10 Things to Know about Croatia Gulet Holidays

The world of travel is now gradually inducting Croatia gulet holidays as a top ranking destination of sea adventure holidays. For the last ten years Croatia has evolved into a leading destination for sea fairing holidaymakers and the trend is growing. So what are Croatia gulet holidays all about? Why are they becoming increasingly popular as a global destination? The following are ten things to know about Croatia gulet holidays.

First, to charter an affordable Croatia gulet the cost will factor in several arrangements. In the final analysis the cost will be a sum of the company charter fee, the obligatory fee, the food arrangement charges, beverages arrangement charges, delivery fee if applicable and extra host costs if applicable. This means that you can bargain and tailor-make the cost of your cruise yourself depending on the amount you have to spend.

Secondly, all the leisure equipment and facilities installed in a gulet are at your disposal. Modern Croatia gulet ships are packed with a host of recreational equipment and are charged as part of the package. Thirdly, most Croatia gulet companies allow you to alter the itinerary if you are interested in something that was not factored in during the booking. You can change your charter arrangement any time you want as long as the weather allows.

Fourthly, you can bring your own drinks aboard the gulet if you prefer to. Some Croatia gulet companies however impose some form of limitation on the foods and drink you can bring on board from outside. Croatia gulet voyages can be facilitated by a tour guide if you so desire, something which must be communicated at the time of reserving the charter.

All cabins in a gulet are self contained and you have your private shower and bathroom which is not accessible to any of the crew members. Fact seven, pets are usually not allowed on board a yacht due to the unfavorable and confined environment. If however you want to bring your pet along agree with the Croatia gulet charter company concerned since they can always make exceptions.

The Croatian climate is ideal for casual attire so ensure that you pack your shorts, bathing suit, T-shirts and other comfortable and cool clothing. Do not carry a lot of luggage though; a cruise needs only but a light pack of changing clothes. You do not need to pay for gulet insurance charges since the gulet is already insured by its owner. The insurance you need is one against personal harm in case of a mishap.

Finally, once you negotiate and agree on a Croatia gulet charter, ensure that everything is put down in writing and signed into a contract some weeks before the cruise. It is always wise to have a tangible agreement in case complications develop thereafter.

David Letterman Celebrates 30th Anniversary on Late Night Television

Although David Letterman has never been a late-night ratings juggernaut, it's safe to assume that most people consider him to have one of the sharper wits among the late night hosts. Letterman's never really been able to top Jay Leno's ratings, but he's funnier - let's just admit it. And, somehow, it's been 30 years since David Letterman first took to the late-night airwaves. After making a name for himself via The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, it looked like Dave was all set for the coveted hosting gig after Johnny departed.

But that was not the case, as Jay Leno swooped in and took the job. Dave's bitterness about that turn of events, as well as his open feuds with the networks he's worked for, played well in helping him develop long-running bits and establish an on-air persona that was just a little off the beaten path.

And with that said, it comes as no surprise that Howard Stern still ranks as one of Dave's all-time favorite guests. Stern and Letterman have similar styles and senses of humor, albeit with Stern having far more latitude on the radio - and now free rein on Sirius satellite radio. The two have put together some of the more memorable performances on late night television over the past few decades - and it was Letterman who first brought Stern into the national spotlight while he was still an up-and-coming shock jock in New York City.

And now, nearly 30 years later, Stern is set to make his debut as a national television presence, taking over the judge's seat on America's Got Talent that was vacated by Piers Morgan last year. So while Dave is a national daily fixture on late night television, we should all expect to see quite a bit more of Howard in the years to come.

Best Chick Flicks of 2011

If you're all set to raise your sappy quotient, here are some movies that will help you do just that! Rent out or buy these movie DVDs, grab that popcorn and some tissues, tuck yourself into the couch and let go. You might want to keep your brains aside or just give them a rest. Isn't that what you really need?

Selection of Chick Flicks from 2011

You can find below a list of movies, mostly romantic comedies that were released in 2011. This is not an exhaustive list but just a select few movies which wowed audiences more than those that didn't make it to this list. Some of the movies below can be watched by children as well, while few of them are suitable only for viewing by adult audiences. Although these are chick flicks, there are some that even the guys would love to watch without getting bored. There's a little snippet about the plot of each movie and a quote from each movie for your quick reference.

Hollywood has churned out quite a few chick flicks in 2011 and there's a lot of variety too. Ensemble casts and female comedians seem to have arrived in a big way in this film genre formerly dominated by love triangles and teenage love stories.

Movie	Friends with Benefits	"You really have to stop buying into this bullshit Hollywood cliché of true love." If the star cast is not enough reason to watch, expect to see the "girl meets boy plot" with an "only sex with no emotional commitment whatsoever" clause. Of course, the clause is hard to stick to and the inevitable happens when mutual feelings start to complicate things.
US Release Month	July
Director	Will Gluck
Cast	Mila Kunis, Justin Timberlake and Patricia Clarkson
Movie	Jack and Jill	"I love my sister, and I can keep my cool. It's just for four days." Adam Sandler stars as a successful advertising executive and his identical twin sister! The family man is apprehensive of his twin sister's annual visits over Thanksgiving Day. Her passive-aggressive nature overwhelms him and turns his happy family life upside down. Watch this for a double dose of comedy!
US Release Month	November
Director	Dennis Dugan
Cast	Adam Sandler (in a Double Role), Katie Holmes and Al Pacino
Movie	Just Go with It	"I am a divorcee with 2 kids, and I name their poop after you." Based on the 1969 film Cactus Flower, this romantic comedy has enough couples to last a lifetime. There are inevitably a lot of twists and turns in this almost silly premise until the most unlikely couple (but likely according to the cast) end up getting hitched!
US Release Month	February
Director	Dennis Dugan
Cast	Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler and Brooklyn Decker
Movie	Love Wedding Marriage	"The greatest love survives the harshest of conditions and surviving that turmoil is what makes a marriage strong." This romantic comedy has a marriage counselor looking forward to getting married in the hope of staying together just like her parents did, only to discover they're heading for a split after almost 30 years of marriage.
US Release Month	June
Director	Dermot Mulroney
Cast	Mandy Moore and Kellan Lutz
Movie	Something Borrowed	"I love Rachel. Because she went to NYU law, and met my future husband." Based on Emily Giffin's book of the same name, this one is not highly recommended as it got a lot of negative reviews for the overly selfish love story that plays out. The plot revolves around the web of lies woven by two people who're head over heels in love but they're cheating on a common friend. The absurd "to be continued" style ending suggests a sequel that might follow.
US Release Month	May
Director	Luke Greenfield
Cast	Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Colin Egglesfield and John Krasinski
Movie	No Strings Attached	"I think monogamy goes against our basic biology." As the title suggests, the girl and boy decide to have casual sex without an obligation to fall in love with each other. The movie moves along into situations that make it increasingly difficult for the couple to stick to their ground rules. In the end, true love triumphs; watch this one if you are not disgusted by raunchiness.
US Release Month	January
Director	Ivan Reitman
Cast	Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher
Movie	What's Your Number?	"You help me track down my exes, I'll help you escape yours." Based on Karyn Bosnak's book, 20 Times a Lady, this romantic comedy is about a woman's review and reevaluation of all her exes in the hope of finding true love amongst them.
US Release Month	October
Director	Mark Mylod
Cast	Anna Faris, Chris Evans and Ari Graynor
Movie	Gnomeo & Juliet (Animation Feature Film)	"I am not illiterate! My parents were married!" This animated feature film is an adaptation of William Shakespeare's play, Romeo and Juliet. Watch this comedy, family chick flick if you find the idea of gnomes getting married atop a lawnmower, a sweet proposition.
US Release Month	February
Director	Kelly Asbury
Voice Stars	James McAvoy and Emily Blunt
Movie	Bridesmaids	"Why can't you be happy for me and then go home and talk about me behind my back like a normal person?" This one's got comedy and as the title suggests, there's a wedding theme and it has got chicks of all shapes and sizes. Watch it for some raunchy comedy with a brilliant female cast that does justice to their roles.
US Release Month	May
Director	Paul Feig
Cast	Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph and Rose Byrne
Movie	Monte Carlo	"Let me tell you one thing about shoes, Meg. If they ain't hurtin', they ain't workin'!" A true chick flick in every sense, Selena Gomes finds herself turn from a teenaged waitress into a British heiress while vacationing in Paris with her travel buddies, in a classic case of mistaken identity.
US Release Month	July
Director	Thomas Bezucha
Cast	Selena Gomez, Leighton Meester and Katie Cassidy
Movie	New Year's Eve	"Nothing beats New York on New Year's Eve." Set in New York, this romantic comedy has an ensemble cast to support the plot revolving around multiple romantic couples and singles crossing each others' lives over New Year.
US Release Month	December
Director	Garry Marshall
Cast	Sarah Jessica Parker, Jessica Biel and Ashton Kutcher
Movie	Jumping the Broom	"If it wasn't for your mother, I wouldn't be questioning if you're the man I want to marry." The movie title derives from the African-American tradition of the bride and the groom jumping over a ceremonial broom after being married. The climax has a wedding witnessed by two very different families from "uptown" and "downtown", watch this if you need a heartwarming theme!
US Release Month	May
Director	Salim Akil
Cast	Paula Patton, Laz Alonso and Angela Bassett
Movie	Midnight in Paris	"That Paris exists and anyone could choose to live anywhere else in the world will always be a mystery to me." Written and directed by Woody Allen, this romantic fantasy flick shows a small group of Americans visiting the French capital for business and some fun. The trip ends with a young couple coming to terms with the reality of their relationship and the hope of finding true love.
US Release Month	June
Director	Woody Allen
Cast	Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates and Owen Wilson
Movie	The Art of Getting By	"You're going to have to start using that brain of yours to access that talent of yours to show that beautiful heart of yours." This teen love drama centers around the coming together of two lovebirds and the coming of age of their relationship.
US Release Month	June
Director	Gavin Wiesen
Cast	Emma Roberts, Freddie Highmore and Michael Angarano
Movie	Larry Crowne	"I told you how to avoid divorce lawyers. You get married, and you stay married." Tom Hanks stars as a navy veteran who loses his job. He goes back to college to resume his education and falls in love with a woman who teaches in the college.
US Release Month	July
Director	Tom Hanks
Cast	Julia Roberts, Tom Hanks and Sarah Mahoney
Movie	Crazy Stupid Love	"I don't know if I should help you or euthanize you..." A middle-aged man is surprised to find that his relationship with his wife is long over when she asks for a divorce. Steve Carell delivers his usual comic capers as he tries to win over women and learns to pick up girls from a bar.
US Release Month	July
Director	Glenn Ficarra and John Requa
Cast	Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Julianne Moore, Emma Stone and Marisa Tomei
Movie	The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1	"Being any kind of happy is better than being miserable over someone you can't have." Not a hard-core chick flick, this one is definitely romantic, definitely sappy and it has too much eye candy to disqualify it from this list of best chick flicks.
US Release Month	November
Director	Bill Condon
Cast	Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Taylor Lautner

Hope the above list helps to narrow down your choice of chick flicks from 2011. Let us know if any of these would qualify for the list of greatest chick flicks of all time. Also, if you think there was a chick flick that you watched and liked but don't see on this list, let us know!

Eli Manning Bests Tom Brady Once Again, Giants Win Super Bowl XLVI

As far as Super Bowls go, this one was pretty entertaining. The match-up was a near dream scenario for the NFL, with teams from two of the largest viewing markets squaring off for the title. The fact that Tom Brady was playing in the game ensured the transcendent star power that only a handful of NFL quarterbacks consistently deliver. And the game was in doubt until, literally, the very last play.

Trailing 17-15 with under four minutes to play, the New York Giants drove the length of the field and scored the go-ahead touchdown with just about a minute left in the game. To start that drive from deep in their own territory, Eli Manning hit Mario Manningham down the left sideline in what will be remembered as one of the most spectacular catches in Super Bowl history. The play was challenged by Bill Belichick, but the correct call on the field was upheld and the Giants had started their march toward securing their second Super Bowl victory in four years.

To cap off the late scoring drive, the New England Patriots employed the controversial strategy of "letting" the Giants score a touchdown with about a minute left on the clock. Doing so ensured that the Patriots would get the ball back and allowed them to save one timeout as well. Of course, if the Patriots had been able to hold New York out of the end zone, the Giants would have likely been forced to make a short field goal to win the game, which we know is never a sure thing.

Eventually, the Patriots could only advance the ball to midfield on their final possession and a Hail Mary pass into the end zone fell incomplete as time expired. Eli Manning was named the MVP of the Super Bowl for the second time in his career. He now has one more championship than his iconic brother Peyton - and two head-to-head Super Bowl victories over Tom Brady, who along with Peyton Manning has defined the quarterback position for the last decade.

Dave Grohl in the Minority at This Year’s Grammy Awards

There was a time when rock and roll dominated the musical landscape of the United States and the world. That time, however, is now long past. Gone are the days when Pearl Jam and Nirvana, or Led Zeppelin and the Eagles, or the Beatles and the Rolling Stones dominated music with rock and roll lifestyles, actual instruments, meaningful lyrics and, to put it bluntly, real talent. Here seemingly to stay are bands put together by corporations, lip-syncing, synthesizers and sampling and a focus more on costumes and makeup and dancers than actual music.

If it seems like a degradation of the American music scene…well, that’s because it is. This year’s Grammy Awards are a perfect exercise in the extremes. "Musicians" such as Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Bruno Mars may be the focus now, but Dave Grohl, formerly the drummer of Nirvana and now frontman for Foo Fighters, will be one of the few representing rock and roll at this year’s Grammys. Noted Grohl, "It feels great to be the guy with gray hair in his beard who is still invited to these things. Twenty years ago, I never thought I'd even have a career in music this long." Grohl is 43 years old, old enough to be the father of many of today’s performers.

Is there anyone out there who Grohl really likes now? Turns out that he’ll be competing with Adele for album of the year, and it is, in fact, Adele who he thinks highly of. Noted Grohl, "I'm glad that we're with Adele in the same category. It means we've done something right. I think she gives us all hope. She's made an incredible record, and she's an incredibly talented artist, so maybe it is true that the cream actually rises to the top. There's a reason why that record is so (expletive) huge. It's good. It's inspiring when something legitimate gets recognized for what it is. It's such a cliche, but it's a huge achievement to be nominated."

Michelle Obama Defeats Jimmy Fallon in Fitness Challenge at White House

Michelle Obama has been making the rounds to promote the second anniversary of her "Let's Move" campaign to combat childhood obesity. She's already visited The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, The Ellen DeGeneres Show and joined Rachael Ray on the set of her cooking show. But last night the First Lady took things to an entirely new level. She went head-to-head with Jimmy Fallon in a physical fitness challenge filmed at the White House.

And, to the surprise of very few, she managed to outlast Jimmy Fallon and win the challenge. The segment was filmed last month and aired for the first time during Wednesday morning's Late Night broadcast. The contest consisted of a tug-of-war battle and a potato sack race, in addition to other child-friendly competitions.

Mrs. Obama has come under fire at times from her husband's political detractors because of inconsistencies in the message surrounding her "Let's Move" campaign. But the reality is that the concept behind the foundation and its message is sound. Children in the United States are suffering from an epidemic of obesity that stems from poor diet and a lack of physical activity.

And unfortunately for American children, the economic stagnation that has settled over the country is only going to make it more difficult for parents and children to avoid the pitfalls of obesity. The cheapest foods are typically those that are the worst in nutritional value. It's actually cheaper to feed your children at McDonald's, in many instances, than it is to try to prepare a decent meal at home. Healthy food prices in grocery stores are far higher than the meal deals at most fast food chains. Perhaps that should be a focus of the First Lady's program as well.

Downton Abbey a Rare Popular Hit on PBS

It's not often that a show or program that appears on America's PBS has mass appeal, much less any following whatsoever with young adults. But the British-produced World War I-era drama "Downton Abbey," has achieved just that. Brought to American audiences via the public station, the show and its cast of lords, ladies, cooks and maids has caught the fancy of the American public in a manner that simply could not have conceivably been predicted.

The open of the second season was in January on PBS's "Masterpiece" and attracted 4.2 million U.S. viewers. That's an 18% increase over the first season. It's also more than the regular audience for "Mad Men" and close to "Kourtney and Kim Take New York." And while British royalty always seems to have a special draw for Americans, the really interesting aspect of the show is the popularity it is enjoying on social media websites, where much of its promotion is occurring virally.

Now, PBS has something more to look forward to, as Shirley MacLaine will join the cast and will play the mother of the American heiress Cora. The casting of MacLaine was announced just last week and should serve to ramp up interest even further. Noted Sarah Ball, deputy editor of VanityFair.com, "There has been a tremendous online response. PBS does historically have an older audience, but 'Masterpiece' has courted that online fan base. They organized the live tweeting, put up sideshows and extras that really appeal to fans. It is interesting that a show set in 1917 happens to have such a rapid online fan base."