With Facebook’s IPO range increasing to $768 trillion dollars, people are inexplicably scurrying to plunk down between $34 and $38 for a piece of the social media juggernaut. In the latest can’t miss dot com gold rush, Facebook and CEO Mark Zuckerberg are counting on several air-tight facts of history to ensure that the IPO goes off without a hitch. First, dot coms have always held equity over the long term and the stock market has always smiled kindly upon internet companies that don’t produce any viable manufactured product except a massive drain on worker productivity in offices all across the world. Secondly, underwriting a chunk of the initial IPO is JP Morgan, one of the safest and most reliable companies in the industry who rarely makes even the smallest of poor decisions. Thirdly, the Federal Trade Commission’s review of the grossly inflated Instagram purchase that has inspired Facebook to push back the anticipated timeframe of the deal will blow over and won’t even cause a ripple. Lastly, and most importantly, the opening screen of Facebook that says “It’s free and always will be” can easily be scrubbed clean once Facebook starts charging you for your posts to reach more of your friends. Think that that will never happen? You must not live in New Zealand. Here are ten things that are better to spend money on than Facebook stock.

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The final five episodes of Smash have certainly upped the drama. As the webs become more tangled and the emotions run even higher, the fate of the Marilyn musical (finally named Bombshell) hangs in the balance.

One of the biggest developments is the whirlwind known as Rebecca Duvall, the movie star (played by Uma Thurman) with zero musical theatre experience, a lackluster voice, and a lot of creative input for Tom, Julia, and Derek. Normally, what goes on in the workshop process is kept highly confidential, but Broadway history is littered with cases of nationally recognized film and television actors winning roles because of their power to sell tickets. When Andrew Lloyd Webber's Sunset Boulevard came to New York from London, Glenn Close was given the lead role of Norma Desmond, much to the chagrin of Broadway veteran Patti LuPone (Evita, Gypsy), who famously did not, and does not, suffer the loss silently.

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After more than 500 entries, the winner of Ticket Liquidator's Summer Concert Sweepstakes was Peter Dale from Graham, Washington. Dale was selected at random today, May 14, 2012, and the winning submission was for signing up for the Live Toast RSS feed on April 17. So, not only does Peter get $350 towards any event of his choice, he gets great content from the Live Toast blog in his feed! Check out what Peter Dale had to say about winning Ticket Liquidator's Summer Concert Sweepstakes below:

I am very excited to win this. It will force me to get out of the house this summer! Thank you!

What are you planning to use the gift certificate on this summer or are you still considering your options?
That's a tough one with so many great shows. Nicki Minaj is looking good though.

Do you have someone in mind to take with you to the event you choose?
Certainly my wife and possibly my kids if they do their homework.

Have you read any of our blog posts and what do you think of the blog?
Yes and I love it. It's cool to see what is going on and what people are excited about.

What are your thoughts about the contest?
Obviously it was a great idea and I will put the gift card to good use.

Are there any changes you would like to see in the future for our contests?
I think it went pretty smoothly. It was easy to find out about it and enter.

Is there anything else you would like to say?
I just want to say thank you!

For more information, check out the press release about Peter Dale's big win!

Always interesting, sometimes revelatory director Paul Thomas Anderson is one of a rare breed of writer-directors in the game today who qualifies as a true Auteur with little regard for mass market demographics when it comes to articulating his singular vision on the screen. An oddity in the studio system, Anderson’s storylines resemble intricately layered Venn diagrams that flaunt convention and aren’t easily summed up in a single tagline.

An expert craftsman, his first four films Hard Eight (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Magnolia (1999) and Punch-Drunk Love (2002) revolve around the dysfunction and personal short-comings that make or break the relationships of his usually fragile characters, played to the hilt by A-List casts. Anderson resuscitated Burt Reynolds’ career and directed Mark Wahlberg and Julianne Moore to big wins, not to mention nailing one of the best uses of Tom Cruise ever in a movie. His keen ear for score helped break musician Aimee Mann into the mainstream and his collaboration with Radiohead guitarist/composer Jonny Greenwood on his fifth film There Will Be Blood (2007) resulted in a timeless classic and one of, if not the best film of the decade.

Anderson’s soon to be released fifth film is already mired in controversy. Titled The Master, the film stars PTA regular Philip Seymour Hoffman as a “charismatic intellectual” who founds a mysterious religion called “The Cause,” which is rumored to be based on the Church of Scientology and founder L. Ron Hubbard. Both The Church and the organization in the script were founded in 1952 following World War II where Hubbard served in the Navy and commanded two ships.

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Whether you’re a music fan, a sports fanatic or a theater junkie, the summer offers a variety of big events – from music festivals to the hottest sporting events to the biggest shows on Broadway. Four days remain in Ticket Liquidator’s Summer Concert Sweepstakes for a chance to win $350 towards any event of your choice and almost 500 entries have been submitted so far. Time is ticking, but you still have a chance to win so enter below before it’s too late!

If you win the sweepstakes, you will be faced with a tough choice. With so many hot summer events out there, which one do you attend? Maybe your friends have been talking about seeing your favorite band live in concert this summer. But then again, it would be great to catch your favorite baseball team on the diamond. Or a trip to Broadway to see that play everyone is talking about. There are so many choices and it’s such a hard decision. Well, you’re in luck – the creative team at Ticket Liquidator is here to help you decide what event to attend by offering their expertise on the summer’s biggest events. Our resident sports, music and theater experts offer their picks for the events you simply can’t miss.

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In a move that has left the media and entertainment world horrified and stunned, Chris Brown and Rihanna have stooped to a new low. Just when we thought their abuses couldn't get any worse THEY WENT AND UNFOLLOWED EACH OTHER ON TWITTER! Are you having that? Can you Adam an' Eve it?!? Bit of cockney rhyming slang for you there to take your mind off the horrendous actions of these superstar hooligans. It is believed the Twitter spat erupted after Brown released a remix of Kanye West's "Theraflu", complete with a little, er, addition to the lyrics:
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Like so many people around the world, I count Wicked as one of my all-time favorite musicals. Its success on Broadway and around the world is a testament to its universal appeal. I have seen it four times, and when people ask me for recommendations for what to see on Broadway or on tour, I ask them first if they have seen Wicked yet. It's a crowd pleaser and often opens people up to the world of musical theatre (including my own previously skeptical father, who is now in the process of wearing out my old copy of the original Broadway cast recording).

At its heart, Wicked is a story with universal themes that most people can relate to: the ways friendship can change your life, the subjectivity of "good" and "evil," the ambiguity of history, and finding the courage to do what's right despite impossible odds. It moves deftly from the comedy of mismatched roommates Elphaba and Galinda, exemplified in the numbers "What is This Feeling?" and "Popular," to moments of endearing bravery like the show-stopping Act I finale, "Defying Gravity," to thought-provoking questions like those posed in Glinda's "Thank Goodness" and the Wizard's song, "Wonderful," to a heartbreaking and touching reconciliation between friends who have changed each other's lives in "For Good." And, of course, it has a love story, achieving fruition in the hummable duet "As Long As You're Mine." The score (by Stephen Schwartz) is balanced, offering poignant, quiet moments like Elphaba's lament, "I'm Not That Girl," to powerhouse ballads like Act II's "No Good Deed."

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Summer’s almost here and that means that Hollywood’s stable of Summer Movie Blockbusters is about to invade your commercial airspace. Aside from the screwball comedies, sequels and reboots that we’re accustomed to, from the whimsy of Men in Black 3 to the crowd-pleasing super hero ensemble vehicle The Avengers, there are five capital “F” Films that break the mold of the usual Hollywood fare. As clichéd as they may sound on paper—a sequel, a prequel and a reboot among them—these Films feature the end of a trilogy, a new take on a classic, the return of two of the best directors of our time and the special genius of Sacha Baron Cohen. Without further ado…

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Throughout history there has been an unspoken war taking place in peoples' heads. Every human brain is divided into two hemispheres; left and right, with each hemisphere possessing its own characteristic qualities. It is generally believed that a person is either left or right brained. For generations there has been an uneasy relationship between these two personality types, and a distinctly asymmetric set of "symptoms" associated with each.

Left Brain: The left brain tends to be concerned with logic and analysis. Left-brained people enjoy classical music and don't enjoy "clowning around". They view right-brained people as somewhat silly and confused. They view themselves as sensible and organized.

Right Brain: The right brain tends to be concerned with random subjects and creativity. Right-brained people like to have fun. They view left-brained people as boring, fear-based geeks who classify themselves as manly because they're good at math. They view themselves as awesome.

So, are you sensible and organized, or are you awesome? Only one way to find out! Take our Left-or-Right-Brained Quiz right now!
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With the 2012 Graduation Season heating up, Live Toast is providing some graduation advice to make sure all you soon-to-be-grads have an idea of what can happen on your big day. Life is full of people who suffered a graduation fail on their big day, but fear not, Live Toast is here to help. If you listen, take notes and follow directions, you'll have a great idea of what to not do on graduation. The last thing you want to happen on your graduation is something embarrassing like a faceplant off the podium, just ask these kids! After four years (right?), it's time to get that piece of paper and move onto the next step and graduate. But before you move onto college or the work force, you still have one last test to pass, getting that diploma without making an a@# of yourself in front of your friends, family, the entire school and hundreds of families.

We've put together some our our favorite graduation fails as a way to teach you what NOT to do come your big day. Learn from these grad falls to know what you need to avoid so as to no embarrass yourself this May. A bit of advice early on, watch your step!

Hey and if for some reason you get tired of watching graduates eating s*%& on their big day, be sure to least watch last clip because it is awesome - even if nobody gets hurt.

Dancing Queen

That looks like it really hurt. No wonder it has close to half a million views, more than a dozen are probably mine. This video is great for those of us that like to see people who get cute get hurt. After rolling around on the ground this young lady grad actually does a good job of composing herself and walking it off. But you can't fool me, that had to hurt.

Bad.

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