New York (ANI): If Barrack Obama becomes the next US Prez, then actor Brad Pitt would have a distant cousin in the White House and if Hillary Clinton gets the vote, then Angelina Jolie will have a distant cousin in office, say genealogists.
According to researchers at the New England Historic Genealogical Society, Barack Obama is a distant cousin of Brad Pitt while Hillary Clinton is related to Angelina Jolie, Madonna, Alanis Morissette, and Celine Dion. The researchers found that Pitt and Obama are ninth cousins, linked by Edwin Hickman, who died in Virginia in 1769.
Clinton and Jolie, meanwhile, are ninth cousins, twice removed because they are both related to Jean Cusson who died in St. Sulpice, Quebec, in 1718. "When you get back into your ancestry, you eventually find that you're related to lots of people," the New York Daily News quoted genealogist Christopher Child, who guided the presidential research for the New England Historic Genealogical Society, as saying. "Presidential candidates are no exception," he added.
The study was based entirely on vital records kept by cities, counties and towns. Clinton, who is of French-Canadian descent on her mother's side, is also a distant cousin of singers Madonna, Celine Dion and Alanis Morissette, the research found. Obama, the son of a white woman from Kansas and a black man from Kenya, can call six U.S. Presidents, including George W. Bush, his cousins.
Meanwhile, Republican Presidential hopeful Senator John McCain is a sixth cousin of First Lady Laura Bush. "It shows that lots of different people can be related; people you wouldn't necessarily expect," Child said. Obama has the most prolific presidential lineage, featuring Democrats and Republicans. His distant cousins include President George W. Bush and his father, George H.W. Bush, as well as Gerald Ford, Harry S Truman and James Madison.
On the left is a picture of plain old Angelina Jolie. But on the right…well we’ve got Angelina after she’s been through the Taaz virtual makeover service.
The service, which launches today, uses some of the same tricks as many of the Flash-based photo editing tools we’ve covered in the past. Taaz has added proprietary facial recognition software so that it can, for example, figure out where your lips are when you want to put on lipstick. Taaz also differs from normal photo editing tools in that it is specifically set up to help users (mostly women) see how they might look with different hair, eyes, makeup, etc. Finished makeovers can then be shared with other users, rated, commented, etc.
The tools are dead simple to use (thanks, Adobe) and I had a lot of fun testing the service. See the image below for me with cool hair and a lot of red stuff on my cheeks. They’ve also included a number of original articles on beauty and style, and helpful hints like this one: “Contrary to popular belief, matching your eye shadow to your eye color enhances your eyes, making them pop.” Good to know.
109 mins, Warner Home Video, Action/Drama, also available to buy. Starring: Ray Winstone, Anthony Hopkins, Crispin Glover, Robin Wright Penn, Brendan Gleeson, Angelina Jolie, John Malkovich. ROBERT Zemeckis's computer animated adventure re-imagines the oldest surviving poem in the English language. In Denmark AD507, the sins of corrupt King Hrothgar (Hopkins) condemn his people to brutality at the hands of savage beast Grendel (Glover).
After a particularly vicious attack, Hrothgar sends word that he will give half his gold to any man who can slay the hideous creature. Soon after, valiant warrior Beowulf (Winstone) arrives by long boat. Aided by his loyal sidekick Wiglaf (Gleeson), Beowulf wrestles with Grendel and rips the beasts' claw from its socket, fatally wounding his prey. The ogre dies and Grendel's mother (Jolie) vows revenge, exploiting Beowulf's lust for power to effectively seal the kingdom's fate.
Utilising the same sophisticated motion capture technology as The Polar Express, Beowulf is a smorgasbord for the senses, boasting dazzling fight sequences, lusty serving wenches and mythical, demonic creatures. The animators push the state-of-the-art technology to the limit, including a vertiginous aerial battle with a fire-breathing dragon.
Dazzling as the visuals may be, the technology still cannot replicate realistic eye movement. Close-up, the characters look like dolls, with lifeless, glassy orbs replacing the windows to their souls. Winstone's Cock-er-ney growl is horribly misplaced next to the rest of the cast, many of whom attempt a Nordic twang, including John Malkovich as the king's snide adviser Unferth.
The story sags badly in the middle section and the tone errs towards the unintentionally camp or unnecessarily risque, including carefully positioned swords sparing the naked hero's blushes in an Austin Powers style. What do you think? Have your say.
Angelina Jolie admits that she’s had a few close calls ever since taking on the role of UN goodwill ambassador. The ‘Mr and Mrs Smith’ star revealed that she has used some desperate tactics while paying a visit to danger spots the world over as part of her work for the UN.
“I’ve had close calls. I’ve been in countries where people tried to take my passport – I’ve had to hide in a room because there were people outside who were dangerous,” the Daily Express quoted her, as saying.
The actress also opened up about her political activism, insisting she was privileged to be able to work for a good cause. “As for political activism, I’ve been educating myself on things that are happening around the world,” she adds.
“It’s a privilege to be able to do it. I feel motivated to say or do something because I’m in a position to do so.” However, she is clear that even her work as a UN ambassador and acting have to take a back seat when it comes to her children.
“Obviously my priorities are my children. They are growing up. I’ll be doing even less work because that’s what I prefer to do,” she said. “I’m a mom first. I don’t know if I’m as much an ambassador as I’m a citizen of the world. I just want to learn about the world and its cultures. Lastly, I’m an actress.”
Jolie is currently said to be expecting twins with partner Brad Pitt. The couple have one biological child Shiloh, and are three adopted kids – Maddox, Pax and Zahara.
New York (ANI): If Barrack Obama becomes the next US Prez, then actor Brad Pitt would have a distant cousin in the White House and if Hillary Clinton gets the vote, then Angelina Jolie will have a distant cousin in office, say genealogists.
