Nicole Scherzinger to leave X Factor

 X-Factor shake-up: Nicole Scherzinger will not be part of the second series this fall, nor will Paula Abdul or Steve Jones

LOS ANGELES, CA -- Former Pussycat Dolls' singer Nicole Scherzinger will not continue in her role as judge on the U.S. X Factor in the next series.

Originally set to co-host the popular TV show with Steve Jones, Scherzinger was moved on to the judging panel after Girls Aloud star Cheryl Cole was dramatically booted from the program.

Now it has been announced that presenter Steve Jones will also leave and not return as host of the next X Factor season in fall.

Jones shared the news on Twitter: "I won't be hosting next season's X Factor which is a shame but I can't complain as I've had a great time. Good luck to everyone on the show," he tweeted.

Escalating the situation further to a major shake-up, news has emerged that former American Idol  judge Paula Abdul is also not returning to the program, leaving behind just Simon Cowell and record producer L.A. Reid.

Super Bowl is a big-ticket item at Costco

The members-only retailer is offering Super Bowl tickets for sale on its website, starting at $2,999.99. That's for one ticket, by the way . . . you don't have to buy 12 of them. But you can buy two.

Jumbo pack of diapers? Check. Case of bottled water? Check. Three thousand dollar Super Bowl ticket?

Geez, you really can buy just about anything supersized at Costco.

The wholesale giant is best known for its food and household items, but its website is offering three ticket packages for the NFL's big — and expensive — game Sunday between the New England Patriots and New York Giants.

"Our goal is to become one of the [ticket] options that pop into our members' minds when it comes to these types of events," said Kristin Lovik, an assistant buyer for Costco.com.

Costco has three Super Bowl offerings: A single-ticket package for $2,999.99 and a pair of two-ticket packages, one priced at $9,999 and the other at $15,499.99.

The single-ticket package includes a seat in the upper level of the end zone at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis plus some amenities, including a pregame party featuring retired NFL quarterback Archie Manning, father of Giants quarterback Eli Manning.

Ticket seller StubHub.com has Super Bowl tickets in the same vicinity for as low as $2,495, but that's only for the ticket.

Costco's $9,999.99 package includes two tickets, the pregame party, four nights at an Indianapolis hotel and admission to the Taste of the NFL, an annual wine and food event, among other additional amenities. The $15,499.99 package is similar — with better seats.

Costco is a membership store; the annual fee starts at $55. Membership is not required to shop at Costco.com, but without it there is a 5% surcharge to the purchase, Lovik said. So, on a ticket costing thousands of dollars, a membership results in significant savings.

This isn't the first time Costco has offered high-end sports tickets. It sold them for the Super Bowl last year and for the Masters and U.S. Open golf tournaments in 2010. The chain's website also sells tickets for movies, ski lifts and other entertainment.

Lovick declined to say where Costco obtains its Super Bowl tickets but said the chain looks for "large, key events that we know are set" in terms of place and date and "where we know we can negotiate" prices for the tickets and amenities.

 

Buildings collapse in central Rio - 19 missing

RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil -- Two high-rising building blocks collapsed in central Rio on Wednesday evening following an explosion.

Rescue crews were able to pull four people alive out of the debris left behind by the two buildings, which reportedly were 10- and 20-storeys high.

Some 19 people were still missing as of the early hours of Thursday morning, with officials assessing the chances of finding more survivors as "very small".

Coronel Sergio Simoes, Rio's civil defense secretary, said he did not believe anyone had survived the tragedy: "We hope there might be an air pocket and that we might find some survivor, but this possibility is lamentably very small."

The cause of an explosion reportedly preceding the collapse of the buildings has yet to be confirmed.

Wednesday's building collapse was the latest in a series of incidents in Rio de Janeiro highlighting the failure of authorities to improve the city's infrastructure amid preparations to host soccer's World Cup in 2014 and the Olympics in 2016.

Costa cruise ship survivors offered $14,000 compensation

Each of the 3,200 passengers aboard Costa Concordia when it collided with rocks in Italy offered $14,000 in compensation

ROME, Italy -- Costa Cruises, the operator of the doomedCosta ConCordiaCruises Ship which capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio on January 13, has offered passengers 11,000 euros ($14,000) each in compensation.

In addition, Costa said it would refund the cost of the cruise as well as medical and transport expenses.

According to reports by Reuters, consumer group Codacons has urged passengers not to accept the compensation offer.

A class-action lawsuit in the U.S., filed by Codacons and two American law firms, demands at least $160,000 for each passenger.

The tragic accident occurred when the cruise ship ran aground off the Italian island of Gilgio on Friday, January 13, with 4,200 people on board.

16 people have been confirmed dead, with at least a further 16 missing.

Captain Francesco Schettino has been blamed for causing the accident. He is under house arrest, accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning ship before all passengers were evacuat

Internet economy predicted to double to $4.2tn by 2016

The online economy among G-20 nations is expected to nearly double in size to $4.2tn over the next four years

According to a new report released by the Boston Consulting Group on Friday, the Internet economy of the world's top 20 economic powers will continue to grow significantly over the next four years.

With the online population expected to grow to three billion, or about 45% of the global population, the size of the online economy is set to reach $4.2 trillion in 2016. In 2010, the Internet economy was valued at $2.3tn.

The BCG report also finds that the number of people using a mobile device such as a smartphone as their primary was of getting online is set to overtake fixed-line access for the first time next year.

This trend will be couple with another technology shift that will see all kinds of devices from cars to fridges to be connected to the web.

Technology giant IBM estimates that one trillion devices will be internet-connected by 2015.

Kitchen queen Britney Spears

Britney Spears loves her kitchen.

The 29-year-old singer - who has sons Sean Preston, six, and Jayden James, five, with ex-husband Kevin Federline - has a "very traditional" home and says she spends most times in the room where meals are prepared.

She said: "My house is very traditional. And I love 'shabby chic'. It's a very homey-cosy vibe.

"We spend a lot of time in the kitchen actually, maybe my kids will be doing their homework or that kind of thing when they get home from school. I love my kitchen."

When she isn't working, Britney - who is dating her former agent Jason Trawick - enjoys relaxing by watching movies with her sons, even if they don't always understand what they are seeing isn't real.

She told Stylist magazine: "The last film I saw was 'The Never Ending Story' with my children. They liked it but they were scared in places. They were like, 'This is scary, we don't want to watch this. And I was like, 'It's not scary, it's fake, it's a movie.'

"They haven't really grasped the concept that movies are fake - they always say, 'Is this real?' and I'm like, 'No baby - it's just a movie.' But they liked it."