Travel tips, advice to save money during summer break

Summer vacation is quickly approaching and many students are naturally travelling to various locales. Whether it's interning in London, taking a drawing class in Italy or just backpacking through Europe, I have a few tips to use while travelling.
First off, make sure you have quality luggage with sufficient space for all your essentials.
Less is more when travelling. Leave room for souvenirs and other items you think you may acquire along the journey.
Don't cram everything into one huge suitcase. Allocate your belongings between a large suitcase and a versatile carry-on. This helps avoid outrageous airline baggage fees.
You may find that there are many different transportation options—buses, trains, taxis, bicycles, walking, etc. Of course, the cheapest way to get around is your own two legs.
You'll get to know the city by walking the streets. Be sure to budget appropriately before you leave town. All the rates are published online so you won't have any surprises.
If you plan on travelling around Europe, check baggage regulations for specific airlines you may be using for weekend trips. Don't be afraid to plan some of your weekend excursions now while travel fares are cheaper.
Once you arrive and settle in, take note of nearby ATMs. Bank of America is a partner with Barclays and other international banks, which can help to avoid pesky ATM withdrawal fees. You'll need cash because many small shops don't accept credit cards.
Also, credit card identity theft is common so carrying cash is the safest bet while travelling abroad.
When shopping around town, always ask for student discounts and be prepared to show some sort of identification to prove it. Leave valuables at home that make you a target for theft.
Make a point to befriend locals. They know the best places to buy groceries and toiletries. They'll tell you about the best clubs and what parts of town to avoid. To get the most authentic travelling experience, do not rely on your American friends.
Be smart when spending abroad, but remember that you only live once. Don't neglect yourself experiences you'll regret later in life.

Source: http://www.smudailycampus.com/

Who wore it best? Keira Knightley vs Alexa Chung

They’re both skinny Brit gals with a brunette bob and boyfs in bands so it kind of make sense that these two should share the same taste in clothes.

Both spotted in this cute Phillip Lim 3.1 frock, Alexa Chung chose hers for the sunshine filled Coachella festival, picking out some matching Phillip Lim 3.1 sandals to co-ordinate whereas Keira was snapped looking rather more wrapped up on a chilly British evening leaving the Comedy Theatre.

We love Alexa’s carefree styling but think this might be slightly too dressed up for a laid back festival so we’re choosing Keira Knightley. Do you agree?

Source: www.heatworld.com

American Idol Results: Haley in Final Five, Casey Cut

Wheeling native and Harper College student Haley Reinhart didn't have to wait long to find out her fate on American Idol Thursday.

Reinhart was the first contestant to learn that she was safe and would be advancing to the final five. Reinhart had been among the bottom three in terms of votes the previous week and she has flirted with elimination four times this season.

Not as fortunate was Casey Abrams, who was eliminated this week. The bottom three also included Jacob Lusk and Scott McCreery. Abrams previously received the fewest votes in the competition but was "saved" by the judges. There were no more saves Thursday.

Reinhart's success this week was not surprising. She performed "Beautiful" by Carole King Wednesday and received mainly glowing comments from the American Idol judges.

"I just saw God," Steven Tyler said. "I heard God in your voice. You nailed it."

"You have one of the best voices in this competition," Jennifer Lopez said. "Amazing."

"I didn't love the beginning but the end was great," Randy Jackson said. "The end was were I got a little bit more excited, the beginning was a little boring for me."

Early on in the show, the contestants answered questions from fans. Reinhart was asked who was her favorite all-time great American Idol contestant?

"There is so many greats I don't know if I can put it into one, I've watched the show forever," Reinhart said. "As far as uniqueness Adam lambert he just did things with his voice...the talent. Whoa."

Reinhart also mentioned other past winners such as Kelly Clarkson.

"I got to give props to Lee [DeWyze]," Reinhart said. "First of all, he comes from the town [right] over from me. Him and Crystal [Bowersox] they had such a unique cool rock style."

Reinhart and the other four American Idol finalists will return to the stage Wednesday at 7 p.m. on Fox.

Source: palatine.patch.com

Royal wedding: Celebrity reaction on Twitter

CELEBRITIES joined millions of people on Twitter around the world watching and typing during the Royal Wedding yesterday.

Cheeky former England cricketer MICHAEL VAUGHAN predicted Prince Harry could try to chat up Kate Middleton’s sister Pippa.

He said: “Lets all pray for Harry... pray that he gets lucky tonight with Pippa.”

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Singer JUSTIN BIEBER also appeared to like Pippa, he said: “Congrats to William and Kate *and Kate’s sister.”

STEPHEN FRY shocked his followers by ignoring the wedding completely and tweeting about a snooker match he was watching. He said: “Semi finals always provide a special thump of nerves. I’m glued.”

At the start of the ceremony, former Strictly Come Dancing judge ARLENE PHILLIPS said: “I feel like I have been hypnotised by Paul McKenna through the TV to watch wedding like a ­numbskull.” But by the end she added: “Oh s*** I am actually crying.”

Pop legend GEORGE MICHAEL was clearly impressed, writing during the ceremony: “One word... class.”

And the host of programme Crimewatch RAV WILDING tweeted: “Proud to be ex-military and police... both of whom I think marshalled today’s wedding superbly.”

TV’s BEN FOGLE said: “On a double decker from the Abbey to the Palace. Had to show a bank statement to security to get on.”

SHARON OSBOURNE remarked: “Just saw Prince William & Prince Harry arrive at Westminster Abbey. Magnificent Men. Diana would be so proud.”

Presenter LORRAINE KELLY wrote: “Got to love Harry – he looks a bit hungover and his hair is mad.”

In an hour during the ceremony, Facebook also saw 268,777 mentions of the wedding – 74 a second – in the UK.

Demand proved too much for the BBC website, which crashed at one point.

Source: www.mirror.co.uk

Official Miley Cyrus Gypsy Heart Tour Poster Is Released

Miley Cyrus and her team have released the official tour poster for Miley’s Gypsy Heart tour. The official poster shows off a more mature, yet dramatic side of Miley that might clue us in on what her new sound will be like. She is will be doing an international tour with no current plans of a US one.

I have to say that I have a feeling that this tour will have a theatrical theme to it. Of course, this is just my own opinion. I would not be surprised if she does do it that way, but then again she may not. We all have to wait to see how it plays out.

What do you think about her tour poster? Does it look good, okay or bad? It looks decent, but I think it should look more like a music concert than a play off Broadway poster. However, it does do the job that it is supposed to do.

Source: http://www.bsckids.com/

Demi Lovato Has Bipolar Disorder

Nearly a week after she tweeted her support for Catherine Zeta-Jones' decision to get treatment for bipolar disorder, Demi Lovato revealed her own struggle with the illness.

"I never found out until I went into treatment that I was bipolar," Lovato told People magazine. "Looking back it makes sense. There were times when I was so manic, I was writing seven songs in one night and I'd be up until 5:30 in the morning." She added that she has "battled depression from a very young age."

Recently, Lovato has been open about her issues with eating disorders and self-mutilation. "I feel like I am in control now where my whole life I wasn't in control," she said of her life post-treatment. In order to stay healthy, Lovato made the decision to leave Disney Channel's "Sonny With a Chance" and work on music instead.

Her focus is not only this new chapter in her career, but also the ability to connect with others who might be dealing with the issues she struggles with. "What's important for me now," she said, "is to help others."

Lovato will also discuss her issues in an interview airing Friday on "Good Morning America" and "20/20." Regardless of what she's dealing with now, she's made it clear that she's hoping to help her fans. "The real reason why I'm sitting down with you is to open up the eyes of so many young girls, that it doesn't have to be this way," she said in the chat with Robin Roberts.

Source: www.mtv.com

Book review: 'This Vacant Paradise' by Victoria Patterson

Books and movies that take on shallow lives and lifestyles usually fall into one of two irritating camps: funny or moral. In the first, the author gets to poke fun at the silly characters they've created; in the other, the author gets to show how unexamined living leads to unhappiness, or worse, perdition. Either way, a great gulf opens between the creator and the characters.

In a novel, the writer has to go deep with her characters; this is why stories about shallow lives work so much better in film or television — for example, "Arrested Development." When characters are held at arms' length and judged they lose dimension and the reader loses interest.

Victoria Patterson gets around this problem in an interesting way using the literary version of what Shakespeare might have called "hoisting on their own petards," or blown up with their own mines (from "Hamlet," Act 3, Scene 4).

Almost everyone in "This Vacant Paradise," set in modern-day Newport Beach, is venal, self-centered, dishonest, focused on money, desperate for status, racist and image-obsessed. Some of the characters, like Esther, the main character, have a few but not all of these qualities.

It cannot have been easy for Patterson to watch their utter failure to connect, change, engage — any of the things that make us human. But she presents them unapologetically and does not promise any transformation.

Esther is living at home with her wealthy grandmother, who is evil incarnate. But Esther wants her money. To do this, she must convince the hideous crone that she loves her by acquiescing to her demands, which include marrying a silly, self-centered wealthy man. The use of money and status to control one's children and grandchildren is the stuff of Shakespeare and Russian novels — the burning hatred it engenders goes barreling through generations, starting wars and flattening rainforests.

In "This Vacant Paradise" it smolders in Esther, who falls in love with an academic, even as she tries to seduce an unappealing scion.

Academics, on Fashion Island, are Clinton-loving commies, always lost in thought, basically untrustworthy. So Esther is headed for the falls with no barrel, and it is fun, one must admit, to watch her go over.

In this brassy world, people "get to know" each other over martinis in an evening by sizing up clothing and cars. So it's no surprise that Patterson's early descriptions of her characters are fast and aggressive: "Paul Rice, an idiotic man with the advantage of a stunning inheritance," or Esther, "At thirty-three, she was well acquainted with the rules of attraction and commerce." "She was not unhappy, but solitary and introspective."

This kind of writing breaks rule No. 2 of creative writing (all rules, of course, exist to be broken): "Show, don't tell." One fears, however, that the writing coheres to rule No. 1: "Write what you know." For there is little beyond this world within the novel's cosmology. Maybe Esther and the academic will survive without money, on love, but Patterson throws the academic a big inheritance in the end. One wants to like Esther, who has the potential to rise above it all, but she fails us:

"No matter how much plastic surgery," she thinks, looking at female competitors in a bar, "they would never be as physically attractive as she was at this very moment." This is not the stuff revelations are made of. A reader wants the entire little planet on which these little people live — the mall and the strip of Southern California real estate, to perish in a great conflagration, James Bond style.

But no. To Patterson's credit, she goes down with the ship. These people are beyond salvation. Esther has a mini-epiphany: "For the first time, she was paying attention to people on the sidelines of wealth." It's not enough for us to root for her. No, these people will continue feeding the image forge and cranking out empty, desperate hollow men and women until the end of time.

The good news is that novels enter the bloodstream with greater permanence than television shows. And this one has a great big sign over the entryway: Do Not End Up Like This.

Source: www.latimes.com

Learning an early love of books

Volunteer Ed Strong read “Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job” to preschoolers Monday at Grace Lutheran Church, as part of a statewide effort to promote early literacy among preschoolers.

CDT/Nabil K. Mark

Lance King, front, and other children listen to volunteer Ed Strong read. Strong read the book to preschoolers at Grace Lutheran Church April 25, 2011. The reading was part of the Smart Start-Centre County early literacy project. CDT/Nabil K. Mark

The Pennsylvania One Book, Every Young Child project has selected “Whose Shoes? A Shoe for Every Job,” a photograph concept book by Stephen R. Swinburne, as the book for this year’s program.

Across the state, the book is being shared with preschoolers in a variety of ways.

Smart Start-Centre County has organized 30 community leaders, such as Strong, to visit early learning sites throughout the county. They will read the book to the children, engage them in a learning activity and give them each a copy of the book to take home

Source: http://www.centredaily.com/2011/04/26/2669622/learning-an-early-love-of-books.html

Children's books for Easter

ILLUSTRATED BOOKS

It’s a Book by Lane Smith (Macmillan, £10.99, 3+) is a rallying cry for literary Luddites. A donkey with a laptop and a limited attention span is questioning a monkey about the unfamiliar object in his hand.

“It’s a book.” Where’s your mouse? Does it tweet? “Nope. Book.” Finally the donkey is won over and refuses to give the book back, only to tell the monkey he’ll “charge it up” when he’s finished. A work of genius – let’s hope they don’t make an app of it.

Here’s a treat for the minimalist toddler who is only allowed to play with wooden spoons and saucepans. Oliver by Christopher Franceschelli (Bloomsbury, £9.99, 1+) is an egg. Just an egg.

A plain white egg which appears on different sides of the thick white board pages to demonstrate its limited lifestyle – until you get to the last pages where an ingeniously simple white ribbon device pulls a yellow chicken out. Curiously addictive. But give the poor child a chocolate egg too.

If sensory deprivation is not your thing, try l Like Peas by Lorena Siminovich (Templar, £6.99, 0-2), a fabulously sturdy touch-and-feel board book with a vintage aesthetic that introduces simple concepts through vegetables. I’m slightly embarrassed by how long I’ve spent with this, but it is exquisitely tactile. The towelling pumpkin’s very therapeutic.

JUNIOR FICTION

If horror books that look as if the covers have been designed by the anatomist Gunther von Hagens are what gets boys reading then the flayed head on The Shadowing by Adam Slater (Egmont, £5.99, 10+) should do the trick.

Callum is a “chime child” – one born under a full moon between midnight and daybreak – but hides his ability to see ghosts until a “Fetch” from the Netherworld starts murdering children.

It’s surprisingly palatable, perhaps because the horror is rooted in folklore rather than from a writer’s testosterone-fuelled imagination.

Ministry of Pandemonium by Chris Westwood (Francis Lincoln, £6.99, 10+) also features a boy with special powers. Ben doesn’t know he’s special until he’s recruited by Mr October, who wants him to help steer the recently deceased towards the afterlife before they can be diverted by the forces of evil.

Suitably horrifying creations – like the Mawbreed, “industrial-strength vacuum cleaners of doom [which] suck out the souls of the living” – are balanced by a well-crafted sense of place and excellent characterisation.

Frances Hardinge is a superlative fantasy writer and Twilight Robbery(Macmillan, £9.99, 11+) has everything: fabulous characters – Mosca, a “clench-jawed scrap of damp doggedness” with her adult sidekick Eponymous Clench – richly evocative world-building and writing so viscerally good you want to wrap yourself up in it.

TEEN FICTION

In Flip by Martyn Bedford (Walker, £7.99, 11+), Alex wakes up in a stranger’s body. Inside he’s still a sensitive, hard-working, clarinet-playing boy but on the outside he’s Philip, a boy he’s never met, who’s cool, sporty and – as he discovers when he goes to the bathroom – considerably better endowed than him.

Bedford does not play this for laughs. It’s a serious contemplation on what constitutes the soul.

Half Brother by Kenneth Oppel (David Fickling, £10.99, 12+) is the story of a baby chimp, Zan, being raised in a family as a university experiment in the acquisition of sign language.

The introduction of a quasi-brother into Ben’s family forces him to look at his own life with some of his father’s scientific detachment. As he grows closer to Zan and becomes more uncomfortable with the ethics of what they are doing, he conducts his own questionable research into capturing a girlfriend.

Oppel turns what could so easily have been a kind of simian Lassie, into a touching and intelligent coming-of-age novel.

A serial killer drifts like smoke across the pages of The Opposite of Amber by Gillian Philip (Bloomsbury, £6.99, 14+) but the flesh and blood of the story lies in the relationship between two sisters, left to fend for themselves in a Scottish seaside town that feels permanently out of season.

Jinn, “quick and shining bright”, has always done everything, even talking, for Ruby, to the extent that Ruby is “spoilt voiceless”. Ruby’s narrative voice, however, is lucid and painfully exacting as we witness her helplessness in the face of Jinn’s descent into drugs and prostitution.

Source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/8453945/Childrens-books-for-Easter.html

Book Review: Dragon's Ark by Thomas Burchfield

Dragon's Ark is a supernatural-horror that takes place in our modern times as the ageless King of all Vampires rages to secure the future of his mountain kingdom.

There is an ever-increasing need to depict vampires in books and film, in television series like True Blood and the successful Twilight film and book series phenomenon. However, there are many books in the vampire-horror fiction genre whose unique takes on the ages old vampire tales could stand to benefit greatly by this blood-filled love of the vampire craze - provided you have the creative know-how to telling a story, and a good editing team.

Dragon's Ark centers on Monitor County, a burgeoning tourist resort/retreat, whose land developers exercise the unfortunate and familiar, scrupulous tactics in obtaining the rights to build: bribe a few of the local politicians, cheat a few landowners out of their property, and threaten a citizen or two. But there is just one problem nagging the whole situation - the hunk of rock known as Dragon's Ark - and Monitor County's long-time and mysterious resident, Klaus Bartok. Klaus isn't too keen on the greedy land developer's interest in decimating the Ark and decides to become more involved in deterring their interest. With all the tasty tourist and eager developers abound - as in any vampire tale, of course, there will be blood.

Firstly, any book that opens with a prologue - it is understood that it's goal is interest the reader into proceeding on to chapter one of the book. Here, that was not the case. Much of the prologue was heavily "descriptive," trying to force the reader to visualize the passages filled with cliché, and less about the character dialogue in the story, which at times misses out on including mentioning a character's relationship to the exaggerated narrative. The prologue steers the reader, instead, into an inconsistent and ever-changing synopsis.

Character development is crucial to a story. Dragon's Ark relied too heavily on its characters' internally driven dialogue, and exercised difficulty in transitioning the internal dialogue into meaningful succession of some of the most "horror induced" scenes. Many of the characters, which at first appeared key to the story, but roles were soon cut short, were easily forgettable.

The only two characters in the story worth keeping to through to the last chapter were David and Carla. David, a physician practicing medicine in the rural community of Monitor County, and his wife, Carla, a former city girl suffering from a debilitating disease, fall in love with the town. Unfortunately, due to the lack of consistent upkeep in the story, they too, all but disappear from the book. I think if the story focused more on the story of this seemingly loving couple, the entire storyline might have been salvageable.

Dragon's Ark is one of those okay books that teeter on being good if the story's interestingly unique concepts were successfully executed. The passages were overly descriptive - teeming with similes - and there was the persisting backtracking in an effort to try and follow the story through-out.

Overall, Dragon's Ark creates a perplexing aura of critically cerebral clichés with few redeeming qualities. It does little to keep the reader interested in seeing the story through to the end.

Source: seattlepi.com

New York Times Bestseller, The Shack, Comes to the Stage

William Paul Young’s New York Times bestseller, The Shack, one of the top 70 best selling books of all time, is coming to the stage in a synthesis of aerial artistry, drama, performance art, interviews with Paul Young, interpretive dance, and music—including songs performed by Danny Gokey, one of the most popular singers in the history of America Idol.
Paul Young has received more than 100,000 e-mails from readers whose lives have radically altered by his novel. We believe it’s time to celebrate those readers and their stories.
“This show will take the experiences people had reading the book and go deeper in a big way. It will be an amazing celebration.” William Paul Young
Stories from The Shack is utilizing Kickstarter.com to raise funds for the shows, which allows supporters to contribute from $1 - $10,000 dollars, which the producers hope will allow them to bring the show to three additional cities this spring and early summer. Special incentives are offered for any donation over $25 or more, ranging from autographed copies of The Shack, tickets to the show, to William Paul Young coming to a supporter’s city for a personal visit.
Show schedule:
May 8th – Seattle, WA
May 20th – San Diego, CA
June 4th – Boise, ID
June 17th – Denver, CO

Source: www.prweb.com

Katy Perry Reigns, Lady Gaga Debuts On Pop Songs

Katy Perry's "Teenage Dream" becomes just the third album in the 18-year history of Billboard's Pop Songs chart to yield a quartet of No. 1s, as "E.T.," featuring Kanye West, ascends 2-1.

The song follows "California Gurls," featuring Snoop Dogg, the title cut and "Firework" to the top of the Nielsen BDS-based mainstream top 40 radio airplay ranking.

The only prior albums to generate four Pop Songs No. 1s apiece were Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds" (2006-07), with "SexyBack," "My Love," featuring T.I., "What Goes Around...Comes Around" and "Summer Love," and Lady Gaga's "The Fame" (2009), courtesy of "Just Dance," featuring Colby O'Donis, "Poker Face," "LoveGame" and "Paparazzi."

(When "E.T." ascended to the top of the Billboard Hot 100, where it has reigned the past three weeks, "Teenage Dream" similarly became only the ninth album to produce four No. 1s in the chart's 52-year archives).

"E.T." marks Perry's sixth Pop Songs No. 1 overall. She posted two toppers from her prior effort, "One of the Boys" (2008-09): "Hot N Cold" and "Waking Up in Vegas." With six chart champs each, Perry, Beyonce and Mariah Carey trail only Rihanna, the leader with eight No. 1s - and whose "S&M" dips to No. 2 after a week at the apex - and Lady Gaga and P!nk, each with seven.

Lady Gaga's "Judas" concurrently debuts at No. 30 on Pop Songs after just three days of airplay. The song tallied 1,405 detections on 118 of the Pop Songs panel's 132 reporting stations (translating to an opening audience of 13.6 million) after it was serviced to radio and released to iTunes Friday (April 15).

While notable, the arrival of "Judas" can't match the frenzy of the record reception given to prior single "Born This Way," the lead cut and title track from Lady Gaga's third studio album, due May 23. Likewise after only three days of airplay, "Born" stormed Pop Songs at No. 14 with 4,602 plays (39.3 million audience impressions), the highest detections total by a debuting title in the chart's history.

"Born" descends 4-7 on Pop Songs this week. The song topped the tally for one frame three weeks ago. (It led the Hot 100 for six weeks).

Lady Gaga's 'Judas' Hits iTunes, Could Battle Rihanna for No. 1 on Hot 100

As previously reported, "E.T.," "S&M" and "Judas" appear likely to battle for the top spot on this week's Billboard Hot 100, which, like all charts, will be refreshed Thursday (April 21) on Billboard.com.

Source: www.billboard.com

Rihanna Reclaims Pop Songs No. 1 Record; Britney Spears Joins 'S&M' 'Rih-Mix'

For the third time in four weeks, the lead for the most No. 1s in the history of Billboard's Pop Songs chart changes hands, as Rihanna's "S&M" rises 2-1 to become her record eighth topper on the tally - while a new remix of the track featuring special guest star Britney Spears has been made available as of today.

Britney Spears, Rihanna Team for 'S&M' Remix

The coronation of "S&M" breaks Rihanna out of a tie with Lady Gaga and P!nk for most No. 1s dating to the Nielsen BDS-based mainstream top 40 radio airplay ranking's Oct. 3, 1992, launch.

The three-way deadlock between the female superstars didn't last long. Lady Gaga notched her seventh No. 1, "Born This Way," two weeks ago. That track had displaced P!nk's "F**kin' Perfect," which had reigned the prior two weeks.

(Rihanna also fell just shy of the summit with three titles that peaked at No. 2: her debut chart entry "Pon De Replay" in 2005; "Unfaithful" in 2006; and, "Umbrella, featuring Jay-Z, in 2007).

Rihanna, Black Eyed Peas, More to Perform at Billboard Music Awards

"S&M" propels Rihanna to the honor of most Pop Songs No. 1s after the song had already granted her the mark for most top 10s four weeks ago. The track is her 18th Pop Songs top 10; Mariah Carey ranks second with 17.

Here is a recap of Rihanna's unprecedented eight Pop Songs chart champions:

Year, Title, Weeks at No. 1
2006, "SOS" (one)
2008, "Take a Bow" (three)
2008, "Disturbia" (three)
2008, "Live Your Life" (two) (T.I. featuring Rihanna)
2010, "Rude Boy" (two)
2010, "Love the Way You Lie" (two) (Eminem featuring Rihanna)
2010, "Only Girl (In the World)" (three)
2011, "S&M" (one, to-date)

As previously reported, "S&M" last week became Rihanna's record-setting fifth consecutive No. 1 on the all-format Radio Songs chart, besting streaks of four each by Destiny's Child (2000-01) and Usher (2004).

Source: www.billboard.com

New Lil Wayne Tha Carter 4 Album Gets New Official Release Date

New Lil Wayne album "Tha Carter 4" got pushed back. After a flooding of the Internet with stories last week about official 'Tha Carter IV' tracklistings and album cover previews, the label has swerved left from original plans. Making sense with the tour being so heavy at the moment, fans will now have to wait until Thursday, June 21st to get the album.

"Lil Wayne 'Tha Carter 4' is going to be a big album. It makes sense the YMCMB do not rush the release of Wayne's album. The have one of the best music team and management combinations on the planet. If people like Cortez Bryant opt to push back, it's all for the greater purpose," says iTunes-independent rapper, C.KHiD.

The new Lil Wayne album "Tha Carter 4" will be the first from the rapper since his release from a New York prison in 2010. Bringing in the New Year right, the rapper went from behind bars in NYC to performing at the biggest event in NYC for the opening of 2011.

The Tha Carter 4 tracklist and album cover were released last week. Features on the album include YMCMB all-stars Nicki Minaj, Birdman, Drake, and Corey Gunz. Non-label music artists featured include Kanye West, Rick Ross, Jay Z, Swizz Beatz, Eminem, Bon Iver, Gucci Mane, and The Game.

Beyond a new 'Tha Carter 4' release date, rumors have also surfaced online there will be a second release of the Lil Wayne album. The second is *rumored* to be a double disc package that will include a DVD.

Source: http://ckhid.com/

Maroon 5 & TRAIN Announce Plans for Summer Co-Headlining Tour

OS ANGELES, Calif., April 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- GRAMMY award winning recording artists Maroon 5 and GRAMMY award winning multiplatinum band TRAIN have announced plans for a full-scale North American summer tour. Kicking off onJuly 22nd, the outing will encompass over 40 dates before wrapping in Houston, TX this September (full routing below). This tour will be an evening of music that will include over 20 charted hit songs from the two bands who have sold over 22 million records worldwide.  The tour will notably make a California stop at the Hollywood Bowl, which will mark the first time both bands have headlined a show at that venue. Tickets for select dates on their 2011 North American tour will start to go on sale to the public Friday, April 29th. Special fan packages will also be offered by both bands via their websites. Gavin DeGraw is confirmed as the opening act on the tour's first leg with Matt Nathanson set to join the outing as the show opener on the second leg starting on August 28th.  

Confirmed tour dates for TRAIN and Maroon 5's Summer 2011:
July 22	Chula Vista, CA	Cricket Wireless Amphitheater
July 23	Paso Robles, CA	California Mid-State Fair
July 25	Hollywood, CA	Hollywood Bowl
July 27	Albuquerque, NM	Sandia Casino
July 28	Morrison, CO	Red Rocks Amphitheatre
July 31	Mount Pleasant, MI	Soaring Eagle Casino Resort
August 2	Charlotte, NC	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
August 3	Virginia Beach, VA	Farm Bureau Live @ Virginia Beach
August 5	Camden, NJ	Susquehanna Bank Center
August 7	Mashantucket, CT	MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods
August 9	Saratoga Springs, NY	Saratoga Performing Arts Center
August 12	Wantagh, NY	Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
August 13	Mansfield, MA	Comcast Center
August 15	Hershey, PA	Hershey Park Pavilion/Stadium
August 17	Nashville, TN	Bridgestone Arena
August 18	Indianapolis, IN	Indiana State Fair
August 19	Des Moines, IA	Iowa State Fair Grandstands
August 21	Clarkston, MI	DTE Energy Music Theatre
August 22	Toronto, ON	Molson Canadian Amphitheater
August 25	Syracuse, NY	New York State Fair
August 26	Holmdel, NJ	PNC Bank Arts Center
August 28	Louisville, KY	Freedom Hall/ Kentucky State Fair
August 30	West Palm Beach, FL	Cruzan Amphitheater
August 31	Tampa, FL	1-800-Ask Gary Amphitheater
September 1	Alpharetta, GA	Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
September 4	Kansas City, MO	Starlight Theater
September 5	Minneapolis, MN	Minnesota State Fair
September 7	Winnipeg, MB	MTS Centre
September 9	Saskatoon, SK	Credit Union Centre
September 10	Edmonton, AB	Rexall Place
September 12	Abbotsford, BC	Abbotsford Ent. & Sports Centre
September 13	Auburn, WA	White River Amphitheatre
September 15	Concord, CA	Sleep Train Pavilion at Concord
September 16	Las Vegas, NV	The Pearl at The Palms
September 17	Phoenix, AZ	Ashley Furniture Home Store Pavilion
September 19	Tucson, AZ	Anselmo Valencia Amphitheatre
September 22	Oklahoma City, OK	Zoo Amphitheater
September 23	Dallas, TX	Gexa Energy Pavilion
September 24	The Woodlands, TX	Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion

Multiplatinum band TRAIN has made its mark on music history with their GRAMMY Award winning song "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)" and chart-topping singles "Meet Virginia" and "Calling All Angels." TRAIN earned their third GRAMMY earlier this year for worldwide smash "Hey Soul Sister" from its current release Save Me, San Francisco. "Hey Soul Sister" was the biggest selling single of 2010 and hit #1 at radio in the US and in 15 countries abroad. TRAIN hit #1 again with "If It's Love" and the current single "Marry Me" from Save Me, San Francisco has reached platinum status as well. In addition to taking the sales and radio worlds by storm, TRAIN has been all over television. They have performed on the American Music Awards, the Grammy Nomination Concert, Crossroads, The Today Show, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Monday Night Football, A&E Private Sessions, America's Got Talent, The View, Dancing With The Stars, Live With Regis and Kelly, Ellen DeGeneres Show, Lopez Tonight and more.

Capturing their first of three GRAMMY Awards as "Best New Artist" of 2005 and going on to sell more than 15 million albums worldwide, Maroon 5 won over fans and critics alike with their hybrid rock/R&B sound. The band recently released their third studio album, Hands All Over, which was produced by studio legend Robert John "Mutt" Lange. Met by critical praise, with Rolling Stone stating it's their "brightest sounding and poppiest album yet," the album notched a #2 debut on the Billboard Top 200 Albums' chart. Earlier this year, Maroon 5 received a GRAMMY Award nomination for "Misery," the debut single offHands All Over, in the category of "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals." The nod marks the group's seventh GRAMMY nomination overall and 4th in that category. Most recently, Maroon 5 has made waves with the release of their third single "Never Gonna Leave This Bed," which is currently blazing up the Hot AC and Top 40 charts. Maroon 5's releases have gone gold and platinum in over 35 countries around the world, including Hands All Over, which was certified gold by the RIAA in December 2010. In addition, frontman Adam Levine has joined the lineup of coaches for NBC's highly anticipated new series The Voice that will premiere on Tuesday, April 26 (9-11 p.m. ET).

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/maroon-5--train-announce-plans-for-summer-co-headlining-tour-120614604.html