Wednesday 31 August 2011

Why Jordan Doesn't Deserve to Win 'Big Brother 13'


There are only six HGs left on Big Brother 13, and after this week one more will be gone. The endgame is when you start to think about the jury and who deserves to win. But equally important is who DOESN'T deserve to win.

I admit that I get way too invested in Big Brother, watching Big Brother: After Dark every night and following the live feeds. When you add in the fact that, like Daniele, I love and respect this game, I want to see someone win who deserves it.

I'm not ecstatic about this group of six being at the end. Based on their limited gameplay, I'd say people like Cassi, Dominic, Daniele, Jeff and even Brendon deserve to be there more than some of the current HGs. But there are still a few people left who I think deserve to win (sadly, the person who I think has played the best game is almost certainly going to be evicted this Thursday).

But there's one person who I absolutely, positively do NOT want to win. Someone who's game is so embarrassingly pathetic that a victory would completely undermine the entire game and dash my faith in Big Brother as a whole. And her name is Jordan Lloyd.

The fact that she won Big Brother 11 isn't really a factor in my decision. The truth is that, this season, Jordan has done absolutely nothing but sit back and let her alliance take her to the end.

From the minute she walked into the house, by virtue of being a veteran, she had a solid four-person alliance with Jeff and the other couple, Rachel and Brendon. Since Jordan is the weakest competitor in the group, it was like she walked into Big Brother 13 with three protective shields. No one would ever target her before targeting Jeff, Brendon and Rachel. If that was her strategy or some brilliant bit of manipulative gameplay, I could respect it. But no, all she did was walk in and her path to the end was almost a guarantee. Her weakness isn't a perception of a strategy, it's just who she is.

Also, she's only won one competition, the week 2 HoH. But let's look at her "win." Rachel got to pick the order the HGs golfed (which, it's worth noting, is the only time I can ever remember an outgoing HoH getting to affect the outcome of the following competition), and she purposefully designed it so Jordan could win. Then Jeff and Brendon both threw the competition. And the veterans also convinced a number of the newbies to throw the competition as well. Jordan didn't win it, she was handed it.
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Jaleel White to Guest Star on 'House' Season Premiere

What horrible crime has Urkel committed!? We don't know the answer to that, but we do know that the actor who once portrayed Urkel will next be seen incarcerated alongside one Gregory House when House returns this fall. According to a report from TVLine, Jaleel White will play an inmate of the same prison where House will start out his 8th season. 


The actor, despite a television career that includes parts on The Game, Boston Legal, Psych and the seminal Mega Shark Versus Crocosaurus, is still best-known for his role as Steve Urkel on the 1990s sitcom, Family Matters. Now 34 years old, Jaleel White is a little less of a teenaged geek these days. Neither White's character's name nor his crime are known at this time. 

If we assume that Dr. House is in jail for slamming his car into Cuddy's house at the end of last season, perhaps TV's former Urkel is there for something similar? Did Laura Winslow find somebody new? Click here to watch a promo for the season 8 premiere of House. 

While Jaleel White will be a member of the general prison population, a second guest star will find himself in management. Michael Pare, an actor known for '80s fare like The Greatest American Hero and Eddie and the Cruisers, will play the prison's warden. 

 The season 8 premiere of House will be entitled "20 Vicodin." Could this be the number of pills House needs for something? It sounds a lot like the doctor's standard daily dose. Plus, the value of such pills in a prison would have to be awfully high. 


We will find out what the title means when House returns to FOX on Monday, October 3. Want more House scoop? Check out our House Ultimate Fan Page on Facebook. Are you looking forward to the upcoming season of House? How much time do you expect will be spent in the prison? Is it possible to think of Jaleel White and not think of Urkel? Let us know your comments and opinions below!
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The 'America's Got Talent' Semifinals Are Literally On Fire

Because The Kinetic King is performing tonight, so Nick Cannon is lowered by a ... rope? Crane? Who cares, it's not like we can understand what's going on anyway. Bring on The Kinetic King! Ahhh that picture of him when he was a kid, looking exactly the same! He promises he'll be bringing out the big sticks. Woo-hoos across America. 

Everyone had to put on their goggles in his honor. It's working! It's working SO WELL! This would only be better if Nick Cannon hadn't inserted himself into the act. "Oh yeah," The Kinetic King says. Fatally Unique has an energy that 


West Springfield Dance Team does not, and they don't have a coach, right? To strengthen the comparison, they're doing a sort of horror genre dance, too. But they're crazy Hannibal-types. Something West Springfield has not thought of. They have some more cheer-type tricks, and I think I prefer them. Will Landon Swank be the first magician to win America's Got Talent? He's bringing his dad in. And more fire? You gotta have more fire. 

Hologram Landon told the judges to choose a button linked to a box rigged with explosives. He's just hoping he'll be in the box without! His dad oversaw the process. Sure enough, he was in the box they didn't explode, and the audience gave him a standing ovation accordingly. The setup was much better than we've seen from him in the past (and other magicians). My one issue with this trick is that after the judges chose their buttons, we saw the second box swaying a little bit. It was good, though! Remember Gymkana from the YouTube show? I do! It's so hard to believe they're not professional. Well, for everyone except Piers who is SKEPTICAL OF EVERYTHING. 

They're using Zuma Zuma's stacking chairs, which didn't turn out so well for them. Piers buzzed them about halfway through, even though they hadn't even added fire yet. It was a lot of people leaping through the air, a lot. OH MY GOD and then that guy hit the flaming hoop and it was scary and a disaster not on purpose and they cut the routine short. 

Ugh, I feel so bad for them. Nobody likes the Summerwind Skippers as much as Piers. They made a mistake last time, so is someone going to catch on fire in this act, too? At least they're going post-apocalyptic and skipping to Britney! Oh but Piers buzzed them! I liked this routine, but I don't know if it's good enough for the finals. 

Piers went off on a "we're the judges so we can buzz whenever we want, this show is about us, right?" tirade, which soured the whole thing for me. It seems like Snap Boogie was a finalist last season we saw him so long ago. His clip package made one thing clear: he does not want to go back to dancing on the streets! So Snap Boogie locked and popped in what seemed to be a museum, which then caught on disco fire. Eh, it was alright. Sharon spoke too much and Howie didn't get to talk at all, which I liked. Anna Graceman takes us into the second hour, putting her own twist on "Home Sweet Home." How odd, for a little girl to slay a Motley Crue song. 

Good job, girl! The judges loved it, of course, because her enthusiasm is infectious. Even though Piers doesn't "get it," Steven Retchless is still here on the pole. Steven Retchless is intimidated/irked because some of the other acts stole his moves (like Zuma Zuma). But nobody can do what he does. Piers buzzed him about halfway through, but I don't think it was BAD.

I guess Piers still thinks this show is about the judges. This is a Vegas act, and Piers needs to get over his thinly-veiled homophobia. Smage Bros. Riding Shows put on a good show last time we saw them. I liked when they knocked their friend's hat off. This time they're bringing in Grandmother Smage!! Yes PLEASE. Their set has certainly improved from the last time, too. It had a farm theme! They jumped over Grandma, and did some more tricks, all on this very small stage. I haven't been too fond of this act in the past, but this time it was awesome. 

Another act that might not be an act: Professor Splash. This time he's adding fire, and jumping twice as high. Death-defying! But with an hour, would he just keep jumping into different things? I guess we'll cross that bridge when we come to it. So he jumped, and it seemed like he landed low on the pool, but he's okay! The judges don't think it had the effect of landing in 12 inches of water. Okay. Landau Eugene Murphy Jr. is full of surprises. 

Or maybe just one surprise, but it's still working for him. This time he's using the dancers and props. It could all go horribly wrong at this point, when you involve the dancers and props. It never ceases to amaze me how much he sounds like Frank Sinatra. Overall, I think it went well. Even beyond the novelty, this guy is great. Last but not least, it's another one of the big contenders this season: Silhouettes. It's hard not to enjoy this act. Even though they're not using fire, they're stepping it up with different props and dimensions. Team iLuminate has some competition! It's always cool, but this time it was just stunning. I think the camera work made the translation to TV a little odd, but I would love to see this show live. The judges thought it wasn't as good as they've been before, but come on, it was still spectacular.


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Conan The Barbarian

In 1982, it was "Conan" that gave the world of cinema its most muscular and beefy star in Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was also one of the simplest action films ever - it relied on visuals rather than dialogues, to tell its story. 


As has been the trend lately, an unimaginatively bankrupt Hollywood is rehashing its biggest hits, with disastrous consequences. In a mythical land, after his family is butchered by a mysterious warlord, a barbarian warrior Conan (Jason Momoa) sets out to seek revenge. This film tries to go one up on the original, attempting to build a story and explain a lot of things that were left for the viewers to understand in the original. Instead of helping the story, it actually kills a semblance of one. 

 Compared to the original, the film has much more elaborate sets, better production value, better special effects and detailed action sequences. Sadly, mere make up does not make a film. It needs a soul, which is completely missing from this one. The film tries to make up for it with gory violence. But the senselessness of it all actually puts one off. 

 If nothing, the original "Conan - The Barbarian" was a lesson in simplicity. With very few dialogues, no needless explanations, a gentle, even pace which is rare for modern action films, it gave you time to warm up to it. In comparison, this one is in such a hurry that it seems to be all over the place. 

 In the original "Conan", the film was carried forward by operatic music rather than dialogues and the focus was on actor's physicality rather than their acting ability (a perfect setting for Arnold). These factors hid Arnold's inability to act and gave the film that rode on the visible strength in his muscles, a mythical proportion, which was only loosely based on the original stories of Conan. The makers of the 2011 version, seems to have forgotten these simple facts. 

One glimpse into their Wikipedia page of the original film would have helped them immensely in making this new one. In action films, the less said the better. Surprisingly, modern action filmmakers and writers of action genre have regressed from that cardinal rule. To understand how, watch the original version of "Conan", and the 2011 version. This film went through a decade of production hell before being made. Perhaps it would have been better if it indeed had never been made.





















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Now, Shahid hit by Hurricane Irene

The actor's dance tribute to the King Of Pop at Times Square had to be cancelled due to the storm Hurricane Irene has managed to play spoilsport for Shahid Kapoor. 

While the actor's loss is certainly no way close to the havoc and destruction caused by nature's fury in America, it has come in the way of probably his biggest live performance. Shahid was supposed to pay tribute to his favourite singer, the late Michael Jackson, at Times Square, New York, yesterday. Of course, it had to be cancelled due to the hurricane. 


Plans go haywire Says a source, "The producers of Mausam had gone to great pains to get the required permission for the actor's performance at Times Square. Flash mobs comprising of world-class male and female dancers, who were going to perform with Shahid, had been practicing for weeks. The entire event was kept under wraps in India. 

The whole idea was to let loose his dancing prowess at the world's most avidly eyeballed recreational venue." Now a new date for this event, which promises to be one of the most unique Bollywood concerts in history of Times Square, is being planned. Mausam co-producer Sheetal Talwar confirms, "We were all set to have Shahid's performance on August 29, but now another date is being worked out."
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Jan lokpal Act: use of mass movement Anna Roy

Writer Arundhati Roy, Anna Hazare doubts on the anti-corruption movement, saying that the public ombudsman bill of law is dangerous. 

Her CNN - IBN, said in an interview, "People's Lok Pal Bill, I doubt many reasons. I think this bill is dangerous. " He alleged that members of civil society has in its favor by the public anger. 


Booker Prize novelist Arundhati said, "you (civil society) of the genuine and justified public anger against corruption is used, so its pushing ahead on that particular bill that is quite dangerous." Hazare-led movement, he said Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia movement was launched by the NGO. He said the core committee of three members of the NGOs and the Magsaysay Award. World Bank and the Ford Foundation is funding anti-corruption campaigns. 

Roy said, "Anna Hazare was elected to the public as a saint and has been prepared in the same way. His mind was not behind the movement. We really need to be worried about that. " He also said that Hazare did not like the movement of the mass movement. He charged the media to air it. Roy said that certain people were involved, but these were not all middle-middle class. Many people come to the reality shows, the media campaigns were well planned.
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Tuesday 30 August 2011

I won't scare Katrina, claims SRK

Shah Rukh Khan was recently taken aback with the news of Katrina Kaif having inhibitions about sharing screen space with him. As polite as ever, SRK gracefully conveyed his message to Kat, by claiming that she won’t be able to escape his charisma. 


SRK elaborates, “I’m surprised to hear about Katrina’s fears, as I usually get along with girls very nicely. I think I’m too gentle to scare them. Women like my company and I love to keep them as comfortable as possible.” 

He goes on to add, “I’m sure Katrina too won’t complain, as we start working for Yash Raj’s next. I never intend to do anything to scare anybody.” Well, we hope Katrina heaves a sigh of relief after getting your message, SRK. But again, a word of caution for Kat- Beware of the pranks SRK plays on his co-stars!
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Team Anna 'solidly' backs Kiran Bedi on privilege issue



Team Anna Hazare on Tuesday rallied behind its key member Kiran Bedi who is facing a breach of privilege notice in Parliament for her controversial remarks against MPs, warning such move would be perceived by people as lawmakers' way to seek revenge on them.
Arvind Kejriwal, a key Team Anna member, said the entire team was "solidly" behind Bedi.
He said, "She will respond to the notice as and when the notice is received. The notice has not been received so far. It does not constitute breach of privilege of Parliament. You may like it or not, that's a different thing but it does not constitute breach of privilege of Parliament."
Prashant Bhushan, lawyer and another Team Anna member, said the move to serve a notice to Bedi was "unfortunate as she had not said anything which could be termed as breach of privilege".
He claimed there were talks that he and another member Arvind Kejriwal would also get privilege notices.
"We too have not said any such thing.
Bhushan told reporters, "And if this is done, it is clear...people will think that perhaps MPs are thinking that our fight is against MPs as we talk about their corruption. People will think it is a way for MPs to seek revenge."
Bedi, a former IPS officer, had on Monday said she was not going to apologise and was prepared for any punishment.
She said, "Sorry no apology for being demonstratively a voice of public anguish. Prepared for any punishment."
In contrast to Bedi's stand, actor Om Puri, who is also facing breach of privilege notice, apologised for using derogatory remarks to deride the political class.
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Kareena wants Imran to play Chhota Rajan

Impressed by the young Khan, Kareena Kapoor is pushing director Milan Luthria to cast him in her next romcom, the sequel of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai If closed-door talks at Balaji Motion Pictures are an indication, then Shahid Kapoor won't feature in the sequel of Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai, the film based on the underworld. 


It is learnt that Kareena Kapoor is rooting for Imran Khan, her co-star in Short Term Shaadi, to play the character inspired by Chhota Rajan. Interestingly, Kareena herself isn't being paired with Imran in the Milan Luthria directed movie, as she has already confirmed to pair with Akshay Kumar, who plays the role of a don, inspired by Dawood Ibrahim. 

According to an insider associated with the film, "Kareena feels that Imran would bring novelty to the character inspired by Rajan. More so because he has played strong romantic roles in most of his films." Besides that, an insider told us that working in the project, Short Term Shaadi, Kareena is enthused about how well she gets along with the co-actor. 

"That's also one reason why she's so strongly recommending Imran's for this movie, " said our source. Now, the actor will have take a call when the producers approach him. However, our source maintained that producer Ekta Kapoor is also backing Kareena's suggestion to director Milan Luthria. 

"But it's still some time before they connect with Imran, as currently Milan is focused on finishing the last schedule for The Dirty Picture, for Ekta's company. In another week or two, talks should be initiated, " said our source. When contacted, Tanuj Garg, CEO Balaji Motion Pictures said, "It's still too early to talk about the parallel male lead. When things are finalised, we'll make a formal announcement."
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'The Lying Game' Recap: Best of 'Double Dibs'

In tonight's episode of The Lying Game, Emma (Alexandra Chando) gets closer to Sutton's family while Sutton (Chando again) starts uncovering some of the many secrets surrounding the twins' birth. 


Top Five Moments: 

5. Ethan and Sutton are in love...or are they?: 
Ethan (Blair Redford) is upset that Sutton left town and made the switch with Emma without telling him. Sutton is also upset that her parents found him with Emma and after learning Ethan kissed Emma, Sutton warns him to stay away from her sister and says she loves him. Ethan returns the sentiment but it seems to be forced from both parties. 

4. There's a new guy in town and he's not interested in Sutton!: Laurel (Allie Gonino) meets a cute boy and they bond over their tastes in music. Later, she sees him at school but she is not the only one. Char (Kirsten Prout) takes an instant like to the new guy, Justin, and declares that he will be hers. And this show just got another love triangle! Luckily, the triangle appears to be resolved by episode's end when Justin leaves Char's party to ask Laurel out on a date. 

3. Sutton thinks she found her birth mother: Unfortunately, when Sutton talks to Ruth Peterson, it turns out that Ruth is not the birth mom she and Emma are looking for. Ruth says she was paid to put her name on the birth certificate and she has no idea who the twins' real mother might be. Ruth also reveals that both Sutton and Emma were originally adopted by wealthy parents and it leaves Sutton wondering how Emma wound up in the foster system. 

2. Mads' dad is bad news: After last week's shenanigans, Alec (Adrian Pasdar) conceals his crime by setting Ethan up for stealing Sutton's laptop. Eventually, Emma decides to believe that she can trust Ethan and they almost kiss. Ethan stops the kiss by claiming he loves Sutton and Emma (sadly) agrees that Sutton 'has dibs'.  

1. Sutton's search finally leads somewhere: Sutton goes to visit the family who adopted Emma when they were both babies and Emma's one-time adopted dad tells Sutton that their birth mother took Emma back before the adoption was finalized. He says he could not go to the police because it was a back-channel adoption and that probably applied to Sutton's adoption, as well. At the end of the episode, the same man gives Sutton a picture of Emma and their birth mom so the girls finally have a clue as to her identity.
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'Hell's Kitchen' Recap: Best of Six Chefs Remain

Elise is "very grateful" to remain in the competition and is ready to put her "best foot forward" on tonight's episode of Hell's Kitchen. Also, the red team is very skeptical if Elisabeth can keep it together. But, as the announcer tells us, bot teams are "eager for redemption". 

Will they be able to do it? Let's see... "Stop crying!" The elimination challenge sounds interesting. Every team must prepare three entrees in 30 minutes. The first one must be prepared in 30 minutes, the second one in 20 minutes and the last in 10 minutes. All three dishes must be completed and arrive at the pass at the same time. The blue team wins because Elise undercooks her calamari. And she starts crying. Bitterly. "Stop crying, Elise!", Chef Ramsay barks at her. 


"Bounce back!" "I'm a fashionable individual!" As a reward, the men go on a shopping spree and must pretend to be thrilled by it. And since Hell's Kitchen likes to perpetuate gender clichés, none of the men have any fashion sense and stumble around the clothing store like they just landed on mars. Tommy even learns that he has been a "fashionable individual" because he wears a leather jacket every day. He also gets an opportunity to reinforce his creepiness when he openly scans the sales clerk's body to compare it to his girlfriend's when he picks out a dress for her. 

Classy. "You're messing with the wrong person!" Meanwhile, tensions rise on the lady's team. After rearranging the dining room for a charity dinner, which involved the very unladylike task of carrying around tables, Elise wants to reassert her ambitions to be the team leader but Elisabeth won't have any of it. "If she thinks she can bully me around, she is messing with the wrong person", she says in the confessional. How many times have we heard that on Hell's Kitchen? 

 "War is on!" The "exclusive" black tie event, because nothing is more exclusive and classy than dining with Gordon Ramsay's constant yelling and cursing in the background, sees every contestant being responsible for two dishes, which means that leading skills are tested. Which means, of course, that the "VIP guests" have to hear the contestants' constant bickering and yelling in addition to Chef Ramsay's ramblings. No one really emerges as a leader, except for Will who somehow unites the blue team. And unsurprisingly Elisabeth and Tommy completely shut down, unable to steer their team when it's their time. Tensions escalate between Elise and Jennifer. 

The "not most physically fit" (Jennifer's self-description) person on the show declares bravely: "I have kept my mouth shut long enough. But that's over now. War is on!" "My decision is..." Jennifer's and Elise's self-aggrandizement leads them to an extended shouting match right in front of Chef Ramsay. "Can you lead a team?" blares Elise. "Can you listen?" retorts Jennifer.

For the sake of further drama between the alpha females Jennifer and Elise, of course, Elisabeth, who practically begs on her knees to remain in the competition, is eliminated. All remaining five contestants now don black jackets and are prompted by Chef Ramsay to get ready for what's to come. Will they be able to raise to the challenge?
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Laurel Brown's Best and Worst Picks of the Fall 2011 Season

With more than 30 new shows and countless returning favorites, the fall 2011 TV season is more loaded than a baked potato. BuddyTV writer Laurel Brown has looked through all of it and has chosen the three best and the three worst things about the new season. 

THE BEST Late-Start Shows Usually, September is when our favorite shows return. This year, however, things are a little different. Two of my favorites -- Bones and Chuck -- won't return to television until late October and early November. 


This is going to make September somewhat dull, but the later fall will be awesome. New Girl It's funny, it's well-made and yes, it is adorable. From the corny theme song (sung by star Zooey Deschanel) to the great supporting cast (the three male roommates are actual characters, not two-dimensional foils) to the true celebration of a dorky girl, I'm excited for everything about this show. 

Cliffhanger Resolution Among the many spring cliffhangers on TV, there were two that stood out from me: Castle and Fringe. Sure, no one thinks that Beckett's bullet wounds will leave her dead. But what about Castle's panicked declaration of love? 

Where will the go with that? And then there's Fringe. When Peter winked out of existence, shortly after having somehow saved two universes from destruction, Fringe set up one of the weirdest and best cliffhangers ever. 

Sure, we've heard that Peter will be back. But how? Where? When? Arrrrrgggghhh!!! THE WORST The Return of the Laugh Track I have nothing against traditional and multi-camera comedies -- in theory. Over the years, such shows have been the home of true greatness (from The Cosby Show to The Big Bang Theory), but I hate those laugh tracks. 

This season, a total of five new shows (Whitney, I Hate My Teenage Daughter, How to Be a Gentleman, Last Man Standing and 2 Broke Girls) will bring canned laughter into our lives. A truly good comedy has an unobtrusive laugh track that you can ignore, because you're laughing too. But when the comedy isn't perfect, the laugh track makes me want to scream. 

If you have to tell me when I need to laugh, it's not funny. The Almost-Inevitable Cancellation of Revenge Having seen the pilot episode of ABC's Revenge, I'm intrigued. The show looks to be well-acted, well-written and containing an interesting mystery I want to see solved. But it's also a serialized and odd drama lacking in huge stars. 

The chances of cancellation -- probably after just a few episodes -- are high. The X-Factor I'll admit that I'm not a fan of big singing shows. I've never understood the appeal of American Idol and only kind of got into The Voice. The X-Factor looks like more of the same. More of the same with over-the-top media coverage, that is. As far as the promos seem to be concerned, nothing else will ever be on FOX ever again. It's too much, and I already don't care.
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Comedy Central's Charlie Sheen Roast Promos

Usually at a comedy roast, the guest of honor takes a back seat and lets the parade of comedians and friends drive the laugh train at their expense.


But we've known this for a while now: Charlie Sheen doesn't do anything in the "usual" way. Check out these two brand-new promos for Sheen's upcoming roast on Comedy Central, set to air on September 19.

They star Sheen as the conductor of the -- you guessed it -- Crazy Train, which stops at many familiar locations, if you kept up with Sheen's rants back in March. (How could you not?) He's trying very hard once again to assure us that he is in on the joke
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Twitter, Facebook encourage drug abuse?

"Be afraid of Facebook, be very afraid," jokes The Huffington Post, citing the claims as "outrageous." "It's another correlational study in which the reader is obviously supposed to assume causality, a no-no in the world of studies," adds the Los Angeles Times.


"At one time, public health experts thought that eating ice cream might cause polio; they noticed that the number of polio cases was higher in places with greater ice cream consumption." The results of the survey showed that compared to teens who don't visit social networking sites daily, those who log on are five times more likely to use tobacco, three times more likely to drink alcohol, and twice as likely to smoke marijuana. 

 "But it's not the fact that teens visit social network sites that makes them more likely to abuse alcohol or other drugs," writes WebMD. "Instead, the issue seems to be what they view on those sites." 

CASA reports that 40 percent of the teens interviewed said they saw photos on social media sites of their peers drunk, passed out, or using drugs, which CASA says is just bad news for any parent, and they hope the results of the survey might nudge parents to start monitoring what their child sees online. 


In the survey, which also interviewed 528 parents of teens, 64 percent said they didn't monitor social networking sites that their children visit. "Parents need to monitor their kids with respect to social networking and the TV shows they watch, and know what their kids' lives are like," said CASA President Joseph Califano Jr.
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Shah Rukh pays a surprise visit to Priyanka

Priyanka Chopra who was shooting for a commercial, directed by Tarun Mansukhani, at Mehboob Studios last week, had a surprise visitor. 


An eyewitness says, "Shah Rukh Khan who was shooting in the vicinity dropped in on the sets. SRK and Tarun were engrossed in a long chat over coffee. And Piggy Chops was obviously thrilled having SRK around." Hopefully she completed the shoot!
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Now Aamir Khan to turn anti-corruption crusader?

Mantena has acquired the rights of a Tamil film about an anti-corruption crusader, and plans to star Aamir in the title role Anna Hazare and his message of anti-corruption has not just caught the imagination of ordinary citizens, it has also planted an idea, that of a film, into the minds of Bollywood producers. 

While there are rumours circulating that Prakash Jha will make a film on the movement with Amitabh Bachchan playing Hazare, what has now emerged is that well-known producer Madhu Mantena (who produced Ghajini) has purchased the rights of an old Telugu film that revolves around the anti-corruption theme. Titled Tagore, the film starred Chiranjeevi as an anti-corruption crusader who starts a vigilante organisation called Anti-Corruption Force. 


It as old as 2003, and was forgotten but suddenly there was high demand for its remake rights, say sources. The producers of Tagore jacked up the remake rights of the film to a staggering Rs 10 crore. What's more, Mantena is believed to have paid up the amount. When contacted, Mantena said he is in the process of acquiring the rights for the film. 

"I love the title and I love the message of the film. I think it's far more relevant today than it was when it was made seven years ago." Interestingly, Tagore itself is the remake of a 2002 Tamil film called Ramanna. AR Murugadoss who directed Ghajini for producer Madhu Mantena also wrote Tagore. According to sources, Mantena wants to cast Aamir Khan in the role of the anti-corruption crusader. While not denying this bit of news, Mantena refused to talk about the subject. He said, "I can't talk about the casting. It's too early."
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Don't sacrifice health for hair

On August 25, The New York Times reported on Dr. Regina M. Benjamin's comments when she spoke at Atlanta's trade fair Bronner Brothers International Hair Show, which draws some 60,000 hair stylists. Benjamin cited that this is a particularly hot-button issue for black women, like herself, who sometimes invest considerable time and money into transforming naturally curly hair into silky manes. Sweat is a notorious killer of smooth hair. 


"Oftentimes you get women saying, 'I can't exercise today because I don't want to sweat my hair back or get my hair wet,' " she told The New York Times. "When you're starting to exercise, you look for reasons not to, and sometimes the hair is one of those reasons." 

The New York Times reports that Benjamin's mother was a hairstylist, and she has noted studies that have shown black men and women are more likely to visit a doctor when they talk about the health issues with their barbers and hairdressers.

"I hate to use the word 'excuse,' but that's one of them," said Benjamin. "We want to encourage people, and also give women the ability to look good and feel good and to be empowered about their own health."
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Want a tan without using sunbeds?

Scientists have developed a tiny implant that be placed under the skin to give a three-month tan without using sunbeds, it emerged today. The capsule is no bigger than a grain of rice but it is implanted under the skin and stimulates the production of melanin. 

The naturally occurring pigment controls the colour of the skin and how much UV radiation is absorbed. By releasing the chemical, the skin would become darker and could resemble a healthy bronzed tan. Although the implant was initially developed by medics in order to alleviate skin conditions, experts believe it could be taken up by the beauty industry. 


An estimated three million people a year use sunbeds and any products that could improve tanning are likely to be popular. Millions more use spray tans. Lesley Rhodes, professor of experimental dermatology at Manchester University, said that the implant could become an alternative method of tanning. 'Potentially, it does offer an alternative to commercial sunscreens and there are lots of senior scientists who are convinced it's safe,' she told the Times. 

Professor Rhodes stressed that more research into the long-tern side-effects of using the implant would been to be done until it could be rolled out onto the market. The makers of the chip, Clinuvel, said they developed it to help patients who suffer from skin disorders. The chemical implant would also help those organ transplant patients whose anti-rejection drugs increase the risk of skin cancer. The implant has received recognition from Cancer Research UK. 

They have acknowledged its potential to prevent malignant skin cancer and reduce the risks of sunbeds. A statement on the Clinuvel claims: 'To date, Clinuvel has spent over $80 million developing the Scenesse implant drug product as a therapeutic photoprotective drug for patients who are most at risk from UV and sun exposure. 


'Scenesse has a relatively short half life (less than 50 minutes) and trials to date have raised no serious safety concerns; thus far the drug is well tolerated by patients. The implant drug product has been chosen for its ease of use in dermatology.' If the implant is used in the cosmetics industry, it would be following in the footsteps of Botox, which started out as a muscle relaxant before being used in anti-wrinkle treatment.
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First new species of bird discovered in U.S. for 37 years

Ornithologists have found a new species of bird in the U.S. for the first time in nearly four decades - dead, in a museum collection. Although other examples of what has been dubbed Bryan's shearwater, a kind of long-winged seabird, have been spotted, no-one has yet held a live specimen. 

The new species was identified by Peter Pyle, an ornithologist at the U.S. Institute for Bird Populations, who noticed it while compiling a monograph on Hawaiian birds. He said: 'Many ornithologists dream of discovering new species. Some are still doing that down in the Amazon. 


But to find one in our backyard is surprising.' The specimen Mr Pyle used to register the new species was collected at Midway Atoll, Hawaii, in 1963, and was originally labelled as an exceptionally small Little Shearwater. On closer inspection, Mr Pyle thought it may actually be a Boyd's shearwater, but it had a shorter wing and tail. 

In the end, genetic analyses showed neither identification was right and that the specimen was a representative of an entirely new species. Together with Smithsonian Institution ornithologists Robert Fleischer and Andreanna Welch, Mr Pyle named the new species Puffinus bryani, after Edwin Bryan, a former curator at the Bishop Museum in Honolulu. 

'Many ornithologists dream of discovering new species. Some are still doing that down in the Amazon. But to find one in our backyard is surprising' Peter Pyle, U.S. Institute of Bird Populations It is the first new U.S. bird to be added to the records since 1974, when the Po'ouli was found in Maui. But there remains much to be discovered about the new species - starting with just where it lives. 

A second specimen was tagged and recorded on Midway in 1990, Mr Pyle said, and reports of birds fitting the Bryan's shearwater description have been spotted as far afield as Japan and the southern Gulf of Alaska. 'I'm pretty certain it's still out there,' Mr Pyle added, although the bird is rare and possibly threatened. The new discovery is described in an article published in the academic journal The Condor.
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Cheryl Cole gets to work on set of What To Expect When You're Expecting

It was revealed earlier this month that Cheryl Cole could be starring in her first Hollywood movie, What To Expect When You're Expecting. And now the former X Factor judge has started work on the film in Atlanta, Georgia, alongside Cameron Diaz.

 The 28-year-old star was spotted on the set, showing off her figure in a tight black Emilio Pucci lace dress and sky-high heels as she made her way to film her first scenes. The film – whose cast also includes actors Dennis Quaid, Chris Rock and Matthew Morrison - chronicles the lives of four couples as they prepare to become parents. 


And, in what could be construed as a side-swipe at Simon Cowell after she was sacked from X Factor USA, Cheryl will play a TV talent show judge for her cameo role in the film. Cameron plays Jules who auditions in an X Factor-style contest in front of the TV talent show judge - Cheryl's character. 

Cheryl is said to have initially impressed Hollywood film bosses during a four-day appearance at the Cannes Film Festival in May. A film source revealed to the Daily Mail earlier this year: ‘This is a bit of fun for Cheryl. She will film the scenes imminently and is really looking forward to it. 'It doesn’t mean she suddenly wants to become actress. 

It was just an opportunity that has come up while she has been having some down time and she thought it would be great fun to take part.’ A spokesperson for the singer confirmed at the time: 'Cheryl Cole is confirmed for a small cameo appearance in the film What to Expect When You're Expecting.' Meanwhile, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Simon Cowell said he wouldn't hesitate to offer Cheryl a role on another of his TV projects. 


Defending his decision to replace Cheryl with Nicole Scherzinger in the US, Cowell said: 'You're not drowning puppies here. 'You're offering someone who's got millions of dollars more money and more work. And if people think that's cruel, then they can do that to me on a daily basis. I'll take it twice a day.' Cowell also confirmed that he offered Cheryl the chance to return to UK X Factor, but negotiations fell apart and they hadn't spoken since. 

He said: 'She missed the deadline which meant she'd lost the UK show. I asked her manager Will.i.am, "How does she feel about it?" He said, "It's none of your concern." 'I never heard from her... I think her silence was quite damning.' Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-2031547/Cheryl-Cole-gets-work-set-What-To-Expect-When-Youre-Expecting.html#ixzz1WTr5jLUt
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Salman to head to the US today for treatment, to miss Eid

The actor, who travels to America for treatment, will miss the festivities for the first time in years It's undoubtedly the most important time of the year for Bollywood's Dabangg Khan. It's the end of Ramzan, the beginning of Ganeshotsav and the release of his much-awaited film Bodyguard. 

But unfortunately, for the first time in years, Salman will not be around to celebrate the festivals or his film release with friends and family. 


Contrary to reports that Khan has cancelled his trip to America (on account of Hurricane Irene), he is definitely travelling abroad for his treatment today. 

"He was initially landing via New York, but since the airport there is shut, he is now taking an alternative route," confirms brother-in-law and Bodyguard producer Atul Agnihotri. The actor, who has been diagnosed with a facial nerve disorder, has been in pain for the past six months. 

While he continued shooting for Bodyguard despite the illness, the last few days have been very tough on him. Adds the film's director Siddiqque, "Salman is very good at concealing his pain. There were times when we wouldn't even realise that something's wrong with him. 

He'd continue working as if everything is normal." Lucky Eid Of course, no one can deny that Eid has been the most auspicious time for a Salman film since the past four years. Despite all efforts, unfortunately, Sallu won't be around to witness the release of his film on August 31, and also to bring home the Ganpati idol on September 1. 

 "We are going to really miss him, but we cannot take any chances. Health comes first and the doctors have strictly asked him to complete treatment as soon as possible. So he is going to be there for as long as required. Everything else can wait," says Atul. His absence most definitely will slow down the publicity of the film as well, but we guess a Salman Khan release on Eid doesn't need too much of it, anyway.
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Shahid vs Saif: Kareena and her warring lovers

Former beau Shahid Kapoor and current lover Saif Ali Khan avoid bumping into each other while shooting at Mehboob Studios When couples in B-Town break-up, they usually do everything in their power to avoid bumping into each other. Not surprising then, they don't want their new lovers to run into their exes either. Like in the case of Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor. 


Kareena Kapoor's present and past avoided each other despite shooting on adjacent floors at Mehboob Studios in Bandra recently. "Saif was shooting for a shoe brand that he and Bebo endorse, while Shahid was doing a magazine shoot with his dad Pankaj Kapoor. 

Their vanity vans were parked barely a few meters away, so it was up to their staff to ensure that they don't come face to face with each other, " informs our source who was present there. Shahid was the first to arrive. "He had to shoot a couple of changes with his dad and his bike. So he was moving a lot between his van and the studio room he was shooting in, " says our source, adding that it was the same with Saif as he was shooting six changes. 

Fortunately, for their respective crews, the two actors didn't meet even once. Both, however, didn't seem too perturbed about running into each other. "Saif and Shahid were too preoccupied with their shoot to be bothered about the other, " points our source. Shahid steers clear of Sallu Interestingly, Saif Ali Khan wasn't the only actor Shahid Kapoor didn't want to meet. 


Salman Khan was also at the same studio doing promotional interviews for Bodyguard. Differences between Salman and Shahid arose during their Rock Stars tour some years ago, post which the former doesn't acknowledge the latter's presence. 

Kareena not keen to work with Shahid Kareena Kapoor strongly recommending Imran Khan for Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai sequel (HitList, 27 Aug) seems to be a clear message to Shahid Kapoor. She's not keen to work with him even though he has been approached to play the role parallel to Akshay Kumar in the Milan Luthria film for Balaji Motion Pictures.









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BuddyTV Daily Quiz: This Week In TV, August 13-19

To paraphrase SpongeBob SquarePants, "another week, another seven nickels!" And sure, while last week saw a bunch of finales -- and this week, too -- there was still a lot going on our televisions. 


Life at the Big Brother house continued while werewolves killed each other on Teen Wolf. Twelve talents got another shot on America's Got Talent, while Emma (or Sutton, who?) got into some new trouble on The Lying Game. You get the idea. 

So, for another week, here's another quiz on all that happened on your little screens over the past seven days. In case you need reminding, all the answers here can be found in everything that we've written here on BuddyTV in the past (guess!) seven days. Wait, you knew already? Lovely!
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Celina Jaitley hitched - Announces her marriage online


Celina Jaitly has announced her marriage to Dubai-based Austrian beau Peter Haag on her micro-blogging site.

The starlet stated: With great pleasure I would like to announce my wedding with Peter Haag on the 23rd of last month at a 1,000-year-old monastery in Austria. We seek your blessings and good wishes, and apologise for the delayed announcement due to a family tragedy.

She also posted a snapshot and said: Here is a picture of the most cherished moment of our lives. The picture features myself and my beloved husband, flanked by my dearest father-in-law to my left, and my brother- in-law to Peter's right.

The actress got engaged to the hotelier last year. A while back, she had denied rumours the two were already married, claiming that they had only had an engagement ceremony.

She had also stated that she would wed in Egypt (for which she is the cultural ambassador) in September, but now all that is history.
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'Dancing with the Stars' Season 13 Cast Announcement




Tonight is the night!

After weeks of rumors and denials from celebrities across the many, many fields of entertainment, tonight we find out exactly who will close out 2011 on season 13 of Dancing with the Stars. Will the rumors be right? Will there be surprises? Keep reading to find out!

A quite impressive number of names have floated around this summer as possibilities for the DWTS cast. Some seem pretty likely. Others are nothing but pipe dreams. There is probably no way to account for every single rumored person, but some of the likelier possibilities include:

  • David Arquette
  • Ron Artest
  • Chaz Bono
  • Elisabetta Canalis
  • Kristin Cavallari
  • Nancy Grace
  • Rob Kardashian
  • Dina Lohan
  • Ryan O'Neil
  • Queen Latifah
  • Kim Richards
  • Snooki
  • Hope Solo
  • Tiffani Thiessen
  • Mike Tyson
  • Henry Winkler

Remember, these are all RUMORS! The actual names are still to come!

Here we go! It's Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke! Brooke seems to have a new version of her last name. OK then.

Whatever. Here's the first half of the cast:

  • Ricki Lake
  • Ron Artest (sans shirt!)
  • Kristin Cavallari
  • Chynna Phillips
  • David Arquette ("The King of the Big Screen?") 
  • Carson Kressley

Well, at least I basically know who all of these people are. Also, it looks like Kris Jenner is in the audience, in case anyone didn't think that Rob Kardashian was competing this season.

It's time for the second half of the season 13 DWTS celebrities!

  • Nancy Grace
  • J.R. Martinez
  • Hope Solo
  • Rob Kardashian
  • Elisabetta Canalis
  • Chaz Bono

Check out the season 13 cast of Dancing with the Stars in the slideshow below!



So those are the celebrities. We won't find out their various partners until Wednesday, when they will be announced during Good Morning America.

Want more Dancing with the Stars info? Check out our DWTS Insider page on Facebook.

What do you think of the season 13 celebrities on Dancing with the Stars? Do they seem like higher-quality stars than in the past? Does anyone make you cringe? Let us know by leaving a comment! 
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