HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (11-04-10)

JUSTIN BIEBER TALKS ABOUT BEING BULLIED ON "ELLEN":

Everyone's been bullied at one time or another. Even JUSTIN BIEBER isn't immune to it. And he talked about the bullying he STILL deals with on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show" yesterday. --He said, quote, "There are so many bullies. It goes on so much . . . Everybody goes through bullying . . . even me." --He added, quote, "On my YouTube page there are so many haters. They just say crazy stuff. -"Like, I'm not mad. I'm 16 years-old and I don't have chest hair and I'm not angry about it at the moment. That will come!" -His chest hair situation isn't all he gets teased about. He said, quote, "People are like, 'Look at him, he puts helium in his voice before he sings.' You just have to laugh at yourself. It's funny." (--Here's video . . .)
http://ellen.warnerbros.com/2010/11/ellen_chats_with_justin_bieber_1103.php


ROBERT DOWNEY JR. SAYS PRISON DIDN'T HELP HIM STRAIGHTEN HIS LIFE OUT:

A lot of people don't remember this, but in the 1990s, ROBERT DOWNEY JR. was basically what CHARLIE SHEEN is now. He was finally able to straighten his life out after prison stints in 1997 and 1999. --But Downey says the incarceration itself didn't help . . . quote, "Jail didn't help me any more or less than anything else. But I know I created that experience for a reason, and I'm only just starting to understand those reasons. --"Remember this is California . . . 'Come on vacation, leave on probation.' I mean, I can't believe I stayed out of the pen for as long as I did. And I didn't mind it inside really; it wasn't so bad." --He adds, quote, "Listen, a prison is just like a public school. Did you ever go on a film set on location? It's just like prison. Have you ever been in a bad relationship? It's just like having a celly who wants to kill you. --"Have you ever been in a street fight? It's just like chow-time. Have you ever been to a rave-up? It's like a yard riot. --"I wouldn't wish it on anybody, but it neither fazed me, nor changed me, nor informed me . . . but maybe it toughened me up a little bit."


JUSTIN LONG SUFFERED A MILD CONCUSSION IN A CAR ACCIDENT:

JUSTIN LONG suffered a mild concussion in a minor car accident in Los Angeles a few days ago. But his rep says he's, quote, "completely fine now." (--Probably because he got to rest his head on Drew Barrymore's DIRTY PILLOWS. That's all I would need.) (???)


BRISTOL PALIN DIDN'T VOTE THIS YEAR:

SARAH PALIN worked overtime to get people to vote. And given Tuesday's election results, she was pretty successful. There's one person she couldn't get to the polls, though: Her own daughter BRISTOL. --Yesterday, Bristol told "Inside Edition", quote, "I did not send in my absentee ballots to Alaska. I'm going to be in trouble. Sorry, mom!" --But Bristol says she WILL vote if her mom runs for president in 2012 . . . quote, "I know she is great, and she is great for our country."


HEIDI MONTAG AND SPENCER PRATT ARE BROKE . . . IS IT BECAUSE OF "JERSEY SHORE"?

The drama just never ends with HEIDI MONTAG and SPENCER PRATT. Now they claim they're BROKE and considering bankruptcy. And Spencer is blaming "Jersey Shore". --He says, quote, "We thought 'The Hills' was going to be like '90210' and we'd have another five to 10 years. The ratings were consistent. But we never saw 'Jersey Shore' coming. --"Before, TV audiences were fine with seeing us all argue, but now they want you to punch one another in the face and hook up with three different people. Our cast was a bit boring and snoozeworthy in comparison. No wonder we got canceled." --Heidi and Spencer claim they've squandered $10 MILLION . . . and are $2 million in debt to the IRS. --How did they blow that much money? Spencer says, quote, "We were immature, worrying too much about the famous part instead of the actual business part. --"In hindsight, we shouldn't have spent any of our money. We should have been low-key and saved." --Here's some of what they spent it on . . . --They dropped about $3 million on Heidi's music career . . . and we all know how that turned out. They were also shelling out $35,000 a month for their house in Malibu. --They spent big on healing crystals, six cars and transportation on private jets. And don't forget the HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS for Heidi's many plastic surgeries . . . and the medical care she required afterward. --Heidi and Spencer have been reduced to living in Spencer's parents' guesthouse . . . and Heidi says, quote, "They go to the grocery store for us once a week, and that's all we get." (--We should all thank Spencer's parents, by the way . . . because before they offered up the guesthouse, Heidi was considering another "Playboy" spread.) --But Spencer adds, quote, "We don't want sympathy. We did this to ourselves and feel like idiots. But we've grown up and are definitely not as naive anymore."


KANYE WEST ACTUALLY SEEMS TO UNDERSTAND GEORGE BUSH'S ANGER WITH HIM:

Believe it or not, KANYE WEST actually seems to UNDERSTAND why GEORGE W. BUSH is still angry with him. --As we heard yesterday, Bush claims that one of the, quote, "most disgusting moments" in his presidency was when Kanye said that Bush, quote, "doesn't care about black people." --And it sounds like Kanye is still on that humility kick that he adopted after the TAYLOR SWIFT mess. --During a radio interview yesterday Kanye said he feels where Bush is coming from, because HE was accused of being racist after interrupting Taylor's big moment at the "MTV Video Music Awards". --He said, quote, "I can understand the way he feels to be accused of being a racist in any way, because the same thing happened to me where I got accused of being racist." --He added, quote, "With both situations, it was a lack of compassion that America saw. --"With him, it was lack of compassion, not taking the time to rush down to New Orleans. With me it was lack of compassion, cutting someone off in their moment. --"But nonetheless, I think we're all quick to pull a race card in America. And now I'm more open and the poetic justice I feel to have went through the same thing he went. --"And I really connect with him on a humanitarian level, because the next morning when he felt that, I felt that too." (--Here's audio . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjTLUxaWtlM


HERE ARE THE SUPPOSED DETAILS OF DEMI LOVATO'S "FIGHT":

We've been hearing that it was a fight with one of her backup dancers that convinced DEMI LOVATO to seek treatment for her "emotional and physical issues". --And now, "People" magazine has the supposed details of that fight. --Apparently, whenever the tour had nights off, Demi would invite her band, her dancers and her parents out to dinner. This past Friday night, after dinner was over, she and a small group went out on their own. --And they went out to PARTY. And somehow, some of the adults on the tour . . . including tour managers and Demi's stepfather . . . found out about it. (--Not to say that Demi isn't an adult too. She is 18 after all. But I guess Disney stars are kept on a shorter leash than the rest of us.) --A so-called "source" says, quote, "When tour management found out about this, they talked to the people involved, including Demi. Demi reacted badly and perceived that someone on tour had told on her." --Apparently, the girl Demi attacked is the one she accused of ratting her out.


MARIAH CAREY HAD ACUPUNCTURE TO HELP HER GET PREGNANT:

MARIAH CAREY says she did NOT undergo in-vitro fertilization in order to conceive, but she did try some other things . . . including ACUPUNCTURE. --NICK CANNON says she had it, quote, "once a day, all over her body. I think it helped her quite a bit, because it was a good destressor." --She also took the hormone progesterone . . . which can boost fertility and help maintain pregnancy in women susceptible to miscarriage. (--Mariah has revealed that she miscarried shortly after she and Nick got married in April of 2008.)


KATY PERRY ALMOST HAD A BREAST REDUCTION:

Would KATY PERRY have gotten anywhere without her cleavage? That question can never be answered . . . but it was almost put to the test. Because when Katy was 13, she wanted a BREAST REDUCTION. --She tells "Harper's Bazaar", quote, "I had really bad back problems and was a little bit thicker. Then I grew up and lost the baby fat and said, 'Hey, this isn't all that bad.'" (--Katy is 26 now.)


WOLVERINE WILL NOT BE IN "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS":

Does it make good business sense to release an "X-Men" movie that doesn't have Wolverine in it? We're going to find out. --We had speculated that Wolverine wouldn't be in the upcoming prequel, "X-Men: First Class" . . . mainly because it wouldn't make sense. --And now, producer Bryan Singer . . . who directed the first two "X-Men" movies . . . has confirmed it. He said, quote, "He's not in the movie, he's in the Wolverine movies." --"X-Men: First Class" is about the very beginnings of Dr. X's school for mutants . . . which he established after he and Magneto split apart and established rival groups of mutants. --In both the comic books and the movies, Wolverine didn't come along until much later on the X-Men timeline. (--Wolverine hooked up with the X-Men in the first movie . . . which takes place LONG after the events of "First Class".) (--The "X-Men" comic book debuted in 1963. Wolverine didn't join until 1975 . . . 12 years later.) (--So however you slice it, putting Wolverine into "First Class" would have been CHEATING. But will NOT including him doom the movie to poor box office? Discuss.) (--Both "X-Men: First Class" and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine 2" are due out next year.)


MILEY CYRUS WILL PLAY A PRIVATE INVESTIGATOR IN HER NEXT MOVIE:

MILEY CYRUS has a new movie lined up in which she'll play a private investigator hired by the FBI to go undercover at a college sorority. --It's called "So Undercover", and it'll be directed by Tom Vaughan, who did "What Happens in Vegas". --Miley's adulterous mom, TISH, is one of the producers. She says, quote, "'So Undercover' is a fun mix of action and comedy and has a powerful female lead that Miley was drawn to playing."


GWYNETH PALTROW WILL SING CEE-LO'S "(EFF) YOU" ON "GLEE":

GWYNETH PALTROW will perform CEE-LO GREEN'S new song, "(Eff) You", during her upcoming guest spot on "Glee". The episode airs November 16th. --She obviously won't be singing the explicit version. Instead, she'll take on the censored version, "Forget You". (--You can hear the CENSORED version, here. Or you can watch the video for the original, UNCENSORED version, here.)


NBC IS DEVELOPING A CHELSEA HANDLER SITCOM:

NBC is developing a sitcom based on CHELSEA HANDLER'S autobiography, "Are You There Vodka? It's me, Chelsea". Chelsea would also star on the show, which would be loosely inspired by her life in her 20s. (--She's 35 now.) --It'll still fictionalized though. For example, Chelsea won't be a comedienne. She'll have some other yet-to-be-determined profession. It's too early to say when the show might hit TV. (--This is the SECOND sitcom about Chelsea in the works. E! is developing a sitcom called "After Lately", which will be set behind the scenes of her late-night show, "Chelsea Lately". There's no premiere date for that either.)


THURSDAY TV REMINDERS: (--Check your local listings.)

--"The Big Bang Theory" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on CBS. (--Eliza Dushku guest stars as an FBI agent sent to interview Howard for his security clearance.)

--"Community" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on NBC. (--Hilary Duff guest stars. She'll be playing the mean girl on campus.)

--"Bones" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on Fox. (--"So You Think You Can Dance's" Stephen "tWitch" Boss guest stars as a dancer who ends up dead.)

--"The Office" . . . 9:00 to 9:30 P.M. on NBC. (--Michael invites all the staff to celebrate the christening of Jim and Pam's daughter, baby Cece.)

--"Grey's Anatomy" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. (--Owen puts the residents through their paces as he has them perform trauma-certification drills.)

--"Pranked" [3rd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on MTV.

--"Megadrive" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on MTV. (--Comedian Johnny Pemberton travels the country learning to use a wide variety of interesting and dangerous vehicles. In the first episode he drives the "American Thunder" jet truck . . . and vomits in the cockpit of a stunt plane.)

--"Bully Beatdown" [3rd Season Premiere] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on MTV.

--"I Can't Believe I'm Still Single" [3rd Season Premiere] . . . 11:30 P.M. to 12:30 A.M. on Showtime.


TAYLOR SWIFT HAD THE LARGEST SALES WEEK OF THE PAST FIVE YEARS:

TAYLOR SWIFT sold 1,047,000 copies of "Speak Now" in its first week of release, which is huge for several reasons. For starters, Taylor is the first artist to sell over a million copies since Lil Wayne broke a million with "Tha Carter 3" back in 2008. --In fact, she now has the largest sales week for any album of the past five years. You'd have to go all the way back to March of 2005, when 50 Cent's "The Massacre" debuted with 1,141,000 copies, to find another album that's done better in its first week. --Only 12 other artists have EVER sold more than a million copies, and it's only been done sixteen times. N'SYNC holds the record for the best sales week, which they set ten years ago by moving 2.4 million copies of their "No Strings Attached" album. --N'Sync, the Backstreet Boys and Eminem all broke a million twice. The others who hit Platinum in their first week were Whitney Houston, Garth Brooks, Britney Spears, Limp Bizkit, the Beatles, Norah Jones, Usher, 50 Cent, Lil Wayne, and now Taylor.


A MICHAEL JACKSON CIRQUE DU SOLEIL SHOW IS IN THE WORKS:

MICHAEL JACKSON is getting his own Cirque du Soleil show. --Naturally, Michael's estate, including his mother Katherine Jackson, had to sign off on this. Cirque du Soleil will reportedly split the profits 50-50 with the estate. --The show will be called "Michael Jackson: The Immortal World Tour", and as the name suggests, it'll be a traveling show . . . at least at first. --It'll tour Canada for two months, beginning next October. Then it'll do a week at the Mandalay Bay in Vegas in December, before touring the U.S. in 2012. (--You can see all the dates that have been announced so far . . . along with ticket information and a promo video . . . at MichaelJackson.com, here.) (--And you can get more information on the show . . . and see a few sketches of what it might look like . . . at CirqueDuSoleil.com, here.) --More tour dates will be added later, but the show is expected to eventually settle into a permanent home at the MGM Mirage hotel in Vegas.


NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK *WILL* TOUR WITH THE BACKSTREET BOYS:

There was some speculation earlier this year that NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK were secretly hatching a plan to tour with the BACKSTREET BOYS. --Well, it's actually happening! --For now, all we know is that they'll be kicking off a joint U.S. tour sometime this summer. --For those who are only mildly curious, New Kids and the Backstreet Boys will perform together on November 21st at this year's "American Music Awards".


"LOVE THE WAY YOU LIE (PART TWO)" HAS LEAKED ONLINE:

RIHANNA and EMINEM'S new "Love the Way You Lie (Part Two)", has leaked online. It's the "sequel" to their hit duet "Love the Way You Lie". This version will be on Rihanna's new album, "Loud", which hits stores on November 16th (--You can listen to the leaked track below. ***WARNING***: It contains some annoying audio tags, so you should definitely preview it first.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZAmUy1XBXY


IS LADY GAGA BEING STALKED BY AN ANNOYING GHOST NAMED RYAN?

The amusing but unreliable British tabloids are reporting that LADY GAGA believes she's being stalked by an annoying ghost named Ryan. --The "Daily Star" claims a "member of her touring crew" told them, quote, "She's been telling us all for months that she has a male spirit called Ryan who travels the world with her.\ --"She's pretty terrified by this spirit, but more than anything he's annoying her as he won't leave her alone. He's hasn't been doing anything too violent or scary but she's freaked out by his presence. --"She's a very spiritual person and in tune with the spiritual world but this is a step too far, even for her." --So what is Lady Gaga doing about it? Well, just the usual things. She had a medium help her hold some sort of séance recently to try to get rid of him . . . and she's spent "thousands of dollars" on, quote, "ghostbusters." --And speaking of ghostbusters, Lady Gaga also went all Egon Spengler herself . . . shelling out $47,000 on, quote, "state of the art Electro Magnetic Field meters to detect" paranormal beings.

BILL CLINTON RECOGNIZES LIL WAYNE'S "ABILITIES":

Former President BILL CLINTON gave an interview to a Pittsburgh radio station on Tuesday . . . (--96.1 Kiss FM) . . . so that he could hype up the local Democratic candidates. --But somehow the conversation turned to LIL WAYNE, who will be released from prison today. And Clinton was not only familiar with him, he recognized his skills. --Clinton said, quote, "I tell you what I think about that. I know this is kind of a funny question for you to ask me. But I think . . . you know, my daughter introduced me to rap and hip-hop music after I said some things she thought were not very smart. --"She said, 'Dad, you need to listen, all these people are smart.' This guy's smart. And he's got abilities. And he's got a new chance now. --"And what I hope is that this is not just something to brand him as a cool guy, but that it'll never happen again to him. --"A lot of [rappers] had tough lives, and they almost think it's cool to get in trouble every now and then, or they don't know how to stay out. But what I hope will happen is that he has a good life now." (--It doesn't sound like Bill Clinton is as much of a rap fan . . . yet . . . as President Obama, but it's pretty awesome that CHELSEA CLINTON is down!)


JAY-Z DIDN'T MEAN TO START A BEEF WITH MC HAMMER:

JAY-Z didn't set out to ignite a beef with MC HAMMER when he rapped about him being "broke" on KANYE WEST'S track, "So Appalled". --In a British radio interview, Jay-Z explained, quote, "I didn't know that [Hammer's financial status] wasn't on the table for discussion! I didn't know I was the first person ever to say that . . . I'm not, am I?" --He added, quote, "When I say things, I think people believe me so much that they take it a different way . . . it's, like, not rap anymore at that point." --And Hammer should BUY this, because Jay-Z is also showing him some LOVE. --He said, quote, "I say some great things about him in ['Decoded',] the book I have coming out. That's [not] a cheap plug. [Hammer is] gonna be embarrassed. I said some really great things about him and people's perception of him. --"But it is what it is, he took it that wrong way, and I didn't know I said anything wrong!" (--And if that's true, MC Hammer did take it the wrong way. Earlier this week, he dissed Jay-Z in the video for a track called "Better Run Run".)


TODAY'S NEW VIDEO GAMES

THE KINECT HANDS-FREE XBOX GOES ON SALE *TODAY*:

Kinect, the Xbox360 accessory that lets you play games without a handheld controller, finally goes on sale today. In addition to using your body in lieu of a controller, it accepts voice commands, uses facial recognition to distinguish between people, and even lets you control your DVDs and music just by pointing your finger. --"Kinect Adventures" is the game that comes bundled with the Kinect device. It uses your Xbox avatar for each of its games, which include white water rafting, an obstacle course, and a racquetball-type game. Here's a video preview. (E) --Eleven other Kinect titles will also be in stores today. They include everything from sports games to dance and fitness activities. Many of them can also capture photos of your fun gaming moments which you can later upload to the Internet. Here's a list of all the other Kinect games that are available right now . . .

--"Dance Central" . . . This is from the makers of "Rock Band" and the original "Guitar Hero". Enjoy an amusing video of Ellen DeGeneres getting her groove on here. (T)

(--The set list includes The Commodores' "Brick House", Young MC's "Bust a Move", Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It", Lady Gaga's "Poker Face", Rihanna's "Pon de Replay" and Snoop Dogg's "Drop It Like It's Hot". You can check out the entire track list here.)

--"DanceMasters" . . . This one's from the makers of "Dance Dance Revolution". Like "Dance Central", it includes an easier mode to teach you how to dance. Here's video of two guys testing it out. Notice how the camera puts them in the game itself. (E10+)


--"The Biggest Loser Ultimate Workout" . . . This features the cast and trainers from the TV show to guide you through your workout. It also includes 50 recipes from the "Biggest Loser Cookbook" to help monitor your caloric intake. Here's a video. (E)

--"Your Shape: Fitness Evolved" . . . Workouts created by "Men's Health" magazine, yoga and martial arts classes, and family mini-games. Learn more here. (E)

--"Sonic Free Riders" . . . A racing game featuring Sonic the Hedgehog on a hovering skateboard and you have to reach for rings with your hands. Here's a video. (E)


--"Kinect Joy Ride" . . . A racing game in which you just grab the invisible steering wheel in front of you and drive as your Xbox avatar. Here's a video. (E)

--"Kinectimals" . . . This one lets your kids "adopt" a tiger cub that will respond to their voice commands as they train it and explore an island together. Here's a video. (E)

--"Kinect Sports" . . . The six sports are boxing, soccer, track & field, volleyball, bowling and table tennis. Your Xbox avatars are the athletes. Here's a video. (E10+)

--"MotionSports" . . . The six sports are boxing, soccer, football, skiing, hang gliding and horseback riding, and the athletes are much more realistic. Here's a video. (T)

--"Fighters Uncaged" . . . Illegal street fighting that lets you use your fists, knees, legs, elbows and even your head to take down your opponent. Here's a video. (T)

--"Adrenalin Misfits" . . . A fantasy cross-boarding game that's sort of like "Sonic Free Riders". You play as either a monster or your Xbox avatar. Learn more here. (E)

(--You can preview next week's regular video game releases here.)


THURSDAY'S SHOWBIZ QUICK HITS


Apple iTunes is planning on increasing the length of the free song previews from 30 seconds to 90 seconds. The thinking is that if people can sample more of a song, they may be more likely to purchase it. It's unclear when this will go into effect.

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/web/11/03/triple.itunes.song.previews.mashable/

The next R.E.M. album, "Collapse Into Now", will feature guest appearances by PEARL JAM singer EDDIE VEDDER and PATTI SMITH. The disc will be the band's 15th album, and it'll be out sometime early next year.

http://www.spin.com/articles/rem-tap-eddie-vedder-patti-smith-next-album


There's a very bizarre YouTube video out there, which seems to be slamming BON JOVI for making it difficult and expensive for fans to get good tickets to their shows. We're not sure what to make of it. Check it out . . .

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0OPk5Ks3b0


JON GOSSELIN and his girlfriend Ellen Ross filed a written complaint after they were "humiliated" at a Taco Bell in Pennsylvania recently, when the workers recognized Jon and began laughing at him and trying to take his picture. (???)

http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/11/exclusive-jon-gosselin-girlfriend-say-they-were-humiliated-taco-bell-read


NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF


HERE'S WHEN YOU'RE MOST LIKELY TO GET DUMPED, ACCORDING TO FACEBOOK:

Thanks to Facebook, we can now predict when we're going to get our hearts ripped out and stomped on. Metaphorically, of course. --A British author named David McCandless ran a study on more than 10,000 Facebook status updates . . . searching for the words "break up" or "broken up" . . . to figure out the time of year you're most and least likely to get DUMPED. --Here's what he found. --The period in mid-March, right around SPRING BREAK, has the highest number of break ups . . . apparently people like to go into Spring Break single. The only dip in the mid-March break-up numbers is on St. Patrick's Day. --TWO WEEKS BEFORE CHRISTMAS also has the highest break-up numbers. -McCandless thinks maybe that's because people don't want to sit through family gatherings and holiday parties with someone they're ready to dump, so they wait until the last minute and finally pull the trigger. Or . . . they don't want to have to buy a gift. --CHRISTMAS has the fewest break-ups of any day on the calendar. AUGUST and SEPTEMBER are the months that, overall, have the fewest break-ups. --MONDAYS have more break-ups than any other days. That could be because people finally end things after a bad weekend. (Time)


IN TIME FOR THIS HOLIDAY SEASON, RETAIL STORES ARE SERIOUSLY TIGHTENING UP THEIR RETURN POLICIES:

The days of buying a shirt, wearing it out once, deciding you don't like it, and then returning it are over. Technology has screwed us again --Noam Paransky is a retail strategist at the consulting firm Kurt Salmon Associates. And he says that, in time for this holiday season, almost ALL of the major retail stores are going to be tightening up their return policies. --With the economy where it is . . . and with more advanced retail software and computers being able to track your individual buying and returning history . . . stores are going to put you through A LOT more work to get a refund or store credit. --If you want to return something, expect to have to fill out a long form . . . with a lot of personal info . . . and let the store copy your driver's license. Also expect them to run your name through the database to see if you have a habit of returning stuff. --About one out of every 10 purchases is returned. Last year, more than $43 BILLION worth of stuff was returned during JUST the holiday season. Overall, $9.6 BILLION worth of returns every year are fraudulent. --And retailers DESPERATELY want to cut back on that. --If you regularly return things, Paransky says your best bet may be shopping online . . . online stores are more open to returns since the process is more efficient, and doesn't put the decisions on some random clerk. (Yahoo Financially Fit)


A GOOD SIGN FOR THE ECONOMY: WE'RE GETTING PLASTIC SURGERY AGAIN:

Every time you see a brand new pair of fake breasts or someone with a bunch of bruising around their smaller, sleeker nose, you should smile . . . it's a sign that the American economy is finally pulling itself out of the toilet. -According to the latest reports, plastic surgery numbers are up around the country . . . which is a great sign of economic recovery. (--No exact figures were given.) --During the recession, plastic surgery went way down . . . since, clearly, implants are not most people's top financial priority when money is tight. (ABC 2 - Nashville)


IN CALIFORNIA, A DEMOCRAT WON A SPOT ON THE STATE SENATE . . . EVEN THOUGH SHE DIED TWO WEEKS AGO:

Man, Democrats in California can get voted into office no matter HOW unelectable they seem. --On Tuesday, a Democrat named Jenny Oropeza was elected as a state senator in California's 28th district . . . even though she DIED TWO WEEKS AGO. --Oropeza died at age 53 on October 20th from complications from a blood clot. She successfully beat cancer back in 2004. But because she died so close to the election, it was too late to remove her from the ballot. --Oropeza has been a state senator since 2006. Her district covers some beach communities in Los Angeles including Venice, Manhattan Beach, and part of Long Beach . . . and it's known as a heavily Democratic area. --She was running against a Republican named John Stammreich and beat him, 58% to 36%. -But even though she's dead, he doesn't automatically get the spot. The governor has two weeks to declare her seat as empty and a special election will be held within three or four months. Stammreich can run again, against a new Democrat. (NBC 4 - Los Angeles)


INDIA'S OWL POPULATION IS RAPIDLY DECLINING AND THE BLAME GOES TO . . . HARRY POTTER:

In the world of "Harry Potter", when people want to send each other messages, they send them via magical carrier owls. No, apparently the wizarding community can't just magically make letters appear . . . and they haven't discovered email yet. --Anyway, for the past few years, the owl population in India has been rapidly declining. And their Environment Minister, Jairam Ramesh, thinks the reason is . . . Harry Potter. --The books and films are huge in India, and according to Ramesh, quote, "Following Harry Potter, there seems to be a strange fascination, even among the urban middle classes, for presenting their children with owls." --Of course, these are real owls and don't deliver magical letters . . . but that isn't stopping the Indian people. (AFP)


CUSTOMS BUSTED TWO PEOPLE ON A CRUISE SHIP TRYING TO SMUGGLE $324,000 WORTH OF HEROIN INSIDE MEN'S SHOES:

This sounds like it's one of the most eventful cruises in Royal Caribbean HISTORY. And no, it's not because of something like FRANK STALLONE making a surprise cameo in the onboard performance of "Miss Saigon". --U.S. Customs officers busted two passengers on Royal Caribbean's Serenade of the Seas ship for trying to smuggle 14.3 pounds of heroin . . . or $324,000 worth . . . into the U.S. --What tipped them off was the two passengers looked nervous as they were exiting the ship in San Juan, Puerto Rico, after the seven-day cruise. Customs officials searched them and found a bag containing 15 pairs of 1980s-style men's shoes. --That seemed strange . . . since the person carrying the shoes was a 32-year-old woman named Diana Hortencia Latigua-Lorenzo. She's a U.S. citizen but still . . . that's a WEIRD thing to bring on a cruise. So Customs searched the shoes. --The found the heroin duct taped inside of the bundle of shoes. Diana and her brother, 20-year-old Breidy Latigua-Lorenzo, were arrested. --The ship made stops on several Caribbean islands including St. Lucia, Barbados, Antigua, St. Maarten, and St. Croix . . . but there's no word where the two picked up the heroin shoes. --And, amazingly enough, that wasn't the ONLY major drug bust on this cruise. Earlier in the cruise, in a completely unrelated incident, drug-sniffing dogs found almost eight pounds of cocaine, worth $84,000, in another passenger's room. (USA Today)


THURSDAY'S QUICK HITS


A TSA officer was fired for pretending to find cocaine in people's bags when they went through security:

http://thesmokinggun.com/documents/stupid/memos-detail-tsa-officers-cocaine-pranks


A police K9 escaped from an off-duty cop's house and attacked the teenage girl next door . . . but she escaped by biting it in the neck:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39978891/ns/local_news-indianapolis_in/


Is this 9-year-old's backpack too racy to wear to school?

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/39975015/ns/local_news-tampa_fl/


A teenager denied that he defecated in the pool of a Florida hotel . . . but he was caught on a security camera:

http://www.thesmokinggun.com/buster/florida/2-boys-1-pool-good


Two guys won a Halloween costume contest at a Canadian Veterans Hall by dressing as a member of the KKK leading around a guy in blackface with a noose:

http://www.thestar.com/news/article/884883--kkk-costume-at-canadian-legion-halloween-party-disgusts-many


A woman is suing because she went in for surgery to have pre-cancerous cells removed . . . and the surgeon removed her clitoris:

http://www.news.com.au/national/patient-too-shocked-to-complain-about-genital-surgery-jury-told/story-e6frfkwi-1225947456163


NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY


#1.) CHUCK NORRIS DOES ADS FOR T-MOBILE IN THE CZECH REPUBLIC:

Like a lot of celebrities, CHUCK NORRIS gets paid to pimp products in foreign countries. Right now he's in a series of T-Mobile ads in the Czech Republic. The ads aren't in English, so he doesn't have a single line, but that's partly why they're funny.


(--Search for "Chuck Norris T-Mobile Czech Republic.")


http://www.popeater.com/2010/11/03/czech-ads-chuck-norris/



#2.) JOHN MAYER WANTS KIDS IN AFRICA TO LIVE AS LONG AS JUSTIN BIEBER?


JOHN MAYER and a bunch of other celebrities did a PSA for a charity called Malaria No More, which provides mosquito nets for children in Africa to protect them from the disease.


--Malaria kills nearly one million people each year, and 85% of them are under 16. That's why the ad's slogan is "Get them to Bieber".


--The idea is that JUSTIN BIEBER is 16 years old, and if people donate money to buy more mosquito nets, more children in Africa will at least live as long as he has.
(--Search for "John Mayer Get'm To Bieber.")


http://www.collegehumor.com/video:1943281


(--It's kind of hard to take Mayer seriously . . . it's annoying how he kind of 'mugs' for the camera. But this is a GREAT cause, and a really simple way to do a lot of good with just a few bucks. You can learn more at endmalaria.org . . .)


#3.) RYAN REYNOLDS PLAYED THE LETTER "A" ON "SESAME STREET":


RYAN REYNOLDS wasn't in the "A-Team" movie that came out this year, but that didn't stop him for doing a dorky skit on "Sesame Street" the other day.


--Ryan sang a song about the letter "A" to the tune of the "A-Team" theme song . . . and it was pretty lame even by kid standards. The best part was, he did it DRESSED as the letter "A".


(--Search for "Ryan Reynolds Sesame Street.")


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rm_3bfAEpII



#4.) SOME PEOPLE GET WAY TOO INTO THEIR HALLOWEEN COSTUMES:


Some guy built his own robot costume for Halloween and posted a video of it on YouTube. The costume itself is cool . . . it looks like one of the military robot suits from "Avatar" . . . but it's so big it would never fit through a door.


--Which is probably why the video shows him walking down the street. According to his YouTube post, it cost him over $1,300, including the $210 he had to spend on a truck to transport it. (--Search for "ultimate robot costume scw 2010.")


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pucbRCRHxk


#5.) THERE'S A VENDING MACHINE IN CHINA THAT SELLS LIVE CRABS:


Some bait and tackle stores in the U.S. have vending machines that sell live bait, but in China they've taken the live-animal vending machines a step further. They now have vending machines in train stations that sell live CRABS.


--The inside of the machine stays between 32 and 50 degrees, and each crab costs between two and seven dollars depending on the size. (--Search for "live crab vending machine Shanghai.")


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3iU6aQxjzsg


#6.) HERE'S PAUL RUDD'S 1991 COMMERCIAL FOR SUPER NINTENDO:


The first big movie PAUL RUDD did was "Clueless" in 1995, but obviously he'd done stuff before that. And in 1991, when he was 22 years old, Rudd starred in a commercial for Super Nintendo. (--Search for "Paul Rudd Super Nintendo.")


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mVmFq4sc4k


#7.) JON HAMM FROM "MAD MEN" CAN EVEN MAKE THE WORD "WHAT" SOUND COOL:


If you watch "Mad Men", then you love JON HAMM as ad executive Don Draper. He's a throwback to the kind of corporate badass that's not portrayed as much anymore: Smart, smooth, sexy, and still masculine as hell.


--And you also might have noticed that he says the word "What?" a lot. But he makes even THAT sound cool. (--Search for "Mad Men: Don Draper Says 'What?'")


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9DCafQqHJA


FIVE DRIVING MISTAKES MOST PEOPLE MAKE:

Everyone always blames 'the other guy' when they get in a car crash. Even if it was their fault. It's partly because bad drivers don't KNOW they're bad drivers. So here's a list of five driving mistakes most of us have probably made at some point.


#1.) YOU DON'T SLOW DOWN WHEN IT STARTS RAINING. In case you lost your Driver's Ed notes, the road's most dangerous when it first starts raining. That's when water mixes with the oil that's built up on the road and makes it slick.


--The first 10 minutes of rain are the most dangerous, but most people don't slow down until it's a downpour.


#2.) YOUR CAR ISN'T PROPERLY ADJUSTED TO YOUR BODY. Here's how you should sit: You should have at least eight to ten inches of room between you and the wheel, so your airbag has enough room to inflate.


--The top of your headrest should be level with the top of your head to avoid whiplash, and your seat belt should cross over the middle of your chest.


--And the same goes for children: If your kids aren't tall enough for the seat belt to cross the middle of their chest, they should still be in a car seat.


#3.) YOU'RE TALKING ON THE PHONE TOO MUCH. People think they're safe if they use a headset. But even then it makes driving more dangerous because you're distracting your brain with a different activity.


--That's why you shouldn't use your phone at ALL when the weather is bad, or you're not familiar with the area.


#4.) YOU NEVER CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE. When your tires are low, it's harder to make quick turns. So in addition to making you use more gas, low tire pressure can also cause a wreck.


--The correct tire pressure should be listed on the sticker inside the driver's side door, or on the actual tires. For most cars, it'll be a number somewhere between 30 and 40.


#5.) YOU'RE STILL NOT GOOD AT PARALLEL PARKING. Every time you hit the curb, you risk damaging your tires and screwing up the alignment, which means you're more likely to have a flat, or veer off the road.


--To parallel park correctly, leave two feet of space between your car and the car you're parking behind, and start so your back bumpers are even.


--Back up slowly and turn the wheel as far as it'll go. When your front door is even with the other car's bumper, turn the wheel the other way. (Woman's Day)