So You Think You Can Type?
Typewriter
bookends available at Restoration
Hardware
You're totally going to
hate me for telling you about this site, because it's
just that addicting and you'll need to ask
your doctor to call in an Adderall prescription to
help you re-focus on the more important things you
probably have to do. Typeracer is a game that
measures how fast you type and then tells you your
words-per-minute speed.
It's not as simple as it sounds! I don't know about
you, but I haven't practiced proper typing skills
since fourth grade and I'm rusty as shiz. What makes
Typeracer so irresistible is that you can compete
live against other players. I swear, you can't stop
trying to win. I first read about the site last week
on Wall Street
Journal's Buzzwatch before it popped up on
GeekSugar just
yesterday. Glad to know I'm not the only dork
concerned/ competitive about my wpm rate.
Today's headlines:
Attention, Nine Inch Nails fans! Trent announced
yesterday that their new album is "on him." (Billboard)
Stephen Colbert wins a webby for "Person of the
Year." (CNN)
Spielberg gets in on the Wii with Boom Blox.
(Wired)
Brit has a child custody hearing today, and it's
expected to go well. Here's hoping! (AP)
Happy Opening Day
...I love you, DJ. Go Yanks! (NYT)
HUGE!! U2 pulls a Madonna
and signs a 12-year deal with Live Nation. (CNET)
Rent is sticking around until September 7.
Phew. (NYT)
If you've been holding out for the 3G iPhone, you
might only have to wait until May, says Bank of
America. (Wired)
As of this morning, Brangelina are still not married.
(Reuters)
Got Verizon? Check out Myspace Mobile (if you still
care about MySpace, that is.) (Mediabistro)
Roll your mouse over
here!
Chelsea Clinton Does Something Cool
Image
via NYmag.com
Butler University clearly
has some class acts on its student roster. Yesterday,
during a Q&A on the Indianapolis campus, some
doofus asked Chelsea if her mother's credibility was
hurt during the Lewinsky scandal. Who is this person
and what is his/her problem? Why should she have to
acknowledge this personal trauma publicly? So
obnoxious. Chels handled it far better than I ever
would've. Get the scoop and watch the video on
The Huffington Post.
David Cook is my hero. Billie Jean? Are you kidding
me? Unreal. I'm a total "Cookhead." (Idolator)
P&G announces acquisition of Frederic Fekkai.
(Reuters)
Elle Macpherson is the latest Revlon face. And she
looks really hot in this pic. (Bella Sugar)
... and Kat McPhee is now a Neutrogena pimp.
(Perez)
Roll your mouse over
here!
Winter Just Wasn't My Season
SOOOooo psyched for spring. 
Congrats to Siena on
being fabulous this weekend! This AP article makes me
a little less sad that we lost to 'Nova. I suppose I
can be a Wildcat for the remainder of the tournament.
(AP)
Hanging out with Idol's top twelve actually
paid off for Jim Carrey and Horton. (Bloomberg)
Jennifer Lopez is reportedly planning to compete in a
triathlon this fall. Really? ... Why? (Starpulse)
Why is everyone so obsessed with whether or not JC
Chasez is a homosexual? (Jossip)
Big TV night, darlings! Brit's on HIMYM, and
The Hills is back! (Evidently,
The Times has
deemed LC review-worthy)
Roll your mouse over
here!
Where Have I Been? In The Heights.
Have you ever left a
movie, concert or a play wishing the show would start
over again immediately? Like, you need to
see it again? You just can't get enough of it?? Thats
how I felt the other night after the Broadway opening
of In The Heights.
Check out the above widget (you have to
pump the volume up manually). Those of you in the NYC
area may have already seen this on T.V. — it's the
opening number and is such a fun representation of
the entire score. Lin-Manuel Miranda (the cutie
rapper/ lead singer) wrote the first draft of the
play during his sophomore year at Wesleyan
University. How insane is that? [Insert sarcastic
comment here about what I accomplished
during my sophomore year at Siena College.
Ahem.] Now, he's made it to Broadway and will surely
snag himself a few Tony Awards for his work. I love
absolutely everything about that story.
Go see In The Heights while it's still in
previews. I predict you won't be able to get tickets
come March!
Roll your mouse over
here!
Beyonce + Tina = Hottest 'Proud Mary' To Date
Tina Turner is almost 70...whaaa? This
was amazing.
I also loved the Beatles
tribute -- talk about chills.
In case you missed it last night, here's a complete list
of winners!
Here, the list of BAFTA (England's Oscar equivalent)
winners, which were also held last night. (Bafta.org)
Finally, that pesky strike is over and we can find
out what happens next on Grey's. (NPR)
Apple has reportedly applied for a gaming trademark,
which means that maybe our next iPod might double as
a Gameboy. Sweet. (Engadget)
The Crips and the Bloods wanna piece of Britney now,
too. (NY Daily News)
Hear, See, Experience Bono
Grab this widget from U23Dmovie.com for your
Myspace & Facebook profiles. I'm going to see
it this week -- I can't wait to see Bono in 3D!
The site also has other cool features like red
carpet interviews with Bono and Edge at last
week's Sundance premiere. Here's Entertainment
Weekly's review of U23D. (EW.com)
I Triple Dog Dare Ya
Conan is still hot—even with his auburn beard. And even though he had Bob Saget on as a guest last night. (NYTimes TV Decoder)
Wanna see the Kylie Minogue/ Paul McCartney New Years Eve duet? You totally can't tell he just had his arteries cleaned out. (You Tube)
Shockingly, there's more drama in the Brit-Fed custody battle. Her legal team wants out. Again. (Page Six)
Anne Hathaway has been signed as the face of an upcoming Lancome fragrance. Loving that! (Elle UK)
Sweet November
Image
via SomeEcards.com
Not to be a full-on
hater, but I totally think Heather Mills is full of
S. In the words of Dr. Phil, she "Needs to chill."
(He seriously just used those words. Ask Meredith
Viera.) Now, Mills is claiming Paul hit her.
(London Evening
Standard)
New Britney "our world is cruel" Spears album will
debut at #1. I guess my lack of patronage didn't
affect sales. (Billboard)
Poor Mama Oprah. The latest on her scandal, as the
principal is blamed. (Independent
Online, South Africa)
Nordstrom is serious about opening a Park Avenue
location. Sweet! (WWD)
Best Buy launches a new video-sharing service.
(Media Post)
The "Don't Tase Me, Bro" dude was on the Today show this morning with
his parents and a lawyer. He says the UF police
were just "doing their job." Confused? You can
e-mail him via Today's website, if you
wish. (Today)
Am I Original? Yeaaaa-ah.....
Backstreet's back!... sans Kevin. Personally,
I don't think it'll be the same. Can you imagine a
Jon-less NKOTB, or a Lance-less 'NSync? Actually...
if you think of it that way, maybe it won't be so
bad.
Here's the newest vid—you decide.
(Sony
BMG)
The radio was abuzz early
this morning with fans who've been waiting at the
Times Square Virgin Megastore since midnight for the
new Backstreet Boys album. Hmph. I had no idea.
(MSNBC)
Brit's album is also out today, and she apparently
looks at this as an opp to give a Catholic priest a
lapdance. Is she original? Noooo-oo. But seriously, I
was planning on buying that thing today, and now I'm
100% not. (NYDaily News)
Kid Rock off the hook for VMA punch. (People.com)
Joe Torre was on Letterman last night. I love him
(Joe, that is.) (WCBSTV.COM)
He's not going to L.A, btw.
Nicole Richie was caught smoking whilst pregnant. How
Jackie-O of her. (NYPost)
Have a good mischief night! Here are some tee-peeing
safety tips. (NJ.com)
Can You Run in Heels?
...I
can't. These ladies can, however. Check out this
story from Russian Glamour's
stiletto race
from a few months ago. The winner walked away with a
10,000 Euro shopping spree and, no doubt, major blood
blisters. (The Fashion Police)
If
they had an Ugg race, I would so win that.
I'm choosing not to post
The Red Sox victory. Because, like, ew. And A-Rod?
Whatever... he never skewed my focus away from Jeter
in the first place, so I care very little about him
leaving. Giants win a game in London?
Whoop-di-freaking-do, guys. Why was this so much
harder than winning a game in Jersey? Seriously.
Congratulations, you won a game on another continent.
YBLAG's newsworthy sports headline of 10/29: The
Holmdel Hornets clinched the NJ Shore conference
yesterday. Never heard of them? Thats ok. A few
people close to me tend to bleed blue and white, and
this morning, they're jumping out of their skin. I
must admit, I'm feeling the sting a bit myself. Go
Hornets! (Asbury Park
Press)
Bono, Vertigo tour in 3-D. Totally cavelling.
(Variety)
Baby, it's cold outside...finally. You can finally
switch your summer/winter clothes. I'm totally doing
that today. Bring on the cashmere! (WNBC)
Saw 3 topped at the weekend box office,
which is great for them. However, may I ask why 'The
Rock' movie still at number 4? (Yahoo! Movies)
Look how cute Apple Martin is!! (Ignore the towel on
Gwynnie's head... I don't get it either.) (NYPost)
I'm in love with Brit's new tracks, and am ignoring
the continued downward spiral of her personal circus/
life. If you didn't hear any of the new tunes on the
radio this weekend, you can sample them here:
(Britney.com)
The Sexiest News Ever
Good
morning, beauties.
I knew Bono would never hang with the Spice
Girls! (NME)
Tiffany opened on Wall Street yesterday. (NY Post)
MC Hammer didn't die yesterday. (TMZ)
Madonna strikes a maj new deal.. (Bloomberg)
Beer pong has been officially banned from the Jersey
shore. Good luck with that one, guys!! (Asbury Park Press)
Cute article about cute boys in ties. A must-read.
(NYT Thursday Styles)
I'm working offsite again today... be sure to check
out my tweets, darlings. Miss you tons. Muah.
(JAG's Twitter Page)
I Can See the Future (of Digital Music)
Don't let the mean man
take Joe Torre away! (MLB.com)
Britney hung out with her boys yesterday (NY Daily News),
and little sis Jamie Lynn stood up to an obnoxious
lady on the street (it was great, and I so would
have done the same exact thing). (Page Six)
Marion Jones gives back her medals. (Washington Post)
P. Diddy's a P. Daddy for the 6th time. (ITN)
Daily Candy is sponsoring an online food drive for
New York soup kitchens that are short on supplies.
Help if you can! (Daily Candy NYC)
This is the next book I'm buying (...sorry... slow
news day, apparently). But seriously, can't wait to
buy this. (Gawker)
Leave Unfitney Alone!
"Shut
Up" Notecard image via Whimsypress
Good one, Daily News.
The way they were: a stalkarazzi retrospective of
Brit-Brit and her boys. (NYPost)
OMG. (Perezelle)
Sorry ladies— Andrew Firestone is a
bachelor no longer. (People)
Former MSG exec wins $11.6 million in
sexual harassment settlement—$1.6 more than she asked
for. Hmm. (NYDailyNews)
Give My Regards to Bo...no...
Will
Bono bring Spiderman
to
Broadway?
Bono's experience with director Julie Taymor on the
set of Across the Universe was apparently so
inspiring for the U2 frontman that he's now talking about collaborating
with her on a stage adaptation of
Spiderman. OMFG. What should fans look
forward to, besides an obviously genius final
product? Says Bono:
"If we pull off what we're trying, it will be something the likes of which no one has seen or heard," he says. "It should be a hallucinogenic experience for theatergoers. You have the visual energy she brings. The myth of the arachnid and the elasticity and plasticity of these characters -- you can turn theater upside down."
I'm so in love with him, it's sick.
In other Bono news, he's reportedly working with the Spice Girls on new greatest hits album. (Not sure how I feel about that one yet... I'll let you know when I decide).
Ringin' in your Monday Morning
Congrats,
Phillies! Love, YBLAG
Obligatory sports recap of the week/
month: Congrats to the Phillies, the Giants, Bret Fav-rrre, and the dude from Ohio who randomly
beat Jermain Taylor on Saturday night. You guys
freaking rule.
Good(-ish) news! Absinthe is legal
again, but in a
totally-missing-the-point-watered-down-cocktail
version. If you like the anise flavor, by all means,
go for it. (Sunday Styles)
YSL to launch a super-interactive
new dotcom today. So psyched! Will check it out and
report back! (WWD)
Look out for the latest from Dove's
"Real Beauty" campaign, which launches this week.
(AdAge)
Delaware U, Cornell, and
Colorado State offer grad students a
certificate program in Fashion. (WWD)
Is it bad that the latest iPhone ish
makes me happy (as opposed to inadequate and ashamed)
that I didn't wait on line with my fellow kool-aid
drinkers on iDay? Because it tots does. (NYTimes)
Preggalicious couple Nicole Richie
and Joel Madden finally set a date, (TMZ) as Pamela Anderson
casually marries Paris Hilton's most famous
co-star. (Access Hollywood)
Facebook faces fraud charges because
Andrew Cuomo says the network may potentially be
chock full 'o nutty predators. (Fox News)
The Rock rocks the weekend box
office. Does that mean his wrestling career was an
act, too? (Yahoo! Movies)
Bruuuuuuuuuuce!! on Today
It's good enough, but kind of blurry. Today's site has tons of fun Bruce stuff to check out, including better videos than this one, photo galleries, behind-the scenes footage from the plaza and a cute fan quiz.
This is Today, on YBLAG
YBLAG's on the
road this week... Check out our new & improved
sidebar to sign up for e-mail updates!
New photo clue in
Madeleline McCann case under investigation.
(Reuters South Africa)
The latest on Kiefer's DUI. (NY DAILY NEWS)
Amazon announces digital music store. (AP)
Halo 3 is super scratched! (Information Week)
JT Hearts iChat
Today on Oprah,
JT revealed his preferred means of connecting to his
honey while on the road: AV iChat. OMG, me
too!! JT, what's your screenname?
Geek Sugar fills us in on the
following JT quote:
"Technology is a wonderful thing sometimes.... I find that to be really cool, when you can actually see someone's face. I do it with my friends, as well, just to have a conversation back and forth. It just makes you feel closer, that's all."
Ever the Southern gentleman, JT didn't actually say girlfriend Jessica Biel's name... but, duh, who cares, he was obviously talking about her! SO CUTE!
Sidenote: Later on, O asked JT what he thinks is going on with Brit...here's what he said. I seriously admire his discretion and respect, and I'm sure Brit appreciates how he handled this.
Can this kid do anything wrong?? I'm thinking no.
News for Nooners
Brit might apologize to US. (Page Six)
Diane von Furstenberg begs Marc Jacobs to stay in NYC. (WWD)
Prince is suing YouTube and eBay for giving his fans easy access. (Yahoo! Music)
Tom Cruise is allowed back in Germany, even though he's a Scientologist. (BBC)
Gwen Stefani Live, Coming to a Deskjet Near You
Above: One of
Gwen's exclusive designs for HP.com/Gwen
Have I ever mentioned
that I love Gwen Stefani? I love Gwen Stefani. Today,
I love Gwen Stefani even more than I did yesterday.
Check it:
GS recently teamed up with HP to give her fans
another look-see into her couture creativity. By
logging on to HP.com/Gwen, fans can download a
ton of unique designs and print them onto
mini-posters, greeting cards, and even CD labels
for mixes! There's also a section with Harajuku
Girl paper dolls that you can customize to look
like you and your crew. Actually, I'm going to go
play with that feature now...
The Newsiest Eye
Jennifer Hudson to star
in Sex movie. (E!)
Kate Moss does another line! (WWD)
Guitar Hero III to be out by Christmastime. YESSSSS!
(Boomtown)
Kanye won yesterday. Maybe now he'll shut up.
(News.com.au)
Joe Francis to Vanessa Hudgens' rescue. (TMZ)
Today in Tidbits
The Marc Jacobs show may have been "torturously tardy," but I'm willing to bet his trenches were to die. (NY Daily News)
Waste time at the office on a social network? What kind of a person would do such a thing? For reals. (BBC)
Not to pay too much attention to this Kid Rock/ Tommy Lee thing—but Tommy's latest blog post really made me chortle. (RollingStone.com)
It's on: Kanye vs. Fiddy. Who's winning as of this afternoon? No idea. All I could find were these reviews from the AP.
JT wins an Emmy for his SNL skit. As if he ever loses anything. (Yahoo Music)
Rihanna is the Driest
Above:
Totes.com shopping page
for an umbrella "Just like the one Rihanna
uses..."
I actually heard about
these puppies about a month ago, but the concept
didn't strike me as completely bizarre until just
now. Apparently, Rihanna is considered a certified
umbrella connoisseur. Obviously, because of her hit
single from the summer, she knows all about them.