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BIG BROTHER 1710: Austin Gives Jeff Judas Treatment

big brother 1710 recap images 2015 jeff james nominatedAustin was able to work his ‘Judas’ side on Jeff last night on Big Brother, and Vanessa said she wanted Jeff or James gone even though everyone else was targeting Audrey for eviction. John asked Vanessa if James threw the last battle of the block. James said he and his allies were going after Audrey this week.

clay shirtless with john jeff big brother 2015 1710Clay said Jeff and James had no idea they were targets for eviction this week. Vanessa said James is good at everything and that is threatening. Austin said he saw Jeff as the biggest target of the week but he would follow Vanessa’s lead. Audrey said she wanted to check in with Vanessa to make sure Vanessa is not trying to get her evicted this week. Vanessa told Audrey she was her friend not her enemy.

Austin told Jeff he trusts Vanessa. Jeff said Shelli needed to be targeted for eviction. Jeff also noticed the physical differences between Liz and Julia.

Tonight’s veto competition saw Shelli, Audrey and Austin get chosen. Jason said he was mortified that Audrey was chosen and he wasn’t.austin bulge squat judas with jeff big brother 2015Vanessa said Audrey made her and Vanessa a target when she went in Vanessa’s room to talk to her because they don’t want all the housemates to know they are working together.

This week’s game is a Gronk and Roll Vegas Party. Players had to spin a wheel and get a number they would then have to have face up on their dice after taking several steps to their platform. The person that gets it first gets power of veto for the week. Audrey won the first round of this game and then competed against John. Shelli said she was rooting for Audrey to win this game. John won the next round and James challenged Austin in the next round. Austin won and advanced in the game. Shelli then challenged Austin and said it was in her best interest if he won the power of veto. For the final round Austin competed with John, who said he needed to win so he’d be 1100% safe this week. Shelli said she needed Austin to win this round too. Austin said it might not be in his best interest to win power of veto, which is good since John ended up winning it. Vanessa said Austin had jeopardized their plan and now she didn’t know what to do.

john wins veto again big brother 1701 images 2015John said he was tired of being a pawn and sticking his neck out for everyone else. John said that when James starts feeling safe he may end up going home so he better make more of an effort in the game to prevent that from happening.

vanessa confronts austin big brother 1710Vanessa accused Austin of not trying to throw the power of veto. She said she wanted James out and wanted as little blood on her hands as possible. Austin said he was going for the win but John beat him to it. Austin said he needed to convince Vanessa he hadn’t thrown the power of veto game. Austin apologized for losing the power of veto competition and Vanessa said she was going to have to think about what she should do now.

Vanessa called everyone to the living room for the Grunk Party and told them that when Grunk called and told them to go to a party they had to do it. One was a toga dance party and one was a pool party. Another one was a shower party and one was a kitchen party. The conga party left them tired and bored. Then they had a hot tub party which they said sucked.

vanessa targets jeff on big brother 1710 images 2015Vanessa talked to Jeff and said she was struggling to do the right thing for herself but still make the other house guests happy. She said she had an opportunity to take James out this week. Clay played dumb to protect himself and Shelli. Austin said Vanessa was over thinking everything in the game. Jason could tell Austin was in an alliance with Vanessa. Austin said now he could confront Jeff about his lies and give Vanessa a reason to target him for eviction. Austin asked Jeff if he was throwing him under the bus and Jeff denied it. Austin said he thought he and Jeff were friends. Jeff said Clay and Shelli were angry at him now. Jeff told Austin no one was dragging his name through the mud. Vanessa said she knew Austin said he couldn’t work with Shelli and Clay. Vanessa said Jeff was making up lies about her.

big brother 1710 jeff john nominated for eviction 2015This week’s takeover involved each housemate trying to win a free cruise. Meg won the cruise in a drinking contest. Next came the veto meeting for the week. A dance party then broke out in the living room. John said he was using the power of veto to save himself from eviction. Vanessa put Jeff up for eviction in John’s place. Jeff said he knew Vanessa thought this was a good move but she was just Audrey’s puppet.

Russell Wilson Staying Pure & Ben Affleck’s Batman Commitment: Celebrity Gossip Roundup

russell wilson staying pure for ben affleck gay marriage 2015 gossipRussell Wilson has admitted to the world that he and his girlfriend are waiting for marriage before having sex. In an interview with a San Diego church he said that he wants his fans to pray for himself and his girlfriend, Ciara. While some women may find this very romantic, many are stirring up long rumors of that the Seattle Seahawks star is gay. People in the sports media seem to be offended that he isn’t ravaging her, especially Dan Bernstein, who is co-host of Boers & Bernstein. Here’s what he had to say about all this proving that Russell Wilson most certainly had to be gay:

“If you start to piece this all together, I think you come away with a pretty easy-to-reach conclusion here,” he said. “The whole thing. Don’t you? Don’t you just wish he could feel comfortable enough to be a little more truthful with all of it?”

“I would just say, ‘Russell, it’s OK. It’s OK.’” After Boers seemed to miss Bernstein’s point, Bernstein continued: “I don’t think you’re quite getting what I am getting at. Put the pieces together. The whole Russell Wilson thing — all of the artifice here. Everything that’s going on. All the strangeness. All of the stuff with the first wife, and the discomfort there … and this isn’t a new pattern,” he said.

“And I understand there were times past where you felt you had to live a lie. This isn’t that time. This is quite the opposite of that; you don’t have to live a lie. You don’t have to be artificial.”

“My point is this: With every day that goes by, we live in a world that is much more understanding and much more supportive and would just say, ‘OK, that’s cool and get on with the football.’ “I don’t think this one is too tough. Based on the evidence presented. Do you have enough for Tom Cruise?”

hugh jackman boycotting angelina jolie movies 2015 gossipHugh Jackman is apparently no longer “allowed” to have any professional association with Angelina Jolie. During a recent interview with Australia’s version of the Today show Jackman’s wife joked that she had told his agent not to book him for any future projects with Jolie.

mila kunis ashton kutcher married up 2015 gossipMila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher are now officially husband and wife. The couple quietly held a small and private ceremony recently, to say their “I do’s.” This came after years of Mila Kunis swearing off marriage.

kristen cavallari baby girl announced 2015 gossipThis week Kristen Cavallari announced that her two sons will soon meet their baby sister. In a picture that she posted on her website to announce the gender of her unborn baby with husband Jay Cutler, she had a pink pair of Converse sneakers.

ben affleck batman writer 2015 gossipBen Affleck is so committed to the role of Batman that he will not only star in, but while both write and direct the next in the series of Batman movies. He is currently doing publicity for Batman Vs Superman, which will be released in theatres in 2016.

miley cyrus breaking internet 2015 gossipEver the tasteless tramp now, Miley Cyrus’s latest debacle involves her having posted Instagram photos in which she appears topless. The caption under the picture told people to break the internet because “good stuff is coming.” Hopefully that means she’ll put her clothes back on and keep them on. Permanently.

rita ora with nick grimshaw x factor 2015 gossipRita Ora is taking on a new project as she has joined the panel of judges for the X Factor auditions. She is expected to remain a judge on the show for the duration of the upcoming season.

Karolina Kurkova pregnant archie drury 2015 gossipKarolina Kurkova is happily pregnant with her second child with husband Archie Drury. She recently posted a picture on the Internet of her young son kissing her pregnant belly. In an interview with Access Hollywood Kurkova said that despite being a runway model she still cares for her family and does all of their cooking.

prince william with kate middleton at wimbledon for novak djokovic 2015 gossipWrapping up this week’s celebrity gossip is Kate Middleton and Prince William, who were spotted in VIP Wimbledon’s Center Court seat. They got to watch the number one ranked tennis player Novak Djokovic defeat Roger Federer and win his third Wimbledon title.

russell wilson miley cyrus batman 2015 gossip images

Scott Disick Ditching Parties & Kylie Jenner Website Hits: Celebrity Gossip Roundup

nicky hilton kylie jenner bill cosby gossip images 2015This week’s celebrity gossip includes Nicky Hilton got married this weekend in London’s Kensington Palace. Her famous father walked her down the aisle, and sister Paris served as a member of the wedding party and did her best to deflect the paparazzi away from the bride by offering herself for photo ops. Lionel Richie performed for the Hilton family. She had a bit of a wardrobe malfunction which resulted in some of her underwear being put out on display. Unlike her sister back in the day, she was smart to wear it.

nicky hilton wedding gown 2015 gossipFashion designer Christian Audigier passed away this week as a result of a cancerous bone disease known as myelodysplastic syndrome. He received his cancer diagnosis in January of 2015. During his career Audigier worked with brands like Guess, Ed Hardy, XOXO and Deisel.

christian audigier ed hardy designer dies 2015 gossipAnother celebrity life was lost this week as Omar Sharif also passed away. This has been a bad year for celebrity diagnoses as it wasn’t until this year that he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He was in a Cuban hospital this week when a heart attack took his life.

omar sharif dies 2015 gossipAriana Grande is doing damage control after her recent controversial comments stating that she hates America as a country and the American people, some of whom are (or were) her fans. Her first attempt at an apology came in the form of a video but did virtually nothing to get her out of hot water. She then released a statement saying that her choice of words was poor and she was going to take responsibility for what she said. So far there is no evidence that she has managed to convince the American public that she deserves a second chance in their eyes.

ariana grande damage control 2015 gossipAt the same time, Grande is facing possible charges for spitting on and licking pastries recently at a Los Angeles bakery. It was during this visit to the bakery, which was filmed, that Grande said what said about Americans. As if all this wasn’t enough, the role she was supposed to fill in the upcoming MLB-All Star Concert is now being filled by Demi Lovato. While rumors are that the reason Grande backed out of the All Star Concert is because she just had a wisdom tooth removed, that seems hard to believe given Grande’s current situation with the media and her fans.

scott disick bails on las vegas party 2015 gossipWith recent rumors of his cheating ways, Scott Disick reneged on inviting his fans to Las Vegas to meet up and party with him. A party he was supposed to have over the weekend was cancelled, allegedly due to the end of his relationship with Kourtney Kardashian.  Now he just cancelled another high paying gig in Atlantic City this upcoming weekend. Disick was to host Pool After Dark on Saturday night for $50K, but he’s cancelled this appearance. There’s been no explanation why he’s cancelling and there’s been no word about rescheduling. He has rescheduled the Las Vegas event for July 24.kylie jenner launches website 2015 gossip

In other Kardashian news Kylie Jenner announced she is launching a website. The website will feature beauty tips for women. She already has a fashion related website she runs with her sister, Kendall.

bill cosby guilty guilty guilty 2015 gossipThe chips continue to fall as more and more evidence comes to light that Bill Cosby has drugged women he had a desire to sleep with. Now the rumor is that he is in danger of having his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame revoked, which would be a first in the history of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He also has a Medal of Freedom that he may end up losing as a result of his controversies although President Obama said that doing this might not be possible. The View’s Whoopi Goldberg has been pushed into changing her tune regarding Bill Cosby, and she had legal expert Dan Abrams on Tuesday discussing the case. She acted as though she knew nothing about the law which has pretty much let fans know that she’s being drug into publicly changing her tune.

giuliana rancic off e news 2015 gossipMuch to the chagrin of her fans, Giuliana Rancic will be giving up her job with E! News. While she’ll still be involved in other shows on the network the main reason she is leaving E News is because she took a job producing a show on another network and growing her line of clothes and wine.

rosie perez off the view 2015 gossipRosie Perez’s days as co-host of The View are coming to an end. She has told ABC she is leaving her hosting duties once the current season of The View wraps up. Producers are reportedly planning Perez’s farewell show. Shanka Cheryl reported that Perez was leaving the show back in January, which then got picked up causing ABC to issue a statement claiming it to be false. Of course, Shanka was right and Perez is the latest to leave the sinking ship show and Nicole Wallace is about to be right behind her.

Ariana Grande Trouble & Kim Kardashian Lash From Sinead O’Connor: Celebrity Gossip

ariana grande donut troubles 2015 gossipAriana Grande’s donut troubles aren’t quite over yet.

About a week ago video surveillance tape was released from Wolfee Donuts. The video showed singer Ariana Grande and a few friends joking around while waiting inline at the pastry store. While waiting, Ariana Grande decided to play a game of truth or dare with her rumored love interest, Ricky Alvarez, where she ended up licking a couple of the donuts the store had on display.

After this footage surfaced, rumors have been circulating regarding whether or not Ariana will face charges for her actions.

jor marin wolfee donuts pressing charges on ariana grande 2015 gossipJoe Marin, the owner of Wolfee Donuts, has come forward to reveal that he has actually been talking to the police about the incident for the past few days. He even explained that he has been finishing up the paperwork to press charges against the pop star. Joe, said:

“I did press charges and then when I was reading the newspaper it said that…I decided not to, and I don’t know where that came from.”

He explained to police that Ariana ended up licking two of his donuts, which he then sold to other customers, unknowing of Ariana’s behavior. In addition, he also believes she spat on the donuts.

At this point, even though Ariana somewhat apologized, she is banned from Wolfee Donuts.

bachelorette britt nelson love over with brady toops 2015 gossipOnce again, The Bachelor contestant Britt Nilsson couldn’t find love.

Britt was one of the two potential bachelorettes at the beginning of the current season. Unfortunately for Britt, Kaitlyn was chosen by the men to be the bachelorette and Britt was sent packing.

However, one of the contestants, Brady Toops, decided to leave the competition and go after Britt’s heart.

His plan was a success and Brady has been dating Britt for almost 6 months now.

Unfortunately, E! News has just revealed that the two have called it quits.

The last glimpse we saw of the two was two weeks ago on The Bachelorette where they showed Brady meeting Britt’s mom for the first time. Afterwards, it was revealed that Brady, a musician, was heading back to his hometown of Nashville, while Britt was staying in Los Angeles.

Britt’s last words were “so we’ll see. Fingers crossed,” referring to their attempt at long distance.

Doesn’t look like Britt crossed enough fingers, as she is yet again on a hunt for her soul mate. Maybe try looking not on The Bachelor or The Bachelorette?

sinead oconnor slams kim kardashian rolling stone cover 2015 gossipKim Kardashian is the new victim of singer Sinead O’Connor’s fiery rants.

In the past Sinead has criticized stars such as Miley Cyrus, but this time around took to her Facebook to express her outrage at Rolling Stone for putting Kim on their cover.

Her recent post, reads:

“What is this c—t doing on the cover of Rolling Stone? Music has officially died. Who knew it would be Rolling Stone that murdered it? Simon Cowell and Louis Walsh can no longer be expected to take all the blame. Bob Dylan must be f—king horrified. #BoycottRollingStone.”

Her post received both support and backlash. One user even commented in agreement, posting:

Rolling Stone hasn’t been about the music for a long while now.”

In past interviews, Sinead has expressed the same upset with the music industry, which she believes is “nothing but vampires and pimps.”

She has also criticized the increase of sexuality present in today’s music, explaining:

“The sound of the records and the videos and how artists looks has all been taken over by the industry. In a way, music’s all been silenced. That’s why I feel strongly about over sexualizing of young women. As long as you’re visually distracted you’re not really listening…Male artists too. Justin Bieber, he’s being sold on his sexuality, but he’s too young to even understand what’s going on.”

Unfortunately, I don’t think Sinead’s Rolling Stone boycott will impact the magazine’s sales too much, as Kim’s cover has already picked up an impressive amount of press coverage.

Invisible Brandy, Chris Brown Hostage Aunt & Andy Cohen Caves In

It is Wednesday folks and the rumor mill is all kinds of crazy today from Andy Cohen and Laverne Cox caving in to pressure and apologizing for something they didn’t have to. Chris Brown got robbed and his poor aunt took the brunt of it all.

brandy singing no one caringBrandy Sings and No one Cares

A video of Brandy Norwood has gone viral. In it, the singer is seen on a train in NYC singing. She is in disguise and I guess one of her people is recording her. So the chick starts singing “Home” from The Wiz and literally nobody bats an eye. They don’t say anything they just keep going about their business. One sweet man though encourages her to “keep at it” because she really has talent.


brandy singing on subway no one noticesNow here’s the thing- why was Brandy on the train in the first place trying to get people to care about her? I mean, she didn’t even come off as serious in my opinion. She says that she was singing her heart out, but she wasn’t. She was joking around from the time she stepped foot on the train and while she was singing so of course no one is going to pay any attention to her. She’s not even taking her self seriously. It would have also helped her caused if she was going somewhere like 125th street in Harlem.

chris brown robbed aunt hostage 2015 gossipChris Brown’s Aunt Held Hostage

You don’t always know who to trust in the game called life and when you are famous, it is even harder because a lot of times, people are just not what they seem.

This might to be the case for Chris Brown. According to his mother, Joyce Hawkins, the men responsible for holding his aunt hostage while rummaging through his house were a few of his homeboys.

Three robbers broke in, knowing that it was Chris Brown’s house, held his aunt at gun point, locked her in a closet and took their leave throughout the singer’s home. It all started around 2:00am this morning in the valley where Chris lives.

The reason to believe that this was an inside job as Chris’ mom suggests is because it was almost like they knew he would be at a pre-ESPY awards party where he served as the host. He wasn’t there long, but it was long enough for the break in to happen. And going from Hollywood to the valley, that is enough time for them to get what they wanted.

Details are forth coming and I am sure that authorities will get to the bottom of this and if it is some of is homies, he should really listen to his momma and her advice to get rid of them, or maybe he should just listen to her period.

orlando scandrick restrains draya michele order 2015 gossipOrlando Scandrick Files a Restraining Order Against Draya Michele

He goes from saying how much he still loves her to getting a restraining order against her. Orlando Scandrick may fear for his life when it comes to Basketball Wives star Draya Michele and that is more than likely the reason he has taken legal action to keep her away from him.

A judge granted the restraining order request after the Dallas Cowboys star claimed she was a terror to him, sprayed him with pepper spray and pretty much abused him in many ways. Because of an attack stemming from some time in April, he says that he has suffered bodily injuries among other things.

Furthermore, Scandrick claims that on July 3rd, this bitch went berserk on him in the wee hours of the morning, throwing a porcelain jewelry case at him and threating to blind him with bleach.

There is more that he says she’s done and damn, it’s a lot. What the fuck is wrong with her? I knew this chick was no good and it is clear that she has been getting by on her looks. There is no need for all of this. And I know that there are two sides to every story but for all the shit she did to him, she better have a damn good reason.

andy cohen apologizes to amandla stenberg 2015 gossipAndy Cohen’s Comments on Amandla Stenberg Taken Out of Context?

People, black people in particular, are all up in arms about Watch What Happens Live’s Andy Cohen giving the daily segment, “Jackhole of the Day” to Amandla Stenberg for calling out Kylie Jenner for wearing corn rolls.

Only he didn’t give her “Jackhole of the Day,” he called their going back and forth about the corn rolls the “Jackhole of the day.” This is my issue with black people. I love my people, and by no means am I an Uncle Tom or coon, but this shit really burns me up. We are so ready to get all up in arms and “#boycottebravo” because we take shit out of context.

I get so fed up with it because it’s not really for a cause or a movement that matters, it’s to get more twitter followers and to have a platform to “put yourself on.”

Those who see something wrong with her corn rolls should also see something wrong with black women relaxing their hair and wearing weave. But that’s a whole other post.

andy cohen laverne cox wwhl 2015 gossipNaturally the execs at Bravo forced Cohen to make an unnecessary apology along with Laverne Cox, who was on the show. People felt that she should have called him out since she was there with him. When will the PC morons of the world take that enormous stick out of their ass and try something more pleasant up there?

American Ninja Warrior 707: Venice Finals

grant mccartney venice finals american ninja warrior 2015Recapping episodes of American Ninja Warrior is going to be a bit like running these insane obstacle courses. How do I describe a sport that is totally off the wall, but still shows off athleticism at its finest? We are about to find out as we dive into this week’s episode featuring athletes trying to get past the Venice Finals and move on to Vegas.

The Venice Finals featured 30 athletes, with the top 15 at the end of the show awarded a trip to Vegas to continue their quest to be crowned American Ninja Warrior. Matt Iseman and Akbar Gbajabiamila called the action along with co-host Kristine Leahy on the ground level with up close post run interviews and analysis. These three seem to be into their work and do a nice job of entertaining while also providing key info on the athletes and each individual obstacle. That’s very helpful to folks that are new to ANW.

The first athlete up was a beefed up guy named Rashad. Dude ate gym rats for breakfast. Kid was solid….a bit too solid. He wore himself down on the Spin Cycle then was put out of the run on the Hourglass Drop. These bigger guys may be strong, but holding on for dear life with an extra 30 pounds is tough, even if it’s 30 pounds of muscle.

Next up was “loin cloth guy” Ben Melick. This contestant was super fit, but needs to work on his shtick. Acting like Tarzan isn’t going to land him any cameos on prime time TV. He should seek a branding agent of some sort or read a Seth Godin book. Melick made it past the super hard Hourglass Drop, but was unable to pass the Rumbling Dice section. He could not budge the heavier dice bar. Keep that in mind when we get to the only female competitor.

We got a good back story from Justin Tirado who overcame Anemia through the help of his sister’s stem cells. Dude was super sick, but recovered and became a potential Ninja. This man didn’t have the look of the previous athletes. He actually kept his shirt on. He was very fluid in his run, but was another victim of the Hourglass Drop. He went fast, not far, but still managed to move on to Vegas for next week. Super fast times are important when most contestants are getting knocked off around the same obstacle.

american ninja warrior venice finals recap 2015 imagesWe saw some awkward falls, but nothing like on the wacky show Wipeout. ANW actually has real athletes as opposed to Wipepout which seeks out smokers and donut lovers from what I’ve seen.

Of course there are going to be characters of all kinds that try to use their run to get another 15 minutes of fame. This dude ran the course in his Boy Scout uniform! Actually he is an Eagle Scout, not an easy thing to achieve so he was a real threat. His back story featured him eating some road kill so he is Walking Dead worthy. Being the Daryl Dixon type didn’t help him navigate the Hourglass Drop though. He’s lucky he left with his ACL intact after that spill from the trampoline. Cockiest Eagle Scout ever. Kid wasn’t afraid to touch the co-host to correct her Boy Scout salute.

You would think a circus performer would breeze through most obstacle courses. That’s the way it looked early on as Almas Meirmanov sped through the first few tasks. He met his match on the Salmon Ladder though. Might want to mix in some practice Almas. He looked like he had never even seen this portion of the course.

Think a high wire artist can achieve the title of Ninja? That remains to be seen. Ryan Robinson finished 9th at the end of the night, but his weakness was…well his weakness. He couldn’t hang on long enough at the Rumbling Dice. More than one athlete hung on too long in this section instead of trying to swing to safety when they had the chance.

american ninja warrior season 7 images 2015The highlight of the night was Jessie Graff, the only woman in this city final. She is a stunt woman and a beast on the course. She ran a smart race and showed she was just as athletic as any man there. She conquered the Warped Wall (4th lady ever) and the Salmon Ladder (second lady ever) before shaming the guys on the Rumbling Dice. Looking right at you loin cloth guy! She made short work of that portion of the course. The Clear Climb finally got her as she had a hard time reaching the holds on the 35 degree wall. She ended her night at 6th and punched her ticket to Las Vegas. She was simply awesome.

Maybe the most inspiring story of the night came from Grant McCartney. The man had lost his mom and clearly had not gotten over it. He was nearly sobbing during one interview. You could see how much he missed his mom and how crushing it was for him that he would never see her again. He had dedicated himself to winning the ANW competition in order to move forward from his mother’s death. The crowd was really behind the guy as he moved through each obstacle. He was so close to getting past the Clear Climb, but finally fell into the water. Ain’t no quit in this man and he will be a real threat in Vegas next week.

David “The Godfather” Campbell made things look easy. He was as smooth as anyone there. It looked like he showed up for his run right after leaving his job. Guy was wearing pants and not the athletic variety! That didn’t hinder him as he blew past each section of the run until he got to the Invisible Ladder. He made it almost to the top but was absolutely gassed. Campbell wrapped up 3rd place on the night.

If the road kill eating Boy Scout wasn’t the weirdest cat on the show, then it was Nicholas Coolridge. This dumpster diving nut got through the entire course, the only athlete to do so on the night. The guy was super fit and maybe some of that dumpster food had some special bacteria that made him immune to gravity. All I know is that this rookie was impressive. This course design was crazy difficult and he conquered it.

The popular Kevin Bull came close to Coolridge’s feat, but was unable to make it all the way up the Invisible Ladder. Trying an alternative method helped him a bit, but he just didn’t have anything left to get all the way up.

Lessons learned this week on American Ninja Warrior:
– Don’t underestimate the females.
– Don’t wear a loin cloth or headband on the show.
– Hanging onto high bars too long is a major mistake that costs contestants eventually through fatigue.
– You don’t have to be a veteran Ninja to have a shot at winning this thing.

I’m looking forward to next week’s episode as the stakes get higher and the pressure grows. Las Vegas is the perfect setting for some high stakes action. I wonder if I can bet on….

TOTAL DIVAS 402: She Said Ditto

total divas 402 she said ditto recap images 2015On this week’s episode of Total Divas, Eva Marie argued with Paige, the Bella Twins and Alicia Fox about the fact that Eva Marie was sent back to NXT, allowing her to train daily in her home state of California. Paige said that it took her 10 years to get to where she is in the wrestling business now and she feels like Eva Marie is taking the easy road to fame in the WWE. Eva Marie said everyone was annihilating her and she was leaving the room. Naomi said Eva Marie didn’t deserve to be attacked and that the WWE is supporting Eva Marie so the divas should too.

natalya dad comes for wrestlemania 2015 total divas 41Natalya found out her dad was coming for Wrestlemania weekend this year. She said he hadn’t been to a WWE event in more than a decade. Paige and Brie discussed what they were wearing to this year’s WWE Hall of Fame ceremony. Paige also said she didn’t know where to get a dress because she doesn’t usually wear them.

Eva Marie was shaken up when she went for her daily training and she told her trainer the other divas are upset with her. She said she had to shake off the negativity going into Wrestlemania week. At home in Arizona, Brie told Nikki she was two weeks late and thought she might be pregnant.

natalya dad rehab problems total divas 402 2015Natalya’s mom called her at home and told her that her dad, who is in rehab, had a tantrum and his rehab facility was upset with him over it. She came to Natalya’s house and told her the rehab center had called and said Natalya’s dad needed to be picked up. Natalya said she didn’t want to see her dad ruin his opportunity to be involved in Wrestlemania weekend.

Later Brie said that it turned out she wasn’t pregnant after all and she was upset about it. Nikki reassured her that she was going to have a baby someday. The girls then had lunch with their mom who said she couldn’t wait to be a grandmother. She told Brie not to stress out about possible fertility issues.

Natalya picked up her dad from rehab and asked him what went wrong. She said her dad was pretending there was no reason for him to get kicked out of treatment.

Brie and Daniel Bryan went to a fertility doctor to see if they could have a baby. Daniel said it was weird being filmed at the fertility clinic.

paige defends naomi total divas 402 imagesPaige found out Naomi defended Eva Marie to the other divas and she got angry and said that was something Ariane would do. Alicia Fox told Paige she couldn’t go to the Hall of Fame in the wrong dress. The two went dress shopping together for the Hall of Fame.

naomie total divas 402 she saidNatalya said she hoped they could get through Wrestlemania week without drama. She then spoke to her dad on the phone after finding out he didn’t want to attend Wrestlemania week. She told him Ric Flair was ecstatic that he was coming to Wrestlemania and he had to be there.

Stephanie McMahon met with Daniel Bryan and Brie to ask Daniel Bryan to present a special award at the Hall of Fame. She told Brie and Brian that they are great with kids. Brie said she and Daniel Bryan had to wait until after Wrestlemania to find out if they could have a baby.

Natalya’s parents arrived for Wrestlemania week and she told her dad WWE wants him in their next video game. She then told her dad he couldn’t drink at all during Wrestlemania week. She even banned him from the mini bar in his hotel room.

Alicia Fox got Paige spray tanned for the Hall of Fame. She and Natalya then took pictures of Paige getting sprayed. Paige said she still wanted to be pale for Wrestlemania.

A bunch of the divas got together to hang out on their night off and they talked about the Eva Marie situation. Alicia Fox and Naomi got into an argument about it because Noami said, once again, that she thought the other divas were just jealous of Eva Marie. Naomi then told Eva Marie what the other divas were saying about her. Naomi also said no one takes responsibility for what they say. Alicia Fox said she and Naomi would agree to disagree.

brie bella paige airport total divas 402Paige told Brie about the drama surrounding Eva Marie and Brie said Eva Marie came into the business with a bad attitude. Brie also said if she and Nikki walked away from wrestling the WWE would have Eva Marie to take their place.

Natalya and TJ went out to dinner with Bret Hart and his wife, who is her uncle and a retired WWE wrestler. Bret talked about how he used to get in shouting matches with Natalya’s dad. Natalya told Ric Flair not to let her dad have a beer with him. Bret said Natalya’s dad was having the hardest time he ever had in life and he needed to be away from the memories of working in wrestling. Bret told Natalya she could only do so much for her dad and that he would have to want to help himself in order to get better.

While out shopping for a Hall of Fame dress, Paige encountered a fan of hers on the street and the fan was in tears over meeting her. Paige gave the woman a hug and found out the woman watched Paige on TV while she was in the hospital and it cheered her up.

Eva Marie said she wanted to hide from the other divas even though she hasn’t done anything wrong.

Natayla and her dad said they were doing their first autograph signing together at Fan Axxess. One fan told Natalya’s dad he and Brett were the reason she watches wrestling. Natalya said her dad needed the positive reinforcement he was getting with this autograph signing. She said she was proud of her dad for being there. Paige met and talked to some fans.

Brie said it wasn’t worth it to talk to Eva Marie because she had nothing to say to her, but Nikki said she wanted to talk to her.

Eva Marie and Jonathan went to a charity event the WWE was running and she was nervous about walking in.

Persistence Surveillance Systems: Taking Down Crime One Privacy at a Time

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persistence surveillance systems minorcity report 2015 tech images crime privacyThe Minorcity Report

Remember those old TV shows and movies where both the protagonists and antagonists seem to see everything that’s happening during an event or mission via a big screen? You’ve probably asked yourself, where are the cameras? Who’s shooting the whole thing? Then chalk it up to ‘very advanced monitoring equipment’. That’s the premise for one of Michael, Crichton’s novels which is Prey where millions of experimental nanobots assemble themselves into tiny airborne cameras everywhere possible so users can get sit-reps of any event. While as advanced, a company called Persistent Surveillance Systems (PSS) has created a system which can film or monitor entire cities 24/7 for use in fighting crime.

The whole undertaking sounds awesome, worthy of that famous dark costumed billionaire crime fighter who monitors his city with drones in one alternate future. But basically, the Persistent Surveillance System monitors a city or a city section via an airplane circling at 10,000 feet, just like how Google created Google Earth. It’s the same concept as a closed-circuit TV camera except the range is much larger. Instead of one’s front lawn, the camera is pointed at several city blocks. You get the picture.

So what would you do if you think you’re being watched? You’d think twice before going through with what you’re planning. Criminals would think twice before committing any crime. That’s one of the ways the Persistence Surveillance System can reduce crime in its city of jurisdiction. The method seems creepy especially in this now privacy-conscious society. It raises questions about its potential to zero in on persons of interest and monitor them like in Will Smith’s Enemy of the State. But as mentioned, it should be no different than being monitored via CCTV camera in a secure facility.

persistent suveillance system in action in us 2015 imagesThe other way Persistence Surveillance System is 24/7 filming and monitoring of an entire city and zeroing in on a crime in progress or minutes after a crime has happened and help in locating the persons involved. The system has been tested to solve crimes within minutes after they happen. PSS was an idea conceived by Air Force Institute of Technology Professor Mr. Ross McNutt who at the time was working on a way to minimize casualties of improvised explosive devices during the Iraq war. The system worked so well that it garnered the support of the US Air Force and was given a billion dollars in funding to enhance the system. After the war, McNutt and company continued their enhancement of the PSS.

If the system helped protect American soldiers during the war, it was time to field the system in urban jungles to fight a different war; the war on crime. PSS is currently being employed in several cities with very high crime rates such as Dayton Ohio where McNutt claims the system managed to lower down the crime rate by as much as thirty percent. It’s uncertain how many Dayton residents know they’re being watched by a plane at 10,000 feet, but Persistence Surveillance is counting on that awareness for criminals to think twice before committing a crime.

There are always two sides of the coin when it comes to surveillance. People that value security and people that value privacy. In crime-ridden Dayton, there are many who would gladly trade in some of their privacy for added security. Some would beg to differ however and say the government has no right to know where they are at any given time, or are simply afraid the system could be abused and used for other than what was originally intended, that is, to fight crime.

When faced with the question, McNutt claimed that he set up policies that will prevent such use:

“…We have developed a whole host of privacy policies and procedures that protect people privacies. In addition, we have designed the system to be limited to one pixel per person which only allows us to barely see a person and track them to a car. We only support reported crime investigation and ongoing criminal investigations…”

–Ross McNutt, Persistence Surveillance Systems

One pixel doesn’t leave much room for any skin shots even if someone reports an outdoor shower in progress, but many people, including criminals don’t know that, especially after being groomed by movies and TV that satellites can see them through their bedroom windows.

With systems such as PSS, lessening crime by a third where it’s deployed may be considered a blessing. A couple of more years’ worth of tweaks, PSS may be able to identify criminals on the spot, in the act of committing a crime. Making it easier for governments to impose order and concentrate on the economy. Other cities plan on implementing PSS including Philadelphia and Baltimore. International markets include London, Moscow and Mexico where drug and gang-related crimes run rampant.

It’s difficult to judge the PSS system especially with a noble premise, unless it’s used in places like North Korea. It’s always better to think the government is keeping an eye out for you than having an eye on you.

Raheem Sterling completes £49m Deal to Manchester City

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raheem sterling signs to manchester city soccer 2015The Citizens have locked in, Raheem Sterling, the Liverpool forward for a transfer fee of £49m. The 20-year-old was reportedly unhappy at Anfield and refused to sign a new contract which would have increased his weekly wages to £100,000. Sterling will wear the number 7 jersey vacated by James Milner who went in the opposite direction.

The England international has now become one of the highest paid youngsters in world football as he will earn £160,000-a-week and get added incentives at his new club. Before these revised wages, Sterling used to earn £35,000-a-week at Liverpool.

Sterling’s transfer saga has infuriated a lot of Liverpool fans. The former Liverpool skipper Steven Gerrard wasn’t happy with the whole situation and blasted his former teammate and asked him to man-up. City’s latest catch didn’t train with the first team squad and also called-in sick for the team’s preseason tour to Thailand.

Brendan Rodgers confirmed the rumors linking Sterling to a move out of Anfield before Manchester City announced the agreement.

“The situation is currently very simple,” Brendan Rodgers told the reporters in Bangkok. “The club has agreed with another club a deal for Raheem to be transferred and subject to a medical that will go through.

The Reds boss also clarified the rumours which claimed that the duo have fallen out.

“Contrary to probably the last week or so in terms of what was written, Raheem and I have stayed very strong in our relationship and have been right up until we left. So there is no issue there. I spoke to Raheem at length before I left (for Thailand) yesterday.

“There is no issue, there is no problem and I said the two clubs have agreed a deal and subject to a medical he will move on. At this moment in time the interest is in the players that are here. The key for us is that it is the overall team that is important.”

Manuel Pellegrini hailed the signing of their most expensive player in the window yet.

The Chilean manager told the club’s official website: “Raheem Sterling is one of the best attacking players in world football, and I am very much looking forward to him joining our squad out in Australia later this week.

“He is a young player with outstanding ability, and I am sure the Manchester City fans will be very excited about seeing him in action for the team.”

Raheem Sterling has had a good start to his Premier League career so far but it would be interesting to see how he would develop at the Etihad. The young Englishman can also find himself on the bench like many other young talented Englishman who joined them over the last few years from elsewhere. Pellegrini’s City are looking to add more and more homegrown players to their squad.

Sterling is now the club’s record signing eclipsing the £38.1m deal in 2011 for the Argentine striker Sergio Aguero. Raheem, 20, has also become the most expensive English footballer of all time.

Does a Doctor Need to be in the House? Digital Doctors Next Wave

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doctor in the house digitally 2015 techThe Digital Doctor Is In: The Next Wave in Health Care

Healthcare has been a very hot topic ever since President Obama began occupying the oval office. Also, healthcare has gained a prominent spot in technological circles in recent years, and “wearables” as well as various fitness apps have become more popular as Americans become more health conscious to erase the stigma of obesity that unfortunately attached itself to their image. Now that tech has become more advanced with Skype calls replacing house calls; where apps, smartphones and smart watches begin monitoring heart rate, pulse rate, sugar levels and blood pressure; should people need to visit the doctor less often?

That may be the path where healthcare is headed as more and more startups concentrating on digital health continue popping out; more than two thousand are out there now seeking to make waves in the medical technology field with over two billion dollars of investments in their pockets. These startups however won’t necessarily take medical professionals out of the picture but instead put them in the sidelines for minor scrapes, and a more active role for other cases with the help of technology.

star trek generation doctorInstead of waiting for patients to walk into their offices, doctors can actively monitor their patient’s conditions via data transmitted by their patients either directly from their mobiles, wearables or their good old home computers. This can be done in various ways as ideas continue to flood from medically-centered startups. Start-up ideas include:

  • Devices that enables phones to look inside the ear and take pictures or videos for use by persons with ear-related problems. These pictures are sent to medical professionals for diagnosis.
  • Online blood pressure monitors which sends data to medical professionals and other apps that share pulse rates, heart rates and sugar levels.
  • Delivery of prescriptions and other medical information to wearables like the Apple Watch or Android Wear, putting an end to unintelligible squiggles.

computer doctors 201Aside from the above, there’s much more in store from the over 2000 start ups and established companies out there giving more tools and information to both patients and medical professionals. This wealth of health care tools and information online gives busy people with no time to make appointments can give them the power to check their condition and self-medicate to a limited extent. Health buffs know how to read the data their wearables give them and others gain understanding of the data their wearables and other digital devices provide them.

old style doctors tv tech 2015Empowering patients with tools and information may be a good thing but self-medication and diagnosis does not always end well. The wrong diagnosis and treatment can often be dangerous and tech companies that push minimal interactions between doctors and patients need to keep this in mind. They can empower ordinary folks as much as possible but mustn’t take the doctors completely out of the picture. Also, the medical technology boom is not immune to producing old fashioned snake oil in the guise of apps and gadgets so any new offering by startups must be backed up by years of careful study.

Consumers need to be careful of what apps and gadgets they purchase. Imagine all the ab-crunchers and body toners in the market cluttering up people’s attics and closets. They were made with the help of technology and what seems like little medical research as they seem to “keep improving”. The same applies to gadgets and mobiles and the apps that go in them. There are always newer and better apps and gadgets every other Tuesday which is all the more reason for people to seek advice from health professionals that truly understand the human condition.

But we shouldn’t discredit the thousands of people who actually put out the effort to empower both doctors and especially the patients who can’t always afford to make an appointment. This far into the 21st century, we can cram volumes of medical knowledge onto a fingernail-sized flash card and hopefully use that to provide a basic understanding of things to be done in case they or a loved one needs basic or immediate care. Since lives are at stake, it’s important for technology to get things right. It’s not a bad idea to have a digital doctor. The doctor doesn’t need to be in the house as long as they get the right information. The digital doctor is not a bad idea but fed the wrong data, they become digital quacks.

Hannibal 305 Contorno Recap

hannibal recap 305 contorno 2015 imagesWhile Fannibals such as myself drown themselves in tears over the cancellation of the show, episode 5 of season 3 presented one of the bloodiest episodes of the season! It felt long over due as this season found itself tipping way too far over in to being meta. Highly intelligent dialog is what we came to love this show for, but we also want some blood and excitement every now and then. I still miss their “monster of the week” format, but this episodes blood and gore and made up for it spades. NBC has moved the show to Saturday’s, just showing us they don’t care if we are angry at their giving up on one of the best shows on network tv. The best news from Bryan Fuller at Comic-Con 2015 was that they are ‘talking’ about making Hannibal into a movie. Fingers crossed!

One thing about episode 5 made me very unhappy. The new character Chiyoh in the series is adapted differently from the book Hannibal Rising. In the book she was Lady Murasaki. In the show she is Chiyoh, Lady Murasaki’s handmaid. Why did they feel it was OK to make the only Asian female on the show an ex-handmaid. Really NBC?

Moving on, Will and Chiyoh are seen going to Florence on a train together. Though Will is curious about what Hannibal was like when Chiyoh met him, he’s unsure now what he wants to get out of seeing Hannibal again. Chiyoh says that Hannibal was cunning an charming. She learned a lot from him even though he disguised himself as a mentor, it was causing distress that excited him the most.

We then see Bedelia and Hannibal talking in Florence. They’re looking more and more like a married couple with each passing episode. They’re having yet another discussion on Will wanting to Kill Hannibal and Hannibal wanting to kill will. These conversations are becoming a bit tedious and redundant.

In a visually beautiful sequence, Jack Crawford let his wife’s ashes out in a river in Italy where they first met. I wasn’t expecting him to throw his ring in the river so soon, but maybe that was his way of coping. Jack Joins detective Pazzi and his wife for dinner where Pazzi reveals that he is hunting hunting Hannibal. Jack tells him that he tried the same thing…and lost. At this moment it become clears that Pazzi is not thinking too clearly.

Alana shows off her smarts when she reveals to Mason that she tracked Hannibal through his different tastes. She knows where Bedelia shops for Hannibal every week.

hannibal 305 images 2015As Will and Chiyoh talk on the train she learns that Will feels like if he doesn’t kill Hannibal he will become him. It’s clear that Will still loves Hannibal, but he’s disgusted in the fact that he feels that way. In one of the most shocking sequences of the episode, Chiyoh kisses Will passionately only to throw him off the back of a moving train. What’s even more surprising (and a tad unbelievable) is how a little later we see him highly injured but walking and alive. For the rest of the episode, we never learn what her motivations are leaving an exciting plot line open for the next episode.

Pazzi confronts Hannibal while he’s at work. Not a good idea. In a chilling foreshadowing sequence, Hannibal brings up how one of Pazzi’s ancestors were hanged and disemboweled for an attempted assassination. Things are not looking good for Pazzi.

He came across in earlier episodes as a bit unscrupulous (not meaning to just catch Hannibal for justice’s sake) and in this episode our suspicions are proven correct. Pazzi stupidly confronts Hannibal in his home. After some taunting between the two, Hannibal quickly puts Pazzi in a choke hold.

Pazzi wakes up soon in a chair bound and gagged with Hannibal promising that if he answers a few questions honestly, he will be spared from Hannibal’s dinner plate. Pazzi quickly spill the beans that Mason has put the bounty out on him. Sadly, that doesn’t stop anything. Hannibal in his own devilish way says that he called the number Mason put out on the Wanted site for pure fun and he already knew about the bounty. Since Pazzi’s colleagues don’t know he is hunting Hannibal in exchange for Mason’s bounty, Hannibal answer’s Pazzi’s phone with Alana being on the other end. He taunts Alana in typical Hannibal fashion before hanging up and cutting deep across Pazzi’s stomach. Hannibal is then thrown out of the window causing his organs to spill out all over the concrete. Crawford happens to be standing right outside the window when the bloody murder takes place.

Round 2 of an amazing fight takes place as Jack waits to jump Hannibal and brutally beats the shit out of him! Excuse the language, but the fight is plain epic! Jack throws Hannibal through several glass displays and then digs a hook through his lower leg. Hannibal doesn’t let up on the cold taunts at all until Jack pitches him out of a freakin’ window! Amazingly Hannibal manages to use Pazzi’s hanging corpse to mostly break the fall.

Hannibal is now at the weakest he’s ever been. He’s completely exposed now and while everyone is closing in on him, he’s simply delaying the inevitable. I can’t help but wonder what Chiyoh has up her sleeve and if she could shockingly be Hannibal’s saving grace. The exciting pace of the show has really picked up in the last two episodes so I can only see it getting better!

POWER 205: Who You Are Recap

power 205 recap images 2015This week on Power, it was all kinds of juicy. Let me start off by saying this because I can’t wait until the end, Angela finds out that Jamie is indeed Ghost. There… it’s out… now here’s what else happened this week on the show.

Holly is in the interrogation room and they do everything they can to break her. They ask about Tommy, the nature of their relationship along with other shit. She is quiet but nervous and doesn’t give them anything.

power 205 angelea with ghost 2015 recap imagesIn the meantime, Ghost is dealing with Lobos who has turned the tables on him. He wants to move up the time frame that he has given Ghost to move product, making Jamie really feel the pressure. Lobos tells him that he is going to see him soon.

Back at the station, Angela finds out that Greg went to go visit Ghost at the club to ask him some questions. She also finds out in Greg’s presence that Holly was shot at the club on the night that her informant died. To her, this means, since Holly is not talking, that Tommy could have possibly rode in the ambulance with her which would mean he didn’t kill her guy on the inside. This gives her a new angle in which to approach Holly about Tommy’s whereabouts.

In preparation of the expedited timetable, Ghost visits Louis in an attempt to see what can be done to make the order. From this Louis can tell that something is going on as Tommy visits him not too long after Jamie leaves and reveals that he doesn’t know what Ghost is doing.

After leaving his meeting with Louis, Ghost goes home to find Tariq waiting for him outside of his apartment. It is clear that the boy needs his dad right now. He tells him about a girl situation where one girl at school likes him but he likes another girl. Ghost, of course, has a lot of experience in this. He invites his son in to talk over pizza and watch the Nicks game.

power who your are who you want to be recap images 2015 2015Tommy shows up at Ghost’s house to ask him about killing the serve in order to be the main distributors to get the product moved. Ghost tells him what’s going down and to trust him. He asks him to take Tariq home because he has some business to take care of. When Tommy drops off his nephew, Tasha is pissed off because he didn’t tell her he was going to see his dad. She also tells Tommy that she is finished with him because he didn’t tell her what was going down.  Honestly, what did she expect I mean there is a man code in place obviously.

Ghost shows up at Angela’s job during the interrogation. She meets him in his car and pretty much tells him that there is a possibility that Tommy is going down soon and asks him if he has his shit covered (she doesn’t know that he is Ghost yet). He avoids the question and tells her that she can trust him.

Afterward, he goes to an exclusive party that Stern is hosting which turns out to be some kind of sex, swingers, and orgasm thing. He offers Jamie the most beautiful women, to which he turns down. Stern pretty much tells him to continue to play the game and he can get what he wants.

While Ghost is taking care of club business, Tommy and the crew is taking care of making sure that they are the supplier of choice. They knock off some competition and frame another group in order to be put in place to make their deal with Lobo’s happen.

Ghost dismisses himself from Stern’s party and goes home. Tasha visits him at his place to pretty much go off on him. She tells him he’s not going to see Tariq anytime soon but when he does, he has something hard things to explain to his son.

Back at the station where Holly is being interviewed, things get thick. They bring everything the can to get her to snitch but she doesn’t so they make plns to send her back to Ohio to for crimes she’s running from. Before they take her in the van she goes to the bathroom to have a mini breakdown. Then, because she really believes she can make a difference, Angela goes in to talk to her. This is where shit hits the fan. She mentions to her that she needs to know about Ghost (or something like that) and Holly goes all bitchy on her. She tells Angela that she remembers her from the club when she fucked Ghost in his office and drops the bomb on her that Jamie is Ghost not Tommy.

Angela stands dumb founded. Holly blackmails her saying that she will tell her partners that “she’s fucking the real Ghost” if she doesn’t get Tommy and her out of this situation. Angela makes a deal with her to help her implicate James, as ghost and she will be off the hook.

I don’t know if she is lying, but after Holly leaves the bathroom, Angela weeps bitterly. She goes home, Ghost is there, and so is Greg who shows up with a bottle of wine (Angela doesn’t see him). He sees the two walk arm in arm down the street and we see her ask Ghost, “How was work?”

In the words of 50 Cent, “It’s getting hot in here.”