Elvis Presley's crypt goes under the hammer

Elvis Presley's original crypt is going up for sale as part of celebrity auctioneer Darren Julien's Music Icons auction next month. The tomb is located inside the granite and marble mausoleum at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Memphis, Tennessee. Presley was interred there alongside his mother, Gladys, after he died on August 16, 1977, Stuff.co.nz reported. Two months later, they were re-buried at his Graceland home after a failed attempt to steal the singer's body from the crypt. The pair were then moved and reburied in Graceland's meditation garden, where they remain to this day. The original crypt has stayed empty ever since. Julien said that the winning bid from the auction beginning June 23 would receive the crypt, opening and closing of the vault for burial, a memorialisation inscription and use of a chapel for a committal service. Transportation and funeral home charges are not included.

Music stars form sex ring on mobiles to share sleazy pics of girl fans

Top music stars have set up a sleazy sex ring on their mobiles to swap explicit photos of unsuspecting girl fans, it has emerged. According to The Sun, the secret group called PMB "Pimp My Bitches" is identical to the one run by Premier League footballers exposed by the paper last week. Three of the biggest acts in the music industry are members and use their BlackBerry phones to leer at naked photos of each other's groupies and sexual conquests without the women's consent. One is a hugely-famous British band. The others are best-selling solo artists, one from the UK, one from overseas. And one act has a squeaky-clean image. Alarmingly all three have thousands of young female fans. The music stars have scored a string of No1 hits in the UK and sold millions of records between them. Incredibly, one sportsman who belonged to the soccer stars groups "named Brotherhood and Hoodratz " is also a member of the pervy PMB. A source has revealed that some of the best-known celebrities in this country "be they in sport or music" are caught up in these sleazy groups. The source claimed that the music stars treat women like pieces of meat and have no respect for them. These women and girls have no idea naked snaps of them are being circulated, said the source adding that most of the pop stars involved don't have wives. The Sun has established the identities of all three acts, but it is feared other big music names may be involved.

Buenos Aires night club sways to Sanskrit melodies

If you are in Buenos Aires don't forget to visit this trendy night club because you will be in for a huge surprise! Here, you won't come across salsa or reggaton music like most such places do, but soulful Sanskrit melodies that rent the air. "I had the most unusual night club experience last weekend when I was in Groove," says R. Viswanathan, India's ambassador to Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. "The DJ was not playing salsa, samba or reggaton. Instead, the club was vibrating with Sanskrit songs...'Jai jai Radha Ramana hari Bol', 'Jai Krishna Hare', 'Gurudeva Guru Om', 'Govinda Govinda' and 'Jai Shiva Shambo'," said Viswanathan. Lead singer Rodrigo Bustos, 29, and his band mate Nicolas Pucci, 32, were entertaining the guests with their mesmerising voice. Some 800 people, in their teens and 20s, were dancing and swaying to the music, he said. And guess what? This joint serves only soft drink instead of alcohol. At Groove, one is not allowed to smoke and only vegetarian food is served. Adding to the amazement, this club also has a yoga guru who instructs the guests about various yoga techniques. "The instructor asked the audience to smile and exchange greetings and the audience followed all the instructions religiously and fervently. After a while, the music and dance resumed," says Viswanathan. "Despite the loud music and wild dancing in the night club, both the singers and the audience maintained a sense of reverence to the Sanskrit mantras and the Indian gods." Asked how did they attract Argentine youth with Sanskrit songs, Bustos explained: "Yoga Rave is an alternative party. It is a new concept in fun-free from alcohol, smoking and drugs. The body and and soul are connected by the mantras, yoga, meditation, music and dance in an unconventional way." They have already attracted thousands of people since they started yoga rave in 2008 in Buenos Aires. In 2010, they took the music beyond Argentina to Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. In 2011, they performed at the Berlin World Cultural Festival. The duo has not been to India but 7,000 of their CDs have already been sold there. They released their first album "Smile" in 2009 and the second "Blossom" May 20, 2012. Bustos and Pucci drew their inspiration from Indian spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar's Art of Living Foundation, said Viswanathan. The two use the Sanskrit mantras in all forms of music such as pop, rock, hiphop, reggaton and electronic music, he said.

Gloria Trevi's bodyguards accused of assault

A fan filed a lawsuit against Mexican singer Gloria Trevi's security team for an alleged attack that occurred during one of her concerts in Los Angeles, the TMZ website reported. The plaintiff, Elvis Navarro, is demanding $1 million for "mental and physical harm". The incident, according to documents presented in the Superior Court of Los Angeles County, took place May 11 at the Nokia Theater. According to Navarro, Trevi's bodyguards beat him, threw him to the ground and handcuffed him in front of the 4,000 people attending the concert, a situation that he says was very humiliating. Navarro did not provide any details regarding how the incident started. The news of the lawsuit comes on the same day that Trevi launched her live album "Gloria en vivo" in the US in which she performs some of her best-known songs.

MJ's 'Bad' to get 25th anniversary reissue

To commemorate the 25th anniversary of Michael Jackson's seminal 1987 disc, 'Bad,' his estate, in collaboration with Epic/Legacy Recordings, will be reissuing the disc with new music and a never-before-released concert video, the label and his estate announced on Monday. The anniversary edition of 'Bad,' the first re-release of an album from Jackson's catalogue since his 2009 death, will hit stores on Sept. 18. To roll out the reissue, the label will re-release the album's first single, 'I Just Can't Stop Loving You', the first of five of the album's singles to hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, as a CD single with the previously unreleased bonus track 'Don't Be Messin' 'Round (demo)' on June 5, LA Times reported. Since the single is a Wal-Mart exclusive it won't be available through digital retailers.I Just Can't Stop Loving You' will also be made available on June 26 as a replica of the 7' vinyl released back in the day and includes the original B-side, 'Baby Be Mine,' not the unreleased bonus track. Titled 'Bad 25' the deluxe package will feature three CDs, two collectible booklets, and the first-ever authorized DVD release of a concert from his record-breaking Bad tour. The DVD features the King of Pop's full performance for Britain's Prince Charles, Princess Diana and 72,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium in 1988. The video was discovered in the singer's private collection on VHS, and is apparently the sole copy. Of the three CDs, one is a remastered version of 'Bad,' another features demos and songs recorded in Jackson's studio that didn't make the cut, as well as remixes, and the third will feature audio from the soundtrack recordings of the accompanying DVD, making it Jackson's first live album. "The era of 'Bad' represented Michael's creative 'coming of age' as a solo artist in charge of every aspect of his career-from recording to touring to endorsements to merchandising. This was the first album on which nearly all of the songs were written by Michael," John Branca and John McClain, co-executors of his estate, wrote in a statement. 'Bad 25' follows the posthumous album 'Immortal,' a 'musical tapestry' that accompanied the Cirque du Soleil production of the same name. The disc featured reworked versions of some of Jackson's classic hits, mash-ups and never-before-released outtakes.

El Avión Puertorriqueño

Estan todos los pasajeros en la sala de embarque esperando la salida del vuelo cuando de repente llega el copiloto impecablemente uniformado con anteojos oscuros y un bastón blanco tanteando el camino.. La empleada de la compañía aclara que, si bien es ciego, es el mejor copiloto que tiene la Empresa. Al poco rato llega el piloto, con el uniforme impecable, anteojos oscuros y un bastón blanco asistido por dos azafatas. La encargada de la sala aclara que, también, el piloto es ciego, pero que es el mejor piloto que tiene la Compañía y que, junto con el copiloto, hacen la dupla más experimentada. Con todos a bordo, el avión comienza a carretear, tomando cada vez más velocidad y con los pasajeros aterrorizados. El avión sigue tomando velocidad pero no despega... continua la carrera y sigue en tierra. Cada vez el final de pista esta más cerca y en una explosión de histeria general los pasajeros comienzan a gritar como poseidos! En ese momento el avión, milagrosamente, toma altura ...entonces se escucha por los altavoces del avión que el piloto le dice al copiloto... - El día que los pasajeros no griten, ¡¡¡ nos jodemos !!! Moraleja: Asi está hoy nuestro país, gobernado por ciegos que no ven, o no quieren ver, la realidad. A la espera de que el pueblo "GRITE" para levantar vuelo. Creo que si no gritamos pronto... ¡nos joderemos! Me imagino que hay en muchos paises un avión nacional manejado igual. Pues a "gritar" que para luego es tarde!

Bee Gees singer dies in England

Family members of Bee Gees singer Robin Gibb have announced his death. The famous pop artist died on Sunday after a long battle with cancer. Robin Gibb was diagnosed with cancer after suffering abdominal pains while on tour in 2010. He underwent emergency surgery for a blocked intestine in August of that year. While he recovered and returned to perform concerts, in April 2011 he was forced by health problems to cancel a tour of Brazil. Looking gaunt and frail through 2011, he had to cancel many appearances. On 20 November, it was revealed that Gibb had been battling liver cancer which had been diagnosed several months earlier. Gibb spoke for the first time of his cancer to the Mail in 2012, saying: "For more than 18 months, I had lived with an inflammation of the colon; then I was diagnosed with colon cancer, which spread to the liver. I have undergone chemotherapy, however, and the results to quote my doctor have been "spectacular." It's taken a toll, naturally, but the strange thing is that I've never felt seriously ill. I've mostly felt great. There have been many false claims around, which I'd like to dispel. I am not and have never been at death's door, nor do I have a team of alternative doctors working on my health. That's not true, although I'm not averse to healthy remedies for any illness. I feel they can go together with conventional medicine." On 4 March this year it was announced that Gibb was in remission from cancer but in April it was reported that he was fighting for his life after contracting pneumonia. On 22 April it was revealed that he had advanced colorectal cancer. Robin Gibb, along with his brothers, was one of the major figures in the history of British music. As of this time, the Bee Gees have notched up record sales of more than 200 million and are regarded as being the most successful song writing group in British popular music after Lennon and McCartney.

Soon, car that may put drivers to sleep

A leading automobile luxury brand is developing a car that will use aromatherapy and soft music to encourage drivers to take a power nap. Initially the system was developed with long-haul truck drivers in mind, but the company has revealed that it will be rolled out to its passenger car range in the future. Mercedes-Benz' "Active Comfort" system uses fragrance, lighting and soft music to help a driver to nod off quickly if they pull over to take a power nap, according to Sydney Morning Herald. Claiming that a 20 minute power nap can "enhance concentration, reactions and general performance substantially", Mercedes will install a fragrance-emitting air-conditioning system that fills the cockpit with different scents depending on what the driver is doing. Menthol to stimulate the senses and keep them alert or an orange essence when the driver pulls over for a snooze Crash statistics suggest that fatigue is the reason behind 15 per cent of all fatal car accidents and 8 per cent of all reported crashes. Therefore the system also involves changes to the car cabin to provide better noise insulation and improved fresh air flow. Noise can be tiring for drivers, while if the cabin becomes too warm, it can lead to tiredness and slower reaction times. The NSW Centre for Road Safety's 2010 Crash Statistics report has estimated that the risk of having a fatal car accident increases four fold for people driving between 10 pm and sunrise. Professor Dietrich Gronemeyer, who was involved in the development of the Active Comfort system, said that the main idea is to make the cabin a more comfortable and calming place to be. As a result features like a massage function in the seat to help ease back pain or stereo which plays song according to the need of the driver have been induced in the car. "People who feel relaxed behind the wheel, take the right sort of break in good time and are supported in their seat by innovative technology have a good chance of avoiding the back trouble which has become a 'national ailment'. Stress is a key cause of back complaints, which even afflict the majority of young people today," Gronemeyer said.

Zooey Deschanel to star as Loretta Lynn in Broadway production of 'Coal Miner's Daughter

Loretta Lynn announced on Thursday that Zooey Deschanel will be portraying the country singer in a Broadway production of "Coal Miner's Daughter." The role, tracing Lynn's dramatic rise from backwoods Kentucky to superstardom, had earned Sissy Spacek an Oscar in the hit film released in 1980. The 32-year-old joined Lynn on stage on Thursday night at Nashville's Ryman Auditorium for a duet of the song "Coal Miner's Daughter" but she had her own way of breaking the news-with an Instagram photo of herself sidling up to the country legend with the caption, "Loretta Lynn asked me to do "coal miner's daughter" on Broadway! I said YES!" Fox News reported. The actress, best known for roles in movies like 'Elf' and, more recently, her lead in the hit TV show 'New Girl,' has a parallel career in music. With singer-songwriter M. Ward, she has released three albums under the moniker 'She and Him.' Together they make sunny, throwback indie-pop, but peppered with country influences.

Music of brain hemispheres sheds light on schizophrenia

Researchers at the University of California in San Diego have suggested that careful analyses of the electrical signals of brain activity, measured using electroencephalography (EEG), may reveal important harmonic relationships in the electrical activity of brain circuits. The underlying premise is a simple one - that brain function is expressed by circuits that fire, and therefore generate oscillating EEG signals, at different frequencies. High frequency EEG activity called gamma, for example, might reflect the activity of fast-spiking cells which are often a subclass of inhibitory nerve cells containing parvalbumin. Represented musically, this would be a high pitch, i.e., toward the right side of the piano. Lower frequency EEG activity, called theta, might come from cells that fire with a lower frequency. As circuits interact with each other, one would see different "musical combinations", like the chords of music, emerging in the EEG signal. Abnormalities in the structure and function of brain circuits would be reflected in cacophonous music, chords where the musical "voices" are firing at the wrong rate (pitch), volume (amplitude), or timing. It is increasingly evident that schizophrenia is a disorder characterized by disturbances in the "music of the brain hemispheres." Their new report in the latest issue of Biological Psychiatry described relationships between low- and high-frequency EEG oscillations in the human brain produced when high frequency auditory stimuli are presented to a research subject. The researchers observed relatively slower oscillations and reduced cross-phase synchrony (for example, peak of theta coinciding with peak of gamma) in schizophrenia patients compared to healthy study participants. "The new findings highlight the importance of understanding the relationships between different circuits. It seems that cortical abnormalities in schizophrenia disturb brain function, in part, by disturbing the 'tuning' of brain circuits in relation to each other," commented Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry.

Music training benefits babies' brains

Early musical training benefits children even before they can walk or talk, says the first-ever study of its kind. One-year olds who participated in interactive music classes with their parents were found to smile more, communicate better, and show earlier and more sophisticated brain responses to music. "Many past studies of musical training have focused on older children. Our results suggest that the infant brain might be particularly plastic with regard to musical exposure," says Laurel Trainor, director of the McMaster Institute for Music and the Mind, the journals Developmental Science and Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences report. Trainor, together with David Gerry, music educator and graduate student, received an award from the Grammy Foundation in 2008 to study the effects of musical training in infancy. In the recent study, groups of babies and their parents spent six months participating in one of two types of weekly music instruction, according to a McMaster's statement. One music class involved interactive music-making and learning a small set of lullabys, nursery rhymes and songs with actions. Parents and infants worked together to learn to play percussion instruments, take turns and sing specific songs. In the other music class, infants and parents played at various toy stations while recordings from the popular Baby Einstein series played in the background. Before the classes began, all the babies had shown similar communication and social development and none had previously participated in other baby music classes. "Babies who participated in the interactive music classes with their parents showed earlier sensitivity to the pitch structure in music," says Trainor. "Specifically, they preferred to listen to a version of a piano piece that stayed in key, versus a version that included out-of-key notes," he adds. "Infants who participated in the passive listening classes did not show the same preferences. Even their brains responded to music differently. Infants from the interactive music classes showed larger and/or earlier brain responses to musical tones," adds Trainor. The non-musical differences between the two groups of babies were even more surprising, say researchers.

HumanWare Announces Changes to Non-Visual Access Software for BlackBerry Smartphones with discontinuation of Oratio for BlackBerry

May 7, 2012 - Since 2008, HumanWare and Research In Motion (RIM) have worked together to help provide non-visual access to BlackBerry® smartphones. Today, HumanWare and RIM announced changes to assure availability of screen reader solutions for BlackBerry smartphones as part of both companies' continued commitment to accessibility. With RIM's announcement today of the availability of the BlackBerry® Screen Reader from www.blackberry.com/screenreader, the Oratio screen reader application will no longer be available through HumanWare. Customers interested in screen reading solutions for BlackBerry smartphones can learn more about BlackBerry Screen Reader and other BlackBerry accessibility solutions at www.blackberry.com/accessibility or by contacting accessibility@rim.com. Oratio users can also reach HumanWare customer service representatives for any questions at hca.csr@humanware.com or by calling 1 800 722-3393. "We are proud to have been at the forefront of non-visual access for BlackBerry smartphones and we commend RIM for their commitment to accessibility and for offering the new BlackBerry Screen Readerfor their customers. We encourage Oratio for BlackBerry customers to contact RIM to learn more about the BlackBerry Screen Reader," said Lucia Gomez, group brand manager at HumanWare.

MJs picture on Pepsi campaign

Late singer Michael Jackson's image will be used to front a new advertising campaign for Pepsi. The soft drinks firm has agreed a deal with the singer's estate to use his image in a new global marketing push. Consumers in the US and China will be the first to see the campaign. It will be pushed out in varying forms to around 25 countries throughout the year, reports aceshowbiz.com. The initial push, supplemented by a TV advertisement will see the company release collectable blue cans bearing an image of the late King of Pop. Customers will be able to scan codes on the cans with their phones to download remixed tracks from Jakcson's album "Bad", which celebrates its 25th anniversary this year. The singer famously shot a commercial for Pepsi in 1984. It had resulted in an on-set accident, during which his hair caught fire when a spark from a pyrotechnics display landed on his head. He suffered severe burns and it has been claimed that his painkiller addiction stemmed from the incident. Jackson died in June 2009.

Eye operation helps blind Briton to see

A 54-year-old Briton, who has been blind for 20 years, was able to see a sudden pulsating light in his left eye after doctors implanted a wafer-thin microchip at the back of his eye. Chris James saw a sudden pulsating light in his left eye, like a camera bulb or a lighting flash after doctors switched on a wafer-thin, 3 mm microchip implanted at the back of his eye, The Independent reported Thursday. Now he can distinguish shapes and might, in time, be even able to recognise faces. James' experimental "bionic eye" reacts to light sending an electronic signal that is picked by the optic nerve and processed by the brain into an image. The treatment could partially restore the sight of thousands of sufferers of a condition called retinitis pigmentosa, which causes the photoreceptor cells at the back of the eye to deteriorate. In March, James, a council worker from Wroughton in Wiltshire, underwent an eight hour operation at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford to have the chip implanted. The surgery involves inserting a fine cable through the layers of the eyeball to place the chip on an area of the retina the size of a pinhead. The chip is connected to a power source implanted under the skin behind the ear.

Hebrew seal dating back to First Temple period uncovered in Jerusalem

A 2,000-year-old seal bearing a name which like the name of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu means 'giving to God' was discovered during excavations near the Western Wall, the Israel Antiquities Authority said. The find was made near the remnants of a building dating to the end of the First Temple period, discovered below the base of an ancient drainage channel that is currently being exposed in excavations in the Jerusalem Archaeological Garden, adjacent to the Western Wall of the Temple Mount. "The name Matanyahu, like the name Netanyahu, means giving to God," Fox News quoted Eli Shukron, excavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority, as saying. "These names are mentioned several times in the Bible. They are typical of the names in the Kingdom of Judah in latter part of the First Temple period - from the end of the eighth century BCE until the destruction of the Temple in 586 BCE," he explained. The seal was discovered on the floor of the ancient building, where pottery sherds characteristic of the period were also discovered, as well as evidence of a fire. The seal is made of a semi-precious stone and is engraved in Hebrew with the name of its owner: "Lematanyahu Ben Ho..." meaning: "Belonging to Matanyahu Ben Ho..."). The rest of the inscription is erased, the archaeological society said. People used personal seals in the First Temple period for the purpose of signing letters and they were set in a signet ring. The seals served to identify their owner, just as they identify officials today. To find a seal from the First Temple period at the foot of the Temple Mount walls is rare and very exciting," Shukron said. "This is a tangible greeting of sorts from a man named Matanyahu who lived here more than 2,700 years ago," Shukron added.