Actor Peter Capaldi has been announced as the new star of BBC sci-fi series Doctor Who.

 The 55-year-old Glasgow-born star will be the 12th actor to play the Doctor, replacing outgoing lead Matt Smith.

Capaldi is best known for his role as foul-mouthed spin-doctor Malcolm Tucker in the BBC series The Thick of It.

"It's so wonderful not to keep this secret any longer, but it's been so fantastic," he said after the news was revealed on a live BBC One show.

The actor had been the bookmakers' favourite to take on the role, with betting on him becoming the next Doctor suspended on Friday.

It is not the first time Capaldi has appeared on the show - he played Roman merchant Caecilius in 2008 Doctor Who adventure The Fires of Pompeii.

At 55, he is the same age as William Hartnell when he was cast in the role as the first Doctor in 1963.

"Being asked to play the Doctor is an amazing privilege. Like the Doctor himself I find myself in a state of utter terror and delight. I can't wait to get started," he said.

Source: bbc

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Blurred Lines’ Makes Robin Thicke White Soul’s Leader

We first met Robin Thicke about a decade ago, zipping through the streets of Manhattan on a bicycle in his debut video, Jesus mane flowing behind him, then doing some sub-“Saturday Night Fever” moves in a freight elevator. The song was “When I Get You Alone,”and it sampled Walter Murphy’s “Fifth of Beethoven,” the 1976 disco-classical fusion, a hybrid of flash and seriousness that Mr. Thicke appeared perfectly comfortable with, even if few others were: wildly out of step with the sound of the time, his single never hit the American charts.

Jump forward to “BlurredLines,” the song that has topped the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks now, and that has elevated Mr. Thicke from white-soul curio to pop certainty. There he is in the crisp video, chipper and smug, in a beautifully cut suit, frolicking with barely clothed models (in the version where they’re wearing clothes at all, that is). He has the look of a man finally coming into the privilege he was sure was his all along.

But don’t let the video’s modernism fool you: white-soul conservatism is the order of the day, and this hit is just as nostalgic as Mr.Thicke’s first single was, under a much cooler cover. “Blurred Lines” is influenced heavily by Marvin Gaye’s “Got to Give ItUp,” and even with the producer Pharrell Williams’s clean, large drums and a sizzling, naughty guest rap by T.I., Mr. Thicke can’t help himself — he loves yesterday way more than today. That’s also clear from the bulk of his new album, also called “Blurred Lines” (Star Trak/Interscope), on which his hit is one of several songs that sound helicoptered in from three or four decades ago. Mr. Thicke may be the sound of now, but he’s only passing for contemporary.

With its full-band soul arrangements that hark back to disco and before, “Blurred Lines” is a loud reminder of the fundamental conservatism of white soul. Nostalgia is a frequent hallmark of white participation in black genres, a way of signaling respect and knowledge without presuming to reshape the art form’s present. It’s a safe space, guaranteeing an audience of nostalgists and that-white-boy-can-sing true-schoolers.

That leaves white singers — in the last few years, there have been Mr. Thicke, Mayer Hawthorne, Eli (Paperboy) Reed, Allen Stone, NickWaterhouse, Jamie Lidell and many more — largely in the role of preservers of a heritage. They are tentative innovators, if innovators at all. That isn’t the case 100 percent of the time, but there hasn’t been a white-soul singer at the genre’s vanguard in quite some time, and at the moment, there is no Eminem of R&B.

Luckily for Mr. Thicke, though, it so happens that 2013 is the best year in a while to be a white-soul conservative, thanks largely to the newly mature, and newly dull, Justin Timberlake, whose third album, “The 20/20 Experience” (RCA), was released in March. (A follow-up album is due next month.)

At one point, just after his liberation from ’NSync, Mr. Timberlake was the vanguard figure of pop-R&B, partnering with the hip-hop visionary Timbaland to create the most inventive pop of the day. (You could also argue that ’NSync itself was an innovator in forward-thinking R&B.) But Mr. Timberlake is now 32, and far removed from his best pop star years. His sheer fame, though, has made conservatism cool.

It’s in that environment that Mr. Thicke, 36, has thrived. Of the old ideas on “Blurred Lines,” the album, the title track is the most modern. Mr. Thicke is a singer of sometimes punishing sincerity; “Blurred Lines” is such a departure for him not just because it is less blatantly throwback than his typical fare, but also because he’s arching his eyebrows throughout the song, willingly poking fun at himself.

But what’s striking is how unambitious most of the rest of the album is, especially the half that’s produced by Mr. Thicke with his longtime production partner Pro-Jay. They’re pleasant enough, these songs about seduction and tender love, but musically, Mr. Thicke is still interested in the same modes he was a decade ago: smooth crooning, orchestral soul, disco thump. “Ooo La La” is so slick it could pass for something by Toro Y Moi, who’s been refabricating 1980s soul through a child’s lens for the last few years. “Ain’t No Hat 4 That” is ornate and explosive — it’s a reminder that sometimes in the past, soul was a luxury concept.

That idea is wrung dry like a washcloth by Mayer Hawthorne, 34, who recently released his third album, “Where Does This Door Go” (Universal Republic), full of thick disco and 1960s soul homage. Early in his career, Mr. Hawthorne was quickly upstreamed from the soul nostalgist underground to the majors, almost too quickly for him to decide whether his tepid productions were to be taken seriously.

This album is his most committed to date. He has a meager voice, and a boatful of ideas, especially about the yacht-soul of the 1970s. It’s notionally erotic music — more so than Mr. Thicke’s, whose sound is more complicated — but it rarely feels sweaty, because Mr. Hawthorne won’t, or can’t, commit.

Over the course of an album, his smoothness reads as aggressive shtick. Wine comes up a few times as a signifier, because, of course, it does. Mr. Hawthorne’s version of soul music is a fantasia, a collection of received ideas. It should be said, though, that in the context of his conservative peers, that insincerity feels like a kind of innovation. He knows exactly where he stands — on the outside.

Source: nytimes

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Love, etc.: Raven-Symone quietly comes out

Coming out: Raven-Symone, on Twitter. The former Cosby kid and “That’sSo Raven” actress, 27, tweeted a low-key message Friday saying: 

“I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you.” She then released a statement to media outlets to clarify: “I am very happy that gay marriage is opening up around the country and is being accepted  . . . I, however am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to.” But no details on who she’s dating:

 “I’m not one for a public display of my life,” she wrote last summer.

Source: washingtonpost

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Why signing Greg Oden is a great move for the heat

GregOden is back in the NBA. On Friday, he agreed to a two-year deal with the Miami Heat that will pay him the veteran’s minimum. 

The former Ohio State center once destined for greatness is getting close to playing shape, and wants to take another crack at an NBA career.

 Luckily, he’s found himself in a perfect situation on a contract that makes sense for both sides.

The average person knows two things about Oden:

1. He was drafted first overall by the Portland Trail Blazers in 2007, ahead of Kevin Durant.

2. His career has been ruined by repeated injuries to both knees, and he hasn't played in an NBA games since 2009.

So why is it a big deal that the Heat picked him up? Can he even contribute? Will he be able to stay healthy?

The beauty of his new situation with the Heat is that all three of those questions have the same answer: It doesn’t matter.

The Heat’s attempt to become the first team to three-peat as NBA champions since the 2000-02 Los Angeles Lakers won’t depend on Oden. They’ll be the most-covered team in the league, but almost none of that media attention will be focused on Oden. It will be focused on LeBron James’ impending free agency. It will be focused on Dwyane Wade’s health. It will be focused on the difficulty of winning three titles in a row. Oden can take his sweet time getting healthy enough to play, and then Erik Spoelstra can ease him into the rotation.

Miami is also an ideal situation for Oden, basketball-wise. Absolutely nothing will be expected of him offensively. Between James, Wade, Chris Bosh, Ray Allen, Shane Battier and Mario Chalmers, the Heat have plenty of players capable of scoring inside and out.

Oden’s role, once he’s ready to play, will be closer to that of Chris “Birdman” Andersen. All the Heat will need him to do is come off the bench for 10 or 15 minutes a game, rebound, block shots, score on putback dunks and use his six fouls. And the Heat won’t even be relying solely on him to do that, considering they re-signed Birdman earlier this summer.

Talking about Oden’s potential when he was drafted six years ago is pointless in 2013. Everyone knows how dominant he was at Ohio State, and we’ve all seen the flashes of brilliance he showed in parts of two seasons with the Blazers. The Heat aren’t getting that player — Oden is a few knee surgeries beyond having that kind of athleticism. But the Heat don’t need that player, and Pat Riley had no delusions about getting it when he recruited Oden.

Getting Oden for the veteran’s minimum makes this essentially a no-risk move for the Heat. Consider that the Cleveland Cavaliers recently gave Andrew Bynum a contract guaranteed for $6 million that could be worth as much as $24 million over two years. Bynum has played much more recently than Oden, but the Cavs also need him more than the Heat need Oden.

Cleveland has been a lottery team for three seasons since LeBron’s departure, and they’re trying to get back to the playoffs after having the first pick in the draft for the second time in three years. How far they go will depend at least a little bit on Bynum and Anderson Varejao staying healthy.

The Heat, on the other hand, are the Heat. They’re the two-time defending champions. They have the best player in the world and they’ve brought back virtually their entire team from last season. There’s no reason to believe they won’t be dominant again this year, and if they are, there will be no questions about why Oden isn’t contributing. If they’re not, well, LeBron conveniently happens to be coming up on free agency next summer. Oden will be invisible even if the Heat struggle.

Oden is doing this for himself. No matter what happens, he’s never going to be able to shake the “bust” label. Kevin Durant is already a lock for the Hall of Fame, and Oden has been injured too many times to be able to get back to his previous level of play. The ship has sailed on the first paragraph of his Wikipedia page.

But he had two choices here. The book on Oden could have been “He was drafted ahead of Durant, couldn’t stay healthy, and disappeared off the face of the earth,” or it could be “He was drafted ahead of Durant, couldn’t stay healthy, and made a comeback in a limited role and at least helped the Heat win a couple more championships.”

That second option sounds pretty good.

Source: usatoday

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Judge sentences Cleveland kidnapper Ariel Castro to life, plus 1,000 years

In handing down a sentence of life in prison plus 1,000 years to Ariel Castro, an Ohio judge told the kidnapper on Thursday that there was no place in the world for his brand of criminal.

Castro pleaded guilty to 937 counts, including murder and kidnapping, in connection with the kidnapping and abuse of Michelle Knight, Georgina DeJesus and Amanda Berry, whom he held captive for a decade in his Cleveland home. As part of the plea deal, the death penalty was taken off the table.

"You don't deserve to be out in our community," Cuyahoga County JudgeMichael Russo said after an hours-long hearing in which Castro, at times, appeared to defend his actions. "You're too dangerous."

In his oft-disjointed statement to the court, Castro referred to himself as "very emotional" and "a happy person inside."

Despite his repeated insistence that he wasn't making excuses for his conduct, Castro played the victim, saying he was addicted to porn and masturbation.

The judge appeared to be unmoved by Castro's words and matter-of-factly handed down a severe sentence that will likely make Castro a prisoner for the rest of his days.

"Excuses don't take away the harm that's involved," Russo said. "You have extreme narcissism and it seems rather pervasive."

Russo handed down the stiffest sentence allowed as part of the deal after investigators, psychologists and one of the victims painted a horrifying picture of physical and emotional abuse at the hands of Castro, including brutal beatings and repeated rapes that resulted in pregnancies that he would terminate by punching the women in the stomach.

All three women kept diaries, with Castro's permission, that provided many of the details of their abuse.

Source: cnn

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Moto X: Motorola's CEO on 'self-driving phone'

Google-owned Motorola has unveiled a phone that is "always listening" for the owner's voice commands.

Saying "OK Google now..." will prompt the Moto X's TouchlessControl system to listen for instructions.

The device is the first to have been designed from scratch since Google's $12.5bn (£7.9bn) takeover of Motorola last year.

The CEO of Motorola, Dennis Woodside, spoke to the BBC's Samira Hussain about the unique features of the Moto X and its chances of standing out in an already highly competitive market.

Source: bbc

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Twit-pic begs the question is Hugh Jackman Wolverine? Or is Wolverine Hugh Jackman?

HUGHJackman's latest Twit-pic is INSANE, so much so that it's been labelled "the most terrifying selfie of all time."

The X-Men star tweeted a picture of himself dead lifting an almost humanly impossible amount of weight, leading many to lose their mind over it.

"If the bar ain't bendin, then you're just pretendin #xmen #daysoffuturepast," Jackman wrote alongside the pic.

By examining the colours of the weights on the end of the bar, it has been estimated that Jackman is lifting 210kg or "roughly the equivalent of four Shakiras".

Closerexamination of the pic reveals he is exerting so much effort that his "body is the colour of a summer ripe tomato".

And that protruding vein in his arm isn't in fact a vein at all, "it's a tunnel the government built that allows his awesome juice to travel throughout his body."

Buzzfeed also pointed out that he is wearing neon "toe shoes" in the pic. "Just perfect", they added.

So with this superhero-esque effort on show, it begs the question "is Hugh Jackman Wolverine? Or is Wolverine Hugh Jackman?"

We're not so sure anymore.

Source: news

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