May 21 Judgement Day

First, it was December 21, 2012 and now, it seems that the end of the world just became soon as some evangelical Christians are claiming that a decoded Bible entry is saying that judgement day will be coming by May 21, 2011.
That’s less than two weeks from now and it has definitely stirred the concerns of many people. The date of doom is now being actively advertised in paid billboards and vans in several states.

According to several sources, the information regarding the significance of May 21 came from Family Radio, a Christian radio network owned by Harold Camping. Now 89 years old, he first wrongly predicted that Judgement Day would come last 1994.
When that didn’t happen, he reported that his Bible study was incomplete, thus the mistake.
Lastly, while the news did creat concerns, a significant number of people are not believing theprophecy.

Gary Coleman

Nearly a year after his death Gary Colemanapparently still hasn't been buried.
Vic Perillo, Coleman's former manager, revealed in an essay obtained by WENN.com that Coleman's body is yet to have been put to rest. Apparently, the legal battle between his parents and his estranged wife have put burial plans on hold.
Perillo's essay apparently also encouraged various networks to pay tribute to the late actor, though he seems to have gotten little response.

“On this, the first anniversary of his death, I have contacted the three major (U.S. TV) networks, asking them to honor Gary, his eight years on Diff’rent Strokes, his seven movies of the week, his work as a spokesman with the National Kidney foundation and the many charitable endeavours he gave of his time and effort to," Perillo wrote according to WENN.com.
Coleman died in late May 2010, after suffering an intercranial hemorrhage. He had been in ill health for some time as he suffered from kidney disease which stunted his growth.
The "Diff'rent Strokes" actor died at the Utah Valley Regional Medical Center in Provo. He was 42.

Alicia Silverstone

Alicia Silverstonehad her first baby and her first Mother's Day all in one weekend.
The Clueless one gave birth to a boy on Thursday at a Los Angeles-area birthing center, per People. The 7-pound, 15-ounce tyke is the first child for Silverstone, 34, and rocker hubby Christopher Jarecki.
Now, about that name...
It's Bear Blu!
"Mom and Dad are completely in love" with their "beautiful baby boy," Silverstone's rep said in a statement..
The actress revealed she had a bun in the oven back in January, and said she's always wanted a baby of her own.
"I've been wanting to have a baby since I was 2 years old—I'm destined to be a mother," she said last year.

The 34-year-old and Jarecki, frontman for the punk group S.T.U.N., married in Lake Tahoe in 2005. They've been together since 1997.
Silverstone's been busy plugging her New York Times bestselling vegan nutrition guide, The Kind Diet, and prepping for the baby. She's also had some practice with her parenting skills playing an adoptive mother in the soon to be released indie flick Butter, opposite Jennifer Garner and Hugh Jackman.

Arbys

Wendy's/Arby's Group Inc. plans to raise menu prices, the latest in a stream of companies saying they will pass along higher costs for the ingredients in their products.
The fast-food giant on Tuesday blamed the rising prices of beef, bacon and cooking oil. It also said it had already raised prices late last year and in March.
The announcement came on the same day that the company reported that it lost $1.4 million in the first quarter and lowered its earnings estimate for the year.
Wendy's/Arby's has struggled through the recession and the economy's halting recovery, losing money for seven of the 10 quarters since the two chains combined in a deal engineered by billionaire investor Nelson Peltz in 2008.
Its leaders have a formidable to-do list. Besides stemming losses and raising prices without upsetting customers, they also need to get a piece of the breakfast action that is benefiting their rivals. And that's on top of selling off the Arby's chain, which represents nearly 40 percent of revenue.
Wendy's/Arby's also blamed the rising beef costs for its decision to lower its predictions for adjusted earnings for the year, to between $330 million and $340 million. In March it had said it expected to make $345 million to $355 million.
Chief Financial Officer Steve Hare said the company expected a 20 percent increase in the price it pays for meat, up from previous predictions of 10 to 15 percent.
Wendy's/Arby's net loss of $1.4 million, or break-even per share, was narrower than the loss of $3.4 million, or 1 cent per share, in the same quarter last year.
Excluding a charge, the most recent quarter's earnings were 1 cent per share. Analysts had expected 2 cents per share.
The company has already factored Arby's sale into its 2011 earnings predictions. CEO Roland Smith tipped his hand slightly on deal news, telling analysts there are "several quality bidders" and that they have all done "significant due diligence."
Though the Arby's brand is the one getting the boot, it was also the chain that drove the first-quarter revenue increase. Overall revenue rose about 1 percent to $848 million, beating analysts' estimates of $820 million. But revenue rose 5 percent at the Arby's stores and fell slightly — less than 1 percent — at Wendy's.
Sara Senatore, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein, said some of the revenue increase at Arby's could be from last year's launch of a value menu and a $4 fish sandwich combo added in February. Those promotional prices can give Arby's a short-term revenue boost while the restaurant is up for sale, but it could be difficult to maintain that momentum.
"Once you've got this menu in place, once you've promoted these things, how do you (repeat) that the following year?" Senatore said.
It was clear in Tuesday's earnings call which chain company leaders see as the future. Smith spoke enthusiastically about new salads, new fries, a pending makeover for its burgers and chicken sandwiches, and an upcoming new flavor of Frosty at Wendy's.
He spent much less time on Arby's, though he did say the Arby's turnaround is "progressing nicely."
Smith also said that the new products, aimed at competing with "better burger" chains like Five Guys Burgers & Fries, give the company room to raise prices.
The new burgers, to be introduced later this year, will have toasted buns, thicker patties and better toppings, he said.
Besides the revamped basic menu, Wendy's is staking its future on overseas expansion and a national rollout of breakfast.
Wendy's/Arby's has recently announced plans for restaurants — mostly Wendy's — in Singapore, Turkey, Argentina and elsewhere. The first Wendy's franchises in Russia will open this month.
Unlike some rivals, including McDonald's, Wendy's/Arby's does most of its business domestically. Of its 10,200 locations, only about 350 are franchises outside North America.
Wendy's is the only major fast-food hamburger chain that doesn't offer breakfast nationwide. The company launched breakfast in four test markets last year and said Tuesday it plans to expand to about 1,000 of Wendy's 6,500 restaurants by year end. Research groups predict breakfast will be one of the few restaurant segments to gain in sales over the next decade.

Senatore, the analyst, called the first-quarter results "modestly disappointing." She said Wendy's sluggish revenue indicates it's still losing business to McDonald's.

May 21 2011

Harold Camping. That’s his name, folks. He’s supposedly a Jesus believer, but I just can’t remember Jesus calling anyone to predicting the day of judgement. Camping has long been the voice of Family Radio, a station based in Oakland, California. There are a lot of people who follow his teachings, and are scared and/or excited that an event known as “The Rapture,” is going to occur on May 21.
If you’re freaking out, stop! Seriously.
This Camping cat has been rapping about the rapture for decades.  In 1994 he said that the world was going to end. Now he says that he’s absolutely certain that May 21, 2011, will bring forth the rapture–which he also considers judgment day–due to the fact that it is exactly 7,000 years since Noah boarded the ark with family, animals and what I would imagine were tons and tons of goods. How he pinpointed May 21st? Your guess is as good as his…
So. What is this rapture? Well, there are a few schools of thought on this one. What Camping is suggesting is that all the righteous people who are here on earth are going to be swept away to their heavenly home, while others will be “left behind.”
Apparently being righteous requires that you buy into the fact that May 21st is what Camping says it is. This being the reason that so many of his followers are wigging out–trying to get their families to buy into his apocalyptic prediction. But no worries, if you’re left behind–according to Camping, the world won’t be consumed in fire until October 21, 2011.

I may have to call into Family Radio on May 24th, because I plan to enjoy my weekend, and may catch the St. Louis Cardinals in San Diego on Monday, May 23rd. So. The 24th is the earliest I’ll get around to it. Though I’ll definitely check out the website on the 22nd.

Sean Avery

Late yesterday the president of a sports agency representing some of the National Hockey League’s (NHL) top players compared gay marriage to bestiality. Don Reynolds, president of the Canadian-based Uptown Sports Management made his comments a day after New York Ranger forward Sean Avery announced that his support for marriage equality in New York state via a video for the Human Rights Campaign (HRC). Sean Avery was a “trending topic” on Twitter last night and his video on HRC’s YouTube account has been viewed over 148,000 views as of this morning.
In an interview with the National Post of Canada, Reynolds said, “The majority, I think, of Canadians would say that they don’t agree with gay marriage – that man and woman were created to be married, not man and man or man and horse, you know?” Gay and lesbian couples have been getting married legally nationwide in Canada since 2005.
“After Mr. Reynolds is briefed on what marriage is, we call on him to apologize for and retract his outrageous misstatement,” said HRC President Joe Solmonese. “This is hate and bigotry of the highest order and has no place in sports or in society. We urge the players represented by Mr. Reynolds to reject his ignorant remarks.”
Reynolds’ son Todd sent a series of tweets from the company’s official twitter account yesterday confirming their discriminatory views on the issue:
@uptownhockey Very sad to read Sean Avery's misguided support of same-gender "marriage". [sic] Legal or not, it will always be wrong.
@uptownhockey To clarify. This is not hatred or bigotry towards gays. It is not intolerance in any way shape or form. I believe we are all equal...
@uptownhockey But I believe in the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman. This is my personal viewpoint. I Do not hate anyone.
Uptown Sports represents many NHL players including Mike Fisher, husband of country music superstar Carrie Underwood, and Mike Brenner of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Sports agents and hockey professionals are coming out in support of Avery and against Uptown Sports.

Agent Andrew Warren noted on his Twitter feed, “As an admirer of Brendan Burke I felt the need to return to Twitter due to my distaste of @uptownhockey take on the issue of gay marriage.” NHL Star Paul Bissonnette: “I agree with Sean Avery and his comments on the same sex marriage issue @NortonSports. If 2 people are happy together let them be happy.”

Stargate Universe

Stargate Universe

After just two short seasons, The Vancouver Sun reports that "Stargate Universe," the newest series in the massively popular "Stargate" sci fi franchise, has received the proverbial axe, effectively cutting off the franchise completely for the first time since it began as "Stargate SG-1" in 1997.
The original Stargate SG-1 dawned in 1997. To give you an idea of how long ago that was, the most-watched shows on TV that year were Seinfeld, ER, Friends, Home Improvement and Touched by an Angel. In the end, Stargate SG-1 lasted 10 seasons -- a full decade -- and in 2004 spun off the companion series Stargate Atlantis, which itself lasted five seasons.
The future looks bleak for "Stargate," but maybe they'll be able to eke out another movie or two before it's lights out.

Casey Anthony Trial

Judge Belvin Perry has dismissed a group of at least a couple of dozen potential jurors because there was some kind of discussion of the case among them.
One juror apparently brought up the Casey Anthony case. The judge asked the group if the discussion went beyond the mention, and a number of the potential jurors said it did, so the group was dismissed.

LARGO — Just because you have kids at home and a business that needs you, don't expect to get out of going to Orlando for the six-to-eight week murder trial of Casey Anthony.
That's the message that came out of some of the juror interviews Tuesday, as a judge and lawyers continued jury selection in Pinellas County for the highly publicized murder trial.
Although most of the potential jurors have been excused from the inconvenience of the trial, attorneys are fighting to keep some people in the pool.
One man said he runs a hardware store with 34 employees and that a lot of the management and other work falls to him. "I was unloading trucks this morning before I came here." It's a family business, his father has suffered serious health problems, and the man said has a one-week business and pleasure trip to Panama coming up.
But defense attorney Cheney Mason called that an inconvenience, not a "hardship." The man is still in the jury pool.
Another man said he started a new job two weeks ago at "a huge pay cut" to be home, closer to his daughter with health problems. But his wife also cares for the girl. He's still in the jury pool.
Another man said he's on disability and couldn't afford to board his seven dogs. When Mason objected to excusing that man, Orange-Osceola Judge Belvin Perry jokingly asked if the dogs could stay at Mason's home. But for now, the man is still a possible juror.
However, others were quickly excused, such as the St. Petersburg College student who's a single mother with a 4-year-old, and the nurse who said he is in the fifth month of a six-month training program,
Twenty Pinellas County residents — 12 jurors and eight alternates — will travel to Orlando.
Media attention in Orlando prompted Perry to order that jurors come from outside Orange County.

Casey Anthony is accused of killing her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee Marie Anthony. Caylee disappeared in 2008. Her remains were discovered months later about a quarter-mile from her home.

Haagen Dazs

Haagen Dazs

The flagship shop at Select City Walk has a wide selection of divine signature creations such as Seventh Heaven, Mystique, Paradise and Fruity Journey that make the perfect way to celebrate summer.

The signature creations by Häagen-Dazs are a one-of-a-kind luxuriant treat.

Seventh Heaven can best be described as paradise on a plate, a delectable offering of seven choicest Häagen-Dazs flavors, interspersed with fresh fruits, and drizzled with chocolate sauce. It’s the perfect dessert to indulge in with your beloved valentine to partner in this palatable extravagance. – Rs. 890/-

Mystique is enchantment in a bowl of chocolate, Belgian chocolate ice cream and raspberry sorbet with seasonal fruit drizzled with chocolate sauce – Rs. – 450/-
Paradise is commonly known as bliss in a heavenly dish with mini scoops of chocolate, Belgian chocolate, coffee and vanilla ice cream, raspberry sorbet and mango sorbet with chocolate and strawberry sauce – Rs. 650/-

Fruity Journey makes you go on an adventure with strawberry and strawberry cheesecake ice cream, raspberry and mango sorbet served with fruits Rs. 635/-

The menu is a journey of pure indulgence that combines the most exotic flavors and authentic ingredients to offer a sensual, luxuriant and savory dessert experience. The Häagen-Dazs menu features exotic flavours like Belgian Chocolate, Apricot, Macadamia Nut, Dulce De Leche and Green Tea, among others and signature creations like Seventh Heaven, Mystique, Paradise and Fruity Journey.

Head to Häagen-Dazs for a perfect summer indulgence!
Known for its exemplary quality and innovation around the world, Häagen-Dazs is all about indulgence and luxury. Every Häagen-Dazs ice cream contains only the finest and purest ingredients from around the world, like vanilla from Madagascar and chocolate from Belgium. These ingredients are blended together gently so each scoop of this dense and creamy ice cream melts slowly for long-lasting enjoyment.

Cicadas

Swarms of 13-year cicada are covering swaths of the American south for the first time since 1998. Dwelling on the negative, some people are already griping over the bugs’ omnipresent “eerie” buzzing and discarded husks. They don’t know how lucky they are…
After 13 years of underground incubation, this unique cicada breed, called the Brood XIX, will soon attach itself to trees, cars and the occasional child from Arkansas to Virginia, playing their rhythmic percussion for the next five-weeks, at which point they’ll die.
Residents in Alabama and Georgia have already spotted them, and are registering complaints and concerns.
“We thought it was the nuclear power plant,” said one North Carolina woman, who also compared the cicada song to the noise of a UFO. Meanwhile, down in Tennessee, some people grimaced over the bugs’ “creepiness” and described them as a “nuisance.” But they shouldn’t be so quick to knock the cicada, because this bug is something special.
Cicadas, whose men compose varying pitched songs with the clicking of their exoskeletal tymbals, have long entranced the world’s cultures. The Chinese equate them with resurrection and rebirth, while the creature plays the “grasshopper” role in a French version of ‘The Grasshopper and the Ant.’ And mythological Greek mortal Tithonus, a lover of goddess Eros, becomes a cicada after Zeus grants him immortality, but not eternal youth.
These cultures aren’t alone in celebrating the cicada. North Carolina entomology professor Clyde Sorenson lauded this summer’s event as “really cool natural phenomenon” that only takes place “in eastern North America.” Nancy Hinkle, another etymology professor, also remarked, “This emergence is a great opportunity for an up-close view of this amazing phenomenon.”
And I have nothing but fond memories for the Ohio summers of 1987 and 1991, when the cicada Broods X and XIV made a boisterous appearance, delivering their soulful calls across the land. I approached the alien-esque insects with the wonder and curiosity found only in children.
Their call and response — one here, one there, video below — provided a fascinating relief from the rigmarole of my typical summers in the Ohio valley, and even today I can summon up faint wisps of that enchantment. It makes me wish I were in North Carolina or Georgia or elsewhere in the South, amongst the cicada call, which will no doubt become part of the backdrop for countless memories.

So those who are amidst the brood’s swarm, make a point of getting past some of the cicadas’ less alluring qualities — husks can be creepy — and appreciate the musical gifts this insect shares during its brief moment in the sun, because the cidadas are a six-legged reminder of that old life lesson: enjoy what you have now, because tomorrow it could be gone.
Here are some video of cicadas in aural action. First, the tone from the recent, 13-year outbreak in North Carolina.. Second, the one I remember, which I believe is more common among cicada in general.

Mississippi River

As the Mississippi River reaches its highest level in more than 70 years, threatening to inundate dozens of cities and towns, a hero has emerged: the region's $13 billion flood-control system.
Built after the devastating floods of the early 1900s, the levees and four large corridors designated as emergency flood outlets were deemed a necessity as Americans started to farm the fertile land that had been Mother Nature's flood buffer along the Mississippi.
Some 35 million acres of floodplains were eliminated as farms that feed Americans and the world moved in. The elimination of this natural release valve meant the potential for more catastrophic floods.
"This is history repeating itself," Andrew Falhund of the group American Rivers, told NBC News. "We've lost our floodplains and wetlands and people are at risk again. We can't let that happen."
The answer from government — federal and state — was not to uproot those farms, but to rely on an elaborate system to protect the four million people now living in the potential flood zone.
Managed by the Army Corps of Engineers, the system got started after a 1927 flood that killed hundreds.
The nation vowed to never again see Americans suffer in a flood of that kind, so following the disaster, Congress authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to build a 2,203-mile long levee system on the river.
The Corps now has an annual budget that hovers between $300-$400 million — some for maintenance and some to complete the system by 2030. It's about 95 percent built out, says Corps spokesman Bob Anderson.
The viability of that system was called into question after Hurricane Katrina, when when corps-built levees busted and water filled most of New Orleans, killing more than 1,600 people. But so far, the levees have been holding back the water.
"When you have a series of failures as you see with Katrina ... people are going to ask, 'What's happening?'" said Gerald Galloway, a University of Maryland civil engineer and former Army Corps officer. "The thing to do is to modernize and upgrade our infrastructure."
The nation's defense system against the Mississippi does not protect everyone: small towns and many farms get swamped every time a spillway is opened to protect more populated areas. That's likely to be the case soon along the Mississippi Delta, the flatlands that stretch about 200 miles from Memphis, Tenn., to Vicksburg, Miss.
And there's another hitch: the levees that keep the Mississippi River from flooding end up pushing water back up into tributaries, many of which aren't protected by the levee system. Towns there are pretty much on their own.
Still, for the major population areas along the lower half of the Mississippi, the system has done its job. Anderson says third-party estimates place the value of protected property over the years at $370 billion.
In addition to the thousands of miles of levees, here are the four key floodways, or spillways, as they are called:

• New Madrid Floodway. The Corps last week blew up a two-mile stretch of levee, diverting water that could have swamped the historic town of Cairo, Ill., and other communities by flooding 130,000 acres of Missouri farmland. It was only the second time the floodway was opened; the first was during the 1937 flood. Missouri had sued to block the opening this time, but lost in court.
• Bonnet Carre Spillway. In Louisiana, the Corps on Monday opened some of the spillway's gates, diverting some of the Mississippi into Lake Pontchartrain to ease pressure on New Orleans' levees. Built about 30 miles upriver from New Orleans in response to the 1927 flood, it was last opened in 2008. Monday marked the 10th time it has been opened. From the lake, the water flows east into the fertile fishing and oyster grounds of Lake Borgne and the Mississippi Sound, and ultimately the Gulf of Mexico.
• Morganza Spillway. The Corps has asked for permission to open some of the gates on this spillway, located 35 miles north of Baton Rouge, for the first time since 1973. Officials warned residents that even if it is opened, they can expect water 5 to 25 feet deep over parts of seven parishes. Some of Louisiana's most valuable farmland is expected to be inundated and towns like Houma and Morgan City would have to be evacuated. Already, communities are sandbagging as a precaution.
• West Atchafalaya Floodway. This last line of defense for New Orleans was built to take half of the Mississippi's highest flows and divert that to the Gulf. So far the Corps has not said it is considering opening this system.

In Memphis, Col. Vernie Reichling, the Army Corps commander for the region, declared victory there on Tuesday.
The protection around Tennessee's largest city is impressive: While the river crested at just under 48 feet on Tuesday, levees in the Memphis area are 58 feet high on average, and the floodwalls downtown are 54 feet.
"The levees are performing as designed I'm happy to report," he said on CBS's "The Early Show."
But Reichling noted the river isn't done yet. "I think we'll breathe a sigh of relief once this crest has passed and is in the Gulf of Mexico," he said.

Rick Santorum

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, who turns 53 today, is trending high in the Google-sphere, but not for the reasons he’d like.
Daily Show host Jon Stewart revived Santorum’s  so-called “Google problem” last night on his show, encouraging viewers to search ‘Rick Santorum’ and see what they find.
The top results are a less than flattering mix of links to web sites that associate his name with a sex act.
“Santorum might as well change his last name to lemon party,” joked Stewart.
The search results have been the fixation of gay rights advocates since 2003, when blogger Dan Savage mobilized online supporters to create a new definition for Santorum after he publicly compared gay sex to pedophilia and bestiality.
Using a network of cross links and by driving up “clicks,” the activists have succeeded in keeping their definition at the top of search returns.
“There's no better way to memorialize the Santorum scandal than by attaching his name to a sex act that would make his big, white teeth fall out of his big, empty head,” Savage said at the time.
Santorum, who has said he believes homosexuality will “undermine the fabric of our society,” has acknowledged the controversy but sought to downplay its significance.

“It’s one guy. You know who it is. The Internet allows for this type of vulgarity to circulate,” Santorum told Roll Call's Steve Peoples in February. “It’s unfortunate that we have someone who obviously has some issues. But he has an opportunity to speak.”
At the first Republican presidential debate in South Carolina last week, Santorum presented himself as the leading social conservative candidate, opposing same-sex marriage and abortion.
"A lot of people out here can check the boxes and say they have conservative positions, but I've led on life and marriage," he said. "I've got the arrows in my back from the mainstream media to prove it."

Bethenny Ever After

The season two finale of Bethenny Ever After began by showcasing Bethenny’s Skinny Girl Speaking Engagement Tour, in which she coordinated a question and answer segment at each stop. Her tour was very personal and very much made for audience participation. She wasn’t kidding when she mentioned in a previous episode that she wanted to really open up the dialogue between her and her fans. The tour was not just about Skinny Girl but empowerment via her NY Times Best Selling book, “A Place of Yes.” She is clearly very passionate about inspiring those around her to live the best life that they can live. Even with Jason’s parents meeting up with them at the Philadelphia stop, Bethenny was still frank in her advice to her fans questions. In fact, her honesty actually reinforced her love for her in laws. Not everyone can say that, so it was more than a pleasure to see that on the small screen, specifically reality television.
Bethenny wasn’t the only person getting frank tonight. Julie, the Coordinator of Chaos had a very open conversation with Jason in the front of the tour bus about being the top assistant to Bethenny while Bethenny was in the back of the bus singing her heart out to Bryn. The cutting back and forth in this scene made for one of the most hilarious moments of the night. It’s great to see Julie use her voice on the show outside of her answering to Bethenny. When confronted, she’s not afraid to share how she’s really feeling while being professional but also talking respectfully from one human being to another. What’s so great about the Frankel-Hoppy dynamic is that they are professional and treat their staff with respect. They are a tight knit group of people who genuinely care about each other. They have fun, they voice their opinion, and they work harder than they could have ever imagined. That’s great to see…because on other shows, only the latter is seen between a staff and the talent.
“I’m like a real business person, like a real giant…I can’t believe this!” – Bethenny

Getting down to the business, if you were not aware of every major liquor company in the business wanting to get their hands on Skinny Girl, Bethenny was not shy about reminding the viewers of the potential deal every few minutes. If you had a Skinny Margarita in your possession throughout the broadcast, you could have played a drinking game based on the number of times Bethenny brought up her Skinny Girl deal. Whether she was talking about being rejected by the companies who then started making offers or caring about the money, Bethenny had a huge decision to make and it was not taken lightly in the editing room.
The finale would not have been complete without a visit to Dr. Amador in which she discussed the deal. But that wasn’t even the full circle moment. Flashbacks showing the growth of Skinny Girl, was the moment, the tearjerker moment, the “I can’t believe I’m finally here” moment. Some flashbacks included cast members fromThe Real Housewives of New Yorkwhich was a fun part of the reminiscing, but actually seeing the stages of Bethenny’s dream come into fruition was much more significant here. This was inspiration enough for us viewers to get up, go out, and make something of our dreams. As Bethenny said, there has been a lot of growing and a lot of changes. It hasn’t been easy balancing her priorities but all of the work put into every aspect was so worth it. In the words of Jason’s father, “That was awesome!”

MSFT

Skype

Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT) opened at $25.37. So far today, the stock has hit a low of $25.25 and a high of $25.70. MSFT is now trading at $25.62, down $0.21 (-0.8%). Over the last 52 weeks the stock has ranged from a low of $22.73 to a high of $29.73. This morning MSFT announced a deal to acquire privately-held internet telephone company Skype Technologies SA for $8.5 billion in cash. As part of the deal, Skype will support MSFT devices like Xbox and Windows Phone, while MSFT will connect Skype users with Lync, Outlook, Xbox Live and other communities. Microsoft said it will continue to invest in and support Skype clients on non-Microsoft platforms. Technical indicators for the stock are bullish and S&P gives MSFT a positive 4 STARS (out of 5) buy ranking. If you are looking for a hedged play on MSFT the stock seems like it could be a candidate for a July out-of-the-money bear-call credit spread above the 27 range.

Maria Shriver

One of the most powerful, and unlikely, political pairings in America has fractured with the news that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver have separated only weeks after he ended his term as governor ofCalifornia.
The Los Angeles Times, which first reported the split, said Shriver had moved out of the couple's Brentwood mansion after they had led almost entirely separate lives for several weeks. Since he stood down as governor, the former bodybuilder and actor has been trying to rekindle his career in entertainment, while Shriver has been pursuing her charity activities.
Their 25-year marriage brought together a couple that at face value was strikingly diverse. Schwarzenegger became a household name through a combination of chutzpah, charm and sheer muscle bulk that propelled him into stardom with the Terminator film trilogy. Shriver was always a more cerebral personality, using her innate strength as a member of the Kennedy dynasty – her mother Eunice Kennedy Shriver was the sister of John F Kennedy and her father Sargent Shriver made a failed bid for the vice presidency in 1972 – to build a more humble career as a TV news anchor. The political differences between them were underlined in 2008 when Schwarzenegger, a soft Republican, backed John McCain, while Shriver, true to her family roots, came out strongly in favour of Barack Obama.
But the fusion of Hollywood with the Kennedys was a potent cocktail, one that proved useful when Schwarzenegger ran for governor in 2003.
Without Shriver's backing, he might never have served two terms in the post, which is ironic as she had serious qualms about him taking up the post.
A week before the election, in which he stood against the sitting Democratic governor, Gray Davis, Schwarzenegger became embroiled in a sex scandal.
The Los Angeles Times reported that six women had come forward to accuse him of sexual harassment, alleging that he had fondled their breasts or buttocks and made lewd comments. On the day he was forced to apologise to "those people that I have offended", his wife appeared on stage next to him. Her intervention was seen as crucial in stabilising his campaign in its final days and securing his victory.
The factors behind their current separation are not known. All the couple would say in a statement was that "after a great deal of thought, reflection, discussion and prayer we came to this decision together". They said that they were remaining focused on parenting their four children.
Shriver alluded to difficulties in her life a few weeks ago, when she posted a video on YouTube in which she invited people to advise her on her future. "I'm in transition. It's so stressful to not know what you are doing next. How did you find your transition, personal, professional, emotional, spiritual, financial? How did you get through it?" she asked.
She also tweeted this week that looking at the iconic photograph of Obama in the Situation Room of the White House during the raid on Osama bin Laden, in which the president looks diminutive and scared, "got me thinking: is the model of masculinity changing in America?" It is hard not to interpret that as some reflection on her husband, a former Mr Universe.
Whatever happens to their marriage – there is no talk of divorce as yet – the pair are likely to continue on divergent paths. Schwarzenegger has plans for a new Terminator film and is making a comic book series and TV show of the character.

Shriver, meanwhile, is concentrating on her annual conference to forward women's power as an agent of global change.

Google IO

This has the air of a bit of a cult gathering, but it's a big cult - 5000+ developers descend on the swanky Moscone Center in downtown San Francisco for the annual Google I/O conference.
A giant clock counted down the seconds until the giant corporation unveiled its latest Android developments. No matter that Apple has taken over as the world's most valuable brand. This is Google's presentation to the world - not only to those in San Fran but also the viewing parties watching the event live in 110 cities around the world, from viewing parties across world, including Cairo (1,000 people watching there) plus NYC, Paris, Tokyo, Cambridge, Hyderabad and Vienna.
For those of you not steeped in the developing world, this is the event this month - not least for the swag. Each attendee at the conference gets a free Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1, only 8.6mm thin (thinner than the iPad).
But the real star of this show is Android - the Google operating system that the company is trying to export into every aspect of our lives - and the announcements today mean forays into movies, music and even our home appliances.
The big message from Google is around some big numbers: 100m activated Android devices; 400,000 new Android devices activated every day; 200,000 appls available; 4.5bn apps installed by today.
So, here's my recap of what's been announced in the key sessions this morning - so far.
Long anticipated, this is the single operating system that will work on any tablet, phone or other Android device. It translates the Honeycombsystem for phone users too.
Developers here very excited by quite a small development to take "widgets to the next level". They can be stretched horizontally or vertically with a few lines of xml.
Everything will be open source.
An Android device will be able to be a USB host, which means we can all plug devices in, such as a keyboard or a game console. The team demoe'd a giant tilting labyrinth - you can see a pic here:
Take, for example, Google's Android-connected exercise bike, which pumped heart rate data from the cycle to the phone mid-exercise, or the fun demo of a labyrinth marble game tilt-controlled with an Android tablet. This is a hacker's fantasy—a board that'll integrate an Android device with... whatever they can stick it into. Powerful stuff, and fertile dirt for crazily inventive minds.
The team also showcased a pretty cool head-tracking development where the device can follow who is speaking in a conversation, or knows to zoom into a particular part of the face.
The new project available via Android Market, it's the first of two announcements which stamp directly on iTune's territory. This allows users to rent them via the cloud to their computers and android devices, for around $1.99 and in high definition. Google has struck deals with Sony Pictures, NBC Universal and Warner Brothers for the rights.
The movies have a 30-day rental period and a pin feature allows users to download them onto the device for when you're out of wifi.
The biggest announcement, Google Music will be available in beta and only to US users initially - so you have to request an invitation - except for all the I/O attendees who were automatically invited today.
Basically, your music collection would no longer be stored on your machine but in the cloud - and you can import playlists from iTunes into it. You can build a playlist based on any song you like -instant mix - suggestions appear straight away. No cables or "painful" syncing, obviously and soem pretty cool carousel effects. Although, as Google admitted in the press briefing:
A couple of the major labels were only interested in doing so on terms we thought were unreasonable and usustainable.
There can be 20,000 songs in the library and the service is free in beta.
Google has done deals with big companies such as Verizon, Vodafone, LG and Sony Ericcsson to ensure an 18-month turnaround for updates - although as a couple of journalists pointed out in the press conference afterwards, in 18 months you might as well buy a new device.
This is an experimental framework designed to encourage developers to get a headstart on developing apps and software, making the "home an Android accessory". The team demoed a device which could turn lights on and off, control alarm clocks or home appliances such as fridges and cookers via your android device - all of which is planned to be a long-term development, probably end of 2012.

As Ben Parr writes in this post:
The search giant's ambitious plan intends to turn the home into one connected device.
It has partnered with LightingScience to create an Android light bulb.
It also showed off Project Tungsten, which is a home audio system where Android tablet users can control which speakers come on or off and in one particularly cool development, the team showed a device where users could just swipe an enabled CD and the system would automatically download the entire contents.

Lonely Island

As far as Saturday Night Live staffers go, The Lonely Island kick some pretty ill rhymes. The three-headed monster that is Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone and Andy Samberg, the crew’s biggest star, split the difference between the Marx Brothers and The Beastie Boys and, on Turtleneck & Chain, their second full-length record, they feel like they may have perfected the cocktail.
“We were always focused on brevity, but now that’s become like an obsession because if a joke’s stupid, at least it’s guaranteed to be short,” one of the guys says on an anarchic speaker phone conversation that makes it impossible to distinguish who’s who.
“A comedy song really has no business being longer than about two and a half minutes,” says someone who’s a member of The Lonely Island. “With a comedy record, that’s about as much as the audience can stand.”
The troupe has been performing together since they got their first laugh at their Berkeley, Calif., junior high school. Lifelong music fans, parody raps became their calling card and, in 2005, they made a much-admired video for the rap song Ka-Blamo! The clip earned them a job writing for MTV and, when it was seen by Jimmy Fallon, led to a mentor who would take them to Lorne Michaels and the Saturday Night Live writing room.
“Saturday Night Live gave us a venue to launch things from,” a Lonely Islander says.
“It did more than that,” responds another. “It was our first real job.”
At the time, the internet was becoming an essential marketing tool for even (or, perhaps, especially) the most established shows on TV. The Lonely Island quickly made good on their opportunity. Their digital short Lazy Sunday introduced them to the world.
“That right there is the difference in our lives,” says a member of The Lonely Island, and it would be an introduction that the group wouldn’t let be short-lived. FollowingLazy Sunday, they expanded their repertoire to include celebrities, and their next breakout video clip was Dick in a Box, featuring Justin Timberlake, which won an Emmy Award (and has been viewed on YouTube more than 26 million times).
“Cross-pollination really works with what we do because it places our music in the real world,” says a Lonely Islander, who mentions their influences range from Will Smith to Steve Martin to The Smothers Brothers to Raekwon the Chef.
“It’s just so much funnier to have Akon say, ‘A woman let me put my penis inside of her,’ than to hear it from one us,” says a member of the group.
“Yeah, from us, it’s expected,” someone else says. “From Akon, you never know.”

The new disc features unexpected turns from Snoop Dogg, John Waters, a red-hot Michael Bolton, Rihanna and Nicki Minaj. There are already nine videos that the friends shot for their album — in addition to rapping and writing, they also direct their own work, something they transferred to the large screen in the 2007 film Hot Rod — but they’re equally proud of a page taken from the De La Soul records of the early-’90s: the skit.
“We really like the old-timey stuff you hear on the old radio shows,” a Lonely Islander says.
“Yeah, there’s stuff on this record that you’d never hear on Saturday Night Live,” adds another. “We try to remind ourselves that the reason we’re doing this is to have fun goofing around.”
“Of course,” says another member of The Lonely Island: “We also want to get paid.”

Citigroup

Citigroup (C.N) shares face the typical uphill battle of a stock that just reverse-split its shares, a move that can be fruitful years down the road but that can be tough going at the start.
The third-largest U.S. bank by assets saw its shares fall 2.4 percent to $44.11 on Monday. The reverse split has the stock in double-digits for the first time since November 2008, but the gambit has a mixed track record.
"I doubt the stock is going to go back to the level it was pre-reverse split, but Citi has its work cut out for them," said Jason Weisberg, managing director at Seaport Securities Corp in New York.
Often, companies will engineer a reverse split to keep from being delisted because their stock price has fallen through $1 a share. Many of those companies still don't survive.
For larger companies, the odds are better, though they often take a short-term hit.
Data from Birinyi Associates Inc shows Russell 1000 stocks that have enacted a reverse split since 1990 have seen an average decline in their stock price of 1.6 percent 30 days after the split.
A number of big-cap names have been successful, including Priceline.com (PCLN.O), which did this in 2003 when shares were less than $5 a share. It now trades at about $530 a share.
Larger companies often engineer a reverse split to boost their share price to attract institutions, some of which are prohibited from owning low-priced stocks. This often makes shares less volatile as well.
"You can call it the peer pressure factor -- all of their competitors are in the double digits while their stock was in the single digits," said Mohannad Aama, managing director at Beam Capital Management LLC in New York.
"Over time they do increase institutional ownership -- that may have been the main driving factor."
Some continue to struggle post-split. Brocade Communications (BRCD.O) did a 1-for-100 reverse split that bumped its stock to about $8 a share from 80 cents in June 2007; shares are currently at $6.29. Ciena (CIEN.O) is down about 28 percent since its September 2006 split.
Priceline.com was an exception, though the stock took a few years to take off. Shares of insurer American International Group Inc (AIG.N) fell in 2009 after a 1-for-20 reverse split, although the stock has rebounded since.
Citigroup, which saw its shares hit a nadir of 97 cents in March 2009 in the wake of the financial crisis, may be another -- but it depends on company performance.
"It could be the exception that proves our rule," April Klein, a professor at New York University's Stern School of Business, said.
Klein co-wrote a 2008 study with Emory University's Goizueta Business School finance professor James Rosenfeld showing that those that conduct reverse splits often suffer poor market and operating performance for years post-split.
"Most of the companies on our list were not 'too big to fail.' Also, there was no delisting threat here," Klein said.
With shares at a higher price, the company may be held to a higher standard.
"Why would anybody own Citigroup when they can own JPMorgan for the same share price?" said Mark Sebastian, chief operating officer of Option Pit Mentoring, an options education firm in Chicago.

"JPMorgan is a much better company. Now there is actual price risk for the stock when it wasn't at $4.50."
The shares are trading in the mid-$40s for the first time since October 2007 when the bank started to recognize billions of dollars of losses on bad loans.
Citigroup shares fell on the day in March when the bank announced its reverse split, and industry observers had forecast they would fall again on Monday.

Magic Johnson

Magic Johnson was one of the biggest proponents to break up the Los Angeles Lakers even before their embarrassing 122-86 Game 4 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.
The Lakers legend declared that owner Jerry Buss needed to "blow this team up" as they faced a 3-0 series hole, even at the expense of trading away Andrew Bynum, Pau Gasol or Lamar Odom.
And he may have a point.
The Lakers didn't just look tired on Sunday, they gave up on themselves and coach Phil Jackson, who deserved more at the end of his historic coaching career.
This is a team with trust issues, degrading chemistry and aging legs. They need an overhaul.

But how?
Here are five ways the Lakers can revamp their roster to make another run at the NBA title.

Paula Abdul

Paula Abdul may have been ousted from American Idol but that doesn’t mean she won’t be judge on one of America’s most successful reality TV shows.
The X-Factor is coming to the USA and Paula Abdul has officially signed on as one of the judges. She and her former co-judge Simon Cowell (who had a love/hate relationship on the set of Idol) will be reuniting to critique some of America’s most talented individuals and fans are thrilled about the decision.
It was just announced this weekend that Paula and Simon would be reuniting, along with Simon’s British X-Factor co-host Cheryl Cole. Nicole Sherzinger and Steve Jones have signed on as hosts.
Cowell and Abdul reunited in person for the first auditions where Paula seemed very enthusiastic about their relationship.
“I’d describe it as delightful, and exhilarating and fun and I miss him,” she says adding “you should check with me in a week or two to see if that still holds true for both of us.”

This is so exciting!
I personally couldn’t be happier about a Paula/Simon on-screen reunion.
Are you happy that Paula and Simon have teamed up again?

Michael Bolton

Just call Michael Bolton the new Captain Jack Sparrow, jester of Tortuga. He made his debut as the kohl-eyed pirate over the weekend on the " 'Saturday Night Live' Digital Short" with Andy Samberg and the guys from Lonely Island.
The episode, hosted by Tina Fey and featuring the return of her Sarah Palin character, marked 20 years since Bolton had been on the show. He was a musical guest in 1991 and appeared in the "We Are the World" spoof called "Musicians for Free Range Chickens."
This time, he hit the studio with a "big, sexy hook" for the trio's newest song, but as it turns out, Bolton is a major cinephile. (Keira Knightley!) He also makes for a fantastic "Pirate of the Caribbean," Forrest Gump, Erin Brockovich and Tony Montana. Look out, Johnny Depp.
"Working with Andy, Akiva and Jorma on the Jack Sparrow digital short was one of the highlights of my career and most memorable experiences of my life," Bolton wrote on his website. "For the few people on the planet who might not know, these guys are brilliant, funny and beyond super talented. They made me do things I never would have expected to be comfortable with and I'm so glad I did. Truly grateful to be a part of this project and CANNOT WAIT for the chance to work with the guys again."
We can't either. Watch the clip above and tell us what your favorite part was in comments.

In the meantime, his 21st studio album, "Gems –- The Duets Collection," is out June 21.

Saturday Night Live

“Saturday Night Live” hit the nail on the head this past weekend with its Bobby Moynihan caricature of Newt Gingrich. Asked for opening comments, Newt stated simply: “I love the ‘90s.”
So it seems fitting that the news of his impending presidential candidacy surfaces just as MTV isreturning to showing music videos — well, after midnight on Sundays, anyway. Yes, the ‘90s are back, with reinforcements! I’ve seen people marching around in Keds. I could have sworn the other day that I passed someone in shortalls, but it might just have been some sort of hideous side effect of a medication I was taking. We’re all suddenly awash in misplaced nostalgia for an era when the Internet was a mystical place where you could sell anything to anyone, using sock puppets, and no one knew what the meaning of “is” was.
We’re all about retro, these days. The GOP slate looks like a roster of “Then That’s What We Called Presidential Candidates.” Everyone feels vaguely dated. Romney? 2007! Palin? 2010. Jimmy McMillan? 1868! And those are just the ones with enough name recognition to merit a parody on “SNL.” Trump is the only one with any reviving freshness, and that’s odd, because it looks like someone just embalmed him. For Romney and Palin, it’s increasingly looking like the ship has sailed. When you’re just out of style, you’re dead in the water.
But Newt Gingrich is so out that maybe he’s come back into fashion — like polyester, or those weird gelatin shoes.
So I’m a little concerned about the news that he will announce that he is running for president on Wednesday – via Facebook and Twitter.
I know Newt has millions of followers — more than, say, Palin. But Palin arose in the era of social communications! We’re used to her tweets and their bizarre neologistic logic. But try as he may, Newt still seems too much like that lady from your mother’s book club who tries to become your Facebook friend. You want to pat him on the hand and offer him a pager. If this were a sci-fi movie, someone would show up, tap him on the shoulder, and gently insist that he return to his own time.
And maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing. There were many things about the ‘90s that seem nice in retrospect. There was the prosperity! There was the music, which sounded as though it were being piped down from a pleather-upholstered spaceship. There was the hinky old dial-up Internet. There were exposed midriffs and flared jeans. There was all the technology we thought was cutting-edge that turned out to be silly, slow and instantly dated.
And that’s where the Newt conundrum comes in.
Newt is like a mobile phone: bulky, oddly endearing, and in the ‘90s, we thought it was The Last Word in Everything.
Sure, it’s updated. It’s on all the networks. But I don’t care how many expansion packs you get or upgrades you impose on it — it’s still the same old device. You wouldn’t use one to Tweet or Facebook unless you didn’t really understand the concept.
So stop trying to pretend you’re hip and relevant, Newt! It’s almost embarrassing. You have only 124,419 Facebook fans, at the time of writing! That compares unfavorably with the number of people who belong to the page for Telling Sarah Palin She’s Full Of Crap! Why go there?

You need to embrace the source of your appeal: You’re vintage! You’re the ‘90s model, the Hamster Dance of Politics. If you said that you were announcing via mix CD from the set of “TRL” that you were running for president, I bet you’d see a bump.

Kelly Brook

Kelly Brook has been left ‘devastated’ after losing the baby girl she was expecting with her boyfriend Thom Evans.
The striking model, 31, who was nearly five months pregnant, was rushed to hospital at the end of last week, but tragically suffered a miscarriage.
Miss Brook had announced she was pregnant after just three months of dating former rugby union international Evans.
This evening, Miss Brook was resting at her farmhouse in Kent and a spokesman for the star told the Daily Mail: ‘I can confirm that Kelly and Thom have very sadly lost their baby.
‘They request that everyone please respects their privacy at this very painful time.
‘There will be no further comment.’
A friend said: ‘Kelly is understandably devastated, she’s at home and she’s being looked after by Thom and her mum Sandra.
‘There’s nothing you can say to anyone at a time like this – she just needs to be allowed some time alone to grieve.’
Celebrities were quick to offer their condolences to the couple, with Denise Van Outen writing on Twitter: 'OMG.. That's awful news. I'm so sad for them x'
Dannii Minogue wrote: 'Sending big love to Kelly Brook and Thomas Evans.'
And Michelle Heaton added: 'Just awful news about Kelly brook.. It's happening far too frequently these days, I can't even imagine the hurt.'
While Miss Brook admitted that the pregnancy was not planned, she said she was ecstatic at the turn of events - and claimed to have found 'The One'  in Evans, a 26-year-old Scotsman.
She said: ‘That is what happens when you are in love - you surrender to whatever is to be. It wasn't a plan, but if it happened, it happened. We were boyfriend and girlfriend.'
The couple were seen strolling hand in hand in the London sunshine last week, with Miss Brook’s bump on display in a floral frock, and she added that despite her frequent trips to Los Angeles for work, Evans had been by her side.
She said they had been inseparable since they met last November at her birthday party as she gushed: ‘We have spent virtually every day together ever since.
'There was no game-playing, which is why I think our relationship progressed so quickly, because we haven't had to deal with egos.
'I love Thom and Thom loves me. We love being together. It is as simple as that.'
Miss Brook had excitedly announced the news of her pregnancy on Twitter last month, revealing: 'Thom and I are happy to announce we are expecting a baby girl. We are delighted XXXX.’
She had then been bombarded by offers of work and was signed up to design a maternity range for New Look.
Miss Brook is the latest in a string of celebrities to have suffered miscarriages, including Amanda Holden and Lily Allen.
Former Scotland international star Evans is a former teammate of Miss Brook’s ex Danny Cipriani.
Evans played for the London Wasps with Cipriani from 2004 to 2006.
However, the Zimbabwe-born sports hunk was forced to quit his career as a professional rugby player after he suffered a horrific spinal injury.
He is now hoping to become an action movie actor.
Evans, formerly known as the 'pin-up of Scottish rugby'  was almost paralysed when he collided with Welsh player Lee Byrne during a rugby union match in February 2010.
Despite a series of operations, he was forced to accept that he would never regain match fitness and retired from the game the following July.
He has since been taking acting classes in Los Angeles.
Evans’ brother Max still plays for the Scottish national team and the brothers are cousins of Radio Two DJ Chris Evans.
The DJ revealed live on air how he and his family had been keeping the pregnancy a secret for some time.
Miss Brook split from Cipriani in June last year after two years together. He now lives in Australia playing for the Melbourne Rebels.
She was spotted out on a couple of dates with Glee star Matthew Morrison over the summer, but nothing came of the flirtation and Evans has been her first relationship following her split with Cipriani.
The couple remained friends and Cipriani said: ‘Kelly told me in January that she was expecting. I’m really happy for her - she will be a great mum.’
During a recent interview and revealing picture shoot with Esquire magazine, Miss Brook, who was left grief-stricken by the death of her father Kenneth Parsons following a battle with cancer in 2007, referred to her ex-boyfriends, including Jason Statham, Billy Zane and Danny Cipriani, as ‘big kids’ and ‘show- offs’.
While posing provocatively in skimpy swimwear for Esquire Magazine, she said they all ‘needed to be the centre of attention’.
Speaking of Evans, she said: ‘He doesn’t need to be the centre of attention. The previous guys have been big kids really. Show-offs.’
And in a further dig to her former actor lovers Statham and Zane, she said of Thom: ‘He’s not an actor, so I don’t have to sit and watch all of his sh*t films.’
Kelly dated Jason Statham for seven years until 2004, before dating Billy Zane from 2004 to 2008 and then moved on to Danny Cipriani from 2008 until 2010.
While Miss Brook’s film career might not be as successful as Statham’s, the Piranha 3D actress made fun of herself by saying she’s made a career out of being a failure.

She said: ‘My mum tells me: ‘You fall in sh*t but come out smelling of roses!’
‘I’ve made quite a successful career out of being a failure.’

Marg Helgenberger

Justin Bieber has won plaudits for his remarkably grown-up attitude to super stardom.
But while the teenager has so far avoided any scandals, he has been revealed as a 'bit of a brat' by one of the lead star's of CSI.
'I shouldn’t be saying this but he was kind of a brat,' Marg Helgenberger said.
'He was very nice to me. But he locked one of the producers in a closet and he put his fist through a cake that was on the cast’s table.'
Helgenberger, 52, plays CSI investigator Catherine Willows and has received Emmy and Golden Globe nominations for her role.
In the interview, with a French reporter from Europe1, she is seen rolling her eyes when asked if Bieber's role was just to boost ratings or if he was a talented actor.
Helgenberger visibly rolled her eyes when asked if his role was written to raise ratings, or because the singer is 'truly a good actor.'
'Justin Bieber wasn’t bad bad,' Helgenberger said. 'But he’d never acted before... He’s better than you’d think.'
Helgenberger's criticism is very different to the official line on Bieber.
‘He did a really good job,’ CSI's executive producer Carol Mendelsohn told USA Today  earlier this year.

Bieber, 17, played troubled teen Jason McCann in two episodes of the show, broadcast earlier this year.
The character was a member of an anti-government family whose foster dad was in jail and whose brother was out for revenge against the police.
The second episode ended with Bieber's character being gunned down in a stand-off with police.

Bieber said at the time that he was excited about the role.
'It was really cool because I actually - I get shot, like several times,' he said.
'I fall down and there's fake blood and everything. It's crazy how the whole process is.'

Cicada

A big thank-you to the bee man! Hearsayer Audrey B. of Hart County had a lot to say about an encounter with a bunch of honeybees on Easter weekend. “They were hugging the side of a tree about 10 feet up and the swarm was about five inches thick!” Mrs. Aud allowed as how her fam didn’t know what to do about the bees but remembered having “bought a quart of honey at Morgan Hardware (in Lavonia, Ga.) and it was Mr. Walker’s Honey from Martin, Ga. We got the telephone number of Mr. Walker from the jar of honey. He came in his overalls and beard and said he has been keeping bees and making honey since he was a young boy. Mr. Walker climbed a ladder and gently swept the bees into one of his boxes. As long as the queen bee enters the box, they will all follow. Mr. Walker asked for a cup of coffee, waited a while and continued another sweeping of bees into the box … Our family learned so much that day and realized the miracle of pollination and new life. Thank you, Mr. Walker, for all your experience and knowledge!” And by the bee way, Mr. Walker’s first name is “Rollo” (pronounced “Rah-lo”) and if you are beset by a swarm of bees, by all means, call the bee man at (706) 599-1073.
News from 13-Year Cicada Central! “It’s like being in a sci-fi movie!” Hearsayer Cynthia of Abbeville opined on May 3. “I was outside with my dog, PJ, and the noise was like we were getting attacked. You could hear them crawling around. They were flying everywhere and hitting the house. It was really spooky!” Thanks, Cyn, and read this from Hearsayer Momagain45: “I live near the Ebenezer Fire Department, just off Highway 413. I noticed the buzzing sound Sunday (May 1). The buzzing never stops and seems to get louder during the day!” And from Hearsayer JRB1953: “They have been buzzing all day today (May 3) in the Craytonville area.” And from Hearsayer Mdale, who lives between Iva and Antreville, on Highway 184. “I came home to an irritating noise today (May 6). It sounded like a lot of emergency vehicles. I rode up the road and down the road but didn’t see anything and couldn’t tell where it was coming from.” Several hours later, Ms. M said, she discovered “these huge bugs on the play set. Lots of them — cicadas! I would never have predicted the sounds coming from such small creatures.” Well, all you fine Hearsayers who have been hearing cicadas, thank you for letting Hearsay know about the noise. Just wish they’d come to Hartwell so Hearsay could hear ‘em too!

Fried cicadas for supper? Now Hearsayer Martha, who lives in the Slabtown community near Anderson, tuned in with — believe it or not — a really fine fried cicada recipe! “I found an Indian cookbook at a yard sale,” Mrs. M mentioned. “This is one of the recipes: ‘LOCUST. Gather locust (cicada) at night, then pick up those out of shell, remove shell from others. Do not let sunshine on them or they will spoil. Wash and then fry in a small amount of grease. Eat hot or cold.’ ” Or maybe not at all?

Newt Gingrich

Former House speaker Newt Gingrich will announce on Wednesday that he will seek the Republican presidential nomination in 2012, a spokesman told CBS News.


Gingrich spokesman Rick Tyler said Gingrich will announce the decision on Facebook and Twitter on Wednesday, and will sit down for an interview with conservative Fox News pundit Sean Hannity on Wednesday night. He plans to make his "first announcement speech" at the Georgia Republican Party convention on Friday.


This is actually the second time Gingrich has signaled he would enter the race, having suggested he would announce a run in March before backing away amid concerns about addressing financial and legal entanglements before filing with the Federal Election Commission.

The then-Georgia congressman became a household name when he led the Republican takeover of the House in 1994, though he would step down amid criticism four years later. In the years since he has cast himself as a thought leader in the Republican Party, and has recently been raising money and laying the groundwork for a presidential run.

Gingrich will enter a wide-open Republican field in which he is one of only five potential candidates who has polled in the double digits. The others are Donald Trump, Mike Huckabee, Sarah Palin and Mitt Romney; only Romney is seen as a sure entrant into the race.

Giro D Italia

The Giro d'Italia is in shock after the Belgian sprinter Wouter Weylandt died of injuries caused by a heavy crash on the descent from the Passo del Bocco, the main climb in the third stage of the race, from Reggio Emilia to Rapallo.
Weylandt fell heavily on the twisting, steep descent 35km from the finish, with one version of events stating he had hit a wall. He appeared to have landed heavily on his face, causing severe bleeding. An inquiry was set to be opened by a local magistrate into the precise circumstances of the incident.
The race's emergency services were rapidly on the spot and carried out cardiac massage and adrenaline and atropine injections for 40 minutes but were unable to save the 26-year-old.
"We are attempting to work out the precise sequence of events," the race's medical head, Professor Giovanni Tredici, said. "He was unconscious with a fracture of the skull base and facial damage. After 40 minutes of cardiac massage we had to suspend the resuscitation because there was nothing more we could do."
Weylandt was in his fifth year as a professional cyclist, was looking forward to becoming the father of his first child, and was racing this season for the newly formed Luxembourg-based Leopard Trek team. His biggest wins were stage victories in the 2010 Giro d'Italia and the 2008 Tour of Spain. His team were due to decide whether to continue the race.
"The team is left in a state of shock and sadness and we send all our thoughts and deepest condolences to the family and friends of Wouter," said Leopard Trek's general manager, Brian Nygaard. "This is a difficult day for cycling and for our team, and we should all seek support and strength in the people close to us."
Serious accidents are almost an everyday occurrence in cycling, but deaths are comparatively rare. Weylandt is the fourth cyclist to die during the Giro d'Italia and the first since 1986, but his was the first death in one of the major Tours since the fatal crash suffered by the Italian Olympic champion Fabio Casartelli on the descent of the Col du Portet d'Aspet in the 1995 Tour de France.
Unlike their French counterparts following the death of Casartelli, the Giro organisers suspended the post-race ceremonials. The British cyclist David Millar took over the pink race leader's jersey after an escape late in the stage – the third British cyclist to wear the jersey in the history of the Giro – but said he had not even put it on after the race, and he may not choose to wear it on Tuesday as a sign of respect. "I can't even imagine what his family are going through," Millar said.
Asked if the death following a crash showed the sport was too dangerous, he said: "It was one of the million things that we have to go through. Our sport is very tragic at times, it has been throughout its history, but we get mixed up in a lot of stupid things in this sport.
His compatriot Mark Cavendish said on Twitter: "Things like this shouldn't happen. Absolutely sick to the stomach."
A statement from the International Cycling Union (UCI) read: "On behalf of the whole cycling family, the UCI president, Pat McQuaid, wishes to extend his deepest sympathies to all members of Weylandt's family, all his friends and team-mates, but also to all his colleagues on the Giro, who will have to overcome their grief to continue in the race."

Bradley Wiggins, who was not riding the Giro, tweeted: "Days like this put this great sport we love into perspective, Wouter rest in peace now mate, thoughts are now with the family and friends."