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What does Whitey Bulger look like now? Did the FBI composites come close?

ByRuby Turpin

It is silly to think that we amateurs get accurate information from the FBI when they are on the trail of a fugitive. They tell us what they think will do the job, and then change their story if they find another angle. I get it. But, there is a pretty big gap between what Whitey Bulger looks like in his newest mugshots and what the FBI told us he would look like, and it feels more like a mistake than a strategy. There is also a huge difference between the way Bulger and his girlfriend, Catherine Grieg have lived for the past 16 years and what we were told they were probably doing.

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BIO PHOTOS Meet Swamp People’s “Gator Queen” Liz Cavalier

ByRuby Turpin

Troy Landry may be King of the Swamp, but he isn’t the only royalty running alligator lines in the bayous around Pierre Part. In fact, he’s not even the only Swamp royal in his own boat! Rounding out Landry’s crew this season and handling most of the “chooting” is the Gator Queen herself, Liz Cavalier. Keep reading for Elizabeth’s amazing story that includes gator hunting trips before she was even off the bottle and the surprising truth about how she teamed up with Troy!

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Whitey Bulger Arrested in California after 16 years on the run, Daytime TV campaign worked

ByRuby Turpin

Never underestimate daytime TV and social networking. After putting Whitey Bulger near the top of their Most Wanted list for 16 years, the FBI just learned what Oprah has known all along: prime time is over rated. It only took the FBI’s innovative campaign, which included airing PSA’s during shows such as Dr. Oz and…

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FBI uses Daytime TV, Facebook, and girlfriend to find fugitive, Whitey Bulger

ByRuby Turpin

Although it sounds something like the plot of last year’s Johnny Depp/Angelina Jolie film, The Tourist, there’s nothing fictional about the FBI’s new strategy for warming up their cold case against Boston mobster, Whitey Bulger. Instead of going straight for Bulger, the FBI is focusing on his girlfriend, Catherine Elizabeth Grieg, who they think might not be in as deep a cover as Bulger and who they hope will lead them to the alleged big bad himself. (The 2006 Martin Scorcese film, The Departed, owes much to Bulger’s story.)

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Tobey Maguire and Alec Gores sued over illegal high stakes poker winnings

ByRuby Turpin

Lesson of the day: If you want to play in illegal high stakes poker games, make sure the guys on the other side of the table are playing with their own money. Hollywood’s own Tobey McGuire and businessman Alec Gores are learning this lesson the hard way right now, while Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Leonardo DiCaprio have never been happier to have walked away from the table a bit behind.

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Biggest Loser Courtney Crozier is Facebook Official, but not with Austin Andrews

ByRuby Turpin

Jillian Michael and Bob Harper might have been breaking bad habits this season on The Biggest Loser, but two of the show’s contestants were breaking hearts. Austin Andrews and Courtney Crozier charmed America during Season 11 with their youth, charm, and the energy for life that beamed from both of them as their pounds dropped off during the course of the show. And, according to both of them, they made a deep emotional connection. That’s code for “we’re dating, but we don’t want to talk about it,” right? Well . . . Maybe not.

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Jersey Shore calls Florence’s bluff, exposes big time party town?

ByRuby Turpin

Florence, Italy may well be the cultural capital of Europe. With art and architectural treasure comparable to Rome or Paris and a walkable central district smaller than some American mega-malls, Florence packs a serious cultural wallop. Add some of the best food and wine in the world and an ethereally beautiful countryside, and you have an unstoppable combination of attractions for practically anyone willing to apply for a passport and board a plane.

But, Florence is also a mecca for good-timing young folks from around the globe – a place where they can tell their parents about soaking in the likes of Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and da Vinci while actually spending all day and night soaking in the spirits of Brunello (wine) and house music at the disco. It’s a side of Florence vital to their economy, but not something the want to publicize – especially on, say, one of the most popular reality series in the world! Keep reading for our in-depth report from Ruby Turpin, our resident academic currently vacationing in Florence!

Was that really Eric Ripert’s Le Bernardin kitchen in HBO’s Treme?

ByRuby Turpin

As if great acting, great stories, and amazing music weren’t enough to make HBO’s Treme (now in its second season) worth watching, the producers have stirred a culinary plot line into the show and hired celebrity chef extraordinaire, Anthony Bourdain to help write it for them. Since the city of New Orleans is as much a character on the show as Davis or Ladonna or Antoine, it isn’t surprising to get glimpses into actual New Orleans restaurants; but, were the scenes in Eric Ripert’s famous New York seafood restaurant, Le Bernardin REALLY Le Bernardin?

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Did Rulon Gardner break his contract to Skip the Biggest Loser finale?

ByRuby Turpin

When Rulon Gardner left The Biggest Loser abruptly in the middle of the season even though he seemed to be poised to win the competition, I wasn’t as surprised as a lot of folks out there. And, once Rulon started talking and acting like he might try to make a comeback in competitive Greco-Roman wrestling, it made perfect sense for him not to want to go below his competition weight. But, Rulon’s decision not to show up for the Biggest Loser finale feels different. Rude, even. So, why did he do it?

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Congratulations Olivia Ward Biggest Loser Season 11 Winner! Before and after photos

ByRuby Turpin

Every year The Biggest Loser finale offers up some dramatic before an after shots of contestants who have lost unbelievable quantities of fat and built up impressive muscles. This season gave us all of that and a bit more with its winner, Olivia Ward.

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How did Lady Gaga top Oprah on the Forbes Celebrity 100 List?

ByRuby Turpin

When you look at the 2011 Forbes Celebrity rankings, the first thing that pops out at you is that Oprah isn’t on top and Gaga is. A little closer look at what put Gaga on top uncovers something very interesting about this year’s rankings. If you look at salaries, Oprah’s $290 million dwarfs Gaga’s measly $90 million. And when you look at the television ranking, Oprah is still number one. So, what gave Gaga the edge?

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Top Chef Masters Season 3 Episode 7 Recap: Taste Test, Date Night, Curtis Stone

ByRuby Turpin

Episode 7 of Season 3 of Top Chef Masters started with a taste test quickfire challenge, but not just a normal Top Chef taste test. These are the masters. These challenges have to be ridiculous. So . . . the taste test is really a “what can you do with one sense, alone” test. The first sense tested was taste, and the chefs had to wear headphones and noseplugs while they tasted things.

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Let the Games Begin: Jennifer Lawrence as Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games

ByRuby Turpin

Fans of Suzanne Collins’ Hunger Games trilogy weren’t so sure director Gary Ross got it right when he cast Jennifer Lawrence as the books’ surly heroine, Katniss Everdeen. Now we can stop speculating about how Lawrence will look as Katniss and make up our own minds about Ross’s casting decision. Here she is!

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Top Chef’s Suvir Saran’s Majorly Misunderstood Meat Mission

ByRuby Turpin

In a new comment, Suvir Saran does anything but back away the anti-meat rhetoric that contributed to his elimination from Top Chef Masters 3. In fact, he claims that we will all someday look back on his Top Chef tirade and recognize it as a major historical event! Keep reading to chow down on all that Saran served up in his lengthy tirade addendum!

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Biggest Losers Austin Andrews and Courtney Crozier Make Plans for Their Future

ByRuby Turpin

Neither Austin nor Courtney have said a word about becoming a couple, and all the talk about Austin’s finding love on the ranch this season has faded to a whisper; but, in an interview with this week, Austin talks about the connection that he and Courtney have, how they have been in touch since leaving the ranch, and how they are making plans for the future.

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Noodling comes to TV in Hillbilly Hand Fishin’ with Skipper Bivins

ByRuby Turpin

If you thought you had to be fearless to go alligator hunting with the Swamp People or tough to fish crab with the guys from the Deadliest Catch, you’re not going to believe what is involved in Noodling, the outdoor sport highlighted on Animal Planet’s new show, Hillbilly Hand Fishin’.

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BIO Swamp People Fathers and Sons: Junior and Willie Edwards

ByRuby Turpin

Father and son, Junior and Willie Edwards start this year’s alligator season hunting together, but only a few episodes into the season, we see Willie is striking out on his own a bit.  Do you reckon that could have anything to do with Junior accidentally shooting him? Nah. Keep reading to find out more about this Lousiana father/son duo that includes the only cast member on Swamp People that makes a living year-round reeling things in from the water.

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Diva of Distressed, Lynn Tilton Conned by Financier Friend

ByRuby Turpin

When Lynn Tilton, CEO of Patriarch Partners and star of the Sundance Channel’s new show, The Diva of Distressed, decided she wanted to attract even more attention to herself than what her low cut dresses and 6 inch heels could garner, I don’t think she had in mind what showed up today in the Wall Street Journal.

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Top Chef Masters Episode 6 recap, Maroon 5, 7 minutes in heaven

ByRuby Turpin

Top Chef Masters Season 3 started Episode 6 right up with the quickfire challenge called 7 Minutes in Heaven. The display table was full of expensive, luxurious food, and you could see the chefs’ eyes light up as they walked in and saw it. Finally, something good to work with! No bugs. No fast food. Ah . . . The twist?

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Swamp People’s Guist Brothers bios: Guists just wanna have fun

ByRuby Turpin

The Guist brothers’ daily grind seems to be: hang out, get hungry, go kill something, cook it, eat it, hang out. The other alligator hunters on Swamp People might make a living off the land, but the Guist brothers really LIVE off it. Keep reading to find out more about Glenn and Mitchell, perhaps our country’s most unlikely (but entirely deserving!) television stars!

Elmer Fudd goes alligator hunting with Swamp People
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SWAMP PEOPLE How much money does an Alligator Hunter make?

ByRuby Turpin

Anyone who watches Swamp People knows that alligator hunters care about how much money they make.  With the notable exception of the Guist brothers, the hunters featured on the show are quick to talk about what makes the difference between a profit and a loss during the one-month alligator season in Louisiana. But how much are these guys really making?   What kind of money are we talking about?

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Biggest Loser Courtney Crozier visits Austin Andrews for a lesson in love

ByRuby Turpin

Which Biggest Loser contestant traveled from Indiana to California to be in the congregation when Austin Andrews delivered a sermon on love from his father’s pulpit at Pasadena Christian Center? I’ll give you a hint: it wasn’t Hannah or Kaylee!

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Rulon hits his competition weight, then leaves Biggest Loser. Coincidence?

ByRuby Turpin

Rulon may have stated “personal reasons” for walking away from the Biggest Loser ranch, but it looks like he might have some professional motivation, too. Is it just a coincidence that he left right after hitting his competition weight? We don’t think so.

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PHOTOS BIO Wes Bentley, the Hunger Games’ Seneca Crane

ByRuby Turpin

The latest Hunger Games announcement trickling out from Lionsgate confirmed that Wes Bentley will be playing the role of Seneca Crane, the evil genius responsible for designing the game in which Panem’s tributes find themselves trapped and televised. Find out all about Wes and what he’s been up to since his appearance in in 1999, including a life-altering role in the film There Be Dragons.

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The Biggest Loser Season 11 Episode 19 Recap

ByRuby Turpin

Jillian Michaels is down to her last two episodes of the Biggest Loser, most of the contestants aren’t fat any more, and $250k is dangling almost within reach. Read more to see what learn why this week’s elimination must have been the quickest in Biggest Loser history.

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PHOTOS BIOS Swamp People Fathers and Sons: RJ and Jay Paul Molinere

ByRuby Turpin

RJ and Jay Paul Molinere are the latest father and son addition to The History Channel’s immensely popular reality series Swamp People, but they are anything but new to hunting alligators. They are members of the Native American Houma nation, which used to kill their alligator prey by pushing a long sharp stick down their mouths. These days RJ and Jay Paul use a rifle . . . and an airboat.

Read bios of both men, including a video clip of Jay Paul kicking butt in an Mixed Martial Arts bout and a link to RJ giving an arm wrestling tutorial. (Did I mention these two were tough?)

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BIO Stanley Tucci cast as Hunger Games’ Caesar Flickerman

ByRuby Turpin

Let’s just get this out in the open right away: Ruby loves Stanley Tucci. Loves him. So . . . if you came to Starcasm today looking for a sober, objective look at the newest member of the Hunger Games cast, you might as well move along. This post will be completely nonobjective and could probably be considered nothing short of inebriated fawning. (Dare I say “Tucci feely?”)

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Swamp People Fathers and Sons: Meet Troy and Jacob Landry

ByRuby Turpin

If someone told me that I was going out into the bayou tomorrow to hunt alligators with one of the guys from Swamp People and I had 30 seconds to choose which one, I’d have 29.5 seconds left over. I’d choose Troy Landry as fast as my mouth could form the his name. No doubt.

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Jillian Michaels to join Dr. Phil and co-host “The Doctors”

ByRuby Turpin

It seems all those rumblings about The Biggest Loser trainer Jillian Michaels building a daytime talk show empire were true! In an official press release issued yesterday it was announced J-Prah will be joining the Dr. Phil spin off The Doctors! In addition to that gig she will also be making regular guest appearances on Dr. Phil. Keep reading for all the deets and a look back at some other spin off spin offs from television history.

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Biggest Loser Recap Season 11, Week 18: Makeovers with Fairy Godfather Tim Gunn

ByRuby Turpin

This year, the producers of the Biggest Loser know we know they know that it is makeover week, so there’s no need to be coy. Rather than linger on “before” pics and walk us step by step through the makeover process, they get right to it.   The episode opens with Tim Gunn approaching the…

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Are you craving the Hunger Games movie? Cast includes Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Woody Harrelson

ByRuby Turpin

Will Lionsgate’s movie version of Suzanne Collin’s trilogy, The Hunger Games, be as big as the Harry Potter franchise or will it only end up with Twilight-esque numbers? After a hugely hyped casting call, and the announcement in March that Oscar nominated actress, Jennifer Lawrence would play the lead, new casting announcements have been popping up just about every day, and the buzz keeps growing.

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Top Chef the Musical? On Broadway?!?

ByRuby Turpin

If fans of Top Chef weren’t so sure about the cross-over with The Biggest Loser this week, how will they react to the latest rumor about the show’s next spin-off — a Broadway musical! It seems that’s exactly what host Tom Colicchio has been pitching to Bravo executive vice-president of original programming Andy Cohen. Keep reading to find out exactly what Andy said about the project and which cheftestants have already said they would be willing to do it!

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Red meat conflict gets Suvir Saran eliminated from Top Chef

ByRuby Turpin

  Chef Suvir Saran is a “visionary and his integrity will take him very far”, at least according to Chef Traci Des Jardins; but it won’t take him any further this season on Top Chef Masters. In the Biggest Loser challenge, the chefs were asked to transform the high calorie foods that Biggest Loser Season…

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Did Top Chef All-Stars winner Richard Blais split his winnings with Mike Isabella to open up Graffiato?

ByRuby Turpin

Pack your knives and go for it! Top Chef All-Stars runner-up Mike Isabella, is hiring servers and cooks for his new Washington DC restaurant, Graffiato, How many miles would you drive to find out what pepperoni sauce tastes like; or, if you’ve got the resume, to be on the line cooking it for Chef Isabella?…

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Lynn Tilton and Forbes debate her billionaire status; is she going broke?

ByRuby Turpin

Lynn Tilton wants to know why everyone is paying attention to her all of a sudden. The handcuffs and whips have been on her office wall for ages, and she offered her executives jello shots off her abs at the Christmas party years ago. It isn’t like she just started wearing leather body suits to…

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Biggest Loser love connection: Who is Austin Andrews dating?

ByRuby Turpin

Twitter is . . . well . . . a twitter about rumors Austin Andrews found love on The Biggest Loser ranch this season. But his dad, Ken Andrews, who was eliminated this week isn’t talking. The Pasadena, California Pastor will comment on his falling out with Olympic Gold Medalist, Rulon Gardner, and about the…

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Lynn Tilton: “Distressed Diva” billionaire reality star turns around failing businesses and gives Real Housewives a run for their money

ByRuby Turpin

When Diva of Distressed premiers on the Sundance Channel, the first things viewers will see are Tilton’s hair, her legs, her cleavage. The first things they’ll think about are her money and her power. How could anyone miss these things, when Tilton, in her skin-tight clothing, stiletto heels, and waist-length platinum blonde hair gets off her private jet, swishes across the screen, and gives pep talks to men in jeans and hard hats?

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Was Jillian Michael’s family emergency in New Zealand related to her adoption plans?

ByRuby Turpin

Biggest Loser star and fitness dominatrix Jillian Michaels missed this week’s New Zealand weigh in for a “family emergency.” Let’s hope everything is OK. Whatever might have been going on to prompt an unplanned return to LA in February when the New Zealand episode was filmed, the big family news now is that Michaels has…