Spicy Mother - News and Entertainment

Susan Boyle's debut album shot has become the fastest selling album in Britain this year.

Entering the music charts in the top spot on Sunday, Boyle's "I Dreamed a Dream" sold more than 410,000 copies -- the biggest first week sales for a debut album in UK chart history, the Official Charts Company said.

Susan Boyle became a worldwide sensation after an awe-inspiring performance on TV talent show "Britain's Got Talent" and had garnered more than 300 million views online.

While she may have lost 'Britain's Got Talent,' she more than made up for the disappointment by creating a big bang with her debut album.

This is the Glee Cast singing a special Holiday song, "Last Christmas. In case you don't know Glee, it is an American musical comedy-drama television series that airs on Fox and have received positive reviews for their performances.

Rachel (Lea Michele) leads this Wham! holiday classic for a good cause. A portion of the proceeds from the iTunes-only sale goes toward the Grammy Foundation, for music education.

Check out their video below. Hearing Lea Michele's beautiful voice, I am so looking forward to Christmas.

Oregon’s Office of Degree Authorization (ODA) has compiled a list of degree mills and Singapore appears six times on the list.

I am sure this is not the kind of world-class education hub which our government is working towards.

But is anybody feeling concerned? Despite pervious scandals, this sector remains pretty much unregulated.

By the way, if you are a student of the schools below (Cranston University, Lee Community College, Templeton University, Trident University of Technology, Vancouver University Worldwide, Westmore University), good luck to you.

Better check the legality of your degree...

The H1N1 threat is very real. Our local celebrity, Fann Wong, has came down with H1N1, after returning from a work trip to Hainan Island.

While Fann Wong rests at home, production of her new movie, "Happy Go Lucky," slated for a Chinese New Year release — is in "tremendous chaos" as a new filming schedule has to be planned.

The actress has been given a 10—day medical leave. The comedy is Fann’s first movie since her September wedding to actor Christopher Lee.

This adorable boy must be seeing a lobster for the first time in his life.

Out of curiosity, he wants to touch the lobster to explore further but is hesitant for fear of being bitten.

This is a funny video worth cherishing. Children express their true emotions, unlike other rubbish YouTube videos featuring adults which are so fake and stupid.

I have been watching Oprah Winfrey Show for years and is sad to know that she will be leaving the show in 2011.

Oprah Winfrey enter the entertainment industry "with nothing" but she is today known as a motivational speaker, philanthropist, and talk show queen. Oprah is a shining example to women that phenomenal success can be achieved if we put our mind to it.

Though some of her statements are controversial and not always politically correct, she has created a legacy during the 25 years of hosting Oprah Winfrey show.

Good luck to her!

Bollywood A-list actress Shilpa Shetty, 34, married London-based businessman Raj Kundra in a "fairy-tale wedding" on Sunday.

Shilpa Shetty was clad in a red-and-gold saree and walked around a holy fire with Kundra in a traditional Hindu ritual that signifies the bond of marriage.

There will be a wedding reception in Mumbai on Tuesday, with the who's who of Bollywood expected to be in attendance.

The couple met in London soon after Shilpa Shetty shot to fame as the winner of the British reality show 'Celebrity Big Brother' in 2007.

Given her fame in India, there was an international furore for the indignity and racial abuse thrown at her in 'Celebrity Big Brother'. Despite the odds, she won the contest, proving her determination to succeed and a versatility to reinvent her career.

Fans of Shilpa Shetty can rejoice that she has married a rich man. At least, her future is well taken care of...

Many fans of Twilight moviews are touched by the complex love triangle involving a high school girl, a vampire and a werewolf.

This spoof is really funny but hopefully, it doesn't spoil any of the romance for you.

The "Twilight" sequel, New Moon, has scored the third-biggest opening weekend at the North American box office on Sunday.

"The Twilight Saga: New Moon" earned an estimated $140.7 million during its first three days of release across the United States and Canada, according to distributor Summit Entertainment.

The record for an opening is $158 million, set last year by the Batman sequel "The Dark Knight." The 2007 movie "Spider-Man 3" follows with $151 million. "New Moon" replaced "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" at No. 3.

The vampire romance is well on its way to exceeding the $193 million total of its predecessor, "Twilight," which was released exactly a year ago.

Check out the cast of Twilight New Moon on Jimmy Kimmel Live below.

NEA says the rainy season may last until January next year and has warned of flash floods in low-lying areas.

We got a taste of things to come when heavy downpours caused flash floods in Bukit Timah on Thursday, with waters reaching knee-high in some places.

After so many months of sweltering hot and humid weather, I really appreciate the rainy season and with it, cooler temperatures. But the incessant downpour is getting a bit extreme.


The traffic jams around the island created delay and also pose safety hazard to drivers and motorists.

Repairs of waterlogged cars have to be borne by the owners unless they bought comprehensive car insurance. Showowners and residents are also not spared from losses created by the floods.

The government has to act fast to improve drainage around the island, given that freaky weather is here to stay.

In fact, the weather changes so fast, I have taken to bringing along an umbrella and sweater whenever I step out of the house, even if the sun is shining brightly.

Jet Li has finally acknowledged his new Singapore citizenship. He explains the reasons for making the choice to become a Singaporean:

"Compared to other cities, Singapore is a lot cleaner. The security is a lot better and the weather is hotter. There is a warmer climate in Southeast Asia too. A bilingual education system, a mix of cultures with some western influences. These are the main aspects that attracted my attention."

Do the above reasons resonate with you and make you feel proud to be a Singaporean? Or have you taken these factors for granted?

Answer is out. Johnny Depp has been named as 2009 ‘Sexiest Man Alive’ by People magazine, reclaiming a title he first won in 2003.

Johnny Depp has joined the likes of George Clooney and Brad Pitt to have received the honour twice.

I have watched most of the movies by Johnny Depp, not only because he is gorgeous. Depp is a phenomenal actor, from his roles as Mr Willy Wonka, Captain Jack Sparrow, Edward Scissorhands to his latest portrayal of John Dillinger in Public Enemies.

What do you guys think of Johnny Depp? Is he a deserving winner?

This news of an Andy lookalike gives me the creeps.

To think that the person who bears an uncanny resemblance to my favorite idol, Andy Lau, has to be a lady and a porn star at that.

The more I look at the picture, the more it is a turn off for me. What do you guys think?

Fann Wong has little time for married life. After their wedding of the year and a sweet honeymoon, she flew to China to film and participate in various performances.

Her latest performance was a mega show held in Suzhou, which was hosted by local MediaCorp artiste, Bryan Wong.

Since Fann Wong's schedule is so hectic, I think there is little chance of them conceiving a baby next year.

That will definitely be a big disappointment to her husband Christopher Lee, who has long expressed a desire to have a baby even before they registered their marriage.

Fann Wong has also previously revealed that she plans to go into conception after their marriage.

Well, Fann, it is time to slow down a bit to enjoy your marriage. We will like to see a little Fann Wong or Christoper Lee soon.

Two men have been charged, separately, with attempting to obtain sexual favours in return for turning a blind eye on smoking offenders.

One of them is 32-year-old Mohamed Rafi Abdul Alim who was employed by Certis-CISCO Security and attached to the National Environment Agency (NEA) as an enforcement officer.

Along with three other officers, he approached a girl whom he saw smoking with her friends at the basement carpark of Queensway Shopping Centre in March this year.

The girl and her friends were in school uniforms. The officers then took down the students' particulars and gave them a verbal warning.

However, shortly after this, Mohamed Rafi allegedly sent the girl a text message asking for sexual services. It is believed that he promised not to refer her to the relevant authorities should she give in to his request.

42-year-old Koh Hui Chong, a former NEA officer, faced a similar charge. He noticed a boy in his school uniform smoking at a playground in late April last year.

Koh approached the student and informed him that he will be booked for under-aged smoking. He also asked the boy for his parents' contact details so that he could speak to them about the matter.

However, the student gave him false information about his father. In response to this, it is believed that Koh approached the boy's school to obtain the details even though he was not authorised to do so.

Koh then allegedly contacted the boy's mother in early May last year, asking for sexual services in return for not taking action against her son.

If convicted under the Prevention of Corruption Act, both men could each be jailed up to five years and fined a maximum of S$100,000.

Source: Channel News Asia

This incident serves a very important lesson to us that there is no need to fear enforcement officers, if they make indecent demands. We must report them to the police and not accede to their requests.

Since these officers are supposed to do the right things but end up corrupting others, the court should give them double the punishment to restore public faith in our enforcement system.

Taiwan bombshell Yao Yao (瑶瑶) is getting really popular of late.

More than 300 fans, (from schoolboys to senior citizens), turned up at her promotional event at IMM last Saturday to get an autograph - and a hug.

Besides a cute face, 瑶瑶 is the proud owner of a pair of 33F breasts and that is where she gets all the guys going ga-ga over her. In Taiwan, 瑶瑶 voluptuous figure is a firm favorite among 宅男 (guys who always stay at home to play online games or watch TV).

In fact, her sex-goddess status even alerted the Taiwanese authority that using sexy models to promote online games may be inappropriate or even harmful.

If you really like 瑤瑤, you can check out her video below. But do focus on her song and not just her assets, as she loves to be recognised as a singer.

The 17th APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting has concluded on a sweet note. President Obama managed to cut short his Japan trip and made it on time for the dinner on Saturday.

There was a joint declaration on ‘sustainable growth and connecting the region’ as well as a ‘new growth paradigm for a connected Asia-Pacific in the 21st century’.

The APEC leaders agreed to continue stimulus measures and to implement a growth policy which is comprehensive, balanced and sustainable to ensure long-term economic recovery as outlined by the G20 summit in September this year.

They reiterated their commitment to the Bogor goals of trade liberalization and investment, and assigned their respective ministers to assess the results of developing economies implementing these goals in 2010.

All these measures are good for Singapore which has no natural resources and depend greatly on free trade for survival.

The only grouse is that there is no climate deal as everybody dragged their feet on reduction of emissions.

A FOUR-ROOM Queenstown HDB flat has sold for $653,000, setting a new record for price per sq ft (psf), amid continuing red-hot demand for resale flats.

The buyers, a male Indonesian permanent resident and a Singaporean woman, could have bought a condominium unit in an outlying area for the price.

But they were won over by the location, just five minutes walk from Queenstown MRT station, and on the top, 40th floor of the block, with unblocked views of greenery from all windows.

The four-year-old 969sqft unit at Forfar Heights, Strathmore Avenue, sold for $68,000 above valuation - a level determined by an independent valuer.

This works out to $674 psf, smashing the previous record of $609 psf, achieved in January last year, by about 10per cent.

This may be an unusually high price but resale prices have been moving up.

Source: Straits Times

The government is telling people to be careful of property bubble but prices for HDB flats continue to break new highs. Now it is $653000 for a four room flat bought by an Indonesian.

According to ERA, 40 per cent of HDB flats are PR buyers. They are the one causing the spike in demand since Singaporeans are suffering from low birth rates and late marriages.

The concern, and possibly frustration, that is simmering amongst Singaporeans is whether our future generation afford to buy a HDB flat?

Mah Bow Tan says that public housing is still affordable and we should not compare prices in the past.

What do you guys think of the current trend in HDB prices?