For you, a thousand times over!

Year of the Water Dragon - Happy New Year!

2012-01-29T22:42:00.000Z

The year of the Dragon is one that brings happiness and good fortune. It is one of the most positive and strongest of all of the 12 star signs. During the year of the Dragon there will be violent acts of nature, with an electrifying ambience and things coming in waves. For those considering marriage or starting a new venture or business it is a favourable year.

The Water Dragon characteristics: innovative, enterprising, flexible, self-assured, brave, passionate, conceited, tactless, scrutinizing, unanticipated, quick-tempered.

Water has a calming effect on the Dragon's fearless temperament. Water allows the Dragon to re-direct its enthusiasm, and makes him more perceptive of others. These Dragons are better equipped to take a step back to re-evaluate a situation because they understand the art of patience and do not desire the spotlight like other Dragons. Therefore, they make smart decisions and are able to see eye-to-eye with other people. However, their actions can go wrong if they do not research or if they do not finish one project before starting another.

___________________________________________________
Me? I'm a Fire tempered Rabbit, born in the year 1987.

The Fire Rabbit characteristics: keen, wise, fragile, tranquil, serene, considerate, fashionable, sneaky, obsessive.

Fire adds an unspoken magnetism and mystery to the Rabbit. These creatures have a burning desire to get out there and live life to its fullest. They are active and adventurous and love anything that sparks their creativity or curiosity. They can throw tantrums here and there, if provoked, but most of the time they work very hard to avoid conflict or unpleasant confrontations. Fire Rabbits are charming and tend to push their emotions into the backs of their minds, but will speak up if necessary.

13 Films to Look Forward to in 2012

2012-01-24T13:00:00.000Z

I've trawled through IMDB so you don't have to. List ordered by UK release date. Soz Americanos.

The Iron Lady, January 6th 2012 Definitely need to see this! Not because I'm a fan of Margaret Thatcher, oh no, but I totally am of Meryl Streep.
Shame, January 13th 2012
Michael Fassbender. Naked. A lot.
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, February 17th 2012 "If things were easy to find, they wouldn't be worth finding." I've had this book in my bedside table for 3 years now. I really must read it before I see the movie but I probably won't. In any case, this movie will be a heart-wrencher; bring the tissues!
The Hunger Games, March 23rd 2012
This looks really compelling and intense, can't wait!
The Kid with a Bike / Le Gamin au Vélo, March 23rd 2012
I get a good feeling about this film. I think it will be quite touching.
American Reunion, 6th April 2012
Come on, you know you're gonna watch it!
The Five-Year Engagement, April 27th 2012
Jason Segel & Emily Blunt, yay!
The Avengers, April 27th 2012
Yessss Joss Whedon is back directing for the big screen!
Movie 43, April 2012 A great line-up of actors: Emma Stone, Kate Winslet, Josh Duhamel, the cute kid from Kick-Ass, Chloë Grace Moretz... Need I say more?
Ice Age: Continental Adrift, July 6th 2012
I completely and unashamedly love the Ice Age movies.
The Dark Knight Rises, July 20th 2012 A classic.
This Is 40, December 21st 2012
Jason Segel, Paul Rudd & Leslie Mann in a follow up movie to Knocked Up. Awesome.
Life of Pi, December 21st 2012
Never got round to reading this book, but always wanted to. Yay, now there's a move coming out.

Newcastle University NUS Poster Fail

2012-01-21T13:13:00.000Z

Spot the gaping* error...

*bad word choice, I know, but it just seemed so apt I couldn't resist!

The Day The Internet Almost Died.

2012-01-19T00:25:00.000Z

All our favourite websites take a stand against SOPA and PIPA.
Slideshow and captions from the BBC website.

Stop Piracy Not Liberty!

Looks like it's working! Momentum to pass this bill has reduced and apparently 8 US backers for SOPA and PIPA have withdrawn their support.

Thank fuck.

For now...

That Way by Nick Gardner

2012-01-15T10:32:00.002Z

(C) 2009 Nicholas Gardner - Please do not use without permission.

http://www.twitter.com/nrhgardner
http://www.facebook.com/nickgardnerofficial

LYRICS:

Verse:

Fly away with me, and I think that the...
Pain we feel from our scars will
Quickly heal and there won't be a problem

And that, change we feel, won't bother us from...
Way up here, and if you could just listen now
I know I'd convince you

Bridge:

But I know, you've got somewhere to be
And my ego, can't be your priority

Chorus:

But it hurts. It hurts more than I say
And I'm jealous of the whole world
And it shouldn't feel that way
I shouldn't feel...that way, that way

Verse:

And the nights get, shorter now
And it won't ever be, why or how
More like I don't know where the hell you are
Or where you are going

And just to think of
Of myself and to not think of, anyone else
If I did that then, who on earth, would I be?

Bridge:

But I don't, I don't think I could care.
Cause since when, since when was justice fair?

Chorus:

But it hurts. It hurts more than I say
And I'm jealous of the whole world
And it shouldn't feel that way
I shouldn't feel...that way, that way

Middle 8:

I shouldn't feel, that way, that Way
I said that I wouldn't feel oh, that way, that way
I wouldn't feel oh oh oh oh oh oh, that way, that way

Outro:

But it hurts. More than I could say
And I'm jealous of the whole world
And I shouldn't feel that way, that way

Said I wouldn't feel, that way...that way
Said that I wouldn't feel, that way....that way.

7 Billion People and You: What's your number?

2012-01-14T21:03:00.000Z

When I was born, I was the 5,022,053,349th person alive on earth, and the 79,937,617,704th person to have lived since history began.

What's your number?

Unleash Your Fingers

2012-01-02T13:00:00.000Z

Dubstep music became all the rage in 2011. Strangely, I'm still not sick of hearing it everywhere. I think it's because it sparks people's creativity, like in this advert for Samsung last year...

I'm A Celebritree

2011-12-30T11:24:00.000Z

On December 1st my sister and I created the Facebook page I'm A Celebritree dedicated to Christmas Trees with Celebrity names. But not just any Celebrity name, Celebritree Names.

WHAT IS A C E L E B R I T R E E ?
Celebritrees are Christmas Trees that are named after a celebrity by inserting "tree" into their name. The celebrity tree name doesn't have to be related to the tree in any way, shape or form, but it can be pretty funny if you're able to match a name to your tree's personality (e.g. type of tree, tree's decoration personality, tree's colour etc.)

Recent innovations have also included tree family Celebritree names, such as Conifer Aniston.

If you're still stuck:
☑ Have a look in the Photos area to see how celebritrees have been named in the past.
☑ Then pick a name from our suggestions (in Notes) or make up your own...
☑ & finally upload a photo of your Christmas Tree and tell us its name (& why you picked it)!

Credits:
☆ The concept of coining "tree" phonetically with celebrity names for our Christmas Trees was created by Nick Gardner.
☆ The community page "I'm A Celebritree™" was hence coined by Camilla Ginty.

My tree in 2010 was Treevie Wonder, named by Nick G.

In 2011, we had the wonderful Justin Treeber:

Other 2011 submissions on Facebook are...

Danny Tree-Vito, by Beth M

Lionel Richtree, by Isabella R

Paul McCartree, by Tori M

The all mighty Treesus Christ, by Millie R

Trhianna, submitted by co-founder Nick Gardner on Twitter

The Celebritree from my apartment block lobby in Manchester,
aptly named Treean Curtis (aka Ian Curtis - Joy Division)

Hopefully some more people will submit their trees before the end of this year's festive season. If not, I'll be hounding you all next year!

Happy Holidays!

Hand Made Christmas Cards in 2011

2011-12-23T22:30:00.000Z

Merry Christmas everyone! I hope you all had a relaxing holiday and of course got lots of presents. I wish you all a very Happy New Year where I hope all your dreams come true!

This year I sent out some hand-made pop-up Christmas cards to friends and family. Sadly, because each card takes me between 1 and 2 hours, I still am not even half-way through my cards list! So I'll have to start much earlier than the week before Christmas next year won't I!

I took some photos of my favourite ones and you can see below...

Place your orders for 2012 now! Hahahahaha. Joke!

Over 1,000,000 Views for Nick Gardner's Cover of Adele

2011-11-16T22:31:00.005Z

Congratulations to Nick, it really is a huge milestone!

In case you were wondering, here we were at 3,000 views & then 100,000 views & also 500,000 views...
Now let's go for 10 MILLION views, team... Go!

Inside The Manchester Riots

2011-11-14T22:55:00.036Z

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b017pld0/Panorama_Inside_the_Riots/

BBC Panorama goes behind the lines with Manchester's police and into the interview rooms with the rioters to tell the inside story of one of the cities most affected by the August riots. For the first time, a police force allows access to its footage from this summer's running battles - this time, on the streets of Manchester and Salford. The programme reveals how in Salford there was more to the rioting than opportunistic looting. And it follows the police investigation as they seek to identify and arrest the 700 rioters caught on camera at 300 separate crime scenes.

Available until 8:59PM Sun, 27 Nov 2011

As horrific as the riots were, they brought the Manchester city centre community closer together. The 'I heart Manchester' campaign was born and supported by businesses large and small, residents, and later footballers, celebrities, and the council, to all show our love for our city and fight back against the rioters (in a non-violent way of course!)

Photos from that horrific night are below...

Miss Selfridge ferociously on fire

The Shop A Looter campaign was brilliant. I saw in newspapers that kids' own parents were turning them in to the police. Hopefully they've learned that this was horrible and not the way to fight back at 'the system'. Equally, whilst these rioters broke laws and completely deserve their prison sentences, we can't just brush this issue under the carpet by sending everyone to prison and not dealing with the underlying issues of social unrest. But is there really anything we can do? Not for a quick fix solution anyway...

Cold, but pretty sky

2011-10-20T20:45:00.003+01:00

Cold, but pretty sky this morning, originally uploaded by fly-sycamore.

One thing I love about Autumn and Winter in the UK, is that as it gets colder and the rain gets less and less, we get clear skies at night and really beautiful sunrises. And as I commute every day at the time of sunrise at the moment, expect to see more of these.

The Taming of the Shrew at Southwark Playhouse, London

2011-10-17T22:33:00.005+01:00

Shakespeare’s feistiest comedy The Taming of the Shrew is relocated to 21st century London. Brixton girl Kate has no time for smooth-talking Sloane Petruchio, but her traditional father thinks he’s perfect.

In the ensuing battle of the sexes, Petruchio’s arrogance and Kate’s carefully constructed aggression crumble as they discover there’s more to love than sharing the same postcode.

The Taming of the Shrew is showing at Southwark Playhouse, London Bridge.

Buy Tickets here.

& don't forget to check out lastminute.com for ticket deals.

__________________________________________________________

‘Very impressive. This updated version of the play works well… funny, innovative and mercifully cringe-free… in Southwark Playhouse’s capable hands the Bard does seem to be at home in modern day Brixton’

The Stage

'The verse is generally spoken well, although Tranio (Simon Ginty [tag]) truly shines, speaking both distinctly and with an accessible charm that many actors rarely achieve; he is one to watch...'

Whatsonstage

‘[Simon Darwen and Elexi Walker’s] sparkling exchanges sizzle with an honest and believable chemistry that is, surprisingly, rather touching… The production is lively and fun, the characterization quirky, and there are stand out performances from Walker and Ginty [tag]. Shrewd theatre-goers should give it a go’

Whatsonstage

Creative Team

Director
Robin Norton-Hale

Designer
Cherry Truluck

Sound Designer
Seb Willan

Lighting Designer
Richard Williamson

Cast

Petruchio
Simon Darwen
Lucentio
Will Featherstone
Baptista
Dave Fishley
Tranio
Simon Ginty [tag]
Bianca
Simone James
Gremio
Matthew Newman
Hortensio
Giles Roberts
Katherine
Elexi Walker
Grumio
Sarah Winn

Over Half a Million Views for Nick Gardner's Someone Like You Cover

2011-06-26T13:12:00.000+01:00

It seems like just yesterday when the video hit 100,000 views and now 1,000,000 views is the next milestone...

Facebook | Twitter | Tumblr

Word on the grapevine is that Nick's working on a new video to be uploaded to YouTube soon. Woohoo!

"Live In The Moment" | by Jay Burna ft. Nick Gardner

2011-06-01T19:54:00.006+01:00

listen here → Live In The Moment ← listen here

(& download for free)

"Live In The Moment" by up and coming rapper Jay Burna, featuring up and coming singer Nick Gardner, and produced by producer J.D. Beatz ~ quite the team and an awesome anthem to kick start the summer!

Lyrics below ↓ after the jump!

Listen to the song on YouTube here:

LYRICS

J.D. we got us one with this one

The magnificent Nick Gardner

Jay Burna's my name

Woo! I’m gone

(Hook)

Why don't you let your mind open?

Emotions are floating

Your beauty is glowing

And you just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

Your rays just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

So let's just live in the moment

(Verse 1)

You put up this wall,

Why don't you let it go?

You hiding what,

Why don't you let it show?

Upload your feelings

To fall in love

Let's end the game

And start on us

One life to live

And I'm a live it well

But I want you on my arm

For show and tell

Remember half the walk in Central Park?

You part of the reason why I love New York ahh

Lights come on

And your smile going

This boat a keep going

If we both keep rowing

Take all three steps

Cause I know you for it

Haha you can't ignore it

Do I care?

That it so rhetoric

You and I is so historic

So sit back girl and let life record it

(Hook)

Why don't you let your mind open?

Emotions are floating

Your beauty is glowing

And you just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

Your rays just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

So let's just live in the moment

(Verse 2)

I'll paint you a picture

Some women never see

Make you shine

Like you celebrity

Clothes off

Freak on

In the middle girl

You know I keep going

Give it to me like you owe me

I will never leave you lonely

I'll forever be your homie

But let's live in the moment like right now

Tomorrow not promised

Today let's be honest

So girl get on it

You know what I mean

I behold your beauty

I know what I see

So let's let it be

What it's gon' be

We may not ever last a long time

But for now pretty lady you're all mine

We got this glow

I keep the light

With your ray of beauty

We'll be alright

(Hook)

Why don't you let your mind open?

Emotions are floating

Your beauty is glowing

And you just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

Your rays just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

So let's just live in the moment

(Bridge)

Melodies

(Hook)

Why don't you let your mind open?

Emotions are floating

Your beauty is glowing

And you just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

Your rays just brighten my day

Ay ay ay

So let's just live in the moment

The Royal Wedding ~ #ProudToBeBritish

2011-04-30T20:00:00.003+01:00

What a wonderful, wonderful ceremony. Kate looked absolutely exquisite in Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen (fyi Sarah Burton is from Cheshire which is where I'm from, woohoo!). The BBC's birds eye view of Will & Kate at the altar inside Westminster Abbey is what set my tears off, it was just so so beautiful. So surreal... such a fairytale...

The Official Royal Wedding Photos are here on Flickr.

The awesome GIFs below created by http://minimcguinness.tumblr.com

GIFs created by http://minimcguinness.tumblr.com

I went to a street party in Northern Quarter, Manchester which was so much fun. Everyone was just so happy!

A great day to be British ^^

Business Trip to Italy

2011-04-26T20:12:00.002+01:00

I love my job ^-^

Les Alps

Was surprised & pleased to see my friend in The Sunday Times' Culture Magazine on the flight.

Piacenza

Vineyards!

Amazing hotels...

Forli

Work. Learnt so much, really enjoyed the whole experience!

Senigallia

Old town

The view I woke up to (photo unedited!) Wednesday April 20th ^^

Waiting for our ride...

We passed many cute little towns in the countryside

On the train back to Piacenza

A Huge Honour... Thank You Dr Ekman!

2011-04-05T23:39:00.002+01:00

After hearing some not-so-good-news about SaveLieToMe.com tonight - this is what I see when I check Twitter, and it makes it alllll worthwhile once again!

*dies*

Other cast & crew members who have RT'd about SaveLieToMe.com

i.e. acknowledging we exist!! *squee*

Who are these people? Find out here...

Will Ferrell Meets his Landlord... Pearl

2011-03-21T23:16:00.002Z

The Landlord from Will Ferrell

Proud Owner of FLOWERBOMB

2011-03-15T22:47:00.000Z

,,, Finally! I've only been waiting 5 years. Just because I could never justify spending £80 on perfume. Then I won a Selfridges £100 giftcard at work and it was a no-brainer.

I am so happy, it's almost sad.

Ever Wondered What A Mashup of Adele and OneRepublic Might Sound Like?

2011-03-02T23:54:00.004Z

I am so pleased that this cover of Adele and OneRepublic by Nick Gardner has almost 100,000 views in less than 2.5 months of being online.

It's Nick's most popular video yet and it is truly well-deserved.

So if you haven't already, go and check it out by clicking the image above.

Best Bits at The Oscars 2011

2011-02-28T18:44:00.000Z

Awards Ceremony Opening... "Inception" spoof

A 'Musical Harry Potter Social Twilight Toy' Story ;-)

Christian Bale Acceptance Speech, Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Natalie Portman Acceptance Speech, Best Actress in a Leading Role

Colin Firth Acceptance Speech, Best Actor in a Leading Role

NOMINEES & WINNERS

Best Dressed at The Oscars 2011

2011-02-27T23:47:00.011Z

Images from JustJared | The Hollywood Reporter |

Mila Kunis, obviously...

Scarlett Johansson

Jennifer Hudson, this suited her so well.

Reese Witherspoon

Gwyneth Paltrow
Nicole Kidman looked great, physically, but I'm not the biggest fan of her dress to be honest...

Sandra Bullock
(Sandra Bullock's and Anne Hathaway's dresses were so similar, but I liked Sandra's more!)

Hilary Swank

Helen Mirren

And last but not least,
the amazing, incredible and beautiful...
Natalie Portman

My nominations... I don't think these are the same as "who I think will win", but they're definitely who I would like to win!

BEST PICTURE
127 Hours
Black Swan
The Fighter
Inception
The Kids Are All Right
The King’s Speech
The Social Network
Toy Story 3
True Grit
Winter’s Bone

BEST ACTOR
Javier Bardem, Biutiful
Jeff Bridges, True Grit
Jesse Eisenberg, The Social Network
Colin Firth, The King’s Speech
James Franco, 127 Hours

BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR
Christian Bale, The Fighter
John Hawkes, Winter’s Bone
Jeremy Renner, The Town
Mark Ruffalo, The Kids Are All Right
Geoffrey Rush, The King’s Speech

BEST ACTRESS
Annette Bening, The Kids Are All Right
Nicole Kidman, Rabbit Hole
Jennifer Lawrence, Winter’s Bone
Natalie Portman, Black Swan
Michelle Williams, Blue Valentine

BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS
Amy Adams, The Fighter
Helena Bonham Carter, The King’s Speech
Melissa Leo, The Fighter
Hailee Steinfeld, True Grit
Jacki Weaver, Animal Kingdom

BEST ANIMATED FILM
How to Train Your Dragon
The Illusionist
Toy Story 3

BEST ART DIRECTION
Alice in Wonderland, Robert Stromberg, Karen O’Hara
Happy Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, Stuart Craig, Stephenie McMillan
Inception, Guy Hendrix Dyas, Larry Dias, Doug Mowat
The King’s Speech, Eve Stewart, Judy Farr
True Grit, Jess Gonchor, Nancy Haigh

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Black Swan, Matthew Libatique
Inception, Wally Pfister
The King’s Speech, Danny Cohen
The Social Network, Jeff Cronenweth
True Grit, Roger Deakins

BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Alice in Wonderland, Colleen Atwood
I Am Love, Antonella Cannarozzi
The King’s Speech, Jenny Beaven
The Tempest, Sandy Powell
True Grit, Mary Zophres

BEST DIRECTOR
Darren Aronofsky, Black Swan
Joel & Ethan Coen, True Grit
David Fincher, The Social Network
Tom Hooper, The King’s Speech
David O. Russell, The Fighter

BEST DOCUMENTARY
Exit Through the Gift Shop, Banksy and Jaimie D’Cruz
Gasland, Josh Fox and Trish Adlesic
Inside Job, Charles Ferguson and Audrey Marrs
Restrepo, Tim Hetherington and Sebastian Junger
Waste Land, Lucy Walker and Angus Aynley

BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
Killing in the Name (Nominees TBD)
Poster Girl (Nominees (TBD)
Strangers No More, Karen Goodman and Kirk Simon
Sun Come Up, Jennifer Redfearn and Tim Metzger
The Warriors of Qiugang, Ruby Yang and Thomas Lennon

BEST EDITING
127 Hours, Jon Harris
Black Swan, Andrew Weisblum
The Fighter, Pamela Martin
The King’s Speech, Tariq Anwar
The Social Network, Angus Wall and Kirk Baxter

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
Hors la Loi (Outside the Law) (Algeria)
Incendies (Canada)
In a Better World (Denmark)
Dogtooth (Greece)
Biutiful (Mexico)

BEST MAKEUP
Barney’s Version, Adrien Morot
The Way Back, Eduoard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk, Yolanda Toussieng
The Wolfman, Rick Baker and Dave Elsey

BEST SCORE
127 Hours, A.R. Rahman
How to Train Your Dragon, John Powell
Inception, Hans Zimmer
The King’s Speech, Alexandre Desplat
The Social Network, Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

BEST SONG
“Coming Home,” Country Strong, Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey
“I See the Light,” Tangled, Alan Menken, Glenn Slater
“If I Rise,” 127 Hours, A.R. Rahman, Dido, Rollo Armstrong
“We Belong Together,” Toy Story 3, Randy Newman

BEST ANIMATED SHORT
Day & Night, Teddy Newton
The Gruffalo, Jakob Schuh and Max Lang
Let’s Pollute, Geefwee Boedoe
The Lost Thing, Shaun Tan and Andrew Ruhemann
Madagascar, Carnet de Voyage (Madagascar, a Journey Diary), Bastien Dubois

BEST LIVE-ACTION SHORT
The Confession, Tanel Toom
The Crush, Michael Creagh
God of Love, Luke Matheny
Na Wewe, Ivan Goldschmidt
Wish 143, Ian Barnes and Samantha Waite

BEST SOUND EDITING
Inception, Richard King
Toy Story 3, Tom Myers and Michael Silvers
TRON: Legacy, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle and Addison Teague
True Grit, Skip Lievsay and Craig Berkey
Unstoppable, Mark P. Stoeckinger

BEST SOUND MIXING
Inception, Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo, and Ed Novick
The King’s Speech, Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen, and John Midgley
Salt, Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan, and William Sarokin
The Social Network, Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick, and Mark Weingarten
True Grit, Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff, and Peter F. Kurland

BEST VISUAL EFFECTS
Alice in Wonderland, Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas and Sean Phillips
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 1, Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz and Nicolas Aithadi
Hereafter, Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski and Joe Farrell
Inception, Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley and Peter Bebb
Iron Man 2, Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright and Daniel Sudick

BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY
Another Year, written by Mike Leigh
The Fighter, Screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson;  Story by Keith Dorrington & Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson
Inception, written by Christopher Nolan
The Kids Are All Right, written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg
The King’s Speech, Screenplay by David Seidler

BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY
127 Hours, Screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy
The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin
Toy Story 3, Screenplay by Michael Arndt; Story by John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton and Lee Unkrich
True Grit, written for the screen by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen
Winter’s Bone, adapted for the screen by Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

Relax

2011-02-25T13:17:00.000Z

I find the being in the sea very relaxing. Watch this new video by FutureShorts:

And this is just incredible. I love sunsets so much, but this is a whole new perspective...

Kudos to the photographer (winner of The Telegraph's Big Picture comp)!

Website of the Week -- Philanthroper -- Give a Little, Everyday

2011-02-24T14:00:00.000Z

A site called Philanthroper takes a new approach to online giving. It lists a new charity every day, and ensures that 99% of the money you donate gets to that charity. But there's a catch: you can only give $1 per day.

A message from the website:

Philanthroper is a nice idea, but it's nothing more than a nice idea without your continued participation. So we hope to see you again tomorrow, and the next day, and the next...

Facebook Connections Map the World

2011-02-23T23:40:00.000Z

My friend Elaine pointed me towards this tonight... I think it's pretty cool!

Facebook intern Paul Butler has been poring through some of the data held by the social networking firm on its 500m members.
The map above is the result of his attempts to visualise where people live relative to their Facebook friends. Each line connects cities with pairs of friends. The brighter the line, the more friends between those cities.

After tweaking the graphic and data set it produced a "surprisingly detailed map of the world," he said in a blog post.

"Not only were continents visible, certain international borders were apparent as well," he wrote.

"What really struck me, though, was knowing that the lines didn't represent coasts or rivers or political borders, but real human relationships."
However, large chunks of the world are missing, such as China and central Africa, where Facebook has little presence.

Source: BBC

Soundwave Festival, Croatia, July 2011

2011-02-21T20:28:00.001Z

See you there...

SOUNDWAVE CROATIA 2010 from Dr. Treehorn on Vimeo.

"Someone Like You" by Adele, and Covered by Nick Gardner

2011-02-21T00:56:00.002Z

A big congrats to Adele's single Someone Like You getting to the #1 spot this weekend.

Now that you've heard her, it's time you check out the hottest cover of Someone Like You on YouTube by Nick Gardner:

I tweeted about this video yesterday, and less than 24 hours later, this same video received almost 3,000 views. Pretty exciting stuff!

Casey Abrams - American Idol 2011 Hollywood Solo

2011-02-19T13:00:00.001Z

I cringed a little in the beginning, thinking he was awkward and therefore likely to be awful... but oh my! I am completely blown away and inspired by this. Sends shivers down my spine..

Recommended by NG.

In Case You Missed It... (Two Things Really, Unrelated, Might I Add)

2011-02-15T22:56:00.006Z

So, Mubarak finally woke up and smelled the coffee on Saturday. My heartfelt respect goes out to the people who protested unfalteringly for eighteen days. In all honesty, it blew me away that a dictator was overthrown by the power of his own people- whose strength and persistence transcended faith- and not by war or military force.

Take note world leaders!

In other news, Nick Gardner is in Los Angeles people! You can hear about his goings on at his blog: http://nickgardnerofficial.tumblr.com!

A little shout-out to his fans, if you have reached me as a result of his Tumblr, hello!

Hope you enjoy your stay and have a good day =)

Christians Protecting Muslims in Egypt

2011-02-03T14:02:00.001Z

Hope, personified...

Christians protecting Muslims during their prayers in Egypt.

Photo by @NevineZaki

Black Swan: A Masterpiece

2011-01-31T13:08:00.008Z

Black Swan was AMAZING. Delicate yet compelling; hauntingly beautiful as we experience Nina's demise from the Black Swan's terrifying seduction. Natalie Portman was exquisite... And I need to see it again very, very soon.
What I really liked was how the story was told. With most films, the audience knows what is happening and we are bracing ourselves waiting for the characters to catch up. Not here. We are Nina. We spiral into the depths of psychosis alongside her, all the while not knowing what is reality or hallucination any more than she does. It's intensely intoxicating and we are as lost in Nina's mind as much as she is. We feel the inexplicable lure from her dark side, and willingly fall victim to it too, regardless of any impending consequences.

By the end, my heart was pounding, as I was so moved. It's so much more than a movie, it's an experience... And, in Nina's words...

"I felt it."

Ultimately, two very well-deserved Oscar nominations for both Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, however, there was not enough of Lily's character or depth to truly win me over as much as Nina's did.

Tea Hug

2011-01-30T18:31:00.000Z

"Tea? It's a hug... in a cup"

~ Patrick Jane, The Mentalist

Changing Track

2011-01-28T22:06:00.000Z

So true. Happens all the time!

Disclaimer: this isn't mine, I found it randomly online

Tim Roth (of Lie To Me, Reservoir Dogs, Pulp Fiction) Retweeted Me...

2011-01-26T00:13:00.004Z

lishlove Soniaaa

by TimRothLieToMe

@TimRothLieToMe Please can you RT my British friend's YouTube:http://bit.ly/i3YbTQ ? Spread the Brit love... go on ;)

45 minutes ago Favorite Reply Delete

I'm very pleased.

So far, celebrities on Twitter that have retweeted and/or taken the time to tell me they liked Nick's music (after clicking on a link to one of his videos that I tweeted them with) are:

@TimRothLieToMe
@MissJoJoSmith
@JillianClare

If anyone can get @PerezHilton to RT a tweet with a link to Nick's YouTube... I will love you.

I also got a tweet reply from the Executive Producer of House this morning...

@lishloveSoniaaa

Cool, I just realised I got a tweet/retweet from @GregYaitanes and @TimRothLieToMe today, respectively. I am a lucky girl.

4 minutes ago via web

Mentioned in this Tweet:

GregYaitanes Greg Yaitanes
executive producer and director of HOUSE season SEVEN
TimRothLieToMe Tim Roth · Follow
The Official Twitter of Tim Roth from the set of LIE TO ME

"The Way It Sounds" Lyrics

2011-01-24T14:03:00.002Z

Quite a few people seem to be searching Google and coming to my blog looking for the lyrics.

So incase you missed them at YouTube...Click the link below.

Lyrics & Melody by Nick Gardner
Production & Music by J.D. Beatz
(C) Nicholas Gardner 2010

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/nrhgardner

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nrhgardner

LYRICS:

[VERSE]

So I try and make it work, but then it's just worse
Then it just hurts, works like a curse,
Should have listened to the sirens in my head, when they went off,
Cause you went off, with the lines crossed, now the line crossed...through my name,
Hits me like a sucker punch to my heart...

[BRIDGE]
When I said, When I said,
When I said something I shouldn't have said (uh oh)

[CHORUS]
You don't like the way it sounds,
So how bout I say nothing at all?
You don't like the way it sounds,
So how bout I say nothing at all?
Nothing at all, nothing at all.

[VERSE]
So then it all comes back, how I didn't do it like I said I'd do it
It was the wrong place, at the wrong time, I wore the wrong thing
And I didn't spin it quite right, now it's on its side,
I'm falling from the tight rope, in my mind.
And I'm headed for the floor without a crash mat,
But, I swore I wouldn't do that.
So now I'm that cat, and a black cat has well and truly
Crossed my path. Now isn't that sad? Now isn't that sad?

[BRIDGE]
When I said, When I said,
When I said something I shouldn't have said (uh oh)

CHORUS

[MIDDLE 8]
So I play the joker like the clown-did
Try to fly but I'm grounded
No escape plan I am surrounded
So I howled like the hound-did
But you didn't like the way that it sounded
So I came back and rebounded
While you lost your mind and I found it
When I said something I shouldn't have said uh oh...

[CHORUS/OUTRO]
You don't like the way it sounds,
So how bout I say nothing at all?
You don't like the way it sounds,
So how bout I say nothing at all?
Nothing at all, nothing at all.

I'm taking leave from this war,
I'm taking leave from this war,
I'm taking leave from this war,
Don't wanna see your face no more.
Don't wanna see your face no more.
So I'm leaving through the back door.
I'm leaving through the back door.
I'm taking leave from this war,
I'm taking leave (Oh oh,)
Oh oh.
Oh oh...

"The Way It Sounds" by Nick Gardner HAS LANDED

2011-01-20T23:19:00.000Z

It's incredible... the lyrics, production, beat... this is it. If there were to be a single, this is it, and it will be NUMBER ONE.

I'm going to drop you right in the middle of it all okay?

Turn up the volume, the bass, and enjoy... click here.

"The Way It Sounds" by Nick Gardner Premieres on YouTube on 20/02/2011

2011-01-18T22:10:00.002Z

Should've listened to the sirens in my head
when they went off
'cause you went off
with the lines cross
now the line crossed
~~through my name~~
hits me like a suckerpunch to my heart
when I said... when I said...
I said something I shouldn't have said
Uh-oh, you don't like
the way it sounds
so how about I say nothing at all?

I'm sooo excited. This will be his first song that no one has ever ever heard before. "The Way It Sounds" will debut on YouTube on Thursday January 20th 2011.

I think it is absolutely fantastic and that was before it went in for studio production... So I can't wait at all how awesome it's gonna sound all finished!

You can hear a 30 second preview of the above at the Facebook Fan Page -- definitely worth a listen. Go go go!

Golden Globe Twitter Photos...

2011-01-16T23:52:00.012Z

See below for photo updates from the STARS (ok... and also from E!) posted on Twitter, before and during the red carpet for the 68th Annual Golden Globes, January 16th 2011...

@EvaLongoriaEva Longoria

This is my view from my room! The red carpet!

@EvaLongoriaEva Longoria

Is this flower in the hair too much? @kenpaves is crazy!!

@simonhelbergSimon Helberg

Here we go! Did i get shorter?

@kunalnayyarKunal Nayyar

In the limo on the way to the globes!

________________________________________________________

@SaraHessSara Hess

On the red carpet at the Golden Globes with my hot date @oliviawilde!

@RedCarpetTeamE! Live Events

The Red Carpet is having BIEBER FEVER!

@JBomb11

Jenna Mullins

Here is a better shot of Olivia Wilde's awesome dress. Amazing. #goldenglobes

@goldenglobesGolden Globe Awards

Michael Douglas & Catherine Zeta Jones on the #GoldenGlobes #RedCarpet!

@RedCarpetTeamE! Live Events

#MilaKunis!

@billpradyBill Prady

The red carpet

@goldenglobesGolden Globe Awards

Christina Aguilera looking great on the #GoldenGlobes #RedCarpet!

@JBomb11Jenna Mullins

The super beautiful and super classy Emma Stone.#goldenglobes

@JBomb11Jenna Mullins

Should I ask Zac Efron if he can get together with Taylor Swift? #goldenglobes

@KristinDSantosKristin Dos Santos

@JBomb11, NOW are you excited to be working with me? RT @JBomb11 Oh. Jake Gyllenhaal next to me.#goldenglobes

@MichaelAusielloMichael Ausiello

This one's for all the HOUSE fans out there. #goldenglobes

Hugh Laurie!! I can go to bed now...

____________________________

My favourite dresses were Olivia Wilde's, Kaley Cuoco's, Mila Kunis', Emma Stone's, Sandra Bullock's...!

I swooned over Hugh Laurie, Zac Efron, and Jake Gyllenhaal as usual. And although I don't like his music, I think Justin Bieber is a pretty sweet kid and it's great that he gets to present! Wish I could watch the awards show itself, but alas, real life beckons tomorrow morning...

"I like my beats fast and my bass down low"

2011-01-16T15:24:00.000Z

If you wanna get with me there's some things you gotta know. I like my beats fast and my bass down low... bass down low...

Check out this Proper Villains remix of "Bass Down Low" by The Cataracs, below.

Proper Villains have made this available at rcrdlbl.com for you to download for free: http://tinyurl.com/bassdown

The Best Thing I Have Received All Year

2011-01-15T16:03:00.000Z

Got this in an e-mail today and I love it. It's already saved and plastered on my desktop so thought I should put it here too.

Thank you RoRo! xxx

Sea Otters Holding Hands

2011-01-14T20:00:00.000Z

Sea otters hold hands when they sleep so that they don't drift away from one another.

Original video from Vancouver Aquarium:

How Musical Are You? (BBC Quiz for Research)

2011-01-13T13:32:00.001Z

Take the test by clicking my results above...

What's does your name anagram to?

2011-01-12T01:31:00.000Z

My first and last name:
noisy giant

My full name:
it is a loony genius

Generate yours here.

and share it if you want below...

Others:

My brother's full name anagrams to: manly indigestion.

Hahaha.

My sister's full name anagrams to: coitally smearing.

I seriously am not kidding. Brilliant, yet so so wrong!

Pete Lawrie - "Fell Into The River"

2011-01-11T19:27:00.000Z

Another artist to watch out for in 2011 is PETE LAWRIE. Check out his official video for Fell Into The River below. I bought tickets to see him at The Deaf Institute in Manchester in Feb based on hearing the first 40 seconds of this song... I can't wait for the gig already!

Click here to see who else you should be listening out for in 2011...

Nick Gardner 2010 - 2 Years on YouTube

2011-01-11T01:26:00.002Z

My Favourite Covers as performed by Nick Gardner on YouTube in 2010:

1. Someone Like You (Adele)

2. Grenade (Bruno Mars)

3. Love The Way You Lie - Piano Version (Eminem/Rihanna)

4. Just The Way You Are (You're Amazing) - (Bruno Mars)

5. Hey, Soul Sister - Piano Version (Train)

This cover got played on BBC Radio early in the year...

Wake up to a brew without leaving your bed

2011-01-10T12:43:00.005Z

A friend of mine was talking about the Teas Maid at New Year's, saying that they used to have them in the '60s or something but are bringing them back now.

It's an alarm clock, which MAKES YOU A BREW for when you wake up, without you needing to leave your bed.

I think this is the best thing I have ever heard of.

Shame it's completely out of my price range. Sigh.

Breville VCF042 Wake Cup Hot Water Dispenser

My Last.fm Recommended Artists Cloud

2011-01-09T14:03:00.001Z

Recommended artists cloud for papershreds

The following is a textual cloud representation of recommended artists for papershreds. These artists are similar to your overall top artists, but are not in this list. Most of them will ring a bell, some will not be relevant, you may listen to some of them if they're not in your top, but there's probably a couple of artists you'll want to hear more from.

Air Arcade Fire Arctic Monkeys Band of Horses Bat for Lashes Bombay Bicycle Club Bon Iver Brandon Flowers Broken Social Scene Cansei de Ser Sexy Cat Power Delphic Digitalism Editors Empire of the Sun Fever Ray Florence + the Machine Foals Franz Ferdinand Friendly Fires Interpol Karen O and the Kids Kasabian Kate Nash Kele Kings of Convenience Klaxons Kleerup MGMT Metric Midnight Juggernauts Phoenix Robyn She & Him Sia Simian Mobile Disco Snow Patrol The Black Keys The Bloody Beetroots The Dead Weather The Drums The Killers The Knife The Kooks The Raconteurs The Strokes The Temper Trap The xx Two Door Cinema Club Uffie

This list lies a little since I looove Interpol, The Strokes and a few others already :/ Oh well, I guess it's telling me who I need to listen to more! Noted, with thanks.

Find out your recommended artists here.

Congratulations to some of the actors, actresses and TV shows I voted for at this year's People's Choice Awards 2011...

2011-01-07T00:20:00.002Z

Congratulations to Neil Patrick Harris (How I Met Your Mother), Tim Roth (Lie to Me), House, Hugh Laurie (House) and Lisa Edelstein (House)...

Watch below for a truly wonderful award acceptance speech from Lisa Edelstein, an actress who stands out. She did some research on the fans who support her, and thanked them:

One of those fans... is me! It was really very surreal to hear my username be announced! It's had quite the effect on me the last 24 hours as many, many other House fans have come out of the woodwork to talk to me. Very touching indeed.