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Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader Kelsey Williams responds to the blogger who called her "chunky."
Published: May 8, 2013 at 9:51 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

A CBS radio blogger was fired from the company last month after her harsh comments regarding Oklahoma City Thunder cheerleader Kelsey Williams. The female blogger wondered in an online post whether Williams was "too chunky" to be an NBA cheerleader.

"The Rockets looked terrible in Game 1, but some say they weren't the only bad-looking people on the court," the blogger wrote.

Williams responded to the commentary in a Wednesday interview with "Good Morning America," telling the program that her "heart sank" when she read the article.

Williams, who recently married, said she couldn't believe that a woman would write something like that about another woman.

"Shame on you. You're a woman, you know exactly what we all go through on a daily basis," she told "GMA."


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Two anchors faked a remote interview from the same parking lot.
CNN screen grab via Atlantic Wire.
Published: May 8, 2013 at 9:24 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

It's unclear why CNN's Ashleigh Banfield and "Headline News'" Nancy Grace felt the need to hold a split screen interview from the same Phoenix parking lot, but the Atlantic Wire's Dashiell Bennett and Philip Bump caught the two anchors doing just that.

During CNN's coverage of the Cleveland kidnappings, Banfield conducted a split-screen interview with Grace, who held on to her earpiece as if struggling to hear Banfield's comments. But camera display said that both women were in Phoenix, and as passing vehicles proved, they were also in the same parking lot.

Though CNN and Headline News are separate channels, they share the same parent company.

"Despite being on sister stations and the fact Grace would literally only need to walk a few brisk steps to join Banfield on the same camera, the two broadcast teams remain hopelessly torn apart," the Atlantic Wire pointed out.

They've got the GIFs to prove it:

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The woman who founded the Spanx shapewear empire has pledged at least half of her wealth to charity.
Sara Blakely arrives at the TIME 100 Gala at Jazz at Lincoln Center on April 23, 2013 in New York City. UPI/Monika Graff 
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Published: May 8, 2013 at 9:01 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

Spanx founder Sara Blakely became the first self-made female billionaire to join Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffet's famous Giving Pledge, which encourages the world's wealthiest individuals to donate most of their money to charity, The Gates Foundation announced Tuesday.

Blakely, who has a net worth of $1 billion, founded the women's shapewear company at the age of 29.

In a letter to the Gates Foundation, Blakely vowed to focus her charitable efforts on women.

Since I was a little girl I have always known I would help women. In my wildest dreams I never thought I would have started with their butts. As it turns out, that was a great place to start!

I have so much gratitude for being a woman in America. I never lose sight that I was born in the right country at the right time. And I never lose sight of the fact that there are millions of women around the world who are not dealt with the same deck of cards upon their birth. Simply because of their gender they are not given the same chance I had to create my own success and follow my dreams. It is for those women that I make this pledge.

Other Giving Pledge participants include Michael Bloomberg, Richard and Joan Branson, Jon and Karen Huntsman, George Lucas, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.

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Beth Serrano reads her family's statement about her sister Amanda Berry's return home.
Published: May 8, 2013 at 8:31 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

Amanda Berry's sister Beth Serrano read a brief statement outside the family's home in Cleveland Wednesday morning, thanking the media for their support but asking for privacy for her sister and the family.

"At this time, our family would request privacy so my sister and niece and I can have time to recover," Serrano said.

Berry and Gina DeJesus were released from the hospital on Wednesday after 10 years captivity inside a Cleveland home. Michelle Knight is still in the hospital.

Here's Serrano's statement in full:

I just want to say we are so happy to have Amanda and her daughter home. I want to thank the public and the media for their support and encouragement over the years. At this time, our family would request privacy so my sister and niece and I can have time to recover. We appreciate all you have done for us throughout the past 10 years. Please respect our privacy until we are ready to make our statements and thank you.

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The fast food chain wants to replace its "Why Pay More" menu with cheaper options.
UPI/Bill Greenblatt 
License photo
Published: May 8, 2013 at 7:54 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

Taco Bell is planning to expand it's "low-end" value options by implementing a new "$1 Cravings" Menu, which will replace the food company's current "Why Pay More" menu.

According to ABC News, Taco Bell will test the new options in Kansas City, Mo., and Sacramento, Calif., before expanding nationally.

Brian Niccol, Taco Bell's chief marketing and innovation officer, told Ad Age last week that the company's "Why Pay More" offerings aren't priced low enough to meet the customers wants and needs.

"Why Pay More's" items were "originally priced at 79 cents, 89 cents and 99 cents, though those prices have largely increased to well north of a dollar over time," Ad Age's Maureen Morrison explained.

The new Cravings includes a beefy cheesy burrito, shredded chicken mini quesadilla and something called a beef crunchito.

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Robin Williams compared Kim Kardashian to Mrs. Doubtfire.
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West arrive on the red carpet at the Costume Institute Benefit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City on May 6, 2013. UPI/John Angelillo 
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Published: May 8, 2013 at 7:23 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

Mrs. Doubtfire or Kim Kardashian: Who wore it better?

Many social media users blasted Kim Kardashian's look for Monday night's Met Gala, a form-fitting floral gown by Riccardo Tisci, complete with a thigh-high slit and matching gloves.

But Robin Williams' slam stood out among the critics. The "Mrs. Doubtfire" star compared Kardashian's dress to an outfit he sported in the popular 1993 comedy.


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Nick Lachey got cheeky about his divorce from Jessica Simpson during an interview with Bravo's Andy Cohen.
Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey in 2005. (UPI Photo/Jim Ruymen) 
License photo
Published: May 8, 2013 at 6:36 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

Nick Lachey sat down with Andy Cohen for an episode of "Watch What Happens Live," in which the 98 Degrees singer dished about his ex wife, Jessica Simpson, and even his ex father-in-law, Joe.

"It's been years. Years," Lachey said when Cohen asked how he felt about seeing Jessica on TV. "Honestly, probably six years."

"It was like another lifetime ago," the 39-year-old added. The couple divorced in 2006.

Cohen also asked whether he ever sat down with his new wife, Vanessa Minnillo, to watch reruns of "Newlyweds: Nick and Jessica."

"As you can imagine, that's not popular viewing in my house. We don't sit around as a family and watch the old DVDs," he said.

Lachey was also shockingly candid about his relationship with Simpson's father, Joe, who is rumored to have had an affair with a 21-year-old male model and club promoter.

"The best thing about not having Joe Simpson as a father-in-law -- I don't have to play grab-ass under the table on Easter Sunday," he said.



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Australia's Obesity Policy Coalition plans to raise prices on fatty foods to combat obesity.
A woman walks on the National Mall in Washington DC on August 13, 2010. Obesity in the United States has increased to 2.4 million obese Americans since 2007, according to a report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). UPI/Alexis C. Glenn 
License photo
Published: May 8, 2013 at 6:09 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

Australia has moved forward with a tax on fatty food, according to Medical Daily.

The tax plan, put together by the Obesity Policy Coalition in Australia, limits the percentage of saturated fat in foods.

The fat tax will apply to all foods that contain more than 2.3 percent saturated fat, including oils, meats, cheeses and processed foods.

Overweight Australians are 63 percent of the population, and Obesity Policy Coalition spokesperson Jane Martin said that previous policies encouraging physical activity did not decrease the amount of obese people -- it just stabilized the rate.

The money from the tax will go toward lowering the price of healthy foods.

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Former "Biggest Loser" contestants Sam Poueu and Stephanie Anderson have separated.
Published: May 8, 2013 at 6:03 PM
By KATE STANTON, UPI.com

Sam Poueu and Stephanie Anderson fell in love during "The Biggest Loser's" ninth season, with Poueu proposing to Anderson during a special episode of the show in 2010. The pair married in April, 2012 and had announced Anderson's pregnancy this January.

But after a year of marriage, US Weekly reported Wednesday that the couple has officially separated and started divorce proceedings.

"It is with great sadness that my marriage to Sam Poueu is ending," Anderson, currently seven months pregnant, said in a statement to People. "Thank you in advance for respecting our privacy during this difficult time."

Despite their relatively short courtship, Poueu and Anderson bonded even more when he sustained serious injuries after falling from his friend's 54-feet high roof deck. Anderson nursed him back to health before their wedding.

"Just from the experience of her being my caretaker post-accident, it was a dead giveaway that she'd be a fantastic mother," Poueu told Us Weekly.

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The 911 operator that answered the call from Amanda Berry is being criticized for lacking empathy.
Published: May 8, 2013 at 5:51 PM
By CAROLINE LEE, UPI.com

When Amanda Berry called 911 after being held captive by her kidnapper, it was the first outside voice she had heard in 10 years. The dispatcher that answered her call has come under fire for being insensitive to her and quibbling on the phone over her address, according to USA Today.

Cleveland officials are reviewing the dispatcher for his terseness and for not staying on the phone with Berry until police arrived at the home. The dispatcher was short with Berry, answering multiple times with "Talk to the police when they get there," and telling her that the police will come when there's an open car -- not immediately.

The call lasted less than two minutes.


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