Dancing With The Stars Season 11

Is The Situation taking on too much?

"Jersey Shore's" one-man corporation was unable to make it to the season 11 "Dancing with the Stars" cast announcement on Monday and that's not all he's missing out on.

According to TMZ.com, Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino will also spend less time rehearsing for the dance competition due to his obligations to "Jersey Shore," the MTV series that launched him to fame.

While the rest of the "DWTS" cast started rehearsals on Monday, the ab-tastic reality star will reportedly not set foot in the studio until Sept. 8.

Bristol Palin, David Hasselhoff and the rest of the competitors will therefore benefit from almost twice as much practice as The Situation before "Dancing with the Stars" premieres on Sept. 20.

News broke last week that The Situation would be fist-pumping and beating the beat on the upcoming season of "DWTS," adding to the slew of other projects that could earn him $5 million by the end of the year.

Currently filming the third season of "Jersey Shore," The Situation is also making public appearances, writing his autobiography and is also promoting a clothing line for Dilligaf and a fitness video.

The second season of "Jersey Shore" airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. on MTV.

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Kashi Snack Drive

Kashi Snack Drive Free TLC Chewy Treat or Crackers. The Kashi Snack Drive is providing free samples of TLC chewy treats or crackers, available through September 19, 2010, or until supplies run out. You can get a free sample of TLC . Rreceive free samples of a Kashi TLC product and John Freida Root Awakening hair care products.. Your local resource for freebies, discounts and deals where you live, work and play. Get free stuff & coupons to do more on the cheap.. Get your free Kashi Coupons The coupons always free! This is absolutely the best time for everyone to start saving money. Not pay a high price if you can get..

Makes seven whole grains and sesame products for nutrition-minded consumers and their families.. Kashi® GOLEAN® cereals = 9-13g protein per serving; one large egg = 6g. From new Kashi foods and recipes to expert articles and helpful tips, our guide . The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi and an Hindus regard Kashi as one of the Shakti Peethas, and that Vishalakshi Temple stands on .

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Meghan McCain

Meghan McCain's new book, "Dirty Sexy Politics," isn't dirty at all -- unless you count all her unwashed laundry on the campaign trail -- or even remotely sexy because the senator's daughter swore off hook-ups during her father's 2008 presidential bid.

"Dirty Sexy Politics" by Meghan McCain. (Hyperion Books)

But the 194-page memoir, released Tuesday, is about politics through the eyes of a young, moderate Republican and "political prop," as she calls herself. Her job? "Keep a smile on my face, look admiringly at my father, and clap at the appropriate times," she writes. You wouldn't think there would be all that much left to say after two years of blogging, tweeting and multimedia oversharing, but she offers a few new tidbits:

    * After her father won the Ohio and Texas primaries, Meghan and her mom were invited to the White House for a "get to know you" lunch. Laura Bush? Not so warm, Meghan says: "For Mrs. Bush, this was one more meeting she had to take during the day." Jenna dropped by and showed off her bedroom ("The size of a dorm room ... there was a creepy painting of two celestial babies -- twins -- that scared me"). Worst of all, Meghan discovered she wasn't seated at the lunch (awk-ward) and left with a doggie bag of enchiladas from the White House mess.

    * Campaign advisers told Meghan that she might get to introduce her mother at the GOP convention -- if she got an extreme makeover. Image consultants got rid of her "stripper" (her word, not ours) blond hair and flashy clothes, then billed her, not the campaign, for thousands of dollars. "Embarrassed" now that she agreed, she calls it "one of the worst financial decisions I've made." After all that, she didn't get the introducing gig.

    * She's conflicted about Sarah Palin, calling her "the most beautiful politician I had ever seen" but "rather than joining us, and our campaign, she seemed only to begin her own." During the convention, Meghan was turned away by a makeup artist who was busy prepping the Palin kids: "They'll be getting more airtime," explained the stylist.

    * Five weeks before the election, McCain's team kicked Meghan off her dad's campaign, relegating her to a series of pep talks at campaign offices. Good times in Nashville, where she bar-hopped with country singer John Rich and danced all night "with great joy and abandon and happiness, I'm told, but which I am sad to say I was too drunk to remember."

    * After McCain lost to Barack Obama, the family retreated to their Arizona cabin where they ate, slept and decided that Cindy McCain should try out for "Dancing With the Stars." Sure enough, Bristol Palin beat her to it.

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The Blaze Glenn Beck

Following the success of our “Restore Honor” rally in last week, our good friend and American leader Glenn Beck has launched an ally site in morality: Blaze.com.

America was created by the people. For the people. From the furnances of oppression and servitute, we have forged one nation under God, where All Men are created equal.

Last week, we joined with over 500,000 Americans to stand up for America. Our fathers have fought to make this land what it is.

We have fought off the bounds of a slave culture, engulfing ourselves in a Civil War against Southern Democrats who were loyalists to Britain and did not believe all men were created equal.

We overcame.

Our brave men crossed the cold Atlantic and Pacific Ocean, on a fateful mission that would eventually save the world from NAZI, Asian and cold Soviet oppression.

We overcame.

We have fought in our society to assure that the most noble beliefs of our mose wise leaders, that America remains a soveriegn nation — so eloquently refined by Dwight D. Eisenhower as One Nation Under God, in Whom We Trust — that will always stand for true values and true morality. That we be a light for all who look upon us.

It is so sad that liberals work to tear our great Christian nation asunder. They try to corrupt our nation with communism. The sell out the values of our children and families for a quick buck and for perverted new agendas. The liberals of America have no scruples or heart, and they are elists. The very Democrats who enslaved a people and have perverted our culture time and time again wage a constant media war.

They try to twist their actions, to make them seem normal. They are not. Now we have one other staunch conservative ally, in addition to the likes of Michelle Maukin or even well-renowned journalist, 'http://seanhannity.com">Sean Hannity. We now have our friend and leader, a man who inspired a nation with a new zeal for equality and justice for all, Glenn Beck.

Glenn Beck has worked to open Blaze.com, a site that will help reignite the fire of the moral majority. Swing by for America. We are One Nation, Under God. It is time for America to take back what is ours. It is time for us to unify to fix our economy, bring all of our troops home and return America to a better place!

It is time to be proud to be an American once again.

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BYU leaves the Mtn. for WCC

The current realignment stalemate revolves around BYU and their decision on whether or not to go independent in football.

If they do go independent, then in all likelihood they are going to have to leave the MWC in all other sports. With a Wednesday deadline to make a decision (that could very well come this afternoon), all the talk this week is about where BYU and what is their best option.

I'm not going to pretend to know much about the economics of college football, so in this forum we are strictly talking about what the best outcome is for college hoops and Dave Roses's program. And as we know all too well, that probably plays a (very) minor role in the decision making process.

Jeff Eisenberg says that the best option for BYU basketball is to stay in the Mountain West Conference, and I tend to strongly with that sentiment. Let's face it -- the MWC is a better league than the Pac-10 this season, and it was last season as well. With programs like New Mexico (who has signed Steve Alford to a ten year deal), San Diego State, and UNLV being joined by Fresno State and Nevada -- two programs with their own storied, and in some cases notorious, basketball programs -- it is quite possible that the MWC will continue to battle with the Pac-10 for West Coast supremacy. Don't forget about Boise State, who made the NCAA Tournament in 2008.

If BYU does stick around, then don't be surprised if the MWC also adds Utah State, bringing another very good basketball program -- and even more of the Salt Lake City market -- into play. That, my friends, would be an absolutely loaded basketball conference; one that would be difficult to label as a mid-major if they routinely put three and four and five teams -- which is a real possibility -- into the Big Dance.

But if the Cougars do decide to go independent, Andy Katz says that joining the WCC is a better move than becoming a member of the dead conference walking WAC. He makes some compelling argument. For starters, BYU is always going to play Utah State, who is a perennial NCAA Tournament threat (two at-large bids and four tournament overall in the last six seasons), so by joining a different conference, they aren't going to be losing a quality resume game. And by joining the WCC, BYU would make the league a perennial two-bid conference, with the potential -- with St. Mary's and the recent successes of teams like Portland, San Diego, and even upstart Loyola Marymount -- for even more.

BYU is much bigger -- 33,000 students, while no one in the WCC has even 10,000 -- and could complicate things with the religious aspect -- BYU is a mormon school, while seven of the eight WCC schools are Catholic while Pepperdine is affiliated with the Church of Christs -- but the WCC is still the Cougars best option.

And don't forget about the league's ESPN deal, which allows Gonzaga to get quite a bit more national exposure than BYU gets in the MWC even if it is coming around midnight on the east coast. Hey, I'm watching.

BYU is going to be alright now matter what decision they happen to make.

The real question is what happens to everyone else. Do teams like UT-San Antonio fill in the holes in the WAC? Do we get some amalgam of the non-BCS schools forming a super-conference across the country? Will Fresno State and Nevada be able to afford the $5 million they may be forced to pay the WAC?

Whenever BYU makes their decision, the trickle down will be fun to watch unfold. Stay tuned.

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Nate Berkus Show

So when I received an  invitation to attend the launch party for the Nate Berkus Show  I have to admit that I had no idea who he was. And if you are wondering if mommy niri has been living under a rock, the answer would be yes,with just kiddie shows as my entertainment. When I mentioned him to my single girlfriend her squeals of delight made me realize that I was missing something hot.

After I scrambled to RSVP yes I made my way to the party on the last night of BlogHer. I am always wary of blogging events with some celebrity especially after that blogging show with Martha Stewart, that proper attention and/or respect.

I am glad to say that not only was Nate so good looking (man he was) he took the time to talk to each of us. If I was not a fan before I was now.  As I quickly scampered to get a picture with him my sticker name badge got caught in my bag handle and fell to the ground. Nate picked it up not knowing what fell and wrapped his gum in it. Which was great for 2 reasons – he got that gum out of his mouth (love Nate but hate gum at any social occasion) and 2nd that my picture with him looked nicer with NO badge.

What do you think?

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The Obama Speech

It seems this President is destined to make the toughest and most convoluted political arguments of any recent occupant of the office: We had to bail out the bankers in order to save your jobs. Our stimulus package prevented something far worse than the current, limping economy from overwhelming us. And tonight: the war in Iraq was a tremendous waste of lives and dollars, and the money should have been spent here at home, but we fought it honorably--for the most part--and we should be pleased that the Iraqis may manage to build themselves a stable society.

This isn't easy. And it may just be me, but the President's discomfort seemed evident tonight--or maybe it's just that sitting down, with his hands clasped before him, staring into the camera isn't his best venue for public speaking. Or it may be that announcing the end of a foolish mission requires a certain stiffness and sobriety.

There is also the matter of audiences, as our soon-to-be colleague Fareed Zakaria has just pointed out on CNN. This was not just a speech for the American people. It was also a speech for the Iraqi people--and the Afghan people. You can bet that the commitments he made to the Iraqis will be front page news in Baghdad tomorrow...and the warning that he gave the Afghans--that our commitment is limited--will be big news in Kabul. Those were important messages to send. Of necessity, the message he sent to Americans--we're going to focus on the economy--had to take a subordinate place in the speech: yet another difficult argument to make. And unfortunately, he made it with neither freshness nor much conviction.

In the end, the note he sounded over and over was about our troops and the remarkable job they did under scandalous circumstances. As he spoke, I could not help but remember the absence of a credible plan when we got to Baghdad, the shoddy equipment, the unarmored humvees, the absence of sufficient troops to bring order to the mission, the arrogance of Donald Rumsfeld, the illegal meddling done by Dick Cheney. Obama graciously neglected to mention any of these.

In even the most worthy wars, it is difficult for families who've lost loved ones to believe that the victory was worth the life destroyed. In a questionable war, those sacrifices ramify and haunt the survivors--that is why the incidence of post-traumatic stress disorder is so high among Iraq veterans. But it is important to honor those who fought and those who died. As the President said, in the most touching line of the speech:

As one staff sergeant said, “I know that to my brothers in arms who fought and died, this day would probably mean a lot.”

And so this speech was a necessary ceremony of the presidency, if a thankless one. The commentators will say the President didn't transcend. His critics will say that he refused to acknowledge the "success" of the surge. But he also refused to indulge in relitigating the stupidity that launched the war. The lines will be recorded in history:

So tonight, I am announcing that the American combat mission in Iraq has ended. Operation Iraqi Freedom is over...


But the moment won't be remembered any more fondly than the end of the Korean conflict. The best that can be said is that we survived Iraq. The best that can be said about the President tonight is that he survived, too, yet another very difficult moment in his presidency.

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Dr. Jacquelyn Kotarac Found Dead

Dr. Jacquelyn Kotarac died while trying to force her way into her boyfriend’s house in Bakersfield, California. She tried to get into the house with a shovel, and then she got a ladder and climbed onto the roof.

While on the roof, the AP reports that Kotarac slid feet first down the flue last Wednesday. Three days later, her decomposing body was found. While she was trying to get into the house, her boyfriend slipped out another exit unnoticed by Kotarac.

According to reports, Dr. Kotarac, 49 and her boyfriend, William Moodie, 58 had an on again, off again relationship. Moodie is upset about her death, but wants to focus on the good she did during her life rather than the mistakes she made to end her life.

He said, "She made an unbelievable error in judgment and nobody understands why, and unfortunately she's passed away. She had her issues — she had her demons — but I never lost my respect for her." He went on to discuss the free medication and services she provided to her patients while she was alive.

This is such a sad story. Police do not suspect foul play in Dr. Jacquelyn Kotarac’s death, but there will be an autopsy to determine the official cause of death. What a horrible way to die. It is unfortunate that Kotarac made the decision to try to go down the chimney of her boyfriend’s house.

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