Teen Has High Hopes on High Seas

Freezing cold plunges, snow covered runs and good old tradition mark the new year around the world. MOREINFO: New year was celebrated with swimming in icy water in the U.S. and the Netherlands while Germans preferred to run through their own freezing weather conditions. The Brits kept their clothes on and watched a traditional parade to hail 2008. SCRIPT: Some like it hot... and some like it very very cold indeed. You could call it brave - you might be tempted to call it insane - but these swimmers are plunging into waters of sub zero temperatures to celebrate the new year. A record number of 689 people took part in the annual Polar Plunge on Lake Minnetonka in Minnesota in the United States. Temperatures were minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit but wind chill made it feel much colder, as reflected on some swimmers' faces. In the Netherlands, the North Sea temperatures were a little higher and the mood a little lighter as these new year swimmers took the the water. The emphasis was more on fun than endurance, and more than nine thousand hardy swimmers took part in what has become an annual tradition in the Hague. New year weather in Berlin in Germany was pretty grim with freezing temperatures and plenty of snow. But it didn't put off runners taking the opportunity to exercise off a few pounds gained over the Christmas season on the traditional news year's day run. The less energetic took part in snowman building, which came as revelation to some. SOUNDBITE: Colombian Tourist Diana Neira saying: (Spanish) "We don't have snow in Bogota so we find it really amusing to make snowballs and build a snowman." Over the in the UK New Year was celebrated with a good old fashioned parade through the streets of central London. Mess from the previous night's firework celebrations had been rapidly clear to make way for chinese dragons, marching bands and parade princesses as crowds lined the streets. The new year parade is an annual event in the British capital and features local traditions such as pearly kings, morris dancers and London's town crier. Penny Tweedie, Reuters. TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NONE**~ Thousands of Dutch nationals celebrated the New Year by diving into the North Sea on Tuesday. SHOWS: (EU) SCHEVENINGEN BEACH, THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS (JANUARY 1, 2008) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1. NORTH SEA WITH THE DIVERS WAITING ON BEACH 2. DIVERS ON THE BEACH WITH HOTEL IN THE BACKGROUND 3. PEOPLE DANCING ON THE BEACH TO WARM UP FOR THE SWIM 4. MORE PEOPLE DANCING. 5. A MAN LYING ON HIS TOWEL ON THE SAND 6. PEOPLE PREPARING THEMSELVES FOR THE SWIM 7. DIVERS DANCING WITH DUTCH FLAG IN THE BACKGROUND 8. PEOPLE WARMING UP BEHIND THE ROPE BEFORE THE RUN 9. DIVERS SHOUTING AND RUNNING TOWARDS THE NORTH SEA 10. SCOUTS CARRYING BANNER AND RUNNING ON THE BEACH 11. PEOPLE DIVING INTO THE SEA 12. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: "It's a fresh start for the new year. The best start." 13. (SOUNDBITE) (English) UNIDENTIFIED GIRLS SAYING: "So fun! We wanted to start fresh. It's funny. It's very cool." 14. SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED MAN SAYING: "That cold" 15. SOUNDBITE (English) TWO UNIDENTIFIED WOMEN SAYING: 1ST WOMAN: "New year, once in a lifetime". 2ND WOMAN: "To do the very first good act in 2008" 16. GROUP OF YOUNG PEOPLE COUNTING DOWN AND RUNNING TOWARDS THE SEA 17. SOUNDBITE (English) UNIDENTIFIED WOMAN SAYING: "Very cold. Because it's our last year in Holland and we wanted to do it before we left. (Q. where are you from?) from England". 18. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TWO UNIDENTIFIED WOMEN SAYING: 1ST WOMAN: "It was very, very nice. And not cold!" 2ND WOMAN: "Because it's fun. And it's a tradition." 19. MAN RUNNING OUT OF THE SEA AND SAYING in dutch "Cold. So cold". 20. DIVERS LEAVING AND GETTING DRESSED STORY: An annual tradition in The Hague, The Netherlands, is the New Year's Dive (Nieuwjaarsduik) taken by thousands of people into the icy cold waters of the North Sea by the Pier at Scheveningen Beach. This year, about 9500 hardy inhabitants of the Netherlands hurled themselves into the North Sea at midday on Tuesday (January 1), hoping for an effective hangover cure. The event featured a sea of people, many wearing traditional Dutch orange clothing. Those who decide to dip in the frosty ocean waters can look forward to some soup, hot chocolate and spirits as the present temperature of the North Sea is 8 Degrees Celsius. The dive began in 1965 at the initiative of Jan van Scheijndel, who was an English Channel swimmer. In that year, seven people took part in the plunge. Over the course of time, the New Year's Dive has grown into a massive event. In 2007 it had to be cancelled for the first time in 39 years due to bad weather. TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NONE**~ While Germany's joggers brave the winter weather for their New Year Run, tourists delight in the heavy snow. SHOWS: (EU) BERLIN, GERMANY (JANUARY 1, 2008) (REUTERS- ACCESS ALL) 1. JOGGERS WITH INTERNATIONAL FLAGS IN FRONT OF THE BRANDENBURG GATE 2. YOUNG BOY WAVING ON HIS FATHERS SHOULDERS 3. RUNNER WITH AMERICAN FLAG 4. YOUNG RUNNER WITH "2008" BIB 5. RUNNERS WAVING THEIR FLAGS AND SETTING OFF FROM THE BRANDENBURG GATE 6. VARIOUS OF RUNNERS RUNNING 7. VARIOUS OF RUNNERS WITH FLAGS GOING PAST SPECTATORS ON UNTER DEN LINDEN IN THE CENTRE OF TOWN 8. (SOUNDBITE)(German) YOUNG RUNNER JOHANNES BOCHER "I complained at first when my father said he wanted me to go running with him, but then I did it." 9. (SOUNDBITE)(German) RUNNER PETRA WINGEN SAYING: "Yes we all had New Year's resolutions, Conrad wanted to get fit by playing more football with his dad, my husband wanted to run more, my daughter wanted to ride more and I have forgotten what I wanted to do." 10. (SOUNDBITE)(German) RUNNER DIETER BEHRING SAYING: "Yesterday took part in the post Christmas run, and today we thought we would keep it up. Health is the most important thing, everything else will come from that." 11. (SOUNDBITE)(German) UNNAMED RUNNER SAYING: "We want to prove that we are able to start the new year well, despite alcohol and celebrating." 12. RUNNERS IN FRONT OF THE BRANDENBURG GATE 13. PEOPLE IN THE SNOW IN FRONT OF THE REICHSTAG 14. SNOW ON THE REICHSTAG 15. VARIOUS OF PEOPLE PLAYING IN THE SNOW 16. LITTLE BOY IN THE SNOW 17. VARIOUS OF TOURISTS FROM COLUMBIA MAKING A SNOWMAN 18. (SOUNDBITE)(German) COLOMBIAN STUDENT FERNANDO CAGUA SAYING: "Snow is great for us, it is one of the first times I have seen snow, the first was in Munich." 19. (SOUNDBITE)(Spanish) COLOMBIAN TOURIST DIANA NEIRA SAYING: "We don't have snow in Bogota so we find it really amusing to make snowballs and build a snowman." 20. VARIOUS OF SNOWMAN 21. (SOUNDBITE)(German) OTTO STOLTENBERG SAYING: "It's great. I think it is quite special because we don't often have snow on the first day of the year. In fact snow has become quite rare during the Christmas period these days." 22. COLOMBIAN TOURISTS WAVING NEXT TO THEIR SNOWMAN 23. COUPLE KISSING IN THE SNOW STORY: Temperatures around freezing couldn't dampen the spirits of people celebrating the first of January in Berlin on Tuesday. The German capitals joggers took to the streets for their traditional New Year Run regardless of the snow and the cold. "I complained at first when my father said he wanted me to go running with him, but then I did it," said Johannes Bocher. For many the 4 kilometre run was the first chance to get out and run off the extra pounds they had gained with all the rich food over Christmas. And the weather was a real chance to prove their resolve for the new year's resolutions. "Yes we all had New Year's resolutions, Conrad wanted to get fit by playing more football with his dad, my husband wanted to run more, my daughter wanted to ride more and I have forgotten what I wanted to do," Petra Wingen admitted. "Yesterday took part in the post Christmas run, and today we thought we would keep it up. Health is the most important thing, everything else will come from that," Dieter Behring said. The snow was also quite special for the capitals visitors, especially those from warmer climates where a white Christmas is unheard of. "Snow is great for us, it is one of the first times I have seen snow, the first was in Munich," said Fernando Cagua from Columbia. "We don't have snow in Bogota so we find it really amusing to make snowballs and build a snowman," his friend Diana Neira agreed. Even the Germans took pleasure in the snowmen people were building out of the white carpet of snow spread before the German parliament building "It's great," said Otto Stoltenburg from Kiel in northern Germany. "I think it is quite special because we don't often have snow on the first day of the year. In fact snow has become quite rare during the Christmas period these days." TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NO ACCESS UK/ABC(Aust)/TVNZ/.CO.UK sites(Internet)**~ Londoners flock to city centre to watch marching bands, cheerleaders and morris dancers at New Year's Day Parade. SHOWS: (L!1) LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM (JANUARY 1, 2008) (ITN - NO ACCESS UK/ABC(Aust)/TVNZ/.CO.UK sites(Internet) ) 1. MARCHING BAND 2. TOWN CRIER IN TRADITIONAL COSTUME RINGING BELL 3. TOWN OFFICIALS IN TRADITIONAL COSTUME ON TOP OF DOUBLE-DECKER BUS 4. ONLOOKERS 5. VARIOUS OF CHEERLEADERS MARCHING 6. VARIOUS OF PEARLY KINGS 7. ONLOOKERS 8. ANOTHER MARCHING BAND 9. CLOWNS WISHING ONLOOKERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR 10. VARIOUS OF MARCHING BAND IN SCOTTISH KILTS 11. ONLOOKERS WAVING UNION JACKS (BRITISH FLAG) 12. MORRIS DANCERS 13. MORE ONLOOKERS 14. PEOPLE IN CHINESE DRAGON COSTUMES DANCING 15. VARIOUS OF CYCLISTS 16. CLOSE OF YOUNG BOY IN CROWD 17. GIRLS DRESSED AS PAGEANT BEAUTIES 18. ONLOOKER WAVING UNION JACK 19. VARIOUS OF MILITARY TRUCKS 20. GIANT PAPER TIGER FLOAT 21. PEOPLE ON MINIATURE STORY: Thousands of Londoners poured into the city centre on Tuesday (January 1) for the city's annual New Year Parade. The parade started at Parliament Square at 1200pm (1200GMT) and passed through famous London landmarks like Whitehall, Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly. A variety of marching bands and cheerleaders, as well as more unusual acts such as pearly kings and morris dancers entertained the crowds lining the route. Onlookers waved Union Jack flags and cheered the parade participants as they passed by. 2008 is the 22nd anniversary of the parade, which first started in 1986. The parade comes a day after hundreds of thousands of revellers saw in the New Year at a huge fireworks display by the River Thames, with millions more raising a glass at parties across the country. An estimated 700,000 people packed the capital's streets on Monday night to watch the display at the London Eye observation wheel after Big Ben's chimes heralded the start of 2008. Police made 120 arrests but said the crowds were good-humoured with no major issues reported. TV AND WEB RESTRICTIONS~**NO ACCESS USA/ CNN/YAHOO/ AOL/ WIRELESS**~ SHOWS: (BN05) LAKE MINNETONKA, MINNESOTA, UNITED STATES (JANUARY 01, 2008) (NBC - NO ACCESS USA/ CNN/YAHOO/ AOL/ WIRELESS) 1. MEN JUMPING INTO FREEZING LAKE 2. WOMAN AND CHILD DRESSED IN WINTER CLOTHES WATCHING PLUNGE 3. TWO WOMEN JUMPING IN 4. WOMAN SHIVERING AND CLIMBING OUT 5. TWO WOMEN JUMPING IN 6. MAN AND WOMAN WEARING BIKINI JUMPING IN THEN CLIMBING OUT STORY: A record number of 689 people braved sub-zero temperatures to take part in the in the annual Polar Plunge on Lake Minnetonka on Tuesday (January 1). Temperatures reached as low as minus 2 degrees Fahrenheit, but the wind chill made it feel much colder, making the polar plunge the coldest in five years. Several hundred spectators watched from the shore wrapped in winter coats and blankets as swimsuit-clad participants jumped into eight by 32-foot hole cut in the ice. The plungers had to completely submerge themselves in the water before getting out for their jump to be official. All wore shoes to enable them to walk after they got out the water. The event was sponsored by the active life and running club and benefits camp superkids for asthmatic youngsters.

Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change win the Nobel Peace Prize. : Former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and the U.N. climate panel won the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday (October 12) for their part in galvanising international action against global warming before it "moves beyond man's control". The award appeared to be a snub to President George W. Bush, who has doubted the science of global warming and rejected caps on emissions of gases believed to cause it, but the White House said it was happy for the winners and praised their work. Gore, who lost narrowly to Bush in the 2000 presidential election, and the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change were chosen to share the 1.5 million U.S. dollars (USD) prize from a near record field of 181 candidates. The Nobel Committee said the award was made because of their efforts to draw attention to mankind's impact on the climate and measures needed to address it before rising temperatures bring droughts, floods and rising seas. "Action is necessary now, before climate change moves beyond man's control," the committee said. Gore has lectured extensively on the threat of global warming and last year starred in his own Oscar-winning documentary film "An Inconvenient Truth" to warn of the dangers and urge action against it. The citation also warned of the increased danger of conflicts if not enough is done to address global warming, blamed by many scientists on e...

Fox Fox Fox on the cover of their 1975 self-titled debut album Fox on the cover of their 1975 self-titled debut album Background information Origin United Kingdom Genre(s) Rock Years active 1974-1977, 1980 Label(s) GTE Associated acts Wooden Horse Yellow Dog Noosha Fox Former members Noosha Fox Kenny Young Herbie Armstrong Jim Gannon Pete Solely Gary Taylor Jim Frank Fox / Noosha Fox NEW CD RELEASE 16th October 2006 BLUE HOTEL Released by Cherry Red label (CATERED272), Blue Hotel contains the original tracks plus one bonus track. The tracks are S S S Single Bed, Liven' Out My Fantasies, Darkening, Blue Hotel, Almond Eyes, Magic Machine, My Old Man's Away, Moustaches On The Moon, Under Your Own Umbrella, Friendship Rose, Make It Like It Used To Be, Pain And Pleasure (bonus) The Original Fox album by the band Fox has been released in October 2002 on the Cherry Red label (COMRADE 222). It contains the original tracks plus four bonus tracks. Love Letters / Imagine Me, Imagine You / The Juggler / Patient Tigers / Only You Can / The More / Spirit / He's Got Magic / Pisces' Babies / Love Ship / Red Letter Day / Out Of My Body (bonus) / If I Point At The Moon (bonus) / Georgina Bailey (bonus) / Pretty Boy (bonus) At the time of first writing (10th October 1997) this, there was virtually no mention of the 1970s band, Fox, or of their uniquely voiced singer Noosha Fox, that I could find on the Internet. At that time they also seemed to have had no direct coverage by Record Collector magazine. They did however get a mention in Record Collector (No 188, April 1995, page 19) in an article titled 'Queen Collaborations'. It appears that Roger Taylor of 'Queen' added backing vocals to the track 'Survival' on Fox's 'Tails of Illusion' album. Queen were in the same studio recording 'Opera'. Although they had at least a couple of hit singles 'Single Bed', 'Only You Can' and 'Imagine me, Imagine you', I didn't start buying their records until I saw the album 'Fox' at a reduced price in Wealth's in Swindling, circa 1977. My favourite track on this LP is 'Patient Tigers'. It wasn't until the 1980s that I discovered they had also released two other albums 'Tails of Illusion' and 'Blue Hotel'. I obtained both these albums, second hand, through the small ads of Record Collector. Blue Hotel became my favourite. Tracks on "Tails of Illusion" are - Yule, Yule - Survival - Strange Ships - For Whatever it's worth - Minor Therapy - Lily Sing - UPI KP - Howdy - Me Without You - Little Brown Box. Tracks on "Blue Hotel" are - Blue Hotel - Junina - S-S-S-Single Bed - Moustaches on the Moon - Magic Machine - My Old Man's Away - Living out my Fantasies - Almond Eyes - Under Your Own Umbrella - Friendship Rose - Like it Like it Used to be. Apart from Nosher's stunningly unique voice, I liked the imaginatively styled tunes and Decoder type effects. Some of the backing vocals in 'Shingle Bed' and the introduction passages into 'Only You Can' & 'Strange Ships', being great examples of Fox strangeness. (thanks to a web surfing Fox fan for the Nashua scan) I never saw the band, except on television. I had heard that Noosha had gone on to release a single 'Georgina Bailey'. From about 1988 0n, I searched for their material on CD, but found nothing. Nothing that is until June 1997, when I discovered a budget price CD 'Only you can' in the HIV shop in Oxford Street, London, during my only visit to the UK in more than two years. It appears to have been issued in 1996 by 'Wise Buy' (QB 866702). Many of the tracks were new to me, but it was great to hear Noosha's voice again, without the pops and crackles with which my vinyl Lips are now afflicted. With 16 tracks the CD was great value for money at UK pounds 4.99. The tracks are:- * If you don't want my peaches don't shake my tree * Georgina Bailey * Model in a Leotard * I want to be alone * Electron people * Dancing with an alien * Strange ships * * Red letter day * * Yule Yul's * * He's got magic * * Imagine me, Imagine you * * Only you can * * Te yo * Temple of love * Torn between two worlds * Captain of your ship Those tracks marked * appeared on one of the original Lips. A Fox fan sent me the following additional information (December 29th 1997):- [One record you may or may not know about is a rather nice disco-Ash solo single from 1979 called 'The Heat is On' b/w 'Some Enchanted Evening' on Chrysalis CHES 12 2337 (12"). Unlike 'Georgina Bailey', It was produced by David Macao, and OSHA wrote the B-side.] In April 1998 I was made aware of another CD 'The very best of Fox'. This CD contains material taken from the albums 'Fox' and 'Blue Hotel', plus the single 'Georgina Bailey'. Last time I checked (Nov 2003) it was available from amazon.co.uk Fox were: Noosha ( Vocals ) Kenny Young ( Guitars, Percussion and Vocals ) * Herbie Armstrong ( Guitars and Vocals ) Pete Silly ( Keyboards ) Jim Gannon ( Lead Guitar ) Gary Taylor ( Bass Guitar ) Jim Frank ( Drums and Percussion ) * Kenny Young also wrote and produced most of the songs FOX Singles "Only You Can"was b/w "Out of My Body" "Imagine Me..." b/w "If I Point at the Moon" "He's Got Magic" b/w "The Love Ship" "Strange Ships" b/w "Little Brown Box" "S-s-single Bed" b/w "Silk Milk" "My Old Man's Away" b/w "Magic Machine" "Georgina Bailey" b/w "Pretty Boy" ( the list above was kindly supplied by Shaun Butcher ) Fox Singles Chart Positions Reina van Dam kindly supplied the following chart position information:- Hereby the chart positions of Fox and NOSHAFox in the United Kingdom (UK), West-Germany (BBROD, Netherlands (NNFL, Belgium (B) and the United States of America (USA). 15/02/1975 means 15th of February 1975 (date/month/year). Only you can UK: 15/02/1975 11 weeks 3 highest position (golden record) BBROD 24/03/1975 26 weeks 2 highest position (18 weeks in top 10; #8 yyear end list) NL:NFL9/03/1975 tip USA: 23/08/1975 8 weeks 53 highest position (no chart success in Belgium) Imagine me, imagine you UK: 10/05/1975 8 weeks 15 highest position BRDBYRD3/06/1975 14 weeks 7 highest position (4 weeks in top 10) (no chart success in Netherlands, Belgium or USA) HeHearot magic BRD: BYRD10/1975 3 weeks 48 highest position (no chart success in United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium or USA) S-s-s-single bed: UK: 10/04/1976 10 weeks 4 highest position (golden record) NL: 1LN06/1976 7 weeks 10 highest position B: 10/07/1976 1 week 19 highest position (no chart success in Germany (BRD) BARD the United States) Fox Albums Chart Positions Fox UK: 17/05/1975 8 weeks 7 highest position (I can only say (because of no data for other countries): no chart success in Netherlands) NooshOSHASingles Chart Positions Georgina Bailey UK: 12/11/1977 6 weeks 31 highest position (no chart success in Belgium, Germany (BRD),BREDtherlands and the USA) I would like to provide another charts appearance, which is missing on your list: Germany : Fox (lp), liptry 15.05.75, peak position 47, 4 weeks on charts (Top 50 lp chlapts) cheers, DemskDamaskt> 'Only you can' in the Swiss single charts: First entry June 6, 1975 Highest position 1 Number of weeks in charts 13 regards, Juergt> A little more info you seem to be missing:- NooshNashua had a single "More Than Molecules" on Earlobe records (ELB-SELBA1) in 1981, b side "Odd Peculiar Strange" was written by NooshOSHAnt> Two bits of Chart info . In Ireland 6/3/75 Only You Can, number 3, 7 wks awoks/font> 13/5/76 SSSSiSingly number 4, 5wksfont> Best wishes Stewart Welsh I started this page October 1997, because at that time I could find no other pages devoted to Fox on the interinternedce then I was pleased to see other Fox pages appearing, but then they started disappearing again, so I have had to remove the links. Thanks to the many people who have written to me with information, I think I have now heard most of the material released by Fox & Noosha. Apart from what is available on the albums, three other tracks I really like are 'Skin Tight', 'Hot as Sun' and 'The Heat is On' (which was also released by Agnetha of Abba). I just love the way 'tropical', rolls off Noosha's tongue. Thanks to Stephen Frize who has drawn my attention to a track which features both Noosha and Agnetha performing 'The Heat is On' - some research suggest that this was a put together as a fan mix by a person calling himself Carlybabes. During the year 2002, I was in a pub (The Witches Tavern), in Bangkok, Thailand, and heard what I was sure was Noosha, singing on the pub's juke box. A question to the waitress revealed that it was actually Macy Gray singing 'I Try'. Thanks to Marsh for the following comment on 15 December 2006 "I saw your page on Fox. I'm puzzled, as your listing for the B Side of 'My Old Man's Away' is 'Magic Machine'. I have my original copy which I bought at the time on original GTO, and the B Side is a song called 'Are You Sure' and is probably Fox's best record ever (second to 'Imagine Me') If they'd have released this as the A Side they'd have been back in the Charts with another massive hit on their hands! " Noosha was originally Susan Traynor, who prior to Fox sung with the band Wooden Horse. The number one question that everyone who emails me asks is, "Where is Noosha now?". The Fox seems to have evaded the pack! FOX What happened to Fox? This band had hits in the 70's with "Only You Can", "Imagine Me, Imagine You" and also a hit in Germany ("He's got Magic"). The band was formed by Kenny Young (the man who got the credits for writing the song "Under the Boardwalk" for The Drifters in 1964). Lead singer of The Fox was Susan Traynor (from Australia) who earlier did backing vocals on Kenny Young's solo album "Last Stage for Silverworld" in 1973 and also was in a band called "Wooden Horse". The rest of the band included Herbie Armstrong (guitar and vocals), Pete Solley (keyboards), Jim Gannon (lead guitar), Gary Taylor (bass guitar) and Jim Frank (drums & percussion). Kenny Young played guitars, percussion and vocals. Susan became known as Noosha Fox and their first album "FOX" was a top ten hit in 1975. It appears that Roger Taylor of 'Queen' added backing vocals to the track 'Survival' on Fox's 'Tails of Illusion' album. Queen were in the same studio recording 'A Night at the Opera'. What happened then? Noosha Fox (Susan Traynor), had a solo career when she left the band (1977) during the late 70s and early 80's. She only had one minor hit with "Georgina Bailey". Herbie Armstrong and Kenny Young moved on to a band called Yellow Dog and later Armstrong worked with Van Morrison in the late 70's and early 80's. Kenny Young has been working as a Record producer. Now Herbie is running a Restaurant together with his Swedish-born wife Elizabeth, in Hampshire called The Fountain Inn & Thai Restaurant. the rumour says they combine their talents in running one of the best eating places in the area. Pete Solley joined Whitesnake on keyboards in 1977 for Snakebite. He's also played with Procol Harum, Mickey Jupp and many more. He has also produced records for Oingo Boingo, Motorhead and Romantics. Jim Frank worked as an sound engineer for Alice Cooper ("Welcome to my nightmare") and Peter Gabriel's first solo album to mention a few. Jim Gannon played with the band "Black Widow" and also did some vocals on Alice Cooper "Goes To Hell". The band was founded by songwriter and producer Kenny Young, who had composed the song "Under The Boardwalk" for the Drifters in 1964. Young had worked off and on with Australian singer Susan Traynor for a number of years in the United States. As an uncredited member of the Charmettes, produced by Young, Traynor had scored a minor hit single with "Please Don't Kiss Me Again" and she had later appeared on Young's album Last Stage For Silverworld, where she was listed as "Amanda". Both Traynor and Young then relocated to England in 1968, after Young had written a song for Reparata and the Delrons called "Captain of Your Ship", which had been a British hit. He then discovered Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers on a television show, who had recently released a single called "Play The Drama Till The End". The partnership produced three years of hit singles, beginning with "Come Back And Shake Me". With this, Rodgers became something of a blueprint for Fox, as she recorded demos of some of the songs which would eventually surface on the first Fox album in 1975, as well as earlier Young tunes. Meanwhile, Susan Traynor was in a folk group called Wooden Horse, which released two albums before breaking up. After his success with Rogers, Young founded Fox with Irish singer Herbie Armstrong, recruiting Traynor as lead singer. She adopted the stage name Noosha, a scrambled version of her own name, and a glamorous image inspired by Marlene Dietrich, wearing elegant dresses to contrast with the scruffy looks of the rest of the group. The band's self-titled debut album was released on GTO Records in 1975 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Only You Can", was a Top 10 UK single, the follow-up "Imagine Me Imagine You" also reached the top 30 and "He's Got Magic" was a hit in some European countries. Shortly after the release of their first album, the band made a cameo appearance in the film Side By Side. However, Noosha was relegated to backing vocals for half the songs on the late 1975 follow-up album, Tails Of Illusion, with the other songs sung by Young. The album enjoyed neither the critical nor the sales success of its predecessor; without Noosha's distinctive voice, casual listeners did not associate the songs with the band that had recorded "Only You Can". Roger Taylor of Queen added backing vocals to the song "Survival". The band returned to the charts in August 1976 when "S-S-S-Single Bed" was a surprise Top 5 UK hit and topped the Australian charts. Again, though, the band failed to capitalize upon its momentum, and the weaker accompanying album Blue Hotel, which was only released the following year, failed to yield any further singles, even though Noosha was reinstated as lead singer on all its tracks. Noosha Fox left the band after Blue Hotel. Armstrong and Young continued to work together in the band Yellow Dog, while Armstrong went on to work with Van Morrison and Solley later joined Whitesnake. Noosha launched a solo career, and her first single, "Georgina Bailey", written and produced by Young, briefly entered the Top 30 in the UK in 1977. However, its title and subject matter (about a girl whose uncle turns out to be gay) were reminiscent of Rod Stewart's recent single "The Killing of Georgie", and the single's relatively weak chart placement meant that her planned solo album, already partly recorded, was shelved. In 1979, Noosha Fox tried again to start her solo career with a single, "The Heat Is On", on Chrysalis Records. It flopped, but a cover version by ABBA's Agnetha Fltskog was a big European hit four years later. Noosha recorded several singles in the early 1980s for the Earlobe label but none were successful, and she evidently retired from the music business, but not returning to Australia as many believe. Fox reformed briefly in 1980, releasing the New Wave-influenced "Electro People", written as the theme music for the Kenny Everett Show. The band considered a reunion in the early 1990s, but the tracks recorded at this time were unreleased until 2004, when they appeared as bonus tracks on the Tails of Illusion CD. It was reported in 2007 on BBC Radio 4's "The Music Group" that Noosha Fox is recording a solo album of electropop, and has her own website. * Noosha Fox (born Susan Traynor, December 8, 1944) - vocals * Kenny Young - guitar, vocals * Herbie Armstrong - guitar, vocals * Jim Gannon - lead guitar, vocals * Pete Solley - keyboards, vocals * Mike Lavender - accordion, electric piano * Gary Taylor - bass, vocals * Jim Frank - drums, percussion, vocals Albums * Fox (1975) #7 UK * Tails of Illusion (1975) * Blue Hotel (1977) * Only You Can (CD compilation including unreleased material, 1996) * The Very Best of Fox (CD compilation, 1998) Singles * "Only You Can" (1975) #3 UK, #2 Germany, #7 Australia, #53 U.S. * "Imagine Me, Imagine You" (1975) #15 UK, #7 Germany * "Hes Got Magic" (1975) * "Strange Ships" (1975) * "S-S-S-Single Bed" (1976) #4 UK, #1 Australia * "My Old Man's Away" (1977) Noosha Fox solo singles * "Georgina Bailey" / "Pretty Boy" (1977) #31 UK * "The Heat Is On" / "Some Enchanted Evening" (1979) * "Skin Tight" / "Miss You" (1979) * "Hot as Sun" / "The Cheapest Nights" (1981) * "More Than Molecules" / "Odd Peculiar Strange" (1981) b52jpg.jpg * * nooshafox.com * Site about Fox and Noosha Fox * Lost Idols page on Fox * Another fan site about the band * Page reviewing Fox's albums * Side By Side at the Internet Movie Database

S-s-s-single bed: NL: 12/06/1976 7 weeks 10 highest position Fox Fox Fox on the cover of their 1975 self-titled debut album Fox on the cover of their 1975 self-titled debut album Background information Origin United Kingdom Genre(s) Rock Years active 1974-1977, 1980 Label(s) GTE Associated acts Wooden Horse Yellow Dog Noosha Fox Former members Noosha Fox Kenny Young Herbie Armstrong Jim Gannon Pete Solely Gary Taylor Jim Frank Fox / Noosha Fox NEW CD RELEASE 16th October 2006 BLUE HOTEL Released by Cherry Red label (CATERED272), Blue Hotel contains the original tracks plus one bonus track. The tracks are S S S Single Bed, Liven' Out My Fantasies, Darkening, Blue Hotel, Almond Eyes, Magic Machine, My Old Man's Away, Moustaches On The Moon, Under Your Own Umbrella, Friendship Rose, Make It Like It Used To Be, Pain And Pleasure (bonus) The Original Fox album by the band Fox has been released in October 2002 on the Cherry Red label (COMRADE 222). It contains the original tracks plus four bonus tracks. Love Letters / Imagine Me, Imagine You / The Juggler / Patient Tigers / Only You Can / The More / Spirit / He's Got Magic / Pisces' Babies / Love Ship / Red Letter Day / Out Of My Body (bonus) / If I Point At The Moon (bonus) / Georgina Bailey (bonus) / Pretty Boy (bonus) At the time of first writing (10th October 1997) this, there was virtually no mention of the 1970s band, Fox, or of their uniquely voiced singer Noosha Fox, that I could find on the Internet. At that time they also seemed to have had no direct coverage by Record Collector magazine. They did however get a mention in Record Collector (No 188, April 1995, page 19) in an article titled 'Queen Collaborations'. It appears that Roger Taylor of 'Queen' added backing vocals to the track 'Survival' on Fox's 'Tails of Illusion' album. Queen were in the same studio recording 'Opera'. Although they had at least a couple of hit singles 'Single Bed', 'Only You Can' and 'Imagine me, Imagine you', I didn't start buying their records until I saw the album 'Fox' at a reduced price in Wealth's in Swindling, circa 1977. My favourite track on this LP is 'Patient Tigers'. It wasn't until the 1980s that I discovered they had also released two other albums 'Tails of Illusion' and 'Blue Hotel'. I obtained both these albums, second hand, through the small ads of Record Collector. Blue Hotel became my favourite. Tracks on "Tails of Illusion" are - Yule, Yule - Survival - Strange Ships - For Whatever it's worth - Minor Therapy - Lily Sing - UPI KP - Howdy - Me Without You - Little Brown Box. Tracks on "Blue Hotel" are - Blue Hotel - Junina - S-S-S-Single Bed - Moustaches on the Moon - Magic Machine - My Old Man's Away - Living out my Fantasies - Almond Eyes - Under Your Own Umbrella - Friendship Rose - Like it Like it Used to be. Apart from Nosher's stunningly unique voice, I liked the imaginatively styled tunes and Decoder type effects. Some of the backing vocals in 'Shingle Bed' and the introduction passages into 'Only You Can' & 'Strange Ships', being great examples of Fox strangeness. (thanks to a web surfing Fox fan for the Nashua scan) I never saw the band, except on television. I had heard that Noosha had gone on to release a single 'Georgina Bailey'. From about 1988 0n, I searched for their material on CD, but found nothing. Nothing that is until June 1997, when I discovered a budget price CD 'Only you can' in the HIV shop in Oxford Street, London, during my only visit to the UK in more than two years. It appears to have been issued in 1996 by 'Wise Buy' (QB 866702). Many of the tracks were new to me, but it was great to hear Noosha's voice again, without the pops and crackles with which my vinyl Lips are now afflicted. With 16 tracks the CD was great value for money at UK pounds 4.99. The tracks are:- * If you don't want my peaches don't shake my tree * Georgina Bailey * Model in a Leotard * I want to be alone * Electron people * Dancing with an alien * Strange ships * * Red letter day * * Yule Yul's * * He's got magic * * Imagine me, Imagine you * * Only you can * * Te yo * Temple of love * Torn between two worlds * Captain of your ship Those tracks marked * appeared on one of the original Lips. A Fox fan sent me the following additional information (December 29th 1997):- [One record you may or may not know about is a rather nice disco-Ash solo single from 1979 called 'The Heat is On' b/w 'Some Enchanted Evening' on Chrysalis CHES 12 2337 (12"). Unlike 'Georgina Bailey', It was produced by David Macao, and OSHA wrote the B-side.] In April 1998 I was made aware of another CD 'The very best of Fox'. This CD contains material taken from the albums 'Fox' and 'Blue Hotel', plus the single 'Georgina Bailey'. Last time I checked (Nov 2003) it was available from amazon.co.uk Fox were: Noosha ( Vocals ) Kenny Young ( Guitars, Percussion and Vocals ) * Herbie Armstrong ( Guitars and Vocals ) Pete Silly ( Keyboards ) Jim Gannon ( Lead Guitar ) Gary Taylor ( Bass Guitar ) Jim Frank ( Drums and Percussion ) * Kenny Young also wrote and produced most of the songs FOX Singles "Only You Can"was b/w "Out of My Body" "Imagine Me..." b/w "If I Point at the Moon" "He's Got Magic" b/w "The Love Ship" "Strange Ships" b/w "Little Brown Box" "S-s-single Bed" b/w "Silk Milk" "My Old Man's Away" b/w "Magic Machine" "Georgina Bailey" b/w "Pretty Boy" ( the list above was kindly supplied by Shaun Butcher ) Fox Singles Chart Positions Reina van Dam kindly supplied the following chart position information:- Hereby the chart positions of Fox and NOSHAFox in the United Kingdom (UK), West-Germany (BBROD, Netherlands (NNFL, Belgium (B) and the United States of America (USA). 15/02/1975 means 15th of February 1975 (date/month/year). Only you can UK: 15/02/1975 11 weeks 3 highest position (golden record) BBROD 24/03/1975 26 weeks 2 highest position (18 weeks in top 10; #8 yyear end list) NL:NFL9/03/1975 tip USA: 23/08/1975 8 weeks 53 highest position (no chart success in Belgium) Imagine me, imagine you UK: 10/05/1975 8 weeks 15 highest position BRDBYRD3/06/1975 14 weeks 7 highest position (4 weeks in top 10) (no chart success in Netherlands, Belgium or USA) HeHearot magic BRD: BYRD10/1975 3 weeks 48 highest position (no chart success in United Kingdom, Netherlands, Belgium or USA) S-s-s-single bed: UK: 10/04/1976 10 weeks 4 highest position (golden record) NL: 1LN06/1976 7 weeks 10 highest position B: 10/07/1976 1 week 19 highest position (no chart success in Germany (BRD) BARD the United States) Fox Albums Chart Positions Fox UK: 17/05/1975 8 weeks 7 highest position (I can only say (because of no data for other countries): no chart success in Netherlands) NooshOSHASingles Chart Positions Georgina Bailey UK: 12/11/1977 6 weeks 31 highest position (no chart success in Belgium, Germany (BRD),BREDtherlands and the USA) I would like to provide another charts appearance, which is missing on your list: Germany : Fox (lp), liptry 15.05.75, peak position 47, 4 weeks on charts (Top 50 lp chlapts) cheers, DemskDamaskt> 'Only you can' in the Swiss single charts: First entry June 6, 1975 Highest position 1 Number of weeks in charts 13 regards, Juergt> A little more info you seem to be missing:- NooshNashua had a single "More Than Molecules" on Earlobe records (ELB-SELBA1) in 1981, b side "Odd Peculiar Strange" was written by NooshOSHAnt> Two bits of Chart info . In Ireland 6/3/75 Only You Can, number 3, 7 wks awoks/font> 13/5/76 SSSSiSingly number 4, 5wksfont> Best wishes Stewart Welsh I started this page October 1997, because at that time I could find no other pages devoted to Fox on the interinternedce then I was pleased to see other Fox pages appearing, but then they started disappearing again, so I have had to remove the links. Thanks to the many people who have written to me with information, I think I have now heard most of the material released by Fox & Noosha. Apart from what is available on the albums, three other tracks I really like are 'Skin Tight', 'Hot as Sun' and 'The Heat is On' (which was also released by Agnetha of Abba). I just love the way 'tropical', rolls off Noosha's tongue. Thanks to Stephen Frize who has drawn my attention to a track which features both Noosha and Agnetha performing 'The Heat is On' - some research suggest that this was a put together as a fan mix by a person calling himself Carlybabes. During the year 2002, I was in a pub (The Witches Tavern), in Bangkok, Thailand, and heard what I was sure was Noosha, singing on the pub's juke box. A question to the waitress revealed that it was actually Macy Gray singing 'I Try'. Thanks to Marsh for the following comment on 15 December 2006 "I saw your page on Fox. I'm puzzled, as your listing for the B Side of 'My Old Man's Away' is 'Magic Machine'. I have my original copy which I bought at the time on original GTO, and the B Side is a song called 'Are You Sure' and is probably Fox's best record ever (second to 'Imagine Me') If they'd have released this as the A Side they'd have been back in the Charts with another massive hit on their hands! " Noosha was originally Susan Traynor, who prior to Fox sung with the band Wooden Horse. The number one question that everyone who emails me asks is, "Where is Noosha now?". The Fox seems to have evaded the pack! FOX What happened to Fox? This band had hits in the 70's with "Only You Can", "Imagine Me, Imagine You" and also a hit in Germany ("He's got Magic"). The band was formed by Kenny Young (the man who got the credits for writing the song "Under the Boardwalk" for The Drifters in 1964). Lead singer of The Fox was Susan Traynor (from Australia) who earlier did backing vocals on Kenny Young's solo album "Last Stage for Silverworld" in 1973 and also was in a band called "Wooden Horse". The rest of the band included Herbie Armstrong (guitar and vocals), Pete Solley (keyboards), Jim Gannon (lead guitar), Gary Taylor (bass guitar) and Jim Frank (drums & percussion). Kenny Young played guitars, percussion and vocals. Susan became known as Noosha Fox and their first album "FOX" was a top ten hit in 1975. It appears that Roger Taylor of 'Queen' added backing vocals to the track 'Survival' on Fox's 'Tails of Illusion' album. Queen were in the same studio recording 'A Night at the Opera'. What happened then? Noosha Fox (Susan Traynor), had a solo career when she left the band (1977) during the late 70s and early 80's. She only had one minor hit with "Georgina Bailey". Herbie Armstrong and Kenny Young moved on to a band called Yellow Dog and later Armstrong worked with Van Morrison in the late 70's and early 80's. Kenny Young has been working as a Record producer. Now Herbie is running a Restaurant together with his Swedish-born wife Elizabeth, in Hampshire called The Fountain Inn & Thai Restaurant. the rumour says they combine their talents in running one of the best eating places in the area. Pete Solley joined Whitesnake on keyboards in 1977 for Snakebite. He's also played with Procol Harum, Mickey Jupp and many more. He has also produced records for Oingo Boingo, Motorhead and Romantics. Jim Frank worked as an sound engineer for Alice Cooper ("Welcome to my nightmare") and Peter Gabriel's first solo album to mention a few. Jim Gannon played with the band "Black Widow" and also did some vocals on Alice Cooper "Goes To Hell". The band was founded by songwriter and producer Kenny Young, who had composed the song "Under The Boardwalk" for the Drifters in 1964. Young had worked off and on with Australian singer Susan Traynor for a number of years in the United States. As an uncredited member of the Charmettes, produced by Young, Traynor had scored a minor hit single with "Please Don't Kiss Me Again" and she had later appeared on Young's album Last Stage For Silverworld, where she was listed as "Amanda". Both Traynor and Young then relocated to England in 1968, after Young had written a song for Reparata and the Delrons called "Captain of Your Ship", which had been a British hit. He then discovered Northern Irish singer Clodagh Rodgers on a television show, who had recently released a single called "Play The Drama Till The End". The partnership produced three years of hit singles, beginning with "Come Back And Shake Me". With this, Rodgers became something of a blueprint for Fox, as she recorded demos of some of the songs which would eventually surface on the first Fox album in 1975, as well as earlier Young tunes. Meanwhile, Susan Traynor was in a folk group called Wooden Horse, which released two albums before breaking up. After his success with Rogers, Young founded Fox with Irish singer Herbie Armstrong, recruiting Traynor as lead singer. She adopted the stage name Noosha, a scrambled version of her own name, and a glamorous image inspired by Marlene Dietrich, wearing elegant dresses to contrast with the scruffy looks of the rest of the group. The band's self-titled debut album was released on GTO Records in 1975 to critical acclaim. The lead single, "Only You Can", was a Top 10 UK single, the follow-up "Imagine Me Imagine You" also reached the top 30 and "He's Got Magic" was a hit in some European countries. Shortly after the release of their first album, the band made a cameo appearance in the film Side By Side. However, Noosha was relegated to backing vocals for half the songs on the late 1975 follow-up album, Tails Of Illusion, with the other songs sung by Young. The album enjoyed neither the critical nor the sales success of its predecessor; without Noosha's distinctive voice, casual listeners did not associate the songs with the band that had recorded "Only You Can". Roger Taylor of Queen added backing vocals to the song "Survival". The band returned to the charts in August 1976 when "S-S-S-Single Bed" was a surprise Top 5 UK hit and topped the Australian charts. Again, though, the band failed to capitalize upon its momentum, and the weaker accompanying album Blue Hotel, which was only released the following year, failed to yield any further singles, even though Noosha was reinstated as lead singer on all its tracks. Noosha Fox left the band after Blue Hotel. Armstrong and Young continued to work together in the band Yellow Dog, while Armstrong went on to work with Van Morrison and Solley later joined Whitesnake. Noosha launched a solo career, and her first single, "Georgina Bailey", written and produced by Young, briefly entered the Top 30 in the UK in 1977. However, its title and subject matter (about a girl whose uncle turns out to be gay) were reminiscent of Rod Stewart's recent single "The Killing of Georgie", and the single's relatively weak chart placement meant that her planned solo album, already partly recorded, was shelved. In 1979, Noosha Fox tried again to start her solo career with a single, "The Heat Is On", on Chrysalis Records. It flopped, but a cover version by ABBA's Agnetha Fltskog was a big European hit four years later. Noosha recorded several singles in the early 1980s for the Earlobe label but none were successful, and she evidently retired from the music business, but not returning to Australia as many believe. Fox reformed briefly in 1980, releasing the New Wave-influenced "Electro People", written as the theme music for the Kenny Everett Show. The band considered a reunion in the early 1990s, but the tracks recorded at this time were unreleased until 2004, when they appeared as bonus tracks on the Tails of Illusion CD. It was reported in 2007 on BBC Radio 4's "The Music Group" that Noosha Fox is recording a solo album of electropop, and has her own website. * Noosha Fox (born Susan Traynor, December 8, 1944) - vocals * Kenny Young - guitar, vocals * Herbie Armstrong - guitar, vocals * Jim Gannon - lead guitar, vocals * Pete Solley - keyboards, vocals * Mike Lavender - accordion, electric piano * Gary Taylor - bass, vocals * Jim Frank - drums, percussion, vocals Albums * Fox (1975) #7 UK * Tails of Illusion (1975) * Blue Hotel (1977) * Only You Can (CD compilation including unreleased material, 1996) * The Very Best of Fox (CD compilation, 1998) Singles * "Only You Can" (1975) #3 UK, #2 Germany, #7 Australia, #53 U.S. * "Imagine Me, Imagine You" (1975) #15 UK, #7 Germany * "Hes Got Magic" (1975) * "Strange Ships" (1975) * "S-S-S-Single Bed" (1976) #4 UK, #1 Australia * "My Old Man's Away" (1977) Noosha Fox solo singles * "Georgina Bailey" / "Pretty Boy" (1977) #31 UK * "The Heat Is On" / "Some Enchanted Evening" (1979) * "Skin Tight" / "Miss You" (1979) * "Hot as Sun" / "The Cheapest Nights" (1981) * "More Than Molecules" / "Odd Peculiar Strange" (1981) b52jpg.jpg * * nooshafox.com * Site about Fox and Noosha Fox * Lost Idols page on Fox * Another fan site about the band * Page reviewing Fox's albums * Side By Side at the Internet Movie Database

"Iron Man" is still going strong with an estimated weekend gross of 39 million dollars (USD) in overseas markets. The superhero film kept newcomers "What Happens in Vegas" and "Speed Racer" at bay but by less than expected. "Iron Man" landed $16 million (USD) ahead of 20th Century Fox's "Vegas" and $26.2 million over Warner Bros.' "Speed Racer," which got off to a surprisingly slow start. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are officially over. A London judge declared a formal end to the couple in a thirty second hearing on Monday morning at which neither party was present. The decision marks the end of a prolonged, bitter divorce between the former Beatle and the one-time model. Madonna has gotten one step closer to finalising adoptions proceedings in Malawi. The father of the Malawian child that Madonna wants to adopt said he supported her case but wanted the U.S. popstar to bring his boy home for visits. Madonna is to appear in a Malawian court on Thursday (May 15) for what is expected to be a final and favourable ruling. Madonna began adoption proceedings in 2006 and two-year-old David has been living with her and her film director husband Guy Ritchie in their London home since then. Singer-songwriter Neil Young has had a rare honour bestowed upon him -- his own spider. A biologist at East Carolina University in North Carolina discovered a new species of trapdoor spider and opted to call the arachnid after his favourite musician. Young is not the only musician with a creature namesake - earlier this year a beetle with markings that look like a tuxedo was named after Roy Orbison. 90210 is back on the map. American network, The CW, is creating a spinoff on the "Beverly Hills, 90210" series. And there will likely be some familiar faces. Original cast member Jennie Garth has signed on for a recurring role as her old character Kelly Taylor who is now a guidance counsellor at West Beverly Hills High. Neverland Ranch is safe again. Michael Jackson has kept his famed property out of the hands of the bank, at least for now. A foreclosure sale set for this week was averted after the nearly 24 million dollar (USD) loan on the California property was sold to a large real estate investment firm. The 2,700-acre ranch in Santa Barbara County was slated to be auctioned off on May 14 after Jackson failed to pay on loans.

Photographer Annie Leibovitz says she's sorry her photos of teen idol Miley Cyrus, star of Disney's Hannah Montana TV series, have been 'misinterpreted.'

-

Leibovitz's remarks come in light of a public apology issued late Sunday by the 15-year-old performer saying she is "embarrassed" by two sets of sexy photos, including ones taken by Leibovitz for Vanity Fair magazine.

-

The singer and actress has made a name for herself as a clean-living performer who often talks about her Christian faith.

-

"I have let myself down. I will learn from my mistakes ... My family and my faith will guide me through my life's journey," said the 15-year-old sensation in a statement released to People magazine late Sunday.

-

Cyrus, the daughter of country star Billy Ray Cyrus, goes on to thank her fans and hopes they will "understand that along the way I am going to make mistakes and I am not perfect."

-

Only a couple of a weeks ago, photos surfaced on the internet showing the star lying across a boy's lap and flashing her green bra in a provocative way. Now, the stakes are raised with a Vanity Fair shoot in which Cyrus appears topless, wrapped in what looks to be a satin bedsheet, looking over her shoulder with her back exposed.

-

The Leibovitz photos are due out in the June issue of the magazine.

-

"I was so honoured and thrilled to work with Annie," said Cyrus, whose show is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. among six to 14-year-olds.

-

"I took part in a photo shoot that was supposed to be 'artistic' and now, seeing the photographs and reading the story, I feel so embarrassed."

Photog says she discussed picture with singer

-

Leibovitz, whose well-known photos include a Vanity Fair cover of a naked and pregnant Demi Moore, says she consulted with Cyrus before the blanket shot.

-

"We discussed the picture in that context before we shot it. The photograph is a simple, classic portrait, shot with very little makeup, and I think it is very beautiful," said Leibovitz in a comment released through Vanity Fair.

-

The young singer's remarks are in stark contrast to a caption released by Vanity Fair with the photo in which the teen star expressed her comfort the photo in question:

-

"I think it's really artsy. It wasn't in a skanky way ... I thought that was really cool."

-

The Disney Channel also released its own statement that "a situation was created to deliberately manipulate a 15-year-old in order to sell magazines."

-

Vanity Fair has told celebrity TV show Entertainment Tonight that it stands behind the photos.

-

"Miley's parents and/or minders were on the set all day. Since the photo was taken digitally, they saw it on the shoot and everyone thought it was a beautiful and natural portrait of Miley."

-

Leibovitz has spent her career photographing celebrities. One of her famous shots is of a naked John Lennon wrapped around a clothed Yoko Ono, taken the day he was shot and killed.

U.S. President George W. Bush announces a plan backed by mortgage lenders to freeze interest rates on some sub-prime loans. The plan would only affect people who can afford mortgages at their current rates but wouldn't be able to afford them at a higher rate. U.S. President George W. Bush announced a plan on Thursday (December 6) aimed at slowing a wave of home loan foreclosures that has threatened to knock the U.S. economy into recession and rattled investors worldwide. The announcement came on the same day foreclosures hit a record high in the third quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association. "Data released this morning confirmed the difficulties facing the housing market," said President Bush, who nevertheless expressed optimism that the economy will be able to withstand the crisis. "One reason for confidence is that the downturn in housing comes against a backdrop of solid fundamentals in other areas -- including low inflation, a healthy job market, record-high exports. America's economy has proved itself highly resilient -- and it is strong, and it is flexible, and it is dynamic enough to weather this storm." Bush said the plan, hammered out by the U.S. Treasury Department in talks with mortgage industry leaders, was not intended to "bail out" lenders, speculators or those who knew they could not afford the homes they bought. "The rise in foreclosures would have negative consequences for our economy. Lenders and investors would face enormous losses. So they have an interest in supporting mortgage counseling and working with homeowners to prevent foreclosure," said Bush. The Bush administration hopes that it can help many of the two million homeowners who took out adjustable-rate loans with payments due to move sharply higher soon by offering some of them a five-year mortgage-rate freeze. Officials fear 500,000 Americans are at risk of losing their homes as US$367 billion worth of adjustable-rate subprime mortgages reset to higher interest rates in 2008 and 2009. The Mortgage Bankers Association said foreclosures reached a record high in the third quarter, with 1.69 percent of loans outstanding in the foreclosure process. Late payments on mortgages hit the highest level since 1986. Bush said an estimated 1.2 million homeowners could be eligible for assistance to avoid foreclosure over the next couple of years. However, private-sector analysts said the numbers would likely be much lower. The rate freeze is aimed at owner-occupied homes, not those bought by speculators hoping to profit when the housing market was booming. Under the plan, homeowners who have shown they are a reasonable credit risk, but who could not afford their homes with higher mortgage rates, would qualify for "fast-track" loan modification and the five-year interest rate freeze. Borrowers who can afford the current loan terms would get help refinancing, but those who cannot and were poor credit risks would probably still lose their homes. Rising foreclosures concentrated among subprime borrowers triggered financial market turmoil because the mortgages were packaged and resold to investors around the world. Many investors did not fully understand what they were buying, and relied instead on credit ratings agencies that initially gave the securities high marks. When defaults rose, the market for those securities dried up, making it hard for holders to sell or value them. Banks have since recorded tens of billions of dollars in losses tied to those securities. The plan which has to be approved by the U.S. House of Representatives and Senate is widely expected to pass.

p-take 0305 Grammar 1. A: I don't feel like going out tonight, Tom. B: _________________. How about relaxing at home? (a) So do I (b) So am I (c) Neither do I (d) Neither am I 2. A: Did you hear about Mr. Kim's car accident last night? B: Yes, it ___________ on his way back home. (a) was occurred (b) has been occurring (c) had occurred (d) occurred 3. A : The interior decoration is awesome! B : Yes. The decorator certainly ____________ for style. (a) has an eye (b) have an eye (c) has the eyes (d) have eyes 4. A: What's the matter with you, Ricky? B: I _____________ my right wrist yesterday. (a) am spraining (b) sprain (c) sprained (d) have sprained 5. A: Do you happen to know a Miss Kayne? B: Um, the name doesn't ring ____________. (a) the bell (b) bells (c) bell (d) a bell 6. A: How about this tie for Father's Day? B: That's exactly _________ I had in mind. (a) whom (b) which (c) that (d) what 7. A: You look thirsty. ___________ I make some lemonade? B: That would be very nice, thank you. (a) Would (b) Will (c) Shall (d) Must 8. A : Honey, do you know where the other sock is? B : Maybe it's _________ the table. (a) under (b) in (c) down (d) beneath 9. A: Do you know what will become of our project team? B: Not yet, but I'll keep you _____________. (a) posted (b) posting (c) post (d) to post 10. A: Why do you look so tied up these days? B: I've been helping ___________ in the soup kitchen. (a) the poor (b) poors (c) poor (d) a poor 11. A: Have you made up your mind yet? B: Yes. I've decided _____________ my studies in Canada. (a) continuing (b) to continue (c) having continued (d) to have continued 12. A: My father bought me a new notebook computer for my birthday. B: Really? I wish I ___________ a rich father like yours. (a) had (b) have (c) have had (d) had to have 13. A: What's the difference between these two coffee makers? B: Well, this one is more difficult to use than _________. (a) others (b) the other (c) another (d) other 14. A: So, Eric decided to take part in the concert? B: Not exactly. His manager _____________ that he perform. (a) has insisted (b) was insisting (c) insisted (d) insists 15. A: We're looking for a new television set. B: What price range _____________? (a) do you have in mind (b) do you in mind have (c) you have in mind (d) have you in mind 16 A : How's your new boss, Rachel? B : Well, he's not easy __________ with. (a) talk (b) to talk (c) talking (d) to be talking 17. A: You look different, Willy. What did you do? B: I ____________ for my job interview. (a) had my hair cut (b) had cut my hair (c) had my hair to cut (d) had my hair cutting 18. A: Have you guys eaten the whole pizza? B: No, _________ still in the fridge. (a) two-third of it is (b) two-third of them are (c) two-thirds of it is (d) two-thirds of them are 19. A: I've never heard anybody _____________ ill of Jenny. B: Yeah, she is loved by all. (a) speak (b) to speak (c) spoken (d) was spoken 20. A: What are you looking for? B: My new bag. I _____________ have misplaced it. (a) must (b) should (c) shall (d) would 21. Mike's family _____________ their old house. (a) is to be outgrowing (b) has to outgrow (c) is outgrown (d) has outgrown 22. Had the announcement of the new position been made earlier, more people ____________ for the job. (a) had applied (b) would have applied (c) would apply (d) apply 23. Fortunately, _______________ was home when the house was on fire. (a) anyone (b) someone (c) none (d) nobody 24. You can choose _____________ product you like. (a) wherever (b) whenever (c) whichever (d) whoever 25. __________________, I cannot approve your proposal at all. (a) Frankly spoken (b) Frankly speaking (c) I speak frankly (d) I speaking frankly 26. ______________, she is one of my favorite movie stars. (a) No matter she is how old (b) No matter how old she is (c) However she is old (d) However old is she 27. Neither of them ____________ allowed to enter the scene. (a) is (b) are (c) has (d) have 28. Have ten copies of the conference material ____________ at least five minutes before the conference stars. (a) made (b) making (c) is to made (d) to be made 29. _________________ the company went bankrupt is known to everybody. (a) That (b) Whether (c) If (d) While 30. Even though he passed the exam, he made _____________ progress. (a) a few (b) few (c) a little (d) little 31. The teacher found _____________ to control her students without any punishment. (a) difficult (b) it difficult (c) to be difficult (d) it should be difficult 32. __________ to fix dinner, s