For Casey Anthony, 'things are starting to look up,' she says

Casey Anthony, America's most infamous mother, has a new dog, a new computer and a new outlook on life — at least according to a private video diary she made last October that somehow made it online Thursday.

In the 4:20 black-and-white video recorded Oct. 13, Anthony talks about her new computer, reveling that it's hers and not something she has to give back. She also has a new dog.

Anthony doesn't specify exactly where she is while recording the video, but she does say she'll be leaving there in late February or March, around the time of her birthday.

Cheney Mason, one of Anthony's former defense attorneys, who successfully argued last year that his client was not guilty in the death of her 2-year-old daughter, Caylee, told the Fox affiliate in Orlando, Fla., that Anthony did not know how the video, which was meant to be private, ended up online.

There is no mention of Caylee in the short video, but Casey does express lots of excitement about her computer and being able to record her thoughts, however vague they may be.

"It's just a little surreal how much things have changed since July and how many things haven't changed," she says. "But the good thing is that things are starting to look up and things are starting to change in a good way."

She makes brief mention of the probation sentence she's serving for check fraud, unrelated to the noted murder trial that ended last July.

Now that one video log has surfaced online, what are the chances more will surface? And will Anthony bring the dog on camera? She says she may.

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Photo: Casey Anthony in a screengrab from her video log.

Kanye West: Picking up where Steve Jobs left off -- only better?

Kanye West has a lot of ideas. So many ideas, in fact, that they should be shared with the public somewhere other than Twitter. But that's where West chose to chat about Donda, his new design company, on Wednesday night. In 140-character increments. For three hours.

West started off talking about his love of fashion design, something he's been passionate about since he was a boy getting in trouble for drawing Nikes in class. Now he's had his fashions on display on the runways of Paris. But he's getting more ambitious.

How ambitious? Really ambitious.

"DONDA is a design company which will galvanize amazing thinkers and put them in a creative space to bounce there dreams and ideas...," West wrote. "I am assembling a team of architects, graphic designers, directors musicians, producers, AnRs, writers, publicist, social media experts... app guys, managers, car designers, clothing designers, DJs, video game designers, publishers, tech guys, lawyers, bankers, nutritionist ... doctors, scientist,teachers...."

Rihanna, Chris Brown: Is the alleged Twitter affair getting ugly?

Rihanna and Chris Brown's possible Twitter love affair took a new turn over the New Year's weekend -- now what was all sweetness and light looks to be turning into a digital simulation of the neighbors having a loud fight with the windows open.

After Brown rang in the new year in Las Vegas with girlfriend Karrueche Tran, pics of the couple together reportedly didn't sit right with Rihanna, who tweeted Monday, "How can you lie to her, while u lay with me???.....If you don't have an answer, you don't have to answer."

Of course, Rihanna could be tweeting about her dog for all we know, but she does have a recent history of sending out suspiciously timed love tweets that are just minutes behind Brown's similarly vague love tweets.

There's been no responding tweet from Chris Brown, so maybe he doesn't have an answer. Or maybe he's expanded on his resolution to stay away from the media in 2012?

Also no word on Twitter from Brown's girlfriend, Tran. But that may be because she's too distracted by all that food on her plate. If there's any love triangle going on here, it may be between Brown, Tran and McDonald's.

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Photos, from left: Chris Brown in concert at KIIS-FM's Jingle Ball; Rihanna in concert in June. Credits: Lawrence K. Ho / Los Angeles Times; Gina Ferazzi / Los Angeles Times

Sinead O'Connor reconciles with Barry Herridge, calls off divorce

Sinéad O'Connor's love life has another chapter. Actually this is more like an extended cut of the previous chapter. She announced on Twitter that she's back with her husband of less than a month.

The Irish singer, who married Dublin substance-abuse counselor Barry Herridge in Las Vegas in early December, then announced their separation a couple of weeks later, has called off the divorce proceedings.

As she put it late Tuesday, "yay!!! me husband is a big hairy cave man an came to claim me with his club : ) and now im in cave-land.. yay!!"

When one fan, who obviously doesn't speak cave man, tweeted to ask for confirmation that the singer now wasn't getting divorced, O'Connor responded, "Yup that's wot it means. An I can add to my lingerie collection. Size uk 12 btw for anyone wanting to send any. 36b. : )"

Previously, O'Connor had written a long post on her website announcing the breakup of the relationship due to people in her husband's life urging him away from her and to a "wild ride" in Las Vegas on their Dec. 8 wedding night, when self-described non-drinker O'Connor went looking for weed to smoke and ended up with a handful of crack instead.

Never a dull moment in the O'Connor household.

The good news for her Southern California fans is that they will have ample opportunity to congratulate her in person: The newly reconciled Mrs. H will be headed to L.A. on Thursday for a performance on Friday, and she'll return in February for a pair of shows at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery to celebrate the release of her new album, "How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?"

O'Connor says she's slowing things down with husband No. 4 and that they plan to act like boyfriend and girlfriend (or cave man and cave woman) for a while. Either way, this isn't likely to be the last of the O'Connor love drama in 2012.

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-- Patrick Kevin Day

Photo: Sinéad O'Connor in October. Credit: Matt Sayles / Associated Press

 

Chris Brown and Rihanna sending each other love tweets?

Chris Brown and Rihanna, whose romance had a spectacularly violent and public flame-out in 2009, appear to be hooking up again -- at least on Twitter.

The singers sent a few public tweets Thursday that seemed to have very specific audiences.

At 4:06 p.m., Brown, who follows Rihanna on Twitter and vice-versa, tweeted, "Love U more than u know!" A minute later, Rihanna tweeted, "I'll always love u #1LOVE."

This isn't the first time the two parties, who have been separated by a court-mandated restraining order that requires Brown stay 50 yards away from Rihanna at all times, have shown signs of looking for a reunion.

On Dec. 15, Chris Brown's mother, Joyce Hawkins, tweeted, "HELLO LADY I MISS YOU AND LOVE YOU!!!!! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!!!!"

While that in itself isn't unusual (90% of "Mombreezy's" tweets involve love in some capacity) this one was matched a short time later by Rihanna, who tweeted, "Miss+Love u 2."

Brown and Rihanna's relationship came to a very public end when Brown was arrested on domestic assault charges after an incident with Rihanna, which left her with visible injuries on her face and body. Brown later pleaded guilty to a felony and accepted a plea deal of community service and five years' formal probation. Rihanna has since said she's still a Chris Brown fan.

Will the couple reunite? Not without a return visit to court. The judge's restraining order is in place until 2014.

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Left photo: Chris Brown on "Good Morning America." Credit: ABC

Right photo: Rihanna performs in London. Credit: Associated Press

Worst celebrity baby names of 2011: Moroccan, Bear Blu, Zuzu

What distinction do Mariah Carey, Alicia Silverstone and "Top Chef" contestant Tania Peterson share? They all had babies this year, and they all chose poorly when it came time to fill out the birth certificate.

According to a poll of 10,000 visitors to the website BabyNames.com, Silverstone and husband Christopher Jarecki tied with Mariah Carey and husband Nick Cannon for the worst celebrity boys' name.

Carey and Cannon gave birth to twins on April 30, but their girl Monroe was spared any infamy. Carey and Cannon's son, Moroccan Scott Cannon, was not so lucky. A few days later, on May 5, Silverstone and Jarecki had Bear Blu Jarecki. And it was done.

Meanwhile, pastry chef Tania Peterson and husband Phil are all alone at the top of the worst celebrity baby names for girls. Their daughter, Zuzu Audrey Peterson, was born Jan. 30.

But not all celebs display astoundingly bad judgment when it comes to naming their offspring. Pink and her motocross racer husband Carey Hart gave birth to daughter Willow Sage Hart on June 2. She topped the poll for the best celebrity girl's baby name. Ne-Yo (real name Shaffer Chimere Smith Jr.) and girlfriend Monyetta Shaw gave birth to their second child: Mason Evan Smith. He topped the poll as having best celebrity boy's baby name.

Some celebs seemed to be channeling one another: Neil Patrick Harris, Tiffani Thiessen and the Beckhams all chose the name Harper, which is now 2011's 10th most-popular baby name overall.

Among the parents-to-be who might appear on the poll in 2012: Kourtney Kardashian, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard, Robert Downey Jr., Alyson Hannigan, Jessica Simpson and "Dancing With the Stars" winner J.R. Martinez.

Here's hoping they all choose to get creative in the maternity ward.

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Photo: Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon cradle their babies, Monroe and Moroccan, for a Barbara Walters interview. Credit: Getty Images

Sinead O'Connor explains 'wild ride' that scared 4th husband away

Sinead O'Connor has revealed a bit more about the wild Las Vegas drug hunt that contributed to the end of her 16-day marriage to substance-abuse counselor Barry Herridge.

The Irish singer on Monday announced the end of the relationship in a blog post that referred to "a wild ride" she took her husband on just hours after their marriage to find weed "for me wedding night as I don't drink." O'Connor explained, "My husband was enormously wounded and very badly effected by that experience."

So what exactly happened there?

O'Connor elaborated to the British tabloid the Sun: "We ended up in a cab in some place that was quite dangerous.... I wasn't scared — but he's a drugs counselor. What was I thinking?"

What was she thinking indeed. But the story got even better.

"Then I was handed a load of crack," O'Connor said. "Barry was very frightened — that kind of messed everything up a bit really."

Loads of crack on one's wedding night generally tends to complicate matters for anyone. Who can blame Herridge — who makes his living back in Dublin telling others to steer away from drugs — from wanting to run in the other direction?

O'Connor explained her feelings about the relationship in even more dramatic terms: "It felt like I was living in a coffin. It was going to be a coffin for both of us and I saw him crushed."

But don't worry: This whole episode has not gone without its lessons learned. O'Connor says she's not planning to get married ever again. She's not even planning to date anymore.

But will she ever announce a public search for sex on her blog again? Anything's possible.

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Photo: Sinead O'Connor in New York on Dec. 13. Credit: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Sinead O'Connor ends her marriage after 16 days

Sinead O'Connor is showing Kim Kardashian a thing or two when it comes to whirlwind marriages. The Irish singer tied the knot with her short-time boyfriend, Barry Herridge, on her 45th birthday earlier this month in Las Vegas -- and 16 days later, she and Herridge were calling it quits.

In a blog post on her official site, O'Connor announced the split ahead of an impending media leak of the info. "From the moment myself and my husband got together not long ago, there was intense pressure placed upon him by certain people in his life, not to be involved with me," she wrote Monday, 18 days after her Dec. 8 wedding.

"Within 3 hours of the ceremony being over the marriage was kyboshed by the behaviour of certain people in my husband's life," she continued.

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But then O'Connor let slip some info more fascinating than anything else in the post: "And also by a bit of a wild ride i took us on looking for a bit of a smoke of weed for me wedding night as I don't drink. My husband was enormously wounded and very badly effected by that experience and also by the attitude of those close to him toward our marriage."

So Mr. Herridge, a youth substance-abuse counselor in Dublin, had friends and/or family who didn't approve of the woman he married. Fair enough; it happens. The only question is, what exactly happened during O'Connor's wild Vegas hunt for weed? How insane was it, and how could it possibly be enough to end a marriage?

Does this sound to anyone else like the setup for "The Hangover Part III"?

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"He is a wonderful man," O'Connor continued. "I love him very much. I'm sorry I'm not a more regular woman. I truly believe though it is painful to admit, we made a mistake rushing into getting married, for altruistic reasons, and weren't aware or prepared for the consequences on my husband's life and the lives of those close to him. He has been terribly unhappy and I have therefore ended the marriage. I think he is too nice to do so. And too nice to trap."

O'Connor wrote that the marriage lasted 16 days, ending on Christmas Eve. She and Herridge lived together for only seven days, she said.

She warns the media and her fans away from her former spouse and his family and begs that all scrutiny be reserved for her, since she's a public figure. "I'm fair game. He or his family are not."

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This is a sad end to O'Connor's much-publicized search for love, which began in August with a blog post pleading for a man.

For her part, O'Connor is well aware of how this turn of events will be played in the media. She concluded, "so now u can all go ahead and have a great laugh, media wise, and be horrid if u desire to. But that's my record set straight."

Herridge was O'Connor's fourth husband.

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Photo: Sinead O'Connor. Matt Sayles / Associated Press

'Albert Nobbs': Glenn Close's busy week includes Mia Wasikowska

Glenn Close, in the middle of shooting the fifth and final season of her TV series "Damages," is having a busy week: She landed a Screen Actors Guild award nomination Wednesday morning for her starring role in "Albert Nobbs," a film she also produced, co-wrote and, on Tuesday night, promoted at a special screening.

Though she'd already premiered "Albert Nobbs" in September at the Telluride Film Festival, she made time to step out for a special screening Tuesday at New York City's Museum of Modern Art sponsored by Giorgio Armani and the Cinema Society.

Close's costar Mia Wasikowska also showed up, as well as newlywed Sinead O'Connor, who sings the song "Lay Your Head Down" that runs during the film's closing credits.

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"To think [the film] was made for just under $8 million and took 34 days," Close told The Times on Wednesday morning.

"When you see the incredible work done in that time, it represents some of the best there is across all areas, from the makeup and hair to our production designer, the DP, the actors -- everyone."

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Photo: Mia Wasikowska, left, and Glenn Close. Credit: Stephen Lovekin / Getty Images

Elizabeth Taylor's jewelry fetches record $115 million at auction

Elizabeth Taylor may be gone, but her jewelry is still turning heads. The actress's personal collection of jewels went up for auction Tuesday night -- and fetched a record $115 million.

A pearl, diamond and ruby necklace known as La Peregrina, a gift to Taylor from Richard Burton in 1969, sold for a record $11.8 million. Christie's, which conducted the auction, had estimated the necklace would sell for $2 million or $3 million. Burton paid $37,000 for it.

A 33.19-carat diamond ring, which was projected to go for $2.5 million to $3.5 million, sold for $8.8 million.

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That sum for a single white diamond could have bought a whole lot of Taylor's White Diamonds.

A diamond bracelet given to Taylor by close friend Michael Jackson sold for $194,500.

Eighty pieces from Taylor's jewelry collection were auctioned Tuesday in New York, with the remaining 189 items to go Wednesday. Christie's has already blown past the $30 million it predicted as the total sale price. A portion of the proceeds will go to the Elizabeth Taylor AIDS Foundation.

More from the late actress' estate will go on sale later in the week, including some of her film scripts and costumes. In February, her collection of Impressionist and Modernist art will go on sale in London.

Taylor died in March.

Some objects from Jackson's estate also went up for bidding this week. Sadly, the singer's auction wasn't as classy as Taylor's: We're talking fancy diamonds versus fancy clumps of hair.

Christie's has no plans to auction Taylor's hair.

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-- Patrick Kevin Day 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Elizabeth Taylor in 2005. Credit: Mario Anzuoni / Reuters