July 4-10: Reports Of the Music Industry's Demise Greatly Exaggerated?

 

With music magazines powering down their printing presses, record companies slashing expense accounts, venerable chains like Tower Records closing shop, and even A-list pop stars failing to fill seats in this nation's concert venues (even with Groupon's help), it seems clear that the music industry is in serious trouble. But rock 'n' roll is not dead, dear readers. According to an encouraging mid-year report by Nielsen SoundScan, album sales experienced their first boost since SoundScan started tracking digital sales in 2004--up 8.5 percent from last year's all-time lows. This is good news, and on top of that, this week Eminem became the first artist to sell 1 million digital copies of a single album. Physical album sales may be down 11 percent--that's the bad news--but digital album sales are in fact up 19 percent, so maybe downloading (at least the legal kind) isn't killing music after all.

Daniel Radcliffe Reveals The Two Props He Took As Mementos From 'Harry Potter' Film Series

Daniel Radcliffe has taken his final turn as Harry Potter, but now, with the film series' final installment -- "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2" -- in theaters next Friday, the British actor has revealed he took some of the props home - two pairs of Potter spectacles.
"Yes, I have two pairs. I have one pair from the very first film and one from the last," Daniel told Alex Zane, a host of the "Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows - Part 2" official premiere web stream, held in Trafalgar Square, London, on Thursday. "So I've got my fair share of swag."

The actor, who flew in from New York City, where he's starring on Broadway in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," said the film, due out stateside on July 15, will impress the fans.
"I cannot emphasize enough how far ahead this film is from any of the others," Daniel gushed. "It's amazing. I am so proud of this film and the way we have gone out in this film. We could just not have made a better version of this film. It's staggeringly good and I'm a harsh critic of these films. I think people are gonna go crazy for it."

Facebook

You might think a long quiet walk through the woods with Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is a treat only his closest friends and dearest family get to enjoy. Yet a chummy stroll with one of the richest men in the world is actually reserved for a few select potential Facebook employees.
Although the hiking path is often the same, along a wooded area of Palo Alto that skirts Stanford University, those invited change each time.
Several people who have been courted by Mr. Zuckerberg told the same story. The 27-year-old chief executive surprises them with the idea of a walk through the woods. A little startled by the invite, people often agree, and are then led across the Facebook parking lot where they eventually end up hiking along a trail that reaches a Silicon Valley lookout. This is where Mr. Zuckerberg delivers his pitch.

Megan Fox Aims to Dispel Botox Rumors Via Facebook Photos

For years now, Megan Fox has been plagued with rumors that she's had plastic surgery done, claims which she has continually denied.
She went as far as telling Allure last year that any woman who is considering getting work done should think about getting therapy instead.
"My lips are my lips," she told the magazine. "I would encourage anyone to first speak with a therapist, to try and figure out where this want comes from, because a lot of times it's not related to your teeth or your nose or your chin -- the surgery is not going to alleviate that insecurity for you."
But Fox apparently still has a chip on her shoulder.
Yesterday, she uploaded four pictures to her Facebook account in an album titled "THINGS YOU CAN'T DO WITH YOUR FACE WHEN YOU HAVE BOTOX."

5 Foods that Keep You Thin

It's true: Apples can help you stay thin. 

Take a look around any book store, and you'll find dozens of diet books lining the shelves. Despite their bright and cheerful covers, with their positive, upbeat claims, many of them are filled with information that promotes all the wrong messages.

"The word 'diet' is negative and implies people can go on and off them," said Jane Korsberg, a senior instructor in the department of nutrition at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

Korsberg is one nutritionist who thinks it would be better to re-think the whole concept of dieting.

"'Diet foods' are confusing to many people," she explained. "What diet is the 'diet food' geared for? Is it low-calorie, low-fat, low-sodium, low-sugar, gluten-free, et cetera?"