Friday, September 28, 2012

Study: Blondes More Likely to Cheat on Partners

One study drops a big blonde bombshell.

Blondes may have more fun, but they might just have more relationship issues, too.
According to a recent study, hair color plays a surprising role in women's infidelity. When it comes to cheating, blonde women make up a staggering percentage of the unfaithful, while a much smaller percentage of female cheaters are brunette.

The study, carried out by support website CheaterVille.com, found that a whopping 42 percent of women who admit to cheating also happen to have blonde hair. Redheads came in second at 23 percent, brown-haired cheating ladies made up 20 percent, and only 11 percent of women stepping out had black hair.

Apparently, there's a color spectrum for infidelity.
The website conducted the study based on the online postings submitted by a cross sample of its members.
And while founder James McGibney admits that this isn't the most scientific of studies—baldness or hair coloring were not taken into consideration—the results are still pretty interesting, especially with a number as high as 42 percent.
And let's not leave out the men. Cheaterville found that 40 percent of male cheaters have brown hair, 32 percent are raven-haired, 20 percent are blonde, and a mere five percent are redheads.
Also interesting, McGibney discovered that 43 percent of both male and female victims of infidelity were brunettes.
He said of the findings:
"From Veronica vs. Betty to Ginger vs. Mary Anne, we've always favored one look over another. But now our research gives us a tempting look at how hair color might play a role in infidelity - and that's nothing to brush off."

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Super Bowl-winning quarterback Jim McMahon says he wishes he had played baseball

(Getty)In my family, the members of the 1985 Super Bowl-winning Chicago Bears team ranked just slightly behind the Father, Son and the Holy Ghost. In fact, as a 6-year-old I was taught the "Super Bowl Shuffle" by a Franciscan nun, so that ranking could be muddled at times. Walter Payton was at the top of the list, but I couldn't help but be crazy about the rebellious, mouthy, "Punky QB known as McMahon."

The way he would play football made me misunderstand the quarterback's role as a child. Aren't all quarterbacks supposed to jump over the top of the pile? Don't they all take punishing hits then pop back up for more? Why would a quarterback slide for a first down when he could get an extra half-yard by taking the big hit?
During his career with the Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and other teams, McMahon never started a full season. His tough and sometimes reckless style of play meant he suffered many, many injuries. Now, 16 years after he retired, he is experiencing an injury that can't be fixed by a surgery or therapy.
At 53, McMahon is in the early stages of dementia. He is part of the group suing the NFL that says they hid the effects of concussions. Though his career resulted in a Super Bowl ring and a Pro Bowl appearance, he still says he would have played baseball if he knew what concussions would do to him.

"Being injured, if you don't play, you don't get paid. If I was able to walk out on that field, I was gonna play," he said in an interview with Chicago's WFLD-TV at his Arizona home. "Had I known about that stuff early on in my career, I probably would have chosen a different career. I always wanted to be a baseball player anyway."

McMahon played football while at Brigham Young University, but said he would have stuck with baseball had he received a scholarship for that sport.
He is a group of more than 2,000 players who need help from the NFL after concussions have filled their retirement with dementia, memory loss, and in some cases, a bitter end. McMahon's teammate, Dave Duerson, committed suicide and asked for his brain to be studied. He was found to have chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the same disease found in other players who have died under tragic circumstances.
The NFL has made strides in improving how concussions and head injuries are treated. Though problems still exist, like Colt McCoy being sent back in the game last season when he was not healthy, the culture around head traumas is changing.
But the retired players who sacrificed their bodies to create the exciting game we all know and love today should not be forgotten. When one of them says he wishes he didn't even play the game that won him fame, it's a cry for help that should not go unheeded.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Video still of Natalie Portman with blonde hair (via the Huffington Post, http://aka.ms/natalie-blonde)

Nothing sends the masses into a "hate-it, what-have-they-done!" tizzy faster than when a celebrity changes their hair. (Need we remind you of one Miley Cyrus?) Natalie Portman, however, can do no wrong. The Oscar winner recently stepped out sporting some stunning blond locks as part of a transformation for an upcoming role. While some naturally fear change in any form -- @kfordham281 ridiculously said he spoke for "men worldwide" in saying Nat should go back to brunette – overall response has been shockingly positive, with many tweeps loving the look. It's such a relief when the Internet plays nice.

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Beer flows as Germany kicks off OktoberfestEnlarge Photo

BERLIN (AP) — The world's largest beer festival opened Saturday in Germany as Munich's mayor tapped the first keg to kick off the 16-day Oktoberfest, known for its oompah music and traditional costumes.

With only two blows of his hammer and a cry of "O'zapft is" — "It's Tapped" — Mayor Christian Ude inserted the tap into the first keg, opening the 179th Oktoberfest to the cheering of thousands who were waiting to be served their first beer.

More than 6 million guests from around the world are expected to descend on the beer tents of Munich to celebrate the 16-day Oktoberfest extravaganza.

Last year's visitors consumed almost 8 million two-pint (one-liter) mugs of beer. This year a mug, called "Mass" in German, of the malty pale beer made exclusively by Munich's breweries sells at up to €9.50 ($12.30).

The Oktoberfest started with a wedding party: Just over 200 years ago, Bavarian Crown Prince Ludwig celebrated his royal nuptials with a big public bash that was such a hit it became an annual event. Nowadays, it is now known worldwide for its towering mugs of beer, oompah music, men wearing traditional Bavarian Lederhosen leather shorts and women in bright costumes.

While the core of the Oktoberfest remains the same, with Dirndl-clad waitresses delivering steins, its flavor has evolved over the years. A local festival with small beer gardens has mushroomed into a major international event featuring about a dozen cavernous beer tents, some seating about 10,000 singing, inebriated revelers at a time.

Last year, the Oktoberfest guests ate around 500,000 chickens, 120 oxen and an unknown number of large doughy pretzels at the festival.

The fairgrounds of the "Wiesn," as Oktoberfest is locally known, are spread out over about 75 acres (30 hectares) and can accommodate hundreds of thousands of people at a time, and German authorities keep security tight, although, they say, no concrete threat exists.

"I want it to be a peaceful Wiesn, and that the weather improves," Ude said.

Many tents were already full at midday, German news agency dapd reported, but rain ensured that there was still enough space in the outdoor beer gardens.

Stock photo of a man with a Bible and another with porn (© Freitag/Corbis)

Finding effective ways to deal with noisy neighbors is an art form in itself, but a man in California had a truly ingenious idea. To counter the loud gospel music coming from his neighbor's house, a man in the town of Twain Harte decided to play a porn video at full blast. The man said after a day of nearly 12 hours of listening to the religious music, he wheeled his big screen TV onto his deck and turned the flick's volume all the way up as a way to get sweet, sweet revenge. The neighbors called the cops, but so far, the man isn't facing any charges for his get-even tactics.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Video still of Georgie Brown's children watching television (© FOX Carolina, http://bit.ly/SwZKRQ)

"Lilo and Stitch" got an unexpected co-star when six minutes of hardcore porn interrupted an episode of the Disney Channel cartoon. Georgie Brown had recorded the show for her three children, who are all under five years old. She pressed play and worked in the other room until she "heard things that … shouldn't be on [that show.]" Her confused kids freaked out. "If you can imagine Maggie Simpson sitting on a sofa watching porn, that was him, sucking his pacifier, kind of clueless," Brown said of her toddler son, but her older son started screaming and her daughter "was crying." She reported the incident to Dish Network, which says it's "working to understand" the mistake.

Kate Upton in a bathtub in Namibia (© @KateUpton via Twitter, pic.twitter.com/IZQsdLOJ)

Is gorgeous Kate Upton a Twitter tease? Today she tweeted this pic of herself (with the message "just taking a bath…") in a dilapidated old bathtub in Namibia — with her clothes on. Her fans were not amused. "Beyond disappointed after opening this image," replied @turtleton2 while @KingHill1988 called it a "horrible practical joke." For her part, Kate's been tweeting her way around the country, offering up plenty other sadly unsexy Twitpics of aerial views, rugged Jeeps and beautiful, earthy scenery.

Doutzen Kroes (© BRJ/Fameflynet Pictures)

Uh, guys, we think you left one of your models stranded on the fountain.

10 candid shots of Victoria's Secret models in Miami

The beauties from Victoria's Secret have been holed up in Miami in a series of shoots for the new swimsuit catalog, and we're sure husbands everywhere have been volunteering to go check the mail in anticipation of its release. The catalog is sure to be full of shots showing the models contorting their bodies into ridiculous shapes that in no way mimic how actual humans carry themselves. Paparazzi have snapped pics of the ladies as they work, and the great candid shots of the women unposed and looking, dare we say, human, have been trending. It's refreshing, and a little peek at what's to come from the catalog can't hurt either, right?

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Erin Andrews joins 'Griffining' craze

FOX's own Erin Andrews does her best 'Griffining' impersonation.

'Griffining' is great, but what about these other famous NFL poses?

The 'Griffining' fad just got a lot more fashionable.
FOX Sports broadcaster Erin Andrews was spotted on the FOX College Saturday set doing her best impersonation of Robert Griffin III's pose, and there's a Twitter photo to prove it.
Griffin was knocked to the ground shortly after throwing his first NFL touchdown pass in Week 1 against the New Orleans Saints. As he watched Pierre Garcon haul in the pass and run for a 88-yard score, Griffin made the pose in celebration.

Following the game the pose was coined 'Griffining,' which has the chance to turn into the 2012 version of Tebowing.
The tweet of Andrews, which came from the NFL on FOX Twitter account, gave fans the option to tweet back their best 'Griffining' impersonation for a chance to get on air.
It's safe to say Andrews is certainly helping boost the 'Griffining' craze.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Jimi Hendrix

Confetti artist's painstakingly precise work is spot on

Nikki Douthwaite’s art comes together just like a pointillist painting — minus the paint and brush. Instead, she uses colored paper dots stamped out with a hole punch. Up close, the pictures look like confetti. Step back, and the colors of the painstakingly placed dots mix, and the image comes into focus. It’s not just art for art’s sake: Douthwaite holds a Guinness World Record for the largest confetti mosaic for In Seine, a play on Georges Seurat’s A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of Grande Jatte.

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

“Thursday 9/13 Top Model Intervention” (©DrPhilShow / YouTube / http://bit.ly/UFpSxD )

More proof that meth addiction does nothing for your looks: Jael Strauss. The former "America's Next Top Model" contestant, who appeared on the show in 2007, is the focus of an upcoming episode of "Dr. Phil" in which an intervention is staged to try to save the 28-year-old from her addiction. While on "ANTM," Strauss was shaken when her friend died of an overdose and dedicated her photo taken that week to her lost friend. The once-aspiring model is nearly unrecognizable in previews of the "Dr. Phil" episode and definitely looks older than her 28 years, thanks to the ravages of meth addiction.

Monday, September 10, 2012

File photo of Hemp leaf (Cannabis sativa) (© Peter Dazeley/Photographer's Choice/Getty Images)

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is on the record saying he doesn't support the legalization of marijuana, but another conservative thinker sure does. Judge Richard Posner, a Chicago law school professor and Ronald Reagan-appointed jurist on the Seventh Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals, stands with most Americans in favor of legalization. Posner recently addressed a school in Illinois, where he said the criminalization of marijuana is "really absurd," and that he sees no difference between the drug and cigarettes. The irony, of course, is that he was appointed by Reagan, one of the staunchest anti-drug advocates ever, who said using marijuana even once could give a person brain damage.

Keira Knightley not prudish about nude scenes

WENN

Keira Knightley has no qualms about stripping off on screen because she is "not prudish when it comes to nudity."

The British actress has taken her clothes off on camera for films including "The Duchess" and "The Edge of Love" and she says she is not embarrassed to bare it all for a role.

Find: Which actor says he's having sex for real on screen?

She tells British newspaper The Mirror, "I'm not prudish when it comes to nudity. If the role calls for nudity, then I'm going to be naked. I'm not afraid to expose myself that way."
However, Knightley, who is engaged to Klaxons rocker James Righton, says she finds love more difficult to fake than passion.
She adds, "I'm much more worried about revealing personal sides to myself, which I find harder to do. The hardest thing to capture about love is the actual physical intimacy between two people.
"The way two people behave when they are next to each other and touching each other, holding hands, resting your head on your partner's shoulder. In your personal life, you generally don't think about the fact you're touching your partner. That's a difficult thing to capture on film."

Friday, September 7, 2012

Tom Petty thrilled song was showcased at Democratic National Convention

WENN

Tom Petty was delighted to hear his rock anthem "I Won't Back Down" played at the Democratic National Convention on Wednesday, saying the moment gave him "chills."

Bing: Which celebs attended the DNC?

The singer/songwriter's 1989 track was blasted as President Barack Obama stepped onstage at the Charlotte, North Carolina event, and Petty is pleased to have been involved.

More: Did Eastwood's RNC act cause trouble for his next film?

He tells Rolling Stone, "I've been on the wrong side where I've had to tell some candidates to stop using my music. They (organizers) knew it would be OK. I've had a chance to meet the President and talk to him about the music he listens to." Petty admits he'll never forget the moment Obama appeared as the song played, adding, "I got chills."

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Alleged Shakira sex tape being shopped

Shakira arrives at the 12th annual Latin Grammy Awards at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 10, 2011. UPI/Jim Ruymen

License photo

BOGOTA, Aug. 28 (UPI) -- Two of Shakira's former employees are shopping a video they claim shows the pop singer and her boyfriend having sex on a boat, Colombia Reports said.
An unidentified Colombian couple, who worked for Shakira for 11 years, are trying to sell a 15-minute clip -- purportedly of the recording artist and FC Barcelona football player Gerard Pique -- to the Spanish media for hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The former employees allege they were unfairly dismissed after refusing to cook the singer a late-night meal, a claim Shakira's legal team has denied, Colombia Reports said.
"The video lasts about 15 minutes. I guess it's recorded with a mobile phone by an employee who was in the cockpit of the boat," a Barcelona agent to whom the video sellers showed the clip told the Spanish magazine Interviu. He said he can't tell for sure that it is Shakira. "I thought that it had been edited," he said.
Colombia Reports said Shakira's lawyers have not commented on the alleged sex tape.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Music News

Mark Abrahamian, lead guitarist for Starship, dies in Nebraska

NORFOLK, Neb. (AP) -- Mark Abrahamian, the lead guitarist for the rock band Starship, died of a heart attack after a concert in Norfolk, Neb., his road manager said. He was 46.

Bing: More on Mark Abrahamian

Road manager Scott Harrison said Abrahamian collapsed after a performance Sunday night.
"We had just finished the show. We were back in the dressing room eating. He apparently told the bass player he wasn't feeling well," Harrison said Monday.
Abrahamian went into the next room and was talking to his fiance on the phone when he collapsed, Harrison said. He was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Harrison says an autopsy was done Monday.
"It's a shock to everyone," Harrison told The Associated Press in a phone interview from the airport in Omaha, where he was waiting for Abrahamian's fiance. They planned to get married in December in Hawaii, Harrison said.

Starship was the opening band for a concert that also featured Survivor and Boston.

Harrison said Abrahamian hadn't mentioned any health problems to him, but he apparently had been telling his fiance.
"He had been having chest pains for a while," Harrison said.
Harrison said Starship's concert on Monday in Orem, Utah, was canceled.

Abrahamian joined Starship 11 years ago. Starship's history goes back to the 1960s with Jefferson Airplane and in 1980s Jefferson Starship.

Abrahamian lived in Austin, Texas. Funeral services are pending.

London museum to open David Bowie exhibition

Sept. 4, 2012, 12:38 PM EST

LONDON (AP) -- David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust jumpsuit will be among some 300 items shown at a London exhibition that traces the singer's career through five decades.

Bing: Early Ringo Starr recordings surface

The retrospective at the Victoria and Albert Museum will also feature Bowie's instruments, 60 costumes, sketches, hand-written lyrics, diary entries and album artwork.
Organizers said Tuesday that the show, "David Bowie Is," will chronicle Bowie's influence on art and culture and his role in inspiring self-expression.

More: Freddie Mercury becomes an Angry Bird

The items on display are from the David Bowie Archive in New York. The exhibition opens in March 2013.
Bowie, 65, who now lives in the U.S., was born David Robert Jones in 1947 in south London. He adopted his stage name in 1965.

Flashback To 1989–Where Is Axl Rose’s ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine’ Today?

courtesy of ErinEverly.comMore than two decades ago--1989, to be exact--a soaring love ballad by the unlikeliest of bands hit No. 1 on the charts and won a Video Music Award for Best Heavy Metal Video.

The tune was "Sweet Child O' Mine" by notorious bad boys Guns N' Roses, an unexpected tender moment on an otherwise caustic album (the appropriately titled Appetite For Destruction, which has sold close to 30 million copies worldwide to date). True to this irony, the romance that sparked the lyrics to the tune was as troubled as the classic disc itself.
[Related: Full list of 2012 VMA nominations]
While the music to the song has been described by the other band members as a throwoff that evolved into a hit, frontman Axl Rose was inspired by it to write about his girlfriend at the time, Erin Everly.
Everly, who is the daughter of Everly Brothers legend Don, met Rose at a Los Angeles party in 1986. Then only 19 years old, she was embarking on a modeling career in New York City; he was 24 and still largely unknown--Appetite would not be released until the following year. The pair quickly fell for each other and Everly relocated to L.A.
"It was the first relationship I had had," she told People in 1994. "I felt like we were two people who didn't have much but who had found each other."
Rose cast Everly in the iconic video for "Sweet Child O' Mine," along with the other band members' girlfriends. The clip was hugely successful and nominated for two VMAs in 1989.

However, his sentimental lyrics about her, which described a woman whose smile and eyes take him to a "special" and "warm, safe" place, belied the truth about their rocky relationship.
Everly describes her life with Rose as a nightmare of physical and emotional abuse that started shortly after they moved in together. With superstardom thrust upon him suddenly, Everly says Rose took out his feelings of pressure on her, often abusing her in public in front of friends and acquaintances. She nevertheless protected him, telling People, "I always believed things would get better...My life was taking care of Axl."
[PHOTOS: Craziest VMAs moments of all time]
By 1990, Rose had moved out. However, according to Everly, one night in April he showed up at her door and threatened suicide if she didn't marry him. The pair drove to Las Vegas to take their vows. A month later, he threatened divorce. Two months later, he allegedly beat her so badly she was hospitalized. As a form of apology, he moved Everly back into his home. By September, she learned she was pregnant. She claims Rose threw her out shortly after hearing the news and didn't help with her medical bills when she miscarried three months later.

Axl Rose in 1987 (Photo: Jeffrey Mayer)At this point, Everly claims, she'd had enough. The marriage was annulled in 1991, with Rose allegedly attempting reconciliation for more than a year--sending flowers, cards, and even caged birds her way. However, that same year, he began a well-publicized relationship with supermodel Stephanie Seymour (who also eventually alleged abuse at his hands). Everly moved on to dating well-known names such as musician Donovan Leitch and actor David Arquette. In 1994 she filed an official suit against Rose, filled with lurid details of his bizarre actions and abuses toward her, which was later settled out of court.
Today, not much is known about Everly, who's now 46. The model-turned-housewife married Atlanta-based businessman Jack Portman in the early '90s, and has created a website apparently with the sole purpose of detracting people curious about her life.
"Since 1990, Erin has remained out of the public eye and is a very proud and fiercely protective parent," reads an intro to her site. "While appreciative of all the letters and inquiries, she asks for the sake of her children and loved ones, that her privacy and desire for a normal provincial life for her children be respected."
The site gives details of her kids' names and ages (son Easan, born in 1996; and daughters Eres and Esper, born in 2000 and 2009 respectively). A photo gallery allows a glimpse at her past modeling career--although no photos of Rose are included--as well as her family life today.
[Related: Whatever happened to Britney's VMAs snake?]

Courtesy Erin Everly official siteEverly's done a good job of keeping a low profile; however, determined fans have rooted out information and discussed her activities on GN'R fansite message boards. It's unclear whether she is officially divorced from Portman, but she's linked with a new man, Atlanta landscape architect Matthew Klyn. Her youngest child appears to be the product of that relationship, based on photographs and comments on Klyn's Facebook account.

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