Is 'X Factor' The Right Move For Britney Spears?

Experts weigh in on whether Spears will find success with her new judging gig.
By Christina Garibaldi

<P><a href="/news/articles/1680782/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-offer.jhtml">The rumors had been swirling</a> for months, and now, according to reports, the pop princess herself, <a href="http://www.mtv.com/music/artist/spears_britney/artist.jhtml">Britney Spears</a>, will be joining the <a href="/news/articles/1684813/britney-spears-x-factor-judge.jhtml">judging panel on "The X Factor,"</a> landing a <a href="/news/articles/1684879/britney-spears-x-factor-deal-judge.jhtml">$15 million deal</a> for one season.</P><P>Yet, after 15 years in the public eye, seven studio albums and more than 100 million albums sold worldwide, many are wondering: Is "The X Factor" the <a href="/news/articles/1680800/britney-spears-x-factor-judge-singing.jhtml">right career move for Spears</a>?</P><P>"I think it is a good move, actually," <a href="http://www.ew.com/ew/" target="_blank"><i>Entertainment Weekly</i></a> writer Tanner Stransky told MTV News. "I think she has so many people on her team watching what she's doing and being careful. I think nobody would let her take a misstep, but I think it's the right move right now."</P><P></p><div class="player-placeholder right" title="Britney Spears' 'X Factor' Gig Could Breathe Light Into Her Career" id="vid:768409" width="415" height="255"></div><p></P><P>This new role certainly has many advantages. It keeps Spears in the public eye while keeping her close to her family, and it will most likely bring in the big ratings that "X Factor" and Simon Cowell are hoping for. Yet there are some experts who are a little wary of Spears taking a spot on the panel, since over the years, the pop star has been noticeably withdrawn from press, rarely giving on-camera interviews.</P><P>"I think everyone is a little concerned, simply because Britney has been very press-shy since she's been in her conservatorship, and everything is incredibly guarded and incredibly controlled," Keith Caulfield, associate director of charts at <a href="http://www.billboard.com/" target="_blank"><i>Billboard,</i></a> said. "And there can be uncontrollable moments on 'The X Factor,' and if things are not completely in control and things are not rehearsed, things could go wrong. With a live show, anything can happen, and that can be very exciting but, at the same time, a little worrisome."</P><P>Stransky agreed and believes that, while Spears is judging the contestants, viewers will ultimately be judging her.</P><P>"Everyone is going to take a close look at her and pay attention to what she says," Stransky said. "She's sort of been so managed on her interviews in the past five years, it's risky."</P><P>But Spears' loyal fanbase feels that putting Spears in an environment where anything can happen is actually a good thing, and will show a whole different side of the pop star.</P><P>"That's part of the excitement of her being on this: It's unscripted," said Jordan Miller, webmaster for Spears' biggest fan site, <a href="http://www.breatheheavy.com/" target="_blank">BreatheHeavy.com</a>. "We are so used to her reading cue cards and kind of being controlled in that way, so for her to break out of that and to do something that's stepping outside her comfort zone, I think it's a great step for her, career-wise, and for her as a person. I think she's going to do really good. I think she's confident."</P><P>And confidence is key when judging a singing competition, but so is experience &#8212; which Spears has in spades. For years, fans have listened to her chart-topping music and have seen her on tour, but now they're ready to connect with the star on a new level.</P><P>"I think the overall consensus is that people are really excited to see Britney do something new and be able to connect with her a couple times a week on national television," Miller said. "It's exciting for fans to see that she's going to be able to mentor these contestants, because like it or not, Britney does have the 'X Factor,' so it's going to be great to see how she can transcend this into more singers and inspire other people."</P><P><i>Are you excited for Britney Spears to be a judge on "The X Factor"? Let us know in the comments!</i></P><P><center><a href="http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1617615"><img src="http://www.mtv.com/news/photos/s/spotted/banner/spotted.jpg"></a></center></p>

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Iron-Pressed Hash, Bill Nye Dances, and the Dead Do Germany [Video]

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Leica M Monochrom captures exclusively in black and white, costs far more than your color-abled shooter

Wildly colorful photos got you down? There's an 18-megapixel full-frame sensor for that. The Leica M Monochom may seem an unlikely proposition, with its monochrome-only sensor and $8,000 price tag (not to mention the added financial burden that comes along with investing in a Leica M-mount), but the camera offers some unique benefits that, for some, may justify the cost. Because the sensor is capable of outputting one pixel of data for each pixel captured -- there's no hint of color mucking about -- the resulting images are incredibly sharp. There are low-light benefits as well, with the Monochrom offering a top ISO setting of 10,000, compared to 2500 with the aging M9. Other features include a 2.5-inch 230k-dot color LCD, a rangefinder-type optical viewfinder and a 14-bit uncompressed RAW mode that yields 36MB DNGs.

The camera itself offers an appearance consistent with other Leica snappers, and includes a magnesium alloy construction with hints of brass and chrome. Naturally, there's no video features to speak of, so no 1080p black-and-white shoots for you. We do have pricing and availability, however, though we don't exactly have the funds to match. The body-only M Monochrom is expected to retail for $7,970 when it hits stores (beginning with Leica's Washington DC showroom) in July. A new Leica APO-Summicron-M 50 mm f/2 ASPH prime lens will be available around the same time, for the modest sum of $7,195. There's a full PR just past the break.

Gallery: Leica M Monochrom

Update: DPReview has posted a gallery of sample images. Don't be so quick to dismiss this camera -- plenty of deep-pocketed photographers have likely been waiting for something just like it. Hit up the source link after the break for the shots.

Continue reading Leica M Monochrom captures exclusively in black and white, costs far more than your color-abled shooter

Leica M Monochrom captures exclusively in black and white, costs far more than your color-abled shooter originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 May 2012 15:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iPhone 5 to be another Google killer -- but with a twist

A couple of years ago Steve Jobs called a Town Hall meeting at Apple and rallied the troops by saying the next iPhone, which was to be the iPhone 4, would be an A+ update and take it to the turncoat Google and their Android operating system. According to our sources, a similar sentiment is being expressed by Apple in Cupertino again this year, but with a decidedly different twist. Instead of just hitting Google and Android in the market place with better hardware and software, and in the courts with patent litigation, they're going to hit them where it really hurts.

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Britney Spears Officially Joins 'The X Factor': Report

Sources say it's finally official that Britney Spears has signed on to join Simon Cowell and L.A. Reid at the judges' table on The X Factor.

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FSA is Lender of First Opportunity for Wisconsin Farmer - FSA Fence ...

Rufus Haucke prepares to plant lettuce mix on portion of his farm that was purchased with the help of an FSA loan.

by Cally Ehle, communications coordinator, Wisconsin FSA

On the scenic rolling hills of Southwestern Wisconsin sits the 200-acre Keewaydin farm. Purchased in 1976 by the Haucke family, the farm has gone through several transformations over the years. Some of those recent changes are thanks to the innovation of Rufus Haucke, second generation owner of Keewaydin farm.?

When Haucke?s parents purchased the farm, cows grazed on the rolling hills. Now those acres are home to organic produce that makes its way to markets in Minneapolis to Milwaukee and all locations in between. Currently the farm produces 20 acres of organic vegetables with five acres dedicated to a 100-member Consumer Supported Agriculture program and the other 15 acres to wholesale markets. Haucke is also setting up six hoop houses to accommodate additional produce for the 2012 season and has established a group of 60 local farmers to meet the demand for fresh organic produce to wholesalers through Keewaydin Organics LLC.

Even though Haucke grew up in agriculture, he didn?t have an interest in the farm or even a future in agriculture when he graduated from high school.?

?After a year of college, I decided to take a year off and left for Colorado to become a ski bum,? said Haucke. Eight years later he rediscovered the farm and fell in love with agriculture all over again.

Haucke made his way back to Wisconsin and took a job with a commercial vegetable farm. ?It was a great learning experience that established relationships and gave me the knowledge to pursue my own produce operation,? he said.

Familiar with the Farm Service Agency through his parents? participation in various programs, Haucke visited his county office and obtained a farm ownership loan that helped him purchase 60 acres from his parents.

?There was a lot of education about cash flow production of a produce operation,? said Haucke. ?The application process does take some time, but starting a business takes a lot of passion and stamina and the effort that goes into the loan process gives you that start in understanding what it means to run a business.?

After purchasing the 60 acres, he used a quarter acre to grow vegetables. The other 55 acres were used to grow alfalfa. As business picked up, he expanded produce production to five acres.?

With another FSA loan, he purchased an additional 80 acres of his parents? farm, along with equipment and dairy cattle to add a dairy component to the farm.? He soon realized that produce was his true passion and sold the dairy cows and expanded produce production from five to 20 acre.

?People like Rufus Haucke are the reason why we do what we do. He represents the mission of Farm Service Agency,? said Joe Reuter, farm loan officer who worked with Haucke to obtain the FSA loans and helped him graduate from the FSA loan program to commercial lenders.

?It?s really exciting to be able to walk into someplace with an idea and have people willing to support that idea and the programs that are there to help support it,? said Haucke.

Recently, Haucke expanded Keewaydin Organics LLC, by renting 15,000 square feet in the new Vernon County Food Enterprise Center in Viroqua, Wis. The space is still under construction and will include a 2,000 square food processing kitchen and 1,000 square feet of office space, with the remaining space dedicated to warehouse space and coolers.?

With this location, Haucke expects to process the 40-50 percent of produce that is left in his fields due to cosmetic blemishes that make it difficult to sell to wholesalers. He also plans to expand from the current 60 farmers to 100 farmers who provide produce to Wisconsin wholesalers.

?I will be able to expand my customer base to include schools and other businesses interested in using fresh, locally grown produce,? said Haucke. ?I also plan to include a drying and canning capacity in the facility to further expand sales.?

Within the next few years, Haucke said he wants to increase production to 30 acres with perennial crops grown in the steeper areas of the farm.? His goal is to develop the business further to improve the cash flow of the business from seasonal to year round.

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98% Jiro Dreams of Sushi

Jiro Dreams of Sushi is a mouth watering, passionate documentary about the worlds' most acclaimed Sushi chef, and I'm not sure whether to recommend eating first, or going to the film hungry. No sushi that you have at your local $6.99 lunch special could possibly live up to the ideals (just by looking at his creations) that the obsessive compulsive Jiro reveals on director Gelb's HD camera. No sushi at your $100 per person with Sake will live up to it either.The quiet reverence in which Jiro is held by all the characters in the film, (a food critic, his sushi chef sons - terrified of letting down their fathers exacting legacy, the fish market and rice vendors) eventually rubs off on any viewer of this film. The man's obsessive compulsion and striving for excellence, even in his 85th year are truly humbling, especially for those of us who feel like we are too easy going and need to work on our attention to detail. The film delves into Jiro's early life. He was born poor and abandoned by his parents, yet possessed an inexorable inner drive that carried him to the height of sushi making. The film implies that this inner drive is innate, and makes me wish I had more of it myself. However, the film doesn't quite reveal how Jiro became Jiro. This much is clear - the man simply will not settle for anything less than full blown excellence, from the tunas he buys for his shop, to the work of his revolving door of apprentices and most emotionally, his terrified yet proud sons. He has no interests in life, except for making better and better sushi, and as in the title, this is what he sees in his dreams. Therefore, I'm not sure he'd be the most delightful company at a party but he's great company in this film. The film opens up at the fish market with Jiro's son shopping for the days ingredients, and a strange, mostly unexplained trip that Jiro makes to meet his childhood friends in his home village (that where the above mentioned grave scene takes place). He is like a hometown boy made good and everyone gets their picture taken with the maestro.Gelb uses a very simple storytelling technique by letting the players tell their own stories as pertaining to Jiro. Jiro himself is open and self critical, and answers all questions honestly, but he is not a poetic man with any kind of Freudian insight to his inner workings. We can see him at the grave of his parents, dutifully honoring them, then under his breath he says 'I don't know why I take care of them. They never took care of me.' A staggering and deep insight, one of the only ones in the film, but that's all you get. As for style, it effective but not very arty or pretentious. Gelb lets the HD sushi in close ups tell their own delicious story. As for people, we are mostly in close ups, and close quarters at Jiro's joint. Amazingly, Jiro does not have a lavish restaurant, but a hole in the wall in the lobby of an office building where he serves her creations at a 10 seat establishment that is reserved at least a month in advance. The film is very narrowly focused, and it does not hold interest for its entire 81 minute running time. It would been a more effective piece at about an hour or less, but I recommend it most highly, though it may not appeal much to non-foodies.

April 13, 2012

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