Author: Amanda Crum

Kentucky girl Laura Bell Bundy is set to join the cast of “Anger Management” alongside Charlie Sheen, as a replacement for Selma Blair.

Blair reportedly left the show amid some drama with Sheen, who is also executive producer; the actress reportedly complained about Sheen’s unprofessionalism on set, and when he found out about it he fired her and told producers he refused to shoot any more scenes with her.

“We are confirming that Selma Blair will not be returning to Anger Management and we wish her the very best,” a rep for Lionsgate Television said back in June.

Her character, Kate–a therapist who had a rocky relationship with Sheen’s character–will be written out and Bundy’s character will move in. The former Broadway star will play Dr. Jordan Denby, Charlie’s new sex study research partner. Denby is not only a clever psychologist, she’s also a hard-partying recent divorcee who is sure to keep Sheen’s character on his toes.

Bundy is perhaps best known for her turn as Elle Woods in the Broadway production of “Legally Blonde”, but she has had several onscreen roles on shows like “Hart Of Dixie” and “How I Met Your Mother”.

Kim Kardashian already has a lot on her plate; besides the reality show, the various and sundry retail items that bear her name, the new baby, and keeping up with Kanye, she’s a busy lady. But a fashion designer friend of hers says she’s about to add one more thing to her resume: a clothing line for kids.

“It is very cute to design for babies. [It would be] soft colors, pastels, something very dreamy and still trendy,” designer Lloyd Klein said. Klein also said he believes baby North West will probably be a model for the line.

Kardashian has been rumored for a while now to be leaving the reality show behind along with her mom, Kris Jenner, although the family signed on to continue the show until 2015.

“Both Kim and Kris want to make sure they end on a high note, leaving fans wanting more, rather than try and stretch the show on for another few seasons and watch it die a death,” a source said.

Jenner has a new talk show to keep her busy, and Kim reportedly just wants to move on. She’s currently working on fixing up the new mansion she and Kanye bought together, which reportedly cost around $11 million and has gold-plated toilets.

A mysterious image will appear when you search Google Maps for Kazakhstan and move into a far corner of the map: a 5-pointed star within a circle, which looks suspiciously like a pentagram.

Since it was discovered by a Google user, there have been several guesses online as to what it means and why it was put there, and most of them have something to do with devil worship. Because the area is isolated–the closest city is Lisakovsk, which is about 12 miles away–and is also the site of some ancient ruins from the Bronze Age, many believe it to be the perfect spot for a symbol associated with ancient, devilish rites.

But an archaeologist says she thinks she knows what created the shape, and it has nothing to do with the Lord of Darkness.

“It is the outline of a park made in the form of a star,” said Emma Usmanova. According to Usmanova, the star–which was a popular symbol during the Soviet era–is made up of roadways which are lined with trees, which make the shape show up all the better in aerial photos.

But some think the area is an abandoned military site, and has nothing to do with either a park or an area of worship.

“It’s probably an abandoned surface to air missile site,” said Kurt Yates, a Live Science poster. “I was a military pilot and these things are all over the place in areas that use(d) Russian (Soviet) air defense systems. The shape has something to do with how their tracking radars work. Considering the size of it and the proximity to the Baikonur Cosmodrome, I’d say it possibly was used for tracking Soyuz rockets or some such.”

This isn’t the first time an odd shape in the landscape has emerged in aerial photographs; recently, it was brought to light that a landscaper in Germany found photos showing groups of trees planted in the shape of swastikas.

A California man has been arrested after four of his pit bulls attacked a 63-year old jogger earlier this month and killed her.

29-year old Alex Jackson was taken into custody and charged with felony manslaughter after his dogs attacked Pamela Devitt and mauled her to death. He has also been charged with animal negligence and faces several charges related to growing marijuana.

Officials say Devitt suffered 150-200 puncture wounds on her body; after obtaining a warrant following her death, authorities found eight dogs At Jackson’s home, six of which were pit bulls. DNA testing revealed that four of the dogs were involved in Devitt’s death.

“I do not blame the dogs. I don’t blame pit bulls,” the victim’s husband, Ben Devitt, said. “I blame people who don’t take responsibility for their animals.”

Jackson could face life in prison if he’s convicted.

Sadly, this isn’t the first incident involving dog mauling this year; earlier this month, a South Carolina double-amputee was killed after he was dragged from his wheelchair by four dogs.

Sarah Palin recently denied comment when she was approached by a reporter wearing Google Glass, and he suspects that all the controversy surrounding the state-of-the-art eyewear is behind it.

Nilay Patel wore the glasses to cover the Indy 500 and ran into Palin and her husband at the Woodford Reserve Hotel the night before. When he approached the couple, he says Palin refused to take a picture with him or even talk to him. Since the technology was all the rage at the gathering–with several curious people approaching Patel to ask about them and take photos with him–he asked Palin if she wanted to try them out.

“What’s in it for us?” her husband Todd said. “We don’t know what company you’re with.”

Patel assured them he wasn’t looking for an edorsement, but Todd Palin asked him to leave anyway.

It’s no secret that many are concerned about privacy when it comes to Google Glass; in fact, a petition has been started to ban the technology from being used until clear boundaries are put in place surrounding them.

“Google Glass is a new twist on technology which hasn’t had clearly stated limits on the locations in US communities where it can and cannot be used. In order to protect our communities we need limitations to prevent indecent public surveillance of our friends, children, and families,” the petition states. “It is hard to prevent it because the hardware gives no notification that it is recording an individual at any given time.”

Even Patel brings up an interesting point; when he was covering the race, he ducked into a men’s bathroom, forgetting he still had the glasses on. When he got some dirty looks, he quickly remembered and took them off.

For now, there seem to be many kinks to be worked out when it comes to Glass and when and where the technology should be used, and that includes around celebrities and political figures.

Image: The Verge

Camel brand cigarettes are coming under fire from several health groups for placing ads in magazines marketed for teens.

The cigarettes, called Camel Crush, feature a small capsule inside the filter which, when pushed, releases a menthol flavor. The novelty appeal of the new sticks mixed with advertising placed in media targeted towards young people are a bad combo, according to the American Heart Association and the American Lung Association, among others.

In 2010–the most recent year data was available–Camel increased its market share to people aged 12-17 by 20%, and the Crush variety is being blamed. In fact, menthol cigarettes have been under fire for quite a while for their popularity among young people, and a ban on them has already been proposed by the FDA.

Camel has seen its share of controversy over the years for aiming at a youthful audience; in 2007, when Camel No. 9 cigarettes were introduced, the company gave away lip gloss and purses and, not surprisingly, they were enormously popular with teen girls. The company’s mascot, Joe Camel, was discontinued after several groups argued that a cartoon camel only marketed the cigarettes to kids and teens even more.

The most recent uproar over Camel Crush suggests that the company may be in violation of the Tobacco Master Settlement Agreement, which says that no tobacco company may market their products to children. Camel is accused of placing ads in at least 24 different magazines that appeal to a young audience.

Image: CigReviews.com

Holocaust victims around the globe will be receiving funds from Germany after an agreement was reached between Germany’s Ministry of Finance and the Conference on Jewish Material Claims.

While the money won’t erase the horror of what was done to the Jewish people during the Holocaust, it will certainly help those who survived usher in their later years a little more comfortably. Over the next four years, an estimated $1 billion will be spent giving the victims home nursing and social services, medication, clothing, and food.

“We are seeing Germany’s continued commitment to fulfill its historic obligation to Nazi victims,” Stuart Eizenstat, a former United States ambassador and Claims Conference negotiator said. “This ensures that Holocaust survivors, now in their final years, can be confident that we are endeavoring to help them live in dignity, after their early life was filled with indescribable tragedy and trauma. This is all the more impressive since it comes at a time of budget austerity in Germany.”

The ministry said it would also pay a monthly stipend to Jews who survived concentration camps or who lived in hiding under the Nazi regime. As of now, over one third of those receiving restitution are living in Israel.

Over 6 million Jews were murdered under Hitler’s orders.

Image: Wikipedia

Corey Feldman, who was one half of one of the most awesome ’80s duos ever, says he’s elated to have the leather jacket back that he wore in “Dream A Little Dream”.

The jacket was stolen from the House Of Blues in 2011 and, according to Feldman, was worth $100,000. When a Boston-area man found the jacket at a flea market, he returned it and was rewarded with a trip to L.A., where he was honored onstage at one of Feldman’s rock shows. In addition, the actor donated proceeds from his show to the charity of the man’s choice, which happened to be OneFundBoston.org, an organization that benefits survivors of the Boston bombings.

Feldman starred with his best friend, Corey Haim, in the 1989 film; the two would remain friends over the years and even appear on a reality show together before Haim’s death in 2010.

Kim Kardashian had a bit of a Marilyn Monroe, “7 Year Itch” moment recently when a gust of wind caught the skirt of her babydoll dress and sent it pluming up around her.

Kardashian was on her way to a restaurant in Beverly Hills when it happened and was, of course, surrounded by paparazzi, who snapped pics of the almost-flash. She managed to keep the skirt down before her bare baby belly was shown, though.

Kardashian recently returned from a family vacation in Greece, where they shot scenes for their reality show. No doubt the photographers will be following her around more than usual until she gives birth, which should be sometime in July. For now, there are rumors going around that she’s getting procedures done on her face–such as Botox–due to pictures floating around that show her looking a bit puffy. However, it’s more than likely simply pregnancy that’s giving her a healthy glow and a fuller face.

Image: JAXN RAAK/AKM-GSI

You might think that a show about mythical creatures would just be good for a laugh, or maybe for indulging in a fantasy about how awesome it would be if there were weirdly beautiful almost-people living in the ocean. And you’d be right. But you would also be correct in assuming that some people believe everything they see on television, and therefore a show about mermaids has become Animal Planet’s most popular event to date.

“Mermaids: The New Evidence” brought in 3.6 million viewers last Sunday night, which broke all kinds of ratings records for the network. The show, which was a sequel of sorts to “Mermaids: The Body Found”, showed “video footage” of mermaids in the Greenland Sea and suggested that there was a government cover-up of the creatures. While it was done in a documentary style, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association released a statement to clear up the confusion:

“Mermaids – those half-human, half-fish sirens of the sea – are legendary sea creatures chronicled in maritime cultures since time immemorial. But are mermaids real? No evidence of aquatic humanoids has ever been found.”

Apparently, people really love fake versions of “reality”…which is fairly evident, considering the success of “found footage” type films and the barrage of “reality” shows on television.

“The phenomenon of Mermaids has truly been a watershed – and a watercooler – moment for Animal Planet,” said Animal Planet president Marjorie Kaplan. “These extraordinary television specials have electrified, challenged and entertained television audiences and online fans alike.”

Johnny Depp is reportedly dropping out of “Black Mass”, a film about gangster Whitey Bulger, after the movie’s producers failed to get the financing they needed and asked him to cut his salary in half.

Depp is used to pulling in about $20 million per picture and told producers he couldn’t do it for less than that after they didn’t get as much as they needed for the budget at Cannes this year. The film will be directed by Barry Levinson if it moves on without Depp.

The star is about to see his pet project, “The Lone Ranger”, released this summer and is currently shooting a sci-fi film called “Transcendence”.

Depp took inspiration from his Lone Ranger character, Tonto, from a painting of a warrior and based his costume and makeup on the image.

“I looked at the face of this warrior and thought: That’s it,” Depp said. “The stripes down the face and across the eyes . . . it seemed to me like you could almost see the separate sections of the individual, if you know what I mean.”

His portrayal of the iconic character might not go over well with some, but Depp says he put a lot of thought into what he could bring to the film. “The Lone Ranger” opens in July.

Rona Newton-John, sister to “Grease” star Olivia, has lost her battle with brain cancer. She was 70 years old.

Olivia was at her sister’s side when she passed, after announcing just last month that Rona had an aggressive form of cancer. The actress posted about her loss on Facebook, saying that sadly, Rona died on their mother’s birthday.

“My beautiful sister Rona sadly passed on May 24th in Los Angeles,” she wrote. “It was May 25th in Australia – which was our mother Irene’s birthday. Rona died of a very aggressive brain tumor and mercifully suffered no pain. She was surrounded by the love of her four children – Fiona, Brett,Tottie and Emerson and, her wonderful friends. I will miss her forever – my beautiful, smart, talented, funny, brave sister Rona.

In lieu of flowers the family would appreciate
donations to the ONJCWC where a brain tumor wellness program will be started in her name. Thank you all for your kind words of love and support.”

Olivia Newton-John suffered from breast cancer herself, but has been in good health in recent years. She recently postponed her Vegas residency to care for Rona.

“In light of this news, I have decided to postpone my forthcoming Las Vegas residency to spend time with her and our family,” Newton-John wrote in a statement. “As a cancer ‘thriver’ myself, as many people are, I am very aware of the importance of love, support and family during this journey she is about to begin.”

Image: Facebook

Ringo Starr is about to make some Beatles fans very happy; the iconic drummer is set to publish an e-book, “Photograph”, which brings together tons of never-before-seen photos of his childhood and bandmates.

The images give an exclusive look into the world of The Beatles and of Starr’s younger days; they also include shots of the band while they were traveling on tour and give us a view of more intimate moments behind the scenes. Fans will be happy to note that images from their trip to India are included, as well as some from their last days as a band in the ’70s. Starr says some of the photos were found after his mother died, hidden away in boxes at her home.

“These are shots that no one else could have,” Starr said.

The e-book is being released in conjunction with an exhibit at the Grammy Museum titled “Ringo: Peace And Love”, but there will also be a limited-edition print run out in December of 2500.

A truck hauling crushed cars through Truxton, New York lost its trailer on Wednesday night after it became disconnected, causing a devastating crash that killed seven people inside a minivan.

The van was carrying people from two families, including four children under the age of ten. Authorities say they don’t know what caused the trailer to disconnect from the truck; the weight of the transport sent it careening into the van, tearing it apart.

Cortland County Coroner Whitney Meeker said there was one survivor in the deadly crash who was taken to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse, but the identities of those involved haven’t been released. The two people inside the truck were unharmed.

The fire commissioner, Douglas Randall, said he was directing traffic around the site of the crash when he saw family members arrive at the horrific scene.

“They were all meeting down the road at a family member’s house,” he said. “They were all hysterical.”

There were reportedly storms–including some with hail–in the area yesterday, but officials haven’t commented on whether that was a factor in the accident.

A Virginia woman was shot and killed on Wednesday after she stopped handing out samples and began waving a knife around in a threatening manner.

The woman, identified as 38-year old Mhai Scott, reportedly began acting strangely and was saying odd things as she neared the end of her shift. Her supervisor became frightened and called police. When they got there, they found Scott erratically waving a knife and a pair of scissors around in a threatening way, so they tried to subdue her with a stun gun. When that didn’t work–and she came at a deputy with the weapons–they opened fire.

“Everyone was running out of the building not knowing what was going on,” customer Robert Krause said. ”I was a little scared so I got out of there pretty quick.”

One of the officers was wounded after a bullet ricocheted and hit him in the leg, but he is expected to recover. Police say they have no clues as to why the woman suddenly became agitated.

“It’s a tragic situation,” Sheriff Michael Chapman said. “I feel for everybody involved.”

Scott reportedly worked for Club Demonstration Services and was in charge of food prep and sampling at the store.

Ever eat a cheeseburger and think, “The only thing this big chunk of meat is missing is bacon with a soft pretzel on top”?

Wendy’s has the answer to your quandary, my friend, and it could be coming to a restaurant near you. The fast-food chain says they tested a Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger in a few stores around the country and it did very well. So well, in fact, that it was the best-selling “limited time” deal they’ve had in decades.

While the company doesn’t comment on test-products, analysts predict it will be the next item they roll out nationally.

“Our industry sources inform us that the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger, to be launched nationally at some point during 2013, was one of Wendy’s most successful test products from the last 20 years,” analyst Mark Kalinowski wrote. “As such, we believe the national launch will lead to some meaningful acceleration in Wendy’s same-store sales.”

Wendy’s did confirm that the burger will be a part of their 2013 promotional rollout, so look for it soon. As for how sales will go, some aren’t so sure a special bun will make a huge difference when it comes to competing against giants like McDonald’s and Burger King.

“It’s hard to imagine that a new bun is going to make a huge impact given what Wendy’s, McDonald’s and Burger King all spend on advertising,” said Darren Tristano, executive VP of Technomic Inc . “This fits with Wendy’s positioning, but it would take a huge amount of pretzel burgers to affect their stock price significantly.”

Image: Wendy’s

Fashion icons Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana face two years of jail time to the tune of $1.3 billion in taxes that weren’t declared.

The luxury fashion house sold their brand to Gado SRL, a holding company established by the designers; authorities believe Dolce and Gabbana did that to avoid paying taxes in Italy.

“They are the ones who profited most from the operation,” prosecutor Gateano Ruta said. “Gado was an artificial construction made for the tax advantage that was obtained.”

The designers maintain their innocence, however, and may appeal the charges to avoid an upcoming trial.

“To be accused of something untrue is not a beautiful thing. But in the end who cares, we will all finish up six feet under,” Gabbana said in a personal Twitter statement. “I am interested in making clothes and that’s all. They can do and say what they want.”

Whoa! Thats a tall order RT @huffingtonpost: Dolce & Gabbana designers face jail time po.st/rYNk1c

— Erik Thompson Sr.(@theConfidant) May 29, 2013

“Two And A Half Men” will be losing its half-man soon when Angus T. Jones takes his leave of the show, and producers are looking to fill his spot with a female character.

Jones has been planning to leave the show for a while now; last year, he made headlines after a video of him ranting about the show’s writing went viral.

“If you watch Two and a Half Men, please stop watching Two and a Half Men,” the actor said in the video. “I’m on Two and a Half Men, and I don’t want to be on it. Please stop watching it, and filling your head with filth…people say it’s just entertainment. Do some research on the effects of television and your brain, and I promise you you’ll have a decision to make when it comes to television, especially with what you watch. Jake from Two and a Half Men means nothing.”

Apparently, with Jones leaving and Charlie Sheen already gone, producers want to bring on a fresh-faced young thang to play Charlie’s long-lost daughter. Sorry guys, I think “Two Men And A Little Lady” is already taken.

prediction comes true by @opieradio, after Angus T Jones (the half) left replaced by a girl. Two Men & A Lil Lady. ewign.com/articles/2013/…

— MovieMiguel (@MovieMiguel) May 29, 2013

Two & a Half Men adds a lil’ lady, Charlie Harper’s long lost daughter: ign.com/articles/2013/…

— Jennings Roth Cornet (@RothCornet) May 29, 2013

26-year old Julia Law was found nude and facedown in a bathtub full of water, but police say how she died is still a mystery.

A maintenance worker discovered Law’s body in the home of Philadelphia attorney Charles Peruto, Jr., who was her boyfriend as well as her boss.

“The first thing I did was call 9-1-1 and police showed up. I then went to homicide to give my accounts of what happened,” said the man who found her.

Authorities are still trying to piece together what happened, as Law’s body showed no visible signs of trauma and there was no sign of a struggle. Interestingly, Peruto handled some high-profile cases in Philly that involved alleged mobsters Joey Merlino and Nicodemo Scarfo. Police haven’t said they believe anyone else is involved in Law’s death, however.

Though the couple had reportedly only been dating for about six weeks, Peruto posted that he’d found his “soulmate” in Law on his Facebook page.

“It’s very hard to find someone who really matches you on all eight cylinders,” he wrote. “I found my soulmate hippy, and can never replace her. We worked and played, and never got enough life. I’m grateful we made every minute count, without a single dispute about anything ever. I’m especially sad for her 10-year-old brother, who was her life, along with her loving and close sisters, mother and step-father. Earth lost the best one ever. Happy birthday baby.”

Officials are waiting for a toxicology screen to come back before they can determine the official cause of death.

Courteney Cox and David Arquette are finally legally divorced.

The couple filed last June but had been separated since 2010, citing “irreconcilable differences”. Their marriage was officially over as of yesterday, which would have been their 14th wedding anniversary.

“I don’t recommend divorce in general,” she said, “but he is my best friend and we’ve both grown and changed, and I think we both appreciate each other more.”

The parents of 9-year old Coco say they will remain friends and plan on raising her together.

“Courteney Cox and David Arquette finalize their divorce” – This will never be okay. There goes my adolescent years…

— Lorena (@foreignlolly) May 29, 2013

Ever since I found out Courtney Cox got a divorce I’ve wanted to write her a love letter.

— David Liebe Hart (@david_liebehart) June 27, 2012

Courteney Cox and David Arquette’s marriage is officially over. Just shy of their 14th wedding anniversary, the couple’s divorce was fina..

— Ibomeno (@ibomeno) May 29, 2013