HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (10-27-10)
SHEEN-ANIGANS
CHARLIE SHEEN WAS HOSPITALIZED YESTERDAY AFTER TRASHING A HOTEL ROOM . . . HIS PEOPLE SAY HE HAD A BAD REACTION TO MEDICATION:
CHARLIE SHEEN was hospitalized early yesterday morning after trashing a room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. He might have been NAKED when police arrived . . . and he might have been with a HOOKER. -It's complicated, but we're going to sort through all the facts and all the rumors as best as we can. --What we do know is that Charlie was in New York City to spend some time with ex-wife DENISE RICHARDS and their two daughters . . . who are 5 and 6 years old. Denise and the girls were very wisely in a separate room. --Their time in the city included taking in a performance of "Mary Poppins" on Broadway. Charlie's sitcom, "Two and a Half Men", is on hiatus this week. --At around 2:00 A.M. yesterday, police received a call about a man who appeared to be agitated and irrational . . . and possibly intoxicated. That obviously turned out to be Charlie. --His room was pretty trashed. Furniture had been tossed around and a chandelier was damaged. And there was an unidentified female in the room with him. --Charlie was taken to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation, and Denise went with him. He was released later in the day, and headed back to Los Angeles on a private jet. --Charlie's people were quick to deny that Charlie was drunk or high. His rep said, quote, "What we are able to determine is that Charlie had an adverse allergic reaction to some medication and was taken to the hospital." --His attorney added, quote, "He didn't do anything illegal." --It's important to note that Charlie was NOT ARRESTED. And no one has confirmed that he consumed any illicit substances. Police say it's unlikely they'll file any charges against him, and the hotel has yet to file a complaint. --That's a good thing for Charlie, because he's still on probation for assaulting his wife, BROOKE MUELLER, on Christmas Day. In fact, he only has about a week to go. Any serious arrests OR drug or alcohol use would constitute a violation. --Everyone seems to have their own version of exactly what happened . . . so we might not ever know for sure. But here's some of what people are saying . . . --"The New York Post" reports that Charlie went out partying . . . and returned to his room with a prostitute. He was drinking and snorting cocaine when he noticed that his wallet and cell phone were missing. --He accused the woman of stealing his stuff, then started throwing furniture and yelling. He did about $7,000 worth of damage. Hotel security responded to the ruckus at about 2:00 A.M. and found him NAKED. They called police. --"Life & Style" magazine says that when security entered the room, they found the woman locked in a closet and screaming . . . quote, "She was fearing for her life and was naked. Charlie was incoherent but started screaming slurs at the cops. --"They recognized him immediately and gave him two options: they could take him to the hospital or take him down to the station. Charlie chose the hospital." (--There are also reports that the woman locked HERSELF in the bathroom and called hotel security.) --RadarOnline.com says this isn't just a one-time relapse, either. A source told them, quote, "He's back to his old tricks. He's been partying and using cocaine. He's been doing it for weeks." --Sources also tell Radar Online that Charlie is going back to rehab. But TMZ claims Charlie doesn't think he needs rehab again . . . and he just plans on resuming his normal life.
THE ASPEN DISTRICT ATTORNEY ISN'T AFTER CHARLIE SHEEN:
As we noted, CHARLIE SHEEN has about a week to go on his probation for assaulting his wife, BROOKE MUELLER, on Christmas Day in Aspen, Colorado. --Drinking, using drugs and getting arrested are three things that would violate that probation . . . and potentially send Charlie to jail. Well, he didn't get arrested, but he MIGHT have done the other two. --But it doesn't sound like he has anything to worry about. Aspen District Attorney Arnold Mordkin said, quote, "We don't look for trouble. Obviously if he is arrested that is something that would get your attention." --Asked if he might look at Charlie's hospital records to see if he drank or did drugs, Mordkin said, quote, "I have enough to do as it is."
TAYLOR SWIFT AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL WENT APPLE-PICKING ON SATURDAY:
"Us Weekly" says TAYLOR SWIFT and JAKE GYLLENHAAL are definitely a couple. A source says, quote, "The relationship is very new, maybe two or three weeks old. I'm not sure who pursued whom, but they're both into it." --If you need more proof than that, we have this: Before they hit up the "Saturday Night Live" studio, they went APPLE-PICKING together. (--I'm sorry, people, but platonic friends do NOT apple-pick. At least not together.) --It went down at a place called Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction, New York. A witness says, quote, "They were walking through the trees, having fun together. They looked happy. --"Some of the customers tried to take a photo of them, but they were hiding from them in the trees. They drove through the orchard and bought the apples on the way out." --Jake did the gentlemanly thing and paid the tab . . . which came to three bucks. (--Jake is 29 . . . Taylor is 20.)
JENNY MCCARTHY WOULD POSE NUDE AGAIN FOR AUTISM . . . EVEN THOUGH HER BOOBS ARE GETTING SAGGY:
This is potentially good news: JENNY MCCARTHY would be willing to pose nude again . . . IF someone wrote a big-fat check to an autism charity. --She says, quote, "I would [pose again], for like, $2 million towards autism. Yeah, I might do something like that again. But I feel as though the puppies have gone south and left and run! I have to, like, scoop them up." --Jenny . . . who turns 38 on Monday . . . last posed for "Playboy" back in 1993. She was an unknown at the time, and was only paid $20,000. But she went on to become Playmate of the Year, and her career took off from there.
KAT VON D AND JESSE JAMES ARE STILL TOGETHER:
You can officially ignore all those reports about KAT VON D breaking up with JESSE JAMES and getting back together with MOTLEY CRUE bassist NIKKI SIXX. --Kat says, quote, "I'm not dating Nikki. We didn't get back together. Jesse and I didn't break up." --Kat was even seen wearing an antique diamond . . . but she refused to say whether it was an engagement ring. She said, quote, "I don't know if I really feel comfortable talking about it."
RIHANNA SAYS HER ASSAULT BY CHRIS BROWN WAS A "WAKE-UP CALL":
RIHANNA actually thinks her assault by then-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN in February of 2009 was a good thing . . . because it was a much-needed WAKE-UP CALL. --She says, quote, "God has a crazy way of working, and sometimes when stuff happens you feel like, 'What did I do to deserve this?' Why was it backfiring on me?' --"But I needed that wake-up call in my life. I needed a turning point, and that's what God was giving to me." --Despite the brutal attack, Rihanna says it was still hard to break up with Chris. But now that it's over, she doesn't regret it. --She says, quote, "I feel like I smile for real this time. The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do. --"People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it's pure bliss and not just a cover up."
IS MEL GIBSON READY TO APOLOGIZE?
Losing a cameo in "The Hangover 2" may have convinced MEL GIBSON that it's finally time to bare his soul to the public . . . and even apologize for all the INSANITY he spewed in those recorded phone messages that hit the web this summer. --A so-called "source" says, quote, "Since the second the tapes were released, every media outlet has been contacting Mel's people asking for an interview. --"Now, after months of silence, Mel has finally realized if he doesn't say something really soon it might be too late. The days of burying his head in the sand hoping this whole ugly mess goes away are over." --One person Mel probably won't pick to tell his side of the story to is OPRAH WINFREY. Apparently, he's not happy that she put on a full-court press to get Mel's ex-girlfriend, OKSANA GRIGORIEVA, on her show a little while back.
THE CREATOR OF "ROCKY & BULLWINKLE" HAS DIED:
The creator of one of the greatest cartoons of all time . . . "Rocky & Bullwinkle" . . . has died. ALEXANDER ANDERSON JR. passed away Friday due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 90 years old. --Anderson created "Rocky & Bullwinkle" with his old friend JAY WARD in the late 1950s. They also created "Dudley Do Right". (--You can see some clips of the OLD-SCHOOL "Rocky & Bullwinkle" show here . . .) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rocky+and+bullwinkle&aq=0
JOE JACKSON HAS BEEN DENIED A SAY IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S ESTATE:
MICHAEL JACKSON'S dad, JOE JACKSON, was famously excluded from his own son's will. But that didn't stop him from trying to get his paws on some of Michael's money. --Joe launched a legal battle last year to get a say in how Michael's estate is administered. A probate court shot him down last November. And yesterday, he got the same treatment from an appeals court.
JON STEWART IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MAN OF 2010:
"Daily Show" host JON STEWART is the Most Influential Man of 2010, according to an annual readers' poll by AskMen.com. --The Top 5 was rounded out, in this order, by Bill Gates, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Kanye West. --PRESIDENT OBAMA dropped to #21, from #4 last year. And TIGER WOODS, who was #30 last year, didn't even make the list. (--Check out the complete list here . . .) http://www.askmen.com/specials/2010_top_49/1-jon-stewart.html
THAT GUY FROM THE FOOD NETWORK PLEADED NO CONTEST TO TRYING TO HAVE HIS WIFE KILLED:
Former Food Network chef JUAN-CARLOS CRUZ has pleaded no contest to trying to hire some homeless men to kill his wife. He'll be sentenced on December 13th. He's facing nine years in prison. --Cruz was arrested back in May, after one of the would-be assassins ratted him out. --The details of this case are pretty bizarre. Cruz had three homeless guys lined up to slit his wife's throat. -He gave them a Trac Phone so he could stay in touch with them . . . a box cutter to do the job . . . and the halves of 10 $100 bills that had been cut in half. --He promised to give them the other halves of the bills when they completed the job.-When one of the men got arrested for loitering, he told the cops about the plan. They got in touch with the other two, and all three agreed to cooperate.
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS HAS JOINED THE CAST OF THE UPCOMING "MUPPETS" MOVIE:
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS has joined the cast of the new "Muppets" movie that's being written by JASON SEGEL. --The human cast also includes Segal, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones, Chris Cooper, Charles Grodin and Rachael Ray. It's due out next year. (--Putting Zach in with the Muppets is good casting, along the lines of making Benicio del Toro the Wolfman. It's just a natural, perfect fit.)
MARK WAHLBERG WILL STAR IN SETH MACFARLANE'S MOVIE "TED":
MARK WAHLBERG will star in the movie "Ted", which marks "Family Guy" creator SETH MACFARLANE'S first attempt to direct a movie. --It's an R-rated comedy about a man who wished his teddy bear could come to life when he was a boy. The wish came true, but now he's an adult, and the teddy bear is still around . . . and getting in the way of his attempt to have an adult life. --MacFarlane will provide the voice of the bear, which will be computer-animated.
NOW IT SOUNDS LIKE TOM CRUISE WILL BE THE STAR OF "TOP GUN 2":
We've heard several times that if TOM CRUISE appears in "Top Gun 2", his character, Maverick, will only have a small part. But now we're hearing the opposite. And this time, it comes from the screenwriter himself. --CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE . . . who won the Best Screenplay Oscar for "The Usual Suspects" in 1995 . . . says, quote, "There is no 'Top Gun 2' in which Maverick is not the starring role." --That's all he said, so we still don't know very much about the movie.
JOHN LANDIS SAYS "INCEPTION" WASN'T VERY ORIGINAL:
Director JOHN LANDIS is a Hollywood legend. His films include "Kentucky Fried Movie", "The Blues Brothers", "An American Werewolf in London", "Animal House", "Trading Places" and "Coming to America". --So he's earned the right to speak candidly about other directors and their films. --And he's speaking candidly about CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S latest flick, "Inception". --He's not trashing it . . . but he would like people to know that its central idea about jumping in and out of people's dreams is NOT ORIGINAL. --He says, quote, "Interestingly enough 'Inception', which is wonderful, is not original. There have been a lot of movies like it; remember 'Dreamscape'? Oh, that's bad special effects but almost the same movie. --"It's Dennis Quaid and Edward Albert is the president of the United States and they insert him into his dreams. --"Don't misunderstand me, I think Christopher Nolan is a wonderful director. It's just I don't think he is yet to make a movie other than 'Memento' that I thought was really original, it's just very stylish." (--"Dreamscape" WAS an awesome flick. Kids today would probably just laugh at it . . . especially the effects. But if you were a kid in 1984 when it came out, it RULED. And you probably had a nightmare or two about the SNAKE MAN!!!)
(--Check out the trailer here . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCrtOAC-wsE
KARA DIOGUARDI WILL SERVE AS THE HEAD JUDGE ON HER OWN MUSIC COMPETITION SHOW:
Former "American Idol" judge KARA DIOGUARDI has landed her own music competition show on Bravo. It'll be called "Going Platinum" . . . and Kara will serve as the head judge. --It'll be similar to "Idol", but there are several key differences. First off, "Going Platinum" will focus on song-writing in addition to performance. In other words, all the contestants will be writing the songs they sing. --Naturally, this is right in Kara's wheelhouse, since she's a songwriter. (--She's written or co-written songs for Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katharine McPhee and Carrie Underwood.) (--Kara also wrote "No Boundaries" song, which Kris Allen and Adam Lambert performed on the eighth season finale of "Idol".) --And like Bravo's "Top Chef" . . . and numerous other reality shows . . . the contestants will be LIVING TOGETHER. So obviously, we've got lots of cheesy, manufactured "personal drama" to look forward to. --JEWEL will host "Going Platinum" . . . and serve as one of the other judges. --There will also be a "music executive" on the judging panel, but there's no word on who it is yet. And like past seasons of "Idol", there will be celebrity guest judges. --However, unlike "Idol", the judges will be solely responsible for choosing who continues in the competition. The viewers will not have a say. -The show will premiere sometime next year. There will be 12 contestants, who are vying for the $100,000 grand prize. The winner will also receive recording and publishing deals. (--Fox finally confirmed that Kara would not be back on "American Idol" last month. We don't know for sure, but it was likely "Idol's" decision to part ways.)
"THE WHOLE TRUTH" HAS BEEN CANCELED:
ABC has canceled "The Whole Truth" after just four low-rated episodes. "Entertainment Weekly" says the show was averaging 5.3 million viewers, but even that might be generous. (--By our count, it's averaged 4.6 million viewers. Perhaps "Entertainment Weekly" was adding in delayed DVR numbers or something . . . not that any of this even matters anymore.) --Another new, fifth episode is scheduled to air tomorrow night, but it'll probably be yanked from the schedule after that. 13 episodes of "The Whole Truth" were filmed. There's no word if the rest will ever air. (--"The Whole Truth" was a legal drama starring MAURA TIERNEY and ROB MORROW. I'm not surprised that it didn't make the cut. I happened to catch the first episode . . . and it was ABYSMAL.)
NEARLY 26 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED BRETT FAVRE'S RETURN TO GREEN BAY:
BRETT FAVRE'S return to Green Bay was the most-watched "Sunday Night Football" game EVER, with 25.7 million viewers. The Packers beat Favre and the Vikings, 28-24. --Meanwhile "Dancing with the Stars" was knocked down to 4th with 19.3 million viewers. Here's a quick look at last week's Top 20 shows . . .
1.) "Sunday Night Football", NBC, 25.7 million viewers (--The Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 28-24.)
2.) "NCIS", CBS, 19.4 million viewers
3.) "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick" special, NBC, 19.34 million viewers
4.) The "Dancing with the Stars" performance show, ABC, 19.33 million viewers
TV REMINDERS
WEDNESDAY TV REMINDERS: (--Check your local listings.)
--"World Series" [Game #1] . . . 7:30 to 10:30 P.M. Eastern on Fox. (--The San Francisco Giants host the Texas Rangers at AT&T Park in San Francisco.)
--"America's Next Top Model" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on the CW. (--This week's challenge involves a personality test and shooting a commercial while on roller skates. Fashion designer Zac Posen is the guest judge.)
--"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Joan Cusack and Peter Strauss play the adoptive parents of a 10-year-old runaway.)
--"Cougar Town" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. (--Ken Jenkins, who played Dr. Kelso on "Scrubs", guest stars as Courteney Cox's dad . . . who talks her into dressing up for Halloween.)
--"Hollywood Treasure" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Syfy. (--Dawn Wells joins auctioneer Joe Maddalena to speak with owners of Hollywood treasures like the prop collections for "Gilligan's Island" and "Mary Poppins".) (--Dawn played sweet, adorable Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island".)
--"South Park" . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Comedy Central. (--"Coon and Friends" are on a mission to help the victims of BP's latest drilling accident in the Gulf but are beaten to the punch when another Super Hero gets there first.)
--"Lay It Down" . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on Fuse. (--A new talk show hosted by rapper Cee Lo Green. This week's guest is Lil' Jon. Check out his site HERE.)
CHECK OUT THE TRAILER FOR JUSTIN BIEBER'S 3-D MOVIE:
The trailer for JUSTIN BIEBER'S upcoming 3-D movie, "Never Say Never", is out. --The movie is essentially a documentary about his quick rise from being a normal Canadian teenager to becoming a DREAMY, GLOBAL sensation. (--Here it is . . .)
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/justinbieberneversaynever/ (--"Never Say Never" crashes into theaters on February 11th.)
AND NOW . . . ADAM LAMBERT IS RELEASING AN ACOUSTIC ALBUM:
ADAM LAMBERT will follow in JUSTIN BEIBER'S footsteps by releasing his own acoustic album in time for Christmas. There's no release date yet, but he says it'll probably be out, quote, "around Thanksgiving time." (--Justin's "Unplugged Acoustic" will hit stores on November 23rd . . . the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.)
HERE'S THE FIRST SINGLE OFF JOSH GROBAN'S NEW ALBUM:
The first single off JOSH GROBAN'S new album, "Illuminations", hit the Internet yesterday. It's called "Higher Window". (--You can listen to it, here . . .) http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/hear-josh-grobans-new-song-20102610 --All the songs on "Illuminations" were written about someone Josh knows. He says, quote, "For every one of these songs, someone's going to know it's about them. I'm going to get a text message about every one! This is a very personal record." --"Illuminations" comes out on November 15th.
GREYSON CHANCE PREMIERED HIS FIRST SINGLE ON "ELLEN":
13-year-old GREYSON CHANCE performed his first single, "Waiting Outside the Lines" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" yesterday. (--Here's video . . .) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmTZJNuWlG8 (--Over 32 MILLION people have watched Greyson covering LADY GAGA'S "Paparazzi" on YouTube. Ellen was one of them . . . and she liked him so much, she signed him to a record deal.)
WILLOW SMITH JOINED JUSTIN BIEBER ONSTAGE IN LOS ANGELES:
It isn't enough that JADEN and WILLOW SMITH have WILL and JADA PINKETT SMITH for parents . . . now they're also boasting first-class tickets on the JUSTIN BIEBER train. --First, Jaden scored a guest spot on Justin's "Karate Kid" theme song, "Never Say Never" . . . and now Justin had Willow join him onstage during a show in L.A. --Willow took that opportunity to bust out some dance moves. (--You can see video below. Just so you know, it might be hard to contain your excitement when you see it. The girl freaking out in the video couldn't.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG7oUYG7ack
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ISN'T ABANDONING MUSIC:
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is making a lot more movies than music these days, but he'd like you to know that he's not abandoning his music career. --Over the weekend, he performed at a benefit concert in Las Vegas. He did an acoustic medley that included a version of Drake's song "Over" . . . but he added to the lyrics to tell the crowd: --Quote, "Don't be pissed off I'm an actor. It's not over. It's not over. It's not over. And when I come back, I'm gonna come harder." (--You can watch video below. The Drake song begins at the 6:00 mark. ***WARNING***: There are UNEDITED F-BOMBS in this clip. There's one at the :36 mark and others at 3:03 and 6:09.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jru0ytkyPSU
T.I. IS NO LONGER CALLING HIS NEXT ALBUM "KING UNCAGED":
Now that T.I. has been ordered to return to prison for 11 months, "Entertainment Weekly" reports that he's decided to change the title of his next album from "King Uncaged" to "No Mercy". --There's no explanation yet, but it seems pretty obvious: Now, T.I. will NOT be "uncaged" when the album drops, assuming it doesn't get pushed back significantly. (--There's no official release date yet. Several sites are saying it'll be out on December 7th, but there's no reason to believe that yet.) (--The album has already been pushed back twice, and it's unclear how T.I.'s arrest and re-sentencing may have impacted the recording process.) (--But if the disc wasn't finished before he was ordered back to prison, it will be before next Monday, when he's scheduled to surrender himself. There's no way T.I. will wait until he gets out again to finish this thing up.)
TAYLOR SWIFT'S NEW ALBUM WILL VERY LIKELY BE THE BEST SELLING DEBUT OF THE YEAR . . . IN ALL GENRES:
Even though TAYLOR SWIFT'S new album "Speak Now" just came out on Monday . . . it's definitely going to be the best selling album of the week. And it's very likely that it will also be biggest debut of the year. --"Billboard" is predicting sales of around 800,000 to 900,000 copies by Sunday. That would easily beat the 741,000 copies that EMINEM'S "Recovery" moved in its first week earlier this year. (--Eminem will probably still be the top selling album of the year though. He's had since July to sell a total of 2.8 million copies and it's pretty late in the year for Taylor's new album to catch up to that total, no matter how well it performs.) --There's also a decent chance that "Speak Now" could crack the one million mark by Sunday. That would make it the first album to sell over a million copies in its first week since LIL WAYNE'S "Tha Carter 3" did it back in 2008. (--Taylor's last album, "Fearless", sold 592,000 copies in its opening week in November of 2008. It's now sold over six million copies.)
WEDNESDAY'S SHOWBIZ QUICK HITS
Keith Richards' autobiography, "Life", hit bookshelves yesterday. Someone at "Entertainment Weekly" has already blazed through it . . . and in the process, they identified 10 of Keith's life advice "tips":
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/10/26/keith-richards-life-memoir/
VANILLA ICE listed his "Five Favorite Rappers" for Billboard.com. He likes Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, Ludacris and Public Enemy.
http://www.switched.com/2010/10/22/mcgill-university-first-all-robot-prostate-surgery/?icid=mainmaindl5sec3_lnk3179507
JUSTIN BIEBER has been on of a lot of teen magazines. But on the cover of the Brazilian teen magazine "Todateen Star", he looks like he's wearing some very feminine-looking makeup. Is it real, or is it Photoshop?
http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2010/10/26/justin-bieber-retouch-photoshop-todateen-star-brazil-teen-magazin/
HALLOWEEN HIJINX
WHEN ARE YOU TOO OLD TO GO TRICK-OR-TREATING? THERE'S FINALLY A DEFINITIVE ANSWER:
We have an answer to the eternal question of "How old is too old to go trick-or-treating?" The answer is 12. Once you're 13, you're too old. And we actually have legal precedence to back that up. --There are cities around the country that actually impose FINES on kids over 12 who trick-or-treat. Those cities include Belleville, Illinois . . . Meridian, Mississippi . . . Bishopville, South Carolina . . . and Boonsboro, Maryland. -Mark Eckert is the mayor of Belleville, Illinois. He says that while his city's ban is hard to enforce, it's helping to keep SOME of the, quote, "six-foot-tall kids" from showing up at people's houses looking for candy. (ABC News)
PARENTS EAT ONE PIECE OF CANDY FOR EVERY TWO THEIR KID BRINGS HOME FROM TRICK-OR-TREATING:
No WONDER kids feel like they have to be so incredibly GREEDY when it comes to trick-or-treating. Their parents are ROBBING THEM BLIND. -The NPD Group researches eating trends. According to Harry Baltzer, their vice president, parents eat ONE candy bar for every TWO their child brings home. Sometimes after their child has gone to sleep. And parents usually target chocolate. --About 5% of all the candy that gets eaten during the year is eaten on Halloween and the week after. (USA Today)
NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF
'NEW MYSPACE' NARROWS FOCUS TO ENTERTAINMENT
MySpace, the online social hub that's been fighting to stay relevant in the age of Facebook and Twitter, is overhauling its image and its website into an entertainment destination for its mostly younger audience. The social-networking pioneer, which was among the top Internet sites just a few years ago, now has its sights set decidedly lower. Starting Wednesday and over the next month, MySpace will be relaunching its site to focus on giving users more ways to consume music, videos and celebrity gossip. Entertainment has long been central to the MySpace experience, but over the years the site was also pulled in different directions as it dabbled in classifieds, job ads and even user reviews in a partnership with Citysearch as it pushed to become a social portal for the Web. It didn't work out, and Facebook is now emerging as that portal. MySpace CEO Mike Jones said the relaunch "pulls us out of the social networking category" to become a social entertainment destination. So instead of connecting with long-lost friends and sharing baby photos, MySpace wants to be the place where people go to find out about new bands, chat about TV shows and make movie recommendations. "The vision has definitely gotten a lot smaller in this redesign," said Debra Aho Williamson, a senior analyst at research firm eMarketer. "When News Corp. bought MySpace it certainly didn't envision this. I don't think Rupert (Murdoch, News Corp.'s CEO) thought MySpace would be a small social entertainment website." News Corp. bought MySpace for $580 million in 2005. For some perspective, that's the same year YouTube launched. After a promising start, the site's luster began to fade and advertisers, along with users, flocked to Facebook. EMarketer estimates that advertisers worldwide will spend about $347 million on MySpace this year, down from $470 million in 2009. The research firm estimates 2010 ad spending on Facebook to be around $1.3 billion, more than double $665 million a year earlier. In the most recent quarter, the News Corp. segment responsible for MySpace lost $174 million, mostly due to lower search and advertising revenue. News Corp. reports fiscal first-quarter results on Nov. 1. If the relaunch is successful, MySpace may still become the cultural powerhouse MTV was in the 1990s, when its decision to play a new music video could turn a band's fortunes overnight. Keeping with the age of the social Web, however, MySpace won't be the only one deciding what's cool. The site will also make its most loyal users the curators in a feature that's coming at a yet-unspecified date. "The MTV influence is really obvious," Williamson said, adding that MySpace still has "pull with the audience it's trying to reach — young people." There are big cosmetic changes too. Long criticized for cluttered, clunky home pages, MySpace is streamlining its design. It will show fewer ads, but place them more prominently. It also will have far fewer buttons and page templates. In a presentation, the company called it "cleaning up MySpace e-waste." "If we are refurbishing a house, it's starting from the ground up," Jones said of the eight-month redesign process. MySpace has long fallen behind Facebook in user numbers and estimated advertising revenue, in part because it never appealed to older users. Its roughly 130 million users are mostly under 35, while Facebook's fastest-growing user base is those over 35. MySpace now says it's not trying to compete with social networks like Facebook. "We're working on refocusing the company (and) narrowing down what our product does," Jones said. Jones is the last of a three-person executive team that joined the company in April 2009. His former co-president Jason Hirschhorn, left in June and former CEO Owen Van Natta, once chief revenue officer of Facebook, left in February.
HALF OF ALL COMPANIES EXPECT THEIR EMPLOYEES TO STEAL FROM THEM:
Everyone's accidentally taken a pen or a pad of Post-It notes home from work. It happens. But when you start "accidentally" taking home computers and furniture, that's when the company's going to notice. --And the sad thing is . . . a majority of companies think you're SO untrustworthy that they're basically expecting it. A new survey found that 54% of companies in the U.S. fully expect employees to steal something "of value" in the next year. --But only 30% of the companies surveyed had ACTUALLY had something of value stolen in the last five years. Meaning that in many cases, employees haven't done anything to violate the company's trust, yet the company still distrusts them. --Employee theft was named the second-most financially damaging thing that a small- to medium-sized business could experience. The majority of the companies surveyed say only a liability lawsuit would be more damaging. (Reuters)
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT . . . BY EMAIL:
This is sort of symbolic of everything that's wrong with the Post Office these days: 55-year-old John Potter is the current Postmaster General, and he just announced his retirement . . . BY EMAIL. That's right. He EMAILED his statement out. --The Postal Service lost $6 BILLION last year, even though employment has fallen by 26% during Potter's nine years there. That's 584,000 jobs. The basic problem is that people don't send letters as much . . . they're using email instead. (Bloomberg)
AND NOW, THREE NEW THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT:
#1.) CREDIT CARDS ARE MAKING YOU CHUBBY. According to a new study in the "Journal of Consumer Research", using a credit card makes you eat junk food. Really. --It's psychologically easier for you to spend money when you use a credit card than when you use cash. So cards lead to impulse buys . . . and those are almost always unhealthy. In other words, no one impulse buys a bag of celery. (Hartford Courant)
#2.) PUTTING YOUR PHONE IN YOUR POCKET MIGHT BE DANGEROUS. Cell phone manuals warn you to keep your phones away from you. For example, the iPhone manual says it should be at least five-eighths of an inch from your body. --The reason is that cell phones MIGHT be giving off more radiation than people think. Right now, the FCC believes it's safe to have a cell phone on your body . . . but if you don't completely trust them, you might want to keep a buffer. (Yahoo)
#3.) "GREEN" CLAIMS ARE B.S. According to a study, 95.5% of the consumer products that say they're "green" and good for the environment are lying about at least one of their claims. --Usually they're listing claims that can't be proven, by using vague marketing language, or stickers that LOOK like they're from a third party environmental group but aren't. Or, the claims are just flat-out untested lies. --The craziest part is, 95.5% is GOOD. Back in 2007, it was 99%. (Wall Street Journal)
THE U.S. GOT ITS WORST RANKING EVER ON THE GLOBAL CORRUPTION INDEX:
There are only so many financial and political scandals that a country can have before the rest of the world starts asking questions. And that's exactly what's happened with the U.S. --Every year, a watchdog group called Transparency International ranks the countries of the world by corruption. And this year, the U.S. got its worst ranking ever. --The U.S. was ranked 22nd on the list, meaning it's the 22nd-least corrupt country in the world. If that doesn't sound so impressive, it isn't. This is the first time in the list's history that the U.S. has been out of the top 20. Last year we were 19th. --Nancy Boswell runs Transparency International's U.S. operations. She says that the low ranking is a mix of the subprime mortgage crisis, BERNIE MADOFF'S Ponzi scheme, and fights over corporations funding politicians and their campaigns. --She says, quote, "We're not talking about corruption in the sense of breaking the law. We're talking about a sense that the system is corrupted by these practices. That's an integrity deficit." --Denmark, New Zealand, and Singapore tied for first place as the least corrupt countries in the world. The rest of the top 10 is Finland, Sweden, Canada, The Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway. --Somalia was named the most corrupt country in the world. The rest of the bottom 10 are: Myanmar (Burma), Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Chad, Burundi, and Equatorial Guinea. (Yahoo)
(--Here's the full list . . .)
http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results
THE WORLD CUP PREDICTING OCTOPUS HAS DIED:
Over the summer, everyone went crazy for Paul . . . the octopus at the German aquarium who was eight-for-eight in predicting World Cup soccer matches. --And now he's dead. --Yesterday, Paul died in his tank at age two-and-a-half. He died of natural causes . . . few octopi rarely make it past age three. (Houston Chronicle)
A SCHOOL DISTRICT IN MASSACHUSETTS BANS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FROM BEING FACEBOOK FRIENDS:
There's really nothing good that can come from a teacher and a student being Facebook friends. It crosses the line, and reveals too much private information BOTH ways. --And in Norton, Massachusetts, the school board has decided that if teachers can't see the need for that separation themselves . . . they're going to have to legislate it. So they've BANNED teachers and students from becoming Facebook friends. --The school board says, quote, "There's a concern about responsibility and liability. It's important to keep the kids safe." --There have been several teacher-student Facebook scandals in the past year . . . including THREE in New York public schools in the past few weeks. (Boston Globe)
CHECK OUT THE MAN WITH THE WORLD'S WIDEST MOUTH:
20-year-old Francisco Joaquim from the African country of Angola has the "Guinness" world record for the WORLD'S WIDEST MOUTH. He can stretch his mouth 6.69 inches, and fit an entire soda can inside sideways. -His mouth is so big that he was able to pop a can of soda in and out 14 times in one minute. (AOL News) (--Check out a video of him here . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N905o55cpIo
A CHURCH KICKS OUT A WOMAN FOR APPEARING IN AN ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION COMMERCIAL:
Libby Ashby is in her 50s, and she's an actress in Melbourne, Australia. She recently got a role in a commercial for a company called AMI . . . which makes a nasal spray designed to help men with ENGORGEMENT PROBLEMS. -In the commercial, Libby's character is having trouble reaching a cookie jar on a high shelf. Her husband comes over, opens his robe . . . and thanks to AMI, his junk is SO STRONG that she's able to use it as a STEP LADDER. --Anyway, Libby's church saw the ad, and KICKED HER OUT. She says, quote, "They have said I would not be reinstated until the ad comes off the air." --She says she took the job because she's a single mother and needed the money, quote, "My Visa was calling out for mercy. [I knew] the ad would offend a lot of people. I don't think the ad is honorable." (Melbourne Herald Sun)
(--Here's the ad . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcNmXILlBCs
POLICE HELP A GUY WITH A LACERATED SCROTUM . . . THEN ARREST HIM FOR OUTSTANDING WARRANTS:
I know the weekend's still a few days away . . . and you still haven't picked out a costume for that big Halloween party . . . but there's a 52-year-old guy in Athens, Georgia who'd like you to SHUT THE HELL UP. --His name hasn't been released, but on Friday night, police responded to a call about a fight at an apartment. When they got there they found the man on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. --Turns out his MAN-SATCHEL was split open. He told the cops it was because a woman had kicked him SO HARD in the groin that he slipped and broke a screen door. Or something. It's actually sort of unclear what went down. --The police called for an ambulance, then ran his information. And that's when they found out he was WANTED for a felony probation violation, and there was a warrant out for his arrest. --When the paramedics arrived, the man said he had a, quote, "big problem down there." But he didn't want treatment, and asked, quote, "Is this really necessary?" --The he started fighting with them, so the police had to cuff him and take him to the hospital in a patrol car. He kept fighting at the hospital . . . cursed out the female nurses . . . and spat in the face of a police officer. --He ended up getting charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, simple battery on a police officer, and was busted for his outstanding probation violation. He also got some very uncomfortable stitches on his scrotal laceration. (Athens Banner-Herald)
A TEENAGER TRIES TO ROB A CONVENIENCE STORE USING A BOTTLE OF SALAD DRESSING . . . AND THE CLERKS RESPOND WITH AN ACTUAL GUN:
There's an old saying about how you should never bring a knife to a gun fight. Another way to say it might be: "Never rob a convenience store with a bottle of salad dressing." --That's what 16-year-old Larry Franklin of Deland, Florida did last Friday. He took out one convenience store, then tried to rob another one . . . armed only with a bottle of SALAD DRESSING. --At first, when the clerks thought Larry was holding a gun, they put their hands on their heads to surrender. But when they realized they were dealing with salad dressing, one clerk reached down and grabbed a GUN. --Larry was smart enough to know that you don't bring a bottle of salad dressing to a gun fight . . . and quickly got out of the store. --The owner called the police and Larry was arrested. (ABC 9 - Orlando)
A MAN ROBS A HAIR SALON WHILE AN OFF-DUTY COP IS GETTING HER HAIR DONE . . . AND HER INCREDIBLE MARKSMANSHIP SAVES THE DAY:
Over the weekend, 19-year-old Winston Cox tried to rob a hair salon in Brooklyn, New York. He had no idea that one of the women getting her hair done at the time was an off-duty cop . . . and one with SNIPER-QUALITY marksmanship. --That cop was Feris Jones. On Saturday, she was sitting at the salon, called Sabine's Hallway, when Winston busted in, waving a .44-caliber Magnum revolver, and yelled, "This is a robbery, I will kill you." --He forced the owner, an employee, Feris, and another customer to give him their belongings. Then he told them to go into a bathroom in the back. --When they were in the bathroom, Feris told the other three women that she was a cop. She pulled out her revolver and had the other women get down on the ground. Then she went back into the main area of the salon and identified herself. --From about 12 feet away, Winston OPENED FIRE on her. He missed. She fired back . . . and didn't miss. One bullet hit Winston's HAND, and knocked out the gun. Another bullet hit the LOCK on the front door of the store, and jammed it so he couldn't escape. --Wintson's hand was gushing blood, but he ended up kicking out a panel on the bottom of the door and crawled out. He left a blood trail back to his house and was arrested. --Feris has been with the NYPD since 1990. She's spent the last 12 years working for the crime lab . . . and this was the first time she's ever used her gun in the line of duty. (New York Times)
WEDNESDAY'S SILLY QUICK HITS
In less than 2 years, Obama has appointed more gay officials than any president:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101026/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_gay_appointees
Doctors have discovered that you have taste buds in your lungs: They help open breathing passages when they "taste" bitter substances in the air, and they may lead to asthma treatments:
http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/asthma/taste-buds-in-lungs-new-asthma-treatments?icid=mainmaindl3sec3_lnk2180025
If you have a friend with benefits, and they loan you money or their car . . . does that make it prostitution? What about sites like sugardaddyforme.com?
http://www.examiner.com/friends-with-benefits-in-national/am-i-a-prostitute
A mom was arrested for giving her 12-year-old a knife and a BB gun to protect himself:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MOTHER_SCHOOL_WEAPONS
A driver in England was killed in, quote, "an almost unbelievable sequence of events that could probably never be recreated." A truck drove over a metal socket, which shot up in the air, and crashed through the window of a car going in the opposite direction:
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Pontefract-driver39s-39freak39-death-.6598784.jp
The Democrat in Florida's race for governor was busted during a nationally-televised debate for reading a text from a staffer during a break:
http://gizmodo.com/5673746/florida-politician-cheats-with-a-text-during-nationally-televised-debate
NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) BALLOON BOY'S DAD HAS A NEW INVENTION CALLED THE "BEAR SCRATCH":
Remember 'Balloon Boy?' A year ago we all thought six-year-old Falcon Heene was floating away in a home-made weather balloon. But it was all a hoax orchestrated by his crazy dad, Richard Heene. Well . . . unfortunately he's back --He's pimping a crappy new product called the "Bear Scratch." It's basically a branch you mount on your wall, so you can scratch your back the way a bear rubs up against a tree. And the ad is just as annoying as you might think.
(--Search for "Richard Heene Bear Scratch.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v53OCICVqio
#2.) A CRAZY OLD MAN TRIED OUT SOME NINJA MOVES ON THE COPS:
We can't figure out where or when this happened, but there's a new video on the Internet of some crazy guy having a standoff with the cops. --And when they start shooting him with pellets, he does a series of ridiculous karate moves . . . including a flying kick through the air. It takes a half-dozen cops to get him on the ground . . . and he STILL manages to get away.
(--Search for "old man fails with ninja tactics." See it from a second angle at :29.)
http://www.break.com/index/old-man-fails-with-ninja-tactics-on-police-1941945
MORE PEOPLE ARE WASHING THEIR HANDS AFTER THEY USE THE BATHROOM . . . AND WOMEN ARE CLEANER THAN MEN:
According to a new study sponsored by the American Cleaning Institute and the American Society for Microbiology, 85% of people wash their hands after using a public bathroom. --That's up from 77% in 2007, and it's the highest percentage since the study began in 1996. But the results are different depending on where the public bathroom is . . . especially for men. --At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, 98% of women and 88% of men washed their hands after using the bathroom, which is good. --But it was lower at Grand Central Station in New York, as you might expect. Only 83% of women and 77% of men washed their hands after using the bathroom. --And apparently sports venues gross out women, but not men. At Turner Field in Atlanta, 98% of women washed their hands after using the bathroom, but only 65% of men did. --The study also included telephone surveys to find out how many people CLAIM to wash their hands . . --96% said they wash their hands after using a public bathroom . . . which is about 10% too high according to the observational study. --82% said they wash their hands after changing a diaper . . . 77% said they wash before eating or handling food . . . 42% claimed to wash their hands after petting a dog . . . 39% claimed to wash their hands after coughing or sneezing. --And 27% said they wash their hands after they handle money. (Good.is / CleaningInstitute.org)
CHARLIE SHEEN WAS HOSPITALIZED YESTERDAY AFTER TRASHING A HOTEL ROOM . . . HIS PEOPLE SAY HE HAD A BAD REACTION TO MEDICATION:
CHARLIE SHEEN was hospitalized early yesterday morning after trashing a room at the Plaza Hotel in New York City. He might have been NAKED when police arrived . . . and he might have been with a HOOKER. -It's complicated, but we're going to sort through all the facts and all the rumors as best as we can. --What we do know is that Charlie was in New York City to spend some time with ex-wife DENISE RICHARDS and their two daughters . . . who are 5 and 6 years old. Denise and the girls were very wisely in a separate room. --Their time in the city included taking in a performance of "Mary Poppins" on Broadway. Charlie's sitcom, "Two and a Half Men", is on hiatus this week. --At around 2:00 A.M. yesterday, police received a call about a man who appeared to be agitated and irrational . . . and possibly intoxicated. That obviously turned out to be Charlie. --His room was pretty trashed. Furniture had been tossed around and a chandelier was damaged. And there was an unidentified female in the room with him. --Charlie was taken to the hospital for psychiatric evaluation, and Denise went with him. He was released later in the day, and headed back to Los Angeles on a private jet. --Charlie's people were quick to deny that Charlie was drunk or high. His rep said, quote, "What we are able to determine is that Charlie had an adverse allergic reaction to some medication and was taken to the hospital." --His attorney added, quote, "He didn't do anything illegal." --It's important to note that Charlie was NOT ARRESTED. And no one has confirmed that he consumed any illicit substances. Police say it's unlikely they'll file any charges against him, and the hotel has yet to file a complaint. --That's a good thing for Charlie, because he's still on probation for assaulting his wife, BROOKE MUELLER, on Christmas Day. In fact, he only has about a week to go. Any serious arrests OR drug or alcohol use would constitute a violation. --Everyone seems to have their own version of exactly what happened . . . so we might not ever know for sure. But here's some of what people are saying . . . --"The New York Post" reports that Charlie went out partying . . . and returned to his room with a prostitute. He was drinking and snorting cocaine when he noticed that his wallet and cell phone were missing. --He accused the woman of stealing his stuff, then started throwing furniture and yelling. He did about $7,000 worth of damage. Hotel security responded to the ruckus at about 2:00 A.M. and found him NAKED. They called police. --"Life & Style" magazine says that when security entered the room, they found the woman locked in a closet and screaming . . . quote, "She was fearing for her life and was naked. Charlie was incoherent but started screaming slurs at the cops. --"They recognized him immediately and gave him two options: they could take him to the hospital or take him down to the station. Charlie chose the hospital." (--There are also reports that the woman locked HERSELF in the bathroom and called hotel security.) --RadarOnline.com says this isn't just a one-time relapse, either. A source told them, quote, "He's back to his old tricks. He's been partying and using cocaine. He's been doing it for weeks." --Sources also tell Radar Online that Charlie is going back to rehab. But TMZ claims Charlie doesn't think he needs rehab again . . . and he just plans on resuming his normal life.
THE ASPEN DISTRICT ATTORNEY ISN'T AFTER CHARLIE SHEEN:
As we noted, CHARLIE SHEEN has about a week to go on his probation for assaulting his wife, BROOKE MUELLER, on Christmas Day in Aspen, Colorado. --Drinking, using drugs and getting arrested are three things that would violate that probation . . . and potentially send Charlie to jail. Well, he didn't get arrested, but he MIGHT have done the other two. --But it doesn't sound like he has anything to worry about. Aspen District Attorney Arnold Mordkin said, quote, "We don't look for trouble. Obviously if he is arrested that is something that would get your attention." --Asked if he might look at Charlie's hospital records to see if he drank or did drugs, Mordkin said, quote, "I have enough to do as it is."
TAYLOR SWIFT AND JAKE GYLLENHAAL WENT APPLE-PICKING ON SATURDAY:
"Us Weekly" says TAYLOR SWIFT and JAKE GYLLENHAAL are definitely a couple. A source says, quote, "The relationship is very new, maybe two or three weeks old. I'm not sure who pursued whom, but they're both into it." --If you need more proof than that, we have this: Before they hit up the "Saturday Night Live" studio, they went APPLE-PICKING together. (--I'm sorry, people, but platonic friends do NOT apple-pick. At least not together.) --It went down at a place called Fishkill Farms in Hopewell Junction, New York. A witness says, quote, "They were walking through the trees, having fun together. They looked happy. --"Some of the customers tried to take a photo of them, but they were hiding from them in the trees. They drove through the orchard and bought the apples on the way out." --Jake did the gentlemanly thing and paid the tab . . . which came to three bucks. (--Jake is 29 . . . Taylor is 20.)
JENNY MCCARTHY WOULD POSE NUDE AGAIN FOR AUTISM . . . EVEN THOUGH HER BOOBS ARE GETTING SAGGY:
This is potentially good news: JENNY MCCARTHY would be willing to pose nude again . . . IF someone wrote a big-fat check to an autism charity. --She says, quote, "I would [pose again], for like, $2 million towards autism. Yeah, I might do something like that again. But I feel as though the puppies have gone south and left and run! I have to, like, scoop them up." --Jenny . . . who turns 38 on Monday . . . last posed for "Playboy" back in 1993. She was an unknown at the time, and was only paid $20,000. But she went on to become Playmate of the Year, and her career took off from there.
KAT VON D AND JESSE JAMES ARE STILL TOGETHER:
You can officially ignore all those reports about KAT VON D breaking up with JESSE JAMES and getting back together with MOTLEY CRUE bassist NIKKI SIXX. --Kat says, quote, "I'm not dating Nikki. We didn't get back together. Jesse and I didn't break up." --Kat was even seen wearing an antique diamond . . . but she refused to say whether it was an engagement ring. She said, quote, "I don't know if I really feel comfortable talking about it."
RIHANNA SAYS HER ASSAULT BY CHRIS BROWN WAS A "WAKE-UP CALL":
RIHANNA actually thinks her assault by then-boyfriend CHRIS BROWN in February of 2009 was a good thing . . . because it was a much-needed WAKE-UP CALL. --She says, quote, "God has a crazy way of working, and sometimes when stuff happens you feel like, 'What did I do to deserve this?' Why was it backfiring on me?' --"But I needed that wake-up call in my life. I needed a turning point, and that's what God was giving to me." --Despite the brutal attack, Rihanna says it was still hard to break up with Chris. But now that it's over, she doesn't regret it. --She says, quote, "I feel like I smile for real this time. The smiles come from inside, and it exudes in everything I do. --"People feel my energy is different. When I smile they can tell that it's pure bliss and not just a cover up."
IS MEL GIBSON READY TO APOLOGIZE?
Losing a cameo in "The Hangover 2" may have convinced MEL GIBSON that it's finally time to bare his soul to the public . . . and even apologize for all the INSANITY he spewed in those recorded phone messages that hit the web this summer. --A so-called "source" says, quote, "Since the second the tapes were released, every media outlet has been contacting Mel's people asking for an interview. --"Now, after months of silence, Mel has finally realized if he doesn't say something really soon it might be too late. The days of burying his head in the sand hoping this whole ugly mess goes away are over." --One person Mel probably won't pick to tell his side of the story to is OPRAH WINFREY. Apparently, he's not happy that she put on a full-court press to get Mel's ex-girlfriend, OKSANA GRIGORIEVA, on her show a little while back.
THE CREATOR OF "ROCKY & BULLWINKLE" HAS DIED:
The creator of one of the greatest cartoons of all time . . . "Rocky & Bullwinkle" . . . has died. ALEXANDER ANDERSON JR. passed away Friday due to complications from Alzheimer's disease. He was 90 years old. --Anderson created "Rocky & Bullwinkle" with his old friend JAY WARD in the late 1950s. They also created "Dudley Do Right". (--You can see some clips of the OLD-SCHOOL "Rocky & Bullwinkle" show here . . .) http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=rocky+and+bullwinkle&aq=0
JOE JACKSON HAS BEEN DENIED A SAY IN THE ADMINISTRATION OF MICHAEL JACKSON'S ESTATE:
MICHAEL JACKSON'S dad, JOE JACKSON, was famously excluded from his own son's will. But that didn't stop him from trying to get his paws on some of Michael's money. --Joe launched a legal battle last year to get a say in how Michael's estate is administered. A probate court shot him down last November. And yesterday, he got the same treatment from an appeals court.
JON STEWART IS THE MOST INFLUENTIAL MAN OF 2010:
"Daily Show" host JON STEWART is the Most Influential Man of 2010, according to an annual readers' poll by AskMen.com. --The Top 5 was rounded out, in this order, by Bill Gates, Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Apple co-founder Steve Jobs and Kanye West. --PRESIDENT OBAMA dropped to #21, from #4 last year. And TIGER WOODS, who was #30 last year, didn't even make the list. (--Check out the complete list here . . .) http://www.askmen.com/specials/2010_top_49/1-jon-stewart.html
THAT GUY FROM THE FOOD NETWORK PLEADED NO CONTEST TO TRYING TO HAVE HIS WIFE KILLED:
Former Food Network chef JUAN-CARLOS CRUZ has pleaded no contest to trying to hire some homeless men to kill his wife. He'll be sentenced on December 13th. He's facing nine years in prison. --Cruz was arrested back in May, after one of the would-be assassins ratted him out. --The details of this case are pretty bizarre. Cruz had three homeless guys lined up to slit his wife's throat. -He gave them a Trac Phone so he could stay in touch with them . . . a box cutter to do the job . . . and the halves of 10 $100 bills that had been cut in half. --He promised to give them the other halves of the bills when they completed the job.-When one of the men got arrested for loitering, he told the cops about the plan. They got in touch with the other two, and all three agreed to cooperate.
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS HAS JOINED THE CAST OF THE UPCOMING "MUPPETS" MOVIE:
ZACH GALIFIANAKIS has joined the cast of the new "Muppets" movie that's being written by JASON SEGEL. --The human cast also includes Segal, Amy Adams, Rashida Jones, Chris Cooper, Charles Grodin and Rachael Ray. It's due out next year. (--Putting Zach in with the Muppets is good casting, along the lines of making Benicio del Toro the Wolfman. It's just a natural, perfect fit.)
MARK WAHLBERG WILL STAR IN SETH MACFARLANE'S MOVIE "TED":
MARK WAHLBERG will star in the movie "Ted", which marks "Family Guy" creator SETH MACFARLANE'S first attempt to direct a movie. --It's an R-rated comedy about a man who wished his teddy bear could come to life when he was a boy. The wish came true, but now he's an adult, and the teddy bear is still around . . . and getting in the way of his attempt to have an adult life. --MacFarlane will provide the voice of the bear, which will be computer-animated.
NOW IT SOUNDS LIKE TOM CRUISE WILL BE THE STAR OF "TOP GUN 2":
We've heard several times that if TOM CRUISE appears in "Top Gun 2", his character, Maverick, will only have a small part. But now we're hearing the opposite. And this time, it comes from the screenwriter himself. --CHRISTOPHER MCQUARRIE . . . who won the Best Screenplay Oscar for "The Usual Suspects" in 1995 . . . says, quote, "There is no 'Top Gun 2' in which Maverick is not the starring role." --That's all he said, so we still don't know very much about the movie.
JOHN LANDIS SAYS "INCEPTION" WASN'T VERY ORIGINAL:
Director JOHN LANDIS is a Hollywood legend. His films include "Kentucky Fried Movie", "The Blues Brothers", "An American Werewolf in London", "Animal House", "Trading Places" and "Coming to America". --So he's earned the right to speak candidly about other directors and their films. --And he's speaking candidly about CHRISTOPHER NOLAN'S latest flick, "Inception". --He's not trashing it . . . but he would like people to know that its central idea about jumping in and out of people's dreams is NOT ORIGINAL. --He says, quote, "Interestingly enough 'Inception', which is wonderful, is not original. There have been a lot of movies like it; remember 'Dreamscape'? Oh, that's bad special effects but almost the same movie. --"It's Dennis Quaid and Edward Albert is the president of the United States and they insert him into his dreams. --"Don't misunderstand me, I think Christopher Nolan is a wonderful director. It's just I don't think he is yet to make a movie other than 'Memento' that I thought was really original, it's just very stylish." (--"Dreamscape" WAS an awesome flick. Kids today would probably just laugh at it . . . especially the effects. But if you were a kid in 1984 when it came out, it RULED. And you probably had a nightmare or two about the SNAKE MAN!!!)
(--Check out the trailer here . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCrtOAC-wsE
KARA DIOGUARDI WILL SERVE AS THE HEAD JUDGE ON HER OWN MUSIC COMPETITION SHOW:
Former "American Idol" judge KARA DIOGUARDI has landed her own music competition show on Bravo. It'll be called "Going Platinum" . . . and Kara will serve as the head judge. --It'll be similar to "Idol", but there are several key differences. First off, "Going Platinum" will focus on song-writing in addition to performance. In other words, all the contestants will be writing the songs they sing. --Naturally, this is right in Kara's wheelhouse, since she's a songwriter. (--She's written or co-written songs for Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, Pink, Kelly Clarkson, Katharine McPhee and Carrie Underwood.) (--Kara also wrote "No Boundaries" song, which Kris Allen and Adam Lambert performed on the eighth season finale of "Idol".) --And like Bravo's "Top Chef" . . . and numerous other reality shows . . . the contestants will be LIVING TOGETHER. So obviously, we've got lots of cheesy, manufactured "personal drama" to look forward to. --JEWEL will host "Going Platinum" . . . and serve as one of the other judges. --There will also be a "music executive" on the judging panel, but there's no word on who it is yet. And like past seasons of "Idol", there will be celebrity guest judges. --However, unlike "Idol", the judges will be solely responsible for choosing who continues in the competition. The viewers will not have a say. -The show will premiere sometime next year. There will be 12 contestants, who are vying for the $100,000 grand prize. The winner will also receive recording and publishing deals. (--Fox finally confirmed that Kara would not be back on "American Idol" last month. We don't know for sure, but it was likely "Idol's" decision to part ways.)
"THE WHOLE TRUTH" HAS BEEN CANCELED:
ABC has canceled "The Whole Truth" after just four low-rated episodes. "Entertainment Weekly" says the show was averaging 5.3 million viewers, but even that might be generous. (--By our count, it's averaged 4.6 million viewers. Perhaps "Entertainment Weekly" was adding in delayed DVR numbers or something . . . not that any of this even matters anymore.) --Another new, fifth episode is scheduled to air tomorrow night, but it'll probably be yanked from the schedule after that. 13 episodes of "The Whole Truth" were filmed. There's no word if the rest will ever air. (--"The Whole Truth" was a legal drama starring MAURA TIERNEY and ROB MORROW. I'm not surprised that it didn't make the cut. I happened to catch the first episode . . . and it was ABYSMAL.)
NEARLY 26 MILLION PEOPLE WATCHED BRETT FAVRE'S RETURN TO GREEN BAY:
BRETT FAVRE'S return to Green Bay was the most-watched "Sunday Night Football" game EVER, with 25.7 million viewers. The Packers beat Favre and the Vikings, 28-24. --Meanwhile "Dancing with the Stars" was knocked down to 4th with 19.3 million viewers. Here's a quick look at last week's Top 20 shows . . .
1.) "Sunday Night Football", NBC, 25.7 million viewers (--The Green Bay Packers beat the Minnesota Vikings by a score of 28-24.)
2.) "NCIS", CBS, 19.4 million viewers
3.) "Sunday Night NFL Pre-Kick" special, NBC, 19.34 million viewers
4.) The "Dancing with the Stars" performance show, ABC, 19.33 million viewers
TV REMINDERS
WEDNESDAY TV REMINDERS: (--Check your local listings.)
--"World Series" [Game #1] . . . 7:30 to 10:30 P.M. Eastern on Fox. (--The San Francisco Giants host the Texas Rangers at AT&T Park in San Francisco.)
--"America's Next Top Model" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on the CW. (--This week's challenge involves a personality test and shooting a commercial while on roller skates. Fashion designer Zac Posen is the guest judge.)
--"Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Joan Cusack and Peter Strauss play the adoptive parents of a 10-year-old runaway.)
--"Cougar Town" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. (--Ken Jenkins, who played Dr. Kelso on "Scrubs", guest stars as Courteney Cox's dad . . . who talks her into dressing up for Halloween.)
--"Hollywood Treasure" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Syfy. (--Dawn Wells joins auctioneer Joe Maddalena to speak with owners of Hollywood treasures like the prop collections for "Gilligan's Island" and "Mary Poppins".) (--Dawn played sweet, adorable Mary Ann on "Gilligan's Island".)
--"South Park" . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Comedy Central. (--"Coon and Friends" are on a mission to help the victims of BP's latest drilling accident in the Gulf but are beaten to the punch when another Super Hero gets there first.)
--"Lay It Down" . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on Fuse. (--A new talk show hosted by rapper Cee Lo Green. This week's guest is Lil' Jon. Check out his site HERE.)
CHECK OUT THE TRAILER FOR JUSTIN BIEBER'S 3-D MOVIE:
The trailer for JUSTIN BIEBER'S upcoming 3-D movie, "Never Say Never", is out. --The movie is essentially a documentary about his quick rise from being a normal Canadian teenager to becoming a DREAMY, GLOBAL sensation. (--Here it is . . .)
http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/paramount/justinbieberneversaynever/ (--"Never Say Never" crashes into theaters on February 11th.)
AND NOW . . . ADAM LAMBERT IS RELEASING AN ACOUSTIC ALBUM:
ADAM LAMBERT will follow in JUSTIN BEIBER'S footsteps by releasing his own acoustic album in time for Christmas. There's no release date yet, but he says it'll probably be out, quote, "around Thanksgiving time." (--Justin's "Unplugged Acoustic" will hit stores on November 23rd . . . the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.)
HERE'S THE FIRST SINGLE OFF JOSH GROBAN'S NEW ALBUM:
The first single off JOSH GROBAN'S new album, "Illuminations", hit the Internet yesterday. It's called "Higher Window". (--You can listen to it, here . . .) http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/hear-josh-grobans-new-song-20102610 --All the songs on "Illuminations" were written about someone Josh knows. He says, quote, "For every one of these songs, someone's going to know it's about them. I'm going to get a text message about every one! This is a very personal record." --"Illuminations" comes out on November 15th.
GREYSON CHANCE PREMIERED HIS FIRST SINGLE ON "ELLEN":
13-year-old GREYSON CHANCE performed his first single, "Waiting Outside the Lines" on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" yesterday. (--Here's video . . .) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmTZJNuWlG8 (--Over 32 MILLION people have watched Greyson covering LADY GAGA'S "Paparazzi" on YouTube. Ellen was one of them . . . and she liked him so much, she signed him to a record deal.)
WILLOW SMITH JOINED JUSTIN BIEBER ONSTAGE IN LOS ANGELES:
It isn't enough that JADEN and WILLOW SMITH have WILL and JADA PINKETT SMITH for parents . . . now they're also boasting first-class tickets on the JUSTIN BIEBER train. --First, Jaden scored a guest spot on Justin's "Karate Kid" theme song, "Never Say Never" . . . and now Justin had Willow join him onstage during a show in L.A. --Willow took that opportunity to bust out some dance moves. (--You can see video below. Just so you know, it might be hard to contain your excitement when you see it. The girl freaking out in the video couldn't.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VG7oUYG7ack
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE ISN'T ABANDONING MUSIC:
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE is making a lot more movies than music these days, but he'd like you to know that he's not abandoning his music career. --Over the weekend, he performed at a benefit concert in Las Vegas. He did an acoustic medley that included a version of Drake's song "Over" . . . but he added to the lyrics to tell the crowd: --Quote, "Don't be pissed off I'm an actor. It's not over. It's not over. It's not over. And when I come back, I'm gonna come harder." (--You can watch video below. The Drake song begins at the 6:00 mark. ***WARNING***: There are UNEDITED F-BOMBS in this clip. There's one at the :36 mark and others at 3:03 and 6:09.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jru0ytkyPSU
T.I. IS NO LONGER CALLING HIS NEXT ALBUM "KING UNCAGED":
Now that T.I. has been ordered to return to prison for 11 months, "Entertainment Weekly" reports that he's decided to change the title of his next album from "King Uncaged" to "No Mercy". --There's no explanation yet, but it seems pretty obvious: Now, T.I. will NOT be "uncaged" when the album drops, assuming it doesn't get pushed back significantly. (--There's no official release date yet. Several sites are saying it'll be out on December 7th, but there's no reason to believe that yet.) (--The album has already been pushed back twice, and it's unclear how T.I.'s arrest and re-sentencing may have impacted the recording process.) (--But if the disc wasn't finished before he was ordered back to prison, it will be before next Monday, when he's scheduled to surrender himself. There's no way T.I. will wait until he gets out again to finish this thing up.)
TAYLOR SWIFT'S NEW ALBUM WILL VERY LIKELY BE THE BEST SELLING DEBUT OF THE YEAR . . . IN ALL GENRES:
Even though TAYLOR SWIFT'S new album "Speak Now" just came out on Monday . . . it's definitely going to be the best selling album of the week. And it's very likely that it will also be biggest debut of the year. --"Billboard" is predicting sales of around 800,000 to 900,000 copies by Sunday. That would easily beat the 741,000 copies that EMINEM'S "Recovery" moved in its first week earlier this year. (--Eminem will probably still be the top selling album of the year though. He's had since July to sell a total of 2.8 million copies and it's pretty late in the year for Taylor's new album to catch up to that total, no matter how well it performs.) --There's also a decent chance that "Speak Now" could crack the one million mark by Sunday. That would make it the first album to sell over a million copies in its first week since LIL WAYNE'S "Tha Carter 3" did it back in 2008. (--Taylor's last album, "Fearless", sold 592,000 copies in its opening week in November of 2008. It's now sold over six million copies.)
WEDNESDAY'S SHOWBIZ QUICK HITS
Keith Richards' autobiography, "Life", hit bookshelves yesterday. Someone at "Entertainment Weekly" has already blazed through it . . . and in the process, they identified 10 of Keith's life advice "tips":
http://shelf-life.ew.com/2010/10/26/keith-richards-life-memoir/
VANILLA ICE listed his "Five Favorite Rappers" for Billboard.com. He likes Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Jadakiss, Ludacris and Public Enemy.
http://www.switched.com/2010/10/22/mcgill-university-first-all-robot-prostate-surgery/?icid=mainmaindl5sec3_lnk3179507
JUSTIN BIEBER has been on of a lot of teen magazines. But on the cover of the Brazilian teen magazine "Todateen Star", he looks like he's wearing some very feminine-looking makeup. Is it real, or is it Photoshop?
http://www.hollywoodlife.com/2010/10/26/justin-bieber-retouch-photoshop-todateen-star-brazil-teen-magazin/
HALLOWEEN HIJINX
WHEN ARE YOU TOO OLD TO GO TRICK-OR-TREATING? THERE'S FINALLY A DEFINITIVE ANSWER:
We have an answer to the eternal question of "How old is too old to go trick-or-treating?" The answer is 12. Once you're 13, you're too old. And we actually have legal precedence to back that up. --There are cities around the country that actually impose FINES on kids over 12 who trick-or-treat. Those cities include Belleville, Illinois . . . Meridian, Mississippi . . . Bishopville, South Carolina . . . and Boonsboro, Maryland. -Mark Eckert is the mayor of Belleville, Illinois. He says that while his city's ban is hard to enforce, it's helping to keep SOME of the, quote, "six-foot-tall kids" from showing up at people's houses looking for candy. (ABC News)
PARENTS EAT ONE PIECE OF CANDY FOR EVERY TWO THEIR KID BRINGS HOME FROM TRICK-OR-TREATING:
No WONDER kids feel like they have to be so incredibly GREEDY when it comes to trick-or-treating. Their parents are ROBBING THEM BLIND. -The NPD Group researches eating trends. According to Harry Baltzer, their vice president, parents eat ONE candy bar for every TWO their child brings home. Sometimes after their child has gone to sleep. And parents usually target chocolate. --About 5% of all the candy that gets eaten during the year is eaten on Halloween and the week after. (USA Today)
NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF
'NEW MYSPACE' NARROWS FOCUS TO ENTERTAINMENT
MySpace, the online social hub that's been fighting to stay relevant in the age of Facebook and Twitter, is overhauling its image and its website into an entertainment destination for its mostly younger audience. The social-networking pioneer, which was among the top Internet sites just a few years ago, now has its sights set decidedly lower. Starting Wednesday and over the next month, MySpace will be relaunching its site to focus on giving users more ways to consume music, videos and celebrity gossip. Entertainment has long been central to the MySpace experience, but over the years the site was also pulled in different directions as it dabbled in classifieds, job ads and even user reviews in a partnership with Citysearch as it pushed to become a social portal for the Web. It didn't work out, and Facebook is now emerging as that portal. MySpace CEO Mike Jones said the relaunch "pulls us out of the social networking category" to become a social entertainment destination. So instead of connecting with long-lost friends and sharing baby photos, MySpace wants to be the place where people go to find out about new bands, chat about TV shows and make movie recommendations. "The vision has definitely gotten a lot smaller in this redesign," said Debra Aho Williamson, a senior analyst at research firm eMarketer. "When News Corp. bought MySpace it certainly didn't envision this. I don't think Rupert (Murdoch, News Corp.'s CEO) thought MySpace would be a small social entertainment website." News Corp. bought MySpace for $580 million in 2005. For some perspective, that's the same year YouTube launched. After a promising start, the site's luster began to fade and advertisers, along with users, flocked to Facebook. EMarketer estimates that advertisers worldwide will spend about $347 million on MySpace this year, down from $470 million in 2009. The research firm estimates 2010 ad spending on Facebook to be around $1.3 billion, more than double $665 million a year earlier. In the most recent quarter, the News Corp. segment responsible for MySpace lost $174 million, mostly due to lower search and advertising revenue. News Corp. reports fiscal first-quarter results on Nov. 1. If the relaunch is successful, MySpace may still become the cultural powerhouse MTV was in the 1990s, when its decision to play a new music video could turn a band's fortunes overnight. Keeping with the age of the social Web, however, MySpace won't be the only one deciding what's cool. The site will also make its most loyal users the curators in a feature that's coming at a yet-unspecified date. "The MTV influence is really obvious," Williamson said, adding that MySpace still has "pull with the audience it's trying to reach — young people." There are big cosmetic changes too. Long criticized for cluttered, clunky home pages, MySpace is streamlining its design. It will show fewer ads, but place them more prominently. It also will have far fewer buttons and page templates. In a presentation, the company called it "cleaning up MySpace e-waste." "If we are refurbishing a house, it's starting from the ground up," Jones said of the eight-month redesign process. MySpace has long fallen behind Facebook in user numbers and estimated advertising revenue, in part because it never appealed to older users. Its roughly 130 million users are mostly under 35, while Facebook's fastest-growing user base is those over 35. MySpace now says it's not trying to compete with social networks like Facebook. "We're working on refocusing the company (and) narrowing down what our product does," Jones said. Jones is the last of a three-person executive team that joined the company in April 2009. His former co-president Jason Hirschhorn, left in June and former CEO Owen Van Natta, once chief revenue officer of Facebook, left in February.
HALF OF ALL COMPANIES EXPECT THEIR EMPLOYEES TO STEAL FROM THEM:
Everyone's accidentally taken a pen or a pad of Post-It notes home from work. It happens. But when you start "accidentally" taking home computers and furniture, that's when the company's going to notice. --And the sad thing is . . . a majority of companies think you're SO untrustworthy that they're basically expecting it. A new survey found that 54% of companies in the U.S. fully expect employees to steal something "of value" in the next year. --But only 30% of the companies surveyed had ACTUALLY had something of value stolen in the last five years. Meaning that in many cases, employees haven't done anything to violate the company's trust, yet the company still distrusts them. --Employee theft was named the second-most financially damaging thing that a small- to medium-sized business could experience. The majority of the companies surveyed say only a liability lawsuit would be more damaging. (Reuters)
THE POSTMASTER GENERAL ANNOUNCED HIS RETIREMENT . . . BY EMAIL:
This is sort of symbolic of everything that's wrong with the Post Office these days: 55-year-old John Potter is the current Postmaster General, and he just announced his retirement . . . BY EMAIL. That's right. He EMAILED his statement out. --The Postal Service lost $6 BILLION last year, even though employment has fallen by 26% during Potter's nine years there. That's 584,000 jobs. The basic problem is that people don't send letters as much . . . they're using email instead. (Bloomberg)
AND NOW, THREE NEW THINGS TO WORRY ABOUT:
#1.) CREDIT CARDS ARE MAKING YOU CHUBBY. According to a new study in the "Journal of Consumer Research", using a credit card makes you eat junk food. Really. --It's psychologically easier for you to spend money when you use a credit card than when you use cash. So cards lead to impulse buys . . . and those are almost always unhealthy. In other words, no one impulse buys a bag of celery. (Hartford Courant)
#2.) PUTTING YOUR PHONE IN YOUR POCKET MIGHT BE DANGEROUS. Cell phone manuals warn you to keep your phones away from you. For example, the iPhone manual says it should be at least five-eighths of an inch from your body. --The reason is that cell phones MIGHT be giving off more radiation than people think. Right now, the FCC believes it's safe to have a cell phone on your body . . . but if you don't completely trust them, you might want to keep a buffer. (Yahoo)
#3.) "GREEN" CLAIMS ARE B.S. According to a study, 95.5% of the consumer products that say they're "green" and good for the environment are lying about at least one of their claims. --Usually they're listing claims that can't be proven, by using vague marketing language, or stickers that LOOK like they're from a third party environmental group but aren't. Or, the claims are just flat-out untested lies. --The craziest part is, 95.5% is GOOD. Back in 2007, it was 99%. (Wall Street Journal)
THE U.S. GOT ITS WORST RANKING EVER ON THE GLOBAL CORRUPTION INDEX:
There are only so many financial and political scandals that a country can have before the rest of the world starts asking questions. And that's exactly what's happened with the U.S. --Every year, a watchdog group called Transparency International ranks the countries of the world by corruption. And this year, the U.S. got its worst ranking ever. --The U.S. was ranked 22nd on the list, meaning it's the 22nd-least corrupt country in the world. If that doesn't sound so impressive, it isn't. This is the first time in the list's history that the U.S. has been out of the top 20. Last year we were 19th. --Nancy Boswell runs Transparency International's U.S. operations. She says that the low ranking is a mix of the subprime mortgage crisis, BERNIE MADOFF'S Ponzi scheme, and fights over corporations funding politicians and their campaigns. --She says, quote, "We're not talking about corruption in the sense of breaking the law. We're talking about a sense that the system is corrupted by these practices. That's an integrity deficit." --Denmark, New Zealand, and Singapore tied for first place as the least corrupt countries in the world. The rest of the top 10 is Finland, Sweden, Canada, The Netherlands, Australia, Switzerland, and Norway. --Somalia was named the most corrupt country in the world. The rest of the bottom 10 are: Myanmar (Burma), Afghanistan, Iraq, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Sudan, Chad, Burundi, and Equatorial Guinea. (Yahoo)
(--Here's the full list . . .)
http://www.transparency.org/policy_research/surveys_indices/cpi/2010/results
THE WORLD CUP PREDICTING OCTOPUS HAS DIED:
Over the summer, everyone went crazy for Paul . . . the octopus at the German aquarium who was eight-for-eight in predicting World Cup soccer matches. --And now he's dead. --Yesterday, Paul died in his tank at age two-and-a-half. He died of natural causes . . . few octopi rarely make it past age three. (Houston Chronicle)
A SCHOOL DISTRICT IN MASSACHUSETTS BANS STUDENTS AND TEACHERS FROM BEING FACEBOOK FRIENDS:
There's really nothing good that can come from a teacher and a student being Facebook friends. It crosses the line, and reveals too much private information BOTH ways. --And in Norton, Massachusetts, the school board has decided that if teachers can't see the need for that separation themselves . . . they're going to have to legislate it. So they've BANNED teachers and students from becoming Facebook friends. --The school board says, quote, "There's a concern about responsibility and liability. It's important to keep the kids safe." --There have been several teacher-student Facebook scandals in the past year . . . including THREE in New York public schools in the past few weeks. (Boston Globe)
CHECK OUT THE MAN WITH THE WORLD'S WIDEST MOUTH:
20-year-old Francisco Joaquim from the African country of Angola has the "Guinness" world record for the WORLD'S WIDEST MOUTH. He can stretch his mouth 6.69 inches, and fit an entire soda can inside sideways. -His mouth is so big that he was able to pop a can of soda in and out 14 times in one minute. (AOL News) (--Check out a video of him here . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N905o55cpIo
A CHURCH KICKS OUT A WOMAN FOR APPEARING IN AN ERECTILE DYSFUNCTION COMMERCIAL:
Libby Ashby is in her 50s, and she's an actress in Melbourne, Australia. She recently got a role in a commercial for a company called AMI . . . which makes a nasal spray designed to help men with ENGORGEMENT PROBLEMS. -In the commercial, Libby's character is having trouble reaching a cookie jar on a high shelf. Her husband comes over, opens his robe . . . and thanks to AMI, his junk is SO STRONG that she's able to use it as a STEP LADDER. --Anyway, Libby's church saw the ad, and KICKED HER OUT. She says, quote, "They have said I would not be reinstated until the ad comes off the air." --She says she took the job because she's a single mother and needed the money, quote, "My Visa was calling out for mercy. [I knew] the ad would offend a lot of people. I don't think the ad is honorable." (Melbourne Herald Sun)
(--Here's the ad . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcNmXILlBCs
POLICE HELP A GUY WITH A LACERATED SCROTUM . . . THEN ARREST HIM FOR OUTSTANDING WARRANTS:
I know the weekend's still a few days away . . . and you still haven't picked out a costume for that big Halloween party . . . but there's a 52-year-old guy in Athens, Georgia who'd like you to SHUT THE HELL UP. --His name hasn't been released, but on Friday night, police responded to a call about a fight at an apartment. When they got there they found the man on the floor, lying in a pool of blood. --Turns out his MAN-SATCHEL was split open. He told the cops it was because a woman had kicked him SO HARD in the groin that he slipped and broke a screen door. Or something. It's actually sort of unclear what went down. --The police called for an ambulance, then ran his information. And that's when they found out he was WANTED for a felony probation violation, and there was a warrant out for his arrest. --When the paramedics arrived, the man said he had a, quote, "big problem down there." But he didn't want treatment, and asked, quote, "Is this really necessary?" --The he started fighting with them, so the police had to cuff him and take him to the hospital in a patrol car. He kept fighting at the hospital . . . cursed out the female nurses . . . and spat in the face of a police officer. --He ended up getting charged with disorderly conduct, criminal trespassing, simple battery on a police officer, and was busted for his outstanding probation violation. He also got some very uncomfortable stitches on his scrotal laceration. (Athens Banner-Herald)
A TEENAGER TRIES TO ROB A CONVENIENCE STORE USING A BOTTLE OF SALAD DRESSING . . . AND THE CLERKS RESPOND WITH AN ACTUAL GUN:
There's an old saying about how you should never bring a knife to a gun fight. Another way to say it might be: "Never rob a convenience store with a bottle of salad dressing." --That's what 16-year-old Larry Franklin of Deland, Florida did last Friday. He took out one convenience store, then tried to rob another one . . . armed only with a bottle of SALAD DRESSING. --At first, when the clerks thought Larry was holding a gun, they put their hands on their heads to surrender. But when they realized they were dealing with salad dressing, one clerk reached down and grabbed a GUN. --Larry was smart enough to know that you don't bring a bottle of salad dressing to a gun fight . . . and quickly got out of the store. --The owner called the police and Larry was arrested. (ABC 9 - Orlando)
A MAN ROBS A HAIR SALON WHILE AN OFF-DUTY COP IS GETTING HER HAIR DONE . . . AND HER INCREDIBLE MARKSMANSHIP SAVES THE DAY:
Over the weekend, 19-year-old Winston Cox tried to rob a hair salon in Brooklyn, New York. He had no idea that one of the women getting her hair done at the time was an off-duty cop . . . and one with SNIPER-QUALITY marksmanship. --That cop was Feris Jones. On Saturday, she was sitting at the salon, called Sabine's Hallway, when Winston busted in, waving a .44-caliber Magnum revolver, and yelled, "This is a robbery, I will kill you." --He forced the owner, an employee, Feris, and another customer to give him their belongings. Then he told them to go into a bathroom in the back. --When they were in the bathroom, Feris told the other three women that she was a cop. She pulled out her revolver and had the other women get down on the ground. Then she went back into the main area of the salon and identified herself. --From about 12 feet away, Winston OPENED FIRE on her. He missed. She fired back . . . and didn't miss. One bullet hit Winston's HAND, and knocked out the gun. Another bullet hit the LOCK on the front door of the store, and jammed it so he couldn't escape. --Wintson's hand was gushing blood, but he ended up kicking out a panel on the bottom of the door and crawled out. He left a blood trail back to his house and was arrested. --Feris has been with the NYPD since 1990. She's spent the last 12 years working for the crime lab . . . and this was the first time she's ever used her gun in the line of duty. (New York Times)
WEDNESDAY'S SILLY QUICK HITS
In less than 2 years, Obama has appointed more gay officials than any president:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101026/ap_on_go_pr_wh/us_obama_gay_appointees
Doctors have discovered that you have taste buds in your lungs: They help open breathing passages when they "taste" bitter substances in the air, and they may lead to asthma treatments:
http://www.aolhealth.com/condition-center/asthma/taste-buds-in-lungs-new-asthma-treatments?icid=mainmaindl3sec3_lnk2180025
If you have a friend with benefits, and they loan you money or their car . . . does that make it prostitution? What about sites like sugardaddyforme.com?
http://www.examiner.com/friends-with-benefits-in-national/am-i-a-prostitute
A mom was arrested for giving her 12-year-old a knife and a BB gun to protect himself:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_MOTHER_SCHOOL_WEAPONS
A driver in England was killed in, quote, "an almost unbelievable sequence of events that could probably never be recreated." A truck drove over a metal socket, which shot up in the air, and crashed through the window of a car going in the opposite direction:
http://www.yorkshireeveningpost.co.uk/news/Pontefract-driver39s-39freak39-death-.6598784.jp
The Democrat in Florida's race for governor was busted during a nationally-televised debate for reading a text from a staffer during a break:
http://gizmodo.com/5673746/florida-politician-cheats-with-a-text-during-nationally-televised-debate
NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) BALLOON BOY'S DAD HAS A NEW INVENTION CALLED THE "BEAR SCRATCH":
Remember 'Balloon Boy?' A year ago we all thought six-year-old Falcon Heene was floating away in a home-made weather balloon. But it was all a hoax orchestrated by his crazy dad, Richard Heene. Well . . . unfortunately he's back --He's pimping a crappy new product called the "Bear Scratch." It's basically a branch you mount on your wall, so you can scratch your back the way a bear rubs up against a tree. And the ad is just as annoying as you might think.
(--Search for "Richard Heene Bear Scratch.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v53OCICVqio
#2.) A CRAZY OLD MAN TRIED OUT SOME NINJA MOVES ON THE COPS:
We can't figure out where or when this happened, but there's a new video on the Internet of some crazy guy having a standoff with the cops. --And when they start shooting him with pellets, he does a series of ridiculous karate moves . . . including a flying kick through the air. It takes a half-dozen cops to get him on the ground . . . and he STILL manages to get away.
(--Search for "old man fails with ninja tactics." See it from a second angle at :29.)
http://www.break.com/index/old-man-fails-with-ninja-tactics-on-police-1941945
MORE PEOPLE ARE WASHING THEIR HANDS AFTER THEY USE THE BATHROOM . . . AND WOMEN ARE CLEANER THAN MEN:
According to a new study sponsored by the American Cleaning Institute and the American Society for Microbiology, 85% of people wash their hands after using a public bathroom. --That's up from 77% in 2007, and it's the highest percentage since the study began in 1996. But the results are different depending on where the public bathroom is . . . especially for men. --At the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, 98% of women and 88% of men washed their hands after using the bathroom, which is good. --But it was lower at Grand Central Station in New York, as you might expect. Only 83% of women and 77% of men washed their hands after using the bathroom. --And apparently sports venues gross out women, but not men. At Turner Field in Atlanta, 98% of women washed their hands after using the bathroom, but only 65% of men did. --The study also included telephone surveys to find out how many people CLAIM to wash their hands . . --96% said they wash their hands after using a public bathroom . . . which is about 10% too high according to the observational study. --82% said they wash their hands after changing a diaper . . . 77% said they wash before eating or handling food . . . 42% claimed to wash their hands after petting a dog . . . 39% claimed to wash their hands after coughing or sneezing. --And 27% said they wash their hands after they handle money. (Good.is / CleaningInstitute.org)
posted by Nazzy @ 6:00 AM
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