Opec wants American's to pay more for gas. Again. They just bled the cow dry. Our economy collapsed due to sustained high gas prices. People paid for gas on credit cards for over two years and every American that isn't in the top 2% is broke. Unless you are Madonna (and even she is a miser I hear) or Tom Cruise, or someone loaded with money, you are hurting. You may have been fired or live in fear of your job. No one in your family except the children are getting Christmas gifts. Have I nailed this?
Price fixing is illegal in the US. Anyone that thinks we can forget about an electric car or any other alternative form of propelling our automobiles simply because gas has come down for a short time is an idiot.
Yes, I said it. Idiot. We Americans on mass need to wake the hell up. Just because a problem doesn't show it self in front of our faces, doesn't mean it doesn't exist. Gas is down. Does this mean we should forget the hell we just went through?
Tesla, get us a regular passenger version car done soon please? And our own big three, dumb asses. Figure it out will ya! We need a car that doesn't run on petro gas!
OPEC = Greed.
And hey America... Remember when you pump gas in your car. You are sending your paycheck to an Arab Nation that has no interest in our economy. Are you even aware that over 1.6 Trillion dollars in construction is going on in the Gulf which is more than a 1/3 increase since 2007 alone. Where is the money coming from? YOU and ME. Every drop of gas is money leaving our country and making another one rich. To date, our money has built the Burj Al Arab Hotel, perhaps the most luxurious hotel in the world. Then there is Hydropolis which would NEVER be possible if it were not for a ludicrous amount of disposable income by the OPEC nations. Then there is the Palm Jumeirha which you can see from space! This isn't just a landmark, it's entire body of land built up out of the sea by American's.
But hey we are decadant American's with loads of extra cash that we don't need. $80.00 for a barrel of oil. No problem.
The Overprotected singer was safe in the knowledge everyone still wants a Piece of Her as she belted out her new track at the annual Bambi Awards in Germany.
homage to fellow superstar MADONNA, wearing a replica of the Material Girl's top hat and mesh-corset ensemble she has been rocking on her Sticky & Sweet tour.
The show also acts as a warm-up for her hotly-anticipated appearance on The X Factor this weekend.
It is also her first live gig since her infamous attempts at the MTV VMAs last year.
Fashion designer KARL LAGERFELD even graced the event with his presence to present the Toxic hitmaker with her gong.
Despite all her recent troubles, Britney smiled liked she didn't have a care in the world and looked ready to embark on her upcoming tour.
Earlier in the day, the singer's mum LYNNE SPEARS told GMTV: "I think Britney is just ready to get started again. This is when she's most in her element."
Madonna’s appearance at a Gucci charity dinner last Thursday drew gasps. She's looking younger and foxier than she has in years.
And it’s no surprise that the 50-year-old is making such an effort – her divorce went through the courts last Friday and she’s bagged a new toyboy.
Madonna’s lining up baseball star Alex Rodriguez, 33, to be her new man, but she’s had to tread carefully because she didn’t want to give Guy Ritchie’s lawyers any ammunition in their custody battle for their children Lourdes, 12, Rocco, eight, and 3-year-old David.
‘She’s told A-Rod he’ll have to be patient – this could take months, even a year,’ says our source.
‘Amazingly, A-Rod’s said he’ll wait as long as it takes. He’s deeply in love with her and even writes her poetry.’
In late October Madonna held a dinner party in her New York apartment where she introduced Alex, whose divorce from his wife Cynthia had been finalised the month before, to some of her Kabbalah chums.
She told them A-Rod had ‘the heart of a poet trapped inside an insanely gorgeous body’.
And a New York Yankees insider has shown Now a note thought to have been written by A-Rod for Madge. It reads: ‘I’m nuts about you stroking me, shooting chills up and down my spine. I’m lost when you’re not with me, but glad you’re mine, all mine!’
Charlize Theron has been made a United Nations Messenger Of Peace.
The actress, who follows in the footsteps on George Clooney, 47, and Michael Douglas, 64, will focus on ending violence against women.
'This is something that has been very dear to me, and disturbing to me for a long time,' she says.
Charlize, 33, is already involved with charities in her native South Africa, where she has founded HIV initiative the Charlize Theron Africa Outreach Project.
The last person to pass a counterfeit is the person stuck with it. No one wants to be the last one holding an ersatz bill (sourdough). Neither banks or merchants receiving one are obligated to reimburse or compensate the party passing the bill. (U.S. Code Title 18, Section 471). Knowingly passing funny money is criminal. Meanwhile new bills such as the new $5.00 bill are on the streets now. You don't need to be a numismatist to keep yourself out out trouble.
How do you tell if the money in your pocket is real? The United States Secret Service has tips on detecting funny money. You can buy a special marker that when applied to real currency it leaves a yellow mark that fades. If it is a fraud, a dark or black ink stroke will remain on the bill. It appears the U S Reserve has a web site dedicated to keeping citizens updated on our currency. It's called the MoneyFactory.gov. Here you can read up or download materials on how to steer clear of phony bills.
There are in fact many security features built into modern bills. I've been to the Federal Reserve in Philadelphia and there you can learn more about it. Of course you can take an instructional course on identifying counterfeit money elsewhere.
Real currency has small metal particles in it. A trick you can do at home is using a household magnet and by folding an American Dollar bill in half then leaving some ballast on the lower half of the bent open bill, hold the magnet near the paper and it will attract the paper towards the magnet.
The $20.00 is the most counterfeited bill. The new $20.00 bill has a clear polyester (plastic) security thread running down left side of Jackson's portrait. Flip it over and it is still visible at the far right. The number 20 at the front right bottom is color shifting. It changes from copper to green as you change the viewing angle. The front and back side has a portrait watermark.
Similar to the $20.00 bill above, the $5.00 bill got a makeover this past March (March 13, 2008 was it's release date). Similar but not exactly like the $20.00 the security thread on the $5.00 bill is to the right of Lincoln's portrait. Micro printing abounds. It's watermarks are of the number 5.
The $5.00 bill has multiple color additions. From the staggerd fine print yellow 05's printed to the left of Lincoln's portrait to the purple number 5 for visually impaired which blends to gray at the edges. The large purple 5 glares at you on the back right bottom. Download a $5.00 bill video podcast for a visual instructional on the new $5.00 bill security features implemented March of 2008.
Whether it is a five, ten, twenty or fifty dollar bill, you can enjoy one security feature if for nor more than a good parlor trick... hold it up to an ultraviolet light. Under UV light security features will show themselves. You won't need special light to view the color shifting of optically variable ink.
With my birthday coming up (it's tomorrow, and I turn 31...JOY), I took some time to reflect on my long and (admittedly) well-lived life.
And I realize there are a few things from the 80's (a decade of which I was a child in, when TVs came with dials and only a rare few had cable -- my family was one of them, which brought our channel total to 36! -- and we played round things called records when we wanted to listen to music...), to wit, the show above...THE GREAT SPACE COASTER.
The astute amongst you will notice that there's a Dora the Explorer tag in this post. We'll get to why in a minute.
The show is about three young singers (Francine, Danny, and Roy) who are brought to a habitable asteroid in space by a puppet clown character named Baxter who pilots the "space coaster", a rollercoaster-like spaceship. The asteroid is populated by strange-looking, wise-cracking puppet characters like Goriddle Gorilla, Knock-Knock the bird, Edison the Elephant and Gary Gnu, who hosts the "The Gary Gnu Show". Baxter is forever on the run from M.T. Promises, a nefarious circus owner (played by a large, top-hatted puppet) who plans to re-capture Baxter and return him to the circus he worked at before he escaped. Each episode ends with a different life lesson, and various celebrity guest stars (such as Mark Hamill -- imagine me, at four years old, watching Star Wars AND The Great Space Coaster all in one. Hello, Heaven! -- and Marvin Hamlisch) occasionally dropped by.
In each episode, Roy shows a short film on his portable, fold-up TV, often featuring segments from La Linea, an Italian animated series about a little man who is drawn (using a single line) at the beginning of the segment and then springs to life, communicating with his animator through high-pitched Italian mixed with gibberish. Francine, Roy, and Danny sing a song together in each episode (sometimes originals like "Wacky Talk", sometimes older songs like "Be a Clown" or covers of '60s and '70s hits), and the various puppet characters often sing songs as well. A few years into the show's run the MTV-like "Rockin' with Rory" segment began, where a DJ puppet would introduce "Danny and the Spacecoasters" performing cover tunes. While the action was mostly videotaped on the space set, it wasn't unusual for the characters to venture down to Earth for filmed musical numbers.
The Great Space Coaster was fairly popular in its day, and was merchandised with Goriddle Gorilla and Gary Gnu plush dolls, among other toys. But ratings began to slip a few years in, and the producers tried to correct this by bringing in new characters like the Huggles and Rory. The show is no longer seen in reruns and isn't available on DVD (some episodes were released on VHS -- yes, kids, VHS! -- although these are becoming increasingly rare), giving it a somewhat legendary status among those who grew up in the '80s. The show was quite innovative for its time, and is still occasionally referenced in pop culture today, as in the 2006 episode of Family Guy, "I Take Thee Quagmire", which included a parody of the the show's wild opening title sequence.
The show ran from 1981 through 1986. The series was directed by Dick Feldman, and distributed by Sunbow Productions.
And as for the Dora the Explorer reference...Chris Gifford, who played Danny on The Great Space Coaster, went on to become a writer and executive producer at Nickelodeon, where he co-created the Peabody award winning children's series "Dora The Explorer" and the successful spin-off "Go Diego Go." My nephews adore both series, and it's kinda cool that we have that strange connection to each other's shows.
Brad Pitt loves living in New Orleans because it is the only place his "family can have a sense of privacy".
The 44-year-old actor - who raises six children with partner Angelina Jolie - can escape the intense interest in his personal life when he goes home to the US city.
He said: "Living in New Orleans means we can all escape to a sense of normalcy, if there's such a thing.
"It's the only place where my family can have a sense of privacy. People there have other things to worry about than all this silliness."
Brad also revealed he decided to star in new movie 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' - in which he has to wear layers of make-up as well as prosthetic noses and scalps - because he was so keen to work with director David Fincher, who helmed his movies 'Se7en' and 'Fight Club', again.
Recalling the first time he watched a Fincher film, Brad said: "It was after this night of utter debauchery in Mexico in 1992, I watched 'Alien 3'.
"I remember walking out of the theatre thinking, 'OK, that was not what I expected. That wasn't a Hollywood ending'. It really stuck with me."
The 46-year-old actor has revealed he discovered his brave side while portraying World War II German officer Claus Von Stauffenberg in new movie 'Valkyrie'.
He said: "Stauffenberg went from saying, 'Someone should shoot that b*****d' to realising, 'I'm the only one who can do it'. You can't really know until you're under that kind of pressure. I'm not saying this in some chest-pounding way, but I do feel I'd have that kind of courage."
Tom, who has a two-year-old daughter Suri with wife Katie Holmes, also said he disregarded people's advice about starring in the film, which sees him don a Nazi uniform.
He added to Details magazine, in which he featured in their Annual Power
List: "There's always someone telling you not to make a movie. When I did 'Born on the Fourth of July,' they said, 'This is going to ruin your career.
What are you doing?' Suicide? I've committed it. There were even people who didn't want me to make 'Top Gun'. " Source
Kanye West is reportedly dating supermodel Sessilee Lopez.
The hip-hop star is said to have grown close to the catwalk beauty after personally selecting her to appear in the music video for his single 'Flashing Lights'.
A friend of Sessilee's is quoted by Britain's The Sun newspaper as saying: "Kanye was instantly smitten with Sessilee and it's not hard to see why. But it's more than just looks for Kanye, they get on really well and have a deep connection. "Recently, Kanye has invited Sessilee to several parties and the pair have also had a few quiet nights together."
However, it seems 31-year-old Kanye faces competition for Sessilee's affections.
The American beauty - who modelled lingerie at the Victoria's Secret fashion show in Miami earlier this month - is being romantically pursued by a host of handsome stars.
The source added: "Everyone wants a piece of Sessilee, she is one of the hottest models around. But she is very fond of Kanye though." Kanye has been officially single since splitting from fiancee Alexis Phifer in April.
The pair are believed to have separated because Kanye - who has just released new album '808s and Heartbreak' - was too obsessed with his career.
Alexis said at the time: "It's always sad when things like this end. But we are still friends. I wish him the best in his future and all of his endeavours. He's one of the most talented people I've ever met." Source
Pete Wentz and wife Ashlee Simpson named their son Bronx Mowgli in tribute to 'The Jungle Book'.
The Fall Out Boy rocker - who welcomed his first child with Ashlee into the world last week - has revealed the couple are huge fans of Rudyard Kipling's novel, which tells the story of a young boy called Mowgli who grows up in the jungle and is raised by animals.
Pete said: "'The Jungle Book' was something that me and Ashlee bonded over. It's a cool name."
The 29-year-old musician also refused to reveal the inspiration behind the name Bronx.
He added to US radio host Ryan Seacrest: "We came up with the idea Bronx. We've been throwing ideas back and forth a while. People are stoked or angry whatever. And you're like, you know what - I don't think anyone really has the real story."
Pete felt like he was "having a heart attack" when 24-year-old Ashlee first went into labour, adding: "My heart started beating real fast. You see your wife is in all this pain. And I don't know what's happening right now. She took care of me and made sure I was OK and then went into labour. That's why she's a saint." Source
Victoria Beckham’s decided not to take any chances. Rather than worrying about what husband David, 33, will get up to while she’s not around, she’s decided to go with him to Italy after all.
Instead of visits, Victoria, 34, will now join David for his whole time on loan to AC Milan. ‘It’ll be for two months – after the season finishes here in LA, David will go to train in Milan,’ she revealed last week.
But a close friend tells Now: ‘Victoria wants to make sure David’s a good boy, without a repeat of what went wrong when he lived in Spain.’
Insiders hope the decision will let us see a happier Posh as she’s looked tired since David made his deal with AC Milan.
See more celebrity relationship secrets in Now dated 1 December - out now! Source
Like Superman died and then did not die, like Spider-Man whom was cloned, but not a clone, and the Batman series where his back was broken and he was no longer Batman--Once again the comic book industry has decided to make another over the top decision... Kill Batman.
The question is will he really be dead? After all the perpetrator is his father. But wait! He's dead! Isn't he?
Well, no. Not now. He faked it according to the latest story line. The not really dead or faked death device is really a hackneyed story line.
We readers will read the entire story, waiting and expecting to find out at the end, that this man claiming to be Batman's father isn't, and/or Batman never really died; that he too faked death.
Potential replacements are the first Robin, Dick Grayson whom is now Nightwing or the current Robin, Tim Drake. You may recall the second Robin was killed by the Joker. I think he's really still dead. Unless he is actually alive. Some believe he was thrown in the Lazarus Pit (brings you back to life with negative results) and is now the dark character Hush.
If you have ever watched Entourage, you may have noticed that the main character Vincent Chase is one lucky guy. He's an up and coming Hollywood socialite star that for all we can tell as viewers; has no real acting chops.
Now where have I seen that type of story play out before? I had a short list. Tom Cruise. When an actor makes a name for himself with his first film being Endless Love, you know that their future is based on looks and not acting skill. Hey, I loved Vanilla Sky but Tom played Tom again, just like Tom always plays Tom.
Both Tom and Adrian can pass as bad actors playing good actors playing bad actors.
In HBO's Entourage, Adrian Vincent gets to act within his role as an actor and I see that same un-quality. If there is any justice in the show, Drama should become the star, not Vincent. The Daily Beast agrees with me. What do you think?
26-year-old Britney Spears performed her hit song “Womanzier” during the 2008 Bambi Awards on Thursday in Offenburg, Germany. Guess Britney wasn't eating too much turkey yesterday. She made a comeback performance as she ended her performance with a bang atop a metallic spherical cage. She also picked up the award for Best International Pop Star. Brit will release her sixth studio album, Circus, next week. Watch the video below! You be the judge, we're sure you may be in a food coma and don't want to think too hard today, click, watch and comment!
Bat Boy was spotted on a turkey farm celebrating Thanksgiving early. Sam Collins, owner of Collins Turkeys, Inc. farm, was out early this morning getting the feed ready when he heard an odd noise out in the field. “It sounded like some kind of hoopla was going on,” Collins said.
Farmer Sam grabbed his rifle and hurried over, expecting to find a fox harrassing the birds. But he was in for a much bigger surprise.
“A little boy in jean shorts was out in the field all by his lonesome. When he heard me coming, he ran and leaned against a tree, acting real casual like. I might have believed him ‘cept he tried whistling and a bunch of turkey feathers came out of his mouth!”
Not sure who'd want to spend time with this guy, but...
MomLogic reports that Chef Gordon Ramsay is living his own domestic nightmare ever since British tabloids began reporting the news that he's allegedly been having an on-and-off affair for the past seven years. Yesterday, they ran excerpts of an interview they did earlier this year with Ramsay's supposed mistress Sarah Symonds.
Hear what Sarah had to say about sleeping with married men and what advice she gives all wives out there. Is this directed at Tana Ramsay, Gordon's wife of 12 years and mother of his four children??
Symonds says, “I was working in sales, PR and hospitality, so I tended to mix with celebrities and high profile people, who I was always attracted to—that was my type. And they always seem to be willing and able to cheat on their partners. It just went with the territory.” She adds, “Married men who want to lure another woman are very good at it and it’s not hard for them to do. They tend to be charismatic, good-looking. Who wouldn’t say no? Lots of people wouldn’t. I was one that didn’t.”
As for the wives of her lovers finding out about her affairs, she reveals, “I wanted him to tell her about me. In fact, in the end, I picked up the phone and told her about me, personally. It wasn’t the best day in her life, I don’t think. But, as usual she stayed with him, they talked it through. She told me, ‘Even though I know he’s cheated, I don’t want to leave him because he’s the father of my children.’ And he still came back to cheat with me a year later.”
Perhaps referring to her alleged affair with Ramsay, Symonds claims, “I used to travel with my guy all over the world. Every business trip he went on, I would be with him and his wife would often call the hotel room and I would be lying next to him. In his mind, he wasn’t lying to her—she just didn’t know that he wasn’t in bed alone.”
Speaking about ending affairs, she explains, “I was very torn when I wanted to end the relationship with my married man, but we had such chemistry—sexual chemistry and physical chemistry and emotional chemistry—that I stayed in the relationship for way too long. I believed all the lies he was telling me. But I do still miss the sex with him, actually. I hope he’s not watching—I wouldn’t want him to know that.”
MySpace Music is proud to announce that Akon will be performing a free show for his MySpace friends at China Club in New York City on Monday, December 1, 2008 - a show being powered by AT&T. Doors for the 21+ Release show will be at 8 p.m., and admittance will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis with a printout of each person's profile displaying Akon in their top eight.
An internationally recognized, Grammy-nominated, multi-platinum selling artist, producer, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Akon is one of the most influential voices in music today. In addition to having two multi-platinum albums, 21 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, Gold or Platinum status in over 23 countries, and over 145 guest appearances with artists such as Michael Jackson and Gwen Stefani to his credit, Akon is the only artist to ever accomplish the feat of holding both the number one and two spots simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100 charts twice.
In addition to his accolades, on November 19, 2008 Akon announced that his third album, "Freedom," will be available on "slotMusic™, a new form of DRM-free MP3 music on a microSD card beginning Tuesday, December 2nd - the same date his album will be released digitally and on CD. The new slotMusic card will give fans a chance to enjoy Akon's album in a variety of ways and on a host of devices - from their microSD-enabled mobile phones to their computers and MP3 players. Going beyond the original thirteen songs that are on the CD version of the album, the slotMusic "Freedom" card will carry a mini-documentary video on Akon's life and influences, the new video for "Right Now (Na Na Na)," and exclusive hi-res images and songs including fellow SRC artist Tami Chynn's debut single "Frozen" featuring Akon.
Please visit Akon's MySpace page to preview his new album "Freedom" before it hits stores 12/2 starting this Friday 11/28:http://www.myspace.com/akon
At various times in every school year I read an article about how a group of people are offended, thus changing the dynamic of Holidays, events, recreational activities and more. From the universal banning of dodge-ball to what now is the end of decades old traditions, in this case the Thanksgiving play at Condit Elementary in where else? California.
Some people game our systems to ruin everyone's fun. In this case, some = one. One person has objected and due to her own self-absorbed belief, and her background in education, she has turned a school district on its heels to almost end a children's Thanksgiving celebration. What is her complaint?
Ironically the complaint is over a reenactment of a historically accurate event where two cultures put aside their differences to share thanks. Know what it is? Yes, perhaps the most beloved holiday in the U.S., Thanksgiving. Does this really sink in? An event with a beautiful message of coming together and forgetting differences is challenged as of all things, racist. Michelle Raheja is offended on behalf of her child that any child should have to wear any handmade paper bonnets or head dresses. Why? According to Michelle Raheja, "I'm sure you can appreciate the inappropriateness of asking children to dress up like slaves (and kind slave masters), or Jews (and friendly Nazis), or members of any other racial minority group who has struggled in our nation's history." Earth to Michelle, The story of Thanksgiving is not a racial insult or slur. It's not just historically accurate, it's a celebration of people with differences coming together as one. To compare it to Slavery or Nazi oppression is your own warped perception you have no right to foist on others.
The writers of this LA Times article seem to take a politically correct position (gee what a surprise) using the word 'some' to describe detractors of the event. The reality is that one person (Michelle Raheja) almost ended the event. Thankfully the involved parents in the school rallied together to fight for the children's right to hold the event.
While the one woman in question has the bloodline of the Seneca Indian's, the reality is the Pilgrims came together with the Indians. This celebration is in no way an insult to any Indian.
But the greater question is this? Is this woman even really offended? I mean really? How many of us have ever had an insult thrown at us that we didn't get over.
This one woman, Michelle Raheja (an English Professor), did in fact get two others to rally behind her for support. Both were of course involved as teachers, one at a local university and the other a former professor. This invites a whole other conversation about the narcissistic attitude of so called intellectuals simply because they have a degree.
We are not talking about equal rights for women or blacks or even how to promote free range chickens. It is one person that made a decision to game the system to ruin everyone's fun. At one point a court must set precedent for common sense. In the meantime, I say if you don't agree with a school event, stay home. Take your kid to the mall, a ball game, the park or what have you. And good for the many people that want to stand up to this one person.
After considering every panel and word balloon printed in the comic book form for the past 12 months, Wizard magazine is pleased to announce their selections for their Best of 2008 list. The list, which makes its debut in the all-new Gold collectors’ issue, hitting comic shops November 26th, includes the best that comics had to offer in the previous year. Some of Wizard’s selections are:
Best Writer: Jason Aaron (Scalped, Ghost Rider, Wolverine) Best Artist: Leinil Yu (Secret Invasion) Best Book: Action Comics (DC Comics) Best Event: “Secret Invasion” (Marvel Comics) Best Single Issue: Y: The Last Man #60 (DC/Vertigo) Best Indie of the Year: Kramers Ergot 7 (Buenaventura Press) Best Hero: Captain America (Marvel Comics) Best Villain: Norman Osborn (Marvel Comics) Best Revamp: The Incredible Hercules (Marvel Comics) Best All-Ages title: Tiny Titans (DC Comics) Best R-rated book: The Boys (Dynamite Entertainment) Best Horror writer: Joe Hill (Locke & Key) Best Cover Artist: Marko Djurdjevic (Thunderbolts, Daredevil) Best Movie: “Iron Man” (Marvel Studios)
“Wizard’s very excited about presenting our picks for the best in comics of 2008 in this special all-new Gold collectors’ issue,” said Wizard Magazine managing editor Mike Cotton. “We had a lot of fun—and fights—putting together our picks for the best writer, artist, book and movies of 2008, and we can’t wait to see the fans’ reaction.”
For more information on the winners and why they were chosen, pick up Wizard Gold on sale at comic shops everywhere on November 26th. The issue, which hits newsstands on December 9th, also features the best comic book moments of 2008, the best toys, props and statues, and the title named Best New Series among other exciting features.
Madonna is spending Thanksgiving with Alex Rodriguez.
The 50-year-old singer has angered Alex's former wife Cynthia after asking the baseball player to spend the US holiday with her, her three children and her manager in New York.
In an email, Cynthia reportedly wrote: "My 6ft, 3in, 220lbs soulless, soon-to-be ex-husband is abandoning his kids on Thanksgiving to be with Madonna. She called and he ran on her command back to New York City - gross!"
Alex is reportedly smitten with Madonna - whose decree nisi from husband Guy Ritchie was granted last week, beginning the official end to their marriage - and likes the fact she is in charge in their relationship.
A source said: "Alex likes a woman with a strong hand. He likes to be told what to do. He's a bit of a cipher."
Madonna and Guy must now wait six weeks and one day before their decree absolute is awarded, officially ending their marriage.
It has been claimed Guy will receive £2 million of the pop superstar's reported £300 million fortune and will share custody of the pair's sons Rocco and adopted tot David. Source
Paris Hilton still wants to marry ex-boyfriend Benji Madden.
The hotel heiress - who split from the Good Charlotte rocker earlier this month - is believed to be taking a break from the musician to test how strong her feelings for him really are.
A source said: "Paris wants to know if she absolutely can't stand to be apart from him. That's her test to make sure this is the guy for her. She has felt something she has never felt before with anyone with Benji, but needs to be 100 per cent certain she is ready to be Mrs. Madden."
Paris recently told US radio host Ryan Seacrest she is "still in love" with Benji, despite splitting from him last week.
She said: "You know, I love him. He's such an amazing man and he's my best friend and he's been so great to me and so loyal. He's an incredible person. We'll always be very close. We'll see what happens in the future. I'm still in love with him.
"We're both working so much. There are all these reports saying that I dumped Benji. That's not true. This was a decision we made together as two adults.
"Right now we are just taking a break. We are really good friends. We're really close." Source
Nicole Richie and Joel Madden are set to marry on their daughter's first birthday.
The couple - who welcomed Harlow into the world on January 11 2008 - are reportedly keen to tie the knot on the landmark date to show their child how much they love each other.
A friend of the pair said: "They want to set an example for Harlow. Nicole and Joel are doing this to seal their love legally. They want the ceremony to coincide with Harlow's first birthday and be one big joyous occasion for everybody."
Socialite Nicole - whose adoptive father is singer Lionel Richie -and Good Charlotte rocker Joel are planning to sell pictures of the ceremony to a magazine.
However, the kind-hearted couple intend to donate any money they make from their special day to charity.
The pal added: "They've spoke about giving any money they get for photos of their wedding to Beyond Shelter, a homeless charity in Los Angeles that they work with. They also plan to give any presents away as well."
Nicole was recently reported to have been inspired to adopt a child after spending time with homeless children through her work with Beyond Shelter.
A source close to Nicole said: "Nicole is seriously looking into it and asking a lot of questions about adopting."Nicole has been visiting Beyond Shelter in Los Angeles two or three times a week and spends a couple of hours with homeless children. She loves being around them." Source
Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt have tied the knot in a secret ceremony in Mexico.
The couple, who rose to fame on US show The Hills, jetted off to Cabo San Lucas to exchange vows.
And Heidi didn’t even tell her mum.
‘I called her right before the ceremony, sort of hinted that something that happened, but her reaction was to ask me if we were breaking up!’ she tells Us Weekly.
‘I told her it might be something else, and she said, “Well, if you ever plan on getting married just know that your stepdad is really upset that you want your father to walk you down the aisle.”
‘She was starting so much drama, it kind of pushed me toward wanting to get married without that. I don't know when I'll tell her.’
Heidi, 22, and Spencer, 25, got engaged last year after eight months together.
The 'Touch My Body' singer decided to purchase the San Miguel, Venezuela, property after her relative fell behind on her rental payments.
The 67-year-old woman owed $1,500 in unpaid rent and so asked Mariah for help.
When the 38-year-old singer heard of her aunt's plight, she immediately paid off the debt and also bought her the two-bedroom house.
It has previously been claimed Mariah - who wed Nick Cannon in an intimate ceremony earlier this year after a whirlwind romance - is very careful with her money.
The singer reportedly called off her second wedding to Nick after the pair struggled to get it funded by a magazine deal.
She was keen to host a lavish service for friends and family who missed her original Bahamas ceremony, but when it became apparent no publications were interested in paying for the bash she decided to ditch her plans.
A source said at the time: "The small wedding in the Bahamas was nice, but it was not Mariah's style. However, she wasn't too keen to pay for a more lavish celebration herself." Source
Sarah Jessica Parker says shooting on the 'Sex and the City: The Movie' sequel will start next summer.
The 43-year-old actress - who reprised her role as sex columnist Carrie Bradshaw in the big-screen version of the hit US TV show earlier this year - has revealed plans are already in motion for the follow-up.
She said: "I think shooting next summer is a realistic timetable. That's when we'd start shooting to be out in 2010. But that means we need to figure this out in the next couple of months."
Parker also revealed the main "hurdle" in getting the movie off the ground is finding a realistic premise for the plot.
She added: "We've had very general conversations about the idea. That's the big hurdle: the idea. The studio is very enthusiastic, which is lovely and seductive.
"We're at the place where the writer and director, Michael Patrick King, has a wealth of stories so now it's, 'We think we have this story and how do we put this together and are we completely sure that it's the right thing to do?' "
Parker - who is expected to be joined by co-stars Kim Cattrall, Cynthia Nixon and Kristin Davis in the sequel - said her character Carrie, who married her boyfriend in the last movie, is unlikely to have children in the next film.
She told MTV: "It doesn't seem as if that's going to be a choice she'll make. I don't know. Michael and I never talk about it. That doesn't mean that won't be part of the story. We just haven't figured it out. It feels a little bit manipulative to toss that into the mix, because she seems so pointed in a different direction." Source
Have you ever text messaged the wrong person? Ever heard of "textual harassment" or "texting while intoxicated"? If not, read on. You'll get a kick out of this.
I first wanted to write an article only about text messaging the wrong person after learning I am not the only person having text messaged the wrong person. I'll get to that. However this is a topic that goes beyond this one blunder. So let's explore...
ACCIDENTLY CALLING THE WRONG PERSON
For me it all started when I acquired my first PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) phone. These phones have large touch screens and locking software is frankly a pain in most cases. Inevitably the phone would dial back in error anyone I was on the phone with last. This happened from time to time and usually it was my wife. WAS. LOL.
Nooooo! I never spoke to anyone I shouldn't be talking to, don't go assuming too much. The only story there is that I was annoyed by my phone. There is this one time when I was out to lunch with a friend from high-school, and old band buddy. We were catching up at nice sit down restaurant. My phone called my wife while it was on the table! Later she told me, "You idiot, you left a 20 minute voice mail at my office!" You'd think the joke ends there. She went on because she was angry, not pissed, but angry. Yes ladies and gentlemen my wife heard me speak things she should not have heard. And no I didn't speak ill of her. I recall telling my friend that my wife didn't know me. We were talking about how she angrily told me once she didn't want to know about my past life before her and I had to put all my photos of my life before meeting her in a crate and put a padlock on it. I'm not kidding. So at lunch I'm saying..."There is a side of me my wife will never know and I resent that." The fall out at home was hard core. I won't detail it, you can imagine what a woman does when she is angry and decide for yourself what happened.
Couple that incident with the phone calling her back while in my pocket a number of other times and you get annoyed with your phone and yourself.
In the end, I have had to actually remove people from my PDA phone completely to insure my phone doesn't dial them.
ACCIDENTLY TEXT MESSAGING OR REPLYING TO THE WRONG PERSON
Now you know where it all started for me, then it evolved. If you are like me, I now have a love hate relationship with my PDA phone. Because next came text messaging. Have you ever replied to or just simply sent a text message to the wrong person? I have plenty but I've gotten that under control over time. LOL
But what made me write this article today was that while watching Neil Patrick Harris (actor plays Barney - How I met your mother) co host a show he is chatting up about his Iphone and trading stories. Wouldn't you know it, he brings this very subject up. Apparently Mac Iphones make it easy to text the wrong people. Others have their own embarrassing moments to share here.
Bam! I'm exonerated of embarrassment! I'm not the only one! He tells a couple cute stories about how he's both replied to and simply sent text messages to the wrong person.
So how does this happen to completely rational, sane, technically savvy and educated men? (Or women! LOL) ?
Here are a couple discussion boards discussions on the topic:
1. Ex-wife and ex-husband child custody wrangle (ironic but no connection to me) ... oh and solution to anyone a victim of this nonsense... change your phone cell phone number and only allow them to call your home. Duh.
Well, for me it's the fact it's a PDA phone. Not a phone. With a PDA phone you have a call history listed on the touch screen. A quarter or dime, car key etc.. can touch the screen and initiate the call if your phone is in your pocket. Gremlins too, don't forget them. Because something dialed my wife while my phone was lying innocuously on my table that day at lunch! :)
Then there is the user initiated blunder.The dumb mistake you are at fault for an no one else… These happen when you are emotional I suppose, that happens mostly when you are drunk. JThis is called, texting while intoxicated or being Intexticated ( or intexitcated), LOL. I don’t drink so I text messages for general communication only.Otherwise I don’t chat people up in text.
Of course then there is simply just the act of text messaging itself that can be an embarrassment.Just this last week on February 12, 2008 a woman was issued a restraining order for sending and ex boyfriend 10,000 text messages in two months.Frankly, I don’t see a problem with this.Isn’t this the average number of text messages girlfriends send a guy anyway? <grin> I've gone as far as to change my phone number on my PDA to stop an ex from doing the same, I think this guy could have done the same. I got a great phone number out of the deal! LOL
I was even more relieved to find a funny public service video on YouTube.com about safe texting. :)
Only in one case did I find that a guy actually texted the wrong person that he did NOT know and eventually married her.
HOW DOES ACCIDENTAL TEXT MESSAGING HAPPEN?
As you see there are lot of stories of it happening. I think it has to do with the devices mainly. For me, I've found that hitting reply to the last person that text messaged me is easier than typing a full number again. But saving a few steps in the process and being rushed in the car, out on the paintball field, or walking through a store or where ever I may be busy doing something I shouldn't be distracted can lead to embarrassment. On my PDA screen I see a list of recent text messages and have to select the person I want to reply to. I've though I selected the last person, when in fact I selected a nearby sender. I've also simply just hit reply to my last sender thinking that I was text messaging them last, when it was someone else. That one is user error. Guilty here. :)
Here is one more video. It's short and is cute, and actually makes another big point about text messaging mistakes. That is what you write doesn't express your emotions. Just watch it. You'll learn what you already know. :)
No one is immune to text messaging mistakes.We all have embarrassing moments in life and I think text messaging will become a big cause of life’s embarrassing moments as the twenty-first century rolls on.
Brace yourselves, folks. The couple we love to hate eloped in Mexico and are officially hitched. That's right, The Hills' Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt are married!
Spencer shared his gushing wedding vows: “Heidi, from the moment you came into my life, I knew my life would never be the same without you. You are the light in my life like the sun to the earth! Your loving warmth makes me want to be a better person. Being with you, I feel complete. I’m honored to even be able to call you my wife. You are the most amazing, loving and caring woman on this planet. I will love you forever and always.”
And Heidi’s vows: “From the moment I met you, I knew I wanted to marry you. I never knew love existed like this. You have opened my eyes and shown me a new world. Every moment with you is magical and amazing. You are truly my prince charming and dream guy. I love you with all my heart and soul and promise to be the best wife to you every day for the rest of our lives. I can’t wait to see what life brings us. I will always be by your side!”
Oh, geez. Did you have to stop yourself from gagging? Heidi, 22, and Spencer, 25, exclusively sold their wedding pictures to Us Weekly, out on newsstands later this week.
“Grey’s Anatomy” actress Katherine Heigl was spotted with her husband/singer Josh Kelley and some friends enjoying a night out at the Desert Rose restaurant in Los Feliz. Katherine had a 1920s-themed party to commemorate her birthday! How fun!
Looks like Katherine was happy to trn 30, we know some young people dread that age but look how happy she is! Ha!
In other Grey's Anatomy TV news, the show scored its biggest audience since its season premiere this past Thursday, according to overnight data. The 'Ghost of Denny' helped the drama nab 15.7 million viewers! Good for them, we know the show doesn't sparkle like it used to, people were completely obsessed! Glad to see it's still doing well, right?!
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow has been dipping her hand into the cooking world lately. Gwyneth had been traveling around Europe (Spain) sampling the local delicacies with chef Mario Batali. Didn't they write some sort of little book together or something, too? Well, she just started a website called GOOP. She sends out a newsletter via GOOP, and the latest entry is about preparing Thanksgiving dinner. How timely! She writes:
"Thanksgiving is, without a doubt, my favorite holiday. I love when everyone comes together and celebrates the idea of gratitude, something we all mean to do every day, but seem to lose sight of most of the time. I also love the cooking – the days of planning and chopping and basting. This year, I decided to work out three variations on the traditional meal: a big group, a small gathering and a cozy dinner for two." She then includes some recipes, you'll have to check out her new website for more! We agree with her though, what are you thankful for this Thanksgiving?
What does Thanksgiving mean to you? For me it's a day of over eating and football. But there's a lot more to this day then a turkey and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.
As you probably learned in elementary school, the first Thanksgiving took place in the fall of 1621. Only half of the original Mayflower Pilgrims had survived by the fall. Thankful to be alive, they held a three day feast and invited the the neighboring Wampanoag Indians to the celebration. The pilgrims had a jovial celebration thanks to the beer they brought with them from England.
Everyone was partied out from that first celebration, so Thanksgiving took big break until George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving Day Proclamation in 1989.
Strangely as it may seem, there wasn't a set day for Thanksgiving until 1863. Up until then the president would issue a proclamation each year detailing what day the holiday would be observed. In 1863, Abraham Lincoln issued the proclamation that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the last Thursday of November.
For some reason no one respected Lincoln's proclamation after his death, and the country went back to the old yearly proclamation system until 1939. Franklin D. Roosevelt returned the country to the fourth Thursday in November standard because it would lengthen the Christmas shopping season and hopefully boost the economy. In 1941, congress passed a proclamation officially setting in stone that Thanksgiving would be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.
But that's just us. Canada celebrates Thanksgiving too, but on the second Monday in October.
But what about the traditions?
No one really knows why we eat turkey on Thanksgiving, but since 1621 that has been the tradition. Approximately 91% of people eat turkey adding up to the sale of over 280 million turkeys for Thanksgiving celebrations. That's about 7.3 billion pounds of turkey. What do the other people eat? On the west coast the Dungeness crab is a popular alternative to turkey.
Archeologists have found evidence that turkeys were roaming the United States 10 million years ago. According to the Guinness Book of World Records the largest turkey weighed 86 lbs. It won the Heaviest Turkey competition in London on December 12, 1989.
Benjamin Franklin wanted the turkey to be the national bird, not the eagle. A wild turkey can run up to 20 mph if spooked. They can also burst into flight approaching speeds between 50-55 mph in a matter of seconds.
Probably the strangest thing you've heard about turkey is that it contains tryptophan, a natural sedative. While it is true that turkey contains tryptophan, it's a myth that you get sleepy from eating it. Unfortunately it's not as simple as that. Here's how it works:
Tryptophan is an amino acid that helps your body produce serotonin, a calming agent in the brain that plays a key role in sleep. So that seems simple enough? Tryptophan produces chemicals that make you sleepy so that is why everyone takes their post-dinner nap on Turkey Day. Wrong.
Pharmaceutical companies, learning that the chemical produced serotonin, started producing medication in the 1980s for insomniacs. In 1990 the FDA banned tryptophan supplements because the chemical lead to severe muscle pain and even death. While tryptophan does produce serotonin it takes a large of the amino acid to produce enough to knock you out. Unfortunately, that amount can cause serious health problems.
Here's why tryptophan in turkey doesn't make you sleepy. Number 1: Tryptophan levels in turkey are minimal, almost unrecognizable. Number 2: Tryptophan only works well on an empty stomach. When you have food in your system tryptophan has to compete with all the other amino acids in your system, so an even less amount makes it to your brain.
Sorry guys but this is just an urban legend. The real reason you get sleepy is simple. You over eat. The average meal contains 3000 calories, most of which are carbohydrates. This means your body is working overtime to digest everything causing that post-meal lethargy.
Alright, but there's more to Thanksgiving than turkey. There's also the Macy's Parade, which has been held annually since 1920. It's so prominent in New York that Thanksgiving is referred to in NYC as Macy's Day. The end of the parade signals the beginning of the Christmas Season, consummated by Black Friday where shoppers officially begin the holiday rush.
The Thanksgiving Classic football game was first organized by the Detroit Lions in 1920 to boost ticket sales. Since then teams traditionally wear throwback jerseys to commemorate their team's history.
The day before Thanksgiving is the largest day in for bar sales in the United States. New Years Eve holds a close second. Around 78% of employees get paid leave Wednesday through Friday of Thanksgiving Week. It is also one of the busiest travel periods of the year.
So here are some little known things about a well known holiday. You can wow you're relatives at the table with your knowledge of the holiday. Just make sure you do some exercise the next day as the average American eats a day and a half worth of calories in one meal. It would be a good idea to join the holiday shopping rush on Black Friday. 10 hours should do it. Shopping burns 300 calories an hour.
What do Tom Cruise, A-Rod, Kobe Bryant, Tony Hawk, Michael Phelps and Heidi Klum have in common? Apparently dancing around in thier underwear! Alex Rodriguez, The Bird Man, Kobe, the gold medal winner and Ms. Klum all play guitar for video game Guitar Hero, mouthing and rocking along to Bob Seger's "Old Time Rock and Roll", mimicking the scene that made Tom Cruise in 1983's Risky Business. Other stars in the Guitar Hero commercials include Davids Cook and Archuleta, Slash from Guns N Roses,
BY THE WAY - Here's another (Disney) star rocking for Guitar Hero... Ladies and Gentlemen, Corbin Bleu... Brett Ratner has directed these commercials. Some people love 'em, other people hate them,what do you think?
Win the once in a lifetime opportunity to see Labelle perform live in 2009! To celebrate the release of their first studio album in 32 years, Back to Now, the illustrious ladies just launched the 'Dress Like Labelle' YouTube contest! To enter, contestants should create a video of themselves sporting Labelle's unique style. The video should be set to the full length audio of the single, "Roll Out" (featuring Wyclef Jean). Then, they should upload their video to the 'Dress Like Labelle' YouTube group and submit all basic information to the official Labelle contest page. The contestant who makes the winning video will win a trip to see Labelle live in concert! To read up on the official contest rules, click here.
I do not see how they can be both. In a conical relationship theory you see you and a partner spiraling in a positive or negative direction. Once a relationship begins spiraling in the negative direction that conical path starts off slowly and may be reversed if it is to survive, but if not it heads downward towards the end of the spiral where it comes to a point and vanishes. The same can be said for a positive relationship. This poses another question. Does a positive spiral end? Does it spiral faster and heat up and burn out like a star?
Then there is cyclical relationships. In them you are what you are and you will simply repeat with the next person the pattern or behavior of your last relationship. The old saying a leopard doesn't change its spots comes to mind. The good behaviors you expressed in past relationships will repeat in your next. If you are a liar, a cheat, or infidel, that cycle will repeat.
I often wonder how these two theories play out together? Can they meet and live in a sort of synchronistic existence or are they more of a semaphore?
Michelle Williams says things are "getting worse" following the death of her former fiance Heath Ledger in January.
The 28-year-old star - who has a three-year-old daughter Matilda from her relationship with Heath - is finding it increasingly harder to cope because she misses the actor so much.
She said: "I just wake up each day in a slightly different place - grief is like a moving river, so that's what I mean by 'it's always changing'. It's a strange thing to say because I'm at heart an optimistic person, but I would say in some ways it just gets worse.
"It's just that the more time that passes, the more you miss someone. In some ways it gets worse. That's what I would say."
The former 'Dawson's Creek' star also blasted paparazzi photographers for infringing on her and Matilda's privacy, adding she is considering giving up acting unless the situation improves.
She added to Newsweek magazine: "It burns a fire inside of me, the s**t that I've seen people do to get at me or my daughter. I won't forget it, and I won't support it. I don't want my daughter growing up feeling spied on or threatened.
"If it gets to the point where I can't situate my life in a way that they stay away more, then I'll drop a match on acting. I'll be sad. I like to act. It's saved my life over and over again. I have this thing that I'm in love with - acting - and now it has this baggage."
Heath died of an accidental drugs overdose in his New York apartment in January. He was 28 years old. Source
Eva Mendes doesn't like wearing low cut tops, but will "bring the girls out" on special occasions.
'The Women' actress - who has been dating filmmaker George Gargurevich since 2002 - admits she prefers to keep her ample chest under wraps.
She is quoted as saying: "I don't wear short things. As for cleavage, I'll bring the girls out at certain times but I don't parade them too often. I like to keep them for special occasions!"
Eva, 34, recently revealed she loves wearing high heels, but never buys heels above 5ins because she finds it so difficult to move around.
She said: "I absolutely love shoes. I can never have too many pairs. I especially love ones with huge stiletto heels - but it's always a circus act when I walk in them. I am all over the place."
Eva can next been seen in revolutionary animated movie 'The Spirit', in which she stars alongside Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson.
Christina Aguilera claims she has never been "boy crazy".
The 'Keeps Gettin' Better' star insists being focused on her career from a young age meant she never went off the rails or let her emotions dictate her life.
Christina said: "I never went through that completely boy crazy phase because I was always so goal orientated in what I wanted as a performer and I think knowing that was my form of independence."
The 27-year-old also revealed her husband Jordan Bratman is her "rock" and says he is completely different from her father who was emotionally and physically abusive when she was growing up.
Christina, who has a 10-month-old son Max with Jordan, added to Britain's Observer magazine: "I don't think my motherhood has anything to do with my father, to be honest. I think that Jordan is such an incredible father and whether or not anything would ever happen to us, I know he would always be very much a part of Max's life.
"I can't say the same for my own father. If he had been different it might have been a different situation, but you reap what you sow."
Christina's album 'Keeps Gettin' Better - a Decade of Hits' is out now. Source
