The queen was also spotted dining with a large group of close friends at Le Cirque one night and at La Grenouille on another. Perhaps most impressive is the fact that Ms. Franklin has been studying the Juilliard piano technique with celebrated pianist and teacher Melissa Manning. Manning, a Juilliard-trained concert pianist teaches at the renowned Piano School of NYC, is also a former Miss New York State. Franklin’s NY hotel suite was outfitted with a beautiful baby grand Steinway and Manning has been giving the queen private lessons almost every day since her NYC arrival.

Franklin has also found time to shop and catch up on her reading, she’s reading the new Sugar Ray Leonard tome, The Big Fight: My Life In and Out of the Ring and Stay In Your Lane by Judge Karen Mills-Francis. Of course Franklin did get in a little work time too — she recorded, for the first time ever, a historic duet with Tony Bennett. The song is the Michel LeGrand & Alan and Marilyn Bergman classic “How Do You Keep The Music Playing?”. The track was produced by the legendary Mr. Phil Ramone and will be part of Tony Bennett’s upcoming duets album II, scheduled for release in September to coincide with Bennett’s 85th birthday gala at the Metropolitan Opera. The Queen also stopped by Regis & Kelly this morning to promte her new album, A Woman Falling Out of Love, available only at Walmat. But alais, all good things must come to an end, for her, not us! She resumes her tour next Wedesday, July 27th at the Jones Beach Theatre in Long Island
Read more: http://elev8.com/world/entertainment-world/elev8-staff/aretha-franklin-a-divas-summer-vacation/

The Extreme Makeover: Home Edition team will bring together a community to the Langdon Street site, for a 9-hour build in support for Barbara Marshall, the founder of the Steps N Stages Jubilee House.

Barbara Marshall, a 15-year Navy veteran who created the Steps-N-Stages Jubilee House program to help end homelessness among women veterans, and will be returning to find the surprise newly build home and visit from First Lady Obama.

Michelle Obama will participate in a taping of the show. The episode is set to air in October, the “Extreme Makeover” team would have built a new jubilee structure, able to house five female veterans as they get back on their feet, thanks to the Steps N Stages program at the Jubilee House.

Mary Mary Showcase In NYC: A Taste of “Something Big” [VIDEO]

In addition to their hosting duties on “Sunday’s Best” , they were on Good Morning America to announce two new big endeavors.

1- Erica is expecting a another child. This is number 3. They were hinting on twitter last night via @therealmarymary that something special was on the way. Make sure you are following them.

2- They were going to be pitching in to help the Red Cross with families in need.

Watch the video below:

Mary Mary have been advocates of people doing something big in their communities and lives. They used the launch of their album to inspire people to tell them about what the “something big” they were doing in their lives here :Mary Mary Wants To Do Something Big With You.

These women are empowering!

Read More.

Via:www.elev8.com

While fresh veggies and fruits, of course, make for very healthy snacks, we know that those items aren’t always convenient (or the top choices for the typical family). That said, here are some of the worst snack choices you can find in your local supermarket in terms of healthfulness, along with some much healthier alternatives.

The Bad

Chocolate Coated Donuts, Mini Donuts, and Snack Cakes
This is not to say that powdered-sugar donuts are good snack choices. But chocolate-coated donuts and snack cakes have even more saturated fat than other types.

Snack Pies
Most fruit pies even say “Great snack!” on the package. This makes sense only if by “great snack,” they mean high in calories (450), total fat (24 grams), saturated fat (13 grams), and sugar (13 grams); and low in protein, fiber, and other healthy nutrients.

Lunchables (Snack Size) by Oscar Mayer
Two types of these snack-sized Lunchables contain about half a day’s worth of the suggested amounts of fat, saturated fat, and sodium for someone eating around 2,000 calories a day. Also, most of these snacks are around 350-400 calories – again, this is a snack!

Regular Chips and Cheetos
Although the serving size listed on the package is 1 ounce, most of us snack on two or three times this amount, which equals around 300 calories, over 20 grams of fat and up to 700 mg of sodium.

http://hellobeautiful.com/fitness-health/hello-beautiful-staff/the-8-worst-and-best-snack-foods/

Via:www.hellobeautiful.com

Summer comes with its own set of problems. Kids being out of school and bored, coping with the heat and the desire to take time off are just some of what we all deal with during this season.

5 Reasons Why Morning Excercise Is Good For You

Here are a few tips to help make it wonderful as well as warm.

1. Electronic babysitters should be fired. Letting the kids watch television, play video games, or hang out on the Internet is not the answer. Get your kids and yourself involved with other real-live humans.

2. Lemonade stands, garage sales, or car washes are great activities that bring the family together and perhaps bring in some extra cash. These activities are fun and teach your kids the value of money.

3. Dr. Bernie Siegel’s book “Love, Magic and Mudpies” is full of ideas for family fun. Bernie has helped millions of people get more out of life.

4. If you can’t afford to travel right now, try having a vacation in your own town. Spend time with those you love in your backyard, at a local park, or on the school playground. Many cities have community pools, and the YMCA has tons of summer activities for kids of all ages.

5. Spend some time volunteering. Giving back to the community will make you feel better about yourself, and the whole family can join in. Check with your local United Way (www.unitedway.org) to find opportunities.

6. If you’re at work, make sure you get outside at least twice a day, and not just when you’re on the way to and from the office. Sunlight is healing and lifts your mood, but just seeing it from inside an air-conditioned space won’t give you the full benefit.

7. Keep up your routines. If you stop exercising or go off your diet for the summer, you can lose what you’ve accomplished. It’s also harder to get back into good habits if you take months off.

8. Come home early at least one night a week to enjoy a meal with your family and have a little extra relaxation time. You don’t have to do or cook anything special; this time is about being together.

9. Make a plan to visit or invite over old friends you haven’t seen in a while or some new friends that you haven’t spent enough time with.

10. When you get back from vacation, immediately start planning the next one, even if you can’t leave town anytime soon. It’s fun for the whole family, and we all need something to look forward to.

Despite what the old song says, there are plenty of cures for the summertime blues, but like most good things in life, they require that you take some action.

Via: www.elev8.com

TOKYO (AP) — A powerful tsunami spawned by the largest earthquake in Japan’s recorded history slammed the eastern coast Friday, sweeping away boats, cars, homes and people as widespread fires burned out of control. Tsunami warnings blanketed the entire Pacific, as far away as South America, Canada, Alaska and the entire U.S. West Coast.

Authorities said at least 32 people were killed. The magnitude 8.9 offshore quake was followed by at least 19 aftershocks, most of them of more than magnitude 6.0. Dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile stretch of coastline were shaken by violent tremors that reached as far away as Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the epicenter.

A utility company in northeastern Japan reported a fire in a turbine building of nuclear power plant.

“The earthquake has caused major damage in broad areas in northern Japan,” Prime Minister Naoto Kan said at a news conference.

Even for a country used to earthquakes, this one was of horrific proportions. It unleashed a 23-foot tsunami that swept boats, cars, buildings and tons of debris miles inland.

Large fishing boats and other sea vessels rode high waves into the cities, slamming against overpasses. Upturned and partially submerged vehicles were seen bobbing in the water.

Waves of muddy waters swept over farmland near the city of Sendai, carrying buildings, some on fire, inland as cars attempted to drive away. Sendai airport, north of Tokyo, was inundated with cars, trucks, buses and thick mud deposited over its runways. Fires spread through a section of the city, public broadcaster NHK reported.

The tsunami roared over embankments, washing anything in its path inland before reversing directions and carrying the cars, homes and other debris out to sea. Flames shot from some of the houses, probably because of burst gas pipes.

TSUNAMI ALERT: Warning issued for West Coast, Hawaii
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TRAVEL: Hotels evacuate guests to higher floors
“Our initial assessment indicates that there has already been enormous damage,” Chief government spokesman Yukio Edano said. “We will make maximum relief effort based on that assessment.”

He said the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the quake-hit region. A utility aircraft and several helicopters were on the way.

A large fire erupted at the Cosmo oil refinery in Ichihara city in Chiba prefecture near Tokyo and was burning out of control with 100-foot-high flames whipping into the sky.

In northeastern Japan’s Miyagi prefecture, a fire broke out in a turbine building of a nuclear power plant. Smoke was observed coming out of the building, which is separate from the plant’s reactor, and the cause is under investigation, said Tohoku Electric Power Co. the company said.

There have been no reports of radioactive leaks or injuries, the company said. Several nuclear plants elsewhere along the coast were also partially shut down, with no reports of leakage.

Also from Miyagi prefecture, NHK showed footage of a large ship being swept away and ramming directly into a breakwater in Kesennuma city.

The U.S. Geological Survey said the 2:46 p.m. quake was a magnitude 8.9, the biggest earthquake to hit Japan since officials began keeping records in the late 1800s.

A tsunami warning was extended to a number of Pacific, Southeast Asian and Latin American nations, including Japan, Russia, Indonesia, New Zealand and Chile. In the Philippines, authorities said they expect a 3-foot (1-meter) high tsunami.

The quake struck at a depth of six miles, about 80 miles off the eastern coast, the agency said. The area is 240 miles northeast of Tokyo.

In downtown Tokyo, large buildings shook violently and workers poured into the street for safety. TV footage showed a large building on fire and bellowing smoke in the Udayba district of Tokyo. The tremor bent the upper tip of the iconic Tokyo Tower, a 1,093-foot steel structure inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

In central Tokyo, trains were stopped and passengers walked along the tracks to platforms. NHK said more than 4 million buildings were without power in Tokyo and its suburbs.

Large numbers of people waited at Tokyo’s Shinjuku station, the world’s busiest train station, for service to resume so they could go home. TV announcers urged workers not to leave their offices to prevent injuries in case of more strong aftershocks.

Osamu Akiya, 46, was working in Tokyo at his office in a trading company when the quake hit.

It sent bookshelves and computers crashing to the floor, and cracks appeared in the walls.

“I’ve been through many earthquakes, but I’ve never felt anything like this,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll be able to get home tonight.”

Footage on NHK from their Sendai office showed employees stumbling around and books and papers crashing from desks. It also showed a glass shelter at a bus stop in Tokyo completely smashed by the quake and a weeping woman nearby being comforted by another woman.

Several quakes had hit the same region in recent days, including a 7.3 magnitude one on Wednesday.

Hiroshi Sato, a disaster management official in northern Iwate prefecture, said officials were having trouble getting an overall picture of the carnage.

“We don’t even know the extent of damage. Roads were badly damaged and cut off as tsunami washed away debris, cars and many other things,” he said.

Tokyo’s main airport was closed. A large section of the ceiling at the 1-year-old airport at Ibaraki, about 50 miles northeast of Tokyo, fell to the floor with a powerful crash.

Dozens of fires were reported in northern prefectures of Fukushima, Sendai, Iwate and Ibaraki. Collapsed homes and landslides were also reported in Miyagi.

Japan’s worst previous quake was in 1923 in Kanto, an 8.3-magnitude temblor that killed 143,000 people, according to USGS. A 7.2-magnitude quake in Kobe city in 1996 killed 6,400 people.

Japan lies on the “Ring of Fire” — an arc of earthquake and volcanic zones stretching around the Pacific where about 90% of the world’s quakes occur, including the one that triggered the Dec. 26, 2004, Indian Ocean tsunami that killed an estimated 230,000 people in 12 nations. A magnitude-8.8 temblor that shook central Chile last February also generated a tsunami and killed 524 people.

Via: www.usatoday.com

Tyler Perry has released another trailer for his upcoming movie Tyler Perry’s Madea’s Big Happy Family.

As we previously reported, the movie, which stars Perry himself, Loretta Devine, Lauren London and Bow Wow, hits theaters April 22.

Here’s a synopsis of the film:

Madea jumps into action when her niece, Shirley (Loretta Divine), receives distressing news about her health. All Shirley wants is to gather her three adult children around her and share the news as a family. But they’re too distracted by their own problems: Tammy (Natalie Desselle) can’t manage her unruly children or her broken marriage; Kimberly (Shannon Kane) is gripped with anger and takes it out on her husband; and Byron (Bow Wow), after spending two years in jail, is under pressure to deal drugs again. It’s up to Madea to make things right.

Tennis star Serena Williams underwent “emergency treatment” after doctors discovered a blood clot in her lungs, People magazine reported.

Spokeswoman Nicole Chabot told the magazine that Williams “underwent emergency treatment for a hematoma suffered as a result of treatment for a more critical situation.”

Williams suffered from a pulmonary embolism last week, Chabot said. The 29-year-old Williams is being treated at a Los Angeles hospital.

“Doctors are continuing to monitor her situation closely to avoid additional complications,” Chabot told the magazine.

The winner of 13 Grand Slam titles, Williams attended Sunday night’s Elton John AIDS Foundation Academy Awards Viewing Party.

On Tuesday night, Williams posted on her Twitter account “Tough day.”

Williams has been sidelined by two operations on her right foot after cutting her foot on glass at a restaurant, and has not played a competitive match since winning Wimbledon on July 3.

Chabot also told the magazine that the embolism was discovered after she returned to Los Angeles from New York “for doctor appointments for the ongoing issues with her foot.”

At first his parents weren’t sure what to make of their young son’s claim that he had seen heaven while on the operating table. But then the boy began telling them things that he couldn’t have known such as details about his sister that they had never even told him about and his great grandfather whom he had never met. He says he knows these things about these people because he met them while in heaven. He also met Jesus and angels and learned many extraordinary things while in heaven.
His experiences and discoveries in heaven are all in the book Heaven is for Real.

Here is a clip from a TV interview with the boy and his father:

President Barack Obama has given Gabrielle Union a job, and it will require more than her acting abilities. He’s appointed her to the National Committee for Violence Against Women.

Gabrielle has publicly revealed that she was raped at gunpoint at the age of 19, and that the tips she’d seen on an episode of Oprah’s talk show helped her survive.

Gabrielle has known Barack since he was a junior senator in Illinois. No word on what the job will entail, but so far she’s called this gig the most “fulfilling” of them all.

Via: www.hellobeautiful.com