HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (11-29-11)
Changing Her Twitter Name is Not a Priority for Demi Moore:
As far as Twitter is concerned, DEMI MOORE is still @mrskutcher. And it looks like it's going to stay that way for a little while longer. A source says that changing the name is, quote, "not a priority at the moment." --Demi has done very little Tweeting lately . . . just two posts since Thanksgiving.
Anne Hathaway is Engaged:
ANNE HATHAWAY and her boyfriend . . . way-less-famous actor Adam Shulman . . . are engaged. They've been dating since 2008. He's 30, she's 29. --Before Adam, Anne was in a serious relationship with a guy named Raffaello Follieri . . . but that ended after he pleaded guilty to 14 counts of money laundering, conspiracy and wire fraud. (--Here's a picture of Anne and Adam together.) (People)
Pregnancy News: Maggie Gyllenhaal Is . . . Fergie Is Not:
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL and PETER SARSGAARD are expecting their second child. There's no word on the sex or due date. --They already have a 5-year-old daughter named Ramona, although they didn't get married until 2009. --Meanwhile, there's a rumor going around that FERGIE and JOSH DUHAMEL are expecting their FIRST kid. They're not. Her rep says, quote, "Yes, a baby is in the plans at some point, but there's no specific plans or date or anything like that."
Guy Ritchie Says He Stepped Into a Soap Opera When He Married Madonna . . . But It Was a Positive Experience Overall:
GUY RITCHIE says that when he married MADONNA, he, quote, "stepped into a soap opera." But he's not knocking it. --He says, quote, "I enjoyed my first marriage. It's definitely not something I regret. The experience was ultimately very positive. I love the kids that came out of it, and I could see no other route to take." (--Madonna and Guy have one biological child, their son Rocco. He's 11 now. Guy's current girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy in September.)
Is Kate Gosselin Asking Kris Jenner for Tips on Pimping Out Her Kids?
We all assume that KATE GOSSELIN is getting desperate to figure out a way to keep herself . . . and, as a secondary concern, her kids . . . in the life to which she's become accustomed. --And now, it's led to this . . . --The "National Enquirer" says Kate has reached out to KRIS JENNER for tips on turning her family into an EMPIRE like the KARDASHIANS. --A source says, quote, "Kate has reached out to Kris hoping she'll mentor her on how to turn the Gosselin kids into a money-making machine. Kate wants her family to be Kardashian 2.0." --The source adds, quote, "Kate got Kris' e-mail address and sent her a gushing note about how much she admires Kris for turning her family into international superstars. --"Kate ended the note by saying, 'I hope you can teach me some of your magic tricks.' --"Kate is praying this new friendship will lead to a meeting with executives at the E! network, where the Kardashian TV empire is based."
Are Bruce and Kris Jenner Headed for Divorce?
The wonderful journalistic purists at the "National Enquirer" say that BRUCE and KRIS JENNER may be headed for divorce. --They've been fighting lately about EVERYTHING, from money to how to raise the kids. --Sources say Bruce is tired of Kris putting work ahead of their relationship . . . and Kris can't stand how much money Bruce spends on hobbies like motorcycle racing and golf. She's even put him on an allowance. --A source says, quote, "Bruce has started standing up for himself, insists Kris cut back on her work and is spending more time away from the house to enjoy time by himself. --"He now wants a life away from the TV craziness. As a result, he and Kris are at a crisis point in their marriage." --The source adds that Bruce LAUGHED when he saw that online petition asking E! to dump the Kardashians from its schedule, because he blames the show for their marital problems. (--One last note on the Kardashians . . . if you care: 14-year-old KYLIE JENNER went on a date with Australian pop singer CODY SIMPSON. He's 14, too. Here's a picture.) (Us Weekly)
Miley Cyrus Was Just Joking When She Called Herself a Stoner:
MILEY CYRUS' rep says she was just JOKING when she called herself a STONER at her 19th birthday party last week. --Here's the official statement . . . quote, "It's all been taken out of context. The cake was a joke and Miley's response was intended to be sarcastic." --Meanwhile, Miley wore a see-through shirt and black bra in pictures for the NoH8 pro-gay marriage campaign. (--Check out a picture here.) (Hollywood Gossip) --And one last thing: Miley has released a new video for "Liberty Walks" that features scenes from various "Occupy" protests. (--You can check it out in our Videos of the Day section, here.)
Justin Bieber Was the Most-Searched Person on Bing.com This Year . . . And the Only Male in the Top 10:
JUSTIN BIEBER was the most-searched person on Bing.com in 2011 . . . and the only male in the Top 10. (--He was #6 last year.)
--Here's the Top 10 . . .
#1.) Justin Bieber
#2.) Kim Kardashian
#3.) Jennifer Aniston
#4.) Lindsay Lohan
#5.) Jennifer Lopez
#6.) Britney Spears
#7.) Katy Perry
#8.) Megan Fox
#9.) Lady Gaga
#10.) Miley Cyrus
(--You can also check out the most-searched News Stories, Sports Stars, Musicians, Movies and tons more. Here's the link.)
An Ad Featuring 14-Year-Old Hailee Steinfeld Has Been Banned in Britain . . . Because It Allegedly Shows a Child in an Unsafe Location:
14-year-old "True Grit" star HAILEE STEINFELD did a print ad for a fashion house called Miu Miu that was BANNED in Britain. But NOT because it's overly sexual. --It's because Hailee is sitting on railroad tracks . . . and the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority believes that it depicts a child in an unsafe location. Some people also complained that it suggested TEEN SUICIDE, but the ASA rejected that idea. (--Here's the ad.) (E! Online)
Check Out Ben Affleck's Lame Dolphin Tattoo:
You may not have known this, but BEN AFFLECK has a lame, solid green dolphin tattoo on his side just above his beltline. The word is that he got it to cover up a previous tattoo of a high school girlfriend's name. (--Check it out here.) (E! Online)
Conrad Murray's Mother Is Begging the Court for Mercy:
CONRAD MURRAY will be sentenced today for involuntary manslaughter in the death of MICHAEL JACKSON. He faces a mandatory sentence of four years in prison, and that's what prosecutors want. --Here's somebody who disagrees: Murray's MOTHER, Milta Rush. She sent a letter to the judge begging for mercy. --She says, quote, "He is saddened and remorseful about the death of his friend Michael Jackson and I do believe he is certainly learning the toughest lesson of his life." --She adds that her son is a good person who has never drank alcohol, taken drugs or smoked cigarettes in his life. --She concludes her letter with this . . . quote, "Conrad is my son and as a mother I must say I know him inside out. He is sorry for what happened to Michael and had no intent towards him. --"I humbly beg for your heart felt consideration of everything I have said about Conrad, and ask for your compassion and leniency in giving him probation or community service." (--You can read the letter here.)
Old Dudes Gripe About Hollywood - #1: Steven Spielberg Can't Watch Too Many Movies Made in the Last 20 Years:
Coming from the guy who made the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie, this is kind of interesting: STEVEN SPIELBERG can't really watch movies made in the last 20 years . . . because they're CRAP. --That's not exactly how he said it, of course. Here's what he did say . . . quote, "There's not a lot of films I'd watch that are made over the past 20 years, because I'm much more of a romantic. --"I like to go way back to the source. I look at a lot of silent movies for inspiration because they're all told visually and they're all told with hyper-extended performance and with wonderful use of a frame. --"It's a way of getting my engine started." --Even if a movie stinks, though, Spielberg says he's respectful enough NOT to walk out before it's over . . . quote, "If something isn't very good, I'll stay to the end in case it gets better. --"I keep looking for that ray of hope when I'm disappointed by a picture or a show. It's just plain rude to get up and walk out of something that someone has labored over."
Old Dudes Gripe About Hollywood - #2: Terry Gilliam Knows Exactly What Was Wrong With "Transformers 3" . . . And a Lot of Other Movies These Days:
TERRY GILLIAM may not exactly be a household name, but he's responsible for some truly amazing films, like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", "Time Bandits", "Brazil", "Twelve Monkeys" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". --He recently saw the latest "Transformers" movie, and he HATED IT. He has a great take on why it SUCKED. And it really gets to the heart of why MOST movies suck these days. Especially big-budget action flicks. --He says, quote, "You just sit there and watch the explosions. I couldn't tell you what the movie was about. The movie hammers the audience into submission. --"They are influenced by video games, but in video games at least you are immersed; in these movies you're left out. --"In films, there's so much overt fantasy now that I don't watch a lot because everything is possible now. There's no tension there. People can slide down the side of a building that's falling and they don't get ripped to shreds? --"The shots are amazing, but if there is no consequence, no gravity, what's the point? I can't watch Hollywood movies anymore. There's no room for me."
Regis Philbin Is Thinking About Doing a Primetime Family Talent Show:
It hasn't even been two weeks since REGIS PHILBIN left "Live! With Regis and Kelly", and he's already working on setting up his next gig. --He tells the "New York Post", quote, "We're contemplating a [primetime] show that is sort of a talent show, but it involves the whole family . . . a family competition, which is something new in our business." --That sounds like a mix of "Double Dare", "America's Got Talent" and the end of "The Sound of Music". Regis hosted the first season of "America's Got Talent" in 2006. It's unclear what role he'd have on this new show. --Generally speaking, Regis says he's interested in something LIKE a variety show . . . only not a "variety show." --He says, quote, "[An] entertainment type of show would appeal to me. In our business you don't want to say variety because it's frowned upon now, but something with people who are performing." --By the way, Regis also confirms that contract issues were one of the things that contributed to his decision to leave "Live! With Regis and Kelly". --He says, quote, "It wasn't that ABC didn't try to negotiate with me. [But] as it happens in this business, sometimes you don't really like the terms so you just walk away with that in mind." (--Apparently, every Regis quote includes the phrase "in this business.")
TLC's New Show "Virgin Diaries" Includes Some Awkward, Bad Kissing:
TLC has released a promo for a new show called "Virgin Diaries", which premieres this Sunday night at 9:00 P.M. --TLC says the show "takes you inside the lives of adult virgins, who reveal the challenges, truths, and anticipations of losing their virginity." (--I think TLC intended that to be a description, not a warning disclaimer.) --Anyway, the promo features a couple who waited until their wedding day to KISS. And naturally, it's as awkward and borderline gross as most first kisses are . . . only this one was recorded for posterity. (--You can watch the promo at TLC.Discovery.com. The kiss comes 20 seconds in. It's bad enough that they may very well be playing around a little . . . but at the same time, it's very possible that they're just that clueless.)
Soon You Will Be Able to Buy Paper from Dunder Mifflin . . . the Fake Paper Company from "The Office":
In a move described as "reverse product placement," Staples is launching a brand of paper called "Dunder Mifflin" . . . after the name of the fictional paper company in "The Office". The paper will be sold through the Staples-owned website Quill.com. --The packages will include slogans from the show, including, quote, "Our motto is, Quabity First" and "Get Your Scrant on." There's no word on when it'll be available. (--NBC is getting 6% of the profits in exchange for letting them use the name.)
Tuesday TV Reminders:
--"90210" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on the CW. Former supermodel Janice Dickinson guest stars as herself.
--"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.
--"America's Supernanny" [Series Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Lifetime. Child-care expert Deborah Tillman helps parents tame their children.
--"Scott Turow's Innocent" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TNT. Bill Pullman stars as an older version of the character Harrison Ford played in "Presumed Innocent".
In the first movie, prosecutor Rusty Sabich was accused of killing his mistress. Now, 20 years later, Rusty is a judge who stands accused of killing his wife. She's played by Marcia Gay Harden
--"Raising Hope" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. Andrew Dice Clay plays himself.
--"The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on CBS. Miranda Kerr wears the $2.5 million fantasy treasure bra. Music Guests: Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Maroon 5. (Photos)
--"One Born Every Minute" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Lifetime.
--"Auction Hunters" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Spike TV.
--"Flip Men" [1st Season Finale] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on Spike TV.
VIDEO GAME QUICK HITS
Xbox is Getting a New Social Feature Called Beacons . . . and PS3 Users Who Bought "Battlefield 3" Are Entitled to Vouchers for A Free Game:
--The next Xbox 360 Dashboard Update is coming on December 6th. It includes cloud storage for your game saves and new social networking features like Facebook sharing. (Full Story)
--That new Xbox update also includes a feature called Beacons, which let you mark games where you may need help from your friends. They've launched it early through Xbox.com. All you have to do is go to [Social], click [Activity], then click [Beacon] and leave a custom note. You can have three beacons at a time. (Full Story)
--PS3 users who bought "Battlefield 3" should have also gotten a free copy of "Battlefield 1943" with the game, but it was shipped without it. So, they're making it up to them with a "Battlefield 1943" voucher on December 10th. (Full Story)
--This week's new downloadable content for the PlayStation Network includes the full version of "Modern Warfare 2", the Sly Cooper trilogy, and "Voltron". (Full Story)
--Here's a list of the Seven Annoying Gamers to Avoid This Thanksgiving, but really this list could just as easily apply to anytime you have a family gathering. And remember, Christmas is right around the corner. (Full Descriptions)
• The Technological Elitist [A-hole]
• The Consoles Suck, It's Better on PC Guy
• The Wait, Hold On, Wait, One More Time, One Sec, Hold On Guy
• The Angry and Disjointed Rage Quitting Family Member
• The Incessant Customizer
• The Kamikaze Drunk Driver Hell Bent on Team Destruction
• The Filthy, Filthy Child
--Delayed Games: Here's a two-page list of 13 games that were supposed to come out in 2011, but they've been pushed back to next year. They include "Kinect Star Wars", "Mass Effect 3", "The Darkness 2", and "Silent Hill Downpour". (Full Story)
NEW ON VIDEO THIS WEEK
--"Five Days of War" - British actors Rupert Friend and Richard Coyle play American journalists who witness the cold blooded murder of innocent civilians during a Russian war that broke out in the middle of the 2008 Olympics. And "Entourage" minx Emmanuelle Chriqui plays a local woman trying to help them escape.
--"One Day" - Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess meet on the day of their college graduation and go their separate ways. Then, we watch as their friendship evolves over 20 years, with glimpses of their lives on the anniversary of the day they met.
--"The Art of Getting By" - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's" Freddie Highmore plays a teenage slacker on academic probation who falls for Emma Roberts.
--"Our Idiot Brother" - Paul Rudd plays the pot-smoking brother of Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel. When his girlfriend kicks him out, they take turns letting him live with them. Rashida Jones plays Zooey's lesbian life-partner.
--"Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" - A horror comedy about two rednecks mistaken for killers by a group of paranoid college kids. They save "30 Rock's" Katrina Bowden from drowning, and her friends try to "rescue" her with hilarious but deadly results.
--"30 Minutes or Less" - Jesse Eisenberg is a pizza delivery guy forced to rob a bank after a couple guys kidnap him and strap a bomb to his chest. Aziz Ansari is his best friend, and the kidnappers are comedians Danny McBride and Nick Swardson.
--"Seven Days in Utopia" - Lucas Black plays a golfer whose game falls apart during a big tournament, and Robert Duvall is a small town rancher who helps him get his swing back after Lucas gets stranded in the small town where Duvall lives.
TV Series On DVD:
--"30 Rock: Season 5" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Hot in Cleveland: Season 2" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"VH1 Storytellers: Dixie Chicks" . . . a single-disc DVD set.
--"The Girls Next Door: The Complete Collection" . . . a 17-disc DVD set. It ran for six seasons.
--"Smallville: The Complete 10th Season" . . . a six-disc set of the final season.
--"Smallville: The Complete Series" . . . a 62-disc DVD set. It ran ten seasons.
--"The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 1" . . . a six-disc set. It ran five seasons.
NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK
Not of lot of new music gets released during the week after Thanksgiving. Here are your limited choices for what's new in stores . . .
--"Whatever", Hot Chelle Rae (--Demi Lovato appears on a song called "Why Don't You Love Me?)
--"Inevitable", Trey Songz . . . a five-song EP that includes Fabolous on the track "What I Be On".
--"Adele Live At the Royal Albert Hall", Adele . . . (CD/DVD)
--"Aphrodite: Les Folies", Kylie Minogue
--"Beyoncé Live at Roseland: Elements of 4", Beyoncé . . . (2-Disc Deluxe Edition)
--Smashing Pumpkins . . . the remastered version of their 1991 disc "Gish", and a remastered version of their 1993 album "Siamese Dream".
Now, Mariah Yeater's Ex-Boyfriend Wants a DNA Test to Prove *He's* the Father:
A month ago, it at least seemed POSSIBLE that JUSTIN BIEBER was the father of Mariah Yeater's four-month-old baby. But the odds of that being true have been in a FREE FALL ever since. Here's the latest: --Mariah Yeater's ex-boyfriend Robbie Powell wants his own DNA test, to prove that HE'S the father of the baby. --"Sources" tell TMZ that Robbie doesn't like how Mariah is "using" the baby for attention . . . and to try to extort money from Justin. --Supposedly, he's been telling his friends that Mariah admitted to him that her accusations against Justin are bogus. Also, several "media outlets" have asked Robbie for interviews to tell his side of the story, and he's "reviewing his options." --Of course, to do that it'd help if he WASN'T INCARCERATED. --RadarOnline.com says Robbie was arrested in San Diego Saturday night on drug and burglary charges. --The rap includes: Possession of a controlled substance, which was meth . . . possession of drug paraphernalia . . . and three charges of commercial burglary. That's four felonies and one misdemeanor. It's unclear what went down. --Robbie is currently in jail, and has two court dates scheduled for this week.
Is Justin Bieber Grounded . . . Because He Splurged on a Car?
The "National Enquirer" claims JUSTIN BIEBER'S mom, Pattie Mallette, has punished Justin for splurging on a $160,000 souped-up Range Rover. --Justin already owns at least two vehicles: A Ferrari and a custom Cadillac BATMOBILE. -A so-called "source" says, quote, "Pattie blew a gasket when she learned about Justin's wild spending spree. As a result, she is forbidding him from driving until he turns 18, unless he's accompanied by an adult chaperon. --"[She's] trying to get Justin's wild spending under control." --Justin turns 18 on March 1st. (--Three months ago, Justin got in a minor car accident after street racing Everlast from House of Pain in his Ferrari . . . and last month, he was pulled over for cutting off a motorcycle cop in his Batmobile.) (--Forget the spending . . . Justin is making BANK . . . Justin's mom should ground him for driving recklessly. At this point, that's much more dangerous than him dropping 160 Gs.) (--By the way, if Justin DOES end up being the father of that kid . . . that's one thing his mom can't punish him for. That's because she had Justin when she was 18 . . . and that ended up working out pretty well for her.) (???)
A Random John Lennon "To-Do" List Is Being Auctioned Off:
JOHN LENNON crap is worth money. --Lennon's handwritten lyrics to the BEATLES' classic, "A Day in the Life", sold for $1.2 million. Even his tooth recently sold for $31,200. --Now, GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com is auctioning off a random "to-do" list that Lennon wrote. The list is pretty boring . . . or as the seller describes it: Quote, "An amazing look into the 'everyday-ness' of one of rock 'n' roll's most important icons!" -Here are a few of the things on the list: --"HBO guy coming between 3:00-5:00. BE THERE. (The other guy didn't know what was wrong.)" --"When [the HBO guy] arrives . . . YOU let him in, YOU tell him WHAT TO DO. Yesterday, they made an offer to attach [an] FM radio (or something). I'm not sure what they meant, but I suspect it must improve FM radio reception. Find out. Maybe WE DO want it. (I didn't know what he was talking about.)" --"Marmalade." --"Would it be a good idea to make sure BOTH CARS have full gas tanks?" (--Yes.)
--"Put back [son] Sean's large mattress. (Today)"
--"Hook on door in our bathroom is falling off."
--"Tell me about my hair dryer . . . yea or nay."
--The list was written for Lennon's personal assistant. Otherwise, that one about the hair dryer would seem a little schizophrenic . . . although either way it's pretty bizarre.
--The note is dated May 22nd, but the year is unknown.
--The minimum bid is $3,000, and it's expected to bring in between $4,000 and $5,000.
(--Of course, if a big-time "to-do" list enthusiast catches wind of this, ALL BETS ARE OFF! If this is something they want, they'll stop at NOTHING to get it. That's just part of the mentality of a "to-do" list collector.) (???) (--You can check out the document at GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com. Bidding opens tomorrow . . . and will remain open for 10 days.)
Check Out Video of a Demi Lovato Hair Extension Malfunction:
DEMI LOVATO experienced a unique wardrobe malfunction during a performance in Kansas City last week. Instead of a piece of clothing falling off . . . it was a hair extension failing to stay connected to her hair. --The clump of hair got stuck on her sleeve while she was dancing and got tugged off when she moved her arm away from her head. --She kept performing while she was trying to shake it off. (--You can find video on YouTube. The hair gets dislodged 47 seconds in.) (CAREFUL) (--By the way, it looks like one of Demi's dancers rubs her crotch at the very beginning of the video.) (--I know that seems unlikely, but I've watched it several times . . . and paused it . . . and I can't be convinced it's NOT happening.) (--If it were an NFL replay, I would not be able to overturn that call.)
Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles Got Married:
JENNIFER NETTLES of SUGARLAND got married to her entrepreneur boyfriend Justin Miller on Saturday. She's 37. We're not sure how old he is, but they've been dating for about two years. --Here are the details according to "People" magazine: It was a small ceremony at a chapel near the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee . . . she wore a wedding gown designed by Alexander McQueen . . . and bandmate KRISTIAN BUSH was there. --Justin's a former model. If you've seen the video for "Want To", you've seen him . . . he's the hot guy sleeping in Jennifer's bed, and she ditches him before getting on the tour bus. He was also her date to the CMAs earlier this month. --Jennifer's been married before: She divorced her first husband in 2007. (--He was a club owner named Todd Van Sickle.) --Whatever honeymoon plans they have will have to wait until at least next week: Sugarland's performing with LADY GAGA at tomorrow night's Grammy Nominations concert on CBS, and hosting Thursday's CMA Country Christmas special on ABC. --Not to mention, Jennifer and Kristian were both accused of negligence in a lawsuit filed last week over that stage collapse this summer at the Indiana State Fair. (--No photos from the wedding yet, but here are Jennifer and Justin at the CMAs.)
Taylor Swift Is All About Christmas:
Now that her massively successful "Speak Now" tour is over, TAYLOR SWIFT is relaxing and getting into the Christmas spirit. --In the past four days, she's Tweeted photos of Christmas trees . . . how winter makes her want to bake . . . and how she and her friends like to make homemade snow globes. (???) (--You can check them out here.)
TUESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS
Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
Remember that lawsuit involving a Ponzi Scheme and high-stakes underground celebrity poker games? Well, TOBEY MAGUIRE threw down $80,000 in order to be dropped from it. (Full Story)
KEN RUSSELL . . . the director of The Who's "Tommy", "Altered States", "The Devils" and "Lair of the White Worm" . . . died Sunday after a series of strokes. He was 84. (Full Story)
Previously unreleased concert footage of MICHAEL JACKSON from 1993 that was valued at up to $8 million failed to sell at auction. It might have had something to do with the fact that anyone who buys it probably won't be able to use it for commercial purposes due to copyright issues. (Full Story)
TYLER PERRY . . . who has admitted to being sexually abused as a child . . . has written an open letter of support to one of the alleged victims of former Penn State coach JERRY SANDUSKY. (Full Story)
"Harry Potter" star DANIEL RADCLIFFE, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY and "Twilight" stud ROBERT PATTINSON are, in that order, the richest British entertainers under 30. (Full Story)
DOUG HUTCHISON . . . the 51-year-old actor who married that creepy 17-year-old COURTNEY STODDEN chick . . . has pulled out of a movie where he was supposed to play a director who has a scandalous relationship with a teen pop star. Apparently, he didn't want people to confuse him with the character. (Full Story)
Over the weekend, T.I. seemed to say that overly sensitive gay people were un-American. But now he's clarifying that it isn't just gays . . . it's ANYONE who takes themselves too seriously, including African Americans. (Full Story)
The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS have announced the first batch of U.S. tour dates for early next year. For now, it's just six shows in the Southeast part of the country. (Full Story)
NICKI MINAJ and M.I.A. will appear on MADONNA'S next album, which will be released sometime in the spring. (Full Story)
T-BOZ from TLC has filed for bankruptcy. (Full Story)
RANDOM STUFF
Buying Everything From "The 12 Days of Christmas" Would Cost You Over $100,000 This Year:
Every year, the economic analysts at PNC Wealth Management put together this study of how much it would cost to buy all the stuff from "The 12 Days of Christmas". You know, calling birds, gold rings, partridge in a pear tree, that stuff. --And this year, for the first time ever, it would cost you over $100,000 to do what the song says. And the song says you don't give each gift just once. --That means you give each gift multiple times . . . like, on the 12th day, you're giving your 12th partridge in a pear tree, your 11th set of two turtle doves, and so on. Doing that will run you $101,119.84, up 4.4% from last year. --If you just want to buy all the gifts once . . . which seems far more reasonable, like, do you really need to give three French hens 10 times? . . . it will cost $24,263.18, up 3.5% from last year. --The biggest price jumps are the partridge, up 25% from $12 to $15, and the turtle doves, up 25% from $100 to $125. --The most expensive item are the seven swans-a-swimming. They're up 12.5%, from $5,600 last year to $6,300 this year . . . or 900 bucks per swan. And that's without even figuring out swimming accommodations for them. --The only item which fell significantly in price from last year are the calling birds . . . down 13.3%, from $599.96 to $519.96.
--Here's the full breakdown of the 12 days of Christmas costs . . .
#1.) Partridge, $15, in a pear tree, $169.99 . . . total cost $184.99.
#2.) Two turtle doves, $125.
#3.) Three French hens, $150.
#4.) Four calling birds, $519.96.
#5.) Five gold rings, $645.
#6.) Six geese-a-laying, $162.
#7.) Seven swans-a-swimming, $6,300.
#8.) Eight maids-a-milking, $58 . . . which is $7.25-an-hour minimum wage.
#9.) Nine ladies dancing, $6,294.03 . . . which is almost $700-per-lady, and should buy you the types of dances that aren't really meant for a family-friendly Christmas.
#10.) Ten lords-a-leaping, $4,766.70.
#11.) Eleven pipers piping, $2,427.60.
#12.) Twelve drummers drumming, $2,629.90.
(MarketWatch)
Women Need to Triple the Amount of Time They Spend Cleaning During the Holidays:
The company that makes Brawny paper towels conducted a survey to see how much extra time women spend cleaning over the holidays. --More than half of all women said that Christmas was the messiest holiday. One in three said Thanksgiving was worse. New Year's and Halloween only got a few votes. --There are a lot of holiday get-togethers this time of year, and that requires extra cleaning both beforehand and afterward. --The average woman spends 116 minutes cleaning their home during a normal week. If she's hosting a holiday event, she spends almost THREE TIMES as long cleaning. --It takes an extra 115 minutes of cleaning to prepare for the party. And after the guests leave, there's another 85 minutes of cleaning to do. --Two thirds of women say they'd like their family to help out with cleaning, but only one in three say their family actually pitches in. Spouses are three times more likely to help out than the kids. --When family members DO help with the cleaning, the most common chore they take care of is . . . taking out the trash. One in three family members take care of that. --One in nine women get help with vacuuming, and one in 12 get help with cooking. (PR Newswire)
The Average American is Nearly 20 Pounds Heavier Than 20 Years Ago:
A new Gallup poll found that we're getting heavier, and we don't seem to care. --The average American is just under 20 pounds heavier than they were in 1990. Men weighed 180 pounds back then, and women weighed 142. --Now the average American male weighs 196 pounds, an increase of 16 pounds in 21 years. The average woman is up 18 pounds to 160. --Even our "goal weight" has increased over that time. Most people name a target weight that's ten pounds heavier than it was in 1990. --Back then, men said their ideal weight was 171 pounds. That's increased to 181. --The ideal weight for women went from 129 pounds in 1990 to 138 now, an increase of nine pounds. --And even though nearly 70% of American adults are considered overweight or obese by the CDC, just 39% think they're overweight. 56% of us think our weight is "just right." (Fox News)
A New Study Finds Men Don't Think About Sex Every Seven Seconds . . . But Do Think About It Twice as Much as Women:
We've all heard that men think about sex every seven seconds. According to a new study, that's a myth. Men don't think about sex THAT much. BUT . . . men DO think about sex more than women. --The study was conducted at Ohio State University and had both men and women record how often they think about sex, food, and sleep on a daily basis. --The average man thought about sex 19 times per day. That's not once every seven seconds, obviously. To think about sex every seven seconds, you'd need to think about sex 8,000 times a day. --The average woman thought about sex 10 times a day . . . which is about half of what men reported. --The man who thought about sex the most in the study thought about it 388 times a day. That's about 24 times per hour. The woman who thought about sex the most thought about it 140 times a day, or almost nine times an hour. --NO ONE in the study of either gender had zero sexual thoughts per day. --The study also found that, in addition to 19 sexual thoughts, men think about FOOD 18 times a day and sleep 11 times. Women think about sex 10 times, food 15 times, and sleep about 8-and-a-half times. (Eurekalert)
72% of Men Say They've Never Used a Pick-Up Line . . . What Lines Have the Other 28% Used?
This poll came out of England, but we're afraid it applies pretty well over here too.
--The survey asked guys if they've ever used a pick-up line. 72%, or about three-fourths, said NO. 28% said yes. And here are some of the most popular lines they've used . . .
--8% have said to a woman, "Is that a ladder in your pants or a stairway to heaven?"
--7% have said, "You must be tired because you've been running through my mind all day."
--And 5% have tried, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"
(Daily Mail)
Two-Thirds of Expectant Parents Google Potential Names for Their Baby . . . To Make Sure It's Not a Stripper or Serial Killer's Name:
It's got to be a horrible feeling the first time you announce your new daughter, who you've given the beautiful name Jade Divine, and one of your friends without a filter says, "That's a stripper name." --Turns out more and more parents are now doing what it takes to avoid that moment. --A survey found that 64% of couples, or about two-thirds, say they Google a name before they give it to their child . . . to make sure it doesn't belong to a stripper, serial killer, porn star, or sex offender. --The other motivation for Googling names is that plenty of parents want unique names, and searching online can prove whether a name is original or not. (New York Times)
Four Baby Name Trends to Expect in 2012:
According to the baby name experts at NameBerry.com, these are a few of the trends you can expect for baby names next year. --Names that start with "A" or "M" . . . names after modern heroes, like "Gatsby" . . . parents going with unusual spellings of popular names, like "Alecks" or "Izubella" . . . and old-fashioned names ending in -ie, like "Bettie". (ParentCentral)
Three in Four Pregnant Women Find Out the Baby's Gender, and One in Four Have a Pre-Birth "Babymoon":
The Mayo Clinic released the results of their 2011 pregnancy survey . . . and things have changed for modern moms-to-be. --In the old days, women were supposed to wait three months before telling anyone they were pregnant, just in case something went wrong. That's no longer the case. 56% of pregnant women went public during the first trimester. --With social networks, pregnancy has become much more public. 87% of women have used Facebook to keep people updated on the pregnancy, including regular photo and video postings. --Couples also know that the new baby will change their lives, so one in four take one last "babymoon" to celebrate each other before the birth. And yes, they're celebrating each other THAT WAY. 30% say their sex life has never been better. --Three out of four moms find out the gender of the baby ahead of time. They need to know early in order to plan, which is funny, since 42% say that the pregnancy was unplanned. But they say it was, quote, "a happy surprise." --According to the survey, the worst part of pregnancy is morning sickness, with one in three moms complaining about it. One in four say that fatigue is the worst part, and one in six mentioned mood swings. (KansasCity.com)
Today's Teenagers Don't Care About Getting Their Driver's License . . . Because They Have the Internet:
When we were kids, we literally counted down the SECONDS until we were 16, which meant we could get our driver's license, which meant we had FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE and real social lives. --Today's teenagers give all that a resounding . . . "Meh." --According to a new study, American teenagers REALLY don't care about driving the way previous generations of teenagers did. And it's because of . . . the Internet. --About HALF of teenagers preferred spending their time online instead of hanging out in cars. 46% say they'd rather have Internet access than a car. --And, in a way, that makes sense. There's less of a need to get behind the wheel and explore what's out there when you've had the Internet your whole life, putting you in touch with the entire world without leaving your home. --In 1978, 50% of kids got their driver's license shortly after turning 16. In 2008, that was down to 30%. --And in 1978, 12 million people under 19 had driver's licenses . . . now it's down to 10 million. (BBC)
The Winners of a $254 Million Powerball Jackpot are . . . Three Wealthy Bankers From Connecticut:
Time to Occupy Powerball. Because they're now responsible for some members of the 1% getting WAY richer. --In a real kick-in-the-groin to all of us, three wealthy bankers from Greenwich, Connecticut just won a $254 MILLION Powerball jackpot. --That's the largest lottery jackpot ever in Connecticut . . . and the 12th biggest jackpot in Powerball history. The lump sum, after taxes, will come out to $104 MILLION to split between the three of them. --And it turns out they only bought ONE $1 ticket. Their odds of winning were one in 195 million. --The three men are Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff, and Tim Davidson. All three work at an investment company called Belpointe and provide investment advice and asset management for super-wealthy people. --We don't know their salaries, but let's put it this way. Brandon founded the company, Greg is the president, collectively they manage $82 MILLION . . . and all three live in mansions. So all three are easily millionaires, and part of the "1%." --They didn't say why they were messing around with the lottery . . . but DID say that a SIGNIFICANT portion of their winnings will go to charity. (New York Times) (--Here's a photo of the three . . . it goes Tim, Brandon, Greg from left to right . . . and a photo of them collecting their giant check.)
MEATBALL CRIMINALS
A Man is Busted for Secretly Filming a Woman in the Bathroom. That Woman is . . . His Mother-In-Law:
Man, it's gonna be AWKWARD when this family gets together for the holidays. --40-year-old Jason Good of Glen Allen, Virginia was arrested early yesterday morning for secretly filming a woman in the bathroom. --That woman is . . . his 57-year-old MOTHER-IN-LAW. --That's right. At a family gathering at his home, he filmed his wife's mother doing what she was doing in the bathroom. There was a hole cut between the garage and the bathroom, and Jason was in the garage, filming. --The police report didn't specify WHEN this happened, so it's not clear if it happened on Thanksgiving. But based on the timeline, there's a pretty good chance. --Jason's wife actually turned him in on Sunday when she was looking through his cell phone and saw the video of the woman undressed in the bathroom. As she watched, she realized it was her mother. How traumatic must THAT have been? --Jason is facing a misdemeanor charge of filming or videotaping an undressed person. He could get up to a year in prison. (The Smoking Gun)
A Woman is Arrested at a Craft Fair for Stabbing Someone With a Christmas Ornament:
This Black Friday saw a LOT of disgusting, un-Christmas-like violence at stores. But we almost EXPECT that at places like Walmart. We don't expect it to happen when middle-aged women are shopping for arts-and-crafts. --But that's exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon in Plantsville, Connecticut. --55-year-old Ruth Wagner of Plantsville was at a craft fair, shopping for Christmas ornaments. As she was browsing, a vendor accused her of stealing some jewelry. --They started yelling at each other . . . Ruth picked up a Christmas ornament made out of a seashell . . . and STABBED the vendor with it. --She got him in the forearm. A piece of the ornament broke off inside his arm . . . and he ended up needing surgery to have it removed. --Ruth was arrested and charged with SEVERAL felonies, including first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, sixth-degree larceny, and second-degree breach of peace. (Hartford Courant)
A Drunk Man Arrested for Brawling With His Son Tells the Cops "Fighting is What Redneck People Do":
It's a shame that self-awareness isn't a good legal defense. Because this guy's a redneck . . . he got arrested for being a redneck . . . and he KNEW it. --Last week, 43-year-old Mark Wach of Palm City, Florida was very drunk. And he went through a string of different offenses . . --He grabbed his pistol and started firing at his lawn mower. --When his 18-year-old son came out to try to reason with him, Mark started BRAWLING with his son. --And then, when the police got there, he refused to listen to them and ended up getting shot THREE TIMES with their Taser. --After all that, Mark explained what happened to the cops. Quote, "Fighting is what redneck people do." --That excuse SHOULD'VE been valid, but, for whatever reason, the cops still arrested him for domestic battery and aggravated domestic assault. (Treasure Coast Palm)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS
Random News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
The key to a strong relationship is . . . open infidelity? A 44-year-old female author in Australia thinks so. She says that negotiated infidelity is a good way to even things up when partners have different sex drives, and it will help make sure you don't take each other for granted. (Full Story)
A woman flew into Baltimore's BWI Airport Sunday afternoon, got off the plane, and gave birth in the terminal. She stepped into a women's restroom in Concourse D and had a healthy baby boy right there on the floor. (Full Story)
Sitting at a computer all day is bad for your health . . . so some companies are installing treadmill desks. They go at a steady two-to-three-miles-an-hour while you work, but you can adjust the incline for more of a challenge. (Full Story)
According to a study by the University of Minnesota, one in four people who file for divorce still believe there's hope for their marriage. In one out of eight divorces, both spouses still think there's hope. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) Miley Cyrus Posted a New Remix on YouTube . . . in Support of the Occupy Wall Street Movement:
MILEY CYRUS referred to herself as a "stoner" after she saw her Bob Marley birthday cake last week. And here's some MORE evidence she's a total hippie: --Miley posted a new remix of her song "Liberty Walk" on YouTube . . . and it's in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The remix is basically the same as the original, and the video is just a montage of protesters. --But it starts with a message that reads, quote, "This is dedicated to the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in." (--Search for "Miley Cyrus Rock Mafia - It's a Liberty Walk.")
#2.) Two 70-Year-Old Former Canadian Football Players Brawled at an Alumni Event . . . and One Took a Swing with His Cane:
Two former Canadian Football League players got into a fight at an alumni event in Vancouver on Friday. And here's why you have to see the video: Both of them are over 70 YEARS OLD. --73-year-old Joe Kapp was a quarterback for the British Columbia Lions. 74-year-old Angelo Mosca was a defensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And their feud goes back almost 50 years. --On Friday, they were supposed to talk about the controversial hit Mosca had on Kapp's running back in 1963, which is what started the whole thing. --But instead, Kapp tried to give Mosca a flower, and Mosca told him, quote, "shove it up your [backside]." --Then Kapp pushed the flower in Mosca's face . . . Mosca swung his CANE at Kapp's HEAD . . . and Kapp dropped him with a right cross. (--Search for "Joe Kapp Angelo Mosca Fight." It starts at :27. If you're into wrasslin', Mosca was also a relatively famous pro wrestler in the 70s and early 80s by the name of King Kong Mosca.) (--WARNING: This video includes the word "ass.")
Six Kinds of Technology That Lie to You Every Day:
We found an article online about how some of the technology you use every day isn't as reliable as you might think. Here are the top six "Gadgets That Lie to You Every Day".
#1.) The Fuel Gauge on Your Car. You've probably noticed that after you fill up at a gas station, the needle goes to "Full" . . . and then stays there for the first 50 miles or so. --That's because the thing in the tank that measures how much gas you have is just a rubber ball on a stick, like the one in the tank on your toilet. --So when you're 90% full, it still looks like you're COMPLETELY full. And when it says you're on "empty," you probably still have a gallon of gas left.
#2.) The "Door Close" Button in the Elevator at Work. In most cases, it doesn't do anything. That's according to John Menville, who's been working on elevators for 47 years. --The "door close" buttons in SOME elevators work. But he says it's usually there just to give us the ILLUSION of control. And it only works for firefighters and paramedics if they use their key.
#3.) Scales. The scale in your bathroom probably isn't as accurate as you think. But what's worse is, the one at your DOCTOR'S office might not be accurate either. --Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that 20% of the scales in U.S. hospitals are off.
#4.) The Thermostat in Your Office. It depends on how cheap your company is, but some experts say almost ALL office thermostats do absolutely nothing. --The idea is, if you and your coworkers could constantly mess with it, the heating and power bills would go up. In one industry newsletter poll, 51 out of 70 people who responded said they'd personally installed a fake thermostat. --Luckily, it might not matter. Researchers have found that just turning the dial up on a thermostat makes most people FEEL warmer. --In one study, a bank installed three fake thermostats for three different tellers who'd been complaining about the temperature. And all three of them thought it made a big difference.
#5.) Your Speedometer. How accurate it is depends on a few things, including tire pressure, the weather, how old your alternator is, and how old your tires are. --In theory, your speedometer could be off by up to 10% . . . or seven miles an hour if you're driving 70. But according to one study, the average is more like ONE percent.
#6.) Your Cell Phone. It lies about two things: Battery life, and signal strength. When it says it's "100%" charged, it's actually more like 90 or 95% charged, because being FULLY charged can damage your battery. --But cell phone makers know we wouldn't be satisfied if it said "95% charged." So they have it say "100%" instead.--With your signal, the bars don't tell the whole story. They show how much signal you're GETTING, but not all of that signal is USABLE. --Two years ago, the magazine "PC World" did an in-depth test of cell phone service in 13 U.S. cities. And in 12 of those cities, they found NO CONNECTION between the number of bars, and the quality of the service. (Cracked.com)
As far as Twitter is concerned, DEMI MOORE is still @mrskutcher. And it looks like it's going to stay that way for a little while longer. A source says that changing the name is, quote, "not a priority at the moment." --Demi has done very little Tweeting lately . . . just two posts since Thanksgiving.
Anne Hathaway is Engaged:
ANNE HATHAWAY and her boyfriend . . . way-less-famous actor Adam Shulman . . . are engaged. They've been dating since 2008. He's 30, she's 29. --Before Adam, Anne was in a serious relationship with a guy named Raffaello Follieri . . . but that ended after he pleaded guilty to 14 counts of money laundering, conspiracy and wire fraud. (--Here's a picture of Anne and Adam together.) (People)
Pregnancy News: Maggie Gyllenhaal Is . . . Fergie Is Not:
MAGGIE GYLLENHAAL and PETER SARSGAARD are expecting their second child. There's no word on the sex or due date. --They already have a 5-year-old daughter named Ramona, although they didn't get married until 2009. --Meanwhile, there's a rumor going around that FERGIE and JOSH DUHAMEL are expecting their FIRST kid. They're not. Her rep says, quote, "Yes, a baby is in the plans at some point, but there's no specific plans or date or anything like that."
Guy Ritchie Says He Stepped Into a Soap Opera When He Married Madonna . . . But It Was a Positive Experience Overall:
GUY RITCHIE says that when he married MADONNA, he, quote, "stepped into a soap opera." But he's not knocking it. --He says, quote, "I enjoyed my first marriage. It's definitely not something I regret. The experience was ultimately very positive. I love the kids that came out of it, and I could see no other route to take." (--Madonna and Guy have one biological child, their son Rocco. He's 11 now. Guy's current girlfriend gave birth to a baby boy in September.)
Is Kate Gosselin Asking Kris Jenner for Tips on Pimping Out Her Kids?
We all assume that KATE GOSSELIN is getting desperate to figure out a way to keep herself . . . and, as a secondary concern, her kids . . . in the life to which she's become accustomed. --And now, it's led to this . . . --The "National Enquirer" says Kate has reached out to KRIS JENNER for tips on turning her family into an EMPIRE like the KARDASHIANS. --A source says, quote, "Kate has reached out to Kris hoping she'll mentor her on how to turn the Gosselin kids into a money-making machine. Kate wants her family to be Kardashian 2.0." --The source adds, quote, "Kate got Kris' e-mail address and sent her a gushing note about how much she admires Kris for turning her family into international superstars. --"Kate ended the note by saying, 'I hope you can teach me some of your magic tricks.' --"Kate is praying this new friendship will lead to a meeting with executives at the E! network, where the Kardashian TV empire is based."
Are Bruce and Kris Jenner Headed for Divorce?
The wonderful journalistic purists at the "National Enquirer" say that BRUCE and KRIS JENNER may be headed for divorce. --They've been fighting lately about EVERYTHING, from money to how to raise the kids. --Sources say Bruce is tired of Kris putting work ahead of their relationship . . . and Kris can't stand how much money Bruce spends on hobbies like motorcycle racing and golf. She's even put him on an allowance. --A source says, quote, "Bruce has started standing up for himself, insists Kris cut back on her work and is spending more time away from the house to enjoy time by himself. --"He now wants a life away from the TV craziness. As a result, he and Kris are at a crisis point in their marriage." --The source adds that Bruce LAUGHED when he saw that online petition asking E! to dump the Kardashians from its schedule, because he blames the show for their marital problems. (--One last note on the Kardashians . . . if you care: 14-year-old KYLIE JENNER went on a date with Australian pop singer CODY SIMPSON. He's 14, too. Here's a picture.) (Us Weekly)
Miley Cyrus Was Just Joking When She Called Herself a Stoner:
MILEY CYRUS' rep says she was just JOKING when she called herself a STONER at her 19th birthday party last week. --Here's the official statement . . . quote, "It's all been taken out of context. The cake was a joke and Miley's response was intended to be sarcastic." --Meanwhile, Miley wore a see-through shirt and black bra in pictures for the NoH8 pro-gay marriage campaign. (--Check out a picture here.) (Hollywood Gossip) --And one last thing: Miley has released a new video for "Liberty Walks" that features scenes from various "Occupy" protests. (--You can check it out in our Videos of the Day section, here.)
Justin Bieber Was the Most-Searched Person on Bing.com This Year . . . And the Only Male in the Top 10:
JUSTIN BIEBER was the most-searched person on Bing.com in 2011 . . . and the only male in the Top 10. (--He was #6 last year.)
--Here's the Top 10 . . .
#1.) Justin Bieber
#2.) Kim Kardashian
#3.) Jennifer Aniston
#4.) Lindsay Lohan
#5.) Jennifer Lopez
#6.) Britney Spears
#7.) Katy Perry
#8.) Megan Fox
#9.) Lady Gaga
#10.) Miley Cyrus
(--You can also check out the most-searched News Stories, Sports Stars, Musicians, Movies and tons more. Here's the link.)
An Ad Featuring 14-Year-Old Hailee Steinfeld Has Been Banned in Britain . . . Because It Allegedly Shows a Child in an Unsafe Location:
14-year-old "True Grit" star HAILEE STEINFELD did a print ad for a fashion house called Miu Miu that was BANNED in Britain. But NOT because it's overly sexual. --It's because Hailee is sitting on railroad tracks . . . and the U.K.'s Advertising Standards Authority believes that it depicts a child in an unsafe location. Some people also complained that it suggested TEEN SUICIDE, but the ASA rejected that idea. (--Here's the ad.) (E! Online)
Check Out Ben Affleck's Lame Dolphin Tattoo:
You may not have known this, but BEN AFFLECK has a lame, solid green dolphin tattoo on his side just above his beltline. The word is that he got it to cover up a previous tattoo of a high school girlfriend's name. (--Check it out here.) (E! Online)
Conrad Murray's Mother Is Begging the Court for Mercy:
CONRAD MURRAY will be sentenced today for involuntary manslaughter in the death of MICHAEL JACKSON. He faces a mandatory sentence of four years in prison, and that's what prosecutors want. --Here's somebody who disagrees: Murray's MOTHER, Milta Rush. She sent a letter to the judge begging for mercy. --She says, quote, "He is saddened and remorseful about the death of his friend Michael Jackson and I do believe he is certainly learning the toughest lesson of his life." --She adds that her son is a good person who has never drank alcohol, taken drugs or smoked cigarettes in his life. --She concludes her letter with this . . . quote, "Conrad is my son and as a mother I must say I know him inside out. He is sorry for what happened to Michael and had no intent towards him. --"I humbly beg for your heart felt consideration of everything I have said about Conrad, and ask for your compassion and leniency in giving him probation or community service." (--You can read the letter here.)
Old Dudes Gripe About Hollywood - #1: Steven Spielberg Can't Watch Too Many Movies Made in the Last 20 Years:
Coming from the guy who made the fourth "Indiana Jones" movie, this is kind of interesting: STEVEN SPIELBERG can't really watch movies made in the last 20 years . . . because they're CRAP. --That's not exactly how he said it, of course. Here's what he did say . . . quote, "There's not a lot of films I'd watch that are made over the past 20 years, because I'm much more of a romantic. --"I like to go way back to the source. I look at a lot of silent movies for inspiration because they're all told visually and they're all told with hyper-extended performance and with wonderful use of a frame. --"It's a way of getting my engine started." --Even if a movie stinks, though, Spielberg says he's respectful enough NOT to walk out before it's over . . . quote, "If something isn't very good, I'll stay to the end in case it gets better. --"I keep looking for that ray of hope when I'm disappointed by a picture or a show. It's just plain rude to get up and walk out of something that someone has labored over."
Old Dudes Gripe About Hollywood - #2: Terry Gilliam Knows Exactly What Was Wrong With "Transformers 3" . . . And a Lot of Other Movies These Days:
TERRY GILLIAM may not exactly be a household name, but he's responsible for some truly amazing films, like "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", "Time Bandits", "Brazil", "Twelve Monkeys" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas". --He recently saw the latest "Transformers" movie, and he HATED IT. He has a great take on why it SUCKED. And it really gets to the heart of why MOST movies suck these days. Especially big-budget action flicks. --He says, quote, "You just sit there and watch the explosions. I couldn't tell you what the movie was about. The movie hammers the audience into submission. --"They are influenced by video games, but in video games at least you are immersed; in these movies you're left out. --"In films, there's so much overt fantasy now that I don't watch a lot because everything is possible now. There's no tension there. People can slide down the side of a building that's falling and they don't get ripped to shreds? --"The shots are amazing, but if there is no consequence, no gravity, what's the point? I can't watch Hollywood movies anymore. There's no room for me."
Regis Philbin Is Thinking About Doing a Primetime Family Talent Show:
It hasn't even been two weeks since REGIS PHILBIN left "Live! With Regis and Kelly", and he's already working on setting up his next gig. --He tells the "New York Post", quote, "We're contemplating a [primetime] show that is sort of a talent show, but it involves the whole family . . . a family competition, which is something new in our business." --That sounds like a mix of "Double Dare", "America's Got Talent" and the end of "The Sound of Music". Regis hosted the first season of "America's Got Talent" in 2006. It's unclear what role he'd have on this new show. --Generally speaking, Regis says he's interested in something LIKE a variety show . . . only not a "variety show." --He says, quote, "[An] entertainment type of show would appeal to me. In our business you don't want to say variety because it's frowned upon now, but something with people who are performing." --By the way, Regis also confirms that contract issues were one of the things that contributed to his decision to leave "Live! With Regis and Kelly". --He says, quote, "It wasn't that ABC didn't try to negotiate with me. [But] as it happens in this business, sometimes you don't really like the terms so you just walk away with that in mind." (--Apparently, every Regis quote includes the phrase "in this business.")
TLC's New Show "Virgin Diaries" Includes Some Awkward, Bad Kissing:
TLC has released a promo for a new show called "Virgin Diaries", which premieres this Sunday night at 9:00 P.M. --TLC says the show "takes you inside the lives of adult virgins, who reveal the challenges, truths, and anticipations of losing their virginity." (--I think TLC intended that to be a description, not a warning disclaimer.) --Anyway, the promo features a couple who waited until their wedding day to KISS. And naturally, it's as awkward and borderline gross as most first kisses are . . . only this one was recorded for posterity. (--You can watch the promo at TLC.Discovery.com. The kiss comes 20 seconds in. It's bad enough that they may very well be playing around a little . . . but at the same time, it's very possible that they're just that clueless.)
Soon You Will Be Able to Buy Paper from Dunder Mifflin . . . the Fake Paper Company from "The Office":
In a move described as "reverse product placement," Staples is launching a brand of paper called "Dunder Mifflin" . . . after the name of the fictional paper company in "The Office". The paper will be sold through the Staples-owned website Quill.com. --The packages will include slogans from the show, including, quote, "Our motto is, Quabity First" and "Get Your Scrant on." There's no word on when it'll be available. (--NBC is getting 6% of the profits in exchange for letting them use the name.)
Tuesday TV Reminders:
--"90210" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on the CW. Former supermodel Janice Dickinson guest stars as herself.
--"Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.
--"America's Supernanny" [Series Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Lifetime. Child-care expert Deborah Tillman helps parents tame their children.
--"Scott Turow's Innocent" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TNT. Bill Pullman stars as an older version of the character Harrison Ford played in "Presumed Innocent".
In the first movie, prosecutor Rusty Sabich was accused of killing his mistress. Now, 20 years later, Rusty is a judge who stands accused of killing his wife. She's played by Marcia Gay Harden
--"Raising Hope" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. Andrew Dice Clay plays himself.
--"The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on CBS. Miranda Kerr wears the $2.5 million fantasy treasure bra. Music Guests: Kanye West, Nicki Minaj and Maroon 5. (Photos)
--"One Born Every Minute" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on Lifetime.
--"Auction Hunters" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on Spike TV.
--"Flip Men" [1st Season Finale] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on Spike TV.
VIDEO GAME QUICK HITS
Xbox is Getting a New Social Feature Called Beacons . . . and PS3 Users Who Bought "Battlefield 3" Are Entitled to Vouchers for A Free Game:
--The next Xbox 360 Dashboard Update is coming on December 6th. It includes cloud storage for your game saves and new social networking features like Facebook sharing. (Full Story)
--That new Xbox update also includes a feature called Beacons, which let you mark games where you may need help from your friends. They've launched it early through Xbox.com. All you have to do is go to [Social], click [Activity], then click [Beacon] and leave a custom note. You can have three beacons at a time. (Full Story)
--PS3 users who bought "Battlefield 3" should have also gotten a free copy of "Battlefield 1943" with the game, but it was shipped without it. So, they're making it up to them with a "Battlefield 1943" voucher on December 10th. (Full Story)
--This week's new downloadable content for the PlayStation Network includes the full version of "Modern Warfare 2", the Sly Cooper trilogy, and "Voltron". (Full Story)
--Here's a list of the Seven Annoying Gamers to Avoid This Thanksgiving, but really this list could just as easily apply to anytime you have a family gathering. And remember, Christmas is right around the corner. (Full Descriptions)
• The Technological Elitist [A-hole]
• The Consoles Suck, It's Better on PC Guy
• The Wait, Hold On, Wait, One More Time, One Sec, Hold On Guy
• The Angry and Disjointed Rage Quitting Family Member
• The Incessant Customizer
• The Kamikaze Drunk Driver Hell Bent on Team Destruction
• The Filthy, Filthy Child
--Delayed Games: Here's a two-page list of 13 games that were supposed to come out in 2011, but they've been pushed back to next year. They include "Kinect Star Wars", "Mass Effect 3", "The Darkness 2", and "Silent Hill Downpour". (Full Story)
NEW ON VIDEO THIS WEEK
--"Five Days of War" - British actors Rupert Friend and Richard Coyle play American journalists who witness the cold blooded murder of innocent civilians during a Russian war that broke out in the middle of the 2008 Olympics. And "Entourage" minx Emmanuelle Chriqui plays a local woman trying to help them escape.
--"One Day" - Anne Hathaway and Jim Sturgess meet on the day of their college graduation and go their separate ways. Then, we watch as their friendship evolves over 20 years, with glimpses of their lives on the anniversary of the day they met.
--"The Art of Getting By" - "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory's" Freddie Highmore plays a teenage slacker on academic probation who falls for Emma Roberts.
--"Our Idiot Brother" - Paul Rudd plays the pot-smoking brother of Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel. When his girlfriend kicks him out, they take turns letting him live with them. Rashida Jones plays Zooey's lesbian life-partner.
--"Tucker & Dale vs. Evil" - A horror comedy about two rednecks mistaken for killers by a group of paranoid college kids. They save "30 Rock's" Katrina Bowden from drowning, and her friends try to "rescue" her with hilarious but deadly results.
--"30 Minutes or Less" - Jesse Eisenberg is a pizza delivery guy forced to rob a bank after a couple guys kidnap him and strap a bomb to his chest. Aziz Ansari is his best friend, and the kidnappers are comedians Danny McBride and Nick Swardson.
--"Seven Days in Utopia" - Lucas Black plays a golfer whose game falls apart during a big tournament, and Robert Duvall is a small town rancher who helps him get his swing back after Lucas gets stranded in the small town where Duvall lives.
TV Series On DVD:
--"30 Rock: Season 5" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"Hot in Cleveland: Season 2" . . . a three-disc DVD set.
--"VH1 Storytellers: Dixie Chicks" . . . a single-disc DVD set.
--"The Girls Next Door: The Complete Collection" . . . a 17-disc DVD set. It ran for six seasons.
--"Smallville: The Complete 10th Season" . . . a six-disc set of the final season.
--"Smallville: The Complete Series" . . . a 62-disc DVD set. It ran ten seasons.
--"The Six Million Dollar Man: Season 1" . . . a six-disc set. It ran five seasons.
NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK
Not of lot of new music gets released during the week after Thanksgiving. Here are your limited choices for what's new in stores . . .
--"Whatever", Hot Chelle Rae (--Demi Lovato appears on a song called "Why Don't You Love Me?)
--"Inevitable", Trey Songz . . . a five-song EP that includes Fabolous on the track "What I Be On".
--"Adele Live At the Royal Albert Hall", Adele . . . (CD/DVD)
--"Aphrodite: Les Folies", Kylie Minogue
--"Beyoncé Live at Roseland: Elements of 4", Beyoncé . . . (2-Disc Deluxe Edition)
--Smashing Pumpkins . . . the remastered version of their 1991 disc "Gish", and a remastered version of their 1993 album "Siamese Dream".
Now, Mariah Yeater's Ex-Boyfriend Wants a DNA Test to Prove *He's* the Father:
A month ago, it at least seemed POSSIBLE that JUSTIN BIEBER was the father of Mariah Yeater's four-month-old baby. But the odds of that being true have been in a FREE FALL ever since. Here's the latest: --Mariah Yeater's ex-boyfriend Robbie Powell wants his own DNA test, to prove that HE'S the father of the baby. --"Sources" tell TMZ that Robbie doesn't like how Mariah is "using" the baby for attention . . . and to try to extort money from Justin. --Supposedly, he's been telling his friends that Mariah admitted to him that her accusations against Justin are bogus. Also, several "media outlets" have asked Robbie for interviews to tell his side of the story, and he's "reviewing his options." --Of course, to do that it'd help if he WASN'T INCARCERATED. --RadarOnline.com says Robbie was arrested in San Diego Saturday night on drug and burglary charges. --The rap includes: Possession of a controlled substance, which was meth . . . possession of drug paraphernalia . . . and three charges of commercial burglary. That's four felonies and one misdemeanor. It's unclear what went down. --Robbie is currently in jail, and has two court dates scheduled for this week.
Is Justin Bieber Grounded . . . Because He Splurged on a Car?
The "National Enquirer" claims JUSTIN BIEBER'S mom, Pattie Mallette, has punished Justin for splurging on a $160,000 souped-up Range Rover. --Justin already owns at least two vehicles: A Ferrari and a custom Cadillac BATMOBILE. -A so-called "source" says, quote, "Pattie blew a gasket when she learned about Justin's wild spending spree. As a result, she is forbidding him from driving until he turns 18, unless he's accompanied by an adult chaperon. --"[She's] trying to get Justin's wild spending under control." --Justin turns 18 on March 1st. (--Three months ago, Justin got in a minor car accident after street racing Everlast from House of Pain in his Ferrari . . . and last month, he was pulled over for cutting off a motorcycle cop in his Batmobile.) (--Forget the spending . . . Justin is making BANK . . . Justin's mom should ground him for driving recklessly. At this point, that's much more dangerous than him dropping 160 Gs.) (--By the way, if Justin DOES end up being the father of that kid . . . that's one thing his mom can't punish him for. That's because she had Justin when she was 18 . . . and that ended up working out pretty well for her.) (???)
A Random John Lennon "To-Do" List Is Being Auctioned Off:
JOHN LENNON crap is worth money. --Lennon's handwritten lyrics to the BEATLES' classic, "A Day in the Life", sold for $1.2 million. Even his tooth recently sold for $31,200. --Now, GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com is auctioning off a random "to-do" list that Lennon wrote. The list is pretty boring . . . or as the seller describes it: Quote, "An amazing look into the 'everyday-ness' of one of rock 'n' roll's most important icons!" -Here are a few of the things on the list: --"HBO guy coming between 3:00-5:00. BE THERE. (The other guy didn't know what was wrong.)" --"When [the HBO guy] arrives . . . YOU let him in, YOU tell him WHAT TO DO. Yesterday, they made an offer to attach [an] FM radio (or something). I'm not sure what they meant, but I suspect it must improve FM radio reception. Find out. Maybe WE DO want it. (I didn't know what he was talking about.)" --"Marmalade." --"Would it be a good idea to make sure BOTH CARS have full gas tanks?" (--Yes.)
--"Put back [son] Sean's large mattress. (Today)"
--"Hook on door in our bathroom is falling off."
--"Tell me about my hair dryer . . . yea or nay."
--The list was written for Lennon's personal assistant. Otherwise, that one about the hair dryer would seem a little schizophrenic . . . although either way it's pretty bizarre.
--The note is dated May 22nd, but the year is unknown.
--The minimum bid is $3,000, and it's expected to bring in between $4,000 and $5,000.
(--Of course, if a big-time "to-do" list enthusiast catches wind of this, ALL BETS ARE OFF! If this is something they want, they'll stop at NOTHING to get it. That's just part of the mentality of a "to-do" list collector.) (???) (--You can check out the document at GottaHaveRockAndRoll.com. Bidding opens tomorrow . . . and will remain open for 10 days.)
Check Out Video of a Demi Lovato Hair Extension Malfunction:
DEMI LOVATO experienced a unique wardrobe malfunction during a performance in Kansas City last week. Instead of a piece of clothing falling off . . . it was a hair extension failing to stay connected to her hair. --The clump of hair got stuck on her sleeve while she was dancing and got tugged off when she moved her arm away from her head. --She kept performing while she was trying to shake it off. (--You can find video on YouTube. The hair gets dislodged 47 seconds in.) (CAREFUL) (--By the way, it looks like one of Demi's dancers rubs her crotch at the very beginning of the video.) (--I know that seems unlikely, but I've watched it several times . . . and paused it . . . and I can't be convinced it's NOT happening.) (--If it were an NFL replay, I would not be able to overturn that call.)
Sugarland's Jennifer Nettles Got Married:
JENNIFER NETTLES of SUGARLAND got married to her entrepreneur boyfriend Justin Miller on Saturday. She's 37. We're not sure how old he is, but they've been dating for about two years. --Here are the details according to "People" magazine: It was a small ceremony at a chapel near the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee . . . she wore a wedding gown designed by Alexander McQueen . . . and bandmate KRISTIAN BUSH was there. --Justin's a former model. If you've seen the video for "Want To", you've seen him . . . he's the hot guy sleeping in Jennifer's bed, and she ditches him before getting on the tour bus. He was also her date to the CMAs earlier this month. --Jennifer's been married before: She divorced her first husband in 2007. (--He was a club owner named Todd Van Sickle.) --Whatever honeymoon plans they have will have to wait until at least next week: Sugarland's performing with LADY GAGA at tomorrow night's Grammy Nominations concert on CBS, and hosting Thursday's CMA Country Christmas special on ABC. --Not to mention, Jennifer and Kristian were both accused of negligence in a lawsuit filed last week over that stage collapse this summer at the Indiana State Fair. (--No photos from the wedding yet, but here are Jennifer and Justin at the CMAs.)
Taylor Swift Is All About Christmas:
Now that her massively successful "Speak Now" tour is over, TAYLOR SWIFT is relaxing and getting into the Christmas spirit. --In the past four days, she's Tweeted photos of Christmas trees . . . how winter makes her want to bake . . . and how she and her friends like to make homemade snow globes. (???) (--You can check them out here.)
TUESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS
Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
Remember that lawsuit involving a Ponzi Scheme and high-stakes underground celebrity poker games? Well, TOBEY MAGUIRE threw down $80,000 in order to be dropped from it. (Full Story)
KEN RUSSELL . . . the director of The Who's "Tommy", "Altered States", "The Devils" and "Lair of the White Worm" . . . died Sunday after a series of strokes. He was 84. (Full Story)
Previously unreleased concert footage of MICHAEL JACKSON from 1993 that was valued at up to $8 million failed to sell at auction. It might have had something to do with the fact that anyone who buys it probably won't be able to use it for commercial purposes due to copyright issues. (Full Story)
TYLER PERRY . . . who has admitted to being sexually abused as a child . . . has written an open letter of support to one of the alleged victims of former Penn State coach JERRY SANDUSKY. (Full Story)
"Harry Potter" star DANIEL RADCLIFFE, KEIRA KNIGHTLEY and "Twilight" stud ROBERT PATTINSON are, in that order, the richest British entertainers under 30. (Full Story)
DOUG HUTCHISON . . . the 51-year-old actor who married that creepy 17-year-old COURTNEY STODDEN chick . . . has pulled out of a movie where he was supposed to play a director who has a scandalous relationship with a teen pop star. Apparently, he didn't want people to confuse him with the character. (Full Story)
Over the weekend, T.I. seemed to say that overly sensitive gay people were un-American. But now he's clarifying that it isn't just gays . . . it's ANYONE who takes themselves too seriously, including African Americans. (Full Story)
The RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS have announced the first batch of U.S. tour dates for early next year. For now, it's just six shows in the Southeast part of the country. (Full Story)
NICKI MINAJ and M.I.A. will appear on MADONNA'S next album, which will be released sometime in the spring. (Full Story)
T-BOZ from TLC has filed for bankruptcy. (Full Story)
RANDOM STUFF
Buying Everything From "The 12 Days of Christmas" Would Cost You Over $100,000 This Year:
Every year, the economic analysts at PNC Wealth Management put together this study of how much it would cost to buy all the stuff from "The 12 Days of Christmas". You know, calling birds, gold rings, partridge in a pear tree, that stuff. --And this year, for the first time ever, it would cost you over $100,000 to do what the song says. And the song says you don't give each gift just once. --That means you give each gift multiple times . . . like, on the 12th day, you're giving your 12th partridge in a pear tree, your 11th set of two turtle doves, and so on. Doing that will run you $101,119.84, up 4.4% from last year. --If you just want to buy all the gifts once . . . which seems far more reasonable, like, do you really need to give three French hens 10 times? . . . it will cost $24,263.18, up 3.5% from last year. --The biggest price jumps are the partridge, up 25% from $12 to $15, and the turtle doves, up 25% from $100 to $125. --The most expensive item are the seven swans-a-swimming. They're up 12.5%, from $5,600 last year to $6,300 this year . . . or 900 bucks per swan. And that's without even figuring out swimming accommodations for them. --The only item which fell significantly in price from last year are the calling birds . . . down 13.3%, from $599.96 to $519.96.
--Here's the full breakdown of the 12 days of Christmas costs . . .
#1.) Partridge, $15, in a pear tree, $169.99 . . . total cost $184.99.
#2.) Two turtle doves, $125.
#3.) Three French hens, $150.
#4.) Four calling birds, $519.96.
#5.) Five gold rings, $645.
#6.) Six geese-a-laying, $162.
#7.) Seven swans-a-swimming, $6,300.
#8.) Eight maids-a-milking, $58 . . . which is $7.25-an-hour minimum wage.
#9.) Nine ladies dancing, $6,294.03 . . . which is almost $700-per-lady, and should buy you the types of dances that aren't really meant for a family-friendly Christmas.
#10.) Ten lords-a-leaping, $4,766.70.
#11.) Eleven pipers piping, $2,427.60.
#12.) Twelve drummers drumming, $2,629.90.
(MarketWatch)
Women Need to Triple the Amount of Time They Spend Cleaning During the Holidays:
The company that makes Brawny paper towels conducted a survey to see how much extra time women spend cleaning over the holidays. --More than half of all women said that Christmas was the messiest holiday. One in three said Thanksgiving was worse. New Year's and Halloween only got a few votes. --There are a lot of holiday get-togethers this time of year, and that requires extra cleaning both beforehand and afterward. --The average woman spends 116 minutes cleaning their home during a normal week. If she's hosting a holiday event, she spends almost THREE TIMES as long cleaning. --It takes an extra 115 minutes of cleaning to prepare for the party. And after the guests leave, there's another 85 minutes of cleaning to do. --Two thirds of women say they'd like their family to help out with cleaning, but only one in three say their family actually pitches in. Spouses are three times more likely to help out than the kids. --When family members DO help with the cleaning, the most common chore they take care of is . . . taking out the trash. One in three family members take care of that. --One in nine women get help with vacuuming, and one in 12 get help with cooking. (PR Newswire)
The Average American is Nearly 20 Pounds Heavier Than 20 Years Ago:
A new Gallup poll found that we're getting heavier, and we don't seem to care. --The average American is just under 20 pounds heavier than they were in 1990. Men weighed 180 pounds back then, and women weighed 142. --Now the average American male weighs 196 pounds, an increase of 16 pounds in 21 years. The average woman is up 18 pounds to 160. --Even our "goal weight" has increased over that time. Most people name a target weight that's ten pounds heavier than it was in 1990. --Back then, men said their ideal weight was 171 pounds. That's increased to 181. --The ideal weight for women went from 129 pounds in 1990 to 138 now, an increase of nine pounds. --And even though nearly 70% of American adults are considered overweight or obese by the CDC, just 39% think they're overweight. 56% of us think our weight is "just right." (Fox News)
A New Study Finds Men Don't Think About Sex Every Seven Seconds . . . But Do Think About It Twice as Much as Women:
We've all heard that men think about sex every seven seconds. According to a new study, that's a myth. Men don't think about sex THAT much. BUT . . . men DO think about sex more than women. --The study was conducted at Ohio State University and had both men and women record how often they think about sex, food, and sleep on a daily basis. --The average man thought about sex 19 times per day. That's not once every seven seconds, obviously. To think about sex every seven seconds, you'd need to think about sex 8,000 times a day. --The average woman thought about sex 10 times a day . . . which is about half of what men reported. --The man who thought about sex the most in the study thought about it 388 times a day. That's about 24 times per hour. The woman who thought about sex the most thought about it 140 times a day, or almost nine times an hour. --NO ONE in the study of either gender had zero sexual thoughts per day. --The study also found that, in addition to 19 sexual thoughts, men think about FOOD 18 times a day and sleep 11 times. Women think about sex 10 times, food 15 times, and sleep about 8-and-a-half times. (Eurekalert)
72% of Men Say They've Never Used a Pick-Up Line . . . What Lines Have the Other 28% Used?
This poll came out of England, but we're afraid it applies pretty well over here too.
--The survey asked guys if they've ever used a pick-up line. 72%, or about three-fourths, said NO. 28% said yes. And here are some of the most popular lines they've used . . .
--8% have said to a woman, "Is that a ladder in your pants or a stairway to heaven?"
--7% have said, "You must be tired because you've been running through my mind all day."
--And 5% have tried, "Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"
(Daily Mail)
Two-Thirds of Expectant Parents Google Potential Names for Their Baby . . . To Make Sure It's Not a Stripper or Serial Killer's Name:
It's got to be a horrible feeling the first time you announce your new daughter, who you've given the beautiful name Jade Divine, and one of your friends without a filter says, "That's a stripper name." --Turns out more and more parents are now doing what it takes to avoid that moment. --A survey found that 64% of couples, or about two-thirds, say they Google a name before they give it to their child . . . to make sure it doesn't belong to a stripper, serial killer, porn star, or sex offender. --The other motivation for Googling names is that plenty of parents want unique names, and searching online can prove whether a name is original or not. (New York Times)
Four Baby Name Trends to Expect in 2012:
According to the baby name experts at NameBerry.com, these are a few of the trends you can expect for baby names next year. --Names that start with "A" or "M" . . . names after modern heroes, like "Gatsby" . . . parents going with unusual spellings of popular names, like "Alecks" or "Izubella" . . . and old-fashioned names ending in -ie, like "Bettie". (ParentCentral)
Three in Four Pregnant Women Find Out the Baby's Gender, and One in Four Have a Pre-Birth "Babymoon":
The Mayo Clinic released the results of their 2011 pregnancy survey . . . and things have changed for modern moms-to-be. --In the old days, women were supposed to wait three months before telling anyone they were pregnant, just in case something went wrong. That's no longer the case. 56% of pregnant women went public during the first trimester. --With social networks, pregnancy has become much more public. 87% of women have used Facebook to keep people updated on the pregnancy, including regular photo and video postings. --Couples also know that the new baby will change their lives, so one in four take one last "babymoon" to celebrate each other before the birth. And yes, they're celebrating each other THAT WAY. 30% say their sex life has never been better. --Three out of four moms find out the gender of the baby ahead of time. They need to know early in order to plan, which is funny, since 42% say that the pregnancy was unplanned. But they say it was, quote, "a happy surprise." --According to the survey, the worst part of pregnancy is morning sickness, with one in three moms complaining about it. One in four say that fatigue is the worst part, and one in six mentioned mood swings. (KansasCity.com)
Today's Teenagers Don't Care About Getting Their Driver's License . . . Because They Have the Internet:
When we were kids, we literally counted down the SECONDS until we were 16, which meant we could get our driver's license, which meant we had FREEDOM and INDEPENDENCE and real social lives. --Today's teenagers give all that a resounding . . . "Meh." --According to a new study, American teenagers REALLY don't care about driving the way previous generations of teenagers did. And it's because of . . . the Internet. --About HALF of teenagers preferred spending their time online instead of hanging out in cars. 46% say they'd rather have Internet access than a car. --And, in a way, that makes sense. There's less of a need to get behind the wheel and explore what's out there when you've had the Internet your whole life, putting you in touch with the entire world without leaving your home. --In 1978, 50% of kids got their driver's license shortly after turning 16. In 2008, that was down to 30%. --And in 1978, 12 million people under 19 had driver's licenses . . . now it's down to 10 million. (BBC)
The Winners of a $254 Million Powerball Jackpot are . . . Three Wealthy Bankers From Connecticut:
Time to Occupy Powerball. Because they're now responsible for some members of the 1% getting WAY richer. --In a real kick-in-the-groin to all of us, three wealthy bankers from Greenwich, Connecticut just won a $254 MILLION Powerball jackpot. --That's the largest lottery jackpot ever in Connecticut . . . and the 12th biggest jackpot in Powerball history. The lump sum, after taxes, will come out to $104 MILLION to split between the three of them. --And it turns out they only bought ONE $1 ticket. Their odds of winning were one in 195 million. --The three men are Greg Skidmore, Brandon Lacoff, and Tim Davidson. All three work at an investment company called Belpointe and provide investment advice and asset management for super-wealthy people. --We don't know their salaries, but let's put it this way. Brandon founded the company, Greg is the president, collectively they manage $82 MILLION . . . and all three live in mansions. So all three are easily millionaires, and part of the "1%." --They didn't say why they were messing around with the lottery . . . but DID say that a SIGNIFICANT portion of their winnings will go to charity. (New York Times) (--Here's a photo of the three . . . it goes Tim, Brandon, Greg from left to right . . . and a photo of them collecting their giant check.)
MEATBALL CRIMINALS
A Man is Busted for Secretly Filming a Woman in the Bathroom. That Woman is . . . His Mother-In-Law:
Man, it's gonna be AWKWARD when this family gets together for the holidays. --40-year-old Jason Good of Glen Allen, Virginia was arrested early yesterday morning for secretly filming a woman in the bathroom. --That woman is . . . his 57-year-old MOTHER-IN-LAW. --That's right. At a family gathering at his home, he filmed his wife's mother doing what she was doing in the bathroom. There was a hole cut between the garage and the bathroom, and Jason was in the garage, filming. --The police report didn't specify WHEN this happened, so it's not clear if it happened on Thanksgiving. But based on the timeline, there's a pretty good chance. --Jason's wife actually turned him in on Sunday when she was looking through his cell phone and saw the video of the woman undressed in the bathroom. As she watched, she realized it was her mother. How traumatic must THAT have been? --Jason is facing a misdemeanor charge of filming or videotaping an undressed person. He could get up to a year in prison. (The Smoking Gun)
A Woman is Arrested at a Craft Fair for Stabbing Someone With a Christmas Ornament:
This Black Friday saw a LOT of disgusting, un-Christmas-like violence at stores. But we almost EXPECT that at places like Walmart. We don't expect it to happen when middle-aged women are shopping for arts-and-crafts. --But that's exactly what happened on Sunday afternoon in Plantsville, Connecticut. --55-year-old Ruth Wagner of Plantsville was at a craft fair, shopping for Christmas ornaments. As she was browsing, a vendor accused her of stealing some jewelry. --They started yelling at each other . . . Ruth picked up a Christmas ornament made out of a seashell . . . and STABBED the vendor with it. --She got him in the forearm. A piece of the ornament broke off inside his arm . . . and he ended up needing surgery to have it removed. --Ruth was arrested and charged with SEVERAL felonies, including first-degree robbery, second-degree assault, first-degree reckless endangerment, sixth-degree larceny, and second-degree breach of peace. (Hartford Courant)
A Drunk Man Arrested for Brawling With His Son Tells the Cops "Fighting is What Redneck People Do":
It's a shame that self-awareness isn't a good legal defense. Because this guy's a redneck . . . he got arrested for being a redneck . . . and he KNEW it. --Last week, 43-year-old Mark Wach of Palm City, Florida was very drunk. And he went through a string of different offenses . . --He grabbed his pistol and started firing at his lawn mower. --When his 18-year-old son came out to try to reason with him, Mark started BRAWLING with his son. --And then, when the police got there, he refused to listen to them and ended up getting shot THREE TIMES with their Taser. --After all that, Mark explained what happened to the cops. Quote, "Fighting is what redneck people do." --That excuse SHOULD'VE been valid, but, for whatever reason, the cops still arrested him for domestic battery and aggravated domestic assault. (Treasure Coast Palm)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS
Random News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
The key to a strong relationship is . . . open infidelity? A 44-year-old female author in Australia thinks so. She says that negotiated infidelity is a good way to even things up when partners have different sex drives, and it will help make sure you don't take each other for granted. (Full Story)
A woman flew into Baltimore's BWI Airport Sunday afternoon, got off the plane, and gave birth in the terminal. She stepped into a women's restroom in Concourse D and had a healthy baby boy right there on the floor. (Full Story)
Sitting at a computer all day is bad for your health . . . so some companies are installing treadmill desks. They go at a steady two-to-three-miles-an-hour while you work, but you can adjust the incline for more of a challenge. (Full Story)
According to a study by the University of Minnesota, one in four people who file for divorce still believe there's hope for their marriage. In one out of eight divorces, both spouses still think there's hope. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) Miley Cyrus Posted a New Remix on YouTube . . . in Support of the Occupy Wall Street Movement:
MILEY CYRUS referred to herself as a "stoner" after she saw her Bob Marley birthday cake last week. And here's some MORE evidence she's a total hippie: --Miley posted a new remix of her song "Liberty Walk" on YouTube . . . and it's in support of the Occupy Wall Street movement. The remix is basically the same as the original, and the video is just a montage of protesters. --But it starts with a message that reads, quote, "This is dedicated to the thousands of people who are standing up for what they believe in." (--Search for "Miley Cyrus Rock Mafia - It's a Liberty Walk.")
#2.) Two 70-Year-Old Former Canadian Football Players Brawled at an Alumni Event . . . and One Took a Swing with His Cane:
Two former Canadian Football League players got into a fight at an alumni event in Vancouver on Friday. And here's why you have to see the video: Both of them are over 70 YEARS OLD. --73-year-old Joe Kapp was a quarterback for the British Columbia Lions. 74-year-old Angelo Mosca was a defensive lineman for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. And their feud goes back almost 50 years. --On Friday, they were supposed to talk about the controversial hit Mosca had on Kapp's running back in 1963, which is what started the whole thing. --But instead, Kapp tried to give Mosca a flower, and Mosca told him, quote, "shove it up your [backside]." --Then Kapp pushed the flower in Mosca's face . . . Mosca swung his CANE at Kapp's HEAD . . . and Kapp dropped him with a right cross. (--Search for "Joe Kapp Angelo Mosca Fight." It starts at :27. If you're into wrasslin', Mosca was also a relatively famous pro wrestler in the 70s and early 80s by the name of King Kong Mosca.) (--WARNING: This video includes the word "ass.")
Six Kinds of Technology That Lie to You Every Day:
We found an article online about how some of the technology you use every day isn't as reliable as you might think. Here are the top six "Gadgets That Lie to You Every Day".
#1.) The Fuel Gauge on Your Car. You've probably noticed that after you fill up at a gas station, the needle goes to "Full" . . . and then stays there for the first 50 miles or so. --That's because the thing in the tank that measures how much gas you have is just a rubber ball on a stick, like the one in the tank on your toilet. --So when you're 90% full, it still looks like you're COMPLETELY full. And when it says you're on "empty," you probably still have a gallon of gas left.
#2.) The "Door Close" Button in the Elevator at Work. In most cases, it doesn't do anything. That's according to John Menville, who's been working on elevators for 47 years. --The "door close" buttons in SOME elevators work. But he says it's usually there just to give us the ILLUSION of control. And it only works for firefighters and paramedics if they use their key.
#3.) Scales. The scale in your bathroom probably isn't as accurate as you think. But what's worse is, the one at your DOCTOR'S office might not be accurate either. --Researchers at the University of North Carolina found that 20% of the scales in U.S. hospitals are off.
#4.) The Thermostat in Your Office. It depends on how cheap your company is, but some experts say almost ALL office thermostats do absolutely nothing. --The idea is, if you and your coworkers could constantly mess with it, the heating and power bills would go up. In one industry newsletter poll, 51 out of 70 people who responded said they'd personally installed a fake thermostat. --Luckily, it might not matter. Researchers have found that just turning the dial up on a thermostat makes most people FEEL warmer. --In one study, a bank installed three fake thermostats for three different tellers who'd been complaining about the temperature. And all three of them thought it made a big difference.
#5.) Your Speedometer. How accurate it is depends on a few things, including tire pressure, the weather, how old your alternator is, and how old your tires are. --In theory, your speedometer could be off by up to 10% . . . or seven miles an hour if you're driving 70. But according to one study, the average is more like ONE percent.
#6.) Your Cell Phone. It lies about two things: Battery life, and signal strength. When it says it's "100%" charged, it's actually more like 90 or 95% charged, because being FULLY charged can damage your battery. --But cell phone makers know we wouldn't be satisfied if it said "95% charged." So they have it say "100%" instead.--With your signal, the bars don't tell the whole story. They show how much signal you're GETTING, but not all of that signal is USABLE. --Two years ago, the magazine "PC World" did an in-depth test of cell phone service in 13 U.S. cities. And in 12 of those cities, they found NO CONNECTION between the number of bars, and the quality of the service. (Cracked.com)
posted by Nazzy @ 5:52 AM
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