"The Voice" Top 4 were revealed on Tuesday night after two more contestants were eliminated: Melanie Martinez and Amanda Brown.

"I never expected to get this far and this is beyond what I've ever dreamed of," a brave-faced Melanie said after being eliminated. "I'm just so glad I got to express who I am as an artist and really touch people's hearts because that was the ultimate goal."

Terry McDermott and Cassadee Pope of Team Blake are moving on, along with Team Cee Lo's Trevin Hunte and Nicholas David, who round out the Top 4. Tuesday's results eliminated coach Adam Levine's team from the competition.

Before the results were announced, Nicholas broke some of the awkward tension by reminiscing about "The Voice" cast's good times.

"It has been the experience of a lifetime, the opportunity of a lifetime, the dream of a lifetime," he said. "But we have become a family in doing this, with all the hours we've spent together, all the tears we've cried, all the farts, everything."

"The Voice" host Carson Daly only had three letters in response: "TMI"

Terry and Trevin were the first of the Top 6 to duet. They put on a toe-tapping performance of One Republic's "Feel Again," which included arms around shoulders. Amanda and Cassadee took on Kelly Clarkson's "Breakaway" and Melanie joined Nicholas for an unlikely duet. The youngest "Voice" competitor remaining apparently (or coincidentally) took Christina Aguilera's advice from Monday night and performed a very unique version of Fiona Apple's "Criminal."

Ne-Yo opened the show with a performance of "Let Me Love You," featuring Team Adam's very flirty (and now eliminated) Amanda Brown. Rob Thomas, former Team Cee Lo advisor, and his band Matchbox 20 were joined by Rob's advisees, Nicholas and Trevin, for a rendition of "Overjoyed."

"The Voice" Top 4 will continue on Monday and Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST on NBC.

For all the swagger that pours from his lyrics, Jay-Z sure comes across as a nice guy when he rides the subway.

In a brief segment excerpted from "Life + Times," a 24-minute documentary about the artist's involvement in building the Barclays Center, Jay-Z rides the subway to his eighth and final show at the arena.

The fact that Jay-Z opted for the R train over his Maybach may be shocking in itself, but it gets better: While on the train, he meets "Ellen," a charming older woman who chats with the superstar for a bit. During the encounter, he explains what he does for a living. "I make music," he says. Apparently surprised by Jay's choice of transportation, Ellen soon lets loose those four words we all secretly crave from a parental figure: "I'm proud of you."

READ the transcript of the video below, or WATCH the segment, above:

Ellen: Are you famous?
Jay: Yes. Not very famous, you don't know me.
Ellen: I don't know you, but...
Jay: But I'll get there some day.
Jay: My name is Jay. What's your name?
Ellen: Ellen. What do you do?
Jay: I make music.
Ellen: Did you just do a performance?
Jay: I'm on my way to the performance at the new Brooklyn arena.
Ellen: Oh, fabulous!
Jay: I performed eight shows, actually... This is the last show.
Ellen: And you're going by subway?
Jay: Yes.
Ellen: I'm proud of you. Say your name again, just so I get it.
Jay: Jay. Jay Z
Ellen: Oh, you're Jay-Z! I know about Jay-Z.
[Shared laughter]

Born Richard Wayne Penniman in Macon, Georgia, showman Little Richard would go on to anoint himself  "The Architect of Rock 'N Roll" -- a befitting title considering future greats like Elvis Presley, The Beatles and Michael Jackson would credit him as inspiration. Though the "Good Golly Miss Molly" singer vacillated between mainstream rock and roll and non-secular music throughout his career, his on-stage style has remained consistently over the top. Sequins? Always. Polyester? Of course. Fringe? Lots. 

While he has continued to perform live for many years now, later generations would see Little Richard's TV guest appearances on shows like "Full House," Fresh Prince of Belair, "Martin" and "Blossom." Incredibly, his penchant for the extravagant has never wavered. Little Richard hits the milestone year of 80 on Wednesday (December 5th), and we're celebrating his birthday the best way we know how -- with a tribute to his boldest style moments.

Want more? Be sure to check out HuffPost Style on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and Pinterest.

NAIROBI, Kenya — Actor George Clooney and a group of U.S. genocide scholars in the United States are warning that war crimes are taking place in an obscure conflict in Sudan's southern region.

Clooney has long worked to prevent conflict in Sudan and South Sudan, and he co-founded a group that uses satellite imagery to monitor acts of war there. That group, the Satellite Sentinel Project, said Thursday that 26 villages were intentionally set on fire last month by Sudanese forces.

"Razing a village is a war crime, and the torching of now at least 26 Nuban villages, plus the systematic destruction of crops and grasslands for cattle, is a crime against humanity, Clooney said. "What we're seeing here is a widespread campaign of village and crop burning. We've seen this in Darfur, and it's happening again in South Kordofan and Blue Nile," he said, referring to two states in southern Sudan that border the separate country of South Sudan.

"The international community must act more robustly to counter and create a consequence for these crimes," he said.

Sudanese troops are fighting rebels in the Nuba Mountains who were once aligned with what is now South Sudan. When South Sudan peacefully broke away from Sudan last year, following decades of civil war, the rebels' region was placed in the Sudan side, though many there say they wish they would have been put with South Sudan.

Antonov airplanes have routinely bombed the rebels' region over the last year, resulting in farmers fleeing their fields. John Prendergast, a co-founder of the satellite project, said Sudan is carrying out a strategy of "starvation warfare." More than 100,000 Nuba residents have fled across the border to refugee camps in South Sudan.

The United States under President George W. Bush played a large role in ending decades of conflict between Sudan and what is now South Sudan. But the fighting in Sudan's South Kordofan and Blue Nile states – between Sudanese forces and rebels known as the SPLM-North – is not generating much international attention by comparison.

Samuel Totten, a professor at the University of Arkansas and the author of "Genocide by Attrition: The Nuba Mountains of Sudan," leads an online discussion with scholars and human rights activists about events in Sudan. On Wednesday he submitted a letter signed by more than 70 scholars to the Atrocities Prevention Board, a U.S. government panel. President Barack Obama created the board in August 2011, when he declared that the prevention of mass atrocities and genocide to be a "core national security interest and core moral responsibility."

Totten's letter said Sudan is carrying out attacks in Nuba much like it once did in Darfur, a region in western Sudan that benefited from an international outcry against atrocities committed there. The letter said the U.S. and international community are doing little or nothing to prevent the violence, despite Obama's 2011 directive.

"There is a point, we believe, when it should become self-evident that the continuation of talk, talk and more talk with a state that has engaged in serial crimes against humanity, genocidal-like actions, ethnic cleansing ... is all but a total waste of time," Totten wrote. "As hundreds of thousands of innocents needlessly suffer, there is a moral imperative that the continual `diplomatic' talking, negotiating, pleading, and ultimately begging with leaders of such openly deceptive and destructive strategies must be replaced by concrete and effective action ... ."

Preventing a return to war between Sudan and South Sudan appears to be the international community's first priority. A border has not yet been defined, and major oil disagreements over the last year have seen the South half its oil production, costing its own government and that of Khartoum's millions of dollars in lost revenue. Border skirmishes broke out in April.

The U.S. special envoy to Sudan and South Sudan, Princeton Lyman, traveled to the region in late November. Lyman said that without ending the conflict in the Nuba Mountains it will be hard for Sudan and South Sudan to sort their outstanding issues. Khartoum accuses South Sudan of aiding the SPLM-N rebels, a charge officials in Juba, South Sudan's capital, deny.

"There has to be, and I think everybody really recognizes this, a political channel inside Sudan between the government and the SPLM-N, to bring this conflict to a close. And the first step has to be a cessation of hostilities," Lyman said.

E.J. Hogendoorn, a Horn of Africa expert at the International Crisis Group, a think tank that tracks conflicts, said Sudanese forces aren't strong enough to take the Nuba Mountains without heavy casualties, and the SPLM-N isn't strong enough to push outside of Nuba.

"You have a strategic stalemate that if the international community doesn't do anything about it could last for a very long time, and the knock on-effect is that the civilian population is going to get screwed," he said.

Kathie Lee Gifford is a bad follower of Jesus. Her humility and sincerity in describing her personal faith journey, one that began at age 12, is indicative of a woman who leads a rich, bold life of risks and rewards, successes and struggles, questions and ... not answers, but something much more valuable: meaningful experiences. One who has tested traditional boundary lines and emerged more fluid yet more faithful for it. When it comes to right religion, she is less about certainty, more about truth. When it comes to worldview she is less partisan, more shalom. When it comes to practice, she is less textbook (and less holy book), more viva la vida.

Which is why I consider her a Femmevangelical -- a woman who doesn't submit, who challenges the status quo, who lives her compassionate faith and feminine worth out loud. It is also why she has dedicated the past 12 years of her busy career to bringing the life story of Aimee Semple McPherson, the first female evangelist in America, to the public in the most significant way since they sang of her decades ago in the classic song "Hooray for Hollywood":

"Where anyone at all from Shirley Temple to Aimee Semple is equally understood," Gifford rings out in her crystal voice.

Almost a century after the height of the charismatic preacher's career, Sister Aimee's namesake and notorious reputation has traveled from Los Angeles to Broadway in "Scandalous: The Life and Trials of Aimee Semple McPherson," which opened at the Neil Simon Theater on Nov. 15. Gifford wrote the book and lyrics, clearly a labor of love for a woman who believes faith must be transparent, honest and made relevant to today in ways that reveal people for what they are (worthy works in progress) and the gospel for what it was meant to be: good news that brings hope and transformation.

Gifford can bring the evangelista's well-documented triumphs, trials (literally) and tribulations to the stage with equal conviction. The show plays out Aimee's perceived hypocritical moments -- from using money left for her by Klan members ("what you meant for evil, God uses for good") to multiple marriages, allegations of affairs and a post-surgical pain drug dependence that ultimately killed her -- as equally relevant to her legacy as her godly deeds, which included feeding 1.5 million people during the Depression and giving inspirational new direction to the destitute, prostitutes and otherwise disenfranchised souls of her day.

"There is no redemption without sin," Gifford quips. "What is the point of sugar-coating [a] woman's life? All of history is written one human story at a time, and we have to take life in context and understand choices" in order to learn from history and continue improving ourselves and the world.

"Billy Graham's life would not have made a musical," Gifford says decidedly, "but Aimee broke every rule, was very human, and dared to try things no woman in the 1920s had ever done before." One creative path she forged was illustrating stories of the Bible using actors and theatric flair, to bring the concepts to life. "It was like the 'The Real Housewives of the Old Testament,'" Gifford laughs.

Despite the schtick and entertainment angle, realness was still the thing.

"The message Aimee Semple McPherson brought to people was that if you have a pulse, you have a purpose, no matter your past or current situation," Gifford says. This non-judgmental message of love and human worth resonated across the country and the world. It also surprisingly took root where Aimee built her church, Angelus Temple, in the land of dreams and heartbreak...Hollywood.

Ah, Hollywood. I suggest to the media mogul -- in the form of a question about the value of resurrecting Aimee's ethos for our time -- that today's popular "reality" culture finds some women pressured to emulate entrepreneurial entertainment personas that may lead us away from real purpose and the genuine, selfless qualities our faith calls us to develop. You know (I throw out the first association), like the Kardashians.

"I'm the godmother to the two youngest, and close with Kris Jenner," she says, "I actually told her the family should consider a reality show." Oops. But Gifford is here again understanding, open and transparent, always bringing it back to the real.

"I've [since told] Kris that I support [her], but can't watch it. I've been stunned with what the show is. I'm not judging the choices at all, but it's not [reflective of] the people I know." Gifford is adamant that judging others is never an option, especially as it relates to living out her faith and practicing feminism. Gifford says that feminism is "all about choice, even when we don't agree" about how women can be our best selves in a world that often tries to define us by our sexual allure, question our higher ambitions, and diminish our intellectual and leadership value.

Listening to her reflect, I hear Gifford practicing what her beloved Aimee preached. This was what the controversial minister fought for in her own time, in her own way, by becoming a respected and revered authority in a space dominated by men. Her life and choices were often twisted and misrepresented. Furthermore, she faithfully endured personal attacks for courageously inserting her unique talents and vision into what she knew to be an influential and important realm in all aspects of culture: religion and the church.

"I think the church should die," declares Gifford, "of natural causes."

I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Her statement is elicited by my curiosity about the significance of a musical tale of a Christian evangelist in a time when Pew studies declare the younger generations "more spiritual than religious" and people are leaving churches, and organized religion in general, in droves. The heroine of "Scandalous" attracted tens of thousands to her revivals and sermons, but in 2012, for the first time in history, our country's representation consists of less than 50 percent self-identified Protestants.

To explain the demise of people's interest in religion, Gifford quotes Jesus as recorded in John 15: "No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me."

But the church -- or some of the leaders and communities who represent it -- seems to have broken from the central command of Jesus: to love God with all our hearts and love our neighbor as ourselves. Its withering, she says, is caused by the judgment, hatred and bigotry that often stem from old and outdated religious interpretations and traditions.

"Jesus broke every rule of tradition and went straight for the human heart. His biggest battle was against 'religion,'" Gifford says. "Jesus was radical in his willingness to speak to, touch, heal and include women [in that society]. He lifted them up. And he was also always to be found hanging out with the people religious society judged and dismissed." Aimee Semple McPherson did the same, spending time with people in places where "most respectable women of the time would not be caught dead," Gifford attests, lest rumors and questions arise.

Raised in a very strict, rigid religious home, Aimee rebelled early against her mother's version of faithfulness. A genius who wrote 13 operas and played the piano and organ with hardly any formal training, Aimee was a staunch atheist until she was 17 years old. Then she met her first husband, Robert Semple, a charismatic Pentecostal preacher who made the word of God come alive and focused on the principle of love. Discovering a faith of freedom and vibrant expression changed her.

A relationship with God that provides spiritual freedom within a set of healthy guiding moral principles is also where Gifford tells me she bases her faith, not in the deadening confines of rigid religious doctrine. Throughout our conversation she refers to her relationship with a living God who transcends religion, and she acknowledges the dangers of the God of mis-translated and mis-interpreted scripture, trapped in the ink of ancient words and worldview. That faith is dead. The love of God is alive, she says, and therefore remains relevant today.

I ask Gifford about the relevance of "Scandalous" in the wake of a tense, polarized election cycle, and the effects of a war on women perceived to stem from conservative, evangelical religious ideals. There are evident parallels to Aimee Semple McPherson's daring interruption of the male stronghold on religious authority, to some of the professional repercussions for besting them in respect and effect, to the personal attacks and setbacks she endured, and also to the conservatism of Aimee's own preaching. But Gifford, in true form, can only focus on the elevation of those who persevere against the odds, all in good faith: "I've had every opportunity that a woman of no means can have in our country."

"Of course I have experienced sexism [in my career]," she confirms. Her antidote was to keep moving forward unapologetically, just doing her thing, being true to herself, and staying authentic in the process.

So, why should likewise ambitious, smart, modern young women of faith go see a musical about a female evangelist who has until now been scarcely remembered? "Fear," Gifford replies thoughtfully. "There is fear in our culture." She reflects on why all of us are fearful for the future: times are hard across the board. And women in particular are also instilled with insecurity about physical perfection, staying desirable, aging, menopause, having it all and living up to impossible standards. All this pressure on top of real fears like breast cancer and supporting our families.

"Aimee was fearless. She never stopped living and doing long enough to [let] fear [set in]."

Was Aimee a feminist?

"Absolutely."

Are you?

"I don't call myself one. I am one. I just live it."

So, what is the gospel according to Kathie Lee? Here is her impromptu sermon to seekers of all types, and fellow Femmevangelicals:

Be encouraged. In all your ways acknowledge God, your counselor and dearest friend, and live not by [an enforced] bondage of God's commands, but live in the freedom of them. Focus on your purpose. God's picture is so much bigger. Do not let this world or any man define you, let God define you. Your body, your face, your situation will change ... but God won't.

"It would look like Oprah but steeped in the word of God!" Gifford muses. "Although God has a way of surpassing anything I could imagine. It would look like acceptance and abundance, not condemnation or self-righteousness. It would look like mercifulness, serving the poor. Heaven and hell are mentioned far, far less in the Bible than concern for the poor.

What would faith revived ultimately look like? Gifford doesn't hesitate.

"It would look like love."

This article was originally published for Patheos at patheos.com/blogs/femmevangelical.

Tickets for 'Scandalous' are available here.

Gifford's children are involved with the Angelus temple (what Gifford lovingly calls a "mosh pit for Jesus") today via the Dream Center in L.A., which serves the poor, hungry, those suffering from addictions, victims of sex trafficking and domestic violence, those living with AIDS, and gang-related issues, among other things.

'Scandalous' is currently partnering with New York Dream Center to help victims of Hurricane Sandy find a moment of relief and hope by giving them donated tickets to see the show. To donate, visit newyorkdreamcenter.org.

If you want to feel all warm and fuzzy this holiday season, check out the new music from Lady Antebellum, Blake Shelton and Barry Manilow. If you'd rather feel a bit nauseous, then check out the new music video for the song "I Think You Might Like It" by "Grease" co-stars John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, who have teamed up to make a Christmas CD this year.

At least that's according to just-in reviews of the piece -- part of the iconic on-screen couple's CD titled "This Christmas."

Not only are reviewers calling the cover of the CD "the worst," but the music video released earlier this week has been panned for being odd, bizarre and just plain creepy.

The New York Daily News called it "cheesy." The Frisky called it "absurd" and "ridiculous" and a waste of 3 minutes and 12 seconds. Guardian columnist Sali Hughes proclaimed on Twitter: "This has blown my mind. Oddest video ever."

Travolta and Newton-John often have talked about the close friendship they've retained since starring as Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsen in "Grease" in 1978 and apparently are delighted to be working together again.

"My desire was to make 'This Christmas' an intimate album, not something too ostentatious or showy," 58-year-old Travolta said in the press release for the album.

The album also features guest appearances by a wide range of artists including Barbra Streisand, James Taylor, Tony Bennett and Kenny G.

But no doubt the music video is sparking a strong reaction.

VH1 published a list of the 10 most festively bizarre things about the music video that includes: This line: "Then we're going to hide away, making love all night/And we can try tomorrow watching 'It's A Wonderful Life'."

But E! Online published its own list of 12 things it loves about the "must-watch" video that includes: "That Sandy and Danny haven't lost their groove, all these years later."

So what do you think of the music video? Let us know in comments.

In the last week, Kate Middleton announced her new bangs... and a baby. That's a lot of change, but I guess that's one more reason why we love and admire her. A lot of people have been asking why Kate got bangs a week before going public with her pregnancy. Well to be completely honest, I don't know and I don't think anyone will know. However, I do know that it was a smart move!

Many women have different tales to tell of their crowning glory when they are pregnant. Some have hair that becomes thicker and shiner. Others will have the reverse, and find that their hair becomes thinner and drier (I find that this normally doesn't happen, but there are some cases). Also, hair texture can change -- curly hair becomes straighter, and straighter hair becomes wavy and sometime even curly.

After the baby is born, you will find that your hair will go back to what it was pre-baby. So yes, I'm sorry to say you may feel like your hair is not as thick and full as it was before. But, there are great stylers, shampoos and conditioners out there to help give lift and life to dry, flat, and damaged hair. There are also great lightweight mousses like Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Boost & Lift Foaming Air Mousse to help add body when blow-drying. Another trick to add body to fine hair is to spray a little dry shampoo at the roots. Also, using a deep conditioner or an enriching hair mask (try Vidal Sassoon Pro Series Restoring Repair One Minute Mask) once a week can give your hair a helping hand.

If you're thinking of changing your hairstyle when pregnant, you don't have to go for a short style because you think it's going to be easy. Sometimes, long hair can be the easier option as it can be pulled up into a ponytail and out of the way in a matter of seconds. But, if you are sick of long hair and want to do something to change it, you could always go the route of the Duchess of Cambridge by cutting in a long fringe, or as you U.S. readers call it, "bangs."

By doing this, it gives you a softer look around the face. Also, you have the choice to do a side sweeping fringe or, as Kate has done, sport a more central part. The center part is very cool and evokes a '70s feeling, whereas the side-sweeping part is more glamorous and sexy. So, depending on your mood and the occasion, the choice is yours. Also, this can be adapted to any length to suit your face shape. However, when cutting your hair, start long and if you feel you need to go shorter, then you still have that option. So come on ladies, treat yourself to "the Kate Middleton"!

There are also many different opinions on coloring your hair when expecting. If you normally get all-over color, I feel the safer bet is to switch to highlights and lowlights and wait until the first trimester is over before doing any color. The high and lowlights work better because the color doesn't touch your scalp. But if you can wait until the baby is born, even better yet.

So that's my hair low down on what to expect when expecting. Good luck, and here's to healthy, happy hair and babies.

Want more? Take a peek at the photos below to see Kate Middleton's amazing hair.

As the dust from Wednesday night's Grammy nominations settled, fans of electronic dance music were left scratching their heads at the inclusion of an unknown performer in the Best Dance Recording category.

Al Walser's "I Can't Live Without You" is nominated alongside Avicii's "Levels," Calvin Harris and Ne-Yo's "Let's Go," Swedish House Mafia's "Don't You Worry Child" and Skrillex and Sirah's "Bangarang." While the rest in the category are easily in the top tier of producers and DJs, Walser is a mystery to even avid consumers of EDM. (Watch the video for Walser's track above.)

According to House.net, Walser is a relentless self-promoter who claims to be a "Grammy nominating and voting member." The claim was allegedly made on Walser's Facebook fan page, which has since been taken down. As House.net notes, no variations of Walser's name appear on any of the rolls for the Recording Academy's 12 chapter.

Walser's Twitter account -- which has about 550 followers and includes no tweets about the nomination -- repeats the voting member claim.

The dance music news site quoted an anonymous source who claimed the Grammys were very embarrassed by the situation and speculated that foul play may have been involved. Here's how Walser's representative responded to the House.net story:

we saw the article you posted on al walser and the defamation attempts of his likeness and would not want but would be forced to get this to our attorney shouldn't you take this article down. to the facts. also, like so many thousands of other artists, yes, he is a voting member as well in the los angeles chapter.

A number of top DJ's and producers noted their shock at Walser's inclusion in the nominees on Twitter:

[Ed. note: That's not technically true -- nominees are not allowed to vote on their own work.]

When reached by The Huffington Post, a representative of the Recording Academy said she would look into whether or not Walser is a nominating and voting member. We will update this post as soon as more information is available.

For more from the original story, head over to House.net.

On That '70s Show, sassy Donna Pinciotti was one of the most likable, relatable characters. The wise-cracking yet goodhearted neighbor, played by Laura Prepon, was smart, funny and adept at handling (and rolling her eyes at) her totally insane parents.

It's possible that I transferred some of my goodwill towards the character to the actress who played her. At the time, Prepon (to me, at least) seemed the most likely of the cast to go on to bigger and better things. After all, she was both striking and down-to-earth, with a rich throaty voice and beautiful red hair that set her apart from all of the other actresses out there at the time.

Of course, that hasn't proven to be true. Jackie and Kelso (Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher) have gone on to become the biggest stars, eclipsing all of the others by far. While Kutcher never really left the spotlight, Kunis' star has risen recently with big hits like Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Friends With Benefits and Ted. Eric (Topher Grace) has been working steadily, and appears to have made a successful transition from TV to the big screen with big titles like Spider-Man 3 on his resume.

Hyde (Danny Masterson) has also been working regularly, and recently landed a starring role on the new TV show Men at Work. Even Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) has enjoyed a prosperous career, with bit roles in movies and a fruitful gig as the voice of Manny on the popular kids' show Handy Manny.

With the exception of train wreck/frequently incarcerated Lisa Robin Kelly, who played Eric's evil sister Laurie on the show, Prepon has gone on to become the least successful cast member, and not for lack of trying. She hasn't intentionally disappeared from the limelight to pursue a college degree or quietly raise a family.

No, she's been toiling away for years, giving the whole acting thing a go. She even took on the incredibly controversial role of reviled serial killer Karla Homolka in the 2006 flick Karla. While the film itself sparked outrage, it didn't translate into extra attention for poor Prepon. Things started looking up when she landed the lead role on the NBC series Are You There, Chelsea?, based on the bestseller by Chelsea Handler. But the sitcom was universally panned and quickly cancelled, and, less than a year later most people have probably already forgotten about it.

Once again it seemed like Prepon finally caught a break when she was cast in the latest Stephen Frears flick, Lay the Favorite, opening in select cities this week. It co-stars big names like Bruce Willis, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Rebecca Hall. Unfortunately, appearing opposite talent like that only highlights Prepon's weaknesses as an actress.

While Hall (who is British, by the way) is perfect as a ditzy mid-western sweetheart, American Prepon can't even nail down her character's subtle southern drawl. She seems to be focusing so hard on getting the accent right that she forgets to act. As Hall effortlessly emotes and makes us feel for her, Prepon delivers her lines in a ridiculous, over-the-top manner.

To top things off, Prepon has a topless scene that seems completely unnecessary, and even that didn't generate much extra attention for her. (Lay the Favorite was released in other countries earlier this year). She's trying every trick in the book to generate buzz, from tackling controversial roles to taking her top off, but nothing seems to be working for her. She's even a Scientologist! Say what you will about the Church of Scientology, it has produced a lot of famous actors. (Tom Cruise, John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Jason Lee and Juliette Lewis, to name a handful.) The Hollywood networking opportunities she gets through Scientology may explain why she keeps getting cast in stuff despite her many public failures.

So what should Prepon do? I think dying her hair red again would be a good start. Hollywood has enough blondes. As for getting more ink, she should rip a page out of Wilmer Valderrama's book and start dating celebs who are more famous than her. Even better, she should be the one who comes between current lovebirds Kutcher and Kunis. If that doesn't land her some tabloid covers, I don't know what will.

Fox's "Stars In Danger: The High Dive" features a cast of reality stars and "Baywatch" veterans. The series features eight celebrities who will compete in a series of Olympic-style dives, including solo and synchronized diving, from a variety of heights.

Olympian Troy Dumais will help the stars in the competition.

The cast includes:

• "Jersey Shore" star JWoww
• Pro surfer Bethany Hamilton
• "Baywatch" and Lifetime movie veteran Alexandra Paul
• "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kim Richards
• "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Kyle Richards
• David Chokachi of "Baywatch" and "Witchblade" fame
• Former NFL player Terrell Owens
• Antonio Sabator Jr.

An introverted or shy celebrity? Now that sounds like a riddle.

Although it's difficult to imagine that someone whose first instinct is to avoid the spotlight would have their eyes locked on Hollywood, there are more than a few celebrities who've admitted that they're closeted wallflowers.

Perhaps these stars' timid nature is the exact reason why they've taken to the stage -- the one place where they can channel a more confident and outgoing version of themselves.

Even Kim Kardashian -- who seems to embody the term "exhibitionist" -- admits that the "real Kim" isn't all that outgoing.

"I’m the girl who’s too shy to dance in a nightclub—maybe for one song, and then that’s it," she claimed. "The real Kim is very shy and reserved and not outspoken and loud like everybody assumes she is."

And then there's Kristen Stewart -- star of one of the biggest box office franchises of all time -- who always looks like she's experiencing some kind of extreme torture during interviews.

Check out these celebrities who have spoken out about their wallflower ways:

The lovely Cat Deeley tied the knot with comedian Patrick Kielty in October in a secret wedding in Rome.

On Wednesday, the couple made their newlywed debut at the Rodeo Drive Walk of Style in Beverly Hills. The event honored Italian designer Bulgari.

See Deeley looking chic with her new husband below, then click through the slideshow to see more well-heeled newlyweds.

Keep in touch! Check out HuffPost Weddings on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

Conservative media watchdog group One Million Moms is angry about Ellen DeGeneres' new Christmas ad for J.C. Penney, NBC's "Today Show" reports.

DeGeneres, a spokeswoman for the department store, is featured in a holiday ad in which she asks a group of Santa's elves to make more toys for a giveaway contest but winds up making a bunch of clumsy "small" jokes in the process.

The ad did not sit well with the group, who said the following about DeGeneres (via Boston.com):

Since April, JC Penney's has not aired Ellen DeGeneres in one of their commercials until now. A new JCP ad features Ellen and three elves,” writes OMM. “JCP has made their choice to offend a huge majority of their customers again. Christians must now vote with their wallets. We have contacted JC Penney's several times in the past with our concerns, and they will not listen. They have decided to ignore our complaints so we will avoid them at all costs.

Although One Million Moms is peeved about DeGeneres' ad, others don't quite understand the problem.

"THIS IS SO OFFENSIVE -- Said nobody with a brain ever," one viewer wrote, according to NBC. "There is nothing wrong with this. 'one million moms'... needs to relax, worry about raising their kids and not spending time & energy on hating a '30 second' holiday clip of elves and Ellen at a diner. Really?" wrote another.

In February, One Million Moms, founded by anti-gay, conservative Christian group American Family Association, first spoke out against DeGeneres being hired as a spokesperson for J.C. Penney.

"Funny that JC Penney thinks hiring an open homosexual spokesperson will help their business when most of their customers are traditional families," the organization wrote on its website. "By jumping on the pro-gay bandwagon, JC Penney is attempting to gain a new target market and in the process will lose customers with traditional values that have been faithful to them over all these years."

Apparently heeding no attention to anti-gay critics, however, J.C. Penny ran a Father's Day ad featuring two dads this summer.

At the time, AdWeek wrote:

Given the timeliness of the gay-marriage issue, it's not surprising to see brands take a stand, but when a classic American brand like JCPenney steps up, it's pretty clear where America is headed.

DeGeneres is not the only one to draw the the ire of One Million Moms. The group has protested Urban Outfitters (for showing two women kissing in their catalogue), Skittles (for bestiality themes) and NBC's "The New Normal" (for featuring gay couples).

Most New Yorkers would probably be shocked to see Jay-Z on their daily commute, but when artist Ellen Grossman found herself sitting next to the superstar on the subway, she didn't even recognize him, asking, "Are you famous?"

After the video of Grossman's subway adventure went viral, HuffPost Live invited her on the air to discuss her experience.

"My first reaction when that surge of people came onto a fairly empty subway car was: there's been a disaster upstairs," explained Grossman. She continued, "And then there was great relief when I saw they were laughing and taking pictures of this one guy and just in a great mood, which is why I then thought that it perhaps was a flashmob."

Jay-Z left a positive impression on Grossman. "He's genuine," she explained. "He was really present, he was paying attention to me. Ultimately, he didn't mind that I didn't know who he was, I think he thought it was funny and maybe even a relief to meet one person in the whole world who didn't know who he was."

Grossman said that the video had brought much welcome attention to her artwork. "I am very pleased that it's driven quite a lot of traffic to my website."

She currently has art on display at the Denise Bibro Fine Art gallery located at 529 West 20th Street 4W in New York.

At the end of the segment, host Marc Lamont Hill quizzed Grossman on her celebrity recognition skills in a brief game of "Name That Celebrity." Check out the clip above to see how she did.

WATCH MORE CLIPS BELOW AND THE FULL SEGMENT ON HUFFPOST LIVE

NEW YORK -- The mtvU network is honoring a rap superstar who detailed his love for another man and a Pakistani girl shot for her education advocacy as its Man and Woman of the Year.

Frank Ocean, who earned six Grammy nominations Wednesday, published a letter online about his first love, a man, just as his "channel ORANGE" disc was being released. MtvU on Thursday called it "an incredibly brave move for an artist on the verge of superstardom."

Fifteen-year-old Malala Yousufzai (mah-LAH'-lah YOO'-suf-ZAY') blogged about her support of education for girls in Pakistan. For that, Taliban militants stormed her school bus and shot her in the head and neck, but she survived.

The mtvU network is geared toward college students and is seen on more than 750 campuses.

For the most part, Hollywood is still an old boys club, but there are plenty of women in the industry working hard to change that. On Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter released its 21st annual list of the most powerful women in the entertainment industry, and the majority of the list is women you've probably never heard of.

Fame doesn't necessarily equal power in Hollywood and only five actresses made this year's list. Tina Fey ranks at No. 42 on the list, making her THR's most powerful actress in 2012. Though "30 Rock" is ending, we're poised to see much more of Fey in the new year, as THR notes that she signed an impressive four-year deal with Universal Television to create and potentially star in projects.

Also on the list because their star power translates at the box office are, Jennifer Lawrence, Kristen Stewart and Meryl Streep, who all clocked in at No. 50. According to THR, Lawrence, 22, commanded an estimated $10 million salary for the second installment in "The Hunger Games" series, which hits theaters next year. The first film opened to $152.2 million, and ultimately grossed $686.5 million worldwide.

While Stewart, 22, is a polarizing figure and her acting abilities have been debated, according to THR she has green-light power. Stewart has proved to be a box office queen, as all five "Twilight" films have now grossed more than $3.1 billion worldwide, and "Snow White and the Huntsman," earned $400.3 million worldwide.

There's no denying Streep's talents, but it's the 51 films she's starred in over the years, grossing upward of $3.67 billion worldwide that prove the 63-year-old's power in Hollywood.

The final actress to make THR's list, No. 100, is Lena Dunham, 26. Undeniably the "it" girl of 2012 as the creator/writer/director/star of HBO's hit series "Girls," she received three Emmy nominations, and landed a $3.6 million book deal with Random House.

Click over to The Hollywood Reporter for the entire list of the most powerful women in entertainment 2012.

Celebrity Photos Of The Week:

It goes without saying, but singer Taylor Swift has a long way to go before she dethrones anyone in hip-hop.

For one thing, unless her love of sugar somehow qualifies her, she just doesn't have that gritty "from the streets" quality. For another, Swift's beatboxing skills are atrocious.

In a performance at the 2012 Grammy Nominations Concert, Taylor Swift joined LL Cool J on stage for what The Daily Beast politely described as an "unlikely collaboration."

Swift cheerfully attempts to throw down some beats ("This is going to be terrible," she says.) while LL layers over it with a gangster-inspired rendition of Swifts hit single "Mean."

How'd it turn out? Let's just say we agree with her when she noted afterward, "I'm 100 percent sure we're not going to be nominated for that collaboration next year."

"It's highly unlikely," responded LL.

WATCH the performance, below:

In what has to be his most unlikely movie role yet, Steve-O has narrated What Came Before, a 10-minute film short about three escapees from the American meat industry.

The star, best known for inflicting pain on himself, is on a mission to end pain and suffering for animals raised for food.

In What Came Before, Steve-O tells the stories of three farm animals -- Nikki, Symphony, and Fanny -- who escaped factory farms and are presently living the good life at Farm Sanctuary. Nikki is a pig who was pregnant when she escaped a gestation crate during the Iowa floods, Symphony is a hen who escaped her tiny cage when a tornado demolished the shed she was housed in, and Fanny is a former dairy cow who was crippled when Farm Sanctuary rescued her from a livestock auction.

In addition to the happy stories of these rescued animals, Steve-O details What Came Before -- standard conditions in modern factory farms and slaughterhouses -- and encourages viewers to stop supporting similar abuses.

Says Steve-O: "You wouldn't personally do any of the things you saw in this film to Nikki, Symphony, Fanny or any other animal. So I'm sure you don't want to pay others to hurt them for you."

Watch What Came Before:

"I have a tough stomach, and I've put myself through a lot," explains Steve-O. "But when I first found out what happens to animals on modern factory farms and in today's slaughterhouses, I wanted to throw up -- I literally couldn't believe it. I narrated this short film for Farm Sanctuary because I'm committed to doing what I can to show people all the disgusting things that happen to farm animals, and to encourage everyone to make more compassionate choices. I love that when someone does a Google search for 'Steve-O explicit video,' they're going to find 'What Came Before.' I hope a lot of them go vegetarian."

If you want to help Steve-O help animals, please share this post with everyone you know.

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I was crowned Miss America 2012. I arrived in Las Vegas a week early to gear up for the competition with the other contestants, but no amount of preparation could have truly prepared me for what would become the most defining year of my life. And what a year it has been: from meeting President Obama with the Children's Miracle Network at the White House to singing the national anthem for my beloved Green Bay Packers (Go, Pack, Go!). Since last January, I have been on the road almost every day visiting all corners of the country and meeting the most inspiring people. On Saturday, January 12, live on ABC, I will hand off the crown to Miss America 2013, who will embody the four pillars of the Miss America organization: style, service, scholarship and success. I'm so excited to pass along the crown and the incredible experience that will follow to the next deserving woman. Most of all, I look forward to the next phase of my life, which will hopefully include continuing the pursuit of my law degree and continuing my work mentoring children of incarcerated parents. But no matter what lies ahead, I will never forget that moment when I was crowned Miss America.

Here are my favorite things of 2012 and a few of the things I learned along the way...

Favorite book: Killing Kennedy by Bill O'Reilly -- like so many Americans, I'm fascinated by the Kennedys. This book really brings history to life and offers a unique perspective on JFK's assassination.

Favorite movie:Twilight: Breaking Dawn Part II -- I can't help it, I'm a Twilight fan! I've followed the whole series, so I've been counting down to the release of the last movie. Team Edward!

Favorite TV show:Dancing With The Stars -- I'm always amazed at how quickly the contestants pick up those difficult steps. I'd love the opportunity to dance for the mirror ball trophy!

Health and fitness: Being on the road as Miss America, I'd often wake up tired with aches and pains due to the amount of traveling. Nutrition and exercise have been crucial to maintaining my health and sanity on the road.

Politics: After watching the debates and campaign attack ads, I wish political candidates weren't so negative towards each other. It sounds simple, but if ads and debate arguments were based on each candidate bringing solid facts to the table, the focus could remain on solving the problems we all face rather than criticizing one another.

Philanthropy: I truly believe giving back is the best way to feed your own soul. Throughout my year as Miss America, I have had the amazing privilege to give back to communities across the country, as well as devote my time to my personal platform: mentoring children of incarcerated parents. Whether I'm visiting Children's Miracle Network Hospitals to raise funds and awareness for children's hospitals, spending time at Project AVARY, a camp for children with parents in prison, or partnering with Big Brothers, Big Sisters to promote the importance of mentoring in children's lives, I've had the opportunity to share my personal story and platform, and give back in so many ways.

Financial advice: It's good to have an accountant -- taxes are best left to the experts.

Pop culture: It was totally surreal to be able to attend the Style Awards in New York during Fashion Week, as well as the CMAs in Nashville. It's amazing to be surrounded by people at the very top of their game being recognized for their talents.

By Julie Miller, Vanity Fair

Adriana Lima walking at the 2012 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show.

Last night, CBS aired its annual Victoria's Secret Fashion Show--an amalgamation of models in lingerie, live musical performances, and major body-image distress for women watching at home. To help said women obtain the same otherworldly dimensions that they viewed on the runway last night, today People magazine explains how Adriana Lima--who gave birth to a daughter just eight weeks before walking in the show--got into V.S.-runway shape. To make this information fun, rather than incredibly discouraging, we ask you to guess which of the below training regimens was used by Adriana Lima, one of the world's most beautiful women, and which was the pre-Olympics workout favored by Usain Bolt, the world's fastest person.

A) Starting at 9 a.m., [redacted]'s twice-daily workouts included 20 to 30 minutes on an exercise bike, followed by 20 to 30 minutes of core work and a "quick-reflex" shadowboxing routine created by [redacted], a former middleweight boxing champion. Next, the [redacted] would don real boxing gloves and practice punching combinations to learn speed and power, followed by glute and leg sculpting exercises, and a rigorous jump-roping routine finished with stretching.

Sound exhausting? That's just [redacted] morning workout. "[redacted]'d head home to be with the [redacted] and then, pow! [Redacted]'d come back that night from 5 to 8 p.m."

B) [Redacted] trains six days a week, and spends an hour a day in the gym, primarily on weight work.

If you guessed that the Olympic gold-medalist followed B, the second workout plan, you are right. Lima, People notes, trained in total "four to six hours every day, seven days a week." As if that were not enough, the model also subsisted on "steamed dark greens and lean proteins."

See backstage photos of the 2012 Victoria's Secret Angels at VanityFair.com.

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