Kirstle Alley Has Been Dating Younger Men

KIRSTIE Alley was worried she’d meet the same fate as David Hasselhoff onDancing With the Stars.
　　
Sources say the actress feared being voted off first.
　　
“Kirstie’s only wish was that she wouldn’t be the first star sent home from the show,” a pal told PopEater.
　　
“She has been rehearsing for the past six weeks with her partner, Max, in almost total seclusion. No contestants really had any idea what was going on in the other rehearsal rooms.
　　
“None of them really knew how good or bad their competition would be. Everyone doubted themselves a little, and no one wanted to be remembered as the David Hasselhoff of their season.
　　
“You can’t just rely on your fame to get you far in this competition.
　　
“Yes, having an active fan base does help, but at the end of the day even the most passionate fans stop voting if your dancing doesn’t improve. David is a worldwide phenomenon, having starred in some of the biggest TV hits of all time. If he can get voted off the first week, so can anyone.”
　　
Sources recently revealed Alley decided to sign up for Dancing With the Stars because she wanted to do it before it’s “too late”.
　　
“She wasn’t ready last season. Mentally and physically she just couldn’t get her head around doing the show,” an insider said.
　　
“Kirstie just turned 60, so I think she decided to take on her fear before it was too late.“Kirstie is in this to win this.
　　
“Don’t think for one second that she entered the competition to be voted out in the first few weeks. She’s determined to make it to the end even if it means getting her friendsJohn Travolta or Tom Cruise to show her some moves. And I guarantee no one in the history of the competition will have better friends in the audience cheering her on. Oprah, anyone?”
　　
KIRSTIE Alley will only date “butt-ugly men”.
　　
The actress revealed her strange New Year’s resolution on an episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show airing Friday.
　　
When asked about her dating life by Ellen, Alley, 60, admitted she usually goes for “psychos” and “players,” so the host suggested she try going with the opposite of what she’s attracted to.
　　
“I’m thinking ugly men might be the solution,” she responded.
　　
“I’m talking about butt ugly. Because I go for really handsome men and I think butt ugly would be appreciative.”
　　
KIRSTIE Alley has been pursuing younger men!
　　
According to reports, the formerDancing With the Stars contestant texts guys as soon as she manages to get their number!
　　
“She says, ‘Wanna hang out? Wanna have dinner? I’ll pay for it,’ and ‘I can get you a movie role,’ in order for guys to respond to her. She’s a total cougar!” a source divulged.
　　
Recent reports claimed Kirstie has been piling on the pounds following her stint on Dancing.
　　
“No one expected her to keep up with the demanding 2000-calorie-a-day diet or grueling seven-hour dance sessions once the show was over, but Kirstie has returned to her bad old ways,” a source said.
　　
“She has been consoling herself by eating the best food the Big Apple has to offer, she’s put on about 12 pounds since the DWTS finale.”

Good Deed Done By The American Idols

American Idol viewers made a similar choice several years ago for Castera, Samuel and Pedro. Their names are not familiar to American Idol enthusiasts. They were never finalists in the televised singing competition. They live far from the spotlight. They don't even own a television, yet alone have electricity to power it. But Americans helped rewrite their future and thousands of preschoolers like them.
　　
It was 2007, and Americans tuned into the first Idol Gives Back television charity special and dug deep into their pockets to give generously. With nearly one million dollars in donations, Save the Children, in partnership with the government of Mozambique and other local NGOs, launched one of the first preschool programs in rural Mozambique, a country in sub-Saharan Africa where HIV and AIDS have frayed the fabric of family life, leaving many young children parentless.
　　
Driving off the main paved highway in Mozambique and down rutted dirt roads, it can take hours to reach any of the 30 villages where our preschool program began in 2008. There, in what feels like the middle of nowhere, you will hear the cackle of kids playing outside on the swings of their playground or see children writing the letter "a" on black slates while sitting on the floor in their classrooms made of reeds and straw.
　　
Four years later, the results of the preschool program are in. And, it turns out all the preschoolers are winners. A recent World Bank study of Save the Children's preschool programs in Mozambique -- the first of its kind in Africa -- shows that preschoolers were 24 percent more likely to enroll in primary school and were significantly better equipped to learn than children not in preschool. How great is that? And, the study also finds that children going to preschool are much more likely to show interest in math and writing, recognize shapes and show respect for other children, than those not in preschool.
　　
And, here's the kicker. Preschool benefited the preschoolers' families, too. The study finds that parents of enrolled children are 26 percent likelier to work, and older siblings are more likely to go to school themselves. And, for as little as about $2.50 a month per child in Mozambique, preschool is not only an affordable investment, it also reaps returns for years to come.
　　
The value of getting early education boost cannot be understated. That's why this week, as part ofthe Global Campaign for Education's Global Action Week, advocates around the globe want to bring attention to early childhood programs and press the U.S. government to maintain funding for these critical basic education programs both in the U.S. and abroad. The stark truth is that for many children globally, early learning programs are still a luxury. Even here in the U.S., children living in poverty in rural areas have few options.
　　
In Mozambique alone, only four percent of its nation's children under age 5 go to preschool. Before preschool came to their villages, children spent their days laboring in the field with their mothers, helping to cart water, pull weeds or chase the baboons away from the crops. Others were left at home alone to care for younger siblings or to entertain themselves, with no learning materials -- no crayons, no books, no toys -- or structured play.
　　
Without a foundation of learning, children step into the classroom for the first time unprepared. It is like asking someone to sing a tune without the notes. They don't know where to start. They don't know how to piece it together. They have no coaches to help them. As a result, they quickly become overwhelmed. Many stop going to school in first or second grade, tragically shutting the door on learning and opportunity early in life. Early education is the track on which life-long learning is built. At preschool, children acquire social, motor and thinking skills, and build their knowledge of letters, words and numbers.
　　
The dream of going to preschool will soon be within reach for many more children in Mozambique and throughout the African continent. The Mozambican government, encouraged by the World Bank findings, will bring early learning to more villages across the nation later this year. And, other African countries are studying the research results and seeing how they can copy the preschool program in their own countries.
　　
The American Idol donation helped fund materials for classrooms, playgrounds and latrines, along with simple school supplies like floor mats, blackboards, storybooks and pencils. This donation allowed Save the Children to train teachers, parents and community members as well. And, the communities also chipped in, providing materials for construction and volunteering their time to build the structures, make toys and teach at the schools.
　　
For this, American Idol fans can take a bow. Thanks to them, African preschoolers will be poised to step out on the stage of school and life, and shine.

Tupac Shakur Appeared For A Short Set At Coachella

Coachella attendees were surprised on Sunday when a hologram of Tupac Shakur appeared for a short set of the deceased rapper’s hits,shocking fans in the latest iteration of hologram technology in entertainment. As Maura Judkis reported:
When Tupac Shakur took the stage at Coachella on Sunday, it was like seeing a ghost. The rapper died of gunshot wounds in 1996, but he was resurrected via hologram to perform with Snoop Dogg for the California music festival. Shakur’s hologram greeted the crowd, “What up, Coachella!” and joined Snoop Dog for “Come With Me,” “Hail Mary” and “2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted,” according to the Hollywood Reporter.

As Emi Kolawole wrote, innovation and hip-hop have gone hand in hand since the genre’s beginnings.
It has been an interesting start to the week for hip-hop. It’s not every day that technology brings one of the genre’s most popular artists, Tupac Shakur, back to (virtual) life in front of a packed house and then reportedly sends him on tour. But hip-hop and innovation have gone hand-in-hand from the genre’s very beginning.

At least part of that history has been tackled by rapper and “Law & Order” star Ice-T, who made his directorial debut with the documentary “Something from Nothing: The Art of Rap,” in which he explores hip-hop’s creation and early evolution. The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January and is set for a theatrical release in June.

Based on the trailer and reviews of the film following its premier at Sundance, “Something from Nothing,” looks at not only the technological innovations in the genre, including the incorporation of the turntable and the latest in audio editing software, but the very act of creating the rhyme — an inherently innovative undertaking. During an interview with Billboard.com in January, Ice-T mentioned how queries about hip-hop rarely focus on its most basic element, how artists create rhymes.

In light of this, an exploration of hip-hop’s creation may be a good source of inspiration for anyone interested in fostering an innovation-rich environment. At its core, innovation is the creation of “something from nothing” — or at least from elements that no one had ever thought to combine before, whether it be the marriage of a rhyme and a new beat or the repurposing of a record player.

Now, let the record show, I am far from hip-hop’s biggest fan. I’ve found the frequent objectification of women in music videos and promotional materials to be, at best, unappealing and, at worst, blatantly offensive. But that doesn’t mean one shouldn’t take the opportunity, when possible, to look past the “parties and booties and girls,” in the words of Ice-T, and recognize the role the genre has played, and can continue to play, not only as a fertile seedbed for innovation and a partial reflection of American culture, but as an outlet for creativity and, ultimately, healing.

After a successful debut at Coachella there were reports that the Tupac hologram would go on tour. As Jen Chaney reported:

The hologram of deceased rapper Tupac Shakur— conjured to perform alongside Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg during a Sunday night set at Coachella — might be going on tour. The Wall Street Journal reports that reps for both Dre and Snoop Dogg are in the process of planning a tour that would involve the almost-but-not-really reincarnated Tupac, whose digital likeness was generated by Digital Domain Media Group, the same company that youth-ified and aged Brad Pitt for “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.” If this actually succeeds, can we assume that a Nirvana reunion featuring an Obi-Wan version of Kurt Cobainis not far behind?

Nicki Minaj Is A Rare Female MC With Mixtape-circuit Credibility

Underneath the stage before February's Super Bowl halftime show, Nicki Minaj felt an emotion she hadn't experienced in quite some time. She was really, really nervous.

Over the last three years, the young rapper had become one of the most charismatic and commercially successful stars in pop music, with a gum-snapping flow and acerbic guest rhymes that stole the show from vets such as Mariah Carey, Kanye West and Rihanna. Her pop-inclined solo debut, "Pink Friday," hit No. 1 and launched best-selling singles like the elastic "Super Bass." She'd just finished an arena tour opening for Britney Spears to the biggest crowds of her career.

Still, as she stood next to her peer M.I.A. and the show's headliner, Madonna, the stakes felt higher than ever before.

So the MC born Onika Maraj resorted to her time-honored tactic to get over the jitters. She played a character, the stadium-commanding pop star Nicki Minaj. "Leading up to it under the stage riser, I was thinking, 'Oh my God, there are so many people out there,'" Minaj, 29, said. "But once I got out there, 30 seconds into it, I just decided to be myself and have fun with it."

Only four months into 2012, Minaj has already headlined two of the biggest moments in live music, with her Super Bowl gig followed by an outlandish exorcism-themed Grammys set that was the talk of the telecast. Her new album, "Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded," is an even more daring document of a young artist holding onto her creativity while navigating major commercial stardom.

"Reloaded" is a labyrinthine psychodrama centered on one of her many alter egos, the gay, 20-something man Roman Zolanski, whom Minaj cheekily claims is a demon that lives inside her and emerges when she's angry. It's the kind of concept-heavy follow-up album that makes record label execs bolt awake at night soaked in a cold sweat.

But if it sticks, "Roman Reloaded" might secure Minaj's career in her best role yet _ as one of the most daring and versatile pop artists working today.
Even her public face as "Nicki Minaj" is a character, one of a slew she's toyed with as a musician. There's Roman; Roman's hysterical British-accented mother, Martha Zolanski; and Harajuku Barbie, an outsized-innocent young girl.

Minaj's early mixtapes caught the ear of her mentor Lil Wayne with her verbal dexterity, while sharing Missy Elliott's knack for bending words into pop art. But her debut full-length surprised and disappointed some hip-hop fans.

Singsongy tracks like "Your Love" and " Moment 4 Life" were perfectly capable singles but felt featherweight and aimed at a different, younger audience. "I felt a lot of pressure to be inspirational and responsible (on that album)," Minaj said. "I like all kinds of music; when I was working at Red Lobster the soundtrack of my life there was Avril Lavigne. Hip-hop fans are my core, and I can never not be hip-hop. But why not showcase all sides of who you are?"

Minaj wanted "Roman Reloaded" to embrace all her personalities. Early leaked tracks like "Roman Holiday," the vampy noir she performed at the Grammys, the spooky and echo-sodden "Beez in the Trap" and the giddy taunt "Stupid Hoe" hark back to her wild-eyed mixtape tracks, but with an ear for sticky, radio-pleasing phrasings.

A roster of guest MCs, including label mates Lil Wayne and Drake and gruff peers Young Jeezy and Rick Ross, co-sign with appearances. It continues the path she forged on "Pink Friday's" track "Roman's Revenge," in which Eminem revisits his Slim Shady alias to trade barbs with Minaj's Roman.

Minaj hopes that playfulness can inspire rappers to loosen up. "Em and I both came from nothing, so we've had to do a lot of escaping," she said.

"Traditionally, hip-hop has had such a judgmental spirit. But Wayne made a rock album, and Kanye named an album '808s & Heartbreak' and sang all over it. I feel artists like us are setting a new tone and making new rules here."

Just as crucially, "Reloaded" highlights other talents that suggest she can work in diverse pop styles. The trancey "Starships," produced by Lady Gaga's longtime collaborator RedOne, is summertime dance-party spritz, while her duet with the embattled Chris Brown, "Right by My Side," is tender without being saccharine.

"She grew up as a street rapper, but when she wanted to sing more, we encouraged it," said Mack Maine, the president of Minaj's label, Young Money, an imprint of Cash Money/ Universal co-founded by Lil Wayne. "She developed alter egos and became an icon for it. There were very few times where we've had to let her touch the stove herself to find out that it's too hot. But while some artists can get lazy, she's never like, 'I'm good, thanks.' "

But as Minaj's characters and her own pop persona develop, there's one role she still can't shake: as a rare female MC with mixtape-circuit credibility and a mainstream pop career.

Minaj loves to toy with images of femininity. While her underground lyrics can be plenty racy, her delivery often undermines the sexiness with violent glee or a cuteness so exaggerated it's threatening. In her videos, she's not afraid of skimpy outfits, but her outsized facial features and deadpan poses subvert them.
"My thing was never to just be sexy," Minaj said. "If I had a choice, I'd choose kooky and sarcastic over that. I feel like that's more real for me than someone being one-dimensional and just wearing a short skirt."

Pop music, for all its commercial problems of late, has no trouble generating hit singles and cultural conversation starters. Where it's struggling is in creating long-term stars with a wide range of skills. Finding one's sound isn't as important as finding an authentic charisma — vocal, visual, in pop media — that can be deployed as needed in the fast-shifting currents of music.

If Minaj can maintain control of her character creations, the potential for her third act is limitless.

"During the day, everyone is four or five different people. I'm a different person when I'm with my friends than when I'm at a business meeting," she said. "I just give them all names."

Whitney Houston Death Report Details Drug Signs

The hotel room where Whitney Houston died bore the hallmarks of a traveler — suitcases and room-service food and drinks. But it also contained something tragically familiar for the singer: signs of cocaine and its paraphernalia.

The drug was found throughout Houston's body, according to an autopsy report released Wednesday that gave the most detailed account yet of how the Grammy-winning singer died just hours before she was to appear at a pre-Grammy Awards party. By the time an assistant found her face down in a bathtub on the afternoon of Feb. 11, Houston had likely been dead for at least an hour. The water was so hot it scalded part of her body.

Nearby, on the bathroom counter, investigators found a small spoon described by investigators as having a "crystal like substance" in it and in a drawer they discovered a white powdery substance. The dozen prescription drug bottles found in Houston's suite of the Beverly Hilton Hotel led investigators to initially suspect she died of an overdose, but after further examination and toxicology results they concluded she drowned accidentally. Heart disease, which caused a 60 percent blockage in one of her arteries, and cocaine use were listed as contributing factors.

Toxicology results also showed Houston had marijuana, Xanax, the muscle relaxant Flexeril, and the allergy medication Benadryl in her system, but none are considered factors in her death.

The grim accounting of the room where Houston died and what investigators found provide a sad footnote to the singer's life, showing the impact drugs took on her. An investigator noted a hole in the singer's nose, listed under "history of substance abuse."

Houston, 48, had been preparing for the annual party of her mentor, Clive Davis, who helped launch her career two decades earlier. She had finished work on her return to acting by starring in a remake of the film "Sparkle," which would also feature her rendition of the gospel classic "His Eye Is on the Sparrow."

The singer had a sore throat and her assistant suggested she take a bath to get ready for the party. The assistant left to pick up some items at a department store and by the time she returned, Houston was submerged in the tub, which was overflowing and had soaked the carpet in another room.

Efforts were made to revive the Houston, including using a defibrillator, according to the report.

Coroner's officials declined to discuss details in the report, including whether toxicology results showing the level of cocaine in Houston's body could be used to determine how recently she took the drug. The office has said there were signs of recent and chronic use by the singer.

Beverly Hills police have been awaiting the report before closing the report, although the agency has said there are no signs of foul play in Houston's death.

The singer had battled addiction for years, but friends and family have said she appeared committed to making a comeback in the months before her death.

"The biggest devil is me. I'm either my best friend or my worst enemy," Houston told ABC's Diane Sawyer in an infamous 2002 television interview with then-husband Bobby Brown by her side.

Brown has faced his own troubles since his ex-wife's death. He was arrested and charged last month with driving under the influence of alcohol in Los Angeles and faces a court date later this month.

The details of Houston's death have not yet impacted plans to release "Sparkle" later this year. A trailer released Monday featured Houston prominently in her role as the matriarch of a family of girls who form a singing group and struggle with fame and addiction.