Sabtu, 27 Maret 2010

Obsession with Gadgets!

Nama Hotel - So what is it with us and our gadgets? We seem to be growing more passionate about them, whether it’s that shiny new petite digital camera with 12 megapixels, face recognition and optical image stabilization, or that Blu-ray Disc Player exhilarating us with all 2 million pixels delivered in our newly installed home theater system with a receiver that can blast lossless Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD master audio. Or maybe it’s that recently purchased Blackberry Storm that most of us have a love/hate relationship with and that is on the verge of becoming obsolete by Storm2 within months (with hopefully a better touch screen, usable software and WiFi). And even though we were almost scared to buy anything in the first few months of the year, we have now come back with a vengeance, scooping up all the latest and greatest gadgets we’ve always aspired to own to make our digital lives more productive and enjoyable.

Hotel di Hong Kong - Retrevo is releasing its monthly Pulse Report for May. Surprise, surprise... what do we see? Electronics shoppers are back in the market buying electronics but not just any electronics. We’re buying gadgets that are new and shiny, and we’re willing to pay higher prices for these innovative products that deliver the latest and greatest features. The most notable categories picking up momentum are Digital Cameras and Optical Disc Players (some of us are used to calling this category DVD Players but the introduction of Blu-ray changes the definition so it will take some getting used to).

Here are the specifics:

1. Optical Disc Players: more than a third of Optical Disc Players shipping now are Blu-ray. These Blu-ray players comprised less than 10% last holiday season. This transition to newer, hi-def technology has created an uplift in ASPs of > 20% post-holiday season. And in mid-April, demand started picking up for Optical Disc Players. So people are not only buying Optical Disc Players, they are spending more money than ever before to acquire the latest and greatest in hi-def.

2. Digital Cameras: more than 50% of shipping digital cameras now have optical image stabilization and face recognition making it easy to click and organize those precious memories. DSLR is also finding its way downstream with a more consumer friendly interface and form factors. Aided by general knowledge, consumers are buying these higher feature products and paying higher prices (10% higher than last holiday season). Digital Camera demand had been flat from Feb through April but it has picked up in May. So again, people are not only buying Digital Cameras but they are willing to pay higher prices to acquire the latest and greatest than ever before.

Now don't take me the wrong way. The fact that people are spending more money doesn't mean consumers aren't value conscious. In fact, a recent Retrevo Gadgetology analysis revealed that 76% of Consumer Electronics shoppers selected products based on good value (34%), Trusted sites and experts raving about a product/brand (25%) and other users raving about a product/brand (10%). The consumers are absolutely value conscious for the technology they wish to purchase, they just are not interested in buying cheapest products around without regard to the innovation.

So did we see any disappointment in Retrevo's Pulse Report? Absolutely. HDTVs and Home Theater Systems continue to disappoint consumers. Here is our analysis of these two categories:

1. Home Theater Systems: these were hot during the last holiday season but demand plummeted post-holiday season along with everything else. Prices after being stable for better part of this year started falling in mid-Apr (now down > 10%). Yet the demand has continued to fall. Why is this so when Optical Disc Players are picking up? Guess how many Home Theater Systems ship with a Blu-ray player? Less than 5%. Yes, while consumers can buy HDTVs and Blu-ray players to their heart's content, they can't find Home Theater Systems with a Blu-ray player. Yikes! Lesson learned? Don't assume consumers will keep buying stale products with no major innovation in sight for more than 6 months. And we are not talking about new innovation, HTS manufacturers just need to keep up with the market, follow the lead from HDTV and Blu-ray players and get more Blu out. There is pent-up demand. Amen to that!

2. HDTVs: this category is near and dear to my heart. High momentum in the first half and excess inventory in the second half of 2008 depressed prices to unrealistic levels last holiday season. Negative margins forced brands and retailers to raise prices post-holiday season as excess inventory cleared from the channel (ASPs up more than 30% from January to mid-April). Even though the category has gone through a refresh cycle in last few months (more than 50% of currently selling HDTVs were introduced this year) but demand hasn't picked up even after a technology refresh cycle. What is the innovation in HDTVs lately? Transition from 720p to 1080p? Yawn! Consumers are not biting. Let's work on the basics. Get the best out-of-the-box experience without worrying about ISF specs, calibration etc, get HDTVs to network and "simply" download content from your computer and from the Internet, and we will have a shot at making people spend more for the newer technology rather than simply gravitating to value brands for a seemingly commoditized technology.

What's the takeaway? overall demand is soft (Retrevo's Demand Index shows a 15% decline year-over-year), lower demand doesn't translate into people buying cheap (and commoditized) technology. Consumers care about innovation, latest and greatest (in a meaningful way, not from marketing speak). Consumers are spending 20% more time researching and yes, they will want the best value and good quality products but at the same time, they will spend more for the innovation. So let's not slow down the pace of innovation. Let's push the envelope, think about ways to make our daily lives more connected, more productive and more enjoyable and we the consumers, will spend more money because it will be worth it. This is what I call Obsession for a Purpose!

Sabtu, 20 Maret 2010

2010 FIFA World Cup In South Africa

Daftar Hotel In this season, we can share about, The 2010 FIFA World Cup South Afirca will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa.

Hotel di Bali The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.

This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.

In cities across South Africa today started the countdown of last hundred days before the World Cup 2010 which will be played this summer in this African country.

Sepp Blatter, FIFA president, says South Africa is ready to host this international festival of Soccer, which will start on the 11th of June: "All is how it should be. African continent will host the world soccer festival. Now there is no more doubt."

"There was much skepticism about the World Cup in our country, but today, one hundred days before the start, I can say with satisfaction that everything will be ready to start", said Danny Jordaan, president of the Organizing Committee of 2010 World Cup.

Africa was chosen as the host for the 2010 World Cup as part of a new policy to rotate the event among football confederations (which was later abandoned in October 2007). Five African nations placed bids to host the 2010 World Cup:
  •  Egypt
  •  Libya /  Tunisia (co-hosting)
  •  Morocco
  •  South Africa
Following the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee not to allow co-hosted tournaments, Tunisia withdrew from the bidding process. The committee also decided not to consider Libya's solo bid as it no longer met all the stipulations laid down in the official List of Requirements.

After one round of voting, the winning bid was announced by FIFA president Sepp Blatter at a media conference on 15 May 2004 in Zürich. South Africa was awarded the rights to host the tournament, defeating Morocco and Egypt.
Even if Beckham does travel to South Africa as a glorified cheerleader, his absence from Fabio Capello's dressing room with a ruptured Achilles threatens to hurt Barry more than most. 

Beyond the pair's strong dynamic on the road, Beckham acted as an effective mentor to his younger team-mate when Barry endured a prolonged England exile, frozen out of the national side for almost four years after Sven-Goran Eriksson had chosen him to play a friendly against Serbia in June 2003.

"He helped me when I had the big absence from making squads," Barry says. "When he spoke to you, he gave you more encouragement. He knows the right way to speak to people, and when to do it. I've been in a lot of squads with David, I know him well. He's a good bloke to have around, so it's a sad loss."

It seems strange to imagine Barry on the margins, so transformed have his England prospects been under Capello. Indeed, in this ever-changing environment, the 29-year-old has established himself among the few hardy perennials, featuring in every one of the Italian's squads until suspension ruled him out of the qualifying win over Andorra last June.

Having experienced every aspect of the head coach's uncompromising approach, he knows that he earned such faith.

"You've seen already that he picks players on form rather than reputations, so I certainly trust his decisions there. Since he has taken over, I've never been regarded higher as a holding midfielder, and the things I've learnt there have made me realise more about that role and I've taken that on here at City. The Italian mentality is about defending and concentration, so I feel like I've learnt a lot."

Selasa, 09 Maret 2010

Jennifer Lopez Pics Photos Video

Daftar Hotel As one of  many celebrities  in Hollywood, Jennifer Lopez is a sexy and hot woman of world. Jennifer Lynn Lopez (born July 24, 1969), often nicknamed J.Lo, is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, fashion designer and television producer.

Hotel di Semarang She is the richest person of Latin American descent in Hollywood according to Forbes, and the most influential Hispanic entertainer in the U.S. according to People en Español's list of "100 Most Influential Hispanics".

Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Lopez subsequently ventured into acting with Selena (1997), Out of Sight (1998) and Angel Eyes (2001), for all of which she won ALMA Awards for outstanding actress.



This song is a story about that man who got something wrong with his health and he knew that he couldn't stand any longer, he doesn't want his girl to love a man who was dying, he decided to break up with her but at last he couldn't, kinda sad.

Para el hombre que amo con todo mi amor y se que soy correspondida,pero no se si meresca tanto AMOR..pero te doy gracias por estar junto a mi en estos momentos que son muy dificiles,el dia que llegue mi partida no quiero que dejes de amar porque te AMO y deseo que seas el hombre mas feliz del mundo.

Only a sensitive emotionally charged person will understand how moving this is. I will never ever tire of listening to this. Hauntingly movingly beautiful.


She also appeared in The Cell (2000), The Wedding Planner (2001), Maid in Manhattan (2002), Shall We Dance? (2004) and Monster-in-Law (2005). She parlayed her media fame into a fashion line and various perfumes with her celebrity endorsement.

In 1999, Lopez released her debut studio album, On the 6. She followed it up with two number one albums on the Billboard 200, J.Lo (2001) and J to tha L-O!: The Remixes (2002). Her third studio album, This Is Me... Then (2002) peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 as well as her fourth studio album, Rebirth (2005). In 2007, Lopez released two albums including her first full Spanish-language album, Como Ama una Mujer and her fifth English studio album Brave. She won the 2003 American Music Award for Favorite Pop/Rock Female Artist and the 2007 American Music Award for Favorite Latin Artist. She has sold over 48 million albums worldwide.

Jumat, 05 Maret 2010

Ron Banks Died In Detroit

Daftar Hotel R and B musician Ron Banks was dead in Detroit, in noon Friday. He was attack heart and died at Home in Detroit, Michigan, United States. Ron Banks includes a celebrities of the world , whose silky falsetto helped give the Dramatics one of the most enduring careers in R&B, has died at home in Detroit. He was 58.


Hotel di Surabaya Ron Banks died at about noon today, possibly of a massive heart attack, said Billy Wilson, president of the Motown Alumni Association.

The Northern High School graduate was the founder of the Detroit vocal group, which made a name in the mid-'60s and went on to play for avid audiences around the country. Aside from a short break in the mid-1980s, the group has worked continuously since its early days playing Chene Street nightclubs, and has been a staple of the annual '70s Soul Jam revue tours.

Banks' last hometown gig with the Dramatics was a November show at MotorCity Casino's Sound Board venue.

Banks, thought to be in normal health, was at home with his family when he abruptly passed out, said fellow Dramatics singer L.J. Reynolds, who had spoken with Banks by phone just minutes earlier.

"He seemed just like himself -- very upbeat," Reynolds said.

Banks' sweet voice and smooth choreography helped distinguish the Dramatics, particularly on Detroit's post-Motown scene of the 1970s, when the group enjoyed crossover pop success with songs such as "Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get" and "In the Rain."

"They stayed true to what they did," said Cliff Green, 59, a Detroit fan of the group. "They didn’t try to keep up with the times, even after the rappers and techno artists came out and took music a different way. Ron Banks and the Dramatics stayed true to what they did. You could still fall in love while listening to their music. They put you in that groove.”

Tall and strapping, with a vocal delivery inspired by the Temptations' Eddie Kendricks, Banks was well-liked among fellow musicians and industry personnel. He was a partner in Hitsville Ventures with Wilson and Detroit entrepreneur Herb Strather.

"He really was a wonderful person," said Wilson. "You know, people who have been in the business awhile can be cocky and arrogant. But he stayed beautiful, always. Even during the tense moments in the group's career, he just remained cool and calm.

"The Dramatics are one of the few groups that can pull a crowd of 5,000 people doing traditional R&B music. A lot of the older groups have a difficult time doing that by themselves. They have a very, very loyal following, particularly here. We're just devastated by this news."

Banks is survived by his wife, Sandy Banks, four daughters and two sons. He was preceded in death by Dramatics members Elbert Wilkins, William (Wee Gee) Howard and James Mack Brown.

Kamis, 04 Maret 2010

Film Confucius Snopsis movie Trailer

Daftar Hotel Confucius (Chinese: 孔子) is a Chinese biographical film first released in Beijing on 14 January 2010. Directed by Hu Mei, the film stars Chow Yun-fat as the titular philosopher. 

Hotel di Jakarta Production on the film began in March 2009 with shooting on location in China's Hebei province and in Hengdian World Studios in Zhejiang.

The film was scheduled to screen later in 2009 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, as well as the 2,560th birthday of Confucius himself. However, the release date was later moved to January 2010.









Choice of actors
After the project was announced, the reaction in China was decidedly mixed. As the film is made in Mandarin, many have expressed concern that Chow, a native of the Cantonese-speaking Hong Kong SAR, will lack the requisite Mandarin-speaking skills to portray the revered philosopher.

Others were concerned that Chow, a veteran of action and Kung Fu-cinema, would turn Confucius into an "kung-fu hero." Such concerns were only exacerbated after mainland star Pu Cunxin criticized Hu Mei's script as containing inappropriate levels of action and romance for a film based on Confucius' life.


Chow Yun Fat rawks! I hope he to see him in asian movies like this in which he can flex his acting muscles to the max rather than dumb western flicks! Fat gof pls no acting in dumb western flicks anymore! We love u and wil continue to support you!

Looks very well done. I guess Michelle Yeoh really isn't in the film as originally expected. Oh well, Chow Yun Fat is still a magnificent actor and I know he'll bring a lot to the film even without Michelle Yeoh.

Cast

* Chow Yun-fat as Confucius
* Zhou Xun as Nanzi
* Jiao Huang as Laozi
* Lu Yi

Kong Jian lawsuit

In December 2009, more controversy arose when a claimed-direct descendent of Confucius brought suit against the film-makers. After seeing the film's trailer, the descendent, Kong Jian, sought to have several scenes deleted from the release of the film and objecting to the intimations that Confucius was romantically attracted to the concubine, Nanzi.

Screening

During the film's launch in China, the Hollywood blockbuster Avatar is reportedly being pulled from nearly 1,600 2-D screens across China, to benefit the wide release of this film. Instead, Avatar will continue to be shown on the fewer, but more popular 900 3-D screens throughout China, which has generated over 64% of the film's total ticket sales in China.

The Hong Kong newspaper Apple Daily speculates that the Chinese authorities were worried Avatar had seized the market share from domestic films and noted that many of the vacant cinema slots will be replaced by Confucius, and the film would be "drawing unwanted attention to the sensitive issue" concerning forced evictions of Chinese homes.

However, China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television responded by stating it was a "commercial decision", and because the "box office performance of the 2D version has not been great." However, due to low attendance for Confucius, and high demand for Avatar, the Chinese government reversed their decision, and allowed Avatar to remain on some 2-D screens in China. This choice appeared to be at least partly based on the financial performance of the two films, with Avatar grossing nearly 2.5 times more money per day.
Confucius
Directed by Hu Mei
Produced by Han Sanping
Hu Mei
Starring Chow Yun-fat
Zhou Xun
Music by Su Cong
Cinematography Peter Pau
Studio Dadi Film
China Film Group
Release date(s) China:
28 January 2010
Country China
Language Chinese (Mandarin)
Budget HK$22 million (US$2.8 million)

Rabu, 03 Maret 2010

Film Avatar The Movie

Daftar Hotel As an animation film, Avatar is an interesting film and attractive for our. I think, you agree about generally opinion about this film. Avatar is a 2009 American science fiction epic film written and directed by James Cameron and starring Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldana, Sigourney Weaver, Michelle Rodriguez and Stephen Lang. It stories of this film is interest for me.

Hotel di Bandung Technical, is better made than the movie Aliens-1986, but the storyline is too much commercial. The part or the movie with the ''blue people'' don`t look like James Cameron trade mark ; rather like Star Wars or Final Fantasy. I missed the atmosphere from ''Aliens'', ''The Terminator'' and ''The Abyss''.


I would give the movie 10 points in any case, it's not like what the negative people say; "Blue monkeys fighting over trees.", it's truly NOT that, it's really nature-friendly, and awesome. The director has acknowledged that Avatar shares themes with the films At Play in the Fields of the Lord and The Emerald Forest, which feature clashes between cultures and civilizations, and that the film shares connections with Dances With Wolves, where a battered soldier finds himself drawn to the culture he was initially fighting against

The film is set in the year 2154, when humans are mining a precious mineral called unobtanium on Pandora, a lush moon of a gas giant in the Alpha Centauri star system. The expansion of the mining colony threatens the continued existence of a local tribe of Na'vi—a sentient humanoid species indigenous to Pandora. The film's title refers to the genetically engineered Na'vi bodies used by several human characters to interact with the natives of Pandora.

Avatar was officially budgeted at US$237 million. Other estimates put the cost between $280 million and $310 million for production, and at $150 million for promotion. The film was released for traditional two-dimensional projectors, as well as in 3-D, using the RealD 3D, Dolby 3D, XpanD 3D and IMAX 3D formats, and also in 4-D. The stereoscopic filmmaking was touted as a likely breakthrough in cinematic technology.
Avatar
On the upper half of the poster are the faces of a man and a female blue alien with yellow eyes, with a giant planet and a moon in the background and the text at the top: "From the director of Terminator 2 and Titanic". Below is a dragon-like animal flying across a landscape with floating mountains at sunset; helicopter-like aircraft are seen in the distant background.  The title "James Cameron's Avatar", film credits and the release date appear at the bottom.
Theatrical poster
Directed by James Cameron
Produced by James Cameron
Jon Landau
Written by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington
Sigourney Weaver
Zoe Saldana
Stephen Lang
Michelle Rodriguez
Music by James Horner
Cinematography Mauro Fiore
Editing by James Cameron
John Refoua
Stephen E. Rivkin
Studio Lightstorm Entertainment
Dune Entertainment
Ingenious Film Partners
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s) December 10, 2009 (2009-12-10)
(London premiere)
December 18, 2009
(United States)
Running time 162 minutes
Country United States
Language English
Budget $237 million
Gross revenue $2,553,804,322

Femme Fatale

Tips Hamil In this page, we are going to watch Femme Fatale Film. It is a part of celebrities issues in this time. This film is enough interesting for our. One of the sexiest striptease acts of all time ! Rebecca Romijn & Antonio Banderas in Femme Fatale (a film by Brian De Palma -2002)


Buku Panduan Lengkap Cara Cepat Hamil Femme Fatale is a 2002 French crime-thriller film directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Rebecca Romijn as the femme fatale and Antonio Banderas. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.




In the film, Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn) participates in a diamond heist in Cannes, double-crosses her accomplices and escapes to Paris, where she stumbles across her own doppelgänger (also portrayed by Romijn) who commits suicide, leaving Laure the opportunity to take her identity and leave the country. Seven years later, Laure (now called Lily Watts) re-surfaces in Paris as the wife of the new American ambassador to France (Peter Coyote).

At this point Spanish photographer Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas) takes her picture, prompting Laure to manipulate Bardo in order to conceal her former identity and evade her ex-accomplices who are still after the stolen diamonds. A twist near the end accentuates the artificial nature of the story and brings many familiar motifs of De Palma's into play.

Cast
Rebecca Romijn as Laure Ash / Lily Watts
Antonio Banderas as Nicolas Bardo
Peter Coyote as Ambassador Watts
Eriq Ebouaney as Black Tie
Rie Rasmussen as Veronica
Thierry Fremont as Sera
Gregg Henry as Shiff
Fiona Curzon as Stanfield Phillips
John Stamos as Cheesy Agent

Box office 

The film was a box office bomb, taking in less than its production costs worldwide.

US Gross Domestic Takings $ 6,630,252
Other International Takings $10,208,658
Gross Worldwide Takings $16,838,910

Debut Author Chronicles the Glamour and Scandals of Hollywood Legend Jeanne Carmen in Biography

NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., March 3 /PRNewswire/ -- In his thrilling new, tell-all biography, Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen, Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress (published by iUniverse), debut author Brandon James chronicles the amazing life and wild times of Pin Up Icon Jeanne Carmen, a true American Icon who escaped poverty and eventually rose to fame and fortune.

The biography follows the legendary Carmen as she traveled the long, winding and sometimes dangerous road from a poverty-stricken childhood in Arkansas, to a bona fide New York Pin Up Queen, to a noted trick shot golfer who fell into the clutches of the mafia in Las Vegas -- and finally to a celebrated Hollywood actress who dazzled her celebrity friends, including Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Clark Gable, President John F. Kennedy, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley, Howard Hughes, Lex Barker, Lenny Bruce, Jack Benny, Peter Lawford, Bob Hope and Errol Flynn, among countless others public figures that could capture the hearts and minds of Americans.

According to the book, Carmen's Hollywood life came to an abrupt end after her dear friend Marilyn Monroe died mysteriously on August 5, 1962. The next morning, Carmen's apartment was broken into and ransacked. She stumbled upon the intruder and was thrown to the ground. The man was famed Hollywood private detective Fred Otash, who in turn pulled a gun out, pointed it at her face and pulled the trigger. Lucky for her the chamber was empty and only a loud click emanated from the gun barrel. Carmen collapsed and broke down in tears shortly after hearing that Sam Giancana had Marilyn Monroe murdered in an attempt to frame the Kennedys and ruin their political careers. Find out the many trials and tribulations of Carmen's early and late career changes as she navigates her way through the rough road ahead called life in James's Jeanne Carmen.

Carmen has been profiled in magazines, including Star, Globe, National Enquirer, Palm Springs Life, Golf, Femme Fatales, Golf World, Fairways, Popular 1, Playboy and American Heritage. She has also been seen on CBS News 48 Hours Mystery, Entertainment Tonight, BBC, History Channel, Golf Channel, Inside Edition, Hard Copy, E! True Hollywood Story, Asahi TV, Sunset Press, Hollywood Confidential, Discovery Networks, Geraldo, Montel Williams and Larry King Live.

About the Author

The son of Jeanne Carmen, James is a graduate of the world famous USC School of Cinematic Arts. He has written for many popular magazines, including Femme Fatales, Collecting Hollywood, Classic Images and The Dark Side. He also worked as a consultant on E! Entertainment Television's TV biography Jeanne Carmen: Queen of the B-Movies for their award winning series The E! True Hollywood Story. Additionally, James has written a screenplay based on Jeanne Carmen's amazing life story, which is currently available to option. Jeanne Carmen is James's first official publication. Born and raised in Newport Beach, James continues to work in California.

Jeanne Carmen: MY WILD, WILD LIFE as a New York Pin Up Queen, Trick Shot Golfer & Hollywood Actress

iUniverse is the premier book publisher for emerging, self-published authors. For more information, please visit http://www.iuniverse.com.

EDITORS: For review copies or interview requests, contact:
Promotional Services Department
Tel: 1-800-AUTHORS
Fax: 812-355-4078
Email: promotions@iuniverse.com
(When requesting a review copy, please provide a street address.)
This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.
SOURCE iUniverse
Back to top
RELATED LINKS
http://www.iuniverse.com

Selasa, 02 Maret 2010

Femme Fatale Film

Femme Fatale Film
Cara Cepat Hamil Why is that Femme Fatale has no equivalent in the English language, when the phrase was coined by French film critics to describe the lethal ladies of American crime capers?

Maybe it is because the french are more conversant with the idea of a powerful, beautiful woman wielding her glamor to wrap a man around her little finger.

Buku Panduan Cara Cepat Hamil You do not have to be planning a double - cross to star in your own film noir. Get it the mood by enjoying these selections of the best noir music and movies from both sides of the Atlantic. Then smoke up the night yourself with the latest looks to channel your inner seductress.

The film that launched the Nouvelle Vague in France is also one of the slyest, sexiest film noir ever made, Jean - Paul Belmondo's beau - lad petty thief fancies himself Humphrey femme fatale that loves him to death. available on DVD from Wellspring Media. Inc. a division of Genius products. Inc.

American Jules Dassin won a Best Director Prize at Cannes for this classic film noir. Actress Marie Sabouret brings a 1950's Gallic glamour to her role of world - weary gun moll. See the original before the Hollywood remake is realesed next year. the heist sequence, shot without a line of dialogue or music, is a masterpiece of nail - biting suspense. Available on DVD

Pop a cork and pour your paramour a champagne cocktail, this retro - tinged jazz combo will make you fell like you are in a smoky jazz club in Paris or Istambul.
Singer, songwriter Belle du Berry's mesmerizin vocals float above Django Reinhardt - inflected guitar and a gergerous, Cotton Club muted trumpet. Formidable! Available on CD or from itunes.


Femme Fatale is a 2002 French crime-thriller film directed by Brian De Palma. The film stars Rebecca Romijn as the femme fatale and Antonio Banderas. It was screened out of competition at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

In the film, Laure Ash (Rebecca Romijn) participates in a diamond heist in Cannes, double-crosses her accomplices and escapes to Paris, where she stumbles across her own doppelgänger (also portrayed by Romijn) who commits suicide, leaving Laure the opportunity to take her identity and leave the country. Seven years later, Laure (now called Lily Watts) re-surfaces in Paris as the wife of the new American ambassador to France (Peter Coyote).

At this point Spanish photographer Nicolas Bardo (Antonio Banderas) takes her picture, prompting Laure to manipulate Bardo in order to conceal her former identity and evade her ex-accomplices who are still after the stolen diamonds. A twist near the end accentuates the artificial nature of the story and brings many familiar motifs of De Palma's into play.

Cast

Rebecca Romijn as Laure Ash / Lily Watts
Antonio Banderas as Nicolas Bardo
Peter Coyote as Ambassador Watts
Eriq Ebouaney as Black Tie
Rie Rasmussen as Veronica
Thierry Fremont as Sera
Gregg Henry as Shiff
Fiona Curzon as Stanfield Phillips
John Stamos as Cheesy Agent