Elton John lobs Andre Agassi

Elton John lobs Andre Agassi, CSF Rieti News

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V-cpKj3qdHA




Elton John On His Charity Work: Government Should Be Doing Our Job For Us But They’re Not

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/elton-john-his-charity-work-government-s

Tuesday, November 16, 2010
By Nicholas Ballasy

Elton John performs. (AP Photo)

(CNSNews.com) - The World TeamTennis annual charitable exhibition, held this year in Washington, raised more than $500,000 to fight HIV and AIDS through Sir Elton John’s AIDS Foundation. When asked what the federal government should do to encourage more individuals to donate to charities like his, Sir Elton John told CNSNews.com that “government should be doing our job for us” but "they’re not."
He added that the government does not need to “give money to us to give away” but they “should be giving money.”
“The federal government here has done something, they’ve given a full needle exchange program this year which is great. We’ve been on about this; it’s been one of our big talking points and one of our big bees in our bonnet that there hasn’t been a needle exchange program,” he said during a press conference before the tennis matches, featuring tennis stars Andrea Agassi, Anna Kournikova, Martina Navratilova and Rennae Stubbs.

“The government has done that this year and we applaud them heartily for doing that. They don’t really need to give, they don’t need to give money to us to give away, they should be giving money – I set up this charity so that I could help people and a lot of charities are set up, by you know, the Gates Foundation, the World Health Organization, the Clinton Foundation because they want to help people and it seems that individuals are trying to help people where as government should be doing our job for us but unfortunately they’re not. So we’ve got to step up to the plate and try to do as much as we can. But I have to say that they did implement the needle exchange program this year which is a huge step forward.”
Sir John also said that while he finds the current political climate in the United States as "perplexing," he praised America for the success it has provided for him.
"I love this country," he said. "It's been the greatest country. It's given me everything I've ever had."
Sir Elton John, who teams up with former tennis star Billy Jean King to hold the exhibition each year, have raised $10 million for the Elton John AIDS Foundation.

Prince William and Kate Middleton: How the royal wedding day will unfold

By Steve Myall 17/11/2010

It will be Britain's biggest wedding since Charles and Diana's 30 years before - and preparations were already under way last night.
Royal aides, government officials, security chiefs and religious leaders have started outlining plans.
And just like with any other couple, there is the venue, best man, bridesmaids, guestlist and honeymoon to consider.
But this is no ordinary wedding and, though the date is not known, it will be declared a national holiday.
Up to two million wellwishers are expected to turn out to cheer the couple.
And the big day will be a perfect birthday gift for the Queen, who turns 85, and Prince Philip, who reaches 90 next year.
There is plenty of planning still to be done - but here is a glimpse at how this 21st century fairytale will be celebrated.
BRIDESMAIDS
William's mother Princess Diana had five younger girls: Clementine Hambro, five, Catherine Cameron, six, Sarah-Jane Gaselee, 11, India Hicks, 13, and Lady Sarah Armstrong-Jones, 17, but Kate is older than she was when she wed.
Chief bridesmaid next year will most likely be Kate's younger sister Pippa, 26, helped by William's cousins Zara Phillips, 29, Prince Edward's daughter Lady Louise, six, and Lady Helen Taylor's daughter Eloise, seven.
Outsiders include members of The Sisterhood, athletes and dragon boat racers Kate trained with.
THE VENUE
The most likely choice is Westminster Abbey, left, even though it was the scene of Diana's funeral, as well as the Queen Mother's.
The Abbey - where the Queen married in 1947 - holds around 2,000 guests, and senior courtiers are believed to have looked into a ceremony in the second week of August.
It is said William would rather marry in the 800-seat St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle, preferring a low-key ceremony like the wedding blessing of his father Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles in 2005.
However, royal protocol demands heads of state from around the world attend so St George's is simply too small. William is reluctant to use St Paul's Cathedral, hosting 3,500 people, because it was the scene of his parents ill-fated marriage in 1981.
GUESTS
Royalty including ancient Euro-pean dynasties such as Sweden, Spain, Norway, Holland and Denmark will attend.
Heads of state will be there although not some wives and first ladies. One exception may be US President Barack Obama who is likely to bring wife Michelle.
Celebrities could include singers who have performed for the Prince's Trust, such as Phil Collins, Sir Elton John, Sir Paul McCartney and Bryan Adams. Radio host Fearne Cotton may get a invite after interviewing the Prince.
Kate's family will sit at the front. Other guests will include school and university mates and armed forces colleagues.
THE RING
William will give his bride a wedding ring made from rare Welsh gold - just like his father and grandfather.
All recent royal wedding rings have been made from the same nugget of Clogau gold given to the Royal Family in 1923.
William and Kate are certain to continue the tradition but will be able to choose the design of the rings.
The gold was extracted at the St David's mine in Bontddu, Snowdonia - only 50 miles from the cottage on Anglesey where the newly-wed couple will make their first home.
BEST MAN
Royal grooms have a "supporter" than a best man and brother Prince Harry, 26, favourite, as Prince Andrew was Charles in 1981.
The boys have endured much together and both serve in the armed forces, but William also has a coterie of protective friends whose loyalty may be rewarded.
Here are the odds by Ladbrokes: 1/100 Prince Harry; 14/1 Princess Anne's son Peter Phillips; 33/1 One of closest pals the van Cutsem brothers; 40/1 Former housemate Fergus Boyd; 50/1 Thomas van Straubenzee.
MARITAL HOME
William and Kate will continue to live at their cottage near the prince's RAF base in North Wales. It is well protected and offers them a great deal of privacy.
When they stay in London they will use his apartment in St James's Palace, below.
In the longer term, it is believed a house will be built for the couple at Harewood Park, a Duchy of Cornwall estate in Herefordshire, an hour's drive from Charles's Highgrove home.
After nine years together, the couple, both approaching 30, will want to start a family as soon as possible, producing the so-called "heir and spare" to ensure the royal succession.
HONEYMOON
The royal couple are expected to spend part if not all of their honeymoon in New Zealand after the Prince's hugely successful first foreign visit there in January.
It is predicted they will arrive in time for the Rugby World Cup, which starts there on September 9. The Prince is a huge fan of the sport both as a player and spectator and a Royal patron of the Welsh Rugby Union.
The couple may well also visit neighbouring Australia and, like William's parents, spend some time in the Highlands at Balmoral.
THE DRESS
Issa, the fashion line of Brazilian designer Danielle Helayel, has become Kate's favourite choice.
She wore one of her dresses for yesterday's announcement and seems likely to commission a wedding dress, which could cost as much as £10,000.
However, there may be pressure on her to opt for a British designer as she is expected to fly the flag on her special day.

Read more: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/11/17/prince-william-and-kate-middleton-how-the-royal-couple-s-wedding-day-will-unfold-115875-22721226/#ixzz15XwGfmI8
Go Camping for 95p! Vouchers collectable in the Daily and Sunday Mirror until 11th August . Click here for more information

 

 

Ellie Goulding “Your Song (Elton John Cover)”

http://mixtapemaestro.net/tag/bernie-taupin



Elton John & Bernie Taupin’s 1970-birthed love-song-about-penning-a-love-song classic “Your Song” is such a precious slab of pop perfection that it makes little sense why one would even think of taking it on (especially with the song celebrating it’s fortieth anniversary this year), but hey, you gotta give credit where credit’s due, and when it comes to Ellie Goulding‘s newly released rendition of the song, she deserves the kudos. The first single to Bright Lights, a re-release of the English singer’s months-old debut Lights, Goulding’s “Song” smartly eschews any bold (and potentially disastrous) stabs at modern re-invention and keeps things simple, the backing arrangement’s striking wintry ambiance at the perfect distance to frame and highlight Ellie’s thin wisp of a voice. And if Goulding’s vocals have never blown you away in the past, they definitely will here, the fragile edges to her soft warble coating these familiar lyrics with the just the right touch of vulnerability and innocence to make you fall in love with the song’s tender message all over again.
Bright Lights drops November 23rd in the UK; “Your Song” is available on iTunes now.