NEW MUSIC DISCOVERY

IMAGINE DRAGONS "IT'S TIME" 

Imagine Dragons are an indie rock band based in Las Vegas. They’ve got some tour dates across the U.S. between now and May – with a few shows here in California. Their EP ‘Continued Silence’ is available now 

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DOUCHE OF THE DAY:

MANNY RAMIREZ - back in baseball w/ the A's. oh - but he's gotta serve a 50-game suspension first - for violating drug policy.......again.

(Getty)

Manny Ramirez is back in baseball… this time with the Oakland A's.  The team announced the minor league deal worth about $500,000.  Manny is expected to report to spring training by the end of the week. First, he has to serve a 50-game suspension without pay before beginning play for the A's due to violating baseball's drug policy for the second time. He played only five games for Tampa Bay last season when he was notified of the suspension.  He then retired instead of serving the ban but decided he wanted to play this season. [ESPN]

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NEWS

Miramonte Elementary School Teacher Mark Berndt pleaded not guilty

(Sheriff's Dept/AP)

Former Miramonte Elementary School teacher Mark Berndt pleaded not guilty yesterday to nearly two dozen counts of lewd acts against children. In addition to entering the plea, the attorney for 61-year-old Mark Berndt voiced concerns about his client's safety at the L.A. County Jail. According to the attorney, when Berndt arrived, there was an announcement over the loudspeaker that a child molester was being brought in. That allegation is now under investigation. Berndt was arrested on Jan. 30 and charged with 23 counts of lewd conduct with children. He is being held on $23 million bail -- $1 million for each of the charges. [KTLA]

Will Porn move out of Los Angeles?

(AFP/Getty)

Adult film companies say they are considering lawsuits or moving out of Los Angeles, after the city council passed a law requiring porn actors to use condoms. The Los Angeles City Council approved a new mandate on Jan. 17 requiring that all adult film actors wear condoms when filming within city limits. The measure was approved without debate in a 9-to-1 vote. It will take effect on March 5th. The measure allows police to conduct spot checks on any set once a film permit is issued. [KTLA]

Bad economy = less babymaking

(AFP/Getty)

The US population is growing at the slowest rate since the Great Depression. The recession technically ended in June 2009. Even though the economy has gotten better, the recession's effect on birth and immigration is substantial. The number of babies born from July 1, 2010, to July 2011 dropped 200,000 from the same period in 2008-09. [USAToday]

iPad 3 details have leaked 

(iPad2, Getty)

Photos of the new iPad 3 have been leaked, and they suggest that the tablet with have a high resolution display and an 8-megapixel camera. In one photo of the iPad 3, there is a noticeable difference in the circumference of the rear-facing camera compared to the iPad 2… the more room is assumed to be making space for an 8-megapixel camera.And a photo of the iPad 3 package confirms there will be a 9.7-inch, high-resolution 2048 x 1536 Retina Display but it also includes a "dual LED display."  [Yahoo]

Chris Tucker now owes the government over $12 million in back taxes

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The actor owes $11,571,909.26 for federal taxes from 2001, 2002 and 2004 through 2006. And Georgia says Tucker owes the state $592,594.82 in back taxes for the year 2007.  He now owes a total of $12,164,504.08. [TMZ]

Warner Bros. has pulled all Whitney Houston movies from Netflix

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Warner Bros. has pulled all Whitney Houston movies from Netflix-- hoping to make money off the singer's death.  A Netflix spokesperson said the production company pulled the streaming rights of the movie after the singer died.  The spokesperson added that Warner Bros. made the move so people will have to buy the movie, instead, which would make them a lot of money. [DailyCaller]

Lindsay Lohan will play Elizabeth Taylor - AND - she's due back in court today

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Lindsay Lohan has scored the role of Elizabeth Taylor in the Lifetime TV movie, "Liz and Dick"... as long as she stays out of legal trouble. According to Access Hollywood, if Lohan continues to stick to the judge's orders, as she has been doing, she will be playing Liz Taylor in the Lifetime made-for-TV film about the late actress. Lohan is due back in court today. [AccessHollywood]

Do you feel anxious if your cell phone isn't nearby? You might have Nomophobia

(LATimes)

Does just the thought of losing your phone make your heart pound? Do you sometimes take it to bed with you? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you may be a nomophobe. Nomophobia is the fear of being without your cell phone, and it's a phobia that's on the rise. An online survey found that 66% of the 1,000 people surveyed say they fear losing or being without their phone. 70% of women fear losing their phones, compared with 61% of men. 18 to 24-year-olds tend to be the most nomophobic (77%). [LATimes]

Blur will headline special show to celebrate 2012 Olympic Games in London

(Danny North/NME)

Blur will headline a special one-off show in London's Hyde Park to celebrate the end of the Olympic Games this summer.  Speaking in an exclusive interview with ‘NME’, frontman Damon Albarn promised the show would be "brilliant". He added: “It'll be a proper party. It's the closing night of the Olympics. Our raison d'etre is to provide another celebration of a fantastic day…” Blur will be joined by New Order and The Specials at the show, which is being billed as a 'Best Of British' event.  [NME]

Dave Grohl on the Foos' follow-up to "Wasting Light"

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"We have an idea. It's kind of a really big idea. We're going to record it in space. To tape. An analog moonshot." [MTV]