Concept Art for Marvel’s $1B Dubai Theme Park

Now that Disney has absorbed Marvel into its giant maw, a proposed Marvel superhero theme park for Dubai may not be as safe a bet as planners had originally hoped. Back in 2007, United Arab Emirate-based Al Ahli Group and Marvel Entertainment, Inc. announced a partnership that would bring Marvel's full roster of Super Heroes — including 'Spider-Man', 'Iron Man', 'The X-Men', 'Incredible Hulk', 'The Fantastic Four' and 'Silver Surfer' — to Dubai for a major new theme park destination being developed by AAG.
Scheduled to open in 2011, the $1B theme park has faced some delays and is now being slated to open in 2012, assuming, of course, that Marvel's new parent company, Disney, doesn't balk at the investment, given that the Dubai economy has slowed in 2009…along with the rest of the world economy.
When the project was announced the press release said that "New technology and unparalleled visitor experiences will be the hallmark of the theme park creating a new standard for theme parks around the world."
Meanwhile, concept art for the park, which will feature rides and sections based on 'Spider-Man', 'Iron Man', 'The Hulk' and 'X-Men' has arrived online, and shows rollercoasters, a Spidey freefall ride and 3-D theaters.
As if one needed another reason to visit Dubai, which is fast becoming a playground mecca for big, unique ideas.
You can check out a few of the concept images below which depict various possible attractions, and click on over to DisneyAndMore for the rest.

NOLLYWOOD CELEBS & THEIR BETTER HALVES!

1. Desmond Elliot and his wife Vickie;(above) the two met as high school sweethearts and have been inseperable ever since. Vickie who is a banker keeps Desmond grounded and focused; well with family of four (two sets of twins) and a large retinue of dogs, who wouldnt? Big ups to both of them!
Nollywood celebrities; we have loved them, cried with them, signed autographs and hugged them but do we know their better halves? Those silent, patient souls that stand silently aside as their other half recieve so much adulation and praise. They put up with alot; the frantic adoration of fans who sometimes ignore them like their not there. Then those love scenes in the movies! Ooh lala! How do they cope? The stories, the lies, the rumours! Would you want to be in their shoes? Do you honestly think you have what it takes to be the strong silent one behind a successful actor or actress? Many really can't deal with it but for those who do, I duff my hat! Ladies and gentlemen, here's presenting the spouses of some of our more popular Nollywood actors!
2. Omotola and Matthew Jalade-Ekeinde;The couple just celebrated their 15th year anniversary! Wow! No small feat in Nollyweird! Matthew met Omo T in her teens and recognizing a good thing, married her almost immediately. The union has produced four lovely children and they continue to wax strong despite the pressures of fame and public scrutiny.
3. Ramsey and Emilia Nouah; Heart throb, beef cake, loverboy, martinee idol... whatever you want to call him, Ramsey is a director's dream; able to interprete any role you give to him if he is tasked enough. Forget that directors like to box him into the 'loverboy mode'. Ramsey is also a devoted father and husband to Emilia who he has been married to for several years and they have three children.
4. Ini Edo and Philip Ehiagwina; Nollywood sweetheart, Ini Edo has been the object of alot people's fantasies but sorry, she got snapped up a couple of years ago by American based business man, Philip Ehiagwina! lol! He's the man that goes home to that sugar! hahaha! Chocholate brown and perfectly built, Ini continues to woo her fans with her flawless acting. Shedding several pounds, she now sports a svelte, sleek look making her look even more fantastic.
6. Omoni & Nnamdi Oboli; Lovely couple Omoni and Nnamdi continue to be the couple to emulate. Sweet and cute looking together, they met earlier on in life when Omoni just started acting in Nollywood. A long hiatus from the industry and a stint in the U.K produced, three lovely boys. Undeterred by the strapping of motherhood and long absence from the industry, Omoni determinedly forged ahead and has become one of most sought after actresses in Nollywood.
7. Daniel and Doris Ademinokan; Lovely couple Daniel and Doris continue to woo fans where ever they go! He is a handsome director and she is a lovely actress and together they make magic together. Though they both startted in the Yoruba film industry, they sometimes cross over into the English movie genre. Daniel and Doris sometimes work together, and he has to direct her sometime as a love interest opposite an actor!! How does he handle that?! hahaha! The two have a lovely son together and continue to make great movies together!
Van and Adjoa Vicker: Ghanaian actor and heartthrob, Van Vicker might have legions of fans all over the world but he remains very much in love with his wife Adjoa! The lovely couple live in Ghana with their three children

Star Actor, Desmond Elliot Completes Twin Duplex in Lekki!

This is a period of great tidings for entertainers in this part of the world.
Barely days after news hit town that top rate D.J, Jimmy Jatt –
real names Oluwaforijimi Amu- just moved into a Ten Million Naira per annum residence, gist of another heart warming development has started making the rounds.
Popular actor, Desmond Elliot just completed his personal house.
The property is described as a Twin Duplex.
And according to an insider it is located inside high brow area Lekki Lagos.
Though it is yet to be confirmed whether the notable make believe expert has moved into the newly completed building – sources claimed that he has taken a couple of very close knit friends to the site.
Those that have seen the handsome actor intimate friends of the development described him as a 'personification of prideful achievement’
Desmond Elliot, father of twins is one of the movie industries most celebrated actor- and a budding singer.

The end of the world: R.E.M. calling it quits

NEW YORK (AP) — R.I.P. to R.E.M.
The alternative rock group that shook up the music world with its experimental, edgy sound and then earned multiplatinum success and a place in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced on its website Wednesday that it has "decided to call it a day as a band."
"A wise man once said — 'the skill in attending a party is knowing when it's time to leave.' We built something extraordinary together. We did this thing. And now we're going to walk away from it," frontman Michael Stipe said in a statement on the website.
"I hope our fans realize this wasn't an easy decision; but all things must end, and we wanted to do it right, to do it our way."
The Grammy-winning group, now composed of Stipe, guitarist Peter Buck and bassist Mike Mills, released its debut album "Murmur" in 1983; at the time it was a quartet, with drummer Bill Berry. He left the group in 1997, two years after he suffered symptoms of an aneurysm onstage.
The group got its start in Athens, Ga., coming out of the region's flourishing indie-rock scene. The band was credited for helping launch college radio with songs such as "Radio Free Europe."
Later, the mainstream caught on, and R.E.M. became chart-topping rockers, selling millions of albums with hits like "It's the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)," ''Losing My Religion" and "Everybody Hurts."
Stipe, the band's chief songwriter, crafted songs that were atypical of the standard rock fare. "Man on the Moon" was about the late comic Andy Kaufman. "Losing My Religion" was not about religion at all, but about trying to relay the feelings of a crush.
The band's videos also became staples on MTV in the 1990s, including the eye-catching "Losing My Religion" and the stark "Everybody Hurts," which had Stipe walking through a highway traffic jam.
R.E.M. became one of the more forceful voices of 1990s rock, and came along around the same time as another rock quartet — U2. But whereas U2 managed to maintain (and even increase) its popularity over the years, R.E.M. stumbled commercially in recent years, and their hits dwindled.
The band continued to create music that resonated with critics and their core group of fans; the group's last album, "Collapse into Now," was released in March and a greatest hits retrospective is in the works.
But Mills said the band was running out of ideas.
"During our last tour, and while making 'Collapse Into Now' and putting together this greatest hits retrospective, we started asking ourselves, 'What next?'" he said. "Working through our music and memories from over three decades was a hell of a journey. We realized that these songs seemed to draw a natural line under the last 31 years of our working together."
Buck said the band parts as "great friends" and thanked fans for their support.
"One of the things that was always so great about being in R.E.M. was the fact that the records and the songs we wrote meant as much to our fans as they did to us," said Buck. "It was, and still is, important to us to do right by you. Being a part of your lives has been an unbelievable gift. Thank you."
Warner Bros. Records chairman and producer Rob Cavallo said, "To call R.E.M. one of the greatest bands in contemporary music is an understatement. They leave behind a body of work whose breadth, honesty, creativity and power has not only inspired millions of fans around the world, but also has influenced — and will continue to influence — generations of songwriters and performers for years to come."
Warner Bros. is releasing the greatest hits retrospective in November.

Olivia Wilde shoots down romance rumors, gives advice to young actresses

 
Olivia Wilde has quickly become one of the hottest women in Hollywood.
The “Cowboys and Aliens” star is on the October cover of Allure magazine, where she opens up about her divorce, making out with Mischa Barton and all those pesky rumors about who she is dating.

 

On rumors about her dating life:
“In order to be dating all the people they think I am, I’d need four vaginas! It’s impossible!”
On her favorite beauty products:
“I steal from makeup artists a lot.”
On kissing Mischa Barton on “The O.C.”:
“We did a lot of kissing. It was a relationship. It wasn’t a weird sensationalized moment that was just for sweeps week. These two young women were really falling in love. Women tell me that it helped them figure out their sexuality.”
Her advice for young starlets entering the business:
“If I could tell young actresses anything, it would be to just be yourself through and through. I mean, really be hard-core about sticking to your identity, because what makes you unusual is what’s going to assure your success.”
On her divorce from Italian Prince and film director, Tao Ruspoli:
“(It was) the most difficult thing I’ve ever dealt with. I got married at a very young age, so I sort of jumped into a stage of adulthood prematurely. I learned quite a lot.”
The new issue of Allure hits newsstands September 20.