Ryan Seacrest opened Wednesday night’s “American Idol” elimination show with this irritating, heart-palpitating tease: “Prepare yourself for a surprise or two. Shocking results!” What, more bagpipes? Maybe a xylophone, a triangle, a tissue paper and comb, or some other odd instrument accompaniment? Another heckler bumrushing the stage, hopefully this time with “SOY BOMB” Sharpie’d across […]
Billionaires Who Live Below Their Means
At least once in your life – maybe even once a week or once a day for that matter – you have fantasized about coming into a lot of money. What would you do if you were worth millions or even billions? Believe it or not there are millionaires and billionaires among us who masquerade as relatively […]
‘American Idol’ Top 9 Go Helter Skelter
It was a very daytrippy Tuesday when “American Idol” held its Lennon/McCartney Night. No, no one performed a song by the Plastic Ono Band or sang the backwards-masked “Tomorrow Never Knows.” That would’ve been cool. But there was a didjeridoo, a bagpipe player, an actual good performance by underdog Tim Urban, a (hopefully pre-screened) heckler […]
Pay Garnishments Rise as Debtors Fall Behind
When the bank sued Leann Weaver for not paying her credit card balance, her reaction was typical for someone in that situation. Personal and financial setbacks weighed her down, and she knew she owed the $2,470. So she never went to court to defend herself. She was startled by what happened next. When she swiped […]
‘Idol’ Castoff Has Critiques For Show’s Judges
Now that Didi Benami knows she won’t be the next “American Idol,” she has some criticism for the judges. “I would say be more consistent just like they told me,” the 23-year-old Benami said. Early in the competition the judges liked her unique singing style, but over time changed their tune. Last week, they panned […]
How To Reduce Your Electricity Bills
There are a bunch of little tricks you can employ to cut back on power consumption at home—which not only has environmental benefits but keeps you from wasting cash too—and it’s highly unlikely you’ll even notice a difference. Between the National Resources Defense Council’s site and powerscorecard.org I found some really good tips. Here’s a […]
UN’s Ban calls Aral Sea ‘shocking disaster’
The drying up of the Aral Sea is one of the planet’s most shocking environmental disasters, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Sunday as he urged Central Asian leaders to step up efforts to solve the problem. Once the world’s fourth-largest lake, the sea has shrunk by 90 percent since the rivers that feed it were […]
From Poverty to Power
When thinking of the “new breed” of celebrity – from the Kardashians to Paris Hilton to the stars of “The Hills” – fame seems to depend on the fact that they’re already fabulously wealthy. Well, despite these new trends, some of the most famous and wealthy people did not come from rich families – many […]