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The funny guys at JibJab have done it again.

They have teamed up with director John Landis and put together the $10,000 Great Sketch Experiment. The GSE is an idea they cooked up to find some of the best up-and-coming sketch comedy troupes around and give them a chance to be seen by a huge audience over the internet. After recieving fifty scripts from different indie comedy groups, they narrowed the field down to six finalists which John Landis then filmed.

You can see all six short comedies on JibJab and vote for your favorite. The winner will be announced on December 14th and will win a $10,000 development deal with JibJab. When you vote, you become eligible to win one of a hundred Animal House DVDs that they’ll be giving away.

JibJab has been around for a long time but they weren’t that well known. They almost lost it all when the dot com crash in 2000 put most of their advertisers out of business. They create books, toys, short animations - just about anything that fulfills their passion to make people laugh. Their big bounce back into the spotlight came with the animated short This Land that parodied the political race between George Bush and John Kerry that created an unprecedented amount of viral buzz for the company. Since then, Gregg, Evan, and the JibJab team have done a number of other politically charged animations and a lot more.

Hopefully the GSE becomes a regular event, and if not, no worries - they’re never short on brilliant and entertaining ideas.

There’s an old soul inside Josh Groban. That’s the only explanation for how, at just 25, he’s turned out a lifetime’s worth of work in the last 5 years that is rich far beyond his years. Awake, Josh Groban’s new album, is a mixture of English, Italian, and Spanish. It weaves pop and classical music into a tapestry that will leave you speechless.

It’s not often that an artist so talented a singer can also pen and produce, but he can and he does. He doesn’t need to with such producers as the mentoring David Foster, Glen Ballard, and Guy Sigsworth on board. But after touring for 2 years he’s come to know his audience. He’s ready to grow and experiment. And you’ll want to go along for the ride.

The first single You Are Loved will carry you along with all his trademark touches. Now or Never is powerful and anthemic and somehow reaches into the realm of what you would hear from Linkin Park. You’ll love the harmonies he performs with Ladysmith Black Mambazo in Lullaby (co-penned with Dave Matthews) and Weeping.

This third album has something has something for all fans old and new, whether you’re a purist or like mix it up a bit, it’s all there.

Find out more at Amazon: Josh Groban - Awake

What’s that fork for? A formal dinner setting requires more utensils than your typical TV dinner setup. It may look daunting, but it’s not if you remember some simple points.

Setting a Formal Table

Start with the charger plate. This is a large decorative plate. You want to leave this plate in place during the soup and salad courses that will sit on it to preserve the linen table cloth. You can remove the charger plate once the main course is served.

To the left of the charger plate sit the bread plate, spreader, napkin and forks. The forks are positioned an inch from the edge of the table and the handle ends should all line up at this point. The forks are arranged in order of use starting at the outside - so this would be salad fork,  and then the dinner fork. The spreading knife should lay across the bread plate which sits in front of the forks and the napkin will sit to the left of the forks.

On the right side of the plate are your knives and spoons, again in order of use from the outside in. The soup spoon is on the far right and moving towards the center are the teaspoon, the dinner knife and then the fish knife. The soup spoon may be replaced with a fruit spoon if fruit is to be served at the beginning of the meal. The teaspoon at this point is for utility more than anything else and should be removed if there is a fish knife because there should only be three utensils at most on each side of the plate. An oyster fork, if required, would sit on the outside of all the other utensils. It’s also important to have the knive’s blades facing the plate.

Above the spoon and knife cutlery sit the glasses. From the center out is the water goblet, the champagne flute, the red and then the white wine glasses - you should have only 2 of the last 3 glasses for a total of three glasses including the water goblet. Sherry or cognac are sometimes included but these drinks are usually served after the meal and away from the table, so they really should not be present.

The desert utensils are brought with the desert and both a fork and spoon are usually provided unless it is clear that a fork. A teaspoon is brought with coffee or tea after the meal. The coffee cup and saucer replace the other glasses (the water goblet may stay) on the table.

Each set of utensils should be removed as the dishes for each course are removed to prepare for the next course.

Other Dining Tips

When leaving the table during the meal, simply say “excuse me a moment”. No reason needs to be given unless someone asks. If you’re off to the washroom because that Texas chilli you had for lunch is being disagreeable then simply state “I’m fine, I’ll be right back”.

The napkin is best laid out over your lap during the meal. Curl the edge closest to you over about an inch and this allows you to wipe your fingers off under the edge without danger of soiling the draping tablecloth or your own clothes.

If you’re not entirely sure what you’re to do at a formal dining setting, create some engaging conversation with another guest and allow others to start and then pay attention.

Turn your cellphone off whether it’s with you or away from the table. The only reason to have it on and available is if you are expecting an extremely important call that everyone else is aware of, and then excuse yourself from the table to take the call when it comes.

Happy fine dining!

True colors is a personality assessment that was developed by Don Lowry. The theory behind True Colors starts all the back to the works of the The Father of Medicine, Hippocrates. More modern works on personality and temperament have been done by such notable figures as Carl Jung, the mother and daughter team of Myers-Briggs and David Kiersey. All of these people have done work that supports the theory that there are basically 4 personality types.

The four True Colors are orange, gold, blue, and green. Each one is associated with different personality traits. There are True Colors facilitators that are trained to read your colors by assessing your answers to a series of questions. There are also several books written by various True Colors trainers. You can figure out your own colors by understanding the meaning of each color (and knowing a bit about yourself!). Here’s a basic rundown of what they mean:

• Orange. This is a powerful color. People that are orange are intense. They need action. They are outgoing. They love being the center of attention. An orange would much rather be doing it than talking about it. Oranges are impulsive, competitive and very resourceful. They love physical activity and are always “on”.
• Gold. People who are gold are sure and steady. They’re responsible, organized, and dependable. You’ll find them working hard to make things more efficient. Golds like to be practical. They follow the rules and they’re both loyal and faithful.
• Green. Greens are analytical thinkers. They love solving mysteries and puzzles. They are always looking for more information to process. Greens love to observe and understand new things and always have time for deep thought and contemplation.
• Blue. If you’re a blue, you’re an emotional thinker. Blues are sensitive, aware and have a great capacity for empathy and compassion. They are very intuitive, vulnerable and value balance and harmony. Blues love peace and tranquility.

Most people have a little bit of each color in their personality. But there are usually 2 colors that form the majority of your personality. One color will be the dominant color with a second being subdominant (a lesser part of your personality). So you might be described as an Orange-green or a Blue-Gold.

True Colors is used by companies, lecturers, and counsellors to do personality assessments that help people discover their full potential. Unlocking and understanding your own personality is the key to creating success, self-esteem, and growth. And it’s fun.

Doctors Mike Roizen and Mehmet Oz are two physicians that know what they’re talking about, and more importantly, know how to talk about it. They have the great skills to be able to communicate with people in plain language, which is why they have often appeared on Oprah to share their medical wisdoms and good natured humor.

It’s no doubt then that these creators of the book You: The Owners Manual, have written a new book that shows how dieting works and how it doesn’t work. You: On A Diet educates you about you and your health and it lays out a simple program that anyone can do to lose weight. The first big thing you learn is that it’s not about the weight - it’s about your waist. Medical statistics show that women with a waist over 35 inches and men over 40 inches (measured at your belly button) have as much chance as dying at age 50 as someone who has cancer.

Even if you’re not in the danger zone and just want to learn more about getting fit and staying fit, Dr. Roizen and Dr. Oz have a lot to teach.

Their program shows how 4 simple steps and a 14 day plan can lead you to build a more active and healthier lifestyle:

1. Measure your waist. Measuring your weight is often innacurate because muscle is heavier than fat. As you replace fat with muscle it can seem as if you’re getting fatter when you’re actually getting healthier.
2. Walk 30 minutes a day. This is the easiest no-excuse form of exercise that anyone can do. Doctor Roizen and Doctor Oz also show many other simple exercises you can do without the need for a gym membership or special equipment.
3. Find a buddy. This how you can get the help and support you need. The hardest part of going for a walk is lacing up your shoes and opening the door. You: On A Diet helps you find ways to walk more during your daily routine, and shows you that a team is stronger than one person in getting results.
4. Clean out the fridge. They show you how to eat wholesome, unprocessed foods. Energy foods that give you the nutrients you need and don’t stuff you full of empty calories that leave you feeling hungry. They help you build a menu plan and a shopping list to give your body the fuel it needs.

There are so many fad diets out there. It’s refreshing to see a couple of Doctors who instead of hocking snake oil solutions, bring you the real science of dieting and make it really simple and easy to understand. Even more important, they make it easy to do.

Find out more at Amazon: You: On A Diet

The idea behind the classic shape for eyebrows is to frame your eyes with grace and symmetry. They draw attention to your eyes and make them sparkle without being over-bearing. So, if you’re not sure what to do with those caterpillars on your forehead, if you’ve been over-tweezed, or if you want to make a small style change, then follow these helpful tips.

Beauty finds itself entwined with the science of symmetrical geometry … but the math is pretty simple, so don’t worry. Obviously, one thing you want to have for great looking eyebrows is two that are shaped the same. The best place to start is with eyebrows that haven’t been tweezed. If you’ve over-tweezed, then you might not have much to work with and might want to let them grow out a bit so that you have more to work with in reshaping your classic brows.

Tweezing Tips

First, there are some basic things about tweezing your eyebrows that you should know:

• Sterilize your tweezers with peroxide or at least wash them well with antibacterial soap. It’s a good idea to sterilize your brow brush as well.
• Wash your eye area gently but thoroughly. Do not put cream or anything around the area as it could cause infection. If your eye area begins to swell while tweezing then stop immediately
• Brush your brows straight up so you can find the bottom line. You want to tweeze below the main brow line, not above it
• Tweeze one hair at a time
• Always start at the beginning of the brow and tweeze outward. Tweeze in rows and alternate brows as you go; tweeze one row from the right brow, then one from the left. Brush them constantly so you can see how you’re doing
• Grab the hair as close to the base as possible. This is where it is thickest and less likely to break. Tweeze in the direction the hair grows with one fast, smooth motion
• Don’t get carried away. you want to be conservative with how much you tweeze.
• Chickens are plucked - eyebrows are tweezed!

Shaping the Classic Brow

You can see in the picture a number of guidelines. You don’t have to draw these lines on your face to figure this out. Just use your brow brush as a straight ruler to roughly see where you need to do some shaping. There are some tricks to shaping eyebrows if you have close-set eyes, wide-set eyes, a tall forehead, or whatever - that’s for another article. Right now, let’s just concentrate on creating the basic classic brow.

Here are the basics, and there are 4 key things to know:

1. The brow starts (line D) a little bit in towards the center of your face from the corner of your eye. It ends at line F, which is roughly a 45 degree angle that starts at the brow beginning and runs alongside the outside edge of your eye. Use your brush to estimate this.
2. The bottom of the brow (line B) is at the same height as the top of your eyelid. Both ends of the brow should be at roughly the same height, with the tail end perhaps a little higher.
3. Your eyebrow’s arch (line E) should be in line with the outside of your iris (the colored part of your eye) when you’re looking straight ahead.
4. Your brow height (line B to line C) should be about the same height as from the top of your eyelid to the bottom half of your iris (line A to line B). Another way to look at this is while looking straight ahead with your eyes open normally, the height of your eyelid should be about half the height of your eyebrow.

That’s it! Follow the basic rules for shaping a classic brow and, whether you’re 4-wheeling in the bush or strolling along the red carpet, you’ll be wearing a little bit of that timeless head-turning look at all times.

Pixar, the animation geniuses, have done it again. You might seen some of their other hit movies; Toy Story, Monsters Inc., and A Bug’s Life. While other animation studios have had the odd flop, they just don’t know how to make a bad movie. This is why Disney bought Pixar after their contract to work together expired.

The key to Pixar’s success is in the research they do and their attention to detail with the characters they create. The creators took their own journey along the classic Route 66 Highway where they found real inspiration for characters like the movie’s rundown towtruck ‘Tow Mater’ voiced by Larry, The Cable Guy.

Cars follows the adventures of a rookie race car named Lightning McQueen (after Steve McQueen, best known for his racecar enthusiasm and his classic car chase in the movie Bullitt). Lightning finds himself trapped to doing community service in Radiator Springs, a small town on Route 66, after wandering off the Interstate and accidentally tearing up the town on the way to his next big race for the Piston Cup. The little town and all it’s cars change Lightning (Owen Wilson) as he earns the nickname Stickers from his Porshe love interest, and learns that life is not just about the destination, but more importantly, the journey.

Route 66 stretches from Chicago to Los Angeles and is part of the old highway system. Many small towns were practically abandoned after the old highways were replaced by the Interstate Highway System. Route 66 has since become designated a National Scenic Byway, and the Mother Road is now one of the greatest life-is-a-highway destinations around.

Next time you travel between Chicago and LA, take your time along route 66 and forget about your destination for a while. It’s all about the journey anyway.

Find out more at Amazon: Cars - with Owen Wilson

You’ve heard the old fairytale … the princess kisses the frog and the frog turns into a handsome prince. Well sometimes, the frog is just a frog.

How do you figure this out? Easy. Give your frog, I mean guy, a chivalry test. Now you won’t find too many guys thowing their coats down over a mud puddle so you can walk over it without getting your shoes dirty. That sort of went out of style with dirt roads thanks to pavement. You will find lots of other things though. Hopefully.

The Questions

1. You get flowers for no reason. Or a CD you were talking about. Maybe he throws together a gourmet dinner out of the blue. Nothing big, just little surprises that always put a smile on your face.
2. He opens the door for you. Not that you can’t do it, but he always seems to be there first.
3. He carries stuff for you. If you have three big bags that you’re struggling with, he’ll grab two of them.
4. Words like please and thankyou are not foreign to him.
5. Understanding time is easy for him. If he says he will call or show up at a certain time, he does. If he’s late, it’s because he stopped along the way to rescue three kittens and an old lady from a burning building.
6. Even though the TV is blaring, he still listens to every word you say, and responds. If he turns it off because he would rather have a conversation, add two points.
7. The adventures he takes you on include things that are interesting to you too. Maybe he has some favorite things to do, but once in awhile, if not often, he likes to do something different.
8. He doesn’t just act chivalrous when other people are around or when he’s told or when he knows he’s in the doghouse. He does it just because that’s who he is.
9. Bonus question! He throws his coat down over mud puddles so you can walk over them without getting your shoes dirty.

Each question is worth 1 point if you answered yes. Question number six could be worth up to 2 points. Add up all the points and see whether you have a frog or a prince.

The Scoring

0 to 2 points - No prince here, just a regular frog
3 to 6 points - If you try really hard, you could turn this frog into a prince.
7 to 9 points - Yep, you found a prince!
10 points - This prince will be king one day

Check out Fashion18. They have sections for fashion, beauty, and trends. You’ll also find lots of fun polls, contests and a chat forum.

It used to be that traditional media companies like magazines would put up a basic site on the web but reserve the best content for their print publications - but that’s changing. In keeping with the trends in new media, you’ll find lots of online-only features at Fashion18. There are more and more great websites being built by magazines and newspapers all the time. And just think of all the trees you’re saving!

Are you a confident dater? If so, that’s too bad because being a little nervous always brings more excitement - and it’s perfectly natural. Of course, if you find yourself hyperventilating into a paper bag and forgetting your own name then it’s time to pull it together. It’s time to stop worrying about being too-much-this or not-enough-that because truthfully, your date is just as nervous as you are. They just might be better at not letting it show.

Here are the 5 rules for defeating dating anxiety:

1. Have an exit strategy. Especially on blind dates because, just like a box of chocolates … you never know what you’re going to get. Know the 5 Rules for getting out of a bad date.
2. Stop. Now breath. Anxiety is like the tide. Once it starts coming, the waves keep rolling in, and once it starts to recede, it keeps going out. The difference is, you can’t stop the tide from coming in. If you’re running around before your date arrives and everything is going wrong then don’t keep doing that. Just stop. Breath. Let the tide go out. Relax or meditate for ten minutes and you’ll find the fresh perspective you need.
3. The 2 second rule. If you’ve already met your date, then the hard part is already over. As Malcolm Gladwell wrote in his book Blink, people get their first impressions of each other in as little as 2 seconds. You’ve already made your first impression. So if you’ve got a date, it was a good one. Be yourself and there isn’t too much that can go wrong. If you’re meeting this person for the first time … well, that’s what your exit strategy is for.
4. Communicate. Tell your date that you’re a little nervous and they should expect you to act like a monkey-butt. A little truth and comedy goes a long way.
5. Laugh later. Very few things in life are so important that you can’t laugh about them later. In fact, a lot of happy marriages started with a dating disaster. And no matter how sour a date goes, you always learn something about dating, about people, and about yourself. Plus, you have a story to tell and your friends will be there to support you and laugh with you at all of it.

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