Nick Carter is all set to release a memoir later this year.

Fans who want to know every last detail about the Backstreet Boy’s life will be able to pick up a copy of Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It this September.

According to The Associated Press, Carter is the first member of the group to release a book about his career. The folks at Bird Street Books have been charged with publishing the tell-all.

The memoir will touch on the ups and downs Nick Carter experience during his on the road and on-stage with the Backstreet Boys. The singer’s memoir will also discuss his problems with drugs and alcohol, and how he managed to get his life back on the right track.

Enstarz explains that Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It will also explore the tragedies his family has suffered following his success. Leslie Carter, Nick’s 25-year-old sister, died of a drug overdose last year. The book will likely discuss some of the issues Aaron Carter has faced over the years.

In addition to the upcoming memoir, Nick Carter will join the other Backstreet Boys for some shows later this year. A.J. McLean, Brian Littrell, Howie Dorough, Kevin Richardson, and Carter are set to release a new album just in time for the group’s 20th anniversary.

To support the album, the reunited Backstreet Boys will embark on a tour this summer. It’s believed that Pauly D and Jesse McCartney will open for the group during a handful of stops. Plenty of information about the tour and the scheduled dates can be found at Ticketmaster.

According to Perez Hilton, Carter also has a new reality show in the works. Spearheaded by Bischoff-Hervey Entertainment, the show will revolve around the singer’s upcoming wedding to fiance Lauren Kitt.

Nick Carter’s memoir Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It will hit retail shelves on June 24. Are you planning to pick up a copy of the singer’s book?

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

Nick Carter To Release Memoir Later This Year is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Boston Bruins have pushed the New York Rangers to the brink of elimination, and John Tortorella’s team will be without one of their stars in Brad Richards in Game 4 as they look to stay alive. Richards has been scratched from the crucial game after struggling on the ice and dropping to the fourth line.

The 33-year-old signed a nine-year contract worth upwards of $60 million with the Rangers after becoming an unrestricted free agent in 2011. His first season in New York went quite well as he posted 66 points after appearing in all 82 games.

This year, in his second season with the Rangers, Richards began as a star player on the first line but he won’t be on the ice Thursday as the team looks to fend off elimination.

In the Rangers’ 10 playoff games this year, Richards has posted just one point off a goal in Game 4 against the Washington Capitals in the first round. He won’t have the chance to do it again when the Rangers face the Bruins on Thursday, as he’ll be wearing a suit and cheering on his teammates instead of joining them on the ice.

Tortorella’s decision may be the beginning of the end for Brad Richards with the Rangers, and Rick Carpiniello of the Rangers Report Blog believes a buyout is in the works after the playoffs come to an end.

“The Rangers will use their one remaining compliance buyout within the new CBA to end Richards’ relationship with the team this summer,” Carpiniello said in a blog post Thursday. “Richards, who received $12 million in 2011-12 and most of his $12 million for the lockout 2013 season, will get a $24 million going-away present this summer (spread out over twice the remaining seven years), removing his contract from the books and his salary from the decreasing salary cap.”

The Rangers haven’t addressed Richard’s overwhelming contract just yet as their focus remains on climbing back in the series.

Do you believe Brad Richards stay with the New York Rangers will end this offseason after he was scratched from Game 4 against the Bruins?

[Image via Creative Commons]

Rangers Scratch Brad Richards From Game 4, Bruins Look To End Series is a post from: The Inquisitr

Tom Brady said he wasn’t surprised to see friend and favorite target Wes Welker bolt the New England Patriots this offseason.

Though Brady and Welker were close, and Tom even took a pay cut to free up cap space so the team could sign players like Welker, Brady said it’s just the nature of the business.

“I don’t think anything surprises me anymore in the NFL,” Brady he said on the Dennis & Callahan Show on WEEI sports radio in Boston. “I’ve been around long enough to see things happen at different times with the greatest players of all, whether that’s Wes or Randy Moss being traded by the Raiders or Brett Favre and playing for the Jets and Vikings.”

Welker signed with the Denver Broncos in a two year deal is worth $12 million, adding another target for quarterback Peyton Manning. Last year Wes Welker caught 118 passes for 1,354 yards, the second highest total of his career. Two years ago Welker notched 1,569 yards.

“That’s what happens. This is a, like I said, it’s a very tough, competitive business, and nobody appreciated Wes more than I did and what he was able to accomplish for our team. He’s moved on; he’s in a good situation with another great team and a great quarterback. We always kind of kept in touch, we always will. He’s one of my best friends.”

But it wasn’t always so easy to accept the harsher side of the football business, Brady added:

“Of course I have feelings, but those feelings are very personal to me. I used to get caught up in angry and disappointment, but I don’t make the decisions. These things aren’t up to me. At some point you’ve got to realize the things that are out of your control, you’ve just got to let go, focus on my job and what I need to do. The game moves on, the team moves on, there’s only so long you can dwell on the past, and at some point you’ve got to move forward.”

Tom Brady and Wes Welker will get a chance to reunite on the field this season. The Patriots fave the Broncos on November 24.

Tom Brady: Not Surprised Wes Welker Left Patriots is a post from: The Inquisitr

For years Princess Diana was the role no one wanted to touch. Actress Emily Blunt turned down the role, and is now portraying her in a different film. That said, the first actress to play Princess Diana in film, Naomi Watts, just wrapped on her film that sees her portraying the late Princess. Now we finally have a release date that’s looking to be very Oscar friendly.

It’s not a surprise that Watts’ portrayal of Princess Diana would receive an Oscar friendly release date. From the second Watts stepped out as Diana, the eerie resemblance was all anyone could really talk about. It engaged a lot of people in discussion over the biopic simply called Diana.

It’s not your conventional biopic. It won’t focus on her whole life like most biopics. Instead, Diana will only focus on her affair with Dr. Hasnat Kahn, who is said to be played by Lost star Naveen Andrews. The affair lasted from 1995 up to a few months before Diana died in 1997.

This time period proved to be a tumultuous time for the Princess, as she was going through marital problems with Prince Charles, while trying to battle the paparazzi as she sought out a more private life. The press, which she fought hard to fight off wound up ending her relationship with Kahn.

Entertainment One has snagged the North American rights for the film, and are said to be planning an Oscar season release. This proves to be good news for Watts, who was nominated last year for The Impossible, but was ultimately overshadowed by powerful and highly publicized performances by the actresses in her category. As you know the Oscar eventually went to Jennifer Lawrence for her portrayal in Silver Linings Playbook. If one thing is for certain about the Academy is that they love true stories and real life portrayals of a person’s plight.

This would combine two very specific elements and may just wind up with a win for Watts. However, it is a little too early to predict what will happen come awards season. As it is Watts isn’t the only actress to be portraying a real life person. Watts’ friend Nicole Kidman is said to be portraying Grace Kelly in Grace of Monaco, which may give the actress a bit of competition.

Will you be seeing the Princess Diana film?

Naomi Watts’ Princess Diana Film Slated For Oscar Friendly Date is a post from: The Inquisitr

Did Tim Dog really pass away in February from diabetes-related problems? A woman is claiming that the rapper faked his own death in order to avoid court ordered payments.

WREG reports that a Mississippi judge has an issued an arrest warrant for Tim Dog, real name Timothy Blair, who supposedly died in February.

Before his alleged death, Blair was convicted of scamming Esther Pilgrim out of $19,000. Blair was ordered to make $100 payments until the debt was paid off but his death put a damper on that payment plan.

Pilgrim, however, doesn’t believe that Dog is actually dead.

Pilgrim said: “There was nothing of what you would normally find. What city? Who found him? There was nothing with any type of concrete details.”

Pilgrim says that she isn’t the only woman that Dog owes money to. According to Pilgrim, the rapper scammed several woman in 2011 and owes more than $2 million.

Hernando Prosecutor Steven Jubera said: “I need proof … I need a death certificate showing that’s he’s dead because as far as I’m concerned, he’s alive.”

Dog’s death was reported on hip-hop sites like The Source but those articles have been removed since the rapper’s alleged passing. Jubera said that all of the obituaries he has seen about the rapper’s death are very vague on details.

Jubera said: “Nobody said where he died, nobody said where he was buried, which is very odd for an obituary.”

Jubera and Pilgrim aren’t the only two people who are skeptical about Dog’s death. One of the rapper’s closest colleagues, Ced Gee, said that he refused to speak at Dog’s funeral because the family could not provide a death certificate.

Do you think the rapper faked his own death to avoid paying his debt?

Rapper Faked Own Death? Woman Claims Tim Dog Is Alive And In Debt is a post from: The Inquisitr

New York Governor Andrew Cuomo says “shame on us” if the voters of New York City elect disgraced former Congressman Anthony Weiner as their next mayor.

In an interview on Wednesday, the governor ripped his fellow Democrat, saying that he has a right to run but voters shouldn’t give him another chance at public office.

The conversation took place between Cuomo and Stephen A. Rogers, chairman of Syracuse Media Group:

Cuomo: “It’s basically democracy. Those are grownups (in the Assembly) who are picking, who pick their leader.”

Rogers: “So if Anthony Weiner wants to run for mayor, he can run for mayor.”

Cuomo: “He runs? He runs.”

Rogers: “And if we elect him?”

Cuomo: “Shame on us.”

Wiener resigned his position in 2011 after it was revealed that he was sending lewd pictures of himself by text to women.

Other politicians are down on Weiner’s chances. Congressman Charlie Rangel said he doesn’t see much of a chance for the disgraced former representative.

“Only in America can we do these type of things,” Rangel (D-N.Y.) told MSNBC’s Chris Jansing, when asked whether he supported the disgraced congressman, “Sanford did it in [South] Carolina, and then, there goes Anthony Weiner.”

Governor Cuomo: ‘Shame On Us’ If Anthony Weiner Elected NYC Mayor is a post from: The Inquisitr

Thor: The Dark World will see the Warriors Three.

In the original film Thor, Asgard was mostly at the height of peace in spite of Loki’s treachery. The Warriors Three hadn’t had that big a role in the film as they weren’t needed on the most part.

In Thor: The Dark World, Asgard is involved in a war among the nine realms. The threat of Malekith the Accursed draws closer, and dark times approach the world that Thor and his old friends the Warriors Three call home. Fans will see more of the braggart Volstagg than they did in the first film, so we might get to see some godly slapstick.

Ray Stevenson, the actor who plays Volstagg, told The Wall Street Journal that the Warriors Three will have a different role in Thor: The Dark World than they did the first time:

“[Volstagg's] great on a battlefield. He is one of the Warriors Three and doing what they do, their time is spent fighting on many different fronts. They’re not always fighting together. Volstagg is struggling, he has a brood, they are fighting for hearth and home as much as for the idea of Asgard itself. That’s where he has trouble. He’s all too aware of how potentially threatening this new enemy is on both the home front and the battlefield.”

In the comics, Volstagg is actually the oldest of the Warriors Three, and his prime is well past him. Thor: The Dark World might not show him in the same context, though.

Ray Stevenson adds:

“In the first ‘Thor‘ Asgard had this tremendous peace among the nine realms. They were riding at the heights. Everything is working and looking as it should be. In this one, the realms are being whipped up into various rebellions. There is a darker malignant force out there and we are in the process of engaging in long protracted skirmishes and battles. The luster and shine of the city has been taken off and it all leads to a huge assault, an attack at the heart of Asgard. It could be completely wiped out, the stakes are a lot higher.”

Are you excited to see the Warriors Three in Thor: The Dark World?

‘Thor: The Dark World’ Sees The Warriors Three is a post from: The Inquisitr

A West Bend, Wisconsin, couple was sentenced to 15 years in prison for the death of a 3-year-old girl Wednesday.

Justin Streicher pleaded no contest to neglecting a child, causing death, in February. Seven other drug-related charges were also considered at his sentencing, but ultimately dismissed. The 25-year-old was found guilty. The 3-year-old’s mother, 26-year-old Leann Leszynski, made the same plea agreement in January and was also sentenced to 15 years. Both were ordered to serve 10 years of extended supervision upon their release from prison.

Haley Kluwe died May 1, 2012 from a streptococcus infection that had spread throughout her body after days of neglect. Neither Streicher nor Leszynski sought emergency medical attention for the girl after discovering her body. They called Streicher’s mother and asked her to take the two other children — Haley’s twin sister and an older sister — out of the apartment.

Streicher and Leszynski left Haley’s body in the apartment and went to buy cigarettes. Shortly afterward, Leszynski told  her physician she wouldn’t be able to make an appointment and attempted to get a prescription filled. When she was told the prescription couldn’t be called in, she admitted that her daughter was dead, that she “must have stopped breathing or something,” and the doctor’s office alerted the police. Authorities found heroin, oxycodone, marijuana, and cocaine in the apartment during a search. They also found Haley’s bruised body.

The criminal complaint indicates that Leszynski told police that a clock fell on Haley, and a detective said the girl had significant brusiing on the left side of her face. Haley also had “blunt head and neck injuries,” according to the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s report. One witness even told police that he saw Streicher “blow marijuana into the mouth of Haley and tell her to inhale” to make her go to sleep.

A Change.org petition was started in order to get justice for Haley Kluwe. Supporters were asking that Justin Streicher and Leann Leszynski get the maximum penalty for her death. The petition gained 1,330 supporters, but is now closed.

Do you think 15 years is a long enough sentence?

Wisconsin Couple Sentenced To 15 Years For Child’s Death By Neglect is a post from: The Inquisitr

Authorities in California have arrested a man that they say placed more than 100 calls to the police department in just one month.

According to KWKT, 56-year-old Jimmy Shao of Sacramento was taken into custody late Monday night on charges of falsely reporting emergencies and making harassing 911 calls.

Shao, a divorced father, allegedly dialed 911 more over 100 times in May, potentially tying up resources needed by other citizens.

Police say 60 of the 911 calls he made went to the Sacramento Police dispatcher.

“It can be very frustrating for a dispatcher. For us, 911 is that lifeline. It’s our number one priority,” said Jena Swafford, 911 dispatch supervisor for the city.

“He was told to stop making those calls and to use non-emergency lines and he refused to do so,” said Officer Michele Gigante with Sacramento Police.

When asked the reason for his obsessive 911 calling, Shao claimed the US government is using a satellite to beam signals into his body and this causes severe pain.

“My brain, I can feel it starting. I’m blasted by the signals, every couple of minutes,” Jimmy Shao told CBS Sacramento. “I yell and I scream, ‘Stop it, I don’t need this,’ but they never listen.”

“911 is only place where I can reach for public help to rescue me from the satellite control,” he added.

The authorities believe Shao is delusional and needs psychiatric care.

Shao, for his part, says he was cleared by the psychiatrist his ex-wife took him to see.

Unfortunately, her comments on the matter have yet to be recorded.

“When he talks about the government controlling him and stirring his intestines, that’s not reality-based. That’s delusional, paranoid in nature,” Sacramento County mental health services psychiatrist Joseph Sisson said to Fox40.

Fox40 reports Shao has dialed 911 at least more times since bailing out of jail.

He told the news station that he plans to continue calling “until Congress starts an investigation.”

California Man Arrested For Calling 911 Over 100 Times In Past Month [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama’s prom photos from 1979, have been released. The previously unreleased pictures feature President Barack Obama, at the age of 17, dressed up and ready to for his senior prom.

One of Obama’s high school friends, Kelli Allman, provided the pictures to Time Magazine for a special feature. Obama’s date for the evening, Megan Hughes, and Allman’s date Greg Orme, also appear in the pictures.

The friends seem to be having a great time, sipping champagne before they head out for the evening. Obama wore a white jacket, navy blue shirt and pants, and a light blue tie. All four teens have big smiles and are wearing Hawaiian leis around their necks.

As reported by People.com, Allman explains that Obama spent a lot of time studying. When he was not doing school work, he was usually hanging out with his friends or playing basketball.

Obama’s prom photos clearly show that the teens were ready to celebrate the end of their senior year. Allman describes their evening together as a typical prom night, including dinner, dancing, and great times with good friends.

As reported by Time, the photos provided by Allman include a copy of a message that Obama wrote in Allman’s yearbook. It states, in part:

“You are extremely sweet and foxy … You really deserve better than clowns like us; you even laugh at my jokes … Good luck in everything you do and stay happy.”

Obama signed the message “Barry Obama.”

The pictures offer a candid glimpse into Obama’s life, before he became President of the United States. At age 17, Obama certainly felt the stress of his impending graduation, and starting college. However, it is refreshing to see see him completely relaxed, without the stress of running a nation on his shoulders.

Barack Obama’s prom photos are available in this week’s issue of Time Magazine.

[Image via Wikimedia]

Obama Prom Photos From 1979 Released is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Bachelorette’s Meredith Phillips recently opened up about her battle with alcoholism.

The reality star told People Magazine that she used to drink alcohol like it was a “full-time job.” The former Bachelorette star said that she would drink four bottles of wine a night and would frequently black out.

Phillips said that she started drinking at an early age and used to pride herself on the fact that she would do “12 beer bongs” before noon.

Phillips said: (I was proud to be) drinking 12 beer bongs by 12 p.m., even if I woke up at 10 a.m. I thought it was cool that I was a chick and could do that.”

And in case you were wondering, yes, Phillips was drunk while she was on The Bachelorette. The reality star, who was sent home fourth to last during her season, said that she was drunk on every episode.

Phillips said: “I knew my tolerance levels … Alcoholics are good at that. I figured out how much I drink and function.”

But after decades of non-stop drinking, the reality star said that she has finally taken a step in the right direction. Phillips is now about 6 months sober and she plans on staying that way.

Phillips said: “For years I’d wake up every day feeling like I was hit by a truck … I realized I was going to kill myself. There wasn’t another path for me other than to stop. I’m finally starting to live my life again. I still have a lot of healing to do, but I’m feeling better every day. There are definitely times when I miss drinking. I’m not saying one day I won’t want that glass of wine, but I don’t right now and that’s a good start. Life is short and I have a second chance.”

Bachelorette’s Meredith Phillips Opens Up About Alcoholism is a post from: The Inquisitr

Janet Jackson is now officially a billionaire.

A combination of four decades of graft, record and book sales, films, tours and sponsorship deals has bought Jackson admission to the elite billionaire’s club, and joins the rarefied company of Oprah Winfrey, the Koch brothers, Madonna, Steven Spielberg, Warren Buffett and others.

According to a report in Variety, Jackson pulled in a total haul of $260 million in album sales from seminal releases Control (1986), Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation 1814 (1989), janet (1993), The Velvet Rope (1997), and lesser selling All For You (2001), Damita Jo (2004), 20 Y.O. (2006) and Discipline (2008).

A further $81 million came from publishing royalties and advances, while her six world tours generated $458 million.

Jackson earned an additional $81.5 million in tour indexed sponsorship deals and syndication of those concerts.

Moving over to her film career, a string of roles in The Nutty Professor II: The Klumps, Poetic Justice, Why Did I Get Married (1 and 2) and For Colored Girls have netted the sometimes actress a not inconsiderable gross of $304 million.

That old saying ‘”money goes to money” never rang more true than it does for Jackson. The 47-year-old singer married Qatari billionaire Wissam Al Mana in a secret wedding last year.

The couple released a joint statement to Entertainment Weekly in February saying:

“The rumors regarding an extravagant wedding are simply not true. Last year we were married in a quiet, private, and beautiful ceremony.”

The statement continued:

“Our wedding gifts to one another were contributions to our respective favorite children’s charities. We would appreciate that our privacy is respected and that we are allowed this time for celebration and joy.”

After a tumultuous few years, following her de facto industry blacklisting after the 2004 Super Bowl “Nipplegate” debacle, the untimely of her brother Michael Jackson in 2009, as well as ongoing issues between the Jackson family and the Michael Jackson Estate and AEG, it seems Janet is ready to get back to making music.

The songstress recently told Billboard that she was “working on a new project,” and “creating the concept and initial thoughts on the music.”

[Image via Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com ]

Janet Jackson Is Now A Billionaire, Here’s How She Did it is a post from: The Inquisitr

Derek Jeter’s Starbucks’ cup read “Philip” as he exited the popular coffee chain’s store in Greenwich Village in New York City on Wednesday. Either Jeter’s secretly been hiding his real name during his 18-year Major League career, or the Yankees’ star shortstop used a fake name when he dropped in to grab a “cup of Joe.”

It isn’t odd to see an athlete cover up in public, almost to the extent where they are unrecognizable, but Derek Jeter appeared at Starbucks as himself in a t-shirt and jeans, though he may not of used his real name while making a purchase.

A photo of Jeter leaving the Starbucks began circulating on the web and it’s blatantly obvious that the cup says “Philip.” Maybe Jeter walked out with another man’s cup that was actually named Philip, but the most likely scenario remains to be the use of a fake name.

Philip Jeter? No, that can’t be right, and anyone who’s been around the game of baseball, especially in New York City, would know Derek Jeter when they see him.

The 38-year-old surely wasn’t hiding his face, and who knows, maybe the cashier went along with it for fun even though he or she knew exactly who he was.

Nevertheless, Derek Jeter’s Starbucks cup will remain a mystery. Was Jeter simply using a fake name or do we have the first Major League All-Star turned undercover Starbucks thief on our hands?

Here’s a side-by-side photo of Jeter as he was leaving the Starbucks in Greenwich Village that Bleacher Report posted on Twitter.

Derek Jeter’s Starbucks alias is “Philip”. So… is he stealing lattes or avoiding recognition? (via @gothamist) twitter.com/BleacherReport…

— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 23, 2013

As you can see, the close-up on the right distinctly reveals the name “Philip” on the cup. Scenarios behind the name could go on forever, and the New York Post went on to suggest that their could have been a guy named Philip cruising through the streets of New York with a Starbucks cup that read, “Derek.”

Do you believe Derek Jeter’s Starbucks cup gaffe was a common mistake or a fake name used by the five-time World Series champion?

[Image via Keith Allison]

Derek Jeter Starbucks Cup: Yankees Star Uses Fake Name In NYC is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jerry Lewis apparently still has a problem with female comedians.

The legendary actor stated in the past that he doesn’t enjoy watching women being funny. Although comediennes are often funnier than their male counterparts, apparently Lewis’ opinion hasn’t changed much over the years.

According to The Associated Press, someone asked Jerry Lewis about female comedians during his appearance at the Cannes Film Festival. Despite the plethora of funny ladies on the big and small screens, apparently he still has a problem.

During a recent press conference at the festival, Lewis said his favorite female comedians were Burt Reynolds and Cary Grant. He then added that he didn’t have a favorite.

“I can’t see women doing that. It bothers me,” Jerry Lewis said in regards to female comedians doing broad comedy. “I cannot sit and watch a lady diminish her qualities to the lowest common denominator. I just can’t do that.”

The UK comedy site Chortle reports that Lewis’ issue with comediennes first popped up back in 1998. During an appearance with Martin Short at Aspen’s U.S. Comedy Arts Festival, the Nutty Professor star revealed that he didn’t find women to be particularly funny.

“I don’t like any female comedians,” he said bluntly. According to People, Lewis added that he wasn’t a fan of I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball either.

“A woman doing comedy doesn’t offend me but sets me back a bit. I, as a viewer, have trouble with it. I think of her as a producing machine that brings babies in the world,” he added. Not surprisingly, many of the people in attendance got up and walked out.

Lewis was at this year’s Canne Film Festival to promote his new comedy Max Rose. The film tells the story of a pianist who discovers something about his wife that makes him question their entire marriage.

Are you a fan of Jerry Lewis? What do you think about his problem with female comedians?

[Image via Serge Rocco / Shutterstock.com]

Jerry Lewis Has A Problem With Female Comedians is a post from: The Inquisitr

What’s better than seeing Henry Cavill as the next Superman? Well, try two superheroes on for size up on the big screen. It doesn’t look like it’s happening anytime soon, but if it was up to Superman star Henry Cavill it certainly would be a reality.

Cavill recently spoke out during promotion for Man Of Steel about his one wish. Cavill hinted that there is a possibility of a crossover film starring the two well-known heroes in the WB universe.

Cavill weighed in saying: “I think it would be really interesting with the age-old Batman/Superman conflict, because they are two different sides of the same coin and their methods are entirely different. And I think it would actually make for an interesting story as to why, first of all, they were going head to head and how. I think that would make a great story.”

However, this doesn’t particularly mean that Cavill would share the screen with Christian Bale’s Batman, or a Batman directed by Christopher Nolan. In the past the two men have already said that they accomplished what they set out to do with the Dark Knight franchise and wouldn’t be returning.

As it is WB is slowly getting ready to possibly reboot the Batman series. Earlier in the year there was talk that actor Joseph Gordon-Levitt could possibly take on the role, but those rumors were unfounded for the time being.

When Gordon-Levitt was interviewed by Screen Rant it didn’t even seem like he was up for a spin-off , let alone the Batman role:
“I don’t think [the ending of 'The Dark Knight Rises'] is necessarily a set-up. I think it is the great ending for that trilogy.”

Would you like to see a Batman/Superman cross over film? Who do you think would be the best pick to direct? Better yet, who would be the best person to play Bruce Wayne? Sound off here.

Henry Cavill Wants Superman And Batman Team-Up On Screen is a post from: The Inquisitr

Noted character actor Steve Forrest, whose leading role as Lt. Dan “Hondo” Harrelson in ABC-TV’s S.W.A.T. made him a household name in the 1970’s, died “peacefully” surrounded by family Saturday in Thousand Oaks, California.

He was 87 and no cause of death was announced.

Born William Forrest Andrews in Huntsville, Texas, Forrest was the youngest of 13 children. At age 18 he enlisted in the military and served with the Army attaining the rank of Sergeant during World War II, where he fought in the historic Battle of the Bulge.

Following his service with the Army, Forrest moved to California where he began attending classes at UCLA. He went on to graduate from the school with honors and got his first shot in the entertainment business when he cast in the summer stock production of “Goodbye Again” by Hollywood legend Gregory Peck.

Peck later arranged for Forrest’s first screen test with MGM, where he was placed under contract.

In a career spanning more the 60 years, Forrest frequently was cast as a leading man.

After nabbing a number of roles on classic early television series including Playhouse 90, Lux Video Theater and Alfred Hitchcock Presents, Steve went on to appear in shows such as Gunsmoke, Dallas, and Murder, She Wrote.

He is most famous, however, for playing Hondo, the tough-talking, no-nonsense leader of the Special Weapons and Assault Team (shortened to S.W.A.T.) in the 1975 to 1976 series written by Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg.

Check out the opening from S.W.A.T. below:

In addition to his numerous television series roles, Forrest appeared in multiple movies.

His most notable films include So Big, for which he won the Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year – Actor, The Longest Day, North Dallas Forty, and Mommie Dearest.

He also had cameo roles in Spies Like Us, Amazon Women on the Moon, and the movie version of S.W.A.T.

Forrest is survived by his wife Christine, sons Michael, Forrest and wife Lori Andrews of Los Angeles, Stephen and wife Sally Andrews of Napa Valley and his grandchildren Samantha, Emily, Aubrey and Alex Andrews.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, a service will be held for Steve Forrest at 10 am May 30 at Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Griffin Memorial Park in Westlake Village, California.

‘S.W.A.T.’ Star Dies: Steve Forrest Passes Away At 87 is a post from: The Inquisitr

There really isn’t a more appropriate tattoo to have on your arm while giving blood.

The Perfect Tattoo When Giving Blood is a post from: The Inquisitr

End credits scenes have started to build a love-hate relationship with this IQ writer. Many times you’ll find me at the release of the latest blockbuster, sitting there like an idiot for 10 minutes waiting for the wall of names to scroll past to see if the filmmakers have tacked on something of extra value.

With the Evil Dead remake, I got lucky. Not only were the credits relatively short, but they were also rewarding. (“Groovy,” in fact.)

Star Trek Into Darkness? Not so much.

This phenomenon became popular through Marvel in the time leading up to the movie The Avengers. There were tons of easter eggs, end credits scenes, whatever you want to call them, to keep audiences on their toes — a trend that continues in Iron Man 3 — and now we’ve come to half-expect them for every summer movie.

One website calls these scenes “stingers,” and now they’ve resolved to make sure you never miss another one.

MediaStinger.com has built a comprehensive database of every after credits moment ever committed to film. Earlier this week, the company released a free mobile app for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch with the same level of functionality as the main website.

The website and app also focus on video games, which have started to take a page from the movie world by including extra levels for the patient gamer, who is willing to sit through the credits.

“As our database grows daily, we’ve continued to evolve as well to meet the demands of users worldwide,” said Paul Curtin, founder of MediaStinger.com. “With this new free app, which coincides with the website’s design update, it’s even easier to access credits info on the go and in the theater, something we’ve envisioned since the beginning.”

According to a release from the company earlier this week, functions will include reveals for all end credits scenes to every movie and video game with the option to hide or show spoilers; instant search capabilities; the ability to rate the value of any extra scenes so other users can tell at a glance if it was worth the wait; the option to find out names of songs that play during movie and video game credits; social media sharing; and a user submission engine.

So, next time you’re wondering if a movie has any end credits scenes, don’t sit there like a dolt. Give it a quick check before, during, or after the movie wraps up, and move on with life. Have you used MediaStinger?

End Credits Scenes: Never Miss Another With MediaStinger is a post from: The Inquisitr

Joe Francis is sorry for using the word “retarded” when referring to the jury that convicted him of assaulting and falsely imprisoning three women in his Hollywood home in 2011.

Joe Francis was accused of misleading female friends who believed they were getting a ride home. Instead Francis took them to his house, where he got into a physical altercation with them. Francis was convicted after a two-week trial.

The Girls Gone Wild founder took a combative tone after his conviction, criticizing the jury for finding him guilty while vigorously maintaining his innocence.

In a statement to E! News, Francis stressed that he is innocent.

“I have done NOTHING wrong! This is a total joke! It did not happen and that mentally challenged jury should be put in jail!”

He also used other, saltier language when describing the jury. But now Joe Francis is backing off from his “retarded” comment, issuing a long-winded apology and calling his remarks “appalling.”

Francis said:

“I deeply regret the remarks attributed to me in the interview with the Hollywood Reporter. They were hurtful and do not reflect my true feelings. While I disagree with the jury’s verdict as I am completely innocent of the charges and intend to appeal, I was afforded a fair trial, and if I lose at the appellate level, I will reluctantly but fully accept the jury’s verdict. This was a 6 hour interview with the Hollywood reporter where I detailed to the reporter all of the evidence and why I believed the evidence showed I am 100% innocent.”

But Joe Francis remained feisty, even as he apologized for the “retarded” comment:

“The reporter also interviewed my attorney David Houston for over 3 hours, but failed to include one shred of evidence from the trial that proved beyond a reasonable doubt my innocence. I did NOT commit a crime at all whatsoever. All that was publicized were my most intemperate remarks that were borne out of frustration but with no intent to cause anyone harm. I am not, nor have I ever been a violent person. My comments are appalling, but anyone who has ever been wrongfully convicted of a crime that they did NOT commit would be as frustrated as I am. I want to apologize to all the jurors, the court, the City Attorney and my attorneys for my comments that were manipulated by the media, and please know I am truly ashamed of my conduct. I am truly, truly sorry. I hope everyone will understand I was not being serious and that I fully and deeply apologize for my remarks.”

Joe Francis didn’t just call the jury “retarded.” He also said they should be lined up and shot.

Joe Francis Sorry He Called Jury ‘Retarded’ is a post from: The Inquisitr

Electronic Arts says that the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are “a generation ahead” of PC. I’m sorry, they need to pull their heads out of their hindsides and focus on making games.

You know that gaming company that was voted the worst company of the year across the board? Yes, Electronic Arts is once again putting their foot in their mouth.

Let’s recap what EA has done to earn the status they now have. They released a game called SimCity that was intended to be “always online” and didn’t work from the start because their servers didn’t. Then when gamers complained about it, instead of fixing the problem as soon as possible, they decided to ban those customers from the game, and even censored their own customer service number on the help forums. Then they went on to say the Wii U was “crap” and ended up developing games for it after all. Now they’re claiming the Xbox One and the PlayStation 4 are “a generation ahead” of high-end gaming PCs?

This is what Electronic Arts CTO Rajat Teneja said:

“These architectures are a generation ahead of the highest end PC on the market. Our benchmarks on just the video and audio performance are 8-10 times superior to the current gen. The compute capabilities of these platforms and the data transfer speeds we can now bank on, essentially removes any notion of rationing of systems resources for our game engines … For a first-person shooter game like Battlefield 4, this means even more detailed gameplay, behavior and awareness for characters and more detailed appearance down to the lighting and clothing on the soldiers.”

Okay, to be clear, Battlefield 4 runs just fine on high-end PC systems that are on the market right now, in all of its graphical glory. Has “Raj” ever played a current generation game on a PC? Or is he running something from the late ’90s? As far as the PlayStation 4, American McGee has stated:

“I was hoping for innovation in control input. Didn’t see anything meaningful, so ‘meh.’ It’s nice that they’re moving towards what looks like more developer-friendly hardware and indie friendly distribution. Remains to be seen if the appearance matches reality. Overall, I think this generation of consoles will struggle painfully against the momentum of mobile/online games we’re seeing globally.”

Also, the Xbox One is running on x86 architecture, which is actually behind the current generation PC. The PC I’m writing this with right now is x64 architecture, which is more powerful.

Electronic Arts really needs to shut up and just make games, and possibly work on their customer service.

What do you think of Electronic Arts’ statement that the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are “a generation ahead” of PC?

Electronic Arts Claims Xbox One And PlayStation 4 Are ‘A Generation Ahead’ Of PC … Seriously? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Remember that kid who asked Kate Upton to the prom and got shot down? You can stop feeling sorry for him now; Nina Agdal has agreed to accompany the teenager to the dance.

Jake Davidson, a 17-year-old high school student from Los Angeles, put together a YouTube video in hopes of convincing Upton to go with him to the prom. Unfortunately for Davidson, the model’s busy schedule prevented her from being his date.

According to the Daily Mail, the teenager may have lost Kate Upton, but he gained Danish Sports Illustrated swimsuit model Nina Agdal. The website explains that an upcoming episode of Inside Edition will follow Agdal as she prepares for her date with Davidson.

How the teenager managed to convince the model to accompany him to the prom remains to be told. While it’s clear that Agdal intends to join the high school student for the dance, how the whole thing came about is kind of a mystery. For the moment, anyway.

Davidson told the Jewish Journal that he was a little disappointed by Upton’s inability to join him for the prom. However, he doesn’t seem to hold anything against the 20-year-old model.

“While I would have loved for Kate to come to my prom, I understand she is a very busy and in demand professional and I am so grateful for Kate responding at all. I appreciate everything she did as it made my senior year really surreal. She really is awesome!” Davidson explained.

As of this writing, the teenager’s YouTube prom date request has been viewed over two million times. It’s also turned Davidson into something of an internet celebrity.

Although Kate Upton isn’t going to the student’s prom, he ultimately managed to get Nina Agdal involved with the event. Even if the whole thing turns out to be something put together by Inside Edition, Davidson can still say he went to prom with a famous Sports Illustrated swimsuit model.

[Image via Phil Stafford / Shutterstock.com]

Kate Upton Declines Prom Request, Nina Agdal Accepts [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Did Miranda Kerr know what she was starting when she posted a semi-racy Instagram photo of hunky photographer Mariano Vivanco hugging her from behind? Outraged fans of her equally delicious husband, Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom, have called her out as disrespectful of her marriage since she posted the picture on May 15.

The 30-year-old supermodel has been married to 36-year-old Bloom for only two years, but the pair has frequently been followed by rumors of possible marital problems.

Perhaps to silence some of the questions, Bloom and Kerr indulged in some very public displays of affection at the Golden Globes earlier this year. Kerr was also photographed grabbing Bloom’s rear end at a pre-Oscars party in February.

Still, some fans weren’t happy when they spotted the photo. According to Hollywood Life, one fan said,”Girl, Orlando should be holding you like that.”

But other fans thought it was all a tempest in a teapot.

One Instagram commenter said: “Guys calm down. I’m taken and I have guy friends… This is really between Orlando and Miranda…If Orlando doesn’t mind DON’T FREAK OUT.”

Another one added: “I hug people all the time. Regardless of gender, regardless of whether or not I’m taken. Chill out guys. It’s just a hug. No reason to make a big deal out of nothing.”

can i just join orlando bloom and miranda kerr’s marriage?

— Hayley Blackmer (@hailsvictoria) May 23, 2013

Miranda Kerr – Never know she was married from her Instagram photos… Is she disrespecting hubby Orlando Bloom with the pics she posts?

— Harvey Levin(@HarveyLevinTMZ) May 22, 2013

In an unrelated photo controversy, a playful gust of wind supposedly “accidentally” blew off the supermodel’s top, a double nip slip that was quickly released into the wilds of Twitter.

Maybe it’s just another day, another naughty photo for Miranda Kerr.

[hug photo by Miranda Kerr and Mariano Vivanco via Instagram]

[Orlando Bloom and Miranda Kerr photo by Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com]

Miranda Kerr Posts Photo Of Being Hugged By Man Who Isn’t Hubby Orlando Bloom [Photo] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Two donkeys suspected in a mauling death are still awaiting news of their fate. The donkeys are accused of causing the death of a Hungarian man.

Retired firefighter Sandor Horvath,was riding his motorcycle in Magyarszecsod, Hungary, when he was approached by two donkeys. Hungarian police suspect that the donkeys proceeded to grab the man and drag him over 160 feet from his bike.

As reported by the ABC News the two donkeys are suspected of stomping and biting the 65-year-old man until he died. Authorities are still trying to gather details about the incident.

An autopsy was performed to determine the exact cause of death. However, the results have not been released to the public.

The two donkeys suspected of mauling Horvath were isolated, and will be observed for any further aggressive behavior.

In 2012 a donkey was accused of a mauling death in Texas. Mayor William “Bill” Bohlke, of Hollywood Park, Texas, was kicked and bitten by a donkey. The attack was especially brutal, and was blamed for Bohlke’s death.

As reported by MySanAntonio.com, Bohlke’s truck was running and the door was still open when they discovered his body close to 150 feet away.

Donkeys can be very tame and docile. However, male donkeys that have not been castrated, can become very aggressive, often without warning. As reported by PawNation.com, intact male donkeys should never be kept as pets, “at some moment in their life they will think with their hormones and not with their brain.”

Intact male donkeys, or jacks, can become aggressive toward other animals and humans. If kept intact, jacks should be held far away from female donkeys. They should always to be kept in an enclosure with tall and strong fencing. Only those with experience handling the volatile animals, should attempt to interact with them.

It is unknown whether the two donkeys suspected in the mauling death were castrated. However, judging from their aggressive behavior, they were likely intact. Authorities determined that the donkey responsible for the Texas mayor’s death, was not castrated.

[Image via Flickr]

Donkeys Suspected In Mauling Death is a post from: The Inquisitr

It probably wasn’t the best idea to buy a snow cone from a Houston Astros’ vendor, at least until now. The struggling Astros’ team isn’t the only part of the organization not getting the job done, as a friendly visitor at Minute Maid Park caught a vendor, with his pants down, on camera in a bathroom stall with the snow cones fans regularly purchase throughout a ballgame.

It’s not unusual for an employee to take a restroom break, but this man decided to take his work with him as he brought the rest of his snow cones into the stall and placed them on the floor. The stunned fan immediately reacted by pulling out his cell phone and snapping a quick video of the odd scene.

As the fan walked back and forth in disgust, another employee entered the restroom. After the employee acknowledged that he worked for the team, the fan gave it to him straight, informing the man that a vendor is “taking a s–t” with his “snow cone tray” on the floor.

He went on to make it known that he was getting the whole thing on tape just before the video cuts out.

” I need to speak to your supervisor, that’s real talk,” the man said before he stopped recording.

His plea against the disgusting scene by an Astros’ vendor quickly made its way to the front office, and newly appointed president Reid Ryan had one of the oddest situations he’ll ever encounter, and he hasn’t even been with the team for over a week.

Local 2, a Houston TV station, investigated the incident and even spoke with the new Astros’ president about the gross behavior of his vendor.

“”Well, right away, I just thought, ‘We gotta let this guy go. There is no doubt about it.’ That was my decision,” Reid Ryan told Local 2′s Bill Spencer.

The Astros’ vender was fired for his behavior, and here’s the video that will keep the unknown employee from selling snow cones anytime soon.

[Image via Brian Reading]

Houston Astros Vendor Fired For Bringing Snow Cones Into Bathroom Stall [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Hangover 3 reviews are in and they aren’t good.

The third installment in the Hangover franchise hits theaters this weekend but critics say that the movie isn’t worth seeing. It only has a 25% rating on Rotten Tomatoes at the moment with most critics saying that the funny has finally dried up.

Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes: “The first movie left you with an exhilarating rush. All that Part III leaves is, well, a hangover.”

The Hangover 3 ditches the formula of the first two movies (they get really drunk and forget what happened the night before) and instead takes the Wolfpack on a road trip in order to save their kidnapped fiend.

The synopsis on IMDB writes: “This time, there’s no wedding. No bachelor party. What could go wrong, right? But when the Wolfpack hits the road, all bets are off.”

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like the change of pace is doing any good for the franchise. Here are some of the worst Hangover 3 reviews.

The Chicago Suntimes writes: “I had to wait until halfway through the closing credits for my first, and only, laugh.”

Groucho reviews writes: “Less like a movie and more like a contractual obligation.”

Movies.com writes: “You chase Ken Jeong around and you crash into stuff with your cars and Zach Galifianakis falls off things. All jokes recycled, lifelessly. Radical.”

The Hangover is one of the highest grossing R-rated movies of all-time. The original movie took in $277 million worldwide. The original movie was the only film in the series to get decent reviews but the sequel still managed to gross more than $250 million.

Do you think The Hangover 3 will top the box office despite it’s poor reviews?

‘Hangover 3′ Reviews Are In And They’re Not Good is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chuck Norris has penned an ode to quarterback Tim Tebow in hopes of finding the guy a new job.

Apparently the 80s action hero is a pretty big fan of the QB. In fact, he’s such a rabid supporter of Tebow’s abilities that he wrote a 1,500-word ode to the professional football star in hopes that an NFL team discover the young quarterback’s inherent greatness.

Chuck Norris understands that people have criticized Tebow’s technical abilities, though the action hero seems to focus more on the quarterback’s skills as a natural born leader than anything else. Judging from his ode, Norris sees a lot of himself in the young star.

“I’ve heard the so-called critics say Tebow has poor technical skills, but the truth is that Tim is a natural-born leader, an amazingly gifted football player, an inspiration to his team and the possessor of intense determination and strategy to bring any team to victory — no matter what the odds,” Norris explained.

He added, “One can improve technique, but leadership is innate. That is why I believe Tebow could be a super star and legend in the NFL.”

The ode he penned for WND also includes a bit of Chuck Norris lore involving his students. The Invasion USA star said that he and Tebow are not really not all that different from one another.

Norris continued:

“I would spar with my black belts in class, and sometimes they would outscore me. Yet in the tournaments, I would defeat them. My students used to ask me, ‘Why can we contend equally against you in class, but we can’t beat you in the tournaments?’ My answer was always the same, ‘When it counts, I rise to the occasion.’ The same is true of the former Heisman Trophy winner.”

Why does Chuck Norris think a team should sign Tebow as soon as possible? According to the movie star, Tim could essentially transform a ho-hum team into something great.

“Tebow works miracles on the field, and his inclusion would embolden the spirit of the Jaguars among the team and fans. Plus — and this has no reflection on the current quarterbacks — Tim is from Florida, where he bears a victor legacy and an extensive fan base, to boot, from his days with the Gators,” Norris wrote.

Among other things, the action hero attempted to persuade Jaguars owner Shad Khan to sign Tebow by dropping a quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

“There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular, but he must take it because conscience tells him it is right,” Norris wrote.

What do you think about Chuck Norris’ ode to Tim Tebow? Do you agree with the 80s action star’s thoughts on the quarterback?

[Top Image via - Millennium Films - Bottom Image via Helga Esteb / Shutterstock.com]

Chuck Norris Pens Loving Ode To Tim Tebow is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jenni Rivera has earned her best ratings to date with the final season of her reality series I Love Jenni. According to a recent press release, the late singer’s third run of shows premiered April 14, and has since reached more than 2.3 million total viewers.

Furthermore, it has managed to beat out popular English-language cable networks, such as Comedy Central, FX, TBS, A&E, Lifetime, and AMC, for the top two demographics among the Hispanic community (18-34, 18-39).

During her career, Jenni Rivera was nominated for multiple Grammy awards, and won multiple Billboard Music and Premios de la Musica awards, selling more than 22 million records worldwide with five certified Double Platinum, 15 Platinum, and 15 Gold by the RIAA.

Her most recent award win came from Billboard, according to a report from The Huffington Post earlier this week. The wins were for Latin Artist of the Year and Latin Album of the Year (for La Misma Gran Senora).

Rivera died in a plane crash in December 2012 shortly before she was to star on an ABC sitcom and launch both fashion and cosmetic lines.

Liane Su, I Love Jenni executive producer, has teamed up with AlphaDogs Post Production to finish a tribute and the last few episodes. The death of Jenni Rivera was detailed in the two-part episode “Mariposa” in which the singer played her final concert in Monterrey, Mexico, the night of the crash.

The second part of the episode aired May 19 and featured news of the crash as well as the family fallout. There are three episodes remaining with the finale planned for June 9 on its home network of mun2.

AlphaDogs president Terence Curren does color grading on the series. His company has been tasked with putting together the final episodes minus the lead star.

“After working on an entire season of I Love Jenni, I felt like I knew her intimately,” Curren said. “Her untimely passing … came as quite a shock. While working on the memorial special, and now on the new season, it feels like we are keeping her with us in some way. Each new episode opens up a whole world of emotions in everyone here at AlphaDogs.”

Rivera’s plane went missing on the night of December 9. Reports that Jenni Rivera had died were confirmed the next day. Here’s the artist at her best:

Have you caught any of the Jenni Rivera series’ third season? Which of the final I Love Jenni episodes have you found the most moving?

[Image via s_bukley / Shutterstock.com]

Jenni Rivera Reality Series Nears End, Late Singer Posts Best Ratings To Date is a post from: The Inquisitr

Nashville has been picked up for a second season, and is the only freshman ABC drama to do so. Even though that’s a big win for the series, execs are making a few changes for the next season. Like firing everyone.

According to Deadline, line producer Loucas George and production supervisor Don Bensko, as well as their Nashville-based teams, didn’t get their contracts renewed for a second season. Adding insult to injury, the studio didn’t even notify them.

Bensko’s wife Micaela then penned a stern letter to the entertainment industry as a whole to protest the decision and its execution, arguing that the team was fired because of behind-the scenes friction between Los Angeles-based executives and the Nashville-based creative team.

“You know you’ve made it in Hollywood, when a studio replaces your team, and doesn’t even bother to call …

Nashville was a town unrigged for the immediacy of needs by a television series. Lionsgate had never done a network series. It had a star who worried, and a creator who cared so much it broke his heart, a community that was filled with pride, a small cafe with bluebirds that became famous overnight, and in the midst of it all, a life on the crew was almost lost; It happened during a string of endless and exhausting shoot days. This is not new to production, but a string of delayed scripts and tripping storylines kept everyone on edge. Then one of our crew lost his footing while rigging for a huge arena shoot at The Bridgestone Arena. He fell twenty feet and could have died. So he could make a living …

The studios will argue they must shoot long hours because of their budget, the deadlines, the people that call them at midnight. The reality is, nothing is important when the humanity in the process is lost. When the writers’ hands are tied. And when the very people who broke their backs to create something special were never even told they were being replaced. Like my husband and Loucas George. Not a phone call or a thank you for all they had done. I am so tired of seeing the emotional toll the industry takes on so many in production and on the crew who work so hard all for a paycheck and a wrap party they are too exhausted to attend.”

She did note that creator Callie Khouri reached out to them after hearing of their treatment, and told Bensko that he made a difference and mattered to the show.

The Deadline report also alleges that there are tensions between ABC Studios and Lionsgate, as well as a rumor that series star Connie Britton wasn’t too pleased with her experience on the first season.

Production will remain in Nashville, for now. It all depends on tax incentives and such.

But if you’re a fan of Nashville, don’t you worry. The backstage drama of the show probably won’t be very visible in Season 2, as most of the creative and writing team are still intact.

The show debuted to modest ratings.

Are you a fan of Nashville?

‘Nashville’ In For Big Season 2 Changes is a post from: The Inquisitr

Best bus driver. Ever.

April Fools On A Bus [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Need for Speed: Rivals is coming to next generation consoles.

If there is one thing you can say for the Need for Speed game series, it’s that it has evolved over the years, adapting to the current state of racing popularity. That’s part of the reason it is one of the most memorable racing series ever made. Let’s ignore the fact that Electronic Arts is the publisher behind it.

It’s been a few years since the Fast and Furious films were neon spectacles filled with CG cars and acting so cheesy that Arnold Schwarzenegger couldn’t top it, so the street racing days are mostly gone. Need for Speed has reflected this in recent titles, the most popular of which so far has been Hot Pursuit.

Need for Speed: Rivals has expanded on the idea of cops vs racers by introducing Speedpoints, a new system where you try to capture your shenanigans on video. You take risks and evade cops, and unlock new cars and such along the way. In a way it’s a lot like Hot Pursuit, but probably with more free-roaming aspects where you have to lose the cops before you can truly enjoy winning the race.

The Ferrari is back in Need for Speed: Rivals, and players will be able to get behind the wheel of the F12 Berlinetta. This one sees the return of customization for your car, so you can upgrade the performance, give it a new paint job, apply decals, and other things we haven’t been able to do since Need for Speed: Carbon. Xbox One and PlayStation 4 owners could be in for a treat.

Need for Speed: Rivals gets a next generation upgrade itself, along with real-time comparison of stats with other players, and the return of race weapons. If Electronic Arts can pull it off, they may just have a serious competitor for Gran Turismo 6 and Forza 5 when the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 hit.

Are you excited about Need for Speed: Rivals coming to next generation consoles?

[Update] It is also coming to current generation consoles.

‘Need For Speed: Rivals’ Races To Next Generation Consoles is a post from: The Inquisitr

Google has great for many things. It is not, however, a government sanctioned form of identification. Amanda Bynes was reportedly kicked off of a flight this weekend after she tried to use a Google search of her name as proof of her identity.

Bynes recently had her license suspended and apparently doesn’t have a valid government-issued ID to board the plane. In a moment of absolute delusional genius, Bynes got the idea to use a Google search to prove that she was Amanda Bynes.

The actress reportedly showed the pilot a few Google images, mimicked the poses in the photos, and screamed that she was Amanda Bynes.

Surprisingly, the airline did not accept this as a valid form of identification.

TMZ writes: “The pilot called someone from the jet company to see if they could get some kind of exemption for her, but the jet rep was adamant … no ID, no flight … and that was that.”

Bynes has recently complained about the images magazines and websites have been publishing of her. The actress says that the photos do not show what she really looks like and has even threatened to file a lawsuit. Maybe Bynes would have been able to board the plane if her Google search resulted some better images…

Amanda Bynes Kicked Off Flight, Tried To Use Google As Proof Of Identification is a post from: The Inquisitr

The growing number of people who suffer from insufficient sleep is becoming a public health epidemic. Quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders associated with sleep, specifically the lack thereof, is becoming increasingly common.

Lifestyle habits, medications, hormones, illnesses, physical conditions, and daily stresses are catalysts to chronic insomnia – negatively influencing the biological mechanisms meant to put us out and keep us out for the ideal seven to eight hours a night.

Instead individuals suffer from sleeplessness – the inability to fall asleep and stay asleep. Often times a sleeping aid is employed to promote some type of rest, as prolonged periods of disturbed sleep or sleeplessness can have collateral effects on one’s overall well-being.

Federal regulators have recently reviewed an experimental insomnia drug called suvorexant, finding the sleep aid extremely effective in putting patients to sleep – turning off wakefulness by temporarily blocking the actions of orexins rather than just inducing sleep through traditional pharmacological means.

However, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found, when taken in high doses, suvorexant can significantly increase daytime somnolence and suicidal ideation – two things you certainly don’t want.

Therefore, the FDA is urging the distribution of the orexin receptor antagonist drug, manufactured by pharmaceutical powerhouse Merck & Co.,  be at much lower doses than initially formulated.

Orexin (hypocretin) is a neurotransmitter that regulates arousal and appetite, and promotes wakefulness. There is a limited number of neural cells that product orexin.

The neurotransmitter stimulates dopamine, norepinephrine, histamine and acetylcholine systems – playing an important role in stabilizing wakefulness and sleep.

The FDA stated the test trials showed suvorexant was better than a placebo at helping people fall asleep and stay asleep – finding the effectiveness consistent across several tested doses by Merck & Co. Inc. However patients taking higher doses had an eight-fold increase in daytime drowsiness, enough to impair driving.

Test subjects taking 20 milligrams and 40 milligrams of suvorexant had trouble staying in their driving lanes when studied by company researchers.

In addition, an association between suvorexant and suicidal thinking was established – as over a 12 month screening eight cases of suicidal behavior manifested among patients actually on the medication and not on a placebo.

Merck proposed a starting dose of 15 milligrams for seniors and 20 milligrams for non-seniors. Thereafter, doctors would gradually raise these doses to 30 milligrams and 40 milligrams, respectively, or until the patient’s insomnia has been successfully treated.

The FDA suggests, based on the data, that a 10 milligram dosage may be safer, while still being effective, and eliminating the higher dose options as they are not considered safe in their opinion.

“Indeed, if a dosage strength lower than 15 milligrams is unavailable, we would need to consider if the drug could be marketed safely at all, if we believe that a substantial proportion of the indicated population needs a lower dose,” the agency stated in its review.

It could take Merck 18 months to resubmit its drug for review if the FDA requires another study of low-dose suvorexant. The drug, once approved, is projected to generate $650 million by 2018.

Recently the FDA also implored the makers of Ambien to do the same – lessening the intended nighttime doses as it was found remnants of the sedative lingered in the bloodstream for prolonged periods after waking, resulting in drowsy driving.

The FDA recommended doses for women be cut in half, from 10 milligrams to 5 milligrams for immediate-release products (Ambien, Edluar, and Zolpimist) and from 12.5 mg to 6.25 mg for extended-release products (Ambien CR).

For men, the agency has asked manufacturers to change the labeling to recommend that doctors and other health-care professionals consider prescribing lower doses, meaning 5 mg for immediate-release products and 6.25 mg for extended-release products.

[Image via Shutterstock]

FDA Review Of Suvorexant, New Sleeping Pill is a post from: The Inquisitr

Glee star Lea Michele has signed a deal with Harmony Books for her debut book, Brunette Ambition.

The book will follow the 26-year-old’s rise to fame from her humble beginnings in the Bronx, to her Broadway debut, to her scoring a lead role on Glee. Brunette Ambition will offer a “personal and intimate, behind-the-scenes perspective” into Michele’s life.

“There wasn’t a guidebook when I was growing up, that detailed everything I needed to do, and know, to get to where I am today,” the actress said. “But I believe I can write one of sorts: not a how-to-make-it-in-show-business book, but a guide to harnessing tenacity, passion, enthusiasm and hard work to make your dreams come true.”

Michele, who has earned two Golden Globe nominations and an Emmy nomination for her role on Glee, got her start as a child actress on Broadway, playing young Cosette in Les Miserables from 1995 to 1996. Two years later, she played the Little Girl in Ragtime, and played Shprintze and Chava in Fiddler on the Roof. In 2006, Michele originated the lead role of Wendla in Spring Awakening. At that time, she was offered the role of Eponine in Les Miserables, but decided to remain with Spring Awakening.

In 2009, Michele landed the lead role of Rachel Berry on Glee. She made her film debut in the 2011 ensemble romantic comedy New Year’s Eve, and scored the lead role as Dorothy Gale in the upcoming film Dorothy of Oz. 

Glee co-stars Jenna Ushkowitz (Tina) and Chris Colfer (Kurt) have also made the leap to publishing. Ushkowitz recently published Choosing Glee: 10 Rules to Finding Inspiration, Happiness and the Real You, and Colfer has written a children’s book, The Land of Stories: The Wishing Well. His second book, The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns, will be released in August.

Brunette Ambition will hit bookshelves in spring 2014.

[Photo credit: Joe Seer / Shutterstock.com]

‘Glee’ Star Lea Michele Signs Book Deal is a post from: The Inquisitr

An 80-year-old man scaled Everest, becoming the oldest person to ever reach the peak. Yuichiro Miura climbed the mountain with the assistance of his son. This is the third time Miura has climbed over 29,000 feet to the summit.

Miura climbed Everest the first time when he was 70, and again when he was 75. His dream was to reach the top of the mountain once again, at the age of 80.

As reported by CNN, Miura advises, “if you have a dream, never give up. Dreams come true.” It was not easy for Miura, but he made his dream come true this morning.

The fact that the 80-year-old scaled Everest is even more astonishing considering several recent setbacks with his health. Two years ago, Miura was in an accident that left him with a broken hip. Four months ago Miura had surgery on his heart, to correct an irregular heart rhythm.

Despite the past medical concerns, Miura relates that he is “healthy and strong.” Miura felt confident that his son, who is a doctor, could help if he had any issues during the journey.

As reported by ESPN, Miura became famous in 1970 when he skied down Everest‘s South Col. A film documenting the feat, The Man Who Skied Down Everest, won an Oscar in 1975.

At 80 years old, Miura scaled Everest, making him the oldest to ever reach the peak. However, his record may be broken as early as next week. Min Bahadur Sherchan, age 81, is preparing to climb next week. Sherchan reports that he has experienced issues with his digestion recently, but still plans to “take up the challenge.”

As reported by SnowBrains.com, more than 2,000 climbers have reached Everest’s summit. More than 4,000 have attempted the climb.

Over 235 people have died while hiking either up or down Everest, the tallest mountain in the world. There are an estimated 120 bodies that remain on the mountain.

The youngest person to reach the peak of Everest was 13. Miura is now the oldest.

The 80-year-old scaled Everest, making his dream come true and becoming the oldest to ever reach the top. He will begin his descent this afternoon.

80-Year-Old Man Scales Everest is a post from: The Inquisitr

Pope Francis caused a stir this week, and we’re not just talking about his apparent public exorcism. During Wednesday Mass in Rome, he declared that everyone, including atheists, are redeemed through Jesus.

He placed an emphasis on ”doing good,” and used a story from the Gospel of Mark in which Jesus’ disciples were upset that an outsider to their group was performing good deeds.

“They complain, ‘If he is not one of us, he cannot do good. If he is not of our party, he cannot do good.’ ” Pope Francis said. Jesus corrects them, saying: “Do not hinder him, he says, let him do good.”

Francis explains that the disciples were “a little intolerant,” thinking that “those who do not have the truth, cannot do good.”

But, “This was wrong … Jesus broadens the horizon,” Pope Francis said, continuing, “The root of this possibility of doing good – that we all have – is in creation.”

“The Lord created us in His image and likeness, and we are the image of the Lord, and He does good and all of us have this commandment at heart: do good and do not do evil. All of us. ‘But, Father, this is not Catholic! He cannot do good.’ Yes, he can… “The Lord has redeemed all of us, all of us, with the Blood of Christ: all of us, not just Catholics. Everyone! ‘Father, the atheists?’ Even the atheists. Everyone!”.. We must meet one another doing good. ‘But I don’t believe, Father, I am an atheist!’ But do good: we will meet one another there.”

Father James Martin explained Pope Francis’ words in an email to The Huffington Post:

“Pope Francis is saying, more clearly than ever before, that Christ offered himself as a sacrifice for everyone. That’s always been a Christian belief. You can find St. Paul saying in the First Letter to Timothy that Jesus gave himself as a “ransom for all.” But rarely do you hear it said by Catholics so forcefully, and with such evident joy. And in this era of religious controversies, it’s a timely reminder that God cannot be confined to our narrow categories.”

Reddit, a social sharing platform with a vibrant atheist subculture, has seemingly responded to the homily favorably.

An article from The Guardian on the story was posted yesterday, and is today’s second most-shared piece.

“He’s making the humanistic aspect of Christianity more important than the dogma and whatnot though. That’s important,” said one user.

“As in [sic] atheist, I’m starting to kind of like this new Pope,” wrote another.

What do you think of Pope Francis’ homily? Is everyone, including atheists, redeemed through Christ?

[Image via: presidencia.gov.ar / Wikimedia Commons]

Pope Francis Says Even Atheists Are Redeemed, Reddit Responds is a post from: The Inquisitr

Such grace and form.

Idiot Fencing: Matt Vs Dave [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Thank Lord she’s an atheist!

Wolf Blitzer’s Awkward Encounter With A Tornado Survivor [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Justin Bieber’s “annus horribilis” shows absolutely no signs of slowing down just yet.

The teen star has just been called out by ex-Saturday Night Live castmember, Bill Hader.

Following his exit from SNL last week Hader stopped by Howard Stern’s Xirius XM HQ on Wednesday to talk about the cult show and his plans going forward.

Recalling both Justin Bieber and Justin Timberlake’s SNL hosting stints, Hader had only glowing words for The 20/20 Experience singer.

Of Timberlake, who has hosted the show many times and was recently inducted into the “Five Timers Club,” Hader described him as “great” and “a real class act,” then added:

“Also, the guy doesn’t show up with anybody. It’s just him.”

When it came to Bieber, however, the comedian-producer-writer, was less than impressed:

“Justin Bieber showed up with like 20 guys,” said Hader. “He had a guy holding a slice of pizza. A guy holding a diet coke. Going around stage, you’re trying to fight through all these people to get dressed.”

Coming after uncomplimentary remarks by a CSI producer after the then 17-year-old appeared on the crime drama in 2011, Hader’s comments don’t reflect well on the Biebs.

But to be fair to the teen, tales of him locking a producer in a closet and putting his hand though a cake — while the CSI crew laughed — sounds more like high jinks than anything else.

As for the Canadian’s apparent liking for an entourage, suffice it to say it usually indicates an insecure personality when someone needs a cast of thousands around them, and that isn’t a crime — yet.

Back in February, Bieber’s SNL appearance attracted widely positive reviews, notably the sketch where he addressed the smoking pot furor, so it seems kind of a shame to rewrite that memory.

Seeing as there’s a glaring 14-year age gap between Timberlake and Bieber, isn’t it time we gave 2013′s designated punchbag a break?

Justin Bieber Gets Thrown Under A Bus Again, This Time By Bill Hader [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” just got a new mashup, and this time it isn’t with the screaming goat. It’s been redone with clips from Phineas and Ferb.

For a while it seemed that no popular music video was immune to getting a screaming goat or a lamb saying “yeah” thrown in for some laughs. It happened to Nicki Minaj, Justin Bieber, Adele, Whitney Houston and a plethora of other pop artists. The most popular of them was the one where the goat screamed throughout Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble.” It was hilarious simply because Taylor Swift was becoming sort of a walking punchline due to her dating history, and the goat only made it funnier.

In the new mashup, clips from Phineas and Ferb were edited together to make it look like Dr. Doof is singing Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” to Perry the Platypus. The video is set to premier at 8pm Eastern on the “Gravity Falls” episode, and can also be seen on People.com.

Phineas and Ferb is a popular cartoon about the titular boys who are always out to start some grand new project, much like Warner Bros.’ Pinky and The Brain. The boys’ misadventures constantly annoy their overcontrolling sister Candace, who tries to tell their parents about their ensuing shenanigans. Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher always seem to get in trouble, with running gags throughout.

The B-plot of Phineas and Ferb is where the clips used in the Taylor Swift music video come from. Perry the Platypus is Agent P, a spy complete with the fedora and a grizzled look on his face. In a clear parody on James Bond, Perry the Platypus is always trying to stop the evil machinations of Dr. Doof, or  Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, as he works ever diligently for the OWCA (Organization Without a Cool Acronym).

Clips from this particular portion of the show are cut together and timed to the tune of “I Knew You Were Trouble” by Taylor Swift.

Are you excited to see the Phineas and Ferb mashup of Taylor Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” tonight on the Disney Channel?

Taylor Swift’s ‘I Knew You Were Trouble’ Gets ‘Phineas And Ferb’ Mashup is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jennifer Aniston dressed up as a French maid earlier this week, and now she’s getting ready to play a stripper in her new movie.

Aniston will play a stripper in her new movie We’re The Millers. But don’t get too excited, Aniston told Chelsea Handler recently that there was no nudity in the movie.

Aniston said: Do I do full nudity? No. I actually wore three bras over each other.”

The Friends actress does, however, swing from a stripper pole and wear some skimpy underwear in the movie.

A trailer for We’re The Millers hit the web last week. The movie focuses on SNL actor Jason Sudeikis as he tries to smuggle marijuana across the border. Sudeikis believes that his illegal task will be easier if he has a family by his side. So he hires Jennifer Aniston, a stripper, and two kids to accompany him during his drug deal.

And of course, hilarity ensues.

Here’s the synopsis from IMDB: “A veteran pot dealer creates a fake family as part of his plan to move a huge shipment of weed into the U.S. from Mexico.”

Here’s the trailer for We’re The Millers.

This is probably Aniston’s raciest role to date but it isn’t the first time that she’s showed some skin on the silver screen. Aniston stripped down for the movie Horrible Bosses which also starred Jason Sudeikis.

Jennifer Aniston Plays A Stripper In ‘We’re The Millers’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Vancouver Canucks fired head coach Alain Vigneault after another disappointing first-round exit from the NHL playoffs.

The Canucks were swept by the San Jose Sharks in the Western Conference quarterfinals despite holding home ice advantage.

This is the second consecutive year that the team was eliminated in the first round and the front office decided that sweeping changes were necessary.

Vancouver president and general manager Rick Gillis announced that Vigneault had been let go along with two assistant coaches.

“We have made the very difficult decision to relieve Alain Vigneault, Rick Bowness and Newell Brown of their coaching duties,” he said. “Alain, Rick and Newell worked tirelessly to lead this team to great on-ice success.

“I am personally grateful to each of them and their families for their commitment to the Canucks and wish them continued success in future.”

Vigneault led the Canucks to the President’s Trophy two years ago as the top-regular season team and made it all the way to the Stanley Cup playoffs, only to lose in seven games to the Boston Bruins.

He was rewarded with a contract extension in 2012 but was just 1-10 in his last 11 playoff games.

Vigneault thanked his players and the fans and revealed that Vancouver has been good to him during his stay in the city.

“Over the past seven years, I have made many good friends in Vancouver and had the chance to coach quality players who cared deeply about their profession and were committed to winning,” he said.

“To work in a city with such passionate and loyal fans is a privilege and I enjoyed every moment of it.”

Vigneault leaves the Canucks with a 313-170-57 regular-season record and a Coach of the Year award in 2007.

The Vancouver Canucks fired coach Alan Vigneault, but it remains to be seen if the franchise can hire a new coach that matches his hockey pedigree.

Vancouver Canucks Fire Coach Alain Vigneault is a post from: The Inquisitr

A business in Oklahoma is accused of taking advantage of victims of Monday’s tornado by jacking up the price of a case of water to $40.

The business is one of many being investigated by the Oklahoma Attorney General for price-gouging in the wake of the tornado that ripped through Moore, a suburb of Oklahoma City.

Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt told ABC News that investigators begun aggressively searching for instances of fraud just hours after the tornado struck. The investigators are citing what is known as the Emergency Price Stabilization Act, which was actually passed after a tornado passed through Moore in 1999.

That tornado was the strongest ever recorded and led to a law that prohibits price increases of more than 10 percent within a month of a disaster.

“This is something we were putting in place and starting in motion as soon as we knew the threat existed,” Pruitt said. “We’re going to places where we think potential harm could occur.”

His team is fielding tips from citizens and others in the area with the hopes that publicizing the efforts will deter others from gouging prices in the wake of the tornado.

Cleanup and recovery efforts are still going on in Moore, days after the tornado struck. The death toll stands at 24, though officials said it could still rise if other victims are found.

Meteorologists said the tornado may have been the worst ever. Though it does not rank as the biggest circumference, wind speed, or duration of all time, its combination of these factors could make the Oklahoma tornado the strongest ever. A meteorologist for the local news station KFOR called it “the worst tornado in the history of the world.”

The store charging $40 for a case of bottled water wasn’t the only case investigators have found, Pruitt said. His team is also looking into a hotel allegedly overcharging for rooms.

Oklahoma Tornado Price Gouging: Business Accused Of Charging $40 For Case Of Bottled Water is a post from: The Inquisitr

The ghetto tours in New York City have been stopped after outraged complaints from residents in the Bronx.

According to the ABC, a group called Real Bronx Tours has been taking tourists from Manhattan to the South Bronx to show people what it was like to live in the “ghetto.”

Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. and City Councilwoman Melissa Mark-Viverito sent a letter to Michael Myers, the owner of Real Bronx Tours, urging him to stop the ghetto tours.

The letter reads: “We strongly urge you to stop profiting off of a tour that misrepresents the Bronx as a haven for poverty and crime, while mocking everything from our landmarks to the less fortunate members of our community who are availing themselves of food assistance programs.”

Real Bronx Tours issued a statement this week saying that it would be stopping all tours to the area.

The tour promised to keep its clients, mostly European tourists, at a “safe distance” from the Bronx residents. The $45 tour took tourists past food pantry lines and housing projects as tour guides explained that the Bronx was “notorious for drugs, gangs, crime and murders” in the 1980s.

Bronx residents aren’t upset that there are tours coming through the area but they didn’t appreciate the scope of the ghetto tours. Elena Martinez, an anthropologist and Bronx resident, gives people walking tours through the neighborhood, showcasing theaters, dance clubs and other musical landmarks.

Martinez told  Yahoo News: “Many young Europeans come here as a pilgrimage … This was the incubator for hip-hop, salsa, jazz, Afro-Cuban music, R&B. (The Bronx) has an incredible, majestic music culture.”

Martinez, along with several other Bronx residents, are starting a campaign calling “The Bronx Rising” to counter the Ghetto Tours.

Ghetto Tours Stopped In NYC After Complaints is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jose Canseco’s tweets about an impending rape charge are drawing controversy, but the slugger isn’t backing down in his defense.

A few days after the former MLB star tweeted about what he believed was a false allegation of rape, Canseco said he is setting up a polygraph test to prove his innocence. In tweets sent on Thursday morning, Canseco said he planned to take one test for police and another public test in an attempt to prove that he didn’t rape the woman who is allegedly accusing him.

He tweeted: “Ok setting up 2 polygraph exams about the sexual assault case one with the media and one with the police on the 5 of june.[name redacted] polygraph?”

As he maintains his defense, Canseco is facing a backlash from people angry at his transparent attempt to shame a potential rape victim.

The incident started on Saturday when the former baseball star tweeted that a woman was falsely accusing him of rape. Using the woman’s full name and sharing a picture of her in a bikini, Canseco laid out a vigorous defense to the allegation that he raped her.

Canseco tweeted: “Breaking news. This is a first folks. Las Vegas police was just at my house and I have been charged with rape by (a woman) from Las Vegas.”

In another tweet, Canseco mentioned that the woman accused him of drugging her, and invited her to take a polygraph test.

Canseco tweeted: “(She) told police that I drugged her and then raped her. Hmmmmm. Lets find out what really happened.”

Canseco tweeted the woman’s phone number and the location of her gym on Twitter. Those tweets have all been removed, but Canseco denies that he was the one who did it.

“For the record I do not delete tweets,” he wrote. “I have nothing to hide. The truth always comes out.”

No arrest has been made, and Las Vegas police wouldn’t say whether the alleged attack took place.

Canseco is no stranger to controversy. The former MLB rookie of the year wrote a tell-all book about his use of performance-enhancing drugs, also accusing several other players of using as well. Canseco also declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy last year in Las Vegas, reporting less than $21,000 in assets and close to $1.7 million in liabilities. He also revealed he owed close to $500,000 to the IRS.

Since Canseco made the tweets about the rape charge, he has faced an angry backlash on Twitter.

Atlantic Wire reporter Alexander Abad-Santos, who compared Canseco’s public shaming to the Steubenville rape case, noted that the former baseball player also broke several rules on Twitter.

He wrote: “While Canseco might have violated the laws of human decency and broke new ground — in notoriety and absurdity — in taunting an alleged assault victim, he may have only broken a few of Twitter’s rules. Indeed, Twitter is as notoriously defensive of free speech as it is quick to suspend verified accounts with thousands of followers that, say, temporarily crash the stock market.”

Even though Canseco’s tweets about the rape charge were deleted, he hasn’t backed down in naming his alleged victim. He re-tweeted her name twice again on Thursday morning, neither of which had been deleted.

Jose Canseco Again Tweets About Rape Charge, Sets Up Polygraph is a post from: The Inquisitr

Donald Trump lied on the stand in the case of an 87-year-old woman who has accused Donald Trump of cheating her in a skyscraper condo deal. According to attorney Shelly Kulwin, the Apprentice star lied on the witness stand in order to protect his own interests.

In his closing statements, for which Trump was not present, Kulwin told a group of Chicago jurors: ”The thought of my grandma being in the same room with that guy. Yuck!”

The judge told jurors to disregard that statement and then Kulwin said it was Donald Trump’s love of money that caused him to lie: ”It’s like his family, those dollars.”

Trumps defense attorney Stephen Novack described Jacqueline Goldberg as a detail-oriented investor who knew that Trump could cancel the profit-sharing option at any time.

According to Goldberg, Trump convinced her to buy two condo’s at $1 million a piece in Trump International Hotel & Tower. Trump promised her a share of the building profits if she agreed. Trump later simply changed his mind and cut her out of the deal.

“It’s called a bait and switch,” Kulwin told jurors. “Here’s the bait. Here’s the switch.”

In defending his client Novack told jurors: ”She knows the drill. Nobody put a gun to her head (to sign).”

Trump later said he didn’t rip off Goldberg by turning on his agreement, instead he claims “she’s just trying to cheat me.”

After Trump’s statement Kulwin told jurors that Trumps only took the witness stand ”to lie, evade and spout infomercials.”

Kulwin then highlighted Donald Trump’s dishonesty by noting that he never takes business meeting notes:

“People who don’t want to be found out don’t write things down. They’re not stupid,” he said. “And Donald Trump may be a lot of things, but he’s not stupid.”

Kulwin is seeking $6 million in damages on behalf of his client.

Anyone feel like doing business with Donald Trump?

Donald Trump Lied On The Stand, Attorney Claims is a post from: The Inquisitr

Jesse James chopped his pinky off and has shared the photos. The reality star, best known for his appearance on Outlaw Garage, cut off the end of his finger during an accident while customizing a car.

James was working on a custom made fender when his hand bumped against one of the machines in the shop. He states that he didn’t even realize what happened until a few moments later. When his hand brushed against the machine, James chopped his pinky off.

As reported by ABC, James was wearing gloves at the time, but they did not save his finger. He explains that when he noticed the end of his glove was cut, he felt around for the end of his finger. He then realized that part of his pinky was gone.

James eventually found the end of his finger inside the glove. His wife transported him to the hospital for treatment. While waiting for surgery, James decided to use social media to announce that he chopped his pinky off. He included several gruesome photos.

Doctors were able to create a skin graft, using the sliced off finger. The graft will help the wound heal more efficiently.

As reported by SoftPedia, James was quick to brag about his refusal of painkillers. He states: “They totally trying to give me morphine, and I’m like, ‘No, I’m fine, I’m cool. I’m all right. I can just take the pain.’ ”

James is know for his custom made motorcycles. As the former owner of West Coast Choppers, he became a reality star. He is also known for his marriage, and nasty divorce, from Sandra Bullock. James was accused of cheating on Bullock with “multiple women.”

As reported by Biography.com, James has designed motorcycles for Kid Rock, Keanu Reeves, Tyson Beckford, and Shaquille O’Neal.

Jesse James chopped his pinky off, but it isn’t likely to stop working on custom bikes. His work is well respected and always in high demand.

[Images via Instagram and Facebook]

Jesse James Chops Pinky Off: Shares Photos is a post from: The Inquisitr

Xbox One may have done more to sell Wii U than anything Nintendo has done.

The Xbox One reveal opened a lot of eyes and turned some heads. Unfortunately for Microsoft, some gamers are turning their attention to the Wii U after some details were released and questions were left unanswered.

As we know already, Nintendo has been struggling to sell Wii U, and even the promise of new games on the horizon didn’t seem to be enough to sway skeptics from ignoring their latest console. The Wii U seemed to be heading to an early grave.

However, when the Xbox One was revealed two days ago, some details were glossed over or downright shot down. Microsoft didn’t make it clear what their stance was with the “always online” aspect of their next generation console. First it was confirmed, then denied. Then it was confirmed again. Now Microsoft head Phil Harrison has confused us trying to explain how it doesn’t need to be online to do certain things. This is what he said to Wired:

“I don’t think that’s what was said. Let me try and clarify what is happening. So, there is a lot of anxiety about ‘what if my Internet connection goes down’ and you don’t have connectivity for a period of time. There are a host of features which will be usable without an Internet connection — watching movies, playing certain single player games… all of which will operate offline. We expect most of the more advanced experiences, like online multiplayer games, or games which have a lot of connected features… those games won’t operate if you don’t have an Internet connection. We designed the system to take advantage of a connection to the cloud, and all that that means. But no, it’s not required that you are connected all the time, every second of every day. There is some technology about how often, or how frequently the device has to ‘ping’, but that has not been… we have not talked publicly about that yet, but it will be very user-friendly.”

Thanks, Microsoft, you just cleared up absolutely nothing. Your ex-creative director Adam Orth seemed to be more direct and to the point on Twitter. We didn’t like his answers, but at least they were solid. Add to this the fact that Microsoft’s Don Mattrick told the Wall Street Journal, “If you’re backwards compatible, you’re really backwards.”

That statement alone is enough to make long-time Xbox gamers start looking elsewhere.

After gamers across the county used Microsoft’s unclear revelations to collectively call their console “Xbone,” attention is now turning in two directions; PlayStation 4 and Wii U.

Wii U is actually starting to look pretty good after Microsoft unknowingly confirmed everyone’s fears with their confusing answers. We don’t want to wait until E3 2013 to get straight answers. On Nintendo’s Direct webcast, they announced some titles that have gamers rethinking their views on the Wii U. Mario, Zelda, Super Smash Bros., Batman: Arkham Origins and Mario Kart are luring the masses away from the Xbox One.

At least Nintendo is beginning to regenerate interest in the Wii U, even if Microsoft is doing most of the work for them.

Are you most looking forward to buying an Xbox One, Wii U, or PlayStation 4? Or are you planning to just stick with what you have?

Xbox One May Have Sold Wii U Better Than Nintendo is a post from: The Inquisitr

Brian Urlacher is retiring from the NFL after spending 13 seasons with the Chicago Bears. According to reports, Urlacher turned down a $2 million, one season offer.

As a linebacker for the Chicago Bears, Urlacher led a massive defensive squad that was largely responsible for the Bears wins amongst horrid offensive play over the last decade.

In a statement regarding his decision to retire, Urlacher wrote:

Brian Urlacher Retiring After Turning Down $2 Million Offer is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery believes that his club will beat Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League final on May 25.

The 30 year old winger is teeming with confidence ahead of the all-German encounter at Wembley Stadium in London, England.

Ribery thinks that Bayern’s familiarity with its Bundesliga foe will prove to be the difference in the showpiece event on Saturday afternoon.

“We know Dortmund inside-out,” he began. “If we’re all willing and ready to give our all than we’ll emerge victorious.”

Bayern has made it to three out of the last four Champions League finals and lost out on penalties in front of its own fans at the Allianz Arena last year.

Ribery admits that they must not tighten up in the biggest game of the club soccer calendar.

“It will be crucial not to put too much pressure on ourselves,” he said. “I don’t know if we’ll ever make the Champions League final again, which is why we want to give it everything we got to finally hoist the trophy.”

Bayern finished a whopping 25 points ahead of Dortmund in the Bundesliga standings and Ribery believes his team is better but refuses to underestimate Jurgen Klopp’s side, which beat Real Madrid in the last four to advance to the final.

“Put simply, we are stronger. But Dortmund is a difficult side to play against. I was impressed with how they beat Real Madrid in the semis.”

Bayern advanced to the semifinals with an impressive 7-0 aggregate win over Barcelona and are seen by many as the favorites ahead of the crunch clash.

Bayern and Dortmund have squared off on four different occasions in the 2012-13 campaign, with the Bavarians winning two and drawing two.

Bayern Munich star Franck Ribery hopes his team can add to its recent dominance of Borussia Dortmund with a win in the Champions League final on Saturday.

Franck Ribery In Confident Mood Ahead Of Champions League Final is a post from: The Inquisitr

A skin cancer diagnosis isn’t something you want from your dermatologist. However, researchers from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York have recently found a correlation between non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) and a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD).

According to Dr. Richard Lipton, the lead author, “The theoretical basis for thinking that there could be a relationship comes from the fact that Alzheimer’s and cancer are opposite kinds of disorders in terms of cell division,” as Alzheimer’s cells degrade whilst cancer cells abnormally replicate.

Lipton and his colleagues – Robert White, Charles Hall, and Joshua Steinerman – followed a cohort of 1,102 volunteers with an average age of 79 for approximately three to seven years.

To deduce a biological association between AD and NMSC, the team considered three outcomes groups: only AD (probable or possible AD as the sole diagnosis), any AD (probable AD or possible AD, as well as mixed AD/vascular dementia), and all-cause dementia.

While none of the participants had dementia at the study’s onset, 109 individuals reported they had been diagnosed with skin cancer in the past.  During the course of the study, 32 more people developed skin cancer and 126 people developed dementia – 100 of those cases evolving into Alzheimer’s.

Of the 141 people with NMSC, only two developed AD – meaning skin cancer patients were 80 percent less likely to have this kind of cognitive impairment. However, cancer’s protective quality was only seen in regards to Alzheimer’s and not with other kinds of dementia such as vascular dementia (stroke related).  The link also did not apply to melanoma, the least common but most aggressive form of skin cancer.

Clinicians are not entirely sure as to why these two conditions have an inverse relationship and additional research will be required.

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common type of dementia. Dementia is a loss of brain function that can occur with a comorbidity of diseases like Huntington’s, multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s or from a head injury where the cells of the brain are damaged. The risk of this disease increases as a person ages, but is rarely seen in individuals under the age of 60.

In most cases, dementia is considered a degenerative, persistent disease. Therefore, the condition worsens over time. Dementia originates in the cerebral cortex of the brain, which controls crucial sensory and cognitive functions. Memory, language, judgment, reasoning, planning, and behavior and personality are affected as vital sectors of the brain deteriorate.

How quickly dementia progresses depends on the cause and the area of the brain affected. Some types of dementia advance slowly over several years while others progress more rapidly.

Symptoms can manifest as mild cognitive impairments, which are casually disregarded as normal forgetfulness. These can include the inability to focus and perform more than one task, taking an inordinately prolonged amount of time to perform activities, forgetting recent events and conversations, misplacing items, and frequently getting lost on familiar routes.

Depending on the type of dementia, the person’s behavior may eventually become out of control. The person may become angry, agitated, and combative. They may also come off afraid, clingy, and childlike.

Skin is the largest organ of the integumentary system, and like any organ of the human body, it is vulnerable to cancer. Cancer is the uncontrolled growth of abnormal cells in the body. Its degree of perniciousness and cause can depend on multiple factors, and isn’t always isolated to one part of the body as it can metastasize (spread).

Tumors and lesions germinate from neoplastic cells, which can be malignant or benign. Malignant is cancerous, composed of cells that invade and destroy nearby tissue and spread to other parts of the body. Benign is non-cancerous. Benign tumors may grow akin to cancerous ones, but do not spread elsewhere.

Malignant melanoma is one of the two types of skin cancer; the other non-melanoma. Melanoma is a malignant tumor of melanocytes (cells). Melanin is a photochemical present in skin, hair, and eyes. It determines color and is produced by melanocytes found in the basal layer of the epidermis (outermost layer of the skin).

Melanoma can originate in any part of the body that contains melanocytes. When provoked by UVB rays, melanin – again, produced by melanocytes – reacts with a  photo-protectant response, absorbing the ultraviolet light as heat. This process is meant to inhibit the damage to DNA. However, with prolonged exposure, the photochemical reaction creates freckling, tanning, and burning. The more often you burn, the higher the risk of damaging your DNA. When the integrity of DNA is compromised, a cancer-related mutation can result.

Melanoma is responsible for 75 percent of deaths related to skin cancer, particularly among Caucasians of northwestern European descent. However, that does not mean those with darker pigment are completely immune from developing skin cancer.

Most skin cancers, like basal cell carcinomas, are non-melanoma. Although it can cause damage to deeper tissue, it almost never spreads to other parts of the body the way melanoma does and can be excised from the affected area. These appear as warts or moles that change color, shape, and size, emerging on parts of the skin most exposed to the sun – head, neck, back, chest, and shoulders. The tops of the ears and along the nose are the most common places to develop skin cancer.

The research was published online in the journal Neurology.

[Image via Shutterstock]

Link Between Skin Cancer And Reduced Alzheimer’s Disease Risk is a post from: The Inquisitr