In the wake of the shocking news that Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds were secretly married over the weekend, the nation's best and most intrepid reporters have been seeking out old loves of the couple to get their shattered reaction. So far they've gotten Lively's former longtime boyfriend and Gossip Giggles costar Penn Badgley, who says, unconvincingly, that he is happy for Lively. He told reporters in Toronto, "I'm happy for her. Genuinely happy." Oooh, Penn. Shouldn't have added that "Genuinely happy." That makes it seem a bit too belabored, you doth protest too much, y'know? "I'm happy for her. Genuinely happy. So f-cking happy. So happy I could spit in someone's eye. So genuinely happy that I think I might just go home and put on 'Losing My Religion' an sit in a ball on the floor and soul scream for a while. So perfectly, truly happy for her that I might take a long walk off a short pier, go swim out to China or somewhere, disappear like Robinson Crusoe, live a new life, a new pure perfect life where hearts don't get broken, because everything is good and I am blissfully alone, on my little island of wonders. That's how happy I am for Blake and her wedding." Poor Penn! Poor damaged soul. [Us Weekly]

Meanwhile, Ryan Lochte isn't sweatin' it. Yeah for some reason he was asked how he feels about Blake Lively getting married, I guess because he said a little while ago that he has a crush on her, and he's takin' it pretty well. "I just heard about [the wedding]. I didn't even know she had a boyfriend until someone told me after I said I had a crush on her. That's great for them. I just want to congratulate them and wish them the best." Aw, good kid, good kid. And hey, thinks are lookin' up already. Not only did he get to meet and hang out with Paris Hilton recently, who he says is very pretty, but he was also seen chatting up 81-year-old model Carmen Dell’Orefice at a Fashion Week event. Yes the octogenarian was giving Lochte tips on modeling and fashion. Lochte in turn asked her questions like "Did they have electricity when you were a little girl?" and "What was the war like?" The two got along famously and probably Dell'Orefice (quite a name...) will manage to seduce him back to her apartment, where Lochte will stand and say, "Hey, this smell's like my gramma's house." [People, Page Six]

Prince William and his chestnut bride Kate Middleton have arrived in Singapore, where they will tour on behalf of the Queen and her Diamond Jubilee. They spent an afternoon going to the Botanic Gardens, where famous orchids are kept, one kind of orchid named after William's late mother, Princess Diana. The couple now has an orchid named after them too, the Vanda William Catherine, which has "white petals with purple-red spots and a purple lip." Yes, white like their skin, the purple lips relate to their blue blood, and of course the purple-red spots are their nipples. Yeah, it's a little weird, but that's what it is. After doing some glad-handing at the flower hut, a tired Wills and Kate returned to their hotel, the Raffles, to get some rest. Kate murmured to William about the pretty flowers they'd seen as she drifted off to sleep, while a worried William stared at the ceiling, the world "nipples" playing luridly over and over and over again in his head. [People]

Here's an item about Tavi Gevinson, that little girl who has that website, telling a fan at some sort of talk in New York that it is OK to like Taylor Swift and that you don't have to feel guilty about it. She said, "If you want to like Taylor Swift, I think you should and not feel bad. Because, ultimately, there are so many other things to feel bad about." Which Page Six praises as wise, but really isn't that wise. I mean, come on, I know she's a tiny child just struggling to comprehend the big wide world and so deserves some slack, but let's not call things wise that aren't that wise. You wanna like Taylor Swift? You go on with your bad self, child. See? I just said it too. It ain't that hard. A wise response to the question would have been something about how Taylor Swift's relationship with Conor Kennedy represents the downfall of polite American society and what that might mean for our precarious future. [Page Six]

"I remember sitting there in the dark, arguing with myself," Katherine Stone said of the nights several years ago when her baby simply would not go to sleep.

A women's health advocate and Babble blogger living in Atlanta, Ga., Stone hadn't slept through the night in months, and she was at her wits' end.

"It's torture," she said. "It's like, 'When is this ever going to end?'"

Inevitably, she found herself uncertain about whether to let her baby cry.

"If I go in too soon, will she not learn to self-soothe?" Stone recalled herself thinking. "If I go in too late, have I taught my baby that I'm not reliable? It was a nightmare."

Stone's story is a familiar one among many new parents. Nearly half of mothers with babies over six months of age report problems with their baby's sleep. This common problem not only leads to sleepless nights for parents, but it also doubles the risk that moms will suffer from feelings of depression.

Now, a new study released today in the journal Pediatrics suggests it is OK to let babies cry while trying to fall asleep -- a finding that may help settle a long-running debate among both parents and experts over whether allowing a baby to cry itself to sleep harms the child in the long run.

Australian researchers looked at 225 babies from seven months to 6 years of age to compare the difference between parents who were trained in sleep intervention techniques and those who were not. Specifically, researchers allowed parents in the sleep intervention group to choose one of two sleep training techniques to use with their baby. Parents who chose "controlled crying" responded to their infant's cry at increasing time intervals. Parents who chose "camping out," also called "adult fading," sat with their infant until they fell asleep, removing themselves earlier each night over three weeks.

Parents in the control group were not taught the sleep training techniques and instead provided their own routine care.

What the researchers found was that children and mothers in the sleep training group had improved sleep, and the mothers were less likely to experience depression and other emotional problems. These benefits lasted up to the time the babies turned 2.

Moreover, the study looked at various factors to determine whether harm was done to children in the sleep training group, including mental and behavioral health, sleep quality, stress, and relationship with their parents. They found no differences between children in the two groups, leading researchers to conclude that these sleep training techniques are safe to use.

"[P]arents can feel confident using, and health professionals can feel confident offering, behavioral techniques such as controlled comforting and camping out for managing infant sleep," the researchers write in the study.

In the world of the web trolls, this was an unqualified call to arms.

When Big Apple Pizza owner Scott Van Nuzer bear-hugged and hoisted President Obama off the ground during their brief meeting in Fort Pierce, Fla., Sunday, it wasn't only the (startled) press corps that took notice.

Earlier today, users flooded the rate and review website Yelp, sending Big Apple Pizza's overall rating in a tailspin.

"Talk about committing business suicide. After picking up Obama, your (sic) books are gonna be in the red pretty soon. Not too smart," wrote one commenter, who delivered his one star (out of five) rating from Cottonwood, Ariz., about 2,200 miles away.

But just as quickly as Big Apple's stars disappeared, they were back. The backlash to the backlash was delivered swiftly. By late afternoon, Van Nuzer's pizza spot was back up in the rankings, registering a full five stars.

Another user, this one checking in from Brooklyn, N.Y., 1,165 miles away, chirped: "Really, conservatards? You try to trash a man's business because he likes a different political candidate than you? What scum you all are. Go crawl back in your holes. SCOTT VAN DUZER IS MY HERO!"

Of the 229 comments listed on the page (30 of them "filtered," one removed for violating terms of service), only two were published pre-bear hug, the most recent coming in 2010.

The oldest review, the first posted on the Big Apple page, delivers a less partisan evaluation.

"Nice variety of food for lunch or dinner," Bob O. from hometown Fort Pierce wrote on Dec. 26, 2009. "Love the Pizza, wings, subs and the best strombolie in town. Great atmosphere in newly renovated dinning area, and flat screen TV's to enjoy sports. Family setting as Scott VanDuzer (sic), Fish and the rest of the staff make you feel right at home. 'Special People' and good food make for a local favorite."

Lana Del Rey claimed the title of British GQ's "Woman of the Year" and got naked for the cover of the risque issue.

Wearing nothing but diamond and sapphire jewelry and bright red lipstick, Del Rey poses nude for the cover of British GQ's "15th Annual Men of the Year Awards Special Issue."

The magazine has been criticized for sexism in the wake of the release. Tinie Tempah, Robbie Williams, Mad Men actor John Slattery and James Corden each appear clothed on alternate covers. Del Rey, the sole female, is the only one who appears disrobed.

"Objectification is complicated—I don't have a problem with a naked lady here and there per se, but when ALL YOUR LADIES ARE NAKED, those of us ladies with clothes on start to wonder why you even keep us around," wrote Jezebel's Lindy West. "Like, you're just going to have one lady...and she has to be naked?"

While Del Rey's nude British GQ photo shoot will surely attract viewers (and critics), her winning "Woman of the Year" has a lot more to do with her rocketing career than it does with her naked body. British GQ explains:

    Having provoked equal amounts of debate and outrage throughout an incredible year, she fufills one of the key requirements for any good pop star: she gets talked about. Following the all-conquering "Video Games" and her number one debut album Born To Die, Del Rey signed to NEXT models, wrote the best song on Cheryl Cole's last album, teamed up with ASAP Rocky and has acted as a muse and model to Mulberry, Jaguar and H&M. Truly 2013 is hers for the taking.

Del Rey, born Lizzie Grant, has surely come a long way from her days growing up in Lake Placid, N.Y. At 18 years old, the self-proclaimed "gangsta Nancy Sinatra" moved to New York City to pursue her dreams, singing at open mike nights and moving into a trailer park in New Jersey, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Emma Watson is living out another fantasy – the life of a high school kid that she missed out on growing up in the Harry Potter fold.

For her first major film role since leaving the world of Potter behind, Watson chose "The Perks of Being a Wallflower," in which she plays an American teen who's part of a clique of hip outsiders at a Pittsburgh school.

The 22-year-old British actress said it gave her a taste of a whole different life considering her cloistered upbringing on the set of the Potter franchise, in which she was cast as bookish young hero Hermione Granger at age 9.

"It felt pretty exotic to me. It really did. It was a very voyeuristic experience," Watson said in an interview Sunday at the Toronto International Film Festival, where "Perks" played ahead of its U.S. theatrical release Sept. 21. "Getting to go to Friday night football and Olive Garden, school dances and all of that stuff. That was really another world to me."

She's rich and world-famous because of the eight "Harry Potter" films, and Watson shares Hermione's studiousness, spending a couple of years at Brown University years before launching into a busy post-"Potter" film schedule.

Yet for all the worldliness that comes with her Hollywood experience, Watson said that growing up in a bubble of celebrity has left her feeling like a kid when it comes to many things.

"There are some parts of me that feel very old, and then there are other parts of me that are, like, I have a sense of my own arrested development," Watson said. "There are some parts of me right now that are probably going through adolescence."

Her work ethic is fairly grown-up, though. While attending Brown and working on last year's "Harry Potter" finale, Watson squeezed in a small role in the Marilyn Monroe drama "My Week with Marilyn."

After "Perks," she co-starred in Sofia Coppola's 2013 release "The Bling Ring," playing one of a group of celebrity-obsessed Los Angeles teens who burgle the homes of Hollywood stars. Watson also has a cameo role in Seth Rogen's upcoming comedy "The End of the World," playing a version of herself alongside other stars coping with the apocalypse during a party at James Franco's place.

Watson came to Toronto for the "Perks" premiere on a break from her next project, co-starring with Russell Crowe, Jennifer Connelly and Anthony Hopkins in director Darren Aronofsky's biblical epic "Noah." She heads back to work Tuesday on that film, which also features her "Perks" co-star Logan Lerman.

Adapted by director Stephen Chbosky from his own novel, "Perks" casts Lerman as a deeply troubled high school freshman who falls in with a crowd of smart, nurturing seniors dealing with plenty of issues of their own. Watson's Sam becomes his dream girl, an old soul with a dark past herself earlier in her teen years.

After a decade as Hermione, Watson aims to give "Harry Potter" fans a taste of what she can do outside the world of witches and wizards.

No, this isn't a remake of Madonna's rom-com "Who's That Girl?" (1987), it's "The Hunger Games" star Jennifer Lawrence, vamping it up for last night's Toronto International Film Festival premiere of her buzzy new film, "Silver Linings Playbook."

Lawrence looked nothing like the stunner who made everyone say, "Who's THAT girl?" while walking the 2011 Academy Awards Red Carpet (above right), when she was nominated for her lead role in "Winter's Bone" (2010). On that red carpet, then 20-year-old Lawrence stole many a headline while rocking a Fancisco Costa designed Calvin Klein Collection gown that made Jessica Rabbit look frumpy.

In Toronto, Lawrence's look was… well, different. In fact, she's nearly unrecognizable! We're not saying she doesn't look amazing and elegant in her mostly-crimson, somewhat gothic, strapless Christian Dior Haute Couture gown and Dior black shoes, but Lawrence does look significantly more severe. The pencil-straight auburn hair stands out in sharp contrast to her easy, breezy, carefree blonde waves we've gotten used to. And the dark makeup and fingernails gravely accentuate the striking difference.

Perhaps Lawrence's new dramatic look is an early marketing push to land her an Oscar? There is certainly plenty of Oscar worthy buzz surrounding the quirky dramedy "Silver Linings Playbook," directed by David O. Russell and co-starring Bradley Cooper and Robert DeNiro. Lawrence and Cooper play two messed up, over medicated, therapy magnets who come together in hopes of finding some sanity in this crazy world, or at least some good company.

The Hollywood Reporter gushed over the film, especially over Lawrence and Cooper's obvious synergy: "The chemistry between Cooper and Lawrence makes them a delight to watch, their spiky rapport failing to conceal a mutual attraction."

Deadline notes the film "will almost certainly put stars Bradley Cooper, Jennifer Lawrence and Robert De Niro all in major contention for acting nominations. In fact, in what has previously looked like a pretty weak field for lead actress this year, Lawrence leaps to the front of the pack with a revelatory performance that seemed to knock most observers out."

 Russian opposition punk band Pussy Riot have released a new video in which they set fire to a portrait of President Vladimir Putin in a stunt likely to anger the Kremlin.

Three of the band's members - Nadezhda Tolokonnikova, Maria Alyokhina and Yekaterina Samutsevich - were last month given two-year jail sentences each after storming the altar of Moscow's main cathedral and staging a "punk prayer", calling on the Virgin Mary to rid Russia of Putin.

Their jail sentences - for the crime of hooliganism motivated by religious hatred - drew sharp international criticism with opposition groups saying the case was part of a Kremlin crackdown on dissent.

In August, the all-female collective said that two other band members who had taken part in the same cathedral protest had fled the country - the whereabouts of the roughly dozen other members who did not take part in the stunt is unknown.

In the new video, which was released on the Internet and featured three anonymous band members who were performing on behalf of their jailed friends, women donning balaclavas - the band's trademark -
are shown abseiling down the facade of an abandoned or under construction building.

A giant white banner depicting a guitar-wielding woman in a red miniskirt with the caption "Pussy Riot" is unfurled on the building's facade and, beneath it, smaller cardboard portraits of Putin and of Alexander Lukashenko, the president of Belarus, are shown hanging.

"We've been fighting for the right to sing, to think, to criticise. To be musicians and artists, ready to do everything to change our country, no matter the risks. We go on with our musical fight in Russia and our country is dominated by an evil man," female voices, speaking in English, exclaim in turns.

A MUM and daughter are about to go head to head  in the Miss Plus Size  International beauty pageant for bigger women.

Here, single mum of four and tea shop owner Michelle, 41, and budding  baker  Bianca, 23, from Charlton, south-east London, talk to JENNIFER  TIPPETT.


Michelle says

“FOR us, this is the ultimate mother-and-daughter experience — and to both  make the final after 400 ladies from around the world entered is a real  honour.

“We both really want to win and that’s great.

“And we’re the only mum-and-daughter BBW (Big Beautiful Women) team competing  in pageants globally.

“It just shows that us full-figured girls from south-east London can set the  standard and show the rest of the world how it’s done.

“I don’t consider either of us large. We’re in the middle.

“We’ve never dieted and I don’t consider it necessary.

“Sometimes we over-indulge on special occasions but who doesn’t?

“I have taught all my children the value of healthy food.

“We don’t sit around stuffing our faces. Everyone assumes because we are big  that we are lazy, which is just not true.

“It’s about time people appreciated that big women are part of society.

“As mum and daughter, we represent different ages and different sizes.

To be fair, a dancer doing their thing in public doesn't need any props to get noticed, but Scheinbert insists "it's not about the nudity."

"Now [pole dancing] is about acrobatics and trying to compete with somebody," Scheinbert said. "It's like playing H-O-R-S-E. One person does a move and another person tries to top it."

Andrew Katzander, founder of PoleRiders, a group of pole-based performance artists, believes that the activity is starting to become more mainstream and differentiated.

"There's a lot of dancers that have stayed with the whole high-heels and sexy moves, and others who have moved toward the gymnastic and athletic side of it," Katzander said. "Others are moving towards the more dance side of it."

A 12-year-old New York boy and his three 13-year-old friends accused of gang raping a 14-year-old girl over three days and attempting to rape another 12-year-old claimed in court today that the sex was consensual.

The boys, all students of Chestnut Ridge Middle School in Ramapo, have told the Rockland Family Court that they did not illegally enter the girls home and rape her on two different occasions and sexually attack another girl.

Giving evidence by closed circuit television to the court, the girl who is now 15, said that on the second day the boys let themselves into her home uninvited early on June 12th and took it in turns to rape her – only leaving that morning to catch a bus to school for an exam they didn’t want to miss.
One of the four boys who have not been identified accused of gang raping a 14-year-old girl walks away from Rockland Family Court with his parents with a jacket over his head

One of the four boys who have not been identified accused of gang raping a 14-year-old girl walks away from Rockland Family Court with his parents with a jacket over his head

In late August, the 15-year-old girl gave evidence from another room in the family court because prosecution psychologists had deemed it damaging for her to see the four defendants who are currently free under house supervision.

The teen claimed in evidence that the boys raped her again in the afternoon on the 12th and and finally returned on the 13th of June to rape her again but she told them she was menstruating and instead the boys attempted to attack a 12-year-old girl who was present in the home.

The older girl said that the attacks began on the morning of June 11th, when the boys entered the home, held her down and stripped her of her clothes, which she said she tried to resist.

‘I was yelling and screaming to leave me alone,’ she said, adding she felt ‘pain’ at being penetrated multiple times.

The 15-year-old claimed that in the afternoon of the 12th after they returned from school, the boys discovered her hiding in her parents  bedroom, overpowered her and held her down by her wrists while they took it in turns to rape her again.

Claiming that the boys knew where a key  to her front door was kept, the 15-year-old girl has testified that the  boys came back on the 12th and took it in turns to rape and sodomise her inside the bathroom.

The 15-year-old and 12-year-old girl who is now 13, didn’t tell their parents until a two days  after the alleged attacks.

In her testimony to the family court, the younger girl said that she kicked and screamed and bit two of the four boys as they tried to rape her on June 13th.

‘They pulled me into (the other girl’s) room. I was screaming, ‘Get off of me!’’, the girl told Rockland Family Court Judge Sherri Eisenpress according to The Journal News.

have pushed the price of smokes so high in some areas, it is literally more profitable to hijack a truck filled with cigarettes than an armored car.

The problem is worst in New York, which has the highest cigarette taxes in the land. In New York City, that tax is more than $5 a pack. Smugglers rush there from Virginia, which has the lowest state taxes on cigarettes, just 30 cents.

Now, they’re selling loose cigarettes – loosies, for 75 cents apiece on the black market.

Even 10 years ago, well before bigger tax hikes, Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms officials were saying traditional organized crime is involved in New York’s black market smokes, along with terrorist groups and street gangs. Numerous murders and shootings resulted.

You know who profits the most off of tobacco, besides smugglers?

That’s right, federal and state governments.

Tobacco companies’ operating profits are less than 50 cents a pack.

The feds get twice that, a whole dollar, thanks to a giant increase in 2009.

And many states, like New York, New Jersey and Rhode Island, make five to ten times as much in taxes than the manufacturers’ profit.

That’s why it costs more than $11 bucks for a pack of smokes in Manhattan.

And with a pack costing about $4 here, you can see the business opportunity for smugglers.

America’s history and tobacco are joined at the hip. Gold brought waves of settlers here in the mid 1800s, but before that, it was the golden leaf.

That’s why tobacco leaves adorn the state capitol.

Alexander Hamilton was the first to push tobacco taxes shortly after we declared independence, but we didn’t get serious about it until the Civil War drained the Union’s economy.

Tobacco taxes have soared in the past 20 years as smoking became one of the most reviled behaviors in the land.

Not only has it been blamed for deadly diseases, tobacco has been wrongly been labeled a financial drain to our society.

This is what happens when a legal product becomes so politically incorrect that we suspend the usual fair trade rules and allow governments to sin tax the hell out of it.

But no matter how horrible we say tobacco is, we don’t have the guts to make it illegal because we’re right there in bed with the tobacco companies.

And do you know who gets screwed the most? Poor people.

Ben & Jerry's considers "Ben & Cherry's" in bad taste.

The ice cream maker that introduced the flavors Schweddy Balls and Karamel Sutra sued the maker of "Ben & Cherry's" X-rated DVDs Wednesday, saying the "hardcore pornographic" films have smeared its reputation.

The trademark lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Manhattan said the sale of hardcore and exploitive pornographic DVDs and related goods is tarnishing Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.'s name by creating an association with pornography. It said the claims arise from the distribution and sale of a series of DVDs containing "exploitative, hardcore pornographic films" featuring titles and themes based on "well-known and iconic" Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavors as well as packaging that contains key company features such as a grazing cow, green grass and large white puffy clouds.

The lawsuit by the Vermont-based company said the films would likely cause "confusion, mistake or deception" regarding the company's trademarks. It identified some of the X-rated names similar to its own as "Boston Cream Thigh," `'New York Fat & Chunky" and "Peanut Butter D-Cup." Ben & Jerry's has ice cream flavors titled: "Boston Cream Pie," `'New York Super Fudge Chunk" and "Peanut Butter Cup."

For nearly 35 years, Ben & Jerry's has produced and sold ice cream, frozen confections, frozen yogurt and sorbet, building the reach of its trademarks through more than 300 Ben & Jerry's Scoop Shops in the United States and another 150 shops internationally, as well as through supermarkets, drugstores, delis, ice cream cars and online, the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit seeks unspecified damages. A message left with defendants Rodax Distributors and Caballero Video at their North Hollywood, Calif., offices wasn't immediately returned.

“Pride and Prejudice” and “Atonement,” the last two acclaimed novel adaptations directed by Joe Wright, were nominated for 11 Academy Awards between them. Which is part of what makes Wright’s new take on Leo Tolstoy’s epic “Anna Karenina,” with Keira Knightley in the title role, such a hugely anticipated film during this awards season. With few Best Picture contenders in the Oscar race at this point — and the pedigree of Wright, Knightley and Tolstoy — can “Anna Karenina” take the lead?

Judging from the early reviews: maybe? With “Anna Karenina” — which is out in the U.K. on Friday and also screened at the Toronto International Film Festival — Wright takes Tolstoy’s classic prose and filters it through a marvel of modern filmmaking. The entire movie (with apparently few exceptions) is set inside a massive theater that bends and folds to the venue of the scene; the actors are literally performing “Anna Karenina” on a stage. (For an explanation as to why this was done and a look at how Wright accomplished it, check out this video.)

While that type of stylistic flourish hasn’t prevented Wright from winning awards kudos before (“Atonement” has a particularly original mise en scene, especially for a film that was written off as mere Oscar bait), it might be a bridge too far for some when it comes to “Anna Karenina.” As Hollywood Elsewhere blogger Jeffrey Wells noted in his rave review, some audience members at the Toronto International Film Festival were openly mocking the film during moments of “high emotion.”

THR critic Todd McCarthy didn’t go that far — his review is of the mixed-positive variety — but he did write that the conceit loses steam as the film moves along.

    “As intriguing as it may be in big set pieces such as the ball and in small details such as a child’s toy train suddenly becoming a full-sized one on which crucial scenes are played out, the technique becomes palpably constricting in the second half, where the abridgments of Stoppard’s script become all too noticeable.”

As EW.com’s Dave Karger wrote on Twitter, Wright’s “bold directorial choices will turn some off.”

Of course, that risk is what makes “Anna Karenina” different. In his three-out-of-five star review for The Guardian, critic Peter Bradshaw echoed those thoughts: “The Wright/Stoppard Anna Karenina is not a total success, but it’s a bold and creative response to the novel.”

Even with mixed reviews, most critics seem to agree that the film is beautiful, thoughtful and lined up for a boat load of Oscar nominations in the technical categories. Knightley may also earn a second Best Actress nod — her previous one came after working with Wright on “Pride and Prejudice.”

“Keira Knightley as Anna — a Best Actress performance if I’ve ever seen one,” Wells wrote, before adding that the detractors of the film — who laughed during his screening — should be “slapped around.” (The man is a big fan.)

"The zombies are coming!" the Homeland Security Department says.

Tongue firmly in cheek, the government urged citizens Thursday to prepare for a zombie apocalypse, part of a public health campaign to encourage better preparation for genuine disasters and emergencies. The theory: If you're prepared for a zombie attack, the same preparations will help during a hurricane, pandemic, earthquake or terrorist attack.


The Federal Emergency Management Agency hosted an online seminar for its Citizen Corps organization to help emergency planners better prepare their communities for disaster. The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last year first launched a zombie apocalypse social media campaign for the same purposes.

Emergency planners were encouraged to use the threat of zombies – the flesh-hungry, walking dead – to encourage citizens to prepare for disasters. Organizers also noted the relative proximity to Halloween.

Among the government's recommendations were having an emergency evacuation plan and a change of clothes, plus keeping on hand fresh water, extra medications and emergency flashlights.

A few of the government's suggestions tracked closely with some of the 33 rules for dealing with zombies popularized in the 2009 movie "Zombieland," which included "always carry a change of underwear" and "when in doubt, know your way out."

In her next movie, Kristen Stewart goes to bed with two men at the same time, gives both of them simultaneous hand jobs in the front seat of a car and performs oral sex on one of them while he's driving said car. She also appears topless twice, once just minutes into the movie, and spends much of the rest of her time doing drugs and robbing people.

But wait. Before you scroll down to the comments to register your disgust at Stewart's latest attempt to lead the nation's youth into a ditch of vice and vulgarity, try to imagine any of her fellow Millennial über-celebrities giving a performance as brave, or as powerful, as the one Stewart delivers in "On the Road," a new adaptation of Jack Kerouac's famous novel, directed by Walter Salles ("The Motorcycle Diaries").

For Taylor Swift, edgy is writing a breakup song and encouraging her fans to figure out who she's talking about. For Miley Cyrus, it's letting her side boob hang out. For Kim Kardashian, it's dating Kanye West and daring the world to decide if the whole thing is one giant put-on.

Is Kristen Stewart the only major celebrity of her generation who also happens to be a true artist?

It's certainly telling that she chose to make her big post-scandal comeback at last night's North American premiere of "On the Road," which took place at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was her first outing since photos of her fooling around with director Rupert Sanders blew her fairytale romance with Robert Pattinson to bits. And while it's possible Stewart was contractually obliged to support the film, the decision to spend an hour communing with her fans and answering questions from the press had to be hers. Again and again, she told reporters that she would be just as happy to be there promoting "Twilight," but I wonder. I suspect it's important to her to remind the world that she's more than just a twinkling star in the celebrity-weekly firmament. She's a real actress.

Like her contemporary Shia LaBeouf, Stewart gets a lot of flak from people who can't stand her zillion-dollar franchise. I won't claim to be a "Twilight" fan, but I'm consistently impressed by Stewart's work in what you might call more "serious" films, and "On the Road" is no exception.

This is definitely an "On the Road" for our times, directed by a Brazilian Boomer for a global audience of Millennials. The film doesn't shy away from the destruction that Kerouac's speed-demon hero, Dean Moriarty (Garrett Hedlund), wreaked on those around him, and, as a result, the women register with far more impact than they do in the book. Kirsten Dunst plays Dean's second wife, Camille, as an arrogant princess whose dreams fall victim to her man's wanderlust, but it's Stewart who steals a sizeable portion of the film. Not in a showy way -- it's remarkable how much time this massive global superstar spends in the back seat, literally and figuratively. But hers is a bold, brave, indelible performance. When we first see her, she's topless on a bed, shaking off her sexual afterglow so she can roll a few joints for Dean's friends. "You're the only girl I've ever known who can roll tea like this," Sam Riley's Sal Paradise tells her, as smitten as the audience would be if their inner tabloid editors weren't reminding them that they're supposed to be mad at her for breaking RPattz's heart.

The toplessness itself is an extremely courageous choice for someone as famous as Stewart. There is no question that screen shots of those scenes will proliferate all across the Internet, in contexts that would make even Marylou blush. But Stewart has proven that she's the kind of actress who puts her commitment to the role above concerns like that. To some people, her self-seriousness comes off as pretentious, but I see it as her way of protecting herself from the madness that surrounds her.

 Michael Clarke Duncan was one big, irresistible jumble of contradictions.

His presence was formidable, even intimidating: The former bodyguard had a muscular, 6-foot-4 frame, but it was topped by the brightest of megawatt smiles.

Bing: More on Michael Clarke Duncan

His gravelly baritone was well-suited to everything from animated films to action spectacles, but no matter the role, a warmth and a sweetness was always evident underneath.

The prolific character actor, whose dozens of movies included an Oscar-nominated performance as a death row inmate in "The Green Mile" and box office hits including "Armageddon," "Planet of the Apes" and "Kung Fu Panda," died Monday at age 54. And although he only turned to acting in his 30s, it's clear from the outpouring of prayers and remembrances he received across the Hollywood and sports worlds that his gentle-giant persona made him much-loved during that relatively brief time.

Duncan died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, where he was being treated for a heart attack, said his fiancée, reality TV personality Rev. Omarosa Manigault, in a statement released by publicist Joy Fehily.

Duncan "suffered a myocardial infarction on July 13 and never fully recovered," the statement said. "Manigault is grateful for all of your prayers and asks for privacy at this time. Celebrations of his life, both private and public, will be announced at a later date."

Tom Hanks, star of 1999's "The Green Mile" -- the film that earned a then-little-known Duncan a supporting-actor nomination at the Academy Awards -- said he was "terribly saddened at the loss of Big Mike. He was the treasure we all discovered on the set of 'The Green Mile.' He was magic. He was a big love of man and his passing leaves us stunned."

"I will miss my friend, Michael Clarke Duncan," comedian and talk-show host Steve Harvey said on Twitter. "What an incredible soldier in God's Plan." Other sad and shocked reactions came from a diverse field that included Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, actresses Alexa Vega, Niecy Nash and Olivia Munn, and former boxing champion Lennox Lewis.

Video: Remembering Michael Clarke Duncan

In the spring of 2012, Duncan had appeared in a video for PETA, the animal rights organization, in which he spoke of how much better he felt since becoming a vegetarian three years earlier.

"I cleared out my refrigerator, about $5,000 worth of meat," he said. "I'm a lot healthier than I was when I was eating meat."

Duncan had a handful of minor roles before "The Green Mile" brought him accolades and fame. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer with a surprisingly gentle demeanor and extraordinary healing powers.

Duncan's performance caught on with critics and moviegoers and he quickly became a favorite in Hollywood, appearing in several films a year. He owed some of his good fortune to Bruce Willis, who recommended Duncan for "The Green Mile" after the two appeared together in "Armageddon." Clarke would work with Willis again in "Breakfast of Champions," "The Whole Nine Yards" and "Sin City."

His industrial-sized build was suited for everything from superhero films ("Daredevil") to comedy ("Talladega Nights," "School for Scoundrels"). His gravelly baritone alone was good enough for several animated movies, including, "Kung Fu Panda," "Delgo" and "Brother Bear." mong Duncan's television credits were "The Apprentice," "Two and a Half Men," "The Suite Life of Zack and Cody" and a new series, The Finder."

Michael Clarke Duncan's fiancee says the Oscar nominee for "The Green Mile" has died while being hospitalized following a July heart attack.

Publicist Joy Fehily released a statement from Clarke's fiancée, the Rev. Omarosa Manigault, saying the 54-year-old actor died Monday morning in a Los Angeles hospital after nearly two months of treatment following the July 13 heart attack.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Duncan appeared in dozens of films, including such box office hits as "Armageddon," "Planet of the Apes" and "Kung Fu Panda,"

Duncan had a handful of minor roles before "The Green Mile" brought him an Academy Award nomination for best supporting actor. The 1999 film, based on the Stephen King novel of the same name, starred Tom Hanks as a corrections officer at a penitentiary in the 1930s. Duncan played John Coffey, a convicted murderer.

Well, it didn't take long for former UFC lightweight champion Frankie Edgar to get a meaningful fight at 145 pounds. Late Thursday night, John Morgan of MMAJunkie reported that "The Answer" would step in for an injured Erik Koch and fight Jose Aldo at UFC 153 in October. The nature of Koch's injury was not revealed.

**Update: Ariel Helwani of MMAFighting.com reports Koch suffered a knee injury.

After some epic battles with BJ Penn and Gray Maynard, Edgar has dropped his last two fights, both to Benson Henderson. Aldo, on the other hand, is undefeated under the Zuffa banner and has won 13 straight fights.

UFC 153 is scheduled for October 13 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

There’s no way it could be that cold in Los Feliz where Mandy Moore picked up lunch from Little Dom’s restaurant. It was around 90 degrees in SoCal. So, the only obvious explanation for her nipples looking like they could cut through glass is she was getting all hot thinking about me. No need to be embarrassed Mandy. It happens to all the ladies.

It's no secret that as guys, we like action movies. The explosions, the car chases, the guns, the mindless violence – we love it all. And sometimes, it's nice to see an action movie that features a hot chick doing these things. And sure, the greats hold a special place in our heart, like Stallone as Rambo or Schwarzenegger as the Terminator before he suddenly became a politician. Those guys were great. But sometimes there's just too much beefcake in action flicks, and from time to time, seeing a smoking hot woman kick a little ass can be entertaining as hell.

This, of course, requires you to have the ability to suspend your disbelief. It is a bit of a crack up when you see these slender, delicate women beating the hell out of a 250 pound man on the big screen – sorry ladies, but in real life, the odds of that happening are slim to none. This applies to all of the women on this list except for one. You'll know why.


You might know her from... The Fifth Element, Resident Evil, tons of other movies where she doesn't play a genetically modified badass

Milla Jovovich has had one hell of a career. She's done a lot of movies – some better than others. No doubt many of us were first introduced (and attracted) to her in The Fifth Element, which is a movie that real men love. Critics tend to get their collective panties in a pretentious little bunch whenever a new Resident Evil movie comes out, crying through bitter tears that the movies have an incoherent storyline, poor acting, and serve only as a vehicle for the action sequences.

So why, pray tell, are these movies so successful that we're now anticipating the release of the fifth in the series? Because they're awesome, mostly in part due to the hearty spoonfuls of ass-whoop that Milla serves up. Nobody goes to see a Resident Evil movie for the  engaging dialogue or how closely the movies pay homage to the lore of the video game series (they don't, at all). They go because watching a hot women kill hordes of zombies and monsters is fun.


You might know her from... The Devil's Advocate, Aeon Flux, her awesome role as a mentally handicapped girl in Arrested Development

If Charlize continues to take roles such as her latest in the much anticipated film Prometheus, she just might enter the ranks of science fiction princesses like Milla. You might remember her starring role in box-office flop Aeon Flux, because it's yet another prime example of the “movies that are bad but incredibly fun to watch” category.

The movie was based on an animated show that was on in the early 90s on MTV and was only watched by stoners who were at home in the middle of the day. Charlize played the titular character Aeon Flux, who is a freedom fighting rebel against an oppressive government. Plot holes and overly-stylized direction aside, the movie is a great showcase of her chops as an action hero.

It must be a given that if you’re born into the Honey Boo Boo family, you’re going to be dealing with a few abnormalities. Their genes are around 80% recessive. Knowing that, it’s not shocking that the newest member of the family, Kaitlyn who was born to 18-year-old teen mom Anna, came out with four fingers and two thumbs on her right hand (picture). Mama June loves her nonetheless. ”We have embraced [the abnormality]. It makes Kaitlyn more special to us.”

June has been helping raise Kaitlyn while Anna finishes her senior year of high school. ”Sometimes my mama gives me pointers,” says Anna, who declines to name the baby’s father and says he is not in the picture. “Sometimes I just learn on my own.” Haha, pointers. I see what you did there.

The only bad thing about being born with two thumbs is it’s going to be a lot harder for Kaitlyn to decide which one to suck on. On the other hand, she’ll be one of the few people able to give something three thumbs up.

In related news, expect this kid to be as hillbilly as the rest of the family. They’re already dipping the kid’s pacifier in Code Red Mountain Dew before putting it in her mouth. I guess they figure since she’s going to be losing all her teeth anyway, might as well get a head start. “Ain’t no granddaughter of mine gonna fall behind,” said Mamma June.

Randy Jackson will be leaving the American Idol judge’s table and into a mentor role even though the higher-ups don’t think that’s something he’d be good at. TMZ says they’re keeping him around because they need him to hold the show together.

As for who’ll be replacing him, Nicki Minaj’s deal, while not a complete lock, is nearly done. However, there is still the issue of Mariah Carey throwing a hissy fit because there’s a bigger female star than her at the table. But the producers are banking on that because they think conflict and tension is good for the show. Since it is. People eat that stuff up.

AI still hasn’t found their fourth judge yet though. It’s assumed it’ll be someone from the country music world. Hopefully someone not named Taylor Swift. The only thing more annoying than Mariah Carey talking about her Hello Kitty! dolls and Nicki Minaj pretending to have multiple personality disorder is Taylor Swift somehow tying every audition into a story about one of her failed relationships.

Spring Breakers star Ashley Benson’s svelte physique may be the envy of girls all over America, but that doesn’t mean the 22-year-old doesn’t have a few body image hangups of her own!

    I was super nervous before I got the movie and I was worried about it. I talked to [director Harmony Korine] about it and he was like, ‘There’s no need to stress out. You guys are college students in the film and nobody has the perfect body!’… Harmony really wanted us to look like we drank all the time and we partied, because that’s what they did, and he didn’t want us to have perfect bodies.

Is it just us, or did that sound like one of the most flagrant backhanded compliments of all time?

While Benson may have struggled with striping down to her skivvies in front of the camera, she certainly wasn’t the only one on set with a case of the bikini-induced jitters.

    I mean, anytime you’re in a bathing suit, you’re always self-conscious, because people comment… but Harmony made us all feel really comfortable. What was also great was that me, Vanessa, Selena and Rachel were all really comfortable with each other and nobody was commenting or trying to get super skinny. It was just a good group of girls to be around. We were all like, ‘We don’t care if we’re not perfect, and we’re not perfect.’ It was nice.

Well, by Hollywood standards, they may not be “perfect”, but in our eyes they’re pretty darn close!

The cast of Spring Breakers will soon travel to the Venice Film Festival to premiere their flick and Benson says she and her cast mates are more the ready to watch their latest project with a live audience!

    I’ve seen the movie and it’s absolutely amazing, but I can’t wait to see it with people around so I can see their reactions… I’m very excited.

A torrential downpour that struck Charlotte Saturday afternoon damaged the Mount Rushmore-style sand sculpture bust of President Obama — an ominous beginning to what many fear is a plagued convention.

Workers were trying Saturday afternoon to reform the base of the sculpture, built from sand brought in from Myrtle Beach, S.C., pounding and smoothing out the sand that had washed off the facade of the waist-up rendering of the chief executive.

The sand sculpture was protected from above, and Mr. Obama's face didn't see too much damage. But the storm was so strong that its heavy winds blew the rain sideways, pelting the president's right side and leaving the sand pockmarked and completely erasing his right elbow.

Democrats' choice of Charlotte has drawn criticism from unions who don't like North Carolina's labor laws, and the state seems to be tilting away from Democrats politically.

The large Rushmore-style sculpture drew comparisons to Mr. Obama's 2008 convention in Denver, when he accepted his party's nomination on a stage that looked like a Greek temple.

Human Rights activists in Guatemala said Friday that a joint anti-drug operation between U.S. Marines and the nation's army threatens to revive memories of rights abuses during Guatemala's 1960-1996 civil war.

A team of 200 U.S. Marines began patrolling Guatemala's western coast this week as part of a joint agreement to catch drug shipments.

"Rural communities in Guatemala are fearful of the military being used to combat drug traffickers because the same techniques are applied that were used in contra (counterinsurgency) warfare," said rights advocate Helen Mack, executive director of the Myrna Mack Foundation. "The historical memory is there and Guatemalans are fearful of that."

Kelsey Alford-Jones of the Guatemala Human Rights Commission/USA noted that Guatemalan armed forces, which were backed by the U.S. during the civil war, committed more than 93 percent of the acts of violence.

It was 50 years ago when the U.S. military last sent any significant aid and equipment into Guatemala, establishing a base to support counter-insurgency efforts during a guerrilla uprising after a CIA-backed coup overthrew democratically elected president Jacobo Arbenz in 1954. The movement led to 36 years of civil war that ended in 1996 with the signing of a peace accords between the government and leftist guerrillas.

The conflict left more than 200,000 dead and missing, 93 percent of them as a result of the activities of state forces and paramilitary groups, a U.N. report said. The U.S. pulled out in 1978.

Guatemalan authorities say they signed a treaty allowing the U.S. military to conduct the anti-drug operations on July 16. Less than a month later an Air Force C-5 transport plane flew into Guatemala City from North Carolina loaded with the Marines and four UH-1 "Huey" helicopters.

If the Marines find suspected boats, they will contact their Guatemalan counterparts in a special operations unit from the Guatemalan navy that will move in for the bust. The Marines will not go along on arrest missions, but they do have the right to defend themselves if fired on, U.S. officials said.

"Marines in Guatemala are in a supporting role and we are providing aerial, communications and logistical support to a regional partner who is currently facing strong challenges with illicit trafficking along its coasts. This is not a new role nor the first time the U.S. military supports a partner in this capacity," said Army Lt. Col. Todd Breasseale, a spokesman for the U.S. Defense Department in an email response to an AP query.

PETA has branded Lady Gaga and Rihanna as "freaks" after the two pop megastars were spotted wearing clothing and accessories made from animal products.

Rihanna was criticized by the animal rights organization after she took to the streets of London on Thursday wearing a pair of thigh-high snakeskin boots, according to the Daily Express.

"Rihanna may not have a clue that snakes killed for boots are often nailed to a tree and skinned alive. Of course, they can't go on Oprah to cry about it," said a PETA spokesperson, referring to the singer's recent appearance on Oprah Winfrey's talk show.

"Wearing reptile skin is creepy and callous, and it makes her look even more out of touch. She and Lady Gaga seem so desperate to be freaks instead of recognized for their talents that you have to wonder if they realize that they are being laughed at."

Lady Gaga had previously been praised by PETA for her anti-fur stance.

"I hate fur and I don't wear fur," the singer had said on the "Ellen DeGeneres Show" in 2009.

However, the animal rights group lambasted Gaga for being a hypocrite last month after she was seen donning a number of fur coats in public.

"These recent photos of you in fox and rabbit and with a wolf carcass make it appear that you have amnesia. What happened? Are your stylists telling you that it's fake, or are you a turncoat?" wrote Dan Matthews, PETA's senior vice president, in a letter published on the group's website.

The "Born This Way" singer has yet to confirm whether or not her fur coats were real, but has defiantly responded to the accusations with a cheeky tweet.

"To those press and such who are writing about whether or not my fur is actually real, please don’t forget to credit the designer Hermes," she tweeted on August 13th.

Lady Gaga and Rihanna are not the first celebrities to have incited PETA's wrath.

Jessica Simpson, Reese Witherspoon and Kim Kardashian have all been criticized in the past for what the nonprofit has deemed ethically irresponsible fashion choices. Kardashian, for instance, was given PETA's "Celebrity Grinch Award" last year for her love of fur.

The divorce settlement between Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes reportedly outlines that Holmes will receive $400,000 a year in child support for 6-year-old daughter Suri until she turns 18, but the actress reportedly also negotiated for a sizable trust fund to be set up in Suri's name.

TMZ reported that Cruise will be responsible for expenses that Suri may incur, such as medical and dental care and tuition to the $40,000 a year private school Avenues, where Suri is scheduled to start first grade after Labor Day.

All of Suri's needs will be more than taken care of, but a source tells RadarOnline that Holmes negotiated the trust fund so that her daughter will be able to begin to access some of the funds once she turns 18 years old.

"She just wanted to ensure that Suri would have financial security as she becomes an adult. It's a sizable trust fund, but Suri won't be able to fully legally claim it until she is in her 30s. Tom had no problem with the request and planned on doing it for Suri anyway," revealed the source.

As one of the best-dressed celebrity children, Suri -- who is endlessly doted on and well traveled, and has a penchant for designer clothes -- will likely make good use of the trust fund one day.

Jennifer Lopez's schedule is often quite hectic, but she always manages to find some time to relax and have fun with her kids.

The former "American Idol" judge had a Miami pool day on August 30, where she and her twins, Max and Emme, and beau Casper Smart, lounged in the sun and, of course, played in the water.

With the end of summer right around the corner, it looks like this happy family had the right idea.

Newcomer Darcey Bussell adds some sparkle to the Strictly Come Dancing panel as she joins her fellow judges for a spin round the floor - in a mirrored, glitterball-style dress.

All four judges will be seen dancing together in a new trailer as a taster for the forthcoming series in which Bussell replaces Alesha Dixon.

Len Goodman, Craig Revel Horwood and Bruno Tonioli battle over who can perform the slinkiest moves as they vie for a turn with their new colleague in the BBC One teaser.

The quartet filmed the routine, choreographed by Revel Horwood, at a glamorous country retreat and it is the first time since the launch of Strictly that all the judges have been seen dancing together.

The series returns to BBC One on September 15 when viewers will see the contestants team up with their partners for the first time.

Contestants include former children's TV presenter Johnny Ball - the oldest-ever entrant at 74 - and former England cricket captain Michael Vaughan. Others reportedly taking part are Girls Aloud and Shrek The Musical star Kimberley Walsh and Jerry Hall.

 For the first time in a decade Tanya Angus, who is fighting a life-and-death battle against gigantism, has stopped growing. At seven feet and 400 pounds, she now has some hope.

Angus, a 33-year-old from Las Vegas, was diagnosed with acromegaly, a rare pituitary disorder that causes the body to produce too much growth hormone. It affects about 20,000 Americans.

Since 2010, when ABCNews.com first told her story, Angus has grown an inch taller and gained 30 pounds. Before the disease began its destructive course, she was only 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighed 135 pounds.

But for the last year, she has been treated with a drug that has kept the levels of growth hormone in her blood in the normal range.

"This is such good news," Angus told ABC's Las Vegas affiliate KTNV.

Angus has grown so large that she can barely walk and a swimming pool is the only place where she is without pain because she can float there.

"It feels so, like, liberating," said Angus, who is being nearly crushed by her weight. She needs constant care from he family and friends.

Angus has a tumor on her pituitary gland but radiation and three surgeries have done nothing to stop her dangerous growth. One 13-hour operation nearly killed her, and another caused a stroke that took away most of her hearing.

As her body gets larger, so do her other organs. Her heart, lungs, joints and other parts of her body have also grown under the strain of this rare disease.

Doctors say it is one of the worst cases of acromegaly that they have ever seen. Her mother, Karen Strutynski, says it is the "worst in the world."

About 95 percent of the time, the condition is caused by a non-cancerous tumor on the pituitary gland, according to the Pituitary Network Association. Such is the case with Angus, but her tumor is wrapped around her carotid artery, and is inoperable.

Dr. Laurence Katznelson, professor of medicine and neurosurgery at Stanford University Hospital in California and medical director of its pituitary center, did not treat Angus but serves as medical advisor to the online Acromegaly Community.

"Everything gets thicker and the facial features become abnormal," he told ABCNews.com last year when Angus was speaking at a national conference.

Fluid accumulates in the body, causing stress on multiple systems in the body. Patients are more prone to cardiac conditions, hypertension and diabetes.

"They are in a lot of pain because they get severe headaches and their joints can be swollen and develop premature osteoarthritis," he said. "Their mortality rate is two to four times greater than the general population."

 Two of the star quarterback’s longtime teammates from New England’s Super Bowl-winning teams — wide receiver Deion Branch (MVP of Super Bowl XXXIX) and center Dan Koppen — as well as his backup (Brian Hoyer) were cut Friday as the Patriots trimmed players to reach the NFL’s 53-man roster limit.

Branch was one of Brady’s favorite receiving targets on the 2003 and 2004 Patriots teams that captured NFL championships. Branch was traded to Seattle in 2006 following a contract dispute but re-acquired by New England during the 2010 season.

Because of his status as a vested NFL veteran, Branch was given his outright release rather than placed on the waiver wire. If he doesn’t head elsewhere, the 33-year-old Branch could be re-signed after Week 1 of the regular season when his base salary wouldn’t be guaranteed for the entire year. This would give the Patriots both roster and salary-cap flexibility in case they want to release Branch again later in the season to make another roster move.

Branch started 15 games for New England last season, catching 51 passes for 702 yards and five touchdowns. The Patriots also released veteran wideouts Jabar Gaffney and Donte’ Stallworth earlier this week and parted ways with Chad Johnson in the offseason.


Like Branch, the 32-year-old Koppen played on the Patriots squads that won Super Bowls XXXVIII and XXXIX. The nine-year veteran spent almost all of last season on injured reserve after suffering a leg injury in the Week 1 opener against Miami. Koppen was beaten out by 2011 replacement Dan Connolly for a starting spot during preseason.

Hoyer was the most surprising cut. The Patriots thought enough of Hoyer during the offseason to place a second-round tender on him as a restricted free agent. That greatly limited any potential interest Hoyer would have received from other suitors.

The Patriots, though, decided to hand the backup reins to 2011 third-round pick Ryan Mallett, who didn’t appear in an NFL game as a rookie. Mallett’s perceived upside and Hoyer’s $1.9 million base salary are believed to have figured into New England’s decision to place him on the waiver wire.


Based upon media reports and team announcements, here are some other notable veterans who are now on the market after being cut before Friday night’s 9 p.m. NFL roster deadline:

Denver cornerback Drayton Florence: When released by Buffalo post-draft, Florence drew moderate interest as a nickel cornerback candidate. Even though he couldn't stick with the Broncos, Florence should be signing elsewhere soon because of the league-wide demand for cornerbacks.

Just a day ago we were reminiscing about that time former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into the law the most sweeping curbs on greenhouse gases in the country, rules that drive the federal government's march toward a 54.5 mpg average by 2025. About the same time, Schwarzenegger was in California picking up his new ride, a five-ton Mercedes-Benz Unimog pickup customized to a value estimated at $250,000. The earth underneath its tires will be safe, all right.

Schwarzenegger, the 65-year-old actor and bit player in the recent "The Expendables 2," has long been known as a fan of military-grade trucks, and was a chief reason AM General and General Motors eventually built civilian versions of the Hummer military vehicle. During his time as governor, Schwarzenegger changed his stripes, touting fuel-efficient models and even converting one of his trucks to run on hydrogen.

But after leaving office and some changes in his personal life, Schwarzenegger seems to be exploring the world of high-end machinery again; we caught him earlier thisy month checking out the field at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance. Thursday's pickup of his diesel Unimog followed a test drive in Germany of the Unimog with its customizer. These trucks aren't sold by Mercedes in the United States, but see duty around the rest of the world as construction, forestry and military haulers, and are renowned for their off-road prowess.

While the $250,000 figure in customizing by German firm Mertec sounds high, it might also involve a fair bit of legal work; newer Unimog U1300s generally aren't legal on American roads; they can barely top 60 mph, and getting one registered for public driving in California may have taken months. Then again, having an ex-governor as a customer couldn't have hurt.

"I'm done," Shia LaBeouf recently told THR. The "Transformers" star no longer wants to make blockbusters for big studios.

"There's no room for being a visionary in the studio system. It literally cannot exist. [The studios] give you the money, then get on a plane and come to the set and stick a finger up your ass and chase you around for five months."

LaBeouf later told USA Today that the quote was taken out of context, but maybe it wasn't: Since Linkin Park played over the end-credits of "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," LaBeouf has done everything he can to not star in traditional Hollywood movies. He's the lead in the violent indie "Lawless" (out in theaters now), and next stars in "The Company You Keep" (a.k.a. "The Movie Shia Made With Robert Redford"), "The Necessary Death of Charlie Countryman" (a.k.a. "The Movie Where Shia Drops Acid") and "Nymphomaniac" (a.k.a. "The Movie Where Shia Will Simulate Various Sex Acts on Screen"). "Transformers 4" these are not.

But maybe they should be.

This is a dangerous time to be a movie star: Combined, movies led by bona fide icons Johnny Depp ("Dark Shadows"), Tom Cruise ("Rock of Ages") and Adam Sandler ("That's My Boy") were outgrossed in North America this summer by "Ted," Seth MacFarlane's comedy about a foul-mouthed (and computer-generated) teddy bear. The year's biggest hits -- "Marvel's The Avengers," "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Hunger Games" -- were ensembles sold on characters, not stars. (Robert Downey Jr. is technically in the class of Depp, Cruise and Sandler, but he still wields the most box-office power while wearing his Iron Man costume.) In a way, movie stars are facing the same issues as talk radio: They're getting older and their fans are getting older. At the same time, young audiences aren't loyal to movie stars, but rather movie moments. (Tom Cruise climbing the tallest building in the world? Check. Tom Cruise singing Bon Jovi? Not so much.) It's enough to make your average blockbuster actor cry into his or her spilled Cristal.

Which is why LaBeouf is so important. Unlike Daniel Radcliffe, Kristen Stewart, Robert Pattinson and Jennifer Lawrence, LaBeouf isn't famous for playing a trademark character. (Do you actually remember what his "Transformers" character was named?) He's famous for being himself -- and he's played variations on his hyper kid persona in everything from "Transformers" to "Indiana Jones" to "Eagle Eye" and "Disturbia." If that sounds familiar, it's because Cruise and Tom Hanks were doing almost the same thing during the '80s and '90s: They each found a note and played it over and over and over again. Cruise and Hanks became their own personal franchises. Why can't LaBeouf?

Well, because he wants to become just another indie actor who looks up to Sean Penn -- complete with the bar fights, love affairs and controversial interviews. Like the USA Today one this week where LaBeouf mentioned doing acid.

"All I'm really trying to say in the most politically sensible way is, 'Thank you so much for giving me the opportunities, I would just like to make movies about people now,'" LaBeouf said, clarifying why he's leaving blockbusters behind. It's just too bad the person he wants to make movies about isn't himself.

Sean Penn is the world's oddest-looking Nazi hunter in the first trailer for "This Must Be the Place," a drama-comedy that first debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in 2011. Now, thanks to the power of The Weinstein Company, "This Must Be the Place" will finally arrive in U.S. theaters on Nov. 2.

The film tells the story of Cheyenne (Penn), a former rock star who looks an awful lot like Robert Smith from The Cure. After the death of his estranged father, an Auschwitz survivor, Cheyenne attempts to locate the Nazi guard who tormented his dad. Strange occurrences and classic rock music cues happen along the way, as Penn gets help in his quest from Frances McDormand, Judd Hirsch and David Byrne among others.

Watch the amusing trailer above; imagining that Penn is doing one big Adam Sandler impression is optional.

Clint Eastwood Speech Review

A sampling of celebrity tweets in response to Clint Eastwood's odd conversation with an invisible President Barack Obama in an empty chair before the Republican National Convention on Thursday:

_ "This seat's taken." – President Barack Obama, accompanied by a photo of the back of Obama's chair with him sitting in it.

_ "20 years ago I wanted Clint Eastwood to make my day. Now I just want him to take his pills and b grateful he doesnt need medicare." – Nancy Lee Grahn, "General Hospital" actress.

_ "I demand to see Invisible Obama's invisible birth certificate." – Michael Schaffer, The New Republic.

_ "Clint Eastwood made my day." – Charlie Daniels, country singer.

_ "And so on this day, August 30, 2012, (at)MittRomney became a better actor than Clint Eastwood." – Lawrence O'Donnell, host of MSNBC's "The Last Word."

_ "I can't believe I just watched (hash)ClintEastwood turn into somebody's DRUNK UNCLE HARRY on the stage of the (hash)GOP (hash)RNC. He humiliated himself." – Star Jones, "Today" contributor.

_ "I. Love. Clint Eastwood." – Blake Shelton, country singer and judge on "The Voice."

_ "I heard that Clint Eastwood was channeling me at the RNC. My lawyers and I are drafting our lawsuit." – comic actor Bob Newhart, referring to his signature one-way-conversation routines.

_ "`If Clint Eastwood ever talks to a chair on national TV, people will need a way to reassure each other' – inventor of Twitter, March 2006." – Patton Oswalt, comedian and actor on "The King of Queens."

_ "Clint Eastwood's RNC speech was to imaginary Obama in an empty chair. I'm drafting a DNC speech to imaginary Romney in an empty factory." – George Takei, Mr. Sulu of "Star Trek."

 The man suspected of killing two people early this morning at a New Jersey Pathmark before shooting himself to death during a confrontation with police is believed to be a 23-year-old former Marine who worked at the grocery store for two weeks, according to WABC-TV.

The suspect left the Old Bridge, N.J., shopping plaza at about 4 a.m. and returned, having changed into camouflage clothing, armed with an AK-47 and an automatic handgun, authorities told WABC, which reported that both victims, a man and a woman, were young adults.

Police had responded to shots inside the Pathmark on Route 9 at 4 a.m.

Authorities believe the man killed two before turning the gun on himself, according to WABC. There's no word on his motive.

"This is the worst phone call a mayor can receive," Old Bridge Mayor Owen Henry told NewJersey.com of the information he obtained about 6:30 a.m. "You can prepare for these things but you can't prevent them."

Several employees were inside the store, which was preparing to open at 6 a.m. Two windows near the entrance to the Pathmark were shot out.

Numerous employees were taken across the street to a T.G.I. Friday's and many were being treated for trauma at waiting ambulances.

The scene is now under control, according to WABC, and there were emergency responders in the plaza parking lot who had been standing in front of the store for some time.