Former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner's younger brother David was laid off in a round of cuts at TIME Inc, the New York Post reports. 

From the New York Post: 

Gone in the cutbacks are David Geithner, an executive vice president who was in charge of the style and entertainment group that included number one money maker People magazine. Geithner is the brother of former Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

Geithner had been working for Time Inc. for more than 20 years. 

His older brother Tim Geithner made People's "50 Most Beautiful People" list in 2009.

Several people in the media were questioning why then-Treasury Secretary made the list. It wasn't because he's a bad looking guy. A theory was tossed around that perhaps it was because his younger brother was a VP at TIME. 

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The "Amazing Spider-Man 2" already has it's fair share of villains (there are more instances of Electro and the Green Goblin in a teased four-minute Super Bowl spot than the web-slinger himself), but director Marc Webb may have just added another to the roster — "The Office" star B.J. Novak. 

While showcasing a trailer for Novak's new book, "One More Thing" on Twitter, Webb hinted at Novak's role in the upcoming sequel:

Almost shot ASM2 in B+W til @bjnovak's (A. Smythe) promo for his excellent book ONE MORE THING beat me to it: http://t.co/axmFgum6fJ

— Marc Webb (@MarcW) February 3, 2014

Fans of the comics, will deduce that A. Smythe may stand for Alistair Smythe.

That character gets transformed the Ultimate Spider-Slayer, another one of Spider-Man's known enemies.

The sequel is already jam-packed with three villains — the Green Goblin (Dane DeHaan), Electro (Jamie Foxx), and the Rhino (Paul Giamatti).

Before you groan over the addition of another potential villain, Novak's character could simply be a setup for future "Spider-Man" sequels or for the many spinoffs Sony is planning based on Spidey's villains.

"The Amazing Spider-Man 2" is set for release May 2.

SEE ALSO: Watch the four-minute "Spider-Man" trailer teased during the Super Bowl

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Jerry Seinfeld's "Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee" has become so successful that he says "It's gotten completely out of hand."

After getting guests like Louis C.K., Larry David, and Tina Fey, among many other top comedic talents, Crackle's web series “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” just topped 25 million streams during its third and current season.

Seinfeld sat down for a BuzzFeed Brews with "CBS This Morning" interview on Monday to discuss how he came up with the idea for the show, and why it has become so successful.

“My initial idea for this show was I wanted them to deliver it in three sizes so you could watch it with the amount of interest you have," Seinfeld explained. “I don’t know if this is where video viewing is going, but I think the network medium of the Internet offers opportunities that are more unique than have ever existed before."

"Why would I put a show on a big heavy rectangle in your house when I could put it in your pocket?” he continued.

"I wanted to make a show for phones," the network TV vet explained. “When you go into the internet, nobody knows anything. There are no rules. We invented almost every aspect of this concept with nothing to compare it to.”

When the moderator asked Seinfeld if network TV is now less interesting to him, the award-winning comedian replied, "It just seems smaller to me than the Internet."

And the Internet has proved profitable for the former TV star.

"It’s kind of a complicated arrangement," Seinfeld admits of the show's profitability for its digital network, Crackle. "But we did figure it out, which I’m proud of, because a lot of people said, ‘You can’t make money doing a thing like this.’”

“So when you ask me, ‘Has the internet affected television,’ I mean, really?” he said with a laugh.

Watch Seinfeld's interview below:

SEE ALSO: Seinfeld Says His New Series Is So Popular 'It's Gotten Completely Out Of Hand'

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Jay Leno welcomed his soon-to-be “Tonight Show” successor Jimmy Fallon as a guest on the show Monday night.

Leno opened the show by teasing in his monologue: “Jimmy Fallon is here tonight — he’s not here to talk, he’s helping me pack."

The current host continued, “Jimmy starts the new ‘Tonight Show’ on the 17th, and it’d be a shame if there was some sort of an accident [where] he was not able to … fulfill his duties as host,” Leno added, tugging on his tie knot.

Once Fallon took a seat next to Leno, he was shown his first-ever "Tonight Show" appearance.

Fallon then did a segment in which he wrote funny thank you notes to Leno:

• “Thank you, Jay Leno, for passing the torch to me — hopefully it doesn’t get intercepted by a Seahawk."
• “Thank you, Jay, for teaching me how to be a late night host, but was it really necessary for me to wax on/wax off your entire car collection?”
• “Thank you, Jay for giving me such great advice for ‘The Tonight Show,’ like, ‘You don’t need a monologue’ and ‘Have you ever thought about getting bangs?’”

Watch the funny segment below:

Leno’s final “Tonight Show” airs Thursday. Fallon takes over on Feb. 17.

SEE ALSO: Entire ‘Tonight Show’ Staff Laid Off As Jimmy Fallon Moves Show From Burbank To NYC

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Behati Prinsloo has become a fan favorite at Victoria's Secret, and the brand is taking notice. 

Prinsloo has become one of the most beloved Angels at the lingerie retailer, coming only behind Candice Swanepoel in terms of search popularity. She's prominently featured in the brand's catalogs and ads. 

The model has come a long way since she was a girl in Namibia. 

See how she ascended to the top of the modeling world—and nabbed a "Sexiest Man Alive," to boot. 

Behati was born in Grootfontein, Namibia. Her dad was a church minister, and her mom ran a bed and breakfast.

Her unusual name is the Afrikaans version of Beatrice.

When Behati was 16, she was discovered at a South African grocery store by the same scout who first signed Kate Moss. She moved to New York and began walking in runway shows for Chanel and Prada.

Gwyneth Paltrow was furious after Vanity Fair Editor-In-Chief Graydon Carter set out to publish what the media dubbed an "epic takedown" of the actress.

Only problem is that the resulting piece, which was assigned by Carter and written by contributing editor Vanessa Grigoriadis, was nowhere near the scathing piece people hoped.

"It was such a far cry from the almost mythical story that people were by now expecting—the 'epic takedown,' filled with 'bombshell' revelations — that it was bound to be a disappointment," Carter explains in this month's revealing Editor's Letter. "What to do? I decided to sit on it for a time."

Carter explains that “what began so innocently quickly took a turn" when Grigoriadis reached out to Paltrow’s representatives and friends.”

He explains, “She asked that they not speak to Vanity Fair about her, or about anything else ever again. Ever. Never. Kim Jong-un couldn’t have issued a more blanket demand.”

In October, Paltrow called Carter amid the back-and-forth, "will it or won't it run" controversy:

We talked for about 20 minutes about the story and her reaction, or over-reaction, to it. At one point, she asked my advice as to what to do to get the “haters” on her side. I suggested putting on 15 pounds. I joked that it works for me. She replied I had put on much more than that. Which I thought was fair and funny. Two months after the phone call, Web sites lit up with news of a truce. We received more mail, much of it now criticizing us for caving.

Ultimately, Carter says "The fact is the Gwyneth Paltrow story, the one we ordered up, as delightfully written as it was, is not the one the anti-Gwynethites expect. That it has generated more mail and attention than many of the biggest stories we've ever published only makes the situation more complicated."

SEE ALSO: Vanity Fair Finally Decided To Put More People Of Color On The Hollywood Issue Cover

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While season 2 of "House of Cards" hasn't even premiered yet, Netflix is already working on season 3.

"House of Cards" actress Robin Wright confirmed the news at a press event for the series saying filming on the new season will begin soon.

Earlier today, Netflix announced it was raising $400 million so it can produce more original series.

Co-executive producer Rick Cleveland previously told Gold Derby he believed the series would only go 26 episodes because Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright do movies.

Season 2 of "House of Cards" will be released February 14 on Netflix.

SEE ALSO: A trailer for season 2 of "House of Cards"

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"Feel the rhythm, feel the rhyme, get on up, it's bobsled time!"

The iconic motivational chant is from "Cool Runnings" -- the 1993 movie about a bobsledding team from Jamaica making it to the winter games. 

The film is among the most memorable in Olympic movie history, but does it capture the true Olympic spirit?

In honor of the Winter Games in Sochi, we asked our sports and entertainment editors to rank the top 8 Olympic movies of all time.

SEE ALSO: How America's Most Successful Winter Olympics Athlete Almost Ruined His Career

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Filmmaker Spike Lee just put his Upper East Side townhouse on the market for $32 million, double the price he paid artist Jasper Johns for the property back in 2000, according to The New York Daily News.

The biggest selling point of the 9,000-square-foot home on East 61st Street is its huge courtyard, not usually seen outside of schools and churches in the city. Also known as Hatch House, the townhouse has five bedrooms, three fireplaces and a library.    

Sotheby's International Realty is handling the sale. 

Frederick Sterner designed the house in 1916 for Barbara Hatch, a great-granddaughter of railroad tycoon Cornelius Vanderbilt. 

It features a rare courtyard.

Hatch House has three fireplaces, including one imported from Europe in the 18th century.

The property is 32 feet wide, almost double the average width of a New York City townhouse.

A series of famous people have previously owned Hatch House. Modern artist Jasper Johns and burlesque performer Gypsy Rose Lee owned the home before Spike Lee.

The oak and mahogany floors have a herringbone and parquet pattern.

Here's a view of the stately townhouse from its front entrance.

SEE ALSO: Jay-Z And Beyoncé Reportedly Checked Out This $25 Million East Hampton Mansion

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The first reviews are out for George Clooney's World War II "Monuments Men" and they're not so great.

The film, based on the book by Robert M. Edsel,  follows George Stout (Clooney) and Lieutenant James J. Rorimer (Matt Damon) as they assemble a rag-tag group of men to save art from being destroyed by Nazis. Basically, it sounds like "Ocean's Eleven" during World War II.

Clooney co-wrote and directed the film that was originally set to debut in December.

When the movie was pushed back until February the actor said it was to avoid the very crowded holiday season and allow for all of its visual effects to be completed.  

Other reports claimed Clooney was trying to figure out the tone of the movie. 

Either way, it sounds like film delay wasn't worth the wait. 

"The Monuments Men" opens Friday, February 7.

Here's what to know before seeing the film:

Critics had a lot of issues with the movie. It was "dull" and Clooney didn't set the bar high enough.

Variety:  

"It’s not only the great works of European art that have gone missing in “The Monuments Men”; the spark of writer-director-star George Clooney’s filmmaking is absent, too. … Clooney has transformed a fascinating true-life tale into an exceedingly dull and dreary caper pic cum art-appreciation seminar — a museum-piece movie about museum people."

NY Mag:  

"It’s a graceful, engaging film—I enjoyed it. But it could have been called The Tasteful Dozen. … [George Clooney] plays it so safe. Perhaps fearful of being called exploitative, he doesn’t bring out the tension between timeless masterpieces and the chaos and obscenity of war. He doesn’t even linger on the paintings and sculptures, which seem like fodder, MacGuffins. And he panders to the mainstream audience. ... I can’t predict if there will be a huge audience for The Monuments Men, but in its way it’s a great piece of escapism."

Indiewire says one of its main problems is dividing up the talent on screen:

"It's tragically short on momentum and instead spirals out into a series of rambling, uninvolving subplots where the actors are paired up with someone else and sent to fiddle around in Nazi-occupied Europe." 

… Balaban and Murray are an odd couple sent in search of a priceless piece of Roman Catholic artwork, while Clooney generally tries to figure out what the hell is going on, and Goodman and Dujardin are up to... something. The best, most emotionally gripping subplot involves Damon traveling to a recently freed Paris to try and convince Cate Blanchett, a fastidious member of the rebellion, to spill the beans as to where the art is being secreted away."

IGN goes so far as to suggest it doesn't seem like you're watching a finished version of the film.

"The Monuments Men plays like a first cut, that rough assemblage of footage cobbled together for the filmmakers to see and judge but not the public, leaving one to assume the film simply got away from director George Clooney and his team in the editing room. It's a shame because there's a fine and engaging wartime tale in there somewhere, but not up on the screen."

Despite all that, the performances by the A-list actors are great.

Rolling Stone:

"Clooney excels as MFAA leader Frank Stokes, a character inspired by George Stout, who was doing art restoration at Harvard's Fogg Museum when duty called. … The bantering between Clooney and Damon gives the film a buoyant lift, but the seriousness of their mission is never in doubt." 

Variety:

"Faring generally better are Murray and Balaban, who foster a nicely understated comic chemistry and seem to have decided to make the most of their underwritten scenes. In one of the only moments of 'The Monuments Men' that strikes a real chord, Murray receives a homemade recording of his grandchildren singing 'Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas ...'" 

Cate Blanchett shines above them all.IGN:

"Blanchett's fine as Claire Simone, the French woman whose job as a secretary for the Nazis proves key to the Monuments Men's mission. Her character at least has some sense of identity and stakes. A whole movie about her probably would have been as (if not more) compelling that one about the Monuments Men."

 The Hollywood Reporter (THR):

"Blanchett gives the most edge to her role but even her character is held back a bit in her dealings with Damon's upstanding fellow."

The film looks and sounds great with a score from Alexandre Desplat ("The King's Speech"):

Rolling Stone:

"The physical production is exquisite, with cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, an Oscar nominee for Nebraska, shooting on locations in Germany and England that stand in for a whole world at war."

Indiewire:

"The Monuments Men" is gorgeously shot by 'The Descendants' DP Phedon Papamichael with a muted palette that suggests that colors were also rationed during World War II. Desplat's score manages to be both grating and over-the-top but also rousing and beautiful."

Overall consensus: 

If you were expecting "Ocean's Eleven" that's a different heist film. A few added months doesn't seem to do much for the World War II spectacle. However, if you're a fan of Clooney and Damon together and want to see a superb cast of actors share screen time, then check it out. Just know what you're getting yourself into.

Check out a trailer for the film:

SEE ALSO: Philip Seymour Hoffman's five best films

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The Super Bowl brought eight new movie trailers on Sunday, and with them a slew of new tidbits about 2014's biggest movies.

Let's unpack what we learned.  

Super Bowl trailer sneak peeks >

1. Optimus Prime Is Taken Prisoner

Optimus Prime takes some big hits in the opening shots of the new trailer for "Transformers: Age of Extinction," and it looks like he finds himself a Decepticon prisoner after that battle.

Don't worry, though, Transformers movies are like wrestling matches. The good guy has to get beat up for a while before he can come back and win.

2. Optimus Prime Will Ride Grimlock

In what was the Super Bowl's crowning moment of awesome (at least for non-Seahawks fans), the new trailer for "Transformers: Age of Extinction" ended with Optimus Prime riding on the back of the T-Rex-based transformer Grimlock.

Grown-up boys who grew up in the '80s will remember Grimlock as the leader of the Dinobot faction of the Autobots. He's a good guy, but not quite as noble as Optimus Prime.

3. Michael Bay Is Still Michael Bay

Because who, but Michael Bay, would even imagine this shot? Where did that robot get submachine guns in his size? And why does he even need them?

Doesn't matter if it looks cool.

Jonas Brothers fans eager to get a glimpse of Kevin Jonas' baby Sunday evening were also treated to a marketing message from Procter & Gamble's Dreft, a baby fabric detergent brand that purchased the exclusive rights to publish photos of newborn Alena Rose Jonas.

In what appears to be a marketing first, Dreft live-tweeted Alena Rose's birth, and posted the first public photo of the baby with her mother, Danielle Jonas, on the brand's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds.

On this day, a little star was born. Meet Alena Rose Jonas. #BabyJonaspic.twitter.com/Wm0LoXDwCb

— Dreft (@Dreft) February 2, 2014

The partnership is a perfect example of how traditional media publishers have lost power due to the popularity of social media. 

Once upon a time, magazines and TV stations were the only conduits between celebrities and their fans, and could count on selling valuable advertising real estate alongside exclusive news and images. Now, social media allows celebrities to control their own messages without interference from third-party media outlets.

And by publishing their own content and selling sponsorship rights directly to Dreft, the Jonases managed to cut magazines like U.S. Weekly and People out of the revenue stream entirely. By paying the Jonases directly, Dreft was able to send users straight to its social media feeds rather than paying for an ad beside a story in a magazine.

"Being able to share exclusive content through Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram allows us to connect with our consumer that much closer," Dreft brand manager Rob Reiss told Business Insider in an interview, adding that the brand is very pleased with the campaign's performance thus far. "It just creates a personal connection between the consumer and the brand."

The partnership was formed after Dreft selected the Jonases from a pool of expecting couples it had been thinking about working with. Procter & Gamble communications manager My Anh Nghiem said that Kevin and Danielle stood out for their social media savvy (they announced the baby's gender on U-Stream in August) and compatibility with other millennial parents.

According to Reiss, the partnership has helped Dreft gain 22,000 Instagram followers just days after becoming active on the network. 

Dreft has also benefitted from Kevin and Danielle's promotion of "Amazing Baby Days," an iPhone app that allows expecting mothers to create a digital scrapbook of their pregnancies that Reiss says has now been downloaded more than 20,000 times.

Thanks @Dreft for helping us share the amazing moments as we prep 4 Baby Jonas! #DreftAmazingBabyDays#adhttp://t.co/iaLJpr7GJN

— kevin jonas (@kevinjonas) January 15, 2014

The app requires mothers to share their due dates, one of marketing's most sought-after pieces of consumer data, and its privacy policy indicates that P&G reserves the legal right to use this information to send users ads for products from its brands, which also include Crest, Pampers, and Febreze.

However, Reiss was clear in saying Procter & Gamble had no plans to use any of the "Amazing Baby Days" data for marketing purposes.

"Privacy is at the cornerstone of our company," Reiss said. "The only reason that we’re asking the mom to provide the birthday is so that the app can cater to her prenatally and postnatally."

"The app is really to provide today’s millennial parents an opportunity to capture those moments of babyhood."

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see whether traditional media organizations will be willing or able to compete with major brands for the right to publish content surrounding the personal lives of celebrities.

And if other brands are willing to follow in Dreft's footsteps and spend money to acquire such rights, it might be only a matter of time before the next celebrity couple introduces the world to their very own newborn bundle of sponsored content.

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David Weinreb, CEO of The Howard Hughes Corporation, was pulled on stage at Jay-Z and Beyonce's Super Bowl after-party to sing.  

Weinreb, 48, spontaneously performed Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York" and it was incredible. Even Jay-Z started jumping up and down when he was hitting his notes.  

Check it out: 

A year ago, the Howard Hughes Corporation was called one of the "best kept secrets on Wall Street," by hedge fund manager Bill Ackman. Ackman, who runs Pershing Square, is the chairman of Howard Hughes' board and his hedge fund owns a big stake.  

In the last year, the company's stock has skyrocketed more than 67 percent.  

Howard Hughes has some cool plans for the South Street Seaport that will transform it into a venue for fashion shows and rooftop concerts, etc.  (See the rendering below). 

Weinreb is scheduled to speak at the Harbor Investment Conference, a hedge fund industry conference hosted by Bill Ackman and Mark Axelowitz that benefits the Boys & Girls Harbor.   

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TMZ has obtained a copy of Paul Walker's will, which leaves the "Fast and Furious" actor's $25 million estate to his 15-year-old daughter, Meadow.

But it's not just as simple as that.

The executor of the will is Paul's father, who has just petitioned the court to appoint Paul's mother — Cheryl — to be Meadow's guardian. Paul's dad wants Cheryl to also be the guardian of the $25 million, which is exactly what Paul wanted under the will.

Only problem is that since Walker's death, Meadow — who used to live with her father — has been living with her mother, Rebecca Soteros.

If Paul gets his final wish, Meadow will live with her grandmother — not her mother.

Sounds like things are about to become even more complicated.

A court hearing is scheduled for later this month.

SEE ALSO: Here's What Will Happen To 'Hunger Games' And Philip Seymour Hoffman's Other Unfinished Films

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"The Monuments Men" may boast an A-list cast that includes George Clooney, Matt Damon, Bill Murray, and Cate Blanchett, but the film was anything but big budget.

In a new interview with Variety, Clooney — the film's director, co-writer, and star — revealed that majority of the cast took dramatic pay cuts before joining the World War II-era film about a platoon tasked to rescue art masterpieces from Nazi thieves.

"If you pay everybody a full boatload, it's a $150 million film," Clooney told the publication, adding that he still managed to stay under his $70 million budget. "You just can't do it. Everybody worked for super cheap, like crazy cheap."

Clooney compared the pay scale to the "Oceans" franchise:

He says the “Ocean’s Eleven” movies operated under a similar business model, although the actors in the Steven Soderbergh franchise earned roughly a quarter of their normal salary. For “Monuments Men,” they were paid a 10th or a 15th of their going rate, but with a meaningful backend if the movie makes money, Clooney adds.

But Clooney says that a film's budget doesn't really matter, anyhow.

“The problems that you have with a $5 million film are basically the same problems you have with a $70 million one,” Clooney continued. “There are 500 marketing people and money people and insurance people, and you can’t do it without them.”

Amy Pascal, co-chair of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which bankrolled and is distributing "Monuments Men," says that Clooney is "even smarter than you think" and adds that "whenever George comes into the building, he has a fan club."

To read the rest of the interesting Variety interview, click here.

"Monuments Men" opens this Friday to lukewarm reviews.

SEE ALSO: 'The Monuments Men' Reviews: George Clooney's Delayed Nazi Art Movie Isn't That Great

MORE: Jonah Hill Took $60,000 SAG Minimum Pay For 'Wolf Of Wall Street'

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Teen YouTube sensation Bethany Mota is touring the country and her fans are showing up in droves to see her. 

We recently we wrote about how the 18-year-old has amassed a fervent following of 4.8 million YouTube subscribers and scored a fashion line with Aéropostale by posting videos about her shopping trips and tips.

Here's a picture of the crowd waiting to see Mota outside Aéropostale at Lenox Mall in Atlanta, Ga. right now:

i'm overly excited right now because i'm going to meet bethany freaking mota in less than 2 hours

Sunday's Super Bowl halftime show featured a performance by Bruno Mars, who was later joined by the Red Hot Chili Peppers — but some ultra-observant fans noticed something a bit strange during the rock band's performance.

Their guitars weren't even plugged in.

The Guardian has more:

The Chili Peppers' unplugged moment was observed by two different eagle-eyed musicians, whose tweets were caught by New York Magazine. "That guitar is plugged into NOTHING," wrote Living Colour guitarist Vernon Reid. "Flea... I mean we all know, but for god's sake at least try to humor the children," added Joe Bonamassa. Not only did Flea's bass and Klinghoffer's axe lack any trailing cables - they didn't even have wireless packs, which are required for any real unhampered noodling.

Now that the band has been called out for "miming" a performance, they responded on their official website on Tuesday, admitting that the music was pre-recorded but the lyrics were performed live. As bassist Flea writes, it wasn't the band's decision, but instead the NFL's, which didn't "want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period."

Here's the full statement (via RedHotChiliPeppers.com):

Dear everybody,

When we were asked by the NFL and Bruno to play our song Give It Away at the Super Bowl, it was made clear to us that the vocals would be live, but the bass, drums, and guitar would be pre-recorded. I understand the NFL's stance on this, given they only have a few minutes to set up the stage, there a zillion things that could go wrong and ruin the sound for the folks watching in the stadium and the t.v. viewers. There was not any room for argument on this, the NFL does not want to risk their show being botched by bad sound, period.

The Red Hot Chili Peppers stance on any sort of miming has been that we will absolutely not do it. The last time we did it (or tried to) was in the late 80's, we were thrown off of 'The Top Of the Pops' television program in the U.K. during rehearsals because we refused to mime properly, I played bass with my shoe, John played guitar atop Anthony's shoulders, and we basically had a wrestling match onstage, making a mockery of the idea that it was a real live performance.

We mimed on one or two weird MTV shows before that and it always was a drag. We take our music playing seriously, it is a sacred thing for us, and anyone who has ever seen us in concert (like the night before the Super Bowl at the Barclays Center), knows that we play from our heart, we improvise spontaneously, take musical risks, and sweat blood at every show. We have been on the road for 31 years doing it.

So, when this Super Bowl gig concept came up, there was a lot of confusion amongst us as whether or not we should do it, but we eventually decided, it was a surreal-like, once in a life time crazy thing to do and we would just have fun and do it. We had given this a lot of thought before agreeing to do it, and besides many a long conversation amongst ourselves, I spoke with many musician friends for whom I have the utmost respect, and they all said they would do it if asked, that it was a wild trippy thing to do, what the hell. Plus, we the RHCP all love football too and that played a big part in our decision. We decided that, with Anthony singing live, that we could still bring the spirit and freedom of what we do into the performance, and of course we played every note in the recording specially for the gig. I met and spoke with Bruno, who was a beautiful dude, a real talented musician, and we worked out something that seemed like it would be fun.

We recorded a track for the day, just banged one out from our hearts that was very like in spirit to the versions we have been playing live the last few years with our beloved Josh on guitar.

For the actual performance, Josh, Chad, and I were playing along with the pre recorded track so there was no need to plug in our guitars, so we did not. Could we have plugged them in and avoided bumming people out who have expressed disappointment that the instrumental track was pre recorded? Of course easily we could have and this would be a non-issue. We thought it better to not pretend. It seemed like the realest thing to do in the circumstance. It was like making a music video in front of a gazillion people, except with live vocals, and only one chance to rock it. Our only thought was to bring the spirit of who we are to the people.

I am grateful to the NFL for having us. And I am grateful to Bruno, who is a super talented young man for inviting us to be a part of his gig. I would do it all the same way again.

We, as a band, aspire to grow as musicians and songwriters, and to continue to play our guts out live onstage for anyone who wants to get their brains blown out.

Sincerely,

Flea

SEE ALSO: Bruno Mars And The Red Hot Chili Peppers Take Over Super Bowl Halftime Show

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Retired figure skater Tara Lipinski performed a special solo routine at Rockefeller Center earlier this week in honor of Jimmy Fallon, who is finishing up his final week on Late Night, Jezebel reports.

Lipinski, who won the Olympic gold medal in 1998 at just 15 years old, still has serious moves on the ice. In this skit for the show based on the cult film "The Big Lebowski," she's dressed in a bathrobe and carrying around a White Russian drink, the staple of the film's main character, known by most simply as "The Dude."

The music, which is also in the film, is Kenny Rogers' "Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)."

From what we can tell, it looks like the 31-year-old only spills a bit towards the end while performing a spin. Pretty impressive. (No doubt she was careful, since you know, hey man, "there's a beverage here.")

"First time skating with a white russian and I kinda like it," Lipinski tweeted afterward.

Here's the video from the show: 

Lipinski also posted this clip to her Instagram:

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Actor and comedian Will Ferrell went on Reddit on Tuesday to answer questions from users for the first time, and he offered one of the funnier AmA's (Ask-me-Anything) in recent memory.

Ferrell, a former Saturday Night Live cast member and star of such films as Anchorman and Old School, was trying to raise awareness for a non-profit called Cancer For College.

"I could have done my FIRST-EVER AMA for lots and lots and lots of things. Movies! My book! My sunscreen! My range of crocodile purses!," he wrote. "But, this [is] World Cancer Day, I wanted to support Cancer for College, which helps provide college scholarships to cancer survivors."

We're sharing our favorite moments below, but you can check out the full AmA here.

On whether Mark Wahlberg (his co-star in "The Other Guys") smells nice:

"Yes, it goes without saying. His scent is a pleasing combination of vanilla and leather."

On what was the craziest Hollywood party he's ever been to:

"Craziest Hollywood party was probably at the house of Dave Coulier right at the height of the Full House madness. This would've been '92. I was 2 years out of college."

On what movie role he wished he could have landed:

"Yes. It was down to me or Tobey Maguire for Spider-Man and they harshly told me I was too fat for the suit. That having been said, every time I watch Spider-Man I still think I was the better actor for the role."

On how many times people have approached him on the street and said Ron Burgundy or other character quotes:

"Zero times. It has never happened. Sadly I'm still waiting for it to happen."

On what his favorite place to eat is in San Diego:

"My favorite place to eat, but more importantly drink, in San Diego is the Blind Lady Ale House in gorgeous Normal Heights.

My number 2 place to eat in San Diego is the Cinnabon at the airport."

On his favorite SNL skit, and favorite cast member:

"I will say that off the top of my head, the two favorite sketches that I was a part of had to have been the Harry Caray space show with Jeff Goldblum and, of course the cowbell sketch with Christopher Walken.

My favorite cast member to work with was Julia Louis-Dreyfus."

And on that note, here's that classic Will Ferrell sketch of him playing Harry Caray on Saturday Night Live.

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A deaf composer dubbed Japan's Beethoven confessed on Wednesday to hiring someone to write his most iconic works, leaving duped broadcaster NHK red-faced, and casting a cloud over a figure skater set to dance to his music in Sochi.

Mamoru Samuragochi, 50, shot to fame in the mid-1990s with classical compositions that provided the soundtrack to video games including Resident Evil, despite having had a degenerative condition that affected his hearing.

Samuragochi, who has also spells his name Samuragoch, became completely deaf at the age of 35 but continued to work, notably producing "Symphony No.1, Hiroshima", a tribute to those killed in the 1945 atomic bombing of the city.

In 2001 Time magazine published an interview with him, calling him a "digital-age Beethoven."

"I listen to myself," Samuragochi told the magazine. "If you trust your inner sense of sound, you create something that is truer. It is like communicating from the heart. Losing my hearing was a gift from God."

His reputation grew when public broadcaster NHK aired a documentary in March last year entitled "Melody of the Soul", in which it showed the musician touring the tsunami-battered Tohoku region to meet survivors and those who lost relatives in the 2011 catastrophe.

The film shows Samuragochi playing with a small girl whose mother was killed in the disaster and apparently composing a requiem for her, despite his own struggles with illness.

Viewers flocked in their tens of thousands to buy his Hiroshima piece, which became an anthemic tribute to the tsunami-hit region's determination to get back on its feet, known informally as the symphony of hope.

But on Wednesday morning the composer's life was revealed to have been a fraud, and an NHK anchor offered a fulsome apology for having aired the documentary.

"Through his lawyer, Mamoru Samuragochi confessed early Wednesday that he had asked another composer to create his iconic works," said the anchor.

"NHK has reported on him in news and features programmes but failed to realise that he had not composed the works himself, despite our research and checking."

The statement, seen by AFP, offered an unqualified mea culpa.

"Samuragochi is deeply sorry as he has betrayed fans and disappointed others. He knows he could not possibly make any excuse for what he has done," it said.

The broadcaster quoted Samuragochi as saying his deception had begun nearly two decades ago.

"I started hiring the person to compose music for me around 1996, when I was asked to make movie music for the first time," he said.

"I had to ask the person to help me for more than half the work because the ear condition got worse."

He paid for the commission, said NHK, adding the real composer, whom it has not identified, has not yet responded to requests for comment.

Japanese Winter Olympics medal hopeful, figure skater Daisuke Takahashi, has also been caught up in the row.

Takahashi's programme in Sochi includes a dance to a sonatina allegedly composed by Samuragochi that was unveiled two years ago.

Nippon Columbia Co, which has sold his CDs and DVDs, said in a statement that the company was "flabbergasted and deeply infuriated" by his revelation.

"We had been assured by him that he himself composed the works," it said.

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