World News Events, Hot Accident News, Entertainment News Online, Current News Stories

Gold Rush Alaska

2011-10-28T22:57:00.000-07:00

'Gold Rush Alaska' Season 2 strikes Discovery

Hit reality series follows 6 men and their efforts to hit it rich in Porcupine Creek, Alaska.

Alas, I have little time for digging these days, but I do enjoy — along with millions of other viewers — tuning in to Discovery's hit series "Gold Rush Alaska" for a fix. The reality show, which averaged an impressive 3.78 million viewers per episode last year, follows 6 men, laid off from work, who attempt to strike it rich in Porcupine Creek, Alaska.

“This group of everyday men have harnessed their hopes and dreams and combined it with ferocity of spirit in an attempt to rekindle the American Dream for their families," Discovery said. "'Gold Rush Alaska' reflects what many Americans are feeling right now, and it’s clearly struck a chord with our audience.”

Season 2, which kicks off this Friday at 9 p.m. EST, features the crew once again putting everything on the line as they struggle to overcome the mistakes of their rookie season and pull some meaningful worth from the earth. Last year's haul resulted in only $20,000 of gold.

To catch fans up on what's been happening in between seasons (as well as rope in new viewers), Discovery will air an "Off-Season" special. From the release:

It's the mining off-season and Todd Hoffman and his father Jack have some big decisions to make. After finding just $20,000 in gold their rookie mining season, they've had to scrape through the winter in Oregon. But the Hoffmans aren't ones to give up. Instead, they decide to double their chances of striking it rich and secure a second mining claim.

Just days before the start of the season, as they pack up to hunt for gold at both Porcupine Creek and Klondike sites, they get some disastrous news: the water license for their Klondike claim — essential to run a mining operation — did not come through. Their dream of a second mine in the Klondike is over before it started. Todd breaks the news to his crew, and they set off to Alaska with only the old Porcupine Creek claim to mine.

Empire State Building

2011-09-11T09:46:00.000-07:00

Empire State Building:9/11 Tribute Light Tonight

The iconic NY building lights up for many events. Today, the Empire State Building lights up for the 10th anniversary of September 11.

Today, the Empire State Building will light up red, white and blue in honor of those who died in the 9/11 attacks—The series of four coordinated suicide attacks took place in New York City, Washington, D.C. that caused the deaths of 2,753 people.

According to esbnyc.com, the Empire State Building’s tower lights have long recognized key milestones, events, charitable organizations, countries and holidays throughout the world, not political or religion related events. In the past the building lights honored royal deaths like Princess Diana’s, New York sport teams like the NY Jets and recently, NY City Pride Week, where the building lit up in beautiful colors of the rainbow.

The last time the Empire State Building showed today’s red, white and blue colors was this past Labor Day.

Your Highness

2011-07-27T09:52:00.000-07:00

So this week sees the release of Your Highness, the new comedy starring Danny McBride (Eastbound & Down), James Franco (a crazy dude) and... Natalie Portman? Yep, the Oscar-winner for Black Swan is the following that flick up with a 100% improvised stoner fantasy movie that has been absolutely savaged by critics. So what makes actors take roles like this after winning the biggest prize the industry has to offer? Let's take a look at some other post-Oscar choices that boggle the mind.

Jamie Foxx shocked the world when he took home the Best Actor award for Ray - who would have thought that the former stand-up and sitcom star could show dramatic range? - but he quickly eradicated any measure of goodwill Hollywood had for him with the release of next year's Stealth. The flick, also starring Jessica Biel and Josh Lucas, was one of the biggest money-losers in film history, costing $138 million to make and taking in barely half of that worldwide.

Long-time character actor Philip Seymour Hoffman won dozens of awards for his portrayal of the titular writer in Capote, but it's obvious that arthouse movies about fey wordsmiths don't pay the bills, because he was next seen mugging it up as black market arms dealer Owen Davian in Mission: Impossible III. Hitting theaters right after Cruise's insane antics on Oprah didn't help matters much.

Helen Mirren took home an Oscar in 2007 for The Queen, but the next time she was seen on the big screen was in Nicolas Cage sequel National Treasure: Book Of Secrets. This seems like a horrendous step down until you realize that the flick she was in before The Queen was Shadowboxer. Haven't seen it? It was directed by the guy who made Precious and it features lots of banging between Mirren and Cuba Gooding Jr. If she can win an Oscar after that, anything is possible.

The youngest dude to ever win a Best Actor Oscar, Adrien Brody dazzled the world in 2002's The Pianist. Unfortunately, his next leading role was anything but dazzling. The Village was the point where the world began to turn on director M. Night Shyalaman, as his hackneyed arsenal of twist endings began to get a little threadbare.

Italian actor Roberto Begnini's acceptance speech for Life Is Beautiful is one of the most awkward moments in Oscar history, with the star clambering over seats to reach the stage and take the statue for both Best Actor and Best Director. That didn't help him a few years later, when his atrocious Pinnochio hit screens. Miramax released the flick with no press screenings on Christmas day, a vote of no confidence if we've ever heard one, and the movie was savaged by critics and audiences alike.

Another Earth

2011-07-23T00:21:00.000-07:00

MIFF closer 'Another Earth' reflects on the human condition

""Another Earth," the fourteenth annual Maine International Film Festival's closing movie, is out of this world."

Mike Cahill's 90-minute flick, which earned the 2011 Alfred P. Sloan Feature Film Prize at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, shows at the 7:30 p.m. Sunday at Colby College's 325-seat Given Auditorium.

The Sloan award is presented to a feature film with a science or technology theme. At its core, "Another Earth" is about the discovery of a duplicate Earth with inhabitants who are duplicates of us.

Amid the scientific questions raised by considering a duplicate, parallel Earth with mirror images of ourselves, the film exudes raw emotions of joy, rage, sorrow, regret and love.

What is it that makes us human?

What if we had made different choices here and there?

Rhoda Williams, played by screenplay co-writer Brit Marling, is a smart young woman growing up in Connecticut who has been accepted into the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's astrophysics program.

But she doesn't make it there.

The night the duplicate Earth is discovered, Williams makes what she calls her "unforgivable mistake" -- she drives drunk, collides with another vehicle and kills a pregnant woman and a young child.

The pregnant woman's husband, John Burroughs, is a talented music composer and college professor.

He survives the crash, but spirals downward into an alcohol- and pill-induced haze.

When Williams is released from prison four years later, she goes to Burroughs' home to apologize, but she loses her nerve and pretends she's there to clean his house as a trial offer for a cleaning company.

Williams keeps returning to put the shattered widower's house in order and nurse him, as well as herself, back to health.

She does not reveal her true identity and each week the two become closer and eventually fall in love.

It's then that Williams is notified she has won a contest to travel to the duplicate Earth.

Williams and people around the world had already watched and listened as a scientist established communication with her duplicate, also a scientist, on Earth II.

In her contest essay, Williams had reflected on the very first explorers, who were sometimes criminals and others seeking a new beginning.

"As a felon, I'm an unlikely candidate for most things ... (but for this) ... perhaps I'm the most likely," she wrote.

When Williams excitedly tells Burroughs that she is going to Earth II, he pleads with her to stay.

"We're so close to something here," he says.

It's then Williams tells Burroughs that she needs to share a story with him and, after hearing it, if he wants her to stay with him, she will.

Williams reveals that she was the drunk driver who killed his family and tells him that she kept cleaning for him because "in the smallest ways" she thought it made his life a little bit better.

The final scenes of "Another Earth" provide more questions that answers, including, "What would we like to see if we could stand outside ourselves and look at ourselves?"

Murdoch Scandal

2011-07-20T00:37:00.000-07:00

The Murdoch empire scandal spread to new papers

The scandal engulfing Rupert Murdoch's media empire exploded in the several directions Monday, with fresh reports of phone hacking attacks against some of the nation's most powerful figures, including royals and former Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

Adding to the intrigue, Scotland Yard released an unusual statement accusing unidentified individuals of trying to sabotage its sprawling investigation. The police — themselves accused of accepting bribes from Murdoch's journalists — said somebody was deliberately planting distracting information in the press.

No one, it seems, had been safe from the prying eyes of corrupt journalists.

Police officers betrayed members of the royal family to News of The World, according to several reports. British media were reporting that Brown was one of thousands whose personal details — including his bank account and his son's medical records — were targeted by people working for News International titles including The Sun and the Sunday Times. None of the media cited sources.

A spokeswoman for Brown said he was shocked by the alleged "criminality and the unethical means by which personal details have been obtained" about his family.

His wife, Sarah, tweeted that the information was very personal and it was "really hurtful if all true."

News International spokeswoman Daisy Dunlop said the company acknowledged the allegations and that in order to the investigate further the company asks "that all information concerning these allegations is provided to us."

The charges added to a sense of disbelief that has spread across Britain.

"The events of last week shocked the nation," Culture Secretary Jeremy Hunt told lawmakers Monday. He said Britain's proud press tradition had been "shaken by the revelation of what we now know to have happened at the News of The World."

The British press has been furiously reporting allegations that journalists at the News of the World tabloid may have hacked into phones of young murder victims, families of dead servicemen and terrorism victims. The widening scandal has prompted Murdoch's News Corp. to close the tabloid and withdraw its promise to spin off Sky News — a move that forced Hunt to refer its bid for British Sky Broadcasting to competition authorities.

The decision will delay the bid, although it was not immediately clear whether Murdoch hoped to buy time with the ploy in the hope the scandal would die down, or whether it was an implicit acknowledgement that the bid was dead.

A failure to clinch the $19 billion takeover would represent a huge setback for Murdoch, but even as the mogul was in London to try to contain the damage, as allegations against his empire rushed in.

British media said that Brown was one of thousands targeted by News International, saying that his personal details — including his bank account and his son's medical records — had been targeted by people working for titles including the Sun and the Sunday Times. None of the media cited sources.

On Monday afternoon, London's Evening Standard newspaper and others claimed that bosses at News Corp., News International's parent company, had discovered a series of e-mails indicating that employees had been making payments to members of Scotland Yard's royal and diplomatic protection squad in return for personal details about the monarch and her entourage.

The Evening Standard cited "sources" without saying who the sources were or how they would be in a position to know.

Buckingham Palace has also declined to be drawn on any of the reports.

Scotland Yard has declined to specifically address the claims, but in a statement directly referencing the Standard's story they said that they were "extremely concerned and disappointed that the continuous release of selected information — that is only known by a small number of people — could have a significant impact on the corruption investigation."

So who does Scotland Yard accuse of trying to derail its inquiry? Police have refused to say — although they named News International and its legal representatives as other parties to its information.

What is clear is that fallout in the scandal may just be beginning.

Legal experts said Monday it is possible Murdoch's U.S. companies even may face legal actions because of the shady practices at the News of the World, his now defunct British tabloid.

They said Murdoch's News Corp. might be liable to criminal prosecution under the 1977 Corrupt Foreign Practices Act, a broad act designed to prosecute executives who bribe foreign officials in the exchange for large contracts.

Prime Minister David Cameron also appears under pressure because of his close ties to key figures in the scandal.

The former editor of the paper, Andy Coulson, later worked for the Conservative leader as his communications director. Cameron is also reportedly close to Rebekah Brooks, chief executive of the tabloid's publisher, News International.

Lake Tahoe

2011-07-17T01:18:00.000-07:00

Jimmer trailing Barkley at Lake Tahoe golf tournament

Glens Falls’ Jimmer Fredette trails NBA legend Charles Barkley after 2 rounds of American Century Celebrity Golf Championship in the Lake Tahoe.

The two entered the second round tied for second to last.

Barkley, who finished last in the event for years, is 6 points better than Fredette based on the Modified Stableford scoring system, which awards 10 points for double eagles, 6 points for eagles, three points for birdies, one point for pars, zero points for bogeys and minus 2 points for double bogeys.

Fredette shot a 104 and finished with a -28 for the day and a -58 for the tournament. Barkley is at -52.

The 2 worst golfers were paired together on Saturday and got some help from golf instructor Hank Haney.

"It’s a dream come true to play with Charles," said Fredette in an American Century Championship press release. "I loved watching him play. He played so hard and had such determination."

Sunday’s final round is scheduled to be aired from 3 to 6 p.m. on NBC.

Zappos

2011-07-11T22:40:00.000-07:00

The Zappos Goes Nude and Adds QR Codes to its Fall Ad Campaign

Would you like a little nudity with your shoes? In an interesting turn of the events, Zappos has decided to get saucy with its latest ad campaign. The New York Times has reported that the new Zappos Fall ad campaign will feature athletic activities while in the buff. I guess they couldn’t make their models go through airport security like BlueFly had done in the past.

“Zappos has a quirky culture … Doing something typical is not really them.” Tim Vaccarino, group creative director at Mullen, Zappos’ ad agency, told the NY Times.

Zappos is known for cultivating a work environment, as well as business model that other companies look up to, so this provocative advertising campaign will certainly keep them ahead of the curve or illicit snickers from their competitors.

The new ads were primarily shot in Manhattan in outdoor locations like Park Avenue, as well as the West Village. The models had sensor bars put in strategically placed areas while riding Vespas’s and other assorted activities.

Along with the tastefully done nudity in its ads, Zappos is hopeful consumers will also pay attention to the QR codes, that when scanned with their smartphone will send you to a mobile site featuring videos of the naked women in the ads. You can select clothing for the models to wear and then enter the Zappos mobile site to buy them for yourself.

Ladies have no fear. Woman are not the only ones being exploited for this campaign. By the end of July we will get to ‘dress’ a scantily clad gent on his way to the Zappos online store.
I think by the end of this campaign Zappos will certainly drive home that they don’t just sell shoes. The funny thing is, this isn’t the first time Zappos attempted a nude campaign, check out the commercial below that was shot two years ago.

South Sudan

2011-07-08T22:46:00.000-07:00

South Sudan becomes the world's newest nation

South Sudan had reached a comprehensive peace agreement with the North Sudan in 2005, brokered by US Secretary of State Colin Powell under former President George W Bush, that stopped the bloody civil war and paved the way for the January referendum. Some 99 per cent of southern Sudanese had voted for independence from the north of Sudan in the referendum. But, major elements of the 2005 peace agreement are still unresolved like which side will control the oil-rich region of Abyei, where fighting has also broken out raising concerns that conflict may flare up again; citizenship protection for minorities; where final borders will be set; and how oil earnings will be shared -- the south has 70 per cent of the reserves.

"This is a fragile and fraught moment as well. It cannot and must not be taken for granted," US Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice, who is leading a bipartisan American delegation to the independence celebration in Juba, said on Thursday. She asked the northern and southern governments to resolve issues related to the resource-rich area of Abyei and other border regions. The US and its partners have offered to convene a global conference in September for South Sudan, which will allow the new country''s leaders to present their plans for encouraging the much-needed private investment.

Pigeon

2011-07-04T00:37:00.000-07:00

Pigeons recognise friendly feeders - birds remember hostile people

The fluttering pigeons outside Gateway of India are as much a part of the tourists’ must-do lists as the coin throw at Rome’s Trevi Fountain.

But behind the light-hearted amusement of feeding pigeons may lie deep biological underpinnings that explain why the practice, as symbolised by Indian kabutarkhanas, has flourished down the centuries.

Pigeons can discriminate between friendly and hostile humans, an evolutionary advantage that may be one of the factors helping their populations thrive across urban centres at a time sparrows are in decline, scientists say.

Ornithologists have long observed what they believe is a rise in pigeon numbers in urban areas, a trend easy to sense in Indian cities with their traditional kabutarkhanas — public zones where pigeons congregrate to eat grain or other tidbits offered by humans. “Human benevolence is clearly among factors pushing pigeon populations upward,” said Mohammed Dilawar, an ornithologist tracking house sparrows for the Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai.

“Pigeons also find it easier to bring up their little ones,” he said.

While newborn sparrows require an exclusive diet of insects, Dilawar said, young pigeons can survive on a liquid called “vegetable milk”, regurgitated by adult pigeons that feed on grain or other food that are always abundant from human feeders.

Now scientists in France have identified another facet of pigeon biology that probably help these birds in their search for friendly humans: pigeons appear to recognise individual people despite changes in clothing. In their experiments, Dalila Bovet and her colleagues at University of Paris asked two sets of people wearing different-coloured coats to feed pigeons in a Paris city centre park.

One set ignored the pigeons and allowed them to feed while other group chased the birds away preventing them from feeding. The pigeons appeared to recognise who was friendly and who was hostile, and were able to remember that information later.

The pigeons could recognise the hostile people even when they swapped their coloured coats with the friendly people. Even when hostile people changed stance and became friendly to pigeons, the birds continued to avoid them. “What is important — and surprising — is that the pigeons spontaneously used relevant characteristics of individuals instead of the most salient feature, which was the coloured coats,” said Bovet, associate professor at the laboratory for comparative ethology and cognition at the University of Paris.

“They seem to know that clothes are not a good way to tell humans apart,” Bovet told The Telegraph.

These findings, published earlier this year in the journal Animal Cognition, will be presented at a meeting of the Society for Experimental Biology in Glasgow on Sunday.

The scientists say the ability to discriminate between friendly and hostile humans is ecologically relevant because it could help the birds recognise a safe human feeder faster and save energy and time in gaining food. Overall, it is a combination of an abundance of food and nesting places as well as a decline in the population of natural predator birds that is contributing to rising pigeon populations, said Asad Rahmani, director of the Bombay Natural History Society.

Pigeons are what ornithologists call platform-nesters — birds that can build nests along ledges and corners of buildings.

“The population of predators such as peregrine falcons is low, and that is also helping pigeons,” Rahmani said.

“But any human-driven or unnatural rise in a species population can mean an ecological imbalance,” said Dilawar. “Pigeons are friendly birds, but they may also carry the risk of exacerbating respiratory infections.”

Arbonne

2011-06-30T22:29:00.000-07:00

'Fireworks Over Lake D'Arbonne' set for the Saturday

The Union Parish Chamber of Commerce will present “Fireworks Over Lake D’Arbonne” in the Farmerville on Saturday near the Highway 33/15 bridge.

A flotilla of decorated boats will launch at 7 p.m. and tour the lake until 8:30 p.m.

Ceremonies and the fireworks display will begin at 8:45 p.m.

For best viewing, the public can gather at Lake D’Arbonne Motel, Ludwig Marine, ramp road and along the highway. Music will be provided by deejay Shannon Futch beginning at 7 p.m.

Fireworks

2011-06-30T22:01:00.000-07:00

Holiday brings out fireworks fun, danger in the Myrtle Beach area

The Fourth of July holiday is a time to celebrate the nation's history and spend time with friends and family, but area authorities also want to remind residents and visitors to be safe while in the area and use common sense during their travels.

"July 4th is typically a busy weekend for us, obviously," Myrtle Beach police Capt. David Knipes said. "We're getting into the part of year where we see more families in town so it will be busy." An increase in the area's population also means criminals look for opportunities and reports about vehicle break-ins at the beach accesses and thefts of beach bags increase, Knipes said. He suggests limiting the number of valuables you take on trips.

"Protect your belongings and be aware of your surroundings," Knipes said. "Don't leave visible in your vehicle, if you leave it out in plain view there's a chance could get broken into."

With the lack of rain and droughtlike conditions in the Myrtle Beach area, fire officials warn residents and visitors to use extra caution if they are shooting fireworks, which are restricted to certain areas. Residents should check with their homeowner's association or if they live in a municipality to see if fireworks are allowed in their community. Rainfall is not in the holiday weekend forecast, so hot, dry conditions will persist, according to forecasters with the National Weather Service in Wilmington, N.C.

The rekindle of a brush fire outside of Conway earlier this week was attributed to fireworks launched from a 4-wheeler, according to the S.C. Forestry Commission.

"We have had a few brush fires dealing with fireworks around the 4th of July," said Kenny Todd, an Horry County Fire Rescue battalion chief and a resident state fire marshal. One of those fires included a building being destroyed in the Lake Arrowhead area along Shore Drive after fireworks landed in some pampas grass next to the building and caught fire, he said. No serious injuries or property damage have recently occurred in the area.

Nationally, fireworks have caused millions of dollars in property loss and thousands of injuries and deaths, according to the state fire marshal's office. Last year in South Carolina, there were 208 fireworks-related fire incidents and 57 percent of those occurred around the July 4th weekend.

"If their fireworks do start a fire, they are responsible for any damages that fire causes. Unless they have a large open area and it is difficult to control where the debris comes down and it could damage a neighbor's vehicle or property," Todd said. "Any type of outdoor burning should be postponed until we get some rain in most areas. The grass and vegetation is extremely dry and the breezy conditions we have can cause a fire to spread quicker and intensify quicker. Go to a public display where they are required to follow safety precautions."

But if residents or visitors are planning to shoot their own fireworks, Todd said they should use caution and not allow children near them because of the intense heat generated by even those childhood favorite sparklers.

Scott Vandament, a Murrells Inlet resident, purchased a bundle of fireworks Thursday for a display at his home this weekend. He plans on surprising some relatives at a family gathering with the display, which he described as nothing too big.

"It's going to be a family event," Vandament said.

He said he plans to follow all safety precautions including shooting them in an open area and maintaining a safety area so no one is hurt because a few children will be in attendance.

"They won't have access to them. We'll keep the children away," Vandament said.

Clint Lawrence of Myrtle Beach also plans on being safe when he and his family shoot fireworks at their home this weekend, he said. On Thursday, Lawrence and his daughter purchased some fireworks for a small display with family.

"It's something we do every year ... spending time with family," Lawrence said and described the fireworks as sparklers and fountains.

Other tips from Todd include following package directions on fireworks, keeping water and a fire extinguisher nearby, do not point the fireworks at people or buildings, and staying in an open area.

"We're here to provide a service. We'd rather you call us and not really need us than need us and not call us," Todd said. "Have a safe and happy 4th of July holiday."

Safety

Improper use of the fireworks may be dangerous, both to the person operating them and to bystanders; in addition, they may start fires after landing on flammable material. For this reason, the use of fireworks is generally legally restricted. Display fireworks are restricted by law for use by professionals; consumer items, available to the public, are smaller versions containing limited amounts of explosive material to reduce potential danger. Fireworks may pose a problem for animals, both domestic and wild, who can be terrified by the noise, leading to them running away or hurting themselves on fences or in other ways in an attempt to escape.

Carbonite

2011-06-29T08:22:00.000-07:00

Boston Business Journal Honors Carbonite as One of the Boston's Best Places to Work

Carbonite®, a leading provider of online backup solutions which provide customers with "anytime, anywhere access" to their stored files, has been honored by the Boston Business Journal as the areas' 9th best.

Here is my HIC so far. I got this from Vos last October. Even though it was a great casting, to super clean-up something this size takes a LONG time.When y.

By Christopher Zinsli Carbonite Inc., a provider of online backup services that filed last month to go public, paid $2 million cash earlier this month to acquire photo and video sharing service Phanfare Inc. Boston-based Carbonite said in an amended.

Backblaze.com and AT&T both have $5/month unlimited storage plans, and Carbonite has one for a single-time purchase for $59. DataDepositBox and Iomega's iStorage Pro have plans for unlimited PCs, but charge by the GB for storage.

Transformers Dark Of The Moon

2011-06-29T07:44:00.000-07:00

Sideshow: Shia and Megan: Costars coupled

Shia LaBeouf and Megan Fox engaged in sexual relations while filming first Transformers movie, the manchild admits to Details.

"Look, you're on the set for 6 months, with someone who's rooting to be attracted to you, and you're rooting to be attracted to them," said Shia, 25, who is promoting Transformers: Dark of the Moon.

"I never understood the separation of work and life in that situation. But the time I spent with Megan was our own thing, and I think you can see the chemistry onscreen."

Things got sticky when Shia was asked if he hooked up with Megan when she was dating now-husband Brian Austin Green.

"I don't know, man. I don't know," he said, repeating the phrase 12 times in various intonations. "It was what it was," he finally said.

Who would want to wed on a Monday? America Ferrera would.

The 27-year-old Ugly Betty star and beau Ryan Piers Williams tied the knot Monday night, her rep tells People, in "an intimate setting amongst close friends and family," including Vanessa Williams, Rebecca Romijn, Jerry O'Connell, and Blake Lively. "The bride wore a dress by Amsale's Christos label and Fred Leighton earrings."

Friends alum Lisa Kudrow tells More mag that when she was a wannabe, she really struggled in her improv acting class. Until she met and briefly dated classmate Conan O'Brien.

"He was really smart, really funny, and he thought I was funny," she says. He encouraged her to stick to acting. But their romance fizzled: "We were better as friends."

An attorney named Alyson Oliver has filed a lawsuit in Detroit, claiming Lady Gaga lies when she says all proceeds from sales of her "We Pray for Japan" wristbands benefit Japanese tsunami-relief efforts. The suit, which seeks class-action status, claims Gaga's website adds an inflated shipping charge atop the item's $5 price, which Gaga may be pocketing. Her Gagaship's rep says the suit is "misguided . . . and without merit."

Emma Stone tells Vanity Fair she doesn't regret her decision to drop out of high school. Anyway, she got to graduate on screen.

"I did Superbad in what would've been my senior year," she says. "I was playing a senior, and had I graduated I would've missed that opportunity, and had I missed that opportunity I wouldn't be here right now."

The world's most famous male tongue, Gene Simmons, reveals more of his serious side, telling Parade.com why America has been so important to his family.

"I'm an immigrant from Israel and my mother is a concentration camp survivor from Nazi Germany, and America in a very real way saved my mother and my people," the 61-year-old KISS rocker says.

Gene, who claims to have slept with more than 4,600 women (a current estimate puts it at 4,897), admits he and longtime of Shannon Tweed may be on the verge of breaking up.

"Men are not reflective," Gene says. "We're in the here and the now. Women are wiser. . . . They see the bigger picture."

Summerfest

2011-06-27T08:19:00.000-07:00

Summerfest is a yearly music festival held at the 300,000 m2 Henry Maier Festival Park along the lakefront in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA. The festival lasts for 11 days, is made up of 11 stages with performances from over 700 bands, and since the mid-1970s has run from late June through early July, usually including the 4th of July holiday. Summerfest attracts between 800,000 and 1,000,000 people each year, promoting itself as "The World's Largest Music Festival," a title certified by the Guinness World Records in 1999.

Summerfest is run by the non-profit organization Milwaukee World Festival, and features both local and nationally known music talent from a variety of music genres. The event also provides the opportunity to sample a wide variety of food from many Milwaukee-area restaurants. Other Summerfest attractions include comedy acts, shopping vendors, fireworks (including "The Big Bang" on opening night), other special attractions, family activities and more.

Live musical acts are offered on eleven stages throughout the grounds from noon to midnight, including the 23,000-capacity Marcus Amphitheater. All shows are free with an admission ticket, with the exception of headlining acts at the Marcus Amphitheater. Admission is between $8.00 and $15.00, depending on the time of day. There are numerous promotions for discounted or free tickets.

Summerfest was conceived in the 1960s by then-mayor Henry W. Maier. Inspired by his visit to Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany, Maier envisioned a similar ethnic-themed festival in Milwaukee, and in 1962 formed a panel of business and civic leaders to study the feasibility of a large-scale summer festival. By the middle of the decade, the panel drew up a proposal for a 10-day multi-event festival with the proposed name of "Milwaukee World Festival," which was changed briefly in 1966 to "Juli Spaß" (German for "July Fun") and then to "Summerfest."

The inaugural Summerfest was held in July 1968 at 35 different locations throughout the city including Milwaukee County Stadium and Milwaukee Arena, and its events ranged from concerts to a film festival, an air show, and even a pageant. The first Summerfest was regarded as a success; the second event in 1969, was less successful, as it was plagued by additional venues, inclement weather, and severe financial debt. In 1970, a permanent central location was decided upon, and Summerfest moved to a former Nike missile site on the lakefront, where it continues to be held to this day. Also that year, Summerfest introduced its red "smiley face" logo, an insignia that has become synonymous with the event. The logo was designed by local graphic artist Noel Spangler.

It was also in 1970 that Henry Jordan became executive director of Summerfest, a title he held during the event's early years until his death in 1977. Another public face in that position was Elizabeth "Bo" Black, who became executive director in 1984. Through her fundraising and organizing, she became a local celebrity and almost as much a recognizable part of Summerfest as the smiley face logo until her departure in September 2003.

Very Low Calorie Diet

2011-06-25T06:34:00.000-07:00

Very Low-Calorie Diet May Reverse Diabetes

A very low-calorie diet of 600 calories a day may be able to reverse type two diabetes, preliminary research suggests. 11 people who had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes within the past four years slashed their calories for 8 weeks, sticking to a diet of liquid diet drinks and non-starchy vegetables.

Three months after going off the diet, 7 were free of diabetes.

Sound too tough to follow? Don't worry, the researchers aren't recommending the low-cal diet as a treatment for diabetes.

"We used the 600-calorie diet to test a hypothesis. What I can tell you definitively is that if people lose substantial weight by normal means, they will lose their diabetes," says study head Roy Taylor,MD, director of the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre at Newcastle University in England.

Low-Calorie Diet Reduces Fat in Pancreas

Nearly 26 million Americans have diabetes, about 95% of whom have type 2 diabetes. It develops when the body does not produce enough insulin and/or the insulin that is produced doesn't work properly. As a result, blood sugar levels shoot up.

Taylor tells WebMD that the very low-calorie diet reduced the amount of fat in the pancreas and liver, which allowed insulin production and function to return to normal.

After one week on the diet, participants' fasting blood sugar levels were no longer elevated, he says. MRI scans showed that the fat levels in the pancreas fell from around 8% -- considered high -- to a normal 6%.

After eight weeks on the diet, their bodies were once again making sufficient insulin, essentially reversing their diabetes, Taylor says. "Fat in the pancreas inhibits the action of beta cells in making insulin. The low-calorie diet got rid of this excess fat," he says.

The men and the women in the study weighed an average of 220 pounds at the start of the study and lost an average of 33 pounds over eight weeks. By three months later, they had regained an average of 6.5 pounds.

Low-Calorie Diets: Permanent Results?

David M. Kendall, MD, chief scientific and medical officer for the ADA, tells WebMD that it's been known for a while that "substantial calorie reduction can be very effective in rapidly improving diabetic control, especially in people who are obese.

"What is unique about this study is it looked at some of the mechanisms that underlie the rapid improvement," he says.

More research is needed to determine whether the low-cal diet results in a permanent reversal of diabetes, Taylor says. "We also have to figure out a more practical way for people to get these results -- that is, to get fat out of pancreas and keep it out," he says.

So You Think You Can Dance

2011-06-22T21:22:00.000-07:00

So You Think You Can Dance is an American dance competition and the reality show that airs on Fox in the United States. The series first premiered on July 20, 2005 and has a similar premise to the American Idol series of singing competitions, with nationwide auditions leading to the discovery of the next big star. However, unlike American Idol, the show focuses not only on the dancers' talent, but also showcases new works by cutting edge choreographers, crafted specifically for the dancers and the show. The show was created by Idol's Simon Fuller and Nigel Lythgoe and is produced by 19 Entertainment and Dick Clark Productions.

A mixture of contestants are chosen for the show, ranging from unknown street dancers to winners of national championships. All contestants have to work their way through a rigorous audition process. By the end of this process, 10 to 20 dancers depending on that season's format of various styles are chosen to compete on national television. Over the course of the show, dancers are assigned different dance styles and partners each week to test their versatility.

It was the 1 rated show in summer 2006 for adults aged 18–49. The first season was hosted by current American news personality, Lauren Sánchez; since the 2nd season it has been hosted by former British children's tv personality and one-time game show emcee, Cat Deeley. Spin-offs were announced in August 2006; there are currently versions of the show in New Zealand, Ukraine, Turkey, Israel, Canada, Germany, Greece, Poland, Malaysia, Norway, Belgium, The Netherlands, South Africa, United Kingdom, Australia and Portugal, with several other versions in the works.

So You Think You Can Dance holds auditions in major cities across the U.S. each season, looking for the top dancers in each city. Dancers with all types of backgrounds are encouraged to audition. Salsa, ballroom, hip hop, street dancing, contemporary, jazz, ballet, tap, and many other types of dancers can be seen auditioning for a chance to win the grand prize—which, in the past, has included a new Hybrid SUV, $100,000 in cash, and a dancing role in Celine Dion's Las Vegas show—of US$250,000 and the title of "America's Favorite Dancer". In its 7 seasons, the winners have been Nick Lazzarini, Benji Schwimmer, Sabra Johnson, Joshua Allen, Jeanine Mason, Russell Ferguson, and Lauren Froderman. The show has won 5 Emmy Awards for Outstanding Choreography and a total of 7 Emmys altogether.

Revolutionary Road

2011-06-19T07:42:00.000-07:00

Revolutionary Road is a 2008 American drama film directed by Sam Mendes, from screenplay by Justin Haythe, starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet. It is based on the 1961 novel of the same name by Richard Yates.

The film opened in limited release on December 26, 2008, and expanded wide on January 23, 2009. It was the first film in which DiCaprio and Winslet have co-starred since the 1997 film Titanic.

The film was nominated for 3 Academy Awards: Best Art Direction, Best Costume Design and Best Supporting Actor Michael Shannon.

Cast

   * Leonardo DiCaprio as Frank Wheeler
   * Kate Winslet as April Wheeler
   * Kathy Bates as Helen Givings
   * Kathryn Hahn as Milly Campbell
   * Dylan Baker as Jack Ordway
   * David Harbour as Shep Campbell
   * Michael Shannon as John Givings (younger)
   * Richard Easton as John Givings (older)
   * Zoe Kazan as Maureen Grube
   * Jay O. Sanders as Bart Pollock

Jk Rowling

2011-06-17T07:51:00.000-07:00

Is J.K. Rowling Working On More Harry Potter?

With the final screen installment of the Harry Potter saga set to the hit theaters next month, fans of the beloved boy wizard have braced themselves for what seems like the end – or is it?

A Twitter account for the site also blasts the same message, but a rep for Rowling, 45, was mum about what exactly the author is conjuring.

Rowling's spokesperson told the BBC that the project was not "directly related" to the final film, which arrives in theaters July 15, or a new book. "We are not saying anything more at the moment."

Potter enthusiasts should know by Thursday what the project entails, according to a countdown in the video. For now, all that's available on the site, which was revealed to fans through an online scavenger hunt, is a "coming soon" banner bookmarked by owl graphics.

The trademark for Pottermore was filed in July 2009 – two years after the final book was released – so it seems like Rowling had the idea on the back burner. This begs the question: Are Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint in on it?

Fathers Day Poems

2011-06-16T04:55:00.000-07:00

Best Fathers Day Quotes and more Happy Fathers Day Poems and Printable Cards

Father’s Day Quotes and Poems – The Father’s Day is celebrated in almost 60 countries around the world. This is the day and right time to reward them with same honors as what we have given to our Mothers last month and throughout the entire year. It is also said that every minutes is no comparison to our parents in our life as what they have contributed to our lives.

We all know that they are really mean to all of us and we should celebrate this day with full of interest and in such way that they will remember that this day is a special day for them. So on this day, we shall give our time and spend even extra time to greet our fathers a Happy Father’sDay and show them their importance in our lives.

Please find below some of our collected Happy Father’s Day Quotes and Message which you can use in sending some greetings and sms messages to your dad. Show him now how you care for him and how you thanked him for giving you a wonderful life.

“My father said, ‘Politics asks the question: Is it expedient? Vanity asks: Is it popular? But conscience asks: Is it right?’” – Dexter Scott King

“A man knows when he is growing old because he begins to look like his father.” – Gabriel García Márquez

“I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” – Sigmund Freud

“By the time a man realizes that maybe his father was right, he usually has a son who thinks he’s wrong.” – Charles Wadsworth

“A man’s children and his garden both reflect the amount of weeding done during the growing season”. – Unknown

“Fathers, like mothers, are not born. Men grow into fathers – and fathering is a very important stage in their development.” — David M. Gottesman

Again Happy Father’s Day to all the Dads in the World!!!

Happy Father's Day

A Dad is a person
who is loving and kind,
And often he knows
what you have on your mind.
He's someone who listens,
suggests, and defends.
A dad can be one
of your very best friends!
He's proud of your triumphs,
but when things go wrong,
A dad can be patient
and helpful and strong
In all that you do,
a dad's love plays a part.
There's always a place for him
deep in your heart.
And each year that passes,
you're even more glad,
More grateful and proud
just to call him your dad!
Thank you, Dad...
for listening and caring,
for giving and sharing,
but, especially, for just being you!
Happy Father's Day

Solar Eclipse

2011-06-15T10:12:00.000-07:00

As seen from the Earth, a solar eclipse occurs when the Moon passes between the Sun and the Earth, and the Moon fully or partially covers the Sun as viewed from a location on Earth. This can only happen during a new moon, when the Sun and Moon are in conjunction as seen from Earth. At least 2, and up to 5, solar eclipses occur each year; no more than 2 can be total eclipses. Total solar eclipses are nevertheless rare at any particular location because totality exists only along a narrow path on the Earth's surface traced by the Moon's umbra.

Some people, sometimes referred to as "eclipse chasers" or "umbraphiles", will travel to remote locations to observe or witness a predicted central solar eclipse. The solar eclipse of August 11, 1999, in Europe helped to increase public awareness of the phenomenon, which apparently led to an unusually large number of journeys made specifically to witness the annular solar eclipse of October 3, 2005, and of March 29, 2006.

The last total solar eclipse was the solar eclipse of July 11, 2010; the next will be the solar eclipse of November 13, 2012. The recent solar eclipse of June 1, 2011, was a partial eclipse; the next partial eclipse will occur on July 1, 2011.

A total solar eclipse is a natural phenomenon. Nevertheless, in ancient times, and in some cultures today, solar eclipses have been attributed to supernatural causes or regarded as bad omens. A total solar eclipse can be frightening to people who are unaware of their astronomical explanation, as the Sun seems to disappear during the day and the sky darkens in a matter of minutes.

There are 4 types of solar eclipses:

A total eclipse occurs when the dark silhouette of the Moon completely obscures the intensely bright disk of the Sun, allowing the much fainter solar corona to be visible. During any one eclipse, totality only occurs at best in a narrow track on the surface of the Earth.

An annular eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are exactly in line, but the apparent size of the Moon is smaller than that of the Sun. Hence the Sun appears as a very bright ring, or annulus, surrounding the outline of the Moon.

A hybrid eclipse shifts between a total and annular eclipse. At some points on the surface of the Earth it appears as a total eclipse, whereas at others it appears as annular. Hybrid eclipses are comparatively rare.

A partial eclipse occurs when the Sun and Moon are not exactly in line and the Moon only partially obscures the Sun. This phenomenon can usually be seen from a large part of the Earth outside of the track of an annular or total eclipse. However, some eclipses can only be seen as a partial eclipse, because the umbra passes above the Earth's polar regions and never intersects the Earth's surface.

The Sun's distance from the Earth is about 400 times the Moon's distance, and the Sun's diameter is about 400 times the Moon's diameter. Because these ratios are approximately the same, the Sun and the Moon as seen from Earth appear to be approximately the same size: about 0.5 degree of arc in angular measure.

Michele Bachmann

2011-06-14T05:54:00.001-07:00

Michele Marie Bachmann is a member of the US House of Representatives, representing Minnesota's Sixth congressional district, and a candidate for the Republican nomination in the 2012 U.S. presidential election. She previously served in the Minnesota State Senate and is the first Republican woman to represent the state in Congress.

Bachmann is a member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a supporter of the Tea Party movement and a founder of the House Tea Party Caucus.

Bachmann earned a Master of Laws degree, worked as a tax attorney, and was a foster mother for 23 teenagers.

Bachmann was born Michele Marie Amble in Waterloo, Iowa, "into a family of Norwegian Lutheran Democrats" who moved from Iowa to Minnesota when she was young. After her parents divorced, Bachmann's father, David John Amble, moved to California, and Bachmann was raised by her mother, Jean, who worked at the First National Bank in Anoka, Minnesota. Bachmann grew up in Anoka, graduating from Anoka High School in 1974.

After graduating from high school, Bachmann spent time working on a kibbutz in Israel. In 1978 she graduated from Winona State University with a B.A.. In 1986 she received a J.D. degree from Oral Roberts University, followed by an LL.M. degree in tax law from the William & Mary Law School in 1988. She was a member of the final graduating class of the Oral Roberts University law school, and was part of a group of faculty, staff, and students who moved the ORU law school library to what is now Regent University.

From 1988 to 1993, Bachmann was an attorney representing the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). She left her position with the IRS to become a full-time mother.

She married Marcus Bachmann in 1978. They have 5 children Lucas, Harrison, Elisa, Caroline, and Sophia, and have also provided foster care for 23 other children.

Bachmann and her husband own a Christian counseling practice in Stillwater, Minnesota.

Bachmann also has an ownership stake in a family farm located in Waumandee, Wisconsin. Since the death of her father-in-law in 2009, the farm and its buildings have been rented out to a neighboring farmer who maintains a dairy herd on the farm.

Pentecost

2011-06-12T02:45:00.000-07:00

Pentecost is one of the prominent feasts in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection. The feast is also called Whit Sunday, Whitsun, or Whit especially in the United Kingdom, where the following Monday was traditionally a holiday. Pentecost is celebrated 7 weeks after Easter Sunday, hence its name. Pentecost falls on the tenth day after Ascension Thursday.

Pentecost is historically and symbolically related to the Jewish harvest festival of Shavuot, which commemorates God giving the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai 50 days after the Exodus. Among Christians, Pentecost commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and other followers of Jesus as described in the New Testament Acts of the Apostles 2:1-31. For this reason, Pentecost is sometimes described as the "Birthday of the Church".

The Pentecostal movement of Christianity derives its name from this biblical event.

Nissan Leaf

2011-06-10T06:38:00.000-07:00

The Nissan Leaf is a five-door mid-size hatchback electric car manufactured by Nissan and introduced in Japan and the U.S. in December 2010. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency official range is 117 kilometres, with an energy consumption of 765 kJ/km and rated the Leaf's combined fuel economy at 99 miles per gallon gasoline equivalent. The Leaf has a range of 175 km on the New European Driving Cycle.

Deliveries to individual customers began in the US and Japan in December 2010, in Ireland in February 2011 and in the U.K. in March 2011. Deliveries to corporate customers began in Portugal in December 2010 and sales to individuals are expected to begin in early 2011. Sales to individuals are scheduled to begin in the Netherlands in June 2011, followed by Switzerland, Spain, and France, with global market availability planned for 2012. According to Nissan initial availability is limited in quantities and to select markets and only for customers who made online reservations. The availability will be increased by the second quarter of 2011 with U.S. production planned for 2012.

The Leaf's retail price in Japan starts at ¥3.76 million and US$32,780 in the United States. The price in the UK is GB£30,990 and around €35,000 in the other 6 European countries where it will be launched first. These prices include the price of the battery package. Most countries have applicable tax incentives or subsidies for eligible buyers that reduce the effective cost of purchase below the retail prices listed by Nissan.

As an all-electric car, the Nissan Leaf produces no tailpipe pollution or greenhouse gas emissions at the point of operation, and reduces dependence on petroleum. Among other awards and recognition, the Nissan Leaf won the 2010 Green Car Vision Award award, the 2011 European Car of the Year award, the 2011 World Car of the Year, and ranks as the most efficient EPA certified vehicle for all fuels ever.

Solar Flare

2011-06-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

A solar flare is a sudden brightening observed over the Sun surface or the solar limb, which is interpreted as a large energy release of up to 6 × 1025 joules of energy (about a 6th of the total energy output of the Sun each second). The term is also used to refer to similar phenomena in other stars, where the term stellar flare applies.

Solar flares affect all layers of the solar atmosphere, when the medium plasma is heated to tens of millions of kelvins and electrons, protons, and heavier ions are accelerated to near the speed of light. They produce radiation across the electromagnetic spectrum at all wavelengths, from radio waves to gamma rays, although most of the energy goes to frequencies outside the visual range and for this reason the majority of the flares are not visible to the naked eye and must be observed with special instruments.

Flares occur in active regions around sunspots, where intense magnetic fields penetrate the photosphere to link the corona to the solar interior. Flares are powered by the sudden (timescales of minutes to tens of minutes) release of magnetic energy stored in the corona. The same energy releases may produce coronal mass ejections, although the relation between CMEs and flares is still not well established.

X-rays and UV radiation emitted by solar flares can affect Earth's ionosphere and disrupt long-range radio communications. Direct radio emission at decimetric wavelengths may disturb operation of radars and other devices operating at these frequencies.

Solar flares were first observed on the Sun by Richard Christopher Carrington and independently by Richard Hodgson in 1859 as localized visible brightenings of small areas within a sunspot group. Stellar flares have also been observed on a variety of other stars.

The frequency of occurrence of solar flares varies, from several per day when the Sun is particularly "active" to less than one every week when the Sun is "quiet", following the 11-year cycle. Large flares are less frequent than smaller ones.

Super 8

2011-06-09T07:53:00.000-07:00

Super 8 is a science fiction film written and directed by J. J. Abrams and the produced by Steven Spielberg. The film, starring Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, AJ Michalka, and Kyle Chandler, will be released on June 10, 2011 in conventional and IMAX theaters.

Cast

   * Joel Courtney as Joe Lamb
   * Elle Fanning as Alice Dainard
   * Kyle Chandler as Jackson Lamb
   * Ron Eldard as Louis Dainard
   * Noah Emmerich as Colonel Nelec
   * Riley Griffiths as Charles Kaznyk
   * Ryan Lee as Carey
   * Zach Mills as Preston
   * Gabriel Basso as Martin
   * Josh McFarland as Tom Ashton
   * Amanda Michalka as Jen Kaznyk
   * Glynn Turman as Dr. Woodward
   * Michael Hitchcock as Deputy Rosko
   * Colin Mathews as Beto's customer
   * Remy Thorne as Jorge Brooks