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Trending news, culture, and entertainment from Hearst producers around the country.

Mark Zuckerberg inadvertently ‘likes’ Mitt Romney on Facebook

What do Mitt Romney, Republican presidential candidate, and Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Facebook, have in common?

Zuckerberg recently “liked” a link to Romney’s website on Facebook when it was posted by Slate write Farhad Manjoo with the text “just try looking at the Romney logo without seeing the word MONEY” next to it.

These words were automatically stripped out when posted to more than 11 million people who subscribe to Zuckerberg’s Facebook feed, thereby exposing an interface glitch that personally affected the social network’s creator.

Many Facebook users responded, and much of the feedback assumed that Zuckerberg was endorsing Romney:

“Shouldn’t you be apolitical, Mark?”

“Zuckerberg must have been hacked, or he’s changing the spelling of his surname to Suckerberg.”

“Zuck, the wealthy should abstain from endorsements of anyone (especially another wealthy person) as president. It only harms you in the long run.”

This barrage of user criticism comes shortly after a major win for the site, Facebook’s recent IPO filing. This action could increase Zuckerberg’s worth by $5.6 billion.

This is not the first time that Zuckerberg has spoken out politically from his Facebook platform. With regards to the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP Act (PIPA) the media mogul did not express his opinions with a mere “like”.

“The world today needs political leaders who are pro-internet,” Zuckerberg said. “We have been working with many of these folks for months on better alternatives to these current proposals.”

The post that contained this remark received over 500,000 likes.

(via Gawker)

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Fans ask Oscars to let the Muppets sing

Oh, the hu-Muppet-y!

For only the third time since 1946, producers of the Academy Awards have decided to nix the in-show performances of the Best Original Song nominees. Deadline Hollywood says it’s to make the broadcast shorter. But the timing is terrible: The Academy essentially nixed the Muppets, as the excellent song “Man or Muppet” was one of only two nominated this year. The other was Sergio Mendes’ “Real in Rio” from the animated “Rio.”

The move has sparked humans with Twitter accounts to come to the rescue of their fuzzy friends. Sparked by “The Muppets” star Jason Segel and director pal Judd Apatow, fans have been tweeting @TheAcademy, imploring a change of heart. More than 9,000 people have signed Perez Hilton’s online petition.

“Man or Muppet” was penned by Flight of the Conchords rocker Bret McKenzie. He’s also disappointed in the Oscars snub, but in more of a deadpan-New-Zealand-comedian kind of way, saying “It’s a shame,” and, “maybe I’ll bring a Muppet with me, just in case. I’ll put a Muppet in my pocket and I’ll do it from my seat.”

According to Deadline, there might be some leeway in the decision, and we may all be pawns in the producers’ game of determing what’s most important. What do you think? Are you happy the songs are gone or do you want to see your Muppets? In the comments, please state whether you are man, woman, or Muppet.

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Man who climbed Los Angeles tower lured down by McDonald’s

The bizarre tale of a man who climbed a tower in Los Angeles as he shed his clothes got even more bizarre Thursday, as the Los Angeles Times reported he was convinced by burgers to end the incident.

According to the Times:

At one point, police sources said, he asked for hamburgers from McDonald’s. Officials complied, and he agreed to come down after eating his meal.

Here’s the original story from the Associated Press:

A naked man who climbed to the top of a communications tower in downtown Los Angeles and sat there for several hours has been taken into custody.

The man climbed down a ladder to a platform about midway down the tower at about 8:30 p.m. Wednesday where he was met by police officers. He was then slowly lowered to the ground by a makeshift pulley system as he sat in a basket.

Officer Karen Rayner says the man parked his car behind the police department’s personnel building on East Temple Street shortly before 4 p.m. She says he began climbing the 220-foot tower and shedding clothes as he ascended.

The man could be heard yelling, but it was unintelligible.

It’s not known why he climbed the tower.

Photo of the man on the tower comes courtesy of the Associated Press.

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Pro driver filming car commercial has near miss with NorCal deer

Crews filming a commercial for Scion in Northern California had a near miss early this month with a deer who just wanted a little screen time.

A professional driver was cruising along winding roads in the new car when a deer jumped out in front of him.

“As I come across this left hand turn, over a crest and onto a straight, I’m minding my own business driving, trying to navigate through these unknown roads and all of a sudden I see this black figure just prancing around … at that moment I knew, ‘Oh sh*t, something’s wrong,’” said Ken Gushi, a professional driver.

“As I got on the brakes, I see this deer pop out of the mountain, run in front of the car, probably as close as two-to-three feet,” Gushi continued.

The deer scampered off, the shoot continued. The video was posted early this month, but hasn’t attracted much attention until now.

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After 42 years, McDonald’s takes shamrock shakes nationwide

McDonald’s may have dumped the pink goo, but it’s adding an even brighter color to its menu. The fast food giant will sell leprechaun-green shamrock shakes at 14,000 of its U.S. restaurants, according to CNN Money. The shakes have been around for a long time but haven’t been a chain regular until now.

The shamrock shake itself isn’t new. It’s been offered by McDonald’s restaurants at or around St. Patrick’s Day since 1970. But in the past, only certain restaurants offered the familiar green shake.

In its 42 years of existence, the shamrock shake has developed what McDonald’s refers to as a “cult-like” following among certain aficionados who prize its vivid-green hue.

So where does the shamrock shake gets its color? It’s basically a vanilla shake with mint flavor, said (spokeswoman Ashlee) Yingling, and it gets the green hue from the syrup.

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Miss. lawmaker wants to make it the Gulf of America

Rep. Steve Holland at the Capitol in Jackson, Miss., Feb. 2, 2012. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

A Democratic representative in the Mississippi statehouse, Steve Holland, has filed proposed legislation in Jackson to rename the Gulf of Mexico the Gulf of America. Technically, he calls the Gulf, “the body of water that is located directly south of Hancock, Harrison and Jackson Counties,” according to Wonkette.

He wants H.B. 150 to take effect on July 1. Just in time for, well you know.

With a name like Holland, it seems like he would have started a little closer to home. Rep. Steve America has a nice ring to it?

As reported by New Orleans site Gambit.com, Steve Colbert speculated after the Gulf Oil Spill of 2010 that we should call it “The Gulf of America,” because “we broke it, we bought it.”

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Adorable Texas lady tears up after penguin hug

This Texan goes all Kristen Bell on us after receiving a great big hug from a King Penguin at Sea World in San Antonio. The visit was a part of a special behind-the-scenes penguin encounter her husband (behind the camera) got her for her birthday. From the look on her face, it’s worth it.

She got emotional with the aquatic bird–who’s apparently extra-affectionate since he’s looking for a mate–saying “Awww, you’re the best penguin EVER!”

(H/T Jezebel, Reddit)

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Dog bites anchor’s face on live TV

So many things can go wrong during a live newscast, especially when animals are involved.

On Wednesday, an 85-pound Argentine Mastiff named Max bit Denver news anchor Kyle Dyer in the face during a broadcast. Dyer was interviewing Max’s owner and the firefighter who rescued Max from a frozen pond when the dog snapped at the anchor.

According to a story on the station’s website, Dyer was not seriously injured.

Kyle was taken to Denver Health Medical Center. The hospital says she has gone through reconstructive surgery for injuries she sustained from the bite.

Kyle says she wants everyone to know she is OK and is concerned about the viewers who were watching the incident live on TV.

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