest contained a number of interesting and original shows, thus, the procedure of voting and choosing the best from the best was not quite easy. At the same time, Dime Bilan managed to win with the large advantage.

The only possible problem which I see in connection with Eurovision is its policization. I’m afraid the contest may turn into political rivalry and playing numerous political games. I wish it remained the festival of art and song – and not politics and dirty political games!

What about a dance with a star?

Dances not only make us healthy and fit, but also bring us aesthetic satisfaction in both cases: for us as participants and for us as spectators, nothing to say about the measure of this satisfaction when we speak about the 6th season of Dances with the Stars! Lots of fantastic episodes, a number of victories and defeats, lights, costumes, beauty, judges… What else can be said about this season of this popular reality show?

Reality show Dances with the Stars is based on the United Kingdom BBC Television series Strictly Come Dancing and is part of BBC Worldwide's international Dancing with the Stars franchise. This show is known all over the world and in every country it became popular and a real hit. The reasons for its popularity are clear enough: it is great, fantastic, a sight for sore eyes. People have an opportunity to observe their favorite celebrities in quite an unexpected role – as dancers. And it is necessary to admit that all participants managed to show their talent. As they say, talented people are talented in everything!

As far as the judges are concerned, their function was the most difficult. They had to choose the best from the best! Sometimes they were too strict and gave their points rather to professionals than to amateur dancers. But on the other hand, they couldn’t be too mild – in that case all celebrities might have become winners! I would say that notwithstanding some defeats, misunderstanding and mistakes, all the celebrities are winners. They had enough courage to start doing something new for them and did it professionally, didn’t they?

It is early to speak about new season of Dances with the Stars so far, but what is absolutely sure is that this show bit all other reality TV shows. And together with its positive features I’d like to point out another one, not less important: such shows have important social meaning – they develop our aesthetic taste, the feeling of beauty. People who are fond of dances and emotional life are not likely to begin wars. Isn’t it that what we need in the 21st century???

Jimmy Hendrix: Poking into the private…

Why do so many people like to poke into other people’s private lives??? Even if a man or a woman is a public figure, he/she still has the right for privacy and his/her own intimate life! Agree? The thing is that we are so interested in all the details of their lives, especially, intimate life, that we are ready to sell everything we have (or can allow ourselves to sell) in order to hear new gossip and updated version of new celebrity’s affair.

It is not pleasant if the person is alive and has to live with all that mud which is slang at him/her. But it is simply outrageous when we start analyzing people who are not with us any longer and give assertion of their sex life and number of partner they used to have!

I do mean this scandal with the sex tape with Jimmy Hendrix. Just imagine, how could that tape lie somewhere for 40 years and now somehow appeared available. Perhaps, someone needs promotion and is playing without rules? Of course, the main purpose of the porn company is to attract audience and make profits, I understand it, but, at the same time, the person on the tape is not proved to be Hendrix and all his acquaintances say it couldn’t be him. But as far as I understood, nobody is going to stop this and the aesthetic tape will soon see its audience in all the shops with similar products…

Enjoy Asparagus Festival!

You still don’t know where to spend the end of May??? Then do not sit in your arm-chair dreaming of having rest and eating something delicious, but buy tickets to the National Asparagus Festival, which will take place from Sunday 25th May to Monday 26th May 2008.

The festival features two performing stages, an Asparagus Alley with the best deep fried asparagus found anywhere, one of the finest celebrity chef cooking demonstration kitchens, a fabulous Spear-Its of the Valley wine and beer pavilion, a craft show, 600 booths, displays and exhibits in the show. While the asparagus auction will take place on Sunday 25th May, the focal point of the festival is ‘Festival Day’ on Monday 26th May, which this year will include cookery demonstrations by Rachel Green – TV’s Flying Cook, a craft fair, farmers market, silver band and tutored asparagus tasting.

The Stockton Asparagus Festival is honored to work with the City of Stockton to bring you this wonderful community event. Children under 10 may visit the festival free of charge.

Based at the historic Fleece Inn, in the tiny village of Bretforton, the Festival has grown out of the historic asparagus auctions, which have taken place in the area for generations.

A must for the asparagus lover, the Festival offers the opportunity to taste, buy and learn about one of the country’s most sought after delicacies.

Local hotels and restaurants across the Vale will also be getting in on the act and offering a range of delicious asparagus menus to tempt the palates of visitors.

Is the world going mad???

I couldn’t help asking this myself when I first heard about pregnant man who is going to give birth to a girl in summer. It was so until I got some additional information on this matter. As it turned out, this man was not quite a man, but ex-lesbian woman Tracy, 34, who having realized her real natural, decided to become a man, but did nothing to her sex organs. "I actually opted not to do anything to my reproductive organs because I wanted to have a child one day. I see pregnancy as a process and it doesn't define who I am," Beatie told in one of his (?) interview. "I feel it's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human need. I'm a person and I have the right to have a biological child."

Beatie’s wife Nancy cannot have a baby, thus, this mission was given to her husband. The couple is happy and is waiting for this baby. They say, it doesn’t matter, who gave birth to a child – parents are not going to mix their roles in the family.

Beatie says it was not that easy to find a doctor who took up the case, but at last they managed to do it, and Dr. Kimberly James defines this pregnancy as absolutely normal.

The case caused a real stir all over the world – so many people, so many opinions. I am not going to judge anybody, our life is so unpredictable! You never know where you win and where you lose. If these people feel comfortable in this situation (and I believe, they do, if speak about this case so openly!) I can wish them and their future daughter good luck. And if this case is so extraordinary, it doesn’t mean that everything they do is wrong. In the long run, it is their life and they made their decision.

America's Best Dance Crew is already known!!!

Yesterday finally fans of Jabbawockeez could triumph over their new title of America's Best Dance Crew! 12 best groups took part in this competition trying to win and get this desired title, but as it always happens, wins the best!

Week after week, each dance crew, consisting of five to seven members, worked really hard to demonstrate their most innovative choreography and sick dance skills. The crews were asked to recreate the moves seen in the hottest music videos, use their fancy footwork to reenact their favorite movie scenes and pay homage to the classic grooves (and moves) of the past. All these crews needed to impress the panel of judges, including JC Chasez and choreographer Shane Sparks, host Mario Lopez and, yes, American Idol's Randy Jackson, 'cause after the first dance-off, only the elite eight stayed in the competition. And finally yesterday at 10.00 MTV transmitted the final step of the competition and the winner was discovered! Jabbawockies got lots of support and votes and fought their main opponents Status Quo.

Jabbawockeez is an all-male crew made up of 6 members from San Diego, California. The name originated from Lewis Carol’s book entitled “Through the Looking Glass.” In this children’s book, Jabberwocky is a dragon who roamed the woods. The crew members wear white masks so that people will focus on their dance moves and not on the individuals. They have lots of fans not only in their country, but also abroad. This once again proves that they won this game not accidentally, but deservedly and can be proud of having the title of America's Best Dance Crew!

P.S. All other teams were great and did their best at the competition – this made it even more interesting and exciting! I want to say thank everybody who was somehow connected with this event – it was a great show!