Woman loses $1 million inside mattress

If you haven't heard this tale yet, you will. I imagine media outlets everywhere are going to jump on this. According to a story on CNN.com, In Tel Aviv, Israel, a woman gave her elderly mother a new mattress. It was a gift, and the daughter tossed out the old bed. Well, the mother had her life savings stuffed inside the mattress -- almost $1 million!  So as you read this, there's a huge search going on at the city dump with security guards keeping out the public, fearing, of course, that otherwise there's going to be something resembling the California gold rush of 1849.

Critics will point out that the woman should have put her money somewhere safer, like in a bank, where her money could have been compiling interest. And many people who hide their money in their bedroom may be rethinking their savings strategy. Or maybe not. After all, the old chestnut is that you hide your money under the mattress, not inside it.

Don't bury My Name is Earl yet; cable channel in talks to bring on show for 13-episode order.

Salvation, thy name is TBS. Fans of My Name is Earl have been wearing black since NBC announced it wasn't picking up the show for a fifth season. But it may be time to break out the flannel once again, as TBS is reportedly in discussions to pick the show up for its schedule.

TBS was always thought to be a contender to throw Earl a life preserver, but shortly after the network upfronts, it was reported that talks died down. Now, Variety says that the two sides--TBS and Earl producer 20th Century Fox--are discussing a 13-episode order of new episodes.

TBS already runs repeats of My Name is Earl and has jumped into original comedy with both feet, so the idea isn't at all far-fetched. What is far-fetched, however, is thinking it could return with all its production values (Earl as a multi-camera comedy? Ehhhh…).

The talks are said to be in the VERY early stages, so don't get too excited yet.

Seven '90s TV Show Reunions That Need to Happen Right Now

1. 'Full House' (1987-95)
We just published a "where are they now" update on the 'Full House' cast, and the Olsen twins, Candance Cameron Bure, Bob Saget and John Stamos are still very much on the radar, but wouldn't you like to see them all growed up, together?

2. 'Growing Pains' (1985-92)
How awesome would it be if Leonardo DiCaprio showed up? (We can all dream, right?)

3. 'Fresh Prince of Bel Air' (1990-96)
Ditto, with Will Smith.  And we totally want to see the Carlton dance in its present-day form.

4. 'Home Improvement' (1991-99)
Admit it, gals, you had a crush on Jonathan Taylor Thomas back in the day. Don't you want to see how all three of Tim "Tool Time" Taylor's boys turned out?

5. 'Family Matters' (1989-97)
Can Jaleel White still do that annoying Urkel laugh? The world wants to know.

6. 'Boy Meets World' (1993-2000)
Admit it, guys, you had a crush on Topanga, aka Danielle Fishel, and want to see how she's filled out, er, turned out.

7. 'Step by Step' (1991-97)
Most of the kids from the show have left acting since the show went off the air. We'd love to find out how they've kept busy all these years.

Which of your favorite shows should hold a reunion? Which child stars are you most curious about? Sound off in the comments!

Got the iPhone 3G? Prepare to shell out extra $$$ for the new iPhone

If you bought the iPhone 3G on AT&T last year and you were expecting to grab the new iPhone 3G S for $199 (for the 16GB model) or $299 (32GB)—that is, the prices announced during Monday's Apple keynote—think again.

The Unofficial Apple Weblog and AppleInsider are reporting that those of us who were eager (dumb?) enough to buy last summer's iPhone 3G will not be eligible for the discounted $199/$299 iPhone 3G S pricing that Apple SVP Phil Schiller announced during Monday's WWDC event in San Francisco.

Instead, prepare to pay $200 extra for an "early" upgrade, which comes out to $399 for the 16GB iPhone 3G S or $499 for the 32GB version. (As for me, I'm not eligible for the "standard" upgrade $199/$299 pricing until late December.)

According to TUAW, some iPhone 3G owners aren't even being offer the "early" upgrade option—in which case, they're stuck with AT&T's "no commitment" pricing of $599 for the 16GB iPhone 3G S or (gulp) $699 for the 32GB model. 

But wait—didn't most of us who upgraded from the iPhone to the iPhone 3G last year get the discounted $199/$299 pricing from AT&T, despite the fact that we were barely a year into our two-year contracts? 

Well, yes, but according to an AT&T spokesman I've been trading e-mails with, "there was a difference between iPhone and iPhone 3G—you and other 3G owners got an attractively subsidized price." Huh.

So that appears to be the (extremely) disappointing deal for us iPhone 3G owners who'd been looking forward to upgrading to the 3G S—and I have to say, the revelation is giving me serious pause. 

OK, any iPhone 3G owners out there who'll hold off on the 3G S until they're eligible for the "standard" AT&T discount? And anyone else feeling burned that this wrinkle wasn't discussed during the Apple keynote today?

Will Adam Lambert's Rolling Stone Interview Hurt Or Help His Career?

So this week, Adam Lambert's salivatingly-awaited, serpentine-accessorized Rolling Stone cover issue comes out. And I mean thatliterally. Yes, it's in this RS interview that Adam comes out of his fabulously appointed, leather-pants-filled closet to announce what all the world already knew: That he is (gasp!) gay.

Adam's sexuality was likely something he wasn't allowed to officially discuss before now (past gay Idol contestants like R.J. Helton, Jim Verrarros, and Danny Noriega have all publicly claimed that the show ordered them to keep mum regarding their sexual orientation--how very "don't ask, don't tell," huh?). Or frankly, his sexuality just wasn't something he felt was necessary to discuss within the context of the Idol competition.

But anyway, now that Adam has finally addressed all the speculation and the "pink elephant" in the room, in his characteristically flashy and flamboyant manner (just LOOK at that cover photo!), I sincerely hope everyone can just move on and remember what an amazing and unique talent he is. Hopefully, by the time Adam's debut album comes out later this year, the public focus will be back on the important stuff: you know, his music, his voice, his nail polish, his awesome hair, his guyliner, etc. Anything but his gayness.

But I will admit that I'm worried it could be a career-killer. I had the same worries when that splashy Entertainment Weekly"Is He Gay?" cover story came out only a week or so before the Idolfinale, fearing that it would ruin Adam's chances. I'm still not sure it didn't...

Yes, I know that almost immediately after Adam lost on Idol, the show's powers-that-be went into PC spin-control overdrive, emphatically asserting that his shocking second-place finish had simply come down to a matter of the public's musical taste, and that it had absolutely nothing to do with religion, sexuality, or politics. Except...it probably DID. Let's be real, now.

While it would be overly cynical to assume that Adam's rumored homosexuality (and by "rumored," I mean "completely assumed due to widely circulated, Bill O'Reilly-criticized photos of him smooching other pretty-boys in drag") was the main reason he didn't win, it would also be naive to assume that it wasn't a factor at all.

In the end, we'll just have to wait to tally Adam's album sales figures to see if this tell-all article was a turn-off to more conservative record-buyers, or if it indeed refocused the attention on Adam's music.  Most successful openly gay celebrities--Elton John, Rosie O'Donnell, Ellen DeGeneres, George Michael, even Clay Aiken--have only come out well into their careers, after developing such strong fanbases that they could afford to lose a few fairweather fans put off by the news of their homosexuality. But Adam, possibly the bravest and boldest Idol contestant ever, faces a unique challenge by (as Kara DioGuardi recently worded it on The View) pretty much being out from the beginning.

And although Adam insists in his Rolling Stone interview, "I'm trying to be a singer, not a civil rights leader," I still hope that--as Adam so passionately sang during Idol finale week--a "Change Is Gonna Come" in this country, and that this article is a start.