DebateGate

General Category => 3DHS => Topic started by: Stray Pup on July 17, 2010, 06:30:24 AM

Title: Celebrititis
Post by: Stray Pup on July 17, 2010, 06:30:24 AM
LOS ANGELES - Celebrity lawyer Robert Shapiro said Friday he had agreed to represent Lindsay Lohan, who is headed to jail next week for violating probation in a 2007 drug case.

Shapiro, a key figure on O.J. Simpson's legal "dream team" in 1995, told The Associated Press he agreed to represent Lohan only if she does her jail time and complies with the terms of her probation.

He also said he would help the actress get treatment to accomplish long-term recovery and sobriety.

"Ms. Lohan is suffering from a disease that I am all too familiar with," said Shapiro, whose son Brent died of a drug overdose in 2005. "Hopefully I can be of assistance."

Lohan is scheduled to begin serving a 90-day sentence on Tuesday.

---

Yeah, the disease is called being a powerful, rich, impulsive celebrity and playing the victim to get yourself out of trouble.   >:(
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 17, 2010, 11:17:31 AM
I`ve told people maybe this could help turn her life around like robert downey jr.He hit rock bottom and the judge actually said he can`t do anything but send him to jail. but nobody seems to be confident that will happen to her.  she a sample of what teens should not do
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Plane on July 17, 2010, 11:30:51 PM
Celebectomy
?
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 18, 2010, 05:31:21 PM
Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is 93, has broken her hip and is in critical condition.

Just thought I would mention this. I thought she was (a) older and (2) deceased until I heard this.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Amianthus on July 19, 2010, 10:11:53 AM
Zsa Zsa Gabor, who is 93, has broken her hip and is in critical condition.

Just thought I would mention this. I thought she was (a) older and (2) deceased until I heard this.

Eva Gabor died a few years back; perhaps you had them confused?
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 19, 2010, 12:03:05 PM
No, I knew Eva died, but I thought that Zsa Zsa had also died. I only recall that she had some spat with a Beverley Hills traffic officer a while back. I suppose when one in 93, one does not get into the news all that often.

 I am not a fan of either one of them, they were sort of like Paris Hilton in their day "famous for being famous".A slightly better actress, and slightly less annoying.

Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 19, 2010, 02:45:04 PM
I saw a vid along time ago that had women from budapest,very beautiful but every single one of them sounds just like Zsa Zsa. I just couldn`t finish that vid, that voice threw me off totally.

hello daaarling

uhggg
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 19, 2010, 06:36:35 PM
When Zsa Zsa (a common nickname in Hungary, I am told) and Eva came to the US, most Americans had never heard a Hungarian accent, so it sounded exotic. When you hear a hundred Hungarian women with Hungarian accents, then it becomes a lot less exotic. A friend of mine in my Mercedes club came from Hungary in 1956 and just retired as an English teacher this past year. She has no real accent at all, but loves Hungarian songs and food and traditions. It is common to meet Hungarians named Attila or variants of Attila. In Hungarian, as in Chinese or Japanese, the surname officially comes first. Zsa Zsa is a nickname for Sari, the Hungarian equivalent of Susan.
 

Ayn Rand refused to try to get rid of her heavy Russian accent because she said it defined her. I am thinking that she was just too lazy to try.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 19, 2010, 06:48:15 PM
learning is new language is alot easier than getting rid of an accent. I sound north-californian,but pawn sounds like porn
pans-pants

beach-bitch

lets just say I don`t do much public speaking.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 19, 2010, 07:02:33 PM
Mastering the sound structure of a language is much more difficult for some people than for others. But there are recorded programs and books that can be very helpful. Once I tutored a French Canadian from north of Quebec named Michel Champagne. His had this French accent that sounded like he was about to pull a canoe paddle out at any minute and begin singing "Alouette, gentille Alouette". I got a couple of books I believe by Robert Lado, printed at the U of Michigan, with recordings, and after a couple of months and an hour tutoring, he managed to get his pilot's license to sail yachts back and forth from Canada. He spoke English, but before he started, his accent made it hard for anyone to understand him on the radio. Afterwards, he sounded more like Charles Boyer or perhaps Pepe Le Pew. But he was intelligible. His worst problem was sounding the4e letter H at the start of words. French has H's galore, but they are never pronounced, nor does the sound exist in French.

You could check out a DVD/CD course if you wanted to improve your accent. Most of the exercises involve you saying pairs of similar words, and mastering consonants and consonant combinations that do not exist in your native tongue, like pans/pants, beach/bitch, lice/rice, and so fort
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 19, 2010, 07:34:01 PM
I actually do mix my l and r , I still don`t understand why since I can tell them apart but in a stessed moment they cross.

Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 19, 2010, 08:16:24 PM
If you are like most people, you get them crossed with some vowels and syllables, but not with others.
It can also depend on the last consonant in the previous syllable.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Amianthus on July 19, 2010, 09:32:06 PM
Some accents are harder to lose than others. My parents (and Arnold) still have their Austrian accents even though they've lived in the US for over 40 years. They have a distinct accent when speaking Spanish or French as well.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 19, 2010, 09:35:21 PM
I would not hear it since I`m speaking it, I`ve been told my chinese has a very thick taishan accent. my response normally would be "duh I am taishan''
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 20, 2010, 11:25:08 AM
Chinese has more ways, I am told, of revealing varying accents, since there are also variations in tone that are noticeable. American English also has tones (all languages do), but they are not interpreted as significant, unless really exaggerated (as in the valley girl accent).

In Spanish, I am told I have a Mexican accent. People in Guadalajara told me I sounded like a chilango (from Mexico City), but people from Mexico City told me I sounded like a tapatío (someone from Jalisco, where Guadalajara is located. The difference is mostly tonal and inflexional. Porteño Argentines (from B.A.)  sound like Italians speaking Spanish, as do Montevideños. It is sort of a sing song tone thing. There is a difference between them, but it is hard for me to distinguish. Porteños speak more rapidly. No one in Argentina says "buenos días", so far as I can tell. It's always "Buen día", as in "Buon giorno", they just wish you one good day. Argentina is a rather huge country, with a lot of regional variations, so I am sure that this makes the language more diverse from one part to another. There are lots more Italian descendents in the larger cities. The smaller towns havd more people with Spanish surnames. In the West and North, the Indian element is greater.

Chilangos normally just say "Buenos".
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 20, 2010, 02:42:25 PM
I can`t really tell chinese accents apart but if I hear taishan I normally can tell because it`ll the most understandable chinese to me. mandarin simply sounds angry to me.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Plane on July 20, 2010, 11:19:01 PM
What is the target accent?

Do you want to soound like you are Urban , from the capitol or big city of the nation ?

Do you want a university sound?

Do you want to hit the advradge ?


American Accents are being pooled such that the extreme examples are less and less heard and we are all speaking more and more midwestern city. TV and other media is leading us all to the center.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 21, 2010, 02:11:36 AM
Standard American Broadcast English is generally upper Midwest urban. If you are from Des Moines, or Omaha, you already speak it.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 21, 2010, 12:09:42 PM
the funny part is everybody in the u.s. hears on the radio & tv broadcast english and all schools teach the same english and still the variance continues.

we really don`t have to worry about losing accents. if anything we gotta worry what kinds of changes it`ll become.


Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 21, 2010, 12:28:17 PM
In the 1960's there was a much greater difference between the Midwestern and Southern accents. The influence of TV and radio has been huge. Black English has also become much more like White English, and has become more uniform thoughout the country. Take the show "Martin": the actors do have an accent, but they are intelligible to all Americans, but without "sounding White" to other Blacks.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Plane on July 21, 2010, 08:23:11 PM
Standard American Broadcast English is generally upper Midwest urban. If you are from Des Moines, or Omaha, you already speak it.


If I ever succeed at learning Spanish (at which I have a dozen false starts) what is the sort I want?

I don't suppose I would ever pass as a native , but I would like to avoid sounding hilarious.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: kimba1 on July 21, 2010, 08:58:03 PM
I believe XO disagree with me last time I said this textbook spanish is quite different than spoken spanish.

I learned straight from the book and everytime I speak it the response is alway "you speak that fancy spanish" or sometimes called high school spanish"

I suggest learn it formally then look at tv shows to get the real pronunciations.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Plane on July 21, 2010, 09:14:15 PM
I have a practical reason for asking.

My Wife is about to have a birthday and she wants a Spanish training computer disc.

I want one too , I may eventually learn enough Spanish to actually use some.

I have to decide whether to get the "Rosetta Stone" well advertised and convinceing immersion method.

Or the much cheaper Berlitz.

By the way....

Not long ago I told a Spanish joke.

I said "Como se desay "Loco"?"

And the Mexican person I asked this of thought it pretty funny, well.... considering my handicap , I guess.
Title: Re: Celebrititis
Post by: Xavier_Onassis on July 21, 2010, 10:20:14 PM
There are always a number of excellent computer Spanish programs available. I would go to Amazon and read the reviews written by people who have used each of them. Get a program that comes with a book, and of course, buy a Spanish-English dictionary. I have not used Rosetta Stone, and comparatively speaking it is overpriced, but it could be much better.

There is less difference between spoken everyday Mexican Spanish and textbook Spanish than there is between similar versions in both English and French. The telenovelas are either Mexican or Colombian, and are seriously overacted, but they do pronounce words correctly and intelligibly, and they are free. The woman with the long dark hair is the good person. Men with facial hair are evil. Women with blonde hair, especially short, blonde hair are almost always wicked and evil.

There is a variety show on Saturday nights called "Sabado Gigante". The host, Don Francisco is a Chilean Jew, almost as old as God, but he is a jovial sort and they do a lot of nutty things. At the end of some shows, they give away a small car. Lots of really dumb games. I have been in the studio audience. It takes four hours to film one hour of content. You might enjoy it: it is like an American show from the 1950's.