Tuesday, January 10, 2012

AT A BLOGGER SET FOR TWO

SAD NEWS OVER THE WEEKEND...
OK, maybe just for me. I suppose it's happy news for them.

HILLARY SCOTT, lead singer of LADY ANTEBELLUM, married her fiancé, drummer Chris Tyrrell, on Saturday in upstate New York. The happy couple posted a video on the LADY A website. (Try not to laugh at their matching gray T-shirts.)

http://ladyantebellum.com/news/message-hillary-and-chris-tyrrell







KELLY DOES "THE VOICE"
The contestants on the next season of "The Voice" will have even more famous singers to work with.

In addition to the mentors...CHRISTINA AGUILERA, ADAM LEVINE, BLAKE SHELTON and CEE LO GREEN...there will be "celebrity advisers" who will assist the mentors.

They will help out during the "battle rounds" phase of the competition, helping out each mentor's six contestants. Each mentor has chosen two advisers.

JEWEL and LIONEL RICHIE will work with Christina.

ALANIS MORISSETTE and ROBIN THICKE will help Adam.

Blake has tapped KELLY CLARKSON and his wife MIRANDA LAMBERT.

And Cee Lo will have NE-YO and KENNY "BABYFACE" EDMONDS

The second season of "The Voice" will premiere after the Super Bowl on Sunday, February 5th.








RIHANNA: ALL-TIME DIGITAL BEST-SELLER
She's sold 47.5 million digital downloads overall, which makes her the best-selling digital artist of all time, at least for now.

The BLACK EYED PEAS are next with 42.4 million, and EMINEM is just 100,000 behind that, with 42.3 million digital downloads.

LADY GAGA is fourth. She's sold 42.1 million digital downloads over the years...and TAYLOR SWIFT is fifth with digital sales of 41.82 million digital downloads.








THE TAX MAN COMETH...
Hey, here's some GOOD news about being POOR.

According to data from the IRS, your odds of getting audited are DRASTICALLY lower this year if you make small money than if you make big money.

Last year, the IRS audited 12.5% of people making more than $1 MILLION...that's one in eight. And they audited 4% of people making $200,000 and more...that's one in 25.

They only audited 1% of people making less than $200,000...that's one in one hundred.








KATY WON'T BE THERE!
KATY PERRY is NOT going to show up at the People's Choice Awards tomorrow night. Naturally, she would've been confronted with a lot of attention over her split from RUSSELL BRAND...and apparently she isn't ready for that.

Officially, she didn't give a reason for dropping out. It might also have to do with the fact that ex-hubby was UNinvited, awkwardly. She just Tweeted, "Unfortunately, I will not be able to attend the People's Choice Awards. I want to thank you all for voting for me, fingers crossed! #KATYCATS."

She's got 7 nominations total.







BZZZZT. YOU LOSE!
Did you smoke your first cigarette of the year yesterday? Skip your first workout? Drink your first liter of gravy? Yeah...so did just about everyone else who made a New Year's resolution.

According to a new survey, by today, 10 days into January, 75% of people admit they've broken their resolution.

And the average person says it's at least the FOURTH time they've made the same resolution...and failed.








"IT'S A LOVE STORY, BABY JUST SAY....YOU BITCH!"
In September, 33-year-old Julia Cross of Auckland, New Zealand was on vacation in Ibiza, Spain. While she was there, she spent one perfect night with the man of her dreams. He was from England, and she fell in love with him instantly. If I had to guess, it was probably the accent.

Before they went their separate ways, Julia gave him her number so they could keep in touch. Only she never heard from him...so she figured she accidentally gave him the wrong number. LOL...right, ya know. Cause that happens. Hahahaha!!! Anyway. She was quite torn up. ...over him not calling. Yeah.

So Julia decided to track him down. Because that's the normal, sane thing to do. She launched an Internet campaign, trying desperately to see if anyone could find him. And FINALLY, after five months, someone tracked him down.

Turns out he's 33-year-old Martin O'Kane, a software developer in London. Oh...AND he has a girlfriend. Oops.

Guess what? Julia HAD given him the right number (of course she had)...but he didn't call her because of the girlfriend thing. Although he says he didn't have a girlfriend when he was in Ibiza...they got together RIGHT when he got home.

Martin says he's, "flattered" by the whole thing (flattered is the new alarmed)...but his girlfriend, "feels a bit odd that there's a national campaign to set me up with someone else." (He's MY MAN, bitches!)

Sunday, January 8, 2012

THEY FREAKY WIT BIG OL' BOOTY'S

...nothing to do with the contents of this week's update, but shouts to PIT for the inspiration!

RIHANNA & CHRIS BROWN?!
WHAT? Next month it'll be three years since CHRIS BROWN viciously attacked RIHANNA the night before the Grammys. And now, it sounds like they're exchanging romantic Tweets.

Last week, Chris Tweeted, "Love U more than u know!" And just two minutes later, Rihanna Tweeted, "I'll always love you #1love."

Does it mean anything? I have no idea.








"ON FIRE AND I KNOW IT"...
REDFOO from LMFAO abruptly ended a DJ set in Honduras last Wednesday night after the venue's electrical system caught fire.

It wasn't a full-on LMFAO show. Singer SKY BLU is dealing with a "severe back injury," and is taking it easy for the next month. Their tour is scheduled to resume in February.

Fortunately, no one was seriously hurt...but 15 people were treated for smoke inhalation.

After the show, RedFoo Tweeted, "Epic concert tonight!!!! Everybody in Honduras, we set the place on fire!!!! Sorry for Party Rocking...yeah baby.

"They told us that there was a fire when we were on stage. Then we went to the dressing rooms and there was smoke in the halls.

"On a serious note: Hope everybody is safe from the fire tonight! Love you, Honduras!"

According to reports, the local authorities believe the fire may have been set intentionally...but there aren't any other details.









"NEVER LIKED IT ANYWAY"
Sometimes when you break up with someone, you need to get rid of ANYTHING that reminds you of them. Gifts, clothing, music, jewelry, wedding dress, whatever...you need it gone. And putting it on eBay just isn't enough.

So now there's a new website called NeverLikedItAnyway.com. It's a marketplace where you can sell all the painful items left over after a break up...AND tell your break up story to give the items some context.

And if you haven't recently been dumped, it's a good site to check out...because people are selling some pretty valuable stuff at good discounts just to get rid of it. You might as well cash in on their pain!!








BUT...YOU'RE AN AAAALIEEEEEENNNNNN...
DENNIS HOF is the guy who runs the Moonlite Bunny Ranch in Nevada...that's the brothel in that HBO series "Cathouse". And now he's starting a new brothel...with a twist.

It's called ALIEN CATHOUSE. Yep...all the hookers are going to dress up as aliens. He's still working out the details...like whether or not the hookers will be painted green.

Basically, he figures that a good target demographic for brothels are guys with science fiction fantasies. So if they want to dress up as Captain Kirk and take down an alien, he's making that easier than ever.

The place is scheduled to open in a few months.

It's located about 90 miles northwest of Vegas, next to a convenience store and gas station on U.S. Highway 95.

Prostitution in brothels is legal in Nevada EXCEPT in two counties: Washoe County, the home of Reno...and Clark County, the home of Las Vegas.








CLARKSON TALKS POLITICS, POPULARITY SKY-ROCKETS...
KELLY CLARKSON started a Twitter firestorm last week when she said she "loved" RON PAUL as the Republican nominee for President.

It began with this Tweet, "I love Ron Paul. I liked him a lot during the last Republican nomination and no one gave him a chance. If he wins the nomination for the Republican Party in 2012 he's got my vote. Too bad he probably won't."

Unfortunately, when you talk politics, the haters come out. People started Tweeting their angry disapproval of Kelly's political views...with some even accusing Ron Paul of being racist and homophobic.

Okay, here's the best part of the story. After all this chaos went down Kelly's record sales went up. Way up. To the tune of more than 440%! And her latest album, "Stronger", jumped from #38 to #7 on Amazon's sales list.








SORRY, REDS... :(
We've seen plenty of studies in the past few years about how men now seem to prefer BROWN HAIR to BLONDE HAIR. Well here's another study on hair color that finds the same thing...with a TWIST.

Men find brunettes more attractive...but when they want to get laid, they go for blondes.

Researchers at the University of Westminster in England had a woman go to different clubs in London. She'd go to each club three times...once with her hair dyed brown, once blonde, and once red.

The researchers counted how many times men approached the woman with each hair color. Then, they went back to the bars later and had men rate her on attractiveness and intelligence.

They found that men were most likely to approach and hit on the woman when she's blonde...but rated her most attractive and intelligent when she was a brunette. Red hair bottomed out in every category.

Isn't that because red-headed french women don't shave their pits? ::shudder::

The researchers believe that men were most likely to hit on the blonde because, quote, "Men were more likely to assume sexual intent on the part of our [woman] when she was blonde."

So when men want to get laid, they go for blondes...when they're looking to settle down with someone attractive and intelligent, they go for brunettes...and they never go for redheads. You're welcome.








AHHH, FACEBOOK RELATIONSHIP DRAMA...
One of the underrated side effects of Facebook is that it's a HOMEWRECKER. And its homewrecking powers just keep growing.

In December of 2010, a study found that Facebook was cited in one out of every FIVE divorces. Now, about a year later, it's increased to one in every THREE divorces.

There are three main ways Facebook plays into divorce proceedings...

#1.) Someone catches their spouse sending inappropriate Facebook messages to someone else.

#2.) One person posts negative comments about their soon-to-be-ex-spouse on Facebook.

#3.) The spouses defriend each other as their divorce is going on...and their friends report back to them about their spouse's behavior on Facebook. (LOL)








AS HEARD ON THE DELUCA SHOW...
Atlas Van Lines just released their annual study on migration patterns in the U.S. Basically, they analyze their state-to-state moves to figure out which states people are leaving, and which states people are moving to.

And the big finding is...people are getting the hell out of here!

Yes, Ohio had the biggest percentage difference in people moving out versus people moving in. Indiana, Illinois, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Kansas also had more than 55% of their moves go outbound.

On the other end, Washington, D.C. had the highest percentage difference in people moving in versus people moving out.

Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, New Mexico (??), North Dakota (!?), and Alaska (!?!?!) also had big positive swings.

California had the most total people move out, at 6,758...but they ALSO had the most people move in, at 7,803. They're one of 24 states that saw a pretty balanced ratio of inbound-versus-outbound moves.








THAT'S THE CHEATIN' SPOON!!!
Did you cheat on your husband or wife Wednesday?

I'm not sure if this is going to put your conscience at ease...or make JESUS any less angry at you...but you weren't the only one.

According to relationship experts, January 4th is the BIGGEST day of the entire year for cheating.

It's hard to find statistics to back up that kind of claim, but here's one. The cheating website IllicitEncounters.com reported that they got more than DOUBLE their normal amount of daily signups yesterday.

Here's why January 4th is big for cheating. The stress and intensity of the holiday season can put a big strain on relationships. But no one wants to break up over the holidays. So that frustration and anger just festers and grows.

By January 4th, everyone's been back to work for a couple of days, settled back into a routine...and now they can actually take active steps toward ending their relationship...or, ya know, getting some strange.








"GOOD THING I BROUGHT MY LIBRARY CARD..."
If you sign up for online dating with the goal of getting married as quickly as possible, here's some good news. Once you wade through the sea of lunatics, serial killers and creepers and find the right person...you guys will be married before you know it!

According to a new survey, the average couple that meets through online dating gets married in 18-and-a-half months.

For couples who meet offline, the average is 42 months...or three-and-a-half years.

In 2010, 17% of married couples...or one out of six...met on a dating site.

About 5.5 million of the 54 million single adults in the U.S. are now using online dating. About 20% have tried it. (Have you? I never have...don't think I would either)

Every user spends an average of almost 13 minutes per week on their online dating profile and correspondence...not counting the time spent on dates.







SKIP STARBUCKS, GET RICH...
If you buy one $4 latte a day, you're spending $1,460 per year on Starbucks. After five years, that's $7,300.

Let's say you invested that $4 every day instead, in an account with an average return of 9%. After 10 years, you could have enough to buy a car. And at 40 years, the money you saved from coffee would be worth $634,428.

But if you don't want to give up Starbucks, here's another alternative. You could buy bags of Starbucks French roast and brew them yourself. You can also add milk to make lattes.

That will reduce your budget to about $29-a-month...saving you $91 over going to an actual Starbucks.

Over 40 years, if you invested the difference, you'd have $481,108. Even if you don't invest it, just saving the $91-a-month would mean you'll end the year $1,092 richer...and have an extra $43,680 when you retire in 40 years.









JASON DERULO
JASON DERULO broke his neck while rehearsing for his European tour.

He posted a picture on Facebook of him lying down in a neck brace. He said, "I fractured my neck doing tumbling and acrobatics for tour! Always tryin' to push boundaries for YOU! Like my new chain? ;)"

The 'chain' line was a joke about the brace...and it's nice to hear that he has a sense of humor about it, because his doctors say he could've been PARALYZED if the injury was any more severe.

Jason's rep says he was rehearsing some kind of dance move when he landed directly on his head and suffered "an acute fracture of his vertebrae."

It seems like Jason will be OK...but he has to wear the brace for the next few months. That means he's had to cancel his European tour, which was supposed to begin on February 23rd.

Late last night, Jason released a statement saying, "The pain of letting you down cuts me way deeper than this injury I've sustained. My fans mean everything to me, so I'm praying for a speedy recovery in order to perform for you in the near future."









THE BLACK KEYS HATE NICKELBACK...
BLACK KEYS drummer and Akron native PATRICK CARNEY took a big shot at NICKELBACK in the new issue of "Rolling Stone"...but Nickelback isn't sweating it.

Patrick said, "Rock 'n' roll is dying because people became OK with Nickelback being the biggest band in the world...they became OK with the idea that the biggest rock band in the world is always going to be [crap]."

Nickelback responded on Twitter with this: "Thanks to the drummer in the Black Keys calling us the Biggest Band in the World in 'Rolling Stone'. Hehe."









VACATION AND FACEBOOK...
A new survey found the average person uploads vacation photos to Facebook within FOUR HOURS of getting home.

And 9% of people even upload them while they're still on vacation.








THE AVERAGE WORKDAY...
I don't have to tell you that the eight-hour, nine-to-five workday with an hour for lunch is DEAD. It's right there next to the VCR and freaking out over the cost of long distance.

I've got the results here from a new study that figured out the ACTUAL hours and lifestyle of the average worker. Check it out...

The average office worker starts at 8:09 A.M. and leaves at 5:22 P.M.

That means the average workday is now nine hours, 13 minutes.

The average person leaves home at 7:49 A.M. and has a commute that lasts 20 minutes and 41 seconds. The commute home takes 33 minutes and 46 seconds.

It takes 12 minutes before the first conversation with a coworker, at 8:21 A.M.

The average worker takes a 28-minute lunch break.

And spends an average of $5 on lunch.

Only 7% go outside for some fresh air during lunch.

The average worker drinks three cups of coffee a day.

We average one argument with a coworker daily.

The average worker sends 26 emails a day and receives 32.

And finally, the average worker spends 10 minutes and 15 seconds on Facebook during the workday.








GONNA FLY SOON?
The "Wall Street Journal" just released its annual rankings of U.S. airlines. We're down to just SEVEN major airlines in this country...and they STILL can't get everything right.

The rankings are based on how the airlines do in six categories: On-time arrivals, excessive delays, baggage handling, customer complaints, bumping passengers, and cancelling flights.

Alaska Airlines is the smallest major airline left...and they got the highest overall rank. Bigger isn't always better! They scored number one in three categories: On-time arrivals, fewest excessive delays, and fewest canceled flights.

On the other end, American Airlines came in dead last. They scored in the bottom three in all six categories. Here are the full rankings...

#1.) Alaska
#2.) Southwest (now merged with AirTran)
#3.) Delta
#4.) United (now merged with Continental)
#5.) U.S. Airways
#6.) JetBlue
#7.) American