WebProNews

Author: Pam Wright

  • Kraft Recall: Cottage Cheese Could Cause Illness

    Kraft Foods has issued a recall Saturday for some varieties of cottage cheese that could spoil prematurely and cause food-borne illnesses.

    Consumers should beware of Knudsen Cottage Cheese, Breakstone’s Cottage Cheese, Simply Kraft Cottage Cheese and Daily Chef Cottage Cheese with code dates from May 9, 2014 through July 23, 2014.

    Only Simply Kraft Cottage Cheese products with a plant code of 06-245 are affected.

    “Some ingredients used in these products were not stored in accordance with Kraft’s temperature standards,” the company said in a statement. “While unlikely, this could create conditions that could lead to premature spoilage and/or food borne illness; therefore, the company is issuing the recall as a precaution.”

    The company says about 1.2 million cases of the product were distributed within the United States. No products were distributed outside the United States.

    The products are made in a manufacturing facility in Tulare, California. The facility has stopped production and distribution of the affected cases of cottage cheese while the company investigates the issue.

    No other Knudsen, Breakstone’s, Simply Kraft or Daily Chef products are impacted by the recall.

    Consumers who purchased any of these products should return them to the store where purchased for an exchange or full refund.

    For inquiries, consumers can contact Kraft Foods Consumer Relations at 1-800-396-6307 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m. EST.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Katy Perry Stuns In ‘Birthday’ Performance

    Katy Perry performed her latest hit Birthday at the Billboard Music Awards Sunday in typical Perry fashion.

    The Roar singer held her “Birthday” bash from the Newcastle Metro Radio Arena during the awards ceremony, which happened live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.

    Donning a green-colored do, Perry invited a surprised fan who was celebrating her birthday to join her onstage. Channeling Peter Pan, Perry then flew away from the cake and backup dancers on the arena’s platform, riding a zipline over the audience in a bunch of balloons reminiscent of the Pixar film, Up.

    Birthday is the latest single from Perry‘s third studio album PRISM. Debuting at No. 1 when it was released in October, the single moved up four spots to No. 25 on this week’s Hot 100 chart. Other PRISM singles, Roar and Dark Horse — have already hit the No. 1 spot.

    Another unlikely performer was Michael Jackson, or rather, a hologram of the King of Pop.

    The controversial use of Jackson’s likeness was battled out in court, but a federal judge allowed the Billboard Music Awards to go ahead with its plans to use the hologram during the awards show.

    Perry was just one of the many stunning performances at the 2014 Billboard Music Awards. Shakira, Florida Georgia Line, Ariana Grande, 5 Seconds of Summer, and Iggy Azalea each took a turn wowing the audience.

    Justin Timberlake beat out Perry to become the 2014 Billboard Music Top Artist. Miley Cyrus, Imagine Dragons and Bruno Mars were the other contenders.

    Timberlake’s humor came out backstage when he posted a little celebratory dance:

    Image via YouTube

  • MERS Virus: Overseas Travelers Put on Alert

    Flight crews and passengers traveling overseas have been put on alert by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

    Twenty-two U.S. airports are posting warnings about MERS – or Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus – and what they can do to avoid infection.

    The CDC says the risk of disease for airplane passengers is extremely low, but believes international travelers should educate themselves about the signs and symptoms of MERS and the regions most affected by the spread of the disease.

    “The bottom line is being very cautious, particularly if you’re going to the Arabian Peninsula and have any reason to work in a health care center,” Dr. Marty Cetron, director of global migration and quarantine at the CDC, told FoxNews.com. “That’s really the epicenter of the epidemic.”

    A second case has been identified in The Netherlands. Both cases involve family members who traveled together to Saudi Arabia.

    “It is also known that both patients have underlying conditions that make them probably more susceptible to infection with this virus,” said the health ministry in a statement.

    According to the World Health Organization, 571 MERS cases have been reported worldwide – 171 of them fatal.

    MERS symptoms mimic flu symptoms — fever and signs of lower respiratory illness, such as coughing and shortness of breath. The CDC says people who develop symptoms within 14 days of traveling from countries in and around the Arabian Peninsula should seek medical attention.

    “MERS-CoV, at the moment, is not readily transmissible, except in very distinctive circumstances. The most important of which is in the healthcare environment, where the health care providers have very close, prolonged contact with the patients,” said Dr. William Schaffner, professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

    Two cases have been diagnosed in the U.S. and the CDC has contacted approximately 500 airline passengers who may have come in contact with the patients.

    “We’re still learning about the transmission characteristics of the coronavirus, but we don’t have all that information yet, which is why we do these types of investigations. The operating theory and hypothesis is through [human-to-human] contact, but how people are getting it from animals, we don’t understand that yet,” said Cetron.

    A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) said the agency has been working with the CDC to identify travelers with MERS.

    “When a traveler or alien is identified with a possible communicable disease or identified from information that is received from the CDC, CBP personnel will take the appropriate safety measures by donning personal protective equipment (PPE), to include gloves and surgical masks, which are readily available for use in the course of their duties,” said Jaime Ruiz, a spokesperson for CBP, in an email.

    Like any other transmissible disease, there are precautions that passengers can take to ensure they stay healthy while flying.

    “Wash your hands regularly, avoid sick people and avoid environments that are high risk,” Cetron said. “Know the signs and symptoms, and if you return from the Arabian Peninsula and you get sick, be sure to call your doctor; say that ‘I was just in Saudi Arabia, where can I be tested for MERS?’”

    Image via YouTube

  • Kendra Wilkinson, Hank Bassett Welcome a Baby Girl

    Kendra Wilkinson, Hank Bassett Welcome a Baby Girl

    Kendra Wilkinson gave birth to a baby girl Friday, her rep confirmed to Us Weekly.

    The Kendra on Top star underwent a C-section at Cedars-Sinai in L.A. to deliver her precious daughter.

    “I feel great and I am so happy,” Baskett said.

    The baby is “healthy with all 10 fingers and all 10 toes,” said proud daddy Hank Bassett. “She is great and did an amazing job,” he said, referring to his wife.

    The new addition to the family is baby sister to the couple’s 4-year-old son, Hank IV.

    Wilkinson tweeted the news that the birth was imminent on Friday.

    “Round two. Here we go!” Wilkinson tweeted on Oct. 31. Alongside the caption, she shared a selfie while holding up her pregnancy test marked “pregnant.”

    “But precious moments in Kendra’s world are not meant to be private, so a bank of cameras were in the hallway rolling away when Nurse Ratched laid down the law — NO SHOOTING in public areas,” reported TMZ.

    Throughout her pregnancy, Wilkinson tweeted sweet messages along with selfies of her baby bump.

    And the reality star was never self-conscious about her growing pregnant body.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Kim Raver on Her ’24’ Character Post-Coma

    Kim Raver on Her ’24’ Character Post-Coma

    Kim Raver – a.k.a Audrey Raines Boudreau on the TV show 24 — said in an interview with Fox 24 Denver Wednesday that even though she has been with the show since Season 4, the latest scripts leave her completely surprised.

    Raver once again plays Audrey in the one-off season event of 24:Live Another Day. In the season’s premier, Audrey wakes up from a traumatic coma suffered in the mini-series to find she is now married to Chief of Staff Mark Boudreau, played by Tate Donovan. She continues to be clueless about the marriage in the season premiere because Mark decides to keep it a secret from Audrey and her father (now the President), believing the revelation would be too traumatic for them.

    “She’s kind of finding her voice. Especially with that twist, that Jack (Keifer Sutherland) is back and ‘how could you not tell me?’… So… I really find that Audrey is kind of coming back as well,” said Raver.

    24:Live Another Day departs from the original format in that the 24 hours is shown in just 12 episodes, with only certain hours depicted.

    Needless to say, the show will have twists and turns that even Raver finds surprising. The show is still being filmed for upcoming episodes and the Grey’s Anatomy actress has had a chance to see the upcoming plot twists in working scripts.

    “She’s been through so much and at the top of the season she has a quieter voice because of the damage she’s experienced,” Raver said. “But what’s exciting is that she finds her voice and it’s interesting to find out why and how and to see her start to evolve from there.”

    “I know some of the secrets, and then literally some I don’t. I literally gasped out loud,” said Raver. “The writers are so good that they create moments where, you know, it’s still a page turner.”

    And even though her character is married to Boudreau, Raver says she still hopes Audrey and Jack somehow find each other.

    “I’m a hopeless romantic so I want them to be together forever and ever,” said Raver. “There’s something very fundamentally romantic about these two damaged people who deserve to be together.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Alyssa Milano Expecting a ‘Sweet Baby Girl’

    Alyssa Milano Expecting a ‘Sweet Baby Girl’

    Looks like little 2-year-old Milo Thomas, Alyssa Milano and husband David Bugliariare’s son, is going to get a baby sister very soon. The couple announced via a video on her website Thursday that they are expecting a girl.

    The Who’s the Boss actress simply glowed as she recorded the announcement video in her Mistresses dressing room.

    “I am expecting a little sweet baby girl,” she said. “David, Milo and I could not be happier. Truly, we could not be happier. So exciting!”

    Us Weekly reported news of Milano’s second pregnancy in March.

    “We are so happy to share with you that Milo is going to be a big brother,” she wrote.

    Before the big announcement, Milano told her Twitter followers that they would be sharing their good news later in the day.

    And then came the announcement:

    A source told Us, “Alyssa is so excited to be pregnant again! She has wanted to expand her family with David for a while.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Tara the Cat: Heroic Cat Video Goes Crazy Viral

    A family cat kicked some major mean-dog butt while saving its 4-year-old buddy, and the video has made Tara so famous she now gets to throw out the first pitch at a minor league baseball game.

    Little Jeremy Triantafilo was riding his bike in his family’s driveway in Bakersfield, Calif. when a neighborhood dog came after the boy from behind and grabbed him by his leg.

    The dog was dragging Jeremy down the family’s driveway by his leg when his cat, Tara, came out of nowhere and plowed into the dog, scaring it away.

    “Tara is my hero,” Jeremy said Wednesday afternoon.

    Jeremy’s dad, Roger Triantafilo, posted home surveillance video of the cat’s heroics on YouTube Wednesday morning, and by the end of the day, the post had nearly 4.5 million views.

    Jeremy’s mother, Erika Triantafilo, told CNN, “Well he just got off the bus and it was kind of breezy and he wanted to fly a kite. And we tried to get it up with no success. And he was just playing outside a little bit, and I was watering some plants before we headed on in. The next thing I know, the dog was just there, and it was shaking him. Before I could even get there, my cat clobbered him. She saved the day. Chased him away, and came back to him after the dog was gone. I just chased the dog away — tried to get it away from my son – away from everyone, and get him taken care of.”

    When asked about her first thoughts when she saw the dog with her son, the grateful mom said it completely took her by surprise.

    “The first thing, I didn’t even realize the dog had my son by his legs. I figured he had his pants or something else. Just Tara happened so fast, out of nowhere. I didn’t even really know what had happened until afterwards when my husband showed me our surveillance video and said “our cat saved our son.” It was truly amazing. She’s my hero.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Shannen Doherty Responds to Priestley Tell-all

    Shannen Doherty responded to Jason Priestley’s tell-all memoir and commiserated with Tori Spelling on Thursday’s Arsenio Hall Show.

    Doherty starred alongside Priestley, Spelling and Luke Perry on the original Beverly Hills 90210 series in the 1990s.

    “Back in the day,” said Hall to Doherty, “there was always stuff on my card about who you were battling with. They would say you’re battling with Tori, you’re battling with Jason, you’re battling with Luke’s pig. Remember, Luke had a pig?” Doherty, responded with a laugh, “I mean, I only met it once. It didn’t like me, I guess, but I hear it’s writing a memoir! Can’t wait for that!”

    The 43-year-old actress was referring to Priestley’s memoir and a story he told in the book of an interesting episode he had with Doherty on a private jet.

    “I could not believe my ears at Shannen’s very first words after she boarded,” Priestley wrote in his book. “Her butt had barely hit her seat before she said loudly to the PR person, ‘Really? A town car? You send a town car to take me to the airport, not a limo?’ She sighed a very put-upon sigh. I laughed, as I couldn’t really tell if Shannen was kidding or not.”

    Doherty took a let’s-let-bygones-be-bygones approach in responding to Hall’s questions about the infamous plane ride.

    “It was so long ago,” she said. “I always say that everyone has their own version of the truth, and memories are very funny things.”

    The actress also chatted about Spelling’s current marital woes, which is on display for the world to see each week on Lifetime’s True Tori. Admitting she tunes in to the reality show, Doherty said each episode leaves her slightly shocked.

    “Wow, it’s just all out there!” Doherty said.

    “She is baring her soul and I think that everybody has their process of what’s cathartic for them in how to deal with something, and this might be hers,” she said of her co-star.

    “My heart does break for her,” Doherty continued. “It breaks for anybody that’s in that situation. I mean, that’s pretty awful and I certainly hope everything works out for the best. And in meantime, it’s making for some amazing TV. I just hope that Tori loves herself. She’s a beautiful girl and she needs to ignore the haters.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Evelyn Lozada is Looking Great after Losing 30 Lbs.

    Evelyn Lozada has lost 30 pounds in just seven weeks after giving birth to her son — the first for the Basketball Wives star and her fiancé, Major League Baseball player Carl Crawford.

    “I’m proud of where I’m at so far,” Lozada told ABC News. “My body feels like it’s almost back to normal.”

    Since the birth of Carl Leo, Lozada, 38, has been taking the weight loss supplement youthH2O, for which she is a spokeswoman. She credits her weight loss to the supplement, eating healthily and working out to her own videos.

    Lozada said a typical breakfast for her is oatmeal or egg whites. Lunch is “fish and veggies with a lot of sweet potato.” She also makes protein shakes, which she said includes the supplement.

    “I also work out three to four times a week,” said Lozada. “I have been sleep deprived lately and going to the gym can be hectic when you have no time in your schedule. But, on the days that I do have a moment, I do a ton of cardio, weight training — which I love — and hiking.”

    Lozada says she hopes to help others to lose weight and encourages others to follow her lead by taking the GNC/youthH2O’s 60 day Fit Challenge.

    Even though Carl Leo is only seven weeks old, she is already thinking about having another baby someday. But, not immediately. For the moment, life at home with Crawford and their baby is pretty perfect.

    “Carl is a wonderful father and awesome fiancé who has been by my side the entire time,” she said. “He is so excited about baby Carl Leo. You should see them together!”

    Lozada already has a 20-year-old daughter, Shaniece, from a previous relationship.

    Image via YouTube

  • Kacie Boguskie: ‘Bachelor’ Fan Favorite Marries

    Two-time Bachelor contestant Kacie Boguskie — who appeared on both Ben Flajnik and Sean Lowe‘s seasons of the hit ABC series — got her fairy-tale ending at last.

    Boguskie married music executive Rusty Gaston Sunday at Tennessee’s Bellemeade plantation, the same place where Gaston asked for her hand in marriage in February, confirmed E! News.

    “Rusty and I met in December of 2012,” said Boguskie to Us Weekly about the couple’s meeting. “We randomly met while we were both out to dinner with friends at the same restaurant. We were both sitting at the bar with each of our friends and started talking. He asked me out to dinner the next week, and I went. And we’ve been dating ever since.”

    The couple didn’t wait long to marry once the decision was made.

    “We didn’t want a long engagement,” said the Bachelor contestant. “So we knew for it to happen right away, we’d probably have to do it on a Sunday. When they told us Mother’s Day was available, we jumped on it. We thought it would make everything extra special.”

    According to E! News the vows took place in the plantation’s garden and a reception followed in the carriage house.

    “We did heavy hors d’oeuvres, beer and wine and a Motown band,” said Boguskie. “Our goal was just for everyone to dance and have a good time.”

    The couple went all out for their guests, especially when it came to the wedding cake, or as it turns out, wedding cakes.

    “We had a gluten-free coconut cake because I have a gluten allergy,” said Boguskie. “Then we also had chocolate on chocolate, red velvet and white on white.”

    The bride was very clever when choosing a wedding dress that served more than one purpose.

    “It’s the best of both worlds,” she said. “It has a sheer lace overlay that gave it a ball gown feel for the ceremony, but then unbuttoned at the sash and transformed into a fitted gown for the reception.”

    The new Mrs. Gaston seems very happy to have found the man of her dreams. “I still can’t believe I found someone so perfect for me,” she said.

    Boguskie couldn’t spill on any details on the honeymoon apart from what her new husband — who’s keeping the destination a secret from his bride — told her.

    “I don’t know where we’re going on our honeymoon — it’s a surprise!” Boguskie told Us before the ceremony. “He is telling me at our reception. All I was told was to pack tropical. I’m so excited!”

    Image via YouTube

  • Balloon Crash: College B-ball Program Loses 2

    A second body has been recovered in a heavily wooded area following a fiery hot air balloon crash that occurred in Virginia Friday, after the balloon drifted into power lines.

    “We are now transitioning from a rescue operation to a recovery operation at this time,” said Virginia State Police Spokeswoman Corinne Geller. “Now that we have daybreak, we’re hoping this will definitely expedite the search process.”

    More than 100 searchers continue to hunt for a third victim.

    None of the victims has been identified, however CNN reports two of the victims were members of the University of Richmond’s women’s basketball program.

    The balloon apparently drifted into a power line Friday night, burst into flames and crashed, with the occupants screaming for help.

    Eyewitness accounts report that two occupants either fell or jumped from the burning balloon after it struck the power line, according to a Virginia state police report.

    “Based on witness accounts, the pilot attempted to regain control of the balloon and manage the fire. At one point, the balloon’s two passengers leapt from the basket/gondola. Then witnesses recall hearing an explosion and the fire continued to spread. The gondola and the balloon then separated,” said the report.

    Carrie Hager-Bradley said she was on her way home from the grocery when she saw the balloon in flames and heard screaming, according to WWBT TV.

    “They were just screaming for anybody to help them,” she said. “‘Help me, help me, sweet Jesus, help. I’m going to die. Oh my God, I’m going to die,’” Hager-Bradley said she heard someone scream.

    Donnell Ferguson said he was cutting grass when he saw the balloon passing by.

    “At first I saw a cloud of black smoke and then I noticed the basket on fire,” he said Saturday. “Then it just took off real fast and disappeared.”

    Twenty balloonists from the Mid-Atlantic region were to participate in the weekend Mid-Atlantic Balloon Festival before the event was canceled after the tragedy, said spokesman Greg Hicks.

    “It’s just a shocking situation for everyone,” Hicks said.

    Nancy Johnson — another eyewitness — said the crash occurred very quickly.

    “One minute the balloons were hovering in field behind Event Park, the next everyone is pointing at sky,” she wrote in an email to The Associated Press. “The crowd went silent in shock. Very sad night.”

    Some of the hot air balloons landed safely in Debra Ferguson’s yard, The Free Lance-Star of Fredericksburg reported.

    She said one of the men in the balloons pointed up at another still in the air and said he thought it might be in trouble.

    “As soon as we looked up, the thing blew up right there,” Ferguson told the newspaper. “All I heard was, ‘Oh my God, Oh my God,’ and all you saw was the top of the balloon still flying, but all of the basket was gone. All of the flames just disappeared. … It was like a match — poof — and then it was gone.”

    Caroline County resident Paula Dustin said she and her family and a friend were watching the balloons take off when they saw one in the distance that appeared to be glowing.

    “We saw a glow, and you could tell the bottom of the balloon was in flames,” said Dustin.

    Image via YouTube

  • LaVar Arrington In Legal Trouble Over Self-Promotion

    LaVar Arrington is in a bit of legal hot water after promoting himself as a “Redskin Great” on promotional flyers for a summer football camp he’s running.

    The former linebacker received a cease-and-desist letter from the Washington Redskins asking him to stop using the phrase on his flyers, which is ironic because it was the Washington Redskins who originally referred to Arrington as one of the team’s greatest players when they honored him as one of the “80 Greatest Redskins” in a 2012 ceremony.

    Arrington made it known on his Twitter account that he was angry about the letter, which threatened to pursue legal action if he did not comply.

    “They won three games last year, man,” Arrington said. “It’s not like saying ‘Redskins great’ is going to sell out my camp. I mean, if I’m using ‘Redskins great,’ I mean, we didn’t win very many games when I was there, so I just thought I was doing them a favor. I thought we were in it together.

    “I’m sitting here looking at the television,” said Arrington. “They’re doing all kinds of recaps and preparing for who’s going to go in the draft tonight. I guess since [the Redskins] aren’t picking anybody tonight, I guess they figured they’d concentrate on other things. They did find another way. I mean I guess they figured Let’s pick on Lavar and see if he goes for it. And dang it, I took the cheese.”

    Arrington — named to the All-Pro team three times — played for the Redskins from 2000 to 2005, tallying up 321 tackles, 22.5 sacks, three interceptions, and six forced fumbles, before injuries ended his career.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Hugh Jackman Treated Again For Skin Cancer

    Wolverine actor Hugh Jackman revealed Thursday on Instagram that he has received skin cancer treatment once again.

    Diagnosed with basal cell carcinoma — a cancer that is curable if detected early — the 45-year-old Australian entertainer first announced that he was being treated for the cancer in November and urged fans to wear sunscreen and “not to be foolish like me.”

    At the time, he credited his wife, Deborah-Lee Furness, for noticing the mark on his nose and talking him into seeing a doctor. On his Instagram, he captioned a picture he posted following the procedure with “Deb said to get the mark on my nose checked. Boy, was she right!”

    In other Jackman news, the X-Men star said in an interview Friday with the International Business Times magazine that he believed Hollywood stars are overpaid.

    When asked if Hollywood stars make too much he responded, “Oh yeah. But I understand why, how it’s being measured. As a brand, as a small business, really.

    “But if we were born 100 years ago, you could be the most famous actor and you wouldn’t get all that. Even 50 years ago in the studio contract, a lot of those actors died penniless. But somehow, since the 1980s, this happened.”

    Jackman, whose net worth is estimated at $100 million, said he flies economy class when he travels with his children and receives a lot less attention for it because fans assume he’d travel first class.

    Jackman said he is still like a little kid when encountering the perks of fame and fortune.

    “Staying in a [luxury] place like this? Flying first class? I still jump up and down on the beds. I go on to a plane, I turn left, I’m like ‘Yes!’” he said.

    Jackman said fame was never a motive in pursuing acting and remembers the difficulties of being a struggling actor.

    “I was a student for seven years and I remember thinking: ‘If I ever have money, I am going to just eat’. Just to be able to walk in without looking at the menu in the window. I remember it was basically 120 bucks a week for everything. My rent was 55 bucks a week, food was probably 50 bucks, so then I had 15 bucks.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Killeen Police Shooting: 2 Officers Shot, 2 Arrested

    A Killeen police shooting in Texas Friday has left two police officers injured, one of them in critical condition.

    A 49-year-old man and a 50-year-old woman were arrested after the incident for allegedly shooting the officers during the execution of a search warrant.

    Marvin Louis Guy, 49, of Killeen, was charged with three counts of attempted capital murder and was being held in the Bell County Jail Saturday in lieu of bonds totaling $3 million.

    According to Killeen police spokeswoman Carroll Smith, a SWAT team and officers from the Bell County Organized Crime Task Force surrounded an apartment on the 1100 block of Circle M Drive in Killeen while authorities served a search warrant, when someone inside the residence opened fire.

    Four officers were hit by bullets, but two were hit on their bullet proof vests and avoided injury. The other two were seriously injured and transported to Scott & White Hospital in Temple, with one in critical condition.

    The two injured officers’ names have not yet been made public, but one of the two is reportedly an 18-year veteran and was initially listed in serious condition until his condition deteriorated and the hospital changed his status to critical. The other is a nine-year veteran and is listed in good condition.

    “The tragic events that unfolded have left the members of the Killeen Police Department and their families seeking answers to a senseless, destructive act,” said Police Chief Dennis Baldwin.

    “The families of the injured officers are aware of the outpouring of love, prayers, and support from the Central Texas Community. On behalf of the Killeen Police Department and the families of the injured officers, I would like to express our appreciation.”

    A local resident identifying herself as M. Simpson told reporters, “I haven’t had conversations with them, but I’ve talked to them just saying ‘hey.’ My husband had a birthday party and everybody came, and he was one of them. He seemed weird, but I didn’t think he was that stirred to do all that.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Melissa McCarthy Hilarious in ‘Tammy’ Trailer

    Melissa McCarthy is a hoot in the new trailer for her upcoming comedy Tammy, which costars Susan Sarandon as her alcohol-imbibing grandmother.

    The trailer showcases McCarthy’s unique comedic style and propensity for playing lovable losers. It opens with a classic dance routine by McCarthy to Coolio’s Ganster’s Paradise as she moves in to rob a fast food joint at the end of a very bad day.

    The Mike and Molly star plays a woman who succumbs to desperate measures after totaling her clunker car, getting fired from her thankless job at a greasy burger joint and finding her husband doing the nasty with a neighbor.

    McCarthy, 43, co-wrote Tammy with her real-life husband of nine years, Ben Falcone, who also directed the movie.

    The couple met as members of L.A.’s Groundlings comedy troupe in the late 1990s and have worked together on Bridesmaids, in which Falcone played an air marshal dealing with McCarthy’s antics.

    Tammy also stars Allison Janney, Kathy Bates, Sandra Oh, Dan Aykroyd and Toni Collette.

    Tammy will hit theaters July 2.

    Image via YouTube

  • Katharine McPhee, Matthew Perry in new CBS Shows

    CBS has announced the pick-ups of five new dramas and two new comedies, bringing Katharine McPhee and Matthew Perry back to the small screen.

    McPhee will star alongside Robert Patrick and Eddie Kyle Thomas in Scorpion, a drama that follows an eccentric genius (Patrick) and his international network of super-geniuses out to battle threats of the modern age.

    Matthew Perry will take on the role of Oscar Madison — originally played by Jack Klugman — in a remake of the 1970s iconic series The Odd Couple. The Friends actor co-wrote the first script and will serve as an executive producer. Thomas Lennon will take on the role of the iconic neat freak, Felix Unger, made famous by Tony Randall.

    Hunky Josh Duhamel and Dean Winters will play detectives with very different world views on Battle Creek, and Tea Leoni has signed on to play Secretary of State Elizabeth McCord in the political drama Madam Secretary.

    Another family comedy, McCarthy’s, will star Laurie Metcalf and Tyler Ritter as members of a big, sports-crazed Irish Catholic family in Boston.

    The Following‘s Kevin Williamson brings a new psychological thriller to the lineup with Stalker. The series stars American Horror Story‘s Dylan McDermott and Nikita‘s Maggie Q as two detectives handling stalking cases for the Threat Management Unit of the LAPD.

    And, yes, there will be new CSI and NCIS spin-offs with the new CSI: Cyber, staring Partricia Arquette as Special Agent in Charge at the Cyber Crime Division of the FBI Avery Ryan, and NCIS: New Orleans, starring Scott Bakula as Special Agent Dwayne Pride.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Chelsea Clinton Receives PhD from Oxford

    Dr. Chelsea Clinton, 34, graduated Saturday from England’s prestigious Oxford University with a PhD in international relations.

    Former President Bill Clinton, former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea’s husband, Marc Mezvinsky, were on hand to congratulate the new graduate.

    The former president is very familiar with his daughter’s prestigious university as he was a Oxford Rhodes scholar himself from 1968 to 1970.

    Chelsea — a special correspondent for NBC News — adds this latest credential to a long list of impressive achievements. She is a graduate of Stanford University and holds master’s degrees from Oxford and Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health.

    During an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in April, President Clinton — and proud papa — told the host that once his daughter receives her doctorate, she will have four degrees.

    “She’ll have as many as her parents do — combined,” Bill Clinton said. “When she was younger, the way all kids are, she thought she knew more than I did about everything. But alas, in my dotage, it turned out to be true!”

    Clinton’s dissertation examines international global governance structures with a focus on global health, an issue for which she has advocated for years.

    It has been a busy and exciting year for the Clinton family. Hillary is considering a potential 2016 presidential campaign and the family is waiting for the arrival of the younger couple’s first child in the fall.

    The 34-year-old Clinton has taken a more public role at her family’s Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation, where she serves as vice chairwoman, and if her mother does runs for president, the younger Clinton could be an important asset for her mother’s campaign by connecting with younger voters.

    It seems it’s only a matter of time before Dr. Clinton adds Senator, Congresswoman or President to her name.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • UConn Sorority Hazing Leads to Permanent Ban

    The UConn sorority Kappa Kappa Gamma was permanently banned Wednesday after allegedly forcing a pledge to lie on the floor and “sizzle like a bacon” and drink alcohol to an alarmingly dangerous level.

    The sorority was informed in a letter from UConn authorities that the chapter’s registration was revoked and they have until May 15 to vacate the house permanently.

    Sophomore Hillary Holt told reporters she was forced to lie on the floor and made to drink so much that she woke up in a hospital with a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit of 0.08.

    According to testimony, the alleged hazing incident took place at the UConn chapter of the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity. That organization will learn next week whether disciplinary action will be taken against the house.

    “UConn has zero tolerance for hazing and all similarly harmful behaviors, and repeatedly makes those expectations clear to all student leaders in Greek life and other organizations,” said school spokeswoman Stephanie Reitz in an email. “The university’s decision to revoke Kappa Kappa Gamma’s registration and recognition was not taken lightly, but it was appropriate and imperative in light of the severity of the circumstances.”

    Authorities for the UConn sorority disagree with the decision and said the hazing incident was the result of “the poor decisions make by a few individuals” at an unsanctioned event, and did not warrant the entire sorority being banned. Elizabeth Baily, the national vice president of Kappa Kappa Gamma vows to appeal the decision.

    “Kappa views the punishment as extreme and plans to discuss an appeal with the chapter’s leadership before the university’s deadline,” Baily said.

    The UConn sorority has until May 14 to file its appeal. If the punishment is upheld, it may re-apply as a student organization in four years.

    This is the latest in a series of disciplinary action against UConn Greek organizations. Delta Zeta, Delta Gamma and Sigma Chi have been put on interim suspension after men were forced to eat dog treats, wear women’s underwear, and take alcohol shots off each other’s bodies.

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  • Beanie Baby Creator: Feds Demand New Sentence

    Federal prosecutors are demanding a new sentence be handed to Beanie Baby creator Ty Warner, 69, after he was given probation for hiding at least $25 million from tax authorities in Swiss banks.

    In a 55-page appeal filed with the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals, prosecutors suggest the tax evasion the billionaire pleaded guilty to called for at least some time behind bars.

    The appeal argues that letting the probation stand, “creates improper disparities between rich and poor defendants” and makes it more difficult to justify prison sentences for those who hide far less than the millions Warner concealed.

    “In the future, counsel for offshore-evasion defendants, and white-collar defendants in general, will certainly argue that since Warner received probation, their clients should as well,” the filing says.

    At Warner’s sentencing in January, prosecutors asked for at least a year in prison. However, Judge Charles Kocoras sentenced him to two years’ probation and 500 hours of community service. Before the sentencing hearing, Warner agreed to pay $27 million in back taxes and interest, as we’ll as a civil penalty of more than $53 million.

    At sentencing, Kocoras praised Warner for his philanthropy and said society was better served by his freedom.

    “Mr. Warner’s private acts of kindness, generosity, and benevolence are overwhelming,” said Kocoras of Warner’s charitable donations of an estimated $140 million. “Never have I had a defendant in any case … demonstrate the level of humanity and concern for the welfare of others as has Mr. Warner.”

    Prosecutors argued against such reasoning stating that with a net worth of around $1.7 billion, the value of Warner‘s charitable giving as less than 2 percent of his wealth. The filing mentioned that some billionaires give away half their wealth.

    “Wealthy people commonly make gifts to charity. Warner is no Robin Hood,” the filing says. “His past charitable contributions were not so extraordinary, in light of his wealth, that they qualify as ‘a get-out-of-jail card.’

    Warner’s spokesman, Eric Herman, released a statement Friday defending the sentence.

    “Unfortunately, the government is spending resources to challenge a well-reasoned and careful sentence issued by a well-respected judge,” the statement said.

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  • Mariska Hargitay Looks Just Like Mom Jayne Mansfield

    It’s uncanny how much Mariska Hargitay looks like her mother, 1950s actress and sex-symbol Jayne Mansfield.

    It’s clear that Hargitay is missing her mother as Mother’s Day approaches. She’s always made a point of posting pics of her mom on Instagram, but a recent split photo on Instagram reveals just how much she looks like her late mother.

    She also posted a old snapshot of Mansfield posing in a sombrero with two small dogs wearing matching hats for Cinco de Mayo.

    Jayne Mansfield tragically died in a car accident when she was only 34 years old, while 3-year-old Hargitay slept in the back seat of the car.

    Hargitay said in a Redbook interview that she doesn’t remember the accident at all, but has acknowledged that it left mental scars. Those scars resurfaced when she faced her own mortality during a severe on-set accident that left her in a hospital bed facing many surgeries to repair a collapsed lung.

    “Losing my mother at such an early age is the scar of my soul. But I feel like it ultimately made me into the person I am today. I understand the journey of life. I had to go through what I did to be here,” said Hargitay.

    News that NBC renewed its contract for Law & Order: SVU was welcomed by diehard fans that feared the show would be canceled.

    However the show’s ratings have seen a jump in the ratings not seen since 2005.

    “We’re up 5 percent on the year. Modern Family is down and Criminal Minds is down, they’re still in the Top 10. But it’s a tough slot, up against two Top 10 shows, but we’re up and they’re down,” executive producer Warren Leight told E! News in April.

    “We’re up for the first time since 2005 and the critics are responding. You would like to think that counts, but then you get into the arcane—the complicated relationship Dick has had with the network. It’s like a very strange marriage that just goes on and on and on and sometimes nobody pays attention to the kids in the fight.”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • LeeLee Sobieski Pregnant With Second Child

    LeeLee Sobieski Pregnant With Second Child

    Actress LeeLee Sobieski is pregnant with her second child, her rep confirmed to Us Weekly.

    The 30 year-old Eyes Wide Shut star let her baby bump speak for itself at the Christian Dior Cruise 2015 fashion show at the Brooklyn Navy Yard in NYC Wednesday, May 7.

    While posing for photos at the show, Sobieski cradled her baby bump wearing a Dior buttoned cobalt blue top over a matching floor-length dress accessorized with a Dior purse and Dior shoes.

    This is the Branded star’s second child. She already has a daughter, Louisiana Ray, with her husband Adam Kimmel.

    Sobieski married her fashion designer husband in August 2009 and is noted for remaining a virgin until her marriage to Kimmel.

    “It wasn’t for any religious reasons or anything like that, but simply because, to me, my virginity was the most precious gift that I could ever give to a man, and I wanted to be sure I was giving it to the right man,” the actress said.

    The Never Been Kissed star said she loves being a mother and getting to see her daughter grow, saying the experience has completely changed her life.

    “I’m really seeing her curiosity come out now — she just looks so smart,” the actress told People in 2010. “If she laughs, I laugh. If I heard myself talking a year ago, I’d be like, ‘So boring!’ But that’s what happens. My baby is really fascinating to me.”

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