HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (08-30-11)
Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel Went for a Bike Ride . . . Are They Back Together?
JESSICA BIEL is in Toronto shooting the "Total Recall" remake. And on Sunday, she and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE were spotted biking around the city. (--Here's a picture.) (E! Online) --There's no word whether this means they're back together.
Beyoncé Might Be Due in February:
BEYONCÉ didn't give up many details when she announced her pregnancy Sunday night. But a so-called "source" says she's three months along, and due in February. --Beyoncé is supposed to star in a new version of "A Star is Born" for director CLINT EASTWOOD. There's no word yet whether her pregnancy will change that. --So-called "insiders" say it's more likely they'll push the movie back to accommodate her pregnancy . . . especially since they don't have a male lead yet. Eastwood's first choice, LEONARDO DICAPRIO, isn't doing it.
Hilary Duff Gets $100,000 for Being Booted from a Movie Because She's Pregnant:
Don't feel bad for HILARY DUFF because she got booted from that "Bonnie and Clyde" movie for being pregnant. She had a pay-or-play deal, meaning that she got money whether she did the movie or not. --Since the producers let her go, they had to pay her $100,000. So she pocketed six figures for NOTHING. --Still, Hilary doesn't sound entirely happy about the situation. TMZ tried to ask her about it while she was doing charity work over the weekend. --She said, quote, "I dont wanna give them any more press than they've already gotten off me . . . I think [my] baby is a little bit more exciting." (--Check out video here.)
Showbiz Photo of the Day: David Beckham Shirtless at the Beach . . . with a Sexy Chubby Bear in the Foreground:
Today's Showbiz Photo of the Day features a shirtless DAVID BECKHAM being TOTALLY SHOWN UP by a much sexier, much chubbier BEAR OF A MAN. It's lovely. (--Check it out here.) (--See more . . . including a frontal shot of this barrel-chested tub of love . . . here.)
Does Lindsay Lohan Want to Hook Up with Chris Brown?
LINDSAY LOHAN isn't known for her sound decisions. Which is why it's not all that surprising that she seems interested in hooking up with CHRIS BROWN. --After Brown's high-flying performance at the "MTV Video Music Awards" Sunday night, Lindsay Tweeted, quote, "@ChrisBrown killed it. #MTVVMAs." Then she added, quote, "@chrisbrown wanna meet?" --No word back yet from Chris.
Solange Knowles Claims She Was Harassed by Cops . . . After Trying to Get Into a Bar with an Inflatable Banana:
SOLANGE KNOWLES claims she was harassed by off-duty cops in Miami Beach Sunday night . . . after she was denied entry into a bar. --After being refused by the bouncers at a place called Club Cameo, a witness says Solange became abusive, claiming discrimination. Later that night, she went off on Twitter. Here's how she described the incident . . . --"A police officer just pulled a weapon on me . . . I have done NOTHING illegal, against the law, or anything of the sort. I am simply tired of police using arrogance, ego and authority as an offense." --"I'm only tweeting this to raise awareness. I could have left quietly, but I am sick & tired of this scenario being played over & over again. I'm ok. I'm safe & sound at my apartment. I'm just beyond frustrated with the system. --"It is time to do something about it. I am a mother raising a young black child in America. I'm going to die trying! --"Been on the phone for the last 20 minutes reporting this incident. Yes, I have the officer's name. Yes, I have the location. Scare tactics don't WORK." --That sounds pretty scary, but apparently, there's a little more to the story than that. --Police say that Solange was not denied entry on RACIAL grounds, but because she was carrying a 5-FOOT TALL INFLATABLE BANANA. --The off-duty cops took Solange across the street to calm her down. The "weapon" she claims they pulled on her was a knife . . . and they weren't threatening her with it. They were threatening to DEFLATE THE BANANA. --Solange's rep later released a statement calling the Miami Beach PD's description of the events, quote, "a sequence of false statements." --The rep says Solange and two friends got the banana at one bar, and had planned to give it to a friend's child the next day. When they got to Cameo, they were told they couldn't bring it in. --So THEY decided to go across the street to deflate it. That's where they met two cops . . . one of whom pulled out a switchblade and threatened to pop the balloon. --Then he did it again in an even more threatening manner. He then, quote, "forcefully asked them to move, gesturing that they cross the street though there was oncoming traffic.--The rep added, quote, "Solange is actively filing a report and has not yet decided on further legal action." --Last night Solange also sent a follow-up Tweet that read, quote, "Yes, very funny a balloon was involved in the incident . . . but having a switchblade pulled out on you is no laughing matter."
Did Matthew Fox Get Into a Fistfight with a Female Bus Driver in Cleveland?
This sounds like something that would happen to, say, Danny Baldwin or Busta Rhymes . . . not an actor who's seemingly at the top of his game. --But "Lost" star MATTHEW FOX is accused of getting into a FISTFIGHT with a female bus driver in Cleveland.--On Saturday night, Fox was apparently tying one on in Cleveland, when he tried to get onto a party bus. Unfortunately, he wasn't a member of the party. So the female driver tried to stop him. --Fox threw PUNCHES, hitting the woman in the breast and the PELVIC AREA. And she FOUGHT BACK, smacking Fox in the face and giving him a bloody lip. --An off-duty cop who happened to be nearby handcuffed Fox, and then he was taken into custody. Fox was detained for a while, but NOT arrested. --But the driver . . . one Heather Bormann . . . is meeting with police today and she wants assault charges pressed. --In a video on TMZ, she says that Fox, quote, "stepped in for a right hook to my pelvis area and started wailing on me like I was a man." She also bruised her hand punching him back, but luckily, it's not broken. (--Here's the video.) --By the way . . . Fox is in Cleveland filming the movie "I, Alex Cross", which stars Tyler Perry. Maybe that's why he's drinking heavily.)
Demi Lovato Wants People to Stop Picking On Her Weight:
DEMI LOVATO looked GORGEOUS at the "MTV Video Music Awards" on Sunday night. But she made the mistake of allowing herself to be photographed with her good friend SELENA GOMEZ. --Sisterhood be damned, because when you've spent time hospitalized over your body image issues, the last person you want to be seen standing next to is a chick who wears a SIZE NEGATIVE SEVEN. (--Here's a shot of them together.) (MTV) --Next to Selena, Demi looked kind of big. And of course, some A-HOLES picked up on that on Twitter. --Demi responded to the criticism yesterday, Tweeting, quote, "I've gained weight. Get over it. That's what happens when you get out of treatment for AN EATING DISORDER." --She later removed that Tweet and then posted a more positive message . . . quote, "Guess what, I'm healthy and happy, and if you're hating on my weight you obviously aren't. :) #UNBROKEN" (--"Unbroken" is the name of Demi's new album.)
Javaris Crittenton Has Been Arrested for Murder . . . and Says He's Not Guilty:
Former NBA player JAVARIS CRITTENTON was arrested yesterday at an airport in Orange County, California. He was wanted for the murder of a woman who died in a drive-by shooting in Atlanta earlier this month. --His attorney says, quote, "He offered to turn himself in. He's not guilty. We look forward to getting it to the courts." --Javaris was checking in for a Delta flight to Atlanta when he was arrested by FBI agents . . . and the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" had reported that he was indeed going to surrender in Atlanta. He was arrested without incident. --Crittenton is accused of shooting Jullian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four, on August 19th. Jones died later during surgery. --Jones was NOT Crittenton's intended target. She was walking with two men when he allegedly opened fire from a moving vehicle. Police believe Crittenton was aiming for one of those men, in retaliation for an alleged robbery. --Crittenton was suspended from the NBA along with his Washington Wizards teammate GILBERT ARENAS, after the two of them pulled guns on each other in the team's locker room over a gambling dispute in December of 2009. --Crittenton was cut from the team, and his career never recovered.
The Worst Movie of the Year . . . For Each of the Past Five Years:
MSNBC has put together a list of the Worst Movies of the Year for the past FIVE YEARS. Here they are . . .
--2011: "Just Go With It" (--That's the one with JENNIFER ANISTON pretending to be ADAM SANDLER'S ex-wife so he can land BROOKLYN DECKER.)
--2010: "Sex and the City 2"
--2009: "The Ugly Truth" (--A romantic comedy starring GERARD BUTLER and the woman almost ZERO men are interested in seeing in romantic comedies, KATHERINE HEIGL.)
--2008: "The Love Guru" (--This movie is probably the biggest reason MIKE MYERS has gone running back to the "Austin Powers" franchise.)
--2007: "Norbit" (--Could be EDDIE MURPHY'S worst movie EVER.)
(--Check out the list, along with a write-up for each movie, here.)
THE "DANCING WITH THE STARS" CAST
Chaz Bono Is Doing "Dancing With the Stars"!
ABC announced the cast for the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars" last night, and only one thing really matters: CHAZ BONO IS ONBOARD!!! --Chaz will be the show's first transgender contestant. He says, quote, "Doing this show is an opportunity for me to reach a larger, more mainstream audience with just a simple message of being transgender is okay and not something to be scared of." --Here's the rest of the cast. Keep in mind that all these people will finish the season SECOND OR LOWER, because there is no way Chaz can lose . . .
--RICKI LAKE
--L.A. Laker RON ARTEST (--By the way . . . Ron has to wait to officially change his name to METTA WORLD PEACE because of outstanding parking warrants. You can read more about that here.)
--Reality TV star KRISTIN CAVALLARI
--WILSON PHILLIPS minx CHYNNA PHILLIPS
--DAVID ARQUETTE
--Former "Queer Eye" star CARSON KRESSLEY
--NANCY GRACE (--She's the legal analyst and HLN host who hates Casey Anthony more than the rest of us.)
--J.R. MARTINEZ (--He's an Iraq War vet who suffered severe burns in the line of duty, and now appears on "All My Children".)
--Sexy U.S. women's soccer goalie HOPE SOLO
--ROB KARDASHIAN
--ELISABETTA CANALIS
(--We don't know which dancers the stars will be paired up with yet. That's being announced tomorrow on "Good Morning America". The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" debuts on September 19th.)
MTV VMAs Fall-Out: Record-Setting Ratings, Record-Setting Tweeting, and Lady Gaga Using the Men's Restroom:
#1.) "The MTV Video Music Awards" attracted a record-breaking audience on Sunday night. The show averaged 12.4 million viewers, which is a new high for both the "VMAs" . . . and MTV in general. Last year, 11.4 million people tuned in. (Full Story)
#2.) What does it take to send Twitter into a wild frenzy? Well, BEYONCÉ'S pregnancy announcement at the "VMAs" on Sunday did the trick. At that moment, Twitter was experiencing 8,868 Tweets per second . . . or "TPS", if you're hip to this kind of nonsense. --That's the largest TPS rating in Twitter's history. So, either everyone was talking about Beyoncé's pregnancy . . . or some people were, and everyone else was telling the world what they had for their nighttime snack. --The previous record was 7,196 Tweets per second. That happened during the final moments of the U.S. women's soccer team's game against Japan in July. (--Ah, the moments that are defining a generation!) (???) (Full Story)
#3.) LADY GAGA spent the entire "VMAs" as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone . . . and an "insider" tells Fox she stayed in character BACKSTAGE. And she even went as far as to use the MEN'S restroom. (Full Story)
#4.) For some reason, KID CUDI thought that he could light up a cigarette in the middle of the ceremony. MTV's staff saw him . . . and asked him to put it out. He did. (Video) (--You can see Cudi's cigarette at the 22-second mark. And to be fair to Cudi, Gaga smoked a cigarette during her performance at the beginning of the show.)
Ashton Kutcher's "Two and a Half Men" Character Won't Be the Playboy That Charlie Sheen's Character Was:
Everyone involved with the upcoming season of "Two and a Half Men" has to sign nondisclosure agreements . . . including the studio audiences. So naturally, details are hard to come by. --But JON CRYER has revealed a few things in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly". Here are the highlights: --ASHTON KUTCHER'S character, a "brokenhearted billionaire" named Walden Schmidt, won't be a Playboy like CHARLIE SHEEN'S character was. --Jon explains, quote, "I can only say my character [Alan] ends up being the more romantically experienced one of the two of them. So Alan becomes sort of a mentor character to Ashton's character. --"And as bad as an idea as that sounds, it's just as bad on the show . . . I'm a terrible mentor. And that's where a lot of the fun of the show comes from." --Jon doesn't reveal any more about the death of Charlie's character, but he does say, quote, "The history of the show does not go away at all. [The death] will be dealt with all through the first season. --"It's not, 'Oh, that character's gone, let's forget completely about him.' There will be ramifications all through the season. We're not taking this into a new universe where the first show didn't exist." --He adds that the producers haven't told him where the plot is going . . . quote, "They've cryptically hinted at stuff. One of the characters will be institutionalized, but they don't say which character or what kind of institution." --Oh, and Jon admits that Ashton's pimped-out trailer is absurd . . . but says it's become a hangout place off the set. He explains, quote, "I refer to [it] as the U.S.S. Yorktown. What's great about it is it provides shade . . . for most of the studio lot. --"It's a fun place to hang out for us and anybody on the crew. He has an open-door policy. He's got almost a club upstairs . . . he pipes music out before and after the shows and everybody hangs out. It creates a great vibe."
Mike Tyson and Steve-O Will Roast Charlie Sheen:
MIKE TYSON and "Jackass" star STEVE-O will roast CHARLIE SHEEN on Comedy Central next month. Comedians Jeffrey Ross and Anthony Jeselnik will also be there, along with TMZ's Harvey Levin. --More "roasters" will be announced later. The roast is hosted by "Family Guy" creator SETH MACFARLANE, and it'll air on September 19th. (--It tapes the week before.)
Tuesday TV Reminders: (--Check your local listings.)
--"'Seventeen' Magazine's Pretty Amazing Contest" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on MTV. (--Five girls compete for the chance at becoming the next "Seventeen" magazine cover girl. "iCarly's" Miranda Cosgrove, editor-in-chief of "Seventeen" Ann Shoket and blogger Jared Eng are the judges.)
--"Pretty Little Liars" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on ABC Family.
--"America's Got Talent" [Performance Show] . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC.
--"Red Hot Chili Peppers Live from the Roxy" . . . 9:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Fuse. (--The Red Hot Chili Peppers perform songs from their new CD "I'm With You".)
--"50 Documentaries to See Before You Die" [Mini-Series Finale] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Current TV.
--"Big Sexy" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC. (--This new reality series follows five confident plus-size women who are trying to break into the modeling and fashion industry in Manhattan.)
--"Quirky" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Sundance. (--Inventors get the chance to turn their ideas into products in this new reality series.)
--"Chopped: Champions' Tournament" [9th Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Food Network. (--Four former winners return to compete in a new five-part cooking battle for a grand prize of $50,000.)
VIDEO GAME QUICK HITS
The Latest "Madden" Game is In Stores Today:
"Madden NFL 12" (E) . . . on Xbox360, PS3, PSP and Wii. The new features for this year's game include a revamped pregame presentation, a new collision system with over 100 new tackle animations and 40 new gang tackle animations, plus player's attributes that change dramatically depending on their performance during a game. --The franchise mode was also updated with the ability to bid auction style for free agents in the off season, a full 75-man roster where players will have to be cut during each week of the preseason, and future drafts picks can now be traded for. --It also features concussion awareness, meaning players who get concussions during the game won't be allowed to return to the field. (Gameplay) (Trailer)
Video Game Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
#1.) The ESPN app for Xbox 360 now uses picture-in-picture to allow you to watch two sporting events simultaneously. (Full Story)
#2.) Is this the best proposal ever? A guy recruited the developers of "Portal 2" to create three custom levels, with new voice acting and art work, to propose to his girlfriend. The final level, with the proposal, starts at the 6:50 mark. (--And here's an unrelated fan film that takes homemade video game cinema to the next level.)
#3.) Check out these incredibly customized "Batman: Arkham City" Xbox 360s. You can visit Xbox's official Facebook page for details on how you can win one. (Full Story)
#4) Downloadable content for "The Eldor Scrolls V: Skyrim" will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for the first month of its release. The game drops on 11/11/11. (Full Story)
#5.) Here's a bizarre video where voice actor Nolan North unboxes the collector's edition of "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception". Nolan is the voice of Nathan Drake in the "Uncharted" games, but you also know him as Desmond in the "Assassin's Creed" games, and he plays Mr. Freeze in the upcoming "Batman" game.
NEW ON VIDEO THIS WEEK
--"Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" - Tyler Perry once again plays Madea. In this one, he/she helps a niece knock some sense into her children, whose lives are all out of control. One of them is played by Bow Wow . . . and the sexy Lauren London plays Bow Wow's hot girlfriend. The Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa is in it too.
--Lauren played T.I.'s girlfriend, "New New", in "ATL", and she's also been in a lot of hip hop videos, including Pharrell's "That Girl", Snoop's "Drop It Like It's Hot", and Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent".
--"Wrecked" - Adrien Brody wakes up at the bottom of a ravine with no idea where he is, or even who he is. As he frees himself from his wrecked car, he discovers a gun and stolen money, and he starts having flashes of an armed robbery gone wrong.
--"Prom" - A Disney flick about a group of teenagers getting ready for their high school prom. It doesn't star anyone whose name you'd recognize, except maybe Aimee Teegarden. She played Julie Taylor, one of the cute girls on "Friday Night Lights".
--"Bereavement" - A horror flick about a boy who was kidnapped and raised by a psychotic madman. It's a prequel to the 2005 horror film "Malevolence", and it's told from the perspective of a girl who comes to live with her uncle in Pennsylvania, then meets the boy at a nearby farm.
--She's 24-year-old Alexandra Daddario, who you'd remember as the hot blue-eyed brunette from "Percy Jackson & The Olympians". Her uncle is played by Michael Biehn, a.k.a. Kyle Reese from the first "Terminator", and Corporal Hicks in "Aliens".
TV Series On DVD:
--"House, M.D.: Season Seven" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"90210: The Third Season" . . . a six-disc DVD set.
--"Sons of Anarchy: Season Three" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Cougar Town: The Complete Second Season" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Detroit 1-8-7: The Complete First Season" . . . a four-disc DVD set.
--"The Defenders: The DVD Edition" . . . the complete series. It ran for one season.
--"Mad Love: The DVD Edition" . . . the complete series. It ran for one season.
--"Meet the Browns: Season One" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Nikita: The Complete First Season" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Parenthood: Season 2" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Running Wilde: Season One" . . . a two-disc DVD set.
--"iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season" . . . a two-disc DVD set.
--"Hell's Kitchen: Season 5" . . . a four-disc DVD set.
--"Storage Wars: Season 1" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK
--"Tha Carter IV", Lil Wayne (--It has his singles "6 Foot 7 Foot", "How to Love", "John" featuring Rick Ross, and "She Will" featuring Drake. Other guests include Jadakiss, John Legend and T-Pain.)
--"I'm With You", Red Hot Chili Peppers (--It's their first album since "Stadium Arcadium" in 2006, and their first album without guitarist John Frusciante since 1995's "One Hot Minute". Dave Navarro was the guitarist on that album, and a guy named Josh Klinghoffer is the axeman on this one.)
--"Nothing But the Beat", David Guetta (--A double album . . . the first disc features collaborations with artists and the second disc is just instrumental tracks. His guests include Flo-Rida, Nicki Minaj, Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Will.I.Am, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Akon, and Timbaland.)
--"Black and White America", Lenny Kravitz
--"Night Shades", Cobra Starship (--It includes the single "You Make Me Feel…")
--"Barefoot Blue Jean Night", Jake Owen (--This is his third studio album. The title track is fastest rising single of Jake's career . . . and that really IS Jake waterskiing on the "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" video. Check it out.)
All of Justin Bieber's YouTube Videos Were Yanked Yesterday . . . Thanks to Some Jokester:
There was a Bieber Fever emergency yesterday morning, when ALL of JUSTIN BIEBER'S music videos were removed from his official channel . . . because of a bogus copyright claim. --It sounds like it was the work of a single user going by the name "iLCreation", who simply went to each of Justin's videos and submitted a copyright claim. --From what we're hearing, YouTube has an "act first, sort it out later" policy when it comes to stuff like this, so one jokester really could bring down anyone's videos . . . at least temporarily. (--It's hard to believe that it's THAT easy.) --Justin's videos were immediately restored once YouTube looked into it. Access to the videos was blocked for about two hours. --Justin wasn't the only artist hit . . . this person also had some of LADY GAGA'S videos taken down in the same way.
-Not surprisingly, fans of Justin and Lady Gaga went DOG NUTS about this, and began making all sorts of threats on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. --There were even unconfirmed "reports" that iLCreation was a 13-year-old boy from Pakistan. (???) --Later, people were claiming conflicting things like: He was from India, he was a hacker named "Matt", and then that "he" was actually a FEMALE Justin Bieber fan, who was trying to PROMOTE Justin.
Sebastian Bach's Home . . . Including His KISS Pinball Machine . . . Was Destroyed By Hurricane Irene:
Former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach is one of the many people who were NOT able to escape Hurricane Irene unscathed. His New Jersey home was flooded . . . and he lost a ton of cool rock memorabilia. --Sebastian talked about it on his Facebook page. He said, quote, "I am numb, in shock, and devastated to report that my home of 21 years, my house featured on 'MTV Cribs', has been destroyed, condemned, and deemed uninhabitable due to the extreme flooding courtesy of Hurricane Irene . . . --"Gone are irreplaceable items, such as my KISS Gargoyles from the 1979 tour . . . KISS pinball machine . . . Skid Row master tapes, video & audio, concerts, master tapes [and] boxes and boxes of one of a kind Skid Row memorabilia, from the first tour to our last, all stuff I collected on the road that no one else had. --"It's all over now. I will always love New Jersey, but now there is literally nothing left for me here except memories of a past life. Hello, Los Angeles. Hello, new life. Here I am. It's time for a new start. Like I have a choice." (--Sebastian's complete account of the devastation is up on his Facebook profile. Here's a direct link, just in case you're still bewildered by how Facebook works.) (--He also has some other photos of the flooding on his wall . . . including this one. Even though everyone seems to like to mock the media for over-hyping Irene . . . remember, this definitely wasn't a victimless storm.)
Bret Michaels Wants His Next Album to Feature Def Leppard . . . and Stevie Nicks?
BRET MICHAELS is working on his next album, "Get Your Rock On", and he has a wish-list of potential collaborators. --Bret wants DEF LEPPARD singer JOE ELLIOTT and guitarist PHIL COLLEN for the title track . . . and is also hoping to land STEVIE NICKS and members of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. --He tells Billboard.com, quote, "I'm in the process of [working on it] as we speak. When you're having other artists perform with you, it's about working with their time schedule and a lot of taking care of some of the business before you can enjoy the pleasure of just jamming together. --"I try to keep it pretty organic. We have to make sure everyone's good with the timing, and can get into the studio to sing. But I think we're going to have a blast making this record." --Bret is hoping to have a first single out by the end of the year.
The Foo Fighters Take a Group Shower . . . And Show Off Their Backsides . . . in a Video Promo for Their Tour:
The FOO FIGHTERS have released a new video . . . but it isn't for one of their songs. It's called "Hot Buns", and it's something they put out to promote their new tour. --It isn't just a boring advertisement. The video shows the guys . . . in costume . . . hitting up a truck stop to grab a bite to eat, and enjoy a GROUP SHOWER. And in the process, the guys show off their NAKED BACKSIDES. No joke. (--It's pretty funny . . . but it might not be "safe for work." You can find it at the Foo Fighters' site, here. And on YouTube, here. You'll probably have to log-in for both though. Naked butts require age verification!)
Janet Jackson Isn't Attending the Michael Jackson Tribute:
JANET JACKSON isn't attending the MICHAEL JACKSON tribute concert, which is supposedly happening on October 8th in Wales. (--Although I definitely wouldn't be shocked if this thing doesn't end up panning out.) --It sounds like Janet agrees with her brothers JERMAINE and RANDY JACKSON . . . who oppose the timing of the concert, since it takes place during the involuntary manslaughter trial of Conrad Murray, Michael's "doctor." --Janet said, quote, "Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother would be too difficult for me."
Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter 4" Is Expected to Have a Bigger Debut Than "Watch the Throne":
LIL WAYNE'S new album "Tha Carter 4" just hit the Internet yesterday . . . and is popping up in stores TODAY . . . but it's already expected to have a bigger debut than JAY-Z and KANYE WEST'S "Watch the Throne". --The early projections have "Tha Carter 4" selling between 700,000 and 850,000 copies. That would be the second-biggest sales week of the year . . . behind LADY GAGA'S "Born This Way", which sold 1.11 million copies in its first week out. --"Watch the Throne" sold 436,000 copies in its opening week. Although to be fair, it was ONLY available at iTunes for much of its first week.
TUESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS
Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
Joseph Hyungmin Son . . . the actor who played the Asian villain "Random Task" in the original "Austin Powers" . . . was convicted of felony torture stemming from the brutal rape and beating of a woman back in 1990. He faces 15 years to life when he's sentenced next week. (Full Story)
MINNIE DRIVER is apparently nailing a guy who was in BRITNEY SPEARS' "Toxic" video in 2004.
"Kung Fu Panda 2" is now the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman. (Full Story)
CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY is coming back to do an episode of "One Tree Hill" sometime this season . . . the show's last. (Full Story)
A while back, KIM KARDASHIAN did a music video for "Jam (Turn It Up)" . . . but it never saw the light of day. Now, 54 seconds of footage from the shoot have surfaced online, and I'm not sure that I need to see any more. (Video) (--Kim is hot and everything . . . usually. But in this video, she's singing about going out, and looking like she's suffering from a fever. It's THAT kind of hot.)
REBECCA BLACK says we can expect her album, quote, "around, like, Halloween-time." And she says she's, quote, "so excited for everyone to hear it . . . it's got everything." (Video) (--Everything, that is, except APPEAL. In a separate interview with "Rolling Stone", Rebecca said, quote, "The album is nothing like 'Friday'." Is it a good idea to steer clear of the ONLY thing that made you worth anyone's time?)
RANDOM STUFF
Why Did the Hurricane Lead to a Baby Boom in North Carolina?
I could see Hurricane Irene leading to a baby boom on the East Coast in about nine months. When everyone's trapped in their houses without power, baby makin' is gonna happen. --But this doesn't make ANY sense. Apparently, the hurricane led to an INSTANT baby boom in North Carolina. Some hospitals are reporting somewhere between a 50% and 100% increase in the number of births on Friday and Saturday. --Obviously, people can't spontaneously make babies, so we had to come up with a few theories WHY the hurricane led to the boom . . .
#1.) The change in tides messed up pregnant women's body chemistry which induced labor. Sounds like hippies would believe this, but we're not hippies. So we'll set the odds here at 10%.
#2.) The stress from the hurricane was too much for the women's fragile pregnant bodies to handle. This seems a little more likely. Odds are around 33%.
#3.) People were bored and decided to go to the hospital and induce labor rather than sit around hoping their houses didn't get destroyed. NOW things are starting to sound more realistic. This gets odds of 57%. --For what it's worth, all reports say that none of the women chose to name their newborns "Irene." (Time)
97% of Parents Say They Can't Vacation Like They Want to . . . Because of Their Kids:
If you don't have kids, you'd better get all your exotic traveling in now. Book your trip to Cambodia or the Amazon or Tahiti. Because once kids show up, you're looking at a few decades of Disneyland and places that serve mediocre spaghetti. --According to a survey by a travel website called Skyscanner, only 3% of parents say that their kids HAVEN'T ruined their ability to make vacation plans. The other 97% say they're restricted by traveling with their children. --The main restriction is expense, at 28% . . . it costs a lot to take a big family on an exotic trip. --15% say long flights are a restriction . . . 9% avoid places that are too hot . . . 4% can't go places where their kids don't like the food . . . and 2% actually just let the kids pick and don't offer ANY input. --The survey also found that the number one activity kids want to do on vacation is go to a water park, at 50%. Parents, who actually DON'T want staph infections, made that one of their least-preferred vacation activities, at 12%. --The number one thing parents want to do is spend a day on the beach, at 42%. Only 13% of kids said that's their number one option. (PR Newswire)
If You Won the Lottery, Would You Still Use Coupons?
Whether you're living paycheck-to-paycheck, or you've got $10 MILLION in the bank, if you've got a coupon for free curly fries with the purchase of two Beef 'N Cheddars, you're gonna use it. --According to a great new survey, 96% of Americans say that if they won the lottery, they would STILL use coupons. --Everyone agreed . . . whether they currently make $20,000-a-year or whether they currently make over $150,000. --Here are a few other findings from the survey . . . --Newspapers are still the biggest source for coupons. 76% of people get coupons from the paper . . . 59% get them from emails . . . and 33% from web searches. --With the rise of Groupon and the other daily deals sites, there's been a HUGE rise in the number of people who get coupon alerts through email. In 2010 it was 29%, this year it's more than DOUBLE THAT at 59%. --92% of people use coupons for everyday needs and products . . . 45% use them for dining out . . . 38% for clothing . . . and 35% for cosmetics and beauty products. (PR Newswire)
Here are the Top Colleges Ranked by Everything from Smartest Students and Future CEOs, to Best Food and Horniest Students:
College is starting all over the country . . . and "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast" just released lists ranking schools in more than a dozen different areas. Here are the top few schools on each of those lists . . .
--Smartest Students. Yale University is number one, followed by Princeton and Harvard. (--Here's the full list.)
--Best Schools for Activists. Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania is first, followed by the University of Chicago and Brown. (--List.)
--Best Food. St. Olaf College in Minnesota is first. Number two is Pitzer College in California, and then Bowdoin College in Maine. (--List.)
--Future CEOs. This one takes a traditional path of Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia. (--List.)
--Most Artistic Students. California Institute of the Arts is first, followed by Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, both in Boston. (--List.)
--Easiest Colleges. They've found you can coast to a degree at State University of New York, Binghamton . . . the University of Florida . . . and University of Wisconsin-Madison. (--List.)
--Hardest Colleges. These aren't the hardest to get into, just the hardest once you're there. St. John's College in New Mexico is first . . . Furman University in South Carolina is second . . . and Middlebury College in Vermont is third. (--List.)
--HORNIEST. Students at Wesleyan University in Connecticut are first. Yale is second, and Rice University in Houston is third. (--List.)
--Best Weather. The University of California, Santa Barbara is first. St. John's College in New Mexico is second . . . University of San Francisco is third. (--List.)
--Healthiest Students. The kids at Harvard are first . . . Louisiana State University students are second . . . Mississippi State University students are third. (--List.)
--Cheapest. Berea College in Kentucky is first. Every student at Berea automatically gets a FULL SCHOLARSHIP covering their $24,100 tuition. The University of Wyoming is second, and University of Idaho is third. (--List.)
--Geekiest Students. Stanford is first, Harvard is second, and the University of Pennsylvania is third. (--List.)
--Future Politicians. Harvard is first, Yale is second . . . and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. is third. (--List.) (The Daily Beast)
A New App Automatically Sends Birthday Messages to Your Facebook Friends:
One of the weird side effects of the Facebook era is the people you haven't talked to in ten years who post "Happy Birthday!" on your wall once a year. If you want to look that thoughtful . . . even though you're not . . . we finally have a solution for you. --A web developer just released an app for the Google Chrome web browser. If you're not using that browser you can download it . . . and the app . . . for free. --The app checks which of your Facebook friends is having a birthday . . . and then automatically posts a "Happy Birthday" message on their wall. You can even choose to have it rotate between a few different messages. --Now you can wish all of your long-lost friends from elementary school a happy birthday without actually having to do ANYTHING. (Lifehacker) (--You can download the Happy Birthday app here for free.)
Now There's a Search Engine For All Facebook Status Updates:
If you're tired of reading your friends' Facebook status updates and you want to see what the world is saying about important issues . . . like "Bachelor Pad" developments or just how bad LIL WAYNE'S "VMA" performance was . . . now you can. -There's a new search engine called Openbook and it searches ALL public Facebook status updates worldwide. You can search for any term and, if you want, just choose to search male or female updates. It's online at Openbook.org.
Getting Divorced Makes You Pick Up Bad Habits:
If you're divorced, you already know that your ex has ruined your life or taken all your money. And we have some more bad news for you: They're also ruining your health. --Mark Banschick is an author of a series of books on divorce, and he's reviewed the research on how people react to the end of a marriage. He found that many people react to divorce immaturely. --In other words, they pick up bad habits to cope with the stress. Check it out . . . --People who are divorced or separated are twice as likely to smoke, often because former smokers take it up again. (--Or maybe smokers are just harder to live with, and are more likely to get divorced?) --Divorced and separated adults get less sleep than married couples, which can harm their health. --Recently divorced women tend to gain weight, although men usually begin working out to prepare for dating. (--Which kind of contradicts this story we told you about last week. --People tend to cut loose sexually after divorce, putting them more at risk for STDs: 15% of new HIV cases are from people over age 50. --And the most common bad habit divorced people pick up is drinking. Divorced and separated people are more likely than married couples to drink. Dating usually involves drinks, and divorced people who aren't dating might drown their sorrows in booze. --All the high-risk behavior results in divorced men having an early death rate that's ten times higher than a married guy who's the same age. (Huffington Post)
Most Green Cars Actually Don't Save Enough in Gas Costs to Pay for Themselves . . . But Some Come Pretty Close:
If you bought a hybrid or electric car to help save the planet and look down your nose at your neighbors, you probably don't care about the cost-benefit. But some people wonder if green cars are worth it. --In other words, environmentally-friendly cars cost thousands more than similar gas-engine models . . . but supposedly you'll make that up by saving on gas, and the car will pay for itself. --Well, Kiplinger did the math, and found that most green cars actually DON'T end up saving you all the extra money you spent . . . but some of them come pretty close. --The Chevy Volt costs about $18,000 more than its closest gas-engine comparison, the Cruze. The Nissan Leaf costs about the same amount over the comparable Versa. --On average, after five years of driving the Volt instead of the Cruze, you'll save about $17,500 in ownership costs, which means it cost you a total of $500 more for the green model. The Leaf will save you $17,200 over the Versa, so it cost you an extra $800. --The Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid is the most cost-effective green car. You actually save about $7,000 over five years compared to the gas-engine model. --At the other end of the spectrum is the Lexus LS600 hybrid. It costs about $36,000 more than the gas-engine Lexus, and it doesn't save you anything in ownership costs. (--But if you're looking to spend $110,000 on a car, does it even matter?) (KCBY)
There Are Still Lots of Products Made in the U.S.A. . . . Like Bowling Balls, Sparklers and Pencils:
Americans can proudly hold their heads high, and China can suck it . . . because there are still plenty of products made right here in the U.S.A. --Sure, we don't produce as much as we used to. In the last few years, America's last sardine cannery, coat hanger factory, and button-down shirt factory closed down. But here are some home-grown products that we can enjoy. -Bowling Balls: There are only 5,800 bowling alleys in the U.S., which is about half as many as there were in the 1960s, and several large ball makers have moved overseas. --But Ebonite and Hammer bowling balls are made in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, along with a lot of other bowling alley equipment.
--Sparklers: China makes most of them. But Diamond Sparkler of Youngstown, Ohio refuses to shut down, saying that anything we use on July 4th has to be made in America.
--Socks: Fort Payne, Alabama used to be called the "Sock Capital of the World." They still make plenty, although not at the levels of previous years, where they sewed one in every eight pairs worn in America.
--Ironing Boards: HPI Seymour of Indiana makes 720 boards an hour, selling them at Target and Wal-Mart.
--Some other products made here are pencils, chopsticks, Steinway pianos, and Sony compact discs. (Yahoo)
An Innocent Woman Survives a Drive-By . . . When Her Cell Phone Blocks the Bullet:
On Friday night around 11:00 P.M., a woman was visiting a friend at an apartment complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (--Their names weren't released.) Suddenly, BULLETS STARTED FLYING. --There was a drive-by shooting at the complex . . . which police believe was gang-related . . . and one bullet HIT the woman. She isn't involved in any gang activity and was a completely innocent victim. --Fortunately, she survived without a scratch because the bullet hit her in the hip . . . right on her CELL PHONE. It absorbed the entire force of the bullet. There's no word on what kind of phone it was. --The police are still investigating the shooting. Other bullets went through other walls in the complex, but amazingly there were no injuries. (CBS 11 - Colorado Springs)
MEATBALL CRIMINALS
President Obama's Uncle Was Arrested for Drunk Driving:
PRESIDENT OBAMA has a 67-year-old uncle named Onyango Obama who lives in Framingham, Massachusetts. And we're guessing this ISN'T how he wanted to get his name in the news. --On August 24th, Onyango was arrested for DUI. The news has just gotten out now. --The cops pulled him over when he plowed through an intersection in his SUV. He blew a .14 on the breathalyzer, which is almost double the legal limit. --Apparently, when they asked him if he wanted to make a phone call, Onyango said, quote, "I think I will call the White House."--Onyango is from Kenya, and his legal immigration status is up in the air right now. He's being held now on an immigration warrant. Last year his sister, Zeituni Onyango, won asylum and was legally allowed to stay in the U.S. --The White House didn't have a comment yet on Onyango's arrest. (Boston Herald)
A Couple Was Busted Going Door-to-Door Telling People to Evacuate For the Hurricane . . . So They Could Rob the Houses:
Preying on people when they're freaked out about a hurricane potentially destroying their lives . . . that's DIRTY. And that's exactly what this couple did. --42-year-old Daniel DiGianni is a former corrections officer who lives on Staten Island, in New York. And he and his girlfriend, 28-year-old Linda Fleshner, decided to pull a Hurricane Irene scam. --On Saturday afternoon, they went door-to-door in their area. Daniel would flash a fake badge and tell people he was a police officer and they needed to evacuate because the hurricane was coming. --The plan was to ROB the houses once people evacuated. --Fortunately, a 50-year-old named Ray Weiler was one of their first targets . . . and he noticed that, quote, "Something was off." So he called the police. --Daniel and Linda were busted before they could actually rob a single house. Both were charged with criminal impersonation of a police officer. (New York Daily News)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS
Random News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
A new study says that chocolate IS good for you . . . as long as you don't eat TOO much. People with the highest levels of chocolate consumption have a 37% reduction in stroke risk. And people who eat chocolate could also cut their risk of heart disease and diabetes. (Full Story)
An MRE is a "Meal Ready to Eat" . . . that's military terminology for a pre-packaged meal for troops abroad. It's supposed to pack in a ton of calories, and remind them of home. And if you've ever wanted to see what they look from different countries . . . the U.S., France, Germany, and Italy . . . you're in luck. (Full Story)
A juror in a Texas trial was kicked off the jury . . . for trying to "friend" the defendant on Facebook. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) A National Guard Convoy in New Jersey Drove into Flood Waters Seven Feet High . . . with Predictable Results:
A lot of places still need help with the flooding from Hurricane Irene. Let's just hope the National Guard units they deploy have a little more sense than the ones in Manville, New Jersey. --There's a YouTube video that shows two National Guard trucks there, full of guys, driving straight into deep floodwater. It goes right up to the roof of the trucks. First one truck drives in, then another. And at first it works . . . sort of. --The guy filming says, "How's that possible?" And his buddy responds, "It's the Army, bro." Only, it isn't possible: Both trucks end up floating, and the men inside have to swim out. So the guy filming says, "Are you guys that stupid?" It's a good question. (--Search YouTube for "Hurricane Irene National Guard Almost Drown Manville, NJ." The Guardsmen swim out of both trucks at 1:24.)
#2.) The Latest Entry in the Yankees-Red Sox Battle Between Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski:
There's a new ad from New Era, continuing the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry between ALEC BALDWIN and JOHN KRASINSKI. --This time they're talking over their webcams, when Baldwin says he's, quote, "gonna make everyone in Fenway cry." Then he sets a whole bunch of Red Sox tickets on fire . . . but accidentally burns down his apartment building. --So he freaks out and tells John to call "912 . . . it's 911 for rich people!" (--Search for "New Era Commercial - 912.")
#3.) This is Why the Irish Should Stick to Riverdance:
There's a festival in Ireland called the Rose of Tralee . . . it's sort of like a beauty pageant celebrating Irish culture. And if you missed it, last week they picked this year's winner. --Unfortunately it wasn't the chick from Dublin, who's "talent" was to perform a hip-hop dance to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem". --Let's just say the Irish should stick to Riverdance. (--Search for "Dublin Rose Hip Hop Dance.")
Five Things That Seem Good for Your Body . . . But Aren't:
Eating right and exercising are obviously the two most important things you can do for your health. But some things that SEEM good for your body, can actually be bad. Here are five of them, according to the magazine "Women's Day".
#1.) Constantly Trying New Skincare Products. Dermatologists suggest picking a routine and sticking with it. It can be weeks or even months before you see results with some products. So don't give up to soon. --Constantly changing skin products can actually irritate your skin, and cause adult rosacea . . . which is when your skin gets red and patchy.
#2.) Wearing Flip-Flops. It's fine every now and then. But wearing something with no arch support can cause back problems, knee problems, and stress fractures in your feet. --And flip-flops make certain muscles in your feet work harder than they should, which can lead to tendonitis. --Plus, it exposes your feet to more bacteria and skin diseases, like plantar warts and athlete's foot.
#3.) Only Drinking Bottled Water. It might taste better than tap, but tap water in most areas has fluoride in it to help protect your teeth. Bottled water doesn't, and some dentists think it's causing more tooth decay in adults. --The best thing to do is use a Brita, which filters all the impurities out of the tap water . . . but not the fluoride.
#4.) Using Extra-Strength Cleaning Products. Some people think that if a product is stronger, they don't have to clean as often. But the best way to avoid bacteria is to use NORMAL cleaning products, and just clean more often. --A lot of the industrial-strength cleaners are just overkill. And some contain chemicals that have been shown to cause asthma, and even cancer.
#5.) Taking Extra Supplements. Your body only needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals a day. If you get more than you need, it usually doesn't matter. But it might if you're CONSTANTLY popping vitamins. --For pregnant women, too much vitamin A can be toxic for the baby. And too much vitamin C can interfere with glucose readings for diabetics. Too much vitamin B6 for ANYONE can cause nerve damage. (Woman's Day)
Countdown to Upcoming Events
• 23 days left in Summer
• 62 days to Halloween
• 86 days to Thanksgiving
• 117 days to Christmas
• 124 days left in 2011
• 509 days left of "Hope and Change" :)
JESSICA BIEL is in Toronto shooting the "Total Recall" remake. And on Sunday, she and JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE were spotted biking around the city. (--Here's a picture.) (E! Online) --There's no word whether this means they're back together.
Beyoncé Might Be Due in February:
BEYONCÉ didn't give up many details when she announced her pregnancy Sunday night. But a so-called "source" says she's three months along, and due in February. --Beyoncé is supposed to star in a new version of "A Star is Born" for director CLINT EASTWOOD. There's no word yet whether her pregnancy will change that. --So-called "insiders" say it's more likely they'll push the movie back to accommodate her pregnancy . . . especially since they don't have a male lead yet. Eastwood's first choice, LEONARDO DICAPRIO, isn't doing it.
Hilary Duff Gets $100,000 for Being Booted from a Movie Because She's Pregnant:
Don't feel bad for HILARY DUFF because she got booted from that "Bonnie and Clyde" movie for being pregnant. She had a pay-or-play deal, meaning that she got money whether she did the movie or not. --Since the producers let her go, they had to pay her $100,000. So she pocketed six figures for NOTHING. --Still, Hilary doesn't sound entirely happy about the situation. TMZ tried to ask her about it while she was doing charity work over the weekend. --She said, quote, "I dont wanna give them any more press than they've already gotten off me . . . I think [my] baby is a little bit more exciting." (--Check out video here.)
Showbiz Photo of the Day: David Beckham Shirtless at the Beach . . . with a Sexy Chubby Bear in the Foreground:
Today's Showbiz Photo of the Day features a shirtless DAVID BECKHAM being TOTALLY SHOWN UP by a much sexier, much chubbier BEAR OF A MAN. It's lovely. (--Check it out here.) (--See more . . . including a frontal shot of this barrel-chested tub of love . . . here.)
Does Lindsay Lohan Want to Hook Up with Chris Brown?
LINDSAY LOHAN isn't known for her sound decisions. Which is why it's not all that surprising that she seems interested in hooking up with CHRIS BROWN. --After Brown's high-flying performance at the "MTV Video Music Awards" Sunday night, Lindsay Tweeted, quote, "@ChrisBrown killed it. #MTVVMAs." Then she added, quote, "@chrisbrown wanna meet?" --No word back yet from Chris.
Solange Knowles Claims She Was Harassed by Cops . . . After Trying to Get Into a Bar with an Inflatable Banana:
SOLANGE KNOWLES claims she was harassed by off-duty cops in Miami Beach Sunday night . . . after she was denied entry into a bar. --After being refused by the bouncers at a place called Club Cameo, a witness says Solange became abusive, claiming discrimination. Later that night, she went off on Twitter. Here's how she described the incident . . . --"A police officer just pulled a weapon on me . . . I have done NOTHING illegal, against the law, or anything of the sort. I am simply tired of police using arrogance, ego and authority as an offense." --"I'm only tweeting this to raise awareness. I could have left quietly, but I am sick & tired of this scenario being played over & over again. I'm ok. I'm safe & sound at my apartment. I'm just beyond frustrated with the system. --"It is time to do something about it. I am a mother raising a young black child in America. I'm going to die trying! --"Been on the phone for the last 20 minutes reporting this incident. Yes, I have the officer's name. Yes, I have the location. Scare tactics don't WORK." --That sounds pretty scary, but apparently, there's a little more to the story than that. --Police say that Solange was not denied entry on RACIAL grounds, but because she was carrying a 5-FOOT TALL INFLATABLE BANANA. --The off-duty cops took Solange across the street to calm her down. The "weapon" she claims they pulled on her was a knife . . . and they weren't threatening her with it. They were threatening to DEFLATE THE BANANA. --Solange's rep later released a statement calling the Miami Beach PD's description of the events, quote, "a sequence of false statements." --The rep says Solange and two friends got the banana at one bar, and had planned to give it to a friend's child the next day. When they got to Cameo, they were told they couldn't bring it in. --So THEY decided to go across the street to deflate it. That's where they met two cops . . . one of whom pulled out a switchblade and threatened to pop the balloon. --Then he did it again in an even more threatening manner. He then, quote, "forcefully asked them to move, gesturing that they cross the street though there was oncoming traffic.--The rep added, quote, "Solange is actively filing a report and has not yet decided on further legal action." --Last night Solange also sent a follow-up Tweet that read, quote, "Yes, very funny a balloon was involved in the incident . . . but having a switchblade pulled out on you is no laughing matter."
Did Matthew Fox Get Into a Fistfight with a Female Bus Driver in Cleveland?
This sounds like something that would happen to, say, Danny Baldwin or Busta Rhymes . . . not an actor who's seemingly at the top of his game. --But "Lost" star MATTHEW FOX is accused of getting into a FISTFIGHT with a female bus driver in Cleveland.--On Saturday night, Fox was apparently tying one on in Cleveland, when he tried to get onto a party bus. Unfortunately, he wasn't a member of the party. So the female driver tried to stop him. --Fox threw PUNCHES, hitting the woman in the breast and the PELVIC AREA. And she FOUGHT BACK, smacking Fox in the face and giving him a bloody lip. --An off-duty cop who happened to be nearby handcuffed Fox, and then he was taken into custody. Fox was detained for a while, but NOT arrested. --But the driver . . . one Heather Bormann . . . is meeting with police today and she wants assault charges pressed. --In a video on TMZ, she says that Fox, quote, "stepped in for a right hook to my pelvis area and started wailing on me like I was a man." She also bruised her hand punching him back, but luckily, it's not broken. (--Here's the video.) --By the way . . . Fox is in Cleveland filming the movie "I, Alex Cross", which stars Tyler Perry. Maybe that's why he's drinking heavily.)
Demi Lovato Wants People to Stop Picking On Her Weight:
DEMI LOVATO looked GORGEOUS at the "MTV Video Music Awards" on Sunday night. But she made the mistake of allowing herself to be photographed with her good friend SELENA GOMEZ. --Sisterhood be damned, because when you've spent time hospitalized over your body image issues, the last person you want to be seen standing next to is a chick who wears a SIZE NEGATIVE SEVEN. (--Here's a shot of them together.) (MTV) --Next to Selena, Demi looked kind of big. And of course, some A-HOLES picked up on that on Twitter. --Demi responded to the criticism yesterday, Tweeting, quote, "I've gained weight. Get over it. That's what happens when you get out of treatment for AN EATING DISORDER." --She later removed that Tweet and then posted a more positive message . . . quote, "Guess what, I'm healthy and happy, and if you're hating on my weight you obviously aren't. :) #UNBROKEN" (--"Unbroken" is the name of Demi's new album.)
Javaris Crittenton Has Been Arrested for Murder . . . and Says He's Not Guilty:
Former NBA player JAVARIS CRITTENTON was arrested yesterday at an airport in Orange County, California. He was wanted for the murder of a woman who died in a drive-by shooting in Atlanta earlier this month. --His attorney says, quote, "He offered to turn himself in. He's not guilty. We look forward to getting it to the courts." --Javaris was checking in for a Delta flight to Atlanta when he was arrested by FBI agents . . . and the "Atlanta Journal-Constitution" had reported that he was indeed going to surrender in Atlanta. He was arrested without incident. --Crittenton is accused of shooting Jullian Jones, a 22-year-old mother of four, on August 19th. Jones died later during surgery. --Jones was NOT Crittenton's intended target. She was walking with two men when he allegedly opened fire from a moving vehicle. Police believe Crittenton was aiming for one of those men, in retaliation for an alleged robbery. --Crittenton was suspended from the NBA along with his Washington Wizards teammate GILBERT ARENAS, after the two of them pulled guns on each other in the team's locker room over a gambling dispute in December of 2009. --Crittenton was cut from the team, and his career never recovered.
The Worst Movie of the Year . . . For Each of the Past Five Years:
MSNBC has put together a list of the Worst Movies of the Year for the past FIVE YEARS. Here they are . . .
--2011: "Just Go With It" (--That's the one with JENNIFER ANISTON pretending to be ADAM SANDLER'S ex-wife so he can land BROOKLYN DECKER.)
--2010: "Sex and the City 2"
--2009: "The Ugly Truth" (--A romantic comedy starring GERARD BUTLER and the woman almost ZERO men are interested in seeing in romantic comedies, KATHERINE HEIGL.)
--2008: "The Love Guru" (--This movie is probably the biggest reason MIKE MYERS has gone running back to the "Austin Powers" franchise.)
--2007: "Norbit" (--Could be EDDIE MURPHY'S worst movie EVER.)
(--Check out the list, along with a write-up for each movie, here.)
THE "DANCING WITH THE STARS" CAST
Chaz Bono Is Doing "Dancing With the Stars"!
ABC announced the cast for the upcoming season of "Dancing With the Stars" last night, and only one thing really matters: CHAZ BONO IS ONBOARD!!! --Chaz will be the show's first transgender contestant. He says, quote, "Doing this show is an opportunity for me to reach a larger, more mainstream audience with just a simple message of being transgender is okay and not something to be scared of." --Here's the rest of the cast. Keep in mind that all these people will finish the season SECOND OR LOWER, because there is no way Chaz can lose . . .
--RICKI LAKE
--L.A. Laker RON ARTEST (--By the way . . . Ron has to wait to officially change his name to METTA WORLD PEACE because of outstanding parking warrants. You can read more about that here.)
--Reality TV star KRISTIN CAVALLARI
--WILSON PHILLIPS minx CHYNNA PHILLIPS
--DAVID ARQUETTE
--Former "Queer Eye" star CARSON KRESSLEY
--NANCY GRACE (--She's the legal analyst and HLN host who hates Casey Anthony more than the rest of us.)
--J.R. MARTINEZ (--He's an Iraq War vet who suffered severe burns in the line of duty, and now appears on "All My Children".)
--Sexy U.S. women's soccer goalie HOPE SOLO
--ROB KARDASHIAN
--ELISABETTA CANALIS
(--We don't know which dancers the stars will be paired up with yet. That's being announced tomorrow on "Good Morning America". The new season of "Dancing With the Stars" debuts on September 19th.)
MTV VMAs Fall-Out: Record-Setting Ratings, Record-Setting Tweeting, and Lady Gaga Using the Men's Restroom:
#1.) "The MTV Video Music Awards" attracted a record-breaking audience on Sunday night. The show averaged 12.4 million viewers, which is a new high for both the "VMAs" . . . and MTV in general. Last year, 11.4 million people tuned in. (Full Story)
#2.) What does it take to send Twitter into a wild frenzy? Well, BEYONCÉ'S pregnancy announcement at the "VMAs" on Sunday did the trick. At that moment, Twitter was experiencing 8,868 Tweets per second . . . or "TPS", if you're hip to this kind of nonsense. --That's the largest TPS rating in Twitter's history. So, either everyone was talking about Beyoncé's pregnancy . . . or some people were, and everyone else was telling the world what they had for their nighttime snack. --The previous record was 7,196 Tweets per second. That happened during the final moments of the U.S. women's soccer team's game against Japan in July. (--Ah, the moments that are defining a generation!) (???) (Full Story)
#3.) LADY GAGA spent the entire "VMAs" as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone . . . and an "insider" tells Fox she stayed in character BACKSTAGE. And she even went as far as to use the MEN'S restroom. (Full Story)
#4.) For some reason, KID CUDI thought that he could light up a cigarette in the middle of the ceremony. MTV's staff saw him . . . and asked him to put it out. He did. (Video) (--You can see Cudi's cigarette at the 22-second mark. And to be fair to Cudi, Gaga smoked a cigarette during her performance at the beginning of the show.)
Ashton Kutcher's "Two and a Half Men" Character Won't Be the Playboy That Charlie Sheen's Character Was:
Everyone involved with the upcoming season of "Two and a Half Men" has to sign nondisclosure agreements . . . including the studio audiences. So naturally, details are hard to come by. --But JON CRYER has revealed a few things in an interview with "Entertainment Weekly". Here are the highlights: --ASHTON KUTCHER'S character, a "brokenhearted billionaire" named Walden Schmidt, won't be a Playboy like CHARLIE SHEEN'S character was. --Jon explains, quote, "I can only say my character [Alan] ends up being the more romantically experienced one of the two of them. So Alan becomes sort of a mentor character to Ashton's character. --"And as bad as an idea as that sounds, it's just as bad on the show . . . I'm a terrible mentor. And that's where a lot of the fun of the show comes from." --Jon doesn't reveal any more about the death of Charlie's character, but he does say, quote, "The history of the show does not go away at all. [The death] will be dealt with all through the first season. --"It's not, 'Oh, that character's gone, let's forget completely about him.' There will be ramifications all through the season. We're not taking this into a new universe where the first show didn't exist." --He adds that the producers haven't told him where the plot is going . . . quote, "They've cryptically hinted at stuff. One of the characters will be institutionalized, but they don't say which character or what kind of institution." --Oh, and Jon admits that Ashton's pimped-out trailer is absurd . . . but says it's become a hangout place off the set. He explains, quote, "I refer to [it] as the U.S.S. Yorktown. What's great about it is it provides shade . . . for most of the studio lot. --"It's a fun place to hang out for us and anybody on the crew. He has an open-door policy. He's got almost a club upstairs . . . he pipes music out before and after the shows and everybody hangs out. It creates a great vibe."
Mike Tyson and Steve-O Will Roast Charlie Sheen:
MIKE TYSON and "Jackass" star STEVE-O will roast CHARLIE SHEEN on Comedy Central next month. Comedians Jeffrey Ross and Anthony Jeselnik will also be there, along with TMZ's Harvey Levin. --More "roasters" will be announced later. The roast is hosted by "Family Guy" creator SETH MACFARLANE, and it'll air on September 19th. (--It tapes the week before.)
Tuesday TV Reminders: (--Check your local listings.)
--"'Seventeen' Magazine's Pretty Amazing Contest" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on MTV. (--Five girls compete for the chance at becoming the next "Seventeen" magazine cover girl. "iCarly's" Miranda Cosgrove, editor-in-chief of "Seventeen" Ann Shoket and blogger Jared Eng are the judges.)
--"Pretty Little Liars" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on ABC Family.
--"America's Got Talent" [Performance Show] . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC.
--"Red Hot Chili Peppers Live from the Roxy" . . . 9:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Fuse. (--The Red Hot Chili Peppers perform songs from their new CD "I'm With You".)
--"50 Documentaries to See Before You Die" [Mini-Series Finale] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Current TV.
--"Big Sexy" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC. (--This new reality series follows five confident plus-size women who are trying to break into the modeling and fashion industry in Manhattan.)
--"Quirky" [SERIES Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Sundance. (--Inventors get the chance to turn their ideas into products in this new reality series.)
--"Chopped: Champions' Tournament" [9th Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Food Network. (--Four former winners return to compete in a new five-part cooking battle for a grand prize of $50,000.)
VIDEO GAME QUICK HITS
The Latest "Madden" Game is In Stores Today:
"Madden NFL 12" (E) . . . on Xbox360, PS3, PSP and Wii. The new features for this year's game include a revamped pregame presentation, a new collision system with over 100 new tackle animations and 40 new gang tackle animations, plus player's attributes that change dramatically depending on their performance during a game. --The franchise mode was also updated with the ability to bid auction style for free agents in the off season, a full 75-man roster where players will have to be cut during each week of the preseason, and future drafts picks can now be traded for. --It also features concussion awareness, meaning players who get concussions during the game won't be allowed to return to the field. (Gameplay) (Trailer)
Video Game Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
#1.) The ESPN app for Xbox 360 now uses picture-in-picture to allow you to watch two sporting events simultaneously. (Full Story)
#2.) Is this the best proposal ever? A guy recruited the developers of "Portal 2" to create three custom levels, with new voice acting and art work, to propose to his girlfriend. The final level, with the proposal, starts at the 6:50 mark. (--And here's an unrelated fan film that takes homemade video game cinema to the next level.)
#3.) Check out these incredibly customized "Batman: Arkham City" Xbox 360s. You can visit Xbox's official Facebook page for details on how you can win one. (Full Story)
#4) Downloadable content for "The Eldor Scrolls V: Skyrim" will be exclusive to the Xbox 360 for the first month of its release. The game drops on 11/11/11. (Full Story)
#5.) Here's a bizarre video where voice actor Nolan North unboxes the collector's edition of "Uncharted 3: Drake's Deception". Nolan is the voice of Nathan Drake in the "Uncharted" games, but you also know him as Desmond in the "Assassin's Creed" games, and he plays Mr. Freeze in the upcoming "Batman" game.
NEW ON VIDEO THIS WEEK
--"Tyler Perry's Madea's Big Happy Family" - Tyler Perry once again plays Madea. In this one, he/she helps a niece knock some sense into her children, whose lives are all out of control. One of them is played by Bow Wow . . . and the sexy Lauren London plays Bow Wow's hot girlfriend. The Old Spice guy Isaiah Mustafa is in it too.
--Lauren played T.I.'s girlfriend, "New New", in "ATL", and she's also been in a lot of hip hop videos, including Pharrell's "That Girl", Snoop's "Drop It Like It's Hot", and Ne-Yo's "Miss Independent".
--"Wrecked" - Adrien Brody wakes up at the bottom of a ravine with no idea where he is, or even who he is. As he frees himself from his wrecked car, he discovers a gun and stolen money, and he starts having flashes of an armed robbery gone wrong.
--"Prom" - A Disney flick about a group of teenagers getting ready for their high school prom. It doesn't star anyone whose name you'd recognize, except maybe Aimee Teegarden. She played Julie Taylor, one of the cute girls on "Friday Night Lights".
--"Bereavement" - A horror flick about a boy who was kidnapped and raised by a psychotic madman. It's a prequel to the 2005 horror film "Malevolence", and it's told from the perspective of a girl who comes to live with her uncle in Pennsylvania, then meets the boy at a nearby farm.
--She's 24-year-old Alexandra Daddario, who you'd remember as the hot blue-eyed brunette from "Percy Jackson & The Olympians". Her uncle is played by Michael Biehn, a.k.a. Kyle Reese from the first "Terminator", and Corporal Hicks in "Aliens".
TV Series On DVD:
--"House, M.D.: Season Seven" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Desperate Housewives: The Complete Seventh Season" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Second Season" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"90210: The Third Season" . . . a six-disc DVD set.
--"Sons of Anarchy: Season Three" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Cougar Town: The Complete Second Season" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Detroit 1-8-7: The Complete First Season" . . . a four-disc DVD set.
--"The Defenders: The DVD Edition" . . . the complete series. It ran for one season.
--"Mad Love: The DVD Edition" . . . the complete series. It ran for one season.
--"Meet the Browns: Season One" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Nikita: The Complete First Season" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Parenthood: Season 2" . . . a five-disc DVD set.
--"Running Wilde: Season One" . . . a two-disc DVD set.
--"iCarly: The Complete 3rd Season" . . . a two-disc DVD set.
--"Hell's Kitchen: Season 5" . . . a four-disc DVD set.
--"Storage Wars: Season 1" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK
--"Tha Carter IV", Lil Wayne (--It has his singles "6 Foot 7 Foot", "How to Love", "John" featuring Rick Ross, and "She Will" featuring Drake. Other guests include Jadakiss, John Legend and T-Pain.)
--"I'm With You", Red Hot Chili Peppers (--It's their first album since "Stadium Arcadium" in 2006, and their first album without guitarist John Frusciante since 1995's "One Hot Minute". Dave Navarro was the guitarist on that album, and a guy named Josh Klinghoffer is the axeman on this one.)
--"Nothing But the Beat", David Guetta (--A double album . . . the first disc features collaborations with artists and the second disc is just instrumental tracks. His guests include Flo-Rida, Nicki Minaj, Taio Cruz, Ludacris, Will.I.Am, Usher, Snoop Dogg, Akon, and Timbaland.)
--"Black and White America", Lenny Kravitz
--"Night Shades", Cobra Starship (--It includes the single "You Make Me Feel…")
--"Barefoot Blue Jean Night", Jake Owen (--This is his third studio album. The title track is fastest rising single of Jake's career . . . and that really IS Jake waterskiing on the "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" video. Check it out.)
All of Justin Bieber's YouTube Videos Were Yanked Yesterday . . . Thanks to Some Jokester:
There was a Bieber Fever emergency yesterday morning, when ALL of JUSTIN BIEBER'S music videos were removed from his official channel . . . because of a bogus copyright claim. --It sounds like it was the work of a single user going by the name "iLCreation", who simply went to each of Justin's videos and submitted a copyright claim. --From what we're hearing, YouTube has an "act first, sort it out later" policy when it comes to stuff like this, so one jokester really could bring down anyone's videos . . . at least temporarily. (--It's hard to believe that it's THAT easy.) --Justin's videos were immediately restored once YouTube looked into it. Access to the videos was blocked for about two hours. --Justin wasn't the only artist hit . . . this person also had some of LADY GAGA'S videos taken down in the same way.
-Not surprisingly, fans of Justin and Lady Gaga went DOG NUTS about this, and began making all sorts of threats on Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. --There were even unconfirmed "reports" that iLCreation was a 13-year-old boy from Pakistan. (???) --Later, people were claiming conflicting things like: He was from India, he was a hacker named "Matt", and then that "he" was actually a FEMALE Justin Bieber fan, who was trying to PROMOTE Justin.
Sebastian Bach's Home . . . Including His KISS Pinball Machine . . . Was Destroyed By Hurricane Irene:
Former Skid Row singer Sebastian Bach is one of the many people who were NOT able to escape Hurricane Irene unscathed. His New Jersey home was flooded . . . and he lost a ton of cool rock memorabilia. --Sebastian talked about it on his Facebook page. He said, quote, "I am numb, in shock, and devastated to report that my home of 21 years, my house featured on 'MTV Cribs', has been destroyed, condemned, and deemed uninhabitable due to the extreme flooding courtesy of Hurricane Irene . . . --"Gone are irreplaceable items, such as my KISS Gargoyles from the 1979 tour . . . KISS pinball machine . . . Skid Row master tapes, video & audio, concerts, master tapes [and] boxes and boxes of one of a kind Skid Row memorabilia, from the first tour to our last, all stuff I collected on the road that no one else had. --"It's all over now. I will always love New Jersey, but now there is literally nothing left for me here except memories of a past life. Hello, Los Angeles. Hello, new life. Here I am. It's time for a new start. Like I have a choice." (--Sebastian's complete account of the devastation is up on his Facebook profile. Here's a direct link, just in case you're still bewildered by how Facebook works.) (--He also has some other photos of the flooding on his wall . . . including this one. Even though everyone seems to like to mock the media for over-hyping Irene . . . remember, this definitely wasn't a victimless storm.)
Bret Michaels Wants His Next Album to Feature Def Leppard . . . and Stevie Nicks?
BRET MICHAELS is working on his next album, "Get Your Rock On", and he has a wish-list of potential collaborators. --Bret wants DEF LEPPARD singer JOE ELLIOTT and guitarist PHIL COLLEN for the title track . . . and is also hoping to land STEVIE NICKS and members of LYNYRD SKYNYRD. --He tells Billboard.com, quote, "I'm in the process of [working on it] as we speak. When you're having other artists perform with you, it's about working with their time schedule and a lot of taking care of some of the business before you can enjoy the pleasure of just jamming together. --"I try to keep it pretty organic. We have to make sure everyone's good with the timing, and can get into the studio to sing. But I think we're going to have a blast making this record." --Bret is hoping to have a first single out by the end of the year.
The Foo Fighters Take a Group Shower . . . And Show Off Their Backsides . . . in a Video Promo for Their Tour:
The FOO FIGHTERS have released a new video . . . but it isn't for one of their songs. It's called "Hot Buns", and it's something they put out to promote their new tour. --It isn't just a boring advertisement. The video shows the guys . . . in costume . . . hitting up a truck stop to grab a bite to eat, and enjoy a GROUP SHOWER. And in the process, the guys show off their NAKED BACKSIDES. No joke. (--It's pretty funny . . . but it might not be "safe for work." You can find it at the Foo Fighters' site, here. And on YouTube, here. You'll probably have to log-in for both though. Naked butts require age verification!)
Janet Jackson Isn't Attending the Michael Jackson Tribute:
JANET JACKSON isn't attending the MICHAEL JACKSON tribute concert, which is supposedly happening on October 8th in Wales. (--Although I definitely wouldn't be shocked if this thing doesn't end up panning out.) --It sounds like Janet agrees with her brothers JERMAINE and RANDY JACKSON . . . who oppose the timing of the concert, since it takes place during the involuntary manslaughter trial of Conrad Murray, Michael's "doctor." --Janet said, quote, "Because of the trial, the timing of this tribute to our brother would be too difficult for me."
Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter 4" Is Expected to Have a Bigger Debut Than "Watch the Throne":
LIL WAYNE'S new album "Tha Carter 4" just hit the Internet yesterday . . . and is popping up in stores TODAY . . . but it's already expected to have a bigger debut than JAY-Z and KANYE WEST'S "Watch the Throne". --The early projections have "Tha Carter 4" selling between 700,000 and 850,000 copies. That would be the second-biggest sales week of the year . . . behind LADY GAGA'S "Born This Way", which sold 1.11 million copies in its first week out. --"Watch the Throne" sold 436,000 copies in its opening week. Although to be fair, it was ONLY available at iTunes for much of its first week.
TUESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS
Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
Joseph Hyungmin Son . . . the actor who played the Asian villain "Random Task" in the original "Austin Powers" . . . was convicted of felony torture stemming from the brutal rape and beating of a woman back in 1990. He faces 15 years to life when he's sentenced next week. (Full Story)
MINNIE DRIVER is apparently nailing a guy who was in BRITNEY SPEARS' "Toxic" video in 2004.
"Kung Fu Panda 2" is now the highest-grossing movie directed by a woman. (Full Story)
CHAD MICHAEL MURRAY is coming back to do an episode of "One Tree Hill" sometime this season . . . the show's last. (Full Story)
A while back, KIM KARDASHIAN did a music video for "Jam (Turn It Up)" . . . but it never saw the light of day. Now, 54 seconds of footage from the shoot have surfaced online, and I'm not sure that I need to see any more. (Video) (--Kim is hot and everything . . . usually. But in this video, she's singing about going out, and looking like she's suffering from a fever. It's THAT kind of hot.)
REBECCA BLACK says we can expect her album, quote, "around, like, Halloween-time." And she says she's, quote, "so excited for everyone to hear it . . . it's got everything." (Video) (--Everything, that is, except APPEAL. In a separate interview with "Rolling Stone", Rebecca said, quote, "The album is nothing like 'Friday'." Is it a good idea to steer clear of the ONLY thing that made you worth anyone's time?)
RANDOM STUFF
Why Did the Hurricane Lead to a Baby Boom in North Carolina?
I could see Hurricane Irene leading to a baby boom on the East Coast in about nine months. When everyone's trapped in their houses without power, baby makin' is gonna happen. --But this doesn't make ANY sense. Apparently, the hurricane led to an INSTANT baby boom in North Carolina. Some hospitals are reporting somewhere between a 50% and 100% increase in the number of births on Friday and Saturday. --Obviously, people can't spontaneously make babies, so we had to come up with a few theories WHY the hurricane led to the boom . . .
#1.) The change in tides messed up pregnant women's body chemistry which induced labor. Sounds like hippies would believe this, but we're not hippies. So we'll set the odds here at 10%.
#2.) The stress from the hurricane was too much for the women's fragile pregnant bodies to handle. This seems a little more likely. Odds are around 33%.
#3.) People were bored and decided to go to the hospital and induce labor rather than sit around hoping their houses didn't get destroyed. NOW things are starting to sound more realistic. This gets odds of 57%. --For what it's worth, all reports say that none of the women chose to name their newborns "Irene." (Time)
97% of Parents Say They Can't Vacation Like They Want to . . . Because of Their Kids:
If you don't have kids, you'd better get all your exotic traveling in now. Book your trip to Cambodia or the Amazon or Tahiti. Because once kids show up, you're looking at a few decades of Disneyland and places that serve mediocre spaghetti. --According to a survey by a travel website called Skyscanner, only 3% of parents say that their kids HAVEN'T ruined their ability to make vacation plans. The other 97% say they're restricted by traveling with their children. --The main restriction is expense, at 28% . . . it costs a lot to take a big family on an exotic trip. --15% say long flights are a restriction . . . 9% avoid places that are too hot . . . 4% can't go places where their kids don't like the food . . . and 2% actually just let the kids pick and don't offer ANY input. --The survey also found that the number one activity kids want to do on vacation is go to a water park, at 50%. Parents, who actually DON'T want staph infections, made that one of their least-preferred vacation activities, at 12%. --The number one thing parents want to do is spend a day on the beach, at 42%. Only 13% of kids said that's their number one option. (PR Newswire)
If You Won the Lottery, Would You Still Use Coupons?
Whether you're living paycheck-to-paycheck, or you've got $10 MILLION in the bank, if you've got a coupon for free curly fries with the purchase of two Beef 'N Cheddars, you're gonna use it. --According to a great new survey, 96% of Americans say that if they won the lottery, they would STILL use coupons. --Everyone agreed . . . whether they currently make $20,000-a-year or whether they currently make over $150,000. --Here are a few other findings from the survey . . . --Newspapers are still the biggest source for coupons. 76% of people get coupons from the paper . . . 59% get them from emails . . . and 33% from web searches. --With the rise of Groupon and the other daily deals sites, there's been a HUGE rise in the number of people who get coupon alerts through email. In 2010 it was 29%, this year it's more than DOUBLE THAT at 59%. --92% of people use coupons for everyday needs and products . . . 45% use them for dining out . . . 38% for clothing . . . and 35% for cosmetics and beauty products. (PR Newswire)
Here are the Top Colleges Ranked by Everything from Smartest Students and Future CEOs, to Best Food and Horniest Students:
College is starting all over the country . . . and "Newsweek" and "The Daily Beast" just released lists ranking schools in more than a dozen different areas. Here are the top few schools on each of those lists . . .
--Smartest Students. Yale University is number one, followed by Princeton and Harvard. (--Here's the full list.)
--Best Schools for Activists. Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania is first, followed by the University of Chicago and Brown. (--List.)
--Best Food. St. Olaf College in Minnesota is first. Number two is Pitzer College in California, and then Bowdoin College in Maine. (--List.)
--Future CEOs. This one takes a traditional path of Harvard, Stanford, and Columbia. (--List.)
--Most Artistic Students. California Institute of the Arts is first, followed by Emerson College and Berklee College of Music, both in Boston. (--List.)
--Easiest Colleges. They've found you can coast to a degree at State University of New York, Binghamton . . . the University of Florida . . . and University of Wisconsin-Madison. (--List.)
--Hardest Colleges. These aren't the hardest to get into, just the hardest once you're there. St. John's College in New Mexico is first . . . Furman University in South Carolina is second . . . and Middlebury College in Vermont is third. (--List.)
--HORNIEST. Students at Wesleyan University in Connecticut are first. Yale is second, and Rice University in Houston is third. (--List.)
--Best Weather. The University of California, Santa Barbara is first. St. John's College in New Mexico is second . . . University of San Francisco is third. (--List.)
--Healthiest Students. The kids at Harvard are first . . . Louisiana State University students are second . . . Mississippi State University students are third. (--List.)
--Cheapest. Berea College in Kentucky is first. Every student at Berea automatically gets a FULL SCHOLARSHIP covering their $24,100 tuition. The University of Wyoming is second, and University of Idaho is third. (--List.)
--Geekiest Students. Stanford is first, Harvard is second, and the University of Pennsylvania is third. (--List.)
--Future Politicians. Harvard is first, Yale is second . . . and Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. is third. (--List.) (The Daily Beast)
A New App Automatically Sends Birthday Messages to Your Facebook Friends:
One of the weird side effects of the Facebook era is the people you haven't talked to in ten years who post "Happy Birthday!" on your wall once a year. If you want to look that thoughtful . . . even though you're not . . . we finally have a solution for you. --A web developer just released an app for the Google Chrome web browser. If you're not using that browser you can download it . . . and the app . . . for free. --The app checks which of your Facebook friends is having a birthday . . . and then automatically posts a "Happy Birthday" message on their wall. You can even choose to have it rotate between a few different messages. --Now you can wish all of your long-lost friends from elementary school a happy birthday without actually having to do ANYTHING. (Lifehacker) (--You can download the Happy Birthday app here for free.)
Now There's a Search Engine For All Facebook Status Updates:
If you're tired of reading your friends' Facebook status updates and you want to see what the world is saying about important issues . . . like "Bachelor Pad" developments or just how bad LIL WAYNE'S "VMA" performance was . . . now you can. -There's a new search engine called Openbook and it searches ALL public Facebook status updates worldwide. You can search for any term and, if you want, just choose to search male or female updates. It's online at Openbook.org.
Getting Divorced Makes You Pick Up Bad Habits:
If you're divorced, you already know that your ex has ruined your life or taken all your money. And we have some more bad news for you: They're also ruining your health. --Mark Banschick is an author of a series of books on divorce, and he's reviewed the research on how people react to the end of a marriage. He found that many people react to divorce immaturely. --In other words, they pick up bad habits to cope with the stress. Check it out . . . --People who are divorced or separated are twice as likely to smoke, often because former smokers take it up again. (--Or maybe smokers are just harder to live with, and are more likely to get divorced?) --Divorced and separated adults get less sleep than married couples, which can harm their health. --Recently divorced women tend to gain weight, although men usually begin working out to prepare for dating. (--Which kind of contradicts this story we told you about last week. --People tend to cut loose sexually after divorce, putting them more at risk for STDs: 15% of new HIV cases are from people over age 50. --And the most common bad habit divorced people pick up is drinking. Divorced and separated people are more likely than married couples to drink. Dating usually involves drinks, and divorced people who aren't dating might drown their sorrows in booze. --All the high-risk behavior results in divorced men having an early death rate that's ten times higher than a married guy who's the same age. (Huffington Post)
Most Green Cars Actually Don't Save Enough in Gas Costs to Pay for Themselves . . . But Some Come Pretty Close:
If you bought a hybrid or electric car to help save the planet and look down your nose at your neighbors, you probably don't care about the cost-benefit. But some people wonder if green cars are worth it. --In other words, environmentally-friendly cars cost thousands more than similar gas-engine models . . . but supposedly you'll make that up by saving on gas, and the car will pay for itself. --Well, Kiplinger did the math, and found that most green cars actually DON'T end up saving you all the extra money you spent . . . but some of them come pretty close. --The Chevy Volt costs about $18,000 more than its closest gas-engine comparison, the Cruze. The Nissan Leaf costs about the same amount over the comparable Versa. --On average, after five years of driving the Volt instead of the Cruze, you'll save about $17,500 in ownership costs, which means it cost you a total of $500 more for the green model. The Leaf will save you $17,200 over the Versa, so it cost you an extra $800. --The Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid is the most cost-effective green car. You actually save about $7,000 over five years compared to the gas-engine model. --At the other end of the spectrum is the Lexus LS600 hybrid. It costs about $36,000 more than the gas-engine Lexus, and it doesn't save you anything in ownership costs. (--But if you're looking to spend $110,000 on a car, does it even matter?) (KCBY)
There Are Still Lots of Products Made in the U.S.A. . . . Like Bowling Balls, Sparklers and Pencils:
Americans can proudly hold their heads high, and China can suck it . . . because there are still plenty of products made right here in the U.S.A. --Sure, we don't produce as much as we used to. In the last few years, America's last sardine cannery, coat hanger factory, and button-down shirt factory closed down. But here are some home-grown products that we can enjoy. -Bowling Balls: There are only 5,800 bowling alleys in the U.S., which is about half as many as there were in the 1960s, and several large ball makers have moved overseas. --But Ebonite and Hammer bowling balls are made in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, along with a lot of other bowling alley equipment.
--Sparklers: China makes most of them. But Diamond Sparkler of Youngstown, Ohio refuses to shut down, saying that anything we use on July 4th has to be made in America.
--Socks: Fort Payne, Alabama used to be called the "Sock Capital of the World." They still make plenty, although not at the levels of previous years, where they sewed one in every eight pairs worn in America.
--Ironing Boards: HPI Seymour of Indiana makes 720 boards an hour, selling them at Target and Wal-Mart.
--Some other products made here are pencils, chopsticks, Steinway pianos, and Sony compact discs. (Yahoo)
An Innocent Woman Survives a Drive-By . . . When Her Cell Phone Blocks the Bullet:
On Friday night around 11:00 P.M., a woman was visiting a friend at an apartment complex in Colorado Springs, Colorado. (--Their names weren't released.) Suddenly, BULLETS STARTED FLYING. --There was a drive-by shooting at the complex . . . which police believe was gang-related . . . and one bullet HIT the woman. She isn't involved in any gang activity and was a completely innocent victim. --Fortunately, she survived without a scratch because the bullet hit her in the hip . . . right on her CELL PHONE. It absorbed the entire force of the bullet. There's no word on what kind of phone it was. --The police are still investigating the shooting. Other bullets went through other walls in the complex, but amazingly there were no injuries. (CBS 11 - Colorado Springs)
MEATBALL CRIMINALS
President Obama's Uncle Was Arrested for Drunk Driving:
PRESIDENT OBAMA has a 67-year-old uncle named Onyango Obama who lives in Framingham, Massachusetts. And we're guessing this ISN'T how he wanted to get his name in the news. --On August 24th, Onyango was arrested for DUI. The news has just gotten out now. --The cops pulled him over when he plowed through an intersection in his SUV. He blew a .14 on the breathalyzer, which is almost double the legal limit. --Apparently, when they asked him if he wanted to make a phone call, Onyango said, quote, "I think I will call the White House."--Onyango is from Kenya, and his legal immigration status is up in the air right now. He's being held now on an immigration warrant. Last year his sister, Zeituni Onyango, won asylum and was legally allowed to stay in the U.S. --The White House didn't have a comment yet on Onyango's arrest. (Boston Herald)
A Couple Was Busted Going Door-to-Door Telling People to Evacuate For the Hurricane . . . So They Could Rob the Houses:
Preying on people when they're freaked out about a hurricane potentially destroying their lives . . . that's DIRTY. And that's exactly what this couple did. --42-year-old Daniel DiGianni is a former corrections officer who lives on Staten Island, in New York. And he and his girlfriend, 28-year-old Linda Fleshner, decided to pull a Hurricane Irene scam. --On Saturday afternoon, they went door-to-door in their area. Daniel would flash a fake badge and tell people he was a police officer and they needed to evacuate because the hurricane was coming. --The plan was to ROB the houses once people evacuated. --Fortunately, a 50-year-old named Ray Weiler was one of their first targets . . . and he noticed that, quote, "Something was off." So he called the police. --Daniel and Linda were busted before they could actually rob a single house. Both were charged with criminal impersonation of a police officer. (New York Daily News)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS
Random News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
A new study says that chocolate IS good for you . . . as long as you don't eat TOO much. People with the highest levels of chocolate consumption have a 37% reduction in stroke risk. And people who eat chocolate could also cut their risk of heart disease and diabetes. (Full Story)
An MRE is a "Meal Ready to Eat" . . . that's military terminology for a pre-packaged meal for troops abroad. It's supposed to pack in a ton of calories, and remind them of home. And if you've ever wanted to see what they look from different countries . . . the U.S., France, Germany, and Italy . . . you're in luck. (Full Story)
A juror in a Texas trial was kicked off the jury . . . for trying to "friend" the defendant on Facebook. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) A National Guard Convoy in New Jersey Drove into Flood Waters Seven Feet High . . . with Predictable Results:
A lot of places still need help with the flooding from Hurricane Irene. Let's just hope the National Guard units they deploy have a little more sense than the ones in Manville, New Jersey. --There's a YouTube video that shows two National Guard trucks there, full of guys, driving straight into deep floodwater. It goes right up to the roof of the trucks. First one truck drives in, then another. And at first it works . . . sort of. --The guy filming says, "How's that possible?" And his buddy responds, "It's the Army, bro." Only, it isn't possible: Both trucks end up floating, and the men inside have to swim out. So the guy filming says, "Are you guys that stupid?" It's a good question. (--Search YouTube for "Hurricane Irene National Guard Almost Drown Manville, NJ." The Guardsmen swim out of both trucks at 1:24.)
#2.) The Latest Entry in the Yankees-Red Sox Battle Between Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski:
There's a new ad from New Era, continuing the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry between ALEC BALDWIN and JOHN KRASINSKI. --This time they're talking over their webcams, when Baldwin says he's, quote, "gonna make everyone in Fenway cry." Then he sets a whole bunch of Red Sox tickets on fire . . . but accidentally burns down his apartment building. --So he freaks out and tells John to call "912 . . . it's 911 for rich people!" (--Search for "New Era Commercial - 912.")
#3.) This is Why the Irish Should Stick to Riverdance:
There's a festival in Ireland called the Rose of Tralee . . . it's sort of like a beauty pageant celebrating Irish culture. And if you missed it, last week they picked this year's winner. --Unfortunately it wasn't the chick from Dublin, who's "talent" was to perform a hip-hop dance to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem". --Let's just say the Irish should stick to Riverdance. (--Search for "Dublin Rose Hip Hop Dance.")
Five Things That Seem Good for Your Body . . . But Aren't:
Eating right and exercising are obviously the two most important things you can do for your health. But some things that SEEM good for your body, can actually be bad. Here are five of them, according to the magazine "Women's Day".
#1.) Constantly Trying New Skincare Products. Dermatologists suggest picking a routine and sticking with it. It can be weeks or even months before you see results with some products. So don't give up to soon. --Constantly changing skin products can actually irritate your skin, and cause adult rosacea . . . which is when your skin gets red and patchy.
#2.) Wearing Flip-Flops. It's fine every now and then. But wearing something with no arch support can cause back problems, knee problems, and stress fractures in your feet. --And flip-flops make certain muscles in your feet work harder than they should, which can lead to tendonitis. --Plus, it exposes your feet to more bacteria and skin diseases, like plantar warts and athlete's foot.
#3.) Only Drinking Bottled Water. It might taste better than tap, but tap water in most areas has fluoride in it to help protect your teeth. Bottled water doesn't, and some dentists think it's causing more tooth decay in adults. --The best thing to do is use a Brita, which filters all the impurities out of the tap water . . . but not the fluoride.
#4.) Using Extra-Strength Cleaning Products. Some people think that if a product is stronger, they don't have to clean as often. But the best way to avoid bacteria is to use NORMAL cleaning products, and just clean more often. --A lot of the industrial-strength cleaners are just overkill. And some contain chemicals that have been shown to cause asthma, and even cancer.
#5.) Taking Extra Supplements. Your body only needs a certain amount of vitamins and minerals a day. If you get more than you need, it usually doesn't matter. But it might if you're CONSTANTLY popping vitamins. --For pregnant women, too much vitamin A can be toxic for the baby. And too much vitamin C can interfere with glucose readings for diabetics. Too much vitamin B6 for ANYONE can cause nerve damage. (Woman's Day)
Countdown to Upcoming Events
• 23 days left in Summer
• 62 days to Halloween
• 86 days to Thanksgiving
• 117 days to Christmas
• 124 days left in 2011
• 509 days left of "Hope and Change" :)
posted by Nazzy @ 6:08 AM
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