New Jersey police raided 29 bars and restaurants across the state in what they are calling "Operation Swill," an attempt to uncover cases where establishments served low-grade alcohol as top-shelf liquor.

According to the Star-Ledger, police said one bar made "scotch" out of rubbing alcohol and caramel food coloring.

"What these 29 establishments have allegedly done threatens the integrity of the alcoholic beverage industry as a whole," state Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said in a Thursday news conference.

According to ABC News, 13 of the 29 bars and restaurants raided by police were TGI Fridays.

The restaurant chain issued this statement in response:

As for the rubbing alcohol, Chiesa said he thought it was "pretty dangerous."

"I wouldn't drink rubbing alcohol in my house. It serves a very specific purpose: to rub," he added.

A doctor told the Star-Ledger that the product is dangerous in large quantities -- just like high-quality liquor.

Authorities seized 1,000 bottles of alcohol in the investigation, which was prompted by customer complaints, samples testing and informants.

The 39-year-old star of "The Bachelorette's" second season opens up about her alcohol abuse in a new issue of People magazine, set to hit stands Friday.

Meredith Phillips admits to binge drinking heavily in college, but her 2005 breakup with "Bachelorette" contestant Ian McKee, her father's death in 2009 and her mother's bout with cancer really contributed to her downward spiral.

“My lowest point was when I realized my mother was in a hospital bed dying of cancer and I was at her house, drinking myself to death,” she tells the magazine. “I just didn’t care.”

"For years I'd wake up every day feeling like I was hit by a truck," Phillips says. "But I realized I was going to kill myself."

"There wasn't another path for me other than to stop," she adds.

At her worst, the 2004 "Bachelorette" says she drank 20 bottles of wine each week.

Phillips, who first appeared on Bob Guiney's season of "The Bachelor," knows that she still has "a lot of healing to do, but says she's "feeling better every day."

“It’s not fun to start over again at 39 ... but life is short. And I have a second chance."

Frances Bean Cobain, the 20-year-old daughter of Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, made an unlikely target out of Kendall Jenner, the 17-year-old half-sister to Kim Kardashian, over Twitter on Tuesday.

It all started when Jenner sent out a since-deleted tweet about how she "wish[ed] things could be easier sometimes."

Obviously irked by Jenner's complaint, Cobain fired off a series of insults at the young model and television personality.

@kendalljenner oh shh. There are kids on earth abandoned&homeless who forcibly drink contaminated water because clean water isn't accessible

— Frances Bean Cobain (@alka_seltzer666) May 22, 2013

@kendalljenner oh ya, not to mention, CANCER, famine, poverty, draught, disease, natural disasters, Death. Fuck, Humans are so self involved

— Frances Bean Cobain (@alka_seltzer666) May 22, 2013

She praised her parents and her grandmother for her upbringing.

I'd like to thank my parents for providing me with a high IQ & I'd like to thank my grams for encouraging me not to be a self absorbed idiot

— Frances Bean Cobain (@alka_seltzer666) May 22, 2013

Sorry, but I don't need any part time people in my life. You're either with me or you're not. You can't just come and go as you please.

— Frank Ocean (@FrankOceaan) May 23, 2013

The Texas jury that convicted Naim Rasoon Muhammad, 34, of abducting his two sons and drowning them in a creek, sentenced him to death, NBC News Dallas-Fort Worth reported Thursday.

"I apologize for bringing any pain and hurt on anybody for the actions that I have caused to you all," Muhammad said after the sentencing.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Muhammad drowned 5-year-old Naim and 3-year-old Elijah to get back at their mother for leaving him.

In 2011, he abducted the boys and their mother, Kametra Sampson, as they walked Naim to his first day of kindergarten. Sampson escaped and called for help, but Muhammad asked the boys to pretend they were swimming and held them under creek water until they drowned.

"You've shown that you have no boundaries, that nothing is sacred to you -- not even the bond between a father and son," Sampson said.

In an attempt to garner Muhammad a life sentence without parole, his attorney argued that he was "not evil but he has committed an evil act.” He said Muhammad had grown up in a violent and sexually abusive home with a mother who was a crack-addicted prostitute.

"It was the ultimate textbook family violence power and control play -- 'If I can't get you to do what I want you to do through violence, I will go to your very heartstrings,'" a prosecutor said of Muhammad's actions.

It took the jury less than 10 minutes to convict him, but three and a half hours to sentence Muhammad to death.

Amanda Seyfried told Ellen Degeneres that she recently landed an acting job for her Australian shepherd, Finn.

Though the 27-year-old star wasn't allowed to reveal much information about Finn's upcoming film, she did say it began shooting in September.

It would be fair to assume that Seyfried will be co-starring alongside the canine as she told Ellen she "can't really go many places without him."

"He's with me right now. He's actually backstage," she responded when Ellen mentioned they might have a "borderline" relationship.

Later on, she explained why:

"He cuddles with me and he listens to me, and he loves me and he looks at me all the time."

Backstreet Boys member Nick Carter has announced his memoir, "Facing the Music and Living to Talk About It," is on track for a September 2013 release.

The memoir will highlight Carter's favorite moments from recording and touring with 90s boy-band Backstreet Boys, and will include his own experiences from being on stage and learning to live with fame, Inquisitr reported.

But it was not always fame and fortune for Carter, 33. Carter struggled with drugs and alcohol for some time during his music career and talks about getting his life back to normal after a DUI arrest in 2005.

This is one of the few times he has talked about it, aside from an interview in 2011 on "Dr. Phil." Carter also talks about some of the lowest points in his life, including when his younger sister died after an overdose in 2012.

Carter is the first Backstreet Boy to release a book, and will celebrate its release along with a whirlwind of a year. Carter is engaged to Lauren Kitt and will go on tour with all of the original Backstreet Boys to celebrate the band's 20-year anniversary. The band also releases its eighth album on July 30, called "In A World Like This."

This is the first time all five members of the best-selling boy band in history have gone on tour since 2006.

Steve Forrest, best known for his part as a star of "S.W.A.T." in the 70s, died Saturday. He was 87.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Forrest was in his home when he died.

"S.W.A.T." was a spinoff of "The Rookies" that aired from 1975 to 1976. Forrest's character, "Hondo" Harrelson, was known for his catchphrase "Let's roll." He costarred with Colin Farrell, LL Cool J and Michelle Rodriguez.

Early in Forrest's career, Gregory Peck discovered the young actor on stage in a play. Peck invited Forrest to come in for a screen test at MGM, where the company signed Forrest as an actor. From there, Forrest appeared in several movies and TV shows, particularly westerns.

He won a Golden Globe for New Star of the Year in 1953 for his role in "So Big" and starred opposite Ronald Reagan in 1954 in "Prisoner of War."

His acting legacy spanned 60 years. The cause of death was not stated, but his family said he passed peacefully in his sleep surrounded by loved ones.

Japanese automaker Nissan has said it will recall around 841,000 compact cars worldwide over a steering wheel problem.

The recall will include the brand's Micra (also known as March), and Cube models which were produced in Japan and the United Kingdom between 2002 and 2006, Bid Pond News reported.

Though no accidents have been reported thus far, the glitch could prevent the cars from being driven properly.

According to the spokeswoman, the company sold 763,000 units of the Micra and 78,000 of the Cube in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Middle East.

A study by the National Health and Nutrition Surveyfound that marijuana use is linked to smaller waists, better blood sugar control and insulin resistance.

Researchers based in Boston compared five years' worth of data from 579 marijuana users and thousands of non-users, LA Weekly reported.

The results come from a comparison of insulin and glucose levels in both groups. Participants that had used pot in the last month had much lower levels of fasting insulin and higher levels of so-called "good" cholesterol HDL-C -- which may mean big news for diabetics.

Researchers hypothesize that marijuana could be used to control and manage diabetics' blood sugar levels. But first, the researchers must weigh the risks and benefits to get a definitive answer on whether marijuana use alone will work.

"It's possible that people who choose to smoke marijuana have other characteristics that differ [from nonsmokers], said Murray Mittleman, one of the researchers. Another researcher noted it could also be that marijuana smokers change their habits when they are diagnosed with diabetes.

“After we excluded those subjects with a diagnosis of diabetes mellitus, the associations between marijuana use and insulin levels, HOMA-IR, waist circumference, and HDL-C were similar and remained statistically significant,” said Elizabeth Penner, another study researcher, in a press release.

Katherine Webb, former Miss Alabama and general beauty queen, told People that she eats just 1,120 calories per day to keep her figure.

Webb caused a stir in January when an ESPN commentator for the BCS National Championship ogled her on air. Webb was there to cheer on her boyfriend, University of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron.

Webb told People that she keeps her 5'11" figure lean by keeping a strict diet of 1,120 calories made up of three meals and two snacks. She intersperses cardio and weight training at least three times each week.

"It's all about self control," Webb said. She also avoids bread and sugar. After long modeling shoots, though, Webb allows herself a cheat or two: "I usually go for all-American buffalo wings and French fries."