Diamonds Are a Man's Best Friend? Engagement Rings for Men Gaining Popularity

"Admit it, this dainty diamond ring on my well-manicured yet manly hand makes me look très sexy..."

If she likes it, then she'd better put a ring on it...

So-called "management rings" are gaining in popularity in the US, with forward-thinking couples who want to share in the sparkling engagement experience. Amanda Gizzi from the Jewelry Information Center reports that "engagement rings for men are a new concept here in the United States. Men and women both wear engagement rings in a lot of countries around the world. For the United States it has never been our tradition. Therefore, it is a foreign concept to most people." 

 Gizzi also says that in the US, the idea is more focused on a new-found equality - ideal for men who wish to indicate to the world they they, too, are off the market while hitting a club for a stag's party. Other experts in the jewelry field are not so optimistic about the trend spreading, especially during the current economic malaise sweeping the country.


A wide range of "management" rings can be viewed at Amazon.com.

One Fish, Two Fish, Gold Fish, Old Fish: Goldfish Couple Turns 34

A pair of goldfish won at a fair in 1977 just celebrated their 34th birthdays, making them the oldest goldfish in the UK!

The pair, named Splish and Splash, were given as a prize to Richard and Ann Wright, from Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England, when President Jimmy Carter was in the White House and Queen Elizabeth was celebrating her Silver Jubilee. 


The fish originally belonged to the couple's children Matthew and Hayley, who were six and nine when the Wright's brought home the goldfish pair from a fair in picturesque Cheltenham. Even though Matthew and Hayley moved out years ago to start families of their own, Splish and Splash have remained at the Wright's home, growing old with grace and dignity. "They're grey like me," says Richard, as the fish have lost their original golden luster as they've aged.

The fish have outlived a number of cats and other pets over the years as well. "They feel like part of the family," admits Richard. Tish the Goldfish was officially recognized by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's oldest when he died aged 43 in 2005.

For more on this story and to see photographs of the Golden Couple, please visit The Daily Mail.

The New Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious: Dictionary.com Picks Word of the Year

"I know I'm still useful, but I'm not feeling the love..."

A distinguished panel of editors, lexicographers and other linguistic experts at Dictionary.com have chosen the Word of the Year for 2011. The winning word is: Tergiversate 

 Haven't heard that particular word being used while eavesdropping on other people's conversations while standing in the check-out line or at the water cooler during morning break? The definition of tergiversate is to "change repeatedly one's attitude or opinions with respect to a cause, subject, etc.; equivocate.”  (There's a photograph of a sash-wearing politician located beside the word's entry in the dictionary.)

Jay Schwartz, Head of Content for Dictionary.com, tells the Huffington Post, "We're taking a stand on this choice. We think that it's immensely rewarding to find existing words that capture a precise experience, and this year, tumult has been the norm rather than the exception. There are contested public spaces around the world, where people are demonstrating in one direction or another. Opinions and circumstances have been oscillating so much."


The expert panel considered other words for selection this year, including "occupy", "austerity", "jobs" (employment as well as Mr. Steve) and "insidious". The origins of the word tergiversate comes from the Latin  for "to turn one's back".

Apparently, the word is so cutting-edge that my blog's spell-check doesn't even recognize it!

Don't Panic: NBC Nightly News Anchor Brian Williams Keeps Cool As Fire Alarm Blares During Broadcast

"Please, don't panic...until you see this..."

NBC Nightly News anchor Brian Williams is used to keeping his cool in sticky situations. He's reported from war zones, areas hit by natural disasters and interviewed self-absorbed celebrities and sleazy politicians, so he has really seen and done it all.

With the exception of having a loud, shrill fire alarm going off in the studio while he is anchoring a live news broadcast! The alarm sounded just as Brian began to report the top story for the evening, the news that American Airlines had filed for bankruptcy. Maybe someone from the financially troubled airline happened to be in the studio and pulled the alarm to divert attention away from the story!

Williams managed to maintain his composure and chuckled while assuring concerned viewers that everything was perfectly fine and it was a false alarm at 30 Rockefeller Center. He turned the reporting over to equally-seasoned reporter Andrea Mitchell as the tech squad descended to shut the squawking alarm off.

Mitchell later tweeted about the incident, saying "On NBC Nightly News with unflappable [Brian Williams] as he anchors thru fire alarm at 30 Rock".

Raising a Stink: Woman's Angry Boyfriend Tattoos Piles of Poo on Girlfriend's Back

"Stink lines and blowing flies bring out the realism..."

A furious Dayton, Ohio, woman is suing her ex-boyfriend... for tattooing a steaming pile of excrement on her back!

Rossie Brovent is seeking $150,000 in damages from her former boyfriend Ryan Fitzjerald. Rossie originally asked that her tattoo artist ex design a scene from The Chronicles of Narnia. Fitzjerald, however, had other designs after finding out Brovent was stepping out on him...with his best friend!

Rossie initially wanted to charge her rogue ex with assault, but she had signed a consent form prior to getting inked which agreed that the art work was at "the artist's discretion". Before applying the tattoo that included blowing flies and stink lines, Brovent says that Fitzjerald plied her with cheap wine and tequila shots to get her drunk so he could have his revenge!

Painful laser treatment to remove the crappy tattoos could cost up to $8000. To see the masterpiece, you can visit the following website:

Tat-Poo My Heart

Update: Looks as if this story might be a fake. There are no court records involving the pair and the photograph of a woman with the tattoo appeared on a Polish website in 2009...

Roll With It: Con Artists Arrested for Selling 70 Years Worth of Toilet Paper to Elderly

"When you really need me, I'm as good as Gold!"

A group of people in Florida have been arrested in a million dollar con operation involving an unlikely source... toilet paper!

The trio of suspects were arrested for conning their elderly victims into paying for decades worth of plain, ordinary bathroom tissue under the guise that new government regulations required a special type of toilet paper be used to help save their septic systems. The group claimed that the products they were peddling  lasted longer and would prevent damage to their septic tanks while helping save the environment. So far, police have found a dozen victims of the scheme, saying that the con artists had taken over one million dollars.

Victims were also falsely told that newly-imposed laws and regulations required that they purchase special soap and detergents or their bathrooms would not pass a government inspection. (The Environmental Protection Agency does not regulate septic tank products, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.) At least one of the victims had purchased a seventy-year supply of bathroom tissue from the group.

If convicted, the group face up to twenty years in prison for conspiracy to commit wire fraud among other charges.

Pippa the Party Planner Promotes Publishing Plan

The Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton's ambitious younger sister Pippa has signed a lucrative publishing contract to pen a book on party planning. The 28-year-old stunner signed the six-figure deal with Penguin imprint Michael Joseph in the UK.

There was said to be a fierce bidding war over the publishing rights to the book on how to be a perfect party hostess, with the winning publisher bidding $650,000 for a one-book deal. Pippa has been at the head of her family's London based party planning company Table Talk, as well as writing for the company's official website, for the past several years. Middleton's literary agent David Godwin negotiated the lucrative deal after Pippa (real name Philippa) submitted a proposal with a sample chapter. She will not use the services of a ghostwriter and will pen the entire book herself, with the help of an editor, her agent reveals.

It is believed that Pippa asked permission from Queen Elizabeth to write the as-yet-untitled book before submitting the proposal, as she did not want to appear as if she was banking on her royal connection. Before Pippa's sister Kate married Prince William earlier this year in a lavish ceremony, the Middleton family had forged their own home entertaining empire that is now said to be worth over $65 million. Looks as if Pippa is set to become the UK's answer to Martha Stewart.

Pandora's Test Tube: Scientists Create Super Virus with Potential to Kill Billions

"The Box. You opened it. We came." Friendly Neighborhood Cenobite

A group of scientists are pushing to publish research papers conducted on a mutated strain of the H5N1 bird flu virus created in a lab that has the potential to wipe out all of mankind!

In a real life version of the recent hit Matt Damon film Contagion, researchers have tweaked a strain of the already dangerous virus, making it thousands of times more deadly and contagious than the original virus! Now, a firestorm of controversy has erupted over whether or not the research regarding the mutated strain should be made public. Many top health organizations claim that releasing any information publicly about the top secret experiments brings out the potential for a bio-terrorist attack, should the information somehow fall into the wrong hands. (There's a lot of wrong hands out there, folks!)

Virologist Ron Fouchier of the Erasmus Medical Centre in the Netherlands lead a team of  top scientists and specialists who discovered that a mere five mutations to the original avian virus was sufficient to make it far more contagious and deadly. Fouchier claims that the experiments were conducted to better understand how deadly viruses mutate, which makes the process of finding a vaccine more difficult. Now, critics are concerned that the new strain would make the much-feared Ebola virus look like a mild case of the sniffles!


Director of the Center for Infectious Diseases Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota and bio-defense expert Michael Osterholm asserts that the research carried out is "important medically". Having said that, he does admit, "We don't want to give bad guys a road map on how to make bad bugs really bad". That should make us all rest easier...

Grumpy Old Snowman: Man Dressed as Snowman Brawls with Police During Christmas Parade

"It's freakin' cold out here, dammit! I'm only doing this to make the kids happy!"

It might have been more of a case of "Jack Daniels nipping at the nose" than Jack Frost for a Maryland man arrested for brawling with police dressed as a snowman during a Christmas parade!

The man, 52-year-old Kevin Michael Walsh of Chestertown, Maryland, apparently become upset while marching in the annual holiday spectacular after a police officer with a dog tried to escort him off the main parade route. He now stands accused of disorderly conduct after resisting arrest and trying to kick a police dog during the course of duty.

Walsh, who has been dressing up as a snowman to entertain children at the parade for the past ten years, claims that he did nothing wrong and has been wrongfully arrested. He believes that the officer targeted him after he made a joke about the presence of police K-9 units at the parade. The dogs have been used for the past several years for crowd control during the popular holiday event.

Walsh was released from jail later on his own recognizance. No word on whether he left in his street clothes or dressed as Frosty the Embittered Snowman.

All Dogs Go to Heaven: Heavenly Beam of Light Shrouds Dog of Fallen Soldier

Photo Credit: (Kimberly Launier/ABC News)

A reporter for the ABC news magazine 20/20 has captured a beautiful image of a beam of light surrounding the dog of a soldier killed in Iraq.

The story about soldier Justin Rollins and the dog Hero he helped to save from the streets of war-torn Iraq will certainly make the heart of even the most hardened individual soften. Justin had found the little puppy among a litter of eight living inside a derelict port-a-potty on the night before he was tragically killed in action. A fellow solider had taken a group of photographs of a beaming Justin, carefully holding the tiny puppies with great affection.

When the news of Justin's death reached his parents Rhonda and Skip and fiancée Brittney at home in New Hampshire, they were inconsolable. When Army officials attending Justin's funeral asked if there was anything they could do to assist the grieving family, Rhonda immediately asked if they could bring her one of the puppies Justin was photographed holding the night before he was killed.

The officials agreed in an offer to comfort the family, all the while realizing that it would more than likely be an impossible mission. When local news media in New Hampshire got wind of the story, it quickly became front page news, spurring on the effort to find one of the dogs and bring it to the States for a new, loving home. Eventually, one of the dirt-covered, hungry puppies was discovered and was brought home to a deeply moved Rhonda, Skip and Brittney. They immediately christened the dog Hero in honor of Justin.

On an overcast day in early fall, reporters, crew and photographers visited the Rollins' home in picturesque Newport, New Hampshire to do a human interest piece on Justin and his incredibly moving story. While photographer Kimberly Launier was taking pictures of the now fully-grown Hero, she saw a serenely beautiful beam of light enshrouding the courageous dog. She quickly photographed Hero bathed in the beautiful light, not knowing whether or not the heavenly halo would show up in her photographs. She quickly discovered that it had, almost as if the spirit of Justin was still alive and inhabiting the dog that now has a wonderful new life because of a brief encounter with a soldier who possessed a heart of true gold.

To read more about this amazing story, you may visit the following ABC links:

Hero the Dog
Bringing Hero the Dog Home

Nafanya the Ginger Seal Finds Happy Home at Last

"I don't care if you don't let me join in any seal games, I'm prettier than all of you!"

The lonely, ginger seal that was ostracized from her colony for being different has found a happy home, as the star attraction at a Russian zoological park!

Famed Russian photographer Anatoly Strakhov took photographs of the seal with the ginger-colored fur, light pink flippers and striking blue eyes on the remote Tyuleniy Island in the far east of Russia. The seal had been alienated from the colony and was photographed alone while all of the other seals played and hunted for food in the ocean. 

Experts knew that the infant albino seal would probably not survive in the wild, so a plan was hatched to save "The World's Loneliest Seal".  The seal was eventually captured and made the 7,890 mile trek to Russia's leading aquarium in the city of Sochi on the Black Sea coast. The female seal was named Nafanya, after a popular Russian cartoon character, and has rapidly become the zoological park's most famous resident!

As of now, Nafanya has not yet been allowed to mingle with the other seals as she has to undergo a month-long quarantine as a precautionary measure. Veterinarians initially believed that Nafanya was blind, but have happily discovered she can indeed see, but has problems seeing in bright sunlight due to her ice-blue eyes.   


Befitting her new celebrity status, Nafanya now has her own live webcam, which can be viewed at 
http://www.nafanya-sochi.ru/ 

Apocalypse Now: Researchers Discover Second Mayan Calendar Confirming 12-21-2012 End Date

The drum beats are quickening...

Researchers and experts on the ancient Mayan culture of the Mexican Yucatan Peninsula have admitted that another important Mayan artifact has confirmed the "End of the World" date of December 21, 2012.

Researchers and archeologists with Mexico's prestigious National Institute of Anthropology and History have revealed that a second reference to the specific 2012 date exists on a carved fragment from the Comalcalco ruins. Until now, the only artifact believed to reference the 12-21-2012 End Time date was recorded in glyphs on a stone tablet from the Tortuguero site in the Gulf coast state of Tabasco.

Arturo Mendez, a spokesperson from the National Institute of Anthropology and History states that the fragment, known as the Comalcalco Brick, was discovered years ago and has been subjected to intense scrutiny by a plethora of experts in the Mayan culture and religious beliefs. The artifact is not on public display and is kept in storage, far from prying, curious eyes. 

The inscriptions on both the Tortuguero tablet and the Comalcalco Brick were carved approximately 1300 years ago, near the end of the Mayan reign in the region. The Tortuguero inscription describes something incredible and mystifying that is supposed to occur at the time of the winter solstice in 2012 involving Bolon Yokte, a mysterious Mayan god associated with both war and creation. The glyphs speak of the God "Falling to the Earth from the Sky" at this time, which many people have interpreted to mean an asteroid or comet strike upon the earth.

One thing is beyond doubt at this point... the Mayans were right about one thing... 2012 will be The Year of Change... if the incredible, life-altering changes 2011 has brought to us is anything to judge by...

Twilight Fans Having Seizures During Birth Scene

"Come it to watch the excitement, Stay for the seizures!"

Fans of the latest film in the Twilight series are literally having seizures in the aisles of the local cinema, and it's not from seeing stars Taylor Lautner and Robert Pattinson shirtless!

Several people have complained of experiencing seizures during an intense birthing scene in Breaking Dawn: Part I involving the character of Bella, played by Kristen Stewart. One movie-goer in Roseville, California, began seizing during the scene and fell to the floor while “convulsing, snorting, and trying to breathe” according to witnesses on the scene. The man, Brandon Gephart, woke up on the theater floor, with no memory of the incident. Paramedics were summoned to the theater and the screening of the smash-hit film was subsequently canceled. Gephart was examined at the hospital and released later that night.

Similar incidents have been reported during the same scene, which contains quick flashes of red, black and white across the screen, which may trigger episodes of photosensitive epilepsy. A well-known incident took place during the early-90s with an episode of the Japanese cartoon series Pokemon, which caused hundreds of children throughout Japan to have sudden seizures. Wearing sunglasses with cheap blue lenses can filter the red light for moviegoers who want to be on the safe side and not crumble up on the dirty theater floor while having a seizure.

Faith: George Michael Responding Well to Treatment for Pneumonia

Photo Credit: The Daily Mail

Pop superstar George Michael is said to be responding well to treatment for pneumonia at a private clinic in Vienna, Austria.

The 48-year-old former Wham! frontman has cancelled a string of European concert dates of his Symphonica world tour after falling ill, including a concert last night in Strasbourg, France as well as two scheduled dates in Cardiff, Wales.

A public statement from Michael's spokesperson reads, "Singer George Michael has been forced, to postpone the Cardiff dates (26th and Sunday 27th of November) of his Symphonica tour due to illness. [Michael] recently postponed tour dates in Vienna and Strasbourg under doctor’ s orders after being diagnosed with pneumonia and he is currently receiving treatment." The statement goes on to say that the singer plans to reschedule the appearances at a later date.

Friends and aides of the singer have dismissed reports appearing in Austrian media that the star is suffering from a heart condition. The tour has been receiving nearly unanimous critical acclaim, with many critics saying this is perhaps Michael's best concert tour yet.

Got Story? Need Someone to Write It for You? Let's Talk...

Do you have a story you want to tell but you're not a writer? Do you have something to sell and need help with wording an article? If so, then contact me. For an extremely affordable rate (we're talking less than forty bucks here!), I can tell your story for you, preferably in a funny, irreverent way, but I can do stone cold serious, too. I'll then post the story to my blog as well as to my twitter and Facebook subscribers, and you can do the same to get your message out there to the people. Just want a quick story written where you take the glory? I can ghostwrite an article for you as well. If you are interested, send me a message via Facebook (that way we'll both avoid spam in our mailboxes):

Send Message to Too Much Information!

Icicle of Death: Rare Underwater Brine Icicle Destroys Everything In Its Path

"Toto, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore..."

A rare and bizarre underwater natural phenomenon has been caught on film for the first time and it has scientists and marine biologists alike fascinated.

Resembling an undersea frozen tornado, the brinicle (brine icicle) forms rapidly near the surface of the ocean and quickly sinks to the bottom of the sea floor, as the brine is denser than the surrounding sea water. It begins to form a vortex as it sinks, destroying or killing anything and everything that the icy tendrils come in contact with as it advances toward the sea bottom. When it hits the surface, a web of ice spreads killing sea urchins, starfish and other smaller marine creatures.

The incredible footage of the undersea apocalypse was captured by a BBC film crew off the coast of Antarctica while filming for the upcoming documentary program The Frozen Planet. Although the existence of the mysterious formations have been known for several decades, this is the first time one has been filmed as it began taking shape.

Occupy This: Protestors Plan to Occupy Retailers on Black Friday

The "Occupy Wall Street" movement, which  quickly grew from a grass-roots, nationwide protest that has since spread across Europe and parts beyond, has a new enemy. Now the movement has targeted retailers promoting the blood-thirsty consumer feeding frenzy ominously known as "Black Friday". Many people involved in the movement believe that major retailers are "deeply in the pockets of the Wall Street fat cats who created the harsh economic downturn and debt slavery" that has gripped the country...and the entire world.

Organizers of the Stop Black Friday Campaign are encouraging consumers to either occupy or boycott retailers that are publicly traded, according to the movement's website, Stop Black Friday. Their goal is to impact the profits corporations rake in on that day, ultimately impacting money earned during the entire holiday season.

"The idea is simple, hit the corporations that corrupt and control American politics where it hurts, their profits, " the movement states on its Facebook page. "Keep in mind that we are not occupying small businesses or hardworking people—we must make a distinction between the businesses that are in the pockets of Wall Street and the businesses that serve our local communities.We are NOT anti-capitalist. Just anti-crapitalist"

Some of the major retailers the movement have targeted include department store chains Neiman-Marcus, JC Penney and Wal-Mart as well as online giant Amazon. For a full list of the targeted retailers, visit here.

Let's hope security doesn't drown the protestors with pepper spray and accidentally hit shoppers as well...

Did a Russian News Anchor Flip President Obama the Bird?

"You call this borscht?"
 

Update: The news commentator Tatyana Limanova has since been released from her job with the Russian television network REN-TV over the incident. In an official statement, the network calls the anchor's actions  unacceptable and unprofessional, saying: "On 14 November during the 'News 24' program the presenter Tatyana Limanova made an unacceptable gesture that was a synonym for an offensive expression." No word from Ms. Limanova's camp...

In today's Super Hot to the Extreme Viral Video, we have an interesting clip out of Russia.

It seems a well-respected Russian news anchor decided to give the middle finger in the middle of a story concerning President Obama! The video has been a big hit in Russia, where the relationship with the US is viewed as being as frosty as the Siberian tundra.

In the video, award-winning Russian news commentator Tatyana Limanova is seen reporting a story about Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who had just assumed the rotating chairmanship of the Asia Pacific Cooperation organization. She then mentions that President Barack Obama held the post previously, as she raises her left hand and then slowly extends her middle finger, an obscene gesture commonly referred to as "flipping the bird".  The network, REN TV, has refused to comment about the incident, but reports have stated that the anchor thought she was off camera at the time and was actually making the gesture to crew members in the studio who were playing a joke on her.

The network can be seen in over 120 million homes within Russia and has traditionally been perceived as a more liberal channel in a country where TV content is tightly controlled by the state. You can catch the little birdie fly in the video below:

That's a Lot of Dough: $1 Million in Suitcase Left in Aussie Pizzeria

Pizza & Dollar Signs...a winning combination!

Employees of a Sydney, Australia, pizzeria must have thought they were the best servers ever when they found a tip worth $1 million!

Police were notified that a man wearing shorts, a tank top and sunglasses left a briefcase at the Cafe Marco in an upscale neighborhood in Sydney. Employees initially thought that the briefcase may have contained a bomb or explosive device, so they decided to call the police.

No bomb was found, but the mysterious briefcase did contain a huge stash of cold, hard cash! Police began to investigate if perhaps the money was left as a ransom, but no evidence of a kidnapping has been discovered. A man was subsequently taken into custody over the incident, but police report that he was taken to the hospital for an "unknown medical condition" and is under guard while receiving medical care. Police state that if the unidentified man can prove the money is legitimately his and not funds from criminal activity, he would be able to keep the cash.

My Love Will Never Do (Without Fur): Janet Jackson To Design Fur Outerwear Line

"Nothing comes between me & my Calvin Klein's, except maybe fur!"

Pop superstar Janet Jackson definitely will NOT be on PETA's Christmas card list this year, as it has been announced that she will be endorsing a new line of fur outerwear. (She must still think it is 1986...)

The Rhythm Nation bombshell will be designing a line of "luxe fur outerwear and accessories" for the Blackglama collection that will debut in stores just in time for the Black Friday insanity.  The collection will be comprised of 15 pieces ranging from coats, jackets, vests, scarves, gloves and other high-end fashion accessories. All contain both classic and contemporary elements and utilize Blackglama mink in conjunction with other materials such as leather.  "The art of fashion is one of my great passions," states Ms. Jackson in an official statement .  "I've worked for years to bring a collection into the world.  Partnering with Blackglama is very exciting."

The exclusive line is priced for the luxury market and will retail in the Fur Salon at select Saks Fifth Avenue and the Maximilian Fur Salon at select Bloomingdales. Red, fake blood stains will be provided free by protestors on the street!

A Change of Days: Blind Kitten Plays with His First Toy

It's another Break Out the Waterworks animal video for you today, guys. So, get your Kleenex handy!

In this video, we have Oskar the blind kitten, who was recently adopted (by some obviously incredible people!). Chances are, without being adopted, little Oskar would not have had much of a life and probably would have died out in the wild or have been euthanized.

Fortunately for our fearless little creature, he found an amazing and loving home. In the above heart-warming and deeply moving video, we see Oskar enjoying his first time playing with toys! Although he cannot see the simple toy balls, he can hear the ringing of their bells and looks and behaves like any other kitten having a wonderful time playing and running free as the wind.

Backed by a beautiful song ("Change of Days" by Smith's Cloud Band), I hope you are as moved by the video as I was...

Do You Really Want to Pay Me? Boy George Demands £1 Million for Celebrity Big Brother

"I'll Tumble 4 Ya, for £1million!!!"

80s pop superstar Boy George is making plans to revive his sagging career by planning a television comeback on the UK version of Celebrity Big Brother.

The androgynous Karma Chameleon is asking producers of the Channel 5 UK series to up their asking price to £1million from their original offer of £750,000. The 50-year-old star, real name George O'Dowd, was at first banned from appearing on the reality series when it was a part of rival network Channel 4's lineup, due to his arrests for drugs in the United States and an arrest for false imprisonment after handcuffing a Norwegian "male escort" inside of his London mansion in 2007. He was also arrested in his New York City apartment when police found drugs inside his residence after the singer called 911 emergency services. O'Dowd avoided jail time by opting for community service and was seen in a bright orange jump suit collecting trash from the streets of New York. 


It's been a long, troubled road for The Boy over the years, and his battles with substance abuse have been well-chronicled. Celebrity Brother UK has successfully re-launched the careers and images of several pop stars over the years, most notably fellow 80s throwback Pete Burns, lead singer of the band Dead or Alive. Burns made a spectacle of himself on the series with his bizarre facial features, due to an addiction to horrible plastic surgery! 


In spite of his troubles, O'Dowd has managed to maintain his impressive fortune, and is estimated to be worth over £80 million, making him one of the wealthiest pop stars in Great Britain. 

Shop Small to Save Small Businesses on Saturday, November 26

This weekend, after you've fought the rude and obnoxious Black Friday crowds at Sprawl-Mart and witnessed fights between middle-aged women over pairs of shoes at Costington's, here's something good you can do to help the economy and small businesses as well as preserve the tarnished sanctity of the Christmas Spirit and restore the value of American Pride in community.

This Saturday, November 26, is the second-annual "Small Business Saturday", which aims to bring awareness to the economic plight of small, privately owned businesses across the country. Thousands of smaller stores and restaurants have shuttered their doors and windows during the current economic crisis, losing out to the much-larger chain stores that have cornered the market in even smaller, bedroom communities, stripping small town America of its former charm and appeal. To help remedy this, you can show your support for small businesses by going out and shopping them this weekend. Make a pact to purchase at least one item at a privately owned shop or business this weekend. It might not sound like much, but it would mean a great deal to the millions of business owners struggling to survive.

The event is sponsored by American Express and the company is providing "Shop Small" incentives. Register your American Express card online, spend $25 at a small business next Saturday and the company will give you $25 credit on your next statement.

Pumped Up Kicks: Amazing Race Contestants Compete in Bodybuilding Contest

After last week's bunnies on steroids Detour in delightful Denmark, I've decided this season of the CBS reality staple The Amazing Race has been, well, flippin' amazing! 

It's been awesome watching Bill & Cathi give the younger team members a run for their money! The previews for this week's episode look quite intriguing, with the teams oil slicking themselves up to compete in a European body building contest! Word has it that Bill & Cathi are rocking some super-buff bodies under their comfy clothes and farming gear, as are the rest of the gorgeous contestants! Rock on, guys!

Tonight's episode, titled "Speedo Time", promises to be one of the sexiest episodes of all time, if the contestants don't toss their cookies first on a spinning tea cup ride! To give you a taste of tonight's episode, enjoy this animated gif of Race host Phil Keoghan stripped down to his skivvies for a previous season of the show (which I totally stole from The Best Week Ever!):

"I'm smart and sexy!"

The Amazing Race airs tonight at 8:00PM EST, time approximate.

Give a Hoot (and a Massage): Adorable Owl Loves Some Attention

"My anthropomorphized features make me irresistible to women..."

Woodsy the Owl has long been the mascot for an American anti-pollution campaign, but I think the owl in the video below should be the new face for the cause!

The video, simply titled "Lovely Owl", shows a too-adorable for words baby owl lapping up some attention from the hand of an unidentified woman. The video has already received over one million views, and we can see why. Interspersed with images of other, not-so-content owls (obviously jealous of little Woodsy and the heavy petting he's getting) and backed by a perfectly dramatic music score, it just screams "Viral Video of the Day".

If this cutie was used in commercials, I bet people really would give a hoot and not pollute:

Mark of the Beast: Factory Worker Fired for Not Wearing 666 Badge

"Nope, these numbers won't freak anybody out..."

A former factory worker in Georgia has filed a law suit in Federal Court after he says he was fired from his job for refusing to wear a sticker marked with the number 666 based on religious grounds.

The man, Billy E. Hyatt, claims the Pilant Corp. plastics manufacturing plant demanded that he wear a sticker emblazoned with the numbers, which represented the number of days the plant had been free of any accidents. Hyatt refused, stating that the triple digits are well-known to be associated with the anti-Christ and are referred to in the Bible as "the Mark of the Beast" in the apocalyptic Revelations, preceding the end-of-the-world events known as Armageddon. (Seeing that the factory is located in the Bible Belt, I think they should have been well aware of this tiny tidbit of basic knowledge.) With the world unraveling like a giant spool of yarn and growing more frightening and bizarre by the second, I can definitely understand his reservations.

When Wyatt refused to wear the sticker for fear that his soul would be damned to spend eternity in Hell, he was told by his supervisors that his beliefs were "ridiculous" and was given a three-day suspension. Hyatt took the suspension only to be fired by the plant's Human Resources department upon his return. The lawsuit, which seeks an undisclosed amount in punitive damages and back pay, said the company forced him into a terrible situation: Keep his job or "abandon his religious beliefs." Which is, you know, kind of illegal...

Royal Easy Rider: Prince Harry Hops on Harley for Road Trip

"Born to be Wild..."

England's Prince Harry made out like Jack Nicholson in the classic anti-establishment film Easy Rider by hopping on a super-cool Harley Davidson bike and giving it a turn through the Arizona desert.

The 27-year-old royal was enjoying his day off from an eight-week helicopter course at Gila Bend Air Force base in Imperial Valley, Arizona, where he is undergoing advanced training as an Apache pilot. The prince was smiling like the Cheshire cat as he hopped on the Hog, wearing classic aviator sunglasses and a metal helmet to protect his ginger noggin.

Harry looked completely at ease at the helm of the $30,000 bike, as he has been a fan of motorcycle riding for years and has a number of classic bikes in his own private collection, including a Ducati 848 and a classic Triumph. His older brother William shares his passion for motorbikes as well and owns a Ducati 1198. The royal brother's father Prince Charles, however, doesn't share his children's interest, admitting, "I hate motorbikes. My sons are interested in them. I can’t even get my balance on them."

The royal thrill seeker rented the bike for $150 and trekked 95 miles through the majestic and serene landscape, but he wasn't flying solo. He was accompanied by his personal security entourage, making sure he remained safe and sound on his desert sojourn. The road trip comes close to the end of the Prince's military training in the US.

I'm Not So Excited: Bonnie Pointer Arrested for Drug Possession

Photo Credit: The Daily Mail

Pointer Sisters singer Bonnie Pointer may not be feeling "So Excited" for a while after being arrested for possession of a controlled substance. Pointer, 60, was arrested late on Friday evening but posted a $10,000 bail and was released early on Saturday morning, according to police records.

Bonnie, along with her late sister June and surviving sisters Ruth and Anita, originally formed the familial singing group in 1969, and scored a long string of hits over the years, including "Slow Hand", "I'm so Excited" and "Neutron Dance", picking up several Grammy Awards along the way and selling millions of records.

Following several years of estrangement from her family after the untimely death of June at the age of 52, Bonnie recently reconciled with her two surviving sisters and even began performing together again. Gossip and celebrity web site TMZ, however, caught an unflattering moment with a slightly incoherent Bonnie as she told reporters and paparazzi that Anita is now battling cancer as well last week.

To the Extreme: Climate Specialists Warn of Extreme & Dangerous Weather to Come

A group of top climatologists have released a dire new report warning the nations of the world to prepare for an ever-increasing list of catastrophic and deadly weather conditions to play out over the next several years.

The Nobel Prize-winning Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued a shocking report on extreme weather after an emergency meeting was convened in Kampala, Uganda. This is the first time the group of scientists and climate experts have focused their attention on the dangers of extreme weather events.

One of the study's lead investigators, Maarten van Aalst, director of the International Red Cross/Red Crescent Climate Centre in the Netherlands, puts it bluntly: "We need to be worried. Our response needs to anticipate disasters and reduce risk before they happen rather than wait until after they happen and clean up afterward...the  risk has already increased dramatically."

The report goes on to say, "a changing climate leads to changes in the frequency, intensity, spatial extent, duration, and timing of extreme weather and climate events, and can result in unprecedented extreme weather and climate events". 

Another expert, Chris Field of Stanford University, said: "We face many challenges in the future; those include floods, drought, storms, and heatwaves."

The study is released after 2011 has been dubbed "The Year of The Disaster", with a series of weather-related catastrophes in the US alone causing tens of billions of dollars in damages and loss of property and life.  The East Coast of the US has been hit with a series of record-breaking winter storms, a costly hurricane as well as a rare earthquake, while the Midwest and South were slammed with terrifying tornado outbreaks and floods of biblical proportions, leaving two nuclear power plants underwater. A record breaking heat wave and drought scorched Texas and Oklahoma and massive wildfires burned millions of acres of land in New Mexico, Arizona and California, with Reno, Nevada, currently being decimated by raging fires. Alaska was pounded by a winter "hurricane" only a few weeks ago, the worst storm on record to hit the state.


The costliest disaster of all time (so far) took place in March of this year, with the cataclysmic earthquake and tsunami in Japan causing several hundred billion dollars in damages and claiming more than 30,000 lives. The tsunami also created the worst nuclear accident of all time, as the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant went into a full-scale melt-down.

Fasten your seat belts, folks...it's going to be a bumpy ride...

He Did It His Way: Frank Sinatra's Secret Porn Film

"Regrets? I Have a Few..."

A new biography on the legendary superstar crooner Frank Sinatra has made a bombshell revelation that the singer/actor appeared in an underground porn film at the age of 19!

The claim is made in salacious tabloid author Darwin Porter's new book about Sinatra, The Boudoir Singer. In the biography, Porter claims that a struggling Sinatra accepted the offer to appear in the film "The Masked Bandit" and was paid $100, a large sum of money in 1934, during the height of the Great Depression. The author claims he was informed of the secret porn film by one of Sinatra's good friends, actor Peter Lawford. Lawford, along with Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., made up the notorious gang of Hollywood stars known as the "Rat Pack" during the late-50s and early 1960s.

The book contends that Sammy Davis, Jr. was an avid collector of porn during a time when it was still illegal to purchase, but he had managed to obtain a copy of the secret skin flick starring Ol' Blue Eyes himself. Davis allegedly sliced scenes of the Sinatra film into a copy of the infamous 1972 X-Rated classic Deep Throat starring Linda Lovelace as a practical joke. Davis then screened the film at a party he hosted, which was attended by Sinatra. No one recognized Sinatra in the scenes, as he reportedly wore a mask to conceal his face in the hardcore film, where he is shown having sex with two women. Porter claims that Sinatra was furious at Davis and planned on revenge, before realizing that Davis had a very powerful weapon against him with his copy of the bootleg film! The two patched up their relationship and Davis later agreed to destroy his copy of the film.

Sinatra went on to become a respected actor in well-received films such as The Man with the Golden Arm and The Manchurian Candidate, winning an Academy-Award for his performance in the 1954 classic WWII film From Here to Eternity. He died in 1998 at the age of 82.

Welcome to the DollHouse: Baby Doll That Curses

"Put me under the Christmas tree this year & I'll set your kids straight!"

Parents looking for a sweet and innocent gift to give to their children this Christmas might want to avoid one particular doll on the market: A doll that swears like Gordon Ramsay!

Parents have been complaining that the You & Me Interactive Triplets doll set talks like a drunk sailor on a three-day bender in Singapore. Several parents are certain that, among the giggling and googling baby talk the doll emits, comes the always lively street phrase, "Hey, crazy Bitch!"

Now, the manufacturer of the doll says that its product is recommended for children over the age of 2, but there is no mention of any profanity in the instruction manual. Retail giant Toys 'R Us, which keeps the doll in stock, has received a number of complaints about the cursing toy, but claims that it is indeed just speaking gibberish and people are hearing things. The company has no plans to remove the toy from its shelves, but advises parents that they will be able to return the doll with a store receipt if they are offended by its innocent gurgling.

You can decide for yourself if Potty Mouth Patty is cursing or not in the video below:

What Not to Wear: The Situation Sues Abercrombie & Fitch for Asking Him Not to Wear Their Clothes

Reality "star" Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino has filed a mega-bucks law suit against gay porn clothing producer Abercrombie & Fitch.

A few months back, the high-end, trendy retail outlet said (with tongue planted firmly in hollowed-out cheek a la Zoolander) that they would pay The Sitch a million dollars if he would not wear their clothes on his MTV reality caper The Jersey Shore or while attending red carpet events. Apparently, the Situation thought that they were serious about the deal and is now suing them for $4 million for not handing over a big, over-sized check covered in glitter and pink bows.

In a law suit filed in a Florida federal court, the Italian Stallion claims A&F "embarked on a grand, worldwide advertising campaign using Sorrentino's name, image and likeness to create brand awareness for its products by falsely claiming that Defendant had offered money to Sorrentino if he would stop wearing Defendant's goods". 

Sorrentino, 30, was often seen wearing the retailer's outfits while trying to score some nookie from Snooki on Jersey Shore, and was wearing A&F track pants on the much-ballyhooed season premiere of the show which was filmed in Florence, Italy, over the summer. Sorrentino and his production company MTS also complained in the suit about A&F's use of his catch phrase "Gym. Tanning. Laundry" (GTL) as well as the phrase "The Fitchuation" used on some of their clothing. He has been A&F free in photographs since August, so put your money where your mouth is and pay the man! 

"I'm too sexy for these pants..."

SplitsVille: Demi Moore Files for Divorce from Ashton Kutcher

"Nothing lasts forever..."

Surprise, surprise...Not!!!

Actress Demi Moore has announced her plans to seek a divorce from Ashton Kutcher!

Moore, 49, released the following public statement earlier today: "It is with great sadness and a heavy heart that I have decided to end my six-year marriage to Ashton. As a woman, a mother and a wife there are certain values and vows that I hold sacred, and it is in this spirit that I have chosen to move forward with my life."

The move comes after weeks of speculation about the super-couple's marriage when Kutcher's alleged infidelities with another woman, 22-year-old Sara Leal, broke to the tabloid press. This came a little more than a year after another woman claimed to have had a fling with the 33-year-old Two & a Half Men star.

The couple have been seen together over the past few weeks, with many speculating that they were attending couple's therapy to mend the rift in their marriage. No official statement has been released yet from Kutcher's camp.

How the Crack Head Saved Christmas: Befuddled Burglar Decorates Victim's House for the Holidays

"Who wants to have fun tonight in Whoville? I'll bring the bath salts..."

It seems you really can save a Grinch's heart during the holiday season!

Or at least a mixed-up, wannabe burglar zonked out of his mind on bath salts! A man broke into a house in Vandalia, OH, we can only guess with the intent to rob the home. However, it appears the man, 44-year-old Terry Trent, must have taken some inspiration from copies of Martha Stewart's Living and Better Homes and Gardens found around the house, as he decided to go on a bit of a decorating kick. He began taking out all of the family's Christmas decorations stored in a closet and putting them up for a cheerful Yuletide display!

When the family returned home a few hours later, they found Trent lounging on the family sofa, watching television and playing with toys! Needless to say, the home owners were more than a little shocked, but now they won't have to worry about putting up those pesky decorations this year. The man apologized for startling them and left, but was caught by police moments later.

Nothing was missing from the home, so maybe this is a case of the "Reverse Grinch", breaking into stranger's homes to spread joy and cheer! I'll toast to that! Merry Christmas, one and all!

That's Amore! Ousted Silvio Berlusconi Releases Love CD

Italy's former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has released a "mix tape" of love songs on his way out the swinging door!

The aging Lothario, 75, released a CD of songs that he has written, performed by his good friend, singing star Mariano Apicella. The songs on the album "tell of tormented love, featuring lyrics such as 'another day of wind and rain, another night without you,' or 'Stay, and leave me your heart.'"

Berlusconi was forced to step down from his scandal-plagued post and is currently on trial for paying for sex with a 17-year-old girl at a dinner party he hosted at his opulent mansion. Some believe the album release is the outrageous billionaire's way of having the last word as the new Italian minister Mario Monti is set to take over his position

There were cheers from large crowds throughout Italy when Berlusconi's departure from the position was announced last week, as Italy struggles with deepening austerity measures brought on by the global economic super-crisis and the worrisome European debt situation.

The self-described Latin lover, who once boasted he single-handedly kept large groups entertained for hours on end with his smooth charm and silky voice, wrote the lyrics for the sappily-titled album True Love. 

 I'm sure a nationwide concert tour is in the planning stages, so break out the cigarette lighters and prepare to swoon!

"You know you want me..."

Out, Out Damn Spot! Camilla Parker Bowles' Tattoo Won't Wash Away

The Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles is pulling a Lady Macbeth after having a "temporary" henna tattoo applied to her hands... that won't wash away with ease!

The wife of Prince Charles received the tattoo while on an official state visit to the African nation of Tanzania, where she was told the ink would only last for a few days before fading away. But the Duchess has been photographed with the tattoo still staining her hands, ten days later! Camilla was sure to wear gloves to conceal the swirling pattern on the top of her hand during the somber Remembrance Day ceremony in London last Sunday, which was also attended by the Queen as well as Prince William and new bride Kate.

Earlier today, however, she was photographed at her residence Clarence House, where she held a benefit on behalf of a children's theater, with the henna tattoo still visible on her hand. Speaking about the tattoo the Duchess said, "I just can’t get it off. I have tried scrubbing and everything…nailbrushes, you name it. I just don’t know what to do."

Camilla is anxious to rid herself of the stain, as she is to attend a lavish state banquet at Buckingham Palace thrown by the Queen in honor of the Turkish President where she will be wearing a tiara and a more traditional ball gown.

"Does this tattoo match my hand bag?"

It's the Great Un-Friend You on Facebook Day, Charlie Brown!

The hilarious guys over at Jimmy Kimmel thought that there should be an official "National Unfriend Day" on Facebook. You know, a day where you go through your list of friends on Facebook and start culling out the dead weight! It's a great idea! There's one credo in life that still holds true today:  It isn't officially a holiday of any merit unless there is a Peanuts cartoon about it!

To remedy this situation, the show put together this flippin' hilarious Peanuts cartoon about the special Unfriend day just to get the ball rolling. I mean, good grief, who wouldn't take that depressing sad sack Charlie Brown off their friend's list? And that Momma's Boy Linus? Hasn't he married that blanket by now and fathered a couple of kids? And we've all seen those highly inappropriate and suggestive photos some Facebook "friends" are inclined to post on their page... just like Charlie Brown's sister, Sally!

You'll have to watch all the hilarity in the video below: