Singer Avril Lavigne has donated musical instruments to a children`s hospital in California.
Lavigne went to the Mattel Children`s hospital in Ucla, California, last month and took some musical instruments along with her for the children to learn while they recover, reports contactmusic.com.
The 27-year-old singer and her musician pal Evan Taubenfeld helped teach their young proteges the basics.
Lavigne shared her excitement on Twitter.
"EvanT giving impromptu guitar lesson (at) UclaHealth Mattel Children`s! We just donated instruments 2 them (sic)," she tweeted.
"Thank you EvanT for helping The Avril Foundation donate instruments (at) Ucla Health Mattel Children`s," she added.
Lavigne had earlier visited the facility in April, and had met the kids in the wards and even performed for them.
Sorry, I took some time to review it as I was busy with other things..
Anyway, here comes the review.. hope you like it)
Warning: I dont think its a big deal but I saw blood in some scenes
Type: TV
Episodes: 13
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Mar 22, 2010 to Jun 26, 2010
Producers: Aniplex, Dentsu, Key, P.A. Works, Mainichi Broadcasting, CBC, Movic, Visual Art’s, Sentai FilmworksL, ASCII Media Works
Genres: Action, Comedy, Supernatural
Duration: 24 min. per episode
Rating: PG-13 - Teens 13 or older
As this review was requested.. I started watching it with out knowing anything about it, not even the story line and it really took me by surprise.
I have to admit that I first started watching Angel Beats because of two main reasons: the pretty visuals, and the presence of guitars. But once I began watching the show in earnest, I found a lot more here than I expected. Angel Beats is a show that keeps me guessing, and consistently tugs at strings I didn't know existed until they were pulled.
Basically, Angel Beats is about an afterlife in which a group of dead students refuse to 'move on' to the next life, because they have some sort of peace to make with the world and themselves. There's a unique mix of common school life against the supernatural. It's a setting that I found to be original enough; I also expected it to be a simple tear-jerker, but that isn't the case.
Otonashi awakens only to learn he is dead. A rifle-toting girl named Yuri explains that they are in the afterlife, and Otonashi realizes the only thing he can remember about himself is his name. Yuri tells him that she leads the Shinda Sekai Sensen (Afterlife Battlefront) and wages war against a girl named Tenshi. Unable to believe Yuri's claims that Tenshi is evil, Otonashi attempts to speak with her, but the encounter doesn't go as he intended.
Otonashi decides to join the SSS and battle Tenshi, but he finds himself oddly drawn to her. While trying to regain his memories and understand Tenshi, he gradually unravels the mysteries of the afterlife.
The story is revealed irregularly; some episodes teach you various things about the world, while others spend their time screwing around. I had fun watching those anyway, but I can see how others would think it's a waste of time.
Angel Beats has a duality about it. One part of it is comedy - most of it is well timed, and on several occasions, had me laughing out loud at my screen like a nutcase. The English-speaking, nonsensical TK doesn't even need an introduction anymore. Even the slapstick comedy is quite well done, and usually timed with unfitting music which (for the most part) heightens the comedy.
The other part would be the melodrama. Most of the important characters have a back story to them, which are revealed piece by piece. And, as to be expected, many are torturous, depressing tales. These stories aren't your stereotypical 'my puppy died' stories; in fact, I've found that most of the stories that have been revealed are all original in some way or another, and interesting as well. Their common theme seems to be 'regrets' - especially those of teenagers struggling with family, society and life in general.
The greatest problem that many people make an issue out of is the transition between the two previously mentioned parts of comedy and drama. Sometimes, the parts can seem fragmented and poorly transitioned. But I only noticed this after I heard the criticisms and look for such inappropriateness. I'm a fan of such shows that mix in different types of enjoyment. Angel Beats also isn't a stupid show; I never felt that my emotions were being toyed with in a rudimentary or heavy handed manner.
What I'm trying to say is that while this may seem contradictory and schizophrenic to some, overall, it seems to be a fairly successful blend to me. I found I actually liked being proven wrong about my guesses as to 'what kind of show this will end up being'. And I know that many scenes will evoke familiar memories from other shows, but really, this show deserves to be considered as it is, by itself.
Coming to characters, this one's tricky, as many of the characters' back stories are still veiled. Some characters seem to follow the usual anime tropes, but they work. I definitely felt more interested in a character once I learned more about their past.
The art is beautiful. Beyond what we've come to expect, the animation is amazing (especially for the concerts), and the lighting effects give the show a slightly washed-out, surreal look - which I'm sure was the intended effect.
Topping it all off and decorating the whole package is a very clean, crisp presentation, and music that can move you from the first time you hear it. The rock concert scenes are some of the finest I've ever seen, with spectacular animation and crisp lighting effects. The music alone made me re-watch the concert episodes over and over. The art is also very pleasant on the eyes, with soft but vibrant colors and simple but effective character styles.
After having finished this series, I needed to add a short addendum - because it helped me realize the potential problem of this series. In short, it's a little messy. If you watch the final episode, you'll probably come to realize the main theme of the series (the entire first half of the final episode is dedicated to it). But when you do, you start thinking of ways in which certain story elements could have been developed and presented a little better.
I can't help but compare it to Clannad, a series that expertly manages the drama and the waves of emotion from the viewer. It's almost like the show is psychic, and knows exactly when to say or show something in order to get the maximum emotional impact and reaction. Compared to that, Angel Beats is more than a little awkward; in particular, the final scene - it just didn't hit me as hard as I thought it should. I was affected, but was distracted at the same time by the clumsy dialogue and the sense of too many unexplained factors.
All in all, I'm very glad I spent time with Angel Beats, and will surely miss its presence. At the same time, it pains me to think of how much better it could have been if the show didn't feel so rushed.
I guess in the end, your enjoyment of Angel Beats will depend on whether its various aspects strike a chord with you or not (pardon the pun). For my part, I'm glad to have found a series that keeps me guessing, interests me with its premise, dazzles my eyes, while making me laugh and sniffle in the same episode.
This one's definitely worth your attention, at least until you're absolutely sure you don't like everything about it. Check it out.
Longtime readers know that I'm a huge fan of the Disney computer animation division known as Pixar. I love their whimsy, their attention to detail, and their ability to pull on my heartstrings. I'll put in a good word for all of their films, from the highly well-regarded "Toy Story" series to the unfairly underpraised "Cars" movies. Pixar has kept up the good work with their latest offering, "Brave".
Set in medieval Scotland, "Brave" tells the story of Princess Merida (Kelly Macdonald, in an excellent voice performance), daughter to King Fergus (Billy Connelly, in another excellent voice performance) and Queen Elinor (Emma Thompson, in a voice performance so excellent I wonder if it can qualify for an Academy Award).
Elinor wants Merida to behave regally, but Merida wants to be free and go on adventures. Merida goes on and on about her distaste for royal life, which irks me because it's such a privileged life. She's never wanting for food or clothing, nor is she treated meanly or forced to labor. She even has two loving parents, and we all know how rare that is for a Disney movie.
Starting in Africa, where they were left in the second feature, Alex the Lion (Voiced by Ben Stiller – Tropic Thunder, Zoolander) decides on his birthday that they all need to be home back in New York where they belong. His buddy Marty the Zebra (Voiced by Chris Rock – Death At A Funeral, Grown Ups) seems to convince everyone they need to find the Penguins that abandoned them (with their witty and sarcastic leader Skipper voiced by the film’s director himself Tom McGrath) and use their now super plane to get back to New York.
On their way to Monte Carlo – where the penguins rule at a Casino with the wildly crazy chimps as their buddies - Gloria the Hippo (Voiced by Jedda Pincket Smith – Collateral, The Nutty Professor) and Melman the Giraffe (Voiced by David Schwimmer – Friends, John Carter) fall deeper into their romance with each other.
Enter the villain Captain Chantel Dubois, a mean and sadistic animal police catcher who prides herself by mounting her prey on her wall. Guess what species she is missing – A lion. This was incredibly voiced with such cleverness and French accented flair by the brilliant Francis McDormand (Fargo, Almost Famous). She even sings in French too! She is the reason the whole gang join the Circus – by accident.
Sacha Baron Cohen (Borat, The Dictator) is back as Julian as well as Andy Richter (Late Night With Conan) as Mort and even Cedric The Entertainer (Ice Age 2, Intolerable Cruelty) is back as Maurice. But with some great new and extremely funny charters created by Martin Short (Father of the Bride, How I Met Your Mother) as the incredible self-deprecating Seal Stefano and Bryan Cranston (Drive, Little Miss Sunshine) as the prickly Russian Tiger Vitaly, everyone plays their part learning what a circus team can really do and how friendships are important.
Directors Eric Darnell (Antz, Madagascar 1 & 2 – who also co-wrote this one), Tom McGrath (Megamind, Madagascar 1 & 2) and Conrad Vernon (Monsters Vs Aliens, Shrek 2) along with co-writer Noah Baumbach (Greenberg, Fantstic Mr. Fox) spent some time on relationships – a little too much in the middle – but paid it all off with a fast paced, fun and touching ending! Hans Zimmer (The Lion King) score is as always fanciful for this type of project.
The climax is fun – very colorful – and this was one of the better films that used the 3-D to its fullest advantage. Heartwarming is the ending, toe-tapping is the music, neon colors for the eyes and laughter is the ending. So, put on your ‘rainbow wig’ and see this Animated film first.
Twilight star Robert Pattinson has reportedly proposed his girlfriend Kristen Stewart with an emerald ring. The 26-year-old actor is said to have splashed the cash on a "beautiful emerald ring" for Stewart and the couple are planning to wed later this year, reported
"It's a beautiful emerald ring. He's a real romantic and loves to take an opportunity to remind her that she's the one. He gave her a ring because he adores her and wants to marry her," a source said.
"They want their wedding to be authentic, with soul. It's important for him that music be a big part of the wedding. He's writing a song for her and plans to perform it on the vintage Fender guitar she bought him for Christmas last year," the source added.
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