WebProNews

Author: Pam Wright

  • Keira Knightley: Waisted Away in Chanel

    Keira Knightley just seems to get skinnier by the day and her latest outfit does not help in her attempts to squelch any eating-disorder rumors.

    Knightley, 28, arrived at Chanel’s runway show in a get-up that has one wondering what she was thinking and pretty much convinces anyone who sees her in the outfit that she just may have a problem.

    The Anna Karenina star dressed for the fashion show in a Chanel cap-sleeved top, a sophisticated bottom, and a totally missing middle! Seriously, it looks weird.

    Knightley, the face of Chanel Coco Mademoiselle, has vehemently denied having an eating disorder. In 2007, she sued a newspaper publisher over anorexia claims.

    Lagerfeld went all out in creating a supermarket in Paris’ Grand Palais to reveal his new collection.

    Needless to say, the Twitterverse has had something to say about the look.

    What do you think of Keira’s dress and figure?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Blake Shelton Lands R&B Star on ‘The Voice’

    It is on! The blind auditions of The Voice are getting really competitive and the coaches will do and say anything to get a performer on their team.

    Three-time winner Blake Shelton scored big time on Monday when he stole R&B artist Sisaundra Lewis away from rival Adam Levine.

    After the Maroon 5 front man snagged country rock talent, Patrick Thompson, who seemed likely to pick the Country Music Award-winner as his mentor, Shelton retaliated by convincing the former Celine Dion backup singer and vocal director to join his team.

    It didn’t take long for all four stars to figure out that Lewis had what it took to win the show as she performed her rendition of Aretha Franklin’s “Ain’t No Way”.

    Dion appeared in a cameo appearance on the show wishing 44-year-old Lewis, 44 good luck.

    Blake said of the mother of three, “I would buy your record if it came out tomorrow.” and her performance was dubbed “ravishing” by Shakira.

    Blake Shelton also signed on Ryan Whyte Maloney. Maloney told the coaches his son wanted him to choose Team Blake, and so he did, leading Shelton to celebrate with an awkward moonwalk.

    Clarissa Serna — who preformed The Cranberries’ Zombie — was lured to Shakira’s team by her excitement, even though she could choose from any of the four coaches as they all turned around during her performance. Shakira also added to her team by being the only coach to turn around for 23-year-old college dropout De’Shawn Washington.

    Adam — who always seem to have the best quips — won Patrick Thomson over Blake after convincing him that Blake’s “going to make you gargle with broken glass!”

    Usher and Shakira turned around for Melissa Jimenez who sang If I Ain’t Got You by Alicia Keys. Blake joked around, saying he also tried to turn around but “Usher’s jaw was on the floor and it got in the way.”

    Image via Twitter, The Voice

  • Curt Schilling Faces Radiation, Surgery

    Curt Schilling Faces Radiation, Surgery

    Former Boston Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling’s woes continue.

    The ESPN analyst is undergoing radiation and will need more surgery as he battles an unknown type of cancer.

    “Week 2 begins with radiation and unfortunately more surgery,” Schilling posted on his Facebook page Monday. “Not gonna break me though, way too much faith in Him and love from friends and family.”

    He announced his diagnosis in an official statement in early February.

    “We’ve been presented with another challenge, as I’ve recently been diagnosed with cancer. Shonda and I want to send a sincere thank you and our appreciation to those who have called and sent prayers, and we ask that if you are so inclined, to keep the Schilling family in your prayers.”

    HIs wife, Shonda Schilling, has also had her own battle with cancer. She has been cancer free since her fight against stage 2 malignant melanoma diagnosed in 2001.

    “Shonda and I want to send a sincere thank you and our appreciation to those who have called and sent prayers, and we ask that if you are so inclined, to keep the Schilling family in your prayers,” Schilling said.

    Schilling thanked his fans in a couple of tweets after his diagnosis.

    Schilling is slated to join ESPN’s Sunday Night Baseball broadcast team. ESPN also announced they were offering the Red Sox star a multiyear contract extension with him.

    “Our thoughts are with Curt and his family during this challenging time,” ESPN said in a statement. “His ESPN teammates wish him continued strength in his cancer fight and we look forward to welcoming him back to our baseball coverage whenever he’s ready.”

    When Curt Schilling announced his condition in February, he shared a quote from his father, “My father left me with a saying that I’ve carried my entire life and tried to pass on to our kids: ‘Tough times don’t last. Tough people do.’”

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Anna Kendrick Looks Towards ‘Pitch Perfect 2’

    Fans of Pitch Perfect are pumped that Anna Kendrick is returning to reprise her role as Beca, the leader of the a cappella singing group, the Barden Bellas. Kenrick is just as pumped and doesn’t even seem to care about the plot.

    “I’m very excited!” said Kendrick. “I mean I’ve signed on with no script, so you know, if it becomes about parasailing instead of singing, don’t blame me!”

    The 28-year-old actress recently revealed her ideas of what fans might expect from the sequel.

    “I can see it picking up in the year 3000 when we’re all cryogenically frozen,” she joked. “And our voices are digital and we’re breaking the sound barrier.”

    Rebel Wilson and Elizabeth Banks will also reprise their roles in the sequel. Banks, who produced the first film which grossed $115 on a $15 million budget, has also signed on to direct the movie.

    “I’m really excited to direct the girls,” Banks said in an interview with The Huffington Post. “The whole project speaks so much to me and to women and to making women funny in really fun and interesting ways and that’s what I’m most looking forward to. I’m looking forward to letting the girls let loose.”

    “[Banks] brings an enormous amount of energy and experience to everything she works on and we’re thrilled that she is making her feature directorial debut on Pitch Perfect,” said Universal Pictures chair Donna Langley.

    Banks revealed a few details about the script in the interview with The Huffington Post.

    “All I can say right now is that they will be graduating seniors this time around, rather than incoming freshmen.”

    Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Films say the film is slated to be released May 15, 2015.

    Do you think there will be another hit like “Cups” in the sequel?

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Charlize Theron Snuggles up to Beau Sean Penn

    Charlize Theron and Sean Penn seem really happy these days.

    Theron, 38, snuggled up to boyfriend Penn, 58, at a pre-Oscars bash hosted by Pharrell Williams at Eveleigh in Los Angeles on Feb. 27.

    During the party the cute couple held hands, cuddled at their table, danced and Penn even kissed Theron’s neck.

    “Watching Charlize and Sean get down! Both so hot,” an attendee of the event told Us Weekly. “Charlize and Sean are so gorgeous together, a natural couple.”

    The is the second public appearance the couple has made together since Theron joined Penn to support his 3rd Annual Help Haiti Home Gala in Beverly Hills.

    News of the budding romance first hit headlines at the start of the year as the two were spotted ringing in the new year in Hawaii.

    “They seemed happy to be spending some time together, very comfortable,” an onlooker said of the two. “They were both pretty relaxed and dressed down.”

    The two have gotten really serious really quickly. They moved in together in February and their love just seems to be growing as the days accumulate. Sean seems to be very happy not only becoming a couple with his beauty, but also becoming a family with Theron and her 2-year-old son Jackson.

    Since then the two have been spotted doing everyday normal things. Some really cute photos have emerged of the long-time friends over the course of the past two months since their friendship turned to romance.

    In January, Sean replied to Talk show host Piers Morgan’s blog after he congratulated Sean on his new love in a blog post.

    “She’s a keeper, that’s for sure,” relied Penn. “Well, I’ll do my best to keep her, anyway!”

    Do you think Sean and Charlize’s romance will last??

    Image via YouTube

  • Julie Tremmel’s Fans Defend the Fired Reporter

    Julie Tremmel — a popular TV reporter with NBC affiliate WJAR in Rhode Island — was recently fired among speculation that it was in response to a handdstand she performed during an America’s Got Talent audition.

    Fans on social media have defended her through an online petition, a Facebook page demanding Tremmel’s return, and a plethora of tweets on her behalf.

    The reasons for her dismissal are unclear at this point. She told GoLocal Prov, “I was terminated without cause from WJAR and my Union and I are fighting it through the grievance and arbitration process in our Contract with the Station.”

    This isn’t the first time a video featuring Tremmel has gone viral. Last year, her report on what to do if you come across a bear received thousands of hits on YouTube.

    Following the bear video, Jim Taricani — a former colleague of Tremmel’s and an investigative reporter for WJAR — posted a comment to Facebook that seemed to be directed at her, blogger Jim Romensko reported.

    Romensko wrote:

    “Veteran WJAR investigative reporter Jim Taricani complained on Facebook that Tremmel’s antic was ‘a smudge on our station’s reputation,’ and said that ‘some TV reporters like to draw attention to themselves… [which is] an insult to most of us trying to be professional.’”

    Tremmel says she is consulting with a lawyer but declined to reveal the identity at this point.

    Image via Facebook, Julie Tremmel

  • Jimmy Kimmel and Wife Molly Expecting a Baby

    Jimmy Kimmel revealed that he and new wife Molly McNearney are expecting their first child on a taping of The Ellen DeGeneres Show set to air Wednesday..

    “I’m having a baby…wait I want to finish…with Ellen,” he joked. “No, I decided to have the first one with my wife.”

    The couple — who got engaged in 2012 in South Africa — married last summer in Ojai, Calif. with a multitude of stars on hand for the ceremony.

    Kimmel, 46, already has two children with his ex-wife, Gina: 20-year-old son Kevin and 22-year-old daughter Katherine.

    McNearney is co-head writer on Jimmy Kimmel Live!

    The couple started dating in 2009.

    On Tuesday, Kimmel offered some advice to Joel McHale who is going to Washington to host the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on May 3.

    “Did you know that the President Barack Obama will be there?” asked McHale, “Of the United States.”

    “Should I go blue? What do you suggest? Just curse it up?” McHale asked.

    “Cursing is not a great idea. I don’t think cursing is a good idea,” Kimmel said.

    Kimmel admitted to McHale that he had never been “more nervous in his life” and actually started cleaning his hotel room “like a lunatic.”

    “Like you were on cocaine or something?” McHale joked.

    “You know I went and got a huge coffee beforehand and that was a mistake,” Kimmel said. “And I was already nervous to start with and I turned into a member of the housekeeping staff.”

    Watch the Kimmel/McHale interview where they talk babies and the White House Correspondents’ Dinner:

    Image via YouTube

  • Keri Russell: ‘The Americans’ Season 2 Super Steamy

    Keri Russell opened up Wednesday to TODAY show anchors Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie about her hit FX show The Americans, which returns for a second season tonight.

    Apparently, Russell has been pretty hush-hush in recent weeks about the up-coming season, but the morning show anchors used some interesting techniques to get the info out of the former Disney mouseketeer.

    Mocking her character on the show, Guthrie held up a desk lamp into the Felicity star’s face while Lauer interrogated her.

    “You’re a KGB spy!” said Lauer. “You’re supposed to be able to keep a secret, but I need some intel here.”

    Giggling throughout the mock interrogation, Russell said this season would be even hotter than last season. Lauer asked if the sex scenes — some of the steamiest on television — were going to get steamier.

    “Yes, there are some incriminating scenes tonight,” said Russell.

    Russell plays a Soviet spy fake-married with fake children to another Soviet spy (Matthew Rhys) in 1980s America. The spies later fall for one another.

  • Debbie Dingell Seeks Husband’s Seat in Congress

    Debbie Dingell, wife of U.S. Rep. John Dingell — who announced his retirement on Monday — is considered by many to be the frontrunner in a race for his congressional seat considered unwinnable for Republicans.

    Dingell, 60, plans to announce her candidacy Friday and has been in conversations with Democratic political powerhouses about running for her husband’s seat in Michigan’s 12th Congressional District.

    “She would be the prohibitive favorite in the race,” said political consultant T.J. Bucholz. “There are plenty of serving congressmen and women in this country who bring less to the table than Debbie Dingell does right now.”

    Other political analysts say Debbie Dingell is not necessarily a shoo-in.

    “Though Debbie Dingell obviously has an incredible organizational base of support, she’s also made a lot of enemies,” said Bill Ballenger, associate editor of the Inside Michigan Politics newsletter. “The idea that she’s going to be anointed, I tend to doubt that.”

    The former president of the General Motors Foundation chair of the manufacturing Initiative of the American Automotive Policy Council said she wouldn’t discuss her election plans Monday after the announcement of her husband’s retirement .

    “Today, it’s all about him,” she said about her husband.

    Asked Monday who might be his successor, the longest-serving member of Congress in U.S. history brought up his wife.

    “If she runs — the lovely Deborah — I will vote for her,” he said.

    “She’s been my guide, my counsel, my friend and my closest adviser,” he said in a recent Detroit News article.

    Debbie Dingell is a longtime Michigan representative on the Democratic National Committee and serves as the chairwoman of the Wayne State University Board of Governors.

    Candidates for Congress must submit at least 1,000 petition signatures by April 22 to make the ballot for the Aug. 5 primary.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Jimmy Carter Plans Trip to Venezuela Amid Unrest

    Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter will travel to Venezuela in April and hopes to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles to help ease tensions in the politically-torn country.

    Carter expressed concerns about Venezuela’s escalating political crisis in a private letter sent this week to Capriles and President Nicolas Madura.

    In the letter, Carter said that for dialogue aimed at easing tensions to succeed both sides must “send signals of their willingness to alleviate the present state of tension.”

    Carter urged the Venezuelan president to guarantee the right to the opposition to protest peacefully and for impartial justice for protesters already imprisoned.

    “It is difficult for elected officials from opposition parties to resolve differences when they feel threatened and persecuted,” Carter wrote.

    According to the Washington Post, Carter contacted Capriles urging him to make clear the opposition’s commitment to act within constitutional limits and strongly reject violence. He says the government must guarantee the right to peaceful protest and impartial justice for jailed protesters.

    According to the Associated Press, Maracay Mayor Mario Briceno Iragorry said an anti-government protester had died in a confrontation. He said the protest turned deadly when gunmen opened fire on demonstrators who blocked a street to protest Maduro’s government.

    At least 16 have died during protests that began Feb. 12.

    On the same trip in April, Carter will promote a health program in Venezuela and Brazil that seeks to eliminate river blindness in one of the last areas where the disease is still present in Latin America – among the Yanomami Indians who live on the two countries’ border, said Jennifer McCoy, Americas director for the Carter Center.

    This isn’t the first time Carter has intervened in Venezuela. The Carter Center mediated talks between Venezuela’s government and opposition after coup against then President Hugo Chavez in 2002.

    Image via YouTube

  • Infected Rat Bite Kills Boy, Family Sues Petco

    Ten-year-old Aiden Pankey died June 12, 2013 from rat-bite fever two weeks after buying a rat from Petco and now the family is blaming the pet store for his death and is filing suit for strict liability and negligence.

    Attorney John Gomez told The Associated Press on Tuesday that his firm filed a lawsuit Monday in San Diego County seeking an unspecified amount for the suffering endured by the Pankey family.

    Aidan was infected by a rat the family bought as a mate for his pet rat Oreo. He became sick two weeks after the family purchased the rat and died the following day.

    Aiden’s grandmother, Sharon Pankey, stopped at Petco in San Diego so the boy could pick out a mate for Orea. He chose a black rat that he named Alex.

    “He said, ‘You know Grammy, when Oreo has babies I’m going to be grandpa and you’re going to be a great-grandma,’” Sharon said. “One of the things he loved most, his rat, ended up in him dying because the rat we bought, we found out later, had rat-bite fever.”

    According to the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, streptobacillus moniliformis infection, or rat’s bite fever, is an infectious disease that comes mostly from bites, scratches or handling an infected rodent. It can be fatal if not treated.

    “He was a bright, energetic, friendly, happy kid who actually had a prior rat, who was a female, and he had this idea in his young head of having his female rat get married,” Gomez said.

    Petco said in a statement to ABC10 in San Diego:

    “At Petco, we follow what we believe are the industry’s strongest standards for companion animal health and welfare, and we require our vendors to meet the same standards for animal care and well-being. We require our live animal suppliers to meet or exceed USDA requirements for the care and treatment of animals, as well as follow strict requirements for housing, feeding, breeding, shipping and caring for sick or injured animals. We leave specific testing protocols to be determined by our vendors unless we identify a reason for concern.”

    “We’re saddened by the Pankey family’s tragic loss and are very interested in speaking directly with the family to better understand their claims.”

    Aidan’s death has deeply affected the family. Aiden’s dad, Andrew Pankey, said he can’t eat, sleep and needed to take a leave of absence from work to deal with his grief.

    “He was my family,” he said. “I’m probably down 30 to 35 pounds since then. I don’t even get hungry. I just go until I pass out. It sounds bad but I just want him back.”

    Image via YouTube

  • Salma Hayek: No Charges Filed Against Brother

    No charges have been filed following the crash that injured Salma Hayek’s brother and left his passenger dead at the scene Sunday, police said.

    Sami Hayek, 40, was transported to the hospital suffering from several broken ribs and a laceration to his head following the accident.

    His passenger, Ian Cuttler Sala, 43, sustained major blunt-force trauma to his body and was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash, the police report said.

    Hayek, a designer of custom chairs, was driving east on Sunset Boulevard in the Bel Air community of Los Angeles when he lost control of his 2006 Ford GT, crossing into the westbound lanes, police said.

    The driver of the second vehicle, Alvin Gomez, 20, of Los Angeles was transported to the hospital with a broken foot after the sports car collided with his Toyota Tacoma pickup truck.

    Cuttler, a New York City-based photographer and Grammy award winning art director, won the coveted prize for his design of the Johnny Cash: The Legend music box set.

    Cuttler worked with many stars , including Beyoncé, who posted a tribute to him on her Facebook page.

    Post by Beyoncé.

    Hayek has not been arrested, but police say he was in violation of driving on the wrong side of the road. Speed may also be a factor in the fatal crash.

    According to an LAPD statement released Tuesday, alcohol was not a factor in the crash. The case will be presented to the district attorney’s office following an investigation.

    Image via YouTube

  • Telluride Plane Crash Kills Three Pilots

    Telluride Plane Crash Kills Three Pilots

    Three people died in a small plane crash just outside the ski resort town of Telluride in southwestern Colorado on Sunday.

    According to the San Miguel County Sheriffls office, the victims were all pilots from Arizona.

    Sherry Anderson, 57, and Sherman Anderson, 64, were both commercial airplane pilots and hailed from Phoenix. Eric Durban, 48, of Mexa Ariz., was a former military pilot, the release said.

    The private, single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza took off from Telluride Regional Airport at 11:20 a.m. Sunday in light snow on its way to Cortez, a city in southwest Colorado about 75 miles away, San Miguel County Sheriff Bill Masters said in a statement.

    “This is certainly not the outcome we were hoping for. It’s just a terrible, terrible tragedy,” Masters said.

    Deputies and the Civil Air Patrol found the wreckage in a cliff band about a mile west of the airport six hours later.

    Visibility was about one mile and winds were calm at the time of the crash, said Masters.

    The Andersons are survived by a daughter. Durban is survived by a wife and two children.

    The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the cause of the crash.

    Image via Sheriff Bill Masters, Twitter

  • Jennifer Welter Makes Pro Football History

    Although Dr. Jennifer Welter is only 5-foot-2 and weighs a mere 130 pounds, she’s no light-weight.

    The 36-year-old linebacker for the Women’s Football Alliance’s Dallas Diamonds made history Saturday night by becoming the first female non-kicker to play in a men’s pro football game.

    “I’ve thought of all the reasons why I might be the wrong person to do this. ‘You’re too small, you’re too this, you’re too that,’ ” said Welter. “The truth is if I can change the game, literally, for any of those girls, it’s worth it.

    “Because it’s really not about me. It’s about them and the future of the sport.”

    She’s not the first to play in a men’s league, but she is the first to play a contact postion.

    Welter, who is a sports psychologist, played running back Saturday for the Indoor Football League’s Texas Revolution and carried the ball for a 1-yard loss inside the red zone on her first carry, stopped by 6-foot-4, 245-pound, Cedric Hearvey.

    “Honestly, it was very weird,” Hearvey said after the game. “Part of me wanted to let her score, but part of me had a job. So I was like, ‘Can y’all please take her out?’ I really have a lot of respect for that lady over there.”

    Welter had two more carries near the goal line but failed to get the touchdown.

    “I’ve been impressed with her grit and her desire,” Revolution coach Chris Williams said. “And even, in some cases, in the beginning I thought even delusional thoughts that she had about being able to play the game. But as I watched her, I’m impressed with how she comes to work every day.”

    Image via Dr Jen Welter, Twitter

  • Lauren Cosgrove’s Sudden Fame? It’s All in the Pics

    T.J. Oshie became an American hero and an overnight star when he made the game-winning shootout goal in the Team USA 3-2 hockey victory over Russia on Saturday at the Sochi Winter Olympics.

    Now it looks like his gorgeous girlfriend, Lauren Cosgrove, is becoming a star in her own right.

    As is often the case, fans rushed to the internet to learn more about the hockey player from St. Louis. But what they found out about him was far more interesting than they anticipated. As searches began, web surfers came across pictures of Cosgrove and her photos were quickly plastered across the social media.

    Within 24 hours of her boyfriend’s heroic efforts in Sochi, she was trending on most search engines.


    Watch the shootout and you’ll understand why Oshie and Cosgrove are the new ‘it’ couple of the moment.

    Image via Lauren Cosgrove, Twitter

  • Bode Miller’s Tears: ‘Don’t Blame Christin Cooper’

    Bode Miller is one classy gentleman.

    After fans of the American skier became angry with NBC’s Christin Cooper for bringing him to tears during a post-race interview at the Sochi Olympics, they let their feelings be known on Twitter.

    The Twitter barrage came after Cooper asked Miller about his younger brother Chelone, who died of an apparent seizure last year, bringing him to tears.

    “I know you wanted to be here with Chilly experiencing these games,” Cooper said. “How much does it mean to you to come up with a great performance for him? And was it for him?”

    “I mean, I don’t know it’s really for him,” Miller responded, fighting back tears. “But I wanted to come here and, I don’t know, I guess make my self proud.”

    Cooper continued to press Miller with further questions until the oldest Alpine skier to ever win a medal was brought to his knees in anguish. His wife had to come to his aid and comfort him.

    This didn’t sit too well with viewers watching the interview and they took to Twitter to vent their feelings.

    Miller responded to the tweets with a few of his own in her defense.

    Image via Wikimedia Commons

  • Craigslist Killer Claims She Killed at Least 22

    Miranda Barbour, who was recently charged with her husband in the murder of a man they met through Craigslist, admitted in an interview with a local newspaper to killing Troy LaFerrara in November and said she killed 22 others across the country over the past six years as part of a satanic cult.

    “I feel it is time to get all of this out. I don’t care if people believe me. I just want to get it out,” the 19-year-old Barbour told the Daily Item.

    “When I hit 22, I stopped counting,” said Barbour. “I would lure these people in. I studied them. I learned them and even became their friend. I did this to people who did bad things and didn’t deserve to be here anymore.”

    Sunbury police Chief Steve Mazzeo said investigators have been in contact with the FBI and law enforcement in several states to follow up on her allegations.

    “We are reviewing the recording of The Daily Item interview and I will not confirm or deny anything at this point,” he said.

    “I will however say that through investigations by lead officer Travis Bremigen he has been in contact with several other states and is working with law enforcement from various cities and towns.

    “From information we gathered and from information gathered from her interview we are seriously concerned and have been in contact with the proper authorities,” Mazzeo said.

    Barbour and her husband, Elytte Barbour, 22, of Selinsgrove, Pa., were charged in the Nov. 11 fatal knifing and strangulation of LaFerrara, 42, after luring him in through a “companionship” ad on Craigslist.

    According to the interview with the Daily Item, Barbour agreed through Craigslist to have sex with LaFerrera for $100 and then met him at a mall parking lot before driving to Sunbury when she stabbed him 20 times with a knife in the the front seat of her car while her husband tied a cable cord around his neck.

    LaFerrara’s body was later found in the backyard of a home in Sunbury.

    “I remember everything,” Barbour said about the killing of LaFerrara. “It is like watching a movie.”

    Barbour says she joined a cult when she was 13 in the town of North Pole, Ala., and then spent her teenage years killing people across the country.

    Image vie YouTube

  • Bob Costas’ Return Brings Twitter Joy and Jokes

    Bob Costas will return to covering the Sochi Winter Olympics on NBC tonight after being sidelined by the network because of a very serious eye infection in both eyes.

    “I’m not 100 percent, that’s for sure, but if I waited until I was 100 percent, the Olympics would be over,” Costas said in a phone interview with the Today Show.

    Matt Lauer covered for Costas on Tuesday night once the network realized Costas needed to rest his eyes. It was the first time since 1988 that Costas did not cover the games as prime time anchor for NBC.

    Lauer continued to cover the games for three nights until NBC replaced him with Meredith Viera, the first woman to ever anchor NBC’s prime time Olympic coverage on her own.

    Here’s what Costas looked like just before Lauer took over for him.

    Costas’ return was greeted with enthusiasm and a some teasing on Twitter.

    Image via YouTube

  • Pace Car Fire: Full Moon or What?

    This isn’t the first time something wacky has happened at the Daytona International Speedway.

    Saturday night, the pace car caught fire during the exhibition Sprint Unlimited Race at the home of the Daytona 500.

    No injuries were reported, but there must be some serious voodoo going on at the track.

    The fire in the pace car, driven by Brett Bodine, started near the end of the second segment of the Sprint Unlimited race. Flames and billowing smoke were seen coming from the rear of the car as it sat on the apron.

    “Tower, we’re on fire,” he radioed.

    ”I just saw the whole back of the car was on fire. I thought it was a race car,” said 2012 Cup champion Brad Keselowski. ”Someone said it was the pace car. I just couldn’t help but start laughing.”

    A statement released by Chevrolet Sunday morning said the fire came from the trunk where “a purpose-built auxiliary electrical kit to operate the numerous caution lights during the race.”

    “The pace car driver and passenger safely exited the vehicle,” the statement said. “An assessment is underway.”

    “I thought it was tire smoke until I saw flames,” said Denny Hamlin, the eventual winner of the race. “And then I realized Brett was on a mission to find the emergency vehicle.”

    Chevrolet said Sunday it was assessing the fire in the trunk and has yet to link the fire with the electrical kit.

    There was some twitter ribbing going on after the incident.

    Other odd mishaps at the track include a 2-hour delay in the 2010 Daytona 500 because of a pothole in the track and another 2-hour delay in 2012 when Juan Pablo Montoya ran into a jet dryer causing a blazing fire.

    And few can forget last year’s mishap when a crash in the last lap of the Nationwide Series injured at least 30 spectators and destroyed a part of the huge barrier between the track and the stands.

    Image via YouTube

  • Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luther Fires Up Twitterverse

    The twitterverse is all fired up over the news that Jesse Eisenberg has been cast to play Lex Luthor in Zack Snyder’s sequel to 2012′s Man of Steel.

    Eisenberg, best known for his Oscar-nominated role as Mark Zuckerberg in The Social Network and as nerdy Columbus in Zombieland, will join Jeremy Irons who was cast as Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred. They will join Henry Cavill as Superman, Ben Affleck as Batman, Amy Adams as Lois Lane and Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman.

    “Lex Luthor is often considered the most notorious of Superman’s rivals, his unsavory reputation preceding him since 1940,” Snyder said. “What’s great about Lex is that he exists beyond the confines of the stereotypical nefarious villain. He’s a complicated and sophisticated character whose intellect, wealth and prominence position him as one of the few mortals able to challenge the incredible might of Superman. Having Jesse in the role allows us to explore that interesting dynamic, and also take the character in some new and unexpected directions.”

    On many levels, the selection of Eisenberg is surprising. Most believed Breaking Bad‘s Bryan Cranston was a shoo-in for the role and some wonder if the 30-year-old actor can pull off the role that is associated with Gene Hackman.

    Snyder’s choice of Academy-Award winner Irons as Bruce Wayne’s English butler doesn’t seem to be garnering the same negative attention as the casting of Eisenberg.

    “As everyone knows, Alfred is Bruce Wayne’s most trusted friend, ally and mentor, a noble guardian and father figure,” Snyder said. “He is an absolutely critical element in the intricate infrastructure that allows Bruce Wayne to transform himself into Batman. It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious façade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne.”

    “It is an honor to have such an amazingly seasoned and gifted actor as Jeremy taking on the important role of the man who mentors and guides the guarded and nearly impervious facade that encapsulates Bruce Wayne,” said Snyder.

    Image via Wikimedia

  • Tara Reid and Ian Ziering Sign on for Sharknado 2

    The chainsaw-wielding, shark-slaying duo are back! Tara Reid and Ian Ziering have signed on for a Sharknado sequel to debut on Syfy in July.

    They will return as Fin and April in Sharknado 2: The Second One, ready to battle the hungry sharks as the deadly weather system descends upon New York City, wrecking havoc on people and famous landmarks.

    Syfy considered hiring an entirely new cast, sources said, but negotiations finally resolved any lingering issues and the pair signed on this week.

    “Sharknado was an extraordinary ‘perfect storm’ which captured the attention of movie fans across the globe,” said Thomas Vitale, executive vice president of programming and original movies at Syfy. “You couldn’t go anywhere without hearing about ‘Sharknado’! By reassembling the creative team — and dropping sharks onto New York’s iconic sites — we’re unleashing yet another ‘fin’ wave of shark-mania.”

    Sharknado took on the world by storm and social media in July when it aired for the first time. It was one of those “OMG, this is so bad… but it’s SO good.” kind of movies. It attracted 1.4 million viewers with 566,000 of them in the age range of 18-49, which is the most important demographic for advertisers and for the network. During it’s peak, the movie generated 5,000 tweets per minute.

    Reid and Ziering started the next wave of tweets for the sequel:

    Producer Paul Bales of The Asylum, the company responsible for bringing Sharknado to viewers said, “We’re thrilled to be able to bring back the talent that made Sharknado a hit. Can lightning strike twice? I don’t know, but it’s a scientific fact that you’re more likely to be killed by lightning than by a shark. This film will have lightning and sharks, so that’s got to count for something.”

    Filming of the sequel is scheduled to begin Feb. 13 on location in New York City.

    Image via Wikimedia