Jillian Michaels Talks Dieting Myths, Return to 'Biggest Loser,' Motherhood

Having been immersed in fitness and exercise world for over twenty years, Jillian Michaels has heard it all when it comes to dieting. With the array of conflicting information out there, the Biggest Loser trainer discredits some of the most common myths about dieting.

"I hear so many thing out there that are just ridiculous: 'I eat small meals,' 'I fast two times a month,' or 'I've cut out carbs,'" said Michaels, who recently returned to The Biggest Loser. "I hear all this stuff and none of it's accurate. In fact, a lot of it will do harm to your metabolism."

PICS: Adorable Tots: Celebs and Their Cute Kids!

Michaels has published a series of books and DVDs on healthily maintaining one's fitness in her career as a physical trainer, and has now published another book, Slim for Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast, and Lasting Weight Loss.

In the book, Michaels sets the record straight on widespread dieting fallacies and gave a few examples to ET in her interview.

"For example, eating small meals throughout the day [is] one of the absolute worst things you can do for your metabolism. The goal is to eat...four meals every four hours," she clarified. "Cleansing and fasting: another horrible thing you can do to your metabolism. [It] makes the body store fat. You cleanse the body by eating clean food, not by fasting your system."

RELATED: Jillian Michaels Becomes Mother of Two

Michaels has brought her fitness expertise back to The Biggest Loser this season after departing after the show's eleventh season in 2011. She explained why it was a good time for her to come back.

"The first part is [that] both my kids are home and that whole process and journey of literally creating was a two-year endeavor," she said, mentioning her business endeavors as an important part of decision-making process as well.

"...Being a mom, with the show choosing to take a stand on childhood obesity and this being an issue that I'm very passionate about...having this platform to get out a message and information to empower our youth is something I could not pass up."

RELATED: Jillian Michaels Returning to 'The Biggest Loser'

Watch the full interview to hear Michaels talk about motherhood and preview some of the fitness tips in her book, Slim for Life, which is now in stores.

Read More..

No visit from plows leaves some Suffolk residents stuck in homes

VICTORALCORN.COM

Residents of the community off of Kensington Gate Road said they had all called Town of Brookhaven phone lines repeatedly and were told to leave messages or send e-mails.

It’s the land the plows forgot.

Infuriated residents of an eastern Suffolk County neighborhood remained stuck in their homes yesterday after failing to get even a single visit from Town of Brookhaven plows.

The sole road leading into and out of the cluster of roughly 200 people off of Route 112 in Coram was still impassable yesterday evening as desperate residents were forced to trudge across massive snowdrifts to buy basic necessities from distant stores.

“This is the cycle on Long Island,” said seething New Jersey Port Authority worker William Cendales as he trembled in knee-deep snow. “If it’s not LIPA getting you with Sandy, it’s the Town of Brookhaven not plowing your streets.”

Cendales braved the ice to give his shivering Yorkie a bit of fresh air yesterday. “This is beyond disgusting,” he said. “I can’t go to work, I can’t do anything.”

City school teacher Jachan Watkis said that he was forced to abandon his car on a street near his home during the storm because the entrance lanes to his development had not been plowed. Watkis, who has three small children with his wife, Shelita, said that he ran out of heating oil — and that delivery trucks are unable to get to him. “We’re living on two space heaters,” he said. “And I still haven’t seen a plow,” he said.

“I came outside and a plow that was clearing the main road just pushed it out of the way and damaged it,” he said. “Now I come out to see if the car was okay and they just towed it away! This is getting ridiculous.” All that remained of the abused vehicle yesterday was a running board that had broken off.

“First I couldn’t get the car to my house,” he said. “And now I can’t get the car.”

Residents of the community off of Kensington Gate Road said they had all called Town of Brookhaven phone lines repeatedly and were told to leave messages or send e-mails.

A link at the Town’s Web site urged residents to send e-mails alerting them to streets that required plowing. But neighborhood residents said they abandoned that course of action after the first two days of inaction.

“My father is on oxygen in my house,” said cable technician Daniel Murphy. “If there’s an emergency, these ambulances can’t get through. It’s unbelievable.

“They forgot about us over here. Forget about calling or whatever. We just gave up.”

Kenneth Tax, an operations manager at Farmingdale State College, said that he pays nearly $9,000 annually in property taxes — but can’t get out of his own driveway because of the plow disappearance. “I’m trapped on my own street,” he said. “We all are.”

Capenter Laborde, a technician at JFK Airport, was forced to abandon work today after being unable to leave his block. “Of course I expected to get plowed,” he said. “It’s been three days and not one! I see them drive by, they just keep going.”

A Town of Brookhaven plow-truck operator refused to comment when asked about the forgotten island of ice just down the block from him. “We’re getting to everyone,” he said before rumbling off in the opposite direction.

Read More..

U.S. Century to OK details of new deal

U.S. Century Bank is expected to sign off on Monday on its letter of intent — the framework for a plan to recapitalize the bank.

Under the deal, a local group of investors, led by Jimmy Tate of Tate Capital and Sergio Rok of Rok Enterprises, will bring in fresh capital and wipe out the Doral bank’s bad loans, while allowing it to operate independently.

The investor group is expected to inject $50 million in capital into the bank, becoming majority owners. In addition, the group will pay about $90 million to buy certain loans, including all $98 million of U.S. Century’s non-performing loans, said U.S. Century President and Chief Executive Carlos J. Dávila. The deal would also provide for a negotiated amount to be paid to the federal government to repay U.S. Century’s $50.2 million in TARP funds.

A definitive agreement, based on the letter of intent, is expected next month. Pending shareholder and regulatory approval, the deal could be completed by mid-year, Dávila said.

Read More..

With millions at stake, tutoring lobby goes into action

Second of two parts

Every year for nearly a decade, private tutoring companies have made millions in Florida because the federal government required school districts to hire them.

That was in danger of changing last February, when the state won freedom from mandated private instruction for poor children in the state's worst schools.

But the tutoring industry wasn't letting go without a fight.

At the end of last year's legislative session, Florida became a key target as the tutoring lobby battled to retain funding.

The effort paid off in March, when state lawmakers quietly voted to keep the money flowing.

The moment marked a major victory for the tutoring industry, but, as the Tampa Bay Times reported on Sunday, it also ensured the survival of a program that is shot through with cheating, opportunism and fraud.

In tracing the new law from the agenda books of a special interest group to the pages of state statutes, the Times reviewed public records and interviewed legislators, lobbyists, education officials and advocates.

It found that the push to fund tutoring in Florida was part of a national campaign by the industry, an undertaking that failed in other places but succeeded in Tallahassee.

To save tutoring, the industry formed a nonprofit group that sold the effort as a civil rights struggle, spent $2.4 million on campaign contributions and lobbying fees and pushed legislation in states across the country.

In New York and Maryland, tutoring companies and their lobbyists battled fiercely for a law requiring funding and still made no headway.

In Florida, all it took was a phone call.

Rallying support

By the summer of 2010, midway through President Barack Obama's second year in office, tutoring companies that had thrived on government contracts knew they were in trouble.

Industry groups were expecting the administration to gut requirements for private tutoring, known as supplemental educational services, that made up a key part of President George W. Bush's education reform act, No Child Left Behind.

What the industry needed was a campaign to rally people who otherwise might not show support. The solution? Defend subsidized tutoring as a civil rights cause.

Steve Pines, head of the Education Industry Association, previewed the strategy in a PowerPoint presentation for tutoring companies in June 2010. His organization, a trade group for for-profit education businesses, would spend $1.5 million to help launch a nonprofit called Tutor Our Children.

The new organization would hire lobbyists, create a pro-tutoring website and encourage parents to flood public officials with support for mandated tutoring, all while positioning the campaign as a fight for civil rights.

It cultivated ties to the Urban League of Greater Miami and the United Farm Workers of America. In April 2011, it organized a panel discussion in Washington called "Waiving Away Education Civil Rights."

In October 2011, Tutor Our Children announced it had hired a spokeswoman, Stephanie Monroe, a Washington lobbyist who formerly served as assistant secretary of education for civil rights in the Bush administration.

About a week later, Monroe testified in a Senate hearing on the organization's behalf.

The same day, the group posted on its website a photo of the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C. It showed an inscription — a quote from King — that reads in part: "Commit yourself to the noble struggle for equal rights."

Read More..

Stars React to Pope Benedict's Resignation

The Vatican announced this morning that Pope Benedict XVI will resign later this month due his advanced age.

Elected in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II at age 84, Benedict said from the onset of his papacy that he anticipated a short reign as the 265th leader of the Catholic Church.

PICS: Star Sightings

Now at age 85 and with a series of health issues, including mild strokes, over the years, the German religious leader will end his nearly eight-year papacy on February 28.

Here is how celebrities are reacting to today's major global news.

Ricky Martin ‏@ricky_martin
The #Pope resigns? I didn't know that was even possible. Apparently, the last time a pope resigned was the year 1415#IfYouRintrested

Piers Morgan ‏@piersmorgan
Popes can resign????

Piers Morgan ‏@piersmorgan
As a Catholic, I'm not buying this. Popes don't just quit because they're tired. What's going on here??

Star Jones ‏@StarJonesEsq
The definition of "humility": Pope Benedict: "I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."

Debi Mazar ‏@debimazar
Surprised thr was no twttr announcement from the #POPE who recently joined.He really had nothing 2 say.They r supposed 2 die in service..hmm

Kirstie Alley ‏@kirstiealley
So The Pope just announced he's stepping down...which I didn't know was an option... did you ?

Read More..

Pope Benedict XVI resigning on Feb. 28 due to age, health concerns

REUTERS

Pope Benedict XVI leaves at the end of a mass at the St. Peter Basilica in Vatican February 9. Pope Benedict will step down as head of the Catholic Church on Feb. 28, the Vatican confirmed Monday.

VATICAN CITY — Pope Benedict XVI announced Monday that he would resign Feb. 28 — the first pontiff to do so in nearly 600 years. The decision sets the stage for a conclave to elect a new pope before the end of March.

The 85-year-old pope announced his decision in Latin during a meeting of Vatican cardinals on Monday morning.

He emphasized that carrying out the duties of being pope — the leader of more than a billion Roman Catholics worldwide — requires "both strength of mind and body."

"After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths due to an advanced age are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry," he told the cardinals. "I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only by words and deeds but no less with prayer and suffering.

"However, in today's world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern the bark of St. Peter and proclaim the Gospel, both strength of mind and body are necessary — strengths which in the last few months, has deteriorated in me to the extent that I have had to recognize my incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me."

The last pope to resign was Pope Gregory XII, who stepped down in 1415 in a deal to end the Great Western Schism among competing papal claimants.

Benedict called his choice "a decision of great importance for the life of the church."

The move sets the stage for the Vatican to hold a conclave to elect a new pope by mid-March, since the traditional mourning time that would follow the death of a pope doesn't have to be observed.

There are several papal contenders in the wings, but no obvious front-runner — the same situation when Benedict was elected pontiff in 2005 after the death of Pope John Paul II.

Read More..

U.S. Century to OK details of new deal

U.S. Century Bank is expected to sign off on Monday on its letter of intent — the framework for a plan to recapitalize the bank.

Under the deal, a local group of investors, led by Jimmy Tate of Tate Capital and Sergio Rok of Rok Enterprises, will bring in fresh capital and wipe out the Doral bank’s bad loans, while allowing it to operate independently.

The investor group is expected to inject $50 million in capital into the bank, becoming majority owners. In addition, the group will pay about $90 million to buy certain loans, including all $98 million of U.S. Century’s non-performing loans, said U.S. Century President and Chief Executive Carlos J. Dávila. The deal would also provide for a negotiated amount to be paid to the federal government to repay U.S. Century’s $50.2 million in TARP funds.

A definitive agreement, based on the letter of intent, is expected next month. Pending shareholder and regulatory approval, the deal could be completed by mid-year, Dávila said.

Read More..

Chris Brown Car Collision

ET has learned that Chris Brown was involved in a solo, non-injury traffic collision in Beverly Hills at noon today, blaming the paparazzi for losing control of his Porsche and colliding with a wall.

Pics: Remembering Whitney Houston

A statement from Lieutenant Lincoln Hoshino of the Beverly Hills police details the incident: "On February 9, 2013 at approximately 12:03 p.m., entertainer Chris Brown was involved in a solo, non-injury traffic collision in the 600 Block Bedford Drive/Camden Drive alley. Mr. Brown was the driver of the vehicle and collided with a wall. Brown stated that he was being chased by paparazzi causing him to lose control of his vehicle. Brown's Black Porsche was towed from the scene at his request."

Related: Rihanna Accompanies Chris Brown to Court

Earlier this week, Brown visited an L.A. courthouse with girlfriend Rihanna on to oppose a motion to revoke his probation stemming from his 2009 assault on Rihanna. Prosecutors claim Brown did not show sufficient evidence that he completed his required community labor sentence. 

Read More..

Police: 4 wounded in shooting on Bourbon Street in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS — Four people were shot on the French Quarter's iconic Bourbon Street, sending people running as revelers partied Saturday night amid the countdown to Mardi Gras, police and bystanders said. But the party was back in full force hours later as crowds returned afterward.

Two males and two females were wounded just before 9:30 p.m. time, New Orleans police spokesman Frank B. Robertson said. He reported that one male was in critical condition and had undergone surgery, while the other three were in stable condition. He did not release their ages.

Robertson said detectives were working to identify a suspect and determine a motive. A police statement said the shooting occurred on the French Quarter street, but did not provide the exact location where the shots were fired. He said he had no additional information immediately.

"They're just piecing together what happened," he added. Subsequent messages left with police seeking more information were not immediately returned.

The streets were crawling with bar-hopping throngs taking in the last weekend before Fat Tuesday, the enormous party that engulfs New Orleans each year with parades, gaudy floats and merrymakers tossing trinkets and beads to the crowds.

Bourbon Street street is home to strip clubs, watering holes and second-floor balconies lined by people who throw beads to revelers below each Mardi Gras season. The street often gets so crowded that officers have to control the crowds on horseback.

Patrick Clay, 21, an LSU student, told The Times-Picayune he was standing on the corner of Bourbon Street when suddenly he saw a crowd running and people screaming that there was a shooting.

"Everyone immediately started running and the cops immediately started running toward where people were running from," Clay said. "I was with a group of about seven people and at that point we all just kind of grasped hands and made our way through the crowd as soon as possible."

Afterward, police moved in to investigate. Many revelers said they stayed hunkered down in bars and other establishments until police cleared them to move freely.

WWL-TV reported that police had obtained surveillance video from one of the establishments as part of the investigation.

"We don't know what happened but they shut down the entire block for an hour," Peter Manabani, an employee at the Rat's Hole bar, told AP as loud music thumped in the background. He said the block reopened shortly before midnight and his establishment was again thronged entering the early hours.

Early Sunday there were no signs a shooting had occurred, as revelers had returned to party mode, packing the block anew amid a heavy police presence. Many milled about, wearing beads, drinking and carousing.

"It's scary. We heard about the shooting in the cab ride down here and almost turned around but it's our first Mardi Gras and we wanted to be here," said Ashley Holleran, 19, of Allendale, N.J., visiting with a friend from New York.

Laura Gonzalez, 21, of Baytown, Texas, said it was also her first Mardi Gras and she spent some time in the Fat Catz Bar nearby as police investigated the shooting. She said the bar quickly locked its doors soon after the shooting and wouldn't let anyone in or out while police kept the crime scene clear of throngs.

Asked if it was frightening, she responded: "Not really. We were just locked in a bar and we weren't going to let this one incident wreck our party."

Parades rolled all day Saturday but none on Bourbon Street because the streets are too narrow. One of the biggest Mardi Gras parades, the Krewe of Endymion, rolled down Canal Street and just skirted Bourbon Street a few hours before the shooting. Typically, once the parades end, partygoers head to the French Quarter.

The lifeblood tourism trade is vital to New Orleans and Mardis Gras is one of the city's signature events, along with Jazz Fest and major sporting events such as the recent Super Bowl. Yet decades-old problems persist and New Orleans remains plagued by violent crime, including gun violence that soared after Hurricane Katrina clobbered the city in 2005.

Read More..

Mega mansion frenzy: Buyer snaps up Pat Riley’s $16M home to level it, rebuild

Miami Heat President Pat Riley sold his spectacular bayfront mansion in gated Gables Estates for $16.8 million last March.

The 12,856-square-foot Mediterranean-style dream house at 180 Arvida Parkway has a theater, wine cellar, library, and a sprawling pool with waterfalls and an aqua bar.

But that’s all coming down.

Turns out the lure was the lot: a rare fingertip of prime land, nearly two acres, jutting into the turquoise waters of Biscayne Bay.

In December, the buyer — listed as 180 Arvida LLC represented by Miami attorney Mark Hasner — presented the city of Coral Gables with plans to tear down the home, built in 1991, and erect an even grander estate along the 900 linear feet of bayfront.

“Most people would move in and be perfectly happy, but clients are looking for perfection — really good stuff,” said Jorge Uribe, a senior vice president at One Sotheby’s International Realty, who wasn’t involved but sold an even bigger trophy property last year: a $39.4 million estate at 14 Indian Creek Dr., on Indian Creek Island in Miami Beach, dubbed “Miami’s Billionaire Bunker” by Forbes magazine.

“The trend in the last several years is a demand for very high-quality product. People are looking for really good locations, really good materials, and they’re willing to pay for it,” Uribe said.

Miami’s ultra-luxury market is on fire. Prices for the fanciest single-family homes and condominiums have soared to levels never before seen in the area, fueled by strong foreign demand and renewed interest from New Yorkers and others in the Northeast.

With Miami’s global image burnished by Art Basel Miami Beach and the debut of other cultural and entertainment venues, the city is emerging as an even greater magnet for the world’s super-rich.

In January, a penthouse at the Setai Resort & Residences on Miami Beach fetched $27 million, a new high for a Miami-Dade condominium. “Every building we do business in is at its highest price of all time,” said Mark Zilbert, president of Zilbert International Realty, which represented the buyer in the Setai deal.

Last August, a sleek, new home, built on spec at 3 Indian Creek Dr., sold for $47 million, a record high for a Miami-Dade residence. The buyer, whose identity has not been revealed, is Russian.

“People are realizing how valuable the bay waterfront is,” said Oren Alexander, co-founder of the Alexander Group at Douglas Elliman Real Estate, who co-listed the 3 Indian Creek property with The Jills team at Coldwell Banker and represented the buyer for the home. His father, Shlomy Alexander, developed the property with partner Felix Cohen.

Shlomy Alexander is working on two more extravagant spec homes — one at 30 Indian Creek Dr. and a second that is set to break ground shortly at 252 Bal Bay Dr. in Bal Harbour, his son said. Plans envision a tropical modern-style project that fuses the indoors and outdoors — a concept popular in Brazil.

The elder Alexander recently traveled to Italy to shop for exclusive stone for the projects, said the son.

“It’s really trending to the ultra-luxury. All sorts of exotic materials — exotic woods, exotic marbles, exotic stones,” said Sean Murphy, an executive vice president at Coastal Construction, a major builder of luxury hotels and condominiums that also has erected some of the most extravagant mansions in the region. “Everything is so exotic.”

Read More..