MOVIE TRAILER - Cinema Excentris in Montreal Presents Tony Asimakopoulos' "Fortunate Son"

Cinema Excentris (3536 St-Laurent Boulevard, Montreal) presents "Fortunate Son", a documentary from director Tony Asimakopoulos ("RIP: A Remix Manifesto", 2009) on his battle with depression and on the importance of his Greek heritage. He presents to the public his parents, his girlfriend and himself, and creates through them a psychological and intimate portrait of his life. This feature will be showing from June 1st to 3rd!

For more info:
Cinéma Excentris - (514) 847-2206
3536, Boul. St-Laurent, Montréal, QC
H2X 2V1
http://cinemaexcentris.com

SUNDAY AT THE MOVIES - "Hacking" Democracy

When you can't control the Politicians or the voters, then you control the counting!

The documentary, first broadcast on HBO and exposes the dangers of voting machines used during America's mid term and presidential elections. Electronic voting machines count approximately 90% of America's votes in county, state and federal elections. This is a very interesting documentary that must be a mandatory material for every school course in social studies, every computer science college degree , and in general for anybody who sincerely cares about democracy. Watch this movie, and then tell me if you can come up with any other, or better, solution than to hand count, and recount, paper ballots marked with indelible ink, and posted in plain view of a watchful public. I'm all ears while waiting for any and all answers. If you come to the conclusion I have, then just perhaps your children, and their children's children's kids, just for starters, will thank you...... "Hacking Democracy" was Executive Produced by Sarah Teale & Sian Edwards of Teale-Edwards Productions LLC

Ref
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0808532/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacking_Democracy
http://www.blackboxvoting.org/
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2006/10/evoting.ars
http://www.wanttoknow.info/electionsvideodocumentary

Julia Roberts Purchases Home On The Island Of Patmos

When her honeymoon on the island of Santorini and Patmos ended in 2011 Oscar winning actress Julia Roberts returned to Los Angeles enchanted, and quickly made arrangements with a Greek-American realtor to purchase a home on the Holy Island. According to the newspaper proto thema, after scanning the market on Patmos for a while, she finally found a luxury home that simply stole her heart. The two storey home is 200 square meters big and apparently has a breathtaking view of the holy monastery and the Aegean sea. It is constructed out of stone, and built in traditional manner, while it comes equipped with three large bedrooms, a living room, two bathrooms as well as a fireplace. Oh... and a price tag of a whopping 900,000 euros!

Vidal Sassoon Was Of Greek Decent

Vidal Sassoon, who died at his home in Los Angeles on Wednesday at the age of 84 was of Greek decent. Sassoon (17 January 1928 – 9 May 2012) was an English hairdresser, and credited with creating geometric, "Bauhaus-inspired" hair styles, otherwise know as the "bob". Sassoon might have been born in Hammersmith, London from Jewish parents, but his mother, Betty (Bellin), came from a family of immigrants from Ukraine, and his father, Nathan Sassoon, was a prominent member of the Jewish community in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Tom Jones Wants 1mln To Appear In Greece!

Tom Jones has many fans in Greece, but following a report in the Espresso newspaper we are not quite sure how many will remain true to him. The report said that Greek concert organizers contacted his people about putting together a concert in Athens at the Karaiskaki stadium sometime in July, and were shocked and dismayed when they were told that Tom Jones wanted one million euros in order to do it!

Excuse us Mr. Tom Jones... but have you been watching the news over the last two years?

Don't you know our country is suffering from an economic crisis?

Too bad... it would have been an incredible concert, but maintaining your ritzy lifestyle Mr. Jones at the expense of people who are suffering is really not our thing and more so... it is not right.

Woody Allen on Skiathos To Scout Island For New Movie

Award winning producer and actor Woody Allen is in Greece and scouting the Sporades islands to find idyllic scenes for his upcoming new movie. The buzz in the entertainment world says that Allen is currently on the island of Skiathos, otherwise known as the island where the movie "Mama Mia" was filmed. He apparently flew to Greece with his associates on a private jet and is presently staying at a luxury hotel on the island. After scanning the island and mapping out his upcoming new movie he took a walk in the main town and in Koukounaries where a multitude of people approached him to ask him for his autograph as well as welcome him to Greece. This will only be a short visit for Woody Allen, but he will return in September to begin shooting the new movie!

Harrison Ford Visits Island Of Syros

 
Residents of Syros island were stunned when they saw the star of Indiana Jones, Harrison Ford, strolling around the backstreets of the island. The famous actor is presently in Greece and enjoying some intense R&R as well as familiarizing himself with one of the most beautiful islands in the Aegean.

According to a report on the STAR television channel Harrison Ford was in the main town of Hermoupolis in the company of a Greek guide and he showed amazement over the history of the Cycladean capital as well as its neoclassical architecture.

This is not Harrison Ford's first visit to Greece, since he has repeatedly said that he loves the Greek islands. That is one of the reasons he keeps on coming back for a visit every now and then.

Jennefier Aniston To Get Married on Crete

According to a report on E-nikos, Jennifer Aniston is planning to marry her boyfriend Justin Therouxin a secret wedding on Crete this June. The report, which was quoting a report from the TMZ site claims that the couple has booked the Elounda Beach Hotel for the lavish affair. Aniston met and apparently fell in love with Theroux, while making Wanderlust in rural Georgia in 2010.

According to the report, Jennifer is not going to remain at the hotel since she still has very strong links to Greece, and especially to Crete, since her father John Aniston (or rather Gianis Anastasakis) was born there. In fact Jennifer lived here for at least a year with her family when she was a toddler.

E-nikos apparently contacted the hotel, but they denied the report, and maybe they did this so as to keep the affair hush hush. We do know that the former star of "Friends" was in Greece recently scouting the island for a suitable location during a recent visit and certainly the Elounda Beach Hotel is one such place.

In any case... we wish the happy couple much love and happiness.

Athina Onassis To Sell Island Of Skorpios

The private market for small islands in Greece is not new, since over the years they have been purchased by financial magnates and the super rich of the Jet-set world. However, the debt crisis has apparently also soured the super wealthy, or the owners of these islands, who are now being squeezed to pay up or ship out from all the tax increases so they have decided to sell their small little paradise to the best buyer.

Unfortunately such is the case on Skorpios. The island which in the 1960s hosted the world's Jet-Set community was bought by famous ship-owner Aristotle Onassis for 15 million US dollars.  But today Artistotle's granddaughter, Athina Onassis, is doing everything in her power to rid herself of the island.

In the past she had asked for 200 million US dollars and there were rumors that Microsoft's Bill Gates was interested in this investment, while later other reports said that Giorgio Armani was also willing to buy it for 150 million euros.

Luckily, she has not been able to sell the island as of yet and this is because Aristotle Onassis had placed a clause in his will in the case of Skorpio island which stated that unless the island becomes impossible to maintain it, then it has to remain in the hands of the person who inherited it (at the time it was his daughter Christina). Thank the heavens Aristotle did this, because he and all the other members of his family -including Athina Onasis' mother Christina - are buried there.

Athina, on the other hand, who has never associated herself with Greece or has shown any interest in uncovering her Greek roots is trying every trick in the book to rid herself of this island. Some reports claim that her lawyers are looking into ways of by-passing this clause and leasing out the island for a period of 99 years so as to escape the heavy taxation.

Today she lives in a posh neighborhood outside of Brussels, in one of the most elegant homes in that area. She and her husband Alvaro apparently fled from Brazil, where the super rich usually fall victim to kidnappings. 

Another case involves the island of Oxia, which is owned by the Greek-Australia Stamoulis family. The island is situated in the Ionian Sea, 38 miles from Ithaca (Odysseus' legendary home) and is quite frankly a nature reserve, but there is a small part of the island that can be used for construction or commercial purposes. The Stamoulis family had initially set the price at 7 million euros but apparently sold it -or is just about to sell it- to an Emir from Qatar for 6 million euros.

Did Singer Efi Sarri Join A Convent?

Did sexy singer Efi Sari retire to a convent and become a nun? According to the an interview she gave to the "Phileleftheros" newspaper and "DownTown Cyprus" she did, and said she arrived at this decision because she wanted to finally gain some peace in her life as well as come closer to God. Of course this was not permanent, but rather a temporary retreat so that she could get a better focus on things. Once the news got out, STAR channel's "Apogevmatino Meleti" show with journalist Eleonora Meleti interviewed her on camera where she revealed that she only stayed at the convent for 20 days thus putting an end to the rumors that wanted her to be dubbed as a nun, while she spoke of the real reasons that prompted her to take this decision. Sari said that the criticism she has received -by the media- was depressing to her and that she was not able to handle it any more. She spoke about her experience at the convent, revealed that her real name is "Ifigenia", while she underlined that she was not planning to return permanently. 

(Editor's Note - Nice marketing Efi... Anything to get the attention of the media! Koritsi mou... when you sing "Afrikane.. Afrikane... with a "focus" on a "brother's" family jewels what do you expect people to say? When you sing "Stavroste Me... Stavroste Me..." in order to get into politics with George Karatzaferis' LAOS party and then when you don't because the media thought it was tacky... what do you expect people to say? IT WAS TACKY. And finally when you wear "asthma" skirts and dresses that have to be pulled down with every breath WHAT THE HELL do you expect people to say? Unfair? Give us a break!)

Αναλυτικά η συνέντευξη στο «Down Town Κύπρου» της εφημερίδας «Ο Φιλελεύθερος»:

Τι σε οδήγησε στον μοναχισμό, Έφη;
Να πάρουμε τα πράγματα από την αρχή: Από την παιδική μου ηλικία το θείο ήταν αναπόσπαστο κομμάτι της ζωής μου, πηγαίναμε συχνά στην εκκλησία με τους γονείς μου και, μέχρι την εφηβεία μου, νήστευα, προσευχόμουνα, πήγαινα σε ιερέα ο οποίος ήταν ο πνευματικός μου- ήταν επίσης εκείνος με τον οποίο μελετούσαμε τα θεία συγγράμματα στο κατηχητικό- και έκανα συχνά εξομολόγηση. Στη συνέχεια, λόγω της ενασχόλησής μου με το τραγούδι, τα πράγματα άλλαξαν κάπως. Αλλά μόνο φαινομενικά. Γιατί, αν και δεν πήγαινα τόσο συχνά στην εκκλησία λόγω της δουλειάς μου, πάντα μέσα στο καμαρίνι μου βρισκόταν μία εικόνα της Παναγίας- η οποία κατά κάποιο τρόπο θεωρώ ότι με προστατεύει από τις κακοτοπιές- κι έτσι ένιωθα ότι κάποιος, κάπου εκεί ψηλά, με βλέπει και με προσέχει.

-Τι εννοείς; Βαφόσουν για να βγεις στην πίστα και να τραγουδήσεις «στα κρεβάτια τα ξένα θα ονειρεύεσαι εμένα!» και ταυτόχρονα άναβες καντηλάκι;
Γιατί; Που είναι το παράξενο; Ο αναμάρτητος πρώτος το λίθο βαλέτω. Ποιος θα με κρίνει; Το ένα το έκανα για την επιβίωση μου και το άλλο για την ψυχή μου. Βέβαια ήμουν πολύ προσεκτική σ' αυτά, γιατί δεν ήθελα ο καθένας μέσα στα μαγαζιά που τραγουδούσα να λέει το μακρύ του και το κοντό του για την πίστη μου και να με λοιδορεί.

-Από το να πιστεύεις, όμως, στο Θεό και στους Αγίους μέχρι να φτάσεις να κλειστείς σε μοναστήρι, έχει πολύ μεγάλη απόσταση.
Συμφωνώ. Όταν, όμως, σε μία περίοδο ιδιαίτερα δύσκολη για μένα, έπεσαν στα χέρια μου τα συγγράμματα της Μοναχής Γαβιηλίας που μου εμπιστεύτηκε μία συνάδελφός μου- πολύ διάσημη τραγουδίστρια, με επιτυχίες του Φοίβου στο ενεργητικό της, αλλά δεν θα αναφέρω δημόσια το όνομά της-, αισθάνθηκα ότι τα λόγια της και η «ασκητική της αγάπης» της, ήταν η ελπίδα που έψαχνα ανακαλύπτοντας έκπληκτη ότι βρισκόταν μόνο κοντά σε αληθινά ενάρετους ανθρώπους.

-Αυτό πότε συνέβη, Έφη;
Πριν από τέσσερα περίπου χρόνια, όταν ο Λάκης Λαζόπουλος ξεκίνησε να με ειρωνεύεται μέσα από την εκπομπή του, να κάνει όλα αυτά τα αίσχη εναντίον μου, να μου βιάζει την ψυχή. Ήταν η στιγμή εκείνη που πήρα από μόνη μου τηλέφωνο ένα βράδυ σε γυναικείο μοναστήρι, στην ευρύτερη περιοχή των ανατολικών προαστίων της Αθήνας, μίλησα με την Ηγουμένη, της είπα ποια είμαι- φυσικά με γνώριζε- και μου ανέφερε ότι «ο δρόμος του Θεού είναι ανοιχτός για όλο τον κόσμο». Και μόνο από τη φωνή της στο ακουστικό, εγώ είχα γαληνέψει.

-Και τότε πήγες τελικά σε μοναστήρι;
Για τέσσερις περίπου εβδομάδες εγώ πήγαινα κάθε απόγευμα σχεδόν στο συγκεκριμένο μοναστήρι και προσευχόμουν. Είχα μιλήσει με κάποιες μοναχές εκεί- μία μάλιστα από αυτές έκανε παλιά φωνητικά και στο cd που είχα βγάλει με τον Καρβέλα, ήταν πολύ χαρακτηριστική η φωνή της στο «Θέλεις να φύγεις από μένα; Αδύνατον!»- και σιγά σιγά, μέρα με τη μέρα, ξεκίνησα να νιώθω ότι το μοναστήρι ήταν το δεύτερό μου σπίτι. Τότε θυμάμαι ότι πήγαινα ταυτόχρονα καθημερινά σε ψυχολόγο- είχα διάφορα ψυχοσωματικά λόγω της λάσπης που μου έριχνε ο Λαζόπουλος- και ο χώρος του μοναστηριού έγινε το καταφύγιό μου. Σαν να ήμουν στο φυσικό μου πεδίο. Έτσι αισθανόμουν.

-Τον μοναχισμό πότε τον ασπάστηκες;
Δύο μήνες μετά και αφού είχα απελπιστεί πια από τα εγκόσμια, είπα στον εαυτό μου «Έφη, τώρα είναι η στιγμή να πραγματοποιήσεις το μεγάλο βήμα στη ζωή σου, να κάνεις το άλμα και την υπέρβαση». Κοίταξα για λίγη ώρα τα ωραία μου φορέματα που είχα μέσα στην ντουλάπα μου, έριξα μια ματιά στους χρυσούς μου δίσκους, θυμήθηκα την κουβέντα μίας μοναχής που με έκανε να ντραπώ λέγοντάς μου «το "Γυμνός μες στην Ελλάδα" δεν έπρεπε να το πεις!», χαμογέλασα γλυκά, σκέφτηκα όλα τα μικρά αμαρτήματα που έχω κάνει κατά καιρούς, τους ανθρώπους που άθελά μου έχω αδικήσει, θεώρησα πως τώρα ίσως να τιμωρούμαι για όλα τα αθώα σφάλματά μου και έλαβα την μεγάλη απόφαση. Πήρα τηλέφωνο την Ηγουμένη, της ανακοίνωσα την βαθιά μου επιθυμία και με παρέπεμψε σε μία άλλη μοναχή η οποία διεύθυνε ένα καινούργιο μοναστήρι, αρκετά χιλιόμετρα έξω από την Αθήνα. Κλείδωσα το σπίτι, πήρα μόνο ένα βαλιτσάκι με κάποια απαραίτητα και κάλεσα ένα φίλο μου ο οποίος με πήγε κατευθείαν εκεί.

-Ως δόκιμη μοναχή;
Ακριβώς. Όλες οι μοναχές που βρίσκονταν εκεί- καμιά εικοσαριά- με καλοδέχτηκαν, με φρόντισαν, μου έδωσαν να διαβάσω αποσπάσματα από την Αγία Γραφή παραπέμποντας με σε συγκεκριμένα χωρία, ενώ θυμάμαι πως η Ηγουμένη- μία Άγια γυναίκα, χωρίς υπερβολή- με είχε βάλει να μάθω απέξω την Β' Επιστολή προς Κορινθίους του Αποστόλου Παύλου, λέγοντάς μου πως αυτά τα λόγια θα πρέπει να γίνουν οδηγός μου στη ζωή. Μάλιστα, επειδή ήταν έξυπνη γυναίκα και διέθετε υψηλό χιούμορ, θυμάμαι ότι μου είχε πει χαρακτηριστικά: «Με τον ίδιο τρόπο που αποστήθιζες τα τραγούδια σου, έτσι θα το μάθεις κι αυτό!».

-Και από εκείνη τη μέρα συμμετείχες κανονικά στη μοναστηριακή ζωή;
Κανονικότατα! Το επόμενο κιόλας πρωί σηκώθηκα από τις 5:00 για να πάω στον όρθρο. Θραύση έκανα στη λειτουργία! Κάθισα πίσω από ένα στασίδι, άνοιξα κι εγώ το βιβλίο με την λειτουργία της ημέρας και συμμετείχα μαζί με τις αδελφές μου στους ψαλμούς. Τελικά, τίποτα δεν πάει χαμένο. Η φωνή μου ξεχώριζε απ όλες. Όλες μου έδωσαν τα συγχαρητήριά τους. Στη συνέχεια, πήγα μαζί με μία αδελφή- η οποία ήταν κατά κάποιο τρόπο η υπεύθυνη μου στο Μοναστήρι, μέχρι να θεωρηθώ κανονική Μοναχή- σε ένα μεγάλο χωράφι, το οποίο, όπως μου ανέφερε η αδελφή, ανήκε εδώ και πολλά χρόνια στη Μονή, για να μαζέψουμε ελιές. Δεν σου κρύβω ότι με δυσκόλεψε λίγο αυτό, γιατί ποτέ στη ζωή μου δεν είχα κάνει κάτι τέτοιο. Αλλά, μπροστά στη σωτηρία που αισθανόμουν σκεπτόμενη τα αιχμηρά δόντια του τηλεοπτικού δυνάστη μου, αυτό δεν ήταν τίποτα.

-Με τα ράσα δεν δυσκολευόσουν;
Αρκετά. Κυρίως, γιατί ήταν Καλοκαίρι, Ιούνιος μήνας, και εγώ ίδρωνα πολύ, ενώ μέχρι τότε είχα συνηθίσει να κυκλοφορώ με τα μίνι μου για να παίρνουν τα πόδια μου αέρα. Παρόλα αυτά, το υπέμενα κι αυτό γιατί ήταν μέρος της δοκιμασίας.

-Και μπορούσες να ξυπνάς κάθε μέρα στις 5, όταν για πολλά χρόνια εκείνη την ώρα εσύ πήγαινες κανονικά για ύπνο;
Βεβαιότατα! Δειπνούσαμε κατά τις 8- συνήθως ψωμί, ελιές, χόρτα- αμέσως μετά κάναμε την προσευχή μας και κοιμόμασταν στα κελιά μας. Άλλος κόσμος!

-Οι άλλες μοναχές τι σου έλεγαν; Ήξεραν ποια είσαι;
Όλες με αναγνώρισαν! Από την πρώτη στιγμή. Δεν σου κρύβω ότι κάποιες από αυτές υπήρξαν δύσπιστες απέναντί μου, κάποιες είχα ακούσει να λένε ότι «οι καλλιτέχνιδες δεν ταιριάζουν στον Οίκο του Θεού», αλλά η μεγάλη πλειοψηφία με είχε δεχτεί με πολύ μεγάλη αγάπη.

-Και γιατί δεν έμεινες τελικά στο μοναστήρι;
Σε μία συζήτηση που είχαμε κάνει με την Ηγουμένη, μου είπε ότι θα πρέπει να παλέψω και να συναλλαγώ με τον κόσμο, ότι το Μοναστήρι θα ήταν πάντα εκεί για μένα, αλλά εγώ θα πρέπει να βρω το δρόμο μου σε αυτό που με πλήγωνε ανάμεσα στους ανθρώπους και να το λύσω. Πως η Μονή ήταν παρηγοριά για όσα ζούσα, αλλά δεν θα μπορούσε να γίνει η λύση της ζωής μου. Ήδη βρισκόμουν εκεί για περίπου 20 μέρες και, στη συνέχεια, μάζεψα τα πράγματά μου από το μικρό κελί που μοιραζόμουν με μία άλλη δόκιμη και επέστρεψα στο σπίτι μου στον Άλιμο.

-Θες να μου πεις ότι όλο αυτό το έζησες λόγω μίας σατιρικής εκπομπής;
Ο συγκεκριμένος άνθρωπος μου τσαλαπάτησε την ψυχή με το «χιούμορ» του. Η Μονή ήταν η Ανάστασή μου.

-Σου έκανε καλό τελικά η παραμονή σου στο Μοναστήρι;
Πολύ. Νομίζω ότι είμαι μία άλλη Έφη τώρα. Η επαφή μου με τα θεία με βοήθησε να διαχωρίσω πολλά πράγματα μέσα μου, να ξεχωρίσω τους ανθρώπους, να τους κατηγοριοποιήσω και αυτό που προσπαθώ να κάνω τώρα είναι και το να συγχωρώ. Ακόμη και εκείνους που με έχουν πληγώσει βαθιά.

-Μήπως το Μοναστήρι ήταν απλά μία λύση ανάγκης της στιγμής και όχι κάτι βαθύτερο;
Υπάρχει μέτρο που να μετράει την πίστη και να μην το ξέρω; Το λέει και ο ίδιος ο Χριστός: «όποιος θέλει οπίσω μου ελθεί». Και «Μακάριοι οι πεινώντες και διψώντες».

-Εσύ τι από τα δύο ήσουνα;
Διψούσα για κατανόηση. Για έναν γαλήνιο ακροατή στα προβλήματα που αντιμετώπιζα εκείνη την περίοδο. Και τον βρήκα στις Αδελφές Μοναχές. Το επόμενο μου cd θα παραπέμπει σε όλη αυτή τη συγκλονιστική εμπειρία που βίωσα.

-Θα ερμηνεύσεις ψαλμούς δηλαδή;
Θα είναι ένας συνδυασμός εκκλησιαστικών ύμνων με παλιά μου συγκλονιστικά σουξέ. Δεν μπορώ να πω περισσότερα γι αυτό.

-Γιατί αποφάσισες να δημοσιοποιήσεις τώρα όλο αυτό που έζησες;
Εξαιτίας όλων αυτών που ζει τώρα η Ελλάδα, αλλά και λόγω των ημερών του Πάσχα, ήθελα να δώσω κι εγώ ένα παράδειγμα σε όλο τον κόσμο: Ότι η αγάπη και η πίστη σώζουν. Στο λέω εγώ που δεν μου είχε λείψει ποτέ το οτιδήποτε στη ζωή μου. Γιατί πάντα είχα μοιραίους έρωτες, άντρες νέους και γεροδεμένους πεσμένους στα πόδια μου να με παρακαλάνε για ένα μου άγγιγμα φευγαλέο, λεφτά, δημοσιότητα, απροσμέτρητες επιτυχίες. Κι όμως. Αρκούσε ο κακός λόγος ενός ανθρώπου για να με απορυθμίσει και να μου πει πως ό,τι κι αν είχα κερδίσει όλα αυτά τα χρόνια που βρίσκομαι ανάμεσα στις κορυφαίες τραγουδίστριες του ελληνικού λαϊκού τραγουδιού, ήταν όλα πράγματα του αέρα. Χωρίς πίστη ήμουν ένα τίποτα. Τώρα ξέρω. Δεν είμαι πια η Έφη που γνωρίζατε- η ζωή μου έχει χωριστεί πια σε προ Μοναστηριού και μετά Μοναστηριού. Και, πίστεψέ με, η δεύτερη αυτή εποχή, είναι σαφώς ευτυχέστερη από την πρώτη.

πηγη

Poulopoulos Rushed To Hospital For Surgery

Popular singer and performer Giannis Poulopoulos was apparently rushed to the "Ygeia" hospital on Tuesday where an emergency operation was held immediately on his eyes, which are said to suffering from a very heavy case of glaucoma. Apparently, the news was kept hidden from public scrutiny and he is now fighting to maintain his vision. "Eyes do not change color, but they do not see well" his wife Betty Poulopoulou told the Espresso newspaper, adding that her husband has been suffering from this condition for a while now. Presently his condition is improving steadily but is still considered very, very serious. His wife told the newspaper that the singer has been suffering from this condition for a while now and it has been a great struggle for him.

 (Kali Anarosi Gianni...)

VIDEO REPORT - Georgiadis & Manolidou Get Whipped With Food By Protestors

Talk about a mess! Parliamentarian Adonis Georgiadis (formerly with the LAOS party and now with New Democracy) and his wife Evgenia Manolidou decided to go for a coffee last Holy Thursday, following liturgy, at a chic little cafe in Nea Philadelphia in northern Athens.Little did they know that they would be met with a roaring crowd which reacted very negatively when they spotted them. The scene became so intense at one point that the protesters grabbed everything in site and began whipping it at the couple so they could leave. Items such as ketchup, mustard, sweets, yogurts and everything imaginable were flying through the air making their way smack on Georgiadis' jacket and Manolidou's perfect hair. The situation became so intense that even the other parliamentarians accompanying the couple got a free food mask as well. This is just one more incident of many... showing how angry citizens in Greece are with the leaders of this country. Yuk...

VIDEO REPORT - Roberto Benigni Says The World Owes Much To Greece

Italy's Oscar award winning actor Roberto Benigni says "its not Greece who owes.the world, but the whole world, and Europe, owes to Greece!". The Italian movie star and director on Wednesday evening was appointed as Honorary Member of the Department of Italian Language and Literature at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. After receiving his title, Benigni climbed on the benches and said in Greek: "Hello my dear friends. I want to kiss you all in the mouth. The Oscar-winning actor of "Life is Beautiful," is not alone. Intellectuals, politicians, private citizens from all over Europe and around the world challenge the austerity recipe that condemned Greece and its people to poverty. From left to right the voices who stand in solidarity to Greece and its people are increasing. And this is not only because of our nation's historical and cultural worth, which were cited by Benigni, but also because the world is coming to realize that Greece was the laboratory rat for a new type of new world order.

SEXY Tonia Sotiropoulou To Star In New James Bond Film

The producers of the upcoming new James Bond flick "SKyfall" chose hot Greek actresses Tonia Sotiropoulou to star alongside our English master spy, the filming of which is scheduled to begin later on this month in Turkey. Greek press reports said that Tonia will go to Constantinopole in the third week of April to begin filming. The movie will be the first James Bond film in IMAX ever and is due to be released this autumn. Originally, our Greek beauty had auditioned for the role of Sévérine in August against a lot of other contenders, but lost out to French actress Bérénice Marlohe. The Back Door Management Agency which represents her then resubmitted Tonia's resume for consideration after the casting director suggested they could find another role for her. It worked, and soon after she auditioned again and met with director Sam Mendes at Pinewood Studios to talk about the scene, when he told her she had landed the part. Good luck sexy Tonia... (lucky girl!!!)

Skyfall is the First James Bond Movie in IMAX από ClevverMovies

VIDEO REPORT - Paparizoy Favorite Of Sweden's Dancing With The Stars

Greek-Swedish pop star Elena Paparizoy might not be living in Greece anymore, but she is dancing up a storm back in her home country of Sweden where she is currently taking place in the famed "Let's Dance" show (Swedish version of Dancing With The Stars). Elena is doing so well, that betting companies have placed her in the lead. Judging by her latest performance this past week it looks like Elena is definitely Cha-Cha-ing her way to the winner's table. "You are the One" Elena, "You are (our) Number One." Make us proud!

Montreal Made PSEUDOCRACY

Are Greeks the incarnation of corruption? Are all Greek people lazy and unwilling to pay their taxes? Did negative comments such as "the sinking titanic", or the "country of full of corruption" or even "we ate it all" (Theodore Pangalos' μαζι τα φαγαμε) have negative repercussions in the way foreigners now view our country? According to a new short film titled "Pseudocracy" the Greek crisis not only devastating long-term effects on the Greek citizens, but embedded a negative image full of stereotypes into the minds of millions of people in the way they view and feel about Greece and its people. The Montreal-made film that was written and directed by Philippos Balabanos (with some help on the screenplay by Peter James) was created for the Greek American Film & Foto Week: 48-hr film festival, and it is is centered around the festivals theme of that focuses on the perception of contemporary Greece as described by Plato in his allegory of the cave. The movie was produced by Phos Films & Carpe Noctem Pictures, and is due to be released to the public in April, 2012. It stars Peter James, Joanna Chery, Angelis Sarbanis, Philippos Balabanos.

Hellasfrappe was privileged to have had a special screening and after viewing the short film we can definitely give it a thumbs up! Way To Go Montreal!

For more info please visit www.balabanos.co

Eurovision: Anna Vissi Announces Outcome Of Tonight's Greek Final (VIDEOS)

Who will represent Greece at the 2012 Eurovision Song Contest? One thing is for sure, singer Anna Vissi was not impartial today showing complete preference to the two Cypriot artists that are competing to represent Greece and Cyprus. Just a few hours before the finals, Anna Vissi posted the winning names in a twitter post claiming that they would be Eleftheria Eleftheriou for Greece and Evi for Cyprus. All of a sudden her followers started flooding her account with tens of tweets so to correct this she made a second post claiming that she was just rooting for the two girls, and not necessarily announcing the winning names. We are still not convinced. And with that in mind.. good luck Eleftheria and Evi.

Eurovision 2012 Greece - The four songs competing this year are:

1)Velvet Fire - No Parking
2)Cassiopeia - Killer Bee
3)Dora ft. Claydee Lupa - Baby I'm Yours
4)Eleftheria Eleftheriou - Aphrodisiac

Our personal opinion... We like no. 3

Sexy Nikos Aliagas Premiers New Show "The Voice"

Move over X-Factor, "You've Got Talent" and "...Idol" a new talent show "The Voice" might be into its second season in the US, but last night it made its debut in France under TV personality (and sexy) Nikos Aliagas. Nikos whose parents are from Stamna in the prefecture of Aitoloacarnania, is a Greek-born French television entertainer and host and one of the most popular personalities in France. He was hosting the successful Star Academy (something like Greece's Fame Story) which ran for several years which was a spin off of an equally successful show in Quebec called Star Académie. He has lived between Greece and France since his childhood and has always advocated for Greece. Moreover, he has even written a best selling novel titled "I was born Greek: The mythology or the school of life" which has apparently been very successful. He has also recorded many songs with pop artists such as Antonis Remos, Helena Paparizoy and Nivo. He has also presented a show on Greece's Alpha TV channel called "Gros Plan" where he met with international stars such as Celine Dion, Jean Paul Gaultier, Sylvester Stallone. From what it looks like his new show "The Voice" is going to be another big hit. Bravo Niko. Here are some highlights.

The Voice France (25-02-2012) Vidéo Figaronron sélectionnée dans Replay TV

Tom Cruise To Make Movie About The Abduction Of Ben on Kos Island

Hollywood actor Tom Cruise is apparently getting ready to shoot a film on the island of Kos centered around the story of Ben Needham. Almost two decades ago, Ben Needham was abducted in Kos and he is one of the longest-running missing person’s cases in British ­history but his search has never received the same level of publicity as that of Madeleine McCann. Moved by the incident, Tom Cruise helped spread the word of Ben’s disappearance recently by sending a tweet to well over 2.4 million ­followers. Others followed including singer Boy George and actress Jennifer Saunders. As a result of the celebrity involvement, the following day Scottish Television (STV) and ITV Calendar both did a story on Ben. The very next day 5 UK Tabloid newspapers also ran the story. The result of the day was Ben's story gaining a lot more publicity worldwide once again, and both the Facebook page and Twitter account exceeded 10,000 followers. And now an article in the protothema newspaper in Greece said that Tom Cruise's production company is planning to make a movie about this tragic event. This is wonderful news. We wish this family the very best. We have posted a picture of Ben from their website, but if you want to know more on what happened to Ben and read the timeline, then visit http://www.helpfindben.co.uk

BREAKING NEWS: Director Theodore Angelopoulos Dies At The Age Of 76 From Motorbike Accident

Greek director Theodoros Angelopoulos, winner of the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival, died suddenly late on Tuesday evening after suffering a severe head injury as a result of a motorbike accident which occured in Piraeus (near Athens). Highway officials said that Angelopoulos, aged 76, was crossing an intersection in the area of Keratsini (a western suburb of Piraeus) when he clashed with the motorbike. An ambulance was quickly called to scene and he was immediately transferred to the Faliro hospital of Piraeus where he left his last breath. 

Angelopoulos studied law at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, but after his military service went to Paris to attend the Sorbonne. He soon dropped out to study film at the IDHEC (Institute of Advanced Cinematographic Studies) before returning to Greece. There, he worked as a journalist and film critic. In 1978, he was a member of the jury at the 28th Berlin International Film Festival.

He began making films after the 1967 coup that began the Greek military dictatorship known as the Regime of the Colonels. He made his first short film in 1968 and in the 1970s he began making a series of political feature films about modern Greece: Days of '36 (Meres Tou 36, 1972), The Travelling Players (O Thiassos, 1975) and The Hunters (I Kynighoi, 1977). He quickly established a characteristic style, marked by slow, episodic and ambiguous narrative structures as well as long takes (The Travelling Players, for example, consists of only 80 shots in about four hours of film). These takes often include meticulously choreographed and complicated scenes involving many actors. His regular collaborators include the cinematographer Giorgos Arvanitis, the screenwriter Tonino Guerra and the composer Eleni Karaindrou. Angelopoulos is considered by British film critics Derek Malcolm[2] and David Thomson[3] as one of the world's greatest living directors. Roger Ebert has stated that Angelopoulos must care very little for his audience.