The stars and fans (“Twi-hards” as they are called) came out for the premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” on Thursday in Los Angeles.

The premiere was held at the Nokia Theatre L.A. Live, with hundreds of fans on hand to cheer for the stars of the film.  Fans were reportedly camped out for several days to get a good spot near the red carpet.

This is the third movie in the “Twilight” series, all which are based on the books by Stephenie Meyer. The movie, which stars Robert Pattinson (Edward Cullen), Kristen Stewart (Bella Swan), and Taylor Lautner (Jacob Black), is scheduled to hit theaters nationwide on Wednesday, June 30.

Pattinson, Stewart, Lautner, and fellow co-stars such as Kellan Lutz, Nikki Reed, Ashley Greene, Peter Facinelli, Dakota Fanning, and more were all on-hand Thursday to show their love to the Twi-hards.  The premiere also brought out other stars such as Jennifer Love Hewitt, who is a huge fan of the “Twilight” series, and some of the Kardashian and Jenner clan of “Keeping Up with the Kardashians.”

Watch video below to see the stars at the premiere of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse.”

Spirit Airlines is canceling all of its flights through Tuesday due to a pilot strike.

The airline announced on its web site on Sunday that all Spirit Airlines flights have been cancelled through Tuesday, June 15.  The pilot union has declared a strike as of Saturday, June 12.

Customers who were scheduled to fly between June 12 and June 15 will receive credit (view full statement, right).

For the latest from Spirit Airlines, click here.

The Apple iPhone 4 was revealed by CEO Steve Jobs at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco on Monday.

The Apple iPhone 4 will be 24 percent thinner than its predecessor at 9.3mm thick, contain a front-facing camera, and offer greatly improved battery performance with up to 40 percent more talk time, according to Jobs.  It will also have 32 gigabytes of storage, a gyroscope (which will allow for more precise motion detection), and HD video recording capability.

Jobs described the phone as “the most precise thing and one of the most beautiful things we’ve ever made.”

The iPhone 4 will be priced at $199 for a 16GB model and $299 for a 32GB model.  It will go on sale on June 24.

For more about the iPhone 4 from Apple, click here.

McDonald’s is recalling 12 million glasses sold as a promotional item for the latest “Shrek” movie because they contain the toxic metal cadmium.  Will this recall tarnish McDonald’s family reputation?

The “Shrek Forever After 3D” collectable drinking glass are 16 ounce glasses that came in four designs, Shrek, Fiona, Puss n’ Boots, and Donkey.  They were sold at McDonald’s restaurants nationwide from May 2010 into June 2010 for about $2.

McDonald’s is asking consumers to immediately stop using the glass out of an abundance of caution, the CPSC reported. Visit www.mcdonalds.com for additional instructions on how to obtain a full refund.

No injuries have yet been reported.

The CPSC stated that it was made aware of issues with this product through the Office of Congresswoman Jackie Speier from California. 

There are some reports stating that this recall could tarnish McDonald’s reputation, such as this from The Wall Street Journal (click here for full report):

The voluntary recall is a rare lapse for McDonald’s, which is known for tough oversight of suppliers, and could hurt its standing with families that have driven the fast-food chain’s growth.

What do you think? Sound off below.

With all the reality shows and documentaries about ghosts and ghost hunters floating around on various networks these days, one might get the quick impression that a “ghost chair” might somehow fall into that suspect group.  However, a ghost chair is anything but supernatural — even though it isn’t natural at all.  The ghost chair is plastic, and it is actually quite practical.  In fact, it is a piece of clear polycarbonate-constructed furniture.

The ghost chair was designed by Philippe Starck in 2002 when he attempted to reinvent the King Louis XV armchair with a modern twist.  Philippe Starck took the classic lines of the original and designed a single molded piece of furniture that was incredibly durable, practical, and scratch-resistant.  The chair was made available by furniture manufacturer Kartell in various opaque colors and in a see-through (hence, “ghost”) plastic as well.

According to an article by Y. M. Ousley at Signature 9, a book by Charlotte and Peter Fiell, Plastic Dreams, credits Philippe Starck with changing the way people look at plastic.  The book, which looks at plastic design innovation, believes that the popularity of Starck’s design, from his Queen Victoria design to his King Louis “ghost chairs,” has altered the common conception of things made of plastic as cheap and disposable.

Because cheap it is not.  The ghost chair retails for around $340 (Queen Victoria) and $420 (King Louis).  For children, a smaller ghost chair model, the Lou Lou Ghost Chair, is available for $133.

About that “quite practical” comment in the first paragraph…  That was a nod to the ghost chair’s functionality.  Not its price.

Ever heard of doing vodka shots?  How about vodka eye shots or vodka eyeballing?  Although many know that doing vodka shots is the drinking ritual of imbibing vodka alcohol from a shot glass, they may not know what a vodka eye shot is or have any inkling of what vodka eyeballing entails.  But as simplistic as it might sound, vodka eyeballing, or the fad of doing vodka eye shots, literally involves pouring vodka directly onto the eyeball or into one’s eye.

This is the point where the reader’s own eyes narrow and a singular thought manifests itself:  “Just why the hell would anyone want to do something as asinine as that?”

Because it is a fad.  In fact, it is a dare fad.

There are hundreds of vodka eyeballing videos on YouTube.  The videos depict individuals taking a bottle of vodka (or shot glass) and pouring the liquid into one of their eyes.  Fox News spoke with a substance abuse expert who noted that those engaging in doing vodka shots usually did not do so to get drunk or to get drunk faster but in answer to a bet or a dare.  Those doing the vodka eye shots, generally speaking, were already inebriated.

The fad began in the United Kingdom among teens and college students.  It has yet to catch on in the U. S.

Yet…

Robert Stutman, president of the Maryland Optometric Association, told Fox News that there is great potential for damaging one’s eyes by engaging in the activity.  He pointed out that vodka is 40-60 percent alcohol and alcohol can burn and scar the cornea.  Stutman warns that severe enough scarring could lead to blindness.

Of course, those engaging in vodka eyeballing probably are not aware of the health risks, even though the intense burning sensation they feel when the alcohol hits their eye should send warning signals to the brain.  They either do not know or are too drunk to care.  Caring probably comes after they have damaged their eyes or lost their eyesight altogether.  Hopefully, this is a fad that will remain confined to the relatively few that have already tried vodka eye shots (and videotaped the act), because its value is extremely difficult to see…

Singer/songwriter/comedian turned satirist Ray Stevens has a new song out that’s getting a lot of attention because of that little illegal immigration problem that the United States can’t seem to fix.  In his new hit song, “Come To The USA,” Stevens has a solution for all those who wish to emigrate from their homelands but don’t really want to be bothered with all the paperwork that is involved in doing it legally.   It’s simple: If you’re into illegally emigrating, Ray Stevens explains, just come to the good ole USA, where illegal immigrants seem to get in penalty free.  Mixing humor with honesty and politics with keen observation, Ray Stevens’ “Come To The USA” makes a common sensical point often lost in the illegal immigration debate.

Ray Stevens has been writing hit songs, both novelty and serious, since the 1960s.  He is probably best known for his 1974 bestselling single “The Streak,” which is a song that chronicles a man’s inability to keep his wife from seeing a streaker (someone running without  wearing clothing) — and then being unable to keep her from joining him.  Other hit songs by the famed singer include “Gitarzan,” “Ahab The Arab,” and “Santa Clause Is Watching You.”  He has also won two Grammys for more serious work: “Everything Is Beautiful” (1970 – Best Male Pop Vocal Performance) and “Misty” (1975 – Best Arrangement Of The Year).

The Georgia native had not recorded a hit song since 2002′s “Osama Yo Mama,” which went gold (1 million copies sold) with little radio airplay, when he decided to tackle the YouTube market near the end of the decade.  Inspired by the grass roots Tea Party movement, Ray Stevens released “We The People” as a single in December 2009.  The video has thus far received over 3 million views.  To capitalize on the success of his first video hit, Ray Stevens then released a succession of songs via YouTube, the last of which is “Come To The USA.”  The video for “Come To The USA” has also proved popular, garnering nearly two million views since its release on May 13.

Stevens released a CD and DVD set of 22 patriotic and politically oriented songs entitled “We The People” on April 1.

Check out the “Come To The USA” video that follows.  You don’t even have to agree with Arizona’s new illegal immigration law to enjoy it.

There is a viral video on the internet depicting a 2-year-old Indonesian child smoking a cigarette. The video shows the toddler nonchalantly smoking, his leg propped up, flipping a cigarette between his fingers, and exaggeratedly blowing smoke upward into the air.  The video has garnered outrage throughout the world.

According to the Associated Press and other news outlets, Ardi Rizal, the toddler in the video, is just 2 years old.  He smokes up to 40 cigarettes a day.  His father claims that if he wants a cigarette and does not get it, he throws a tantrum.

Ardi Rizal’s father reportedly gave him his first cigarette when he was 18 months old.  The town officials of Musi Banyuasin, a fishing village in South Sumatra province where Ardi lives, have offered to buy the family a vehicle if they get the 2-year-old to stop smoking.   The father has reportedly refused.

Ardi Rizal’s smoking video also went viral in March — until YouTube pulled the video.  Like a cyclical virus, the viral video simply returned.

But little Ardi isn’t alone in picking up his smoking habit at such a young age.  Back in June 2009, a 2-year-old Chinese boy made world headlines smoking a pack a day.  According to the Daily Mail, the child learned to smoke when he was just 18 months old as well.  His father gave the child cigarettes believing smoking cigarettes might alleviate the pain of an inoperable hernia (because of his age of 18 months).

The video of 2-year-old Ardi Rizal follows…

Alex McCord came right out and said it.  She told Us magazine that the mental breakdown that Kelly Bensimon seemed to be having “was much more [crazy] in real life.”  Crazier than calling someone (McCord) a vampire and that they were “channeling” the devil?  Crazier than telling anyone who would listen that one of the Housewives (Bethenny Frankel) was trying to kill her?  As crazy as it might sound, Alex McCord said that they left the craziest parts on the editing room floor.

According the McCord, they did it to make Kelly Bensimon look better.

According to the blogosphere, they didn’t do a good enough job.

“I remember the first time that Kelly mentioned that she thought I was channeling the devil,” Alex McCord told Us magazine.  “It was in the middle of the soup course!  That wasn’t the first time that had happened. Throughout the trip, it just came out of the blue.”

Alex McCord was speaking, of course, about the now famous episode on “The Real Housewives of New York City” where Kelly Bensimon seemed to alternate between a mental breakdown and a regular person.  She told Us that it was Housewife Sonja Morgan that figured that Kelly Bensimon’s behavior was just erratic.  The women had been taking most of Bensimon’s outbursts in stride, just laughing about the things she said, until Sonja Morgan pointed out that there was something more disturbing going on.

Morgan told the others that Kelly Bensimon wasn’t “being rational.”  McCord continued: “There was definitely a moment when we all clicked into realizing we had to stop picking part all the insane things being said because there’s a reason beyond anyone’s control, beyond her control.”

But one woman’s breakdown is another woman’s breakthrough.  Kelly Bensimon does not see her behavior as anything out of the ordinary.  In fact, that’s how she described her behavior to New York‘s “Vulture” — a breakthrough.

Bensimon explained her strange actions as honesty.  She told “Vulture” that she was asked to go on a weekend outing with women who do not like her.  She says she was “hated on” and felt “trapped.”  And then she had a “breakthough,” which is a psychological term for a moment of insight that leads to progress, usually during therapy, after there was initial resistance.   She said, “I just let go, I was crying, just, like, stop harassing.”

Even with all the others hating on her, Kelly Bensimon says she loves her role on “The Real Housewives of New York City.”  “I’m completely honest,” she told “Vulture.” “I have a ton of integrity, and I love doing this show. The minute that I walk into the room, I create a frenetic energy — it’s not kinetic, it’s not, like, a forward motion, it’s just like this stagnant frenetic energy. And let’s be honest, it makes for awesome TV. I mean, haters are part of the ecosystem, and if they’re not hating on you, you’re not doing something right.”

Alex McCord described how the other women on “The Real Housewives of New York City” felt about that episode, which was filmed back in November.  She told Us that the other Housewives have discussed it.  She admits that afterward there was doubt and that they began to believe that it was they who may have been been irrational about what happened.  “We thought maybe our memories had distorted. But when [my husband] Simon saw it he said, ‘Okay. Now I understand what you were talking about!”

And yet, Alex McCord also said that what was seen by the viewing public wasn’t nearly as bad as what was edited from the final episode.  If that is so, exactly what did happen, and how far is Kelly Bensimon willing to take her breakdown-as-breakthrough?  Honesty is a virtue, but honesty in a delusional framework isn’t honesty that others understand. If Kelly Bensimon is truly having a mental breakdown, will her honesty allow her to get a glimpse of it, at least long enough for her to seek treatment?  And if her worst moments were on the editing floor, isn’t the show contributing to her problems by making them look less severe than they truly are, perhaps even reinforcing her delusions and erratic behavior?

Or is “The Real Housewives of New York City” just a television show where faux craziness has hooked us all into the melodrama?

A ring-shaped UFO appeared over Los Angeles over the Memorial Day weekend, spinning and floating across the sky.  Although it is difficult to say what the object might actually be (one suggestion was that it was a helicopter whose blade tips were lit up), it is obvious that the guy filming the ufo is awed by it.  The best line?  When he predicts that someone will accuse him of having had too many Foster’s (Australian for “beer”). “Hey, I only had one,” he tells his future interrogator.

The videographer (and assumed poster of the video) films for six minutes.  He gives the viewer a long shot for perspective and estimates that the UFO is about five miles away, moving around over Redondo Beach or Manhattan Beach, “close to the airport.”  He also says that the UFO is higher than planes usually fly, but how he is able to determine that from his vantage point is unclear.

Truthfully, although intriguing and entertaining, the object looks like it could be some type of cicular lighting somehow attached to the top of one of those small personal aircraft that people seem to always be constructing in their garages, usually made out of lawnmower engines and fiberglass.  Our UFO cameraman tells us several times that there is a humming sound, so…

The video was posted to YouTube on Saturday, May 29.

Stephen Hawking recently noted on his PBS documentary “Into The Universe” that although it is more than likely that extraterrestrial life exists, it is another thing to expect such life to conquer space and time limitations to visit and explore the Earth with abandon.  It is more likely that they would be scouting expeditions for a colonization or conquering force… With that in mind, check out the Foster’s drinker’s intriguing “Ring-Shaped UFO Over Los Angeles” video…