Sunday 5 June 2011

Child stars gone bad

Once upon a time, we idolized them. We wished that we could swap places with them, if only for a day. We wanted to be BFFs with them, star in their videos, sleep in their sit-com set beds and spend their trust funds. Most of all, we wanted to be popular. Just like them.

Turns out, child stars are just like us. They go through awkward growth spurts, crash their moms’ cars and screw up to epic proportions, just like we do. The only difference? When we mess up, it doesn’t end up on the cover of USWeekly. Here are the top ten childhood stars and role models gone bad, past and present. Some have long since recovered from their falls from grace… others have not.
I’m sure I’ll be hearing from their publicists either way.

10. Michael Phelps


Birth Name: Michael Fred Phelps
Claim to Fame: Olympic Swimming phenom
Offense: Pothead For a while, Michael Phelps could do no wrong.
America’s golden boy won our hearts along with eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, swimming laps around Mark Spitz’s seven gold medal record. Appearances on “SNL” and “The Top Ten Most Fascinating People of 2008” with Barbara Walters ensued and then… it all went to pot.
Like most young men with too much fame on their hands, our hero eventually swam on over to the dark side with incriminating photos surfacing everywhere of Michael phelping pot from a bong at a South Carolina frat party. Boys will be boys, even when they’re golden boys, and Mikey made his share of public apologies, while feeling the backsplash of losing several high paying endorsement deals.
Michael is still working through his issues and took a vacation to the Caribbean to clear his head. While there he got busted once again, this time for possession of coral reefer.

9. Vanessa Hudgens



Birth Name: Vanessa Anne Hudgens
Claim to Fame: Gabriella Montez from High School Musical
Offense: Nudie pics “High School Musical” sweetheart Vanessa Hudgens was screwed by her ex-boyfriend (not in a biblical sense) when provocative photos she sent him were mysteriously leaked online. Poor Nessa ended up showing off a lot more than her vocal instrument with a full frontal shot revealing her tambourines and triangle for all the world to see. Hudgens later apologized, claiming that she was “embarrassed over the situation” and regretted having taken the photos in the first place. The incident, however, had no effect on Vanessa’s Disney contract or her relationship with boy toy and “High School Musical” co-star Zac Efron.
In honor of Vanessa, teens across the country have convinced their drama teachers to stage all nude revivals of “Hair” for their annual High School Musicals.

8. Haley Joel Osment

Birth Name: Haley Joel Osment
Claim to Fame: The Kid from The Sixth Sense
Offense: Drunk driver
Actor Haley Joel Osment was at one time the male equivalent of female child star Dakota Fanning, appearing in every film requiring the presence of a rosy cheeked man-child who could act circles around his blockbuster adult co-stars. Sadly, an 18-year old Haley was charged with drunk driving and marijuana possession after he crashed his car while returning home from an LA concert in 2006. He suffered minor injuries physically, but the impact on his Saturn station wagon wasn’t nearly as bad as the impact on his career. It could have been the accident, it could have been puberty or it could have been his sissy girl name… I guess we’ll never know.
Thankfully Haley didn’t “See dead people” that night. If he had, he’d be looking at some serious manslaughter charges… and dead people are a lot friendlier than convicted people behind bars.

7. Jodie Sweetin



Birth Name: Jodie Lee Ann Sweetin
Claim to Fame: Stephanie Tanner on Full House
Offense: Meth Addict We were all jealous of curly-blond haired cherubic Jodie Sweetin, the outspoken middle sis from the popular nineties sit-com Full House. At least I was. Jodie got to play full house every day with John Stamos (have mercy) and boss around both of the Olsen twins. Stephanie taught me that whenever I didn’t get my way, I only had to puff out my bottom lip and cross my arms to achieve success. Unfortunately, once the full house tenants were evicted, Jodie faced a nasty meth addiction, two divorces and a bitter custody battle with her 2nd ex husband who is desperately trying to keep Jodie away from their baby daughter Zoie. I only have two words for you Mister-
How wude.

6. Danny Bonaduce

Birth Name: Dante Daniel Bonaduce
Claim to Fame: As Danny Partridge on The Partridge family
Offense: Coke/Crackhead
Carrot topped, freckle-faced 70’s child star Danny Bonaduce had it made as the smart-alecky, wisecracking Danny Partridge on “The Partridge Family”. David Cassidy got the chicks while Danny got the zingers and every week he greeted the world with the song he was singing, beckoning us all to c’mon get happy.
I used to love you Danny, but when the Partridges stopped touring you continued to get happy, but not by singing and wearing patterned bell-bottoms. After an arrest in 1985 for possession of 50 grams of cocaine and another in 1990 when you were found at a Daytona Beach crack house, you are now biding your time as an on-air radio personality, taking steroids, weight lifting, wrestling and beating up trannies you think are female prostitutes. It may be time for another Partridge intervention.

4. Dustin Diamond

Birth Name: Dustin Neil Diamond
Claim to Fame: Samuel “Screech” Powers from Saved by the Bell
Offense: Sex tape scandal Let’s face it, we never had high expectations for you Screech. We weren’t fans of your perm, your testicles-have-yet-to-drop vocalizations or the clownish shirt/suspender combos you donned so proudly on “Saved By the Bell”. Silly Screech, we weren’t running home from school every day to see you, we simply tolerated you while we tuned in to enjoy the escapades of Zach, Kelly, Slater, Jessie, Lisa and your other pretty peers at Bayside High School.
After Saved you found little work, tried to boost your career with a lame sex tape and only succeeded at alienating yourself even more with embarrassing appearances on B level reality joints like Celebrity Fit Club and Celebrity Boxing 2. I didn’t think you could sink any lower than selling autographed tees online in a campaign to save your home from foreclosure. Apparently you can.
Funny, I always figured Slater for the porn star.

3. Lindsay Lohan

Birth Name: Lindsay Dee Lohan
Claim to Fame: The Parent Trap
Offense: Moving Violations

Poor Lindsay. No one will hire you, you’re still confused about your sexuality, and your Mom and little sis are out pursuing embarrassingly sad reality television opportunities instead of spending quality family time with you. You wowed us all when you reprised the Haley Mills double role in “The Parent Trap” as a pair of separated identical twins that meet up at summer camp. Your British accent was commendable, your freckles adorable and a the tender age of 11, you were one redhead to watch.
Fast forward seven years and you’ve sunk pretty Lo-han. You are now notorious for being a Mean Girl behind the wheel, a regular at rehab, and pissing off your directors on set.
The Beverly Hills PD recently issued a warrant for Lindsay’s arrest in connection with her May 2007 hit-and-run and DUI allegations, but it was eventually dismissed. Lindsay claims they had the wrong girl, her British twin did it.

2. Chris Brown


Birth Name: Christopher Maurice Brown
Claim to Fame: Double Platinum Recording Artist at 16
Offense: Girlfriend beater
The day the music died for Chris Brown was ironically the day after the 2009 Grammy Awards, the day he allegedly beat and bit his girlfriend and fellow R&B artist Rihanna. Charged with felony assault and making criminal threats against the former beauty queen of Barbados, Brown says “Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired.” Following his arrest, several of his commercials were suspended, radio stations stopped playing his songs, and he withdrew from public appearances including the 2009 Grammy Awards where he was nominated for two awards and scheduled to perform.
Instead of making records you’re going to spend the rest of your life trying to clear your record Chris. If it was up to me, you’d never have another hit again. In the words of Joey Ramone, I’d like to beat on your brat with a baseball bat. Oh yeah, oh yeah, uh-oh.

1. Cast of Diff’rent Strokes

Birth Names: Dana Plato, Todd Bridges, Gary Coleman
Claim to Fame: As Kimberly, Willis and Arnold from Diff’rent Strokes
Offenses: Multiple
These ebony and ivory siblings were living the high life in a New York penthouse with Big Daddy Mr. Drummond, but found themselves back in the slumps once they moved out of their deluxe apartment in the sky. Their combined rap sheet is more impressive than Mr. D’s stock portfolio.
Dana Plato: Posed for Playboy and porn, was busted for armed robbery and forging a Valium prescription. Died from a drug overdose.
Todd Bridges: Avoided Mr. T and Nancy Reagan’s warnings and found himself doing drugs for many years. He hates it when people ask him what he’s talkin’ bout.
Gary Coleman: Sued his folks and former manager for over one million smackers, filed for bankruptcy, charged with assault for punching a woman while working as a mall security guard, videotaped behaving badly, cited for disorderly conduct for hitting a pedestrian with his truck. The only think he hates more than being called Arnold, is being called Webster.
Insiders say it all went wrong for the Diff’rent Stroke triple threats to society when Mrs. Garret ditched them for the boarding school brats from The Facts of Life.

Source :http://www.catalogs.com/info/bestof/the-top-10-child-stars-and-role-models-gone-bad

Saturday 4 June 2011

Greatest American landmarks

The United States of America is one of the most popular destinations for tourists all over the world. Because of its size, even Americans delight in traveling around the country to see sites they've never encountered before.

There are several spots worth visiting in the US, particularly those spots, which are often seen, depicted in postcards. These spots are instantly familiar to anyone who watches American movies and TV shows, landmarks, which the entire world has come to associate with the country. Those are the spots that are often flocked by tourists eager to get a picture taken with a genuine American landmark.
Probably the most easily recognizable American icon is the Statue of Liberty. Though it started out as a gift from the French, the statue has turned into a genuine American icon. Specifically entitled "Liberty Enlightening the World", the statue was placed on the Liberty Island in New York Harbor to serve as a warm welcome for those coming into the country.

One other highly popular landmark in the USA is the White House. A symbol of democracy and the USA's status as a world power, this official residence and workplace of the most powerful man in the free world often inspires awe in the hearts of visitors. Situated in Washington D.C., the modern White House complex is made up of the Executive Residence and the East and West Wings. Some group tours show guests the famous Oval Office.

Another familiar US landmark is the Grand Canyon. It is one of the main attractions of Arizona. It is a steep sided gorge that was created after years of erosion by the Colorado River. Recent research estimates that it took about 17 million years for the canyon to reach its current state. It is 277 miles long and the width of the canyons range from 4 to 18 miles while the depth is more than 1 mile. It was protected and turned into a National Park in 1919. The Grand Canyon is considered to be one of the natural wonders of the world.

The Hollywood sign located in the Hollywood Hills is the one image that completely evokes the aura of Los Angeles. Originally reading Hollywoodland, it was meant to promote a real estate development in the nearest area. It was originally designed only to last for about a year, but as its popularity grew, several groups made moves to maintain, restore and protect the Hollywood sign that represented the Los Angeles pride in the city's booming movie culture.

The Golden Gate Bridge is a familiar part of documented San Francisco scenery. It is a suspension bridge that goes across the San Francisco Bay. Its design is art deco in nature and connects San Francisco to Marin. Before the bridge, a ferry ride was needed so that users can go to Marin or San Francisco and vice versa.

The Mount Rushmore carvings are a symbol of American democracy. The sculptures are located in Keystone, South Dakota. The faces of George Washington, Theodore Roosevelt, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln are carved into the granite face of the Black Hills as a commemoration of the first 150 years of American History.

Cheryl Cole '£1.2million gagging deal'

Cheryl Cole has reportedly been offered a £1.2million deal if she keeps mum about her axe from The US X Factor.

If the singer accepts the deal she woud then be paid her entire fee for the talent series, but for just four days! Meaning that she got paid around £25,000 per hour.

But in return the singer must not speak negatively about the show or Simon Cowell in the press. Sources close to the show said today that Cheryl may take the deal:

"Cheryl is going to be paid off if things go to plan. The last thing we need is someone with an axe to grind saying bad things about the show before it even starts. We hope a simple statement can be released next week and that will be the end of it. It's is an incredible amount of money for four days' work, but this is a multi-million dollar show with so much invested, it will be worth it. If she takes the money she is effectively agreeing to a gag."

Paris Hilton show ratings

If cable TV ratings are any indication, Paris Hilton's no longer hot in the reality TV world. The premiere of her Oxygen series, The World According to Paris, drew a meager 409,000 viewers for its Wednesday premiere.
By comparison, the March debut of singer Aubrey O'Day's Oxygen series drew 724,000, while 1.7 million viewers tuned in for the premiere of the most recent installment of The Bad Girls Club.
Despite the initial ratings return, Hilton remains confident her series will strike a chord with viewers.

"I wanted the show to be as real as possible," the reality star -- who appears alongside mom Kathy Hilton, boyfriend Cy Waits and Charlie Sheen's ex Brooke Mueller on the series -- told Us Weekly at the show's launch party in May. "There's a lot of things in the show that I'm like, 'Oh my God, I cannot believe I'm going to allow this on television.' Years ago I would have been like, 'No way.' The BFF shows [I did for MTV], were all about being perfect and all that, but life's not perfect, people have ups and downs…and I want to show that and be relatable to other people. I'm just like anyone else."

Woman sues dunkin donuts

PHILADELPHIA (Reuters) - A woman with diabetes has filed a lawsuit against a Dunkin' Donuts shop, claiming workers put real sugar instead of artificial sweetener in her coffee, sending her into diabetic shock. Danielle Jordan ordered the coffee on her way to work on June 15, 2009 and asked for artificial sweetener, according to the lawsuit which was filed on Thursday.

The shop added sugar instead and she soon felt ill, said her lawyer Kenneth Rodgers on Friday.
She went to a hospital where she was treated, he said.
When she drank the coffee, she thought it contained the sweetener, he said.
"She has not had sugar in 10 years. How could she tell?" he asked.
The suit does not seek any specific damages.
The lawyer said the suit was filed nearly two years later because talks had been ongoing with the company, which had investigated the incident.
Neither Dunkin' Donuts nor the Philadelphia franchisee, Northeast Donut Shops Management, would comment on the suit.
(Reporting by Dave Warner; Editing by Ellen Wulfhorst and Jerry Norton)

Source : Yahoo News

jennifer aniston smartwater ads

She could sell just about anything with those looks, and a new SmartWater ad featuring a topless Jennifer Aniston has just been released.
Although the “Just Go With It” actress loses her top for the photo, she manages to keep it classy by not revealing too much all the while sporting a natural look about her.
Next month, you can see a more daring side of Aniston in her latest flick titled “Horrible Bosses.”

In the film, Jen plays a sultry dentist named Dr Julia Harris, who attempts to seduce her hygienist employee, Dale, played by funnyman Charlie Day.

Original post 

Adele cancels US tour

LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Grammy-winning singer Adele said Friday she has canceled the rest of a north American tour to recover from laryngitis.
She had already postponed five shows under doctor's orders, but while resting in Los Angeles she saw a specialist "who determined it was imperative that she take the next few weeks to recover with absolute voice rest."
The 23-year-old, known for powerful love songs including "Someone Like You," had been due to resume the sold-out tour in San Francisco on Saturday, but has now canceled the remaining nine dates.
"I'm really frustrated. I was hoping with a weeks rest I'd be better to sing again straight away. However, there is absolutely nothing I can do but take the doctors advice and rest some more," she said in a statement on her website.
"I'm so sorry. See you soon, love Adele."
Adele said plans to reschedule the canceled dates were being considered, and more information would be given when available.

Source : Yahoo News