Mirror, Mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all, - if this is what you’re thinking as you stand laboriously in front of the mirror than it seems you’re not the only one, as its been selected as one of the top 10 memorable movie misquotes of all time.

The list of misquotes was compiled by the website lovefilm.com which followed a poll of 1,500 filmgoers. Darth Vader fans will be pleased to know that the dark lords infamous quote topped the list- famously remembered as “Luke, I am your father,” the actual quote from the movie is “No, I am your father.”

Disney fans will also be surprised to discover that the evil queen from the 1937 classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs did not say ”Mirror, mirror on the wall”, but in fact said “Magic mirror on the wall.”

Other misquotes to make the top list include a quote from the film Dirty Harry in which Clint Eastwood dangles a threatening challenge; “Do you feel lucky, punk?” but again this is not the quote and the actual line is: “You’ve got to ask yourself on question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well do ya Punk?”

Perhaps the best known movie misquotes comes from the 1942 timeless movie Casablanca. Here Ingrid Bergman coaxes pianist Dooley Wilson with, “Play it Sam. Play As Time Goes By.” This quote is a little off the mark as the closest Humphrey Bogart gets to saying these words are as follows: “You played it for her, you can play it for me. If she can stand it, I can. Play it!”

Further down the list there is Hannibal Lecter’s misquoted, “Hello, Clarice, in the 1991 thriller Silence of the Lambs- the actual spin tingling quote deliverd by Anthony Hopkins is, “Good evening Clarice” and Star Trek’s William Shatner never uttered the words “Beam me up, Scotty” but in fact said “Scotty, beam us up.”

Darren Bignell of Lovefilms.com said: “Iconic film lines are part of everyone’s vocabulary these days, but it’s interesting how years of quoting have had a Chinese whisper effect on accuracy.”

So here are the top 10 misquotes of all time:

1. “Luke, I am your father” – Star Wars V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

2. “Mirror, mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?” – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

3. “Do you feel lucky, punk?” – Dirty Harry (1971)

4. “Play it again, Sam” – Casablanca (1942)

5. “Hello, Clarice” – The Silence of the Lambs (1991)

6. “Beam me up, Scotty” – Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979)

7. “Frankly, Scarlett, I don’t give a damn” – Gone With the Wind (1939)

8. “If you build it, they will come” – Field of Dreams (1989)

9. “I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore, Toto” – The Wizard of Oz (1939)

10. “Mrs Robinson, are you trying to seduce me?” – The Graduate (1967)

Prime Minister Gordon Brown has today apologised on behalf of all politicians over public outrage on MP’s expenses

Following on from David Cameron’s issued apology yesterday, the Prime Minister said he wanted to show that “people who enter our profession are here to serve the public interest and not themselves.”

Documents revealed that leading MPs have entered invoices for items such as dog food and lawnmowers. Commons Speaker Michael Martin has said ‘serious change’ is needed and that the ‘spirit of rules’ must be followed.

Brown made his apology during a speech to the Royal College of Nursing conference in Harrogate. He said there were “wrongs” that needed to be addressed immediately.

“I want to apologise on behalf of politicians, on behalf of all parties, for what has happened and for the events of these last few days,” Brown said.

David Cameron only spoke out after it was revealed that the MPs expenses did not just come from the Labour party MPs but from the Conservative as well. The Daily Telegraph was the first to publish details regarding MPs expenses.

The paper previously faced criticism for focusing on Labour MPs, which is why it shifted its focus to the shadow cabinet. Some are being accused of practicing ‘flipping’ their homes- whereby MPs change the designation of a house as a second home- which allows them to claim expenses. According to The Guardian, the following shadow ministers are in firing line:

• Andrew Lansley, the shadow health secretary, spent thousands of pounds renovating a thatched Tudor country cottage before selling it. He then moved the second designation to a London flat.
• Michael Gove, the shadow schools secretary and a member of Cameron’s inner circle, spent more than £7,000 furnishing a London property in 2006 before “flipping” the second home designation to a new one in his Surrey Heath constituency.
• Francis Maude, the shadow cabinet office minister who is leading the Tories’ preparations for government, tried to claim mortgage interest on his family home in Sussex. This was declined by the Commons fees office.
• Chris Grayling, the shadow home ­secretary and another member of the Cameron circle, claimed for the ­renovation of a London flat which is 17 miles from his family home.
• Cheryl Gillan, the shadow Welsh ­secretary, claimed for dog food. She has agreed to repay the claim.
• Alan Duncan, the shadow leader of the Commons who chairs the Commons audit committee which oversees MPs’ expenses, had a claim for £3,194 ­gardening expenses declined in March 2007. He says this happened after he raised the matter with the Commons authorities.
• David Willetts, the shadow ­universities secretary, claimed more than £100 for workmen to replace 25 light bulbs at his home.
• Oliver Letwin, who is in charge of the Tories’ general election manifesto, charged £2,000 to replace a leaking pipe under a tennis court. The pipe was not related to the court and Letwin was obliged to mend the pipe after an order from the local water authority.

(in order from the top of the list down) MP's who are in the firing line

According to the Prime Ministers spokesman the Prime Minister “has seen all of the explanations from the different ministers and he is satisfied with those explanations.”

First it was foot and mouth, then bird flu and now it seems the latest barnyard bug to take hold of the UK is Swine flu.

My initial reaction to this was ‘Well I better avoid any petting zoos from here on out.’ But, before you classify me as insensitive, you have to realise that much like foot and mouth and bird flu, I felt this was just another government inspired ‘Pandemic’ that would soon pass over me unaffected (unless I decided to eat a ‘foot and mouth sub’).

But with 48 cases of swine flu reported in the UK (and rising) the severity and potential danger of this condition has slowly become a shocking reality, as it is now becoming more and more easier to contract and pass on the disease without even realising.  With the pandemic alert level raised to 5, all across the UK people are being bombarded with pamphlets, contact details and guides on what do if  any symptoms of Swine Flu are detected.

With swift and quick decisions the government has managed to quarantine and reduce the outbreak of the disease as much as possible and for that they deserve much praise. Not only have they managed to provide the country with vaccines, information pamphlets access to round the clock hotlines, it seems everything has been done to make sure that people are both careful and aware of what the symptoms are.

The Department of Health have reported that all the infections in the UK so far were mild, and have been diagnosed and treated early.  The department spokeswoman said the government was not complacent and would prepare for the possibility of a global pandemic.

“The UK’s arrangements are continuing to ensure that we are well-placed to deal with this new infection,” she said.

This has been a positive step not just for the well being of the country, but for the future of the new labour government, who has reassured and reminded the country why they elected this government in to power. In recent months, campaigns including Change4Life and FAST have all proved very positive. The Mirror released a report this month on six year old Karen Lewis- who saved her grandmothers life after spotting her symptoms from the FAST stroke campaign. This is just the first pro-active step in reducing the number of critical patients and future pressure on the NHS.

However, in saying this the National Health Care system has not been the governments crowning jewel; with poor facilities, lack of medical personel and the rise of MRS in numerous clinics, the government will need more than a few successful campaigns to restore its reputation. With all this and the release of Darling’s Budget, the greater public has become more keen to follow the steps of the USA and introduce change in the next election.

But there is still some time before the election- with the positive initiatives taken at the G20 Summit and tackling the rise of Swine flu, Brown’s parliament might still be able to redeem whatever credibility they have left.  But from this standpoint, the likelyhood of this happening seems preety bleak.

So for the sake of Labour’s credibility- lets just hope history remembers the New Labour government as a successful deterent of an international pandemic- not the useless cure for one of the UKs worst economic downturns.

people who regularly log on loose more time to study than others

According to a recent study Facebook users are more likely to get bad exam results in comparison to their non-social networking counterparts.

A study by Ohio State University found that students who use the social website spend less time studying and risk getting a whole grade lowers than their fellow peers- which is a worrying discovery considering more than 200 million people use the site regularly.

Research shows that Facebook users averaged one to five hours a week studying, whilst others manage to fit in 11 to 15 hours per week.

The study was conducted with 219 students, including 102 undergraduate students and 117 graduate students from Ohio State University. Of the participants, 148 said they owned a Facebook account.

Students who spent more time working at paid jobs were less likely to use Facebook, while students who were more involved in volunteer work at school were more likely to use Facebook.

Aryn Karpinski, co-author of the study and a doctoral student in education at Ohio State University, said: “We can’t say that use of Facebook leads to lower grades and less studying – but we did find a relationship there

“There’s a disconnect between students’ claim that Facebook use doesn’t impact their studies, and our finding showing they had lower grades and spent less time studying.”

But then again you can’t believe everything you read…

How will the Budget affect you?

Anyone with a TV, Computer or any connection to the outside world would have heard that Wednesday would see the arrival for the Darling Budget- which will affect every thing from cigarettes and alcohol, to car scrappage and the environment. But for those of you sitting in front of your screens, scrunching your faces and thinking ‘what?!’ here is a brief summary of what you need to know about the budget:

UK Economy:

• Economy forecast to shrink 3.5% in 2009
• Public borrowing to increase to £175bn this year
• Growth expected to pick up in 2010, expanding by 1.25%.
• Economy to grow by 3.5% annually from 2011
• Borrowing levels to be £173bn, £140bn, £118bn and £97bn in years after Consumer price inflation to fall to 1% by end of year. Retail Price Index to go to -3% by September.
• Capital investment to continue at historically high levels until 2012

Jobs and Training:

• Statutory redundancy pay up from £350 to £380 a week
• Government support for economy to protect 500,000 jobs
• Funding to create 54,000 new places in sixth form education
• From January all under-25s out of work for a year to be offered a job or training place with extra money on top of benefits for those in training
• £1.7bn extra funding for Job Centre network
• £250m funding to help people get work experience in growth industries
• Extra support for people who have been out of work for 12 months through the flexible new deal

Fuel, Alcohol and Cigarettes:

• Tax on tobacco to go up by 2% from 6pm – equivalent to an extra 7p on a pack of 20 cigarettes
• Alcohol taxes to go up 2% from midnight – putting the price of the average pint up 1p
• Fuel duty to rise by 2p per litre from September, then by 1p a litre above indexation each April for the next four years

Housing:

• Extra £80m for shared equity mortgage scheme
• Scheme to guarantee mortgage-backed securities to boost lending
• Stamp duty holiday for homes up to £175,000 to be extended to end of year
• £500m to kick-start stalled housing projects – including £100m for local authorities to build energy efficient homes
• £50m to upgrade housing for the armed forces

Savings:

• Annual limit for tax-free ISAs to rise to more than £10,200 for over-50s this year and for everyone else next year. Of that amount £5,100 can be saved in cash

Help for Business:

• Businesses’ main capital allowance rate doubled to 40% to encourage firms to bring forward investment
• Help for loss-making companies extended – they will be able to reclaim more taxes paid in the last three years until November 2010
• New £750m strategic investment fund to help emerging technologies and regionally important sectors

Environment:

• An extra £1bn to help combat climate change by supporting low-carbon industries
• Britain commits to cut carbon emissions by 34% by 2020
• £525m for offshore wind projects over the next two years
• £435m support for energy efficiency schemes for homes, firms and public buildings
• £405m to encourage low-carbon energy and advanced green manufacturing

Tax:

• Tax relief on pensions to be reduced for people on more than £150,000 a year from April 2011
• Income tax for those earning more than £150,000 to rise to 50% from April 2010

Car Scrappage Scheme:

• They will have to show they been the registered keeper of the vehicle for the previous 12 months before ordering the new car
• The government will provide £1,000 with the industry expected to provide the other half
• From next month until March 2010 motorists to get £2,000 discount on new cars if they trade in cars older than 10 years

Benefits:

• Child trust funds for disabled children to rise by £100 a year, £200 a year for severely disabled
• Child tax credit to rise by £20 by 2010

Pensioners:

• From November the limit on savings pensioners can have before their Pension Credits are reduced is to be raised from £6,000 to £10,000 to help those hit by low interest rates. It will mean an average of £4 extra a week, says the chancellor
• Grandparents of working age who care for their grandchildren will see that work count towards their entitlement for the basic state pension
• Winter fuel allowance to be maintained at higher level – £250 for over 60s and £400 for over-80s – for another year
• The basic state pension will be increased by at least 2.5%, regardless of inflation

Government savings:

• An extra £9bn in efficiency savings is planned
• Public spending growth to be cut from 1.1% next year to 0.7% from 2011-2012
• Tax loopholes and schemes identified which could provide £1bn of extra revenue over the next three years if closed

To read the complete budget report click on this link:

Darling’s Budget 2009

With the third series of Britain’s Got Talent already producing some amazing talent, we decided to take a look back on some of the acts that have been and gone alongside previous winners including the welsh opera sensation Paul Potts and break dancing champion George Sampson in 2008. The show has seen everything from singing dogs to crazy dare devils.

So here a countdown to some of the shows most charming, original, crazy and downright bizarre acts that have graced our screens so far:

Gin and Kate: Twinkle-toed dog Gin and her bashful owner Kate stunned judges with their coordinated dance routines to disco classics such as Scissor Sisters’ I Don’t Feel Like Dancing. Simon Cowell said of little Gin: “All my life I have searched for the new Lassie and I think I’ve found him. That dog has got more talent than Rin Tin Tin.”

The Deans of Magic: Married couple The Deans Of Magic made it to the semi-final despite the fact that most of their act should have left behind closed doors. The act involved a man lighting flares and conjuring up candles whilst his wife paraded around in stockings and suspenders. Despitr their best efforts, they did little to excite the panel. Piers Morgan declared it ‘boring’ while Simon said: “I felt you two just wanted to get back to your hotel room.”

Strike: The amazing karate duo Strike put a smile on Amanda’s face when they strolled onto the stage but they floored the entire panel with their routine which fused their martial arts experience with acrobatics to create a dramatic perfomance.

Signature: Definitely a firm favourite from the beginning the dancing duo which included Michael Jackson impersonator Suleman and Bollywood dancer Madhu, surprised and wowed the audience from their first audition. This bizarre comedy dance routine was both entertaining and unique and earned them both a place in the 2008 final

Dr Gore: Hammer horror fans were in for a treat when a blood-spattered Dr Gore stepped on to the scene. He received a mixed response with his chainsaw-wielding illusions. Hacking and torturing his assistants Kitten, Viking and Greg, the magician explained he had been inspired by a combination of Charlie Chaplin and Jack the Ripper.

Damon Scott and Bubble: When most of us saw Damon come on the stage with a puppet, a unified sigh of ‘here we go again’ was the first thing to cross our minds. But the act proved us wrong, with bubbles enigmatically giving us a rendition of Michael Jackson classic.

The act became an instant hit with the audience, Damon had the public in hysterics as bubbles grabbed his face and screamed ‘do you give a damn!”

Jack Reeve- The tap-dancing pensioner: At 80, Jack Reeve was the oldest act in the contest and proved a big hit with the audience. His tap-dancing routine suffered when he forgot to turn his hearing aid up enough to hear the music but the former soldier, who listed Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly as his heroes, eventually sputtered into life and received whooping cheers.

Caroline Boyes: forty-eight-year-old Caroline Boyes was a hip hop artist and teacher who’s routine to Missy Elliott wasn’t a hit with Simon Cowell in the auditions, but his fellow judges put her through. Show presenter Declan Donnelly famously described her as being “not quite hip hop, more like chip shop”.

Modelling herself on her heroine Madonna, with her gold pointy bra and hotpants, her dance routines didn’t get her past the semi-finals.

Vicky Armstrong:Vicky Armstrong from Swinton in Greater Manchester had a novel act which involved using an axle grinder to create sparks against her fetching metal underpants. Her raunchy performance, to the sound of Joan Jet’s I Love Rock And Roll, impressed the judges enough to get her to the semi-final, with Amanda Holden saying she thought she would get the “dads’ vote”.

Hoop La La:Probably the most colourful and camp act to appear on the show. The trio were not only hugely entertaining, they were also able to perform some amazing tricks with their hoops. Despite mixed reviews from the judges in their first audtion Hoop La La were able to win the audience and secure a place in the live shows.

Baton Twirler Craig: Seventeen-year-old Craig from Leeds started baton twirling when he was three, but as he got older his mum and dad encourgaed him to stop because they were worried he would get bullied at school. But Craig continued with his twirling, taking part in auditions for Britain’s Got Talent without his parents knowing. His talent got him to the semi-finals, where he performed a dazzling routine to Robbie Williams’ Let Me Entertain You.

Even though the exam period is well and truley upon us all, its nice to know that instead of wasting time staring out of the window watching cars go by, we can now waste endless amount of time watching people from across the country make complete and utter fools of themselves on one of the country’s best variety TV shows.

Britain’s Got Talent- the biggest distraction for any student this summer!

economy no longer in free fall

According to reports, the economy is no longer in free fall and it is predicted there will be signs of recovery appearing as soon as next spring.

The think tank at The Ernest & Young Item Club have revealed stabilising markets and the easing of credit conditions may well mean that the worst of the recession is over.

It is forecast that the economy is to shrink by 3.5% this year and by 0.1% in 2010.

However, it also said that the backdrop to Wednesday’s Budget is “bleak” and warned that the chancellor has “limited options” in his spending plans.

In the Budget, Alistair Darling is thought to predict economic contraction of about 3% of GDP this year – up from his earlier forecast in November of between 0.75% to 1.25%.

The Item Club believes that the revival of the bond market in January has enabled the UK’s strongest companies to gain access to credit.

 This forecast was also encouraged by improved sentiment emerging in business surveys in the US, China and the UK.

 But according to Chief economic advisor to the Item Club, Peter Spencer, the worst Is not over yet:

 ”We face another 12 to 18 months of serious grief. Around 900,000 jobs will be lost this year and half a million next,” he said.

 He then went on to predict a bleak time for the housing and high street market over the next 12 months, and world trade is expected to decline by 9% in 2009.

 So assumingly a celebratory shopping spree is still a little out of the question.

does not regret golliwog comment

Thatcher has said she does not regret using the term ‘golliwog’ to describe a black tennis player, a move which led to her being sacked by the BBC.

Ms Thatcher made the remark on a recent appearance on the Andrew Marr Show, when asked about her reaction to the incident.

 Although she did regret the fact that the incident was leaked to the press, but not the use of the word, adding: “It was in a context which wasn’t really appreciated at the time.”  

She further went on to say: “The point I had [to make] was about today’s obsession with political correctness and I think that still remains a topic that has to be really addressed and some common sense injected into it.”

 However, during the show, former Labour leader Neil Kinnock challenged Ms Thatcher over the incident.

He said: “The one thing that really struck me when I heard the report that you’d used the word and stuck by the word was astonishment because I didn’t think that somebody like you Carol would consciously or unconsciously use such a word.

“Not because of this overworked term political correctness but merely out of courtesy – common humanity.”

He added: “I really was surprised by it,” to which Ms Thatcher replied “Sorry to shock you Lord Kinnock.”

Ms Thatcher was a former roving reporter on BBC’s One’s The One Show, but was sacked earlier this year after referring to French-Congolese tennis player Jo-Wilfred Tsonga as a ‘golliwog’ during a backstage discussion about the Australian Open.

The remark was not broadcast but was heard by presenter Adrian Chiles, guest Jo Brand and several members of the production team. It was then leaked to the press and Ms Thatcher was told not to return to the programme.

Dream Works newest creation

From the makers of Bolt and Kung Fu Panda, comes a 3-D animated feature which promises a combination of Doctor Who, Star Wars and Star Trek.

Monsters vs. Aliens targets all ages, with its high empowered story for kick ass kids and references to B-movie sci-fi horror that will have the adults chuckling in their seats. It’s definitely a movie for all the family to enjoy.

The story begins when a meteorite hits California on the very day that Susan (voiced by Reese Witherspoon) is to marry local TV weatherman Derek (Paul Rudd).

In a classic Fifties B-movie scenario Susan expands to 10 times her normal size, is captured by the government and imprisoned in a secret facility run by General WR Monger (Kiefer Sutherland).

Her fellow freaks of nature include mad scientist Dr Cockroach (a droll Hugh Laurie), fish/ape hybrid The Missing Link (Will Arnett) and a gormless gelatinous blob called Bob (hilarious Seth Rogen).

But when evil alien Gallaxher (Rainn Wilson) sets his sights on planet Earth, Susan and the monsters are the only ones who can save the day. Fast-moving and sweet-natured with some healthy messages about tolerance and female empowerment, Monsters Vs Aliens is a lot of fun. In Witherspoon’s Susan, the movie offers a spirited heroine for girls while the enigmatic spectacle is aimed at boys and the monster movie reverence is for the benefit of the older movie fan.

Whilst the majority of the movie has been executed well, there is one slight glitch- the film lacks uniformity and doesn’t flesh out any of the ideas it plays with. It’s clearly trying to please everyone in the audience, and at times is does feel that the movie is trying to fit as many gags in to one scene as possible. But with seven writers on deck it’s not surprising.

The film is screened in both 3D and 2D, but aside from a handful of impressive 3D effects, you’d be equally well-served opting for the two-dimensional version.

Green hopes to star in The Green Lantern

Brian Austin Green, famous for his role in Beverly Hills 90210 (and most recently as Derek Reese on Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles) is trying to land the role of Hal Jordan in The Green Lantern. But before taking the role he wants to know how fans feel about the idea.

Whilst campaigning for the role, he  has continously emphasised that  he wants to gage the fans excitement and earn their approval. But if history is anything to go by, actors who have campaigned for superhero roles in films don’t always work out-Sean Young for Catwoman or Thomas Jane for Jonah Hex come to mind. But there are exceptions which include Tobey Maguire, who auditioned several times for Spider Man, or even more recently with Oscar nominated Jackie Earle Haley- who reportedly sent in a homemade audition tape for the role of Rorschach in Watchmen.

 Green is also producing a live-action version of the Fathom at Fox- Atomic with Transformers Megan Fox set to play the lead role. Fathom, is the story of Aspen Matthews, a mysterious girl with amnesia that is discovered to be a member of a race of aquatic humanoid called the Blue, who posses the ability to control water.

 In an interview with CBR News, Green was quoted to have said: “I’m just intrigued and curious to see what the fans think. Ultimately, fans of the comic and the history should decide. If I’m not the right guy then I shouldn’t be playing the character but if people think that there’s something there, then let’s see where it can go.”

Green went on to talk candidly about his campaign for Green Lantern, his love for the character, how he would approach the role of Hal Jordan, and what fans can expect from the film version of “Fathom.”

Read the rest of the at Comic Book Resource.com