david blaine dive of death

Magician David Blaine performed a dramatic ‘Dive of Death’ in Central Park earlier tonight, and lived. Read about it below and see photos and a video.

David Blaine is as much a showman as a magician, but I believe he bills himself as a magician. He’s kind of Harry Houdini Lite. Very lite. He’s stunts usually consist of public spectacles in public places.

In 2003, he stayed in a transparent box suspended over the Thames River in London for 44 days. In 2002, he stood on top of a 27 metre pillar behind the New York Public Library for 35 hours. In 2006, he lived in an acrylic sphere underwater for a week in front of the Lincoln Center. In 2000, he sat inside a block of ice in Times Square for 61 hours.

Every time I hear about one of his stunts, I always wonder where he goes to the bathroom. I’m sure they have something worked out for that.

His exhibitions all seem to be endurance tests as much as anything else and this latest one was no exception. Today he ended his latest stunt. He hung upside down in Central Park for 60 hours.

Yeah, it was not real interesting to watch. However, he always ends them with a grand finale and this was no different. He ended his upside down hanging with a two-hour television special. You might wonder how he could draw standing upright out for two hours. Well, the special was interspersed with pre-recorded footage of David Blaine doing other things, like talking to people.

Then, finally, right at the end was the spectacular coup de gras. He plunged 13.4 metres in what has been billed as the ‘Dive of Death’. Following the dive, dangling from the cable he was attached to, he started ascending and disappeared into the night sky above Central Park’s Wollman Rink. Ta-Da!

And he lived to tell about it …. and do another stunt on another day.

Kelly Ripa, left, and magician David Blaine separate as Ripa descends following her interview with Blaine for the "Live with Regis and Kelly" television show done while both hung upside down over Central Park's Wollman Rink during Blaine's latest endurance challenge "David Blaine: Dive of Death" Monday morning Sept. 22, 2008 in New York. David Blaine plans to hang upside without a net for 60 hours concluding his challenge with a plunge.

Kim Kardashian - Dancing With the Stars !!!

Who would have thought we would be seeing Kim Kardashian Dancing With the Stars videos in our lifetime? See what she has to offer below along with partner Mark Ballas on the Dancing With The Star show.

Kim Kardashian
Dancing With The Stars

Kim Kardashian looks good. Her hair is short and elegant while her smile beamed radiantly. She is fashionably dressed in tasteful sexy clothing. She has everything going for her on the dance floor except one minor thing.

The problem is Kim Kardashian’s dancing. It was bad with a capital B in Week 1. She was stiff as a board which is normally the position of her various partners. But not on Dancing With The Stars. Sorry Kim, but you are hot in all ways but one. Even professional dancer Mark Ballas cannot help you much.

Maybe one of the problems is expectations. We expect that a famous socialite might have spent some of her partying days with Paris Hilton on a dance floor. Isn’t that what socialites do at clubs? Shows you what I know.

Kim Kardashian Debuts on Dancing with the Stars

Kim Kardashian and Mark Ballas foxtrotted their ways into home last night on the season premiere of Dancing with the Stars.
In the following clip of their performance, we're introduced to the couple with: "I'm Kim Kardashian and I'm best known for being a reality TV star."
Well, we guess having sex on tape is realistic. And Kim sure did star in that video!

Kardashian also says: "When I met Mark, I was so excited. He's a champion and I knew I was in the best hands possible."
Ouch. Reggie Bush just got dissed!Overall, Kardashian looked the part of someone who could compete this season. But she was as stiff on the floor as most of her partners are in bed. Girlfriend has got to loosen up!And wear a far more revealing outfit.

Victoria Beckham Hair

Victoria Beckham Hair

Victoria Beckham shows off short new hair style.

Victoria Beckham stole the show at New York Fashion Week by unveiling her latest haircut.

The former Spice Girl appears to be channelling Liza Minnelli with her new look.

The gamine crop also nods to Bond-era Halle Berry, with a dash of Audrey Hepburn thrown in.

Explaining the radical new look, Beckham told The Daily Telegraph: "You know, I just like to change things up. I get bored very, very quickly and I just fancied a change."

Posh Spice's last hairdo was a bob - christened 'the Pob' - and became one of the most requested looks in hair salons up and down the country.

Victoria Beckham Hair

She has also tried out hair extensions and a bleached blonde look.

Victoria Beckham unveiled the short cut at the Marc Jacobs show, where she shared the front row with Jennifer Lopez.

The strapless black dress she was wearing was one of her own designs. The ex-Spice has launched her first fashion collection in New York with a range of dresses. The price tag starts at £600 and goes up to £1,900, from a tiny size six to a more regular 14.

The collection hits the shops in February and has a "1940s/1950s underwear feel, very simple but fabulous", according to the woman herself.

Other celebrities spotted at New York Fashion Week include actresses Winona Ryder and Christina Ricci, supermodel Helena Christensen and Kelly Osbourne.

Bristol Palin Pregnancy - Sarah Palin’s daughter ???

Rumors are flying that Bristol Palin, Sarah Palin’s teen-age daughter, is the real mother of 5-month old Trig Palin. Did Sarah Palin invent an elaborate cover-up to keep her daughter’s pregnancy out of the public eye? Read the story and see photos.



So, is Trig really Sarah Palin’s baby, or is he her grandson? People are asking that question and are pushing for an answer. Most of the questions center around the fact that Sarah Palin didn’t announce her pregnancy until a few weeks before she gave birth. Photos of her teen-age daughter, Bristol Palin (above right), late in 2007 show Bristol Palin with a rounded tummy. The story is further complicated in that Bristol Palin was taken out of school this past year for up to five months because of a bad case of mono.

What do you think? I doubt that someone as politically savvy as Sarah Palin would be so naive as to believe she could keep such a monumental cover-up secret while running as VP of the USA. And why would she attempt the cover-up to begin with? Teenage pregnancies are a rather common fact of life in modern society. The “shame and disgrace” that people felt years ago are mostly nonexistent these days. I hope the Palin’s will provide proof that Trig is their own quickly in order to counter these rumors. And, if the rumors are true, then handle them immediately in order to end all the speculating.

Photos/pictures of the Palin family at “7 months pregnant” are below.

Hurricane Gustav - gaining strength south of Haiti

Rapidly growing Hurricane Gustav headed for a collision with impoverished Haiti on Tuesday, driving many people off the potholed streets of the capital, but bringing few other outward signs of preparation.

The storm was also on track to slice along the south coast of Cuba during the week — possibly growing into a perilous Category 3 hurricane with 115 mph (185 kph) winds by the weekend, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Forecasters said the hurricane's maximum sustained winds were near 90 mph (150 kph) Tuesday morning, with higher gusts. They said it could become a Category 2 hurricane with winds of 96 mph (154 kph) or higher before hitting Haiti.

Forecasts suggested that Hurricane Gustav's eye might pass near the capital of Port-au-Prince, home to nearly 3 million people.

A light rain fell on Port-au-Prince as the sun rose on an overcast Tuesday. The city's rough streets, often bustling with commerce at the crack of dawn, were largely empty as merchants took refuge.

"The government orders the population to take precautions because this storm will bring a lot of rain," Interior Minister Paul Antonine Bien-Aime told Radio Ginen in an interview repeated several times early Tuesday.

American Airlines canceled all flights in and out of Port-au-Prince.

Preparations for the storm appeared to be minimal and in the hurricane-prone southwestern city of Les Cayes, smack in the hurricane's path, at least some people without access to television or satellite images said they doubted a storm was even approaching.

"There's no rain and wind, the sky is clear, cars are traveling everywhere.

I don't think there's a hurricane," Marc Andre, a 22-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, said over his cell phone.

Yet Haitians are accustomed to the power of such blasts. Flooding caused by storms and hurricanes killed more than 100 people in Haiti and scores in the Dominican Republic last year. In 2004, Tropical Storm Jeanne killed some 3,000 people in the Haitian city of Gonaives alone.

The hurricane was centered about 75 miles (125 kilometers) south-southeast of Port-au-Prince and was moving toward the northwest at near 9 mph (15 kph).

On Monday, Carnival Cruise Lines diverted one of its ships from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to a Mexican port to avoid the storm, company spokesman Vance Gulliksen said. Other cruise lines said they were closely tracking its path.

In Jamaica, officials alerted shelters to prepare for possible evacuations during the storm that is forecast to pass near the island Wednesday.

The commander of the Guantanamo military base in Cuba, where the U.S. holds about 265 men, many suspected of belonging to al-Qaida or the Taliban, ordered U.S. military personnel to prepare for a hit.

Vulnerable to high winds are dozens of tents pitched on an abandoned runway where those attending war-crimes trials for alleged terrorists are housed. No hearings are scheduled this week.

Army Maj. Richard Morehouse, a spokesman for detention operations at the base, told The Associated Press that the lockups housing detainees "are capable of withstanding hurricane-force winds and rain."

Earlier this month, Tropical Storm Fay killed 23 people on the island of Hispaniola shared by Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Nearly all were due to flooded rivers.

Meanwhile, the remnants of Fay brought heavy rain and winds from Georgia to Louisiana. Floridians were still mopping up floodwaters from a storm that stuck around for a week and made a historic four landfalls, dumping more than 30 inches (76 centimeters) of rain along the central Atlantic coast.

The National Weather Service said the vestiges of Fay would deluge northern Georgia, with 3 inches (8 centimeters) to 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain expected in the Atlanta area and up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) in northeast Georgia. In Alabama, flash flood and tornado warnings were posted.

In Mexico, Tropical Depression Julio continued to weaken as it dumped rain on the central Baja California peninsula and the upper Gulf of California.

The National Hurricane Center said Julio was about 110 miles (180 kilometers) north-northwest of Santa Rosalia, Mexico, with sustained winds of about 30 mph (50 kph).

Michelle Obama Pregnant ???

Is Michelle Obama pregnant? The wife of presidential contender Barack Obama is all set for her big moment in the sun on Monday in Denver as she is speaking at the Democratic National Convention. Her goal is to makeover her image that has taken a pounding ever since she first said that she had never been proud of the United States of America until her husband was favored to win the White House.

So where are all of these inquiries about Michelle Obama being pregnant coming from? One report blames it on Rush Limbaugh and claims that the conservative radio talk show host got all of this started with what appears to be a little poking and prodding and with what may have been a throw away line. Though I didn't hear the show today it is being reported that Rush Limbaugh has said that he believes Michelle Obama may have a big announcement to make tonight in Denver.



According to a report, "On his radio broadcast this morning, Rush Limbaugh speculated that Michelle Obama may have an announcement to make in her speech to the Democratic Convention tonight." That must have leaped to the Michelle Obama is pregnant reports.

Michelle Obama and her husband Barack Obama were married on October 18, 1992, and controversial preacher and Barack mentor Rev. Jeremiah Wright performed the ceremony. They were married at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois. Right now the couple have two daughters, Malia Ann Obama was born in 1999 and Natasha Obama was born in 2001. Is there another on the way or is this speculation blown way out of proportion?

Obama’s baby

Last night I had some theoretical thoughts about Obama -

What would happen if Barack & Michelle Obama decided that they want a third child while they still can (She was born in 1964, which makes her 44)?

They could conceive it this week in Denver, and when the time comes (maybe in a month or so) announce that Michelle Obama is pregnant and is due in June 2009.

So my questions are: Do you think that such an announcement will help him win the election in November?

Will that be the first (legitimate) baby born to a sitting president?

If it’s (another) girl, will it be ok if they name her America Obama?

Gwen Stefani - Second Baby Boy !!!

Gwen Stefani has another boy.

Gwen Stefani has given birth to a boy and mother, baby and family are all happy according to their spokesman.

The couple named their son, Zuma Nesta Rock, who weighed 3.77 kilograms.

The pop star and fashionista already has one son, Kingston, with her husband Gavin Rossdale.

Gwen Stefani, 38, was propelled to worldwide stardom when the band she was lead singer for, No Doubt, released the album Tragic Kingdom in 1995 which sold 16 million copies.

In 2003 the band broke up, and Gwen Stefani launched a solo career. To date she has released two albums.

She played at Auckland's Vector Arena on her Sweet Escape tour in 2007.

There have recently been reports that No Doubt is back in the studio working on a new album.

The No Doubt singer checked into Cedars Sinai Hospital this morning and delivered Zuma Nesta Rock at 12:46 P.M. via C-section. He weighed in at 8 1/2 pounds. Baby Zuma joins older brother Kingston, who celebrated his 2nd birthday in May. The following statement was released on Gwen’s website:

Kingston, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale welcomed the newest member of their family- Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale - at 12:46 PST on August 21, 2008. The couple’s second son, Zuma was born weighing 8.5 lbs. Mother, baby and family are all happy and healthy.

The 38-year-old L.A.M.B. designer was busy throughout her pregnancy, more recently hooking back up with No Doubt and working on a new album - much to the delight of fans. The album is scheduled to drop in early 2009.

Gwen Stefani and her husband, Gavin Rossdale, have been married since September 14, 2002.

Related Articles :

Gwen Stefani - Gives Birth to Baby Boy !!!

2008 Olympics Beijing - Chinese women win gold in gymnastic

BEIJING - In the traditional scoring system, China's tiny, young gymnasts might have settled for perfect 10s and kept the Americans in the game.

Instead, the new format enabled them to soar off the uneven bars on their dismounts and post high scores that clinched the women's team gold medal after the second of four rotations Wednesday.


The ages of some Chinese gymnasts have been questioned, amid suggestions they were too young for Olympic eligibility this year (16). But they left they no doubts about their ability to perform under pressure in front of loud, chanting fans at National Indoor Stadium and a country full of big expectations for them.

Thanks mostly to dominating the bars, the Chinese posted 188.90 points to the Americans' 186.525, with Romania (181.525) a distant third.
This figured to be among the best duels staged in any sport in these Games, and the Chinese were solid throughout. The final was made more tense and intriguing when the two favorites competed together in each event, while every score counted among each country's three performers.


That's why Alicia Sacramone shook her head in disbelief after falling during her floor exercise routine on the final rotation. But the Americans' chances of winning their first team gold medal since 1996 were long gone by then.

The US Gymnasts did pretty much everything they could, but their opponents were simply that much better. Standing several inches less than 5 feet and weighing maybe 75 pounds, China's gymnastics stars played bigger than Yao Ming in the final. The Americans needed to win the vault to open the meet, which they did, and they needed to win the balance beam, which they did. The part they could not control was China's stunning performance on the bars.

America's Nastia Liukin actually posted the best score (16.90) on bars, but China's duo of He Kexin (16.85) and Yang Yilin (16.80) were too much to overcome as the host country won the event by nearly two points.

The ultimate margin of victory was striking, because while China had won the preliminary competition by 1.475 points, the Americans were dealing with some injuries and had made five major mistakes. In its own way, that performance gave them confidence about their chances of making the final interesting.


"We're going to come back even stronger in the team finals," Shawn Johnson had said. "We're ready to fight for it."

As it turned out, this bout was over by the halfway point.
Unlike most gymnastics meets, where the top teams are competing in different events throughout, the Olympic final made the comparisons easy.

The Americans started with nice vaults by Bridget Sloan, Johnson and Sacramone, taking a solid lead. Chellsie Memmel, Johnson and, especially, Luikin followed with a decent bars performance, but the Chinese topped them resoundingly.

After a good beam performance brought them within a point after three rotations, the Americans faded on the floor and China finished off the rout.

Southern California Earthquake

Southern California was hit by an earthquake this morning. Read about it below. Updates, photos and videos are being added as they become available.

Southern California Earthquake

At 11:42 am (PT) a 5.4 magnitude earthquake struck the town of Chino Hills, 33 miles east of Los Angeles in San Bernardino County. The United States Geological Survey said it struck at a depth of 7.6 miles.

Residents are saying it felt like a much larger earthquake than 5.4 magnitude. It was felt from throughout Southern California and Nevada. There have been multiple after shooks.

Eye witness reports are that it was a violent shake. The San Diego City Counsel was in session and recessed until it was determined that San Diego was not the epicenter of the quake. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, between Los Angeles and San Diego, is reportedly in good condition and no damage was sustained to the grids there.

We are waiting for the mayor of Los Angeles to report and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will be speaking shortly. Right Pundits will continue to provide updates as needed.

UPDATE 1:47 (PT): Los Angeles is experiencing power outages. Chino Hills is reporting minimal damage and no injuries. There have been problems with cell phone service.

Acting Mayor report:

• minor structural damage around the center.
• some people were stuck in an elevator
• no extraordinary calls for emergency services
• All phone services are now back up and running.
• Airport is functioning properly. It lost radar services for only one minute, but was immediately back up.
• Ports are functioning properly with no damage reported.
• One water main break. There was flooding at one department store.
• Five minor injuries reported.
• There is a 5% chance that this is a fore shock to a larger earthquake.

Update 2:25 p.m. (PT): The following photo of earthquake damage was sent into the LA Times by a reader.

Damage in Santa Monica
Southern California Earthquake - Photos

Update 2:30 p.m. (PT): Press conference with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

• Monitoring situation closely
• Have evacuation plan for family and pets.
• No major infrastructure damage
• No major injuries
• After shocks are occurring and will continue to occur
• All state agencies are directed to provide support
• All emergency responders are doing their things
• Earthquake downgraded to 5.4 magnitude
• upgrading infrastructure and emergency response systems helped minimize damage and injuries

Harry Potter 6 - New Photos and Movie Trailer ???

USA Today unveiled two new shots from the upcoming “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.” First photo of a young Tom Riddle (Frank Dillane) and Dumbledore’s (Michael Gambon) firestorm that he uses in the caves. These two shots will also appear in the full-length trailer that’s due to be released today (Tuesday) and in theaters on Friday before “The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor.“

Director David Yates said that editing is complete and the studio will soon be shown the finished product four months in advance of its theatrical debut. The biggest reveal is the young Tom Riddle, played by Hero Fiennes-Tiffin, who grows up to become Lord Voldemort.

Hero is Ralph Fiennes‘ (who plays Voldemort) nephew in real life, however Yates explained that his relationship to Ralph “wasn’t the primary reason for choosing him.” Instead, “I went for Hero because of this wonderful haunted quality that seemed to bring Tom Riddle alive on-screen for us.” This last bit should give you a chill down your spine. “Even at a very young age, Tom Riddle shows tendencies toward cruelty and maliciousness,” Yates says. “And it’s a very unsettling thing to see.”

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” is again directed by David Yates, of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix previously, and written by Steve Kloves, who also wrote “Sorcerer’s Stone”, “Chamber of Secrets”, “Prisoner of Azkaban”, and “Goblet of Fire” but not “Order of the Phoenix.” This is the sixth book in J.K. Rowling’s immensely popular series.

“Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” arrives in theaters on November 21st this Thanksgiving.

Harry Porter The Half Blood Prince Trailer Long Version

I read the comment from die hard fans of Harry Porter and The Half Blood Prince from youtube.

"He is really angry at Warner Bros for releasing the only 23 second trailer"

So I updated the long version Harry Porter Half Blood Prince trailer for any hard fans for Harry Porter. Watch this really impressing trailer and enjoy.

The Harry Porter film's directors ,David Yates, said that films editing are complete and be ready for fully view for Harry Porter full movie from Warner Bros.

McCain Takes Swipe at Obama ???

McCain Takes Swipe at Obama, Germans Over Berlin Visit

Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift: Republicans are zeroing in on Obama's reception in Berlin

A spokesman for Republican presidential candidate John McCain blasted Barack Obama for cancelling plans to visit wounded US soldiers while in Berlin, adding that the Democrat prioritized "throngs of fawning Germans."

Hours before Obama arrived back in the US on Saturday, McCain's spokesman Tucker Bounds questioned why the Democratic senator cancelled Friday's scheduled meeting with American troops at the Landstuhl military hospital in Germany.

"You know, it really speaks to the experience that Barack Obama lacks," Bounds told Fox News.

"He prioritizes throngs of fawning Germans over meeting with wounded combat troops in Germany," he added, referring to the crowd of over 200,000 people who gave Obama an effusive welcome at his outdoor address on Thursday evening in Berlin.

McCain's team also raised the cancelled hospital visit in a new television ad in which a narrator berates Obama for making time to go to the gym, but not finding the time for injured soldiers.

Obama team sought to protect soldiers

The Obama campaign explained at the time of the cancellation that the senator had made a decision to avoid drawing wounded troops into the back-and-forth of campaign politics. The campaign also noted that reservations about the visit had been expressed by the Pentagon.

Some analysts see the McCain team's attack as a case of sour grapes following the overwhelmingly positive public response to Obama in Europe. Republicans are instead trying to brand the trip -- which saw Obama stop in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, Kuwait, Jordan, Germany, France and the UK -- a shallow political stunt.

Democrats are Driving Obama's Berlin Bounce

Mixed news on the day, as Barack Obama gets two relatively weak results in state polling while continuing to gain ground in the national trackers.

In California, Obama leads John McCain by 10 points according to Rasmussen. This is quite a step down from Rasmussen's result in June, when Obama had led McCain by 28 points. Their other California polling, however, had been closer, showing Obama in the lead by margins ranging from 7 points to 15. Regardless, California polling is mostly an academic endeavor in this year's election. The state is not competitive, and so far as I can tell, the Obama campaign does not even have a field office open there.

In South Carolina, it's McCain by 13 in a new Research 2000 poll for DailyKos.com. This is Research 2000's first poll in South Carolina, and so there are no trendlines for comparison. Nevertheless, this is the first South Carolina poll to show McCain with a lead in the double digits.

shows him ahead by 7 points, tying his best-ever margin in that poll, while Obama is just about at his high water marks in the national tracking polls, however. GallupRasmussen has him ahead by 6. What Obama's foreign policy trip may have done, and particularly his speech in Berlin, is to refresh enthusiasm among his core supporters. Fully 60 percent of Democrats now have a very favorable opinion of Obama, according to Rasmussen's latest numbers.

That number is improved from 53 percent a week ago. During that time frame, Obama has gained 6 points of support among Democrats, capturing 82 percent of their votes rather than 76. Half of that gain comes from undecided voters, while the other half comes from McCain.

Pregnant man - Thomas Beatie's first picture of baby girl

Thomas Beatie, better known as the world’s first pregnant man, has sold a picture of his baby girl to an American magazine for a rumoured £150,000 ($300,000).

Thomas Beatie with his baby: The labour lasted 40 hours Photo: GETTY IMAGES

Transgender Mr Beatie is shown cradling four-week-old Susan Juliette as she rests on a bed in the photo published on the front cover of the celebrity title People.

Wearing a white dress with purple and green detail and a large bow, the baby bears a striking resemblance to her father.

Susan Juliette was born at the St Charles Medical Center in Bend, Oregon on June 29 weighing 9lbs, 5oz, three months after news of her pioneering conception made headlines across the world.

"She's so precious, I just can't stop staring at her," Mr Beatie told the magazine, disclosing that the labour lasted 40 hours.

"When Susan finally came out, it was like in slow motion," he said. "I was full of wonder."

Mr Beatie, who was born a woman but is legally a man after undergoing partial sex change procedures ten years ago, fathered the child with sperm from an anonymous donor. He was able to do so because he had kept his reproductive organs.

His wife Nancy is breastfeeding the baby girl, using hormones and a breast pump to stimulate lactation.

But the couple have been criticised for embracing the publicity that their case has generated.

They have previously sold photos of Mr Beatie in the late stages of pregnancy to a British tabloid, and in April showed off his ultrasound scans during an appearance on the Oprah Winfrey show.

Mr Beatie and his wife received around $300,000 from People for the baby photos, according to a magazine source quoted on the New York gossip website Gawker.

The sum, while substantial, is significantly less than is offered for the first photos of the babies of Hollywood A-list celebrities. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have reportedly sold images of their new-born twins for $11 million.

Batman : The Dark Knight

The Dark Knight: Batman is a Hamlet for our times

If Shakespeare had been alive today, he would have found abundant raw material in this most reimagined of comic book characters

An icon for our times ... Batman (Christopher Nolan version)


As the new Batman film - The Dark Knight - grinds towards us, like some slow-moving juggernaut whose driver isn't strong enough to turn the wheel, it occurs to me that the Caped Crusader is really something special. Batman is the icon for our times, Shakespearian in his ability to withstand multiple reinterpretation, a Hamlet or Lear for the 21st century.

In this, Batman is by far the most resonant superhero - far more fertile ground for modulation and restyling than that doughty veteran Superman, or that hyperactive new kid on the blockbuster block, Spider-Man. Johnny-come-latelies like X-Men, Hellboy or Iron Man are, frankly, knee high to all this.

Batman

In the same way that any given Shakespeare text is remodelled, refurbished and redesigned for one generation or another, so too has been Batman. The character is now part-way through its fourth serious movie phase. (Like another popular, but lesser, icon, Doctor Who, Batman regenerates as and when necessary.) The "Nolan" Batman is a serious-minded work, preoccupied with the inner life of the vigilante, and does its level best to ground the traditional tales of supervillains and hi-tech gadgetry in some kind of coherent sense of reality. Batman Begins and The Dark Knight share much with high-testosterone action thrillers like Die Hard and The Terminator: a high-myth narrative superstructure bolted on to a recognisable quotidian milieu.

Do you see this?!!!

How do we enumerate the Batman phases? The first, we can call the "Pop Art" Batman - Adam West and Burt Ward, fight-noise cards, and mini-skirted go-go dancers. Played strictly for laughs, they come from an era that couldn't take kiddie superheroes remotely seriously. The "Burton", or "neo-gothic" Batman, taking its cue from the Frank Miller graphic novels, inhabited a patently artificial and aestheticised universe, inspired by New York art deco, black-and-white gumshoe movies and trace elements of German expressionism. The third Batman phase - the "Schumacher" or "uber-camp" - concentrated on extravagant architectural design, fetishist rubberware, and narratives of sugar-rush complexity. (The original model, the first folio if you like, is of course the prewar Bob Kane comic strip.)

It's fair to say that the current Batman phase is a determined reaction against the Schumacher couplet (Batman Forever and Batman & Robin), which aroused deep hostility with its ill-judged foray into camp mannerism just at the point that, culturally speaking, the world was looking for something more serious. Nolan's films, whatever we think of them are giving us what we want.

Dark Knight’ : A Movie for the Times
By Stephane Dunn

I exercise my deepest hero longings by escaping into the fantasy ones on the big screen. Unsurprisingly then, I am especially drawn to Marvel’s unlimited vault of superheroes whose mission is to save the world or at least their city from hopelessness or the bad guys.

So I braved the crowded parking lots and lines and dragged along a reluctant, anti-Batman lover to see Dark Knight.
It would be too easy to get sidetracked by the tragic aura surrounding this newest Batman flick. Heath Leger’s tragic death at twenty-six has naturally stirred up more hype than Marvel’s big budget superhero flicks usually already do.

Before his death, word was already circulating around Hollywood that Ledger had turned in a stunningly brilliant turn as ‘the Joker’ a role imbued with more of the dark psychotic edge of the original comic strip’s character. The hype about that performance is true so much so that the fact of his death adds pathos amid the bleak, edgy undertones of the character but does not overshadow the fact that Ledger makes the Joker alone stand out.

Yet, there’s more to appreciate about Dark Knight beyond, even, the record breaking $166 million plus that it took in at the box office during this first weekend out. The action sequences, character complexity and fine performances all around from Christian Bale (Batman), Michael Caine, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart (Harvey Dent) and of course Ledger’s movie stealing Joker performance are but a few more reasons why this latest Batman film is a stand out. Sitting at the movie last Saturday night, I alternately cringed, laughed, and became just plain enthralled by the sophisticated treatment of that almost clichéd good vs. evil staple that defines superhero comics and films.

Carla Bruni - new album on the web ???

Carla Bruni has unveiled her third album online

Carla Bruni has surprised fans by putting her new album on the internet today ahead of its feverishly anticipated release.

All 14 tracks from the French first lady’s album, Comme si de rien n'était (Simply), went up on her website at 8.30 GMT this morning, allowing fans to listen for free for up to two hours, until July 21, to her breathy love songs.

The former supermodel, 40, has been at the centre of a media storm since it was revealed that lyrics on the album told of her 30 past lovers and compared President Sarkozy to A class drugs.

Carla Bruni

The Colombian government protested over her singing of love “more deadly than Afghan heroin, more deadly than Colombian white," and eyebrows were raised over the references to her past lovers, who include Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Donald Trump.

Responding to the press circus, Naïve records, who have been working closely with Elysée Palace on the marketing campaign, pushed the launch date forward from July 21 to July 11.

But this morning, as Bruni gave her first promotional interview, she followed the trend started by Radiohead in unveiling her new album online.

Carla Bruni goes down a storm at a concert in Paris in 2004
– but how will her new album fare?

Speaking to state radio station France Inter, the Italian-born singer dismissed the media storm, saying she didn’t see why presidential wives should give up their livelihoods just because they had wed. She went on to add that they "have the right to work”.

But she conceded that her position ruled out concerts and added that she would donate royalties from the album to charity.

Asked if she would record a fourth album while her husband was in office, she admitted it was unlikely: "I don't know if I will be able to write an album between now and 2012. If I manage to, I would be lucky."

Carla Bruni also admitted the response to her album would not be purely musical.

"If people don't listen because I married the president of the republic, I understand. If they do listen because I married the president of the republic, I will be delighted.

"And if people, especially, like it, that is what counts for me."

Carla Bruni recorded two albums before becoming half of the world’s most glamorous political couple following a three-month romance. Her first album won over critics and sold two million copies, but her second English-speaking release, No Promises, sold less than half-a-million

The Bachelorette Winner - Jesse Csincsak ???

Nice guys really do finish last.In a bit of a stunner tonight on The Bachelorette, DeAnna Pappas rejected wonderful single dad Jason Mesnik - the superior candidate by almost any measure - instead opting for goofy “professional snowboarder” Jesse Csincsak.

In typical Bachelorette fashion, viewers were led to believe Jason Mesnick - a loving father to three-year-old Ty and a grounded businessman from Washington - had it locked up, outshining his competition throughout and charming her family.But it was Jesse Csincsak who DeAnna Pappas chose - and is engaged to.

The Bachelorette Gets Engaged

DeAnna Pappas accepts the proposal of professional snowboarder Jesse Csincsak, stopping her other suitor, account executive Jason Mesnick, in mid-kneel.

DEANNA PAPPAS From Bachelorette to future Mrs. Csincsak

DeAnna Pappas, the latest lady to look for love on ABC's reality romance series The Bachelorette, may be one step closer to finding her ''fairy-tale ending'' after accepting a wedding proposal from 26-year-old professional snowboarder Jesse Csincsak at the conclusion of Monday night's season finale. The couple appeared together on the After the Final Rose special, which aired following the finale, and announced that they have set a date, planning to be married in May 2009.

On the finale, before DeAnna said yes to Jesse on a beachfront platform in the Bahamas, she had to awkwardly stop the show's other finalist, 31-year-old account executive Jason Mesnick, in mid-kneel before he could even say anything. Jason was so shocked at the rejection, he maintained a paralyzed hold on the ring box until well into his departing limo ride.

Back at the platform, Jesse told DeAnna ''the thought of not being with you kills me.... DeAnna Marie Pappas, will you spend forever with me?'' The bachelorette said ''Yes'' and finally got to share her true feelings, telling Csincsak she had fallen in love with him during her visit to his hometown.

After being dumped at the altar by Austin, Tex., bar owner Brad Womack on the season 11 finale of The Bachelor (Womack chose not to stay with either finalist), Deanna Pappas, a 26-year-old real estate agent, returned as the star of the show. After both Jesse and Jason met DeAnna's family in her native Newnan, Ga., they returned to the Bahamas for one final date.

A surprise awaited viewers as Jeremy Anderson, a Dallas real estate attorney who seemed to be an early favorite but was left without a rose last week, returned for one last chance to plead his case. But DeAnna stayed the course and tearfully sent him packing for good. (Some had thought/hoped that ousted bachelor Graham Bunn, whom she seemed to really like, might make a last-minute return, but no dice.)

For more details about the finale and the After the Final Rose special, check back later for our complete TV Watch recap, where you can post your thoughts and comments on the season finale.

Hancock twist causes controversy ???

Editor's Note: The following Associated Press story is filled with film spoilers, including ones for "The Crying Game" and "The Sixth Sense." If you'd rather wait to see them yourself, stop reading now.

"Hancock" has divided critics and audiences with its abrupt twist, which has been described as coming out of left field.

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- A Will Smith movie packs in millions of people over Fourth of July weekend. No surprises there.

Yet Smith's "Hancock," the tale of an anti-social boozer who happens to be a superhero, comes with an abrupt plot twist, one that has divided critics and the movie going public in the real world. (Critics and everyone else can't agree. Now there's a real surprise.)

For those who have yet to see "Hancock," we won't give the secret away, but it has something to do with why Charlize Theron's soccer-mom-style character doesn't want Smith's surly superhero anywhere near her family.

Critics generally thought the turn the movie takes halfway through was a cheat, spoiling what had been a promising idea that was a fresh twist on the superhero genre in its own right. (CNN.com's Tom Charity described the twist as coming "so far out of left field you would need a crystal ball to see it coming."

The people who turned "Hancock" into an instant blockbuster beg to differ -- to the sum of $185 million worldwide at the box office in just a few days.

Smith stars as John Hancock

The plot twist in "Hancock" won't go down in cinema history alongside (SPOILER ALERT!) Darth Vader revealing he's Luke Skywalker's pappy in "The Empire Strikes Back" or Anthony Perkins turning out to be a slasher in his mom's housedress in "Psycho."

However, it does give us a chance to buzz once more about the really great curve balls -- and maybe a wild pitch or two -- that Hollywood has tossed our way.

Here's a look at some of the most memorable screen surprises, in no particular order:

- MY GIRL: Has there ever been a stranger what-the-heck moment than the revelation that the enticing woman Stephen Rea lusts after in "The Crying Game" really is a guy? The dreamlike gotcha gesture delivered from beyond by Forest Whitaker's character was directed as much at male audiences everywhere who had to hit the reset button on their manhood after falling for Jaye Davidson as a hot new screen goddess only to learn he shared their XY chromosome makeup.

- THE SECRET INGREDIENT IS US: How do you turn an utterly forgettable movie into one for the ages? Let Charlton Heston learn that the super-food of the future is made of humans so he can bellow "Soylent Green is PE-E-E-OPLE!" And don't forget the "Saturday Night Live" skit about a "Soylent Green" sequel where Phil Hartman impersonates Heston, learning that the powers that be didn't change the recipe like they promised, so he can holler "It's still PE-E-E-OPLE!"

- HEAD IN THE SAND: Heston gets to curse out humanity in general in "Planet of the Apes" as he stumbles on the noggin of the Statue of Liberty lying on the beach and realizes he's been on Earth all along -- but in the distant future, after his species has blown itself up. Tim Burton's remake substitutes a terrible twist as astronaut Mark Wahlberg makes it off the simian world and returns to his planet, only to find a monkey named "Ape Lincoln" sitting on the Lincoln Memorial.

- POOR BRUCE IS DEAD: With "Breakfast of Champions" and "The Story of Us," Bruce Willis' career might have been dead. But M. Night Shyamalan kept him alive by killing him off in the opening moments of "The Sixth Sense" but concealing that fact so completely that moviegoers were shocked into seeing the flick again and again after they learned he was a ghost. Audiences were somewhat less than shocked with Shyamalan and Willis' next surprise ending -- superheroes are real! -- in "Unbreakable."

- READY FOR MY SHOWER, MR. HITCHCOCK: Perkins as his own mother has enduring shock value, but Alfred Hitchcock pulled a true stunner earlier in "Psycho" as the killer snuffed Janet Leigh, the movie's lead character up to that moment. That's like Dickens having Oliver Twist die of cholera in chapter three. Who do you root for when the heroine gets tossed in the trunk of her car and submerged in a swamp?

- KEYSER SPACEY: As prime suspect Gabriel Byrne lay dying near the end of "The Usual Suspects," you just had to wonder "Well if it's not him, who the heck is Keyser Soze?" Watching Kevin Spacey transform from the grubby, gimpy little Verbal Kint into world-class criminal mastermind Soze in the space of one city block is one of those moments that makes you think "Yeah, this is why I like movies."

- MY SISTER, MY MOM: Incest turns out to be the stuff of one of cinema's most artful surprises at the end of "Chinatown," when we learn that Faye Dunaway's little sister also is her daughter. And we get to see Jack Nicholson slap the information out of her -- repeatedly -- in a climax that's nothing short of a gut-punch.

- MISSION IMPERTINENT: Speaking of slaps in the face, arguably the worst plot twist ever comes in Tom Cruise's first "Mission: Impossible" tale. Millions grew up watching Peter Graves' noble Jim Phelps run the Impossible Mission Force on the small screen. So when Jon Voight's Phelps turns out to be the bad guy in Cruise's version, it was disrespectful of both the source material and its fans. Why didn't Cruise just play Phelps himself, but as the hero everyone remembered the character for? Maybe Cruise was afraid that, like Graves, he would wind up hosting episodes of "Biography" in his golden years.

Jessica Simpson - How did Jessica Simpson lose weight ???

Jessica Simpson, celebrity pop star and actress, has been very vocal about her varied methods for weight loss. The beautiful, blonde Southern girl, who is also a self-proclaimed devoted fan of all Southern foods, always has to look her best. She, however, is human like the rest of us and occasionally needs to shed a few extra pounds. Fortunately for us, Jessica Simpson is very vocal about her weight loss issues and her exercise and diet routines, which help her to always be looking good!

When cast in the 2005 comedy, The Dukes of Hazard as the statuesque Daisy Duke, Jessica Simpson felt the pressure to get her body into stellar shape. She popular star would stick to diets of grilled chicken and seared fish, broccoli and asparagus dishes. Breadbaskets and sugars were avoided. She would spend an hour and a half in the gym everyday, doing exercises to help boost metabolism and tone.

About an hour of the time was spent on weights, Simpson would use only 7 and 1/2 pound dumbbells to help shape and tone herself. The remaining half an hour was devoted to lunges and squats. Not only do these help dramatically increase the body’s metabolism, but also they help build and shape the rear end, allowing Jessica to wear the “Daisy Duke” shorts with pride.

After the Dukes of Hazard, Jessica went through some troubling issues and slowly lost touch with her amazing figure. She was determined to find it again however, although with a bit of variation in the routine. She sticks to small meals that are loaded with vegetables, and she eats every few hours to keep the metabolism going. She eats a lot of fruit and drinks a lot of water. If she’s hungry for a snack, she has a banana with some peanut butter, a very high protein snack. Simpson will eat main meals with either grilled chicken or fish and lots of salad.

Her workout routine is three days a week of cardio and circuit training, with the same weights being used for toning and shaping. She sticks to the same routine with lunges and squats, finding them one of the best exercise moves to perform. They still shape and define her rear end while raising her metabolism. Simpson also claims to enjoy Pilate’s and stretching, working that into her routine at times.

This beautiful celebrity enjoys drinking slenderizing energy drinks, feeling that these improve her metabolism as well as her exercises. Jessica Simpson currently intakes around 1,800 calories per day in a combination of whole grains, protein, and lots of vegetables. Grapefruit is one of her absolute favorites, using it for breakfast almost daily. She does know though that moderation is key. She allows herself cheat days, giving herself a meal of either the fried Southern food or the Mexican that she so loves.

Through dedication, determination, and lots of hard work, this popular actress and singer is able to maintain a figure of health and beauty while still enjoying her favorite foods in moderation. Her diet and exercise, while intense, has proven to work time and time again. If Jessica Simpson can be this beautiful and still enjoy herself, then there is hope for the rest of us after all.

So now that you know how Jessica Simpson lost weight, it’s time to start dieting. Remember if you wanna lose all your fat quickly and easily, you should consider using Proactol, a proven fat binder made from organic ingredients!

I used Proactol before and it’s the one and only fat burner I recommend to others!

Pregnant man - gives birth to baby girl !!!

A nurse takes care of a newborn in a maternity ward.

A US man who was born a woman before undergoing gender realignment surgery has given birth to a baby girl, US media reported.

Thomas Beatie, who is legally male but decided to keep his female sex organs during chest reconstruction surgery and testosterone therapy, attracted worldwide attention in April after revealing his pregnancy.

The 34-year-old gave birth to a baby girl at a hospital in Bend, Oregon, on June 29, People Magazine reported Thursday.

"The only thing different about me is that I can't breastfeed my baby. But a lot of mothers don't," the magazine quoted him as saying.

It said the girl is Beatie's first child, and he had given birth naturally, not by Caesarean section.

Beatie, who sports a beard, was dubbed the 'pregnant man' after appearing on Oprah Winfrey's television talkshow to discuss his pregnancy.

"I feel it's not a male or female desire to have a child. It's a human need. I'm a person and I have the right to have a biological child," he told the chat show queen.

Beatie's unusual situation first became public when he wrote an article in the leading US gay magazine The Advocate in March, entitled "Labor of Love."

"To our neighbors, my wife, Nancy, and I don't appear in the least unusual," he wrote, explaining that his wife was unable to have a child after undergoing a hysterectomy.

So he chose to become pregnant by artificial insemination, he said.

"Our situation sparks legal, political, and social unknowns," Beatie wrote, adding the couple had experienced opposition from health care professionals, friends and family.

One doctor refused to treat the couple, after consulting an ethics board.

"How does it feel to be a pregnant man? Incredible. Despite the fact that my belly is growing with a new life inside me, I am stable and confident being the man that I am," Beatie wrote.

Thomas Beatie, the so-called “pregnant man” gave birth to a baby girl on 29 June in Oregon, according to this report by Reuters.

Father and daughter were said to be “healthy and doing well”.

It is reported that the baby was not delivered by Caesarean section, but no other details about the birth were given.

“The only thing different about me is that I can’t breast-feed my baby. But a lot of mothers don’t”, Mr Beatie was quoted as saying.

The Bachelorette - Happy ending, good surprise on finale

DeAnna Pappas said she loves surprises -- especially ones that don't end with her receiving a rejection. "This is a good surprise," Pappas told Reality TV World during a Wednesday conference call about The Bachelorette's pre-taped fourth-season finale, which will air next Monday night at 8PM ET/PT and end with her "very happy, in love and engaged."

"With [The Bachelor eleventh-season star Brad Womack], I kept it a secret because I wanted to know if someone could figure out what in the world happened. I didn't want anyone to know the outcome of the show because I didn't understand. I went through a break-up by myself, and I didn't understand it. Now this is a happy ending, and it's a good surprise. I don't want anyone to know because I want everyone to watch it. When you see the final episode it's so good -- you're going to laugh and you're going to cry. It's just a beautiful episode."

Pappas said it's been "almost three months" since The Bachelorette's fourth-season finale filmed and she chose between Jason Mesnick, a 31-year-old account executive from Kirkland, WA, and Jesse Csincsak, a 25-year-old professional snowboarder from Breckenridge, CO.

"It was never, ever an easy thing for me to say goodbye to anyone. Even so, I think the final Rose Ceremony was harder than anything else in the whole world," she told reporters during the conference call.

"How are you supposed to look at someone and tell them that you care about them so much but you can't choose them because you care about the other guy more? That definitely does not make you feel good about yourself. I can promise you that."

"You better believe you let me know."

Pappas described Mesnick and Csincsak as "two totally different people," and she said she's also a "different person when I'm with each one of them."

With Mesnick, Pappas said she "never, ever had to wonder if he was a good father" because of his 3-year-old son Ty -- whom she met during his hometown visit.

"He has Ty, and that's one of the best things in his life. If you don't fall in love with that child, than there's something wrong with you," Pappas told Reality TV World.

"He's a wonderful, wonderful man and has a beautiful outlook on life and love -- especially considering some of the things he's been through in his lifetime. He's very generous, very caring, and he would always listen to me. If anything was ever bothering me he would always say, 'Are you okay? Do you want to talk about it?' He was just always there for me and I knew I could depend on him."

"Ah, here comes Admirer Number Three."

Mesnick waited a few weeks into the competition before he revealed to Pappas that he was a single father -- a decision he initially fretted over. However she said she's happy that's the course he decided to take.

"I'm definitely glad that he waited until we had time to talk about it. It's not like, 'Hey, I have a dog.' He has a child that's important to him -- the most important thing in his life," she told Reality TV World. "I'm glad he waited it was until it was just me and him and we could talk in detail about what is important to him."

In addition, Pappas said she wasn't bothered that Mesnick was a single father -- even if it meant she could simultaneously become a wife AND mother if he's her selected suitor.

"Good one - my dad! Ha ha!"

"I want to be a mom someday, I want to have children of my own," she told Reality TV World. "I knew my life would change, and I wanted to make sure that I was ready for that because when you bring someone's child into that, you're not just dealing with someone else's heart. Now you're dealing with two people's hearts. I wanted to make sure I was ready for that, but it was never a determining factor."

As for Csincsak, he was somebody who immediately stood-out from Pappas' other suitors and received one of her first-impression roses during the fourth-season's premiere.

"Jesse's that crazy, snowboarding, long-haired kid on night one. I was wide-eyed when he got out of the limo because he was wearing that crazy jacket," she told Reality TV World. "But once you get past everything crazy, he's actually a wonderful human being. He has a big heart, he's caring, he comes from a great family. He's that person that's always going to make me laugh, and he puts me first."

However it took Csincsak longer than most of the other suitors to have a romantic connection with Pappas, but she claims that "never really" deterred her from constantly keeping him in the running for her heart. Her persistence paid off, as the two finally got romantic during his hometown date.

"I would say it was probably [during his hometown visit] when I really felt that romantic connection with him," she told Reality TV World. "I remember in the car ride home after snowboarding in the mountains and there was no cameras around and we were sitting in the car on the way to meet his parents, and I just sat there and remember thinking, 'Wow, I cannot live without this person in my life.' That was the first time that I really felt that romantic connection with Jesse."

While viewers have already gotten to see Pappas visit both Mesnick and Csincsak's hometown and meet their respective families, now they'll get to see both of them travel to her Georgian hometown during Monday night's finale.

However there's a twist, because instead of Mesnick and Csincsak making separate visits to the Pappas residence, they'll do so together.

"It's actually really funny. It'll definitely be very entertaining for everyone to watch... I knew it was going to happen but you can't prepare yourself for something like this," she told reporters during the conference call.

Despite the oddness of the situation, Pappas said both men handled it very well.

"They have been friends through the entire show and they will be friends for life. They totally handled it like mature adults," she said. "Obviously it's awkward. We're in a three-way love triangle. Both of these guys are falling for me and I'm falling for them. It's strange. I'm sitting in my house in between both of them. Just wait until you see."

Entertainment aside, Pappas said the guys visiting her family was important to her.

"As everyone knows, my family is the most important part of my life. Sometimes I think that they know me better than I know myself," she explained. "So I definitely wanted them to meet the Final 2 guys and hopefully help me out with the final decision that I was going to have to make. So I think the guys were more comfortable in that situation than I was."

Since Pappas is so close to her kin, she told reporters she plans on keeping her Atlanta home in spite of both of her final two suitors living no where near there.

"We're talking about it," Pappas told reporters when asked about where she'll live with her chosen bachelor. "I'm definitely going to keep my house in Atlanta because I love Atlanta. I grew up there and that's where I'm from. It depends. We'll discuss that a little more in detail next week."

Next week will be the first time Pappas and her selected suitor can be seen in public together, however that hasn't hindered them from several secret rendezvous while the show was airing.

"ABC is behind me 100%, and they've been really, really good to me," she told reporters. "I get to speak to him everyday, whenever I want. We talk to each other a lot. We get to see each other quite a bit, but nobody's allowed to see us. We definitely haven't been to dinner yet."

Pappas reiterated that "dinner in public" is one of her top priorities once the finale airs and added no wedding date has been set.

"We're definitely taking it day-by-day," she told Reality TV World when asked about wedding plans.

Should Pappas actually walk down the aisle with her selected suitor, she'd be following in the footsteps of The Bachelorette first-season star Trista Rehn -- who got engaged to and married Ryan Sutter.

Ten months later, ABC aired a three episode series that detailed the events leading up to their December 2003 wedding ceremony and over 17 million viewers watched the couple exchange vows on Trista & Ryan's Wedding finale broadcast.

Pappas said televised nuptials could also be in her own future.

"We haven't put a lot of thought into it, but we both know we have a lot of fans behind us. There's a lot of people that have followed me since my season with Brad, and I know that there's a lot of followers and supporters that would like to see that happy ending," she told reporters. "I can't say I put a lot of thought into it, but I'm not really opposed to letting those fans into that part of my life."

While the wedding isn't even its planning stage, Pappas had one word to describe it: big.

"It's going to be big. I have a huge family, there's no way I could cut down my list. We've already thought about it, and it's just ridiculous," she told reporters. "It's going to be a big wedding and I'm kind of a traditional kind of girl. I want lots of white."

In addition, Pappas told reporters she wants her wedding dress to be "simple."

"I want him to still look at me that day and know that he's still marrying me -- not some dolled up girl in this big fru-fru dress," she said.

As Pappas prepares for her family members, friends and millions of viewers to watch her choose between Mesnick and Csincsak, she said she still has a memento from the choice.

"I still have the piece of paper where I was doing my pros and cons because it was never an easy decision," she said. "It was always a very, very hard decision for me."

It's been since December that Pappas said she last talked to Womack. While he might have confusingly broken her heart -- twice -- Pappas reiterated her story will have a happy ending this time around, even for Womack.

"Everything happens for a reason," she said. "He's a good person, and I'm sure he's ready to live down The Bachelor experience. Poor Brad, everybody's had to hear about him all season."