Who says fraternity members can’t sing?!? Okay, maybe no one. But Kyle Crews still made it his mission to change that perception last night, auditioning for American Idol in San Diego and wowing the judges with a cover of “Angel of Mine.” “You sound nothing like you look,” Randy Jackson told Crews, winning the award for Backhanded Compliment of the Night, while Kyle dedicated the performance to Jennifer Lopez and her voluptuous lips. Kyle Crews American Idol Audition Elsewhere, did you hear that Jane Carrey , the daughter of a certain comedic actor, also was passed through to Hollywood? It’s true!
Carnival Corp. is offering the passengers on the Italian cruise ship Costa Concordia a very special 30 percent discount to stay loyal to their brand, according to reports. One stipulation: You must not be dead or missing to receive the deal. “The company is not only going to refund everybody, but they will offer a 30 percent discount on future cruises if they would like to stay loyal,” a spokesman said. We’re sure people are absolutely blown away by such a deal. Costa Concordia Passengers Escaping The spokesman added that they’ve been contacting the survivors via phone after the vessel, captained horrendously by Francesco Schettino , capsized this month. Schettino was released from jail last week and is currently under home arrest near Naples, Italy. He is being charged with manslaughter and abandoning ship. ‘Of the 4,200 on board, 120 were Americans. In all, 13 people have died, and another 19,- including a retired Minnesota couple, remain missing early Monday.
Sh*t is real in China right now — there are currently over 40 miles of dikes in danger of overflowing in an eastern Chinese province where flooding has already cost some $1.2 billion in losses. According to the Xinhua news service, the flooding has already affected some 5.7 million people in eastern and southern China, destroying or damaging over 7,000 homes and leading to heavy evacuations. Heavy rains pounded Zhejiang province over the weekend, and the level of a river that passes through Lanxi city has risen sharply, said Zhao Fayuan, deputy director of the provincial flood control headquarters. The level of Lanjiang river has now hit 110 feet, the highest since 1966, the headquarters said. Several sections of the dikes in Lanxi city are barely holding, Zhao said. More than 20,000 people could be affected if the dikes are breached, he was quoted as saying by Xinhua. The flood control headquarters advised Lanxi officials to evacuate all residents near the dikes that are at risk of overflowing, and to repair them immediately. Recent flooding has destroyed 600,000 acres of farmland and caused 1,846 companies to stop production in Zhejiang, incurring 7.69 billion yuan ($1.19 billion) in direct economic losses, the flood control agency said. Of these, 3.4 billion yuan were agricultural losses. Coastal Zhejiang is one of China’s richest provinces and its economy grew 11.8 percent last year. Flooding in eastern and southern China this month has forced 500,000 people to evacuate, triggered landslides, cut power and telecommunications and left more than 180 people dead or missing. Five more people were killed Sunday and one remains missing after surging floodwaters swept them away in their southwest villages, Xinhua reported. Farmers quoted by Xinhua said the flooding was the worst in 20 years, reducing vegetable output by 20 percent and also causing shortages of fruits and grains. Prices for green vegetables were up 40 percent, Xinhua said, adding to an inflation rate of 5.5 percent, a three-year high. China’s minister for water resources said Sunday that the country was entering a crucial period for flood control as severe floods triggered by heavy rains threatened southern areas. It is likely that more frequent and more intense downpours will continue, Chen Lei told a meeting in Beijing, Xinhua reported. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of China — the weather has been something else this year in all parts of the world. Source
