Norad Santa Tracker - Track Santa From Home

Me and my family will be tracking Santa all day today using the Norad Santa Tracking system they have set up on Santa now.

The military personnel charged with being the eyes in the sky are certainly acting like he does — and they've been joined on the Internet by millions of believers.

Even doubters have reason to pause when they hear the North American Aerospace Defense Command — or NORAD, which monitors air and space threats against the U.S. and Canada — is in charge of the annual Christmas mission to keep children informed of Santa's worldwide journey to their homes.

"They challenge it, but only to a point," said Senior Master Sgt. Sharon Ryder-Platts, 49, who for five years has been a Santa tracker, taking calls from those wanting to know the location of jolly old St. Nick.

According to NORAD, Santa began his latest flight early Wednesday at the International Date Line in the Pacific Ocean. Historically, Santa visits the South Pacific first, then New Zealand and Australia. NORAD points out that only Santa knows his route.

Last year, NORAD's Santa tracking center answered 94,000 calls and responded to 10,000 e-mails. About 10.6 million visitors went to the Web site, which can be viewed in English, Spanish, French, Italian, German, Japanese and Chinese.

NORAD's holiday tradition can by traced to 1955, when a Colorado Springs newspaper printed a Sears, Roebuck & Co. ad telling children of a phone number to talk to Santa. The number was one digit off, and the first child to get through reached the Continental Air Defense Command, NORAD's predecessor.

Col. Harry W. Shoup answered.

Shoup's daughter, Terri Van Keuren, said her dad, now 91, was surprised to hear that the little voice on the other end thought he was Santa.

"Dad thought, `What the heck? This must be some kind of code,'" said Van Keuren, 59.

Shoup, described by his daughter as "just a nut about Christmas," didn't want to break the boy's heart, so he sounded a booming "Ho, ho, ho!" and pretended to be Santa Claus.

Enough calls followed that Shoup assigned an officer to answer them while the problem was fixed. But Shoup and the staff he was directing to "locate" Santa on radar ended up embracing the idea. NORAD picked up the tradition when it was formed 50 years ago.

"If we didn't do it, truly I don't know who else would track Santa," Maj. Stacia Reddish said.

The task that began with no computers and only a 60-by-80-foot glass map of North America now includes two big screens on a wall showing the world and information on each country Santa Claus visits. It took off with the Web site's 1997 launch, Reddish said.

Now, curious youngsters can follow Santa's path online with a Google two-dimensional map or in 3D using Google Earth, where he can be seen flying through different landscapes in his sleigh.

NORAD officials are hesitant to list all the potential sites Santa will visit with certainty.

"Historically, Santa has loved the Great Wall of China. He loves the (Space) Needle in Seattle. He of course loves the Eiffel Tower," Reddish said. "But his path is completely unpredictable, so we won't know."

Ryder-Platts, 49, who has a 17-year-old son, said taking calls from children helps her keep her Christmas spirit.

"For someone like myself, my son is older, you know it just keeps you in touch with the spirit of Santa Claus," she said. "I miss out on that at home so this keeps me close to Santa. I believe! It keeps me in touch with other believers."

On the Net:

• http://www.noradsanta.org

Movie - Seven Pounds

I as well as most people have no idea what Seven Pounds is about. I did some researching and this is what I found. Apparently though the studio that made the film is not even saying much. It is a bold move to try and get movie goers to see this movie. Myself will not go see it since I have no idea what it is about.

The ideal exchange rate for the dollar? The weight of Will Smith's soul? Seven Pounds, the title of this drama (which the studio refuses to explain), is as mysterious as the early trailers, which skirt around what the hero (Smith) is running from, and to. But Muccino says that's intentional: ''The [audience] will not know exactly what this man is up to.'' Muccino, who directed Smith in 2006's The Pursuit of Happyness, confirms a few details: Smith plays an IRS agent who tries to redeem an unforgivable mistake he made in the past by helping seven people. We know neither the mistake nor the reason these particular people are chosen, but his plan changes when he falls for an ailing woman (Dawson). Dawson, for her part, admits she got 50 pages into the script and wondered, ''What the hell is happening?'' but insists the ending is worth all the fuss. ''When they sell you your ticket, they should give you a box of hankies, because no matter how macho you [are], you're gonna be crying.''

Taylor Swift Wants Chace Crawford! New Crush!

Forget Joe Jonas. Taylor Swift has her mind set on someone else!

When asked in the new issue of Your Prom magazine who her "celeb dream date" is, the 19-year-old country crooner reveals it's Gossip Girl hottie Chace Crawford, 23.

But Crawford, beware!

Swift admits to mixing business with pleasure. "I like to write about boys and relationships," Swift told writer Antonia Van Der Meer. "I write songs about the things that happen to me, because it helps me figure them out. Writing songs is like breathing for me."

Swift also dished about kissing. "I was 15 and the oldest out of all my friends to have not kissed a guy," Swift admitted about her first smooch.

Perhaps a Swift-Crawford kiss can happen sometime. It's not like Crawford doesn't know a thing or two about country singers. Not only did he grow up in Texas, but he and Carrie Underwood dated for about eight months before breaking up in March.

—Additional reporting by Dahvi Shira

Jeremy Piven Exits Broadway Play After Health Scare

I wonder if this was a cop out because he was tired of doing the show and wanted to do something else and didn't want to look bad. I have seen that a bunch of times and their PR reps always come out with this thing about how they have some rare disease and thats why they had to quit working their current job. But less than 2 months later they will be in the news for something else and everyone forgets about them having some medical issue.

NEW YORK, New York -- Jeremy Piven is ending his run in Broadway's "Speed-the-Plow," due to a condition caused by a high mercury count, according to Variety.

The "Entourage" star missed a Tuesday evening performance and a Wednesday matinee due to his high mercury count health concerns, but David Mamet, the playwright of "Speed-the-Plow," appears skeptical of the actor's exit.

"I talked to Jeremy on the phone, and he told me that he discovered that he had a very high level of mercury," Mamet told the entertainment trade mag. "So my understanding is that he is leaving show business to pursue a career as a thermometer."

But, the show will go on said Mamet.

"The good news is that some really great actors will be helping out and stepping in, which to me is a sign of great heroism and friendship," the playwright added, but declined to name who would be stepping for Piven.

A rep for Piven told Variety that the actor wanted to continue his Broadway stint, but was advised by a team of doctors to end his run immediately.

Piven is best known for his role on "Entourage," playing manic Hollywood agent Ari Gold.

Piven has been nominated for a Golden Globe and two SAG Awards for his role on the HBO comedy.

Eddie Murphy as the Riddler?

I don't know about this myself. I think it is alittle bit of a stretch. Chris Nolan's Batman is a bit darker than what most people know him as. I think the Riddler is a bad villian choice for a serious movie. It was the Riddler who started to kill the last Batman. That and Val Kilmer. We will see. Hopefully Johnny Depp will get the role though. I would think he would be a better fit for this type of Movie role. I have been wrong in the past though.

British tabloid The Sun reports that Eddie Murphy is a candidate to play the Riddler in Christopher Nolan's follow-up to The Dark Knight (due in 2010). The rumor, now added to the one that has Johnny Depp in the role, is unconfirmed by everyone other than The Sun, which is not the most reliable source for movie news. Nevertheless, it's fun to think about casting for Nolan's next Batman movie. I think Murphy could pull it off -- he's certainly proven he can play outlandish characters. That said, I also worry that he would be too silly for the dark tale and be more of a distraction than an asset. Between him and Depp, I'd prefer to see the question mark on Depp, who's proven he can play just about any character.

The Sun also floats the rumor that Rachael Weisz is playing Catwoman, which I much prefer to the rumor that has 62-year-old Cher in the role, though I am somewhat intrigued by the reports that Nolan is considering Angelina Jolie for the cat suit (though that may simply have grown out of a random suggestion posted on an LA Times blog last summer). Finally, the Sun has Shia LaBeouf as Robin, and while we're at it, there's also a rumor out there that Philip Seymour Hoffman may play the Penguin.

Thoughts on these rumors, PopWatchers? Who's your dream Riddler? What about Robin and Catwoman? Do you even believe that these are in fact the characters being used in Nolan's next installment?

Dita Von Teese Does Playboy Magazine December 2008

When I first saw this I thought cool it is going to be on my next issue. But then reading further I will not be getting this playboy edition because it is in the German edition.

Dita Von Teese posed for Playboy magazine for its German edition December 2008 issue but you don’t need to be on the continent to see the snaps.

The Burlesque star has posed in nothing but stockings and suspenders for the classy magazine. The magazine describes her as “Naked and unapproachable - not an artist sees it as well, men’s head to twist: From Teese Dita is a goddess in human form.” You could see her pictures in the Playboy website.
The magazine also indicates: “Their facial features so fine and exceptionally as a porcelain doll, fascinated by the men and fashion world. Dita is working hard for their dream run as a model for Jean-Paul Gaultier. And adorns the front pages of many magazines. her story continues. Recently she is the new muse for Cointreau and meanwhile even designed their own underwear collection. Wonderbra by Dita - of course, in the style of the 40s era. What else”
The 36-year-old stunner also posed wearing ill-fitting corset as she lies seductively on a leather sofa. Perhaps she isn’t letting the onset of age slow her down – and, on this blistering form.

'Biggest Loser': Victory for Michelle, death threats for Vicky

I have never really watch Biggest Loser. I think it is great what they are doing though. Hopefully everyone who takes part in the show is able to keep the weight off though as soon as they go back to real life. I myself am trying to gain weight. I have been underweight my entire life. And after talking with other people I have this to say. It is harder to gain weight, the right kind of weight, than it is to lose weight. Everyone is different though.

Good triumphed over....Vicky. And Heba.

Michelle won $250,000 and the title of "The Biggest Loser" tonight, overcoming a childhood traumatized by divorce and, perhaps more importantly, beating out two fellow competitors who were seen as two of the most conniving and unappealing contestants in the show's history.

"I earned it," said Michelle, who joined the show as a duo alongside her mother, Renee, and immediately became a fan favorite both because of her doggedness in the gym and her kind, forgiving demeanor. Michelle had been estranged from her mother for years after her parents' divorce. America had a front-row seat as the two repaired their relationship and lost a combined 216 pounds.

Michelle alone lost 110 pounds, or an astonishing 45.45% of her body weight, to win the game and become only the second woman to win "The Biggest Loser" title.

For fans of the show, though, Michelle's victory was all the more sweet because it came at the expense of Vicky and Heba....

Heba, you may recall, came into the house as a bit of a bully -- make that a big loud bully -- who immediately began throwing her weight around to get her way. (Blame it on her husband, Ed, who apparently spends his life trying to do everything he can to make/keep her happy.)

She created divides and alliances in the house, and was the first to turn the tables on a competitor -- and then spent the rest of her time at the Biggest Loser ranch complaining bitterly and loudly at any smack of game playing that didn't suit her purposes.

Well, Heba finally got hers. Kinda.

In an odd twist of fate, Heba and Ed ended up competing for the third spot in the finals. The decision was left up to the public to vote between the two. Ed, being the dutiful husband, begged America to let his wife win. Heba also begged America to let her win.

America gave her the backhand: In a "landslide" vote, 84% of the votes cast were against Heba.

Heba didn't go home empty-handed, however. She was eligible for and won the $100,000 runners-up prize for losing 138 pounds, or 46.94% of her body weight.

In other words, if she had curried a little more favor with the public, she would have landed the third-place spot -- and she would have won.

Afterward, asked why America voted against her, she said "I guess there are just a lot of negative people out there who don't like to see success." (Heba, who said she wanted to join the show to lose weight so she could have a healthy pregnancy, said family planning is on hold for now: "I want to spend a summer where I can wear a bathing suit and not feel bad about myself. Call me when that's over.")

Vicky, meanwhile -- who was dubbed by trainer Bob Harper to be "Shakespearean" in her efforts to manipulate her teammates -- missed winning the $250,000 prize by 1 pound.

See? There is justice after all.

In an interview after the show, Vicky said she was unfairly depicted on the show. While she said the producers could have portrayed her positively as a mother struggling to balance work and family and improve the health of her two children, they chose to portray her as a schemer.

To hear her tell it, it was all camerawork.

She has been so widely reviled that she had to change her phone number because she was receiving death threats, and to this day continues to receive letters telling her what a horrible person she is.

"Most people hate my guts," Vicky said, later adding that perhaps so many people disliked her because she was a determined competitor who knew what she wanted and wasn't about to let anyone stand in her way. "Women need to be strong and they need to use their heads."

She also added: "I feel bad for the people who are writing those letters. They don't know me."

On a completely unrelated note:

It's impossible to say whether Vicky was misportrayed or not (although the fact that Mr. Nice Guy Bob Harper called her out for being manipulative suggests that she doth protesteth too much.)

But I can report firsthand that TV does not become Vicky.

She often looked haggard during the game, even after her makeover. In person, though, she is a head-turner, with clear, smooth skin, bright teeth and stunning green eyes.

-- Rene Lynch

(Photo courtesy NBC)

"Blush" Loser Todd Homme Found Dead In Apartment: Todd Homme Myspace Found

It always sucks when someone dies. It is harder when someone dies that a lot of people know of and like. I have never really heard of Homme, but I am sure a lot of people have especially people in the music industry.

by Jack Ryan

Make up artist Todd Homme, who appeared on the Lifetime show "Blush: The Search For The Next Great Makeup Artist" was found dead in his home in Manhattan. According to reports the case looks to have very few clues and a killer unidentifiable so far or evidence to support a suicide. A guy who had a lot going for him, it would be hard to believe he would do this to himself.

Todd Humme was one of the few finalists left for "Blush". The grand prize was $100,000 and a major contract with Max Factor that would be the ultimate make-up job. At first some thought he was killed because they thought he was a sure winner, well he didn't win so what's the reason for his death?

Homme did not win the show "Blush: The Search For The Next Great Makeup Artist", he actually just came up short. Many have said he loved helping others, but as the details come out they look to be shocking today.

Dennis and Kimberly Quaid settle with Cedars-Sinai over medical error

I feel really bad for the Quaids. There is really nothing that is going to make them feel better. There is no amount of money that will make this OK for them. Trust me I know.

by Vicki Hyman/The Star-Ledger

BRIAN VANDER BRUG/LOS ANGELES TIMES/AP PHOTODennis Quaid and wife Kimberly talk about the medical mistake that threatened the health of their newborn babies last year.

Dennis Quaid and wife Kimberly will get $750,000 from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where workers administered 1,000 times the normal dose of a blood thinner to their newborn twins a year ago, the Associated Press reports. That settlement, revealed in documents filed in Los Angeles on Monday, only pertains to the parents' damages; the Quaids can still pursue claims on behalf of their children.

According to the documents, the hospital doesn't admit wrongdoing as part of the settlement, although at the time of the overdose, the hospital's chief medical officer called it a "preventable error, involving a failure to follow our standard policies and procedures, and there is no excuse for that to occur at Cedars-Sinai."

The Quaids had filed suit against the maker of the blood thinner, saying their packaging was confusing, but the case has been dismissed.

Megan Hauserman beat up by Sharon Osbourne Charm School Girl

Well this should get the show some better ratings. When I see things like this it is just to get the show in the news so more people will watch the show. It works too. I might be watching Charm School sometime soon now. Or maybe just Tivo it.

Mo'Nique would have never pulled this fuckery. She is just too classy!

I guess Sharon Osbourne doesn't believe in "practice what you preach" because TMZ reports that; the Charm Scool headmistress put an ass whouping on Megan Hauserman sending her to the hospital.

"Megan Hauserman claims Sharon Osbourne went ballistic during a taping of the show's reunion special Saturday night. She says Sharon O. ran across the stage of the show, grabbed Megan by her hair and would not let go. She says Sharon continued to pull at her hair and scratch her until security eventually separated the two. Megan went to the hospital Sunday afternoon and filed a report with the LAPD on Sunday night."

The reason for the fight? Charm School Rule 10a: The Truth Hurts

Hauserman set Sharon off by saying: "She is only famous for managing a brain dead rock star."

I wonder what Riki Rachtman did during all of this? Probably hid in the corner while holding his vagina. Stupid Riki Rachtman.

Survivor: Gabon - Season Finale Predictions

I have never been a Survivor Fan myself. I watched the first season and those two girls from survivor that were in playboy. I think I still have that issue around here somewhere. But I found this article that gives good insight on the season finale on Survivor: Gabon

We're mere hours away from the Survivor: Gabon finale, a season that will go down as one of the greatest of Survivor's lengthy career. Five castaways remain, and there is no fan consensus in terms of rooting interests (besides the general apathy everyone feels towards Susie). It's been a long season of terrible predictions for me, and my prognostication skills feel like they're at an all-time low. I need to get that confidence back, that swagger I once had. Tonight is the night that the predictions come true. It's snowing, coffee is flowing like wine, and football is on TV – the perfect ingredients for prediction making. Let's get it going.

Ken Will Be Voted Off First

Sugar changed the game with her actions on Thursday, and there's no reason to believe that she'll swing back to Kenny's side. Everyone knows that Kenny has been playing the game hard, has been a strategic force in the game, and that he might be able to gain the sympathy of the jury were he to make it to the final three. Matty and Bob will want Ken gone, and Susie will go along with the majority. Unless Kenny wins the immunity, he'll be the first to go.

Bob Will Be Voted Off Second

This is obvious. Bob could certainly win both of the final immunity challenges, but if he doesn't, his fellow castaways will take the opportunity to vote him out, because Bob is a shoe-in for the million dollars if he makes it that far. The final immunity challenge is usually an endurance challenge of some sort, and Bob's age could work against him, giving someone like Matty the upper hand. I'm rooting for Bob, but the other Survivors would be stupid not to get rid of him when they can.

Matty Will Win

If my first two predictions come true, that will leave Matty, Susie and Sugar. No one will vote for Susie unless they're a complete idiot. Sugar has some legitimate claims for the million, but the jury will simply like Matty more, appreciate that he played an honest game, and give him the million dollars.

Bettie Page dies at 85, Playboy Pinup queen

I have only been a fan of Playboy for about 5 years now since that is how long I have been getting my subscription. This is my first time to ever hear of Bettie Page, but she seemed like a very hot chick. A little crazy, but find one girl that isn't.

By Louis Sahagun
December 12, 2008
Bettie Page, the brunet pinup queen with a shoulder-length pageboy hairdo and kitschy bangs whose saucy photos helped usher in the sexual revolution of the 1960s, has died. She was 85.

Page, whose later life was marked by depression, violent mood swings and several years in a state mental institution, died Thursday night at Kindred Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had been on life support since suffering a heart attack Dec. 2, according to her agent, Mark Roesler.

A cult figure, Page was most famous for the estimated 20,000 4-by-5-inch black-and-white glossy photographs taken by amateur shutterbugs from 1949 to 1957. The photos showed her in high heels and bikinis or negligees, bondage apparel -- or nothing at all.

Decades later, those images inspired biographies, comic books, fan clubs, websites, commercial products -- Bettie Page playing cards, dress-up magnet sets, action figures, Zippo lighters, shot glasses -- and, in 2005, a film about her life and times, "The Notorious Bettie Page."

Then there are the idealized portraits of her naughty personas -- Nurse Bettie, Jungle Bettie, Voodoo Bettie, Banned in Boston Bettie, Maid Bettie, Crackers in Bed Bettie -- memorialized by such artists as Olivia de Berardinis.

"I'll always paint Bettie Page," De Berardinis said Thursday night . "But truth be told, it took me years to understand what I was looking at in the old photographs of her. Now I get it. There was a passion play unfolding in her mind. What some see as a bad-girl image was in fact a certain sensual freedom and play-acting - it was part of the fun of being a woman."

"The origins of what captures the imagination and creates a particular celebrity are sometimes difficult to define," Playboy magazine founder Hugh Hefner said Thursday night. "Bettie Page was one of Playboy magazine's early Playmates, and she became an iconic figure, influencing notions of beauty and fashion. Then she disappeared. . . . Many years later, Bettie resurfaced and we became friends. Her passing is very sad."

In an interview 2 1/2 years ago, Hefner described Page's appeal as "a combination of wholesome innocence and fetish-oriented poses that is at once retro and very modern."

According to her agents at CMG Worldwide, Page's official website, www.BettiePage.com, has received about 600 million hits over the last five years.

"Bettie Page captured the imagination of a generation of men and women with her free spirit and unabashed sensuality," said Roesler, chairman of the Indianapolis-based CMG Worldwide, who was at Page's side when she died. "She was a dear friend and a special client and one of the most beautiful and influential women of the 20th century."

A religious woman in her later life, Page was mystified by her influence on modern popular culture. "I have no idea why I'm the only model who has had so much fame so long after quitting work," she said in an interview with The Times in 2006.

She had one request for that interview: that her face not be photographed.

"I want to be remembered," she said, "as I was when I was young and in my golden times. . . . I want to be remembered as the woman who changed people's perspectives concerning nudity in its natural form."

Bettie Mae Page was born April 22, 1923, in Nashville. She was the oldest girl among Roy and Edna Page's six children. Her father, an auto mechanic, "molested all three of his daughters," Page said in the interview.

Her parents divorced in 1933, but life didn't get any easier for Bettie.

"All I ever wanted was a mother who paid attention to me," Page recalled. "She didn't want girls. She thought we were trouble. When I started menstruating at 13, I thought I was dying because she never taught me anything about that."

After high school, Page earned a teaching credential. But her career in the classroom was short-lived. "I couldn't control my students, especially the boys," she said.

She tried secretarial work and marriage. But by 1948 she had divorced a violent husband and fled to New York City, where she enrolled in acting classes. She was noticed on the beach at Coney Island by New York police officer and amateur photographer Jerry Tibbs, who introduced her to camera clubs.

Page quickly became a sought-after model, attracting the attention of Irving Klaw and his sister, Paula, who operated a mail-order business specializing in cheesecake and bondage poses.

Under contract with the Klaws, Page was photographed prancing around with a whip, spanking other women, even being hog-tied. She also appeared in 8-millimeter "loops" and feature-length peekaboo films with titles like "Betty Page in High Heels."

"I had lost my ambition and desire to succeed and better myself; I was adrift," Page recalled. "But I could make more money in a few hours modeling than I could earn in a week as a secretary."

Her most professional photographs were taken in 1955 by fashion photographer Bunny Yeager. They included shots of Page nude and frolicking in waves and deep-sea fishing, and a January 1955 Playboy centerfold of her winking under a Santa Claus cap.


At 35, Page walked away from it all. She quit modeling and moved to Florida, where she married a much younger man whose passions, she later learned, were watching television and eating hamburgers.

Page fled from her home in tears after a dispute on New Year's Eve in 1959. Down the street, she noticed a white neon sign over a little white church with its door open.

After quietly taking a seat in the back, she had a born-again experience. Page immersed herself in Bible studies and served as a counselor for the Billy Graham Crusade.

In 1967, she married for a third time. After that marriage ended in divorce 11 years later, Page plunged into a depression marked by violent mood swings. She argued with her landlady and attacked her with a knife. A judge found her innocent by reason of insanity but sentenced her to 10 years in a California mental institution.

She was released in 1992 from Patton State Hospital in San Bernardino County to find that she had unwittingly become a pop-culture icon. A movie titled "The Rocketeer" and the comic book that inspired it contained a Bettie-esque character, triggering a revival, among women as well as men, that continues unabated.

With the help of admirers including Hefner, Page finally began receiving a respectable income for her work.

In an interview published in Playboy magazine in 2007, Page expressed mixed feelings about her achievements. "When I turned my life over to the lord Jesus I was ashamed of having posed in the nude," she said. "But now, most of the money I've got is because I posed in the nude. So I'm not ashamed of it now. But I still don't understand it."

She spent most of her final years in a one-bedroom apartment, reading the Bible, listening to Christian and country tunes, watching westerns on television, catching up on diet and exercise regimens or sometimes perusing secondhand clothing stores.

Occasionally, however, Page was persuaded to visit the Sunset Boulevard penthouse offices of her agents at CMG Worldwide to autograph pinups of herself in the post-World War II years of her prime. The agency controls her image and those of Marilyn Monroe and Princess Diana, among others.

During one such event in early 2006, Page needed about 10 minutes to get through the 10 letters of her name. As she pushed her pen over a portrait of her in a negligee with an ecstatic smile, she laughed and said, "My land! Is that supposed to be me? I was never that pretty."

She is survived by her brother Jack Page of Nashville and sister Joyce Wallace of Blairsville, Ga.

Sahagun is a Times staff writer.

Dakota Culkin hit by car, dies

This sucks. I couldn't imagine losing my sister like this. Dakota Culkin who is 29 had her life cut tragically short.

"Home Alone" child star Macaulay Culkin's sister died Wednesday after being struck by a car.

According to TMZ, law enforcement sources say that Dakota Culkin was walking on Los Angeles' Westside on Tuesday when she stepped off a curb and was struck by a car.

Macaulay's rep says: "We can officially confirm that the victim is Dakota Culkin. This is a terrible tragic accident. We have no further comment at this time."

The 29-year-old Culkin was taken to the UCLA Medical Center, where she died of her injuries Wednesday afternoon.

So far, no arrests have been made in the case, which is under investigation by the LAPD.

I have no words. This is terrible, terrible news.

And I hate to bring this up, but this is the third actor who has lost a family member violently in recent weeks.

First, Jennifer Hudson's brother, mother and nephew; then Mark Ruffalo's brother, Scott; now McCauley Culkin's sister, Dakota.

very sad.

Photo: Macaulay Culkin. Credit: WireImage

Jennifer Aniston's 'GQ' cover (Photos)

Man I take one look at this cover and I can't stand up for at least an hour. This girl has been consistantly good looking for as long as I can remember. I have never really thought of Aniston in any way other than the girl next door look.

By Mike Bruno

Okay, at the risk of exposing myself as a pervy old man, I have to say that the cover of the January issue of GQ (hits stands Dec. 23) has tipped it in for me: I love Jennifer Aniston. There. I said it. Feels good to get it out. You see, I was one of those snobby jerk-offs in the '90s who (rather vocally) HATED Friends and endlessly griped about how corny it is and how annoying the characters are (arguments I would still make today, but I recognize that it's a too-cool-for-school reaction to its formulaic sitcomery). But while Aniston will never be fully extricated from her association with Ross, Chandler, "Phebes," and the gang, over the past decade or so she's certainly built enough of a post-Friends persona for me to step forth and pledge my love. Here are the Top 5 reasons I love Jennifer Aniston, despite hating Friends, that do NOT have to do with the fact that I enjoy seeing her naked:

1. Office Space (natch)
2. Her reasoned response to the career-over-baby accusations that had people running around with "I'll have your baby, Brad!" t-shirts during her divorce to Brad Pitt. "A man divorcing would never be accused of choosing career over children....That really pissed me off. I've never in my life said I didn't want to have children," she told Vanity Fair in 2005.
3. Her dig this year at Angelina Jolie, who had publicly talked about falling for Pitt while he was still married to Aniston. "That stuff about how she couldn't wait to get to work every day [while filming Mr. & Mrs. Smith]? That was really uncool," she told Vogue.
4. She's got a thing for rock-n-roll dudes -- first Adam Duritz, and now John Mayer (who's eight years her junior, I might add, which I think is kinda hot...for some reason. I know, I know, pervy old man).
5. The Good Girl, when I first realized there was more to Aniston than "Rach."

Honorable mention: Her hilarious appearance on 30 Rock earlier this year (the episode after the jump).

Anyone else out there overcome their dislike for Friends and fall for Aniston anyway? And how about that GW cover, eh? Anyone out there realizing they dislike me because I hated on Friends just now?

Carrie Fisher's Wishful Drinking

This might actually be something that I might have to check out. It will interesting to see what the Star Wars following will bring. I would bet Carrie Fisher brings in a lot of people just wanting to hear stories about her time filming Star Wars.

Star Wars icon Carrie Fisher is touring the country with her one-woman show Wishful Drinking.

Fisher's book by the same name relives her "crazy" years, one wacky story at a time.

Some highlights include a Christmas where Fisher's mom gifted her and her grandmother with sex toys, and our personal fave, the time she freaked out while smoking with Harrison Ford.

As for her show? Broadway World warns, "Don't be late. Fisher will look you in the face and you'll be embarrassed as she tries to recap what you've missed. But it's all in great fun."

Adult FriendFinder Exposed!

Well you could of fulled me. I thought and still think those girls don't live in my town. I know almost everyone in my town and I never saw any of those people there. They might be hanging out in some club that only allows hot girls in like on seinfeld.

If you're an internet user (hey there you!), you've probably seen ads for Adult FriendFinder—they're those banners promising that there are live women in your zip code waiting to have sex with YOU! Now, maybe you've wondered if these women really exist. Turns out they do.

According to RadarOnline, Adult FriendFinder is the 25th most visited site in the United States, making it one of the most popular online dating sites. But dating on AFF isn't like dating on other sites—this site is specifically for people looking for sex. Thus, when you fill out your profile, instead of writing what you like to do on a first date, "the AFF user can check off interests in '1-on-1 Sex, Bondage & Discipline, Cross-Dressing, Discreet Relationship, Erotic Chat/E-mail/Phone Fantasies, Exhibitionism & Voyeurism, Group Sex (3 or More), Miscellaneous Fetishes, Other 'Alternative' Activities, Sadism & Masochism.'"

In his investigation for Radar, writer Teddy Wayne signed up for AFF with three distinct personalities: a straight man, bisexual woman and gay guy. Most of the his findings are what you'd expect on a casual sex site: profiles include lots of photos of erect cocks, his female profile received more far responses than his male one, and there seems to be way more men than women on the site (despite the fact that AFF says half of its members are women).

But even though men make up the majority of members, there are women on the site. So who are they and what are they doing there? Wayne talked to a few of them and found out that, like the ads say, there are attractive women who want to have sex with you.

One woman he spoke with is looking for a monogamous relationship but likes the site's no BS atmosphere. Other women use the site to explore their sexuality, which makes great sense. If you have an uncommon sexual desire, say, you want to be tied up and penetrated with a spoon, AFF lets you find someone who will do just that, and the online dating aspect lets you thoroughly vet that person.

The most surprising thing, though, was that a lot of people on the site, both men and women, are looking for a long-term relationship. As Wayne concludes, Adult FriendFinder is "filled with a lot of adults who are, in the end, searching for a friend."

'Harry Potter's' Emma Watson Reveals Nude Ambitions

Shoot send Emma Watson My way. I have a job for her that she can pose nude for. I always thought she was good looking. I was under 18 at the time too so it was OK. I haven't paid that much attention to Watson lately, But she still has it. Watson is not the normal Hot girl, but she has something that makes her Very Attractive. Playboy are you listening? This could help get you out of your slump!

Emma Watson says she is at that strange age when she’s “not a woman yet, but I’m not a girl anymore.”

At 18 years old, the “Harry Potter” starlet – whom the Times of London calls “tiny and pretty and delightfully brought up” – is clearly poised for adulthood, and even says she would go naked in a film for the right role.

““Yes,” she says. “For Bernardo Bertolucci. It ... depends. I’m not getting my kit off any time soon, but it is part of my job.”

For now however, the young actress is finishing up her role as Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter series, and is doing the voice of Princess Pea in the upcoming mouse cartoon “The Tale of Despereaux.”

“I’m going to have a battle on my hands, because after Harry Potter has finished, I don’t know,” she says. “I definitely want to go to university.”

It seems the star not only has beauty, but the brains to boot. She earned three A's this summer at her Oxford boarding school and is keen on the Ivy Leagues, the Times reports.

“I have enough to hold me together without fame,” she says. “I have a really supportive family and a full life away from ‘Harry Potter.’ It’s unlikely that I’ll be part of anything this big ever again, so I need to deal with that. I’m not going to take a job just because ... I’m not doing anything else.”

Big and Rich Singer John Rich and Joan Bush Weds in Nashville

Country singer John Rich of the duo Big and Rich married his girlfriend Joan Bush in Nashville Saturday, People magazine is reporting.

The small ceremony between Rich, who is also the host of CMT’s “Gone Country” and Bush, a former model turned agent, was attended by about two dozen of the couple’s friends and family, People said.

Rich and Bush dated for more than five years before tying the knot, but kept a low couple profile. A source close to the couple told People that the two did not appear at official events together or on the red carpet.

Kennedy Center honors Streisand, Freeman, Daltrey

It is always good to see someone honoured. I have to afree with Streisands stance with Bush though. Like I always tell my wife. No more Bush. She never listens though. Anyways that is neither here nor there. But it looks like she will have the Kennedy Center Honors coming her way.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Barbra Streisand is visiting the White House but says she'll play nice. Streisand, a vocal critic of President George W. Bush, was a guest Sunday at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue during one of Washington's few A-list events.

"Art," she said, "transcends politics this weekend."

The singer and actress this year is a recipient of the Kennedy Center Honors, along with Morgan Freeman, country singer George Jones, dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp and musicians Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey of The Who.

The honors recognize individuals who have had an impact on American culture through the performing arts, part of the living memorial to President John F. Kennedy.

"I'm really excited and I'm touched" about being selected as an honoree, Townshend said.

Musician B.B. King wore his Kennedy Center honoree medal from 1995 to the event.

"I'm here because of one of my idols called Morgan Freeman," he said.

Jones said there were no strained moments between Streisand and Bush during the reception.

"Everything went so smooth," he said.

After the reception, the group traveled with the president and first lady Laura Bush to the performing arts center for a gala in their honor.

The gala will include the young singer-songwriter Ne-Yo singing Streisand's 1965 hit "Lover, Come Back to Me."

"Barbra Streisand is the epitome of emotion in music. You feel every word, that's something that artists in my day and age don't really pay attention to," he said.

Musician Rob Thomas said he would sing The Who's song "Baba O'Riley" during the tribute for Townshend and Daltrey.

"These are people who have influenced everyone," he said. "It's not just their music, it's their attitude."

The Kennedy Center Honors come just a month after the presidential election. Streisand, 66, was one of the most outspoken honorees on politics during the campaign season, saying the past two elections had been "stolen." On the day after the Obama's win, she was riding high.

"November 5th ... what a day ... a new day ... finally (Martin Luther King's) words ring true," Streisand, a longtime Democrat, wrote on her Web site. "I am so proud of our country."

At a State Department dinner for the honorees Saturday night, Streisand said, "It's just great to be honored by one's own country."

Jones, who earned the nickname "No Show Jones" for performances he missed during his wild days, promised to show up this time. As he entered the reception, the 77-year-old said, "I'm in a daze" about being an honoree.

Performers from New York, Nashville and Hollywood will salute the honorees with surprise tribute performances Sunday evening. The show will air Dec. 30 on CBS.

Tickets to the gala sell for as much as $4,000. Last year, the event raised $5 million to support Kennedy Center programs.

The awards were presented Saturday night at a State Department dinner hosted by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. She addressed each honoree, beginning with Freeman, who once played the president in the movie "Deep Impact."

"I know that when you played the African-American president of the United States, most people thought that would happen when a comet hit," Rice said, drawing laughs and cheers. "But wonder of wonders, fiction has become true."

Freeman, 71, who starred this year in "The Dark Knight," also made headlines after suffering broken bones in a Mississippi car crash in August. On Saturday, the Oscar-winning actor said he was still recovering from nerve damage in his left hand and wore a glove to control the swelling.

Kennedy Center Chairman Stephen Schwarzman hailed the "extraordinary genius and tenacity" of the 2008 lifetime achievement award recipients.

Dancer Damian Woetzel hailed Tharp, 67, for "taking a dance and treating it like music." Her work has helped define modern dance, contemporary ballet and Broadway musicals.

Past honorees, including Clint Eastwood, Elton John and Sidney Poitier, made nominations for the awards, along with members of the Kennedy Center's national artists committee, including Glenn Close and Reba McEntire.

2009 Grammy Nominations Concert: Non-nominees perform old songs!

Dec 4, 2008, 07:08 AM | by Whitney Pastorek

Categories: Grammys, Music

Okay, so I think I just figured out what's wrong with almost every major televised awards ceremony in this country, but especially the Grammys: They spend so much time reminding us of how important and magical and woven into the fabric of a life we can barely understand in these crazy digital times their television program has been over the last half-century, they forget that the whole point of the ceremony in the first place is to celebrate the best of what is happening in our culture right this very second. And so while I think we can all agree that an Album of the Year race comprised of Coldplay, Radiohead, Lil Wayne, Ne-Yo, and Plant/Krauss is nothing to sneeze at, there was absolutely no need to announce the nominees in that or any other Grammy category during an hour-long Tribute To Songs Your Parents Like On That Network With Shows For Old People, designed to highlight the opening of an actual museum devoted to the aforementioned important magic.

Yes, last night's telecast was basically the equivalent of historically landmarking a Taco Bell Express, with performances from Celine Dion, Foo Fighters, and the most overexposed blond since Lady Godiva, Taylor Swift. And there were also nominations, both positive-- I'm sorry, did you say "Paper Planes"? are you sure?-- and not so much. (See the major categories here.) We're putting up a gallery of the worst snubs later today, but feel free to share yours in the comments. (I'm saving my controlled rage about Sugarland for the end of this article -- only five paragraphs away...) With that in mind, let's begin, shall we?

Live, from the Nokia Theater in Los Angeles-- where John Mayer and B.B. King are quite possibly still playing "Let the Good Times Roll"-- it was the 2009 Grammy Nomination Special, a fun little project that probably wasn't worth pre-empting an episode of Criminal Minds for, but whatever, sweeps ended on Sunday. I've got a pretty bad head cold at the moment, so when we opened on Mariah Carey in a sexy Santa outfit singing "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" and throwing teddy bears out to the audience, I checked the channel to make sure I hadn't recorded the Rockefeller Center Tree Lighting ceremony by mistake. But no, I was right, because soon enough there were your hilariously mismatched hosts, Taylor Swift and LL Cool J, mincing awkwardly around as the camera circled them in front of the Staples Center before cutting to Ne-Yo as he announced the Best New Artist nominees: Adele, Duffy, Lady Antebellum, the Jonas Brothers, and Jazmine Sullivan. Shocking not to see Leona Lewis, Estelle, MGMT, Vampire Weekend, or Katy Perry come up here, considering they even used the latter's song "I Kissed a Girl" in the introductory montage (a montage clearly designed to teach Criminal Minds viewers about the existence of the internet). Not shocking to see the Jonas Bros. grinning in the front row after the announcement of the nominees. Something tells me they weren't propped up there just so MS. Swift could spend the night glaring at whichever one she used to date.

Next was a performance of Janis Ian's "At Seventeen" from Celine Dion that one might call "understated," but mostly left me wondering whether the dinner cruise would be docking soon. It was followed by an obligatory shot of Smokey Robinson, then a montage leading up to the Album of the Year nominations which proved that 1998 was the musical equivalent of Oceanic Flight 815. Again, I have no quibble with the nominations in this category, though I'm sure Alicia Keys and the Eagles would beg to differ. But who would you pull to fit them in? Lil Wayne and Coldplay are good and sold huge; Ne-Yo and Radiohead are just good; and Plant/Krauss could have played noseharp over a backing band of barking dogs and still gotten a nom, so the fact that they didn't was a nice bonus. But no time to dwell, for we must listen to the Foo Fighters slaughter Faster Pussycat's Carly Simon's "You're So Vain"! I take no pleasure in calling out Grohl for that mess, though I did enjoy the disdain for Rascal Flatts he barely bothered to mask while reading the noms for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group. (Side note: Random to pick the Duo/Group performances in both Country and Rap to announce live, no?)

Christina Aguilera's lovely rendition of "I Loves You Porgy" should hush up those who found her corseted antics on the American Music Awards a bit unrestrained; Taylor Swift's barely serviceable rendition of Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry" (see embedded clip) should open the door for anyone who'd care to join me in saying for the millionth time that this girl may be a savvy little songwriting/marketing genius, but she has no business singing professionally. Really, we're just running out of excuses here, people. And of all the artists in the world, why was she the only one chosen to perform a snippet of her current single ("White Horse," which apparently requires that she sit down at some point)-- especially when she received exactly zero nominations this evening? Was that the snub of the night? Justice at last? Or does someone just really have it in for that one Jonas Brother?

It was fun to see tiny little Grammy president Neil Portnow yelp with joy as he and Swiftie introduced the John Mayer/B.B. King Rock n' Roll Ain't Dead But We're Gonna Jam On This Song Until It Is memorabilia project, and then it just got kinda boring until Mayer cracked the joke that he "played cash register" on M.I.A.'s Record of the Year-nominated "Paper Planes." Can't make too much fun of John n' B.B.-- after all, unless you're counting Mariah sharing a gospel nod with three other people and a church choir, those two dudes are the only performers tonight who got nominated for any actual awards. And if my math is right, Mayer has the chance to win five times. So. Let those good times keep rolling, I suppose. Other nominations for Record of the Year, btw: Adele (big night for her!), Coldplay, Leona Lewis, and Plant/Krauss. Here again, we find Estelle and "American Boy" getting snubbed-- curiously, the 87 writers on that track got a Song of the Year nod instead-- along with folks like Chris Brown, Kid Rock, Rihanna, and Lil Wayne, although I'm not sure which one of his ditties could have been safely performed on the big show, so that's just as well.

And that was it. It was only an hour. Not too painful, but like I said, not too necessary, either. Now, as threatened: Seriously? Sugarland gets NOTHING for Love on the Inside, an almost universally-praised No. 1 album that was not only predicted to be a frontrunner in the country category but a dark horse for Album of the Year? (No, "Life in a Northern Town" doesn't count.) Probably what happened here was the whole thing was too "poppy" for the "country" voters, but my god it's like Steely Dan beating out Kid A all over again. Argh. I gotta take my rage and my head cold to bed.

Meanwhile, what did you think, PopWatchers? Did any of those performances do it fer ya? Have you now been persuaded to schedule a trip to the shiny new Grammy Museum (which, to be fair, looks pretty cool), and/or tune in for the big ceremony next year? Am I the only one who snickered when the announcer said, "All this, and the nominees for Record of the Year" as we headed to commercial, like he couldn't believe his cornucopia of luck? And can you think of a persuasive reason why they couldn't have somehow combined this shindig with the AMAs and saved us all some time?

michael phelps girlfriend caroline pal

Michael Phelps is tired? I can see why after looking at his girlfriend. So all I need to do to get a girl like that is win 8 gold medals? No problem I will be at the next olympic games. I wonder if she will dump him if he only wins 6 gold medals in another 4 years.

Michael Phelps has been busy since winning eight medals and America’s heart at the Beijing Olympics this summer. He’s appeared in a Guitar Hero commercial, endorsed some cereals and even taken up poker. What he hasn’t done, apparently, is rest.

Gawker brings us a cute 60 minutes clip of the former Michigan-student-turned-Merman with Anderson Cooper in which the two go for a playful swim and examine his medals. But it’s not all fun and games… Phelps yawns almost as much as he smiles goofily (and that’s saying something). The swimmer hasn’t been home in over three months and his various interviews, promotions, appearances, etc. have clearly taken a toll on him. In a car ride together, Phelps falls asleep next to Cooper in 50 seconds flat.

But are we sure the exhaustion is a result of the constant touring Phelps has been doing… not his new girlfriend? Oh yes, Phelps has been dating Caroline “Caz” Pal, a tattooed strip-club waitress at the Palms in Vegas. While it may seem the two have little in common, they do share a fondness for being topless. Phelps’ mom must have been so proud when her son brought the young lady home for Thanksgiving last week.

Is it just me or does this two month relationship explain Phelps’ fatigue a little better? She certainly looks like she could keep him plenty tired.