Tuesday, December 20, 2011

X Factor Rumors and Scandals


Host Steve Jones Fired From US "X-Factor"


Host Steve Jones has been fired as Host of The X-Factor. Who is Steve Jones? Exactly. 

Unlike Ryan Seacrest, who captured the hearts of America as host of American Idol, nobody really cares about X Factor host Steve Jones. Critics have slammed him as being "utterly irrelevant." 

According to a source, "He got terrible reviews from critics when he started and things haven’t got better. There have been mistakes and he just doesn’t seem to have the knack for dealing with contestants." 

Steve Jones' only job description is to look cute, read the contents of an envelope, and occasionally say things like "after the break!" 

Somehow he managed to screw that up. 

“The executives at Fox have already decided not to renew his contract and so, short of a miracle happening, it is pretty much a done deal that he will not take part next season," says the source. 

Rumors are that Nicole Scherzinger will take over as host, mostly because she's so emotional. Criticism for Jones was that he was too cold-hearted towards the contestants. Basically, he didn't hug Rachel Crow when she got voted off. 

He says he couldn't comfort Rachel Crow because he had too many people yelling in his ear to shut up Paula Abdul. 

"I feel terrible because I feel on occasions I'm coming across as rude and abrupt and that's really not me," says Jones. 

Why doesn't Jones think really hard about all the wrong things he's been doing as host, and then do the opposite of that. 




X Factor: Kelly Rowland to replace Nicole Scherzinger on US show?

It looks we could be waving goodbye to Kelly Rowland on The X Factor this side of the Atlantic at the end of the year, with Simon Cowell reportedly wanting the singer to replace Nicole Scherzinger on the US version of the show!
“Simon has been blown away by Kelly,” a source tells the Daily Star Sunday.
“He’s made no secret of the fact he thinks she’s the star of the UK show. Simon’s been less impressed with how Nicole is faring in the US.”
We wonder if this means we’ll be getting Cheryl Cole back?
But it sounds as though Kelly will be going out with a bang, reportedly planning a huge medley performance for the live results next month on December 4.
The tabloid reveals she’ll be singing new single Down For Whatever mixed with two of her other hits.
PIC: Copyright ITV/Syco/Talkback Thames


LIP SYNC by Leroy Bell

Reality show The X Factor USA is being rocked by a lip sync scandal, with Leroy Bell's voice that was heard before he lifted his microphone and started to sing to a pre-recorded track.  The pre-recorded singing dished up as a live act to viewers will come as a big embarrassment to Simon Cowell as The X Factor USA, with The X Factor UK that suffered two scandals for using Auto-Tune to enhance contestants' voices.  The X Factor USA has just released a statement saying ''All songs are performed live, with just a backing track.''  This major embarrassment might affect viewership for the show in America, as well as possibly in South Africa. The X Factor USA was renewed for a second season in America earlier this week.


It was treated like a major deception by some fans, launching countless cries of foul play on the part of the Fox show. But, the practice of singing to prerecorded vocals on songs isn’t unique to The X Factor, though the show had to fully admit to the practice after Bell’s mistake caught the attention of fans.
“The whole thing is people don’t know that we prerecord those performances and it’s only for that ensemble thing where we have the whole cast, because we have so much stuff to learn every week,” Bell explains.

X Factor USA Stacy Francis In Show Fix Scandal!

The public have let X Factor USA singer into their hearts after she told everyone her story of how she never achieved her dream of stardom.


But has Stacy been lying all along? We’d like to think not because she seems like a genuine person. But evidence has come to light that she’s been on the circuit for a long time as a performer on Broadway, movies/tv and with HUGE musical acts for several YEARS!
In the 90s, Stacy found herself associating with some big name talents. Sources reveal that she toured with the likes of Madonna and Chaka Khan, while also being a regular on New York Broadway stages, like Smokey Joe’s Cafe and Footloose. Beyond that, she also had a lucrative career on the screen.
Stacy even performs in front of celebrities including Mission Impossible star Tom Cruise who is sitting in the front row of her show in the video below. It seems a far cry away from the person she is claiming to be. Stacy has hit back on Twitter saying

If I am such a huge star..I have a question for all of my NEW FANS!?? DID YOU KNOW MY NAME B4 The Xfactor?? no u didn’t SImon discovered me.
I never toured with PRINCE. MADONNA and CHAKA KHAN more lies!
We don’t know is Simon Cowell trying to con the public or is it that just haters are making up rumours to get her thrown out, remember nobody knew her before the show came out and if she was that popular surely somebody would have said something before now?
Watch the performance below:




Dexter Haygood wheels a deal to get the boot?

There was also a brief mention of former contestant Dexter Haygood, who recently told reporters that he bartered a deal with X Factor producers to leave the show early because he was being pushed in the wrong artistic direction. Simon called the claim "absolutely crazy," with Nicole adding, "It's simply not the case." The best reaction, however, goes to L.A. Reid, who'd apparently not heard Dexter's story until the interview: "That's what he said?!" the Boys' mentor asked incredulously.  Former "The X Factor" contestant Dexter Haygood said he wasn't pushed off Fox's new singing contest. He jumped.
According to Haygood, 49, who was part of mentor-judge Nicole Scherzinger's group of age 30-plus contestants, he told Scherzinger two days before last Tuesday's show that he was dissatisfied with "X Factor."


What to do if you fall through the ICE!

An educational video from the Discovery Channel (Canada) that teaches you what to do if you fall through the ice while fishing, skiing, etc.



NH Fish and Game Dept to hold public hearings


CONCORD, N.H. (AP) -- New Hampshire's Fish and Game Department is holding two public hearings this week seeking input from hunters, anglers and others.
The hearings Tuesday and Wednesday give people a chance to comment on and suggest changes to fishing and hunting rules, wildlife management strategies, and other department functions.
Fish and Game Commission members and Executive Director Glenn Normandeau will be at the hearings.
The meetings on Tuesday in Lancaster and Wednesday in Concord, both at 6:30 p.m

Fish & Game Department 
629b Main St , Lancaster, NH 03584, 03584
(603) 788-3164 
wildlife.state.nh.us

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    US Fish & Wildlife Services 
    22 Bridge Street, Concord, NH 03301-4987
    (603) 225-1411 

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    Improvements planned at Portsmouth, NH park


    PORTSMOUTH, N.H. (AP) -- Prescott Park in Portsmouth, N.H., will be getting some improvements.
    The city planning board recently approved nearly $500,000 in renovations to expand rest rooms and concessions at the riverside park.
    The Portsmouth Herald reports (http://ow.ly/85hkL) the plans include the consolidation of the light and sound booth into a structure that will be relocated to a better spot in front of the Prescott Park Arts Festival stage.
    Funding would come through a public-private partnership effort.
    ---
    Information from: Portsmouth Herald, http://www.seacoastonline.com

    Ski country snowmakers welcome freezing weather | New Hampshire NEWS11

    Ski country snowmakers welcome freezing weather | New Hampshire NEWS11

    PINKHAM NOTCH — The temperature was well below freezing late Monday afternoon as snow guns blasted clouds of white onto the lower slopes of Wildcat Mountain.

    Across Route 16, the Peabody River’s cold waters were slowing down around the rocks and boulders that are the riverbed. So slow was some of the flowing water that it froze in place, creating winter-still waterfalls..........CONTINUED

    Funding for NH bike, pedestrian trails runs dry | New Hampshire NEWS

    Funding for NH bike, pedestrian trails runs dry | New Hampshire NEWS


    Funding for NH bike, pedestrian trails runs dry

    By MARK HAYWARD
    New Hampshire Union Leader
    Published Dec 20, 2011 at 3:00 am (Updated Dec 19, 2011)




    Any bicycle and pedestrian trails that local communities have on the drawing board for next year likely won't go very far.

    New Hampshire officials learned last week that the federal government has zeroed out $677,000 in 2012 grant money that was anticipated for pedestrian trails, the state Division of Parks and Recreation said Monday.

    The Recreational Trails Program funding is the only source available for non-motorized trails in New Hampshire. It is a major component of the motorized trail system also.

    “We are completely stunned at the sudden email from (the Federal Highway Administration) and this loss of funding,” said Bureau of Trails Chief Chris Gamache.

    State officials said the agency made technical corrections to its funding formula, recalculating grants for the years 2009 to 2012.

    The result: the Federal Highway Administration was taking back $678,000 and had rescinded all 2012 funds, which amount to $677,000.

    “Sen. Shaheen's staff have been aware of the situation and are in touch with the Federal Highway Administration to see what options are available,” Shaheen spokeman Faryl Ury said Monday night. “We understand accounts are being adjusted for this program for every state nationwide.”

    Fifty-five organizations received grants this year, including the state's largest city.

    Manchester won grants for the last several years. The city uses them to build paved, 10-foot wide trails, including trails on the West Side and in south Manchester.

    Next year, it was planning to seek $350,000 in federal grants to build a trail to run east from Tarrytown Road and hook up to the Rockingham Trail at Lake Massabesic, said Peter Capano, chief of parks for the city.

    If the grant money is lost, the project won't go forward, said Capano, who added that the project wasn't a given anyway.

    This year, the city won a grant of $466,000 to extend the South Manchester trail, which runs parallel to South Willow Street, from Gold Street to Highland-Goffes Falls School, he said.

    This summer, construction is expected to start on a bridge that spans the Piscataquog River and links the Piscataquog River Trail to the Goffstown Rail Trail.

    Earlier grants funded the bridge, Capano said. The grants pay for only 80 percent of a project. City money or private funds make up the remainder.

    Capano said Manchester Moves, a local trail group, has pledged $75,000 toward the local match.

    Chances are remote the city could build the trails without federal help, Capano said.

    Most trails make use of former rail beds, and Capano acknowledged a mountain bike could ply the trails now.

    But paved trails draw pedestrians and a wide range of non-motorized vehicles, including baby strollers and street bikes, he said.

    He said the city hopes to eventually have all trails meet in the downtown area, which would facilitate cross-city bicycling.

    NH says funding yanked for trail projects

    NH says funding yanked for trail projects

    December 20, 2011
    NH says funding yanked for trail projects

    CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — New Hampshire officials say they are canceling a program that helps maintain trails for hiking, bicycling, snowmobiling and other recreational uses because federal funding has fallen through.

    The state Bureau of Trails said it was notified last week that the Federal Highway Administration had made technical corrections to its funding formula for the years 2009-2012, and as a result New Hampshire's trail program won't be getting the $677,000 it expected for next year. The state, which awarded grants to 55 organizations this year, had been in the process of taking applications for 2012 grants, but officials now say they'll have to cancel instead.

    Bureau of Trails Chief Chris Gamache said he is working with the state's congressional delegation to learn how and why the formula was changed.

    Gift Idea


    Motif #1, Rockport MA © Dave Peatfield



    Sizes



    More Photography available HERE

    Without a point of reference, humans can't walk in a straight line.

    Caffeine evolved as a POISON!




    The way that caffeine jolts your brain is this: it blocks certain receptors in the brain and other organs. This causes a set of reactions that results in your body releasing adrenaline. Adrenaline increases your heart rate, blood pressure and blood to the muscles.
    However, the reason that these effects exists is because caffeine was developed over time as a poison by plants as a way to kill insects that were trying to eat them! The effects of caffeine on other insects actually paralyzes and kills them. Next time you have a cup of coffee, just think that you're drinking some warm bug poison!




    YUM!

    Jon Bon Jovi, alive and well, stars at the Hope Concert V


    bonjovi.jpg

    Rest easy ladies, the rumor has no merit:


    Published: Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 12:34 AM     Updated: Tuesday, December 20, 2011, 1:02 AM
    The wicked Twitterati had him in the grave earlier today. But on Monday night, Jon Bon Jovi disproved rumors of his death at the Hope Concert at the Count Basie Theatre in Red Bank. The rock star, who was the latest high-profile entertainer to be prematurely buried by pranksters on the Internet, looked and sounded fit as he sang a jazzy version of “The Letter” by the Box Tops, the J. Geils Band stomper “House Party” alongside Southside Johnny, and Bon Jovi hits “Wanted Dead or Alive,” “Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” and “Born to Follow.". Backed by longtime sideman Bobby Bandiera -- the evening’s musical director -- and the 14-piece Jersey Shore Rock-N-Soul Revue, Bon Jovi ended the two-hour benefit concert with a flourish.
    Jon Bon Jovi returned for a holiday-themed encore set, pulling out his best Elvis impersonation for “Blue Christmas” and splitting microphone time with Nicole Atkins and Gary U.S. Bonds on a raucous rendition of “Run Run Rudolph.”
    Atkins, Bonds, Southside Johnny, Brian Fallon of Gaslight Anthem, and Tim McLoone and the Shirleys all lent their strong voices to the Hope Concert cause -- raising money for the Cancer Institute of New Jersey. The benefit, which was the fifth in the series of occasional charity concerts at Count Basie Theatre, brought in $175,000 for the comprehensive cancer center. Unlike most all-star charity shows, the Hope Concert was well paced: No performer outstayed his or her welcome, and the musicians (mostly) resisted the temptation to extend their songs to absurd lengths. Bandiera had his Rock-N-Soul revue drilled, and he proved to be a generous, graceful master of ceremonies.
    Like Scott Baio, who was victimized by a similar prank a few days ago, Jon Bon Jovi seemed unnerved by the barrage of Twitter rumors. He referred to the hoax several times, and even pantomimed taking phone calls from concerned friends checking to see if he was still alive. He even felt the need to rehash the old Mark Twain quip about how the reports of his death had been exaggerated.
    At the last Hope Concert in 2008, Jon Bon Jovi shared the Count Basie stage with Bruce Springsteen. The Boss did not make a surprise appearance on Monday, but “Thunder Road” pumped over the theatre sound system after the show prompted a compensatory singalong.

    House Blocks Funding For New Light Bulb Standards


    A pair of incandescent light bulbs.
    EnlargeDominique Faget /AFP/Getty Images
    A pair of incandescent light bulbs.
    Tucked inside the omnibus spending bill that the House of Representatives passed earlier, today, is a provision that prevents the Department of Energy from enforcing new, more energy efficient standards for light bulbs.
    The new standards were signed into law in 2007 by then President Bush, but the standards have become a favorite cause for Rush Limbaugh and the Tea Party, who say the bill would ban incandescent light bulbs and give Americans less choice. They say it is a perfect example of government overreach.
    Now, as NPR's Elizabeth Shogren reported for us a year ago, the legislation doesn't actually ban incandescent light bulbs, it just requires that they are 30 percent more efficient.
    Elizabeth reported that Randy Moorehead, vice president at Phillips Electronics, "says in anticipation of the new standards, companies like his have started selling new incandescent bulbs that comply with the law. They're made with a slightly different technology than Thomas Edison's invention. They use halogen gas. Moorhead says consumers won't notice a difference in the way they look or work compared to old-fashioned incandescent bulbs."
    But politics are politics and the bill passed today strips the Department of Energy from the money it needs to enforce the new rules through Sept. 30, 2012. The Los Angeles Timesreports on the tussle in Congress:
    "This is an early Christmas present for all Americans," said Rep. Joe Barton (R-Texas). "It restores the freedom, at least temporarily, for you to choose the light bulbs you want to illuminate your home."
    ...
    "I can't believe it," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), who supports the new rules. She said the Republicans who pushed to block enforcement of the rules have "become deniers ... deniers of the fact that the climate is warming."
    Rep. Ted Poe (R-Texas), an outspoken critic of the new rules, recently declared that "since the federal government has taken the power to choose away from Americans," consumers have been "flocking to their local Wal-Marts to hoard the last of the incandescent bulbs."


    Monday, December 19, 2011

    Santa's Google Search Tips Rap






    Search tips: http://goo.gl/o9fmF

    To help St. Nick with his big flight this year, a few Googlers created this holiday search tips rap video. Song written and produced by, and video starring, all Google employees.

    Lyrics:
    Yo, I run a few searches before the big flight,
    To save me more time on this magical night.
    I type [sunrise and city] of my last stop,
    I got plenty of time before my last drop.

    If I don't know the time in a certain city,
    I peep it on search before my chimney shimmy.
    Tyle [time and town] before I come into town,
    To see if Johnny's in bed before I hit ground.

    Go Santa, Santa work it!
    Go Santa, Santa search it!

    But before I go flying through the frosty air,
    I do a weather search to decide what to wear.
    Mrs. Clause, should I bring my extra warm down jacket?
    [Mrs. Clause]: Hmmm, yes. You should definitely pack it.
    And please pack these cookies that I baked for you.
    Shhhhh! I researched the recipe with recipe view,
    And used the low cal filter, I must admit:
    I wanna make sure that jacket still fits!

    Go Santa, Santa work it!
    Go Santa, Santa search it!

    Check one, check two: yes I check twice.
    Santa's Google Doc called 'Naughty and nice.'
    With control+F, I find a name in the doc n',
    I hope I don't have to put coal in a stockin'

    When I'm cruising in my sleigh with my hands on the reigns,
    Voice input is handy, 'cause typing is a pain.
    If on a wish list I spot a gift I never heard: schlittschuhe,
    I use the translate app to speak the foreign word.

    Go Santa, Santa work it!
    Go Santa, Santa search it!
    Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Ho, Ho, Ho, Ho.

    Go Santa, Santa work it!
    Go Santa, Santa search it!

    Go! Go! Go! Go! Go! Yeah!
    ___________________

    Lyrics by Matt Kane, Google Content and User Education Specialist and hip hop enthusiast
    Music by Ranidu, Google Business Systems Integrator and musician:http://raniduonline.com/album/
    Video produced with the help of our friends at Seedwell: http://seedwell.com

    Category:

    Tags:

    License:

    Standard YouTube Licens

    Saturday, December 17, 2011

    “Let It Snow” Google Search


    “Let It Snow” Google Search Results in Snow

    google-let-it-snow-2
    If the weather outside today is more “delightful” than “frightful” where you live and you’re wishing for some snow without all the hassles of shoveling, there’s one place you can definitely see some (virtual) snowflakes: Google’s search results.
    Type in “let it snow” (without quotes) when you visit Google and you’ll be treated to a new Easter egg. Snowflakes will fall from the top of your screen and slowly cover Google’s search results (prominently featuring links to YouTube videos of the famous song “Let it Snow”) in a light coating of snow.
    But don’t worry if you get caught in a complete virtual whiteout, because Google has provided a Defrost button, which replaces the usual blue magnifying glass search button (if you click the Defrost button, the flakes will continue to fall, but without any accumulation). You can also click and hold your mouse to manually brush off some of the white stuff.
    While there’s a 100 percent chance of snow on Google’s results when you type in “let it snow”, many in the U.S. are hoping for a real white Christmas. The Weather Channel is keeping track of the regions most likely to see a blanket of snow on the ground for the holidays.