Defense Secretary Invites ‘Dancing’ Champ J.R. Martinez To The Pentagon

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has invited soldier-turned-actor J.R. Martinez, winner of this season’s “Dancing with the Stars” competition, to meet him at the Pentagon.

During a 10-minute telephone call Friday, Panetta told the dance champion he demonstrated the strength and resilience of wounded veterans, Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said.

Martinez credited his military training for his performance on the ABC show, Kirby said. Martinez and professional partner Karina Smirnoff bested fellow finalists Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake in the finale broadcast Tuesday.

Martinez, 28, was severely burned over more than 40 percent of his body when the Humvee he was driving for the U.S. Army in Iraq struck a land mine in 2003. After dozens of operations during a nearly three-year recovery, Martinez became a motivational speaker and in 2008 won a role on the now-retired ABC soap opera “All My Children.”

Details of Panetta’s meeting with Martinez are being worked out.

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Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Salma Hayek’s Secret To De-Bloat After The Holiday!

NEW YORK, N.Y. -- Ah, the day after Thanksgiving – feeling stuffed? Me too! After a high-calorie feast of turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie – I could use a little help in the de-bloat zone.

A good post-Thanksgiving sweat first thing in the morning is an excellent way to feel a tad lighter and set the stage for a healthier day of eating. Also, go for a veggie-packed juice – it will help ease the over-consumption blues. “A great way to de-bloat is to have an Essential Green juice in the morning,” reveals juicing expert, Eric Helms, who co-founded the Cooler Cleanse with Salma Hayek.

For years, Eric has been Salma’s go-to guy to help her get red carpet ready or shed a few extra pounds. Eric shares with Healthy Hollywood the secrets to one of Salma’s favorite de-bloat juices – Cooler Cleanse’s Essential Green juice. “It has dark green vegetables which contains essential vitamins and minerals crucial for the cleansing functions of the kidneys and liver. These greens are highly alkalizing to your cells – this counters the damage done by the corrosive acidic waste products from all the meat, sugar, dairy and other common foods you had during Thanksgiving dinner,” adds Eric.

Green Leaf Juice Ingredients:

Handful of spinach

3 stalks of celery

Small handful of parsley

3 leaves of green kale

2 Barlett pears, seeded

1/4 lemon, peeled

1/2 cucumber, peeled

Bunch up spinach, parsley, and kale, and push through juicer with celery, and pear. Follow with cucumber and lemon. Scrape off the foam and serve over ice. For variation, add dandelion greens or watercress.

Try drinking a green juice for breakfast or breakfast and lunch and then eat well for the rest of day, such as lean proteins & lots of veggies. “It helps your body run better, feel cleaner, and look brighter and younger because you ease the digestive process by replacing regular meals with delicious, fresh-pressed vegetables and fruit juices. You feel lighter and more energized,” states Eric.

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Glam Slam: The Friday Five — Black Friday Shopping Alternatives

Tired of holiday shopping stress?

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Skipping the sales today? Me too! So if you are looking for other ways to spend your day off, here are a couple of saner ideas than braving the mall madness!

HIT THE MULTIPLEX

My pick for the weekend is George Clooney in “The Descendants.” Clooney plays a distant dad whose wife’s coma brings him closer to his two daughters. The movie experts here in our office are saying this is the performance of his career and he’s a Best Actor shoo-in. The critics agree! If you want a movie for the entire family, you can’t beat “The Muppets,” which is going to be HUGE!

HIT THE SPA

Be oblivious to the mall mayhem and find inner peace at your local spa. Or pamper yourself at home with a body scrub and mani/pedi.

HIT THE GYM

If you overindulged, you can ease your guilt with a good workout. I like to be outside and hike, but even a brisk walk will make you feel better.

OR BE A COUCH POTATO

Lots of good guilty pleasure TV to check out. “The Oprah Winfrey Show” Favorite Things marathon starts at 2 PM on OWN. “The Glee Project” marathon starts at 10 AM on Oxygen. Over on Bravo, “The Millionaire Matchmaker” marathon starts at 11 AM.

MEET A FRIEND

Most people have the day off, so use it to reconnect and catch up with friends before the entire holiday season gets away from you. If you don’t have time for lunch or dinner, meeting for coffee or drinks are other options. ‘Tis the season to be thankful — especially for your friends and family.

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DESI BOYZ: All you need to know about the movie

Click for all the trailers, songs, pictures, interviews and gossip related to Desi Boyz, releasing November 25

Akshay Kumar and John Abraham’s hyped film Desi Boyz releases this week. Desi Boyz‘s leading ladies are Deepika Padukone and Chitrangda Singh. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt and Omi Vaidya among others. Here’s some part of the story and charaters of the film that we’d like to share with you:
STORY
The year is 2009. The world has been struck by the financial meltdown. But Nick Mathur and Jerry Patel don’t feel a thing in their comfortable pad in London. Nick feels smug with his successful investment banking job, the new bonus in his pocket and his beautiful fiancé, Radhika, by his side, while Jerry is so used to scraping the bottom of the barrel and living off his best buddy Nick, that recession feels like home. But life has a way of pulling the rug from under our feet. Nick and Jerry stop smiling the day Nick’s company decides to downsize and unceremoniously fires him. And Jerry is informed by the Social Services that his nephew Veer, whose local guardian Jerry is will be placed in a foster home unless he gets a steady job. Desi Boyz is the story of two men who are forced to do something extremely bizarre which gives them instant gratification but the repercussions tear them apart and its aftermath which tests everything including their friendship.
CHARACTERS
Nick Mathur: John Abraham
A graduate of London School of Economics, Nick Mathur is a prototype of the boy every girl wants to make her parents meet. Loyal friend, reliable boy friend, stable investment banker and an all round sweet guy! He happily pays the rent and supports his best friend, Jerry, and provides for his fiancé Radhika’s dream wedding and honeymoon, not realizing that, he has turned in a ‘ATM card’ in Jerry’s life and an ‘LIC agent’ in Radhika’s.
Radhika Awasthi: Deepika Padukone
A professional architect, Radhika Awasthi lives in a fairy tale bubble – Dream boyfriend, dream wedding, sensational honeymoon. As much as she loves Nick, her idea of romance is more practical than poetic. It is this cynicism that prevents her from understanding Nick and Jerry’s friendship. Ironically, as much as she resents Jerry for using Nick, she is blind to how much Nick humors her idea of a ‘perfect’ life.
Jerry Patel: Akshay Kumar
Born as Jignesh Patel in a modest Gujarati couple, Jerry changed his name the minute he sat on the plane to come to the UK 12 years back! Jerry’s life is a hedonistic series of shortcuts involving drooping out from college, changing several part-time jobs and living off his best friend Nick – the only stable factor and ultimate safety net in his life.
Tanya Mehra: Chitrangda Singh
From being the fat, ‘KFC Kid’ who was the butt of all jokes, Tanya Mehra blooms into a drop-dead gorgeous and successful Economics teacher at Trinity College. Her no-nonsense professor façade hides a crazy and wild Flower Child interior. She lives life in the moment and fully, not letting anything holds her back from following the beat of her heart.

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