'Mob Wives' premiere review: Funny, appalling, frightening, and good.

As someone who’s watched at least a few episodes of every version of the Real Housewives franchise and feels a bit nauseous about it, I didn’t come toMob Wives with high hopes. But this floridly funny, vicariously vicious reality series exerts a vulgar charm. It’s like watching a cross betweenThe Sopranos and The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

These are truly mob spouses. Karen Gravano is the daughter of Sammy “The Bull” Gravano; Renee Graziano is the daughter of Anthony Graziano, said to be a high-ranking member of the Cosa Nostra. The four main “wives” have either husbands or fathers who have served or are serving time in jail, and the woman are tough, issuing blithe declarations such as “Ya never rat no matter what” and “I beat up a lotta f—in’ people.”

They’re so immersed in crime culture, they don’t make a big deal out of it — unless someone crosses them. While much of Mob Wives offers the interesting spectacle of these excessively made-up, body-altered people living their lives in garish luxury, there’s a core element of drama that every successful reality show requires. Renee, Carla Facciolo, and Drita D’avanzo are all friends in Staten Island, but Karen has spent the past ten years in Arizona as part of the witness protection program.

In the premiere, we follow Karen on her move back to Staten Island, because she yearns to be back where, as she says, “Staten Island is a breeding ground for the Mafia.” Since Renee in particular considers Karen’s father a rat whose testimony damaged the John Gotti and the Gambino crime family, the two women are on a collision course.

Their initial reunion, at Carla’s birthday party, feels staged — or as Renee says of her friends, who kept Karen’s return a secret, “These f—in’ bitches set me up!” — the fireworks between the women seems authentic. I think authenticity in such a context means, everyone sputters inarticulate insults that struck me as sincerely hostile. At least, that’s what I took away from Drita’s fractured maxim, “If you can’t do the time, just f—in’ kill yourself.”

By turns funny, appalling, and frightening, Mob Wives is swiftly paced, reality-TV at its most effusively dismaying.

Agree? Disagree?

Sources:  EW.com

'60 Minutes' investigates 'Three Cups of Tea' author Greg Mortenson

By Laura Bly, USA TODAY

As a mountain climber whose near-death experience inspired a bestselling book and humanitarian mission in one of the most dangerous places on the planet, Nobel Peace Prize nominee Greg Mortenson has galvanized scores of adventure travelers to give back to the destinations they visit.

RELATED: 'Three Cups of Tea' author finds new mountains to climb

But a 60 Minutes investigation charges that the author of the memoir Three Cups of Tea fabricated his now-famous tale about being rescued by Pakistani villagers in 1993. It also raises questions about the financial arrangement between Mortenson and the Central Asia Institute, the charity he founded in 1996, and alleges that many schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan that Mortenson's charity claimed to establish either don't exist or were built by others.

According to the Associated Press:

The report, which airs Sunday night on CBS television, cites Into the Wild author Jon Krakauer as among the doubters of Mortenson's story of being lost in rural Pakistan and stumbling upon the village of Korphe, where the kindness of local residents inspired him to build a school. The 60 Minutes story draws upon observations from the porters who joined Mortenson on his mountain trip in Pakistan and dispute his being lost. They say he only visited Korphe a year later.

Mortenson defended himself Friday, issuing a statement that "I stand by the information conveyed in my book and by the value of CAI's work in empowering local communities to build and operate schools that have educated more than 60,000 students."

On its website, the Central Asia Institute posted responses to questions posed by 60 Minutes and said Mortenson's "speeches, books and public appearances are the primary means of educating the American people on behalf of the institute. CAI's activities and Greg's are closely intertwined, (and) CAI appropriately receives a greater benefit from Greg's activities than Greg does himself."

"Through his work empowering communities in some of the most remote areas in the world, and through his successful books that share the stories of his experiences, Greg has accomplished the real and extraordinary work of bringing education to girls and boys in Pakistan and Afghanistan who otherwise would have no educational opportunity to enable them to help themselves and their communities," the board wrote. "It would be truly tragic if the sensationalized allegations against him were to harm the future of this crucial work."

Sources : travel.usa.today.com

Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

By Lacy Bryant


Pirates Of The Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Who doesn’t love a good pirate story? Everyone fell in love with Pirates of the Caribbean on the first more and it just kept getting better and better as the other movies came out. Johnny Depp and the other actors are completely marvelous. The cast seems to work well together.Now with the new movie there is a lot of work to be done. The first day of shooting was done in Honopu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii. The location for the first shots was so remote that no land vehicles were able to reach it. The cast and crew instead had to be flown or boated in.

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides sets sail on May 20 in 2D, 3D and 3D IMAX. There are millions of people that are looking forward to seeing this movie. The special effects are great on each and every one. Will you be going to see Pirates of the Caribbean in theaters?

Sources

What is congestive heart failure ?

Posted by Elizabeth Comeau March 23, 2011 09:59 AM

Hollywood icon and actress Elizabeth Taylor died today in Los Angeles. She was 79 and had congestive heart failure. Just what does that mean?
According to the American Heart Association, congestive heart failure is a condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood to the body's other organs.
The condition can result from a past heart attack, high blood pressure, heart defects present at birth, and coronary artery disease.
Heart failure tends to be more prevalent in older people, affecting 1% of people aged 50, about 5% of those aged 75 or older and 25% of those aged 85 years or older.
Doctors can treat congestive heart failure through rest, diet, and medications, but in some cases a heart can become so damaged over time that a person may need a heart transplant.

Sources : WWW.BOSTON.COM

Mega Millions Winning Numbers: Rises To $304 Million For Friday

On Tuesday night, the mega millions drawings produced NO winner. The Mega Millions Winning Numbers were 01, 14, 35, 50, 53 with a Mega number 43. No one won the $244 million jackpot thus meaning that the Mega Millions jackpot for Friday’s drawing will rise to at least $304 million.

However, 26 lucky participants won the $250,000 prize for matching all five numbers but NOT the mega number. Five of these twenty-six players are from California (CA). They will each get $297, 525 for their “hard work”. This difference is due to the lottery system that is currently being used in CA. It’s mainly based on the numbers of participants in the drawing.

Just only for the 10^th time in history, this Friday’s drawing (March 25, 2011) will crack the +$300 million mark. If the projected $304 million jackpot still holds true (which may increase due to demand), the lump sum cash payout will be around $194 million. This will make the current drawing the sixth biggest jackpot in MegaMillions lottery history. If no one wins Friday’s drawing, I expect the jackpot to grow to at least $365 million (lump sum cash value of $200 to $230 million)!

Sources : WWW.MODESTOPRESS.COM

Netflix: Shares Climbing

Netflix is a name that we all know and love but not as much as the people that are making good money off of the company. Tuesday shares of Netflix Inc got a boost after a Credit Suisse analyst upgraded the online movie rental company following a recent drop. They said any perceived risk around the rising competition in the movie streaming space is now “more fully reflected” in shares.

Analyst John Blackledge Netflix to “Outperform” from “Neutral” and further said that he does not expect a material effect on the company Netflix because of Amazon’s new movie streaming service. Amazon offers this service to its premium members if they pay $79 a year for free or low-cost shipping on their orders.

Last month Netflix hit an all-time high of $247.55 before giving up some ground. Share action: Up $9.04, or 4.2%, to $221.88 in late trading.

Sources : Wagerrun.com

2011 NCAA Tournament Schedule: NBA Draft Prospects Viewing Guide

by Tom Ziller

NBA teams scout the college ranks all year long, but the NCAA Tournament provides an opportunities for front offices and fans alike to sneak looks at the next great pro players in one rather convenient setting, especially now that every game of March Madness will be televised. To help you catch as many future NBA players as possible as you enjoy March Madness, we laid out the schedule for all of DraftExpress' top 30 NBA prospects who will play in the tourney.

For more info on the prospects themselves, visit DraftExpress or read our profiles of those in the top 15. Otherwise, schedule your March Madness viewing around this guide to the first two days of action.

You can also check out the full tournament TV schedule, and SBNation.com's 2011 NCAA Tournament hub.

Thursday

No. 9 Terrence Jones
No. 16 Brandon Knight, Kentucky vs. Princeton (2:45 PM, CBS)
Jones and Knight are John Calipari's latest one-and-done prospects. Jones is a bombastic scorer in the mold of early Paul Pierce. Knight is the embattled Kentucky guard who is far more Tyreke Evans than John Wall, only smaller than both. Bonus! Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel will likely discuss ineligible Kentucky frosh Enes Kanter, No. 8 on DX's board.

No. 25 Jeff Taylor, Vanderbilt vs. Richmond (4:10 PM, TBS)
The junior Commodore is one of the SEC's better scorers, but needs to show more perimeter polish to move up draft boards.

No. 13 Kawhi Leonard, San Diego State vs. North Colorado (4:40 PM, TNT) SB Nation wrotes about Leonard on Wednesday.

No. 27 Patric Young, Florida vs. UC Santa Barbara (6:50 PM, TBS)
Young is Billy Donovan's latest young big man plays under 20 minutes per game, but is a physical specimen in the mold of Al Horford. Keep an eye on him when he's in the game.

No. 17 Jimmer Fredette, BYU vs. Wofford (7:15 PM, CBS)
You know all about The Jimmer, BYU's extraordinary scorer. Is he J.J. Redick? Adam Morrison? Ray Allen? Watch and make up your own mind!

No. 7 Kemba Walker, Connecticut vs. Bucknell (7:20 PM, TNT)

 SB Nations Wrotes about Walker on Monday.

Friday

No. 20 Jordan Hamilton
No. 23 Tristan Thompson, Texas vs. Oakland (12:15 PM, CBS)
Thompson has been one of the best freshmen in the nation, and is a long power forward who finishes great in the paint. Hamilton could have been a first-round pick last year; he's a high-octane, perimeter-oriented small forward. Two fun prospects.

No. 30 Mouphtaou Yarou, Villanova vs. George Mason (2:10 PM, TNT)
Yarou is a sophomore big man handling the middle for 'Nova, who hope to make a long run in the tournament.

No. 6 Derrick Williams, Arizona vs. Memphis (2:45 PM, CBS)SB Nations wrotes about Williams on Monday.

No. 1 Kyrie Irving
No. 23 Nolan Smith
No. 26 Mason Plumlee, Duke vs. Hampton (3:10 PM, truTV)
Duke has the nation's top prospect in Irving, and two more in DX's top 30 in senior point guard Smith and sophomore big man Plumlee. Irving might not play; if he does, you'll be forgiven if you refuse to take your eyes off of him.


No. 18 Chris Singelton, Florida State vs. Texas A&M (4:10 PM, TBS)
Singleton, a junior forward, is shaping up his offense a bit, but still figures to struggle to score at the NBA level. Is he the next Corey Brewer, or the next Gerald Wallace?

No. 3 Jared Sullinger, Ohio State vs. Texas-San Antonio (4:40 PM, TNT)SB Nation wrotes about Sullinger on Monday.

No. 19 Marcus Morris
No. 24 Markieff Morris, Kansas vs. Boston U. (6:50 PM, TBS)
The Morris twins factor heavily in Kansas' bid for a national championship; Markieff is the Robin Lopez to Marcus' Brook. Unfortunately, Markieff doesn't have an afro to help us keep them straight on the court.

No. 4 Harrison Barnes
No. 11 John Henson, North Carolina vs. Long Island (7:15 PM, CBS)SB Nation wrotes about the pro prospects of Barnes and Henson this week.

No. 28 Travis Leslie, Georgia vs. Washington (9:45 PM, CBS)
Leslie will face a tough challenge against the Huskies, who have a few potential pro players of their own. Leslie's a great athlete, and according to DraftExpress a first-round talent.
March Madness resources: Printable NCAA Tournament bracket ... Full NCAA Tournament schedule. 

Sources : SB Nation