Australian wildfire death toll rises to 84

As of this writing, AP reports that the wildfire that has been burning the southeastern Australia has now claimed 84 lives, making it the country's deadliest fire disaster.

A bushfire burned through a forest on the outskirts of Labertouche, east of Melbourne. The police said they expected the death toll to rise. (Photo: Mick Tsikas/Reuters)


A member of the Country Fire Authority monitored a giant fire raging in Bunyip State Park. Wildfires are a natural annual event in Australia, but this year a combination of scorching weather, drought and tinder-dry bush have created prime conditions for the fires to take hold. (Photo: William West/Agence France-Presse -- Getty Images)

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Death Toll in Australian Fires Rises to 84

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Could Reese be pregnant????

Reese Witherspoon was seen sporting a conspicuous tummy bulge while out and about with boyfriend Jake Gyllenhaal in Venice Beach, California yesterday.


(Photo c/o Just Jared)

Is that a baby bump, Reese????

To see more of these photos, click here:
Reese Witherspoon: Baby Bump Watch?

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A-Rod said to test positive for steroids in 2003!

After Michael Phelps, yet another famous athlete is dragged into drug controversy.

Alex Rodriguez, the highest-paid baseball player of the NY Yankees, tested positive for steroids in 2003, according to a report by Sports Illustrated published yesterday, February 7.

A-Rod is said to be positive in 2003 for the use of testosterone and an anabolic steroid with a brand known as Primobolan, when he won the American League home run title and the AL Most Valuable Player award as a shortstop for the Texas Rangers. According to a search of FDA records, Primobolan is not an approved prescription drug in the United States, nor was it in 2003.

A-Rod declined to discuss the 2003 drug test when approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, saying: "You'll have to talk to the union." When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."

To read more about this controversial SI report, click here:
Sources tell SI Alex Rodriguez tested positive for steroids in 2003

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David Beckham strips off again for Armani underwear

David Beckham strips off again for yet another jaw-dropping ad for Emporio Armani underwear, and I'm loving it :P

Beckham is seen sporting a long black tattoo in his left torso, in Chinese, that reads: "Death and life have determined appointments, riches and honors depends upon heaven."










This isn't the first time Beckham showed off his bulges; his first ad for the Italian underwear giant was unveiled in late 2007.


Beckham's 2007 ad

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Intimate wedding pics of Fergie and Josh here!

Fergie and Josh, who tied the knot at the Church Estates Vineyards in Malibu on January 10, shared their exclusive wedding pics to Usmagazine. The couple's intimate black and white pics in Elle's March issue can also be seen here.


Fergie and Josh exchanged H.Stern rings, with each band engraved with special personal messages by the bride and groom. Her engagement ring had a round, 4-carat brilliant cut diamond set amid other diamonds, with colors ranging from white to cognac. A narrow, colored diamond wedding band was designed to match. Duhamel's ring was made of 18K white gold with a brush finish.

Click below to see other pics of the posh nuptials:
Fergie & Josh's Wedding Album

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Phelps suspended for 3 months

Michael Phelps has been suspended by US Swimming from competion for three months, and Kellogg's has dropped him after a photo of him smoking marijuana from a glass pipe surfaced at a British tabloid last week.

Sorry Michael but you deserve this punishment :( When you are a sporting icon, youth role model and product endorser, you ought to have a squeaky clean image in and out of the pool.


Kellogg said it would drop its endorsement deal with Michael Phelps after a photograph surfaced in a British newspaper showing him inhaling from a marijuana pipe

While Phelps's other sponsors like Speedo and Omega have accepted his apology, some including Visa and Subway have not had a stance yet.

Click here to read more:
Phelps Disciplined Over Marijuana Pipe Incident

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Danny Boyle of Slumdog Millionaire is Best Director at Directors Guild Awards

Golden Globe-winning and Academy Award-nominated English film director and producer Danny Boyle won as Best Director at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Awards last January 31.

Danny Boyle, winner of Best Director at DGA Awards

Boyle won for Slumdog Millionaire, a film about a young uneducated man from the slums of Mumbai who went on to win the top prize at game show Who Wants to be a Millionaire?.


Boyle has earlier won as Best Director at the Golden Globes on January 11 and Critics' Choice Awards on January 8.

Slumdog Millionaire, Best Picture winner at the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, reaped 10 nominations at the Oscars this year, behind The Curious Case of Benjamin Button with 13.


A scene from the movie Slumdog Millionaire

An Oscar win forebodes well for the 52-year old Boyle as the DGA Award for Feature Film has traditionally been a near perfect barometer for the Best Director Academy Award. Since the inception of DGA Awards in 1948, only six times has the DGA Award winner not won the Academy Award, as follows:

* 1968 - Carol Reed for Oliver!
* 1972 - Bob Fosse for Cabaret
* 1985 - Sydney Pollack Out of Africa;
* 1995 - Mel Gibson for Braveheart;
* 2000 - Steven Soderbergh Traffic; and
* 2002 - Roman Polanski won the Oscar for directing The Pianist

Boyle has earlier won as Best Director at the Golden Globes on January 11 and Critics' Choice Awards on January 8.

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Material girl Madonna has a new boy toy!

Move over Alex Rodriguez, the Material Girl has a new boy toy: 22 year-old Brazilian model Jesus Luz!





The pair was photographed leaving a downtown restaurant in New York City after a romantic dinner yesterday.

Madonna, old enough to be the grandmother of the Brazilian hottie, reportedly first met during a photo shoot for W Magazine in Rio de Janeiro. She got so interested in him that she asked him to join her on the South American leg of her Sticky & Sweet concert tour.







According to a Brazilian web site, "Everyone knows they are ficando - which is a Portuguese expression that means they are kissing and doing other things but without any obligation of being faithful or getting into a relationship afterwards."

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Michael Phelps photographed smoking marijuana

Swimming icon Michael Phelps was photographed smoking marijuana thru a glass pipe!

News of the World, a British tabloid published the photo yesterday clearly showing 23-year-old Phelps drawing bongs. The photos were taken in November last year at a University of South Carolina house party, 3 months after he set records by winning 8 gold medals at the Beijing Olympics.

If you are a 14-time Olympic gold medalist, considered as the world's greatest swimmer and a role model for the youth, would you smoke marijuana?

Glass pipes are generally used to smoke cannabis. Marijuana or hashish is classified under the name 'cannabinoids' in the list of prohibited drugs under World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules, and athletes caught using drugs could face a two-year ban from the Olympics. Phelps also risks his endorsement deals, estimated to be worth $100 million over the course of his lifetime.

Phelps later issued a statement calling his behavior regrettable.

"I engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment. I’m 23 years old and despite the successes I’ve had in the pool, I acted in a youthful and inappropriate way, not in a manner people have come to expect from me. For this, I am sorry," he said.



Click here if you want to read the full article with a photo showing Phelps smoking cannabis:
14-times Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps caught with cannabis pipe

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Nadal beat Federer to claim his first OZ Open title!

I watched at a friend's macbook c/o another friend's season subscription the 2009 Australian Finals yesterday where world no. 1 Rafael Nadal beat world no. 2 Roger Federer in five-set thriller 7-5, 3-6, 7-6 (3), 3-6, 6-2.

What Rafael Nadal has achieved after defeating Roger Federer in the Australian Open finals:

• Rafa became the first Spaniard to win the Australian Open;

• He became the 4th player to win Grand Slam in three different surfaces (grass, clay and hard court), joining Jimmy Connors, Mats Wilander and Andre Agassi. By winning on this surface, a win in the U.S. Open would give Rafa a Career Grand Slam, something which tennis greats Pete Sampras and Federer failed to do as both haven’t won at the Roland Garros yet;

• Rafa collected his sixth Grand Slam (4 French Open, 1 Wimbledon and 1 Australian Open);

• Every time Nadal plays Federer since last year, Nadal wins all the matches. Rafa beat Federer 5 consecutive times (3 times at a Grand Slam, with the other 2 coming from last year’s French Open and Wimbledon finals). Roger’s other 2 losses last year to Nadal were at Monte Carlo and Hamburg Masters. Nadal now has the winningest record against Federer at 13-6.

Caveat:

Rafa is still young and at his prime at 22 years old; Roger is 27. Rafa won his first Grand Slam when he was 19 years old (2005 French Open). On the other hand, Roger captured his maiden slam when he was 22 (2003 Wimbledon). Say let’s give 5 more years to Rafa (assuming he stays healthy throughout) when he will have turned same age of Federer now, 27, and if he collects:

• Maximum of 3 slams a year: that is a total of 15 plus his 6 now equals 21 slams.

• 2 slams a year: that is a total of 10 plus his 6 now equals 16 slams.

• Conservative estimate of 1 slam a year which is Roland Garros: that is a total of 5 plus 6 slams equals 11.

But the above does not include this year’s remaining Slams: (French Open, Wimbledon and US Open. If Rafa wins 2 more slams this year, he’d amass 23 (if he wins maximum of 3 slams per year for a 5-yr period), 18 (if he wins 2 slams per year for a 5-yr period), and 13 (by winning 1 slam per year for a 5-yr period).

Thus, expect Nadal to amass a total of 13 to 23 slams in a 5-yr period plus this year!

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