X-factor & England

X-FACTOR

So its coming.... X Factor is finally coming to the US and auditions start next week in LA. The show wont air until September but it has definitely started to gain some buzz. Today Simon Cowell answered some questions from fans via twitter with the hashtag #asksimon. He gave some advice to people who are interviewing but nothing all that exciting. He gave Perez Hilton permission to style a show.... will that happen who knows. All we know is that LA Reid will be a judge along side Simon and there is still speculation if Cheryl Cole will be a judge too. It keeps going back and forth she is on or she is not. I can understand since Cheryl is unknown and there are so many other artists that have made it big in the states that could take her place but I love Cheryl. She is a great mentor and she has already had 2 people win the competition and last year she got Rebecca to the finals. Although Nicole Scherzinger has also been mentioned due to filling in on UK version and doing a great job. She was already spotted coming back from the UK with a lot of suitcases and when she's been asked about being a judge she has giggled and said we will see. I have a feeling she would be a great judge and she might be one. However some of the other women suggested have been Mariah, Rihanna, and Paula. Mariah has declined to what rumors have said considering she is preggers. Paula althogh she did good on Idol I think she has already done her part and Simon needs someone else. Yes Rihanna would be wonderful but she is extremely busy with her album and tour as is Katy Perry who has been suggested too.

If I had some opinion on who could take the remaining two seats I would think Madonna would be perfect not only butting heads with Simon but because she was such an icon. Someone like Madonna who has made an impact on music like Britney, or Beyonce who have some what of a presence but taking a little back seat to their career but understand the business. Which is why Cheryl did so well since she was in a girl group and understood the pressures. We will have to wait to see who Simon has as the final two judges but we will find out soon due to auditions starting next week. By then we will hopefully also know who the host will be along with the Xtra Factor host. The Xtra factor I am really looking forward to because you get a more in depth view of the contestants and the funny segments they do are entertaining. Hopefully they will answer fans questions and maybe do cooking segments as well like they did in the UK with the Sainsbury team.

Segway to big UK footy news with.....

John Terry reinstated as Captain

This week Fabio Capello reinstated John Terry as captain for the England National Team. Capello originally stated when Terry lost the band last year that he would never give Terry the option of being captain again and instated Rio Ferdinand who has consistently been injured. In my opinion it was a bad choice due to how little he played nationally although he is a great leader. However Steven Gerrard was given the arm band because Rio was injured. I felt Stevie did a great job and should of been the correct choice after Terry lost the band.

Also Capello started saying that Terry would be captain just for the Wales game but then changed his mind and said it was permanent. I am glad Terry is back to being captain but then again I am a little biased because he is captain of Chelsea and does a great job. He also was a great leader before he lost the band and I felt was a great face for the England NT. I can understand though peoples concerns especially with the whole Wayne Bridge scandal that made him lose the arm band. However Rio has given his congratulations and when Capello told the team it seemed no one had any objections. The common goal is to win and many of the other England footballers have been part of some scandal to some degree. It makes me wonder though if both Rio and Stevie were not injured would Capello still instate Terry. If not Terry though my options would be either Lampsy or Rooney for part time and Stevie as full captain since Stevie did a great job as captain while Rio was gone. But the reason I choose Lampsy as a possible option is he is one of the captains of Chelsea and has shown leadership. While Rooney being young could start to show leadership and especially since England NT has older range players compared to some teams he could give expertise to those new players joining the National Team. I believe England has the potential but they need work. Come on England were waiting for a title.

Finally the big news in England that is off everyones lips is the

Royal Wedding

Yes, it is 30 days till the big day and Yes I am going to be in the crowd with fellow Brits. However something that this blog has showed me is opportunities. I got an offer from NBC Dateline to do a segment where they would follow me and a friend going over but that has fallen though due to the show producer needing two people and my friend being camera shy which I do not want to force. Yes it is disappointing and I am a little sad but the story how the opportunity came to be is something that I am proud of and we cannot live life in the "what if". For those who want to know the brief story how the NBC opportunity came to be is the producer came across this blog. Found my email address and contacted me where we have exchanged emails and I made a video where I was a candidate among some others and was chosen as a finalist. We were going to Skype to finalize details but when he did not want to film just me it all fell through. That was an awesome opportunity but then an even crazier thing happend ....

A BBC radio producer tweeted me to see if I was coming for the Wedding and wanted some more details. We exchanged emails and I will officially be part of the radio show where I will be phoning in from the crowd to tell them why I am coming to the UK to experience one of the biggest events of the century.(ok in my opinion but I am so excited to be there) Then I might get the option to be on a panel infront of Westminster Abbey but that is a stretch. No matter what it will be exciting. There is already a festival that will be held in Piccadilly and people camping out in the parks. I will however be in a nice cozy bed and not in the park where there is a contest to see who has the best tent and bars will be open all day. It is a National Holiday anyways Huzzah !!!!

There is also the possibility of tacky, wonderful mementos which people have started putting into production. Will I try and get some YES!!!!

I am planning on trying the Kiss Me Kate(Middelton) Beer

Getting a Tea Towel

A possible mug or china.

I will take a picture if I can of the Kate Middelton Prince Harry mug if I can find it since the manufacturer put the wrong picture.

I will not be taking a tour of all the places Kate and Will have gone including Saint Andrews, Kates place where she lived for some time

I will do some major shopping to copy Kates style including a fascinator which to those who don't know is the head pieces she wears and are flying off the shelves. Try to find a knock of Burberry trench that everyone bought in a heartbeat when she wore it on a recent trip and some beautifully inspired Kate Boots. If there is something Kate pulls off fashion wise in the next couple of weeks I will probably be interested in that too. However I am counting down the days to the big trip.

Will keep you updated and check back here for personal flip camera videos and any other possible opportunities that might come my way on the special day.

Japan Tsunami

My heart goes out to those in Japan. Many have seen the images but I have posted some. 8.9 Earthquake that shifted the Earth's axis by 25 centimeters. It is crazy to think of the devastation in Chile and Christchurch and now Japan. We all live on the same planet so lets help the best we can

Footy 101 A Start of an Education on a Beautiful Sport

So one of my friends has decided to get interested in football or soccer as we call it here in the states. I only have two other girl friends who are avidly interested in soccer and pay as much attention as I do. So to get her involved I drove her to Kickette.com one of the best footy sights for the female audience since it focuses on the perks of football matches abs, thighs, fashion, and all those beautiful men in football. No David Beckham isnt the only one there are definitely hotter ones out there hint hint Iker Casillas to name one.

Anyways since football isn't a big sport here and is only featured on ESPN2 and if fortunate FSC we in the states have to resort to online streams sometimes in other languages. Also if no one else in your family is interested you have to educate yourself if you want to be truly educated and not just jump a bandwagon during the World Cup and support the US or another team for some odd reason.

So I give you the intro to football as I am slowly getting my friend involved and hope in the future that soccer will be big here in the States since it is the biggest sport watched world wide. As a side note and a precaution to those who are knowledgeable I know there are other leagues and you might not agree with the lists listed but it is just a little glimpse and to those who arent educate you are missing out on the beauty of it all.

Ok so to start off there are many leagues in football. The only ones that really matter (to us ) are the EPL (English Premier League) and La Liga (Spanish League)
To know who we all follow this is the list (to best of my knowledge) You can choose one of our teams to start off but once you get involve you will get a feel of team, players, and history that you will be interested in

Chelsea-(MJ), Liverpool- (JAM), Arsenal (A), Tottenham (A) (EPL)
Barcelona ( La Liga) (JAM)


Now the big rival team in the EPL is Manchester United (Man U) which I am assuming you have heard of. But in the EPL the thing they talk about is the Big 4 which are usually the teams who end up at the top of the charts every year. However top 4 at end of season go on to the Champions League (another lesson) In EPL though the top 4 are Man U, Chelsea, Arsenal, and Liverpool. Livepool however is not currently in top 4 :( but thats a whole other story which involves money, coaches, sackings, and transfers

In La Liga the big huge teams and rivals are Real Madrid and Barcelona (Barca). Good news both teams are full of hotties, bad news we don't like Real Madrid except for the exceptionally hot Iker Casillas. The rivalry for these teams goes beyond just the team but deals with location. People in Barcelona, although part of Spain speak different language (Catalan) and people are proud to be Catalan and not Spanish. Also Barcelona slogan is More than a Team which is very much true.

So to start off you need to know the Big Players
Wayne Rooney- Manchester United - EPL
Christiano Ronaldo- Real Madrid- La Liga Hate the man with a passion due to crying and ugly greasy hair
Lionel Messi- Barcelona- La Liga- Amazing footballer who has won the best footballer trophy 2 years in a row (ball d'or)
Iker Castillas- Real Madrid- La Liga THE BEST GOAL KEEPER AROUND
Xavi- Barcelona- La Liga- Made over 22 passes in World Cup and insainley good Passer
Steven (Stevie G) Gerrard- Livepool- EPL - Has been captain of England team for some games
Didier Drogba- Chelsea- EPL Insanely crazy footballer who makes as many goals as Rooney but not attractive... actually scary looking
David Villa- Barcelona- La Liga- Made the most goals in World Cup and usually Messi in Barcelona game and Torres in NT games


Then Hotties you need to know about
The whole Spanish National Team (highlight a few- not all hottie hot but there)
Cesc Fabregas- Arsenal ( EPL)
Gerard Pique- Barca- (La Liga) (currently dating Shakira although we like to not believe this news)

Carles Puyol- Barca ( La Liga) we joke about him, call him the beast because of his awesome skills and hair
Pepe Reina - Liverpool ( EPL) Most entertaining player on the team and good keeper too
Sergio Ramos- Real Madrid ( La Liga) Great Defender but if hair grows long he resembles Jesus
Xabi Alonso- Real Madrid ( la Liga) Great style and Swag plus amazing player
Not only amazing good looking team but yes WORLD CUP CHAMPIONS

Francesco Totti- Roma (Italian League
Fabio Cannavro- Jueventes ( Italian League)

Thats just a little sample. Once you start watching you will form your own opinions but finally last but not least you need to know some key thing

There are 11 Players on the Pitch
Pitch- Field
Kit- Uniforms
WAGs- Wives and Girlfriends - Victoria Beckham One who started it although people don't like the label its there
Yellow Card- When a player fouls someone real bad
Red Card- Really Bad Foul and results in getting knocked off the pitch and suspended 1 games
2 yellow result in a red
Offsides - best to describe when you see it but happens when players pass the other team and heading towards the goal and are off sides so ball goes to other team

Time: Each half is 45 minutes with stoppage time which is added on after 45 minutes due to cards or injury that has stopped the game which is why there are no time outs. It is 45 minutes all the way through no stops

Difference between National Team and Club Team
Ok so players play for National Teams and Club teams. Club teams are the teams they play for the whole season and National Team is when they play on the world stage
So for instance
Cesc Fabregas plays for Arsenal and The Spanish National Team. His club team is Arsenal his National team is Spain
Best way I describe it is to somewhat relate it to baseball.
Ok so there are the Cubs and Sammy Sosa who's from the Dominican Republic so when they play in the world Baseball Classic Sammy represents the Dominican Republic, his national country not the Cubs ( Yes although old player proves point)

Welcome to the Beautiful world of footy where there are abs, thighs, drama, and tents to just admire :)

Leave you with the amazingness that is Lionel Messi

Pancake Day, Barca Wins, and Royal Wedding News

So my friend Jessie and I have started a random event around Chicago trying all the cupcake places on the weekend. A few weeks ago we first embarked on Sweet Mandy B's a favorite of many Chicagoans. I got a red velvet which I like however how to fully describe it. You cant describe the red portion of it because its food coloring and who has really had velvet. From what I can remember it was delicious and a definite stop for good cupcakes. Same goes for Molly's Cupcake which was voted the best red Velvet cupcake in Chicago which I will have to agree. One thing about Molly's compared to other cupcake places I've been is that you can choose your icing. I went with the traditional Cream Cheese and got some heart Springles to go with it. We ate it there but were cramped in a corner because it was crowded however when discussing aesthetics of both places I would have to take Molly's over Sweet Mandy B's. Molly's is also a cafe and has a bar where there are swings for sweets. You can play Jenga and Scrabble among people on their laptops studying or reading. Although cramped it felt cozy and brings you back a little to your childhood. So till our next cupcake place in the future here is my beautiful cupcake.



Then today is Pancake Day. We dont celebrate it here in the states, we call it Fat Tuesday, and when you google it iHop's Pancake day comes up first. But this is the 2nd year in a row I've celebrate it. Last year I made banana pancakes but they were no match for these pancakes which were like crepes and how the Brits have them. I am very proud of myself how I made everything from scratch including the syrup and did not destroy it. Also it looked so good my mother ditched her dinner for some of mine... minus the bananas since she's particular on her fruit. So I have to say it was a successful Pancake Day but for those who do not know what Pancake Day is here is a little history.
Back in the Day, since it is the day before Lent and fasting Meat, Eggs, and Dairy were restricted so housewives would use all the Eggs and Dairy to make pancakes so hense Pancake day.

Doesn't it look so pretty and Yummy... I feel it looks like a picture taken for a magazine


Not only did among many others participate in Pancake Day but Prince William and Kate Middleton made a surprise visit to Belfast to partake in some of the Pancake festivities where both of them flipped pancakes. Speaking of the lovely couple it was announced on the royal wedding website (http://www.officialroyalwedding2011.org/) the route they will be taking after they leave Westminster leading to Buckingham Palace. The website also released photos of Kate when she was younger and when she graduated college. This one is my personal favorite


Its officially 50 days til the day and 45 days till I will be in London partaking in the festivals especially the week of things happening in Trafalgar Square. All i can say is EXCITED and will be Blogging and Flip Caming Everything !!!

Big Football game today. Barcelona vs Arsenal and man was it a great game full of drama. Van Persie sent off with second yellow and then call the ref a joke which there were some definite bad calls. Also Busquets own goal was not the best thing to happen but the Amazing goal by Messi in stoppage time in the 1st and his penalty goal were just Beautiful. I have to say there is no other footballer like him out there and he still amazes me. Granted I couldnt see the game because of work but thank god for the internet and highlights. So glad Barca are on to the next stages.