Britain's Got Talent...Audition!

Hi guys!

Haven't been on here for a while! I've been given an audition for Britain's Got Talent, and thinking about going for it, but thought you guys may be able to give me some comments!

Here is a link to a recording i've made :)

www.youtube.com/watch

Any constructive feedback or song suggestions welcome, i've just never had singing lessons or done this before so it's a bit new to me! Just hope you enjoy it!
 

YOU ARE HERE:Finding the Life You Want In The City You Live

<a target="_blank" href=""><img title="" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" src="http://www.lifeepicurean.com/wp-co…"></a> <br> <p>Over the next few weeks, <em>You Are Here</em> will explore the proto-typical urban center of the US. These articles will relate strategies and constants that are discovered and developed through surveys, interviews and experiments in the Columbus area, a noted test market. Topics will range from how to become a coffee shop regular in 2 weeks, to karaoke-ing with gusto, and plenty in between. Drawing on expertise and opinions from professionals and layman alike, <em>You Are Here</em> will give So and So a better understanding of how to find a better understanding of his city. <a target="_new" href="http://www.lifeepicurean.com/?p=29…">READ MORE HERE.</a><br></p><br><br>

Cigar 101: Selecting Your Cigar

<a target="_blank" href=""><img title="" style="border-style: none; border-width: 0px;" src="http://www.lifeepicurean.com/wp-co…"></a> <br>Finding the right cigar for you is perhaps the most essential part of getting interested in cigars. A poor choice of cigar, and someone who was previously curious about cigars will quickly have that interest extinguished. A great choice is all about setting yourself up for success. This isn’t about finding the most expensive cigar in the store, or blowing your wad on a finely aged cigar, or even selecting a big name cigar that had the flashiest ads. As the old saying goes, the proof is in the pudding, and in this instance, what performs best is what one should favor rather than what is trendy in the cigar world or in the cigar magazines. With that in mind, there are some things one should know before one spends their hard earned cash on a smoke. <a target="_new" href="http://www.lifeepicurean.com/?p=24…">READ MORE HERE.</a><br><br>
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The Party Essentials: New Year’s Eve

Now that Christmas is over, it's time to look ahead and start making plans New Years Eve.  This article may be of interest, particularly the bar section and recommended wines, both sparkling and non, for NYE festivities.  It covers all kinds of advice on hosting a successful NYE party. Here are just a few excerpts:


In the midst of winter, we find ourselves surrounded by a colder, harsher environment. The winter months drag on, and the days are shorter, and the nights longer. That said, this isn’t a reason we can’t find things to celebrate in, and no other day presents the unique opportunity to celebrate, and throw a party like none other, than New Year’s Eve. It is the end of one year, and the beginning of the next; It is the end of one chapter of our lives, and the beginning of the next. It presents to us the chance to start fresh all over again, for the sake of getting right the things we’ve previously made a wrong turn on. It’s also just a great chance to get everyone all together to celebrate and tie one on. The bars are sure to be packed, and the roads are invariably packed with psychopaths and people who have drank less than responsibly. A house party is a great way to avoid the crowd at the bar, the maniacs on the road, and still have a New Year’s eve to be proud of.

THE BAR

First and foremost, remember that beer is the number one selling adult beverage in America for a reason. Everyone will be drinking it, and while you don’t want to do keg stands and beer pong, you do want to find the best value beers that will please the crowd. Samuel Adams Winter Lager is a great, and readily available seasonal brew to stock up on, as is The Great Lakes Christmas Ale, but if you’re looking for a brew coast to coast, Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, and of course, Guinness, all suit the purpose. An important thing is also variety, so investing in a few samplers is not a bad idea either. Just remember to keep them cold, and make sure they’re cold when guests arrive.

The wine obviously begins with the bubbly, which you crack just before midnight, and pour everyone in time to toast when the ball drops. Schloss Gobelsburg Gruner Veltliner Renner is a great value priced sparkling white. Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin Yellow Label is a step up, both in price and in quality, and Perrier Jouet is a beautiful pinch hitter. Keep them cellared until a few hours till midnight, then chill them down, and pop the corks before pouring.

READ MORE


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The Other Bubblies: Prosecco and Cava


Whether it’s celebrating the New Year, birthdays, promotions, or simply life itself, we have all experienced events worth of cracking open a nice bottle of champagne. However, a quality bottle of bubbly can put quite a dent in your checkbook with popular champagne brands ranging anywhere from $50-300 dollars or more in price. With that said, there are budget friendly alternatives found in sparkling wines such as Prosecco, and Cava, for those who would like to drink well without spending a small fortune.

Although Champagne is a sparkling wine, not all sparkling wines can be considered champagne. Technically, true champagne can only come from the Champagne region in France where it was originally developed in the early 1500. The fermentation process needed in order to produce sparking wine, however, can be duplicated anywhere. For example Cava (which retails between $12-40), is predominately produced in Spain. This is a white, or pink, sparkling wine, although occasionally one can find a red cava blend. The carbon dioxide in Cava, which is what creates the bubbles and fizz, can come either from the fermentation process, or by having carbon dioxide injected into the cask. Cava is, predominantly known for the dryness of its flavor.

READ MORE

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Among Men: An Interview With CAO Regional Sales Manager Miguel Schoedel




In the world of cigars, CAO is a brand that has come to gain a lot of notoriety, for their slick marketing campaign, and wide range cigars, from more traditional styles like the Criollo, to the innovative, like the CAO Vision, and the MX2. While many purists will decry some of their smokes as “all show and no go,” that is nothing but being old fashioned according to the CAO smoker. And for the world of CAO, a big tent brand that invites everyone from CEOs to bus drivers to enjoy their smokes, the only person there is no room for is a fuddy duddy.


Miguel Schoedel, who has been with CAO for roughly 5 years, and has been a fan of their cigars longer than that, echoes much of that sentiment. We had a chance to catch up with Miguel, who offered his thoughts, and shared his passion for cigars, as a rep of the CAO brand, and simply as a cigar lover. This interview was conducted at a recent Pipe & Cigar event at Smoker’s Haven in the North Campus neighborhood of Columbus, OH.

CONTINUE READING

Article taken with permission from LifeEpicurean.com

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An Inside Look at the Bourbon Barons of Kentucky: Frederick B. Noe III of Jim Beam

Appropriately enough, we begin our Bourbon Barons series with Frederick B. Noe III, seventh generation distiller of Jim Beam Brands Co. For many, Jim Beam was their introduction into the world of bourbon – from drinking it straight, to its mixibility in shots and cocktails. Many of us can recall in our young and formidable college years when Jim Beam served as a reliable standby to take our minds off the stresses of academia, and just the stresses of life in general. Simple, sweet, and palatable.

As we grow older and our tastes mature, Jim Beam Brands too grows with us offering a wide selection of bourbons. Going down their product line, the bourbon drinker can progress from Jim Beam, to Jim Beam Black, aged 8 years at 86 proof, to Jim Beam Choice, their only charcoal filtered Bourbon, to finally Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection, boasting four of the finest and most sophisticated Bourbons on the market. I, for one, can say that Booker’s and Basil Hayden’s, both part of Jim Beam’s Small Batch Collection, are two of my absolute favorite Bourbons. If you are not yet privy, please, go out and do yourself the favor of partaking of either one of these fine, fine selections.

Currently at the reigns, and keeper of the family flame, sits Fred Noe, great grandson of the brand’s namesake, Jim Beam. He was instrumental in the creation of the Small Batch Collection in the 1990s, largely helping with promotion and selecting the batches ready for bottling. Since his father, Booker Noe’s retirement, Fred has taken over the much-venerated title Ambassador of The Small Batch Bourbon Collection. He has since gone on to become master distiller and, most recently in late 2007, was honored with the placement of his photo on the Jim Beam label alongside the six family distillers who have preceded him. With his exceptional knowledge and inheritated legacy, Fred continues to expand and reshape the brand, as well as Bourbon as a whole, into a well respected spirit the world wide.

Mr. Noe was kind enough to answer some questions we had sent him, as well as a few other well-respected Bourbon distillers, in hopes of better understanding these great men who produce great Bourbon:

Continue reading for the interview with Frederick B. Noe III of Jim Beam

 

Content taken with permission from LifeEpicurean.com


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The Final Touch: Finish Your Martini With the Perfect Garnish

The resurgence of the martini in recent years has seen many new variations, from the chocolatini to the cosmopolitan, adding a plethora of new garnishes and mixers to the mixologist’s cocktail arsenal. For purists however, a true martini consists of three simple ingredients, gin (or vodka), vermouth, and garnish. Whether you like your martini dirty, shaken, or stirred, your cocktail isn’t complete without the garnish

Traditionally, for gin martinis, or Gibsons, martini connoisseurs prefer to garnish their cocktails with a small cocktail onion. Cocktail onions are normally made from pearl onions, which are pickled in sweetened brine. The result is a slightly sweet but tangy garnish that enhances the overall flavoring and taste of the gin martini.

Perhaps the most popular martini garnish is the olive, which is a classic accompaniment to both gin and vodka martinis. In its simplest form, the martini olive is merely a pimento stuffed olive, but recently, martini olives have become much more gourmet. Although not all olives found in olive bars can be used as a garnish, some varieties, like blue cheese, or jalapeno stuffed olives, add a bit of a kick to the otherwise bland olive.

For those that prefer to enjoy the martini in its purest form, the lemon peel is the perfect garnish to top off your martini. In essence, the lemon is simply a tiny bit of lemon zest added to either a gin or vodka martini, that adds just enough flavor to take the edge off, while subtle enough to maintain the flavors of the drink.




Content taken with permission from LifeEpicurean.com

My Goatee

Hi guys - just joined here, definitely a member of the metrosexual brigade, would love to get some of your views on this!

I've been sporting a type of goatee for a little while...(yes I know I probably look like an idiot!) but actually wanted some views on facial hair and what people think looks good!

You see so many weird and wonderful designs going on - I mean some you think are ridiculous, like little tufts of hair on the chin or something, but thought it'd be good to hear some views!

So I've recorded a Vlog entry on the matter so you can see for yourself...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Cp…

And let me know what you think!

Hope you enjoy it and looking forward to hearing comments :-)