US Mint Sales: America the Beautiful Silver Coin Products Debut

Demand for United States Mint numismatic products turned higher for major coins and sets, the bureau’s latest sales figures underscore.

This week’s report includes the first batch of debuting sales for the five-ounce 2011 America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins, the 2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set, and the 2011 American Gold Eagle Proof Coins.

The Mint’s Authorized Purchasers (AP’s) scooped up 153,400 of 253,000 Gettysburg and Glacier five-ounce America the Beautiful Silver Bullion Coins on their launch day. The United States Mint began accepting orders for the two coins on Monday, April 25. 126,500 are available for each of the 2011 silver coins, which easily surpasses the 33,000 per coin mintages of last year’s issues which sold out with a combined total of 165,000. The AP’s have until Friday to make their buying commitment, making the first week of sales most interesting.

2011 America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Sets make their first appearance in the sales tables at 78,054. The sets were released April 1, but the Mint atypically did not offer their sales numbers until this most recent report. The figure does not represent true demand, as the set is one of four that have been suspended since early last week as the Mint awaits a stabilization in silver prices to readjust its silver proof set prices. For a time this week, the melt value of the America the Beautiful Quarters Silver Proof Set was actually several dollars higher than its opening $41.95 price.

The United States Mint also released the opening sales figures for the 2011 American Gold Eagle Proof Coins which were released on Thursday, April 21. The 22-karat collector coins had a more difficult opening this year as their release competed against the extended holiday and historically high prices as a result of record gold prices. Their debut sales were weaker than last year but stronger than the proceeding 2008 year (the coins were cancelled in 2009).

Click here to read the whole story at coinnews.net by Mike Unser

Huntsville, AL Tornado Rips Through County; Curfew Now In Effect (VIDEO)

Powerful tornadoes ripped across Northern Alabama Wednesday as part of one of the deadliest tornado outbreaks.

As of this morning, according to AL.com, the Huntsville, AL death toll was up to 8, with at least 82 injuries, 7 of which are critical. Wednesday saw another 50 people, many in critical condition, taken to the hospital following the 6 tornadoes that came through.

A "dusk 'til dawn," curfew has been put into effect as a result, according to AL.com.

At a press conference at 8:30 this morning, officials offered advice during the curfew. Largely they stressed the need to conserve fuel, not to flood the 911 number, and to limit hospital visits to the severely injured.

Water conservation is also of the utmost importance.

Below is a video of the Huntsville tornado forming, shot by a nearby resident.

Watch:

Mad Men's Fifth Season Will Return in 2012

There's good news and there's bad news for Mad Men fans.

AMC has officially given the green light to a fifth season of the adman drama, the network announced Tuesday. But ongoing negotiations with series creator Matthew Weiner will push the show's return to early 2012.

AMC made the announcement as a Deadline.com report surfaced about Weiner's prolonged renegotiations with Lionsgate, which produces Mad Men. The latest sticking points in the proposed contract — which a source tells TVGuide.com would pay Weiner roughly $30 million over three years, making him the highest-paid showrunner on basic cable — involve cost-cutting measures and an increase in advertising during the show's running time.

According to Deadline, AMC and Lionsgate have asked Weiner to integrate product placement into the show and to cut two minutes from the show's running time to accommodate more commercials. (The latter was also an issue during Weiner's renegotiations two years ago.)

Further, Weiner has been asked to trim the members of the cast to save money, according to Deadline. (A source tells TVGuide.com that all the principal cast members will return; any casting changes will involve some actors appearing in fewer episodes.)

Mad Men's typical episode runs about 48 minutes, considerably longer than a typical network drama and a couple minutes more than most basic-cable dramas.

AMC had no comment beyond the announced renewal.

Despite the lack of Mad Men, AMC has a busy year planned. The network premieres its new murder mystery drama The Killing Sunday, Breaking Bad returns in July and zombie drama The Walking Dead is shooting for a fall return. The network has yet to schedule Hell on Wheels, a post-Civil War drama that it ordered in December.

Lil Wayne, and Paris Hilton Swap Prison Stories

Lil Wayne and Paris Hilton share an unlikely bond: the rapper, 28, and the socialite, 30, have both spent time in solitary confinement.

In the April issue of Interview, Hilton asks the hip-hop juggernaut about his eight-month stint in the Rikers Island prison facility in 2010.

"For me it was okay, because it just meant that I was alone with my thoughts," Wayne explains. [The musician turned himself in to authorities after he struck a plea deal stemming from a 2007 gun arrest near the Beacon Theatre in NYC.]

"I had to do 24 nights in solitary," Hilton told him. [The heiress was placed in a separate cell as a safety precaution in 2007; she checked herself into the Century Regional Detention Facility in Lynwood, Calif. after violating her probation stemming from a 2006 DUI arrest.]

"How happy are you to have your freedom now?" Hilton asks.

"Words cannot explain," he tells her.

"Yeah, I know how you feel," Hilton laughs. "It's the best feeling in the world when you come out."

Now that they're both out of prison, the unlikely duo is toying with the idea of collaborating on Hilton's sophomore CD.

"I'd really love to finish my album, because I've been working on it for so long," Hilton says. "I want to release it by this summer, because I have a lot of summer bangers. I want to just have it out, because that's when people love to party."

"How are you going to release an album and don't get me on it?" the Grammy Award winner inquires.

"Well, if you would be on the album, then I would be honored," Hilton says. "That would be the sickest thing."

Jennifer Garner To Star In Young Reboot

This beloved classic is getting a facelift. Quite literally.

Disney has closed a deal for a big screen reboot of Agatha Christie's "Miss Marple" mystery novel series, and the House of Mouse is making substantial changes to the story. Deadline reports that, instead of the British grandma Jane Marple portrayed in the books and in previous big screen incarnations, the film series will instead feature a young, far more svelte amateur sleuth, to be played by Jennifer Garner.

 

Garner, of course, has plenty of screen experience when it comes to solving mysteries, starring in the longrunning TV spy show, "Alias." This will be a bit different; the novels, 12 in all, were written from the 1930-70's. Whether the films will stay in that considerable span of time, or be brought up to date has yet to be announced.

Marple has been played by a number of notable actors, both on TV and the big screen. The first films starred Margaret Rutherford, while Angela Landsbury took on the role in the star-studded "The Mirror Crack'd," which included Tony Curtis and Elizabeth Taylor.

Victoria's Secret Coupons

If you are looking for Victoria's Secret coupons then you have come to the right place because this page has some of the most attractive Victoria's Secret coupons. The first coupon that I am going to reveal to you is for girls only, but of course guys can use them too, that is if they plan to give it to their wives :) Would you believe that with the coupon code 7PANTIES you can get seven pairs of panties for just $25? But it is not only that, this sale comes with a Secret Reward Card which is worth $10. So hurry now to Victoria's Secret online store and take advantage of this promo. This is up to March 28 only, you still have time to get this.

And if you happen to want a new pants but would only buy one if you can get it 20% cheaper than the list price then Victoria's Secret can give it to you, just use the coupon code PANT20 and you'll get a 20% discount on a large selection of pants at Victoria's Secret website.

And if you would like to get free shipping on your $50 (or more) shopping at VS, just use the promo code SHIP50.

Here's another juicy promo code, it will allow you to take $300 off you $150 worth of order: 30OFF150.

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms

Ovarian Cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women. Although it is technically classed as a rare cancer, it still affects around 6,700 women each year in the UK. Risk varies from woman to woman and depends on how old you are, your genes and your lifestyle. According to charity Target Ovarian Cancer, a woman has a one in 50 chance of developing the disease over her lifetime. But the risk rises as you get older, with four in five cases occurring after the age of 50. 

What are the Signs and Symptoms of Ovarian Cancer?

Ovarian cancer symptoms are not specific to the disease, and they often mimic those of many other more-common conditions, including digestive and bladder problems. When ovarian cancer symptoms are present, they tend to be persistent and worsen with time. Signs and symptoms of ovarian cancer may include:

*Abdominal pressure, fullness, swelling or bloating

*Pelvic discomfort or pain

*Persistent indigestion, gas or nausea

*Changes in bowel habits, such as constipation

*Changes in bladder habits, including a frequent need to urinate

*Loss of appetite or quickly feeling full

*Increased abdominal girth or clothes fitting tighter around your waist

*A persistent lack of energy

*Low back pain

If you have signs and symptoms that worry you make an appointment with your doctor, especially if you have a family history of ovarian cancer or breast cancer. In some cases, your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor to discuss testing for certain gene mutations that increase your risk of breast and ovarian cancers.

Box Office: 'Sucker Punch' Can't Stand Up to 'Wimpy Kid's' $24.4 Million Heat

Proving Walt Disney isn't the only studio with its finger on the pulse of the tween market, 20th Century Fox's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roddick Rules" opened at number one this weekend with a very impressive $24.4 million. Not only is that higher than the original's $22.1 million debut last year, but makes the film a major profit center for Fox considering its $18 million budget. Expect many more "Wimpy Kid" films down the road as author Jeffrey Kinney has four other "Wimpy Kid" novels ready to exploit.

Opening in the second slot was Zack Snyder's critically savaged "Sucker Punch" with $19 million. The action-fantasy-drama hybrid came in slightly under expectations, but actually overperformed at IMAX locations. With a reported budget of at least $75 million, "Punch" is another out of the box experiment that hasn't lived up to the media's expectations. As it's hard to see "Sucker" making more than $45 million in the U.S., Warner Bros. will hope to stop the bleeding or break even after marketing costs overseas.

Raising eyebrows, "Limitless" dropped only 19% for third for an impressive $15.2 million and $41.2 million after just 10 days. Relativity Media's first solo hit, the Bradley Cooper thriller is already a huge profit center for the mini-major after the company sold off most of the international rights to cut their investment (outside of marketing) to just $1 million. Obviously playing to great word of mouth, "Limitless" could easily hit the $80-90 million mark when all is said and done.

Also enjoying strong audience buzz was Matthew McConaughey's "The Lincon Lawyer." The well received drama dropped only 17% for another $10.9 million and $28.8 million to date. "Lawyer" should easily pass the $50 million mark sometime next month.

"Rango" crossed the $100 million mark in the fifth slot with another $9.7 million and $106.3 million to date. Adam Sandler and Jennifer Aniston's "Just Go With It" also crossed the magic threshold this weekend. For those keeping tabs at home, the former "Friends" star now has four $100 million grossers to her credit.

Opening in limited release, The Weinstein Company's "Miral" found $65,000 in four theaters for an OK $16,500 per screen.

Next weekend's new releases include "Source Code" with Jake Gyllenhaal, "Insidious" and the semi-animated "Hop."

Box office actuals for the weekend will be released on Monday.

Amy Adams Plays Lois Lane in 'Superman: Man of Steel'

Zack Snyder announced that Amy Adams has been chosen to play the iconic Lois Lane in 2012's "Superman: Man of Steel."

Adams is a three-time Oscar nominee most recently honored for her role in David O. Russell's "The Fighter." The 36-year-old actress was previously nominated for her breakout role in "Junebug" and for her work opposite Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman in "Doubt." Most moviegoers known Adams, however, as the singing princess to be in "Enchanted." She's also recently appeared "Julie & Julia," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" and "Leap Year." Later this year she'll be found opposite Jason Seagal in "The Muppets" and has a supporting role in Walter Salles' "On the Road."

Snyder remarked to the Times, "There was a big, giant search for Lois. For us it was a big thing and obviously a really important role. We did a lot of auditioning but we had this meeting with Amy Adams and after that I just felt she was perfect for it.”

The always upbeat director also revealed that like Superman, making Lane relevant to today's audiences was going to be a priority. He would not discuss how substantial her part was in the film or whether she is a love interest for Kent/Superman (Cavill). Fans will no doubt immediately notice a slight age discrepancy between Cavill and Adams who are 27 and 36-years-old respectively.

Previous Lois Lanes have included Terri Hatcher on the small screen ("The Adventures of Lois and Clark"), Margot Kidder (the Christopher Reeve "Superman" series) and Kate Bosworth ("Superman Returns").

Warner Bros. recently confirmed that Diane Lane and Kevin Costner would also star in "Man of Steel" as Ma and Pa Kent.

"Superman: Man of Steel" is expected to begin production this August for a late 2012 release.

Nokia-Microsoft Alliance

The marriage of Nokia and Microsoft is official. The smartphone alliance combining the Windows Phone 7 mobile OS from Microsoft with the mobile phone manufacturing muscle of Nokia could be a line in the sand leading to a brighter mobile future for both, or a final desperate swan song. Regardless of how it ultimately works out for Nokia and Microsoft, though, the partnership is good news for Apple.

Al Hilwa, an IDC analyst, commented, "For Nokia to bet on Microsoft's new phone platform is an incredible vote of confidence but it is also a natural partnership given the various points of synergies. In the long run, Microsoft really needed a stronger hardware strategy to compete with Apple and RIM and to make headway against the ubiquitously sourced Android."

This is just my own wacky conspiracy theory, but I have been watching since Elop left Microsoft to assume the reins of control over Nokia. Abandoning Symbian and embracing Windows Phone 7 seems like a well-orchestrated coup for Microsoft--a subversive takeover from the inside that conveniently provides Microsoft with a major smartphone development capacity without all of the financial and regulatory red tape involved in trying to actually buy Nokia.

The Nokia-Microsoft alliance is good news for Apple, though--legally speaking. Florian Mueller, a technology patent and intellectual property expert, explains in a blog post how Nokia's decision to join forces with Microsoft could end the heated legal battle between Apple and Nokia over alleged patent infringement.

Regardless of the strategic advantages for Microsoft and Nokia resulting from this partnership--and my conspiracy theory notwithstanding--there are also legal benefits for Nokia. Had Elop chosen to jump on the Android bandwagon, he might have exposed Nokia to additional patent infringement charges and more law suits from Apple. By teaming with Microsoft, Nokia has a deep patent pool to draw from and can most likely bring its legal battles with Apple to a close.

Mueller says, "I can't imagine that Apple would assert any of its patents against Windows Phone 7. Nokia is now covered by Microsoft as far as Windows Phone-based devices are concerned, and it's been a long time since Apple and Microsoft had (and settled) a patent dispute. They need each other."

While patent litigation has developed into a standard business practice and competitive strategy for tech companies, it uses up a lot of resources unnecessarily. Mueller sums up with, "I won't venture to predict when Apple and Nokia will finally settle, but I wouldn't be surprised if it now happened within a matter of months."

Bret Michaels Sues The Tony Awards

Bret Michaels almost died last year of a brain hemorrhage--and the Poison singer thinks the extreme condition was due to an injury sustained while performing at the 2009 Tony Awards.

Michaels filed a lawsuit against Tony Award Productions and CBS in L.A. County Superior Court on Friday, reports TMZ.com. He is asking for unspecified damages.

Michaels was hit in the head by a piece of the set at the end of his performance two years ago; he was hospitalized for a broken nose and cut lip after the show. Now, the 'Rock of Love' star believes the life-threatening brain hemorrhage that happened six months later was a direct result of that injury.

"One of the most common causes of this type of hemorrhage is head trauma -- exactly like the one Michaels suffered at the hands of the Tony Awards," the lawsuit stated.

It continues: "Through his sheer will to live, to see his children grow up, [he] was able to survive this trauma."

Watch the incident from the 2009 Tony Awards below:

Christina Aguilera & Matt Rutler Kissed (Photos)

Christina Aguilera and beau Matt Rutler share a passionate kiss on Saturday night (March 26) as they head home from dinner together in Santa Monica, Calif.

The 30-year-old singer and The Voice star dined with her boyfriend and a few other friends at Giorgio Baldi restaurant. Christina and Matt had a chauffeur drive them back home after their night out on the town.

Earlier in the week, Christina joined Twitter! Since her first tweet, she’s been showing off gifts from her fans and praising fellow singers Linda Perry and Jennifer Hudson.

Madonna's Plan to Build Malawi School Falls Apart

A charity launched by Madonna is floundering after nearly $4 million was spent, with little to show for it, on plans to build a school in the impoverished African nation of Malawi.

Madonna has made regular visits to the country for her Raising Malawi foundation, to which she gave $11 million; she also adopted her youngest children David and Mercy in Malawi.

But now, the pop star's dream of building a $15 million school to educate approximately 400 girls has officially collapsed, according to the New York Times.

"A thoughtful decision has been made to discontinue plans for the Raising Malawi Academy for Girls, as it was originally conceived," Michael Berg said Thursday in an email to donors who supported the project. Berg is co-director of Los Angeles' Kabbalah Centre, and co-founder of Raising Malawi.

The foundation's board of directors has been replaced by Madonna and her manager, who join a newly formed "caretaker board."

Concerns of financial mismanagement arose in recent months. Cars, golf memberships, and a chauffeur for the school's director were described by auditors as "outlandish" wastes of money.

In a statement Thursday, Madonna said: "There's a real education crisis in Malawi....67 percent of girls don't go to secondary school, and this is simply unacceptable. Our team is going to work hard to address this in every way we can." In acknowledgment of her charity's failings, she said, "I'm frustrated that our education work has not moved forward in a faster way."

Government authorities in Malawi already displaced hundreds of locals from Chinkhota village, near the capitol city of Lilongwe, to accommodate construction of the school. Madonna's camp has yet to explain why she failed to act earlier on the crisis within her organization, which has raised $18 million so far. The Times was told Madonna was directing a movie about British royals, and therefore unavailable for an interview about the latest Raising Malawi news.

Meanwhile, the charity insists that Raising Malawi will not disband, but will redirect how it uses funds to help the poor in Malawi.

The Global Philanthropy Group says it advised Madonna months ago that millions were being ineffectively spent by her charity, and suggested she finance existing education programs instead of trying to launch a new school.

Trevor Neilson of the Global Philanthropy Group studied Raising Malawi's mistakes and told the Times, "Despite $3.8 million having been spent....the project has not broken ground, there was no title to the land and there was, over all, a startling lack of accountability on the part of the management team in Malawi and the management team in the United States." He added, "We have yet to determine exactly what happened to all of that $3.8 million. We have not accounted for all the funds that were used."

Kate Walsh About Her Lesbian Role In 'Angels Crest'

Kate Walsh has stepped back into a world she's come to know so well.

The "Private Practice," star headlines a new indie drama called "Angels Crest," in which she plays a lesbian artist in a small-town tale alongside Jeremy Piven and Mira Sorvino. The perhaps oxymoronic gruff artist was a role she very much enjoyed.

"I loved the character, and the relationship between her and her partner was really interesting to me," Walsh told The Advocate. "There's humor in how she's an artist and kind of gruff and no-nonsense. It's a really beautiful film."

Of course, this isn't Walsh's first time playing a lesbian. In 2005, she played a lesbian in the indie film "Inside Out"; IN 2003, Walsh played Sandra Oh's partner in "Under the Tuscan Sun," and had a two episode arc on "Karen Sisco." Walsh played a transexual in a "CSI" guest spot.

Obviously, it's a role Walsh doesn't shy away from. To her, a character's sexuality is secondary at best.

"I'm just drawn to the role and the character and if it happens to be lesbian or transgender, whatever," she told the magazine. "It's the character and the relationship that really draws me to a project."

In her real life, Walsh went through a very public divorce after a short lived marriage to film executive Alex Young. She recently discussed the nightmare situation, as well as her sorrow over not having kids, with More Magazine.

"I feel like a loser. I would definitely love to be a parent," she told the magazine. "But I definitely don't think I want to do it on my own. Things are just going to go the way they go... I thought I'd be married and have three or four kids. I always knew I wanted to be an actress, but I think I always wanted a quote-unquote normal life because I had a very untraditional upbringing."

Speaking to a fan site about her propensity for taking on another sexuality on screen, Walsh said (via Maxim), "Do I give off a girl-on-girl vibe, I wonder? Or is it because I'm tall? I guess the chicks just dig me."

Reese Witherspoon Marries Jim Toth

Reese Witherspoon is legally married.

The Oscar-winning Legally Blonde actress, 35, tied the knot with her very own leading man, entertainment agent Jim Toth, 40, on Saturday evening, her rep confirms exclusively to PEOPLE.

The couple, who became engaged in December, tied the knot in a private ceremony at Witherspoon's ranch estate in Ojai, Calif.

A pre-wedding cocktail hour took place before the 20-minute ceremony, which started a bit late. Witherspoon walked down the aisle to "Here Comes the Bride."

Those in attendance included Witherspoon's children (with her first husband Ryan Phillippe), Ava, 11 and Deacon, 7, as well as Renée Zellweger, Sean Penn with Scarlett Johansson, Tobey Maguire, Robert Downey Jr. and his wife, Susan, and Alyssa Milano and her CAA agent husband, David Bugliari.

Tucked away between rolling hills, the Ojai Valley property offers Witherspoon and her kids plenty of privacy.

Sources have told PEOPLE that the kids bonded easily with Toth early on in his relationship with their mom.

"He's a grownup who's really ready to take the next step," a source told PEOPLE about Toth around the time of the pair's engagement. "He's a family-oriented guy, and that's all she ever really wanted."

And in the run-up to the nuptials, Witherspoon was "very giddy," added the insider, and "excited to see what the future holds."

Megan Fox Naked Photos (Uncensored)

Megan Fox is a 22 years old Actress from United States.

She was born in Rockwood, Tennessee, USA, under the name Megan Denise Fox.

Megan Fox's birthday is 16 May, 1986 & Her star sign is Taurus.

Her height is 5' 6" (1.68 m), She has a Brown - Dark hair & Blue Eyes.

Her nickname is: Mega Fox.

Megan Fox's build is Athletic.

Her list of relationships includes the names: Ben Leahy, David Gallagher, Brian Austin Green.

She had 3 award nomination[s], including: MTV Movie Award, National Movie Award, Young Artist Award.

See her naked photos:

Megan Fox For Armani (VIDEO)

Armani may not even need to release the actual advertisements.

Megan Fox is the new face -- and body -- of Armani jeans and underwear, and they're making sure to get their money's worth. The fashion house just released their newest ad featuring Fox in all her clothes-less glory.

Fox gets her hair brushed, for those interested; she also lounges around in just a bra and underwear, for viewers that may have interest in that part of the video.

When it comes to Fox's career on the big screen, she's recently been cast by director Judd Apatow in his spinoff of the his comedy, "Knocked Up."

See the naked photos of Megan Fox Uncensored...Click Here...


Watch the Behind the Scenes of Armani Jeans and Underwear with Megan Fox Video:


Watch Megan Fox for Emporio Armani Underwear and Armani Jeans Spring/Summer 2011 Advertising Campaign:

Canon Rebel T3 DSLR Review

This latest Canon Rebel T3 DSLR review is recommended for first timer who are willing to spend their time for photography. This is the breaking time for you to take a look the power and enhancement features of Canon Rebel T3 DSLR.

Nicely, Canon’s newest entry-stage DSLR might not be by far the most unruly digicam out, but at the very least it sports activities a moniker that fits the invoice. The Canon T3 Rebel, also called the EOS 1100D, can be a 12.two-megapixel affair created while using DSLR beginner in mind, and according to some review through at PhotographyBlog, it doesn’t sacrifice image excellent for ease of use. Touted being a successor towards the Rebel XS, the T3 truly carries through some valuable features from its much more sophisticated sibling, the T3i, which includes a individual-pleasant regulate layout, but lacks the camera’s Scene Intelligent automobile mode and intensive checklist of innovative filters. 

Aside from that, the reviewer located T3′s grips very slick and its diminutive LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY filter a minor setback, but was swift to level out that none of those is often a cope-breaker. In fact, aside from a little of noise encountered in the highest ISO setting, the camera delivers high quality pictures even in reduced light. All issues deemed, it seems to be like the Rebel T3 is really a “responsive and intuitive DSLR” for your novice photog, and at $600, it is got at the very least some in the opposition beat. Now, we won’t inform you what to accomplish, but if we had been you, we’d just click the base link to view how the T3 stacks up.

Tonight's Mega Millions Jackpot a Mega $312 Million

If you are the single ticket holder of the following numbers 22, 24, 31, 52, 54 with the 4 Mega ball, you are rich beyond imagination, the winner of Friday night's $312 million Mega Millions jackpot.

The top prize in the multi-state game has been growing twice a week for nearly two months, since players in Indiana and Michigan split a $45 million jackpot on Feb. 1.

Brisk ticket sales prompted lottery officials to bump the top prize up from an earlier-announced $304 million.

If a single player matches all six numbers in tonight's drawing and chooses the cash option, that player would receive an estimated $198 million before taxes. If that player chooses to be paid over time, he or she would get approximately $12 million a year for 26 years.

If all your numbers don't line up in tonight's drawing, there's still Saturday night's Powerball game, which carries a current jackpot of $125 million.

And just in case you're wondering, the odds of winning the top Mega Millions prize are one in 175 million, slightly better than the one in 195 million odds of winning Saturday's Powerball jackpot.

Natalie Portman Versus Sarah Lane

American Ballet Theatre soloist and Black Swan dancing double Sarah Lane has started to not only speak out about her role in the award-winning film, but she has also suggested a facade presented by the producers to transform Natalie Portman into a prima ballerina.

Unsurprisingly, Natalie's dancing partner Benjamin Millepied took to her defense on the matter, claiming Natalie did "85 percent" of the dancing.

But Sarah, who has stood unnoticed on the sidelines during awards season (she was left out of Natalie's acceptance speech and is only named as an extra in the film's credits) has decided to take off her pointe shoes and bring out her claws by making it known that N.P. didn't quite transform herself as we were led to believe.

Turns out, this quiet "extra" doesn't seem so tight-lipped anymore...

Lane's take? She thinks that "85 percent" figure is a load of crap, estimating that only "5 percent" of the full-body shots are Natalie.

As for the arm work, she gives Portman credit, and certainly doesn't suggest that Natalie is anything less than an "amazing actress," but Lane's respect for ballet has inspired her to speak up:

"It is demeaning to the profession and not just to me. I've been doing this for 22 years...Can you become a concert pianist in a year and a half, even if you're a movie star?"

Lane admits to being disappointed by her loss of recognition, but who can blame her for being a bit peeved? Not surprising she took personal offense to the world's blind belief that an ABT transformation is possible in only a year, when Sarah has worked her butt off in the shadows for 22.

The question still remains: Why such a facade? Natalie won the Oscar for acting, and her personal performance was spectacular, dancing double aside.

Furthermore, it seems to be common knowledge when an actor enlists a singer as a voice double (à la Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady), but dancing doubles produce a much more believable imitation, an imitation that Fox Searchlight apparently felt compelled to omit.

As for Portman's role in the scandal, yes, she may have forgotten to mention Sarah in her acceptance speech, but with pregnancy, a new fiancé and multiple movies underway, can you blame her?

After all, Portman never tried to pretend that she danced in every scene, and she even admitted to using a dance double for the complicated turn sequences before award season was underway.

In fact, part of what made Natalie so spectacular is the huge departure for her in this role, much like Reese Witherspoon did in Walk The Line. But unlike Portman, Reese has publicly attributed her successful singing to the coaches.

Lane has made it clear: She is disappointed by her loss of credit for the role, and we agree, she should have been listed in the credits as Natalie's dancing double, but how then does she feel about Portman's technique?

"I mean, from a professional dancer's standpoint, she doesn't look like a professional ballet dancer at all, and she can't dance in pointe shoes. And she can't move her body; she's very stiff," says Lane.

Watch BLACK SWAN Featurette: Natalie Portman's Training

Martin Sheen Says Charlie Sheen Is Emotionally Crippled

Actor Martin Sheen sympathizes with his son Charlie Sheen over the actors litany of bizarre public tirades. Martin Sheen says this of his son's experience,

“I know what hell he’s living in. I’ve had psychotic episodes in public. One of them was on camera – the opening scene of Apocalypse Now. So I know what Charlie is going through. When you do something like that, that is out of control, that’s the most difficult thing. You have to have courage… You know, Charlie’s 45 years old. He’s not a kid. Emotionally he still is. Because when you’re addicted, you don’t grow emotional. So when you get clean and sober, you’re starting at the moment you started using drugs or alcohol. You’re emotionally crippled.”

Sarah Palin

Former Alaskan governor Sarah Palin is no stranger to jokes and taunts from the likes of Saturday Night Live skits to Kathy Griffin's live skits.

Sarah Palin's latest joke at her expense came from comedian and political commentator Bill Maher.

Referring to the recent devastation in Japan following the earthquake and tsunami, Maher reportedly said, "Did you hear this - Sarah Palin finally heard what happened in Japan and she's demanding that we invade Tsunami. I mean she said, these Tsunamians will not get away with this. Oh speaking of dumb tw**s." As Palin had made no such statement, Maher was offering a humorous imagined Palin response to the crisis, but Terry Dougherty of Women Magazine attacked the comedian for his 'misogyny', saying, "Maher's choice of words shows an enormous lack of respect for women. If his preceding joke had been about a man, I can't imagine him using an equally derogatory term to describe a male. That type of language shows a lack of consideration toward women".

The National Organization of Women - Now director of communications Lisa Bennett has a slightly different take on the situation. Lisa released a statement via the Daily Caller, saying,

"Listen, supposedly progressive men (ok, and women, too): Cut the crap! Stop degrading women with whom you disagree and/or don't like by using female body terms or other gender-associated slurs". However, the statement goes on to say, "Sorry, but we can't defend Palin or even Hillary Clinton from every sexist insult hurled at them in the media. That task would be impossible, and it would consume us".

Charlie Sheen Denied in Effort to Stop Arbitration

Attorneys for Charlie Sheen were denied this morning by a Santa Monica judge in their effort to stop a private arbitration between the Sheen, Warner Bros. and Two and a Half Men producer Chuck Lorre over the actor's firing from the show.

As we've reported, Warner Bros. initiated an arbitration proceeding against Sheen before the actor sued the studio and Lorre for $100 million. The private dispute resolution company JAMS has decided that it will move forward with the arbitration and its yet-to-be-appointed arbitrator will decide whether the arbitration clause in Sheen's contract provides that all disputes between him, Warners and Lorre will be hash out behind closed doors.

But Sheen wishes to press his claims in court, where the proceeding will be public. So his lawyer Marty Singer filed for an emergency temporary restraining order in Santa Monica courtroom this morning asking a judge to issue an injunction against JAMS from proceeding until the court determines whether Sheen's claims can move forward in the public venue.

The judge, after reading the lengthy court papers filed by the attorneys for Sheen, Warners and Lorre, has denied the injunction. The matter must be taken up by Judge Allan Goodman, who is presiding over the $100 million Sheen lawsuit.

Singer tells THR he will be back in court tomorrow morning to ask Goodman for an injunction.

"She denied the motion not on the merits but on a procedural issue," Singer says. "We will be back tomorrow, and we are confident in our position."

Warner Bros. declined to comment.

The move is the latest in a series of legal maneuvers between the parties in the Sheen fracas. Sheen's arbitration clause in his contract with Warner Bros. is broad, but the actor does not have a contract with Lorre, whom he believes is responsible for his termination. Sheen would like to proceed with the court action against Lorre but JAMS has decided its arbitrator will decide the entire dispute unless a court tells it differently.

Evan Rachel Wood Talks Nude Scenes

Evan Rachel Wood plays the daughter of Kate Winslet's character in the upcoming HBO mini-series 'Mildred Pierce'--and the risqué role called for the young actress' first nude scene. But lucky for Wood, her co-star has stripped down on film several times before and was there to lend support.

"She coached me through my first nude scene," Wood told E! News at Monday evening's premiere. "I mean, she's done it all. She was literally next to the camera going [thumbs-up]."

Winslet also told the actress to cover up as much as possible: "I looked at Kate and she was like, 'You've got to do it. Trust me, it's so brave,'" Wood said in an interview with Fancast.com. "'Put a merkin on and you'll be fine.'" (A merkin is a pubic wig.)

The 'Titanic' star's final piece of advice? "You keep the room as empty as possible," Winslet told Wood. "Just kind of being there for her, really, and letting her know there was someone to hold her hand and throw a robe over her at the right moment...made her feel better."

Winslet and Wood hit the red carpet at last night's 'Mildred Pierce' premiere. Winslet dazzled in a form-fitting Stella McCartney dress.

Elizabeth Taylor Dies At 79

Dame Elizabeth Taylor has died at the age of 79. The actress, who was suffering from congestive heart failure, passed away in Los Angeles in the early hours of Wednesday morning (March 23, 2011) with her children by her side.


Her son, Michael Wilding, confirmed the sad news and paid tribute to his late mother in a statement, which reads:


“My mother was an extraordinary woman who lived life to the fullest, with great passion, humor, and love. Though her loss is devastating to those of us who held her so close and so dear, we will always be inspired by her enduring contribution to our world.


“Her remarkable body of work in film, her ongoing success as a businesswoman, and her brave and relentless advocacy in the fight against HIV/AIDS, all make us all incredibly proud of what she accomplished. We know, quite simply, that the world is a better place for mom having lived in it. Her legacy will never fade, her spirit will always be with us, and her love will live forever in our hearts.”

VCU & UR Earn Sweet 16, Excitement Builds

RICHMOND, VA. (WWBT) - It's a double dose of March Madness in Richmond, as both Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond make it to the Sweet 16 in the Men's NCAA basketball tournament in San Antonio.

Let the smack talk begin. It's only Monday, but still students at both UR and VCU are ready for their big Sweet 16 match-ups this week. One thing that's on everyone's mind -- if both teams win -- is an all-Richmond Elite Eight match up, that could mean big things for a city now sitting pretty on the map.

First it was the Spiders, punching their ticket for the Sweet 16 on Saturday.

"It's crazy. Everyone's been wild about it. It's been about 22 years since we've been there. It's such a great time to be here to be a Spider. Be proud," says UR Fan Jeremy Lampman.

"As a fellow athlete, I appreciate these guys. I know them. It's exciting and it's unbelievable," says fellow UR Fan Dylan Stoops.

Then, Richmond's cross town rival VCU, punching their first ever ticket to the Sweet 16 with an emphatic win over Purdue on Sunday.

"It's crazy here man. The streets are going crazy. Everyone is going crazy. I love it," says VCU Fan Jonathan Reed.

"Everyone in the dorms was screaming. Bunch of excitement," says VCU fan Justine Dutton.

Two schools, from two non-power conferences, in the same region, making some big time moves in the basketball world. Everyone here knows how big this really is.

"We are just having a good time celebrating the city and the basketball team," adds Jonathan.

"And it will bring a lot of people in," says Jeremy.

"Everyone is talking about it on Facebook, Twitter. Everything," says VCU Fan Marc Rosen.

All you need to do is search for either the Spiders or Rams and the posts are endless.

Oh, and you can't forget about the smack talk. It's on.

Derek Oberschain says, "All of my friends at VCU, I don't talk to them anymore. Had to ditch them!"

Gene asking, "For good, or just for this week?"

Derek answering, "Just this week. Well, maybe forever if we lose."

A lot of you are picking up some new gear to root on the Spiders and Rams. And just think-- both teams are just one win away from playing each other -- for a chance to go the Final Four!

"The city would be crazy! Completely divided by black and yellow versus red and blue," says Jeremy.

Body of Taylor Anderson Found in Japan

JAPAN (MSNBC) - An American family was in mourning Monday after learning that their daughter and sibling, a teacher and lifelong student of Japanese culture, had been found dead in Japan –- the first known American victim of the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

A statement from her family:

It is with deep regret that we inform you that earlier this morning we received a call from the US Embassy in Japan that they had found our beloved Taylor's body. We would like to thank all those who's prayers and support have carried us through this crisis. Please continue to pray for all who remain missing and for the people of Japan. We ask that you respect our privacy during this hard time. -The Anderson Family

Taylor Anderson, a 24-year-old from Chesterfield, had lived in Japan since August 2008. She was last seen after the powerful earthquake struck Japan on March 11, riding her bike away from the school where she taught after helping to get her students home.

"It is with deep regret that we inform you that earlier this morning we received a call from the U.S. Embassy in Japan that they had found our beloved Taylor's body," the Anderson family wrote in a statement. "We would like to thank all those (whose) prayers and support have carried us through this crisis. Please continue to pray for all who remain missing and for the people of Japan."

Anderson's family, who had mounted a long-distance search for Anderson, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cherry Blossom Festival 2011: Where to Eat?

The National Cherry Blossom Festival starts on Saturday.

Any minute now I'm going to look up and some editor's going to be at my desk saying, "Gorelick, why don't you put together a list of places to eat for Baltimore Sun readers who are visiting the Cherry Blossom Festival."

I made a list last year, and readers didn't love it so much. I'd especially love to hear reader tips based on, you know, real-life experiences at the festival, complete with transportation strategies.

Here's a list of restaurants participating in the festival's Cherry Picks festival to shake your branches.

Network Solutions® Now Offers Domain Validated SSL Certificates

Network Solutions® introduces nsProtect™ Secure Xpress, Domain Validated SSL Certificates that feature fast issuance and state-of-the-art 256 bit encryption for small business owners who transact or collect personal information on their websites.

To run a successful Internet business today, business owners must show customers and prospects that their website is trustworthy. Assure customers that their personal information will be kept safe from interception. A site with trust marks is more likely to convey trustworthiness and reduce shopping cart abandonment, increase conversion and sales. If consumers perceive that their sensitive data might be compromised online, they are unlikely to do business on a company's website or sign up for services.

Network Solutions® has added Xpress SSL Certificates, Domain Validated SSL Certificates that feature state-of-the-art 256 -bit encryption, to its suite of nsProtect™ Secure SSL Certificate services. This Domain Validated SSL Certificate is a security solution for business owners who transact or collect personal information on their websites. With Xpress SSL Certificates, Network Solutions® can offer fast issuance, usually within 15 minutes*, by validating the registration of a specific domain name through an automated domain registration validation process.

“For businesses that only need limited validation our Xpress SSL Certificate offers a simple, automated validation process,” said Rob Vieyra, vice president of Product Management. “This process saves business owners time by removing additional validation checks and is a perfect security solution for non-critical applications.”

The nsProtect™ Secure Xpress validation process proves to website visitors that the company controls the domain, and for non-critical applications, offers sufficient validation to allow customers to transact with confidence. Each Xpress SSL Certificate comes with a $10,000 relying party guarantee payable to a website visitor if they incur losses resulting directly from an online credit card transaction as a result of a miss-issued nsProtect™ Secure Xpress SSL Certificate. These guarantees provide additional assurance to a business' customers that their transactions are protected.

Xpress SSL Certificates start at $39.99 per year. For more information about this and the suite of nsProtect™ Secure SSL Certificates available from Network Solutions, visit: http://www.networksolutions.com/SSL-certificates/domain-validation.jsp

*After completion of verification process, and based on system availability

About Network Solutions:

Network Solutions fosters small business success in the highly competitive online space by providing the tools and resources to start, grow and manage businesses online. Leveraging more than 30 years of pioneering experience, Network Solutions helps companies thrive in an increasingly digital world. To ensure our customers' success, we support them with outstanding customer service and solutions that are simple, innovative and reliable. Additional information can be found at http://www.about.networksolutions.com.

Citrix, Extreme Partner on Lifecycle Management

Extreme's data center network solutions are focused on providing an open and integrated virtualization environment.

Network solutions specialist Extreme Networks announced that it is collaborating with virtual computing giant Citrix Systems to integrate server virtualization with the network.

The company earlier announced its mobility and virtualization lifecycle management solution, XNV, with initial support for Citrix XenServer and VMware. XNV virtualization and cloud architecture is designed to enable network-level virtualization support including management, reporting and configuration and integrates the network management system with the virtualization management platform to ensure visibility and synchronization between the server virtualization environment and the network.

The company’s data center network solutions are focused on providing an open and integrated virtualization environment, enabling data centers to optimize and automate the networking function. Utilizing the ExtremeXOS operating system and intelligence layer, applications like virtualization mobility – in conjunction with the virtualization platform Citrix XenServer – are more easily integrated and managed by the network.

"One of the major challenges in the next phase of virtualization adoption lies in integration and support for networking functionality," said Gordon Mangione, vice president of the datacenter and cloud division at Citrix. "Extreme Networks offers an open platform approach that enables XenServer customers to tightly integrate server virtualization with the network, giving users a seamless mobile VM experience in the data center."

With the BlackDiamond and Summit switches running the ExtremeXOS operating system, Mangione said Extreme Networks is well suited to deliver high- performance cloud-based networking infrastructure. With data center features including XNV and Direct Attach, the company has helped lead integration across multi-vendor virtualized environments in managed hosting, cloud and enterprise environments, he said.

"Extreme Networks is addressing the advanced capabilities enabled by virtualization through an open network, multi-hypervisor approach," said Kevin Ryan, director of data center solutions for Extreme Networks. "Citrix is an ideal integration partner as one of the leaders in server virtualization, and as a platform of choice of many of our customers in the managed hosting and cloud marketplace."

The company also announced a partnership with Nimsoft to better address managed hosting and cloud service providers who need to monitor and optimize their hosting connections and environments. The itegration was based on the ExtremeXOS operating system to integrate with the Nimsoft Monitoring Solution (NMS), and offer real-time visibility of the network to its customers with NMS dashboards and reports.

"Customers are increasingly looking for hosted solutions that can provide adaptable scalability, improved cost-effectiveness, and rock-solid reliability," said Gary Read, Nimsoft CEO. "The combination of Extreme Networks' cloud-based networking solutions and NMS uniquely fulfill this market demand by providing customers with both high-value cloud infrastructure and high-value visibility into that infrastructure."

Jessica Gomes

Jessica Gomes, 25, fell into modeling at 13 after appearing on Bush Patrol, a television show in her native Australia. That led to her modeling contract and a career that has landed her on the pages of Vogue, Teen Vogue, Glamour and the Victoria's Secret catalogue as well as campaigns for Adidas, Gap, Motorola and DKNY. Hailing from Perth, this is Jessica's third appearance in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Check her Photos: