He's definitely a Mummy's boy! Romeo Beckham looks the spitting image of mother Victoria with his razor sharp cheekbones

By Jade Watkins


He may possess his father's passion for sports, but in the looks department Romeo Beckham is the splitting image of his mother Victoria Beckham.

In fact the nine-year-old is a dead ringer for the former Spice Girl star.

The youngster's features are remarkably near-identical to the 37-year-old, especially thanks to his matching razor sharp cheekbones.


Matching head wear: Romeo and his father David both wore baseball caps at an ice-hockey game last night

Dead ringer: Romeo Beckham's features are near-identical to his mother Victoria, pictured in February

Mother and son appear to possess the same facial characteristics, including their strong facial structure, big brown eyes and olive skin.

The youngster even has the same mouth and gap teeth of Victoria when she was around the same age.

While Romeo looks the splitting image of his mother, he's certainly following in the footsteps of his father's in terms of his dress sense.

Last week David and Romeo were seen at the basketball wearing near-matching beanies.

And once again the famous footballer, and all three of his sons including Brooklyn, 13, Romeo and Cruz, seven, donned similar head wear as they attended a hockey match in Los Angeles last night.

The sports mad boys had a ball at the NHL hockey game between the Edmonton Oilers and Los Angeles Kings.

Beckham had treated his trio to some Kings merchandise, which also included the traditional hockey jersey for Romeo.

The boys had a ball at the game, jumping up and down and throwing their arms up in the air as the LA team scored.

And it appears that all of their cheering helped as the Kings had a 2-0 victory over the Oilers.

David is regularly seen taking his sons to American sports matches as they continue to immerse themselves in U.S culture.

Last week Beckham and Romeo wore nearly identical purple beanies as they watched a basketball match together.

The duo showed off their headgear courtside as they enjoyed the match between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Los Angeles Lakers at the Staples Centre.


Spot the difference: Romeo also has gap teeth similar to those Victoria possessed when she was around his age


Sports mad: David and his sportsmad sons Romeo, Cruz and Brooklyn watched the LA Kings beat the
Edmonton Oilers at the Staples Centre

Lucky duck! Romeo caught one of the flying pucks during the game

Perhaps a little warm, Romeo pulled his hat off halfway through the game, but the pair certainly made for cute sight beforehand.

Clearly enjoying the chance to spend some quality time alone with his father, Romeo, nine, looked thrilled as the pair joked around.

David was seen affectionately ruffling his son's hair, before pulling the little boy in for a cuddle, kissing him on the forehead at the same time.

Having a ball: The boys clearly were having a blast at the game

The pair also indulged in some sweet treats and fizzy drinks as they took in the match.

In a recent interview, however, David said that Romeo is the most fashion-forward of his three sons.

He said: 'Brooklyn will just wear his soccer shirts and T-shirts, but Romeo is the fashion one, so he'll go for skinny jeans and a vintage T-shirt and funny hats.
'One Christmas he asked for a pair of Spats shoes.'

And Victoria added: 'I’d love to say they get their singing talent from me, but they don’t. But they have good fashion sense; I like to think that they got that from me.'


Similar dress sense: Last week David and Romeo wore nearly identical purple beanies as they watched a basketball match together


Cute: Father and son larked about during the basketball game



source:dailymail

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Demure for date night: Slimline Christina Aguilera covers up for romantic dinner with boyfriend Matthew

By Andrea Magrath


Date night: Christina Aguilera wore a blue and green dress for dinner with boyfriend Matthew Rutler

Her high-neck, long-sleeved dress may have appeared demure, but Christina Aguilera's outfit last night was more alluring than it seemed at first glance.

The singer wore a green and blue frock that clung to her curves for a romantic meal with boyfriend Matthew Rutler.

The coupled dined at The Little Door restaurant in west Hollywood.


The clingy dress stretched over the 31-year-old's figure and she added some height in towering black platform heels.

The two-tone dress created a flattering silhouette for the curvy star.

Christina and Matthew were enjoying date night at the intimate venue, considered one of the most romantic restaurants in town.

Curves ahead: The singer's dress clung to her curves

The night off will have been a welcome break from the mounting pressure on The Voice.

This week Christina was forced to send home two acts in the first elimination show.

'They’re all such unique talents and it’s like comparing apples and oranges,' she told The Hollywood Reporter after the show. 'How do you really send someone home? I had to go with my heart.'


Romantic meal: Christina and Matthew dined at The Little Door restaurant in West Hollywood

Sleek: Christina is looking noticeably slimmer these days, compared to December

As she and fellow coach Blake Shelton each turned away two acts, Christina told the contestants: ‘I just have to say, your song choices were spot on. I loved seeing the versatility in all of you.

‘I have a special place in my heart for all of you, but I have to go with my instinct and my gut and my heart, and that’s Ashley.’

She eliminated Moses Stone and Sera Hill.


Tough job: Christina is facing pressure as competition on The Voice heats up



source:dailymail

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'I see the new crop of actresses and think, "Aren’t we the same age?"' Jennifer Aniston admits losing perspective and 'feeling old'

By Andrea Magrath


At 43, Jennifer Aniston is still as glossy and gorgeous as during her days on Friends.

And she admits her glow is down to her current 'peaceful and joyful' state, thanks to her relationship with Justin Theroux, 40.

In a revealing interview with InStyle magazine, the actress says 2012 for her will be about enjoying life with her new man.

'We're trying to live between both coasts,' she says. 'I want to see friends more and travel more. I say that every year, but this year, I’m going to do it!'

Scroll down for Wanderlust trailer

'You lose perspective': Ever-youthful Jennifer Aniston is stunning in a new photoshoot for InStyle magazine, and says she forgets that she's not the same age as the 'new crop' of twenty-something actresses

The couple met during filming of Wanderlust, which was released in cinemas last month. 'It was one of the most idyllic film experiences I’ve ever had,' Jennifer reveals. 'We spent three months together out on a lake, laughing the whole time. We became a family.'

The actors have been inseparable ever since.

'Having experienced everything you don’t want in a partner over time, it starts to narrow down to what you actually do want. As I get older, I realise what qualities are important in love, what suits me and what I won’t settle for.'

Aniston says she has long since moved on from some of those 'lessons,' and insists that tabloid headlines about her long-running feud with love rival Angelina Jolie is far from the truth.

'Peaceful and joyful': The actress is blissfully in love with her boyfriend Justin Theroux, but don't try to say that she's stealing his biker look: 'He has great style - But has it influenced mine? No'

Asked what is the biggest misconception about her, Jennifer tells the magazine: 'There are so many. I would say the triangle with my ex-husband – and that there’s a feud. It’s a headline that won’t go away – a story that has nothing to do with reality.'

The actress rivals any twenty-something on the red carpet and on film - just look at her next to Brooklyn Decker in Just Go With It - but Jennifer admits the 'new crop' are starting to make her aware of her post-40 age.

'You know what makes me feel old? When I see girls who are twenty-something, or the new crop of actresses and think, "Aren’t we kind of the same age?" You lose perspective.

'Or being offered the part of a woman with a 17-year-old child. It’s like, "I’m not old enough to have a 17-year-old!" Then you realise, well, yeah, you are.

But she adds: 'I don’t feel my age. I feel young every day.'

The jeans and flip-flops loving star says: 'I feel sexy in my jeans and wearing my boyfriend’s T-shirt.'

But don't say that she has copied Justin's 'biker' look! 'He has great style – it’s very specific and it has been his style forever,' she says. 'But has it influenced mine? No. I know people say it has - "Oh look, you’re dressing alike". And I think, "No I’m not. I’ve had this jacket for three years!"'

'On the red carpet, it’s time for me to start doing something different. I play it very safe, because I just want to be comfortable. If I could wear a jersey tank that went down to the floor, I would.'

Her style staples? 'Boots, a great blazer, a scarf and jeans. I like Rag & Bone, Vince and Generra jeans, which they don’t make any more. And a black leather jacket for winter.'

'As I get older I realise what I won't settle for': Jen says the biggest misconception about her is 'the triangle with my ex-husband – and that there’s a feud. A story that has nothing to do with reality'

'I love Christopher Bailey for Burberry. And Tom Ford. I have his skirts, jackets and shoes, but I don’t know how to walk in them. I’ve tried! I need to lop off a little of the heel. They require serious strength.'

'I’m a bit of a clothes hoarder, admittedly. I try to weed out stuff. My girlfriends come over for cheese and wine and go shopping in my wardrobe. They especially love it when they get stuff with a tag still on.'

Her toned figure as as impressive as ever, but Jennifer says she wants to shift the extra weight she's gained since giving up cigarettes. 'I don’t make resolutions, but I quit smoking recently and it put a couple of pounds on me that are hard to lose,' she says. 'Everybody says it’s normal, but I’d like to get rid of them!'


'I don't feel my age': Jennifer forgets that she's older than the 'new crop' of actresses, but she undoubtedly holds her own against younger co-stars like Brooklyn Decker in Just Go With It


'It’s time for me to start doing something different,' Jennifer says of her red carpet style. 'I play it very safe, because I just want to be comfortable'




source:dailymail

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The I'm so beautiful backlash: In yesterday's Mail, Samantha Brick claimed other women loathe her for being too attractive

By Samantha Brick


Brickbats: Writer Samantha was reduced to tears by the reaction to her article

The past 24 hours have been, to be blunt, among the most horrendous of my life. But then, the 4,510 (at the time of writing) people who have left comments on Mail Online, and the thousands who have done the same on Twitter, would probably say that it's all my own fault.

Yesterday, I wrote an article in the Mail, posing the question: Why do women hate me for being beautiful? The response it provoked has been extraordinary in its volume and vitriol, and beyond anything I could have imagined when I first started work at my keyboard.

Of course, I knew when I came up with the idea that it would provoke debate. I'd even prefaced the idea by explaining to the editor that I was fully aware I was setting myself up for a fall. I knew this was sensitive territory at which women would take umbrage — but I thought it was a taboo that needed shattering.

Yet even I could never have imagined the fury my piece would spawn and the thousands upon thousands of nasty comments I've been subjected to since it was published.

I've been lambasted on Twitter. Dragons' Den judge Duncan Bannatyne has asked if what I've written is 'a joke', DJ Lauren Laverne tweeted about me all day (none of it nice) and countless so-called comedians have written unprintable things about me.

Other people who don't know me have queued up to call me ugly, stupid, a b****.

Then there are those who have sought out my email address and bombarded my inbox with bile-filled messages — over 1,000 so far.

I've had malicious mail from everyone from Swedish crime writers to bored housewives asking me what planet I'm on for daring to write such a feature.

This was all from strangers. But far worse came from those I had considered friends. When I logged on to Facebook, I found a group of them had torn me to shreds. Some were asking: 'What the hell does Sam think she's on?'

Others I haven't seen since college had crawled out of the woodwork to criticise me for 'always being like that' — and even for having a 'girly voice'.

While I've been shocked and hurt by the global condemnation, I have just this to say: my detractors have simply proved my point. Their level of anger only underlines that no one in this world is more reviled than a pretty woman.

In my article, I recalled how men I'd never met before had sent bottles of bubbly to my restaurant table, presented me with impromptu bouquets and even bought train tickets for me — all on account of my pretty face.

And yet women had reacted to my good looks in a very different way. Their hostility had stood in my way at work and even friends had dropped me, fearing their husbands fancied me.

Without doubt, this is a gender issue. For not only is it mostly women who are attacking me, it is also because I am female that I am being attacked for acknowledging my attractiveness.

If Brad Pitt were to say: 'Yes, I'm a good-looking fella,' then the world would nod sagely in agreement. But if Angelina Jolie uttered something along those lines, she'd be subject to the same foaming-at-the-mouth onslaught hurled at me yesterday.

I've been astounded at the intelligent women — I'm talking well-known columnists and opinion-formers — who, rather than entering into a debate about why we can't compliment women when they are good looking, have instead taken to their Twitter accounts to trash me in typical playground bully style.

Smart women I've previously admired appear to have relished putting the boot in. No debate, no discussion, let's just attack this bit of skirt for daring to declare she thinks she's not too bad when she looks in the mirror.

Samantha says she can't understand why people would post some of the more extreme abuse she has received on the internet

Perhaps one of the most extreme comments on Twitter comes from a woman who declares: 'Samantha Brick should be bricked to death.'

As far as I can see, the criticism falls into two camps: those who judge me for daring to mention my attractiveness and those who wish to attack my appearance, calling me ugly — well, that's a polite way of putting it. And it's the latter camp who are harder to brush off.

I'm normally pretty thick-skinned, but tears have welled in my eyes on more than one occasion.

Take the latest message I've just received, which is pretty mild — but the intention is still to wound: 'I am sorry to be the one to burst your arrogant and conceited bubble but I don't find you attractive at all. You look a fool.'

Or how about this one, who used her office email and signs herself as an admin executive: 'You look a ridiculous fool, you make me ill'.

I am at a loss as to understand what goes through someone's mind before they press the 'send' button on a message like that.

I'm the first to give out compliments when someone I know looks good or has made an effort. I don't understand why other women don't do the same.

What really struck me was how quickly the fury snowballed.

When I first logged on to the Mail's website at 6am, there were only four comments on my article. I thought nothing of it and got on with my day, driving to the supermarket to do the weekly shop.

It was on my way there that I started receiving phone calls and emails to my BlackBerry — within an hour there had been 1,000 comments left on the website. And by mid-morning the Twitter debate was in full flow, with my story eventually getting an unprecedented one million hits.

The phone calls were largely from other people in the media — radio and television researchers — calling in their droves to ask me to defend myself in the face of the 'Twitterstorm'. Most of them, when they spoke to me, conceded (and were surprised to do so) that I was 'all right' as a person and had a point in writing the piece. Predictably some went on to lecture me for thinking I was all that.

No one bothered to ask how I was coping. But what everyone wanted to know, vulture-like, was what it's like to be so hated and reviled.

Well, I'll tell you what it's like: it's soul-destroying.

Until this week I never really understood the term 'Trolling' — used to describe when anonymous people viciously attack others on the internet. Now I do!
It would appear it's OK for anyone to post comments without any remorse or thought for the consequences their actions might have.

And although such technology is global, and there were plenty of comments from around the world, I do consider this particular breed of venom to be especially poisonous when coming from the British.

I have lived and worked in Los Angeles and I doubt that such a reaction to my piece would have happened there. For in the U.S. you're expected to look good and you're rightly applauded for it.

Samantha Brick, pictured with her husband Pascal Brick, faced a barrage of abuse on websites all around the world
No woman would ever dare to go to work in a pair of Uggs, grubby top and tracksuit bottoms (and expect to receive tea and sympathy for having a fat day).

Unsurprisingly then, over in the U.S. there just isn't the same level of female jealously, snippiness and rivalry that there is the UK.

BBC DJ Lauren Laverne posted a series of tweets about Samantha's article

Is it any wonder Victoria Beckham has decided to stay put in LA, rather than move back to Hertfordshire? She knows better than anyone how your looks can be used against you in Britain — here we reward false modesty instead and gang up against anyone who isn't suitably self-deprecating.

Samantha's story was trending all day on Twitter and sparked thousands of comments

While I have a strong coterie of friends who emailed me all day asking me if I was OK, telling me this will all pass and trying to shield me from the worst of the insults lobbed my way, what hurt the most?

The tears really fell when I happened across those sly and sneaky comments from women I know well enough to call friends messaging each other about me on Facebook.

Women I've supported emotionally and financially taking the first opportunity to declare I had it coming. And what has my husband made of all this?

At first, he shrugged it off, saying they were just the spiteful remarks of a few jealous women. But as the storm brewed . . . well, I've had to hide the worst of it from him; the tame few I've read out have riled him enough to want to take his own form of action.

Yes, I have cried on and off all day. But do I regret my article? Not at all. I'm know I'm risking the wrath of the online community once more, but there is an irony to yesterday. While I was tearfully dealing with the emails and calls outside the supermarket, a young man approached me, offered to park my car and even get me a coffee.

He could see I was having a tough time — and yes, my looks had helped me out again.

I know women reading this will think I deserve to be attacked again. But why should I be? Yes, I'm a good-looking woman — albeit one that has feelings, too.





source: dailymail

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'It's a life sentence for me, I feel like a monster': Acid attack victim Patricia Lefranc speaks out for the first time since spurned lover was found

-Patricia Lefranc, 48, left disfigured after sulphuric acid attack
-Spurned lover Richard Remes, 57, jailed for attempted murder
-Thought of seeing children happy and married keeps her going


By Sadie Whitelocks


Patricia Lefranc with daughter Marie after Richard Remes was found guilty of attempted murder

She was an attractive blonde 40-something woman, but now acid attack victim Patricia Lefranc describes herself as a 'monster'.

The mother-of-three who was repeatedly splashed with sulphuric acid by her spurned lover Richard Remes in 2009 has publicly spoken for the first time of the horrific attack that has left her physically and emotionally scarred for life.

During the incident her nose and eyelids were melted away and she also lost a finger, sight in one eye and hearing in one ear. She also came close to death, as the corrosive substance nearly burned through her heart and lungs, but incredibly her breast implants stopped further deterioration.


After enduring 86 operations and with a further 30 skin-grafts to go the 48-year-old remains in chronic pain but says the thought of seeing her children one day happy and married keeps her going.

Speaking to Closer magazine about her horrific ordeal following her attacker's sentencing on March 22, Patricia said: 'He turned me into a monster. Some days, I just cry.

'People stare at me and mock my appearance. It's a life sentence for me, so why shouldn't it be for him.'

Patricia, who previously worked as a janitor first met Remes, 57, while they were living in the same apartment block in Brussels in December 2008.


Before and after: Patricia Lefranc was seriously disfigured in the attack carried out by her ex-lover

Richard Remes insisted that he didn't realise the sulphuric acid would have such devastating consequences

After a brief conversation in the lift he asked her out for a drink and more dates ensued.

But after several meetings she was devastated to learn that Remes was married with five children and called off the relationship.

She added: 'I was shocked and said we should just be friends - we hadn't slept together and I wasn't about to break up a family.'

But Remes was determined for the relationship to continue and the pair soon started meeting twice a week and Patricia's flat.

At one point his wife found out about the tryst and threw him out but Remes returned to his family while continuing to meet with Patricia in secret.

It was only on a holiday in Egypt in 2009 that Patricia became aware of Remes's dark streak when he started talking about violent films that involved torturing women and when they returned home she refused to see him again.

Brave: Patricia Lefranc (right) with her lawyer Daniel Spreutels (left) said her former lover 'destroyed her life'

It was this event that triggered his increasingly obsessive behaviour and he was even spotted by locals wearing a T-shirt printed with a picture of Patricia's face and the words 'I love you' shortly after.

She alerted the police, but they told her to move house and four-days later she was visited at her flat on suburbs of Molenbeek-Saint-Jean by Remes who was disguised as a parcel courier.

As soon as she answered the buzzer he splashed a container of acid all over her face and upper body.

She said she was convinced she would die, but neighbours in a nearby building heard her screams and managed to get her to the burns unit of a nearby hospital, where she lay in a coma for three months. Her children, Laetitia now 28, Marie, 18, and Joey, 13, kept a vigil at her beside and Remes was arrested thanks to an eye witness.

Speaking on the first day of his trial for attempted murder in Belgium last month, Patricia said she was 'determined to look him in the eye and show the jury what he has done to me'.

She added: 'I hope to convince the court that he did indeed want to murder me.'

And she succeeded as Remes was sentenced to 30 years in prison for attempted murder. During the trial he insisted that he didn't realise the sulphuric acid he sprayed would have such devastating consequences.

In court Patricia said her son’s school friends now regularly mock her appearance, adding: 'Remes has also ruined my life as a woman. Who once to deal with the monster that he made me?

'I'm stared at on the street. Worse, I'm used as an example of what can happen to a woman who wants to put an end to a love affair.'


source:dailymail

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Dannii Minogue and Kris Smith split after four years together

By Andrea Magrath



Dannii Minogue and partner Kris Smith have split.

The couple, who have a 21-month-old son, Ethan, separated two weeks ago, it has been revealed.

English model and former rugby player Kris Smith, 33, has moved out of the couple's Melbourne home.

Dannii, 40, and Kris met in a nightclub in Ibiza in August 2008, and she announced that she was pregnant in January 2010.

They welcomed Ethan in Melbourne on July 5 of that year.

Smith recently changed his Twitter profile to a cryptic message that read: 'It's nice to be important, but it's more important to be nice... not really sure what my job is anymore... but I do know I love my boy more than life...’

The duo, both keen Twitter users, have not mentioned each other in over a month on the site, and have not been seen in public together since October.

This is not the first time the couple's relationship has been under strain. In May last year they issued a statement confirming they were still on after rumours of infidelity on Kris' part, despite numerous less-than-subtle tweets from both sides.

'Thanks for your concern. We're happy to be back at home in Melbourne together as a family,' they said at the time.

'We are committed to our relationship and Ethan as always.'

Days before, Dannii had tweeted: 'Never chase love. If it isn't given freely by another person, it's not worth having.'

In another message she wrote: 'Forgiving someone does not mean forgetting what they did. It simply means letting go of the hurt.'

Cryptic: Kris recently changed his Twitter profile to a message that hints at trouble at home
Kris had written: 'You don't know what you've got til it's gone.'

Smith's mother Elsie did nothing to dispel the rumours, stating: 'I hope it's just a trial split. I know they will do everything to save their relationship for the sake of their son.'

Kris relocated to Australia, where she is a judge on Australia's Got Talent, full time with Dannii after she quit The X Factor.

He often tweets about enjoying the lifestyle there, and spends a large amount of time on the golf course.

Parents: The couple have a 21-month-old son Ethan

Kris also models for Australian department store Myer and the couple have often been on different sides of the country as their work commitments take them to different cities.

In an interview last year, Kris spoke of his concern over Dannii's workload, but said at the time that her drive and his laid-back attitude balanced their relationship.

'I wish she’d sit back and relax at some point, before stress levels do their worst. But that’s the way she is, so inclined to work hard and strive for things.

'I’m more laid-back. We balance each other out. It’s a ­counter-balance. I like to chill out and enjoy life.'


Baby joy: Dannii and Kris were overjoyed when they welcomed Ethan in July 2010



source:dailymail

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What not to wear! Holly Valance dons VERY unflattering white trousers and baggy jumper as she dines with fiancé Nick Candy

By Daily Mail


Just last week she flattered her curvy figure in a pair of skintight black leggings.

But Holly Valance was a far cry from the stylish look yesterday as she dined with fiancé Nick Candy in west Hollywood.

The former Strictly Come Dancing star donned a very baggy jumper with horizontal stripes - a big no-no for trying to look slimmer.

Dining out: Holly was spotted looking a little fuller in the face as she went out for lunch in west Hollywood with fiancé Nick Candy

She also wore snug white trousers, a colour not known for flattering pear shapes.
The 28-year-old also appeared a bit fuller in the face.

She paired the look with massive black sunglasses and silver hoop earrings.

Last week, as she accompanied billionaire property tycoon Nick to dinner in Mayfair, Holly looked glamorous in her favourite leggings and sparkly top.


What a difference a week makes! The former Strictly Come Dancing star cut a very different figure during a night out with Nick last week

Straightening up: The former Neighbours star adjusts her white trousers as she gets up

After getting engaged in the Maldives just before Christmas, the pair have decided to wait until 2013 to tie the knot.

They cited the Queen's Jubilee and the Olympics as reasons to wait because they want to enjoy both events without worrying about wedding planning.

The pair, who started dating just over two years ago, are currently at odds over where to marry.

Friends say Valance wants to marry in California, while Candy, 39, would love to tie the knot in the South of France or Italy.

Three's a crowd: The newly-engaged couple were joined by a friend

A pal told the Mail On Sunday's Katie Nicholl column: 'Holly wants to marry in LA because she lived there for years, and has contacted wedding planners there, but Nick is trying to convince her to have it somewhere more classic in Europe.

'Nick likes the idea of Italy or the South of France, where he usually has his superyacht moored.'

Valance is rumoured to be considering Sarah Burton for Alexander McQueen as her dress designer - who famously created the wedding gown for Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge last year.


source:dailymail

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World's highest bridge meets the world's most lax 'elf and safety rules: Daredevil Chinese workers put finishing touches to amazing new structure

By Matt Blake


Brush with death: Work started on the engineering feat in October 2007 and the bulk of the work finished at the end of last year

This hard-grafting painter may have climbed the ladder to a career high... but one mistake and it's a hard fall back to where he started.

Labourers put the finishing touches to the Anzhaite Long-span Suspension Bridge in Jishou, Hunan, China, this week, just in time for its opening.

And at 1,102ft up and 3,858ft across the ambitious suspension bridge has become the highest and longest in the world.

Scroll down for video

Dizzying: Labourers put the finishing touches to the Anzhaite Long-span Suspension Bridge in Jishou, Hunan, China, this week, just in time for its opening

Work started on the engineering feat in October 2007 and the bulk of the work finished at the end of last year.

It is designed to ease traffic in the Jishou area of Hunan province and officially opened to motorists today.

Drivers can take in the views of the Dehang Canyon as they steer their way across all 3,858ft of the new sky-high road which links two tunnels.

The bridge, which is lit up at night with 1,888 lights, is the fourth suspension bridge to cross a valley so wide it seems to be connecting two mountain ranges.

Once on the bridge cars and lorries can motor along a two-way, four-lane motorway at about 50mph. Pedestrians can also walk along it on a special walkway under the road.


No jams: It is hoped the bridge will help ease traffic jams which are common in the mountainous area which has narrow, steep and winding roads


Eerie: The bridge, which is lit up at night with 1,888 lights, is the fourth suspension bridge to cross a valley so wide it seems to be connecting two mountain ranges

High rise: The bridge is a key part of the Jishou-Chadong Expressway, a 64-kilometre road which has 18 different tunnels which cover about half of its length

The bridge is a key part of the Jishou-Chadong Expressway, a 64-kilometre road which has 18 different tunnels which cover about half of its length.

It is hoped the bridge will help ease traffic jams which are common in the mountainous area which has narrow, steep and winding roads.

The structure is supported by a base 78ft wide.

China is has the longest bridge in the world, the Danyang Kunshan Grand Bridge which is just over 100miles long and was built two years ago to carry the Beijing–Shanghai high-speed railway.


Multi-purpose: Once on the bridge cars and lorries can motor along a two-way, four-lane motorway at about 50mph. Pedestrians can also walk along it on a special walkway under the road




source:dailymail

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'There are downsides to looking this pretty': Why women hate me for being beautiful

By Samantha Brick


On a recent flight to New York, I was delighted when a stewardess came over and gave me a bottle of champagne.

‘This is from the captain — he wants to welcome you on board and hopes you have a great flight today,’ she explained.

You’re probably thinking ‘what a lovely surprise’. But while it was lovely, it wasn’t a surprise. At least, not for me.

'Good looking woman': But Samantha Brick says that her pleasing looks have been a mixed blessing, with many of her own sex becoming resentful, and have closed as many doors as they have opened

Throughout my adult life, I’ve regularly had bottles of bubbly or wine sent to my restaurant table by men I don’t know. Once, a well-dressed chap bought my train ticket when I was standing behind him in the queue, while there was another occasion when a charming gentleman paid my fare as I stepped out of a cab in Paris.

Another time, as I was walking through London’s Portobello Road market, I was tapped on the shoulder and presented with a beautiful bunch of flowers. Even bar tenders frequently shoo my credit card away when I try to settle my bill.

And whenever I’ve asked what I’ve done to deserve such treatment, the donors of these gifts have always said the same thing: my pleasing appearance and pretty smile made their day.

While I’m no Elle Macpherson, I’m tall, slim, blonde and, so I’m often told, a good-looking woman. I know how lucky I am. But there are downsides to being pretty — the main one being that other women hate me for no other reason than my lovely looks.

If you’re a woman reading this, I’d hazard that you’ve already formed your own opinion about me — and it won’t be very flattering. For while many doors have been opened (literally) as a result of my looks, just as many have been metaphorically slammed in my face — and usually by my own sex.

I’m not smug and I’m no flirt, yet over the years I’ve been dropped by countless friends who felt threatened if I was merely in the presence of their other halves.

If their partners dared to actually talk to me, a sudden chill would descend on the room.

Taken: Samantha with her French husband Pascal Rubinat. Ten years her senior, he takes great pride in hearing other men declare that she's a beautiful woman and always tells her to laugh off bitchy comments

And it is not just jealous wives who have frozen me out of their lives. Insecure female bosses have also barred me from promotions at work.

And most poignantly of all, not one girlfriend has ever asked me to be her bridesmaid.

You’d think we women would applaud each other for taking pride in our appearances.

I work at mine — I don’t drink or smoke, I work out, even when I don’t feel like it, and very rarely succumb to chocolate. Unfortunately women find nothing more annoying than someone else being the most attractive girl in a room.

Take last week, out walking the dogs a neighbour passed by in her car. I waved — she blatantly blanked me. Yet this is someone whose sons have stayed at my house, and who has been welcomed into my home on countless occasions.

I approached a mutual friend and discreetly enquired if I’d made a faux pas. It seems the only crime I’ve committed is not leaving the house with a bag over my head.She doesn’t like me, I discovered, because she views me as a threat. The friend pointed out she is shorter, heavier and older than me.

Blushing bride: Samantha on her wedding day, left, and right, at home with Pascal. She laments that not one of her girlfriends has ever asked her to be a bridesmaid - perhaps from fear of being overshadowed by her looks

And, according to our mutual friend, she is adamant that something could happen between her husband and me, ‘were the right circumstances in place’. Yet I’m happily married, and have been for the past four years.

This isn’t the first time such paranoia has gripped the women around me. In my early 20s, when I first started in television as a researcher, one female boss in her late 30s would regularly invite me over for dinner after a long day in the office.

I always accepted her invitation, as during office hours we got along famously. But one evening her partner was at home. We were all a couple of glasses of wine into the evening. Then he and I said we both liked the song we were listening to.

She laid into her bewildered partner for ‘fancying’ me, then turned on me, calling me unrepeatable names before ridiculing me for dying my hair and wearing lipstick. I declined any further invitations.

Therapist Marisa Peer, author of self-help guide Ultimate Confidence, says that women have always measured themselves against each other by their looks rather than achievements — and it can make the lives of the good-looking very difficult.

‘Many of my clients are models, yet people are always astounded when I explain they don’t have it easy,’ she says. If you are attractive other women think you lead a perfect life — which simply isn’t true.

Hard work: Samantha takes pride in her appearance. She works out - even when she doesn't feel like it - she doesn't drink, she doesn't smoke... and rarely does she succumb to chocolate

‘They don’t realise you are just as vulnerable as they are. It’s hard when everyone resents you for your looks. Men think “what’s the point, she’s out of my league” and don’t ask you out. And women don’t want to hang out with someone more attractive than they are.’

I certainly found that out the hard way, particularly in the office.

One contract I accepted was blighted by a jealous female boss. It was the height of summer and I’d opted to wear knee length, cap-sleeved dresses. They were modest, yet pretty; more Kate Middleton than Katie Price.

But my boss pulled me into her office and informed me my dress style was distracting her male employees. I didn’t dare point out that there were other women in the office wearing similar attire.

Rather than argue, I worked out the rest of my contract wearing baggy, sombre-coloured trouser suits. It was clear that when you have a female boss, it’s best to let them shine, but when you have a male boss, it’s a different game: I have written in the Mail on how I have flirted to get ahead at work, something I’m sure many women do.

Women, however, are far more problematic. With one phenomenally tricky boss, I eventually managed to carve out a positive working relationship. But a year in, her attitude towards me changed; the deterioration began when she started to put on weight.

We were both employed by a big broadcasting company. One of our male UK chiefs recommended I take the company’s global leadership course, which meant doors would have opened for me around the world.

All I needed were two personal recommendations to be eligible. As everyone in the office agreed I was good at my job, I didn’t think this would be a problem.

But while the male executive signed the paperwork without hesitation, my immediate boss refused to sign. When I asked her right-hand woman why, she pulled me to one side and explained that my boss was jealous of me.

Forced out: While Samantha has previously admitted to flirting to get ahead at work, she also says jealous female bosses have made some jobs so unbearable she has been forced to leave

Things between us rapidly deteriorated. Whenever I wore something new she’d sneer at me in front of other colleagues that she was the star, not me.

Six months later I handed in my notice. Privately she begged me to stay, blaming the nasty comments on her hormones. She was in her early 40s and confided she was having marital problems. But by then I’d had enough.

I find that older women are the most hostile to beautiful women — perhaps because they feel their own bloom fading. Because my husband is ten years older than me, his social circle is that bit older too.

As a Frenchman, he takes great pride in hearing other men declare that I’m a beautiful woman and always tells me to laugh off bitchy comments from other women.

Yet I dread the inevitable sarky comments. ‘Here she comes. We’re in the village hall yet Sam’s dressed for the Albert Hall,’ was one I recently overheard. As a result I find dinner parties and social gatherings fraught and if I can’t wriggle out of them, then often dress down in jeans and a demure, albeit pretty, top.

But even these ploys don’t always work. Take last summer and a birthday party I attended with my husband. At one point the host, who was celebrating his 50th, decided he wanted a photo with all the women guests. Positioning us, the photographer suggested I stand immediately to his right for the shot.

Another woman I barely knew pushed me out of the way, shouting it wasn’t fair on all the other women if I was dominating the snap. I was devastated and burst into tears.

On my own in the loos one woman privately consoled me — well out of ear-shot of her girlfriends.

So now I’m 41 and probably one of very few women entering her fifth decade welcoming the decline of my looks. I can’t wait for the wrinkles and the grey hair that will help me blend into the background.

Perhaps then the sisterhood will finally stop judging me so harshly on what I look like, and instead accept me for who I am.


source:dailymail

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That wont help your voice! One Direction's Zayn Malik has a sneaky cigarette from his hotel window

By J J Anisiobi


It looks as though Zayn Malik has found a way to relieve the stress of being an international pop star.

The 19-year-old was spotted having a crafty cigarette out of his hotel room window just hours before his band were due to perform to their biggest US audience to date.

Zayn and One Direction were staying at the W Hotel, in California, and were preparing for their performance on the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.

Stub it out: Zayn Malik enjoyed a crafty cigarette from the comfort of his hotel window in Los Angeles, California

Just before the boys were due to head out for rehearsals, a shirtless Malik was seen smoking from his hotel room and looking out across the city.

One Direction's young fans may be shocked to find that one of their clean cut heartthrobs has a nicotine habit, but that probably won't dampen the popularity of the boys after their performance on national television.

Despite being surrounded by bona fide stars such as Justin Bieber, Katy Perry, and Will Smith, the X Factor finalists were greeted with screams at the 25th annual Kids' Choice Awards.

Sneaky smoker: One Direction fans may be surprised to find out that one of their heartthrobs is not so clean cut

Niall Horan, Harry Styles, Liam Payne, and Louis Tomlinson, lapped all the attention as they were picked as one of the leading acts to perform at star-studded show.

And the cigarettes that Zayn enjoys so much showed no detrimental affect to his voice as the group belted out What Makes You Beautiful.

They even managed to bag a new female fan after working their magic on the red carpet.

Hard work: The lads left their hotel and headed to rehearsals for the Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards

Styles – who has dated 32-year-old Xtra Factor host Caroline Flack said he had ‘too much respect for Barack’ to comment on the First Ladies’ stunning appearance, while Payne happily rated her an 11 out of 10.

He said: ‘She’s a very classy woman, very elegant.’

The boys received prime spots at the exciting ceremony which was celebrating its 25th year, and the singers told the Mail Online they were really honoured to be sitting in the front row amongst stars such as Halle Berry and Heidi Klum.

Suited and booted: One Direction arrived at the awards show to a host of screams from their fans

But it seemed as if stars who have been in the industry much longer than One Direction were more thrilled to be in their presence.

Kelly Osbourne admitted she was proud that her countrymen were blowing up in America.

'They are so amazing and they are so lovely and it makes me so happy – it’s like the Brits taking over I love it.'


Charming: The lads performed at the awards show to a star studded audience including Michelle Obama


source:dailymail

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