William Gave Kate Diana’s Engagement Ring – Kate joined William at St James’s Palace during their first public appearance since the announcement. On her finger was the engagement ring, a gorgeous 18 carat blue sapphire surrounded by smaller diamonds. It was the same engagement ring as his late mother Princess Diana wore. William explained the significance of the ring, saying: “It’s very special, as Kate is very special. It’s my way of making sure my mother didn’t miss out on today and the excitement.” [hellomagazine]
Of Superman Ministers And Developmentally-Aligned Broadcasters – There seems to be a lot of frightening legislation doing the rounds, which naturally means some drafts don’t get the attention they deserve. But, not to be alarmist or anything, you need to have a look at the proposed new law on public broadcasting. Seriously. [dailymav]
Heritage Industry Cheers Royal Wedding – As Souvenir Mugs Hit Shops – The wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton will be a huge boost to UK tourism. VisitEngland chief executive James Berresford said: “The wedding next year will mean that once again the eyes of the world will be turned to our nation. We will have a wonderful opportunity to showcase all that is best about the country. Asda today admitted that it had already produced thousand. [thisislondon]
Little Shit Finds R25 Million Treasure On FIRST Metal Detecting Expedition – The three-year-old was minutes into his first ever attempt at metal detecting when he found a gold locket potentially worth £2.5million. He had just been passed the device at a field in Hockley, Essex, when it began to buzz. Experts have dated the locket to the early 16th century – the era of Henry VIII – and say it could have belonged to a member of the royal family. [dailymail]
Leonardo DiCaprio To Star In Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby – Baz Luhrmann is doing this properly, and he’s re-teaming with his Romeo + Juliet star Leonardo DiCaprio, who’ll play the role of Jay Gatsby. The director has also tapped Oscar-nominated ingenue Carey Mulligan to play Daisy Buchanan. I CANNOT tell you how excited I am for this movie. [becoolent]
Google’s New Android Phone Aims To Replace Credit Card – Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, showed off the company’s next Android-powered phone, which will contain a chip that will allow people to make payments via their handsets. The latest version of Android, called Gingerbread, will feature this new mobile payments system as a key tool. That’s weird, I just pay using AMMO on my iPhone.. [telegraph]
Why You Shouldn’t Switch Your Email to Facebook – The new Facebook Messages may integrate with email, but that doesn’t mean it is email. Zuckerberg and company won’t argue this point: Although the new Facebook Messages can send emails from your @facebook.com address to any email address, and receive email from any email address sent to your @facebook.com address, it’s still not email. In fact, it doesn’t want to be. The new Facebook Messages isn’t about killing Gmail. It’s about extending the reach of Facebook Messages. [lifehacker]
All About Silvio – It’s getting hard to know what else Silvio Berlusconi, the Italian prime minister, has to do to get evicted from power. In most countries, just one of the dozens of scandals he has been involved in would be enough to finish him off politically. Each time a new scandal explodes, more sordid and incredible than the last, you think he can’t possibly ride this one out. Read this article if you want the FULL low-down on Silvio. Mind-blowing! [guardian]
Pink Diamond Sells For Record $46M At Auction – A rare pink diamond smashed the world record for a jewel at auction Tuesday, selling for more than $46 million to a well-known gem dealer. London jeweler Laurence Graff paid $46,158,674, for the 24.78-carat “fancy intense pink” diamond, which he immediately named “The Graff Pink.” The sale price was almost double the $24.3 million achieved by the blue 35.56-carat Wittelsbach-Graff diamond in 2008. That was also bought by Graff. [associated]
Travolta And Preston Gearing Up For ‘Silent Birth’ – While John Travolta and wife Kelly Preston await the arrival of their new son Benjamin, one thing is already a known fact — when the little boy does arrive, Scientology will play a major role. John flew back to the USA from Australia on Sunday to make preparations for their new arrival, which will include a controversial “silent” Scientology birth. [popeater]
The Gayest Images from Michelangelo’s Most Famous Painting – An Italian art historian claims some of the images depicted in Michelangelo’s “Last Judgment”—the fresco on the wall of the Sistine Chapel—were inspired by acts the artist witnessed in homosexual bathhouses. Elena Lazzarini, the author of a new book about the work, explains, “The virile male bodies are inspired by the physiology of laborers engaged in physical exertion, with taut muscles, strenuous exertion and pain etched into the expression on their faces.” Follow link for images. [gawker]
Anne Hathaway Storms Out Of Birthday Dinner – Anne Hathaway stormed out of her birthday dinner with her parents and boyfriend, Adam Shulman, Friday when the conversation took a turn for the worse at restaurant Tocqueville on East 15th Street. One witness told us, “It sort of came on pretty suddenly. Everyone got pretty quiet. She left crying, and then her boyfriend followed her, but her parents remained. Shame, babba, what’s wrong? [nypost]
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