Leona Lewis wants to sing with Chris Martin

Leona Lewis wants to sing with Chris Martin

29.12.2008 13:12

London - Leona Lewis (23) would like her next album with Coldplay get into the boat. At the top of their wish list is, according to online edition of the "Sun" a duet with front man Chris Martin.

Leona Lewis The British pop singer Leona Lewis and the band Coldplay combines something. The singer, originally by the British version of the talent show "X Factor" was announced, successor floats for the album of "Spirit" (2007) an angular, rock style before. "Leona would be very happy to collaborate with Coldplay and know that Chris Martin likes her voice," an unnamed source cited. The chances that it could fold up, are not bad: "Chris is all music genres and certainly not against open-minded snobbish in relation to what some people" shallow pop "call." This would perhaps not be the only cooperation remain. Lewis had earlier talked about that when her new project with several bands will work together, but had no names. Leona Lewis Coldplay and 2008 included both the most successful musical acts.

HOT DISH: Cruisin' for Country Music News

Hot Dish

(CMT Hot Dish is a weekly feature written by veteran columnist Hazel Smith. Author of the cookbook, Hazel's Hot Dish: Cookin' With Country Stars, she also hosts CMT's Southern Fried Flicks With Hazel Smith and shares her recipes at CMT.com.)

It's been a busy time, so let's begin with a quick look at some of the news that's been taking place in Music Town and elsewhere:

Julianne Hough will return to Dancing With the Stars this season. Her partner is Cody Linley, the 18-year-old actor who played the boyfriend of Hannah Montana on the Disney Channel series. Now that they've acknowledged that they're an item, Julianne and Chuck Wicks have been compared to George Jones and Tammy Wynette or Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. But those singing gals never danced off to Hollywood leaving their guys to go solo.

Tim McGraw is set to host the Music City Jam on March 4 during the Country Radio Seminar at the Nashville Convention Center. Fifteen years ago, Tim McGraw hit the stage at the CRS New Faces Show at the Opryland Hotel and virtually blew the crowd away with his performance of "Don't Take the Girl."

Hillary Scott of Lady Antebellum lost so much luggage while performing 50 shows in 60 days, she has made the decision to start a clothing line and call it Hillary Scott's Stage Wear.

Vince Gill is featured on two tracks on a new album featuring classics by Little Feat, the rock band that was formed during the '70s. Others joining with Little Feat on the project include Dave Matthews, Brooks & Dunn, Brad Paisley, Bob Seger, Jimmy Buffett and Emmylou Harris. Little Feat and Friends: Join the Band was released last week.

The Grundy County Corn Festival in Illinois had to find larger space to accommodate all of Bucky Covington's fans! He recently drew the festival's biggest crowd ever.

The CMA Songwriters Series set to return to Joe's Pub in New York City on Sept. 9 with special guest Josh Turner. Hosted by superwriter, Bob DiPiero, whose credits include Faith Hill's "Take Me As I Am" and George Strait's "Blue Clear Sky," the night will also feature Gary Burr, whose song catalog includes Patty Loveless' "I Try to Think About Elvis" and Ty Herndon's "What Mattered Most." And Sam and Annie Tate will also be there to perform the hits they've written, including Emerson Drive's "Moments" and Rodney Atkins' mega-smash "If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)."

Chesney, Flatts and Swift Releasing Special CDs
The latest star with a deluxe CD package upcoming is Kenny Chesney. A limited edition version of his Lucky Old Sun album will be in stores on Oct. 14. Kenny wanted to have some something extra -- four live tracks recorded in Florida and Massachusetts.

Oct. 28 will be a red letter day for Rascal Flatts fans when the band releases its first greatest hits package. Their initial release will be a limited edition package containing new recordings of three Christmas songs as bonus tracks along with 13 hits such as the biggie, "Bless the Broken Road."

Did you know Taylor Swift too has a limited edition of her forthcoming sophomore CD Fearless? It will be released on Nov. 11, but you can go to her TaylorNation.com Web site to get the information on all the various packages available to fans and to preorder.

Country Stars Honor Bradley Family
The Bradleys -- the first family of country music -- were honored by Leadership Music at Loews Vanderbilt Plaza hotel last week in Nashville. The honorees included the late Owen Bradley, a legendary record producer and head of Decca/MCA Records, and his brother, Harold Bradley, another legend who played guitar on countless country classics and later became president of the Nashville chapter of the musicians union. Both Owen and Harold are members of the Country Music Hall of Fame.

The family legacy continued with Owen's son, Jerry Bradley, who's now retired after a career as a record label and publishing executive, and Owen's daughter, Patsy Bradley, who recently retired after serving as an executive at BMI. Also honored was the beautiful Connie Bradley, Jerry's wife, who is senior vice president of ASCAP and one of the most beloved women on Music Row. Recently, Clay Bradley, son of Jerry, grandson of Owen was named vice president at BMI.

Kenny Chesney, Lee Ann Womack, Ronnie Milsap, Kellie Pickler, Gretchen Wilson and Mandy Barnett were among the stars who turned out to honor the Bradleys with music. More than 500 people attended the event.

They Honored Me!
Speechless! It left me speechless for every bit of a minute when Garth Brooks walked into the Source Foundation awards last week. I was stunned Garth was there, let alone there to praise me. Surrounded by my family -- both sons, daughters-in-law and six grandchildren -- and hoards of friends, I heard a roar from the back of the room as Garth walked in escorted by Charlie Monk. He went onstage to a standing ovation where he told the sold-out room about our friendship. My family is honored that Garth thinks of me as his "other mama."

I think it's really something that Garth flew out from Oklahoma and Bob Richards drove down from Indianapolis, where he's a top executive at WFMS radio. Thanks, guys.

Source is a nonprofit organization of women helping women in the music industry to unify -- women looking after women. The Source awards presentation is an annual event. Reba Hancock (in memoriam), Rose Drake, Helen Farmer , Lucy Coldsnow Smith, Virginia Team were also among this year's honorees.

I was thrilled to see ads in the program from my friends Keith Urban, Ricky and Sharon Skaggs, Brad Paisley, Garth, Bob Doyle, Country Weekly, WFMS, CMT and Kyle Lehning. Flowers came from Fletcher Foster, Allen Brown, Denise Stiff and 100 roses from Bill Lardie. I also received lovely notes and e-mails from Tony Conway and a bevy of others including Kay Smith and all the Source gals. Thanks and God bless each of you for years of friendship, fun and hard work.

A Visit With Jimmy Wayne
In my kitchen recently for CMT's Southern Fried Flicks was cuter-than-ever Jimmy Wayne, whose single, "Do You Believe Me Now," is already at No. 4 on Billboard's country singles chart and just keeps climbing. Nice and kind, the singing boy from Gastonia, N.C., at the foot of the Blue Ridge Mountains, was raised in foster homes. He attended 12 different schools in two years but ended up in Music City where he's on the verge of major stardom.

People magazine calls him sexy, and I won't argue with that. Jimmy's kept a huge diary itemized since he was 12 -- titled From the Pages of Jimmy Wayne. It sounds like a movie, to me.

More News From CMT
During a recent interview with CMT Insider, Kid Rock surmised, "I truly believe people like myself, in a position of entertainers in the limelight should keep their mouth shut on politics." According to the Kid, celeb endorsements can actually hurt politicians.

CMT.com's Craig Shelburne attended the California State Fair in Sacramento to see Jessica Simpson perform. Onstage, he reports, Jessica said, "If you want to date me, you have to allow me to pass gas under the sheets." I'd wager that no female claiming to sing country ever uttered those words in concert.

A Final Word
Kimberly Williams-Paisley's guest appearance on CMT's Southern Fried Flicks With Hazel Smith airs Sunday (Sept. 7) at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. ET. The movie is Lethal Weapon with Mel Gibson and Danny Glover.

See the new Hot Dish recipe of the week: Piña Colada Cake.

General Motor's oldest plant nears shutdown

JANESVILLE, Wis. - As the last SUV rolled off the production line at General Motors' oldest plant here Tuesday, Karen Green promised herself she would keep her emotions in check.

The Janesville plant was built in 1918 for tractor production and converted to a Chevrolet plant in 1923. Green had worked on the assembly line for 14 years.

When plant and union officials began thanking workers for their years of service, however, she couldn't hold back the tears."I was pretty good up until the end. Then I lost it," said Green, 55, of Fort Atkinson. "It was just so somber, so sad."

Green was one of 1,200 employees let go when GM ended production at the southern Wisconsin plant.

Another 800 or so jobs have been lost at local companies that supplied GM parts.

Over the years, workers churned out sedans and SUVs, including Chevrolet Suburbans and GMC Yukons. But demand for big vehicles plummeted during the days of $4 gas this summer and failed to recover as fuel prices came down.

"We gave it a pretty good run for 85 years," said Steve Kriefall, 58, of Janesville. "But these are tough times now, and it's hard to see it come to this."

Kriefall retired from a 25-year career at the plant two years ago, but came back Tuesday for the final day.

The recession and a reluctant to extend credit have further hurt GM and other U.S. automakers. GM's sales have dropped 18 percent, and the company has lost $57.5 billion in the past 18 months.

In response, GM has announced 11,000 U.S. layoffs this year. They include 1,080 workers at a GM plant in Moraine, Ohio, that also closed Tuesday.

About 50 workers will remain at the Janesville plant to complete an order of small- to medium-duty trucks for Isuzu Motors Ltd. They're scheduled to finish by May or June, and then the plant will close for good, GM spokesman Christopher Lee said.

The recent job losses follow years of dwindling employment at the plant, which had 8,000 workers in the early 1990s. Some wonder whether the Janesville area can survive.

"You're already seeing it — lots of people leaving, lots of homes for sale," said Harry Larson, 57, who was an electrician at GM for 25 years. "They'll be looking for work wherever they can find it."

Others are persistently optimistic. Marv Wopat, 61, believes the town can persevere and hopes the automaker will eventually bring a new product to Janesville and its 60,000 residents.

"I believe Janesville will survive because of the community and the quality of people," said Wopat, who retired in July after 40 years with GM. "I believe it will survive, and it will grow, and hopefully it'll grow with GM down the road."

So far, that doesn't seem likely. Even though the White House threw GM and Chrysler LLC a lifeline Friday, offering $17.4 billion in rescue loans, the money isn't likely to trickle down to Janesville.

Before the money was approved, Gov. Jim Doyle had said the Janesville plant would have "no chance" without a bailout, and even with one it would have "a very, very remote chance."

Doyle's spokesman Lee Sensenbrenner said the governor's assessment was unchanged.

"It's still a very remote chance," Sensenbrenner said. "Maybe this keeps the door open a crack, but it's still going to be a difficult journey."

Workers trickled out of the plant in twos and threes after Tuesday's final shift.

Some said they were considering going back to school, but most said weren't sure what the future would hold.

Jeff Schrobel, 50, of Fort Atkinson, said he was considering taking classes toward an engineering degree but wondered whether more schooling would help.

- Learn to play guitar with Jamorama Acoustic!

"Who Else Wants To Discover The Astonishing, Step-By-Step Secrets Of How To Play Acoustic Guitar Like The Eagles, Jack Johnson, Joni Mitchell, Ben Harper, James Taylor, Jewell ... and so on?"

Click here to hear a very special message.

So you want to learn to play the guitar. It can either be a rewarding and satisfying experience or one of the most frustrating and disappointing things you ever do. See if this sounds like you: you played some guitar in the past but gave it up because you just weren't making any progress, or you always wanted to learn to play the guitar but didn't start because you were afraid of choosing the wrong guitar course and wasting a lot of time and money.

I'm here to tell you that Jamorama Acoustic Guitar will work for you, and it's FAST and FUN to use! And here's why.

I designed Jamorama Acoustic Guitar to be the most complete and easy-to-follow method to learn to play guitar available anywhere. Besides being a professional guitarist I am also a trained teacher, and after years of working with students I wrote Jamorama Acoustic Guitar using easy-to-follow video instructions that show you how to play the guitar step by step. These videos take you from being an absolute beginner right through to playing some of the most advanced guitar techniques around! So no matter whether you're just starting or you're improving your guitar playing skills Jamorama Acoustic Guitar is the course for you.

You'll also get my exclusive Acoustic Guitar Jam Tracks to play and practice with, so you don't have to sit around practicing boring, repetitive drills. I believe that it’s really important to get you PLAYING as soon as possible, putting what you are learning to use. Unlike other courses that use computer based music for play-along practice sessions, I brought some of the best professional musicians together and we recorded and produced these quality Jam Tracks so you practice with other musicians - in context. Using my Jam Tracks is like playing with a live band.

Jamorama Acoustic Guitar teaches you how to read guitar "TAB". If you didn't know it, guitar tablature (or TAB) is the way guitar music is written out. I teach you how to read it, so you'll be able to play virtually ANY of the hundreds of thousands of songs available in guitar TAB on the internet.

So what makes Jamorama Acoustic Guitar so good? As a professional musician and a trained teacher I put Jamorama Acoustic Guitar together to get you results. Jamorama Acoustic Guitar is full of video lessons, play along jam tracks and software games to speed your learning. I also teach you to play virtually ANY song by ear. You get REAL SKILLS with Jamorama Acoustic Guitar.

I also believe that there's more to buying a guitar course than video lessons and jam tracks. You want to know that what you're getting is GOOD, and that it WILL WORK. Take a look at everything you get in the Jamorama Acoustic Guitar learning kit, then read the testimonials from some of the 43,000 students I've taught.

I am constantly updating the course to make it even better. I give you LIFETIME membership and free updates. AND I give you all the after sales service and support you need to get started quickly and easily and get the most out of your Jamorama Acoustic Guitar learning experience. It's great to know you can get all the help you need if you have problems somewhere along the way.

Now I understand your caution at spending good money for something you saw advertised over the internet. You might even be concerned because I'm offering SO MUCH for such a small price. The fact is that you're RIGHT. I AM charging too little for Jamorama Acoustic Guitar, and I am planning a price rise in the very near future.

Get Jamorama Acoustic Guitar now, before the price rise. Remember that I offer a 60 day, 100% money-back guarantee. If everything I say isn’t true, then I’ll give you your money back – no questions asked.

I have been teaching people to play guitar online since 2004, and more than 43,000 people just like you have used my unique multimedia course to learn to play guitar fast while having fun in the process. (Read the testimonials!) Keep reading this page to read about everything you get with Jamorama Acoustic Guitar and the FREE BONUSES that come with the course or click here to see everything you get with Jamorama Acoustic Guitar. Find out how YOU can become the awesome guitarist you've always wanted to be!

I look forward to teaching and working with you.

- By Ben Edwards

Double Click the Play Button above to hear Sample Audio One - Acoustic #1

Double Click the Play Button above to hear Sample Audio Two - Acoustic #2

December 1, 2008
From Ben Edwards
Dear Friend

ou are about to discover amazing methods to learn to play guitar and how to play virtually any guitar song you hear. Whether you want learn to play guitar to start a band, perform at clubs, write your own original songs, or just become a great guitarist. No matter what level you are at now (beginner, intermediate or advanced), then you have come to the right place. This information will work for you. I think you'll even impress yourself!

"I would DEFINATELY recommend Jamorama to anyone thinking of learning to play the guitar!" "I've tried a couple of different online self-learn type websites but to be honest none of them even come close to Jamorama! ...I would DEFINATELY recommend Jamorama to anyone thinking of learning to play the guitar." Michael Broyd - Plymouth, UK Click here to play Jim's whole story! "I love the video lessons, the books which are a clear and concise combination of instruction and encouragement, and the ability to learn at my own pace in the privacy of my own home. It’s never too late to learn, and it’s always the right time to grow." Demian Elainé Yumei, "DreamSinger” Click HERE to hear what other students have to say about Jamorama!

There are probably hundreds of songs that you want to learn guitar to play, and most likely you're picked some bad techniques and playing habits along the way.

That's why I've created this Web page. I wrote Jamorama Acoustic Guitar because I was fed up with the quality of the guitar playing books and courses on the market.

It doesn't matter what level you are at now (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), Jamorama Acoustic Guitar is packed full of quality step-by-step lessons, sound files, games and other resources help you learn to play guitar and get YOU results fast!

Originally I spent over a year creating three books (Jamorama Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) which contained step-by-step lessons, including hundreds of sound files. These took people on a journey from beginner to advanced by fast-tracking their guitar playing skill, while covering every aspect of learning to play guitar. But even these books weren't enough, I KNEW I could come up with en even BETTER way to learn to play guitar.

Taking guitar learning to a new level

The original Jamorama received favorable comments from people all over the world, which kept me excited and drove me to continue developing it.

Now, five years later, I have taken Jamorama to a new level. It is now a complete, cutting edge multi-media ACOUSTIC GUITAR learning system. I have integrated 153 step-by-step video lessons and 26 high quality Jam Tracks for you to jam along with! You can turn the guitar track off and jam along with our drummer and bass guitarist or you can leave the guitar track playing and try and keep up!

I can’t emphasize this enough; Jamorama Acoustic Guitar makes learning FUN! As I mentioned before, jamming with a band and playing songs are a FAST and FUN way to learn to play guitar. NO ONE wants to be bogged down with boring theory or drills ALL the time. Don’t get me wrong, drills and theory are important too, and YES… Jamorama Acoustic Guitar offers thorough and comprehensive theory lessons and drills to increase your finger strength and dexterity.

- Learn to play guitar with Jamorama Acoustic!

"Who Else Wants To Discover The Astonishing, Step-By-Step Secrets Of How To Play Acoustic Guitar Like The Eagles, Jack Johnson, Joni Mitchell, Ben Harper, James Taylor, Jewell ... and so on?"

Click here to hear a very special message.

So you want to learn to play the guitar. It can either be a rewarding and satisfying experience or one of the most frustrating and disappointing things you ever do. See if this sounds like you: you played some guitar in the past but gave it up because you just weren't making any progress, or you always wanted to learn to play the guitar but didn't start because you were afraid of choosing the wrong guitar course and wasting a lot of time and money.

I'm here to tell you that Jamorama Acoustic Guitar will work for you, and it's FAST and FUN to use! And here's why.

I designed Jamorama Acoustic Guitar to be the most complete and easy-to-follow method to learn to play guitar available anywhere. Besides being a professional guitarist I am also a trained teacher, and after years of working with students I wrote Jamorama Acoustic Guitar using easy-to-follow video instructions that show you how to play the guitar step by step. These videos take you from being an absolute beginner right through to playing some of the most advanced guitar techniques around! So no matter whether you're just starting or you're improving your guitar playing skills Jamorama Acoustic Guitar is the course for you.

You'll also get my exclusive Acoustic Guitar Jam Tracks to play and practice with, so you don't have to sit around practicing boring, repetitive drills. I believe that it’s really important to get you PLAYING as soon as possible, putting what you are learning to use. Unlike other courses that use computer based music for play-along practice sessions, I brought some of the best professional musicians together and we recorded and produced these quality Jam Tracks so you practice with other musicians - in context. Using my Jam Tracks is like playing with a live band.

Jamorama Acoustic Guitar teaches you how to read guitar "TAB". If you didn't know it, guitar tablature (or TAB) is the way guitar music is written out. I teach you how to read it, so you'll be able to play virtually ANY of the hundreds of thousands of songs available in guitar TAB on the internet.

So what makes Jamorama Acoustic Guitar so good? As a professional musician and a trained teacher I put Jamorama Acoustic Guitar together to get you results. Jamorama Acoustic Guitar is full of video lessons, play along jam tracks and software games to speed your learning. I also teach you to play virtually ANY song by ear. You get REAL SKILLS with Jamorama Acoustic Guitar.

I also believe that there's more to buying a guitar course than video lessons and jam tracks. You want to know that what you're getting is GOOD, and that it WILL WORK. Take a look at everything you get in the Jamorama Acoustic Guitar learning kit, then read the testimonials from some of the 43,000 students I've taught.

I am constantly updating the course to make it even better. I give you LIFETIME membership and free updates. AND I give you all the after sales service and support you need to get started quickly and easily and get the most out of your Jamorama Acoustic Guitar learning experience. It's great to know you can get all the help you need if you have problems somewhere along the way.

Now I understand your caution at spending good money for something you saw advertised over the internet. You might even be concerned because I'm offering SO MUCH for such a small price. The fact is that you're RIGHT. I AM charging too little for Jamorama Acoustic Guitar, and I am planning a price rise in the very near future.

Get Jamorama Acoustic Guitar now, before the price rise. Remember that I offer a 60 day, 100% money-back guarantee. If everything I say isn’t true, then I’ll give you your money back – no questions asked.

I have been teaching people to play guitar online since 2004, and more than 43,000 people just like you have used my unique multimedia course to learn to play guitar fast while having fun in the process. (Read the testimonials!) Keep reading this page to read about everything you get with Jamorama Acoustic Guitar and the FREE BONUSES that come with the course or click here to see everything you get with Jamorama Acoustic Guitar. Find out how YOU can become the awesome guitarist you've always wanted to be!

I look forward to teaching and working with you.

- By Ben Edwards

Double Click the Play Button above to hear Sample Audio One - Acoustic #1

Double Click the Play Button above to hear Sample Audio Two - Acoustic #2

December 1, 2008
From Ben Edwards
Dear Friend

ou are about to discover amazing methods to learn to play guitar and how to play virtually any guitar song you hear. Whether you want learn to play guitar to start a band, perform at clubs, write your own original songs, or just become a great guitarist. No matter what level you are at now (beginner, intermediate or advanced), then you have come to the right place. This information will work for you. I think you'll even impress yourself!

"I would DEFINATELY recommend Jamorama to anyone thinking of learning to play the guitar!" "I've tried a couple of different online self-learn type websites but to be honest none of them even come close to Jamorama! ...I would DEFINATELY recommend Jamorama to anyone thinking of learning to play the guitar." Michael Broyd - Plymouth, UK Click here to play Jim's whole story! "I love the video lessons, the books which are a clear and concise combination of instruction and encouragement, and the ability to learn at my own pace in the privacy of my own home. It’s never too late to learn, and it’s always the right time to grow." Demian Elainé Yumei, "DreamSinger” Click HERE to hear what other students have to say about Jamorama!

There are probably hundreds of songs that you want to learn guitar to play, and most likely you're picked some bad techniques and playing habits along the way.

That's why I've created this Web page. I wrote Jamorama Acoustic Guitar because I was fed up with the quality of the guitar playing books and courses on the market.

It doesn't matter what level you are at now (beginner, intermediate, or advanced), Jamorama Acoustic Guitar is packed full of quality step-by-step lessons, sound files, games and other resources help you learn to play guitar and get YOU results fast!

Originally I spent over a year creating three books (Jamorama Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced) which contained step-by-step lessons, including hundreds of sound files. These took people on a journey from beginner to advanced by fast-tracking their guitar playing skill, while covering every aspect of learning to play guitar. But even these books weren't enough, I KNEW I could come up with en even BETTER way to learn to play guitar.

Taking guitar learning to a new level

The original Jamorama received favorable comments from people all over the world, which kept me excited and drove me to continue developing it.

Now, five years later, I have taken Jamorama to a new level. It is now a complete, cutting edge multi-media ACOUSTIC GUITAR learning system. I have integrated 153 step-by-step video lessons and 26 high quality Jam Tracks for you to jam along with! You can turn the guitar track off and jam along with our drummer and bass guitarist or you can leave the guitar track playing and try and keep up!

I can’t emphasize this enough; Jamorama Acoustic Guitar makes learning FUN! As I mentioned before, jamming with a band and playing songs are a FAST and FUN way to learn to play guitar. NO ONE wants to be bogged down with boring theory or drills ALL the time. Don’t get me wrong, drills and theory are important too, and YES… Jamorama Acoustic Guitar offers thorough and comprehensive theory lessons and drills to increase your finger strength and dexterity.

American Idol Advantage

May 14, 2008

If you have always had the dream of being the next American Idol and would love an opportunity to broadcast your talents on the show, then you have come to the right place for that information. In case you didn’t know, some of these American Idol contestants were just regular people, with regular jobs like Mr. Chris Daughtry who worked as a service clerk, but onstage his singing talent spills out and he has such emotion and passion. Mr. Rueben Studdard work at a department store and when he sings, its like hearing a young Luthur Vandross. These two guys are my favorite American Idol contestants and winners, (Chris should have won). Isn’t it amazing that these Idols are just like you and me? The only difference is that they were given the opportunity to showcase their talent and I would like to share with you a great source that could give you that opportunity to be the next American Idol contestant OR winner.

You Can Make it Past the First Round of the Auditions with 4 Simple Techniques! Really, there are 4 simple techniques that will get you through the first auditions and straight on the show. The American Idol Advantage:

The first is tip #1: Understand How The Early Auditions Work. You need to know exactly what the show is really about before you get there to audition.

Tip #2: Realize That The Initial American Idol Auditions Are Not Really About “Talent.” Truth is, talent and star quality are a dime a dozen in the tryout phase of the show. Everyone who has any singing skills at all (and even those that don’t) show up and tryout.

Tip #3: You Have To Win The Judges Over. All you have to do is satisfy something that the judges are looking for in a performer

And finally, Tip#4: You must prepare to win the judges over. After you really understand Tip # 3 you need to take that thought 1 step further and begin to formulate a game plan to win the judges over.

There is no other way to explain it, you need to do your homework if you’re going to make it past the very first auditions. This book, is in all, specializes in audition training and preparation. I am not saying that you will definitely win American Idol BUT it is quite easy to audition and make it past the first round and get selected for the show. I know that we all have hidden talents and have those dreams of becoming a star and catch ourselves singing and performing in front of the mirror. We have all asked the famous question, “What if?” We have our passions, dreams and most definitely, our doubts. We all have allowed fear to invade our dreams and lives. So, take a look at the past Idols and realize that if they can do it, so can you. Never, ever give up on your dreams. Never believe that you aren’t good enough, basically, never give up! Don’t wait another minute to make YOU happy. Unleash your talents to America, full fill your passion. Life rewards action. Start believing in yourself and show America that you are the next American Idol!

T.I., Jonas Brothers, Katy Perry Share Their Favorite Albums And Songs Of 2008 Paramore, Ne-Yo, Fall Out Boy and other artists also weigh in.

Why should bloggers, magazine publishers and a-hole rock critics have all the fun?

With year-end madness sweeping the nation, best-album and best-song lists are everywhere, but more often than not, we don't get to hear from the men and women who are on those lists: the artists themselves.

So MTV News decided to ask some of your favorite musicians — plus a celeb blogger whose tastemaking abilities have grown to legendary status and one rather prominent radio/TV personality — to name their favorite albums and songs of 2008. Some of them submitted simple lists, others felt the need to explain their picks, but all of them provide a rather fascinating glimpse at just what the people you were listening to were listening to themselves.

T.I.
"I enjoyed Kanye's album, even though that's not really a rap album, but I still enjoyed it. It's different. Of course Wayne's album. The Jeezy album. I really like that record he did, 'Crazy World.' I like the new Coldplay record. ... Maroon 5, that whole project. Oh, and Estelle's Shine. I like that album a lot."

Nick Jonas, the Jonas Brothers
"We're all big fans of Coldplay, and their Viva la Vida is a great record. We got to meet Chris Martin recently, and it was amazing. Also, Adele. She's nominated for a Grammy against us, but she's incredible too."

Katy Perry
"My favorite album of 2008 would have to be Estelle's Shine. She's one of my favorite artists. Yelle is probably my favorite artist this year. She's French, and it's kind of a bit avant-garde, but it's fun. I loved the Lenka album too. Oh, and the John Legend album! Oh, so good! My favorite song of this year ... I like that 'Come Over' song Estelle did with Sean Paul."

Hayley Williams, Paramore
"There was a song on the new H₂0 record, called Nothing to Prove, and the song is called 'Disconnected' — though that might just be the chorus [Editor's note: The song is called 'Static'] — and it really got me through a lot of hard times and gave me energy and confidence. I love that song, and I love that whole record."

Jeremy Davis, Paramore
"My favorite was The Alchemy Index by Thrice. They came out with basically four different EPs, and they're all amazing. Some of my favorite records of all time, to be honest."

Ne-Yo
"I don't think you can mention the year 2008 without mentioning Wayne. He had a fantastic year, and the cool thing is, Wayne has been dope for a really, really long time, and people are just starting to notice it. I knew Wayne was dope since the Hot Boyz. He's been dope for a really long time, and it's cool to see him getting the recognition he deserves. T-Pain had a fantastic year. Jazmine Sullivan, newcomer to the game, did really big things this year. Katy Perry, another newcomer to the game, did really big things this year. There was a lot of really good music this year."

Perez Hilton
"There's so many [albums] that were so good. I can't pick just one. I loved the Ting Tings; they're amazing. I love Katy Perry's album. I love Lady Gaga. You know what? I rag on her a bunch, but I think Beyoncé delivered a vey solid album. I liked the combo this year of 'Closer' and 'Forever' by Ne-Yo and Chris Brown. They're like sister songs. I listened to one, then jammed out to the other. 'Single Ladies,' that was a good one. I made a video to that one. I did the dance moves and everything. It was pretty fab."

Pete Wentz, Fall Out Boy
» Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III: "How could you deny a rapper that eats other rappers and stays so thin?"

» Ashlee Simpson, "Boys": "What can I say? I'm her biggest fan. This should've been a smash in gay clubs."

» Conor Oberst, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band: "If Kanye's the voice of our generation, then Conor is the wordsmith."

»MGMT, "Time to Pretend": "I could see a painting of this song in my head."

Patrick Stump, Fall Out Boy
» Nadia Oh, "Hot Like Wow": "I heard this record in some fancy clothing store. I don't know anything about Nadia Oh, but the guy who produced all these tracks is some French house DJ who's absolutely amazing."

» Janelle Monae, Metropolis: The Chase Suite: "I've been a supporter of Janelle Monae's for a while. I first heard her on that Got Purp? compilation that Big Boi put out. Thus far she's been relegated to a sort of side-guest position, but she's finally come into her own with one of the riskiest, ballsiest R&B records I've ever heard. She's like if Prince and Andre 3000 were one woman."

» Kanye West, 808s & Heartbreak: " 'Paranoid' is one of my favorite songs this year. Just really good pop music with great chord changes and an awesome melody."

» Gojira, The Way of All Flesh: "I don't usually like metal. It's just not my speed. But every so often a metal record comes out that's so perfect and delivers exactly what I would want out of the genre. This record totally does that and more."

Brandon Flowers, the Killers
"The album that sticks out to me is Wire to Wire by Razorlight — and Viva la Vida by Coldplay, because they really were adventurous and kind of threw us for a loop, which is always nice, and they've still got the songs to back it up. And Wire to Wire, there are so many good songs on that record, and they've really developed into men, which is awesome."

Lady Gaga
"I'm a huge fan of Kanye West's record. ... When he first came out this year with 'Love Lockdown,' I wasn't really sure, and I listened to it and said, 'Gosh, he's really going in a different direction.' But it's very kind of Phil Collins futuristic, and the deeper and deeper I got into the album, the more brilliant I thought it was. 'Coldest Winter' — I cried for hours when I heard that song. I've been listening to it on repeat. I really, really love Crystal Castles. Grace Jones, 'Corporate Cannibal.' Katy Perry, 'I Kissed a Girl' — who doesn't love that song?"

Jesse McCartney
"One of my favorite records is the new John Legend album. It's funny, because we were simultaneously recording our albums at the same time earlier this year, so I heard a lot of the songs he was putting together way back. I love Lady Gaga. I think she's got her own thing going on. I think she's bringing that Euro techno vibe to the U.S. I love Adele. I love her 'Chasing Pavements' song."

Ryan Seacrest
"One of my favorite songs is 'Hot N Cold.' I love it. It's tough to have a second #1, but Katy did it. I like Akon's new song too. Favorite artist of '08? Rihanna. She's going to be around for a long time now. Favorite album? Coldplay's Viva la Vida."

Akon
"Favorite song of 2008? I haven't had the chance to listen to anything but my stuff ... so, um, 'Right Now.' Favorite Album? Freedom. In stores right now. Go get it. Artist? T-Pain. And Lady Gaga. She's like an underground phenomenon. She's real cool."

Gregg Gillis, Girl Talk
» Maino, "Hi Hater": "This beat, sampled from Jimmy Spicer's 'Money (Dollar Bills Y'all),' is refreshing and fun. I'm into Maino's playful but threatening style."

» Grand Buffet, "Cream Cheese Money": "I've known these guys since I was 16. I've always been a huge fan. They are one of my favorite live acts. This is the single from their latest album, King Vision. They exist in their own musical world."

» M.I.A., "Paper Planes": "This album came out in 2007, but this song erupted after being on the preview for 'Pineapple Express.' I'm happy to see her get a full-blown hit. Diplo's beat, focused around the Clash sample, is undeniable."

» Lil Wayne, "A Milli": "Tha Carter III has been talked about so much. What else can I say? I was surprised and pumped to hear this on the radio. The beat is so minimal, and there's no real chorus. It's just Wayne getting crazy with it."

» Of Montreal, "Nonpareil of Favor": "The first time I popped this album in my car, I couldn't get past this opening track. I listened to it about five times in a row. It's confusing and surprising in the best way. It kicks in as an upbeat electronic dance track and evolves into a dark repetitive rocker."

» Beyoncé, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)": "She killed it with this one. The beat has insane energy, and Beyoncé keeps up perfectly. The synth part for the chorus is so intense. The stutter segments at the very end are a nice touch."

» E-40 (featuring Lil Jon), "Turf Drop": "This jam is wildly energetic. The slightly distorted kick drum keeps it heavy. E-40 is at home with this uptempo style."

Massa: Wage cuts not the answer

Felipe Massa has rejected calls for Formula One teams to slash the wages of their drivers in a bid to reduce costs.

The Ferrari driver earns an annual salary believed to be in the region of around £8million, while his Scuderia team-mate Kimi Raikkonen reputedly earns at least three times that sum.

Ferrari team boss Stefano Domenicali recently floated the idea of teams reducing driver earnings in a bid to cut expenditure in a sport that has been acutely affected by the global economic downturn, and has already lost one of its prime movers with the withdrawal of Honda earlier this month.

However, Domenicali's views are not shared by Massa, who finished as runner-up to Lewis Hamilton in this year's drivers' championship.

"I'm not inclined to it," Massa said when quizzed about the plan at a UNICEF press conference in his native Brazil.

"In a competitive sport like this, the driver plays a fundamental part, and the cost of the drivers are small compared to the total budget of the teams. The more people work to reduce costs, the better it is going to be for everybody."

Another idea which had gained momentum in recent weeks was to introduce a standardised engine in an effort to drive down the annual running costs of top teams, which in 2008 was on average around the £300million mark.

The standardised engine idea was watered down recently when the major manufacturers agreed to run with restricted power units from 2010 rather than with engines from an independent supplier, a move welcomed by Massa.

"I do not find this idea interesting," Massa said of the attempts to enforce a standard engine.

"The fight to diminish costs is important, but a standard engine gets away from what F1 is all about - and it cannot happen.

"A Ferrari running with another engine - that is not a Ferrari. It is the same for Mercedes, Toyota or Renault."

Rookies And Breakouts Of 2008 -- From Taylor Swift To Robert Pattinson -- Proved Pop Culture Belongs To Teens Again

These young stars ruled 2008 and don't plan on slowing down in the year to come.

By Jocelyn Vena

Views	4,350

This year we got to know a lot of new faces. We got to meet some teen queens, a brother boy band who aren't named Hanson, German pop-rock stars and a pair of love-struck teens whose star-crossed love affair made teen girls everywhere want to fall in love with a vampire. We have this group of young people to thank for making 2008 the year that pop music and culture became teen-driven again.

Taylor Swift
Taylor Swift proved to everyone she was "fearless" in 2008. Between battling her ex-boyfriend, Joe Jonas, on the pages of gossip Web sites and getting nominated for a slew of awards, including a VMA, Swift told MTV News, "To me fearless doesn't mean you are completely unafraid. It means you have a lot of fears, but you jump anyway."

Miranda Cosgrove
If Miley Cyrus rules Disney, then Miranda Cosgrove is the queen of all things Nickelodeon. Starring in "iCarly," Miranda sings and vlogs as her onscreen alter ego. This year, the TV movie version of the show was a hit with fans, and even scored more ratings than the Jonas Brothers' juggernaut "Camp Rock." And don't expect Miranda to rest on her laurels in 2009: She's already hard at work on an album, some of which she helped write, that's due sometime next year.

Selena Gomez
She kicked off the year with her TV show, "Wizards of Waverly Place," only to find herself pitted against Miley Cyrus, starring in a Jonas Brothers music video and accidentally leaking news that there's a "Wizards" movie in the works. She also became a member of the Jonas Brothers girlfriends club when she reportedly began dating Nick over the summer.

Jonas Brothers
Nick, Joe and Kevin make girls swoon everywhere they go. They were "Burnin' Up" the music charts, the Disney channel, the VMAs and the loins of their rabid teen base all year long. They have a TV show and some movies, including their foray into 3-D cinema, in the works for 2009, so they may have broken out in 2008 but they'll soon be ranking as MVPs.

Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson
This year Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson solidified themselves as Hollywood players. Starring as Bella and Edward in the amazingly popular "Twilight," they won the hearts of teenage girls everywhere, whose fanaticism and support of the movie made it a surefire hit. They are already lined up to work on its sequel, "New Moon," so you know these two are ready to rule the 2009 box office as well.

Demi Lovato
Early this year, Demi Lovato found herself working alongside the Jonas Brothers in "Camp Rock." She quickly scaled the Disney ranks, where she toured with the JoBros, denied she had any feud with supposed rival Miley Cyrus and released her album "Don't Forget," which debuted at #2 on the charts. She's got a TV show, "Sonny with a Chance," in the works, and we're thinking that Demi has proven she's worth her weight in mouse ears.

Tokio Hotel
A group of German teenagers, whose lead singer defies gravity thanks to his hairstyle choice, quickly won the hearts of teens throughout the world, including the United States. They won a VMA, got waxed and shared their piercings and tats with MTV News. They're already hard at work on the follow-up album to their much loved "Scream," despite their fears that their English just isn't up to par.

Plies
After telling MTV News, "I had to lose something to get where I am today," it must have been a good feeling to have his album "Definition of Real" debut at #2 on the charts. He also put out some tracks that saw him collaborating with everyone from Ne-Yo to Jamie Foxx to Keyshia Cole. He explained, "I wanted to try something differently than I did on my last album." Mission accomplished.

"HSM3" New Class
Justin Martin and Jemma McKenzie-Brown are hoping to pick up where Zac, Vanessa, Corbin and Ashley left off. Describing themselves as a "breath of fresh air" to the franchise, and with rumors of a fourth "High School Musical" in the works, there's definitely the possibility that these two young'uns have what it takes to sing and dance their way into the hearts of teens everywhere.

Who do you think were the hottest rookies and breakout artists of 2008? Sound off below!

Rossi rounds out world championship season with 16th podium

with 16th podium

Valentino Rossi brought the curtain down on a spectacular season with a third place in Valencia today, his 16th podium from 18 races in a year which saw him win his eighth world title. The 29-year-old Italian has taken nine wins, five seconds and two thirds this year, surpassing the all-time premier class win record and the record for the most points in a season in the process.
His outstanding performances this season also helped the Fiat Yamaha Team to secure the Teams’ title and Yamaha the Manufacturers’ title.

Rossi had struggled to find a good set-up for his M1 during yesterday’s qualifying and he started from 10th on the grid. However some last-minute changes paid dividends and he was able to get a good start, climbing to seventh in the first lap and then making a characteristic charge through the field to move into third on lap six. Unfortunately from then on he was unable to make a dent in the gap to second-placed Dani Pedrosa and he had to settle for the final podium position, 12 seconds off winner Casey Stoner.

His Fiat Yamaha team-mate Jorge Lorenzo secured the Rookie of the Year title with eighth place today, rounding off an eventful but impressive season for the 21-year-old. Both riders will be in action tomorrow as work for the 2009 season gets underway immediately with a two-day test at Valencia.

Valentino Rossi - Position: 3rd Time: +12.194
“I don’t think that was so bad today! Unfortunately we had some problems yesterday and that meant we had to start from the fourth row, which left us with a very difficult task. As always though we found a way and my team gave me a good bike, which meant I was able to get a great start and then have some fun passing people. Once I got to third there was no way to catch Dani and so it wasn’t such an exciting race from then on. This has been an amazing season for us and to finish with another podium, the 16th, is great and we cannot complain. I am so happy with what we have done this year, as I said it’s definitely one of my greatest championships and I want to thank everyone once again – Yamaha, my team, the engineers, Bridgestone and everyone who helped us to get this result. Tomorrow we will try the new bike which means we can’t have as big a party as we would like, but it is important to try to find a base for it so I am looking forward to it.”

Davide Brivio - Team Manager
“I think it would have been difficult to have done more than this today, because we were starting from the fourth row and the setting still wasn’t perfect. Anyway it was a great end to the season and we scored another podium, making 16 in total, nine of the them wins. We have the triple crown and this all makes it a fantastic season. Thank you very much to Valentino first of all and then all the engineers in Japan, who have worked so hard, and to all the team members for this huge effort. Luckily we had a big party in Japan because tomorrow we start to think about 2009 and start to test, and it’s going to be important to make the most of it and to give good information to the engineers about the new bike. But we will still have some celebrations tonight so let’s all enjoy ourselves! Thanks again to everybody, it’s been a wonderful season.”

Lorenzo secures Rookie Of The Year at season finale

Fiat Yamaha Team rider Jorge Lorenzo took a deserved Rookie of the Year title by finishing eighth at Valencia today, his fourth position in the championship the highest finish for a premier-class newcomer since the advent of four-stroke MotoGP. The Spaniard’s first season in MotoGP has seen him win a race and take a further five podiums and four pole positions, helping Yamaha to secure the Team and Manufacturers’ titles to add to his team-mate Valentino Rossi’s World Championship.

After struggling for grip yesterday Lorenzo started from seventh on the grid and things got worse as the race got underway. He was unable to find a rhythm and slipped to11th until mid-race distance. From then on he began to improve and he was able to make up three places, finishing strongly to set the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.

The team gets straight back to work tomorrow with the very first test of the 2009 season, during which Lorenzo will have his first chance to try the new prototype 2009 YZR-M1.

Jorge Lorenzo Jorge Lorenzo - Position: 8th Time: +35.661 “I feel a bit disappointed with this result today because I really wanted to finish the season with a podium, but in the end we couldn’t manage it here. We had some problems though so I have to be happy that I was able to finish the race strongly, passing people and doing my best lap of the race on the last lap, especially when you consider that yesterday in qualifying I was the slowest on race tyres! The best thing about today is that I am the leading rookie, so I get a trophy all the same and this makes me very proud of my first season in MotoGP with Yamaha. I want to thank all of my team, engineers and everyone who has helped us. I also have to say a special thank you to Michelin for their work this season because this is our last race with them. I am very proud that I was able to win my first MotoGP race with them. Tomorrow we begin straight away to work on the 2009 bike and I am very excited to try it.” Daniele Romagnoli - Team Manager “We expected to finish in a better position for this last race, but unfortunately the problem we had in qualifying persisted, although we were able to improve it somewhat from yesterday. Jorge was able to keep a good pace during the second half of the race and he was able to finish strongly and make his best lap on the very last lap. This has been a fantastic year for us because we were able to make four pole positions, win a race and take five more podiums, helping Yamaha to win the triple crown, and Jorge is the year’s leading rookie. I want to thank Yamaha very much for the huge effort they made in order to give us such a competitive machine, and I also want to thank Michelin for their support – we wish them all the best for the future. Finally thanks to everyone in our team for doing a fantastic job all year and we look forward to coming back even stronger next year.” Fantastic finale for Tech 3 Yamaha in Valencia claimed a superb fourth place in the Team World Championship standings in today’s Valencia MotoGP race. The 15-point haul collected by Edwards and Toseland in today’s 30-lap battle saw the Tech 3 squad seize fourth position by a single point from Suzuki’s official factory team, ending the 18-round campaign as the highest placed independent team. American Edwards played a starring role in the success, his superb start from the second row of the grid giving him the perfect platform to mount a bid for his first top six finish since he took third in Assen back in June. Edwards quickly claimed third from Nicky Hayden on the first lap to settle in behind Casey Stoner and Dani Pedrosa. But with minimal dry set-up time after another weather-hit weekend, Edwards quickly encountered some rear grip issues to find himself back in sixth on lap six. He quickly adapted to the decreasing grip and crucially began to pull away from Suzuki’s Loris Capirossi, maintaining a constant pace to the end. Toseland also played a critical role in today’s fantastic finale as he closed his rookie campaign with a hard fought 11th position. The British rider shadowed fellow Yamaha rider Jorge Lorenzo for the opening fifteen laps in a close dice for 11th place, twice passing the Spaniard momentarily. Toseland also ran into grip issues in the closing stages, but he rode a brilliant final three laps to fend off Sylvain Guintoli, John Hopkins and Chris Vermeulen.

Colin Edwards Colin Edwards - Position: 6th Time: +32.209 “It has been a while since I finished in the top six and for this result to help the team finish fourth in the Team World Championship makes it extra rewarding. I’m pleased for Herve Poncharal and the team because they deserve it. We had a couple of races where we gave a lot of points away, but for an independent team we have done a fantastic job together and it was a year to remember. I got a great start and rode around the outside of Nicky at the first corner to slot in behind Casey and Dani. I actually felt pretty comfortable at that point. Nicky passed me though down the front straight and I started to spin the rear tyre a bit just as the other guys started to get into the groove. The next thing I know, everybody was disappearing up the road and there was nothing I could do. With so little dry track time we gambled with the setting and I ran a softer tyre and at the end I was having a few problems. My bike felt great but I just didn’t have a lot of grip and this isn’t the best track for Yamaha. We don’t have the initial raw grunt that you need on a tight and twisty track like this with a lot of low speed acceleration points. I’d like to thank all my guys for their hard work throughout the season and to Yamaha for their continued support. Finally I’d like to say a big thanks to Michelin. I had the greatest moments of my career with them and I’ve enjoyed our time together. I’m looking forward to a bit of a break now before coming back in Jerez next month to begin working as hard as ever for 2009.”

	Jamea Toseland

James Toseland - Position: 11th Time: +52.107
“It was a hard race to finish a pretty hard season and while it wasn’t how I wanted to finish on a personal note, it was great that I contributed to the team getting fourth by a point. I’m glad I managed to hang on at the end there because I was coming under a lot of pressure. In the first half of the race I was probably a bit quicker than Jorge but I just couldn’t make a pass on him stick. I got him a couple of times but I made mistakes and let him back through. One time I put my hand in the air to apologise for a close move going into the first corner, and as I put my hand back for the second corner I missed my braking marker. So I’m annoyed with myself about that. I was in a real fight at the end and I was just struggling for a bit of grip. We tried quite a big change on the set-up and it worked well for the first half of the race, but towards the end I had to ride a bit defensive and make sure I didn’t lose too many places. The team deserve to be fourth in the championship this year and I was determined to help them achieve it. Tech 3 and Yamaha have given me unbelievable support in my rookie year and I was pleased to battle right to the last lap to get that result for them. I have learned a lot in 2008, and I’m looking forward to working hard in the winter and making a big impression next season.”

Herve Poncharal – Team Manager
“It was a fantastic way for us to end the season and I really want to thank Colin and James for their effort. It was a tough weekend with the weather conditions but it was very important to end on a positive note and we were reasonably confident when both of them qualified on the second row. Colin made a great start and he did a good race, keeping a really good rhythm. In the first half of the race, James looked even a little bit quicker than Jorge but he couldn’t quite pass him. He pushed really hard throughout even though he didn’t have 100 per cent confidence, but it was a strong result and by hanging on at the end under a lot of pressure he helped us get fourth in the Team Championship and we beat two full factory teams. That was our target before this weekend and we achieved it. I’d like to congratulate Yamaha again for an incredible season. They gave us a great bike in 2008 and I’d also like to say a big thanks to Michelin for their support. Thanks to them and Yamaha we had one pole position and two podium finishes. We will miss Michelin but we now must look forward to a new era. Everyone at Tech 3 is now looking forward to a quick break and we will be back raring to start our 2009 preparations in Jerez at the end of November.”

Christiano ronaldo

We Do Not Ask Permission from Israel
The Free Gaza Movement is sending the Dignity on its fifth mission to Gaza with envoys on board from civil society organizations in Qatar. The boat also carries journalists, human rights observers, and Palestinians who want to return home and have been prevented from doing so by the Israeli occupation.

On the eve of this voyage, the Free Gaza Movement would like to correct a few of the statements made by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in a December 11 interview with Al-Sharq al-Awsat newspaper. In that interview, Abbas suggesting that our efforts are coordinated with the Israelis - that the Israelis check the passports of the passengers aboard our ship and officials from the Israeli Embassy in Larnaca, Cyprus, check our boat before we leave the port.

And as a result of this interference, President Abbas stated that ours is a "silly game" and that we are not really breaking the siege.

We do not coordinate any of our actions with the Israelis. Israel has grossly abused its authority as an occupying power by collectively punishing the people of Gaza and denying them basic human rights. As such, we neither seek Israel's permission, nor submit to their searches, to assert the right of the Palestinian people to have access to the outside world, which includes the right to invite and welcome us to Gaza.

So, why do we get in, while other efforts are stopped by the Israeli authorities? Because we remove the "security" pretext with which Israel tries to justify its brutal actions and inhumane policies towards the Palestinian people. Amongst other things, we publicize our passenger list; we depart from Cyprus, a neutral European country; and we submit to a search by the Cypriot Port Authorities to verify that we are not carrying anything that can be considered a threat to Israel's security. We sail from Cyprus waters, into international waters, directly into Gaza's territorial waters, without entering Israeli waters. Israel realizes that it cannot stop us without using force against us, because we will not be turned around easily.

President Abbas' statement that we coordinate with the Israelis was misinformed. However, Abbas was correct when he said that we are not really breaking the siege on Gaza. Our boats cannot break the siege alone. Our hope is that we have started something that others can build on. We have shown that the concerted efforts of ordinary civilians working together in the name of justice can confront and successfully challenge Israel's brutal policies and hope we have inspired other people to break their silence over Israel's war crimes in the Gaza Strip and throughout the occupied Palestinian territory. From the continued and accelerated Judaization of Jerusalem and the rabid violence of the settler movement, to the vicious racism of Israeli politicians, Israel is committing massive violations against the people Gaza and Palestine as a whole. The world must stand up to this.

The Free Gaza Movement will continue to send boats to Gaza to challenge Israel's imprisonment of 1.5 million Palestinians, and we will continue to work for freedom and justice for all of the Palestinian people. We do not need Israel's permission and we will never ask for it. We do need President Abbas, the Arab world, and the entire international community to join us.

Shoes Thrown at President Bush in Iraq

BAGHDAD - On a whirlwind trip shrouded in secrecy and marred by dissent, President George W. Bush on Sunday hailed progress in the wars that define his presidency and got a size-10 reminder of his unpopularity when a man hurled two shoes at him during a news conference in Iraq.

"This is a farewell kiss, you dog!" shouted the protester in Arabic, later identified as Muntadar al-Zeidi, a correspondent for Al-Baghdadia television, an Iraqi-owned station based in Cairo, Egypt.

Bush ducked both shoes as they whizzed past his head and landed with a thud against the wall behind him.

"It was a size 10," Bush joked later.

The U.S. president visited the Iraqi capital just 37 days before he hands the war off to his successor, Barack Obama, who has pledged to end it. The president wanted to highlight a drop in violence in a nation still riven by ethnic strife and to celebrate a recent U.S.-Iraq security agreement, which calls for U.S. troops to withdraw from Iraq by the end of 2011.

"The war is not over," Bush said, adding that "it is decisively on it's way to being won."

Afghanistan visit
Bush then flew to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan for a rally with U.S. and foreign troops.

In many ways, the unannounced trip was a victory lap without a clear victory. Nearly 150,000 U.S. troops remain in Iraq fighting a war that is intensely disliked across the globe. More than 4,209 members of the U.S. military have died in the conflict, which has cost U.S. taxpayers $576 billion since it began five years and nine months ago.There are about 31,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan now, and commanders have called for up to 20,000 more. The need is especially great in southern Afghanistan, long a stronghold of the Taliban and the place where recent spikes in violence have proven the insurgency capable of reasserting itself.

Polls show most Americans believe the U.S. erred in invading Iraq in 2003. Bush ordered the nation into war against Saddam Hussein's Iraq while citing intelligence claiming the Mideast nation harbored weapons of mass destruction. The weapons were never found, the intelligence was discredited, Bush's credibility with U.S. voters plummeted and Saddam was captured and executed.

"There is still more work to be done," Bush said after his meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

President was about 20 feet away
It was at that point the journalist stood up and threw a shoe from about 20 feet away. Bush ducked, and it narrowly missed his head. The second shoe came quickly, and Bush ducked again while several Iraqis grabbed the man and dragged him to the floor.

In Iraqi culture, throwing shoes at someone is a sign of contempt. Iraqis whacked a statue of Saddam with their shoes after U.S. marines toppled it to the ground following the 2003 invasion.

White House press secretary Dana Perino suffered an eye injury in the news conference melee; NBC News reported she was hit in the face with a microphone. Bush brushed off the incident, comparing it to political protests at home.

"So what if a guy threw his shoe at me?" he said.

socks 5

Examples

SS5 has many features, so the following examples can be useful in order to configure the socks server:

Example 1

Enable authentication using PAM for all ip address, and permit SSH access to 172.30/16 network only to users into CN=LOGON,CN=Users,DC=it directory group.

Also enable authentication cache with expire time set to 600 seconds.

set SS5_PAM_AUTH
set SS5_AUTHCACHEAGE 600

ldap_profile_ip x.y.w.z
ldap_profile_port 389
ldap_profile_base DC=it
ldap_profile_filter cn
ldap_profile_attribute MemberOf
ldap_profile_dn CN=user1,CN=Users,DC=it
ldap_profile_pass xxxxxx

auth 0.0.0.0/0 - u

permit u 0.0.0.0/0 - 172.30.0.0/16 22 - CN=LOGON,CN=Users,DC=it -

Example 2

Bind ss5 on a privileged port (lower than 1024):

ss5 -u root -b 0.0.0.0:1020

Example 3, a case study

In the following case, ss5 works with:

1. PAM authentication using pam_winbind.so
2. Directory authorization with multiple userstore (Active Directory)
3. Authentication cache enable
4. Authorization cache enable
5. Netbios domain support
6. Proxy upstream through other socks server
7. Traffic dump to file

auth 0.0.0.0/0 - u

# Enable PAM authentication
set SS5_PAM_AUTH

# Set session timeout
set SS5_STIMEOUT 3600

# Enable Cache for authentication for 600 seconds
# set SS5_AUTHCACHEAGE 600

# Enable Cache for authorization for 600 seconds
# set SS5_AUTHOCACHEAGE 600

# Enable directory authorization with filter mode
set SS5_LDAP_FILTER

# Enable netbios domain mapping with directory
( socks username in the form: domainA\user1 )
set SS5_NETBIOS_DOMAIN

# Dump traffic data to file for connections through an Oracle db server
dump 182.10.10.20/32 1521 1

# Upstream proxy for 162.10.10.0 network
proxy 162.10.10.0/24 - 10.10.10.20 1080 -

# Permit http access to user who belong to WEB group into Active Directory
#Auth SHost SPort DHost DPort Fixup Group Band
permit u 0.0.0.0/0 - 182.10.0.0/16 80 - CN=WEB,CN=Users,DC=subDomainA,DC=DomainA,DC=it -
permit u 0.0.0.0/0 - 182.10.0.0/16 80 - CN=WEB,CN=Users,DC=subDomainB,DC=DomainB,DC=it -

# Netbios domain (in case of MSdomainA\userA)
ldap_profile_ip 162.10.20.1
ldap_profile_port 389
ldap_profile_base DC=subDomainA,DC=DomainA,DC=it
ldap_profile_filter cn
ldap_profile_attribute MemberOf
ldap_profile_dn CN=userReader,cn=Users,DC=subDomainA,DC=DomainA,DC=it
ldap_profile_pass password
ldap_netbios_domain MSDomainA

# Netbios domain (in case of MSdomainB\userB)
ldap_profile_ip 162.10.30.1
ldap_profile_port 389
ldap_profile_base DC=subDomainB,DC=DomainB,DC=it
ldap_profile_filter cn
ldap_profile_attribute MemberOf
ldap_profile_dn CN=userReader,cn=Users,DC=subDomainB,DC=DomainB,DC=it
ldap_profile_pass password
ldap_netbios_domain MSdomainB

SOCKS

SOCKS is an Internet protocol that allows client-server applications to transparently use the services of a network firewall. SOCKS is an abbreviation for "sockets", a reference to the Berkeley socket interface.

Clients behind a firewall, needing to access exterior servers, may connect to a SOCKS proxy server instead. Such a proxy server controls the eligibility of the client to access the external server and passes the request on to the server. SOCKS can also be used in the opposite way, allowing the clients outside the firewall ("exterior clients") to connect to servers inside the firewall (internal servers).

The protocol was originally developed by David Koblas, a system administrator of MIPS Computer Systems. After MIPS was taken over by Silicon Graphics in 1992, Koblas presented a paper on SOCKS at that year's Usenix Security Symposium and SOCKS became publicly available. The protocol was extended to version 4 by Ying-Da Lee of NEC.

The SOCKS reference architecture and client are owned by Permeo Technologies.^[3] (Note that Permeo Technologies has been bought out by Blue Coat Systems a spin-off from NEC.)

SOCKS performs at Layer 5 of the OSI model - the Session Layer (an intermediate layer between the presentation layer and the transport layer).

SOCKS 4 protocol

A typical SOCKS 4 connection request looks like this (each number is one byte):

Client to SOCKS Server:

• field 1: SOCKS version number, 1 byte, must be 0x04 for this version
• field 2: command code, 1 byte:
  • 0x01 = establish a TCP/IP stream connection
  • 0x02 = establish a TCP/IP port binding
• field 3: network byte order port number, 2 bytes
• field 4: network byte order IP address, 4 bytes
• field 5: the user ID string, variable length, terminated with a null (0x00)

Server to SOCKS client:

• field 1: null byte
• field 2: status, 1 byte:
  • 0x5a = request granted
  • 0x5b = request rejected or failed
  • 0x5c = request failed because client is not running identd (or not reachable from the server)
  • 0x5d = request failed because client's identd could not confirm the user ID string in the request
• field 3: 2 arbitrary bytes, that should be ignored
• field 4: 4 arbitrary bytes, that should be ignored

Example:

This is a SOCKS 4 request to connect Fred to 66.102.7.99:80, the server replies with an "OK".

• Client: 0x04 | 0x01 | 0x00 0x50 | 0x42 0x66 0x07 0x63 | 0x46 0x72 0x65 0x64 0x00
  • The last field is 'Fred' in ASCII, followed by a null byte.
• Server: 0x00 | 0x5a | 0xXX 0xXX | 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX 0xXX
  • 0xXX can be any byte value. The Socks 4 protocol specifies the values of these bytes should be ignored.

From this point on any data sent from the SOCKS client to the SOCKS server will be relayed to 66.102.7.99 and vice versa.

The command field can be 0x01 for "connect" or 0x02 for "bind". "bind" allows incoming connections for protocols like active FTP.

SOCKS 5 protocol

The SOCKS 5 protocol, an extension of the SOCKS 4 protocol that offers more choices of authentication, is defined in RFC 1928. The initial handshake now consists of the following:

• Client connects and sends a greeting which includes a list of authentication methods supported.
• Server chooses one (or sends a failure response if none of the offered methods are acceptable).
• Several messages may now pass between the client and the server depending on the authentication method chosen.
• Client sends a connection request similar to SOCKS 4.
• Server responds similar to SOCKS 4.

The authentication methods supported are numbered as follows:

• 0x00 - No authentication
• 0x01 - GSSAPI
• 0x02 - Username/Password
• 0x03-0x7F - methods assigned by IANA
• 0x80-0xFE - methods reserved for private use

The initial greeting from the client is:

• field 1: SOCKS version number (must be 0x05 for this version)
• field 2: number of authentication methods supported, 1 byte
• field 3: authentication methods, variable length, 1 byte per method supported

The server's choice is communicated:

• field 1: SOCKS version, 1 byte (0x05 for this version)
• field 2: chosen authentication method, 1 byte, or 0xFF if no acceptable methods were offered

The subsequent authentication is method-dependent and described in RFC 1929:

The client's authentication request is:

• field 1: version number, 1 byte (must be 0x01)
• field 2: username length, 1 byte
• field 3: username
• field 4: password length, 1 byte
• field 5: password

Server response for authentication:

• field 1: version, 1 byte
• field 2: status code, 1 byte.
  • 0x00 = success
  • any other value = failure, connection must be closed

The client's connection request is:

• field 1: SOCKS version number, 1 byte (must be 0x05 for this version)
• field 2: command code, 1 byte:
  • 0x01 = establish a TCP/IP stream connection
  • 0x02 = establish a TCP/IP port binding
  • 0x03 = associate a UDP port
• field 3: reserved, must be 0x00
• field 4: address type, 1 byte:
  • 0x01 = IPv4 address
  • 0x03 = Domain name
  • 0x04 = IPv6 address
• field 5: destination address of
  • 4 bytes for IPv4 address
  • 1 byte of name length followed by the name for Domain name
  • 16 bytes for IPv6 address
• field 6: port number in a network byte order, 2 bytes

Server response:

• field 1: SOCKS protocol version, 1 byte (0x05 for this version)
• field 2: status, 1 byte:
  • 0x00 = request granted
  • 0x01 = general failure
  • 0x02 = connection not allowed by ruleset
  • 0x03 = network unreachable
  • 0x04 = host unreachable
  • 0x05 = connection refused by destination host
  • 0x06 = TTL expired
  • 0x07 = command not supported / protocol error
  • 0x08 = address type not supported
• field 3: reserved, must be 0x00
• field 4: address type, 1 byte:
  • 0x01 = IPv4 address
  • 0x03 = Domain name
  • 0x04 = IPv6 address
• field 5: destination address of
  • 4 bytes for IPv4 address
  • 1 byte of name length followed by the name for Domain name
  • 16 bytes for IPv6 address
• field 6: network byte order port number, 2 bytes

There are client programs that "socksify", which allows adaptation of any networked software to connect to external networks via SOCKS.