Two recent news events caught my eye. The first was the publication of a study in a psychology journal suggesting that having a crappy first name can make you less happy and less successful in life. The second was the publication of a state-by-state list of the names of the first babies born in 2012. Read full article > >

Read the original:
Gene Weingarten: Harm monikers

I remember hearing a joke on French radio in 1994. The rock singer Johnny Hallyday — not the brightest spark — was being sent up by a couple of comics. The one playing Johnny was asked what he thought of the conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis. He replied that he liked U2’s latest album and he thought Dustin Hoffman was very good in the movie — so what was there to get upset about? Loud laughter. It was the sort of ghoulish playground joke that is made around the world as a knee-jerk response to some catastrophe, celebrity death or hideous accident, but it must have been aired before the full horror of the Rwandan genocide of 1994 was revealed. As the news began to emerge about what really had happened in the small central African country from April to July, it became clear that the world had witnessed another shocking example of man’s easy inhumanity to man. All jokes died on people’s lips. Read full article > >

See the original post:
Book World: Naomi Benaron’s ‘Running the Rift’

Betty White ’s 90th birthday was celebrated in a manner befitting America’s nonagenarian sweetheart: with a TV special. “A Tribute to America’s Golden Girl,” taped in early January, aired Monday on NBC and — surprise, surprise — featured many of the network’s stars, like Amy Poehler, Joel McHale and the dude from “Chuck.” They were joined by celebrities of yore including Ed Asner, Carol Burnett and Mary Tyler Moore for a night of jokes about age, glowing speeches and clips from White’s six plus decade long career. Read full article > >

More here:
Betty White’s 90th birthday celebrated by Mary Tyler Moore, Carol Burnett and other stars

Noncelebrity maternity patients said they experienced a series of indignities as Lenox Hill Hospital went all-out to protect the privacy of Beyoncé and Jay-Z.

See the article here:
After Beyoncé Gives Birth, Patients Protest Celebrity Security at Lenox Hill Hospital

A couple in Cornwall are showcasing food left behind by stars. Why are some people drawn to such celebrity ephemera?

See original here:
The museum that honours celebrity leftovers

The extended NBA offseason allowed John Wall to cash in on his burgeoning celebrity in ways that he never could have imagined just four years ago, when he was barely known outside of his home town of Raleigh, N.C. After a relatively successful rookie season with the Washington Wizards , Wall heard his name dropped in a popular rap song and found himself filming a promotional video for his shoe company, Reebok, with Grammy-winning producer Swizz Beatz and rappers Rick Ross and Meek Mill. He celebrated his 21st birthday in several cities, with hip-hop mogul Diddy and platinum-selling rapper Drake as special guests at a party in New York. Read full article > >

More here:
John Wall’s profile has changed, but his focus hasn’t

McFly bassist Dougie Poynter is crowned king of the jungle after winning the I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! final on ITV1.

Originally posted here:
McFly star wins I’m a Celebrity

Newt Gingrich, the know-it-all former Speaker of the House who now rides atop the polls for the Republican nomination for president, has been shooting his mouth off lately. He called himself a celebrity who makes $60,000 a speech. Another favorite is, “I helped Ronald Reagan and Jack Kemp develop supply side economics.  I helped lead the effort to defeat communism in the Congress.” I didn’t realize communism in Congress was an issue, but I digress. Read full article > >

Read more:
Jonathan Capehart:
Newt Gingrich’s disgusting remarks about ‘really poor children’

Last night at the Omni `Shoreham, Tom Colicchio may have faced the toughest critic of his well-decorated career: a shy, cherubic boy from Toledo, Ohio, named Austin Jackson , who is likely the first person ever to spit out the celebrity chef’s food in front of a packed auditorium. Colicchio was not alone in getting flayed by a 6-year-old kindergartner. All four celebrated chefs who took part in the Great American Family Dinner Challenge — a stunt in which two teams attempted to prepare a multi-course dinner based on a SNAP or food stamp budget of $10 per family — felt the sting of Austin’s criticism. The boy didn’t even require words to express his displeasure. Read full article > >

Read more from the original source:
Tom Colicchio SNAPed to reality by a kindergartner

The holiday season is a time for counting blessings. That’s why this seems like an appropriate time to give thanks for the greatest gift that the celebrity world has given us this year: Ryan Gosling. Gosling obviously was a celebrity long before 2011, but 2011 was the year that Ryan Gosling the Phenomenon truly came into being. Read full article > >

See original here:
The blessing of Ryan Gosling

The rap impresario Dr. Dre is the celebrity behind Beats, a successful line of expensive headphones that have become a fashion accessory.

The rest is here:
Beats Headphones Expand Dr. Dre’s Business World

This time, the mass market is leading the avant garde. And it is Beyonce who is pushing the boundaries. Granted, the pop star has done nothing radical or unusual. But by virtue of her enormous celebrity, Beyonce has attracted wide attention to one of the world’s most common creative strategies: the art of stealing. Read full article > >

Excerpt from:
Beyonce: “Countdown” video and the art of stealing

In his final appearance on “Live With Regis and Kelly,” Regis Philbin will be greeted by celebrity friends in the audience and a secret roster of on-air guests.

See the original post here:
ArtsBeat: Regis Philbin’s Farewell Show

Chelsea Handler is a single. The late night E! show host and her boyfriend Andre Balazs have split after less than a year together, her rep told Us Weekly. Handler declined to discuss the relationship on “Piers Morgan Tonight” earlier this year, saying “I have spent so much time exposing my personal life to everybody that I finally am in a situation where I feel like it’s disrespectful to another person.” Read full article > >

Go here to see the original:
Chelsea Handler splits with boyfriend

Sharon Bialek, accompanied by celebrity lawyer Gloria Allred, became the first woman to publicly accuse Mr. Cain of sexual harassment.

Continue reading here:
The Caucus: Woman Says Cain Groped Her; He Denies Accusation