HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (11-23-11)

Christopher Walken Won't Talk to the Paparazzi About the Natalie Wood Case:

The paparazzi caught up with CHRISTOPHER WALKEN the other night and asked him what he thinks about the NATALIE WOOD case being reopened. He said, quote, "I don't know" . . . then kept walking. (--Here's video.) --Walken was on Robert Wagner's yacht, The Spendour, on the night in 1981 when Wagner's wife Natalie Wood went overboard and drowned. --Her death was ruled an accident . . . but earlier this month, authorities reopened the case. (--No one is calling Wagner a suspect, but the word is that he's the focus of the investigation.)


Kristen Stewart's Wedding Dress from "Breaking Dawn" and Pippa Middleton's Bridesmaid Gown Can Now Be Yours:

Ladies, if you want to prove you're a TRUE "Twilight" fan, I think I know how you can do it. --You can get married in the dress Bella wore for her wedding to Edward in "Breaking Dawn". A replica of the dress KRISTEN STEWART wore in the movie went on sale yesterday. It'll set you back $799. (--You can try to WIN one here.) --Another classic dress went on sale yesterday. I'm talking about the one that PIPPA MIDDLETON wore as maid of honor when her sister KATE married PRINCE WILLIAM earlier this year. --That one sells for $1,680. (--And you can buy it here.) (--As you may recall, Pippa's version of the dress was WHITE. Check out pictures of her in it here.)


Jennifer Lopez's New Boyfriend Played John McCain in a Dance-Off Video . . . And He's Facing Drag-Racing Charges:

Here are a few things you probably didn't know about JENNIFER LOPEZ'S 24-year-old boyfriend Casper Smart. --First of all, his real name is BEAU. No word on why he goes by "Casper". --Then there's this: In 2008, he appeared in a parody video featuring a dance-off between presidential candidates BARACK OBAMA and JOHN MCCAIN. --The candidates' heads were digitally superimposed on the bodies of real dancers. Casper provided the body for McCain. (--Here's the video.) --And one last note: Casper pleaded no contest to a drag-racing charge back in March. He was slapped with 10 days of community service. (--Before we leave the land of J-Lo, we have this: Have you seen that Fiat commercial where J-Lo drives through her old neighborhood in the Bronx? Well, it turns out Jenny couldn't be bothered to return to her block.) (--A DOUBLE was used for the scenes where the car is actually driving through the Bronx. Close-ups of Jennifer in the car were shot in Los Angeles. Here's the ad.)


Is Tim Tebow's Public Devotion to Jesus Too Much? Former Broncos Quarterback Jake Plummer Thinks So:

When people aren't arguing about TIM TEBOW'S quarterbacking skills, they're debating whether or not he takes his devotion to Jesus too far. --The way he kneels and prays after big plays has even sparked a new craze, appropriately called TEBOWING. (--You can see some pictures of people doing it here.) --One guy who thinks Tim lays the religion on too thick is JAKE PLUMMER. Jake used to have Tebow's job, quarterbacking the Denver Broncos. --He says, quote, "Tebow, regardless of whether I wish he'd just shut up after a game and go hug his teammates, I think he's a winner and I respect that about him. --"I think that when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ then I think I'll like him a little better." --He adds, quote, "I don't hate him because of that. I just would rather not have to hear that every single time he takes a good snap or makes a good handoff." --Tebow heard what Plummer had to say . . . and he had a response. --He told ESPN, quote, "If you're married, and you have a wife, and you really love your wife, is it good enough to only say to your wife 'I love her' the day you get married? --"Or should you tell her every single day when you wake up and every opportunity? --"And that's how I feel about my relationship with Jesus Christ is that it is the most important thing in my life. So any time I get an opportunity to tell him that I love him or given an opportunity to shout him out on national TV, I'm gonna take that opportunity." --He added, quote, "Christ comes first in my life, and then my family, and then my teammates. I respect Jake's opinion, and I really appreciate his compliment of calling me a winner. --"But I feel like anytime I get the opportunity to give the Lord some praise, he is due for it."


NEW MOVIES THIS WEEKEND

"The Muppets" and Two Other Kids Movies Hit Theaters Today:

#1.) "The Muppets" (PG) (Trailer 1) (Trailer 2)

Jason Segel and Amy Adams help Kermit reunite the Muppets to raise money and keep the old Muppet Theater from being torn down by an oil tycoon. --Neil Patrick Harris, Jack Black, Sarah Silverman, Selena Gomez, Whoopi Goldberg, Rashida Jones, John Krasinski, "Big Bang Theory's" Jim Parsons, Zach Galifianikis, and Ken Jeong all have cameos.


#2.) "Hugo" (PG) (Trailer)

An orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station meets a girl with a heart-shaped key, and it unlocks an invention his father gave him. It's Martin Scorcese's first 3D film, and it's based on the children's book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret". --Hugo's played by a 14-year-old named Asa Butterfield, and Isabelle is Chloe Grace Moretz, who was Hit Girl in the movie "Kick Ass". The adult cast includes Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Christopher Lee, and Jude Law as Hugo's dad.


#3.) "Arthur Christmas" (PG) (Teaser) (Trailer)

A computer-animated movie about Santa's two sons. Hugh Laurie is Steve, the son running Santa's new high-tech operation who'll become the next Santa, and James McAvoy is his younger brother Arthur, a clumsy kid working in the mail room. --But when Steve screws up and misses one of the presents, Arthur uses their grandfather's old wooden sleigh to try to deliver it before the sun comes up.


#4.) "My Week With Marilyn" (R) (Limited) (Trailer)

Michelle Williams plays Marilyn Monroe in a story about an assistant who falls for her during a movie shoot, after her husband leaves them alone in England for a week. It also stars Kenneth Branagh, Emma Watson and Judi Dench. --Michelle also does her own singing in the movie. You can hear her performing "When Love Goes Wrong, Nothin' Goes Right" and "Heat Wave" on the official site.


Robert Pattinson Doesn't Understand Everyone's Fascination with Vampires:

This seems almost like "Twilight" HERESY . . . so try not to get too upset: --ROBERT PATTINSON doesn't get the whole vampire thing. (!!!) --In an interview with "Empire" magazine, he says, quote, "I have never understood the fascination with vampires. People are obsessed and I don't know why." --He also found playing Edward a little restrictive, because he wasn't allowed to do everything with the character that he wanted to. --He says, quote, "The annoying thing about him is the fan's perception of him as the perfect guy. I wanted to play his flaws but then you have this subliminal idea coming from everywhere saying, 'No he's got to be perfect.' --"I don't think I've ever seen a vampire movie where I think the vampires are attractive. They end up looking worse than they do in their real life with the pale make-up and the fangs."


MTV Is Doing a "Jersey Shore"-Type Show About Rural West Virginians:

MTV is hoping to replicate their "Jersey Shore" success with a new reality show, which will focus on West Virginians. And naturally, there's some concern from the locals that it's going to exploit rural West Virginian stereotypes. --It's called "Buck Wild", and it'll star "a group of friends and recent high school graduates in rural West Virginia . . . [including] a wide range of kids, from the more well off kids living 'up in the hills' to the working-class kids down 'in the holler.' --"[The cast will] take part in regional pastimes like mud racing, squirrel hunting and rope swinging." --Producers have applied for local tax credits twice . . . and been denied twice . . . because officials in West Virginia are concerned that the show may depict the state, quote, "in a derogatory manner." --"Jersey Shore" faced similar problems with Italian-American groups and officials in New Jersey . . . but as usual, MTV is presenting "Buck Wild" as something completely harmless and inoffensive. --Here's how MTV describes the show: Quote, "Whether they're working local jobs, studying in college or just getting by, they share a deep pride in contemporary small-town American life and a passion for living it to the fullest while making up their own rules as they go." --Production is expected to begin in the spring. There's no premiere date yet.
Ewan McGregor Will Star in HBO's "The Corrections":

EWAN MCGREGOR has been cast in an upcoming HBO show called "The Corrections". It's based on a novel of the same name by JONATHAN FRANZEN, which was published in 2001. --Ewan is playing Chip, the middle son of an elderly Midwestern couple played by CHRIS COOPER and DIANNE WIEST. Chip is a college professor who starts working for a crime boss after he loses his job because he had an affair with a student. --This will be Ewan's first regular TV gig. There's no timetable for when "The Corrections" might hit HBO's schedule.


Former "L.A. Law" Star Corbin Bernsen Is *Huge* Into Snow Globes:

Here's an interesting fact: Former "L.A. Law" star CORBIN BERNSEN is a big-time player in the community of hardcore SNOW GLOBE COLLECTORS. (--Corbin played Arnie Becker on "L.A. Law", which ran from 1986 to 1994, and Roger Dorn in the "Major League" movies.) --Corbin has over 8,000 snow globes, which is one of the world's largest snow globe collections. He buys most of them on eBay . . . for an average of $75 to $90 apiece. He estimates that his collection is worth at least $500,000. --Corbin says, quote, "I like those little worlds inside snow globes . . . very private, serene. Very surreal."


TV REMINDERS

Wednesday TV Reminders:

--"The Middle" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on ABC. Molly Shannon guest stars as Janet, Frankie's younger polar-opposite sister when they clash over parenting styles while visiting their parents Marsha Mason and Jerry Van Dyke for Thanksgiving.


--"The X Factor" [Results Show] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on Fox.


--"Survivor: South Pacific" [Season Highlights] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS.


--"In Performance at the White House" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on PBS. The White House celebrates country music. Performers include Dierks Bentley, The Band Perry, Alison Krauss, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Darius Rucker, and Lauren Alaina.


--"The Sound Of Mumbai: A Musical" . . . 8:00 to 9:15 P.M. on HBO. The Indian children from the slums of Mumbai perform songs from "The Sound of Music" with the Bombay Chamber Orchestra.


--"Modern Family" . . . 9:00 to 9:30 P.M. on ABC. "Book of Mormon's" Josh Gad guest stars.


--"Happy Endings" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. "The Daily show's" Rob Riggle guests as Dave and Brad's new best friend . . . who also turns out to be their mailman.


--"Mobbed" [Special] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. Howie Mandel hosts as unsuspecting people receive personal messages delivered in the form of a flash mob.


--"The Biggest Loser: Where Are They Now?" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC.


--"Extreme Couponing" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC.


--"I Heart Radio Music Festival" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on VH1.


--"Inside NASCAR" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on Showtime.

THANKSGIVING TV REMINDERS

--"Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" . . . 9:00 A.M. to Noon on NBC. Al Roker, Matt Lauer and Ann Curry host. Celebrity guests are Mary J. Blige, Cee Lo Green, Avril Lavigne, Scotty McCreery, Shelby Lynne and Daniel Radcliffe.

--"Thanksgiving Day Parade" . . . 9:00 A.M. to Noon on CBS. Kevin Frazier and Christina McLarty host. It includes musical performances by John Fogerty, the casts of the Broadway shows "Anything Goes" and "Memphis".

Thanksgiving Day Football:

--"Green Bay vs. the Detroit Lions" . . . 12:30 to 3:30 P.M. ET on Fox.

--"Miami Dolphins vs. the Dallas Cowboys" . . . 4:15 to 7:15 P.M. ET on CBS.

--"San Francisco 49ers vs. the Baltimore Ravens" . . . 8:20 to 11:20 P.M. ET on the NFL Network.


--"Ice Age: A Mammoth Christmas" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on Fox.

--"A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on ABC.

--"Happiness Is A Warm Blanket, Charlie Brown" . . . 8:30 to 9:00 P.M. on Fox.

--"Punkin Chunkin 2011" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Discovery. "MythBusters" co-stars Kari Byron, Grant Imahara and Tory Belleci are your hosts as engineers unleash their pumpkin-launching machines in Bridgeville, Delaware.


--"A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" . . . 9:30 to 11:00 P.M. on ABC. Lady Gaga hosts her first holiday special and performs her "The Lady Is a Tramp" duet with Tony Bennett.


--"CMT Crossroads" . . . 10:00 to 11:30 P.M. on CMT. Sting and Vince Gill.


--"The 85th Anniversary of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on NBC. Matt Lauer looks back at 85 years of the parade.



Friday TV Reminders:


--"Jingle All The Way" . . . 7:00 to 7:30 P.M. on Hallmark. A cartoon about a dog trying to find his way back home to the boy he bonded with in time for Christmas.


--"Hoops&Yoyo Ruin Christmas" . . . 8:00 to 8:30 P.M. on CBS.


--"The Elf On The Shelf: An Elf's Story" . . . 8:30 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS. An elf helps a boy to believe in the magic of Christmas.


--"Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on the CW.


--"Olive, the Other Reindeer" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on the CW.


--"Tyler Perry's For Better or Worse" [Series Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on TBS. Michael Jai White and Tasha Smith star in this spin-off from Tyler Perry's "Why Did I Get Married?"


--"The 25th Anniversary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Concert: Part 2" . . . 10:00 P.M. to 1:30 A.M. on VH1. Metallica, U2, Jeff Beck and Bruce Springsteen are among the artists performing.


Saturday TV Reminders:

--"Grand Ole Opry Live" . . . 7:00 to 9:00 P.M. on GAC. (--Hunter Hayes, Del McCoury Band, Charlie Daniels Band and Elizabeth Cook perform.)

--"Austin City Limits" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on PBS. (--Monsters of Folk perform.) (REPEAT)


--"Celebrity Ghost Stories" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Bio. Mickey Rooney, Brande Roderick, Eric Mabius and Kim Coles share their ghostly encounters.


--"That Metal Show" . . . 11:00 P.M. to Midnight on VH1 Classic. AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson guests.


--"Saturday Night Live" . . . 11:30 P.M. to 1:00 A.M. on NBC. Melissa McCarthy guest hosts and Lady Antebellum is the musical guest. (REPEAT)

Sunday TV Reminders:


--"Sunday Night Football" . . . 8:15 to 11:15 P.M. Eastern on NBC. The Kansas City Chiefs host the Pittsburgh Steelers at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.


--"So Random!" . . . 7:30 to 8:00 P.M. on Disney Channel. "American Idol's" Pia Toscano performs "This Time".


--"Hollywood Moms Night" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on TV Guide. "The Biggest Loser's" Alison Sweeney and Ali Landry host a dinner party for celebrity moms Denise Richards, Niecy Nash and La La Anthony in order to open up and gossip.

--"2011 Soul Train Awards Pre-Show" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on BET. A.J. Calloway and Melanie Fiona do red-carpet interviews.


--"2011 Soul Train Awards" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on BET. Cedric the Entertainer is your host, and the performers include Cee Lo Green, Natalie Cole, Common and Jill Scott. (--Here are the nominees.)


--"Mitch Albom's Have A Little Faith" . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on ABC. Bradley Whitford, Martin Landau and Laurence Fishburne star in this adaption of Mitch Albom's book about his life-altering bonds with two religious leaders.


--"Wilson Phillips: Still Holding On" . . . 9:00 to 9:30 P.M. on TV Guide. The three members of Wilson Phillips are followed as they make a comeback album.


--"Sister Wives" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on TLC.


--"American Dad" . . . 9:30 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. Sharon Lawrence guest voices as Stan's old flame from his CIA-training days and NFL Hall of Famer Shannon Sharpe has a cameo as himself.


--"Kourtney & Kim Take New York" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on E!


--"After Lately" [2nd Season Premiere] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on E!


--"Talking Dead" [1st Season Finale] . . . Midnight to 12:30 A.M. on AMC.


Nickelback Has Responded to the Haters in Detroit By Poking Fun at Themselves in a Funny or Die Sketch:

Earlier this month, some Detroit Lions fans FREAKED when NICKELBACK was selected to play the halftime show of the Thanksgiving game between the Lions and the Green Bay Packers. --Someone started an online petition asking that Nickelback be replaced, and it's picked up over 55,000 supporters. But it didn't work. The band is going to perform. --However, Nickelback did participate in a Funny or Die video . . . in which they joke about the "controversy" and poke fun at themselves. (--It's up at FunnyOrDie.com. WARNING: It includes UNCENSORED profanity.) --So why did they do this? --Nickelback's ugly singer CHAD KROEGER explains, quote, "We're huge fans of Funny or Die and anything Will Ferrell is associated with . . . --"So we're like, 'Absolutely, we'd love to come and make fun of the whole thing and ourselves at the same time.'" (--Regardless of what you think of Nickelback's music, you have to give them some props for doing this. It's pretty funny.)


Fergie's Favorite Part of Video Games: "Playing with the Joystick":

A BLACK EYED PEAS video game came out for the Wii and Xbox 360 earlier this month. It's called "The Black Eyed Peas Experience" . . . and basically, it involves interactively mimicking the group's dance moves. --Obviously, it involves more advanced technology than old-school controllers . . . however, FERGIE wouldn't have minded if it didn't. --At a recent launch party, she joked, quote, "I've always liked playing with the 'joystick,' from an early age." (!!!) (--You can find out more about the game and the band's reaction to the technology it uses at RollingStone.com.)


Is Justin Bieber's Alleged Baby Mama Avoiding a DNA Test?

JUSTIN BIEBER had his DNA swabbed last Friday, so it seems like we're close to finding out who's been lying: Justin, or his alleged baby mama Mariah Yeater. --But now, TMZ claims that Mariah and her lawyers haven't made any attempt to contact Justin's people about comparing his DNA with the baby's. --On top of that, so-called "sources connected with Justin" say they don't believe Mariah will EVER provide the baby's DNA . . . because it'll be, quote, "ammunition for a lawsuit [Justin] intends to file against her and her lawyers for abuse of legal process."

WEDNESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS

Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:

J.R. MARTINEZ and KARINA SMIRNOFF won "Dancing With the Stars". This was Karina's first Mirrorball trophy. Robert Kardashian and Cheryl Burke finished second, followed by Ricki Lake and Derek Hough. (Full Story)


59-year-old composer FERNANDO RIVAS . . . who won a Grammy in 1998 for his work on the "Sesame Street" album "Elmopalooza" . . . has been charged with production and possession of child pornography. He has pleaded not guilty. (Full Story)
(--WARNING!!! Some of the details are GRAPHIC.)



Did KATE GOSSELIN get a facelift? (Photos)



Are OLIVIA WILDE and JAKE GYLLENHAAL fornicating? (Full Story)



Despite bizarre rumors to the contrary, 5-year-old SURI CRUISE is NOT writing her own children's book. (Full Story)


In a new PBS documentary, WOODY ALLEN addresses the scandal that erupted when he left MIA FARROW for her adopted daughter SOON-YI. And he says it, quote, "took a little edge off my natural blandness." (Video)



There's a rumor . . . unsubstantiated at this time . . . that ELLEN PAGE is in "The Dark Knight Rises" as Barbara Gordon, daughter of Commissioner Gordon. In the comics, Barbara Gordon is also BATGIRL. (Full Story)



JERRY SEINFELD was the first guy to guest-host "Live! With Kelly" after REGIS PHILBIN'S exit . . . but in his new memoir, "How I Got This Way", Regis complains about his cameo on "Seinfeld" back in the day, calling it, quote, "not funny" and "embarrassing." (Full Story)


(--This was when Kramer goes on "Regis and Kathie Lee" to promote his coffee table book about coffee tables. You can find the clip on YouTube. Regis didn't like how he was supposed to keep saying Kramer was "bonkos!")


RANDOM STUFF

Thanksgiving Menus From the Early 1900s Include Pigeon Pie, Broiled Quail, and Turtle Soup:

Remember THIS before you complain about the turkey being dry or how there isn't enough marshmallow topping on your sweet potatoes. You COULD be eating PIGEON and TURTLE. --The website Gothamist.com searched through archives in the New York Public Library for Thanksgiving menus from the early 1900s . . . and found that our Thanksgiving dinners have changed A LOT since then. FOR THE BETTER.

--Here are some of the foods people USED to eat . . .


--Sheepshead with Hollandaise sauce. Sheepshead is actually a type of fish. Still, horrible name. And drowning it in Hollandaise sauce wouldn't help.


--Pigeon pie. Yes, in the late 1800s, people ate pigeon. In pie.


--Bisque of Terrapin. That's "turtle soup" if you're not being fancy about it.


--Broiled quail on toast. People still eat quail . . . but not on toast. And not as an appetizer like this.


--Baked tautog. Tautog is a fish that's nicknamed the "poor man's lobster." (Gothamist) (--You can see these old-school Thanksgiving menus on their website here.)


An 86-Year-Old Tried to Deep Fry a Turkey and Ended Up Deep Frying His Own Leg:

Usually we have to wait until AFTER Thanksgiving before the deep fried turkey accident stories start rolling in. But just like Black Friday sales, we're getting an early jump this year. --Over the weekend, 86-year-old Serafino Alfe of Mount Prospect, Illinois was deep frying turkeys for an event at his local country club. As he approached the fryer, he tripped on a piece of cardboard. --He knocked into the fryer, and spilled seven-and-a-half gallons of SCALDING OIL on his leg. So instead of successfully deep frying a turkey, he deep fried his own leg. --He ended up with third-degree burns and needed a skin graft. -He's recovering in the hospital now, but at least he has a sense of humor about the whole thing. He says he loves deep fried turkey, but he doesn't want to taste his own, quote, "drumstick." (Chicago Sun Times)


People on Probation for Alcohol-Related Offenses Drink 27% More Often Between Thanksgiving and New Year's . . . to Cope With Holiday Stress:

Starting with Thanksgiving, the next five weeks are filled with family gatherings, social obligations, and lots of things that need to get done. --That means holiday stress. And holiday stress means it's time for the sweet relief of getting hammered . . . even for criminals who aren't allowed to drink. --A company in Denver called Alcohol Monitoring Systems uses technology to monitor people who've been arrested for alcohol-related violations. The sensors monitor parolees or people on probation by testing their perspiration for alcohol. --And they found that the number of violators who test positive for alcohol use goes up by 27% between Thanksgiving and New Year's. --Not all of the violators are giving into the stress of the season. The holidays also offer more temptations, since alcohol is served at most holiday parties. --A study by the National Highway Safety Administration found that the number of people killed by drunk drivers is two to three times higher during the holidays than at other times of the year. --And courts KNOW that the holidays present a unique challenge to people with a history of drinking . . . so sometimes they'll cut a violator a BREAK if they test positive during the holidays. (PR Newswire)


Pajamagram is Your One-Stop Shop for Matching Christmas Pajamas for the Entire Family . . . Including Babies, Cats, and Dogs:

Here's a product that'll lead to a photo your kids will one day be showing a therapist. But for now . . . family Christmas bonding doesn't get better than this. --A company called Pajamagram makes embarrassing Christmas family photos easier than ever . . . by selling matching sets of pajamas for everyone in the family, INCLUDING the dog and cat. --There's a tool on their website that makes it really easy. You click on the number of women, men, girls, boys, toddlers, infants, dogs, and cats in your family, then select a size and style for everyone. --The only problem is, it's pretty expensive. You're looking at around $50 for adult pajamas, $35 for kids, and $20 for pet pajamas. But won't that photo be worth it? (Pajamagram) (--Here's a sample photo from their website. Notice the cat is only the second-angriest, behind the little girl.) (--Also, not to be a cynic, but the biracial child appears to have been Photoshopped in. And you'll notice that every other set of photos only features white families.)

Amazing Gift Idea if You Can Afford It . . . a Custom-Designed Video Game Based Around Your Life:

As soon as I heard about this idea, I double-checked my credit card limit to see if I could afford it. I cannot. Maybe you can. Because it's amazing. --There's a digital lifestyle and gaming magazine in France called "Amusement" that has started selling customized video games based on your life. --Seriously. They'll take your entire life story and turn it into a video game adventure. They'll recreate your world, everything. --And the team behind it features professional video game designers and artists, so you're going to get a good, legitimate video game. --Unfortunately, something like that is going to be expensive. Each project is priced on an individual basis, but expect to drop somewhere around $67,000. Yes, $67,000. --Abdel Bounane is the editor-in-chief of "Amusement". He says that so far they've made a few games, including one that a guy got for his mom that was a fight game between her and the former prime minister of Greece. --Another one was commissioned by a guy who cheated on his wife. He was the hero, and every time the character finished a level, her face would appear on the bonuses he'd win. (New York Times) (--Here's the website for Amusement where you can learn more.)


American Express Will Give You $25 Free Just for Shopping on Small Business Saturday:

Black Friday gets all the hype, but we're big fans of SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY. That's the brilliant new shopping event happening this Saturday, where people are encouraged to spend money at local businesses. --It's the brainchild of American Express, and they're actually throwing some money behind it. As in free money, FOR YOU. --You can get a $25 credit if you shop at a local business on Saturday. There are a few hoops to jump through, but nothing too hard.

#1.) You have to be an American Express cardholder. (--Hopefully the small business you go to takes Amex . . . sadly, a lot of small businesses don't, because of their fees.)


#2.) You need to sign up for a Foursquare account beforehand. If you're not familiar, Foursquare is yet another social network. It's all about "checking in" at different locations. You can sign up for free at foursquare.com.


#3.) Sync your Foursquare account to your Amex account at sync.americanexpress.com/foursquare.


#4.) Before you make your purchase on Saturday, use Foursquare to "check in" at the store. Then use your Amex card to buy whatever you're buying.


--And a $25 credit will appear on your American Express statement. Yes, it's a few hoops to jump through, but you're supporting a good initiative AND it's free money, so isn't it worth the five minutes it'll take? (TechCrunch)


Three in Five Americans Plan to Cross Something Off Their "Bucket List" Before the End of the Year:

There are only five weeks left in 2011, but apparently a lot of people think that's enough time to accomplish MAJOR goals in life. --A survey by Princess Cruises found that three in five people expect to cross something off their "bucket list" before the end of the year. --Three in four people said the top goal for their lifetime is to be able to travel. (--Remember, this is a survey by a cruise company.) One in seven people chose a work-related goal. --One in 14 people had a goal related to academics, and one in 20 had a fitness-related goal. --Two thirds of people say they have a bucket list, and young people are more likely to have one than older people. --Nearly half of them say it's important to have a concrete plan in place to cross one item off your list each year. (--Although waiting until the holidays doesn't seem like the best example of concrete planning.) --It also helps to partner with a friend or family member to accomplish items on your list. Publishing your list somewhere public, like your Facebook page, is the LEAST effective way to motivate yourself. Only one in ten people found that helpful. (PR Newswire)


Now Three-Quarters of Guys are Fine with Their Woman Earning More Than They Do:

We're like five years away from the concept of the male breadwinner being completely DEAD. Seriously. It's in a footrace with the Post Office, Blockbuster, and CDs for what's going to vanish first. --In a new study by "Men's Health" and Spike TV, 73% of men . . . that's basically THREE OUT OF FOUR . . . say they have no problem dating a woman who makes more money than them.

--45% of men take it a step further and say they'd have no problem NOT WORKING if their wives made enough money for the family.

--The survey also found . . .

--57% of men in a relationship say they enjoy going grocery shopping.

--69% of men in a relationship take out the garbage.

--7% go to strip clubs.

--And 72% believe the role of a man has changed from a generation ago. (Huffington Post)


Popping a Multivitamin Makes People Have Riskier Sex?

We just learned about a weird side effect from taking a multivitamin . . . besides, ya know, how it makes your pee smell weird: It's not the only effect it has on your genitalia. --A new study out of Taiwan found that both men and women who pop a multivitamin and other supplements are more likely to have RISKY SEX. --That's not all. They're also less likely to exercise and eat healthy, and more likely to binge drink and sunbathe. --Here's the theory. When you take a vitamin, you subconsciously believe you're taking a big step to make yourself INVINCIBLE . . . and that leads to bad choices in other aspects of life. --Obviously, a multivitamin doesn't properly compensate for a lack of exercise, eating poorly, baking in the sun, binge drinking, or slutting it up out there without condoms. (MSNBC)


81% of People Have Finally Admitted They're Dangerous Drivers:

I'd say this number feels just about right . . . when I'm driving, I genuinely believe four out of five other drivers on the road are probably going to do something STUPID. And a new survey backs that up. --A Canadian online insurance site called Kanetix found that 81% of people basically admit they're DANGEROUS DRIVERS. Only 19% believe they're perfect and safe. That's MUCH lower than the result you usually see in surveys, and here's why. --Instead of flat-out asking people if they're good or bad drivers, the survey asked if they did anything from a list of dangerous driving moves. And 81% of people said yes, they do. --Eating or drinking while driving is most common at 39%. Speeding is second, at 36% . . . talking on the phone or texting while driving is third, at 18% . . . following too closely is fourth, at 16% . . . and road rage is fifth, at 11%. --Other habits that made the list are failing to signal at 10% . . . weaving in and out of traffic at 7% . . . putting on makeup while driving at 3% . . . and driving in the carpool lane illegally at 1%. --The survey also found that 3% of people regularly park illegally and 2% park in handicap spaces. (Newswire.ca)


The Average Number of Friends Separating Any Two Facebook Users Is 4.74:

Facebook has made the world a smaller place. --The phrase "six degrees of separation" refers to the idea that everyone on earth is separated from every other person by six friends or acquaintances at the most. --Most people are familiar with the phrase from the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" game . . . where you go from any actor to Kevin Bacon in six movies or less . . . but the concept is actually about 30 years older than that. --It came from a study of 300 people sending letters in 1967. As recently as 2008, a test on Microsoft Messaging users found that people were separated by just over six links. --But Facebook recently allowed researchers from the University of Milan to do a larger study . . . on the social network's 721 million users. (--Facebook now has over 800 million users.) That represents about 10% of the world's population. --And what they found was that the average two Facebook users are separated from each other by only 4.74 friends. --In the U.S., where half of everyone over age 13 is on Facebook, people are even closer. The average American Facebook users are separated by 4.37 friends. (New York Times)


Your Average Shower Takes Twice as Long as You Think:

How long do you think you spend in the shower? I'd guess five minutes. Most people think they're in that four-to-five-minute range. --Well . . . the company Unilever used special showerheads to test EXACTLY how long people showered. They tested 2,600 showers from 100 families over ten days. --And they found we're WAY off in our estimates. The average shower actually lasted EIGHT MINUTES . . . so around DOUBLE what people estimated. --And most people think a shower uses a lot less water than a bath, right? Not so much. The average shower used about 16 gallons of water . . . a bath uses 21. --One more finding. Based on the heating cost of an eight-minute shower, if that's what your family averages, you're spending approximately $655-a-year on showers. With a high-powered shower head, that jumps to $1,445. (BBC)


In a Fire or Flood, People are More Likely to Rescue Their Pets Ahead of Their Possessions:

Good to see people still have a soul . . . and value the life of another living creature over the ability to quickly drop in on Facebook. -In a new survey, PETS were picked as the number one thing people would save in a fire or flood. Their laptop came in second, jewelry came in third. (CompareNow)


Redheads are More Scared of the Dentist Than the Rest of Us?

Here's a study from the American Dental Association that proves an INCREDIBLY random fact. Redheads are more COWARDLY at the dentist than the rest of us. --It's true. The study surveyed people about their fears and anxieties when it comes to the dentist, and then got a blood test for different gene variations. --People with a gene called MC1R were more than TWICE as likely to report they skip dental appointments out of fear. And 76% of the people with the gene in the study were redheads. --The researchers believe there could be a connection between red hair and the gene . . . meaning that if you're a redhead, you're genetically predisposed to be afraid of the dentist. --People with MC1R are also more resistant to pain medications. That means they could remember the dentist as being more painful than people with other colored hair . . . and those memories could contribute to their fear. (MSNBC)


Companies are Tracking You Online . . . So Send a Message to Congress to Tell Them to Stop It:

You've probably heard of "cookies" on the Internet. When you visit a website, the site and the ads on it generally put a "cookie" on your computer. Which companies can use to figure out what you like . . . and put targeted ads in front of you. --If that sounds like they're collecting info about you without your permission, that's not too far from the truth. And there are a few bills in Congress right now that would make it possible for you to get on a "Do Not Track" list. --"Consumer Reports" has put together a form online where you can send a message to your representative or senators asking them to support the bill and give you the choice whether or not you want to be tracked online. --If you're interested, send those messages at http://tinyurl.com/DoNotTrackBill. (--But remember. The cookies are stored on your computer, not the companies' databases. They don't have your name, address, email, job history, religion, or a list of your interests.) (--In other words . . . you're revealing more to the world on Facebook, even in many cases if your profile is private, than you are through cookies.)


RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS

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


Two thirds of us check our work email on Thanksgiving and Christmas. And one in four check it several times. (Full Story)


Macy's, JC Penney, Home Shopping Network, and Toys 'R' Us all use Christmas in their ads. Banana Republic, Barnes & Noble, and Office Depot do not. (Full Story)


61% of happy couples say their spouse makes them feel good about themselves. Not surprisingly, only 27% of unhappy couples said that. (Full Story)


According to some new statistics, it looks like people are eating random crap all day long, instead of three meals. 20% of the cookies and pies sold at McDonald's are sold at breakfast time, and half of Denny's sales all day long are breakfast items. (Full Story)


A guy left a suitcase full of $1 million cash in a pizza shop in Australia on Monday. Cops caught up to him yesterday, he ended up in the hospital, and they're still not sure whether the money's legally his. (Full Story)


NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY

#1.) President Obama Got Heckled by Occupy Wall Street Protesters:

Occupy Wall Street protesters interrupted PRESIDENT OBAMA'S speech in Manchester, New Hampshire yesterday. --They started by chanting 'mic check,' then did that other annoying thing they always do, where one person yells a line of the message, and the others repeat it. But they didn't get through the whole thing because the crowd started chanting Obama's name. --Obama just listened, smiled, and said, quote, "I appreciate you guys making your point. Let me go ahead and make mine. I'll listen to you, you listen to me."
(--Search for "Raw Video: Obama Interrupted by Hecklers." The crowd starts chanting "Obama" at :47.)


#2.) A Group Won a Talent Show in India by Hitting Each Other with Sledge Hammers, Eating Florescent Lights, and Running Each Other Over with a Car:


Some of the contestants on shows like "America's Got Talent" are so annoying, you want to hit them with a sledge hammer. But in India, contestants do it THEMSELVES. --A group called The Warriors of Goja won an Indian talent show a couple weeks ago by smashing boards on each other's backs, hitting each other with SHARPENED sledge hammers, running a guy over with a car, then running over his HEAD with a motorcycle. --They also smashed florescent lights on their faces, ATE the shards of glass, and made a human pyramid . . . with each guy lying on a bed of NAILS. The judges looked absolutely horrified throughout, but apparently they loved it. (--Search for "Indian Talent Show Warriors of Goja." The glass-eating starts at :48, and the car comes out at :39. WARNING: The end of the video at :6:04 shows them covered in blood.)


#3.) Jimmy Fallon Apologized to Michele Bachmann on Twitter . . . Because When She Walked Out, "The Roots" Played a Song Called "Lyin' Ass [B-word]":


JIMMY FALLON has apologized to MICHELE BACHMANN on Twitter for something that happened on his show Monday night. --Bachmann was a guest, and when she walked out, his house band THE ROOTS played a 1985 Fishbone song called "Lyin' Ass [B-word]". They didn't sing any of the lyrics, so it wasn't an OBVIOUS insult. But it was all over the Internet yesterday. --The drummer QUESTLOVE says the song choice was a, quote, "tongue-in-cheek and spur-of-the-moment decision." Apparently Fallon and the producers had nothing to do with it. --Fallon said on Twitter, quote, "I'm honored that Michele Bachmann was on our show . . . and I'm so sorry about the intro mess. I really hope she comes back." He also posted another Tweet that just said, "Questlove is grounded." (--Search for "Michele Bachmann Jimmy Fallon bizbuzz2000.")
Giving Thanks Can Actually Make You Happier:

On Thanksgiving, you're supposed to take a moment and be thankful for what you have. But according to a new article in "USA Today", you should be doing that EVERY day. --You probably already realize that being thankful can have a positive effect on your emotions. But psychologists didn't really study it until recently. And they've found that it might be one of our most POWERFUL emotions. --A psychology professor named Robert Emmons studied the effects of gratitude, and he says grateful people are more alert, more engaged, more enthusiastic, and feel more connected to other people. --In several studies, he found that about 75% of people from all age groups scored higher in happiness tests if they regularly counted their blessings. And some even slept better. --And appreciating what you have can reduce stress too. Emmons says grateful people are quote, "less likely to experience envy, anger, resentment, regret, and other unpleasant states that produce stress." --They're doing similar studies at the University of Michican. One asked people to sit down every night and write out three things that went well that day, and WHY they went well. And after one month, the people who did it were much more cheerful. --The only catch is, you have to GENUINELY be thankful to see the effects. For example, writing a quick thank-you note, or saying grace at dinner CAN make you a happier person. But only if what you say comes from the heart. (USA Today)

HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (11-22-11)

Are Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart Heading for a Breakup?

Now that the whole "Twilight" thing is starting to wind down, so apparently is the relationship between ROBERT PATTINSON and KRISTEN STEWART. --The not-always-reliable "Us Weekly" says they're growing apart because they spend so much time away from each other. --A source says, quote, "They are doing a lot of soul-searching about their relationship . . . they've burnt each other out." --But it seems like it's Kristen more than Rob who wants out. The source says, quote, "He is always worried about her leaving him. --"She will blow him off, and it makes him crazy. Rob's eager to settle down, but Kristen is far from ready to walk down the aisle."


Ashton Kutcher Tried to Keep Demi Moore with a $100,000 Lexus:

Even though ASHTON KUTCHER nailed a girl less than half DEMI MOORE'S age on their anniversary, he didn't want to lose her. --Sources say Ashton was so desperate to keep Demi that he bought her a 2012 Lexus LS 600h L earlier this month. It's a top-of-the-line hybrid, and it set him back more than $100,000. --Obviously, it didn't work. There's no word if Demi kept the car anyway. (--Here's a picture of a Lexus LS 600h L.) (Tirekick.com) --Demi is reportedly doing some "soul-searching" in Hawaii as we speak.


Katy Perry Says She's Not Pregnant . . . She Just Likes Fast Food and Booze:

Despite her slightly plumper physique these days, KATY PERRY once again denies her womb is occupied. Her answer when asked the question yesterday was, quote, "Hell no!" --Instead, she offers this explanation . . . quote, "I like In-N-Out Burger and Taco Bell and if you want to make that pregnant that's your problem." --As far as WHEN she'll let RUSSELL BRAND knock her up, she says, quote, "I still love drinking alcohol so not yet."


Jennifer Lopez Did Some Grinding with Her Young Stud at Her AMA After-Party . . . But She May Have Hooked Up with Marc Anthony Earlier This Month:

JENNIFER LOPEZ hosted an "American Music Awards" after-party Sunday night at L.A.'s Greystone Manor. And while there were several celebrities in attendance, J-Lo really only had time for her 24-year-old dancer-boyfriend Casper Smart. --Sources say they spent much of the night in a private box, dancing, grinding and whatnot. She also kissed him and rubbed his head. (???) (--Here are some pics of Casper backing up J-Lo during her AMA performance . . . and one of J-Lo BACKING THAT ASS UP into Pitbull.) (Us, People) --But Casper may not be the only guy J-Lo is nailing these days. Rumor has it that she hooked up a couple weeks ago with . . . her ex MARC ANTHONY. --The two of them were in Puerto Rico working on their Latin singing competition "Q'Viva! The Chosen" . . . and a source says that while they were there, Marc never stayed in his own hotel room. --And the source believes they'll start fornicating again when filming resumes next month . . . quote, "It's inevitable. Marc has this hold over her." --But another source adds, quote, "They may sleep together, but they're over."


Justin Bieber Let His Pants Droop Again . . . And He Was Wearing Pink Underwear:

JUSTIN BIEBER is still wearing droopy drawers. And on Monday, during an outing with SELENA GOMEZ in L.A., they drooped low enough to reveal PINK UNDIES. (--Check out the pics here.) (Radar Online)


Playing Guitar Left-Handed Led to Kurt Cobain's Suicide . . . And Other Celebrity Conspiracy Theories that Make No Sense:

It's been almost 18 years since KURT COBAIN killed himself, and a lot of people still want to know why. Well, we might finally have the answer: --It's because he played guitar left-handed. (???) --That's one of five Insane Celebrity Conspiracy Theories that Make Sense . . . according to a list at Cracked.com. Here's the rationale . . . --Kurt suffered from terrible stomach pain, which a doctor diagnosed in 1993 as a pinched nerve in his spine caused by scoliosis. Kurt had even admitted that he self-medicated with heroin. --Kurt didn't have to be a left-handed guitarist. He was ambidextrous. But for whatever reason, when he took up the guitar he CHOSE to play as a leftie. And that was a bad choice. --The website says that Kurt's spine was "curved out a bit on his right side" . . . and when you play left-handed, all the weight of the guitar is on your right side, because the strap goes over your right shoulder. --So all those years playing guitar left-handed made his scoliosis worse . . . which in turn made his stomach problem worse . . . which led to his heroin addiction . . . which led to his suicide. --Case closed? --Here are the other four Insane Celebrity Conspiracy Theories that Make Sense . . .

--MICHAEL JACKSON'S voice never got deeper . . . and he had boundary issues with young kids . . . because he was CHEMICALLY CASTRATED.

--THOMAS JEFFERSON had Asperger's . . . which is a form of autism.

--ELVIS PRESLEY died from chronic constipation.

(--You can read more about these conspiracy theories here.)


Donald Trump Says He's Worth $7 Billion:

DONALD TRUMP has a new book coming out December 5th called "Time to Get Tough". And it includes a full disclosure of his finances. --Trump says he was so close to running for president that he prepared the Public Financial Disclosure Report required of all presidential candidates. Since he just had it hanging around, he decided to put it in the book. --And we have an advance look at it. Here it is . . . --Trump is worth a little over $7 BILLION. --$270.3 million of that is in "cash and marketable securities."
-$3 billion is estimated as "Brand Value" . . . which is, quote, "the financial impact of intangibles such as brand, strategy execution, innovation, and post-merger integration." --$3.2 billion is in real estate owned entirely by Trump. --And $900 million of that is real estate partially owned by Trump. --And by the way . . . Trump still isn't totally out of the race. He writes, quote, "Some people have yet to realize how serious I was and am about running for the White House . . . And whether it's me or someone else, we need the kind of thinking that can produce this kind of success."


Wesley Snipes is Being Sued by American Express:

Even though WESLEY SNIPES is behind bars for tax evasion, The Man is STILL messing with him. American Express is suing him over a supposed $30,000 bill. --What makes this extra-ironic is that in the original "Major League" movie, Snipes and his teammates did a commercial for American Express. --It ended with Snipes sliding across home plate, holding up an Amex card and saying, quote, "Don't steal home without it." (--You can see the ad here)


There's a "Rocky" Musical in the Works:

We criticize the film industry all the time for lacking originality, but what about Broadway? It seems like there's at least one show per year that's based on a movie. And that trend isn't likely to reverse itself anytime soon. --SYLVESTER STALLONE is teaming up with real-life boxing brothers WLADIMIR and VITALI KLITSCHKO to produce "Rocky: The Musical". --Budgeted at $15 million, the show will debut in Germany next November . . . and Stallone will bring it to America sometime after that.


The New Batman Movie Takes Place Eight Years After "The Dark Knight":

When "The Dark Knight Rises" hits theaters next summer, it'll be four years since the release of "The Dark Knight". But the new movie is actually set EIGHT years after Batman took out the Joker. --Director CHRISTOPHER NOLAN says, quote, "It's really all about finishing Batman and Bruce Wayne's story. We left him in a very precarious place. --"Perhaps surprisingly for some people, our story picks up quite a bit later, eight years after 'The Dark Knight'. So he's an older Bruce Wayne; he's not in a great state." --Batman and the movie's villain Bane . . . played by TOM HARDY . . . have an all-out brawl in this movie. Hardy says, quote, "It's not about fighting. It's about carnage. The style is heavy-handed, heavy-footed, it's nasty. --"Anything from small-joint manipulation to crushing skulls, crushing rib cages, stamping on shins and knees and necks and collarbones and snapping heads off and tearing his fists through chests, ripping out spinal columns. --"He is a terrorist in mentality as well as brutal action." (--In the comics, Bane broke Batman's back. We don't know if that happens in "The Dark Knight Rises".)
"SNL" CHARACTERS

"Saturday Night Live's" 25 Most-Repeated Characters:

"New York" magazine has just released a very comprehensive report on "Saturday Night Live", in which they tracked the show's Most-Repeated Characters. --It includes the full 36 seasons . . . and 7,798 sketches . . . from October of 1975 through this past May. None of this fall's episodes counted, which is understandable, since they say this thing took a whole year to do. --They did NOT include political impressions, because it skewed the results. For example, they found that DARRELL HAMMOND played Bill Clinton in 77 episodes over the years.

--Here are the 25 Most-Repeated Characters, which have all appeared over 12 times.

1.) Emily Litella, played by Gilda Radner . . . 25 episodes, from 1975-1979.

2.) Father Guido Sarducci, played by Don Novello . . . 24 episodes, from 1978-1981, 1985-1986, 1989, 1993, 1995.

3.) Mr. Bill from "The Mr. Bill Show", voiced by Walter Williams . . . 22 episodes, from 1976-1981.

4.) Wayne Campbell, played by Mike Myers . . . 21 episodes, from 1989-1994, 2011. (--Dana Carvey's Garth appeared in 18 of those, but that character didn't make the overall list. Maybe they didn't count him because he was the sidekick. Either way, Dana managed to make the list twice with other characters.)

5.) The Culps, played by Will Ferrell and Ana Gasteyer . . . 21 episodes, from 1996-2002.

6.) The Church Lady from "Church Chat", played by Dana Carvey . . . 20 episodes, from 1986-1990, 1996, 2000, 2011.

7.) Hans and Franz from "Pumping Up", played by Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon . . . 20 episodes, from 1987-1992, 1994, 1999.

8.) Stuart Smalley from "Daily Affirmation", played by Al Franken . . . 20 episodes, from 1991-1995, 2002.

9.) Tommy Flanagan, a.k.a. the Pathological Liar, played by Jon Lovitz . . . 19 episodes, from 1985-1987, 1989, 1997.

10.) Mary Katherine Gallagher, played by Molly Shannon . . . 19 episodes, from 1995-2000, 2009.

11.) Pat Stevens from "The Pat Stevens Show", played by Nora Dunn . . . 18 episodes, from 1985-1990.

12.) Roseanne Roseannadanna, played by Gilda Radner . . . 17 episodes, from 1977-1980.

13.) The Spartan Cheerleaders, played by Will Ferrell and Cheri Oteri . . . 17 episodes, from 1995-1999.

14.) Samurai Futaba, played by John Belushi . . . 16 episodes, from 1975-1979.

15.) Margaret Jo McCullin and Terry Rialto from "The Delicious Dish", played by Ana Gasteyer and Molly Shannon. . . 15 episodes, from 1996-2002, 2010.

16.) Leon Phelps from "The Ladies' Man", played by Tim Meadows . . . 15 episodes, from 1997-2000.

17.) Mango, played by Chris Kattan . . . 15 episodes, from 1997-2002.

18.) Dieter from "Sprockets", played by Mike Myers . . . 14 episodes, from 1989-1993, 1997.

19.) Linda Richman from "Coffee Talk", played by Mike Myers . . . 14 episodes, from 1991-1994, 1997.

20.) Dr. Jack Badofsky, played by Tim Kazurinsky . . . 14 episodes, from 1982-1984.

21.) Pat Riley from "It's Pat!", played by Julia Sweeney . . . 14 episodes, from 1990-1994.

22.) Richard Laymer, played by Rob Schneider . . . 13 episodes, from 1991-1994.

23.) The Nerds, played by Bill Murray and Gilda Radner . . . 13 episodes, from 1978-1980.

24.) Frankenstein, played by Phil Hartman . . . 13 episodes, from 1987-1991, 1993, 1996.

25.) The Killer Bees, played by John Belushi and everyone else . . . 13 episodes, from 1975-1976, 1979. (--Note: They were the first "SNL" characters to recur.)

(--For more information, hit up NYMag.com. The story has a slideshow at the top, which includes pictures and descriptions of each character . . . along with their signature quotes and catchphrases.) --The purpose of the study was to determine which "SNL" seasons relied on repeating existing characters . . . and which ones had more original content.) (--So they put together an "Originality" chart, which compares the seasons, and lists the most-repeated characters from different "eras." Here's the .PDF.)


Shocking News: "Bachelorette" Ali Fedotowsky and Roberto Martinez Have Split Up:

The romances forged on "The Bachelor" and "The Bachelorette" do not last . . . that's a proven fact. Of the 22 seasons of both shows, only TWO of the couples are still together. That's a 9.1% success rate. --It would've been THREE couples . . . but yesterday, Season Six "Bachelorette" ALI FEDOTOWSKY and ROBERTO MARTINEZ announced that they're done. No reason was given for the split. --Last month, they said that they were postponing their wedding, and there was speculation that they were breaking up . . . but Ali downplayed it at the time. --She said, quote, "We didn't meet in the most traditional way. We had a very short courtship and we only knew each other nine weeks before we got engaged. We're still figuring out our lives as individuals. --"We're still engaged, we're still living together . . . we just don't feel the need to walk down the aisle right now." (--Or EVER, I guess.) (--All of the original relationships forged on the 15 seasons of "The Bachelor" have failed, including the one from the season that aired earlier this year.) (--Season One "Bachelorette" TRISTA REHN is still married to RYAN SUTTER. They've been married for nearly eight years. And ASHLEY HEBERT who was on the most recent season of "The Bachelorette" is still with the guy she chose, J.P. Rosenbaum . . . but they're not married.)


Protect Yourself from Ricki Lake with Olives, Avocados and Shellfish:

Chances are: You will probably never be attacked by RICKI LAKE . . . and she will probably never try to kill you with her bare hands. --But since I can't guarantee that with ABSOLUTE certainty . . . here's how you could protect yourself from a potentially lethal Ricki Lake assault: 1.) Arm yourself and your home with olives and avocados. She HATES them. 2.) Always keep a syringe filled with shellfish or shellfish extract . . . if such a thing exists . . . on your person. In the event of a Ricki Lake attack, just inject the shellfish into her. She's "extremely allergic" to it, so it'll probably stop the attack. --Surprisingly, Ricki voluntarily revealed these vulnerabilities when filling out a 25 Things You Don't Know About Me questionnaire for "Us" magazine. --She also said she LOVES Broadway show tunes, "Little House on the Prairie", scuba diving, playing poker, modern art, hummingbirds, tequila, Legos and, quote, "a good sale." So avoid those things to help prevent a Ricki Lake attack. (--You can check out Ricki's complete list at UsMagazine.com.)


Tuesday TV Reminders:


--"NCIS" . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on CBS. Robert Wagner returns as Tony's father, who's become a murder suspect after being found in his car with a body in the trunk and no memory of the night before.

(--The timing of this episode couldn't be better . . . or worse . . . given the fact that the investigation into Natalie Wood's death has been reopened . . . and Wagner is most likely the focus of it.)


--"The X Factor" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. The top nine finalists perform.


--"Jeff Dunham: Birth of A Dummy" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Bio. Ventriloquist/comedian Jeff Dunham is profiled.


--"Man Up!" . . . 8:30 to 9:00 P.M. on ABC. Dan Cortese guest stars as Will's childhood tormentor. And his son carries on the family bullying tradition by tormenting Will's son Nathan.


--"Dancing with the Stars" [13th Season Finale] . . . 9:00 to 11:00 P.M. on ABC. Ricki Lake, J.R. Martinez and Rob Kardashian perform their favorite dance before the final two dance an instant samba to determine the winner. Music Guest: Lady Antebellum.


--"Millionaire Matchmaker" [5th Season Finale] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Bravo.


--"Quints by Surprise" [3rd Season Finale] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on TLC.


--"Workaholics" [2nd Season Finale] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on Comedy Central.


TODAY'S NEW VIDEO GAMES

"Glee" Karaoke, the Latest "Zelda", and a New WWE Rasslin' Game Are In Stores This Week:

--"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" (E10+) . . . on Wii. (Trailer) Link must use the Skyward Sword to travel between sky and land to figure out why they've become separated for the 16th entry in the "Legend of Zelda" series. With the Wii MotionPlus attachment for your Wiimote you'll finally have complete control of Link's swords . . . so instead of just standing in front of your TV moving your arm up and down you may actually feel like you're cutting down bad guys.

--"Karaoke Revolution: Glee 3" (T) . . . on Xbox360 and Wii. (Trailer) "Gleek" out with 35 songs from Season Two. The track list includes "Firework", "Born This Way", "Time Warp", "Loser Like Me", and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life".

--"WWE '12" (T) . . . on Xbox360, PS3, and Wii. (Trailer) The roster for this rasslin' game includes WWE legends like Brock Lesnar, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and The Rock, as well as favorites like John Cena, the Undertaker, and Randy Orton. (--You'll find the full line up here.)


Two People Named Their Kid After the Hero in "Skyrim":

#1.) The makers of "Skyrim" challenged fans that happened to have kids on the game's release date to name their child after the game's main character in exchange for free games from that company for life. Of course, two people were crazy enough to take them up on it. Here's a picture of little Dovahkiin.

(--Speaking of "Skyrim", the game sold 3.5 million copies in the first two days, and is expected to earn over 450 million dollars worldwide)


#2.) Last week we told you PETA was going after Super Mario. Well, now they are claiming the whole ordeal was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. (Full Story)

(--Even if it was just a publicity stunt that doesn't mean those crazy Taiwanese animators can't give their interesting take on Mario wearing a Tanooki suit.)
NEW ON VIDEO THIS WEEK


--"Conan the Barbarian" - Your new Conan is Jason Momoa, who played Khal Drogo on HBO's "Game of Thrones". Ron Perlman plays his father, and the bad guy is Stephen Lang, from "Avatar" and the TV series "Terra Nova". (--Check out this bad-ass clip from the movie, which shows young Conan competing with other boys from his village when they get ambushed by a rival tribe. Everyone else runs away, except for Conan.) (When Blood Is Spilled)

--"Super 8" - The sci-fi collaboration between Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams is about a group of kids making a movie on 'Super 8' millimeter film in 1979 accidentally capture footage of a military train crash. And when they watch it . . . they notice something alien escaping from the wreckage.

--"Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" - The fourth "Spy Kids" movie stars Jessica Alba as a retired spy who's forced to reveal her secret to her two bratty stepkids . . . and they become the new spy kids of the franchise. The original spy kids are both grown up, but they return to help out too. Ricky Gervais does the voice of their robot spy dog, Jeremy Piven is the villain, and no "Spy Kids" movie would be complete without Danny Trejo as Machete.


TV Series On DVD:

--"Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns: Season 3" . . . a three-disc DVD set.

--"The L Word: The Complete Series" . . . a twenty four-disc DVD set.

--"Doctor Who: The Complete 6th Series" . . . a six-disc DVD set.

--"Survivor: Season 6 - The Amazon" . . . That's the one with Christy the deaf girl that was won by swimsuit model Jenna Morasca. Oops, did I spoil it for you? Get over it! It was SEVENTEEN frickin' seasons ago. Surely you've found something else to watch by now.


NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK


This Week's CD Releases:

--"Talk That Talk", Rihanna . . . Jay-Z raps on the title track. It also features the singles "We Found Love" and "You Da One".

--"Here and Now", Nickelback . . . featuring the singles "When We Stand Together" and "Bottoms Up".

--"Break the Spell", Daughtry . . . featuring the singles "Renegade" and "Crawling Back to You".

--"Beg for Mercy", Adam Lambert . . . otherwise known as the runner-up on Season Eight of "American Idol". This is his second release.

--"Memories of a Beautiful Disaster", James Durbin . . . The debut album from the "American Idol" finalist who overcame Tourette's and Asperger's Syndromes. Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars plays on a track called "Outcast".

--"That's Life", Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. . . . the jazz singer who won the sixth season of "America's Got Talent". This is his debut album.

--"Immortal", Michael Jackson . . . This is the soundtrack to the Cirque Du Soleil production of "Michael Jackson: Immortal".

--"My Life 2: The Journey Continues, Act 1", Mary J. Blige . . . The title makes it a sequel to her 1994 album "My Life". Her guests include Nas, Busta Rhymes, Drake, Rick Ross and Beyoncé.


--The "Muppets" soundtrack, which includes classic Muppets songs, as well as a couple performed by Amy Adams and Jason Segel for the movie.

--"Speak Now World Tour Live", Taylor Swift . . . A CD / DVD set featuring live performances from Taylor's 2011 "Speak Now" tour. The set includes a 34-song double-CD . . . and a 17-song DVD with plenty of bonus content.


Is the New Van Halen Album Going to Be Filled with Old Songs? Sammy Hagar Thinks So:

Nothing is official yet, but it's basically a sure bet that VAN HALEN is working on its first album with DAVID LEE ROTH since 1984 . . . and its first album overall since the GARY CHERONE one, which came out in 1998. --Since it's been so long, there's a lot of curiosity about their new sound . . . but according to SAMMY HAGAR, the music might not be "new" at all. --He tells "Rolling Stone", quote, "I heard this record is old outtakes from the old days. I mean, stuff from before I even joined the band." (--That was in 1985 . . . so that means this stuff dates back to the '70s and early '80s.) --He adds, quote, "They aren't working with new material. EDDIE [VAN HALEN] and Dave didn't actually write new songs. They took old stuff from previous sessions. --"I don't think it's a bad idea. It's kind of interesting. Bob Seger did it, and so did the Rolling Stones. I think it's an interesting thing to do in your old age if you can't come up with fresh, good stuff . . . or you can't get along." --Now, Sammy definitely isn't the best source for "inside" information on Van Halen, and he readily admits it. He even says it's been five YEARS since he heard this . . . and he doesn't really know what's been happening behind the scenes.


Lady Gaga Says Her Next Album Will Feature a Duet with Elton John:

LADY GAGA is planning on doing another duet with ELTON JOHN. --During an appearance on a British talk show, Lady Gaga explained, quote, "My next duet, I believe, will be with Elton. I'm already working on my next album, and I played him a song that I wrote and he really loved it . . . --"[But] I don't want to give anything [else] away!" --Lady Gaga and Elton's previous duet was "Hello Hello", which was recorded for the "Gnomeo and Juliet" soundtrack. --By the way, Lady Gaga's 90-minute "A Very Gaga Thanksgiving" special will air Thursday night at 9:30 P.M. on ABC. (--If you want to know what to expect, here's a 30-second ad that ABC is running for it.)


TUESDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS


Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:


Sergeant Scott Moore says that MILA KUNIS exceeded his expectations when she attended his Marine Corps ball with him over the weekend. (Full Story)



LIZA MINNELLI tripped over her dog and broke her leg in three places. (Full Story)



JOHN NEVILLE . . . who played the Well-Manicured Man on "The X-Files" and the title character in the movie "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" . . . died Saturday. He was 86. (Full Story)



JUDD APATOW thinks the Oscars should have a separate category for comedy. (Full Story)



"The Godfather Part 2" is widely-regarded as the greatest sequel of all time. It even won the Best Picture Oscar. But when some paparazzi scumbag asked director FRANCIS FORD COPPOLA if he was planning to make another "Godfather" flick, he replied, quote, "There should have only been one." (???) (Video)



NBC is developing a new show with Jim Henson Studios about a human family . . . who lives next door to PUPPETS. So it's like "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood", without all the "pretend." The show will be called "The New Neighbors". (Full Story)



What kind of sweet, harmonious love could JUDAS PRIEST singer ROB HALFORD and QUEEN frontman FREDDIE MERCURY have made? The world will never know. These two gay studs only met once, very briefly, at a club. Halford says, quote, "We were two ships passing in the night. He waved, I waved. The place was packed, and we never got a chance to connect." (Full Story)



T.I. has named his next album "Trouble Man". He says it'll cover some of the insanity from his past . . . quote, "This is the first project where I'm talking about things that I've experienced before that I'm not necessarily experiencing now." There's no release date. (Full Story)


RANDOM STUFF

Occupy Small Business this Saturday! And Buy Something While You're There, You Whiny Bastard:

With Black Friday coming up, all eyes are on the big retail chains, and who's going to open earliest. Your Walmarts, Best Buys, Targets . . . they're the ones who get a ton of press and a ton of sales. -If you're sick of it, maybe you can get behind a brilliant new Thanksgiving shopping holiday: SMALL BUSINESS SATURDAY. --American Express is behind it . . . which is kind of ironic, since they don't exactly scream SMALL business . . . but here's the idea: --On Saturday, shop at a local mom and pop business. Buy your dad some tools from a local hardware store instead of Home Depot. Buy some clothes from a local boutique instead of the Gap. --Because small businesses are just important to the economy . . . if not MORE important . . . than the big guys. --According to American Express, they create HALF of the jobs in this country. And in the past 17 years, 65% of net new jobs have come from small businesses. --So far, the American Express Facebook page for Small Business Saturday has over 2.3 MILLION "Likes." You can find it at facebook.com/SmallBusinessSaturday. --One reason might be the discounts they're offering: $100 worth of free advertising on Facebook for small businesses, and $25 to shoppers who register. --And based on a survey, 89 MILLION PEOPLE plan on participating in Small Business Saturday. That's almost a third of the country. --By spending money in your community . . . and spending it with the business owners who ALSO spend in your community . . . it could have a bigger impact on the economy than any government bailout to a bank or big business. (CBS News / Facebook) (--You can go to the AMEX Small Business Saturday Facebook page and enter your ZIP code to find popular small businesses in your area here.)


The Number One Wish for 46% of Single People This Holiday Season is to Find Love . . . 15% Would Rather Have a New iPhone:

Match.com surveyed single people about what they want this holiday season. Here's what they found . . . --Almost HALF of single people . . . 46% . . . say their number one wish for the holidays is to find love. 29% went with finding a new job . . . and 15% said getting a new iPhone was their biggest holiday wish, OVER both love AND employment. --The biggest source of stress for single people during the holidays is . . . people asking them about being single. 41.3% say the "why are you still single?" question from family and friends is the most difficult thing to deal with. --And apparently, men are less likely to want to deal with it than women. Men are more likely to lie about being in a relationship to their families than women. 29.2% of men have lied versus 16.7% of women. --Less than 10% of single people say they worry about finding a date for a holiday party. --And finally, 30.3% of women say they most admire Santa for his monogamy . . . 19% of men say they most admire him for his self-employment success. (Match.com)
Two-Thirds of Us Eat Leftovers All the Way Through Thanksgiving Weekend:

Looking forward to a nice hot plate of turkey and mashed potatoes on Thursday? Of course. Looking forward to having some reheated turkey and half-week old mashed potatoes on Sunday? Well . . . get ready. --According to a new nationwide survey, 65% of people say they're still eating Thanksgiving leftovers THREE DAYS after Thanksgiving . . . or more. --And 50% of people want those leftovers so badly they INTENTIONALLY prepare way too much food. (PR Newswire)


Three Random Facts About Thanksgiving Dinner:

#1.) Almost 88% of Americans will eat turkey on Thanksgiving. It's believed that there's no other day of the year where one food is so widely and universally eaten.

#2.) Not everyone eats a home-cooked Thanksgiving. About 14 million Americans . . . or approximately 5% of the country . . . will eat at a restaurant.

#3.) Pumpkin pies are the best sellers at Thanksgiving. Apple pie is the second-most popular Thanksgiving pie. Chocolate pies are third. (Patch)


People Really Do Gain Weight Over the Holidays . . . But They Only Put on About a Pound:

Two recent studies . . . one from the University of Oklahoma and one from Tufts University . . . looked at whether people really do gain more weight over the holidays than they do the rest of the year. --The bad news is that people really DO gain more weight from late November to early January. The good news is that it's only about a pound. --People were weighed several times a year, and the ONLY time they consistently put on weight was over the holidays . . . and they never lost the weight they put on. --Overweight and obese people gained more weight than the average person, and one in seven overweight people put on more than five pounds in December. --If you're thinking you'll go on a diet over the holidays to prevent the weight gain, don't get your hopes up. People who said they were trying to LOSE weight . . . ended up gaining about half a pound. --The reason for the weight gain over the holidays is . . . exactly what you'd think: A combination of decreased physical activity and an increase in eating and drinking. (Aiken Standard)


Here are the Five Most Common Types of Awful Bosses:

We hate bosses who have bad tempers. We hate ones who take credit for our work. But those aren't the worst. No . . . the worst bosses are the ones who are MINDLESS BUREAUCRATS. And they're everywhere. --There's a new poll out of Britain that asked people about their worst boss's character traits. And it found that these are the five most common types of awful bosses, in order:

#1.) Bureaucrats, 25%. A boss who sticks to the rules whether the rule makes sense or not. They'd never stick their neck out for you, they won't take chances, and they fixate on the little details without seeing the big picture.

#2.) Egomaniacs, 23%. They believe they're always right and never wrong. They have an opinion on everything but it's never a debate . . . whatever they say is correct.

#3.) Visionaries, 20%. They have big, creative ideas . . . but they're out of touch with reality and what it'll take to make those ideas happen. They also like brainstorming but hate making plans for action.

#4.) Volcanoes, 19%. These are the bosses who go through crazy mood swings. Sometimes they're happy and positive . . . sometimes they turn on you out of nowhere and start screaming. You never know where you stand.

#5.) The cold fish, 13%. They're more worried with what they do than with their employees. They come off as withdrawn, unemotional, and uncaring. And they're always suspicious of their employees too. (FemaleFirst.co.uk)
More Than Half of Facebook Users Have Posted a Political Message on Their Facebook Wall:

THIS is the reason I only scroll down my Facebook wall a few times a week. Because it's not just the home of baby pictures and people trying to sell concert tickets . . . it's also the home of mind-numbing comments on politics. --According to a new poll of Facebook users, more than HALF . . . 51% . . . say they've posted a political message on their Facebook wall. --It didn't ask how many people posted well-researched, educated, reasoned political messages on their Facebook wall . . . but it's also possible that numbers that low haven't been invented. --But those messages people DO post actually work. 36% of people say they've actually CHANGED AN OPINION based on a political comment a friend posted. 64% have not. --Health care is the top political issue on Facebook, at 18%. The federal budget is second, at 14%. Education is third, at 13%, and taxes are fourth, at 12%. --The survey also found that 67% of social media users voted for PRESIDENT OBAMA in 2008. If they could relive the 2008 election today, knowing what we know now, only 53% would vote for Obama. (Mashable)


Cops are Summoned to an Elementary School After a Girl Kisses a Boy in Gym Class:

We really had it good as kids. Because when we were in school, if a girl came up and kissed you, you were a hero. You weren't a VICTIM and she wasn't a CRIMINAL. --Last week, at Orange River Elementary School in Fort Myers, Florida, the assistant principal . . . 56-year-old Margaret Ann Haring . . . saw a girl walk up to a boy and KISS HIM during gym class. --The children's ages and grade weren't released. --And Haring's response was . . . to call CHILD WELFARE OFFICIALS. Because she was worried she'd just witnessed a sex crime. You know, that notorious sex crime of an elementary school-aged girl kissing an elementary school-aged boy. --The person at the child welfare office told her to contact the sheriff. So she did. And a sheriff's deputy was dispatched to the school to investigate. --The deputy concluded that there were, quote, "no new allegations of sexual abuse" so no charges were filed against the girl. (The Smoking Gun)


Male Characters in Movies Get Two Thirds of the Speaking Parts . . . and Females Show More Skin:

USC's School for Communication and Journalism looked at the 100 top-grossing movies of 2009 . . . and found it was a sausage party. --Two thirds of the 4,432 characters that had speaking roles were male. That was almost exactly the same as the breakdown for movies the year before. --But even though men get more lines, women get to show more skin. (--So, it all evens out?) -One in four female characters were shown in sexy clothing like swimwear and unbuttoned shirts, while only one in 20 male characters were. --One in four women also showed full or partial nudity, while one in 12 men did. --Check out some of the other results: One in ten female characters were described by another character as being attractive, compared to one in 40 male characters. --Female characters aged 13 to 20 were just as likely as older females to wear sexy clothes or show skin. --According to the research, men and women might be portrayed differently, because MEN are the ones making movies. Only one in thirty of the top-grossing films were directed by a woman, and only one in eight were written by one. --In movies directed by women, female characters had 47% of the speaking parts compared to 33% of the parts with male directors. Four in 10 characters created by female screenwriters were women, compared to three in 10 with male writers. (Miami Herald)


MEATBALL CRIMINALS

Mugshot of the Day: A 24-Year-Old Woman Drives Drunk, Knees a Cop in the Groin, Then Gives Us a Two-Thumbs-Up Mugshot:

We're going to run down the laundry list of what this woman did last Thursday night during her drunk driving arrest . . . and you'd never believe she produced such a HAPPY, SMILING MUGSHOT. Here we go . . . --On Thursday night, 24-year-old Michelle Watson of Prescott, Arizona was driving drunk in her Honda Civic. Her blood-alcohol level was THREE TIMES the legal limit. --She crashed into several curbs and went up on the sidewalk. --When the cops pulled her over and told her to walk in a straight line, she told them, quote, "I don't have to walk [effing] anywhere." --Then she shoved and wrestled with one cop . . . and KNEED ANOTHER IN THE GROIN while she was being handcuffed. --Finally, she kept kicking the inside of the cop car to escape. --And after all that, when she got to jail and they took her mugshot, she gave a huge smile AND a FONZIE TWO-THUMBS-UP to the camera. --She's been charged with aggravated assault on a cop, resisting arrest, and a, quote, "DUI - super extreme." (Jalopnik) (--Here's her mugshot.)
A Woman Crashes While Driving Drunk and Blames It On . . . the New "Twilight" Movie:

How many more lives must "Twilight" ruin? There's blood on your hands, pale actors. --Early Saturday morning, a Kendall County, Illinois sheriff's deputy spotted a car in a ditch off the side of the road. --When he approached it, he saw there was NO FRONT TIRE . . . and the driver appeared to be extremely drunk. --That driver was 18-year-old Olivia Ornelas of Aurora, Illinois. --As the cop arrested her, she told him she'd gotten drunk after a fight with her boyfriend . . . over "Twilight". He'd promised they were going to go see "Breaking Dawn", he backed out, and she was furious. --Even with that airtight defense, she was still hit with a DUI and unlawful consumption of alcohol by a minor. (The Smoking Gun)


RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS

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


There's a 78-year-old woman in England who says she can't sleep at night . . . because a ghost keeps groping her. (Full Story)


According to a new study, the key to a happy retirement is . . . SEX. (Full Story)


Online bullying seems to have leveled off . . . but bullying by TEXT is now on the rise. (Full Story)


NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY

#1.) Check Out How Much Damage Two Toddlers Can Do to a Living Room . . . Armed with Just a Five-Pound Bag of Flour:

There's a new video on YouTube called "Family Home Destroyed by Avalanche" . . . but it has nothing to do with snow. It's a woman walking through her house . . . after her two toddlers got into a bag of FLOUR. --According to the post, she was in the bathroom, and they pulled a brand new, five-pound bag out of the cupboard. And somehow, they managed to cover EVERYTHING in it, including two couches, the entire living room floor, and a big screen TV. --The mom walks out and starts filming them . . . and says "Oh, my gosh" over and over again for three minutes straight. But the kids have no idea they did anything wrong.


#2.) Two Guys Made Out in the Background of a News Report in Spain:

Spain's equivalent of the Republican Party is called the Popular Party. And they had a huge victory in Spain's elections over the weekend. --Then during a live news report about it in Madrid, two gay guys stood behind the reporter and MADE OUT. Apparently it was some kind of protest, because the Popular Party wants to repeal Spain's same-sex marriage laws. --Search for "Al Jazeera Gay Kiss in Spain." They start kissing at :30.)


#3.) Ron Paul Is the Target of the Newest "Bad Lip Reading" Video:

The guys who do the "Bad Lip Reading" videos have a new one. This time they take on RON PAUL . . . and it might be the best one yet. It's hard to pick the best part, but it might be a minute-and-a-half in, when he threatens to, quote, "haunt your prostate." --Apparently they signed a deal with FunnyOrDie.com, because that's the only place it's posted. (--Search for "Ron Paul Bad Lip Reading." WARNING: This video includes the words "ass" and "feces.")


#4.) What Do Men Really Think About Facebook? Check out "The Gentlemen's Rant":

There's a YouTube series called "The Gentlemen's Rant", where a group of guys rant about everyday things . . . like work, traffic, and going to Starbucks. And they're always pretty funny. --But there's one they did about Facebook, and everything they said about it was DEAD ON. Among other things, they're sick of people posting pictures of food, and caring too much about their own birthdays. --And they hate all the annoying alerts they get about friends who changed their profile pictures. (--Search for "The Gentlemen's Rant: Facebook.") (--WARNING: This video includes the word "ass.")


Four Free Apps to Make Black Friday Shopping Less Stressful:

Black Friday is the biggest shopping day of the year, and things can get a little crazy out there. But your cell phone can make things a little easier. --For example, there's a free app called "TGI Black Friday" that lets you easily scan Black Friday ads for all the major retailers. Here are four MORE free apps that might come in handy this Friday.

#1.) "Price Check" by Amazon.com. It lets you look up products and compare prices by taking a picture, saying the name of the product, or typing it. Or if you're already at the store, you can just take a picture of the barcode. --You can get "Price Check" on the iPhone, iPad, Android, or Blackberry.

#2.) "ShopSavvy". Just like "Price Check," it lets you comparison shop by scanning the product's barcode. But it also tells you how much it's selling for online, AND at other stores in the area. It's available on the iPhone, Android, and Windows Phone.

#3.) "FastMall". It has maps and interactive navigation tools for more than 1,250 malls across the country. So if you're at a mall you don't know that well, you won't have to waste time searching for stores. --It tells you the fastest route to each one, and if you can't take the escalator because you're pushing a stroller, it takes that into account too. Plus, it uses GPS to help find your car in the parking lot. It's available on the iPhone and the Android.

#4.) "Lemon". This one's good if you always lose receipts. With "Lemon," you take a picture of each receipt, then it files it away so it's easy to find. And it can also create bar graphs to help track what you're spending money on. --"Lemon" is available on the iPhone and the Android. (CNBC)

HOLLYWOOD DIRT OVERFLOW (11-21-11)

And Now . . . More Talk About Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore's "Open Marriage":

Last year, a young woman named Brittney Jones claimed that she got down with ASHTON KUTCHER on his couch while DEMI MOORE was out of town. --And she claimed that Ashton told her he and Demi were into THREESOMES with other girls. --But it wasn't a purely "open relationship", because Ashton wasn't allowed to fool around without her. Brittney said, quote, "He isn't supposed to go off and sleep with women on his own. Demi has to be there and she likes to pick the girls out." --Well, now that Ashton and Demi's marriage is over thanks to a new alleged mistress, their supposedly freaky sex life is back in all the tabloids. --So-called "anonymous sources" are basically saying the same thing: That Ashton and Demi liked to mess around with another chick . . . but unless they were both there and both participating, it was cheating. (--The term "open marriage" is being tossed around a lot here, but I'm pretty sure it's not being used correctly. My understanding of an open marriage has always been that both partners can do whatever they want.) (--That was obviously not the case here. If these reports are true, Ashton and Demi did do some freaky stuff . . . but the rule was they had to do it TOGETHER.) (--Meanwhile, here's video of CHELSEA HANDLER on "Piers Morgan Tonight", saying that Demi and Ashton's threesomes led to TWOSOMES without Demi, which led to divorce.)


Ashton Kutcher's Alleged Mistress from Last Year Feels Vindicated:

Over a year ago, a young woman named BRITTNEY JONES said that ASHTON KUTCHER nailed her on his couch while DEMI MOORE was out of town. The story ran its course and just kind of died down. Publicly, anyway. --But now Brittney is back . . . and she feels vindicated that the world now knows Ashton IS a cheater. She says, quote, "I think, you know, everybody thought I was lying, and I was being as honest as I could be. --"And I think now this finally shows that I wasn't lying." (--Here's video.)


Check Out Some Quotes Ashton Kutcher Gave to a Magazine Before Demi Filed for Divorce:

Before DEMI MOORE filed for divorce from him, ASHTON KUTCHER talked about women and relationships with "Men's Health" magazine. Here are some of the highlights: --This is probably the most ironic quote: "I think it's all about working on the relationship and making it better . . . when it's good. Don't wait for a problem to work on things. The goal is not to get into a relationship; the goal is to be in a relationship." --Then there's this one: "I would just like a woman someday, somewhere, at some point in my life to say to me, 'You're a great listener.' Haven't heard it yet, and that's a superior compliment to get from a woman. But I'm going to work on it." --Ashton was also asked to finish this sentence: "I could never be with a woman who . . ." He replied, quote, "Wow, that's tough. I could never be with a woman who felt like she needed to change me." --Then there's this one . . . which was NOT specifically about Demi or his marriage . . . quote, "I'm relatively scared of failure. But I just don't see it as something that's inevitable."


Demi Moore Made $5 Million This Year . . . But Ashton Made a Lot More:

Since DEMI MOORE filed for divorce from ASHTON KUTCHER in California, there's a good chance their earnings over the course of their marriage will be split 50-50, as long as there wasn't a prenup. And that'll go in Demi's favor. --There's no doubt Ashton's been the bigger earner since they got together. Demi made an estimated $5 million this year . . . while Ashton has made $7 million from "Two and a Half Men" alone. --He's also made $2 million from movies, $1 million from his restaurants and another million in residuals from reruns of "That '70s Show".


Rihanna Says Being Single Sucks and She Doesn't Get Booty Calls:

What kind of a world do we live in when RIHANNA can't seem to find a way to have sex? It's a world Rihanna isn't particularly happy in. --On Monday's "Ellen", she said, quote, "I'm not dating at all . . . I'm not necessarily happy being single. It's not really that cool. It sucks, but it is what it is. --"My personal life is pretty much non-existent, which is not good, not for the long run. Not for me, not for [my vagina]. It's not fun." --"That's why I stay on Twitter a lot, so I can [talk] with my fans. Because I don't get any booty calls." --It sounds like Rihanna has a few openings to fill. If you think you're the guy to get the job done, here's what she's looking for . . . quote, "I like men who are more aggressive but mysterious. --"I like them to be sure of themselves and know that they're the man. I'm the lady and the only way for us to make this work is for us to play our roles. --"You know, I can't really be the man for you. I don't want to have to be. I'm the man at work all the time."


HOW DID NATALIE WOOD DIE?

Robert Wagner Is Not a Suspect in Natalie Wood's Death . . . But Is He a "Person of Interest"?

Police said on Friday that ROBERT WAGNER is NOT a suspect in the 1981 drowning death of his then-wife NATALIE WOOD. --In a press conference announcing why they've reopened the case after 30 years, police said, quote, "Recently, we have received information which we felt was substantial enough to make us take another look at this case." --At least some of that information came from DENNIS DAVERN, the captain of Wagner's yacht, The Splendour. --Davern, Wagner, Wood and CHRISTOPHER WALKEN were all on board the boat when Natalie supposedly fell off and drowned. Wagner and Wood were fighting shortly before her death . . . supposedly about Walken. --In a new book, Davern claims he was basically told to cover up what he saw and heard that night. He now says he believes Wagner was responsible for his wife's death. --TMZ says that while Wagner isn't a suspect, he is, quote, "clearly the person of interest and the primary reason the investigation has been reopened." --Walken isn't a suspect, but police do want to talk to him. And reports indicate that he's hired a lawyer.


Did Robert Wagner Leave Natalie Wood to Drown in Order to Teach Her a Lesson?

We still know so little about exactly WHAT authorities are investigating in terms of NATALIE WOOD'S death. But her sister LANA WOOD may have given us the scoop in an interview with TMZ. --She claims that yacht captain DENNIS DAVERN told her that he and ROBERT WAGNER knew Natalie had fallen overboard . . . but Robert told him, quote, "Leave her in there, teach her a lesson." --Asked if she believes Natalie's death was a result of FOUL PLAY, Lana had a lot of trouble answering. --But she did say, quote, "I can't ever believe that [Wagner] would purposefully do something to hurt her. I honestly from my heart believe that it was drink and people being out of control and not thinking clearly and just high emotions. --"And it was, in that case, it would be an accident." --TMZ asked Lana if Wagner should be PUNISHED if he knew Natalie was struggling in the water and did nothing to help her. She said, quote, "If that's the case I think he has been punished all these years, because that would be a hell of a thing to live with, wouldn't it?" --She added, quote, "I would just be happy personally if the truth was out there . . . I just wanna know once and for all." (--Here's video of Lana's interview.)


Mila Kunis and Kristin Cavallari Went to Marine Corps Balls Over the Weekend:

MILA KUNIS and KRISTIN CAVALLARI both went to Marine Corps balls over the weekend. --As you may recall, it was Marine Sergeant Scott Moore who started the craze of calling out celebs on YouTube when he made a video asking Mila to his ball. --That one went down Friday night in Greenville, North Carolina. And while it was closed to the media, a Marine spokesman said, quote, "Everything went well. It was a great experience for everybody." --Meanwhile, KRISTIN CAVALLARI attended the ball in Temecula, California on Thursday with Lance Corporal Jonathan Burkett . . . who invited her on Twitter. --She later Tweeted that she, quote, "had a great time." --And Burkett Tweeted the following message to Kristin's boyfriend, Chicago Bears quarterback JAY CUTLER . . . quote, "Hey man glad she was able to come! You have an awesome gf and hopefully wife!" --Jay replied, quote, "Thanks man. She is the best. We appreciate all your sacrifices. Let me know if I can ever help with anything." (--Here are pictures of Mila and Kristin at their respective events.) (People, E! Online)


Showbiz Photo of the Day: Bill Murray Apparently Looks a Lot Like Abraham Lincoln:

BILL MURRAY has a movie in the works called "Hyde Park on Hudson", in which he plays President Franklin D. Roosevelt. But maybe he should be playing Abraham Lincoln, because there are some obvious similarities. --Someone took a $5 bill and a magic marker and turned Abe into Bill. And it really worked. (--Check out the picture here. WARNING!!! There's an F-bomb on the money.) (Huffington Post) (--Steven Spielberg is directing a movie on Lincoln . . . unimaginatively titled "Lincoln". But it does NOT star Bill Murray. Daniel Day-Lewis is playing the title character.)
"Breaking Dawn" Had the Fifth Best Opening Weekend Ever:

As expected "Twilight: Breaking Dawn" had a huge opening weekend. The movie made $139.5 million in its first three days of release . . . $71.4 million of which came from Friday alone. --It's the fifth best opening weekend of all time behind "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2", "The Dark Knight", "Spider-Man 3", and "Twilight: New Moon", which holds the record for biggest opening weekend in the series with $143 million.

--Here's a look at all four films in the "Twilight" series.

Film
Release Date
Opening Weekend
Total Gross
"Twilight"
November 21st, 2008
$69.6 million
$393 million
"Twilight: New Moon"
November 20th, 2009
$143 million
$710 million
"Twilight: Eclipse"
June 30th, 2010
$64.8 million
$698 million
"Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1"
November 18th, 2011
$139.5 million
We'll see.

--And here are this week's Top 10 movies . . .

1.) NEW: "Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part 1", $139.5 million

2.) NEW: "Happy Feet Two", $22 million

3.) Mickey Rourke's "Immortals", $12.3 million. Up to $53 million in its 2nd week.

4.) Adam Sandler's "Jack and Jill", $12 million. Up to $41 million in its 2nd week.

5.) "Puss in Boots", $10.7 million. Up to $122 million in its 4th week.

6.) "Tower Heist", $7 million. Up to $53.4 million in its 3rd week.

7.) Leonardo DiCaprio's "J. Edgar", $5.9 million. Up to $20.7 million in its 2nd week.

8.) "A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas", $2.9 million. Up to $28.3 million in its 3rd week.

9.) "In Time", $1.7 million. Up to $33.4 million in its 4th week.

10.) NEW: George Clooney's "The Descendants", $1.2 million. Up to $1.3 million since its limited release on Wednesday.


Check Out Some Highlights from Arnold Schwarzenegger's Commentary on the "Total Recall" DVD:

It's usually lame and annoying when people do DVD commentaries and basically just describe what's happening on the screen. But when ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER does it, it's kind of hilarious.--Someone posted a video on YouTube featuring highlights of Arnold's commentary from the "Total Recall" DVD, and it's definitely worth watching. (--Check it out here.) (--In related news, Arnold split his forehead open while filming his upcoming western, "The Last Stand". He posted a picture of the wound on Twitter. You can check it out here.) (Twitpic)


The Poster for "The Expendables 2" Features Schwarzenegger, Willis, Norris and Van Damme!

The poster for "The Expendables 2" has been released, and it features appearances by four notable new cast members: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bruce Willis, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris. (--Yeah, Arnold and Bruce were in the original, but in bit parts. They actually get in on the action in this one. The sequel opens next summer. Here's the poster.) (AintItCool.com) (--Jason Statham, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Terry Crews and Dolph Lundgren are all returning from the original. Miley Cyrus' boyfriend Liam Hemsworth has also joined the cast.)
Highlights from Regis Philbin's Last Day on "Live! With Regis and Kelly":

REGIS PHILBIN ended his 28-year run on "Live! with Regis and Kelly" on Friday. Here are some highlights from his final show: --It began with Regis, behind-the-scenes, making his final walk out to the stage with KELLY RIPA. (Video) (--The second half of this clip features a montage of stars doing Regis impressions over the years. That begins at the 5:49 mark.) --A lot of celebrities were in the studio audience . . . including Kathie Lee Gifford, Tony Danza, Meredith Vieira, Caroline Rhea, Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Katie Couric, and Bryant Gumbel. --Other celebrities gave tributes to Regis via satellite . . . including Anne Hathaway, Selena Gomez, Shia LaBeouf and Justin Timberlake. Also, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg presented Regis with a key to the city. --Kelly paid tribute to Regis with an emotional "speech" of her own. Among other things she said, quote, "Your light is what shined around all of us and made us look so bright for so long . . .--"As you go forward, I'm thinking about the people at home who are suffering from cancer, and a nursing mother who's been up all night feeding her baby, and the little boy who's taking a math test and he's afraid to go to school so he stays home and watches you. And your story makes [them] feel better." (Video) --Regis also shared a few final words to "say goodbye to everybody." He told the audience, quote, "This was the last chance I had in this business: To make it here in New York. I guess it was fate that it happened this way . . . --"I'll never be able to answer all the cards, letters and messages that have poured in but I'll always remember spending these mornings with all of you. God bless you all and I hope I see you again real soon. Thanks everybody!" (Video) --Regis' permanent replacement hasn't been determined yet. In the meantime, the show has been re-titled "Live! With Kelly". The show's website has already been updated. JERRY SEINFELD will be the guest co-host this week.

(--This weekend's "Saturday Night Live" featured a sketch in which Kelly . . . played by Nasim Pedrad . . . auditions celebrities like Ashton Kutcher, Ricky Gervais, George Lopez and Charles Barkley to find a new co-host.)

(--You can find the clip at NBC.com/Saturday-Night-Live.)

(--Also, several celebrities paid tribute to Regis on Twitter. The "Hollywood Reporter" collected some of them, here.)


Elisabeth Shue Will Replace Marg Helgenberger on "CSI":

One "CSI" star is leaving Las Vegas . . . and she'll be replaced by "Leaving Las Vegas" star ELISABETH SHUE. --Elisabeth will be a regular cast member, who's basically taking the place of MARG HELGENBERGER'S character, Catherine Willows. Elisabeth's character will make her debut on an episode scheduled for February 15th. --Marg's final episode will air around that time.


The New Episodes of "Arrested Development" Will Premiere on Netflix:

It's official: New episodes of "Arrested Development" are on the way . . . but the show isn't coming back to TV. --Instead, Netflix will exclusively stream the new episodes as they're released. Unfortunately, this won't be happening any time soon . . . the new episodes won't be ready until "early 2013." --There aren't any other details, but all the former stars are expected to be involved. Last month, we heard that they were going to do a "mini-season" with nine or 10 more episodes, which would lead up to the release of an "Arrested Development" movie.


Monday TV Reminders:


--"Monday Night Football" . . . 8:30 to 11:30 P.M. Eastern on ESPN. The New England Patriots host the Kansas City Chiefs at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts.


--"Dancing with the Stars" [Final Performance Show] . . . 8:00 to 9:00 P.M. on ABC. Ricki Lake, J.R. Martinez and Rob Kardashian perform.


--"The Sing-Off" . . . 8:00 to 10:00 P.M. on NBC. The four remaining groups collaborate to perform "Baba O'Riley", "Bittersweet Symphony", "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and "Hollaback Girl". Individual performances are a mash-up of songs.


--"You Deserve It" [Series Premiere] . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on ABC. Contestants play for people they feel deserve the $250,000 prize by answering trivia questions with host Chris Harrison.


--"House" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Fox. House gets in trouble for trying to solve the mysterious death of a 4-year-old girl.


--"Scare Tactics" [4th Season Finale] . . . 9:00 to 9:30 P.M. on Syfy.


--"American Chopper: Senior vs. Junior" . . . 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. on Discovery Channel. Junior unveils the Ground Zero bike in New York City while OCC begins two bike builds. Plus: Jesse James has vulgar cakes sent to both shops.


--"Hawaii Five-0" . . . 10:00 to 11:00 P.M. on CBS. Jimmy Buffett guest stars.


--"Ridiculousness" [1st Season Finale] . . . 10:00 to 10:30 P.M. on MTV.


--"Cuff'd" [1st Season Finale] . . . 10:30 to 11:00 P.M. on MTV.


--"Death Valley" [1st Season Finale] . . . 11:00 to 11:30 P.M. on MTV.


TODAY'S NEW VIDEO GAMES

"Glee" Karaoke, the Latest "Zelda", and a New WWE Rasslin' Game Are In Stores This Week:


--"The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword" (E10+) . . . on Wii. (Trailer) Link must use the Skyward Sword to travel between sky and land to figure out why they've become separated for the 16th entry in the "Legend of Zelda" series.

With the Wii MotionPlus attachment for your Wiimote you'll finally have complete control of Link's swords . . . so instead of just standing in front of your TV moving your arm up and down you may actually feel like you're cutting down bad guys.


--"Karaoke Revolution: Glee 3" (T) . . . on Xbox360 and Wii. (Trailer) "Gleek" out with 35 songs from Season Two. The track list includes "Firework", "Born This Way", "Time Warp", "Loser Like Me", and "(I've Had) The Time of My Life".


--"WWE '12" (T) . . . on Xbox360, PS3, and Wii. (Trailer) The roster for this rasslin' game includes WWE legends like Brock Lesnar, "Macho Man" Randy Savage, and The Rock, as well as favorites like John Cena, the Undertaker, and Randy Orton. (--You'll find the full line up here.)


Two People Named Their Kid After the Hero in "Skyrim":

#1.) The makers of "Skyrim" challenged fans that happened to have kids on the game's release date to name their child after the game's main character in exchange for free games from that company for life. Of course, two people were crazy enough to take them up on it. Here's a picture of little Dovahkiin.

(--Speaking of "Skyrim", the game sold 3.5 million copies in the first two days, and is expected to earn over 450 million dollars worldwide)


#2.) Last week we told you PETA was going after Super Mario. Well, now they are claiming the whole ordeal was meant to be tongue-in-cheek. (Full Story)

(--Even if it was just a publicity stunt that doesn't mean those crazy Taiwanese animators can't give their interesting take on Mario wearing a Tanooki suit.)


NEW ON VIDEO THIS WEEK


--"Conan the Barbarian" - Your new Conan is Jason Momoa, who played Khal Drogo on HBO's "Game of Thrones". Ron Perlman plays his father, and the bad guy is Stephen Lang, from "Avatar" and the TV series "Terra Nova".

(--Check out this bad-ass clip from the movie, which shows young Conan competing with other boys from his village when they get ambushed by a rival tribe. Everyone else runs away, except for Conan.) (When Blood Is Spilled)


--"Super 8" - The sci-fi collaboration between Steven Spielberg and J.J. Abrams is about a group of kids making a movie on 'Super 8' millimeter film in 1979 accidentally capture footage of a military train crash. And when they watch it . . . they notice something alien escaping from the wreckage.


--"Spy Kids: All the Time in the World" - The fourth "Spy Kids" movie stars Jessica Alba as a retired spy who's forced to reveal her secret to her two bratty stepkids . . . and they become the new spy kids of the franchise. The original spy kids are both grown up, but they return to help out too.

Ricky Gervais does the voice of their robot spy dog, Jeremy Piven is the villain, and no "Spy Kids" movie would be complete without Danny Trejo as Machete.




TV Series On DVD:


--"Tyler Perry's Meet the Browns: Season 3" . . . a three-disc DVD set.


--"The L Word: The Complete Series" . . . a twenty four-disc DVD set.


--"Doctor Who: The Complete 6th Series" . . . a six-disc DVD set.


--"Survivor: Season 6 - The Amazon" . . . That's the one with Christy the deaf girl that was won by swimsuit model Jenna Morasca. Oops, did I spoil it for you? Get over it! It was SEVENTEEN frickin' seasons ago. Surely you've found something else to watch by now.
NEW MUSIC OUT THIS WEEK

This Week's CD Releases:


--"Talk That Talk", Rihanna . . . Jay-Z raps on the title track. It also features the singles "We Found Love" and You Da One".


--"Here and Now", Nickelback . . . featuring the singles "When We Stand Together" and "Bottoms Up".


--"Songbook", Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell . . . an acoustic live album that features performances from the solo tour Chris did this past spring. It includes covers of John Lennon's "Imagine" and Led Zeppelin's "Thank You".


--"Break the Spell", Daughtry . . . featuring the singles "Renegade" and "Crawling Back to You".


--"Beg for Mercy", Adam Lambert . . . otherwise known as the runner-up on Season Eight of "American Idol". This is his second release.

(--Note: It's a collection of pre-"American Idol" recordings. All of the songs are originals. Adam recently announced that his next album of NEW material will be called "Trespassing". It'll come out sometime next spring.)


--"That's Life", Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. . . . the jazz singer who won the sixth season of "America's Got Talent". This is his debut album.

--"Immortal", Michael Jackson . . . This is the soundtrack to the Cirque Du Soleil production of "Michael Jackson: Immortal".

--"My Life 2: The Journey Continues, Act 1", Mary J. Blige . . . The title makes it a sequel to her 1994 album "My Life". Her guests include Nas, Busta Rhymes, Drake, Rick Ross and Beyoncé.


--"Ultimate Hits: Rock and Roll Never Forgets", Bob Seger . . . A two-disc greatest hits set that includes such classics as "Hollywood Nights", "Against the Wind", "Night Moves", "Old Time Rock and Roll", and "We've Got Tonight".

--"Elevate", Big Time Rush . . . The second disc from the boy band created through the Nickelodeon TV series of the same name. For some reason teenage girls love them.

--The "Happy Feet Two" soundtrack. P!nk does the opening medley, an "Under Pressure" / "Rhythm Nation" medley, and a song called "Bridge of Light".

--The "Muppets" soundtrack, which includes classic Muppets songs, as well as a couple performed by Amy Adams and Jason Segel for the movie.

--"Speak Now World Tour Live", Taylor Swift . . . A CD / DVD set featuring live performances from Taylor's 2011 "Speak Now" tour. The set includes a 34-song double-CD . . . and a 17-song DVD with plenty of bonus content.

--"Remember Me: Volume One", Willie Nelson . . . An album of country covers featuring Willie's take on songs from the 1940s through the late '70s. A second volume is supposed to come next year.

THE AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS

Taylor Swift Won Three American Music Awards:

TAYLOR SWIFT now has 10 American Music Awards, after picking up three new ones at the AMAs last night. --Taylor won Artist of the year, Favorite Country Female Artist and Favorite Country Album for "Speak Now". --NICKI MINAJ picked up two awards herself . . . and KATY PERRY picked up a special achievement award for generating five #1 hits from her "Teenage Dream" album . . . which is a single-album record for a female artists. --ADELE also picked up two trophies, but she wasn't there to accept thanks to her recent vocal cord surgery. --Other winners included Bruno Mars, Maroon 5, Beyoncé, Rihanna and the Foo Fighters. --Performers included Nicki, Chris Brown, Daughtry, Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera, Pitbull and Marc Anthony, The Band Perry, Kelly Clarkson and LMFAO, whose performance included appearances by Justin Bieber, David Hasselhoff and YouTube lip-syncing sensation Keenan Cahill.

(ALL GENRES)

--Artist of the Year: Taylor Swift

--New Artist of the Year: Hot Chelle Rae


(POP / ROCK)

--Favorite Female Artist: Adele

--Favorite Male Artist: Bruno Mars

--Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Maroon 5

--Favorite Album: "21", Adele


(SOUL / RHYTHM & BLUES)

--Favorite Female Artist: Beyoncé

--Favorite Male Artist: Usher

--Favorite Album: "Loud", Rihanna


(RAP / HIP-HOP)

--Favorite Male Artist: Nicki Minaj

--Favorite Album: "Pink Friday", Nicki Minaj

(COUNTRY)

--Favorite Female Artist: Taylor Swift . . . (--This is Taylor's THIRD year in a row winning this one.)

--Favorite Male Artist: Blake Shelton

--Favorite Band, Duo or Group: Lady Antebellum . . . (--They won last year, too.)

--Favorite Album: "Speak Now", Taylor Swift


(OTHER MUSIC CATEGORIES)


--Favorite Artist - (Adult/Contemporary): Adele

--Favorite Artist - (Alternative Rock): Foo Fighters

--Favorite Artist - (Contemporary Inspirational): Casting Crowns

--Favorite Artist - (Latin Music): Jennifer Lopez


Justin Bieber Probably Took a Paternity Test on Friday:

JUSTIN BIEBER planned to take a paternity test on Friday. Assuming he did . . . there's no word on the results. --Last Thursday, Justin and his manager Scooter Braun said that they were going ahead with the test . . . even though they were no longer legally required to do so, since Justin's accuser Mariah Yeater dropped her paternity lawsuit against him. --Justin said, quote, "It doesn't matter . . . we don't want it to seem like it's okay for everyone else to just say, 'Oh yeah, Justin had my baby, or is having my baby'." --I don't think Justin meant that anyone would accuse HIM of giving birth to their baby . . . but we know what he meant, so we'll cut him some slack.) --Assuming Justin is NOT the father . . . which seems almost a given at this point . . . Justin's manager also reiterated that they plan on going after Mariah. He said, quote, "I think it's important to hold people accountable for their actions." (--You can find video at ExtraTV.com/Videos. We couldn't get a direct link . . . it's the one with the title: "Justin Bieber Exclusive: Paternity Test Still On".)


Robin Gibb Reportedly Has Liver Cancer:

61-year-old ROBIN GIBB of the BEE GEES has been in and out of the hospital with stomach problems over the past year and a half . . . but now it sounds like he may be dealing with something much worse. --Britain's "Daily Mail" tabloid is reporting that Robin has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Supposedly, he found out "several months ago." Robin was hospitalized last Tuesday, but was released later in the day. --The "Mail" also reports that Robin and his wife Dwina . . . "an ordained druid priestess" . . . are, quote, "considering a visit to a Native American medicine man for a possible natural cure." --There's been no official statement on any of this. (--Here are a couple recent pictures of Robin. I don't know if he's sick, but he doesn't look all that healthy.) (Spinner) (Daily Mail)


Did a British Man Commit Suicide Because He Got Tinnitus from a Them Crooked Vultures Concert?

Britain's "Daily Mail" tabloid claims a 52-year-old British man committed suicide because got severe tinnitus from a THEM CROOKED VULTURES concert. (--That's the band that features Josh Homme, John Paul Jones and Dave Grohl.) --Tinnitus is a permanent condition that causes a constant ringing in the ears. Supposedly, he was having trouble sleeping, and was starting to lose his mind. His psychiatrist says, quote, "He accepted death as a side-effect of stopping the noise."


Third Eye Blind Has Released an Occupy Wall Street Song:

If the Occupy Wall Street movement is in need of a theme song . . . THIRD EYE BLIND has a submission. It's called "If There Ever Was a Time", and it was written "in support of Occupy Wall Street." --Singer Stephan Jenkins says, quote, "I hope [Occupy Wall Street] achieves its goals of starting new politics that are counter to the trend towards oligarchy that's been increasingly foisted on us these last few years." --He adds, quote, "I think college students are going to come to terms with the unfairness of student loans, the hallowing out of jobs from finance based capitalism, and the depletion of public wealth. --"When you take money out of politics, which is what Occupy Wall Street is about for me, you reverse these trends. This song is meant to encourage their participation. I hope we flood this movement with music." (--The song is up on Third Eye Blind's Facebook page. WARNING: There's an audible S-word just before the song starts. The lyrics are posted on the band's website.)

MONDAY'S SHOWBIZ EXTRAS

Showbiz Extras . . . Random Links to Additional Stories:


Just when you thought the situation at Penn State couldn't get any more depressing, there's this: Recently-fired head football coach JOE PATERNO has LUNG CANCER. His son says that his doctors are optimistic he'll make a full recovery. (Full Story)


KRIS HUMPHRIES may not be pulling a salary from the NBA, but he just scored a $150,000 deal to pimp for the Italian watch company Sector. (Full Story)



VANESSA MINNILLO has changed her name to Vanessa LACHEY. (Full Story)



We heard recently that CAMERON DIAZ and DIDDY might be each other's booty call. Now there's word that Cameron may be nailing RYAN PHILLIPPE and LEONARDO DICAPRIO, too. (Full Story)



JEREMY LONDON is at it again. Remember that bizarre incident last year when Jeremy was supposedly kidnapped and forced to take drugs? Well, now he's wanted by police for allegedly assaulting his girlfriend. His people deny he did anything wrong. (Full Story)



PARIS HILTON'S little brother CONRAD sideswiped a parked car Saturday, and the whole thing was caught on video. (Video, Full Story)



GEORGE CLOONEY'S arm is in a sling because he had some kind of elbow surgery. (Photo)


ADAM PALLY'S gay character on ABC's "Happy Endings", Max, is going to be hooking up with a former boyfriend, and it's going to be STEAMY. Adam says, quote, "We are going to make out. Most people make out in their relationships, so I would assume so. I would hope that we would be making out." (Full Story)

(--Adam is straight and married in real life.)



Last month, it looked like a contract dispute would end "Dexter" after this season. Well, good news: Everything has been settled. Showtime has just renewed "Dexter" for two more seasons . . . the show's seventh and eighth. (Full Story)



OPRAH WINFREY will host a new primetime series called "Oprah's Next Chapter". It'll debut on her OWN cable network on January 1st. The premiere will feature a two-hour interview with AEROSMITH singer and "American Idol" judge STEVEN TYLER. (Announcement) (Video)



"The Soul Train Awards" taped last Thursday night. BET will broadcast the ceremony next Sunday night. Miguel won Best New Artist, Cee Lo Green won Best Male R&B / Soul Artist, Jill Scott won Best Female R&B / Soul Artist and Marsha Ambrosius' "Far Away" was named Record of the Year. (Full Story)



A new AMY WINEHOUSE video is out. It's for Amy's cover of Ruby & the Romantics' 1963 single "Our Day Will Come". (Video)



61-year-old Bonnie Pointer of the Pointer Sisters was arrested Friday morning in Los Angeles on suspicion of possession of "rock cocaine." She was released on $10,000 bail. (Full Story, with mugshot)


RANDOM STUFF

This Thanksgiving, Instead of Being Thankful, Remind Yourself How Unsatisfied You Are?

It's the time of year when we're supposed to pause and think about everything we're thankful for. Well . . . maybe you shouldn't. --According to a new study, complaining about how things are going can actually make you HAPPIER . . . because when you complain, it puts you in the mindset to CHANGE things. --When you're just thankful and DON'T complain, you get used to the status quo . . . even though, odds are, there IS something you'd like to change. (MSNBC)


Here are the Three Things Most Happy People Have In Common:

How much do you have to make each year to be happy? We've seen the number $75,000-a-year floating around. It's enough money that you don't have to worry . . . but you wouldn't have to sacrifice every other aspect of your entire life to make it. --And now, there's another new study that backs it up. Two researchers at Princeton looked at more than 450,000 survey respondents to find the key elements of happiness. --And they found three things that most happy people have in common. One, they went to college. Two, they're married. And three . . . their salary is right around $75,000. (UPI)


Americans Aren't Lazy . . . Except When We're Teenagers, Then We're Pretty Lazy:

There's a stereotype that Americans are lazy. And it's REALLY not true. We have the statistics to prove it. Except when we're kids and teenagers. Then we're pretty lazy. Let's go to the numbers . . .

--Average annual work hours. In 2010, the average American worked 1,778 hours. (--That works out to about 34 hours a week.) That's fewer than people in most Asian countries, but definitely ahead of pretty much all of Europe. And Canada. Verdict: Not lazy.


--Minimum mandatory paid vacation. In France, the law states people MUST take off 30 days. In Australia, the Netherlands, and the U.K. it's four weeks. Even in Japan it's 10 days. Here? ZERO. Verdict: Extremely not lazy.


--Mandatory maternity leave. In the Netherlands, the law requires new mothers to take 16 weeks. It's eight weeks in Germany, and six weeks in Japan and Denmark. Here? ZERO. Verdict: Extremely not lazy.


--Retirement age. In Turkey, the average is 45. In Greece it's 57. Here, it's 66. Of developed countries, only Norway's is later, at 67. Verdict: Not lazy.


--Standard school year. Our standard school year is 180 days. And that's basically the lowest of all the world powers. Japan is number one with 243 days. Verdict: Lazy.


--Math skills of 15-year-olds. South Korea ranks first, Finland is second, Switzerland is third . . . and we're 25th. Ouch. Verdict: Lazy.

(Yahoo)


Men Spend Six Minutes Longer Getting Ready Every Day Than Women?

I really can't believe this is accurate . . . but it comes from an article on the Internet, so how can it NOT be true, right? --According to a survey by the Travelodge chain, the average man actually spends LONGER getting ready in the morning than the average woman. --A man takes 81 minutes to shower, shave, groom, style his hair, pick his clothes, and get dressed. --A woman takes 75 minutes getting ready in the morning . . . so six minutes less. --The people behind the survey say they think men take longer because women are better at getting their hair-makeup-clothing routine down to a science. (The Telegraph)


Real Estate Agents are the Best-Dressed Profession . . . and Teachers are the Worst:

Really? With all that teachers do . . . and with how little they get paid . . . you REALLY want to pile on? Okay. Let's do it. --In a new survey, teachers were named the WORST-DRESSED profession. It's out of the UK, but whatever. The full bottom five is:


#1.) Teachers.

#2.) TV presenters on kids' shows. (???)

#3.) Postal workers.

#4.) Garbage men.

#5.) Construction workers.


--On the other end of things . . . REAL ESTATE AGENTS were named the best-dressed profession. They may not be selling houses like they used to, but at least they look good in their futility, right? Here are the top five best-dressed professions:


#1.) Real estate agents.

#2.) Legal professionals.

#3.) Bankers.

#4.) News anchors.

#5.) Flight attendants.


(ZeeNews)
Check Out the World's Largest 3D Painting, the World's Longest Chocolate Bar . . . and the World's Largest Teabag?

Last Thursday was Guinness World Records Day, where people around the world are encouraged to break records. The results started coming out over the weekend . . . here are some of the highlights.

--World's largest 3D painting. There's an artist named Joe Hill who does incredible street art, and he made a 12,491-square-foot painting that looks like cliffs and a waterfall . . . but it's on the ground at a park in London.

--World's longest chocolate bar. A chef in Bologna, Italy made a 49.2-foot long, 6.66-foot wide chocolate bar last week to set the record.

--World's largest teabag. A company in Portsmouth, England called All About Tea set this record with a 264.5-pound teabag that's almost eight feet tall and wide. (Time)

(--Here are photos of all three world records.)


Four Rules for Technology Etiquette . . . Including When it's Okay to Unfriend Someone, and Who Should Call Back on a Dropped Call:

Just because you have the new iPhone doesn't mean you have to be an insufferable jerk. You can use the newest technology and still be civilized. --Emily Post just released the 18th edition of her etiquette book, and it includes a section on technology. Here are some of her tips.

#1.) Dropped cell phone calls: It's the responsibility of the person who originally made the call to call back and apologize for the interruption . . . even though it was probably AT&T's fault that the call was dropped.


#2.) Multitasking: Basically, don't get caught. You should never type, shuffle papers, eat, or do anything else the person on the other end might notice. And never ever "call from the stall." Flush, wash your hands, THEN make the call.


#3.) Responding on Facebook: You are NOT required to respond to every friend request or comment someone leaves on your page. The etiquette guide says, quote, "Human attention is a gift." So, YOU get to decide who gets your gift.


#4.) Unfriending: If you catch up with an old high school friend, then remember why you didn't like them in high school, you're allowed to unfriend them after the initial reconnection. You can also untag yourself and delete comments from your page.


(Fox News)


People Lie More Over Technology Than They Do Face-to-Face:

Technology makes it easier for people to connect with each other . . . and apparently, to LIE while they do it. --A study by the University of Massachusetts found that when people are interacting with strangers online . . . either through email or instant messaging . . . they tell more LIES than when they meet face-to-face. --The researchers had people carry on a 15-minute conversation with a stranger, then went through and fact-checked the transcript of what they said. --The average person told 1.5 lies in person during a 15-minute period. Most of them were minor, and usually came from leaving OUT information instead of telling a bald-faced lie. --People using instant messaging told an average of three more lies than the face-to-face exchanges. --And people using email were the biggest liars. They told about five more than the face-to-face people. --The study's authors say it's because email provides the greatest distance . . . in both physical distance and in time . . . and people don't have to worry about giving anything away with their face or voice. (US News & World Report)

A New Study Finds the 10 Most Common Internet Passwords Include "Password", "123456", and "Monkey":

If you use any of the passwords on this list, please go CHANGE THEM IMMEDIATELY. You're just BEGGING to be hacked. Even if it's only the password for, like, your Domino's Pizza account. Hackers like pizza too. --A company called SplashData ran a study on millions of stolen passwords that have been posted online by hackers this year, and they came up with the 10 most common Internet passwords. Here's the list.

#1.) password

#2.) 123456

#3.) 12345678

#4.) qwerty (--the first six letters on the top row of the keyboard)

#5.) abc123

#6.) monkey

#7.) 1234567

#8.) letmein

#9.) trustno1

#10.) dragon

(The Journal)

(--You can see the full top 25 . . . which also includes things like "iloveyou", "football", and "superman" . . . here.)


A Factory Worker Was Fired for Refusing to Wear a Sticker Commemorating 666 Accident-Free Days . . . Because He Thought He'd Go to Hell:

Billy Hyatt had to decide between his commitment to workplace safety . . . and his ETERNAL SOUL. And it got him fired. --Billy worked at Pliant Corporation, which ran a plastics factory in Dalton, Georgia. (--Dalton is 90 miles northwest of Atlanta.) --And as part of their focus on workplace safety, Pliant had their employees wear stickers showing the number of days they'd gone without an accident. --That wasn't a problem . . . until they were safe for a year, nine months, and 27 days in a row. In other words: 666 days since the last accident . . . the NUMBER of the BEAST. --As the day approached, Billy explained to his manager how the Bible said anyone who took the mark of the Antichrist would be condemned to hell. --He repeated his concerns on day 666, and was told he was being, quote, "ridiculous." He got a three-day suspension for not wearing the sticker, then was fired when he came back on day 669. --That all happened in 2009. Since then, he filed an Equal Opportunity complaint saying he was fired for refusing to abandon his religious beliefs. --The EEOC gave him permission to file suit in August, and Billy filed a federal suit last week. (CBS)


MEATBALL CRIMINALS

Must See Mugshot . . . a Transgender Woman With the World's Largest Butt is Busted for Giving People Cement Buttock Injections:

We hear a lot about people performing illegal plastic surgery and putting lives at risk with the garbage they inject into people. But this story has an explosion of madness that makes it special:

#1.) The criminal here is a TRANSGENDER woman, who used to be a man. She's 30-year-old Oneal Ron Morris of Miami Gardens, Florida.

#2.) She was arrested for injecting people's buttocks with an INSANE mix of CEMENT . . . that "Fix-a-Flat" stuff for patching busted tires . . . and SUPER GLUE.

#3.) And most important, she isn't just a fake doctor . . . she's also a SPOKESWOMAN for that mix. Because she has the WORLD'S MOST RIDICULOUS BUTT. And it can't be natural. --Judging by her full-body mugshot, her measurements probably check in around 38-30-95. --Police arrested Oneal on Friday after a victim came forward. That woman had Oneal inject her buttocks with the cement-flat-tire-fix-super-glue combo . . . and ended up being hospitalized with a serious, undisclosed medical issue. --The police believe now that Oneal is in the news, other victims could come forward. (The Smoking Gun)

(--Here are Oneal's front and side full-body mugshots. You HAVE to check these out. They are 100% MUST-SEE.)


A Guy Logged Into Facebook During Two Different Burglaries:

This guy desperately needs a FACEBOOK INTERVENTION. After he gets out of prison. --Last week, 34-year-old Trevor Jones of Cobb County, Georgia broke into a house in Norcross, Georgia, when he saw the woman who lives there head out for a walk. -Trevor pulled his silver Ford Taurus into the driveway, left the engine running, and broke in. But while he was inside, he paused . . . becase he saw a computer and decided to SIGN INTO FACEBOOK. Right there, mid-burglary. --While he was on Facebook, the woman got back from her walk and saw the car in the driveway. She looked inside and saw that there was a wallet inside . . . so she grabbed that, and the car keys, and went to a neighbor's house. --Turned out Trevor's wallet contained both his driver's license AND his PAROLE CARD. --Anyway, Trevor took off running before the cops got there and broke into another house where . . . yep . . . he signed back into Facebook. It appears he took that chance to deactivate his account, since it doesn't show up in any searches. --Somehow, after all that, the police still haven't caught him. When they do, he's looking at two burglary charges. (CBS 46 - Atlanta)


RANDOM NEWS EXTRAS

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


Girls who play video games are more social and have more sex than women who don't? (Full Story)


This poll was pretty much set up to achieve this result, but still: Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has an 89% approval rating in Wisconsin. And only two people polled higher: Abe Lincoln and Jesus. (Full Story)


A 36-year-old sex offender in North Carolina is being sent back to prison . . . after sending a Facebook friend request to one of his victims. (Full Story)
NAZZY’S VIDEOS OF THE DAY


#1.) Jason Segel Hosted "Saturday Night Live" . . . and Made Out with Paul Rudd:


JASON SEGEL hosted "Saturday Night Live" this weekend . . . and had a hardcore make-out session with PAUL RUDD. It was during a recurring skit about a family that can't stop kissing each other. --They do the skit when Rudd hosts, but this one was RIDICULOUS. Andy Samberg showed up as a homeless guy. And instead of just GIVING him food . . . they spit it in his mouth. Then Rudd showed up at the end, for the BIGGEST kiss. (--Search for "SNL Kissing Family Thanksgiving." Samberg arrives at 2:30, and Rudd arrives at 4:45.)


#2.) Check Out Students at the University of California-Davis Being Pepper Sprayed at Close Range by Campus Police:

On Friday, protesters had a stand-off with campus police at the University of California-Davis (--just outside Sacramento.) They'd been warned to leave the area, but about 50 protesters sat down in a circle and stayed. --And there's footage of a cop walking up to them . . . and UNLOADING on them with pepper spray about a foot from their faces. He and another cop have now been put on administrative leave. --After the video hit YouTube, the school's chancellor, Linda Katehi, held a press conference. But she didn't let students into it, so they protested outside the building. And Katehi was so intimidated, she didn't leave for three hours. --There were still hundreds of protesters outside when she finally did. But they stayed completely silent while she walked to her car. (--Search for "Police Pepper Spraying Students at UC Davis" and "UC Davis Chancellor Walks to Her Car.")

#3.) ESPN Commentator Lee Corso Said "[Eff] It!" on Live TV:

Commentator LEE CORSO dropped an F-bomb during a college football pregame show on Saturday. He was about to lead University of Houston fans in a chant. Then he said, "Ah, [eff] it," and put on the head of their cougar mascot. (--Search for "Lee Corso University of Houston F-bomb." WARNING: This video includes the F-word.)


#4.) Michelle Obama Got Booed by NASCAR Fans in Miami:

The last NASCAR race of the season was yesterday at the Homestead-Miami Speedway in Florida. And MICHELLE OBAMA and JILL BIDEN were two of the grand marshals. But when the announcer said Michelle's name . . . she got BOOED. (--Search for "NASCAR Crowd Booed Michelle Obama.")


#5.) Check Out President Obama in a Black History PSA He Did for TBS in 1991:

Someone dug up a video that 29-year-old BARACK OBAMA made for Black History Month back in 1991. It was when he was the editor of the Harvard Law Review, and it aired on TBS as part of a series called "Black History Minutes." --Obama talked about civil rights lawyer Charles Hamilton Houston. (--Search for "Obama 1991 TBS Black History Minute.")


Five Ways to Make Cooking Thanksgiving Dinner Easier:

If you're cooking Thanksgiving dinner this Thursday, here's a list from "Reader's Digest" of five ways you can make things easier on yourself.

#1.) Keep It Simple. All you need is turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, gravy, and a vegetable. If you have time to make more dishes, go for it. But don't feel like you HAVE to. --You can also turn it into a potluck, and ask your GUESTS to do some of the cooking. Just tell them by TODAY, so they have a little time to plan.

#2.) Don't Be Afraid to Use the Microwave. Potatoes need to reach a temperature of at least 180 degrees to cook. Your microwave heats them up to about 210 degrees, which is plenty.


--It's also fine to use your microwave for vegetables, like asparagus and string beans. It's just frowned upon because it's not the TRADITIONAL way to cook on Thanksgiving.

#3.) Cook the Breasts and the Legs Separately. It's harder to cook a whole turkey, because turkeys don't cook evenly: The breast meat cooks faster than the dark meat does. That's why it's so easy to end up with white meat that's too dry.

#4.) Use a Meat Thermometer. It takes the guesswork out of it. The USDA says to cook your turkey until the thermometer reads 165 degrees, which is the "instant kill" temperature for any bacteria. --Just be careful, because once it gets that hot, it can dry out pretty fast.

#5.) Buy Dessert. It costs about the same whether you make a pumpkin pie, or you BUY a pumpkin pie. And both versions pretty much taste the same. So unless you LOVE making pumpkin pie . . . just buy one. (Reader's Digest)