Singer To Donate Million From Gaddafi Gig

Singer Nelly Furtado has vowed to give away $1m she received to perform for the family of Libyan leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi.

The pop singer performing at the 2010 Latin Grammy awards in Las Vegas

Colonel Gaddafi has faced international condemnation for the violence used to quell a popular uprising.

Nelly Furtado, a Canadian singer whose hits include I'm Like a Bird and Promiscuous, used the social network site Twitter to reveal her decision.

"In 2007, I received $1 million from the Gaddafi clan to perform a 45 min show for guests at a hotel in Italy," she wrote.

"I am going to donate the $".

It has not been confirmed which group will benefit from Furtado's donation.

The dictator's son Muatassim's is known to throw extravagant New Year parties

Her decision to give away the cash has turned the spotlight on other pop stars who have performed at parties for the sons of Col Gaddafi on the Caribbean island of St Barts.

They include Mariah Carey, Beyonce and Usher.

Furtado first rose to fame with the 2000 album Whoa, Nelly!.

She also appeared in the 2008 movie Max Payne.

Read More

The top 10 most popular athletes on Twitter

The biggest athlete in professional sports is also the biggest athlete on Twitter.

NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has the most followers of any athlete on the social media site, with over 3.5 million users reading his tweets. Brazilian soccer star Kaka is second on the list, more than 500,000 followers behind.

Though athletic success is a good yardstick in determining which men and women have the most followers, it's not as reliable an indicator as you'd think. For instance, Tiger Woods isn't in the top 10 but Chad Ochocinco is. (Tiger actually has fewer followers than fellow golfers Stewart Cink and Ian Poulter.) LeBron James cracks the list but comes in behind Reggie Bush. And of all the baseball players with accounts, one-time All-Star Nick Swisher is the most popular. (It doesn't hurt that he's on the New York Yankees.)

Here's the list of the top-10 athletes on Twitter, along with a sample tweet and a summary of their favorite subjects:

1. Shaquille O'Neal -- @THE_REAL_SHAQ -- 3,564,335 followers -- 51 tweets (in the month of February)

2. Kaka -- @kaka -- 2,934,112 followers -- 57 tweets

3. Serena Williams -- @serenawilliams -- 1,931,286 followers -- 412 tweets

4. Cristiano Ronaldo -- @Cristiano -- 1,914,172 followers -- 88 tweets

5. Dwight Howard -- @DwightHoward -- 1,874,255 followers -- 22 tweets

6. Paul Pierce -- @paulpierce34 -- 1,745,039 followers -- 69 tweets

7. Chad Ochocinco -- @ochocinco -- 1,741,178 followers -- 630 tweets

8. Reggie Bush -- @reggie_bush -- 1,555,080 followers -- 61 tweets

9. LeBron James -- @kingjames -- 1,492,952 followers -- 46 tweets

10. Nick Swisher -- @nickswisher -- 1,273,939 followers -- 64 tweets

Read More

Bristol Palin to Write About Dancing with the Stars in New Memoir

At the tender age of 20, Bristol Palin already has an abundance of accomplishments under her belt: Actress, mom and reality star among them. 
Now she can add author to that list. 

Palin is writing her memoir, and it's set for a summer release, reports The New York Times. 

Not Afraid of Life will offer "an inside look at her life, her world and the things that matter most, including her family and the faith that keeps her centered," the publisher said in a statement Tuesday. 

Expect details from her time as a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, on which Palin was a runner up during season 11. The book will reveal the "grueling practices and the criticisms she endured," the Times reports. 

In addition to her writing duties, Palin also tours the country for speaking engagements. She lives in Maricopa, Ariz., with her 2-year-old son, Tripp, and has recently been dating a 20-year-old Alaska pipeline worker. 

Her book will be published by HarperCollins, which also released her mother Sarah Palin's books, Going Rogue and America By Heart, and will have an as-yet-unnamed co-writer. 

Read More

Christina Aguilera and Boyfriend Arrested: Report

Christina Aguilera was reportedly arrested for public intoxication early Tuesday morning, according to TMZ.
The singer was said to be with her boyfriend, Matthew Rutler, who was arrested for allegedly driving under the influence. The two were booked at a West Hollywood Sheriff's station at 2:45 a.m. 

According to TMZ's report, a law enforcement source says that Aguilera, 30, who was booked on a misdemeanor charge, was "extremely intoxicated" and "unable to take care of herself." 

Rutler's bail was set at $30,000, according to the L.A. County Sheriff's Department. 

Aguilera's reps were not immediately available for comment.

Read More

Two and Half Men Production Halted after Charlie Sheen's Rants

The show won't go on – at least for now. 
CBS halted production of Two and a Half Menon Thursday after Charlie Sheen lambasted the show's creator in bizarre interviews. 

"Based on the totality of Charlie Sheen's statements, conduct and condition, CBS and Warner Bros. Television have decided to discontinue production of Two and a Half Men for the remainder of the season," says producer Warner Bros. Television and the network that broadcasts the program, CBS. 

The statement was released after Sheen, 45, went on profane, rambling rampages against Alcoholics Anonymous, party girls, his ex-wife, founding father Thomas Jefferson and Two and a Half Mencreator Chuck Lorre.

In an open letter posted on TMZ.com Thursday evening, Sheen responded to the news that CBS halted production of his show, calling out Lorre, whom he again refers to as Haim Levine, specifically. 

"I fire back once and this contaminated little maggot can't handle my power and can't handle the truth," the letter reads. "I wish him nothing but pain in his silly travels especially if they wind up in my octagon. Clearly I have defeated this earthworm with my words – imagine what I would have done with my fire breathing fists." 

Sheen concludes his letter with an open plea for his fans to support him. 

"I urge all my beautiful and loyal fans who embraced this show for almost a decade," he writes, "to walk with me side-by-side as we march up the steps of justice to right this unconscionable wrong." 

Read More

Facebook Like button takes over Share button

Say goodbye to the Share button because the Like button is taking over.


After months of updates to its Like button, Facebook has released an update that fundamentally changes the button's functionality to that of a Share button. Now after hitting the Like button, a full story with a headline, blurb and thumbnail will be posted to your profile wall. You'll also be given an option to comment on the story link. Previously, only a link to the story would appear in the recent activity, often going unnoticed by users.

Though users may now think twice about hitting the button, given how prominently it will appear on their walls and in their networks' newsfeeds, it should ultimately increase traffic to publishers' websites.

Facebook has slowly been rolling out updates to its Like button and has stopped developing the Share Button. Facebook Spokeswoman Malorie Lucich told us that while the company will continue to support the Share button, Like is the "recommended solution moving forward."

However, Lucich today called it a test, saying "We're always testing new products that incorporate developer feedback as we work to improve the Platform experience, and have no details to share at this time." It's unlikely that the change is just a test, however. Typically such tests from Facebook only affect a small number of users, whereas this change affects all Like buttons.

Perhaps the change was necessary. Because it was never made clear to users that the Like button would function differently than the Share button, many never understood what it meant to click Like on a piece of content. Making the result the same as the Share button could build stronger user expectations, ultimately fashioning a better user experience.

Read More

Oscar Winners 2011

The 83rd Annual Oscars were held on February 27, 2011 at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood and Highland.

'The King's Speech' was the big winner at the 2011 Oscars, winning four awards, including Best Picture.

The British period drama, about King George VI's attempt to overcome his stammer, also walked away with awards for Best Director (Tom Hooper), Best Actor (Colin Firth) and Best Original Screenplay.

The 2011 Oscar Winners:

Best Picture

'Black Swan'

'The Fighter'

'Inception'

'The Kids Are All Right'

'The King’s Speech'

'127 Hours'

'The Social Network'

'Toy Story 3'

'True Grit'

'Winter's Bone'

Best Actor

Javier Bardem

'Biutiful'

Jeff Bridges

'True Grit'

Jesse Eisenberg

'The Social Network'

Colin Firth

'The King's Speech'

James Franco

'127 Hours'

Best Actress

Annette Bening

'The Kids Are All Right'

Nicole Kidman

'Rabbit Hole'

Jennifer Lawrence

'Winter's Bone'

Natalie Portman

'Black Swan'

Michelle Williams

'Blue Valentine'

Best Director

Darren Aronofsky

'Black Swan'

David O. Russell

'The Fighter'

Tom Hooper

'The King's Speech'

David Fincher

'The Social Network'

Joel and Ethan Coen

'True Grit'

Best Original Song

'Coming Home' from 'Country Strong'

Music and Lyric by Tom Douglas, Troy Verges and Hillary Lindsey

'I See the Light' from 'Tangled'

Music by Alan Menken Lyric by Glenn Slater

'If I Rise' from '127 Hours'

Music by A.R. Rahman Lyric by Dido and Rollo Armstrong

'We Belong Together' from 'Toy Story 3'

Music and Lyric by Randy Newman

Best Film Editing

'Black Swan'

Andrew Weisblum

'The Fighter'

Pamela Martin

'The King's Speech'

Tariq Anwar

'127 Hours'

Jon Harris

'The Social Network'

Angus Wall & Kirk Baxter

Best Visual Effects

'Alice in Wonderland'

Ken Ralston, David Schaub, Carey Villegas & Sean Phillips

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1'

Tim Burke, John Richardson, Christian Manz & Nicolas Aithadi

'Hereafter'

Michael Owens, Bryan Grill, Stephan Trojanski & Joe Farrell

'Inception'

Paul Franklin, Chris Corbould, Andrew Lockley & Peter Bebb

'Iron Man 2'

Janek Sirrs, Ben Snow, Ged Wright & Daniel Sudick

Best Documentary Feature

'Exit Through the Gift Shop'

'Gasland'

'Inside Job'

'Restrepo'

'Waste Land'

Best Short Film (Live Action)

'The Confession' - Tanel Toom

'The Crush' - Michael Creagh

'God of Love' - Luke Matheny

'Na Wewe' - Ivan Goldschmidt

'Wish 143' - Ian Barnes & Samantha Waite

Best Documentary (Short Subject)

'Killing in the Name'

'Poster Girl'

'Strangers No More'

'Sun Comes Up'

'The Warriors of Qiugang'

Best Costume Design

'Alice in Wonderland'

Colleen Atwood

'I Am Love'

Antonella Cannarozzi

'The King's Speech'

Jenny Beavan

'The Tempest'

Sandy Powell

'True Grit'

Mary Zophres

Best Makeup

'Barney's Version'

Adrien Morot

'The Way Back'

Edouard F. Henriques, Gregory Funk & Yolanda Toussieng

'The Wolfman'

Rick Baker & Dave Elsey

Best Sound Editing

'Inception'

Richard King

'Toy Story 3'

Tom Myers & Michael Silvers

'Tron: Legacy'

Gwendolyn Yates Whittle & Addison Teague

'True Grit'

Skip Lievsay & Craig Berkey

'Unstoppable'

Mark P. Stoeckinger

Best Sound Mixing

'Inception'

Lora Hirschberg, Gary A. Rizzo & Ed Novick

'The King's Speech'

Paul Hamblin, Martin Jensen & John Midgley

'Salt'

Jeffrey J. Haboush, Greg P. Russell, Scott Millan & William Sarokin

'The Social Network'

Ren Klyce, David Parker, Michael Semanick & Mark Weingarten

'True Grit'

Skip Lievsay, Craig Berkey, Greg Orloff & Peter F. Kurland

Best Original Score

'How to Train Your Dragon'

John Powell

'Inception'

Hans Zimmer

'The King's Speech'

Alexandre Desplat

'127 Hours'

A.R. Rahman

'The Social Network'

Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross

Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale

'The Fighter'

John Hawkes

'Winter's Bone'

Jeremy Renner

'The Town'

Mark Ruffalo

'The Kids Are All Right'

Geoffrey Rush

'The King's Speech'

Best Foreign Language Film

'Biutiful'

Mexico

'Dogtooth'

Greece

'In a Better World'

Denmark

'Incendies'

Canada

'Outside the law'

Algeria

Best Original Screenplay

Mike Leigh

'Another Year'

Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson

'The Fighter'

Christopher Nolan

'Inception'

Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg

'The Kids Are All Right'

David Seidler

'The King's Speech'

Best Adapted Screenplay

Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy

'127 Hours'

Aaron Sorkin

'The Social Network'

John Lasseter, Andrew Stanton & Lee Unkrich

'Toy Story 3'

Joel Coen & Ethan Coen

'True Grit'

Debra Granik & Anne Rosellini

'Winter's Bone'

Best Animated Feature Film

'How to Train Your Dragon'

'Illusionist'

'Toy Story 3'

Best Short Film (Animated)

'Day & Night' - Teddy Newton

'The Gruffalo' - Jakob Schuh & Max Lang

'Let's Pollute' - Geefwee Boedoe

'The Lost Thing' - Shaun Tan & Andrew Ruhemann

'Madagascar, carnet de voyage' - Bastien Dubois

Best Supporting Actress

Amy Adams

'The Fighter'

Helena Bonham Carter

'The King's Speech'

Melissa Leo

'The Fighter'

Hailee Steinfeld

'True Grit'

Jacki Weaver

'Animal Kingdom'

Best Cinematography

'Black Swan'

Matthew Libatique

'Inception'

Wally Pfister

'The King's Speech'

Danny Cohen

'The Social Network'

Jeff Cronenweth

'True Grit'

Roger Deakins

Best Art Direction

'Alice in Wonderland'

Production Design: Robert Stromberg; Set Decoration: Karen O'Hara

'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part I'

Production Design: Stuart Craig; Set Decoration: Stephenie McMillan

'Inception'

Production Design: Guy Hendrix Dyas; Set Decoration: Larry Dias and Doug Mowat

'The King's Speech'

Production Design: Eve Stewart; Set Decoration: Judy Farr

'True Grit'

Production Design: Jess Gonchor; Set Decoration: Nancy Haigh

Read More