Sony is teasing blurry images of the PlayStation 4 the day before the Xbox 720 event.

It was bound to happen. The day before Microsoft reveals the Xbox 720, Sony is out to remind us that their console is still on its way. The images may be blurry, but the photographer claims it’s because he was taking the pictures with a PlayStation Vita. That isn’t a very comforting thing to admit during the reveal of the next generation console: that it’s possible to take bad pictures with the same company’s product.

The reveal of the PlayStation 4 shows us that, much like its predecessors with numbers, it’s black and boxy in design. Of course, system war veterans will undoubtedly remind us all that it’s not what the system looks like or what its technical capabilities are that sells a console; it’s the games you can play on it.

Anyway, now Microsoft will be under even more pressure to reveal their console design shortly after the Xbox 720 event, if not during. The fans will be skeptical if they don’t at least show a preliminary design tomorrow.

The images of the PlayStation 4 may be blurry, but close-ups show buttons, the logo, vents, and the like indicating pieces of what we’ll see in its full glory at E3 2013. Speculation states that the PlayStation 4 will be much smaller than the PlayStation 3, and easy to fit in any entertainment center. Considering the hulk of a machine that the first Xbox was, this could be a major reversal in the trend of consoles to date. We can’t be sure of the actual size without at least the controller to compare it to, but the ensuing rumor is that Sony’s next generation machine may be similar in size to the Dreamcast and GameCube.

The video doesn’t tell us much, other than that the console is finished and ready to reveal at June’s E3 2013.

What do you think of Sony’s teaser of what the PlayStation 4 actually looks like?

PlayStation 4: Sony Teases Blurry System Pics The Day Before Xbox 720 Event [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Xbox 720 event is happening tomorrow, and Machinima has made a parody video about how it might unfold.

Rumors and speculation have been running rampant over the Xbox 720 for nearly a year now, and after Sony revealed the PlayStation 4, the rumors have never been more fiercely fought over. Seriously, one Twitter post was all it took to make potential Xbox 720 owners pledge allegiance to Sony’s upcoming machine.

Oddly enough, nobody knows yet what the PlayStation 4 even looks like, other than the people at Sony. All we’ve seen is the controller, and tomorrow that may be all we really see of the Xbox 720.

The video begins with words on the screen, “The Macroshaft Presscon Friends Will Begin Shortly,” along with some classical music. Then a couple of guys just start yelling over each other and end up yelling at the same time, “Xbooooooooox!”

One takes over in the already established Billy Mays style, “You all saw the Sony conference, we’re here to blow ‘em away! They had a ridiculous stage, we got a platform like this!” The background shows footage of the PlayStation 4 event and a plethora of monitors, and then just the guy in front of a green screen.  And the jokes and parodies begin.

The two guys keep yelling, “Sony showed no console!” “Zerooooooo!” One of them adds in a normal pitch, “That’s what we’re showing too.” The other one says, “We shoved a VHS player in the back of mine!”

Then a bunch of weird schematics run in the background as one of them says, “Three! Count! Three symmetrical cores running at 3.2 gigahertz, times two.” The text flies by with an obvious misspelling, “3.2 gigahearts.” The other guy adds, “300 magmahertz processor!” “Ten megabytes of embedded RAM.”

One of the guys laughs, “Ten megabytes…” The other one cuts him off, “That’s 500 million triangles per nanosecond! How many triangles is that?”

The rest of the video is above.

How do you think the Xbox 720 event might happen?

Xbox 720 Event: How It Might Unfold [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Last of Us may have gotten its ending spoiled by Gametrailers‘ Geoff Keighley.

Naughty Dog’s upcoming zombie survival horror game The Last of Us may have gotten its ending spoiled for many a fan when a major gaming site interviewed the developers in the video below.

The interview video is called “Enter the Apocalypse,” where Gametrailers‘ own Geoff Keighley talks to developers Neil Druckmann and Bruce Straley. In this video, they discuss all the cool things you can do in the zombie game featuring a man and a girl who are among the last of the human race not infected by a virus that turned everybody else into the walking undead.

In the game, Joel is a grizzled fighter who has thrown his morals out the window because he believes that is the only way to survive. Ellie is a teenage girl who accompanies him on his journey to escape the harsh US military regime and reach a resistance group.

As with most zombie survival horror titles, it doesn’t need much of a story because with the endless undead lining your path, there is little reason for it. The Last of Us may just be the next big zombie game on the market.

If you don’t want to read a potential spoiler, you should stop reading here and avoid the video. If you don’t care and are interested in what was said, here it goes.

In the interview about The Last of Us, Geoff Keighley asked the developers what part of the game he has just played, and they told him it was toward the one-third mark. Then he asks, “Before Joel’s been ‘turned’ right?”. This is then met with awkward silence before he follows up with “Just kidding.” Being turned usually means becoming one of the infected, and this may have been an inadvertent plot point in the game, hence the awkward silence followed by an equally awkward laugh.

Are you eager to play The Last of Us in spite of now possibly knowing a major plot point?

‘The Last Of Us’: Did Gametrailers’ Geoff Keighley Spoil The Ending? [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

YouTube user Smooth McGroove quit his day job to make A Capella video game music videos full-time. He was recently interviewed about the transition to viral sensation.

Smooth McGroove is a long-time gamer whose real name is Max Gleason, and he was once a music teacher. He began on YouTube with only about a few dozen followers until his videos gained thousands of views daily from nostalgic gamers around the world. He is an extremely talented singer who does the same thing that made MysteryGuitarMan famous, except he uses his voice instead of a guitar. That and he has a beard that puts wheezywaiter and shaycarl to shame.

GamesBeat sat down with Max Gleeson to ask him about the transition from music teacher to internet phenomenon. The YouTube star started with, “[My videos have] rapidly become a full-time job. I recently quit giving private music lessons to pursue recording more seriously.”

Not many people can say their hobby has turned into their primary source of income and allowed them to simply give up their day job.

Max Gleason added:

“Since my videos [had] gone from reaching only a few dozen people to reaching an audience of tens of thousands, I wanted to start taking the process more seriously by spending more time on the creation of the videos. I still have tons of fun recording the arrangements, but I have become more of a perfectionist when it comes to the final product.”

As you can see in the video below where he literally sings Street Fighter II‘s “Guile’s Theme,” Smooth McGroove puts no shortage of effort into making his videos as entertaining as possible.

Max Gleeson says his break came when Nintendo took notice of his take on The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time‘s “Song of Storms.” Fans everywhere suddenly swarmed in as the Official Legend of Zelda Facebook page posted the video for their thousands of fans.  His channel went viral overnight.

YouTube user Smooth McGroove describes the process of recording:

“First, I load the song into Cubase to find the tempo. I then begin picking the song apart by ear into individual tracks. Once I get the scratch tracks — [a rough version of each part] — recorded and separated, I start to do serious takes until the song sounds like I want it to. After I finish recording I mix, equalize, and add space to the tracks if they need it.”

He makes it all sound easier than it probably is.

What do you think of YouTube sensation Smooth McGroove?

YouTube User Smooth McGroove Talks Quitting His Day Job is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dishonored designer Seth Shane explains to his mom what he does in a video released today.

Bethesda is the developer behind Dishonored, a first-person game in which you kill your targets in creative ways using time control and telekinesis in a steampunk setting. A recent DLC expansion allows you to play through the game again as the villain, giving virtual bad boys something extra to do.

The video below shows a designer behind the game talking to his mom, who doesn’t understand how he never has time to talk. She knows he makes video games, but it doesn’t stop her from going full guilt trip.

The video starts with the on screen text, “Hey Mom! I make video games,” as Seth starts in, “Just so everyone out there knows what the hell is going on, who are you and how do you know me?”

His mom replies, “I’m Joanne Davis, mother of Seth, an unexpected son, actually, and I’m the mother. I have to say I actually have three sons. One of them, not mentioning any names…” She elbows Dishonored designer Seth Shane, and they have one of those familiar exchanges.

Seth Shane asks his mom, “So what do I do for a living?”

His mom says, “Um, well clearly I don’t have any idea what you do, but I know you love what you do, and I’ve seen the product of what you do. When you get into your office, I know that I cannot call you, I know that you will not take my calls. I know that your answers if I get in are very short and fresh.”

Seth seems to start backpedaling, but he doesn’t get anywhere with it.

His mom continues, “And I know now that if I call you at work twice, it means somebody died. And I get yelled at for it…”

The rest of the video is above.

What do you think of the video of Dishonored designer Seth Shane explaining to his mom what he does on the job?

‘Dishonored’ Designer Explains His Job To His Mom [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook updates have become almost a regular part of life, but what would happen if Facebook updated real life around us?

A video shows what the results would be if Facebook updated real life the way it updated the site, and the results are maddening to say the least.

The video begins with the words “A Facebook update in real life” appearing on the screen before our unwitting hero Nick arrives home with his groceries. What we discover to be the Facebook tour guide is standing right inside the door, smiling. Nick starts in, “Oh dammit.”

The tour guide cuts him off, “Hello! Welcome home, Nick!” Text appears in front of him as he says, “Your new home update is ready for viewing.”

Nick is annoyed, “Are you serious? I just got used to the way you had it before.”

The annoying tour guide says, “Just let me know when you’re ready to begin the tour.” The text pops up in the blinded window with a button, “Begin the tour!”

Nick thinks it over and finally resigns himself to it, “Okay.” He slaps the button and it disappears.

The tour guide turns with him and says, “As you can see we’ve made some changes to improve the functionality of your living room environment.” We see the white outline of a couch shrink until it fits the size of the chair.

Nick says, “No, where’s the other half of my couch? What’s this chair thing?”

The Facebook tour guide cuts him off again, “We’ve decreased the size of your television to make room for your new bookcase.”

Nick replies, “No, I had a 60 inch TV! Couldn’t you just…”

The tour guide again cuts him off, “Just let me know when you’re ready to move on.”

Again, Nick slaps a button in the window, “Okay.”

The tour guide leads him into the next room, “Check out your new bedroom. We’ve consolidated your photos and music into one convenient location.” We see a guy on Nick’s bed looking through a photo album, and a guy listening to a headset and smoking a cigarette with sunglasses on.

The rest of the video is above.

What do you think of the video?  Would you agree that Facebook tends to be intrusive when it comes to updating the site like this video shows?

Facebook Updates Real Life [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

YouTube paid subscriptions have begun.

It seems paid video feed has gone a step further today. Movie and TV hosting is nothing new to the internet, with Netflix and Amazon Video, and now YouTube has taken a leap into seeing how it can make more money off its services.

YouTube won’t be taking on the bigger video hosting subscription sites just yet, but it may just be planning on it eventually. Starting with only a few channels for now, Jim Henson Family TV and Ultimate Fighting Championship among them, it is unclear just how far they eventually plan to push the paid subscriptions. If they keep it moderate, we may be able to watch regular or original TV shows for a monthly fee in the future.

This could also go very wrong as well, as they start charging you for the subscriptions you already have. Such would be worrisome, as if you have an Android account, they can easily just prompt you to pay and it’s already set up. We can only hope they don’t start charging for all of those channels that we’ve been enjoying for free.

This is an interesting new addition to YouTube’s already profitable video hosting site, as it already makes plenty of money on Partner channels such as sxephil and ShaneDawsonTV via advertisement clicks. YouTube has also already had pay-per-view deals and the option to watch full movies for a fee as well.

Who knows where this new plan will go? YouTube regulars could just stop watching completely and move on to Blip.tv or Vimeo if the mass video hosting site goes too far.

Let’s just hope YouTube plays nice and keeps letting us watch its current Partner channels for free, or gives us the option to pay monthly to remove the ads. Giving the option to pay per month for TV could be an interesting step if they decide to go that route.

What do you think of YouTube‘s new paid subscription system?

YouTube Paid Subscriptions Begin is a post from: The Inquisitr

YouTube‘s “How Fighters Eat Their Food” video spoofs “How Animals Eat Their Food”.

A recent YouTube video showing how animals eat their food has gone viral, spawning some clever parodies, including “How Animals Eat Their Food (Pokemon Version)”. The Pokemon version has a guy with long hair pulling parlor tricks to show how various Pokemon like Charmander and Blastoise might eat. The premise is so ridiculous it’s hilarious.

The video on how Street Fighter characters eat their food begins with two Orientals eating at a table with brown trimmed white walls, bottles of something yellow waiting as a beverage. One of them has a mustache and glasses, while the other wears what appear to be biking or combat gloves.

The camera pulls a closeup of the guy with the gloves as he says, “You wanna see how animals eat their food?” The other guy just keeps eating.

The guy with the gloves suddenly takes a drink of his beverage and slams it on the table, “Watch closely.”

He stands up quickly, knocking the legs out from under his side of the table, and then throws his fists into his food, yelling, “Hadouken! Hadouken!” Then he grabs a leaf of lettuce and munches on it.

The words appear on screen in the YouTube video, “How Animals Eat Their Food.”

He sits down again, grabs a piece of food, and then stands up with his arms straight out to his sides, fists clenched, spins a few times, and then falls, like Zangief from Street Fighter.

Next after he sits, he suddenly does a spinning uppercut, tossing everything on the table past the other guy, yelling, “Shoryouken!”

Next he falls backward, kicking his feet up through the table before grabbing something and munching down. Then he waves his fists from his sides, crossing them in front of him like Guile from Street Fighter.

Next he leaves the table, goes offscreen, and grabs a leaf of lettuce from there saying, “Yoga.”

The rest of the video is above.

What do you think of the YouTube spoof “How Fighters Eat Their Food” featuring Street Fighter moves?

YouTube Video ‘How Fighters Eat Their Food’ Spoofs Animal Version [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen gives you more enemies.

Dragon’s Dogma is getting an expansion in Dark Arisen next week for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, giving you more enemies and a new underground realm to explore. Owners of the original game can export their saved games into this one, most likely to give them the advantage of experience from the start.

Dragon’s Dogma is a dungeon crawler much like Diablo III, except it is much more in the perspective of the character, as environments rotate around you for a richer sense of immersion. It also gives battles a more epic feel, since you can look up at larger enemies, adding to the sense of menace.

In the first enemy showcase video for Dragon’s Dogma, we saw the pyrosaurians, basically flaming lizards that could breathe fire on you and give a whole new definition to the heat of battle. We also saw the eliminator, which was a minotaur with a giant hammer and a huge temper. Last of all in the first video, we saw Death, which should be pretty self-explanatory.

The second video for Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen enemies shows us the strigoi, the living armor and the Gazer. The strigoi is a flying creature that grabs hold of you and your pawns, stinging like there’s no tomorrow. You will need to shake off the strigoi and help your team to avoid being slaughtered. The living armor carries a massive sword and uses the Stone Forest spell. Knocking off its armor will only make it tougher to take down, as it will be little more than a spirit, which conventional weapons may not harm. The Gazer is a giant, you guessed it, eye. You have to get in among what appears to be layers of eyelids and hack at it. Of course, its gaze can also be deadly, and it uses tentacles to attack from a distance, bursting from the ground. The Gazer will use its eyelids like lips to chant a spell, making this one tough cookie.

Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen is out April 23 in the US and April 26 in Europe.

What do you think of the new enemies in Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen?

‘Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen’ Comes With More Enemies [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Sports Illustrated cover girl and absolute bombshell Kate Upton has had a busy couple of days, what with her date with Arnold Palmer, getting spanked on stage by Flo Rida, and possibly gearing up for prom tomorrow.

Upton’s busy week began with a much-publicized lunch date with golfing legend Arnold Palmer. The date happened on Thursday and ended with an innocent kiss from the 83-year-old on the 20-year-old swimsuit model’s cheek.

She was visiting Palmer at his tournament in Bay Hill, but many publications were left to wonder, what’s the connection between the two?

Word is that Lisa Benson, Kate Upton’s manager, is the key to the lunch date. Benson’s father used to play golf with Palmer at the Latrobe Country Club. Benson was on the lookout for a job at IMG, which represents sports and entertainment figures, as well as models. Her dad talked to Palmer, who arranged an interview through IMG. She got the job and later connected with Upton.

Upton wanted to meet Palmer and talk about the work he is doing with local hospitals. She’s also planning to take part in a social media campaign involving the “Arnold Palmer” drink, a mix of iced tea and lemonade.

Thus, a legendary lunch date was born.

#arnoldpalmer and @kateupton hitting it off at @apinv twitter.com/coribritt/stat…

— Cori Britt (@coribritt) March 21, 2013

During Wednesday’s Samsung launch party in New York City, Upton shared the stage with rapper Flo Rida. There, she elected to dance along with “Low,” and turned around so that Flo Rida could give “that big booty a smack,” as the song goes.

It hasn’t quite achieved the viral power of Upton’s sexy “Cat Daddy” dance, but it’s interesting enough that we have embedded it below.

Then, of course, there’s Upton’s also-much-publicized prom date with viral hero Jake Davidson, a humble high school senior who just wanted a shot at the big leagues. Last we heard, Upton wanted to go to prom with Davidson, but had to check her schedule. It looks like she might be going after all, but neither Upton nor Davidson have exactly confirmed the news on Twitter.

Prom for Davidson is March 23 (tomorrow), so we’ll let you know what happens.

And there’s your Kate Upton update for the week.

This Week In Kate Upton: Model Spanked By Flo Rida, Kissed By Arnold Palmer [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

BioShock Infinite is really about Elizabeth, and a recent video explains her.

Sure, the game has you playing the guy with the gun on in the cover art, but you actually get to know Elizabeth a lot more in BioShock Infinite. In order to make her a tolerable presence, the game’s developers had to go the extra mile in her creation.

The video starts with Ken Levine, the creative director of BioShock Infinite, sitting in a room with nondescript blue décor. Ken says, “If we were to have a mission in the gamespace, it’s that we wanna bring the player, to make them a participant in the narrative.”

We then see Elizabeth in a room with an antique-looking staircase and an extensive library, looking at us. Beneath her red-brown hair, her blue eyes ring of concern. She appears to have her pinky finger severed halfway down with something like a thimble capping it off.

Ken Levine continues, “By bringing this character into the game, by having her with you for pretty much the entire game, we knew that if we didn’t get her right, the game wouldn’t be right, and she really is the emotional center of the game.”

A picture of Elizabeth is shown once again, with a line drawn to her throat, labeled, “Voice.”

Ken Levine comments on Elizabeth’s backstory, “This character Elizabeth, she comes from a pretty dark place … but she’s also got an incredible amount of enthusiasm for her life, and when we found Courtnee, I think we found somebody who could do her well.”

We then see Elizabeth acting in a split-screen alongside voice-actress Courtnee Draper as she says, “This is wonderful! Oh come dance with me … !”

The protagonist replies, “I don’t dance, let’s go.”

Elizabeth (Courtnee Draper) responds, “Why? What can be better than this?”

The rest of the video is below.

What do you think about the video’s explanation of BioShock Infinite‘s Elizabeth?

‘BioShock Infinite’: Elizabeth Explained [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

YouTube is expanding its horizons, including places you might watch it.

Back in 2005, YouTube revolutionized how we see videos on the internet. It was simple, it allowed viewers to upload videos to their own channel, and at the time, even the average user could get popular. Since then, video quality has been improved, YouTube channels have been given the gift of monetization if they could rack up enough views, and YouTube began changing the system around to cater to big business.

Now, YouTube is the TV you customize yourself, and most users watch its content on their smartphones and tablets, or in some cases, connect their laptop to their HDTV via HMDI cable and watch it in high-definition like a regular TV show.

With the interconnection now available via Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and other social media websites, it’s easier than ever to make a new video a phenomenon. Having more friends on any of them, or even getting referred by former Star Trek actor and internet superstar George Takei can lead to a video “going viral” overnight.

YouTube Director of Product Management Shiva Rajaraman says the company’s vision has it growing easier to find and watch a video, on every video-capable gadget you’ve got. And with technology advancing as it is, it may not be too long before you’re watching Wheezy Waiter on your microwave while you heat up a Hot Pocket, or some coffee.

YouTube’s hope is that when you arrive via Facebook or even a Google search, you’ll stick around and see some of their partner content, because YouTube partners always have ads at the beginning of their videos. Perhaps they might even start incorporating the technique used by Blip.tv, forwarding you to the next video automatically based on what you just watched, although some viewers find it intrusive for a video to get pushed on them just because they didn’t stop the one they were on before it ended.

What do you think about the future of YouTube?

YouTube May Be Heading To Your Microwave is a post from: The Inquisitr

It has been a strange week for shocking proclamations regarding homosexuality. First, we had folk singer Michelle Shocked proclaiming “God hates fags” to a stunned San Francisco audience, and now we’ve got top Colombian model Natalia Paris saying that, if you eat chicken, you will turn gay.

What?

Paris is a pretty big deal in Colombia and apparently decided that eating chicken makes people gay after reading reports that animals intended for consumption are injected with female hormones meant to speed up growth, meaning “seven, eight, nine and 10 year old children [who are eating chicken] are having their feminine hormones accelerated … and are starting to become homosexual,” Paris says.

Andrés Fernando Moncada, president of the National Federation of Colombian Poultry Farmers, responded to Paris’s claims with probably the same amount of incredulity you held when you read the title.

“When you hear this kind of a statement from a public figure like Natalia Paris, we must express our total outrage,” an appalled Fernando replied. He also said that chickens in Colombia (or anywhere) were not being injected with female growth hormones, and called such claims “urban myths.”

Like we said up top, Paris isn’t the only one making waves with controversial comments on homosexuality this week.

On Sunday night, 80s folk singer Michelle Shocked completely floored her crowd at a San Francisco club when she went on a strange rant, described by Twitter users as “Totally sincere” and “Super anti-gay and hateful,” with the singer even saying “You can go on Twitter and say ‘Michelle Shocked says God hates fags.’”

That was fuck-ing cra-zy! I was tweeting Michelle Shocked’s set onstage (for her). All cool. 2nd set, she got up went full hate speech.

— Matt Penfield (@TheGuapo) March 18, 2013

Most of you probably haven’t thought about Michelle Shocked since the late 80s, so here’s a memory-jogger:

Anyway, here’s video of Natalia Paris (in Spanish) sharing her opinion of chicken and homosexuality:

Colombian Model Claims Eating Chicken Makes You Gay [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

One hundred and 15 (115) Catholic cardinals arrived at Vatican City this morning to begin conclave. One of them, French Cardinal Phillippe Barbarin, has been getting in and out of The Vatican on a bike all week (video below).

The media surrounded Cardinal Barbarin as he peddled through the gates. Barbarin is 62-years-old. He was born in Morocco and studied for the priesthood in Paris, according to Wikipedia. Pope John Paul promoted Barbarin from Archbishop to cardinal by Pope John Paul in 2003.

Any Catholic man in good standing with the church is qualified to be elected Pope, but it’s unlikely the College of Cardinals would select anyone but a cardinal to lead the church. A non-cardinal hasn’t been picked since 1379. The bike riding cardinal could be the next elected pontiff, but he isn’t one of the 12 priests insiders think are most likely to replace Pope Benedict:

“Among those who have cropped up in media reports as possible contenders are Italy’s Cardinal Angelo Scola; Brazil’s Odilo Scherer; Marc Ouellet of Quebec, Canada; and U.S. cardinals Sean O’Malley of Boston and Timothy Dolan of New York.”

Before being sealed in the Sistine Chapel in forced seclusion, the cardinals celebrated Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica.

Cardinals, nuns, priests, and parishioners prayed together for guidance in making the right choice in picking the next pope. Dean of the College of Cardinals Angel Sodano offered a homily in the packed Basilica encouraging Catholics to pray for a pontiff “who will embrace this noble mission with a generous heart.”

Cardinal Sodano will not participate in the conclave. He is over the age of 80, and, once a cardinal passes 80, he is not allowed to be a part of the internal process.

Cardinals are expected to vote for the first time, but no one knows for sure if that will happen. If it does, smoke will rise from the chimney on the Sistine Chapel around 3 pm EDT.

Photo and Video Credit: Roderick Vonhögen

Conclave Begins: One Cardinal Arrived On A Bike is a post from: The Inquisitr

If you missed Saturday Night Live last night, you missed a little dig against Kanye West by host Justin Timberlake.

Timberlake returned to the SNL stage last night, pulling double duty as host and musical guest. Though his performance of “Suit & Tie” paid tribute to the greats like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., it was a subtle dig against Kanye West that really got our attention.

Remember that two weeks ago, Ye went off on a little tangent in London (and yes, we still listen to him when he rants) during which he said “I got love for Hov … I ain’t f***ing with” Timberlake’s single with Jay-Z, the above-mentioned “Suit & Tie.”

Timberlake chose to strike back on SNL last night, partly by performing “Suit & Tie” first in his line-up (his second performance was of “Mirrors”) with a huge backing band, including the Tennessee Kids swooning back-up vocals behind him, and Jay-Z waiting to join backstage. Up until this point, Timberlake hadn’t responded to Kanye’s dig, but slowed his second verse line, directly and subliminally directing it at Ye.

“And aw, sh** so sick, got a hit and picked up a habit,” is the original line, but for the SNL performance, Timberlake changed it to “My hit’s so sick, got rappers acting dramatic.”

Oooh. Ball’s in your court, Ye.

Overall, last night’s SNL was huge for Timberlake. On the set of the long-running late night sketch show, Timberlake fits into the groove like it’s his own well-tailored “suit & tie,” using the format to display his triple-threat skill set: Acting, dancing, and singing.

Timberlake has hosted SNL four times, and it’s always a good time. His tenure has given us memorable sketches like Dick in a Box, Omeletteville, and Single Ladies. Not to gush, but he’s simply a sublime and ranged SNL host. That’s probably why they keep asking him to come back.

Here’s video of Timberlake performing “Suit & Tie” on Saturday Night Live. The Kanye dig happens around 2:18, but the whole performance is pretty slick. Let us know what you think!

Justin Timberlake Sings Subtle Kanye Slam On ‘SNL’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Robert Gibbs, the former White House press secretary, said on Sunday that he was told not to acknowledge or discuss the controversial drone program during his tenure as the Obama administration’s spokesman.

MSNBC’s Chris Hayes played a montage of Gibbs and his successor Jay Carney dodging drone questions in the White House briefing room on his program, Up. Gibbs, now an MSNBC contributor, then told Hayes that he was given explicit instructions regarding questions about the drone program.

“When I went through the process of becoming press secretary,” Gibbs said, “one of the things, one of the first things they told me was, ‘You’re not even to acknowledge the drone program. You’re not even to discuss that it exists.’”

The Huffington Post notes that the national media was slow to cover the drone strikes in Pakistan and Yemen during Obama’s first term, which is a nice way of saying that many in the mainstream media basically ignored it. The government has been very carefully secretive about the program, but the debate over drone use has started to pick up since Obama’s re-election.

Gibbs admitted that once he realized a reporter was beginning to ask about drones, “I realized I’m not supposed to talk about it.”

“Here’s what’s inherently crazy about that proposition,” Gibbs said. “You’re being asked a question based on reporting of a program that exists. So you’re the official government spokesperson acting as if the entire program — pay not attention to the man behind the curtain.”

Gibbs also said that he hasn’t talked to President Obama about the secrecy of the drone program balanced against the promise of transparency. He did admit that the White House’s order to deny the program during his tenure may damage public trust, saying, “when it’s obviously happening, [it] undermines people’s confidence overall in the decisions that their government makes.”

Gibbs’ frank and honestly shocking admission of his drone gag order seems to indicate that he was telling the truth when he said wouldn’t be a cheerleader for the Obama administration when he was brought on as an MSNBC analyst.

“I will be honest with my opinions and when I believe the White House has made a mistake I will say so,” he said several days ago, per the Washington Examiner.

What do you think of the controversial drone program? Are you surprised that Robert Gibbs was put on a gag order?

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Former WH Press Sec. Told Not To Acknowledge Drone Program is a post from: The Inquisitr

Rapper DMX was arrested in South Carolina earlier this morning fro driving without a license.

TMZ reports that 42-year-old Earl Simmons, better known by his stage name “Dark Man X” or “DMX,” was handcuffed and taken to Spartanburg Detention Center around 2am after a law enforcement officer saw him driving a 1978 Buick and pulled him over for apparently driving without a license.

Speaking to the local Fox affiliate, DMX said: “No, I didn’t have a license … put the cuffs on me. Brought me here. I paid the money. Basically, just 5 hours wasted for nothing.”

He appeared before a judge at 6am and was released after paying a fine. Speaking to CBS, DMX said: “When I could have just paid the money right there on the spot,” regarding his frustration over being taken to jail. “Basically it was just five hours wasted for nothing. I don’t have a court date or a court appearance.”

DMX also had his 5-month-old daughter in the back seat when he was arrested.

Deputies said that DMX has been issued tickets before, both in Greer and Duncan, for driving without a license. A state DMV search shows that he only has a state identification card.

After he was arrested, deputies turned the car over to a licensed passenger riding in the car.

DMX relocated to South Carolina back in 2011. Since that time, he has been spotted by fans at several area locales.

WBTV 3 News, Weather, Sports, and Traffic for Charlotte, NC

DMX Arrested: Rapper Was Driving Without A License is a post from: The Inquisitr

Adele’s Grammy win was slightly interrupted by a “random fan” who has finally been identified.

Vitalii Sediuk was identified as the prankster who stepped to the microphone as Adele made her way to the stage to claim her Best Pop Solo Performance from Jennifer Lopez and Pitbull. You’ll remember this Ukrainian prank-loving reporter as the publicity hound who was slapped by Will Smith after trying to kiss him at the Russian premiere of Men in Black 3.

Sediuk was arrested on Sunday for crashing the 55th Grammy Awards, after he managed to make it to the main stage to mumble a congratulations to Adele. She British songstress shot him a confused look before Lopez brushed him out of the way. He quickly walked off the stage behind her.

So how the heck did Sediuk get in? MSN reports that he apparently snuck past security at the Staples Center event in Los Angeles and managed to cinch a seat in the second row, which had been reserved to Adam Levine. Levine was late to the Grammys, so Sediuk filled in, jumping up to the stage when it was announced that Adele had won.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sediuk was detained shortly after exiting the stage and arrested by security. He’s set to appear in court for trespassing next month.

Here’s the video of Vitalii Sediuk crashing Adele’s Grammy win. It pauses for a moment right at the o:02 mark:

And here’s his explanation for how he pulled off his Grammy invasion:

Adele’s Grammy Win Interrupted By Familiar Prankster [Videos] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Newtown, CT – A Lutheran pastor has apologized for his part in the interfaith prayer service for the 26 children and adults killed during the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in December. His mea culpa was in order because his church bars clergy members from worshiping with members of other faiths.

NBC News reports that the December interfaith service was attended by spiritual leaders from Christian, Muslim, and Jewish faiths, the relatives of the 20 children killed, and President Obama himself.

Pastor Rob Morris, of Newtown’s Christ the King Lutheran Church, provided the interfaith service’s closing benediction. Earlier this month, the president of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, Pastor Matthew Harrison, wrote a letter to church members detailing his request for an apology from Pastor Morris for participating in “joint worship with other religions.”

“There is sometimes a real tension between wanting to bear witness to Christ and at the same time avoiding situations which may give the impression that our differences with respect to who God is, who Jesus is, how he deals with us, and how we get to heaven, really don’t matter in the end,” Harrison wrote.

“There will be times in this crazy world when, for what we believe are all the right reasons, we may step over the scriptural line,” he wrote.

Morris apologized for his participation, which Harrison said he accepted, reports The Huffington Post.

“After consultation with my supervisors and others, I made my own decision,” Morris wrote in his apology. “I believed my participation to be, not an act of joint worship, but an act of community chaplaincy.”

What do you think? Should Pastor Rob Morris have apologized for his part in the Sandy Hook interfaith service?

Lutheran Pastor Apologizes For Taking Part In Sandy Hook Interfaith Service [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

How good are the pickpockets in Las Vegas? We can’t speak for all of them, but one Vegas performance thief picked the TODAY show hosts clean with a routine that made sophisticated crime look like magic.

Apollo Robbins, known as “The Gentleman Thief,” is a Vegas performer and expert pickpocket who uses courtesy to disarm a target before making off with wallet, watch, iPod, and everything else. TODAY show hosts Matt Lauer, Willie Geist, and guest-host Ryan Seacrest demonstrated that even safe-zones like the front trouser or jacket pocket aren’t sacred to a sticky-fingered pickpocket who knows his way around one’s personal space.

Lauer, Geist, and Seacrest started the routine nervously standing far away from Apollo, who decided to demonstrate his “theatrical pickpocketing” skills by offering the three hosts an item of his own to hang onto. To Lauer, he gave his own personal wallet. To Geist, a $100 bill. Lastly, he handed Seacrest a pen.

While approaching the three hosts to hand them his items, he demonstrated some impressive sleight of hand that not even a slow-motion replay would have caught. After breaching the personal space of all three hosts, he asked them to check their pockets for the items he handed them.

They discovered that not only did Robbins make off successfully with the items he handed them, but a few more of their own personal items in the process. To Geist, he handed back identification and credit cards, as well as his watch which he was attempting to guard closely.

The most impressive act was demonstrated with Lauer, who wound up holding the pen Seacrest was given, with Geist’s $100 bill rolled up inside.

You can check out Apollo Robbins’s pickpocketing skills as demonstrated on the TODAY show’s hosts below:

TODAY Hosts Robbed Blind By Expert Vegas Pickpocket [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Jaide WHHS fight video has gone viral via Twitter. This video features several teenage girl goofing off in what appears to be a locker room, with the bully getting pwned when she provokes the other girl too far.

One of the girls named Jaide is calling another girl in the corner a “b*tch.” The girls dance around the silent recipient of the bullying, pointing out how close they are getting into her face without her responding. Jaide then asks the girl,”If I touch you, will you hit me?” This final insult was enough to provoke the bullying victim into fighting back.

The two girls erupted into a tussle, arms whirling and slapping, with Jaide’s  hair being grabbed at one point. The bullying victim pursues Jaide across the locker room, slapping her from behind. The fight breaks up for short while but then Jaide attempts to go after her victim again, but this time she’s received with left hooks instead of slaps. The fight then breaks up soon after, with Jaide  going to the mirrors to inspect the damage and correct her messed up hair.

Most of the girls, including Jade, seemed to treat the fight as one big game. The bullying victim, on the other hand, is blank faced and stares with arms crossed. Unfortunately, at this point, she seems to want to continue the fight, and Jaide provokes her into one final bout. Needless to say, Jaide is not the winner this time, either.

The Jaide WHHS Fight video has people on Twitter discussing it all over, with the hashtag #Jaide now trending:

That last jab #jaide caught was sooo nasty. I was waiting for the mortal kombatdude to say “FINISH HER”

— jaide Roast Page (@NoHandsJaide) February 1, 2013

for those who haven’t seen or heard about the #jaide fight or it about it trending on twitter here it go lmao… fb.me/2py4mGjSi

— F★A★M★E (@iF_A_M_E) February 1, 2013

[UPDATE] Jaide herself has apparently created a Twitter account and responded to the controversy (the authorship has not been verified):

Okay, I finally made a Twitter, I admit, I did lose in that fight.. But look at me now? I AM FAMOUS

— JAIDE WSHH (@JaideWSHH) February 1, 2013

What you think about the bully Jaide in the Jaide WHHS Fight video? Do you think the bullying victim was right to fight back, or should she just have let the insults slide off her back?

[UPDATE #2] The YouTube video has been taken down, but here is another copy of the video with included commentary:

Jaide WHHS Fight: #jaide Bullying Goes Viral On Twitter [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

So who else wants to be like this awesome geriatric when they grow old?

Grandpa Playing Black Ops 2 [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Lonely Island is back with another hilarious Saturday Night Live digital short that’s sure to become a classic. Fronted by Andy Samberg and joined by Maroon 5′s Adam Levine, the group performs a send-up of “YOLO,” proving what the rest of us have known all along: That the popular catch phrase is deeply stupid.

“YOLO,” an acronym for “You Only Live Once,” is a hashtag thrown around by rappers and incredibly obnoxious Twitter users, usually in reference to performing an act that is considered a risky with the potential for negative side-effects. So people use the term to justify bad behavior, basically.

Anyway, The Lonely Island, the comedic music group behind other SNL digital shorts like “I’m on a Boat” and “Jizz in my Pants,” returned last night with guest Adam Levine to perform “YOLO,” a humorous send-up of the popular catch phrase.

You see, The Lonely Island also suggests that you get the most out of life with the digital short, but instead of encouraging risky behaviors, they offer practical (read: paranoid) advice on life.

Hilarious “YOLO” gems include: “Never go to loud clubs ‘cause it’s bad for your ears,” “stay the hell away from drugs ‘cause they’re not legal,” “hire a taster, make him check your food for poison,” and “board your windows up, the sun is bad for your health.”

Also of note: The video features a cameo by Eastbound and Down‘s Danny McBride, as well as a verse about proper 401(k) management with Kendrick Lamar.

“You know that we are still young, so don’t be dumb. Don’t trust anyone, ‘cause you only live once,” sings Levine. Heard ‘dat! YOLO!

‘SNL’ Digital Short ‘YOLO’ Is The Lonely Island’s Next Classic [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Firefall, the outstanding new MMOFPS and winner of The Inquisitr’s Most Promising Online Game Award for 2012, begins the long awaited first public open beta weekend today. Now anyone who has not managed to snag a key to the closed beta will finally have a chance to try the free to play first person shooter for themselves and find out why the online gaming community is so excited about Firefall.

Thousands of lucky gamers managed to join the closed beta over the last few months, and the word is out that Firefall is poised to become king of the hill of the free to play online gaming world. The action is fast and furious as players climb into their heavily armed battle-frames and prepare to fight for survival on a ravaged earth crawling with mutated life forms and extremely hostile aliens.

Players will be able to choose from five different types of battle-frames, each of which fulfills a different function in the game. The developers at Red 5 Studios made a wise decision to allow players to own all five battle-frames on a single character. Experience points and harvested resources can be traded for new battle-frames, and many players enjoy switching between them to keep the action fresh and exciting.

Each of the high tech suits of armor allows the player to utilize class specific skills and equipment. The Assault battle-frame is your basic infantry unit, Recon fights from range and fills the role of the sniper, Biotech is a medic with offensive abilities, Engineer crafts powerful devices to destroy enemies, and the Dreadnaught is the heavily armored tank. Each comes with a large arsenal of powerful futuristic weapons and class specific devices, and you can upgrade your battle-frame to your heart’s content by using your experience points to buy new and improved weaponry.

Adding to the excitement, every battle-frame comes equipped with a jet pack that allows the player to leap high into the air and cover great distances. Although the jet pack does not permit the player to remain in flight for more than a few seconds at a time, players are able to instantly leap to safety and rain deadly fire down on the enemy while hovering just out of reach.

In addition to the great sci-fi story line, the fully free to play model, and the wide range of exciting battle-frames, Firefall has one quality that really distinguishes it from all the other great first person shooters. This is a game anyone can enjoy from the first moment they climb into their battle-frame and venture out into the big bad world.

Unlike many other online FPS, you don’t need a graduate degree in engineering from MIT and the reflexes of a Formula One Racing driver to be a star in Firefall. While great fast twitch skills may be helpful, they are not the deciding factor in the game. Clever use of terrain, sound strategy, and proper customization of the all important battle-frame will win against fast clickers every time.

The servers open to the public at 1:00 pm EST and you definitely want to be there to join in the fun Red 5 has planned for the weekend. There will be in-game events, community unlocks, special promotions, contests with great rewards, and special themes to introduce players to the Firefall universe.

These are just some of the exciting events planned for the weekend:

Skillshot Contest (Video) – Record and submit an epic skillshot video for a chance to win a prize pack filled with Firefall SWAG and Razer™ gear

Skillshot Contest (Screen) – Screencap a stylish skillshot for a chance at being featured on the official Firefall Facebook page

Community Unlock – Play during the weekend to unlock an exclusive, customized Battleframe decal

Livestream – Join a special episode of Firefall Live on TwitchTV to see Athene and Reese owning the competition with their own skillshots

Red Five Studios released a thrilling new game play video that shows off Firefall’s battle-frames, the amazing weaponry, and the vicious creatures you will meet this weekend when you join the First Public Open Beta . Leap into the action, and, if you see Ghodzilla jet past you as you adventure through the jungles and deserts of Firefall, be sure to give me a shout and tell me how much you are enjoying this great game.

‘Firefall’ Begins First Open Beta Weekend Friday, January 25, 2013 is a post from: The Inquisitr

Singer Alicia Keys pulled a fast one at yesterday’s Inaugural ball, swapping out lyrics to a popular song to honor President Obama and his second term in office.

Mediaite reports that Keys changed the lyrics to her popular song “Girl on Fire” to “Obama’s on Fire” to salute the recently re-minted President Obama.

Keys has been a long-time supporter of President Obama, telling the crowd gathered at the Washington Convention Center “today is an incredible day. And you can feel the energy everywhere that you go. Every day is a new day and a new chance to be our best. To serve our highest purpose.”

Keys then began to play, introducing the altered lyrics: “He’s president and he’s on fire…he’s living in a world and it’s on fire.” Keys then paused to allow for cheering from the crowd, and proclaimed “Obama’s on fire!”

She then concluded the song with a toast: “To the Obamas!…Have a great time.”

Politico reports that Keys performed her altered “Obama’s on Fire” song again later on Monday evening during an appearance at the Commander-in-Chief’s ball, an official Inaugural ball for members of the military and their families.

Now I can’t help but wonder if she wrote the song originally with an eventual Obama nod in mind all along. I’ve uncovered a conspiracy.

Here’s the video of Alicia Keys performing “Obama’s on Fire” at the Inaugural ball. Watch the clip and let us know what you think in the comments section below!

Alicia Keys Sings ‘Obama’s On Fire’ At Inaugural Ball [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

President Obama is making multiple historical waves with his second inaugural address with a speech which touched on equal rights for LGBTs for the first time.

Last May, President Obama became the first sitting president of the United States to call for marriage equality, and included the call for equal LGBT rights in his second inaugural address.

“Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law – for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well,” said the president in his second inaugural address.

President Obama embraced many progressive issues in his second inaugural address, including expansion of the nation’s entitlement programs, climate change, and marriage equality, reports Yahoo! News.

The president also touched on gun control, saying that “all our children, from the streets of Detroit to the hills of Appalachia to the quiet lanes of Newtown” need to be kept safe.

Predictably, President Obama’s staunchly partisan second inaugural address is being embraced and damned by the public and the press along strict party lines.

An article on Breitbart titled “Obama Declares War on Liberty As We Know It” called the speech “a struggle to undo the seeming injustices of America’s past, and to overcome the army of straw men that stand in opposition to progress.”

Meanwhile, Think Progress said that the second inaugural address “will no doubt be recorded in the annals of history as a pivotal moment in the long journey for social justice and freedom from oppression.”

Here’s video of President Obama’s second inaugural address. What do you think?

Obama’s Second Inaugural Address A Landmark For LGBT Equality [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Today in “WTF did Pat Robertson say?” the controversial televangelist says that the best way to save a flagging marriage is for women to make sure they’re looking their best at all times.

MSN reports that on a recent episode of The 700 Club, Robertson answered a viewer query from a well-intentioned 17-year-old who is just trying to get his dad to pay his mom a bit more attention. The teenager was seeking advice on getting his father off the computer, where he apparently plays too much World of Warcraft at the expense of giving his wife some proper marital lovin’.

Proper advice, he did not receive.

Robertson first opined that the parents should take a romantic getaway. So far, so good. Then, Pat became the televangelist we all know and love by insulting the teen’s mom (“She may not be as sweet as you think she is”) and telling an “amusing anecdote” about a woman who was so “overweight and terrible looking” that she drove her own pastor to drink.

Oh, please stop yourself now (he didn’t).

Robertson said that the very best way that a woman can keep “the spark of love alive” is by making sure they “look pretty.” In case you’re not reading the subtext, it is a woman’s responsibility to save her own marriage regardless of the cause of its failing, and she can do so by clinging to her youthful beauty. A healthy marriage is as simple as donning a little makeup, exercising to combat the wear-and-tear of childbirth, fighting good ol’ fashioned gravity, and surrendering all of your personal interests to devote your energies to making yourself the sex kitten your husband has always dreamed of.

Nevermind a Salon-highlighted report that shows socio-economic factors, sexual violence and lack of access to education as the primary factors to crumbling marriages. “Good looks” didn’t even make the list.

But here’s Pat Robertson, telling some poor 17-year-old who just wants his parents to be happy that his mom is a giant B-word who needs to trounce around the house in her lingerie once in a while:

Pat Robertson Gives Questionable And Misogynistic Marriage Advice [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Quentin Tarantino has used his press blitz for Django Unchained to talk about his latest film but also to address a variety of other issues, particularly his feelings on Ridley Scott’s massively disappointing Alien prequel, Prometheus.

The not-prequel (but totally, in fact, a prequel) film was one of 2012′s most anticipated, though it fell flat with most viewers, polarizing Ridley Scott’s already-divided audience. A lot of people hated the Prometheus, and even its advocates were confused by the convoluted plot and meaningless twists.

Director Quentin Tarantino recently sat down with Graig Ferguson regarding Django Unchained but was asked about his reaction to Prometheus.

“I saw ‘Prometheus.’ I loved it and I was disappointed at the same time,” Tarantino told the late night host.

“On one hand, I was a little disappointed about it. On the other hand, it was actually kind of cool to see such a big deal serious science-fiction epic by a director like Ridley Scott. There was part of it I actually did like, and overall the experience was really cool, having been in it … there was also a lot of dumb stuff in it, though.”

Tarantino also talked about the much-maligned scene where the biologist played by Rafe Spall taunts the facehugger-esque alien cobra thing to predictable results.

Still, Prometheus earned $402 million worldwide, so you can expect a sequel to be fast-tracked in 2014 or so.

Here’s Tarantino’s interview with Craig Ferguson. The Prometheus portion starts around 4:52.

Quentin Tarantino On ‘Prometheus’: ‘I Liked It, But Also, I Didn’t’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Do you know what to do if you ever had to rescue someone that has fallen into a frozen lake?

Gawker recently posted about a guy that fell into a frozen lake on Christmas morning in Wrightwood, California. His friend went to help him, however, he had no clue what he was doing and fell in himself. Then someone else came to help both of hem … and he fell in. Then some more people came to help them and they fell in.

Luckily, all of the people that fell into the frozen lake were pulled to safety. However, it could have all been avoided if they knew the proper procedure on how to rescue someone in that predicament.

According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, these people went about rescuing the first victim all wrong.

As soon as someone falls into a frozen lake, the first thing to do is call 911. Also, the people made the mistake to run to the edge of the ice. This caused the ice to weaken and the whole to expand.

The Minnesota DNR posted these directions on how to save someone from a frozen lake on their website:

PREACH ‑ Shout to the victim to encourage them to fight to survive and reassure them that help is on the way.

REACH ‑ If you can safely reach the victim from shore, extend an object such as a rope, ladder, or jumper cables to the victim. If the person starts to pull you in, release your grip on the object and start over.

THROW ‑ Toss one end of a rope or something that will float to the victim. Have them tie the rope around themselves before they are too weakened by the cold to grasp it.

ROW ‑ Find a light boat to push across the ice ahead of you. Push it to the edge of the hole, get into the boat and pull the victim in over the bow. It’s not a bad idea to attach some rope to the boat, so others can help pull you and the victim to safety.

GO ‑ A non‑professional shouldn’t go out on the ice to perform a rescue unless all other basic rescue techniques have been ruled out.

If the situation is too dangerous for you to perform the rescue, call 911 for help and keep reassuring the victim that help is on the way and urge them to fight to survive. Heroics by well‑meaning but untrained rescuers sometimes result in two deaths.

Here is the video that shows what happened when a big group of people tried to rescue one person that fell into a frozen lake, but went about it the wrong way:

What Not To Do When Trying To Rescue Someone From A Frozen Lake [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Now, this is coming from a tabloid … so take this information with a grain of salt.

Psy, the Korean rapper, has taken North America by storm. With his #1 YouTube hit, “Gangnam Style“, Psy has become a household name across the country. In fact, he has become so popular that he will be featured at the Super Bowl on February 3, 2013.

According to Weekly World News, Psy will reportedly be performing his popular “Gangnam Style” song with a very special guest … Barack Obama. President Obama and his family love Psy’s “Gangnam Style” song and will be doing the horse dance with the Korean rapper during the halftime show.

Psy is also hoping to use the Super Bowl to ease the conflict between North Korea and South Korea. Psy’s goal is to use the Super Bowl in an attempt to bring about peace in his country.

As a sign of peace, Psy hopes to use both North Korean and South Korean dancers in his Super Bowl halftime show.

Madonna performed at halftime at the 2012 Super Bowl in February with guests CeeLo Green, Nicki Minaj, LMFAO and M.I.A.

During that Super Bowl, the New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in an exciting rematch of their contest four years earlier.

During the 2012 Super Bowl, Madonna’s performance was seen by 114 million people. This number is a higher average than the game itself, which was seen by an estimated 111.3 million people, according to the Nielsen Co.

Psy’s performance at the Pepsi NFL Halftime Show will feature collaborations including Lady Gaga, Taylor Swift, One Direction, The Beach Boys and jazz legend John Pizzarelli.

The Super Bowl is set for February 3, 2013 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.

Excited to see President Obama do the horse dance alongside Psy?

President Obama To Perform With Psy At 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Netflix users were most likely about to settle down with their snacks and cold beverages and watch a movie on Christmas Eve, when they discovered the site had crashed.

The online entertainment streaming service tried blaming the outage on Amazon.com — the number one online retailer — and their “Cloud,” an internet hard drive if you will.

Neither AWS or Netflix have released a detailed report on what actually happened, but evidence has it that it was the elastic load balancers at the Virginia data center that somehow tripped up and led to significant traffic loss for Netflix viewers trying to watch Christmas movies, says ReadWrite.com.

We’re sorry for the Christmas Eve outage. Terrible timing! Engineers are working on it now. Stay tuned to @netflixhelps for updates.

— Netflix US (@netflix) December 25, 2012

The outage continued into Christmas morning for some customers. The company tweeted on its Netflix US account at 8:45 am PT that the service was “back to normal streaming levels.”

Special thanks to our awesome members for being patient. We’re back to normal streaming levels. We hope everyone has a great holiday.

— Netflix US (@netflix) December 25, 2012

The problem with Netflix’s claim was that several people actually using Amazon’s streaming video service reported no problems whatsoever. It does seem odd that Netflix hosts its service on a competitor’s servers, and when it goes down, they just fall back on the scapegoat method.

In the end, no one is officially accusing Amazon’s business units of collaborating to bring down Netflix.

Thanks to @netflix outage we can likely expect a moderate population explosion in nine months.

— Joel Braverman (@joelbrave) December 25, 2012

The highway analogy applies, in that AWS is the highway, a shining ribbon of concrete, on-ramps and bridges that enable vehicles to travel from point to point. Most of the time, the highway’s operations run smoothly. But when the highway is messed with, problems will arise, no matter how good the infrastructure is.

Why, after getting booted this summer, didn’t Netflix make sure this wouldn’t happen again?

Netflix Christmas Eve Outage Fault May Be Netflix Itself is a post from: The Inquisitr

Facebook has a new Snapchat knockoff that just hit iTunes. No Android version as of yet exists, but I’m sure it’s on the way.

Facebook Poke is set to be your app for photo and video messaging  but will anybody want to engage in Snapchat weirdness on Facebook? And does this mean Facebook owns your ill-advised “not safe for work” pics?

The biggest difference between Poke and Snapchat is that Snapchat’s user interface (UI) is silly and playful, according to Gizmodo.

Poke’s messages will disappear after one, three, five or ten seconds, a setting you decide as you send them; but maybe not from Facebook itself, as the Terms of Service state that Facebook owns all intellectual property posted on it. And someone may even pull a screen capture and save it in jpeg or png format to view at any time.

Some Apple product users are wary of trusting Poke, feeling that if they send something they won’t be proud of when they’re sober, or have to apologize for at work, Mark Zuckerberg will have a copy of their Poke message, violating their privacy. Snapchat will remain the app of choice for conspiracy theorists (who, by the way, produced such an uproar over Intagram’s change in their Terms of Use that Instagram ended up reverting to the original to prevent a mass exodus of celebrity and fan accounts).

Results are yet to be seen as to the privacy of the Poke application, though Snapchat has confirmed:

“When you send or receive messages using the Snapchat services, we temporarily process and store your images and videos in order to provide our services… we attempt to delete image data as soon as possible after the message is transmitted.”

As Techcrunch states, Facebook has attempted to assure the users of Poke:

“All Poke messages are stored in encrypted form and retained for two days after the last recipient views the poke — a process that helps facilitate abuse reporting. After that period, a Poke’s encryption key is deleted. However, it may still be possible to recover that key from logs or backups. After a fixed time period, this key becomes inaccessible, rendering the content completely unreadable (unless it was copied for abuse reporting.) Today, that fixed period can be up to 90 days, but we are working to significantly reduce that period over the next several weeks as we verify the stability of the Poke deletion system.”

The wary could take some time to be convinced, as the storage period is still unconfirmed by any kind of evidence.

Your Facebook Poke Will Self Destruct In Five Seconds is a post from: The Inquisitr

Portland, OR – Talk about adding insult to injury. One Occupy Portland protestor, who was photographed getting a mouthful of pepper spray, has been fined by a judge for ignoring police orders.

Occupy protestor Liz Nichols (pictured above, swallowing pepper spray) became infamous worldwide after the image up top became iconic of the clash with police during last year’s Occupy demonstrations. Of course, no self-respecting protestor is going to lie down for “the man,” and it’s for this neglect to follow police orders that Nichols has been fined $260 by a judge.

KATU reports that Nichols filed a lawsuit over the incident in October. She said that the officers in question violated her constitutional rights and used excessive force.

If you’re like me, you’re probably wondering what kind of effects swallowing a mouthful of pepper spray can have on your health. Nichols explains her experience in a video below from The Oregonian, and while she seems mostly okay, pepper spray can actually have some pretty nasty effects on your health.

The Wall Street Journal reports that though pepper spray obviously burns the skin and causes blindness, it can cause a variety of respiratory problems that are of real concern: “burning of the throat, wheezing, dry cough, shortness of breath, gagging, gasping, inability to breathe or speak .. and rarely, cyanosis [blue or purple skin or mucous membranes], apnea and respiratory arrest.”

Sounds sexy! Additionally, oleoresin capsicum, a pepper plant extract used in some pepper sprays, is listed as having 2 million and 5.3 million Scoville units. Scoville units are like “spicy” units, to be incredibly reductive. For comparison’s sake, habanero peppers boast about 200,000 to 350,000 Scoville units.

The moral of this story is to never open your mouth when you are being pepper sprayed. Stay safe, Occupy!

Judge Fines Occupy Protestor Who Swallowed Mouthful Of Pepper Spray [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

The Klu Klux Klan, or the KKK as they are commonly known, thinks the Westboro Baptist Church is way too obnoxious. The KKK is usually not known as the voice of moderation but in this case the KKK felt the Westboro Baptist church had gone too far in making protests at funerals. So the KKK staged a counter-protest. With the Westboro Baptist Church recently threatening to picket the Newtown funerals for the Sandy Hook elementary school shooting victims, this viral video is once again making the rounds.

According to the YouTube video, in May of 2011 the “Klu Klux Klan distanced themselves from the [Westboro Baptist] Church, denouncing them as ‘hatemongers.’” The members of the Westboro Baptist Church were cordoned off, probably for their own protection, and they held signs that read “God Hates You” and “Pray For More Dead Soldiers.” Dennis LaBonte is an “Imperial Wizard” in the KKK and this is what he had to say about the antics of the Westboro Baptist Church:

“Knights of the southern cross, soldiers of the Klu Klux Klan, we are here in protest of the Westboro Baptist Church. I’m a veteran. I’ve spent nine and half years in the military. I’ve got brothers and sisters buried in this cemetery, and I think that it’s an absolute shame that they show up and disrupt the funerals.”

This video has resurfaced after the Westboro Baptist Church threatened to picket the funerals of the shooting victims. Such a threat has not earned any friends with the hack group Anonymous who proceeded to hack the Westboro Church’s servers. Someone calling himself “Cosmo The God” on Twitter has hacked the Westboro Twitter account. But Westboro’s most serious threat is probably an attempt to remove their tax exempt status. After all, those who’ve looked into Westboro’s activities are suspicious that it’s all just one big scam to earn money through lawsuits.

What do you think are the true motivations of the Westboro Baptist Church in staging such hateful protests?

KKK Counter-Protest: Klu Klux Klan Thinks The Westboro Baptist Church Is Obnoxious [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Want to watch the first 10 minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness?

No matter what J.J. Abrams does, he simply cannot stop the Internet. Some random guy recorded the first 10 minutes of the upcoming Star Trek Into Darkness and put it online for all to see. Sure, it’s shaky and blurry, and no, it doesn’t give us any hints as to the identity of Benedict Cumberbatch’s enigmatic villain, but it’ll give you a good idea of what the film is about and get you excited ahead of its May 17 release date nonetheless.

The 10 minute prologue was originally attached to midnight IMAX showings of the Hobbit on December 14th.

Here’s the synopsis for Star Trek Into Darkness:

“The film finds the crew of the Enterprise called back home where they find an unstoppable force of terror from within their own organization that has detonated the fleet and everything it stands for, leaving our world in a state of crisis.

“With a personal score to settle, Captain Kirk leads a manhunt to a war-zone world to capture a one man weapon of mass destruction.

“As our heroes are propelled into an epic chess game of life and death, love will be challenged, friendships will be torn apart, and sacrifices must be made for the only family Kirk has left: his crew.”

We weren’t able to embed the Star Trek Into Darkness prologue here. Gizmodo tried and was sent a “cease and desist” letter faster than [insert Star Trek joke about "beaming me up" here] If you want to see the clip, go here. Everything is in Russian, but I think you can figure the site out enough to click the play button.

Enjoy!

Want To Watch The First 10 Minutes Of ‘Star Trek Into Darkness’? is a post from: The Inquisitr

After Curiosity (NASA’s Mars rover) landed safely on the Red Planet’s surface, it started the process of sending some incredible images back home to us on Earth. Not only that, but we also received a series of images that showed the actual decent and landing of the rover.

That footage was then taken and modified to produce some incredible high definition videos.

According to Geek.com, someone else had previously done the exact same thing with video footage of the Apollo 16 Lunar Roving Vehicle, also known as the “moon buggy,” driving across the surface of the Moon in 1972.

The “moon buggy” was used on the Apollo 15, 16, and 17 missions. However, a lot of people have yet to see this high definition version of the Apollo 16 mission footage.

The high definition video footage can be viewed in 720p and the videos stabilization was achieved by using the Deshaker v2.5 filter with VirtualDub 1.9.9.

At the 58 second mark, in the original footage below, you can see the comparison of the two videos.

The stabilized version of the footage does show quite an improvement and it gives us a much better idea of what the astronauts experienced that day.

Since Golden Spike is planning commercial flights to the Moon, it may not be too long until we see even higher quality footage using modern video equipment.

NASA is also planning to crash probes onto the Moon next week to see what exactly lies below its surface.

You can watch the high definition footage of driving the “moon buggy” below.

HD Video Of Driving The ‘Moon Buggy’ During Apollo 16 Mission [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Newtown, CT — Parents waited anxiously this morning to see if their children were amongst the survivors that teachers were leading from Sandy Hook Elementary school. After Adam Lanza allegedly entered the school and opened fire, teachers sprang into action. Now, parents of surviving children report these educators are their “heroes.”

At least 27 people died in Friday’s shooting — 18 of them children between the ages of 5 and 10. In the midst of tragedy, the heroic acts of teachers are already being reported.

“They will be applauded for their efforts,” an ABC newscaster said during a live report Friday afternoon.

While heart-wrenching images outside Sandy Hook Elementary School showed children at the scene looking frightened and scared, teachers took charge of their students with calm efficiency, reports say. Children exited school buildings in single-file lines, holding one another’s shoulders, guided by their teachers.

“There was no screaming, which indicates just how carefully these teachers carried this out this afternoon, “ said the ABC narrator.

Parents echo the newscaster’s assessment. Brenda Lebinski, the mother of an eight-year-old student, reported that her daughter is safe because a teacher decided to move her kids out of harm’s way when Lanza entered the school about 30 minutes after the school day began.

“My daughter’s teacher is my hero,” Lebinski said. “She locked all the kids in a closet and that saved their lives.”

Another student, 8, said that a teacher saved him from bullets fired in the school. The unidentified teacher pulled the 8-year-old boy and another child out of harm’s way.

“I’m just so grateful to the teacher who saved him, she definitely [saved his life],” the boy’s mother said. “He had bullets going by him and another child, and pulled them into a classroom.”

Sandy Hook Shootings: Heroic Efforts By Teachers Save Students’ Lives is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yesterday’s media blitz on Anne Hathaway’s Les Mis premiere wardrobe malfunction caught the actress’s attention this morning when she addressed her panty-less parade on the Today show with Matt Lauer.

Instead of talking about Les Mis, Lauer led with Monday’s wardrobe malfunction (he literally said the words “seen a lot of you lately” to Hathaway). Hathaway put on the self-righteous hat and gave the media a bit of a knuckle-rapping for running the photos and making such a big deal out of the whole thing.

“It was obviously an unfortunate incident. It kind of made me sad on two accounts. One was that I was very sad that we live in an age when someone takes a picture of another person in a vulnerable moment, and rather than delete it, and do the decent thing, sells it. And I’m sorry that we live in a culture that commodifies the sexuality of unwilling participants. Which brings us back to Les Mis [...] So lets get back to Les Mis.”

The Daily Mail reports that the 30-year-old actress was initially “devastated” by the shots, but she showed some serious poise on Today if you ask us. Of course, her seemingly smug response will cause that part of the internet that hates all-things Anne Hathaway to hate her all the more, but we have to hand it to her for how she handled this.

“Mom tone” and finger-wagging notwithstanding, this is exactly how you handle an embarrassing moment. You acknowledge it, and you move on quickly.

Nicely done, Anne Hathaway. Some may hate you, but we applaud you for how you handled your wardrobe malfunction. Here’s Hathaway on Today:

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Anne Hathaway Calls Wardrobe Malfunction ‘Sad,’ Blames Us [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Vanessa Robinson was charged with aggravated assault after she allegedly cut her boyfriend multiple times — for taking the last beer. James Gallone reportedly tried leaving Robinson’s apartment with the last Colt 45.

Gallone, who had purchased the beer, allegedly tried to leave his girlfriend’s apartment in Hempfield Township, Pennsylvania, according to Trooper Steve Limani of Pennsylvania State Police.

“The person who purchased the alcohol says, ‘I’m leaving;’ goes to grab the beer that he had purchased. The female was arguing with him that, ‘you’re not taking the beer,’” Limani reports. “It ended up becoming a physical altercation.”

The fight began with kicking and pushing. Beer poured onto the floor, and Robinson allegedly grabbed a knife.

Limani reported that, before Gallone could disarm her, Robinson had cut him “in the arm, neck, back, and stomach areas.”

Robinson was taken into custody.

It’s not the first case of a girlfriend beating her boyfriend up. Racquel Gonzalez allegedly assaulted her boyfriend on Monday after they had sex.

A police reports states that Gonzalez assaulted her boyfriend because, during sex, he had an orgasm. She did not.

The couple from Manatee County, Florida began fighting when she allegedly became angry that her boyfriend, Esric Davis, had an orgasm. According to Davis, she began to hit and scratch him.

Davis suffered minor injuries to his nose and eyes. Authorities report that Davis said she “goes off” on him often “from issues in her past.”

Gonzalez was charged with felony domestic battery. The police report said that she was belligerent and did not cooperate with police when arrested. During the arrest, Gonzalez allegedly told deputies, “I have scratches on me too from where he tried to restrain me when I lost it.”

As The Huffington Post quips, “Hell hath no fury like a woman denied the last beer.” Or an orgasm.

[Image from Shutterstock]

Women Allegedly Assault Boyfriends For Taking Last Beer, Having The First Orgasm is a post from: The Inquisitr

Cory Booker responded to critics of his food stamp challenge on “Piers Morgan Tonight” on Friday. The New Jersey mayor noted that he hopes his actions will inspire “a more heated debate” about food stamps.

The Newark, NJ mayor is more than halfway through a week of living on the monetary equivalent of food stamps. He began the week with only $30 to spend on all of his meals. That’s just $4.32 a day.

With some 42 million Americans on food stamps, some have applauded his efforts to highlight the struggles of many families. However, critics suggest that he is “misleading” how the program is designed to be used.

On Wednesday, Christine Romans of CNN criticized Booker’s challenge, saying that food stamps are “not meant to be your only calorie intake source.” Romans continued, ” ‘Supplemental’ is the key. The government designs it so this is on top of what little money you might have, food pantries, soup kitchens.”

In response to her comments, Booker said that it was just “reality” that many Americans don’t use food stamps as a supplement, but as their only source of food.

Booker commented,

“There are many families — and I talked to a group of security guard workers yesterday who make seven dollars and change, don’t have health care benefits, so if they get sick, they have to either take days off of work and lose that money, or work through the sickness, who don’t have retirement benefits, who find it hard at the end of the month to pay their rent, to buy their food, and are struggling.

 ”She may think its a supplemental program, but for many Americans who are working even, this is the difference between going deep into food insecurity, not being able to provide for their families, and having a bridge to stability.”

“Today is the 4 day of my #SNAPChallenge and so far it has been the most difficult. I’m realizing more and more that my current daily food intake cannot continue at the same pace, and so my new focus is on smaller portions spread throughout the day.This morning I had one apple for breakfast followed by a can of chick peas with seasoning and olive oil for lunch. My last meal of the day consisted of broccoli, cauliflower, black beans, corn casserole and a sweet potato which I ate in small portions between 2pm and 7pm this afternoon. I will likely not eat again until tomorrow morning in order to maintain enough food.”

What do you think of Booker’s food stamp challenge?

Cory Booker Food Stamp Challenge: The NJ Mayor Responds To Critics is a post from: The Inquisitr

Anchorage, AK – Confessed serial killer Israel Keyes was found dead in his jail cell several days ago, and if you ask us, it couldn’t have happened to a nicer guy. More details about his motives are being released,  forming a portrait of a cold and ruthless killer, who could only respond “Why not?” when asked why he killed at least eight people.

“There were just times, a couple of times, where we would try to get a why,” said Anchorage Police officer Jeff Bell, who helped interrogate Keyes for hours. “He would have this term, he would say, ‘A lot of people ask why, and I would be, like, why not?’”

Keyes confessed to killing eight people, but hinted at several more murders throughout the US, reports NBC.

“Based on some of the things he told us, and some of the conversations we had with him, we believe the number is less than 12,” FBI Special Agent Jolene Goeden said. “We don’t know for sure. He’s the only one who could have ultimately answered that.”

We may never know the full number, since Keyes slit his wrist and strangled himself with bedding Sunday at the Anchorage Correctional Facility. Had he not been caught, authorities believe that his killing spree would have continued. He said that he had murder/body disposal kits stashed all over the country. Once was found in Anchorage, and consisted of a shovel, plastic bags, and bottles of Drano, which Keyes said speeds up the decomposition of bodies.

“He enjoyed it. He liked what he was doing,” Goeden said, opining on Keyes’ true motive. “He talked about getting a rush out of it, the adrenalin, the excitement out of it.”

Keyes will be buried on Sunday in Washington state.

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Serial Killer Israel Keyes’ Motive For Murder: ‘Why Not?’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Ghent University (Belgium) Centre of Microsystems Technology recently announced the development of a new spherical curved LCD the size of a contact lens. In fact the LCD was specifically developed to be worn on the eye. The developers stated that they can be worn like any other contact lens and should not obstruct the viewers field of vision.

Unlike LED lenses which can only support a limited number of pixels, the new LCD lenses can display a wide range of pixel sizes and numbers. The new technology also utilizes the entire surface of the lens which will enable their use  for a wide range of medical and cosmetic purposes.

If one pixel is used, covering the entire lens, they could function as sunglasses. In contrast a display with many pixels would allow the wearer to change the color of their contacts at will. Images could be superimposed in the usual field of vision, allowing text messages or driving directions to be viewed as a heads-up display. It may be several years before the lenses are ready for such complicated applications. The prototype released today simply displayed a dollar sign.

Creating an LCD screen in the correct shape and size was quite a challenge for for the developers. Researcher Jelle De Smet explains:

“Normally, flexible displays using liquid crystal cells are not designed to be formed into a new shape, especially not a spherical one. Thus, the main challenge was to create a very thin, spherically curved substrate with active layers that could withstand the extreme molding processes. Moreover, since we had to use very thin polymer films, their influence on the smoothness of the display had to be studied in detail. By using new kinds of conductive polymers and integrating them into a smooth spherical cell, we were able to fabricate a new LCD-based contact lens display.”

Professor Herbert De Smet, supervisor of the display group, is confident that the lenses will be available to the public within the next few years.

Images And Text, The LCD Contact Lens is a post from: The Inquisitr

Last year, Curtis Butler, III was homeless. He slept in his car, and twice overdosed on pills and alcohol, trying to take his own life. This week, he is giving money to those less fortunate.

Butler, 45, is a veteran who served two tours in Iraq. He suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. When he returned home, he was initially denied benefits. Soon, he lost contact with his children, and had no income. He had no home, no money, and no hope.

“I figured nobody cared about me,” Butler recalls. “I had to worry about paying bills. I didn’t love myself or anyone else.”

Butler did eventually get his benefits and turned his life around. So on Monday, when he heard a fellow Georgia Power customer talking about how hard it was to make ends meet, Butler had the opportunity to pay it forward.

Butler was standing in line, waiting to pay his utility bill, when he overheard the other customer talking about the difficulties of getting by in this economy. Butler paid the couple’s $230 bill — and just couldn’t stop.

He paid power bills for 20 people, not stopping until he had doled out about $2,000.

“This was the anniversary of me being homeless and now I am putting smiles on other people’s faces,” Butler reported.

One woman’s power had been turned off at her home because she didn’t have the money to pay her bill. Butler not only paid the bill, but gave her more cash for her children, saying “your kids can’t open their presents on Christmas morning with no lights on… And now, they have more money for food or presents.”

According to Georgia Power clerk Genice Harris, everyone at the office was stunned. “I could tell it was spontaneous and he was smiling and people were like, ‘I can’t believe this.’ They actually started taking pictures with this guy,” Harris said. “There really is a God and…. He does send people to help others that are in need,” Harris said.

“I have been there and done it, been close to eating out of trash cans….I was the one on the street with my hand out asking for some change,” Butler told ABC News. “God put me in that predicament, so that one day I could help others.”

Butler has written a book about living with PTSD and he has a website to promote his efforts advocating new programs for disabled veterans. In his book, “PTSD: My Story, Please Listen!” he writes about returning home and falling on hard times.

“Just because we have PTSD, doesn’t mean we are not good people,” Butler said. “We come back from fighting in a war and we can’t get a job… It is hard to tell your kid that ‘I can’t support you because I am homeless after fighting for our country.’”

Butler has now gotten the help that he needs. He gets counseling through his church, has reconnected with his kids, and owns his own home. He is even about to get married.

“One night I prayed and I asked God, ‘can you reveal to me my wife?’ And he said, ‘Yeah stupid, you sit next to [her in ] church every Sunday’….God works miracles and wonders every day,” Butler said.

Butler has shown his Good Samaritan heart before. He once bought haircuts for 200 homeless vets and the people of his community.

So what will Butler’s next good deed be? “Me and God are going to talk about that,” he said.

[Image from ShutterStock]

Former Homeless Man Pays It Forward is a post from: The Inquisitr

Detroit, MI – Though President Obama hasn’t even been inaugurated for his second term yet, and is presently working on pressing national issues like the fiscal cliff, one Detroit councilwoman has been expecting a bailout since Election Day and is wondering where her “government bacon” is.

FOX 2 Detroit reports that Councilwoman JoAnn Watson spoke before the Detroit City Council Tuesday, and said that President Obama owes the city a government bailout because they turned out in support of his re-election bid in November.

“Our people in an overwhelming way supported the re-election of this president and there ought to be a quid pro quo and you ought to exercise leadership on that,” said Watson. “Of course, not just that, but why not?”

“After the election of Jimmy Carter, the honorable Coleman Alexander Young [Detroit’s former mayor of 20 years and former vice chairman of the Democratic National Committee], he went to Washington, D.C. and came home with some bacon,” she added. “That’s what you do.”

Indeed, Detroit is facing a major financial crisis, and Watson is right when she says that most of the city’s voters turned out for President Obama. Nearly 75 percent of Wayne County voters cast a ballot in Obama’s favor in the 2012 election.

And presidential bailout of cities is not unprecedented. Gerald Ford handed New York City nearly $2 billion in 1975 to help it avoid financial collapse.

As for Watson’s candor, Detroit’s situation is far more dire than most cities in the US. Some financial experts say that they could completely run out of money by the end of the year a mere few weeks away.

The White House has not announced any plans to supply the city of Detroit with relief funds.

Here’s the video of Detroit councilwoman JoAnn Watson asking for some government bacon. Do you think Detroit should expect a bailout for supporting President Obama?

Fox 2 News Headlines

Detroit Councilwoman: ‘We Voted For Obama, Where’s Our Government Bacon?’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Yesterday, we reported that The New York Post had received overwhelming criticism for running a photo of Ki Suk Han on their front page. Han had been pushed onto the subway tracks, and the photo showed him staring at the oncoming train mere moments before it struck and ultimately killed him. The photographer, R. Umar Abbasi, appeared on Today to defend himself and explain why he took a picture instead of intervening.

“It took me a second to figure out what is happening,” he told Today hosts Matt Lauer and Savannah Guthrie. “The only thing I could think of at the time was to alert the driver with my camera flash, and I started running.”

Lauer asked: “Was there nothing you could have done?” Abassi defended that there were others nearer to Mr. Han who could have intervened. “It looks like you’re very close,” Lauer said, holding up the controversial issue of the Post.

“This is a frozen moment,” Abbasi said. “There is no way I could have rescued Mr. Han.”

Abbasi also wrote a column for the Post defending his actions.

“I have to say I was surprised at the anger over the pictures, of the people who are saying: Why didn’t he put the camera down and pull him out?

“But I can’t let the armchair critics bother me. They were not there. They have no idea how very quickly it happened.

“They do not know what they would have done.

“Before I went into the subway, I had been up in Times Square, and my camera was still set for outside lighting. The flash was on 1/64th of a second, which would be split-second recharging.

“People think I had time to set the camera and take photos, and that isn’t the case. I just ran toward that train.”

“The truth is I could not reach that man; if I could have, I would have, Abassi said. “But the train was moving faster than I could get there.”

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

NY Post Photog Defends Himself For Controversial Subway Death Photo [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Bob Costas is being criticized on Twitter and other outlets for his impassioned gun control speech delivered at halftime of the Dallas-Philadelphia game last night. Many are attacking Costas for using his position to espouse his personal views on a political issue, while others are saying that the forum was completely inappropriate.

Costas’s gun control monologue was reportedly a response to the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide that took place over the weekend. Here’s a partial transcript of his commentary:

“You want some actual perspective on this? Well a bit of it comes from the Kansas City-based writer Jason Whitlock, with whom I do not always agree, but who today said it so well that we may as well just quote or paraphrase from the end of his article. ‘Our current gun culture,’ Whitlock wrote, ‘ensures that more and more domestic disputes will end in the ultimate tragedy, and that more convenience store confrontations over loud music coming from a car will leave more teenage boys bloodied and dead. Handguns do not enhance our safety. They exacerbate our flaws, tempt us to escalate arguments, and bait us into embracing confrontation rather than avoiding it.’ “

The Whitlock article Costas references can be read here.

The AP pointed out that the “online reaction to Costas’ segment was swift, with many people criticizing the broadcaster for expressing his personal views on a program meant for entertainment.”

Matt Yoder of Awful Announcing agreed, writing: “The larger point is that Costas’ editorializing needs to be saved for a more fitting platform like Costas Tonight or Rock Center.”

The gun control speech has also elicited a very negative response from Conservative personalities on Twitter:

Hey Bob Costas we all kno that obesity is a direct result of the proliferation of spoons & forks Get a clue

— Ted Nugent (@TedNugent) December 3, 2012

Bob Costas, who’s gotten rich thanks in part to a sport that destroys men’s bodies and brains, gives us a little civics lecture.

— Andy Levy (@andylevy) December 3, 2012

Firearms aren’t scary, firearm ignorance and a lack of respect for life are scary, Bob Costas.

— Dana Loesch (@DLoesch) December 3, 2012

Yes, Bob Costas, guns are the problem. Nicole Brown Simpson would be alive today if OJ hadn’t shot her with that knife.

— Todd Kincannon (@ToddKincannon) December 3, 2012

What do you think? Was Bob Costas’s gun control speech a bold move, or did he choose the wrong venue to share his perspective?

Bob Costas Blasted On Twitter For Gun Control Speech is a post from: The Inquisitr

Human beings have looked at the stars in awe since we first crawled out of our caves. We stare at the night sky and speculate about what might be out there and we wonder if creatures from other planets might have visited our lonely earth. This all important question has haunted mankind from time immemorial and now the Science Channel is investigating the possibility that aliens may not only have visited earth, but lived and died here, with the new program Alien Mummies.

Using the usual Hollywood combination of hyperbole and mystery, the Science Channel provided a brief summary of Alien Mummies:

“Combining high-end drama reconstruction, scientific tests and expert testimony, we uncover a series of elaborate hoaxes, natural phenomenon and unidentified creatures as we explore man’s eternal fascination with extra-terrestrial beings.”

The program, which first aired earlier this week on the Science Channel, examines several recent cases of purported alien remains that have attracted world wide attention. Alien Mummies visited Metepec, Mexico, a small village in Central Mexico where a now infamous sample of alien remains first appeared in 2007.

A Mexican rancher named Marao Lopez claimed to find the 19 inch tall creature still alive in a trap. Instead of keeping the animal alive as a captured alien, Lopez inexplicably decided to drown the creature.

The case will be examined in detail along with several others on Alien Mummies. We won’t spoil the entire program for you, but we will tell you that the Metepec Alien is a very sick and cruel hoax. Independent investigators are convinced the alien is actually a poor little Squirrel Monkey who was skinned with some of its muscles removed. Now known to debunkers as the “Screamin’ Demon of Metepec,” the Metepec Mummy is a full-fledged, card carrying member of the UFO Hall of Shame.

We can only speculate on why the Science Channel would choose to air this program as Alien Mummies instead of Alien Mummy Hoaxes. Take it for what its worth, which is zero when considering its scientific value. Alien Mummies is a good way to waste an hour on a boring evening and it may even be mildly entertaining. The next time you look up at the stars, you will realize the Science Channel has as much knowledge about what is really out there as the rest of us; little to none.

Alien Mummies Revealed On The Science Channel: Hoax Or Reality is a post from: The Inquisitr

Something strange happened on last night’s episode of Teen Mom 2. Jenelle Evans begged her lawyer to keep her out of jail … at least until she could see a Ke$ha concert she’d been looking forward to.

It’s really sad, because Jenelle’s poor decisions and legal dilemmas will definitely have consequences for her son, but we just can’t seem to pull ourselves away from the proverbial train wreck. Here’s exactly why:

Last night on Teen Mom 2 (months ago in real life), Jenelle failed a random drug test and was faced with a tough legal choice. She could either serve a short stint in jail (two weeks, roughly) or stay on probation for a year and abstain from marijuana. Jenelle’s struggles with smoking marijuana have been well-documented by the show thus far, so it kind of seems like “door no. 1″ would be the way to go.

The problem with “door no. 1,” the short-term jail sentence, is that it conflicts with something that Jenelle loves more than marijuana: Ke$ha. You see, she would be in jail during a Ke$ha concert that she had long planned on attending.

“Like no one understands how important this concert is to me. It’s not just a concert. It’s Ke$ha. It’s the person. It’s not ‘Oh, I wanna go to a random concert.’ It’s Ke$ha, my idol.”

She even asked her lawyer if he could explain the situation to the courts, and re-schedule her prison sentence for a time that’s more convenient for her. You can just see the faith in humanity flush out of this poor guy’s face when he shakes his head in utter disbelief and replies: “I am not mentioning the concert.”

There’s nothing more we can say about the clip, so here it is. Watch it and let us know what you think about Jenelle Evans’ priorities in the comments below:

Teen Mom 2′s Jenelle Evans Really Needs To See Ke$ha, You Don’t Understand [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough criticized GOP tax policies and argued that the rich should pay more in taxes on Morning Joe.

His comments are sure to ruffle the feathers of the Norquist-allied members of his own party, but Scarborough’s perspective reflects a growing trend on the GOP side that the party at large is open to putting revenues on the table as we attempt to avert the fiscal cliff. Warren Buffett argued for a 30% tax rate on the super rich in an op-ed today, and Scarborough discussed a similar op-ed by Steve Rattner. His post argued that President Obama should raise the tax rate on capital gains to 28%.

“You see again this huge divide between the richest Americans and the poorest Americans… and you sit there going, you know what, these people that live in these mansions and have private jets and live an extraordinary life like few Americans live — they can probably deal with a 20% tax rate on capital gains instead of 15%,” Scarborough said.

“Why are we fighting and risking our majorities protecting billionaires that are hedge fund guys who are paying 14% tax rates?” he asked.

“There’s something immoral about these people paying fourteen, fifteen, sixteen percent of their taxes because the tax rates are the way they are while small business owners who make $250,000 a year in Manhattan and may employ four people are paying a 35% tax rate,” Scarborough concluded.

Here’s the video of Joe Scarborough talking tax reform on Morning Joe:

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Joe Scarborough: Low Tax Rates For Super Rich Are ‘Immoral’ [Video] is a post from: The Inquisitr

Georgia’s Republican Senator Saxby Chambliss ripped into anti-tax activist Grover Norquist over his “no new taxes” promise this week. According to Chambliss, the pledge has halted progress toward finding a solution to the looming fiscal cliff.

Chambliss is a member of the new “Gang of Eight,” a group of politicians seeking a bipartisan solution to deficit reduction. He’s also a signatory of Norquist’s pledge (which he has criticized in the past) and said Wednesday that he’s not concerned by the potential for backlash over his pointed criticism.

“I care too much about my country — I care a lot more about it than I do about Grover Norquist,” Chambliss told Georgia’s WMAZ. “Norquist has no plan to pay this debt down. His plan says you continue to add to the debt, and I just have a fundamental disagreement about that and I’m willing to do the right thing and let the political consequences take care of themselves.”

Norquist and his ilk have swayed Republicans in Congress for many years, but recent election results seem to have weakened support for the pledge. A growing contingency of GOP lawmakers have recently argued against Norquist’s pledge, especially as the hard reality of the fiscal cliff races toward us.

According to Reuters, at least 16 Republicans of the new Congress have taken a pass on the pledge, up from six in the outgoing Congress.

Despite these blocks, even from members of his own part, Norquist says that his influence in the GOP is still strong. According to The New York Times, Norquist counts “219 House members — enough for a majority — and 39 senators” as committed to his pledge.

“It’s been 22 years since a Republican voted for a tax increase in this town,” Norquist said. “This is not my first rodeo.”

Republican Senator Unloads On Anti-Tax Activist Grover Norquist [Listen] is a post from: The Inquisitr