I Do...Maybe

After publicly denying allegations of cheating and persistent rumors that their reality-TV romance was falling apart, Emily Maynard and Jef Holm of “The Bachelorette” have officially called it quits.

Maynard and Holm talked to People Magazine about the decision to end their engagement.

In a statement, Maynard confirmed the split to People, saying, “It was a very difficult and heartbreaking decision. … We tried our best because the love between us was so real. … Ultimately we are at different points in our lives.”

Holm, 28, said in a statement, “I’ve never loved someone so much in my whole life, Emily is the best person and mom I have ever met. … Everyone wants a salacious story to break, but the truth is we are just two people who fell in love and tried our hardest to make it work. I will always love her.”

Maynard, 26, who called herself a “hopeless romantic” in the statement, said she believes in the show and has “no regrets.”

When unlucky-in-love Maynard, a single mom to 7-year-old daughter Ricki, met Holm on this summer’s “The Bachelorette,” their engagement seemed like a fairy tale. The engaged couple appeared on “Good Morning America” in July after the proposal aired and said their relationship was different than all the other “Bachelor” and “Bachelorette” couples that came before, including her failed relationship with season 15 bachelor Brad Womack.

Since there has been approximately  one couple out of the whole Bachelor/Bachelorette franchise who have stayed together this was not a huge shock. At least not to me. 

When it comes to Hollywood marriages we hear stories like Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries, Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes all the time.  It seems like nobody can make marriage work these days. So I would like to dedicate this post to Hollywood couples who have made their marriages work. 

After more than 30 years with Denzel Washington, Pauletta Pearson isn't fazed by all the female attention her husband gets; as she once explained to Oprah Winfrey, she knows that "he's coming home!" Washington met Pearson, who is five years his senior, on the set of a 1977 TV drama. The actors married in 1983 and have four children. The secret to their marriage? Knowing who's boss! "Do what she tells me," the Oscar winner joked to iVillage.

Michael J Fox and Tracy Pollan were married in 1988. In 1991, Fox was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, changing their lives forever -- but not their feelings for each other. "She sees who I am, and she likes me as much as she ever liked me," Fox told Oprah in 2009. "We have a sense of humor about life, and we enjoy life. We feel every day that we're so blessed." The couple is now raising four children together, three of whom were born after Fox was diagnosed. "If I hadn't faced (my disease), I don't know that I'd have the family that I have now," says Fox. 

Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgwick have now been married for more than 23 years and have two children. And they're in this for the long haul. "We always knew that we were each other's 'one,'" says the actress ("Both of us knew this was forever and we were going to work it out no matter what happens, so when we fight, it's not so scary." 

The 22-year marriage of Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks has been characterized by deep love and devotion. In his 1996 Oscar acceptance speech, Hanks said: "I'm standing here because the woman I share my life with has taught me and demonstrates to me every day just what love is." Wilson echoes that sentiment: "I didn't know what being in love was until I met Tom."

In 1991, John Travolta and Kelly Preston eloped in a midnight ceremony in Paris. In the past 21 years, they've weathered success and disappointment -- including the tragic death of their 16-year-old son Jett in 2009 and the "miracle" birth of their third child, Benjamin, 17 months, (big sister is Ella Bleu, 12). "You have to keep on creating a marriage," Preston has said. "We grow and change together, because nothing ever stays the same." 

Faith Hill and Tim McGraw are a couple in perfect harmony. The country singers (left, in 1996; right, in 2011) first saw sparks when playing together on the appropriately named Spontaneous Combustion Tour in 1996. By the end of the tour, they were engaged, and by the end of the year -- married! Since then, the first couple of country has produced three daughters -- Gracie, 15, Maggie, 13, and Audrey, 10 -- and some wonderful duets, like 1997's "It's Your Love." But Hill maintains that their marriage works because they make the extra effort. 

Will and Jada Smith credited their 14-year marriage to total honesty. "You don't know about all the walls you build up in your mind and heart until someone comes along and tears them down," Will said in 1996. "Outside of my mother, Jada's the first person with whom I can share what I think and what I feel so freely." 

Amazing Animals-Kyle and the puppies

 

A 10-year-old boy with Down syndrome may have been kept safe, thanks to a little help from man's best friend.
Rescuers say that Kyle Camp, who wandered away from his Hackleburg, Ala., home and got lost in the woods, survived the overnight cold temperatures by cuddling with his pet puppies, CBS affiliate WHNT-TV reports.
Kyle went missing on Tuesday night, and nearly 150 volunteers in the small town teamed up to start a search party.
After about 15 hours, Jamie Swinney, one of the searchers, discovered Kyle the next morning in the woods, near a creek. He was found wet, wearing no shoes or jacket and snuggled up with the puppies. 

"He was with four little puppies, and the mother dog kept barking, and I just followed her, kept listening to her bark and finally run across him," Swinney told WHNT-TV.
Another searcher, Joe Garnada, said the boy was "pretty rough" and "scratched up" but appeared to be in good health. Kyle was treated at a nearby hospital for minor scrapes and bruises
Officials at the Marion County Sheriff's Department believe the dogs kept him warm through the night. Thhey think Kyle followed the puppies as they played along the creek and they all got lost together.

Movies, Movies, Movies

Movies Opening This Week-October 26^th

Silent Hill

Chasing Mavericks

Fun Size

Cloud Atlas

New Trailers

Jack Reacher

Carrie

Zero Dark Thirty

Video-The Prestige (A great twist ending). I wanted to put the Sixth Sense ending up but Youtube won't let me embed it). 

The arrival of Tom Hooper’s anticipated Les Misérables is just on the horizon, getting a festive and Oscar-primed release on Christmas Day in the US, before arriving here in the New Year.

With its all-star cast, and promise of a unique new take on the musical film, with every note sung live on set, it’s deservedly one of the most anticipated films of the year.

We caught a new image of Hugh Jackman last week, following the brilliant new character posters earlier in the month, and now a handful of scans have surfaced from the latest issue of EW, giving us our first look at Sacha Baron Cohen and Helena Bonham Carter as husband and wife, Thénardier and Madame Thénardier. Read full article here.

Fincher Wants Brad Pitt in Disney's '20,000 Leagues Under the Sea'

When a director is about to embark on a big budget blockbuster and needs to get butts in seats, there are only a handful of big names to turn to that might do the trick. Brad Pitt is near the top of that list, and while it would likely just be a pipe dream for an up-and-coming director to work with one of the world's biggest stars, this case is a bit different. According to Variety, Frequent Pitt collaborator David Fincher has his sights set on the leading man to star in his remake of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, which has been set up at Disney for years but has not been given an official greenlight from the Mouse House quite 

yet. Read more here.

Guy Pearce & Kristen Wiig to Star in Romance 'Hateship, Friendship'

Just because Guy Pearce is coming off two huge blockbusters with Prometheus and Iron Man 3 doesn't mean he's done with indies. In fact, THR reports that Pearce, Kristen Wiig, True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld, and Nick Nolte have signed on for Hateship, Friendship, an indie dramedy based on Alice Munro's book of short stories, Hateship, Friendship, Courtship, Loveship, Marriage. In this interesting assembly of talent, Wiig will play a nanny for a wild teen (Steinfeld) who sets up the nanny with her recovering addict father via e-mail, and Nolte plays the girl's grandfather, who blames Pearce for the death of his daughter. Read more about it here. 

 Warner Bros is Now Readying Their 'Justice League' Movie for 2015

Briefly: After winning a big legal battle over rights to DC Comics' Superman, Warner Bros is free-and-clear to move forward on a Justice League movie. The LA Times reveals that they're "expected to accelerate development" of Justice League, and it may now include the likes of Superman, Wonder Woman and Batman, with an apparent plan to "spin out other superheroes into their own movies" after. The opposite of Marvel, which is what everyone was expecting considering Chris Nolan's Batman franchise just concluded this year. The tentative release date is now 2015, which puts Justice League up against Marvel's Avengers 2, arriving in May 2015. They're still working on the script now, and no director is attached yet. Stay tuned!

Shailene Woodley Confirmed for 'Spider-Man' + May Get 'Divergent' 

Sounds like it's a good month for Shailene Woodley. Last year the young actress made waves with a spectacular performance in The Descendants, but 2014 might bring her biggest career boost yet. Heat Vision has word that Woodley is now in talks to lead the recently announced adaptation of Veronica Roth's young adult novel Divergent, the first in a series. In addition, following last week's report that that actress was the top choice to play Mary Jane Watson in The Amazing Spider-Man 2, it sounds like a deal has been struck between Columbia Pictures and Woodley as she has been confirmed to take the iconic comic role. Find out more here.

 Andy Serkis to Helm Performance Capture 'Animal Farm' Adaptation

He's Gollum, Ceasar, next he may be Napoleon. The pig, not the French emperor. After finishing work as second unit director on The Hobbit, THR reports that Andy Serkis is now lined up to direct a performance capture-based retelling of George Orwell's 1945 novel Animal Farm. The adaptation is developing at a London company called The Imaginarium, a performance capture studio founded by Serkis and producer Jonathan Cavendish last year. Serkis won't say whether he'll also perform as an animal ("it might well be that I do, but nothing is set in stone yet") but does say "I think we found a rather fresh way of looking at it." Read more about it here. 

Anna Kendrick Sings Again in Adaptation of 'Last Five Years' Musical

 After making her mark in 2007's indie Rocket Science, Anna Kendrick has often played the same sort of fast-talking Type-A personality on screen. She earned an Oscar nomination doing a similar routine inUp in the Air, but she also proved she has impressive musical skills in this month's buzzed-about comedyPitch Perfect. Now Moviehole reports that one of Kendrick's upcoming projects will allow her to put her pipes on display again, as she'll star in a film adaptation of the stage musical The Last Five Years, a love story told backward and forward at the same time through the perspectives of the two people involved. Click here to read more. 

'The Help' Director & Brian Grazer Put Soul into James Brown Biopic

Musicians are some of the most popular subjects for Hollywood biopics for good reason. Their stories are often about overcoming incredible odds to become hugely successful, and the conflicts that arise when they're on their way to the top (as well as the ones they encounter once they've arrived there) are inherently dramatic. So it makes sense that a biopic of James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, has been in development for years, and now Deadline reports The Help helmer Tate Taylor will be the one to direct it for mega-producer Brian Grazer. Plus, Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger is on board to produce as well. Read more here. 

Sunday Social (20)

1.  What do you value most in life?

I value my family first and foremost, my faith, and the opportunity

 I've had  to get an education.

 2.  What do you think is the greatest invention in your lifetime and why?

The Cell Phone. Just think about everything you can do with you cell phone. You can call, text message, send and receive emails, surf the internet, take pictures, and with some you can even video chat. And with apps you can do everything from play games, check you bank balance, and so much more.

3.  What do you think is the secret to a good life?

I would say there are 4 important parts of a good life. You should be passionate about something, whether it is a hobby, or even your job. You should have strong faith.  Faith teaches you that there is purpose in life. It will also help you cope with trails and difficult times. Third, you should stay close to your family, friends, and loved ones. They are a great support system. Fourth, you should find something to be grateful for every day.

I love this poem “What is Success” by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To laugh often and much;

To win the respect of intelligent people
and the affection of children;

To earn the appreciation of honest critics
and endure the betrayal of false friends;

To appreciate beauty;
To find the best in others;

To leave the world a bit better, whether by
a healthy child, a garden patch
or a redeemed social condition;

To know even one life has breathed
easier because you have lived;

This is to have succeeded.

4. What would you most like to be remembered for when you're gone?

I am studying to be an elementary school

 teacher, so this is my answer.

5. What accomplishment in your life are you most proud of?

My favorite accomplishment was graduating from college. I was able to keep my job at the bank and do take classes, and I paid my way through school without any debt.

6. If a movie was made about your life, who would you want to play you?

Probably Mae Whitman

ECON 101

All right, I never really post anything political, and this will likely be the first and last time I ever do. It was such a illustration I couldn’t pass it up.

An economics professor at a local college made a statement that he had never failed a single student before, but had recently failed an entire class. That class had insisted that Obama's socialism worked and that no one would be poor and no one would be rich, a great equalizer.

The professor then said, "OK, we will have an experiment in this class on Obama's plan". All grades will be averaged and

everyone will receive the same grade so no one will fail and no one will receive an A.... (substituting grades for dollars - something closer to home and more readily understood by all).

After the first test, the grades were averaged and everyone got a B. The students who studied hard were upset and the students who studied little were happy. As the second test rolled around, the students who studied little had studied even less and the ones who studied hard decided they wanted a free ride too so they studied little.

The second test average was a D! No one was happy. When the 3rd test rolled around, the average was an F. As the tests proceeded, the scores never increased as bickering, blame and name-calling all resulted in hard feelings and no one would study for the benefit of anyone else.

To their great surprise, ALL FAILED and the professor told them that socialism would also ultimately fail because when the reward is great, the effort to succeed is great, but when government takes all the reward away, no one will try or want to succeed. It could not be any simpler than that. Remember, there IS a test coming up. The 2012 elections.

These are possibly the 5 best sentences you'll ever read and all applicable to this experiment:

1. You cannot legislate the poor into prosperity by legislating the wealthy out of prosperity.

2. What one person receives without working for, another person must work for without receiving.

3. The government cannot give to anybody anything that the government does not first take from somebody else.

4. You cannot multiply wealth by dividing it!

5. When half of the people get the idea that they do not have to work because the other half is going to take care of them, and when the other half gets the idea that it does no good to work because somebody else is going to get what they work for, that is the beginning of the end of any nation.

by: Ed Will