Friday, May 09, 2008
Mara Carfagna: Topless Model to Italy Cabinet Minister
Bare Cabinet
Mara Carfagna has been appointed as Italy's minister of equal opportunity by Italian prime minister, Silvio Berlusconi. Surprising, since the 33-year-old former topless model and beauty queen's qualifications for the new post appear to be as bare as she appears in modeling photos.
Adding an extra twist, billionaire Berlusconi apparently told Mara Carfagna that he would "gladly marry" her at an awards ceremony in 2007. Infuriated upon hearing the remarks, his wife, Veronica, demanded a public apology in a newspaper letter. One year later, he may have gotten his revenge, creating an excuse to see Mara in defiance of his wife.
In 1997, Mara Cafagna placed sixth in the Miss Italy contest. She also worked as a model, posing topless and semi-naked for the cameras. Despite her career choice, she was often uncomfortable, explaining that"I am a bit of a prude and I found getting undressed in front of a camera not a pleasant experience."
Joining Mara Cafagna in the prime minister's cabinet are three other women in charge of the environment (Stefania Prestigiacomo), education (Maria Stella), and youth (Giorgia Meloni).
Mara Carfagna Photos
Mara Carfagna (third from left) with Cabinet Ministers
Young Mara Carfagna
Thanks to Lorenz (from Italy) for correcting our case of mistaken identity and sending us the right photo!
Eva Mendes Vogue Photos
Baring All
Eva Mendes is posing topless in leaked photos from the Italian version of Vogue. The 34-year-old actress is shown posing provocatively in the photos, wearing leather, sucking her own toes, and going topless. This isn't the first time she has posed nude. As recently as December 2007, Eva Mendes exposed herself for PETA in a campaign against fur.
The Vogue pictures of Eva Mendes are composed very artistically using different filters and weird set pieces, but nonetheless exhibit a playful quality. After viewing the five safe-for-work photos below, you might come to understand why she's number four in AskMen's Top 99 Most Desirable Women. You can easily find the remaining four NSFW pictures elsewhere online.
Mendes first achieved widespread fame after starring in "Training Day" and went on to star in movies like "Once Upon a Time in Mexico" and the atrocious "Ghost Rider." In January 2008, she was seen entering rehab. The Vogue photos might her attempt to re-enter the public spotlight.
Eva Mendes Vogue Photo Gallery
Eva Mendes Posing
Eva Mendes "Tied Up"
Eva Mendes Sucking Some Object
Eva Mendes Topless
Eva Mendes Sucking Toes
Thursday, May 08, 2008
Laura Fay & Vito Fossella Love Child
Vito Fossella has admitted to fathering an illegitimate child with Laura Fay. The Staten Island congressman's indiscretions were unraveled after he was pulled over for drunk driving on May 1 in Virginia. He stated to police that he was rushing to see a sick daughter, who just happened to live at the residence of ex-Air Force lieutenant Laura Fay.
After he called Laura Fay for bail money, it didn't take a genius to figure out that there was a connection. Although at first calling her an "old friend", Fossella finally confessed this morning after increasing pressure from the press, releasing a short statement:
I have had a relationship with Laura Fay, with whom I have a three-year-old daughter. My personal failings and imperfections have caused enormous pain to the people I love and I am truly sorry.
The 43-year-old politician is married with three kids to Mary Pat Fossella and is facing a mandatory five-day jail sentence if convicted for driving while intoxicated. Vito Fossella apparently met the now 45-year-old Laura Fay five years ago when she worked as an Air Force liaison to Congress. Fay even went on a European tour with Fossella in 2003.
Vito Fossella
Laura Fay
TorrentSpy Loses $111 Million Copyright Infringement Lawsuit
In a stunning turn, TorrentSpy has lost a copyright infringement lawsuit brought against it by six Hollywood movie studios. Once the most popular BitTorrent site in the world, TorrentSpy, which shut down in March, now finds itself facing a $111 million judgment.
The owner of TorrentSpy, Justin Bunnell's Valence Media, was fined the maximum penalty of $30,000 for each of the 3,700 movies and television shows that users were able to download through the site. It is now initiating bankruptcy proceedings in Britain.
In August 2007, TorrentSpy started banning all US users because of privacy fears over handing over user data, but that wasn't enough. Apparently, TorrentSpy didn't lose the current case on the merits, but because it didn't provide internal records to the court.
With the success of this judgment in hand, will other popular BitTorrent sites start shutting down in hopes of avoiding a similar fate? More importantly, what are highly popular and highly visible sites like Mininova and Isohunt going to do?
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Hillary Andrews Sex Scandal
Sex, Lies, and Weather
Hillary Andrews is accusing her former co-anchor, Bob Stokes, of repeated sexual harassment during her employment at The Weather Channel. The 38-year-old anchorwoman and meteorologist was one of the most popular figures on the cable television channel, but she had a problem with Stokes, who was "obsessed" with her and once asked her, "Will you lick my swizzle stick?"
Andrews' accusations couldn't come at a worse for The Weather Channel, which is being shopped around at a $5 billion valuation. Although Hillary won an arbitration case three months ago, the findings are being kept secret. We do know this:
Stokes, she claimed, made crude sexual remarks to her, leered at her chest, and followed her into the women's dressing room. He also allegedly questioned her "over and over again, non-stop" about her sex life, and once noted, "It tortures me when you wear those heels and skirt." When she rebuffed his advances, Andrews charged, Stokes's "hostility and volatility became a constant" and he sought to "sabotage" her on-air performance and even resorted to insulting her during live shows.
Instead of being believed, Hillary Andrews was initially relegated to anchoring the midnight shift after requesting a reassignment from the 50-year-old Stokes, who was only recently fired for his misconduct. Hillary is now suing Stokes in Georgia court for damages.
A graduate of Cornell University with a BS degree in meteorology, Hillary Andrews was employed at The Weather Channel for three years between 2003 and 2006.
Hillary Andrews Video & Pictures
A video of Hillary Andrews hosting The Weather Channel's Weekly Planner broadcast at 2:20 a.m.:
Hillary Andrews
Hillary Andrews on The Weather Channel
Hillary Andrews in Front of Weather Map
Dangers of Downloading Fake MP3s
Be very careful the next time you decide to download an MP3 file from a P2P network. You might just get a virus instead.
Instead of holding the music that you are looking for, the fake MP3, instead, asks you to download another file that installs adware and takes you to a different website hosting a sketchy MP3 player. Antivirus software maker McAfee is reporting that an astounding 360,000 of its customers are affected by the same Trojan that is packaged with the fake MP3 files.
The fake MP3s have names like "preview-t-3545425-girls aloud st trinnians.mp3" and "t-3545425-suicide bride dana.mp3." Needless to say, you should also watch out for any other files that you download from a P2P service.
Generally, it's a good idea to run a virus scanner over every file before you open them, but that's the risk of file sharing instead of buying from iTunes. Another tip is to wait a couple days before scanning and opening files so that your antivirus software can update with the latest definitions, but that might unrealistic.
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Mischa Barton Cellulite Photos
Being a celebrity doesn't exempt you from all too human struggles. Mischa Barton was recently seen sunbathing topless in Australia with paparazzi photos showing a severe case of cellulite along the young star's thighs. The trademark dimpled, cottage-cheese wrinkling can be seen clearly in the photos. Although the causes of cellulite are ambiguous, speculation is that Mischa's pack-a-day smoking habit is playing a big factor in her youthful degradation.
Best known for her role on "The OC", the 22-year-old television actress was vacationing on Hamilton Island with her mom at the exclusive Qualia Resort when the photos were taken. Minimum nightly rates start at $1500 at this luxurious all-inclusive beach resort.
How did Mischa feel about the sudden intrusion into her holiday?
"We went out from Hamilton to a tiny island to relax in the sun and all of a sudden Jamie Fawcett jumped out of a bush with a massive camera lens and took photos of me. He'd followed us in a boat!" the Sydney Morning Herald quoted the fuming actress, as saying.
Still, she described the time fondly as "Real mother-daughter time." She even had time to put some time in at work, presenting at the MTV Music Awards.
Mischa Barton Cellulite Photos
Mischa Barton Cellulite Revealed
Mischa Barton Topless
Yahoo SearchScan Makes Search Safer
Yahoo is making search safer today by automatically flagging potentially dangerous websites in search results. Using McAfee's SiteAdvisor service to rate websites, the new SearchScan feature will place alerts next to problematic results. Three types of risks will be identified: browser exploits, dangerous downloads, and unsolicited email.
Websites that are classed as having browser exploits will be removed automatically since just visiting them can damage your computer. But in case you don't want to have Yahoo filtering your search results, you can always change your search preferences to turn SearchScan off. You can also decide to remove all sites that have warnings attached from results.
Experienced users probably won't find the new search filtering that useful, but the extra-paranoid or novice browser might find the warnings reassuring. To see the new feature in action, simply type something like "screensavers" into the Yahoo search box.
By default, SearchScan is turned on for users in the U.S., Canada, UK, France, Italy, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and Spain.
How Yahoo's SearchScan Works
Yahoo Search Results for "screensavers"
Peaches Geldof Drug Deal Video
Cash or Credit?
Peaches Geldof has been caught on tape in the midst of transacting a drug deal. In the video, the 19-year-old British television personality is shown holding a large stack of bills and a credit card, saying "I’ve got £140 but I need all that stuff off you tonight. Remember what I owe you, OK? Tomorrow I need Valium." I guess even drug dealers take Visa.
Celebrity drug dealer Jonny a.k.a. Jonny Blagrove says he's okay with waiting for his money, not least because he's filming the entire thing for some leverage later. Along with his 22-year-old girlfriend(?), Cara Burton, he's also supplied singer Amy Winehouse with crack cocaine. Peaches presses her case, saying "I really need it." Jonny reassures her with a "They are there for you."
Not Stupid
Geldof has previously denied taking drugs ("I'm not stupid."), but the video clearly shows otherwise. How did she get this way? She's the daughter of Sir Bob Geldof and Paula Yates, who died from a heroin overdose in 2000. She reportedly makes more than £250,000 a year from acting and modeling. She's a teenage celebrity. What else do you need?
Peaches Geldof Drug Deal Video
Peaches Geldof Holding Cash
Peaches Geldof Offers Credit Card
Monday, May 05, 2008
Where is Your IRS Stimulus Check?
Getting Paid
What do you do when recession is imminent? If you're the federal government, the answer is simple: give people more money to spend (and hope they spend it instead of keeping it under the mattress; there's a recession after all). To that end, the Internal Revenue Service is sending out millions of economic stimulus payments, starting May 2.
If you are eligible, you are looking at an extra $600 in your bank account. Married couples will get $1200, and each child adds an extra $300 to your stimulus check.
If you filed your tax return using direct deposit, you're in luck because you are first in line for a stimulus payment. People wilh the last two digits of their social security numbers between 00 and 20 will have their payments sent by May 2, 21 to 75 by May 9, and 76 through 99 by May 16.
If you paid your taxes by check, expect a check in return from the IRS according to this schedule:
Getting Stimulated
Who will be getting a check? "To receive a payment, taxpayers must have a valid Social Security number, $3,000 of income and file a 2007 federal tax return. IRS will take care of the rest." That amounts to over 130 million households.
To see if you qualify, you can even use the official IRS Economic Stimulus Payment Calculator. Be sure to have your 1040 ready.
For late filers, remember to file your tax return by October 15 so you will be eligible for a stimulus check.
