Dawna Friesen
Dawna Friesen is a foreign correspondent for NBC News and can currently be seen in the morning on MSNBC reporting from Jordan, Egypt and other locations in the Middle East. She also reports for NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” and “Today”.

more >> http://www.gogomag.com/talkingheads/bios/females/Dawna_Friesen.php

With a career spanning 15 years and 8 major label releases, The Tea Party have successfully gained the attention of fans on a worldwide level, selling over 1.6 million records worldwide as well as touring a countless number of times through Canada, the United States, Europe and Australia. Much of this success can be attributed to the incredible live performances they give, combining great artistry and musicianship with a wide variety of instruments and sound.

Although they have found success on an international level, these iconic rockers cannot ignore the cult-like following in their native country. In Canada alone, The Tea Party have secured 4 double-platinum, 1 platinum and 4 gold albums over the span of their career. In addition to this success, The Tea Party have received 22 MuchMusic Video Award nominations including three People’s Choice Awards for Favourite Music Video; two for “The River” and one for “The Bazaar”. 

Available for the first time on DVD, The Tea Party are captured during their 1998 MuchMusic Intimate & Interactive performance shortly after the release of their highly praised ‘Transmission’ album.  This previously unreleased footage features live performances of many of their well known hits including “Save Me”, “Fire in the Head” and “Temptation” as well as additional interviews recorded from the MuchMusic headquarters, making this DVD is a must have for any Tea Party fan.

More >> http://www.teaparty.com/

Well, here’s one car we’ll all be able to cover in Detroit come January. BMW has officially announced that the second-generation MINI Cabrio will make its debut at the North American International Auto Show. No need to wait to place orders; you can do that now. The Cooper ragtop is priced at $24,550 while the Cooper S convertible costs $3,000 more. Customer delivery kicks off on March 28.

So, what’s new? Well, for one, the new Cabrio looks like the current-gen Cooper. Likewise, it shares the hardtop cars’ 1.6L engines — 118 hp NA for the Cooper, and 172 hp turbo for the Cooper S. The Euro-market cars get BMW Efficient Dynamics features including brake regeneration and stop/start. The U.S.? Not so much. Out back, the fold-down tailgate’s hinges are now internal, giving the car’s tush a smoother look. The fixed roll hoops of the current car have been replaced by a pop-up system behind the back seat. This makes for a good-looking, clean top-down profile and should improve rearward visibility for the driver. Speaking of the top, it can be operated at speeds up to 20 mph or so, and it fully disappears in just 15 seconds. The sliding sunroof feature can be utilized at even higher speeds — up to 60 mph or so. Stability control is standard equipment.

Inside, the current MINI instrument panel is employed, and drivers with a hankering for extraneous gimmickery can order up the “Openometer”, a secondary gauge that mounts next to the tach. It monitors how much time you clock with the top down. Yeah, yeah — useless. You know people are gonna eat it up. Follow the jump for a video and MINI’s full PR (now updated with the U.S. version).