 By Mockarena | Monday, 06/17/2013
Do y'all remember that painfully awkward and now infamous answer given to a pageant question by Miss Teen South Carolina some years ago? Here's a refresher in case you missed it the first time around.
So last night, Miss USA was crowned, and I don't know who won because I think pageants are completely stupid, but I heard on the radio this morning that Miss Utah has officially let Miss Teen South Carolina off the hook, because here's how she answered her question:
Listening to that caused me Actual Physical Pain. I also thought the question was interesting since Daisy and I just had a big ole discussion about the wage gap on the radio this past Saturday. If you missed that discussion, you should check out the podcast right here. It's in Hour One, and within the first half hour. And I'm happy to report that we didn't sound anything like these two beauty queens. Like such as. Because education. http://chicksontheright.com/posts/item/24357-miss-south-carolina-is-probably-so-happy-right-now
 Australia has been ranked the world's happiest nation among developed economies for the third year running.
Australia ranked 'happiest' developed nation again. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22...
World's Happiest Countries 2013: Australia Takes Top Spot For Developed Nations, Report Says. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05...
By Chris Morris | Plugged In
Monopoly is one of the most beloved board games of all time, so you'd think we'd all know how to play it correctly. Turns out we don't. Perhaps because so many people learn the game from their parents, siblings and friends, no one has bothered to read the actual rules for a while. But according to an old blog post dug up by Buzzfeed, reading the rules actually changes the game in a big way. You know how envious you get when a competitor lands on a killer property? It’s misplaced. As it turns out, should a player land on a property and decide not to buy it, that property is supposed to immediately go up for auction to the other players. "Whenever you land on an unowned property you may buy that property from the Bank at its printed price," read the official rules. "You receive the Title Deed card showing ownership; place it face-up in front of you. If you do not wish to buy the property, the Banker sells it at auction to the highest bidder. The buyer pays the Bank the amount of the bid in cash and receives the Title Deed card for that property. Any player, including the one who declined the option to buy it at the printed price, may bid. Bidding may start at any price." That oft-ignored rule not only livens up the game’s slow pace, it adds a strategic layer to a game that most people believe is based primarily on the luck of the die. Of course, the property auction isn’t the only Monopoly rule that’s routinely ignored. Ever get a loan from another player, or even the bank (with the exception of a property mortgage)? Nope...not allowed. Run out of houses or hotels, so you've 'imported' them from another copy of the game lying around? Sorry. That's a no-no, too. Still claiming money when you land on Free Parking? That’s actually not in the rule books at all (technically, landing on Free Parking does absolutely nothing). It goes without saying, though, that part of the fun of Monopoly -- or any board game, for that matter -- is customizing the rules to fit your particular interests/time limits, so don't let these ruin the fun. But whichever rules you choose to play by, you won’t be doing it with the iron. In February the company jettisoned the long-running game token in favor of a cat. Too bad there wasn’t a rule against that.
By Jeff Schiller Finally… Marvel Studios want The Rock in a movie. Fans have begged for pro-wrestlers to get involved in the Marvel superhero movie factory and now the biggest superhero company seems to be on board.
Ken Feige had this to say about The Rock in a Marvel film…“His name has come up in the past. I’m a gigantic fan of his. I think he`s incredible. I might have met him once a long time ago, but I haven`t really met him. I don`t really know him, but I think he`s an unbelievable personality and an unbelievable sort of force of nature. He`s awesome in `Pain & Gain`. He was great in `G.I. Joe`. He`s really kind of an amazing human being. His Twitter`s always cool and he promotes the hell out of everything he does. I would love him to be part of the Marvel universe somewhere, someday. There’s an endless list of comic characters that The Rock would be well suited to play on the big screen. Here are our top five choices.  Namor the Submariner
Much like The Hulk, Namor has been on both sides of The Avengers. Sometimes he's a babyface, sometimes he's a heel. The Rock could slide right in, and play the villain of 'The Avengers 2', but then return as an ally for the third film.
This is the kind of character who The Rock could inject new life into, and a solo film franchise would be a must.
We're surprised Namor hasn't hit the big screen yet, but perhaps Marvel was waiting for an actor with the mainstream appeal of The Rock. A Marvel film with special effects to look like Atlantis could be monumental.
 Goliath You could probably call Goliath a "C" character when it comes to members of The Avengers. His biggest claim to fame was dying during Marvel's Civil War, which pit all the superheroes against one another, lead separately by Iron Man and Captain America. Goliath's ability to grow huge isn't far off from The Rock's own ability, but it takes far less meals for Goliath to pull of the feat. We doubt Goliath would be worth a movie franchise of his own, but he could be "The one who dies" in 'The Avengers 2'. The Rock is a bit bigger of a movie name to kill off than Clark Gregg/Agent Coulson.
 Hercules
Hercules isn't the most interesting character that Marvel has, but The Rock could easily play the brute in an ensemble superhero film.
Hercules in Marvel comics is exactly the same as Hercules in every other form of literature. The best part about Herc is how he speaks in a wacky old-timey English dialect, and we'd love to see Duane Johnson trying not to do that in a laughable manner.
Rock is already built like the half-son of a Greek God, so it's not much of a stretch that he could fit the role, but I do question Rock's ability to grow a beard. You can't play Hercules without a beard, but perhaps a funny fake beard would compliment the goofy accent.
 Black Bolt
Black Bolt's voice is more powerful than all of the other superheros on this list combined. It's so powerful that he can't even speak to his normal friends, and thus, The Rock would have the easiest time collecting a paycheck ever. He probably wouldn't pull an ab or anything.
Instead of an Avengers film, The Rock could play Black Bolt in an Illuminati crossover film. Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man, Patrick Stewart as Professor X, The Rock as Black Bolt and Namor (one masked, one obviously not), and then you only have to fill-out a few more roster spots (Dr. Strange, Black Panther).
Black Bolt is one of those characters we've always wanted to see on the big screen, but he's not exactly the most premiere choice for a new Superhero franchise. The Rock could get it over, even without talking, though.
 Moon Knight
Moon Knight is a boxer turned Marine turned mercenary turned rich guy turned superhero. The story isn't simple, but it's made for film.
The Moon Knight could easily be Marvel's newest Batman, if The Rock was in the role. It would take some serious range on the part of Duane, as Moon Knight is an insane person.
The best thing about a Moon Knight movie would be that the majority of non-comic book fans are unaware of his origin, unlike Spiderman, which we've seen done numerous times in movies and cartoons.
The Rock could take Moon Knight into a top tier character with his own personal popularity, and a fun story.
 By Bruce Horovitz, USA Today Wendy's is keeping mum about its plans for a pretzel burger, but the item is already becoming the buzz of fast food. Wendy's has a twist on burgers that's not yet for sale, but it's already getting buzz as one of 2013's most innovative fast food offerings: a pretzel burger. More specifically, the Pretzel Bacon Cheeseburger. Whether this premium product rolls out this summer -—- or next fall — is anyone's guess. Wendy's won't say — declining to discuss the pretzel burger until its national introduction. "We're not sharing details of this sandwich today," says spokesman Denny Lynch, in an e-mail. "It's not in any of our restaurants." But new products are the life-blood of fast-food, and Wendy's, formerly the industry leader in product innovation, could regain its claim to that crown with a serious hit. This upcoming burger — made with a soft-pretzel-like roll — has some fast food experts fawning. "This could be a very, very big deal," says Christopher Muller, professor of hospitality at Boston University's School of Hospitality Administration. "I don't know why, but there's nothing else on the market quite like it." If it's a hit, he says, others are guaranteed to follow. Pretzels are totally on-trend, notes Mark Brandau, senior editor at Nation's Restaurant News. The trend actually began at some casual dining restaurants and is working its way down to fast food, he says. Several years ago, Blimpies rolled out a line of subs made with pretzel bread. And throughout much of Europe — particularly Germany — pretzel rolls of all kinds are extremely popular, Muller says. One research analyst, Mark Kalinowski, of Janney Capital Markets, is so hot on the product that in a research note May 24, he upgraded Wendy's stock to "buy" from neutral based on reports that — in test market — it was one of Wendy's top-selling limited-time offerings in decades. For Wendy's, a return to a leadership role in new product roll-outs would be huge. For decades, Wendy's products — from burgers to salads — were mimicked by the competition before its new product engine seemed to stall under a cascade of new executives. More recently, Wendy's seems to be focusing on premium bread as a way to separate itself from the competition. Earlier this year, the chain rolled out a Grilled Chicken Flatbread sandwich as a limited time offering. While the pretzel burger may initially be introduced as a limited-time offering, it's not unusual for fast-food chains to add these limited-time items to permanent menus if sales take off. The pretzel burger, which was previously test marketed in the Miami area, will face one major headwind: value pricing. The burger is expected to be premium priced, but price-conscious fast-food consumers currently seem bent on lower-priced value items. Witness McDonald's recent decision to nix its line of Angus burgers. Even then, Muller says, a well-made and well-marketed pretzel burger could do for Wendy's this year what the wildly-successful roll-out of the Doritos Locos Tacos did for Taco Bell last year. "Wendy's hasn't had a new product like this forever." http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/business/2013/05/29/wendys-pretzel-bacon-cheeseburger-fast-food/2370301/
 By Elise Sole, Shine Staff | Fashion Only a year after a stylist who works with Victoria's Secret on its annual fashion show deemed supermodel Kate Upton's look "too obvious" for her to walk the runway, Upton appears in the latest Victoria's Secret catalog, according to a recent Buzzfeed story. Although it's the second time Upton has modeled for the catalog (her first shoot was in 2011), stylist Sophia Neophitou, a fashion industry veteran worked who has helped cast past Victoria's Secret fashion shows, told The New York Times in February 2012 that Upton's crossover potential from lad mag model to fashion icon was dubious. She said, "We would never use" Upton for a Victoria's Secret show. "She's like a Page 3 girl," said Neophitou, in reference to the curvy women often featured in The Sun, a British tabloid. “She’s like a footballer’s wife, with the too-blond hair and that kind of face that anyone with enough money can go out and buy.” Soon after, Upton responded to Neophitou's comments by telling "Access Hollywood" in an interview, "I’m doing fine in my career, I don't need to walk down their runway so it's all good. She can think that and I can think whatever I want about her." However, judging by the latest Victoria's Secret catalog (which, The Cut notes may be a recycled image from Upton's 2011 shoot) in which Upton appears on the back cover wearing a black Body by Victoria bra, it appears the 20-year-old supermodel and the lingerie company have called a truce—and the Internet is buzzing about it. "Victoria's Secret had a change of heart" tweeted The Cut. "Kate Upton models for Victoria's Secret—one year after the VS fashion show casting director majorly bashed her," wrote Fashionista. And Vogue UK tweeted, "Nice to see that Kate Upton doesn't hold a grudge" and "Victoria's Secret succumbs to the Kate Effect."
 Not long ago, Kate Upton was best known as a sex symbol, rather than a fashion force to be reckoned with. She first came to fame in a viral video, dancing to Cali Swag District's song "Teach Me How to Dougie" at a Los Angeles Clippers game in 2011. Her YouTube influence was solidified a year later with another video shot by photographer Terry Richardson. Despite Richardson's fashion credibility, the video was largely remembered for Upton's skimpy bikini and dance move called the "Cat Daddy." YouTube banned the video because it violated the website's policy on nudity and sexual content but it had by then, it had amassed close to 750,000 views in the first 24 hours. Cut to Upton appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated's famous swimsuit issue in February of that year— an honor typically reserved for more well-known beauties such as Heidi Klum and Elle Macpherson—a GQ cover on which she sucked seductively on a popsicle, and a second Sport's Illustrated cover this past February wearing only an unzipped parka that revealed her cleavage. Judging by Upton's resume, it seemed unlikely that she could crossover into high fashion. But Upton's trajectory has been anything but predictable. Her career has coincided with a magazine industry in flux, and a backlash against stick thin cover girls—both may have been factors in her emergence on the women's fashion scene. Upton's debut on the cover of Vogue Italia in November 2012, British Vogue in January, and a U.S. Vogue cover in May, have all solidified her role as high fashion's new heroine. "Kate Upton's look is a return to the 90's supermodel when curvier models such as Cindy Crawford, Tyra Banks, and Heidi Klum ruled the runway," Fashionista's editorial director, Leah Chernikoff, tells Yahoo! Shine. "You'll see some models successfully straddle the line between Victoria's Secret and high fashion— Karlie Kloss and Chanel Iman are two examples—but it's rare." Upton deserves a heaping of the credit. Her Twitter account boasts almost 1 million followers and sparked a nationwide debate about weight and positive body image after a blogger made absurd comments about the supermodel being overweight. That was in 2012, the same year Neophitou balked at the idea of Upton walking the Victoria's Secret runway. But in 2013, it doesn't seem that unlikely after all. A rep for Victoria's Secret declined to comment, but fashion insiders are already speculating Upton's catalog appearance could lead to a full-fledged deal as a VS Angel. "Kate Upton seems like a great fit for Victoria's Secret because not only is the company is known for exhibiting a curvier body type, they're a fun, sexy brand that encourages their models to have tons of personality," says Chernikoff. "You'll see the models walk the runway, flirting with the audience and the camera, blowing kisses, and smiling, a rare move in the fashion world. In fact, Upton has potential to be a successful Angel."
Hobbs, Toretto, and O'Conner better watch their backs in 'Fast 7'! (Photo: Universal)
By Meriah Doty | Movie Talk
The massively popular "Fast & Furious" series has amassed more than $1.5 billion to date, and shows no sign of slowing down. Lately, the trick to keeping the track roaring has been adding teasers just after the credits start, hinting at the thrills ahead.
In “Fast 6” that tradition continues with one very big reveal.
SPOILER ALERT!
If you follow the series you know the third installment, "Tokyo Drift" takes place after "Fast" 4, 5, and 6. Why do we know this? For one, Han (Sung Kang), who died in the third "Fast," is alive in the latter three installments.
After the credits roll in "Fast 6," we see Han die all over again. Same race in Japan, same car flip. And now we can finally map out the chronology of the series: "Fast" 1, "Fast" 2, skip to "Fast" 4, "Fast" 5, "Fast" 6, back to "Fast" 3 (that pesky "Tokyo Drift"), and then forward to "Fast" 7 (coming out next year).
Han’s killer has never been revealed, but at last all is told.
Han dies after a mysterious Mercedes-Benz sideswipes his car, causing it to flip. And guess who gets out of the stealthy car to check Han's lifeless corpse?
SUPERMASSIVE SPOILER ALERT!!!
 Ian Shaw, played by none other than British action star Jason Statham (portraying the brother of the "Fast 6" super-villain known simply as Shaw, played by Luke Evans). Evans's character dies at the hands of the "Fast" crew in the sixth installment, out now. Statham's man is clearly avenging his brother's death. The series has come full circle. And Han's death is, at last, explained. Of course, if you check the IMDb page for "Fast & Furious 7," you'll see Statham's name at the top of the credits listing for the character Ian Shaw and that the film is in preproduction. For fans of the series, this is a huge development. Now we get to ponder a "Fast" installment with yet another huge personality added to the mix, with Statham joining The Rock, Vin Diesel, and Rodriguez. This isn't the first time the series has showcased a big reveal after the end of a film. The post-credits scene in "Fast & Furious 5" blew everyone's mind when U.S. customs agent Monica Fuentes (Eva Mendes) handed Hobbs (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson) a very interesting file. The big reveal: Letty (Michelle Rodriguez) was alive! (She was believed to have been murdered by way of a fiery car crash in the fourth installment.) While Mendes doesn't appear in "Fast 6" – in which a very much alive-yet-confused Letty emerges – another revealing post-credits scene does. Director James Wan, known best for his long-running "Saw" horror franchise, has taken over the series from Justin Lin. And he has his work cut out for him when it comes to balancing all these big players, ahem, drivers.
 By Bryan Enk | Movie Talk Comic book collectors, be prepared to go Hulk-green with envy. David Gonzalez stumbled across one Super-sized bonus check when he discovered a copy of "Action Comics" #1 in the wall of his house in Elbow Lake, Minnesota, according to UPI.com. The remodeler -- and now one of the luckiest men alive -- found the extremely rare comic book amongst old newspapers that had been used to insulate the wall of the abandoned home that was built in 1938 (the year Superman made his first appearance in print). Gonzalez bought the house for $10,100; the comic is worth at least ten times that much. "Action Comics" #1 was published 75 years ago last month and featured the first appearance of several superhero characters, most notably Superman, created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. "Action Comics" is today dedicated almost exclusively to Superman stories, but in its early days as a predecessor of DC Comics it was an anthology book -- and is considered the publication that gave birth to the "superhero" genre in general. The first "Superman" comic book adventure was 13 pages long, detailing the story of baby Superman being sent to Earth by his scientist father from a distant planet that was "destroyed by old age" through the discovery of his super-powers while at an orphanage and finally coming to maturity as a man named "Clark" who uses his abilities to fight criminals. Siegel & Shuster were paid $10 per page for this story, for a total of $130. Today, a copy of "Action Comics" #1 graded 9 out of 10 recently sold for over $2 million. Gonzalez said he wasn't quite as careful with the discovery as he should've been and accidentally tore the cover, which downgraded its condition from a 3 to a 1.5 out of 10. Nevertheless, the bid on auction site ComicConnect.com for this particular copy is up to over $113,000 as of Wednesday. The auction ends on Tuesday, June 11, three days before Superman returns to the big screen in Zack Snyder's " Man of Steel."
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