Jenna's Hollywood Report





Today's Show...
A tense situation hitting very close to home.  Jenna followed the developements of the Maersk Alabama based here in Norfolk.  The ship was hijacked by Somali pirates yesterday but was quickly retaken by the crew...although the ships captain surrendered himself to the pirates in exchange for the safety of his crew...We have the very latest for you below courtesy of CNN


The U.S. Navy is keeping close watch on a tense situation off the coast of Somalia, where pirates are holding the captain of a U.S. cargo ship hostage.
 
A U.S. warship, the USS Bainbridge, arrived at the scene early Thursday. 

Pirates briefly hijacked the cargo ship Wednesday, before the American crew retook control. The crew members say four pirates are still holding the American captain hostage on a lifeboat.

Ken Quinn, the ship's second mate, told CNN the crew released a pirate in their custody, in a bid to free their captain, but that this did not work.

The 17,000-ton container vessel Maersk Alabama was seized off the coast of Somalia's northern Puntland region, about 450 kilometers southeast of the town of Eyl.


Clinton: US following developments very closely

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States is deeply concerned about the hijacking and is following it very closely. She said the world must come together to end what she called "the scourge of piracy."

The U.S. company Maersk Line which owns and operates the ship is a subsidiary of Denmark's A.P. Moller-Maersk.

The ship was the sixth vessel seized in the region within a week but it was the first American-registered vessel to be hijacked by the pirates operating off the coast of East Africa.

Ship was carrying emergency food aid to Kenya

The ship was carrying emergency food aid to Mombasa, Kenya. A spokesman for the U.N. food agency, Nairobi-based Peter Smerdon, said the cargo includes 990-tons of vegetable oil and more than 4,000 metric tons of corn-soya blend.

The United States and other nations deployed warships near Somalia late last year in an effort to stop pirates from seizing ships, but pirates appear to be venturing further out to sea to avoid the naval patrols.

Somali pirates have seized more than 50 ships over the past 18 months, sometimes receiving multi-million dollar payments for their release.

The pirates, who operate from bases on Somalia's east coast, are currently holding more than a dozen ships and their crews.


Keep listening for more information...and check with our TV partners, Newschannel 3, for the very latest.


Jenna is not sure who to hold responsible for this...The teenager and parents are both at fault.  But learn from their mistakes. In one month, a Colorado teenager sent 10,000 text messages and received about the same - all while her family's plan did NOT include texting! 

That means the family's provider - Verizon - charged them for each incoming and outgoing text.

The girl's parents, Gregg and Jaylene Christoffersen, thought texting had been disabled, so one can imagine their surprise when they got the monthly phone bill and it asked for $4,756.25. Assuming is VERY dangerous...Go to the friggin' store and WATCH the sales associate disable the text feature if you have to!   Here's what the parents said to a local tv station...



"It just hit us like a rock, like you're stepping into a bus," Gregg Christoffersen said.


Mad dad smashes cell phone


Dena Christoffersen, 13, had apparently been sending most of these messages at school. That's more than 300 texts within an eight-hour period every day for the whole month.

Needless to say, it drew attention away from what she should have been doing: paying attention in class.

"She went from As and Bs one semester to Fs in two months," Dena's dad said.

Hours after the enormous bill arrived, Gregg Christoffersen took a hammer to his daughter's phone.
 


He and Jaylene also grounded Dena until the end of school.

"I felt really bad and I have learned my lesson," Dena said with her head down.

Since she lost her phone, Dena's grades have gone up and the texting is down to zero.

As for the phone bill, the family says Verizon has been willing to knock it down to a reasonable level.

The Christoffersens are now asking school administrators at Johnson Junior High School to crack down on texting during school hours.







Wednesday April 8
Jenna loves TV pitchman Billy Mays.  We think it's Billy's yelling that does it for Jenna...



So...Jenna wonders if one of Billy's products will get the Easter egg dye off her hands.  It's pretty gross.  You can see her yucky hands on her blog page, if you dare!  We think Jenna should invent a cleaner for this type of job and go on Billy's new TV show "Pitchman"...yes, Billy has his own series now.  It's getting out of hand.  See for yourself.


Billy Mays gets his own reality show

Everyone's favorite informercial pitch man is getting his own reality show on The Discovery Channel. It's called Pitchman, and will follow Mays and Anthony Sullivan as they find new products and pitch them to you.


If this is a success, maybe we'll see a show with ShamWow guy Vince as a private eye.



I don't think we'll see Vince getting his own show, thanks to that run-in with the lady of the night in Miami!  Or maybe, how about a deathmatch? We'd love to see that!




DEATHMATCH: Billy Mays vs. Vince ShamWow





I couldn't resist this...I  had some fun with a couple of bizzare 911 calls...




We thought you might want to read this article about weening yourself off of caffine...It's a tough fight...but worth fighting.


Beware the perils of caffeine withdrawal

Susan Todd loves her daily coffee fix. "I can drink four or five cups, easily, comfortably," said Todd, 59, of Clinton Township, Michigan.


But if she skips her regular dose of caffeine, Todd warned, watch out.

"I feel lousy all over. It's not that anything hurts," she explained. "I just feel sluggish, and a cup of caffeine will cure that."

Todd is among the estimated 80 to 90 percent of North American adults and children who consume caffeine products every day. Experts estimate about half that number will experience headaches and other symptoms from caffeine withdrawal syndrome.

There are a number of reasons why someone might need to reduce or stop their daily caffeine intake. Experts tell pregnant women not to consume more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day (about one 12-ounce cup of coffee). Caffeinated products are not recommended for people who are prone to panic attacks or those who suffer from anxiety. Some surgical patients may also experience the symptoms of caffeine withdrawal syndrome on the day of surgery, because they are told not to eat or drink anything.

Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, recognized the condition as a disorder five years ago after reviewing decades of studies. They concluded the higher the caffeine intake, the more likely a patient was to suffer from severe withdrawal symptoms when denied the ingredient.
 
Researchers also reported that some caffeine users considered themselves addicted to caffeine because they were unable to quit or cut down on their usage.

Michael Kuhar, chief of the division of neuroscience at the Yerkes National Primate Research Center at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, prefers to use the word "dependent" rather than "addicted." Even though he called caffeine a drug, Kuhar wouldn't go so far as saying it has reached the status of cocaine or heroin.

According to Kuhar, caffeine is a mild stimulant. "If you take a cup of caffeine you're likely to feel good and energized," he said.

Miss that cup of "Joe" or can of cola and don't be surprised if you start feeling funny, Kuhar warned. He said some people complain of "headache, fatigue, sleepiness, inability to focus and concentrate." Others report experiencing flu- like symptoms, irritability, depression and anxiety after skipping as little as one cup of coffee a day.

Kuhar explained that caffeine blocks receptors in the brain that can dilate blood vessels causing headaches. "Withdrawal symptoms can start from 12 to 20 hours after your last cup of coffee and peak about two days later and can last about as long as a week," Kuhar added.

It is not just coffee that can lead to caffeine withdrawal. While a 6-ounce cup of brewed coffee contains about 100 milligrams of caffeine, tea and cola have about 40 milligrams each, a bar of milk chocolate has about 10 milligrams and hot chocolate has about 7 milligrams.

He recommended that people who are motivated to give up caffeine, or cut back on consumption, do so very carefully. "The thing to do is what we do with so many drugs -- basically you wean yourself off slowly," Kuhar suggested. "That doesn't mean it is going to be easy at every step, but it should be easier than going cold turkey."

Johns Hopkins researchers also endorsed a stepped approach to quitting caffeine. They instruct patients to gradually substitute decaffeinated products or noncaffeinated products over time in order to reduce the likelihood of experiencing withdrawal symptoms.

Kuhar suggested the process also can begin with reducing caffeine consumption by a half to a whole cup a day.


Technology consultant Skeet Spillane, 42, of St. Petersburg, Florida, started a step-down program after years of consuming up to three cups of coffee each day. He felt he was "drinking way too much caffeine."


Spillane said he knew right away that he was suffering from caffeine withdrawal when he started getting severe headaches. His wife told him he was cranky most of the time.

He now drinks tea instead, and occasionally sneaks a cup of coffee. Looking back, Spillane admitted going through withdrawal was "tough for a while," but he's feeling better these days and he's glad he's not so dependent on caffeine.





Tuesday April 7
I was confused by President Obama's comments yesterday in Turkey.  First, check out this report and then listen to the audio comments and see if you agree.



Obama to Muslim world: US not at war with Islam


 

President Barack Obama, second left, and his Turkish counterpart Abdullah Gul, left, review a guard of honour during a welcoming ceremony at the Cankaya presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Monday, April 6, 2009. Obama paid tribute to the memory of modern Turkey's founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk on Monday as he reached out for for help to wind down the war in Iraq and bring stability to the Middle East



ANKARA, Turkey  — Declaring the U.S. "is not and never will be at war with Islam," President Barack Obama worked Monday to mend frayed ties with NATO ally Turkey and improve relations with the larger Muslim world.

Obama acknowledged still-raw tensions over the Iraq war but said Muslims worldwide have little in common with terrorists such as al-Qaida and have much to gain in opposing them. Reaching out, he also spoke of Muslim connections in his own background.

"We seek broader engagement based upon mutual interest and mutual respect," Obama said in a speech to Turkey's Parliament.

It was his first visit to a predominantly Islamic nation as president, and he struck a balance between extending a hand to Muslims in general and discussing Turkey's central role in helping to bring stability to a post-war Iraq and the wider Middle East.

"Our partnership with the Muslim world is critical, not just in rolling back the violent ideologies that people of all faiths reject but also to strengthen opportunity for all its people," he said. He portrayed terrorist groups such as al-Qaida as extremists far removed from the vast majority of Muslims.

Turkey has NATO's largest Army after the U.S., but relations between the two countries soured after the 2003 invasion of Iraq, which the Turks opposed. Turkey barred U.S. forces from going through its country to attack Iraq.

Now, however, since Obama is withdrawing troops, Turkey has become more cooperative.

Sharing parts of its southern border with Iraq, Turkey's role in maintaining security will be pivotal after U.S. combat troops are gone, despite the Turks' lingering problems with Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. Turkey also has important leverage with both Afghanistan and Pakistan and has served as a broker between Israel and several Arab states.

"Turkey's greatness lies in your ability to be at the center of things. This is not where East and West divide — this is where they come together," Obama said.

He acknowledged hard feelings over Iraq. "I know that strain is shared in many places where the Muslim faith is practiced. So let me say this as clearly as I can: The United States is not and will never be at war with Islam."

Obama's visit was closely watched by an Islamic world that harbored deep distrust of his predecessor, George W. Bush.

Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya, two of the biggest Arabic satellite channels, carried his remarks live.

The president invoked his own heritage: "The United States has been enriched by Muslim Americans. Many other Americans have Muslims in their family, or have lived in a Muslim-majority country. I know, because I am one of them."

Obama's Kenyan father and grandfather were Muslims, and he spent time as a child in Indonesia, the country with the world's largest Muslim population.

The president spoke for about 25 minutes from a small white-marble-and-teak rostrum in the well of a vast, airy chamber packed with Turkish lawmakers in orange leather chairs.

Except for a few instances of polite applause, the room was quiet during his speech. There was a more hearty ovation toward the end when Obama said the U.S. supports the Turkish government's battle against the Kurdish rebel group PKK, which both nations consider a terrorist group, and again when he said America was not at war with Islam. Lawmakers also applauded when Obama said the United States supports Turkey's bid to join the European Union.

Ankara and Istanbul were the final scheduled stops on Obama's eight-day international tour. He began by attending the Group of 20 economic summit in London, then he celebrated NATO's 60th anniversary in Strasbourg, France, and visited the Czech Republic for a summit of European Union leaders.

Turkey is a member of both the G-20 and NATO and is trying to get into the EU with the help of the U.S.

"Some people have asked me if I chose to continue my travels to Ankara and Istanbul to send a message," Obama said. "My answer is simple: Evet. Yes. Turkey is a critical ally. Turkey is an important part of Europe. And Turkey and the United States must stand together — and work together — to overcome the challenges of our time."

Obama's strong support for Turkish membership in the EU, which he reiterated on Sunday at the meeting in Prague, has chagrined some U.S. allies, including France and Germany, which contend America has no say in the matter.

Obama acknowledged the point, but said he was speaking "as a friend" of both Europe and Turkey.

"Turkey is bound to Europe by more than bridges over the Bosporus. Centuries of shared history, culture and commerce bring you together," he said. "And Turkish membership would broaden and strengthen Europe's foundation once more."

Obama began the day paying tribute to the memory of modern Turkey's founding father. "I'm honored to pay tribute to his name," Obama said at wreath-laying ceremony during a morning visit to the tomb of Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

In his later remarks to Parliament, Obama said Ataturk's "greatest legacy is Turkey's strong and secular democracy, and that is the work that this assembly carries on today."

He also met, separately, with President Abdullah Gul and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan,

In a news conference with Gul, Obama stood by his 2008 assertion that Ottoman Turks carried out widespread killings of Armenians early in the 20th century. But he stopped short of repeating the word "genocide" that he has used.

"Well, my views are on the record and I have not changed views," Obama said.

Historians estimate that up to 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks in the years leading up to and during World War I, event viewed by many scholars as the first genocide of the 20th century. Turkey denies that the deaths constituted genocide, claiming the toll has been inflated and the casualties were victims of civil war and unrest.

On the sidelines of a dinner Monday night, Obama huddled with the foreign ministers of Turkey, Armenia and Switzerland, said a senior White House official. Obama commended their efforts to bring about normalized Turkish-Armenian relations and urged them to complete the talks "with dispatch," the official said.

In his speech to Parliament — formally the Turkish Grand National Assembly — Obama said, "History, unresolved, can be a heavy weight. Each country must work through its past. And reckoning with the past can help us seize a better future."

"I say this as the president of a country that not too long ago made it hard for someone who looks like me to vote. But it is precisely that capacity to change that enriches our countries," said America's first black president.

Turkey maintains a small military force in Afghanistan, part of the NATO contingent working with U.S. troops to beat back the resurgent Taliban and deny al-Qaida a safe haven along lawless stretches of the Afghan-Pakistan border.

Turkey's participation carries enormous symbolic importance to the Muslim world. It has offered to help the U.S. train and support Afghan security forces.

In his news conference with Gul, Obama addressed the rift in U.S. and Turkish relations over Iraq. "I do not think they ever deteriorated so far that we ceased to be friends and allies. What I hope to do is build on what is already a strong foundation," he said.


Jenna sounds off...



What do you think?      jenna@2wd.com







Monday April 6
We're not sure what this guy was thinking. He simply wasn't.  This happened in Washington state late last week. This gives a whole new meaning to parents behaving badly.






And more parents behaving badly.  This time it's Levi Johnston...talking trash later today on The Tyra Banks show. Levi is the daddy to Bristol Palin's baby.  As you may know, Bristol kicked him to the curb last month, and Levi is upset about it.  This kid, as well as his mother, should not go anywhere near microphones!



No need to watch.  You'll feel dumber if you do!


Tips...

Here's an interesting take on dating co-workers.  This appears in the latest issue of Men's Health

Office Romance Survival Skills

Yes, you can date your coworker. Just do so very carefully, and understand the potential repercussions.



Most men avoid dating colleagues for fear of what'd happen if things went sour, a survey shows. But hey, a coworker knows your pain, is on your schedule, and livens up lunch. So go for it. But make sure you ...

1. Transition well
Sharing an elevator the morning after a hot bedroom session? Awkward — and potentially damaging. According to a 2008 survey in Human Nature, women are far more likely to have morning-after regrets than men are, especially if they fear that the first hookup will also be the last.

Manage it: "Pick up with the same inside jokes you had before you hooked up," says Anna David, relationship expert on G4's Attack of the Show! You always had a good rapport, so show her that hasn't changed.

2. Quash rumors
Fear of gossip thwarts many potential courtships, according to a recent corporate survey. Still, 66 percent of participants in another poll said that once they're involved, they don't worry about secrecy.

Manage it: Timing is key. "Simply showing up together for drinks after work should transmit information without a lot of unnecessary drama," says Stephanie Losee, coauthor, with Helaine Olen, of Office Mate. "When questions come up, answer simply. Limit the details. Coworkers don't want to know more, anyway."

3. Forget work
"People who share battle scars can mistake themselves for romantic partners," says Olen. But talking shop during that getting-to-know-ya time will lead nowhere fast.

Manage it: "Give yourselves a 10-minute time limit for work chatter, and move on," says Leil Lowndes, author of How to Talk to Anyone. To grow close, you need shared experiences outside the cubicle. Do things that fuel conversation, like seeing a good movie or taking a short trip.

4. Tell your boss
Nobody wants a heart-to-heart in the corner office, but the boss will hear the news eventually. It really should come from you.

Manage it: "Use the meet-the-parents test," says Daniel Pink, author of The Adventures of Johnny Bunko: The Last Career Guide You'll Ever Need. "If it's serious enough for you to introduce her to your parents, tell your boss, too." Losee suggests that the more senior staffer deliver the news. Say simply that you wanted to be open about it, and stress that your work won't be affected. "Do not walk into the boss's office together," says Losee. "It's infantilizing."

5. Let her be charming
It's hard to watch any woman you're sleeping with flirt with another guy — even if, in most cases, it's just the usual office banter.

Manage it: A 2008 study in the Journal of Economic Psychology found that pretty women earn 7 percent to 12 percent more than their less-attractive counterparts. If she can make her looks work for her, who are you to stop it? But make her feel more confident about your feelings for her, David says. If she knows where she stands with you, she may treat others differently.

6. Recover quietly
Only a third of office romances go long-term, so don't be shocked if it ends. If you're a snot about your breakup, coworkers could (and honestly, should) take your ex's side.

Manage it: "Save arguments for after 5 p.m., away from the office. And never, ever punch office property," quips Emma Taylor (a.k.a. Em of Em & Lo), coauthor of Buh Bye: The Ultimate Guide to Dumping and Getting Dumped. If the split seems small in the office, your colleagues won't know any better: They'll just think things fizzled. It happens.











and don't forget, Jenna has tons of free Fun Cards for you all next week :)





It's tax season.  And if you do some work at home, whatever little you do, you might be able to write it off...



Work from home? Tips on tax deductions
If you use a part of your home for business, you may have some tax breaks


Whether you are self-employed or an employee, if you use a portion of your home for business, you might be able to deduct the associated costs.

A home office deduction is generally easier for self-employed individuals to claim. But even then, the Internal Revenue Service has certain requirements a taxpayer must meet.

First, your home office area must be used regularly and exclusively for your business needs. You can't set up a computer in your den, sporadically type invoices and claim that room as your home office.
 
Secondly, the business part of your home must be either your principal place of business or where you meet or deal with patients, clients or customers in the normal course of your business. A separate, detached structure such as a garage or guesthouse that is used for business also may qualify as a home office.

A few years ago, the IRS broadened the business activities that can be considered in determining whether a home office is a taxpayer's principal place of business. Now, if a home office is used exclusively and regularly for the administrative or management activities of your business, it also qualifies.

Such things as billing operations, keeping your books and records, ordering supplies or setting up appointments qualify as administrative duties. Be careful here. The IRS cautions that your home location must be the only place where you can fulfill these responsibilities.

Recently, a tax court ruling allowed one work-from-home taxpayer to claim a deduction for proportionate use of some home space. Some tax watchers think this decision might provide a foundation for other similar claims, so keep your eyes open and stay in touch with your tax adviser as to any changes in this regard. For now, though, the exclusive use of a home's space is the rule when it comes to deducting your home office.

If you are an employee who also works at home, you must meet the same home office standards as do self-employed taxpayers. However, as an employee, your use of a home office to do your job must be for your employer's convenience.

There are no hard-and-fast rules when determining whether your home's business use is for your employer's convenience. It depends on all the facts and circumstances.

A common case where this tax-deduction requirement applies, for example, is if your company does not provide you space at its location. However, having a home office simply because it makes things easier for you and your boss generally won't pass IRS home-office muster.

 
If you meet all the requirements to claim a home office, some of the expenses you can deduct include a portion of your real estate taxes, deductible mortgage interest, rent, utilities, insurance, depreciation, painting and repairs. The total amount you can deduct depends on the percentage of your home used for business. Your deduction will be limited if your income from your business is less than all your business expenses.

Self-employed taxpayers need Form 8829 to figure the home-office deduction. They then must report this amount on Schedule C.

Employees can use the work sheet found in IRS Publication 587, Business Use of Your Home to calculate allowable expenses. The costs then are claimed as itemized deductions on Schedule A. The example on Pages 19 and 20 of Publication 587 details how an employee would claim itemized home-office deductions.