Current Forbes cover subject, 41-year-old Sara Blakley is the youngest woman ever to make the magazine’s annual list of billionaires without the aid of an inheritance or her husband.

She owes her wealth all to Spanx, the slimming undergarment she invented after she was frustrated by the way her backside looked in a pair of white pants. Instead of wearing the thick body-shapers available at the time, she cut off the feet of some control-top pantyhose and Spanx were born.

Blakely’s invention has become popular largely based on word of mouth, especially after such stars as Gwyneth Paltrow and Oprah Winfrey let it slip that they wore Spanx to help keep their figures in line. Blakely explained, “It’s the power of the brand. We’ve never formally advertised.”

• Halle Berry’s baby daddy Gabriel Aubry is off the hook for child endangerment. The case was dropped against the model yesterday following an incident earlier this year in which he allegedly shoved his daughter’s nanny while she held the child in her arms.
• Today show host Matt Lauer is reportedly close to re-signing with NBC in a multi-year deal worth about $25 million per year.
• New couple alert: Amanda Seyfried and Josh Hartnett have been “quietly dating,” according to Us Weekly.
• Kelsey Grammer has bought a mansion in Beverly Hills to be near his children with ex-wife Camille Grammer. Kelsey has joint custody of the two kids.
• Many pregnant women have strange cravings and Kristin Cavallari is no different. The reality star says hers are cupcakes and tacos. No word if she eats them together.

Hey Mitt Romney, you can take your 400 delegates and …..! WELL… Rick Santorum’s got his own song sung by two young ladies and that’s sure to push him right into the White House.

• Thora Birch (actress, American Beauty) (30)
• Sam Donaldson (broadcast journalist) (78)
• Bobby McFerrin (singer, “Don’t Worry Be Happy”) (62)
• Rupert Murdoch (media mogul) (81)
• Antonin Scalia (Supreme Court Justice) (76)
• Johnny Knoxville (MTV’s Jackass) (41)
• Lisa Loeb (singer, “Stay”) (44)
• Joel Madden (singer, Good Charlotte) (33)
• Benji Madden (guitarist, Good Charlotte) (33)
• Mark Metcalf (actor, Animal House‘s Neidermeyer, Buffy The Vampire Slayer‘s The Master; played the father in the video for Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It”) (66)
• Joey Buttafuoco (auto mechanic, lover of Amy Fisher) (56)
• Terrence Howard (actor, The Best Man, Hustle & Flow, The Player’s Club) (43)
• LeToya Luckett (former member of Destiny’s Child) (31)
• Cheryl Lynn (R&B singer, “Got To Be Real”) (55)
• Peter Berg (director/actor/producer, Friday Night Lights, Hancock, The Kingdom, Corky Romano)(50, disputed)
• Paul Wall (rapper) (31)
• Anton Yelchin (actor, Like Crazy, Star Trek, Charlie Bartlett, Fright Night) (23)

Jesus Suarez and Jesus Santos were putting the finishing touches on a crack cocaine sale when one of their cell phones dialed the emergency number. The dispatcher overheard a commotion on the other end and kept the connection until the location could be traced and cops could be sent to the scene.

When the officers were nearby, one of the men was overheard saying, ‘Oh, there goes the cops’ before being taken into custody.

“We have been trying to figure out how to classify it,” said Leavenworth police Chief Patrick Kitchens. “It might be the first case where a person accidentally dialed 911 and got arrested.”

Apple unveiled their third-generation iPad yesterday and one of the biggest surprises is the name. During the introductory presentation Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook, who replaced the late Steve Jobs, simply referred to the device as the “new iPad,” rather than the expected iPad 3 moniker.

The new tablet has many improvements, including a faster processor, a higher resolution “retina display” screen, and 4G “LTE,” or Long-Term Evolution network capability, allowing for faster downloads and better streaming when not connected to wi-fi.

Apple will continue to offer the iPad 2, but is dropping the price by $100 to $399. The wi-fi only new version goes on sale March 16th for $499, with the top-of-the-line model priced at $629.

 

 

The legend’s will, which she signed in 1993 — a month before she gave birth to Bobbi — was filed yesterday in Atlanta. Whitney’s estate is valued at around $20 million. The money will be put in a trust and Bobbi, 19, will get a portion when she turns 21, another portion when she turns 25, and the rest when she’s 30.

Most dogs spend their days sleeping, eating and playing fetch. This dog probably does all those things, but he also sings and plays the piano. Check out this talented pooch.

2008	The Pussycat Dolls‘ Carmit Bachar — also known as the red-haired girl — announces that she’s leaving the group.

2007	The number of billionaires in the world grows to 946. Bill Gates still tops the list with a net worth of 56-billion dollars, followed by Warren Buffett and Mexico’s Carlos Slim. The list is an increase of 153 over the number of billionaires a year earlier.

2002	Ice Cube‘s All About the Benjamins opens in movie theaters.

2001	Rob Zombie regains the distribution rights to his film House of 1000 Corpses after Universal Pictures decides not to release it due to concerns about the horror flick’s violence.

2000	Two Jacksonville, Florida police officers trying to win tickets to a Kid Rock show are suspended for taking lewd pictures of scantily clad women on their patrol cars.

1999	New York Yankees baseball legend Joe DiMaggio dies in Hollywood, Florida at age 84.

1999	The Supreme Court upholds the conviction of Timothy McVeigh for the 1995 bombing of a federal building in Oklahoma City.

1999	Forbes names Michael Jordan the most powerful celebrity on the planet.

1994	The Us3 album Hand on the Torch goes gold.

1993	Beavis and Butt-head premieres on M-T-V as a series.

1991	LL Cool J makes his movie debut, playing an undercover cop in The Hard Way.

1965	The first U-S combat troops arrive in Vietnam.

Celebrities:

Kat Von D 30, Tom Chaplin (Keane) 33, Nick Zano (What I Like About You) 33, James Van Der Beek (Dawson’s Creek) 35, Freddy Prinze Junior (She’s All That) 36, Gaz Coombes (Supergrass) 36, Boris Kodjoe (Soul Food: The Series) 39, Shawn Mullins 44, Kathy Ireland (former supermodel) 49, Camryn Manheim (The Practice) 51, Aidan Quinn (Legends of the Fall) 53, Gary Numan (“Cars”) 54, Randy Meisner (ex-Eagles) 66, Lynn Redgrave (Georgy Girl) 1943-2010

Locals:

Dillon Siemers 16!! LOOK OUT!!,   Becky Gilland!