Beverly Hills

Despite Reports, ‘Scrubs’ Actor Zach Braff NOT Dead

Despite the dinnertime shrieks of “OMG Zach Braff killed himself! I read it on Twitter!” that you might have heard, the actor is very much alive and well! Reports that the “Scrubs” actor had died of an apparent suicide have been spreading like wild fires yesterday, with the news even being reported on a fake CNN site and becoming a top trending topic on Twitter. The headline of the article said “Beloved Scrubs Actor Found Dead In His Home” and claimed he was found with an empty pill bottle by his side. The news of Braff’s so-called death was first reported on the hoax CNN page, which actually looked quite genuine, while another article appeared claiming that Braff had died while shooting a film in New Zealand. Thankfully, these turned out to be not true. However, if you did a little browsing on the fake CNN page it clearly gave away the hoax – all of the “top stories” on the right hand side were from 2007. Braff posted a video on Monday to his personal Facebook page, disputing the claim and calling out the person behind it.

Per PopEater:

“There was a big Internet rumor today that I was dead … that I OD’d on some pills. It’s not the case, I’m here at ‘Scrubs’ shooting the new ‘Scrubs’ title sequence, which is a little bit like dying, so I guess that was semi-accurate. A couple of inaccuracies you should have noticed when you saw the thing, if you believed it — the dude said I was found in my 32,000 square foot estate in Beverly Hills – but I’m not Oprah! That’s a big house! I just want to say to the douchebag who started this: You win my first ever douche of the day award for making my mom upset!”

Chris Laganella of New Jersey seems to be the lucky winner of that award. He has since removed the fake CNN page post and replaced it with an apology and explanation that I don’t quite understand. Laganella writes that he made the spoof page in 2007 for friends and fellow fans of “Scrubs,” but somehow it was made public without his knowledge.

Per ChrisBox:

“So let’s just clear some stuff up. I did not make this page to intentionally fool everyone on the internet. I didn’t expect it to even be made public. Ever. I’m sorry if I scared everyone out there. Zach, sorry if you got offended by me posting a fake suicide about you on the internet. Your 32,000 square foot house would be pretty empty without you. Thanks for (apparently) taking it lightly, since I haven’t gotten a letter about a lawsuit yet. Just so you know, I’m a huge fan; that’s the only reason I made this page, believe it or not. Also, sorry for upsetting your mother.”

There’s a new one of these fake troll-inspired death rumors every week. I think only school kids are fooled by it any more. Sometimes it’s the oddest celebs, which the pranksters do on purpose to make it more believable. While we’ve debunked this one, its only a matter of time before the next one pops up.

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Images Via: wenn.com

Exclusive Interview: Dr. Francis Palmer, Author of “The Palmer Code”

On Thursday, I had the opportunity to sit down and chat with Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Francis Palmer. Dr. Palmer recently released a book titled: “What’s Your Number? The Palmer Code: The Whole You Approach to Personal Transformation.” Unfortunately for me, this interview did not include free Botox as I had hoped, but Dr. Palmer did let me in on a few secrets of the beauty industry.

First of all, it’s important to know that Dr. Palmer knows his stuff. He has performed his nip/tuck magic on well over 20,000 patients in both Beverly Hills and London. However, he really stressed to me that his book is, “Painfully honest,” about beauty and teaches people not to reply on plastic surgery as a means to be pretty. He explained,

“Roughly 2% of the population gets plastic surgery…this book is meant for everyone.”

Well, more like it’s for anyone who has $13.00 and some change to pay for it. But, that is a far cry from the thousands you would spend on a tummy-tuck.

“The Palmer Code” consists of a number between one and one hundred. This number is a result of different out and inner self factors that determine how others view you. Someone with a low number is viewed as unattractive and someone with a high number scores in the high nineties to one hundred. There are many factors that make up your number, but as you can imagine, your outer number is based on your physical presentation: your looks, height, weight, hygiene, clothing, and make-up.

However, you number isn’t a constant, explains Dr. Palmer:

“Numbers fluctuate from moment to moment.”

For example, on a red carpet, celebs are at their best looking thanks to the help of professional stylists and make-up artists. But when they’re home, have the flu, are caught by the paps without make-up on, etc. their number drops. Angelina Jolie can score a 100 one night, and be an 85 the following morning. Unfortunately for the rest of us, if we score a 100 one night, we are likely looking more like a 50 in the morning!

Palmer also expressed to me that was it viewed as beautiful is pretty consistent from one culture to the next. According to the good doc, nearly all men like curvy women and full lips. Trends that say otherwise come and go, “fads are not persistent.”

Since I look out for all of you, and because I was morbidly curious, I decided to test Dr. Palmer’s theory and spring the ‘Model Myth’ on him, as I like to call it. If what he was saying is true, then why are models often curveless?

“High fashion is not the same as true beauty,” explained Dr. Palmer. “Models are hired because they are photogenic and can morph themselves into the demand of the designer.”

Hmmm….So what you’re saying is someone like Uma Thurman isn’t as attractive?

“Uma Thurman scores maybe in the 80’s, she’s too symmetrical and not that attractive,” according to Dr. Palmer.

Dr. Palmer also continued to explain how satisfied he was that Miss Australia was heavily criticized for being rail thin (read about that story by clicking here.)

“Five years ago, no one would have said anything about how skinny she is…[she] obviously has some kind of eating disorder.”

Despite Dr. Palmer’s belief that “beauty is not esoteric,” I had to question why some people, like my beloved Robert Pattinson, can go from average guy to my love slave the next. Dr. Palmer informed me that there are certain “trump factors” that make people more beautiful:

1. Fame: This is why my beloved Sparklepants is hotter now that he’s a vampire than he was as a wizard. The more famous someone is, the more attractive they become to people.

2. Wealth: This is why Donald Trump is able to land hot chicks. He has money. This may also explain why I have a crush on Bill Gates.

3. Power: Dr. Palmer explained to me that President Obama, though nice looking is not “movie star beautiful.” However, because he is the president and is very charismatic, people are more attracted to him.

So what do we think? Is Dr. Palmer onto something here? Can we really improve ourselves to achieve our highest number possible without the use of plastic surgery?

According to the doctor, “Daily decisions affect how you look; the lipstick you buy, for example. You cannot separate anything you do from being connected to your appearance…if given a choice, most everyone would choose to improve themselves.”

You can read more about Dr. Palmer and “The Palmer Code” at his website: http://www.drfpalmer.com You can purchase his book, “The Palmer Code”, by clicking here.