Entertainment Lovers: April 2012

Monday 30 April 2012

One World Trade Center Becomes New York City's Tallest Skyscraper, Floors Still Being Added

NEW YORK — One World Trade Center, the monolith being built to replace the twin towers destroyed in the Sept. 11 attacks, claimed the title of New York City's tallest skyscraper on Monday, as workers erected steel columns that made its unfinished skeleton a little over 1,250 feet high, just enough to peek over the roof of the observation deck on the Empire State Building.

11:40 AM PDT: TMZ has obtained the police report describing the incident, and it reveals that the alleged victim is Hill's girlfriend, Darlene Luna.

According to the report, Luna dated Hill for 2 years. Luna claims Hill assaulted her and left bruises on her legs and then tried to choke her. It's interesting -- Luna's complaint to cops was lodged 1 month after the alleged incident.

Dallas Cowboys Targeting Stanford Guard David DeCastro (Among Others)

According to the Dallas Star-Telegram, the Dallas Cowboys have circled four prospects for the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, of which two (maybe even three) could be of significant interest for Cincinnati. Clarence E. Hill Jr. writes that Stanford guard David DeCastro and LSU defensive lineman Michael Brockers are two players that the Dallas Cowboys are interested with. Other players include Mississippi State defensive tackle Fletcher Cox and Alabama safety Mark Barron.

You can't say the Cleveland Browns didn't have an impact on the first round of the draft.
For the past few months, we knew that Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III would be the first two picks of the draft. The Browns were sitting at No. 4 overall, but less than an hour before the draft, that changed. Cleveland struck a deal with the Minnesota Vikings to move up to No. 3 overall. As soon as the trade was announced, it was clear who the front office was going after. It wasn't Justin Blackmon, Matt Kalil, or Morris Claiborne: it was running back Trent Richardson (seen pictured above).

NFL Draft 2012 Results: Andrew Luck, RG3 Only Sure Things In First Round

NEW YORK — With so much wheeling and dealing, maybe the NFL draft should move to Wall Street.

Minutes before Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III went 1-2 to the Colts and Redskins on Thursday night, the draft at Radio City Music Hall turned into a deal-a-thon. Through the first seven picks, only Indianapolis kept its original draft spot, and a total of eight trades were made in first round.

You weren't listening, were you?

Don't feel bad, I didn't pay it enough attention either, even after getting stoked the first time it was discussed.

The Dallas Cowboys traded up from the 14th slot in the first round of the NFL Draft, all the way to pick six to select a player they hope is destined for numerous career pick sixes. LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne was considered one of the five or six blue-chip prospects in the 2012 draft, and Jerry Jones reached out, spent a little change and brought him into the fold. They departed from their recent trend, as Claiborne wasn't brought into Valley Ranch for a visit. This probably was to try and keep teams off their scent. Dallas brought in nine cornerbacks for visits, including Claiborne's teammate Ron Brooks.

Well it's draft day, the colts go on the clock in about 6 hours from now, and rumors are swirling. One name that has been mentioned and mocked to us in the last 48 hours is Memphis DT, Dontari Poe. Mike Mayock, NFL Networks draft guru, mocked Poe to us at 25, in his first and only mock draft of the year. Poe attended

President Obama ‘Slow Jams the News’ With Jimmy Fallon

President Obama made television history last night by becoming the first sitting president to slow jam the news with Jimmy Fallon and The Roots on NBC’s “Late Night.”
“I’m President Barack Obama, and I, too, would like to Slow Jam the News,” said the president before Fallon’s band, The Roots, saluted him with a sampling of “Hail to the Chief.”

Leading up to the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals battle between the Washington Capitals and Boston Bruins we took a look at various aspects of the series, from individual players to special teams to the specific match-ups we could expect to see. In that post, we noted that there were three match-ups that would likely decide the series:

Let's set any dispute as to his salary aside for a minute. Let's also set aside the fact that Dimitroff acquired him for a box of Krispy Kremes and a large iced coffee. Why? Because we just won the lottery!

If a defensive back's value was measured solely by his interception total, then I'd be worried about the Samuel trade. Not super worried; maybe just a little worried. Luckily interception total is not the only DB-related stat out there. And luckily I'm here to point that out.

Former aide Andrew Young, the star witness in the trial of former presidential candidate John Edwards, began his testimony against his former boss Monday.

Edwards is accused of using hundreds of thousands of dollars from 101-year-old Rachel "Bunny" Mellon and Fred Baron to conceal his affair with Rielle Hunter

Young, testifying as the first witness Monday, said Mellon was an enthusiastic supporter who apologized for not being able to give more than $1 million.

"She said she was close personal friends with Senators John and Bobby Kennedy and felt like Edwards was the best combination of them," Young testified.

President Obama appears on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" Tuesday night, and he taped the segment that afternoon at the University of North Carolina after he gave a speech there about student loans.

According to pool reports, the president came out from behind a curtain to "slow-jam the news" to The Roots, Fallon’s house band.

"I'm president Barack Obama, and I, too, want to slow-jam the news," the president said.
Mr. Obama then held a microphone and described the importance of keeping student loan interest rates low, while the band behind him played a moody, bluesy background music. Fallon came in with his own alternating riffs about Stafford loans.
Background singer serenaded Obama as "the POTUS with the most-est."

Obama spoke politely about the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, Mitt Romney.
"I've met him, but we're not friends," he said. "His wife is lovely." He added that Romney "seems like somebody who cares about his family."
He also had only good things to say about the Secret Service, which has brought him unwanted attention after 11 agents were caught hiring prostitutes in Cartagena, Colombia.

"The secret service, these guys are incredible," Obama said. "They protect me, they protect our girls. A couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from that they do. What they were thinking, I don't know. That's why they're not there anymore."
The president was a good sport when Fallon surprised him with a college-age photo of him.
"Notice the afro," Obama said.

Mad Cow Disease Confirmed In California Dairy Cow, USDA Says

The USDA has confirmed that a case of mad cow disease was found in a California dairy cow. It is the fourth case of mad cow, or bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), found in U.S. cattle since the first in December 2003. Los Angeles-based Baker Commodities confirmed that the cow was discovered in a Hanford, Calif. transfer station after workers selected the cow for random sampling. The company does not yet know which farm the cow came from.

Heart Attack Grill is in the news for the second time this year, as a woman passed out after eating a “double bypass” burger, smoking, and drinking with friends.

Owner John Basso told The Los Angeles Times that:
“We attract an avant-garde clientele — thrill seekers, risk takers.” The “bad for you but fun” restaurant that “attracts people who don’t really take good care of their health.”

Broncos safety Brian Dawkins retires after 16 years

Veteran safety Brian Dawkins, a longtime Philadelphia Eagle who played his final three seasons with the Broncos, announced his retirement from the NFL today.
Dawkins posted the news on his Twitter account.
Here is Dawkins’ full statement:

'Mad Men' Season 5 Episode 506 'Far Away Places': Roger Sterling drops acid

Oddly, the most incongruous thing about Sunday's (April 22) episode of "Mad Men" -- "Far Away Places" -- wasn't Roger Sterling (John Slattery) dropping acid. That actually made sense in an story arc that was the equivalent of force-feeding LSD to the show's audience. In a sense, it was our own "Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test" -- The show took us along on a wild ride, whether or not we wanted to go, in much the same way that Don absconded with Megan for a little mid-week trip to a Howard Johnson's Motor Lodge. Both the trip and the show didn't turn out as expected.

It was an episode that either meant everything or nothing. Maybe both. It's tempting to over-analyze the hell out of it, but fight the urge because, as Megan (Jessica Paré) said of Howard Johnson's, "It's not a destination, it's on the way to some place." None of these characters arrived at their final destination, though there's a sense that things are closer than ever to coming unraveled. That said, we're still going to talk about it. A lot.

This was the sort of performance that could have had everyone talking about Metta World Peace. Until one momentary lapse of reason (and one wild elbow) left everyone thinking about Ron Artest.
Late in the second quarter, World Peace powered his way past Kevin Durant and Serge Ibaka to finish a fast break with a dunk.

Ruminations on Philip Humber's perfect game

Rewatching Philip Humber retire all 27 Seattle Mariners in order for the 21st perfect game in the history of Major League Baseball, I was Humberstruck by just how well he commanded his fastball.

Sure, his slider (which Colin covered well year ago) received the most attention of his pitches in thepost-perfection analysis. However, that pitch might have gotten him in trouble against better lineups early in this game. He started the game by throwing sliders up and over the plate to the first two batters he faced. Chone Figgins and Dustin Ackley could only roll them over to the right side.

Phil Humber Throws Perfect Game: White Sox Beat Mariners, 4-0

SEATTLE — Phil Humber had Tommy John surgery before his career even started. He bounced around a bit as he tried to make it in the major leagues.
Now, well, Humber is perfect.
Humber threw the first perfect game in the majors in almost two years, leading the Chicago White Sox to a 4-0 victory over the Seattle Mariners on Saturday.
"What just took place was just awesome,

You Saw What Splunk Did Today? Now Get Ready For The Next Hot Enterprise IPO Read more:

If investors are paying attention in the enterprise market (and it looks like they are, based on Splunk's performance), Infoblox should have a good IPO tomorrow.
Infoblox hopes to raise $106 million with about 1.8 million shares at a price between $12 and $14 a share, according to its S1. That will give it a valuation of around $600 million.
It will trade on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol BLOX.
For the six months that ended Jan. 31, its net revenue rose 31% to $80.7 million. It reported a net loss of $2.8 million, compared with a loss of $132,000 in the same period a year earlier. The company did post some profits in 2010.

In 2009, the poplar book He’s Just Not That Into You made the transition from Barnes and Nobles to the big screen. Breaking away from the usual rom-com archetype, the film showcased an ensemble cast, interconnected stories, and confessional style interviews from everyday people. Although many dismiss this film, it was successful at storytelling.
Think Like A Man replicates the success of He’s Just Not That Into You with a similar formula – the ensemble cast (Michael Ealy, Jerry Ferrara, Megan Good, Regina Hall, Kevin Hart, Taraji P Henson, Romany Malco, and Gabrielle Union), celebrity cameos (La La Anthony, Chris Brown, Keri Hilson, Kelly Roland, Sherri Shepherd), and inserted commentary from the author himself, Steve Harvey.

The Band Singer Levon Helm Dead at 71 -- Dies from Throat Cancer

The Band singer/drummer Levon Helm -- famous for hits like "The Weight" ("Take a load off Annie" ...) -- has died after a long battle with throat cancer.

Helm -- diagnosed with throat cancer in the late 90s -- passed away this afternoon in NYC, surrounded by his friends and bandmates.

Broadcast legend Dick Clark, who passed away Wednesday at the age of 82, got his big break in 1956, hosting "Bob Horn's Bandstand" -- a show that would later be renamed "American Bandstand."
Clark was so at home on the show that he kept the theme song, written by Barry Manilow and Bruce Sussman, as the hold music on his office's telephones long after it went off the air.

Ted Nugent: 'I'm A Non-Violent Guy, I Don't Threaten' [UPDATED]

Rocker Ted Nugent said Wednesday that he had never and would never threaten anyone's life.
"That's ridiculous," Nugent told radio talk show host and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R). "I mean, I'm a non-violent guy, I don't threaten. I wouldn't waste my time threatening, I've never threatened anyone's life in my life. I will not threaten anyone's life. I certainly wouldn't threaten the life of the president, or anybody in public office, or anybody anywhere."

Unlike the ousters of Jack Wagner and Sherri Shepherd, the fourth elimination on Dancing With the Stars was not a decision that will leave heads scratched.
Just as things looked up last week for Karina Smirnoff and partner Gavin DeGraw, they once again sunk to the bottom Monday night after a 19-point samba.

Levon Helm is "in the final stages of his battle with cancer," according to his wife and his daughter.

Phillips County native and rock 'n' roll legend Levon Helm "is in the final stages of his battle with cancer," according to his wife Sandy and daughter Amy. "Please send your prayers and love to him as he makes his way through this part of his journey," they wrote.

Kristen Stewart Plans On the Road Date Night With Robert Pattinson...and Her Mom!

Looks like Cannes will be a time to make love, not war.
We previously prepared you for the film festival battle royale that could go down between our favorite Twilight twosome, Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson, seeing as both K.Stew's On the Road and R.Pattz's Cosmpolis are set to compete.

But now we hear that it's all about support in the south of France—and not just from Kristen's BF:

READ: Kristen Stewart Looks Like a Delinquent Schoolgirl at "My Valentine" Premiere and Fails Our Fashion Class
First, let's talk Mr. Pattinson.

Remember when celebrities tried to keep their private lives, well, private?
We're glad those days are long gone; otherwise we'd never get to see these intimate photos from the amazing vacation Rihanna took in Hawaii in January 2012.

"NEVER BEGIN anything with a quote!" is the advice given by that fascinating observer, Nora Ephron.
But we began the Liz column ages ago with an opening quote and consider it bad luck to start changing everything around now.
So I was heartened to see a big celebrity saying something astute in Time magazine. Here's the Oscar- winning Kate Winslet on what she feels whenever she hears the omnipresent music of "My Heart Will Go On" from the James Cameron movie "Titanic."

Is the world ready for Kim Kardashian to enter politics?
No, but we have five years to prepare ourselves should the reality TV star go through with her plans to run for mayor of Glendale, Calif.
In an unaired clip from the second season of "Khloe & Lamar," Kim reveals her political aspirations to her sister Khloe while they are driving around Dallas and pass the Ross Perot Museum.

Tupac's famously protective mother Afeni Shakur agrees with the rest of the planet -- the rapper's resurrection at Coachella this weekend ... in the form of an incredibly lifelike hologram ... was mind-blowingly awesome.

Michigan native Jason Hartmann heads up Heartbreak Hill en route to a fourth-place finish, the best by an American. (John Blanding/Globe Staff)

Jason Hartmann looks like an unlikely marathoner. In Monday’s wilting mid-80s temperatures, the 6-foot-3-inch, 31-year-old Michigan native came striding down Boylston Street, his pace strong, his head held high, still boasting enough energy to wave to the crowds. He ran across the line to claim fourth place in the Boston Marathon in 2 hours, 14 minutes, 31 seconds, the first American to finish.

Hartmann grew up in Rockford, Mich., and went to college at the running mecca of Oregon. He now lives and trains in Boulder, Colo., and his running credentials include qualifying for two Olympic marathon trials, a spot on the US team at the Pan American Games, the World Cross-Country Championships, and the World Half Marathon Championships.

Cassidy turns in a ride for the ages

When he wasn’t answering questions, the man wearing the laurel wreath with the gold medal around his neck was giving those Tweet thumbs a pretty good workout.
“I had a lot of people contact me,’’ said Joshua Cassidy. “Just saying to them, ‘I won and I’m happy.’ ’’
Now that Mr. Cassidy has both a Boston Marathon Men’s Wheelchair championship and a world record time of 1:18:25 to celebrate, he can attend to some unfinished business.

“I’d like to work for Marvel Comics,’’ he said. “That’s the Olympics of illustration.’’

Cassidy hesitates to call himself a renaissance man, but that doesn’t mean someone else can’t do it. An athlete with an artistic soul isn’t unprecedented - we’ve got accomplished artist Tom Heinsohn as Exhibit A - but the Athletes & Artists Society is relatively small and we can never make a big enough fuss about these people.

Dancing With the Stars' Latin night almost got a little too steamy Monday!

The nine remaining celebrity contestants danced the samba, salsa or Argentine tango with musical guest Santana leading the way. Despite some injuries amongst the contestants, everyone stepped up their game for the halfway point of the competition.
PHOTOS: DWTS hottest hookups
Unfortunately, dancing pro Chelsie Hightower nearly suffered a nip slip while dancing the salsa with her partner, Disney star Roshon
Fegan.

The Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie engagement: A roundup of ‘crucial’ news to know

The news broke Friday that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are finallyengaged to be married. While the globe continued to rotate on its axis even though clearly it should have paused for a couple of seconds out of respect, the celebrity media world responded as anticipated, with crucial follow-up stories on what is destined to be the most-dissected nuptials since ... well since last year, when Prince William and Kate Middleton walked down the aisle.

Here are a few of the Brangelina-engagement-related stories currently winding their way through the Internets.

Johnny Depp and Natalie Portman star in Paul McCartney’s self-directed videos for “My Valentine,” a track off his new jazz album “Kisses on the Bottom.”

The actors use sign language to convey the song’s lyrics, which include wistful phrases like, “What if rained? We didn’t care.” Portman and Depp remain still in the black and white videos as they sign and, of course, look very beautiful.

Depp, who recently appeared on stage with Marilyn Manson, also plays a guitar solo. (Eric Clapton played the part on the studio version of the song.)

Each actor did a separate video, with their footage combined for a third version. The videos were screened at Stella McCartney’s Los Angeles store last week, according to the Beatles’s blog.

Portman previously starred as a ghost in McCartney’s “Dance Tonight” video.

Marilyn Manson is not engaged, despite what you may have read

Marilyn Manson is not engaged, despite what you may have read online.

Life & Style reported that the rocker asked Seraphim Ward, aself-described “independent occult filmmaker and industrial goth rock artist,” to marry him Thursday, quoting an unnamed “friend.” A rep for Ward told the tabloid, “Seraphim is in a committed relationship and is over the moon about what her bright future holds with her partner.”

E! News originally posted a story confirming this report. However, E! updated the article after Manson’s publicist told them that he’s not engaged to Ward — nor has he ever met her.

So what exactly is going on here?

Last night’s “Mad Men” gave us plenty of fist fights, inappropriate kisses and the far-too-rare opportunity to hear actor Jared Harris use the term “grimy little pimp.”

What it didn’t give us is another peek into the life of the sad, overweight Betty Francis.

Fortunately, the Internet — in all its digital altruism — has come forward to deliver the gift of “Fat Betty.”

The numbers are finally in: Matt Lauer and gang beat Katie Couric by 187,000 viewers last week, according to final ratings from Nielsen.

The Couric-hosted “Good Morning America” attracted an average of just fewer than 5 million viewers — the show’s biggest audience in four weeks. But the size of “Today’s” crowd went up more: Only 119,000 viewers separated the NBC show and ABC’s trailing “GMA” the previous week.

A sense of foreboding in the air as airtime is upon us for tonight’s episode of American Idol. “There is a result tonight on @AmericanIdol that some would say is very shocking!” Ryan has Tweeted earlier in the day.

Hope it’s not #anothercoltonhairdisaster,

#anotherseacrestolympicpromotion,

#anotherpreviewofanotherjenniferlopezvideo!

Award-winning norteña music band Los Tigres del Norte recently ran afoul of prohibitions in Chihuahua for singing a song considered a "narcocorrido," or narco ballad.

SILAO, Mexico — The name of Aaron Lopez’s band Los Astros del Cristo Rey — meaning the Stars of Christ the King — drew inspiration from a towering statue of Christ here in Mexico's conservative Catholic heartland northwest of the liberal capital city.

By day, the name fits: the trio sings "corridos," or ballads, about the region and the Christ statue for visitors arriving at the hilltop site.

Kicking off Alec Baldwin Week in Washington at a National Press Club luncheon Monday, the “30 Rock” star confirmed — as reported here last week and back in January — that he is signed to star on the critically acclaimed NBC’s comedy series for a seventh season.

Donna Svennevik/ABC - One week after Katie Couric guest-anchored ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the show beat NBC’s “Today” show by 13,000 viewers, according to early ratings that ABC ordered from Nielsen.

The “Today” show’s 16-year-plus run as the No. 1-rated morning infotainment program is apparently over.

One week after Katie Couric guest-anchored ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the show beat NBC’s “Today” show by 13,000 viewers, according to early ratings that ABC ordered from Nielsen. If the stats hold up when final national ratings come in, it will mark the first weekly victory for “Good Morning America” since December 1995.

Maybe "Theraflu" just had way too many bad symptoms associated with it.
Kanye West has changed the title of his controversial new song following a backlash from the manufacturer of the drug it's named after, who slammed the rapper for inappropriately cribbing their product's name.

Looks like Nicki Minaj is no longer reloading…on Twitter.
On Sunday the Pink Friday pop sensation apparently deactivated her Twitter account leaving millions of followers begging for the Barbz to come back.
"Like seriously, its but so much a person can take. Good f--king bye," Nicki wrote.

So long, Evan Rachel Wood. Marilyn Manson has moved on to darker pastures.

One of two men accused of plotting to kidnap and possibly kill British soul singer Joss Stone has been sent to a psychiatric facility.
Per the BBC, Junior Bradshaw was moved to the mental health unit for tests to determine if he is fit to stand trial come August.

Rayman Origins provides a reminder of the beauty of simple hand-drawn 2-D art

LOVED IT: Bright visuals shine on PS Vita screen, exciting, accessible platforming, brilliant controls, flawless pacing

HATED IT: Cooperative play from consoles is absent

GRAB IT IF: You want the Vita's finest platformer

Monday 30 April 2012

Friday 27 April 2012

Thursday 26 April 2012

Wednesday 25 April 2012

Tuesday 24 April 2012

Monday 23 April 2012

Sunday 22 April 2012

Saturday 21 April 2012

Friday 20 April 2012

Thursday 19 April 2012

Wednesday 18 April 2012

Tuesday 17 April 2012

Cassidy turns in a ride for the ages

Monday 16 April 2012