Federer to face Djokovic in Wimbledon semifinal

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a return to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Wednesday July 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a return to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Wednesday July 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia plays a return to Florian Mayer of Germany during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a shot to Florian Mayer of Germany during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Wednesday, July 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Roger Federer of Switzerland plays a return to Mikhail Youzhny of Russia during a quarterfinals match at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Wednesday July 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

Mikhail Youzhny of Russia covers himself with a towel during a quarterfinals match against Roger Federer of Switzerland at the All England Lawn Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, England, Wednesday July 4, 2012. (AP Photo/Anja Niedringhaus)

WIMBLEDON, England (AP) ? Novak Djokovic closed out his latest Wimbledon win with an ace, then threw a fist and let loose a primal scream.

Bring on Roger Federer. They'll meet at Wimbledon for the first time Friday.

Federer earned a record 32nd Grand Slam semifinal berth and moved closer to a record-tying seventh Wimbledon title when he beat Mikhail Youzhny on Wednesday, 6-1, 6-2, 6-2. Minutes later on an adjacent court, defending champion Djokovic finished off Florian Mayer, 6-4, 6-1, 6-4.

Federer has a 14-12 edge against Djokovic, who is ranked No. 1. They've met in Grand Slam semifinals five times in the past two years, with Djokovic winning four of those matches.

They've never played each other on grass.

"A nice matchup," Federer said. "Obviously I'm aware that Novak is the defending champion and the world No. 1. That's not going to make it easy."

"It's always a pleasure playing against Roger," Djokovic said. "Obviously he's a great champion. He has been so dominant and consistent in these Grand Slams, and he's really an ultimate challenge on grass courts."

With two-time champion Rafael Nadal eliminated last week from the other half of the draw, the Federer-Djokovic winner will be a big favorite Sunday against a first-time Wimbledon finalist.

Federer had been tied with Jimmy Connors for the most major semifinals. He reached the final four at Wimbledon for the first time since 2009, when he won the title for the sixth time.

"I'm just happy that I'm around farther than I've been the last couple years," Federer said.

Against the No. 26-seeded Youzhny, Federer showed no sign of the back ailment that prompted him to seek treatment during the first set of his previous match. In the second game he converted his fifth break-point chance and pulled away from there.

"My back is holding up," Federer said. "I could focus on tennis again."

The Centre Court audience included Prince William and wife Kate, Andre Agassi, Steffi Graf and Rod Laver, all sitting in the Royal Box.

"I think it helps when royalty shows up, and other legends of the game come and see me play," Federer said. "It's inspiring."

A brief rain delay couldn't slow Federer, and neither could Youzhny, who seemed pleased at times just to win a point. Late in the first set, when the Russian hit a running scoop forehand cross-court for a winner, he raised both arms and grinned as the crowd roared.

Early in the final set, a desperate Youzhny looked up to the royal box and asked for help from Agassi, who laughed. Youzhny then double-faulted to lose the game.

"It was pretty funny," Federer said. "Mikhail is a great guy."

He's also Federer's favorite foil. Federer has won all 14 of their matches, his best record against any opponent. He has lost only three of the 35 sets they've played.

"My game maybe suits up well against his," Federer said.

No. 3-ranked Federer seeks to match the record of seven Wimbledon titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000. If he wins the title, he'll reclaim the top ranking from Djokovic and tie Sampras' record for most weeks at the top.

Djokovic, playing on Court 1, had just a little more difficulty in the quarterfinals than Federer. The Serb lost his serve for the only time in the fifth game but immediately broke back.

Serving at 4-all, he fell behind love-40 but erased all three break points, then broke to take the set and the lead for good.

Mayer, seeded 31st, did his best to stay in the match with his unorthodox style. He dug out a between-the-legs volley during one rally. A subsequent scrambling sequence required him to dive and hit a spectacular backhand volley, then rise and put away another backhand volley.

But Djokovic dominated with his aggressive play, hitting 50 winners to 14 for Mayer.

"I've been playing really well, constantly well, from the start of the tournament," Djokovic said. "And I hope to continue that way."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-04-Wimbledon/id-28640c32321a47d78c1c44756ba4d2a5

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Obama Thanks Military Heroes at Fourth of July Celebration

JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- President Obama paid tribute to America?s men and women in uniform Wednesday night as he kicked off the White House Fourth of July celebration, telling service members gathered on the South Lawn that they ?represent what is best in America.?

?You serve under our proud flag.? You and your families sacrifice more than most of us can ever know -- all in defense of those God-given rights that were first put to paper 236 years ago: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,? he said.? ?So as your commander-in-chief -- but also as an American -- I want to invite all of you over to say one thing: Thank you.?

The president saluted this ?generation of heroes? for its service and sacrifice.

?I want you all -- our men and women in uniform, our veterans and their families -- to know this: America will always remember.? We will always be there for you, just as you?ve been there for us.? That?s my promise.? That is America?s promise.? And that is one that we pledge to fulfill on this Independence Day,? Obama said.

The president and first lady welcomed service members and their families for a barbeque and concert at the White House and, of course, to see the fireworks.? Families braved the sweltering heat to enjoy the celebration and meet the president.

?Are you hot?? It?s supposed to be hot.? It?s the Fourth of July,? Obama, dressed down in khakis and a polo shirt, said at the top of his brief remarks.

?Today, all across America, at schools and beaches, and in town squares, Americans are celebrating the freedoms that all of you and your families defend.? Like many of them, we?re grilling in the backyard,? he joked.

Hot dog and hamburger stands were set up on the South Lawn.? Cotton candy and popcorn were also on the menu.? Children enjoyed face painting and balloon animals and, later that night, guests were treated to a concert by country crooner Brad Paisley.

Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio

Source: http://www.eastidahonews.com/2012/07/obama-thanks-military-heroes-at-fourth-of-july-celebration/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=obama-thanks-military-heroes-at-fourth-of-july-celebration

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Kate Middleton, Gold Digger? Prince William, Wife Spoofed in Chinese Panda Cab Ad

Kate Middleton, the People's Princess, is a down-to-earth girl by all accounts ... except in this taxi commercial from China that parodies her as the opposite.

In the clip, a Kate lookalike stands outside with a fax Prince William and Queen Elizabeth II, complaining, "I didn't marry royalty to schlep around in a taxi."

They do look a bit like Will and Kate, too. The Queen impostor? Not so much.

Panda Cabs Commercial Spoofs Kate Middleton

William attempts to reason with his beautiful wife, "But darling, Granny is right. The commoners want to see us tightening our belts and all that."

"Rubbish, people want to see that they can be like us if they just work hard," Kate responds. The Queen then mockingly asks, "Like you did?" Ohhh!

"Now, now, Granny," William says. "We all know that it's I who fell for Kate."

"That's right, I didn't even fancy him at first," the faux Kate Middleton says. "Don't you remember? You had to practically beg me for my phone number."

Fortunately, of course, Wills had Panda Cab on speed-dial. Within seconds, a car appears, whisking the trio away to the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2012/07/kate-middleton-gold-digger-prince-william-wife-spoofed-in-chines/

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Artificially alive artwork tantalises and surprises

Michael Slezak, Australasia reporter

Philip Beesley, Hylozoic Series: Sibyl, 2012. Installation view of the 18th Biennale of Sydney (2012) at Cockatoo Island. Courtesy the artist

What if the buildings around you were alive, and responded to your touch? Hylozoism - the theory that everything is alive - is the philosophy behind Philip Beesley?s Hylozoic Series: Sibyl, an exhibit at the border of architecture and science fiction that is now on display in Australia at the 18th Biennale of Sydney.

Equal parts robotics, chemistry and prototypical architecture, the exhibit is a distributed network of interactive, moving and almost living elements. ?I would say this is a work of sculpture and a work of architecture,? says Beesley, a Canadian artist and architect.

At first glance, the installation appears to be a rainforest winter wonderland suspended from the ceiling. But it is anything but whimsical: the technology behind this responsive environment can be found in touchscreens, and the science could inform the future of architecture.

There?s no instruction manual for how to interact with the sculpture: you have to learn by doing. As you walk beneath it, you pass through branches extending almost to the ground, covered in inviting, icicle-white fronds whose strings just about beg you to pull on them. The moment your skin makes contact with them, they confidently vibrate, a response that leads many otherwise inhibited art-viewers to let out a surprised yelp. As the vibration starts, the fronds curl upwards in a wave before the whole thing slowly returns to a sleep-like resting state.

It turns out the string is actually a capacitive sensor, much like a touchscreen. The slightest touch to these actuated fibres changes the current flowing through them, leading to the vibrations. Another section of branches contains infrared sensors that trigger movement and lights based on proximity.

The information from all these sensors feeds up to a centralised computer that triggers larger patterns across the whole work - from gentle tidal waves of motion to localised storms of activity - as well as breath-like undulations in large, soft bags mounted on the ceiling.

By interacting with the various aspects, you do start to learn how they work, at least as individual elements. ?When someone touches one thing you?ll get a local reflex immediately,? Beesley says. ?That thing will send out a small burst of light and quite possibly a kinetic shiver through it.?

Although he may have designed the emergent behaviours of the installation itself, it seems he stumbled upon a truly organic emergent behaviour - one among the viewers of the work. And watching others engage with the art is at least half the fun. Wide-eyed viewers walk among it, waving at it and tentatively reaching out to it and then recoiling in an amused fright as it moves in response to their touch.

Genuinely fascinating behaviours emerge from the simple and complex interactions between viewers and the sculpture. The fronds - or actuated filters, as the artist calls them - look so fragile that despite clearly being an interactive work, few people touch them, and those that do take great care. ?You see a remarkable kind of care with the work - almost a stewardship emerges within the people. They teach each other to behave,? Beesley says.

As you pass through the moving fronds, you may find yourself tempted by a sweet perfume. The scent is emanating from flasks of clear liquid suspended in a delicate, web-like structure above large frozen drips. Some of these tempt the viewers with their perfume. Some are perfectly clear, as if they hold cool water. Others are misty and others look frankly off-putting, with slimy-looking materials inside them.

This is the hidden chemistry angle of the exhibit. One of the flasks contains a simple carbon-capture system - containing mostly sodium hydroxide - that slowly absorbs carbon from the atmosphere and stores it in chalky deposits. The other is a kind of model of a cell that contains copper sulphate and potassium ferricyanide. Beesley says the layers of chemicals in the flask ?interact together to make a beautiful kind of blooming delicate copper felt - a skin that very slowly builds itself?.

In the future, he hopes to use these chemicals to make strands of skin-forming material that could move outward and clothe the scaffold. ?But that makes a pretty big mess,? he admits, ?so we?re happy to house them in glass for now.?

Beesley has already built some of the concepts behind the project into highly acclaimed designs, and in particular, his collaborator Rachel Armstrong is working with a paint company to develop paint that captures carbon. Like Armstrong?s paint, beneath their whimsy the principles underlying every part of the installation are thoroughly and directly practical, and could be incorporated into the buildings of the future, Beesley says: ?The work could be seen as a kind of a projection of possibility for a future architecture.?

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Source: http://feeds.newscientist.com/c/749/f/10897/s/2101dd56/l/0L0Snewscientist0N0Cblogs0Cculturelab0C20A120C0A70Chylozoic0Esydney0Ebienniale0Bhtml0DDCMP0FOTC0Erss0Gnsref0Fonline0Enews/story01.htm

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91% I Wish

All Critics (47) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (42) | Rotten (4)

What a kind and wise movie this is.

[The] film is built around performances by two real-life brothers who are as unaffected, spirited and lovable as I can imagine, and one of the pleasures of "I Wish" is simply spending time with them.

Transforms the commonplace into the extraordinary.

It's about the wonders of everyday life, and of childhood imagination.

The sort of small film of real consequence that, as a kid, I remember seeing and completely losing myself in: That was my life.

A wistful heartbreaker from the Japanese master of quiet observation, Hirokazu Kore-eda.

A film that's both entertaining and illuminating, no matter your age.

Like a train, "I Wish" is slow to build momentum, then it carries us away in a wondrous rush.

You watch it remembering the days when you should have walked but simply had to run, and when you believed that, if you wished hard enough, your dead pet just might come back again.

Despite its youthful perspective on adult concerns, the feature generates a few profound moments of basic need in the midst of an atypical men-on-a-mission film.

The lives of the children in "I Wish" seem to be expanding in front of our eyes, as evidenced by their changing wishes, which become bigger and more beautiful as their plan proceeds.

A flurry of details that reveal a grand canvas of love and loyalty if we take a step back.

A film that moves a bit too slowly for its own good but has remarkable cumulative strength by its emotional finale.

At its worst, I Wish is static. At its best, it has the warmth and subtlety of classic Asian works by Edward Yang and Yasujiro Ozu.

Koreeda's like a modern Ozu, documenting the trickle down effect of global economic changes on once strongly held traditions of Japanese family life.

Wistful, light and sweet.

A lovely, authentic exploration of family bonds tested by separation. Though the film is overlong at 128 minutes, it is a warm and wise winner.

If the Dardenne brothers were Japanese instead of French-Belgian, or perhaps set out to craft a homage to Yasujiro Ozu that was crossed with a whimsical yet melancholic version of The Parent Trap, it might well resemble this.

All of the kids in "I Wish" come across as real and believable, a tribute to Koreeda's directing skills working with children.

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/i_wish_2012/

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Verizon Wireless Stops Subsidizing Tablets, Now Selling Them At Full Retail Sans Wireless Contract

Watch out for exploding prices! Verizon Wireless just stopped subsidizing tablets, which naturally results in a lot higher advertised prices. Want a 16GB Motorola XYZBoard? That will be $629. A Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7? Hand over $549. Verizon Wireless quietly made the switch late last month when launching the "Share Everything" family plans. With this new service contract, subscribers have the option of allowing a tablet access to the bucket of data shared among devices. In the past tablets required a separate data plan, and therefore a separate contract, which locked owners into a tablet that will likely be quickly outdated.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/leXG_Iy9iDY/

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First Photos Of Naomi Watts As Princess Diana In 'Caught In Flight' Emerge

It's been months since Naomi Watts was first cast as Princess Diana in "Caught in Flight," and ever since we've been curious about how the "J. Edgar" actress would look as the beloved British princess. Well, our wait is over, and we've got to say we're impressed with Watts' seemingly perfect casting. Watts has proved [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2012/07/02/naomi-watts-princess-diana-caught-in-flight/

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