Rod Stewart and Kelly Emberg

Rod Stewart and Kelly Emberg, The rocker left his first wife Alana Hamilton for model Emberg in the 1980s, but the union fell apart while she was pregnant with their daughter, Ruby, who was born in 1987.

Stewart spent years playing the field before deciding he wanted to reconcile with Emberg, and he arranged for a romantic proposal with a banner trailing from a plane.

In his new autobiography, serialised in Britain's Daily Mail, he writes, "I decided to propose to her. That was the obvious solution, only I'd been too foolish to see it. But, if it was going to work, I'd need a big romantic gesture - something she'd find charming and irresistible.

"I knew that little prop planes often buzzed above the... beaches, trailing advertisements. What if Kelly were to look up from her boat and see my marriage proposal written in the sky? Could it get any more sweetly romantic than that?

"I organised a plane and a banner for early Sunday afternoon, which I figured was the best time to be sure of catching Kelly's attention. And I told the company I wanted the banner to say: 'Kelly - will you marry me? Rs.' That would do it, wouldn't it?"

However, Stewart was left trying to cancel his romantic gesture after he met Rachel Hunter, who went on to become his second wife, the night before the proposal.

He recalls, "Feeling far happier, I went out to dinner that Saturday with Sylvester Stallone. Afterwards, we went on to an L.A. nightclub called the Roxbury. And across the floor of the Roxbury, I caught sight of a woman...

"I had to introduce myself to her. And then I had to convene a small party back at my place so that I could invite her along with her friend and get to talk to her properly. Rachel Hunter did come and we did talk; and by the time she went home, it seemed blazingly apparent to me that this was the person I wanted to dedicate the rest of my life to.

"I awoke the next morning glowing with excitement. In the midst of my euphoria, it was at least 10 minutes before I remembered, with a cold feeling abruptly passing across my kidneys, that I'd arranged an airborne marriage proposal for that lunchtime.

"No problem. I'll cancel it. I'll call the advertising company, I thought."
However, the star's efforts to scrap the proposal didn't go smoothly: "The phone rang and rang. I hung up and tried again. It was Sunday: everybody had packed up and gone. This was awkward. I'd hired a plane to carry a banner saying 'Marry me'. I couldn't very well hire a second plane saying: 'Sorry - scratch that. Rs.'

"What was I going to do? Pray for a hurricane? Get out there on a boat with a large gun and shoot the f**ker down? No. What I was going to do was spend Sunday wincing in anticipation, with my fingers crossed. And what do you know? My grand, absurd and doomed marriage proposal went up, fluttered across the sky and came down again, entirely unseen by its intended recipient. Truly, there is a God."

Stewart's 16-year marriage to Hunter ended in divorce in 2006, and he wed third wife Penny Lancaster-Stewart in 2007.

Eve Hewson Enough Said

Eve Hewson Enough Said, Bono’s second eldest daughter Eve Hewson has a co-starring role in one of the year’s best reviewed movies, Enough Said, which opened last week and stars the late James Gandolfini and Julia Louis-Dreyfus.

The plaudits for the romantic comedy are pretty much universal – The New York Times called it “one of the best written film comedies in recent memory” that will “make you laugh and leave you in tears.”  Eve plays Gandolfini’s bratty daughter who is soon to depart LA for college, and there’s no doubt that the role will elevate her status on the casting radar screen.

The 22-year-old Dublin native and recent NYU grad also has another film in the can, Blood Ties, which stars Clive Owen and Marion Cotillard. Set in Brooklyn in the 1970s, the crime thriller premiered in Cannes earlier this year but doesn’t have a U.S. release date yet.

Eve has also been cast in the upcoming Steven Soderberg 10-part series for Cinemax, The Knick. The drama is set at a New York hospital in 1900, and tells the story of doctors and nurses fighting to save lives in an era when necessities like antibiotics didn’t exist.

So it appears that Eve made a wise choice in choosing an acting career, even though her dad and mom Ali were against it at first.

“Both my parents were against it,” she told the Irish Independent last year. “It’s because they know that world and it’s really hard.  The rejection is awful, the competition is terrifying and you’re constantly up and down.  They were like, ‘No, no, no, please, no!’ I had to really fight for it.”

Bono, meanwhile, will be in New York this week speaking at the annual Clinton Global Initiative gathering alongside the likes of President Obama.  He’s also due to appear at the big Global Poverty Project concert at Central Park on September 28 to present an award to Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf for her work on women’s equality.

Eve Hewson parents

Eve Hewson parents, Can we expect Bono? It’s not every day that the 22-year-old apple of your eye, Eve Hewson, graduates to red carpet-status at the biggest filmfest in the world, after all, now is it?

Starring in the new Nicole Holofcener film that’s in Toronto, Enough Said, she’s been bit by the thing that’s bit many a rich girl — that hankering to take up acting. Extra-socialites such as Lee Radziwill and Gloria Vanderbilt flirted with it in their time, and in more recent years, it’s been a path trod on even by the likes of Paris Hilton. Except … oh, except … Bono’s daughter is apparently doing it for the money.

I don’t get handed money — and I never will,” she’s said. “I have to work!”

Indeed, this apparently doesn’t extend to the reality of any of the U2 spawn. Putting her feet up simply isn’t an option, she admitted to The Irish Independent in a rare interview. It would, Hewson went on, “be impossible for any of us to just sit back, relax and be rich. That’s not who we are.”

Not that she got much support, at first, from either or her dad or her mom, Ali Hewson. “Both my parents were against it,” she says point-blank. Having studied theatre at NYU, she knows why: “It’s because they know that world and it’s really hard. … The rejection is awful, the competition is terrifying and you’re constantly up and down.”

Hewson says: “They were like ‘no, no, no, please, no! I had to really fight for it.”

Yes, yes, yes, yes, please, yes: that’s me on the prospect of a new Holofcener film. Her flicks — in the urbane, talky mode — are always a treat for me, and this one has the benefit of coming with possibly the strangest ensemble at TIFF. It stars, among others, Elaine, (i.e. Julia Louis-Dreyfus), a real-life alt-teen blogger (it’s Tavi Gevinson’s first film) and a dead guy (it was James Gandolfini’s final). Can’t wait.

Scene! Heard!

Hot-out-of-the-oven dish: Taylor Swift will hit Toronto on Monday for the world premiere of One Chance, the documentary about Britain’s Got Talent star Paul Potts. Apparently, says Page Six, Harvey Weinstein has wooed her to even sing at the after-party.

And a very happy birthday to Idris Elba. The hot drink of water is not just front-and-centre at one of the biggest galas at TIFF — the biopic that is Mandela: A Long Walk to Freedom — he’s also turning the big 41 this weekend.
What did I tell you? The New York Times, echoing what I told you last week, writes that “Daniel Brühl, who is Spanish and German, will soon have a global moment in Toronto.” The breakout actor, who’s in two big flicks at TIFF — both The Fifth Estate and Rush — is said to be an example of cinema’s new internationalism. Onscreen, at TIFF, he’s playing British and Austrian, respectively.

Well, that’s a first: a party in a former quarry! The Evergreen Brickworks will host its virginal TIFF bash this year with Mongrel Media, the Canadian distributor, throwing its annual bash there Friday night. Its dynamo president, Hussain Amarshi, will there celebrate more than a dozen titles, including Ralph Fiennes’ film, The Invisible Woman, as well as The Lunchbox, starring Indian thesp Irrfan Khan.

A is for amazing effort: Terrence Howard’s impromptu belting-out, that is, of My Girl in the lobby bar of the Shangri-La, on University, Wednesday night. The actor, who’s here for the film Prisoners and has an Aaron Neville-ish voice — he put out an album a few years ago — once claimed in an interview, “I don’t have some incredible voice,” but what he does have is “passion.”

New York nightlife queen Amy Sacco is back to the 416 this year, facilitating a Bungalow 8 pop-up on Saturday night. Together, with Worldview, the film financiers, they will fete a pool of films that collectively star Zoe Saldana, Reese Witherspoon, Clive Owen, etc.

It’s Kate Winslet, on Bay Street, Saturday, vs. Keira Knightley, on King West, as their two film parties at roughly the same time — 200 of ’em actually, that same night! — square off.

Patrick Schwarzenegger Grown Ups 2

Patrick Schwarzenegger Grown Ups 2, Taylor Lautner has gone from Twilight's teen wolf to a secret handshaking frat boy -- and with the help of Patrick Schwarzenegger, he's getting the funny guys of Grown Ups 2 to strip down and hit the water running!

In the newest trailer for the sequel starring Kevin James, Chris Rock, David Spade and Adam Sandler, we see Lautner and his pals bullying the older men. After Sandler's "Abercrombie & Fitch" quip, Lautner instructs the guys that there's only one way off the mountain and that's to jump ..."naked."

Patrick Schwarzenegger parents

Patrick Schwarzenegger parents, Patrick Schwarzenegger (born September 18, 1993), the son of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, is a model and actor. Raise in Los Angeles, California, he is one of four children. He does, however, have a fourth sibling, a half-brother born from an affair his father had with the maid, Mildred ‘Patty’ Baena.

Schwarzenegger’s parents helped Patrick found his company Project360, a philanthropic clothing line, when he was only 15. He’s signed to L.A. Models. As of December 2012, Patrick was enrolled in the University of Southern California. In 2013, Patrick will star in his first major movie, Grown Ups 2.

Patrick Schwarzenegger is best known for being Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver’s son.Patrick Schwarzenegger has been linked to actress and singer AJ Michalka and Taylor Swift. He also recently flirted with Kristen Stewart.

Sasha Spielberg sitcom writer

Sasha Spielberg sitcom writer,  ABC has put in development the half-hour single-camera sitcom Girls Without Boys from Warner Bros Television. Emily Goldwyn & Sasha Spielberg will write the project, and Caroline Williams will be the showrunner and executive produce along with Rashida Jones and Will McCormack. Jeff Grosvenor of Jones and McCormack’s Le Train Train will produce. The premise: Three brilliant but socially challenged girls navigate the world outside of single sex education with the help of their eccentric teachers and parents.

The show was hatched by Goldwyn and Spielberg, who are the daughters of John Goldwyn and Steven Spielberg, respectively. They based the concept loosely on their own shared experiences of attending the prestige Marlborough school, located in Los Angeles near a co-ed school. Marlborough may have given them a first-class education, but not about things like being able to talk to boys.

Goldwyn was an assistant to Up All Night co-exec producer Williams, who became her mentor and helped guide this process. Williams just finished Arrested Development on Netflix and this is one of several projects she has percolating. They enlisted Jones — who, speaking of showbiz pedigrees, is the daughter of Quincy Jones and The Mod Squad actress Peggy Lipton. Jones is based at Warner Bros and stars in NBC’s Parks And Recreation and the upcoming indie film Cuban Fury with McCormack, Jones wrote the Sundance romantic comedy Celeste And Jesse Forever, which they both starred in, and they are now writing Frenemy Of The State for Universal and Imagine.

This is the first big deal for Goldwyn & Spielberg as a writing team. They are repped by UTA, Management 360 and Karl Austen, Jones is with UTA and James Adams, McCormack’s reps are UTA and Erik Hyman, and Williams is repped by UTA and Robert Offer.

Steven spielberg and kate capshaw

Steven spielberg and kate capshaw, He has directed 26 films that have amassed over $3.7 billion in box office receipts; he has successfully tackled science fiction, adventure, comedy, drama, and war genres; he has three Academy Awards; Forbes places his personal net worth at around $3 billion; he has been called “the most powerful figure in the motion picture industry”, “one of the 100 most important people of the century”, and “the most influential person of his generation.” In terms of accomplishment and influence, there are very few that can match Steven Spielberg.

Given the relationship warzone that is Hollywood, you would expect someone as successful as Spielberg to have a past littered with the corpses of failed marriages and foolish romances. Around 50% of all marriages in America end in divorce, but you have to believe that number is a bit higher for celebrity marriages that feature personal net worths of $3 billion.

Not so for Steven Spielberg. Although his marriage to actress Kate Capshaw was his second, he tied that knot 26 years ago and hasn’t looked back since. “It’s not a pretty sight,” Spielberg said in a recent interview with Entertainment Weekly of his least favorite Indiana Jones film, The Temple of Doom. “The prettiest thing that came out of that film was my future wife. I met Kate, my leading lady. My leading lady is still my leading lady.”

Family has always played a central role in Spielberg’s life and career. Even the absence of family has influenced his directing decisions. In Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the main character, played by Richard Dreyfus, becomes so obsessed with UFOs that he abandons his wife and three children. “I’ve always said I wouldn’t do it if I was making the movie from scratch today, because I have seven children. I had no hesitation writing that and directing that then, but I had no dependents in my life at that time.“

Victoria Beckham to star in her own 'groundbreaking' reality show on Skype

Victoria Beckham to star in her own 'groundbreaking' reality show on Skype, The former Spice Girl is partnering with Skype to give a behind the scenes look at her hugely succesful global fashion brand.

And you never know, we might be lucky enough to spot a rare smile from famously pouty Posh.

"Skype will bring the story of a driven designer and businesswoman to life in a groundbreaking storytelling format, as well as offer inspiration to fashion enthusiasts, aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs," promises the internet giant.

"We're thrilled to be a part of the Victoria Beckham story, and look forward to sharing it with you soon.''

The A-lister has previously spoken about how much the service helped her run her empire when she lived in LA: "Most evenings, I'm curled up in front of Skype, in my dressing gown, speaking with my studio in London.

"I travel a lot; my team travels a lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very proud to be British; my brand is British, and I'm very proud of that."

The new collaboration also promises to "give you, the audience, opportunities to engage directly with Victoria and her team via Skype".

Sadly, we don't think that will involve Vicky adding us all to her contacts list for a nice chat about how she was robbed of a number one solo single. Because she was. Damn you Sophie Ellis Bextor - DAMN YOU.

Despite this being reality television, we're going to go out on a limb and say that it's probably going to be less TOWIE and more The September Issue.

But as long as David happens to pop in now and again, we'll be happy. Check out Posh at New York Fashion Week below (psst, David's there too).

Victoria Beckham fashion documentary

Victoria Beckham fashion documentary, The former Spice Girl is partnering with Skype to give a behind the scenes look at her hugely succesful global fashion brand.

And you never know, we might be lucky enough to spot a rare smile from famously pouty Posh.

"Skype will bring the story of a driven designer and businesswoman to life in a groundbreaking storytelling format, as well as offer inspiration to fashion enthusiasts, aspiring creatives and entrepreneurs," promises the internet giant.

"We're thrilled to be a part of the Victoria Beckham story, and look forward to sharing it with you soon.''

The A-lister has previously spoken about how much the service helped her run her empire when she lived in LA: "Most evenings, I'm curled up in front of Skype, in my dressing gown, speaking with my studio in London.

"I travel a lot; my team travels a lot, but I wouldn't have it any other way. I'm very proud to be British; my brand is British, and I'm very proud of that."

The new collaboration also promises to "give you, the audience, opportunities to engage directly with Victoria and her team via Skype".

Sadly, we don't think that will involve Vicky adding us all to her contacts list for a nice chat about how she was robbed of a number one solo single. Because she was. Damn you Sophie Ellis Bextor - DAMN YOU.

Despite this being reality television, we're going to go out on a limb and say that it's probably going to be less TOWIE and more The September Issue.

But as long as David happens to pop in now and again, we'll be happy. Check out Posh at New York Fashion Week below (psst, David's there too).

David and Victoria Beckham

David and Victoria Beckham, As if we need further confirmation that David and Victoria Beckham are still one of the coolest celebrity couples.

The 38-year-old father of four attended Treats! magazine's London launch party at Chakana nightclub on Thursday, Dec. 19, in London, where he spent over three hours partying with pals Gordon Ramsay and Guy Ritchie.

The famous trio enjoyed a guys' night out at the event, drinking Cîroc cocktails in the VIP area, chatting with the DJ in the booth and laughing together as they spent some quality bro time sans their significant others.

Victoria Beckham's mister looked handsome as always in a classy black peacoat with gold buttons and a newsboy cap.And Becks, Ramsay and Richie all left together around 3 a.m. at which point they headed to another venue.

Meanwhile, Mrs. David Beckham was spotted on the other side of town with Gordon's wife Tana Ramsay.
The twosome were seen enjoying their own girls' night out at La Petite Maison while their respective hubbies were busy bonding (too cute!).

The fashion designer, who has been hard at work during the holiday season, sported an all-black ensemble, appearing effortlessly chic in a short dress and matching jacket while wearing her shiny brown locks down in a straight style.

And Becks, Ramsay and Richie all left together around 3 a.m. at which point they headed to another venue.
Meanwhile, Mrs. David Beckham was spotted on the other side of town with Gordon's wife Tana Ramsay.

The twosome were seen enjoying their own girls' night out at La Petite Maison while their respective hubbies were busy bonding (too cute!).

The fashion designer, who has been hard at work during the holiday season, sported an all-black ensemble, appearing effortlessly chic in a short dress and matching jacket while wearing her shiny brown locks down in a straight style.

Ireland Baldwin defends Alec Baldwin

Ireland Baldwin defends Alec Baldwin, Ireland Baldwin made it a point to stand up for her dad, following the backlash he received for using a gay slur.

Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger's daughter hit Twitter to share her thoughts, asking followers to not be so quick to judge him.

"Sometimes we let our tempers get the best of us," Ireland wrote. "Tempers are like wildfires. Something or someone can easily fuel the fire…It takes a lot of strength for someone to release their anger."It takes a lot of strength and SUPPORT for someone to grow and become a better person. We all say things we don't mean. We all say things we can't take back."

"For someone who has battled with anger management issues, my dad has grown tremendously," the 18-year-old model continued. "My dad is far from a homophobe or a racist."

The 30 Rock star infamously referred to Ireland as a "rude, thoughtless little pig" when she was 11 years old, but Ireland has since said her father has become a better person.

And it looks like the duo, who appeared together at the Emmys this year, has mended their relationship.
Particularly given that she's speaking out in his defense now.

"From what you've read and from what media has been shoved down your throats, he has a kind heart," she continued on the social networking site.

"My point being, what my dad said was WRONG. What my dad felt WASN'T. My dad has an INFANT CHILD to protect. All the parents out there should understand. You would do anything to protect your baby."

"Now, let's all quit acting like children. Let my dad be and let him have his room to learn and enjoy his family."Alec got into hot water earlier this week after he directed an anti-gay slur at a paparazzo who was trying to take pictures of him and his family. MSNBC later suspended his talk show for two weeks as a result.

The incident, which was videotaped, showed the actor audibly saying "c—ksucking," which GLAAD informed him was an anti-gay epithet.

Alec later apologized to the organization and went on to write an editorial for the Huffington Post, expressing his concern for the safety of his family given the amount of paparazzi that surround them all the time, among other things.

Alec Baldwin Kim Basinger daughter

Alec Baldwin Kim Basinger daughter, Oscar-winning actress Kim Basinger has gone back to her modelling roots by signing a contract with IMG Models aged 60.

She joins her 18-year-old daughter, Ireland Baldwin, on the established agency's books.Basinger's posing potential was first spotted in 1969 when she was just 16 and partaking in a local beauty pageant in her hometown of Athens in Georgia, by Ford Models co-founder Eileen Ford. At first she declined Ford's offer of a contract and instead enrolled at the University of Georgia, only to reconsider months later, leave university and move to New York to begin modelling professionally.

She stopped modelling in 1976 after becoming frustrated with the industry and decided to concentrate on her acting career, moving to Los Angeles and taking acting workshops.

It was very hard to go from one booking to another and always have to deal with the way I looked. I couldn't stand it. I felt myself choking," she has previously said of the job.

"We are proud to be working with a distinguished and talented actress such as Kim Basinger," said Ivan Bart, senior VP and managing director of IMG Models, in a statement to Variety . "Kim has a powerful appeal on screen that will lend itself as a strong asset for us to seek innovative partnerships across the modelling and entertainment platform for Kim."

Ireland Baldwin parents

Ireland Baldwin parents, Remember the infamous daddy’s little girl voicemail message Alec Baldwin left for his daughter Ireland in 2007 when he called her a ‘rude, thoughtless little pig’?

Ireland sure can’t forget it. In fact, six years later she’s still getting taunted about that message and decided to clear the air about that among other things through a Tumblr rant Monday.

“To all my followers and everyone else out there reading this,” the 17-year-old aspiring model began. “I feel that it is time I make a few points very clear.”

The young Baldwin was 11 when her short-tempered father left the outraged voicemail on her phone. The message leaked causing the spotlight to shine directly at her for the first time.

Although he later apologized for his words blaming it on the stress caused by the custody fight he was going through with her mother Kim Basinger, 59, it’s something no child would ever forget.

As Ireland has grown in the public eye the now 6-foot-tall blond is being compared to her statuesque mother. But the Baldwin teen no longer wants to live in the shadow of her parents.
“I AM NOT MY PARENTS,” she continued in her open letter.

Regarding the similarities to her mother she added, “My mom is one of the most beautiful women in the world. She is 5’9”, I am 6’2”. She is petite and fragile, and I am fit and … more to love tehe.”

She continued on her seemingly self-absorbed tirade and said, “I have a booty, she has a thigh gap … I am still a teen making my way out of my awkward phase.”

But the statements that hit hardest were about her 55-year-old dad Alec.

“Just like almost all of you, my Dad has made some mistakes in the past,” she wrote. “He has spoken out of place, he has let his temper get the best of him, and he has reacted towards things in ways he shouldn’t have.”

The young starlet confessed to receiving taunts and repercussions due to her father’s shortcomings.
“I get hateful replies and threats regarding mistakes of my Dad’s past. This isn’t fair,” she continued through her online diatribe. “I had nothing to do with anything that happened back then, so I don’t fully understand why I am being targeted.”

In defense of her father, Ireland wrote, “More importantly, my Dad has moved on. He recognized that he needed to change, so he made changes. He is now healthy, happily married with a baby on the way. He moved on, so why can’t you?”

In search of her own identity she let it be known that her future independent ventures are already underway.
“I have entered the social media world and the entertainment business to make a name for myself,” she said. “I am not seeking fame by association.”

While portions of her rhetoric displayed the typical behaviors of a moody teenager, in the end Ireland boasted about her parents, but again made it clear that she is her own person.
“I am proud to be my parent’s daughter, but I don’t want to forever be known as ‘that rude thoughtless little pig,’ or Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger’s kid.”

HTC One dual-SIM, One mini reportedly receive price cuts in India

HTC One dual-SIM, One mini reportedly receive price cuts in India, HTC seems to have slashed the prices of its two premium smartphones, the HTC One dual-SIM and HTC One mini.

According to Ezyby.com, an online retailer, the HTC One dual-SIM is now available at Rs. 42,990 compared to it Rs. 53,590 launch price, while the HTC One mini is now available at Rs. 29,990, down from its previous price tag of Rs. 36,790.

The news was revealed via Ezyby.com's tweet that said, "Price drop on HTC One Dual and One mini new price 42990 and 29990". It is not clear whether the price cut is a part of a limited period holiday offering from the Taiwanese maker or not.

HTC launched the dual-SIM variant of its flagship smartphone, the One in September. The HTC One dual-SIM supports CDMA and GSM/ 3G networks as well as high speed data on CDMA via EVDO.

The rest of the specifications of the One dual-SIM are similar to that of the HTC One except that the HTC One dual-SIM comes with expandable storage (unlike the One) that supports microSD cards of up to 64GB, and also comes with a removable back cover.

Just like its single-SIM sibling, the HTC One dual-SIM is powered by a 1.7GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor, with 2GB of RAM and 32GB internal storage. The phone features a 4.7-inch screen with full-HD display and boasts a pixel density of 468PPI.

On the other hand, HTC launched the One mini in India for Rs. 36,790, a 'mini' variant of its flagship smartphone, the HTC One. It features the same design as that of its elder sibling, the HTC One and also features the BoomSound speakers, though they're smaller compared to the ones featured on the HTC One.

The HTC One mini sports a 4.3-inch S-LCD3 display with a resolution of 720x1280 pixels and pixel density of 341ppi. It is powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 400 processor and has 1GB of RAM. It comes with 16GB of inbuilt storage but doesn't feature any external expansion options.

Congrats To JWoww! She's Pregnant!

Congrats To JWoww! She's Pregnant!, It looks like a tiny guido or guidette will be making their way to the Jersey Shore within the next nine months.

Jenni Farley is pregnant with her first child! She and her fiance Roger Matthews are obviously thrilled about the news and, Jenni shared her excitement on her website. Read her posting below, and see her photo announcement.

Merry Christmas from within! Roger and I couldn’t have asked for a better Christmas gift this year! We wanted to share this exciting news with you all first because you have been a part of our lives these past few years and seen the love between Roger and me develop and blossom.

We are so excited to share this new chapter of our lives with you as we become parents and create more memories with a new addition to our family! Thank you for all your love and support and for being there for us throughout the years! We are extremely happy and cannot wait for our bundle of joy to arrive!

Turks and Caicos

Turks and Caicos, A boat has capsized off the Turks and Caicos Islands leaving 18 migrants dead, authorities there say.

The overloaded boat had been intercepted by police and was being escorted to shore when it sank abruptly just 150m (500ft) off the coast of Providenciales.

Thirty-two people were rescued.

While officials did not reveal their nationality, local media reported the victims were from Haiti, the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere.

Those rescued are being held on suspicion of trying to enter the British Overseas Territory illegally.

Accidents involving overloaded boats carrying migrants from Haiti are not uncommon in the Caribbean.

In November, about 30 people died when their vessel sank off the Bahamas.

And in 2009, US Coast Guard officials called off their search for about 70 migrants from Haiti whose boat also capsized off the Turks and Caicos.

Irvington Shooting: $10K Reward Offered For Info On Triple Homicide At Slick's Go Go Bar In New Jersey

Irvington Shooting: $10K Reward Offered For Info On Triple Homicide At Slick's Go Go Bar In New Jersey, Authorities in New Jersey are searching for two suspects who shot and killed three people outside an Irvington club early Christmas morning, and have offered a $10,000 reward for information that would lead to their arrests.

The son of the owner of Slick’s Go Go Bar, 34-year-old Pierre Clervoyant, and bouncer Woodley Daniel, 32, have been identified as two of the victims who were murdered outside the establishment around 12:30 a.m. on Christmas, according to WABC and the Newark Star-Ledger. A third person, believed to be a friend of one of the suspects, was also killed, but their name is yet to be publicly released.

Police believe two or more people were behind the Irvington shooting, the Star-Ledger reported.

The shooting unfolded after the bouncer patted down one of the suspects and felt a gun.

'It appears the gunman was trying to enter the bar armed and was stopped by the bouncer," Chief Anthony Ambrose of the Essex County Prosecutor's Office told WABC.

That’s when the suspect shot and killed the bouncer. Clervoyant was then also shot and killed.

Two other victims were injured in the shooting and taken to University Hospital in Newark, according to the Star-Ledger.

A $10,000 reward has been offered from the Essex county's Crimestoppers Program for information leading to the arrests and convictions of the suspects. Authorities believe the suspects fled the scene in a grey sedan.

Clervoyant’s wife, Candice, said she was working when she received news that her husband was shot.

“You never expect a call like that,” she told the Star-Ledger.

She was married to her husband for six years and was with him for 14 years in total.

“Everyone knew Pierre because of his smile,” she said. “He was always smiling.”

Clervoyant’s sister, 25-year-old Stephanie Clervoyant, said, “This couldn’t be worse for us. Everyone loved my brother.”

The Irvington Police Department and the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office’s Homicide/Major Crimes Task Force are investigating the shooting.

Dan Aykroyd Talks Business and We Talk About Him

Dan Aykroyd Talks Business and We Talk About Him, It’s the 30th anniversary of one of America’s favorite Christmas movies, Trading Places. Entrepreneurs are eating up Dan Aykroyd’s assertion in a Bloomberg interview that if Trading Places isn’t the Best Movie of All Time, it is at least the Best Business Movie of All Time. While co-star Eddie Murphy’s personal life might be a little more known that Dan Aykroyd, Aykroyd is no slouch in the Interesting Facts Department himself.

Some Dan Aykroyd fun facts gathered from wikipedia and elsewhere:

-Dan Aykroyd is from Canada.

-Dan Aykroyd’s first career goal was to become a priest.

-Aykroyd told the Daily Mail earlier this month that he was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome in the 1980s, way before it was cool to have Asperger’s.

-Dan Aykroyd has webbed toes. Some believe that this is a sign that he is a Mer Person.

-Dan Aykroyd’s right eye is green and his left is brown, which means, as Professor Xavier tells us, that Dan Aykroyd is pretty much a mutant. Aykroyd’s mutant power is apparently being a great actor and comedian in highly successful movies.

-Yes, Dan Aykroyd has had a major hand in some of the Best Movies of All Time, but some critics really think Nothing But Trouble was horrible.

-Aykroyd is one of the original cast members of Saturday Night Live. Aykroyd met Belushi here which sparked a little skit involving two dancing men in suits and black sunglasses, and the rest is history.

-Aykroyd once joked that “Slimer” the green ghost of Ghostbusters in which he wrote and starred in, was the ghost of departed friend John Belushi

Now you know a bit more about the co-star of The Greatest Business Movie of all Time. Hope you paid attention; some of these questions might end up on the GRE.

Dakota Fanning and Her Sister Elle Reportedly Growing Apart

Dakota Fanning and Her Sister Elle Reportedly Growing Apart, Dakota Fanning and her sister Elle Fanning, who are busy building their respective career in the entertainment industry, reportedly have grown apart. Dakota lives in New York City while Elle calls Los Angeles her home. The two additionally are rarely seen being together.

"They have something of a peace treaty, in the sense that Elle gets L.A. to herself, while Dakota is much happier in New York. Dakota is living off of the fortune she made as a child actor, instead of chasing after every big job under the sun," a source told Radar Online.

"Elle is the more ambitious one. Dakota is the one who could quit acting to start a band at the drop of a hat. Dakota is completely unimpressed with the red carpet culture in Hollywood, while Elle totally worships it," the source explained of the two sisters.

Dakota started her career as a child actress. She got popular for her role in "I Am Sam" alongside Sean Penn. She was only seven years old when she was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for the 2001 movie. The 19-year-old actress has other movies such as "War of the Worlds" starring Tom Cruise and "The Twilight Saga's New Moon" in her credits.

Elle, meanwhile, is famous for her roles in "Daddy Day Care", "Super 8" and "We Bought a Zoo". Next year, the 14-year-old actress can be seen in "Maleficent" alongside Angelina Jolie and three other movies.

A source recently told Star magazine, "They became firm friends on the set of 'Maleficent', and Angie's decided to take Elle under her wing. In this film, Elle really comes into her own and they're looking for another project to develop together." The fantasy movie will be released on May 30.

I stand with Phil petition

I stand with Phil petition, Twitter has restored blocked links to the URL IStandWithPhil.com, the website from Faith Driven Consumer that encourages backers of embattled “Duck Dynasty” star Phil Robertson to sign a petition calling on A&E to reinstate Robertson amid his controversial suspension from the popular show.

In a statement to Marketing Land, Twitter blamed the mix-up on an outside group that tracks spam sources for the social media website.

“The URL IStandWithPhil.com was mistakenly flagged as spam tonight, by an outside organization that tracks spam sources. We have restored access and apologize for the error,” Twitter said.

But not everyone is buying the explanation, with “Duck Dynasty” fans accusing San Francisco-based Twitter of censoring the link on purpose.

Faith Driven Consumer, an organization that connects Christian consumers with “faith-compatible companies,” alerted Robertson supporters about the blocked link to IStandWithPhil.com on Monday.

The group credited enraged “Duck Dynasty” supporters for Twitter fixing the issue.

“While Twitter has not yet communicated with us or acknowledged you, the IStandWithPhil.com community, they were compelled to respond because of the groundswell of support. This was all because you made YOUR voice as a Faith Driven Consumer heard. We're so grateful for your help,” the group said.

The petition asking A&E, the channel that broadcasts “Duck Dynasty,” to reinstate Robertson's show is nearing its goal of 250,000 signatures. As of Wednesday afternoon, the petition had more than 224,000 signatures.

Robertson caused an uproar over his anti-gay comments in the January issue of GQ. The “Duck Dynasty” star said that gays are sinful.

“We never, ever judge someone on who’s going to heaven, hell. That’s the Almighty’s job. We just love ’em, give ’em the good news about Jesus—whether they’re homosexuals, drunks, terrorists. We let God sort ’em out later, you see what I’m saying?”

The comments led A&E to suspend Robertson. The Cracker Barrel chain of restaurants also pulled “Duck Dynasty” apparel from its stores but did an about-face amid backlash over the move.

James, Wade put on a show in Heat's win over Lakers

James, Wade put on a show in Heat's win over Lakers, LeBron James and Dwyane Wade put on a show to help Miami hold off the depleted but dogged Los Angeles Lakers for a 101-95 Christmas Day NBA victory.

The two-time defending champion Heat were heavy favorites in the holiday matchup against a Lakers team beset by injuries -- including the broken bone in superstar Kobe Bryant's left knee.

Bryant's absence robbed the contest of some of its marquee value, but the 35-year-old star said before the game that he had every confidence he'd be back this season.

"The spirits are fine," said Bryant, who had played in just six games this season after returning from a torn left Achilles tendon suffered last April.

The Lakers, losers of their last two contests, managed to stick with the Heat for much of the game, which was tied 83-83 with 8:25 remaining.

But the Heat authored a 9-0 scoring run to take control for good.
"You can't ever underestimate teams like that, that have been counted out because of all the injuries but have found a way to win," Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said. "That shows a grittiness, that you're going to have to earn it."

Wade and Chris Bosh both scored 23 points for the Heat. Wade added seven assists and six rebounds and Bosh pulled down 11 rebounds.

James's 19 points were relatively modest by his standards, but included a couple of thrilling alley-oop dunks with assists from Wade.

The first, with 3:54 remaining in the opening quarter, saw Wade toss a no-look pass to a charging James who slammed it home with his right hand.

Even more dazzling was their combination that began with Wade's one-handed pass off the backboard that a flying James snagged with his left hand and thrust through the basket.

"I was just trying to chase it down," James said. "I had no idea what he was going to do. It went off the glass and the only way I could get it was with my left hand."

James might have been inspired by his young sons -- 6-year-old Bryce and 9-year-old Bronny. He posted Instagram video Wednesday morning of the boys combining for an ally-oop dunk on a toy hoop in their Los Angeles hotel.
While James made the road trip a family affair, the Heat were disappointed that their status as defending champions hadn't earned them a home game on the holiday.

"We talked to the league about that already," Wade said.
Oklahoma City also notched a Christmas road win -- their first on the holiday in 10 attempts.
Kevin Durant scored 20 of his 29 points in the first half and Russell Westbrook notched his first triple-double of the season and seventh of his career with 14 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists to lead the Thunder to a 123-94 victory over the Knicks in New York.

The Knicks were without Carmelo Anthony, who was ruled out with a sprained left ankle suffered on Monday against Orlando.

The Chicago Bulls beat the Nets 95-78 in Brooklyn.
Taj Gibson scored 20 points off the bench to lead six Chicago players in double figures. Jimmy Butler scored 11 of his 15 points in the third quarter and Carlos Boozer added 14 four the Bulls, who won back-to-back games for the first time since a five-game winning streak in November.

The Houston Rockets also won on the road as James Harden returned from a two-game absence and led all five Rockets starters in double figures with 28 points in a 111-98 win at San Antonio.

UPS fed-ex delays

UPS fed-ex delays, Santa’s sleigh didn’t make it in time for Christmas for some this year because of shipping problems at UPS and FedEx.

The delays were blamed on poor weather earlier this week in parts of the country as well as overloaded systems. The holiday shopping period this year was shorter than usual, more buying was done online and Americans’ tendency to wait until the last possible second to shop probably didn’t help either.

Neither company said how many packages were delayed but noted it was a small share of overall holiday shipments. Although the bulk of consumers’ holiday spending remains at physical stores, shopping online is increasingly popular and is outstripping spending growth in stores at the mall.

“UPS is experiencing heavy holiday volume and making every effort to get packages to their destination; however, the volume of air packages in our system exceeded the capacity of our network immediately preceding Christmas so some shipments were delayed,” United Parcel Service said in a service advisory online Wednesday.

UPS did not make pickups or deliveries Wednesday and plans to resume normally scheduled service Thursday.

Some FedEx customers were able to pick up packages Christmas Day at their local FedEx Express centers.

“We’re sorry that there could be delays, and we’re contacting affected customers who have shipments available for pickup,” said Scott Fiedler, a FedEx spokesman.

Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, FedEx handled 275 million shipments, Fiedler said. Those that were not delivered in time, he said, “would be very few.”

The problems appear to have affected many parts of the country. The Associated Press spoke to people in Alabama, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia and other states who didn’t receive presents in time for Christmas.

Jeff Cormier and his Dallas family were among those whose gifts never arrived. He said he had three separate UPS packages — including two for which he paid extra for expedited shipping — delayed.

“I’ve had to apologize to three different people when I thought I had everything wrapped up and good to go way before,” he said.

On Sunday, Eric Swanson ordered a doll for his daughter and a sweater for his wife through an online merchant. There was a promise of two-day delivery, which would have delivered the gifts to his Carmichael, Calif., home just in time for Christmas. One was shipped via UPS, and the other FedEx. Online tracking tools said the packages would arrive by 8 p.m. Tuesday. Neither did.

Woman in zoo pen

Woman in zoo pen, A woman in a zoo pen at the Denver Zoo ended up in a hospital not because the elephants or any other wild animal housed in the zoo pen attacked the intruder but because the woman was “extremely intoxicated” while climbing into the zoo pen, reported 9News Colorado on Dec. 24, 2013.

The woman found in the elephant zoo pen has been identified as 21-year-old Kelly Flynn who had wandered away from a crowd at the Denver Zoo during its annual holiday lights event on Monday night.

Around 8:55 p.m., security officers at the Denver Zoo were alerted that a young woman was inside the wild animal yard of the Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit and that she did not seem to move. The Toyota Elephant Passage exhibit is designed to house eight Asian bull elephants, greater one-horned rhinoceros, clouded leopards, Malayan tapirs, fishing cats, small-clawed otters, and flying foxes.

When Denver Police and Fire departments arrived at the scene, they discovered that the woman inside the zoo pen had not been attacked by an elephant or any other wild animal or that she had been shocked by the electrical wires protecting the zoo pen but that she was "extremely intoxicated." The 21-year-old was taken to the hospital and charged with trespassing.

Texas police officers shot

Texas police officers shot, Grand Prairie police say a teen that shot at one officer early Christmas morning and injured two others after a day-long manhunt has been pronounced dead at an area hospital.

Police confirmed Wednesday night that a 16-year-old Mansfield teen was pronounced dead at an area hospital after having been shot by officers.

Steve Cremer witnessed the end of the intense manhunt, just outside his window.

"That's gunshots, and we were like, 'let's go, kids, time to go inside!'" said Cremer recalling seeing it outside his window.

Cremer used his Christmas present from last year, a video camera, to capture the tense moments.

"When I started videotaping it, I was like, 'kids, you need stay back, because you don't know if there's one or two, or five [gunmen],'" he said.

"You felt a little better being inside knowing the police were outside," added his wife, Jeannetta Cremer.

In the video, police surround the suspect who is seen walking with a gun in hand. The Cremers say he had already been shot. Minutes later, he falls. Police edge in closer and later carry him out of the field.

The situation began when a Grand Prairie officer pulled the teen over in the 3100 block of North Camino Lagos at about 4:30 a.m. Wednesday.

Grand Prairie police said, after a short vehicular pursuit, the teen got out of the car and ran. While he was running away, he fired at the police officer.

The officer was not hit by the bullets in the early morning shooting. Police said the officer did return fire. Police said there were several bullet cases along the trail where the man and police had this first shooting encounter. The teen went into a nearby secluded wooded area.

Investigators believe the vehicle stopped by the officer was an unreported stolen vehicle that had an Oklahoma license plate.

Grand Prairie asked Arlington for assistance in blocking off Lake Ridge Parkway over Joe Pool Lake. That road remained closed for some time as officers searched the area.

Police officers, K9 unit and police helicopter searched the area from Grand Peninsula to Lynn Creek Marina for the teen. Around 1 p.m., the police scaled down their search efforts with these units, but still maintained a heavy police presence in the area.

Just before 2 p.m. Wednesday, Grand Prairie police said a resident living nearby the search area called regarding suspicious activity. When officers arrived in the 600 block of Seeton Road, the officers and the teen exchanged gunfire.

According to information provided by the GPPD, two officers and the teen were struck by gunfire. The officers reportedly suffered non-life threatening injuries and were transported to an area hospital.

According to Grand Prairie police, one of the officers shot the teen once, severely injuring him. He was taken via air ambulance to a trauma center. The teen was pronounced dead at that trauma center, according to police.

Chief Steve Dye said the teen also had at least one other gunshot wound that may have occurred during the first shooting incident.

Police did not reveal the teen's name due to his status as a juvenile.

The identities of the two injured officers was not released by police. One officer was described by the department as a 16-year veteran of the force, while the other has been said to have been part of the Grand Prairie Police Department for seven years.

Evelyn lozada engaged

Evelyn lozada engaged, The pregnant Basketball Wives star revealed on her Instagram account that she is engaged to Los Angeles Dodgers star Carl Crawford.

"YES!" the bride-to-be appropriately captioned a stunning snapshot wearing her 14.5 carat emerald-shaped sparkler. The ring, which was designed by Jason of Beverly Hills, features a 10 carat emerald cut center stone and is valued at $1.4 million.

The 37-year-old did not offer any details about how the baseball player popped the question.Lozada, who is due in late March, recently revealed to omg! INSIDER that Crawford is the father of her baby and shared that she's not against walking down the aisle again. Lozada was previously married to football player Chad Johnson and she ended her two-month marriage to Johnson in September 2012 after he allegedly got physical with her that August.

"I definitely would get married again. I still believe in love…I'm not one of those people that's like ‘we need to get engaged, we need to get married.' No, absolutely not. I feel like that's going to come, just like with the baby, let it come. I'm not forcing anything, so if it happens, it happens," she said at the time.

Fergie baby christmas card

Fergie baby christmas card, Like many new parents, Fergie and Josh Duhamel are commemorating their first holiday season with son Axl with an unforgettably adorable Christmas card. Fergie, 38, dutifully shared the card with her 2.8 million fans on Twitter presumably not on the couple's holiday card mailing list.

"Have a Jolly Holiday!" the "Glamorous" singer wrote in the caption. In the photo, Axl, 3 months, smiles sweetly in a casual framed portrait. Fergie and Duhamel, 41, celebrated their fourth wedding anniversary back in September. Little Axl was baptized earlier this month in L.A.'s Brentwood nabe.

The actor and singer are definitely ready to give Axl a little brother or sister. "We've gotta move fast! [Axl's] a really good little baby, which means the second one will be a holy terror!" he joked.

Fergie got emotional speaking with Ellen DeGeneres in November about Axl's C-section delivery. "It was really special. It was very special . . I see Josh's face. They're pulling Axl out. I can't feel anything. I'm all numb. And I see Josh, and he's going, 'Aw,' and he's giving the faces, and I'm going, 'Wow, I'm so happy. This moment is so special, so tender...'"

Charlie Sheen's Christmas wish to ex-wives Denise Richards, Brooke Mueller: Go ph-- yourselves!

Charlie Sheen's Christmas wish to ex-wives Denise Richards, Brooke Mueller: Go ph-- yourselves, This is as close I get to my children on Xmas?," he tweeted, along with a photo of a table full of pictures of kids.

"Except CJ, her mom is an angel!," the 48-year-old actor added, referring to his 29-year-old daughter Cassandra Jade Estevez, with high school sweetheart Paula Profit.

"B, D, and DCFS go ph-- urse elves."

The initials, as any glossy gossip magazine reader knows, stand for exes Brooke Mueller, Denise Richards and the Department of Child and Family Services - the California agency at the center of his ugly custody battle.

The "Anger Management" star's nasty holiday message came hours after Richards made a plea for her ex to stop making public their personal issues for the sake of their kids.

"@charliesheen U done ranting?" Richards, who divorced Sheen in 2006, tweeted Monday in a post she later deleted. "Keep it classy dude. Our kids don't need to be privy to this. U are welcome 2 spend xmas w/us. Hope u still come."

On Monday, Sheen told his Twitter followers that "I came up with a PERFECT holiday idea! Denise and Phil Robertson should get married! Then he can practice the Beastiality he hates!"

Though Richards and Sheen had enjoyed months of detente, the last salvo from old Tiger Blood seems to stem from Richards decision to cancel their holiday plans together with their daughters — Sam, 9, and Lola, 8 — according to TMZ.com.

Sheen is on even worse terms with Meuller, the mother of his 4-year-old twins, Bob and Max. Particularly after a court named the Mueller's brother as their temporary guardian, despite the 36-year-old former Florida socialite's history of addiction.

"No kids on Xmas!" Sheen tweeted earlier on Christmas Eve. "Can I unwrap the gifts this kangaroo sukk, pig circus court gave me now? Thanks B&D. Enjoy my hate!"

JWoww Pregnant! Jersey Shore Star Expecting First Baby With Fiancé Roger Mathews

JWoww Pregnant! Jersey Shore Star Expecting First Baby With Fiancé Roger Mathews, The reality star, 27, and her fiancé Roger Mathews, 37, are expecting their first baby.

"Merry Christmas from within!" JWoww wrote in a letter that she just posted on her website. "Roger and I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas gift this year! We wanted to share this exciting news with you all first because you have been a part of our lives these past few years and seen the love between Roger and I develop and blossom.

"We are so excited to share this new chapter of our lives with you as we become parents and create more memories with a new addition to our family!" she continued.

"Thank you for all your love and support and for being there for us throughout the years! We are extremely happy and cannot wait for our bundle of joy to arrive!"

The couple got engaged in September 2012 after Mathews popped the question with a more than 5-carat diamond ring accented by 2.5 carats of pink and white diamonds.

Funny enough, JWoww told me in October that she and Mathews didn't have a very active sex life because he not only works 10 hours a day, but he also spends more than two hours a day at the gym.

"We cook dinner, watch an hour of TV and then pass out," JWoww said. "We're in bed by 10."
JWoww will be the third Jersey Shore star to become a parent.

Snooki and her fiancé Jionni LaValle are parents to one-year-old Lorenzo.

And most recently, Pauly D revealed he became a dad about two months ago after former Hooters waitress Amanda Markert gave birth to their daughter Amabella.

Paul Pierce fined $15K for flagrant

Paul Pierce fined $15K for flagrant, Brooklyn Nets small forward Paul Pierce was fined $15,000 for "making excessive and unnecessary contact" with Indiana Pacers point guard George Hill in the third quarter of Monday night's game, the NBA announced Tuesday.

Pierce was issued a flagrant foul 2 with 4:22 left in the third quarter Monday night after he clotheslined Hill as the Pacers guard was about to go up for a layup in transition.

Power's flagrant foul 2 earned him an automatic ejection.

Pierce (0-for-7) was held scoreless for the first time since March 9, 1999 -- the 16th game of his 16-year career.

The Nets (9-18) lost to the Pacers 103-86 at the Barclays Center.

Pierce has not spoken to the media since the incident.

US drummer Ricky Lawson dies at 59

US drummer Ricky Lawson dies at 59, Studio drummer Ricky Lawson, a collaborator with musicians including Michael Jackson, Eric Clapton, Phil Collins and Whitney Houston, died at a Los Angeles hospital following a brain aneurysm.

He had become disoriented during a performance on December 13 and was diagnosed with the aneurysm.

His uncle, Paul Riser, said Lawson, 59, was removed from life support 10 days after the diagnosis and died about 7pm on Monday.

Lawson was being treated at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center, about 25 miles south of Los Angeles.
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The Detroit native learnt to play drums at 16 and entered the music business before graduating from Cooley High School, developing into one of the US's top studio musicians in the 1980s.

His work appears on Houston's version of I Will Always Love You.

He also performed with Al Jarreau, George Benson, Bette Midler, Quincy Jones and many others.
Lawson won a Grammy Award in 1986 for R&B instrumental performance for the song And You Know That by his group, Yellowjackets.

Drummer Questlove of the Roots called Lawson "the master" on Twitter in a message on December 18.
Drummer Sheila E tweeted on Tuesday: "We lost a great man, drummer, father, brother and son. mr Ricky Lawson. He passed away yesterday. Please pray for his family. we will miss u."

Twitter duck apology

Twitter duck apology, Twitter restored the ability for users to link to the pro-Phil Robertson site IStandWithPhil.com after it was inaccessible and apologized for what it called a mistake.

Supporters of the suspended Duck Dynasty patriarch accused Twitter last week of censoring the site, which hosts a petition demanding that the network A&E reinstate Robertson to his show, and issue a formal apology to his family and fans. Robertson was suspended from his A&E show after making anti-gay remarks in an interview with GQ, the network announced on Dec. 18.

Twitter users who tried to link to IStandWithPhil.com on Monday received a message saying, "Oops! A URL in your Tweet appears to link to a page that has spammy or unsafe content," Enstars previously reported.
Twitter later lifted the block.

"The URL IStandWithPhil.com was mistakenly flagged as spam tonight, by an outside organization that tracks spam sources. We have restored access and apologize for the error," the social media website said in a statement explaining the mishap.

Faith Driven Consumer, the group behind the petition, said in its own statement Monday that the blocking of IStandWithPhil.com appeared to be intentional, noting that Twitter also blocked links in two other pro-Robertson social media campaigns.

The petition supporting the Duck Dynasty star begins with accused A&E of "intolerant, discriminatory, and punitive treatment of Mr. Phil Robertson."

"Mr. Robertson's comments in GQ Magazine are simply reflective of a Biblical view of sexuality, marriage, and family - a view that has stood the test of time for thousands of years and continues to be held by the majority of Americans and today's world as a whole," the petition read in part. "The notion that a free-thinking American should be discriminated against simply for expressing a perspective that is in conflict with another is patently un-American and flies in the face of true tolerance and civility." 

Prince george's first christmas

Prince george's first christmas, On a bright but bitterly cold morning, his parents, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, walked hand in hand from the 270-room mansion down to St Mary Magdalene church on the 20,000-acre Norfolk estate in a long procession of royals headed by the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince Andrew.

Prince Harry, still bearded from his trek to the South Pole, brought up the rear before the Queen, in a Stewart Parvin rusted orange cashmere coat, arrived in a maroon State Bentley accompanied by eight months pregnant Zara Phillips.

Kate, 31, was wearing an Alexander McQueen tartan coat and Gina Foster hat. Earlier, wearing a cream coat, she joined the Queen at communion and was spotted kissing the 87-year-old monarch after curtseying to her.

More than 2,000 well-wishers, some arriving as early as 4am, braved the cold to see the royals attend the traditional service.

It was a bumper turnout with around 30 members of the Royal Family staying at Sandringham, the Queen's private residence near King's Lynn.

She was joined by a host of relatives including Prince Charles, Camilla, Edward and Sophie and their children Louise and James, Beatrice, Eugenie, Anne and her husband Tim Laurence, Zara's husband Mike Tindall, Peter and Autumn Phillips and their daughters Savannah and Isla. The late Princess Margaret's children, Viscount Linley and Lady Sarah Chatto, were also there with their families.

"I've not seen so many members of the Royal Family at church since Diana's days," said veteran royal watcher Mary Relph, 79, who has been coming to Sandringham on Christmas Day since 1988.

I'm not disappointed to not see Prince George. I wouldn't expect them to bring a baby out in the cold."After the 45-minute service, the royals spent 20 minutes chatting to the crowd. William and Kate, both 31, said they had enjoyed a good morning with five-month-old George.

Kate told Cicely Howard, 75, from Rollesby, near Great Yarmouth: "George has opened his presents but he was more interested in the wrapping paper."

William said: "We've had a good morning but we can't wait until next year when he's bigger."

Harry joked with fans that he might keep his beard, as it was becoming a royal tradition following William's decision to sport a beard for. Few weeks after a spell in the Royal Navy a few years ago.

The Queen was helped by four elegant royal ladies - Sophie, wearing a stunning white coat, Beatrice in pale blue, Eugenie in black and Zara in pink - who were all acting as ladies-in-waiting to take flowers proffered to the monarch by a long line of children.

That left Zara's husband Mike Tindall to walk back to the house ahead of his wife. "I feel a bit empty walking on my own without a partner," he confessed to the crowd.

But the prize for the funniest comment of the morning went to Prince Edward, who went over to some well-wishers and said: "I bet you don't know who I am."

During the service, overseen by the Rev Jonathan Riviere, Rector of Sandringham, the Royal Family sang four Christmas carols: Christians awake; Once in royal David's city: O Come all ye faithful; and Hark the herald angels sing.This year marks a special occassion after the Duke and Duchess chose to spend Christmas Day with Kate's family in Berkshire last year, while Prince Harry was serving in Afghanistan.

In 2011 Duke of Edinburgh also missed out on the service while recovering from a heart operation, but this year the whole family is expected to enjoy the celebrations in traditional style.

Other family members such as Mike and Zara Tindall also arrived.

It is believed the party is so big that staff have had to make up rooms in the servants' quarters for some royal guests.

The Royal Family take breakfast in the morning before heading to church, their only Christmas Day public appearance.

Afterwards they return to the house for a traditional Christmas meal of Norfolk turkey with all the trimmings.It is believed that the Queen prefers to watch the message alone, and does not join the guests for that part of the celebrations.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh travelled to Sandringham on Thursday on a scheduled train from Kings Cross to Kings Lyn.

Other members of the Royal Family arrived on the same day and are expected to stay until at least Boxing Day.

The family are thought to prefer to open their gifts on Christmas Eve.

Children die in mobile home fire louisiana

Children die in mobile home fire louisiana, A mobile home fire in Louisiana killed three children and injured seven others early on Christmas Day, fire officials said.

Two brothers, ages 12 and 11, and their 13-year-old sister died at the Whispering Oaks Trailer Park in Houma, said District Chief Lance LaMarca of the state Fire Marshal's office.

Another sibling, the children's parents and four other children were taken to a Baton Rouge burn unit, LaMarca said.

The trailer was engulfed in flames when firefighters arrived about 2:30 a.m. Wednesday, Houma Fire Inspector Mike Millet said.

The children's father rescued one child after smoke came under his bedroom door, but was unable to get the other three because the fire spread so quickly, LaMarca said.

The dead children's father was the most severely burned, LaMarca said, followed by their mother. He said all the survivors are expected to recover.

The mother and another child escaped through a window, while relatives sleeping in another bedroom at the opposite end of the mobile home got out through a back door.

LaMarca said the deceased children and their parents were visiting from Alabama for Christmas, and there were 12 people in the trailer.

LaMarca said there was severe damage to the combination living room-kitchen where the children had been sleeping. He said the occupants were using space heaters and candles, which could have caused the fire. The damage was so severe, however, that it might be difficult to rule out other causes, such as electrical appliances in the nearby kitchen, he said.

Nathan Sykes and Ariana Grande split? More rumours couple are on a break

Nathan Sykes and Ariana Grande split? More rumours couple are on a break, It's supposed to be the season to be jolly but it's reported Ariana Grande and Nathan Sykes have split up.

The couple, who went public with their romance in September after releasing their duet Almost Is Never Enough, broke up a few weeks ago as their relationship had run its course, according to US reports.

A source told UsMagazine.com: "They just weren't into it anymore."

The stunning 20-year-old hitmaker previously gushed about the "amazing" The Wanted singer, 20, and recently insisted it wasn't "tough" for them to spend time together despite their busy schedules.

She told the February 2014 issue of Teen Vogue: "It's not as tough as people would think.

"We have the same music manager, so we can see each other's schedules and plan little trips as often as we can."

But a source close to Nathan said they "hardly ever saw each other" and are currently on a break.

Ariana hinted all was not well between them last week during a radio interview with Florida's 93.3 FLZ.

When asked about their relationship, she said: "You're a little behind. We're really good friends."

Floods leave 50,000 Brazilians homeless

Floods leave 50,000 Brazilians homeless, The death toll from two weeks of floods and mudslides amid torrential rain in two states in southeastern Brazil has risen to 32, officials said.

The civil defence department of Minas Gerais state said on its website on Wednesday that 17 people died there in floodwaters and mudslides.

The department said about 4,000 people were forced to seek shelter in public buildings or in the homes of friends and relatives.
In neighbouring Espirito Santo, a civil defence spokesman told AFP news agency that the bodies of two men and a woman were found early on Wednesday, taking the number of people killed to 17.

He said that the number of people left homeless by the flooding was about 50,000.

Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff toured flood-hit areas of the state and pledged federal aid to rebuild homes and roads on Tuesday.

Rousseff said two helicopters and army trucks would be sent to the area to deliver food and medicine to those affected.

“The tragedy in Espirito Santo destroyed homes, roads and dreams," the president said after an aerial tour.

"We are going to try to rebuild them.”

Almost 20,000 kilometres of roads were reported destroyed or damaged.

Authorities said 47 cities in Espirito Santo, which borders Rio de Janeiro state, were affected by the flooding, including many left without communications, drinkable water and power.

State governor Renato Casagrande, who  declared a state of alert in the area on Saturday, described the rains as the worst in the past 90 years.

In early December, a storm left 16 people dead and flattened more than 200 houses in the city of Lajedinho in the northeastern state of Bahia.

Eliot Spitzer spotted celebrating Christmas with family of Lis Smith, his new lover dressed to impress

Eliot Spitzer spotted celebrating Christmas with family of Lis Smith, his new lover dressed to impress, Less than 24 hours after announcing the end of his marriage, former Gov. Eliot Spitzer wasted no time Wednesday in cozying up to his new girlfriend’s family.

The 54-year-old disgraced ex-governor traveled with his 31-year-old new love Lis Smith — the spokeswoman for Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio — to her parents’ Westchester home Christmas morning.

Smith, who was Spitzer’s flack during his failed run for city controller this summer, looked dressed for a late-night soiree in Manhattan instead of a modern-family gift exchange in the suburbs.

Disgraced former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and girlfriend Lis Smith were spotted at her parents’ home in Bronxville on Wednesday.

She wore a tight two-tone little cocktail dress that came to mid-thigh and showed off the goosebumps on her bare shoulders in the frosty weather.

Wearing black stilettos, she stood almost as tall as the 6-foot Spitzer, who was dressed in casual attire — a navy pullover sweater with the sleeves rolled up, a pair of tan trousers and black loafers. He held a pair of reading glasses in his left hand.

Eliot Spitzer totes a Brooks Brothers bag stuffed with gifts as he and  new flame Lis Smith exit her parents' Bronxville home on  Wednesday.

The couple acted as if they no longer had anything to hide just days after the Daily News blew the lid off their covert romance.

Spitzer, whose hookups with high-priced prostitutes cost him the Empire State’s top job, drove Smith up to the posh Bronxville home where her parents, Thomas and Adrienne Smith, live.
Arriving in a black GMC Acadia SUV at about 10 a.m., Spitzer waved and smiled at reporters and photographers gathered out front.

He kept his mouth shut despite shouted questions about his blossoming relationship with his former mouthpiece.
Smith — the brainy brunette who jumped to de Blasio’s team after he won the Democratic primary — did her best to ignore the attention.

Asked Monday about Smith’s liaison with the pariah politician, de Blasio called it a “private” matter.
De Blasio hasn’t said if he’ll appoint Smith as his administration’s chief spokeswoman when he takes over City Hall on Jan. 1. Smith, a seasoned Democratic PR power player, continues to work on his transition team.

When the time comes, we’ll have an announcement,” de Blasio said Monday — a day before his 19-year-old daughter, Chiara, went public with her battle against depression and substance abuse.

He and his family celebrated a low-profile Christmas in Connecticut Wednesday.

Smith appeared to be more interested in giving than receiving Wednesday. She carried sacks of gifts, including a large Patagonia bag, into her family home. Her big black purse was flung over her shoulder as she hurried to the front door, which was festooned with a holiday wreath.

Spitzer held the door for Smith as they went back inside. At about 1:30 p.m., he returned to his SUV alone and sped off.
The outing came a day after Spitzer and his estranged wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, released a joint statement Tuesday, announcing they were through at last.

“We regret that our marital relationship has come to an end and we have agreed not to make any other public statement on this subject,” the couple said.

Spitzer and his wife of 26 years have been living separately for a while as rumors have swirled that they are bracing for divorce.

Their terse statement shed no light on their future plans.
Nearly seven years ago, Silda and Eliot Spitzer enjoyed a very different family celebration.
On Jan. 1, 2007, he was sworn in as New York’s 54th governor as his wife, two daughters and his mother and father flashed huge smiles.

About 14 months later, Spitzer resigned in shame after being exposed as “Client 9” of the Emperors Club VIP prostitution ring.

Carmelo anthony injury

Carmelo anthony injury, The New York Knicks lost Carmelo Anthony to a sprained ankle, but turned back a furious Orlando rally to post a 103-98 NBA victory over the Magic.

Knicks forward Anthony had 19 points when he departed the contest midway through the third quarter after appearing to twist his left ankle on Orlando center Nikola Vucevic's foot while trying to grab an offensive rebound.

His exit signalled the start of a Magic surge as they erased a 24-point halftime deficit and narrowed the gap to 83-84 with 8:28 left to play.

"All teams make runs and they made a hell of a run," Knicks head coach Mike Woodson said of the Magic's surge.
"We just kept fighting and grinding and withstood the run and really made some defensive stops down the stretch to help us secure the game," Woodson said.

The coach said he wasn't yet sure how severe Anthony?s injury was.
"We'll evaluate him tomorrow," Woodson said.

The Knicks had welcomed Raymond Felton back to action after a six-game absence with a sore left hamstring.
But Felton exited in the fourth quarter with a right groin strain, finishing with 13 points and four assists in 25-plus minutes.

J.R. Smith had 18 points and 10 rebounds, while Tyson Chandler scored 10 points to go with 13 rebounds for the Knicks, who beat the Magic for an eighth straight time.
Arron Afflalo led the Magic with 26 points and Glen Davis chipped in 20 for an Orlando team that have lost 11 of their last 13 contests.

Russian passenger ship trapped

Russian passenger ship trapped, Three icebreaking ships were Thursday hurrying to reach a Russian vessel carrying 74 people on a scientific expedition which is trapped by ice off Antarctica, with Australian authorities coordinating the rescue mission.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) said the MV Akademik Shokalskiy sent a distress message on Wednesday to say it was stuck about 100 nautical miles east of the French base Dumont D'Urville.

"The ship was starting to head out (to the open ocean) when the blizzard hit," expedition spokesman Alvin Stone told AFP.

"It's just stuck in ice. There's no danger at all."
The ship is in the Australian search and rescue region, prompting authorities to issue a broadcast to icebreaking vessels in the area and three with icebreaking capability have responded.

The three, which include the Australian Antarctic Division's Aurora Australis, are en route to the area with a Chinese-flagged vessel expected to reach the trapped ship first late Friday.
AMSA said the mission to reach the ship could be difficult.

"It's quite windy and there could be some sort of blizzard conditions," Andrea Hayward-Maher told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

"Weather conditions, if they become difficult, could hinder the options that we have.
"But hopefully those icebreaking vessels will be able to get there as soon as they possibly can to render assistance."

The group on board the Russian ship are scientists and tourists recreating the historic voyage of explorer Sir Douglas Mawson to Antarctica a century ago.

They have been replicating the scientific experiments his team conducted during the 1911-1914 Australian Antarctic Expedition -- the pre-eminent scientific expedition of its time to South Polar regions.

It is not known whether the ship, which is stranded just three kilometres (two miles) from open ocean, will continue with its scientific experiments once it is freed or head back to New Zealand where it had been due to arrive on January 6.

Stone said the mood on board appeared to be normal as they waited for an icebreaker to reach them.
"They have been celebrating Christmas," he said.

Children die in mobile home fire louisiana

Children die in mobile home fire louisiana, Three children died in a mobile home fire in Louisiana early on Christmas morning. On Dec. 25, NBC News reported that the children couldn't get out of the mobile home when a fire swept through, leaving nothing but smoke in its wake. The children's parents were taken to a nearby hospital and were badly burned but expected to be okay. They were all in town staying with relatives for the holiday.

"The state Fire Marshal's Office said that a 12-year-old girl, a 13-year-old boy and a 9-year-old boy died in the fire at the Whispering Oaks Trailer Park, in Houma," NBC News reports.

The children died in a mobile home fire in Louisiana after it broke out around midnight. There were a lot of people inside the mobile home when it went up in flames -- at least four adults and 8 children but most were not injured. It is believed that the children who passed away were closest to the fire when it broke out. Their father tried to save them but he couldn't. He was able to survive a fourth sibling, however:

"The children's father rescued one child, who survived, but was unable to reach the three children who died in the blaze," NBC News reports.

Five other children didn't die but were in the mobile home at the time of the fire. Louisiana officials are currently investigating the cause of the inferno. The mobile home was deemed a total loss.

Miley Cyrus Is Hooking Up With Kellan Lutz

Miley Cyrus Is Hooking Up With Kellan Lutz, The two were spotted in Miami on Dec. 18, hopping on a private plane. Even though Kellan claims he’s not dating the ‘Wrecking Ball’ singer, a new report claims they are in the beginning stages of a full blown romance!

Kellan Lutz has Miley Cyrus fever! The former Twilight star reportedly reached out to Miley in early December, and they’ve been hanging out ever since, according to Us Weekly.

Miley Cyrus Dating Kellan Lutz?

The singer has reportedly been getting really close to the actor, he reportedly called Miley and said that he wanted to hang out!

“The next day they hung out and they’ve been hanging out ever since.But what’s most interesting is that Kellan was once close friends with her ex-boyfriend Liam Hemsworth.

“It doesn’t hurt that he’s Liam’s pal,” the insider says. “But they really enjoy each other’s company.”

Kellan recently spoke out and said they are not dating and that anyone who thinks that they are is “stupid.”

Kellan & Miley Spotted At Miami Airport
Miley recently started following Kellan on Twitter and they were also both at the Z100 Jingle Ball in NYC. Just recently the Legend of Hercules star, split up with longtime girlfriend Sharni Vinson.

Miley recently spoke to Barbara Walters and said that she is happy she’s not engaged anymore!

“I don’t think I realized what 19 truly is, and I got engaged at 19, and I definitely wouldn’t change being engaged,” she said. “It was so fun wearing a fat rock for a few years, but now, I just feel like I can actually be happy.  I wait for those moments of silence, when I’m just at my house, by myself.”

HollywoodLifers, do you think Kellan and Miley should date?

Serena voted AP Athlete of Year

Serena voted AP Athlete of Year, Serena Williams likes to make one thing clear: She is never satisfied, no matter how many matches and tournaments she wins.

Driven as ever, Williams won plenty this year. She went 78-4 with 11 titles, including at the French Open and US Open, raising her Grand Slam championship total to 17. She compiled a 34-match winning streak. She earned more than $12 million in prize money, a record for women's tennis. In February, she became the oldest No. 1 in WTA rankings history and never left that perch.

Thanks to all of that, Williams was honored Wednesday as The Associated Press' 2013 Female Athlete of the Year. It's the third AP award for Williams, following 2002 and 2009. Only two women have been chosen more often as AP Athlete of the Year since the annual awards were first handed out in 1931.

"Whenever I lose, I get more determined, and it gives me something more to work toward," Williams told the AP in an interview shortly before the start of the US Open. "I don't get complacent, and I realize I need to work harder and I need to do better and I want to do better -- or I wouldn't keep playing this game."

The vote by news organizations was about as lopsided as many of Williams' matches this season. She received 55 of 96 votes, while Brittney Griner, a two-time AP Player of the Year in college basketball and the No. 1 pick in April's WNBA draft, finished second with 14. Swimmer Missy Franklin was next with 10.

The Male Athlete of the Year recipient will be announced Thursday.

Williams, who grew up in Compton, Calif., and turned 32 in September, produced the finest women's tennis season in years. According to the WTA:

• Her .951 winning percentage was the best since Steffi Graf's .977 in 1989;

• her 11 titles were the most since Martina Hingis' 12 in 1997;

• her winning streak was the longest since her sister, Venus, had a 35-match run in 2000.

"She just continues to be an inspiration to American tennis," said Gordon Smith, the executive director of the U.S. Tennis Association, which runs the US Open. "Her year this year? Unforgettable."

By adding a fifth career US Open championship and a second French Open title, Williams also moved within one Grand Slam trophy of the 18 apiece won by Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. The record is 24 by Margaret Court.

Pretty heady company.

Evert is one of the only two women with more AP awards than Williams. Evert won four from 1974-80, while Babe Didrikson collected a record six -- one for track in 1932 and five for golf from 1945-54.

"Serena already has provided significant contributions to taking our sport to the next level. ... She is chasing records and no doubt will break many records before she's finished," WTA chairman Stacey Allaster said. "That obviously just brings a lot more attention to our sport."

Two particular moments in 2013 stuck out to Allaster.

One came at Qatar in February, when Williams cried after assuring herself of returning to No. 1 for the first time since 2010, the year the American needed two operations on her right foot and got blood clots in her lungs.

"You could see the joy, the tears of joy. It meant so much to her, from everything she had been through, to be able to be back at the top of the sport, a sport that she does truly love," Allaster said.

The second moment came during Wimbledon, when Williams joined other women who have been ranked No. 1 at a celebration of the WTA's 40th anniversary.

"It was an opportunity to see her in a leadership position. ... She did a remarkable job at speaking on behalf of all those great athletes and speaking to future players," Allaster said. "There's a little girl, perhaps out there in Compton, who is dreaming of playing on the WTA, and Serena said, 'We're waiting for you, and we can't wait to meet you.'"

Jon Kitna Signs Deal with Dallas Cowboys

Jon Kitna Signs Deal with Dallas Cowboys, The Dallas Cowboys host the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17 in a game that will decide the NFC East division title. Due to a tenuous quarterback situation, the Cowboys have brought in a familiar face as insurance under center.

Updates from Wednesday, Dec. 25

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport says the deal is now official.According to a Tuesday, Dec. 24 tweet from Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, former Cowboys backup Jon Kitna is slated to come out of retirement and join the roster as a No. 3 QB.

Kitna spent the final three seasons of his professional career in Dallas, backing up starter Tony Romo.

Due to his familiarity with head coach Jason Garrett's offense, it appears Dallas felt comfortable giving the 41-year-old Kitna a contract despite the fact he hasn't played in the league since 2011. Not only that, but as Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan reports, he wasn't even brought in for a workout.That could leave the job to former Denver Broncos QB Kyle Orton, but owner Jerry Jones said on Monday, Dec. 23 that Romo could still be cleared to play for Sunday's showdown, per The Dallas Morning News' David Moore:

All I’m saying is he has back spasms, symptoms that we’re treating as we go along in the week to see if he will play. There is nothing structurally that will rule him out if he feels good and is cleared to play. Nothing...The facts are there is a lot we can’t comment on. But the most important thing is if he feels better as the week goes along, there is nothing structurally to prevent him from playing. He might be cleared to play.

Whatever the case may be, Kitna is now a Cowboy and could conceivably see playing time this week against the Eagles.

Kitna retired in January of 2012 and was known for being a locker-room leader who also led the team's Bible studies. Following his career, Kitna was working as a schoolteacher in Washington (via Deadspin). Much of Romo's development was shaped by Kitna's mentorship, so all of that creates a comfort level for everyone involved.

But it is unfortunate that the Cowboys have had to turn to someone who has been nearly two years removed from the game to solidify their most important position ahead of the regular-season finale.

First-class stamps to cost 49 cents as of Jan. 26

First-class stamps to cost 49 cents as of Jan. 26, Mailing a letter is about to get a little more expensive.

Regulators on Tuesday approved a temporary price hike of 3 cents for a first-class stamp, bringing the charge to 49 cents a letter in an effort to help the Postal Service recover from severe mail decreases brought on by the 2008 economic downturn.

Many consumers won't feel the price increase immediately. Forever stamps, good for first-class postage whatever the future rate, can be purchased at the lower price until the new rate is effective Jan. 26.

The higher rate will last no more than two years, allowing the Postal Service to recoup $2.8 billion in losses. By a 2-1 vote, the independent Postal Regulatory Commission rejected a request to make the price hike permanent, though inflation over the next 24 months may make it so.

The surcharge "will last just long enough to recover the loss," Commission Chairman Ruth Y. Goldway said.

Bulk mail, periodicals and package service rates will rise 6 percent, a decision that drew immediate consternation from the mail industry. Its groups have opposed any price increase beyond the current 1.7 percent rate of inflation, saying charities using mass mailings and bookstores competing with online retailer Amazon would be among those who suffer. Greeting card companies also have criticized the plans.

"This is a counterproductive decision," said Mary G. Berner, president of the Association of Magazine Media. "It will drive more customers away from using the Postal Service and will have ripple effects through our economy — hurting consumers, forcing layoffs and impacting businesses."

Berner said her organization will consider appealing the decision before the U.S. Court of Appeals.

For consumers who have cut back on their use of mail for correspondence, the rate increase may have little impact on their pocketbooks.

"I don't know a whole lot of people who truly, with the exception of packages, really use snail mail anymore," said Kristin Johnson, a Green Bay, Wis., resident who was shopping in downtown Anchorage, Alaska, while visiting relatives and friends. "It's just so rare that I actually mail anything at this point."

The Postal Service is an independent agency that does not depend on tax money for its operations but is subject to congressional control. Under federal law, it can't raise prices more than the rate of inflation without approval from the commission.

The service says it lost $5 billion in the last fiscal year and has been trying to get Congress to pass legislation to help with its financial woes, including an end to Saturday mail delivery and reduced payments on retiree health benefits.

The figures through Sept. 30 were actually an improvement for the agency from a $15.9 billion loss in 2012.

The post office has struggled for years with declining mail volume as a result of growing Internet use and a 2006 congressional requirement that it make annual $5.6 billion payments to cover expected health care costs for future retirees. It has defaulted on three of those payments.

The regulators Tuesday stopped short of making the price increases permanent, saying the Postal Service had conflated losses it suffered as a result of Internet competition with business lost because of the Great Recession. They ordered the agency to develop a plan to phase out the higher rates once the lost revenue is recouped.

It's unclear where that would take rates for first-class postage in 2016. The regular, inflation-adjusted price would have been 47 cents next year. If inflation rates average 2 percent over the next two years, regulators could deem 49 cents an acceptable price going forward.

The Postal Service has only twice lowered the price of a stamp: in the mid-19th century from 3 cents to 2 cents, and again after the end of World War I. In neither case was the higher price the result of a temporary authorization.

The new price of a postcard stamp, raised by a penny to 34 cents in November, also is effective next month.

The last price increase for stamps was in January, when the cost of sending a letter rose by a penny to 46 cents. A post card also increased by one cent to 33 cents.

Dolly Parton vows

Dolly Parton vows, Dolly Parton has announced plans to re-marry her husband Carl Dean on the 50th anniversary of their wedding.

The pair tied the knot in 1966, and now the country singer has said that they'll be renewing their vows in 2016. Speaking to Closer Weekly, the star mentioned plans for renewing their vows in two years time: "We've talked about that — we might do it all over again!" she said. "Another big wedding." She added that the event will "probably be at our big old plantation home. We love it there."

Meanwhile, Dolly Parton is strongly rumoured to be playing Glastonbury Festival 2014. The country music icon will reportedly be making her Worthy Farm debut next June, according to The Sun, and will take the Sunday night 'legends' slot, on June 29, 2014.

The supposed date would fit in perfectly with her 2014 UK tour, which sees Parton playing London's O2 Arena on June 27, but leaves her with an open schedule until her Nottingham Arena tour on July 2. Arcade Fire and Lily Allen have already confirmed themselves for the festival.

Parton's 'Blue Smoke World Tour' visits the UK for 13 shows, starting on June 8 next year in Liverpool. Scroll down to see the full list of UK dates and ticket details.

Kim k. christmas eve pics

Kim k. christmas eve pics, Kim Kardashian, along with her sisters, loved ones and close friends, celebrated Christmas Eve in style at mom Kris Jenner's home for the family's annual lavish bash.

The E! star took full advantage of the always-entertaining photo booth and shared a series of joyful black and white snapshots on her Instagram account.

"Mi Familia," the 33-year-old captioned one photo with fiancé Kanye West and younger sis Kylie Jenner. The trio is striking a somewhat serious pose as they stand close together and pout for the camera.

North West's mama sported some antlers, as well as a "naughty" sign to Kendall Jenner's "nice" sign in another fun pic.

Earlier in the day, the pretty pair took time away from their busy holiday schedules to spread some Christmas cheer with a visit to a Los Angeles hospital.

Robert wilson 86 dies

Robert wilson 86 dies, Wilson - a former Wall Street hedge fund titan - took his life on Monday by throwing himself from his luxury Upper West Side New York high-rise apartment, just a few months after suffering a debilitating stroke.

He left a note before leaping at about 11am (3pm AEDT) from the 16th floor of the famed San Remo, which overlooks Central Park West, cops said.

:He was 86 and suffered a stroke a few months ago," said Wilson’s friend, Stephen Viscusi, to The New York Post.
"He always said he didn’t want to suffer, and when the time came, he would be ready."

A Detroit native, Wilson rose from humble beginnings to becoming nearly a billionaire, after starting his firm, Wilson Associates, with just $US15,000.

He would eventually build a Wall Street fortune, which was estimated by Business Week in 2000 to be worth about $US800 million.

His goal was to give away most of his wealth before he died. But with his finances spread around to different money managers, the bottom line seemed to keep growing.
"His plan was to give all his money away," Viscusi said. "He told me recently, 'I only have about $100 million to go.' "

Wilson donated $US100 million each to the World Monuments Fund, the Nature Conservancy, the Environmental Defense Fund and the Wildlife Conservation Society.

"He was the most committed person I have ever known," said Bonnie Burnham, president of World Monuments Fund.
"More than his financial contributions, he brought an astute mind and sharp wit to the organization. He will be missed greatly and long remembered as a visionary donor."

The World Monuments Fund works to preserve architectural and cultural heritage sites around the world.
One of Wilson’s favourite initiatives was "saving" Catholic private schools, although he was an atheist.
"I realised that Catholic schools were closing all over the country, and Bill Gates probably didn’t have enough money to save them," he told Bloomberg News in 2010.

Wilson believed that private schools offered a better educations than "the union-controlled inner-city schools."
He gave millions to the Archdiocese of New York over the years and became a good friend of Edward Cardinal Egan.
Police said the window to Wilson’s apartment was open and the death was not deemed suspicious.
Wilson was married to his only wife, Marilyn, for about 35 years before they divorced.

He leaves behind an brother, William, 88, who lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan. He has no children.
The San Remo building in New York City has been the home to some high profile residents over the years including Stephen Sondheim, Tiger Woods, Steven Spielberg, Demi Moore, Glenn Close, Dustin Hoffman, Bono, Steve Martin, Bruce Willis and Dodi Fayed, Steve Jobs bought and renovated a penthouse apartment but never lived in it, ultimately selling it to Bono.