HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (07-16-10)

LINDSAY LOHAN LUNACY

LINDSAY LOHAN IS BACK IN REHAB:

LINDSAY LOHAN is back in rehab. On Wednesday, she checked into Pickford Lofts . . . which is a sober living house in Los Angeles that was founded by her likely future attorney, ROBERT SHAPIRO. --Technically, Shapiro is NOT Lindsay's attorney yet. Not until the judge signs off on the switch. Until then, she's still officially represented by Shawn Chapman Holley. (--Interesting connection here, by the way: Both Shapiro and Holley helped O.J. SIMPSON prove to the world that he was absolutely, positively 100% not guilty of double murder 15 years ago.) (--Holley worked for O.J.'s lead attorney, JOHNNIE COCHRAN.) --Shapiro has been involved in drug abuse causes since his own son died of an overdose in 2005. --Whether Lindsay will take rehab seriously her FOURTH time around is anybody's guess. But there's obviously speculation that she checked in to somehow reduce . . . or possibly erase . . . the 90-day prison sentence she was smacked with last week. --A so-called "source" says, quote, "The hope is that the judge either reduces the sentence or tosses it out [and lets] Lindsay stay in a facility instead of jail. -"The hope is that the judge sees Lindsay getting treatment and puts her in an inpatient [rehab] program for 90 days instead of jail. Lindsay is not trying to fight or appeal the sentence, but adjust it." --The lure here is obvious. If Lindsay gets to stay at Pickford, she'll have a loft with her own kitchen, Internet access and a flat-screen TV. Plus, much better visiting hours. --Lindsay's mom, DINA, her sister ALI and ex-girlfriend SAMANTHA RONSON dropped by Wednesday night . . . just hours after Lindsay checked in. --But Deputy District Attorney Danette Meyers seems to think it won't work . . . quote, "It's a really a moot point to ask Judge Revel to send Ms. Lohan to rehab only, since Judge Revel has already sentenced her." (--For the record, it's Judge Revel who makes this call, not the D.A.'s office. But Revel has been pretty hard on Lindsay so far.) (--It's hard to imagine she'll strike Lindsay's prison sentence just because a slick, high-priced attorney stuffed her into rehab at the 11th hour. That would make her look pretty WEAK-SAUCE in front of the entire world.) --As it stands, Lindsay is supposed to begin serving her prison sentence this coming Tuesday. (--Lindsay was also ordered to do 90 days in rehab AFTER she gets out of prison.)


MORE MEL GIBSON AUDIO HAS BEEN LEAKED:

More MEL GIBSON audio was leaked yesterday. At this point, does it even matter what he says? It's all just him screaming at OKSANA GRIGORIEVA, calling her a golddigger and using just about every curse word in the book. --If there's anything interesting in this one, it's the fact that Mel claims Oksana has pretty much bled him dry. --He says, quote, "I don't have any (effing) money! I have to support you and everybody else! I have to sell paintings. I have to sell my box at the Lakers game." --He estimates that his relationship with her . . . both business and personal, we assume . . . has cost him $5 million, in addition to losing his precious Lakers box seats. (--Mel didn't have a prenup with his wife Robyn, and it's estimated that she took HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS of dollars in their divorce.)
(--Here's the latest audio . . .)
(--WARNING!!! CONTENT!! . . .)
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/07/exclusive-new-audio-mel-gibson-completely-loses-it-btch-cnt-whre-gold-digger


DID MEL GIBSON HURT HIS 8-MONTH-OLD DAUGHTER???

Attorneys for MEL GIBSON and OKSANA GRIGORIEVA were in court yesterday to begin custody proceedings over their very unlucky 8-month-old daughter Lucia. --The long and the short of it for now is that Mel has NOT been stripped of his custody or visitation rights. --Oksana had wanted the judge to cut Mel off, but he decided to keep things the way they are for now. --But Mel could be in a world of hurt in the long run, because the court IS listening to the audio that Oksana recorded of him raving like a complete lunatic. --Mel claims the audio has been EDITED, and should be deemed inadmissible. But Oksana's people say nothing has been done to it. (--Here's some interesting trivia: TMZ says that Oksana recorded Mel using an iPhone app.) --Either way, the tapes may not be the most damning piece of evidence against Mel. --Oksana's lawyer has also submitted photos of Lucia with bruising on her chin. Oksana says Mel did that when he hit Oksana in the face while she was holding Lucia back in January. --Mel got some support yesterday from an interesting ally, though . . . his ex-wife Robyn. --She submitted a declaration to the court which said, quote, "Mel never engaged in any physical abuse of any kind toward me before, during or after our marriage. Mel was a wonderful and loving father."


MEL GIBSON IS BACK ON A MOVIE SET . . . AND IT'S AWKWARD:

Before all that damaging audio leaked, MEL GIBSON had filmed a movie called "The Beaver". It's a comedy about a guy who walks around with a beaver puppet on his hand, and pretends it's real. JODIE FOSTER directed it. --Well, Mel is now back on the set doing some re-shoots . . . and things are pretty awkward. --A source says, quote, "Mel was in complete shock. Everyone was walking on eggshells around him. It was the weirdest set ever." --Another source close to Mel says, quote, "Mel is in a very dark place. None of his friends, even those who have defended him in the past, want anything to do with him publicly or privately." (--The question is still up for debate: How . . . and when . . . does Mel Gibson recover from this?) (--Right now, I just don't see how it's possible. But like I've said before, it's going to be interesting to watch him try.)


BRISTOL PALIN WILL WAIT TO HAVE MORE KIDS:

BRISTOL PALIN says she's not going to get pregnant right off the bat when she marries LEVI JOHNSTON. --She says, quote, "I'm going to wait a while, definitely. I'm not going to rush into having another kid . . . [but] Tripp will have a brother or sister, eventually." (--Somebody put together a fake wedding registry for Bristol and Levi . . . at Wal-Mart, of course. You can check it out here . . .)
http://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registry_id=80501960047


OFFICIALS IN CANADA WERE OFFENDED BY PAMELA ANDERSON'S NEW PETA AD:

Celebrities posing nude or nearly-nude for PETA is pretty old news. PAMELA ANDERSON posing nude or nearly nude for any reason is EXTREMELY old news. --That's why it's odd that Pamela posing nearly-nude for PETA would ruffle anyone's feathers. But it did. --Pam did a new PETA ad where she's in a bikini, and all the different cuts of meat are marked on her body . . . like she's a cow in one of those posters you'd see at a butcher shop. --Pam was supposed to officially unveil the photo in Montreal yesterday . . . but at the last minute, city officials denied a permit for the event . . . claiming the ad is SEXIST --Pam fired off a statement saying, quote, "In a city that is known for its exotic dancing and for being progressive and edgy, how sad that a woman would be banned from using her own body in a political protest over the suffering of cows and chickens. --"In some parts of the world, women are forced to cover their whole bodies with burqas . . . is that next? I didn't think that Canada would be so puritanical." (--Pam is actually from Canada. If they spawned her, they can't be THAT puritanical.)


THE WOULD-BE EXTORTIONISTS OF JOHN STAMOS WERE FOUND GUILTY YESTERDAY:

Does anybody remember the two people who tried to blackmail JOHN STAMOS? They claimed they had pictures of John at a party, frolicking with COCAINE AND STRIPPERS. --They tried that deal where they told John they had incriminating pictures and planned to sell them to the media. But they wanted to give John the opportunity to buy them first. --John admitted he went to the party in question, but denied any incriminating photos of him were taken. -And yesterday the suspects . . . 24-year-old Allison Cross and 31-year-old Scott Sippola . . . were convicted of conspiracy and using e-mail to threaten a person's reputation. They could each get up to five years in prison. (--Cross was 17 at the time of the party . . . and she claimed that Stamos had tried to seduce her.) --Law enforcement organizations that investigated the case said they found no evidence that the photos ever existed. --After the verdict, Stamos issued a statement saying, quote, "I am shocked and perplexed how individuals could fabricate so many false stories in an effort to defend a crime. --"I'm grateful these two criminals have been found guilty and I plan to go home to be with my family and friends and prepare to get back to work."


ERIN ANDREWS IS SUING THE HOTEL CHAINS WHERE SHE WAS FILMED NAKED:

ESPN reporter ERIN ANDREWS is suing several hotel chains for allegedly making it easy for her stalker to find her, and film her naked. --Michael David Barrett modified peepholes in hotel room doors in Nashville and Milwaukee in 2008, allowing himself to be able to film Erin while she was changing inside. --She's now suing Marriott and Radisson Hotels claiming they basically did NOTHING to prevent Barrett from doing what he did. --Hotel employees not only admitted to Barrett that Erin would be staying there . . . they also gave him her room numbers and allowed him to check into adjacent rooms. --She's claiming negligence, infliction of emotional distress, and invasion of privacy. There's no word how much she's suing for. --Her attorney says, quote, "Erin filed the lawsuit to send a message to hotel chains that they need to exercise greater care in protecting their guests. She was seriously harmed by what happened there."


WATCH A GUY EAT DANNY DEVITO'S FACE:

DANNY DEVITO has a new, horror-themed website called TheBloodFactory.com. And they're going to have some kind of presence at Comic-Con, which begins this coming Wednesday in San Diego. --Well, Danny made a video to hype the Comic-Con appearance . . . and it features his employees eating . . . HIM. One dude even rips off half of Danny's face and makes a sandwich out of it. --Danny's wife, RHEA PEARLMAN, also appears in the clip. (--Check out the video here . . .)
(--WARNING!!! There's some gore in this clip. It's silly, but still graphic . . .)
http://www.tmz.com/videos?autoplay=true&mediaKey=5fc0ea5f-ce59-4efc-a4bb-4d5d1be9f7e2


LEONARDO DICAPRIO'S "INCEPTION" TAKES ON DISNEY'S "SORCERER'S APPRENTICE" THIS WEEKEND:

#1.) "Inception" (PG-13)

--Leonardo DiCaprio plays a guy who's an expert at using technology to enter other people's dreams and steal information from their minds. And now he's gathered a team that includes Ellen Page and Joseph Gordon-Levitt to help him do the impossible . . . instead of steal an idea, he wants to PLANT one. --"Inception" was written and directed by Christopher Nolan, who did "Batman Begins" and "The Dark Knight". And he used some actors from his Batman films here too . . . --Michael Caine, who plays Alfred in the "Batman" franchise, is Leonardo DiCaprio's mentor. And Cillian Murphy, a.k.a. The Scarecrow, is their target.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z75o-F6ja2I
Official Site: http://inceptionmovie.warnerbros.com/


#2.) "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" (PG) (Opened Wednesday)

--Nicolas Cage and Alfred Molina play two rival sorcerers fighting over modern-day Manhattan . . . and "Tropic Thunder's" Jay Baruchel is the young kid that Cage recruits and trains to help him in his magical duels. --It's directed by Jon Turteltaub . . . who also directed Nicolas Cage in the "National Treasure" movies . . . and is very loosely based on the segment of "Fantasia", which starred Mickey Mouse as the bumbling apprentice.
Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v2uV0_1C4UM
Official Site: http://disney.go.com/disneypictures/sorcerersapprentice/


WILL THERE BE A "TOY STORY 4"???

It took long enough to get "Toy Story 3" going . . . but since the movie has made $560 worldwide . . . and counting . . . there's already BUZZ . . . (--pun intended) . . . about "Toy Story 4". --Some movie websites are reporting that TIM ALLEN is actually already signed on for a fourth. Although nobody knows WHEN he signed on. --A fourth installment could have been part of a deal he signed years ago, that covered the possibility of multiple sequels. --But here's another thing: TOM HANKS was asked about the possibility of a fourth flick at the premiere of "Toy Story 3", and he said, quote, "Bring it on." (--More like, "Bury me with cash" . . . which is exactly what would happen.) --"Toy Story 3" director Lee Unkrich is kind of schizo on the prospect. In a recent interview, he said, quote, "I really tried my best to end the story of Andy and his toys and bring that story to a close in a really nice way . . . --"That being said, we know that people love the characters, love Woody and Buzz, and would hate to say good-bye to them completely . . . We don't have any plans for [a fourth movie], but we are trying to find ways to keep the characters alive." -One of the ways they're keeping the characters alive is with a SHORT film that will play before "Cars 2" . . . which hits theaters in November of 2011. (--I'm sure they'll make "Toy Story 4", and I'm sure it'll be great, just like all the others, and I'll have to eat my words. But there's just too much about another installment that DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.)


KEVIN BACON IS JOINING "X-MEN: FIRST CLASS":

KEVIN BACON has joined the cast of "X-Men: First Class". He'll play a villain, but nobody's saying who yet. (--It's not Magneto. Somebody else is playing him.) --The movie is about the beginnings of the X-Men, and will feature younger versions of the characters. JAMES MCAVOY is playing the young Professor X . . . (--Who was played by PATRICK STEWART in the original trilogy.)
-He's probably the only other actor involved so far whose name is immediately recognizable. -Meanwhile, HUGH JACKMAN thinks "Twilight" stud TAYLOR LAUTNER should play a younger version of his character, Wolverine. -He says, quote, "My only question is, can he grow mutton chops? Actually, I think people would probably prefer him as a hairless Wolverine than a rather hairy-chested version. Certainly about a billion young girls would." (--It would probably be silly for Wolverine to appear in this movie, since we saw how he met and joined the X-Men already in the first movie. It would totally mess with the timeline if he interacted with them earlier, wouldn't it???)


HERE'S A TRAILER FOR "THE SOCIAL NETWORK" THAT ACTUALLY SHOWS YOU SOMETHING:

There's a new trailer for "The Social Network" . . . which is the story of how Facebook came to be . . . and unlike the last one, it actually shows scenes from the movie. (--Check it out here . . .) http://movies.yahoo.com/premieres/20889647/standardformat


LARRY KING STILL WANTS RYAN SEACREST TO REPLACE HIM . . . AND HE HAS NO IDEA WHO PIERS MORGAN IS:

It's starting to sound more and more like "America's Got Talent" judge PIERS MORGAN has the inside track on succeeding LARRY KING when he ends his show this November . . . but Larry isn't exactly thrilled about that. --That's mostly because, well, he doesn't really know who Piers is. --Larry tells Forbes.com, quote, "Most Americans wouldn't [know Piers] unless you watch 'America's Got Talent'. And if you watch that, you only know him as a judge. --"You don't know him as a host . . . other than being a guest on my show, I've never watched 'America's Got Talent' and I don't know if I'd recognize him if he was walking down the street." --Instead, Larry is still hoping that RYAN SEACREST will take over for him. --He says, quote, "The camera likes him and he's a great generalist. I don't know if he has a great interest in politics . . . I haven't talked to him about that. --"But if he does, I'd pick him in a minute because an accepted major personality can move right in." (--Earlier this week, we heard that Piers was, quote, "on the verge" of signing a three-year deal with CNN, which could be worth around $7 million annually.)


WEEKEND TV REMINDERS

FRIDAY TV REMINDERS:

--"The Jensen Project" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on NBC. (--A TV movie starring Kellie Martin and LeVar Burton as part of a secret society of geniuses, that sounds a lot like SyFy's "Eureka". In the unlikely event that it does well, there's talk that NBC may turn it into a regular series.)

SATURDAY TV REMINDERS:

--"Celebrity Ghost Stories" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Bio. (--Michael Imperioli, Joan Collins, Donna D'Errico and Corey Feldman share their experiences.)

--"That Metal Show" [5th Season Finale] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on VH1 Classic.

--"Saturday Night Live" . . . 11:30 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. on NBC. (--Joseph Gordon-Levitt guest hosts and Dave Matthews is the musical guest.) (REPEAT)

SUNDAY TV REMINDERS:

--"Big Brother 12" [Eviction Nominations] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.

--"Revenge of the Bridesmaids" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC Family. (--Raven-Symoné and "Reba's" JoAnna Garcia star as two friends trying to sabotage a former friend's wedding from the inside, by becoming her bridesmaids.)

--"Leverage" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on TNT. (--John Schneider guest stars as a shady record executive working the country music scene.)

--"Russell Simmons presents Stand-Up at The El Rey" . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on Comedy Central. (--Hosted by "Curb Your Enthusiasm's" JB Smoove, this week's comedians include . . . Eric Andre, James Davis and Kurt Metzger.)

--"Squidbillies" [5th Season Finale] . . . Midnight to 12:30 A.M. on Adult Swim.


SURPRISE: DAVID GILMOUR WILL APPEAR ON ROGER WATERS' TOUR . . . FOR AT LEAST ONE NIGHT:

As unlikely as it seemed prior to this past weekend, it now looks like DAVID GILMOUR and ROGER WATERS of PINK FLOYD are on the path of reconciliation. --David surprised everyone last weekend when he joined Roger onstage at a benefit concert in England. It was the first time they shared the stage in FIVE YEARS. (--The last time was the Pink Floyd reunion at the Live 8 event back in 2005.) --They did four songs: PHIL SPECTOR'S "To Know Him Is To Love Him" . . . plus the Pink Floyd classics "Wish You Were Here", "Comfortably Numb" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)". --And now, Roger has posted a note on his Facebook page detailing how it came together . . . and announcing that David will be joining him for at least ONE date on his upcoming tour, which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of "The Wall". --It all started with a joke, essentially. --Roger says, quote, "[David] came up with this 'Wouldn't it be funny', idea: What if he were to sing the old song 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' with me . . . what with us having been so famously at each other's throats for years and years. Get it!!!! --"Anyway he emailed me with this suggestion and I loved it, so then it was just a question of juggling dates and deciding to do 'Wish You Were Here' and 'Comfortably Numb' to round out our little set." --But then Roger started having reservations. David had sent him "a number of very musical and eloquent demos" of how they could do "To Know Him Is To Love Him" in two-part harmony, but Roger didn't think he had the vocal chops to pull it off. --So that's when David upped the ante. Roger says David told him, quote, "'If you do 'To Know Him Is To Love Him' . . . I'll come and do 'Comfortably Numb' on one of your Wall shows.'' --Roger was ecstatic. He says, quote, "You could have knocked me down with a feather. How (effing) cool! I was blown away. How could I refuse such an offer. I couldn't, there was no way. Generosity trumped fear. --"And so explaining that I would probably be (crap), but if he didn't mind I didn't, I agreed and the rest is history. We did it, and it was (effing) great. End of story. Or possibly, [the] beginning." (--Wow. Floyd fans: It's OK to get a little excited.) --It's unknown WHICH date David will show up at, but he has a lot to choose from . . . because the tour currently includes 94 SHOWS from September 15th in Toronto through a show in Germany next June. --Roger says David will pick the show he wants to do, quote, "in due course." And chances are, we won't know in advance. It sounds like they want it to be a surprise. It's also unclear how much of the show David will take part in. (--You can read Roger's full Facebook post, here . . .) http://www.facebook.com/rogerwaters#!/notes/roger-waters-the-wall/the-gig-with-david/144577855556673


AMY WINEHOUSE SAYS HER NEXT ALBUM IS "SIX MONTHS" AWAY:

It's been almost four years since AMY WINEHOUSE released her HUGE "Back to Black" album. But she says her next disc is FINALLY on its way to stores. --Amy tells Britain's "Metro" newspaper that her next one will be out in, quote, "six months at the most." She's reportedly targeting a January release. --She adds, quote, "It's going to be very much the same as ['Back to Black'], where there's a lot of jukebox stuff and songs that are . . . just jukebox, really." (--And no, she didn't elaborate on what she means by "jukebox.")


LADY GAGA WROTE HER NEXT "#1 RECORD" IN CLEVELAND:

LADY GAGA performed in Cleveland on Wednesday. She told the crowd that she'd planned on visiting the rock and roll hall of fame beforehand . . . but she scrapped that plan, because she found herself writing her next, quote, "#1 record." --She also posted a message on Twitter saying, quote, "Emerging from studio coma. Voted no visit to rocknroll hall of fame, rather write a hit that puts me in it." (--She did not perform the song during the show.) (--So, is the fact that Lady Gaga wrote her next hit in Cleveland enough to make up for the city's painful loss of LEBRON JAMES? Uh, no. And also: Let's hope ALICE COOPER gets in to the rock hall before Lady Gaga is eligible.)


JOE PERRY WAS INVOLVED IN A MINOR ACCIDENT, BUT HE'S OK:

AEROSMITH guitarist JOE PERRY was involved in a minor accident yesterday afternoon. It happened in Middleboro, Massachusetts, which is roughly 50 miles south of Boston. --Joe . . . who was riding on his sweet Ducati motorcycle . . . was hit from behind at an intersection. The other driver . . . a 62-year-old woman in a not-so-sweet 2001 Chevy Malibu . . . was cited by police for following another vehicle too closely. -An ambulance took Joe to the hospital, but it was just a precaution. According to "The Boston Herald", Joe "suffered only scrapes." He was at the hospital for about two hours before being released. For what it's worth, he was wearing a helmet. (--The condition of Joe's bike is unknown.)


PINK WAS INJURED DURING A STUNT AT A SHOW IN GERMANY:

PINK was injured during her gig in Germany last night . . . while attempting one of her acrobatic stunts. Her harness failed her, and she fell, hard, onto the floor --It's unclear what she was attempting to do, but it doesn't seem like it was as elaborate as the acrobatics she pulled off at this year's Grammys. (--You can re-watch that performance at the link below. The stunt begins at the 2:25 mark.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3stsDXki__U
--A rep for the venue in Germany says that the strings that were attached to Pink's harness were not secured properly . . . and that she fell about eight feet. --Pink eventually got up and walked off stage on her own, but she was immediately taken to the hospital . . . so the show was over at that point. --From the ambulance, she tweeted, quote, "To all my [German] fans . . . I'm so so so sorry to end the show that way I am embarrassed and very sorry. --"I will be fine. I didn't get clipped into [the] harness correctly. [It] drug me off stage, [and I] fell into [a] barricade." --And later, she added, quote, "Nothing's broken . . . no fluid in the lungs . . . just seriously sore. I made that barricade my (B-word)!!!"
(--There's some fan-shot footage of the accident. Pink arrives at the :30 mark . . . and she's dragged offstage at the :50 mark. ***WARNING***: Pink drops two uncensored F-BOMBS after falling.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF1hf4g9bn8


PEARL JAM HAS RELEASED A PRO-OCEANS MUSIC VIDEO:

PEARL JAM has released a video for their single, "Amongst the Waves" . . . and they're using it to help raise awareness for ocean conservation. --The video . . . which features recent concert footage inter-cut with shots of oceans and surfers . . . is up on a new page they launched on their website. --Here's the link: http://pearljam.com/oceans/ --Peal Jam is also selling the video on iTunes. All the proceeds will benefit Conservation International's Marine Programs.


NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF

A MAILMAN IN OHIO SAVED A PERSON'S LIFE ON HIS ROUTE . . . WHICH BRINGS HIM TO THREE LIVES SAVED IN 29 YEARS:

53-year-old Keith McVey is a mailman in Akron, Ohio. And he very well may hold a U.S. Postal Service record: He's saved the lives of THREE PEOPLE while delivering their mail. --His three saves have been spread out over his 29-year postal career. The most recent one was on Saturday, when he was dropping off mail at a house and saw a young guy in the back of a pickup truck, turning blue. --Keith used to work as a firefighter in the Air Force and, even though he hadn't done CPR since the '70s, his instincts kicked in and he got the guy's pulse to come back. (--Reports didn't say what was wrong with the guy.) --His first save came 20 years ago, when he saw a boy try to kill himself by jumping from a bridge onto a highway. But the kid landed in a snow bank and survived . . . so Keith hopped a barrier, shielded the kid from traffic, and flagged down help. --His next save came 18 years later. While he was dropping off mail he saw a 13-year-old girl drowning in a lake, about 80 feet from the shore. --He dove into the water, swam out, pulled her from under the water and took her to the shore. --Like you'd expect, Keith is humble about his three career lives saved. Quote, "It's just . . . right place at the right time." (FOX 8 - Cleveland) (--Here's a video featuring Keith . . .)
http://www.fox8.com/videobeta/1b964f89-b618-4613-b4ad-0ddfac8bc51b/News/Delivering-Miracles-Mailman-Saves-3rd-Life-on-Route


POLICE HAVE CHARGED A ONE-ARMED MAN WITH . . . UNARMED ROBBERY:

It's always good to see the authorities making the same childish and inappropriate jokes that we like to make. --28-year-old Manuel "Lefty" Hernandez of Springfield, Massachusetts, only has one arm . . . his left one, logically. Wednesday, he stole a 58-year-old man's wallet. The police found Manuel and the man identified him, ya know, based on the missing arm. --So, since Manuel robbed the man without using a weapon, he's been charged with . . . wait for it . . . UNARMED ROBBERY. (--HI-YO!) But seriously, unarmed robbery was actually the charge. (MassLive.com)


A MAN IS ARRESTED FOR SHOPLIFTING . . . AND GETS IN WAY DEEPER TROUBLE WHEN HE POSTS BAIL WITH POORLY-COUNTERFEITED BILLS:

25-year-old Ronald White of Camden, New Jersey, is not a master criminal . . . nor does he have particularly good taste. Back on July 7th, he was arrested for shoplifting slightly-defective coats from a Burlington Coat Factory. --He was thrown in jail with bail set at $400. And he decided to pay the bail with . . . counterfeit $20 bills. But not good counterfeit bills . . . he just put a $20 in a color copier and made cheap copies on regular copy paper, then cut them out with scissors. --The cops WERE going to track him down . . . except he came to them first, complaining that he'd accidentally overpaid bail and wanted cash back. They arrested him for forgery . . . and now he's locked up on $5,000 bail. (Newark Star Ledger) (--Man, $5,000 means A LOT of Xeroxing. Bad news for Ronald, good news for FedEx Kinko's.)


THE AVERAGE WOMAN OWNS SEVEN PAIRS OF JEANS . . . BUT ONLY WEARS FOUR:

It's Casual Friday! At least in your world . . . in my world, every day is Casual Friday and sometimes I even forget to wear pants. Anyway, in honor of Casual Friday, here are the results of "ShopSmart" magazine's survey about women and jeans.

--The average woman owns SEVEN pairs of jeans . . . but only wears FOUR.

--91% of women own at least one pair of jeans. 25% of women own more than 10 pairs.

--ONE out of every TWO women has a pair of "aspirational" jeans that don't fit now . . . but she hopes will fit one day.

--62% use their jeans as a measurement to tell if they've gained weight.

--54% of women like the way they look in jeans. 8% absolutely HATE the way they look in jeans.

--The average woman says her oldest pair of jeans is SIX years old. But 20% of women have a pair of jeans that's at least ten years old.

--Women typically wash their jeans after wearing them two or three times. (--In contrast to men, many of whom still haven't realized that jeans are washable.) --Women say the worst offense in jeans is having your thong showing. Number two is a muffin top . . . number three are jeans that are way too tight . . . number four are jeans with inconveniently-placed holes . . . and number five are Mom Jeans. (PR Newswire)


A POLICE OFFICER IN GERMANY WINS AN EXTRA WEEK OFF BECAUSE OF THE TIME HE SPENDS GETTING DRESSED FOR WORK:

A court in Munster, Germany, just set a BAD legal precedent. --44-year-old Martin Schauder is a police officer in Munster and, earlier this year, he calculated that it takes him 15 minutes each day to get dressed for duty. So he asked his boss to PAY him for the 45 hours he spends getting dressed in a year. --Obviously, his boss refused. So Martin took the issue to an administrative court . . . and amazingly, they sided with him. They ruled that he deserves an extra week off of work each year to compensate him for his time getting dressed. --The police department is going to appeal to a higher court. (MSNBC)


A COURT HAS TO STEP IN AND ORDER A MOTHER TO STOP BREASTFEEDING HER SIX-YEAR-OLD SON:

How old is TOO OLD for your child to be breastfeeding? When he's two? Three? Well . . . there's a woman in Melbourne, Australia, who laughs at those puny numbers. --The woman, whose name hasn't been released, was still breastfeeding her son at age SIX. During a custody hearing, a court had to order her to STOP because he was just too old. --It also looks like she's not going to get custody . . . the courts have found her to, you know, be just a LITTLE bit unstable. They think the boy will be better off with the adoptive family he's been splitting time with. (News.com.au)


WHICH IS MORE EXPENSIVE: OWNING A CAT OR A DOG?

When it comes to owning a cat or a dog, usually it's a no-brainer . . . cats are terrible and dogs are awesome. But the website WalletPop.com did a cost breakdown of owning a cat versus owning a dog . . . and it's a one-sided MASSACRE.

--Adoption. A cat costs about $75 to $125 for adoption. A dog costs $75 to $200 for the same. ADVANTAGE: CATS.

--Spaying and neutering. It costs about $160 to neuter a cat and $290 to neuter a dog. Spaying is cheaper, but the price ratio stays about the same. ADVANTAGE: CATS.

--Routine health care. Assuming your pet is relatively healthy, it costs about the same for cats and dogs. ADVANTAGE: NONE.

--Setting up your home. Some stuff is the same for both, like food and water dishes and a collar. But dogs need more equipment, and it's more expensive . . . a leash, a crate, tougher toys, and more expensive treats. ADVANTAGE: CATS.

--Food. Cats like wet food . . . dogs are more likely to settle for cheaper dry food. Except most dogs eat more food than most cats, so things basically balance out. ADVANTAGE: NONE.

--Care when you're away. No contest. Cats just need someone to swap out their litter and food every few days. Dogs need walking and feeding multiple times in a day. ADVANTAGE: CATS. (WalletPop)


A GUY WANTED TO FRAME HIS EX, SO HE ASKED A FRIEND TO SHOOT HIM . . . ONLY THE FRIEND'S SHOT WAS A LITTLE TOO ACCURATE:

Over the weekend, 20-year-old Dwayne Moten of Dallas, Texas, came up with a scheme to get custody of his son. If he'd thought it out better, he might've seen the GIANT, GIANT FLAW in his scheme . . . but thinking clearly wasn't his strong suit. --Dwayne asked his friend, 20-year-old Jacob Wheeler, to shoot him. Not fatally of course, just a flesh wound. Then they'd blame the shooting on his ex-wife's new boyfriend. --That way the boyfriend would get locked up, and Dwayne could use the attempt on his life as leverage to get custody of his three-year-old son. --There was only one flaw in the plan. Turns out Jacob Wheeler was a better shot than either of them realized . . . so when Jacob shot Dwayne, he accidentally KILLED HIM. --Jacob was arrested and has been charged with murder. He also had an outstanding aggravated robbery charge. --I like how Senior Corporal Kevin Janse of the Dallas Police Department summed it up in a non-judgmental, Zen-like way, quote, "There are legal ways to get custody of a child, and taking a bullet and ultimately dying is definitely not one of those ways." (MyFoxDFW.com)


A GUY GOT BUSTED CROSSING THE BORDER WITH AN ANKLE MONITOR . . . AND TRIED TO BLAME SOLIDARITY WITH LINDSAY LOHAN:

We've got to give it up for 29-year-old Eugene Todie of Buffalo, New York . . . because this is an absolutely BRILLIANT lie. --Last week, Eugene was crossing the border on the way home from a visit to Canada, and he was using a fake passport. When Border Patrol searched him, they also found he was wearing an ankle monitor that measures his blood-alcohol level. --He tried to explain that there was no need to call the police: See, he wasn't wearing the ankle monitor because it was ordered by a judge . . . no, he got it from a friend and he was wearing it to show solidarity with LINDSAY LOHAN! --Unfortunately for Eugene, Border Patrol somehow saw right through his awesome lie . . . and found that he's being forced to wear the ankle monitor while he's on probation for contempt of court. --It was also a violation of his probation to go up into Canada in the first place. --Eugene received two federal charges: Misuse of a passport, and lying to border officials. And he'll also be facing charges for violating his probation. (Associated Press)


NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY

#1.) HERE'S A DAY IN THE LIFE OF A "STAR WARS" AT-AT . . . IF IT WAS A PET DOG:

Remember the Imperial Walkers in "The Empire Strikes Back"? They were the giant armored things with four legs that attacked the rebels on Hoth. "Star Wars" dorks know them as AT-ATs. (--It's pronounced like two words, "at-at." Although there's some controversy over that in the Star Wars Dork Community. Here's an old toy commercial to help settle the 'debate': http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUlL9jLlyzE.) --Anyway, some guy used stop-motion photography to make his toy AT-AT look and act like a dog: It licks itself, goes for a walk, pees on a fire hydrant, and even takes a dump that looks like Jabba the Hutt.
(--Search for "AT-AT day afternoon." And if you want to make an AT-AT costume for your real dog, check out "Dog AT AT Costume.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-CVYOCMpJRY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zrqx_rDHMpY


#2.) HERE'S A TRAILER FOR "ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT" . . . IF IT WAS AN ACTION MOVIE:

Someone took a bunch of ridiculous "action" scenes from the show "Arrested Development" and turned them into a trailer for a fake action movie. If you know the show, it's pretty funny. (--Search for "Arrested Development action movie.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpKhUnVotGM



THE FOUR BIGGEST ONLINE DATING LIES:

There's a dating website called OKCupid.com . . . it's like Match.com, but free . . . and they gathered data from their members for a list of the biggest lies people tell when they're online dating. Here are the top four . . .

#1.) HEIGHT. They looked at the averages for men and women in general, then they compared it to how tall people SAY they are on OKCupid.com. -They found out that, on average, both men and women add about TWO INCHES to their height when they list it in their online profile.

#2.) INCOME. They took into account where people lived, and what the average income was in their zip code, and found out that the average online dater adds 20% to their actual income. --And not surprisingly, the guys who SAY they make over $100,000 are the ones who get the most messages.

#3.) WHAT THEY LOOK LIKE. Most digital cameras tag each picture file with the date the photo was taken. So OKCupid went through and gathered up photos with dates, then divided them into two groups: "Hot" and "Not Hot." --Over one third of the "hot" photos . . . think bathing suits and guys flexing . . . were at least one year old. And 12% of them were at least THREE years old. Only 5% of the "not hot" photos were that old.

#4.) SEXUALITY. OKCupid looked at all its members who said they were "bisexual." And it turns out, only 23% of those members actually try to date both men and women. 77% of them only send messages to one or the other. --And even though 12% of women under the age of 35 SAY they're bisexual, only about 3% actually go after both sexes. (--Sorry guys.) (OKCupid.com)


THE FIVE STAGES OF A RELATIONSHIP:


You might not know it, but every relationship can be broken up into five different stages. Okay, that's probably not really true . . . but the good people over at "Glamour" magazine gave it a shot anyway. Here's what they came up with . . .


#1.) PUPPY LUST. In the beginning, everything is new and fun, and you can't get enough of each other. You actually have to put effort into NOT calling and texting each other too much.


--There are nice gestures like flowers, and when you stay at each other's places, it's like two kids at a sleepover.


#2.) PUPPY LOVE. After a while, the excitement wears off, and it feels more like you really LIKE each other. There's no more spacing out calls, no more playing it cool, and you let each other see some flaws.


--Dinners and dates become less about impressing each other and more about getting to know each other. There are fewer gifts like flowers, but you get each other more practical stuff, and your friends ask you if it's going somewhere.


#3.) LEAVING STUFF BEHIND. At this stage you include each other in almost all your social plans. Sleeping together is a given. You leave stuff at each other's places, like toothbrushes and clothes. And eventually you have the "define the relationship" talk.


#4.) THE ROUTINE. Here, you figure out more about each other's boundaries. By now, hanging out with each other's friends together is just assumed. The calls and texts are more practical and less exciting. And there are fights and make-up sex.

#5.) THE PARENTS. If you're meeting the parents, you're going for it, and you'll inevitably start talking about the future. And after that, it tends to go one of two ways: A more intense 'routine' stage, or you break up. (Glamour)

HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (07-15-10)

THE MEL GIBSON MELTDOWN

ANOTHER MEL GIBSON AUDIO TAPE HAS COME OUT . . . ONLY THIS ONE IS LESS RACIST AND MORE SEXUALLY-FRUSTRATED:

For the fourth straight day, a new MEL GIBSON recording has been released to the public. (--Seriously, this is getting crazy. These have started dropping more often than volumes of "Now That's What I Call Music!") --And no, unlike Monday's tape where he dropped an N-bomb, and Tuesday's where he used a slur against Mexicans (--wetback), this one doesn't introduce any new race or religion that Mel hates. In this one, he's mostly mad because he's HORNY. --This tape is an argument between Mel and his girlfriend OKSANA GRIGORIEVA, where he abusively berates her for falling asleep the night before without performing on him orally.
(--WARNING: Like pretty much ANYTHING that falls out of Mel's mouth on these tapes.) --He screams, quote, "I deserve to be (performed oral on) first! . . . I'll burn the (G-D) house up, but (perform oral on) me first! How DARE you!? . . . I should've woken you up and said (effing) (perform oral on) me, (B-word)! But you need the (G-D) sleep!" --On the tape, he also yells at her for trying to get his therapist's number. Quote, "Don't you ever speak to him! Find your own (G-D) therapist! Because you've got more problems than me."
(--You can hear Mel Gibson's latest meltdown du jour here . . .)
http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/07/exclusive-audio-out-control-mel-gibson-says-hell-burn-down-house-after-demanding
(--This is the call in which she hangs up on him. We'd already heard the one in which he calls back and hyperventilates after threatening to drive to her house if she does it again. Here's that audio and here are the text highlights.)


DID MEL GIBSON PULL A GUN ON HIS GIRLFRIEND DURING THEIR EPIC FIGHT?

This week, we're getting to hear all of the MEL GIBSON tapes that built up to the HUGE FIGHT between him and his girlfriend OKSANA GRIGORIEVA. It happened on January 6th, and he allegedly punched her and knocked out some teeth. --Well . . . according to an anonymous source with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, after Mel punched Oksana, he PULLED A GUN on her.--Quote, "Mel disappeared, [so] Oksana ran to find her car keys so she could leave the house. That's when Mel re-emerged holding a gun and began waving it in front of Oksana's face." --"Oksana said Mel came up to her and said, 'I will show you how to get out of here fast.' Which she interpreted to be a death threat." After that she grabbed their infant daughter and ran out of the house. --We've got a second new development about the January 6th fight for you also: There might have been a witness. --Apparently, the sheriff's department believes that Oksana's 12-year-old son, Alexander Dalton . . . who she had with TIMOTHY DALTON, one of the former James Bonds . . . might have, quote, "relevant information" about January 6th. --Sources have told them that Alexander didn't see any punches thrown but did see some other parts of the fight.

OKSANA GRIGORIEVA IS NOW RECEIVING THREATENING PHONE CALLS FROM PEOPLE *BESIDES* MEL GIBSON:

Maybe it's time for OKSANA GRIGORIEVA to cancel her phone service and go off the grid for a while. --Even though her restraining order is making it so MEL GIBSON can't call her up and threaten her over the phone anymore . . . TMZ is reporting that other people have stepped in to pick up his slack. --They've learned that Oksana has been receiving angry phone calls from Mel Gibson supporters that, quote, "could be interpreted as death threat[s]." --The Los Angeles Police Department is investigating the calls.


SEAN KINGSTON WAS ACCUSED OF SEXUAL ASSAULT . . . BUT THE COPS DON'T THINK IT'S CREDIBLE:

On Sunday night, SEAN KINGSTON had sex with a fan at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Seattle, Washington. That much we know for sure. How CONSENSUAL the sex was . . . now THAT'S up for debate. --According to TMZ, the woman who had sex with Sean is claiming he sexually assaulted her. But . . . TMZ also says that the police don't think she's CREDIBLE. Here's the description from an anonymous source about what went down . . . --That night, the woman and her friend showed up for a party in one of Kingston's hotel rooms . . . they were already drunk and came with vodka and beer in hand. --The woman was apparently, quote, "very aggressive" with Kingston and they left to have sex. After she was done with him, she had sex with TWO OTHER GUYS right there at the party. Her friend also had sex with someone at the party. --The women both went to a hospital afterward where rape tests were conducted and they were tested for roofies. The test results are not in. --The Seattle police have not called Kingston in for an interview because they don't believe the case is credible. -Sean Kingston is in the middle of a summer-long tour of U.S. and Canada with JUSTIN BIEBER. They performed in Portland, Oregon, last night.


ENRIQUE IGLESIAS WILL FULFILL HIS WORLD CUP PROMISE AND WATER SKI NAKED!

A few weeks ago, we told you that ENRIQUE IGLESIAS made a pledge: If Spain won the World Cup, he would get drunk and go water skiing NAKED in Biscayne Bay in Florida. --Well . . . Spain actually DID win, and now it's time for Enrique to show whether or not he's a man of his word. And . . . he is. His rep told "Access Hollywood" he's going to ski naked because, quote, "a bet is a bet." --Enrique hasn't said when this is going to go down.


FOUR THINGS YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT:

And now, it's time to share four random things you didn't know about JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT . . .

#1.) She watches two episodes of "Friends" every night before she goes to bed.

#2.) She's afraid of BIG BIRDS. (--Not Big Bird himself. Just large birds like condors I guess.)

#3.) When she was little, her dream was to grow up to be a cashier at a grocery store.

#4.) She didn't get her driver's license until age 20, and didn't learn to ride a bike until age 29. (--You can read 21 other things at USMagazine.com . . .)
http://www.usmagazine.com/moviestvmusic/news/25-things-you-dont-know-about-me-jennifer-love-hewitt-2010147


LINDSAY LOHAN *WILL* BE REPPED BY O.J.'S LAWYER ROBERT SHAPIRO:

LINDSAY LOHAN is set to start her 90-day jail sentence on Tuesday . . . and we heard rumors she might try to hire ROBERT SHAPIRO as her lawyer to throw up a Hail Mary defense and keep her from being locked up. Now, it's confirmed . . . he's on board. --Shapiro was part of the team of lawyers that got O.J. SIMPSON acquitted. --Shapiro's plan isn't to appeal Lindsay's sentence for violating her probation. Instead, he's going to try to convince the judge to put Lindsay in rehab instead. --Shapiro's son died of a drug overdose in 2005 and he created a foundation to help addicts called The Brent Shapiro Foundation.


JALEEL WHITE HAS BEEN CLEARED OF DOMESTIC BATTERY CHARGES:

Last week, we told you that JALEEL WHITE . . . who you know as STEVE URKEL on "Family Matters" . . . had been accused of domestic battery. His baby's mother, Bridget Hardy, accused him of punching and slapping her . . . and he denied it. --Yesterday, the Los Angeles Police Department sided with him . . . they ruled there wasn't enough evidence to go forward with the case, and they cleared him.


THE SEXUAL ASSAULT LAWSUIT AGAINST STEVEN SEAGAL HAS BEEN DISMISSED:

Back in April, we told you about STEVEN SEAGAL'S former assistant, 23-year-old Kayden Nguyen. (--Nguyen is pronounced "Winn.") --She was suing him for more than $1 MILLION for sexual assault . . . claiming he treated her like a, quote, "sex toy," he fondled her against her will, and that he trafficked women for sex. --Yesterday, her lawyers filed papers asking for the case to be dismissed. There's no word if she wants it dismissed because she got a SETTLEMENT . . . or if she just didn't want to pursue it anymore.


BRISTOL PALIN AND LEVI JOHNSTON ARE ENGAGED AGAIN! (BUT NOT HAVING PREMARITAL SEX):

We'd heard that BRISTOL PALIN and LEVI JOHNSTON might be talking again . . . but, apparently, they were talking more seriously than ANYONE realized. --19-year-old Bristol and 20-year-old Levi just told "US Weekly" that they're back together . . . and two weeks ago, they got ENGAGED. Again. --They had been engaged before . . . back in 2008, when Levi knocked Bristol up. After she gave birth to their son, Tripp, in December of '08, they called the engagement off. --After that, they went their separate ways . . . which included Levi posing for "Playgirl", starting crazy and often intentionally false rumors about the Palins, and Bristol and her mom, SARAH PALIN, blasting him at every opportunity. --They reconnected three months ago while they were working out a custody plan for Tripp. Levi says, quote, "I really thought we were over. So when I went, I had no hope. I think we both just started talking." --After Bristol got knocked up, she took an ABSTINENCE pledge . . . which she says she's keeping until she and Levi get married. --On an unrelated note, they're really fast-tracking this wedding and hope to have it within six weeks. --One more thing: They didn't tell their parents . . . specifically Sarah Palin . . . before they got engaged. They decided they couldn't face that, and just wanted her to read about it in "US Weekly". --Sarah gave a statement about the engagement yesterday. Quote, "Bristol at 19 is now a young adult. We obviously want what's best for our children. Bristol believes in redemption and forgiveness to a degree most of us struggle to put in practice."


KELLY OSBOURNE DUMPED HER FIANCÉ . . . AND SOMETHING SHE WROTE ON FACEBOOK MAKES IT SEEM LIKE HE WAS CHEATING:

This week, 25-year-old KELLY OSBOURNE dumped her fiancé, a 20-year-old model named Luke Worrall. They'd been dating since 2008. --The reason seems to be because he was CHEATING on her. She posted a message on her Facebook page saying, quote, "Luke Worrall makes me sick!!!" Then . . . she quickly deleted that message. --A few hours later, she was back on Facebook to respond to a comment someone left for her. . . and seemed to confirm Luke cheated. Quote, "What you're saying is that I'm ugly so it was OK for him to cheat . . . go (eff) yourself."


CRAIG FERGUSON AND HIS WIFE ARE EXPECTING THEIR FIRST CHILD:

Yesterday, on Twitter, CRAIG FERGUSON announced that he and his wife are expecting their first child together. Quote, "Holy crackers! Mrs. F. is pregnant. How did that happen? Oh yeah, I know how. Another Ferguson arrives in 2011." --Craig's wife is named Megan Wallace, and she's an art dealer. They've been married since December of 2008. --Craig has a nine-year-old son from a previous marriage.


SOCCER STUD LANDON DONOVAN DOES *NOT* HAVE A LOVE CHILD WITH A BRITISH GROUPIE AFTER ALL:

During the World Cup, there were rumors that LANDON DONOVAN, the star of the U.S. team, had IMPREGNATED a groupie while he was playing in a British soccer league earlier this year. At that time, he and his wife were on a break. --And it seemed like Landon kinda thought he HAD knocked up that British woman . . . because he told "Sports Illustrated", quote, "I was informed of the possibility and if I need to take responsibility, then I will provide the appropriate support." --But yesterday, on the red carpet outside of ESPN's annual "ESPY Awards", Landon broke some news . . . the woman is NOT pregnant with his love child after all. --When a red carpet reporter from E! News asked him about the situation, Landon responded, quote, "I actually wasn't sure I was going to [be] asked but I know now that I will not be a dad anytime soon, which is good news for me."


CHELSEA HANDLER IS DATING A GUY FROM ANIMAL PLANET:

CHELSEA HANDLER has a NAUGHTY way of going after guys that can help her get an EDGE. First there was TED HALPERT, the president of Comcast, which owns E! He helped her get her "Chelsea Lately" show . . . and then they broke up. --And now, according to "Life & Style" magazine, she's fooling around with a guy named DAVE SALMONI, who hosts and produces a few shows on Animal Planet.


RYAN REYNOLDS WAS INJURED ON THE SET OF "THE GREEN LANTERN":

Right now, the first "The Green Lantern" movie is being filmed in New Orleans, with RYAN REYNOLDS as the star. And there are reports that during an action scene this week, he SEPARATED his shoulder. --Apparently, he's been in some pain, but it shouldn't delay filming. The movie is scheduled to open in June of next year.


ANGELINA JOLIE WANTS TO TURN "SALT" INTO A SERIES LIKE THE BOURNE TRILOGY:

ANGELINA JOLIE'S new movie "Salt" comes out a week from tomorrow . . . but she's already talking about turning it into a franchise. Angelina says she wants "Salt" to become like MATT DAMON'S "Bourne" trilogy. --Quote, "I think if we can keep up the mystery and find another really great story, I'll be back." --Of course, Angelina had a shot at a franchise with "Tomb Raider" but bailed after two movies. And she also refused to return for a sequel to "Wanted". --Yesterday, there were also reports that Angelina is interested in playing the role of ELIZABETH TAYLOR in a new movie about Taylor's marriage to RICHARD BURTON . . . who she married TWICE. CATHERINE ZETA-JONES is also interested in the role.


THE JOAQUIN PHOENIX-GOES-CRAZY MOCKUMENTARY FINALLY HAS A RELEASE DATE:

Remember when JOAQUIN PHOENIX announced he was quitting acting . . . then he grew a ZZ Top beard, started making rap songs and had a meltdown on "The Late Show With David Letterman"? We're finally going to see a payoff. --The entire thing was, obviously, a huge, ANDY KAUFMAN-style piece of performance art. CASEY AFFLECK . . . who's Joaquin's brother-in-law . . . was filming Joaquin the whole time, and put together a mockumentary from the footage. --It's called "I'm Still Here: The Lost Year Of Joaquin Phoenix" and yesterday, a company called Magnolia Pictures acquired the film. They've set a limited release date for September 10th and a wide release date for the week after. --Magnolia's president, Eamonn Bowles, says the film, quote, "is a pretty amazing piece of work. It's not some cheap stunt. It's extreme behavior but really good filmmaking as well. It's a unique piece that's going to surprise people."


CHECK OUT THE TRAILER FOR "DUE DATE" WITH ROBERT DOWNEY JR. AND ZACH GALIFIANAKIS:

Here's the first trailer for the movie "Due Date" . . . which is a road trip comedy starring ROBERT DOWNEY JR. and ZACH GALIFIANAKIS. It's directed by TODD PHILLIPS, the same guy who did "The Hangover" and it comes out November 5th.
http://movies.yahoo.com/premieres/20868721/standardformat


IT LOOKS LIKE THE NEXT INCREDIBLE HULK MAY BE . . . MARK RUFFALO:

I guess the story of the "Incredible Hulk" works best when the dude who turns into the Hulk is as unassuming and nonthreatening as possible. So, by that logic, this casting choice makes sense. --There are reports that MARK RUFFALO is in late-stage talks to play the role of the Hulk in "The Avengers" movie. --Mark's a great actor but definitely gives off NO action star or superhero vibe . . . which might be perfect for the Hulk. (--You might know him from "Shutter Island", "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or "13 Going On 30".) --EDWARD NORTON was the most recent actor to play the Hulk, but was apparently a HUGE A-HOLE on the set so no one wants him back. In 2003 ERIC BANA played the Hulk . . . but his movie bombed. --"The Avengers" will bring together several Marvel superheroes. Everyone from "Iron Man 2" will be back in the same roles . . . Robert Downey Jr., Don Cheadle, Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson. -CHRIS HEMSWORTH will play Thor, CHRIS EVANS will be Captain America, and it's rumored that JEREMY RENNER will be Hawkeye. --The movie is currently scheduled to come out on May 4th, 2012.


AND NOW . . . BETTY WHITE WILL GUEST STAR ON "COMMUNITY":

It's 2010, and 88-year-old BETTY WHITE has become an UNSTOPPABLE ENTERTAINMENT FORCE. Seriously, who . . . in 2009 . . . saw this coming? --She's been in a Super Bowl commercial . . . hosted "Saturday Night Live" . . . landed a regular role on that new "Hot in Cleveland" sitcom, which has already been picked up for a second season, by the way . . . . . . she also did a guest spot on the ABC comedy "The Middle" . . . she will play Grandma Bunny in an upcoming movie called "You Again", which also stars KRISTEN BELL and SIGOURNEY WEAVER . . . and now this: --Betty will guest star on the second season premiere of the NBC sitcom "Community". She'll play June Bauer, a nutty anthropology professor. She's only slated to do one episode, which makes sense . . . she's too busy to do any more. --NBC hasn't announced an airdate yet, but it'll be sometime in September. (--Betty wasn't exactly DORMANT before this year. She's done a TON of guest appearances on various shows in the last decade, and has had recurring roles on "Boston Legal", "The Bold & the Beautiful" and "That '70s Show".) (--But it's awesome to see her come into such DEMAND over the past six months. Seriously. She's always had a great comedic sense and timing. And now she's just adding to the already impressive Betty White legacy.)


DUSTIN HOFFMAN HAS BEEN CAST IN AN UPCOMING HBO SERIES:

DUSTIN HOFFMAN has been cast in an upcoming HBO show called "Luck". It's about horseracing . . . you know, with jockeys, trainers, gamblers and stuff like that. --It'll also feature NICK NOLTE, former "Law & Order" star DENNIS FARINA, and former jockey GARY STEVENS, who appeared in the movie "Seabiscuit". --Production will begin this fall, but there's no word yet on when it might premiere.


IS PIERS MORGAN ON THE VERGE OF REPLACING LARRY KING?

We've heard that "America's Got Talent" judge PIERS MORGAN is one of the candidates to replace LARRY KING when he steps down from "Larry King Live" in November . . . and now, it sounds like it might be happening. --The "New York Post" reports that Piers is, quote, "on the verge" of signing a three-year deal, worth somewhere between $6 million and $8 million, annually. (--Piers was a journalist in Britain before doing TV . . . although he wasn't working for the most reputable publications. He wrote for "The Sun" . . . and has served as the editor for both "News of the World" and the "Daily Mirror".)


SHAQ WILL FACE OFF AGAINST JUSTIN BIEBER AND RACHAEL RAY ON THE NEW SEASON OF "SHAQ VS.":

The second season of SHAQUILLE O'NEAL'S reality show "Shaq Vs." . . . where Shaq competes against other celebrities in challenges relating to their professions . . . kicks off on August 3rd. (--It airs on ABC.) -Unlike the first season . . . where Shaq's battles were exclusively with ATHLETES from various sports . . . the second season will see him trying all kinds of things. --His competitors will include: Justin Bieber, chef Rachael Ray, competitive eating stud Joey Chestnut, race car driver Dale Earnhardt Jr., boxer Sugar Shane Mosley and magicians Penn & Teller.


AMBER TAMBLYN IS JOINING "HOUSE" . . . FOR A FEW EPISODES:

Former "Joan of Arcadia" minx AMBER TAMBLYN . . . who, if you can believe it, is STILL sleeping with comedian DAVID CROSS . . . will be on "House" next season. (--Amber is 27. David Cross is 46. I know the guy is funny, but come on.) --She'll appear in "multiple episodes" as a med student who's recruited by Dr. House. The seventh season of "House" begins on September 20th, but it's unclear when Amber's first episode will air.


DOLPH LUNDGREN WILL APPEAR ON "CHUCK" . . . DOLPH LUNDGREN!!!

The fourth season premiere of "Chuck" will feature a special guest star: --And it's none other than He-Man himself, DOLPH LUNDGREN. Yes, THE star of "Rocky 4", "Universal Soldier", "The Punisher", AND the upcoming Sylvester Stallone movie "The Expendables". --There aren't any further details on the episode or his character, which is OK . . . because they aren't important anyway. It's DOLPH "DAMN" LUNDGREN!!! (--NBC has not set their premiere dates yet . . . but we do know "Chuck" will be back sometime in September.)


CAPTAIN PHIL HARRIS' FINAL EPISODE OF "DEADLIEST CATCH" WAS HUGE IN THE RATINGS . . . BUT "THE HILLS" SERIES FINALE WAS NOT:

Tuesday night's episode of "Deadliest Catch" . . . where a dying CAPTAIN PHIL HARRIS said goodbye to his sons . . . was a HUGE hit in the ratings. --An estimated 8.6 million people tuned in, which was easily an all-time best for the show. (--The previous record, 5.3 million viewers, was set just last week.) --6.8 million people hung around for the "After the Catch" special. That's the show where all the other captains of the fleet came together to sit around a table with Phil's sons to share their stories and fond memories of him. --Meanwhile, the SERIES FINALE of "The Hills" . . . which also aired on Tuesday night . . . suckered in 3 million viewers. (--That wasn't close to a series high.)


TV REMINDERS

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

--"Big Brother 12" [Eviction Night] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS. (--The first houseguest of the season is evicted and we learn the identity of the saboteur.)

--"So You Think You Can Dance" [Results Show] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox.

--"Biography: Ozzy Osbourne" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Bio.

--"Mary Knows Best" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Syfy. (--Psychic Mary Occhino predicts callers' futures and speaks with their deceased loved ones.)

--"Ace of Cakes" . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Food Network. (--"30 Rock's" Tina Fey hires Duff and the crew to create a cake to be used on an episode of the show, plus a second cake that will be a surprise for the cast for their season finale.)

--"Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Syfy. (--An ex-FBI agent and his team explore claims of spectral encounters in an effort to debunk or authenticate them.)

--"The OCD Project" [1st Season Finale] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1.

--"Pranked" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on MTV.


R.E.M. HAS FINISHED THEIR NEXT ALBUM:

R.E.M. has finished recording their next album . . . which will be their 15th. The disc, which is still untitled, is expected to be out early next year. --There aren't many details about the album yet . . . other than the fact that it was apparently influenced by the city of Berlin. (--If that does anything for you.) --And the band's manager, Bertis Downs, adds, quote, "I will not report on the sound or the dimension of the recordings so far, to my ears it all sounds like quite a wonderful set of songs." (--If THAT does anything for you.) --R.E.M.'s last album, "Accelerate", came out in 2008. --By the way, R.E.M. guitarist PETER BUCK is also working on a side project with SNOW PATROL singer GARY LIGHTBODY. It's called TIRED PONY. --Their debut album, "The Place We Ran From", features guest appearances by actress ZOOEY DESCHANEL and M. WARD . . . who record together as SHE & HIM . . . plus TOM SMITH, the singer in a British indie band called THE EDITORS. --It's supposed to come out on September 28th.


NE-YO'S NEXT DISC WILL BE A CONCEPT ALBUM ABOUT SUPERHEROES . . . AND IT'LL FEATURE STUFF INSPIRED BY COUNTRY MUSIC: (???)

NE-YO is putting the finishing touches on his next album, "Libra Scale" . . . and it sounds pretty bizarre. --For starters, it'll be a CONCEPT ALBUM about SUPERHEROES . . . including, an "evil villainess" named Diamond Eye. (???) The R&B superhero team will also include Ne-Yo's alter ego, The Gentleman. --Ne-Yo explains, quote, "I am a bit of a comic book / Japanimation / sci-fi geek. I've been in love with this stuff for years, since before I was double digits. --"The whole idea to do this came from not doing an album in '09 because I was doing two movies, learning how to write for the screen. --"And then, the inspiration was furthered by Michael Jackson's passing . . . looking at 'Thriller', 'Moonwalker', [and] 'Bad'. Those were more than just videos . . . those were movies." --Ne-Yo initially planned on making a full-on movie to go with the album . . . but has since cooled on the idea. So instead, he'll just do a few elaborate music videos. He's also considering doing a graphic novel to go with it. --There aren't a lot of details on the sound yet, except for the fact that at least one track . . . called "She Is" . . . has a COUNTRY MUSIC vibe. --Ne-Yo says, quote, "I listen to country music . . . I like country music. I feel that's one of the last genres of music where storytelling is a staple. 'She Is' definitely lives in that world. Literally, I'm trying to please all of the people all of the time. --"I know people have said it's impossible, but damnit, I feel like I can do it."




BIG BOI DEBUTS AT #3 . . . AND EMINEM IS #1 FOR A THIRD WEEK:

Four new albums debuted in the Top 20 this week but the week's highest debut went to BIG BOI from OUTKAST. His first solo album, "Sir Lucious Left Foot . . . The Son of Chico Dusty", sold 62,000 copies to land at #3. --EMINEM is still going strong at #1. He just moved another 229,000 copies of his "Recovery" disc in the past week. Here are this week's Top 10 albums . . .

1.) "Recovery", Eminem (229,000 copies)
2.) "Thank Me Later", Drake (74,000 copies)
3.) (NEW) "Sir Lucious Left Foot . . . The Son of Chico Dusty", Big Boi (62,000 copies)


LIL WAYNE COULD BE OUT OF PRISON IN NOVEMBER:

LIL WAYNE is over halfway through his prison term. Maybe. --MTV News accessed Wayne's prison records . . . legally, we assume . . . and they are reporting that his projected release date is November 4th. (--Which would have him out a solid week before Veteran's Day. You know, in case he has any plans.) --Wayne was locked up at New York City's Rikers Island prison back on March 8th. That means he'd be serving just under eight months of his one-year sentence. --Obviously, his early release is dependent on good behavior. (--And chances are, Wayne will be good . . . because this is one release date he won't want to see pushed back.)


KID CUDI'S "ALL SUMMER" MUSIC VIDEO:

KID CUDI has dropped a video for a track called "All Summer" . . . which also features a dude from the indie band Vampire Weekend and someone from a band called Best Coast. In the video, they wear paper-maché masks of their own heads.
(--Check it out, here . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G081rEJPSn4
--The single is part of a series that Converse is doing called "Three Artists, One Song". (--You can download "All Summer" at Converse.com, here.)



NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF

THE AVERAGE WOMAN CHANGES HER HAIRSTYLE 100 TIMES OVER THE COURSE OF HER LIFETIME:

Guys, if you think your girl is obsessed with talking about getting her hair done . . . getting her hair done . . . and then talking about how she can't believe how badly she got her hair done . . . get used to it. --A British magazine called "Grazia" did a survey of 3,000 women, and according to their results, the average woman gets her hair done OVER 100 TIMES in her life. --That might sound like a lot, but think about it another way: That means that a typical woman will get her hair either layered, shortened, or colored at least twice a year, between the ages of 13 and 65. Like I said: Typical. --Here are some of the other survey results . . . --The majority of women will experiment with at least three color changes in their lifetime. --One out of three women will change their hair at some point just because they've gone through a breakup. --And at some point in their lives, almost 50% of women will go for a new look just because they're bored. (news.com.au)


OLDER WOMEN WITH WEIGHT ON THEIR HIPS SHOW DECREASED BRAIN FUNCTION:

According to the most recent study about the negative health effects of obesity, weight gain in women is related to a loss of brain function as they age. --There have already been studies about how obesity in older MEN is bad for the brain. Especially when it comes to having belly fat. And yesterday they said pretty much the same thing about women. But this time it's all about the hips. --According to "The Journal of the American Geriatric Society", pear-shaped women with excess weight on their hips do worse on tests that measure brain-function. That's compared with women who are normal-weight or, quote "apple-shaped." --The research looked at a major U.S. health study called the Women's Health Initiative. More specifically, it analyzed 8,745 women between the ages of 65 and 79, who completed tests on memory, verbal fluency, writing, and other brain functions. --What they found is that for every one-point increase in body mass index . . . or BMI . . . a woman's cognitive score dropped one point. And the effect was worse if the woman had a low waist-hip ratio. Meaning: Smaller waist, larger hips. --What's weird is, most other studies have shown that the apple-shaped people had a greater risk for health problems. But THIS study shows that belly fat is associated with HIGHER scores on brain function tests in older women. Go figure. --According to Diana Kerwin, the assistant professor of medicine at Northwestern University who authored the study, all the women scored within a normal range. So that's good. -But she also said, quote, "Women who were in the normal body-weight category for BMI, no matter if they were an apple or a pear, they definitely had a better cognitive score overall than the women who were heavier, or more overweight." --But you can't really control WHERE your body deposits fat, since that's genetic. So according to Dr. Kerwin, quote, "the one thing you can control is your overall body weight . . . and looking at that as a way to maintain brain health and cognition." (The Vancouver Sun)


MEN WHO ARE OBESE BY AGE 20 DOUBLE THEIR RISK OF DYING EARLY:

Women aren't the only ones getting bad news these days when it comes to obesity and health: According to the recent findings of the International Congress on Obesity in Sweden, men are in SERIOUS trouble too. And it starts WAY early. --The research says that if you're obese at the age of 20, it'll have an impact up to 60 years later. Here's the basic, hard truth for men: Your risk of dying early DOUBLES if you start your adult life with a delicious candy coating. --The scientists tracked over 5,000 men from age 20 to age 80, and it's the first study to look at the same people over such a long period of time. So listen up to what they found, guys: --For every point above what's considered healthy on the Body Mass Index, your possibility of dying early increases by 10%. --From middle age onward, obese men die about eight years earlier than men who aren't overweight. --When the men in the study were 70 years old, 70% of the men who WEREN'T overweight were still alive. But just 50% of the obese men were still alive.--And at any age, a guy who was obese was TWICE as likely to die prematurely as a guy who wasn't obese. (AOL Health)


HERE ARE THE TOP TEN FASHION MISTAKES MEN MAKE:

There was a survey in England recently where women rated men's biggest fashion mistakes. And coming in at Number One was . . . the Hawaiian shirt. --That was followed by high-waisted pants, wearing socks with sandals, wearing white socks with dress shoes, and men who try to dress too young for their age. --But what about here in the States? Well, Yahoo has a site for women called Shine, and they polled 6,000 users to ask that very same question. Here are the Top Ten Fashion Mistakes That Men Make, ranked from worst to least-worst:

#1.) Ed Hardy Shirts: I can't tell you how happy I am to hear this, ladies: 21% of you said that those ubiquitous Ed Hardy shirts are the worst thing that guys wear. And I couldn't agree more. They've become a signature part of the d-bag uniform. --And it's not just because of Jon Gosselin. They're ugly, they're over-priced, and they're EVERYWHERE. They're basically a way for guys who are past-their-best . . . or who were never cool to begin with . . . to try and look 'fashionable.'

#2.) Socks With Sandals: Apparently, women on both sides of the ocean think this look sucks: 19% of women think it's the worst fashion mistake guys make.

#3.) Saggy Jeans: Jeans that sag off your butt came in a close third, with 18% of women saying it's the worst fashion mistake guys can make. And right here is where the whole 'what's-good-fashion' thing starts to unravel. --Because depending on where you're kickin' it, and who you're kickin' it with, saggy-butt jeans are going to be considered cool. So it's subjective. Personally, I don't care for visible man-ass, even when it's covered by underwear. But that's just me.

#4.) Speedos: Overall, 17% of women hate this one the most. The sad part is, it's not because of the item itself . . . it's that most guys can't pull it off. Women wouldn't MIND if guys rocked the Speedo. But it better come with abs and a package.

--Here's the rest of the list, but there aren't any percentages, so let's assume these are basically equal offenders . . .

#5.) Fanny Packs
#6.) Skinny Jeans, or Guys Who Wear Women's Jeans
#7.) Wifebeaters
#8.) Bling
#9.) Baseball Hats (???)
#10.) Clothing That's Too Big, or That Doesn't Fit Properly.
(Yahoo)

SEXIST ADVICE OF THE DAY: HERE ARE FIVE WAYS TO PRETEND YOU CARE ABOUT A WOMAN:

Women like guys who listen and do little things to make them feel special. But guys can usually get away with PRETENDING to do that stuff. Here are five tips from the website Guyism.com on how to PRETEND you care about a woman. --Look ladies, we just REPORT this stuff, okay? It's actually great advice . . . as long as you don't mind being a horrible, manipulative person.

#1.) NOD. This one's become standard, so you probably shouldn't rely on it. But if everything she says is boring you to death, just nod your head and keep asking questions. And for bonus points, every few minutes, throw in a "Really? No way!"

#2.) CALL TO CHECK IN. It takes two minutes and almost no effort. But to her, it means you been thinking about her all day. In the age of the cell phone, it's become an essential part of relationship maintenance. And it scores MAJOR points.

#3.) PRETEND TO INVITE HER OUT. Call and tell her you bought tickets for the two of you to go to some event. But then you found out your buddy's going through a tough time, and you think it might cheer him up if you go with HIM instead.
-It makes you look like you planned a date even though you DIDN'T. And it also makes you look like a good friend. Just make sure the event isn't something she REALLY wanted to go to.

#4.) BE A GENTLEMAN. This is classic stuff, but worth repeating: If you hold doors for her and let her order first at the restaurant, it makes it look like you care about her enough to treat her like a lady . . . even if you're just trying to get her in bed.

#5.) LET HER BE RIGHT. It's okay to have an intelligent debate about something. But at the end of the conversation, find something she said and just concede the point. --If you tell her she's right about something, she'll assume you think she's smart . . . even if what she said was completely wrong. (Guyism.com)


WHICH CAME FIRST . . . THE CHICKEN OR THE EGG? SCIENTISTS FINALLY HAVE AN ANSWER!

I want you to brace yourselves as you head to work this morning. Because one of life's most important philosophical questions has finally been answered. And that question is: Which came first . . . the chicken or the egg? --Scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Warwick in England recently developed a study to get to the bottom of it once and for all. Seriously. And the answer they've released in a new report is . . . wait for it . . . THE CHICKEN. --If you must know, here's why: There's a protein in an egg called ovocledidin-17. It plays an essential role in the formation of the egg's shell. And the protein can ONLY be produced inside a chicken. Therefore . . . the chicken must have somehow come first.(--But where did the . . . oh nevermind.) --According to Dr. Colin Freeman, from Sheffield University's Department of Engineering Materials, quote, "It had long been suspected that the egg came first, but now we have the scientific proof that shows that in fact the chicken came first." (New York Daily News) (--Personally, I always liked the BEASTIE BOYS' explanation: "Which came first, the chicken or the egg? I egged the chicken. And then I ate his leg.")



PORKY PIG BEAT DOWN

Authorities at Six Flags Great America in suburban Chicago ejected two off-duty employees from the theme park after they allegedly attacked a female colleague dressed as “Porky Pig.” Police said two young men took a photo with Porky on Monday afternoon, and then punched the mascot in the head 10 to 15 times. Park security detained the men until police arrived. The men were issued citations for battery. The 24-year-old woman inside the mascot costume suffered headaches and a stiff neck.

‘CHUPACABRA’ ACTUALLY A MANGY COYOTE-DOG HYBRID

A Texas animal control officer said a hairless creature that sparked chupacabra rumors was a canine-coyote hybrid with mange. Cresson code enforcement officer Johnny Collins said he spotted the animal enter a barn July 7th and called an animal control officer, who shot the animal when it looked like it was going to attack. Collins, a member of the Texas State Guard, said he showed pictures to his colleagues during a drill and they identified the beast as a “chupacabra,” a mythical Mexican beast purported to suck the blood from goats and other animals. However, Texas A&M University scientists conducted tests and identified the corpse as a “coyote-canine hybrid” with signs of mange and internal parasites.


WHERE THE BEDBUGS BITE

Insight Pharmaceuticals has released its first annual list of the top bedbug-infested cities in North America. The Top 10:

1. Columbus, Ohio
2. New York
3. Toronto, Canada
4. Bloomington, Indiana
5. Manchester, New Hampshire
6. San Francisco
7. Durham, North Carolina
8. Vancouver, Canada
9. Chicago
10. Denver

Travelers who plan to visit cities on this list might want to go online to www.KillBedbugsPronto.com and receive a coupon for $3 off a five- or 10-ounce can of Pronto Plus, available in the first aid and household aisles of most drug and food stores. It should do the trick in killing those wicked bedbugs. The last thing you want to do is bring those creepy critters back home to share with the rest of the family. Yeeeeeee.


NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY

#1.) JEWEL WORE A DISGUISE AND SANG HER OWN SONGS AT A KARAOKE BAR:

JEWEL put on a body suit and a bunch of make-up so no one would recognize her. Then she went to a karaoke bar and sang her own songs. --She looked absolutely nothing like herself, and to really help sell it, a bunch of actors posing as her friends had to egg her on before she'd get on stage. And then when she started singing "Who Will Save Your Soul", the crowd went NUTS. --FunnyOrDie.com videotaped the whole thing, and they got testimonials from people at the bar before and after they found out it REALLY WAS JEWEL. (--Search for "FunnyOrDie.com Jewel karaoke.")
(--She starts singing at 1:53. They introduce her as the real Jewel and she sings again at 4:48. And don't miss the old man's reaction that starts at 6:19.)
(--Warning: There's a bleeped F-word at 6:33.)
http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/4a87d48fdd/undercover-karaoke-with-jewel/

#2.) AN IMPROV TROUPE DID A SCENE FROM "STAR WARS" . . . ON A SUBWAY TRAIN:

An improv troupe called IMPROV EVERYWHERE re-enacted the scene from the beginning of "Star Wars" where Darth Vader captures Princess Leia. And they did it on a New York City subway train. --They even had guys in Storm Trooper costumes. And the best part is, everyone on the train LOVED it. (--Search for "Improv Everywhere Star Wars subway." The Storm Troopers board the train at :25, and Darth Vader arrives at 1:17.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5gCeWEGiQI


#3.) A GROUP OF FRIENDS PRANKED A DRIVE-THRU GIRL AND MADE HER THINK THEIR SODAS WERE MAGICALLY DISAPPEARING:

A group of friends pulled a ridiculous prank on a drive-thru window girl at Carl's Jr. They ordered drinks, and every time the girl turned her back, they dumped half of one drink out the window. Then they told her she only filled it halfway by mistake. --You'd think the girl would catch on after the second or third time, but she doesn't. And in the end she and her manager BOTH decide there must be something wrong with the soda machine.

(--Search for "the soda prank Carl's Jr." The hilarity begins at :18.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ke7oeKd2CH4


THE TEN MOST-ANNOYING THINGS YOU DEAL WITH ON A DAILY BASIS:

Consumer Reports recently surveyed over 1,000 people around the country to find out what annoyed them the most on a daily basis: They gave people a list of 21 annoying things, and then had people rate them on a scale from 1 to 10.

--Here are the top ten most annoying things and how they scored:

#10) SPAM. Email spam rated 7.5 on the annoyance scale.

#9.) WAITING FOR REPAIR PEOPLE. It also got a 7.5.

#8.) DISCOURTEOUS CELL-PHONE USE: 7.6.

#7.) UNRELIABLE INTERNET SERVICE: 7.6.

#6.) DOG POOP: 7.6.

#5.) BILLS THAT ARE HARD TO UNDERSTAND: 7.8.

#4.) PEOPLE WHO USE THEIR CELL PHONES WHILE DRIVING: 8.0.

#3.) TAILGATING: 8.3.

#2.) GETTING A RECORDING WHEN YOU CALL CUSTOMER SERVICE: 8.6.

--And the most-annoying thing we experience on a daily basis is . . .

#1.) DEALING WITH HIDDEN FEES. According to the study, the average annoyance rate for hidden fees on a scale from 1 to 10 was . . . 8.9.

And here's some other stuff the study revealed . . .

#1.) MEN AND WOMEN WERE ANNOYED BY DIFFERENT THINGS. Women were significantly more irritated by 11 of the 21 things, including SPEEDING and having to remember their PIN NUMBERS.

#2.) PEOPLE OVER 50 WERE ANNOYED BY: Discourteous cell-phone use, email spam, and people who talk on the phone while they're driving.

#3.) DEMOCRATS DON'T LIKE PEOPLE WHO YELL: And Democrats were more annoyed than Republicans by TV and radio shows where people SHOUT their opinions. (ConsumerReports.org)


SITE FOR SORE EYES:

www.thedealmap.com

The DealMap.com is a great place to find local deals instantly. Just enter your ZIP code and TheDealMap scours the Internet for coupons and discounts, then pinpoints the results on a handy neighborhood map!


Trash Talk

Nobody in their right mind would throw away good food, or would they? A ShelfLifeAdvice.com/Harris Interactive poll found that 76% of U.S. consumers mistakenly believe certain foods are unsafe to eat after the date printed on the packaging has passed. The survey asked which, if any, of 10 refrigerated food products were considered unsafe to eat past the printed package date. Results:

Milk
61%
Cheddar cheese
29%
Cottage cheese
57%
Orange juice
29%
Mayonnaise
54%
Margarine
19%
Yogurt
50%
Olives
15%
Eggs
45%
Mustard
12%

ShelfLifeAdvice says none of the above products need to be tossed on the “sell-by” date, For example, unopened, refrigerated Kraft mayonnaise can be kept for 30 days after its expiration date, or 3-4 months after it’s been opened. Eggs, properly refrigerated, should last at least 3- 5 weeks after the “sell-by” date. Generally, milk has no “off flavor” up to five days after the printed date passes. ShelfLifeAdvice says that if 61% of Americans discard just one quarter gallon of milk each month, they would be wasting over $700 million a year. According to a University of Arizona study, Americans throw away more than 40% – approximately 29 million tons – of all the food produced each year. ShelfLifeAdvice.com is worth checking out. The site provides shelf-life data on hundreds of food products.

HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (07-14-10)

OKSANA FIGHTS BACK IN THE LATEST MEL GIBSON TAPE:

More MEL GIBSON audio was leaked yesterday . . . and it's really more of the same, although this time, OKSANA GRIGORIEVA gets a few shots in. http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/07/exclusive-audio-another-mel-gibson-slur-caught-tape-crazed-rage-listen-it-here --Mel spends much of the tape berating Oksana for using him and spending his money. He calls her a whore, the B-word, the C-word, and just about any other word you can name. --But Oksana stands up for herself and tells Mel, quote, "You made me moneyless. I used to have $100,000 a year when you met me. You took me, you possessed me. --"Everything I am you owe me with my liver and my kidneys and my thoughts and my soul . . . You control me like [a marionette]. I don't belong to myself, only to you. I can't do anything and I walk on eggshells always with you." --To which Mel replies, quote, "That's because you're a (effing) using whore." (???) --This is also the tape in which Mel uses the derogatory term "wetbacks". He drops it during an argument over an employee Oksana wants to continue using. --Mel says, quote, "I will fire [her] if she's at your house. I will make it known and fire her. I'll report her to the (effing) people that take (effing) money from the wetbacks, ok?" --Mel also accuses Oksana of sleeping with another man, which she denies. --And here's our Mel Gibson Psychotic Line of the Day: "What are you talking about, you (effing) ignorant (B-word). I don't understand you! You're saying stupid (crap)! --"How dare you (effing) insult me with some of the stupid reasoning you have? Your logic sucks, because you're a (effing) mentally deprived idiot!" -The conversation ends when Oksana tells Mel that their daughter is crying. Mel tells her to go take care of HIS child. --When Oksana points out that it's her daughter, too, Mel says, quote, "Yeah I know, unfortunately you (C-word) whore! I hope she doesn't turn out like you!"


POLICE ARE LISTENING TO THESE INSANE MEL GIBSON TAPES:

Police investigating domestic assault accusations against MEL GIBSON are indeed taking these psychotic audiotapes into consideration. --A spokesman for the L.A. County Sheriff's Department says, quote, "We are reviewing the tapes." --So-called "sources" also claim that police want to interview Oksana's 12-year-old son, Alexander Dalton, because he lived with Mel and Oksana while they were together, and witnessed many of their blow-ups. (--Alexander's dad is former James Bond star TIMOTHY DALTON.)


DID MEL GO TO THERAPY OVER HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH OKSANA???

These audiotapes we're hearing sure make it sound like MEL GIBSON NEEDS therapy. But according to one source, he's already HAD therapy. --A so-called "friend" of Mel's says, quote, "He realized how unhealthy the relationship was and recognized that they were in a bad place and he was getting his buttons pushed. --"He wanted to figure out how to extricate himself from this unhealthy relationship peacefully and calmly. Which is what he did." (--He did??? In what universe???)


LINDSAY LOHAN'S POST-PRISON INTERVIEW OFFERS ARE NOW OVER $500,000:


We heard that LINDSAY LOHAN was hoping to get $1 million for her first post-prison interview. Well, she might. --The bidding is on among various news organizations, and according to the "New York Post", the offers coming in are now topping $500,000.



LINDSAY LOHAN HITS BACK AT JOAN RIVERS:

SAMANTHA RONSON already delivered a verbal beat-down to JOAN RIVERS for dissing LINDSAY LOHAN on Twitter. But now, Lindsay is standing up for herself. --Lindsay said that Joan and her dad, MICHAEL LOHAN, are, quote, "a match made in Heaven" . . . then added, quote, "All he needs is her botox doctor. Dr. Drew, any ideas? Botox rehab reality show?" --Dr. Drew, who tried to butt into the Lindsay Lohan situation a little while back, actually responded, saying, quote, "Sounds like a terrific plan! Actually happy to see you have retained your sense of humor despite your circumstances." --Then Lindsay responded, quote, "In the words of 50 Cent, 'You shouldn't throw stones if you live in a glass house, and if you got a glass jaw, you should watch yo mouth'."


PENELOPE CRUZ AND JAVIER BARDEM ARE MARRIED:

PENELOPE CRUZ and JAVIER BARDEM got married earlier this month at a friend's home in the Bahamas. Only family members were present . . . and that's basically all we know about the wedding at this time. --Penelope and Javier have been together since 2007. He's 41 . . . she's 36.


IS BRET MICHAELS ENGAGED???

After BRET MICHAELS almost died, like, 12 times this year, he talked about FINALLY making an honest woman of Kristi Lynn Gibson, his on-and-off girlfriend of the past 16 years --Well, a so-called "source" says that Bret popped the question over the 4th of July weekend at his ranch near Scottsdale, Arizona . . . and she accepted. --The source says, quote, "Bret felt like now was the time because Kristi has been through so much with Bret and has been by his side every step of the way. He's woken up. He now knows he wants to be a husband." --Bret and Kristi have two daughters together . . . 10-year-old Raine and 5-year-old Jorja.


VINCE VAUGHN IS GOING TO BE A FATHER:

VINCE VAUGHN and his wife, Kyla Weber, are expecting their first child. There's no word on a due date. Vince and Kyla . . . who's a real estate agent from Canada . . . got married in January.


IS RIHANNA BACK IN TOUCH WITH CHRIS BROWN???

As far as we know, RIHANNA is still dating MATT KEMP of the Los Angeles Dodgers. But that hasn't stopped her from getting back in touch with her ex, CHRIS BROWN. --"Heat" magazine says Rihanna called Chris recently . . . quote, "It's been almost a year since they last spoke, but Rihanna felt like she could try to be friends with Chris again. --"Seeing how emotional he was on set [at the BET Awards] really touched her. She'd never seen him like that before. --"Chris told her that he felt like he's grown up in the past year. He's said he's so happy to be back in touch with her. --"They were each other's first love and he's missed her so much. Rihanna knows that if she wanted him back, he'd be there in a second." (--Technically, Chris and Rihanna can't meet face-to-face. After he assaulted her last year before the Grammys, he was ordered to stay at least 100 yards from her for the next five years.)


LARRY HAGMAN . . . WHO PLAYED J.R. EWING ON "DALLAS" . . . IS NOW SHILLING SOLAR ENERGY:

Here's some new millennium irony for you: LARRY HAGMAN is best known for playing greedy oil magnate J.R. Ewing on the '80s drama "Dallas". And now, he's shilling SOLAR ENERGY. --Larry is actually big into solar . . . and has what he believes is the nation's largest residential solar energy system at his home in Los Angeles. --Now, he's the new face of a company called SolarWorld, whose slogan is "Shine, Baby, Shine." That's a take off on the pro-oil slogan, "Drill, baby, drill", obviously. --Hagman says, quote, "When affordable oil gives out, we're in real trouble . . . I mean the collapse of civilization, within 15 to 20 years." --He also believes solar can be a good source of employment . . . quote, "We've got a work force that's looking for jobs. We've got a long line of people returning from wars."


GEORGE STEINBRENNER IS DEAD:

Legendary New York Yankees owner GEORGE STEINBRENNER died following a massive heart attack yesterday morning in Tampa, Florida. He was 80 years old. He had been in failing health due to a series of strokes over the past few years --Steinbrenner and 15 limited partners bought the Yankees from CBS for a mere $8.8 million in 1973, and turned them into a billion-dollar franchise. (--They're worth an estimated $1.6 billion today.) --Under his watch, they went to 11 World Series and won seven of them. -Steinbrenner wasn't the easiest guy to love, though. He feuded with several players, including REGGIE JACKSON, LOU PINIELLA and GOOSE GOSSAGE. --His most legendary feud was with manager BILLY MARTIN, whom he hired and fired FIVE TIMES from 1975 to 1988. --In another infamous career moment, Steinbrenner fired YOGI BERRA as manager just 16 games into the 1985 season. He publicly apologized to Yogi in 1999. --Yogi said yesterday, quote, "George and I had our differences, but who didn't? We became great friends over the last decade and I will miss him very much." --In all, there have been 22 managerial changes since Steinbrenner took ownership of the team in '73. (--Although he's basically been retired since 2006, so he really had nothing to do with the last change . . . which was the hiring of Joe Girardi in 2008 after the departure of Joe Torre.) --Steinbrenner was also suspended from baseball twice. First, for making an illegal contribution to RICHARD NIXON'S re-election campaign in 1974. That was supposed to be a two-year suspension, but it was later reduced to 15 months. --In 1990, he was suspended FOR LIFE for hiring a small-time gambler to dig up dirt on former player DAVE WINFIELD . . . who was suing Steinbrenner for failing to pay his charitable foundation an amount that was agreed upon in his contract. --That suspension was lifted three years later. --In the 1990s, George became a network TV star . . . sort of . . . when he was added as a character on "Seinfeld", after George Costanza . . . (--played by JASON ALEXANDER) . . . got a job with the Yankees. --Steinbrenner himself never appeared on the show. He was played by an actor who was only shown from behind, and his voice was provided by series co-creator LARRY DAVID. --Steinbrenner did shoot three scenes for the Season 7 finale, but they were edited out because the show was running too long. You can see them on Disc 4 of the Season 7 DVD.
(--You can see some of his work at this YouTube link . . . but the audio is kind of messed up and out of sync . . .)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_LD3udSurzw
--Here's what Seinfeld had to say about Steinbrenner's death . . . quote, "Who else could be a memorable character on a television show without actually appearing on the show? --"You felt George even though he wasn't there. That's how huge a force of personality he was. --Steinbrenner is survived by his wife Joan, two sons and two daughters. (--This is actually the SECOND Yankee death in the past few days. Legendary Yankee Stadium announcer BOB SHEPPARD died Sunday, at the age of 99.)


BEN ROETHLISBERGER WAS INVESTIGATED FOR PEEING ON A GOLF COURSE:

BEN ROETHLISBERGER'S "little Ben" almost got him into trouble again last Friday. -Ben was golfing at the Muirfield Village Country Club in Dublin, Ohio, when someone reported that a man fitting his description was seen urinating on the course. --Police were called, but nothing came of it. Ben was long gone, and there wasn't really any evidence that a crime had been committed. --A rep for the golf course says, quote, "We had a full slate of golfers that day . . . it may have been anyone."


LAWRENCE TAYLOR HAS PLEADED NOT GUILTY:

LAWRENCE TAYLOR pleaded NOT GUILTY yesterday to charges that he had sex with an underage prostitute in an upstate New York hotel room back in May. He's due back in court next month. --Taylor is facing numerous charges, including third-degree rape, sexual abuse, endangering the welfare of a child and patronizing a prostitute. If convicted on all charges, he could be looking at four years in prison.


ALEX RODRIGUEZ WILL MAKE HIS MOVIE DEBUT:

New York Yankees stud ALEX RODRIGUEZ will make his movie debut in "Friends with Benefits" . . . a comedy starring JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE and MILA KUNIS. The story follows two friends as they come out of disastrous relationships. --It also stars Woody Harrelson, Jenna Elfman, Andy Samberg and Emma Stone. There's no word whether A-Rod will be playing himself . . . but we're gonna go ahead and assume so, since he doesn't have any acting experience. --Alex will shoot his scenes when the Yankees have days off. (--A-Rod is dating Justin's ex, CAMERON DIAZ . . . which may have helped him land the part.)


MARIO LOPEZ IS GETTING HIS OWN VH1 REALITY SHOW:

"Saved By the Bell" legend MARIO LOPEZ will star on an upcoming reality show. But don't get too excited. Why? For starters, it's a VH1 reality show. --If that alone isn't enough of a turn off . . . the show will follow Mario and his girlfriend, Courtney Mazza, as they, quote, "prepare for the birth of their first child." --If you're still not off this yet, here's the kicker: The drama will be racheted-up by the challenges Mario faces as he bravely balances his career . . . hosting "Extra" and "America's Best Dance Crew" . . . and fatherhood. (--Yeah . . . no thank you.) --It'll premiere sometime this fall.


IT'S OFFICIAL: SELA WARD IS COMING TO "CSI: NEW YORK":

When MELINA KANAKAREDES announced she was quitting "CSI: New York", we heard SELA WARD was in line to replace her. Well, it's now a done deal. --Sela will play "an experienced investigator from Washington D.C., whose work is driven by her empathy for the victim." --The usual, boring statements have been released . . . the show's producers are, quote, "delighted" to have Sela, and Sela is, quote, "thrilled" to be joining the show.


HERE'S SOME FOOTAGE FROM CAPTAIN PHIL'S LAST "DEADLIEST CATCH" EPISODE THAT AIRED LAST NIGHT:

Before "Deadliest Catch" star CAPTAIN PHIL HARRIS died back in February, he allowed the show's cameras to film his final days. Well, the last of that footage aired on last night's episode. (--"Deadliest Catch" airs on the Discovery Channel.) (--Captain Phil died less than two weeks after suffering a brain hemorrhage.) --The episode featured Captain Phil's sons, Jake and Josh Harris, saying goodbye to their father. It was pretty sad. (--You can watch some of the footage, here . . .)
http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b190231_deadliest_catch_shows_captain_phils.html



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

--"The 2010 ESPYS" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. Eastern on ESPN. (--"Saturday Night Live's" Seth Meyers is your host for the 18th annual sports awards. (--The Arthur Ashe Courage Awards will be given to an Iowa family that forgave a former player who murdered the town's long-time football coach.)

--"Big Brother 12" [Power of Veto competition] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.

--"So You Think You Can Dance" [Performance Show] . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. (--The top seven dancers perform.)

--"America's Got Talent" [Results Show] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Four acts will be chosen for the Top 24.)

--"Ghost Hunters International" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Syfy.

--"The Real World: New Orleans" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on MTV.

--"Psych" [5th Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on USA.


BONO SAYS HE WAS "REBUILT BY GERMAN ENGINEERING" . . . AND U2 IS READY TO TOUR AGAIN:

U2 was forced to postpone the North American leg of their 360 tour back in May . . . when BONO underwent emergency spinal surgery after somehow injuring himself during rehearsals. --Well, U2 is ready to hit the road again. They'll return to the stage on August 6th . . . in Europe. The European tour was initially in doubt, but now that Bono has recuperated, it'll go on as planned. --The 16-date North American tour, which was supposed to kick off last month, was scrapped . . . but the band has rescheduled all the shows for next year. --The new dates will stretch from May 21st in Denver . . . through July 23rd in Minneapolis. (--If you still have tickets from any of the cancelled shows, they'll still be good for the new shows . . . or you can get a refund.)
(--You can find all the rescheduled dates at U2.com, here . . .)
http://www.u2.com/news/title/north-american-tour-2011-rescheduled-dates
--In a YouTube video, Bono jokes, quote, "I'm ready, rebuilt by German engineering. Better design, I'm told." --He adds, quote, "I'm very well. I can sit. I can stand. I can move around a bit. Feeling strong, feeling confident, know what I'm saying? --"I actually wanted to apologize for the trouble that this injury has put you all through and those of you that bought tickets and organized hotels and travel plans, it's a very big deal . . . we don't take you for granted. --"It was not a lot of fun for me, the injury was quite serious." (--You can watch the full video at the link below. It's very D.I.Y. . . . in fact, the video ends, strangely, with 40 seconds of an empty, black screen.)
(--Maybe it's somehow supposed to symbolize the plight of the poor people in Third World countries who don't have access to the Internet . . . and are thus unable to watch U2 video messages. Hey, would it surprise you if it was???)
http://www.u2.com/news/title/were-coming-back/


SEAN LENNON LET LADY GAGA PLAY JOHN LENNON'S PIANO . . . AND BEATLES FANS FREAKED:

JOHN LENNON'S son SEAN LENNON . . . the kid he had with YOKO ONO . . . recently let LADY GAGA play John's infamous white Steinway piano, and then posted a picture of it on Twitter. --And in the picture Lady Gaga was wearing a skimpy outfit . . . naturally. Sean's caption read: Quote, "With Gaga at mom's house, she's belting on the white piano." --Well, that didn't go over well AT ALL with Beatles fans, who immediately began screaming bloody murder to Sean on Twitter. It got so intense that Sean eventually took the picture down . . . but he also wants everyone to CHILL OUT. --Sean said, quote, "Pianos are meant to be played. Why is everyone so uptight? What should we do, lock it away in a dusty room? So judgmental. --"Firstly, [John] gave that piano to my mother for her birthday, it is hers, secondly, he was not uptight the way you seem to be. Come on, lighten up . . . life's too short, there're enough real problems in the world."


MUSE "SOLD THEIR SOUL" TO BE ON THE "TWILIGHT" SOUNDTRACKS:

MUSE have appeared on all three "Twilight" soundtracks . . . and the band admits that in doing it, they sold out a little, but they needed it to become bigger in America. --Bassist Chris Wolstenholme explains, quote, "I'm not sure how cool it is to be on those kind of things . . . --"But sometimes you've just got to get your music out there in different ways. You have to take every opportunity you get . . . and sometimes you have to sell your soul."


LIL WAYNE SPENDS A LOT OF HIS TIME IN PRISON ON THE PHONE:

LIL WAYNE has put up yet another letter to his fans on WeezyThanxYou.com . . . and in this one, he details his daily routine at Rikers Island prison. And man, it sounds like he spends a TON OF TIME talking on the phone. --He said, quote, "I wake up around 11:00 A.M. Have some coffee. Call my kids, and my wonderful mother. I then shower up. Read fan mail. Have lunch. Back on the phone. Read a book or write some thoughts down . . . --"Have dinner. Phone. Push-ups. Then I listen to ESPN on the radio. Read the Bible, then sleep. That's my day." --Wayne also said he's been writing some killer lyrics . . . quote, "There's no word that I can think of that properly defines them. 'Amazing' would be too typical, and 'perfect' would be unfair." (--"Marvelous," maybe? Read Wayne's letter, here . . .)
http://weezythanxyou.com/2010/07/13/letter-04-as-time-flies/


NAZZYS RANDOM STUFF


20% OF PEOPLE HAVE SENT A DIRTY TEXT TO THE WRONG PERSON:

--According to a survey by a British company called Sell My Mobile, a full 20% of people, or one out of every five, have accidentally sent a dirty text to the wrong person. --People under 25 are the sloppiest . . . 43% have sent a nasty text message to the wrong person. There's no difference between men and women . . . both are equally careless. --Family members are most likely to get an errant dirty text . . . 40% of the people who've screwed one up have sent it to a parent or relative. --27% have accidentally sent one to a friend, 11% to an ex and 10% to a co-worker. --The survey also found that about 20% of people don't bother to wipe out their contacts, messages and pictures before they sell, give away or recycle their old cell phones. (Washington Post / WebUser.co.uk)


MEN ARE BETTER ENTREPRENEURS THAN WOMEN BECAUSE OF HOW OFTEN WOMEN REJECT THEM:

Here's a good thing to think about when you use a GENIUS pick-up line on a woman and, for some reason, she rejects you. Each time you get turned down by some random girl, you're one step closer to starting the next Google or Apple. --According to a report published in the "MIT Entrepreneurship Review", men are far more successful at starting businesses than women because they're so used to getting rejected. --Quote, "Asking someone out is not unlike trying to start a business. You will be met with rejection, from investors, customers, friends, family, hapless observers, perennial cynics." --"By the time they are 18, most boys are far more amenable psychologically to entrepreneurship than most girls because of the coping mechanisms boys have developed [thanks to female rejection]." --The report also has a second theory why men are generally stronger entrepreneurs than women. Males and females seem to be programmed to handle risk differently . . . and in a way that seems to favor men in the business world. --Studies of younger children show that girls worry about ALL the possible risks of an activity . . . while boys only worry about BIG risks, but are more willing to take little ones. --For example, a girl on a swing would think "how likely is it that I'll get hurt if I jump off this swing?" while a boy would think, "how badly will I get hurt if I jump off . . . and if it's not that bad, I'm going to do it." (Jezebel)


THE WORLD'S FIRST LASAGNA SANDWICH HAS DEBUTED IN ENGLAND:

If you think America's the only country trying to create the world's most delicious and unhealthy food mash-ups, the good people of England would like you to know they can construct monstrous fattening creations as well as we can. --The British supermarket chain Tesco just released the world's first LASAGNA SANDWICH. And yes, that's two pieces of bread with several layers of meat and cheese lasagna shoved in between. --The sandwich isn't actually that big, but it still squeezes in 565 calories and 27 grams of fat. They're being sold for about $3.75. (Daily Mail)


WORKERS IN LONDON ARE TRYING TO REMOVE 1,000 TONS OF SOLIDIFIED FAT FROM CITY SEWERS:

In London, lots of restaurants tend to dump their cooking fat down the drain instead of into the garbage. And it's causing a problem: The London sewers have been COMPLETELY OVERTAKEN by FAT. --Right now, sewer workers are removing more than 1,000 tons of solid FAT from the pipes, to prevent a major plumbing disaster. And the problems was so bad, they had to bust through a four-foot wall of solidified fat just to enter the sewers. --The cleanup will take about two months, and it's happening under one of the city's main tourist attractions . . . Leicester Square. (--It's pronounced "Lester" Square.) (AFP)


MEN ARE AFRAID TO ORDER VEGETABLES OR YOGURT BECAUSE IT MAKES THEM LOOK "GAY":

Apparently, there's a reason men go to restaurants and order things like steak and gravy. And it's not just because they're delicious. No . . . men order those things so they look HETEROSEXUAL. --A new study found that men at restaurants gravitate to stereotypically manly things, like the words "heavy" and "hearty," and foods like gravy and meat. And they stay away from stereotypically female things, like vegetables, white wine, and yogurt. --Even if a man really wants a delicious pasta with a white wine sauce, he might order meat sauce instead, because, quote, "men forgo their preferences to conform to a masculine gender identity." -Or, as "Toronto Life" magazine puts it in their write-up of the study, quote, "guys are socially conditioned to think [ordering things like] yogurt makes them gay." --The study did find that men WILL sometimes order feminine-sounding foods when they have less time to order. --In other words, if they have less time to think about how they'll be judged for their order, the more likely they are to order what they really want . . . no matter how feminine it is.
(Toronto Life)


THE AMOUNT OF PEOPLE GETTING FOOD POISONING FROM SALSA AND GUACAMOLE HAS MORE THAN DOUBLED:

I'm not usually one to be suspicious of the Mexicans . . . but I have it on good authority that they got us addicted to their delicious food, and now they're using it to POISON US. --According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of people who got food poisoning from salsa and guacamole has more than DOUBLED in the last decade. --Between 1984 and 1997, about 1.5% of food poisoning cases at restaurants were connected to salsa and guacamole. Between 1998 and 2008, that exploded to 3.9% of cases, or one out of every 25 cases. --The main reason is that Mexican food has gotten more popular, so more people than ever are eating salsa and guacamole. --And since those two foods don't require any cooking . . . where the heat could kill the bad bacteria . . . it's easier for them to cause an outbreak. --Bad storage times and temperatures were responsible in 30% of the Mexican food poisoning cases. A food worker passing his own germs into your salsa and guacamole was responsible 20% of the time. (--The CDC didn't say what the cause was the other 50% of the time.) (Wall Street Journal)


PERFECTIONISTS ARE 51% MORE LIKELY THAN SLACKERS TO DIE AN EARLY DEATH:

If you're the kind of person who religiously pays every bill on time, alphabetizes your CDs and DVDs, and makes sure every single detail in every e-mail you send is absolutely perfect . . . here's some bad news. --The guy with the 543 credit score who's smoking reefer on the stained, used couch he bought from Goodwill is probably going to outlive you. --According to a study by Trinity Western University, perfectionists are 51% more likely than laid-back people to DIE AN EARLY DEATH. --The stress and anxiety that come with perfectionism take enough of a toll on the body that they can cause health problems that shrink your life expectancy. Stuff like heart disease and hypertension. --The study did find one big health benefit to perfectionism though. If you've got type two diabetes, your perfectionism helps you keep your blood sugar levels where they need to be. --Perfectionists were 26% less likely than slackers to die from diabetes or its complications. (New York Daily News)


EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED DOESN'T REALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE:

People love catchphrases like "expect the unexpected" or "be prepared" or "keep your head on a swivel." Unfortunately . . . it turns out that those sound cool but don't actually WORK. --A study at the University of Illinois found that whether you're "expecting the unexpected" or just kinda hanging out, if someone surprises you, you'll react the same way and with the same response time. --When something happens suddenly, it takes a moment for you to process it . . . and then your brain instinctively responds, whether you were expecting to be surprised or not. (Businessweek)


LIFE ON EARTH GETS WIPED OUT EVERY 27 MILLION YEARS. FORTUNATELY WE'VE GOT A FEW LEFT:

Bad news and good news here. The bad news: According to scientists from the University of Kansas, they're 99% sure that all life on Earth is wiped out every 27 million years. The good news: We've got a solid 16 million until that happens again. --The researchers at Kansas found that there's a mass extinction every 27 million years . . . and, usually, it's from a comet or asteroid crashing into the Earth. --The last one hit about nine million years ago, so we should all probably be gone by the time the next one comes. Probably. --The most popular theory for the dinosaurs' extinction was an asteroid hitting the Earth. The asteroid is estimated to be about nine miles wide and hit with a force about ONE BILLION times stronger than an atomic bomb. (Daily Mail)


A COLLECTION AGENT CALLS A HOUSE TO TRY TO TRACK DOWN A LATE PAYMENT . . . AND ENDS UP SAVING A FOUR-YEAR-OLD BOY'S LIFE!

I'm about to utter a sentence that's never been said before in the history of mankind: Today, we're celebrating a COLLECTION AGENT as a true American hero. --Chamara Washington of Richmond, Virginia, works at a Capital One credit card call center. Last week, she was making collection calls and ended up calling a house in Georgia. --A four-year-old boy answered the phone, crying. Chamara says he sounded DESPERATE and she could tell something was seriously wrong. --He asked Chamara to come help him . . . the adult he was with fell asleep three days ago and hadn't woken up. He said he'd just made himself cereal for dinner, he was incredibly scared, and he couldn't figure out how to turn on the TV. --Chamara decided to step in, and called the police. They traced the call to the home in Georgia, where they found the boy and his deceased relative. The boy was put in the care of the Georgia Child Protective Services agency. --Chamara's supervisor called her a, quote, "hero. She did the right thing and saved the boy's life." (CBS 6 - Richmond)


NEED A FRIEND? THERE'S A WEBSITE THAT WILL LEND YOU ONE FOR $10-AN-HOUR:

For some reason, this seems REALLY creepy to me . . . but not like Craigslist Casual Encounters creepy, more like sad and uncomfortable creepy. --There's a website called RentAFriend.com that lets you, yes, rent a friend. The price starts at $10-an-hour . . . and when you pay, some stranger will come hang out with you, talk to you, eat meals, go shopping, whatever. --A 30-year-old guy named Scott Rosenbaum founded the site. He says it's popular for people who are visiting new cities and want a tour guide or someone to eat with . . . or people who need a second opinion for shopping or buying a car. --The service isn't cheap, though. To rent a friend you need to become a member, at $25-a-month or $70-a-year. Then you have to pay your friend between $10- to $50-an-hour . . . plus pay for their meals and other expenses when you're together. --The membership fee is there to try to keep the sketchy people out . . . by becoming a member, the site can run a background check on you and make sure you're not a serial killer. It's also how the site makes all of its money. --If you want to sign up to be a rentable friend, there's no fee, and you get to keep your entire hourly wage. Right now about 22,000 people have signed up to be people's friends . . . and it's as easy as setting up a profile on the site. --And, since you're clearly wondering what we were clearly wondering, NO, this can't be used for sex. If the site gets word you're asking for or offering sexual services, your account is cancelled immediately. (ABC News)


PRESIDENT OBAMA IS "GUARANTEED" TO BE RE-ELECTED ACCORDING TO A NEW PRESIDENTIAL PREDICTION FORMULA:

Good news if you're one of the 48% of Americans who still approve of PRESIDENT OBAMA. According to a professor at American University, there's a 100% guarantee he's going to be re-elected in 2012. --The professor is Allan Lichtman, and he says he's come up with a foolproof method to predict the presidency. And it doesn't have anything to do with opinion polls or trends. --It takes into account 13 different major political keys and uses those to figure out whether the incumbent's party is going to win or the opposition party is going to win. --If five or fewer of the keys are false, the incumbent's party will win the presidency. If six or more are false, the opposition party wins. Right now, only four of the 13 are false, so things look good for Obama. --The four things going against him are: No major foreign policy victory . . . having his party lose Congressional seats in midterm elections . . . slow economic growth . . . and the fact that he's not viewed as a charismatic national hero any more. --Some of the things going for him are: There's no strong candidate from his own party who will battle for his nomination . . . he's had no major international failures . . . he's effected major changes . . . and he hasn't had a major scandal. --Lichtman says, quote, "The keys show elections are not horse races. The American [voters] choose a president according to the performance of the party holding the White House as measured by consequential events." (Politics Daily)


NAZZY’S SILLY VIDEOS OF THE DAY

#1.) NOW THERE'S A YODA VOICE FOR YOUR GPS:

In May, a company called TomTom released a Darth Vader GPS voice. And they made a YouTube video of fake Vader outtakes from the recording studio to promote it. --Now there's a new one of YODA that shows him struggling to give directions without rearranging the words of the sentences. (--Search for "Yoda TomTom GPS YouTube." Here's the Yoda video and the Darth Vader video.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdcJVuylmsM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ljFfL-mL70


#2.) HERE ARE THE BEST SOCCER "FLOPS" OF ALL TIME:

The one amazing thing about watching the World Cup was seeing all the players PRETEND to get injured. --There's a video on YouTube that shows some of the worst soccer flops EVER. And it's set to a hilarious acoustic version of "The Imperial March" from "Star Wars". (--Search for "worst football dives ever ham actors.")
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ioyt2zzm530


#3.) AND NOW . . . "DEER MAN":

Some guy used a ton of body paint to make himself look like a deer, and he even made antlers and a snout. But he ended up looking like something out of a nightmare. (--Search for "the deer man StupidVideos.com.")
http://www.stupidvideos.com/video/just_plain_stupid/The_Deer_Man/
THREE QUESTIONS YOU SHOULD NEVER ASK YOUR TEENAGER:

If you want to be a good parent, you're supposed to stay active in your kids' lives and ask a lot of questions. But try telling that to people who have teenagers: If you ask questions in the wrong way, you'll get nothing.

--So here are three questions you SHOULDN'T ask your teenager . . .

QUESTION #1.) "HOW WAS YOUR DAY?" It's worse than saying nothing, because it's vague and you don't sound like you really care. So they'll just say, "It was FINE." -So try to ask questions about specific things. If they had sports practice that day, ask what happened. Or if you knew they had a test, ask how it went. If they say it went "FINE," ask what some of the questions were.

QUESTION #2.) "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?" Teenagers are impulsive by definition. For real: The pre-frontal cortex of the brain regulates decision-making and impulse. But in teenagers, the pre-frontal cortex is still developing. --So when you ask what they were thinking, and they say, "I don't know" . . . it might actually be true.

QUESTION #3.) "WHY DIDN'T YOU JUST SAY NO?" Obviously, peer pressure and the need to fit in are HUGE with teenagers. --And according to a 2006 study by the Boys and Girls Club of America, teenagers think the most annoying advice their parents give them is to "just say no." What they WANT is advice on HOW to say no. (GALTime.com)


SITE FOR SORE EYES:

www.retailmenot.com/coupons/airlines

Airline fares might keep going up, but you can knock down the price with coupon codes for travel booking sites like Expedia.com, Orbitz.com and Travelocity.com, as well as individual airlines, at this neat website.


LIFESTYLES:

COMPANY COMPUTER SNOOPING ON THE RISE

A new survey released by computer security firm Cyber-Ark has found that snooping is on the rise among American companies. In fact, 40% of IT workers said they or someone they know has used an administration password to get confidential or sensitive information on a worker. Most employees agree that e-mail snooping takes place, but even more say they don’t believe their employer snoops on them.
_____________________________________________

THE PERFECT TEMPERATURE

Believe it or not, a new study has discovered there is a perfect temperature that enables workers to be the most productive. While some say they work better when it’s warm, others say they work better when it’s cooler. But the survey posted on www.TheAtlantic.com, says performance increases with temperatures ranging from 60 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit. Meanwhile, productivity decreases with temps between 73 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. After crunching the numbers, researchers determined the perfect temperature for greatest productivity is 71.6 degrees Fahrenheit.


FACEBOOK FATIGUE

Too much of a good thing can flat wear you out! About 90% of online teens use at least one social networking site, Facebook being the top destination, but 19% who are on Facebook say they no longer visit the social site or are using it less, according to a new survey from online gaming site Roiworld.com. The survey found that while teens spend a significant amount of time on social networks – around 80% of their online time – Facebook’s popularity is beginning to dwindle. Why?

· 45% have lost interest.
· 16% are leaving because their parents have joined.
· 14% think “too many adults/older people” now use the site.
· 13% are concerned about their personal privacy.

However, Facebook remains the most popular social network among teens – 78% have created a profile and 69% are still active. YouTube ranks second with 64% of teens claiming to have an active account, while MySpace comes in third (41%) and Twitter fourth (20%).


WOULD YOU PAY FOR E-MAIL?

Just over half of Americans communicate via e-mail every day, but if they were charged even a small amount for each one sent, e-mail use would drop dramatically. A new Rasmussen Reports survey finds that 51% of adults use e-mail every day, while another 15% utilize it almost every day; 14% write e-mails either once a week or several times a month, while 18% have never used e-mail. If charged a small amount for each e-mail sent, 39% of Americans say they would stop using it completely. Forty-three percent say a small fee would greatly reduce their use of e-mail, and another 11% would continue to use it as they do now.