PEREZ HILTON

PROFILE...PEREZ HILTON

Source: http://www.speakup.com.br

Language level: A2 PRE-INTERMEDIATE

Speaker: Chuck Rolando

Standard: American accent

Love him, or hate him, Perez Hilton is a star. He’s the king of Hollywood gossip. He writes one of the most notorious blogs on the internet: perhilton.com

Visit the Perez Hilton site and you will find photographs, videos and gossip about today’s most famous celebrities. Hilton lives for celebrities. He goes out six nights a week and attends one, two, or even three events each night. He is a good friend of stars like Paris Hilton and Lady Gaga.

He isn’t related to Paris Hilton. His real name is Mario Armando Lavandeira, Junior. And he was born in Miami, Florida in 1978. Both his parents come from Cuba. Apparently, he didn’t learn English until he attended school. He has always wanted to be an actor, he studied drama at New York University.

BRAD AND ANGELINA

Hilton started his blog as a hobby. He explains its incredible success. “Most blogs are on-line diaries, mine is different. I talk about celebrities because it’s entertaining!” so why do so many people hate Hilton? He suggests celebrities are afraid of him because he tells the truth. People say he’s rude and will do anything to attract attention. He became famous when he posted the first photographs of Bad Pitt and Angelina Jolie together.

LEGAL PROBLEMS

Controversy is never far away. Actor Colin Farrell sued him for posting a sex video of him with his girlfriend Nicole Narain. Paparazzi accuse him of stealing their photographs. Recently, he posted an “up-skirt” photograph of Disney star Miley Cyrus. Cyrus is only 17 years old. So Hilton risked child pornography charges. Hilton is openly gay, but not all gay people approve of him. Why is this? Because he “outed” stars like Jodie Foster and Kevin Spacey. This means he revealed that they are homosexuals.

THANK YOU, KATY!

Hilton was shocked last year when The Black Eyed Peas manager hit him. He criticized the group’s latest album and insulted their singer Fergie. But not everyone hates Hilton, he celebrated his 32^nd birthday with celebrities like Leona Lewis, Kylie Minogue and Lady Gaga. Singer Katy Perry arrived at the party on an elephant and sang Happy Birthday to him.  

Paul McCartney

Source: Speak Up

Standard: British accent

Language level: Basic

Paul McCartney

In recent years Sir Paul has been in the news on account of his traumatic relationship with Heather Mills. Now he’s back in the news, but for a better reason: he has released a new album, Memory Almost Full. It’s intended as a tribute to his first wife, Linda, who died of cancer in 1998. McCartney says she was the one true love of his life.

STARBUCKS!

Memory Almost Full is released through a new record label, Starbuck Hear Music, and is on sale worldwide through their coffee shops. Starbucks already sells compilations CDs through their shops, but McCartney is the first artist to sign to their record label. The title of his new album is an anagram of “For my soul mate LLM” (Linda Louise McCartney); the album also includes songs inspired by his recent painful divorce from Healther Mills.

Some youngsters have never heard of the Beatles, but back in the 1960s, these four lads from Liverpool – John, Paul, George, and Ringo – formed world’s most famous pop group: the Beatles. They had 20 US hits singles: their concerts were occasions of mass hysteria as their fans screamed so loud no one could hear the band. The Beatles gave their last live concert in 1966. The band split up in 1970. John Lennon, the most outspoken member of The Beatles, caused a scandal when he suggested the Beatles were more famous than Jesus, watch one of their early films, A Hard Day’s Night of Help! To get an idea of this crazy time.

YESTERDAY…

According to the Guiness Book of Records, McCartney is the most successful musician ever: more than 2.000 singers have recorded his song “Yesterday.” McCartney seems to have endless energy: in recent years he has released modern classical pieces (such as last year’s “Behold My Heart”): he’s organised art exhibitions of his paintings; and he’s published his poetry. He certainly isn’t stopping now: McCartney toured with his band to promote his new album, and appeared at Al Gore’s Live Earth concert in July.

Going Solo

McCartney formed the group wings after the break-up of the Beatles in 1970. As a solo artist, his career has been incredibly successful. He sang hit duets with Stevie Wonder (“Ebony and Ivory”) and Michael Jackson (“The Girl is Mine”),and starred at Live 8 with U2 – they performed the song “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band,” which became the latest hit single of all time: released just 45 minutes after their performance, it was an immediate hit around the world.