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trentonmkuk850-blog · 4 years

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Improve Cinema Hd Apk Ad Free Results By Adhering To 3 Basic Steps

Android Assistance.

Sprint will certainly provide you a $300 prepaid Mastercard if you switch your phone.

Google Browse will certainly be accredited separately, with an alternative to include Google Chrome at no extra cost atop Browse. European OEMs have the ability to bundle third-party options on gadgets and also phones offered to clients, if they so pick.

The main hardware platform for Android is ARM (the ARMv7 and also ARMv8-A styles), with x86 and x86-64 architectures also formally sustained in later variations of Android. The informal Android-x86 project provided assistance for x86 styles ahead of the official assistance. The ARMv5TE as well as MIPS32/64 styles were also traditionally supported yet eliminated in later Android releases. Because 2012, Android gadgets with Intel cpus began to appear, including tablets and phones. While acquiring assistance for 64-bit systems, Android was first made to operate on 64-bit x86 and afterwards on ARM64.

Josefin Eklund

Google later on changed its Android spec files to state that "Touchscreens will be sustained", although "the Item was designed with the presence of distinct physical switches as a presumption, for that reason a touchscreen can not entirely replace physical switches". By 2008, both Nokia and also BlackBerry revealed touch-based mobile phones to match the apple iphone 3G, and also Android's focus ultimately changed to just touchscreens. The first readily offered mobile phone running Android was the HTC Desire, likewise known as T-Mobile G1, announced on September 23, 2008. Android Inc. was established in Palo Alto, California, in October 2003 by Andy Rubin, Rich Miner, Nick Sears, and also Chris White. Rubin explained the Android task as "incredible capacity in establishing smarter mobile devices that are a lot more familiar with its owner's area and also choices".

Google Pay makes it very easy to take a look at rapidly within your favorite apps and also internet sites. Capture a ride, acquire tickets, stock up on supplies, and a lot more with the basic press of a switch. Now you can utilize click-to-call, Smart Reply and two speech-to-text applications.

Visualfy

In addition, by supplying framework that integrates devoted hardware as well as specialized applications running on normal Android, Google have opened the platform for its use specifically use circumstances, such as Android Auto for vehicles, as well as Vision, a Digital Reality platform. In addition, open-source variants of some applications additionally leave out functions that are present in their non-free versions, such as Photosphere scenic views in Electronic camera, and also a Google Now page on the default residence screen (exclusive to the proprietary variation "Google Now Launcher", whose code is ingrained within that of the major Google application). Applications that do not use Google elements would certainly additionally go to a functional negative aspect, as they can just make use of APIs had within the OS itself. Before mounting an application, the Google Play store shows a listing of the requirements an app needs to work.

These applications must be certified from Google by tool manufacturers, as well as can just be delivered on tools which satisfy its compatibility guidelines and also various other demands. Customized, certified distributions of Android produced by makers (such as TouchWiz and HTC Sense) might also replace specific stock Android applications with their very own exclusive variants and also include additional software application not included in the supply Android operating system. There may likewise be "binary blob" drivers needed for certain hardware elements in the device. As part of the wider 2013 mass monitoring disclosures it was revealed in September 2013 that the American as well as British intelligence companies, the National Safety Firm (NSA) and Government Communications Head Office (GCHQ), specifically, have access to the user information on apple iphone, BlackBerry, and Android tools. They are reportedly able to check out mostly all smartphone information, consisting of TEXT, place, e-mails, and notes.

Google, he stated, was assuming a lot more ambitiously as well as the purpose was to use their position as a cloud providers to bring Google items right into clients' homes. Google has actually openly shared its stress for the current license landscape in the United States, accusing Apple, Oracle as well as Microsoft of attempting to remove Android with patent litigation, rather than introducing and contending with better solutions as well as items. In August 2011, Google acquired Motorola Flexibility for US$ 12.5 billion, which was watched in part as a protective procedure to protect Android, given that Motorola Flexibility held more than 17,000 licenses.

Currently you can utilize Google to pay effortlessly on countless internet sites. Just search for Google Pay and invest much less time taking a look at, as well as more time checking in.

The application initial introduced in beta on iOS in November and also on Android in January. If you still experience problems with the Disk File encryption mistake presenting in Duo Mobile, also after completing the actions over, try to disable this setup and after that re-enable it once again. This can take place since some Android tool producers will set a default password to secure the phone.

RV wanderer

In September 2014, Jason Nova of Android Authority reported on a research study by the German safety and security business Fraunhofer AISEC in anti-virus software application as well as malware dangers on Android. In 2012, Google began de-coupling specific aspects of the operating system (especially its central applications) so they could be upgraded with the Google Play shop separately of the OS. One of those elements, Google Play Provider, is a closed-source system-level procedure giving APIs for Google solutions, set up instantly on nearly all tools running Android 2.2 "Froyo" and higher. With these modifications, Google can navigate here add new system functions and upgrade applications without having to distribute an upgrade to the os itself. Therefore, Android 4.2 as well as 4.3 "Jelly Bean" consisted of reasonably fewer user-facing adjustments, focusing much more on minor modifications as well as platform renovations.

Improve your application for physical fitness.

OEMs will certainly no more be barred from selling any kind of device running inappropriate variations of Android in Europe. Android has a growing choice of third-party applications, which can be gotten by customers by setting up the application as well as downloading and install's APK (Android application plan) data, or by downloading them making use of an application store program that allows users to mount, update, as well as get rid of applications from their gadgets. Google Play Store is the primary application store set up on Android gadgets that comply with Google's compatibility demands as well as certify the Google Mobile Solutions software. Google Play Shop allows customers to browse, download and upgrade applications published by Google as well as third-party developers; as of July 2013 [upgrade], there are greater than one million applications offered for Android in Play Store. As of July 2013 [upgrade], 50 billion applications have been installed.

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nightmare-afton-cosplay · 6 years

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Will 50 Cent Accept $4.2M for His Mansion? He May Have Other Plans

Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

Remember that Connecticut mansion rapper and entrepreneur 50 Cent has been trying to unload for more than a decade? Well, the formerly bankrupt star recently scored an offer for the opulent residence from “Million Dollar Listing New York” real estate agent Fredrik Eklund. The offer was televised on the Bravo reality show on Monday.

There’s just one catch.

The all-cash offer, for $4.2 million, is way below the $18.5 million Fiddy had originally asked for the over-the-top 19-bedroom mansion with 19 baths and 16 half-baths when he put it on the market in 2007. He repeatedly slashed the price on the 51,657-square-foot residence in Farmington—all the way down to $4,995,000. So how low will Fiddy, whose birth name is Curtis Jackson, go?

The luxurious home features an indoor pool and basketball court, a recording studio, fitness center, home theater, and multiple guesthouses.

50 Cent bought the mansion for $4.1 million in 2003, the same year his megahit “In Da Club” dropped. He reportedly sunk between $6 million and $10 million into renovations on the home, which sits on 17.6 acres. It was previously owned by boxer Mike Tyson.

Unsurprisingly, the rapper didn’t seem pleased when Eklund presented him with the lowball offer.

“There’s hardly any inspections,” Eklund said on Monday’s show. The buyers “want it, they’re ready, they’re obsessed. … Is that a yes?”

“Yeah, I’m not going to sell the property. If I needed money, I’d be willing to take the $4.2 million,” says 50 Cent. “But it’s been a long time, so I’m already over the property.”

Instead he plans to donate it to the G-Unity Foundation. It’s an after-school program for C-grade students that he started in 2004.

“It would be interesting to have programs where we could escape the cities and kids from the inner cities to go out and just be creative, to kind of home in, you know, on the arts and stuff like that,” 50 Cent says in the episode. “They’ll be able to use the recording studio and the fitness areas, the pools and everything. It’ll be a cool summer camp house.”

The post Will 50 Cent Accept $4.2M for His Mansion? He May Have Other Plans appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from https://www.realtor.com/news/celebrity-real-estate/will-50-cent-accept-4-2-million-lowball-offer-mansion-wont-sell/

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celebritylive · 5 years

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Luis D. Ortiz made a major revelation in the final moments of Thursday’s Million Dollar Listing New York.

The real-estate agent, 32, told audiences in confessional that he’s going to be a father for the first time, wiping away tears as he said, “I am having a kid.”

It was an announcement that even took Ortiz’s MDLNY team by surprise. “You’re what?” the female producer asked Ortiz from off camera, before he once again confirmed his baby on the way.

“Yeah, seriously. I’m having a kid,” he said. “I’m having a baby girl.”

Ortiz will be the third cast member on MDLNY to become a dad in recent years. In June, Steve Gold and his girlfriend, Luiza Gawlowska, welcomed their daughter, Rose. Meanwhile, Fredrik Eklund and his husband Derek Kaplan have twins Milla and Freddy Jr., born via surrogate in November 2017.

Want all the latest pregnancy and birth announcements, plus celebrity mom blogs? Click here to get those and more in the PEOPLE Parents newsletter.

RELATED: Million Dollar Listing‘s Luis D. Ortiz Reveals He’s “Struggling” with Suicidal Thoughts

So what inspired Ortiz to spill the news on Thursday’s MDLNY? At the time, he was reflecting on how much he has changed in the two years he has spent away from the Big Apple.

The Puerto Rican native joined the Bravo show back in 2013, during its second season. But after four years in the game, Ortiz decided to put the show — and the real estate — behind him, moving to Paris in 2017 to explore new options. Only this year, for MDLNY‘s eighth season, did Ortiz come back and give real estate another chance.

“It’s like we took some time off,” he said of N.Y.C. on the episode. “We had a relationship, we broke up, and now we’re back again and she’s more beautiful than she was before. I have to admit that I missed this city a lot.”

“It’s crazy how much things have transpired since the time I left New York. It’s very beautiful to see it,” he added. “I’ve been through a lot these past two years. A lot of ups, a lot of downs. But every day gets better.”

RELATED VIDEO: Twins on the Way for Million Dollar Listing New York‘s Fredrik Eklund

One of the biggest things that changed for Ortiz is that his former assistant, Ronita, had a child. Visiting with the infant girl, Ortiz looked back on the challenges he’s been through — including struggles with his mental health, which he’s spoken out about in the past — and admitted that he’s still a work in progress.

“Seeing this only makes me happy. It puts no pressure on me because I have my own time,” he said on Thursday’s episode. “I can’t have all of this beautiful things right now if there’s a big part of me that’s broken. I need to fix that first before I go on and have a family and have kids.”

“Wow, that hit a f—ing nerve,” the father-to-be said then, processing his own words. “I hope that’s not true, that I have to fix myself before I have a kid. Because I am having a kid.”

More of Ortiz’s journey to fatherhood will be explored on future episodes of the reality series, which airs Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.

from PEOPLE.com https://ift.tt/31Ng2BP

#Celebrity

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reneeacaseyfl · 5 years

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Amazon’s Ring Around Neighborhoods Sets Off Privacy Concerns

The woodsy community of Wolcott, Conn., doesn’t see a lot of crime. But when the police chief heard about an opportunity to distribute doorbell cameras to some homes, he didn’t hesitate.

The police who keep watch over the town of 16,000 raffled off free cameras in a partnership with the camera manufacturer. So far, the devices have encountered more bears than criminals, but Chief Ed Stephens is still a fan. “Anything that helps keep the town safe, I’m going to do it,” he said.

But as more police agencies join with the company known as Ring, the partnerships are raising privacy concerns. Critics complain that the systems turn neighborhoods into places of constant surveillance and create suspicion that falls heavier on minorities. Police say the cameras can serve as a digital neighborhood watch.

Critics also say Ring, a subsidiary of Amazon, appears to be marketing its cameras by stirring up fear of crime at a time when it’s decreasing. Amazon’s promotional videos show people lurking around homes, and the company recently posted a job opening for a managing news editor to “deliver breaking crime news alerts to our neighbors.”

“Amazon is profiting off of fear,” said Chris Gilliard, an English professor at Michigan’s Macomb Community College and a prominent critic of Ring and other technology that he says can reinforce race barriers. Part of the strategy seems to be selling the cameras “where the fear of crime is more real than the actual existence of crime.”

The cameras offer a wide view from wherever they are positioned. Homeowners get phone alerts with streaming video if the doorbell rings or the device’s heat sensors detect a person or a passing car. Ring’s basic doorbell sells for $99, with recurring charges starting at $3 a month for users who want footage stored. Ring says it stores the recordings for two months unless they are deleted by users.

Many law enforcement agencies nationwide said the idea to partner with Ring came after the company promoted its product at law enforcement conferences.

Some departments have chosen to simply use Ring’s Neighbors app, which encourages residents to share videos of suspicious activity. Other agencies agreed to provide subsidies, matched by Ring, to offer hundreds of discounted cameras in hopes of tapping into footage of residential streets, yards and sidewalks. And some police chiefs raffle off the devices.

Ring would not disclose the number of communities with such partnerships. Sharing video is always voluntary and privacy is protected, according to the company and police.

“There is nothing required of homeowners who participate in the subsidies, and their identity and data remain private,” spokeswoman Brigid Gorham said. She said customers can control who views their footage, and no personally identifiable information is shared with police without a user’s consent.

Realistically, though, if police want video for an investigation, they can seek a search warrant.

Tech industry analyst Carolina Milanesi said engaging with police and offering incentives is a “very smart move by Ring” and a missed opportunity for competitors, including Google’s Nest and smaller companies such as Arlo Technologies and SimpliSafe.

But a staff attorney at the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California called the system “an unmitigated disaster” for the privacy of many neighborhoods.

Through the subsidy programs, Amazon “gets to offer, at taxpayer dime, discounted products that allow it to really expand its tentacles into wide areas of private life way more than it already has,” Mohammad Tajsar said.

The Los Angeles suburb of Arcadia has spent $50,000 to offer discounts on 1,000 cameras. Several other communities in the region also participate in subsidy programs, and officials in Los Angeles County just voted last month to get on board.

Officers can view a “heat map” that shows the general area where cameras are, but they do not see a camera’s actual location. If police want a video, they must contact Ring to see if the resident is willing to share, said Jennifer Brutus, senior management analyst for the Arcadia Police Department.

Arcadia launched its program at the end of 2017, and in the following year, the city saw a 25% decrease in residential burglaries, Brutus said. It’s hard to quantify how much of that is directly related to Ring, but she said the devices act as a deterrent.

In one case, a doorbell camera caught footage of four burglary suspects trying to enter a residence. Three were arrested at the time, but a fourth got away. After the homeowner gave Arcadia detectives some Ring video clips, police identified and arrested the last suspect.

Hammond, Ind., also put up money to offer Ring cameras at a discount. Lt. Steve Kellogg said the partnership was a natural move for a city that already uses cameras to read license plates.

“You cannot enter or leave our city without… being captured on film,” he said, adding that doorbell cameras are the next logical step. “We thought, ‘Well, the only angle we don’t really have is cameras right by the homes.‘”

He said sharing video is voluntary.

Green Bay, Wis., gets one free camera for every 20 people who sign up for the Ring app through a city link. Initially, police required recipients of those free cameras to agree to provide any video police requested. It dropped the requirement after The Associated Press began reporting this story.

In the Minneapolis suburb of Coon Rapids, a thief stole a 7-foot, 150-pound bald eagle carving from Larry Eklund’s yard earlier this year. Police had a key piece of evidence: an image of the suspect looking directly into Eklund’s doorbell camera.

A few days went by with no leads. Then officers posted the video on social media. Hours later, the carving was returned.

“If we wouldn’t have had the Ring, we would have never been able to recognize the guy,” Eklund said. “I’m sure it would’ve been just really hard to get it back.”

But Coon Rapids opted not to partner with Ring and instead started its own in-house volunteer camera registry. Trish Heitman, a community outreach specialist for the police department, said the city did not want to promote a particular camera brand.

Another big issue was confidentiality. Coon Rapids keeps its list of registered camera owners private. If a crime occurs near a camera, police can contact homeowners in the registry to see if they want to share video.

If any partnership required data sharing, “we would never do it,” Heitman said.

Back in Wolcott, Ernie Field won a free Ring camera and said he had to register for the app to qualify for the raffle. Now he gets alerts on his phone when a car drives by and a short video when his daughter gets home from school.

“I don’t know if there’s more crime now, or we just know about it more because of social media,” he said.

Field, who said he had been looking at other cameras, wondered whether Wolcott’s partnership gave Amazon an unfair advantage.

“They have a monopoly over a lot of things,” he said. “And they’re kind of taking over everything.”

More must-read stories from Fortune:

—The fall and rise of VR: The struggle to make virtual reality get real

—The Internet as we know it needs ‘a complete replacement’

—Nintendo has a bold plan for competing with streaming

—Why an EU investigation into Amazon could change the way the e-tailer works

—Listen to our new audio briefing, Fortune 500 Daily

Catch up with Data Sheet, Fortune‘s daily digest on the business of tech.

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The post Amazon’s Ring Around Neighborhoods Sets Off Privacy Concerns appeared first on WeeklyReviewer.

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mrmichaelchadler · 5 years

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Obsession and The Void: The Performances of Christian Bale

In an early scene in Mary Harron’s “American Psycho,” youthful and Adonis-like stockbroker Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) runs through his almost pornographically detailed morning routine: a workout with 1,000 crunches, an array of hair and skincare products, all in an exact order to present “an idea of a Patrick Bateman.” Bale performs the scene with a blank fastidiousness, showing no joy or even stray morning wakeup feelings of exhaustion or boredom, all while narrating in a calm but detached tone of a magazine readout. There is a similar scene in the opening of “American Hustle” that functions as a parody, in which Bale’s con man Irving Rosenthal, flabby and balding, puts just as much work into maintaining his elaborately pathetic combover with a far more careful level of focus, a sense that what he’s doing to prepare himself has a real function. The two men are at different ends of the food chain, one obscenely wealthy, the other scrambling to get by; one is cold and unfeeling, the other empathetic and desperately human. Their commonality, then, is how much they have to work to do just to maintain a sense of self, to show that they have a reason for being, even if only to those on the outside looking in.

That’s in line with much of the praise, and sometimes the criticisms, of Bale’s career. He’s undoubtedly skillful at reshaping his own appearance—often gaining or losing weight to extreme degrees—but the focus is frequently put on the surface external appearances, lauding how he’s become “unrecognizable” (both an exaggeration and more accurately praise for the makeup crew) or knocking his work for being too focused on nailing an impression or a physical quality at the expense of emotional connection. This misunderstands Bale’s strengths, however: he is an actor for whom physical transformation is but an anchoring facet to a depiction of obsession, be it Patrick Bateman’s pathological need to project normality to hide his depravity in “American Psycho,” Irving Rosenthal’s need to project success to attain some sad measure of it in “American Hustle,” or Dicky Eklund’s fixation on his one brush with greatness as a fighter to stave off the truth of his all-consuming crack addiction in “The Fighter.” They’re people who feel a deep need to construct or pursue some idealized form of self as a way to succeed or survive. It’s reflected in Bale’s own process, in which he seemingly constructs a façade, an attempt to hide himself, in order to find something authentic in his roles. The prosthetics, the hair changes and the punishing fluctuations in weight can sometimes be a crutch, but they’re also directly tied to the ring of truth in his best performances.

Bale’s new film, the Dick Cheney biopic “Vice,” has drawn fiercely polarized responses, with criticisms thrown both at typical Great Man Movie problems (lumpy one-thing-after-another structure, an over-explanatory script) and writer-director Adam McKay’s own additions (divisive fourth wall breaks and an uneasy tone that walks a thin line between “lacerating” and “lecturing”). The actor's deceptively sensitive work as Cheney, however, does showcase much of what makes him interesting as a performer beyond the bodily transformations and close attention to detail: he plays people with a single-minded obsession that outweighs other concerns, a need to pursue it at all costs or else fall into the void of their lives, and a self-presentation meant to prop it up.

One could look at any number of Bale performances to highlight this, but these five best discuss the range of emotions and tones he’s able to explore while exemplifying this theme.

"Empire of the Sun" / Warner Bros. Pictures

1987: “Empire of the Sun”

When Steven Spielberg cast 12-year-old Christian Bale as Jamie “Jim” Graham in his adaptation of J.G. Ballard’s semi-autobiographical novel, he had no way of knowing his young lead actor would grow up to become one of the biggest stars of his generation. Even so, “Empire of the Sun,” the story of an English boy coming of age in Japanese-occupied China, marks the breakthrough of an extraordinarily gifted young actor, one with a real skill for sketching out the death of innocence. Bale’s early scenes show a classic Spielbergian dreamer, one whose fixation on airplanes shows no real understanding of the ideology behind the battles or the life-or-death situations that people find themselves in. He looks to everyday misery (beggars in the street) with curiosity but not compassion, and his casual cruelty to his family’s Chinese servant (a matter-of-fact, disinterested “you have to do what I say” when told his mom doesn’t want him eating before bed) is less out of a sense of superiority than a total lack of understanding of how his privilege dictates her life, to the point where he's completely shocked when that same servant slaps him after the Japanese invade and she no longer has to pretend to respect him.

As Jamie falls in with John Malkovich’s savvy crook Basie and they’re both sent to an internment camp, Bale shows a child’s adaptability, rushing through the camp and carrying out chores to win over everyone from his mentor to his captors. He’s at once a young opportunist and an earnest child, one whose mimicry of Malkovich and company (adopted American clothing, repeated jokes without understanding their cruelty) never quite gives way to comprehending that they don’t care about him (his sincere declaration that Basie is his friend is met with little more than amusement from the older man). At the same time, his admiration for the Japanese—a childlike fascination both with their aircraft and their sense of honor—protects him from the harsh realities of the camp, where people are beaten and starved or left to disease. In a late scene, Bale’s shift from unbridled joy at seeing bombers in action (hugging himself, cheering) to emotional breakdown after he’s rebuked by an elder (“I can’t remember what my parents look like”) show how much he’s depended on a fantastical sense of the world to escape how little he has left. His adoption of American habits and Basie’s theory of survivalism, paired with his salutes and bows to Japanese military men with a palpable sense of respect, is a child’s way of playing war games, an ideology- and nationality-blind view of war straight out of boys’ games and comics. Jamie has to act it out, or else realize that there’s little honor in doing whatever it takes to survive and that he’s unlikely to make it out in one piece. If the film and performance show a child’s resilience, they also show how quickly their views of the world can crumble, yielding only pain.

"Velvet Goldmine" / Miramax

1998: “Velvet Goldmine”

A few notable exceptions like his cocky performance in “Newsies” aside, Bale spent much of the ‘90s giving quietly sensitive, soulful supporting performances that he’s since only reprised on occasion (most effectively for Terrence Malick, who yielded one of his very best performances as John Rolfe in “The New World,” where Bale somehow makes unfailing kindness magnetic). Bale is very good in literary adaptations such as Gillian Armstrong’s “Little Women” (as the charming, lovelorn Laurie), but his best work of this period is in Todd Haynes’ “Velvet Goldmine” as Arthur Stuart, a music journalist reminiscing about his self-discovery as a gay man in the glam rock era. Haynes’ film borrows its structure from “Citizen Kane,” attempting to find how Jonathan Rhys-Meyers pop superstar Brian Slade disappeared, but it also works as a “Kane” for Bale’s character, who’s introduced in the middle of a youthful, “A Hard Day’s Night” rush to a concert, all teased hair and youthful excitement. Then we’re yanked to 1984, and his eyes are sunken, his demeanor sad and reticent. What happened that brought him to this place?

Bale’s greatness as a physical actor is often yoked to his extreme dedication to losing and gaining pounds, but “Velvet Goldmine” can serve as an example of how he can use his body to tell a story. He plays teenage Arthur with a measure of shyness that suggests a boy who hasn’t yet found an outlet for his dreams or a place to be himself; he hangs his head in embarrassment when he’s told his musical hero is a “poof” and that he himself is “disgusting.” Contrast that with his first strut on the streets of London minutes later, in a tight purple shirt, a moment of freedom that’s both liberating and frightening, his gait more open but still uncertain. The rest of his journey in the ‘70s scenes of the film is a navigation between those two poles of repression—his heaving frame as his father shames him for his homosexuality—and short-lived freedom, including a first romantic connection with rock star Curt Wild (Ewan McGregor). It makes his scenes in 1984 all the more painful, in which a withdrawn, older (and older-looking) Arthur shuffles through the streets, looking as if he’s trying to blend in with everything rather than stand out on his own.

Bale plays the role not as someone who’s found a permanent new identity and acceptance, but rather as someone who, briefly, saw a better life and the first stabs of individuality in the music and fashions that meant so much to him, before those small gains were rolled back and a new, more powerful form of repression turned his world to gray. Perhaps Arthur wouldn’t have stayed glammed up his whole life—most people don’t look and dress like they did when they were teenagers—but he’s stuck in a point in time where he can’t even find a modest form of self-expression. Bale the actor locates that moment of temporary self-discovery and shows just how it’s so intoxicating: it’s a first assertion of self, even in an idealized form. That adult Arthur can’t fully break from that fixation is understandable; that he should be required to totally deny any semblance of it is tragic.

"American Psycho" / Lions Gate Films

2000: “American Psycho”

Bale really arrived as a Great Actor™ with “American Psycho,” the first film that showcased his ability to dramatically transform his appearance for a role. Bale hasn’t shaken his attraction to these challenges, and while he usually manages to transcend the stunt-y nature of these roles (“The Fighter,” “Rescue Dawn,” the otherwise tedious “The Machinist”), there are times where the trick is more impressive than the performance (“I'm Not There,” the “Dark Knight” trilogy). Still, none of this detracts from his work as psychopathic yuppie Patrick Bateman, which remains his most iconic performance.

“American Psycho” director Mary Harron has spoken about Bale being inspired by a Tom Cruise talk show appearance in which the star displayed “intense friendliness with nothing behind the eyes,” and the film itself draws parallels between him and President Ronald Reagan’s use of sunny optimism to sell cruel policies. Either comparison works: in his public life, Bateman has a near-permanent tone of unfailing cheerfulness, discussing the importance of ending apartheid and world hunger as he flashes a killer smile. His eyes, however, always have the glint of predator, a coldness that only occasionally breaks through in creepy remarks, delivered with the same psychotic chipperness (“Not if you want to keep your spleen”) that might not hide their perverted nature if any of his friends were a little less self-absorbed and a little more perceptive.

What’s brilliant about Bale and Harron’s conception of Bateman is that they’re able to convey the character’s essential loneliness without losing the humor or downplaying the grotesque nature of his (possibly imaginary) crimes. Most talk about Bale’s performance focuses on his informercial slick delivery of Huey Lewis factoids before chopping up Jared Leto with an axe. More telling, however, is his scene with Chloe Sevigny’s secretary, in which Bale shifts from blithe morbidity (bringing up Ted Bundy’s dog, Lassie) to psychotic fixation on consumerism (lashing out at Sevigny for almost leaving an ice cream-covered spoon on his coffee table) to insincere, monotone openness (“I guess you could say I just want to have a meaningful relationship with someone”) to, finally, a real recognition of his own hideousness (“I think if you stay, something bad will happen,” delivered with something that approaches but doesn't quite reach sadness).

Bateman’s cruelty and emptiness couldn’t be plainer, and yet he finds no release in his actions or his confessions. We see that morning routine, the search for the perfect business card, the hunt for the reservation at the best restaurant, and see an attempt to assume the role of the idealized yuppie, but it’s all work ... no soul, no joy. The same goes for Bateman’s more sociopathic actions, whether it’s a self-regarding attempt at a threesome (in which he’s more enamored with striking godlike poses than the sex itself) or stabbing a homeless man on the street. He has the impulses that give him a brief flash of life, but there's little catharsis. Bale plays his compulsions, both murderous and consumerist, as those of a joyless man who attempts to approximate enjoyment. His intense commitment to the role’s physical requirements mimics the character’s own intense commitment to a lifestyle, but where one finds a pulse, the other finds a pit. If most of Bale’s characters attempt to outrun an emptiness or pain in their lives, Bateman is his own emptiness, and no amount of heavy lifting and slashing can change it.

"The Prestige" / Warner Bros. Pictures

2006: “The Prestige”

If “American Psycho” made Bale a name actor and “The Machinist” cemented his reputation for near-deranged commitment, “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Knight” made him universally recognizable, physical transformations be damned. Truth be told, his most famous films with Christopher Nolan aren’t his most notable, succeeding primarily on the basis of their villains and thematic ambition. While he’s admirably grounded and present as Bruce Wayne, Bale never quite dives into the monster that Batman's alter ego is fighting so hard not to be; his line readings are too glum, his face too stoic, rarely registering the internal struggle that Nolan’s scripts try (a little too hard) to give him (for a better heroic Bale performance, see “3:10 to Yuma”). It’s his other collaboration with Nolan, “The Prestige,” that best exemplifies that inner conflict and, indeed, the defining theme of Bale’s career.

There’s no way to talk about Bale’s performance in “The Prestige” meaningfully without diving into spoilers, so here’s your warning.

Bale’s Alfred Borden is established as the more risk-taking of “The Prestige’s” central characters, compared with Hugh Jackman’s Robert Angier, something hinted in early scenes as the actor speaks to Angier and Michael Caine’s Cutter with an air of arrogance and almost demented devotion to the craft. This extends to his personal life, which is eventually revealed to be a literal double life: Bale’s playing both Borden and his twin (dubbed “Fallon”), who loved separate women (Rebecca Hall and Scarlet Johansson) and ruined their lives through a total obsession and commitment to their craft over all else. Observant viewers can spot the moments in which Bale’s warmth with Sarah (Hall), Borden’s wife, is genuine and when “Fallon” is speaking to her with nothing behind the eyes. One particularly painful scene, a final confrontation between “Fallon” and Sarah, features one of the most gutting moments in Bale’s career, in which his anger at her realization of the truth prevents him from even attempting to maintain the illusion. Asked if he loves her, he spits out a “Not today” with a level of coldness worthy of Patrick Bateman.

The performance is, on some level, as much of a stunt as “The Machinist” or “Batman Begins,” but the trick of it feels all the more appropriate, given the subject. Bale imbues his twin magicians with a combination of mischievousness and palpable sadness, showing a flash of joy in their eyes after showing a child a magic trick ... and a sense of loss as the twins face each other, knowing only one can exist. Perhaps Bale found something moving in the idea of men who find purpose in deceiving viewers in order to entertain them, and in the idea of men who are madly committed to realizing an idealized form of craft at the expense of their personal identities. The dual performance shows two men who are constantly amused at their own ability to pull off a trick (especially at the expense of bitter rival Angier) and simultaneously aware that they’ve sacrificed true happiness for an obsession that they seem to be pursuing without any real thought as to why.

"The Big Short" / Paramount

2015: “The Big Short”

By the late 2000s, Bale’s own commitment to his craft seemed to have lost real direction, lapsing into self-seriousness (“Terminator Salvation,” “Harsh Times,” his dull work in the otherwise sturdy “Public Enemies”) or pure imitation (“I’m Not There,” in which he’s by far the weakest Bob Dylan). Whatever the weaknesses of post-“I Heart Huckabees” David O. Russell (shapelessness, self-satisfaction, volume over everything), he managed to get Bale to loosen up as few directors beyond Gillian Armstrong and Werner Herzog had, directing a pair of lively performances in “The Fighter” (for which Bale won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor) and “American Hustle” (another nomination). Bale is at his best as of late when tapping into his comedic side, as best demonstrated in his first collaboration with Adam McKay, “The Big Short” (a third nomination).

Playing hedge fund manager Michael Burry, the oddest of the men who made millions by betting the U.S. economy would collapse, Bale roots the comedy of the character in his behavior. A whiz with numbers, Bale’s Burry nevertheless has no social skills; the humor of his bizarre compliment (“That’s a very nice haircut. Did you do it yourself?”) to prospective employee is not only in its inherent strangeness, but in his halting delivery and blank expression, as if he knows he’s not good with these interactions but not exactly why the thing he’s about to say is weird. His gestures are similarly uncomfortable, whether he’s flashing a smile for no reason or awkwardly rubbing at his glass eye while stammering about subprime mortgages. And yet, Burry is one of the least deceptive and most honest characters in Bale’s three-decade career, focused entirely on the tangible at the expense of more difficult-to-pin-down things like social niceties and gut instinct. It is a very different, but equally telling, echo of Bale’s own methods that one can find in his more deluded characters. If Dicky Eklund or Irving Rosenthal act in self-deception to convince themselves and others of something, Burry concentrates only on what he can see empirically to find his truth, not unlike how Bale drills down on tangible external details (hair, weight, voice) as a way to find his own.

If Bale’s performance in “The Big Short” is his funniest, it is also among his saddest, as his character’s obsession with numbers at the expense of person-to-person interactions make him both the ideal person to predict a market collapse and the worst person to convey it. When confronted by angry investors, he does little to assuage their concerns, instead speaking in a low but self-assured tone (at the idea that nobody can see a bubble: “That’s dumb ... ”) that he can’t see is doomed to only further enrage people. When he’s rebuked, he can admit his weaknesses, but not without reinforcing his total conviction in what he does. “I don’t know how to be sarcastic,” Bale says with a slight shrug and a tone that’s equally confessional and weary. “I just know how to read numbers.” It’s the rare Bale character where one’s obsession is what can help spot the looming, soul-and-economy-destroying void, even if it can’t help avert it.

"Vice" / Annapurna Pictures

This makes for a fascinating polar opposite to his most recent McKay-directed performance. Like Bateman and others before him, Bale’s Cheney in "Vice" is a cold-hearted cipher, a man so consumed with the idea of power and the need and ability to wield it that questions of ethics, morality or popularity never elicit a moment’s thought. His measured cadence and small gestures (a small head jerk on “different understanding,” a shift from a guarded posture to a hand wave on “mundane” to suggest a helping hand) show someone who has weighed exactly what he has to do to pull someone over to his side in a way that makes them think he’s nudging them along to where they always wanted to be, rather than totally manipulating them.

Bale actually almost played George W. Bush himself in Oliver Stone’s “W.” before finding the prosthetics weren’t to his satisfaction (another case of needing tangible details, or self-deception, for a successful performance), but he feels like a better fit for Cheney, a man hiding behind a façade of reserved normality to hide an all-consuming desire for expanded empire, denying ulterior motives to the public and possibly to himself. The world is remade in his cruel image in a way that persists to this day, and that will be near-impossible to change. If Burry, like Bateman, can clearly see the void, Cheney, like Bateman, is the void.

from All Content http://bit.ly/2FvN4OM

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flixonmedia-blog · 6 years

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What’s Worth Watching with Flixon

(Monday 20th- Sunday 27th August)

Monday 20th August

The Real Housewives of Potomac- (Bravo , 10:00 a.m. ET)

The "Real Housewives" franchise continues to expand across America, with this edition landing in Potomac, Md., a community of rolling hills and gated mansions just up the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. As is standard for the franchise, the reality show follows several well-to-do women who are part of the exclusive society. The featured women include former Miss District of Columbia Pageant winner Ashley Darby, who became a stepmother to a 21-year-old and a 24-year old after getting married at the age of 22; socialite Charrisse Jackson Jordan, who is married to NBA player Eddie Jordan; model Katie Rost, who is ready to give matrimony another shot with her current beau following a short-lived marriage to her college sweetheart; and philanthropist Gizelle Bryant, a single mother of three who is getting ready to launch a makeup line geared toward women of color.

Chopped Junior - (Food Network , 02:00 p.m. ET)

Coming up with ideas for dishes using the mystery ingredients provided on "Chopped" can be difficult for adult chefs with years of experience, so imagine how difficult it is for young chefs on "Chopped Junior." In this version of the long-running franchise, children are tasked with making something out of mystery-basket ingredients that don't seem to go together. The usual "Chopped" judges are joined by celebrity guest judges to determine which kids advance after each round. The winning cook earns the same $10,000 prize that adults win on the main show. If things get a little too intense for the youngsters, host Ted Allen is there to comfort them and encourage them to keep going.

The Golden Girls- (HallMark Channel , 10:00 p.m. ET)

Four mature women live together in Miami and experience the joys and angst of their golden years. Strong-willed Dorothy, spacey Rose, lusty Southern belle Blanche and matriarch Sophia, Dorothy's mom, occasionally clash but are there for one another in the end. After all, when the show's theme song is titled `Thank You for Being a Friend', the ladies have to remain friendly with one another.

Better Call Saul- (ABC , 09:00 p.m. ET)

Ex-con artist Jimmy McGill turns into a small-time attorney and goes through a series of trials and tragedies, as he transforms into his alter ego Saul Goodman, a morally challenged criminal lawyer.

Tuesday 21st August

Jimmy Kimmel Live!- (ABC , 08:35 a.m. ET)

A daily dose of late-night entertainment with comic Jimmy Kimmel in a talk show with offbeat guests, chatty interviews with A-list Hollywood stars and live music performances.

Trisha's Southern Kitchen- (Food Network , 10:00 a.m. ET)

Trisha Yearwood is a renowned singer who has won a number of awards in her career, including multiple Grammys. But what people may not know about Yearwood is she is also an accomplished cook. This series invites viewers into the singer's kitchen as she showcases her family-inspired recipes and food traditions. While preparing her recipes, Yearwood shares nostalgic stories and is visited by family and friends. Whether she's preparing traditional dishes from her childhood or planning events like a baby shower or a family reunion, Yearwood prepares dishes that viewers can duplicate in their own kitchens.

Frasier- (Hallmark Channel , 03:30 a.m. ET)

Psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane moves to Seattle to start afresh and earns the spot of a radio psychiatrist.

Million Dollar Listing New York- (Bravo , 08:00 a.m. ET)

`Million Dollar Listing' has showcased some of the most luxurious homes in Los Angeles. The franchise now heads east with `Million Dollar Listing New York', featuring relentless real estate agents in Manhattan and their intertwining lives as each agent fights for his share of the market. The agents must deal with demanding clients as they earn a living selling some of New York's hottest real estate. The featured agents, some of the best in the city, include "listings machine" Fredrik Eklund and Ryan Serhant, who was an actor and hand model before pursuing his real estate passion.

Late Night With Seth Meyers- (NBC , 10:00 a.m. ET)

With his signature monologue and sharp newsy segments like "A Closer Look," Seth Meyers hilariously breaks down the day's biggest stories and takes the current political circus head-on. He then welcomes Hollywood's most beloved A-list guests, as well as people not seen anywhere else in late night, like political figures and other interesting newsmakers. With fan-favorite comedy segments that become viral sensations, and the talented 8G band at his side, Seth consistently brings home the last laugh.

Wednesday 22nd August

Whose Line Is It Anyway?- (Bravo , 03:30 a.m. ET)

Several stand-up comedians perform in front of an audience while taking suggestions from them, thereby improvising their acts.

Guy's Grocery Games- (Food Network , 02:00 p.m. ET)

Get ready for the Food Network All-Stars to bring their "A" game to Flavortown. In game one, the chefs show off their spelling skills and culinary prowess in ABC. Next, the chefs go international as the Food Wheel determines their destiny. The two remaining All-Stars bring the heat in Frozen Food Feud like you've never seen before. The winning chef takes to the aisles in hopes of grabbing up to $20,000 for their chosen charity.

Big Brother- (CBS , 08:00 p.m. ET)

Seasoned host Julie Chen returns to helm the 20th season of the reality competition, which is loaded with epic challenges, juicy romances and surprising eliminations. In this combination of a reality series and a game show, the contestants battle it out each week to maintain their places in the house, all in the hope of claiming the $500,000 prize awarded at the end of the summer. Houseguests include a flight attendant, a former undercover cop, a cyber security engineer and a Vegas entertainer, among others.

Buying & Selling with the Property Brothers- (HG TV , 08:00 a.m. ET)

The "Property Brothers," Drew and Jonathan Scott, take their tag-team real estate partnership to the next level in "Buying and Selling." Drew helps home buyers find the right property to purchase, but before closing on the deal, the buyers' current home needs attention, and lots of it, in order to make it salable. That's where Jonathan comes in. To leverage its value, Jonathan comes up with a plan to breathe fresh life into the home, and he and his contracting team take over from there. Drew then oversees the selling of the renovated home and the buying of a new house.

The Chew- (ABC , 10:00 p.m. ET)

The format and title for Daytime Emmy-winner "The Chew" is inspired by ABC's "The View" but is geared toward foodies and other lifestyle enthusiasts. The show celebrates and explores life through food with a dynamic panel of fun, relatable co-hosts. The panel includes renowned chef Michael Symon, style maven and former "What Not to Wear" co-host Clinton Kelly and "Top Chef" alumna Carla Hall. The topics of discussion include cooking, home entertaining and food trends such as food trucks and urban gardens.

Thursday 23rd August

Island Life- (HG TV, 06:30 a.m. ET)

Making one's home on a tropical island sounds like an expensive proposition, but this house-hunting series shows it can be done within almost any budget as families seek to find their own corner of paradise. The featured properties run the gamut from ultra-affordable to totally outrageous, located in places like Key West, Fla., Kodiak Island, Alaska, Mount Desert Island in Maine, and Washington State's San Juan Islands. Everyday families ready to start a new adventure, escape hectic lifestyles in cookie-cutter subdivisions, or simply get away from cold and snow, prove that island fantasies can be reality.

The Big Bang Theory, The The Tenant Disassociation- (CBS, 08:00 p.m. ET)

Leonard decides to run against Sheldon for president of the tenants association; Bernadette encourages Wolowitz and Koothrappali to find the owner of a drone after they find it in the backyard.

Cupcake Wars- (Food Network, 10:00 a.m. ET)

It's a race to the finish line as four cupcake bakers fight for a place at a VIP party celebrating the Los Angeles Marathon.

South Park:Terrance and Phillip: Behind the Blow- (Comedy Central, 12:30 a.m. ET)

When the boys discover their idols, Terrance & Phillip, have called it quits, they'll go to any length to reunite the duo.

Friday 24th August

Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel- (HBO , 08:00 a.m. ET)

Bryant Gumbel hosts this investigative sports newsmagazine series that features in-depth reports from "Real Sports" correspondents Mary Carillo, Bernard Goldberg, Soledad O'Brien, Andrea Kremer, Jon Frankel and Gumbel himself. The series airs monthly, and each hourlong edition contains four segments. "Real Sports" has won multiple Sports Emmy Awards and in 2006 became the first sports program honored with the duPont Award for excellence in broadcast journalism by Columbia University.

Held Up- (HBO Signature , 11:50 a.m. ET)

A romantic getaway turns disastrous for hapless businessman Jamie Foxx in this riotous action-comedy. At a remote Arizona convenience store, he loses his girlfriend, has his car stolen and winds up being held hostage by a goofball trio of robbers. He's thankful when the cops arrive...until he realizes they think he's one of the bandits! With Nia Long, Barry Corbin, Eduardo Yanez, John Cullum and Jake Busey.

Giada Entertains- (FoodNetwork , 12:30 p.m. ET)

Entertaining family and friends in your home can be a daunting task for some people. Luckily, longtime Food Network personality Giada De Laurentiis is a pro at throwing parties and is offering her expertise to viewers. Her goal is to prove that throwing a bash can be easy while also being enjoyable for the host and guests. Whether preparing for a casual night in with friends or an epic tailgate for football fanatics, De Laurentiis has tips to help plan the party, including crowd-pleasing food and drinks that can be served.

Beachfront Bargain Hunt- (HG TV, 06:30 a.m. ET)

Purchasing a beachfront property doesn't always mean buyers have to break the bank. This series documents the journeys of families who are dreaming of living in a sandy locale with palm trees and warm ocean breezes, but those dreams are accompanied by a firm budget. And by budget we mean substantially short of a million dollars. The house hunters tour three to four waterfront properties -- each with surprisingly affordable price tags -- before choosing the one that turns the beach lifestyle dreams into reality.

Unexpected- (TLC, 09:00 p.m. ET)

Unexpected, a new series following the journey of three pregnant teen couples and the parents who raised them.

Saturday 25th August

Barefoot Contessa- (Food Network , 08:30 a.m. ET

Hosted by cookbook author Ina Garten, "Barefoot Contessa" is all about simple, fun entertaining. The former White House nuclear policy analyst (for President Richard Nixon) shares recipes for picnics, parties and dinners as well as other touches to make a meal or event a success.

Fixer Upper- (HG TV , 01:00 p.m. ET)

Chip and Joanna Gaines own and operate Magnolia Homes, a remodeling and design business in Waco, Texas, and "Fixer Upper" shows the process by which the couple turn dilapidated but potential-rich houses into showplaces that are helping revitalize whole neighborhoods throughout central Texas. Chip manages the construction and realty side of Magnolia and Joanna is the lead designer. They also act as part-time counselors to clients who can't see a structure's beauty beyond the blemishes. Combined, Chip and Joanna save homes that look hopeless, renovating the imperfect, and revealing them as what they were always intended to be.

The Office- (Comedy Central , 01:35 a.m. ET)

This US adaptation, set at a paper company in Scranton, Pa., has a similar documentary style to that of the Ricky Gervais-led British original. It features the staff of Dunder-Mifflin, a staff that includes characters based on characters from the British show (and, quite possibly, people you work with in your office). There's Jim, the likable employee who's a bit of an everyman. Jim has a thing for receptionist-turned-sales rep Pam (because office romances are always a good idea). There's also Dwight, the successful co-worker who lacks social skills and common sense. And there's Ryan, who has held many jobs at the company.

Random Acts of Flyness- (HBO 2 , 09:10 p.m. ET)

Writer/director/producer Terence Nance is the mastermind behind this project, a "show about the beauty and ugliness of contemporary American life," he says. Using a fluid, stream-of-conscience approach, Nance explores cultural idioms such as patriarchy, white supremacy and sensuality via numerous interconnected vignettes, all of which showcase an ensemble cast -- including Nance -- of emerging and established talent. Nance and his collaborators weave together such themes as ancestral trauma, history, death, romance and more, creating a television show like nothing seen before.

Insecure- (HBO , 12:25 a.m. ET)

African-American women Issa and Molly residing in Los Angeles go about finding that one missing piece to make their lives fulfilling.

Sunday 26th August

NCIS: Los Angeles All is Bright- (CBS , 10:00 p.m. ET)

The team investigates a ransom-ware attack that's taken out the whole power grid for Western Los Angeles.

Worst Cooks in America- (Food Network , 04:00 p.m. ET)

Two teams consisting of eight amateur cooks are mentored by two chefs, Anne Burrell and Robert Irvine. They help them overcome the elimination at each level.

Flip or Flop- (HG TV , 10:00 a.m. ET)

Tarek and Christina El Moussa lead dizzying professional lives. After finding success as real estate agents and then experiencing the drastic downside of the housing market, the Californians switched career gears: They now buy distressed properties -- foreclosures, short sales and bank-owned homes -- remodel them and sell them at a profit. At least, that's the way it's supposed to work. "Flip or Flop" tracks the El Moussas' roller-coaster journey in each episode, beginning with a cash purchase at auction of a home -- often sight unseen -- and the fix-it-up process, to the nail-biting wait to find a buyer.

Vice 102- (HBO , 04:20 a.m. ET)

Documentary series featuring startling, groundbreaking stories from around the world.

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver- (HBO 2 , 11:30 a.m. ET)

John Oliver won an Emmy for his work as a writer on "The Daily Show With Jon Stewart," but it wasn't until he guest-hosted that show in the summer of 2013 that HBO took notice of his "singular perspective and distinct voice." Thanks to that memorable gig, Oliver gets to show off his talent in front of HBO's camera on "Last Week Tonight." The late-night series sees the British comic review what happened the past seven days in news, politics and current events, all with a heavy dose of satire, of course. Oliver hosted a stand-up show for four seasons on Comedy Central, and he was also responsible for co-writing and co-presenting the popular weekly satirical podcast "The Bugle."

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realestateagent532 · 6 years

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Will 50 Cent Accept $4.2M for His Mansion? He May Have Other Plans

Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

There’s just one catch.

The luxurious home features an indoor pool and basketball court, a recording studio, fitness center, home theater, and multiple guesthouses.

Unsurprisingly, the rapper didn’t seem pleased when Eklund presented him with the lowball offer.

“There’s hardly any inspections,” Eklund said on Monday’s show. The buyers “want it, they’re ready, they’re obsessed. … Is that a yes?”

“Yeah, I’m not going to sell the property. If I needed money, I’d be willing to take the $4.2 million,” says 50 Cent. “But it’s been a long time, so I’m already over the property.”

Instead he plans to donate it to the G-Unity Foundation. It’s an after-school program for C-grade students that he started in 2004.

The post Will 50 Cent Accept $4.2M for His Mansion? He May Have Other Plans appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS https://ift.tt/2IPReil

#DIYS

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restate30201 · 6 years

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Will 50 Cent Accept $4.2M for His Mansion? He May Have Other Plans

Nicholas Hunt/Getty Images

There’s just one catch.

The luxurious home features an indoor pool and basketball court, a recording studio, fitness center, home theater, and multiple guesthouses.

Unsurprisingly, the rapper didn’t seem pleased when Eklund presented him with the lowball offer.

“There’s hardly any inspections,” Eklund said on Monday’s show. The buyers “want it, they’re ready, they’re obsessed. … Is that a yes?”

“Yeah, I’m not going to sell the property. If I needed money, I’d be willing to take the $4.2 million,” says 50 Cent. “But it’s been a long time, so I’m already over the property.”

Instead he plans to donate it to the G-Unity Foundation. It’s an after-school program for C-grade students that he started in 2004.

The post Will 50 Cent Accept $4.2M for His Mansion? He May Have Other Plans appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from DIYS https://ift.tt/2IPReil

#DIYS

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nightmare-afton-cosplay · 6 years

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Bethenny Frankel and Fredrik Eklund Talk Real Estate TV—and the Design Trend They Hate

Patrick Ecclesine/Kurt Iswarienko/Bravo/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images

Take Bethenny Frankel from “Real Housewives of New York City,” pair her up with real estate agent Fredrik Eklund of “Million Dollar Listing New York,” and what do you get? A new reality TV show, “Bethenny & Fredrik,” which promises plenty of fireworks between these two powerhouses who have personality to spare.

This Bravo series, which premieres on Tuesday, follows the longtime friends and brand-new business partners as they invest their own money to renovate homes in Manhattan to flip for a profit. And if the show’s teasers are any indication, these two aren’t afraid to bare their flaws—and fangs—as they navigate one of the priciest markets in the country.

Yet for all the drama, these two clearly know real estate, so realtor.com® sat down with them to hear what they’ve learned—and get some advice they’d give others on buying, selling, and renovating homes, and even trends they’re sick to death of seeing.

Q: We heard you shut down production for a few weeks due to fighting. What happened?

Frankel: Our holistic partnership wasn’t going the way either of us thought it would. It got emotional. And once you get on the emotional train, it’s hard to get off. Things have been said, and then you’re focusing on the things that have been said. With any relationship, you have to figure out how to communicate and work through it. And frankly, it was good that we took a breather.

Eklund: It was intense.

Q: What’s the biggest mistake homeowners make when renovating?

Frankel: People focus on the big items—like changing the wood floors—but it’s the small details that add up. You know, a window lock doesn’t work and that can be $500 [to fix], or you need to add a security system no one thought of until the end. Towel holders will somehow get to $1,000. When you’re done, those little things are annoying because you thought you were out of the woods. Partner with someone who is very detail-oriented and think about everything from beginning to end.

Eklund: And also add 10% to the budget so you have something to run with if you go over.

Q: What are some design trends you’re sick of seeing?

Eklund: The most obvious one is the super-minimalist trend that was going on for many years—and the white, white, white! Sleek, sleek, sleek! I think now what’s going on is [designers are] taking some uptown traditional elements and putting them downtown. I also love layers. So mix some glass with some wood with some stone. Don’t just have all stone.

Frankel: People just go to white. They think it’s going to be safe and are afraid to use black—they think black is some weird ’80s thing. But a black detail can make something look really industrial and really rich. I also recommend getting creative with floors. The floors that Fredrik chose [for one apartment recently] have a chevron [pattern], which makes it different.

Q: What’s the most important thing a seller needs to think about?

Frankel: Staging! Staging is the new normal. I don’t think the average person thinks about setting themselves up for success in selling. They don’t realize if you want to sell your house—whether it’s $50,000 or $5,000,000—you have to stage, which you can do yourself. Think about what makes your ceilings look higher and what makes your place look bigger. And when making initial design choices, don’t choose something that only you like. If there are three choices, pick the thing that you like and most other people will like as well. Have your flair be in removable things like a cheetah rug.

Eklund: And when you’re showing a home, remove things that are specific to you, like pets or religious items.

Q: What is your top real estate tip for scoring a deal?

Frankel: When you’re looking at pictures online, if there are bad pictures and you have a good eye, you can see through them. Everybody else will pass them by. You end up showing up and getting something that no one even wanted to see. This just happened with my apartment that I bought. It could be a four-bedroom, but the sellers only listed it as a two-bedroom. So I ended up getting an over 4,000-square-foot apartment for a steal, because most people who have kids are looking for a three- or four-bedroom and never saw it.

Eklund: She added another bedroom.

Frankel: I did the zoning and made it three. I think the guy had a hard time selling it. You can find good deals by knowing how to look at something. And when you’re in the space doing the numbers, you have to have an internal cash calculator going as you’re looking. Fredrik and I both do that. Rip that down, it’ll cost $5,000 but translate into $100,000 on the sales price.

Q: What is the advice you always give buyers?

Eklund: When you buy, I always say, and maybe I’m overly focused on it because I’m tall, but look at the ceiling height. There are certain things in a home you can change easily, but there are also things you cannot change like the lines, the ceiling, and the windows.

Frankel: You need to understand a layout. It’s a flow, it’s a feng shui thing, it’s how you are going to feel every day. And even if you are buying for yourself, it doesn’t hurt to think of it as an investment. Why not?

The post Bethenny Frankel and Fredrik Eklund Talk Real Estate TV—and the Design Trend They Hate appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.

from https://www.realtor.com/news/trends/bethenny-frankel-and-fredrik-eklund-real-estate-reality-show/

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