Amazing story of courage for entire family

'Soul Surfer' was recently released on DVD. This movie is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton. She is a surfer who lost her left arm in an accident with a shark. She was only 13 years old when the attack occurred.
This movie starts out letting us get to know Bethany and her love for surfing. This sport is her passion. The main character is played by AnnaSophia Robb. She does an amazing job showing her emotions throughout the film.
The film does not take long to get to the point of the shark attack. Luckily when the tiger shark attacks her she has other people with her and they are able to help her get to safety and call an ambulance. Bethany loses 60% of her blood in the attack and her left arm. She is lucky be alive.
At first, she tries to surf and compete but realizes that she is having problems getting up in the water like normal. A company offers Bethany a prosthetic arm, but it does not work the way she had hoped for when she puts it on. She steps away from the sport of surfing for a bit realizing that it might not be her anymore.

 

Bethany Hamilton: Audiences Are “Stoked” With Sexy Bethany Hamilton Movie Soul Surfer

 
BETHANY Hamilton thinks audiences are “stoked” about Soul Surfer — the new movie based on her life.
More than seven years ago, before dawn on Halloween morning, Hamilton had her left arm taken off by a 14-foot tiger shark while they were sharing the waters off the shore of Kauai, Hawaii.
“When can I surf again?” the 13-year-ancient questioned after emergency surgery.
Bethany returned nearly immediately, hoping to help others overcoming obstacles place in front of them.
Hamilton, now 21 and on the women’s pro tour since 2007, talked about the audience’s reaction to the film.

Bethany Hamilton Images

 
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Bethany Hamilton rides a big-screen wave 'Soul Surfer'

In real life, Bethany Hamilton is among the top women's surfers the world.
In reel life, her story, "Soul Surfer," which hit theatres today, would rank among any sport's top comeback flicks of all time. Not even Hollywood could mess up this script.
More than seven years ago, before dawn on Halloween morning, she had her left arm taken off by a 14-foot tiger shark while they were both sharing the waters off the shore of Kauai, Hawaii.
"When can I surf again?" the 13-year-old asked after her emergency surgery.
She returned almost immediately, and began to spread the word of her story, in hopes of helping others overcoming obstacles put in front of them.
Hamilton, now 21 and on the women's pro tour since 2007, talks about the reaction so far to her life story, and why it still resonates:
QUESTION: How did you gauge the reaction from the audience after you attended the "blue carpet" premiere recently in L.A.?
ANSWER: I thought everyone was stoked on it. That's really nice. I had heard it was hard to get good feedback from L.A. because everyone can be so critical about movies. It was cool. Everyone enjoyed it, and we had a wonderful night with my family and some of my best friends.
Q: As a competitive athlete now, do you find yourself actually some kind of psychological advantage over opponents? In that you're able to do what you do so well without both arms?
A: Surfing is very different from a lot of other sports, because there's so much arm movement, and having to paddle fast, and position yourself properly. For me, I really have to focus and think through my heat and study the lineup. I really don't think of it as having any kind of advantage. If anything, it can still hold me back in certain waves. But once you're up on the board, and as long as I get two good waves, I'm good. The girls I compete against, we're all good friends, so once we're on land, we don't talk much about the competition or who has advantages.

Q: Does competitive surfing at times take anything away from the pure fun of riding the board?
A: I can see where there are times when I'm so focused on getting better in a competition, I forget to just have fun and be in the ocean. I always come back to being grateful just to be able to continue surfing, especially after those long trips. I'm stoked to get back in the water. I know the name of the movie, and when you talk about 'soul surfers,' most of them you don't consider to be competitive. I interpret it as: If you find something you're passionate about, no matter what, you love it. And whether I'm competing or not, I'd be in the water loving it. Some do get burned out and lose their passion. But that's not the case for me. When the waves are good, I'll be out there all day.
Q: Have you gotten used to the media fishbowl yet, especially now, with this new wave of it, after all these years? Did it make you grow up fast?
A: Yeah, it's been crazy coming from mellow Kauai to get thrown into all this crazy, but it's all been a good experience, a way to reach more people and share our story with everything. It's a lot of hoping on planes and sleeping in hotels and getting homesick, but even worse, being away from the ocean.
Q: Reading your book again, you didn't seem to be someone who took things for granted. You're very grounded in Christianity. Is that even more the case now than back then, and would it be something that you'd have anyway because you're more you're more mature, not just because of the accident that happened?
A: My faith in Jesus has always kept me grounded me, and keeps me going, and inspires me every day. I know I'm not perfect and God loves me and He can help me get through things, guide me on life decisions. There are so many decisions that have to be made, and making the movie became very intense sometimes because we had to be on top of everything. There was some stuff we didn't approve of. But it's been awesome to be able to trust in God and know His plan is much better than the one I have.
Q: Where are the best places you've found to surf in California?
A: I love going out at 'Lowers' (Lower Trestles in Orange County), but the crowd can be intense. I just try to find a spot where it's a little less known. We always have a stop in Huntington (Beach), and it gets pretty hectic there, too, but it's also great to see all the people come together to support it. I stay with a good friend when I'm there and manage to get some quiet time around Orange County when I'm there.
Q: Even though actors play you throughout the films, primarily AnnaSophia Robb, you managed to do make an appearance in the movie, right?
A: I got to do a lot of the one-armed stunt surfing and have a cameo in one scene.
Q: What was the strangest part about seeing someone play you on the big screen? Was there a scene that you reacted to that caught you by surprise?
A: I became good friends with AnnaSophia, and the way she portrayed me, it was easier to take in.
Q: Your book is the basis for the movie, but what did Hollywood do to your story to add to it, as it tends to do sometimes?
A: There are two fictional characters. "Maria" is a competitive surfer who has a rivalry with me. But I liked that aspect of the movie. There's competitiveness, so it works and we end up friends in the movie. Then there's a friend of mine named "Taoki," and I liked how his character worked. So even if there is some fiction in there, my family and I approved of it and we really worked with the writers and directors to come up with something that moves the story as long as it doesn't water things down.
Q: What do you hope movie goers take away from "Soul Surfer," particularly those who may not know about the religious faith aspect that kind of holds your story together?
A: Of course, I want to share my faith, and my love of surfing, but I want it to be natural. I didn't want to push it on anyone. I want them to just be encouraged, see how good things can come from bad. Everyone thinks, 'How horrible,' but I see all the good that has come out of it. I'm still surfing, all over the world. It's cool to know that hopefully we can have another surfing movie on the big screen.
Q: Has anyone made comparisons to your movie and the James Franco movie, "127 Hours"?
A: Not too many, but it's funny -- we both lost our arms in the same year (2003) and the movies came out the same year, and we're still both doing the things we love. I haven't met (mountain climber Aron Ralston), but I did see his film and enjoyed it. It was cool to see the similarities in our stories.
Q: Really? How did you react to the scene where he lost his arm?
A: I like how we did the scene in 'Soul Surfer' better - it happened quick, we did the scene quick. It's not too much for kids to handle. We didn't want it to turn into a 'Jaws' movie. But in ("127 Hours"), honestly, I fast forwarded (on the DVD) that part. It was gnarly. So gnarly.

Helen Mirren Does Sexy Pose for Esquire

Helen Mirren gives her all for Queen and country in a sexy Esquire magazine cover due out in August. The British beauty has definitely aged like rare wine. With each passing year, she seems to get sexier and sexier. That doesn't happen a lot on this side of the ocean or the other.
Mirren's show business career spans many years. However, in the last couple of decades, the silver-haired fox has really come into her own. She is one hot babe, no matter her age, but at 66 she is definitely scorching. In addition to her obvious beauty, the actress has won many fans over with her incredible talent, sassy charm and impeccable fashion style.
As for the Esquire cover, it is sure to have people talking for many years to come. Draped provocatively with the British flag, Helen Mirren sets the page on fire. While she isn't the real Queen of England, she is definitely the queen of many hearts. Helen Mirren never looked better, which explains how she landed on the list of Sexiest Women Alive and on the cover. Sorry, Megan Fox, but she's got you beat by a mile. All hail the Queen!

Helen Mirren has the world’s sexiest body!

Say what you will, but at least people are learning that you can be healthy and sexy without necessarily either starving yourself into a cackling skeleton monster or frankensteining your body until you resemble two hams hanging off a coat rack. It’s just a matter of eating like a sensible human being, going for a jog every now and then, and not telling yourself that you can eat either five pizzas or air for dinner.

Helen Mirren has the sexiest body on planet

She's 66 years old. She has an Academy Award for playing a decidedly frumpy Queen Elizabeth. Her last movie role was as the elderly spinster nanny to Russell Brand's playboy millionaire in "Arthur." And she's officially got the best body in the world. Dame Helen Mirren, what was it like when they created you on Mount Olympus?

When the gym chain LA Fitness polled 2,000 members on the sexiest male and female physiques on the planet, you'd expect renowned hotties like Nicole Scherzinger and this year's It Girl, Pippa Middleton, to make the list. And they did. But who'd have guessed that Inspector Jane Tennyson would blow away the competition for the top spot? Or that 48-year-old Elle Macpherson would come in second, and 42-year-old Jennifer Lopez would land in fourth? And lest you thinking defying Father Time is for the ladies, the male list is decidedly unyouthful too, with Daniel Craig, Johnny Depp, Brad Pitt, David Hasselhoff and Simon Cowell all making appearances. Note to gravity: YOU LOSE.

Now, an LA Fitness poll isn't exactly the ne plus ultra of scientific inquiry, and it's not as if Helen Mirren's off-the-charts level of foxiness is going to change Victoria's Secret fashion shows or Sports Illustrated swimsuit issues. You need only do a comparative perusal of the Maxim 100, where teenagers like Miley Cyrus and Taylor Swift are holding their own against a variety of Kardashians and models, to know that dewy, voluptuous youth never goes out of favor.

There's something defiantly cheeky and provocative about the LA Fitness poll results -- a little like, oh, I don't know, declaring Mirren's costar Russell Brand the sexiest man of the year.  Look at us! Thinking outside the box! No wonder LA Fitness's marketing director Tony Orme told the Hollywood Reporter this week that "It's great to see the public celebrating bodies of all shapes and sizes, and proving that you really can look fabulous over 40 and 50."

That's really the point here, isn't it? A beautiful body at 18 is all but a birthright, but one at 60 is the result of damn hard work and incredibly serendipitous genetics. And indeed Mirren declared last year that her "best friend" is her Wii Fit.

Of course, a survey whose results suggest that beauty and sexiness aren't the sole terrain of the young -- and that having a rocking body is possible at any age -- is well in service of the fitness industry. Sure, Mirren, like those ankle-biting whippersnappers Macpherson and Lopez, surely has all the body, face, and hair upkeep that a woman could dream of. Simply rolling out of bed looking like a million bucks becomes an increasingly unrealistic option the older any of us get – even a woman who is still cavorting around in red bikinis and posing naked in magazines.

Yet despite the attention-getting nature of the LA Fitness poll, it serves as a reminder that beauty and sexiness don't necessarily have an expiration date. That aging is inevitable, but "letting yourself go" only has to be if you choose to make it so. That being vibrant and active is always seductive. And that the untouchable Helen Mirren can outscorch legions of females 50 years her junior.

Helen Mirren is a frock and roller

Helen Mirren has a boogie on her way to film a rock and roll movie.

Wearing a bandana and little make-up the veteran Oscar-winner showed off some nimble footwork as she made her way to the New York location for her latest scenes.
She's starring in a controversial biopic of crazed music mogul Phil Spector.
The producer is currently serving life for murdering 40-year-old actress Lana Clarkson.
Godfather star Al Pacino takes the lead role while Helen 66, plays Spector's long-time pal and lawyer Linda Kenney Baden in the film.
Angry protesters called for Helen to pull out of the film because many believe it suggests the former Beatles producer was wrongly jailed.
Bette Midler was originally in line for Helen's role but pulled out, citing a back injury.