The disparate worlds of luxury motoring and classical music have been united at last as BMW today announced a new long-term partnership with The London Symphony Orchestra.

The fruits of this union are the BMW LSO Open Air Classics. A series of classical concerts performed al fresco, they promise free entertainment and life-affirmation for all in a friendly, informal atmosphere.

The first of the series of annual concerts will take place in Trafalgar Square on Saturday 12 May at 6.30pm. Valery Gergiev, Principal Conductor of the LSO, will take conducting duties, with large screens flanking the stage to allow for everyone in the audience to view the action up close.

Experimental-maniac Igor Stravinsky will dominate the programme of this inaugural concert, featuring performances of the insane Firebird Suite and the heart-stopping The Rite of Spring. No less than 100 young musicians from LSO Discovery – the Orchestra’s music education and community programme – will share the stage with the LSO players for a performance of The Lite of Spring- a curious interpretation of Stravinsky’s opus by Gareth Glyn.

Valery Gergiev comments: “I congratulate the LSO and BMW on this initiative. I believe it is so important to take music beyond the concert hall. I hope that performing these great pieces in such an impressive outdoor space will encourage many new people to experience the very special sound and experience of a truly great orchestra.”

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, says: “This fantastic partnership will give Londoners the chance to enjoy the delight of a live orchestra for free, as well as help promote our city’s vibrant and diverse music scene to new audiences. The LSO concert is just one example of a series of feel-good, outdoor events taking place in the run up to the Olympics, creating a summer like no other.”

Sounds like rather a lot of fun, don’t you think?

Here’s to a long and fruitful relationship indeed!

One of the first things I noticed when I moved across the pond was the district lack of Seinfeld on British television. Sure, there are many classic shows like Frasier, Friends, even more modern gems like How I Met Your Mother; however, very few people heard about enormously popular 1990’s sitcom. While the show has not been on the air for a very long time, those that appreciate the antics of Jerry Seinfeld will note a particularly fascinating commercial for the new Acura NSX that features the actor and several notable references to the past show.

The advert features Seinfeld talking to a broker at an Acura dealership. Enthralled by the new car set to be released this year, he wants to be the first one to purchase the vehicle. However, to his chagrin, another individual is on the list before him. His attempts to purchase the first position is the entire plot of the commercial, ultimately causing Seinfeld to suggest increasingly hilarious favours.

The first of these is a simple $20 bribe that, unfortunately, is not taken. The second is perhaps the most notable reference to the television show: the Soup Nazi. Indeed, the “Soup Nazi” refers to the 116^th episode of the sitcom where a character played by Larry Thomas is so strict with his sale of soup to his patrons dubbed him a Nazi. Here, the original actor to play the role comes back holding a large soup pot and uttering the opposite of what he said in the show: “soup for you.” Seinfeld remarks that “he owns all the characters” of the show (which he does and boy did he make a fortune because of it), but this attempt fails as well.

He than tries to give him the last living munchkin from the Wizard of Oz. While the last one was believed to have passed away some time ago, Seinfeld somehow managed to find another one. The next attempt is to give him a dancing holographic monkey, a toy that unfortunately the other man had. After this Seinfeld simply tries to make small-talk with an omelette maker, beginning a similar monologue to the ones that he is known for. This is continued on when Seinfeld dresses up in a tuxedo and tries to humour the mans family at dinner.

The attempts turn rather peculiar when Jerry attempts to recount the last episode of Jersey Gang Land using sock puppets. He than tries to give him a dead alien in a body bag as well as takes him on a speedboat out at sea. His final offer is access to Jerry Seinfeld’s personal zip-line network throughout Manhattan. However, before the transaction was finally agree upon, famous talk show host and comedian Jay Leno sweeps in with a “jet-pack flying squirrel suit” that apparently can get him between New York and Los Angeles in an impressive 20 minutes. Certainly a wink to the rivalry between Jerry Seinfeld’s Porsche collection and Leno’s massive vehicle collection, it looked like Seinfeld was unable to sway the man.

Returning back to classic Seinfeld, Mr Seinfeld forms a fist and says “Leno” in a very similar fashion to his catch phrase “Newman,” referring to an annoying postalworker who he knew on the show. After this Seinfeld is seen seated with an alien, the soup nazi, as well as the munchkin in a diner very similar to the regular hangout on the sitcom.

Set to air this weekend during the Super bowl, the commercial is the second major car advert to feature well known actor. Indeed, Mathew Broderick was in a similar advert for Honda, recreating his role in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. While the game itself will certainly be a fascinating event, the many unique commercials will supply the car enthusiast as well as curious observer with a few laughs.

Click Here To Watch The Commercial

The Internet is a rather peculiar place. Offering its user an assortment of powers, some use it for good while others for evil. While this line tend to be blurred, governments throughout the world try to regulate its processes through new laws and enforcement techniques. While few could forget the United States’ attempts to censor the Internet through SOPA and PIPA, their failures did not hinder attempts to curtail questionable Internet content.

Indeed, the most recent skirmish between Kim Dotcom, the founder of Internet sharing site Megaupload, and the combined forces of FBI and New Zealand police have highlighted these tensions. While this battle seems to be one of many yet to come, it does show how wealthy individuals can get from successful Internet websites.

The German-born man, formally known as Kimble Schmitz, profited from his simple program, ultimately amassing a rather large car collection.  In an attempt to extradite Mr Dotcom over a $500 million worth of copyright infringements, the FBI has had to go through the mans property in order to properly assess the companies profits.

Police estimate that the car collection is worth a whopping $4.8 million. Those vehicles worth noting include a beautiful black Rolls-Royce Phantom Drophead Coupe as well as a classic 1959 Cadillac that came in a fantastic pink.  Pictures of the property seem to show an assortment of various cars, each being hauled away by the police. Most recent estimates seem to suggest that there were around 18.

Unique among these cars are some of the vanity number plates that came along with them. It seems that the man had quite an interesting sense of humour when he registered names like “Stoned,” “Evil,” “Mafia,” “God,” and quite ironically “Guilty” as well as “Police.”

If the collection was not enough to suggest that he was a vehicle aficionado, the man also took part in the luxurious Gumball 3000 Rally, a global competition similar to Cannonball Run. The Herald Sun noted that he was taped driving a black Mercedes and speeding past police vehicles, mocking them.

It seems that his good luck has now run out. With the odds stacked against him, hacker groups have tried to avenge their fallen comrade; yet, it appears that he, in layman’s terms, is completely “screwed.” While the website did retrain legally valid information, the vast qualities of the illegally shared material will make it very difficult to defend him.

It is axiomatic that vehicles owned by celebrities will fetch a higher price than their normal counterparts. For whatever reason, items tend to embody the presence of their former owners, ultimately becoming valuable commodities for collectors. As a result of this, there tends to be some interest when one of these vehicles makes it on the market. Unsurprisingly, when reporters found out that the current President of the United States Barack Obama’s car is going on sale, the world quickly turned its attention to the auction.

While it may not be the armored limousine that the president is known for, the 2005 Chrysler 300C is still quite a looker. Reporters at the Daily News have noted that Senator Obama drove this vehicle around Chicago between 2004 and 2007.

While it is a valuable piece of history, the car certainly doesn’t come cheap. Those interested should note that the car’s minimum bid is a cool $1 million. While the bidder will have 10 days to come up with the cash, it is a tall order for most considering the vehicles Blue Book value is actually $17,000.

The anonymous seller called Cubfanatic23 lives in the Chicago area. Unfortunately for him as of now there are no bids for the vehicle. While all hope is certainly not lost, a few more hours remain before the bidding is about to close.

Reporters reveal that the then Senator sold the Chrysler at Hawk For in Oak Law and after a few more transfers it was bought by Tim O’Boyle. Originally the car went on sale in 2009 but a humorous bidder wanted to purchase it for $1 billion, causing the seller to take it off eBay. This fresh auction hopes to inspire greater confidence from its bidders.

Those interesting in purchasing the vehicle for themselves should note that this 2005 model has a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engine that may come in handy in a variety of situations. Burning 15 miles to per gallon in the city and 22 on the highway, the car is certainly thirsty. However, you should get your bids in soon, the owner has recently stated that there are quite a few verified bidders that are getting ready to pounce on the vehicle rather soon.

If you have a few million rolling around and want to purchase your own part of history, you have a little over 4 hours to complete the transaction here: Ebay Link

You can get the voice of Homer Simpson on your TomTom sat-nav device. This we already know. Indeed, the beloved oaf has become the most downloaded character of all time for TomTom GPS apps and personal navigation devices.

But joining Homer are two new voices direct from Springfield – Homer’s wonderful wife, Marge Simpson, and his dreaded boss, Mr. Burns.

Oh god yes.

But what are they like?

Well, Mr Burns is every bit as direct and evil as you might expect, coming out with such gems as Take the third right. Do it, driving monkey!” and “Take the exit on the right. Trust me – I’m an evil billionaire.”

Marge, meanwhile, offers a more sedate driving experience, but often comes out with wry nuggets such as “Exit right ahead. Hmm, it smells a little funky in here. Was Homer in this car?”

Marge Simpson, Mr Burns and Homer Simpson are exclusively available for the TomTom App for iPhone, iPad and personal navigation devices.  The voices can be downloaded onto a TomTom personal navigation device from mytomtom.com or from TomTom HOME. Users of the TomTom iPhone and iPad apps can obtain the voices via in-app purchase.

“We want to keep the offerings on the TomTom app fresh and exciting by introducing new voices at different times,” said Jeffrey Godsick, President of Fox Consumer Products. “We know that fans of the show are going to appreciate these new additions as it gives them yet another platform to enjoy one of the greatest shows of all time.”

This is incredible news.

The thought of being Mr Burns’s driving monkey is enough to make me want to get a TomTom.

And learn to drive, of course.

A driving adventure! What a great idea. Nothing but a worn track behind you and an unblazed trail ahead – untamed nature, fear me!

Only one thing can spoil it, though. Burst tyres, lack of petrol and man-eating tigers are all part of the fun. But travel with the wrong person and your whole adventure is put in jeopardy.

Luckily, the good people at Continental Tyres have come up with a list of the ten worst people with whom to motor.

They surveyed 2,000 motorists to find which celebrities Brits would least like to share a car-based adventure with. The research was conducted as part of the launch of this year’s Conti 4×4 Trophy (pictured), where people compete for a place on an epic off road challenge, driving a Hummer across the Sahara Desert.

Jeremy Clarkson unsurprisingly took the top spot. Because he’s an awful, awful man, presumably.

Tim Bailey, spokesperson for Continental Tyres, said: “Driving thousands of miles through the Atlas Mountains and the fiery sands of the Sahara Desert makes your choice of co-driver incredibly important. It’s a long, tough and often dangerous journey.

“Jeremy Clarkson might have motoring credentials but either his calamitous road trips on Top Gear his lack of practical skills or his outspoken views mean most people would leave him behind.”

Top ten worst celebs to go on driving adventure with:

1. Jeremy Clarkson
2. Katie Price
3. David Cameron
4. Kate Moss
5. Carol Vorderman
6. Christine Bleakley
7. Nick Clegg
8. Madonna
9. Simon Cowell
10. Lewis Hamilton

I was a bit too young to fully enjoy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off as I was born a year after the movie was released. This however did not stop me from fully embracing 1980’s cinema, ultimately falling in love with it when I finally saw it. Since that faithful day, Ferris Bueller’s (Matthew Broderick) crazy antics on his day off school have stayed with me my entire life, causing me to think of ways to skip classes as well. Deeply entrenched in my psyche, when I saw a potential commercial for sequel you could imagine my shock. I was ready to pay or do anything necessary to see it. Unfortunately for me, it did not turn out to be a movie at all. Rather, it was a campaign created by Honda to introduce its new CR-V.

However, all was not lost. While we didn’t get a movie per se, we did receive a bit of a nostalgic interpretation of our hero’s past exploits. Here is a list of connections between the original film and Honda’s recent reinterpretation:

The opening scene is very much so reminiscing of the original film: Mr Broderick is faking being sick. Once more talking to the camera and breaking the third wall, he addresses us about his plans. With the classic music playing in the background, he says that it is his “worst performance of his career,” the very same lines uttered when he was much younger.

Here there is a brief switch to the commercial part of the sequence. The classic “Broderick, Broderick” remark of the valet is reminiscent to the “Bueller, Bueller” uttered by Ben Stein. We than finally see what the cars looks like. The Honda CR-V is actually one of the company’s longest running vehicles. With the new fourth generation set for release in 2012, the crossover is a highly successful and powerful vehicle that could transfers any terrain. While it may not be a Ferrari 250, the car certainly looks quite good.

Later in the after Broderick almost gets caught by his boss but plays it cool and hides much like he had trying to ditch his highschool principal. His fun antics in the museum are directly inspired by what he did to the art pieces in the film. With short shots back to the Honda, Broderick once more gets on a float to sing a slightly different song than his original rendition at the Chicago parade.

The last wink related to the valet stealing the new Honda for a joy ride. While it may not be a Ferrari, the car  looked quite good jumping over the hills. Finishing off with the classic saying that “life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it,” the commercial certainly lived up to its original film.

Click here to watch Ferris Bueller’s Day Off Honda Commercial

The vast majority of us are simply in awe of vehicles driven by celebrities. While big name Italian sports cars are a must, the more fashionable drivers like to combine class with high performance. As such, Rolls-Royce tends to be found at the top of most lists, ultimately offering their drivers a luxurious world of opportunities. Yet, on occasion celebrities fall out of love with their vehicles, selling them off for quite a pretty penny.

Such a situation arose only a few days ago when famed football star David Beckham decided to get rid of his Rolls-Royce Phantom for modest £250,000. The 2008 model was actually the talk of the town when it was first purchased for £350,000. Indeed, it became worth even more when the Beckham’s put in thousands more into custom features.

Some of the exclusive features found in the coupe include a black spirit of ecstasy, very large 24-inch alloy wheels, as well as black out tinted windows that would make any car enthusiast envious. Not to be outdone, the car also had a unique paint colour as well as coach lines that made it stand out. It also features special wood desking that has been built into the back of the vehicle. Indeed, reports at the Dailymail have noted that the car was one of the most recognizable vehicles in Hollywood.

Sold at Towbin motorcars, a Las Vegas dealership, the vehicle had done a mere 6,000 miles. Certainly quite a deal, the company initially advertised the car for nearly $400,000 and offered a detailed history about its background. Revealing that the car came with a 6.75-litre V12 engine that creates a whopping 450bhp, the car was capable of going from 0 to 62 mph in just 5.9 seconds. Having a top speed of 150 mph, the car was said to be very well maintained. However, they did note that it was certainly not the most efficient vehicle on the road. Indeed, its great weight and customizable features meant that it used up a gallon for every 11 miles.

This car is merely one of the many all-black themed cars that are found in his garage. Indeed, the Beckham’s also have a specially built Jeep Wrangler, Ranger Rover and event a rather posh Porsche 911. While we can only dream of such a garage, it looks like the Beckham’s are ready to expand their collection with a few more new vehicles and starting to sell of their old ones.