1.Troubled pop star Britney Spears' highly anticipated stint on "How I Met Your Mother" is just one example of stars' helping to buff up a poststrike spring season on network TV. Spears plays Abby, a receptionist in a dermatologist's office who becomes smitten with Ted (Josh Radnor). However, her crush goes unrequited as Ted repeatedly pursues his dermatologist (Sarah Chalke).
2. "Scrubs" star Sarah Chalke, left, joined the cast of "How I Met Your Mother" for a multi-episode arc as Stella, Ted's beautiful dermatologist. "Clueless" star Alicia Silverstone, right, was reportedly slated to star as Ted's love interest but dropped out when she heard that Britney Spears would have a part on the show, according to the TV Guide Editors' Blog.
3. Britney isn't the only Spears hitting small screens. Pregnant teen screen star Jamie Lynn Spears, right, who rose to fame on Nickelodeon's "Zoey 101," guest-starred on the new sitcom starring Judy Greer, left, "Miss Guided." The 16-year-old actress filmed the role before news of her pregnancy hit newsstands in December 2007.
4. Ashton Kutcher tapped his family connections to add a little pizzazz to his new production, "Miss Guided." Kutcher's daughter-in-law Rumer Willis stars in the season finale (April 3) of the sitcom in which Willis plays Shawna, a rebellious student who receives six months' detention for pulling the fire alarm.
5. Actor Robin Williams, who is known for his more comedic roles, reportedly takes a dramatic turn for the crime drama "Law and Order: Special Victims Unit." On April 29, the Oscar winner plays an "engineer whose life has gone terribly wrong." It's the series' 200th episode, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
6. Billionaire Warren Buffet, right, plays himself on an episode of the daytime soap opera "All My Children." Buffet comes to the aide of Erica Kane (Susan Lucci), left, who is in prison on a fraud rap.
7. "Desperate Housewives" is beefing up its hunk factor with "O.C" star Chris Carmack this spring. When the series returns with new episodes, Carmack will play the young male cousin of Susan Meyer (Teri Hatcher), seen at left in a scene from an upcoming episode (April 13).
8. Rapper Snoop Dogg adds a little flav-izzle to daytime television with an extended cameo on "One Life to Live." In addition to a stint on the show as an actor and performer, the rapper will remix the soap opera's theme song for the May 8 and 9 episodes. The rapper also offers a lesson in his trademark lingo, which adds an izzle to the end of words, according to the New York Post.
9. Actress Michelle Trachtenberg battled demons as Buffy's little sister on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" TV series, but her latest role has her going up against the princesses of the Upper East Side in "Gossip Girl." Trachtenberg plays Georgina Sparks, who returns from rehab and wreaks a little havoc in the life of Serena van der Woodsen (Blake Lively) in the multi-episode arc airing during May sweeps, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
10. "Family Ties" alum Justine Bateman joins the "Desperate Housewives" crew to play "a hip artist living with Gabby and Carlos," according to the TV Guide Editors' Blog. Bateman, who played Mallory on "Family Ties," recently had a stint on "Men in Trees."
11. "The Simpsons" are no stranger to high-profile guest stars. This spring, actress Zooey Deschanel, right, gets a cartoon makeover for the show and wins the heart of Bart when her farm girl character helps Bart rescue a calf from death, according to Entertainment Weekly's Web site. The mag's site also reports that actress Glenn Close, left, will reprise her role as Homer's "hippie-fugitive" mom, Mona.
12. Pop star Mariah Carey offers some superstar power to "American Idol" as a guest judge April 16, according to Fox News. The appearance is planned for the day after the release of Carey's latest album, "E=MC2."
13. BEVERLY HILLS, CA - DECEMBER 03: Actor Gary Cole attends the Help Group's Teddy Bear Ball at the Beverly Hilton on December 3, 2007 in Beverly Hills, California.
In early January the gossip columns of the Korean tabloid press found a new topic. Last December, Ho Su-gyong, a well-known Korean TV celebrity gave birth to a nice healthy girl. There was one thing special about this event. Ms.Ho is not married, and she conceived her daughter artificially.
As recent as the early 1980s, Korean family life was based on principles and expectations, which had not changed much since the early 1900s.
The rules were known to everybody; every Korean should marry in his or her 20s and would-be spouses were chosen or at least approved by parents.
The spouses were expected to live together till death do them part, with divorce being almost unthinkable. Since the 1940s unmarried women in Korea have had jobs, but it was universally assumed they would resign once married, to spend the rest of their lives as full-time housewives.
The newly weds were expected to live with the husband's parents. The wife was also required to be unconditionally faithful, while it was generally accepted that the husband might engage in some extra-marital affairs if he wished to do so and could manage the related expenses. Finally, a good family had to have as many children (preferably sons) as possible.
Exceptions from these rules existed but were rare. Lifelong spinsterhood was virtually unknown, although it was found only among the most destitute social groups. It was not a lifestyle even a moderately respectable person would consider.
For centuries, those certainties have formed the basis of a family life in a Confucian society. Admittedly, it was not much different from the traditions to be found in patriarchic societies across the globe.
Most of these assumptions even survived the dramatic economic transformation of the 1960s and 1970s. However, over the last few decades things have changed.
Perhaps, the major indicator of new times is the dramatic decline in the birth rate. In the early 1960s, the average Korean woman gave birth six times. By the early 1980s, the figure dropped to the ``replacement level'' of 2.2 births, and nowadays it is merely 1.1. This is one of the world's lowest levels, and if the trend continues, every next generation of Koreans will shrink by half.
At the same time, the old preference for boys has disappeared as well. Merely 15 years ago the spread of medical technologies, which enabled fetus sex determination, led to a wave of sex-selective abortions and remarkable gender imbalance. However, the problem has almost disappeared by now; it seems that Korean parents do not really care about the sex of their children any more.
For better or worse, divorce has become a usual part of Korean life. In 1991, there were 1.1 divorces per every 1000 people. In those days divorce was seen as a major personal disaster, and could seriously damage career prospects of a divorcee.
Even pop singers were very careful with divorce a couple of decades ago. However, the divorce rate began to grow in the early 1990s, and the dramatic events of the 1997 financial crisis, such as wives abandoning their husbands in droves, greatly exaggerated the tempo of changes.
In 2006 there were 2.6 divorces per every 1000 Koreans. This means that nowadays roughly half of Korean marriages are destined to end in a divorce. When it comes to divorce rates, Korea ranks above nearly all OECD countries, but below the United States whose divorce level of 3.6 in 2006, is the world's highest.
Single motherhood, once a taboo, is also on the rise. Of course, it is noteworthy that Ms.Ho Su-gyong used artificial insemination methods: had she chosen to rely on a more conventional method of conceiving, this would probably have damaged her reputation and career significantly. Still, until the 1990s single mothers faced complete rejection in the society.
This was among the factors behind Korea's onetime prominence in the international adoption business: for many unwed Korean women the only option would be to give birth secretly and then give the baby up for overseas adoption, so nobody at home would learn about their ``disgrace.'' A divorced mother fared only marginally better: no respectable companies would employ a woman with such a dubious past.
Now things are very different. As of 2005, there were 1.1 million single parents (overwhelmingly mothers) in Korea. Many of them were widows, but roughly one out of four has become a single mother after divorce. Women who deliberately chose single motherhood remain a rarity, but this is also becoming acceptable for some people.
To distinguish themselves from the destitute ``single mothers'' of bygone days, such new generations of women used the English term ``Miss Mom,'' to describe their family situation. Judging by the mass celebration of Ms.Ho's decision to become a ``Miss Mom,'' the numbers of those women are likely to increase considerably in the near future.
The major driving force behind all this is a change in the social position of women. Until the late 1980s it was assumed that woman's career should end with her marriage. Indeed, back then most companies even had an official policy of firing female employees as soon as they got married.
This is not the case any more. In 2007, 44 percent of all married Korean women had a full time job. Among the younger married women, such full-time employees made up a clear majority. Gone are the days that a good Korean woman is ready to spend all her life looking after her children as well as her aging (and, as old proverbs testify, usually quarrelsome) in-laws, and carefully managing family assets. Nowadays, they aspire for much more. Over the last decade Korea has seen the emergence of the first female general, first female ambassador and, the first female prime-minister.
Until now, it has been assumed that the older Koreans will live with their grown-up children, being looked after by the obedient daughters-in-law. However, this is not the case any more. The nuclear family ― spouses and their unmarried children ― is becoming a norm in Korea as well. In 1995, 44 percent of aged Koreans resided with their married children. Merely 12 years ago, in 2004, the figure dropped to 32 percent, and has been going down since. This means that the ``in-laws question,'' the major problem Korean women faced since times immemorial, has lost it earlier significance. Nowadays, they live separately.
The changes of family life in Korea are not that special. We have seen very similar processes in a number of other developed countries. The major difference is the tempo of such changes. The transformation of family life, which took over a century in Europe, was finished within three or four decades in Korea.
Source: Koreatimes
Tyra Banks: Latest Stalked Celeb
Delusional Perpetrators Are Not Your Typical Stalkers
By AINA HUNTER
March 25, 2008 —
Besides her fame, wealth and good looks, there's something else that separates talk show host and model mogul Tyra Banks from most other people who've ever been stalked: The odds are that the alleged perpetrator in her case is suffering from some kind of delusional thinking.
Brady Green, a 37-year-old Georgia native who unnerved Banks, was arrested last week and charged with stalking, harassment and criminal trespass before being released on his own recognizance, according to the New York Post.
Green allegedly harassed Banks for months, including making phone calls, sending letters and flowers and visiting her Los Angeles studios.
Such behavior, which is typical of people who stalk celebrities, is a far cry from men who "treat their wives like possessions," said Jack Levin, a criminologist at Northeastern University in Boston.
About 10 percent of the general population the vast majority, women have been stalked at some point in their lives, according to the National Institute of Justice. But the "everyday stalker is usually not schizophrenic he just suffers from poor character," Levin said. "There is often a trigger, like a divorce or custody dispute."
Dan Barber, a private investigator who has worked on numerous stalking and murder cases, emphasizes that the more routine cases should not be taken lightly.
In some cases the spurned boyfriend or husband is what criminologists call a "psychopathic personality stalker" usually a man from a dysfunctional home who uses violence as a form of control.
But when it comes to celebrity stalkers, Levin said, schizophrenia or some other form of pathological delusional thinking is the norm. "He may be paranoid, may hallucinate, hear voices [or] suffer from a profound thought disorder."
The profile of a celebrity stalker is one who actually believes he -- and in rare cases, she -- is engaged in a close, personal relationship with the oblivious star.
Still, not all star stalkers are psychotic.
According to Bruce Mapes, a Philadelphia forensic psychologist, otherwise healthy people can be "addicted" to the thought of a relationship with a star and go to any lengths to achieve that.
He or she may need to be treated with intense therapy and/or medication, and in extreme cases, hospitalization.
Here are some other famous cases.
(Evan Agostini/ AP Photo)
Late-night talk show host Conan O'Brien is known for his comedic antics on his NBC show, but persistent attention from a stalker was no laughing matter.
Boston priest David Ajemian, 46, allegedly sent multiple disturbing communications to O'Brien during a 14-month period. Ajemian was eventually arrested by New York City police after trying to gain entry to O'Brien's Rockefeller Center studio. Despite the scandal, his seminary mentor has said Ajemian was a "kind and caring" person.
(Stuart Ramson/ AP Photo )
"Kill Bill" star Uma Thurman was stalked by an obsessed fan for two years.
Jack Jordan, 35, was arrested outside of the actress' home in the West Village in New York City on Oct. 5, 2007, after reportedly camping outside of her house, trespassing on a movie set and drawing a bizarre cartoon of Thurman digging a grave for him.
He allegedly sent a letter to her with the eerie threat, "I feel afraid that if I see you out again with another man, I will want to kill myself, maybe even after we meet."
Jordan, a former psychiatric patient, was charged with attempted coercion, stalking and aggravated harassment.
(Matt Sayles/ AP Photo )
Singer Sheryl Crowe's stalker reportedly believed he was her "spiritual twin."
In 2004, Ambrose Kappos was charged with burglary and stalking, and was known for reportedly lurking outside Crowe's dressing room after a New York City concert.
(Jennifer Graylock/ AP Photo )
Alleged stalker and homeless man William Peter Stansfield went as far as showing up at Pamela Anderson's children's school before a judge banned him from going near the star in 2004.
Stansfield allegedly confronted the "Baywatch" babe near her home and appeared at places she frequented.
(Jennifer Graylock/ AP Photo )
Threats made by Michael Douglas' stalker were particularly gruesome.
Dawnette Knight allegedly threatened to slice up the star's wife, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and feed her to her dogs. While neither star had ever met Knight -- who became obsessed with Douglas after his film "Fatal Attraction" hit the silver screen -- the stalker sent dozens of threatening letters to the actress before she was busted on stalking charges.
Troubled pop star Britney Spears has everything -- including two stalkers.
In 2004 a Canadian man was arrested for allegedly stalking Spears when he was found on her family's property. One year earlier, a Japanese man was ordered to stay 300 yards away after persistently trying to contact the celeb through notes and phone calls to her parents' home. (Jae C. Hong, File/ AP Photo )
In 2004, Halle Berry's alleged stalker Greg Broussard was ordered to stay away from the star after allegedly threatening her and trying to contact her via fax and telephone. Berry made a statement to a Los Angeles court in which she said that Broussard -- who claimed he was a U.S. Navy Seal -- had imagined the two had a relationship. (Paul White/ AP Photo )
Gwyneth Paltrow was showered with flowers, sweets and letters in 2000 -- but unfortunately they were from 49-year-old stalker Dante Soiu.
The Academy Award-winning actress received as many as five letters a day from Soiu, who also left gifts outside her parents' home. He was eventually convicted of stalking but ruled mentally insane by a Santa Monica, Calif., judge.
In 2005, Janet Jackson won a three-year restraining order against New Yorker Robert Gardner, who she claims stalked her for nine years.
Gardner showed up at Jackson's "Saturday Night Live" taping armed with a knife and a box cutter. Gardner, like many celebrity stalkers, reportedly imagined that he had had a personal relationship with Jackson.
Anna Kournikova's stalker was willing to swim nude across Florida's Biscayne Bay in an attempt to reach the tennis player's home.
Slapped with a restraining order, William Lepeska, 40, even had Kournikova's name tattooed on his arm, according to The Associated Press.
Despite a restraining order, Mel Gibson's stalker just couldn't stay away.
In 2004, Zack Sinclair was arrested for a second time after being ordered to stay away from the actor. He was originally arrested after he repeatedly showed up at the star's gate asking to pray with the actor.
James Speedy was so desperate to communicate with pop star Avril Lavigne that he FedExed Lavigne letter after letter. But the star had enough when Speedy informed her that he would drive by the star's Ontario home, according to People magazine.
While filming "Mr. and Mrs. Smith" back in 2004, shown at left, actress
Angelina Jolie hadn't yet fully realized the toll family life might
take on her figure. This half of Brangelina was looking about half her
former size last fall, seen at right returning to her New York hotel,
Sept. 29, 2007. Jolie's frail legs looked barely able to get her up the
stairs. However, Jolie's figure seems to have gained a few curves, fueling recent rumors that the actress is pregnant for a second time.
Bouncing between torn slip dresses and Versace gowns, and a range of body types, rocker Courtney Love has been quite the attention-grabbing chameleon since her arrival on the grunge scene in the 90's. However, her recent, severe weight loss is raising concern over what look the musician seems to be going for now. As Love gears up to release her second solo album, "Nobody's Daughter," let's hope that the stress isn't taking a serious toll on her health.
(Rameypix.net)
Actress Courteney Cox was always known as the frailest "Friend" of the bunch, and the Hollywood mom has sported healthy curves since the birth of her daughter Coco in 2004. The feminine figure came in handy when she took on the role of a sexy tabloid magazine editor in the TV series "Dirt," which she also produces. But photos taken earlier this month show the former sitcom star's frame in a shrunken state. Meanwhile, British mag Grazia reported that the star has dropped two dress sizes in recent months. The second season of "Dirt" premieres at the beginning of March.
Paris Hilton's younger sister Nicky may share her slim genetic disposition, but recent pictures show that Nicky seems to have shrunk to an even skinnier state. While out and about shopping in Beverly Hills, Nicky's shorts revealed stick-thin legs Feb. 28, right, compared to the fashion designer's relatively meatier gams in summer 2007, left.
Oscar-winning actress Renee Zellweger has had her ups and downs in the weight department. The star packed on the pounds to play the bumbling British 30-something Bridget Jones not once, but twice, pictured at left at the Oscars in 2004. Zellweger has remarked on how difficult it was to live like her character, both the lonely lifestyle and the extra 20 pounds, and doesn't know whether she can take on the role for a third time. A third time may be difficult for the shrinking star, who revealed a seemingly diminished figure at the Oscars Feb. 24, 2008.
American audiences only recently were introduced to reality TV star Jordan, whose real name is Katie Price, on the E! reality show "Katie and Peter," starring the British glamour model and husband Peter Andre. The lingerie model has been in the British spotlight for a decade and her buxom figure (thanks to a little plastic surgery) has helped her reach Pamela-Anderson-like fame in England. The star, who has leveraged her notoriety to become a celebrity businesswoman with a line of branded products, recently downgraded the size of her chest in another round of plastic surgery. However, after looking quite frail at a book signing for "Jordan: Pushed to the Limit" Feb. 27, it would appear as if the Brit tabloid queen has downgraded her figure as well.
No doubt, many of Jenna Jameson's fans know her for her body. But in Malibu, Calif., Aug. 13, 2007, the porn star's profitable assets appeared diminutive. Rumor had it that stress surrounding Jameson's divorce from fellow porn star Jay Grdina in early 2007 sparked her dramatic weight loss. Jameson also confirmed in August 2007 that she had her breast implants removed and was exiting the adult film business.
At the start of 2007, pop star Britney Spears was still carrying around a little baby weight on her way to the dance studio, at left, in Hollywood, Calif., Jan. 27, 2007. Spears emerged from rehab in a remarkably healthier body. At right, she heads to the same studio in Hollywood, Millenium, four months later, April 23, 2007. Spears clearly shed some pounds, without looking like a skeleton.
Kate Bosworth's sudden weight loss in 2006 provoked much speculation in the celebrity gossip world. However, Bosworth, at left, outside "The Late Show With David Letterman," June 29, 2006, never admitted to an eating disorder. Bosworth apparently realized how frail her figure was and added a little extra weight. At right, she attends a Food Bank of New York dinner in 2007.
Since singer Carrie Underwood was named the next "American Idol," at left on May 25, 2006, the star clearly has been hitting the gym. Her new svelte look may have more edge, but was she really that plump before? Apparently Underwood must have thought so, considering her new (and improved?) body. At right, she performs at the 2007 CMT Music Awards, April 16, 2007.
Former supermodel and TV personality Tyra Banks continues to argue that women shouldn't obsess about their figure flaws. Banks reacted to tabloid criticism that she was piling on the pounds by mocking an unflattering photo of herself on her show, at right. At 5 foot, 10 inches, Banks recently said that even at a low weight of 124, she was told by her agency to lose 10 pounds during the height of her modelling career, at left.
1.Actress Demi Moore revealed one secret to her youthful appearance on
the David Letterman show: leech therapy. While promoting her latest
film, "Flawless," Moore told the late-night talk show host that the
treatment, which she recently underwent in Austria, detoxifies her
blood because the leeches release a blood-thinning enzyme as they bite.
The fresh-faced 46-year-old described in detail the unusual cleansing
technique, in which she placed the leech on her belly button and
watched it "swell up and get fatter and fatter." She continued, "then
when it's super drunk on your blood it just kind of rolls over like it
is stumbling out of the bar."
2.Actress Gwyneth Paltrow's flawless complexion has won her about as much praise in Tinseltown as her award-winning acting. However, the actress doesn't hasn't tapped the fountain of youth, or else she wouldn't have to add a little bite to her beauty regimen to keep away the wrinkles. Paltrow uses an Ultra Lux 9 face cream that contains the spit of a snake, but is not Botox, according to the New York Post's Page Six.
3.Caviar is a culinary delicacy …right? The indulgent hors d'oeuvre seems to be more than just a tasty treat for actress Catherine Zeta-Jones. This star has these fishy eggs to thank for her lustrous locks and is one of many celebs who has discovered some over-the-top grooming habits.
4.Luxury is no stranger to singer Jennifer Lopez; she reportedly tends to her golden skin with a lavish technique of her own. The diva takes her star quality to the max by taking baths in Evian and rose water.
5.It's no surprise that Jennifer Aniston's eyes are smokin' considering that she lines her peepers with matchsticks! Thanks to advice from pal Courtney Cox, this actress clearly gets by with a little help from her "friends."
6.Having grown up in the spotlight since their early days on "Full House," it's no shocker that the Olsen twins lead a high-class Hollywood lifestyle. The duo is known to shell out as much as $600 for a simple stick of mascara. Then again it comes in a diamond-encrusted tube.
7.Summer's ray aren't enough for Mariah Carey, who craves more than just a sun-kissed look. The songstress lives up to her diva-like reputation with her own line of bronzing powder, complete with 24 karat gold dust for that extra flush!
(Peter Kramer/Getty Images)
8.Madge may have found that legendary fountain of youth! Or at least the pop queen seems to thinks so, coughing up a whopping $1,500 for a bottle of Revive Face Cream. Model Naomi Campbell and actress Drea de Matteo also reportedly drop a pretty penny on the cream, created by world renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Gregory Brown.
9.Nicole Kidman opts for a slightly less expensive route and instead calls upon nature's remedies to do the trick. The fierce redhead uses cranberry juice to rev up her fiery tresses.
10.Is Nicolette Sheridan "desperate" to reclaim the wrinkle-free days of her youth? One may think so after hearing that the Wisteria Lane beauty pays $2,100 for her Lamer Facial Cream.
11.Got milk? Model Cindy Crawford doesn't just rely on this dairy staple for strong bones, but reportedly keeps her face fresh with spritzes of her unique moisturizing spray -- made from equal parts milk and water.
Geek ghetto Akihabara has become the site of Cosplish, Japan's first English conversation school featuring cosplaying foreigner teachers dressed in wacky costumes.
Cosplaying teachers are told to teach students how to use simple, "broken" English, while the school also plans to give instructions on "Otaku English," using mostly abbreviations, and "Anime English," which will focus on English instructions of famous lines from cartoons like Gundam.
Founder Akihiro Suzuki figured opposites would attract and started Cosplish.
"Otaku are known for their incredible customer loyalty, while schools are known for their trouble in getting customers to keep on coming back, so I figured a school for cosplayers would achieve the perfect blend," Suzuki tells Cyzo.
Suzuki
has a background running maid cafes, another otaku staple. Initially,
he considered dressing up foreign women as maids and getting them to
give English lessons in a place he dreamed of calling Maid in English.
But he decided his vision was too narrow.
"Even though the maid trade within the otaku business seems to be broad-reaching, it's actually quite narrow. It only caters to otaku who have a thing for the image of maids," he says. "I thought I'd go for something broader, which would appeal to a wider audience, which is why I decided on the cosplay idea."
Enrolling in Cosplish is simple, requiring only that students e-mail in a reservation to attend a class, with times listed on the company's official website. The monthly magazine warns that classes are often suddenly cancelled if not enough people book to take them, 20 being the required number of students needed for a class to go ahead.
Cosplish
currently employs eight cosplaying teachers, most of them students
recruited from universities or Japanese language schools.
"I
want to start classes for kids some time in the future," Suzuki tells
Cyzo. "And I'll make the teachers get dressed up in Pikachu suits."
Official Website of Cosplish, Japan's first English conversation school: Cosplish.Seesaa.Net
Source: Mainichi
