Robbie Knievel,The Famous Stuntman Is Son of Legendary Daredevil Evel Knievel

Robert Edward "Kaptain" Knievel is an American daredevil and son of the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel.Robbie Knievel is the third of four children of the late famous stuntman Evel Knievel and his first wife Linda. Knievel began jumping his bicycle at age 4 and rode motorcycles at age 7.Robbie Knievel's jumping career is markedly different from his father's, in that Robbie used high-performance Honda CR-500 motocross bikes that have been designed for jumping up until 2008.Evel Knievel used Harley-Davidson motorcycles which were significantly heavier and less agile, and which were really intended for track racing.

Robbie has completed over 250 jumps, setting 20 world records. These include the Caesars Palace Fountain jump, the building to building jump and The Grand Canyon jump.Knievel successfully jumped on June 7, 2008 at the Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth, Texas. He cleared 21 Hummers on the front stretch of the speedway.While performing pre-jump wheelies at the LCO Casino near Hayward, Wisconsin on August 16, 2008, Robbie fell off the bike and slid into some hay bales, dislocating his shoulder. Despite his injury, he performed the jump clearing four small airplanes and a small helicopter.

Robbie ended 2008 with a New Year's Eve jump at the newly renovated volcano at the Mirage Hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was advertised as jumping OVER top of the volcano & its flames, but watching it live it was clear he was in front of the flames. The live FOX television special marked the 8th live special in Robbie's career.In the summer of 2009 Robbie will travel to London and attempt to jump over 16 buses using the same Harley Davidson XR-750 that his father Evel Knievel used in his failed 1975 jump.

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Robin Thicke, The Grammy Award Winning Singer Is Son Of Actor Alan Thicke

Robin Charles Thicke is an American Grammy Award winning singer, songwriter, musician, composer, and occasional actor.Robin was born March 10, 1977 and is the son of actor Alan Thicke and his first wife, Days of our Lives actress, Gloria Loring.In 2004 Thicke won his first Grammy award for his collaborations on Usher's 2004 release Confessions. As an artist, he recorded and performed solely under his surname, Thicke. He would continue to do so until 2005. On June 11, 2005, Thicke married actress Paula Patton, whom he met and began dating when he was 14 years old.In 2000, Robin, who simply went by his last name Thicke, went to work on material for his debut album, initially entitled Cherry Blue Skies. The album focused more on blue-eyed soul, than his pop-offerings for other artists.

In 2002, Robin Thicke released his debut single "When I Get You Alone". The track samples Walter Murphy's "A Fifth of Beethoven", which itself is a disco rendition of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. The music video for the song features an unshaven Thicke, with long, wild hair, as a courier racing through the streets of Manhattan on a bicycle. It received some rotation on MTV2 and BET's Rated Next and was spun moderately on urban radio. Globally, however, "When I Get You Alone" became a chart success when it peaked within the top 20 in Australia, Belgium, and Italy, and reached the top ten of the singles charts in New Zealand and the top three in the Netherlands. The tune was featured for the soundtrack of Agent Cody Banks.

In 2005, Thicke performed as a guest on the remix of Will Smith's song, "Switch". After being signed to The Neptunes label, Star Trak, he began working on his second album entitled The Evolution of Robin Thicke. The first single, "Wanna Love U Girl", featured producer Pharrell and experienced chart success on urban radio in the United Kingdom. For the video, Thicke changed his appearance, cutting off his trademark long hair. In 2006, a remix version of the song was filmed with rapper Busta Rhymes.

In March 2007, The Evolution of Robin Thicke was certified Platinum by the RIAA. Thicke and his record label Interscope soon considered potential tracks to be released as the album's next and third single. Thicke's preference was the track "Can U Believe", which has since peaked at number fifteen on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and at number ninety-nine on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.On October 2, 2007 the track "Got 2 Be Down" was released as the album's fourth official single. The single, to date, has peaked at number sixty on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks.

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Watch the Ball Drop In New York Live Online And on TV

You may be longing for the excitement of Times Square on New Year's Eve. If you can't make it into the city, or would rather watch the Times Square live New Year's Eve ball drop from the comfort of your home, watch it with one of these sites. Included are live cams focused on Times Square.United States of Americas the highlights of tonight's TV coverage of the New Year's Ball drop and preceding events. Here is the live cam feed and video from the New York’s Times Square webcam. Watch the ball drop as we welcome the New Year 2009.

What will happen in 2009? Will Barack Obama build 1,000 roads to Times Square as he puts New Yorkers back to work? Or will he build 1,000 roads to Illinois to give the governor an easy way out. Who knows where Obama will build roads, but roads he will build to put our nation back to work. For that is his economic plan as best we understand it. Should be a great year for the new president assuming they don’t drop the ball on his economic plan.Meanwhile, watch the streaming video of the ball drop in Times Square, New York, and hide your wallet.


Times Square Web-Cam Live!



New York Ball Drop (Video)

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Dick Clark's Primetime New Year's Rockin' Eve '09 With Ryan Seacrest

For the 37th year, Clark will be in Times Square to mark the new year and, as he has since suffering a stroke a few years back, he'll get a lot of help from Seacrest during the night. Performers include the Jonas Brothers, Taylor Swift and Lionel Richie.

Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve With Ryan Seacrest returns to ABC tonight, hosted primarily by American Idol's one-man media conglomerate. Though it's unclear how much airtime Clark, 79, will have, he's scheduled to appear for the fourth straight year and the 36th of 37 shows since it premiered in 1972. "Dick will do the countdown and bring the ball in, and we'll do a bunch of (short segments) with him," says longtime show producer Larry Klein.

Clark, who has made limited appearances since his stroke in 2004 — often speaking haltingly and using a walker or wheelchair — told the Associated Press in an e-mail interview, "I am one of the fortunate ones who survived and have been minimally impaired, so I'm just thankful I'm still able to enjoy this once-a-year treat of bringing in the New Year."Says Seacrest, 34: "I saw him recently, and he was in a fantastic mood. I know he loves this show and loves being in Times Square. What's great about Dick is he doesn't need much of a plan."

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Susan Graham is an American Composer & Opera Artist

Susan Graham is an American mezzo-soprano.Raised in Midland, Texas, she is a graduate of Texas Tech University and the Manhattan School of Music. She studied the piano for 13 years.She was a winner in the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions, and also a recipient of the Schwabacher Award from the Merola Program of San Francisco Opera.

Graham made her international début at Covent Garden in 1994, playing Massenet's Chérubin.She has also premièred several roles in contemporary operas, including John Harbison's The Great Gatsby (Jordan Baker), Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking (Sister Helen Prejean), and Tobias Picker's An American Tragedy (Sondra Finchley).

Graham is a noted champion of the French song repertoire and of songs by contemporary American composers, including Ned Rorem and Lowell Liebermann.Graham made her Carnegie Hall recital debut in April 2003, and a recording of this recital was later released.Graham sang "Bless This House" at George W. Bush's second inauguration on 20 January 2005.She is a US delegate for UNESCO.

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Kellie Pickler on Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve

With only fourteen days to go until the premiere of the eighth season of American Idol, fans can whet their appetite by watching American Idol host Ryan Seacrest and former American Idol finalist Kellie Pickler ring in the New Year. It’s the 37th consecutive year for Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve. The show is co-hosted by Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest.

Former American Idol finalist and current country star Kellie Pickler will serve as a correspondent, reporting from Times Square in New York City. Singer Fergie will serve as host of the West Coast party that will also be featured on the show.Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest will feature performances from both New York and Hollywood. Dick Clark will continue his tradition of counting down until midnight.

As a country singer, Kellie Pickler has released two albums. Her first album entitled Small Town Girl sold more than 800,000 copies. Her self-titled second album was just released in October of this year. Both albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Album Chart. Kellie Pickler’s current single is “Best Days of Your Life,” which she wrote her friend and fellow artist, Taylor Swift.

“New Year’s Eve with Dick and Ryan is a time honored tradition and all of us at dcp and ABC are delighted that Fergie will once again host our West Coast event, and thrilled that Kellie Pickler will be amidst the revelry and party goers at Times Square,” said Orly Adelson, who is president of Dick Clark Productions.

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Dane Cook's Brother Darryl McCauley Arrested

Comedian and actor Dane Cook has often been accused of stealing material from other comics. I avoid watching Cook, so I don't know if there's any truth to that. It wouldn't technically be a crime if he did, anyway, just dishonest and skeevy. Cook's brother and long-time business manager Darryl McCauley allegedly went far beyond anything like plagiarism in dealing with the performer's personal fortune, though and he's been arrested as a result. According to Massachusetts AG Martha Coakley, McCauley appropriated millions from a client between July 2007 and the end of 2008. The AG didn't say the client was Cook, but other publications are reporting the comedian was indeed the victim here. At one point, McCauley even allegedly forged a check to himself from his client to the tune of $3 million.

A lot of publications seem wary of saying McCauley is indeed Cook's brother, and I'm not sure why. McCauley is referred to as Cook's brother in this article written two years ago. According to the piece, Cook once worked at a restaurant and McCauley was his manager. Several articles from 2006 about the possibility that Dane Cook was dating Jessica Simpson contain a quote denying the hookup from his "brother," Darryl McCauley.

Then there's the obituary for Dane Cook's mother, Donna, published in 2006 in the Boston Globe, which read in part, "She leaves behind her children Kelly McCauley-Amann and her husband Larry of Braintree; Darryl McCauley and his wife Erika of Wilmington; Dane Cook of Los Angeles, CA." So yeah -- Dane Cook has allegedly been ripped off in a huge way by his own brother.

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Kennedy Center Honors George Jones,Twyla Tharp,Barbara Streisand

They've saved Barbra Streisand for last, but another woman may gain more scrutiny when the Kennedy Center Honors are broadcast.Caroline Kennedy hosted the event, which taped Dec. 7, before she made headlines by announcing her political ambitions. CBS presents TV's classiest awards show at 8 tonight.

The six honorees this year are Ms. Streisand, actor Morgan Freeman, Texas singer George Jones, choreographer Twyla Tharp and rockers Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of the Who. Here's a preview:

Denzel Washington and Clint Eastwood salute Mr. Freeman with words; Koko Taylor and B.B. King honor him in song.Lily Tomlin calls Ms. Tharp "America's most influential choreographer." Dancers Marcelo Gomes and Luciana Paris perform Ms. Tharp's "Sinatra Suite."

Jack Black speaks of his love for the Who: "They were legends in a time of legends." Singing the band's music are Joss Stone ("My Generation"); Chris Cornell ("Won't Get Fooled Again"); Bettye LaVette ("Love Reign O'er Me"); Dave Grohl ("Who Are You"); and Rob Thomas ("Baba O'Riley").

Laura Bush praises Mr. Jones: "There's no getting tired of a singer like him." A Jones medley features Brad Paisley on "Bartender's Blues," Randy Travis on "I'm a One Woman Man," Alan Jackson on "He Stopped Loving Her Today," Garth Brooks on three songs, and Shelby Lynne on "Amazing Grace."

Queen Latifah pays tribute to Ms. Streisand for revolutionizing the standard idea of beauty and breaking barriers for women. Glenn Close says Ms. Streisand is like the characters she plays: "headstrong and provocative."With Ms. Streisand, you get more music: Idina Menzel on "Don't Rain on My Parade," Beyoncé on "The Way We Were" and Ne-Yo on "Lover, Come Back to Me."The grand finale is "Somewhere," performed by Kelli O'Hara and Nathan Gunn.

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Cate Blanchett Graces Vanity Fair

Cate Blanchett graces the February 2009 cover of Vanity Fair.Cate Blanchett lends her hottness to the latest cover of Vanity Fair. In the article, she talks about how she tries to distance herself from Hollywood. She says that she doesn’t exist in that world, she merely observes it, and she feels this is made possible by husband Andrew Upton, who is “not with me because of that; I’m not a trophy. He likes the vessel, but he also wants to make sure the vessel is full.”

Speaking of husband Andrew, Cate recounts a story where, after just a few days he looked at her and said “Cate…” and she was sure he was going to propose:“I thought, ‘Oh, god, he’s going to ask me to marry him – and I’m going to have to say yes!’ He didn’t, in fact; he asked me what I wanted for dinner or something like that. But I’d never had that thought before. I thought, This is extraordinary! I’ve never felt this before. What an adventure!”Of their relationship, Andrew, who ended up popping the question after just a few weeks of dating, says they just “clicked,” which he described as both “a relief and a pleasure.”

Helping to distance herself from Hollywood, Cate Blanchett recently signed a three year deal with Australia’s leading theatre company. She said the opportunity to work with husband Andrew presented itself, and she had to take it, explaining that she trains as an actor to be in it for the “long haul.”

The 39 year old mom of three also isn’t ruling out any future babies.“Who knows? Don’t close those doors. The world is very overpopulated, but we do make nice ones. They all look like [my husband Andrew Upton]. To say he has dominant genes would be an understatement.”And, in one of my favorite moments from the article, Cate says that she hasn’t had any plastic surgery, despite still working and having several kids: “Andrew said he’d divorce me if I did anything. When you’ve had children, your body changes; there’s history to it. I like the evolution of that history; I’m fortunate to be with somebody who likes the evolution of that history.”

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Melissa Berry Nude Photo Scandal

A lingerie football league player is suing her ex-lover after he allegedly posted nude pictures of her on the Internet and emailed them to her mother.Melissa Berry, a 24-year-old rookie linebacker with the Tampa Breeze franchise of the Lingerie Football League, is seeking $15,000 in unspecified damages from her ex-boyfriend Mark Dawson, a 45-year-old safe dating expert, whom she dated earlier this fall.

According to Berry’s lawsuit against Dawson, she took nude photographs of herself with his cell phone. Another photo of her engaged in a “particularly private, intimate sexual act,” was also allegedly taken without her permission, the Tampa Tribune said.As the story goes, Dawson tooks the photos, Melissa Berry then demanded the phone which they were on, took it and destroyed it. Unbeknown to Berry, Dawson had downloaded the pics and when he started to ask that she pay for the broken phone....and Ms. Berry refused, then the pictures started to turn up on MySpace and other places.

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Amy Fisher Sex Tape Scandal

Woo Hoo! A sex tape of Amy Fisher and Lou Bellera (her husband) is now in the hands of a Los Angeles porn distributor. Amy isn't happy about that. I am sure though that the LA porn dood is really concerned about Amy's feelings and will keep it under wraps. Not! The tape was apparently made earlier this year before Amy and Lou filed for divorce. Well, it looks like a few saucy stills of Amy Fisher getting banged out have hit the Net.Amy Fisher Sex Tape is now live, and some stills from Amy Fisher Sex Tape can be seen here.

This is all according to the NY Post report about the story. The mag says her future husband Lou Bellera sold it this month. The tape was made earlier this year, before they filed for divorce, according to David Krieff, who had produced reunion specials with Fisher, her ex-lover Joey Buttafuoco and Buttafuoco’s ex-wife, Mary Jo Buttafuoco.

“I was told she was a willing participant at the time it was made, as a private video with her husband,” Krieff said.“I feel bad for Amy and Lou,” Krieff added. “I think they were having a fight and he made a bad decision that’s coming back to haunt them now.”

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Michelle Kopasz is A Hot Spokemodel

Michelle Kopasz is A Hot Spokemodel. She is 25 years old.She is a Texan native, who as a child was known as the bubbly girl with long, blonde hair and sparkly eyes. During high school and college she was active in sports and fitness. She turned out to be a huge success on the volleyball court, earning a full athletic scholarship. She attended the University of Houston to pursue a career in broadcast journalism. Throughout her college years, she was able to utilize her stellar personality to sell homes throughout the Houston area.

Additionally, she used her talents and acquired an internship at Houston's #1 Top 40 morning show. Producers thought highly of her talents and had her record various radio commercials. That led to her as a featured on-air personality. She is the spokesmodel for the Walter Umphrey Cancer Center in Beaumont, Texas and an online realty company. She also have several television commercials in her repertoire. She will be featured in the 2009 Health & Fitness Calendar as well as the 2009 Premiere Swimsuit Calendar. Recently, She filmed her first independent film, "Doublespeak." Her dream is to become an entertainment news reporter. She is ready to take on any successful opportunity that comes her way. Her ease with the camera, keen broadcasting skills, charm, and outgoing personality (as well as her striking looks), will tantalize any audience!

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Olivia Palermo is the Star of The City

Whitney Port's Hills spin off The City premieres tonight at 10 with two back-to-back episodes and I predict that it'll be our new guilty obsession... despite the fact that Whit's calm, cool personality could be considered kind of boring. The producers are good at what they do and I think they've surrounded her with a couple pieces of work to keep us interested. Namely her co-worker, Olivia Palermo, a "New York City socialite with an A-list lifestyle," who I'd simply describe as obnoxious and annoying -- though I've only seen a few scenes with her, so perhaps I'm being hasty in my judgement... probably not.

Anyway, I guess there will be some decent drama this evening. Whitney's dating that Australian musician dude, Jay Lyon, who seems sweet, but wants nothing to do with Whit's Diane Von Furstenberg work friends. After seeing footage of Olivia, I think that actually scores Jay huge points, but apparently there are other issues. Someone's going to warn Whit that Jay can't be trusted. Could it be the model, Alex, who Whitney ditched for Jay a few weeks back on The Hills? That's what I'm thinking.

We'll also meet W.P.'s new roommate tonight, who seems cool, and Jay's roommate as well, who's got drama of his own. So, you know, the jury's still out on whether or not Whitney's spin off will be worth watching all season, but I'm thinking yes.Peep the clips below for a sneak preview and weigh in with your own prediction.The City premieres December 29 on MTV, along with Bromance (the new show starring Brody Jenner). We can't wait to watch The Hills star's new show. Here are some more photos of Whitney and Olivia Palermo at the charity gala.

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Brittany Fuchs is the Star of NBCs Momma's Boys

Brittany Fuchs is the Star of NBCs Momma's Boys.She is a Realtor by profession.Brittany Fuchs is 23 years old.She balances her work in real estate with attending college, where she is looking to obtain her degree in communications with a minor in marketing. She is very outgoing and love spending time with her friends and family. She feels she would be a great daughter-in-law because she truly wants to become a part of her man’s family – she would want to know and understand their values. She is looking for a man who is ambitious, intelligent, and confident – but definitely not cocky. She enjoys reading, working out, traveling, the beach, live theatre, dancing, shopping, and museum openings.

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Nikki O'Connell Is A Hot Model

Nikki O'Connell is a Promotional Model.She is 22 years old.Nikki O'Connell stars in Momma's Boys.She lived on a farm until the age of six. Her amazing college years were spent at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, New Jersey where she majored in public relations. She joined the sorority Delta Phi Epsilon and studied abroad in Australia. I hope to become a special events planner.

Currently, she is involved in promotional modeling and have appeared in magazines such as Stuff, Maxim, Teen People, and Seventeen Magazine. She also been in commercials and modeled different clothing lines.She enjoys taking pictures, music, traveling, and spending time with her friends and family.She also loves sports and athletes, mainly baseball and football. Even though she is an outgoing girl, when it comes to guys, she is kind of shy. She believes in fate and that everything happens for a reason. If you want something in life, you just need to go out and get it!

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"Detour"Actress Ann Savage Dead at 87

Ann Savage, born Bernice Maxine Lyon, was a motion picture actress for more than sixty years. Her publicist Kent Adamson issued a statement indicating that the actress died in a nursing home at age 87 on December 25, 2008 from complication following a series of strokes.

The actress was known for her cigarette-puffing femme fatale role in Detour, where she blackmailed a stranger. Savage and her Detour co-star Tom Neal made three other movies: Klondike Kate, Two Man Submarine and Unwritten Code. They also appeared together in a television show Gangbusters.

Savage appeared in 30 films and in later years attended numerous film festivals and earned the respect of several generations of independent film directors. Wim Wenders called her work in Detour “at least 15 years ahead of its time”. Ann more recently earned rave reviews for her stunning performance as Canadian director Guy Maddin’s mother in his most acclaimed film My Winnipeg (2008).

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Christopher Plummer and Charmian Carr Starring In Sound of Music

This is Charmian Carr. She is the actress who played ‘Liesl’ in the musical, The Sound of music, starring Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, and Heather Menzies.Is there really anyone out there that can’t sing Rolf and Liesl’s ‘You are 16, going on 17′ song from The Sound of Music? Charmain Carr is forever identified with that character and that song. It’s hard to believe it was forty years ago when The Sound of Music was released into theatres. It remains a favorite on the screen and on stage even today.

Charmian Farnon or Charmian Carr was born on December 27, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois so her age is 66. Charmian is best known for her role as Liesl, the oldest Von Trapp daughter in The Sound of Music where she starred with Julie Andrews, Christopher Plummer, Nicholas Hammond, Heather Menzies, Duane Chase, Angela Cartwright, Debbie Turner, and Kym Karath.

Her parents were Vaudeville actress Rita Oehman and musician Brian Farnon who named her Charmian after a character from Shakespeare’s play Antony and Cleopatra. It was her mom, Rita, who got her an audition for a role in The Sound of Music. Charmian at the time was working and going to college and her mother never even asked her if she wanted to try out for the part.

It seems the director for The Sound of Music thought ‘Farnon’ too long a last name for her, and after handing her a list of single syllable surnames she chose Carr to be her stage name.Charmian says working on the movie was a very happy experience for her, but during the filming of the gazebo scene she slid straight through a window and had to complete the scene in alot of pain.

While publicising The Sound of Music after it’s release, she met and married Jay Brent in May of 1967 and had two daughters, Jennifer and Emily. The marriage lasted until 1991. She now has two grandchildren, Emma and Derek.Charmian Carr also appeared in Evening Primrose, a one-hour musical written by Stephen Sondheim, which aired in 1966. The male lead was Anthony Perkins. She has done little acting since.

Charmian started an interior decorating company whose clients include Michael Jackson and has written two books, Forever Liesl and Letters to Liesl.On December 12th, 2007, Charmian Carr made a rare television appearance as a guest on Loose Women where she shared some of her memories of making The Sound of Music with the hosts.

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Betty White’s Husband Is Allen Ludden

Allen Ludden, the beloved game show host from the 1960s through the 1970s.Betty White, the wife of the late Allen Ludden, appeared tonight on “Million Dollar Password”.Allen Ludden was born on October 5, 1917 in Mineral Point, Wisconsin. His birth name was Allen Packard Ellsworth; Ludden is the last name of his stepfather. In 1940, he graduated Phi Beta Kappa from the University of Texas with a degree in English and dramatics. He also received his masters degree from UT in 1941. After college, Allen joined the army. He was discharged as a captain in 1946.

Having left the army, Allen was ready to start his career. He began as a youth advisor, both in print and on the radio. “Mind Your Manners”, his radio show for teens, received a Peabody in 1950. From there he became one of the most well-known game show hosts on network television. His main gig was hosting “Password” on both CBS and ABC, which he did from 1961 to 1975. He began hosting “Password Plus” on NBC in 1979, but he had to quit after being diagnosed with stomach cancer. He died from the disease on June 9, 1981. “The Best of Password” is available on DVD.

On June 14, 1963, Allen married Betty White. They had met on “Password”, and he proposed twice before she said yes. She was his second wife; Allen was previously married to Margaret McGloin, with whom he had three children. He was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame after his death. Betty White appeared tonight on the generation of the classic game show, “Million Dollar Password”. Her partner in crime was Adam Carolla.

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Von Trapp Family:The Sound of Music

When Sam von Trapp, the grandson of Maria, the singing governess made famous by “The Sound of Music,” graduated from college, his father offered him a deal: Sam could do whatever he wanted for 10 years before he had to return home here to run the family’s ski lodge.Johannes von Trapp with his mother, Maria, in 1984. The von Trapp family was depicted in the movie “The Sound of Music,” in which Julie Andrews portrayed Mrs. von Trapp.

His father started calling him to come home after six years.When Mr. von Trapp finally returned to take over from his father, Johannes, he had had quite a decade: teaching skiing in Aspen, modeling for Ralph Lauren, surfing in Chile and even making People magazine’s America’s Top 50 Bachelors list in 2001. Recently, he sat in a dark office at the Trapp Family Lodge, the inn his grandmother started, trying to decide what to do with some old curtains.

It is hard for anyone to untangle family history and allegiances during the holidays. When your last name is von Trapp, and Americans claim you as part of their own legacy, that task is just that much harder.That legacy weighs on Mr. von Trapp even as he considers something as mundane as curtains.In “The Sound of Music,” the beloved 1965 movie, Maria, the governess played by Julie Andrews, turned old curtains into play clothes for the seven von Trapp children, just as the real Maria had done. Mr. von Trapp figured that if he sold von Trapp draperies on eBay, he might turn a nice little profit.

“Nobody has the level of commitment I do,” said Mr. von Trapp, now 36, but with the energy and earnestness of a teenager. “Nobody has as much to gain.”Despite the nostalgic mist around “The Sound of Music," Mr. von Trapp is taking over a business for a family that has had its share of ups and downs and disagreements.

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‘High School Musical’ Ashley Tisdale Graces Shape Magazine

‘High School Musical’ actress Ashley Tisdale is on the cover of the latest Shape Magazine.‘High School Musical’ star Ashley Tisdale talks with Shape magazine about her diet and fitness secrets. She admits that she always felt she was too thin, almost like people could break her in half. Amazing, given she also admits to her love of carbs - bread, corn bread, and french fries are some of her favorites.

A few years ago, however, she fell and hurt her back pretty seriously on the set of tv show ‘The Suite Life of Zack and Cody’. The injury caused her pain while dancing on tour, and she knew in order to get better she had to workout and strengthen her core. Enter personal trainer Christopher Herbert. She says:

“He’s cute, which makes it fun, and he never lets our exercise session get boring.”Since starting to work out more regularly, she feels her eating has improved: “I’ve found I’m definitely eating better since I started working out more rigorously. It kind of happened naturally. I don’t really crave junk food that often now.”This improved diet is great for Ashley, as she has a family history of diabetes. She says she knows she has to get more serious about her health and improve her eating habits in order to keep herself healthy as she gets older.

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Gisele Bundchen and Tom Brady Engaged on Christmas Eve

Tom Brady proposed to Gisele Bundchen on a private jet on Christmas Eve.She said yes. Or sim. (As some astute readers have pointed out in comments, "sim" is actually Brazilian/Portuguese for yes, not "si.") Giselle to marry Tom? Last chance, Leo! Oops. She said yes.According to TMZ, Brady, who is "famous for running errands for Gisele," proposed on a private jet that took off from New Jersey's Teterboro Airport and landed in Boston.

There were four dozen white roses and some bubbly on board.Giselle's P's were also along for the engagement ride. Well, that kinda spoils the fun, doesn't it?Brady was reportedly nervous. Wouldn't you be? Not only are her parents there, but Giselle looks like the kind of hot-tempered Latin girl who would toss a dude out the emergency hatch in midflight if the engagement ring weren't to her liking.

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The new movie Valkyrie starring Tom Cruise is Hollywood’s latest attempt to deal with WW II’s Nazi Germany and it’s getting really good reviews!Valkyrie is based on a true story. It stars Tom Cruise, who wears an eyepatch and plays Colonel Claus von Stauffenberg, an officer who discovers he’s not the only one with intense thoughts of eliminating Der Führer! With the backing of an expansive web of resisters - from typists to generals - Stauffenberg hatches a plan to take Germany by coup and assasinate Adolf Hitler. It’s probably not a spoiler to say the plan doesn’t work since we know through the course of history, what happened to Hitler.

Reportedly, Valkyrie doesn’t really deal with great horrors of the Nazi’s. It supposedly includes no sermons about genocide or anti-Semitism; but rather it’s a movie about Nazi resisters inside the Nazi party. Some may really enjoy it as a thriller, others like me, have difficulty rooting for Nazi ‘underdogs’. Call me crazy!

So here are the details of the movie: It stars, of course, Tom Cruise, with Tom Wilkinson, Terence Stamp, Carice van Houten, and Eddie Izzard; it’s rated PG-13; it’s a full 2 hours long and it’s playing everywhere.

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Eartha Kitt is ‘Santa Baby’ Singer

It was very sad to hear the news that Eartha Kitt, singer of the classic Christmas song ‘Santa Baby’ has died on Christmas Day.Eartha Kitt, a self-proclaimed ’sex kitten’ famous for her catlike purr was extraordinary in my opinion. She was quite a jazz singer and dancer and yet played ‘Cat Woman’ in the campy ’60’s TV show Batman. Sadly, she died today, at the age of 81, in New York City after being treated there for colon cancer. Eartha was a star of stage, film, television and music, who was nominated for three Tony awards, two Grammy awards and two Emmy awards. Reportedly, her daughter, Kim was with her when she passed away.

Eartha Mae Kitt was born on January 17, 1927 in North, South Carolina. She died on December 25, 2008 at the age of 81. She is best know as an actress and cabaret singer. playing the role of ‘Cat Woman’ in TV’s 1960’s show and of course, her classically saucy 1953 ‘Santa Baby’ song.

Eartha’s upbringing was unstable in many ways. She had stated her mother was of African-American descent, and her father, German and Dutch descent. She claimed she was conceived of rape but was uncertain of any specific details. And as a child stated she suffered abuse regularly.Eartha Kitt started her career as a member of the Katherine Dunham Dance Company and made her film debut with them in the film Casbah (1948).Her early dance career led to a critically acclaimed stint on Broadway, including the play “New Faces of 1952,” which was later made into a movie.

Broadway stardom landed Eartha Kitt a recording deal that led to a string of best-selling records, including “Love for Sale,” “I Want to Be Evil,” “Santa Baby” and “Folk Tales of the Tribes of Africa.” Eartha was fluent in French so many of her hits including singing parts of them in that language. Orson Welles once called her the “most exciting woman in the world”.She recorded more than 20 albums, worked in hundreds of television and movie roles, was nominated for many entertainment awards, and was invited as a guest to the White House several times.

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Sopranos Actor John Costelloe Is Found Dead

John Costelloe, an actor who was best known to viewers of “The Sopranos” for his role as the gay lover of a mobster, has died, apparently of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, The Associated Press reported. Citing a New York City police spokesman, the A.P. said Mr. Costelloe, 47, was found dead in his Brooklyn home on Dec. 18. Mr. Costelloe, a former New York City firefighter, was cast in “The Sopranos” in 2006 as a short-order cook, Jim Witowski, known as Johnny Cakes. His character was involved with Joseph Gannascoli, who played Vito Spatafore, a mob henchman seeking to keep his gay life secret.

The 47-year-old former New York City firefighter gained fame in 2006 when he was cast as short-order cook Jim "Johnny Cakes" Witowski opposite Joseph Gannascoli, who played gay mobster Vito Spatafore on the hit HBO show.Costelloe was performing as a hustler in a theater production of "Gang of Seven" at the time of his death.

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Handlebar Restaurant On Kitchen Nightmares

Chef Gordon Ramsay pays a visit to the Handlebar Restaurant and Lounge in Mt. Sinai, NY, with hopes of fulfilling a couple’s dream to serve good food to good company.In what seems to be a flashback from the 1980s, owners Bill and Carolyn LeRoy are in denial of the restaurant’s outdated décor and head chef’s lack of passion. Will Gordon get through to hot-headed Bill and be able to turn this restaurant around? Find out on KITCHEN NIGHTMARES airing Thursday, Sept. 11 (9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. (KN-111) (TV-14 L)

Meantime, Ramsay reportedly is in talks with Victoria Beckham to open a restaurant in the coming months. Ramsay has been friends of the Beckhams for many years.Handlebar Restaurant and Lounge looks like a flashback to the eighties. The restaurant’s décor is very outdated, but the owners Bill and Carolyn LeRoy are in denial. Handlebar represents their dream to “serve good food to good company.”

Dee Snider of heavy metal band Twisted Sister will make a special guest appearance on this episode. Kitchen Nightmares airs on Thursday, September 11 from 9 PM to 10 PM ET/PT on FOX.

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Jessica Alba and Cash Warren’s Christmas Eve Outing

Getting ready for her very first Christmas as a mother, Jessica Alba was spotted out with hubby Cash Warren in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon (December 24).The “Sin City” starlet and her man toted along daughter Honor Marie Warren, with Jess showing off her natural beauty as the happy family walked the streets after a Christmas Eve meal with a few friends.Meanwhile, you can catch Jessica stepping into a new role as she makes a guest appearance on the Super Bowl edition of the hit show “The Office”.An inside source reports that Alba will be joining the “Kung Fu Panda” funnyman in the cast of a bootlegged movie that the Dunder Mifflin staff try to watch during the workday.

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Newly Married Couple Heidi and Spencer: Christmas Eve at the Mission

Just back home on the west coast following a trip to New York City, Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt were helping to spread a little holiday cheer on Wednesday (December 24).Giving up their time on Christmas Eve day, the co-star couple canoodled and kissed as they helped prepare and serve food at the Los Angeles Mission.Also on hand for the charitable festivities were stars including High School Musical’s Corbin Bleu and sexy actress Alyssa Milano, among others.As for Heidi and Spencer, they just seemed happy to be spending time together - and in front of the paparazzi cameras!

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David and Victoria Beckham Spent Christmas Eve in London

Back in Mother England, David and Victoria Beckham were spotted taking their sons out for a Christmas Eve lunch earlier today (December 24) at Claridges.The LA Galaxy footballer and his Posh wife chose Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant for their swanky meal, followed all the while by a few eager paparazzi.And Becks was looking hunky as usual, sporting a grey suit with a striped tie, while Vic opted for a wispy white blouse with a long black skirt and black heels.The Beckhams look happy to be in London again, having flown over from Milan, Italy where David was introduced as a new member of AC Milan during his off-season with the Galaxy.

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Lindsay Lohan Reveals She Has a Half-Sister

Lindsay Lohan has a half-sibling, she wrote Wednesday on her MySpace celebrity blog."My father just let my family and [me] know, amongst other [things] that he had another child after my little sister Aliana," Lohan, 22, writes in a post titled "Random Thoughts."She continues: "Or maybe he had it before Aliana?? Either way, he cheated on my mother and that really sucks."

In an e-mail to PEOPLE, Lindsay's father, Michael Lohan, strongly denies his daughter's claim, and said in a separate conversation he believes there is a "99 percent chance" Lohan's MySpace message was actually written by her girlfriend, Samantha Ronson.Noting on MySpace that she's "going through a lot right now," Lindsay grows introspective in her post."I think that people go through a lot in life," she writes. "And the things that we go through, whatever they may be, simply just make us stronger in the long run. That is, if we actually take what it is we have learned from our mistakes and teach ourselves what NOT to do in the future."

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Santa Tracker 2008!Track Santa with Google Earth and NORAD

Here’s the 2008 Santa Tracker! The Norad Santa Tracker for 2008 is the same tracker to follow Santa Claus from the North Pole for the last 50 years.Says the Santa Tracker: “The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck & Co. advertisement for children to call Santa misprinted the telephone number. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born. …

“In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD. NORAD inherited the tradition of tracking Santa.

“Since that time, NORAD men, women, family and friends have selflessly volunteered their time to personally respond to Christmas Eve phone calls and emails from children. In addition, we now track Santa using the internet. Last year, millions of people who wanted to know Santa’s whereabouts visited the NORAD Tracks Santa Web site.”

They use jets to help watch Santa come our way!“Tracking Santa starts with the NORAD radar system called the North Warning System. This powerful radar system consists of 47 installations strung across the northern border of North America. On Christmas Eve, NORAD monitors the radar continuously for indications that Santa Claus has left the North Pole.

“The moment that radar indicates Santa has lifted off, we use our second detection system. Satellites positioned in geo-synchronous orbit at 22,300 miles from the Earth’s surface are equipped with infrared sensors which enable them to detect heat. Amazingly, Rudolph’s bright red nose gives off an infrared signature which allow our satellites to detect Rudolph and Santa.


“The third tracking system is the Santa Cam network. We began using it in 1998, which is the year we put our Santa Tracking program on the internet. Santa Cams are ultra-cool, high-tech, high-speed digital cameras that are pre-positioned at many locations around the world. NORAD only uses these cameras once a year on Christmas Eve. The cameras capture images and videos of Santa and his reindeer as they make their journey around the world.

“The fourth system is made up of fighter jets. Canadian NORAD fighter pilots flying the CF-18 intercept and welcome Santa to North America. In the United States, American NORAD fighter pilots in either the F-15 or the F-16 get the thrill of flying alongside Santa and his famous reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and, of course, Rudolph.”

Santa Tracker 2008: The Video

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Laura Zuniga, Hot Mexican Beauty Queen Arrested

A reigning Mexican beauty queen from the drug-plagued state of Sinaloa was arrested with suspected gang members in a truck filled guns and ammunition, police said Tuesday.Miss Sinaloa 2008 Laura Zuniga stared at the ground, with her flowing dark hair concealing her face, as she stood squeezed between seven alleged gunmen lined up before journalists. Soldiers wearing ski masks guarded the 23-year-old model and the suspects.

Zuniga was arrested shortly before midnight Monday at a military checkpoint in Zapopan, just outside the colonial city of Guadalajara, said Jalisco state police director, Francisco Alejandro Solorio.Zuniga was riding in one of two trucks, where soldiers found a large stash of weapons, including two AR-15 assault rifles, 38 specials, 9mm handguns, nine magazines, 633 cartridges and $53,300 in U.S. currency, Solorio said.

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Darlene Love Is an American Music Singer

Darlene Love (née Wright; born July 26, 1941) is an American popular music singer.Love began her singing with her local church choir. While still in high school (1959) she was invited to join a little-known "girl group" called The Blossoms, who in 1963 began working with producer Phil Spector. With her powerful voice she was soon a highly sought-after vocalist, and managed to work with many of the legends of 1950s and 1960s rock and soul, including Sam Cooke, Dionne Warwick, The Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, and Sonny and Cher; Darlene and the Blossoms sang back-up vocals on Shelley Fabares's hit, "Johnny Angel" as well as John Phillips' solo album John, Wolfking of L.A. recorded in 1969. The Blossoms recorded singles - usually with little success throughout; Capitol 1957-58 (pre-Darlene Love), Challenge 1961-62, OKeh 1963, Reprise 1966-67, Ode 1967, MGM 1968, Bell 1969-70, Lion 1972.

Into the 1970s Love continued to work as a back-up singer, before taking a break in order to raise a family. In 1973, she recorded vocals as a cheerleader along with Michelle Phillips, for the Cheech & Chong single "Basketball Jones", which peaked at No.15 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart.In the late 1980s and 1990s, Love also began an acting career, playing Danny Glover's wife in the four Lethal Weapon movies, and appeared on Broadway in Grease and in the short-lived musical adaptation of Stephen King's Carrie.In 1990, Cher invited Love and her sister Edna Wright as her background vocalist for the Heart of Stone Tour.

She was a special guest on the December 17, 2005, broadcast of Saturday Night Live, singing "White Christmas" with the SNL band and providing the vocals for a Robert Smigel cartoon, "Christmastime for the Jews." Love starred as Motormouth Maybelle in Broadway's Hairspray until April, 2008. She was the musical guest on Late Show with David Letterman on May 7, 2007, performing "River Deep-Mountain High".

Love released the holiday collection "It's Christmas, Of Course", featuring her versions of classic yuletide tunes from the '70s and '80s, on October 2, 2007.She continues to do a Christmas show every year in New York City, which is always capped by "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." She originally recorded the song in 1963 for the album A Christmas Gift for You from Phil Spector. Love also performs the song every year, without fail, on the final new episode of the Late Show with David Letterman before Christmas.

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"The Ex List" Is Out ,"NCIS" Is In On CBS

CBS has crossed "The Ex List" off its schedule.The hourlong comedy about a woman searching for true love among her ex-boyfriends has been pulled from the network lineup, CBS said Monday. Its Friday time slot will be filled this week by a rerun of "NCIS."There was no comment from the network on whether the freshman show might return. It was a weak link for CBS, which has gotten off to a strong start with returning shows including "NCIS" and some newcomers, most notably "The Mentalist."

"The Ex List" had aired four times. Last week's show dropped about 1 million viewers from the previous week, bringing the total audience to less than 5.5 million.Based on the Israeli TV series "Mythological X," "The Ex List" stars Elizabeth Reaser as a 30-something woman who's told by a psychic that she must wed within a year or never _ and her dream man is among the guys she's already dated. That leads her to give each another chance.Reaser, who played a disfigured patient last season on "Grey's Anatomy," portrays Esme in the upcoming film "Twilight," based on the first installment in Stephenie Meyer's best-selling series.Diane Ruggiero, the executive producer originally in charge of "The Ex List," left the series last month after creative disagreements with CBS.To check out more photos and view clips of these great characters in action, please follow this link http://www.cbs.com/primetime/ncis/.

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Adopted Celebrities Share Their Stories for TV special

Jamie Foxx, Faith Hill and Keyshia Cole hope to help children find homes for the holidays.Speaking backstage last month after filming their appearances for the CBS special "A Home for the Holidays," Foxx, Hill and Cole shared how they coped with being adopted and why they performed for the show, which offers a mix of musical entertainment and information about child adoption.

"I was lucky," said the Oscar-winning Foxx ("Ray"). "I was adopted at 7 months, but the lady who adopted me also adopted my mother, so I had a relationship with my biological parents, also."Country superstar Hill was also adopted as an infant, but after hitting adolescence had to fight off the adoption stigma. "When kids would call one another names, they'd say, 'You act like you're adopted.' And I'd always get 'em good, because I'd say, 'Well, I am adopted. So what do you think about that?' " she said.

The special, which airs Tuesday, was the brainchild of Dave Thomas, the Wendy's restaurant founder. Thomas, who was adopted, created the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption in 1992.Soul diva Keyshia Cole said, "My personal story was my mother was on drugs all my life and she didn't get a little bit better until I became 'Keyshia Cole the Celebrity.' Maybe it was a good way for her to see herself _ that your daughter has become so much and she's become so big."

The show will feature musical performances by Hill's husband Tim McGraw, as well as Kristin Chenoweth, Gavin Rossdale and Melissa Etheridge.Etheridge, a mother of four, adopted two children with former partner, director Julie Cypher. It wasn't lost on Etheridge that her involvement in the special came just days after Arkansas voters approved a law banning gays from adopting children.

"Our homes are good homes," Etheridge said, who also has twins with current partner Tammy Lynn Michaels. "We're hard-working people. We love. We live. We can raise people to be members of society. It is a crime to keep children who could be in a loving home away just because those two parents are of the same sex. It's a crime. It's just a shame."Hill, who hosts and performs on the special, said "I believe it's over 20,000 children have been adopted because of this show. So when this show was viewed in any state, in any area, it just helps get the word out. It encourages people to really look inside their heart, and pick up the phone and ask, 'Where can I adopt a child?' "

This file photo shows singer Keyshia Cole posing for photographs after taping the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption's '10th Annual A Home for the Holidays,which airs Tuesday Dec. 23, 2008. Cole said, "My personal story was my mother was on drugs all my life and she didn't get a little bit better until I became 'Keyshia Cole the Celebrity.' Maybe it was a good way for her to see herself, that your daughter has become so much and she's become so big."

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Anna Hansen Is the Mother of Lance Armstrong’s Baby

Anna Hansen, Lance Armstrong’s girlfriend. The couple just announced they are expecting a baby!Cancer survivor and cycling phenom Lance Armstrong is expecting a baby with girlfriend Anna Hansen. Lance froze his sperm prior to receiving cancer treatment in 1996, and he has three other children with ex-wife Kristin, who conceived using those frozen swimmers and in vitro. This baby with Anna is the first he’s conceived naturally. (Lance clearly has super magic sperm!) Anna is due in June 2009, and the couple is said to be “thrilled.”

I couldn’t find a ton of biography information on Anna Hansen. She is a Colorado native, and she graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with a degree in Biology. She is a Program Manager and Recruiter for First Descents, an organization that provides whitewater kayaking and other outdoor adventure experiences to promote emotional, psychological and physical healing for young adults with cancer. She has been a volunteer at the Children’s Hospital in Denver and serves on the board of directors of Camp Wapiyapi, a foundation providing support for families with childhood cancer. She is an outdoor enthusiast and enjoys mountain biking and snowboarding.

Anna Hansen met Lance Armstrong through charity work, and they have been quietly dating since July 2008, shortly after his relationship with Kate Hudson ended. Their baby was unplanned (obviously), and indicates that after all these years, testicular cancer survivor Lance’s sperm are working again. This is rare and only happens to a small handful of survivors.

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Wade Rowland Sanders Child Porn Scandal

Wade Rowland Sanders, a California lawyer who was an adviser to California's lieutenant governor and served in the Clinton administration, pleaded guilty Monday to a charge of possessing child pornography, reported the San Diego Union Tribune.Sanders admitted in federal court in San Diego of having 600 images of minors, including a 21-minute video that depicted girls engaging in sex acts with an adult man, according to a statement from U.S. Attorney Karen Hewitt.

He was arrested by the authorities on November 7."I have no sexual attraction to children whatsoever," Sanders said. "There was no evil intent."The illegal download was discovered as part of a nationwide initiative called Project Safe Childhood, a multi-agency program that began in 2006, the U.S. Attorney's statement said.

Sentencing is scheduled for March 30. Sanders could get up to 10 years in prison and be ordered to pay a $250,000 fine. Minimum sentence for the charge is five years with supervised release for his lifetime and registration as a sex offender, the prosecutor said.

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Exclusive Beyonce Diva Video

After two highly successful albums, the former lead singer of Destiny's Child and R&B's favorite diva Beyoncé recently released her third album "I Am…Sasha Fierce." While her latest installment is actually a double album displaying two different personalities of the Queen B, it does not seem to measure up to her two previous works.

"I Am…Sasha Fierce" has a split personality, for lack of a better term. The "I Am" portion of the album set displays a softer side of Beyoncé while she makes a complete 180-degree turn and reveals her alter ego in "Sasha Fierce" in the second portion.In an October article from Reuters, Beyoncé said that she created her new alter ego to protect her from who she really is. She goes on to say that Sasha Fierce is a more aggressive and glamorous side of her mixed in with sensuality that comes out when she's performing on stage.

Most of the songs from "I Am" have a down tempo acoustic pace to it like Beyoncé's first hit single "If I Were A Boy," which follows the footsteps of "Irreplaceable" from her second album "B'Day." "Halo" provides a more melodramatic sound that you would not normally hear from Beyoncé. She also displays her wide range through her singing ability that never fails to impress. "Ave Maria" is more of a creative gentle drum track that resembles the original melody Ave Maria, one of the many instances where Beyoncé would go the distance by trying to do so much in one song, which sometimes works against her.

Overall, "I Am" unveils a rather vulnerable version of Beyoncé with tracks that are generally slow-paced and soothing, but nothing spectacular. There aren't too many catchy choruses and you may find yourself skipping some of the tracks due to loss of attention span.

In "Sasha Fierce," Beyoncé brings out her fun side with hard-hitting, attitude filled tracks, some of which are memorable and some disastrous. "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)" is Beyoncé's second hit single, an easy favorite for DJs to play at clubs and can get any crowd on their feet, especially the ladies. Yes this is the same song that Justin Timberlake danced to as Beyoncé's back up dancer in a leotard and heels on Saturday Night Live. This is basically Beyoncé at her best. Watch exclusive Beyonce Diva Video here.

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Hot WWE Diva Trish Stratus Returns on Monday's Raw

Trish Stratus made a surprise appearance on Monday's WWE Raw as John Cena's mystery tag partner. Stratus and Cena defeated the team of Santino Marella and Beth Phoenix in a mixed tag match in the main event of Raw, which was held in Trish's hometown of Toronto.Trish looked great even though she put on at least 100 pounds since she last appeared on television. Yes, I'm kidding. The live crowd very excited to see her and it was a nice holiday present for Raw viewers.Stratus has been involved in a brief "battle" of words on the Internet with Natalya and Raw's Women's champion Beth Phoenix to plant seeds for a potential storyline to be played out on TV.Ross says if Stratus does appear on TV, it will most likely be on Raw. Nothing more than a cameo appearance would be expected, though.

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Erica Ellyson Myspace On Momma’s Boy!

Erica Ellyson blogs on her MySpace page about her appearance on NBC’s Momm’as Boys. You may remember Erica Ellyson as the 2008 Penthouse Pet of the year. I think also sometime last year, if I recall she was selected as a Twistys Treat of the Month. She’s pretty cute. I can see why NBC picked her as one of the contestants.Hey yall…. Momma’s Boys, a brand new series from Executive Producer Ryan Seacrest that asks the question, “Who really is the most important woman in a man’s life?” The show premiers December 16, 2008 on NBC so if you wanna see more of me (yes, i’m on the show) and see what is to be a GREAT show, you should def tune in!

Erica Ellyson’s bio on NBC reads:

“Hey y’all! I was born and raised in South Mississippi. I grew up a bit of a tomboy; fishing with my parents, running track, playing golf and softball. After attending community college, I went to architecture school until I received the title of the 2008 Penthouse Pet of the Year. Right now, I’m taking a break from my studies due to my travel demands as a Penthouse Pet. I will go back to school when my year with Penthouse is finished. I like to play golf as much as possible. When not on the course, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends: cooking, eating, and watching football and baseball.”

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Kanye West Performs On ‘Saturday Night Live’ (SNL)

There’s the easy way, and there’s Kanye’s way.Rather than staying in the platinum-dipped, award-winning lane he’s already carved with his previous albums, Kanye West promised to swerve on 808s & Heartbreak, taking the bold step of trying to sing more than rap. We already know 50 Cent’s not that crazy about it, and after ‘Ye’s appearance on “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, even more people are starting to ask if maybe Yeezy bit off more than he can croon.

Without the assistance of his near-omnipresent vocoder — which he employed more heavily during his VMA debut of “Love Lockdown” in September — to massage his vocals into a robotic smoothness, West’s singing abilities were laid bare during the performance, and his vocals sometimes hit flat spots amid the spare musical accompaniment. That drew some harsh criticism from a number of Web outposts, like this and this. Gawker called it “like a quiet man doing bad karaoke” and headlined its review “Kanye West Disastrously Sings Without Digital Enhancement,” but when TMZ caught up with ‘Ye at the airport on Sunday, he deemed his performance “good” and he was not shy about posting the footage on his blog, where poster “neeomari” referred to the version of “Lockdown” as “hands down the greatest ‘SNL’ performance of all time.”

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Megan Albertus On “Momma’s Boys”

“Momma’s Boys” is one of those unscripted shows made with contempt for just about everyone involved, including you, the viewer.As the title suggests, this gem from “American Idol” host Ryan Seacrest focuses on three young men whose mothers baby them past the point of reason.

One makes his bed for him every day because she can’t stand the thought of him slipping between rumpled sheets. Another tells girls that her son is gay because she doesn’t think any of them are good enough for him.These women probably would still be breast-feeding their boys if they could get away with it.In the typical pimped-out mansion, 32 beautiful women gather to compete for the boys’ affections - under the watchful eyes of mommys dearest.The show is ruthlessly edited to make everyone look bad, with the possible exception of 26-year-old Megan Albertus. Megan works as an animal caretaker and is that rarest of things on network TV, a female nerd.

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Lana Lawless Is Transgender Golf Champion

Lana Lawless is the current Women’s Long Drive Golf Champ, a sport driven by power, muscle and speed. How she got to where she is today is not your usual golf champ story - Lana use to be a man. Read more about her below, see a photo and a video.Lana is a 55 year old bartender from Palm Springs, California who is transgendered. In fact, Lana was was a S.W.A.T. cop for 18 years working the gang unit in a very tough Southern California city.

“I had a very tough and mean exterior. People didn’t want to mess with me. I had a hard exterior, but I was compassionate inside. I always let the gay guys go; they had enough drama in their lives.”As a man, Lana had been married but fathered no children. “I was hiding in the straight world,” she said, “but Lana was always in there, and I wanted her to live. I had started to go to L.A. to the clubs, playing dress-up on the weekends, but I wanted to be a normal girl.”

For 21 years, the big, burly swat cop played golf at a private club, got down to a plus-1 handicap and even won the club championship. But, after gender-reassignment surgery, she left golf and all her old friends behind. “Other than my family, I have no friends from my previous life,” she said.After watching the 2006 ESPN broadcast of the RE/MAX World Long Drive Championship, her interest was peaked and she was drawn back into golf.

The image of a big burly policeman-turned-woman golf champ doesn’t sit easily with many of the other golfers because Long Drive is a sport driven by power, muscle and speed.“I am shocked more women are not complaining about this,” three-time world champion Sean “The Beast” Fister said. “It’s not an apples-to-apples deal. Men and women are different.”The rules governing transgender golf competition are precise but numerous. For Lana, they included mandatory doctor reports, lab results within normal female limits and onsite testing.

“I am a woman,” insists Lana Lawless, who adopted her new name from classic-movie star Lana Turner but doesn’t want to discuss her previous name. “I’ve lost muscle mass. I don’t have big guns (biceps). They give you a drug that stops you from producing testosterone. Your muscles atrophy. In about seven months, I went from 245 pounds to 175 pounds. I’ve gained back a little bit, but I feel like I don’t have any power.”Well, clearly she has enough power to drive the ball. Lana ‘Heartbreaker’ Lawless won the 2008 Long Drive Championship with a drive of 335 yards.

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Alexandra Burke Is the Winner of ‘The X Factor’

Alexandra Burke. She’s the newest winner of the British TV show called ‘The X Factor’ and has recently released the hottest Christmas song on the UK charts, Leonard Cohen’s ‘Hallelujah.’The song ‘Hallelujah’ written by Leonard Cohen and sung by British sensational Alexandra Burke, has made it to the top of the music charts. Her version became the fastest-selling single by a female solo artist. But the song is also #2 on the charts in what appears to be a protest at the manufactured music industry - shows like American Idol and The X Factor. It seems fans of American musician Jeff Buckley kicked off an Internet campaign to get his classic version to number one instead of #2, through downloads.

The song ‘Hallelujah’ has been covered numerous times, but Jeff Buckley’s haunting version is widely considered the best - it’s certainly my favorite although I also like Bon Jovi’s version. And frankly, the song itself remains strongly associated with Jeff Buckley, who drowned in Memphis in May 1997 at the aged 30.

Alexandra Imelda Cecelia Ewan Burke was born on August 25, 1988 in London, England so she is 20 years old.Alexandra is a British soul/pop singer and winner of the fifth season of British television talent show called The X Factor. Some say it is similar to American Idol. Simon Cowell is also a judge on this show and the winner receives a recording contract with his label, Syco, whose parent company is Sony BMG.

Alexandra is the daughter of ex-Soul II Soul singer Melissa Bell. She began singing when she was just 5 years old, and prior to The X Factor had no professional vocal training. Interestingly at age 12, Alexandra entered a TV show singing competition called ‘Star for a Night’ where she was the youngest person to compete. She was beaten to the number one spot by Joss Stone!Alexandra tried out for The X Factor in 2005, but did not make it to the final four because producers thought she was too young (she was only 16 at the time). However, in the 2008 competition, she won, singing a duet with Beyonce for the final - which she considered a personal dream.

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