As U.K. Slumps, Fast Food Business Booms

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

In Britain's slumping economy, the fast-food business is booming.

"It's cheap, it's plentiful, it's cheap and it's easy," one man told CBS News.

Another person commented: "So in your face, you can't avoid it."

McDonalds there just had its best year ever. KFC's profits rose 14%. And Dominoes earnings are up even more.

Following an American trend, fast-food giants have promised healthier options. But what's most popular is still a burger and fries or a bucket of chicken.

The British call it "cheep and cheerful."

"There is a sort of way it tends to relieve stress because you are going out and not spending much money but you'll be in company and you're enjoying the occasion," said Dr. David Haslam.

With one in four adults in England dangerously overweight--and nearly one in five children overweight--the country is catching up to America.

The government is campaigning against an epidemic of obesity.

Paul Harvey, News Commentator and Talk-Show Host Pioneer, Dies at 90

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation's most familiar voices, died today in Arizona, FOX News has confirmed. He was 90.

Harvey worked at ABC Radio Networks for more than 50 years. No cause of death was immediately available.

Known for his resonant voice and trademark delivery of "The Rest of the Story," Harvey had been heard nationally since 1951, when he began his "News and Comment" for ABC Radio Networks.

He became a heartland icon, delivering news and commentary with a distinctive Midwestern flavor.

"He's bigger than anybody," former Arkansas governor and FOX News host Mike Huckabee said today. "American trust Paul Harvey."

In 1976, Harvey began broadcasting his anecdotal descriptions of the lives of famous people. He was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom by George W. Bush in 2005.

Arab Countries Have Not Delivered $1 Billion Pledge to Rebuild Gaza

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to the Associated Press, a senior Arab League official says Arab countries have not delivered any of the more than $1 billion they pledged to rebuild Gaza after Israel's devastating offensive.

The official says the money pledged in mid-January has been held up because of disagreements between rival Palestinian groups Fatah and Hamas about who should receive donations.

He says Arab countries are waiting to see whether a solution to the disagreement is reached at an international meeting on Gaza reconstruction in Egypt on Monday.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity Saturday because he is not authorized to talk to the media.

Saudi Arabia pledged $1 billion for Gaza reconstruction, Qatar $250 million and Algeria $100 million.

Annette Bening Visits Iran for 'Creative Exchange.'

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

With the world still wary of Iran's plans for its nuclear program, the country is welcoming a band of unofficial cultural ambassadors from the United States.

The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Science confirmed Friday that it had sent a group from Hollywood to Iran--emphasizing they are on a strictly cultural mission of creative exchange.

Iranian media had reported that the delegation included the Academy president, as well as actress Annette Bening, saying the group would have meetings Saturday and Sunday in Tehran.

Diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Iran have remained strained since Iran's Islamic revolution 30 years ago, in which the U.S. embassy in Tehran was stormed, setting off a prolonged hostage crisis.

Ed McMahon Hospitalized in Los Angeles

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Ed McMahon, former sidekick to Johnny Carson on "Tonight" was hospitalized in intensive care, a spokesman said Friday.

McMahon, 85, was suffering from pneumonia and other ailments and had been in the hospital for several weeks, spokesman Howard Bragman said.

"It's serious," Bragman said when asked about McMahon's condition, noting his age. But Bragman added: "We're hopeful."

McMahon had broken his neck in a fall in 2007. He faced foreclosure on his home last year because he said the injury left him unable to work, but a deal was announced last December that would allow him to stay in the house.

Wiesel loses millions to Madoff

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to the Associated Press Elie Wiesel, the Nobel Peace prize winner and Nazi death camp survivor joined a legion of well known Madoff clients by investing millions of dollars from his charitable foundation and his own money as well--with the charming financier.

At a panel discussion in Manhattan, Wiesel recounted how he lost it all in perhaps the largest Ponzi scheme in history. Wiesel admitted he bought into the Madoff mystique.

With Madoff, there "was a myth that he created around him that everything was special, so unique that it had to be secret," he said.

Wiesel said he ended up losing $15.2 million in foundation funds, plus his family investment.

"It was a personal tragedy for me and my wife," he said. "Everything was gone."

Looking back, he suspects he was being scammed from the moment he met Madoff.

"Was he already a crook? Probably," he said.

'Slumdog Millionaire' Actor Beaten By Dad

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

In a scene right out of the Oscar winning movie, 10-year-old "Slumdog Millionaire" star Azharuddin Mohammed was beaten and kicked while cameras clicked.

Photos published in The Sun in London today show a man identified as the boy's father, Ismail, physically punishing the child after he balked at being put on display, the paper said.

Another photo shows Mohammed with tears streaming down his face. The mother tried to stop the beating, which lasted no more than 30 seconds, the paper reported.

"He didn't attend school today so that he could recover from his long flight from L.A. and simply wanted all the attention to stop," an eyewitness told The Sun.

"However, when Azharuddin put his foot down and said that was it and there was to be no more talking, Ismail just flipped."

The photos published in The Sun followed a frenzied day of mobs greeting Azharuddin and the other stars of "Slumdog Millionaire" as they returned from Los Angeles, where their film won eight Oscars.

A Total Recall Remake

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Neal H. Moritz and his Original Films are in final negotiations to develop and produce for Columbia Pictures a contemporary version of "Total Recall," the 1990 Arnold Schwarzenegger sci-fi action movie directed by Paul Verhoeven.

The original, based on the story "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale," follows a man haunted by a recurring dream of journeying to Mars who buys a literal dream vacation from a company called Rekall Inc., which sells implanted memories. The man comes to believe he is a secret agent and ends up on a Martian colony, where he fights to overthrow a despotic ruler controlling the production of air.

Calling the story "prescient," Moritz said he hoped the advancements in technology and state-of-the-art visual effects can help tell the "Recall" story in a fresh way.

Fox renews 'The Simpsons' through season 22.

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to the Associated Press, Fox says it's renewing "The Simpsons" for another two seasons, which will secure it's place as TV's longest-running prime-time show.

Now in its 20th season, "The Simpsons" already had tied record-holder "Gunsmoke."

The two-year, 44-episode pickup announced today by Fox will bring the total number of "Simpsons" episodes to 493.

"The Simpsons" received a Peabody and 24 emmys among other awards.

UAE bans Israeli cartoon on YouTube

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The United Arab Emirates has blocked an Israeli cartoon on the video sharing website YouTube due to content that mocks Muslims and insults the UAE, the country's second internet service providers announced on Wednesday.

The controversial cartoon, called Ahmed and Salim, is a set of satirical skits that center on the title characters who are more interested in Western pop culture than their father's aspirations of having them die as martyrs by carrying out terrorist attacks on "filthy Jews or Americans" which the boys continue to fail at.

The skits are spoken in gibberish but are subtitled in Hebrew and English and a laughing audience can be heard in the backround. One of the two young boys is dressed in traditional Gulf attire and the other wears a balaclava covering his face.

The UAE flag is shown in several scenes and in one of the scenes the boys are tasked with blowing up an Israeli bus but decide to get some ice-cream instead, when they return they mistakenly plant a bomb on a UAE-flagged bus.

UAE-based activists launched a campaign on the internet calling for a complete ban on YouTube because it regularly allows content that insults Islam and Arabs, according to Al-Aribiya.

"Now all internet subscribers in the UAE cannot access the movie," Etisalat Vice President, Ahmed Bin Ali, told Al-Aribiya.net.

'Holmes' sets Christmas release date

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

With 2009 under way the major studios are beginning to finalize their release calendars for the year.

On Wednesday, Warner Bros. said it was delaying the release of Guy Ritchie's Robert Downey Jr.-Jude Law flick "Sherlock Holmes" from November 13 to December 25.

"Sherlock" had been set to open November 20, but then Summit Entertainment announced it would debut Twilight sequel "New Moon" on that date.

Christmas day already is getting jammed up. Other films opening on X-Mas day are Disney toon "The Princess and the Frog," and "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakuel."

Sacha Baron Cohen's "Bruno" has been moved back from May 15 to July 10.

Obamas honor Stevie Wonder at White House

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

President Barack Obama Wednesday thanked musician Stevie Wonder for creating "a style that's uniquely American" as he presented the singer-songwriter the nation's highest award for pop music.

Wonder was emotional at times, thanking Obama for the award and reflecting on what his election as the first black president means to the United States.

Jackie Chan film called too violent for China

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Jackie Chan, the comical kung fu king, is starring in a new movie so violent that its director decided not to release it in mainland China, which doesn't have a film ratings system.

Hong Kong director Derek Yee told The Associated Press on Monday that he considered toning down the violence in "Shinjuku Incident" so it could pass censorship in China, but decided not to because he thought it would hurt the integrity of the movie.

Yee said the $25 million Chinese-language movie, in which Chan plays a refugee who escapes to Japan and becomes a killer for the mob, has scenes that show characters getting a hand chopped off and pierced with knives.

"We tried to cut the violent scenes to meet the requirements of the Chinese market, but producers I invited to watch that version thought it was incomplete," he said.

Yee said Chan, who invested in the movie, agreed with his decision.

Yee said he wasn't worried about the film's setting of Japan--another sensitive topic in China.

"For us, the problem was just the violence," he said.

Cigarettes in New Film Stir Anger at Studio

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Angry at Warner Brothers over images of cigarettes in the comedy, "He's Just Not That Into You," an arm of the American Medical Association is demanding that the studio step up its policing of tobacco images on screen.

According to the New York Times, the American Medical Association Alliance said it intends to lodge an official complaint on Thursday with Warner Brothers over "disturbing images of specific cigarette brands in this youth-rated movie," said Melissa Walthers, director of the health

advocacy group's effort to reduce teenage smoking.

Among other things, the group wants Warner publicly to certify that it received no payment for the product placement and is asking all Hollywood studios to ban filmmakers from showing specific tobacco brands in their work.

Apparently there are numerous shots of National American Spirit Lights, easily identifiable by their bright yellow box.

Robin Hood woos Cate Blanchett

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Cate Blanchett will play Maid Marian alongside Russell Crowe's Robin Hood in the Ridley Scott-directed adventure picture.

The film, according to Variety, has been called "Nottingham" but is undergoing a title change, begins production in early April.

The film will be shot on a $130 million budget. Robin Hood apparently meets his match in Marian, a strong independent woman.

Sienna Miller was at one time attached to play the role, but exited late last year.

Lebanon bans movie over nude politician's daughter

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The daughter of a Lebanese politician has caused a stir after she played a prostitute and appeared nude in a movie, which was banned only four days after it premiered.

According to Al-Aribiya, the censorship division at the Lebanese General Security Authority did not give reasons for banning "Help" but the outraged producer Bacchus Elwan threatened to sue the censorship, saying the film had not broken any laws.

"Help" tells the story of Ali, a teenager who lives in a van in a car junkyard. He meets Thoraya, a prostitute who lives with her gay friend, Janou.

Actress Joanna Andraus, who is the daughter of Antoine Andraus, a member of Lebanon's ruling March 14 Alliance, admitted that the scenes were daring, but stressed that they serve the purpose of the movie.

"I have no problem with nudity on screen," she told Al-Aribiya.net. "It is art like paintings of nude women."

Joanna added that the movie sheds light on a problem that most societies, especially Lebanon, go through. She refused to say more about her role.

The movie stirred controversy in Lebanon's politicial scene and some tried to link the ban to Joanna's father, an allegation she strongly denied.

"My father has nothing to do with that and he never interferes in my work," she said.

Joanna, a former fashion model, pointed out that she was no stranger to raunchy outfits and said her father has never had any objections in the past.

Octomom Gets $1 Million Porn Offer From Vivid Entertainment

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Vivid Entertainment has made a $1 million offer to Nadya Suleman to make a pornographic video.

In an offer letter obtained by TMZ.com, the president of the pornography studio, Steven Hirsch, says his company would release the film under their "Vivid-Celeb imprint, which has released titles starring such personalitites as Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian and most recently, former Miss USA Keli McCarty."

The company is also offering her family dental and health care if she agrees to star in a series of films.

Michelle Obama's thrifty interior designer

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Michelle Obama won't pay a fortune to decorate her daughters' new rooms at the White House, said US Weekly. The First Lady has instructed celebrity interior decorator Michael Smith to furnish the rooms of Sasha and Malia with items from Pottery Barn and Anthropologie. Ten-year-old Malia however, still plans to do her homework on the desk where Abraham Lincoln wrote the Emancipation Proclamation.

Isla Fisher's slow conversion to Judaism

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Isla Fisher is still getting used to her new religion, says Rebecca Mead in Allure. The 32-year-old star of "Confessions of a Shopaholic" grew up in Australia, where she was raised Methodist. Then in 2002, she began dating comedian Sasha Baron Cohen, aka "Borat." Baron Cohen proposed to her in 2004 and they had a daughter in 2007.

But the couple is still not married because Baron Cohen is an observant Jew and Fisher must become Jewish to be his wife. She has been undergoing the conversion process though she is vague about how far along she is.

"It is always reported that I am still studying so I am either the slowest studier in the world, or I have, in fact, converted."

She has even taken on the Hebrew name Ayala which means "doe," and she no longer eats pork or other nonkosher food. A Jewish wedding really is on the horizon, she says.

The experience has been challenging, she says, but worth it. "I never saw it as a losing or gaining situation, just an embracing situation."

Chow had eyelid job

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Hong Kong actor Chow Yun Fat admitted in a TV interview in South Korea that he has had cosmetic surgery, reported Apple Daily yesterday.

The 54-year-old said, "As I grew older, my eyelids began to droop. I began going for cosmetic surgery in Hong Kong in 1989."

He was in Seoul, South Korea to promote Dragonball-Evolution, the Hollywood adaptation of the popular Japanese manga. He plays master Roshi in the film.

Coming soon, a Slumdog musical

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A day after sweeping the Academy awards, Slumdog Millionaire proudcer Christian Colson is ensuring that the children featured in the film are not left to fight life's battles on their own.

The producers are planning a stage musical of the eight-Oscar-winning film to raise funds for Mubai's slum kids.

According to the Hindustan Times, the funds from the musical would be ploughed back into the slums where the movie was filmed.

Also, plans to safeguard the future of the two children from the slums and who attended the Oscars with six others from better off families, are being re-examined.

Boyle, the film's director said the children also enjoyed their trip to Disneyworld and Universal Studios. As soon as they got to the hotel, they jumped into the pool fully clothed.

Columnist Liz Smith parts ways with New York Post

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The New York Post is dropping Liz Smith's column this week to save money, leaving the legendary gossip columnist without a newspaper home in the city for the first time in 33 years.

"I'm very sorry that that has come to an end and that I wasn't valuable enough for them to keep me on," the 86-year-old Smith said today.

Smith said the daily newspaper declined to renew her $125,000 annual contract.

Saudi man hacks Ministry of Labor website

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A Saudi man hacked into the website of the Ministry of Labor to voice his displeasure with the lack of employment opportunities in the Kingdom.

"We are sick of unemployment. We hope you listen," he wrote on the homepage.

The hacker did not obstruct the website site and website administrators did not immediately remove the hacker's statement, according to the Saudi newspaper Al-Madina. The newspaper reported Wednesday that the message remained on the Ministry's homepage throughout the day.

Clooney meets with Obama to discuss Darfur

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to the Associated Press, George Clooney apparently had a good reason for skipping out on Oscar night: He had a meeting with President Barack Obama.

The Oscar-winning actor appeared Monday on CNN's "Larry King Live" and spoke of his visit earlier that morning with Obama to discuss the humanitarian crisis in Sudan's Darfur region.

Clooney said he told the president of his visit to camps in Chad where 250,000 refugees live, but he downplayed the risks he took to witness the suffering firsthand.

"I don't think people should be going there and coming back and saying how it affected them," Clooney told King via satellite from the White House lawn. "I think somehow we should all know that these people are hanging on by the skin of their teeth."

Clooney, a U.N. Messenger of Peace, said he asked the president to appoint a full-time regional envoy who reports directly to the White House and to ask China to set aside its business interests in the region and pressure Sudan to prevent atrocities.

Man Arrested for Selling Marijuana at McDonald's Drive-Thru

By: Vikie J. Rubinson

I'll have the Mc-special! Maryland police say a man working at a McDonald's was dealing drugs out of a drive-thru.

Police arrested Don Brice, 27, on Friday in the parking lot of McDonald's. Police say Brice sold marijuana to undercover detectives who were investigating him.

In the last month, police received tips that Brice was dealing drugs ouf of the drive-thru window.

Celebs Show Up at Mardi Gras in New Orleans

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Mardi Gras New Orleans' pre-Lenten celebration that ranges from family picnics along parade routes to X-rated flesh fests on Bourbon Street--went into its final hours today with high spirits and glitzy parades.

Jim Belushi and his Sacred Heart band ushered in Mardi Gras, dancing and singing past midnight with "Hard to Handle," "Soul Man" and about a dozen other songs.

"I love New Orleans!" Belushi shouted to a crowd of hundreds gathered at the Morial Convention Center.

The crowd danced as Belushi and company entertained--at times pulling people from the crowd on stage to sing and dance. At one point, Belushi lifted his shirt and tapped his not-so-flat stomach to be the beat of the music.

Besides Belushi, comedian Joan Rivers, AMC's "Mad Men" star Bryan Batt and country music star Josh Groban and the cast of "Reno 911" were also on hand.

Big crowds over the weekend and nearly full hotels bode well for a busy Mardi Gras. Visitors bureau spokeswoman Mary Beth Romig said officials were cautiously optimistic because of the slumping national economy.

Mardi Gras officially ends at midnight Wednesday. Police, followed by street sweepers, move up and down Bourbon Street announcing the event is officially over and Lent has begun. In heavily Catholic New Orleans, many of the revelers will be in church Wednesday to have ashes daubed on their foreheads as they begin 40 days of prayer, penitence and self-denial leading up to Easter.

Fish pedicures nipped in the bud in Florida

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A trendy pedicure that lets fish nibble dead skin from the feet has been nipped in the bud by Florida regulators.

The Florida Board of Cosmetology has banned the procedure, even before it was known to be offered anywhere in the state. The board said salons had been inquiring about its legality and decided to issue the decision before it became a problem.

The treatment is popular in Asia and has spread to some U.S. cities. A client sticks feet, hands or other body parts in a bowl or pool and the small fish chow down on soft decaying skin.

Texas, Washington, Massachusetts and New Hampshire have also outlawed the practice.

Pinto Lands Role in Next Woody Allen Film

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Model-turned-actress Freida Pinto will follow her movie debut in Oscar-winning "Slumdog Millionaire" with a role in legendary filmmaker Woody Allen's next film.

"The movie begins shooting in July (2009). So thank you Danny Boyle for helping me to take off."

Dying Reality TV Star Ties the Knot

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A British reality TV star who is dying of cervical cancer got married Sunday in full glare of the cameras--a wedding extravaganza auctioned off to the highest media bidder to pay for the education of her young sons.

Jade Goody, the star Britons used to love to hate, and now can't praise enough, has tied the knot with fiance Jack Tweed, according to her spokesman, Max Clifford.

Goody, 27, and Tweed 21, received a standing ovation from 200 guests once they were married at the Down Hall City House Hotel in eastern England, he told reporters.

"It was just a very beautiful very moving service," Clifford added.

There was the usual trimmings of a celebrity wedding--a helicopter, a fancy hotel, a TV crew and a reported million dollar deal to secure photo and video rights to the ceremony.

The bride, 27, is bald from chemotherapy and carried a pouch for painkillers concealed in her designer dress; the groom is on probation after assaulting a teenage boy with a golf club.

Oscar night parties!

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The glitzy, global spirit of Hollywood raged into the wee hours after the Oscars, with parties around town feting everyone from British Academy Award winner Kate Winslett, down to the youngest "Slumdog Millionaire" star, drinking caffeine to keep up his strength.

Ayush Mahesh Khedekar, only 8, slurped on a can of Coca-Cola at Fox Searchlight's packed after-party Sunday night at ONE Sunset in West Hollywood honoring "The Wrestler" and "Slumdog Millionaire."

Ayush, who lives in India and plays the youngest version of the movie's protagonist Jamal, sat on a sofa in the club nursing a soda after midnight.

"I'm having a great time!" he enthused. "And I know it's past my bedtime."

Despite economic woes, myriad parties had all the glamour and celebrity schmoozing of past shindigs, though guest lists were substantially slashed and simple comfort food reigned.

Jennifer Love Hewitt hosed AIDS Project LA's annual bash at The Abbey and Chevy Chase and Laura Dern and other famous faces flocked to the Night of 100 Stars gala at the Beverly Hills Hotel.

"Yes I still have fans telling me they liked my 'Land Shark' skit on SNL from 20 years ago," commented Chase in an impromtu chat. "Those were the good old days."

Best actor winner Sean Penn and Marissa Tomei, Amy Adams and Anne Hathaway were just a few of the stars who made the Governor's Ball at the Kodak Theater.

Guests drank Champagne and nibbled on lobster and shrimp and three-level dessert boxes topped with little chocolate Oscars.

"I'm having a wonderful time!" enthused Penn in an interview. "Did you like my speech?"

"I did!" replied Amy Adams, laughing, while Mickey Rourke and Marissa Tomei posed for photogs.

The Governor's Ball Asian-themed affair featured bonsai trees inlaid in the tables and images of bamboo leaves projected on the walls.

Blocks away, Vanity Fair's revivied Oscar party was all about A-list camaraderie.

At 11:30 p.m., Kate Winslett swept in. Clutching her Oscar trophy in one hand and a glass of Champagne in the other, she grinned and hugged admirers left and right.

The party's exclusive, pared down guest list meant that only the creme of Hollywood showed up, from Jennifer Aniston and John Mayer, to Halle Berry who was drinking Champagne on a couch.

Best Supporting Actress Penelope Cruz happily munched on a brownie. Other guests included Robert DeNiro, Tina Fey and Josh Brolin. Attendees feasted on more working-class offerings like bagel, egg and bacon sandwiches and In-N-Out burgers.

Tyler Perry's 'Madea" tops box office

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Tyler Perry's "Madea Goes to Jail" reigned at the weekend box office, opening with $41.1 million, according to studio estimates Sunday.

It was the highest grossing film ever for both Perry and the film's studio, Lionsgate.

Landing second was 20th Century Fox's revenge thriller "Taken" which earned $11.4 million in its fourth weekend of release.

Sony's cheerleader comedy "Fired Up," took in 6 million.

No agreement after Netanyahu, Livni meeting

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Israel's hard-line prime minister designate BiBi Netanyahu, promised today to work with the United States to promote peace in the region as he sought to forge a moderate government with his chief rival--but didn't reach a deal.

Netanyahu's crucial meeting with the moderate Tzipi Livni was intended to persuade her to ally with him in forming a new government and avoid an unwelcome alliance with ultra-nationalists to his right.

But after their meeting, Livni said the two were still at odds regarding talks with the Palestinians.

"If we want to find what unites us it is possible and it is necessary at times like these," Netanyahu said.

Both said they agreed to meet again soon.

Poll" Obama More Popular Than Jesus, Ghandi and Martin Luther King Jr.

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

John Lennon once claimed the Beatles were more popular than Jesus. Now President Obama has evidence that he's more popular than both.

Obama topped a new Harris interactive poll that asked 2,634 Americans who they admire enough to call a hero.

Jesus came in second on a list that includes God, Mahtma Gandhi and George Washington.

Other historic or notable figures making the top 10 were Martin Luther King Jr., Ronald Reagan, george W. Bush, Abraham Lincoln, John McCain, John F. Kennedy, U.S. Airways pilot Chesley Sullenberger and Mother Teresa.

At the 16th spot in the poll, George Washington, Bill Clinton and Colin Powell tied.

Other politicians who made the poll's top 25 include Hillary Clinton, Condy Rice and Sarah Palin.

God ranked 11th, between Mother Teresa and Hillary Clinton.

Could the Academy Awards Winners Have Already Been Revealed?

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Could it be that the Sunday telecast of the Oscars is irrelevant? Are the winners already up there in plain sight?

The answer is yes, if you believe some of the chatter this week on movie industry blogs, which note that a mysterious Web site materialized with the apparent intention of leaking the Academy Award winners.

That doesn't necessarily mean a spoiler, but the blog has just as mysteriously been taken down prompting some to speculate that it was too close to the truth.

So what may or may not be the big winner on Sunday? Spoiler alert: The "leaky" site predicted "Slumdog Millionaire" for Best Picture--which isn't a huge stretch, since the movie about an Indian game show contestant's quest for his true love is the presumed front runner for that top award.

An Oscar spokesperson was unequivocal about the validity of the report.

"The document is a complete fraud," Academy spokeswoman Leslie Unger told E! News, adding that only two people will know the results before the ballots are opened. Apparently, not even the Academy president knows despite the fact the site had a document that appears to have been signed by him.

But you'll still need to tune in to see if it's all true.

R.I.P. Loki

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Mickey Rourke's beloved dog Loki has passed away. The Chihuahua died on Monday night at the age of 17, confirmed Rourke's publicist Paula Woods. In a statement to PEOPLE magazine, the actor said: "Loki is deeply missed but with me in spirit. I am very blessed she fell asleep peacefully in my arms."

Rourke, who is often spotted by paparazzi with Loki, brought her to the awards ceremony at the Venice Film Festival in September. "Loki is the love of my life," he told The New York Times. Rourke recently thanked his dogs during his Best Actor acceptance speech at the Golden Globes.

R.I.P. Socks the Cat

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to People Magazine, former First Cat Socks, one of the world's most famous felines, died Friday at the age of 20 after battling throat cancer. A stray cat rescued by the Clinton's daughter Chelsea, Socks lived in the governor's mansion in Arkansas and later moved with the family to the White House.

"Socks brought much happiness to Chelsea and us over the years and enjoyment to kids and cat lovers everywhere," the Clintons said in a statement. "We're grateful for those memories and we especially want to thank our good friend, Betty Currie for taking such loving care of Socks for so many years."

Currie, the president's personal secretary took over care of Socks after the Clintons left the White House.

During the family's days in the White House, Socks had become attached to Betty with whom he spent many hours every day.

"Socks was always curled up on a blue striped silk chair next to Betty" in her office outside the Oval Office.

Landau says "Socks didn't act like a cat. Socks was very dog-like and Buddy and Socks got along well."

Landau adds that even visiting heads of state asked to have pictures taken with the cat.

"Socks had an incredible life. Betty cooked for him," Landau said, noting the cat loved chicken.

Hitler Video Shocks and Amuses

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Adolf Hitler slowly raises his trembling hand and removes his glasses from his sneering, sweat- drenched face. He bellows profanities at his officers, who stare back in horror.

And what has provoked Der Fuhrer's outrage?

He has been banned from playing XBOX Live.

This is only one example of over a hundred parody videos on You Tube of a climactic scene from the movie, "Downfall," in which Hitler displays a frightening tantrum in the presence of his officers. You Tube posters have taken to pasting humorous subtitles over the action.

But not everyone is laughing. The film itself was criticized for its humanizing portrayal of the Nazi dictator. Now some people are complaining about the You Tube parodies, which play Hitler up for laughs.

An umbrella organization representing Holocaust survivors in Israel asked You Tube on Tuesday to take down one of the spoofs in which Hitler complains about the lack of parking spaces in Tel Aviv, according to The Jersualem Post. The organization said that the clip was grossly insensitive to the feelings of elderly Holocaust survivors.

But others say the clips are simply funny--not offensive.

"This clip has nothing to do with disrespect," a YouTube user said about the parking spot video. "No one has laughed about holocaust survivors, but rather on Hitler. It is one of the best comedy clips I have ever seen and the creative writers deserve a bravo for making people smile!"

Nicolette Sheridan to Attend Vienna Opera Ball

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A quirky Austrian businessman says he's taking "Desperate Housewives" star Nicolette Sheridan to Vienna's flashy Opera Ball next month.

Richard Lugner is a 76-year-old real estate and construction mogul who loves the limelight. Each year, he invites a different female celebrity to accompany him to the annual bash in the State Opera, which attracts both socialites and dignitaries.

Lugner's past guests include Dita von Teese, Paris Hilton and Carmen Electra.

Despite the freezing cold weather in Vienna, Sheridan braved the outdoors in a white mink coat and went window shopping in the First District.

British Reality TV Star Set to Die for the Cameras

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to the New York Times, before television shined its warped light on her, Jade Goody was surely destined for a life of hardship and obscurity. Crude-talking, hard-drinking, overweight, barely educated, in debt, the child of drug addicts, she appeared on the reality show "Big Brother" in 2002 as a kind of token lowlife.

But soon Ms. Goody became a bona fide media star, a working-class Paris Hilton. Britons eagerly devoured every detail of her life, no matter how banal. They worked out to her exercise videos, bought her perfume, read her autobiography and when she made racist remarks about an Indian actress on "Celebrity Big Brother," in 2007, angirly turned against her.

Now they are preparing to watch her die.

Ms. Goody, who has two young sons, learned she had cervical cancer last August, on camera, as she appeared in the Indian version of "Big Brother." The cancer has since spread to her liver, bowel and groin; on Friday, her doctors told her there was nothing more they could do.

And then she told the British public.

"I've lived my whole adult life talking about my life," she explained in The News of the World. "I've lived in front of the cameras. And maybe I'll die in front of them."

Now that she is dying, many of the same papers who once bad-mouthed her are now squirming with unease at their collusion on the endless building up, knocking down and exploitation of a woman they always counted on to increase their own sales.

Every time Ms. Goody, 27, leaves the hospital, hunched in a wheelchair, her head wrapped in a scarf, the cameras are there to watch.

"I know some people don't like what I'm doing, but at this point, I don't really care what other people think," she told The News of the World.

Ms. Goody's publicist, Max Clifford, said that his client had three reasons for wanting to die in public: to earn money to leave to her children, to keep busy through the horror of her lasty days; and to alert young women to the need to have regular tests to detect early signs of cervical cancer.

Since Ms. Goody's diagnosis, there has been a noticeable increase in the number of British women seeking such tests, a phenomenon doctors are calling "the Jade Goody effect."

Amy Fisher Taking Up Stripping

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Amy Fisher, the "Long Island Lolita" plans to tour the country as a high-paid stripper.

"I love to dance and I'm an exhibitionist," the 34-year-old Fisher tells avn.com. "I am going to take this road until my fans tell me, 'Dear, please put your clothes on. You're too old.'

Schwarzenegger joins the cast of The Expendables

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to "Ain't it Cool, News," Arnold Schwarzenegger is going to be playing Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in The Expendables. Also, Ben Kingsley is out as the dirty CIA guy and Eric Roberts is in. Also Mickey Rourke has officially signed on.

Stallone and Arnie are both in this film.

DiCaprio may turn Jewish for Israeli model

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Actor Leonardo DiCaprio must convert to Judaism if he wants to marry his Israeli girlfriend Bar Refaeli, media reports said today.

The 23-yeare-old model's father has forbidden her to marry outside of her faith and the only way DiCaprio, 34, will be welcomed into the family is if he converts, the New York Daily News reported.

The 'Titanic' star and the Israeli model have been dating since 2005 and he recently said he wanted to wed.

Cat nips owner's lung cancer

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to the Calgary Sun, a man credits his feline friend's paws of life for discovery of a large tumour.

This was no ordinary CAT scan. But Lionel Adams believes it saved his life.

Now recovering from surgery to remove cancer from his lung, Adams, 59, is crediting his eight-year-old feline friend Tiger for alerting him and his family doctor to a mass in his lung.

"He would climb into bed and take his paw and drag it down my left side--he was adamant there was something there," he said.

"And it was right where the cancer was."

Adams, who has suffered from bronchitis, asthma and emphysema, had showed no symptoms of lung cancer before his kitty's bizarre examination.

But about seven months ago, after mentioning the cat's strange behaviour to his family doctor, he was referred to a specialist who caught the disease at stage one in his left lung.

And now Adams is heralding Tiger as a hero for potentially saving his life.

"I think if he hadn't done the pawing part it could have gone on for another five, six months undetected," he said. "I would say he's my hero."

Trump Casino to File for Bankruptcy

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Trump Entertainment Inc., Donald Trump's casino group, is expected to file Tuesday for bankruptcy, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Such a filing would mark the third appearance in bankruptcy court for Trump Entertainment, the newspaper said.

Stand-up comedy takes the Arab world by storm

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Yes folks, it's true! Comedy has taken the Arab world by storm.

"Stand-up comedy is so new here," explained Peter the Persian, who performed for the first time in Dubai at the Comedy Cafe. "It just started booming here."

Although Dubai's Comedy Cafe closed its doors after a month-long run, stand-up comedy is far from dead in the Middle East as comedy groups from the Axis of Evil to the Sultans of Satire and Allah Made Me Funny, are finding a receptive audience and more venues willing to take a chance on comedy.

According to Al-Aribiya, The Comedy Cafe is the brainchild of Palestinian-American comic Aron Kader, who brought headliner comics like Axis of Evil founder Dean Obeidallah, Sugar Sammy and Peter the Persian and gave these aspiring comics the chance to try out their material on stage and get pointers from pros.

"Stand-up comedy is an old art form in the U.S.," said 22-year-old Omar, who came to an open-mike night but was not sure he was up to getting on stage. "Not in the Middle East, here it's new."

Kader said the Middle East's increasing openness to stand-up comedy was generational and due in part to the availability of comedy shows on satellite TV and You Tube.

"The young generation gets it--they watch tons of comedy" Kader told Al-Aribiya.

Even in Saudi Arabia, often portrayed as a conservative bastion of 'no-fun,' in the Western media, comedy shows are becoming increasingly popular, though they usually take place within the confines of compound walls.

"You wouldn't believe it!" an amateur Pakistani comic who works for an oil company in Saudi told Al Aribiya, "There's no censorship!"

"Even now not many people know where it's going to be because the show may be closed down by the Muttawa (religious police)," said Akhtar. "It's really amazing--you've paid 250 riyals ($66), and you don't even know where the event is! You can't write comedy like this!"

F.E.A.R. to be advertised on cats

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

Warner Bothers unleased a 'cat-vertising' camapign on London on Friday the 13. We've heard of some pretty bizarre publicity stunts in our time, but this is the first time we've heard of live animals being used as walking billboards for a new computer game.

Shamelessly branded a 'cat-vertising campaign,' the scheme includes specially trained black cats sporting FEAR 2 cat clothing and roaming the streets of London. The idea, according to Warner Brothres, is that the creepy kitties will 'capture the attention of superstitious passers-by' as Friday the 13th is famous for its supposed bad luck and black cat crossing your path was listed at number 5 in a recent survey of Britain's superstitions and signs of bad luck.

Explaining the campaign, a spokesperson for Warner Brothers said that 'every day people are bombarded with so many advertising messages that it can be easy to miss them, so it makes perfect sense to try and capture their attention that way.'

U.S. Man Attacked by Austrian Police in Drug Bust Mix-Up

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

An American teacher who was attacked by Austrian police who mistook him for a drug dealer Monday, believes he was attacked because he was black and is taking legal action against the police for assault.

Mike Brennan, 34, from Jacksonville Florida, said two undercover police officers "came out of nowhere" at Vienna's subway station and attacked him without identifying themselves.

Vienna police admitted the mix-up Monday and expressed their regret. In a statement, they acknowledged the officers had used "physical force." An investigation is under-way.

Asked in an interview with The Associated Press whether he believed he was attacked because of his race, Brennan said he saw "hatred" in the eyes of one of his attackers.

"I heard about the situation before here, I heard a lot about it and I've never really seen it" before he said.

Brennan teaches physical ed and English as a Second Language at the Vienna International School, a private school that caters to the Austrian capital's expatriate community. He has lived in the Austrian capital for about four years.

Brennan's lawyer Alexander Hofmann said he had initiated legal action against police for abuse of power and assault and battery.

Salma Hayek weds French billionaire boyfriend

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

According to French magazine La Point, Salma Hayek, 42, married Francois-Henri Pinalut, 46, on Saturday in the City Hall of the Sixth Arrondissement in central Paris.

The couple, who have a daughter Valentina Paloma Pinault, called off their engagement last summer, but reportedly reunited on a romantic Paris trip in September.

Pinault is CEO of luxury company PPR. His father, Francois Pinault is one of the richest men in France. His fortune last year was estimated to be $16.9 billion by Forbes magazine.

Only last week, Hayek, who's been appearing on NBC's "30 Rock," told TV host Rachael Ray that when she kisses Alec Baldwin on the show, 'I keep telling Francois, "I imagine I was kissing you.'"

Woman's airport fury an online hit

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

A video of a hysterical passenger screaming at airline staff and writhing on the floor after missing a flight at Hong Kong airport has become a YouTube hit.

The three-minute clip of the furious woman has racked up close to 40,000 hits in three days on the video-sharing site.

The video starts with the screaming woman running towards the departure gate and bouncing off a female security guard, after she learned that her flight has been closed.

She then starts banging a desk before collapsing to the floor and rolling around, while maintaining a high-pitched wail.

A man unsuccessfully tries to comfort her and get her off the floor, but the shrill screaming continues.

The footage entitled "A woman missed her flight at the boarding gate HKIA" appears to have been shot with a mobile phone from behind the staff desk.

"We do not know who shot the video or who posted it on the web," a source said.

UAE denies visa to Israeli tennis player

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

The United Arab Emirates has refused to grant a visa to a female Israeli tennis player, preventing her from competing in the Sony Ericsson World Tennis Association Tour in Dubai, the WTA said in a statement today.

Shahar Peer would have been the first Israeli athlete to participate in a professional sporting event in the UAE, CNN Sports correspondent Pedro Pinto said.

The UAE has no diplomatic ties with Israel.

Peer told CNN she was "very disappointed" to be denied access to the tournament.

"Any player that qualifies should attend and I was prevented," she said from Israel. "I'm glad the WTA support me. A red line was crossed for every athlete in the world--politics should be kept separate from sports."

Dubai could lose its membership in the WTA tour next year over the ban on Peer, according to WTA rules. Government officials in Dubai have not responded to CNN's request to comment over their refusal to allow Peer to compete in the event.

The patron of the Dubai Tennis Championships is Dubai's ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al-Maktoum. Two million dollars in prize money is on the line.

Peer, 21, is ranked 48th in the world among female tennis players. She was allowed to compete at the Doha tournament in Qatar last year, where she received a warm welcome, according to Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz.