1. Rajasthan, India

An undeniable photography haven, steeped in royal history, Rajasthan showcases colourful locals rivalled only by their attire, grand palaces, havelis, festivals and a landscape as barren and harsh as it is beautiful. Jaisalmer’s canvas of sand is dotted with camels, the floating Lake Palace of Udaipur, forts in Jodhpur and Jaipur with sentries standing guard in traditional attire and the Pushkar fair all offer rich pickings for your camera. The hazy morning and twilight light lends itself to surreal images, but then this holds true for most of Rajasthan.
Good time to visit: Late October – February

2. Yellowstone National Park, USA

Yellowstone is a mix of geological wonders like geysers, steam vents, hot springs, rivers, waterfalls, high elevation passes, sweeping vistas as well as wildlife (including elk and grizzly bear). The Midway Geyser is a must-visit location. Spread over two million acres, nature photographers can spend weeks here and still return for more. Avoid it during summer, as the place is swarming with tourists.
Good time to visit: May and late September – October

3. Venice, Italy

This ‘Floating City’, arguably the most beautiful one built by man, is a city of canals, bridges, masks. On a gondola ride or motorboat, a low-noise high ISO camera is your best ally. Venice forces you to explore slowly on foot, translating into thought-out pictures. The Carnival of Venice is a photographer’s must with fancy dress and mysterious Venetian masks.
Good time to visit: Late October – February

4. Hong Kong, China

This city offers a modern skyline worth envying. The Symphony of Lights features buildings on both sides of the Victoria Harbour. Get stunning views from a path along Victoria Peak (shoot at twilight when the lights are switched on). Most exposures will run into seconds so carry a tripod. A hallucinogenic mix of colour and lights makes for great street photography.
Good time to visit: October – March

5. Ladakh, India

‘Otherworldly’ is probably the most appropriate term to define the highest inhabited region of India. The scale of the multi-hued mountains is only really experienced when you whip out your regular wide-angle lens, only to find that what stands before you cannot be captured in its giddy entirety in one frame. The landscape changes from steep lunar rock faces to white sands in the Nubra Valley and to placid blue water in the Pangong Lake. Tibetan Buddhist monasteries hang on steep rock-faces. Carry a sturdy tripod.
Good time to visit: End of July – September

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Still loving Gwen’s edge? Check out her look!

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Chamber of Commerce CEO Nona Watson says the statue of the “Some Like it Hot” star is still being assembled.

The sculpture depicts Monroe trying to push down her skirts as they’re billowing in the wind from her memorable scene in the “Seven Year Itch.”

The statue was created by 80-year-old artist Seward Johnson, an heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune.

The artwork was previously in Chicago, and it took about a week and $40,000 to transport the statue.

The official ribbon cutting will be held May 24.

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“Just to speak honestly and being frank, I don’t care,” Tip told MTV’s “RapFix Live.” “I think that if a matter doesn’t affect your daily life, you shouldn’t take a hard stand on it. If it’s not something that directly affects you, if it doesn’t affect you, then what difference does it make to you what other people are doing with their lives?”

He added, “I think that you should be able to do whatever you want to do. I don’t see how it matters one way or another.”

The King of the South will be voting to re-elect President Obama when he gets off probation in September. “I don’t think that’s a hard question,” he said.

In addition to his own album Trouble Man, due September 4, he is plotting collaborative projects with B.o.B and Young Jeezy. “Between the two of us, we probably got about five or six records,” he said of his work with Jeezy.

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According to TMZ, a judge has ordered Deion to pay his ex-wife $10,500 a month in child support. He’s also been slapped with paying $275,000 to cover her legal fees.

In turn, Pilar was ordered to give her former hubby back six containers of his belongings by July 1.

This latest development is just one of many in the ongoing battle between the two former lovebirds. Recently, Deion filed (and was granted) a restraining order against Pilar, stating that she must stay at least 500 feet from his Dallas mansion. This came following Pilar’s arrest for allegedly assaulting Deion, who filed for divorce in December of last year.

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The five-time Grammy winner known for her singles “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff” and “Bad Girls” was the reigning queen of disco from the 1970s to the early 1980s.

She was 63-years-old.

More to come on this developing story.

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Peep more of Nicole’s purple on the MIB3 Germany red carpet premiere below.

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Vatican Museums

Though it’s only 0.44km square and the world’s smallest sovereign state, Vatican City is a maze of wall-to-wall treasures. In the Vatican Museums, you’ll  walk through 1.2 miles of classical art treasures from ancient Greece to the Renaissance before you even reach the Sistine Chapel – and there’s an optional two-mile detour through the Etruscan and Egyptian collections. Rushing to meet Michelangelo is a rookie mistake. The Raphael Rooms will stop you in your tracks to inspect the High Renaissance master’s bafflingly exact architectural perspective.

Sistine Chapel

One of the world’s greatest masterpieces, Michelangelo’s amazing Sistine Chapel ceiling fresco shows Adam brought to life with the touch of the Almighty’s forefinger. Signs request that visitors remain silent in the chapel, but gasping is a given. Nothing can prepare you for the depiction of this simple, all-powerful gesture – but in order to witness its wonder first-hand, you’ll need to plan well ahead. Bring a printout of advance online reservations and a passport to enter the Vatican’s papal palace no later than 12:30pm.

Lunch break

Before you attempt a heavenly ascent to see glorious panoramic views of Rome, heed the growl in your stomach. Hint: the handiest places to St Peter’s aren’t the tastiest. For a memorable, filling, bargain lunch, head to Mondo Arancina (www.mondoarancina.it), specialists in Sicilian fried risotto balls stuffed with gooey mozzarella and your choice of meaty ragu, seasonal vegetables, savoury squid ink or (highly recommended) anchovies. To get there, exit the Sistine Chapel, take the metro from the Vatican Museum stop to the next stop, Lepanto, or just walk down Via Germanico to Via Marcantonio Colonna.

St Peter’s Square

The grandest view of Bernini’s colonnaded St Peter’s Square is usually in the afternoon, when sunlight plays hide-and-seek through the four rows of Doric columns. To receive a blessing from the Pope at close range, you’ll need to arrive in the square well before his noon appearance on Sunday. Free tickets are also available for papal addresses on Wednesdays at 11am September through June; fill out an official request online (www.vatican.va), fax it to the Pontificate (            +39 (0)6 6988 5863      ), and pick up your tickets under Bernini’s colonnade to the right of St Peter’s.

St Peter’s Basilica

No matter when you cross the threshold of St Peter’s Basilica, the experience is sublime. Sunbeams filter through high dome windows, alighting briefly on the heads of awestruck visitors and Bernini’s baldachin before scattering across the inlaid floors of the massive nave. St Peter’s throne hovers mystically in the apse, crowned with Bernini’s gilded rays and haloed in golden light. Archaeologists have recently discovered what they believe are the mortal remains of St Peter in the crypt; visits to the Tomb of St Peter can be arranged in advance for visitors aged 15 and up by emailing the Ufficio Scavi (Excavations Office; scavi@fsp.va; tickets EUR10). Tough guys might believe they can escape St Peter’s without welling up – but stationed by the door is Michelangelo’s Pietà, his unfinished sculpture of the Madonna cradling her lost son with such intense grief that the Carrara marble block seems to glisten with her tears.

St Peter’s Dome

Save your stamina and one last gasp for Michelangelo’s other masterpiece at St Peter’s: the dome, reached via a side door to the right of the Basilica, a creaky elevator ride, and a narrow, slippery 320-step climb up a winding staircase. Emerge to panoramas of Rome’s hills awash in rose-gold light, with flocks of tiny starlings signalling the imminent arrival of sunset and aperitivi (happy hour).

Return to Rome

Recover from the Vatican’s heavenly sensory overload at Passaguai, a grotto wine bar just outside the Vatican’s walls, offering Lazio wines, artisanal beer and platters of cheese and charcuterie fit for a cardinal. As the skies turn inky indigo, return to the secular world across the Tiber River via the Ponte Sant’Angelo, the ancient Roman pedestrian bridge with Bernini angels dancing across the balustrades in rapture. After your day at the Vatican, you’ll understand the feeling.

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The documents, released Monday, contain thousands of pages revealing new details about the Kennedys’ first years in office and preparations for Jacqueline Kennedy’s famous televised White House tour in 1962, which aired 50 years ago on this date. Tom Putnam, director of the Kennedy Library, said in a statement that the papers show the range of the first lady’s understanding of “art, history and public diplomacy.”

As reported in the Washington Post, the papers show that Kennedy created the White House Historical Assn. and the Fine Arts Committee within a month of moving into the White House. The documents also show that she formed relationships with philanthropists and collectors of fine antiques, including Walter Annenberg, who donated a portrait of Benjamin Franklin to the White House.

The Franklin portrait was painted in 1767 by David Martin. It was described in a document as “the first major acquisition of art for the White House” under the then-new Kennedy administration.

Jacqueline Kennedy also managed the transfer of four Cezanne paintings to the White House that had been hanging in the National Gallery of Art.

In an interview with MTV’s Hip Hop POV, Tip said the Australian newcomer is a “free agent” and is currently in talks with multiple labels.

Azalea is repped by T.I.’s Grand Hustle Entertainment and had previously claimed to have a deal in place at Interscope.

“Interscope, if you were wondering,” she tweeted in January. “Get used to me + jimmy [Iovine] smashing s–t, cause thats the plan.”

One of XXL‘s hip hop Freshmen of 2012, Iggy is working on a new EP titled Glory, which is rumored to feature Big Sean, Mike Posner and B.o.B. Previously, she released the single “Murda Bizness” featuring T.I.

Courtesy:BET