The Nutrition Investigator, Mike Geary, discusses REAL nutrition for a healthy lean body: The 1 food he reduced to eliminate his love handles

The Nutrition Investigator, Mike Geary, discusses REAL nutrition for a healthy lean body: The 1 food he reduced to eliminate his love handles

Baby, 5 others shot in Mardi Gras Parade

NEW ORLEANS -- An infant and at least five other people were shot Tuesday along a parade route packed with Mardi Gras revelers, police said. Two suspects were in custody and the victims were recovering.

The shootings happened near the Garden District about 1:40 p.m. after the last major parade of the celebration, Rex, had ended. Hundreds of truck floats that follow the parade were passing when gunfire broke out.

"It sounded like a string of fireworks, so I knew it was more than one shooter," said Toni Labat, 29, a window company manager. She was with her two children, a 2-year-old boy and a 10-year-old girl.

"Everybody was petrified. They hit the ground, the floats stopped, everybody on the floats ducked," Labat said.

Labat said one man dragged himself on the ground screaming for help after being wounded and another man was gasping for air and bleeding from his mouth.

Police spokesman Bob Young said the victims were taken to local hospitals. The infant was grazed by a bullet and not seriously hurt, Young said.

Dr. Jim Parry, 41, a surgeon who was with a gathering of doctors near the shooting site, ran over to tend to one man who he said had been shot in the abdomen. "He kept asking me, 'Was I shot? Was I shot?'"

Paramedics arrived and took over for the Air Force reservist.

"I'm off to Afghanistan this summer. Damn, this is more dangerous than Afghanistan," Parry said.

Two male suspects, ages 18 and 20, were in custody and three weapons believed used in the shooting had been recovered, Young said.

The violence along the oak-lined Uptown streetcar line marred what had been a generally peaceful day of revelry in which hundreds of thousands of people partied in the streets on the final day of Carnival. Another shooting was reported on Friday night after an argument, but otherwise, the event was generally problem-free.

Beau Beals, 45, said he was outside a house party on St. Charles Avenue when the shooting erupted. He said he and other revelers tossed children over a metal fence to get them to safety, but others kept waiting for beads and other trinkets being tossed from the floats as if nothing had happened.

"They had an ambulance out here picking the guy up off the street and people didn't stop vying for throws," Beals said.

--Associated Press

Hugh Jackman as Peter Allen

By MARY McNAMARA

LOS ANGELES TIMES

February 22, 2009

HOLLYWOOD — If only he'll wear those gold lamé pants.

As word got out that Hugh Jackman would be this year's Oscar host, a clip from the 2004 Tony telecast of his performance from "The Boy From Oz" made the rounds. If you happened to miss the 2004 Tonys, Jackman, playing the flamboyant Australian songwriter Peter Allen, sang, danced and writhed his way across the stage in a leopard-skin top and skin-tight gold lamé pants.

Will the Oscar gift baskets include smelling salts?

Jackman, who has hosted the Tonys several times and won an Emmy for doing so in 2005, certainly knows how to hold a stage — he won a Tony for "The Boy From Oz" — and by choosing him, first-time Oscar producers Laurence Mark and Bill Condon are betting that Broadway can do what comedy could not.

Previous hosts — Jon Stewart, Ellen DeGeneres, Chris Rock — followed the traditional stand-up model, and the ratings have soured steadily. Obviously a change is required, and although I would lean toward thinking "television" rather than "Broadway," Jackman is, of course, another way to go.

Clearly Mark and Condon are less concerned with solving the ratings crisis than they are with creating a new vibe for the show. Jackman may have more talent in his little finger than most of us do in our entire bodies, but he doesn't have the fan base of DeGeneres or Rock. If you are among the thousands who loved his hosting of the Tonys, you're probably not only watching the Oscars anyway, you're hosting your own annual Oscar party.

Yes, Jackman was named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive last year, and yes, he is Wolverine of the "X-Men" film franchise, but do we want Wolverine hosting the Oscars? Probably not. Otherwise, Jackman's movie career has been less than memorable, capped by last year's box-office dud "Australia." And, as last season's mercifully short-lived "Viva Laughlin" proved, one talented person does not a television show make. Or at least not a good television show.

But Mark and Condon are the team that brought us "Dreamgirls," which actually makes Jackman an obvious choice. There's nothing wrong with a big Broadway-esque opener similar to Billy Crystal's famous musical clips, but with more hip action. Beyond that, however, it gets a little worrisome. The Oscars have a prickly relationship with singin' and dancin', and as anyone who saw Rosie O'Donnell's recent disaster knows, nothing fails bigger than a failed variety show.

What Jackman does have in his favor is an unapologetic, unabashed love for, and understanding of, theater. He isn't snarky and isn't an outsider. He is a from-the-bottom-of-his-heart performer who seems utterly happy and at ease in front of an audience.

No doubt those in the Kodak Theatre will enjoy an energetic and dazzling evening. How it will play on television remains to be seen.

But maybe it's time we stopped caring about that so much.

Is Lisa Rinna Drunk at the Oscars?

The first limo hasn't even arrived yet -- and Joey Fatone is already accusing his TV Guide co-host Lisa Rinna of pounding down a few too many champagne cocktails. This is gonna be fun.

1. Eeew look at her LIPS!!!!!!!!!

Posted at 6:01PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by CaliGirl

2. Thats right lIsa drown your sorrows away. But save some of the liquor to wash off the twenty inches of makeup you got on.... She was such a pretty girl what a waste.

Posted at 6:01PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by Zoya

3. She's often uncomfortably silly and over the top and I think it's just her trying too hard. She mght have had a few, but probably not too drunk to function - just a mixture of silly and a little bubbly.

Posted at 6:02PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by ann

4. OMG, her mouth in that picture! LMAOOOO! Hemorrhoid lipz!

Posted at 6:05PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by HolySh*t

5. Those lips are as big as sofa cushions.....yikes!

Posted at 6:11PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by Luke Warmwater

6. eeew, whore.

Posted at 6:13PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by angie

7. TMZ needs to tune in to E!. Nicole Ritchie just announced that she's expecting her second child and not peep about it from tmz. tsk tsk

Posted at 6:13PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by keep up

8. Wow! Talk about plastic surgery gone wrong! That make-up just ecentuates all the work she has had done. What a shame. She used to be pretty. Now she is plastic and on the heels of Joan Rivers.

Posted at 6:26PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by Nikki

9. I think she really is drunk - just saw her interview some people....it looks like its going to be a long night over at TV Guide.

Posted at 6:26PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by watching

10. she looks terrible, she can't even move her face.... people need to know that it IS ok to grow old....

Posted at 6:32PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by Jennifer

11. Everytime I see Lisa R. my stomach turns. Who in the h--l keeps hiring her for jobs? I wish she would ride off in the sunset so noone has to see or hear her big stupid mouth again. She is so gross and creepy, you would think that she would go hide in a closet. Yuk--Double Yuk!

Posted at 6:32PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by Blackjack

12. fakey... fakey..like her boobies and her lips and every word that comes out of her mouth.....

Posted at 6:34PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by ilovetheshowmadmen

13. My local cable is on black for the tvguide channel! Has something happened or are they just incompetant again?

Posted at 6:41PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by kjunea

14. She's in CALIFORNIA. We can buy pot here. She should have done a bowl of pot only, brushed her teeth, & then had fun.
TOO MUCH BOOZE = SLOPPY.
TOO MUCH POT = SLEEPY & HUNGRY. Legalize it.

Posted at 6:55PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by San Francisco

15. Wow!Not a chance in missing that kisser.Canyou say "sucking on an exhaust for three hours"! She can't possibly think she looks good! Maybe she just joined the "joan Rivers Posse"

Posted at 6:57PM on Feb 22nd 2009 by sillyb13

More posts here:
http://www.tmz.com/2009/02/22/lisa-rinna-drunk-oscar-red-carpet/

Live Text: The Oscars 2009

By Justin Parkinson of BBC News

0055 The stars are out in force now. Meryl Streep and Robert Downey Jr are doing interviews.

0052 The BBC's Neil Smith writes: "James Bond is here," says one TV commentator excitedly as Daniel Craig turns up. Queen Latifah is here too, reportedly to sing I'll Be Seeing You during the death reel. Anne Hathaway and Evan Rachel Wood look like old-time movie stars in shiny white gowns. Amy Adams, though, is wearing a necklace that looks like something she made herself out of second-hand marbles.

0051 Spare a thought for Mike Myers. His film The Love Guru has won three Golden Raspberry Awards - a sort of anti-Academy Awards celebrating the worst offerings of the year. Sir Ben Kingsley, a previous Oscar winner, was among those "honoured" for his role alongside the former Wayne's World star. He's here on the red carpet, though, with pride seemingly intact.

0047 The BBC's Neil Smith writes: Mamma Mia's Dominic Cooper is here; will he perform as has been mooted online? So is Natalie Portman in perky pink. Mllk star James Franco looks dashing, though I think he's wearing the same suit from the Spirits. (Oddly, his director Gus Van Sant and Slumdog composer A R Rahman have gone for almost exactly the same shade of ivory tie.) Supporting actor candidate Josh Brolin is doing the rounds with his partner Diane Lane.

0039 More on host Hugh Jackman. He has been using near-the-knuckle UK comedian Ricky Gervais - creator of The Office - to come up with gags. How blue can Hugh go, one wonders, without upsetting Hollywood sensibilities. Does the Oscars do David Brent-like embarrassed silences?

0034 What are you doing to celebrate Oscars night? Across the UK many people are holding all-night parties, with a devil-may-care attitude to work on Monday. Let us know what you are up to using the form in the top right-hand corner of this page.

0030 About half an hour to go until the ceremony starts. Still no sign of Mickey Rourke or Kate Winslet. Will they have time for any interviews. Will Rourke feel like doing any? James Franco, star of Pineapple Express and the Spider-Man films is here. Sex and the City's Sarah Jessica Parker is here. Major nominee alert: Milk's Sean Penn is on the carpet.

0027 Slumdog Millionaire's Danny Boyle, nominated for best director, tells the BBC the film's success is really down to the actors. Will he let them go to the podium on his behalf if he wins, then?

0025 What kind of a show are we in for? Amid concern over falling viewing figures in recent years, there is speculation that we might be in for a little more pazazz. Host Hugh Jackman, no stranger to musical theatre, is reportedly planning to get things under way with a song-and-dance routine involving the efforts of Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. Will a little bit of Australian stardust give the Oscars a lift?

0023 The BBC's Neil Smith writes: Said hi to best actress outsider Melissa Leo, who was so gracious at the Spirit Awards on Saturday I almost hope she wins. (She won't, of course. Even she wouldn't bet on herself.) Supporting actress hopeful Viola Davis, nominated for Doubt, is positively glowing in a golden gown. Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens of High School Musical fame have turned up together, which is sure to get the Twitterverse twittering. Oh, and there's best actor nominee Richard Jenkins looking distinguished.

0020 The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan writes: We've been given a copy of the menu the stars will tuck into at the Governors Ball, the official Oscars after-party. It is lavish and includes lobster, sushi, poached shrimp, lobster tails, crab legs and mussels. 1500 guests are expected to attend.

0015 The red carpet is swarming. Sir Anthony Hopkins is meeting and greeting.

Perry, Stevenage, UK, says: Oscar does like to shock people. Slumdog, Rourke, Winslet and Ledger may be clear favourites for major honours, but I'm pretty sure they won't all win. Slumdog will win the Screenplay award, as the "indie hits" always do.

0009 A Hollywood legend is here. Mickey Rooney is doing interviews, with the same aplomb as the days when he and Judy Garland were two of the biggest names in film.

0007 It's 80 years since the first Academy Awards, but does 2009 also mark the 70th anniversary of the greatest ever? The year 1939 saw Gone With the Wind take best film, beating the likes of The Wizard of Oz, Wuthering Heights, Mr Smith Goes to Washington and Goodbye, Mr Chips. How does 2009 compare?

0001 One of the big nominees has arrived - The Visitor's Richard Jenkins, who is up for best actor. He's probably the least recognisable of all the main nominees.

Miley Cyrus

InStyle.com tweets: Miley Cyrus arrived wearing an ivory silk chiffon beaded V-neck ball gown from Zuhair Murad's Haute Couture Spring 2009 collection. Read InStyle.com tweets

thefashioncult tweets: Miley Cyrus looks like a sugar coated Disney character. Read thefashioncult tweets

2347 Will it finally be Kate Winslet's year? She has been nominated for awards five times in the past without once winning. If she ends up as a runner-up in the best actress category this time round she will enter the record books as a six-times loser, matched only by Deborah Kerr and Thelma Ritter. She must be a little nervous.

2347 The BBC's Neil Smith writes: And we're off. The Slumdog Millionaire crew have arrived, director Danny Boyle flanked by around 10 members of his cast and crew. (Rather delightfully, they include the film's young stars, who have been flown in specially from India.) Supporting actress hopeful Taraji P Henson is also here blowing kisses at the camera, as is Sharon Stone in a red dress that matches the carpet. Milk actor Emile Hirsch is here, looking rather smarter than he did at the Spirits yesterday. And look, there's previous best actor winner Anthony Hopkins. Oh, I could murder a nice Chianti.

2341 The BBC's Rajini Vaidyanathan writes: Helicopters circling above here as celebs arrive on the red carpet. No sign of the credit crunch here as everyone here looks incredibly glamorous. The men from PricewaterhouseCoopers have walked past with two very important cases. The results are inside. Soon they'll be revealed.

2340 The BBC's Neil Smith writes: Greetings from Hollywood! After several queues, three metal detectors and countless security checkpoints, I am at last ensconced back stage at the Kodak Theatre in what the powers that be call the press interview room. It's from here I'll be filing reports on this year's ceremony, peppered with quotes from the winners as they file through to face what I'm sure will be a grilling the Spanish Inquisition would be proud of. Outside on the red carpet, a sea of black jackets and glamorous gowns mill about expectantly waiting for the great and good to arrive. I'm sure it's very exciting down there, as my colleagues will no doubt attest. That said, we're the ones with the rolling buffet.

2327 With almost two hours to go until the ceremony begins, the red carpet outside the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles is looking quite busy. But no major celebs spotted yet. The fashions also seem a little sombre - rather a lot of credit crunch-conscious black dresses. Is this to be the austerity Oscars? What do you think of the stars' attire this year? Send us your thoughts using the postform on the right.

2336 So who and what are the favourites for this year's big awards? The smart money seems to be on Britain's Kate Winslet for The Reader winning best actress and Mickey Rourke best actor for The Wrestler. Slumdog Millionaire is the pundits' favourite for best film. It would also be a major upset if the late Heath Ledger did not take best supporting, making him only the second dead actor to win an Oscar, following Peter Finch's honour for Network in 1977.

2334 The BBC's Peter Bowes writes: In a brave move by the organisers the tent over the Academy's red carpet has been removed. Brave because the dark clouds hovering over LA look ominous and it's already drizzling in parts of the city. The California sun will not be shining on Oscar this year.

2330 Hello and welcome to our live text coverage of the 81st Academy Awards. We will be bringing you up-to-the minute coverage of the film world's glitziest night of the year - from arrivals on the famous red carpet right through to the post-ceremony parties. Join us for all the news, gossip and on-the-spot updates from the BBC's correspondents. Please send us your comments using the form on the top right-hand corner of this page.

Louis C.K.’s Hilarious Tour skeds Playhouse Square stop

From the Cleveland Playhouse Examiner

Louis C.K., one of America’s hottest stand-ups, is bringing his ‘Hilarious Tour’ to Playhouse Square’s Ohio Theater on April 25th at 8 p.m.

Tickets to see this brilliant, jack-of-all-comic-trades go on sale today, February 20. Tickets start at only $10. Get them by going to www.PlayhouseSquare.org or call 216-241-6000.

A major force in American comedy, Louis C.K. has scored big time as a writer, filmmaker, actor and stand-up. He’s written for Letterman, Conan O’Brien, Dana Carvey and Chris Rock. He teamed up with Rock to co-write ‘Down to Earth’ and ‘I Think I Love my Wife.’

C.K. also wrote and directed 'Pootie Tang,' the hilarious film based on a character he created for The Chris Rock Show. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pootie_Tang

Before his break-out HBO special, ‘Shameless,’ in 2006, C.K. frequently plied his trade on Letterman, Leno, Conan and Jimmy Kimmel. This past October, C.K.’s latest stand-up special, ‘Chewed Up’ debuted on Showtime.

Born Louis Szekely to an economist father and Harvard-educated mother: (He's Jewish-Hungarian, she's Irish Catholic and if you’re familiar with his act, that explains a lot.) His stage name derives from the preferred pronunciation of his family ‘s last name. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_C.K.

Chris Brown Beats the Hell out of Rihanna

See what Fox News has to say about this:

Is Barrack Obama a Monkey?

State and local lawmakers picketed the New York Post building Wednesday in protest of a political cartoon they say is outright racist.

Days after a chimpanzee on a rampage was fatally shot in Connecticut, the cartoon shows police officers shooting a chimp and hinting that the ape is the author of the federal stimulus bill.

Critics say it infers that President Barack Obama is a monkey, and that it plays into an age-old stereotype and is outrageous and irresponsible.

They are now calling on the paper to apologize.

"It's clear that you are out of touch with this entire country. Americans went to the polls to elect a man of honor from its country, not a monkey not a chimpanzee. This is not funny, this is not a cartoon, this is disgusting," said State Senator Eric Adams.

Sharpton was the first to publicly criticize the cartoon, and is organizing another demonstration outside News Corp headquarters Thursday at noon.

In a statement, the New York Post says, "The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington's efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist."

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs addressed the controversy telling reporters "I have not seen the cartoon, but I don't think it's altogether newsworthy reading the New York Post."

Obama did Tonya Harding a Favor

by Mark Silva

Fifteen years after Tonya Harding became a household name in the breaking of figure skating rival Nancy Kerrigan's knee, the retired, disgraced and disgruntled skater has returned to television to ask just how long someone must pay for her past.

At the same time, Harding said last night on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, she owes President Barack Obama a certain debt for his campaign-trail remark that he wasn't about to "do a Tonya Harding'' on his primary opponents. She maintains it helped her find work, paid appearances - "because people forget who Tonya Harding is.''

Obama, then a candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, remembered well in December of 2007 when he told a crowd in Vinton, Iowa, that he was not about to pull a Harding in pursuit of that first caucus victory in Iowa.

"Folks said there's no way Obama has a chance unless he goes and kneecaps the person ahead of us, does a Tonya Harding," Obama joked then, alluding to the athlete who had conspired to stop her rival during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. "We decided that's not the kind of campaign we wanted to run.''

Yet, Harding voices a great deal of bitterness about all she has been through since then.

"How much responsibility do you think I need to take?'' she asked in the Real Sports appearance. "I paid my debt to society... How much punishment do you think I need to go through?... I've done my time in jail... Everything that I've made mistakes on, I have paid for.''

Rodriguez blames youth instead of genuinely owning up to mistake

From SI.COM

TAMPA, Fla. -- Alex Rodriguez began his press conference on Tuesday at 1:52 p.m. -- 22 minutes late -- but punctuality was not the only element of his performance that ought to have been enhanced.

Camera shutters began clicking like machine guns as soon as he came into view from the tent that the Yankees have permanently erected behind the third base stands at Steinbrenner Field, and Rodriguez, wearing a navy dress shirt, khaki pants and bright white sneakers, looked suitably uncomfortable. He frowned and licked his lips as he took his seat at the long table beneath the tent, next to general manager Brian Cashman and manager Joe Girardi, and his first words after team public relations chief Jason Zillo had made introductions were, "Thanks, Jase. Bear with me, I'm a little nervous ... or a lot nervous."

A fine start, to be sure -- but things quickly went downhill, and got less believable, from there.

Rodriguez spent much of his prepared six-minute statement, and the 27 minutes of questions from reporters that followed, insisting again and again that while he had undoubtedly made "a stupid mistake" by taking a performance-enhancing drug (and he admitted that he was injected by his cousin approximately twice a month from 2001 to 2003, in six-month cycles), that mistake was almost solely the result of his age and immaturity at the time.

At various points he called himself "young," "curious," "naïve," "stupid," "silly and irresponsible." More than once he referred to the fact that he had never had the benefit of a college education. "If I had a son, I would definitely recommend going to college," he said.

He never called the substance he took -- which was reported by SI's Selena Roberts and David Epstein to be the cutting-edge steroid Primobolan -- by anything but the name "Boli" (which he explained was its street name in the Dominican Republic, where he said his unnamed cousin acquired it). That seemed as if it was one facet of a strategy to underscore the youthful nature of his indiscretion. "I didn't think they were steroids. That's part of being young and stupid. It was basically amateur hour," he said. Later he added, "I knew we weren't taking Tic Tacs."

It has been reported in recent days that Rodriguez has retained the consulting firm Outside Eyes to assist him in managing this crisis -- but if the contents of his press conference performance today were the result of their work, he might consider requesting a refund. His constant references to his immaturity as the reason why he deigned to allow himself to be injected were simply not plausible. If we are to believe that he took "Boli" only from 2001 to 2003, he would have been a grown man of 25 when he began, and already a millionaire many times over. Twenty-five-year-old multimillionaire athletes know precisely what they are doing when they bend over to allow their cousins to administer secret injections to them, whether or not they've been to college.

Rodriguez today had a tremendous opportunity to truly come clean. He might have said that the reason that he took steroids, in an era in which it was easy to do so, was simply to improve his performance as a baseball player. That he's deeply sorry. That he's stopped now. And that if even he, the player who undoubtedly remains the game's finest (natural) talent, couldn't resist the siren call of PEDs, then how can baseball expect all those so-called "Quadruple-A" players to do so unless baseball imposes even stricter testing procedures and penalties than are currently in place?

Instead, he chalked it all up to youthful indiscretion, and before he left the tent at 2:25 p.m. he said, "After today, I hope to put this behind me ... I miss simply being a baseball player." He added, "The only thing I could ask ... is to judge me from this day forward."

Despite Rodriguez's wish, that's certainly not going to happen, as Cashman admitted to reporters after the press conference was over. "This is not dying," Cashman said. "The shelf-life for this is a lot longer. But this was a very important step."

Even Cashman, though, intimated that perhaps Rodriguez could have been more forthright about his motivation for taking "Boli."

"The one thing he could have said, I guess, is that he did this to make himself better on the baseball field," he said. "Maybe everybody just assumes that ... [but] I don't think that Alex is very good at communicating, to be honest. This is not something he's good at."

He certainly wasn't very good at it today. Given the chance to communicate openly and honestly, he seemed to have mainly spin to offer -- and, sadly, it seems likely that nothing he can ever do as a baseball player, from this day forward, will make the public forget that.

A Roof on Wheels for the Homeless

(CBS) A long day on Los Angeles' skid row is about to turn into an even longer night.



CBS News correspondent Ben Tracy reports an another housing crisis - where people have no where to live but the streets.

"This is a beast unlike anything I have ever seen before," said Montgomery Garnett, who has lived on the streets for nearly three years.

He said that those who don't get on a bus to nearby shelters face a cold, hard reality.

"It is just bodies lying all over the streets," Garnett said.

When night falls, everyone finds their spot - they will spend the night on the sidewalk.

Garnett used to sleep on the concrete, until a couple of weeks ago when a cart landed on his sidewalk.

It's a cart by day that doubles as a mini camper at night. It's called EDAR - Everyone Deserves A Roof.

"It's basically a portable bed, which is nice," Garnett said. "Off the ground."

Hollywood producer Peter Samuelson helped create the mobile shelter. A much needed idea in Los Angeles Country where 73,000 people are homeless, yet there are less than 21,000 beds in shelters.

"How can we go to bed at night knowing that there are men, women, and small children sleeping on pieces of cardboard, laying on damp concrete?" Samuelson asked.

So far, 60 EDARs have been made at a grocery cart factory in Los Angeles. At a cost of $500 each, they want to raise enough money to make 10,000 more by the end of this year. Some are sent to shelters for overflow beds.

Brenda Gardenhire is teaching herself new skills in the hopes of finding a job.

"My little portable home … my little apartment," Gardenhire said. "I'm so happy I have it."

She now has somewhere to come home to.

At night, the EDAR helps Garnett sleep easier. During the day, he can't help but show it off.

"This is the first step in fulfilling the American Dream which is getting my own home," Garnett said. "So this is a start."

And, as Tracy reports, a push in the right direction.

One Hour Website Bargains

WBBH-TV

Imagine walking through a mall and there's only one thing for sale, that's how Melissa Ingram's website works.

The founder of www.redtagcrazy.com said it's all about the here and now.

"It's only one style of clothing that comes up every hour. You never know what you are going to see, never know what you are going to miss," said Ingram.

The website is what's called an ODAT or "One Deal at a Time" site.

A similar site, www.woot.com sells a variety of items in the same manner, one at a time.

But Red Tag Crazy only deals in women's fashion.

Most sale items only last for one hour.

You can see how many are available and how long you have to buy them.

"So it's a pair or jeans one hour, a shirt one hour, a tank top one hour and maybe a skirt," said Ingram.

The San Marcos, California business rotates the items 24 hours a day.

If an item sells out, it's never seen again. If it doesn't sell out it will pop up again, but you never know when.

"That's the whole point that people stick around for hours waiting to see so they don't miss it."

Melissa Ingram purchases the items herself and stores them in the companies warehouse.

They are photographed, put on the website and shipped out, all from the same location.

Lables include Lucky, Paige Premium Denim, LinQ, Rich and Skinny and more.

Daytona 500 winners don’t always reach superstardom

From The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — Derrike Cope gingerly pulled himself out of his No. 75 Dodge following qualifying for the Daytona 500 last Sunday and waved to the handful of fans standing along a fence just outside pit road.

“Derrike, can I have your shoes?” asked a pretty blonde, one of her hands on the chain-link fence, the other pointing at Cope’s blue racing shoes.

Cope just smiled and waved, told her “I need’em” and turned to talk to members of his crew after a disappointing qualifying run around the most famous 2.5-mile tri-oval in auto racing.

Even now, nearly 20 years after the biggest victory of his career in the 1990 Daytona 500, it never gets old.

Sure, Cope would like to be known for more than being in the right place at the right time when Dale Earnhardt Sr. sliced a tire in turn three on the last lap of that year’s 500, clearing the way for Cope’s improbable win.

Lucky winners

Cope’s story is hardly unique. For every Richard Petty or Jimmie Johnson — drivers who vaulted to superstardom after winning the 500 — there is a Cope or a Ward Burton, blue-collar guys who were thrust briefly into the spotlight thanks to some hard work and a little racing luck.

Burton came from nowhere to win the 2002 race for Bill Davis Racing when Sterling Marlin hopped out to fix a busted fender while the race was halted by a red flag. The illegal move sent Marlin to be the back of the pack and opened the door for the defining moment of Burton’s moderately successful career.

Seven years later he’s out of Sprint Cup, opting instead to spend most of his time in his native Virginia monitoring the blossoming career of son Jeb and working for the Ward Burton Wildlife Foundation.

It wasn’t quite the future he envisioned after winning the biggest race of his life. But Burton faded to 25th in the points in 2002 as Bill Davis’ small operation failed to keep up with the warp-speed technological advances that were changing the sport on a weekly basis.

Winning the 500 opened the doors for Burton to move on to bigger teams with deeper pockets, but he opted to stay with the Bill Davis. Looking back, he admits it may have not been the smartest business move.

“I don’t know if I regret it,” he said. “But I was never in a situation to be in a multicar team with the resources to be one of the top dogs every week.”

The Daytona 500 passes halfway point

From The Associated Press

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - The Daytona 500, which started under threatening skies, has passed the 100-lap mark and will be official even if rains force officials to shorten the race.

Intermittent showers were expected around Daytona International Speedway during the season opener, and a rainstorm would force at least a two-hour delay because that’s how long it takes completely dry the 2½-mile superspeedway.

NASCAR officials, though, were hopeful the race would be completed Sunday.

“Hopefully Mother Nature will cooperate with us and be as supportive as everybody else is,” NASCAR president Mike Helton said.

Local forecasts called for a 70 percent chance of rain and scattered showers all afternoon and throughout the evening.

Rookie Joey Logano, the youngest driver to ever start the Daytona 500, was one of the first ones out of the race.

Logano wrecked his No. 20 Toyota on lap 80. Fellow rookie Scott Speed nudged Logano from the side coming off turn four, then Greg Biffle tapped Logano from behind, sending him sliding into the inside wall.

It ended a wild week for the 18-year-old rookie. He wrecked early in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout, hit the wall during practice Wednesday, then came back to finish fourth in a 150-mile qualifying race the next day. But he had to step aside during practice Friday as teammate Kyle Busch got in and helped fine-tune his car.

On Saturday, Logano acknowledged, “It’s just not that easy.”

Also on NBCSports.com NBA: International dreams now reality | Images Curran's blog: Take Cassel over top QBs in draft? Baseball: No high marks for these teams NHL: Flyers need Biron to be at his best Dog show: Images from Westminster

Daytona 500: Who's In and who's Out

Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch capture Gatorade Duel Victories.

Story by Steve McGehee

In the first Gatorade Duel race, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart played cat and mouse with the lead down the stretch run. Gordon, a 3-time Daytona 500 Champion fights off Stewart to win his 5th Duel Race in his career. Tony Stewart finished second, which gives him a row number three start in the 500.

Martin Truex Jr. lost control of his race car on lap 49, but he was able to stay out of trouble and remain on the pole.

Kyle Busch passed Mark Martin on Lap 56 and held on to caputure win the second Gatorade Duel Race. Martin ended up finishing second, giving him the outside spot on row number two in the Daytona 500.

Sunday's Daytona 500 Lineup

1. Martin Truex Jr.

2. Mark Martin

3. Jeff Gordon

4. Kyle Busch

5. Tony Stewart

6. Brian Vickers

7. Jimmie Johnson

8. Juan Montoya

9. Joey Logano

10. Denny Hamlin

11. Aric Almirola

12. Bobby Labonte

13. Kurt Busch

14. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

15. Kasey Kahne

16. Carl Edwards

17. Scott Riggs

18. Jeremy Mayfield

19. Paul Menard

20. A.J. Allmendinger

21. Jamie McMurray

22. Clint Bowyer

23. Marcos Ambrose

24. David Stremme

25. Casey Mears

26. Jeff Burton

27. Michael Waltrip

28. David Reutimann

29. Sam Hornish Jr.

30. Elliott Sadler

31. Robby Gordon

32. Kevin Harvick

33. David Ragan

34. Reed Sorenson

35. Greg Biffle

36. Ryan Newman

37. John Andretti

38. Scott Speed

39. Matt Kenseth

40. Bill Elliot

41. Travis Kvapil

42. Regan Smith

43. Terry Labonte

=== Did Not Qualify

44. Joe Nemechek

45. Boris Said

46. Brad Keslowski

47. Kirk Shelmerdine

48. Mike Wallace

49. Tony Raines

50. Mike Garvey

51. Derrike Cope

52. Mike Skinner

53. Kelly Bires

54. Carl Long

55. Geoff Bodine

56. Norm Benning

Copyright 2009 West Virginia Media. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Joanna Pacitti replaced by Felicia Barton

It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition,' 'Idol' site announces.

By Gil Kaufman

The process of weeding "American Idol" contestants down to the top 36 is already fraught with tons of drama, which was heightened this season by the decision to have some of the contestants vying for a coveted spot on the show compete in sing-offs to determine their fate in the semifinals.

But as pressure-packed as Wednesday night's pare-down was, the real fireworks came shortly after the show aired, when Fox announced that former "Annie" Broadway star and one-time professional major label singer Joanna Pacitti, who appeared to make the cut in the pre-taped show, had been disqualified from the competition.

"It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition," read a note on the official "Idol" site, which did not explain why Pacitti was disqualified. "Felicia Barton has replaced Ms. Pacitti as part of the top 36."

Unlike past seasons, producers were up-front from the beginning this year about Pacitti's professional past, and when the judges put her through to the top 36 on Wednesday night's show, they frequently alluded to her up-and-down career tribulations, causing the singer to weep openly. When the judges finally ended the tension and told Pacitti she was through, the singer burst into tears and promised that after forgetting her lyrics several times in the Hollywood rounds, she would make them proud.

According to the Los Angeles Times, an unnamed source close to the show said Pacitti was bounced to "avoid the appearance of impropriety." It has been reported that Pacitti had some close personal relationships to some of the executives at 19 Management, one of he companies that helps produce the show and manages some of the winners.

Though last year's finalists included a number of singers with music-industry ties, several of whom had released albums, Pacitti, 24, drew fire early on this year, thanks to her former deal with Geffen/A&M, which released her debut album, This Crazy Life, in 2006. Several of her songs have appeared on soundtracks, including "Legally Blonde," "First Daughter" and "Bratz," which included her song, "Out From Under," a tune that Britney Spears covered on her Circus album.

At press time, spokespeople for "Idol" were not available to provide further details of Pacitti's disqualification, or to answer questions about whether her ineligibility was determined before Wednesday's show aired.

There were, of course, other emotional high points and some head-scratching decisions on the show, including the semifinal berth for comedian/multiple , who seemed genuinely humbled to be on the show and promised to continue mixing his comedy with singing, as well as the passing through of emotionally unpredictable Tatiana Del Toro.

With Pacitti gone, the top 36 semifinalists looks as follows:

Female: Alexis Grace, Allison Iraheta, Ann Marie Boskovich, Arianna Afsar, Casey Carlson, Felicia Barton, Jackie Tohn, Jasmine Murray, Jeanine Vailes, Jessie Langseth, Kendall Beard, Kristen McNamara, Lil Rounds, Megan Corkrey, Mishavonna Henson, Stevie Wright, Tatiana Nicole Del Toro and Taylor Vaifanua.

Male: Adam Lambert, Alexander Wagner-Trugman, Anoop Desai, Brent Keith, Danny Gokey, Jorge Nunez, Ju'Not Joyner, Kai Kalama, Kris Allen, Matt Breitzke, Matt Giraud, Michael Sarver, Nathaniel Marshall, Nick Mitchell, Ricky Braddy, Scott Macintyre, Stephen Fowler and Von Smith.

Get your "Idol" fix on MTV News' "American Idol" page, where you'll find all the latest news, interviews and opinions.

I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus Star Dies

From The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Molly Bee, the country singer who shot to fame at age 13 with the 1952 novelty hit "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," has died of complications following a stroke. She was 69.

Bee died Saturday at a hospital in Oceanside, her manager, Rick Saphire, told The Associated Press. She had been in failing health for several months, Saphire said Wednesday.

Bee was just 10 when she started her music career, singing the Hank Williams classic "Lovesick Blues" on country star Rex Allen's radio show. He had met her and her mother at one of his concerts and was impressed when she sang a song for him.

Three years later, the blond girl with the sweet-honey voice was a star herself, with a hit song and a regular role on "Hometown Jamboree," a popular Los Angeles country-western TV show.

She made her movie debut in 1954 in "Corral Cuties," opposite country star Tennessee Ernie Ford, with whom she had recorded the duet "Don't Go Courtin' in a Hot Rod Ford" the year before.

She also appeared in the films "Going Steady," "Chartroose Caboose" and "The Young Swingers," and recorded such songs as "Young Romance," "5 Points of a Star" and "Don't Look Back."

She also had a regular role on Ford's TV variety show and played Pinky Lee's sidekick on "The Pinky Lee Show," one of the most popular children's programs of the 1950s.

"She just had this kind of down-home quality about her. There was nothing phony about her, it was all real, and everyone loved her," actress Beverly Washburn told the AP. The two had appeared as sisters in the 1958 teen musical comedy "Summer Love."

Bee's career began to fade by the late 1960s, however, and in later years she was candid in saying a period of drug abuse was one of the reasons.

"It was no secret that she had been through some tough times in the '60s and '70s with drugs," Saphire said. "She equated it to being part and parcel of the kinds of things happening in the music business at the time."

Her personal life also was at times tumultuous. She was married five times.

She made a comeback in the 1970s, playing small country bars that were very different from the large concert audiences she had once attracted. Slowly she rebuilt her audience, releasing the albums "Good Golly Ms. Molly" in 1975 and "Sounds Fine to Me" in 1982. More recently she appeared from time to time at autograph shows.

Molly Gene Beachboard was born on Aug. 18, 1939, in Oklahoma City and raised in Tennessee and Arizona before moving to Los Angeles with her family at age 11.

She is survived by daughters Lia Genn and Bobbi Carey; a son, Michael Allen; a brother, Robert Beachboard; and four grandchildren.

Motocross daredevil Jeremy Lusk dies after San Jose crash

The following is from the Daily Contributor

Freestyle motocross rider Jeremy Lusk died late Monday night as a result of head injuries incurred in an extreme sport contest in Costa Rica. He was 24.

The 2008 X Games gold medalist suffered trauma to the skull after a stunt in the X-Nights watched by some 24,000 spectators in San Jose.

Lusk passed away while surrounded by his parents and his wife,Lauren, at his side.

According to the North Country Times, Lusk was diagnosed with a subdural hematoma and survived a 4 1/2-hour surgery to help remedy the problem and ease the swelling in his brain. He was then put into a medically induced coma but never regained consciousness, the Times reported.

Did Chris Brown Give Rihanna Herpes?

Did Chris Brown give Rihanna herpes? Is this the reason for the high-profile couples breakup and recent incident of violence leading to his arrest? The answer appears to be no, and no. The rumors sweeping the internet are lacking credibility, but that hasn’t stopped some gossip sites from reporting on them.

Chris did not punch Rihanna in her face because she gave him herpes. This rumor is floating around the net and it’s A LIE. Chris saw the cold sore just like the rest of us weeks ago – and it didn’t stop him from messing with her. This story is nothing to joke about. Domestic violence is a serious subject, and Chris Brown is facing serious charges – we shouldn’t make up fake ish about this situation

Above story posted on Right Celebrity website

Arod Blasts Sports Illustrated's Selena Roberts

The following post is from the Staten Island Advance:

ESPN aired its lengthy interview with Alex Rodriguez on Monday evening and one of the topics that really got Rodriguez going was the tactics of Sports Illustrated reporter Selena Roberts. Rodriguez took off on Roberts, who co-wrote the Rodriguez piece with David Epstien, claiming that she resorted to questionable tactics when researching the story.

"What makes me upset is that Sports Illustrated pays this lady, Selena Roberts, to stalk me," he told ESPN's Peter Gammons.

Rodriguez went on to say that Roberts was tossed from his New York City apartment building, that she had to be escorted off of the University Miami campus by police when she sought out Rodriguez at the campus gym on Thursday and that she tried to break into his Miami home where his "children were sleeping".

"There are some really respectable journalists that are following this lady off a cliff," he said.

Roberts, as most would expect, immediately issued a statement through Sports Illustrated saying, "The allegations made by Alex Rodriguez are absurd" and affirmed that she'd never been to his apartment or his Miami home and that she'd never had any run-ins with police at the University of Miami campus.