J.R. Martinez Bright Shine from America's Next Top Model 2011 Eps 13

J.R. Martinez Bright Shine from America's Next Top Model 2011 eps 13

Sometimes, when paying attention to reality shows, it's easy to wonder about goodness in the universe. If benevolence and order exist, after all, then why would horrible things keep happening on our television (take anything that has ever happened on The Real Housewives franchise, for example)?

But every once in awhile, we get the good on TV too. That's what happened last night when J.R. Martinez won the Mirror Ball trophy on Dancing with the Stars season 13.

J.R. Martinez's DWTS win wasn't just a win in a reality-show competition. It was a win in reality. I'm talking about the reality in which we all live, not the TV "reality" that showcases horrible people getting/spending lots of money for stupid things. No, J.R. Martinez's victory is a real win.

Why? Read More

You just have to take a long look at the man to understand what a good thing this is.

J.R. Martinez is a legitimate hero.
J.R. got started on the path that led to Dancing with the Stars when he enlisted in the military and went off to fight in a war. Whatever your opinion on the reasons for that war, he made a choice and a sacrifice that have to be admired.

There have been plenty of celebrities on Dancing with the Stars. There have even been heroes -- in sports and in social arenas -- for some. But J.R. Martinez may just be the first legitimate, all-around hero in the show's history.

J.R. Martinez overcame actual problems to get to success.
Sure, other stars have had problems. But how many of them nearly died and then spent months in rehab just to get back on their feet? And how many have had to face life covered in scars, knowing that nothing will ever be normal again?

It's been inspirational to watch J.R. throughout Dancing with the Stars season 13. This is a man who understands the trouble and pain and hopelessness that average people (on varying levels) deal with. And this is a man who has turned that pain into gold.

Jimmy Martinez Won Dancing with the Stars' is an honor, icing on the Ice Case

Jimmy Martinez Won Dancing with the Stars' is an honor, icing on the Ice Case
I said to Karina actually -- I looked back at her and said, 'Can they just tell us already?!' Because it seemed like the moment was just lasting forever when they were building up the suspense. But it's amazing. We've all put in months of work into this and that's the ultimate goal, so to be able to hold up [the mirrorball trophy] is a tremendous honor. So, it was just the icing on the cake," the Iraqi war veteran and former All My Children soap star said during a Wednesday morning appearance on Good Morning America.

While Martinez -- who appeared on GMA alongside Smirnoff, Ricki Lake and her partner Derek Hough and Rob Kardashian and his partner Cheryl Burke -- felt winning Dancing with the Stars was the cherry on top of the cake, Smirnoff said she was especially thrilled about their victory because she earned her first mirrorball trophy.
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'Dancing with the Stars' crowns J.R. Martinez, Karina Smirnoff champions

'Dancing with the Stars' crowns J.R. Martinez, Karina Smirnoff champions

"I've loved basically every minute of this. I really feel like I had the best partner, the best teacher, the best motivator -- and I've done something that I really didn't think I could do. For someone who's a middle-aged mom, I hope that I made my children proud, my fiance and my family. I really appreciate everyone who voted for me and supported me along the way. This is a fantasy come true!" Lake said.

"It has been a fantastic season and really, she is just an absolute winner. She just knocked it out of the park the entire season and I'm very, very, very proud," Hough added.

Kardashian and Burke -- who had never even finished as high as second on the competition's judging leaderboard until last week's semifinal round -- received 57 out of 60 possible points for their two Monday night routines from Dancing with the Stars judges Len Goodman, Carrie Ann Inaba and Bruno Tonioli.

During Monday night's episode, the remaining three couples were each required to perform one routine in a dance style they had not performed yet and a second dance in a freestyle format which allowed them to perform whatever they wished. Martinez and Smirnoff finished the two dances tied for second place on the judges' leaderboard with Lake and Hough with 54 points each.

Tuesday night's finale broadcast featured the three couples each performing their favorite dance of the season in the hopes of bettering their original scores.

Lake and Hough decided to revisit the tango and came in first place for their attempt, receiving 30 points from the judges. Martinez and Smirnoff settled on a former jive and earned 28 points for coming in second place, while Kardashian and Burke came in third place after they opted to also re-perform a jive routine which received 26 points from the judges.

The scores all three couples received from the judges for their favorite dances combined with their prior Monday night judges' scores -- which, when tallied, were only within one point of each other and put Lake and Hough in first place with 84 out of 90 possible points, Kardashian and Burke in second place with 83 total points and Martinez and Smirnoff in third with 82 points -- and the home-viewer votes cast following Monday night's show ultimately determined Lake and Hough's ouster.

After Lake and Hough's third-place finish was revealed, Kardashian and Burke and Martinez and Smirnoff were given the opportunity to square off and dance to Ricky Martin's "Shake Your Bon Bon" in the finale's final "Instant Samba" round, which helped determine Dancing with the Stars' thirteenth-season champions.

Unsurprisingly, both couples' "Instant Samba" routines received perfect 30 out of 30 scores from the judges -- leaving Kardashian and Burke in the lead points-wise with a score of 113 out of 120 possible points from the judges and Martinez and Smirnoff just behind them in second place with 112 total points.

The couples' shares of the judges' scoring from all four performance rounds were then combined with their shares of the home viewer votes which were cast immediately after Monday night's two initial rounds, and both pairs' final finishes were announced.

Celebs Trends to make veganism sexy

Celebs Trends to make veganism sexy

Walk into Manhattan's Pure Food and Wine on the city's chic Irving Place and back into its spacious, luxurious garden, and you might spot actress Katie Holmes. Or Alec Baldwin and his new girlfriend, whom he met at the restaurant.

Or Bill Clinton and daughter Chelsea, who've made a number of visits together, enjoying the sweet corn and cashew tamales with portabella or a mint sundae for dessert. Or any number of Wall Street moguls.

It could be any trendy New York eatery, but Pure serves only vegan and raw food, with nary an egg nor an oven in sight. Its upscale clientele is a mix of vegans, vegetarians and just plain foodies, but clearly a sign of how the image of veganism has changed in recent years.

Call them the big-time vegans: The celebrity standard-bearers for a vegan lifestyle aren't just wispy young actresses. They include talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres, along with Australian wife Portia de Rossi. (Or Oprah Winfrey, who isn't vegan but led her staff on a public 21-day vegan cleanse.) Or men like Ozzy Osbourne and Russell Brand, who in recent weeks both declared themselves vegans. Athletes like Carl Lewis and Mike Tyson.

And then there are the moguls, like billionaire publisher, real estate developer and recent avowed vegan Mort Zuckerman, and Steve Wynn, the Las Vegas casino magnate, who's hired a vegan chef and put vegan options in all his resort restaurants. Biz Stone, the co-founder of Twitter, has also spoken of his veganism.

Of all the high-profile vegans, though, Clinton is the biggest "catch". Advocates were thrilled and stunned when he talked about it on CNN last year, telling host Wolf Blitzer that his impressive, 11 kilogram weight loss was due to a largely plant-based diet - a regime he believes will prolong his life.

"I fell off my chair when I heard him talking about his almond milk smoothie," says prominent vegan chef and cookbook author Tal Ronnen, who has worked with celebrities like Winfrey and DeGeneres, and is a collaborating chef for Wynn's two Las Vegas resorts. Read More

Bad boy Forbes Latest News Scandal

Bad boy Forbes Latest News Scandal
“bad boy” Ross Mandell finally got nailed. A federal jury in New York convicted him of running an eight-year scheme to defraud investors of some $140 million. He used the money for such niceties as visits to strip clubs, expensive Swiss watches, private jets–you get the idea. How Mandell managed to get investors to fork over money to his Sky Capital Holdings is puzzling; he had a long record of well-publicized Wall Street shenanigans. He is awaiting sentencing.

Forbes wrote about Mandell in a 2005 magazine piece I edited, entitled “Second Act,” in which he insisted he should be allowed another chance. I asked the writer of that story, David Serchuk, who left Forbes in 2009, to reflect on Mandell’s lastest trouble. Serchuk’s well-taken point: The conditions that allowed him to serially violate securities regulations are alive and well. Here’s Dave’s essay:

Ross Mandell’s Third Act: Jail

Mandell and codefendant Adam Harrington plan an appeal but Ross will have a hard time explaining away this sentence to his brokers, caught on tape: “You have to lie, you have to paint a rosy picture. That’s your choice.”

The specific crimes proven by the government were astonishing. Like they were living out the C-movie knockoff of “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” Mandell and his team of merry men were shown to have spent $162,400 in investor money at places like Stringfellow’s strip club in London, for “adult entertainment.” If I had previously thought Mandell a guy I wouldn’t want handling Aunt Sadie’s Social Security check, it turns out he’s also a guy I wouldn’t want handling Aunt Sadie Read more

Danica Patrick Gets "Ride's" On Cars Nascar Nasgor

Danica Patrick Gets "Ride's" On Cars Nascar Nasgor
The AP reports that IndyCar driver Danica Patrick's officially ditching the IndyCar series — perceived by many as the "small-time" — for a full-time NASCAR Nationwide gig and a few select Sprint Cup races. But she just can't quit IndyCar completely — as there's still going to be a possible Indy 500 run thrown in the mix.
Patrick's NASCAR career so far has resulted in no wins in 19 races despite leading briefly at Daytona in July, but she's performed on par with other rookie drivers. Perhaps more importantly, Danica is already the third highest-paid female athlete in the world and NASCAR gives her a larger stage and audience for herself and her potential team JR Motorsports.
All of this is based on anonymous sources but isn't particularly earth-shattering. The biggest remaining question is would she be allowed to run in the Indy 500, where she finished third in 2009, which would mean missing up to three Nationwide races and sacrificing points in the Nationwide championship Read more

Nexus S Samsung Androids Gets Help By Google Promotions Thank Giveaway

Nexus S Samsung Androids Gets Help By Google Promotions Thank Giveaway

Why Is the Nexus S Important?

After its initial wave of promotions in the holiday season last year, the Nexus S essentially dropped off the face of the planet. The Nexus S 4G, released earlier this year, was only promoted lightly. So is this an attempt to boost sales of the 4G version? Is Google still trying to push their brand into the phone development line?
While those are possibilities, it’s more likely that this choice is based on the NFC technology that the Nexus S contains. Nexus S is built to support Google Wallet immediately, and while other NFC devices are available, the Google Wallet payment program certainly needs a bigger user-base if it wants to spread.

Google’s flagship device for Gingerbread, the Nexus S, is being promoted once again. This time around Google is doing a one-day giveaway for the device for those who sign a two year contract. The bigger question, though, is why?

The Nexus S Giveaway

Those with a shrewd eye will note a message on the bottom of the Google search page today, August 3rd: “Nexus S, a pure Google experience. Get it FREE today only.”  This links to a special promotional site that outlines the technical specifications, the features, and the aesthetics of the device. From there, users can sign a two-year contract with Sprint, T-Mobile, or AT&T to receive the phone for free, including shipping.
Since this phone is normally over $500, the promotion is fairly major, and indicates that this phone – once unsubsidized –  is now being discounted by the carriers and other groups as well. Whether it’s Google or Best Buy (the only outlet this deal is available through) covering those costs is unsure, but someone is definitely picking up the tab.
Still, that tab shouldn’t be too big. This deal is only available on a limited number of Nexus S phones, and the deal itself ends at the end of August 3rd. Among other things, that means if you want it, you better  Read more

MilWauke Brewer Vs Cardinal Rush

MilWauke Brewer Vs Cardinal Rush Fan Take's

Locked in a tight NL Central race, the Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals have been engaged in some bitter battles. The most recent one was Tuesday night's game, a game that got out of control in the late innings.

In the seventh inning with the Brewers up by a run, Brewers reliever Takashi Saito(notes) allowed consecutive singles to open up the inning, which put runners on the corners with no out and Albert Pujols(notes) stepping up to the dish. With the count 1-0, Saito's fastball tailed inside and drilled Pujols in the hand, admittedly a bit close to his head. Pujols appeared to be in severe pain, but he remained in the game. The Cardinals would tie the game, but the Brewers were able to control the damage and limit the Cards to only one run in the inning.

Ryan Braun(notes) led off the next inning for the Brewers and was immediately brushed back by a Jason Motte(notes) fastball. Motte, who is the Cardinals fastest pitcher, then plunked Braun in the back with a fastball on the next pitch. Motte stared down Braun and made no indication that the pitch was an accident; in fact, his body language signaled the opposite. LaRussa pulled Motte to bring in a lefty to face Prince Fielder(notes), leaving many to believe Motte was brought in to do one thing and one thing only: retaliate.

After the game, LaRussa denied that the Braun beaning was intentional, but he did say that they were trying to establish the inside half of the plate the first two pitches. In a heated exchange with a reporter which saw La Russa call Brewers fans "idiots," LaRussa would not agree that Saito's hitting Pujols was an accident, nor would he say that he ordered for Braun to be hit.

LaRussa is completely delusional for thinking that the Pujols hit-by-pitch was intentional. Saito is the Brewers' quietest, most harmless reliever—by that I mean he is always cool and calm, and he would never hit someone with a pitch intentionally. In addition, there is no way the Brewers called for Pujols to be plunked. With a one run lead and runners on the corners, why in the world would the Brewers give away the game just so they could hit Pujols? They wouldn't. Still, LaRussa, being the classy guy that he is, clearly sent his hardest thrower out there to hit one of the Brewers' two best hitters, Braun, as payback for an accident.

The next incident came in the 10th inning when home plate umpire Rob Drake rang Yadier Molina(notes) up on a called strike three. Molina immediately barked at Drake, then accosted him and visibly bumped him twice and appeared to spit on Drake's face. Whether the saliva came from Molina's mouth intentionally or as a result of Molina's yelling is open for interpretation. After the game, Molina claimed it was an accident, of course.

Molina will certainly face some action from the league office, and a likely suspension will be handed down to him soon. Molina's actions completely crossed the line and then some. Making contact with an umpire is bad enough, but to do it twice, get right in his face and spray saliva all over his face, and then cuss him out for the next 10 minutes as Molina took his slow walk to the showers in a disgrace to the game of baseball.

Overall, this game was another classic example of LaRussa having no control over his team and even instigating a fight between the teams. LaRussa also filed a complaint before Tueday's game saying that the Brewers were darkening the stadium when the Cardinals were batting so it would be harder for the Cards to see the ball. Sounds like an excuse-making, sore loser to me. LaRussa is usually a good manager and his resume commands respect, but it would be nice if the guy learned how to lose with class, too.

Drew is a lifelong Brewers fan who endured all the tough losing seasons of the '90s and early 2000s and is finally enjoying some great winning baseball from the Brewers the last few years. His earliest Brewer memories were seeing the likes of Jeremy Burnitz, Mark Loretta(notes), and Jeff Cirillo trot out to take the field at Milwaukee County Stadium. Read MOre