HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (02-23-11)

Alyssa Milano is Pregnant:

ALYSSA MILANO is pregnant and due sometime in the fall. This will be the first child for both Alyssa and her husband, Hollywood agent Dave Bugliari. --Yesterday, Alyssa Tweeted, quote, "We couldn't be happier. Thank you for your warm wishes and love!"


Has Rosie O'Donnell Split Up with Her Girlfriend?

The "New York Post" says that ROSIE O'DONNELL has split up with her girlfriend . . . an artist by the name of Tracy Kachtick-Anders. --Rosie and Tracy had been dating since at least December of 2009. They have 10 kids between them . . . four for Rosie and six for Tracy. (--Rosie once called them "The GAY-DY BUNCH.") --Rosie's rep wouldn't really admit to the breakup, but said, quote, "Rosie and Tracy never officially lived under one roof. They have lived near one another for quite some time, and their families still socialize and they see each other frequently." --But a source says, quote, "They have definitely split up, but it is very complicated because their kids are very close. They still spend a lot of time together." --The source adds that Rosie and Tracy are still friends, and Rosie even still has pictures of herself with Tracy posted on her blog.


Tony Parker Says Eva Longoria Can Do Whatever She Wants:

TONY PARKER was asked about EVA LONGORIA'S alleged relationship with PENELOPE CRUZ'S younger brother EDUARDO . . . and he gave the right answer. --He said, quote, "She can do whatever she wants." (--Meanwhile, Tony hosted a party over NBA All-Star Weekend . . . and all the sexy waitresses at the club wore his San Antonio Spurs jersey. Although most of them didn't wear quite as much of the jersey as he does on the court. Here's a picture of Tony with three of them.)


MILEY MANIA

Did Miley Cyrus Force Her Dad to Cancel His Appearance on "The View"?

PopEater.com says that BILLY RAY CYRUS was supposed to appear on "The View" today . . . but MILEY forced him to cancel. --A so-called "source says, quote, "When Miley found out her father was scheduled to appear, she went nuts. --"Only last week, Billy shot his mouth off in 'GQ', and now he planned to sit down with [Barbara and Whoopi] and talk more crap about his family. No way would Miley or her team let that happen." --The source adds that Miley was hoping "GQ" had taken her dad's words out of context . . . quote, "At first Miley defended her dad, wanting to believe he had been tricked into saying bad things by the magazine. --"Miley truly wanted to give her father the benefit of the doubt, goodness knows she's said things she wishes she could take back. But after she found out about his media trip to New York, no more excuses could be made."


Dina Lohan Says Lindsay Won't Wear That Tight Dress to Court Today:

LINDSAY LOHAN has a court hearing scheduled for today. But the paparazzi photos that result from it probably won't be all that exciting . . . because Lindsay will NOT be wearing that tight mini dress she wore last time. --In an interview with E! Online yesterday, DINA LOHAN said, quote, "I told her that tomorrow she's got to wear a black pantsuit." --Dina added that Lindsay didn't mean to cause such a sensation . . . she's just so damn BUSTY. --She said, quote, "Literally, Lindsay didn't think about it at all, she was coming from somewhere else that day, grabbed the dress and ripped the tags off right before she hopped in the car to go to court. --"People made such a big deal about it, but Lindsay, being a well-endowed girl, she couldn't help but look good in it. The dress wasn't risqué, it came down to her knees." (--Nice try, but that dress was nowhere near her knees. It was mid-thigh at best. Here's the photo and video proof of Lindsay in her "knee-length" dress again.) --Lindsay is in court today regarding her THEFT case. Dina is hoping Lindsay can finally put it behind her . . . and avoid jail time, obviously. --She says, quote, "Once we get through tomorrow, hopefully Lindsay can put this all behind her. She's really serious about practicing what she learned at Betty Ford." --On Friday, she's back in court for a probation hearing.

Charlie Sheen Apparently Has Two Girlfriends Now:

CHARLIE SHEEN admitted last week that he's got a girlfriend. And earlier this week, we saw pictures of him sucking face with her. --But she might not be his only girlfriend. In a chat with TMZ yesterday, Charlie mentioned that he has two, quote, "goddesses" in his life. He still didn't name either of them. --But he reportedly took both of them with him to yet another movie screening. This time, he rented a 100-foot yacht so he and his guests could watch "Jaws" at sea. (--Here's video of Charlie leaving the ship.) --Charlie still won't name either of his "goddesses". But it sounds like one of them is his porno pal BREE OLSON. Because yesterday she posted the following Tweet: --"Spent my evening on a yacht watching Jaws for the first time in my life. It was pretty much an amazing experience. Yeah... ;)"


Charlie Sheen Is Upset That the New "Major League" Script Doesn't Include Corbin Bernsen:

Who knows whether a fourth "Major League" movie will ever get made. But the filmmakers have been working on a script for a while now. --And while CHARLIE SHEEN is stoked to do the movie, there's one thing he's not happy about: CORBIN BERNSEN is getting the shaft. --Corbin's character, Roger Dorn, was in all three of the "Major League" movies . . . but he's not in the script for the new one. --Charlie says, quote, "I would love it for him to be in, but I ain't the writer or director. I'm a hired gun. I'll do my best." --Obviously, Bernsen wants in, too. His rep says, quote, "Corbin would LOVE to do another 'Major League' but it doesn't look like he's been written into the movie at this point. --"We're hopeful he gets written in by the time it's finalized though."


Chris Brown Can Have Contact with Rihanna Now:

CHRIS BROWN is allowed to hang out with RIHANNA again. But this time, if she lips off to him, he just has to TAKE IT. --Yesterday, a judge reduced the restraining order Rihanna had against Chris to a "level one", which means he's allowed to be in contact with her, but he can't annoy, harass or, obviously, physically assault her. --It was two years ago this month that Brown viciously attacked Rihanna . . . his girlfriend at the time . . . the night before the Grammys. --It was actually Rihanna's attorney who gave the court permission to lighten the protection order, which is scheduled to remain in place until 2014. (--Here's video of Chris in court yesterday, getting the good news. Rihanna wasn't there, but her attorney showed up to tell the court everything was cool.)


IT'S ON!!! Between Donald Trump and Rihanna:

Consider it ON between DONALD TRUMP and RIHANNA. --Rihanna was supposed to sing at some charity event Donald was hosting in Florida over the weekend, but she backed out due to illness. JENNIFER HUDSON took her place. -But Donald FLIPPED when he saw Rihanna at the NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles on Sunday night. --He said, quote, "I thought that [Rihanna bailing] was insulting to everyone. But for Rihanna to go to the All-Star game and perform after she told us she was sick, that is just a lack of respect." --But Rihanna has an excuse. Her rep says, quote, "Rihanna was recovering [from] bronchitis and her doctor advised her not to get on a plane as she would risk losing her voice and damaging her vocal chords. --"She feels terribly she couldn't attend but was so grateful Jennifer Hudson graciously stepped in." (--To be fair, Rihanna did Tweet about having bronchitis and laryngitis while rehearsing for her Grammy performance two weekends ago.)


Is Dianna Agron Afraid of Ex-Boyfriend Alex Pettyfer?

DIANNA AGRON and ALEX PETTYFER weren't together all that long . . . but things still managed to get pretty intense. --According to "Us Weekly", Dianna is TERRIFIED of him . . . and she's even staying at a hotel under a fake name so he won't find her. --A source says Alex has been a, quote, "psycho loose cannon" since the breakup, and has even threatened her on the phone. --He also went after actor SEBASTIAN STAN . . . (--of "Gossip Girl" and "Black Swan" fame) . . . because he thought Dianna had hooked up with him. (--Sebastian is Captain America's sidekick Bucky in the upcoming "Captain America" movie. On "Gossip Girl", he's Serena's lying boyfriend Carter.) --Another source says, quote, "[Alex] would always take her phone and read her messages and seemed really paranoid that she would cheat. [Dianna] would never do that." (--Dianna and Alex met while filming the thriller "I Am Number Four", which is in theaters now.)
Movie Studios Actually Give Mr. Skin Naughty Footage . . . Because It Helps Drive DVD and Ticket Sales:

Everyone's secret favorite website, MrSkin.com, gives out its annual Anatomy Awards today . . . celebrating the very best in celebrity nudity for 2010. --Have you ever wondered where Mr. Skin gets the pictures and video he posts on his sites? --I mean, the major movie studios would never let a glorified pornographer reduce the art they've spent so much time and money on to mere peep show material, would they? --The answer to that question is . . . YES. Yes they would, because there's a lot of money in it. -Mr. Skin himself, JIM MCBRIDE, says, quote, "Mr. Skin helps sell a lot of DVDs and movie tickets, and we hear from a lot of guys who check our site when deciding what videos to rent online. --"Studios and PR companies hear that, too. It comes down to the site attracting nine million unique visitors every month who are highly motivated movie and TV fans. --"So from the very beginning, Hollywood has recognized Mr. Skin as a promotional powerhouse. We receive screener videos and screening passes from more than 75 studios." (--And so to you, Nicole Kidman: Just remember the next time you're removing your clothing in the name of ART . . . the people who are paying you to do so already aren't really looking at it the same way.) (--They're not seeing a masterpiece. They're seeing DOLLAR SIGNS . . . specifically, all the extra ones that'll pile up when they sell you out to the spank-fest aficionados in cyberspace.)

--By the way . . . We have the advance word on a few of this year's winners.

--LUCY LAWLESS got Best Nude Over 40 for her work on the Showtime series "Spartacus".

--KIM KARDASHIAN got Best Bikini for her quote-unquote "work" on "Kourtney & Khloe Take Miami".

--JESSICA ALBA and KATE HUDSON won Best Spanking Scene for "The Killer Inside Me". (--Sadly, they're not spanking each other. They both get spanked by CASEY AFFLECK.)

--And BROOKLYN DECKER won Actress We Most Want to See Naked in 2011.


Lynda Carter Hopes the New Wonder Woman "Kicks Butt":

Legendary "Wonder Woman" minx LYNDA CARTER has given NBC's upcoming "Wonder Woman" series her blessing, and she hopes ADRIANNE PALICKI shines in her old role. --She said, quote, "I think the story needs to be retold. It needs to have a fresh look. It affected a lot of people. I think it's time, I think it's important to have it out there." --When asked if she had any advice for Adrianne, Lynda said, quote, "Gosh, I could never offer her any advice. Nor would she probably want any. If she wants to talk to me, that would be a whole different thing. --"She's an actress and she's a good actress and she's beautiful . . . and I hope she kicks butt." (--Lynda starred in "The New Adventures of Wonder Woman" from 1975 to 1979. It originally aired on ABC, before switching to CBS after the first season.) (--Adrianne's resume includes: Being a regular on the first three seasons of "Friday Night Lights" . . . and starring on the Fox show "Lone Star", which only lasted two episodes before being canceled this past fall.)


Mary Murphy Is Cancer-Free:

MARY MURPHY . . . the "So You Think You Can Dance" judge who's notorious for her shrill screaming and hollering . . . could've lost her voice to thyroid cancer. --But she underwent a successful surgery to remove the tumor back in December . . . and she says she's now cancer-free. --Mary tells "Life & Style", quote, "I'm very grateful, because I'm so upset at myself that I didn't go in earlier." She says doctors discovered the tumor three years ago, but she kept putting it off. --Eventually, her doctors forced her to take action. --She explains, quote, "They told me that the tumor had to come out and there's a chance I might not be able to talk again. Outside of the word 'cancer', I really couldn't imagine my life without hearing myself laugh. --"I just wanted to kiss my doctor! I definitely feel like there's an angel on my shoulder. I feel like somebody's looking out for me." --Mary will be back on "So You Think You Can Dance" when the new season premieres this summer. (--She took last season off . . . and was replaced by choreographer MIA MICHAELS, who's contributed to the show, off-and-on, since it began in 2005.)
Former Homeless Man Ted Williams Is Getting His Own Reality Show:

TED WILLIAMS . . . the former homeless man with the so-called "golden voice" . . . has landed his own reality show. (--And it's NOT a rehab show, despite the fact that Ted has been struggling to stay sober in the midst of all his newfound fame.) --It's called "Second Chances at Life" . . . and it'll show how Ted went from "a promising radio career, to living on the streets, to becoming a YouTube sensation." It'll also follow Ted in the present, as he tries to rebuild his life. --The show will begin filming in two weeks, but there's no premiere date. In fact, it's unclear if there's even a network attached yet. --Regardless, Ted's people are looking forward. His rep says that if it gets a second season, they plan on showcasing other people who deserve a "second chance."


Some Crazy Guy Jumped a Barricade and Startled the "Today" Show Hosts:

An "emotionally disturbed" man jumped a barricade and interrupted an outdoor segment on the "Today" show yesterday. AL ROKER later said he was shouting about how he had, quote, "God's gift" . . . or something like that. --The man wasn't shown on camera, and the show cut away to ANN CURRY in the studio as soon as it went down. MEREDITH VIEIRA credited the show's security and the NYPD for taking care of the situation. (--You can find video, here.)


Wednesday TV Reminders: (--Check your local listings.)

--"American Idol" [Hollywood Round #4] . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. (--The Top 60 head to Vegas to be trimmed down to 40. See who's going to Vegas here.)

--"Survivor: Redemption Island" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS. (--Francesca settles into living by herself on Redemption Island and waits for the second person to be voted out. Meanwhile Russell gets into it with Ralph.)

--"America's Next Top Model" [16th Season Premiere] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on the CW.

--"Shedding for the Wedding" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on the CW. (--Sara Rue from "Rules of Engagement" hosts this weight loss show, as nine pairs of chubbies compete with overweight couples to win their dream wedding.)


LADY GAGA ABSURDITY

Lady Gaga Did a Raunchy Photo Shoot with a Young Boy:

LADY GAGA recently did a RAUNCHY photo shoot for a New York clothing store called Supreme, which is focused on Manhattan "skate culture." (--The pictures were for the fashion magazine "Purple".) --A video of the shoot has surfaced, and it shows Lady Gaga posing bra-less . . . wearing a see-through t-shirt. (--It's unclear if the shirt is wet or just really thin.) Oh, and she's also not wearing any pants. --Then there are some pictures of Lady Gaga topless, while wearing white panties. She's "covering" her breasts with her arm, but she's not doing a good job on her right breast. (--You can see at least 65% of her nipple.) --Another pose features Lady Gaga apparently naked behind a giant skateboard, and there's more with her wearing nothing but a sexy black bra, panties and fishnets. --But what's got people talking is a scene where Lady Gaga poses with a young boy, who appears to be about two or three years, old while wearing the bra and fishnet costume. The photographer has the boy doing a "thumbs-up." (--You can find the video, here. ***WARNING***: There are several scenes in which you can see Lady Gaga's nipples.)


Check Out Video of Paul McCartney Grooving to Lady Gaga:

PAUL MCCARTNEY was at LADY GAGA'S concert at New York's Madison Square Garden Monday night . . . and he was caught grooving, dancing and clapping during the show. And the best part is: There's video. (--Check it out, here. You can see McCartney 14 seconds in.) --Paul was there with his girlfriend Nancy Shevell. MICHELLE PFEIFFER was there too, and there's talk that MADONNA may have also been in attendance. (--Naturally, that would be interesting, because it would suggest that Madonna is NOT upset with Gaga for allegedly ripping off "Express Yourself" with her new single, "Born This Way".) (--This concert, along with another show at the Garden last night, was being filmed for Lady Gaga's upcoming HBO special, which will air on May 7th.) --By the way, TMZ also has video of a "mysterious blonde woman being wheeled around in a clear coffin box backstage" just before the Grammys last weekend --The word is that it was Lady Gaga. If it was, that would discredit her claim that she was incubating in her egg "vessel" for THREE FULL DAYS before the Grammys. (--You can find video of the mysterious woman in the coffin, here.)


Will the Next Red Hot Chili Peppers Album Be Named After Something Ridiculous from Someone's Acid Trip?

The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' next album has the working title: "Dr. Johnny Skinz's Disproportionately Rambunctious Polar Express Machine-Head". --Seriously. --Singer ANTHONY KIEDIS says it was named after a friend's experience on LSD . . . quote, "He was reminiscing about one of his legendary acid trips, and told us that he had been playing a sold-out show to the planets and moons . . . --"And his Number One hit was, well, that title." --But before you get too excited . . . or un-excited . . . about an album with that title, Kiedis admits that it might not stick. --He says, quote, "We found it so funny that we told him for as long as the album was under the radar, that that would be our nickname for it." --By the way, for better or worse, Kiedis says the album will feature songs that are, quote, "actually thought out and planned in a way we had never done before." There's no word on a release date yet.


Did Britney Spears Make $500,000 Off Product Placement in Her New Video?

There's been some talk about the overt product placement in BRITNEY SPEARS' "Hold It Against Me" video . . . and it sounds like it was a lucrative move, because she supposedly raked in HALF-A-MILLION DOLLARS from it. --The most obvious product placement in the video is for the dating site PlentyOfFish.com. --A so-called "source" says the site shelled out "six figures" to be featured . . . and it may have been worth it, because the site has had a 20% spike in traffic since the video premiered. (--Sony, Make Up Forever cosmetics and Britney's Radiance perfume were also featured in the video . . . but not as gratuitously as PlentyOfFish. You can watch the video again, here.)


Aretha Franklin Tells Fantasia She Can't Have Everything:

ARETHA FRANKLIN has sent an open letter to FANTASIA, who boycotted the Grammys because she wasn't asked to participate in Aretha's tribute. --Aretha said, quote, "I was sorry to hear that Fantasia was upset because she did not get the opportunity to participate in my Grammy Tribute this year. --"Fantasia is still young in the business, and although we all love and appreciate her she must understand that in this business of show business she will not always get to participate in everything she would like participate in. --"I'm sure it was not an intentional omission." (--That's basically it. But you can find the full letter, here.)


WEDNESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS

America's White Trash Princess, TONYA HARDING, gave birth to a baby boy on Saturday. And the AWESOME news is that she had a C-section, so her glorious nether regions are still intact! (Full Story)


Hot on the heels of JUSTIN BIEBER, JENNIFER ANISTON has cut HER hair a little bit. (Full Story)

That "Paz" guy really did donate the $3,200 PARIS HILTON birthday cake he stole to a homeless shelter. And he posted pictures on Facebook to prove it. (Full Story)


BRIDGET MOYNAHAN refuses to talk trash about TOM BRADY or GISELE BUNDCHEN . . . but she has some harsh words for KIM KARDASHIAN and SNOOKI. (Full Story)


The March 15th episode of "Glee" will include two original songs. One is a LEA MICHELE ballad and the other features the whole cast. (Full Story)


BOY GEORGE and CULTURE CLUB are planning a 30th anniversary album and tour for next year. (Full Story)


Just over a week after winning the Grammy for Best Reggae Album, BUJU BANTON has been convicted of cocaine dealing. He could get up to 15 years. (Full Story)


The DAVE MATTHEWS BAND won't tour this year . . . but they're putting on four mini-festivals called The Dave Matthews Band Caravan. Each one will last several days and feature multiple artists. (Full Story)


NAZZY’S RANDOM STUFF

NOT-SO-STUPID NEWS

A Domino's Driver Saves an Elderly Woman's Life . . . Because the Driver Noticed the Woman Hadn't Ordered Her Daily Pizza:

Eff all the people who say that gorging on delicious pizza is bad for you. In Memphis, a woman's Domino's pizza addiction SAVED HER LIFE. --Every single day for the past three years, 82-year-old Jean Wilson of Memphis, Tennessee has ordered one large thin-crust pepperoni pizza and two Diet Cokes from the same Domino's. She's the store's very first order every day, like clockwork. --A delivery driver named Susan Guy usually delivers Jean's pizzas. On Monday, she realized something was off . . . Jean hadn't ordered a pizza since Friday. That had never happened before. --So Susan DEMANDED that her boss let her go check on Jean. He told her no. Susan told him, quote, "Clock me out if that's what you gotta do" . . . and she drove to Jean's. --She banged on the door. No answer. Then she banged on the windows. No answer. She asked a neighbor if he'd seen Jean leave . . . and, come to think of it, if he'd EVER seen her leave the house. He said no. So Susan called 911. --When the police arrived, they found Jean on the floor. She'd fallen on Saturday and couldn't get up or get to the phone. She was taken to the hospital where she's in stable condition now. --Susan is getting credit for quite possibly saving Jean's life . . . no one knows how long Jean might've been stuck there if Susan hadn't intervened. --Susan told reporters, quote, "She treats us really well. She appreciates us, and that's something we don't get in customers a lot." (NBC 5 - Memphis)


You Can Tell Your Relationship Has Potential If You're Both Equally Slutty:

Here's a new way to try to predict whether your relationship has a future. If you're dating someone just as SLUTTY as you, it's all good. If you're dating someone just as pure and virginal as you, same thing. --But a woman who's gotten-it-on with the entire 2007 Denver Broncos is going to have trouble settling down with a man who's saving himself for that special, perfect lady. --A study at Rutgers University found a very strong connection between long-term romantic partners and the number of sexual partners they had when they started the relationship. --For married couples, they found that husbands and wives with similar sexual histories had higher levels of love, satisfaction, and commitment than couples with mismatched sexual histories. (Discover Magazine)


A New Service Will Send You Sweet, Loving Texts From . . . An Imaginary Boyfriend:

If you're feeling lonely there's a new service out there that will . . . well . . . probably make you feel much, much lonelier in the long-run. -It's called Text Boyfriend. If you sign up, you pay $6-a-month to receive three sweet, loving texts every week from . . . an imaginary boyfriend. --In their marketing, they say, quote, "It's cheaper than sending yourself flowers." If you want to sign up, the site is TextBoyfriend.com. (Time)


A Study Shows Men Will Find You Gorgeous, Even In a Ponytail and Baggy T-Shirt . . . As Long As It's Your Most Fertile Time of the Month:

Here's an interesting new study out of Florida State University that proves one big thing: During certain times of the month, you could walk out of the house wearing a barrel and a hairnet and men would STILL find you attractive. --In the study, researchers called in male volunteers to put together a Lego puzzle. Each man worked with the same woman for a month, who was really one of the researchers. --The researchers didn't flirt with the male subjects, didn't make much conversation, and dressed down with just a ponytail, jeans, and a plain baggy t-shirt. --After each guy was done, they asked him to rate the woman on her attractiveness. And they found that during the time when she was at the most FERTILE point in her cycle, men rated her MORE attractive than other times during the month. --There was only one exception. Men who were in serious relationships rated her as LEAST attractive when she was fertile. --The researchers believe that's because they biologically view her as the biggest THREAT . . . so they talk themselves into believing she's not all that attractive so they won't be tempted to cheat. (New York Times)


A Lesson In Dramatic Exaggeration: The Number of People Who Say the Economy Has Changed Them "Forever" Is Down From Last Year:

I love surveys like this that are SUPPOSED to be about the economy . . . but are actually WAY more revealing about how OVERDRAMATIC people are today. --According to a survey by Citigroup, 52% of Americans say that the recession has, quote, "forever changed" the way they spend and save. --Last year, in the same survey, 63% of people said the recession has changed them FOREVER. That's an 11% difference in a year. --In other words, for one out of nine people, "the recession changed me forever" became "it changed me for less than a year." Nice to know that even though the economy is down, delusional thinking is still a booming American industry. (CNN)


We Know the Economy Is Getting Better Because People Are Buying Underwear, Starbucks, and Breast Implants:

You can finally throw out all of your frayed, yellowing, hole-ridden underwear . . . the good times are here again, baby. --Kiplinger.com just put out a list of indicators that the economy is on the way back up, and the big one is that people are finally replacing their old underwear. When the economy started tanking, underwear sales fell. Now they've finally stabilized. --Here are some more of the signs that things are very slowly getting better . . .

--People are buying desserts, appetizers, and Starbucks again. When money gets tight, people tend to order just entrees at restaurants and . . . like cavemen . . . brew their own coffee. Now appetizers, desserts, and Starbucks are back.

--Fewer depressing Google searches. The number of people Googling things like "unemployment benefits," "Social Security," and "unemployment office" spiked in July of 2010, and has been going down ever since.

--People are golfing again. When the economy went down, so did the number of people playing golf around the country. The number isn't going up again yet, but it's stopped going down.

--Breast implants are back. Elective cosmetic surgery went way down during the recession . . . apparently most people deemed buttock implants less important than paying the gas bill. Now, breast implants, nose jobs, and lipo are going back up. (Kiplinger)


The List of the World's Most Livable Cities Has Three Canadian Cities in the Top Ten . . . And the First American City is Number 29:

It kills me to say this . . . but maybe there's something to this whole "Canada" thing. The Economist Intelligence Unit just released its annual list of the most livable cities in the world, and THREE of the top 10 are Canadian cities. --Meanwhile, no American city shows up on the list until TWENTY-NINTH . . . and the city that shows up is Pittsburgh. Yes, THAT Pittsburgh. --The cities are ranked using statistics on stability, health care, culture, environment, education, and infrastructure. --Vancouver is number one for the fifth year in a row.

--The rest of the top 10 are: Melbourne, Australia . . . Vienna, Austria . . . Toronto . . . Calgary . . . Helsinki, Finland . . . Sydney, Australia . . . Perth, Australia . . . Adelaide, Australia . . . and Auckland, New Zealand.

--Harare, Zimbabwe was named the least livable city on the list. It finished just ahead of Dhaka, Bangladesh . . . Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea . . . Lagos, Nigeria . . . and Algiers, Algeria.

--For U.S. cities, our country's crown jewel of Pittsburgh finished 29th . . . Honolulu was 30th . . . Washington, D.C. was 34th . . . Chicago, Atlanta, and Miami tied at 36th . . . Detroit finished 40th . . . and Boston was 41st. (Reuters)

Half of American Dogs and Cats Are Now Officially Chubby:

You know that old saying that people and their pets eventually start to look alike? If that's true, then this makes perfect sense. --Our pets are quickly getting as deliciously chubby as we are. --New data has found that more than HALF of the dogs and cats in this country are now overweight or obese. --A pet is considered overweight if they're more than 15% over their ideal weight. --Obese means they're 30% above their normal weight. And one out of five pets in this country are obese. --The main reasons are incredibly obvious: Owners regularly overfeed their pets and don't exercise them enough. --It's a lot easier to overfeed your pet than you think, too. Veterinarians say that giving your dog or cat even TEN extra kibbles of food a day can add up to a full pound of weight gain every year. (Wall Street Journal)


MEATBALL CRIMINALS

Stupid Shoplifting Excuse of the Day #1: "I Lost a Bet and Had To Either Shoplift or Streak":

Yeah, the guy in this story is a criminal and everything . . . but he's kind of my new hero. I just pray that when I'm 58 years old, I'm still making INCREDIBLY STUPID BETS like this guy. --On Saturday, 58-year-old Irwin Krakow of Millville, New Jersey was arrested for shoplifting $43 worth of stuff from a Walmart. Security caught him with a USB card, two spoons, a nutcracker, a decorative tree, and a few t-shirts. --When the police came, Irwin confessed that he'd LOST A BET with some friends and had to either shoplift $50 worth of stuff from Walmart or run through the street naked. --When they placed him under arrest for shoplifting, he said he regretted his choice, because streaking probably would've had a smaller fine. (NJ.com)


Stupid Shoplifting Excuse of the Day #2: "The King Doesn't Pay For Cigarettes":

On Saturday, 31-year-old Joseph Borowiak of Sandusky, Ohio went into a 7-Eleven in Warren, Ohio, wearing a blue bandana over his face. He told the clerk he wanted a pack of cigarettes. She told him it was $6. --Joseph said no, he wasn't going to pay, because . . . quote, "The King doesn't pay for cigarettes." It's not immediately clear what Joseph is the king of . . . neither he nor the police provided any further information on the current status of his kingdom. --The clerk boldly defied the King and refused to give him the cigarettes. He lunged at her, grabbed the cigarettes, and ran. Police spotted him nearby, needed to TASER His Majesty to subdue him, and arrested him. (Warren Tribune Chronicle)


After Almost a Three-Month Manhunt, Police In Connecticut Have Found a Man Who Stole 58 Sticks of Deodorant By Shoving Them Down His Pants:

The good people of Connecticut can sleep a little bit easier tonight. A master criminal who's been loose in the state is finally behind bars after almost three months on the lam. --Three months on the lam . . . where I bet he smelled terrific. --This criminal is 45-year-old Joseph Mingolello of Bridgeport, Connecticut. And back in November, he shoplifted 58 sticks of deodorant . . . by shoving them down his pants. --Even though he was on video surveillance and there were several witnesses, police couldn't find Joseph. It took them almost THREE MONTHS before they finally were able to ID him off the footage and hunt him down. --The deodorant is valued at $188, or about $3.24 per stick. --Joseph was charged with third-degree robbery and sixth-degree larceny. (Connecticut Post)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS

A new survey in the UK says parents are three times more likely to let their adult sons return home than their daughters. It's because they're more likely to pay rent, help with housework, and take their parents' advice on careers and dating. (Full Story) Want to see if you could make it through the month if you lost your job? Play the game 'Spent' online . . . and get depressed fast.


Chubbies on Blast Part 1: According to a new study in the "American Journal of Cardiology", 20% of heart attack patients are back to eating fast food at least once a week just six months after their attack. (Full Story)


Chubbies on Blast Part 2: According to a new poll, 19% of morbidly obese people have never been told by a doctor to lose weight, 46% of obese people haven't, and 72% of overweight people haven't. (Full Story)


Play the new bowling video game that's controlled by . . . French kissing? The person being kissed wears a headset, and the other person fixes a magnet to their tongue. Then you control the direction of the ball with your tongue, and move it faster to make the ball go faster. (Full Story)


The budget airline EasyJet had to apologize to Jewish passengers, because a catering screw-up left only two meal choices on a flight to Israel . . . ham melts and bacon baguettes. (Full Story)


If you missed out on buying the original Amityville Horror house, try this: The house where they found JonBenét Ramsey's body is up for sale for $2.3 million. (Full Story)


A Republican Party official in Maryland is under fire . . . because she has a pet Black Angus cow named "Oprah." (Full Story)


STUPID VIDEOS OF THE DAY

#1.) A Massive Brawl Broke Out in the Cafeteria at Alabama State . . . And Police Are Reviewing the YouTube Footage:

A huge brawl involving at least 20 or 30 students broke out in the cafeteria at Alabama State University on Monday. --Somehow no serious injuries were reported, even though several students threw chairs, and at least one guy got pounded on by four people at once. --Police arrested one student on the spot, but they're reviewing the video of the fight that was posted on YouTube. So I assume more students are ABOUT to be arrested. (--WARNING: This video includes the F-word and the S-word.) (--Search YouTube for "Alabama State Cafeteria Fight." At :23, you can see one guy getting pounded on by five other dudes, then one of them tries to slam him with a chair. The fight ends when the cops show up at :58.)


#2.) Check Out a Five-Year-Old Girl Who Insists She Won't Get Married Until She Has a Job:

Here's the world's youngest feminist: Someone posted a video of their 5-year-old sister adamantly explaining why she won't get married until she has a job. --She says that if some man threatens to leave her, then she'll just find a "different man". (--Search for "5-Year-Old Needs a Job Before Getting Married")


Four Tips That Will Help You Fall Asleep Tonight:

If you didn't sleep well last night, you're not alone. Ten percent of people have chronic insomnia, and most of us experience it at some point in our lives. The best thing you can do is get some exercise. But sometimes even that doesn't help. --So here are four tips from Health.com that will help you fall asleep tonight.

#1.) Don't Look at the Clock. It just reinforces the idea that you'll NEVER fall asleep. If you can't help looking at it, try turning it around so you can't.

#2.) Don't Stay In Bed More Than 15 Minutes. According to Health.com, you have to teach your brain that your bed is for sleeping, not lying awake worrying. So you're supposed to leave the bedroom and do something quiet, like reading.

#3.) Don't Turn on the Overhead Light. Bright light disrupts the production of melatonin and wakes you up. So if you can't sleep, or you get out of bed to go to the bathroom, turn on a lamp instead of hitting a light switch. --And you should use dim lights when you're getting READY for bed too, because the sooner your body starts producing melatonin, the sooner you'll start feeling sleepy.

#4.) Don't Make Your Brain Do Anything. Don't balance your checkbook, catch up on work, or do anything else that's too stimulating. It just tells your brain that you need to stay awake. --And if you watch TV, turn on the sleep timer, then put something boring on that you don't really care about. If it's something you're interested in, you DEFINITELY won't fall asleep. (Health.com)