Blake's lively"Savages" costume makes her feel uncomfortable

As one of Karl Lagerfeld's besties and the new face of Gucci, one would think that Blake Lively has expensive clothing tastes. But it turns out, she's just your typical, chain-store-shopping California girl who can really get into character. Blake lively dished to Celebuzz about her love of "designing a character" and throwing herself into the sartorial aspects of her work. (The "Gossip Girl" star has already gushed about how much she loved dressing like the "urban equestrian chic" Serena.) “When I play a character so different than myself, I love to hide behind the clothes,” Blake told Celebuzz. “It’s actually a really good secret –- if you don’t look like her, and you don’t talk like her, then you can disappear.” Disappearing may have been just what the actress needed to do while transforming herself into the pot-smoking beach bum engaged in a monogamous ménage à trois in "Savages." While Blake doesn't see any need to disappear in real-life (look no further than her jaw-dropping corset dress at the movie's premiere for proof), it seems like she felt that her styling in the film hit a little too close to home: When you look like you, you talk like you, you’re from southern California and you wear clothes you went shopping for at Topshop, then it gets to be a little messy. Like, 'I don’t want people to think this is me!’ It was a really weird personal challenge shooting this. Does this mean that Ms. Lively throws her Chanel blazers on top of Topshop mini dresses? We'll have to wait for some photographic evidence of the blonde's high-low tastes, but it sounds like a pretty promising lead. As for her issues with getting into character, we're sure she's glammed it up enough in the past couple of weeks to separate herself from the less-than-flattering image.

Serena williams does it again in winbledon

On Saturday, Serena Williams made sure hers did. Shaking off the nerves and she neared the finish line and fending off a determined charge from under-the-weather opponent Agnieszka Radwanska of Poland, the 30-year-old American prevailed 6-1, 5-7, 6-2 in a surprisingly competitive Wimbledon ladies' singles final. It was only the third major women's final out of the last 24 not to be decided in straight sets. A year ago, Williams was just returning to action here after a nightmare year during which she had two foot surgeries, a blood clot, a pulmonary embolism and other issues that, for someone less determined at the same late stage of her career, might have signaled the end. Instead, she returned in the best shape of her life and, though the last nine months, played extremely well — in spurts. After a first-round loss at the French Open to Virginie Razzano in May that both shocked her and devastated her and a rather nervy, sluggish start here, the Serena Express picked up enough steam to claim the Venus Rosewater dish for the fifth time. She tied her sister Venus, who was in the stands with tears in her eyes, with five. Williams now has 14 major titles; there's no reason she can't add to that total. "Are you kidding? The U.S. Open, the Australian Open, the French Open, Wimbledon 2013, The Championships," she said. "It's the beginning of a great phase. You know, I feel amazing out there. This whole tournament I felt really great physically. So I think it's definitely the beginning of something great. I hope it is." The roof was open, but there were no issues with the weather beyond a brief rain interruption after the first set. Seemingly on her way to a straight-set loss, Radwanska wasn't quite ready to hand it over. "She started playing excellent grass court tennis, getting a lot of balls back, and I panicked a little bit and I shouldn't have," Williams said of her opponent. "I usually don't." The emotions were palpable on the court when it was over. It isn't often Williams falls, overcome with emotion, to the court after a big victory. More often than not, she just jumps up and down with joy. She did that as well. But her journey back, remembering the nights she spent in the hospital with a tube draining fluid out of her stomach as sister Isha, physiotherapist Ester Lee and public-relations aide and friend Val Vogt sleeping over in rather cramped quarters, brought out some rare public tears. After that French Open loss, Williams stayed on Paris, where she has a residence. She began training with coach and academy owner Patrick Mouratoglou, who has worked with many top players. In some way, it both healed her and re-energized her. And this was the result. Afterwards, Williams nimbly leaped into the stands. First father Richard, and then mother Oracene and sister Isha got long hugs. Radwanska, as well, had tears when she spoke to on-court interviewer Sue Barker. As Williams was rejoicing in the stands, Radwanska pulled tissue after tissue out of her bag and blew her nose repeatedly, as she had throughout the match. A respiratory illness weakened her over the last week. And while there was no doubt she would try to play, it clearly took everything to take it the distance. "I'm still shaking so much. I think I had the best two weeks of my life," Radwanska said. "I think Serena was just playing too good today but I'm just happy to be in the final." A Grand Slam title in her first career final wasn't the only thing at stake for Radwanska. Had she won, she would have become the new No. 1 player in the world. As it is, she'll climb to a career-best No. 2. Williams will move from No. 6 to No. 4. It is Williams's first major title since her win at Wimbledon in 2010. She is the first woman over 30 to win Wimbledon since Martina Navratilova, who was 33 when she won in 1990. Seven hours after Serena hoisted the singles trophy, the sisters closed out the doubles title with a 7-5, 6-4 victory over the Czech pair of Andrea Hlavackova and Lucie Hradecka. The sisters easily could have been out in the second round, a rain-delayed match against No. 4 seeds Nadia Petrova and Maria Kirilenko of Russia. And Williams easily could have pulled out of the event once she reached the singles final. Instead, the sisters spent the off-day between the semis and final playing, and winning, two matches together. Saturday, they started around 9:30 p.m. under the roof and finished with 10 minutes to spare before the neighbourhood-mandated 11 p.m. curfew. It was, as it happens, their fifth Wimbledon doubles crown together, after five matches in the last four days. In between the two triumphs, another great Wimbledon story played out on Centre Court. The last-minute wild-card men's doubles team of Jonathan Marray and Frederik Nielsen, the Brit and the Dane, pulled off a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5), 6-7 (5), 6-3 win over Johan Brunstrom of Sweden and Horia Tecau of Romania, who have now lost three consecutive Wimbledon doubles finals. Marray, from Sheffield, is the first British man to win the men's doubles title in 76 years. That's right, the last time it happened was 1936. That's the same year the last British man, Fred Perry, won the Wimbledon singles title. As omens go, that's a pretty good one. When countryman Andy Murray takes on Roger Federer Sunday, we'll see if it has any significance. leave your comments below...

Iran to strike US BASE

Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps is prepared to hit 35 U.S. facilities in the Middle East early in a possible attack, a corps leader said Wednesday. Brig. Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, commander of the corps' air force, said current missile war games practiced targeting a hypothetical enemy air base that is a replica of U.S. bases in the region, the government-backed Fars news agency reported. "We have thought of measures to set up bases and deploy missiles to destroy all these bases in the early minutes after an attack," Hajizadeh said of contingency plans for any potential confrontation with the United States. He said all of the 35 U.S. installations in the region "are within the reach of our missiles." He said lands in dispute between Palestinian and Israeli leaders "are good targets for us as well." On Tuesday, the IRGC air force began missile war games, firing short-, mid- and long-range missiles from facilities across the country at a lone target in central Iran, Fars said. Iran's military officials have warned that if it was attacked by either the United States or Israel, the country would target all U.S. bases in the Middle East and close the economically strategic Strait of Hormuz.

EKSU student kills wife in a brawl

A 400 level student of the Department of Public Administration at the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti, Mr. Danusa Jimoh, has allegedly killed his wife, Mopelola, during a brawl. The couple, whose relationship is blessed with a child, were said to have got married in 2008 and they had consistently been at each other’s throat for various reasons. Danusa was said to have engaged Mopelola, who hailed from Ipoti-Ekiti, in a fisticuff on July 3, over an argument which arose as a result of preparations toward the burial of the deceased’s parent. The deceased, who was obviously overpowered by her husband, was said to have fallen and hit her head against a stone and became unconscious. Efforts to revive her failed and she later died at a hospital. The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Mr. Sotonye Wakama, who briefed journalists about the case, said the couple lived at 1, Idemo Street, Are-Ekiti in Irepodun/Ifelodun Local Government Area. He said, “The command has arrested Danusa Jimoh aged 34 years, a native of Okeyi, Okene, Kogi State, who allegedly murdered his wife, Mope Ojuade, on July 3, 2012.” The commissioner said the command was awaiting the autopsy report on the deceased from the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, where the corpse was deposited.

Church Money turn to paper in the Bank

Fear and confusion gripped residents of Hwolshe in Jos, when N300, 000 church collection suddenly turned to a bundle of papers as it was about to be deposited in the bank. The money, which belonged to St. Mary’s Parish, Hwolshe in Jos South Local Government was handed to Miss Ifeoma Eze, the Church Secretary to be deposited in the bank before the mystery occurred. Eze told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Wednesday that she had filled the teller at the main branch of Jos Zenith with the money wrapped in polythene but saw papers when she was about to give the cash to the cashier. “The money was intact when I left home for the bank but on getting to the counter, I opened the polythene bag only to discover that it has turned to bundles of papers. “I was so confused and scared; I started screaming and was oblivious of the attention I was attracting as bewildered customers tried to console me,” she told NAN. She said that she was particularly confused because she was wondering how to relay the story to the Parish Priest who entrusted the money to her. She said that she was still “too baffled and confused” to convey her shock, adding that it was difficult to imagine what had happened. “It is a story I find difficulty in telling anyone because not many people can believe it,” she said. Eze said that she could not fathom what could have happened but explained that she took the money home on Sunday and changed the smaller denominations into bigger ones to ease the deposit processes in the bank. She said that she did not suspect foul play from the point of changing the denominations and explained that the change was obtained from market women and cashiers of Mr. Biggs, a popular fast food outfit. “I do not suspect them because they are my regular customers. Only God knows what could have happened.” NAN learnt that the incident had sent tongues wagging among some skeptical members of the church. Eze, however, expressed some relief that many of the members were convinced that there was no foul play on her part. “I thank God that the Church believed what happened to me and the money and still retained me as the Church Secretary,” she said. A church member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that it was not difficult to believe Eze’s story because she was the Church Secretary and had handled its funds without any blemish in the past five years. Rev. Father Emmanuel Ray-Ikpe, the Parish Priest, described the incident as “unfortunate, surprising and mysterious.“ “I have never heard of such a thing before but it has happened to us; to our church. There is nothing we can do about it. My secretary came back from the bank crying. “Only God knows what exactly happened. Eze came and told us what happened to the money and we couldn’t say otherwise. “We have left everything in the hands of God our creator,” Ray-Ikpe said. The Priest, however, advised Eze to be “extra careful” when going to the bank to deposit cash.