Tuesday, November 24, 2009

NAZZY'S RANDOM STUFF (11-24-09)

THE AVERAGE WOMAN WORRIES ABOUT HER APPEARANCE 36 TIMES A DAY:

This study took place in the UK, but we have no reason to think the results would be any different here . . .

According to a new study by Britain's Independent Television Authority, the average woman has negative thoughts about her appearance 36 times a day. --That adds up to 252 negative thoughts a week . . . or 13,140 a year. (!!!) (Daily Mail)


HALF OF ALL DRIVERS BETWEEN THE AGES OF 18 AND 34 ADMIT THEY TEXT WHILE DRIVING:

A recent survey by a website called FindLaw.com found that ONE in TEN drivers between the ages of 18 and 34 admit they've sent or received an email, or surfed the Internet on their phone, while driving.

Meanwhile, TWO in THREE drivers admit they talk on their cell phone while driving, while HALF admit to TEXTING while driving. --This seems like the perfect time to remind you that last summer, a study by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute found that texting while driving is 23 TIMES more dangerous than driving drunk. (Chicago Sun-Times / National Post)


KIDS WATCH TV FOR AN AVERAGE OF 2.4 HOURS A DAY AT HOME-BASED DAYCARE CENTERS:

If you're shelling out hundreds of dollars a week sending your kids to a home-based daycare center, you're going to want to listen up . . . --A new study from the University of Washington has found that the average kid spends 2.4 hours a day watching TV at home-based daycares. That's compared to just 24 minutes a day at daycare centers.

If you add that to the two or three hours of TV most parents let their kids watch at home, that means the average kid who goes to a home-based daycare spends more than ONE-THIRD of their waking hours in front of the idiot box.

A guy named Dr. Dimitri Christakis led the study. He says, quote, "We know what's good for children and we know what's not. High quality preschool can make a very, very positive difference. We're so far from meeting that, that we really have a lot of work to do . . .--"It's not what parents have signed up for. I'm not sure how many parents are aware of this." (AOL News)


AND NOW . . . SOMETHING CALLED ANTI "MONKEY BUTT" POWDER:

If you're into common products with "crazy" names, we've got a great one for you . . . --It's called Anti "Monkey Butt" Powder. It's an anti-chafing powder, sort of like Gold Bond. And if your butt is chafed and sore, you have to walk around all bowlegged . . . like a monkey.

Or, as the product website puts it, quote, "Anti Monkey Butt Powder is specially formulated to absorb excess sweat and reduce frictional skin irritation.

"It is ideal for butt-busting activities such as truck driving, motorcycling, bicycling, horse back riding, and extreme sports . . .

"Indoors or outdoors, work or play, or on occasions when you sit on your butt all day, don't let your buns get red. Use Anti Monkey Butt Powder instead!"

(--You can contact the people over at Anti Monkey Butt Powder at 512-312-0003. And if you really want to, you can learn more about this silly product here . . .)
http://www.antimonkeybutt.com/


(--You can buy this nonsense for about $6 here . . .)http://www.amazon.com/Anti-Monkey-Powder-Anti-Friction-Sweat-Absorber/dp/B0006B08O6(Virginian-Pilot)

HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (11-24-09)

"AMA" FALL-OUT

ADAM LAMBERT THINKS IT'S "DISCRIMINATION" THAT HIS RAUNCHY PERFORMANCE WAS EDITED FOR THE WEST COAST:

If you watched the "American Music Awards" on Sunday night . . . from the EAST coast . . . you saw a pretty raunchy ADAM LAMBERT performance. (--He was singing the title track off his new album, "For Your Entertainment".)

If you missed it, it included: Adam parading around the stage with two male dancers on leashes . . . Adam making out with his allegedly straight male keyboardist . . . and Adam thrusting a male dancer's face into his crotch.

Adam apparently didn't clear that face-to-crotch move with ABC beforehand . . . and as a result, it was edited out of the show when it aired on the West Coast. --Backstage after his performance . . . but before he knew whether or not his performance would be edited for the later time zones . . . Adam said that he'd consider any censorship to be, quote, "discrimination." --He told "Rolling Stone", quote, "It's a shame because I think that there's a double standard going on in the entertainment community right now.

"Female performers have been doing this for years . . . pushing the envelope about sexuality . . . and the minute a man does it, everybody freaks out. --"We're in 2009 . . . it's time to take risks, be a little more brave, time to open people's eyes and if it offends them, then maybe I'm not for them. My goal was not to piss people off, it was to promote freedom of expression and artistic freedom."

He added, quote, "In a roundabout way it's a form of discrimination because it is a double standard. They didn't censor BRITNEY [SPEARS] and MADONNA macking onstage did they? But yet two men kissing they'll censor." (--The notorious Britney / Madonna moment took place at the 2003 "Video Music Awards". It aired on MTV . . . not on a broadcast network like the "AMAs".)

(--And just to clarify, these comments were made BEFORE Adam knew for sure if the performance was going to be edited. ABC ended up keeping the man-on-man kiss . . . they just took out the racy part where he simulated ORAL RELATIONS.)

In another post-performance interview . . . this one with "Access Hollywood" . . . Adam said, quote, "You know honestly, if I offended some people . . . it's apples and oranges. I'm not an artist that does things for every single person. --"I'm not going to be surprised that they edit it. People are scared and it's really sad, I just wish people could open their minds up and enjoy things, it's all for a laugh, it's really not that big of a deal."

ABC EXPLAINS WHY THEY EDITED ADAM LAMBERT:

ABC has explained why they decided to censor the raunchiest moment of ADAM LAMBERT'S performance at the "AMAs" for their West Coast broadcast. (--That being the face-to-crotch thrust Adam did with a male dancer.)

In a brief statement, the network said, quote, "Due to the live nature of the show we did not expect the impromptu moment in question." --Yesterday morning, the "Associated Press" reported that around 1,500 people called in to complain about Adam's racy performance . . . but ABC later described the number of complaints as, quote, "moderate."

Adam has admitted that some aspects of his performance weren't planned. He said he did some improvising, quote, "in the moment." --Speaking to "Rolling Stone", he added, quote, "Adrenaline is crazy and sometimes things just happen. We had this great dance number totally staged. It's a sexy song about seduction and power and I was just doing the lyrics justice. --"My intention was not to try and create a controversy. But if a controversy ensues, then so be it." He also denied that he was trying to draw attention for his new album, "For Your Entertainment", which hit stores yesterday.

He said, quote, "Numbers are shmumbers, they don't mean anything. It's about the music. I'm creating art, and if they like it, they'll buy it, and if they don't, they don't. It really doesn't matter to me." --Speaking of numbers, an average of 14.2 million people watched the "AMAs", which is up about 2 million viewers from last year. That was also enough to give the show its best ratings since 2002.

A NEW MISS CALIFORNIA HAS BEEN CROWNED . . . AND MICHAEL PHELPS HIT THIS ONE, TOO:

CARRIE PREJEAN is officially old news. A NEW Miss California has been crowned. Her name is NICOLE JOHNSON. This one says she's NOT against gay marriage and she doesn't have any sex tapes floating around.

But she and Carrie do have one thing in common: The both dated MICHAEL PHELPS. Phelps dated both Carrie and Nicole in 2008. We don't know if he was juggling them simultaneously, but so-called "sources" say his relationship with Nicole ended over rumors of his infidelity.

(--Here's a pictures of Nicole winning the crown the other night . . . and one of her with Michael Phelps when they were dating . . .)

NEW ON VIDEO TODAY

--"Angels & Demons" - Tom Hanks returns as his "Da Vinci Code" character Robert Langdon to fight the Illuminati, a secret society out to destroy the Catholic Church. Ewan McGregor is the main villain, and a sexy Israeli minx named Ayelet Zurer is an Italian scientist helping him.

--"Four Christmases" - starring Vince Vaughn and Reese Witherspoon as a couple guilt tripped into making the grueling Christmas rounds together for the first time. Tim McGraw, Dwight Yoakam, Robert Duvall, Jon Voight and Sissy Spacek play some of their relatives.

--"Funny People" - Adam Sandler plays a famous comedian who hires a struggling stand-up comic to be his personal assistant when he thinks he only has a year left to live. Seth Rogen plays the new protégé. Jonah Hill, Leslie Mann, Eric Bana, and Jason Schwartzman are also in it and it's directed by Judd Apatow.

--"Shorts" - A kid finds a rainbow-colored rock that grants people wishes. The town is then overrun with the results of bizarre wishes after the adults get their hands on it. Jon Cryer and Leslie Mann play the kid's parents. William H. Macy and James Spader are also in it.
(--It's written and directed by "Spy Kids" director Robert Rodriguez. His kid, Rebel Rodriguez, is also in it but not in the lead role. That part went to 13-year-old Jimmy Bennett, better known as the kid who played young James Kirk in the new "Star Trek" movie.)

TV SERIES ON DVD:
--"Law & Order: Criminal Intent - Season Four" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Beverly Hills 90210: Season Eight" . . . a seven-disc set. (--It ran for 10 seasons.)
--"Melrose Place: Season Five, Vol. Two" . . . a three-disc set. (--It ran seven seasons.)

NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK

Because of Thanksgiving, most of this week's new music releases came out yesterday instead of getting a typical Tuesday release date. Here's another look at what's new this week . . .

--"Rated R", Rihanna (--It includes "Russian Roulette", her song about an abusive relationship. Plus a song called "Rockstar 101", featuring Slash on guitar. We'd also heard that Will.I.Am and Young Jeezy will make appearances on the album.)

--"She Wolf", Shakira (--It's barely hitting the U.S. today even though it's been all over the internet, thanks to some of the sexiest videos of all time. Here's the video for "She Wolf" . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aEW_Z5Va5s

And here's the one for "Did It Again", featuring some pretty sexy acrobatics on a bed . . . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnZRP0KMlZs

--"The Fame Monster", Lady GaGa (--It's available as an EP of eight songs . . . and as a re-release of Gaga's debut album, "The Fame", along with the eight new songs. One of those songs features Beyoncé. It's called "Telephone" . . .)

--"I Am . . . Sasha Fierce" [Deluxe Edition], Beyoncé (--It's a re-release that now includes Lady Gaga on a remix of Beyoncé's "Video Phone". . .)

--"For Your Entertainment", Adam Lambert (--It includes include three songs he wrote . . . plus one written by the band Muse, another written by Justin Hawkins from The Darkness and one written by Weezer singer Rivers Cuomo.)

--"I Dreamed A Dream", the debut album of Susan Boyle

--"The Singles Collection (Deluxe)", Britney Spears

--"All Or Nothing", Jay Sean (--Featuring Lil Wayne on his hit song "Down".)

SURVIVE THE BLACK FRIDAY MADNESS

HERE ARE SOME TIPS TO HELP YOU SURVIVE THE BLACK FRIDAY MADNESS:

Last year on Black Friday, a Wal-Mart security guard in New York was trampled to death, and two shoppers in California were shot to death at a Toys "R" Us. Needless to say, people get a little crazy on Black Friday. --With that in mind, here are nine tips from a website called Holidash.com to help you survive the madness of Black Friday:

#1.) Dress appropriately: Most importantly, wear comfortable shoes. You'll be glad you did.

#2.) Be prepared: You've got your gift list . . . that's a good start. You might also want to bring along a few granola bars, antibacterial soap, baby wipes, Band Aids and whatever else you think might come in handy during your hectic day of shopping.

#3.) Do some recon: If you have the time before Thanksgiving, you might want to check out any stores you're unfamiliar with in order to get a lay of the land ahead of time.

#4.) Know your sales: Bring along any coupons and sales ads, in case you run into a store employee who isn't up to date on the store's sale items. Also, a lot of stores will honor another retailer's sale price, but you need to have the coupon or ad to get the deal.

#5.) Be fierce: Black Friday means serious shopping business. So you should leave your uninterested spouse or kids at home. But do NOT trample or shoot another shopper. I repeat: Do NOT trample or shoot another shopper . . . or anyone else, for that matter.

#6.) Just park: Don't waste time circling the parking lot for a spot near the entrance. In the long run, you'll save more time by parking in the first spot you see and walking a little further to the store.

#7.) Stay calm: I can't stress this one enough. There's no holiday gift worth risking a trip to the ER because you got into an argument with another equally-anxious-but-much-larger shopper.

#8.) Divide and conquer: If you have the luxury, bring a few friends along to help you with your shopping list. That way, you can each cover a different area of the store, and all meet back up at the register.

#9.) Focus: Know what you're looking for. Know the price you want. And go for it. (Holidash)

YOUR TURKEY & YOU

HERE'S WHAT YOUR FAVORITE THANKSGIVING FOOD SAYS ABOUT YOU:

Everybody has a favorite Thanksgiving food. And what you eat this Thursday MIGHT reveal a little bit about your personality . . . according to three food and personality experts at MSN.com. -Most of this is nonsense, but according to these 'experts,' here's what YOUR favorite Thanksgiving food supposedly says about YOU . . .

#1.) IF IT'S TURKEY. You appreciate the little things in life, but it's not what gets you out of bed in the morning. You only play to win . . . and you like spending time with people who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty.

#2.) IF IT'S TOFURKEY. You think about things before you do them. In other words, tofurkey is turkey made of tofu: People eat it because they believe in something SO strongly, they shun the taste of meat . . . delicious, succulent, turkey meat. (--Sorry, got carried away.)

#3.) IF IT'S STUFFING. You're traditional, but you also have a wild side. And you're probably an opinionated person who likes being around other opinionated people.

#4.) IF IT'S MASHED POTATOES. You're a people person who appreciates the little comforts in life that most people overlook. And you look for considerate, compassionate people to spend time with.

#5.) IF IT'S CANNED CRANBERRY SAUCE. You're not fancy, you're practical. And you like that about yourself. But you don't take yourself too seriously, and you're not afraid to be the butt of a few jokes every now and then.

#6.) IF IT'S PUMPKIN PIE. You like being part of a close-knit family . . . or you WISH you were part of one. You could probably sit through two hours of your uncle's war stories, and still get excited when your mom wants to go through your baby photos. (MSN.com)