James Hetfield - Living Ledgend

Thursday, 22 March 2012

James Allan Hetfield was born in 1963. He is now 48 years old and vocalist of the heavy metal band, Metallica. He started in music when he was 9 and he began playing piano by the influence of his mother, who was a lyrical singer. Later he learned how to play the guitar and the drums.

Now he is married to Marcella Hetfield and they already have three kids.

But more important than his personal life is his talent and work. First he founded Obsession. The band played in school presentations and they were starting to write the first lyrics, however they couldn’t find any success. The small crowds that went to the concerts usually preferred covers, and that was getting on James’ nerves.

After Obsession, Metallica came. James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo are the present members of the band which changed the face of heavy metal. The band was formed in 1981, and it had many members until now, but only James and Lars are in it from the start. However, Metallica survived all these years, and today it remains as one of the best heavy metal bands ever.

James Hetfield is known by his vocals and dedication. Millions of fans all over the world find him an inspiration, not only by his music but also by his character. This dedicated and original man is the co-creator of some of the greatest songs and albums I have ever heard! In my opinion this is a man which people should look up to, he and his band don’t made “noise” like some people say.  Their songs have actually meaning and many times they are dedicated to social problems. “And Justice for All” is just an example.

I think James and the music he is responsible for are marks and they have been present in many chapters of my life.

I leave you with some awesome Metallica songs! \m/

(If you love Metallica don’t forget they are coming to our country in May, it will be a day to remember!)

Inês Ribas Dias 

 

James Hetfield

Eminem

Marshall Bruce Mathers III, better known by his stage name Eminem and by his alter ego Slim Shady, is an American rapper, record producer, songwriter and actor. 

Marshall always had conflicts with many people but not for his fault. He has also spoken openly about his addiction to prescription drugs, including Vicodin, Ambien, Valium and Methadone.

Born in St. Joseph, Missouri, on October 17, 1972, Eminem is one of the best-selling artists in the world and is the best selling artist of the 2000s. He has been listed and ranked as one of the greatest artists of all time by many magazines including the ‘’Rolling Stone’’ magazine which has ranked him 82nd on its list of ‘’The 100 Greatest Artists of All Time’’. The same magazine has declared him ‘’The King of Hip Hop’’.

Eminem also made a lot of success with his movie ‘’8 Mile’’.

Eminem - Lose Yourself

Vítor Guimarães

Jackie Chan

Jackie Chan was born in Hong Kong, China, on April 7th, 1954. He is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer.

Chan has been acting since the 1960’s and he has appeared in over 100 films. He is worldwide known for his acrobatic fighting style, use of improved weapons, comic timing and innovative stunts.

Curiosity:

When Jackie was young, his father waked him every day in the morning and together they were going to practice kung fu. Charles Chan, the father, believed that learning kung fu would help building Jackie’s character, teaching him patience, strength and courage.

As a cultural icon, Chan has been referenced in various pop songs, cartoons, and video games and because of his great performance in films he has received stars on the Hong Kong Avenue of Stars and the Hollywood Walk of Fame. 

Hong Kong Avenue of Stars

Hollywood Walk of Fame

Vítor Guimarães

John Cena

John Felix Anthony Cena, Jr., was born in West Newbury, Massachusetts on April 23, 1977. He’s an American professional wrestler, hip hop artist and actor. Currently he is signed to World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) where he performs on ‘’Raw’’. Cena has won many titles but the most important were the WWE Championship and the World Heavyweight Championship.

The second of five brothers, he graduated with a degree in exercise physiology. After playing college football, he pursued a career as a bodybuilder. Years later he became a limo driver and then he became a professional wrestler.

In addition to his time in the ring, Cena released his rap album ‘’You Can’t See Me’’, in 2005 and a year later, he starred in ‘’The Marine’’, in October 2006.

Vítor Guimarães

Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Gail Winfrey was born in January 29, 1954. She is an American media proprietor, actress, talk show host, producer and philanthropist (which means she supports organizations that help people in several ways).

Winfrey entered in many films such as ‘’The Color Purple’’ in 1985 and ‘’Throw Momma from the Train’’ in 1987. She is worldwide known for her 6 Emmy prizes winner talk show The Oprah Winfrey Show which had been on the air for 25 years. Her last program was on May 25, 2011 and for now on she will dedicate her time to her own network, OWN (The Oprah Winfrey Network), where she is the Chairman, CEO, and Chief Creative Officer.

Vítor Guimarães

Tetris

Wednesday, 21 March 2012

Tetris is a video game designed by the Russian, Alexey Pajitnov in 1984. The name tetris is derived from the Greek, tetra-four, because all of the game pieces have four segments. There are seven different tetriminos. A random sequence of tetriminos falls down and the player must manipulate these tetriminos in order to create a horizontal line of ten blocks without gaps. The game is available for video game consoles, computers, graphing calculators, phones and other electronic devices and it’s considered one of the greatest games of all times.

 

Some people devote too much time and attention to the game and start having mental images and dreams with hypothetical sequences of tetriminos, this is called the Tetris effect. 

Although, according to a research playing tetris increases brain function and general cognitive functions such as critical thinking, reasoning, language and processing.  A study, also suggests that playing tetris may help prevent the development of traumatic memories, if the game is played after the traumatic event.

The Tetris World Championship is held every year, and sponsored by Alexey Pajitnov. In 2010, the first Coordinated World Champion was crowned in the U.S.A. 

Diana Barros

Muse

Well, since my peers are here talking about The Gift, I decided to post about one of my favourites bands too, Muse.

Muse is a british rock band, formed in 1994 in Teignmouth, Devon. The band is formed by Matthew Bellamy (who plays the keyboard, the guitar and sings), Christopher Wolstenholme (who also plays the keyboard and the bass) and Dominic Howard (who plays the drums).

Since they started their career, the band accomplished 36 awards and more than 90 nominations on important music competitions.

All their albums (such as "Black Holes and Revelations" or more recently "Resistance") were a big hit and they are known as the first band to ever fill the entire Wembley Stadium in London.

                                                                                               Fábio Freitas 10ºB

The Gift

Tuesday, 20 March 2012

The Gift
emerged in 1994 with Nuno Gonçalves and Miguel Ricardo Ribeiro and then they took on  Sonia Braga Tavares.
In September 94, Sonia, Nuno, Miguel and Ricardo  signed up for the Modern Music Bar Ben Competitionn in Alcobaça. The band won the  2nd place.
The first concert was at the Monastery of Loulé, in July 95. Next would be the Centro Cultural de Belem, "Space 7.9"], September 96 and the invitation to play in London in the bar Labirintho in November this year.
In 2005 in the category of "Best Portuguese Act", the MTV Europe Music Awards.
In 2007 the band wins the Golden Globe (SIC / Faces) Best Group with the album released last year "Fácil de Entender"

                                                                                                             Telma Soares

The Internet

Monday, 19 March 2012

It seems like everyone is talking about the Internet these days. But what is it really? What can we do with it? And, what are the dangers of the Internet?

The Internet is a worldwide collection of computer networks, cooperating with each other. It’s a public spiderweb of computer connections.

Internet users can exchange electronic mail (E-mail) with friends and colleagues with accounts on the Internet or make video conferencing with them, listen to sounds and music and watch digital movies, play interactive multimedia games and search information about any topic of their interest. They can use the Internet to receive or download things, but they can publish information to other persons see, too.

However, there is also a lot of questionable material on the Internet like material about violence and pornography that can shock the most sensitive viewers and because of this, it is important for parents to know what activities their children are involved online. Moreover, the Internet can include people that have hidden motives like pedophiles and other harmful people, who might ask for personal information for unknown reasons, and that is why it is so important not to give that information to people that we don´t know.

The Internet is relatively safe as long as you know what to avoid and what threats there are.

Andreia Codeço

Walt Disney Pictures

Friday, 9 March 2012

   Walt Disney Pictures is an American film studio owned by Walt Disney Company, which was created by the man who gives name to it. This extraordinary man, called Walt Disney invented some of the most emblematic characters of cartoon’s history, his first and huge success was Mickey Mouse, a constant presence in our childhood.

   Disney had a hard time until he managed to create his company as he found many obstacles in the beginning, but all of them were overcome by his imagination and originality. When color and sound arrived to movies, Walt and his assistants embraced the new opportunities and created some of the most amazing cartoons ever! The first  cartoon with sound was released in 1928 and it was called “Steamboat Willie” and later, more characters arrived to join Mickey and Minnie, they were Pluto, Donald Duck and Wolfstad.

   These characters launched Disney, but it wasn’t enough to make them what they are today. Walt Disney was thinking about the first sounded and colored animated movie, he inspired himself in the classic history of Snow White. After that Pinóquio arrived, joined by Bambi, Dumbo and Fantasia. They were a huge success, but 2^nd World War stopped Disney. During war Disney characters were used to military propaganda, after the deadly years of war, the company was once again close to it's end.

Cinderella was the salvation, the movie saved the company from disaster and Disney continued innovating the world of cinema. Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan were next. During Walt Disney’s life movies like Lady and the Tramp, The Sleepy Beauty and The Sword in The Stone were also created.

   In 1966 Walt Disney dies and leaves behind a heritage of fantasy and unforgettable movies. However that wasn’t the end of his company, which after his death produced movies like the Little Mermaid. This one was produced several years after Walt's death and it was considered the revival of Disney spirit (1989). The Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and The Lion King were next. The last one was the most rentable animated movie in history.

Toy Story, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, The Hunchback of Notre Dame… I guess the list never ends. Walt Disney Pictures has created some of the most amazing cartoons in the world, for me, the greatest of all. The world created by Disney was part of my childhood, their songs and characters are some of my greatest memories which I will never forget. Today I still love all those movies. I believe that Disney knows how to make fairy tales. They are the masters of fantasy. My generation can say “thank you Disney, you have gaven me uncountable hours of fun and dreams."

I leave you now, once more, with some examples of  Disney's magic, which will never illustrate how amazing these people are!

Steamboat Willie

The Circle of Life - The Lion King

Son of Man - Tarzan

(by Phil Collins)

Inês Ribas Dias