Mike Seeger

Mike Seeger, whose love for traditional songs and tunes inspired many other musicians — including Bob Dylan — to look for the rural roots of American music, died of cancer Friday night at his home in Lexington, Va. He was 75. Seeger was a highly respected performer and collector of traditional music and a major force in giving rural southern musicians a wider audience.

Mike Seeger quickly came to love traditional music, and began playing in earnest in his late teens. He developed major talent on banjo, guitar, fiddle, autoharp dulcimer, harmonica and several other instruments large and small. He sought out, learned from and recorded traditional musicians, starting in the Washington, D.C., area where he was raised, and ultimately traveling all over the south to find artists long forgotten or undiscovered.

He co-founded the New Lost City Ramblers with John Cohen and Tom Paley in the late 1950's. This trailblazing three-person string band combined the urban roots of its own members with a deep regard for music of the countryside and small towns. The Ramblers mined old 78 RPM recordings and visited with senior players, bringing largely forgotten music to life with new, yet traditional arrangements altogether more gutsy and respectful than those of most of the pop-folk groups active at the time.

Lady Gaga hermaphrodite picture

The “Lady Gaga hermaphrodite picture” above shows something between Lady Gaga’s legs that wouldn’t naturally be there if she was female alone. The picture was taken from video shot at the Glastonbury festival in England, and the original video confirms that the picture has not been doctored. There is one unconfirmed report we’ve found that claims Lady Gaga admitted that she was indeed a hermaphrodite.

As speculated later this week by Starrtrash, Lady Ga-Ga has confirmed that she indeed is a hermaphrodite. Pictures of her vagina, which shows a bulge resembling a tiny penis were released last week that started the rumours about her gender identity. Starrtrash confirmed the story with her blog entry earlier this morning.

Its not something that I’m ashamed of, just isn’t something that i go around telling everyone. Yes. I have both male and female genitalia, but i consider myself a female. Its just a little bit of a penis and really doesnt interfere much with my life. the reason I haven’t talked about it is that its not a big deal to me. like come on. its not like we all go around talking about our vags. I think this is a great opportunity to make other multiple gendered people feel more comfortable with their bodies. I’m sexy, I’m hot. i have both a poon and a peener.

Tax Free Weekend Nc

Nothing says "back to school" in North Carolina more than the traditional "tax-free weekend" in August. The state sales tax will be suspended for many retail purchases beginning Friday, until 11:59 p.m. Sunday. The tax-free weekend has become a shopping bonanza in the state since its inception in 2001. North Carolina is one of 16 states to suspend the sales tax to facilitate retail commerce, according to the Federation of Tax Administrators. It is especially popular before the traditional start of school and at the beginning of Christmas shopping season.

Exempt are clothing, footwear and school supplies of $100 or less per item; school instructional materials of $300 or less per item; sports and recreation equipment of $50 or less per item; computers of $3,500 or less per item; and computer supplies of $250 or less per item. Other items popular with back to school shoppers, such as clothing accessories, jewelry, cosmetics, protective equipment, wallets and furniture and "items used in trade or business" are not exempt, according to the state Department of Revenue. Normal sales tax on these items will apply.

Again this year, and for the 11th year running, local philanthropist Sandra Walker will be in her traditional spot Saturday in the Wal-Mart parking lot, encouraging folks to support Operation Backpack. The McDowell County Schools will have a school bus on site, and shoppers are asked to buy a few more school supplies than their own children may need, in order to fill that bus with supplies for the county's neediest children.

Steven Tyler Dead

Steven Tyler's the latest celebrity to be chased by a rumor that he has died. It has to be said that, despite the pictorial evidence to the right there of him just before his most recent concert, Steven Tyler is not dead yet. The rumor comes from two different sources: the first that there's simply been a series of such rumors that this or that famous person as died.

The second source is that while performing at a concert in South Dakota Steve Tyler did fall offstage. But far from this causing Steven Tyler's death it left him with head, neck and shoulder injuries. He required stitches to his head and has a broken shoulder blade which, while painful is very rarely fatal. He is now back home being treated by his own doctor.

Here's the video recorded by a fan at the concert and which is, partly, the source for the story that Steven Tyler has died. This here internet allows such rumors to thrive and spin around the globe at the speed of light (which is what electrons move at) and given that several famous people did indeed die recently, there's a certain believability about another one doing so.

So You Think You Can Dance Winner 2009

'So You Think You Can Dance' finale 2009: A winner is chosen Jeanine, 18, managed to overcome a less-than-versatile partner (the talented popper Phillip Chbeeb) and an almost crippling Russian folk dance routine a few weeks back. She really came to the fore the week she partnered with Jason Glover in the thrilling heart locket routine choreographed by season two second-place finisher Travis Wall.

"So You Think You Can Dance" fans crowned Jeanine Mason, the under-the-radar (until recently) contemporary dancer from Florida, as "America's favorite dancer" for season five. She beat out second-place finisher Brandon Bryant, 20, a technically flawless (and inhumanly strong) contemporary dancer whose personality didn't seem to pop as much.

She gets $250,000 (whoo-hoo!) and the cover of "Dance Spirit" magazine (whoo ... hoo). Before a huge crowd at Los Angeles' Kodak Theater, a clearly overcome Jeanine said, "I've spent my whole life looking up to amazing dancers and amazing people, and I always wanted to be a role model. ... I never thought I would be giving an acceptance speech in the Kodak, but thank you Academy!"

Heidi Montag Playboy Pics

Heidi Montag’s Playboy issue will hit newsstands soon and we have a sneak peek at some of her pictures here along with video! Heidi Montag posed for Playboy and the Hills princess has posted a picture of herself holding the cover. You can check out the picture here, but it looks like Heidi stood true to her word and didn’t pose nude. She graces the cover in a white bikini, all covered in mud of course. And I’m not saying she doesn’t rock a bikini, but we have seen tons of photos of Heidi in a bikini.

Though Heidi says she will be featured on two Playboy covers, there is no real nudity. So for all of you hoping to see Heidi Montag nude, think again. You will just have to get by with those bikini pics! Or her Stuff magazine, or Maxim photos. A source says, “There is nudity. It’s tasteful – she had a lot of fun with it.” And her husband, Spencer Pratt definitely approves. Duh! He probably set it all up!

Heidi is featured in the September issue of Playboy and it hits newsstands here. What are your thoughts on the cover? We will have the rest of the pictures as soon as they hit the net! "She will kill it," Holly said. "I know she will give the best performance ever. She's a phenomenal performer and dancer. That's what she's born to do. I think when she's stepping into her own in singing and concerts, people will see that that's where she really shines."

Vanessa Hudgens leaked photos

Vanessa Hudgens leaked photos are indeed real, they are of the High School Musical star poppet herself. This isn't the first time we've had leaked photos of Vanessa Hudgens either: back in 2007 full frontal pics were allegedly released by her then boyfriend, Zac Efron. Vanessa Hudgens lawyers have confirmed that the new set of photographs which have leaked are indeed of her.

Which brings us to our major problem about the Vanessa Hudgens leaked photos: we can't show them to you. For she was underage when they were taken. That means that it would not only be an offence for us to show them to you, it would in fact be an offence for you to look at them. Thus probably better that we don't all start breaking the law by trying to post them.

It also has to be said that the timing of this leak of racy photos of Ms. Hudgens seems a little convenient, as my colleague points out. Vanessa Hudgens is one of the leads in a movie opening next week called "Bandslam". Sex has, after all, been known to sell things in the past. Just think of the way that nudy photos of Megan Fox started popping up all over the internet a week or two before the latest Transformers movie came out. It couldn't be that Hollywood PR types are on the case, could it?

Erin Micklow

Model Erin Micklow says George Sodini attended a workshop by R. Don Steele on how to date women. Model Erin Micklow says George Sodini on dating women was nervous the whole workshop. Micklow is a model and actress who was hired to attend the workshop. The 20 year says the purpose was for men to learn how to date women. Erin Micklow says Sodini remained nervous the whole workshop while other men eventually loosened up.

“He was really, really quiet, he took a lot of notes. [....He was] the most studious in the workshops …[By the end] a lot of the guys had loosened up… [but] George was pretty much just as nervous.” Yesterday LALATE posted new uncovered YouTube videos of Sodini, the LA Fitness shooter, in addition to new face shots.

The Bridgestone Invitational 2009

The Bridgestone Invitational 2009 is the last PGA event before the final major of the year. But the Bridgestone Invitational 2009 is much more memorable because Tiger Woods is in it. Woods is using the 2009 Bridgestone Invitational as one lastBridgestone Invitational 2009 Final Tuneup for Tiger Woods tuneup before his final major test of the year. Tiger Woods is coming off a needed victory last week, but even if he also wins the Bridgestone Invitational, it means nothing without a victory next week in the PGA championship.

The Bridgestone Invitational 2009 begins today at Akron, Ohio, as Woods and several other players look to go into the PGA Championship next week with some momentum. Usually, Tiger Woods is favored in events no matter what, but for the 2009 Bridgestone Invitational, the odds are in his favor more than usual.

Woods has won the Bridgestone Invitational six out of the nine years he has played, which is a big winning percentage even for him. A win in the 2009 Invitational would give him two straight PGA wins heading into the PGA Championship in Minnesota next week. This year, it has been customary for Tiger Woods to win tournaments leading up to a major, but not follow through at the major itself. Four times this year without fail, Woods has won a PGA event two weeks before a major championship.

Sovereign Bank

A Tampa bankruptcy judge authorized Sovereign Bank to maintain possession of gold and rare coins taken by the bank last week from National Gold Exchange. The bank also has the court’s permission to go back into the business and resume its review of records and items remaining. An attorney for National Gold Exchange said in the hearing that what the bank took was the company’s inventory, which forced the business to shut down. The attorney said the company had been making $1 million per day.

National Gold Exchange filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization June 24 as bank consultants were taking what Sovereign contends is collateral for $35 million in loans to the business. Rob Soriano, the bank’s attorney, alleged in a hearing Tuesday that some coins were being removed through the back door of the business as they arrived with a writ of replevin. He also said there were questions about more than $2 million in coins transferred to a company that does not exist.

Jason Colthorp

New Delhi, Aug 6, 2009: Jason Colthorp is an over ambitious man. The co-host of Live with Regis and Kelly, he sets bars very high for himself and goes out to achieve his goals. In the beginning of the decade he dreamt of becoming ESPN's next star of SportsCenter. Two and a half years later, that dream turned into becoming the next star of "Today" on NBC when WILX took an even bigger chance by making him the new weekday morning news anchor.

In January of 2005, he was promoted once again to evening anchor of the WILX-produced newscasts at 5:30 and 10 on FOX 47. His stint with Live with Regis and Kelly has been very exciting. Live with Regis and Kelly is a syndicated American television morning talk show, hosted by Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa. Before 2000, the show was known as, Live with Regis and Kathie Lee, with Kathie Lee Gifford co-hosting with Philbin. After Gifford left, it was Live with Regis, with only Philbin hosting before Ripa was added in 2001.

The program has aired for 26 years in its home market of New York City in its current format, and 21 years nationwide. It was announced on January 16, 2007, that Live with Regis and Kelly has been renewed through the 2010-2011 season. The show began broadcasting in high definition with the January 5, 2009 episode. The show began in 1983 as The Morning Show, a local New York program on WABC-TV with Philbin and Cyndy Garvey as co-hosts.

So You Think You Can Dance 2009

City Newspaper is going to be liveblogging the finale of "So You Think You Can Dance" Season 5, starting Thursday, August 6, at 8 p.m. on Fox. And you can join in! Leave comments as the action happens while we find out who takes the title of America's Favorite Dancer. (At least until this fall, since the new season starts up September 9.)

I had a TIVO malfunction that caused me to miss the first 15 minutes of the August 5th episode of the ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ finale. Thankfully, I didn’t miss that much. This is the episode that will determine who will end up willing the title of America’s favorite dancer. It’s down to Jeanine Mason, Kayla Radomski, Brandon Bryant, and Evan Kasprzak. I was on Team Janette, so at this point I can’t say I have a favorite. Although I am looking forward to seeing who the winner will be.

We are not talking about the 2009 So You Think You Can Dance Finale, but rather the next season. Paula Abdul may well be the judge who may be judging the next season of So You Think You Can Dance show and be a choreographer for it. Nigel Lythgoe says Paula Abdul, who said goodbye to American Idol show, can be the next judge and the choreographer of the next season's So You Think You Can Dance show.

Dirico Motorcycles

Tyler attended Sturgis last year to promote his Dirico Motorcycles line and was back this year to do that again and play at the Buffalo Chip. Fans were disappointed the concert was cut short but hoped Tyler was OK. Lance Yellow Robe, who said he was 8 eight feet from the stage when Tyler fell off, told the Rapid City Journal "you could kind of see it coming because he was dancing all over the stage.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler was airlifted to a hospital after falling from stage during a concert at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in western South Dakota. Tyler, 61, fell while entertaining the crowd by dancing around after the sound system failed during the song "Love In an Elevator," said Mike Sanborn, spokesman for the Buffalo Chip Campground, which hosted the outdoor concert.

Tyler was on the stage's catwalk when he fell backward onto a couple of fans in the middle of what was a record crowd, Sanborn said. Security rushed to help him and the crowd cheered when Tyler got back up. "He was good natured about it," Sanborn said. "He was in good spirits when he got in the helicopter. He was talking and joking with the physician." "It was an unfortunate end to an extraordinary evening." Tyler suffered minor head and neck injuries and a shoulder injury, but it wasn't immediately clear how serious that was, he said.

Twitter down

Twitter down today? Yup, so of course the social media addicts head on over to Facebook (Facebook), which is experiencing outages of its own, although fortunately less frequent ones. Mashable (Mashable) staff are experiencing everything from “Network Errors” (below) to a good percentage of pages simply failing to load. Mashable commenters add that they’re also struggling with Facebook, the likely cause being a flood of Twitter (Twitter) traffic hitting the site.

Twitter down and Facebook running ridiculously slow...in the world where we all rely so heavily on social media what's a girl to do when her favorite sites go down? Thankfully my MOST favorite site Gather is still up and running which allows me to let you all know about the problems with those other crazy sites. How affected are you when your favorite sites go down? Does it make you realize how much you rely on them? Does anyone know what's wrong with Twitter and Facebook by the way?

Monmouth Park

Recent letters to the editor have discussed allowing slots at Monmouth Park racetrack while another suggested making it more family-oriented. In response to a suggestion by state Senate President Richard Codey, D-Essex, that the track install lighting to accommodate night racing, one letter writer suggested providing music, restaurants and entertainment for children to increase attendance during the day.

We also have Atlantic City casinos subsidizing the purses at the track — under the threat of slots (competition) if they don't provide the money — to boost attendance. First, on July 19 there were the most obnoxious sounds coming from the track that I have ever heard. I believe it's called music by some. It's the same approach the Army used to get Manuel Noriega to surrender in Panama a few years ago. The racket drew 16,000 people. We live about a mile as the crow flies and it was awful. The next day, there was garbage as far as the eye could see inside and outside the track.

Second, has it occurred to anyone yet that horse racing is passe? It's over. It's not drawing people. It's not making money. It should not be subsidized, and it should not have slots. Monmouth Park is in the middle of quiet residential areas. How about removing all the structures and letting it become a bird sanctuary?

Nora Ephron

Writer and director Nora Ephron learned from her mother that "everything is copy" -- witness her many successful films based, more or less, on her own life. "Julie & Julia" opens next Friday. A director is something like a chef -- bringing together different ingredients, combining them in novel ways, subjecting them to heat and pressure to create something new.

And looking at "Julie & Julia" for the first time, Nora Ephron didn't see how anything edible could come from it. "I had first read a piece about Julie's project in the Times," says the filmmaker, referring to original writer Julie Powell, "and I thought, as I do about almost everything: Is this a movie?" The project Powell had embarked on was to cook every one of Julia Child's recipes from "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" -- the first volume, anyway -- and blog about them. It took her a year.

"And," Ephron says, "I thought no. No it's not, a movie. Or at least, I don't know how you make it into a movie. A person decides to do something, and they do it, and it's done. It seemed too straightforward." Eventually -- thanks to, Ephron says, a smart suggestion from studio executive Amy Pascal -- a clever script for "Julie & Julia" emerged, one that created flashbacks (and re-created post-war Paris) to bring Julia Child to life too, and push her center-stage.

Rhea Durham

Daddy weds mommy: Rhea Durham, mother of three, to Mark Wahlberg It was a flowing white wedding for model Rhea Durham and actor Mark Wahlberg and their three children. For the past eight years they have been members of the "committed in love but not in marriage" Tinseltown community whose children were appropriately considered love-children.

Last May a report surfaced that said: Previously sharing his wedding plans to the press, Mark Wahlberg is said being pushed by daughter Ella Rae to marry his longtime partner Rhea Durham. "Ella is very smart," an insider tells In Touch Weekly. "She wanted to know why dad and mom weren't married." The couple have three children who attended the ceremony along with some close friends. The children are: daughter Ella Rae, 5, and sons Michael, 3, and Brendan Joseph, 10 months.

Among the not married: Living together instead of marriage is on the rise in 13 countries by philosophy and also in solidarity with gay marriage advocates. According to Time magazine, “More than 5 million unmarried couples cohabit in the U.S., nearly eight times the number in 1970, and a record-breaking 40% of babies born in 2007 had unmarried parents (that's up 25% from 2002).

5 Factor Diet

Harley Pasternak, inventor of the 5 Factor Diet, has helped Mayer with cardio and upper body on-and-off for almost two years. While it might not come as a surprise that Simpson wants to get fit post-breakup from footballer Tony Romo, it's interesting to note that she has reverted back to her former fitness guru who also happens to train ex-boyfriend John Mayer!

Perhaps for Jessica Simpson, looking good is the best revenge. Shots of the singer leaving her personal trainer's gym in LA have surfaced, suggesting the star is looking to get svelte. Simpson suffered major criticism at the top of the year for being overweight after making a concert appearance in high-waisted jeans that were, to say the least, unflattering. Romo and Simpson's nearly two-year courtship came to an end last week the evening before her birthday.

In the first investigation, Dr. Luc Djousse, from Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues analyzed data from 20,900 men in the Physicians' Health Study I (1982-2008) to assess the link between lifestyle factors and the lifetime risk of heart failure. The subjects were followed for 22.4 years, on average. The lifetime risk of heart failure, assessed at age 40 years, was about one in seven, the report indicates.

Nissan Leaf

Nissan Motor Co took the wraps off its much-awaited electric car on Sunday, naming the hatchback "Leaf" and taking a step toward its goal of leading the industry in the zero-emissions field. Japan's No.3 automaker and its French partner, Renault SA, have been the most aggressive proponents of pure electric vehicles in the auto industry, announcing plans to mass-market the clean but expensive cars globally in 2012.

Nissan will begin selling the first Leaf cars in the United States, Japan and Europe toward the end of 2010, adding two more models soon after. It expects production to start with around 200,000 units a year at the global roll-out in 2012. Twinning the car's unveiling with the inauguration of Nissan's new global headquarters in Yokohama, south of Tokyo, Chief Executive Carlos Ghosn drove up to a stage in a sky-blue Leaf prototype, carrying former Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi and two other guests to greet a throng of journalists who made the trip from all over the world.

Hit by sliding vehicle sales worldwide since the financial crisis hit last year, Nissan has suspended its goals set under a mid-term business plan, with the exception of its aggressive push into the electric car business. With oil prices topping $60 even in a recession and environmental regulations tightening all the time, Ghosn said he was optimistic about electric vehicles entering the mainstream, expecting them to represent one in 10 new cars globally by 2020.

Chicago Half Marathon 2009

2009 Rock ‘N’ Roll Half Marathon press conference quotes from American star Kara Goucher and legend Frank Shorter. On running the race: “This is a great time to get out and do something a little hard to break up the training block. I have 3 weeks to go on Sunday so it’s just a chance to execute a race plan and go through a dress rehearsal for Berlin.” On the race: “It is one big start and there will be lots of men in there…It’s really about pushing myself and there will be lots of men out there for me to chase down.

On what happened to change her level of running as she hit her late twenties: “I am definitely a late bloomer, I have been in everything in my life actually. Things did change in my late twenties. I changed coaches, I moved and I started doing more overall bodywork. I was finally able to stay healthy and then I was able to take my training to a whole new level…Having the perspective in life and knowing that running isn’t the only thing that I can do well…so when I do race it really is just running.”

On running her own race versus running against competition: “I really don’t run for PRs, I think my PRs are pretty weak on the world standard and I think it is because my coach has me focused on being a good competitor and championship racer. So when I go to a big race I don’t’ think about my race I think about how to cover other people’s moves…It helps alleviate the pressure on me because I don’t really think until the end of the race, I just cover everybody else.”

Pete Seeger

Pete Seeger never wanted to become the nation's cuddly old grandpa. But it's hard not to get a warm feeling from the TV version of his 90th birthday concert. Recorded in May at Madison Square Garden, the show features Seeger himself plus friends and admirers like Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Emmylou Harris and Toshi Reagan.

It's a fine round of song that supports Springsteen's description of Seeger as "a living archive" of American music. Seeger himself appears several times during the show, and while he doesn't sing much anymore, he shouts the words to each line of "This Land Is Your Land" before the performing ensemble and the crowd sing it. In the style of PBS concert productions, "90th Birthday Celebration" intercuts song segments with biographical reflections on Seeger, a few from himself and the rest from the guests.

While a few television minutes can't touch on everything in his eventful life, it does track him from his early days as a political artist through his "popular period" with the Weavers and finally into his longtime role as the elder statesman of folksong. His determination to still shake things up is reflected in his insistence that the crowd sing every verse of "This Land Is Your Land" - not just the feel-good stanzas everyone knows, but the ones that express concern about the hungry, the homeless and the concept of private property.

Hayes MacArthur

Hayes MacArthur in a small ceremony in Kennebunkport, Maine, Saturday. The newlyweds, who announced their engagement in December 2007, swapped vows at MacArthur's family home in front of an intimate gathering of close friends and family, among them Larter's BFF actress pal. The 33-year-old Larter and MacArthur, who costarred together in National Lampoon's Homo Erectus, dated for several years before their engagement.

But taking it slow may not have been Larter's choice. "I told my boyfriend after three weeks that I wanted to marry him and that we could do it tomorrow," Larter told Cosmopolitan last year. The ceremony kicked off on the lawn of the estate, with guests arriving in trolleys to the tune of Irish music, in honor of MacArthur's Irish heritage. Larter's father walked her down the aisle.

No wedding date has been set and this will be the first marriage for both. For Larter, the proposal was anything but a surprise; she's been more than ready to marry MacArthur, who has appeared on How I Met Your Mother, almost since she met him. "I told my boyfriend after three weeks that I wanted to marry him and that we could do it tomorrow," Larter recently said. "I look forward to that time when I'm home with babies."