Author: Amanda Crum

In what was either the best hack ever by a zombie enthusiast or the best covert television show plug ever by AMC, a warning concerning the dead rising from their graves appeared along the top of some Montana television screens yesterday. Because it came through the station’s emergency alert system, it probably gave quite a few people a scare before the station yanked it and issued an apology:

“Someone apparently hacked into the Emergency Alert System and announced on KRTV and the CW that “dead bodies are rising from their graves” in several Montana counties. This message did not originate from KRTV, and there is no emergency.
Our engineers are investigating to determine what happened and if it affected other media outlets,” the statement read.

This sort of thing has been done to digital roadside signs used by construction and road crews over the years, but never has it been done on television. Curiously (or not curiously at all), it coincided with the start date of “The Walking Dead”, which has been on hiatus since October. The show debuted it’s mid-season premiere to the biggest viewing audience it has ever had (12.3. million).

If you’re a fan of Lean Cuisine meals, pay attention: there’s been a recall on the brand’s mushroom ravioli due to customer reports of glass in the food. No injuries have been reported.

The Mushroom Mezzaluna Ravioli meal has been subjected to an immediate recall by Lean Cuisine makers Nestle and affects over 500,000 packages. Lean Cuisine asks customers who have already bought the food to contact customer service at (866) 586-9424 or [email protected] to receive a replacement coupon.

“This is an unusual complaint for us because we don’t have glass in our factories. We have a no-glass policy,” Nestle spokesperson Roz O’Hearn said. “We are very committed to food safety.”

The meals have production codes of 2311587812 and 2312587812. These codes can be found on the gray “proof of purchase” panel on the side of the box.

The company made a statement in the recall, saying, Nestle is dedicated to food quality, and the health and safety of its consumers. For these reasons, the company initiated this recall. We apologize to our retail customers and consumers and sincerely regret any inconvenience created by this voluntary product recall.

Taylor Swift’s love life has been the topic of conversation longer than most of us would like to admit. But because she makes her relationships the center of her songwriting, it’s hard to ignore the digs she takes at her exes as those who know her music try and figure out which guy she’s talking about.

And though there have been several guys in the past couple of years–relationships which have been highly publicized by the media–Swift says she’s not the pursuer, ever.

“I’m sure if I looked up the latest Google Alerts rumor it would say I’m chasing somebody who doesn’t like me as much as I like him — people love that angle on me,” Swift said in an interview with Elle Magazine. “They’re like ‘Oh Taylor, coming on too strong again, chasing boys.’ I never chase boys. They don’t like it!”

Of course, many songwriters take things from their real life–especially the painful things–and turn them into hit songs. The difference here is that Swift is young, she’s female, and she’s prone to dating other celebrities. Those three things often turn into media gold, and though she seems to understand that, she also says she’s just doing what she’s always done.

“To me it’s just writing songs the way I always have,” Swift says. “It’s me sitting on my bed feeling pain I didn’t understand, writing a song, and understanding it better. If people want to dissect the lyrics, that’s their right, but it’s all coming from the exact same place as where I started. It’s just something I do to feel better.”

Megan Fox’s son Noah, who was born in September but wasn’t announced until October, has been given the honor of having the best celebrity baby name of 2012.

According to a poll of over 2,000 women, Noah ranked first on the list for favorite names. Somewhat surprisingly on the list of least favorites are Reese Witherspoon’s son, Tennessee, and Beyonce and Jay-Z’s daughter, Blue Ivy. I thought that couple could do no wrong.

Favorite Baby Names:
1. Noah (Megan Fox)
2. Luca (Hilary Duff)
3. Hollie (Amanda Holden)
4. Faith (Michelle Heaton)
5. Marnie Mae (Tamzin Outhwaite)
6. Pearl (Jack Osbourne)
7. Theodora (Robbie Williams)
8. Penelope (Kourtney Kardashian)
9. Aoife (Una Healy)
10. Marlowe (Sienna Miller)

Least Favorite Baby Names:
1. Fox India (Mark Owen)
2. Eugene (Billie Piper)
3. Dolly (Chantelle Houghton)
4. Astala (Peaches Geldof)
5. Lorenzo (Snooki)
6. Maxwell (Jessica Simpson)
7. Blue Ivy (Beyonce and Jay Z)
8. Camden (Nick Lachey)
9. Tennesse (Reese Witherspoon)
10. Leighton (Stacey Solomon)

But there are tons of odd celebrity baby names that didn’t make the list, like Jason Lee’s kid, Pilot Inspektor, or Nicholas Cage’s son Kal-El (after Superman, of course). Perhaps the idea that no one else will have a name like that is what appeals most to these parents, but I feel for those kids when they get to middle school.

Don Johnson may have won over a large fanbase in the ’80s with “Miami Vice”, but he went on to star in another hit show, and has been involved in an unfortunate battle with the producers since 2010 for what he claimed was rightfully his.

Johnson starred with Cheech Marin on “Nash Bridges”, which ran from 1996-2001 and was enormously successful for the USA network. According to Johnson’s contract with the show, he was to receive 50% of the profits if there were more than 66 episodes filmed. But after 122 episodes, he still hadn’t been paid. Johnson sued Rysher Entertainment in 2010 for not living up to their end of the bargain, and the case has been drawn out ever since.

Although Rysher was originally ordered to pay Johnson $23 million plus interest back in 2010, there has been some dispute over exactly how much the actor was owed, which stalled things in court. But the parties have come to an agreement, and Johnson has accepted $19 million in order to settle the case.

A 10-year old child was killed on Monday night in Oakdale, Minnesota when a gunman began spraying bullets into passing cars at random. The mother of the child was injured but is expected to survive; a woman in another car was also wounded.

The gunman was taken into custody and police say they are investigating a motive, but for now it appears the shootings were completely random. The incidents occurred near a Rainbow Foods store in a suburb. It’s been reported that the man taken into custody–a 33-year old whose name has not been released–lives in the neighborhood.

Residents are stunned and saddened today as news of the child’s death spreads; in the last several weeks, following the horrendous shootings at Sandy Hook Elementary, the media has been inundated with stories of tragic shootings that are getting national attention because of the ever-present conversation on gun control. President Obama has promised to make changes to gun control laws, but is coming against opposition from many sides. The president is expected to focus primarily on the economy in his State Of The Union address tonight, but many believe he will at least touch on the issue of gun control, especially since several victims of gun violence will be attending the speech–including former Rep. Gabrielle Giffords.

“When the president talks about guns, he’s going to have enormous support in the gallery and in the country. Ultimately we think he’ll have it in the Congress too,” said Mark Glaze, director of Mayors Against Illegal Guns.

Toni Braxton says she doesn’t feel that old spark anymore when it comes to music, and she wants to retire from the biz to focus on her acting career. After a career spanning over twenty years, the songstress says she’s ready for something new.

“For what I do I have to love it. I have to feel that excitement and it’s gone,” she said. “I’m just not going to do any albums anymore; maybe touring occasionally here and there because I love performing, but not as much as I did in the past. But no new projects.”

The mother of two has found some success on stage–she starred in Beauty And The Beast and Aida on Broadway–and has a popular reality show, “Braxton Family Values”, which focuses on the singer and her sisters. But she wants more, and says she knows she’s capable of doing something deeper.

“I hate to have reality star behind my name. That’s just not what I wanted to be when I grew up. I would like to play a lesbian,” she said. “I don’t know why. And do a whole make-out scene and the whole thing; just something completely different than people would expect from me. Not a lipstick lesbian, either.”

Braxton has long been an advocate for gay rights and has said she is very close with her LGBT fanbase.

“I love my boys because my boys help me be a better girl,” she said. “My choreographer and my video director are gay, and they’ve been my best friends since I started in the industry.”

When art and fandom meet, it’s often a beautiful thing to behold; when they meet under the same roof to raise money for sick children, it’s a thousand times sweeter.

While artists have been paying tribute to their favorite films, books, and television shows for years, perhaps no one thing has gotten more love than the “Star Wars” series. Whether it’s to show love for the original trilogy, the newer films, or a combination of both, fans are loyal to a fault and will often go to extreme lengths to create detailed artwork and costumes to celebrate them. That makes them perfect candidates to raise money for a good cause, and one group is hoping to make their project for 2013 a success.

Members of the MidSouth Garrison of the 501st Legion have had so much interest in their past fundraising projects–such as the TK Helmet Project and the As You Wish Helmet Project, which raised money for the Make A Wish Foundation–that they decided to try it again this year, but with a twist. Instead of helmets, they’ve attracted artists from all over the country to create one-of-a-kind Vans shoes to be auctioned off. Every bit of the money raised will go to the University of Kentucky Children’s Hospital.

Tyler Phillips of the 501st spoke to WebProNews about the idea, noting that once news of an artist call for the fundraiser got around, the group got responses to The Shoe Project from all over the world. Unfortunately, due to time constraints, they weren’t able to accommodate everyone.

“My wife and I researched custom shoes online, and it appeared as though Vans were the most popular because of the large open area they featured on the shoe. Once we pitched the idea to Lucasfilm and got their approval they helped us pitch the idea to Vans and get them involved,” he said.

Vans graciously donated ten pairs of their shoes for the fundraiser, which will be displayed at the Lexington Comic and Toy Convention in Kentucky on March 16th and 17th. After that, they’ll be posted on eBay for auction, with 100% of the proceeds going to the UK Children’s Hospital. Phillips says that, depending on the interest this year, they’d love to do the project again in 2014.

For now, the group is waiting on approval from Lucasfilm before they can officially announce the artists, but we’ll keep you updated on the project with a sneak peek at the shoes as soon as they’re ready. For more information, check out the project’s Facebook page. Also not to be missed: The Western Kentucky Ghostbusters. These guys (and lovely ladies) are full of heart and devote countless hours to fundraising for the UK Children’s Hospital, as well.

TK Helmet Project: “Lost”
Artist: Amy Vatanakul

TK Helmet Project: Viking Helmet
Artist: Tory, of “Mythbusters”

TK Helmet Project: “Pharaoh”
Artist: William O’Neill

Lead image: Jilliann Silva

Rapper Lil Wayne claims he was ejected from a Miami Heat game on Sunday night and tweeted about the incident, saying all he was doing was rooting for the Lakers when he was asked to leave by police.

But a fellow b-ball fan sitting nearby says that Lil Wayne was asked to leave because he made a gun gesture at someone in the crowd, tweeting, “Random guy yelled at Lil Wayne at #MiamiHeat game. Weezy looked back, gave him a mean stare & gestured he had a gun.”

Wayne has had issues at sports venues before; in June of last year, he took to Twitter to complain he was denied entrance to a Thunder game. Officials said it was only because he tried to enter without a ticket.

So I’m @ da Heat game right, rootin 4 da Lakers kuz dats my team & would u believe they got police 2 make me leave?! Wow! F#€k da Heat

— Lil Wayne WEEZY F (@LilTunechi) February 10, 2013

Rapper Lil Wayne has tweeted that he was ejected for rooting for the Lakers. I thought he was ejected for being less talented than Ke$ha.

— Tim Reynolds (@ByTimReynolds) February 10, 2013

Lil’ Wayne says he was ejected from Heat game, NBA team says thats nonsense. Somebody is not telling the truth! ow.ly/hB5HU

— Ben Maller (@benmaller) February 11, 2013

Lil Wayne was ejected from The Triple A,Wayne says it was because he was rooting for the Lakers,I say its because he cannot rap @rtnba

— Jason B. Beasley (@BeasleyJay) February 10, 2013

Mountain Dew is looking to expand their customer base a bit–or at least make more sales to the fanbase they already have–by bringing breakfast into the mix.

It may not be a vitamin-packed smoothie, but the company says their new drink, Kickstart, does contain vitamins B and C and has a burst of caffeine to get you going when you have a severe case of the Mondays. It also contains 5% fruit juice and comes in different flavors, like fruit punch and orange citrus. But it won’t pack on the calories like some “energy drinks” do; instead, it includes artificial sweeteners to bring that number down to about half those found in a can of soda.

But the company doesn’t want to rely too much on the “energy” premise, as many super-charged energy drinks have garnered negative attention in recent months due to alleged deaths and health issues. Instead, Kickstart falls somewhere between a regular can of soda and an energy drink with 92 milligrams of caffeine for a 16-ounce can. A similar amount of Mountain Dew has 72 milligrams, and Amp Energy Drink contains 142 milligrams.

The company wants to draw in a core audience of 18-24 year olds with the drink in an effort to win them over despite a growing love of coffee in that age group.

Image: PepsiCO

After the news broke last month that football star Dan Marino has a “love-child” with former CBS employee Donna Savattere, she has been understandably keeping out of the spotlight. However, she was spotted in London recently, where she shares a home with her husband and the child in question, Chloe. The couple recently planted tall bushes in front of their house, which afford them a bit more privacy. They declined to comment when reporters stopped them on the street.

“We thought it was odd,” a neighbor reportedly said of the new landscaping. “They are very secretive and don’t talk to anyone.”

Marino has reportedly been taking care of Chloe since her birth in 2005 and released a statement recently regarding the matter, insisting that his own marriage is solid.

“This is a personal and private matter. I take full responsibility both personally and financially for my actions now as I did then. We mutually agreed to keep our arrangement private to protect all parties involved. My wife and I have been married for almost 30 years and have six children together. And we continue to be a strong and loving family,” he said in a statement.

Three people lost their lives in a helicopter crash on Sunday morning during the filming of a Discovery Channel show, authorities said.

“A production company was shooting a show for Discovery Channel when this tragic accident occurred,” a rep for Discovery said in a statement. “We are all cooperating fully with authorities. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families.”

The tragic accident occurred at Polsa Rosa Ranch, a popular filming spot in a rural area of Los Angeles. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the crash and have not released the names of the victims. The show’s production company, Eyeworks USA, had a permit to fly in the area but did not have a monitor on set at the time.

The L.A. Times has reported that reality shows are getting more dangerous due to a combination of tight budgets, lack of trained safety personnel, and a desire to capture the most dramatic and candid footage.

Image: ABC7.com

Edith Houghton was making a name for herself in baseball long before the ladies who inspired “A League Of Their Own” were doing their thing in skirts, and as awesome as every woman in the game was, Houghton stood out for her drive and early ambition.

In 1922, at age ten, she was the starting shortstop for the Philadelphia Bobbies, an all-girl professional team. As the youngest player on the team, she earned the nickname “The Kid” and wowed audiences and fellow players alike with her skills. She would go on to play against men’s teams as the Bobbies traveled extensively, even going overseas to Japan. When WWII began, she made the move to the Navy and played for their team, as well.

By the time she was 35, Houghton decided she’d done all she could for her teams on the field and wanted to make her mark elsewhere in the game. When she got home from the war, she landed herself a job as a scout for the Phillies and was the first woman hired to do so in the major leagues.

In 2006, Houghton was honored to be featured in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, where one of her uniforms is on display. The legendary player passed away on February 2 at the age of 100.

Image: MLB.com

Image: Philly.com

Carrie Underwood wowed everyone on the red carpet before she even took the stage at the Grammy awards last night, and it had a little something to do with the $31 million necklace she was rocking.

The country star paired the jewels with a black strapless Roberto Cavalli dress and admitted it was on her mind the entire night.

“It’s heavy on my soul,” Underwood said. “I’m afraid someone is going to tackle me and steal it … It’s worth more than me.”

The necklace consisted of 381 carats worth of dazzling white diamonds. Later, Underwood owned the stage during her performance of “Blown Away” and “Two Black Cadillacs”, wearing a full ball gown which featured images projected on it that changed from butterflies to a galaxy.

“It took a lot of precision,” she said of the projections. “They can do a lot of amazing things with projectors these days. We had a dress especially made. I said I should take that home and we can watch movies on it.”

Underwood ended up taking home a Grammy for her hit “Blown Away”.

“I love making country music that I feel like anybody can get into, no matter what genre you listen to. I just want to make good songs, sing good songs, write good songs,” she said.

Justin Bieber was the host of “Saturday Night Live” over the weekend, and like any good host, he didn’t pull any punches when it came time to make fun of himself.

The 18-year old appeared in full nerd-gear in a sketch called “The Miley Cyrus Show”–where he was head of her fan club–and addressed some of the more negative things that have been said about him while in character.

“He looks like a lesbian… I heard he still has his baby teeth,” he said during the sketch, in which he expressed disbelief that Miley Cyrus was friends with that “douche” Justin Bieber.

He also took a moment to address the controversy surrounding those photos of him that turned up last month which allegedly show him smoking pot at a party.

“I also heard he got busted for smoking weed and he’s really sorry about it and people make mistakes and he’s never gonna do it again,” his character said.

Bieber has had a rough few months after a breakup with longtime girlfriend Selena Gomez and the death of a photographer who was killed while crossing a busy highway while trying to snap a shot of Bieber’s car. The singer wasn’t in the vehicle at the time.

Faith Hill has become more popular than ever in recent years, due in part to the fact that she’s taken to flaunting her gams during the opening for Sunday night football. But the country star flaunted something else on the red carpet at last night’s Grammy Awards: braces.

The 45-year old looked elegant and classic in a LBD with a loose updo, but her teeth were the object of everyone’s attention. Hill says she wore braces as a kid and often forgot to wear her retainer, requiring some maintenance later in life.

“Kids, wear your retainer!” she said.

Hill and husband Tim McGraw took the stage together at the awards show to present. McGraw recently opened up in an interview about his decision to cut alcohol out of his life altogether, saying it gave him more energy onstage and left him feeling like a better role model for the couple’s children. The country crooner just released a new album and says he feels he’s moving in a new direction.

“I really feel like this new album is not a culmination of the things I’ve done, it’s a new beginning of the things I am going to do. I want to enjoy my career and having my family. I have a busy life, but it is a fulfilling life,” he said.

Bradley Cooper was as shocked to hear the news of ex Navy SEAL Chris Kyle being shot to death at a shooting range in Texas last week as the rest of the nation, in part because he had already acquired the rights to tell Kyle’s story on the big screen.

The project began a year ago, and a first draft of the script had already been completed. Cooper had just begun the process of speaking with veterans who suffer from PTSD as research for the film.

“I was at Walter Reed hospital meeting with veterans who have post-traumatic stress disorder, among many other ailments; and then all of a sudden I hear this thing and I just can’t believe it. This man has two children, and he is an advocate for putting guns back in veterans’ hands, as a way of therapy,” he said.

Indeed, Kyle–who was unofficially the most lethal sniper in American military history–had recently devoted his time to helping veterans rehabilitate themselves after being diagnosed with PTSD and other military-induced issues. His book, “American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History”, was just published last January.

Though the timing of a movie about Kyle’s life might need to handled with extraordinary care, Cooper says a main priority is figuring out a way to get it done–and done well–quickly.

“I’m going to meet with the writers and producers today to talk about, number one what we can do for his family, and number two, how we can speed up the process and really try to make this movie,” he said. “His story first of all really needs to be told, and it’s also relevant on two fronts: gun control and the need to address the many soldiers who are coming back with PTSD. Medicine has evolved to such a state — soldiers are coming back and they’re going to assimilate into the culture and if we don’t address the mental state along with the physical state it’s going to be a problem.”

Amanda Bynes is at it again…or is she?

The 26-year old actress came out of a rough 2012 and appears to be moving right into a scandalous 2013 after posting some nasty remarks about a famous rapper on Twitter.

The tweet was quickly deleted, and then she apparently deleted a bunch of other tweets, leaving just a few on her page. But the account isn’t verified, and the link to her Tumblr account doesn’t work anymore. So is she being singled out for something she didn’t even do?

Bynes famously left Twitter last year after a succession of incidents which left her with a lot of bad press: DUI arrests, getting her car impounded, losing her driver’s license, rumors of odd behavior in public places (including walking around a tanning salon totally nude), and drug use. The account was started back up a few months later.

Bynes has had no comment on the Twitter post thus far.

Emma Watson is one of Hollywood’s sweethearts; anyone who can come out of eight Harry Potter movies and avoid over-saturation while simultaneously getting a famously adorable haircut and still charm us to death deserves to be fawned over.

But the media isn’t used to Watson speaking out on behalf of other celebrities, especially on a topic that’s been so controversial and blown-up. So when she defended Kristen Stewart recently regarding the “Twilight” actress’s affair and subsequent relationship turmoil, everyone sat up to listen.

“Those who criticized her are the same people that think that being rich and famous is like being covered in some kind of magic powder that makes life perfect: Nothing can go wrong in your wonderful world,” she said. “For these people, Kristen deserves all the bad things that have been thrown at her because she had an amazing life and she ruined it. I don’t know how to explain it, but it sure isn’t perfect. I thought that the media picked on her in a very horrible way. Kristen is human, just like everybody else, and she’s so young. Everyone makes mistakes, everyone. It’s not fair to consider them matters of public interest. On one hand, I can understand why it happened: people felt really involved in her relationship with Robert Pattinson.
But it’s also true that they both have done everything in their power to keep their relationship as far from the public eye as possible.”

Stewart was thrust into the negative side of the Hollywood spotlight last year when paparazzi photos hit the web of her getting intimate with her “Snow White And The Huntsman” director, Rupert Sanders, who was married at the time. She and her boyfriend, “Twilight” co-star Robert Pattinson, broke up in the aftermath but have since reunited. She was on the receiving end of some pretty harsh backlash from the Twihards, who took to social media to label her a “Trampire”, and has also had former co-star Jodie Foster come to her defense.

Three high school girls in Maine are in trouble this week after an anonymous letter was sent to school administrators detailing their anti-semitic tweets. The letter included a photo of the girls giving a Nazi salute while in their basketball uniforms.

It’s been reported that the girls often refer to one in the group as “Hitler”; the tweets included posts like, “So Jewish to have prac on Christmas Eve day” and “If —- picked me up, she would’ve made me do sprints, then put me in a gas chamber”. The school’s principal, Dan McKeone, said the girls have already been disciplined but declined to give details.

“These were kids that made a mistake, and they learned from it, and they’re moving forward,” McKeone said.

The incident has shocked the community and has drawn criticism from a local Jewish rights group.

“When situations like this come up when students are using prejudiced and intolerant speech and actions, it shows that the school really needs to seriously institute anti-bias, anti-bullying education and curriculum,” said Emily Chaleff, executive director of the Jewish Community Alliance of Southern Maine.

Image: WLBZ.com