Technology Slice Blog

Criminals Caught on Tape - Most criminals try to stay out of the spotlight, but now some are posting their bad deeds on the Internet for everyone to see -- including the police. In Florida, a 15-year-old girl is being charged with a vicious beating of another girl. Police found her when she posted the video of the beating on Myspace. Kentucky police arrested 18-year-old Charles Jeremy Brown this week for a violent rampage in which he allegedly busted church windows and harassed people at a drive-through window. He posted it on YouTube. It turns out that all criminals aren't necessarily masterminds. According to Leland Gregory, author of "The Stupid Crook Book," criminals' downfall may actually be their own pride. "I have actually done something, and I am extremely proud of it even though it is extremely stupid. I want to show as many people as I can," Gregory said of what they might be thinking. Michael Darnell allegedly broke into a camera su...

Emma Watson Six-Figure Lancome Deal - Emma Watson will soon sign a "a six-figure deal to become the latest ambassador for Lancome," reports the UK Daily Mail. She will work with "celebrated fashion photographer Mario Testino next month," and the company photos and campaign, "will feature Emma as the face of the French beauty brand in posters and TV advertising," the paper reports. The British actress has signed up to one of her first roles since Harry Potter and will star in The Perks of Being A Wallflower. The 20-year-old has thrown herself into shaping out a film career beyond the wizarding franchise, despite still being a student at US Brown University. The flick has just gained funding from Summit Entertainment, which also owns the Twilight franchise. Emma Watson Six-Figure Lancome Deal

Nicki Minaj Grammy Awards 2011 in Leopard Print - If only a What Were They Thinking category existed, rapper Nicki Minaj would surely take home the trophy for her eccentric leopard-lady look on the 2011 Grammy Awards red carpet. Minaj went animal print head-to-toe, boasting a mile-high 'do that was a little bit leopard, a little bit Bride of Frankenstein, with one thick black stripe running up the side of the monstrous platinum-blond wig. Leopard-print fringe and face-framing cropped layers completed her mane. But the feline accents didn't end there. Minaj's makeup artist got in on the act with cat eyes and lengthy lashes. For her pout? Oh, just a swipe of bright-pink lipstick, you know, to make this otherwise subtle look pop. Of course, we'll never know if Minaj outdid her outrageous-style competitor Lady GaGa, who arrived on the carpet concealed in a pod carried by an entourage of scantily clad model types. Nicki Minaj Grammy Awards 2011 in Leopard Print

Snooki, The Situation on the Red Carpet - Snooki showed up to the Grammy Awards in LA this evening in a very sparkly silver ensemble. The Jersey Shore star paired the look with equally metallic shoes, earrings, bracelets, and a clutch. Silver everywhere! The reality star teamed up with MTV this evening to host her own red carpet interviews. Apparently Lady Gaga didn't give Snooki an exclusive interview, but she did acknowledge the reality star. "Lady Gaga just arrived on the carpet inside a futuristic egg being carried by servants," MTV correspondent James Montgomery said . "When she spied Snooki from inside the egg, she pressed her hands against the glass and waved." Snooki, The Situation on the Red Carpet

Top-Performing Mutual Funds 2011 - Even though the U.S. bond market holds great attraction for investors, it has figured only infrequently among top-performing markets worldwide in the recent past. Investing in foreign bonds, therefore, enhances prospects of exposure to the best-performing foreign markets. Foreign bonds also help to diversify currency exposure and provide protection against a long-term secular decline in the dollar. Mutual funds are a convenient way to give one’s portfolio the desired international fixed-income exposure. MainStay Global High Income A (MGHAX) invests the majority of its assets in foreign high-yield debt securities. It invests in such securities issued by governments, their agencies as well as companies located in at least three different countries, focusing on emerging markets. The international bond mutual fund is non-diversified and has a ten year annualized return of 12.48%. The Fund Manager is Gary Goodenough and he has managed this internation...

Should Kids Pay for their Own College - Students whose parents earn more than that but are not willing or able to contribute to college costs can get federal need-based grants only if they file successful appeals with their colleges. But many private colleges have higher income cutoffs and will award scholarships to students from families with incomes in the low six figures. And many states and colleges award scholarships to students based solely on grades, test scores or other nonfinancial qualifications. Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research organization, surveyed hundreds of students, recent graduates and dropouts. It found that 63% of people who graduated from college said they had received some financial help from their families. Only 42% of those whose parents did not help them managed to graduate from college. Some college financial aid officers say finances alone might not explain the difference in graduation rates. Many parents cut off students who are already on their ...

Loughner Murder Charges Dropped - In what prosecutors are calling a "procedural motion," two murder charges were dropped against Arizona shooting suspect Jared Lee Loughner, although authorities intend to refile them in a superseding indictment. The motion to dismiss the charges was filed Friday. "It was a procedural motion to keep them off the books in order to bring them back under a superseding indictment," said Robbie Sherwood, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Phoenix. Loughner, 22, is accused of shooting U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords in the head at a "Congress on Your Corner" event at a Tucson, Arizona, grocery store, then shooting 18 other people, six of them fatally. The dead included Giffords staffer Gabe Zimmerman and U.S. District Judge John Roll. Giffords is currently recovering in a Houston rehabilitation hospital. The initial complaint filed against Loughner had five counts -- one count of attempting to assassinate Giffo...

3NET February 13 - DirecTV has announced it will launch 3net, the first round-the-clock 3-D channel, to its subscribers this Sunday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time. Sunday's lineup includes hour long premieres of "China Revealed" produced by Natural History New Zealand, "Forgotten Planet" from Flight 33 Productions, and "Into the Deep 3-D" from IMAX. 3net will broadcast on channel 107. Throughout February, the network will rollout original 3-D TV series and movies, debuting a new program every night at 9:00 p.m. ET. Based on last month's announcement, viewers can expect to see "Attack of the Giant Jellyfish," Sony Pictures' "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs," "Magnificent Desolation: Walking on the Moon 3D," and "The Haunted." At this point, 3net will present a revolving schedule to fill its 24 hour daily programming. 3net is a joint venture television network between Sony Corporation,...

Franco Art Exhibit - James Franco took time out of preparing for the Oscars – where he'll be doing double duty as both host and best actor nominee for 127 Hours– to open the first European exhibition of his artwork in Berlin. "I've been spending most weekends in L.A. shooting pre-taped stuff for the Oscars and this is the first weekend I wasn't doing that," Franco told The Hollywood Reporter at the Peres Projects gallery opening of The Dangerous Book Four Boys on Saturday night. Franco first displayed his photographs, films and installation pieces at a New York show last year. He said the work – which includes a direct-to-camera video of him talking with a rubber penis on his nose and mocking the process of film making – allowed him to explore other aspects of acting not available to him in his Hollywood roles. "If, in a commercial film, if I am acting that draws attention to the fact I am acting, you'd probably say that was bad acting," Fran...

Leann Rimes Wedding Planning - It may only be February, but LeAnn Rimes already has plenty to celebrate in 2011. In addition to her Grammy nomination for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for her hit "Swingin'," the newly engaged country star has two albums on the way later this year. "Well, when you put it that way, I feel like I have a lot going on," Rimes, 28, told PEOPLE at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala honoring Barbra Streisand in Los Angeles on Friday night, where she performed "Come Rain or Come Shine" with Jeff Beck and Bebe Winans. "But it's kind of chill. We’re taking it as it comes and planning as it comes." Leann Rimes Wedding Planning

Gary Shirley Lose Weight - “Teen Mom’s” Gary Shirley is finally shedding that pesky extra weight. – no, not his baby mama – actual pounds! The 24-year-old father has reportedly enlisted the help of a personal trainer to assist him in his weight loss goals, according to TMZ. Gary, who has a 2-year-old daughter with infamous “Teen Mom” participant Amber Portwood, has always wanted to lose weight, but has reportedly been inspired to make it happen now that he’s back with Amber, according to the site. A source for the site claims Gary is utilizing the Subway diet to cut calories, as well as eliminating fried food and junk food, and not eating late at night. As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, Amber Portwood, 20, has faced legal troubles in recent months as she was seen kicking and punching Gary on the hit MTV reality series while their daughter, Leah, was in the room, and was subsequently charged with two felony counts and one misdemeanor count of domestic violence and ...