Tuesday, April 26, 2011

All I Have to Say? ...J-WOW.

Jenni “JWoww” Farley and her ex-boyfriend, Tom Lippolis, may be broken up, but there are still some boiling charges between them. In the past, Farley has accused her ex of physical abuse and theft from her home. She also took him to court with attempts to keep him from selling inappropriate photographs of her. However, on the contrary, Lippolis also has his own list of charges against Farley. Topping that list is the accusation that JWoww stabbed him with a kitchen knife during one of their fights, leaving him in need of 37 stitches; he even claims to have a video of the attack. According to Fox, Lippolis did not press charges because “he was in love” with the Jersey Shore star. In addition to the stabbing, Lippolis also put Farley at fault for cheating on him, as well as being the abuser in their relationship. In situations as these, no one can point the guilty figure in solely one direction: both are at fault for at least something. Clearly, the relationship was not healthy for either member (and probably had more downs than ups!). Needless to say, it's probably a good thing that it's over...

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

iCarly Star Chooses Show over Education

Miranda Cosgrove, star of the hit TV show iCarly, revealed her acceptance to her top two college choices—University of Southern California and NYU—where she planned on studying film. However, the 17-year-old (soon to be 18) has chosen to put off college until next spring, or possibly even the following fall. Cosgrove told the NY Post press, “I’m chickening out at the last minute. I love New York, but I’m scared to move and leave LA.” But why? Surely, with iCarly bringing in about $180,000 per episode, money is not the issue at hand. Not to mention, the popularity is through the roof at the moment; the latest episode drew in more than 7 million viewers. Is it worth putting off college in order to continue the pursuit with this hit series? But then again, with the popularity showing nothing but growth, I can understand her decision. It’s always better late than never, I guess…even when it comes to getting a college education. Right?

Monday, April 18, 2011

Nicolas Cage Arrested for Domestic Abuse

Early Sunday morning in New Orleans, a drunken Nicolas Cage was arrested with charges of domestic abuse, as reported by TMZ, after a loud, heated argument with his wife. The abuse was reported by a local cab driver, who reported seeing Cage push his wife. When the police arrived at the scene, they simply ordered Cage and his wife to go home. Cage, however, did not cooperate with the officers, and continuously dared then to arrest him. So, they did just that—he was arrested one a count of domestic abuse and one of disturbing the peace. Opposite of what the cab driver said he witnessed, Cage’s wife declared no physical contact, and stated that he wanted to press no charges. According to TMZ, he was in custody until late Saturday morning.

Friday, April 8, 2011

American Idol upset: Favorite Leaves Earlier than Expected

March 30: In this photo released by Fox, Pia Toscano performs in front of the judges on the singing competition series, 'American Idol,' in Los Angeles.Last night’s American Idol elimination could very well be considered the biggest upset on the show…ever. Pia Toscano, whom most expected to make it to the finale (and possibly even win), was voted off, placing her ninth in the competition. Whether you are a fan of Pia or not, you cannot deny that her voice was by far the strongest in the competition. Yes, she did sing ballad after ballad, but she seemed to be finally breaking out of that routine. But should the blame be placed on America or the judges?
Randy, Steven, and Jennifer were all gung-ho about saving Casey when he was in danger of leaving the competition—so anxious to save him that they didn’t even allow him to finish his do-or-die performance. Did the jump the gun too soon? Many believe so. Not to mention, Casey’s vocal talent can barely be compared to that of Pia’s. However, when it comes to America, you have to look at the facts. Who watches American Idol? Probably not the “million men at a million bars having a millions drinks” over Pia (as Steven put it). This would also explain the past few winners—all of which were male rockers. In other words, a teenage girl is going to vote for someone like Scotty McCreery or James Durbin before they even begin to think about voting for Pia, or even Lauren or Haley, for that matter. The current standings even support this theory. Of the top eight left, only two girls remain. Needless to say, the winner this year should more appropriately be named the “teen of America’s idol”.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Teen Mom's Violent Twist

Troubled 'Teen Moms' Jenelle Evans (left) and Amber Portwood have both had trouble with the law.
Janelle Evans, left. Amber Portwood, right.
Janelle Evans and Amber Portwood, two stars from MTV’s “16 and pregnant” series, have both had encounters with the law. Evans has been charged with breaking and entering, credit card theft, and possession of drugs all within the first year of the show. For these, she is facing up to six months in jail. The show was started to showcase how the lives of these teens have been altered and complicated by the bearing of a child, but it seems as though it has taken a violent turn.

Jennifer Del Rio, to be on the following season.

Previews for the next season further support this violent change. Jennifer Del Rio from Riverview, Florida is showed throwing punches at her boyfriend, then being dragged off, exclaiming that he will never see his children again (“children” being plural because she is the mother of twins). Each season appears to introduce more and more violence and conflict throughout these teens’ lives, and writer Brian Balthazar from PopGoestheWeek.com makes a good point: “[The producers] are going to need to have even more over-the-top characters, even more rebellious kids.” Domestic violence seems to be becoming a key ingredient…when will enough be enough?

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

¡Bieber en Fuego!

On Monday, US Weekly reported that, during a gig in Germany, Justin Bieber's mom had her hair go up in flames while attempting to blow out her birthday candles. Pattie Mallette, better known as Justin’s mother, was celebrating her 35th birthday on the day of one of her son’s performances. Following the show, Bieber invited his mom on stage, presented her with a cake, and proceeded to lead the audience in a “Happy Birthday” song. Upon leaning over the blow out the candles, several strands of hair fell into the flames of the candles. And, of course, it was Justin to the rescue! He immediately noticed his mother’s enflamed locks, and quickly patted the flames out. Bieber tweeted several times about the incident after the closure of the show.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Kate Plus 8: Back for Another Round

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Here’s a sneak peek into the new “Kate Plus Eight” series to be aired on April 4th. The focus of this season’s shows? Kate and her children’s travels in Australia. From looooong plane rides, to beach explorations, and even swimming with sharks, us, the viewers, can yet again follow this family through their adventurous life.
However, there are some viewers who think the family should call it quits with the TV show. I can somewhat agree, too, but for different reasons. Some viewers believe the idea of the show is only continuing to try to see how far they can take it, and that it is simply “wearing out its welcome.” Personally, I think the show should come to an end simply because I think the kids should be able to enjoy their lives without camera crews following them around everywhere they go. Then again, it’s probably all they’ve ever known, considering the shows have been airing since before they were born. Sure, the show is entertaining…but is it worth it, or is it possibly time for a wrap-up?

"Does my hair look okay?"

Think of how many times you style your hair in a week, whether it be with a flat-iron, curling iron, blow dryer, etc. It’s a lot, right? So it’s no wonder everyone always complains about dry, overworked hair. We all see countless hair care commercials every day, and (don’t lie, you know you do this, too…) always think “Oh, maybe THAT kind of shampoo will work…I think I’ll try it!” Here’s a newsflash: most shampoos don’t really do much of anything. Even the most advanced ingredients can’t really penetrate the hair. Instead, they pretty much just sit there until they’re washed off again.
So how can you get rid of that dry—or better yet, fried—hair? The hottest new thing in hair care is called Phyx from Kronos, which introduces a new technology called T-SFERE. The serum is applied before bed, and left to work its “magic”. It was even rated number one overnight hair repair treatment by The Good Housekeeping Institute. Surprisingly, this costs around $50 on DermStore.com. Quite frankly, I was expecting even a higher price than that.

Walk on the Wild Side

In 2009, BBC One aired a “Walk on the Wild Side” segment, including voice-over’s of natural history clips. A second series also aired in September of 2010. Some of the featured voice-overs include Jason Manford, Sarah Millican, Rhod GiIbert, John Richardson, and Pal Aron (along with many others, of course!)  I found a “Best Of…” video on YouTube, which pieces together various absolutely hilarious clips from the show, and just HAD to share it. Nothing is funnier than talking animals, right?!

Move over Gaga...there's a Rising Star Shining Through!

The world of pop culture has come to love Katy Perry, but her fame is in danger of being overtaken. By whom, you ask? Why, Kitty Purry, of course!  It all started with Katy tweeting a picture of the feline snuggled up in her cozy bed, then the snowball effect began. Fans were just completely awestruck by the animal! Kitty is not the only cat of the family, however—there is almost Morrissey and Krusty. Katy Perry may have a slight obsession with cats. She even named her fragrance “Purr”. Now what’s that tell you!
Katy perry isn’t the only celeb cute little pets. Adam Sandler, the well-known actor, has a bull-dog named Matzoball. Also, Jennifer Garner  and Ben Affleck own a Labrador named Martha Stewart! I don’t think any of these are going to give Kitty Purry any tough competition though. I mean, c’mon…look at that cute little face! :)

Skins: Should there be a Season 2?

On Monday January 17th, MTV premiered its new series called Skins, a show meant to portray the secret lives behind the average American teens. However, instead of satisfying viewers, the first episode struck many in an offensive manner. As the New York Times states, the show is “mostly about explicit teenage characters doing explicit things”. MTV press, responding to the TV-MA rating of the show, says that it is meant to be viewed solely by adults. However, the fact that the show is being aired on one of the most popular channels among teens suggests the intentions were not for it to be viewed by adults alone.  Deeper concerns are rising, as well. Several teens that star in the series are only fifteen years old, and many critics brand the show as being on the borderline between simply overexposed and child pornography.
With the season having now come to a close, should another season be aired? It is questionable. Do teens really behave in such a lude manner like this every day? Sure, we hear about the crazy parties over the weekends, and all the ridiculous things that happened. But the show makes it seem as though acts like this are normal and expected of teenagers in this day and age. Speaking as a teenager, i tend to think otherwise. There may be a good bit of troublemakers, but there's still a decent amount of good apples among the bad ones!

Taylor Swift Snags Entertainer of the Year

Another big event at the Academy of Country Music Awards last night? (Besides Steven Tyler trying to plant a big one on Carrie Underwood, that is…) Taylor Swift walked out with the most prestigious award of the evening—Entertainer of the Year. But is Swift really considered a country music star, along with names such as Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, Garth Brookes, and Loretta Lynn? According to Fox news, Swift was completely astonished by the win by stating, “This is the first time that I’ve ever won this, and I’m just losing my mind.”
It seems as though young artists like Taylor Swift are really taking over, whether it be in the music industry or elsewhere. Yes, everyone must start somewhere, and great music can’t be brought about without new young artists contributing. However, the older, more traditional artists seems to be losing a bit too much of the limelight. Not to mention, it’s questionable as to whether Taylor Swift’s music can all be consider pure country.

Are YOU addicted to Facebook?

10. If you can type “Facebook.com” in less than two seconds, with or without your eyes closed, without EVER having a typo.
9. When Facebook goes temporarily unavailable, you curl into a ball in the corner and sob until it’s up and running.
8. As soon as any life-changing event occurs, you immediately post it to your status.
7.  You call your friends to let them know they have new posts on their wall before they even have the chance to see them.
6. You have a Facebook application on your phone, your iPod and every other electronic device you own Thinking about trying to install one into your dog, too?
5. If someone does not have his own Facebook, you immediately make one for him, with or without consent.
4. The only way someone can successfully communicate with you (meaning, the only way they can generate a response) is if they send you an IM on Facebook, even when you’re both in the same room.3. You see nothing wrong with Facebook stalking.
2. The sole purpose of your camera is to take a new profile picture each month. Really, who takes cameras to important events anymore?
1. You’ve become so desperate to have new friends that you have finally accepted a few “Mohammads” or “Amrinders” whosend creepy friend requests to you and all of your friends.
Lindsay Lohan, who is currently on probation due to a D.U.I. back in 2007, was seen stumbling into a faceplant outside of Motor City Bar in New York’s lower east side at 2:30 in the morning on Wednesday. She was grasping a burning cigarette, and wearing a leopard print coat with dark stockings. However, Lohan claims the fall was simply due to clumsiness, rather than being under the influence of any alcohol. Lohan claimed to TMZ that the press is trying to “make something out of nothing.”
Stumbling out of a bar, cigarette in hand, at 2:30 in the morning just does NOT set up a very positive scenario. If Lohan is still currently on probation, why would she put herself into such a questionable situation? The whole thing just doesn’t seem to add up for me. She can’t blame the press for playing up this incident—just hearing the details of the surrounds, I think almost anyone would come to the same conclusion!

Judges use their ONLY Save for Season 10...

As any American Idol fanatic knows (or maybe simply anyone who tunes in from time to time), the judges have the opportunity to save one contestant per season, up until the top 5. This year, the judges used their save quite early—on Casey Abrams. As Casey began to sing for his life after being told he had the fewest amount of votes, Randy began waving his hands for the performance to be stopped. He and the other two judges then proceeded to exclaim that Casey was too good to be the bottom contestant, and that they did not need to hear him sing to know how good he was. Casey himself was caught completely off guard (hence, the quivering/almost fainting…). He was filmed before the result show started stating that the judges would “never use their save this early in the season. As expected, viewers reacted in various ways to this decision. Some were ecstatic, some were less than enthused, while others had the simple “Ehh...” reaction. I would place myself more-so in the “less than enthused” category.
I, personally, do not mind Casey. By this statement, I mean the following: he is not one of my favorites, nor is he one of the ones I wish would go home week after week. However, as a follow-up to this, I do not believe he is talented enough—when compared to the competition this year—to win the competition. Therefore, I believe the judges should have wished him the best and proceeded to have him leave the show. Clearly, American thinks otherwise, based upon the results of last week, which showed that Casey was not even in the bottom three anymore. Is it possible that this “near-death experience” sparked a sudden fondness for Casey among the nation? It is quite possible, but only time will tell. Quite frankly, I’m hoping not. He is far from being the most talented among the bunch this season, and to see others who exceed his level of talent leave instead of him would be almost heart-breaking.

Steven's Risky Attempts...

Anyone who knows anything about Steven Tyler knows one thing—he’s a HUGE flirt. However, at the ACM’s, last night, Tyler may have stepped past his boundaries, attempting to throw Carrie Underwood’s recent marriage vows out the window. During the duo’s performance of “Walk This Way” by Aerosmith, Tyler attempted to kiss Underwood after singing the line “gimme a little kiss, like this…” First of all, Underwood was just recently married; therefore, Steven Tyler should watch his steps when it comes to intruding upon that. Secondly, at the age of 63, Tyler is well beyond old enough to be the father of Carrie Underwood, who is only 28 years old. I personally did not see this scene occur, but the act would not catch me off guard…