Jersey Shore Star's Dangerous Diet

Jenni "JWOWW" Farley is one of the tan and toned star's of MTV's hit reality show "Jersey Shore." As fans of the so-bad-it's-good show can attest, JWOWW (second from the left in the blue dress) isn't shy about showing off her body. On her Web site, Farley proclaims "HCG Drops are my key to keeping the weight off." And if that really is her stay-slim secret, it seems to be working, considering the amount of airtime she spends in her string bikini.

What made Farley try this weight-loss approach? "My girlfriend lost 40 pounds in six weeks on the plan. She tried everything and it worked for her. So I thought if it worked for her, it would work for me," she explained to That's Fit.

The HCG drops that Farley promotes on her website can reportedly burn 3,500 to 4,000 calories of stored fat a day, providing you follow the strict HCG Diet -- consisting of just 500 calories a day. To be more specific about that eating regime, dieters are only allowed to consume black coffee, six ounces of lean protein, two breadsticks, two veggies and two apples throughout the day. Combine the starvation-caliber eating plan with these 'magic' drops and Farley claims you can lose one to two pounds a day.

For the record, most weight loss experts recommend that you aim to lose no more than one to two pounds a week.

The HCG Diet is based on a 1950s discovery by ATW Simeons, M.D., who found that small doses of the HCG (Human Chorionic Gonapotropin) hormone -- a hormone that plays a role in fertility -- can decrease appetite and help dieters lose inches. But while the hormone can be effective in helping people slim down, the drops probably won't. "This isn't real HCG, which is a hormone only available by prescription and which needs to be taken by injection," said nutrition expert Jonny Bowden, Ph.D. But Farley certainly isn't the first person to try to convince you otherwise. Fake HCG hormones have long been marketed to the masses, most notably by convicted fraudsterKevin Trudeau.

Even with "real" hormones, however, the HCG diet is rarely used and never recommended as a weight loss plan. "No responsible doctor I know of uses it, except in extreme circumstances. It doesn't work, and any weight you lose you lose because you're eating 500 calories," said Bowden. That's a dangerously low number of calories to consume. In fact, people have died from diets this low in calories.

Farley told us she did do some research before trying it out: "I would never put anything in my body that would hurt it. As long as you're not suffering from starvation or headaches or fatigue, it's fine."

But 500 calories is not very much -- did Farley feel like she was starving? "No, no, it's weird. You're not starving -- I would never let myself get like that," she says. "It really cuts your appetite so you don't need to eat as much." But even she admits that she's not a slave to the strict eating plan: "If you're hungry, eat!" And as for exercise, Farley says she hasn't worked out in four months. "It's not really recommended. Light exercise is good, maybe a walk, but you really don't need to work out."

While the promise of being about to flaunt a slim figure on the beach without going hungry or working out much is tempting, we're skeptical of any diets that make claims of fast and easy weight loss. If you really want to being able to walk the boardwalk in nothing but a bikini, we say stick with a sensible eating plan and get more active.

CNN's most-viewed online stories of 2009

Janet Jackson, left, holds Paris Katherine Jackson, the second of Michael Jackson's three children at her father's memorial service in July.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

• Stories include air emergencies, celebrity deaths, a solved missing persons mystery
• Story with most views was October's balloon incident involving a Colorado family
• Michael Jackson's death and memorial both garnered high viewer interest
• Viewers also paid much attention to Air France Flight 447, which crashed off Brazil in June

(CNN) -- CNN's 20 most-viewed stories online during 2009 ranged from obituaries to reports on plane crashes and crimes. They included the stories of a runaway balloon in Colorado and a celebrity athlete accused of having multiple affairs. Here they are -- starting with the most popular.

1. 6-year-old Colorado boy found alive in attic after balloon lands

October 15: After scouring northern Colorado by foot and air, frantically chasing a Mylar balloon for miles, and repeatedly interviewing his big brother, authorities end a search for 6-year-old Falcon Heene where it began -- at his house.

2. Michael Jackson dead at 50 after cardiac arrest

June 25: Michael Jackson dies after being taken to a hospital having suffered cardiac arrest, according to the Los Angeles County Coroner's office.

3. Air France: Missing plane probably crashed into Atlantic

Timeline: Key stories of 2009

June 1: A jet carrying 228 people from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, that disappeared overnight in an area of strong turbulence probably crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, the CEO of Air France says.

4. Sheriff: Kidnap victim, children kept in backyard compound

August 28: A California woman snatched from the street in front of her house in 1991 at age 11 had two children with the man accused of taking her and was forced, along with the children, to live in backyard sheds, police say.

5. Officials: Fort Hood shootings suspect alive; 12 dead

Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine. And I just want to say that I love him so much. --Paris Katherine Jackson

RELATED TOPICS

• Air France-KLM Group
• Michael Jackson
• Fort Hood

November 5: A soldier suspected of fatally shooting 12 and wounding 31 at Fort Hood in Texas is not dead as previously reported by the military, the base's commander says.

6. Goodbye Michael Jackson: Star, brother, friend, father

July 7: An 11-year-old girl who lost her father makes the world cry with her. "Ever since I was born, Daddy has been the best father you could ever imagine," says Paris Katherine Jackson, the second of Michael Jackson's three children, as a massive memorial service for her father nears its end in downtown Los Angeles. "And I just want to say that I love him so much," Paris adds, before breaking down in tears and burying herself in the arms of her aunt, Janet Jackson.

7. Airplane crash-lands into Hudson River; all aboard reported safe

January 15: A US Airways plane with 155 people on board ditches into a chilly Hudson River, apparently after striking at least one bird upon takeoff from New York's LaGuardia Airport, according to officials and passengers. Everyone on board is accounted for and alive, officials say.

8. U.S. celebrates as President Obama vows new era

January 20: Barack Obama launches his presidency before an estimated 1.5 million people on the National Mall with somber yet confident tones, saying the country will overcome its serious economic and international challenges. "Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real," Obama says in his inaugural address. "They are serious, and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America: They will be met."

9. Police: As many as 20 present at gang rape outside school dance

October 27: Investigators say as many as 20 people were involved in or stood and watched the gang rape of a 15-year-old girl outside a California high school homecoming dance.

10. Actor David Carradine found dead

June 4: American actor David Carradine is found dead, hanging by a nylon rope in a hotel room closet in Bangkok, Thailand, according to a Thai police official. Carradine became famous in the 1970s when he starred in the television series "Kung Fu."

11. No survivors found in wreckage of Air France jet, official says

June 2: Debris located in the Atlantic Ocean off the northeast coast of Brazil is wreckage from an Air France jet that disappeared, Brazil's Defense Minister Nelson Jobim says.

12. Actors' son Jett Travolta dies at 16

January 2: The 16-year-old son of actors John Travolta and Kelly Preston dies after suffering a seizure while vacationing with his family in the Bahamas, Travolta's attorney tells CNN.

13. Authorities: 'Balloon boy' incident was a hoax

October 18: Three days after the world watched a giant balloon fly through the air as a tearful family expressed fears that their 6-year-old boy could be inside, authorities announce what millions suspected: The whole thing was staged.

14. Police: Gym shooter 'had a lot of hatred' for women, society

August 5: A Pennsylvania man who walked into a gym aerobics class and opened fire, killing three women and wounding nine before turning the gun on himself, "had a lot of hatred in him," police say.

15. Tiger Woods injured in minor car accident

November 27: Florida highway patrol troopers plan to talk to pro golfer Tiger Woods to get more information about his car crash near his home, a spokeswoman says. Woods was treated and released from a hospital after suffering minor injuries in a car accident in his central Florida neighborhood.

16. Tiger Woods' mother-in-law home from hospital

December 8: Tiger Woods' mother-in-law, Barbro Holmberg, is released from a hospital in "good condition," hours after she was admitted, a hospital spokesman says.

17. Air France jet may have broken up in ocean, not sky, official says

June 3: A 12-mile oil slick near where an Air France jet crashed into the Atlantic indicates the plane likely didn't break up until it hit the water, Brazil's defense minister says.

18. Brazilian air force says debris was not from Air France crash

June 4: The Brazilian air force says debris picked up near where officials believe Air France Flight 447 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean was not from the plane.

19. Fiance of Brazilian model: 'Where there is a heartbeat, there's hope'

January 23: The fiance of a top Brazilian model -- whose hands and feet were amputated in a bid to save her from a deadly and little-known illness -- says he believes she will wake up from a coma, noting, "where there is a heartbeat, there is hope."

20. Search for answers begins in Buffalo plane crash

February 13: The pilots of a commuter airliner that crashed about 6 miles from a Buffalo, New York, airport discussed "significant ice buildup" on the plane's wings and windshields before the plane plunged to the ground, killing 50.

Five turning points of the decade

The first decade of the 21st century in the United States was defined by terrorism, crisis and uncertainty. The exuberance of the 1990s, with its strong economic growth and the sense of American military omnipotence, came to an end.

Most Americans have been left reeling from nine very difficult years, even though the decade neared its close with a presidential election that spoke to the promise and potential of the nation.

We must remember that any "most important" list should be seen as the beginning of a conversation, not a definitive judgment.
Historians learn that it is extraordinarily difficult to discern exactly which events will be transitory and which will have the most long-lasting effects.

Some moments that seem to be turning points shortly after they happen, such as Operation Desert Storm in 1990-1991, seem less important over time. Others that we don't pay as much attention to, such as the first bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993, look much more consequential with the passage of time.

September 11, 2001

The tragic moment when terror struck in New York and at the Pentagon will be at the top of everyone's "most important" list. When terrorism caused such devastating damage, the perpetrators defined the central national security challenge confronting the United States and much of the world: Stateless terrorism.

Even though the nation had faced terrorism for several decades, including the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993 and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995, nothing compares to 9/11 in scale and scope.

The event shattered the sense of confidence that many Americans had about being able to avoid the kinds of attacks on civilians that had become commonplace in the Middle East. American national security policy was reconfigured as a result.
The federal government vastly expanded and reorganized its homeland defense system. It instituted an aggressive program of interrogation and surveillance to combat terrorist threats and refocused foreign policy to concentrate on destroying these networks and the states that support them, including the invasion of Afghanistan to topple the Taliban regime. Eight years later, we are still fighting.

Iraq War

The war with Iraq quickly became one of the most controversial aspects of the war on terrorism. The difficulties that the United States encountered in the reconstruction period, and the falsity of the Bush administration's claims in the build up to war that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction, opened up the administration to intensified attacks from the left and the right.

The war eroded Bush's political capital and constrained his ability to achieve other objectives, including domestic proposals such as Social Security privatization. Equally important, the difficulties the nation encountered in achieving its goal of creating a stable democracy and combating insurgents has raised serious doubts -- domestically and internationally -- about the capacity of American military power in conflicts, including the war in Afghanistan.

Hurricane Katrina

When Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans in 2005, it revealed the horrible conditions under which many inner-city Americas were living after decades of neglect. The failure of so many levels of government to properly respond to the hurricane and its aftermath also exposed the limited interest of the government -- and the public -- in protecting these African-American communities even after a tragedy this severe.

The unwillingness of the federal government to commit substantial resources to the reconstruction effort confirmed that urban America was not central to the national agenda.

Financial crisis of 2008

The financial crisis constituted a huge shock to the economic system. As September 11 ended a false sense of physical security within our borders, the financial crisis shattered the economic confidence which had emerged in the 1990s and established the parameters for President Obama's administration.

The plummeting market fundamentally challenged decades of policies that centered on deregulation and market-based solutions. The fact that President Bush's administration put forth a hugely expansive financial bailout package revealed how Americans have come to expect federal intervention in times of economic crisis and showed that there were limits to the Reagan Revolution.

Election of 2008

The 2008 election is the one defining event that spoke to America's potential. Even though the United States clearly has not entered any kind of post-racial period, as Hurricane Katrina revealed, the election of an African-American to the presidency in a country whose economy once revolved around slavery was historic.

Combined with other developments -- such as the growing acceptance of gay rights, despite the setbacks to same-sex marriage -- the election signaled a movement away from discriminatory attitudes that have been so deeply rooted in the American psyche.

Any most important list is inherently incomplete, and only captures a small part of what the nation experienced. Should Congress pass health care reform, which seems likely, that could become a crucial moment in the history of our government. Nonetheless, these five events will certainly be ones that historians will look back to for years to come.

Stormy Weather: Brace for More of the Same

Stormy, cold weather is, of course, standard during the winter, but December was exceptionally stormy across the United States, and the wild weather ride is likely to continue in January and February.

The South has been hit especially hard to date. Snow, generally light, fell where it's normally a rarity: western and southeastern Texas, as well as in parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia. Of greater importance, the Deep South was pounded with flooding rain, dangerous thunderstorms and even dozens of winter tornadoes.

One of these southern storms turned northward along the East Coast during the third week of December. That created a record-breaking and paralyzing snowstorm (often referred to as the Blizzard of 2009, even though it technically wasn't a blizzard in most locations) from western North Carolina through the Middle Atlantic region. Then, a second massive storm, a full-fledged blizzard (Christmas Blizzard of 2009), pounded the Plains on Dec. 24 and 25.

The stormy December weather was caused by two main weather factors: widespread cold air and an abundance of El Nino-driven southern storms. Both of these are expected to continue in January and February.

The cold air is being predicted by the government's coupled forecast system, a long-range forecasting model that accurately predicted the December cold. It's forecasting colder-than-normal weather in the entire eastern half of the country and all of the Deep South in January. Look for less extensive cold air along the Eastern Seaboard and in the Deep South in February.

Meanwhile, the current El Nino will continue to influence the weather for the rest of the winter. An El Nino occurs when sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific are warmer than normal. This one has been strong enough to add fuel to the southern branch of the jet stream, resulting in more numerous and more intense storms in the southern part of the country. It should continue at its present strength into spring, according to the Climate Prediction Center.

This means there will be additional storms while cold air is abundant -- a potentially headline-grabbing combination. The details, of course, can't be determined this far in advance, but the cold and storms could merge for major national snowstorms or even Deep South snow. Or the cold could retreat in advance of storms in the Deep South, resulting in heavy rain and dangerous thunderstorms, along with the specter of more flooding, while the north remains locked in widespread cold with little snow. Or it could result in some of everything, as we've already seen.

But no matter what the scenario, the weather is almost certain to be dramatic, just as it was in December.

Paul Oakenfold on Brittany's Great Musical Potential

Until Brittany Murphy lent her voice to the penguin Gloria in the 2006 animated hitHappy Feet, the public had gotten only a taste of the chanteuse within the actress on a No. 1 dance club track called "Faster Kill Pussycat," written and produced by Grammy-nominated British trance artist Paul Oakenfold.

"Brittany trained as a singer before she did as an actress," Oakenfold tells PEOPLE. "She was a great actress but she had great vocal potential."

At first, Murphy wasn't so sure she wanted to be attached to Oakenfold's song. She told PEOPLE in 2006, "I've been singing my whole life and [recording] a lot of anonymous vocals. And this was another anonymous vocal, 20 minutes behind the booth in the recording studio two years ago. Then Paul had asked me if I'd put my name on it. The song is so incredible, I said 'Yes,' and we made a video."

But Oakenfold intended Murphy to be the centerpiece of his music video all along. "Her presence on the video is very powerful," he says. "She is very commanding visually and that's what we wanted. We wanted that energy and she did a great job."

As for putting her name on the song, Oakenfold recalls, "I said to her, 'Why hide behind something? You have a really great vocal. People are going to be shocked and pleasantly happy with what they're going to hear. You are not one of these actresses who are trying to sing and not doing a good job of it.'"

And he should know.

"I demoed three other girls on that song," Oakenfold says, "and some of the girls were pretty big singers – and Brittany blew them away."

In recent years, Murphy had been in the process of recording her own album. "She would have done well," Oakenfold says. "She wanted to try this with me, this smoky blues sound with electronic rhythms. She wanted to sound more traditional originally but I told her we should go more edgy. She was really excited by that and it's just a shame it never got as far as people thought it could. It's just a shame that the world is not going to hear more songs of Brittany Murphy."

The best and worst return policies of the holiday season

Spending time with family is one thing, but spending a lifetime with that sweater your Aunt Emily gave you for Christmas is another. Before you head back to the mall with your unwanted items, there are few things to know about retailer return policies this holiday season.

The most important thing to know is that retailers are cracking down. Not only are stores struggling with lower profits, but theft is also on the rise. The National Retail Federation estimates shoplifting could cost retail stores close to $30 billion this holiday season. Fraudulent product returns pose even more problems. In a recent poll,93% of NRF retail members said stolen merchandise has been returned to their stores.

In an effort to stem those losses, many retailers are tightening their return policies. Even some of the most traditionally lenient stores have put restrictions on certain items. WalletPop reviewed the return policies of several major retailers. Here is our list of best and worst places to return your gifts this year.

Costco
The warehouse club takes everything back as long as you have a receipt. Electronics are the one exception, but even the policy for those items is among the most generous in the retail industry: Shoppers have a 90-day window to return electronics and there is no restocking fee.

Kmart
Kmart gives full refunds within 90 days with the original receipt, and online orders can be returned to stores. Exceptions include autographed collectibles, personalized items and opened software, CDs, computer games and DVDs.

Kohl's
Shoppers with original receipt get full refunds or an even exchange, and there's no time limit.

L.L. Bean
L.L. Bean has one of the most generous return policies in the land of retail. They take back products for a full refund, with or without a receipt and both in stores and online.

Macy's
No receipt? No problem Gift stickers on items make returns simple and hassle free. You've got 180 days for a full refund on most items and 30 days for jewelry except custom items. Be careful though, only standard sized rings (size 10.5 for men; size 7 for women) are returnable at all. All other sized rings are considered custom.

Nordstrom
Nordstrom has possibly the most famously liberal return policy among the major retailers. First of all, there's no time limit. And gift stickers affixed to the packaging act as receipts for the full merchandise value. Using that information, the store's computer system can easily find anything paid for by credit card with an ID.

Petsmart
The mega pet store offers full refunds for returns with receipt within 60 days of thepurchase. After that, merchandise credit is issued. Petsmart even accepts returns of items purchased at other retailers, even competitors, with the original receipt for merchandise credit or exchange.

Sam's Club
Almost all items are returnable anytime with a receipt. The exceptions (besides cigarettes and alcohol): you have 90 days for most electronics and 30 days for cell phones. Without a receipt, credit is issued for the lowest price available for that

product. No membership is required for returns but members bringing back fresh food items get twice the amount or a full refund and a replacement of the item with Sam's 200% guarantee.

Target
Target has revised its return policy to allow for more returns without a receipt, but still caps the total to $70 worth of merchandise annually. After that, any return without a receipt gets store credit in the form of a Target gift card.

Zappos
Return unworn or unused merchandise to Zappos up to a year after buying. Whenever you do, you will always have free shipping.

Walmart
Most items can be returned for a full refund within 90 days as long as you have a receipt. For computers, TVs, cameras, DVD and music players and electronics, Walmart is extending the return period from 15- or 30-days to a 30-day period that begins Dec. 26, regardless of when the item was purchased.

Worst Return Policies

Different rules for different product categories, too much fine print and merchandise credit instead of full refunds all help land these retailers on our "worst" list.

Amazon
Make sure to read the fine print. While most items can be returned for a full refund through January 31(an extension of Amazon's regular policy which limits returns to within 30 days of delivery) there are plenty of exceptions to the rule. Products including computers, electronics, the Kindle e-reader, jewelry and items from individual sellers may abide by a different set of return policy rules. Be especially careful when dealing with individual sellers since the return policy is often set by the seller.

Best Buy
Best Buy gets the award for most complicated return policy. Return rules vary depending on the product category, whether you are a member of a loyalty club and whether the product was bought as part of a promotion. For starters, exchanges or returns vary by product -- 14 days for computers, monitors, projectors, camcorders, digital cameras, and radar detectors; 30 days for all other products and 45 days if you belong to one of its loyalty programs. There are loads of non-returnable items

including custom orders and opened entertainment software. Different restocking fees also apply, depending on the product and whether you're a Reward Zone Program Premier Silver member, for whom the fees are waived.
If a gift was sold with a promotional item or as part of a bundle, the value of the promotional item or the amount of the bundle's discount is subtracted from the refund. According to the company's Web site, "This occasionally results in additional funds being owed to Best Buy."

Home Depot
Items bought online cannot be returned to stores and buyer pays shipping. There are also restrictions and exceptions among the many product categories that make returns confusing. Custom orders can't be returned at all.

OfficeMax
The 14-day return policy on electronics and 30-day returns on ink and toner are very limiting. And the retailer's new return policy, which is set to take effect Jan. 1, 2010, after holiday shopping but before the end of the return period, will only serve to confuse both customers and employees.

JC Penney
The store accepts returns for a full refund within 90 days, as long as you have the original receipt. Not bad right? Well not so fast. Anyone with a gift receipt is out of luck. They get store credit only. Without a receipt, but bought within 90 days, the amount of the refund will be based on the lowest on-sale price within the last 30 days and will be issued as a merchandise credit.

Middle-of-the-Road Return Policies

Barnes & Noble
Takes unused merchandise back anytime but has just a 14 day return on Nook electronic readers.

Borders
Has different rules for online and in-store purchases.

The Gap
Issues store credit only without a receipt and limits returns to within 30 days (down from 90 days last year).

IKEA
Requires returned items be unused and in original packaging and made within 90 days of purchase. Receipts and a photo ID are also needed.

Lowe's
Allows for returns for refund within 90 days with receipt, but just 30 days for some equipment.

Sears
Takes merchandise back within 90 days but jewelry, electronics and mattress have just 30 day return windows.

Staples
Has no deadline for returns on most merchandise, but accepts electronics and furniture within just 14 days.

The Best Return Policies

These stores offer generous return windows, provide refunds to those armed with receipts and often have one uniform policy for all product categories.

Bed Bath & Beyond
The home goods retailer has a generous return policy year round, with no time limit for either in-store or online returns as long as you have a receipt. The one painful part: There's often a long wait for service.

Jasper Schuringa, Northwest Plane 'Hero,' Wants Money For More Interviews After CNN Licenses Cell Image

Is he a HERO or GOLD DIGGER you decide...

Jasper Schuringa, the Northwest flight passenger who reportedly subdued Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, appeared on CNN Saturday for an interview with Fredericka Whitfield — but he won't be talking any more unless a(nother) network pays up.

TVNewser reports that CNN paid to license a cell phone image of Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab being hauled off the plane by authorities. That may have been what secured their interview with Schuringa, who sat for an awkward interview with Fredricka Whitfield.

But Mediaite's Steve Krakauer reports that Schuringa — who grew increasingly unwilling to participate in the interview once the five-minute mark was passed — wants more money if he is to do any further interviews:

CNN clarifies the network did not pay for the actual interview during CNN Newsroom. However, there's a reason Schuringa has not appeared any further on CNN or any other network - we hear he has asked for additional payment for any future interviews.

Schuringa is a Dutch citizen now on vacation in Miami.

Watch his interview from CNN Saturday: