'Your Body' Music Video Reinstated Christina Aguilera as Queen of Pop

XpiredTina is definitely what you're going to call Christina Aguilera if you belong to the hater's camp. You would have definitely lambasted her recent body figure, which seems to ooze out of her sequins-infested wardrobe. And if you're really one of the top rank haters, you would really have asserted that her presence over the TV Show called The Voice simply ruins it all.

But since I am not one of the haters and I don't belong to the Dark Side, I say that these banters are simply uttered out of bitterness just because Xtina has reedemed her spotlight. And to put things on order I dare say I reinstated her as the Queen of Pop when she released her music video for Your Body. This Melina Matsoukas directed piece of a flirty visual experience will surely melt your Popsicle.

Make sure to close your mouth before you watch Christina Aguilera's Your Body music video:

Bringing back the old style that made her music videos a hit, Christtina Aguilera is back on track with this sexy -- I mean the kinda dirty kind -- music video that brings out the hots and roughness in every testosterone-laden guys to their knees. Every girls are jealous!

Should Xtina's every future tracks and music videos be as great as this one then I am sure every aspiring girls will surely be on music stores to buy her upcoming Lotus album. All they can dream to do is immolate her and hopefully achieve the sex appeal level that Xtina has on this music video.

Boys from ages 9-90 would surely love this one.

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New 'The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena' Book Trailers

Almost anything has its own trailer now. From the usual movie trailers, music video trailers to wedding ceremony family videos -- and now the world of publishing isn't going away without utilizing this very effective means of marketing. Who would have thought our favorite upcoming books have their piece of video to tease the fans before their final release.

One such example is this book trailer for The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena. Released as an accompanying media over Entertainment Weekly, the trailer shows off some graphics that are not incorporated to the books and were definitely unique on their own. This trailer was so timely for The Mark of Athena's release on October 2, 2012, which is excitedly a few days from now.

Check out two trailers of the said book here:

Also, we got our hands on this equally teasing UK trailer of the book:

Personally, I like the first trailer more if we are to digest it graphically, but the laid back feel of the UK version simply punches the former black and blue when it comes to story and "understandability". You can read the full Rick Riordan interview over Entertainment Weekly. In a few days we will have to see if the hype behind the marketing of The Heroes of Olympus: The Mark of Athena is as really good as they say it would be. I just hope Rick Riordan won't disappoint.

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JK Rowling Hints on Writing More Harry Potter Books

Well, don't get too excited. In an interview with BBC News to promote her latest book, The Casual Vacancy, JK Rowling revealed that she is tempted to write another book in the Harry Potter series in the future. That is only if she will get a great idea that might encompass another book.

According to JK Rowling, "There were a couple of the Potters and I definitely knew that they needed another year." These Potters refer to two of her books, which she thinks she could have been written longer and more. She won't reveal which books, but she said that she has to write them "on the run" and missed out some details that she would have wanted to incorporate in the stories.

"I read them, and think, ‘Oh God, maybe I’ll go back and do a director’s cut,’ I don’t know," she added.

Many of her followers would know that this is not the first time that JK Rowling revealed such need to expand the Harry Potter universe. In fact, many months ago she revealed that she's going to write a Harry Potter encyclopedia that would include all canon writings, histories and back stories that didn't make their way through the books.

A screenshot from the Pottermore website.

The encyclopedia was only halted on a later date, due to the release of the Pottermore project, which I am a member of. Pottermore is an online and interactive reading experience for all of the seven books in the series, where members could interact with each other, gain points, and have access to exclusive contents and images that was once planned to be included in said encyclopedia.

The Casual Vacancy, JK Rowling's latest book intended for adult readers

You can watch the full interview here, where JK Rowling discussed her life, the Harry Potter books, and the release of her adult-oriented book, The Casual Vacancy.

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Kernel's Library: A Time to Learn from the Animals Within Us

Book 00033: Aesop's Fables Translated by V. S. Vernon Jones

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Title:
- Aesop's Fables

First Publication:
- Ancient Times

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Trivia:
- Aesop was by tradition a slave who was a contemporary of Croesus and Peisistratus in the mid-sixth century BC in ancient Greece. It was believed that his master was Xanthus, who resided on the island of Samos.
- According to the historian Herodotus, Aesop met with a violent death at the hands of the inhabitants of Delphi, though the cause was not stated.

Awards:
- User Choice Award at Free Download Manager

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Of all the fables and stories that sprouted the entire history none could surpass the greatness and fame achieved by Aesop's fables. Millions have known these stories by heart and most of them could easily tell you the story without even referring to a written media. These stories were traditionally passed from one generation to the next by simply the oral means. And I was quite wondering how the ancient people memorized most of the stories -- especially Aesop.

Who would ever forget the story of the shepherd who mischievously alerted comrades of wolves when there are actually none that endangers their sheep. Or who would ever not know of the fates of the ant and the grasshopper, when the former is laborious and thrifty while the latter is simply lazy.

One of my greatly loved stories is this (although it doesn't concern any animal in its story):

The Astronomer

"AN ASTRONOMER used to go out at night to observe the stars. One evening, as he wandered through the suburbs with his whole attention fixed on the sky, he fell accidentally into a deep well. While he lamented and bewailed his sores and bruises, and cried loudly for help, a neighbor ran to the well, and learning what had happened said: "Hark ye, old fellow, why, in striving to pry into what is in heaven, do you not manage to see what is on earth?'"

After reading the stories you would certainty not run away without knowledge, values, and morality. There is so much material that could be gained from the stories that the possibility is quite infinite. It is quite entertaining how the stories would personify the traits and behaviour of humanity that almost all of the time befits our description...

Grade: A

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7 New Banners for Cloud Atlas Are Unveiled To Showcase Multiple Worlds and Time

We are not yet sure whether October 26, 2012 will be an early Christmas celebration for us all or whether the Mayan apocalyptic prophecy will be moved on said earlier date. It all depends actually if you are a fan of David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas where an upcoming movie of the same title was based -- if its going to ruin the epicness of the book or its gonna exceed any fanboy's expectation.

So far the telepathic signals of the movie are nothing quite disappointing. Starring veteran actor Tom Hanks, Hugo Weaving, Hale Berry, Jim Broadbent and many other exquisite actors. Top this with a multi-million dollar budget and the effects are surely to rock. Two heads are better than one they say, but the movie might be overdoing it by having three directors, who also wrote the screenplay all the same. And now after the juicy trailer we get to see these beauties of banners.

Which of these banners representing alternating histories and worlds appeals to you the most?

Watch the movie Cloud Atlas in the theater nearest you exactly a month from now. Hopefully the movie will satisfy the Purists who wanted every lines in the book to be incorporated in the movie and get some fresh fandom out of folks who haven't even heard of the book yet. That is if the movie is really that good to shut the mouth of every naysayers and negative critics.

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5 Iconic Kisses Immotalized by History That Are Worth Sharing

They say a kiss can spread millions of germs. It's so dirty that Kristen Dunst was so afraid to acquire some "cooty" from Brad Pitt when they kissed on the movie Interview with the Vampire. For those of you who didn't know, cooty was a slang for a very communicable disease that the Americans were so scared of during World War II. And it originated from our local "kuto". American soldiers used Philippines as their base during that time, so I guess you get the picture now.

But enough of that disgusting talk and lets proceed with the real topic. I have listed here five iconic kissing scenes in history that I could relate with or that have become a part of my earlier years. These images have become so wide-spread and unforgettable that I guess even you could relate, or could claim you've seen them at least once.

Choose the kissing couples that is your favorite:

When World War II ended in 1945, this couple, a sailor and a nurse, shared a passionate and unforgettable kiss. The catch: they don't really know each other. Later on after so many years of dispute, this couple where revealed to be George Mendonsa and Greta Zimmer Friedman.

Well, anyone who might have seen the very first full-length animated feature may have seen this one. The only kiss that could wake Snow White from the slumber caused by the poisoned apple is a kiss of love from her Prince Charming. This was the very first animated movie that I have watched as a child. So, there is no wonder why I liked this one.

This one was taken around the same time as the first picture as a celebration when the war ended. This photo was taken also in New York, and it showcases a stylized smooching between German actress and signer, Marlene Dietrich, and a soldier who returned home from war. Thankfully, photographer Irving Haberman was in the right moment to capture this scene.

Think of The Beatles and John Lennon, who was its founder, would always come to mind. A few hours before John Lennon was assasinated, he and his wife Yoko Ono shared this intimate moment that was captured by Annie Leibovitz for Rolling Stone. It was taken on the 8th of December, 1980, in New York.

Take a closer look:

I used to collect classical movies, especially the ones where Audrey Hepburn is part of. This of course includes Breakfast at Tiffany's, where Audrey played the highly sophisticated Holly Golightly. In this movie, she shared a steamy kiss - even if it's raining and they're soaking wet - with George Peppard. The movie was released in 1961.

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Taylor Swift Previews Begin Again Single From Upcoming Red Album

This is what I'm talking about. Taylor Swift has let us get a preview of her latest single, Begin Again, to be released in her upcoming Red album. This is the kind of songs that I wanna hear from Taylor -- melancholic, and hauntingly beautiful country pop with a very relatable lyrics.

According to Taylor Swift, the song is about "kind of when you've gotten through a really bad realtionship and you finally dust your self off and go on that first date after a horrible break-up... and the vulnerability that goes along all of that." Sounds familiar, right? I mean the situation, that is. Begin Again is now available for download over iTunes.

Now listen to the preview of Taylor Swift's newest single, Begin Again:

Updated: Full track of Begin Again by Taylor Swift:

After hearing that teaser of a new hit, I can certainly say Taylor Swift is back on track, and this time she's serious -- not the funny jape we hear from We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together. This is the kind of songs that made her previous album, Fearless, a sure favorite among music lovers. Surely we can expect better songs from the album, owing to the fact that she has collaborated with a lot of artists to create her Red album.

Red will be officially available for purchase on October 22, 2012. Do check back later to listen to the full track of Taylor Swift's Begin Again.

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Tom Hooper's Les Miserables Movie Poster Goes Old School and Very Iconic

After hearing the news that Anne Hathaway will play Fantine in the movie adaptation of Les Miserables, my interest has been set to the maximum level. Add another news of a Hugh Jackman addition to play Jean Valjean and my excitement meter broke beyond the limit.

Come December 25, 2012, we are all going to witness the movie adaptation of the classic hit Broadway musical. But before that moment we are here with an old school poster of the said movie adaptation. The poster features the younger Cosette, who will be played by Amanda Seyfried when she grows old a little.

See for your self the movie poster of Les Miserables:

Isn't this lovely a great resemblance of the iconic logo of the Broadway musical the movie was based upon?

Updated: A new featurette for Les Miserables entitled Extended First Look has been released. It features an outlook how stage singing was altered to make it look as if the actors were not singing to the tune, but they let the tune work with there acting:

This just excites me even more, proving that the movie will none-the-less be faithful to the musical play rather than the great masterpiece written by Victor Hugo. This says a so much, actually, as the Broadway adaptation has a lot of differences from the book, although keeping the main plot still intact. I just really can't wait for Christmas Day to come so that we could all watch this movie...

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Kernels Library: Fae World is Closer Than You Think

Book 00032: The Field Guide
by Holly Black & Tony DiTerlizzi

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Title:
- The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide

First Publication:
- May 2003 bySimon & Schuster

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Trivia:
- A feature film adaptation of the series was released by Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies on February 14, 2008.

Awards:
- Beehive Award Master List (UT)
- Buckeye Children's Book Award Nominee (OH)
- Colorado Children's Book Award Master List
- Flicker Tale Children's Book Award (ND)
- Gate City Book Award Master List (NH)
- IRA/CBC Children's Choices
- KC3 Award Master List (MO)
- ne Award Master List (HI)
- nnsylvania Young Reader's Choice Award Nominee

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When I was unintentionally fed-up with Novik's His Majesty's Dragon, this time the first book of the Spiderwick Chronicles gave me chills of the other kind. It seems that this book has an attractive aura. What I felt that time was similar with what I felt with Lord of the Rings, which was a great urge to touch the precious books in the least.

This was also the time when I discovered another hypnotic power of books. The odor of the book is something that I can't fathom. There is something about its smell that stirs a memory within me. I may sound like crazy, but my head was swirling with unknown images at that time. I cannot well describe the feeling and I was really intrigued to buy the book.



Aside from the great cover art and intricate illustrations, this book captures one of the best stories for children.

Twins Jared and Simon Grace, and their older sister Mallory, move with their mother to a decaying Victorian house in the first of The Spiderwick Chronicles. There they discover a secret room, and clues which eventually lead them to an old, handwritten and illustrated book, Arthur Spiderwick's Field Guide to the Fantastical World Around You, a large, incredibly detailed, and very intriguing guide to enormous amounts of information about mystical creatures.

The book is filled with details about faeries, boggarts, brownies, and the like, but these are not your Disney fairies -- for the most part they are neither cute nor friendly. At first only Jared is interested, but strange and destructive things are happening around the house, and though their mother blames Jared, his siblings aren't so sure.

After reading the book I felt like I was floating in space -- the odor of the pages helped. The feeling of being transported to a fantasy world were scenes are a blur, bright and out of focus exudes within me. And I guess, after all, I am going crazy... The Spiderwick Chronicles, this book in particular, is so good that it does not only deserve young readership, but those who are young at heart as well.

Grade: A-

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Full-Length The Hobbit Trailer Gives An Unexpected Journey a Twist

Updated: Jump over to the rest of the cotnent to see the official movie poster of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Another glorious day for all The Hobbit fans has come. Presenting the full length trailer of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

I was actually having my breakfast when I started clicking the play button. But as scenes flash before me my all-time favorite breakfast has been left forgotten... with my mouth gaping over the epic wonders the trailer is showing me. What a lovely sight to see!

"I’m going on an adventure!" That's what Bilbo said when he finally agreed to join the quest offered to him by the Dwarves. It all started when strangers all appeared in front of his house knocking and disturbing his piece. Why couldn't he enjoy his meals and cigars without any of these nuisance?

Droll over this unfathomable trailer of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:

The trailer continues on with some key events as presented in the book. New scenes are surely to make you cry and the lengthened scenes with the dwarves and the troubles they have been trough in this quest are nothing short of funny, thrilling and scary. I must say the flora and fauna, the cinematography and epicness of The Lord of the Rings are somehow topped in a funny yet believable way. This is indeed Peter Jackson at his best!

Updated: Jump over to the rest of the content to see the official movie poster of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

Updated: And here is the movie poster for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, especially crafted for Dwarf lovers:

Updated: Here's a new banner of The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey introducing all of the dwarves featured in the previous poster.

Updated: And here is a compilation of short clips from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey:



Right now I am simply lost for words. So I'll just allow you to enjoy the trailer... Again... and again... and again. 6Q5JSAFEMB62

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Pottermore Publishes New Chamber of Secrets Chapters

Thanks to the team behind Pottermore new chapters for Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets have been published just recently. After ages of waiting, with excitement inducing updates from the Pottermore Insider, we finally get to explore chapters five through eleven with numerous exciting moments.

Starting off with The Whomping Willow, users are able to travel through the flying, old Ford Anglia that Mister Weasley owned. There are yet many chapters to follow, but will have to wait and be contented with the updates upto Chapter 11, The Dueling Club. I was a little happy that the team found it rather fitting to release the said updates on my birthday.

Many great things are in store for this week, like The Tolkien Week, and I really hope these developments will not end here.
Please do come back for more updates as I will post here some non-spoiler matters related to this news.

Updated: Here's an entry from Pottermore Insider regarding the release of the chapters:

Fly back to Hogwarts, encounter the Whomping Willow and test your herding skills by recapturing the Cornish pixies. Venture into Moaning Myrtle’s bathroom, learn about the legend of the Chamber of Secrets, and much more.

As well as the next chapters and Moments to explore, you will also find additional new features on Pottermore.

Pottermore Students will now be able to update their status on their profiles and there are new Pottermore Badges to discover and add to your collection.

Due to some huge traffic around the world, the website may not be accessible from time to time. The website's servers are not able to handle the overwhelming number of visitors that are eager to follow the Chamber of Secrets adventures in Pottermore.

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6 Amazing New Pictures from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

What's wrong with you, guys? Am I the only one excited about The Hobbit, which will start with An Unexpected Journey, or what? As far as I am concerned I needed to get something new from the movie everyday to satisfy my longing. And thankfully these six new pictures from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey did just the trick.

I was able to get a glimpse of the poster released during the recent Comic-Con on one of the local cinemas here and it just ignited my wick. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to capture a photo and it wasn't a theatrical poster to boot. December is not far off and Peter Jackson should already be releasing some sweet theatrical versions of the trailer and poster, don't you agree? I feel Smaug -- I meant smug.

Oh, but these pictures are just too good to be true:

Updated: Here are five alternate covers from Empire Magazine that feature some of the characters from The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey.

If these pictures are this good how much more can we expect from the movie The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey itself? I do believe the first five were direct captures from the movie and the artistic brilliance of them are just paramount. I can't wait for December 14, 2012 any longer.

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Kernel's Library: New Twist to the Napoleonic Wars

Book 00031: His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik

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Title:
- His Majesty's Dragon

First Publication:
- 28 March 2006 by Del Rey

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Trivia:
- The Temeraire series has been optioned by none other than Peter Jackson, the director of The Lord of the Rings, to be adapted into a movie.

Awards:
- John W. Campbell Award for Best New Writer
- Compton Crook Award for Best First Novel
- Locus Awards for Best First Novel
- Nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel
- 2007 New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age
- etc., etc.

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I was wondering what if I lived in a different world. What if I lived during the Napoleonic Wars? What if during those times dragons do not only exist, but used as one of the ways to improve aerial warfare? What if dragons were not as wild as they were credited for and what if they were as sentient and intelligent, and capable of logical thought and human speech?

This is the premise of Naomi Novik's first novel, His Majesty's Dragon. The story centers primarily on events involving Temeraire (the titular dragon) and his handler, Will Laurence and how Laurence, formerly a Captain in the British Royal Navy, becomes Temeraire's handler, and their early training in preparation for battles against Napoleon's aerial fleet.



When Will Laurence, a former officer of the Royal Navy who had taken part in the capture of Temeraire's egg from a French ship while it was in transit to France, he didn't dream that he will become one of the Dragon Aviators as the dragon that hatched from the captured egg chooses him to become captain. He also didn't even dream that the dragon, christened as Temeraire, would be of a rare Chinese breed, and his capture by the British is considered a great coup.

Through the course of the book, Captain Laurence adjusts to his new role as an aviator, rather than a naval officer. Through him we learn how dragons are bred, raised, trained, and harnessed in combat. We are also introduced to the society of the aviators, a branch of the military trained to fight while mounted on dragons.

The training of Temeraire and Laurence is rushed so that their unit can assist the navy in preventing a French invasion while the veteran dragon units are sent to assist in the Battle of Trafalgar. Accordingly, the British win that engagement, although Horatio Nelson survives, one of the deviations from our history the series takes. Rather than a tactical blunder, Trafalgar turns out to be a Napoleonic ploy to leave Britain vulnerable to the world's first aerial assault.

I will admit to you that I didn't at first like to buy this book for the reason I exactly know not. I tend to avoid going near the book for I have a strange feeling. But weeks later after I trained my mind just to try reading it I was not disappointed for what could be more rewarding than a unique story, great story-telling and like-able characters.

Grade: A

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Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel Updates

Diary of a Wimpy Kid all started with Greg Heffley's desire to write a journal and eventually became a phenomenal hit among young readers. This is all thanks to Jeff Kinney, the cartoonist and writer that started the world of our beloved character. I once thought this to be a trilogy until the series expanded to a whooping number of books.

The latest addition to the series will be called Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel. This time the cover will be dominated by brown and a sad faced Greg as if rejected or troubled by a heartache. Being the seventh book in the series, the book chronicles Greg Heffley's take on love. It will hit the bookstores on November 13, 2012.

If you haven't seen it yet, Check out the cover art of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney:

Read on for the book's synopsis:

Love is in the air—but what does that mean for Greg Heffley?

A Valentine's Day dance at Greg's middle school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he's worried he'll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend, Rowley, doesn't have any prospects either, but that's a small consolation.

An unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who's going to be lucky in love.

Furthermore, Jeff Kinney has shared to us a lot of updates through these nice sketches and pictures:

According to Jeff Kinney, as of September 29, 2012, he has "finally sent book 7 to the printer." He also added on his twitter account that there will be at least 354 drawings to be featured in the book, based on his statement, "336 drawings down, 18 to go." He has been very busy and doing every thing in fast pace due to the almost at-hand deadline. And the most juicy tweet he has shared so far is this wonderful trivia about the title:

The original title for The Third Wheel was Odd Man Out. In the UK a third wheel is called a "gooseberry." I would've liked that as a title.

I really hope the book comes out really soon, sooner than November. Because I will really go crazy if it isn 't the case... * Whining

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