While most of the entertainment industry was tuned into the Grammy’s on Sunday night the Bafta movie awards were being handed out in London and the big winner of the night was the black-and-white film The Artist.

Among the films big wins were grabs for Best Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Director, and Best Actor for French star Jean Dujardin.

In celebrating his silent films win for best screenplay filmmaker Michel Hazanavicius said:

“Some people thought there was no script because there was no dialog, so the British are very clever.”

In a funny moment American actress Meryl Streep managed to pick up the Best Actress award for her turn as Margaret Thatcher in the movie The Iron Lady. Once she made it to the stage Streep said of her walk to receive her award  ”That couldn’t have gone worse.” She then said the point of her film was to “locate something real, maybe hidden, but truthful in the life of someone we’ve all decided we know everything about already.”

In celebrating his 3-D film Hugo Martin Scorcese took home Bafta awards for production and design.

Did any of Sunday nights Bafta award winners surprise you, perhaps the best screenplay nod?

Silent Film ‘The Artist’ Sweeps Bafta With Seven Awards, Wins Best Screenplay is a post from: The Inquisitr

Scientists say the Laacher See Volcano is similar in size to Mount Pinatubo, which erupted in Indonesia in 1991.  Mount Pinatubo was considered the biggest eruption of the 20th century, causing global temperatures to cool by 0.5 degrees Celsius for an entire year!

The Volcano has historically erupted once every 10,000 – 12,000 years.   The last eruption was 12,900 years ago.

It is hard to say exactly how devastating the Laacher See Volcano would be to Europe, but some scientists who were willing to talk about it said it would basically be TOTAL devastation.  Cities all over Europe such as London, Berlin, Paris and others would be completely covered in ash.

While ash doesn’t sound so devastating at first mention, it is important to realize what we are talking about when we talk about volcanic ash.  Volcanic ash is not soft and fluffy like the ash created from burning wood.  Volcanic ash is basically course pieces of stone smaller than the size of a grain of sand.  It is conductive to electricity when wet, meaning that when it hits the atmosphere is causes massive electrical storms.  It is heavy so it collapses buildings.  The biggest issue is that if it is inhaled it gets into the lungs and mixes with the moisture present to form a paste which in construction terms is called concrete.

The Laacher See Volcano has the potential to eject Billions of tons of it into the air.

This past summer the Icelandic volcano that erupted called Eyjafjallajökull, stopped air traffic over Europe for days and had a huge impact on the continent.  That volcano was about 1/10 the size of Laacher See.

For a few years now mini earthquakes have been detected under the ground at the site.  In addition the lake that rests over the volcano has seen carbon dioxide bubbles drifting to the top of the lake which is usually a sign that the magma chamber underneath the mountain is beginning to evacuate.

We will see if maybe the Mayans were right on this one.

Are you afraid of an eruption over Europe?

European Supervolcano Showing Signs of Life, Can Destroy Europe is a post from: The Inquisitr

World class athletes heading to the London Olympics in 2012 have been warned by the United Kingdom Anti-Doping Association to avoiding eating Liver. According to the agency the food may cause athletes to test positive for the anabolic agent clenbuterol.

Speaking about the liver warning the Food Standard Agency, a British government agency that acts much in the same was as the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States warned athletes:

The FSA cannot rule out the possibility that if a large portion of liver is consumed containing clenbuterol at permitted residue limits, urine collected shortly after consumption may contain detectable levels of clenbuterol. This depends on many factors including the amount consumed, the timing of the urine test and the analytical methods used.

The warning comes after various food related excused have been made after positive drug tests in the past including China weightlifting gold medalist Tong Wen who blamed their failed drug test on pork chops and Spanish cyclist Alberto Contado who blamed steak on their own positive clenbuterol test.

At least in the case of Liver the agency is recommending that athletes avoid a food that most people would pay not to eat.

In the meantime athletes are free to eat burgers, steak, fish and plenty of other actually delicious tasting foods in preparation for their chance at Olympic gold glory for their respective countries.

Are you surprised to learn that a once common food such as liver can actually cause positive drug testing results on a professional level?

London Olympic Athletes Told To Avoid This Food is a post from: The Inquisitr

CAMBERWELL, London – Recently wed and highly publicized royal couple Kate Middleton and Prince William followed in the charitable humanist footsteps of William’s mother Princess Diana yesterday with a visit to Centrepoint’s Camberwell Foyer centre in Camberwell, London.

A favorite of the late Princess Diana, Centrepoint is a national charity, providing housing, personal and mental health services, and educational programs for England’s homeless population between the ages of 16 and 25. William himself is now a patron of the organization which has long been a part of his life, and sources say that he has been longing to introduce his new bride to the charity at work.

William made his first private visit to the Camberwell centre in 2003 at age 21. The couple visited once briefly during their engagement, sitting in on one of Centrepoint’s “Workwise” programs, which are designed to aid struggling youths prepare themselves in the search for employment.

On this visit, the royal couple were met by two of Centrepoint’s “success stories”, Olivia Sabat, 20, and Kiran James, 23. Both became homeless in their teens, but have recently made great strides toward independent living and gainful employment.

Centrepoint’s Chief Executive Sey Obakin is thrilled by the attention the Camberwell branch is recieving from the royal couple. Of the visit, he said:

“It is a powerful motivator and Prince William is a keen and passionate patron. I have seen him talk to a young person and remember their story six months later.”

Obakin hopes that attention from the royal couple will aid the Camberwell branch which has been struggling for the past 12 months.

Seems like the sky is the limit for the royal couple. What do you think of Kate Middleton and Prince William’s charitable leanings?

Kate Middleton and Prince William Follow in His Mother’s Footsteps is a post from: The Inquisitr

Here’s something the women of Sex and the City would be proud of, the upscale and discreet Dukes Hotel in London have launched a special set of “Duchess Rooms” which specifically cater to single female travelers.

Assigned only to female travelers the “no men allowed” suits including feminine friendly additions including hair styling accessories, women’s only magazines and fresh flowers in every suite. The rooms also offer a make-up mirror and sewing kit.

According to AOL Travel:

Around the world, women-only rooms have been popping up aplenty. These include The Naumi Hotel in Singapore, the Premier Hotel in New York City, and Crowne Plaza hotels in Washington and Minnesota.

Women only hotel rooms may be gaining steam but they haven’t been without their own issues, a Danish judge recently ordered a hotel in Copenhagen to stop what they called a “discriminatory practice.” The Bella Sky hotel was ordered to end the practice after a male traveler complained to the country’s Equal Treatment Board.

For their part executives at the Bella Sky are refusing to back down, recently telling the AFP news service:

“The only man who can access this floor will be a fireman in case of fire.”

Do you think hotels should be able to choose what clientele they feature in exclusive rooms? Keep in mind the Bella Sky and the Dukes Hotel still allow men in their hotel, they just offer some rooms exclusively to single female occupants.

London Hotel Launches Upscale ‘Women Only’ Hotel Rooms is a post from: The Inquisitr

Concerns over security at the 2012 London Olympics has led U.S. Authorities to assign 500 FBI officials and 500 other security guards to protect American athletes as they compete on the world stage. The hired hands will also protect U.S. Diplomats who attend the event.

When first announcing security support for the event Olympic Committee members called for 10,000 security personnel, many from the countries military however they now believe that a safe environment will require upwards of 21,000 guards for the Olympics 32 competition sites throughout the country.

In the meantime British officials have grown tired of growing concerns voiced by US officials over the event. When speaking about the US security “footprint” during the games one British official said of the US:

“We are not equal partners in this.” and ”They are being very demanding.”

Another official added the Guardian:

“The Americans are risk-averse, with a capital ‘A’ and underlined. They want to see everything.”

However it’s not only the Americans that have become irritated by the entire security issue, the Ministry of Defense (MoD) has agreed to offer 3,000 soldiers and 2,000 reserve soldiers however they are working with a very tight budget with one member recently asking:

“What have they been doing for the last five years?” and “There is less than a year to go and they’ve only just realised they need twice the number of security guards they first thought. Where is the money to pay for this coming from? It is an extra burden on the defence budget that we could well do without.”

Given terrorist activity and other security issues in recent memory it seems silly that this issue is just now being further pushed.

Do you think the United States and other countries are causing problems by asking repeatedly about security protocols?

[Image via ShutterStock.com]

U.S. Sending 500 FBI Officials To London Olympics, Will Protect American Athletes is a post from: The Inquisitr

When the London Summer Olympics rolls around in 2012 basketball teams from the United States, Australia, Russian, the UK and other countries will be practicing on some very rare ground. It turns out that the basketball court is being constructed from eucalyptus wood which is being logged from a 1,000-year-old Tasmanian forest.

That forest unfortunately is not just full of old trees but also various endangered species including the Tasmanian Devil.

Adding to Olympic promoters woes it has also been discovered that the United Nations has been working to have the area in question marked as a protected area because of it’s value as a habitat for the nearly extinct species it houses.

According to the Independent the Olympic games in recent years have attempted to be “green” but the building where the new court is being built is not supervised by London 2012 organizers, instead the court is being built by the University of East London. According to University officials they were never made aware of the floors origin.

In defending the new floor the Malaysian manufacturer involved in the build says they did not break any laws and that the timber used was not from “old growth trees.”

Speaking about the logged timber used in the process one activist says the practice of using endangered woods must “end the UK’s part in wrecking some of the world’s last remaining old growth forests.”

Do you believe that the London Olympics organizers should have more oversight concerning construction practices used for the games?

London Olympics Under Hot Water For Using Wood From Endangered Area is a post from: The Inquisitr

Three months after Amy Winehouse’s “sudden and unexpected death,” an inquiry has revealed the events leading up to the singer’s demise at the age of 27.

Winehouse’s struggles with drugs and alcohol were well documented, but her death was still a surprise to many as it appeared she was making significant improvements and looking after herself more aggressively in the weeks before she died. The inquest into Winehouse’s death revealed that after three weeks of sobriety, Amy fell into a pattern she’d experienced before of relapsing- but that the final time was fatal.

At the time of her death, Winehouse had consumed five times the legal limit of alcohol for driving, 80mg per 100ml of blood- her blood alcohol level was 416mg of alcohol per 100mls. Law enforcement officials responding to the scene found three bottles of vodka near Winehouse’s body. The coroner noted that 200mg of alcohol is an amount that would cause loss of reflexes, and that 350mg approaches risk of fatality.

The night before her death, Dr. Christina Romete, Winehouse’s GP, met with the singer. She said:

“The advice I had given to Amy over a long period of time was verbal and in written form about all the effects alcohol can have on the system, including respiratory depression and death, heart problems, fertility problems and liver problems… She had her own way and was very determined to do everything her own way. Including any form of therapy. She had very strict views.”

St. Pancras coroner Suzanne Greenway noted:

“[Amy] had consumed sufficient alcohol at 416mg per decilitre (of blood) and the unintended consequence of such potentially fatal levels was her sudden and unexpected death.”

Amy Winehouse Died of Alcohol Poisoning is a post from: The Inquisitr

A kindergarten teacher in London, England drank so much on her lunch break recently that her schools principal thought she was having a seizure when teaching and called an ambulance to rescue the 51-year-old educator.

According to the principal he though Penny Truman was having a seizure when she couldn’t control herself.

After the incident the teachers council found Truman guilty of “unacceptable professional conduct.”

Speaking to the Daily Mail an official says that Penny Truman’s “actions have the potential to bring the reputation and standing of the profession into serious disrepute.”

The official also said:

 “She was clearly going through a period of personal stress, apparently deteriorating health, she suffered a family bereavement at the time and was exhausted.”

Penny will not be fired assuming she shows a “satisfactory medical report” before returning to her place of employment. The report must show that Truman is in good mental health before returning to work.

At least the students didn’t spike their teachers drink like Bart Simpson and his class did to Mrs. Krabappel during an episode of the Simpsons (pictured above).

Do you think the teacher should have been fired or is psychological evaluation enough to place her back into good standing?

Teacher So Drunk That Principle Thought She Was Having A Seizure is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rihanna has been immortalized in the form of a wax figure thanks to Madame Tussauds London.

The new wax figure debuted on Tuesday and shows Rihanna with her former curly red hair and a long black dress that exposes her right butt cheek. The dress is the same one she wore last year when performing with X Factor winner Matt Cardle in London.

It’s a good time of the year to be Rihanna, not only does she receive her own wax figure, her new album Talk That Talk drops on Nov. 21 and the first single from that album We Found Love debuted last week at No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Here are a few more pictures of the singer’s wax figure being touched up with makeup and showing off her long black dress:

In the meantime Rihanna is busy promoting her new album and taking steamy lingerie shots for Versace where she has taken over as the company’s most recent celebrity model, a spot once held by Megan Fox.

Do you think Rihanna deserves her very own Madame Tussauds wax figure? I will say she’s one of the hardest working women in music having released an album every single year since 2005 (minus 2008) and she definitely has the worldwide superstar status that the wax museum loves to promote to their visitors.

Rihanna Wax Figure Debuts At Madame Tussauds London [Pics] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Stella McCartney threw a carnival party at town hall in north London on Wednesday to celebrate her third in-house collection of children’s wear, a project she began working on after several seasons designing children’s clothing for retail outlet GAP.

In attendance was Kate Moss who spoke about “The Waltzer” a popular ride in the UK:

“The waltzer was my absolute favorite as a kid,” adding, “Up and down, round and round, and you scream if you want to go faster. It’s the best!”

Among other supporters in attendance were Laura Bailey, Avery and John Frieda, Camilla Al Fayed, and Bay Garnett.

The “British Fairground” theme went off with great success as McCartney walked around and met as many children as possible.

Speaking about bringing her collection “in-house” she said:

“Working with Gap was all part of the journey. Now, there are fewer limitations, and you get to be your own boss,” while adding, “I hope these clothes let kids express themselves and enjoy being kids.”

Stella McCartney also revealed to WWD that some of her adult designs have trickled down into her children’s wear:

“Not much trickles up from the kids’ collection, but there is a little Linda shoe – named after my mother – and a kids’ one. And sometimes I can even manage to squeeze myself into the size 12 tea dresses – I love them so much.”

I have to give it up to the designer, she definitely knows how to target her core demographic while making parents happy as well. Are you a fan of Stella McCartney’s children designs?

Stella McCartney Throws Carnival Party To Celebrate In-House Children’s Collection is a post from: The Inquisitr

For the past few days hell has come to London Town with what seems like unending violence radiating outward to other English towns. Everyone from the rich to the poor are targets for what first started out as a protest against the death of a teenage at the hands of the police, but has now spread well beyond that.

Shops, businesses, and homes are being set on fire as well as senseless violence against innocent citizens being committed by what amounts to simple mindless thugs.

With reports of citizens fighting back via the Internet where the pictures of the people committing this violence are being posted for people to identify and pass on to the police it is no wonder that anyone with a camera is a target for violence.

At the forefront of this are the great number of journalist and photojournalists documenting this horrendous event that is tearing the country apart. We are hearing of increasing number of these journalists and photojournalists being purposefully targeted to the point some are even wearing helmets and bulletproof jackets.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIwXNXe_0dU&w=550

[London Riots] Journalists and photojournalists latest targets of violence – Video is a post from: The Inquisitr

Photos of actress Heather Locklear are causing quite the stir on the internet this weekend after several pictures of the former Melrose Place star began to circulate and show off what some gossips are calling breast augmentation surgery.

The photos, which all feature Locklear in a low cut black dress during an Aug. 4 charity dinner in London, UK appear to show larger than normal breasts as she holds onto longtime boyfriend Jack Wagner at the Sameul L. Jackson led event.

Regardless of whether or not Locklear has in fact had breast enlarging surgery, it’s hard to not admit that at nearly 50-years-old (she turns 50 on Sept. 25) she looks amazing.

Locklear has never said she has had plastic surgery, although she also hasn’t ruled it out, during an interview on Live With Regis and Kelly in the earlier part of 2011 she said:

“I think [plastic surgery] is great,” while adding, ”Especially since I’m at an age now where all my friends talk about it… No one’s done it yet, but it’s all they talk about.”

“Sometimes I look at this,” she added, gesturing to her chin. “I think it would be scary, but hey, I’m not against it at all. At all.”

So what if she did have breast enlargement surgery, she’s nearly 50 years old yet I know plenty of guys much younger than her who still think Heather Locklear is a bombshell. At least unlike some Hollywood stars she has admitted that she’s thought about it, whether or not she has surgery is her own choice, but honestly I don’t think she needs it.

Heather Locklear Causes Stir, Breast Enlargement Rumor Circulates is a post from: The Inquisitr

Michael Phelps isn’t happy with his teams recent third place showing against Australia in the 4 x 100m freestyle relay, their first loss in a major showing in seven years and now he’s promising that the team will use the pain of defeat to prepare for the 2012 Summer Olympics Games in London.

Team USA lost in Shanghai during the first night of swimming when the Australian team led by James Magnussen set a faster pace than Phelps during the teams first race defeat since the 2004 Olympics.

Speaking of the loss Phelps said:

“It’s frustrating. As we all said after the race, it’s not how we want to start it.”

Phelps continued:

“We know what we have to do to get back and we all said standing up on the podium it’s clearly not the spot we want to be in, so this is really going to be a motivation.”

Team USA finished nearly a full second behind Australia’s 3min 11.00sec time while Phelps was swimming with Garrett Weber-Gale, Jason Lezak and Nathan Adrian.

The loss was also Phelps’ first loss in a major even race since the 2004 Athens Games.

Asked what his team will need to do in order to win he gave a simple answer, “Clearly we need to be faster” while adding, ”That’s the easiest thing. Those guys jumped on that first 100m and got to open water and I think that’s something we need to do in that race.”

Regardless of the loss the team is still expected to be a top contender at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Michael Phelps Promises Team USA Will Rebound During 2012 Olympic Games is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States was honored this week in London, England when a 10 foot tall bronze statue of the former President was revealed outside of the U.S. embassy.

The reveal drew a crowd, consisting mostly of American’s who witnessed the unveiling at one of the cities most historic parks. Among those people was former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, although decidedly absent was Margaret Thatcher, one of Reagan’s most staunch supporters who is now to “frail’ to attend according to her reps.

The statue was paid for with private donations.

Here’s a video of the statue from CBS News:

10 Foot Tall Ronald Reagan Statue Revealed In London is a post from: The Inquisitr

A 29-year-old woman from London has been convicted and sentenced to seven years of jail time for attempting to sell her 11-month-old baby for £35,000 ($57,665) back in September of last year.

Asad Ali, an associate of a 48-year-old estate agent whose name has been withheld, tipped off reporters from News of the World after hearing from the estate agent that a baby was for sale. The reporters set up a sting operation in conjunction with local police at the Viking hotel located in east London.

The mother, whose name has also been withheld for legal reasons, believed she was about to sell her baby to a childless couple at the hotel, with the 48-year-old estate agent acting as a broker for the deal. After the exchange had taken place, police located in an adjoining room arrested the woman and she was charged with conspiracy to commit child cruelty and holding another person in slavery.

The woman was found guilty of both charges in April of this year at Inner London Crown Court and has since been sentenced to serve seven years behind bars.

“No one, not even a parent, is allowed to own another person. You may think that there is no better example of treating someone as if you own them than by deciding, or seeking or agreeing to sell them,” said prosecutor Christopher Foulkes during the trial. “And by doing this in relation to this child, these defendants held her in slavery.”

via The Guardian

London Mother Jailed for Trying to Sell Baby is a post from: The Inquisitr

The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 trailer has only been out 48 hours, but already one UK newspaper is kicking up a fuss because there’s an attack on an underground train in the video and London’s real underground was attacked in 2005 and that’s a bit like this and oh god I don’t know the sheer idiocy is making my head throb.

Games THAT ARE RATED FOR ADULTS have long attracted poorly researched criticism from cheap scare newspapers. Because of its popularity, the Call of Duty series is often a target. Right on cue, the Daily Mail today described one scene from the Modern Warfare 3 trailer (which you can see in full here) as “a chilling echo of the 7/7 terrorist attacks in London.” The scene in question shows a truck driving in front of a speeding underground train, causing it to derail.

Even though that’s NEVER ACTUALLY HAPPENED IN LONDON, the Daily Mail calls for Modern Warfare 3 to be banned, and quotes a lady from Mediawatch UK as saying, “In light of the fact we have just had the 7/7 inquests, it is in incredibly poor taste.”

This anti-videogame agenda is nothing new, yet remains flawed. Aside from the significant fact that the game is ENTIRELY FICTIONAL, what really gets me is how presumptious the Mail is being here. After all, the trailer gives us zero context in this scene: is this an underground train full of innocent commuters, is it completely empty, or is it loaded with, say, a bomb? Nobody outside Activision or Infinity Ward truly knows. Least of all the Daily Mail.

Anyway, please excuse all the UNDERLINED CAPS. I’m keeping things nice and simple for any stray Mail readers we get here.

[Via Daily Mail]

Modern Warfare 3 already compared to London terrorist attacks is a post from: The Inquisitr

Could you imagine the awesomeness of getting to write this down every time someone wants your address?

[reddit]

England… so incidentally cooler than us is a post from: The Inquisitr

The official song at the 2012 Olympic Games in London may be sung by Coldplay should the band receive and accept the invitation to perform. According to a committee insider, the band would perform a specially penned song to open the Olympics to a crowd of more than two billion people.

A source close to the event told the Daily Mirror:

“Chris is at the top of the list to front the official record. He’s a huge star and a British musical icon, with an international profile. We’re pulling out all the stops to get hold of him, ideally with the rest of Coldplay involved, too.”

The deal is far from closed with Muse and Joss Stone also in the running for the honor of opening the event on July 27, 2012.

Who would you like to see open the show?

Coldplay Offered “Opening Ceremony” Gig For 2012 Summer Olympics is a post from: The Inquisitr

In an issue gay people would file under “problems we would like to have,” a straight British couple is going to court for the right to essentially gay-marry each other.

While some jurisdictions recognize gay marriage, and some allow “civil partnerships,” gay marriage is not a right recognized nearly as widely as same-sex marriage. But the opportunity to marry one another, a right denied gay people in many places, is not enough to satisfy the couple, both of whom are 26:

“The titles of husband and wife and all the things that pop into people’s heads when you say you’re getting married don’t appeal to us,” said (Katherine) Doyle, a student. “In our day-to-day life we feel like civil partners — we don’t feel like husband and wife, and we want the government to recognize that.”

An activist who commented on the case cited a larger motivation to have “one law for everybody,” but also implied that the fight to legalize gay marriage is somehow harmful to straight couples, roughly half of whom don’t even see fit to honor the vows they take in the first place:

“Denying heterosexual couples the right to have a civil partnership is heterophobic,” Peter Tatchell said.

As someone who has watched close gay friends genuinely suffer due to lacking the option to marry, this seems to me to be a bit of a slap in the face to the movement to legalize gay marriage. Setting the debate back to whether marriage, a mostly heterosexual institution, should even exist will only serve to delay gay people being granted equal rights as well as bolster arguments from gay marriage opponents that allowing gay people to marry somehow tears at the fabric of the institution of marriage.

Does this fight advance smarter marriage and civil union related policy, or is it a setback for the fight to allow gays to marry?

[via Fark]

Should straight people also be able to get gay married? is a post from: The Inquisitr