Dianna Agron

Date of Birth
30 April 1986, Savannah, Georgia, USA

Birth Name
Dianna Charlotte Agron

Nickname
Di

Height
5' 6" (1.68 m)

Mini Biography
Dianna Agron was born in Savannah, Georgia, to parents Ronald and Mary Agron. Even though Dianna was born in Georgia, she was raised in San Francisco, California due to her father's career as a general manager for Hyatt. Dianna and her brother, Jason, grew up in a middle class Jewish family, and she graduated from Burlingame High School with honors.

While Dianna was growing up, she spent much of her time performing. She began dancing at the age of three, focusing mainly on jazz and ballet, and she later began hip-hop dancing as well. Dianna also spent much of her time performing on stage, appearing in many local musical theater productions when she was younger.

After graduating from high school, Dianna decided to pursue acting as a career and began appearing in several commercials and television shows including "CSI: NY" (2004), "Numb3rs" (2005), "Veronica Mars" (2004), and "Heroes" (2006/II). In 2009, Dianna won the role of high school cheerleader, Quinn Fabray, on the FOX television series, "Glee" (2009). Since the premiere of the hit television show on May 19th, 2009, Dianna, as well as her fellow cast mates, have received critical praise for their incredible work on the show. In addition, to her work on "Glee" (2009), Dianna has begun to venture into films, such as Burlesque (2010/I), where she had the opportunity to star alongside Christina Aguilera, Cher, and Stanley Tucci, and the action thriller I Am Number Four (2011). There is no doubt that due to Dianna's beautiful gift and talent, we will continue to see her shine on the silver screen.

Logan Lerman

Date of Birth
19 January 1992, Beverly Hills, California, USA

Birth Name
Logan Wade Lerman

Height
5' 8½" (1.74 m)

Mini Biography
Logan Wade Lerman was born in Beverly Hills, California. His mother Lisa (Goldman), is his manager, and his father, Larry, is a businessman. He has two siblings, Lucas (a brother), and Lindsey (a sister). Logan and his family are Jewish.

Logan wanted to become an actor at an early age. So he told his mother of his desire to be an actor when he was 2 1/2 years old. At the age of 4, Logan had an agent and was booked for two commercials. His first appearance on the big screen was as William, the youngest son of Mel Gibson's character in The Patriot (2000). Also in 2000, he appeared with the same actor (Gibson), this time as the younger version of his character Nick Marshall, in What Women Want (2000). After a small role in 2001's Riding in Cars with Boys (2001), he starred in John Grisham's A Painted House (2003) (TV).

He played the younger version of Ashton Kutcher's character, Evan, in The Butterfly Effect (2004). After making his small screen debut in a guest-starring role in "10-8: Officers on Duty" (2003), he stared as Bobby (Robert) McCallister in the WB Network's series "Jack & Bobby" (2004), where he portrayed a teenager who will be a future president of the United States. After the show's cancellation in 2005, Logan returned to film, starring in the family adventure Hoot (2006). The next year, he played the son of Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) in the dark thriller The Number 23 (2007), and co-starred with Russell Crowe and Christian Bale in the well-reviewed Western remake 3:10 to Yuma (2007). His next two roles were playing a foul-mouthed private school student in the comedy Meet Bill (2007) and a younger version of actor George Hamilton in the period drama My One and Only (2009). Both were independent films that received limited releases. Also in 2009, Logan appeared with Gerard Butler in the R-rated action thriller Gamer (2009), as a teenager who controls Butler's character in a real-life video game.

In 2010, Logan played the title character in the fantasy adventure Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Lightning Thief (2010), giving him notice among a wider audience. He will next star as D'Artagnan in a remake of The Three Musketeers (2011), and has signed on to star in The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012), a film adaptation of the 1999 book of the same name.

When Logan is not working, he likes to play soccer and baseball. He is an LA Lakers fan, and even though he plays mostly dramatic roles, he enjoys playing pranks on his friends.

Mariah Carey Gives Birth to Twins on Wedding Anniversary

Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon celebrated their fourth anniversary with another milestone -- becoming parents to a baby girl and boy.

Carey's representative, Cindi Berger, confirmed the births to The Associated Press. The singing superstar gave birth Saturday (Apr. 30) at 12:07 p.m. EDT at an undisclosed hospital in Los Angeles. Berger says the baby girl was born first, weighing 5 pounds, 3 ounces, and was 18 inches long; her brother was next, at 5 pounds 6 ounces, and was 19 inches.

Berger says the couple has not named the children yet. Cannon drove Carey to the hospital in their Rolls-Royce Phantom. Berger said the 41-year-old Carey, who had gone through false labor, was calm, thinking that it was another false alarm.

Meanwhile, the 30-year-old Cannon was so nervous he went to the wrong department at the hospital, and was guided to the maternity ward by a nurse.

"It was like right out of an 'I Love Lucy' skit," said Berger.

Berger says they were listening to Carey's "We Belong Together" after the children were born.

The couple are expected to renew their wedding vows on Sunday. The pair got married in 2007 after a whirlwind romance. They were the subject of endless baby rumors, and the couple actually were expecting shortly after their marriage, but Carey had a miscarriage; they did not reveal the miscarriage until she announced her pregnancy last fall.

The couple plan to live a bi-coastal life, and have luxurious nurseries in both New York and Los Angeles.

As far as more children, Carey recently declared she's done.

Penampilan Victoria Beckham Dihina Kritikus Mode

Kita semua tahu siapa yang jadi pemenang gaya busana terbaik dalam acara pernikahan kerajaan Jumat lalu (Kate Middleton), namun yang perlu diketahui tamu mana yang mendapat julukan busana terburuk?

Bukan, mereka bukan anak-anak Pangeran Andrew dan Fergie. Menurut guru mode Entertainment Tonight Steven Cojocaru (alias "Cojo"), penerima julukan busana terburuk dianugerahkan kepada Victoria Beckham, yang biasanya gaya pakaiannya selalu sempurna.

"Dia terlihat seperti pemain ekstra di Twilight," kata Cojo kepada Us Weekly mengenai gaun biru yang didesain sendiri Victoria dan topi Philip Trecy yang dikenakannya. "Dia terlihat seperti janda yang sedang berduka. Perlengkapan kepalanya juga tidak terlihat seperti topi, lebih terlihat seperti bola hoki besar yang di lem ke kepalanya. Dan buntut kudanya (gaya rambut) terlalu santai dan imut untuk suatu acara formal yang penting."

Berbeda dengan istrinya, Cojo punya kata-kata yang lebih baik untuk gaya berpakaian David. "Dia (David) terlihat begitu gagah dan tegas. Dia benar-benar Pangeran Tampan."

Transformers: Dark of the Moon

Also Known As : Transformers 3
Genres : Action/Adventure and Sequel
Release Date : July 1st, 2011 (wide)
Distributors : Paramount Pictures
Production Co.: Di Bonaventura Pictures, Inc., Kurtzman/Orci
Studios : Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks Studios
Filming Locations: Moscow, Russia; Los Angeles, California, USA; Texas, USA; China; Africa; Florida, USA; Chicago Film Studios, Chicago, Illinois, USA; Gary, Indiana, USA
Produced in : United States

Starring : Shia LaBeouf, Tyrese Gibson, Frances McDormand, John Malkovich, Ken Jeong
Directed by : Michael Bay
Produced by : Don Murphy, Tom De Santo, Lorenzo Di Bonaventura

When a mysterious event from Earth's past erupts into the present day it threatens to bring a war to Earth so big that the Transformers alone will not be able to save us.

Green Lantern

Genres : Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy and Adaptation
Release Date : June 17th, 2011 (wide)
Distributors : Warner Bros. Pictures

STARRING: Ryan Reynolds, Blake Lively, Peter Sarsgaard, Mark Strong, Angela Bassett, Tim Robbins, Temuera Morrison, Jay O. Sanders, Taika Waititi, Jon Tenney
DIRECTED BY: Martin Campbell

Test pilot Hal Jordan is the first human ever chosen to wear the power ring and join the intergalactic Green Lantern Corps.
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. But when a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected: Hal Jordan. Hal is a gifted and cocky test pilot, but the Green Lanterns have little respect for humans, who have never harnessed the infinite powers of the ring before. But Hal is clearly the missing piece to the puzzle, and along with his determination and willpower, he has one thing no member of the Corps has ever had: humanity. With the encouragement of fellow pilot and childhood sweetheart Carol Ferris, if Hal can quickly master his new powers and find the courage to overcome his fears, he may prove to be not only the key to defeating Parallax... he will become the greatest Green Lantern of all.

X-Men : First Class

Production Status : In Production/Awaiting Release
Genres : Action/Adventure, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Adaptation and Sequel
Release Date : June 3rd, 2011 (wide)
Distributors : 20th Century Fox
Production Co. : Donners Company, Marvel Studios
Studios : 20th Century Fox
Filming Locations : London, England, United Kingdom; Georgia, USA; Los Angeles, California, USA
Produced in : United States

STARRING:
James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender, Jennifer Lawrence, Rose Byrne, January Jones, Kevin Bacon, Nicholas Hoult, Jason Flemyng, Edi Gathegi, Zoe Kravitz, Oliver Platt, Lucas Till
DIRECTED BY:
Matthew Vaughn

Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men working together with other Mutants to prevent nuclear Armageddon.
Before mutants had revealed themselves to the world, and before Charles Xavier and Erik Lehnsherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Not archenemies, they were instead at first the closest of friends, working together with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to prevent nuclear Armageddon. In the process, a grave rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Water Elephants
Sara Gruen

Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen is a boy meet girl story. How ever the setting is unique and the descrip­tions of early American circus scenes are well worth the admission price.

464 pages
Pub lisher: Algo nquin Books
ISBN: 9781616200718

"Water for Elephants" by Sara Gruen is simple to read, an interesting story with engaging characters

Even though this novel is not perfect and a standard "boy meets girl" story it does have a charming setting, the descriptions are colorful and the characters are a variety of misfits; but some how it all works and comes together very nicely for an entertaining read.

While the book has its ups and downs, the narrative seems hurried at some points, the plot contains drama galore (stampedes, murders and many fights) Ms. Gruen's man aged to take an outrageous premise, com­bined with romanticism and make it enjoyable. There are pictures of real American circus scenes from the first half of the century peppered through out the book which really hit home and actually helped visualize the narrative and the bizarre sub culture which is presented.

Granted, the book is not going to be put on a shrine of the schol arly lit er ary Olym pus, but to me this book felt as if I was read ing a fairy tale — and I tremen dously enjoyed it.

Synopsis:
Jacob Jankowski's parents have been killed in a car accident and he decides to leave his veterinary studies in Cornell and aimlessly climbs on a train carrying Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. When the circus' owner Uncle Al and strong man August Rosen bluth dis cover that his stowaway is a test away from being a certified veterinarian he is hired on the spot.

Jacob soon discovers Mrs. Marlena Rosen bluth, a beautiful horse enter tainer and animal lover. Riding around the nation, buying bankrupted shows, the circus gets Rosie, an elephant who is stubborn and uncooperative. Jacob and Marlena can not stand the acts of cruelty in the circus and decide to take a stand.

Red Riding Hood by Sarah Blakley-Cartwright and David Leslie Johnson

Red Riding Hood
Sarah Blakley-Cartwright and David Leslie Johnson

Like most small communities, the village of Daggorhorn is not without its secrets. An impoverished community in the heart of the woods, it is one that has seen more than its fair share of loss, and an undercurrent of fear pervades its every aspect–particularly when the sun sets and the full moon rises. Daggorhorn is at the mercy of the Wolf, a fearsome half-human, half-wolf beast kept at bay only by the village’s long-time habit of providing sacrifices and staying as far as possible out of its way.

But this full moon, things are different. A blood moon hangs above the forest, and the villagers know that despite their best efforts, the outcome will be nothing less than horrific. As the small, close-knit community becomes victim to the brutality of the wolf, tensions rise, and so do suspicions–and finger-pointing and condemnation abound. Valerie, whose sister is one of the victims, finds herself at the centre of the villagers’ accusations about the true identity of the wolf. But Valerie has her own suspicions about the wolf’s identity…

A hotly anticipated 2011 release, Red Riding Hood has been written to tie in with the film of the same name, and unfortunately it shows. Adapted from the film’s script, it’s the barest bones of a story–and by bare, I mean thoroughly picked clean of any last morsel of meat. It runs at just over three hundred pages, but the length is misleading, given that over sixty of these are taken up by chapter headings, and that the final chapter will be belatedly released online to coincide with the film’s release. Yes, you did read that correctly–the final chapter (admittedly touted as a “bonus” chapter, but really rather essential to the reading experience given the extreme ambiguity of the novel thus far) has been embargoed until mid March, a fact that has raised the ire of readers who have shelled out the big bucks for what is effectively an extended theatrical trailer. And rightfully so, because it is a marketing gimmick that does leave rather a bad taste in one’s mouth.

The utter lack of an ending, however, is only one of Red Riding Hood’s myriad problems. The book is plagued by all manner of narrative and stylistic issues to the point that it would give me RSI were I to painstakingly sit down and document them all. It’s a shame, because fractured fairytales and retellings of famous cautionary works can make for rather interesting authorial fodder, and from afar this one seems to tick all of the requisite boxes. But after even a few pages one can see that the book is listless, slapdash, and uneven. The village setting should intrigue, but is so reminiscent of M Night Shyamalan’s The Village that it feels derivative–and painfully so. But where The Village manages to inure its creepy little setting with moral ambiguity and paranoia, Red Riding Hood suffers from a distinct lack of atmosphere. There’s a sense of poverty, isolation, and alienation, but it’s never explored: rather, we’re given a few jolting anecdotes and a mass of blow-by-blow character descriptions that never slip deeper than the superficial, and the setting as a result feels like a Potemkin village rather than anything that might truly exist.

The plot, too, is slim, and its various turning points difficult to fathom. We’re led to believe that the villagers live in fear of an awesomely powerful and horrifically slavering wolf, but yet there has been no effort made to prepare a vaguely functional contingency plan in case things go wrong. The fact, too, that the village seems to run by the lunar calendar, and harvests accordingly, yet is utterly unaware of the possibility of a harvest moon seems, well, slightly problematic. Furthermore, the fact that it takes perhaps half of the book to lead up to this point is problematic, particularly given the leisurely pace of the book beforehand, and the subsequent hasty scramble of the narrative afterwards. The villagers run amok, accusing various individuals of lycanthropy in a manner that feels unmotivated and unplotted, and the way the narrative reaches its climax feels truly messy. Our protagonist is accused by one of her friends of being a werewolf, but mere moments later is exonerated by the same girl in a sudden change of heart that follows no rhyme or reason. Similarly, the author alludes to several characters as possibly being the werewolf, but does so by throwing in so many red herrings that the book as a result smells revoltingly fishy. If this were a better novel, I’d say that this is ostensibly to highlight the sort of inherent paranoia that comes of inward-looking societies subjected to an external threat. But given the overall quality of this book, I’m rather more inclined to say that there’s a distinct unfamiliarity with both the mystery and horror genres going on here.

I wish I could say that the prose and characterisation were the standouts here, as I’m notoriously lenient on plot provided that these two things are done well. Unfortunately, this isn’t the case. The prose is bizarrely uneven, aiming for a lyrical quality in some parts to the degree that one could play a game of bingo with all of the similes and metaphors on offer, but then falling back. on. staccato. sentences. in others. The use of an omniscient point of view makes for problematic reading, as well–omniscient is a notoriously challenging viewpoint to write well, and I think that the choice to use it here is largely due to the fact that this book is truly at its heart a script rather than a novel. It’s fine to flash between characters in a movie, but in a novel it can be a cheap device if done poorly–particularly if it’s used to obscure information from the reader. Worse, the prose is peppered with painful explication, with the scenes with the bad guy priest perhaps the most evident exemplars of these. Readers are perfectly able to make their own judgements about characters’ motivations and to read at a level beyond the literal without being told what’s going on, and to explain to reader such things as the fact that the villagers have become animals themselves in their determination to cast blame, or that they have allowed both a literal and spiritual evil into their home is just a touch patronising.

Perhaps the weakest element of this book, and thus the major cause of its downfall, is its characterisation. While we’re given more than enough in terms of physical descriptions, we’re never truly let inside the various characters’ heads, and in those few cases that we are, the characters suddenly insist on acting entirely out of character, thus invalidating our readings anyway. Why does independent, tomboyish Valerie suddenly fall for cruel and bitter Peter at first sight (and after a grand total of one line of dialogue, or monologue to be exact])? How are we supposed to believe that Lucie is in love with Henry when he scarcely even appears at all? Why does Valerie’s friend suddenly do an about face after accusing her friend (with reasonably good reason) of being in cahoots with the wolf? And must the literary folk of the world endure yet another evil priest character? Truly, the only character with whom I felt some sort of vague empathy was Valerie’s mother, but her role is unfortunately vanishingly small.

While Red Riding Hood has been much hyped in both the blogosphere and in the cinemas, it’s unfortunately not a book that I can recommend. While it draws on the strong foundations of the classic fairytale, the elements where it succeeds in doing so are few indeed. In addition to the weak plot, the book suffers from poor characterisation and awkward writing, and the cheap gimmick regarding the final chapter will no doubt raise some eyebrows–if you must, buy the updated edition further down the track.

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

Twenties Girl
Sophie Kinsella

Format : Hardcover, 435 pages
Published : July 21st 2009
Publisher : The Dial Press
ISBN : 0385342020
Primary language : English
Original title : Twenties Girl

Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?
When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.

Sadie, however, could care less.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions, Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

The Best of Me - Nicholas Sparks

The Best of Me
by Nicholas Sparks

Format: Paperback 320 pages
Published : 13/10/2011
Publisher : Sphere
ISBN : 9781847443212

Synopsis
They were teenage sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks ? with a passion that would change their lives for ever. But life would force them apart. Years later, the lines they had drawn between past and present are about to slip ...Called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter when they needed it most, they are faced with each other once again, and forced to confront the paths they chose. Can true love ever rewrite the past? The new epic love story from the multi-million-copy bestselling author of The Notebook and The Last Song. Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved authors.