Frank Micelotta/Evening Standard-Hulton Archive,Getty Images

After a long battle with cancer, disco icon Donna Summer succumbed to the illness today (May 17) at age 63. Her music influenced a long line of her fellow performers, and you might be surprised to learn David Bowie was among those artists.

Disco, long the enemy of rock and rollers, hit its peak in the late-’70s, and oversaturated the market with more plastic puppets than you could shake a mirror ball at. Donna Summer, however, was not plastic.

Early in her career, Summer was hired to sing on demo recordings by record producer Giorgio Moroder, who took her under his wing and thrust her into the disco spotlight with 1975′s ‘Love To Love You Baby,’ a 17-minute trance like dance floor hit that would set the template for everything from disco to house music.

The electronic pulse of her next record, ‘I Feel Love,‘ was one of the most influential records of the era. It’s robotic, motorik production was a second cousin to the pioneering works of Kraftwerk and would impact Bowie and producer Brian Eno as they were recording the classic ‘Low’ album in 1976.

In the liner notes to his ‘Sound And Vision’ retrospective collection, Bowie explains, “One day in Berlin, Eno came running in and said, ‘I have heard the sound of the future’ … he puts on ‘I Feel Love’ by Donna Summer … He said, ‘This is it, look no further. This single is going to change the sound of club music for the next fifteen years.”

He was right — the record would later influence acts like Depeche Mode and New Order. Even the Red Hot Chili Peppers covered the song on their ‘Live In Hyde Park’ album. Summer went on to have fourteen Top 10 hits, including four No. 1 records. She was nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2010, but did not get the nod.

[button href="http://ultimateclassicrock.com/2012-deaths-donald-duck-dunn/" title="Next: See Other Rockers We've Lost in 2012" align="center"]

Source: UltimateClassicRock.com

Mix 108

Love can get messy sometimes. Divorces can get even messier. But, what often gets the messiest is the stuff left behind after the divorce that the remaining spouse must get rid of to move on. This Superior, WI woman seems to have found the best way, and a local radio station got all the photos.

Rather than posting adds for well-priced used items on Craigslist, the woman decided to have a “sale” in front of her home. The good news for interested shoppers was that everything was free. The bad news was that everything seemed to be somewhat destroyed, including a green GMC Yukon covered in vulgar graffiti indicating the former owner of the SUV to be a “cheater.” There was also a pile of charred remains of stuff, clearly the result of a small fire.

The “X-Husband Sale” stopped traffic on the woman’s street as passers-by paused to examine the items and photograph the result of the divorcee’s wrath. The traffic back-up prompted a visit from police, who spoke to someone in the home, but did nothing further with the mess on the front lawn.

Later, the SUV was gone, but the “sale” remained open. When asked, Superior Police Sergeant William Lear explained there is no law against spray painting a vehicle in your own yard. If there’s questionable language on the vehicle, he said, “Depends on the language, there’s a fine line there. If it’s creating a disturbance, if there’s threats, if it’s blocking traffic, we can tow it.”

According to court documents, the couple filed for divorce in July of 2011. A neighbor confirmed that the divorce became final on Tuesday and that set off the preparations for the “sale.” For more photos, including some with objectionable language, head over to Mix 108.

Mix 108

Source: TheFW.com

While waiting for their flight to depart, passengers on Air Canada flight AC 876 witnessed a jam session by members of Toronto’s 14-piece ensemble the Lemon Bucket Orkestra.

The group played four full songs while the plane sat on the tarmac. While this sort of frenetic, accordion- and brass-based music may not be best for a headache-inducing flight delay, we sure appreciate the band’s attempt to entertain passengers.

The group, by the way, was flying to Romania as part of their ‘Balkan Station 2012 Tour.’ Get your tickets now, or just enjoy the clip above.

Source: TheFW.com

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Disco and pop music icon Donna Summer has died, according to TMZ.  According to the website, the singer passed away after a battle with cancer and died in Florida.  She was 63 years old.

Born LaDonna Adrian Gaines, Summer — a five-time Grammy Award winner known as the Queen of Disco — revolutionized dance music with her seminal hits “Love to Love You Baby” and “I Feel Love.”  Those tracks established her career and were followed by a string of hits, including “Last Dance,” “Hot Stuff,” “MacArthur Park,” “Bad Girls” and “Dim All the Lights.”

Summer continued her career into the ’80s with hits like “She Works Hard for the Money” and “This Time I Know It’s for Real.” The first woman and the first African-American Artist ever to win a Grammy for Best Rock Vocal Performance, for “Hot Stuff,” Summer was shortlisted for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame but to date has never been inducted.

Summer was most recently seen performing with Seal in David Foster’s 2010 PBS special Foster & Friends and on America’s Got Talent, performing with former contestant Prince Poppycock.

On Friday, the torch runners will meet up with hundreds of law enforcement officers from across the state to kick off the 2012 Summer Games at UT Arlington, where more than 3,000 SOTX athletes will compete in cycling, tennis, athletics (track and field), soccer, basketball and gymnastics.

Special guests at the send-off the Lubbock County Sheriff’s Office, the Lubbock Police Department, the Plainview Police Department, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Lubbock County Adult Probation and the Lubbock SWAT team.  Lubbock Police Chief Roger Ellis and Lubbock County Sheriff Kelly Rowe will address the crowd.

About the Law Enforcement Torch Run

The Law Enforcement Torch Run is Special Olympics’ largest grass-roots fundraiser and public awareness vehicle.  In Texas, the Law Enforcement Torch Run began in 1985 and had grown to become one of the largest in the nation.  In the last decade, Torch Run has contributed over $11 million through the dedication of thousands of law enforcement personnel fundraising on behalf of SOTX.  The support provided by this dedicated group has contributed greatly to programs in local communities, which involve more than 44,000 athletes with intellectual disabilities throughout the state.

About Special Olympics Texas
Special Olympics Texas (SOTX) is a privately funded non-profit organization that changes lives through the power of sport by encouraging and empowering people with intellectual disabilities, promoting acceptance for all, and fostering communities of understanding and respect.  SOTX provides continuing opportunities for more than 44,000 children and adults with intellectual disabilities throughout the Lone Star State to realize their potential, develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage and experience joy and friendship.  To learn more, visit www.specialolympicstexas.org or call 800.876.5646.

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Bill Paxton is 57 today. Paxton is the star of ‘Twister’, ‘Apollo 13′ and ‘Big Love’. Where did Bill Paxton get his start? In the video for the CLASSIC 1979 smash hit, ‘Fish Heads’ by Barnes & Barnes!

It’s true! Check out the video here:

Paxton was also the older brother, Chet, in the 80′s hit movie ‘Weird Science’:

(WARNING: He has a potty mouth in a few of these clips.)

Also, he’s definitely NOT Bill Pullman. This is Bill Pullman:

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Glad we cleared that up…

Handout, Getty Images

Forget the final three, the ladies have spoken — Phillip “Phillip” Phillips will be your host this evening, your prom king, quarterback and master of the boudoir. Girls upfront love this guy, cheered for him a few too many times during the night’s final performance, and hell, he’s why they’re sitting upfront in the first place. Oh, he also sang ‘We’ve Got Tonight’ by Bob Seger.

The judges have long-worried that Phillips is only capable of crooning off the grid in his Jakob Dylan-cum-John Mayer purr. This was not so with his “best performance of the season” according to Randy, in which Phillips stuck to what he knew; a hushed, faithful version of ‘We’ve Got Tonight,’ where he stayed in the velvety corners, hid in the pockets, winked and nuzzled his way to the finish line.

No big climax, just gliding on air — teaching today’s kids about the tear-inducing power of Seger. And it’s really hard to find the velvety corners in a string-laden piano ballad, dammit.

Watch Phillip “Phillip Phillip Phillip Phillip” Phillips sing Bob Seger’s ‘We’ve Got Tonight’ in the video below.

Phillip Phillips Sings Bob Segar’s ‘We’ve Got Tonight’ on American Idol

Source: UltimateClassicRock.com

Auto-Tune the News has some REALLY funny stuff. Check out a few of their other videos here!

In Worcester, Massachusetts, the teachers at Abby Kelley Foster High School pranked their students by interviewing them on camera, and asking them to reflect on the school year…then dancing like idiots in the background.

They ended up completely cutting out the students’ audio, and set it to the Whitney Houston song, ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’.

A lot of the dancing is pretty funny, but the big guy at :50 and 1:32 is the best:

You’ll find it here.

Here’s video of Mary J.Blige  singing Journey’s ‘Any Way You Want It’:

Here’s the official trailer:

ABC

It’s not uncommon for some teens to sign abstinence pledges or pledges vowing not to drink and drive. But at one high school school in Massachusetts, students are promising to abstain from something else entirely: tanning beds.

A recent CDC survey showed that despite the risk of skin cancer, young women are still visiting tanning salons twice a month — and that’s something the upperclassmen at Maynard High School in Maynard, Mass. want to change.

Back in February, Allison Bosse, a senior, organized a pledge in which students vowed not to use tanning beds or sunbathe before this year’s prom — and it was no easy sell.

“Our school is known for a lot of people tanning,” she said. “Kids start in March because they want to be tan in their dresses for prom.”

Bosse set up tables in the school cafeteria and began asking her fellow students to take the no-tanning pledge. And she must have been pretty persuasive, because 209 of Maynard’s 283 seniors signed on. (Maybe the others just haven’t seen the infamous tanning mom yet.)

Dr. Jennifer Stein, an assistant professor of dermatology at NYU Langone Medical Center in New York, applauds the effort, saying, “There’s a lot of pressure for teenagers to look tan. It’s really important to try to change the way teenagers think about tanning beds.”

Watch a news story about the Maynard pledge below.

[ABC News]

NBC

We’re still in the middle of the audition process for ‘America’s Got Talent,’ so at this point audiences are prepared to see anything from the sweet to the absolutely absurd. What better place to find that all than in San Francisco?

We’re technically on the second episode of ‘America’s Got Talent,’ so naturally at this point the judges are ready to ‘go into battle’. “I’ve been waiting in my hotel room since five in the morning, waiting to judge something,” says Howard Stern as he’s greeted by crowds of San Franciscans. And obviously the rest of the crowd is anxious to move forward with the auditions. After all, if the contestants manage to win this competition then they will snag a million dollars. And no matter what you tell us, we don’t believe that Howie Mandell actually flew in on some form of a jet pack. That’s just careful editing at work there.

We begin the festivities with the Sacramento dance group called CMYB, headed by David Garblandi. Now here’s the kicker: they’re not just a dance group, but a painting dance group. Yes, they manage to combine their love of dance with their incredible painting skills. To think that he’s able to paint Mozart while actually dancing to it along with his group is just amazing. Color the judges impressed. (Sorry)

Then the audience isn’t introduced so much as exposed to Mr. Special. His name should sum it up. He comes in a little tricycle playing “Anchors Away” on a trumpet while wearing half of a chicken outfit. He gets an automatic fail from Sharon and Howard, but pushover Howie gives him a chance for a split second until he decides to vote against him. Mr. Special doesn’t take the news well as he almost calls Sharon a b—-, then tells her to give him a call. Mr. Special even manages to slightly harass Howie and Howard back stage. Rude much?

It’s time for a horrible audition montage! We’re exposed to the worst of the bunch which includes lame fire performers, a band who plays solely on guitars made out of suitcases and Mars Green, a man who’s painted like a lizard and sings an awful rendition of Katy Perry’s “Supernatural.” That poor, poor audience.

Obviously the saddest one in the group was Kim McAffe, a singer who’s duet became a solo thanks to her flaky singing partner. She may have given Howard Stern praise for his show, but that doesn’t stop him from giving her an automatic no for her performance. Suddenly Nick Cannon pops up, trying to help her out by “scratching,” which makes her performance a bit worse.

Let’s bring on the balancing act! We’re referring to Cristin Sandu, a seventeen-year-old who balances on several metal circles. It terrifies the audience to a degree, afraid that Cristin will be splattered all over the AGT floor, but he manages to pull off his act without a hitch and wins most of the judges over.

Then we’re sprinkled with a bit of humor as the auditions continue on with LCD – The Lisa Clark Dancers. This has to be one of the funniest dances that’s been seen on the show so far, mixing contemporary dance with classical music. Everyone’s won over except for Howie, which nobody gets, not even us. For some reason Howie is happy when he sees the magician and the concert piano player who pull off a cool sawing act that ends with half of the piano player performing one of his tunes. And then he gives a yes to a juggler who screws up the first time he performs his act. What’s going on in that noggin, Howie?

We get our first dose of impressions on the show thanks to Dave, a comedian impressionist. He manages to imitate the voice and movements of a few celebrities including Nicolas Cage and Vince Vaughn but doesn’t entirely hit the mark the whole time. All of the judges basically tell him to get a little “edgier” with writing his impression skit, but still think he’s good enough to move forward in the competition.

We slip into the more emotionally touching portion of the show when we’re introduced to Luiz Meneghin, a normal man with a solid opera voice. His performance is fine but at the same time you can tell he picked a safe song to sing instead of really pushing his vocal cords to the limit. Either way, he managed to wow everyone in the audience. Here’s hoping he really challenges himself when he’s in Las Vegas.

Day two of the San Francisco auditions kicks off with Paula Nelson, an eighty-year-old woman who’s known as Granny G. What makes Granny G so unique? Why she’s a grandmother who can rap about moral values. The judges suggest that Granny G could be even cooler if she blings up her walker. She’ll certainly be doing that when she’s in the next round. At least she’s loads better than Kotton Kandy, a heavy-set male street performer who wears a glowing showgirl outfit. Hey, he may not be what everyone wants to see but at least he gave it the good old academic try while dancing to the “Tootise Roll.”

Crappy audition montage part two! This round includes motorcycle stunt men who can barely do any tricks, a lady with a performing mini-horse and puppy that just walks around in circles. And though you would have figured the man who transformed his broom and dust pan into musical instruments wouldn’t move forward, you’re wrong.

It’s sympathetic time once more with Tim Hockenberry, an alcoholic who turned his life around and is now ready to sing in front of the nation. He performs a great rendition of “You Are So Beautiful” which almost moves Howie to tears. Everyone is absolutely in love with him, especially Howard who describes his performance as “a breath of fresh air.”

The last dance group we’re presented with is the FBC (Funk Beyond Control). They’re all right, but the one thing that almost killed their routine is that one of the kids immediately messed up. Thankfully, Howard Stern and company were in more of a forgiving mood at this point in the show.

Speaking of decent performances, the judges managed to let an indie folk hipster-like band, called The Emily Ann Band, move forward. They sang a really strange rendition of Britney Spears’ “Toxic” that left half of the audience wondering what they just listened to. Oh well, they advanced to the next round along with so-so stand up comedian Kellen and a martial arts dance group that messed up at one point.

Thankfully the last performer of the night deserved to not only be on this stage but definitely deserves to make it all the way to the finals. Alonso Jones, aka Turf, is a hip hop contortionist dancer who was kicked out of his house for wanting to pursue his dreams. He was homeless for two years and danced for money on the street until he could afford his own apartment. The contortion may at times be uncomfortable to watch but man, he’s got some moves. Even Nick Cannon is speechless, his jaw hanging ajar while watching Turf at work. Once he’s done performing, Turf is moved to tears over the judges’ wonderfully kind words. “Just this right here… dream came true.” Yes, this man is going to Las Vegas.

That’s it for San Francisco’s portion of the auditions. Next week we’ll be watching the trio make their rounds in New York City, Howard Stern’s home turf, on ‘America’s Got Talent,’ airing this next Monday and Tuesday at 8 PM.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Then five seconds later, the whole thing collapses.

According to the YouTube description, she was fine.

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Facebook is currently preparing for what is believed will be the biggest initial public offering ever for an Internet-based company. But while Wall Street sees a bright future for Mark Zuckerberg’s social network, a surprisingly high percentage of the American don’t see Facebook as a good bet.

An Associated Press-CNBC poll asked 1,004 adults if Facebook’s appeal would linger or fade. Forty-six percent answered that Facebook will go the way of MySpace or Friendster, whereas 43 percent said it had staying power.

Perhaps more surprisingly, there was even more skepticism about Facebook’s future among those ages 18-to-34, who use the social network more than older adults. Fifty-one percent of that demographic expect Facebook to fade away and only 44 percent think it will prove to be more than just a fad.

[Chicago Tribune]

Apparently it’s a marketing campaign for a new music-sharing app called MusicBunk, but it’s still great. The best shot is when a guy throws a record from a second-story window, bounces it off a satellite dish, then lands it on the turntable.

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

As part of an effort to fight obesity, Darebin Council in northern Melbourne, Australia, is considering a “fat tax” which would impose whopping rate increases on fast food giants like McDonald’s and KFC.

Obesity is a significant problem in Australia, with six in 10 adults and one in four children considered overweight. This new tax would penalize fast food restaurants with rate increases up to a staggering 400 percent.

According to the council, extra money generated from the tax would be spent on health promotion programs to battle obesity as well as related illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease.

Darebin councilor Gaetano Greco said the tax is meant to promote good health and reduce the number of fast food joints. “Councils have the responsibility of looking after the health and well-being of their community,” he said. “Here we are, looking at an extra tool that council can use to limit or control the spread of fast-food chain outlets.”

Not surprisingly, fast food companies aren’t thrilled with the idea. A KFC spokesman said consumers should be able to choose what they eat for themselves. “For our part, we believe in informed choice and provide our customers with detailed nutritional information so they can make sensible dietary decisions for themselves and their families,” he said.

A McDonald’s spokesperson said the fat tax would have a pronounced effect on all fast food restaurants in the area, many of which — including the golden arches — are owned and operated by local people.

[news.com.au]

YouTube

In the frantic world of financial news reporting, it’s best to be ready for whatever comes your way. Be it a market crash, or a news camera in your face when you least expect it. Because that’s what happened to Bloomberg’s Sara Eisen who was caught on camera fixing her skirt during a pan through the newsroom. 

The video starts with a news presenter cutting to the markets’ desk where analyst Sheila Dharmarajan is barely audible due to some technical issues. So to save (her) face, the camera moves to Eisen, who unfortunately was caught off guard in a far more embarrassing situation.

Check out the clip below.

Many on the internet are now speculating why a professional like Eisen was caught off guard. Whatever the reason, Eisen at least knew what to say to keep the show going. Still, that’s another reporter blunder for our “news bloopers” collection.

Source: TheFW.com

NBC

The ‘tanning mom’ of New Jersey has upset a lot of mothers, tanning salon owners and just about anyone with a central nervous system and a basic sense of moral decency or sanity.

Patricia Krentcil helped coin the term “tannorexia” when she allegedly took her five-year-old daughter to a tanning salon to get a bit of bronzing done, earning her a second-degree felony charge and the scorn of a nation. The case has raised new awareness of this addictive condition and the people who suffer from it. Here are some ways to tell that you might be among those afflicted.

1. People keep asking for your autograph because they think you are either John Boehner or C-3PO.

2. You constantly smell bacon cooking.

3. All photos taken of you are a photo negative of a photo negative.

4. The sun has to squint its eyes to look at you.

5. You feel as though you could burst into flames at any second — and you’re not driving a Pinto.

6. Al Gore blames you by name for depleting the ozone layer.

7. You often light matches by striking them on your forehead.

8. Whenever you go hunting, you’re the only one who doesn’t need to wear camouflage.

9. You went to a Halloween party as the Oscar statue without wearing a costume.

10. You blend easily to recently varnished furniture.

11. Your presence makes people think they are in the future because robots are walking amongst them.

12. People constantly try to sell you to Goldline.

ABC

Last week saw two couples eliminated from the ‘Dancing with the Stars‘ competition, leaving us with what may be the best semifinal group yet. And on Monday night, they all danced their perfectly-toned backsides off — so who’s got the best shot at moving on to next week’s finale extravaganza?

Let’s find out … LIIIIIIIVE!

Hosts Tom Bergeron and Brooke Burke-Charvet, who was clad in a life-sized Slinky, said everyone would be doing two dances for our entertainment. Oh, and it was also Sob Story Night, so we all learned a little more about the contestants’ hardships early in life. Good times.

And away we go.

William Levy and Cheryl Burke
First dance score: 28 out of 30 (9/9/10)
Second dance score: 30 out of 30 (10/10/10)

William also told us about his impoverished Cuban upbringing, saying when he was a kid, his dream was just to have a fridge with food in it. As he mentioned earlier in the season, his father was a political prisoner who brought the family to the US for asylum when William was 14. His modeling agents recalled seeing him for the first time and how he was gorgeous but had so few clothes that they actually had to go shopping for him. His modeling gigs led to acting gigs, and now he’s one of the biggest stars in Latin America.

On to the dancing … there’s a reason Cheryl’s won this thing twice, and getting fantastic partners is only part of it. She’s a terrific choreographer, and her first dance with William, a tango set to the Eurythmics’ ‘Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This),’ was sexy and sharp and fit the music perfectly. Len said he hadn’t “been this excited since my mother put me in long trousers,” which we’re guessing is Brit-speak for “dude, awesome,” Bruno said it was “full of animal magnetism,” and Carrie Ann had only the tiniest of constructive criticisms.

His second dance, a samba, featured him in tight white pants shaking his ass a lot (see, we told you Cheryl knows what she’s doing). Bruno called the dance “the pleasure zone” and said he had “bum envy,” Carrie Ann called it “freaking amazing,” and Len dubbed William “the hunk with the junk in his trunk.”

Katherine Jenkins and Mark Ballas
First dance score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)
Second dance score: 27 out of 30 (9/9/9)

Katherine was accepted to the Royal Academy of Music at 17, and rocketed to fame after being signed to a recording deal shortly thereafter. (It’s still so weird to see that booming operatic voice coming out of such a tiny chick.) Last December she apparently suffered an Adele-style breakup with her fiance and it left her in shreds. She credits ‘DWTS’ for helping to put a smile back on her face and for giving her something else to focus on.

Kind of surprised she didn’t mention her father’s death as she did earlier in the season when we got some contestant backstory, but maybe she felt it would’ve been exploitative. So props to her for that.

On to the dancing … Katherine said she’s come a long way in the competition — from demurely asking the costume designers to add more fabric to her dresses all the way to her currently provocative dance moves. Her quick-step looked like it had a few small errors to us, but if it did, most of the judges didn’t notice. Bruno called it “outstanding” with “amazing technique,” Carrie Ann said it may have been the best dance ever on ‘DWTS,’ and although Len did catch the mistakes, he deemed the performance “fabulous.”

Kat’s second dance, a salsa, was hawt and showed she’s clearly gotten more comfortable showing some skin. All was going swimmingly until the very last couple beats of the song when her back suddenly went out — she was horrified and in pain all at the same time, and she couldn’t stop apologizing to Mark. So awful. Regardless, Carrie Ann called the rest of the dance “fabulous,” Len called her “Katherine the Great,” and Bruno said she “unleashed the harlot” within.

At the end of the show, she was stoic but looked like she was in agonizing pain, and Tom said doctors were en route. Hopefully it’s nothing too serious and she picks up some audience votes, because it would be an absolute shame for her to go out like that.

Donald Driver and Peta Murgatoyd
First dance score: 28 out of 30 (9/9/10)
Second dance score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)

Donald grew up in rough ‘hood in Houston, with a father in prison and a single mother raising five kids. The family wound up living under a bridge, and Donald’s mom eventually sent him and his brother to stay with their grandparents. Trouble — drugs, car thefts, etc — followed, even during his early athletic years. Meeting his wife in college was the turning point because she gave him an ultimatum: he could have her or the bad-boy lifestyle, but not both. He kept her and focused on football instead, eventually being drafted by the Green Bay Packers and going on to become a star wide-receiver with a Super Bowl championship under his belt.

On to the dancing … his first dance, a waltz, was simply gorgeous — fluid and lyrical and lovely. Carrie Ann complimented the emotion he displayed and called the performance “mesmerizing,” Len said Donald is a “big tough cream puff,” and Bruno loved his lines and arm extensions.

The samba he did next was sassy and fun (prediction: Peta has quite a future on this show). Len said it was “a bit careful” but he liked it, Bruno said it “worked beautifully,” and Carrie Ann said it was Donald’s “A+ game.”

Maria Menounos and Derek Hough
First dance score: 30 out of 30 (10/10/10)
Second dance score: 29 out of 30 (10/9/10)

Maria’s parents were Greek immigrants (as she’s often reminded us) who worked as janitors, and she was moved by how much they wanted to give her family a better life. She put herself through college, got a journalism degree, and covered earthquakes and wars for Channel One news — she even interviewed President Bush when she was all of 20. Damned impressive. She credits her parents for her work ethic, and wants to succeed to make them proud.

On to the dancing … while it’s usually the celebs who buckle under the pressure, Derek’s rehearsal footage seemed to show him in the midst of a panic-attack — something that’s especially odd for the show’s only three-time champ. Regardless, he soldiered on, and Maria’s Argentine tango had some amazing moves, ending with a pretty emotional moment between her and Derek. Len said he was “completely caught up in it,” Bruno gave it his usual bombastic praise, and Carrie Ann was in the throes of complimental (it’s a word because I say it is) ecstasy.

Her second dance seemed a bit muted for a jive, and Derek looked like he was doing most of the tricks, but overall it was a fresh interpretation. Bruno liked its “quirkiness,” Carrie Ann said it was a “stunner,” and Len called out a tiny stumble but enjoyed the “rhythm” of the performance.

There you have it. Tuesday night’s elimination will reveal who’s in the finale — see you then.

Source: ScreenCrush.com

Twitter

How do you top Time’s cover featuring a mother breastfeeding her fully-grown child? Call Obama “gay” and give him a rainbow-colored halo.

Fresh off his groundbreaking decree that he supports gay marriage, which trumped Joe Biden’s earlier pro-gay union statement, Barack Obama now graces the cover of Newsweek to promote Andrew Sullivan’s profile piece titled, “The First Gay President.”

Newsweek first released the controversial image on the morning of Mother’s Day via Twitter. There was no doubt it was their way of saying, “We see your breastfeeding, and we raise you a rainbow halo.”

The issue doesn’t hit newsstands until May 21st, but it’s already causing quite the commotion. So far, there’s no official response from The White House, but here are just a few of the responses from Twitter.

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

Twitter

What do you think?

Source: TheFW.com