Will.i.am carried the Olympic torch in London. He was sending out tweets as he carried the torch through the center of Taunton in Somerset yesterday. Will.i.am says he was told not to tweet about it. He clearly didn't listen. Will.i.am tweeted, "Its nuts here in taunton...so much excitement..." Take a look:
Brad Pitt and director Andrew Dominik were at a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival to discuss their new film, Killing Them Softly. A reporter asked Brad if it was true that he and fiance Angelina Jolie are getting married on a certain date. Brad quickly dispelled rumors that they are getting married any time soon saying, "We have no date. We actually really, truly have no date. It's just... um...something that made sense to us [getting engaged].. and certainly, datewise, absolutely it's a rumor. And I'm still hoping...you know... we've figured out our marriage equality in the States." Before they got engaged, Brad always told the press they would not get married until all Americans, including gay Americans, had the right to get married. So he seems to be saying they have no wedding date and it's not happening anytime soon, perhaps until gay couples can marry. Take a look:
Gerard Butler is at the Cannes Film Festival to promote his next film, Motor City. He was also their to do a charity event for Haiti with Sean Penn. Gerry talks the ins and outs of Cannes. He says he never gets to see any movies, but you can't exactly walk the press line for someone else's movie. He also talks about the other films he has in production. Take a look:
Disney-Pixar's Brave movie arrives in theaters on June 22. The animated film stars a new red-haired heroine, Merida, who has impressive archery skills. A number of Brave toys will arrive in stores later this month. They include the Brave Merida Fashion Doll from Mattel, which will cost $19.99, and the Bear Cub Pillow Pet, which will cost $29.99.
Justin Bieber performed his new song, "Boyfriend," at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. Bieber wasn't suspended in the air like Katy Perry. Bieber danced on an overly crowded stage with many backup dancers, including clown mimes and girls wearing glow-in-the-dark outfits. Bieber wore silver sneakers and not the gold painted sneakers from the "Boyfriend" music video. Take a look:
Hearts On Fire (HOF), a diamond jewelry brand, has unveiled a new store concept with the opening of its store at the Forum Shops in Las Vegas. HOF retained 8 Inc., the architectural firm that designed and built Apple retail stores, to create the concept.
The new store contains eye-level transparent Jewel Boxes that replace long display cases. They also feature a digital knowledge wall that lets customers interact and learn more about the brand. The store also features a community table, which it says encourages shoppers to interact with each other as they try on jewelry.
Miley Cyrus wore a white Jean Paul Gaultier blazer to the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. This was a very short look for Miley since she did not appear to be wearing any pants or a skirt with the jacket. You can see a photograph of Miley's look here. Miley said she was very taped down. She also says there wasn't any room for her boyfriend Liam because she had her glam squad with her on the plane. Take a look:
Kate Gosselin was interviewed by Ann Curry on the Today show. Kate's sextuplets are eight years old now. She says her relationship with her unlikeable ex-husband Jon has improved and is more peaceful. Kate Gosselin also talked about her latest role is as a blogger for Coupon Cabin. She says would like another reality show. She is also compiling recipes - she has eight helpful taste testers at home. Take a look:
Uggie (The Artist) posed on the red carpet with Betty White at her Friars Club Road in New York City. The roast was sponsored by Instinct natural pet food. Uggie's trainer Omar von Muller (pictured on the right) says Uggie eats Instinct Raw dog food daily.
Omar von Muller says, "It's great that Instinct provided us food while we were attending the Betty White Friars Club Roast in New York City because that's what he eats when he's at home."
The soundtrack for Disney-Pixar's Brave movie brings to life the music of ancient Scotland. The soundtrack includes an original score by composer Patrick Doyle. It also includes two original songs performed by Scottish Gaelic singer Julie Fowlis. The soundtrack also includes an original song by UK singing sensation Birdy with British folk rock band Mumford & Sons (pictured above). There is also a song performed by Emma Thompson and Peigi Barker. The film arrives in theaters on June 22 and the soundtrack will be available June 19.
Here is the tracklist:
"Touch the Sky" Performed by Julie Fowlis
"Into the Open Air" Performed by Julie Fowlis
"Learn Me Right" Performed by Birdy with Mumford & Sons
"Fate and Destiny" Score
"The Games" Score
"I Am Merida" Score
"Remember to Smile" Score
"Merida Rides Away" Score
"The Witch's Cottage" Score
"Song of Mor'du" Performed by Billy Connolly and Cast
"Through the Castle" Score
"Legends Are Lessons" Score
"Show Us the Way" Score
"Mum Goes Wild" Score
"In Her Heart"" Score
"Noble Maiden Fair" (A Mhaighdean Bhan Uasal) Performed by Emma Thompson and Peigi Barker
The Great American Cookies bakery has launched its first cookie truck. The truck ismaking its way through the city of Houston, Texas this week. The truck can be followed on Twitter, @CookieTruckHOU1.
Food truck owner and Great American Cookies Franchisee Doc Cohen says, "It's an honor to be the first Great American Cookies food truck owner and operators. Jerome and I are excited to serve the Houston area and are finding that customers are loving that fresh-baked cookies can now come directly to them in all kinds of venues from sporting events to office buildings."
Kate Perry performed her new single, "Wide Awake," at the 2012 Billboard Music Awards. She was suspended in the air in scenery of clouds and stars for part of the entire performance. Katy spun around quite a bit, apparently without getting dizzy.
Part of the lyrics in the song are thought to reference her divorce: "I'm wide awake. I was in the dark, I was falling hard with an open heart. How did I read the stars so wrong. I was dreaming for so long. I wish I knew then what I know now. I wouldn't dive in, I wouldn't bow down."
Cheryl Cole wore a white Stephane Rolland gown with a red ostrich feather train on the red carpet at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. L'Oreal flew Cheryl out for the premiere. It was a very rainy day as Cheryl walked the red carpet. She had an umbrella carrying gentleman helping her but it looked the train still dragged through some puddles. You can see photos of Cheryl in her dress here. Take a look:
CBS News reports that a government panel has found that a PSA test for prostate cancer gives a false positive result 80% of the time. The panel calls the test unreliable. False positive results could result in men receiving treatments that are not needed. CBS News says the results of the study sparked outrage at a meeting of the American Urological Association. The group is "outraged" by the government panel's findings. Take a look:
US Newsreports that the U.S. government advisory panel gave the PSA blood test a "D" rating.
Taylor Swift won the Woman of the Year award at the 2012 Billboard Awards. She is the youngest singer to get the award. Taylor wore straight hair and a red Elie Saab dress to the awards show. You can see a still photo of Taylor in her dress here. Taylor said she wrote a song with Justin Bieber, which is how the whole Punk'd thing came about. She said, "He lured me with the writing session idea. That's always how people can get me." Take a look:
Will Smith was a guest on the Graham Norton show to promote Men in Black 3, along with singing legend Sir Tom Jones and Take That's Gary Barlow. Barlow is in charge of Queen Elizabeth's Jubilee Celebration Concert. Graham brought up the fact that everyone knows Will from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and the rap that introduces the show. Gary fired up the keyboard and Will sang along. So did the entire audience. It's pretty funny, take a look:
The deadly earthquake in Northern Italy also caused major damage to the region's cheese industry. The AP reports that one producer had 400,000 wheels of aging Parmesan cheese damaged in the earthquake. The shelves the wheels of cheese are stored on toppled over during the earthquake. We cannot believe the devastation: it's really shocking. This is bound to make cheese prices go up. We do hope the producers were insured. Take a look:
Guy Pearce and Tom Hardy are in Cannes, France where their film Lawless premiered. The film is based on a true story about the infamous Bondurant brothers. They were major bootleggers during Prohibition. Guy and Tom talk about going to Cannes and how it can be a pretty anxiety-producing experience. Both of them were seeing the movie for the first time with an audience. Guy joked that it's important not to cry during your own movie. Take a look:
At the end of Saturday Night Live, the cast did a farewell to Kristen Wiig under the guise of graduation skit. Arcade Fire played "She's a Rainbow," while Kristen danced with each of the cast and said her farewells. Andy Samberg twirled her around so energetically Kristen reached for the back of her tight skirt, worried about a wardrobe malfunction. She also danced with Lorne Michaels, then the band played "Ruby Tuesday." Former cast members Amy Poehler, Rachel Dratch and Chris Kattan also joined in the spirited goodbye song. Kristen was holding back tears: clearly she has some very close friends in the cast. Take a look:
Disney has announced a new line of merchandise based on its mobile game, Where's My Water?. The merchandise features Swampy the Alligator and his friends Cranky and Allie. The Where's My Water? game has been No. 1 on the App Store in 80 different countries. The app can be found on iTunes here and for Android devices here.
The Where's My Water? product line includes plush toys, t-shirts, backpacks, towels, iPod cases and more.
Daniel Craig returns as James Bond in the new film Skyfall. In this first teaser trailer released by Sony, we get the first look at the hotly anticipated film which was directed by Sam Mendes. Judi Dench returns as M and Javier Bardem is the villain. Bernenice Marlohe and Albert Finney also star. The film will open in the U.S. on November 9, 2012. Take a look:
Audi has announced the launch of its e-Bike Worthersee. The frame, swingarm and wheels on the bike are made from ultra lightweight carbon. The airy frame structure provides a low center of gravity. The bike, which weighs just 46 pounds, has a top speed of 50 mph. The battery is fully recharged after two and a half hours. For a long trips to the battery can be replaced with a charged battery. You can find out more about the Audi e-bike here. Take a look:
Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores has partnered with Tori Spelling to launch a DIY jewelry line called Styled by Tori Spelling. The collection is the first licensed jewelry line carried by Jo-Ann. The line includes affordable jewelry components that are easy to assemble and interchangeable, allowing customers to create their own styles.
Megan Cross, jewelry and textile buyer for Jo-Ann, says, "We are very excited to be able to bring the Styled by Tori Spelling DIY fashion jewelry line to Jo-Ann customers. Tori has developed a line which makes it simple for anyone to make their jewelry collection totally one-of-a-kind, and she's done that with really elegant components."
Tori says, "I love designing jewelry, and I love crafting. With this line, I've combined both my passions. I give the styles and tools, and women can use their creativity to design their own jewelry!"
The U.S. Postal Service continues to shrink. The latest move is a $2 billion cost reduction plan that includes cutting nearly 250 mail processing plants over the next two years. The AP reports that the American Postal Workers Union plans to fight the loss of the centers. Rural post offices are also having to reduce hours as part of USPS cutbacks. Take a look:
Gwyneth Paltrow has been named the face of a new Hugo Boss fragrance. Gwyneth will appear in tv, print and Internet campaigns for Hugo Boss's Boss Nuit Pour Femme fragrance, which will luanch in August.
Hugo Boss said in a statement, "We are thrilled to announce that we have signed Gwyneth Paltrow as the face of our new BOSS Black female fragrance BOSS Nuit pour femme. She is a true icon of female success and the perfect complement to BOSS Fragrances."
Justin Bieber talked to Forbes about his investments. Bieber has made a lot of money very early in life, so he is looking for places to invest it. Bieber's manager Scooter Braun helps him with his investments. A couple places Bieber has invested include Spotify and WeTopia. Bieber and Braun believe companies with a charitable component can be successful. Take a look:
Two underwater weddings have been held at a marine park in China. The couples wore wedding clothes and scuba gear as they dove into a tank filled with fish and people dressed as mermaids. The couples also received a kiss from a dolphin and a blast of water from a walrus. Take a look:
Emma Stone's new Revlon ads will appear in July magazine issues. The ads are for Revlon's Grow Luscious Plumping Mascara and Just Bitten Kissable Balms. Emma was named a new face of Revlon last year. You can see her previous ad here. Emma plays Spider-Man's love interest, Gwen Stacy, is the upcoming film, The Amazing Spider-Man.
Julianne Hough was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Julianne said her family had its own band. Jay Leno shared a clip showing that she was a great dancer even at age 11. Julianne says Ryan Seacrest came with her on their family's recent Houseboat vacation. She also talked about her role as Sherrie Christian on Rock of Ages. Take a look:
Havaianas partnered with Baby Buggy and celebrity moms Courteney Cox, Nina Garcia, Rebecca Romijn, and Tori Spelling, to launch a Baby Buggy collection. 10% of sales will be donated directly to Baby Buggy, a nonprofit dedicated to providing families in need with essential equipment, products, clothing, and educational services for their infants and children. The sandals cost $26.
Rebecca Romijn designed the sandals pictured above. You can find all the celebrity designed Havaianas here.
Singer/songwriter Robin Gibb has died at age 62 after a long battle with cancer. Gibb was a member of the Bee Gees, with his brothers Barry and Maurice Gibb. Gibb also wrote and produced songs for other performers.
The Gibb family left the following statement on his official website: "The family of Robin Gibb, of the Bee Gees, announce with great sadness that Robin passed away on Sunday 20 May, 2012 at 10:46pm following his long battle with cancer and intestinal surgery. They have asked that their privacy is respected at this very difficult time."
Kim Kardashian is in London promoting a weight loss management program called QuickTrim, which contains laxatives. Kim is the face and body the brand. Her brother, Rob, came with her on the London trip. Here Kim is greeted by screaming fans on the red carpet. Take a look:
Bed Bath & Beyond has announced plans to acquire Cost Plus, Inc. in an all cash transaction. The Boards of Directors of both companies have unanimously approved the terms of the transaction. The acquisition is expected to close during Bed Bath & Beyond Inc.'s fiscal second quarter.
Steven H. Temares, CEO of Bed Bath & Beyond says, "We are thrilled about the prospects of welcoming the Cost Plus team and their customers and vendors to the Bed Bath & Beyond family. Through the combination of the highly talented Cost Plus organization with our own dedicated associates, we expect to be able to do even more for, and with, our collective customers."
Chris Parnell ("Parnes") returns to Saturday Night Live in a very funny digital short with Andy Samberg ("Young Sandwich"). It's a sequel to Lazy Sunday, the famous Lonely Island short in which they rapped about going to see The Chronicles of Narnia. The sequel has updated references, such as "I love that brunch like McAdams loves Channing" instead of "like McAdams loves Gosling." We'd almost forgotten how hilarious Chris Parnell is.
This time the duo has tickets to see Sister Act 2 on Broadway. They use Siri, but ditch the cupcakes rapping: "Don't mess with Magnolia cuz the line's too long/ plus it f***s with my cleanse/ now back to the song/." They also smuggle in some booze for the show: "We sneak in a flask full of sweet Vermouth/. We take more shots in the theater than John Wilkes Booth." Andy hasn't announced that he's leaving the show, but some people say this is his last digital short. We certainly hope not. Take a look:
Mark Zuckerberg married his girlfriend Priscilla Chan, a day after taking his company Facebook public. He also updated his Facebook relationship status to married. The wedding was a huge surprise to guests at a party at Zuckerberg's home on Saturday. Guests thought they were there to celebrate Chan's graduation from medical school. Instead they witnessed a wedding. Peoplereports that guests ate chocolates made to look like mice from L.A. Burdick for dessert, see here. Take a look:
A song was also released this weekend, thanking Facebook for doing an IPO.
LeSportsac and Disney Consumer Products have launched the Disney It's a Small World by LeSportsac collection featuring handbags, totes, backpacks and accessories. The collection is inspired by the artwork of Disney artist Mary Blair who created the whimsical look of the beloved Disney theme park attraction "it's a small world."
The Magical Journey Ruffle Rectangular Cosmetic bag ($37.75) is pictured above and the Tahitian Dreams Mini Backpack ($78) is pictured below.
D'Arcy Jensen, Vice President, Global Creative Director, LeSportsac, says, "We are so inspired by Blair's original art and the "it's a small world" theme of global awareness. Each collectible design we are creating is a colorful narrative that is sure to delight fans of Disney, Mary Blair and LeSportsac alike."
Stefon (Bill Hader) stopped by Weekend Update to give out his recommendations for summer fun in New York City. We just love Stefon. First up is New York's hottest club, Scampy. Illegally parked behind the Statue of Liberty, this club has everything: zip drives, gozers and Kesha. Plus for the kids it has "a special workshop where you can build a bear, ....but not the kind you think." It also has "furtlenecks" and "roaming draggers." Another hotspot is Brrrrr!, a club that's "written and directed by James L. Brooks." It offers backpacks, sea lions, Ron Woods, and a a special appearance by evil celebrity chef Wario Batali (he's just like his brother but he doesn't wear Crocs.) He also recommends Club Hellooooo!! Oh, Stefon. We will miss you until fall. Take a look:
Marvel's The Avengers continues its reign atop the box office. The film made another $55 million this weekend in the U.S. This brings its domestic box office gross to $457 million. The film has already climbed to #4 on the list of all-time worldwide grossing films and to #6 on the list of all-time domestic grossing movies. It won't be long before James Cameron's Titanic and Avatar are the only two films in front of it on both these lists. That puts Avengers director Joss Whedon in some very exclusive company.
Battleship did not do nearly as well as expected during its first weekend in theaters. It only made $25.3 million. However, the film has been popular outside the U.S., where it has already made over $215 million. The Dictator also underperformed. It made $17.4 million and finished third.
The Dark Shadows finished fourth and made $12.7 million to push its total gross over the $50 million mark. There wasn't much interest in the star-studded What to Expect When You're Expecting film, which made just $10.5 million in its first weekend in theaters. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel did extremely well in its limited release. It made $3.25 million despite appearing in only 178 theaters.
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was followed by The Hunger Games, Think Like a Man and The Lucky One. You can see the complete box office report here.
Mick Jagger hosted Saturday Night Live and he really was amazing. In his monologue he answered the top Frequently Asked Questions by reporters. Mick is such a natural on stage. If he looked at the cue cards, you certainly couldn't tell. His comic timing is good and he certainly knows how to get a crowd worked up without singing a note (although there was plenty of excellent singing later in the show). Take a look:
Jon Hamm stopped by Saturday Night Live last night which was Kristen Wiig's last night on the show (she's leaving to pursue her movie career). The cold open was the Lawrence Welk skit, with Fred Armisen as the host. Hamm played singer Gionni Prosciutto ("Jon Ham" in Italian) who sang about love. The Finger Lake Sisters joined him, and Kristen's odd sister Dooneese character finally gets lucky in love. Jon Hamm is just amazingly funny. Take a look:
Bianca Balti is the face of Dolce & Gabbana's sunglasses. She is wearing the brand's limited Gold Edition sunglasses in the above photograph. Bianca also stars in a campaign for Dolce & Gabbana Eyewear's new fifties inspired Matt Silk collection. The Matt Silk campaign was directed by Luca Finotti and photographed by Giampaolo Sgura. Take a look:
The long-running Keeping up with the Kardashians series continues for season seven this year, and has been renewed for yet three more seasons. Matt Lauer interviewed Kris Jenner about the series. Kris says they are in the middle of filming season 7 right now. She says the doing the show is somewhat addictive.
Lauer got Kris to dispel some rumors. Kris confirmed that Khloe's father is Robert Kardashian and that the rumors he is not her father are ridiculous. She also said the rumor that her daughters are going to fire her is ridiculous. Kris says Khloe's reality show was not canceled and they are not unhappy or having marital problems. Kris also commented on the cosmetic lip surgery gone wrong rumors. She says there was no cosmetic surgery involved in her lip looking extra huge one morning.
Lauer joked, "I'm going to be so proud of this interview at some future date." Take a look:
Designer Cynthia Rowley has partnered with the Band-Aid brand for a collecton of beach Band-Aids. The colorful Band-Aids feature oceans themes and imagery, including a shark, wave and seahorse. The bandages are 100% waterproof. The kit, which can be purchased here for $12, comes with 20 Band-Aids and 4 Neosporin single use packets.
True Blood star Anna Paquin covers the April/May 2012 issue of Zooey magazine. In the interview, Zooey talks about privacy and being in the public eye. She disagreed with the interview that people don't know a lot about her. She says she does consider herself a private person, but not in a "weird recluse way."
Anna said, "I think it's important to have things that are just for you and people that are closest to you. Some people share absolutely everything, but then what do you have left that's yours? It diminishes what's really special in your life."
Here is a video of Anna's Zooey magazine cover shoot. Take a look:
Virgin Atlantic has launched "Little Richard" ice cubes. The ice cubes have been crafted in the image of Virgin Atlantic's president Sir Richard Branson. They are being served on flights of the airline's new Upper Class Cabin this May.
The ice cubes were created using the exact measurements of Branson's head. The mold for the ice cubes took a team of four designers a painstaking six weeks to create using detailed photographic techniques and laser scanning technology.
Luke Miles, head of design for Virgin Atlantic Upper Class, said in a statement, "We're delighted to be able to offer our Upper Class passengers access to the newest, longest bar in the sky, and what better way to celebrate this than giving passengers the opportunity to share a drink with the face of our business?"
Gucci has launched its City Collection. The colorful items in the collection contain a print of the black outline of a city. The collection includes shoes, handbags, wallet, sunglasses and a watch. You can see more items from the collection here.
Amazon is running a sale on select athletic and outdoor clothing. The sale includes clothes from brands including Columbia, ExOfficio, prAna, Pearl iZumi, and more. The sale runs through May 31, 2012. You can find the sale here on Amazon.com.
You can find more current sales and deals here on shoppersshop.com.
Candice Swanepoel covers the June 2012 issue of Vogue Japan. Candice is wearing sequinned dress from Gucci's SS 2012 collection on the cover. The black dress features graphic rectangle sequins all around with gold chain fringes. Candice's hair matches the gold and black in the dress.
Alessi makes this futuristic looking handheld vacuum cleaner. The rechargeable device, designed by Stefano Giovannoni, made of stainless steel 18/10 and white thermoplastic resin. The Polycarbonate base contains charger with integrated crevice tool and wet nozzle. The vacuum retails for $190, which is definitely on the high side for a handheld vacuum. It can be found here on Alessi's online shop.
Kuhn Rikon has announced the Kochblume Spill Stopper. The silicon lid is designed to prevent boiling liquids from spilling or overflowing on your stovetop. It is heat resistant to 400 degrees. It can also be used as a microwave splatter guard and as a steamer.
Kochblume comes in two sizes. The 10-inch size, which costs $24.95, fits pots or pans 6 to 8 inches in diameter, and the 12-inch size, which costs $24.95, fits pots or pans 8 to 10 inches in diameter. It is sold at Sur La Table. Take a look:
Henryville, Indiana was hard hit by a tornado in March of this year. The local high school was almost completely destroyed by the tornado. Lady Antebellum stopped by to perform a mini-prom for students at Henryville High School. The students were thrilled to have the country stars at their high school. Take a look:
Brian Donnelly, a New York-based artist, known as KAWS, has joined the line-up for the 86th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on Nov 22. A Companion by KAWS balloon will join the parade's Blue Sky Gallery series, which invites celebrated contemporary artists to create flying art for the Thanksgiving Day procession.
KAWS says, "COMPANION is a subject of mine that has been exhibited the world over, from Atlanta to Hong Kong, manifesting in sculptures that range from six inches to 16 feet. I'm very proud that the largest COMPANION to date will debut, soaring in the New York City skyline."
Mick Jagger is hosting Saturday Night Live tonight. He teamed up with Kristen Wiig for some promos for the show, which are quite funny. Kristen tells Mick how she admired him growing up, that he taught her all about drugs, including how to do drugs and all the different kinds of drugs. Mick also reveals that he's actually an Australian bloke named Shane Kendall. Take a look:
Demi Lovato and Lea Michele posed together at the Fox 2012 Programming Presentation Party. Demi has joined The X Factor as a judge and Lea continues her role as Rachel Berry on Glee. Lea wore a Pucci dress to the party and Demi wore a dress containing unique patterns, including a spider web print.
Country star Miranda Lambert covers the June 2012 issue of Self magazine. In the interview, Miranda talked about the pressure to be slim, security, hairspray and her husband, Blake Shelton.
On Pressure to be Slim: "I don't care about being stick-thin. I don't want stuff to jiggle. Really skinny actresses make me hungry - I see them and think, Honey, you need to eat! I'm lucky I don't have to live like that. I feel my best when I'm a toned, not flabby, size 8. Women come up to me and say, 'You're beautiful and confident, and that makes me feel I can be, too.'"
On Packing Heat: "I carry a weapon. I got a death threat a few years ago and was really scared. But I don't want bodyguards. I am my own security."
On Hairspray: "I live on hairspray. The bigger the hair, the closer to God."
On Blake Shelton: "Blake and I barely see each other. We got married [last May], and we each had so much travel, it was, like, See you next year! There have been challenges the first year, but we faced them. We're individuals, but together we're a force to be reckoned with."
You can see Miranda's Self cover shoot photos here.
After eight years on the air, House is finally coming to an end on Monday, May 23. There has been a lot of speculation that House himself will die in the final episode, but no one really knows what the writers have planned. Hugh Laurie was a guest on The Tonight Show and talked about the end of the series. He wouldn't say whether he dies or not, but he did say a reunion show is unlikely. He also discusses why he hasn't joined Twitter. He says he regrets about 90% of what he says on any given day, so the idea of people reading it and remembering it is horrifying. Take a look:
The Brookfield Zoo's blackfooted cat is more adorable than ever. He is now 3-months-old and is getting stronger. The kitten is still off exhibit. He is very playful, curious and hungry. He attacks the plush penguin toy around the 1:27 mark. Take a look:
Could Bill Murray be about to win his first Oscar? He plays President Roosevelt in the film Hyde Park On The Hudson. The film tells the events of a weekend in 1939 when King George VI (Samuel West) and his wife Elizabeth (Olivia Colman) came to visit. They were the first British monarchs to visit the U.S. The weekend party was held at FDR's estate in upstate New York. Alliances were made and diplomatic faux pas abounded. Roosevelt had polio and was never photographed in his wheel chair -- he was always seated in a regular chair. The film was directed by Roger Michell. It looks quite interesting. Take a look:
A Star Wars Droid Factory has been launched at Disney's Hollywood Studios. You can make and name your own droid at the Droid Factory. The Droid Factory has 71 different pieces to choose from. You also get to put your droid into special action figure packaging when it is completed. This is a clever idea. Take a look:
50 Cent has been in the hospital has been in the hospital, but he hasn't lost his sense of humor. He shared this photograph on Twitter that shows him surrounded by cute plush toys, including a giraffe, elephant and lion. 50 Cent is reportedly in the hospital for a stomach virus, so it is not clear why he tweeted, "I don't want to go into surgery." The plush toys were a gift from his friend DJ Drama. Get well soon 50 Cent.
Actress Emily VanCamp talked with E Online! about the season finale of Revenge, which airs on May 23. She also says there is great fight scene, which she loved filming. The "white haired man" is also in town.
Emily says the success of the show has been a "wild roller coast ride." She has been traveling internationally to promote the show lately. She says she is ready for at least a two day rest. The series was renewed for a second season, as expected. Revenge creator/executive producer Mike Kelly has said season two will start with Emily's character's wedding, but Emily is not so sure. Take a look:
Lego created this poster of a Lego Gollum to promote its upcoming Lord of the Rings lego sets. The poster matches the official poster for The Return of the King. Lego's The Lord of the Rings website was recently updated with information about two sets, Attack on Weathertop and Gandalf Arrives. The site also includes fun Lego animations of each of the sets.
Usher and Justin Bieber cover Billboard magazine's special 2012 Billboard Music Awards edition. Usher says, "They always say if you can make it past your sophmore, it's all good from there." Believe is the sophmore album Usher is talking about. Bieber says he had his Fisker Karma electric hybrid sports vehicle "hromed out" at West Coast Customs. The vehicle was a gift from Usher and Bieber's manager, Scoot Braun. Take a look:
Christopher Bailey designed a custom cylindrical space to create a 360 immersive experience called Burberry World Live. The combination of British Heritage, fashion, music and weather was used to celebrate the opening of the Burberry Taiwan flagship store at Taipei 101. Burberry will bring the Burberry World Live experience to other cities this year, including London, Hong Kong and Chicago later this year. Take a look:
Barbie has a new online show, Barbie Life in the Dreamhouse. The series will consist of 14 three minute episodes. It can be watched on Barbie's Youtube channel or here on Barbie.com. Barbie sure has an insanely massive closet in her Dreamhouse and it is packed with clothes, shoes, accessories and much more. There is also a makeup room with a giant Barbie head for testing makeup. Here is episode one. Take a look:
Pillow Pets, such as the My Pillow Pets Miss Lady Bug pictured above, are a big hit. They are plush toys that fold out to become pillows. The Pillow Pets company were designed by Pillow Pets CEO Jennifer Telfer. CBS News reports that Telfer and her husband used their savings to have the first 8,000 pillow pets manufactured by a company in China. The toys then expanded to mall kiosks and eventually major retailers. Sales really shot up when the first Pillow Pats commercial aired in 2009. The Pillow Pets brand now includes blankets, hats and slippers. There is also a Disney product line. Take a look:
Queen Amidala, Chewbacca, C-3PO, Slave Leia, Jawas and other Star Wars characters danced to LMFAO's "Sexy and I Know It," at the 2012 Dance-Off with the Star Wars Stars at Star Wars Weekends at Disney's Hollywood Studios. LMFAO's dancing robot was also present. Attractions Magazine has longer 23 minute video of all the dancing at the event here. Take a look:
Glee stars attended to Fox 2012 Programming Presentation at The Beacon Theater in New York City. Cory Monteith and Lea Michele are pictured above. Lea was wearing a Pucci dress. You can see another photo of her in the dress here. Naya Rivera and Chris Colfer are pictured in the photo below.
Ryan Murphy has confirmed that all cast members will be back in season 4, but this doesn't mean all cast members will in all 22 episodes.
Amazon.com is offering up to 50% off select Pinzon bath towels, hand towels and bath sheets. The sale includes the Pinzon 820-gram cotton towels pictured above. You can find all the items on sale here. The sale ends on June 7.
iHome has announced the iP76 LED Color Changing Speaker Tower with Bluetooth technology. Available in July 2012, the tower contains 16 multi-color LED clusters to create exciting light effects. The three-foot-high speaker can stream music from Bluetooth-enabled devices. It can also charge iPhones and iPods when docked and send video content from your device to your television via the built-in component video outputs. The iP76 will be available in July 2012 at retailers nationwide and on ihomeaudio.com for $199.99.
Evan Stein, Director of Marketing, iHome, says, "We're very excited to release our first speaker tower and believe the design and array of features will make the iP76 stand above the competition."
A new study out of Stanford University found that about 4 percent of the adult U.S population is sleepwalking, and that one third of Americans have sleepwalked at some point in their lives. The phenomenon is much more common than previously believed. People do really bizarre things while sleepwalking: binge eating, randomly emailing people and even violently assaulting a loved one (which they had no memory of the next morning).
Sleep violence is very serious and puts other family members at risk. Dr. Carlos Schenck of the Minnesota Regional Sleep Disorders Center says that it is the fight or flight response taking over while asleep. They feel a threat, so they either run away or fight the perceived threat. The brain tells the body to move, and to become violent. Researchers say there is much we do not know about sleep disturbances, which need a great deal more study. ABC News takes a look at some of the strange things people do while sound asleep:
Taylor Swift has released the lyric video for "Eyes Open." The song is one of two songs Taylor Swift wrote for The Hunger Games soundtrack. The words in the lyrics are animated with the help of different types of paper and office supplies on a desk. Take a look:
A rare corpse flower has finally bloomed at Foster Botanical Garden in Honolulu. Horticulturist Scot Mitamura said, "This was the first time it has bloomed for us. It took 10 years." The plant has a terrible odor which reminds most people of rotten meat. The odor attracts a specific type of beetle the plant needs to pollinate. KHON's Brianne Randle says the odor hits you the minute you go in the door of th botanical garden. This plant was donated as a bulb and it's finally blooming. It only blooms every 3-5 years and is beautiful. The plant is endangered. Take a look:
Verizon announced that it is phasing out its unlimited data plans as customers upgrade to faster 4g devices. Customers who have unlimited data plans who don't upgrade their devices will get to keep their plans, for now. But if they upgrade, they won't get unlimited data.
Naturally, customers are furious over the move. The New York Times asked Verizon to clarify the new policy and it sent this statement:
Customers will not be automatically moved to new shared data plans. If a 3G or 4G smartphone customer is on an unlimited plan now and they do not want to change their plan, they will not have to do so.
When we introduce our new shared data plans, Unlimited Data will no longer be available to customers when purchasing handsets at discounted pricing.
Customers who purchase phones at full retail price and are on an unlimited smartphone data plan will be able to keep that plan.
The same pricing and policies will be applied to all 3G and 4GLTE smartphones.
The AP reports on this news and gets some very unhappy customer reactions:
Dawn Casale and Dave Crofton of One Girl Cookies in Brooklyn and author of One Girl Cookies: Recipes for Cakes, Cupcakes, Whoopie Pies, and Cookies from Brooklyn's Beloved Bakery, demonstrate how to make perfect buttercream frosting. Dave says to use room temperature butter -- it must be soft and easily mixed. He says the milk should also be room temperature. He said don't be afraid to add extra milk so the frosting is not too dry. He says keep the speed of the mixer low to medium -- don't add too much air to it. The vanilla extract should be high quality, and vanilla beans are better. If you'd like a colored frosting, you can add food coloring, but don't add too much. It makes the frosting taste strange. Dave says he likes professional food coloring gel, available at a kitchen supply store. Take a look:
A new study by researchers from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health, and AARP, has found that older adults who drank coffee -- caffeinated or decaffeinated -- had a lower risk of death overall than others who did not drink coffee.
Coffee drinkers were less likely to die from heart disease, respiratory disease, stroke, injuries and accidents, diabetes, and infections, although the association was not seen for cancer. These results from a large study of older adults were observed after adjustment for the effects of other risk factors on mortality, such as smoking and alcohol consumption. Researchers caution that they can't be sure these associations mean that drinking coffee actually makes people live longer. The results of the study were published in the May 17, 2012, edition of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Neal Freedman, Ph.D., Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics, NCI, and his colleagues examined the association between coffee drinking and risk of death in 400,000 U.S. men and women ages 50 to 71 who participated in the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study. Information about coffee intake was collected once by questionnaire at study entry in 1995-1996. Coffee intake was assessed by self-report at a single time point and therefore might not reflect long-term patterns of intake. The participants were followed until the date they died or Dec. 31, 2008, whichever came first.
The researchers found that the association between coffee and reduction in risk of death increased with the amount of coffee consumed. Relative to men and women who did not drink coffee, those who consumed three or more cups of coffee per day had approximately a 10% lower risk of death. Coffee drinking was not associated with cancer mortality among women, but there was a slight and only marginally statistically significant association of heavier coffee intake with increased risk of cancer death among men.
Freedman says, "Coffee is one of the most widely consumed beverages in America, but the association between coffee consumption and risk of death has been unclear. We found coffee consumption to be associated with lower risk of death overall, and of death from a number of different causes. Although we cannot infer a causal relationship between coffee drinking and lower risk of death, we believe these results do provide some reassurance that coffee drinking does not adversely affect health."
Freedman also says, "The mechanism by which coffee protects against risk of death -- if indeed the finding reflects a causal relationship -- is not clear, because coffee contains more than 1,000 compounds that might potentially affect health. The most studied compound is caffeine, although our findings were similar in those who reported the majority of their coffee intake to be caffeinated or decaffeinated."
USA Todayquotes cardiologist Steve Nissen of the Cleveland Clinic who tells the public to ignore the study's findings.
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Amazon is running a sale on select athletic and outdoor clothing. The sale includes clothes from brands including Columbia, ExOfficio, prAna, Pearl iZumi, and more. The sale runs through May 31, 2012. You can find the sale 
