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KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

Rascal Flatts will make their third appearance on FOX's American Idol on April 28th. The trio will perform their hit, "Unstoppable," and will also sing with Shakira on her song, "Gypsy."

Rascal Flatts are fans of American Idol and admit that it's a great vehicle for being discovered, but at the same time, Jay DeMarcus tells us there's something to be said for coming up through the clubs like they did in downtown Nashville. "We spent night after night down there learning the art of entertaining a crowd, and I think if there's a criticism I have of this sort of microwave instant stardom that some of these kids are experiencing nowadays with American Idol and things like that. It is a great forum to discover great talent that otherwise wouldn't be discovered, however you don't get to put the time into learning how to be an entertainer. You don't get to spend those nights playing for two or three people and giving it still 150 percent when there's only a handful of folks out there."

• Rascal Flatts' previous performances on American Idol were during the show's Idol Gives Back episode in 2007, as well as in May of 2005 when they appeared as Carrie Underwood's musical guest the night she won the title.
• Rascal Flatts will kick off their their new summer tour, called JC Penney Presents Rascal Flatts Nothing Like This tour, on June 25th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 26-date trek will run through September 19th at Boston's Comcast Center. The tour will feature special guests Kellie Pickler and Chris Young.
• The trio will sing the national anthem prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1st.
• Rascal Flatts will also perform on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show tonight (Friday, April 23rd) at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The band made the trip to Huntington, West Virginia to participate in the show earlier this spring between tour stops.

Carrie Underwood takes her physique very seriously. The svelte singer says that in addition to daily pre-show workouts, she NEVER eats out. She told UsMagazine.com, "I think the hardest thing about what I do is eating (healthy) because we're all over the place. It's fast food, there's aftershow food, you get pizza, whatever. I don't do that. I don't eat out ever."

Instead, Carrie opts to eat what's in her well-stocked fridge. She said, "Every once in a while I have a day off and I might go to a restaurant -- but no aftershow food and I keep my fridge stocked."

She added, "It's all about making a conscious effort. I don't do anything crazy, but I definitely try to take care of myself."

• Carrie's Play On tour rolls into Grand Rapids, Michigan tonight (Friday, April 23rd).
• Carrie is set to perform on the CMT Music Awards on June 9th at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
• She and fiance Mike Fisher will tie the knot sometime this summer, but so far they are keeping the wedding date to themselves.

CHECK IT OUT

• Carrie at the ACM Awards: http://tinyurl.com/2e3hvzb

Sugarland kicks off their Incredible Machine tour tonight (Friday, April 23rd) in Primm, Nevada. They describe the look of the show's production as "steam punk", a concept which Jennifer Nettles explains to us: "It started out as a literary movement in the 80s, and basically it's based on the concept of if during the Victorian era and the age of inventionism, if instead of moving and evolving toward the cyber world that we're in now with plastic and computers and silicon chips, what if we just kept it really romantic and organic and made it about steam engines and machines."

Fans can check out pictures of the tour set online at sugarlandmusic.com. Jennifer says the theme was perfect for their new tour and upcoming album, which will be released this fall. "This visually was a beautiful launching pad for us and also the metaphors that can come from it even artistically is really nice, and so you will see a lot of that aesthetic. You can get online and check it out all the way from our set to our wardrobe, and it was a great launching point to give us something to be inspired by."

• Sugarland will release the album's first single sometime this summer.
• The Incredible Machine tour features rotating opening acts including Julianne Hough, Danny Gokey and Jake Owen.
  

FAST FACTS

• Sugarland has sold over eight million records since exploding onto the music scene in 2004 with Twice The Speed Of Life.
• Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush co-wrote all the songs on all three of their albums, in addition to co-producing the last two.

Faith Hill's stint as a judge on last night's (Thursday, April 22nd) season finale of Project Runway has got her thinking about her own line of clothing. She told the Associated Press, "If the right opportunity presents itself, I can guarantee you it would be my passion, and I would put my heart and soul into making it the best it could possibly be. I would design for the women I know and their kids ... busy moms with great style."

She also said that being a judge on such a fashion-forward show was right up her alley. "I have always paid close attention to detail in my work, and I understand and relate to big dreams and hard work. Fortunately, those things served me well while focusing on each designer. It was actually quite natural for me."

• Faith is working on a new album. There is no word on when fans can expect to hear new music from the superstar.
• Faith will be part of the Brooks & Dunn all-star concert tribute, called Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo, which airs on CBS on May 23rd.

Miranda Lambert will be featured in a special Mother's Day episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition set to air on ABC on Sunday, May 9th at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to performing her current hit, "The House That Built Me," Miranda will serve as a "Get On The Bus" volunteer. The singer will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet the Starkweather family. Nine-year-old son Ethan Starkweather suffers from a rare disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome.

Miranda and her mom and best friend, Bev, will grace the cover of Country Weekly magazine's Mother's Day issue. The magazine hits newsstands on May 3rd.

• Miranda continues on her Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars tour tonight (Friday, April 23rd) in Belton, Texas. She rounds out the weekend with a show on Saturday (April 24th) in Houston.
• Miranda is set to perform on the CMT Music Awards in Nashville on June 9th. The show will air live on the cable network at 8 p.m. ET.

Darryl Worley will kick-off his Stars for Stripes military tour next week. The We've Not Forgotten trek runs from April 29-May 3, and includes both full-band concerts and acoustic shows at various Forward Operating Bases in Iraq. Darryl has toured overseas every year since 2002.

• Once back in the States, Darryl will begin working on a new album. His latest project, Sounds Like Life, was released in June of last year.
• Beginning May 14, Darryl will host five songwriter series' throughout the summer. The first sold out event, called "Hitmakers on the Harbor," takes place in Pickwick, Tennessee. All proceeds benefit the Darryl Worley Foundation.

FAST FACTS

• Darryl's hit, "Have You Forgotten?", held the Number One spot for seven weeks in 2003.
• To date, Darryl has released six albums.

Brad Paisley is among the performers for the 2010 National Memorial Day Concert. The show will be broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on PBS-TV. Lionel Richie, classical artist Katherine Jenkins, gospel singer Yolanda Adams and the National Symphony Orchestra are also on the bill. The National Memorial Day Concert will be co-hosted by actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna.

Newcomer Laura Bell Bundy's album, Achin' and Shakin', debuted at Number Five on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart this week. She will promote the album with scheduled appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday (April 29th) E!'s Chelsea Lately. That airdate is yet to be announced.

KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

Rascal Flatts will make their third appearance on FOX's American Idol on April 28th. The trio will perform their hit, "Unstoppable," and will also sing with Shakira on her song, "Gypsy."

Rascal Flatts are fans of American Idol and admit that it's a great vehicle for being discovered, but at the same time, Jay DeMarcus tells us there's something to be said for coming up through the clubs like they did in downtown Nashville. "We spent night after night down there learning the art of entertaining a crowd, and I think if there's a criticism I have of this sort of microwave instant stardom that some of these kids are experiencing nowadays with American Idol and things like that. It is a great forum to discover great talent that otherwise wouldn't be discovered, however you don't get to put the time into learning how to be an entertainer. You don't get to spend those nights playing for two or three people and giving it still 150 percent when there's only a handful of folks out there."

• Rascal Flatts' previous performances on American Idol were during the show's Idol Gives Back episode in 2007, as well as in May of 2005 when they appeared as Carrie Underwood's musical guest the night she won the title.
• Rascal Flatts will kick off their their new summer tour, called JC Penney Presents Rascal Flatts Nothing Like This tour, on June 25th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 26-date trek will run through September 19th at Boston's Comcast Center. The tour will feature special guests Kellie Pickler and Chris Young.
• The trio will sing the national anthem prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1st.
• Rascal Flatts will also perform on Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution show tonight (Friday, April 23rd) at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. The band made the trip to Huntington, West Virginia to participate in the show earlier this spring between tour stops.

Carrie Underwood takes her physique very seriously. The svelte singer says that in addition to daily pre-show workouts, she NEVER eats out. She told UsMagazine.com, "I think the hardest thing about what I do is eating (healthy) because we're all over the place. It's fast food, there's aftershow food, you get pizza, whatever. I don't do that. I don't eat out ever."

Instead, Carrie opts to eat what's in her well-stocked fridge. She said, "Every once in a while I have a day off and I might go to a restaurant -- but no aftershow food and I keep my fridge stocked."

She added, "It's all about making a conscious effort. I don't do anything crazy, but I definitely try to take care of myself."

• Carrie's Play On tour rolls into Grand Rapids, Michigan tonight (Friday, April 23rd).
• Carrie is set to perform on the CMT Music Awards on June 9th at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena.
• She and fiance Mike Fisher will tie the knot sometime this summer, but so far they are keeping the wedding date to themselves.

CHECK IT OUT

• Carrie at the ACM Awards: http://tinyurl.com/2e3hvzb

Sugarland kicks off their Incredible Machine tour tonight (Friday, April 23rd) in Primm, Nevada. They describe the look of the show's production as "steam punk", a concept which Jennifer Nettles explains to us: "It started out as a literary movement in the 80s, and basically it's based on the concept of if during the Victorian era and the age of inventionism, if instead of moving and evolving toward the cyber world that we're in now with plastic and computers and silicon chips, what if we just kept it really romantic and organic and made it about steam engines and machines."

Fans can check out pictures of the tour set online at sugarlandmusic.com. Jennifer says the theme was perfect for their new tour and upcoming album, which will be released this fall. "This visually was a beautiful launching pad for us and also the metaphors that can come from it even artistically is really nice, and so you will see a lot of that aesthetic. You can get online and check it out all the way from our set to our wardrobe, and it was a great launching point to give us something to be inspired by."

• Sugarland will release the album's first single sometime this summer.
• The Incredible Machine tour features rotating opening acts including Julianne Hough, Danny Gokey and Jake Owen.
  

FAST FACTS

• Sugarland has sold over eight million records since exploding onto the music scene in 2004 with Twice The Speed Of Life.
• Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush co-wrote all the songs on all three of their albums, in addition to co-producing the last two.

Faith Hill's stint as a judge on last night's (Thursday, April 22nd) season finale of Project Runway has got her thinking about her own line of clothing. She told the Associated Press, "If the right opportunity presents itself, I can guarantee you it would be my passion, and I would put my heart and soul into making it the best it could possibly be. I would design for the women I know and their kids ... busy moms with great style."

She also said that being a judge on such a fashion-forward show was right up her alley. "I have always paid close attention to detail in my work, and I understand and relate to big dreams and hard work. Fortunately, those things served me well while focusing on each designer. It was actually quite natural for me."

• Faith is working on a new album. There is no word on when fans can expect to hear new music from the superstar.
• Faith will be part of the Brooks & Dunn all-star concert tribute, called Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo, which airs on CBS on May 23rd.

Miranda Lambert will be featured in a special Mother's Day episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition set to air on ABC on Sunday, May 9th at 8 p.m. ET. In addition to performing her current hit, "The House That Built Me," Miranda will serve as a "Get On The Bus" volunteer. The singer will travel to Tulsa, Oklahoma to meet the Starkweather family. Nine-year-old son Ethan Starkweather suffers from a rare disorder called Prader-Willi syndrome.

Miranda and her mom and best friend, Bev, will grace the cover of Country Weekly magazine's Mother's Day issue. The magazine hits newsstands on May 3rd.

• Miranda continues on her Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars tour tonight (Friday, April 23rd) in Belton, Texas. She rounds out the weekend with a show on Saturday (April 24th) in Houston.
• Miranda is set to perform on the CMT Music Awards in Nashville on June 9th. The show will air live on the cable network at 8 p.m. ET.

Darryl Worley will kick-off his Stars for Stripes military tour next week. The We've Not Forgotten trek runs from April 29-May 3, and includes both full-band concerts and acoustic shows at various Forward Operating Bases in Iraq. Darryl has toured overseas every year since 2002.

• Once back in the States, Darryl will begin working on a new album. His latest project, Sounds Like Life, was released in June of last year.
• Beginning May 14, Darryl will host five songwriter series' throughout the summer. The first sold out event, called "Hitmakers on the Harbor," takes place in Pickwick, Tennessee. All proceeds benefit the Darryl Worley Foundation.

FAST FACTS

• Darryl's hit, "Have You Forgotten?", held the Number One spot for seven weeks in 2003.
• To date, Darryl has released six albums.

Brad Paisley is among the performers for the 2010 National Memorial Day Concert. The show will be broadcast live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on PBS-TV. Lionel Richie, classical artist Katherine Jenkins, gospel singer Yolanda Adams and the National Symphony Orchestra are also on the bill. The National Memorial Day Concert will be co-hosted by actors Gary Sinise and Joe Mantegna.

Newcomer Laura Bell Bundy's album, Achin' and Shakin', debuted at Number Five on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart this week. She will promote the album with scheduled appearances on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on Thursday (April 29th) E!'s Chelsea Lately. That airdate is yet to be announced.

COUNTRY TRIVIA

Q. George Strait graduated from Southwest Texas State University with a degree in what?
A. Agriculture

COUNTRY ON THE TUBE TODAY

COUNTRY AT THE WHITE HOUSE/GAC 10:30AM, 4:00PM (ET)
Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss & Union Station, Charley Pride

BACKSTORY: TRACE ADKINS/GAC 12:00PM (ET)

ON THE STREETS/GAC 10:30PM (ET)
Kenny Chesney

THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON/CBS 12:35AM (ET)
Jason Aldean

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TODAY!

Valerie Bertinelli (actress, One Day At A Time, former wife of Eddie Van Halen) (50)

• Joyce DeWitt (actress, Three's Company's Janet Wood) (61)
• Jan Hooks (actress, Saturday Night Live, Designing Women) (53)
• Judy Davis (actress, A Passage To India, Husbands And Wives, Barton Fink) (55)
• Melina Kanakaredes (actress, Providence, CSI:NY) (43)
• Lee Majors (actor, The Six Million Dollar Man) (71)
• Shirley Temple (actress and politician) (82)
• George Lopez (comedian and sitcom star) (49)
• Michael Moore (documentary filmmaker, Bowling For Columbine, Fahrenheit 911) (56)
• Jaime King (actress, Blow, Pearl Harbor, White Chicks, Sin City) (31)
• Kal Penn (actor/Obama's former Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Liaison, the Van Wilder movies, Harold & Kumar movies, Superman Returns, 24, ) (32)
• Glenn Cornick (former bassist, Jethro Tull) (63)
• Barry Watson (actor, Samantha Who?, 7th Heaven) (36)
• Dev Patel (actor, Slumdog Millionaire) (20)

ON THIS DAY IN COUNTRY!

• Evansville declared Taylor Swift Day as the singer kicks off her first headlining tour at Roberts Stadium with Kellie Pickler opening in 2009.
• Tracy Lawrence's "Alibis" went to Number One on the country singles chart in 1993.
• Rascal Flatts guitarist Joe Don Rooney married Tiffany Fallon in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico in 2006.
• Kenny Chesney's No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems album was released in 2002.
• Lari White married Chuck Cannon in 1994.
• Elvis Presley made his Las Vegas debut at the New Frontier Hotel in 1956.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP

HULK HOGAN SUING INSURANCE COMPANY: Hulk Hogan is suing his insurance company, claiming the staff failed to properly advise him about his policy needs prior to his son Nick's near-fatal car crash. Nick served prison time in 2008 after pleading no contest to reckless driving for his part in a high-speed collision in 2007, which left passenger John Graziano with permanent brain damage. The insurance company, Wells Fargo, paid out $250,000 for the crash, but Hogan still had to shell out a lot of money after being sued by the victim's family. Now he is blaming Wells Fargo bosses for not alerting him to take up a more expensive insurance policy to cover teenagers driving his vehicles, as they pose a greater financial risk.

AMANDA PEET WELCOMES BABY: Amanda Peet welcomed her second child earlier this week. Usmagazine.com reports that the actress gave birth to Molly June Benioff on Monday (April 19th). This is the second daughter for Peet and her husband, screenwriter David Benioff.

DID CHARLIE CHEAT TWICE? Brooke Mueller has reportedly found evidence that Charlie Sheen has been cheating with not one, but two escorts. Before he was recently caught with Angelina Tracey, RadarOnline.com claims he was seeing another woman -- who actually introduced him to Tracey. An insider told RadarOnline about the first girl, explaining, "Brooke saw hotel keys and even saw them in the same place together once. But Charlie just denies everything. They had a huge fight. She knew he was cheating on her." Supposedly Brooke is now staying at the couple's home while Charlie sleeps at rehab.

COREY HAIM'S AUTOPSY REPORT DELAYED: The release of Corey Haim's autopsy report has been delayed. RadarOnline.com reports that it was supposed to be released this week, but additional tests are being conducted. The report possibly will be released next week. Haim passed away at the age of 38 on March 10th after collapsing in the Los Angeles apartment he shared with his mother.

LISA KUDROW IS A HOARDER: Lisa Kudrow is a hoarder. The former Friends star said she used to feel guilty about her habits -- until working on the show Who Do You Think You Are?, on which she traced her family's past. She said, "It's the intimate details of these stories that personalize history and adds to the impact. I used to feel bad about holding on to things from my past like my day planners from the '80s, and faxes and stuff. I'm not going to feel bad about that anymore because those are all, at some point, potentially important family documents about what I was thinking or feeling at the time. It turns out that everything is a clue when you're trying to piece together a life from a few hundred years ago."

SIMON COWELL TOPS GUILTY DESIRE POLL: Simon Cowell has been voted the celebrity women "shouldn't but would" like to enjoy a night of passion with. The 50-year-old American Idol judge received 64 percent of the vote from a poll conducted by UK website Groupola.com. Researchers claim more than half of those who voted for Cowell said they were turned on by his power, however they put Barack Obama only in seventh place with 47 percent of the vote. Mark Pearson, managing director of the website, said, "I think the general consensus is that men like Barack Obama and Simon Cowell are attractive to women because they are so powerful, Ricky Gervais and James Corden were more suitable for the women who wanted a laugh." Aside from Justin Bieber at number ten, the rest of the top ten was comprised of British personalities.

HOLLYWOOD NEWS

KRISTEN STEWART TO STAR IN 'WANTED' SEQUEL? Kristen Stewart is reportedly being considered for the lead role in a potential Wanted sequel. E! reports that the Twilight star was approached to replace Angelina Jolie as the female lead opposite James McAvoy. However, her participation is not guaranteed -- since a production schedule has not been set in stone for Breaking Dawn, Stewart can't commit to Wanted. Kristen is set to start filming Breaking Dawn possibly as early as October, while the Wanted follow-up was originally slated to start shooting around the end of August.

MINDY KALING WRITING BOOK: The Office star Mindy Kaling is writing a book. The actress will release a series of comic essays about her life called The Contents of My Purse. Crown Publishers say the 30-year-old will write about clothes, romance and "the day she was horrified to learn her boyfriend could fit into her jeans." The book is due out in fall of 2011.

'IDOL GIVES BACK' RAISES MILLIONS: Idol Gives Back raised more than $15 million in two hours on Wednesday (April 21st) night. The money will go to charity organizations such as Save the Children, the Children's Defense Fund, America's Second Harvest, Boys & Girls Clubs of America and Children's Health Fund. Producer Cecile Prot-Coutaz noted, "This year, we're a little bit more weighted toward domestic causes."

MICHAEL LOHAN BRINGS LAW ENFORCEMENT TO LINDSAY'S HOME

The Lohan family drama was kicked into high gear on Thursday (April 22nd) when dad Michael -- accompanied by deputies from the West Hollywood Division of the L.A. County Sheriff's Department -- barged into Lindsay's apartment, supposedly out of concern for the welfare of his 16-year-old daughter Ali, who has been staying with her older sister.

And just like any other family that wants to quietly deal with their troubles -- Lindsay tweeted throughout the incident while Michael talked to TMZ and E! afterwards to give his side of the story.

• He explained to E! News, "I went to the Sheriff's Department and I told them I wanted to go over to my daughter's apartment to check on her welfare. She is a minor and she has no right being here alone. I am not going to see Ali go down the same path as Lindsay."
• He added, "The manager of her building gave me the key, and we went up to her apartment. I knocked on the door, and sheriff's deputies announced they were entering." Because both girls were home and unharmed, Michael and the deputies left.

LINDSAY RESPONDS

Lindsay tweeted, "OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I have no choice but to make this public, due to my sister's safety, as well as my own. 'my ex-dad' just WALKED INTO MY APT like the devil's advocate with officers."

Other postings during the incident include:

• "Let's not forget, that my father KIDNAPPED me from a COURT ROOM when I was 4 years old and is CRAZY. He has NEVER paid child support, and is marrying a tabloid writer and can barely spell his own name due to his 'brain' that has been ruined due to HIS drug use.
• "When will it ever end. it's been going on my whole life with him-hasn't he caused enough pain? Thank g-d for mommy. w/out her, i wouldn't even know myself.."
• "I NEED A RESTRAINING ORDER! MY SISTER AND FRIEND TOO!!!!! HE'S NUTS!!!
• "I am wondering what the world is coming to when my father can hire cops and walk into my apt w/out notice. Not to mention, he's the one that's been in prison most of my life . . he, or the sheriffs had NO legal grounds to be here at all."

DINA LOHAN RESPONDS

Lindsay's mother told RadarOnline.com that her ex-husband is "dangerous" and claims he didn't even recognize his daughter when he busted into Lindsay's apartment.

• Dina said, "Michael walked into the apartment looked right at Ali and said, I'm looking for my daughter Ali, is she here? That's from Ali's lips to God's ears. He didn't even recognize his own daughter. That's what she told me he said when he walked in there and saw her."

TIGER MISTRESS NO. 1 REPORTEDLY PITCHING REALITY SHOW

Rachel Uchitel -- aka Tiger Mistress #1 -- is reportedly planning a television career. TMZ.com reports that the former event planner is working on a reality show and may be trying to snag a spot on Dancing With the Stars.

TMZ reports that Rachel, along with two producers and an agent, have gone to four different cable networks, pitching a show called Romancing Rachel. Supposedly the premise is -- single men competing for Rachel's affections. The website claims Lifetime and E! have passed, but VH1 and Oxygen are still considering the show. One of the men affiliated with the project is Scott Jeffress, who produced Jersey Shore and The Bachelor.

• Some reports claim Uchitel has been hitting up a Las Vegas dance studio in preparation for the next installment of Dancing with the Stars, but insiders told TMZ that Rachel has simply picked dance up as a new hobby.

TIGER DIVORCE DEFINITELY HAPPENING?

In other Tiger news, media outlets are claiming the golfer and wife Elin are almost certainly going to divorce.

An insider told USmagazine.com of Elin -- who recently jetted off to Sweden without Tiger -- "(A divorce) is 100% happening. Elin and her mom met with a lawyer before they went to Sweden. It's going to take a long time to go through. [But] she will go through with it. She is all about being a mom. She will do it slowly and carefully."

MTV REPORTEDLY CHANGING CAST FOR SEASON THREE OF 'JERSEY SHORE'

The Jersey Shore cast might be breaking up. The New York Post claims that more than half the cast is getting axed for season three because they're not "outrageous" enough.

Sources told the paper that Ronnie Magro, Sammi Giancola, Jenni "Jwoww" Farley and Vinny Guadagnino haven't been asked back to the show. An insider explained, "Pauly D already has a contract for season three and Snooki and The Situation will stay. The others could be replaced with even more outrageous characters."

• A rep for MTV denied the story, saying, "We haven't even started talking about season three." The show is currently filming its second season in Miami.

JON GOSSELIN FIRES ATTORNEY

Jon Gosselin revealed that he fired his attorney after Anthony List released a statement saying that Kate Gosselin is "always promoting something. . . and most of the time it's herself."

After List's comments were released to TMZ.com, Jon tweeted, "He has no legal right to speak to the press or anyone on my behalf. Kate, her attorneys and I are moving forward to work out things privately and amicably."

Gosselin added, "Mr. Anthony List Sr., Esq., is not my representing attorney; I terminated him on April 15, 2010. He has no legal right to speak to the press or anyone on my behalf."

• After retaining List, the attorney blasted Kate as an "absentee parent" and filed legal papers seeking full custody of the kids for Jon. The reality dad now claims, "I never wanted primary custody, he [attorney Anthony List] filed for that. I only wanted a more flexible custody schedule so I could be with my kids." List denied the claim, telling TMZ, "Jon signed off on everything."
• Meanwhile Jon says he's currently looking for a job. He told the site, "I would like a job in some aspect of TV, probably as a host."

CHECK IT OUT: Scandalous celebrity custody battles: http://tinyurl.com/peouxr

SETH ROGEN IS THE HARDESTWORKING ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD

Seth Rogen is the hardest working man in Hollywood -- at least according to Forbes magazine. The magazine looked to find the stars making the most films and the most money for studios since 2005, and with 10 of his movies bringing in more than $20 million at the box office over the past five years, Rogen topped the list.

He beat out competition from veteran actor Morgan Freeman, who came second in the list, shooting nine movies which garnered more than $20 million in revenue.

• Matt Damon came third, with eight high-earning movies in the last half-decade, while comic Will Ferrell came a close fourth.
• Iron Man's Robert Downey, Jr. and Snakes On A Plane star Samuel L. Jackson were at fifth and sixth place respectively, while Sandra Bullock and Meryl Streep -- at seven and eight -- are the only women to make the top ten.
• Transformers actor Shia LaBeouf and Batman Christian Bale rounded out the top 10.

CHECK IT OUT:

• See the list: http://tinyurl.com/y3spqnl
• How to look busy at work when you're not: http://tinyurl.com/254mly9

HEATHER LOCKLEAR WON'T FACE CHARGES AFTER ALL?

It's unlikely that Heather Locklear will face hit-and-run charges for allegedly striking a "no parking" sign near her house and then fleeing the scene. Although the actress was cited after law enforcement linked her car to the crash, Locklear's rep denies she was responsible and sources told TMZ.com that there's not enough evidence to prove otherwise.

TMZ reports that the driver cannot be ID'd in the surveillance video which captured the accident. Sources said that as of now there is "nothing approaching proof beyond a reasonable doubt" that Heather drove the car that hit the sign, making it "extremely unlikely" prosecutors will file charges.

• Locklear's lawyer addressed the incident saying, "Ms. Locklear was cited with a misdemeanor traffic ticket as she is the registered owner of the vehicle. She was never taken into custody. The matter is still being looked into as it is not yet clear who was driving the vehicle."

MOVIE OPENING THIS WEEKEND!

MOVIE OPENING: 'THE BACK UP PLAN'

Opening today (Friday April 23rd) is the new romantic comedy, The Back Up Plan, starring Jennifer Lopez and Alex O'Loughlin. The Back Up Plan is the story of Zoe, played by Lopez, who after years of dating decides to stop waiting and have a baby, but when she meets Stan, played by O'Loughlin, the two have an immediate connection which gets complicated when Zoe finds out pregnant.

• The Back Up Plan is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.
• The film was directed by Alan Poul.

Opening today (Friday April 23rd) is the new action movie, The Losers, starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Chris Evans, Zoe Saldana and Jason Patric. The film follows a team of elite commandos who find themselves on the receiving end of a betrayal that promises to leave them all dead. Presumed dead, the team joins forces with an operative named Aisha, played by Saldana, to hunt down their enemy and get revenge.

• The Losers is rated PG-13 and has a running time of 1 hour and 40 minutes.

HEADLINE NEWS!!

Friday, April 23, 2010

OBAMA ASKS WALL STREET TO BACK FINANCIAL REFORM: President Obama was critical yesterday (April 22nd) of risky practices by Wall Street that led to the 2008 financial collapse, as he asked the industry's leaders to back new financial regulations to avoid another crisis. Speaking at Cooper Union college in lower Manhattan before an audience that included financial industry leaders, consumer advocates and others, Obama said, "A free market was never meant to be a free license to take whatever you can get, however you can get it," telling the influential bankers, "Unless your business model depends on bilking people, there is little to fear from these new rules." The president acknowledged that there are differences of opinion over the kind of regulations needed, but rejected criticism from some Republicans that the bill being worked on in the Senate would encourage future bailouts, rather than discourage them. Obama said, "That makes for a good soundbite, but it's not factually accurate. It is not true." He said the legislation would end such bailouts. Obama also called on the bankers to back off on efforts by their lobbyists to derail or water down the legislation.

BURNING OIL PLATFORM SINKS OFF LOUISIANA: An oil platform that burned for more than a day after a huge explosion Tuesday night (April 20th) sank into the Gulf of Mexico some 50 miles off Louisiana Thursday (April 22nd), creating the potential for a major spill. Eleven men who worked on the Deepwater Horizon are still missing, and chances are slim that they survived. But more than 100 people survived, mainly in lifeboats that were lowered, although four were critically injured. The well will need to be capped underwater, and oil company BP, which contracted the platform, said it had mobilized aircraft that can spread chemicals to break up the oil and 32 ships that can suck up more than 171,000 barrels of oil a day from the water's surface.

TODAY'S FYI:

OBAMAS HEADING TO NORTH CAROLINA FOR WEEKEND GETAWAY: President Obama and his wife Michelle are heading to the mountains of western North Carolina today (April 23rd) for a weekend getaway -- and the kids are staying at home. The first couple will be staying at the posh Grove Park Inn resort in Asheville, which has hosted 10 presidents. No public events are scheduled for the Obamas in Asheville, a liberal-leaning town of about 75,000, and reporters are being allowed to get shots of Air Force One landing Friday in Asheville and leaving on Sunday, and that's all.

RUSSIA BANS SCIENTOLOGY BOOKS: The Russian government has banned the books and writings of the late Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, saying they belong on a list of materials, quote, "undermining the traditional spiritual values of the citizens of the Russian Federation." Hubbard's writings are being banned under a new law allowing the Russian government to ban written work classified as "extremist materials," and that carries a fine of $100 or a jail term of 15 days for anyone having them in their possession. The Church of Scientology has denounced the ban, calling it, quote, "the latest action in an ongoing campaign by extremists in the Russian government to suppress religious freedom in Russia."

STUDY: TEACHERS MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN LEARNING TO READ: A study out yesterday (April 22nd) from Florida State University concludes that genetics plays the biggest role in determining how fast a child learns to read, but a good teacher can make a measurable difference. The researchers studied first- and second-grade classrooms with at least one identical or fraternal twin to come to their conclusions, including that twins with similarly good teachers got similar scores. They also found that the genetic advantage disappeared among children in classes with less effective teachers, because the more naturally gifted children didn't reach their potential.

BRING YOUR KIDS TO WORK DAY AT THE WHITE HOUSE: The children of executive office employees were at the White House yesterday (April 22nd) for Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day, where they asked questions of Michelle Obama for an hour and got to meet first dog Bo. Among the questions the kids asked the first lady were ones about life in the White House, her campaign against childhood obesity, the White House garden, and even if she could make school recess longer. As part of the day's activities, the children also took a tour of the White House that included seeing a demonstration by the Secret Service, making a healthy snack with the pastry chef, visiting the White House athletic center, and learning about beekeeping and composting at the first lady's garden.

MISSOURI CLERK WINS $258 MILLION POWERBALL JACKPOT: A 29-year-old Missouri convenience store clerk came forward yesterday (April 22nd) as the winner of a $258 million Powerball jackpot, saying he bought the winning ticket Wednesday at the store in Marshall where he works. Accepting a ceremonial check at the Missouri Lottery headquarters, Chris Shaw said he plans to use the money to pay off the $1,000 he owes a friend for a truck he recently bought, catch up on utility bills he owes, go to the dentist to get his two missing front teeth replaced, and take his three children and his girlfriend's two child to Disney World. Shaw told reporters, "That amount of money to me is like a fairy tale. I'm just a regular guy working paycheck to paycheck . . . well not any more."

SPORTS:

OKLAHOMA'S QB BRADFORD IS TOP NFL DRAFT PICK: Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford, the 2008 Heisman Trophy winner, was the top pick in the NFL Draft yesterday (April 22nd), chosen by the St. Louis Rams, who had the first overall pick because of their 1-15 record last season. The opening round of the draft was held in prime time from Radio City Music Hall in New York, with the second and third rounds to be held today, and rounds four through seven on Saturday.

• Nebraska defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was taken second by the Detroit Lions.
• Third was Oklahoma defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
• Oklahoma offensive tackle Trent Williams was chosen fourth by the Washington Redskins.
• Tennessee safety Eric Berry went fifth to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Denver Broncos traded three lower-round picks for Baltimore's first-round pick, 25th overall, and took Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. Although Tebow had two national championships with Florida and won the 2007 Heisman, there are questions about his unorthodox style and strange throwing motion.

MARCH MADNESS EXPANDING FROM 65 TO 68 TEAMS: The NCAA will expand the "March Madness" men's college basketball tournament from 65 to 68 teams next year, deciding against the big jump to a 96-team field that it had been considering. The announcement came as the NCAA also said yesterday (April 22nd) that it had signed a 14-year, $10.8 billion deal with CBS and Turner Broadcasting that begin next March under which every game will be broadcast live nationally for the first timwill e in the tournament's 73-year history.

BREWERS BEAT PIRATES 20-0: The Milwaukee Brewers demolished the Pittsburgh Pirates 20-0 last night (April 22nd), handing Pittsburgh its worst loss ever. It was also the first 20-0 game since 1900, and the fifth largest shutout in Major League Baseball history.

(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)

ON THE TUBE TODAY & WEEKEND!

CBS

• GHOST WHISPERER (repeat)
• MEDIUM (repeat)
• MIAMI MEDICAL - A woman injured in a balcony collapse refuses treatment; a patient arrives at the hospital with a large sum of money.

NBC

• WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? - Susan Surandon tracks down the Tuscan village that was home to her great-grandmother.
• DATELINE NBC - A man charged with murder claims he was too fat to have committed the crime; a man's double life is exposed after his wife is killed in a car accident.

FOX

• HOUSE (repeat)
• GLEE (repeat)

ABC

• WIFE SWAP - Obsessed with becoming rich and famous, a family of aspiring musicians trades lives with a family of activists.
• JAMIE OLIVER'S FOOD REVOLUTION - (season finale) Jamie's accomplishments in Huntington begin to unravel when he leaves the city; Jamie returns to Huntington; Rascal Flatts perform.
• 20/20 - A woman serves a jail sentence after getting a man convicted of a rape he did not commit; a man suspected of embezzlement fakes his own death.

CW

• SMALLVILLE - Former DA Raymond Sacks threatens Lois after he is released from prison; Chloe discovers Zod's secret.
• AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL (repeat)

HBO

• THE RICKY GERVAIS SHOW - Karl is asked which animal he would like to talk to; passages from Karl's diary; 'Monkey News'.
• THE LIFE & TIMES OF TIM - Tim's Halloween costume is misinterpreted; Stu uses a table tennis talent to attract women.
• REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER - Journalist Matthew Continetti; international security expert Susan Eisenhower; activist Jack Kevorkian.

DAY TIME TALK SHOW

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Jennifer Lopez, Norah Jones, the latest American Idol castoff
THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Fridays Live with Jordan's Queen Rania and Melissa Etheridge
THE VIEW - Donald & Melania Trump, Craig Robinson, Tom Papa

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS

THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Kelsey Grammar, Jeff Altman, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Christpher Mintz-Plasse, David Axelrod, Creed
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - (repeat)
THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Drew Carey, Jason Aldean
LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat)
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat)

SATURDAY

NBC

• SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE - Gabourey Sidibe hosts; MGMT performs.

SUNDAY

CBS

• THE AMAZING RACE 16 - The teams must complete two roadblocks; two teams deal with confused cabdrivers.
• WHEN LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH: THE LOIS WILSON STORY - William G. Borchert's biographical story profiles Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon, and her husband, Bill, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous. Starring Winona Ryder, Barry Pepper and Camille Thomasson.

NBC

• MINUTE TO WIN IT - A Los Angeles firefighter continues his quest to win the million dollar prize; a kindergarten teacher competes.
• THE CELEBRITY APPRENTICE - The teams must create celebrity workout classes for a fitness center; one project manager reaches an emotional breaking point; a contestant is eliminated.

FOX

• THE SIMPSONS - The Simpsons build a wind turbine in their backyard; Homer and Lisa try to help whales beached by a storm.
• THE CLEVELAND SHOW (repeat)
• FAMILY GUY (repeat)
• AMERICAN DAD - Roger studies crime scene photography; Stan bullies Steve in hopes of toughening him up.

ABC

• EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (repeat)
• DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES - The Fairview strangler's past includes a time when Bree offered him a job and dating advice, when Susan encouraged his interest in art, and when Lynette showed him kindness and generosity.
• BROTHERS & SISTERS - More than one member of the Walker family thinks she may be pregnant; Saul and Nora face some tough decisions.

A&E

• GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS - Nick gets into a series of wild adventures when he entertains the son of one of Gene's potential clients; Shannon and Tracy host a party to promote self-interest.
• KIRSTIE ALLEY'S BIG LIFE - After a series of surprises at home, Kirstie decides the house, the staff and the animals must be prepared for anything; Jim takes True under his wing.

AMC

• BREAKING BAD - Walt settles into his new surroundings; Walt Jr. wants answers about his parent's relationship; Hank's investigation causes problems for Walt and Jesse.

HBO

• THE PACIFIC - The Marines are determined to fight to the last man; Sledge veers to the edge of a moral collapse.
• TREME - Albert makes a shocking discovery; Davis barters freedom for piano lessons; Antoine hits rock bottom.

SHOWTIME

• THE TUDORS - Henry forgives the citizens of the North for their rebellion; Catherine begins an affair with Culpeper.

OFF BEAT BRIEFS

WOMAN COMMITS MURDER OVER CHEESEBALLS: An Australian woman was arrested for running down and killing a 21-year-old man who threw cheeseball snacks at her vehicle. Sarah May Ward wanted to injure the man for throwing the snacks at her car, but instead accidentally hit the accelerator. The judge described the murder as a "senseless act of anger." Ward had drunk two bottles of wine, used marijuana and had taken antidepressants before getting into her vehicle. She was sentenced to a minimum of 18 years in prison. (Reuters)

SUSPECT FOUND IN MANURE PIT: An Indiana man who was wanted on methamphetamine charges was found hiding neck-deep in a manure pit. According to police, authorities thought they had lost the man until a Noble County sheriff's deputy spotted the 52-year-old man in the tank. The suspect was standing neck-deep in a tank filled with hog and dog feces on Tuesday. He later became aggressive and had to be shocked twice with a stun gun. The man was taken to the hospital before being jailed. (AP)

COUPLE MYSTERIOUSLY BURNED: Tennessee police are trying to figure out how a couple got burned. According to police, the 62-year-old man would not tell authorities how he got burned while the woman kept saying that the lawn mower exploded. However, a lawn mower could not be found in the yard. Police did find a gasoline can, a lighter and a cigarette butt on the porch. It was reported that the couple was drunk. A neighbor saw fire on the porch and ran to help the couple out. No charges were made and the couple was taken to the local hospital. (AP)

FAKE DOCTORS PROVIDING IMPLANTS ARRESTED: Venezuelan police arrested a man and a woman for pretending to be plastic surgeons and providing women with silicone breasts and buttock implants in their illegal clinic apartment. Reinaldo Henriquez and Hersi Rodriguez were charged with aggaravated fraud . Henriquez and Rodriguez are beauticians who belong to a gang called "The Silicons." They were able to attract customers with their low prices said the local media. The police were tipped off by a former client and the suspects were arrested on April 12. (Reuters)

DID YOU KNOW?

1 IN 7 MEN READ TO THEIR WOMEN IN BED: Seven in ten men regularly read to their wives and girlfriends to help them relax before going to sleep, a study found. And two in three women say they are more affectionate to a partner who reads aloud in bed. Behavioral expert Judi James said, "The lack of brain-effort required to produce a response is in itself relaxing, while the softer and more intimate tones used while reading out loud is both seductive and relaxing." The survey of 1,000 people was carried out by coffee brand Carte Noire. (Daily Mail)

CHECK IT OUT: The Cheater Registry is a new website that is making it possible for men and women to upload names of cheaters, sordid details of relationships gone wrong and even photographic proof. Since starting a little over a month ago, the site has seen more than 10,000 sign-ups and 100 non-celebrity postings. The site is: http://www.cheaterregistry.com/

BRITAIN BINGE-DRINKS THE MOST: Britain is the binge-drinking capitol of Europe, with 12 percent of the population admitting they have up to ten drinks in a single night out. And only two out of ten British people said they had consumed no alcohol at all in the past 12 months, compared to double that number in Portugal, Italy and Hungary. The study also found the countries that drank the least also drank the most frequently. Italians and Portuguese had the greatest tendency to drink little and often, with six out of ten people in both countries saying they drank up to two glasses every day of the week. Europe's most moderate drinkers were the Italians, with nine out of ten people saying they never had more than two drinks at a single sitting. (Telegraph)

10 THINGS NOT TO SAY TO A BASEBALL FAN (Lemondrop.com)

• "Do they serve sushi at the stadium?" Actually, most major league parks have expanded their menus to include more varieties of healthy grub. You better put some stadium mustard on it, though, unless you want to look like a snob.
• "Eww. Baseball hats make me look bad." Fact: A girl who can pull off a baseball cap (and there aren't many) is infinitely hot. It'd behoove you to at least take a swing.
• "Do we have to stay for the whole game?" Did we have to stay until the end of 'The Proposal'?
• "My ex loved baseball!" So do a lot of guys -- it's America's national pastime, after all. It's no reason to bring him up, nor is it an indication of the intentions of a baseball fan who also happens to be male.
• "Don't all these guys use performance enhancers?" Technically, makeup is a performance enhancer, too. How else would Sarah Jessica Parker keep from looking like Dee Snider? Seriously, Google it.
• "Why is the 'K' backwards?" Save yourself the embarrassment by knowing that 1) the letter "K" designates a strikeout in baseball, and 2) when the K is marked backward on the scoreboard, it means the batter struck out looking. (He watched the pitch cross the plate without even swinging.)
• "This game is so boring." While it's not always high-octane action, baseball is a game of reflex, skill and strategy. Kinda like dating.
• "I hate the Cubs." The Chicago Cubs, who haven't won a World Series in more than 100 years, are the scrawny, helpless little brother of baseball. Picking on them is like toe-punting a guinea pig.
• "'Summer Catch' is, like, my favorite movie!" We'll pretend you said "Major League," "Field of Dreams" or "The Bad News Bears" instead.
• That A-Rod sure is hot! Think so? Know who else is hot? Erica Blasberg (golf), Ashley Force (motor sports), Biba Golic (table tennis), Danica Patrick (motor sports), Jelena Dokic (tennis), Missy Gibson (surfing), Natalie Gulbis (golf), Niki Gudex (bike riding), Ashley Harkleroad (tennis), Jennie Finch (softball), Ana Paula Mancino (volleyball), Kristi Leskinen (skiing), Heather Mitts (soccer), Tanith Belbin (figure skating), Lokelani McMichael (triathlon), Maria Sharapova (tennis), Amanda Beard (swimming), Daniela Hantuchova (tennis), Anna Kournik ... oh, sorry, is that annoying?

LIES WOMEN TELL (TheFrisky.com)

"That was great": Listen, nobody's pointing fingers. Sometimes bad sex is a no-fault proposition. But if it's not good for her, it's altogether possible she may not be enlightening you on that matter. Whether she's just not that into it tonight or she's just not that into you, it's hard for some women to be frank about sex, especially when the news isn't good. Rely on her body language instead.

"I have never nor would I ever cheat on you": If you're not watching "Tough Love: Couples," you should be. The number one cause of screaming fights? Cheating. Or, more specifically, lying about cheating. It's not easy to tell someone when you've messed up; the fallout can be brutal. Remember: What you don't know can spare you.

"I weigh [X].": Here's the thing. Women don't lie about their weight because of you. Their reasons for doing it have everything to do with them. Not all women lie about their weight, but some do, and they do it for all kinds of reasons. Because they want to weigh less, because they want to weigh more, because they're not sure and that number sounds about right. Women and their weight are a mysterious relationship with which you may not want to interfere

"Sure, you can call me.": Sometimes, when we're face-to-face with a guy, and he's asking us out on a first or for a second date, it's tough to, er, woman-up and say, "You know what? Um, no." We don't want to be heartbreakers. We want to be nice. We're sure you'll get the message when we never call you back.

"I'll be ready in a minute.": Listen, if before you left the house to go out on a date, you had to shower, shave half your body, slather yourself in moisturizer, apply 99 overpriced products, put on several layers of makeup, flat-iron your hair, pick out the perfect outfit that makes you look sophisticated/sexy/spectacular, it would take you a long time to get ready, too. So, wait.

"I don't know.": I don't know (ha!) if I'm going to get a lot of agreement on this one, but I am of the opinion that a lot of times when a woman says, "I don't know," she does, in fact, know. Women are intuitive like a nuclear power plant is radioactive, and it is upon our internal sonars that we rely. Mostly, we do know. We may

"That was delicious!" If you cooked, we don't care how it tastes. We will tell you we love it. Love us for that

"I'm fine.": I am going to go out on a limb here and suggest this is the single most common lie told by women to men. Or, you know, at the very least it's the lie I've told most often to men. We are emotional creatures! Sometimes, we get upset! Maybe it's because our Aries is in your Venus, maybe it's because we got promoted at work and we're scared as hell about living up to our own lofty goals, or maybe we're in a mood. It's up to you to figure out if you want to walk into our minefield or keep a safe distance away. Usually, your best bet is listening.

"It was on sale.": It wasn't. Deal with it.

Here's a run down on what's happening and it's all FREE to the spectators in LHC!

Friday there's a Boat Parade in the channel starting at 10am followed by a Poker Run

Saturday starting at 9am is the Shootout where boats compete for fastest speed and fastest time in different classes. You can view this action for FREE from Rotary Park Beach

Again all these events are Free to the public

WATER COOLER TALK

'South Park' Speech Cut After Threat from Radical Muslim Group

South Park producers Trey Parker and Matt Stone said Thursday (April 22nd) that Comedy Central had cut a speech by the character Kyle about intimidation and fear from Wednesday night's episode after a radical Muslim group warned they could be killed for insulting the Prophet Muhammad. Earlier this week, the group Revolution Muslim said on its website that South Park had insulted Muhammad in last week's episode by depicting him in a bear costume. Although saying it wasn't threatening Parker and Stone, the group included a bloody picture of a Dutch filmmaker killed by Muslim extremists in 2004, and posted the addresses of Comedy Central's New York office and the California production studio where South Park is made. Despite that, Muhammad was again included in this week's episode, but with his body obscured by a black box, since Muslims consider a physical representation of the Prophet to be blasphemous. Addressing the speech that was removed, Parker and Stone said, "Kyle's customary final speech was about intimidation and fear. It didn't mention Muhammad at all, but it got bleeped."

Fox to Air Full-Figured Lingerie Ad, Denies Claim It Objected to It

Fox plans to air a new lingerie ad from Lane Bryant featuring full-figured models during next Wednesday's American Idol episode, and is denying the claim that it had objected to the spot. Lane Bryant has claimed that both Fox and ABC rejected the spot, for, respectively, American Idol and Dancing with the Stars, saying that it showed too much cleavage. Lane Bryant accused the networks of bias against large-sized women, pointing to ads for Victoria's Secret that featured thin models showing their cleavages that had aired on the networks. But Fox said that it often asks marketers to re-edit spots, and that Victoria's Secret agreed to make changes in its ads, but Lane Bryant hadn't, leading to the delay. Fox also noted that it had aired Playtex underwear ads for full-figured women on American Idol, countering the charge that it's biased against plus-sized women. ABC also denied the charge, saying the ad was accepted, and Lane Bryant was just seeking publicity.

• Check out the ad on Lane Bryant's website at: http://tinyurl.com/2ew8pon

Parent Objects to Ex-Con Rapper T.I. Speaking at Daughter's School

A parent in Georgia sent an e-mail to the principal of his daughter's middle school to complain after rapper T.I., who recently got out of jail after serving time for a weapons charge, spoke to students at an assembly against bullying. The NBC affiliate in Atlanta said T.I. spoke at Woodland Middle School in Henry County on March 5th as part of his community service obligation. Parent Tom Myers said that if he'd known T.I. was speaking, he wouldn't have allowed his daughter to attend the assembly, and he e-mailed principal Dr. Terry Oatts, asking that parents have input into whether a speaker is appropriate. Oatts replied, writing, "I thought about asking a guy who snorted cocaine and got arrested for DUI when he was 30 to come and speak to our kids, but President George W. Bush was unavailable." He went on to say in e-mail exchanges with Myers that even the president made mistakes when he was young, and that T.I. was presenting a positive message to the students.

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION

According to Wikipedia, Hank Azaria partly based the voice of Simpsons' character Moe on what actor?

A: Al Pacino

At the time of his casting, he was doing a play, in which he performed the role of a drug dealer, basing his voice on Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. He used that voice in the audition, and was told by Matt Groening and Sam Simon to make it more gravelly, ultimately becoming the voice of Moe.

KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

Miranda Lambert's new trophy for ACM Album of the Year for Revolution was the validation she needed to believe that the CD was as good as people told her. Before she released the project, Miranda played it for Lady Antebellum members Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott and Dave Haywood who told her it was history-making. Miranda tells us she had a difficult time taking the compliment until the crystal statue was put in her hand earlier this week. "It's hard to know that. It's like, you love it cause it's your baby, but it's hard to see the big picture, I guess, and it takes something like people recognizing you for you to go, 'Okay, maybe it is good.'"

Miranda adds that Lady A's kind words did not go unappreciated. "Lady A, we have a really, really great relationship. They're some of my best friends in the world, and it's really a huge compliment when artists that are so talented and you respect them so much as people as well say something like that about you. It's awesome!"

• Miranda also took home awards for Top Female Vocalist and Video of the Year for "White Liar."
• She continues on her Roadside Bars & Pink Guitars trek, which plays in Amarillo, Texas tonight (Thursday, April 22nd).
• Her new single, "The House That Built Me," is climbing the country charts.

FAST FACTS

• Miranda's first Number One hit, "White Liar," was the debut single from Revolution.
• She also won the ACM's Album of the Year award in 2007 for her Crazy Ex-Girlfriend CD.

Tim McGraw is just like anyone else when it comes to wanting to know the inside scoop in the lives of celebrities. The singer recently read the new Tammy Wynette biography, called Tragic Country Queen. The book explores Tammy's storied personal life, including her five husbands and the various ailments that contributed to her death at the age of 55 in 1998.

Tim tells us this book, like all tell-alls, are a fascinating read. "I mean, I like any of them. I mean, who knows what the truth is, but it's just fun to read."

• Tim and his wife, Faith Hill, had a friendship with the late legend. Tammy threw a baby shower for Faith when she was pregnant with the couple's oldest daughter, Gracie.
• Tammy Wynette: Tragic Country Queen is in stores now.
• Tim's Southern Voice tour plays in Knoxville, Tennessee tonight (Thursday, April 22nd). The show features special guests Lady Antebellum and Love And Theft.

Taylor Swift is a regular fixture in the country music history books, but now she's going to be featured in another book -- a comic book, in fact. The superstar will be featured in a 32-page book set for release in July as part of Bluewater Comics' Fame book. The story dates back to Taylor's early beginnings as a songwriter at age 10, and follows her meteoric rise to the top. It also depicts her personal life, including Taylor's well-documented break up with Jonas Brothers star Joe Jonas.

• Other celebs who have gotten the Fame comic treatment include Robert Pattinson, Kristen Stewart and Lady Gaga.

CHECK IT OUT

• Comic book renderings of Taylor: http://tinyurl.com/2g8f5qo

Rascal Flatts will perform the national anthem prior to the running of the Kentucky Derby on May 1st. The performance, scheduled for shortly after 5 p.m. ET, will be broadcast by NBC Sports.

Despite reports to the contrary, Julianne Hough is not dating American Idol host Ryan Seacrest. She told OK! magazine, "It's so crazy. I keep hearing these rumors, but I don't know. I know him from interviews. We've had lunch together with people - my manager, and stuff like that." Julianne has also recently been romantically linked to Dane Cook and Kings of Leon frontman Jared Followill.

Brad Paisley has often said that his oldest son, three-year-old Huck, looks and acts like he was did a kid. That must mean that second son, one-year-old Jasper, takes after his mother, actress Kimberly Williams-Paisley. Brad says that Jasper is definitely the "better kid" at this age than Huck. He told People.com, "The second kid just kind of takes the table scraps and doesn't complain as much. They instantly feel their place. They're not the center of the universe so much."

When it comes to parenting, however, Brad says he and Kimberly are on the same page. He said, "We're both pretty strict. I like to think that we both have a lot of the same outlook." Brad says they feel that discipline is very important because if Huck and Jasper "can't understand that you can't do certain things, there's going to be trouble in life."

All in all, Brad says that parenthood is the best experience, saying,"It's a blast. It's a thrill a minute. It's a sleep-deprived state of hallucination and utter joy. It's great."

• Brad will get some sleep when he heads back out on the road for his H2O tour, which begins on May 21st in Virginia Beach.
• The trek features openers Darius Rucker, Justin Moore, Steel Magnolia, Josh Thompson and Easton Corbin.

Faith Hill will join host Heidi Klum and judges Michael Kors and Nina Garcia on the season finale of Project Runway tonight (Thursday, April 22nd) airing at 10 p.m. ET on the Lifetime Network. Faith helped determine this season's winner, a decision that wasn't made easily.

Faith said, "What I saw was truly extraordinary and it made judging very difficult. All of the designers were creative and imaginative. But there were some whose craftsmanship was impeccable. Designers by trade are always capable of sewing their own clothing, but the tailoring that I saw was extremely impressive; a few in particular knocked me out. The passion that these individuals showed, and their eagerness to learn from feedback and criticism, should prove an inspiration for those that follow them."

• Faith is in the process of working on a new album. There is no word on when that CD will be released.
• The singer will be part of the all-star concert tribute to Brooks & Dunn, called The Last Rodeo, airing on CBS on May 23rd.

Happy Birthday to Glen Campbell, who turns 74 today (April 22nd)!!! Campbell is best remembered for his string of 1960s and '70s Top 40 hits, including the Top Tens "Wichita Lineman" and "Galveston," and the Number Ones "Rhinestone Cowboy" and "Southern Nights."

Campbell has announced that following the release and tour in support of his upcoming album Ghost On The Canvas, he'll be retiring. Among the guest stars on the new set are Jakob Dylan, Chris Isaak, Dandy Warhols, Paul Westerberg, who wrote the album's title track, and former Prince bandmate Wendy Melvin -- whose father Mike Melvin, worked numerous sessions with Campbell in the '60s. There's still no release date set for Ghost On The Canvas.

• In 2008 he released his latest album Meeting Glen Campbell, which featured such cover tunes as John Lennon's "Grow Old With Me," Green Day's "Good Riddance (Time Of Your Life)," U2's "All I Want Is You," Foo Fighters' "Times Like These," the Replacements' "Sadly Beautiful," Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers' "Walls," and the Velvet Underground's "Jesus," among others.
• Campbell was born in Delight, Arkansas, one of 12 children. In 1958, after years of working the club circuits, Campbell headed west and almost immediately found work as a session guitarist in Los Angeles. He says that music came so naturally to him that he never thought much about it, beyond the joy of playing it: "I never really started out to be anything. Country (or) rock, pop -- I didn't do it. I was going to be a guitar player. It never entered my mind that I would be a singer cutting records and singing on the radio. I was basically a guitar player (first)."
• Prior to solo fame, Campbell was part of the elite group of top studio session players in L.A. called "the Wrecking Crew" and performed on many of the hit singles recorded in Hollywood from the late 1950s through the early 1970s, including tracks by the Ronettes, the Beach Boys, the Monkees, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Leslie Gore, Paul Revere & the Raiders, the Righteous Brothers, Sonny & Cher, Jan & Dean, Gary Lewis & the Playboys and many of Phil Spector's classic '60s "Wall Of Sound" productions.
• Campbell says that every one of the "Wrecking Crew" players deserves to be inducted in the "sideman" category included on each year's ballot for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame: "Well, they should get it, because they had the talent. And there were more records that came out of Los Angeles and the studios there in the '60s than any studio in the world. And it was basically the same group of people playing on all of those records."
• Glen Campbell is currently on an extended European tour. His next U.S. dates are set for June 25th and 26th in Sparks, Nevada at John Assuages Nugget Hotel/Casino.

FAST FACTS

• In late 1964 he temporarily replaced Beach Boy Brian Wilson on the road after Wilson suffered his first nervous breakdown.
• Over the years Campbell has become a household name, after a 1969 star turn opposite John Wayne in True Grit, and later that year starring in his own variety show, The Glen Campbell Good time Hour, which ran on CBS until 1972.
• In 2005, at the Country Music Association Awards, Campbell was officially inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
• Over the years, Campbell has publicly battled against alcohol and substance abuse. In 2004, he served a 10-day sentence in a Phoenix County jail for a DUI conviction.
• In 2006, Campbell's 1967 recording of "By The Time I Get To Phoenix" was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

COUNTRY TRIVIA

Q. What song did Trace Adkins write for his 1997 wedding to his wife, Rhonda?
A. "The Rest of Mine"

COUNTRY ON THE TUBE TODAY!

BACKSTORY: BLAKE SHELTON/GAC 12:00PM (ET)

BACKSTORY: TRACE ADKINS/GAC 8:00PM (ET)

COUNTRY AT THE WHITE HOUSE/GAC 9:30PM (ET)
Brad Paisley, Alison Kraus & Union Station, Charley Pride

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TODAY!

Glen Campbell (74)

• Peter Frampton (rock singer/guitarist) (60)
• Jack Nicholson (Academy Award-winning actor, One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, Chinatown, The Shining, Batman, A Few Good Men, As Good As It Gets, Anger Management) (73)
• Charlotte Rae (actress, The Facts of Life's Mrs. Garrett) (84)
• Ryan Stiles (actor/comedian, "Lewis" on the Drew Carey Show) (51)
• Sheryl Lee (actress, played Laura Palmer in Twin Peaks) (43)
• John Waters (cult film director, Hairspray, Pink Flamingos, Female Trouble, Serial Mom, Cry Baby) (64)
• Paul Carrack (singer and keyboardist, Ace, Squeeze, Mike + the Mechanics) (59)
• Jeffrey Dean Morgan (actor, Watchmen, Grey's Anatomy, Supernatural, The Accidental Husband, P.S. I Love You) (44)
• Eric Mabius (actor, Cruel Intentions, Ugly Betty, Resident Evil) (39)

ON THIS DAY IN COUNTRY!

• George Strait's "The Best Day" claimed the Number One slot on the Billboard country chart in 2000.
• John Michael Montgomery's "I Can Love You Like That" began a three-week stay atop the country singles chart in 1995.
• Clint Black made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 1989.
• George Jones & Tammy Wynette recorded the classic duet "Golden Ring" in 1976.
• Merle Haggard recorded the Number One single "The Roots Of My Raising" in 1975.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP

DRUGS NOT INVOLVED IN DEATH OF MARIE OSMOND'S SON: Drugs reportedly were not a factor in the death of Marie Osmond's son Michael Bryan. TMZ.com reports that the sole cause of Michael's death was his suicidal jump. According to the L.A. County Coroner's Office, drugs were not found in Bryan's system and the cause of death was determined to be "multiple blunt trauma." Bryan died on February 26 after he jumped from his apartment building in downtown Los Angeles.

SANDRA BULLOCK WILL RETURN RAZZIE: Sandra Bullock will return the Razzie trophy she was mistakenly given. After it was reported that the actress took home a decades-old prototype, instead of the cheap replica intended for her, the matter was cleared up. Her publicist told E!, "We were never contacted by them to return the Razzie. I contacted them yesterday to check the validity of the story and was only told then that we had been given the wrong award. We will be returning the Razzie to them shortly."

BENCH WARRANT ISSUED FOR 'DEADLIEST CATCH' STAR: Deadliest Catch star Jake Harris is wanted by Washington police after blowing off his pretrial hearing on Wednesday (April 21st). TMZ.com reported that a judge in King County, Washington issued a bench warrant for the 24-year-old after he failed to appear for the hearing. Jake, the son of the late Captain Phil Harris, was arrested back in February after allegedly driving recklessly and causing a late-night car crash.

HEIDI MONTAG WON'T SUE 'HILLS' CREATOR: Heidi Montag has decided not to sue The Hills creator Adam DeVillo for alleged sexual harassment. Montag accused DeVillo of "inappropriately groping her" during a cast photo shoot in March, but reportedly decided not to go forward with a lawsuit after consulting with attorneys. A source told the New York Post, "Heidi and [husband] Spencer [Pratt] have changed their minds and realized they should just move on."

SECRET SERVICE INVESTIGATING KAL PENN MUGGING: The Secret Service is reportedly investigating Kal Penn's mugging from earlier this week. TMZ.com reports that the perpetrator stole Penn's two cell phones -- one of which belongs to the government. TMZ was told that "no information was compromised because no official numbers were in the phone." Penn currently works in the White House as the Associate Director in the Office of Public Engagement.

'SURVIVOR' PRODUCER REPORTEDLY PLANNING DEFENSE IN CASE OF MURDER CHARGE: Survivor producer Bruce Beresford-Redman reportedly is planning on using the "blame the victim" strategy if he is charged with wife's murder. E! reports that Bruce and Eduardo Amerena, the noted criminal lawyer who successfully defended Duane "Dog" Chapman back in 2007, are planning a defense in which he would deny the murder and say his wife had been cheating on him. Contrary to the supposed defense, Bruce had actually been cheating on wife Monica, which she reportedly discovered shortly before she was killed.

MORE WOMEN CLAIM HARASSMENT FROM STEVE SEAGAL: Two more women have come forward claiming they were sexually harassed by Steven Seagal. PerezHilton.com reports that both women have given sworn declarations to Kayden Nguyen, the 23-year-old who filed a lawsuit against the star. Both ladies say they too were hired as Seagal's assistants, with one detailing that he once reached his hands down her pants to "see what it felt like." Seagal's lawyer said that Steven's employment records don't prove that either of the women in question had ever worked for him, but added that if they had, their claims would be "absurd."

HOLLYWOOD NEWS

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. DENIES 'OZ' ROLE: Robert Downey Jr.'s rep is denying that the actor will star in a Disney-produced prequel to The Wizard of Oz. Reports have claimed that the new film will focus on how the wizard came to rule over the Emerald City -- with Downey in the title role. However, a rep for the actor told GossipCop.com that the casting claims are "not true."

DANIEL DAE KIM STAYING BUSY POST-'LOST': Daniel Dae Kim is lining up his post-Lost jobs. People magazine confirmed that the actor signed on to play a samurai sword-brandishing captive Kendo master in the action thriller Deathgames. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Kim and Twilight star Kellan Lutz will play prisoners of Samuel L. Jackson, who forces the men to take part in modern gladiator games where they fight to the death as entertainment for the public.

LEONARD NIMOY RETIRING: Leonard Nimoy is retiring from show business. The 79-year-old Star Trek alum recently told the Toronto Sun, "I've been doing this professionally for 60 years. I love the idea of going out on a positive note. I've had a great, great time." The actor referred to his most recent appearance on Fringe as his "victory lap." The former Spock added, "I want to get off the stage. Also, I don't think it would be fair to Zachary Quinto. He's a terrific actor, he looks the part, and it's time to give him some space. And I'm very flattered the character will continue."

DAVID LETTERMAN GOING ON 'REGIS AND KELLY': David Letterman will visit Live with Regis and Kelly next week. The appearance marks Letterman's first time on the show since Philbin returned to the air after heart surgery in April 2007. Other upcoming guests on the show include Betty White, Gwyneth Paltrow, Tom Selleck and Russell Crowe.

'SEX AND THE CITY' MANIA BEGINS: Sex in the City 2 is already a hit and it isn't being released for over a month. Fandango spokesman Harry Medved said the chick flick is out-selling movies that are playing in theaters right now. He explained, "It was nearly 20% of our daily sales when it first went on sale, outpacing (new box office champ) 'Kick-Ass,' which was 17% of sales. We saw surprisingly strong advance ticket sales on the first one, with many female moviegoers buying tickets en masse, planning screening parties for groups of friends who were flying in from out of town."

HEATHER LOCKLEAR REPORTEDLY FACING JAIL TIME AFTER HIT-AND-RUN ARREST

Heather Locklear is reportedly facing 90 days in jail after her hit-and-run arrest last Saturday. The Melrose Place star was cited and released after police found a 'no parking' sign mowed down in Westlake Village, CA and tracked the damage back to Locklear.

Because the offense is a misdemeanor, Locklear was not taken into custody. X17Online.com reports that a surveillance video near the scene helped deputies identify Locklear's black 2005 BMW.

• RadarOnline.com reports that Locklear is facing time behind bars because she is still on probation in relation to a reckless driving charge in 2008. She formally pled no contest to the charge in January 2009. As part of the plea deal, a DUI charge against her was dismissed, and she was placed on three years probation. She was suspected at the time of driving under the influence of prescription medication.
• Santa Barbara district attorney Lee Carter, who handled Locklear's 2008 case told Radar, "I have left a message with the investigating agency. I need to confirm that the person involved was indeed Heather Locklear. Once that determination is made the appropriate action will be taken."

MADONNA-THEMED 'GLEE' SEQUEL IN THE WORKS

A sequel to Glee's Madonna-themed episode is already in the works. Tuesday (April 20th) night's show was a smash hit, bringing in 13.5 million viewers to become the night's most-watched scripted program.

Creator Ryan Murphy confirmed that a follow-up is in the works. He told EW.com that "Madonna and her people are into it and want it to happen." The sequel would tentatively air early next season and feature six more of the pop icon's hit songs.

• EW.com added that the soundtrack from the episode is currently No. 1 on iTunes, and two of the singles are in the top 20.

ABC REPORTEDLY DEVELOPING TALK SHOW FOR TORI SPELLING

ABC is reportedly developing a daytime talk show for Tori Spelling. The Los Angeles Times claims that Spelling would star with a male co-host -- as they are looking for a "Will and Grace" vibe.

No names have been mentioned for the potential co-host but the Times says he "would basically serve as Spelling's best friend forever."

• Spelling achieved fame on Beverly Hills 90210 and has starred on an Oxygen reality show with husband Dean McDermott for five seasons.

OPRAH'S COUSIN CLAIMS KITTY KELLEY IS LYING ABOUT FATHER'S PATERNITY

Kitty Kelley's alleged tell-all book, Oprah: A Biography continues to stir controversy. In the book, the 68-year-old author said that Oprah's cousin, Katherine Carr Esters told her who Oprah's real father was, but Kelley chose not to include his identity in the book -- vowing to only share the name with Oprah personally. O's cousin now tells a Mississippi newspaper, The Clarion Ledger, that she did not reveal details of Oprah's paternity to Kitty.

• Esters says if she could talk to the talk show queen, she'd tell her, "Kitty Kelley misquoted me when she said I told her who your father was. How could I know?"
• Esters, 82, added, "I'm sorry this book, portraying her falsely, was ever written and that I participated in answering questions."
• Kitty responded to Esters' claims on her blog saying that "she's not surprised, but disappointed" and that Esters "may have come under some pressure" to recant her statements.
• Kitty is now requesting for Esters to release her from her promise to not reveal the identity of O's father. If Esters agrees, she will write Oprah a personal letter to share all of the information that her cousin gave her.
• Oprah's spokesperson, Angela DePaul said that the media maven "hasn't spoken with her [Esters]."

MOVIE OPENING TODAY

Opening today (Thursday April 22nd) is the new documentary, Oceans, an unprecented look under the sea featuring footage never before seen captured by today's underwater technology made by directors Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud. The nature film is narrated by Pierce Brosnan.

• Oceans is rated G and has a running time of 1 hour and 45 minutes.

MAN CLAIMS HE HAD AFFAIR WITH LARRY KING'S WIFE

A 31-year-old baseball coach claims that he had an affair with Larry King's 50-year-old wife, Shawn Southwick. Hector Penate talked to Entertainment Tonight and In Touch magazine about the supposed affair, claiming that they even had sex in Larry's bed -- a lot. He said, "I felt like it was my house."

Penate said he began sleeping with Southwick two-and-a-half weeks after they met in 2007. He said that he believes reports that King was having an affair with Southwick's younger sister, explaining, "I really think she had the affair with me because of him and her sister."

• He also said Southwick often spoke to him of her desire to divorce King, and once told him, "'Don't worry, he's gonna die soon.'"

SAMANTHA RONSON DENIES SPITTING ON LINDSAY LOHAN

The drama between Lindsay Lohan and Samantha Ronson continues, even though the pair split a year ago. Early Wednesday (April 21st) morning, Lohan tweeted, "Fun @coachella but tonight @ my friernds bday party, @ samantha ronson spit in my face and left w/ @mileycyrus's ex."

Upon seeing Lindsay's accusation, Samantha tweeted, Guess what didn't happen tonight . . . "

• Lindsay's mother Dina recently told RadarOnline.com that her daughter's late-night antics are mostly fabricated by the media. She said, "People don't understand how the press manipulates and how they make something look as it seems when it's completely opposite."

HEADLINE NEWS!!

PLANES RETURN TO EUROPEAN SKIES, QUESTIONS OVER VOLCANO RESPONSE: As planes continued to return to the skies over Europe yesterday (April 21st), questions were being raised over the response to the ash cloud caused by an Icelandic volcano erupting last week, leading to a closure of European air space for days that has cost airlines more than $2 billion. European civil aviation authorities defended their decisions to ground fleets against charges from the airlines that the decision was based on flawed data or unsubstantiated fears. The air space over most of Europe opened Wednesday after the ash cloud dispersed to levels deemed safe, although there were still restrictions over parts of Britain, Ireland, France and the Scandinavian countries. Volcanic ash can damage plane engines and their airframes.

11 MISSING IN OIL RIG EXPLOSION OFF LOUISIANA: The Coast Guard was searching overnight for 11 workers who were missing after an explosion on a oil drilling platform 50 miles off Louisiana that continued to burn yesterday (April 21st) after exploding Tuesday night. Seventeen other people were injured, four critically. Nearly 100 other workers made it aboard a supply boat and were expected to reach shore by early Thursday. The explosion appeared to be what's called a blowout, in which natural gas or oil forces its way up a well pipe and smashes the equipment. But exactly what went wrong is under investigation.

GENERAL MOTORS PAYS BACK GOVERNMENT LOANS: General Motors announced yesterday (April 21st) that it had repaid $8.1 billion in loans to the U.S. and Canadian governments five years ahead of schedule. Much of the progress at GM came from cutting its debt load and workforce as part of its bankruptcy reorganization last year. At the same time, the U.S. government still owns 61 percent of GM. The automaker is counting on a public stock offering to allow the government to begin recouping its remaining $45.3 billion investment. The Canadian has a 12 percent ownership stake.

TODAY'S FYI:

BRISTOL PALIN TESTIFIES IN CASE OVER HACKING OF MOM'S E-MAIL: Sarah Palin's 19-year-old daughter Bristol testified yesterday (April 21st) in the federal trial in Tennessee of a 22-year-old former college student charged with hacking into her mother's e-mail account, saying she got anonymous phone calls and hundreds of text messages after her cell phone number was posted online. David Kernell is accused of hacking the then-Alaska governor's e-mail account in September 2008 after John McCain chose her to be his vice presidential running mate. Kernell got access by correctly guessing answers to personal security questions, reset the password, and made screenshots of the contents of her account, posting some of the information online. His attorney says the whole thing was a prank, but Kernell -- who's the son of a Democratic state representative in Tennessee -- faces charges of identity theft, wire fraud, computer fraud and obstruction of justice, and faces up to 50 years in jail if convicted. Sarah Palin herself is expected to testify later this week.

ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM CAUSES COMPUTER GLITCH: In an embarrassing goof, an antivirus program from McAfee Inc. mistakenly identified a normal Windows file as a virus yesterday (April 21st), and caused computers of McAfee corporate customers around the world to repeatedly reboot themselves. McAfee said that a software update it posted at 9 a.m. ET caused the problem, and a replacement update has since been posted for download. McAfee said it's investigating what happened and will take steps to prevent a recurrence. AP reported that among the effects of the glitch were: about one-third of the hospitals in Rhode Island had to to postpone elective surgeries and stop treating patients without traumas in emergency rooms; Kentucky state police were told to shut down the computers in their patrol cars; and the National Science Foundation headquarters lost computer access.

$100 BILL GETS HIGH-TECH, ANTI-COUNTERFEITING MAKEOVER: The $100 bill has gotten a high-tech makeover in an effort to stay ahead of increasingly sophisticated counterfeiters. The new bill unveiled yesterday (April 21st) by Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner keeps Ben Franklin on the front and Independence Hall on the back, although both have been modified to make them harder to copy. The major changes include the addition of a bright blue security ribbon made up of tiny lenses that will give a 3-D effect to the micro-images they'll be magnifying. When tilted, tiny bells on the ribbon change to 100s and back. If the note is tilted back and forth, the images will move side to side, and if the bill is tilted side to side, the images will move up and down. Additionally, an inkwell to the right of Franklin's portrait will change color from copper to green when the bill is tilted, and the movement will also make a Liberty Bell appear and disappear inside the inkwell.

• The new bill is going into circulation next February.
• The $100 bill is the last to undergo an extensive redesign begun in 2003. The $20 bill was first, followed by the $50, $10 and $5 bills.

WINTER OLYMPIANS VISIT THE WHITE HOUSE: The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic teams from the Vancouver Winter Games two months ago visited the White House yesterday (April 21st), where the festivities were forced indoors because of rain. The 225 or so athletes met with President Obama and his family and Vice President Joe Biden, presented gifts and took photos, with short-track speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno, whose three medals in Vancouver gave him a U.S.-record eight career Winter Olympic medals, saying, "It never gets old coming to the White House." Some of the Olympians also visited Capitol Hill in the morning and attended a Supreme Court reception in the evening.

MAYOR DONATES KIDNEY TO FACEBOOK FRIEND: In an Internet-assisted act of of selflessness, a 35-year-old Connecticut mayor has donated a kidney to a constituent who was one of her more than 1,600 Facebook friends. East Haven Mayor April Capone Almon saw last year that Carlos Sanchez, one of her Facebook friends, had posted a status update saying he needed a kidney because of the effects of his diabetes, but that all his relatives and friends had been tested and weren't matches. Capone Almon knew the 44-year-old Sanchez casually through activities and friends, but they weren't close and she hadn't known he was ill. But she sent him an online message saying she'd get tested, which she did, and after finding she was a match, the operation took place earlier this month. Both are expected to make full recoveries.

SPORTS:

ROETHLISBERGER SUSPENDED FOR SIX GAMES: Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was suspended without pay Wednesday (April 21st) for the first six games of the season, as the NFL punished the two-time Super Bowl winner for violating the NFL's personal conduct policy, and ordered him to undergo behavioral evaluation. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell imposed the punishment after prosecutors decided last week not to charge Roethlisberger in a case involving a 20-year-old college student who accused him of sexually assaulting her in a Milledgeville, Georgia, nightclub last month. Goodell said in his letter to Roethlisberger, "My decision today is not based on a finding that you violated Georgia law, or on a conclusion that differs from that of the local prosecutor. That said, you are held to a higher standard as an NFL player, and there is nothing about your conduct in Milledgeville that can remotely be described as admirable, responsible, or consistent with either the values of the league or the expectations of our fans."

TIGER WOODS ENTERS TWO MORE TOURNAMENTS: Tiger Woods entered two more tournaments yesterday (April 21st), The Players Championship, which starts on May 6th, and the AT&T National, which benefits his foundation but that he no longer hosts, which will be held over the Fourth of July weekend. This is the second straight week that Woods committed early to a PGA Tour event, after for many years having waited until the last few days before the deadline before signing up. Tiger returned to golf at the Masters, where he finished fourth, after being away for five months because of his multiple mistresses scandal. Next up for him is the Quail Hollow Championship, which starts on April 29th.

(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)

ON THE TUBE TODAY

CBS

• SURVIVOR: HEROES VS. VILLAINS - Reunited in the merged tribe, two old friends rekindle an alliance.
• CSI: CRIME SCENE INVESTIGATION - Catherine investigates when a student is found murdered at her daughter's school.
• THE MENTALIST - The team has to begin an investigation again after Patrick's actions cause a case to be thrown out of court.

NBC

• COMMUNITY - Troy and Jeff take on the chicken finger shortage; Britta struggles with the unsatisfactory number of causes she supports.
• 30 ROCK - Liz and Jenna attend a singles event; Jack is torn between Nancy (Julianna Moore) and news anchor Avery (Elizabeth Banks).
• THE OFFICE - Andy tries to make Secretary's Day memorable for Erin; Oscar circulates a viral video comparing Kevin's voice to Cookie Monster's.
• 30 ROCK - Liz tries to prove that she can be fun; Jack is forced to make a tough decision; Kenneth helps Tracy be a good husband.
• THE MARRIAGE REF - Comic Adam Carolla, Gloria Estefan and Donald Trump serve on the panel.

FOX

• BONES - Brennan and Booth are asked to identify human remains found inside the belly of a shark; a marine biologist is interested in Booth.
• FRINGE - A shape shifting embryo is discovered; Peter shares a family secret with Olivia.

ABC

• FLASHFORWARD - Mike and his team search for Demetri; terror suspect Alda promises to give Zoey information on Demetri's whereabouts.
• PRIVATE PRACTICE - After her escape to Costa Rica, Violet returns home and to the practice; Amelia interferes in Sam's personal life; Sheldon encourages Charlotte to reconcile with Cooper.
• GREY'S ANATOMY (repeat)

CW

• THE VAMPIRE DIARIES - Elena and Caroline compete in a beauty pageant; John Gilbert tries to intimidate Damon; Damon discovers that Stefan is hiding a secret.
• SUPERNATURAL - Sam and Dean are kidnapped by a group of gods and held hostage as bargaining chips to stop the apocalypse.

BRAVO

• THE REAL HOUSEWIVES OF NEW YORK CITY - TBA

LIFETIME

• PRJECT RUNWAY - TBA

DAY TIME TALK SHOW

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Wanda Sykes, Evan Lysacek & Anna Trebunskaya, Jason Castro
THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Oprah's Earth Day Mom Swap: An Eye Opening Intervention
THE VIEW - Fred Hammond

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS

THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - David Spade, Lisa P. Jackson, Broken Social Scene
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Jeff Corwin, Maxwell
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Chace Crawford, Anthony Anderson, Taylor Hawkins
THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Busy Phillips
LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat)
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat)
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Zoe Saldana
THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Gorillaz
LOPEZ TONIGHT - Jennifer Lopez, Ken Jeong, Ozomatli

OFF BEAT BRIEFS

BURGLARS STEAL TVs FROM PRISON: Thieves in Amsterdam have broken into a prison twice and stolen inmates' televisions while during their weekend leave. Burglars broke into the minimum-security prison, Hoorn, and stole TVs from the prisoners' cells. This is the second break-in in the past six weeks. The prison is designed for prisoners who are transitioning back into society. They are typically allowed a weekend leave. The ministry is unable to determine how the burglars gained access to the prison cells. No arrests have yet been made. (Reuters)

MAN USES FRENCH FLAG TO WIPE BOTTOM: The French government is demanding criminal proceedings against a man who used the French flag to wipe his bottom. The man submitted the photograph of himself using the flag to a contest organized by the FNAC book and record shop in Nice. The photograph was one of the winners and was published in a free national newspaper. Justice Minister Michele Alliot-Marie demanded that the man be punished for his act. Under France's penal code, insulting the French national anthem or the tricolor flag during a publicly organized event is punishable by up to six months' imprisonment and a fine of 7,500 euros (10,045 dollars). (AFP)

MAN CONFRONTING ODOR PUNCHED: A Washington store employee was punched in the face for confronting a customer about his body odor. According to police, the store employee simply wanted to notify the customer about his odor after receiving several complaints from other customers. The man snapped and threw batteries at the employee and then punched him in the face, causing a minor injury. (AP)

BEAR GETS HEAD STUCK IN MILK CAN: A Vermont black bear was rescued after getting its head stuck in a milk can. It took about 45 minutes for biologists, firefighters and police to save the 120-pound bear. Officials estimate that the bear had its head stuck in the milk can for approximately six hours before the animal was saved. Wildlife Biologist Forrest Hammond said the bear was seen bumping into trees and boulders. Firefighters eventually helped Hammond cut the can off the animal's head. (AP)

DID YOU KNOW?

KIDS WOULD RATHER TEXT THAN TALK: Many young people prefers exchanging text messages to having an actual conversation, with one in three teenagers sending more than 100 texts a day. A study found that female teenagers send an average of 80 text messages a day, while the average boy of the same age will send 30. The study, by the Pew Research Centre in Washington DC, revealed that text messaging has become the preferred method of communication for young people above face-to-face conversations, telephone calls and social networking websites. While most young people make an effort to send text messages to their friends every day, only one third will seek to have a discussion with them in person.

BOTOX BAD FOR SOCIAL LIVES? Botox may kill your wrinkles, but it could also cost you your social life, a new study suggests. Research from the University of Wisconsin-Madison published in the journal Psychological Science found that the wrinkle-smoothing treatment not only stops frown lines, it also increases the amount of time it takes to react to emotional events -- potentially leading to socially awkward encounters. lead researcher David Havas said, "Blocking facial expression diminishes the experience of emotion. Our faces are normally alive with activity, which contributes to our understanding of each other, and there is a strong link between our facial expression and our ability to comprehend the meaning of language. If people seem slow in reacting to what they are being told, it is likely to be interpreted as a lack of sympathy or interest." (NY Daily News)

1 IN 10 WOMEN EMBARRASSED BY BOYFRIEND'S LOOKS: A new survey revealed that 83 percent of women prefer the looks of celebrities over those of their boyfriends. One in 10 said she's actually embarrassed by the way her guy looks. According to the research by the Good Surgeon Guide, another 39 percent actively "style" their boyfriend after a celebrity, and 48 percent said they care more about their boyfriend's appearance than their own. (Lemondrop.com)

MEN: HARDER TO MEET A GUY FRIEND OR GIRLFRIEND? In a dilemma reminiscent of I Love You Man, TomFoolery.com explored the case of a man who posted an ad on Craigslist looking for a guy friend -- a bromance if you will. The website acknowledged that finding a guy to hang out with is actually harder than finding a girlfriend. A writer explained, "My theory has always been that it's actually harder to find good guy friends after the age of 25 than it is to find a lady friend. If you think it's hard to find a good place to find dates, think about how tough it is to find a decent brony. Most of a fella's buds, particularly like-minded ones, come from growing up, college, work or hobbies."

MISTAKES MEN MAKE IN A DIVORCE (AskMen.com)

Using your children as pawns: Recognize that in most cases, the truth will come out. If you've been a good, responsible parent, your spouse likely cannot deny you a chance to see your kids on a regular basis. More to the point, the court won't allow it in most instances.

Thinking romance first, divorce second: Try to keep a new relationship out of the conversations with your spouse and especially your children. The best decision is to wait until the divorce is concluded before you engage in a new relationship.

Allowing your spouse to convince you to not hire an attorney: If your spouse has hired a lawyer, you need to hire one quickly. If you don't, you are an amateur playing against professionals. One underhand tactic is for a spouse's attorney to offer to represent both parties to save time and money. Not only is it unethical, but it also creates a conflict of interest.

Using verbal abuse: You need to discuss any threats of this type with your attorney, who can advise you on how to deal with them. Furthermore, if it is you who's engaging in the verbal abuse, remember that your spouse can easily obtain an order of protection and any violation of this order can land you in jail. There is a myth that men do not endure verbal or even physical abuse from their spouses, but it is just a myth. Abuse is not gender specific.

Rubbing salt in the wound: No matter how much you despise your spouse; no matter how many ways you feel you've been wronged, don't make a bad situation worse by identifying your spouse's vulnerabilities when trying to reach a settlement. Always try to negotiate before you litigate.

Becoming passive: The last thing you want to do when your spouse announces she wants a divorce is to become completely acquiescent. Many people are manipulative, and if they think they can manipulate you into getting what they want out of the divorce, such as money, property or custody, they will do so.

Arguing about who gets what: These arguments can be draining emotionally (not to mention financially), but it helps to recognize that no matter how your spouse uses these objects in the bargaining process, the court generally divides property fairly if both parties have competent attorneys.

Serving your spouse with divorce papers in embarrassing places: Having an officer of the law serve your spouse at home or business should be reserved for cases where they refuse to file an appearance or accept service of process, or where great conflict exists between the two parties. There is nothing more embarrassing than having a police officer serve you with papers at work, and nothing more unnerving than hearing the doorbell ring at 2 a.m. and seeing a policeman at the door (and having your neighbors see him as well).

Responding to an impending divorce with anger: The early stages of the divorce process can be a highly emotional time when people say things they do not mean or act in unusual or uncharacteristic ways. Allow a bit of time to pass before you do anything. Your spouse may settle down after blowing off some steam, and you can continue to move forward in a reasonable manner.

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION

What is the approximate memory storage of the human brain?

A: One million gigabytes.

According to Paul Reber, a psychology professor at Northwestern University, the human brain's approximate memory storage, if considered in computer terminology, equals about a million gigabytes, or 2.5 petabytes. Reber admits that the estimation is loose at best, but he notes that in order to fill 2.5 petabytes of memory, you would have to "leave a TV running continuously for 300 years."
Source: AskMen.com

WATER COOLER TALK

Duchess of York, Sarah Ferguson, Wants Her Own U.S. TV Show

Sarah Ferguson, Britain's Duchess of York, would like to have her own American talk show, after having guest-hosted ABC's The View and CNN's Larry King Live, and serving as a special correspondent for NBC's Today show. Ferguson, who's nicknamed "Fergie," told reporters Tuesday (April 20th), "I want it to be a show that is me on the streets. I want it me going round middle America. I want to go out and see what the needs are, and then the audience has to challenge me . . . to go and fix the school in Boise or get another restaurant in Allentown." Ferguson credits America with saving her after her 1996 divorce from Prince Andrew and amid her weight battles. She said, "When the British threw me out, the Americans embraced me and said, 'It's alright Fergie, we'll have you, we'll give you a second chance.' I'd had such bad press that it was very hard to live . . . I don't have a house, but I live here . . . I am the Number One fan, I love Americans."

Americans Feeling More Bullish About U.S.-Made Cars

A new Associated Press-GfK poll found that Americans are feeling more bullish these days about U.S. automobiles, with 38 percent saying they favor U.S. vehicles compared to 33 percent who said they prefer Asian -- mostly Japanese -- brands. In a similar poll less than four years ago, in December 2006, 46 percent said Asian countries made better cars, and just 29 said U.S. automakers did. What's behind the shift? The headlines being made by Toyota's safety problems is likely playing a role, and Americans might also be taking a closer look at U.S. carmakers after watching the iconic American industry fall so far amid the Great Recession that General Motors and Chrysler needed government help just to survive. But performance is also playing a role, with U.S. automakers simply putting out better vehicles.

KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

When Disney announced last week that it was closing its Tennessee-based Lyric Street Records, one group that didn't see it coming was Rascal Flatts. The group has been on the label for more than a decade, and according to the Associated Press, singer Gary LeVox said, "It's just a sad deal. That was our family for 12 years. It just kind of blindsided us. It was just kind of out of the blue. It's still a little shocking."

With the shuttering of the label, Rascal Flatts is moving on. They just announced a tour and have an album in the works for a September release. A new single is due in June. LeVox said, "It will be out on somewhere. We're still moving full steam ahead and we're just pumped about the new stuff that we're cutting.

• Rascal Flatts are expected to remain under the Walt Disney family, but nothing has been announced yet.
• The trio has been recording the new material in Santa Barbara, California and plans to do the overdubbing in Nashville.
• Rascal Flatts is one of country music's top acts, selling more than 20 million albums over the last decade, according to the AP.
• The group will kick off a tour on June 25th in Raleigh, North Carolina.

STATIONS: Please note the following story contains language that could be considered offensive to your audience.

Gloriana singer Tom Gossin voiced his disappointment and frustration about going home without the fan-voted Top New Artist award on Sunday (April 18th) at the ACMs. He reportedly wrote a series of Tweets about the situation -- most of which have since been deleted. But the blog, CountryMusicIsLove, posted the tweets he made earlier this week, and Gossin didn't sound happy that the trophy went to Luke Bryan.

Gossin tweeted, "So friends -- let's break it down. Luke had a No. 1 song before we even started recording our album. New artist? Thoughts? Listen -- on the real -- Luke is a f-in great dude! He deserved that award. I just wish the noms were more realistic. He's got 2 albums out!"

Gossin went on to tweet, "Awards don't mean sh-- in the long run. Our fans are the best in the world! We know what's good and so do you guys and that's all that matters. We need to keep country music progressing, not regressing. You can only say stuff about farms and tractors so many times before it's lame." He added, "We are artists trying to make art. If we were just to copy something someone already said, would that be art? We want to say something new! I love all of you! No worries. Everything happens for a reason!"

• The next morning, Gossin tried to clear up his statements with, "Guys -- for the record -- I'm not hating on Luke! He's a friend of mine and he deserved that award! I'm just trying to keep everyone's mind open. So sorry if I came across as a sore loser! I don't play music for awards -- I play music because I love it more than anything! . . . Once again, I love Luke! We had drinks together tonight! I'm not bitter!"
• All that remains on the page is the tweet: ""I love music. I love great ideas. I love originality. I love our friend Luke! Please don't twist what I'm saying guys -- nothin but love here!"
• Gloriana won Breakthrough Artist of the Year at the American Music Awards last year.

The Zac Brown Band has launched the "Letter for Lyrics" campaign for the U.S. military -- with the goal of sending one million letters to troops stationed throughout the world. Participants who write a letter to a member of the U.S. military will receive a special compilation CD, called Breaking Southern Ground, featuring three new songs from the Zac Brown Band, as well as music from Sonia Leigh, Nic Cowan and Levi Lowrey.

According to TheBoot.com, Brown says, "Performing with the USO for the men and women in uniform has been a great experience for us. We wanted to find a bigger way to thank them, a way to mobilize people nationwide to show their support for these incredible individuals."

• An exclusive live version of the group's latest single, "Free," is now available for download to the first 100,000 fans who visit the Letters for Lyrics campaign site. For each download, a donation will be made to a designated charity on behalf of the Zac Brown Band and the Ram truck brand.
• The Zac Brown Band couldn't attend the ACM Awards over the weekend because they were in the Middle East on a USO tour.

CHECK IT OUT: See Letter For Lyrics campaign info: http://www.ramtrucks.com/en/letters_for_lyrics/

LeAnn Rimes is putting the finishing touches on her upcoming covers album, called Lady And Gentleman. The set, produced by Vince Gill, finds Rimes singing her favorite love songs from over the years.

According to TheBoot, she told GAC, "We came up with this idea of doing a covers record of all my favorite love songs. When I started digging into those, they were all by men so I decided to cover all my favorite love songs that were originally covered by men." Rimes changed things up with her own versions, saying, "Some of the songs are ballads [that we cut], and we turned them into uptempo songs. It's not just a covers record where I'm covering the songs from front to back where it sounds exactly the same."

• Some of the cover tracks will include George Jones' "He Stopped Loving Her Today," Waylon Jennings' "Good Hearted Woman" and "Swingin'" by John Anderson.
• Rimes has some tour dates lined up for this summer.
• Rimes and her boyfriend, Eddie Cibrian, stepped out together on the red carpet of the ACM Awards over the weekend.

Sugarland kicks off its Incredible Machine tour this week -- with dates stretching into October. The 55-city outing gets underway April 23rd in Primm, Nevada and currently winds down October 16th in West Palm Beach, Florida. Sugarland's tour leads up the release of Sugarland's upcoming Incredible Machine album, due in October.

Sugarland's Kristian Bush tells us how the new album came about: "We had this real interesting moment that I'm not sure happens a lot of times in a career where we started making an album at the same time we were completely redesigning our presentation of our music, so the album itself reaches a little bit further to each of the new parts of who we are and our influences and the places that we love and was inspired kind of forwards and backwards by the development of the show at the same time."

Bush tells us how the tour and the new album go hand-in-hand: "There are these moments in the show that -- we've just rehearsed it for the past two-and-a-half weeks and we stopped like three or four days ago -- so there are these moments in the tour where it is the album that we're about to release where in promoting the album with the tour you are getting a very good representation of emotionally, visually, aesthetically -- all of it is kind of firing together and it's a really neat experience as an artist."

CHECK IT OUT: See Sugarland's tour dates: http://www.sugarlandmusic.com/tour/

Carrie Underwood is taking her engagement to hockey player Mike Fisher and the wedding planning all in stride. She tells People magazine, "We're not people who stress about anything. We just focus on a few of the main things, and everything is like, whatever."

As for the wedding day particulars, Underwood says she's not very picky. Actually, the singer says she doesn't care, adding, "We're just both really laid back. Family, food and fun, that's all we really need. And, oh yeah, get married."

With that, Underwood tells us how she's preparing for her wedding: "I'm just taking care of myself, which is what always hope to do for anything. I constantly have events coming up whether it's ACM's or other award shows or some television appearance. I'm always trying to be my best, not just to look my best but to feel my best, too, and I'm on tour right now, so I have to keep myself healthy and really take care of myself, so it'll just be more of that. I'm not a big stresser, as far as . . . Mike would love me if I weighed 800 pounds, so it's okay."

• Underwood won Entertainer of the Year at the ACM Awards on Sunday (April 18th).
• The spring leg of her tour gets underway on Friday (April 23rd) in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

CHECK IT OUT: How to deal with a Bridezilla: http://tinyurl.com/yyokeu5

COUNTRY TRIVIA

Q. Which two Rascal Flatts members are first cousins?
A. Gary LeVox and Jay DeMarcus

ON THE TUBE TODAY

BACKSTORY: DARIUS RUCKER/GAC 12:00PM (ET)

BACKSTORY: BLAKE SHELTON/GAC 8:00PM (ET)

THE COLLECTION: TOBY KEITH/GAC 9:00PM (ET)

SOUNDSTAGE/GAC 10:00PM (ET)
Tim McGraw

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TODAY!

• Tony Danza (actor, Taxi, Who's The Boss?, The Tony Danza Show) (59)
• James McAvoy (actor, Atonement, The Last King of Scotland, Wanted, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe) (31)
• Queen Elizabeth II (84)
• Eric Mabius (actor, Ugly Betty, Cruel Intentions) (39)
• Charles Grodin (actor and talk show host, Midnight Run, Beethoven, Rosemary's Baby, Heaven Can Wait) (75)
• Patti LuPone (actress, Witness, Driving Miss Daisy, State And Main) (61)
• Andie MacDowell (actress, Sex, Lies & Videotape, Groundhog Day, Green Card, Four Weddings And A Funeral) (52)
• Iggy Pop (rock star) (63)
• Robert Smith (founder and frontman, the Cure) (51)
• Sister Helen Prejean (author, Dead Man Walking) (71)
• Nicole Sullivan (actress, Mad TV, The King Of Queens) (40)
• Tony Romo (football player) (30)

ON THIS DAY IN COUNTRY!

• Luke Bryan's single, "Do I," was released to radio in 2009.
• Carrie Underwood went to Number One in Billboard with "Wasted" in 2007.
• Tim McGraw & Faith Hill kicked off their Soul2Soul Tour II in at Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio in 2006.
• John Michael Montgomery made his Grand Ole Opry debut in 2001.
• Faith Hill's third album, Faith, was released in 1998.
• Brooks and Dunn's "Little Miss Honky Tonk" went to Number One in 1995.
• Dwight Yoakam's Hillbilly Deluxe album was released in 1987.
• Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton recorded their Top Five single "Just Someone I Used To Know" in 1969.
• Hank Williams recorded his first sides for MGM in 1947.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP

CAMERON DOUGLAS SENTENCED TO FIVE YEARS IN PRISON: Michael Douglas's son Cameron was sentenced to five years in prison on Tuesday (April 20th) on drug charges. A New York judge called the relatively light sentence Cameron's "last chance to make it." The 31-year-old was facing a 10-year term behind bars. Federal Judge Richard Berman announced the sentence after hearing Cameron Douglas apologize and admit that he had squandered a lot of opportunities to turn his life around. Douglas previously admitted to dealing methamphetamine and cocaine.

TARA REID CALLS OFF ENGAGEMENT? Tara Reid has apparently called off her engagement. The American Pie alum fueled speculation that businessman Michael Axtmann was no longer her fiance after changing the relationship status on her Facebook profile to "single." Reid recently said that she was planning a small wedding for this summer.

NEW ROMANCE FOR 'GLEE' STAR? Glee star Mark Salling might have a new girlfriend. Although the actor was recently quoted saying that he's "too busy to date," RadarOnline.com claims that he's seeing Norwegian pop star Anine Stang. A source told Radar, "She was standing with some friends and he came over to her right away. She had no idea who he was but she thought he was really cute and they hit it off. Anine is a babe and she's used to having guys hit on her, so she usually has her guard up, but Mark charmed her right off the bat."

VERA FARMIGA EXPECTING SECOND CHILD: Up in the Air star Vera Farmiga is pregnant with her second child. In Touch magazine reports that the pregnancy news forced the Oscar-nominee to give up a role as Gerard Butler's wife in upcoming movie Machine Gun Preacher. A source told the magazine, "The role would have meant traveling to Africa this summer, but because her baby is due in the fall, she would have been too far along to make the trip."

NEW CHARGE AGAINST TWO ACCUSED OF TRYING TO EXTORT FROM JOHN STAMOS: A new criminal charge has been filed against two people accused to trying to extort money from John Stamos. The New York Daily News reports that Scott Sippola and Allison Coss are charged with using interstate commerce to make the threat. It was filed Monday as a "felony information," which means a guilty plea is likely. Sippola and Coss are accused of threatening to sell photos of Stamos unless he paid them $680,000. At the time of their arrest in December, Stamos' spokesman said there was nothing embarrassing about the images.

INDUSTRY NEWS

'MAD MEN' GETS PREMIERE DATE: The fourth season of Mad Men will premiere on Sunday, July 25th. The news comes on the heels of reports that the series will end for good in 2012 after six seasons. An AMC rep would not confirm the speculation, saying, "No one wants to see Don Draper wearing a leisure suit. We trust Matthew's vision and that he knows where to take the show. But with that said, 'M*A*S*H' figured how to stretch the Korean War for more than a decade, so stay tuned."

TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL JURY ANNOUNCED: Jessica Alba, Brooke Shields, Alicia Keys and America Ferrera are among the jury members for New York's Tribeca Film Festival. Also on the judging panel will be Zach Braff, Aaron Eckhart, Justin Bartha, Selma Blair, Peter Facinelli, Cheryl Hines and Whoopi Goldberg. The festival kicks off today with the world premiere of Shrek Forever After.

DAVID HASSELHOFF RETURNING TO 'YOUNG AT THE RESTLESS': David Hasselhoff is returning to The Young and the Restless, where he'll reprise the character he played in the 1970s. RadarOnline.com reports that his story arc as Dr. William "Snapper" Foster will stretch through several episodes. Hasselhoff has said the show "molded my craft, my attitude and my work ethic."

ANTONIO BANDERAS CONFIRMS 'SHREK' SPIN-OFF: Antonio Banderas confirmed that there will be a Shrek spin-off movie featuring his character Puss in Boots. The actor has already started working on a new film based on the role alongside Salma Hayek and Zach Galifianakis. He said, "I already did the first recordings and it's going to be called Puss In Boots -- it starts when he was very little. He was in an orphanage when he first discovered the effect he has on people -- that's when he starts being intelligent."

RENEWAL NEWS!

'DAILY SHOW' AND 'COLBERT REPORT': The Daily Show and The Colbert Report aren't going anywhere. Comedy Central announced that they've extended deals with their late night talent -- with Jon Stewart on board until at least June 2013 and Stephen Colbert through the end of 2012. This means the men will get to take aim at yet another presidential election.

'PARENTHOOD': NBC has renewed Parenthood for another season. The NBC dramedy stars Peter Krause, Lauren Graham, Dax Shepard and Erika Christensen.

'CURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM': HBO has officially renewed Curb Your Enthusiasm for an eighth season. Larry David said in a statement, "After much soul searching -- and by the way, it was nowhere to be found -- I have decided to do another season of Curb. "I look forward to the end of shooting, when I can once again resume the hunt for my elusive soul. I know it's here somewhere or perhaps in the rugged mountainous regions of Pakistan."

'COPS': Fox has renewed Cops for a 23rd season. The crime-fighting show launched in 1989 and will soon celebrate its 800th episode on the network.

KATE GOSSELIN VOTED OFF 'DWTS'

Viewers couldn't save Kate Gosselin this week as she was finally eliminated from Dancing With The Stars last night (April 20th). The reality show mom was in the bottom two with Pamela Anderson before receiving the bad news. Gosselin got emotional as the show ended saying, "Thank you for believing in me, probably more than I believed in myself." She then apologized for being a "cry baby."

CONTESTANTS SING INSPIRATIONAL SONGS ON 'AMERICAN IDOL

Alicia Keys was this week's American Idol mentor and helped the remaining seven contestants with their inspirational songs last night (April 20th). Casey James started the show off with "Don't Stop" by Fleetwood Mac, which the judges thought lacked originality. Lee Dewyze was the next to take the stage with "The Boxer". The judges loved Dewyze's performance. Tim Urban sang "Better Days" by the Goo Goo Dolls, which left the judges wanting more. Aaron Kelly did pretty well with his inspirational song, "I Believe I Could Fly". Siobhan Magnus took on a tough song, "When You Believe", which didn't impress the judges. Michael Lynche sang Creed's "Hero" and held his own. However, it was Crystal Bowersox who stole the show with an emotional "People Get Ready" by Ziggy Marley. Bowersox left the judges truly inspired and was told she was in a league of her own.

TINA FEY AND SHERYL CROW WEAR SAME DRESS ON RED CARPET

Tina Fey and Sheryl Crow lived out every woman's nightmare at Monday's (April 19th) 2010 Matrix Awards, showing up on the red carpet in nearly identical dresses.

The ladies both sported floral-print Dolce & Gabbana frocks, which a company rep tried to claim "wasn't really the same dress" since Tina's is a halter style while Sheryl's has a high neck.

• Both handled the situation gracefully. When she took the stage, Tina joked, "If you want to see what this dress looks like on a surfer body, look over there. I wear it with a sweater." Crow was equally modest, telling the crowd, "If we wind up in one of those 'Who Wore It Best' things, I'm picking Tina."

CHECK IT OUT:

• See the dresses: http://tinyurl.com/y77gs4w
• Forum: What do you if someone's wearing the same outfit as you: http://tinyurl.com/y838s87

FIRST SANDRA BULLOCK PICTURE REPORTEDLY FETCHES $60,000

Sandra Bullock was photographed over the weekend for the first time since her husband Jesse James's infidelity scandal broke. Notably absent? Her wedding ring.

The photo shows the somber actress hiking, drinking coffee and wearing a hat with a scarf around her neck.

• The New York Post claims that Bullock actually staged the photo op with Getty, allowing their snappers to capture her ring-less finger and sell it to the highest bidder.
• ET reportedly paid at least $60,000 for the exclusive.
• Bullock moved out from the home she and James share in the immediate aftermath of the cheating allegations and has reportedly been staying at a Hollywood Hills home she purchased before the two married.

CHECK IT OUT: See the pics on Sandra: http://tinyurl.com/y7txagw

KAL PENN REPORTEDLY ROBBED AT GUNPOINT IN WASHINGTON D.C.

Harold and Kumar star Kal Penn was reportedly robbed at gunpoint in Washington D.C. early Tuesday (April 20th) morning. Penn currently works as an associate director in the White House's Office of Public Engagement under his real name, Kalpen Modi.

A D.C. police official told the Washington Post's Reliable Source column that the incident was "a basic street robbery," but noted that the department typically does not name or discuss victims. The official said that Penn's wallet and other possessions were taken.

• Penn's job at the White House is to connect President Barack Obama with the Asian-American and Pacific communities, as well as the art world. He is reportedly leaving the position later this year to film a Harold and Kumar holiday movie.

SNOOKI DUMPED BOYFRIEND OVER 'THE REAL WORLD

Snooki's former boyfriend Emilio confirmed that he's been dumped by the reality star. Sources told TMZ.com that the Jersey Shore star called it quits with Emilio because she thought he was just using her to get famous. The last straw supposedly came after he tried out for MTV's The Real World.

Emilio acknowledged the reality show played a part in the split. He wrote TMZ an email that read, "All i kno is she was upset i tried out fornreal world nd left me a message sayin im single. Next i kno i wake up [Monday] morning and facebook says im single."

• The pair dated for about two-and-a-half months after originally connecting on Facebook.

SHAYNE LAMAS AND NEW HUSBAND 'ARE IN LIKE' WITH EACH OTHER

At least Shayne Lamas isn't completely delusional. Even though the former Bachelor winner tied the knot with Nik Richie 24 hours after meeting him-- she knows they're not really in love.

• Shayne told TMZ.com earlier this week that the super-quickie nuptials were not a publicity stunt, and admitted that she and her new husband are only "in love with being in like with each other."

CHECK IT OUT: Reasons not to get married: http://tinyurl.com/yalnnsf

JAY LENO ON CONAN: 'I KNEW HE'D LAND ON HIS FEET'

Jay Leno has finally commented on Conan O'Brien's new job at TBS. Conan's successor/predecessor on the Tonight Show told Access Hollywood, "I think he'll be great. He's a very funny guy . . . I knew he'd land on his feet. It'll be fun. Everybody will compete. Everything after 11 o'clock is now the most exciting place to be."

When asked if Leno was surprised that Conan ended up on TBS instead of Fox -- as it was widely assumed -- Leno responded, "I didn't know what to think. Fox is network, but they have cable too. It's all sort of the same now. Network, cable -- everybody sort of reaches the same thing. But I think it's exciting and I think he'll do well."

• Since returning to Tonight, Leno has reestablished the show's number one spot in the late night ratings.

SCARLETT JOHANSSON TALKS ABOUT MARRIAGE - A LITTLE

Although she's notoriously tight-lipped about her marriage to Ryan Reynolds, Scarlett Johansson provided a tiny glimpse into their life together while talking to InStyle magazine.

Talking about the "role" of wife, Scarlett said, "He loves to eat." She added, "I like cooking alone -- I find it very therapeutic. I put on some music, maybe have a glass of wine, and make something like a turkey Bolognese or a nice frittata."

• As for how her life has changed in the 18 months since tying the knot, the actress explained, "I mean, you're married and suddenly you have your own family. There's a nice comfort in that. That part of your life is certain, in a way. You've got your home in that other person."

HEADLINE NEWS!!

FLIGHTS RESUME IN EUROPE: Flights resumed in Europe yesterday (April 20th) after being grounded since last week's explosion of an Icelandic volcano sent a huge ash cloud up into the atmosphere, stranding millions of passengers. However, officials said it would be weeks before things would get back to normal. The Eurocontrol air traffic agency said it expected just under half of the 27,500 flights over Europe to get in the air Tuesday, and predicted close to normal takeoffs by Friday. However, passengers with current tickets are being given priority, while those who've been stranded for days must either buy a new ticket or take their chances using the old one, meaning they might have to wait days or even weeks for a seat.

GOP BACKS AWAY FROM OPPOSITION TO FINANCIAL REFORM: Republican lawmakers yesterday (April 20th) backed off some of the recent tough talk on opposition to financial reform and were more conciliatory about Democratic proposals to crack down on Wall Street in the wake of the 2008 financial meltdown. Senate Banking Committee Chairman Chris Dodd said lawmakers have reached agreement on 80 to 90 percent of the reform bill, and Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who was strident in opposition just days ago, said yesterday, "We are all optimistic that this can be fixed." Last week, all 41 Senate Republicans said they'd oppose the Democratic bill as currently written, which would be enough to filibuster the legislation. But several said yesterday they're hopeful Dodd and Senator Richard Shelby, the top Republican on the Banking Committee, can reach a compromise before debate set for next week begins.

TENNESSEE HOSPITAL SHOOTER WAS MENTALLY ILL: Officials said Tuesday (April 20th) that the man who opened fire at a Knoxville, Tennessee, hospital the day before, killing one woman before taking his own life, was mentally ill. Abdo Ibssa had gone to the hospital to look for a doctor he believed had implanted a tracking device in his body during an 2001 appendectomy. When told the doctor wasn't there, he went to a parking lot and opened fire on three hospital workers, killing one and wounding the other two, and then killed himself. Police believe the 38-year-old naturalized citizen from Ethiopia had been skipping doses of his medication for psychotic behavior. Relatives had him committed for mental treatment in February. The gun used in the shooting had been reported stolen in March, while another found at his home had an altered serial number but wasn't reported stolen. Police weren't sure how Ibssa had gotten either gun, and said he didn't have a gun permit.

TODAY'S FYI:

SPACE SHUTTLE LANDS IN FLORIDA: The space shuttle Discovery and its crew of seven touched down at Cape Canaveral, Florida, Tuesday morning (April 20th), one day after its scheduled return to Earth was scrubbed because of clouds and rain over the Kennedy Space Center. Discovery had brought supplies and equipment up to the International Space Station, including their main delivery of a tank full of ammonia coolant, which took three spacewalks to hook up. After Discovery landed yesterday, NASA announced delays in the last two of the three remaining shuttle flights before the fleet is retired, because of a change being made by European science teams to a particle physics detector set to be brought up to the space station on the next-to-last mission. Although that means NASA won't finish up by September as planned, the intention is still to launch the final shuttle mission by the end of the year.

OBAMA'S CHIEF OF STAFF WOULD LIKE TO BE CHICAGO MAYOR: White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel said during an interview on Charlie Rose's PBS talk show Monday (April 19th) that he'd like to run for mayor of his hometown of Chicago someday, saying, "it's no secret." Emanuel is a former adviser to current Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, who he told Rose is a "dear friend" and who he hopes will run for re-election. But he added, "If Mayor Daley doesn't, one day I would like to run for mayor of the city of Chicago. That's always been an aspiration of mine even when I was in the House of Representatives." Emanuel was an Illinois congressman until he resigned to serve as chief of staff, and told Rose he'd stay in the job as long as President Obama wants him.

TEEN IN MASSACHUSETTS BULLYING CASE ARRESTED FOR DWI: One of the Massachusetts teens charged in the bullying of a 15-year-old girl who committed suicide pleaded not guilty to drunken driving Tuesday (April 20th) after being arrested early Sunday with a .15 blood-alcohol level. Austin Renaud, who's 18, was released on personal recognizance with an 8 p.m. curfew and ordered to avoid drugs and alcohol. Renaud has pleaded not guilty to statutory rape in the bullying case. He's one of six South Hadley High School students charged in the bullying of Phoebe Prince, who hung herself as a result.

FASTEST INTERNET IN BERKELEY: Berkeley, California, has the fastest average Internet speeds in the world, according to the new "State of the Internet" report from Akamai Technologies. Following in second place is Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Stanford, California, is third. What those places have in common is that they're all home to a major research university, and they in fact are likely skewing the results. The report acknowledges this, saying, "What this likely represents is the extremely high speed connections these university/college campuses have to the Internet, as opposed to particularly high-speed consumer broadband services available to local residents."

SPRING COMING 10 DAYS EARLIER THAN 20 YEARS AGO: Spring is arriving in the U.S. about 10 days earlier than it did 20 years ago, a result of climate change known as "spring creep," environmental experts said yesterday (April 20th) in a phone briefing arranged by the Union of Concerned Scientists. The scientists said that the phenomenon favors invasive species not native to various areas over indigenous ones, and has also put various plant and animal species out of balance with their traditional habitats. As one example of the effect, Jake Weltzin of the U.S. Geological Survey described a rash of miscarriages by mares in the southeastern part of the country that were caused by caterpillars that contain a chemical that makes the horses miscarry. The caterpillars would normally have been eaten by migrating birds, and therefore wouldn't have fallen from trees into the mares' pastures. But the birds' migration was late, allowing the caterpillars to fall into the grass the mares were eating.

SPORTS:

TOP FEMALE GOLFER LORENA OCHOA RETIRING: Top female golfer Lorena Ochoa announced yesterday (April 20th) that she's retiring, leaving the LPGA Tour without its Number One player. The 28-year-old Mexican, who's been Number 1 in the world the last three years, got married last year, setting off speculation that she might be leaving golf to start a family. Ochoa will be holding a press conference Friday (April 23rd) in which she'll give more information.

• Annika Sorenstam was 37 and also the women's Number 1 player when she retired in May 2008, saying she wanted to start a family. She now has a daughter.

REDS PITCHER VOLQUEZ SUSPENDED 50 GAMES: Cincinnati Reds pitcher Edinson Volquez was suspended for 50 games yesterday (April 20th) after testing positive for a banned fertility drug. The suspension comes as the 26-year-old former All-Star is recovering from reconstructive elbow surgery, and he hadn't been expected to rejoin the Reds anyway until late July at the earliest. He won't be paid, however, for the suspension time. Volquez claimed in a statement that he received a prescription in the Dominican Republic as part of his treatment to start a family with his wife. Major League Baseball doesn't reveal which drug causes a positive test, but four types of fertility drugs are illegal under baseball rules. Female fertility drugs are sometimes used after taking steroids to jumpstart the body's own production of testosterone.

SAINTS AND VIKINGS TO OPEN NFL SEASON: The Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints will face off against the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL season opener on Thursday, September 9th, in a rematch of their NFC championship game that was decided in overtime. The NFL schedule out yesterday (April 20th) also shows that all intradivision matchups will be played on the final Sunday of the regular season, January 2, 2011, in an effort to make late-season games more meaningful and avoid teams sitting out regular players once they've clinched a playoff spot. Two games will be played outside the U.S. this season: Denver vs. San Francisco in London on October 31st, and Chicago vs. Buffalo in Toronto on November 7th.

(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)

ON THE TUBE TODAY

CBS

• THE NEW ADVENTURES OF OLD CHRISTINE - When Christine realizes her life has not evolved in the past five years, Max offers to help make a big change.
• ACCIDENTALLY ON PURPOSE - After faking labor to get Zack out of a speeding ticket, Billie actually goes into labor; Zack is taken to the police station.
• CRIMINAL MINDS (repeat)
• CSI: NY (repeat)

NBC

• MERCY - Veronica continues her therapy; Chloe tracks down an ER patient with potentially fatal blood test results.
• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (repeat)
• LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT - Benson and Stabler discover that a murder victim has been involved in the fight to expose questionable practices in the meat packing district.

FOX

• AMERICAN IDOL - Celebrities join the contestants to raise money for charity; slated to perform are Elton John, Alicia Keys, Carrie Underwood, The Black Eyed Peas and others; a contestant is eliminated.

ABC

• THE MIDDLE (repeat)
• THE MIDDLE (repeat)
• MODERN FAMILY (repeat)
• MODERN FAMILY (repeat)
• COUGAR TOWN (repeat)
• COUGAR TOWN (repeat)

CW

• AMERICA'S NEXT TOP MODEL - Guest judge Whitney Port visits the models at the loft; the model's personalities are tested in a runway challenge.
• FLY GIRLS - The girls spend and evening at a club; Tasha has an disagreement with a passenger; Nikole tries to change her ways.
• HIGH SOCIETY - Tinsley pitches her handbags in New York; Paul and Tommy spend time together; Dale goes on a date.

USA

• IN PLAIN SIGHT - An FBI informant refuses Witsec protection and gets himself in a heap of trouble; Stan works with a witness suffering from dementia.

DAY TIME TALK SHOW

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Martin Short, Annie Lennox
THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Dream Jobs
THE VIEW - TBA

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS

THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Eddie Murphy, Kaley Cuoco, Jakob Dylan
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Jennifer Lopez, Chace Crawford, Natalie Merchant
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Ice Cube, Paula Deen, Rob Zombie
THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Brooke Shields, George Wallace, Corinne Bailey Rae
LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat)
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat)
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) -Amanda Peet
THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Craig Robinson
LOPEZ TONIGHT - Zoe Saldana, Chris Evans, Idris Elba, Lowell Roney

OFF BEAT BRIEFS

MAN SELLS AD SPACE ON HIS URN: A man from Oregon with colon cancer, who was told he had just months to live, is selling advertising space on his urn. According to KVAL-TV, Aaron Jamison said he hopes to raise $800 to help his wife pay for the cost of his cremation. One of Jamison's friends, Dustin Remington, paid $100 for an ad. Jamison said he plans to hand-paint the ad on his urn. (AP)

CROC POSTPONES AEROBICS CLASS: A water aerobics class in northern Australia was postponed after a 5-foot-long crocodile entered the park's pool. Workers at the Howard Springs Holiday Park discovered the croc while trying to scoop leaves out of the pool. A government ranger was called to remove the animal from the park. Park manager Geoff Thompson says the crocodile probably crawled under the fence from a nearby swamp. It will most likely be handed to a local wildlife park. (AP)

DRIVER ARRESTED DOING 5 MPH IN A 40 MPH ZONE: A Connecticut driver was arrested after going 5 mph in a 40 mph zone on Saturday. According to police, the 39-year-old Israel Neives had PCP and a 9-year-old passenger in the car. The man was charged with driving under the influence, possession of narcotics, risk of injury to a minor, driving at a dangerously slow speed and driving without a license. He is being held on a $10,000 bond and is expected to appear in court. (AP)

CLEAN-UP CREW FINDS PROSTHETIC LEG: The clean-up crew in Sharon, Pennsylvania, found a prosthetic leg with a shoe still attached after gathering 21 tons of trash from the Shenango River. Rick Barborak, the co-founder of The Shenango River Watchers, said crews have found some unusual items throughout the years, but the leg was the most unusual. The group has been cleaning the banks of the Shenango River since it was founded nine years ago. (AP)

DID YOU KNOW?

IN-LAW RELATIONS LINKED TO INFIDELITY: According to a new study from The University of Iowa, a bad relationship with in-laws might make us more prone to infidelity. The study found that infidelity is less likely among couples who like each other's parents. Other noteworthy news from the study: don't hook-up with your friend and expect a relationship. Of the 783 men and women polled, women who hooked up with friends were 44 percent more likely to have multiple partners; men who slept with gal pals were 25 percent more likely to be non-monogamous. (YourTango.com)

COUPLES DRESS ALIKE TO SHOW AFFECTION IN ASIA: In eastern Asia, where PDA is still a taboo, couples have reportedly taken to synchronizing their outfits to display their affection. The trend is so popular that stores are starting to make outfits sold in pairs, and pictures of couples dressed identically have overtaken fashion magazines. When a couple who've been dressing the same break up, it's standard that the clothes aren't worn again. (Lemondrop.com)

TANNING BEDS ARE AS ADDICTIVE AS DRUGS: Researchers found that tanning beds are now "as addictive as alcohol or drug abuse." They said heavy users may even need help from mental health specialists to kick the habit. For the latest study, 421 college students filled in a questionnaire normally used for drink and drug addicts which had been adapted to check for addiction to sunbeds. Among 229 students who used them, the average number of visits in the past year was 23 -- once every two or three weeks. Two out of five students met the criteria for tanning addiction on at least one measure. (Daily Mail)

CHANGING PASSWORDS IS USELESS: Resetting your password isn't going to make you any safer from identity thieves. According to a study by Microsoft researcher Cormac Herley, constantly changing your password isn't worth the effort. Herley says that the chances that a cyber-thief who has gotten a hold of your sign-in sequences waits to use the information until after you are prompted to change your password is about as likely as a common thief stealing your house keys and not using them until after you happen to change your locks. Using a cost-benefit analysis based on the average worker's productivity, Herley further suggests that the time wasted dealing with most other security features websites push on their patrons -- besides passwords -- also isn't worth it for Internet users. (Asylum.com)

SUBTLE WAYS TO SHOW HIM YOU'RE INTERESTED (TomFoolery.com)

Juice up the physical contact. A hand to booty move is a little tacky; instead, go for an extra long hug, a kiss hello or goodbye, or an opportunity for a lap-sit. Breaking the force field is a great start and if you've rubbed your feet on some fuzzy carpet first and there's a literal shock when you touch him, well, bully for you.

• Buy that guy a drink, a chicken Caesar wrap or whathaveyou. Irrespective of what the last several decades have done in terms of earning parity and gender role flipfloppery, you always recall when a lady buys you a brewski.
• Compliment his appearance. If you can throw in a reasonable and flattering celebrity comparison, so much the better.
• Groom him. If his collar is askance or he has a mess of unintentional fly-aways or he's rocking a frat tuck (a maneuver in which only the front of a man's shirt is tucked in, oftentimes exposing an interesting belt buckle or emphasizing the crotch region) in a clearly no frat tuck milieu, hook him up. It's not selfish to increase his sexy. Also, this clearly juices up the physical contact.
• Establish an inside joke. It doesn't have to be a real inside joke; it can be flashing Blue Steel or some Wes Anderson sad silliness. A little bit of us-against-them draws people closer.
• Ask him about things in his wheelhouse. Everyone feels good about slamming home answers in his areas of expertise; throwing in a bit of fawning over the depth and breadth of his knowledge is pretty slick too (maybe even with a lean forward, hand-to-the-chest maneuver).
• Take plenty of photographs featuring both of you. This may be your instinct. Go with it and post those photos where applicable. Have someone else hold the camera and do the hand-over-the-iPhone-close-together pic.
• Try a little dancing. Sure, grinding on the dance floor may not be your style, but you don't have to dagger (vertical, public frottage) to trigger a "hey, this is sort of like sex" light bulb.

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION

Who sang "I Want My MTV" on the Dire Straits song "Money For Nothing"?

A: Sting

(Inthe80s.com)

WATER COOLER TALK

Balloon Boy's Parents Agree to Pay $36K in Restitution

The parents who pled guilty in the Balloon Boy hoax have agreed to pay some $36,000 in restitution to authorities who responded to the October 15th incident. The Larimer County, Colorado, sheriff's office and other agencies had sought restitution from Richard and Mayumi Heene for the cost of responding to the hoax, in which the couple had claimed their six-year-old son had floated away in a homemade helium balloon. Dozens of emergency responders and even two Colorado National Guard helicopters got involved. The boy was later found at his home in Fort Collins, and the Heenes were accused of staging the hoax to to get publicity for reality TV shows they were trying to pitch. Richard was sentenced to 90 days in jail, and Mayumi got 20 days behind bars.

Wyoming City Allow Anti-Gay Sign to Stay on Homeowner's Fence

Officials in Casper, Wyoming, say that an anti-gay sign painted by a homeowner on his fence can stay because there's nothing the city can or should do about it. Chris Trumball painted the message, "Leviticus 20:13, To be gay equals death," on his fence, which sits on a route between a local high school and the Boys and Girls Club, where dozens of students pass every day. The city did ask Trumball to remove the message, but he refused, and Councilman Keith Goodenough told AP he didn't think it was the city's place to, quote, "draw the line."

KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

Brooks & Dunn said their television goodbye during last night's (Monday, April 19th) CBS taping of the all-star tribute concert, Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo, in Las Vegas. The duo capped their 20-year career with a musical sendoff from such superstars as Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, George Strait, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Tim McGraw, Rascal Flatts, Faith Hill, Jennifer Hudson and Miranda Lambert.

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have managed to keep their emotions in check until now, but Ronnie told us backstage at the ACM Awards that he was prepared to reach for a hanky. "We're kinda at that point to where we can step back for a few minutes and assess. We were at the BMI songwriter's awards this year and they did a tribute to Kris Kristofferson, and Willie (Nelson) and Patti Smith and Vince (Gill) were singing 'Help Me Make It Through The Night'. Kris had been really tough all night long, and all of a sudden he broke down and just started bawling like a baby, so if that happens tomorrow night, if Kris did it, we can. (Kix Brooks) I ain't cryin'."

Here is the complete list of performances:

Taylor Swift - "Ain't Nothin' Bout You"
Jennifer Hudson - "Believe"
George Strait - "Boot Scootin' Boogie"
Keith Urban - "Brand New Man"
Rascal Flatts - "Gettin' Better All The Time"
Darius Rucker - "Hard Workin' Man"
Miranda Lambert - "Hillbilly Deluxe"
Jason Aldean - "How Long Gone"
Lady Antebellum - "If You See Him/If You See Her"
Reba McEntire - "Indian Summer"
Faith Hill - "The Long Goodbye"
Brad Paisley - "My Next Broken Heart"
Carrie Underwood - "Neon Moon"
Sugarland - "Red Dirt Road"
Tim McGraw - "That Ain't No Way To Go"
Kenny Chesney - "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone"
Brooks & Dunn w/all-star cast - "Play Something Country"

• Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo will air on May 23rd at 8 p.m. ET.

Kenny Chesney officially hits the big screen today (Tuesday, April 21st) in a limited number of theaters around the country with his first movie, Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D. Kenny has been filming his concerts for years, but he tells us this movie gave him his first chance to see the shows from the perspective of the fans. "That was the biggest surprise of the film for me because so many nights, guys, in the middle of a song, I'm out there doin' 'Young' or whatever and I feel like that I've got 60,000 people in the palm of my hand. I can take this finger and move it and I feel like everybody will go that way, but in the middle of that so many nights I've went, 'I wish they could see this. I wish that they could feel what I feel,' and they get to with this film, but not only do they get to (but) I get to see what they see, and it was for the first time."

Kenny said the experience of the film for both him and the fans made it all worthwhile."It's really special because it just showed me how much they care and how deep this relationship runs, and it kind of validates the reason for makin' the film in the first place."

• Kenny performed "You're Gonna Miss Me" during last night's (Monday, April 19th) Brooks & Dunn - The Last Rodeo concert taping in Las Vegas. The show airs on CBS on May 23rd.

Rascal Flatts will launch their new summer tour, called JC Penney Presents Rascal Flatts Nothing Like This tour, on June 25th in Raleigh, North Carolina. The 26-date trek will run through September 19th at Boston's Comcast Center. The tour will feature special guests Kellie Pickler and Chris Young.

The complete list of tour dates is as follows:

6-25 Raleigh NC Time Warner Cable Pavilion
6-26 Charlotte NC Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
6-27 Atlanta GA Lakewood Amphitheatre
7-16 Stateline NV Harvey's Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
7-17 Stateline NV Harvey's Lake Tahoe Outdoor Arena
7-22 Wichita KS In Trust Arena
7-23 Tulsa OK BOK Center
7-24 Frisco TX Pizza Hut Park
7-30 Virginia Beach Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
7-31 Hartford CT Comcast Theater
8-6 Cincinnati OH Riverbend Music Center
8-7 Indianapolis IN Indiana State Fair Grandstand
8-8 Columbus OH Columbus Crew Stadium
8-12 Hershey PA Hershey Park Arena
8-13 Scranton PA Toyota Pavilion at Montage Mountain
8-14 Washington DC Jiffy Lube Live
8-27 St Louis MO Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8-29 Louisville KY Kentucky State Fair- Freedom Hall
9-2 Bethel NY Bethel Woods
9-3 Darien Lake NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
9-4 Syracuse NY New York State Fair Grandstand
9-5 Toronto Ontario Molson Amphitheatre
9-16 Cleveland OH Blossom Music Center
9-17 Pittsburgh PA First Niagara Pavilion
9-18 Philadelphia PA Susquehanna Bank Center
9-19 Boston MA Comcast Center

• Rascal Flatts' recent American Living Unstoppable tour played 57 shows during its run of June 2009 to March 2010 with a fan attendance near 800,000. This total also includes the two sold-out stadium concerts at Chicago's Wrigley Field and Columbus' Crew Stadium last summer.
• The trio's new album is due out this fall.

FAST FACTS

• The new tour marks the band's 10th anniversary.
• To date, they have charted 11 Number One singles and have more titles in Billboard's Top 100 Songs of the Decade than any other group in the format.
• Rascal Flatts has sold more than 20 million albums in the past decade.

Former Cheers star Kirstie Alley is offended by the joke Reba McEntire made about her during Sunday (April 18th) night's Academy of Country Music Awards. Reba said, "Toby (Keith) has a chain of restaurants called I Love This Bar and Grill. It specializes in fried onion rings, fried mozzarella sticks and southern fried Twinkies. Yeah, that sounds like Thanksgiving at Kirstie Alley's house to me." In response, Kirstie wrote on Twitter, "@reba wow...thought we girls would stick together....next time you need a fat joke about me, just ask...Mine are funny."

• Kirstie is currently starring in her own A&E reality show called Kirstie Alley's Big Life. Her last show was called Fat Actress.

Taylor Swift's relationship with Glee star Cory Monteith continues to be a topic of interest. The superstar recently joined Cory and some friends for some bowling in Los Angeles. Cory told CMT Radio that Taylor "kicked my ass," adding, "I'm not gonna deny this. I was just an uncoordinated mess that day and I couldn't put the ball into the pins. I couldn't do it. It was bad. She just brought the A-game. And I brought the B-game."

Cory did not confirm a romance, but rather said that Taylor is "a great friend of mine" and that "she's pretty fantastic."

• Taylor continues on her sold out Fearless tour on April 29th in Lexington, Kentucky.

Lady Antebellum's Hillary Scott and Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers were seen getting cozy at a Las Vegas night club on Sunday (April 18th) following the ACM Awards. TMZ.com reports the two looked "coupley" at the Hard Rock Hotel.

Keith Urban's scheduled live performance on the ACM Awards turned into a pre-taped piece after the singer's guitar amp went on the fritz. Keith didn't want to play without it, and while show producers were hoping the technical difficulty would be worked out and kept pushing his live performance slot back several times throughout the night, they wound up resorting to a pre-recorded performance.

Taylor Swift surprised fans at her sold out Los Angeles show on Thursday (April 15th) with a guest appearance by Katy Perry. The two dueted on Katy's hit, "Hot N Cold."

Little Big Town members Karen Fairchild, Kimberly Schlapman, Jimi Westbrook, and Phillip Sweet will appear as emcees and performers at the 2010 Fall Collection of fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi at the Symphony Spring Fashion Show today (Tuesday, April 20th). The event will be held at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in downtown Nashville.

Jeff Bates and his wife, Kelly, welcomed their first child into the world on April 12th. Daughter Brianna Nadine was born in Nashville.

COUNTRY TRIVIA

Q. What TV talent competition did Miranda Lambert take third place in?
A. Nashville Star

ON THE TUBE TODAY

ON THE STREETS/GAC 1:00PM, 9:00PM (ET)
Kenny Chesney

BACKSTORY: DARIUS RUCKER/GAC 1:00PM (ET)

LOPEZ TONIGHT/TBS 11:00PM (ET)
Jason Aldean

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TODAY!

• Wade Hayes (41)
• Carmen Electra (actress, Starsky & Hutch, Baywatch) (38)
• Jessica Lange (Academy Award winning actress, King Kong, Cape Fear, Big Fish, The Postman Always Rings Twice, Tootsie, Hush) (61)
• Ryan O'Neal (actor, Love Story, TV's Peyton Place, Paper Moon, Barry Lyndon) (69)
• John Paul Stevens (Supreme Court Justice) (90)
• George Takei (actor, Mr. Sulu of the original Star Trek) (73)
• Crispin Glover (actor, Back To The Future, River's Edge; he played Andy Warhol in The Doors) (46)
• Don Mattingly (former professional baseball player, New York Yankees) (49)
• Joey Lawrence (Joey on TV's Blossom, Joey on TV's Gimme A Break!) (34)
• Doc Powell (jazz guitarist) (52)
• Andy Serkis (actor, provided motion and voice for Gollum in the Lord Of the Rings films, and for King Kong in the recent remake) (46)
• Shemar Moore (actor, Criminal Minds) (40)
• Miranda Kerr (Australian supermodel, Victoria's Secret model, dating actor Orlando Bloom) (27)

ON THIS DAY IN COUNTRY!

• Martina McBride's Martina album was certified double-platinum in 2006.
• Toby Keith's "My List" began the first of five weeks atop the country singles chart in 2002.
• Shania Twain's self-titled debut album was released in 1993.
• Toby Keith's self-titled debut album was released in 1993.
• The Glen Campbell hit "Southern Nights" went gold in 1977.
• Mickey Gilley charted his first Number One single, "Room Full Of Roses," in 1974.
• Dolly Parton released her first single, "Puppy Love," in 1959.
• Elvis Presley's "All Shook Up" began an eight-week stay at the Number One spot on Billboard's pop chart in 1957.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP

ISLA FISHER LOOKS REALLY PREGNANT: New pictures indicate that Sacha Baron Cohen and Isla Fisher are expecting their second child. Fisher, who tied the knot with Cohen in March after eight years together, was snapped out on Sunday (April 18th) with an obvious baby bump showing through her dress. The couple already has a two-and-a-half-year-old daughter named Olive. Check out the bump: http://tinyurl.com/y2ewujt

SNOOKI IS SINGLE? Snooki is reportedly single again. TMZ.com reported that the Jersey Shore star dumped her boyfriend of two months because she thought he was cheating on her. Snooki said earlier this year that the two met on Facebook.

SHAYNE LAMAS TIES THE KNOT AFTER DAY-LONG COURTSHIP: Reality star Shayne Lamas reportedly got married in Las Vegas over the weekend -- to a guy she met 24 hours earlier. TMZ.com reports that the former Bachelor winner and Nik Richie decided to tie the knot on Saturday (April 17th), opting for the "Michael Jordan Package" to document the special occasion. For $519, the package reportedly includes 36 pro photos and a DVD copy of the wedding.

MEL'S BABY MAMA HINTS AT SPLIT DRAMA: Newly-single Oksana Grigorieva played coy about her split from Mel Gibson while announcing that she will perform a charity concert in Moscow to aid victims of the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster. Grigorieva said, "I can tell you that we have split up, suddenly and recently. Unfortunately, I cannot give you the reason. But you will find out everything quite soon." She added that she'll be removing a hammer-and-sickle tattoo on the her ankle, which Gibson had suggested she get.

CHARLIE SHEEN DUE IN COURT IN JUNE: Charlie Sheen and wife Brooke Mueller must show up in an Aspen court on June 18th for an update in the spousal abuse case against the actor. TMZ.com reports that Sheen's team wants anything Charlie said to police on the day of the alleged incident deemed inadmissible because he was never read his Miranda rights. Sheen was charged with felony menacing, misdemeanor third degree assault and misdemeanor criminal mischief stemming from a Christmas Day fight.

HOLLYWOOD NEWS

JENNIFER ANISTON TO DIRECT? Jennifer Aniston is reportedly planning to make her feature film directorial debut. London's The Sun quotes the actress as having said, "I have a project in development I'm going to direct. After you get enough movies under your belt you sit back and go, 'What's next? It's getting to a time where creatively I want to turn in a different direction." Aniston previously co-directed the short film Room 10 with Andrea Buchanan.

'KICK-ASS' WINS TIGHT BOX OFFICE RACE: After a second week of too-close-to-call races at the box office, it was determined on Monday (April 19th) that Kick-Ass edged out How to Train Your Dragon for the weekend's number one position. Kick-Ass made $19.83 million at U.S. and Canada box offices, compared to an earlier estimate released on Sunday of $19.75 million. Dragon, on the other hand, made $19.63 million, but the previous estimate put the figure at $20 million. Last week, early estimates showed that Date Night had beaten Clash of the Titans at box offices, but the next day's final figures put Clash at No. 1.

'MAD MEN' TO END IN 2012? Mad Men will reportedly go off the air in 2012 after six seasons. TheWeeklyBlend.com reports that creator Matthew Weiner let the time frame slip during an appearance at the National Association of Broadcasters convention last week. The website claims that the end date was "revealed rather unceremoniously while talking about the show's twists and turns." The show recently began filming its fourth season, which is set to premiere in July.

AZIZ ANSARI CONFIRMED AS MTV MOVIE AWARDS HOST: MTV has confirmed that Parks & Recreation star Aziz Ansari will host the annual Movie Awards on June 6th. General Manager Stephen Friedman made the long-rumored selection official, saying, "Our audience fell in love with Aziz on Human Giant. They followed him to the movies, TV and stand-up, and connect with him daily online. Aziz is the perfect host for the 2010 MTV Movie Awards as he will bring his innovative comedy and distinctive style to the movie industry's most rebellious night on television." Aziz followed up the announcement by saying, "I'm so happy Ronnie from Jersey Shore was unavailable and this exciting opportunity was able to come my way."

'WICKED SUMMER' ISN'T FOR MTV: Contrary to reports, an upcoming reality show featuring hard-bodied young adults from Boston is not an MTV spin-off of Jersey Shore. Although Wicked Summer hired the casting director behind Jersey Shore, GossipCop.com clarified that it is not an MTV show nor is it a related spin-off to the hit series.

LARRY KING MAY CALL OFF DIVORCE

Larry King and his seventh wife may end up living happily ever after. King's lawyer Dennis Wasser said on Monday (April 19th), "There's a 50-50 chance this divorce is not happening. His focus is on the best interest of his children. It's not clear to me which way he's going to turn on this issue."

Wasser's statement comes a day after King and his maybe-estranged wife Shawn were seen walking arm-in-arm at their son's baseball game in Los Angeles. That marked the second time the two were seen looking friendly since they both filed for divorce last week.

• Sources told TMZ.com that the pair made a visit to their marriage counselor on Monday. TMZ also claims that Larry and Shawn's lawyers have been arguing over the validity of a "post-nup" agreement they supposedly signed a few years ago. The agreement reportedly gives the couple's three homes to Shawn and also declares all of the couple's assets as community property.

'IRON MAN 2' PREMIERE CHANGED DUE TO VOLCANIC ASH

The world premiere of Iron Man 2 has been moved from London to Los Angeles due to uncertainty over air travel. The eruption of an Icelandic volcano is responsible for the cancelation of thousands of flights in Europe and between the UK and US over the past week, and it's unclear when travel restrictions will ease.

Studio bosses wanted to ensure the participation of Robert Downey Jr., Mickey Rourke, Gwyneth Paltrow and Scarlett Johansson, who were all due in London on April 26th.

• It's unclear if the premiere's relocation will affect Downey Jr.'s other scheduled promotional appearances in London this week. Supposedly a special screening of the film will still go on in London as promised.
• In related news, The Hollywood Reporter said that travel uncertainties had also caused Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth to cancel their planned appearances at a charity screening of their movie The Last Song in London.

CHECK IT OUT: Things to do if you're stuck at the airport: http://tinyurl.com/y57nsfg

MISTRESSES OF JESSE JAMES AND TIGER WOODS TO HOST REALITY SHOW?

A reality show that would feature the mistresses of Tiger Woods and Jesse James is in the works. TMZ.com reports that Cheaters creator Bobby Goldstein is shopping around a project called Celebrity Cheaters, which would be hosted by Michelle Bombshell McGee and Jamie Jungers and spotlight celebrities who cheat on their loved ones.

TMZ noted that a network has yet to pick up the series, and while Jungers and McGee have both agreed to do it -- nothing has been signed yet.

• Fun fact! TMZ claims that McGee once applied to be on Cheaters to try and trap an ex, but she was denied.

MO'NIQUE'S BROTHER COMES CLEAN AND APOLOGIZES

As expected, Mo'Nique's brother Gerald Imes finally came clean about his sister's claims that he molested her when she was a child. Yesterday (April 19th), Imes told Oprah, "I'm here today to first acknowledge that I've been in denial for 37 years . . . I did assault and inappropriately touch my sister in manners that were uncomfortable for her," adding, "And for that, I apologize and I'm humbly sorry that those actions had taken place."

Imes says that his abuse was a result of his problems with drugs. He said, "The drugs weren't an excuse. They just allowed me and afforded me the opportunity to do the things that were in the back of my mind as a kid that I always wanted to do . . . Most of the time, the abuse that I did with my sister took place while she was asleep [or] the appearance that she was asleep."

• Mo'Nique's brother added, "I hid my own molestation and pain and guilt and shame, because I thought it was my fault that these things happened to me -- so I internalized that, and I hid behind the drugs and alcohol and then that spiraling thing in my mind, as a child, I wanted to express my sexuality, so I took it out on my sister."

• He says, "I'm not proud of it. Mo'Nique, I'm sorry. I can only hope that by coming forth today that somewhere along the line with the apology that, yes, hopefully somewhere, somehow as siblings we can come back together . . . Now let's bring our family back together."

SIDE NOTES

• Mo'Nique has discussed being molested by Imes in previous interviews. According to MTV.com, Oprah says that Mo'Nique didn't want to be a part of the interview but gave her blessing.
• Mo'Nique won an Academy Award for best supporting actress in March for her role in "Precious: Based on the Novel 'Push' by Sapphire."

OPRAH DISMISSES KITTY KELLY BOOK AS 'SO-CALLED BIOGRAPHY'

Oprah Winfrey responded to the controversial new book about her life on Monday (April 19th), referring to it as a "so-called biography." Winfrey's comments came at The New York Women in Communications Matrix Awards, where she presented an award to good friend Gayle King.

When she got on stage, Oprah told the audience that last week "was a rough one" for King when a "so-called biography came out."

• She explained, "Gayle got herself worked out with all my new daddies coming out," referring to Kitty Kelly's claims that Vernon Winfrey is not her biological father. As the audience applauded, Oprah declared, "This, too, shall pass."

SHARON OSBOURNE TURNING BREAST IMPLANTS INTO PAPERWEIGHTS FOR OZZY

Sharon Osbourne is having her breast implants removed this summer and plans to give them to husband Ozzy -- to use as a paperweight.

The Sun reports that the reality star will still have implants after the procedure, but she'll drop two sizes off her current 34DD chest.

• When asked why she plans on the strange recycling method, Osbourne told the Today Show, "They're better on his desk than on my chest. They're awful!"

'AMERICAN IDOL' FINALE PREDICTION: CRYSTAL BOWERSOX VS. LEE DEWYZE

Although seven singers remain in the competition, oddsmakers and bloggers are already calling the American Idol finale match-up. The New York Post reports that online oddsmakers say Crystal Bowersox is the even-money favorite to win the competition and Lee DeWyze the second favorite at 2 1/2-to-1 odds.

Entertainment Weekly's TV blogger recently wrote, "With six weeks left in the competition, do any of the five remaining challengers to the Bowersox-DeWyze Supremacy have a chance to make it to Nokia?"

• Blogger Shayne Zucker posted, "Should he make it to the finals, which is a decent possibility, [DeWyze] is probably the only one who can defeat Crystal."

SANDRA BULLOCK ASKED TO RETURN RAZZIE

Sandra Bullock can't catch a break. In the wake of Bullock's marital drama, the Razzie Awards announced that the actress took home the wrong trophy at last month's ceremony -- and they want it back.

Apparently Bullock walked off with the original prototype Razzie instead of the $5 replica she was supposed to receive in recognition for her worst actress performance in All About Steve.

• John Wilson, the awards co-founder, told the UK's Telegraph, "We are ready to take the unprecedented step of asking a winner to return a Razzie. As Sandra was in such a rush after winning worst actress she ran off with the original handmade prototype, which has been present at ceremonies since the 1980s."
• Supposedly the organization realized the mix-up just as news of Jesse James's infidelity broke, so they waited to ask for the Razzie's return out of respect for the actress.

LINDSAY LOHAN REPORTEDLY $600,000 IN DEBT

Lindsay Lohan better confirm some of her rumored acting jobs, because the 23-year-old needs some cash flow -- stat. RadarOnline.com reports that despite her lack of income, Lindsay hasn't cut back on her spending and currently owes more than half a million dollars on her credit cards.

A source told the website, "Lindsay owes credit cards $600,000. One card cut her off last week and it's only a matter of time before all her other credit cards cut her off too."
Lohan reportedly used to rely on hefty checks from doing club appearances, but supposedly she's no longer a desirable draw and only receives $5,000 to $10,000 when she actually manages to book a job.

• The credit card debt could land Lohan in court. The insider told Radar, "One credit card company is going to discuss a payment plan for Lindsay. But if she doesn't have the income and can't make her payments, they are prepared to sue her."
• It was recently reported that Lohan will star as porn actress Linda Lovelace in an upcoming film.

KARDASHIAN SOURCE SLAMS KIM-KANYE HOOK UP RUMOR

Sources close to Kim Kardashian are vehemently denying a report that the reality star's relationship with Kanye West led to her split from Reggie Bush. Although MediaTakeOut.com reports that Bush found instant messages from West on Kardashian's laptop and came to discover "that Kanye and Kim were GETTING IT POPPIN for many months," Kim's camp says that's not the case.

• A Kardashian source told GossipCop.com that the Kanye rumor is "bulls**t" and "100 percent not true."

KIM REGRETS POSING FOR PLAYBOY

In other Kim news, the E! star recently admitted that she regrets posing for Playboy back in 2007. Kardashian told Harper's Bazaar, "I'm sorry I did Playboy. I was uncomfortable."

• She faults her mother for talking her into the shoot, explaining that Kris Jenner said, "Go for it. They might never ask you again. Our show isn't on the air yet. No one knows who you are. Do it and you'll have these beautiful pictures to look at when you're my age."

HEADLINE NEWS!!

LIMITED AIR TRAVEL RESUMES IN EUROPE: Limited air travel resumed in Europe Monday (April 19th) after flights had been grounded for days because of ash from an Icelandic volcano that erupted last week that can damage jet engines and planes' airframes. Airports in central Europe and Scandinavia have reopened, and most of southern Europe remained clear. But plans for moving towards normalcy were dimmed a bit with news that the volcano was strengthening and sending more ash towards Britain. Also yesterday, European Union transport ministers reached a deal to divide northern European skies into three areas: a "no-fly" zone immediately over the ash cloud; a caution zone with some ash where planes can fly subject to engine checks for damage; and an open-skies zone.

TOP AL-QAIDA LEADERS KILLED IN IRAQ: The U.S. and Iraq claimed a major victory against in Iraq Monday (April 19th), saying they'd killed the terrorist group's two top figures in an assault on their safehouse. Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the killings of Abu Omar al-Baghdadi and Abu Ayyub al-Masri at a news conference and showed photographs of their corpses. U.S. military officials later confirmed the deaths, which Vice President Joe Biden called a, quote, "potentially devastating blow" to al-Qaida in Iraq. General Ray Odierno, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said in a statement, "The death of these terrorists is potentially the most significant blow to al-Qaida in Iraq since the beginning of the insurgency."

TOYOTA RECALLS LEXUS SUVs, AGREES TO $16.4 MILLION FINE: Toyota yesterday (April 19th) ordered the recall of nearly 10,000 Lexus SUVs because of the possibility of rollovers, and agreed to a record $16.4 million fine by the federal government for a slow response in its earlier recall over sticky gas pedals in several of its vehicles. Toyota said it would recall all 9,400 of the 2010 Lexus GX 460s that went on sale in late December, making the announcement came less than a week after Consumer Reports issued a rollover warning about the SUV. As for the fine, the government charged Toyota knew about the sticky gas pedal problem in September, but didn't notify the government or issue a recall until late January, violating a federal law that requires an automaker to notify the government of a safety defect within five business days. Toyota said it agreed to the fine to avoid a lengthy legal battle but denied that it broke the law.

MAN OPENS FIRE AT TENNESSEE HOSPITAL BEFORE KILLING HIMSELF: A man opened fire at a Knoxville, Tennessee, hospital yesterday afternoon (April 19th) after taking a taxi and giving the driver $20 to wait, killing one woman before committing suicide. Two other women were injured in the shooting outside the hospital's discharge area, and all the women were current or former employees of Parkwest Medical Center. Police are still trying to determine a motive, but it didn't appear that any of the victims were related to the suspect, whose name wasn't released, or that there was any connection between them. Police also don't think the suspect ever worked at the hospital.

TODAY'S FYI:

WEATHER POSTPONES SHUTTLE RETURN: NASA will attempt to land the space shuttle Discovery today (April 20th) after yesterday's scheduled return to Earth was postponed because of rain and overcast skies at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Clearer skies are expected today, but if the clouds are still around, NASA will try for the backup landing site in Southern California. Discovery and its seven astronauts are returning from a resupply mission to the International Space Station. NASA has only three more shuttle flights left before retiring the fleet and ending the shuttle program.

OBAMA AND BIDEN TO ATTEND WEST VIRGINIA MINE MEMORIAL: President Obama and Vice President Biden will attend a memorial service in West Virginia Sunday (April 25th) for the 29 coal miners that were killed in a mine explosion on April 5th. Obama will also be delivering a eulogy in honor of the dead. The disaster at Massey Energy's Upper Big Branch mine in West Virgina was the deadliest U.S. mine accident in nearly 40 years. Obama last week accused Massey Energy of having, quote, "put their bottom line before the safety of their workers," and called for better mine oversight nationwide.

OKLAHOMA CITY MARKS 15TH ANNIVERSARY OF BOMBING: The 15th anniversary of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building was marked in Oklahoma City yesterday (April 19th), where 168 people were killed and more than 600 injured. About 2,000 people gathered at the Oklahoma City National Memorial, and heard Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano say that the anniversary was a reminder of, quote, "the continued need for vigilance against the violent ideologies that led to this attack, so that we can recognize their signs in our communities and stand together to defeat them." The ceremony closed with family members reading a roll call of the dead, and people across Oklahoma City observed 168 seconds of silence.

• Bomber Timothy McVeigh was executed in 2001. His accomplice, Terry Nichols, is serving multiple life sentences in federal prison.

JENNA BUSH INTERVIEWS BILL CLINTON: Former first daughter Jenna Bush Hager conducted a playful interview for the Today show yesterday (April 19th) of former President Bill Clinton. Hager, a teacher who NBC hired last year as an occasional Today show contributor, spoke to her father's predecessor at his Clinton Global Initiative in Miami. Among the topics they discussed, Hager asked Clinton about the work he and her father, former President George W. Bush, are doing in earthquake-struck Haiti, and also questioned him about how he expects to feel when his daughter Chelsea gets married this summer. Clinton answered, "Proud, grateful, wistful. I'll be thinking about the day she was born. I'll be thinking about her first day of school," and he added, "I just hope I can keep it together."

IRANIAN CLERIC SAYS IMMODESTLY DRESSED WOMEN CAUSE EARTHQUAKES: A senior Iranian cleric has been quoted by the Islamic nation's media as saying that women who wear immodest clothing and behave promiscuously are to blame for earthquakes. Iran is one of the world's most earthquake-prone countries, and Hojatoleslam Kazem Sedighi, Tehran's acting Friday prayer leader, said, "Many women who do not dress modestly . . . lead young men astray, corrupt their chastity and spread adultery in society, which [consequently] increases earthquakes." Women in Iran are legally required to be covered from head to foot, but many ignore the stricter requirements, wearing pulled-back scarves that show much of their hair and tight coats.

SPORTS:

CHERUIYOT WINS BOSTON MARATHON: Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot of Kenya won the Boston Marathon in a record two hours, five minutes and 52 seconds yesterday (April 19th), breaking the record by 82 seconds that was held by fellow Kenyan and namesake Robert Kipkoech Cheruiyot. The two are not related. The win gives Kenyan men their 18th victory in 20 years in the Boston Marathon. Ethiopian Tekeste Kebede finished second, and defending champion Deriba Merga was third. Teyba Erkesso of Ethiopia won the women's title in two hours, 26 minutes and 11 seconds, beating Russia's Tatyana Pushkareva by just three seconds.

EX-BOXING CHAMP VALERO KILLS HIMSELF AFTER ARREST FOR KILLING HIS WIFE: Former boxing champion Edwin Valero hanged himself in his jail cell in Venezuela Monday (April 19th) using his sweat pants, after being arrested for stabbing his wife to death. The 28-year-old Venezuelan had previously been suspected of assaulting his wife and was charged last month with harassing her and threatening workers at a hospital where she was treated for injuries. She was found dead in a hotel room Sunday, and police said Valero told hotel security that he'd killed her.

• The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion had a 27-0 record, all by knockouts.

(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)

OFF BEAT BRIEFS

QUADTRUPLETS ATTEND THE SAME COLLEGE: Quadruplets Grace, Erin, Bobby and Danny Mele from New York have decided to attend the same college in the fall. The Mele quadruplets will attend Hartwick College in Oneonta, N.Y. Despite her siblings' eagerness, Grace was concerned about spending her college years known as "one of the quadruplets." However, after reconsidering, Grace thought it would be "too traumatic" to break up the siblings. Their father, Robert Mele, was overwhelmed with happiness by the decision. For one, scholarships and sibling discounts have greatly reduced the family's upcoming bill. (AP)

REPO MAN TAKES STUDENTS' LIMOSINE: A group of Oklahoma High School students attending prom watched as a repo man drove away the limosine they rented for the night. The students and driver initially thought the vehicle was stolen. However, Galaxy Limo owner Jim Nicolotti said there was a miscommunication between his lender and the repossession company. Although Nicolotti had resolved issues, the bank did not tell the repo comany to cancel the job. Nicolotti says he plans to partially refund the customers affected, or offer a free future rental. (AP)

MAN DRIVING TOY CAR BANNED FROM DRIVING: A father of four from Essex, England, was banned from driving for three years after he drunkenly drove a toy Barbie car. Paul Hutton tried to drive the battery-operated vehicle to his friend's house. Hutton, who made minor changes to the pink and white toy car, wanted to show it off to a friend 500 yards away. There were some disputes at first as to what the legalities of it were. Hutton tested positive for drunk-driving and was given a three year driving ban and paid minor penalty costs. (Dailymail)

GOLDEN RETRIEVER STAYS LOYAL TO OWNER: A Golden Retriever remained loyal to her deceased owner who had been missing for a over a week. Eighty-one-year-old Nick Nichols took his dog, Lady, everywhere. When his body was found in a swampy area about a mile from his home, Lady was faithfully sitting next to him. Nichols' family members said they were not surprised by Lady's loyalty. According to the Stark County Coroner, Nichols' death appears to be caused by heart and lung disease. He still had his wallet, money, watch and other personal items. (Cantonrep.com)

DID YOU KNOW?

AVERAGE MOM SPENDS 5 MONTHS OF LIFE DOING LAUNDRY: The average mother spends five months of her life doing laundry, says a study. It takes her 26 minutes to go through pre and post-wash tasks every time she turns on the machine, an average of six times a week. On top of that she can expect to spend 55 minutes a week doing the ironing. So before her child hits 18, she will have had 137 days or nearly five months of toil. A spokesman for laundry and cleaning company www. ecozone.com, which carried out the study of 4,400 mothers, said: "All moms will tell you they spend their entire life doing the laundry and they're right, it is a staggering amount of time." (Daily Mail)

FACEBOOK PROFILES ARE GOOD INDICATORS OF PERSONALITY: Facebook profiles accurately reflect personality traits, according to research from the University of Texas at Austin. When independent observers used social-networking profiles to assess the personalities of 236 people, they accurately judged extroversion and openness. Pay special attention to wall posts: People may want to project their ideal personalities online but friends keep them honest. (Men's Health)

POOR RICH PEOPLE HAVE TO DEAL WITH NO DOORMEN? The New York media is preparing to make fun of rich New Yorkers who may be faced with a doorman strike this Wednesday. On that day, the 30,000 doormen, superintendents, elevator operators and other service people may go on strike over a wage increase. Quotes from some people dealing with the possibility include, Arriving on Park Avenue on Sunday, Robert Neis, a marketing executive, immediately asked his doorman for assistance with the luggage from a family getaway to Shelter Island, N.Y. "It would be a bummer if they strike," said Mr. Neis. "It's a lot nicer when they help with the work." (NY Times)

MEN WITH MONOTONOUS VOICES ARE CONSIDERED SEXIEST: Monotonous voices are associated with strength, power and confidence, researchers claim. The study at universities in California and Pennsylvania found that men with a steady tone of voice had a significantly higher number of sexual partners than their more expressive counterparts. Researchers measured the voices of male volunteers in various situations, including a simulated dating game, and analyzed the results. The amount their vocal pitch changed -- known as fundamental frequency variation -- was found to be directly linked to the number of sexual partners the men had in the past year. Experts believe that the monotone has evolved as an indication of authority and independence. They cited George Clooney and Clint Eastwood as examples of men who have monotone voice but are considered sexy. (Daily Mail)

STATISTICS: THE AVERAGE GUY AND HIS PETS (Men's Health)

• Percentage of men who currently own a pet: 78
• Percentage who've never owned an animal in his life: 3
• Animal the average guy is most likely to keep around: Dog
• His favorite breed: Labrador retriever
• Amount the average dog costs its owner each year: $717
• Best pet for a thrifty guy: A fish ($35 a year)

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION

What Wii game is responsible for almost half of all Wii-related injuries?

A: Wii Sports Tennis

According to a study published by researchers at Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine and Pharmacy (aka NEOUCOM), a full 46% of self-reported injuries occurring while playing the Wii console happened while playing Wii Sports Tennis.

WATER COOLER TALK

CNN Showing Window Image of the Set During Commercials on John King's New Show

If you've caught John King's new early evening show on CNN, called John King, USA, you may have noticed that during commercial breaks, a small window at the bottom of the screen continues to broadcast a live view of the show's set, showing things like producers consulting with King. Advertising Age magazine reports that it's part of an effort to reduce the sense that commercials are interrupting programs, now that marketers are paying for ad time based on the number of people watching commercials rather than watching the show itself, which used to be the way it was done. In a similar vein, ESPN often runs sports news tickers during ad breaks of programs, and CNBC and Fox Business Channel run stock-quote tickers during breaks. Advertising Age reports that as another way of reducing the interrupt effect, one agency has talked with ESPN about having an advertiser's logo or the first few seconds of a commercial appear on a screen behind on-air personalities during a show, and then letting the content gradually fill the full TV screen.

Poll: Americans Want Better Relations with Cuba, Ability to Travel There

A new poll has found that a majority of Americans want better relations between the U.S. and Cuba, and would like to be able to travel there directly. According to the Cuba Business Bureau/Insider Advantage survey, 58 percent back having full diplomatic relations with Cuba, while 33 percent are opposed. Additionally, 61 percent think Americans should be allowed to travel to Cuba, and 57 percent think U.S. companies should be allowed to do business with the communist island nation. President Obama has said that the economic embargo against Cuba will remain until it improves human rights and frees political prisoners.

KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood were the big winners at the 45th annual Academy of Country Music Awards last night (Sunday, April 18th) in Las Vegas. The event, held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena, was hosted by Reba McEntire and featured a slew of performances.

Lady Antebellum took home three awards, including Song of the Year and Single of the Year for "Need You Now," as well as Top Vocal Group. Lambert scored Album of the Year for Revolution, Top Female Vocalist and Video of the Year. Meanwhile, Underwood made history, becoming the first woman to win Entertainer of the Year twice.

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS:

• The night kicked off with Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood performing Creedence Cleerwater Revival's "Travelin' Band" with CCR's John Fogerty on guitar.
• Laura Bell Bundy descended from a huge horseshoe to perform a high-energy "Giddy On Up" backed by dancers.
• Toby Keith was joined by Dave Koz on a version of "Crying For Me (Wayman's Song)" a tribute to late musician Wayman Tisdale. Downloads of the song will raise money for cancer research via Stand Up For Cancer.
• Entertainer of the Year nominee George Strait had a family obligation, so he couldn't attend the event, and the Zac Brown Band performed via satellite from the Middle East where they were visiting with the U.S. troops.
• Lambert got a standing ovation for her performance of "House That Built Me," as did Underwood following "Temporary Home."
• Brooks & Dunn made their last ever performance at the ACM Awards. Fans got to vote on which song they played and the winner was "My Maria."

WINNERS' LIST:

ENTERTAINER OF THE YEAR - Carrie Underwood

SONG OF THE YEAR - "Need You Now" - Lady Antebellum

SINGLE OF THE YEAR - "Need You Know" - Lady Antebellum

TOP NEW ARTIST (fan-voted) - Luke Bryan

ALBUM OF THE YEAR - Revolution - Miranda Lambert

TOP VOCAL GROUP - Lady Antebellum

TOP MALE VOCALIST - Brad Paisley

TOP FEMALE VOCALIST - Miranda Lambert

TOP VOCAL DUO - Brooks & Dunn

HUMANITARIAN AWARD - Montgomery Gentry

VIDEO OF THE YEAR - Miranda Lambert - "White Liar"

VOCAL EVENT OF THE YEAR - Blake Shelton, featuring Trace Adkins - "Hillbilly Bone."

TRIPLE CROWN CRYSTAL MILESTONE AWARD - Carrie Underwood

FASHION TIDBITS:

• Reba McEntire's black sequined dress showed off her toned arms and back. Actually, all of her dresses were spot on.
• Our favorites were Carrie Underwood's chic cream and silver mini-dress and Lady Antebellum singer Hillary Scott's bright fuchsia one-strap gown. Also looking glamorous was Julianne Hough with her angelic-like cream-colored dress.
• Gretchen Wilson sported jeans on the red carpet -- a do or don't? We love jeans, but on the red carpet at the ACMs? A don't by our standards.
• We didn't love Nicole Kidman's tuxedo-like black and white dress. Not very glam or sexy.
• Miranda Lambert sported a very low-cut gown on the red carpet -- brave!
• Laura Bell Bundy described her own dress as a slutty wedding gown. We have to agree -- though we'd kill for her abs!

CHECK IT OUT: ACM Red Carpet photos: http://tinyurl.com/y2qckyy

COUNTRY TRIVIA

Q. What college team did Sara Evans' husband, Jay Barker, play football for?
A. University of Alabama

ON THE TUBE TODAY

TOP 20 COUNTRY COUNTDOWN/GAC 10:00AM (ET)
Tim McGraw

CMA AWARDS 2009/CMT 12:00PM, 9:00PM (ET)
Sugarland, Kenny Chesney, Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS

Tim Curry (actor/singer, "Dr. Frank N. Furter" in the cult classic movie The Rocky Horror Picture Show) (64)

• Elinor Donahue (actress, Father Knows Best and The Andy Griffith Show) (73)
• Kate Hudson (actress, Almost Famous, Le Divorce, Goldie Hawn's daughter) (31)
• Ashley Judd (actress, Double Jeopardy, Someone Like You, Kiss the Girls, Twisted) (42)
• Paloma Picasso (designer and artist, Pablo Picasso's daughter) (61)
• Hayden Christensen (Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars Episode II and III) (29)
• James Franco (actor, Harry Osborne in the Spider-Man movies) (32)
• Suge Knight (record executive and Death Row Records founder) (45)
• Valerie Plame Wilson (outed CIA agent) (47)
• Maria Sharapova (professional tennis player) (23)
• Jesse James (motorcycle manufacturer, TV star, husband of Sandra Bullock) (41)

ON THIS DAY IN COUNTRY!

• Lorrie Morgan went gold for the first time with her Leave The Light On album in 1990.
• Strait Country, George Strait's debut album, went gold seven years after its release in 1988.
• Crystal Gayle, Dottie West, Debby Boone, Emmylou Harris, and Tammy WynetteBillboard's country chart in 1980. It was the first time women held all five spots. occupied the top five positions on
• Willie Nelson's Stardust album was released in 1978.
• Emmylou Harris debuted on the charts with "Too Far Gone" in 1975.
• Glen Campbell went to Number One on the Billboard country singles chart with the Jimmy Webb song "Galveston" in 1969.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP

STARS CELEBRATE JENNIFER GARNER'S BIRTHDAY: The stars came out in bulk on Saturday (April 17th) to celebrate Jennifer Garner's 38th birthday. People magazine reports that Reese Witherspoon, along with boyfriend Jim Toth, attended a party at Garner's Pacific Palisades home, along with Molly Sims, Jason Bateman, Tobey Maguire, Don Cheedle, Jimmy Kimmel, Jon Favreau and Laurence Fishburne.

ALEXANDER SKARSGARD REPORTEDLY RESTRAINED BY POLICE: True Blood star Alexander Skarsgard reportedly had to be restrained by police during Saturday's Coachella Music Festival in California. Pacific Coast News claims the 33-year-old actor was photographed being held back by a police officer after he became angry with a paparazzo taking shots of him with rumored girlfriend Kate Bosworth. Usmagazine.com reports that Skarsgard was calmed down by the officer before the situation escalated and no arrests were reported.

CHRISTINA APPLEGATE ENGAGED: Christina Applegate is engaged. The actress's rep confirmed that she and musician Martyn Lenoble got engaged on Valentine's Day earlier this year. This will be the second marriage for both Applegate and Lenoble. No date has been set for the wedding.

CHRISTINA HENDRICKS IS ESQUIRE'S BEST-LOOKING WOMAN: Christina Hendrick's won Esquire magazine's "best-looking woman" contest. The Mad Men actress won 30 percent of the vote in a poll conducted by the magazine, followed by Victoria's Secret model Adriana Lima, who scored 17 percent. Megan Fox rounded out the top three with 14 percent of the vote.

JESSE JAMES MISTRESS CASHING IN ON FAME: Jesse James's alleged mistress Michelle "Bombshell" McGee is continuing to make money off her reputation as "the other woman." People magazine confirmed that the tattoo model will be signing autographs, posing for photos and dancing topless at Vegas's Deja Vu Showgirls club later this month. The club's marketing director said, "We're just cashing in on her celebrity right now. Good publicity, bad publicity, it's all publicity to me. I mean, I don't expect Sandra Bullock to show up."

JESSE JAMES OWES THOUSANDS IN TAXES: In other James news, TMZ.com reports that Sandra Bullock's as-of-now-husband owes almost $6,000 in taxes to the state of California on behalf of his burger joint, Cisco Burger.

CAMERON DOUGLAS SENTENCING WILL BE PUBLIC: Despite the family's wishes, the upcoming sentencing of Michael Douglas's son Cameron will remain public. The younger Douglas pleaded guilty to charges of dealing methamphetamine and faces more than 10 years behind bars when he is sentenced on April 27. His attorneys requested last week that the hearing be kept private , however a judge ruled on Friday that the courtroom will be kept open.

QUAIDS ARE FUGITIVES: Randy Quaid and his wife Evi are fugitives once again. People magazine reports that after skipping two court dates last week for felony charges in Santa Barbara, Calif., they are wanted by the state of California. Santa Barbara Senior Deputy District Attorney Lee Carter said, "If they're picked up in California, they will be put in jail. They cannot be released on bail until they come back here and a judge [agrees to] set bail for them." The Quaids have missed several court dates since they were first charged with defrauding an innkeeper after allegedly skipping out on a $10,000 luxury hotel bill last year. But they have always avoided jail by posting bond and promising to show up.

HOLLYWOOD NEWS

NBC REPORTEDLY LOST MONEY ON OLYMPICS: NBC reportedly lost big on the Winter Olympics this year. PerezHilton.com reports that although the two-week broadcast brought $800 million to parent company General Electric, NBC is down $250 million. Supposedly the network had a lot of production expenses, and it cost $820 million just to buy the rights to the Vancouver Games for TV and online.

KARDASHIAN SISTERS WRITING BOOK: The Kardashian sisters are writing a book that will offer "tips and stories" about relationships, as well as a more in depth look into the lives of Kim, Kourtney and Khloe. Kim explained, "We're just being super-candid and sharing lots of pictures and fun stuff." Last week it was reported that the newly-single reality star made out with soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.

ROBERT DE NIRO TALKS 'TAXI': Robert De Niro confirmed that there have been talks about making a Taxi Driver Sequel. The actor said, "I have talked to writer Paul Schrader and Marty (Martin Scorsese). We've spoken about what would happen to Travis these years later. We had a thing and we tried to figure it out; Paul was trying to come up with something. And it just didn't seem to work. You never know -- something could come up. I thought it would be interesting to find a way to bring Travis back all these years later -- maybe with something ironic about where he'd end up, as he did in the first one. All these years later, maybe we could. It's still possible."

LINDSAY LOHAN RETURNING TO FILM? Lindsay Lohan may actually have landed a film role. Although director Rob Epstein denied rumors that Lohan was going to portray Deep Throat star Linda Lovelace in a film titled, Lovelace, GossipCop.com reports that she's going to play the troubled porn star in a different film. Gossip Cop claims the production, tentatively titled Inferno, will be announced next month at the Cannes Film Festival.

'MIGHTY MOUSE' REMAKE IN THE WORKS: A film based on the cartoon Mighty Mouse is reportedly in the works. PerezHilton.com reports that Brian and Mark Gunn, who helmed a remake of Journey To The Center Of The Earth were originally attached to the project but have since been fired. A new director and writer have yet to sign on.

GARY MARSHALL PRODUCING 'NEW YEAR'S EVE': Given the success of Valentine's Day, director Gary Marshall has decided to go forward with another holiday-themed ensemble comedy, New Year's Eve. Marshall announced, "New Year's Eve, a film about New Year's Eve in New York. It's an ensemble piece. I like ensembles." He added, "Well, it's a little grittier in New York but it still has the stories and the surprises. The audience is used to many stories now. They can take it. They're interested in more stories. So they did very well with Valentine's Day following all the different cast so we'll try it again." Casting has not yet been announced.

SIMON COWELL QUITTING 'BRITAIN'S GOT TALENT'?

Simon Cowell hinted that he is ready to quit Britain's Got Talent. The American Idol judge -- who is leaving that show after this season -- told the Daily Mail that "something has to give" in his busy life.

Cowell admitted to the paper, "I like the show, but it takes a hell of a lot of time and there are moments, I am not going to lie, where you are sitting there looking at these horrific acts and you actually think I genuinely can't do this anymore. But then you watch it back and you think it was all fun."

• He added, "Can I see the show working without me? The answer is yes. In terms of who would replace me, I don't know to be honest with you. You have really got to know what you are talking about and you have really got to be able to spot a star."
• Cowell is leaving Idol to focus his attention on launching The X Factor in America next year.

PAULA WON'T RETURN TO 'IDOL'

Meanwhile, American Idol producers refuted rumors that Paula Abdul was being courted back to the show. Despite recent reports that execs wanted Abdul to take Simon's spot next year, executive producer Cecile Frot-Coutaz told the New York Daily News, "There's no truth to that rumor."

OPRAH INTERVIEWS MO'NIQUE'S BROTHER AND ACCUSED MOLESTER, GERALD IMES

Gerald Imes, the brother of Oscar Winner, Mo'Nique, will appear on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" today (April 19th) to discuss his sister's sexual abuse accusations. Imes, who has denied molesting Mo'Nique in the past, will speak out for the first time.

Mo'Nique's parents will also appear on the show and Oprah will ask what they knew and what action they took regarding the alleged molestation.

• Imes, who has served 15 years in prison for another sex offense, will discuss the last time he spoke to his sister and what he thought about her Academy-Award-winning performance in "Precious."
• A Harpo Productions spokesperson tells AOLBlackvoices.com that Mo'Nique will not appear on the show, but has given her blessings for the interview.

Here are some excerpts from the interview:

OPRAH: "Before you heard Mo'Nique say that I was able to do that [her performance in 'Precious'] because of the monster in my own life, my older brother, Gerald, did you -- were you aware of the pain that you had caused her?"

GERALD: "No."

OPRAH: "You were not aware."

GERALD: "No."

OPRAH: "What did you think that you had done?"

GERALD: "I accepted it as being the norm, to be quite honest with you, and let me explain to you why."

OPRAH: "So you would abuse her regularly."

GERALD: "Not regularly. I just -- let's put it this way. It happened more than I wanted it to."

OPRAH: "Well, one time is too many."

GERALD: "You're right."

CHECK IT OUT

• Coping with pain from the past: http://tinyurl.com/y7sonok

MAN CLAIMING TO BE OPRAH'S LONG LOST FATHER WANTS DNA TEST

An 84 year-old ailing man, is claiming to be Oprah's real father and is begging for a paternity test. According to Radaronline.com, Noah Robinson Senior, who is living in a Virginia Hospital, says his dream is to talk to his daughter before he dies.

Noah says that he has reached out to Oprah years ago to get her to agree to a DNA test. He tells the New York Post, "I told her [in a letter], if she wanted, I'd give her one. I never did get no answer. If I did, it didn't get to me."

• Noah says he's not interested in getting any of Oprah's money. "I'd like her to call me. I'm her real father," he says. "I haven't seen her since she was a kid. She was a little bitty thing."
• According to Radaronline.com, Oprah's spokeswoman says the talk-show queen isn't available to comment on Robinson's claims.

GEORGE LOPEZ REPORTEDLY FORCED TO ACCEPT CONAN SHOW

Things in TBS late night land may not be as rosey as they appear. Despite George Lopez's public support for Conan O'Brien joining the network and bumping his own show back an hour, sources told the New York Post that Lopez was bullied into complying.

An insider told the Post that network executives told Lopez he'd be fired if he refused to welcome Conan. The source said, "George was initially opposed to the idea of moving his time slot to make room for Conan on TBS. He was told that if he wasn't supportive, his show would not be renewed. The Lopez camp is even more disheartened by the fact that Conan's contract states that if Lopez's show is canceled, then Conan will be able to develop a show for the midnight hour, as well . . . it's in Conan's best interest for Lopez's show to fail."

• TBS and Lopez denied the story. A rep for the network said, "These claims are completely untrue. TBS has been unequivocal in its support of George Lopez. Conan O'Brien and his team also fully support George's show." Lopez's rep agreed, saying "This information is false and fabricated."

JOHN CLEESE AMONG CELEBS AFFECTED BY VOLCANO ERUPTION

It's no surprise that jet-setting celebrities are feeling the effects of the volcanic eruption in Iceland that has halted most of trans-continental and European air travel. Movie junkets are in doubt, actors are paying thousands for cab rides and celebs have missed award shows as a result of the plane groundings.

Starpulse.com reported that John Cleese paid $4,950 for a taxi to take him from Norway to Belgium after he was unable to find an alternate route back to London after filming a talk show appearance. The actor, who caught the Eurostar train from Belgium to London, said, "We checked every option but there were no boats and no train tickets available. That's when my fabulous assistant determined the easiest thing would be to take a taxi."

• A Single Man director Tom Ford was unable to accept his trophy at the GLAAD Media Awards because he couldn't catch a flight and WWE spokesman Kevin Hennessy said it was unclear if everyone would arrive in time for Monday night's scheduled WWE Raw.
• At the moment, worldwide press junkets for Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey Jr. and Russell Crowe's Robin Hood are still on for this coming weekend in London.

CHARLIE SHEEN'S NEW UNIFORM: SHAVED HEAD AND PAJAMA PANTS

Charlie Sheen is sparking rumors of a Britney Spears-like break down after shaving his head and wandering around Los Angeles wearing pajama bottoms. TMZ.com photographed the actor with his new buzz cut and ultra-casual pants as he made a trip to the dentist on Friday (April 16th).

Meanwhile, Sheen's wife Brooke Mueller was photographed without her wedding ring shortly after reports emerged that Charlie has been having an affair with a high-priced escort.

• A source close to Mueller, however, denied that she had moved out of the couple's home with their year-old sons. The insider told X17Online.com, "The reports are totally false. Brooke is still living at home and any tabloid that claims Brooke has spoken with them or made any comment to them is lying."

CHECK IT OUT: See Charlie's new 'do: http://tinyurl.com/y3soqev

CLUB OWNER DENIES TOSSING OUT KIEFER SUTHERLAND

Contrary to reports, Kiefer Sutherland was not thrown out of a London strip club last week for getting belligerent and taking off his shirt. The Daily Mail reported that the shirtless actor -- who supposedly drank more than five glasses of wine within two hours -- was escorted out of Stringfellow's Gentlemen's Club by bouncers.

• Despite reports that the actor was forcibly kicked out, the club's owner, Peter Stringfellow explained on his blog, "One of the photos in the [newspaper] looks like my security guys got Kiefer in a headlock. That is NOT the case. They were just helping him into his car. Kiefer had slipped and the doorman tried to catch him and at the same time keep the photographers from taking photos."

NO LOVE FOR JACK BAUER?

Annie Wersching, who played Kiefer's love interest on 24, said that it's unlikely audiences will see Jack Bauer find love again in the wake of her character's death last week.

She told us, "Well, I would say this probably isn't a good sign for him. If we had five more seasons on the show to shoot or something, I wouldn't rule it out, but as far as the rest of this particular series goes, who knows what will happen in the movie. I imagine, the movie only being two hours, it would be a little hard to find love. I would say this definitely leaves him not ready to look for a relationship right away."

DANNY GLOVER ARRESTED DURING LABOR PROTEST

Actor and activist Danny Glover and eleven others were arrested outside of the Gaithersburg, Maryland headquarters of French food service company, Sodexo, on Friday, April 16th. During the protest Glover told the crowd, "We're here today to say no more to deplorable pay and working conditions."

• Glover and the others were arrested after they crossed the yellow police tape that was set up to keep them back. After they were asked three times to move back and refused, they were taken into custody.
• According to Montgomery County police spokesman Capt. Paul Starks, the protesters face a $1,000 fine or 90 days in jail.
• The protest was organized by the Service Employees International Union.

THE SITUATION FILED FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BEFORE 'JERSEY SHORE' PREMIERED

After filming season one of Jersey Shore, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino was not confident it would be a hit. The 28-year-old filed for unemployment in New Jersey on Oct. 25, 2009 -- five weeks before the first episode of the show aired on MTV.

TMZ.com discovered documents that show state officials sent a request to Sorrentino's former employer, a restaurant in Florida, to confirm that he was terminated from his job as a waiter. It's unclear if he ever received a check.

• Even if he did, the state wouldn't have had to support him for long. It's been reported that Sorrentino is getting $10,000 an episode for the show's second season, which is currently being filmed in Miami.

'GLEE' WINS BEST COMEDY AT GLAAD AWARDS

Glee was named outstanding comedy series at Saturday's (April 17th) GLAAD Media Awards. Creator Ryan Murphy accepted the trophy on behalf of the show and praised lesbian actress Jane Lynch and gay actor Chris Colfer in particular for their contributions.

Murphy told the audience that Colfer's character, Kurt Hummel, would have a boyfriend next season, and the pair would become prom kings. Murphy also promised the crowd that Colfer's character "would never be the victim."

• Also during the ceremony, Iron Chef Cat Cora presented actress-director Drew Barrymore with the Vanguard Award, which honors efforts to increase visibility and understanding of the gay community. In a video before accepting her trophy, Barrymore listed several of her inspirational gay colleagues, including her agent, lawyer, doctor, stylists and one of her dogs.
• Other winners included Logo's RuPaul's Drag Race for outstanding reality program and A Single Man for outstanding wide release film.
• Adam Lambert performed at the show.

HEADLINE NEWS!!

TOYOTA REPORTEDLY WILL AGREE TO $16.4 MILLION FINE: Toyota Motor Corp. is expected to agree to a $16.4 million fine, the largest government penalty ever against an automaker, for a four-month delay in telling federal authorities about defective gas pedals on its vehicles, AP cited a Transportation Department official as saying yesterday (April 18th). According to the official, Toyota will pay the full amount within 30 days to avoid going to court against the government. Documents show Toyota knew about the problem with sticky gas pedals in September, but didn't notify the government or issue a recall until January. Under federal law, automakers are required to notify the government within five business days when they find a potential safety defect.

EUROPEAN AIRLINES GROUNDED BY VOLCANO PUSHING TO RESUME FLIGHTS: European airlines that have been grounded because of ash in the atmosphere from a volcano that erupted in Iceland are pushing to return to the skies after test flights by major airlines into European air space Sunday (April 18th) didn't have any damage. European Union officials said air traffic could return to half its normal level Monday if the dense ash cloud begins to dissipate. Eighty percent of European airspace remained closed for a fourth day on Sunday, because of concerns over the volcanic ash that can damage jet engines and planes' airframes.

GOLDMAN SACHS COULD FACE TROUBLE OVERSEAS OVER SEC FRAUD CASE: Goldman Sachs is now facing potential troubles in Europe over the fraud case brought against it in the U.S. by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Prime Minister Gordon Brown called for British authorities to investigate and accused the investment bank of "moral bankruptcy," while Germany also said it would ask for detailed information about the case. In a complaint filed Friday (April 16th), the SEC alleged that Goldman marketed a complex investment tied to the performance of pools of risky mortgages to investors without disclosing that the pools were picked by another client, a prominent hedge fund that was betting for the mortgages to fail. The company denies it did anything wrong, saying investor losses came from the deterioration of the whole housing sector, not regarding what was in the pools.

TODAY'S FYI:

AIRLINES VOW NOT TO CHARGE FOR CARRY-ON BAGS: Senator Charles Schumer announced Sunday (April 18th) that several major airlines have promised not to charge passengers for carry-on baggage, the pledge coming after low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines said two weeks ago that they'd start charging passengers $45 for carry-ons beginning on August 1st. Schumer said he'd personally gotten commitments for no carry-on fees from American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, United and US Airways. The New York Democrat has been very vocal in his opposition to Spirit Airlines' move, and introduced a bill last week to amend the tax code to eliminate a loophole that allows airlines to avoid taxes on certain fees, such as the carry-on fee. Spirit say that the fee is part of a strategy to make boarding faster and easier, and also said it plans to offset the increase by reducing fees for checked luggage and some fares.

PEOPLE IN PARTS OF THE U.S. MAY SEE SHUTTLE DESCENT: People across parts of the U.S. may be able to see the space shuttle Discovery streaking across the sky early this morning (April 19th) as it heads towards a return landing in Florida at 8:48 a.m. ET. Its path back will take it over parts of the West, Midwest and South, including Montana, South Dakota, Iowa, Missouri, Mississippi and Alabama, and should be visible over Montana about a half hour before landing. People in the West, where it will still be dark, will see a glowing plasma trail that looks like a meteorite, while in the East, where it will be light, they may be able to see a glowing cloud.

COUNTERPROTESTERS ARRESTED AT L.A. WHITE SUPREMACIST RALLY: Five counterprotesters were arrested Saturday (April 17th) when things got rowdy at a white supremacist rally on the City Hall lawn in Los Angeles, the Los Angeles Times reported. The rally by about 40 members of a group called the National Socialist Movement who called for the removal of all non-whites from the country's southwest drew hundreds of counter-protesters. The counter-protesters scuffled with people believed to be sympathizing with the white supremacists, and one man with Nazi tattoos was severely beaten, while another carrying a confusing sign about religion with a scribbled swastika was also beaten by a mob. The supremacist group had a permit for the demonstration.

GEORGE WASHINGTON OWES BIG LIBRARY LATE FEE: George Washington may never have told a lie, but he did apparently take a couple of books out of a library that he never returned. New York City's oldest library, the New York Society Library, says one of its ledgers shows that Washington has accrued 220 years' worth of late fees on two books he borrowed when he was president that were due on November 2, 1789, but were never returned. One was Law of Nations, which deals with international relations, and the other was a book of debates from Britain's House of Commons. The library says they're not looking for payment of the fine, but would love to get the books back.

LBJ'S DAUGHTER AT THE MAYO CLINIC: Former President Lyndon Johnson's youngest daughter, 62-year-old Luci Baines Johnson, is at the Mayo Clinic, where her doctor said yesterday (April 18th) that she's making "significant improvement" after being brought in Friday. Johnson is being treated for what doctors suspect is Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system and can cause paralysis. Her doctor said she'll remain in intensive care for a while and then undergo rehab to strengthen her muscles, but is expected to make a full recovery.

SPORTS:

GARNETT SUSPENDED FOR PLAYOFF GAME: Boston Celtics player Kevin Garnett was suspended by the NBA Sunday (April 18th) for Boston's second playoff game against the Miami Heat. The one-game suspension was imposed on Garnett for hitting the Heat's Quentin Richardson in the head with an elbow with 40 seconds left in Boston's 85-76 win in Game 1 Saturday night. Richardson was fined $25,000. Their altercation took place near Miami's bench while Boston's Paul Pierce lay on the floor with an injury. Garnett said he wanted to make room for Pierce as Heat players stood nearby, and he got into a confrontation with Richardson.

EX-LIGHTWEIGHT CHAMPION VALERO FACES CHARGES IN DEATH OF HIS WIFE: Former lightweight boxing champion Edwin Valero was detained by police in his native Venezuela Sunday (April 18th) on suspicion of killing his wife, and charges were expected to be brought against him. The 28-year-old Valero was arrested after police found the body of his 20-year-old wife with three stab wounds in a hotel in Valencia. Valero had left the hotel room around dawn and allegedly told security that he'd killed her.

• The former WBA super featherweight and WBC lightweight champion has a 27-0 record, all by knockouts.

(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)

ON THE TUBE TODAY

CBS

• HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER - When Ted attends his mother's wedding, he is disturbed by her overly affectionate relationship with her fiance.
• RULES OF ENGAGEMENT - Jeff tries to find time alone after Audrey's girls' night out is canceled; Russell learns that Timmy has pent up agression toward him.
• TWO AND A HALF MEN (repeat)
• THE BIG BANG THEORY (repeat)
• CSI: MIAMI - A muder victim's spirit won't leave Calleigh alone until she solves his case.

NBC

• CHUCK (repeat)
• TRAUMA - Glenn discusses unusual calls with his colleagues; Tyler's dad (Glenn Morshower) visits.
• LAW & ORDER (repeat)

FOX

• HOUSE - House and the team treat a knight from community of men and women living according to the High Renaissance; Wilson and an ex start over.
• 24 - After learning of a devastating development, Jack heads to CTU for an intense meeting; President Taylor is conflicted when former President Logan sits down at the bargaining table.

ABC

• DANCING WITH THE STARS - The remaining contestants perform popular songs from films.
• ROMANTICALLY CHALLENGED - (series premiere) Rebecca decides to start dating again after hearing about her ex-husband's impending wedding; Perry thinks he has met the perfect girl.
• CASTLE - Castle and Beckett find that Esposito has a personal connection to a suspected killer; Beckett connects with an attractive new detective.

CW

• ONE TREE HILL (repeat)
• GOSSIP GIRL (repeat)

FX

• DAMAGES - (90 minute season finale) Ellen and Tom take matters into their own hands in an attempt to win the Tobin case; Patty Hewes is haunted by the price of her success.

MTV

• TRUE LIFE - Three young Latina women are inspired by the appointment of Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
• TRUE LIFE - Young women, suffering from Body Dysmorphia, are desperate to overcome distorted self-perceptions.

SHOWTIME

• NURSE JACKIE - Coop is selected for a marketing campaign; a security guard makes Jackie's secret life more difficult; O'Hara reveals a long time affair.
• UNITED STATES OF TARA - Max's outburst comes back to haunt him; Tara discovers that she is aware while Shoshana takes over; Kate's music video is an Internet hit; Charmaine gets surprising news.

DAY TIME TALK SHOW

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW - Howie Mandel, Tori Spelling & Dean McDermott, Nicole Scherzinger & Derek Hough
THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW - Accused of Molesting Her: Oscar Winner Mo'Nique's Brother Comes Forward
THE VIEW - Neil Patrick Harris, Alyssa Milano, Megyn Kelly

LATE NIGHT TALK SHOWS

THE LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN (CBS) - Jennifer Lopez, Mike Golic & Mike Greenberg, American Idol castoffs Andrew Garcia & Katie Stevens
THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (NBC) - Brooke Shields, Phoenix
JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE (ABC) - Tim Allen, Alex O'Loughlin, Cypress Hill featuring Tom Morello
THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON (CBS) - Brendan Fraser, Amanda Righetti, Brian Scott McFadden
LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (NBC) - (repeat)
LAST CALL WITH CARSON DALY (NBC) - (repeat)
THE DAILY SHOW WITH JON STEWART (COMEDY CENTRAL) - Rep. John Dingell
THE COLBERT REPORT (COMEDY CENTRAL) - George Will
LOPEZ TONIGHT - Kara DioGuardi, Cheech Marin & Tommy Chong, Jason Reeves

OFF BEAT BRIEFS

NJ MAN PURPOSELY VOMITS ON OFFICER: A man from New Jersey was arrested after purposely vomiting on an off-duty police captain and his 11-year-old daughter during Wednesday's Phillies-Nationals game. According to police, Matthew Clemmens, 21, made himself vomit on police captain, Michael Vangelo, after a friend of Clemmens was kicked out due to unruly behavior. Vangelo tried to push his children safely behind him but Clemmens punched him in the face. Nearby fans rushed in to help while they waited for police to arrive. "It was the most vile and disgusting thing I've ever seen," said Vangelo. Clemmens was charged with reckless endangerment, disorderly conduct and assault. He is being held on a $36,000 bail. (AP)

TABBY CAT GETS FREE FLIGHT HOME: A lost cat from Chicago can finally return home thanks to a complimentary American Airlines ticket donated by an Albuquerque business. A tabby cat named Charles disappeared about eight months ago while his owner was out of town and a friend was caring for him. However, earlier this week, owner, Robin Alex received a phone call telling her that the Chicago Animal Care and Control had picked up her cat. The animal care staff called Alex after finding Charles' tracking microchip embedded between his shoulder blades. When Alex was unable to afford a round-trip ticket to Chicago, Albuquerque resident, Lucien Sims was kind enough to make the arrangements for Charles' return. (AP)

STUDENTS PUNISHED FOR FOOD-FIGHTING: Students at New Jersey's Atlantic City High School have learned their lesson after starting a food fight on Tuesday. Cafeteria workers only served the students cheese sandwiches for two days following the food fight as punishment. According to the school superintendent, Fredrick Nickles, the school only provides the basics when there has been a food-throwing incident. Only the students involved with the incident were punished. One parent became outraged, calling it "prison food." (AP)

PYTHON FOUND IN HOTEL BATHROOM: A python was found in the toilet of the La Vista hotel room in Nebraska. The Nebraska Humane Society said they managed to track down the snake's owner. According to reports, the owner panicked after losing the pet snake in the hotel in March and left without alerting management. The python was found on Thursday by another guest. The owner has not been cited. (AP)

DID YOU KNOW?

SAYING 'I'M SORRY' IS GOOD FOR WOMEN'S HEALTH: Researchers have discovered that women who receive an apology for hurtful behavior suffer less stress and potential damage to their heart than those who don't. A study showed that the pulse of a wronged woman returns to normal 20 percent quicker after a well-timed 'sorry' than without it. Unfortunately for men, a male heartbeat takes longer to recover after an apology than without, according to the research, suggesting that men become irritated when there is an admission of guilt. (Daily Mail)

WHY IS IT A BIG DEAL NOT TO DRINK ALCOHOL? A woman told Lemondrop.com, "There is definitely a 'drinking culture' among college students and young adults, in that bars are a default meeting place and drinking is a default weekend and post-work social activity. I think people come across as a bit judge-y toward non-drinkers, because my refusal of alcohol could be construed as a condemnation of their decision to drink."

NEAT FREAKS TO BLAME FOR RISE IN ALLERGIES: Excessive cleanliness has led to soaring rise in allergies, a new report has shown. According to Dr Guy Delespesse, director of the Laboratory for Allergy Research at the University of Montreal, the hike in allergies is due to our obsession with cleanliness. Dr Delespesse said: "There is an inverse relationship between the level of hygiene and the incidence of allergies and autoimmune diseases. The more sterile the environment a child lives in, the higher the risk he or she will develop allergies or an immune problem in their lifetime." In 1980, 10 percent of the Western population suffered from allergies. Today, it is 30 percent. In 2010, one in 10 children is said to be asthmatic, and the mortality rate has increased 28 percent between 1980 and 1994. (Daily Mail)

WEEKEND MOVIE WRAP-UP

For the second weekend in a row, the performance of the top two movies at the box office was so close that it wasn't possible to estimate for sure which finished at Number One. Paramount reported Sunday (April 18th) that its film How to Train Your Dragon took in $20 million, while Lionsgate said its movie Kick-Ass made $19.75 million in its debut weekend. Either could wind up being the top movie when the final numbers are released today. That's similar to what happened last weekend, when Date Night was slightly ahead of Clash of the Titans based on Sunday's estimates, but wound up finishing about $1.4 million behind Titans in second place when the final numbers were released.

The action comedy Kick-Ass stars Aaron Johnson as a teen comic-book geek who becomes a self-proclaimed superhero named Kick-Ass, and who teams up with vigilante dad Nicolas Cage and his 11-year-old daughter, played by Chloe Grace Moretz. How to Train Your Dragon is continuing to perform well in its fourth weekend of release, and was up from the Number Three spot last weekend.

The weekend's other new wide release, Death at a Funeral, opened in fourth place. It stars Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan and Danny Glover in a comedy about an extended family gathered together to lay its beloved husband and father to rest.

THIS WEEKEND'S TOP TEN MOVIES -- APRIL 16-18

1. How to Train Your Dragon, $20 million
2. Kick-Ass, $19.75 million
3. Date Night, $17.3 million
4. Death at a Funeral, $17 million
5. Clash of the Titans, $15.8 million
6. The Last Song, $5.8 million
7. Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married Too?, $4.2 million
8. Hot Tub Time Machine, $3.55 million
9. Alice in Wonderland, $3.54 million
10. The Bounty Hunter, $3.2 million

ON THE MINDS OF MEN: ARE YOU BUFF ENOUGH? (Men's Health)

Are you satisfied with the way you look shirtless?

Yes: 32%
No: 68%

Do you plan to whip yourself into shape before summer?

Yes: 98%
No: 2%

How many times do you expect to go to the beach this summer?

0: 9%
1-5: 50%
6 or more: 41%

What's your assessment of your physique?

Too heavy: 38%
Too skinny: 14%
About right: 48%

Would you prefer to be leaner or taller?

Taller: 42%
Leaner: 58%

THINGS NOT TO DO WHEN YOU MEET HER PARENTS (LimeLife.com)

DO NOT become best friends with Jim Beam: Nothing can make a worse impression than whiskey on your breath and a stumble in your step. First, Mom and Dad can probably drink you under the table. So, don't try to impress them with your tank-like drinking skills because unfortunately, they won't be impressed. They'll only think you're a mumbling, belligerent moron who they cannot get away from their daughter fast enough. And you'll smell bad because no amount of AXE body spray can cover the stench of belligerence.

Belch the ABC's: Your best buds might think that's awesome while sitting around the TV watching Monday Night Football. Her parents? Not so much. They want to hear about the positive and respectable aspects of your life - your hopes and your dreams. Perhaps they want to hear about your family. But what I can absolutely assure you is that they don't want to smell the aroma of your Mexican flavored lunch in their faces as you burp your way through digestion.

Order the filet mignon: One word: rude. No matter how wealthy, generous or eccentric her parents are, they WILL notice if you order the most expensive thing on the menu. Not only will they notice but they will bring it up to their daughter who will in turn bring it up to you. So, in order to avoid the convoluted drama, avoid the $$ meal. For one night you can suffer with, God forbid, the chicken.

"Babe, remember when we were in bed and you. . . " Stop. Right. There. Her parents do not want to hear about their daughter's skills in between the sheets. And they don't want to hear about yours either. Your sex life with their daughter is none of their business. No matter how cool her parents seem to be - there are no parents "cool" enough to wow over their daughters flexibility and creativity in the sack.

Hitting on Mom: No matter how hot or cougar-ish she is. This is the easiest way to make Dad hate you immediately. This is also the easiest way to get broken up with. So, unless you want out (or your girlfriend is Rumer Willis because, lets face it, Demi is hot), stay away from your girlfriend's Mom. Whoever tells you that hooking up with Mom-aged woman is acceptable is lying to you. They are in denial. It's not cool and don't let anyone tell you that it is.

IMPOSSIBLE QUESTION

Which The View co-hosts also star on their own self-titled television series?

A: Joy Behar and Sherri Shepherd

Behar hosts The Joy Behar Show on HLN while Sherri's sitcom Sherri aired on Lifetime. It's waiting to hear about a second season pick up.

WATER COOLER TALK

Kim Kardashian is Latest to Go Public in Unretouched Photos

Kim Kardashian is the latest to join what seems to be the new celebrity trend of appearing in unretouched photos so that, as the pitch goes, the world can see what they really look like and everyday women won't feel so bad about themselves if they realize the difference between reality and the super-retouched photos of celebrities that they see in magazines. Kardashian appears naked in an unretouched photo in the May issue of Harper's Bazaar, although she's shown lying on her side, arranged so the "vital areas" aren't visible. Kardashian's photo comes after Jessica Simpson appeared on the cover of the May issue of Marie Claire magazine without makeup and in an unretouched shot, and after Britney Spears released the before retouching shot from an ad she did for Candie's shoes in which she appears standing in a bathing suit.

Golfer Calls Penalty on Himself to Give Playoff Opponent the Win

Golfer Brian Davis was trying to get his first-ever PGA Tour win yesterday (April 18th) in the Verizon Heritage when he called a penalty on himself that gave his playoff opponent, Jim Furyk, the tournament win. Davis was facing Furyk in the sudden-death playoff when his approach shot on the first hole bounced off the green and went into an area of rocks and weeds. When he tried to chip the ball out, his club grazed a loose reed on the backswing, which violates the rules and is an immediate two-stroke penalty. Immediately after, Davis called over a rules official, who looked at TV replays and confirmed the movement. Because of the two-stroke penalty, Davis conceded the victory to Furyk.

White House Spokesman Critical of Media's 'Food Fight' Coverage of Issues

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was critical in an interview with CNN's Howard Kurtz Sunday (April 18th) about the media's coverage of political issues, saying they focus too much on the "food fight" aspect, instead of the facts. Gibbs said the media doesn't do a good job of fact checking, and particularly took aim the false equivalency of trying to show both sides of an issue, without pointing out if the basis for the dispute is in fact actually true or not. He explained, "In a lot of different phases of the media, people can make statements that aren't checked. The media in some cases, covers the food fight but doesn't necessarily check who started it and whether it was started for a reason that was legitimate or not."

KFLAG COUNTRY MUSIC UPDATE

Alan Jackson will be on Hollywood Boulevard in Los Angeles today (Friday, April 16th) to unveil his new star on the Walk of Fame. Alan is among the 28 new stars being added this year. The ceremony is open to the public, and begins at 11:30 a.m. PT at 6801 Hollywood Boulevard.

Alan said that while he's received many honors, this one has special meaning. "I've been honored with all the music stuff, you know, and won everything I could, I guess. But I'm a big movie fan, and to think about all the great actors and other music people that are out there, that's just unreal to me. I guess more than anything, just think about, years to come, my kids -- or if I have grandchildren or something -- go out there and they can just walk right up there and step right on it."

Alan's star will be closely located to those belonging to The Doors, Judy Holliday and John Travolta. ["I think I'm close to John Travolta, and they knew what a good dancer I was, so they wanted to put me over by John, you know."

• Alan will also make his first appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show today. Check local listings for time.
• The singer's Freight Train tour stops in Champaign, Illinois on April 29th.
• His new CD of the same name is currently in stores.

FAST FACT

• Alan's openers on the Freight Train tour are Chris Young and Josh Turner.

Kenny Chesney thrilled fans in his hometown of Knoxville, Tennessee on Wednesday (April 14th) by hosting a premiere there for his soon-to-be-released movie, Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D. The screening raised nearly a quarter of a million dollars for Variety: The Children's Charity of Eastern Tennessee.

Kenny said, "When you step back and consider how far you've come, in a lot of ways it makes you want to go back to where you come from. You realize how much the values you were raised with -- and the support for crazy dreams -- help you do things you would never consider. So who better to share a moment like that with? And to benefit Variety, which takes such an active role in making a difference in young people's lives . . . that's makes everything about this so much sweeter."

Kenny signed autographs for over 30 minutes before addressing the over 1100 people who bought tickets.

The superstar is now headed to Las Vegas for the movie's official premiere, which will take place tomorrow night (Saturday, April 17th). Kenny said, "I've not seen the film yet. I kinda wanted to put on the glasses and watch it with at the official premiere. It's hard to believe something that started so long ago, something that seemed almost crazy when we started thinking about it is really happening. But it is... and after everything I've come to know about me, my fans and what we share from this, I can't wait."

• On Sunday (April 18th), Kenny will perform on the Academy of Country Music Awards, which airs live from Sin City's MGM Grand Garden Arena on CBS.
• Kenny Chesney: Summer In 3D will hit theaters across the country on April 21st.
• The movie's end theme and Kenny's current single, "Ain't Back Yet," is a Top Five hit on the country charts.

Lady Antebellum pre-recorded a live performance of their crossover hit, "Need You Now," for American Idol on Wednesday (April 14th) in Los Angeles. The trio followed the live results show to tape the segment for the upcoming "Idol goes country" week. Hillary Scott recently told Ryan Seacrest that she auditioned for Idol twice and never even made it in front of the judges.

Garth Brooks rubbed elbows with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday (April 14th) during the Grammy on the Hill Awards. The President honored Garth with a trophy for his leadership in advancing the rights of music makers, which he presented to the superstar in the Oval Office. The President was also presented with the 2007 Grammy Award for best spoken word album for his book, The Audacity of Hope.

Reba McEntire, Dierks Bentley, Martina McBride, Julianne Hough, Danny Gokey, Jewel, Big Kenny, Gary Allan, Sarah Buxton, Kellie Pickler, Blake Shelton and Phil Vassar will take part in the T.J. Martell Foundation's Eco-Energy Best Cellars Dinner on April 26th at the Hutton Hotel in Nashville. The event is one of the Foundation's signature fundraisers that pairs "best seller" country music hitmakers with "best cellars", Nashville's top wine collectors. The evening also includes a gourmet meal prepared by a world renown guest chef. This year, it's Josiah Citrin, chef and owner of Melisse Restaurant in Santa Monica, California, and co-owner of Lemon Moon Cafe in West Los Angeles.

• The Best Cellars dinner benefits the T.J. Martell Foundation's Frances W. Preston Labs at Vanderbilt Ingram Cancer Center.
• The event has raised more than $1.5 million.

Newcomer Josh Thompson is seeing the irony in his good fortune. After three years and 175,000 miles traveling around the country in his 2006 Ford E350 Econoline white van, which he fondly referred to as "Van-A-White," Josh finally got to upgrade to his very own tour bus. He's getting ready to hit the road with Brad Paisley next month and is doing a few solo shows, so getting to stretch out in a new Prevost seemed like that answer to his prayers. Unfortunately for Josh, the shiny, new bus broke down following a recent show at the City Limits Saloon in Raleigh, North Carolina. After being towed to a repair shop to fix the air compressor, Josh and his band got a delayed start the next day afternoon, making them late for their show in Rockingham, North Carolina that night. To make matters worse, the air compressor died again after that show.

Josh said, "I spent years in a van, just dreaming of the day I'd get in a bus. Then I did and it broke down . . . twice. Late for the first show in my life because of it."

The bus company wound up sending a new bus for Josh and, once again, he's living the dream.

• Josh Thompson's current single and the album's title track, "Way Out Here," was recently released to country radio.
• The song follows his Top 20 debut single, "Beer On The Table."
• Josh's Way Out Here CD is currently in stores.

FAST FACTS

• Josh is from Cedarburg, Wisconsin.
• His first cut as a songwriter is the title track of Jason Michael Carroll's latest CD, Growing Up Is Getting Old.

The Judds will kick off 2010 CMA Music Festival in Nashville with the opening daily concert on the Riverfront Park Stage on Thursday, June 10th at 10 a.m. CT. This will be The Judds sixth time to perform at the annual event, the last being in 2009.

Naomi and Wynonna said, "We can't wait to be live with fans and music lovers from across the country. It's such a privilege to partner with CMA to spread the word about our final tour. Plan your life around it. The Judds are coming back."

The mother-daughter duo will head out on their final tour later this year. They have asked fans to submit names for the trek. The winning submission will be chosen by The Judds, and the winner will receive credit in the 2010 Commemorative Judds Tour Book, a thank you video from The Judds, and $500 in tour merchandise. The contest ends on April 232rd. For details, log onto wynonna.com.

• The 2010 CMA Music Festival will run from June 10-13 in downtown Nashville.

FAST FACTS

• The Judds first parted in 1991 after Naomi was diagnosed with hepatitis C.
• The next time they shared the stage was in 1998.
• Earlier this year, Wynonna announced the two would tour and record an album together before the end of 2010.

COUNTRY TRIVIA

Q. What was the name of the song that Willie Nelson debuted on the country charts with in 1962?
A. "Willingly," which was a duet with Shirley Collie

COUNTRY ON THE TUBE TODAY!

THE ELLEN DEGENERES SHOW/SYN (check local listings)
Alan Jackson

INTRODUCING: LAURA BELL BUNDY/GAC 1:00PM (ET)

TOP 20 COUNTRY COUNTDOWN/GAC 8:00PM (ET)
Tim McGraw

ON THE STREETS/GAC 10:30PM (ET)
Laura Bell Bundy, Mindy McCready

THE LATE LATE SHOW WITH CRAIG FERGUSON/CBS 12:35AM (ET)
Willie Nelson

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TODAY!

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (Hall Of Fame NBA center) (63)

• Ellen Barkin (actress, Diner, The Big Easy, Eddie and the Cruisers) (56)
• Jon Cryer (actor, Pretty in Pink, Hot Shots!, Two and a Half Men) (45)
• Martin Lawrence (actor and comedian, Do The Right Thing, Martin, Big Momma's House) (45)
• Benedict the 16th (pope, born Joseph Ratzinger in Germany) (83)
• Bobby Vinton (singer, "Blue Velvet") (75)
• Peter Billingsley (actor, "Ralphie" in the classic Christmas film A Christmas Story) (39)
• Dave Pirner (frontman, Soul Asylum) (46)
• Jimmy Osmond (singer, the Osmonds) (47)
• Gerry Rafferty (singer-guitarist-keyboardist, Stealers Wheel; had solo hits with "Baker Street" and "Right Down The Line") (63)
• Jason Scheff (singer and bassist, Chicago) (48)
• John Bentley (bassist, Squeeze) (59)
• Lucas Haas (actor, Witness, Everyone Says I Love You, Zoolander, Gardener of Eden) (34)
• Akon (singer) (33)

CELEBRATING BIRTHDAYS TODAY!

• Melissa Joan Hart (actress, Sabrina The Teenage Witch) (34)
• Jane Leeves (actress, played Daphne Moon on Frasier) (49)
• Eric McCormack (actor, plays Will Truman on NBC's Will & Grace) (47)
• Hayley Mills (actress, played twins in Disney's Parent Trap) (64)
• Rick Moranis (comedian-actor, Honey, I Shrunk The Kids, My Blue Heaven, Parenthood, Ghostbusters) (57)
• Conan O'Brien (late night TV talk show host) (47)
• Eric Roberts (actor, The Coca Cola Kid, Runaway Train, Rude Awakening, brother of Julia Roberts) (54)
• James Woods (actor, Salvador, The Virgin Suicides, Ghosts of Mississippi, Nixon, Riding in Cars with Boys) (63)
• Maria Bello (actress, ER, Permanent Midnight, Payback, Coyote Ugly, The Cooler, A History Of Violence, Thank You For Smoking) (43)
• Barbara Hale (actress, played Della Street on the Perry Mason TV series) (88)
• David Tennant (actor, Doctor Who, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) (39)
• America Ferrera (actress, Ugly Betty) (26)

ON THIS DAY IN COUNTRY!

• Jamey Johnson earned a gold album for That Lonesome Song in 2009.
• Keith Urban earned his first gold album with his self-titled solo debut in 2001.
• Tim McGraw's A Place In The Sun album was released in 1999.
• Brooks & Dunn's Borderline album was released in 1996.
• Barbara Mandrell's "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" was released in 1981.
• Waylon Jennings' Number One single "Luckenbach, Texas" charted in 1977.
• Johnny Cash taped the first of his ABC-TV weekly shows at the Ryman Auditorium in 1969.

CELEBRITY GOSSIP!

PARIS AND DOUG ARE DEFINITELY DONE: Finally! It's been confirmed that Paris Hilton and Doug Reinhardt are no longer an item. After a week of back-and-forth gossip concerning their relationship status, a spokesperson for Hilton told GossipCop.com, "The relationship between Paris and Doug is over. She broke up with him more than 2 weeks ago."

RUMER WILLIS GETTING ENGAGED SOON? Rumer Willis and her longtime boyfriend Micah Alberti are reportedly "on the verge" of getting engaged. A source told PopCrunch.com, ''I know they already have gone ring-shopping and are debating where to [get married]. My best guess would be very far from L.A.'' The insider says the wedding could come as soon as this June. Her rep denied that an actual engagement was in place.

TIGER MISTRESS ARRESTED: Jaimee Grubbs, one of Tiger Woods's alleged mistresses, was arrested Wednesday (April 14th) on suspicion of driving on a suspended license in West Hollywood. She was taken into custody after a random license plate check of her car showed she had three outstanding warrants for the offense. Grubbs was held on $30,309 bail before her release Thursday morning. The L.A. cocktail waitress previously released voicemails and texts that Tiger supposedly sent during their affair.

NOAH WYLE REPORTEDLY DATING GINA GERSHON: Noah Wyle and Gina Gershon are reportedly a couple. The National Enquirer reports that Wyle -- who split from his wife last October -- recently embarked on a romance with Gershon, who is nine years older than him. An insider who spotted the pair on a date told the publication, "Noah and Gina arrived arm in arm around sunset, and they were dressed to the nines. They had a very romantic four-course dinner at the inn's Sierra Mar restaurant. It was two days of relaxation and romance." The source added, "Noah and Gina are clearly in love. They spend a lot of time together at Gina's Los Angeles home and at Noah's place near Santa Barbara. They're a good match and have tons in common. They like the same movies, books and music. They even have keys to each other's homes."

BRET MICHAELS OUT OF THE HOSPITAL: Bret Michaels is out of the hospital. On Thursday (April 15th), EOnline.com confirmed that the Celebrity Apprentice star had been released after undergoing an emergency appendectomy earlier in the week.

PATRICK SWAYZE'S WIDOW WANTS TO ADOPT? Patrick Swayze's widow is reportedly considering adopting a child. Lisa Niemi says that she regrets not investigating fertility treatment with the late actor and now wants to start the family they were never able to have together. She told the Globe, "Other single people do (adopt). . . I've always wanted a child." The publication reported that Niemi and Swayze once considered adopting a child from Russia before the Ghost star fell ill with pancreatic cancer.

HOLLYWOOD NEWS

ZAC EFRON GETS DRUGGY ROLE: Zac Efron will play a drug runner in the upcoming film, Snabba Cash. E! reports that the film follows three interconnected stories set in the world of drugs and organized crime. The website added, "At the center of it all is a hustler turned money launderer (Efron) who hopes to get rich by smuggling cocaine for a mob boss."

'AMERICAN IDOL' WANTS PAULA BACK? There's a new rumor out claiming that American Idol producers want Paula Abdul back. A source told In Touch Weekly, "They want Paula back. They're not sure if she'd be the fifth judge, but they are talking to her. People tuned in to see Paula's wacky antics and her chemistry with Simon. The show is just not as much fun to watch without her."

SANDRA BULLOCK NOT CONFIRMED FOR GEORGE LOPEZ SHOW: Despite reports, Sandra Bullock has not booked an interview with good friend George Lopez on his TBS talk show. Although sources claimed that the actress would give her first post-scandal interview to Lopez in November, her rep told GossipCop.com, "There are no plans for her to be on the show. Nothing has even been discussed."

DANIEL RADCLIFFE RETURNING TO BROADWAY: Daniel Radcliffe is coming back to Broadway. The Associated Press reported that the Harry Potter star will appear in a revival of "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying," opening in spring 2011. The role, an opportunistic young man who rises from the mail room to the top of the corporate heap, involves singing and dancing.

'ECLIPSE' RE-SHOOTS ARE NO BIG DEAL: Despite rumors of behind-the-scenes drama and studio disappointment with Eclipse, a rep for Summit Entertainment told E! News that production is running according to plan. It's unclear if any of the film's main stars will be headed back to the set for the upcoming re-shoots, but the spokesman insisted that all the book's crucial scenes will stay intact. The rep said, "They are not technically reshoots but rather 'pickup shots.' The studio is very happy and some internally think this film could very well be the best of the three."

LARRY KING REPORTEDLY HAS NO PRENUP

Larry King's divorce will probably continue getting uglier because TMZ.com claims he does not have a prenup with estranged wife Shawn Southwick.

Source told the website that although he was married seven times before tying the knot with Southwick in 1997, he didn't insist she sign a prenup. A source close to the situation said, "She is a tall, good-looking blonde and that pretty much explains it."

• According to TMZ, Larry's net worth is estimated at $144 million. He's in the middle of a CNN contract reportedly worth $56 million over 4 years.
• In California, earnings accumulated during a marriage are split 50/50. Shawn and Larry have been married for nearly 13 years.

IS ELIN DIVORCING TIGER?

Is Elin leaving Tiger for good? Sources tell RadarOnline.com that the troubled golf star's wife recently had a visit from a divorce attorney she's hired. One source says,"Divorce is something she's talking about. No one knows if she's going to go through with it. No one is sure if she knows if she's going to go through with it."

• The source also says that Elin is angry at Tiger for returning to golf so soon and has grown increasingly distant from him. According to People.com, another source says Elin was "outraged and disgusted" by Tiger's Nike commercial featuring the voice of his dead father.
• Elin, 30, is reportedly returning home from Scottsdale, Arizona and soon taking another trip -- without Tiger. There are no reports that she has filed legal papers as of yet.

CHECK IT OUT

• 6 tips on how to break up smoothly: http://tinyurl.com/y5eh7jg
• 2010 Celebrity Scandals: http://tinyurl.com/y7xu8o9
• 25 Biggest Celebrity Scandals: http://tinyurl.com/y7khr8v

ELLEN DEGENERES TOPS 'OUT' MAGAZINE'S POWER LIST

Ellen DeGeneres claimed the top spot on Out magazine's annual Power 50 list. The magazine declared, "With America getting a double dose of the multi-Emmy winner via her hugely popular talk show and her new gig as American Idol judge, DeGeneres traded spots with Massachusetts congressman Barney Frank."

Other gay power players who made the list were Adam Lambert and How I Met Your Mother star Neil Patrick Harris, who claimed fifth and seventh place respectively.

• Moviemaker Lee Daniels was at 25, while comedienne Wanda Sykes was featured at 36.
• Jodie Foster was placed 41st and Milk director Gus Van Sant came in at 43.

PORTIA PREFERS FATTER ELLEN

In other Ellen news, the star recently talked about her weight with Shape magazine, admitting that wife Portia de Rossi actually prefers when he's a bit heavier. DeGeneres told the magazine, "She loves me no matter what. Whenever I feel bad about myself, or if I'm in a period where I'm not working out, she's constantly telling me that she doesn't notice, that I look beautiful. She'll say, 'I think you could gain 10 more pounds.'"

• Ellen's fit physique is the result of a strict meal plan that includes "No animals, no dairy, nothing processed; a lot of soup, veggies, rice, beans, legumes."

KATE HUDSON REPORTEDLY GETS BREAST IMPLANTS

Kate Hudson reportedly got a boob job last month. The formerly flat-cheated actress supposedly went under the knife for a "small breast augmentation" in March.

Hudson's fuller bust was notable in a recent photograph taken while the actress was poolside in Miami. A source told Us Weekly, "Kate makes jokes about her boobs, but her chest has always been one of her biggest insecurities."

In 2002, the 31-year-old said she was happy with her small assets, explaining at the Golden Globes, "I have small breasts, obviously. It's nice to be able to wear a plunging neckline and have it be elegant."

• In other Hudson news, the actress's six-year-old son finally had his signature long locks cut off. People magazine snapped Ryder Robinson with short hair on the way to school earlier this week.

FORMER HARPO EMPLOYEE SPILLS THE BEANS ON WORKING WITH OPRAH

A former Harpo employee gave Gawker.com juicy details on what she claims really goes on behind the scenes of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." According to the website, the anonymous ex-Harpo staff member alleges that O's producers had very weird requests, including calling "Diet Coke," "Diet Pepsi," because Oprah didn't like Pepsi.

The ex-employee also alleges that most of Oprah's staff was stressed out, working long hours filled with nicotine, caffeine and not alot of sleep. She explained, "In one day, the two executive producers, Sheri and Lisa, had 15 46-ounce Diet 'Cokes', six double cappuccino coffees, smoked three packs of cigarettes, and slept 3-4 hours. What was hilarious to me was that Oprah preaches, "Live your best life," but these women were/are killing themselves for Oprah."

She also claims that one of Oprah's assistants is pregnant . . . allegedly with Oprah and Gayle's baby! Supposedly: "Carla Bird, who has been written about as "a great assistant," was anything but. This woman got paid for working an ungodly amount of overtime. "However, she never worked those hours! Which was amazing to everyone around the executive office. She was written about as Oprah's Golden Child, when in reality, the hours she put down, she never worked. And now "Birdie" is pregnant (with Oprah and Gayle's baby - go ahead and investigate that one!) -- and that is why they keep her on the payroll."

SIDE NOTE

• In 2007, Page Six reported that Harpo staffers were upset over Carla Birdie's excessive overtime pay. When The Post asked her if she was "getting special favors from Harpo," Carla said: "I'm not allowed to comment. Thank you."

MIAMI IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR 'JERSEY SHORE' CAST

It's a good thing the Jersey Shore crew is heading back to Seaside Heights soon because word is, they can't afford Miami. Source tell RadarOnline.com that the cast members spend their own money when they go out -- and they go out a lot.

A source told the website, "These guys are dropping easily $400 dollars a night on drinks and I don't know how long they can keep it up." The insider added, "The cast feels like boycotting some nights out because of the crazy prices and MTV doesn't pick up the tab."

• Some of their burden is supposedly lifted because select clubs reportedly send the cast drinks for free or provide bottle service.

MOVIE OPENING TODAY!

Opening today (April 16th) is the new action flick, Kick Ass, starring Nicolas Cage, Aaron Johnson and Mark Strong. The superhero film follows of an average comicbook-loving teenager who decides to become a real life super hero, even though he doesn't have a super power, calling himself Kick Ass. When Kick Ass inspires a subculture of copy cats, he teams up with them to fight a local mob boss.

• Kick Ass was directed by Matthew Vaughn.
• Kick Ass is rated R and has a running time of 2 hours.

Opening today (April 16th) is the new comedy Death at a Funeral, starring Chris Rock, Martin Lawrence, Tracy Morgan and Danny Glover. The film follows an American family as they try to lay their beloved husband and father to rest, but as everyone gathers at the house, revelations are made and everything that can do wrong, does go wrong unleashing mayhem at the funeral. Death at a Funeral was directed by Neil La Bute.

• Death at a Funeral is rated R and has a running time of 1 hour and 30 minutes.

HEADLINE NEWS!!

ASH FROM ICELAND VOLCANO DISRUPTING EUROPEAN FLIGHTS: A huge ash cloud from a volcano in Iceland that began erupting Wednesday (April 14th) for the second time this month is causing flights delays across Europe. Non-emergency flights in Britain were canceled Thursday and will stay that way until at least midday today, and Ireland, Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Belgium also closed their air space. France shut down 24 airports, Germany closed some as well, and several flights headed to Europe from the U.S. had to return or be rerouted. Half of all trans-Atlantic flights are expected to be canceled today. In addition to affecting visibility, the ash from volcanic eruptions can damage airplane engines and airframes.

OBAMA ANNOUNCES SPACE PLANS: President Obama announced his plans for future space exploration at Cape Canaveral yesterday (April 15th), speaking of journeys including landing on an asteroid before mounting an expedition to Mars in 25 years or so. He said, "I expect to be around to see it." Some critics, including legendary former astronaut Neil Armstrong, have spoken out against Obama's plans for NASA after the end of the space shuttle program this year, but Obama said, "Nobody is more committed to manned space flight, the human exploration of space, than I am. But we've got to do it in a smart way; we can't keep doing the same old things as before." Explaining why he dropped former President George W. Bush's plan to return to the moon, Obama said, "We've been there before," and countering criticism over jobs, he said his plan would create 2,500 more jobs in the region than Bush's. Although Armstrong is critical of Obama's plan, his Apollo 11 crewmate, Buzz Aldrin, backs it, and he attended yesterday's speech, after flying in with Obama on Air Force One.

REVIEW OF TROUBLED COAL MINES ORDERED: President Obama yesterday (April 15th) ordered a sweeping review of coal mines with poor safety records and called on federal officials to strengthen laws that he called, quote, "so riddled with loopholes that they allow unsafe conditions to continue." Obama spoke out after receiving a preliminary report on last week's coal mine explosion in West Virginia that killed 29 people. The report suggests the disaster may have been caused by a preventable buildup of methane gas, and raised serious concerns about a major spike in safety violations at the mine owned by Massey Energy Co. Obama pointed a finger at the company, saying, "Safety violators like Massey have still been able to find ways to put their bottom line before the safety of their workers -- filing endless appeals instead of paying fines and fixing safety problems." Massey Energy issued a statement calling Obama's remarks "regrettable" and defending its safety record.

OBAMA SAYS HOSPITALS MUST ALLOW GAY PARTNERS TO VISIT: President Obama ordered new rules yesterday (April 15th) saying that hospitals that accept Medicare and Medicaid payments -- which is most of them -- must allow the gay partners of patients to visit them and help make critical health decisions. The instructions say that patients' designated visitors should have the same rights that immediate family members now do.

TODAY'S FYI:

OBAMAS MADE $5.5 MILLION IN 2009, PAID $1.8 MILLION IN TAXES: President Obama and his wife Michelle released their tax returns on Tax Day yesterday (April 15th), which show they had $5.5 million in income last year, most of it from the sale of Obama's two books, his 1995 memoir Dreams From My Father and 2006's The Audacity of Hope. The president also had his $400,000 a year salary. The first couple paid $1.8 million in federal incomes taxes, about one-third of their income, and gave $329,100 to charity.

• Vice President Joe Biden and his wife Jill had an income of $33,182, paid $71,147 in federal income taxes and gave $4,820 to charity.

ISRAEL BANS IMPORTS OF APPLE'S iPAD: Israel has banned the import of Apple's new iPad over concerns that its wireless signals could disrupt other devices. The U.S. Federal Communications Commission allows devices with Wi-Fi capability to broadcast at higher power levels than are allowed in Europe and Israel. Israeli customs officials said Thursday (April 15th) that they've already confiscated about 10 iPads since the new regulations were announced this week, which prevent even tourists from beginning the tablet computers into the country until officials certify they comply with local transmitter standards.

• The iPad went on sale in the U.S. on April 3rd, but its international debut has been delayed until May 10th because of heavy sales in America.

STUDY: BRAIN CAN ONLY MANAGE TWO TASKS WELL AT ONCE: A new study has found that the brain is equipped to do two tasks well at once, but performance drops when a third task is added, LiveScience.com reported yesterday (April 15th). The research appearing in the journal Science found that when facing two tasks, the part of the brain known as the medial prefrontal cortex divides so that half of the region focuses on one task and the other half on the other task. But when a third task is added, accuracy falls considerably, with it seeming as if the third task has nowhere to go with the two hemisphere's occupied. The researchers said this might also help explain why humans seem to have a hard time making decisions between more than two things.

DID DONNER PARTY NOT TURN TO CANNIBALISM AFTER ALL?: The Donner Party has famously gone down in history for resorting to cannibalism when the pioneers got stranded in the snowbound Sierra Nevada during the winter of 1846 to 1847. But new research suggests that it may not really have happened after all, Discovery News reports. Gwen Robbins, an assistant professor of biological anthropology at Appalachian State University, and her team carried out a detailed analysis of the bones found at the Donner's Alder Creek campsite hearth. They found that the 84 people ate cattle, deer, horses, and even a family dog, but no human bones were identified. The researchers said this means that if they did cannibalize the dead, the bones were treated in a different way, such as being buried. The 47 people who survived strongly denied reports of cannibalism, but journalists at the time embellished the survivors' accounts and largely fueled the legend.

SPORTS:

ROETHLISBERGER ACCUSER TOLD POLICE SHE TOLD HIM NO: The 20-year-old college student who accused Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of sexual assault told him, "No, this is not okay," and tried to get away from him, according to police documents released Thursday (April 15th) by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, one day after a Georgia district attorney said no charges would be filed because the accusation couldn't be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. The accuser told police that she was very intoxicated on the night of March 5th when one of Roethlisberger's bodyguards took her to a hallway at a nightclub, sat her on a stool and left. She said Roethlisberger walked down the hallway and exposed himself and she told police, "I told him it wasn't ok, no, we don't need to do this," and got up to leave. She she she went to the first door, which turned out to be a bathroom, and that Roethlisberger followed her in and shut the door. She told police, "I still said no, this is not OK, and he then had sex with me. He said it was OK. He then left without saying anything."

• NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reviewing the matter and Steelers president Art Rooney said yesterday that the league and team will decide on a punishment.

TIGER WOODS TO PLAY AT QUAIL HOLLOW IN TWO WEEKS: Tiger Woods announced yesterday (April 15th) that he will play at the Quail Hollow Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina, which begins in two weeks, on April 29th. This will be the second tournament Tiger is playing in since his return to golf after five months off following the revelation of his multiple infidelities. He tied for fourth last weekend at the Masters. Woods has played the Quail Hollow Championship four times, and won in 2007.

(Headline News, FYI and Sports stories were compiled in part from reports by the Associated Press and Reuters.)

ON THE TUBE TODAY & THIS WEEKEND!

Friday, April 16, 2010

CBS

• GHOST WHISPERER (repeat)
• MEDIUM (repeat)
• MIAMI MEDICAL - Members of a wedding party are rushed to the hospital; Zambrano and Deleo's flirtation draws attention.

NBC

• SECRETS OF THE MOUNTAIN - (original movie) A woman, her three children and an attorney search for treasure on a mountain. Starring Barry Bostwick, Shawn Christian and Douglas Barr.
• DATELINE NBC - A young woman trying to start her life over on an island off the Austrailian coast, disappears in broad daylight.

FOX

• HOUSE (repeat)
• KITCHEN NIGHTMARES (repeat)

ABC

• WIFE SWAP - A mother whose family thinks the world may end in 2012 trades lives with a mother from California who thinks he