HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (09-02-11)
Jada Pinkett and Marc Anthony Were Touchy-Feely on the Set of "HawthoRNe . . . But they Didn't Have Sex:
People are still trying to connect JADA PINKETT and MARC ANTHONY, and blame their supposed affair for the breakup of Marc and J-LO'S marriage . . . as well as the near-breakup of Jada and WILL SMITH. --But now, "Us Weekly" says there were NO sexual shenanigans on the set of their TV show "HawthoRNe". But that doesn't mean Jada and Marc were completely innocent. --A source says, quote, "They were a little touchy and like they were in their own little world." They also spent a lot of time alone in Marc's trailer . . . and they talked and texted frequently. (--I'd take "HawthoRNe" rumors with a grain of salt though. Especially since their characters were having a SCRIPTED affair on the show.) --Meanwhile, in his interview with ABC News yesterday, Marc flat-out denied he cheated with ANYBODY. He said, quote, "It was a flight attendant, it was the pilot . . . I heard it was this guy sitting next to me in a rehab in Houston. I've heard it all." --He added, quote, "People are trying to peg it on things because it was so shocking. It was like, it must have been something . . . It wasn't something sensationalistic." (--You can watch several clips from the interview here.)
Showbiz Photo of the Day: Prince Harry and the Unfortunately-Placed Balloon:
PRINCE HARRY was at a charity event called The Wellchild Awards in London on Wednesday, and someone gave him a balloon sculpture . . . if that's what you'd call it. --It looks like it's supposed to be a flower on a stem or something. But in one picture, the way he's holding it is rather unfortunate . . . and HILARIOUS. Hopefully, the little girl standing directly in front of him didn't catch the symbolism.
(--Here's the pic.) (D-Listed)
Lindsay Lohan Now Has a Tattoo of a Billy Joel Lyric:
LINDSAY LOHAN has a new tattoo on her ribcage . . . and it's a BILLY JOEL LYRIC. (--Here's a picture.) (TMZ) --The tattoo reads, quote, "Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife, I feel like I'm in the prime of my life." It's a line from Joel's 1989 song "I Go to Extremes". --A source says she chose it because, quote, "It represented where she is in life and everything she's been through . . . it signifies that she's focused." (--I don't know if it matters, but Lindsay and Billy are fellow Long Islanders . . . although Billy was born in the Bronx.)
Heather Morris from "Glee" Did a "Controversial" Photo Shoot With a Black Eye:
A new photo shoot featuring "Glee" star HEATHER MORRIS is causing some controversy, because she's done up kind of like a Barbie doll . . . but with a BLACK EYE. --To make matters worse, there's one photo where Heather's hands appear to be bound, and she's biting the cord of an iron . . . which is being held by what looks like a man's hand. --People are already complaining that the pictures glorify domestic abuse. --The pics were taken by TYLER SHIELDS. He's the photographer who does those crazy photos of LINDSAY LOHAN where she's holding guns and bloody knives and that kind of stuff. --He says, quote, "In no way were we promoting domestic violence. We wanted to do a bruised-up Barbie shoot and that's exactly what we did!" (--Here are the pics.) (TylerShields.com)
Madonna Doesn't Let Anyone Else Use Her Toilet . . . Not Even Her Kids or Her Boyfriend:
If you ever have to go to the bathroom really badly, you'd better hope MADONNA'S toilet isn't the only one unoccupied. Because she won't let you use it. --According to "In Touch Weekly", Madonna doesn't let ANYBODY use her toilet. A source says, quote, "Madonna doesn't even let her kids use her toilet. It's just her thing. She is very generous, but this is the one thing she doesn't want to share."
Brad and Angelina's Daughter Shiloh Has Her Own iPad:
If you're like most Americans, you probably still don't have your own iPad. Too expensive, right? --Well, BRAD PITT and ANGELINA JOLIE'S daughter Shiloh has one. And she's FIVE YEARS OLD. (--Check out a picture.) (Life And Style) --A source says, quote, "Angelina loaded it up with a ton of apps and games for her. It definitely will keep her busy for the thousands of miles they travel each week." --Here's something else Shiloh has that you don't: A Shetland pony. Brad reportedly bought one for each kid . . . plus a horse for Angelina. (--You can read more about that here.)
NEW MOVIES THIS WEEKEND
Helen Mirren Plays a Spy and Katharine McPhee is Attacked by Sharks!
#1.) "The Debt" (R) (Opened Wednesday)
Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds are former Mossad agents whose mission to hunt down a Nazi war criminal in the '60s may not have been the huge success everyone thought it was. --In the flashback scenes they're played by Jessica Chastain from "The Help", a New Zealand actor named Marton Csokas, and "Avatar's" Sam Worthington. You may remember Csokas as one of the elf lords, Celeborn, in "The Lord of the Rings". (Trailer)
#2.) "Shark Night 3D" (PG-13)
A group of college students are trapped on an island surrounded by a lake that's been stocked with hungry sharks. 3D carnage ensues. The doomed cast includes Katharine McPhee, who parlayed her "American Idol" fame into an acting career. --McPhee's done some minor TV appearances, but this is her first big role since she was in theaters in "The House Bunny". She was runner-up to forgotten "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of the show back in 2006. --It's directed by the guy who did the second and fourth "Final Destination" movies, director David Ellis. More importantly, he also did "Snakes on a Plane" . . . which is why I need so bad to believe they'll include the line, "Enough is enough! I've had it with these mother[effin] sharks on this mother[effin] lake." (Trailer)
#3.) "Apollo 18" (PG-13)
The last official lunar mission was Apollo 17, but this sci-fi horror film is about a secret 18th mission, where two American astronauts were sent back to the moon to find out what happened to some missing cosmonauts. (Trailer #1) (Trailer #2)
George Lucas Spoke Out Against Altering Movies . . . 23 Years Ago:
GEORGE LUCAS has been enraging "Star Wars" fans for years now, by making changes to the movies every time he re-releases them either to theaters, or in a new format. --Just this week, he caused yet another disturbance in The Force with a change he made to the Blu-ray edition of "Return of the Jedi". --Well, are you ready for some MASSIVE IRONY? Back in 1988, when colorizing black and white movies was popular, Lucas spoke in front of Congress AGAINST ruining old movies by altering them from their original forms. --Here's a part of his speech that seems particularly hypocritical . . . quote, "These current defacements are just the beginning. --"Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. --"Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with 'fresher faces', or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor's lips to match." --He added, quote, "I accuse the corporations, who oppose the moral rights of the artist, of being dishonest and insensitive to American cultural heritage and of being interested only in their quarterly bottom line, and not in the long-term interest of the Nation." --Here's another noteworthy passage . . . quote, "Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. --"Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself." --Now, it's important to note here that George's main focus in this address was to protect the rights of the AUTHOR of a particular work of art from having his or her vision tampered with by someone else. --In that respect, there's no hypocrisy, because Lucas is the sole emperor of the "Star Wars" universe. -But he really did seem to be AGAINST the kind of tampering he keeps doing to the "Star Wars" movies as new technology allows. -At this rate, the "unborn" he spoke of probably CAN'T see any of the "Star Wars" movies as they were originally released, which the 1988 George Lucas seemed vehemently against. --With George there's kind of an interesting dynamic . . . because he's both the artist / creator AND, in the eyes of many "Star Wars" fans, the shameless corporation that tampers with said artist's vision. --You have to kind of pity "Star Wars" fans. The man who basically wrote their Bible is also the man they accuse of desecrating their faith. It's tough being a geek. (???) (--You can read his whole speech here.) --By the way . . . the efforts of George and his fellow filmmakers did result in the creation of the National Film Registry . . . which takes historically significant movies and preserves them in their natural state forever.
"DANCING WITH THE LGBT"
Lacey Schwimmer Says the "Controversy" Over Chaz Bono Doing "Dancing with the Stars" Is "Not Cool":
LACEY SCHWIMMER . . . CHAZ BONO'S partner on "Dancing with the Stars" . . . doesn't like the "controversy" over Chaz doing the show.--She says, quote, "It's disappointing. No human is perfect, so why are they pointing out what they perceive to be an imperfection in someone else? It's not cool. --"We're all taught to not bully, or harass, and treat everyone as equals yet all these people are doing exactly the opposite . . . just accept him for him. We need to evolve. It's 2011. I personally feel that we need to get over it." --Lacey says she was "absolutely thrilled" to be paired with Chaz, and adds, quote, "I've always been a huge supporter of the LGBT community and I couldn't be more excited to have Chaz . . . [he's] a cool person." (--In Season Seven, Lacey was paired with the openly gay LANCE BASS.) -For those who are looking forward to seeing Chaz tearin' it up on the dance floor, here's Lacey's assessment of how he's doing: --Quote, "He's picking up choreography very easily, but his stamina was very low. So we've been putting him through drills that will make him stronger in the competition. It's all about him being able to breathe and get through a full dance."
"Dancing with the Stars" Considered Pairing Carson Kressley with a Guy:
For better or worse, "Dancing with the Stars" ignited some LGBT . . . discussion . . . by bringing CHAZ BONO onboard this season. But they almost took the full plunge. --The cast also includes former "Queer Eye" star CARSON KRESSLEY . . . who's openly gay, of course . . . and the show's executive producer Conrad Green says that they DID consider pairing him up with a dude. --Green says, quote, "We thought about it . . . [but] we try to follow what happens in real ballroom competitions. That was the original intention of the show. --"And while we are aware that there are same-sex couples, the competitions are usually mixed-gendered." --So in the end he says they decided, quote, "It's a performance, like actors, so we don't think it's odd pairing up dancers with incompatible sexual preferences, but based off abilities."
Bodog.com's "Dancing with the Stars" Odds Are Up, and Chaz Bono Is the Biggest Long Shot to Win:
Bodog.com has put out their early lines on "Dancing with the Stars" . . . and shockingly, CHAZ BONO is not the favorite. In fact, he's the BIGGEST long shot, both literally and figuratively. His odds are 20-to-1. --The best odds were given to GEORGE CLOONEY'S ex, ELISABETTA CANALIS, who's at 3-to-1. Perhaps the thinking there is: You can't date a refined gentleman like George without knowing how to dance. (--At this point, that's my only guess . . . because that's the only thing anybody knows about this woman. So, if she's not a "star" . . . maybe she's an awesome dancer? I don't know. Anyway . . .)
--Here's Bodog.com's complete ranking:
--Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy, 3/1
--Former "Queer Eye" star Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya, 4/1
--Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas, 5/1
--Singer Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani, 6/1
--Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke, 15/2 . . . or 7.5/1
--Soccer minx Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 8/1
--David Arquette and Kym Johnson, 10/1
--L.A. Laker Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd, 10/1
--Soap star and Iraq war veteran J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff, 12/1
--Ricki Lake and Derek Hough, 15/1
--Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus, 18/1
--Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer, 20/1
(--I feel for the FOOLS who made these odds, because they're going to feel so stupid when Chaz wins it all! Hit up Bodog.com if you want to check for updates on the odds . . . or if you actually want to place a bet.)
--For the record, here's what Bodog had to say about putting Chaz last: Quote, "The clear underdog is Chaz Bono at 20-1 who does not look to be in great shape and may not appeal to the masses who vote on this. --"But realistically, until we see the first show we are making a lot of assumptions . . . and that is why we tend not to go any higher than 20-1 before we see how good or bad some of these contestants are." --Bodog even points out: BRISTOL PALIN started out at 30-to-1 last season, but ended up coming in third.
"Grey's Anatomy" Has Been the Most-TiVo'd Show Over the Past Four Years:
TiVo began compiling data on the most recorded TV shows back in October of 2007, and now they're reporting that the most TiVo'd show over the past four years was: "Grey's Anatomy". Here's the Top 10:
1.) "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
2.) "American Idol" (Fox)
3.) "Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
4.) "House" (Fox)
5.) "Lost" (ABC)
6.) "CSI" (CBS)
7.) "24" (Fox)
8.) "Heroes" (NBC)
9.) "The Office" (NBC)
10.) "Glee" (Fox)
--Since this list came from TiVo, it's unclear if this list covers ALL DVRs, or just the ones that are linked to TiVo. It's also vague as to whether this was pulled from exact tracking, or just an estimate based on reports from a sample of users.
WEEKEND TV REMINDERS
Friday TV Reminders:
--"Friends with Benefits" . . . 8:30 to 9:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Sara reunites with her ex, who's played by Pete Wentz.)
--"Karaoke Battle USA" [Performance Show] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC.
--"Man, Woman, Wild" [2nd Season Premiere]. . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Discovery.
Saturday TV Reminders:
--"Biography: Andre the Giant" . . . 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. on A&E.
--"Grand Ole Opry Live" . . . 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. on GAC. (--Connie Smith, Wynn Varble, Billy Dean and Elizabeth Cook perform.)
--"Austin City Limits" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on PBS. (--Roy Orbison performs.) (REPEAT)
--"Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1 Classic. (--Drummer Marky Ramone is the guest teacher / mentor.)
--"That Metal Show" . . . 11:00 P.M. to Midnight on VH1 Classic. (--Guitarist Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and Doug Pinnick from King's X.)
--"Saturday Night Live" . . . 11:30 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. on NBC. (--Zach Galifianakis guest hosts and Jessie J is the musical guest.) (REPEAT)
Sunday TV Reminders:
--"Big Brother 13" [Eviction Nominations] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.
--"Sunday Best" [4th Season Finale] . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on BET.
--"9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC. (--A documentary on construction workers who saved 77 people from the North Tower.)
--"The Good Wife: A New Beginning" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on CBS. (--The show's first two seasons are discussed with the cast and the executive producer.)
--"In the Flow with Affion Crockett" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. (--Wendi McLendon-Covey, Lil C and "Glee's" Harry Shum Jr. guest star.)
--"Behind the Music Remastered" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1. (--Rick James is profiled.)
Videos of Justin Timberlake Performing with a Band Called FreeSol:
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE hasn't been in "music mode" for a while now, but on Wednesday night he performed with a Memphis band called FREESOL in New York. --It happened at his restaurant, Southern Hospitality, and the band is one of Justin's protégés. He "executive produced" their upcoming debut album, which comes out next month, and he "co-directed" a few of their videos. --During their gig Wednesday night, Justin played the keyboard on some of their tracks . . . did some rapping . . . and busted out an acoustic version of his 2007 single "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around". (--Here's some random footage of Justin taken from OUTSIDE the restaurant, through the window. And here's a video of Justin performing from inside the venue. Here's another fan video of that. And here's video of Justin rapping.) (--Unfortunately, the audio isn't good on any of these.)
Watch Marilyn Manson's New Video, Which Was Directed By Shia LaBeouf:
MARILYN MANSON had SHIA LABEOUF direct his "Born Villain" video, and the results have made their way online. Not surprisingly, it's extremely dark and creepy. (--You can check it out, here . . . if you want to.) (--WARNING: This video isn't for everyone. It's mostly just dark, like a horror movie . . . but there is a pretty graphic moment at the 4:17 mark, when you can see a needle going through a girl's face.) (--There's also a lot of NUDITY . . . and the lyrics include PROFANITY.) (--Shia and Marilyn Manson have been hanging out a lot recently. Shia is shooting a documentary on the making of Marilyn's new album, and recently we heard that Shia got hammered and spit water in Marilyn's face.)
Justin Bieber's Christmas Album Will Feature All Original Songs:
When we first heard that JUSTIN BIEBER was recording a Christmas album, it was supposed to have both "classics and some originals." But now, his manager says it will only have new songs. --He Tweeted, quote, "This Christmas album is amazing. Might be the best album yet. All originals . . . soon to be classics. Everyone I play it for is blown away." --And Justin's producer had also hinted that it might feature TAYLOR SWIFT. He previously Tweeted, quote, "Wow!! Got to see Justin and Taylor Swift write a song together last night!!! SMASH!!!! SMASH!!! SMASH!!! Let's do it again y'all!!!" (--He sounds like a very excitable guy.)
Lenny Kravitz Used to Be High "All the Time":
If you discovered LENNY KRAVITZ in the '90s, and your first impression was: "Man, this guy seems like he's high all the time" . . . then you were SPOT ON. --Lenny tells "Men's Journal", quote, "I had to surround myself with energy and chaos and excitement and conflict. For a bit, I was high all the time, just medicating . . . I suppose that was so I didn't have to feel certain things." --Lenny didn't elaborate on how long "a bit" is . . . so it could've been 10 to 15 years. --But Lenny says he sobered up about a decade ago when his then-11-year-old daughter Zoe Kravitz came to live with him. He says, quote, "It was the best thing that happened. I had to change my life . . . if that hadn't happened, I don't know where I'd be now."
Vince Neil Says You've Gotta Sober Up to Extend Your Career:
MOTLEY CRUE singer VINCE NEIL is 50 years old, and he says in order to be a musician at 50, you can't still be acting like a musician who's 25. --He says that young musicians often get sucked into the alcohol . . . the drugs . . . and the women, because their fame comes "all of a sudden." --But Vince adds, quote, "The smart ones know that you can't live that lifestyle . . . you can't keep going. If you want to have longevity in this business, or any business, you've gotta grow up . . . eventually."
Donny Osmond Would Like to See Tim McGraw on "Dancing with the Stars":
DONNY OSMOND won "Dancing with the Stars" back in 2009 . . . so that makes him an authority on who should be on future shows, right? He seems to think so. Somebody asked Donny to toss out a casting suggestion and he said, quote, "I think TIM MCGRAW. --"As a matter of fact, I was at Tim's show the other night, and I got onstage with him, and the crowd was going crazy. I said, 'You know, Tim's in pretty good shape here. He's got his muscles and the whole bit. I think he should do 'Dancing With the Stars'." (--Donny's dreaming on this one. These days those "stars" are either over the hill, or they're showbiz wannabes. Tim's career does NOT need a boost. You can check for yourself with this season's cast list.)
FRIDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS
Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
After 28 years together, GENE SIMMONS and SHANNON TWEED have set an October 1st date for their wedding. (Full Story)
Just six months after giving birth, KATE HUDSON is back in a bikini. (Full Story)
The woman who ruined TIKI BARBER'S marriage is going to become his second wife. They're engaged. (Full Story)
KATT WILLIAMS issued a PARTIAL apology for ripping on a Mexican audience member during his standup gig in Phoenix last Saturday. I say "partial" because what he said was, quote, "I want to apologize if my comedy act was taken out of context." (Full Story)
African-American actor MICHAEL COLYAR claims he was kicked off a United Airlines flight for BEING BLACK. (Full Story)
Remember when everybody thought ARETHA FRANKLIN was at death's door? Well, she's going to perform before PRESIDENT OBAMA gives a speech in Detroit on Monday. (Full Story)
RANDOM STUFF
Washington, D.C. Has the Most Dangerous Drivers in America . . . and Fort Collins, Colorado Has the Safest:
Allstate Insurance just released their seventh annual list of U.S. cities based on the safety of their drivers. And this year's city with the most dangerous drivers is . . . Washington, D.C.
--Drivers in D.C. are 107.3% more likely than the average driver to get into a collision. They also average 4.8 years between crashes, the smallest time frame in the country. D.C. was also the most dangerous city last year.
--The rest of the bottom ten are: Baltimore . . . Glendale, California . . . Newark, New Jersey . . . Providence, Rhode Island . . . Philadelphia . . . Hartford, Connecticut . . . Jersey City, New Jersey . . . San Francisco . . . and Alexandria, Virginia.
--On the other end of things, Fort Collins, Colorado was the safest city in the country, for the second time in the seven years Allstate's been doing the study.
--Drivers in Fort Collins are 28.6% less likely than the average driver to get in an accident, and they average 14 years between crashes.
--The rest of the top ten are: Boise, Idaho . . . Lincoln, Nebraska . . . Chandler, Arizona . . . Huntsville, Alabama . . . Knoxville, Tennessee . . . Springfield, Missouri . . . Reno, Nevada . . . Eugene, Oregon . . . and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
--Nationwide, the average driver gets into an accident about once every 10 years. (Allstate)
A Town in California Decided to Focus on Accident Prevention Instead of Giving Out Traffic Tickets . . . and Accidents Went Down:
I want to tell this story to every single mayor, city council, police commissioner, and police officer in the country. -Writing a bunch of tickets doesn't do a DAMN THING to make roads safer. And if cities focused less on taking our hard-earned money because we forgot to signal, and focused on actually studying safety, it would CHANGE THE WORLD -There's a town just north of Sacramento, California called Roseville. And at the beginning of the year, their city manager, Ray Kerridge, told the police to stop writing so many tickets. --He said he wanted them to focus on long-term safety solutions . . . like identifying dangerous areas on the roads and fixing them. He didn't want the cops spending all day ticketing people, and he didn't want people worrying about speed traps. --In the first six months of the year, the cops only wrote 1,317 tickets . . . down 84% from the 8,236 tickets issued in the first six months of 2010. And . . . ACCIDENTS WENT DOWN BY 7%. --The chief of police, Daniel Hahn, says that by not writing a ton of tickets, they can actually identify the dangerous intersections and roads. And they can come up with answers, like adding a light, putting up a median, or beefing up police presence. --Of course, fewer tickets means less revenue for the city . . . but it means fewer accidents and more people ALIVE . . . which SHOULD be the correct choice in every case. (MSN Money)
How Much of Your Salary Would You Be Willing to Give Up for More Flexible Hours?
We all dream about working from home, or four-day work weeks, or setting our own hours. But would you be willing to take a PAY CUT to make it happen? --The majority of the country says . . . NO. But 42% say YES. That's two out of five working adults. --The average person would be willing to give up about 6% of their salary for more flexibility at work. With a $50,000-a-year job, that's a $3,000 pay cut. --Men are actually TWICE as likely as women to say they'd give up more of their salary. 12% of men would give up 10% of their salary for more flexibility . . . only 6% of women would give up 10% of their salary for that flexibility. --People 18-to-34 are more than THREE TIMES more likely than older workers to be willing to give up 10% of their salary for more flexibility. --For what it's worth . . . if you run a company and actually set people's salaries, you may get better workers for cheaper if you offer slightly less money for more flexibility. --62% of people say that flexibility is a HUGE factor when they're choosing a job. 79% of working mothers and 77% of working fathers say they'd stay at a company longer if it offered more flexibility. (PR Newswire)
Workers in China Fake Being Sick More Than Workers in Any Other Country:
Americans have resigned themselves to the idea that China will outwork us and bury our economy. But here's reason to be hopeful. --A survey by Kronos Global found that workers in China are the most likely to LIE about being sick in order to get a day off from work. --71% of Chinese workers admit that they've done that. That's about 20% more than in the U.S. --America finished a distant fourth in the survey, in a dead heat with Canada. --The country with the second-most fake sick days was India, where 62% of workers admit to lying to their boss for a day off. Australia was third, at 58%. --The country that was least likely to lie to get a sick day was France, at 16%. It could be that French people are more honest, or it could be the 30 DAYS of vacation that every worker gets. --India and China are in the bottom three when it comes to paid vacation time, so obviously there's a connection between less paid vacation and misuse of sick days. --Mexico was next lowest, with only 38% of their workers faking a sick day. --Worldwide, the most common thing people did with their ill-gotten sick time was stay in bed and watch TV. (Reuters)
FEMA Evaluates Hurricane Damage by . . . Checking the Local Waffle House?
I don't know what's worse: That FEMA does this . . . or that they ADMIT they do. --When FEMA arrives on the scene after a hurricane makes landfall, they need to get a quick read on how bad the damage is. And one of the ways they do that is . . . by visiting the local Waffle House. --There are 1,600 Waffle Houses from the mid-Atlantic down to Florida and the Gulf Coast, and they have a reputation for staying open no matter what: They're small, they're everywhere, and they can survive almost anything. (--Kinda like cockroaches.) --So FEMA has an unofficial "Waffle House Index", complete with a color-coding system: If they arrive and a Waffle House is CLOSED . . . that's a Code Red. That means the storm damage is extensive and conditions are unsafe. --According to FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, quote, "That's really bad. That's when you go to work." --Code Yellow means they're open, serving a limited menu, and have power from a generator. If they're up and running with full power, that's a Code Green --Hurricane Irene hit Weldon, North Carolina hard on Saturday, but by 6:30 Sunday morning, the Waffle House was operating at Code Yellow. In Virginia, 21 of the 22 Waffle Houses hit by Irene were back to Code Green within three days. (Wall Street Journal)
Domino's is Planning to Build a New Restaurant . . . On the Moon:
It's 2011, and we were promised that we'd be able to take vacations to outer space by now. Obviously that hasn't happened. But when it finally DOES happen, at least now you'll have someplace to eat. --Domino's has announced that they are planning to be the first people to build a restaurant on the Moon. --The Japanese branch of Domino's has even hired a company to start planning out their Moon restaurant. It will be dome-shaped and they estimate it will cost about $22 BILLION to build . . . with most of the cost in transporting materials up there. --A spokesman for Domino's says, quote, "we have not yet determined when the restaurant might open." But they want to have the plans ready, so that they're the first restaurant on the Moon once people start traveling there. (The Telegraph) (--Here are some images of what the Domino's on the Moon might look like.)
25% of Women Admit They Commit "Size Fraud" . . . and Buy Clothes That are Too Small for Them:
According to a new survey, one out of four women buy clothes with no intention of wearing them in the near future. Because those clothes don't even come CLOSE to fitting.
--25% of women admit they commit "size fraud" . . . meaning they regularly buy clothes that are TOO SMALL for them.
--Two-thirds of those women say they do it because they lie to people about their size. 20% do it for a self-esteem boost.
--The most common things women buy even though they don't fit are . . . pants.
--Jeans are second, and shoes are third.
--The survey also found that only 11% of women are happy with their body.
(Female First)
Men Who are Looking For a Relationship Spend 60% More Money on a Date:
Here's a way you can tell what's going on in your date's mind. A new study found that when a guy is looking for a relationship, he's MUCH more willing to spend money than when he's just looking to do a quick pump-and-dump. --The study found that men will spend 60% more on a date when they're looking for a relationship. That turned out to be an average of a $73 difference. (PR Web)
33% of Men Now Look at Porno on Their Phones:
New smartphones with 3G and 4G networks are finally powerful enough to stream high-quality video. So naturally, the first instinct for men is . . . PORNO. --According to a poll by LG, 33% of men look at porno on their phones. They didn't release the numbers for women. --The poll also found that 20% of men and women use their phones to do online dating, and 20% have sexted naked photos or videos. (Daily Star)
One Out of Ten People Have Joined the Mile-High Club?
This number seems WAY too high. If it's true, it means A LOT of people you know have joined the MILE-HIGH CLUB. And that you've probably been on a plane where there were people humping and you had no idea. --According to a survey by a travel site called Jetcost, one out of ten people say they've had relations on an airplane. And one out of six of those people say it was with a stranger they met on board. --The main reason people give for joining the mile-high club is . . . BOREDOM --10% of people who've had airplane sex say it wasn't on a long international or cross-country flight . . . it was on a quick flight, less than a few hours long. (AOL Travel)
Hotels are Getting Rid of Those Little Bottles of Shampoo:
NOW what are we going to steal? According to an article in "USA Today", more and more hotels are getting rid of the mini bottles of shampoo . . . and replacing them with refillable pump canisters. --The hotels say it reduces waste. And while some of them are claiming it doesn't reduce cost . . . we all know they wouldn't do it if it wasn't profitable. --So far, this is rolling out in some higher-end chains, like Viceroy Hotels and some of the Starwood luxury hotels. But it could affect the places real people stay too . . . and it could happen sooner rather than later. (USA Today)
Scientists at Harvard and MIT Have Calculated the Five Secrets to Avoiding Flight Delays and Missed Connections:
Thank you, nerds. A team of scientists at Harvard and MIT used some sophisticated statistical modeling . . . that's FAR beyond our pay grade . . . to figure out the tricks to avoiding flight delays and missed connections. --And for some reason, they passed the info on to us commoners. So here are those five tricks, based on their analysis.
#1.) Avoid regional airlines. The smaller airlines like American Eagle, Skywest, and Mesa have the greatest percentage of cancellations and missed connections.
#2.) Fly on low-cost airlines. JetBlue, Southwest, AirTran, and Frontier have fewer connections, fly to more reliable airports, and generally do a better job taking off and leaving on time.
#3.) Fly in the morning. A flight after noon is 86.8% more likely to be delayed than one in the morning. And it's MUCH easier to rebook a flight that gets canceled in the morning because there are so many more options.
#4.) Fly on Monday or Saturday. Those two days have the fewest delays.
#5.) The more flights, the better. You're better off taking an airline that has a lot of flights to your destination. An airline with at least 10 daily flights to a destination is 31.4% less likely to have cancellations or delays to that destination. (Harvard Business School)
People Still Send Postcards? Here are a Bunch of Stats on the Postcards We Send:
I haven't gotten a postcard since . . . well, probably since I could read it while eating a McDonald's Arch Deluxe and watching the original "Beverly Hills 90210". But apparently some people still send them.--There's a company called Touchnote that lets you send personalized, printed postcards using your cell phone and Facebook photos. And they analyzed 2,000 postcards to come up with these trends . . .
--29% of Americans send postcards containing pictures of their children.
--15% send a postcard that has a "funny" or irreverent picture.
--19% send a postcard with a romantic image.
--Now, with modern technology letting people customize their own postcard photos, only 15% sent an old-school scenic image.
--Less than 1% sign their postcards with the old "XOXO" hugs and kisses thing.
--People send postcards featuring pictures of pets . . . but almost exclusively dogs. 99% of the postcards containing a picture of an animal featured a dog.
--Only 42% of the postcards were sent while people were on vacation.
--0.2% put their sonogram photo on a postcard.
(Journalism.co.uk)
A New Study Finds That, Believe it or Not, The Most Biased Fans in Baseball Aren't Yankees or Red Sox Fans:
A website called Beyond the Box Score wanted to figure out which Major League Baseball team's fans are the most DELUSIONAL. Meaning, which fans irrationally believe their players are the best even though the evidence clearly shows otherwise. --And believe it or not, the most biased fans in baseball AREN'T Yankees or Red Sox fans. Nope . . . based on this formula, ATLANTA BRAVES fans are the most irrational. --The formula calculated the statistical rank of a player in baseball, then figured out how many all-star fan votes he deserved to get. Then they compared that result to the number of all-star fan votes he ACTUALLY got. --And Braves players had the biggest disparity. They got 2.21 times more support than the average team's players. The Seattle Mariners fans came in as the second-most biased, then the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers. --Pittsburgh Pirates fans actually UNDERVALUED their players: Their players got 0.41 times as much support as they should have. Florida Marlins fans are second-least biased, the San Diego Padres are third, Houston Astros are fourth, and the L.A.-Anaheim Angels were fifth. --Minnesota Twins fans were completely unbiased . . . they were the only team whose players got the right amount of support based on their skill. --As for the famously self-centered franchises, Yankees fans gave players 1.36 times more support than average . . . Red Sox fans actually undervalued their players, who only got 0.89 times the support of the average player. (Beyond the Box Score) (--You can see the full chart ranking the teams by their fans' bias here.)
Here are Ten Companies That Actually Use Real People to Handle Customer Service Calls:
Everyone hates calling customer service and getting that automated switchboard that goes nowhere . . . while they tell you how important your call is. --71% of Americans say they become "extremely irritated" when they call a company and can't speak to a real person. And two out of three give up and end the call without getting their issue resolved. --Obviously automated switchboards save companies money, but you'll be on hold an average of one minute and 51 seconds. That's more than TWICE as long compared to a company that doesn't use them.
--Yes, there are still companies that use HUMAN BEINGS instead of computers to answer the phone. Here are ten of them . . .
--Amazon.com
--Grainger (--They sell industrial equipment.)
--L.L. Bean
--SportsmansGuide.com
--Nordstrom
--Neiman Marcus
--Cabelas.com (--They sell camping gear.)
--Urban Outfitters
--BlueNile.com (--They sell engagement rings and fine jewelry.)
--MarketAmerica.com (Yahoo Finance)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS
Random News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
This past March, a couple in Michigan drove their 7-year-old to a bus stop so he could confront a bully. But when the 73-year-old crossing guard tried to break up the fight, they beat him up. (Full Story)
Get your baby to love math with . . . stuffed Statistical Distribution toys! (Full Story)
A 21-year-old math major at UCLA bought an $800 one-way plane ticket from L.A. to Cairo two weeks ago, snuck across the border into Libya, and tried to join the Libyan rebels. (Full Story)
Not surprisingly, the uniforms of doctors and nurses are covered in bacteria. According to a new study, germs are found on 63% of them, including antibiotic resistant bacteria on 14% of nurses' uniforms, and 6% of doctors'. (Full Story)
A 21-year-old mother was arrested in Arizona on Saturday for trying to calm her 10-month-old baby down after hitting her . . . by blowing marijuana smoke in its mouth. (Full Story)
Four out of five people don't use a meat thermometer to tell when meat's fully cooked. But that's okay, because four in five don't know what temperature meat should be cooked to anyway. 73% of us rely on sight, and 57% of us go by cooking time. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) "Here Kitty-Kitty" Part One: Check Out Paz de la Huerta in a Hot Lingerie Ad Campaign:
If you're fan of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire", then you're a fan of Paz de la Huerta . . . Steve Buscemi's mistress. And you'll be a fan of the hot new ad campaign she's doing for Agent Provocateur lingerie, too. --It's a series of videos where she's hounded by the paparazzi . . . and demonstrates how to strategically flash your underwear on purpose. The first one has her getting out of a car, and "accidentally" flashing . . . well, everything. But no actual nudity.--The second one's even more ridiculous: She demonstrates how to distract photographers with your lingerie-clad crotch when you do something embarrassing, like drop your purse. In the third one she flashes her butt. --And she's not wearing much to begin with in the ads, even BEFORE she flashes the cameras. So . . . Happy Friday. (--Search for "Agent Provocateur - Always Remember Your Agent Provocateurs - Part 1. She goes for the purse at :35, and her underwear doesn't leave much to the imagination. She flashes her butt at 1:08. Check out some stills here.)
#2.) "Here Kitty-Kitty" Part Two: A Cat Owning a Balloon Version of Itself:
Funnyordie.com has a video called Cat vs. Balloon, where a couple introduces their brown and white cat to a balloon version of itself. In other words, the balloon is cat-sized, brown and white, has a tail and legs, and has an automated purr. --The woman filming got it as a birthday present, and when her guy uses a remote control to introduce the balloon cat to the real cat, the real cat OWNS the balloon.
(--The cat pops the balloon at :18. WARNING! There's profanity.)
#3.) Players and Coaches Attacked a Referee at a Youth Football Game:
Last Saturday, the Sarasota Gators faced off against the North Port Husky's in a youth football game at Riverview High, in Sarasota, Florida. With about a minute and a half left in the first half, the ref called a personal foul against the Husky's. --But for some reason, the Gators sideline FLIPPED OUT. Maybe because they were losing 30-to-6. And the ref called ANOTHER personal foul when they came onto the field and confronted him. --A Husky fan was filming the whole thing, and she didn't capture all of what happened next. Apparently, someone threw a bottle of water on the ref, and a fight started. But it's unclear who threw the first punch. --But she DID film the aftermath . . . where a player ran the ref over like a FREIGHT TRAIN, and started a brawl. An assistant coach for the Husky's tried to break it up, and got injured along with the ref. --Now the Gators have been banned from playing on their home field, and suspended. And the cops are making arrests. (--Search for "Arrests likely in football fight." He gets run over at :36.)
#4.) Enjoy Some Crappy Foreign Versions of "Star Wars":
Since GEORGE LUCAS can't stop himself from ruining his own movies, you might as well enjoy a version of "Star Wars" that was SUPPOSED to be crappy. A website picked some of the worst foreign interpretations, and they're pretty terrible. (--Search for "The Best Worst Foreign Versions of Star Wars".)
Four Things You Can't Do Once You Have a Baby:
If you're single and staying out late this weekend, enjoy it while you still can. Because closing down the bar is one of the things on TheNest.com's list of "Things You Can't Do Once You Have a Baby." Here are four more.
#1.) Wear White. No one really follows the whole "no white after Labor Day" rule anymore. But new parents can NEVER wear white. --You have to wear mostly dark clothes with patterns . . . or what's referred to as "spit-up camouflage." And even once you're kids are toddlers, you still have to worry about things like food, drinks, and paint.
#2.) Roll Out of Bed and Go. According to The Nest, having even one kid will add about 30 minutes to your morning routine. And that's every day until they're old enough to get ready by themselves. So at least a solid decade if you have ONE kid.
#3.) Read Anything with Chapters. This one's kind of dumb, because obviously plenty of parents still read books. But it's a lot harder to get through 20 or 30 pages when you've got kids running around. --So a lot of parents end up reading more magazines instead.
#4.) Watch Late-Night Comedy Late at Night. You might, right after the baby comes . . . because you'll be up all night anyway. But after that, 11 p.m. is WAY past your bedtime. --It you want to watch one of the late-night shows, you'll have to Tivo it, and try to get to it the next day. But chances are, you'll have so much more to do, you won't have time for that either. (TheNest.com)
Five Ways to Get What You Want in the Bedroom:
Critiquing how someone 'performs' in the bedroom is a touchy subject . . . it's way too easy to hurt feeling and bruise egos. So today we've got five painless ways to get EXACTLY what you want when you're between the sheets.
#1.) Turn a Criticism into a Compliment. Instead of telling someone what they're doing WRONG, focus on improving what they're doing RIGHT. Tell them you love what they're doing, and how doing it a certain way would make it even better.
#2.) Leave Clues. Actually, Match.com says, quote, "use reference material." Really. But what they mean is, talk about an article you read in "Cosmo" that talked about doing something you want to try.
#3.) Show . . . Don't Tell. If you're shy about asking for what you want, try showing it instead. Like, move someone's hands where you want them, or make more noise when they do something good.
#4.) Make a Game out of It. Play a game of "Hot or Cold" where they have to GUESS what you want done to you. It's a fun challenge, and you'll both end up satisfied.
#5.) Positive Reinforcement. When they eventually do hit the right spots, make sure they KNOW, so they'll keep doing it in the future. (Match.com)
People are still trying to connect JADA PINKETT and MARC ANTHONY, and blame their supposed affair for the breakup of Marc and J-LO'S marriage . . . as well as the near-breakup of Jada and WILL SMITH. --But now, "Us Weekly" says there were NO sexual shenanigans on the set of their TV show "HawthoRNe". But that doesn't mean Jada and Marc were completely innocent. --A source says, quote, "They were a little touchy and like they were in their own little world." They also spent a lot of time alone in Marc's trailer . . . and they talked and texted frequently. (--I'd take "HawthoRNe" rumors with a grain of salt though. Especially since their characters were having a SCRIPTED affair on the show.) --Meanwhile, in his interview with ABC News yesterday, Marc flat-out denied he cheated with ANYBODY. He said, quote, "It was a flight attendant, it was the pilot . . . I heard it was this guy sitting next to me in a rehab in Houston. I've heard it all." --He added, quote, "People are trying to peg it on things because it was so shocking. It was like, it must have been something . . . It wasn't something sensationalistic." (--You can watch several clips from the interview here.)
Showbiz Photo of the Day: Prince Harry and the Unfortunately-Placed Balloon:
PRINCE HARRY was at a charity event called The Wellchild Awards in London on Wednesday, and someone gave him a balloon sculpture . . . if that's what you'd call it. --It looks like it's supposed to be a flower on a stem or something. But in one picture, the way he's holding it is rather unfortunate . . . and HILARIOUS. Hopefully, the little girl standing directly in front of him didn't catch the symbolism.
(--Here's the pic.) (D-Listed)
Lindsay Lohan Now Has a Tattoo of a Billy Joel Lyric:
LINDSAY LOHAN has a new tattoo on her ribcage . . . and it's a BILLY JOEL LYRIC. (--Here's a picture.) (TMZ) --The tattoo reads, quote, "Clear as a crystal, sharp as a knife, I feel like I'm in the prime of my life." It's a line from Joel's 1989 song "I Go to Extremes". --A source says she chose it because, quote, "It represented where she is in life and everything she's been through . . . it signifies that she's focused." (--I don't know if it matters, but Lindsay and Billy are fellow Long Islanders . . . although Billy was born in the Bronx.)
Heather Morris from "Glee" Did a "Controversial" Photo Shoot With a Black Eye:
A new photo shoot featuring "Glee" star HEATHER MORRIS is causing some controversy, because she's done up kind of like a Barbie doll . . . but with a BLACK EYE. --To make matters worse, there's one photo where Heather's hands appear to be bound, and she's biting the cord of an iron . . . which is being held by what looks like a man's hand. --People are already complaining that the pictures glorify domestic abuse. --The pics were taken by TYLER SHIELDS. He's the photographer who does those crazy photos of LINDSAY LOHAN where she's holding guns and bloody knives and that kind of stuff. --He says, quote, "In no way were we promoting domestic violence. We wanted to do a bruised-up Barbie shoot and that's exactly what we did!" (--Here are the pics.) (TylerShields.com)
Madonna Doesn't Let Anyone Else Use Her Toilet . . . Not Even Her Kids or Her Boyfriend:
If you ever have to go to the bathroom really badly, you'd better hope MADONNA'S toilet isn't the only one unoccupied. Because she won't let you use it. --According to "In Touch Weekly", Madonna doesn't let ANYBODY use her toilet. A source says, quote, "Madonna doesn't even let her kids use her toilet. It's just her thing. She is very generous, but this is the one thing she doesn't want to share."
Brad and Angelina's Daughter Shiloh Has Her Own iPad:
If you're like most Americans, you probably still don't have your own iPad. Too expensive, right? --Well, BRAD PITT and ANGELINA JOLIE'S daughter Shiloh has one. And she's FIVE YEARS OLD. (--Check out a picture.) (Life And Style) --A source says, quote, "Angelina loaded it up with a ton of apps and games for her. It definitely will keep her busy for the thousands of miles they travel each week." --Here's something else Shiloh has that you don't: A Shetland pony. Brad reportedly bought one for each kid . . . plus a horse for Angelina. (--You can read more about that here.)
NEW MOVIES THIS WEEKEND
Helen Mirren Plays a Spy and Katharine McPhee is Attacked by Sharks!
#1.) "The Debt" (R) (Opened Wednesday)
Helen Mirren, Tom Wilkinson, and Ciaran Hinds are former Mossad agents whose mission to hunt down a Nazi war criminal in the '60s may not have been the huge success everyone thought it was. --In the flashback scenes they're played by Jessica Chastain from "The Help", a New Zealand actor named Marton Csokas, and "Avatar's" Sam Worthington. You may remember Csokas as one of the elf lords, Celeborn, in "The Lord of the Rings". (Trailer)
#2.) "Shark Night 3D" (PG-13)
A group of college students are trapped on an island surrounded by a lake that's been stocked with hungry sharks. 3D carnage ensues. The doomed cast includes Katharine McPhee, who parlayed her "American Idol" fame into an acting career. --McPhee's done some minor TV appearances, but this is her first big role since she was in theaters in "The House Bunny". She was runner-up to forgotten "Idol" winner Taylor Hicks on the fifth season of the show back in 2006. --It's directed by the guy who did the second and fourth "Final Destination" movies, director David Ellis. More importantly, he also did "Snakes on a Plane" . . . which is why I need so bad to believe they'll include the line, "Enough is enough! I've had it with these mother[effin] sharks on this mother[effin] lake." (Trailer)
#3.) "Apollo 18" (PG-13)
The last official lunar mission was Apollo 17, but this sci-fi horror film is about a secret 18th mission, where two American astronauts were sent back to the moon to find out what happened to some missing cosmonauts. (Trailer #1) (Trailer #2)
George Lucas Spoke Out Against Altering Movies . . . 23 Years Ago:
GEORGE LUCAS has been enraging "Star Wars" fans for years now, by making changes to the movies every time he re-releases them either to theaters, or in a new format. --Just this week, he caused yet another disturbance in The Force with a change he made to the Blu-ray edition of "Return of the Jedi". --Well, are you ready for some MASSIVE IRONY? Back in 1988, when colorizing black and white movies was popular, Lucas spoke in front of Congress AGAINST ruining old movies by altering them from their original forms. --Here's a part of his speech that seems particularly hypocritical . . . quote, "These current defacements are just the beginning. --"Today, engineers with their computers can add color to black-and-white movies, change the soundtrack, speed up the pace, and add or subtract material to the philosophical tastes of the copyright holder. --"Tomorrow, more advanced technology will be able to replace actors with 'fresher faces', or alter dialogue and change the movement of the actor's lips to match." --He added, quote, "I accuse the corporations, who oppose the moral rights of the artist, of being dishonest and insensitive to American cultural heritage and of being interested only in their quarterly bottom line, and not in the long-term interest of the Nation." --Here's another noteworthy passage . . . quote, "Attention should be paid to this question of our soul, and not simply to accounting procedures. --"Attention should be paid to the interest of those who are yet unborn, who should be able to see this generation as it saw itself, and the past generation as it saw itself." --Now, it's important to note here that George's main focus in this address was to protect the rights of the AUTHOR of a particular work of art from having his or her vision tampered with by someone else. --In that respect, there's no hypocrisy, because Lucas is the sole emperor of the "Star Wars" universe. -But he really did seem to be AGAINST the kind of tampering he keeps doing to the "Star Wars" movies as new technology allows. -At this rate, the "unborn" he spoke of probably CAN'T see any of the "Star Wars" movies as they were originally released, which the 1988 George Lucas seemed vehemently against. --With George there's kind of an interesting dynamic . . . because he's both the artist / creator AND, in the eyes of many "Star Wars" fans, the shameless corporation that tampers with said artist's vision. --You have to kind of pity "Star Wars" fans. The man who basically wrote their Bible is also the man they accuse of desecrating their faith. It's tough being a geek. (???) (--You can read his whole speech here.) --By the way . . . the efforts of George and his fellow filmmakers did result in the creation of the National Film Registry . . . which takes historically significant movies and preserves them in their natural state forever.
"DANCING WITH THE LGBT"
Lacey Schwimmer Says the "Controversy" Over Chaz Bono Doing "Dancing with the Stars" Is "Not Cool":
LACEY SCHWIMMER . . . CHAZ BONO'S partner on "Dancing with the Stars" . . . doesn't like the "controversy" over Chaz doing the show.--She says, quote, "It's disappointing. No human is perfect, so why are they pointing out what they perceive to be an imperfection in someone else? It's not cool. --"We're all taught to not bully, or harass, and treat everyone as equals yet all these people are doing exactly the opposite . . . just accept him for him. We need to evolve. It's 2011. I personally feel that we need to get over it." --Lacey says she was "absolutely thrilled" to be paired with Chaz, and adds, quote, "I've always been a huge supporter of the LGBT community and I couldn't be more excited to have Chaz . . . [he's] a cool person." (--In Season Seven, Lacey was paired with the openly gay LANCE BASS.) -For those who are looking forward to seeing Chaz tearin' it up on the dance floor, here's Lacey's assessment of how he's doing: --Quote, "He's picking up choreography very easily, but his stamina was very low. So we've been putting him through drills that will make him stronger in the competition. It's all about him being able to breathe and get through a full dance."
"Dancing with the Stars" Considered Pairing Carson Kressley with a Guy:
For better or worse, "Dancing with the Stars" ignited some LGBT . . . discussion . . . by bringing CHAZ BONO onboard this season. But they almost took the full plunge. --The cast also includes former "Queer Eye" star CARSON KRESSLEY . . . who's openly gay, of course . . . and the show's executive producer Conrad Green says that they DID consider pairing him up with a dude. --Green says, quote, "We thought about it . . . [but] we try to follow what happens in real ballroom competitions. That was the original intention of the show. --"And while we are aware that there are same-sex couples, the competitions are usually mixed-gendered." --So in the end he says they decided, quote, "It's a performance, like actors, so we don't think it's odd pairing up dancers with incompatible sexual preferences, but based off abilities."
Bodog.com's "Dancing with the Stars" Odds Are Up, and Chaz Bono Is the Biggest Long Shot to Win:
Bodog.com has put out their early lines on "Dancing with the Stars" . . . and shockingly, CHAZ BONO is not the favorite. In fact, he's the BIGGEST long shot, both literally and figuratively. His odds are 20-to-1. --The best odds were given to GEORGE CLOONEY'S ex, ELISABETTA CANALIS, who's at 3-to-1. Perhaps the thinking there is: You can't date a refined gentleman like George without knowing how to dance. (--At this point, that's my only guess . . . because that's the only thing anybody knows about this woman. So, if she's not a "star" . . . maybe she's an awesome dancer? I don't know. Anyway . . .)
--Here's Bodog.com's complete ranking:
--Elisabetta Canalis and Val Chmerkovskiy, 3/1
--Former "Queer Eye" star Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya, 4/1
--Kristin Cavallari and Mark Ballas, 5/1
--Singer Chynna Phillips and Tony Dovolani, 6/1
--Rob Kardashian and Cheryl Burke, 15/2 . . . or 7.5/1
--Soccer minx Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy, 8/1
--David Arquette and Kym Johnson, 10/1
--L.A. Laker Ron Artest and Peta Murgatroyd, 10/1
--Soap star and Iraq war veteran J.R. Martinez and Karina Smirnoff, 12/1
--Ricki Lake and Derek Hough, 15/1
--Nancy Grace and Tristan MacManus, 18/1
--Chaz Bono and Lacey Schwimmer, 20/1
(--I feel for the FOOLS who made these odds, because they're going to feel so stupid when Chaz wins it all! Hit up Bodog.com if you want to check for updates on the odds . . . or if you actually want to place a bet.)
--For the record, here's what Bodog had to say about putting Chaz last: Quote, "The clear underdog is Chaz Bono at 20-1 who does not look to be in great shape and may not appeal to the masses who vote on this. --"But realistically, until we see the first show we are making a lot of assumptions . . . and that is why we tend not to go any higher than 20-1 before we see how good or bad some of these contestants are." --Bodog even points out: BRISTOL PALIN started out at 30-to-1 last season, but ended up coming in third.
"Grey's Anatomy" Has Been the Most-TiVo'd Show Over the Past Four Years:
TiVo began compiling data on the most recorded TV shows back in October of 2007, and now they're reporting that the most TiVo'd show over the past four years was: "Grey's Anatomy". Here's the Top 10:
1.) "Grey's Anatomy" (ABC)
2.) "American Idol" (Fox)
3.) "Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
4.) "House" (Fox)
5.) "Lost" (ABC)
6.) "CSI" (CBS)
7.) "24" (Fox)
8.) "Heroes" (NBC)
9.) "The Office" (NBC)
10.) "Glee" (Fox)
--Since this list came from TiVo, it's unclear if this list covers ALL DVRs, or just the ones that are linked to TiVo. It's also vague as to whether this was pulled from exact tracking, or just an estimate based on reports from a sample of users.
WEEKEND TV REMINDERS
Friday TV Reminders:
--"Friends with Benefits" . . . 8:30 to 9:00 P.M. on NBC. (--Sara reunites with her ex, who's played by Pete Wentz.)
--"Karaoke Battle USA" [Performance Show] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC.
--"Man, Woman, Wild" [2nd Season Premiere]. . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Discovery.
Saturday TV Reminders:
--"Biography: Andre the Giant" . . . 7:00 A.M. to 8:00 A.M. on A&E.
--"Grand Ole Opry Live" . . . 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. on GAC. (--Connie Smith, Wynn Varble, Billy Dean and Elizabeth Cook perform.)
--"Austin City Limits" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on PBS. (--Roy Orbison performs.) (REPEAT)
--"Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1 Classic. (--Drummer Marky Ramone is the guest teacher / mentor.)
--"That Metal Show" . . . 11:00 P.M. to Midnight on VH1 Classic. (--Guitarist Tom Morello from Rage Against the Machine, and Doug Pinnick from King's X.)
--"Saturday Night Live" . . . 11:30 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. on NBC. (--Zach Galifianakis guest hosts and Jessie J is the musical guest.) (REPEAT)
Sunday TV Reminders:
--"Big Brother 13" [Eviction Nominations] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.
--"Sunday Best" [4th Season Finale] . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on BET.
--"9/11: Heroes of the 88th Floor" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC. (--A documentary on construction workers who saved 77 people from the North Tower.)
--"The Good Wife: A New Beginning" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on CBS. (--The show's first two seasons are discussed with the cast and the executive producer.)
--"In the Flow with Affion Crockett" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. (--Wendi McLendon-Covey, Lil C and "Glee's" Harry Shum Jr. guest star.)
--"Behind the Music Remastered" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1. (--Rick James is profiled.)
Videos of Justin Timberlake Performing with a Band Called FreeSol:
JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE hasn't been in "music mode" for a while now, but on Wednesday night he performed with a Memphis band called FREESOL in New York. --It happened at his restaurant, Southern Hospitality, and the band is one of Justin's protégés. He "executive produced" their upcoming debut album, which comes out next month, and he "co-directed" a few of their videos. --During their gig Wednesday night, Justin played the keyboard on some of their tracks . . . did some rapping . . . and busted out an acoustic version of his 2007 single "What Goes Around . . . Comes Around". (--Here's some random footage of Justin taken from OUTSIDE the restaurant, through the window. And here's a video of Justin performing from inside the venue. Here's another fan video of that. And here's video of Justin rapping.) (--Unfortunately, the audio isn't good on any of these.)
Watch Marilyn Manson's New Video, Which Was Directed By Shia LaBeouf:
MARILYN MANSON had SHIA LABEOUF direct his "Born Villain" video, and the results have made their way online. Not surprisingly, it's extremely dark and creepy. (--You can check it out, here . . . if you want to.) (--WARNING: This video isn't for everyone. It's mostly just dark, like a horror movie . . . but there is a pretty graphic moment at the 4:17 mark, when you can see a needle going through a girl's face.) (--There's also a lot of NUDITY . . . and the lyrics include PROFANITY.) (--Shia and Marilyn Manson have been hanging out a lot recently. Shia is shooting a documentary on the making of Marilyn's new album, and recently we heard that Shia got hammered and spit water in Marilyn's face.)
Justin Bieber's Christmas Album Will Feature All Original Songs:
When we first heard that JUSTIN BIEBER was recording a Christmas album, it was supposed to have both "classics and some originals." But now, his manager says it will only have new songs. --He Tweeted, quote, "This Christmas album is amazing. Might be the best album yet. All originals . . . soon to be classics. Everyone I play it for is blown away." --And Justin's producer had also hinted that it might feature TAYLOR SWIFT. He previously Tweeted, quote, "Wow!! Got to see Justin and Taylor Swift write a song together last night!!! SMASH!!!! SMASH!!! SMASH!!! Let's do it again y'all!!!" (--He sounds like a very excitable guy.)
Lenny Kravitz Used to Be High "All the Time":
If you discovered LENNY KRAVITZ in the '90s, and your first impression was: "Man, this guy seems like he's high all the time" . . . then you were SPOT ON. --Lenny tells "Men's Journal", quote, "I had to surround myself with energy and chaos and excitement and conflict. For a bit, I was high all the time, just medicating . . . I suppose that was so I didn't have to feel certain things." --Lenny didn't elaborate on how long "a bit" is . . . so it could've been 10 to 15 years. --But Lenny says he sobered up about a decade ago when his then-11-year-old daughter Zoe Kravitz came to live with him. He says, quote, "It was the best thing that happened. I had to change my life . . . if that hadn't happened, I don't know where I'd be now."
Vince Neil Says You've Gotta Sober Up to Extend Your Career:
MOTLEY CRUE singer VINCE NEIL is 50 years old, and he says in order to be a musician at 50, you can't still be acting like a musician who's 25. --He says that young musicians often get sucked into the alcohol . . . the drugs . . . and the women, because their fame comes "all of a sudden." --But Vince adds, quote, "The smart ones know that you can't live that lifestyle . . . you can't keep going. If you want to have longevity in this business, or any business, you've gotta grow up . . . eventually."
Donny Osmond Would Like to See Tim McGraw on "Dancing with the Stars":
DONNY OSMOND won "Dancing with the Stars" back in 2009 . . . so that makes him an authority on who should be on future shows, right? He seems to think so. Somebody asked Donny to toss out a casting suggestion and he said, quote, "I think TIM MCGRAW. --"As a matter of fact, I was at Tim's show the other night, and I got onstage with him, and the crowd was going crazy. I said, 'You know, Tim's in pretty good shape here. He's got his muscles and the whole bit. I think he should do 'Dancing With the Stars'." (--Donny's dreaming on this one. These days those "stars" are either over the hill, or they're showbiz wannabes. Tim's career does NOT need a boost. You can check for yourself with this season's cast list.)
FRIDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS
Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
After 28 years together, GENE SIMMONS and SHANNON TWEED have set an October 1st date for their wedding. (Full Story)
Just six months after giving birth, KATE HUDSON is back in a bikini. (Full Story)
The woman who ruined TIKI BARBER'S marriage is going to become his second wife. They're engaged. (Full Story)
KATT WILLIAMS issued a PARTIAL apology for ripping on a Mexican audience member during his standup gig in Phoenix last Saturday. I say "partial" because what he said was, quote, "I want to apologize if my comedy act was taken out of context." (Full Story)
African-American actor MICHAEL COLYAR claims he was kicked off a United Airlines flight for BEING BLACK. (Full Story)
Remember when everybody thought ARETHA FRANKLIN was at death's door? Well, she's going to perform before PRESIDENT OBAMA gives a speech in Detroit on Monday. (Full Story)
RANDOM STUFF
Washington, D.C. Has the Most Dangerous Drivers in America . . . and Fort Collins, Colorado Has the Safest:
Allstate Insurance just released their seventh annual list of U.S. cities based on the safety of their drivers. And this year's city with the most dangerous drivers is . . . Washington, D.C.
--Drivers in D.C. are 107.3% more likely than the average driver to get into a collision. They also average 4.8 years between crashes, the smallest time frame in the country. D.C. was also the most dangerous city last year.
--The rest of the bottom ten are: Baltimore . . . Glendale, California . . . Newark, New Jersey . . . Providence, Rhode Island . . . Philadelphia . . . Hartford, Connecticut . . . Jersey City, New Jersey . . . San Francisco . . . and Alexandria, Virginia.
--On the other end of things, Fort Collins, Colorado was the safest city in the country, for the second time in the seven years Allstate's been doing the study.
--Drivers in Fort Collins are 28.6% less likely than the average driver to get in an accident, and they average 14 years between crashes.
--The rest of the top ten are: Boise, Idaho . . . Lincoln, Nebraska . . . Chandler, Arizona . . . Huntsville, Alabama . . . Knoxville, Tennessee . . . Springfield, Missouri . . . Reno, Nevada . . . Eugene, Oregon . . . and Chattanooga, Tennessee.
--Nationwide, the average driver gets into an accident about once every 10 years. (Allstate)
A Town in California Decided to Focus on Accident Prevention Instead of Giving Out Traffic Tickets . . . and Accidents Went Down:
I want to tell this story to every single mayor, city council, police commissioner, and police officer in the country. -Writing a bunch of tickets doesn't do a DAMN THING to make roads safer. And if cities focused less on taking our hard-earned money because we forgot to signal, and focused on actually studying safety, it would CHANGE THE WORLD -There's a town just north of Sacramento, California called Roseville. And at the beginning of the year, their city manager, Ray Kerridge, told the police to stop writing so many tickets. --He said he wanted them to focus on long-term safety solutions . . . like identifying dangerous areas on the roads and fixing them. He didn't want the cops spending all day ticketing people, and he didn't want people worrying about speed traps. --In the first six months of the year, the cops only wrote 1,317 tickets . . . down 84% from the 8,236 tickets issued in the first six months of 2010. And . . . ACCIDENTS WENT DOWN BY 7%. --The chief of police, Daniel Hahn, says that by not writing a ton of tickets, they can actually identify the dangerous intersections and roads. And they can come up with answers, like adding a light, putting up a median, or beefing up police presence. --Of course, fewer tickets means less revenue for the city . . . but it means fewer accidents and more people ALIVE . . . which SHOULD be the correct choice in every case. (MSN Money)
How Much of Your Salary Would You Be Willing to Give Up for More Flexible Hours?
We all dream about working from home, or four-day work weeks, or setting our own hours. But would you be willing to take a PAY CUT to make it happen? --The majority of the country says . . . NO. But 42% say YES. That's two out of five working adults. --The average person would be willing to give up about 6% of their salary for more flexibility at work. With a $50,000-a-year job, that's a $3,000 pay cut. --Men are actually TWICE as likely as women to say they'd give up more of their salary. 12% of men would give up 10% of their salary for more flexibility . . . only 6% of women would give up 10% of their salary for that flexibility. --People 18-to-34 are more than THREE TIMES more likely than older workers to be willing to give up 10% of their salary for more flexibility. --For what it's worth . . . if you run a company and actually set people's salaries, you may get better workers for cheaper if you offer slightly less money for more flexibility. --62% of people say that flexibility is a HUGE factor when they're choosing a job. 79% of working mothers and 77% of working fathers say they'd stay at a company longer if it offered more flexibility. (PR Newswire)
Workers in China Fake Being Sick More Than Workers in Any Other Country:
Americans have resigned themselves to the idea that China will outwork us and bury our economy. But here's reason to be hopeful. --A survey by Kronos Global found that workers in China are the most likely to LIE about being sick in order to get a day off from work. --71% of Chinese workers admit that they've done that. That's about 20% more than in the U.S. --America finished a distant fourth in the survey, in a dead heat with Canada. --The country with the second-most fake sick days was India, where 62% of workers admit to lying to their boss for a day off. Australia was third, at 58%. --The country that was least likely to lie to get a sick day was France, at 16%. It could be that French people are more honest, or it could be the 30 DAYS of vacation that every worker gets. --India and China are in the bottom three when it comes to paid vacation time, so obviously there's a connection between less paid vacation and misuse of sick days. --Mexico was next lowest, with only 38% of their workers faking a sick day. --Worldwide, the most common thing people did with their ill-gotten sick time was stay in bed and watch TV. (Reuters)
FEMA Evaluates Hurricane Damage by . . . Checking the Local Waffle House?
I don't know what's worse: That FEMA does this . . . or that they ADMIT they do. --When FEMA arrives on the scene after a hurricane makes landfall, they need to get a quick read on how bad the damage is. And one of the ways they do that is . . . by visiting the local Waffle House. --There are 1,600 Waffle Houses from the mid-Atlantic down to Florida and the Gulf Coast, and they have a reputation for staying open no matter what: They're small, they're everywhere, and they can survive almost anything. (--Kinda like cockroaches.) --So FEMA has an unofficial "Waffle House Index", complete with a color-coding system: If they arrive and a Waffle House is CLOSED . . . that's a Code Red. That means the storm damage is extensive and conditions are unsafe. --According to FEMA administrator Craig Fugate, quote, "That's really bad. That's when you go to work." --Code Yellow means they're open, serving a limited menu, and have power from a generator. If they're up and running with full power, that's a Code Green --Hurricane Irene hit Weldon, North Carolina hard on Saturday, but by 6:30 Sunday morning, the Waffle House was operating at Code Yellow. In Virginia, 21 of the 22 Waffle Houses hit by Irene were back to Code Green within three days. (Wall Street Journal)
Domino's is Planning to Build a New Restaurant . . . On the Moon:
It's 2011, and we were promised that we'd be able to take vacations to outer space by now. Obviously that hasn't happened. But when it finally DOES happen, at least now you'll have someplace to eat. --Domino's has announced that they are planning to be the first people to build a restaurant on the Moon. --The Japanese branch of Domino's has even hired a company to start planning out their Moon restaurant. It will be dome-shaped and they estimate it will cost about $22 BILLION to build . . . with most of the cost in transporting materials up there. --A spokesman for Domino's says, quote, "we have not yet determined when the restaurant might open." But they want to have the plans ready, so that they're the first restaurant on the Moon once people start traveling there. (The Telegraph) (--Here are some images of what the Domino's on the Moon might look like.)
25% of Women Admit They Commit "Size Fraud" . . . and Buy Clothes That are Too Small for Them:
According to a new survey, one out of four women buy clothes with no intention of wearing them in the near future. Because those clothes don't even come CLOSE to fitting.
--25% of women admit they commit "size fraud" . . . meaning they regularly buy clothes that are TOO SMALL for them.
--Two-thirds of those women say they do it because they lie to people about their size. 20% do it for a self-esteem boost.
--The most common things women buy even though they don't fit are . . . pants.
--Jeans are second, and shoes are third.
--The survey also found that only 11% of women are happy with their body.
(Female First)
Men Who are Looking For a Relationship Spend 60% More Money on a Date:
Here's a way you can tell what's going on in your date's mind. A new study found that when a guy is looking for a relationship, he's MUCH more willing to spend money than when he's just looking to do a quick pump-and-dump. --The study found that men will spend 60% more on a date when they're looking for a relationship. That turned out to be an average of a $73 difference. (PR Web)
33% of Men Now Look at Porno on Their Phones:
New smartphones with 3G and 4G networks are finally powerful enough to stream high-quality video. So naturally, the first instinct for men is . . . PORNO. --According to a poll by LG, 33% of men look at porno on their phones. They didn't release the numbers for women. --The poll also found that 20% of men and women use their phones to do online dating, and 20% have sexted naked photos or videos. (Daily Star)
One Out of Ten People Have Joined the Mile-High Club?
This number seems WAY too high. If it's true, it means A LOT of people you know have joined the MILE-HIGH CLUB. And that you've probably been on a plane where there were people humping and you had no idea. --According to a survey by a travel site called Jetcost, one out of ten people say they've had relations on an airplane. And one out of six of those people say it was with a stranger they met on board. --The main reason people give for joining the mile-high club is . . . BOREDOM --10% of people who've had airplane sex say it wasn't on a long international or cross-country flight . . . it was on a quick flight, less than a few hours long. (AOL Travel)
Hotels are Getting Rid of Those Little Bottles of Shampoo:
NOW what are we going to steal? According to an article in "USA Today", more and more hotels are getting rid of the mini bottles of shampoo . . . and replacing them with refillable pump canisters. --The hotels say it reduces waste. And while some of them are claiming it doesn't reduce cost . . . we all know they wouldn't do it if it wasn't profitable. --So far, this is rolling out in some higher-end chains, like Viceroy Hotels and some of the Starwood luxury hotels. But it could affect the places real people stay too . . . and it could happen sooner rather than later. (USA Today)
Scientists at Harvard and MIT Have Calculated the Five Secrets to Avoiding Flight Delays and Missed Connections:
Thank you, nerds. A team of scientists at Harvard and MIT used some sophisticated statistical modeling . . . that's FAR beyond our pay grade . . . to figure out the tricks to avoiding flight delays and missed connections. --And for some reason, they passed the info on to us commoners. So here are those five tricks, based on their analysis.
#1.) Avoid regional airlines. The smaller airlines like American Eagle, Skywest, and Mesa have the greatest percentage of cancellations and missed connections.
#2.) Fly on low-cost airlines. JetBlue, Southwest, AirTran, and Frontier have fewer connections, fly to more reliable airports, and generally do a better job taking off and leaving on time.
#3.) Fly in the morning. A flight after noon is 86.8% more likely to be delayed than one in the morning. And it's MUCH easier to rebook a flight that gets canceled in the morning because there are so many more options.
#4.) Fly on Monday or Saturday. Those two days have the fewest delays.
#5.) The more flights, the better. You're better off taking an airline that has a lot of flights to your destination. An airline with at least 10 daily flights to a destination is 31.4% less likely to have cancellations or delays to that destination. (Harvard Business School)
People Still Send Postcards? Here are a Bunch of Stats on the Postcards We Send:
I haven't gotten a postcard since . . . well, probably since I could read it while eating a McDonald's Arch Deluxe and watching the original "Beverly Hills 90210". But apparently some people still send them.--There's a company called Touchnote that lets you send personalized, printed postcards using your cell phone and Facebook photos. And they analyzed 2,000 postcards to come up with these trends . . .
--29% of Americans send postcards containing pictures of their children.
--15% send a postcard that has a "funny" or irreverent picture.
--19% send a postcard with a romantic image.
--Now, with modern technology letting people customize their own postcard photos, only 15% sent an old-school scenic image.
--Less than 1% sign their postcards with the old "XOXO" hugs and kisses thing.
--People send postcards featuring pictures of pets . . . but almost exclusively dogs. 99% of the postcards containing a picture of an animal featured a dog.
--Only 42% of the postcards were sent while people were on vacation.
--0.2% put their sonogram photo on a postcard.
(Journalism.co.uk)
A New Study Finds That, Believe it or Not, The Most Biased Fans in Baseball Aren't Yankees or Red Sox Fans:
A website called Beyond the Box Score wanted to figure out which Major League Baseball team's fans are the most DELUSIONAL. Meaning, which fans irrationally believe their players are the best even though the evidence clearly shows otherwise. --And believe it or not, the most biased fans in baseball AREN'T Yankees or Red Sox fans. Nope . . . based on this formula, ATLANTA BRAVES fans are the most irrational. --The formula calculated the statistical rank of a player in baseball, then figured out how many all-star fan votes he deserved to get. Then they compared that result to the number of all-star fan votes he ACTUALLY got. --And Braves players had the biggest disparity. They got 2.21 times more support than the average team's players. The Seattle Mariners fans came in as the second-most biased, then the San Francisco Giants, Philadelphia Phillies, and Texas Rangers. --Pittsburgh Pirates fans actually UNDERVALUED their players: Their players got 0.41 times as much support as they should have. Florida Marlins fans are second-least biased, the San Diego Padres are third, Houston Astros are fourth, and the L.A.-Anaheim Angels were fifth. --Minnesota Twins fans were completely unbiased . . . they were the only team whose players got the right amount of support based on their skill. --As for the famously self-centered franchises, Yankees fans gave players 1.36 times more support than average . . . Red Sox fans actually undervalued their players, who only got 0.89 times the support of the average player. (Beyond the Box Score) (--You can see the full chart ranking the teams by their fans' bias here.)
Here are Ten Companies That Actually Use Real People to Handle Customer Service Calls:
Everyone hates calling customer service and getting that automated switchboard that goes nowhere . . . while they tell you how important your call is. --71% of Americans say they become "extremely irritated" when they call a company and can't speak to a real person. And two out of three give up and end the call without getting their issue resolved. --Obviously automated switchboards save companies money, but you'll be on hold an average of one minute and 51 seconds. That's more than TWICE as long compared to a company that doesn't use them.
--Yes, there are still companies that use HUMAN BEINGS instead of computers to answer the phone. Here are ten of them . . .
--Amazon.com
--Grainger (--They sell industrial equipment.)
--L.L. Bean
--SportsmansGuide.com
--Nordstrom
--Neiman Marcus
--Cabelas.com (--They sell camping gear.)
--Urban Outfitters
--BlueNile.com (--They sell engagement rings and fine jewelry.)
--MarketAmerica.com (Yahoo Finance)
RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS
Random News Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:
This past March, a couple in Michigan drove their 7-year-old to a bus stop so he could confront a bully. But when the 73-year-old crossing guard tried to break up the fight, they beat him up. (Full Story)
Get your baby to love math with . . . stuffed Statistical Distribution toys! (Full Story)
A 21-year-old math major at UCLA bought an $800 one-way plane ticket from L.A. to Cairo two weeks ago, snuck across the border into Libya, and tried to join the Libyan rebels. (Full Story)
Not surprisingly, the uniforms of doctors and nurses are covered in bacteria. According to a new study, germs are found on 63% of them, including antibiotic resistant bacteria on 14% of nurses' uniforms, and 6% of doctors'. (Full Story)
A 21-year-old mother was arrested in Arizona on Saturday for trying to calm her 10-month-old baby down after hitting her . . . by blowing marijuana smoke in its mouth. (Full Story)
Four out of five people don't use a meat thermometer to tell when meat's fully cooked. But that's okay, because four in five don't know what temperature meat should be cooked to anyway. 73% of us rely on sight, and 57% of us go by cooking time. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY
#1.) "Here Kitty-Kitty" Part One: Check Out Paz de la Huerta in a Hot Lingerie Ad Campaign:
If you're fan of HBO's "Boardwalk Empire", then you're a fan of Paz de la Huerta . . . Steve Buscemi's mistress. And you'll be a fan of the hot new ad campaign she's doing for Agent Provocateur lingerie, too. --It's a series of videos where she's hounded by the paparazzi . . . and demonstrates how to strategically flash your underwear on purpose. The first one has her getting out of a car, and "accidentally" flashing . . . well, everything. But no actual nudity.--The second one's even more ridiculous: She demonstrates how to distract photographers with your lingerie-clad crotch when you do something embarrassing, like drop your purse. In the third one she flashes her butt. --And she's not wearing much to begin with in the ads, even BEFORE she flashes the cameras. So . . . Happy Friday. (--Search for "Agent Provocateur - Always Remember Your Agent Provocateurs - Part 1. She goes for the purse at :35, and her underwear doesn't leave much to the imagination. She flashes her butt at 1:08. Check out some stills here.)
#2.) "Here Kitty-Kitty" Part Two: A Cat Owning a Balloon Version of Itself:
Funnyordie.com has a video called Cat vs. Balloon, where a couple introduces their brown and white cat to a balloon version of itself. In other words, the balloon is cat-sized, brown and white, has a tail and legs, and has an automated purr. --The woman filming got it as a birthday present, and when her guy uses a remote control to introduce the balloon cat to the real cat, the real cat OWNS the balloon.
(--The cat pops the balloon at :18. WARNING! There's profanity.)
#3.) Players and Coaches Attacked a Referee at a Youth Football Game:
Last Saturday, the Sarasota Gators faced off against the North Port Husky's in a youth football game at Riverview High, in Sarasota, Florida. With about a minute and a half left in the first half, the ref called a personal foul against the Husky's. --But for some reason, the Gators sideline FLIPPED OUT. Maybe because they were losing 30-to-6. And the ref called ANOTHER personal foul when they came onto the field and confronted him. --A Husky fan was filming the whole thing, and she didn't capture all of what happened next. Apparently, someone threw a bottle of water on the ref, and a fight started. But it's unclear who threw the first punch. --But she DID film the aftermath . . . where a player ran the ref over like a FREIGHT TRAIN, and started a brawl. An assistant coach for the Husky's tried to break it up, and got injured along with the ref. --Now the Gators have been banned from playing on their home field, and suspended. And the cops are making arrests. (--Search for "Arrests likely in football fight." He gets run over at :36.)
#4.) Enjoy Some Crappy Foreign Versions of "Star Wars":
Since GEORGE LUCAS can't stop himself from ruining his own movies, you might as well enjoy a version of "Star Wars" that was SUPPOSED to be crappy. A website picked some of the worst foreign interpretations, and they're pretty terrible. (--Search for "The Best Worst Foreign Versions of Star Wars".)
Four Things You Can't Do Once You Have a Baby:
If you're single and staying out late this weekend, enjoy it while you still can. Because closing down the bar is one of the things on TheNest.com's list of "Things You Can't Do Once You Have a Baby." Here are four more.
#1.) Wear White. No one really follows the whole "no white after Labor Day" rule anymore. But new parents can NEVER wear white. --You have to wear mostly dark clothes with patterns . . . or what's referred to as "spit-up camouflage." And even once you're kids are toddlers, you still have to worry about things like food, drinks, and paint.
#2.) Roll Out of Bed and Go. According to The Nest, having even one kid will add about 30 minutes to your morning routine. And that's every day until they're old enough to get ready by themselves. So at least a solid decade if you have ONE kid.
#3.) Read Anything with Chapters. This one's kind of dumb, because obviously plenty of parents still read books. But it's a lot harder to get through 20 or 30 pages when you've got kids running around. --So a lot of parents end up reading more magazines instead.
#4.) Watch Late-Night Comedy Late at Night. You might, right after the baby comes . . . because you'll be up all night anyway. But after that, 11 p.m. is WAY past your bedtime. --It you want to watch one of the late-night shows, you'll have to Tivo it, and try to get to it the next day. But chances are, you'll have so much more to do, you won't have time for that either. (TheNest.com)
Five Ways to Get What You Want in the Bedroom:
Critiquing how someone 'performs' in the bedroom is a touchy subject . . . it's way too easy to hurt feeling and bruise egos. So today we've got five painless ways to get EXACTLY what you want when you're between the sheets.
#1.) Turn a Criticism into a Compliment. Instead of telling someone what they're doing WRONG, focus on improving what they're doing RIGHT. Tell them you love what they're doing, and how doing it a certain way would make it even better.
#2.) Leave Clues. Actually, Match.com says, quote, "use reference material." Really. But what they mean is, talk about an article you read in "Cosmo" that talked about doing something you want to try.
#3.) Show . . . Don't Tell. If you're shy about asking for what you want, try showing it instead. Like, move someone's hands where you want them, or make more noise when they do something good.
#4.) Make a Game out of It. Play a game of "Hot or Cold" where they have to GUESS what you want done to you. It's a fun challenge, and you'll both end up satisfied.
#5.) Positive Reinforcement. When they eventually do hit the right spots, make sure they KNOW, so they'll keep doing it in the future. (Match.com)
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