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The chemistry between real-life couple Drew Barrymore and Justin Long sizzles on the big screen in this hilarious – yet touching – flick!
Let me play it straight with you. After watching how Jennifer Aniston bombed at the box office with The Switch, I was prepared to loathe Going the Distance and ready to write it off as just another tired chick flick. But Jenny A. may want to sit up straight and pay attention here, because THIS is how a romantic comedy should be done. I loved, loved, LOVED this movie!

I’ll be honest – Drew Barrymore films usually bug me. When her character, Erin, is introduced working at a major newspaper (my old place of employ, the New York Daily News stood in for the fictional New York Sentinel) I thought: this is Drew in Never Been Kissed all over again. Luckily, I was wrong. Nope, Erin is a 31-year-old INTERN who, after getting berated by her boss, tells a newspaper pal, “I’m 31 and intern. I’m going to get wasted.” LOL indeed.

Cue Justin Long as Garrett, a guy who’s also down on his luck after getting dumped by his girlfriend (Leighton Meester cameos as the anti-Blair Waldorf here) after not only forgetting to buy  her a birthday gift, but offering her Chinese takeout and a roll in the hay in compensation. Basically, he’s a total turd.

Depressed, Garrett joins his wacky pals Dan (Charlie Day) and Box (Jason Sudeikis) for some sympathy drinks at their local Manhattan bar, boy meets girl, boy realizes what it means to fall in love with girl, boy loses girl and….BOOM. I won’t give away the ending.

Sounds pretty formulaic, right? That’s hardly a diss in my book — this is one formula that WORKS – and here’s why:

Who doesn’t love a good art-imitating-life story? The chemistry between Drew and Justin is palatable. Knowing they’re actually involved and in love in real life made me want to root for them; I was emotionally invested.
You’ll laugh AND cry. OK, so maybe you’ll only actually tear up — but the endless one-liners easily segue into real emotion. Going the Distance is as touching as it is hilarious.
Four words: Jason Sudeikis & Christina Applegate. These two seriously bring the funny – and, dare I say it? – Jason nearly steals the whole damn show! He’s a dude who blatantly wants to bag older women, hence the reason for growing a Magnum P.I.-esque handlebar mustache. “This isn’t a mustache,” he says, “this is a time machine.”  And just WAIT until you hear about his “f**ket list”…
Justin Long. Apparently we’re living in an era where the romantic lead can be the dorky MAC guy – and I couldn’t be happier! Forget hunks like Brad Pitt and Chris Pine, I want more of the lovably awkward JL – who is a real (and flawed) love interest. He was the best part of the god-awful ensemble comedy He’s Just Not That Into You and I can’t wait to see what he’ll do next.
This is NOT just a chick flick. Seriously, girls, you can take your BFs to see this movie – and they won’t be bored! There’s definitely a fair amount of guy talk — and a lot of it takes place in bars…or on the toilet.
Not ALL moments in this film are epic — I definitely could have lived without the naked tanning scene (you’ll see what I mean when you see the film) but overall, I loved it. In fact, I’m still smiling a day later! There’s romance, laughs and, best of all, HOPE that we, too, can make love work – even if we have to go the distance to do so.

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California lawmakers on Tuesday rejected a bill seeking to ban plastic shopping bags after a debating whether the state was going too far in trying to regulate personal choice.

A handful of California cities, meanwhile, already ban single-use plastic bags, after San Francisco became the first to do so in 2007.

In January, Washington, D.C., implemented a 5-cent surcharge on disposable paper and plastic bags, and Hawaii's Maui and Kaui counties both enacted bans on plastic bags due to take effect on Jan. 11.

Discouraging plastic bag use through fees or bans first gained traction outside of the U.S. in nations such as South Africa, Ireland, China and Bangladesh.

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa — American Samoa is going to make it illegal for stores to hand out plastic bags once a new law goes into effect early next year.

Gov. Togiola Tulafono, who signed the ban into law last week, said the measure would help preserve the environment for future generations.

"I believe this bill ... is a step in the right direction toward protecting the natural beauty of our islands and our native land and sea creatures," Tulafono said in a letter to the territorial Legislature.

The bill says plastic bags litter the landscape, fill streams and pollute the ocean. Advocates say marine animals can become entangled in the bags, which take 500 to 1,000 years to decompose.

The law takes effect Feb. 23. It exempts shopping bags produced entirely from non-petroleum based biodegradable plastic and compostable plastic bags.

Territorial Rep. Taotasi Archie Soliai pushed for the ban for four years. He said the territory needs to protect its limited natural resources.

"This is a step in the right direction for the territory, and I am ecstatically happy that this bill has been signed into law," Soliai said.

Local businessman David Robinson, a strong advocate of the bill, said any increased costs to businesses would be a "small price to pay" for a cleaner environment in the long term.

The territory's Environmental Protection Agency will be responsible for enforcing the law.

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An on-set insider tells HollywoodLife.com that Brit was kept in her own holding area far away from the Gleeks!
How’s this for a Hollybummer? Even though the Glee cast have been gushing about meeting Britney Spears while she shot an episode of their show, an on-set source tells us that the pop princess barely had any interaction with the Gleeks at all!

“Britney wouldn’t talk to any of the actors and demanded a special trailer with a fence around it,” the insider tells HollywoodLife.com exclusively. “Rumor on set was it was because her people didn’t trust her to say something stupid and have it leaked.”

What could the 28-year-old star say that would be so incriminating? Yikes!

Our insider also dished about the songs we’ll hear in the much-anticipated Britney episode — and they include “Toxic,” and just like HollywoodLife.com told you, “I’m A Slave 4 You.”

A rep for the singer did not respond to calls for comment.

Do you think Britney is actually a major diva, or does her team not trust her talk about things she shouldn’t? Sound off below!

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CANCUN, Mexico — Six women and two men died Tuesday in a fire at a bar frequented by locals in the Mexican resort of Cancun, and bar employees have told police that unidentified men tossed gasoline bombs at the establishment.

Quintana Roo state Attorney General Francisco Alor said the cause of the blaze is still under investigation. It erupted in the pre-dawn hours of Tuesday at the Castillo del Mar bar in a low-income area far from the city's tourist zone.

"According to unofficial information, which we have not corroborated, two vehicles pulled up ... both black, and apparently six armed men tossed Molotov cocktails ," Alor told a local radio station

Alor said experts were examining the wreckage of the bar.

The bar offered table-dances and other entertainment, and had a rough reputation. Alor said the bar had had problems in the past, but did not offer any details.

Businesses throughout Mexico are often hit up for protection money by drug cartels, which sometimes set fire to those that refuse to pay.

Cancun has largely avoided the bloodshed in which more 28,000 people have died in drug-related violence since late 2006. However, drug cartels and immigrant traffickers operate in the area.

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While the national unemployment rate has been hovering at about 9.5 percent for the last year, the average cost of health care plans for jobless Americans is steadily on the rise.

Terminated workers are paying an average of $429 a month this year for individual HMO coverage, compared to $399 for the same coverage in 2009, according to a survey conducted by Aon Consulting. COBRA coverage for an entire family now costs an average of $1,251, up from $1,171 per month at this time last year. With COBRA costs on the rise and the average unemployment check totaling less than $300 a week, a growing number of jobless Americans are no longer able to afford their health insurance plans.

Dianna Walker, 41, of Clearwater, Florida, said she and her husband have been struggling to afford COBRA since she was laid off on June 3, three days after the COBRA subsidy expired.

"We are charged $884 per month for COBRA," Walker told HuffPost. "Try paying that with a $240 unemployment check."

Walker said her husband has a pre-existing health condition that requires up to $1,000 per month in medications, but he doesn't qualify for the government's new Pre-Existing Condition Insurance Plan because he hasn't been uninsured for more than six months. HuffPost's Arthur Delaney recently reported that only 1,200 people have been approved so far for the PCIP program, whose steep premiums ranging from $140 to $900 a month make it no more affordable than COBRA for many unemployed Americans.

Walker said COBRA is draining her savings, but she and her husband are out of options.

"We just missed our first mortgage payment ever," she said. "I have checked into all the new options from Obama's new health care reform and it is next to impossible to qualify. And if you do, it is very little coverage and costs more than COBRA without the subsidy.

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SAN FRANCISCO — Microsoft Corp. co-founder and billionaire Paul Allen is suing nearly a dozen major companies, including tech giants Google Inc. and Apple Inc., alleging they infringed on four Web technology patents held by his company Interval Licensing LLC.

Interval said Friday it filed the suit in a U.S. District Court in Seattle against the companies. In addition to Google and Apple, the defendants named in the suit are: Facebook Inc., eBay Inc., Yahoo Inc., Netflix Inc., AOL Inc., Office Depot Inc., OfficeMax Inc., Staples Inc. and Google-owned YouTube LLC.

Interval owns patents from Interval Research, which was a technology research and development company that Allen started with David Liddle in the early '90s.

Interval said that the patents it believes are being violated are key to how e-commerce and search companies work. The patents described in the suit refer to technology used for things such as Web browsing and sending alerts over the Web.

"This lawsuit is necessary to protect our investment in innovation," Allen's spokesman, David Postman, said in a statement.

Interval is seeking unspecified damages for the alleged infringements, and an order that the defendants either stop infringing on its patents or pay royalties for doing so.

Several companies named as defendants did not return requests for comment. Netflix, AOL, Yahoo and Office Depot had no comment.

Facebook spokesman Andrew Noyes called the suit "completely without merit," and eBay spokeswoman Johnna Hoff said the company is reviewing the suit.

Google said the suit "reflects an unfortunate trend of people trying to compete in the courtroom instead of the marketplace."

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Alex McCord does not like Michaele Salahi! BFFs — what do you think? Do you hate or love this new D.C Housewife?
Poor Michaele Salahi – she just isn’t getting any love from the other Housewives. “I was sorry that they included Michaele [on the Real Housewives of Washington D.C.],” NYC housewife Alex McCord told HollywoodLife.com exclusively Aug. 26 at the 11th Annual BNP Paribas Taste of Tennis Charity Event at the W Hotel in NYC.  “I didn’t want see that happen!”

“At the same time, jury is out” on the other new D.C. Housewives,” Alex said to us. “I see the other girls  — the first season is hard because they didn’t know what to expect. I think they’re all being a little careful with each other. … I want to see what happens next.”

BFFs, do you agree with Alex that Michaele should not be a housewife, or do you think she makes a fabulous star on Bravo’s new hit show? Vote below!

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Move over Gosselins: TLC has signed on a new family with sextuplets and ordered eight episodes of 'Sextuplets Take New York.'

Victor and Digna Carpio of Queens, NY, have four boys and two girls: Genesis, Joel, Justin, Jezreel, Jayden and Danelia, all 22 months old. The children are billed as the first Hispanic sextuplets born in the US, according to The Hollywood Reporter. They also have a 9-year-old son.

The family is on a tight budget - before the show, Victor made $1,800 a month as a maintenance worker, according to a 2009 New York Daily News story.

"We fell in love with them," said Nancy Daniels, senior VP of production and development at TLC. "All of our shows look at interesting families and interesting live. They're struggling with taking care of a lot of small children who are all the same age and overrunning their house."

The series is set to premiere September 14. Also coming up on TLC this season: 'Sister Wives,' a reality version of HBO's polygamy series 'Big Love.'

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British Columbia (BC) farmed salmon could carry a certified organic label if federal aquaculture boosters have their way. The proposal by the Canadian General Standards Board and organic aquaculture working group at Fisheries and Oceans Canada to give the organic stamp of approval to BC farmed salmon raised in open net-pens is nothing short of Orwellian.

Among the many practices that should be considered antithetical to the spirit and intent of organic certification, the fish farm industry in BC relies on the application of the agricultural drug SLICE to their "salmon feedlots" in order to address chronic sea lice outbreaks.

Emamectin benzoate is the active ingredient in SLICE, which is administered in feed. The use of SLICE in farmed salmon is a concern to scientists like Dr. David Carpenter. A professor at the Environmental Health and Toxicology Division at the University of Albany in New York, Carpenter has said "emamectin is one of a class of drugs known to block a major inhibitory neural transmitter in the brain. Animal studies have demonstrated exposure to this chemical during development causes changes in behavior and growth as well as pathological changes in the brain."

Little is known about the long-term impact of SLICE on other aquatic life. Mounting evidence indicates that SLICE may negatively affect crustaceans (e.g., krill, shrimp, etc.). Canadian ecotoxicology research scientist, Dr. Les Burridge, has written that "chemicals used to control infestations of sea lice on cultured salmon have a potential for impacting non-target organisms, particularly other Crustacea. Investigations have focused on lethal impacts, but observations made during these experiments indicate potential for ecologically important sub-lethal impacts."

University of Victoria researcher Dr. John Volpe has related how "fish farms are run feedlot-style and like similar land-based operations, rely on drugs to maintain a healthy population. The inadvertent breeding of 'superbugs' or drug-resistant bacteria is promoted in this way, and the potentially devastating long-term ramifications of such practices are only now becoming fully appreciated."

In addition to SLICE, BC salmon farms utilize colorants, fungicides and disinfectants in the course of production. Salmon farms are the marine equivalent of industrial agricultural feedlots and have been located in some of the wildest ecosystems in the world. The significant impact from open net-pen fish farms on the benthic environment alone is cause for serious concern.

Wild salmon throughout BC are under pressure from a number of factors including habitat destruction from clearcut logging and urban development, overfishing, pollution run-off, changing ocean conditions as a result of climate change, consequences from hatchery and enhancement programs, and fisheries mismanagement. In addition, there are the ongoing threats from the aquaculture industry; disease, parasites, non-native fish escapes, antibiotics, pesticides, chemicals, and fecal waste from salmon farms are among the impacts facing wild stocks in BC.

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If nothing else, I have to give arch-conservative, former Congressman J.D. Hayworth credit for doggedly insisting, despite all available evidence, that he is "poised to pull one of the greatest upsets in political history" in Tuesday's Arizona Senate primary.

After all, the most recent automated Rasmussen poll showed him trailing Sen. John McCain by twenty points (54% to 34%), and every public poll conducted in this race has shown McCain leading, including eight fielded since March that had McCain ahead by margins of between 5 and 45 percentage points.

This morning, Hayworth even offered NBC's Chuck Todd a theory for why the polls might be wrong:

Here's the limitation of public opinion polls. They cannot accurately gauge the turnout. Conservatives are motivated to go cast a vote for me and retire John McCain. Also on the ballot, the governor's race on the Republican side is devoid of any suspense. Several candidates dropped out. Governor Brewer has a clear march back to the nomination [and] that will suppress the moderate turnout.
But whatever the outcome, Hayworth does have a point about one thing: Pollsters often have a hard time identifying true likely voters in low turnout primary elections. That's one reason why primary polls tend to produce bigger errors compared to the actual results than general election polls.

Also, the most recent survey in this race, the Rasmussen result I cited above, is now five weeks old. No other public polls have been conducted since July.

So as tempting as those Hayworth-as-Iraqi-Information-Minister jokes may be, we should probably hold off snickering until all the votes are counted.

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