Fall Flings

Here comes another list!
According to glamour.com, these are the Five Best Places to Meet a Man this Fall:
1.) A Halloween Party
People are usually dressed up and feel uninhibited behind their disguises. Halloween is just a fun time overall and it's easy to approach someone at a costume party.
2.) Farmer's Market
I guess there's something about buying organic produce that makes people want to cook for someone?
3.) Flu Shot Station
This is kind of strange, but there could be long lines while waiting your turn. You can make the most of the wait by joking about Swine Flu with the cute guy in line.
4.) Non-Sports Bar on Football Saturdays
A bar that is not specifically dedicated to wings and beer where you can actually have a conversation with someone could be a good place. People bond over sports and everyone loves to cheer on their favorite team with others.
5.) Weekday Brunch Spot
A much more laid back scene than a bar on a weekend night. It would be much less intimidating to meet someone at a diner counter who is sitting by themself than at a bar surrounded by a group of drunk friends.

-Alyssa

JT Has a Stalker

Justin Timberlake has been granted a restraining order against an "obsessed and mentally unstable" alleged stalker. Karen McNeil, a 48 year old female was taken into protective psychiatric custody by police for observation. McNeil apparently showed up at Timberlake's home via taxi for the third time. On a prior visit, she left a "bizarre note" for Justin. Creepy. It is reported that in 1997, McNeil also had a restraining order against Guns N' Roses singer Axl Rose, which she violated. Let's hope she can stay away from Justin! But let's be honest, I have a hard time blaming the woman!

yahoo.com

-Alyssa

Angelina Jolie's Semi-Homemade Birthday Cake for Maddox

Never thought I'd see a headline with these two women in it, but just another shocker for the celebrity world. We all know that Angelina Jolie has enough birthdays to celebrate with her six kids, but I never thought she'd be the baking type. This may be why she made a "No Bake birthday cake" for her son Maddox's birthday. Sandra Lee is an acclaimed chef and widely known for her show on the Food Network Semi-Homemade Cooking with Sandra Lee. It is refreshing to see a celebrity mom taking on the task of making the birthday cake, but for a cake that can be "prepared in minutes" you have to think if there was true sentiment behind it. Sandra Lee is extremely impressed with Jolie's care for her children because she is a "very busy, overextended mother". It is pretty sad that Sandra Lee is impressed that Jolie put the time into making this ready in minutes cake for her son's birthday. Imagine the praise she would get for making the cake from scratch! Can't wait for that headline.

www.people.com

Margo

Mourning Mermaid Girl

Shiloh Pepin was born with fused legs and her condition was often referred to as "mermaid syndrome". She became extremely popular in her years and even appeared on Oprah at a time. Sadly, she just died Friday afternoon at the age of ten. Doctors predicted she wouldn't make if past just a few days of life, but that was not the case. She had been hospitalized for a week in critical condition prior to her death.
"Mermaid syndrome" is also known as sirenomelia which meant that she only had one working kidney, no lower colon, and her legs were fused together from the waist down. Some with this condition survived with surgery to separate the legs, but Shiloh had blood vessels that would have been severed from this operation.
Her last trip to the hospital was due to pneumonia that she and her mom both had. Throughout her short lifetime, she inspired many people, including those also living with a medical condition. She will be greatly missed and let's try to remember her as Shiloh Pepin instead of "mermaid girl".

www.eonline.com

margo

Good to know!

Ok ladies, here they are...
7 Phrases Men Love to Hear, whether they are single, in a new or long-term relationship, or married:

1.) You Look Great
Men aren't as open with their insecurities as women are...this one makes sense.
2.) I love your (insert body part).
Again, I guess everyone wants a little confidence booster sometimes. Women probably forget that men like to hear they look nice, also.
3.) I love it when you (insert action).
This could be beneficial to both the man and woman since men would be more likely to repeat something if they know you enjoy it.
4.) That woman just checked you out.
I'm not sure if this one should be on the list. It would take a pretty confident woman to tell her man that another woman is interested in him. I think this one has potential to backfire!
5.) You're right.
I know some women would definitely have trouble admitting this, even if their man was right.
6.) Will you help me unscrew this?
Though it might be a little stereotypical, men like to feel manly around their woman. If you ask him to do something physical for you, he will feel like he is doing his job as a man.
7.) You're not going bald.
The male equivalent of telling a woman she doesn't look fat in those jeans...but what if he is going bald?

glamour.com

-Alyssa

Uh oh...

Hmm...this wasn't in the script.
The Hills "star" Stephanie Pratt was arrested for suspicion of DUI at 3:45 am this past Sunday. Pratt mentioned on her Twitter page earlier that night that she was out partying for her sister-in-law Heidi Montag's birthday. Pratt was arrested and later release on $5,000 bail. This is not the first time Pratt has been in the news regarding drugs and alcohol. She has mentioned in previous interviews that she had addictions to drugs and alcohol in her past. Looks like she is in some trouble again. I wonder if this will be featured in an episode of The Hills?

yahoo.com

-Alyssa

The Devil In Marge Simpson

Never thought I'd see the day when a bluehead would make the cover of Playboy, but now I've seen it all. Marge Simpson from the popular show The Simpsons is among the elite babes that have posed for Playboy Magazine. Homer is one lucky guy to have this knockout wife...I just hope Bart, Lisa and Maggie don't get too embarassed. She's definitely making a name for herself in Springfield. If she becomes bored of the married life, I bet Hugh would make her one of his girlfriends. I don't know if any other cartoon bombshells will ever be as lucky as this lady.

playboy.com

Margo

6-year-old Colorado boy found alive in attic after balloon lands

This boy looks mischievous to me...look at that sly smile. The Heene family reported that their son, Falcon, had taken flight in a helium air balloon over northern Colorado. These science enthusiasts said they were working on making a "3D low-altitude vehicle" when they're six-year-old son went missing. His older brother was even in on it saying that he watched his brother untie the balloon and get into it when he knew very well that he was safely inside the house the whole time. Falcon was beleived to be in this balloon looming at 7,000 feet above ground, however the story lost some credit when ABC reported that the parents appeared on the reality show "Wife Swap" in March of 2009. But could they really be using this ridiculous lie to gain some fame? So finally, after this balloon landed 90 miles from its original spot, the rescuers found no Falcon. They thought he either never got in the balloon in the first place or worse, he fell out along the way. This sparked a widespread search across the balloon's route. But after all of the frantic searching, we soon found out that this boy was safely at home the entire time. The family is now being charged with the following offences: conspiracy, contributing to the delinquency of a minor, false reporting to authorities and attempting to influence a public servant. What a bunch of nutjobs!!! What were they thinking trying to pull this off? But once again, America falls for these ridiculous shenanigans and even though it's all negative, the family got the media attention they were hoping for. But what is this world coming to with stunts like this. Looks to me like some people have a little too much time on their hands. So sad.

cnn.com

Margo

10 Halloween Costumes That Are Totally 2009

Cosmo magazine's top ten 2009 Halloween costumes include:
1. Kanye West and Taylor Swift
2. "Single Ladies"
3. Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf
4. Mad Men
5. The Guys from The Hangover
6. Lady Gaga
7. New Moon Characters
8. Bollywood Dancers
9. The Kardashians
10. Twitter

These are pretty good I think. I guarantee we'll see plenty of Kanye's and Taylor's this year after the big blow up on the MTV Music Awards. It'll be annoying for whoever does choose this costume duo because Taylor will have a hard time even getting "Happy Halloween" out without Kanye stepping in. Next on the list is Beyonce's "Single Ladies". Maybe this group and the Kanye/Taylor couple can pair together to create a more dramatic effect. But these "single ladies" better be working on their bods to be able to pull off those leotard numbers. Also this dance is not that easy. Number three on the list is Gossip Girl's infamous Chuck Bass and Blair Waldorf. This pair is one of my favorites on television. In order to pull off the costumes, they need to play the part of the dramatically rich, swanky boy and the bitchy, blunt girl. Mad Men is a great costume idea because all you need is a suit, a glass of bourbon, and a lit cigar. And if you're one of the female characters, you just need to be pretty submissive. The Guys from The Hangover is a hilarious idea. Every group of guy friends I know can easily relate to one of these characters so this costume shouldn't take a whole lot of work. Lady Gaga might not be the easiest because you must consider which look to take on...unless you want to carry around three costume changes throughout the night. And hermaphodite or not, she has a rockin bod as well so the clock's ticking to get that look down. At least in terms of Edward Cullen, dressing as a New Moon character would be a very wise costume choice because if I saw an Edward look-alike walking by me in the bar, I'd definitely be following him for the rest of the night. Although Slumdog Millionaire was a great movie, I think Bollywood dancers is kind of a lame costume idea. No one would be too impressed. The Kardashians is a great choice for a trio of brunettes with some junk in the trunk. And this group could easily be added to with each girl's either husband or baby's daddy. Lastly, Twitter would take a little more work. I obviously know about Twitter, but if I saw someone in a giant birdsuit, my mind wouldn't automatically go to Twitter. And there's nothing I hate more than having to explain a costume. So overall, this is a pretty solid list but I'm guessing you won't be the only one dressed like any of these so say goodbye to originality.

cosmopolitan.com

Margo

Umm, whatever.

Here it is, America. The poll you've been waiting for. Top five words that are "most annoying in conversation"...finally we can all sleep at night. Topping the list this year is the word "Whatever". Rounding out the top five are, respectively: "you know", "anyway", "it is what it is", and "at the end of the day". I think my vote would have gone to "it is what it is". My old roommate used to say this whenever she was unhappy with something going on in her life (which was often). I would always think 'No, it doesn't have to be what it is. DO something about it!' But that's neither here nor there. I didn't even know this poll was going on, and I have petitioned for the results of other useless polls. For example: Top 5 things that annoy you while driving, Top 5 things your roommate does to annoy you (see above), Top 5 kinds of people who are always in your class that annoy you (the know it all, the loud-mouth, etc.). Whatever.

-Alyssa

SPOILER ALERT!

Last night marked the closing of Season 6 of HBO's hit series Entourage. I don't know about anyone else, but I was a little shocked and underwhelmed at the same time at some of last night's events. As an avid Entourage fan, I've been watching since season 1 and I look forward to my Sunday nights with Vince, Ari, E, Drama, and Turtle. What initially attracted me to the show was the natural sense of comaraderie between the four boys from Queens and the hilarious escapades they always got themselves into. Vince is the charming superstar who manages to hook up with at least one girl per 30 minute episode. Eric is his level-headed manager and best friend from boyhood, Drama is his C-list actor brother who is aging quicker than he can find a new role to play, and Turtle is the loyal sidekick to them all. Ari Gold of course is played by Jeremy Piven and is never at a loss for memorable quips and outbursts he spews at any of the entourage, his assistant Lloyd, or other innocent bystanders. This season, it seems that the focus has been taken off of Vince and his career and moved towards the story lines of his buddies. I found myself wondering in the middle of the season what project Vince was even working on. I miss the days in Seasons 1-3 when Vince was on top of the world and starring in the highest grossing movies in America. I do love Turtle's new relationship with real-life girlfriend Jamie Lynn Sigler, but I don't want to see an entire episode about how they are coping with sorority girls stealing Turtle's boxers on a dare. E has always been my favorite character, but I started to grow less fond of him when he held on to his psycho girlfriend Ashley this season. Ashley was not even a cute girl and I thought E had more sense than to stick with a girl who demanded to go through his emails and monitor his phone calls. I was shocked last night when Eric got engaged to his on-again-off-again love interest, Sloan. What will happen next season when one of the Entourage boys is married? I just don't see it. And the last we see of Vince is him flying off to Italy to film a movie accompanied by his brother Drama. Will Vince be reduced to loser-status now like Drama? It didn't feel like the same Entourage I have grown to know and love last night. However, the highlight of last night's episode was the cameo from LeBron James. Being from Cleveland, I love any time I can see LeBron on or off the basketball court.

-Alyssa

Robert Pattinson, Rupert Grint: Ready for Royal Treatment?

Rupert Grint and Robert Pattinson are battling over the role as Prince Harry in an upcoming biography. But who to choose? Sure, Rupert's got the hair down and he's won all of our hearts as HP's Ron, but does he have what it takes to be the next Harry? He's so used to playing HP's jester that this might be too difficult a role for him. And then there's Robert, our intense bloodsucking vampire. He might not have the red hair, but those luscious locks add to his unarguable charm. However, this film is a story of Prince Harry's experiences with his parents' divorce, mother's death and his tour of duty in Afghanistan, serving as a much more serious storyline than these guys are used to. Don't get me wrong, fighting death eaters and vampires is difficult, but how good are these guys at fighting the real life problems of a royal prince? Another potential prince in the running is Keira Knightley's Rupert Friend. He doesn't do much for me, especially compared to these two dashing candidates. But you guys can be the judge.

www.eonline.com

- margo

Did David Letterman ruin his image? Experts weigh in

Lettermen announced on his show the other night that there is a "2 million dollar extortion attempt by a man who offered proof of the late-night host's relationships with female staff members". So what do you make of this? For all of us who watch Lettermen, we know he can be a bit of a creep sometimes but that's part of the funny role he performs nightly. But has he taken it too far? After being accused, Lettermen dealt with this problem in the best way he could. He addressed it right away, making his audience more comfortable for his upfront approach. Granted, they were taken a little off guard because this kind of comment veers away from his usual joking attitude, but putting it out there right away was exactly the right thing to do. So is this just another scandal that surfaces daily in pop culture? I'm sure it is. Viewers will be sure to move onto the next one in no time.

www.usatoday.com

- margo