by Vera H-C Chan A rebellion of sorts broke out on the last " American Idol ." Record producer Jimmy Iovine , the chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, has been giving weekly, behind-the-scenes drillings to the contestants. Although the likes of young Lauren Alaina followed his scripture, just-as-young Scotty McCreery and Casey Abrams switched up their song choices, much to the Chairman's disapproval. Were their decisions right? They didn't hurt,

by Mike Krumboltz The recent "60 Minutes" story on " Three Cups of Tea " co-author Greg Mortenson sparked an avalanche of online interest. The segment, which aired on Sunday, raised questions as to whether Mortenson fabricated or exaggerated significant portions of his best-selling memoir about building schools in the Middle East. Mortenson says he stands by the book. However,

by Claudine Zap As far as wedding traditions go, we've all heard of something old, something new. Just in time for the royal wedding, princess-to-be Kate Middleton got herself something old and new: a coat of arms for the Middleton family. The tradition dates back to the 12th century, when the emblems were worn over armor in battle and in tournaments so that opponents could identify each other, according to Thomas Woodcock, the Garter Principal King of Arms .

by Claudine Zap As the countdown to the royal wedding draws to a close, perhaps those hit hardest by "Middleton mania" are media types. The major U.S. networks are devoting a sea of coverage to the big day, and many of the cable networks will have plenty of wall-to-wall wedding reportage, too. You may need multiple TV sets - and cups of caffeine - to catch all of it. Most of the coverage starts as early as midnight Pacific Time on April 29,

by Claudine Zap Kate Middleton may not have royal blood, but she has a classy look. The coiffed, fashion-plate Kate pictured on public outings with her husband-to-be, Prince William , is a far cry from the frumpy college coed the prince first fell for. Not that the point of college is to look runway-ready. But Kate's sleek appearance didn't come naturally, or overnight. Here, a view of Middleton's royal makeover.

by Mike Krumboltz The '80s were a wild decade. Sure, a lot of people made a lot of money, but the fashion still leaves scars. Now that we've come to see the errors of our ways, a trip down memory lane seems cathartic. Fasten your leg warmers, kids, because here comes " Scenes from an '80s Mall ." The collection of images is exactly what it sounds like: a bunch of random photos taken in different shopping malls during the 1980s. And darn them if they're not entertaining.

by Michael Krumboltz The royal wedding is almost here, which means the hype is nearly at an end. Something we're going to miss: The hilarious royals-inspired memorabilia. And, really, what could be more hilarious than PEZ dispensers featuring the faces of the happy couple? The answer, of course, is nothing. And that probably explains the sky-high cost of the one-of-a-kind souvenir. An eBay auction just closed,

by Mike Krumboltz We'll be the first to admit that the oh-so-serious nature of the Royal Wedding can be a bit much. Credit T-Mobile for finding a fun way to poke fun at the hype. The impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton get spoofed in this two-minute ad featuring look-alikes for Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, and, of course, the happy couple. The buzzy clip looks a lot like an amateur video of the Royal Wedding. You know the drill.

by Michael Krumboltz Few authors have as many fans )and detractors( as the late Ayn Rand. The author of "The Fountainhead," "Anthem," and "Atlas Shrugged" was also the founder of a philosophical movement known as Objectivism. Some argue the philosophy is simply an excuse to be selfish, but defenders of Rand say that's what leads to the greatest productivity. Rand's landmark novel,

by Claudine Zap For the record: Jerry Seinfeld is not a royalist. The comedian called the hoopla over the wedding of Kate Middleton to Prince William "absurd" and dismissed the pair to be married as - gasp - "not special." Maybe it's not surprising that the American comedian, who relishes bits about "nothing" so much that he made a hit TV show about it, would be left unimpressed by what he called the "circus act" around the wedding.

by Vera H-C Chan Searing questions this week from " American Idol ": Who was that blonde blowing the sax while Paul McDonald channeled Taylor Hicks ? How did James Durbin score one of the best heavy metal guitarists in the business? And why all the hate over Jennifer Lopez 's new moniker as People's Most Beautiful Woman of 2011 ? Strictly speaking, that last one's not an "Idol" question per se,

by Claudine Zap It looks like a design from the mind of Dr. Seuss. But this huge, swooping wooden structure, Metropol Parasol , designed by J. Mayer H. Architects , is actually a real building in Seville, Spain, and it's open for business . The all-wooden design looks, from afar, like it's built from popsicle sticks - but it is actually built from bonded timber with a polyurethane coating. )Translation: extra-strong glue(.

by Mike Krumboltz Some people wear their hearts on their sleeves. Shenae Grimes of "90210" wears hers on her cheek. The actress has been spotted with a small black heart on her right cheek, inspiring many to wonder if the design is an actual tattoo or something temporary. According to gossip blog SugerScape , the small mark isn't permanent. Grimes has been wearing it for the past several weeks in honor of the victims of the Japanese earthquake and tsunami.

by Claudine Zap On top of all the other wedding details filling Kate Middleton 's head, the bride-to-be has one more worry: Her engagement ring could fall off . The famous sapphire stone encircled by diamonds - and worn by none other than Princess Diana for her engagement - is apparently too big for the soon-to-be princess. Middleton, who has been dieting for her big day, is reportedly terrified her ring will fall off during the marriage ceremony.

by Mike Krumboltz Don't mess with Hugh Grant. Between 2004 and 2006, the actor )along with many other celebrities and politicians( had his voicemail hacked by British tabloid News of the World. At last, Grant had his sweet revenge when he secretly recorded a former reporter from the tabloid and published the juicy excerpts at a rival publication. NPR explains how it all went down.

by Vera H-C Chan Almighty producer Nigel Lythgoe of " American Idol " doesn't buy the anti-girl bias claims . Yet with favorite femme Pia Toscano following the high heels of Naima Adedapo and Thia Megia to the exit, the remaining ladies wouldn't be blamed for feeling a bit gun-shy. More data crunching is needed to figure out season 10's fickle fans, but here's a ranking of how the remaining contestants stack up, going into this week's competition.

by Claudine Zap It's a scientific fact that Marshmallow Peeps are practically indestructible. Which is a good thing, considering that the Easter candy is used for so much more than eating: Peeps have become central props in colorful diorama contests. The Washington Post holds a must-see " Peeps Show " each year, with eye-popping results that must be viewed to be believed. Last year's winner re-created the house elevated by balloons in the movie "Up." A-mazing.

by Mike Krumboltz The truth is out there. And by "truth," we mean a controversial )and official( memo that may or may not be accurate. The FBI has formally released an official memo from March 22, 1950 that alleges aliens did in fact land in New Mexico. Not surprisingly, the news sparked a furious amount of activity on the web. Online lookups for "ufo fbi files" soared into outer space, as did related searches on "ufo pictures" and "ufo fbi coverup.

by Mike Krumboltz April 29 is a big day in more ways than one. Not only is it William and Kate's wedding day, the last Friday in April also marks the expected launch of the space shuttle Endeavor. The mission will be commanded by Captain Mark Kelly , husband of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords . Giffords was shot at an Arizona shopping center several months ago. She is still recovering from the attack, which took the lives of several bystanders. According to various reports,

by Claudine Zap The NBC sitcom "Perfect Couples" was not quite perfect enough for the network: The show is being replaced with "The Paul Reiser Show," bringing a storm of criticism to the Web. The comedy followed the relationships of three couples, and starred comic Olivia Munn, but did not make it to the end of the season. While the show disappointed in the ratings , it still managed to develop a following, and fans bemoaned the abrupt ending on Yahoo! .