January 2012 Archives

No excuses.

That's the short, simple tagline for the 13th season of The Biggest Loser, which kicked off last night with a new crop of contestants ready to shed weight and gain (or regain) their health, pride and potentially a quarter of a million dollars.

You know how it works. Let's break down last night's season premiere:

The new contestants arrived with a partner - dad-son, mom-daughter, brother-sister, husband-wife etc. - only they were all split up into different teams within minutes!

Alison Sweeney is back, but Anna Kournikova is no longer one of the three trainers. The services of Bob Harper and Dolvett Quince have been retained, however. Phew.

The first big twist came when we learned one tandem would be headed home before even reaching Biggest Loser house! Great for viewers, sucky for the Aqua Team!

BUT - cue twist #2 - IF they can lose 50 pounds as a team in one month, Aqua Team will be allowed to come back to participate on the show! Challenge ... EXTENDED!

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Teen Mom 2 treated us to a holiday-themed episode Tuesday night. Were the kids - and their parents who are basically still kids themselves - naughty or nice?

Besides Jenelle, we mean?

For the most part, things were good. Very drama-free in certain moms' cases, less so in others. You know how they do. Let's break it down in THG's +/- recap!

No yuletide joy for Kieffer Delp, who's sitting in jail. Plus 8.

SIDE NOTE: Amber Portwood? Also in jail over Christmas.

Jenelle seems to think he belongs there, which is encouraging, but quickly pivots and picks a fight with her mom. It had been like 20 minutes, might as well. Minus 7.

No one over the age of 21 will bail Kieffer out. Plus 9.

Barbara's accent, whatever it is, is beyond painful. Minus 3.

Poor Jace. Minus 7.

Barbara's boyfriend Mike to Jenelle, "You had millions of friends floating around. Now you got one guy and you're done." Millions? Slight exaggeration there Mike. But she does have 192,963 Twitter fans, which is a lot, and his point is still taken, so Plus 2.

You be good to her, Gary Head. Plus 4 out of hope.

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Harry Burkhart, a 24-year-old German national, was the man arrested by police earlier this week in connection with the deadly arson spree in Los Angeles.

A string of arson fires put Los Angeles residents on edge over the holidays and caused millions in damage, and officials believe Burkhart is the perpetrator.

They also believe he did it because he felt his mom was being mistreated.

Burkhart was arrested early Monday morning driving a minivan in W. Hollywood. Inside were fire starter sticks. Once he was in custody, the fires ceased.

Sheriff Lee Baca called the suspect the "most dangerous arsonist in Los Angeles County that I can recall," after battling 50 blazes in the preceding days.

While authorities don't yet have a definite motive, they say it appears Harry Burkhart was outraged about his mother's pending deportation to Germany.

Dorothee Burkhart was arrested December 28 on a provisional warrant from Germany, and the arson spree began just after she was taken into custody.

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The closest Iowa caucus results in history produced a near draw, with Mitt Romney winning by just eight votes over Rick Santorum and Ron Paul a close third.

Romney, considered the favorite in the Republican presidential race quest, did not notch a commanding win that could have ended the primary process early.

However, a win's a win, and after a year in which one candidate after another sought to be the conservative alternative to him, a pretty impressive one at that.

Even more remarkable was the finish of Rick Santorum, whose candidacy was so moribund just weeks ago that many wondered why he was still in the race.

The former Pennsylvania Senator was neck-and-neck with Romney, the one-time Governor of Massachusetts, for all of Tuesday night and into this morning.

Romney being declared the winner by a mere eight ballots early Wednesday. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas was a close third with 21 percent of the caucus votes.

“We will go on,” he said in an upbeat speech. “There is nothing to be ashamed of.”

The race was so close, Romney couldn't even claim victory in his speech. With 99 percent of the vote counted, he and Santorum each had 24.6 percent.

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Beware, Twitter users. Courtney Stodden is on the prowl again.

The talentless 17-year old - who made headlines in 2011 for marrying a 51-year old actor and never not flaunting her cleavage - posted the following photo on her social networking account today, along with a caption that reads:

Come get down & dirty w/me while we floor flash together! I showed you mine... now show me yours. I'll RT the hottest!

Stodden has frequently taken to Twitter and shared her supposedly seductive thoughts.

The floor above, meanwhile, has reported a burning sensation every time it pees.

With David Beckham's contract with the L.A. Galaxy ending this past November after a huge victory in the MLS Cup championships, his professional future is unclear.

Crystal clear, however, is ... just look at the H&M ad below!

Even though the father of four's day job is unsettled at the moment, there is no doubt his side gig as a celebrity fashion designer has kicked into high gear.

The first ad for the 36-year-old's line of body wear for H&M debuted today, revealing who else but the soccer star himself stripped down to his briefs. Wow.

Flaunting his toned bod and tattoos, Beckham wants you to know you can get in his underpants around Valentine's Day. In a manner of speaking of course.

Sorry, Kieffer Delp: Gary Head is dating Jenelle Evans for some reason!

The Teen Mom 2 star doesn't necessarily have the best track record with men - or at life in general - but she seems happy for the moment, at least.

"New years kiss :)" the troubled reality TV star tweeted on January 1, with a photo of her kissing her rumored new boyfriend. So, meet Gary Head:

Classy shirt, Gar.

Jenelle Evans repeatedly calls him her "baby" on Twitter, but insists they're not officially together ... for now. "He isn't my man yet," she Tweeted to her fans.

If and when he becomes her man, the bar has been set very low.

Her baby daddy, Charles Andrew Lewis, bolted after she had son Jace, who is now in the primary custody of Jenelle's mother Barbara. Poor little Jace. :(

Don't even get us started on Kieffer Delp, who's in and out of jail, or that other guy Jason she was dating, but who was reportedly cheating on her. Ass.

Be good to her, Gary Head. If she doesn't beat you up first.

Quick, what's the difference between LeBron James and Savannah Brinson?

She got a ring before he did!!!

Jokes about LeBron's lack of championships aside, we're very happy for the long-time couple, who has been dating since high school and who has two kids together. They got engaged on New Year's Eve and, as you can see below, the Heat superstar didn't skimp on the ring:

The platinum and diamond rock features a seven-carat pear-shaped center diamond and classically tapered baguette sides. It was presented to Brinson Saturday night, following a dinner at the Shelborne hotel in South Beach.

James and the Heat suffered their first loss of the season last night, but remain the strong favorites to take home the 2012 NBA title.

Move over, Kate Middleton.

While the Duchess of Cambridge wore Alexander McQueen to her Royal Wedding in April, Gossip Girl's own "people's princess" chose an NYC-based designer for her big day.

The CW has released new photos of Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf on the hit series, donning a Vera Wang gown as she prepares to wed the Prince of Monaco. See below:

Vera, who appears on the Jan. 16 winter premiere of Gossip Girl, did a fabulous job. No argument there. But whether Blair actually goes through with the wedding is unclear.

Having had problems with Louis this season, and with Chuck Bass, and perhaps Dan Humphrey, waiting in the wings, Queen B's romantic future is still unwritten.

She's running out of time, though: The wedding (which serves as the focal point of the show's milestone 100th episode) is set for January 30. Save the date!

Will she be happy ever after? Or a runaway bride?

The future starts now for Melanie Amaro.

Fresh off an X Factor victory that netted her $5 million and a spot in a Pepsi commercial during next month's Super Bowl, the talented artist has officially signed a deal with Epic Records.

Melanie Amaro - Man in the Mirror

"I joined The X Factor to be able to discover undeniable talent such as Melanie," judge L.A. Reid said in a statement. "I am pleased that she is now signed to Epic Records because I believe we have only scratched the surface on uncovering her talent and her inevitable journey to super-stardom."

Elsewhere, all indications are that three of Melanie's main competitors from season one - Josh Krajcik, Chris Rene and Astro - will also sign record deals in the near future. Best of luck to each one!