Voxant's Newsroom Blog

RSS Feed Homepage

Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

Have better sex in 2008
2008-01-03 18:26:00
We all have our silly personal New Year's Resolutions - lose weight, be nicer, beat kleptomania once and for all - but shouldn't we all resolve to have better sex this year? Check out these tips and tricks from the Voxant Newsroom and go get it on, people! - Evan
More About: 2008

The year ahead: Entertainment 2008
2008-01-02 22:27:00
It seems like everyone has their psychic caps on and is giving their own 2008 predictions, so I figured I'd join in on the fun as well. 1) Britney's going to keep the crazy train running. As much as I would love to see Britney return to form, I just don't see it happening. The girl is battling some mental illness issues in my opinion. Besides, Britney doesn't seem to be bothered by her behavior in the least, and she's only going to change if she feels like there's something wrong with her life. I also wouldn't be surprised if she has a few more outrageous public episodes, a la her hair-shaving incident last year, especially since her pregnant teenage sister is stealing all the spotlight right now. On a sidenote, I predict K-Fed will win physical custody of the boys permanently and that he'll bag another celebrity soon. Pictures of him and Paris Hilton getting close HAVE been circulating on the net.... 2) Jay-Z WON'T marry Beyonce. The rumor that the two have wedde...
More About: Entertainment , Year , Ahead

Voxant's Best of 2007
2007-12-28 16:50:00
It's been a great year in the news hasn't it? From the trials and tribulations of Britney Spears to the trials and tribulations of Larry Craig 2007 has been chock full of the news junkie's main fix, Schadenfreude. Kidding, but it was a hell of a year in the news wasn't it? Look back with the Editors at Voxant. EntertainmentPoliticsSportsTechWorldOdd

2007: the year in Tech
2007-12-28 16:27:00
From the fall of Vista to the rise of the iPhone, this year in tech has been all about Mac vs. PC. The battle rages beyond the world of of consumer electronics, of course. With hybrids gas-sipping their way into the mainstream and goofy social networks like Facebook pulling in billions, style was the tech buzzword of the year. It doesn't look good for that khaki-suited PC guy. - Evan
More About: Tech , Year

2007: the year in Politics
2007-12-28 16:11:00
It may be hard to imagine, but before 2007 no one knew the significance of a wide stance when it comes to airport bathrooms. No one knew Oprah was going to step off the couch and on to the political stage or that an Arkansan best known for losing 100 lbs would lead the Republican polls heading into Iowa. But not every story in 2007 was a surprise. The Democrats couldn't hold off Bush in Congress and Scooter Libby got a Presidential pass on Plamegate. High hopes dashed on the rocks of cynicism? That's the year in Politics 2007.- Evan
More About: Year

Top Entertainment Stories of 2007
2007-12-27 22:53:00
Amy Winehouse is (allegedly) on drugs! Paris Hilton in out in out of jail! Scary Spice pregnant with Eddie Murphy's baby! Kanye stomps 50 Cent in album sales! It sure has been an eventful 2007 in the entertainment world. The constant theme for this year has been the celebrity train wreck. Amy Winehouse, Britney Spears, Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, David Hasslehoff, and so on and so forth. Celebrities just couldn't seem to keep it together in the 07. They were either in jail, in rehab, on the front of a tabloid magazine in an unflattering photo or being dragged to court to fight for custody of their children. Other people, like Eddie Murphy and 50 Cent, had a little diarrhea of the mouth. Eddie Murphy swore up and down that the baby Scary Spice (Mel B.) was carrying was NOT his, despite the fact that a few weeks earlier, there were paparazzi photos of the two together out and about. Poor Scary Spice had her name dragged through the mud by Eddie Murphy making her out to be some...
More About: Entertainment , Stories

Top World News stories of 2007
2007-12-26 20:04:00
They say that the world is a crazy place, but I say they're wrong. The world is a wild, whacked-out, insane place. In 2007, we went through it all. The big, bloated blimp of self-confidence, Hugo Chavez, was dealt a mighty blow to the ego this year when Venezuelans said "NO!" to his proposed amendments to the Venezuelan constitution. One of the proposed amendments would have removed term limits, allowing Chavez to run for president indefinitely. Yikes. Of course the biggest dictator news of the year was the death of Saddam Hussein by hanging in Iraq. This actually happened at the end of December in 2006, but the backlash from his execution was felt throughout the Muslim world in January. By humiliating and executing Saddam in the way that they did, the Iraqi justice system succeeded in making Saddam a martyr. Great job, guys. But that's not all, our other dictator friend, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, had the world on edge for a while in March when Iranian military apprehende...
More About: News , World , Stories , World News

MovieFriday: Sweeney Todd
2007-12-21 21:27:00
When I was young, my parents took me to see a musical. As cultured as I already considered myself (yeah, I'm that guy), I had never really dug the musical as a an art form. People breaking out into song in the middle of a normal movie never really made sense to me. Opera is one thing: music and song is used to tell the entire story. But in a movie musical, the song is generally used to emphasize a line of dialog you've already heard: Lead guy: "I think I'm falling in love with that girl."Other guy: "Falling in love?!"Lead guy (music swells): falllllliiiiinnng in lloooooooooooooooooove! Lame. Objectively. But my entire opinion of musicals changed that day with my parents. We saw the touring version of a show called Sweeney Todd , about a barber driven insane with vengeful thoughts. There was nothing lame about this show - blood spurted, terror reigned and there was even a little cannibalism. In Sweeney, the song is the show. The full melancholy and insanity of...

Top Sports stories of 2007
2007-12-21 17:14:00
2007 had to be one of the wildest years in sports history. Sifting through the Voxant video vault to find the top five stories was not an easy task. If nothing else, 2007 will be remembered as the year of the scandal. We saw dog fighting, steroids, ranting coaches, and the collapse of a once proud tradition and that was just the tip of the iceberg. All of this added up to one entertaining year. -Dumont
More About: Sports , Stories

The Holiday Bowl Season is here
2007-12-20 15:50:00
The Holiday season can mean any number of things depending on who you are, and what faith or religion one may observe. However, to a college football fan, the holiday season only means one thing, Bowl Season . Beginning on December 20th and continuing through January 7th the top Div IA (yes I’m old school) programs will compete for bragging rights, money for their respective schools, and two teams will face off for a BCS Championship. The majority of fans complain about the bowl system in college football, because it is seen as the reason there is not playoff system in Div I football. In addition, most fans only view the game that their favorite team is playing in as important and all the other games are nothing more than a distraction. However, a large number of fans exist that love college football and will watch every game they can. These are the fans who love everything about the sport. They will watch football as long as it is on, and for them the bowl season is what m...
More About: The Holiday

TechWednesday: Answering a question no one asked
2007-12-19 23:33:00
The Zipit is a machine that lets you use IM whenever you're in an area with WiFi access. It also does what everything else does (namely, play music, videos etc). Seriously - that's all it does. Do you see a technological breakthrough here worthy of any media attention? Neither do I. Nevertheless, here we are. I suggest we make the most if it. - Evan
More About: Question , Erin

Oddest stories of 2007
2007-12-19 23:22:00
Have you ever been to a booty competition? Did you even know there was a worldwide booty competition? This year, a man and woman were both crowned as having the best rumps in the world in a rear end pageant. Other favorite oddities include the lonely, reclusive Japanese man who has hundreds of dolls. "Love" dolls, that is.  Speaking of sick fetishes, how about the robber who licked the ashy toes of his victim after robbing her? Ol' Dirty Bastard is smiling down on that disturbed individual from the great insane asylum in the sky. Throw some rumbling furry mascots and cat poo cafe, and you've got our Top Five Odd News Stories of 2007. It's just been that kind of year. -Editorial Staff, The Odd Desk

China cleans up its act
2007-12-19 21:06:00
China's toy industry is frantically trying to repair their shattered reputation after millions of products were recalled earlier this year.  This report from CBS goes inside the madness that is a Chinese toy factory. - Mike      
More About: China

Music Tuesday: Mary J. Blige talks about her "Growing Pains"
2007-12-19 00:13:00
Forget what you heard, Mary J. Blige is the real survivor. The trail-blazing singer started out on the music scene a troubled soul back in 1992, when she released her classic debut, "What's the 411?" She had an attitude, a chip on her shoulder and she pointedly talked about her disappointments in life. Like on the Hip-Hop Soul gem "Real Love": You see Im searching for a real love/ And I don't know where to go / Been around the world and high and low / And still I'll never know / How it feels to have a real love / Cause it seems it's not around / Gotta end it in this way because it / Seems he can't be found Her sophomore album, "My Life," was even angrier and depressed than her debut. Mary was bitter and she wanted you to know it. Without going into a long overblown history of her personal drama, Mary suffered through a tumultuous relationship with K-Ci of Jodeci, drug addiction and depression. Fast forward some ten years later and Mary J. Blige...
More About: Music , Growing , Mary J Blige

Britney whines in new "Piece of Me" video
2007-12-18 18:39:00
Poor Britney . She really has had a hard life. She's filthy rich, but inside she's empty and hollow. Britney, of course, is not to blame for her broken life. No, no. It's all the paparazzi's fault. Yeah, and the reason why Aretha Franklin eats so much is because Popeye's keeps having great meal deals. What a way to misplace the blame for your own shortcomings. I'm definitely not a fan of the paparazzi. In fact, I consider them to be parasitic, inhumane and self-serving. But guess what? So are the rest of us in the media, to some level. But Britney definitely courts the paparazzi's attention when it suits her. Why else did she burst into a salon to shave her head, when if she really wanted her privacy, she could've gone all Sinead O'Connor with a set of clippers in the privacy of her own home. She acts out in public and then gets mad when it ends up in a magazine. You never see crazy pictures of celebrities like Beyonce, because the girl has common sense. She stays home a lo...
More About: Video , Piece , Piece of me

Devotion to Saint Lazarus in Cuba
2007-12-17 23:23:00
WWSLD (What Would Saint Lazarus Do)? In Cuba , and in Catholicism in general, it's all about the saints. Catholics love them some Jesus, but the saints, especially his mama, are where it's at. Many protestants accuse Catholics of worshiping idols and consider praying to saints to be a violation of the belief in one God. I say: Mind ya business and loosen up. Chaining heavy stones to your feet and dragging yourself to church doesn't sound like a good time to you? It's religious drama, party pooper. Check out all the self-torture in the name of devotion some faithful Cubans put themselves through in this AFP video. -Ricky
More About: Devotion

Broadway Joe Namath says it's better late than never
2007-12-17 22:48:00
Growing up I always heard the expression "better late than never." Well on Sunday, Hall of Fame NFL quarterback Joe Namath put that expression to the test. The aging Namath returned to the University of Alabama where he spent three years as an undergrad 42 years ago. Namath was on campus to attend his own graduation. That’s right - Broad way Joe is officially a college graduate. There is a lot that can be said about Joe Namath, a good portion of which is negative. However, as someone who believes that everyone should attend and complete college I have to commend Namath on his efforts. It took him over forty years, and one Super Bowl appearance, and several botched television interviews but he got the job done.  Congratulations Joe, you made it. -Dumont
More About: Late

New Movie Friday: I Am Legend
2007-12-14 21:48:00
Will Smith sure has a flair for the heroics. He's been the hero, the good guy in almost every film he's done - from "Independence Day" to "The Pursuit of Happyness." I think Will needs to pull a Denzel and play a true badass, if he wants to break out of his mold. But despite Will staying in his comfort zone, I have to say that his new film "I Am Legend " looks really, really intriguing. The setting of the film is a post-apocalyptic version of New York City after a man-made virus wipes out the majority of the city's population. Will wanders through an abandoned New York City, which in itself is a strong, engaging image.Will plays a brilliant scientist -- aren't they always? --  in search of a cure for this virus, while at the same time having to fight those who have become infected and turned into essentially vampiric zombies. Cool. Well, at least I think so. The film is based on a sci-fi novel so the zombie bit might turn off more "serious...
More About: Movie , Friday

Fashion in the Iranian police state
2007-12-13 18:43:00
Iran's notoriety as a police state is well-known and those often hit hardest by the strict authoritarian rules are women. Women in Iran face extremely strict rules on their dress code. Not only must they wear a hijab, or head covering, but there are specifications on how much of the head it must cover and how it should look that must be met. Failure to meet these requirements can result in detention and fines from the Iranian police. AFP gives us an inside look at how women have to worry about their wardrobe in Iran. I try to be respectful of religious rituals and customs, but this is really scary to me. Promoting modesty and humility in women's fashion is fine. We've all seen what happens when you start dressing without class and expose yourself in ways that the public doesn't need to see. But to actually have police scanning and detaining you on sight for "dress code violations" creates a culture of fear and imprisonment. In a way, this reminds me of the attem...
More About: Fashion , Police , Police State , State

Music Tuesday: Bow Wow and Omarion "Face Off"
2007-12-12 23:44:00
Two midgets from Snow White's posse of dwarfs, Sleepy and Dopey, have decided to team up and release an album together. The move has shaken the music world to its core. Sleepy and Dopey are of course better known by their stage names Omarion and Bow Wow. Just kidding, y'all. But for real, those two are little guys. Anyway, their joint effort is being led off by the very mediocre lead single "Girlfriend," which so far has only taken the twosome to #46 on the Billboard Hot 100. The song is a chirpy "Aye, you my shawty" song. The biggest mistake I see on this song, aside from the uninspired production, is the lack of a good hook! The song is instead anchored by yelps of "Yup! That's my girlfriend!" Come on now, Omarion could've at least tried. And I say Omarion, because of the two he's got more talent, although that's not really saying much. Bow Wow had heads turned for a minute with his verse on the remix to Dem Franchize Boyz' "Oh I Thin...
More About: Music , Face , Tuesday , Face Off

Getting naughty on the subway
2007-12-11 22:47:00
Some sweet young ladies in New York decided to take a chance and acted on a dare to vamp it up on New York City's subways. They broke out the sexy scarves, the hot pants and the sex appeal and turned the heat up on New Yorkers' morning commute. The skanky performance paid off, they won $10,000 for doing the stunt, filming it and posting it online. The subway performance was really similar to the Pussycat Dolls "Wait A Minute" video. Art imitating life or life imitating art? Watch the AP video below. Oh, Internet. What would we do without you?-Ricky
More About: Subway

What will your house look like in 500 years?
2007-12-10 16:38:00
Journalist and author Alan Weisman has offered a haunting (and hauntingly beautiful) answer to the question "what would the world look like if human beings suddenly disappeared?" This animation shows what will happen to the average American house after 500 years without human occupants. After seeing the mold problems this house develops, I don't feel so bad about that growing mildew stain in my shower. - Evan
More About: House , Years

New Movie Friday: The Golden Compass
2007-12-07 21:41:00
"The Golden Compass " just might be the most controversial, ballyhooed "children's film" in recent history. The fuss surrounding the movie's alleged attempts to subconsciously convert children into atheists has been at the forefront of all discussions about the film. You can read up on my take here. It's funny, "The Golden Compass" and the atheist author of the book on which it is based on, Phillip Pullman, have caused way more fuss than J.K. Rowling's outing of Dumbledore as a gay wizard. Who would've thought but conservative Christians are more terrified of atheism than homosexuality? But putting all the politics aside, the film is supposed to be quite the experience in remarkable storytelling, which has many placing it in the same league as other fantasy films, such as the aforementioned "Potter." So far, the critics seem to be split on the film, with about half loving it and half thinking it's a let down. Aside from the controve...
More About: Movie , Friday

Grammy nominations announced, Kanye's in the lead
2007-12-06 23:10:00
While 2007 has certainly been a rough and tumultuous year for Kanye West with the loss of his mother, perhaps he can look forward to 2008 with hope. The hyper , boastful rapper has earned 8 Grammy nods in the 50th annual edition of the awards show, followed by Amy Winehouse with 6 nods. While I applaud Amy's (past) artistic endeavors, I think we can safely say that Amy Winehouse most likely won't be showing up for the Grammys. And even if she's there physically, she's not really there, if you know what I mean. The Grammys are the music industry's gold standard, but they're not my favorite awards show and I often disagree with the winning choices. That's because the Grammys, like the Academy Awards, don't always award based on the actual work being nominated, but sometimes reward artists for their past albums that didn't garner wins or just for plain ol' sympathy. How else do you explain Ray Charles' wins for Album of the Year and Record of the Year in 2004, for an album ...
More About: Lead , Anno

Huckabee enters the big leagues
2007-12-06 22:30:00
When no one thinks you're going to win, no one bothers digging into your past (when was the last time you saw an expose of Mike Gravel's senatorial career?) No one knows this better than Mike Huckabee , who's recent surge in the polls has led to the full-on vetting he's avoided up to this point. Watch him manage his first potential scandal in this exclusive video from CBS News. - Evan
More About: Leagues

Top 10 Most Awkward Movie Star Interviews of 2007
2007-12-06 20:39:00
Celebrities, and particularly movie stars, usually have to give tons of interviews with press from around the world to promote their latest projects. And as you can imagine, hearing the same questions over and over from 200 different people can drive one over the edge. Plus, movie stars are just crazy people in general. Look at Tom Cruise. No one deals with celebrities more than MTV and they've compiled this awesome feature of the Top 10 Bizarre Movie Star Interviews of 2007. My personal favorite was Jason Bateman's comment about penetration in a dirty version "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium." Check out the Top 10 here. -Ricky

Catholic Church fights sexual abuse with coloring books
2007-12-05 22:39:00
The Catholic Church is really onto something with its latest tactic in fighting the much publicized sexual abuse that has plagued the Church recently. They've decided to give the kids coloring books! Wow! How innovative! How revolutionary! How life-changing! The coloring books are being handed out to good little Catholic boys and girls in schools and at churches in the New York Diocese. The books warn children to avoid being alone with strangers, beware of online predators and that there are certain parts of their body that are no-no zones. Gee, we covered most of that in kindergarten with our "Beware of Strangers" campaign. One criticism I have, and is apparently shared by others, is the vagueness with which they address the entire priest sex abuse issue. Rather than state outright that if a priest touches you, he's not a good priest and you need to tell somebody, the book sidesteps the whole priest scandal. That's a pretty ludicrous move, considering the scandal is...
More About: Abuse , Books , Fights , Catholic Church

Music Tuesday: Wyclef Jean and Blake Lewis
2007-12-04 23:14:00
Great, we have to deal with Blake "Serial Beatboxer" Lewis again. I was hoping we wouldn't hear from him again after his stint on "American Idol" but no such luck. Lewis is essentially a Justin Timberlake wannabe. He styles himself after JT, copies his white boy beat boxing schtick, and he imitates JT's falsetto and other vocal tics. On top of the fact that Blake is a biter, he's also a pretentious douche bag. His album is titled "Audio Day Dream," and features lots of computerized sound effects and loads of synthesizers. I'm a synth fan myself, the 80s produced some gems, but damn Blake is really pigeon-holing himself. He's flying full-speed ahead with the robotic, beat boxing, white boy with "flava", synth sound and throwing in a dash of pleasantly pudgy Keebler Elf. (Just look at his album cover and tell me he doesn't look like a fugitive Keebler elf.) Here's Blake talking about his beat boxing and how he makes cartoon sound effects...
More About: Music , Blake Lewis , Wyclef , Wyclef Jean

How to beat the New England Patriots
2007-12-04 22:41:00
Monday night the Baltimore Ravens and the New England Patriots played what will go down as one of the most memorable Monday night games in a long time. The Ravens entered the game as a 24 point underdog and they gave the Patriots all they could handle. The game went down to the last play and in the end New England emerged victorious in a 27-24. However, what can be taken away from this narrow victory is the Patriots are a very beatable team, and the Ravens are responsible for giving the rest of the NFL the blueprint. The New England Patriots have transformed into a finesse team. When the Patriots entered the limelight they were a gritty hardnosed team that used a number of different weapons to defeat opponents. Those days of grind it out football seem long gone, as the current Patriots team run a full fledge spread offense that is more similar to the Run and Shoot of the Buffalo Bills of the early 90’s. Through this point of the season the Patriots are leading the NFL in scoring...
More About: Beat

Hugo Chavez's move toward a dictatorship denied
2007-12-03 21:03:00
Lo siento mucho, Huey! Hugo Chavez tried his luck this Sunday when he tried to force through a huge re-write of the Venezuelan constitution that would've allowed him to run for president forever without any term limits. Yikes. It also would've granted him even more authoritarian powers over the media and businesses, but fortunately he was blocked. Venezuelans said no in the referendum to Chavez's plans and Chavez had to eat crow and swallow defeat. This is not something a man with Chavez's ego does easily! Pobrecito. Watch this clip from the AP. The good thing is that although Chavez is one of the most pompous gasbags in the international political scene, he still conceded to the people. This is very noble of him and shows his respect for democracy. Heck, dare I say it, but Chavez is more democratic than GW Bush! When the American people are polled and give their opinions Bush poo-poos them and says that he's not worried about popularity. Hmmm, looks like Chavez could teach...
More About: Dictatorship , Move