Winehouse Arrested Following Novello Nom

When we last left Amy Winehouse, she was crawling under fences and being shot across the universe to appear via satellite at the 2008 Grammy Awards. Despite her struggles with addiction and her drug-induced performance at the MTV Europe Music Awards, Winehouse has shown moments of clarity as a songwriter. She'll be a triple threat at the 53rd Ivor Novello Awards with Love is a Losing Game, You Know I'm No Good and Rehab.

This years' Novello Awards nominations are not the first for Winehouse, as she has won twice before; in 2004 and 2007 Best Contemporary Song category for Stronger Than Me and Rehab respectively. Her success in the awards show arena, while bolstering her songwriting credibility, has done little to boost confidence in Winehouse's public persona and ability to kick her drug habit (not to mention incarcerated husband escape plan hatching)....

This just in....Pink is the New Blog is reporting (that People is reporting) that Amy Winehouse was arrested today. Weeeee! This is better than the rumored James Bond/Winehouse connection.


Amy Winehouse Up for Three Novello Awards [Telegraph]
Amy Winehouse Nominated for Three Ivor Novello Awards [Times Online]

Cricket Family Should Be Parent's Choice

As a parent and literacy advocate, it's nice to see the Cricket Family of Magazines earn an incredible thirteen 2008 Parent's Choice Awards this year. No matter your child's age, you can rest assured that Cricket has the magazine that is specifically tailored to their age group and taste. Jason Patenaude, President of Cricket expresses these sentiments, "The scope of the awards also prove that Cricket magazines offer children more choices as they grow from toddler to young adults."

Not all children grow to become avid readers; finding material that will keep them reading and immersed in language throughout their childhood can often be a struggle for parents. If your child isn't necessarily interested in sitting down with a full-length book, a magazine might be the answer.

Along with Spider and Cricket, other 2008 Parent's Choice Gold Award winners include: Chirp published by Bayard Canada, National Geographic Little Kids published by National Geographic Society, Zoobooks published by Wildlife Education, Ltd., Ranger Rick published by the National Wildlife Federation, New Moon: The Magazine for Girls and Their Dreams published by New Moon Girl Media, Kiki published by B-books, Ltd., and Imagine published by John Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth.

Cricket Family of Magazines Wins Prestigious Parents' Choice Awards [PR Web]

Christmas Giveth, BAFTA Taketh Away

The 2008 BAFTA Games Awards have been cancelled and this time, the writer's strike is not to blame. In fact, if you're looking for someone to blame -- and you always are -- blame Christmas.

Yes, my news saavy following, there was no writer's strike in the U.K., but there was and is Christmas. That blessed holiday of giving is now in the spirit of taking away, and it seems video gaming elves are too busy coding for the masses than for an awards nomination.

Susan Arendt with the Wired Blog Network clarifies, "Rather than wind up with a group of nominees that didn't truly represent the year's best in gaming, BAFTA decided the wise choice would be to simply cancel this year's awards, and try to schedule the 2009 awards at a more developer-friendly time of year."

If you're a gamer and find yourself at a loss as to what to do with the 2008 holiday season, now that the BAFTA Games Awards have been postponed, you might find yourself donating to charity. Put the give back in Christmas.

BAFTA Cancels 2008 Videogame Awards [Wired Blog Network]