Kim Karadashian and Kanye West – Another Wedding Special In The Works?

Newly divorced, but still battling out some issues in court, Kim Kardashian has been seen out and about with Kanye West. And not just seen out and about and “canoodling” as some are apt to call it, but Kim was spotted doing the full-blown WALK OF SHAME from Kanye's building wearing the very same outfit she wore the previous night when they attended a movie together.

Now what's the deal? Kim certainly has enough money to buy another outfit, heck, she has her only clothing line and boutiques, so why in the world would you let yourself be caught in that situation? Leather pants, wife beater and spike heels might be appropriate for an evening at the cinema, but not 10:28 the following morning. A cute pair of shorts and casual shirt would be much better.

It has been long-rumored that these two lovebirds have had a thing for each other, so why did it take so long for them to get together, at least in the public eye? Kanye wrote such a touching melody for Kim when she was with her ex, Kris Humphries, that included a touching threat to Kris to have his pal, Jay Z, owner of the New Jersey Nets, the team Kris plays for, drop him from the team. How any of that relates to the song's title of “Theraflu,” I haven't a clue. But hey! Check it out! I dropped a rhyme on y'all! Maybe Kim's newest relationship will be the reason I head into my next career as a rapper!

Dancing With The Stars Ousts Jack Wagner

Am I good or what? I predicted the celebs who would land in the bottom on last night's “Dancing With The Stars” results show.

Out from my bottom three is Jack Wagner, who was disappointed, but left the show with grace. I didn't mind Jack, but knew he couldn't last in the company of some truly great dancers.

There is just no time this season to be anything but great as the celebs are finding out quickly. It was unheard of for the celebrities to get such high scores in these early weeks and the pressure is on to keep them up.

It was also announced last night that the judges will be stepping in for a few weeks and making the final vote-off decision themselves between the two bottom-placing couples. I like that idea. Too often this show, as well as many like it, that are driven by fan votes, become complete popularity contests and not any sort of show of skill or talent.

“American Idol” is perhaps the worst offender. It almost never fails that the contestant who comes from the most populated area of the country goes far. And now that cell phones are a must-have for every pre-teen girl on the planet, the cutest boys tend to do quite well, racking in double the votes of the girls. Sometimes the two meet and you get a cute contestant from a larger metropolis who can sing, but more often than not, the cute winning males are never heard from again after their moment of confetti-covered glory is over.

I have seen far worse offenses when it comes to the voting on “Dancing With The Stars.” And while teenage girls may not be giving themselves carpal tunnel texting in vote for their favorites, the older ladies don't seem to mind making a few calls for the men who rip off their shirts. I have as of yet to hear my husband tell any of his buddies that they need to call and save Gladys Knight from elimination, but I know for a fact that a group of women at the grocery store spend their Monday nights voting for William Levy.

For a female celeb on DWTS, her chances are greatly increased if she is paired with one of the hottie male professional dancers, i.e., Mark Ballas, Derek Hough and Maksim Yummykovsky (no, not his real name). The younger set, when their Disney dancer or hot male rap star has been eliminated, will switch their votes to actually reflect their love for the male professional and not so much whats-her-face he is dancing with.

Hopefully the judges can look past the hype and base their final decisions on actual dancing. I'm sure Len can, but am not so sure about Bruno, and Carrie Ann will be useless if anyone is dancing shirtless.

Have you seen the Dallas Tornado Video?

I have seen several clips, but then hopped onto YouTube and just watched. The damage was so horrific that it was almost surreal. I couldn't believe what I was seeing was actually happening.

Click here to see the video...

To see semi trucks and trailers being tossed about like they were toys was awful. I can only imagine how absolutely frightening it must have been to be in the middle of it all.

It also made me think back on that ridiculous movie, “Twister” with Helen Hunt...remember the cows flying in the air? How stupid that was when you get a chance to witness the real thing.

I was in a tornado as a child. Actually, I was in a basement being protected by my parents as the roof of their first home was literally lifted up and carried away during the tornado. Much of my mother's décor remained untouched and unbroken so with exception to not having a roof, we came out of things just fine.

My parents decided to move to yet another state with a long history of tornadoes and while we came close a few times, fortunately, we never were hit again.

Now that I am married, I have moved to, and subsequently moved out of two towns that shortly after I left, were devastated by tornadoes. And where did I end up? In the county in this state most hit by tornadoes in the state's history. Small town (even smaller than the tiny burg I live in!) not too far away, got hit a couple of years ago and erased the town from the map.

While I am loving the early spring weather my area is experiencing, it also scares me a bit as well knowing the tornado season will be unusually long this year. There are definitely some times that I appreciate the nasty winters typical for this area and not so much the balmier weather.

Dancing With The Stars Turns Into The Crying Game

Emotions were running high last night on Dancing With The Stars as the celebrities were asked to choose the most important year of their lives, pick a song from that time, and then form a dance to communicate the reason/event that made that year so special or heart-breaking.

If the celebs could manage to get judge Carrie Ann Inaba to cry prior to even showing up on the dance floor, they were guaranteed at least a nine, and for some those tears translated to 10's. The sobbier the story, the higher the points, with bonus points given if the celeb was too overcome with emotion to be interviewed by DWTS co-host Brooke Burke-Charvet.

The most heart-wrenching stories got the best scores, with exception to poor little Laura Ingalls, Melissa Gilbert, who even though she related the story of how she broke her back and was frightened that the corrective surgery needed would leave her paralyzed, only managed to get a score of 24 as compared to the other sad-storied celebs.

Now a score of 24 in week three of this competition is pretty incredible and only shows the caliber of dancing this group of celebrities has brought to the game. Everyone was really quite good last night with no obviously awful dancers. Of course it would also be incredibly difficult for the judges to downgrade any of them as even the cheerful tales related caused tears at some point.

If I had to guess who will appear in the bottom three tonight, I would say Gavin DeGraw, Jack Wagner and Gladys Knight. That list is based strictly on performances and ability to improve in the weeks ahead. Fan votes count for a lot and if anyone has a good fan base they can often surprise us all with their staying power.

CoNgrAtuLatIonS Kentucky Wildcats NCAA Basketball Champions

No, I didn't watch a single game in the entire tournament, but I did pick the Wildcats to win, and not my own alma mater, in silly bets with friends and family.

What I really am happiest about is that this whole NCAA basketball business is over and no longer able to interrupt my regular television viewing. From the sweet sixteen to the elite eight, final four on down to the championship game, I haven't been able to escape this basketball frenzy for weeks.

I don't blame the players, nor the game, but I am awfully tired of network television's scheduling mismanagement when it comes to sports. CBS just happens to be the worst culprit of them all, consistently, throughout every sport they televise.

Let's take football for instance, where we manage to take what is in essence an hour long game and turn it into an almost four-hour event. And why is network television in denial about this? CBS seems to be the worst offender of them all, but mainly because they refuse to trim the fat from any of the shows they insist on airing after the football games to get their schedule back on track by the 7pm family viewing hour. I've watched games on Fox and NBC as well, and both are better able to recognize that the viewing public appreciates that they are willing to sacrifice some of their own advertising to move things along.

Forget watching any Sunday night CBS program at the time it is supposed to air. If it isn't basketball or football, it will be NASCAR or golf, something is going to make them fall behind schedule and make you have to fight your DVR or force you to blow a six-hour tape trying to record an hour-long program.

If the average football game takes at least 3 ½ hours to broadcast, why only schedule three hours for the event? And if you have two on the schedule starting at noon CST, why would you ever think you only need six hours to show them both? At best, your evening programming starts at 6:30pm, but more often CBS ends up closer to an hour behind schedule on a consistent basis throughout the football season. It happened during the basketball tournament as well.

Be realistic, CBS, and stop driving your viewers away!

Not Enough Hours For Monday Must-See TV Viewing

TGFDVR or I wouldn't have a chance of keeping up with all of my vitally important reality shows!

On tonight's schedule we have:

Dancing With The Stars

The Voice

Bethenny Ever After

Watch What Happens Live

Intervention

Undercover Boss Abroad

I just spent the last 20 minutes reviewing other vitally important stuff stored on my DVR to clear out enough space for what I have to record tonight. What I need is a DVR for my life or a simple Home Cloning Kit so I can get the house picked up while I catch up on my reality shows!

Arnold may have said, “I'll be bock,” but it won't be in Total Recall remake

Utterly and deliciously sexy Colin Farrell takes the lead role that Arnold Schwarzenegger originated in 1990, as Doug Quaid, unassuming worker of the future looking to take a virtual vacation and travel to Mars. Arnold's Quaid experiences his fabulous vacation in virtual reality, when something shocking happens as he sees himself as someone else, with a whole different life, though one that still contains plenty of hot chicks, in his virtual world.

It is unclear what the premise will be for Colin's Quaid character to meet his virtual other self, whether through the same virtual vacation agency Arnold used in the original or if Colin will simply have some unnerving dreams that lead him to believe his brain has been wiped clean of memories of a previous existence, also inclusive of the requisite hot chicks.

For Arnold, the chicks included Rachel Ticotin and Sharon Stone, before her underwear-less days on “Basic Instinct.” Colin enjoys the lovely Kate Beckinsale as his real-time wife and Jessica Biel as Melina, the wife who turns on him in his virtual world. The future Mrs. Justin Timberlake should shine in an action role, but Farrell is sure to have more chemistry with Beckinsale.

I liked the original “Total Recall” and am from the old school that finds that most movie remakes never should have been touched, but with 22 years of new technology under our belts, it might be time to see what new bells and whistles can be added. Do they really add any value? I don't know. Short of the old “Flash Gordon” movies that clearly showed fishing line guiding tin can rockets through the air, unless the effects can be that much improved upon, I say leave well enough alone.

I Found My Dead Grandma On The 1940 Census

The federal government has just released the 1940 census records for public consumption.

After 72 years the records are being made public because it seems that most featured in the census are no longer alive to protest any invasion of their privacy.

The records would provide a great look back into history, if you could search them by name, however, that functionality will take a while to implement. To search the records now, you will need the address/es of your loved ones in 1940 and can conduct a search by location.

Click here to see which dead loved ones you can dig up!

I'm lucky, I inherited a box with several old letters and postcards of many family members and have access to addresses galore. I was able to locate the records for one grandmother, long since deceased, but with the news of the records being released, the site is running excruciatingly slow and has timed out on me with every subsequent search.

I have a feeling the release of these records will fuel another wave of interest in genealogy as I have already noticed, while doing a simple search for an old uncle's address that there are several more ancestry tracing sites available.

The ability to search the census site by name will not be available for several months and while I have a definite advantage in having the great amount of information that I do, if the site can't handle the traffic, my searching will have to wait.

That's probably a good thing as I could see myself easily getting engrossed in the site and the information available.

Tears, Anguish, Mental Breakdowns – Just Another Day On The Celebrity Apprentice

Donald Trump, and his hair, remained unmoved during last night's double episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice” while celebrities almost came to blows, shed some tears and had mental breakdowns while performing tasks for charity.

The first task had the celerity teams producing and selling books highlighting New York City. Dee Snider was the project manager for the men while Teresa Giudice led the ladies. Lisa Lampanelli was once again tasked with most of the actual work and we watched as Lisa started letting the volcano of emotions erupt as the majority of her team used the task as a personal photo shoot, wasting many hours and taking hundreds of shots when only a couple were necessary. Between Teresa's lack of leadership and listening to former Miss Universe Dayana's incessant and often incoherent babbling, Lisa started to crumble.

The task itself would be judged on how much money the celebrity teams could raise selling the books with an additional $35K going to the team who produced the best book, as judged by Mr. New York, Regis Philbin himself.

As usual, Donald Trump, CEO of Sh*t-Stirring, forces both project managers to name their useless and weak members prior to revealing who won the task.

Thanks to Lisa's job on the book, the ladies win the $35K bonus and that should take them well over anything the men raised, but the men still managed to pull out a win, earning $14 more than the ladies, including their $35K bonus.

It should be noted that the men could have pulled in several thousand more dollars had not Penn Jillette enlisted the help of, and donation from iconic entertainers, Blue Man Group. When Blue Man Group appeared, it is apparently against their blue religion to simply hand over a check and instead they filled a giant balloon with $10 bills. They then proceeded to inflate the balloon until it popped, and like vultures to a fresh carcass, the crowd went wild and began stuffing the bills into every available bodily orifice. The men were yelling that the money was for charity and things got too physical for Clay Aiken when he got pushed while trying to grab cash out of the hands of the fans. Penn's justification for this debacle was that Blue Man Group was not making a donation, they were simply there so anything the guys managed to grab was just a bonus.

Don't be surprised if the coming weeks brings sexual harassment suits against several of the male celebrities who were grabbing money stuffed into onlookers' underwear and bras.

Teresa chooses to bring Debbie Gibson and everyone's favorite firing nominee, Dayana, to the board room. For whatever reason, she chose not to bring Aubrey, even though Aubrey brought in the least amount of money. I thought for certain Trump would oust the Italian table flipper, but he gave Debbie Gibson the ax. Odd choice for certain.

The second task involved promoting the “Walk With Walgreens” program, but before we do anything, Trump decides the little women obviously need some help since they have lost five of the seven challenges. He takes Aubrey and Teresa and moves them to work with Arsenio, Paul Tuttle and Clay. Lisa is left with her bestie Dayana and given Dee Snider, Penn and Lou Ferigno. She seemed hopeful, especially when Penn announced he had an engagement to deal with and would be leaving soon. Penn put his nose to the grindstone and came up with a concept and script for his team to present to the Walgreen's execs, and project manager Lou was thrilled to once again not have to come up with any of the words he would be uttering.

Once Penn left, all of the work once again fell on Lisa's shoulders, except for the design of the membership kit box Walgreens would be providing to participants in the program. For such a colorful guy normally, Dee's box couldn't have been more dull.

When presentations were made, task leader Arsenio presented a game show concept to the Walgreens execs. It is well-done, but TMI, getting really dull with the facts presented. Lou's team, with the return of Penn, who flew back immediately after his engagement and was running on an hour of sleep, was far more entertaining, especially when Penn, in his sleep-deprived state, referred to the program as “Walk with Walmart.” Whoopsie....major, huge, mega, ginormous WHOOPSIE. The crowd went silent and Penn did correct himself. The box produced by Aubrey, however, was a big hit and she made certain the Walgreens execs knew she was the force behind it when she shoved it in their faces.

Aubrey also insisted on taking credit for everything in the boardroom. Arsenio had reached his breaking point and called Aubrey out for lying and for being a difficult personality that he constantly had to tame. Tears started welling up in Aubrey's eyes and when Arsenio's team was announced the winner of the task, Arsenio was bawling because he was so happy to help out his charity and Aubrey was crying because Arsenio didn't magically implode or get abducted by aliens. When they left the boardroom, Arsenio, Paul, Clay and Teresa headed for the war room suite while Aubrey went straight for the “I got fired” elevator, refusing to talk to anyone on her team.

Lou needed to choose who he would be taking to the boardroom with him. Since it has become tradition, he chose Dayana and even I was surprised by that because she definitely lived up intelligence level and creative abilities for the presentation. She put on a swimsuit and looked pretty.

Lou's other choice was Dee, whose responsibility was the design of the membership box. Dee argued that Lou was in on the design and approved everything and even though Dayana also chimed in on how ineffective Lou was as a leader and that he should go, Trump fired Dee Snider. What the heck is going on?

Previews for next week show more mental anguish and turmoil and it looks like Lisa Lampanelli may be the next to completely lose it. Aubrey is not seen in the previews, but I'm sure we haven't seen the last of her, even if she is only forced to come in and tell The Donald that she is quitting, giving him yet another opportunity to drag the “I hate quitters” speech out of his gold-plated file cabinet.

Country Music Awards Ruined My Night

And I didn't even watch the show.

The CMA's however, were broadcast on CBS last night which meant that my normal Sunday night staple, “The Amazing Race,” was not shown.

I knew it was coming last week when the last “Amazing Race” concluded and they noted that the previews were for the show coming up in two weeks. I thought for certain the darn basketball tournament was responsible, but no, it was just the annual gathering of country music's finest. Not that I really know who those people are because I am just not a fan of the genre.

Typically CBS's coverage of the basketball tournament would interrupt “Survivor” and that was enough to make me hate them and boycott the network until Sunday nights when I had to see “The Amazing Race.”

I find that every Sunday, however, I am getting more and more hostile towards CBS as they notoriously broadcast sporting events that typically run well-past their scheduled time slot and then move every other program after them to start much later than normal.

My question to CBS: If you broadcast a golf tournament, football game or NASCAR race and it ALWAYS goes past the time period allotted for it, why not adjust the schedule accordingly?

And please, why insist on showing “60 Minutes” in its entirety when the last seven minutes of the show at least, is nothing but a giant plug for CBS shows. “60 Minutes” clearly ends, heads into commercials and stays on commercials for upcoming CBS shows for the next seven to ten minutes and then goes back to “60 Minutes” to show another couple of minutes worth of credits. Did Andy Rooney make a special request, or stipulate in his will, that no one take up those last few minutes ever with something other than commercials? 

If not for "The Amazing Race" and "Survivor," CBS would get very little of my viewing time.

If Forced, I Would Choose Blake Shelton As A Country Music Favorite

Not being the biggest fan of country music, I know very few of the artists and even fewer of the songs that made them famous. If I were forced to pick a favorite country music artist, my vote would go to Blake Shelton. I don't know a single one of the songs that has made him famous, but I have seen plenty of him on NBC's “The Voice,” to know I like him.

Not only is Blake extremely tall and a real hottie, he also seems to have a heart of gold. I know that last season on “The Voice” he helped many of the artists on his team further their careers after they had been eliminated from the competition.

Dia Frampton is a prime example. Dia made it through to the end of last season's “The Voice” competition, but did not win the final crown. Blake, so impressed with Dia's talent, managed to get her a recording deal and took her on his tour.

This season, Blake was often the only judge to turn around to claim a contestant to his team. He went well out of his country comfort zone and chose artists from many different genres. He didn't pull any of the antics that fellow judge Christina Aguilera did by overly favoring any of his team members over the others and gave everyone an equal chance to shine. It hurt Blake terribly to have to choose one contestant over another for his final team, but not a single negative word was uttered by any of the ousted contestants, all said how incredibly grateful they were to Blake, his wife Miranda Lambert and all of the help they provided.

So without uttering or singing one word, Blake Shelton wins my personal American Country Music award.

Aubrey O Day Walks Off The Celebrity Apprentice After Shedding Tears In Trump's Boardroom

Aubrey O'Day, who looked like a major frontrunner in the race to win the title of Donald Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, may have cut her chances of winning to zero after leaving a particularly confrontational boardroom meeting in tears.

I liked Aubrey until tonight's episode of “The Celebrity Apprentice.” Tonight she appeared more abrasive, more pushy and more selfish than when she was paired with the women. Once Trump mixed up the two teams, purposely telling Aubrey and Lisa Lampanelli that he was separating the buddies while allowing the men to stay with their friends, I knew she would be in trouble.

Not that she didn't bring it on herself. Arsenio Hall was the project manager, but Aubrey couldn't help but ingratiate herself with the Walgreen's executives and Eric Trump when he came to check on the team. Arsenio had been more than diplomatic in dealing with her, continually trying to steer her in a direction that would make his entire team happy, but Aubrey spent more of her time asking for compliments than actually contributing to the harmony of the team.

Funny enough, Arsenio's team won, but as Donald Trump is known to do, he insisted on stirring the pot, even on the winning teams, before revealing which team was safe from a firing. When Aubrey attempted to take full credit for much of Arensio's work, Arsenio had had enough and called her out on at least one lie she told, claiming credit for coming up with quotes for the entire team that were needed for a display package. Arsenio corrected Aubrey saying he had done his own and then pointed out that Aubrey had little consideration for her team and only cared about herself.

Aubrey began tearing up and after Donald revealed that Arsenio had won and they were exiting the boardroom, she pushed away her only ally on the team, Teresa Giudice, and made her way to the infamous exit only elevator, commenting that she was not cut out for this and how she couldn't believe how mean everyone was to her. Aubrey conveniently forgot a comment she made about Arsenio, basically saying he walked away from show business, far from the truth, but she knew the negative impact and implications her comment would have.

We never saw Aubrey actually leave, but she also didn't seem to be present in previews shown for next week's show. Trump hates quitters, but Aubrey never officially said she quit. If she comes back, I hope it is with a big bag of humility.

Made It Through April Fools Day 2012 Without Incident

It took me all day and most of the night to realize that my husband's evil plan for me this April Fool's Day was no plan at all!

He carefully maneuvered himself away from me when I would open a kitchen cabinet or drawer and stared at me intently at lunch and dinner. I kept waiting for springy snakes to jump out at me or my mouth to be set on fire with a good dose of hot sauce slipped into my food. When he jumped to bring me a piece of pie for dessert, I thought for certain I was about to be fooled and stabbed my pie like a maniac looking for a hidden object stuffed amongst the apples and crumb crust.

Around four in the afternoon, I was begging him to just get it over with, by seven I was out of mind looking for mousetraps about to bite my fingers hidden in drawers, and now that my husband is asleep, I am still not entirely convinced something isn't about to happen that will be captured on video and played at every occasion possible.

It hit me a few minutes ago that my husband got exactly what he wanted...a crazed wife who spent the day just waiting for something awful to happen. I know I heard him chuckle as I used a tongs and wooden spoon to root through my clothing, sure that there would be something hiding beneath the fabric and foolishly, I wasted an entire beautiful Sunday anxiously waiting for something to happen.

With only a couple of minutes left in the day, I am almost sure I am safe for another year, but I know I will need to be doubly on guard next year and not be lured into a false sense of security. I also need to start planning now for how I will get my husband next year for the horrible non-prank he pulled on me today!

Amityville Horror House – Good Real Estate Deal?

If given the opportunity, would you have made the same decision as George and Kathy Lutz and purchased the home that the 1979 film and subsequent remakes, sequels and prequels were centered around?

If you could get it for a great deal, would you taken the chance? The Lutzes where given full disclosure of what had happened in the home just a year prior when a very troubled 28-year-old shot his family to death in it. Undisclosed at the time, however, was the supposed fact that the home was built on a tribal burial ground and also had supposedly been inhabited by a devil worshiper at one point.

How much of a discount would you expect to get, based on the full family slaughter that occurred just the year before?

The Lutzes were happy buying the home for $80K when it was valued at $120 at the time. I'd need more of discount.

Once you moved in, how many odd incidents would it take to drive you out? If this had happened in the middle of the housing stimulus deal, the Lutzes would have been stuck with the house for three years before they could sell it, but thankfully they weren't, and moved from the home about a month after moving in, claiming demonic possession of the home.

Demonic possession or real estate regret? Movers were sent to the home the day after the Lutzes left to pack up their possessions and reported no paranormal activity. Buyers of the home, just a month and a half later said the damage claims made by the Lutzes simply did not exist.

George Lutz maintains that the events portrayed in the book were “mostly true” and both he and Kathy passed a lie detector test in 1979.

So what was the deal? Every claim made by the Lutzes has basically been successfully refuted. On the other hand, while one of the Lutzes may have been able to fool the lie detector test successfully, it would be extremely odd that both could have accomplished that feat.

Was the house haunted or were the Lutzes a victim of some pretty strong suggestions of demonic possession that then had the whole family manifesting the horrors in their minds?

Sarah Palin Tapped by NBC To Battle Katie Couric Tuesday Morning

In an attempt to combat Katie Couric's comeback as morning show queen on ABC, as she fills in for Robin Roberts while she takes some time off, NBC has called upon Sarah Palin to step in as co-host Tuesday morning. Sarah will reportedly give her take on the republican Presidential candidates and current President Barack Obama, as well as act as co-host on the morning news program.

NBC has also promised a major legend as a guest on Monday and filled the roster for the rest of the week with other extremely high-profile guests, including Nadya Sulemon (California's newest welfare recipient), Tori Spelling and Giuliana and Bill Rancic who will discuss Giuliana's decision not to undergo chemotherapy as part of her battle against her breast cancer. Giuliana and Bill have been somewhat under fire because of her decision to skip chemo in favor of a double mastectomy and some feel she is personally responsible for causing others to not make the best decision for themselves when dealing with breast cancer.

Will it be enough to stop viewers from watching “Good Morning America?”

CBS is giving it the old college try as well with co-anchor Gayle King pulling in bestie Oprah Winfrey and a teaser promising that Oprah opens up about things she has never talked about before. What that could be is anyone's guess as the woman's life has been out there for decades, but I will suspect that recently ousted from Oprah's OWN network, Rosie O'Donnell, will be a hot topic of conversation.

I still have issues with Katie so I will resist the temptation to change channels to ABC, but CBS might just get a few minutes of my time tomorrow morning.

Pregnancy Test Results Thrill Vanessa Minnillo and Hubby Nick Lachey

Nick Lachey, ex-husband of the very-pregnant and ready to pop herself, Jessica Simpson, and current hubby to new bride, Vanessa Minnillo, entertainment reporter and host of ABC's “Winter Wipeout,” recently announced they were happily pregnant.

I am happy for the couple, but for some reason, ever since Nick and Jessica split, I have always felt that there has been some sort of competition between the two of them. Who would start dating first, who would be engaged and married first and then who would be having a baby first. I know they are both at the age where people do all of those things with some regularity, but much between the two of them has felt so competitive that for Jessica's beau, former professional football player-now free agent, Eric Johnson, I have felt a little worried.

While Jessica is not yet married, it had to hurt to see her ex-husband find, get engaged to, and finally marry someone else. Jessica just had to beat him in one category and the only one left was baby production. Not that Jessica didn't try to win in the engagement and marriage categories as well, but former boyfriend, Tony Romo of the Dallas Cowboys, broke up with Simpson on her birthday in 2009. While Jessica was with Tony, he had the worst couple of seasons ever for Dallas, prompting fans to dub Simpson “Yoko Romo.”

Vanessa Minnillo has made no secret that she would love to have a boy first, but quickly added that a healthy baby was really the most important thing. Vanessa purchased a gender predictor test, but is not revealing the results until she gets more scientific proof via sonogram.

Slime-Covered Stars Thrill The Audience at 2012 Kids Choice Awards

I've got to hand it to the celebrities willing to make an appearance on Nickelodean-hosted Kids' Choice Awards. Anyone setting foot on stage for the event was in risk of walking off stage covered in green slime as they presented or accepted one of the infamous “Blimp” awards. As host Will Smith exclaimed, “No one is safe from the slime!”

Unlike the Academy Awards, the Emmy's and pretty much every other award show around, the Kids' Choice Awards caters to kids in every way, giving them a voice as they are the voters deciding on the winners. The show also gives the younger set a chance to connect with the stars they most admire in the entertainment world. The celebrities who dare to appear are rewarded not only with admiration and adulation from the kids, but a healthy dose of respect from the parents and adults for taking the time from their schedules to make an appearance.

It seems that many celebrities have learned that the voices of children are just as powerful as those of the adults, especially in an industry where ticket and DVD sales make or break a star and determine their value to the viewing public in general.

Celebs slimed on last night's show included host Will Smith, Justin Bieber, Halle Berry, “Twilight's” Taylor Lautner and “Glee” star, Chris Colfer. Other winners included another Twilight alum Kristen Stewart, favorite actor Adam Sandler, Katy Perry and Selena Gomez. Highest honor of the night was presented by First Lady, Michelle Obama, to Taylor Swift for her charity work.

April Fools Day Paranoia Sets In

I am feeling especially paranoid as I wait for my husband to pounce, and wonder how will I be made to look like a fool this year?

Past years have had him pulling all sorts of stunts, from the utterly juvenile to the downright evil genius. We have cut back on the last couple of April Fool's Day hijinks after he told me his mother was coming for a visit, I didn't believe him and a half hour later, there she was, at my door, with my house a mess, me in my requisite sweats and dishes piled high in the sink.

Several years ago, not thinking about the date at all, I headed out the door to do some shopping at what was then a fairly local mega mall. I met up with some friends and we shopped until our credit cards couldn't take it any more and when I went out to find my car, it was gone. It hit me that it was April 1^st, as I had just about made my way to the security booth, ready to report my vehicle stolen, and decided to turn around and look for my car. 90 minutes and ten parking levels later, I found it, parked in the most remote spot, with every orifice filled with balloons. Considering my husband was out of town on business, I knew one of his friends had to have helped him, but to this day have no idea which one of his buddies now possesses the keys to my car, my home, or both.

I'm never as prepared for the day as my husband is and think there should be June 1^st Exact Revenge Day for all us who have bitten into a piece of rubber bologna, gone on snipe hunts, scratched off winning, but fake lottery tickets, had our hair temporarily dyed green, etc. I need the time to plot and plan!

How To Hard Boil Eggs For Easter Egg Awesomeness

Go now! Straight to the grocery store, and buy the eggs you will use for coloring later in the week. Older eggs peel much easier than fresh eggs. My dozen jumbos are in my spare fridge just waiting until Friday when I will boil and color them.

You'd think knowing how to boil eggs would be a pretty basic skill, but there are at least a couple of schools of thought when it comes to the perfect boiled egg.

Method One: Place eggs in a pot with plenty of cold water to cover them amply, add a touch of vinegar to stop any of the whites from running in case of cracking (the cold water should help prevent that from happening) and set on the stove. Turn the burner to high and when the water starts to boil, let it go for a minute before removing the pan from the heat and leave covered for another 12 minutes. After 12 minuted has elapsed, run ice cold water into the pot and let the eggs cool before storing in the fridge or decorating.

Method Two: Using eggs that you have allowed to come to room temperature, boil a pot of water and once boiling, use a slotted spoon to carefully place the eggs into the boiling water. Let boil for 15 minutes, stirring gently if you want your yolks to be centered. After 15 minutes has elapsed, remove pot from heat, drain out the hot water and fill the pot with cold water to stop the cooking process. Cool and store in the fridge or decorate.

I tend to use Method Two more than Method One and find that using room temperature eggs helps keep the yolks a nice bright yellow and not turn that kind of sickly green. I do add both salt and vinegar to the water and let my eggs sit in cold water (often changing it out) until they are super cold. Drying the eggs is often necessary for some of the decorating techniques and kits and for those, a room temp egg works best because it won't sweat.

I'll post my finished product later this week – let's see some of your creations too!

Finally read Alison Arngrim's bio...

And highly recommend it! Especially if you are any sort of fan of “Little House on the Prairie.”

In “Confessions of a Prairie Bitch: How I Survived Nellie Oleson and Learned to Love Being Hated,” Alison shows herself as one celebrity who not only embraced a character that was nothing like her real life persona, but also didn't complain about typecasting...imagine that! A celebrity truly thankful for the opportunity who didn't spend her post-Little House years bemoaning the fact that life was awful because she was a child star.

Alison overcame many difficulties in her life, living with somewhat zany parents, who were a little shy on responsibility, her father once spent a day sitting in a cafe with his business partner, stealing every tip left on the tables so he could provide food for the family.

Alison recounts her brother's sexual abuse of her and how that led her to help change the law in the state of California, while also being an extremely active volunteer helping those suffering from HIV and AIDS.

You can't help but love Alison with her sharp wit and ability to see the utterly ridiculous in her real life, as well as the one she lived as the world's nastiest kid on the prairie.

Holy Hottie! Check Out Zac Efron in The Lucky One

So I am sitting and catching up on a little television today, I know, hard to believe that I need to catch up when I have a TV on constantly, and a commercial comes on for Zac Efron's newest movie, “The Lucky One.”

First of all, I have to give a yummy shout out to Zac for gaining the muscle needed to be believable as a marine finishing off three tours of duty in Iraq. Based on a Nicholas Sparks novel of the same name, Efron heads home from Iraq to find the girl whose photo he found while at battle, a photo representing a woman he considered to be his good luck charm.

If the name Nicholas Sparks rings a bell, it should! He has written the books that a great portion of the tear-jerking movies of the last decade have been based on including:

The Notebook

Dear John

A Walk To Remember

Nights in Rodanthe

Message in a Bottle

The Last Song

For as much as I cry watching those films, I am convinced Mr. Sparks is part owner of Kimberly-Clark, the makers of Kleenex.

But back to Zac! Zac clearly has matured from his “High School Musical” days and the bulk and muscle he put on for this role helped me get past the fact that he is still isn't even 25-years-old. The previews also showed his lovely blond co-star, Taylor Schilling, best known for her role as Nurse Veronica Callahan on the TV series “Mercy.”

The two make a striking couple and the story looks compelling enough to get me to the theater to see this one!

Yes, I will be packing Kleenex when I go!

Bill And Giuliana Rancic Offer Healing and Hope To Breast Cancer Victims

Here's a couple I can say I knew way back when...Giuliana as an upbeat entertainment reporter and Bill, the first winner of Donald Trump's “The Apprentice.”

I've watched this couple through every step of their relationship, from the first meeting as Giuliana interviewed Bill, giggling and flirting with him, to their wedding, home-building, attempts to have a baby and most recently, Giuliana's bout with breast cancer.

While Giuliana's cancer has been widely reported on, faithful viewers of her show with hubby Bill, “Giuliana & Bill,” will experience it with her on a far more intimate level. Giuliana and Bill have not been afraid to show their lives; the good, the bad and the ugly, to the American viewing public. And when things have been good, they have been beyond what most of us can imagine – fabulous homes, celebrity experiences and trips all over the world, but when they are bad, we can feel their heartache and pain through failed fertility treatments, a miscarriage and now, the breast cancer.

I've seen many ugly comments online about Giuliana recently, many who say they can't feel sorry for her because she is “rich,” and many who think she is using breast cancer, of all things, to further the popularity of her show. Give me a break! Who in their right mind would want cancer for ANY reason? As for her being wealthy, yes, Giuliana and Bill have done well for themselves, but nothing has been handed to them. They both have worked very hard to be where they are at and both donate money and time to numerous causes, feeling it is their duty to use their celebrity for greater good and not just as a way to sell clothing or perfume or hype a new CD.

Don't like them, don't watch...see how simple that is?!

Aubrey O Day Taking Names and Kicking A on The Apprentice

Aubrey O'Day, perhaps best known as a contestant on season three of “Making The Band” and winning a spot in the Sean “Diddy” Combs produced band, Danity Kane, is now a front-runner on NBC's “The Apprentice.”

Sean Combs fired Aubrey O'Day from Danity Kane after accusing her of trying to expand her own fame at the expense of the band. He was not happy with her newly “sexed up” image and thought she had changed from the eager and enthusiastic woman she had once been.

I can see a little of what Mr. Combs may have been talking about. On “The Apprentice,” Aubrey has a way of taking over the tasks assigned to the celebrity teams. In most instances, she is the only one vocal enough and brave enough to even put ideas on the table and has dubbed herself, as well as fellow contestants comedienne Lisa Lampanelli and singer Debbie Gibson, the “creative” members of the team. In Donald Trump's boardroom, she has been well-spoken and assertive in defending herself and some on her team.

Seeing Aubrey and her flaming red hair on the first episode, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. I knew of her from her work with Danity Kane, but had also heard the reasons that Sean Combs fired her and wasn't sure what camp to believe. After seeing her perform on “The Apprentice,” I have to say that I am having a difficult time believing the reasons cited my Combs for her firing as all I see if a very self-assured, mature and intelligent 28-year-old woman.

Perhaps that was more intimidating to Sean Combs than anything else.

Sadly, I Won't Be Counted As One Of The Big Lotto Winners

All of my driving around and crazy methods for choosing the winning numbers netted me exactly $0 in last night's Mega Millions drawing. I didn't even have the darn Mega number! I had three of the regular numbers in total, with only two numbers on one line. Without the Mega number, I had nothing!

But, after watching the “20/20” special, I could almost find a little bliss in my loss. Especially after seeing the story of the dude who won over $300 million. Sad, sad, sad to see the man break down and cry as he admitted that the money had ruined his marriage, caused the death of his granddaughter and her boyfriend to drugs, and he was heading down the wrong path in life as well. He received thousands and thousands of requests for money and it broke his heart that he couldn't help everyone, and when he didn't comply to some of the requests, people got mean and nasty. He said sure, he had money, but he had nothing else.

The only relatively normal lottery winner highlighted on the show was a young woman of 20 who had won $1,000,000 with a scratch-off lottery ticket. She paid off her school loans, bought a car and a camera and banked the rest of her winnings, continuing her work as a waitress. Yes, a million dollars is a lot of money, but not THAT much money and I think that helps.

It seemed that the people who up and quit their jobs and started living lives vastly different from what they were accustomed to were the ones who had the most trouble, as well as anyone who had an ounce of sensitivity. No matter how hard you may try to hide your win from the general public, it seems that all winners get revealed and tracked down, and then the phone calls and letters start. Unless you have a heart of stone, it has to be terribly difficult to hear and read the pleas of others desperately in need of financial assistance to save homes and lives and then have to turn a blind eye to them.

Of course I won't stop playing the lottery myself, but it helps me not to feel quite so badly when my numbers don't come up.

Football Field Performance Aside Michael Oher Continues To Inspire

Unlike most of the nation, I missed seeing the 2009 film “The Blind Side” until I recently got a copy of it on DVD.

I had read enough about the life of Michael Oher and his adoption by Sean and Leigh Anne Tuohy by the time I saw the movie that I knew many portions of the film had been embellished a bit and the order of events changed to make the movie flow better, but the story portrayed on the screen was essentially true.

While “The Blind Side” was a great general overview of the events that happened to Michael, the story is really told from Leigh Anne's perspective. Michael himself has finally put pen to paper and written his own account. Not that the story differs, but much of what we see in the movie is about how everyone else feels, but very little of how Michael felt.

Oher's new book, “I Beat The Odds: From Homelessness To the Blind Side” is all from Michael's perspective. His autobiography, written with Don Yaeger, offers inspiration, advice, and as one reviewer said so eloquently, “realness.”

Michael Lewis' “The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game” was really almost two different books in one, concentrating on the evolution of offensive football strategy over the years in the first part and then the story of Michael Oher from impoverished youth through his first year as a player for Ole Miss. Oher's book covers his story from childhood through the present and offers many insights into the downfall of athletes who don't take care of business; whether it's getting their education or taking care of their finances, Michael offers real advice garnered from his extensive experience.

Early in 2008, Michael Oher announced he would be participating in the 2008 NFL Draft, but two days later, changed his mind in favor of finishing his degree in criminal justice and finishing off his college playing career with Ole Miss. If other athletes who read the book take away nothing else but the message that their education is important, the book should be required reading for high school and college athletes everywhere.

PaUly D TAkEs OvEr Dj Am SpOt At ThE PaLmS

Now let's hope that Pauly D, of “Jersey Shore” fame doesn't fall victim to the demons that ultimately claimed DJ AM (AKA Adam Michael Goldstein).

DJ AM was a member of the band Crazy Town, and along with Seth “Shifty” Binzer, (yet another participant in Dr. Drew's “Celebrity Rehab” and “Sober House”) soon embarked down the road of drug abuse, with crack cocaine being his worst demon.

Adam eventually went to rehab and seemed to be doing well. He had started filming a reality show for MTV titled “Gone Too Far” where he often counseled other drug abusers and urged them to get help. Adam relapsed during the filming, but promised his addiction counselor that he would return to rehab after the show finished filming. By then, it was too late. DJ AM was found dead of an overdose on August 28^th and MTV, after much debate, went ahead and aired the show, hoping that Adam's final demise would send a strong message.

I saw Adam's show and he really did a great job talking to and motivating the drug users highlighted in the program. He was caring without being overbearing and you could tell that the users believed Adam, many really feeling the message of hope he offered to those willing to get help.

DJ AM was only 36 at the time of his death and had accomplished much with his life. It is too bad it had to end far too soon. He most certainly would have been a huge influence in many areas of the music industry if he could have won the fight over his demons.

20/20 To Feature Past Lottery Winners, Lottery Scammers & More!

I am just counting the minutes until the Mega Millions drawing and it seems like time is dragging by!

If you have Mega Millions Fever like me, be sure and tune into “20/20” tonight on ABC. They will be devoting the hour to the upcoming Mega Millions drawing, interviewing past lottery winners and losers, playing the odds, and talking about how past lottery winners have gone broke.

I know of at least one major lottery winner who promptly quit his job, but only after giving his employer a rather detailed list of everything that was wrong with him personally, his business and rate of pay and then, after clearing out his locker, he filled it with the contents of a garbage can and lit it on fire.

That lottery winner opted for the annual payments and promptly spent the entire first annual allotment in less than 30 days. An amount more than 100 times what his previous monthly salary was. Out of money, he was forced to go back to his previous employer and beg for his job back. Were there other jobs out there? Yes, but this winner burned plenty of bridges in the short month that he was “rich” and no one wanted to touch him with a ten foot pole.

Lucky for him, his old employer gave him his job back, at a decreased rate of pay, and when the winner's annual lottery payment arrived eleven months later, he politely gave his two-weeks notice and quietly disappeared from the public eye.

Nomination For Worst Undercover Boss Disguise Goes To...

Harlan Kent, CEO of Yankee Candle...and it was bad. Not that he was recognizable at all and I suppose that is the point of a disguise, but did they have to make him look like a cross between the kid who flunked a few years and could grow a full beard while in 5^th grade and Little Orphan Annie?

I have to admit that I wouldn't mind a job as a candle sniffer for Yankee. I can't make it through a Bed Bath and Beyond without cracking open at least 50 of those candles. I might as well get paid for it!!

So Just What Are The Odds Of Winning Mega Millions?

Now that I have my numbers, just what are the odds of winning the ultimate jackpot? Well, according to a ticket sitting right in front of me, the odds of winning tonight's over half-billion dollar jackpot are 1:175,711,536. Zowee, perhaps I should have bought a few more tickets!

In other words, I have a much better chance of being struck by lightning (1:576,000), catching a ball at a major league baseball game (563:1), having a five-card flush with first five cards dealt (1:649,740), drowning in my bathtub (1:685,000), getting canonized (1:20,000,000) and even being burned to death by the ignition and subsequent melting of nightwear (1:30,589,556). And really, that last one is NOT at all likely to happen unless they consider socks “nightwear” and I only wear those in the winter!

Because I like to think optimistically, I also found a few things even less likely to happen than winning Mega Millions. I only have a one in 300,000,000 chance of dying from a shark attack. The odds are also even more skewed in my favor with that one since I no longer live on, or near an ocean. My chance of being killed on a five-mile trip made by bus is only one in 500,000,000, and the best news yet, the odds of a meteor landing on my home are only one in 182,138,880,000,000.

But it is still immensely fun to hope and dream and for the smaller prizes, I have a much better chance of winning a $2, $3, $7 or $10 prize than being possessed by Satan (1:7,000). As soon as we start talking about winning amounts of $150 and up, however, Satan has a better chance of capturing my soul than I do of winning any of the upper tier of prizes.

Don't Even Bother Buying Tickets Now – I Have The Winning Lottery Numbers!

After a very long and circuitous 56 mile trip to eight different gas stations, convenience and grocery stores, and many minutes spent waiting in lines, I now hold the winning Mega Millions ticket in my hands. I used a combination of methods to choose my numbers, including finally cracking open my Gerard Butler fortune cookie - I managed to break the cookie and see the numbers without even opening the package!

First off, I could not believe the lines and the amount of people clamoring for tickets. It was insane, even in my remote rural area, but unlike my past experiences in large metropolitan areas, most in line spent the time chatting, laughing, promising to share their winnings, buy a few rounds of drinks, etc. I get a lot more sense of community in this place, where homes are typically at least a half mile apart, than I ever did when living in the midst of several million people.

Many had never played, many needed help filling out the form to get their “own” numbers chosen, but everyone was patient and helpful. Made me start doing the math in my head figuring out what a nice surprise would be for the members of my small town to find in their mail box after I won. $1,000? $10,000? I would maintain my current home, but would also investigate the possibility of buying my own private island.

The first thing I am doing though, is going into hiding. If you don't hear from me after the drawing, you'll know why!

American Idol's Heejun Han Knew The End Was Near

If “American Idol” were “American Comedic Idol,” Korean-American contestant Heejun Han might have had a chance, but after a few weeks, it seemed America no longer found his schtick funny. And neither did the judges who refused to use their one and only save of the season to keep Heejun around for at least another week.

Judging by how the season is going (again), with the majority of girls getting the boot already, the judges will use that save to give one of the girls another chance. Otherwise, typical of "American Idol" of the last several years, a boy will win because the voting audience is comprised mainly of young girls with fast fingers and unlimited text messaging capabilities, who vote for the cute boys, no matter what they happen to sound like.

And here too, my preference for a reality singing competition show goes to NBC's “The Voice.” Most of the ousted contestants have thanked everyone involved with the show for the opportunity and seem sincere. Sure, there was Hailey, the female half of singing duo “The Line” who had little to say to anyone when she and her partner were eliminated, but better that than what Heejun Han felt compelled to do during an exit interview from “American Idol.”

When asked who Heejun would be rooting for now, he said his favorites had already been eliminated and there was no one else he liked enough to bother rooting for. He added he would more than likely just sit at home and watch Idol's biggest competition, “The Voice.”

I guess Heejun never learned if he can't say anything nice to not say anything at all and combined with his accusation that Diddy (Sean Combs) was drunk when he acted as a mentor on Idol, I wouldn't count on any record deals coming in from that front either.

Jersey Shore Alum Gets Fists Pumping On Pauly D Project

At least I would imagine he did. I'm not entirely sure since I haven't yet seen the first "Jersey Shore" spinoff because my DVR just can't record ten programs at the same time. I was torn as well about watching it in the first place because I am a little disappointed by the changes in Pauly D since he first set foot in the "Jersey Shore" house, and on my plasma, in December of 2009.

Now why would anyone in my age range watch “Jersey Shore?” Good question! I'm still not entirely sure what got me started, but I was hooked by the absolute insanity of the characters on the show. Of all of them, best buddies, Vinnie (Vincenzo Guadagnino) and Pauly D (Paul DelVecchio) were my faves. Pauly D was definitely the cutest of the boys while Vinnie seemed to have the highest IQ. Only later did I find out that at that point, Vinnie was barely legal and Pauly D was nearing the dreaded 3-0 in age.

Others may have wondered why anyone would put themselves on a show like “Jersey Shore,” where most of the cast ended up looking like sex-crazed, alcoholic morons, but hey, why not? If I were of the age where MTV was ready to offer me a reality program where I needed to do little except party and GTL, I surely would jump at the chance.

But I digress...

Back to Pauly D. I've noticed over the last couple of seasons, that someone who was once a generally nice guy has turned kind of mean. It saddens me to see what a little bit of fame does to so many, but with Pauly, as well as other males on the “Jersey Shore” cast, they seem to have forgotten the very people who helped make their careers – their fans, especially those of the female variety.

Sure, the boys called the less than attractive girls, “grenades” from the start, but never to their faces. I remember seeing the boys being quite polite to everyone, young and old during the first couple of seasons, but something happened after that. Just last season, one young woman had obviously developed a crush on Pauly D and was immediately dubbed his “stalker.” She appeared everywhere and Pauly made no attempt to hide his contempt for her, making rude comments about her and her appearance. When she got to meet Pauly, he cracked some rude joke and took off and the young woman looked devastated.

I noticed some of the other cast members had taken up this “hobby” as well and seemed to make quite a game out of how many of the locals they could utterly humiliate on camera. And again I wonder who they think turned them into household names, virtually overnight.

I don't expect any of them to fall all over themselves thanking everyone they meet, but I get the feeling none of them realize just how lucky they are and how quickly that luck can change.

I'll be catching the repeat of “The Pauly D Project” tonight and hope to see the funny guy I saw that first season of the “Jersey Shore.” If not, I'm afraid tonight's viewing of Pauly's show will be my last.

Julia Roberts As An Evil Queen In Mirror Mirror

Say it isn't so! I don't know if I will be able to believe that as I can't recall Julia Roberts playing anything or anyone remotely evil in her acting career. And no, playing a prostitute in “Pretty Woman” hardly counts as evil, especially in Nevada.

But I will go and see the level of evilness that Miss Roberts brings to the big screen for myself, being somewhat of a lover of fairy tales of the non-animated variety. “Mirror Mirror” is based, reportedly quite loosely, on the classic “Snow White” and features lovely Lily Collins as the lead, who enlists seven rather interesting characters to help in her quest for the crown and the prince's heart.

Will “Mirror Mirror” surpass “The Princess Bride” as my favorite adult-but-really-marketed-for-children movie of all time. I doubt it. “The Princess Bride” is a true classic and it is unlikely that any movie, no matter the star-power attached to it, will ever surpass it in the hearts of those who quote it daily.

Other notables in “Mirror Mirror” include Armie Hammer as the handsome Prince Alcott, with other rolls filled my Nathan Lane, Mare Winningham and Michael Lerner among others. I adore Nathan Lane so I would go strictly because he is in this movie, but I have hopes that Julia can pull a good bitchy role and expand her future movie character choices. With a PG rating, Julia can only be so bitchy, but as long as she puts her teeth into this role, it could be quite good for her to break free of the good girl mold.

Will 7th Time Be The Charm For Jerry Lee Lewis?

Has Jerry Lee Lewis finally found ever-lasting love with wife number seven? For the sake of trying to draw out his family tree, let's hope so!

I was actually surprised he chose to get married again. He managed to make his last marriage, to Kerrie McCarver, work for 20 years and at the age of 76, I thought perhaps he had run out of funds to pay any more alimony and child support than he already was.

But I was wrong. This time, Jerry Lee married one Judith Brown, and this is where things get a little twisted. You see, Judith is the ex-wife of Jerry's cousin, Rusty Brown. If that name doesn't ring a bell, maybe this will. Rusty Brown is the brother of Jerry's third wife, and cousin, Myra Gale Brown. Still a little fuzzy? Maybe it would help if I added that not only was Myra Jerry's cousin, she was also only 13 years-old at the time of her marriage to Jerry.

Oh, that marriage. Now let's not be quick to judge. Jerry was 23 at the time, a man of the world, with two previous marriages under his belt already. He was ready to settle down and what better candidate than his 13 year-old cousin?

Surprisingly, that marriage lasted 13 years, all the way to Myra's 26^th birthday. At least Myra wasn't left a bitter and old divorcee. Bitter maybe, but certainly not old at 26.

At the age of 76, Jerry now has a total of almost 51 years of marriage under his belt with six wives, embarking on a happy lifetime with number seven. Happy lifetime being relative. If we average the length of his previous marriages, Jerry should be looking for wife number eight in July of 2020, when he is a spry 84 year-old.

Time Once Again To Choose Some Lucky Numbers!

After finally breaking into my Gerard Butler fortune cookie and not being overly enthusiastic about the numbers on the fortune, I am trying to think of other lucky numbers in my life to use for my next round of Mega Millions tickets.

With the jackpot sitting at $640 million, that's right, over a HALF BILLION dollars, I know I need to put some thought into some good numbers sure to help me land the big prize.

Playing the last two digits of the year of my birth is not possible, my age works, the month and date of my birthday work as well, but the possibility that others would choose those same numbers is too great. Do you know what the probability is that two people share the same date of birth in just a pool of 30 people? It's huge! Don't ask me to show the math, just trust me.

So I need a system of some sort. I don't trust the random number generators I have found online because who knows? They could be giving everyone the same supposedly random numbers. What? Me paranoid?

Looking at past major lottery winners, very few have played a special set of numbers. Most winners do come from the quick pick pool. I only remember one gentleman in Illinois who finally won playing the same set of numbers that he had for the last 20-odd years. He never missed a drawing and always played the same several sets encompassing special birth dates in his family. It made me wonder how much he had spent by the time he actually won!

Hopefully some inspiration will come on my way to the gas station to pick up my tickets...I would count street lights, but there aren't any in this part of the world. Counting cows is a possibility as are the number of dead vermin on the roads. I'd love to win and get to explain THAT strategy for my number choices!

Scotty Mccreery is Scotty McDreary To Me

As I have mentioned, on more than a few occasions, country music just isn't my thing. I can tolerate SOME country songs, but for the most part, I quickly tire of the tales of woe put to the same basic melodies over and over and over again.

When country boy Scotty McCreery hit the “American Idol” auditions for season 10, I knew he would make it to their Hollywood week, but had doubts he would ever get beyond that point when the kid continually sang the same song, over and over again. Despite never wanting to know them, the constant repetition of Josh Turner's “Your Man” lyrics stuck in my brain and as soon as I even see Scotty McCreery, they come rushing back in, like a bad LSD flashback. “Baby lock the door and turn the lights down low...Put some music on that's soft and slow...” Ick. Made even ickier when delivered by a skinny, geeky kid with an overly deep voice that didn't seem to belong to him.

Of course my worst nightmare was realized when Scotty won “American Idol,” well, not so much my worst nightmare, if I am going to be perfectly honest, but it was close to the top of the list. I knew if he won, I could certainly avoid listening to him again on the radio since I stray far away the country music stations, but it also meant he would undoubtedly turn up again on the “American Idol” stage.

And sure enough, he did. During the last results show, McCreery was slated to perform with Nicki Minaj. Oh, what a treat, especially for the contestant about to be ousted form the show. Here's a guy who won and look! His album went platinum, but you're a loser and going home. Bu-bye.

Jimmy Iovine presented Scotty with his platinum plaque after his performance. Don't ask me what Scotty sang as I learned to never listen to him after the “Your Man” incident.

Good job, Scotty, thanks for the memories...not.

Bohemian Rhapsody – Song of Choice For Cop Car Cruising

Robert Wilkinson, a home brewer (surprise) from Edmonton, Alberta Canada, was pulled over while driving his pick up truck, just a tad intoxicated, back in November of 2011. 

Captured on police video, a very drunk Wilkinson has a few philosophical words with the arresting officer before launching into his version of Queen's 1975 hit, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”

Wilkinson was given a copy of the evidence when he decided to defend himself in court and then chose to upload the video himself, after numerous friends wanted to see it. Of course, the video has now been viewed by hundreds of thousands of viewers all over the world and it is doubtful that many would believe his not guilty pleas to the charges of impaired driving and refusal to take the breathalyzer test.

Wilkinson's version of the song was performed almost flawlessly, all six-plus minutes of it, including many of the instrumentals that Wilkinson also recreated. He was only admonished by the arresting officer once throughout the song when he got a bit over-enthusiastic, otherwise, he was quite cooperative with the police.

While I think it is doubtful that Wilkinson's posting of the video will aid him at all by the time his November 2012 trial date arrives, but perhaps he will be given some credit for at least knowing all of the lyrics, something very few professional singers who have tackled the song, with exception to Freddie Mercury himself, have managed to do. And if nothing else, perhaps he can parlay his Internet fame into a lucrative endorsement deal for voice lessons and hand-held breathalyzer units.

Will You Be Watching Katie Couric On Good Morning America?

I won't. Not even tempted, though if this ratings stunt works, I would strongly caution that Robin Roberts, current co-anchor of GMA along with George Stephanopoulos, cut her vacation short and scoot Katie's perky butt out of her chair fast. Even though Katie has a daytime talk show in the works starting the fall, she could always change her mind and hey, spending mornings with cute George S. wouldn't be a bad way to start the day.

No, I'm not a hater. I just intensely dislike Katie Couric and her style of reporting. She has a habit of being extremely biased, though she did tone it down a bit on CBS during her failure of a reign as an evening anchor there. I suspect she will be even more milquetoast on “Good Morning America” to make her new Disney bosses happy.

Personally, judging by how well-received Meredith Vieira was when she took over Katie's spot on NBC's “Today Show,” coupled with some not always so nice comments made about Couric by her former co-workers there, tinged with a great lack of emotion when she finally left NBC, I think the “perky” title was code for hyped up bitch. If you didn't see Meredith Vieira's final morning at “The Today Show,” tears were shed by all

Can Ann Curry, current co-anchor of “The Today Show” hold her own against Katie? That remains to be seen. Curry, who spent many years filling in for both Katie and Meredith while in her role as news reader, is still a little awkward in her leading spot on “The Today Show.” Critics haven't always been kind, but NBC has held onto its number one title for 17 years.

MaJor OoPsie FoR Uc Berkeley

In what has to be one of the biggest blunders ever, it was revealed that UC Berkeley sold a work of art valued at $215,000 for the garage sale price of $150.00 back in 2009.

The artwork was acquired by the university after it took over the space it formerly occupied, The California School For The Blind. Before renovations on that building started, the piece was removed and stored in a warehouse for many years until its eventual sale. It turns out that the work of art had been mislabeled and that was why it made its way into the surplus sale, however, I have to wonder what the heck happened? We aren't talking about a little painting here or the bust of a prominent figure. No, we are talking about a TWENTY-TWO FOOT LONG PIECE OF CARVED REDWOOD!

That's right...22 FEET, intricately carved with nature images and done by renowned African-American artist, Sargent Johnson, the piece was obviously one that the blind students could enjoy when on display in its original home.

I've done some home improvement projects and have purchased a lot of wood over the years. No home improvement center, no lumberyard either, that I know of at least, would have sold you that amount of wood alone for $150, much less highly-coveted redwood, and especially not a huge chunk of redwood that was covered in carvings.

This is the stuff garage sale visitors and those who dig through dusty thrift shops dream of, though how the average bargain hunter would have managed to transport the piece is another issue entirely.

The Works Progress Administration, who had originally commissioned the piece, wants assurance from UC Berkeley that an incident like this will never happen again. I can't say that I blame them in the least.

And to think, I felt absolutely awful when I found I had accidentally sold an autographed copy of “Class with the Countess” (given to me personally by Real Housewife of New York's resident royalty, the Countess Luann De Lesseps) at my last garage sale. Okay, I wasn't exactly devastated, and autographed copies of that book sell for a few cents more than new, but still, I could completely relate!

Can Colton Dixon Last On American Idol?

One of this season's semi-punk rocker dudes On “American Idol” is Colton Dixon, easily identified by his almost Jay Leno-esque hair color....think Jay Leno's hair in his younger days, that funky reverse skunk looking 'do he sported until he started going gray.

I am watching the results show as I type this and think Colton will be safe, but is he what America is looking for as the next “American Idol” or does he represent the person many Christians wish they had the courage to be? Is Colton really THAT good or are votes for him really signs of approval for Christianity in general?

Colton has spoken quite openly about his religious conviction and faith. Last night's performance show allowed each “American Idol” contestant to perform a song by one of their personal idols. I guess since Jesus doesn't have any current Billboard hits or platinum records, Colton chose the next best thing; the song “Everything” by the band Lifehouse. While Lifehouse has said that they do not want to be considered a Christian band, members do not deny that they are Christians and their music often reflects their faith. Colton Dixon told Idol judges last night that “Everything” was one of his favorite “worship songs.”

Do the band members of Lifehouse perhaps know or understand something about the industry that Colton Dixon doesn't? Or is Colton simply a full-blown, out-of-the-closet Christian who is unafraid to put his faith on display? Is Colton's religion an asset or a liability on the “American Idol” stage?

It doesn't appear to be a problem with the American public for now...Colton is safe for another week.

Capybara Looks Like The World's Biggest Guinea Pig To Me!

I seriously had to stop watching TLC's “My Crazy Obsession” after seeing too many episodes that were making me physically sick. I mean come on, we had the one woman who stuffed pounds and pounds of baby powder up her nose to start, then there was the dude who enjoyed having...um...how can I say this? Perhaps a “special relationship” with his car would work best. And then there was the young woman who liked drinking gasoline. As someone who has siphoned gas in her time, I can tell you that there is no way in heck anyone who has swallowed even a tiny bit of gas, and spent the next day passing gas burps, wants to see someone guzzling the stuff!

But, I couldn't help myself when I saw the previews for the season finale of “My Crazy Obsession” that featured what appeared to be a MAMMOTH guinea pig! I had a succession of guinea pigs growing up that all lived to ripe old ages, but never one that got to be that HUGE! 

It turns out the MEGA guinea pig was actually a capybara, which is indeed a member of the rodent family and actually IS related to the guinea pig!

I loved the Gary, the capybara featured on TLC, but honestly, the story could have been about any crazy animal lover. Melanie, Gary's owner, was featured because her pet was so unusual, but not so much her love for her pet. Believe me, I have seen that kind of devotion to pets by many and communicating with any species seems to be all the rage. Horses, dogs, cats and now capybara - all seem to be fair game for those psychically-able to channel the animal's thoughts and emotions or minimally, hypnotize their owners into paying for their services.

Wait...I think I'm channeling Mr. Schnapps now...he seems to want something. Yes, Mr. Schnapps seems to be telling me that he wants a Milk Bone and thinks mommy should have a little snack too! Wow! I am psychic! And Mr. Schnapps is incredibly intelligent!

Send me an email if you would like me to spiritually connect with your pet of choice. I offer reasonable rates and 24 hour emergency service is available :-)

Has Carson Daly Paid For His Sins?

Carson Daly, in response to his very politically-incorrect joke made Tuesday regarding the JetBlue pilot meltdown, has apologized profusely for his comments to the Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender community.

If you reside beneath a rock and didn't hear the “joke,” the gist of it was that Carson commented with his luck, he would have been on a flight headed straight to a gay pride parade and that his on-board colleagues would have been florists headed to a convention in Vegas – delivered in a high-pitched, affected tone of voice.

Passengers aboard the JetBlue flight were on their way to a security conference when the pilot had his meltdown and the passengers manged to wrangle him to the floor and subdue him.

Carson apologized, saying he has always been a strong supporter of the LGBT community and would continue to fight with them. GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) said they looked forward to taking Carson up on his offer and left it to the people to decide the sincerity of Carson's apology.

I'm actually surprised Carson made the comments that he did and will give him the benefit of the doubt, especially considering that much of his work has him working with members of the LGBT community. His apology certainly felt sincere to me and I think he knew it was a sophomoric thing to say. It is difficult for anyone who spends the vast majority of their lives on camera or on-air in any capacity, to not slip up occasionally.

I do wonder, however, if the joke had been made by a gay comic, if it would have been received with as much animosity?

Commentary About 19 Kids And Counting At The Top Of My Email

Apparently someone seems to think I have my rose-colored glasses strapped firmly in place when it comes to my views about the Duggars. Unfortunately, because the email was littered with more expletives than anything else, I cannot re-post it. Suffice it to say that I was accused of having my head firmly entrenched up my back end, and then it continued on to point out the many injustices the Duggar children, especially the females, have to endure.

It was asserted that the Duggar girls must get married early and are not allowed to attend college. This is false. A few of the older Duggar girls are going to college now. Jinger is pursuing a degree in music, while Jill has gone into nursing and Jessa goes for a business degree.

Check out: http://www.collegeplus.org/duggars

Is it a traditional college experience? No, definitely not, but that doesn't devalue the education or the ambition at all. As noted, eldest son Josh is pursuing a law degree and both he and Jill will transition to traditional college campuses when necessary. The older Duggar children love their family and siblings and are responsible young people who do not mind helping out where needed. Because they found a viable alternative to spending four years away from home to further their education, I should find fault with that? Because Josh, who is married with children of his own, does not choose to leave his wife and children to fend for themselves while he pursues a law degree, I should blast them all over the Internet?

As someone who had a lot, and I do mean a LOT of fun in college, I can also attest to the fact that I paid for it and without filthy rich parents, I paid the price myself. Thankfully, I learned, and quick. I can't say the same for many of the college students I know who are spending many thousands of their parents' hard-earned dollars to fail class after class and turn a four-year degree into a six-year affair.