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  • Adam Levine Defends Christina Aguilera Against Haters

    Adam Levine and fellow mentor Christina Aguilera are known to squabble on the set of "The Voice," but their relationship is like that of a brother and sister, and Levine is quick to defend Aguilera from critics who want to insult her.

    Levine sat down for a press conference Q&A on Friday in New York City and had some pointed words for Aguilera's haters, who have criticized everything from her weight to her hairstyle.

    “People shouldn’t say those kind of things, because, f—k you! Come on guys, grow up!” Levine said about Aguilera's critics, according to Wetpaint Entertainment. “It pisses me off, and of course I have her back, of course I defend her. It’s not nice to just have your bread and butter be trashing other people. That’s bullying.”

    The Maroon 5 frontman doesn't think celebrities should be easy targets."The one thing about the culture right now, celebrity culture particularly, is people feel like they can just say nasty things about other people whether it's Christina or whether it's me," he said, according to People magazine. "She gets a lot and it pisses me off. Of course I have her back and of course I defend her."

    Aguilera embraces her body, which has changed since motherhood. "I've always been one to make it very clear, love me or hate me, take it or leave it, this is who I am," she previously told People. "I embrace my body, and I embrace everything about myself. Coming full circle is a celebration of freedom and happiness because that's what [my new album] Lotus is representing. I'm embracing everything that I've grown to be and learned to be."

    At the press conference, Levine dished on his relationship with Aguilera, denying that there was ever any bad blood between them.

    “The fights that everyone thought we were having were fictional,” Levine said, according to GossipCop. “We never hated each other. We never were having some sort of secret battles that everyone thought we were having.” He adds, “There were silly bickering things like a brother and sister would do… it’s not nearly what everybody thought.”

    Superstorm bears down on US East Coast as residents flee threat of wall of water

     Forecasters warned that the New York City region could face the worst of Hurricane Sandy as it bore down on the U.S. East Coast's largest cities Monday, forcing the shutdown of financial markets and mass transit, sending coastal residents fleeing and threatening high winds, rain and a wall of water up to 11 feet (3.35 metres) tall. It could endanger up to 50 million people for days.

    Sandy strengthened before dawn and stayed on a predicted path toward New York, Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia— putting it on a collision course with two other weather systems that would create a superstorm with the potential for havoc over 800 miles (1,280 kilometres) from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. Up to 3 feet (0.9 metres) of snow were even forecast for mountainous parts of West Virginia.

    Airports closed, and authorities warned that the time for evacuation was running out or already past. Many workers planned to stay home as subways, buses and trains shut down across the region under the threat of flooding that could inundate tracks and tunnels. Utilities anticipated widespread power failures.

    The centre of the storm was positioned to come ashore Monday night in New Jersey, meaning the worst of the surge could be in the northern part of that state and in New York City and on Long Island. Higher tides brought by a full moon compounded the threat to the metropolitan area of about 20 million people.

    "This is the worst-case scenario," said Louis Uccellini, environmental prediction chief for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    As rain from the leading edges began to fall over the Northeast on Sunday, hundreds of thousands of people from Maryland to Connecticut were ordered to leave low-lying coastal areas, including 375,000 in lower Manhattan and other parts of New York City, 50,000 in Delaware and 30,000 in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the city's 12 casinos shut down for only the fourth time ever.

    HMS Bounty Sinks Off N.C. Coast, 2 Crew Missing

    The HMS Bounty, a 180-foot, three-mast tall ship, was last marked about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras.

    The ship has sunk, according to the Coast Guard at 8:45 a.m. Monday.

    Just before 8 a.m., the Facebook page for the HMS Bounty says 14 of the 16 people who had to abandon their ship have been hoisted to safety.

    There have been conflicting reports on how many people were onboard. The manifest reportedly listed 16 people, and that's the number the Coast Guard has."

    WITN-TV Article: http://www.witn.com/home/headlines/Coast-Guard-Rescue-Underway-Now-16-People-In-Lifeboats-Off-NC-Coast-176228331.html

    Seventeen people aboard a replica of the HMS Bounty abandoned ship early Monday while stranded at sea off the North Carolina coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a press release.

    "The 17 person crew donned cold water survival suits and life jackets before launching in two 25-man lifeboats with canopies," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

    The ship issued a distress signal late Sunday after taking on water, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

    The owner of the 180-foot, three mast ship -- which was built for the 1962 Marlon Brando movie, "Mutiny on the Bounty" -- lost communication with the crew and alerted the Coast Guard to the situation.

    The Coast Guard then received a distress signal from the ship showing its position. It sent out an aircraft to speak with the crew, which reported that the vessel was taking on water and had no propulsion. It's currently located about 90 miles southeast of Hatteras, N.C.

    The ship, which is still floating upright and intact, is surrounded by 18-foot seas and 40 mph winds as Hurricane Sandy moves through the area.

    The Bounty makes frequent trips around the country, offering a glimpse into maritime history, according to the ship's website. It was originally a British transport vessel, and the replica has appeared in several films, including the 2006 movie "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest," with Johnny Depp. Its last stop before its winter hiatus in Galveston, Texas, was to be in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Nov. 10.

    It is unclear why the boat set out to sea with Sandy bearing down. Sandy could be the largest storm ever to hit the United States, according to NOAA's website.

    Alicia Richman Wins World Record For 'Most Breastmilk Donated'

    Alicia Richman of Granbury, Tex. has been declared the new Guinness World Record holder for "Most Breastmilk Donated," CBS DFW reports. Between June 2011 and March 2012, The 28-year-old mother of one donated 11,115 ounces -- or 694 pounds -- of breastmilk to charity, according to Guinness. By volume, that's about 87 gallons.

    Richman told CBS that after she gave birth in March 2011, she began pumping and storing her milk, and quickly realized she was producing much more than her son could consume.

    When two freezers were chock full of pumped milk, Richman contacted the Mothers' Milk Bank of North Texas, an nonprofit that collects breast milk donations for critically ill and premature infants in need.

    Her donations have fed "hundreds, and more likely, thousands of premature babies across the United States," Amy Vickers, executive director of the milk bank, says in a press release.

    Richman says she went for the Guinness record because she wanted to raise awareness for the cause and encourage other women to donate to milk banks.

    "I'm so thankful that I'm able to help not only my own baby, Drake, but all of the little babies who need it and are sick," Richman told News 8. "It really feels amazing and I'm so thankful that I'm able to do it."

    US superstorm threat launches mass evacuations

    Forget distinctions like tropical storm or hurricane. Don't get fixated on a particular track. Wherever it hits, the rare behemoth storm inexorably gathering in the eastern U.S. will afflict a third of the country with sheets of rain, high winds and heavy snow, say officials who warned millions in coastal areas to get out of the way.

    "We're looking at impact of greater than 50 to 60 million people," said Louis Uccellini, head of environmental prediction for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.

    As Hurricane Sandy barreled north from the Caribbean — where it left nearly five dozen dead — to meet two other powerful winter storms, experts said it didn't matter how strong the storm was when it hit land: The rare hybrid storm that follows will cause havoc over 800 miles from the East Coast to the Great Lakes.

    "This is not a coastal threat alone," said Craig Fugate, director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. "This is a very large area."

    President Barack Obama was monitoring the storm and working with state and locals governments to make sure they get the resources needed to prepare, administration officials said.

    New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie declared a state of emergency Saturday as hundreds of coastal residents started moving inland and the state was set to close its casinos. New York's governor was considering shutting down the subways to avoid flooding and half a dozen states warned residents to prepare for several days of lost power.

    Sandy weakened briefly to a tropical storm early Saturday but was soon back up to Category 1 strength, packing 75 mph winds about 305 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, N.C., as of 11 p.m. Forecasters said the storm was spreading tropical storm conditions across the coastline of North Carolina, and they were expected to move up the mid-Atlantic coastline late Sunday. Experts said the storm was most likely to hit the southern New Jersey coastline by late Monday or early Tuesday.

    Governors from North Carolina, where heavy rain was expected Sunday, to Connecticut declared states of emergency. Delaware ordered mandatory evacuations for coastal communities by 8 p.m. Sunday.

    Christie, who was widely criticized for not interrupting a family vacation in Florida while a snowstorm pummeled the state in 2010, broke off campaigning for Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney in North Carolina on Friday to return home.

    "I can be as cynical as anyone," the pugnacious chief executive said in a bit of understatement Saturday. "But when the storm comes, if it's as bad as they're predicting, you're going to wish you weren't as cynical as you otherwise might have been."

    The storm forced the presidential campaign to juggle schedules. Romney scrapped plans to campaign Sunday in the swing state of Virginia and switched his schedule for the day to Ohio. First lady Michelle Obama canceled an appearance in New Hampshire for Tuesday, and Obama moved a planned Monday departure for Florida to Sunday night to beat the storm. He canceled appearances in Northern Virginia on Monday and Colorado on Tuesday.

    In Ship Bottom, just north of Atlantic City, Alice and Giovanni Stockton-Rossini spent Saturday packing clothing in the backyard of their home, a few hundred yards from the ocean on Long Beach Island. Their neighborhood was under a voluntary evacuation order, but they didn't need to be forced.

    "It's really frightening," Alice Stockton-Rossi said. "But you know how many times they tell you, 'This is it, it's really coming and it's really the big one' and then it turns out not to be? I'm afraid people will tune it out because of all the false alarms before ... (but) this one might be the one."

    A few blocks away, Russ Linke was taking no chances. He and his wife secured the patio furniture, packed the bicycles into the pickup truck, and headed off the island.

    What makes the storm so dangerous and unusual is that it is coming at the tail end of hurricane season and the beginning of winter storm season, "so it's kind of taking something from both," said Jeff Masters, director of the private service Weather Underground.

    Paris Hilton's Halloween Costume: Heiress Dons 'Alice In Wonderland' Outfit

    Paris Hilton was in the Halloween spirit last night (Oct. 26) as she made her way to a private party in Beverly Hills, Calif.

    The socialite, 31, flaunted her famous curves in an "Alice in Wonderland" costume, complete with stockings, a choker and ruffles.

    X17online.com has photos of Hilton and her boyfriend River Viiperi, who dressed as the Mad Hatter, heading to the bash with some friends.

    "Mad Hatter w my love @ParisHilton "AliceinWonderland" #BestHalloweenEver," Viiperi tweeted last night, with Hilton adding, "Ready for a night out on the town."

    Looks like these two had a spook-tacular evening.

    Nicki Minaj's 'Va Va Voom' Video Features Fairy Tales and Unicorns

    Nicki Minaj typically uses a few key ingredients in her super sexy music videos: outrageous costumes (always featuring cleavage), plenty of bright wigs, and water. Well, her latest effort, for new single "Va Va Voom," has all that plus unicorns and princesses. Some might say this is the jackpot.

    In the video, Minaj dances in the woods with a hunky huntsman in a sparkly pantsless number, wears a hat that looks like a horse's head, gets attacked then rescued from a glass box like Snow White, and finally morphs into the sexiest evil queen we've ever seen. All of this goes down in a quick three minutes, 20 seconds. Impressive, right?

    Oh, and two "unicorns" gallop through a babbling brook in at least two of the scenes in the Hype Williams-directed piece.

    Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded – The Re-Up is due out November 19. The two-disc album features tracks from Roman Reloaded, plus seven new songs.

    Miley Cyrus Wears Crop Top, Thigh High Boots

    We'd like to say we're far past being shocked by what Miley Cyrus wears, but we've got to hand it to the girl: she sure knows how to turn heads.

    Ever since the 19-year-old chopped off her long hair, she's been stretching her legs in the style department. A goth look for the grocery store? Fine with Miley. A shaved head on the red carpet? Even better. No top? No problem. Most recently, the newly-engaged star stepped out in Los Angeles in a particularly interesting look.

    While on her way to a recording studio on Friday, the future Mrs. Liam Hemsworth tried loud, printed leggings, a crop top, a gold "Miley" necklace and some of the chunkiest thigh-high boots we've ever seen (her shoe of choice, apparently). And while we have no problem with fashion experimentation, something about this look is a little overwhelming for us. Trend overload, perhaps?

    We may remain unconvinced of the merits of this outfit, but what about you? Check out the photo and tell us what you think.

    'Iron Man 3': Yet Another Interview With A Chitauri Warrior

    Earlier this week, the much-anticipated trailer for Iron Man 3 debuted. Unfortunately, our requests to discuss the trailer with the star Robert Downey Jr. were denied. (This is a lie, we never asked.) But, the good news is that we may have the next best thing: our old friend The Chitauri Warrior from The Avengers. So, let's find out what he's been doing since our last visit and maybe just get a scoop or two about Iron Man 3.

    (Also, you're welcome, nobody.)

    Thanks for joining me, Chitauri Warrior.
    You're welcome. And, please, call me Steven.

    I thought you went by Steve.
    My agent felt that Steven the Chitauri Warrior sounded classier than Steve the Chitauri Warrior. Also, apparently there's already a "Steve the Chitauri Warrior" in SAG.

    So, Steven, what did you think of the Iron Man 3 trailer?
    I think there's a misunderstanding, I was not under the impression we'd be talking about Iron Man 3.

    But that's why we wanted to talk to you today. You know, we were thinking that you could break it down for us with all of your insider knowledge.
    [Silence]

    Chitauri Warrior?
    Look, compared to other Chitauri Warriors, I'm a pretty easy Chitauri to get along with. But I was told that I was here to talk about my upcoming appearance on Chicago Fire.

    Oh, sorry for the confusion, Chitauri Warrior. OK, who do you play on Chicago Fire?
    I play a human being who is in a building that is on fire.

    How did you get this role?
    Well, a good friend of mine, David Faustino, knows one of the producers and he put us in touch. David is a great guy.

    How did you approach your role on Chicago Fire in comparison to how you prepared for The Avengers?
    Well, for one, when I was in The Avengers, I didn't realize that it was a movie. I mean, I really thought I was invading Earth. They didn't let us in on the fact that it was all fiction until after shooting was complete.

    Is this why you don't want to talk about Iron Man 3?
    Do you want to know the reason? To be honest, I just don't like the guy.

    Tony Stark?
    Tony Stark is a fictional character. I'm talking about Robert Downey Jr.

    Wait, he seems so charming. Why would you say that, Chitauri Warrior?
    I let a lot of things go. When The Hulk punched my friend, Mitch, in the face ... I didn't hold a grudge. In fact, when I've seen Lou Ferrigno around town, we've had very pleasant conversations ...

    Wait, Lou Ferrigno didn't play Hulk in ...
    But the one thing I can't accept is intolerance.

    What are you trying to say?
    Between invasion rounds -- I later found out these were "takes" -- I overheard Downey make a snide remark about the comedic stylings of Sinbad. If there's one thing that the Chitauri love, it's Sinbad.

    Are you in Iron Man 3, Chitauri Warrior?
    Yes, but it's hard to see me.

    Oh, who are you playing?
    In the trailer, do you know that scene in which a helicopter shoots a missile that destroys Tony Stark's house? I'm the one flying the helicopter. This scene was never in the final script, that's just me acting on my own accord because of the Sinbad comments. Later, I learned they decided to keep it in the movie.

    Lawrence Wilkerson, Former Colin Powell Aide, Blasts Sununu, GOP, As 'Full Of Racists'

    Colin Powell's former chief of staff condemned the Republican Party on Friday night, telling MSNBC's Ed Schultz, "My party is full of racists."

    Retired Army Col. Lawrence Wilkerson made the comment in response to Mitt Romney campaign surrogate John Sununu's suggestion on Thursday that Powell's endorsement of President Barack Obama's re-election was motivated by race. Wilkerson, who served as Powell's chief of staff when the general was secretary of state during the first George W. Bush term, told Schultz that he respected Sununu "as a Republican, as a member of my party," but did not "have any respect for the integrity of the position that [Sununu] seemed to codify."

    When asked by Schultz what, if anything, the remark said about the attitudes of the Republican Party, Wilkerson said:

        My party, unfortunately, is the bastion of those people -- not all of them, but most of them -- who are still basing their positions on race. Let me just be candid: My party is full of racists, and the real reason a considerable portion of my party wants President Obama out of the White House has nothing to do with the content of his character, nothing to do with his competence as commander-in-chief and president, and everything to do with the color of his skin, and that's despicable.

    The retired colonel also said that "to say that Colin Powell would endorse President Obama because of his skin color is like saying Mother Theresa worked for profit."

    Powell, a Republican, endorsed Obama for the second time on Thursday morning -- he also backed the president in 2008 -- saying on CBS' "This Morning" that he was "more comfortable with President Obama and his administration" than with Romney on a host of issues.

    Sununu, no stranger to incendiary rhetoric this election cycle, reacted to the endorsement on CNN's "Piers Morgan Tonight," saying that "when you take a look at Colin Powell, you have to wonder whether that's an endorsement based on issues or whether he's got a slightly different reason for preferring President Obama."

    Obama himself dismissed Sununu's suggestion on Friday, telling radio host Michael Smerconish:

        Any suggestion that Gen. Powell would make such a profound statement in such an important election based on anything but what he thought was what's going to be best for America doesn't make much sense.


    Sununu backed off his remarks shortly after his CNN appearance, issuing a statement that said Powell is a friend and, “I respect the endorsement decision he made, and I do not doubt that it was based on anything but his support of the President’s policies."

    Bono’s Beautiful Daughter Quietly Stuns In NYC Appearance

    U2 frontman Bono may be one of the world's highest-profile musicians, but you wouldn't know it from the low profile his family tends to take. Case in point: The rocker's 21-year-old daughter, Eve Hewson, who's been building an acting career in an understated, non-splashy fashion. Not too many people are familiar with Hewson's stunning looks--have you seen her before?

    The beautiful blue-eyed brunette--the second-oldest of Bono and wife Ali Hewson's four children--stunned onlookers in New York at a screening of her new film, This Must Be The Place, which co-stars Sean Penn and Frances McDormand.

    The movie competed at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and will go into limited release domestically on November 2. Hewson plays the teenaged Mary, a friend to Penn's portrayal of an aging Dublin rock star seeking revenge for his father's torment at the hands of a Nazi guard.

    The Irish-born Hewson, who lives in Brooklyn, made her feature-length acting debut in the 2008 drama The 27 Club. She also features prominently in Irish band the Script's music video "For The First Time."

    Petraeus Throws Obama Under the Bus

    reaking news on Benghazi: the CIA spokesman, presumably at the direction of CIA director David Petraeus, has put out this statement: "No one at any level in the CIA told anybody not to help those in need; claims to the contrary are simply inaccurate. ”
    Barack Obama

    So who in the government did tell “anybody” not to help those in need? Someone decided not to send in military assets to help those Agency operators. Would the secretary of defense make such a decision on his own? No.

    It would have been a presidential decision. There was presumably a rationale for such a decision. What was it? When and why—and based on whose counsel obtained in what meetings or conversations—did President Obama decide against sending in military assets to help the Americans in need?

    Nelly Furtado Brushes Off Bad Sales For 'The Spirit Indestructible' Album

    Nelly Furtado broke out as a pop star back in 2000 with the acoustic earworm "I'm Like a Bird," but only went stratospheric after trading her crunchy west coast persona for a sexed-up man-eating one on her 10 million-selling Timbaland collab Loose. But that was 2006.

    This year's long-awaited The Spirit Indestructible, her proper follow-up after 2009's Spanish-language Mi Plan, showed her formerly indestructible chart presence had some cracks, with lead single "Big Hoops (Bigger the Better)" making little impression on radio and the album barely denting the pop charts.

    "Just like a lot of my albums, actually. I have very few albums that debut high," Furtado tells HuffPost Canada, and certainly The Spirit Indestructible debuting at 79 on the Billboard chart (and number 18 at home in Canada) with 6,000 copies sold doesn't compare well to the "Promiscuous"-fueled Loose, which opened at number one and sold 219,000.

    "I've had kind of everything happen to me commercially and at different levels," she says. "I've had different scenes and I've dabbled in a lot of markets so I see the music world as very global and I'm always looking for new avenues and opportunities, so one chart or anything doesn't necessarily [mean anything.]"

    Sofia Vergara's Dress Requires The 'Am I Wearing A Dress?' Flowchart

    Sofia Vergara, we know you know you're sexy. You wear curve-hugging dresses like it's your job, tweet out your NSFW wardrobe malfunctions and have the guts to tell interviewers, "I know [my breasts] have opened doors for me, let’s be real."

    But in case we'd forgotten, the "Modern Family" star stepped out on Wednesday night in a dress that showed off her stunning figure... because it was almost short enough to be a shirt. The occasion was a VIP reception for Domingo Zapatas, a hot new artist whose latest work includes covering Vergara with body paint -- which seems apropos, given that Vergara's dress for the event was practically painted on.

    Paired with black tights and boots, Sofia's frock, while stunning, begs the question (and accompanying flowchart): "Am I Wearing A Dress?" The chart, a riff off the beloved "Am I Wearing Pants?" chart published last year, acts as a cheat sheet for women getting dressed in dresses so short they might as well be shirts.

    It was also the first thing we thought of when we glimpsed Sofia's latest outfit.

    So check out the actress below and follow the chart: is Sofia really wearing a dress?

    Former Joe Biden aide writes angry tell-all

    Adding another wild-card to the 2012 campaign’s final days, a former aide to Vice President Joe Biden has written a tell-all Washington memoir in which he lacerates the former Delaware senator as an “egomaniacal autocrat” who was “determined to manage his staff through fear.”

    The book is hardly an objective study of the vice president, however. Author Jeff Connaughton, a Biden Senate staffer turned lobbyist, is by his own admission deeply disillusioned with the capital and embittered about his experience with the man who inspired him to enter politics.

    Connaughton wrote “The Payoff,” which came out last month, in the fashion of guilt-racked whistle-blower: he was a party to a corrupt system and now wants to blow the lid off the game.

    “I came to D.C. a Democrat and left a plutocrat,” he confesses.

    As chief of staff to former Sen. Ted Kaufman (D-Del.), Biden’s successor, Connaughton was radicalized by his unsuccessful experience trying to get an amendment to the Dodd-Frank financial regulation bill that would have broken up the country’s largest banks. So he left Washington politics and wrote what he believes is the unvarnished truth about the country’s political system. The big reveal: Big banks control both parties.

    “It’s time people understand why – and how – Wall Street always wins,” Connaughton writes at the outset of his book.

    He is harshly critical of his own party and the Obama administration, arguing that the president is no different than most other Washington Democrats in his willingness to kowtow to Wall Street.

    President Obama and Biden, he writes, are “both financially illiterate.”

    “The Payoff” is every bit the cri de coeur of a man who, as he writes, is “willing to burn every bridge” in order to indict the transactional Washington lobbying and political culture. (After Kaufman’s term ended, Connaughton fled D.C. and moved to Savannah, Ga.)

    But the book is also a reprise of the familiar cautionary tale about an idealistic young politico who came to Washington to make a difference but went native – and was let down by the powerful man he looked up to.

    Time and again, over the course of decades, Connaughton tells of being disappointed in Biden or not receiving the treatment he felt he was due. He doesn’t hide his sour grapes - he’s up front about his unhappiness and that he never gained the full trust of the former Delaware senator.

    “Only a handful of people ever made it into his inner circle,” he writes, adding: “I simply wasn’t one of the chosen.”

    What’s remarkable about the book is the lengths that Connaughton goes to portray his former boss and political idol in a bad light, piling up embarrassing anecdotes and examples of when Biden couldn’t be bothered to help one of his own aides.

    'Cloud Atlas': How Confusing Is 'Cloud Atlas'?

    This weekend, a nearly three-hour long movie called Cloud Atlas will open in theaters. Cloud Atlas is based on a book (that takes more than three hours to read) also titled Cloud Atlas. The film version stars a plethora of actors that you've heard of -- Tom Hanks (The Man With One Red Shoe), Halle Berry (Boomerang) and Hugh Grant (Mickey Blue Eyes) -- but, does that ensure your enjoyment of Cloud Atlas? As a service, we answer every question that you could possibly have about Cloud Atlas.

    Q: If I haven't read Cloud Atlas, will I understand Cloud Atlas?

    A: I have not read the book, yet I was never particularly more confused than I am during any other movie. (Full disclosure: I'm easily confused.)

    Q: Is this the movie that Republicans like?

    A: You're thinking of Atlas Shrugged (and, unrelated, Boiler Room).

    Q: At nearly three hours, does Cloud Atlas feel like a three hour movie?

    A: Yes, it does. Maybe a little longer.

    Q: Does this mean that Cloud Atlas is boring?

    A: No. Though, it is dense. I mean, there's a lot going on in this movie. It's actually one of the most remarkable films that I've ever seen. But just because something is remarkable doesn't necessarily mean that it's also an enjoyable experience.

    Q: What are the chances that someone at Warner Bros. is thinking about using, "One of the most remarkable films that I've ever seen," as a pull quote?

    A: 35 percent.

    Q: Can you make a bad analogy that not at all relates to what we're discussing to explain what you mean by that?

    A: Sure. A black hole is certainly remarkable. But the process of being spaghettified by that black hole once crossing over the event horizon is not an enjoyable experience. (I assume.)

    Q: What is Cloud Atlas about?

    A: Ha.

    Q: Are you not going to explain the plot of Cloud Atlas?

    A: Oh, you.

    Q: OK, can you at lest summarize the plot of Cloud Atlas in less than 100 words?

    A: Oh, good grief, fine. There are six stories that are all loosely related: A post-apocalyptic journey to a mountaintop; a late '70s journalistic investigation of a corrupt nuclear power plant; the process of composing the perfect piece of music; the freeing of a slave; an escape from a retirement home; and a futuristic clone's fight for freedom.

    Q: You have 43 more words.

    A: I'll pass.

    Q: Well, who does Tom Hanks portray in Cloud Atlas?

    A: It might be easier to explain who he doesn't portray. The actors in Cloud Atlas portray multiple roles.

    Q: Was a good amount of your time watching Cloud Atlas spent thinking to yourself, Wait, who is THAT?

    A: It's almost impossible not to play the "which famous actor is in the crazy makeup" game while watching Cloud Atlas.

    Q: What did you assume that you would never see, yet you saw it in Cloud Atlas?

    A: Hugh Grant wearing war paint on his face.

    Q: What's the best thing about Cloud Atlas?

    A: Jim Broadbent's escape attempt from a retirement home.

    Q: What's the worst thing about Cloud Atlas?

    A: An annoying creature of some sort that haunts Tom Hanks throughout the film.

    Q: Hooch?

    A: No. Hooch was a nuisance, but not particularly annoying. Hugo Weaving portrays a goblin, or something, that constantly taunts Hanks' post-apocalyptic character.

    Tyrann Mathieu, 3 others arrested

    Tyrann Mathieu's chances of returning to LSU's football team took a serious hit Thursday when the 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist and three other former Tigers players were arrested on drug-related charges.

    Mathieu and former LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson were charged with simple possession of marijuana, the Baton Rouge police department said in a release.

    Former Tigers linebacker Karnell Hatcher also was charged with simple possession while former defensive back Derrick Bryant faces the most serious charge of possession with intent to distribute and possession of drug paraphernalia, according to police spokesman Don Kelly.

    Known as the "Honey Badger," Mathieu was kicked off the team in August for failing multiple drug tests. He returned to the school as a regular student, hoping to earn a second chance at returning to the team.

    But Thursday's arrest greatly narrows the chances of such a return for Mathieu, who would have been a junior this year and was suspended last season for failing a drug test for synthetic marijuana.

    According to the police report, officers found the marijuana in Mathieu's apartment Thursday afternoon. Mathieu answered the door, and officers "immediately smelled a strong odor of marijuana," the police report stated.

    After Mathieu, 20, gave the police his consent to search the apartment, officers discovered a marijuana grinder, a digital scale and 10 bags of high-grade marijuana, including seven in Bryant's backpack, according to the report.

    Police say they were called to the apartment complex after receiving a complaint about a man, who later was identified as the 22-year-old Jefferson, forcing his way through the security gate before going to Mathieu's apartment.

    Les Miles expected there to be a happy ending for Tyrann Mathieu. But after the ex-LSU cornerback's latest arrest, that's unlikely to come in Baton Rouge, writes

    It was the second arrest for Jefferson, the starting quarterback on last season's team that lost to Alabama in the BCS National Championship game.

    A three-year starter, Jefferson missed the first three games last season after being arrested for his involvement in a bar fight during August camp. He was reinstated to the team after charges against him were reduced to a misdemeanor.

    Lance Unglesby, Jefferson's lawyer in the misdemeanor criminal case, said a discovery hearing in that matter is scheduled next week. He said his client has always maintained his innocence in the bar fight.

    "My opinion that Jordan is a fine young man remains the same," Unglesby said.

    Unglesby said he had not yet been provided with any details of Jefferson's latest arrest, but stressed, "All individuals are presumed innocent and I look forward to the opportunity to examine the facts of this case to find out what really happened."

    It was not immediately known whether Mathieu, Hatcher or Bryant had lawyers.

    Hatcher was a linebacker who started last season until losing his starting job to current starter Kevin Minter. Bryant played sparingly but had a significant role in LSU's 2011 win over Auburn, playing after the suspension of Mathieu created a need for LSU in its nickel package.

    U.S. and Iran Deny Plan for Nuclear Talks

    The question of whether the United States should seek to engage Iran in one-on-one talks on its nuclear program joined the likely topics for Monday’s final presidential debate as supporters of President Obama and Mitt Romney jousted on Sunday over the issue.

    The prospect of such talks was raised in an article published over the weekend by The New York Times that said Iran and the United States had agreed in principle to direct talks after the presidential election.

    On Saturday, the White House denied that a final agreement on direct talks had been reached, while saying that it remained open to such contacts. On Sunday, the Iranian Foreign Ministry dismissed the report.

    But if the report proved to be true, said a supporter of Mr. Romney, the Republican candidate, Iran’s motives should be seriously questioned.

    “I hope we don’t take the bait,” Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “I think this is a ploy by the Iranians” to buy time for their nuclear program and divide the international coalition, he said.

    A supporter of Mr. Obama, Senator Richard J. Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, said on the same program that the tough international sanctions the president helped marshal against Iran might be bearing fruit exactly as hoped, forcing Iran to blink.

    “This month of October, the currency in Iran has declined 40 percent in value,” Mr. Durbin, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, said. “There is unrest in the streets of Tehran, and the leaders in Iran are feeling it. That’s exactly what we wanted the sanctions program to do.”

    The Times, citing unnamed senior Obama administration officials, reported over the weekend that after secret exchanges, American and Iranian officials had agreed in principle to hold one-on-one negotiations between the nations, which have not had official diplomatic relations since the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran.

    Iran’s foreign minister, Ali Akbar Salehi, denied on Sunday that any direct talks had been scheduled. “We do not have anything such as talks with the United States,” he told the semiofficial Fars news agency.

    Mr. Salehi predicted that there would be a new round of talks in November with the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council — including the United States — and Germany, but said that “there is no fixed date yet.” Several rounds of such talks have failed to produce a breakthrough. The United States and its partners say Iran’s nuclear program is aimed at producing a weapon, but Iran says the program is for peaceful purposes.

    Weighing in on the topic from Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday that although he did not know whether the United States and Iran had discussed the possibility of direct negotiations, “very sharp sanctions and a credible military option” were the best means to halt Tehran’s nuclear program. He said Iran had used earlier multinational talks “to drag its feet and to gain time” to advance its weapons program.

    Monday’s Debate Puts Focus on Foreign Policy Clashes

    When President Obama and Mitt Romney sit down Monday night for the last of their three debates, two things should be immediately evident: there should be no pacing the stage or candidates’ getting into each other’s space, and there should be no veering into arguments over taxes.

    This debate is about how America deals with the world — and how it should.

    If the moderator, Bob Schieffer of CBS News, has his way, it will be the most substantive of the debates. He has outlined several topics: America’s role in the world, the continuing war in Afghanistan, managing the nuclear crisis with Iran and the resultant tensions with Israel, and how to deal with rise of China.

    The most time, Mr. Schieffer has said, will be spent on the Arab uprisings, their aftermath and how the terrorist threat has changed since the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. No doubt the two candidates will spar again, as they did in the second debate, about whether the Obama administration was ready for the attack in Benghazi, Libya, that killed J. Christopher Stevens, the American ambassador, and three other Americans. Mr. Romney was widely judged to not have had his most effective critique ready, and this time, presumably, he will be out to correct that.

    The early line is that this is an opportunity for Mr. Obama to shine, and to repair the damage from the first debate. (He was already telling jokes the other night, at a dinner in New York, about his frequent mention of Osama bin Laden’s demise.)

    But we can hope that it is a chance for both candidates to describe, at a level of detail they have not yet done, how they perceive the future of American power in the world. They view American power differently, a subject I try to grapple with at length in a piece in this Sunday’s Review, “The Debatable World.”

    LIBYA AND BENGHAZI Both candidates will come ready for a fight on this topic, but the question is whether it is the right fight. Mr. Obama already admitted mistakes on “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” and promised to get to the bottom of them, but the White House has been less than transparent about what kind of warnings filtered up from the intelligence agencies before the attack on the consulate, and whether there was a way that American security forces could have arrived sooner, perhaps in time to save some of the American lives. No doubt the argument will focus on a narrower issue: why the administration stuck so long to its story that this was a protest against a film that turned into something worse, rather than a preplanned attack by insurgents. For Mr. Romney, the task is to show that the Benghazi attack was symptomatic of bigger failings in the Middle East, a road he started down in the last debate, but an argument he never completed.

    Catch the Orionid meteor shower this weekend

    Star gazers will want to be looking upward this weekend: The Orionid meteor shower is one of the best meteor showers of the year and should not be missed.

    According to NASA's website: "Earth will pass through a stream of debris from Halley's Comet, (the) source of the annual Orionid meteor shower. Forecasters expect 25 meteors per hour when the shower peaks on Oct. 21."

    The best part of this cosmic display: No telescope required—but you may need an alarm clock. According to L.A.'s Griffith Observatory, the brightest displays will fall between 11 p.m. Saturday and 5:40 a.m. Sunday, Pacific time.

    Bill Cooke, the head of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office, noted in a statement, "With no Moon to spoil the show, observing conditions should be ideal." He added, "The Orionid meteor shower isn't the strongest, but it is one of the most beautiful showers of the year."

    Barbra Streisand: Romney 'A Good Actor,' Hopes He Won't Find Sesame Street Or Pennsylvania Avenue

    Barbra Streisand used an appearance at the newly opened Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York on Thursday evening to ding Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

    "He's a good actor," Streisand said at the show about Romney. "[He's] a chameleon. It's great."

    As she had done at a concert earlier this week in Philadelphia, Streisand also mocked Romney for his threat to cut funding to "Sesame Street."

    "I love Big Bird and I hope no one tells Romney how to get to Sesame Street ... or to Pennsylvania Avenue," she quipped.

    Streisand has been an outspoken support of Barack Obama throughout the presidential race.

    "Thank God Obama's pulling ahead because it's a clear choice, you know, in my opinion," Streisand told the AP. "If you want to survive as a planet, recognize that there is climate change and you want to protect your food and your air and your water from pesticides, chemicals, you want to focus on education and young people and giving health care to the public -– there's no choice."

    In a blog posted on Huffington Post, Streisand wrote that electing Romney would be akin to reelecting George W. Bush.

    "Unlike Mitt Romney, President Obama believes we need to invest in education, energy, innovation and infrastructure and reform our tax system to create good jobs, grow our economy and pay down the debt in a reasoned way," she wrote. "He believes in an inclusive country where all people deserve equal protection and treatment under the law, as well as equal opportunity, whether they are gay, straight, black, brown, white, religious, atheist, old or young."

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    Woman Who Can’t Fit Into Skirt Denied Job as ‘Kilt Girl’

    Usually job candidates are turned away because they don’t have the right skill set or enough experience, but one California woman said she didn’t get a job because she doesn’t have the right body type.

    Jennifer Rogers, of Palm Desert, Calif., claimed she didn’t get a job at the Tilted Kilt Pub and Eatery in Palm Desert because a skirt that is part of the uniform there didn’t fit her. The 20-year-old made it through the application process but was turned away when it was time to try on the required “costume,” she told ABC News affiliate KESQ.

    “Because the skirt was a size too small, they said that I could not work there,” Rogers told KESQ.  “I couldn’t wear the uniform.”

    Rogers applied to be a “Kilt Girl” at the restaurant, which is scheduled to reopen in two weeks after being closed for a year and a half. The job is labeled entertainer/server on the company’s career site, which said applicants must “adhere to the established appearance guidelines,” and, “maintain a costume fit, as detailed in the appearance guidelines.”

    “We have very specific costume requirements that the girls need to fill and they’re actually hired as entertainers, not as servers,” Bryan VanderMeer, general manager of the Palm Desert location, told KESQ.

    “Kilt Girls are the cornerstone of the Tilted Kilt brand,” Tilted Kilt’s corporate office said in statement to ABCNews.com. “Tilted Kilt specifically hires females for the role of the Kilt Girl who fit our profile, which includes being attractive, intelligent and having outgoing personalities.

    “Our hiring and employment practices are in full compliance with all laws,” the statement said. “We have three sizes of costumes and all applicants must conform to our costume guidelines to meet the expectations that our guests have for the brand.  The Tilted Kilt girl image is an important part of our concept. Just like when a director is trying to cast parts for a movie, that is how we view our hiring process. We are screening for entertainers, not just servers. Tilted Kilt prides itself on hiring multi-faceted, intelligent servers, who not only fit the costume, but exemplify a personality that is friendly, courteous and customer oriented.”

    Cops Find Body in Jessica Ridgeway Search

    Police have found an unidentified body in in an Arvada, Colo., park, just a few miles from where 10-year-old Jessica Ridgeway went missing last Friday.

    It could take time to make a positive identification of the body found in the Pattridge Park open space in Arvada, police said, and officials haven't tied the crime scene to the missing girl.

    "The Arvada Police Department and Westminster Police Department are working jointly with additional resources to process that crime scene," Westminster, Colo., police investigator Trevor Materasso told reporters this evening. "At this time, we're unable to make any connection to the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway. That crime scene will exist through the evening and into tomorrow morning."

    However, investigators believe it is the body of the 10-year old who vanished last week on her walk to school, sources told ABC News.

    Earlier today, investigators said Jessica's parents were not suspects in her disappearance, which they referred to as a likely abduction.

    "At this point in the investigation, after thoroughly looking at the parents, we're confident that they're not involved in the disappearance of Jessica Ridgeway," Materasso said earlier. "The focus shifts to an unknown suspect, as we think that she was abducted."

    Sarah Ridgeway told police she last saw her daughter in Westminster, Colo., last Friday morning when Jessica left for school. The fifth-grader never showed up at a nearby park where she was supposed to meet friends for the one-mile walk to her elementary school.

    The school called to report Jessica absent, but Sarah Ridgeway told police she was asleep during the day because she works overnights and did not get the call until eight hours later, when she called police.

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    Jack Welch: I Was Right About That Strange Jobs Report

    Imagine a country where challenging the ruling authorities—questioning, say, a piece of data released by central headquarters—would result in mobs of administration sympathizers claiming you should feel "embarrassed" and labeling you a fool, or worse.

    Editorial board member Steve Moore on the good and bad of the jobs report and whether it will help President Obama's campaign.

    Soviet Russia perhaps? Communist China? Nope, that would be the United States right now, when a person (like me, for instance) suggests that a certain government datum (like the September unemployment rate of 7.8%) doesn't make sense.

    Unfortunately for those who would like me to pipe down, the 7.8% unemployment figure released by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) last week is downright implausible. And that's why I made a stink about it.

    Before I explain why the number is questionable, though, a few words about where I'm coming from. Contrary to some of the sound-and-fury last week, I do not work for the Mitt Romney campaign. I am definitely not a surrogate. My wife, Suzy, is not associated with the campaign, either. She worked at Bain Consulting (not Bain Capital) right after business school, in 1988 and 1989, and had no contact with Mr. Romney.

    The Obama campaign and its supporters, including bigwigs like David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs, along with several cable TV anchors, would like you to believe that BLS data are handled like the gold in Fort Knox, with gun-carrying guards watching their every move, and highly trained, white-gloved super-agents counting and recounting hourly.

    Let's get real. The unemployment data reported each month are gathered over a one-week period by census workers, by phone in 70% of the cases, and the rest through home visits. In sum, they try to contact 60,000 households, asking a list of questions and recording the responses.
    Some questions allow for unambiguous answers, but others less so. For instance, the range for part-time work falls between one hour and 34 hours a week. So, if an out-of-work accountant tells a census worker, "I got one baby-sitting job this week just to cover my kid's bus fare, but I haven't been able to find anything else," that could be recorded as being employed part-time.

    The possibility of subjectivity creeping into the process is so pervasive that the BLS's own "Handbook of Methods" has a full page explaining the limitations of its data, including how non-sampling errors get made, from "misinterpretation of the questions" to "errors made in the estimations of missing data."

    Bottom line: To suggest that the input to the BLS data-collection system is precise and bias-free is—well, let's just say, overstated.

    Even if the BLS had a perfect process, the context surrounding the 7.8% figure still bears serious skepticism. Consider the following:

    In August, the labor-force participation rate in the U.S. dropped to 63.5%, the lowest since September 1981. By definition, fewer people in the workforce leads to better unemployment numbers. That's why the unemployment rate dropped to 8.1% in August from 8.3% in July.

    Meanwhile, we're told in the BLS report that in the months of August and September, federal, state and local governments added 602,000 workers to their payrolls, the largest two-month increase in more than 20 years. And the BLS tells us that, overall, 873,000 workers were added in September, the largest one-month increase since 1983, during the booming Reagan recovery.

    These three statistics—the labor-force participation rate, the growth in government workers, and overall job growth, all multidecade records achieved over the past two months—have to raise some eyebrows. There were no economists, liberal or conservative, predicting that unemployment in September would drop below 8%.

    I know I'm not the only person hearing these numbers and saying, "Really? If all that's true, why are so many people I know still having such a hard time finding work? Why do I keep hearing about local, state and federal cutbacks?"

    The Only Way is gusty for Lydia Bright who struggles to control her dress as the TOWIE gang helicopter in for the Duke of Essex Polo Trophy

    If you're going to be arriving for a social event by helicopter then you have to make sure that there will be no wardrobe mishaps on arrival.
    Something which Lydia Bright clearly didn't take into account when she got out of a helicopter that had flown her to a VIP event in her native county today.
    The Only Way Is Essex star was snapped struggling with her dress as she climbed out of a helicopter to join the rest of the cast at the Duke of Essex Polo Trophy in Gaynes Park, Epping.

    Troy Dem Officials' Home Used For Underage Sex Romp: Cops

    A Troy Township Democratic official was charged with setting up a sex date with a 15-year-old boy and federal agents searched her house on suspicion she has been producing child pornography videos, police said.

    Margarita Hernandez, 32, of 6901 Monmouth Drive on Joliet's far west side, was arrested about 3 p.m. Thursday and taken to the Will County jail on a warrant charging her with two counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse.

    Hernandez had sex with a 15-year-old Chicago boy during a prearranged July meeting at her home, police said.

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    Hernandez shares that home with her boyfriend, 76-year-old veteran weekly newspaperman John Gabriel. Both Gabriel and Hernandez are precinct committeemen for the Troy Township Democrats.

    An official with the Troy Democrats said Tuesday he believed Hernandez is Gabriel's granddaughter. But Gabriel confirmed she is his girlfriend.

    Gabriel went on to claim his much-younger girlfriend was being framed in an attempt to get back at him for exposing corruption.

    "This is all a setup," Gabriel said.

    Gabriel said the frame was easy to spot "If you remember how some of the people reacted when I went after some of the crooked policemen and crooked politicians."

    Gabriel said he suspects a Romeoville police officer he accused of once shooting at him was behind the setup, but declined to identify the supposedly dirty cop. Gabriel said it would all come out when his girlfriend goes to court.

    "This is all a mechanism to try to get even with me," he said.

    Hernandez's alleged sexcapade with the teen reportedly came to light after the boy's mother learned of the tryst and went to the Chicago police, who alerted the FBI and the Joliet police.

    Joliet Police Chief Mike Trafton said FBI agents searched Hernandez and Gabriel's house for evidence that Hernandez recorded sex romps with minors and added that the federal investigation is still underway.

    FBI spokeswoman Joan Hyde could not immediately be reached for comment.

    Joliet Detective Tizoc Landeros unraveled the case, but says he believes Hernandez has had sex with even more underage boys. He asked anyone with information about her—or anyone else—engaging in sex with minors to call him at 815-724-3035 or to alert detectives at 815-724-3020. Landeros said tipsters can also call Crime Stoppers of Will County at 800-323-6734.

    Landeros said the teen was first introduced to Hernandez through a friend. The friend's mother is Hernandez's cousin, he said.

    'Breaking Dawn - Part 2' Releases International Poster

    Summit Entertainment just released the last U.S. poster for "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2," but it turns out there's still one more to check out.

    The international poster for the final installment of the hit franchise has been released, featuring Bella (Kristen Stewart), Edward (Robert Pattinson) and Jacob (Taylor Lautner), as well as members of the Volturi.

    The film, which hits theaters on November 16, was directed by Bill Condon, who promises that this time, Bella is more focused on being a mother to Renesmee than being infatuated with Edward.


    "First movie, its Bella’s intimate experiences, you know with all these incredibly important moments in her life. And then in this movie, it’s one big idea, vampire mother," Condon explains. "But it is about following her journey. And that kind of informed everything."

    This week, "Breaking Dawn - Part 2" received an MPAA rating of PG-13, for sequences of violence, including disturbing images, some sensuality and partial nudity.

    Bids For Girls Star Lena Dunham's Upcoming Book Reach $3.7 Million

    As if three Emmy nominations weren't proof enough that Lena Dunham is quickly becoming a hot Hollywood commodity, the "Girls" creator/star is now the subject of a publisher bidding war.

    The actress is set to pen a book of essays and bidding for the book has reached $3.7 million, with five publishers vying for Lena's material, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    PLAY IT NOW: Girls Season 1 Blu-Ray Gag Reel Clip: Lena Dunham & Andrew Rannells (Exclusive)

    The hefty payday nears the $5 million comedy superstar Tina Fey received for her 2011 best seller, "Bossypants."

    Lena's proposed book (tentatively titled, "Not That Kind of Girl: Advice by Lena Dunham") will feature essays about various topics ranging from friendship, sex and dating, to eating disorders and her fascination with death, THR reported.

    VIEW THE PHOTOS: Emmys 2012: Stars Celebrate At The Afterparties!

    Lena is expected to choose a publisher early next week.

    This can’t be safe: Virginia Tech player finds scissors on the field

    Virginia Tech receiver Dyrell Roberts made an odd discovery on the field against North Carolina, when he found a pair of scissors on the field just before the Hokies ran a play.

    As Virginia Tech was lining up, Roberts started gesturing to the sideline and the officials with something in his hand. He had found the scissors as he took his spot on the field. That's something you don't see every day. In fact, we can't remember ever seeing it before in a college football game.

    Officials stopped the action and let Roberts run the scissors off to the sideline. Not only did he run with them, he didn't hold the scissors by the blades. That breaks just about every safety rule Roberts was taught in kindergarten about scissors, but at least he didn't run a pass route with them.

    This brings up one interesting question: Why in the heck was there a pair of office scissors at the 45-yard line of North Carolina's field? Is there a stapler at the 30? Maybe a printer by the end zone pylon? In all seriousness, we're glad Roberts found the scissors when he did. That could have ended in a potentially serious injury for someone.

    Jerry Jones: Cowboys are not dismayed by a 2-2 start

    After an ugly loss to the Bears on Monday night dropped the Cowboys to 2-2, owner Jerry Jones is trying to stay upbeat.

    Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan that while he isn’t exactly thrilled with the way the team has played since the impressive Week One win against the Giants, he isn’t worried, either.

    “We thought we would play better in the last three ballgames,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “Certainly in Seattle, we were not above expectations. But we met expectations and were elated with our first game. But we didn’t play as well against Seattle, a good team, hard team to beat out there. And certainly didn’t have the game we wanted to have out here against Tampa, but we won it. And then we laid an egg here against the Bears. So, I would say that we’re not up to expectations but certainly, at this juncture, not in any way dismayed or in any way thinking we won’t be the team that we want to be.”

    The Eagles lead the NFC East with a 3-1 record while the Cowboys, Giants and Redskins are all at 2-2, and Jones thinks that leaves the Cowboys in fine shape.

    “We haven’t really lost ground,” Jones said. “We might have missed some opportunities to gain ground, but we haven’t lost ground. Secondly, I think we can have a chance to be significantly better. The kinds of things that are beating us, are the kinds of things that coaches and players can correct.”

    I’m not sure how Jones can say the Cowboys haven’t lost ground, considering that after Week One they were tied with the Eagles and a game ahead of the Giants, and now they’re a game behind the Eagles and tied with the Giants. But he is right that four weeks into the season is too soon to panic — and that the Cowboys need to play better than they have in the last three games.

    Arians will read email from Pagano to Colts on Saturday

    As the Colts prepare to take the field on Sunday without head coach Chuck Pagano to lead them, they’ll hear from Pagano, indirectly.

    According to Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star, Pagano has sent an email to the team. Interim head coach Bruce Arians will read it to the players on Saturday.

    “Very private,” Arians said. “He sent it to every player.  Very long. . . . When you read it by yourself, it’s very emotional.  I don’t know if I can get it out to the team.  I might assign someone to read it.”

    Pagano was hospitalized on September 26 with leukemia.  Receiver Reggie Wayne, who first became acquainted with Pagano at the University of Miami 16 years ago, visited him this week.

    “I sat with him a little while,” Wayne said. “He’s doing good, man.  I was kind of surprised how good he was. He’s the same. He was joking.

    “He’s looking at it straight in the eyes. He understands what’s going on. He understands the tough task ahead of him. If there’s somebody that can go in and hit this out of the ballpark, it’s him.”

    Six years ago, Wayne’s brother was killed in an auto accident, and Wayne had to find a way to play a week later.

    “That’s how I know there’s still a game to be played no matter what the deal is,” Wayne said. “Everybody’s dealt with it their own way. We still play a kid’s game. People [are] out there making life’s decisions every day.

    “Hopefully we can go out and play together, play good Colts football and come out with a ‘W’ for [Pagano].”

    It won’t be easy.  The Packers, despite being 2-2, are still one of the best teams in the league.  And Arians already is bracing for a Cheesehead uprising when the Colts have the ball in their own building.

    Teen picked for homecoming court as prank shines at ceremony

    In a red, ruffled dress and flowers in her hair, Whitney Kropp, the Michigan high school student picked by her classmates to be on her school’s homecoming court as a prank, took to her school’s football stadium Friday for the ceremony.


    “I had thoughts about not coming, but you know what, I’m glad I changed my mind and actually came out,” Kropp told NBC News.

    Kropp's appearance was met with thunderous applause and camera flashes from her fellow students at Ogemaw Heights High School in West Branch, Mich., and even members of the opposing team.

    Whitney Kropp, third from left, waits for the ceremony to begin at Ogemaw Heights High School's homecoming football game on Friday.

    At Kropp’s side was Josh Awrey, the class of 2015’s male representative, the Bay City Times reported.

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    After the ceremony, Kropp, who said she had been bullied throughout her time in high school, told reporters that she was glad she decided to remain on the court.

    “I’m overwhelmed," Kropp said. "I’m so happy – this is so much right now for me. The school is fantastic they treated me so well."

    'Easy target'
    Kropp said last month she was initially surprised to learn that her classmates nominated her to be in the running for her school’s homecoming queen. But she said she soon felt humiliated and betrayed when she found out that it was all a joke.

    Sophomore homecoming representatives Whitney Kropp and Josh Awrey give each other a hug during the homecoming ceremony on the Ogemaw Heights High School football field on Friday.

    “People had bullied on me, I guess, for my looks, how I did my hair, how I dress, my height, so I guess they thought, you know, maybe someone that is different is someone that’s an easy target,” Kropp said.

    But, Kropp said she pulled through with the support of her mother and the rest of the town.

    "You want to protect your kid, and you feel angry and mad at what has happened, but at the same time the outpouring to help her has been beyond expected," Kropp's mother Bernice Kropp said.

    Word spread quickly through the community of about 2,100 residents in West Branch. Resident Jamie Kline started a Facebook support page, gaining more than 4,000 likes in Michigan and nationwide. Personal stories of bullying and messages of encouragement filled the page.

    A salon owner in West Branch donated service to cut, color and style Kropp's hair, and other local businesses paid for her dinner, gown, shoes and tiara for the dance.

    Whoops! Jessica Alba makes a right boob in the rain

    It’s happened to the best of us, so Jessica Alba should try not to feel too embarrassed. Well, maybe she should, just a teeny tiny little bit…

    While bending down to shield baby Haven from the elements – yes! It rains in New York, too! – Jessica had a bit of an incident. Unfortunately for her, the paps were there to capture it all.

    Jessica Alba goes shopping at Whole Foods Market in Manhattan Maybe she should have kept that jacket on
    Wenn

    It had all started so well, with the 31-year-old popping to the Whole Foods Market in Manhattan (popular place, we hear Katie Holmes shops there, too) to grab a few essentials. Jess had actually covered up pretty well, wearing bright blue trousers, a white shirt and black jacket. Unfortunately she didn't keep that on. And then this happened...

    Jessica Alba tries to shield her daughter Haven from the rain as she steps out in New York City, New York Celebrity boob alert!
    Flynet

    Top slips down and she flashes her black bra and half her boob.

    Want more boob? See the best celebrity ones here.

    Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lindsay Lohan: What's Their Bacon Number?

    Arnold Schwarzenegger's bombastic "60 Minutes" interview and Lindsay Lohan's disastrous nightclub episode catapulted these two celebrities into high trend alert at the start of the week. But are they connected otherwise? Here, we put the Kevin Bacon theory to the test to see just how closely Schwarzenegger, 65, and Lohan, 26, relate in Hollywood.

    Arnold Schwarzenegger acted in "The Expendables 2" (2012) with Bruce Willis,
    who acted in "Moonrise Kingdom" (2012) with Edward Norton,
    who acted in "The People vs. Larry Flynt" (1996) with Woody Harrelson,
    who acted in "A Prarie Home Companion" (2006) with Lindsay Lohan!
    Ding ding ding!
    Does the Kevin Bacon Theory hold? Yes

    For the record, Schwarzengger and Lohan each have an actual Bacon Number (the degree of relation to Kevin Bacon) of two, according to Google's playful new Easter egg.

    Have a quicker connection between these two? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to check back weekly for HuffPost Celebrity's "Bacon Number" breakdown of two trending stars.

    Nicole Scherzinger breaks silence about battle with bulimia while with the Pussycat Dolls

     While the rest of the world fell in love with Nicole Scherzinger’s beauty and talent, the brown-eyed bombshell harbored a horrible secret — a decade-long battle with bulimia.

    The former Pussycat Doll is breaking her silence on her with in a revealing interview for VH1’s “Behind the Music,” airing Sunday.

    “I just hated myself, I really was just hated myself,” Scherzinge says in a clip of the interview that debuted on EW.com.

    During one particularly low point, Scherzinger locked herself in the bathroom after the Pussy Cat Dolls were given skimpy outfits to perform in.

    Scherzinger (C) with her Pussycat Dolls bandmates holding up their award for Best Dancing In A Video at the 2008 MTV Video Music Awards in 2008.

    “I got my outfit and my outfit was a bra and some underwear and some garters,” she says on Sunday’s episode of the music documentary series. “I was sweating in the back room. I can’t go out. I can’t do this.

    “I was not comfortable with my body.”

    Nicole Scherzinger was fired as a judge on  'The X Factor' earlier this year.

    Even as the group’s popularity was sky-rocketing, her fellow Dolls noticed warning signs. Scherzinger forced herself to vomit so much that the scars became noticeable on her knuckles from the stomach acid burns.

    “She didn’t see a perfect figure when she looked in the mirror, Scherzinger’s best friend, Katie Morris, tells “Behind the Music.” “She said she saw thick thighs and chubby knees and she wanted blonde hair and different lips and a different nose.”
    jump

    Though she says that she never dabbled in drugs, Scherzinger says “my bulimia was my addiction. Hurting myself was my addiction.”
    alg_dancing.jpg
    Larkey/ABC
    Nicole Scherzinger and partner Derek Hough strut their stuff on 'Dancing With the Stars.'

    Though she’s since overcome her disorder, Scherzinger waited for years to reveal her bout with bulimia because she was afraid of devastating her family.

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