There has been a lot of discussion about men going bald and losing charm. However, if there is a standing example to the fact that hair really doesn’t matter as long as someone is really capable of attracting attention through other ways, it has to be Fran Healy from the Scottish alternative rock band Travis. The man behind singles like ‘Why does it always rain on me’, ‘Sing’, and many others, has publicly stated that he doesn’t worry about getting old or not looking as great as he used to.

Well, I couldn’t agree more with such great music he and the guys make and also his deep blue eyes. I just wish Travis’ new album ‘Ode to J. Smith’ gets released soon and we can listen to what is being called the greatest alternative rock album to be released in 2008. The album has already received critical acclaim and a favorable critical mood.

For now, I would say baldness or any other matter really doesn’t matter as long as a man remains committed to his true mission and talents, be it music or politics or sports. Showbiz unfortunately has concentrated more upon a celebrity’s looks rather than the talent behind what makes him or her a celebrity.

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Via: GodsInTheTVZine

A little butterfly on your butt line, a roaring tiger on your inner thigh or a sexy ballerina on your chest and the list continues…there’s no denying tattoos are invasive! A traditional body–art form which has adorned the burntsienna bodies of natives since time immemorial has become a big fad now-a-days. Thanks to its adoption by the fair skinned models and Angelina Jolie (in particular), tattooing has emerged from its low-art image to something which is a rage among teenagers, celebrities and those aiming-to-be fashionistas, alike!

Getting one on your body parts (read private parts or near-private parts) and exposing them is one trend which is now getting clichéd. So, what next? Get a tattoo on the most visible body part of yours – your Face! And be one more step bolder by getting a tattoo on your EYELIDS! Yes, eyelid tattooing and extreme face & body tattooing seem to be the latest trend these days. This is height of attention-grabbing tactics- an extra set of eyeballs above one’s eyelids! (Perhaps the person got inspired from some cheap horror movie and was desperate enough for the ‘extra’ thrill).

Tattoos as an art form are a very personalized expression of one’s angst (against society or one’s boss), amour, adventurous spirit, remembrances and what not. But getting one your eyelids or smothering your face with it, is the loudest of all messages you want to give. What kind of mental constitution a person would have if he/she comes to work, wearing an expletive tattooed on his/her forehead ? Would such individuals be allowed at work thereafter if they come with chess boards on their faces and Halloween masks on their shaven heads?

Of course it’s your body and you can get a tattoo any where on it. But, what concerns me more than the questions raised above (which I m sure will arise if extreme face tattooing becomes commonplace among literatis)  is the health aspect. I’m horrified to even think about what all kinds of ill-effects such reckless tattooing can have on me (If in my insanity, I opt for it)? Many of the color pigments used for such colorful designs can be potentially carcinogenic. Unlike cosmetics, the chemical constituents of the dyes & colors used for tattooing are hardly known and analyzed for their side effects. Even tattoo manufacturers are ill-informed over the chemical composition of these coloring agents used to make brilliantly flashy and complex tattoos on their clients.

Chemical experts who have analyzed a variety of tattoo inks disclose that most of these pigments are highly impure industrial organic dyes which render your body parts (being tattooed) susceptible to dangerous microbial, fungal and bacterial infections! The latter which fall under the Transfusion-Transmitted-Diseases (TTD) category, can be life threatening even and especially in the case of pregnant ladies are very hazardous. One can even risk contracting Hepatitis from an infected needle (used to pierce and inject the pigment into skin).
Besides the risk of acquiring an allergic reaction and metal toxicity is always looming large because tattoo pigments contains metals like titanium, zinc, chromium, copper. Just imagine, how much vulnerable you are making yourself, by exposing your body to such toxic metals when you opt for tattooing. The pigments leach out from tattoo and get absorbed in your skin. These dyes further get deposited into the fat layers of your body and many are known to cause cancers of skin and other organs. So much so, for a mere fashion statement! Its time you think deeply over the issue before you decide to get an extreme facial or eyelid tattoo. A two minute craze might ruin your life forever!

Via: trendhunter

Does your mummy serve you Hellogs every morning on the breakfast table? Ask juniors and most of them would admit it with a child’s version of irksome smile on their faces!I personally like breakfast cereals a lot (but not those sugary-sticky kinds please!). My reason behind doing this post on these crazy posters is to share with you all, the excitement with which their creators would have made them. These days (thanks to internet, a lot of people can express their creative-arty outputs with all the softwares available at a mouse’s click).

I like these three posters – spoofs on breakfast cereal ads by brands like Kellogg’s .They are likable for their content and funny graphics…Gruesome Grimy Goo Goo Mucks and bone crunchers! It seems the creators bear shades of Calvin (Bill Watterson’s Calvin & Hobbes) in them.

 While moms might not like the ideas expressed in them but these sure tickle your funny bone every time you see them. After all, these cereal killers are not to be afraid of! (grin)…

Via: ffffound

If you shed some light on your talent, then obviously you win loads of accolades. But if your talent supplements a noble cause, then certainly the admiration for you knows no bounds. And this is what the twelve students of the Nepal Fine Arts campus are being recognized and appreciated for.

The young artists have united to organize a group exhibition under the Heart Beat Series to help disadvantaged children. A total of 35 paintings and a few sculptors have been put up at the gallery inside Baryo Fiesta in Naxal.

With themes ranging from human emotions to nature to semi-abstract paintings, and by using various media like acrylic, oil, water and pastel, the young artists have proven that the country has no dearth of creative talents.

And the two-fold purpose behind this exhibition is utterly commendable. “We have decided to contribute 30 percent proceeds of this exhibition for Children’s Art Project 2007. Children of Jana Kalyan Primary School in a village in Nagarkot will be taught the art of painting and given educational materials,” said Juju Kaji Maharjan, program coordinator of the exhibition. “We also welcome other contributions from those who are interested,” he added.

Twelve talented artists including Sapana Shah, Pramit Dhakal, Manju Shyaula, Anil Maharjan, Uday Karmacharya, Rajan Maharjan, Raj K. Prajapati, Sujan Dangol, Aabhushan Duwal ‘Bhusan’, Sachin Yogol Shrestha, Santosh Shrestha ‘Rashav’ and Mekh Bahadur Limbu Subba have put their paintings at the exhibition.

The exhibition, which kicked off on July 2 will continue till August 2.

And this exhibition not only portrays the paintings of these young artists but also exhibits their magnanimous sides.

via mediaforfreedom

Talk about being abstract or rather think about offending someone deliberately. This is how Barack Obama would have felt when he arrived for a campaign fundraiser at a Virginia art gallery. Thankfully Obama’s staff saved him from encountering Jamie Boling’s controversial paintings. One of his paintings was covered by a curtain and another had been removed entirely before the Democrat’s arrival. Obama’s staff apparently was concerned that the paintings would somehow embarrass the Illinois senator.
One of the paintings, a 6′ x 10′ work titled “Snake Charmer,” is a reproduction of the famous paparazzi photo showing Britney Spears, sans underwear, stepping out of an automobile driven by Paris Hilton. The 33-year-old Boling’s oil painting can be seen below. This picture had created a huge chaos few months back. Britney and Paris were linked romantically after Spear’s Divorce.

The second work, “Honest Abe,” shows a woman wearing a t-shirt with the words “Kill Lincoln.” Fans of “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” will recall characters from the 1982 movie wearing a t-shirt with the same slogan (though it referred to a rival high school, not the 16th president)

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So, now do you prefer seeing this kind of art piece in your drawing room? well, Britney would sure win more than thousands of hands raised.

Via Bheadlines