Try to remain calm, ladies. Try not to scream too loudly and go running blindly into the streets in celebration. But… … Kellan Lutz is single!!! Sources confirm to Us Weekly that the Twilight Saga stud has split from Sharni Vinson , his girlfriend of about 18 months. The actor and the Australian actress met during an audition for Step Up 3D , with Lutz often gushing to the press about how happy Vinson has made him. No reason for the break-up has been given, but one thing is for sure: it’s nearly summer. Which means plenty of shirtless Kellan Lutz photos are on the way. And now you can drool over them guilt-free!
Sailing gold medalist Andrew “Bart” Simpson has died. The 72-foot-long sailboat he was on capsized in San Francisco Bay. He was practicing for the upcoming America’s Cup with the Swedish team Artemis Racing. He was just 36 years old. Simpson was reportedly trapped under the boat for 10 minutes. Another sailor involved in the wreck was injured. The rest of the 13 people on the crew were fine. He won one Olympic gold medal and one silver medal during his career. “The entire Artemis team is devastated by what happened,” CEO Paul Canyard says in a statement. “Our heartfelt condolences are with Andrew’s wife and family.”
The dazzling commercials for this sure-to-be box office smash proclaim that it’s going to be the summer of Gatsby . But does it live up to enormous expectations? While there’s sure to be a division of opinions between literary purists, Luhrmann fans, and regular ol’ moviegoers, there is simply no doubt that this film is a piece of work. As for this critic, I’m staunchly on the side that loved this interpretation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s famous novel The Great Gatsby. Director Baz Luhrmann is known for his distinct, somewhat over-the-top, storytelling style. His past cinematic achievements include William Shakespeare’s: Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge . Both of those films are stories that have been told before, but Luhrmann has a way of re-imagining the stories and adding his own eccentric and decadent spin on things. This is exactly what he did for The Great Gatsby . For all of the book fans out there, fear not as the most important prose from the book is included in the film. However there are times when the words are spinning out at you in 3D fashion and dancing over scenes. The story does not stray too often from the novel which is something that should keep longtime The Great Gatsby fans satisfied. As for the characters, I found that casting best friends in the role of Nick Carraway and Jay Gatsby was brilliant. Tobey Maguire and Leonardo DiCaprio have a longstanding relationship that probably helped them sink into their roles easily. In my opinion, the casting was simply perfect. Maybe Isla Fisher is a little too hot to play Myrtle the mistress, but she does a job well done. Any hardcore book fans know that Daisy really has dark hair, but Carey Mulligan nails the role of Daisy’s dainty, naive, charming but fickle debutante. DiCaprio has the glamour and allure of an old-Hollywood movie star, making him the perfect choice for Jay Gatsby. His star power allows him to pull off the excess and lavish character that is the infamous Gatsby. Without giving too much away, the film does add some elements that are lacking from the novel. For instance, there was more substance in the love scenes between Daisy and Gatsby. You visually understand their affair and his longing, whether it be the iconic green light or the tabs he’s kept on her over the years. Luhrmann took a tale of the American Dream of happiness and wealth and put a modern day touch on it that surely would’ve suited a man like Jay Gatsby, and probably F. Scott Fitzgerald himself. The soundtrack includes world famous acts like Jay-Z and Fergie, but it’s Lana Del Rey’s “Young and Beautiful” that plays throughout most of the movie and puts you in touch with the story. If moviegoers are unimpressed by all else, there is absolutely no doubt that the film is visually stunning. Aside from the 3D factor, which surprisingly works, the production of the party scenes and landscapes are vivid and visually enchanting. The costume design done by Luhrmann’s wife Catherine Martin is impeccable, flawless, and likely to win an Oscar for it’s portrayal of the Art Deco period. All in all, it is worth the trip to the theater and the extra few bucks for 3D to see this new take on the literary classic The Great Gatsby . Who knows, maybe you’ll be inspired to throw your own version of the West Egg’s most notorious parties this summer? RATING: 4/5 Stars
Gun violence has actually plunged in the U.S. since its peak in the middle of the 1990s, according to two new studies of government data. At the same time, a majority of Americans believe it is on the rise . Gun crime statistics are comprised of murders, assaults, robberies and other crimes, and the Pew Research Center found that they’re down overall. In less than two decades, the gun murder rate has been nearly cut in half, their research suggested, while other gun crimes fell even more sharply. This parallels a broader drop in violent crimes committed with or without guns, which peaked during the 1990s and has fallen sharply since then. The decline has been more modest since the turn of the century, but overall, the number of gun killings dropped 39 percent between 1993 and 2011. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in a separate study released Tuesday that gun crimes that weren’t fatal fell by 69 percent in that time. However, guns still remain the most common murder weapon in the U.S. Also notably, despite this measurable drop in gun crime, only 12 percent of Americans surveyed believe gun crime has declined compared with 1993. Twenty-six percent of those polled said they believed that it had stayed the same in the past two decades, and 56 percent thought it had increased. It’s unclear whether media coverage is behind that, but crime has become a growing focus of TV news, and several recent events have been extremely high-profile. From the Connecticut shooting to the Aurora movie theater massacre, the Boston bombing and beyond, it’s hard to escape coverage of the worst tragedies. Also, while the rate of violent crime is down, it’s got a long ways to go. While violence has dropped, the United States still has a higher murder rate than most other developed countries, though not the highest in the world. Experts have no simple answer for why violent crime is down, attributing it to everything from a diminishing crack cocaine market to surging prison populations. Some researchers have even linked dropping crime to reduced lead in gasoline, which can cause increased aggression and impulsive behavior. Victims of gun killings are overwhelmingly male and black, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Compared with other parts of the country, the South had the highest rates of gun violence, including both murders and other violent gun crimes.
Three have become the final two on American Idol. Following an evening that saw Candice Glover , Kree Harrison and Angie Miller each sing three songs – one chosen by Jimmy, one by the judges and one by producers – the votes have been tallied and the results are in. Who will be squaring off on next week’s finale? Scroll down for the name of the individual voted off… ANGIE MILLER! Poor Angie cried through her farewell song, while Candice will take on Kree next Wednesday night. Did Miller deserve to get the boot? Yes, but what a run! No, it should have been Candice! No, it should have been Kree! View Poll »
Fans of TV who love Twitter but hate spoilers, meet Jennie Lamere. The 17-year-old entered the TVnext Hack event in Boston and not only won her category, “Best Use of Sync-To-Broadcast,” but also won Best In Show. Her creation? Twivo, a TV spoiler blocker made for Twitter. An extension of Google Chrome, Twivo lets users type in key words they would like to block and for how long. Take the example of Game of Thrones spoilers . If you missed the episode but have it on DVR and still want to be on Twitter, enter keyword “Game of Thrones” and you won’t see any tweets about it! So for The Bachelorette spoilers , you’d have to start like two months before the premiere, since Reality Steve starts posting them then. Just FYI. The program is still in demo phase and won’t be ready to roll out for a few weeks, but it’s totally a thing – good enough to win a hack-a-thon no less! Lamere has already been approached by a tech company that wants to market the final product. Hopefully, this will shut down Spoiler TV for good. That site is just terrible.
Gravity is the latest “isolation” movie that follows one person’s–or in this case two people’s–terrifying battles against harsh, stark, nature. Think Castaway or 127 Hours or any of the Twilight movies (in this case you, the audience member are the one stranded in isolation). The difference with Gravity , starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney, is that it takes place in space. Everything’s way more terrifying in space. Check out the first Gravity poster : Bullock and Clooney play Dr. Ryan Stone and Commander Matt Kowalsky, who are on a mission to space. While on a spacewalk, their ship blows up, leaving them stranded, with no communication to Earth. Alfonso Cuarón directs the film, which is set to premiere October 4.
Justin Bieber may be facing prosecution for an alleged battery incident in February, and the European leg of “Believe” may have hit a few speed bumps, but the singer is still looking ahead to the future. And that future will apparently include even more tour dates! The 19-year-old superstar Tweeted Thursday that his team has “confirmed more tour dates around the world,” adding: “#BELIEVEtour is coming. Get ready.” Bieber also said he enjoyed an “amazing” show in South Africa last night, concluding with support for the first black president of that nation: “Nelson Mandela is the MAN! #BELIEVE”” Unlike his take on Anne Frank , however, Justin didn’t go as far as to state that Mandela was a fan of his . But, come on, who isn’t it?!?
In the wake of Ian Somerhalder and Nina Dobrev ‘s apparent breakup, one cryptic Tweet from the former has Vampire Diaries fans all … well, atwitter. The couple had been together for three years. Shortly after the news of their split broke, Ian posted a quote from deceased playwright Lillian Hellman: “A thought for today: ‘People change and forget to tell each other.'” Is that a thinly-veiled shot at Nina? A commentary on relationships in general? Just a cool quote he came across and likes that has no bearing on this? We don’t know, and likely never will. Yet it’s hard not to speculate. The single star, 34, has not commented on the split, going on to say that he is off to meetings in Brussels, Belgium, for his Ian Somerhalder Foundation. Dobrev, 24, is gearing up to film the Fox movie Let’s Be Cops , which also stars New Girl ‘s Jake Johnson and Happy Endings ‘ Damon Wayans Jr. In the last month, Dobrev has been spending time with another newly-single beauty, Julianne Hough, at the MET Gala and on the beach in Miami. The Vampire Diaries is all new tonight on the CW, where you’ll get to see their on-screen chemistry through at least 2014. It got the green light for a 5th season!
Delaware became the 11th U.S. State to legalize same-sex marriage Tuesday following a lengthy debate and a close vote in its legislative body. A half hour after the 12-9 State Senate vote, Gov. Jack Markell (D) signed the legislation into law on the main stairs in the lobby of Legislative Hall. Sens. Bethany Hall-Long (D) and Catherine Cloutier (R), the lone GOP yes vote, provided the crucial swing votes in favor of the gay marriage legislation. Delawareans will be able to enter into same-sex marriages July 1, and existing same-sex civil unions in Delaware can also be converted to marriages. “I think this is the right thing for Delaware,” Markell said, posing for pictures with supporters outside his legislative office. “It took an incredible team effort.” Delaware’s same-sex marriage bill was introduced in the Democrat-controlled Legislature last month, passing the state House on a 23-18 vote. While it doesn’t give same-sex couples many more rights than those they already have in civil unions, supporters argued it was about respect – and more. They noted that civil unions would not provide the same kind of federal protections or tax benefits under federal law to same-sex couples as marriage does. Delaware joins neighboring Maryland and nearby D.C. as jurisdictions that have approved gay marriage. All six New England states allow it as well. Last week, Rhode Island’s gay marriage law passed, allowing gay and lesbian couples to wed, with independent Gov. Lincoln Chafee signing the bill. California would become the 12th state to legalize it if the Supreme Court upholds appellate court decisions to throw out Prop 8 as unconstitutional . Same-sex marriage : Support Oppose View Poll »
