Wednesday, January 08, 2025

An art installation by Martin Kippenburger is damaged by an overzealous cleaner who tried to scrub away a patina designed to look like a dried rain puddle.

Fox admitted to lip syncing on its singing competition "X Factor" after contestant Leroy Bell was heard singing on Thursday's episode before he even held his microphone to his mouth... "For the group ensemble performance, the vocals are pre-recorded to allow acts to concentrate on preparing for their own live competitive performances on Wednesdays -- this is also no different to what other competition shows do for ensemble performances."

The federal personnel chief said Thursday that his agency “messed up” the problem-filled launch of the government’s updated job board, and he apologized “to all the applicants who’ve had trouble” finding and applying for jobs for more than three weeks. “If we had the ability to roll back the clock, I sure would do it differently,” John Berry said at a briefing on USAJobs, the federal employment Web site that the government took over from Monster.com 18 months ago.

If at first you don't succeed? Lindsay Lohan was given a week to complete a nude photo shoot for Playboy magazine before heading off to jail to serve her 30 day sentence for violating her probation. It turns out the extra days of shooting are necessary because Playboy was dissatisfied with the pictures that have already been shot, and wants to start from scratch, RadarOnline.com reported.

A week ago, Fort Collins author Lauren Myracle, whose young adult novels include the enormously successful "ttyl" series, was ecstatic to learn that her latest novel, "Shine," was on the short list for this year's prestigious National Book Award.

Wal-Mart,the nation's largest private employer, is slashing health benefits for part-time workers and raising premiums for many of its full-time staff, The New York Times reported Friday.

The official YouTube channel for children's television series "Sesame Street" was compromised this weekend. At that time, a hacker filled what could be considered one of the more child-friendly corners of the Internet with videos so pornographic that they'd make Cookie Monster blush until he resembled Elmo.

A cache of Los Angeles Police Department submachine guns and handguns was stolen last week from a secured building used by the department's SWAT unit, raising fears that the weapons, which police had altered to fire only blanks, could be converted back to lethal use, police officials confirmed.

A Louisville couple confronted at a Wal-Mart for alleged shoplifting fled the store, leaving behind their two kids, a 3-year-old and an 18-month-old, police say.

Egypt's military rulers have rejected the resignation of Hazen Beblawi, a top official who served as both the deputy prime minister and finance minister.