HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (08-18-11)

Kim Kardashian's $20 Million Wedding by the Numbers:

KIM KARDASHIAN and KRIS HUMPHRIES are getting married on Saturday. AOL says they're spending $20 MILLION on the wedding . . . which, incidentally, is 20 TIMES what DONALD TRUMP spent on his last wedding.

--Here are some other interesting numbers AOL dug up . . .

--$35 million: Kim's estimated net worth.

--$8 million: Kris' estimated net worth.

--$100: The cost of a bottle of Kim's new fragrance Love, which guests will receive.

--1,000: People invited to the wedding.

--4: Hours E!'s wedding special will be.

--20.5: Carats in the diamonds on Kim's engagement ring.

(--There's even more in AOL's handy infographic.)


Hollywood's Hottest Geek Guys:

Geeky guys have never been more popular than they are right now . . . at least in Hollywood. I don't know if the average geek is pulling more tail these days in real life. But as far as movies and TV are concerned, they seem to be everywhere. --The Huffington Post put together a slideshow of Hollywood's Hottest Geek Guys. It includes . . .

--Jesse Eisenberg

--Aziz Ansari

--Andrew Garfield

--John Krasinski from "The Office"

--Joseph Gordon-Levitt

--Michael Cera

--Darren Criss and Kevin McHale from "Glee"

--Ed Helms

--Andy Samberg

--Daniel Radcliffe

(--Check all of 'em out here.)


Gwyneth Paltrow Saved a Life on 9/11!

With the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks less than a month away, it's important that we recognize that day's many heroes: --Like the emergency responders, the brave passengers who gave their lives to keep Flight 93 from hitting the Pentagon . . . and of course, GWYNETH PALTROW. --Yes, Gwyneth Paltrow . . . who saved the life of one New Yorker on September 11th, 2001. --Lara Lundstrom Clarke was an account manager at Baseline Financial Services. That morning at around 9:00 A.M., she was on her way to her office on the 77th floor of the World Trade Center's South Tower. --But as she was about to jaywalk across the street to catch her train, Gwyneth's silver Mercedes screeched to a halt right in front of her. --Lara says, quote, "It developed into one of those classic who-goes-first situations. It got ridiculous. Then I made eye contact with the Mercedes driver. OMG it was Gwyneth Paltrow." --That standoff made Lara ONE SECOND late for her train. She literally got to it just as the doors slid shut. She had to catch the next train, so she didn't get to the Towers until AFTER the attack. --Lara says, quote, "If I had made that train I would have been at my desk on the 77th floor of 2 World Trade Center." She has since written Gwyneth a thank-you letter. --Reached for comment, Gwyneth's rep says, quote, "Yes, it is true and we have seen the report. She was deeply moved by Lara's story."


Jennifer Hudson is Prouder of Her Weight Loss Than She Is of Her Oscar:

JENNIFER HUDSON has lost a TON of weight since her days on "American Idol" . . . and obviously, she's proud of that. --But check this out: She tells "Self" magazine, quote, "I'm prouder of my weight loss than my Oscar." Jennifer won Best Supporting Actress for "Dreamgirls" in 2007. --Before she was famous, Jennifer was a size 16 . . . and she thought she was, quote, "the perfect size." But obviously, that changed. --She says, quote, "I didn't even know I was considered plus-sized until I came to Hollywood . . . An interviewer asked, 'How does it feel to be plus-sized in Hollywood?' --"I looked around, like, Who is she talking to? Oh, me? I'm plus-sized? In the neighborhood I'm from in Chicago, a 16 is normal. But in Hollywood, everyone looks exactly the same, so I stood out." --Jennifer decided to lose weight while she was pregnant with her son, who's 2 now. She says, quote, "I thought, hold on . . . why doesn't anybody know I'm pregnant? And I wanted to set a good example for my son."


Peyton Manning is the Highest Paid Player in the NFL:

The unstoppable list-makers at Forbes.com have put together a list of the Highest Paid Players in the NFL. Colts quarterback PEYTON MANNING tops it. He'll pocket $23 MILLION before this year is out.

--Here are the highest-paid football players, along with their expected salaries for 2011 . . .

#1.) Peyton Manning, $23 million

#2.) Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, $18.4 million

#3.) Tom Brady, $18 million

#4.) Michael Vick, $15.9 million

#5.) Raiders defensive end Richard Seymour, $15 million

#6.) Broncos defensive end Elvis Dumervil, $14 million

#7.) Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez, $13.5 million

#8.) Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, $12.8 million

#9.) Ravens defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, $12.5 million

#10.) Dolphins defensive tackle Paul Soliai, $12.4 million

(--Check out the list in annoying slideshow format here.)
NEW MOVIES THIS WEEKEND

The "Conan the Barbarian" and "Fright Night" Remakes Hit Theaters Tomorrow:

#1.) "Fright Night" (R)

This is a remake of the 1985 horror classic about a teenager who's convinced that his creepy new neighbor is a vampire. After his mom falls under the vampire's spell, the kid turns to a TV horror movie host to teach him how to kill the vampire before it kills him. (Trailer) --Colin Farrell is the vampire, and the kid is played by Anton Yelchin, who you know as Chekov in the new "Star Trek" movies. --One of my favorite characters from the original was Roddy McDowall's "vampire expert" Peter Vincent. In this one, he's played by "Dr. Who's" David Tennant, who channels more than a little Russell Brand into his performance, at least in early scenes. (--Check that out here.)

#2.) "Conan the Barbarian" (R)

Your new Conan is Jason Momoa, who gained some serious barbarian cred by playing Khal Drogo on HBO's "Game of Thrones". Ron Perlman plays his father, and the bad guy is Stephen Lang. You might not know Lang's name, but you'll recognize his face. He was the A-hole marine colonel in "Avatar". --There were two Conan movies starring Arnold Swarzenegger . . . the 1982 original and its 1984 sequel, "Conan the Destroyer". A third movie was planned, but Arnold moved on to "Predator" and the film never got off the ground. --This remake follows the basic story of Conan . . . a warlord destroys his village, then young Conan grows to manhood and hunts that guy down for revenge. Rose McGowan is an evil witch protecting the guy Conan needs to kill . . . and Conan's love interest is played by "Criminal Minds" minx Rachel Nichols. (Trailer) (--Check out this clip from the movie, which shows young Conan competing with other boys from his village when they get ambushed by a rival tribe. Everyone else runs away, except for Conan. It's pretty bad-ass.) (When Blood Is Spilled)


#3.) "Spy Kids: All the Time in the World (In 4D AromaScope)" (PG)

The fourth "Spy Kids" movie stars Jessica Alba as a retired spy who's forced to reveal her secret to her two bratty stepkids . . . and they become the new spy kids of the franchise. The original spy kids are both grown up, but they return to help out too. --Ricky Gervais does the voice of their robot spy dog, Jeremy Piven is the villain, and no "Spy Kids" movie would be complete without Danny Trejo as Machete. (Trailer) (--It's in 3D, but the 4D gimmick means you can get scratch-and-sniff cards that let you smell the action as it's happening. Each "AromaScope" card has eight circles on it, and you simply scratch whatever number appears on the screen.)

#4.) "One Day" (PG-13)

Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess meet on the day of their college graduation and go their separate ways. Then, over the course of 20 years, we watch as their friendship evolves, with glimpses of their lives each year on the anniversary of the day they met. (Trailer) (--Anne Hathaway speaks with a British accent for this role. It's sort of interesting to listen to her talk like that . . . but not nearly as interesting as the anti-paparazzi rap song she did on "Conan" earlier this week. Relive that moment here.) (--They created an interactive timeline on the site that includes the #1 song for each day covered in the film. The day they met it was Cheap Trick's "The Flame". Can you name the #1 song from when YOU met the love of your life?)


In His Next Movie, Daniel Radcliffe is Playing a Part that Harry Potter's Dad Played More than 20 Years Ago:

DANIEL RADCLIFFE has a movie coming out in February called "The Woman in Black". It's a classic haunted house-type story, and it looks pretty awesome . . . like something along the lines of NICOLE KIDMAN'S "The Others". (--Check out the trailer here.) -Here's some interesting trivia about the movie: It's based on a 1983 novel of the same name by Susan Hill . . . and it was made into a TV movie in 1989. --In that version, the actor who played Daniel Radcliffe's part was ADRIAN RAWLINS. -If you're not a hardcore "Harry Potter" fan, then that name will mean nothing to you. But if you are, then you know that Rawlins also played James Potter . . . a.k.a. Harry Potter's DAD. (--Of course, James Potter was DEAD long before the events of the first movie, so he always appeared either in flashbacks or as a spirit . . . or whatever you'd call a dead person who shows up every once in a while to give you a pep talk.)
ABERCROMBIE VS. THE SITUATION

Abercrombie & Fitch is Willing to Pay The Situation *Not* to Wear Their Clothes:

Abercrombie & Fitch is offering THE SITUATION "a substantial payment" to STOP wearing their clothes on "Jersey Shore". Here's how Abercrombie worded their offer: --Quote, "We are deeply concerned that The Situation's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. --"We understand that 'Jersey Shore' is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. --"We have therefore offered a substantial payment to The Situation and the producers of the show to have the character wear an alternate brand. We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently awaiting a response." --Abercrombie didn't elaborate on the amount, so it's unclear what the "substantial payment" would be. That is, assuming Abercrombie is serious enough to let it get that far. --If the offer is legit, The Situation has an opportunity to DOUBLE DOWN. He could be paid not to wear Abercrombie . . . while being paid TO wear Hustler brand clothing. --Hustler's Larry Flynt released this statement: "The Sitch may not be good enough for Abercrombie & Fitch, but he's good enough for us." He says they will, quote, "pay [The Situation] to wear their clothing, so that he can stay well dressed."


Abercrombie Vs. The Situation Fallout: MTV Says It's a Publicity Stunt, and They're Probably Right:

MTV has responded to Abercrombie & Fitch's anti-Situation offer, and if you ask me, it's RIGHT ON THE MONEY. --MTV said, quote, "It's a clever PR stunt, and we'd love to work with them on other ways they can leverage 'Jersey Shore' to reach the largest youth audience on television." --The Situation hasn't directly responded to Abercrombie, but he did Tweet, quote, "Looks like Abercrombie got themself into a Situation!" He also linked to a CNN article saying that Abercrombie's stock fell 9% after they dissed "Jersey Shore" (--For what it's worth, the article says analysts don't believe this "Jersey Shore" nonsense had anything to do with the drop. It's likely just a coincidence.) --Obviously, Abercrombie & Fitch's over-the-top statement makes this seem fairly tongue-in-cheek . . . but if you're not convinced, here's more proof that it was a stunt: --A so-called "source" tells MTV that Abercrombie never attempted to make an offer PRIVATELY to The Situation or to the show . . . so it was only done in the press. --And last summer, The Situation told "New York" magazine that the store was ENJOYING his product placement. He boasted, quote, "The show went international, and I read that it's very big overseas, especially 'The Situation' . . . --"My name, or my character . . . is known worldwide now. Abercrombie & Fitch . . . their most popular shirt, they told me, is [referred to as] 'Fitchuation.' I mean, where did they get that from? Obviously from myself." --But the nail in the coffin might be this: DJ PAULY D Tweeted, quote, "Hmmm, if they don't want us to wear those clothes, why make GTL shirts? Your PR Sux." --He's right. Abercrombie does have a GTL shirt. "GTL" . . . or "Gym, Tan, Laundry" . . . is an expression that was made popular by "Jersey Shore". (--Here's a picture of an Abercrombie "GTL" shirt.) (--And honestly, if Abercrombie was actually against morons with amazing bodies being seen in their clothes . . . they wouldn't slap their name all over their clothing, and they wouldn't select the male models that they do.) (--Anyway, The Situation has TERRIBLE fashion sense, Abercrombie or not. Gawker.com put together a fun list of "The 10 Stupidest Outfits The Situation Has Ever Worn", and it comes with photographic proof. You can find it, here.)


"American Idol" Would Like Adam Levine to Know That They Don't Shy Away from Having Openly Gay Contestants:

ADAM LEVINE recently criticized "American Idol" for shying away from featuring openly gay contestants, and suggested that the show is purposely suppressing the sexuality of gay singers. --"Idol" has gone on record about this before, saying that "sexual orientation is irrelevant to the competition". But now, "Idol" executive producer Nigel Lythgoe is responding directly to Adam's comment. And he doesn't sound happy. --Nigel tells "Entertainment Weekly", quote, "I [don't] understand why we're talking about contestants being gay or not gay. I don't go into my dentist and say, 'Are you gay?' . . . What does it got to do with me? What does it got to do with anybody? --"When does privacy stop in this country? If somebody wants to say they're gay, it's up to them. You don't expect us to turn around and say, 'Are you gay?' Why would we do that? What does that have anything to do with singing talent? --"Maybe it does for Adam Levine, but not for me." (--Nigel's comments are based on the assumption that "Idol" does NOT intentionally try to keep gay contestants' sexualities hidden, which is the part Adam is questioning. I doubt Adam thinks sexuality has anything to do with talent.) (--By the way, it's official: JENNIFER LOPEZ will be back on "Idol" next year. There's no word yet on how much she's getting paid, but it's a one-year deal. So, we can all look forward to this song-and-dance again next summer.)
TV REMINDERS

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

--"Pre-Season Football" . . . 8:00 to 11:00 P.M. Eastern on Fox. (--The Pittsburgh Steelers host the Philadelphia Eagles at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.)

--"2011 Do Something Awards" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1. (--Performers include Demi Lovato, Foster the People and B.o.B. "Glee's" Jane Lynch hosts as young "world-changers" and the celebrities that inspire them are celebrated.) (--Here are this year's nominees.)

--"Big Brother 13" [Eviction Night] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on CBS.

--"Suits" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on USA. (--"Without a Trace's" Eric Close guests as an undefeated lawyer who goes up against Harvey in a class-action lawsuit.)

--"Beyond Scared Straight" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:30 P.M. on A&E.

--"The Green Room with Paul Provenza" . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on Showtime. (--Tommy Chong, Joe Rogan, Rick Shapiro and Eddie Ifft guest.)


The Only Artists to Have Five Songs Off One Album Go #1 Are: Michael Jackson . . . and Now, Katy Perry:

Up through last month, only ONE artist had ever managed to have FIVE #1 singles from ONE album in the 53-year history of Billboard's Hot 100: MICHAEL JACKSON. --He did it with his 1987 album "Bad". The five #1 singles were: "I Just Can't Stop Loving You", "Bad", "The Way You Make Me Feel", "Man in the Mirror", and "Dirty Diana". --It also had "Smooth Criminal", but that topped out at #7. --Well, now another artist has tied that mark. And it's KATY PERRY. (???) (--Yes, this is pretty weird, but these are strange times for the music industry.) --Katy's single "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" just went #1, and it was the fifth chart-topper off her latest album, "Teenage Dream". --The other four are: "California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Firework" and "E.T.". --For what it's worth, Michael's five singles happened over nine months and two weeks, while Katy's run took one year, two months and a week. --Yesterday, Katy Tweeted, quote, "What a way to wake up! SO proud to announce that the little-engine-that-could of a song 'LAST FRIDAY NIGHT' is officially #1 & made HISTORY! . . . [and] u know, I couldn't have done it without ya."


25 Things You Don't Know About Stevie Nicks:

Which one of these two things is TRUE about FLEETWOOD MAC legend STEVIE NICKS? Is she A.) "A fanatic about good lighting in every room of her house" . . . or B.) "Deathly afraid of chickens"? --The answer is: A.) "A fanatic about good lighting in every room of her house." Although, she may very well be "deathly afraid of chickens." She just didn't say that. --Stevie mentioned the "good lighting" thing when filling out a 25 Things You Don't Know About Me questionnaire for "Us" magazine. As for what she considers to be "good lighting," she added, quote, "I often use rainbow light bulbs."

--Here are a few other highlights:

--"I love cashmere."

--"I never sit in the sun."

--"I enjoy watching cartoons."

--"I believe it's good to have your mattress on the floor."

--"I love being on a boat or looking out at sea."

--"One of the most thrilling days of my life was visiting the cast of 'Glee'." (???) (--Stevie might be suffering some memory loss from all that drug use in the '70s.) (--You can check out Stevie's complete list, here.)
Jay-Z and Kanye West Scored the Second-Biggest Album Debut of the Year:

As expected, JAY-Z and KANYE WEST had a big week on the "Billboard" chart. "Watch the Throne" sold 436,000 copies in its first week of release, which is the second-biggest debut this year behind LADY GAGA'S "Born This Way".

--The other two albums in the top 3 were also new: Luke Bryan's "Tailgates & Tanlines" sold 145,000 copies in 2nd place, and the latest "Now That's What I Call Music!" compilation moved 110,000 copies in 3rd.

1.) (NEW) "Watch the Throne", Jay-Z and Kanye West (436,000 copies)

2.) (NEW) "Tailgates & Tanlines", Luke Bryan (145,000 copies)

3.) (NEW) "Now That's What I Call Music! Volume 39" (110,000 copies)


Tracks from Game's New Album Have Leaked Online, But Obviously, He Wants Fans To Wait and Buy the Whole Thing:

Tracks from GAME'S new disc, "The R.E.D. Album", have leaked online . . . and while he's happy that his fans are digging the songs, he's asking them to wait until it drops and grab the whole thing. "R.E.D." comes out on Tuesday. --He Tweeted, quote, "I see tracks off 'R.E.D.' leaking . . . lotta love coming my way. Thanks, but if u see FULL album don't download! We only gotta another week." --Of course, Game is only saying this so that fans will actually purchase the album legally, and he can make a buck. I can't say I blame him for that. --By the way, Game will not face any criminal charges for that Twitter incident last Friday . . . when the L.A.P.D. accused him of tricking his Twitter followers into calling the Compton police station and tying up their emergency phone lines. --Game blamed it on a friend, and called the whole thing an "accident."

THURSDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS

Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:

28-year-old actress AMBER TAMBLYN and 47-year-old comedian DAVID CROSS are engaged. They've been dating for about two years. (Full Story)



JENNIFER LOVE HEWITT says she's NOT dating one of those "Bachelorette" rejects. She claims she did meet him, but it was a complete coincidence . . . and she's "totally single". But she didn't specifically deny making out with him. (Full Story)



ANDY DICK and HOWARD STERN are feuding . . . after Andy fired off some anti-Semitic slurs at Howard. (Full Story)



LINDSAY LOHAN was out doing some surfing on Tuesday. (Pics and Video)



TERRELL OWENS kept his cool while being berated by some jerk who was hurling the N-word at him. (Video)



JULIA STILES was at Los Angeles International Airport the other day, when she got a phone call that caused her to burst into tears. (Photos)



The Lewbowski Fest featuring all the main cast members went down Tuesday night, and it sounds like it was an AWESOME time. (Story with Video) (Another video)

Want to see JULIANA MARGULIES in a McDonalds commercial from 1991? Obviously, this was when she was just starting her career . . . well before she landed a gig on "E.R.". Juliana was about 25 when she did this commercial. (Video)



Italian actress ELISABETTA CANALIS is really only "famous" in the U.S. for dating GEORGE CLOONEY. But rumor has it she's doing the next season of "Dancing with the Stars". (Full Story) (--Remember when we heard "Dancing with the Stars" was going to get "more high profile" stars? Yeah.)



Did TAYLOR ARMSTRONG'S estranged husband commit suicide because he was going to be outed as a gay man? (Full Story)



KELLY CLARKSON'S next album is called "Stronger", and it's coming out October 25th. (Full Story)



SARAH SILVERMAN has a new TV show in the works. It'll be a sitcom "loosely based on her life." The really cool thing is that RON HOWARD is involved, much like he was behind the scenes on "Arrested Development". (Full Story)


RANDOM STUFF

A Man Saw a Kidnapping, Chased Down the Kidnapper, and Rescued the Victim:

This is some legit REAL-LIFE SUPERHERO stuff right here . . . --On Monday afternoon, a 24-year-old mechanic named Antonio Diaz Chacon of Albuquerque, New Mexico, came home early to spend time with his wife and two daughters. --As he was doing some laundry, he heard screams outside, ran out, and saw a man forcing a six-year-old girl into a van. He says, quote, "The way he grabbed her and threw her into the van, I knew it wasn't right." --Antonio didn't hesitate. He jumped into his pickup and started chasing the van. --The van swerved through neighborhoods, and headed toward the New Mexico desert. But just as it reached the edge of the desert, the van driver CRASHED into a pole. --The kidnapper turned out to be 29-year-old Phillip Garcia. He got out and started running away, but Antonio decided not to chase after him: Quote, "I was thinking, what if he has a gun". --So Antonio went to help the girl instead. She was okay after the crash, just shaken up. --The police were able to track down Garcia a few hours later. He was arrested for kidnapping and child abuse. He had tie-down straps and packing tape in his van. --A police spokeswoman says, quote, "This little girl was very lucky. We can only guess what would have happened to this child." --Naturally, Antonio has been praised as a HERO. The victim's family thanked him and told him they'd always be grateful, and the police have commended him for what he did. (Yahoo News)


Men Fall in Love Quicker, Say "I Love You" First, and Regret Breakups More Than Women:

Somehow, when we weren't paying attention, men got TOO in touch with their feelings. Because according to a new survey, when it comes to relationships, men have TAKEN OVER all the wide-eyed romantic clichés. Check it out . . . --Men are more likely than women to call someone "The One" within seconds of meeting her. --Men decide whether a potential relationship is the real thing after one date. But the majority of women take around SIX DATES to decide. --The average man falls deeply in love three times . . . the average woman only falls deeply in love once. --The majority of men have said "I love you" and fallen in love with someone who didn't love them back. --Men are more likely to say "I love you" first. --And finally, men are more likely than women to regret breaking up with someone, especially their first love. Women are more likely to be happy with the decisions they've made. (The Telegraph)
A 20-Year Study Figures Out the Four Types of Marriages:

Researchers at Ohio State University just released the results of a 20-YEAR study . . . where they monitored 1,000 married couples for two full decades. And they found there are four basic types of marriages . . .

--Validator marriages. Couples with equal decision-making input and lower levels of conflict. 54% of people are in these marriages, and most are very happy. These marriages have lower levels of divorce.

--Avoider marriages. 6% of couples follow "traditional" gender roles . . . wives do housework, husbands make money, and divorce is NOT an option. Believe it or not, they don't fight often . . . since there's no chance at divorce, it's not worth arguing.

--Volatile marriages. 20% of people are in marriages with HIGH conflict . . . but also high levels of happiness. Basically, the highs are very high, and the lows are very low. They have a decent chance of divorcing.

--Hostile marriages. 20% of people are in marriages where they fight constantly and are ALSO miserable. These couples almost always get divorced. --The study also found that the amount of fighting in a relationship rarely changes over time. So if you fight constantly in your first few years, you'll keep on fighting that much forever. If you don't, you won't. (LiveScience)


Teenagers in Romantic Relationships are Less Likely to Commit Crimes, Do Drugs, and Get in Trouble:

Remember THIS when your daughter comes home with her first boyfriend . . . and your gut instinct is to ban him from ever talking to your sweet, untouchable angel again. --According to a new study, your teenager being in a ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIP is a hell of a lot better than the other option. --A psychologist named Paige Harden at the University of Texas at Austin found that teenagers who are in committed, romantic relationships are less likely to commit crimes, do drugs, get in trouble, and engage in any other delinquent behaviors. --Basically, she found that teenagers who have a boyfriend or girlfriend spend more time focused on that person and less time with their friends . . . which takes away opportunities to get in trouble. --The study found that teenagers who aren't in relationships but have sex are most likely to also get into other kinds of trouble. --Teenagers with no relationships AND no casual sex are in the middle . . . they don't get in as much trouble as the hooking up group, but get in more trouble than the relationship group. (University of Texas)


Basically, No Americans Plan to Travel Overseas for Labor Day:

Labor Day is just a couple weekends away. And it appears that Americans plan on celebrating it in the most patriotic way possible . . . by REFUSING TO LEAVE THE COUNTRY. --Priceline just released their list of the top 50 Labor Day travel destinations, based on the bookings made on their site . . . and 48 are in the U.S. The other two are in Canada. No one wants to leave this continent. --There are two theories behind this. One, we ain't got no money, and it's cheaper to travel domestically than abroad. And two, seeing things like riots in London . . . a city we all figured was safe . . . have scared people from traveling internationally. --Here are the top five travel destinations for Labor Day weekend:

#1.) New York

#2.) Chicago

#3.) Las Vegas

#4.) Charlotte, North Carolina

#5.) Seattle

(PR Newswire)

(--You can see the entire top 50 here.)
One Movie Theater Chain is Taking a Stand . . . and Will Kick People Out For Using Their Cell Phones During Movies, With No Refund:

Wehrenberg Theatres is a movie theater chain based out of St. Louis that has theaters in Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Minnesota. And they could also quickly become known as the GREATEST THEATERS in the country. --Because the owners of Wehrenberg have decided to become the first theater chain in the country to take a REAL stance against cell phone use during movies . . . not just showing a graphic before the movie asking people to turn their phones off. --Starting next month, people who are caught using their phones during movies in Wehrenberg's movie theaters will be KICKED OUT . . . with no refund. --Kelly Hoskins is the marketing director for the chain. She says that cell phone use has been THE top complaint of their customers . . . so they decided they had to start taking it more seriously. --The theater staff will watch for people violating the no cell phones policy. That includes cell phones that ring . . . people who take calls during movies . . . and even people who text, because the light from the phones can be distracting. --Hoskins says this seems like it could be aimed at teenagers . . . but older adults have their phones go off JUST as much as younger people. --And, she says, so far, people LOVE the idea of the new policy. When they flashed it on-screen before movies, quote, "A couple of times over the weekend, we got standing ovations." (Springfield News-Leader)


A College Degree Is Worth More Than $2 Million Over a Person's Life . . . and a Masters is Worth Another $400,000:

College costs a lot of money, but a new study found that a college degree is STILL worth the cost. --Georgetown University's Center for Education and Workforce released their annual report showing the expected career earnings for people at different levels of education. Here's what they found . . . --People with a high school degree earn an average of $1.3 million over their career. --People with some college will earn $1.55 million, and a Bachelor's degree will get you $2.27 million, or $970,000 more than a high school graduate. --The gap between high school and college grew slightly from last year. High school grads saw their projected earnings increase by about $100,000 since last year's report, while Bachelor's degrees increased by $170,000. --A Masters degree also jumped by $170,000 from last year. It's now worth $400,000 more than a Bachelor's at $2.67 million. --A doctorate will earn $3.4 million, up $150,000 from last year and $730,000 more than a Masters. --And . . . it still sucks to be a woman. A woman needs to earn a Ph.D to earn more money than a man with a bachelor's degree. (Yahoo)


Here are the Five Places Where You're Most Likely to Get Gouged By ATM Fees:

CreditCards.com analyzed ATM fees around the world, and they now average about $2.33 for each transaction. More importantly, they figured out which places are most likely to GOUGE YOU for even more than that. Here are the top five . . .

#1.) Entertainment venues. Places like amusement parks and casinos have the highest fees: You need cash immediately, you don't have many options to get it, and they know it. --And while the study didn't mention it, we can definitely put strip clubs in this category.

#2.) Remote places. If you're on vacation on a small island, you may end up paying more. The ATMs can charge more because you have ZERO other options for cash . . . plus, they cost more to service and refill. --But, for what it's worth, the world's MOST REMOTE ATM is a Wells Fargo at McMurdo Station in Antarctica . . . and it doesn't charge a fee.

#3.) Travel spots. Hotels, cruise ships, and airports charge higher ATM fees because a lot of people need cash and there's not much competition.

#4.) Non-banks. You already know this one: Use an ATM from another bank and you'll be charged a fee. Use an ATM from a non-bank . . . just one of those random ATMs you see in businesses or on the street . . . and the fee is even higher.

#5.) Convenience stores. They usually use those non-bank ATMs. And since they get a cut of the fee, that jacks up the non-bank ATM's fee even more. (Yahoo Finance)
There's a New Device That Automatically Mutes Your TV When Certain Celebrities are Mentioned:

In theory, this invention sounds great . . . especially in today's culture, where we seem fixated on fake celebrities with zero talent. But in practice, it's got some real flaws. --The invention is called the "Enough Already." It costs $35.--You hook it up to your TV, and program in a few celebrities you don't want to hear about anymore. Then it scans the closed captioning on programs, and when your celebrities come up, the TV is automatically muted for 30 seconds. --It's a great marketing hook . . . but unfortunately, we have to rain on the parade. --This thing isn't some kind of a plug-and-play device. To make it work you need to be comfortable editing some intimidating programming code, and transferring that code onto the device. --You also need to split the video output from your TV, so that it's running to both the TV and the device. --And finally, as funny as the 30-second mute thing sounds . . . in practice, that's going to get pretty annoying, pretty quickly. At least more annoying than hearing someone on TV say the word "Kardashian." (Make) (--If you're interested and tech-savvy enough to pull this thing off, you can get started with it here.)


A Woman Beat Assault Charges . . . By Showing a Jury the Tattoo on Her Butt:

If more cases were like this one, maybe people wouldn't hate jury duty. --21-year-old Lauren Proverbs was charged with beating up a woman in a restaurant in Borehamwood, England (--about 16 miles north of London). --We're not sure when the attack happened, but we know she beat the charges last Friday . . . by showing the jury her BUTT TATTOO. --The defendant's a lesbian, and she claims Lauren called her two gay slurs, punched her in the face, and stomped on her ribs. But Lauren says that the defendant and her girlfriend were the ones picking a fight, and she threw one punch out of self-defense. --So it was Lauren's word against the defendant's, except that Lauren had a bombshell piece of evidence . . . in her PANTS. --Lauren said that she would never attack someone for being gay, because she had a gay relationship back in 2008. And while she was with her lady friend in Spain, she got a tattoo on her right buttock showing her support for gay rights. --And she showed the jury a photo of her rainbow tattoo. --At least some of the jury was swayed by the evidence. They reported back to the judge that they couldn't come to a decision last Friday, and yesterday the judge cleared Lauren of all charges. There won't be a retrial. (Daily Mail)


MEATBALL CRIMINALS

A Couple in Florida Has Broken the U.S. Cat Hoarding Record . . . With 697 Cats in Their House:

Based on all the stories we see, it would take a hell of a lot of cats to become THE biggest cat hoarder in this country. So we're disgusted to announce that a couple in High Springs, Florida managed to hit that mark. --65-year-old Steve Lefkowitz and his wife, 59-year-old Penny Lefkowitz, were caught with 697 CATS earlier this summer. SIX HUNDRED, NINETY-SEVEN. And for some reason . . . one rooster. --They were arrested on Monday night, and charged with 47 counts of felony animal cruelty each. --The Lefkowitzes were the owners of the Haven Acres Cat Sanctuary. Prosecutors believe they opened the sanctuary with good intentions . . . to take every stray cat in the area off the streets . . . but became overwhelmed. --They didn't have the time or money to prevent it from turning into a CAT SLUM . . . which is what it became. When Alachua County Animal Services raided the place, hundreds of cats were sick and dying. More than 60 were euthanized. --The county has been treating the rest of the cats and will have a big adoption event in a few weeks. (Gainesville Sun)


RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS

Stupid News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:


According to an important new study . . . London has passed New York as the world's fashion capital. Paris, Milan, and LA round out the top 5. (Full Story)


The U.S. military estimates that about $360 million in tax dollars has ended up in the hands of . . . the Taliban. (Full Story)


Do you suffer from decision fatigue? Making decision after decision all day long can wear you out. Case in point: Parole boards approve parole for prisoners they see early in the day 70% of the time . . . but only 10% of the time for cases late in the day. (Full Story)


There's no audio recording yet, but supposedly a teenager in Russia called her mom and talked to her for an hour . . . while being eaten by a bear and her three cubs. (Full Story)


NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY - 1 of 2

#1.) A Republican Politician Walks Out of a CNN Interview When Asked About Gay Marriage:

Remember CHRISTINE O'DONNELL? She's the former Tea Party candidate who lost a Senate race in Delaware, and declared she wasn't a WITCH. --Well, last night she was promoting a book called "Troublemaker" on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight" . . . but walked out after Piers kept asking her about her opposition to gay marriage. --O'Donnell said she only wanted to talk about things from the book . . . although she admitted she DOES talk about gay marriage in the book. --She ended the interview about two minutes later because Piers wouldn't let it go. And she talked about how she'd chosen to be late for another interview so she could talk about her book, not to, quote, "endure a rude talk show host." (--Search for "Christine O'Donnell Walks Off Piers Morgan Interview." She ends the interview at 2:12.)


#2.) 48 Famous Movie Lines . . . Rhymed:

There's a new video remix on Vimeo.com called "Movie Line Rhymes", and it's just a basic beat, but the lyrics are all famous movie lines . . . and they all rhyme. --A website called ScreenWerks.tv made it using scenes from 48 different movies, including "Scarface", "Airplane", "The Karate Kid", "E.T.", and "The Empire Strikes Back".


#3.) Have You Ever Noticed How Much Tom Waits Sounds Like Cookie Monster?

Sometimes when blues singer TOM WAITS does his thing, he growls and grunts like Cookie Monster. --Well, someone picked up on the idea, and posted a video online that combines scenes from "Sesame Street" with the Tom Waits song, "God's Away on Business" . . . so it looks like Cookie Monster's singing it. (--Search for "Tom Waits/Cookie Monster Mashup." Don't miss Cookie Monster dancing during the instrumental part at 1:56. WARNING: This video includes the word "God***mit".) (--If you're not a Tom Waits fan and can't believe someone ACTUALLY sings like this, watch the real music video. By the way, Waits just announced he's releasing his first new material since 2004. Read more here.)


Five Myths About Caffeine:

If you're like us, you have caffeine every single day, in one form or another. But you probably don't know much about it. For example, you probably know that chocolate has caffeine in it, but so do over 60 different plant species. --But here are five myths about caffeine you SHOULDN'T believe.

Myth #1. Caffeine Sobers You Up. You probably already know this one too: You can't sober up a drunk friend with coffee. It makes them FEEL more alert, but they'd be just as dangerous behind the wheel. --According to Yahoo, college kids who drink alcohol AND caffeine . . . in coffee, soda, or energy drinks . . . are actually MORE likely to cause a car crash.

Myth #2. Caffeine Is Bad for Kids. According to "The Journal of Pediatrics", the average American kid between the ages of five and seven has about 52 milligrams of caffeine per day. That's like one-and-a-half cans of soda. --And kids between eight and twelve have about twice that. But according to one study, a little caffeine is fine for kids, and doesn't have any detectable effects on hyperactivity or attention span.--Higher doses CAN temporarily make them over-excited, or cause sleep problems, anxiety, and irritability. But it does that to adults too.

Myth #3. Women Who Are Trying to Get Pregnant Should Avoid Caffeine. According to at least two separate studies, moderate consumption of caffeine doesn't affect your ability to get pregnant. --But to play it safe, you should limit yourself to about 200 milligrams a day, which is roughly two cups.
Myth #4. Caffeine Increases Your Risk of Developing Osteoporosis, Heart Disease, and Cancer. For most adults, three cups of coffee a day won't cause health problems. --But some people are more sensitive, including seniors and people with high blood pressure. --There's some research that suggests caffeine slightly increases your risk of osteoporosis, but only in REALLY high amounts . . . like eight cups of coffee a day. And even that much might be fine. --Caffeine also doesn't increase your risk of heart disease, raise your cholesterol, or cause irregular heartbeats. And it doesn't cause cancer either. --According to an international review of 66 different studies, coffee has little or no effect on your risk of developing pancreatic cancer or kidney cancer. --And a study of 59,000 women in Sweden found no connection between caffeine consumption and breast cancer. Sweden drinks more coffee per capita than any other country.

Myth #5. Caffeine Has No Health Benefits. Coffee has antioxidants that can help prevent cancer. And there's also some evidence that caffeine reduces your risk of Parkinson's disease, liver disease, and type 2 diabetes. But it's still up for debate. (Yahoo)