Monday, October 29, 2012

Celebrity Halloween

Celebrity Halloween Jim Carrey
Jim Carrey
Oct. 31- Halloween is in a few days! Halloween is a great time for getting together with friends and family.   Halloween is a time-honored tradition in North America that everyone enjoys with pumpkin carving, food & drink, wearing costumes, trick or treating, and visiting haunted attractions, and more!

Let’s see what the celebrities are up to!  And for those of you who are new to Halloween I have added some common/natural Halloween Language.


Let's go to a pumpkin patch!
Halle Berry and daughter Nahla in the pumpkin patch!
Halle Berry and daughter Nahla in the pumpkin patch!

 
Celebrity Halloween Jessica Alba
Jessica Alba and daughter Honor at the pumpkin patch!
Let's pick a pumpkin!
...get a pumpkin.
...find a pumpkin.
...select a pumpkin.
...buy a pumpkin.


Let's carve a pumpkin!
Scary Pumpkin
Scary Pumpkin!

Celebrity Halloween Edward Cullen
Edward Cullen Pumpkin Carving
Celebrity Halloween Johnny Depp
Johnny Depp Pumpkin Carving
Let's carve a pumpkin that looks scary!
Let's carve a pumpkin that looks like Johnny Depp!


Dressing up as...
Celebrity Halloween Katy Perry
Katy Perry as a Vampire!

Celebrity Halloween Christina Aguilera
Christina Aguilera & Jordan Bratman dressed up as zombies!
to wear a costume.
to go as a ghost or witch or...
to dress up as a zombie or a vampire.

 

Go to a Halloween Party!
Celebrity Halloween Paris Hilton
Paris Hilton attending a Beverly Hills Halloween Party!

Fergie and Josh Duhamel going to a Halloween party!
Fergie and Josh Duhamel going to a Halloween party!
Let's go to a Halloween Party.
...go to a Halloween Party for Kids.
...go to a friend’s place for a Halloween Party.
...go to a nightclub for a Halloween Party.
...have/host a Halloween Party.


Let's go trick or treating  (kids and parents or young kids up to about age 10-12years old)!
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie trick or treating with their kids
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie trick or treating with their kids


 Let's give out some Halloween treats!
Mark Zuckerberg and wife giving out treats at Halloween!
Mark Zuckerberg and wife giving out treats at Halloween!
...to give out candy.


Let's see a famous haunted attraction!
Woods of Terror (Greensboro, North Carolina)
Woods of Terror (Greensboro, North Carolina)




Scary Food & Drink!
Spider Bug Cookies!
Cheese Fingers!

Hot Dog Mummies!
Scary Apple Monsters!
 
Drink with Eyeball in it!

Witch's Brew!


Have a safe Halloween!
 Celebrity English
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Sunday, October 21, 2012

The Mickey Strange Experience!

The Mickey Strange Experience_Metro
 Mickey Strange’s vibrant sound is powering through the music world!  Already well known in the alternative underground music scene, Mick’s blend of Goth, Electronica, Industrial and rock is trending heavy on the Internet.  This vocal powerhouse out of Detroit is getting rave reviews from his fans, media, and DJ’s!

Laney & Friends say,  “You are the King of the    Underground!”

Metro Times Detroit calls Mickey Strange “Liquid Fire!"

“The Dark man from Detroit sheds some light in Brazil” - DJ. Markus Marques - Brazil


“Mickey Strange Rocks This Place!” DJ Jetta - New York


Interview
Alex: With 340 million Google website hits, how are you feeling?  How long have you been in the music game?
Mickey Strange: Wow! I didn’t even know!
Two weeks, just kidding I have to mess with you a little bit Alex…being old as the moon you know; I have been around a long time.


Alex: What got you into music and what keeps you going?
Mick: As far back as I can remember - I was singing on a picnic table with my Batman cape on and fell off and broke my collarbone. I don’t remember much after that…I have always been singing - always. What keeps me going? -  I do it for me. It’s who I am. Record deal or no Record deal.

Put your faith not into men, for men only reflect the being that you are.


Alex: Who were some of your musical influences growing up?
Mick: In order – Jim Morrison, David Bowie, Iggy Pop and Peter Murphy – I have a real low voice.

I would have to say “Bowie” sent me over the edge…I’m terribly attracted to the bizarre.

The one major highlight of this past year was meeting MikeGarson I was really nervous – I think he knew it…what an amazing talent!!!


Alex: Where does the fantastic 'Mickey Strange' artwork come from?
Mick: LOL – I can’t draw a straight line if my life depended on it – seriously! I love art so much…I really do admire people that can draw and paint…then came Photoshop! I said “ah” what a great form of self-mutilation…LOL - I do all the pics with my phone and Photoshop.

Started school at Bauhaus Design 1919–1933 - I have been around a long time remember.


Alex: When you are creating lyrics or a new song, what types of things inspire you?
Mick: The Supernatural. I’ll leave it at that for now.


Alex: As a professional singer, would you mind giving us a few tips on projecting your voice or on some voice training exercises?
Mick: First of all no one is tone deaf.  That is false information.  Everyone can sing.

Ear Training for pitch control - musical notes have colors.

There is a breathing exercise called “Breath of the Dragonby Bruce Lee” most don’t know about.

Vibrato - start real slow - equals control.


Alex: Where can people check out your music online or in person?
Mick: Free downloads for everyone.
Mick’s blend of Goth, Electronica, Industrial and rock music!

I’m hiding right now but coming out live real soon…


Alex: Thank you for the free downloads!  That’s very cool of you!  What can we look for in the future from Mickey Strange?
Mick:
As long as I am in the three-dimensional world – there will always be a song.

Keep up with the digital artwork – that I didn’t think anyone would really care about.

A lot of musical videos that I’m really excited about!


Alex: Mick! Thank you for taking the time out of your busy recording schedule to do an interview here at Celebrity English!  I really enjoyed the Mickey Strange Experience! You are a true artist and gentleman! 

Mick: Thanks so much Alex I had a wonderful time and thanks for having me.
Thank you everyone for all your support!!!

I am that which I am
A changing thing indeed
And while I am that which I am
I am willing to allow all others to be that which they are
I recognize that there are not two of us that are the same
I recognize that we have many differences
I recognize that there are things that are similar
There are things that are even same
And in all of our sameness
And in all of our differences
I find joy

-Mickey Strange

 


See you next week! Watch for Mickey Strange updates at Celebrity English Facebook!





Celebrity Language and Culture!
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012

What do Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Matt Damon have in common?

Brad Pitt
Brad Pitt

Nicole Kidman
Nicole Kidman

Matt Damon
Matt Damon
What do Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Matt Damon have in common?
(a)Extremely successful movie stars.
(b)On the Hollywood the A-list.
(c)All have learned language accents to do famous movies.
(d)Tim Monich.












AnswerAll of the Above

(a) and (b)
Of course both are obviously correct.

(c)
Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Matt Damon have all been quite successful at portraying characters using accents that they did not grow up with.  Here are some famous examples:

Brad Pitt – Southern Accent - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button


Nicole Kidman – American Accent - Hemingway & Gellhorn


Matt Damon - South African Accent – Invictus



(d)
Tim Monich
At one point or another, Mr. Tim Monich has coached Brad Pitt, Nicole Kidman and Matt Damon on creating believable accents for character portrayals in movies.

So, what can we learn from this linguistic master?

Tim Monich’s Style
Monich’s archive, assembled over thirty years, is almost surely the largest private one of its kind, with approximately six thousand entries. He also collects accents from TV. Monich begins by talking with the director about how a character should sound, then he talks to the actor about the character and decides which voices from his archive might provide a model. He usually gives an actor four or five choices, and the actor selects one, from which Monich makes tapes distilling the vowel and consonant sounds that typify the dialect. Monich and the actor then “play a word, listen to it and say it,” he said—do language lab. Monich invents rhymes and sentences using words from the script—what he calls random acting. He also writes an actor’s lines in a faux-phonetic style he made up by combining elements of actual phonetics with approximations of sounds.
By the time the actor stands in front of the camera, Monich has done the bulk of his teaching work. Eventually, the accent recedes as a concern.
~The New Yorker~


Well this week I have no comments only applause for the A-List Masters.
Thank you for caring and sharing! 
And may your star always shine brightly!


Have a good one! 
See you next week,
Alex

Celebrity Language and Culture!
 Connect with Alex here or at:

Sunday, October 7, 2012

Eating Well with Celebrity Chef Cordell

Chef Cordell - Food and Health
In Chicago and looking for an unforgettable Foodie experience? 
Celebrity Chef Cordell is the talk of city!  Classically trained in French cuisine and well known at the best restaurants in Chicago, Chef Cordell brings his extraordinary gastronomical experience to the people.  This phenomenal Celebrity Chef is engaging the ‘hearts and minds’ of the Windy City in a growing movement known as Eating Well With Chef Cordell (EWWCC). Whether he is cooking for a private clientele or educating in the Chicago Community, Celebrity Chef Cordell’s passion for food and wellness has created a buzz soon to go viral.


Alex: Chef Cordell, what sparked your interest in the culinary arts?

Chef Cordell: Since I was an early teenager, I’ve always had an affinity for cooking.  Both of my parents cooked, and they taught my sister and me at an early age.  When I was 15, I started selling cookies and brownies to classmates and church members, and it stuck with me!


Alex: What is “Eating Well with Chef Cordell” all about?

Chef Cordell: Our mission is to educate and raise awareness of healthy eating, and its benefits, to the public at large.  We purvey this via cooking classes, public speaking, food writing, Personal Chef Service, catering, and workshops/seminars.  Our long term goals include establishing urban gardens in major metropolitan cities, specifically in "food desert" areas, whereas residents of these communities will be able to learn how to farm, maintain, and produce fresh produce for sale to fellow residents.  In this process, we intend to educate and employ local citizens.  This plan will lead to establishing co-op style grocery stores in these same areas.


Alex: As an extremely talented Chef with a wide variety of styles and foods in your cooking arsenal, what are some of your favorite dishes to put on a menu for a small private party?

Chef Cordell: Thanks for the kind words, I definitely appreciate it!  I look to be as open and accommodating to my clients as possible.  Flautas of any kind, risotto cakes, salmon wontons, and most things involving duck, just to name a few. 


Alex: Where do you find the ingredients to create your culinary masterpieces?

Chef Cordell: I love supporting local Farmers markets and local butchers as much as I possibly can.  By shopping at these types of purveyors, the potentiality of freshness is increased, and you can generally talk to the growers regarding types of practices that they used to grow the foods. 


Alex: On your website Chef Cordell.com, Community Outreach programs/events are listed as an important part of your life, can you elaborate on that for the readers?

Chef Cordell: Community Outreach is HUGE in my business and personal life; to say anything else would be an outright lie.  With all of the help that I’ve received in both my business and personal life, I feel eternally indebted to be of service to everyone as often as possible.  Currently, I volunteer with several organizations in Chicago & Charlotte, including “Operation Frontline”, The Salvation Army, “Polished Peebles”, and a few mentoring groups for young people.  I’ve also been very fortunate to have spoken to children on the elementary and high school level, regarding cooking, careers, and motivation.


Alex: Currently, what food dishes/styles, from other countries, are you interested in?

Chef Cordell: I’m enthralled with Indian, Mediterranean, Spanish cuisines; these highly flavored and mostly healthy styles of cooking definitely excite me!


Alex: Who do you consider some of ‘the greats’ in the cooking world today?

Chef Cordell: Well two of my favorites include the late, great Patrick Clark, and Julia Childs.  Currently, Alton Brown is definitely my favorite.  I also like a few others, including Bobby Flay, Ming Tsai, Rick Bayless, and Giada de Laurentiis.


Alex: What celebrity would you like to cook for and why?

Chef Cordell: I’ve been very fortunate in being able to work with a few national celebrities to this point.  I’d LOVE to work with my favorite jazz artist, Mr. Al Jarreau.  I’d do my BEST to keep him alive for another 70 years to bless the world with his amazing talents!  Other than that, any celebrity who’d be willing to want to eat healthier!


Alex: How can people get in contact with Chef Cordell?
Chef Cordell Chicago
Chef Cordell: I can be contacted by email at chefcordell@gmail.com, online at www.chefcordell.com, and by telephone at (773) 609-FOOD (3663).


Alex: Celebrity Chef Cordell, thank you for caring and sharing! It’s been a pleasure talking to you today!  Looking forward to your radio program!  And for all you Foodies out there make sure to look up Chef Cordell the next time you are in Chicago!
Have a great week everyone! And remember you are what you eat!
Celebrity Language and Culture!


Celebrity English

Connect with ALEX here or at: 




Tuesday, October 2, 2012

PSY ‘s Natural English Gangnam Style!

South Korean rapper 'PSY’ (Park Jae-sang) is sweeping the globe with his musical video creation known as ‘Gangnam Style’.  Gangam Style has gone viral on the Internet!  Not only that, PSY has been teaching celebrities from all over how to do Gangnam style dance moves. Even Britney Spears tried out the Gangnam horse ridding inspired dance on the Ellen DeGeneres Show.


Even though the majority of North American listeners don't understand the lyrics, the video has garnered enormous attention in the media. Music and visuals can be such an expressive medium without international boundaries.

So, as I was listening to PSY and trying out a few of his moves, I noticed he used some excellent, natural, and casual English to teach his famous dance moves.
 PSY said:

“You ‘gotta’ use your upper body also not just your legs.”(to do the horse dance) ABC News


The key word in the sentence is ‘gotta’.  Maybe you already have some experience with ‘gotta’ but let’s just break it down, just in case.



Pronunciation Style
got to = gotta

Meaning
got to = have to/need to


“You ‘got to’ use your upper body also not just your legs.”
=
“You ‘have to/need to’ use your upper body also not just your legs.”

Grammar form
gotta + use
gotta + infinitive verb

Speaking Context or Usage
This is only one of the many ways ‘gotta’ can be used in casual conversation.  I would go into more detail but it would take a few pages of writing.  So, I just want to focus on the use of gotta for teaching someone.  Although ‘gotta is considered bad grammar, we can hear this expression in real life situations such as parents teaching their kids, or friends teaching friends, on You tube, etc.  Also, in a casual teaching context people tend to use the subject marker ‘You’. I recommend using ‘You gotta’ as PSY did. ‘Gotta’ seems like an easy word but, as you know, some of the simplest words have some complex grammar ideas attached to them. 
Try it out!

How to:  Make Instant Cup Noodles or Kraft Dinner or Tea/Coffee or your idea!
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
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Try it out with a friend, or send me (blogalexg@gmail.com) a sound file, or post a video link. 
Next week, I will post an example answer at Celebrity English.


Answer Idea- Using 'gotta' in a 'How to' teaching context.
Background

Halloween will soon be celebrated in North America (every year on Oct. 31).
So to help get ready for a Halloween party here is an easy idea for creating a Healthier Halloween Treat for kids!  The idea below should be used in a talking style because of the use of ‘gotta’.  You can change it to a writing style by simply substituting ‘gotta’ with 'have to' or 'need to'.

How to make Scary Sippers – Mummy Style
  • First, you gotta buy some juice boxes.  You can get darker colored juices like grape or cherry to get more of a Halloween look or feel. Remove the attached straws from the outside of the box.
  • Next, wrap the juice boxes with white electrical tape.  Any white tape is 'ok' but electrical tape has a better mummy texture to it. Make sure not to cover the juice box straw hole with the tape. 
  • After that, glue on googly eyes.  You can buy these quite cheaply at any craft or dollar store. 
  • Then chill the Mummy juice boxes in the fridge until the Halloween party is ready to begin.
  • Finally, you gotta put the straws in the Mummy juice boxes. 
Now you are ready to serve these Scary Sippers – Mummy Style to your thirsty little Halloween guests!

Happy Halloween!
(Adapted from the October 2011 issue of Parents magazine)


POSITIVE POWER TO PSY!
An International musical success story,
Celebrity Language and Culture!
 ALEX - By the way, I think I will leave the dancing to PSY!


Sunday, September 23, 2012

Celebrity & Healthy Lifestyle Consultant SASHA!

SASHA Fitness and Health

Highly sought after ‘Healthy Lifestyle Guru Christopher Sasha’ is transforming and inspiring Billionaires, CEO’s, Celebrities, and people across North America.   With a chiseled physique of Adonis coupled with an extraordinary personality, this brilliant and tremendously focused author is destined to become a household name within the next few years. 

Interview
Alex: Can you please tell us about yourself?
Sasha: I’m Christopher Sasha, the leading healthy lifestyle consultant to Chicago’s CEOs, celebrities, and billionaires. I’ve been a healthy lifestyle consultant for over 14 years. Somehow, I earned a finance degree from prestigious DePaul University ready to conquer the financial world only to land in the health and fitness arena. I was fully armed with the financial knowledge needed to make a splash in the trading markets yet my heart didn’t accept my career decision. For some reason I kept straying from the financial industry into the fitness industry.

Alex: What sparked your interest in health and fitness?
Sasha: It wasn’t so much the health and fitness career opportunities that sparked my interest. I lived a few of my adolescent years in a housing project where I would get beat up almost every day because I was small and weak. I started working out and used “strength” that I attained from the gym to help better my situation with the neighborhood bullies. My nascent interest in health and fitness was only to build a facade to protect myself. And as I transformed my physique, other gym-goers would pepper me with health questions like what they should eat or what the best abdominal exercise is to get a set of six-pack abs. I began to understand that I wasn’t just answering peoples’ questions – I was helping them overpower their individual demons. Most of us don’t have to become more fit to protect ourselves from pernicious bullies. Through the years I’ve learned that there are a plethora of reasons why people want to be more fit. I became aware that I was helping people with my knowledge, which gave me a tremendous sense of gratification, leading me to delve deeper into health concerns. And this yearning I have to help others eventually brought me on the path to publish my book, Transforming Your Lifestyle One Belief at a Time.

Alex: What are the benefits of working with a fitness trainer?
Sasha: The benefits of working with a fitness trainer are as unique as the individual fitness trainer. Each trainer should know the basics of physiology and kinesiology. But once you get past the basic education of a fitness trainer, each trainer’s style is very diverse. The advantages of a fitness trainer vary from being taught how to perform each exercise with proper form so you don’t hurt yourself to reaching personal health goals quicker to accountability, and many times a confidant.

Alex: What is the biggest misconception about health and fitness that you hear from beginners?
Sasha: I’ve heard scores of health and fitness misconceptions over the years but the one that pops up over and over again is that dietary fat consumption makes us fat. It’s true that an overabundance of dietary fat can make us fat; but so can too many carbohydrates or proteins. Fat per se does not make us fat. This is a misconception that was reinforced by the media when low-fat diets were the craze in the 1970s. Our current obesity epidemic isn’t from eating fat. America is the 7th wealthiest country in the world and the 3rd fattest country in the world. We are the leaders in fast food, processed food, manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup, and the list goes on. And these are major culprits that can lead to obesity. Learning how to eat properly (including fat) and moving your body will drastically reduce body fat and improve your health.

Alex: What are some of the more popular training styles you implement?
Sasha: My training style is more on the body building side. This is the foundation that I build on to create each individual’s exercise program. I mostly use a method called periodization which forces the body to use both types of muscle fibers (slow- and fast-twitch fibers), all three types of contractions (isolation, concentric, and eccentric), and giving the body the appropriate amount of rest so it can do what it does best – recuperate and grow stronger. But I also use strategies to help slow down the aging process and enhance energy levels. One of my clients, for instance, found that his testosterone levels were too low, which was contributing to his lethargy and muscle loss, resulting in weight gain! I decided to increase the intensity level and shorten the rest periods between exercises. By doing this, the body will naturally boost its testosterone levels, increase human growth hormone production, burn body fat, and increase muscle mitochondria. All of these factors will increase energy levels and help slow the aging process.

Alex: You are a favorite trainer and coach to celebrities and the corporate elite, what is it that keeps them coming back and recommending you to their friends?
Sasha: It isn’t just one thing that makes me a favorite lifestyle consultant to my veritable Who’s Who list of clients. It’s a collaboration of my scholastic and personal knowledge, practicing what I preach, inspiration, eagerness to take things to a higher level, continuation of learning more about health and fitness because I know the human body is a systemic machine – everything is intertwined and no knowledge about nutrition, supplements, sleep patterns, exercise programs, hormones, or personal beliefs about our environments are trivial. I’m willing to do things that others are not willing to do. For example, one of my clients was prediabetic and worried about becoming a full-blown type II diabetic. He heard that most of diabetes can be reversed without medication and asked me to find a program that will reverse his condition. I read about 10 books on reversing diabetes, created a program, worked the program with him, and reversed his prediabetes to normal blood sugar levels. I add as much value as I can for my clients, whereas most fitness trainers consider their job to spend one hour with their client, and that’s it. I know that I’m a replaceable commodity so I do more than my competitors, which has separated me from the mass of fitness trainers that have deluged the market since the economy has tanked.

Alex: You are a big supporter of charities for kids and the homeless, what made you select these particular charities?
Sasha: Today’s kids are tomorrow’s leaders. You never know what insecure, low self-esteem child will blossom into a leader in his/her industry if the right guidance is provided. I had dangerously low self-esteem, no confidence, and no self-respect growing up. At age eight, I was bounced from foster home to foster home for a few years when my mother died. I later moved into a housing project with my brother and sisters and abusive, alcoholic father only to be kicked out of his house when I was 13 years old - and I was uneducated. It was a long, arduous journey with many encouraging people that helped me transform my life from being broke and in jail almost every week to a well educated leader in the health and fitness industry. I was blessed to have met so many incredible people who cared and wanted to help me succeed. As I’m living proof that people can change if given the right opportunities, I want to do what I can to help others that come from my same background become successful, happy people.

Alex: What can we look forward to from Sasha in the next few months?
Sasha: Diabetes is a chronic disease that kills hundreds of thousands of Americans each year, with the death toll exponentially increasing every year. And it’s not just America – it’s worldwide, including Great Britain and India. Diabetes is a disease that can be cured without medication 95% of the time. It’s a matter of educating the general population about proper nutrition (and what foods are killing us) and encouraging people to put their bodies in motion. I’m currently testing a program that I put together to help reverse prediabetes and type II diabetes. I have already proven that my program can reverse prediabetes with one of my clients. His A1C result was 6.2. An A1C is a blood test used to determine if an individual has prediabetes or type II diabetes. Generally, a person is diagnosed with type II diabetes when two consecutive A1C test results are 6.5 or above. My client received his latest A1C test reading at 5.6 a few weeks ago, which is in a normal range. Now I’m eager to prove that my 3-month program can get type II diabetics off Metformin (Glucophage), which is the first medication doctors prescribe to type II diabetics to help control their blood sugar levels. If any reader has been diagnosed with type II diabetes, and on Metformin (Glucophage), please contact me.

Alex: If people want more information about any of the topics or answers above, what is the best way to connect with you?
Sasha: Anyone interested in more information can connect with me via:
Christopher Sasha's latest Health and Fitness book!
Alex: Christopher Sasha, Thank you for the interview and all the great information on Health & Fitness! I wish you well.

Sasha: Alex, Thank you so much for this chance to interview with you.




Again, thank you!
  ~Sasha

NEW 2013 Updates!

Christopher Sasha 

Spokesperson for Makayla for Women!
Makayla for Women


Ambassador for IAM4KIDS!
IAM4KIDS organization

More about the I AM 4 Kids foundation!

Celebrity Author & Motivational Speaker Mark Papadas!
Mark Papada IAM4KIDS Foundation

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Celebrity Language and Culture!
Alex-Celebrity English