Weird origins of some wedding customs

All of our society's gender issues stem from the fact that fathers once used their daughters as currency to a) pay off a debt to a wealthier land owner, b) symbolize a sacrificial, monetary peace offering to an opposing tribe or c) buy their way into a higher social strata.

So next time your tears well up watching a beaming father walk his little girl down the aisle, remember that it's just a tiny, barbaric little custom over from the days when daughters were nothing but commodity for dad to trade with. (he had to make sure she reached the aisle)

And that veil she's wearing? Yeah, that was so the groom wouldn't know what he was getting until it was time to kiss the bride and too late to back out on the transaction. (There is also some superstitious B.S. about warding off evil spirits, but we think you'll agree that hiding a busted grill from the husband-to-be is a more practical purpose.)

The white wedding dress

Technically, today's wedding gowns aren't white. They are "Candlelight," "Warm Ivory," "Ecru" or "Frost." But there was a time when a bride's wedding attire was simply the best thing in her closet (talk about "off the rack"), and could be any color, even black.

To convince her groom that she came from a wealthy family, brides would also pile on layers of fur, silk and velvet, as apparently grooms didn't care if his wife-to-be reeked of sweaty body odor as long as she was loaded.

It was Queen Victoria (whose reign lasted from 1837-1901) who made white fashionable. She wore a pale gown trimmed in orange blossoms for her 1840 wedding to her first cousin, Prince Albert.

Hordes of royal-crazed commoners immediately began to copy her.

The wedding party

The orignal duty of a "Best Man" was to serve as armed backup for the groom in case he had to resort to kidnapping his intended bride away from disapproving parents. The "best" part of that title refers to his skill with a sword, should the need arise.

The best man stands guard next to the groom right up through the exchange of vows (and later, outside the newlyweds' bedroom door), just in case anyone should attack or if a non-acquiescent bride should try to make a run for it.

It's said that feisty groups like the Huns, Goths and Visigoths took so many brides by force that they kept a cache of weapons stored beneath the floorboards of churches for convenience. Modern-day best men are more likely to store an emergency six-pack at the ceremony for convenience, but the title remains an apt one.

Ladies -- believe it or not -- the concept of the bridesmaid's gown was not invented to inflict painful dowdiness upon the bride's friends and female relatives thus making the bride look hotter by comparison.

Historically, that dress you'll never wear again was actually selected with the purpose of tricking the eye of evil spirits and jealous ex-lovers (spicy!). Brides' faithful attendants were instructed to wear a dress similar to that of the bride so that during their group stroll to the church it would be hard for any ill-willed spirits or former lovers to spot the bride and curse/kidnap/throw rocks at her. (Ditto for the boys in matching penguin suits, saving the groom from a similar fate.)

Garter and bouquet toss

This pair of rituals has long been the scourge of the modern wedding guest. What could possibly be more humiliating than being forced out to the center of a parquet dance floor and being expected to demonstrate your desperation by diving for flying flowers?

How about grasping in the air for a lacy piece of undergarment that until moments ago resided uncomfortably close to the crotch of your buddy's wife? At any other point in time, that would make you seem wildly creepy. So why is it acceptable at a wedding?

It used to be that after the bride and groom said, "I do," they were to go immediately into a nearby room and consummate the marriage. Obviously, to really make it official, there would need to be witnesses, which basically led to hordes of wedding guests crowding around the bed, pushing and shoving to get a good view and hopefully to get their hands on a lucky piece of the bride's dress as it was ripped from her body.

Sometimes the greedy guests helped get the process going by grabbing at the bride's dress as she walked by, hoping for a few threads of good fortune. In time, it seems, people realized that this was all a bit, well... creepy, and it was decided that for modesty's sake the bride could toss her bouquet as a diversion as she made her getaway and the groom could simply remove an item of the bride's undergarments and then toss it back outside to the waiting throngs to prove that he was about to, uh, seal the deal.

Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue (and a sixpence in my shoe?)

A common theme that you've no doubt noticed throughout this post: humans used to be a superstitious bunch. This rhyming phrase neatly lists a number of English customs dating back to the Victorian age which, when worn in combination, should bring the bride oodles of fabulous good luck.

The something old was meant to tie the bride to her family and her past, while the something new represented her new life as the property of a new family. The item borrowed was supposed to be taken from someone who was already a successfully married wife, so as to pass on a bit of her good fortune to the new bride. The color blue stood for all sorts of super fun things like faithfulness, loyalty, and purity. The sixpence, of course, was meant to bring the bride and her new groom actual, cold, hard fortune.

Just in case that wasn't enough, brides of yore also carried bunches of herbs (which most brides now replace with expensive, out-of-season peonies) to ward off evil spirits. Mental Floss: More bizarre customs

Saving the wedding cake

Why do couples eat freezer-burned wedding cake on their one-year anniversary? To answer this, we must look to the lyrics of a schoolyard classic: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes a baby in a baby carriage! It used to be assumed that when there was a wedding, a christening would follow shortly. So, rather than bake two cakes for the occasions, they'd just bake one big one and save a part of it to be eaten at a later date when the squealing bundle of joy arrived.

Eventually folks warmed to the idea of giving the poor kid his own, newly baked cake, but the custom of saving a portion of the wedding cake far longer than it should be saved and then eating it and deluding oneself to believe that it actually tastes good is one that persists to this day.

Spain wins Euro cup 2008 Final

Their last significant title came in the 1964 Euros at home and it took Spain 44 years to claim their first major football title as they beat Germany 1-0 in Sunday's European Championship final in Vienna.

Fernando Torres scored the only goal of the game, sliding the ball past German keeper Jens Lehmann after 33 minutes to win the Euro cup 2008 Final.

Germany started the second half strongly as they went in search of an equalizer with German captain Michael Ballack firing a shot narrowly wide on 58 minutes.

But Spain had a series of chances to double their lead midway through the half as Sergio Ramos headed straight at Lehmann and Andres Iniesta forced two more saves in quick succession from the German keeper.

Marcos Senna also went close for Spain with nine minutes left, failing to connect with the ball at full stretch in front of an open goal after substitute Dani Guiza's clever headed pass.
Spaniards swept their first-round games, eliminated World Cup champion Italy in a penalty-kicks shootout in the quarterfinals, then routed Russia 3-0 in the semifinals.

Torres, who had 33 goals for Liverpool this season but has been invisible in Euros, came through off a brilliant feed from Xavi Hernandez.

This was the last game for 69-year-old Aragones, the oldest coach to win the Euros.

"The most important thing about our team, perhaps, is the manager," Torres said. "He has confidence in us and he lets us play. We have brought him the championship in his last game for Spain and we are very happy we could make this history for him and for us."

The three-week Euro 2008 tournament in Austria and Switzerland had already delivered plenty of drama, excitement and hugely entertaining football, raising expectations that the title showdown would serve up a suitably thrilling finale.

The match also offered an intriguing contest between two football-obsessed nations with contrasting records of success.

Germany were chasing a record fourth European Championship title to go with those they won in 1996, 1980 and 1972. With three World Cups to their name as well, the German national side have a reputation as pragmatic and perennial challengers for major honors, most recently reaching the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup.

The Spanish, by contrast, had long been considered the sport's biggest underachievers. Home to two of the world's greatest clubs in Real Madrid and Barcelona and one of Europe's strongest leagues, it had been 24 years since Spain last reached a major final, losing to France in the 1984 European Championships.

The country's sole previous international success came in the same competition as hosts in 1964 and the current squad's run to the final had captured the nation's imagination, Goodman said.

With two of the world's top clubs, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the nation has tons of talent. Now with the With two of the world's top clubs, Real Madrid and FC Barcelona, the nation has tons of talent. What it has lacked is fortitude.

No one can say that anymore as they have put their critics to rest and emerged as the European football champions in an exciting and thrilling tournament.

Who wears Parda, Devil or the Pope!

We have all heard about the movie and we know who wears Parda. Question bothering skeptics was: Does the pope wears it too? Does it really matter to you what your soul saver is wearing!!!

Setting years of speculation at rest the Vatican's official newspaper denied such talk as "frivolous".

Esquire magazine last year named the 81-year-old pontiff "accessorizer of the year" for his red leather loafers that fashionistas had said were probably made by the Italian fashion house.

While the Vatican had never confirmed or denied if the shoes were Prada, continued chatter about the pope's dress sense led the Vatican daily Osservatore Romano to print a condemnation of media stories it said trivialized the head of the church.

Esquire's inclusion of the pope on its best-dressed men list was, it said, "of a frivolity that is very characteristic of an era that tends to trivialize and does not understand".

The article explained that the pope's shoes, like his range of flamboyant hats, are nothing to do with vanity but all to do with tradition.( In other words the Previous popes were fashion conscious and wore some real snazzy stuff) "The pope, in summary, does not wear Prada, but Christ," it said. (...errr....does thie mean Christ wears Prada? )

The article did not say who did make the shoes. ( does he wear shoes at all?)

Benedict's choice of garments has often been striking.( thats putting it lightly) On recent drives through St. Peter's Square he shaded himself from the fierce June sun under a wide-rimmed bright red hat known as a "Saturn" after the planet with the rings.

Around Christmas 2005 he delighted pilgrims by appearing in a red velvet cap trimmed with white fur which, together with a scarlet cape, gave him the look of Santa Claus.

The Osservatore noted that both hats, far from being fashion items, are in fact traditional papal accessories that have been worn at various points in history by previous popes.

Dance to Recharge your cell phone battery

How many times have you hopped from one foot to another and shouted in the cell phone, " My battery is almost dead!" Next time you do the hop scotch you could actully be recharging your cell phone battery.

Many feel handicapped and helpless when there is no recharging outlet handy and the mobile phone's battery is about to run out.

Thanks to a new gizmo, all you need to do now is face the music and dance.

Mobile phone operator Orange said on Tuesday it had teamed up with GotWind, a firm specialising in renewable energy, to produce a recharger powered by dance energy alone.

The portable kinetic energy chargers will be given a test run at this year's Glastonbury Festival, the world's biggest greenfield music and arts celebration that begins on a farm in Somerset on Friday.

Orange said the prototype chargers weigh the same as a phone and are about the size of a pack of cards.

Attached to the user's arm, they employ a system of weights and magnets which provide an electric current to top up charge in a storage battery. This can then later be used to recharge the phone.

"We wanted to create a fun, engaging and interactive product which would encourage users to have a laugh while charging their mobile phone and at the same time test out a new energy-efficient prototype," said Hattie Magee, Head of Partnerships at Orange UK.

Just break into a dance next time your battery is low and have fun while your phone charges up to fix the party.

Wimbledon 2008

The word Wimbledon conjures images of tennis whites, green grass, bowls of red luscious strawberries topped with cream and of course, rain that somehow manages to leave a mark. Steeped in tradition, the aura of Wimbledon is difficult to explain but easy to grasp and it engulfs you from the moment you step off the tube at Southfields station.

The sleepy suburb of Wimbledon comes alive for two weeks, bursting at the seams with wide-eyed, chatty tourists. The walk to Gate No.1 that takes 15 minutes on a normal day resembles the early morning rush hour back home.

The Championships, Wimbledon is the oldest tennis championship in the world. It is one of the four Grand Slam tennis tournaments and the only one played on grass courts.

The tournament is held in the London suburb of Wimbledon, England, at The All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club. It is held annually from late June to early July. The tournament is calendared so that it ends on the second Sunday of July and begins on the Monday, 13 days earlier.

It is the third Grand Slam tournament played each year. It is preceded by the Australian Open, which is played on hard courts, and the French Open (Roland Garros), which is played on clay courts. It is followed by the U.S. Open, which is played on hard courts.

In the Wimbledon 2008 tournament, five major events will be contested, as well as four junior events and four invitation events.

It takes something special to get a seat on Centre Court, that hallowed turf that names like Borg, Becker, Sampras and Federer call their second home. There are no flashy signs, no showy costumes and no noise. It’s just an appreciative silence that meets the players when they take court to battle it out for top honours.

The sun is shining and the forecast is good, which means Wimbledon 2008 is already better than Wimbledon 2007. Many hopes will be shattered and some new surprises sprung as every year at Wimbledon 2008.

16500 Condoms for Antarctica base Scientists

What do you do when you are facing a six month long period in a freezing cold place with nowhere to go? Sex would cross your mind. At least it does cross the minds of those lonely research scientists and staff at the U.S. Research base in Antarctica.

Once they had stocked themselves with other life saving essential survival supplies, one of the last things to reach the U.S. research base in Antarctica before the onset of winter darkness was a year's supply of condoms. (they are lying. That supply would last an average householder a couple of life times and some to spare)

Bill Henriksen, the manager of the McMurdo base station, said nearly 16,500 condoms were delivered last month and would be made available, free of charge, to staff throughout the year to avoid the potential embarrassment of having to buy them. (they could have kept one person busy at the sales counter)

The base only has a skeleton staff of 125 persons through the long winter. Lets do some simple maths here. Assuming there is an equal number of male and female ratio on the base that makes roughly 62 couples. 16500 condoms divided by 62 is approximately 266 (give or take a torn condom :) ) and 6 months have 180 days. WOW...Everyone who wishes he/she was on that base raise your hand.

This simple maths means that on average they will be having sex 1.5 times a day. Heyyyy... aren't those guys going to do any research and stuff!!

"Since everybody knows everyone, it becomes a little bit uncomfortable," said Henriksen, the manager. I can tell he uses (misuses) maximum condoms. I just have a gut feeling dude.

About 125 scientists and staff are stationed at McMurdo base, the largest community in Antarctica, during the winter months when there is constant darkness. (What are they researching? Durability of the condom in darkness!!!)

The first sunrise will occur on August 20 and McMurdo's population will start to increase again in September when supply flights resume, peaking at more than 1,000 during the summer period.

If there is any condom malfunction maybe the population rise will be more than expected. ;)

3g iPhone 2.0 release

All those proud iPhone owners can take a deep breath and then exhale a sigh. Your iPhone is outdated dudes. Here comes the new 3g iPhone 2.0 from Apple

Apple has unveiled a new version of its popular iPhone built for high-speed wireless networks with faster Internet access and many many more features.

"It's incredibly zippy," chief executive Steve Jobs said as he demonstrated the new mobile device at the opening of Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco.

"We've learned so much with the first iPhone. We've taken what we've learned and more and created the iPhone 3G; and it's beautiful."

The iPhone 3G -- for third-generation mobile networks -- is designed for faster Internet downloads, longer talk times, and takes advantage of the high-speed network to provide GPS mapping built in, Jobs said.

Apple will roll out new version of the sleek smartphone device beginning July 11 and make it available in 70 countries. The first iPhone, which went on sale June 29 of last year, is available in six countries.

"The next time you are in Malta and need an iPhone, you will be able to get it," Jobs aid.

The crowd cheered when Jobs announced the iPhone 3G will sell for 199 dollars with eight gigabytes of memory. Apple will charge 299 and 399 for models with more memory.

Jobs also said iPhone's second-generation software will let business users send and receive Microsoft Exchange email, in a direct shot at rival BlackBerry.

"We've done it," Jobs told an auditorium packed with software developers and media. "You can push email to Microsoft Exchange."

The iPhone software update is aimed at a business market that is currently hooked on BlackBerry devices made by Canada-based Research In Motion.

BlackBerry handsets have long let people "push" work email to the devices using the Microsoft email system.

Jobs said Apple worked with Cisco Systems to build virtual private network (VPN) services into iPhones to businesses can establish secure connections to protect data being transferred.

"Everything they told us they wanted we have built right into iPhone 2.0 software right out of the box."

Thirty-five percent of US Fortune 500 companies and the US military have "beta" tested iPhone's enterprise email, according to Jobs.

"It really has the ability to pack the power of a laptop into the size of a smart phone," said Randy Brooks, senior vice president of information technology at Walt Disney Company.

The original iPhone was launched on June 29, 2007, and set off a global buying frenzyand it seems this version is about to begin another mad rush to buy the new iPhone 2.0

Jeev Milkha Singh Wins Austrian Open Golf title

India's Jeev Milkha Singh took a leaf out of Nick Faldo's Open-winning book when he hit 18 pars in the final round at Fontana to win the Austrian Open title.

Faldo ran in 18 successive pars at Muirfield in 1987 to claim his first major title, and Singh repeated the feat for a round of 71 and a three-round total of 15 under to hold off Englishman Simon Wakefield by a stroke.

A closing 71 for a 15-under 198 three-round total in the weather-shortened event left Singh one shot better than Britain's Simon Wakefield.

Wakefield, Singh's nearest challenger overnight, began the final round four off the lead in the tournament reduced to 54 holes because of Thursday's washout.

The Englishman exerted pressure on playing-partner Singh by birdieing three of the last four holes but came up a stroke shy of forcing a playoff.

Earlier, Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell, who defeated Singh in a playoff for the Ballantines Championship in March, looked like being the Indian professional's threat again.

But after closing to within two strokes, McDowell bogeyed the last two holes to slip out of the winning picture on 202.

Dane Soren Hansen also got to within two strokes of Singh but double-bogeyed the last to also drift to 202.

Singh collected $337,000 in adding to his prestigious 2006 Volvo Masters title and China Open that year but admitted he may have been a little lucky to do so with Sunday's par finish.

"I had no idea about Nick Faldo and I was trying to make birdies but they just wouldn't go in," the winner said. "I think I'm fortunate to win shooting 18 pars. Simon put up a great fight."

"My game-plan was to not do anything silly," he said, "but after the 12th I decided to be a bit more aggressive."

Singh, who won the Volvo Masters and China Open in 2006, has finished second twice this year.
Victory for the Indian came after two second places this season. Singh noted: "I've knocked on the door a few times and at last it opened."

	NAME	COUNTRY	ROUND 3	SCORE	AFTER
1	JM Singh	Ind	71	-15	18
2	Wakefield	Eng	68	-14	18
3	Erlandsson	Swe	65	-12	18
3	Jonzon	Swe	67	-12	18
3	Fowler	Aus	69	-12	18
3	Edberg	Swe	65	-12	18
3	Pyman	Eng	65	-12	18
8	S Hansen	Den	69	-11	18
8	McDowell	NI	68	-11	18
8	Rock	Eng	65	-11	18
8	Delamontagne	Fra	65	-11	18
8	Sm Little	Eng	67	-11	18
13	Waring	Eng	67	-10	18
13	Brown	US	71	-10	18
13	F Molinari	Ita	68	-10	18
13	Sullivan	Wal	65	-10	18
13	Jeppesen	Swe	65	-10	18
13	Jaidee	Tha	64	-10	18
19	Bland	Eng	71	-9	18
19	Canonica	Ita	70	-9	18

Drink, Don't drive

With the gas prices hitting the roof it was bound to happen sooner than later. So while we can't afford the gas at least we can drown our misery in booze soooo..................

Wall Street betting on Obama

Investing is all about betting on what the future may hold, and presidential elections are no exception. The smart money wants to be in the good books of the winning candidate and it seems the wall street is betting on Obama.

Wall Street is putting its money behind Democrat Barack Obama for president, despite worries that his administration would raise taxes and take a tougher line on trade and regulation.

The signs Wall Street reads point to Democrats prevailing in the November presidential and general election as voters punish the incumbent Republican Party for a flagging economy and lengthy Iraq war.

And the fact that Obama began raking in a bigger share of the cash as his campaign picked up steam suggests that investors simply want to back the eventual winner.

Illinois Sen. Obama, who captured the Democratic presidential nomination on Tuesday after a lengthy primary battle against New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, has received $7.9 million (4.1 million pounds) in contributions from the securities and investment industries, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. His opponent, Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, banked a little under $4.2 million.

The traders are giving the Democratic candidate an edge in November. Dublin-based Intrade, a Web site where contracts tied to real world events are bought and sold, gives Obama a healthy advantage over McCain.

That also helps explain why Wall Street cash is piling up in his coffers, even though many of his policy positions are less than popular among big investors.

Although the money flow has shifted dramatically this year, that Democrats have raised more than Republicans may say more about the nature of this race than Wall Street's allegiances.

Skinny Cow The Best life Diet

How we want a diet where we can eat stuff we really enjoy , yet not put on the rolls of layers around the middle. Here might be your answer to your prayers from the Best life diet from skinny cow.

Finally here is something you can indulge in and not put on weight. Seems Like a dream, Right!

Have you heard of skinny cow? Well Skinny Cow products from Nestles are hot at the moment and the reason for this is because you can indulge in what looks like to be bad fatty food, but indeed it is not as they are pure healthy products.

Skinny Cow products are for those who have the ultimate sweet tooth and these products are favored by dieters, these are without a doubt very good as part of the best life diet for slimming and weight loss. The latest product from Skinny Cow is “Skinny Dippers which is a new ice cream bar. These Skinny Dippers are ice cream bars which at the end of them are covered in chocolate (basically dipped in chocolate hence the name “Dippers”), you may be thinking of all those calories and fat content but you need not worry because one bar of ice cream only contains 80 calories and 3 grams of fat, they have many other products.

The good thing about Skinny Cow that we really love is the fact that these products can help not only adults but our children, today's kids are growing fast and we do not mean just in height either, we are talking about how large they are getting in between. Children are becoming overweight and this is a major concern. Kids love these ice creams and they are a good source to start their diet, they will not even know the difference between the normal fatty factor ice cream and these slimming wonder products.

Skinny Dippers have 2 grams of fiber and are only 1 Weight Watchers POINT. They come in caramel and mint flavors. Obviously Skinny Cow has more products for you to indulge your sweet tooth. It is the best life diet from skinny cow. Here is a product example from Skinny cow
Hi, I’m Skinny, and I love ice cream.

Not the “I’ll have a small scoop in a dish” kinda love. The kind of love that can justify two chocolate peanut butter ice cream sandwiches by noon.

An ice cream habit like that can be pretty tough on a girl’s figure. That’s why I set out to make an ice cream that wasn’t the enemy.

I spent hours in my kitchen concocting the perfect rich and creamy recipe. When I was done, I scooped it high between two chocolatey wafers, and voilá, my famous low fat ice cream sandwich was born!

Now I’ve got all kinds of dreamy low fat snacks for you to enjoy: crispy cones, creamy bars, and my classic sandwiches in all the yummiest ice cream flavors.

Fill up your freezer and enjoy!

Osama Bin Laden's Letter to Bush (Warning-Adult Content)

After numerous rounds of 'We don't even know if Osama is still alive',
Osama himself decided to send George Bush a letter in his own hand writing to let him know he was still in the game.

Bush opened the letter and it contained a single line of coded message:

370H-SSV-0773H


Bush was baffled, so he e-mailed it to Condoleezza Rice. Condi and her aides had not a clue either, so they sent it to the FBI.

No one could solve it at the FBI so it went to the CIA, and then to MI6. Eventually they asked the Mossad for help.

Within a minute, the Mossad emailed the White House with this reply:

Tell the President he's holding the message upside down.

Tatum O'Neal Drug Bust

Tatum O'Neal, the Oscar-winning child actress and daughter of Ryan O'Neal, was arrested on charges of criminal possession of a controlled substance.

The 44-year-old actress, who has long battled addiction, and went to rehab in 1996, but her career has not been in recovery until recently, was arrested at 7:30 pm Sunday night just blocks form her Lower East Side luxury apartment and charged with buying cocaine and crack.

She reportedly asked the detectives when they approached her, "You know who I am, right?"

Then she told the detectives that she was just researching a part. "I'm doing this for a part as a junkie," she insisted, later begging the police, "Can't we just forget this?"

"Then she said she'd been clean for two years, and that she'd just came out today," the source said.

A clean pipe and screen were found on her person. Both O'Neal and her alleged source were arrested and taken to the NYPD's 7th Precinct.

O'Neal has three grown children with tennis star John McEnroe. Her most acclaimed recent role is that of the alcoholic sister of Denis Leary's firefighter, Tommy Gavin, in "Rescue Me."

She still holds the record for being the youngest actor to win an Academy Award, for starring with her father in "Paper Moon." She was 10.

In her autobiography, "A Paper Life," Tatum O'Neal alleged that she was molested by a male friend of her father. She also discusses her heroin addiction and its effects on her relationship with her kids as well as the effect of her mother Joanna Moore's addictions to speed and alcohol, on her.

"She's cool - it's the last thing I thought would happen," said a security official at her apartment building. "I'm shocked."

O'Neal, who has three grown kids with tennis bad-boy John McEnroe, wrote in her 2004 memoir "A Paper Life" that boozing and drug-taking was in her DNA.

Her mom, the late actress Joanna Moore, was an alcoholic and hooked on amphetamines even as she was riaising Tatum and her younger brother Griffin in Los Angeles.

"My own young life had eerily echoed Addie's [her character in 'Paper Moon'] even though my mother was still alive," she wrote.

"In the grip of addiction, she had virtually abandoned me and Griffin, leaving us in squalor - as well as beaten and abused by the men in her life."

Tatum took to the wild life early and hard, though she completed addiction rehab in 1996 and claimed to be clean.

But her acting career was in tatters. Last year, she began a comeback, however, landing film and TV roles, including the alcoholic shrew Maggie, sister of Denis Leary's firefighter Tommy Gavin, in "Rescue Me."

In an interview last year, she said she felt sorry for celeb-wreck Britney Spears, saying things started getting better for her when she left LA.

"I was thrust out there as a little kid. It was hard to cope," she told Post columnist Liz Smith... "I used to walk with my head down. I was involved with drugs and alcohol. I had a lot of shame and self-hatred."

She was charged early today with criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Rajasthan Royals Win IPL Final -Celebrities and more

Like a true Bollywood movie the IPL Final Climax reached the last ball of the match and deservingly Rajasthan Royals won the IPL T20 Final by three wickets. It was a nail biting finish to a Great IPL Final.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) Final lived up to the hype till the last performance of the 44-day extravaganza with a breathtaking closing ceremony at the DY Patil Stadium here on Sunday evening.

It had the mix and feel of an Olympics Closing ceremony with Bollywood, music, laser shows, para-gliding and a stupendous show by the Montreal-based Cirque du Soleil (Circus of the Sun) which lit up the stadium, before actual action -- featuring Shane Warne's Rajasthan Royals and Mahendra Singh Dhoni's Chennai Super Kings -- began.

IPL's connection with Bollywood was not limited to franchise owners Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta as a bevy of Bollywood leading ladies took the centrestage and entertained the choc-a-bloc stadium.

Amrita Arora shook a leg to Kings XI Punjab theme song before Sameera Reddy replaced her, dancing to the tune of the Kolkata Knight Riders song.

Samita Shetty then took the stage for the theme songs of the Bangalore and Chennai sides, while Diya Mirza was the toast of the partisan crowd as she danced to the Mumbai theme song "Aila re."

Once they left the stage, the Cirque du Soleil took over, with the troupe members leaving the crowd breathless with their unique blend of circus styles from across the globe.









It was Salman Khan's turn to match the steps as he entered with a troupe, grabbing the opportunity to promote his television show.

This was followed by a laser show as streaks of different hues descended on the stadium and para-gliders dotted the evening sky, carrying the flags of the eight franchisees.

The Chennai Super kings batting first put up a challenging total of 165/5 in 20 overs.
Pathan who was dropped twice and survived a run out once went on to score his fifty was finally run out from a direct hit from Raina.Shane Warne and Sohail Tanveer were on the crease at the end and Sohail scored the last runs needed for a great win for Rajasthan.

IPL Final Scorecard

Chennai Super Kings Batting

Batsman Status Runs Balls 4s 6s S/R
P।Patel (W) c K.Akmal b Y.Pathan 38 33 5 0 ११५.15
V।Sivaramakrishnanc .Jadeja b Y।Pathan16 14 1 1 114.29
S।Raina c R.Jadeja b .Watson 43 30 1 2 143.33
A।Morkel c .Akmal b.Pathan 16 13 0 2 123.08
M।Dhoni (C) not out 29 17 1 2 170.59
C।Kapugedera c S.Asnodkar b .Tanvir 8 12 o 0 66.67
S।Badrinath not out 6 2 1 0 300
M.Gony
L.Balaji
M.Muralidaran
M.Ntini
Extras B: 1, Lb: 2, Wd: 3, Nb: 1, Pen: 0 7
Total 20.0 Overs 163 (Run rate: 8.15)

Fall of Wickets

V.Sivaramakrishnan 39-1 (5.2), P.Patel 64-2 (9), A.Morkel 95-3 (12.4), S.Raina 128-4 (16.2), C.Kapugedera 148-5 (19.1).
Rajasthan Royals Bowling

Bowler O M R W Nb Wd Eco
Sohail Tanvir 4 0 40 1 0 1 10
Shane Watson 4 0 29 1 1 1 7.25
Munaf Patel 2 0 14 0 0 0 7
Yusuf Pathan 4 0 22 3 0 0 5.5
Siddharth Trivedi 2 0 21 0 0 0 10.5
Shane Warne 4 0 34 0 0 1 8.5



Rajasthan Royals Batting

Batsman Status Runs Balls 4s 6s S/R
N।Patel b M.Gony 11 0 0 १८ 18
S।Asnodkar c S.Raina b A.Morkel 28 20 4 0 140
K।Akmal (W) run out (M.Ntini) 6 7 1 0 ८५.71
S।Watson b M।Muralidaran 28 19 3 0 १४७.37
Y।Pathan run out (S.Raina) 56 39 3 4 १४३.59
M।Kaif c M।Dhoni b M.Muralidaran 12 9 0 1 133।33
R।Jadejac C।Kapugedera b A.Morkel 0 1 0 0 0
S।Warne (C) not out 9 9 1 0 100
S।Tanvir not out 9 7 0 0 128।57
S.Trivedi
M.Patel
Extras B: 1, Lb: 6, Wd: 5, Nb: 2, Pen: 0 14
Total 20.0 Overs 164 (Run rate: 8.2)

Fall of wickets
N.Patel 19-1 (3.1), S.Asnodkar 41-2 (6.1), K.Akmal 42-3 (6.4), S.Watson 107-4 (14.1), M.Kaif 139-5 (17), R.Jadeja 139-6 (17.1), Y.Pathan 143-7 (17.4).

Chennai Super Kings Bowling
Bowler O M R W Nb Wd Eco
Makhaya Ntini 4 1 21 0 0 0 ५.25
Manpreet Gony 4 0 30 1 0 0 ७.5
Albie Morkel 4 0 25 2 2 3 ६.25
Lakshmipathy Balaji 4 0 42 0 0 1 १०.5
Muttiah Muralidaran 4 0 39 2 0 0 ९.75