This evening’s game against South Florida will likely be the only time this year the team wears the Nike-produced grays.  The uniforms have met with some controversy in the SU community as it lessens the amount of orange the team will be sporting.

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

New York State is set to enter the work on e-commerce this spring when the state opens its first Ebay store.

Dubbed NYSStore.com the state will offer surplus vehicles, office furnishings, computers and more.

Altogether, the goods are expected to generate “hundreds of thousands of dollars.”

“By selling unneeded equipment and supplies, New York State will reduce operating costs and cut back on excess spending and inventory,” Cuomo said in th release. “This initiative is a small part of our work to overhaul government operations and make the state work more efficiently for the taxpayer.”

 

[Utica Observer Dispatch]

Thinkstock

A new Nielsen poll finds smartphones are becoming less of a luxury and more of a so-called necessity — at least for younger people.

Nielsen gathered data to learn more about the age, income and demographics of the typical US smartphone user. Specifically, the firm wanted to know if lower prices are making the devices more popular among those who earn less money.

Turns out more than half of people between 18 and 24 who make less than $15,000 per year are smartphone owners, compared to 43 percent of those aged 25 to 34 and just 31 percent of folks between 35 and 44 years old.

While researchers don’t know if the people surveyed, especially those in the younger group, have outside financial help (parents, spouses, etc.), it’s clear that even the respondents on limited budgets are making room for smartphone ownership.

But what researchers found most interesting is that although the younger set deems the devices a necessity, older people consider them more of a luxury — which is valuable information for developers, publishers and advertisers.

[TechCrunch]

Abercrombie

This guy was everywhere — on billboards, in magazines, on Abercrombie & Fitch shopping bags — and then he disappeared. Who was he?

In case you’re one of those people who treat hott guys as more than just a piece of meat, the male model’s name is Maxwell Zagorski. And he didn’t disappear. Zagorski was one of Abercrombie’s shirtless and sexy studs from 2006-2008, and then he was quickly picked up by International Jock in 2009 and became the face and body model for Levi’s Underwear.

We’ll be keeping an eye on this one, that’s for sure.

Mariano Vivanco

International Jock

International Jock

International Jock

20th Century Fox, Lucasfilm/20th Century Fox/Columbia Pictures/United Artists/United Artists

For every role that can be considered “Oscar bait,” there are the roles that are completely out of the norm for the Academy Awards.  The actors on our list all gave performances that have transcended Oscars and are more well-known for their contributions to pop culture.

While the Academy tends to ignore genre movies in favor of stuffy period pieces and weepy dramas, occasionally they honor an offbeat character beloved by moviegoers. Whether it’s a tough-as-nails alien fighter, a telekinetic kid or a Jedi master, these are 10 iconic characters from movie history that were surprisingly nominated for an Oscar.

Pat Morita as Mr. Miyagi, ‘The Karate Kid’

Columbia Pictures

‘The Karate Kid’ is an ’80s staple that launched three sequels (plus a Jackie Chan reboot) and a bonafide kids classic. Much of the film’s success was due to Pat Morita’s portrayal of wise sensei Mr. Miyagi. Morita, who gained notoriety on ‘Happy Days,’ received his first and only Oscar nomination for the role, losing to Haing S. Ngor for ‘The Killing Fields.’  (It’s also not the only surprising Oscar nomination to come from the ‘Karate Kid’ cast– William Zabka (aka “Sweep the leg Johnny” ) was nominated for Best Short Film, Live Action in 2004.)

Anne Ramsey as Mrs. Lift, ‘Throw Momma From the Train’

Orion Pictures

Anne Ramsey had a long career dating back to 1971 before she became famous for her role as the nasty Mrs. Fratelli in ‘The Goonies.’  It was that role that led Danny De Vito to cast Ramsey as another nasty mama in ‘Throw Momma From the Train.’  While the film otherwise didn’t make much of an impact with critics or audiences, Ramsey was singled out for her performance and was nominated for Best Supporting Actress.  Though she may have looked much older, Ramsey died just a few months later, at the age of just 59.

Linda Blair as Regan MacNeil, ‘The Exorcist’

Warner Bros.

‘The Exorcist’ is remembered for a lot of things: pea soup showers, spinning heads, spider walks. But many people forget that Linda Blair, the 13-year-old actress who played possessed schoolgirl Regan MacNeil, was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. The film received a total of 10 total Oscar nominations (including two for stars Ellen Burstyn and Jason Miller) but it was Blair’s that was the most surprising. She was, at the time, one of the youngest actors nominated for an Oscar. Coincidentally, Blair lost that year to 10-year-old Tatum O’Neal (‘Paper Moon’) who still holds the record for the youngest Academy Award winner.

Sigourney Weaver as Ellen Ripley, ‘Aliens’

20th Century Fox

Few action heroes are nominated for Oscars. Very few action heroes in sequels are nominated for Oscars.  Very, very few female action heroes in sequels are nominated for Oscars. That’s why Sigourney Weaver’s nomination in James Cameron’s ‘Aliens’ was so remarkable. As remarkable as it was, though, few people remember it happened, likely because the next year, Weaver was nominated for two Oscars in the same year (for ‘Gorillas in the Mist’ and ‘Working Girl’).

Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa, ‘Rocky’

United Artists

‘Rocky’ launched the super-stardom of Sylvester Stallone who went on to become one of the biggest stars in the world. He eventually drove ‘Rocky’ into the ground (see: 1990′s ‘Rocky V’) and the franchise devolved into self-parody, but in the beginning, the underdog boxing film was a hit at the Oscars. Stallone was nominated for Best Actor and, perhaps most surprising, for Best Original Screenplay. Sly has yet to be nominated for an Oscar since, though he does hold the record for the most amount of Razzie nominations. (He can thank ‘Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot’ for that.)

Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi, ‘Star Wars’

20th Century Fox/Lucasfilm

Though Sir Alec Guinness was a widely respected actor prior to ‘Star Wars’ (he won an Oscar previously for ‘The Bridge on the River Kwai’), his Oscar-nominated turn as Obi-Wan Kenobi was no doubt his most memorable. With all the ‘Star Wars’ lore, it’s easily forgotten and perhaps Guinness would’ve wanted it that way.  Though the role made him very rich, he hated the fame that came along with the success and, moreso, disliked the films themselves. Guinness told a reporter in 1999 that he suggested to George Lucas that Obi-Wan should die because he “just couldn’t go on speaking those bloody awful, banal lines.”

Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, ‘Carrie’

United Artists

Sissy Spacek’s nomination as Best Actress for ‘Carrie’ is easily forgotten because a) it’s a horror film and b) Spacek went on rack up an impressive six Oscar nominations over her career (winning in 1981 for ‘Coal Miner’s Daughter’).  Like comedy and sci-fi, horror films are rarely honored by the Oscars. ‘Carrie’ was rewarded with nominations for both Spacek and her on-screen mother Piper Laurie.

Madeline Kahn as Lili von Shtupp, ‘Blazing Saddles’

Warner Bros.

Despite the Academy doing the right thing and nominating Melissa McCarthy for ‘Bridesmaids,’ comedic performances (particularly ones given by women) rarely get Oscar love. But stage-trained actress Madeline Kahn had already been nominated (1973′s ‘Paper Moon’) before her first collaboration with writer/director Mel Brooks. Her performance in ‘Blazing Saddles’ stood out amongst a cast of comedy heavyweights and may still hold the record for the funniest character name ever nominated for an Oscar.

Gary Busey as Buddy Holly, ‘The Buddy Holly Story’

Columbia Pictures

When you watch ‘The Buddy Holly Story,’ it’s not surprising to think that Gary Busey’s performance would be nominated for an Oscar. But when you watch Gary Busey in everything since then, it’s very surprising to think that the actor — currently best known for ‘Celebrity Rehab’ and otherwise just being a little crazy — was ever nominated for anything. But there was a time when Busey was a talented actor and parlayed his former career as a musician into a powerful performance.

Al Pacino as Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice, ‘Dick Tracy’

Touchstone Pictures

Over his legendary career, Al Pacino has scored eight Oscar nominations, delivering iconic performances in movies like ‘The Godfather’, ‘Dog Day Afternoon’, ‘Serpico’ and ‘Scent of a Woman’. So it’s a little surprising to see, among those nominations, his performance as mob boss Alphonse “Big Boy” Caprice in the cartoonish ‘Dick Tracy.’ Pacino wore heavy makeup and chewed the scenery (as he is wont to do) as the foil to Warren Beatty’s square-jawed detective. It probably won’t go down as one of his best performances, but for one year, the Academy saw fit to recognize Pacino’s work underneath a rubber nose.

Source: TheFW.com

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

The New Madrid Fault in Missouri was the site of one of America’s largest ever series of earthquakes.  Exactly 200 years removed from the quakes that caused the Mississippi River to flow in reverse, the region in Southeastern Missouri has been hit again with a 4.0 quake earlier this week.

The epicenter of this week’s quake was midway between St. Louis and Memphis.

Several people in five states — Missouri, Illinois, Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee — felt the quake, along with scattered people in four others, as far away as North Carolina and Georgia, according to responses to the U.S. Geological Survey website.

Only minor damage was reported, such as items falling from shelves, broken windows, minor cracks in walls and sidewalks.

[Chicago Tribune]

ABC

Mariah Carey, who looks as stunning as ever, appeared on ‘Good Morning America’ to talk about heart health month, Dem Babies, new music and of course, the loss of fellow diva Whitney Houston and her recently hospitalized husband Nick Cannon. Carey and Cannon had a serious scare when he went into mild kidney failure in January.

Carey was quite candid during her chat with Robin Roberts, speaking from the heart about the late, great Houston, who passed at 48 just over a week ago.

“It was great and I don’t think people could ever understand our relationship,” Carey mused. “There was this supposed rivalry in the beginning, then we did the duet and became friends. I loved her.”

It’s been a rocky month for people in Carey’s life. Roc and Roe’s mother also spoke about Cannon’s health scare, saying, “We didn’t know how big a deal it was at that moment” about Cannon’s first stay in the hospital. Then things got worse. She admitted, “It was a gradual thing. We ended up in a couple hospitals this year already.”

Carey voiced her support for Cannon, who quit his morning drive radio show last week, since he was working way too hard and neglecting his health. She said, “The best thing I think was the choice that he made to leave the radio show and just focus on ‘America’s Got Talent’ and ‘Up All Night.’ The thing is, he’s a young healthy person. It’s about changing the lifestyle and just an awareness of what can really happen to you no matter how young or in great shape you are.”

Cannon’s missus did express that she believes he will make a glass of lemonade out of this lemon, saying, “I think, like he always does, he’s going to turn something that happened into a positive thing.”

That’s great news.

Watch Mariah Carey on ‘GMA’

Source: PopCrush.com

Frazer Harrison / David Livingston, Getty Images

Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Jeri Ryan
Age: 44
Occupation: Actress
Known For: Playing the liberated (“de-assimilated”) Borg, Seven of Nine, on ‘Star Trek: Voyager,’ roles on other shows like ‘Leverage,’ ‘Boston Public,’ ‘Dark Skies’ and ‘Shark,’ and her current role as Dr. Kate Murphy on the ABC drama ‘Body of Proof’

Drew Barrymore
Age: 37
Occupation: Actress, Producer and Director
Known For: Her star-making childhood role in ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial,’ two stays in rehab by the time she was 14, rebounding nicely with adult roles in ‘Boys on the Side,’ ‘The Wedding Singer,’ ’50 First Dates’ and the ‘Charlie’s Angels’ film franchise, co-founding the prolific Flower Films production company, her recent engagement to art consultant Will Kopelman, and just being all-around adorable

Kyle MacLachlan
Age: 53
Occupation: Actor
Known For: His roles in the cult films ‘Blue Velvet,’ ‘Showgirls,’ ‘Dune’ and ‘The Doors,’ work on the TV shows ‘Twin Peaks,’ ‘Sex and the City’ and ‘Desperate Housewives,’ and a lengthy relationship in the 1990s with supermodel Linda Evangelista

Rachel Dratch
Age: 46
Occupation: Actress and Comedienne
Known For: Being a cast member of ‘Saturday Night Live’ from 1999 to 2006, appearing in movies including ‘Down with Love,’ ‘Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star’ and ‘I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry,’ and her enviably close friendship with Tina Fey

James Blunt
Age: 38
Occupation: Singer, Songwriter and Musician
Known For: Singles including ‘You’re Beautiful’ and ‘Goodbye My Lover,’ being nominated for five Grammys, selling 18 million albums, and having a long string of model girlfriends

Stevens-Swan Humane Society

New people and situations make her nervous,  but she quickly warms and up and wants affection. Come meet Bella today!

Call to find out about Bella at 738-4357.

You can find out more about the pets available when you Email the Stevens-Swan Humane Society of Oneida County. Or visit them at 5664 Horatio Street in North Utica near BJ’s, Wal Mart and Lowes.

FOX

This week’s episode of ‘Glee,’ ‘On My Way,’ was all about choosing life and not backing down, but the last two seconds were shockingly somber.

It seemed like Quinn was back on top after her rebellious phase and attempts at stealing her child back earlier this season. She’s forgiven. She’s been forgiven. She’s been accepted to Yale, and in ‘On My Way,’ she was accepted back onto the Cheerios. She even made peace with Rachel, telling her she’s happy that she and Finn are getting married. But the end of ‘On My Way’ threatened to change everything for Quinn.

After Rachel hears that Quinn is okay with her getting married to Finn, she invites her to be a bridesmaid in the wedding. On the wedding day, while Finn gets sentimental and the lovebirds’ parents devise a disruption, Quinn is caught in traffic after going home to get her bridesmaid’s dress. She gets several frantic texts from Rachel, asking urgently “where are you??” As she is texting “on my way,” her car is hit by a truck.

We’ve seen Quinn go througfh a lot in her senior year, too much for her to be a victim of texting-while driving. Please be okay, Quinn, PLEASE!

Source: PopCrush.com

The concert was Blues Night at the White House and will air on PBS on February 27.  Here’s a sneak peek of another of President Obama’s greatest hits.

Zillow.com

Whitney Houston‘s Mendham, N.J. home is up for sale and the realtor is getting some flack for how he’s selling the house. According to Carproperty.com‘s typo-riddled ad, listing agent Robert Cross promotes the house as the place that “brought down this incredible musical diva over a 15 year cycle.” Wow! Really?

The North Jersey home was once inhabited by Whitney and her ex-husband Bobby Brown during their tumultuous marriage and was featured in the 2005 reality show ‘Being Bobby Brown.’ The house is listed at $1.75 million. Zillow.com also has a listing of the home, as well.

Neighbors who lived in the community feel that the ad is in poor taste. “I think the tactic is inappropriate” Mendham resident Drew Kastner told CBS 2 local news. “I don’t think they should be using that to try to help sensationalize the sale of the house.”

In his defense, Mr. Cross told WPIX-TV that his advertising tactic was unavoidable and had to be mentioned in order to get some attention for the house. Since Houston’s death, interest in the home has doubled.

We can only imagine.

According to the ad, the 12,000 square foot home sits on five acres and has five bedrooms and five bathrooms. Some of the amenities include a hot tub and a swimming pool.

What do you think? Was the realtor wrong for including Whitney’s death to help sell the house? Tell us in the comments below.

Watch WPIX-TV’s Report on the Realtor Advertising for Whitney Houston Home

Source: PopCrush.com

Joe Raedle, Getty Images

If you filed your taxes electronically, you may be wondering where your refund is. And, if you visited the IRS website’s “Where’s my refund?” page, you may have been given an error message that says the IRS has no information about your return.

Recently, people who have visited the IRS site to use the “Where’s my refund?” tool have been getting the message that the IRS knows nothing about their already filed return. The IRS now has a message on its site that says it is only a glitch that should be fixed in a few days.

The glitch was caused by a new e-filing system that was designed to prevent refund fraud. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first problem the “Where’s my refund?” tool has had. Early in tax season, it was telling taxpayers they would receive their checks a week earlier than they were actually receiving them.

Despite the glitches, the tool is an important one. More and more, thieves are stealing identities and using software like Turbo Tax to get other people’s refunds. Not only is it important to stop the thieves, the IRS wants to make sure American’s are getting their refunds because nearly half of all taxpayers say they use the money to buy food and pay bills.

[via Huffington Post]

Sony Pictures

There are a lot of movies to look forward to in 2012. So many, in fact, it’s easy to lose track of everything.  We took a look back at some of the best movie trailers of the year to give you an idea of what 2012 has to offer at the movie theater. While the year is still young, there are already some amazing trailers. 

Once again, comic book movies are a hot property in Hollywood. This year alone brings fans new installments in the Batman and Spider-Man franchises (‘The Amazing Spider-Man, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’) as well as ‘The Avengers,’ the superhero team-up bonanza that comic book geeks have been clamoring for since 2008′s ‘Iron Man.’

Another popular trend is updates of classic fairy tales. Not one but two ‘Snow White’ movies are on the way in 2012, including one starring Julia Roberts. Even The Great Emancipator himself gets in on the action in the buzzworthy trailer for ‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.’

Along with ‘The Dark Knight Rises,’ few movies are as anticipated this year as ‘The Hunger Games’ and ‘The Hobbit,’ two books with huge fan followings. And, of course, there are plenty of sequels (‘Expendables 2′) and movies based on board games (‘Battleship’).

Check out the trailers that have us buzzing in 2012 below.

‘The Amazing Spider-Man’ – July 3rd, 2012

Set in a completely different universe than the three previous Tobey Maguire ‘Spider-Man’ films, this 3D reboot looks to breathe new life into the franchise with a new Peter Parker (‘Social Network’ star Andrew Garfield), a new love interest (Emma Stone) and a new villain (Rhys Ifans as The Lizard). Of course, Peter Parker still can’t catch a break.

‘The Dark Knight Rises’ – July 20th, 2012

The final installment in Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, ‘The Dark Knight Rises’ follows Batman (Christian Bale) eight years after the events of ‘The Dark Knight.’  He’s older and weakened and facing off against his toughest villain yet – the menacing terrorist named Bane (Tom Hardy, ‘Warrior’) – while also dealing with the mysterious Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Can it live up to ‘The Dark Knight’? Based on the trailer, one of 2012′s best and most thrilling, we have high hopes.

‘The Avengers’ – May 4th, 2012

The superhero movie to end all superhero movies brings together heroes from previous Marvel movies – Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hulk, Black Widow, Nick Fury and Hawkeye – for one massive adventure.  When the villainous Loki threatens all of mankind, it’ll take a team of epic proportions to save the world from the brink of disaster. Could 2012 be the best superhero movie year to date? Looks so, based on this fantastic trailer.

‘The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey’ – December 21st, 2012

Director Peter Jackson returns to the world of ‘Lord of the Rings’ with an all-new adventure centered around the Hobbit Bilbo Baggins.  Shot in 3D, the film reunites many characters from the original trilogy (including Frodo, Gandalf, Elrond, Saruman and, of course, Gollum) in an adaptation of J. R. R. Tolkien’s ‘LOTR’ prequel.

‘The Hunger Games’ – March 23rd, 2012

Oscar-nominee Jennifer Lawrence stars in the highly-anticipated adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ highly popular series of novels. In a post-apocalyptic future, each of 12 districts send one teenage boy and girl to do battle in ‘The Hunger Games,’ a nationally televised event which ends when only one child remains.  If she wants to return home to her family, Katniss (Lawrence) must rely on her instincts and skills as a warrior. With a fervent fan following, this 2012 trailer has the Web buzzing.

‘Prometheus’ – June 8th, 2012

Director Ridley Scott returns to the world of ‘Alien’ with this film that promises to further explore the mythology of the original sci-fi epic.  Charlize Theron, Michael Fassbender and Noomi Rapace star but little else is known about this project, which Scott has worked hard to keep top-secret. Already it’s one of 2012′s most-anticipated films.

‘Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter’ – June 22nd, 2012

History gets tough in this action-thriller that reimagines our 16th president as a fearless hunter of bloodsucking vampires.  From producer Tim Burton and director Timur Bekmambatov (‘Wanted’), the film takes a silly concept and turns it darkly serious. Is 2012 the year the genre mash-up goes mainstream?

‘Men in Black 3′ – May 25th, 2012

Agents J and K (Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones) have seen a lot of things during their time with the MiB. But in their latest adventure, they’re not just saving the world, but each other.  When K’s life is in danger, J must travel back in time to work with a younger version of Agent K (Josh Brolin) to stop an evil alien hellbent on world domination.

‘The Bourne Legacy’ – August 3rd, 2012

Matt Damon doesn’t return as Jason Bourne for this fourth film in the franchise but, as we learn early on in this franchise spinoff, there was never just one. Oscar-nominee Jeremy Renner takes over as the latest Bourne now dealing with the aftermath of the first three films.

‘GI Joe: Retaliation’ – June 29th, 2012

Most of the cast from 2009′s ‘GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra’ won’t be returning for this sequel but what this film loses in cast, it makes up for with the additions of Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson as Roadblock, Adrianne Palicki as Lady Jaye, Ray Stevenson as Firefly and Bruce Willis as G.I. Joe himself.  When Duke (Channing Tatum) is only Joe to survive a deadly attack, he recruits the surviving members of the team to discover who set them up and get revenge.

‘Battleship’ – May 18th, 2012

It’s a $250 million adaptation of a board game with little plastic pieces.  But instead of pegs and grids and little boats, this action film boasts aliens, bombs, missiles, giant ships (both Navy and extraterrestrial in origin), Liam Neeson and Rihanna. Clearly this will be one of 2012′s stranger blockbusters.

‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ – June 1st, 2012

The first of two new takes on Snow White this year, ‘Snow White and the Huntsman’ gives us a very different look at the classic character.  On the run from the Evil Queen (Charlize Theron), Snow (‘Twilight’ star Kristen Stewart) takes shelter with the Huntsman (‘The Avengers’ star Chris Hemsworth) who had been dispatched to kill her.  He trains her to become a warrior herself and fight back against the Queen who desires to be the fairest of them all.

‘The Expendables 2′ – August 17th, 2012

How do you improve on an action film cast that included Sylvester Stallone, Jason Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Jet Li, Randy Couture, Steve Austen, Mickey Rourke and cameos from Arnold Schwarzenegger and Bruce Willis?  Well, you bring in Jean-Claude Van Damme and Chuck Norris while making sure Arnold and Bruce stick around full-time. If there is a more macho film in 2012, our heads will probably explode from testosterone overload.

‘Mirror Mirror,’ March 30th, 2012

Julia Roberts stars as the Evil Queen in 2012′s other Snow White movie. Director Tarsem Singh (‘Immortals’) offers a more comedic take on the classic fairytale, with Lily Collins (daughter of Phil) as Snow and Nathan Lane hamming it up as the Queen’s wacky sidekick. ‘The Social Network’ star Armie Hammer plays the Prince, while Sean Bean will hopefully bring some ‘Games of Thrones’-style grit as The King. Based on this wacky trailer, we’re ready to say ‘Mirror Mirror’ has one of the most eclectic casts of 2012.

Are these 2012′s best movie trailers? Let us know in the comments, and check back all year for new trailer updates.

Source: TheFW.com

Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images

While some are rejoicing in ‘The Winter That Wasn’t,’ that is not the case for the businesses in New York’s North Country that depend on the snow to bring snowmobilers and other winter weather enthusiasts.  Would a push to bring off-road ATV riders to the same trails bring back some of the revenue lost this season?

YNN reports

To help keep businesses like Tuggers and others throughout the area afloat, local ATV associations are already planning major events that they hope will have a big impact on the local economy.

Staelens said, “One business owner says, we have to do something now this year with ATVs or I’m going to have to close up and sell. That was his exact words to me.”

Tug Hill Adirondack ATV Association President Joseph Onyon said, “There’s a lot of good riding, and I think that it’s a big plus for the businesses and for the folks up here to get the ATV’s on Tug Hill.”

Full Story from YNN/Watertown

Infrogmation, Flickr

The king cake is a traditional Mardi Gras food. It is usually a ring-shaped pastry, sometimes filled with cheese or jelly and sprinkled with the colors of Mardi Gras. It began as an Epiphany treat, celebrating the arrival of the Three Wise Men to the stable where Jesus was born. Oh, and it’s delicious.

The king cake tradition was brought to New Orleans by French and Spanish settlers who associated it with the Mardi Gras carnival. A dessert synonymous with celebrations definitely belonged with Mardi Gras and has been shared during the festive season ever since.

The secret of the king cake is that there is always a small trinket, often a plastic baby representing the Baby Jesus, baked inside that one lucky eater is bound to bite into. Of course, the lucky person who gets the baby in the cake gets special privileges, but is also usually responsible for bringing the next cake.

To get into the spirit of the impending Mardi Gras celebration, and to make your mouth water a bit, here are some delicious looking king cakes we found.

The Drizzled King Cake

niseag03, Flickr

The Beaded King Cake

all of olive, Flickr

The Discus King Cake

syvwlc, Flickr

The Mickey Mouse King Cake

Loren Javier, Flickr

The Go Big or Go Home King Cake

Aldon, Flickr

The King Cupcake

kristen_a (Meringue Bake Shop), Flickr

Double King Cake All the Way

HorizonsSC, Flickr

The Doing It Wrong King Cake

lesteph, Flickr

The Baby in the King Cake

mikebdoss, Flickr

The Eaten King Cake

mikebdoss, Flickr

An Amazing Rap About King Cakes

Want to Make One? Here’s How

Purchase tickets to this weekend’s Mardi Gras party here.

Source: TheFW.com

Justin Sullivan, Getty Images

Over the last few months, there has been some data that suggests the sluggish economy could be improving. Mainly, the unemployment rate, which has dropped to 8.3 percent after reaching a 26-year high of 10 percent in late 2009. However, according to a new survey from Poll Postion, the public is split on whether America is entering into a period of economic recovery.

Thirty-eight percent of the 1,242 registered voters polled said the economy is improving while another 38 percent said it was still deteriorating. Twenty-two percent believe the economy is staying the same.

What political party the respondent belongs to seemed to have a big influence on their economic views. Sixty-eight percent of democrats believe the economy is getting better, whereas 53 percent of republicans think it continues to get worse. Political independents surveyed tended to agree with the republicans.

[Poll Position]

20th Century Fox

You might remember Tom Hardy from when he bulked up and went shirtless for the movie ‘Warrior.’ But now he’s slimmed down, put on a fitted suit and turned himself into the gent of ‘This Means War.’ Reese Witherspoon’s character had a hard enough time deciding between this guy and Chris Pine, but everyone’s a sucker for a romantic smooth talker.

We’ll be seeing more of Hardy in the future ’cause he’s appearing in ‘The Dark Knight Rises‘ movie as — drum roll, please — Bane! This may not bode well for his gentlemanly image, but if he looks anything like he did in ‘Warrior,’ we can cut him some slack. See what we mean below.

Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Lionsgate

Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images

DavidMartynHunt, Flickr

Freelancing allows you to make money on your own terms without permanent employment, but it also means you don’t have access to certain perks like group insurance, administrative support and job growth assistance. Though, since a reported 30 percent of the US workforce is now freelance, that has changed.

A group called Freelancers Union is just one of many organizations whose mission is to help freelancers have access to the same perks that full-time employees receive. For example, a member of the Freelancers Union can pay a standard employee premium and receive the same kind of insurance coverage he would have in a full-time position. The union also has a job board members can use to connect with possible employers.

Other sites like Elance.com, freelancer.com and odesk.com also give freelancers a place to post profiles, find opportunities for work and even download paperwork and contracts to use. Now, even local chambers of commerce and job assistance programs can help freelancers access opportunities, benefits and administrative support.

No longer does freelancing mean you are navigating the business world on your own. Small businesses are what will keep our economy growing, and supporting the smallest of small businesses benefits everyone.

[via Wall Street Journal]