Lifestyle13

I love reading the American Idol blogs.  It’s interesting to me how different people have different favorites.  Even when it’s obvious to me, who is the best… ( that’s a joke..lol )  

I do have  my favorites.  For the girls - Asia’h Epperson and for the boys - David Archuleta.  My props go out to Dave Cook for last nights performance of “Hello.”  It was the best of the night.

I’m going out on a limb and predicting  Luke and Danny will be voted off this week.

Carly Smithson, an American Idol hopeful this year had a previous record deal.  Smithson whose maiden name is Hennessy signed with MCA in 1999.  Her album was released in 2001 but never reached sales of 1,000 units.  It is within American Idol rules to have had a prior deal just not be currently under contract.  Yet, the controversy continues…is she a ringer?

                                    

A recent Harris poll has determined that Ellen DeGeneres is America’s favorite television star. The top spot had been held by Oprah Winfrey for the last five years.  Oprah came in second this year.

1. Ellen DeGeneres
2. Oprah Winfrey
3. Jay Leno
4. Hugh Laurie
5. Jon Stewart
6. tie - David Letterman and Stephen Colbert
7. Bill O’Reilly
8. tie - Ray Romano and Homer Simpson

“American Idol” hits our living rooms again tonight!  The two night, four hour season premier airs tonight and tomorrow night on Fox at 8 p.m eastern.

Season seven will have the same judges as in the past, Simon Cowell, Paula Adbul and Randy Jackson. 

You may not have watched in the past but they have launched some careers.  Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, Chris Daughtry, Jennifer Hudson

Do you think those beautiful women we see on TV and in the movies are always so beautiful?  Well, think again.  Check out the links below to see some pictures that may make you feel better about yourself!

http://www.tmz.com/photos/no-makeup/139810/

 http://www.niquehappy.com/uglycelebpics

The niquehappy.com has side by side photos of the stars made up and then with no make - up. 

                                             

Askmen.com has come out with their Top 10 Up and Coming Actresses for 2008 list.  I gotta be honest, I have never heard any of these names before but I am curious to come back a year from now and see how many of these names I know.  I guess the stars we know now were at one point, up and comers.

1. Kristen Stewart   ( 4 films on tap for 2008 )
2. Alexandra Maria Lara
3. Blake Lively
4. Moran Atias
5. Amanda Seyfried
6. Hayley Atwell
7. Abbie Cornish
8. Lauren Lee Smith
9. Malin Akerman
10. Carice Van Houten

Good luck to all!!

A recent poll by the Chicago Tribune has landed “The Jerry Springer Show” in first place as the “Worst TV Show Ever” receiving nearly 20% of the vote.  I’m happy that I have only seen seven of the top 25!  How many have you seen and do you agree?

Here is the breakdown starting with # 1

1. “The Jerry Springer Show”
2. “Cavemen”
3. “Mama’s Family”
4. “Cop Rock”
5. “Small Wonder”
6. “Joanie Loves Chachi”
7. “Barney and Friends”
8. “Ernest Angley Hour”
9. “Homeboys in Outer Space”
10. “My Mother the Car”
11.  XFL
12. “Pink Lady and Jeff”
13. “The Ropers”
14. “Manimal”
15. “The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer”
16. “B.J and the Bear”
17. “Mr. T and Tina”
18. “Petticoat Junction”
19. “Beauty and the Beast”
20. “Mr Belvedere”
21. “Life With Lucy”
22. “Turn-On”
23. “You’re in the Picture”
24. “When Things Were Rotten”
25. “The 100 Lives of Black Jack Savage”

This week, Yahoo announced the top searches in 2007 .

Yahoo press release:

SUNNYVALE, Calif., December 03, 2007 – Yahoo! today announced the Top Trends in Search, as told through the billions of searches in 2007 conducted by millions of Yahoo! searchers around the globe. Yahoo!’s Top Trends in Search reveals a portrait of a culture on the brink of political breakaways, celebrity breakdowns, technological breakthroughs, environmental action, sporting errors and final farewells to popular icons.

“Searches can give us insight into a culture in motion and Yahoo!’s Top Trends in Search in 2007 reflects the world’s fascination with crossroads and breakthroughs. People weren’t just buzzing about celebrity. More than ever they sought to be environmentally responsible, were using the Web to find out about food and product safety and getting the scoop on the latest gadgets,” said Heather Cabot, Yahoo! Web Life Editor.

Top Trends in Search in 2007

News Stories – top 10 news stories

1.      Saddam Hussein

2.      Iran

3.      Iraq

4.      President George W. Bush

5.      Oil and Gas prices

6.      Barack Obama

7.      Hillary Rodham Clinton

8.      San Diego Fires

9.      Afghanistan

10.    Virginia Tech

This year, the availability of footage of Saddam Hussein’s final moments caused searches for him to soar making the late Iraqi leader the most searched figure in the news of 2007.  In addition, the ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan propelled buzz throughout the year. With the ongoing diplomatic situation with Iran and visit from the Iranian president, Yahoo! users searched for more information on Iran than Iraq this year.  Among the Presidential hopefuls, who embraced the Web in larger numbers this year, Democratic contenders Barack Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton once again drummed up a large number of searches.

Grass is Always Greener – top 10 environmental searches

1.      Recycling

2.      Global Warming

3.      Freecycle

4.      Earth

5.      Pollution

6.      Al Gore

7.      Environmental Protection Agency

8.      Live Earth

9.      Hybrid Cars

10.    Solar Energy

2007 may go down as the year people stopped talking about the climate crisis and actually did something about it.  Yahoo! Searches found that people searched for ways to help the environment, on a global and personal level. Al Gore’s, “An Inconvenient Truth,” won an Academy Award and brought global warming to the fore-front. Also, “Freecycle.org,” a social networking approach to local recycling, emerged as a hit to consumers that sought to exchange used goods in their neighborhoods. 2007 saw searches about global warming and energy-saving cars reach their highest levels ever.

Celebrity Downslides – top 10 troubled stars

1.      Britney Spears

2.      Paris Hilton

3.      Anna Nicole Smith

4.      Vanessa Anne Hudgens

5.      Nicole Richie

6.      Amy Winehouse

7.      Rosie O’Donnell

8.      Tara Conner

9.      Michael Vick

10.    Owen Wilson

This year, Yahoo! searches kept up with the twists and turns of troubled Hollywood stars with Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Anna Nicole Smith at the top. Traffic violations drove socialites Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie to jail, and Lindsay Lohan went to rehab numerous times. The story of Anna Nicole Smith and her unexpected death resulted in a great spike in searches and Vanessa Ann Hudgens, the Disney star of “High School Musical”, became even more popular following her photo scandal.

The Year of I, You and Wii – top 10 in tech

1.      YouTube

2.      Wikipedia

3.      Facebook

4.      iTunes

5.      iPod

6.      iPhone

7.      Nintendo Wii

8.      Xbox

9.      Sony PlayStation 3

10.    Guitar Hero

In 2007, a cell phone had people camping on the doorsteps of local wireless stores. Apple co-founder, Steve Jobs, introduced the iPhone at MacWorld in January. From that moment on, searches on Yahoo! soared as people clamored for the latest gadget from the company who also brought us the infamous iPod. Nintendo’s Wii had a similarly seductive quality. The game console debuted in late 2006, amidst predictions of a stiff competition from the Sony PlayStation 3 and the new Xbox. However, gadgets and games weren’t the only things pushing tech to its limits - 2007 was also the year that presidential candidates en masse appealed to their citizenry through the Internet. Technology wasn’t so much breaking new ground, as it was entering into a new maturity.

Tag, You’re It – top 10 on del.icio.us

1.      Design

2.      HDTV

3.      Games

4.      Music

5.      Web 2.0

6.      Video

7.      Ubuntu

8.      Travel

9.      Photography

10.    Mac

Creativity and creation marked the 2007 searches on social search and bookmarking site, del.icio.us (http://delicious.com), which serves as the “shared Web memory” for millions of technologists, librarians, journalists, and others who enjoy staying on the cutting edge of what’s new and interesting in technology and society. The pursuit of design took the top spot among the millions of del.icio.us users, who shared and tagged Web pages and articles on how to groom a website and tinker with typography for maximum effect.

Recalling the Recall – top 10 consumer call-backs

1.      Pet Food Recall

2.      Fisher Price

3.      Thomas the Tank Engine

4.      Dog Food Recall

5.      Menu Foods

6.      E. coli

7.      Food Poisoning

8.      Toy Recall

9.      Peanut Butter recall

10.    Topps

In early spring of 2007, reports of poisoned dog food spurred frantic searches about the pet food recall. For weeks, pet owners examined every brand of food to gauge its safety, and some resorted back to homemade recipes just as a precaution. Toy recalls, bearing the likeness of Thomas the Tank Engine and Fisher Price, suddenly spiked in searches due to the discovery of lead based paint in their products.  Ultimately, the commanding search of food safety-related searches such as Menu Foods, E. coli, and Topps, surged to the top in an effort to stay informed. As companies’ spot-testing measures and governmental agreements worked to restore consumer confidence, searches of these issues and additional recall announcements continued.

Elementary Deductions - top 10 searches on Yahoo! Kids  

1.      Games

2.      Animals

3.      Dinosaurs

4.      Math

5.      Hannah Montana

6.      Solar System

7.      George Washington

8.      Halloween

9.      Sally Ride

10.    Global Warming

This year, kids ages 7–12 showed their environmental consciousness as they searched on topics of global proportions and endangered animals.  Global warming was among 2007’s top 10 searches on Yahoo! Kids. Although math topped the list of the most-searched school subject, science was also popular, with related searches on dinosaurs and the solar system remained high on the list among both boys and girls.

Hits, Runs and Errors – top 10 sports news

1.      NASCAR

2.      Maria Sharapova

3.      Boston Red Sox

4.      David Beckham

5.      Serena Williams

6.      Chicago Bears

7.      Christiano Ronaldo

8.      Super Bowl

9.      Ronaldinho

10.    Ashley Force

2007 featured several buzz-worthy sports searches, with Nascar at number one, continuing to be an American favorite.  Searches showed that Maria Sharapova was very hot this year, and Serena Williams’ triumph in the Australian open after a series of injuries made her a favorite of Yahoo! searchers.  In a final ode to joy, the Boston Red Sox capped the year with a fantastic finish to the baseball season.

Final Farewells – top 10 send-offs

1.      Harry Potter

2.      Anna Nicole Smith

3.      The Sopranos

4.      Rosie O’Donnell

5.      Gilmore Girls

6.      The OC

7.      Barbaro

8.      Richard Jeni

9.      Iwao Takamoto

10.    Captain America

In 2007, we said goodbye to a number of favorite characters, both real and fictional. Harry Potter, Hermione, and Ron, the creations of author J.K. Rowling, all of which whom earned the most fare-thee-well searches of 2007, and making it the final chapter of the young wizards’ adventures.  Anna Nicole Smith’s tragic passing intrigued many fans to search for her throughout the past year.  In that curious intersection of real and fictional worlds, the assassination of comic-book character, Captain America, who was gunned down after defending his civil liberties, was too laden with symbolism to ignore. His death provoked a strong search reaction, although plans for his legacy continue to be in the works.

To find out more about the top trends in Yahoo! Search go to http://buzz.yahoo.com/toptrends2007 or search for “Top Trends 2007″ on yahoo.com.

It’s that time of year when the Oscar contenders show up on movie screens around the country.  Marnie and I love watching The Soup on E! every week.  This past Friday, they showed this trailer for “The Oscar Movie.”

Geico has been doing some creative TV advertising for a while and one of my favorites is the one featuring the Flintstones. 

But this isn’t the first time the Flintstones have been used in an ad.  Believe it or not, years ago the Flintstones were featured in an ad for Winston cigarettes.  It’s funny to see Fred and Barney lighting up.

The Flintstones Smoke

 If you’re anything like me, there is no way you have time to sit and watch all the reality and talk shows that you might have an interest in. 

 I personally find myself watching or setting my dvr to catch the show “The Soup.”  Host Joel McHale is downright perfect for this show and the half and hour he spends recapping the week’s reality and talk shows is laugh out loud funny.    “The Soup” is consistantly funny and helps to keep me up to speed on the craziness on TV.  Watch it!   It’s on E! several times a week.

I was watching “Superman Returns” and it got me to wondering how many actors have played characters like Superman and Lex Luthor.  Now I’m not a big comic book reader but if you are and your interested to see who has played your favorite heros and villians over the years, check out Wikipedia’s page on this very subject.

Here is just three of the many actors who have played Superman.  Christopher Reeve, Brandon Routh and Dean Cain.

 

Some celebrities have really cool names that stand out.  Actually, some have shortened their names or even changed them completely.  Check out the comparisons.

Jennifer Aniston - Jennifer Anastassakis

Snoop Dogg - Calvin Broadus

Madonna - Madonna Louise Ciccone

Eminem - Marshall Bruce Mathers III

Faith Hill - Audrey Faith Perry

Carmen Electra - Tara Patrick

Demi Moore - Demetria Gene Guynes

Sting - Gordon Sumner

MC Hammer - Stanley Kirk Burrell

Pink - Alecia Moore

Portia Di Rossi - Amanda Lee Rogers

Whoopi Goldberg - Caryn Johnson

Winona Ryder - Winona Horowitz

Elle Macpherson - Eleanor Gow

Charlie Sheen - Carlos Irwin Estevez

Martin Sheen - Ramon Estevez

Tina Turner - Anna Mae Bullock

George Michael - Georgios Panayiotou

Jay-Z - Shawn Corey Carter

Dido - Florian Cloud de Bounevialle Armstrong

Vin Diesel - Mark Vincent

Marilyn Manson - Brian Warner

Bono - Paul Hewson

Goldie Hawn - Goldie Studlendgehawn

Alice Cooper - Vincent Damon Furnier

Macy Gray - Natalie Renee McIntyre