Want to hear from top startups like Fab.com and Lot18? And NY's top investors? Join 800 innovation junkies at the Startup conference on May 3, 2012. Register now.

Shakira can be added to the list of celebrity startup investors.

She, along with Jay-Z and Jay Brown's Roc Nation, Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment, and tech influencers like Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and ShoeDazzle's Brian Lee, have invested in Viddy. They've joined in a $6 million Series A round of financing that was announced in February.

Viddy is a startup that's a lot like Instagram for video. It's an easy way to share videos on mobile devices, and it even has filters to make the videos look better.

"We help people capture 15 seconds of their life," co-founder Brett O'Brien told Business Insider. "Instagram has photo features and Viddy has production packs."

Viddy launched last year and has about 10 million registered users. It's one of the top free photo and video apps in the App Store, behind Instagram.

It hasn't been all smooth sailing for Viddy though. In February it was yanked from the App Store for hosting too much porn. After 36 hours and some cleaning up of the content, Apple reinstated Viddy.

Here's more on Viddy >

Here are more celebrities and star athletes who have invested in startups >

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Netflix’s stock plummeted in after-hours trading on Monday, revealing persistent unease about the future of the company and doubts about the viability of its business model.

Once the darling of the home entertainment industry, the company has had a brutal year, thanks to a series of major missteps in its attempt to transition from discs to streaming.

The negative response to a better-than-expected earnings report didn't do anything to dispel worries that a major bounce-back remains elusive.

Also read: Netflix Beats Analysts' Bets, But Stock Drops Double Digits

With its subscriber base not growing as some had hoped, CEO Reed Hastings (pictured above) continues to bank a recovery on an expansion internationally and investment in more original programming, like the upcoming highly anticipated revival of "Arrested Development." 

But those cost money, which, without ad revenue, necessitates a constant and robust influx of new subscribers.

Currently, Netflix boasts 23.4 million domestic subscribers. Another 3 million are international.

Netflix’s current share price “is based on some unsustainable growth view that it can grow 6, 7, 8 million domestic streaming subscribers a year,” Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities, told TheWrap.

“They have to believe there’s a greater fool out there who’ll take whatever crap Netflix throws at you. But there are not many millions more of those people.”

When Netflix’s earnings call on Monday opened with a question about its subscriber projections, the company estimated 7 million for the year. Yet while it added 1.7 million domestic subscribers in the first quarter, its projection for the second quarter was underwhelming: fewer than in the same frame from 2010.

Also Read: Netflix Won't Release Ratings on 'Lilyhammer,' Ted Sarandos Explains

Trouble is, analysts want to see continued growth, not a decline. If the numbers are going down, how are they getting to 7 million by year’s end?

Hastings and Wells said growth figures were consistent with “historic patterns” and talked a lot about subscriber growth being seasonal.

When TheWrap followed up with Netflix spokesman Steve Swaysey, he said much the same thing, adding that the second quarter is usually the worst for adding subscribers.

Then why did the company’s stock price fall?

“The business is growing," he said. "We had a terrific quarter, but some people did not fully understand the seasonal metric we provided.” Translation: It's everyone else's fault.

Make no mistake, Netflix’s future is about that subscriber number.

“If they can get incremental subscribers, it can be a highly profitable model, but it’s hard to predict quarter to quarter,” Aaron Kessler, an analyst with Raymond Jones & Associates, told TheWrap.

Kessler believes the peak on subscribers is 40 million. That’s a far cry from the 60 to 90 million Hastings has said Netflix could attract.

One reason Netflix’s growth may hit a wall is the rise of challengers. Hulu and Amazon both stream movies and TV shows -- and Hulu actually offers in-season shows, not available on Netflix. What's more, Hastings said on Monday he still expects Jeff Bezos & Co. to launch a standalone streaming service.

Adding to the competition, Verizon and Coinstar, owner of Redbox, just announced a partnership that many see as a threat.

Also Read: Netflix and Eli Roth Team on Gothic Horror Series, 'Hemlock Grove'

Meanwhile, Netflix’s partners in all of this – the studios – continue to demand more to justify handing off their libraries, forcing renegotiations such as the one that caused Netflix to lose its massive deal with Starz. That deal included a large number of Sony films.

Pachter says Netflix has to raise the prices for its streaming service to work. “Their business model is broken because they have ordained that the price you will pay for unlimited streaming is $8 a month,” he said.

And raising the prices right now is not an option. Last time Netflix changed its pricing, trying to spin off the DVD business as a separate business called "Qwikster" -- last summer -- it spawned an animated consumer backlash that persisted as Hastings made a series of public-relations missteps.

“The brand is recovering well, but we still a ways to go," Swaysey said. As part of sustaining that recovery, Hastings said Monday that the company would not be raising prices.

The only choice left is to try to add subscribers, and with a growing crop of rivals, the company has to differentiate itself. Thus, the investment in original series, following in the footsteps of premium subscription channels like HBO and Showtime.

The first, “Lilyhammer,” a mob series starring E Street Band-er and "Sopranos" alum Steven Van Zandt, launched in February.

Also Read: 'Arrested Development' Creator Open to 5th and 6th Seasons (Report)

Coming up are "Arrested Development," with the original cast returning for 10 shows and talk of a several-season future; “House of Cards” from David Fincher, starring Kevin Spacey; and the Eli Roth-produced "Hemlock Road."

Of course, all of these take money to produce; without ad revenue, the company has to hope the offerings will bring in enough new subscribers to foot the bill. The company has so far refused to release any ratings on "Lilyhammer."

Another one of Netflix’s approaches is taking on the international market. It has already launched in the U.K., Ireland, Canada and Latin America.

Its paid international subscriber base grew by almost 1 million in the quarter, and analysts agreed that both Canada and the U.K. could be fruitful new bases. But Latin America has proven to be a bit more difficult. 

“The odds of us building a large, profitable business in Latin America are very good, but it will take longer than we initially thought,” Hastings and Wells said in a letter to shareholders.

And these new expansions do more than boost Netflix’s cache. They cost money. To pay for that, the company needs more subscribers.

Sounds like we’re back at the start of the problem.

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When "The Avengers" comes out May 4, not only will we get to see the Marvel crew finally assemble and Scarlett Johansson rocking a leather suit, but we'll also get to see a lot destruction in the heart of the Big Apple.

Between The Hulk smashing stone and military and alien spaceships blasting buildings, the previews show a path of destruction in New York City. 

The Manhattan skyline often takes a beating in films, getting destroyed by tsunamis, alien attacks, fires and more.

In lieu of the film's release next month, we compiled a list of other movies where New York gets visually torn apart.

"Independence Day" (1996)

HOW IT GETS DESTROYED: Alien invasion.

"Armageddon" (1998)

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Actor/comedian Russell Brand has been sober for nearly ten years.

But before the 36-year-old "Get Him To The Greek" star was on the straight and narrow, he was arrested "roughly" 12 times during his own struggle with drugs. As a result, Brand now believes that other addicts shouldn't be sent to prison—but to a rehab facility.

So Brand, dressed in a tank top with holes in it and large necklace of crosses, addressed the British Parliament 's Home Affairs Committee today and gave a testimony as to why he believes drug abusers should get treatment.

"It is something I consider to be an illness, and therefore more of a health matter than a criminal or judicial matter. It is more important that we regard people suffering from addiction with compassion and there is a pragmatic rather than a symbolic approach to treating it," he told the committee.

Brand continued: "Addicts who get clean one day at a time through abstinence-based recovery generally stop committing crime. That's better for victims, that's better for the addicts, that's better for society."

Brand, who was animated and well spoken, even quoted slain rapper Tupac Shakur during his testimony.

Watch below.

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Herman Cain returned to the spotlight last night for the inaugural interview for The Daily Show's "Inside the Political Curtain," a new segment hosted by John Oliver that parodies James Lipton's "Inside The Actor's Studio." 

In the interview, Oliver revisits some of The Hermanator's most memorable moments from his short-lived 2012 primary campaign — including his "Ubeki-beki-stan" comment and the infamous Libya gaffe — and allows Cain to offer explanations for his gaffes. 

As usual, it is not clear if Cain is in on the joke, but he handles the questions with his characteristically bewildering charm.

But the best part of the interview by far comes at the end, when Oliver asks Cain to give a 30-second speech, imagining that he is president and that the Earth is being attacked by aliens.

Cain's "Citizens of Earth" speech is, predictable, priceless. 

Watch the interview below, courtesy of The Daily Show:  

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Every year, Forbes ranks the richest people in the world: Donald Trump, Oprah, Warren Buffet, but have you ever wondered how your favorite fictional characters match up?

Yesterday, Forbes released their annual "Fictional 15," assessing the wealthiest fan favorites in both literature and television. 

So, if you've ever wondered how much property Mr. Monopoly owns, how much Lisbeth Salander hauls in as a hacker or how much Gotham's most eligible bachelor, Bruce Wayne, banks, you're in luck.

See who makes Forbe's list of richest fictional characters.

And, no, Christian Grey from "50 Shades of Grey" does not make the list. If he did, he'd definitely take the top spot. (The man claimed to make $100,000 an hour.) 

15. Jo Bennett

Worth: $1 billion

Claim to Fame: Featured in TV series "The Office."

How she amassed her fortune: Inheritance, Ex-CEO of Sabre (office equipment manufacturer).

14. Robert Crawley

Worth: $1.1 billion

Claim to Fame: Featured in "Downton Abbey."

How he amassed his fortune: Inheritance, Marriage

13. C. Montgomery Burns

Worth: $1.3 billion

Claim to Fame: Featured in TV series "The Simpsons."

How he amassed his fortune: Owner of Springfield Nuclear Power Plant

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U.S. regulators are investigating major U.S. movie studios' dealings with China as the entertainment companies try to get a greater foothold in one of the fastest-growing movie markets in the world.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has sent letters of inquiry to at least five movie studios in the past two months, including News Corp's 20th Century Fox, Disney, and DreamWorks Animation, a person familiar with the matter said.

The letters ask for information about potential inappropriate payments and how the companies dealt with certain government officials in China, said the person, who was not authorized to speak publicly about the letters.

The Chinese film market is seen as one of the largest potential markets for Hollywood, but it has also historically been tightly controlled by the state-owned China Film Group.

China Film Group had limited foreign films to 20 per year, but it eased some control in February of this year, after China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping, who is known to admire some American movies, spent a week in Washington.

Vice President Joe Biden and U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk hailed the deal, which allows 14 premium format films, such as IMAX or 3D, to be exempt from the quota, as will the 2D versions of the films.

Also in February, DreamWorks Animation announced a landmark deal of its own in which it will build a production studio in Shanghai with some of China's biggest media companies.

DreamWorks Animation found success in China last year with "Kung Fu Panda 2," which became the highest-grossing animated movie in China with ticket sales of about $100 million.

China Film Group did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Representatives of DreamWorks, Disney, and News Corp declined to comment.

A spokesman for the SEC declined to comment.

The inquiry reflects stepped-up scrutiny from the SEC and Justice Department into potential violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, a 1970s law that bars U.S. companies and individuals from paying bribes to officials of foreign governments.

U.S. authorities have active bribery investigations into high-profile companies including Avon Products and Hewlett-Packard Co. News Corp is also separately under investigation for alleged bribery at its UK media properties.

Wal-Mart Stores, the world's largest retailer, has disclosed to the SEC and DOJ an internal investigation, and lost $10 billion of its market value on Monday after the New York Times reported on allegations of widespread bribery in Mexico. All of the companies have previously said they are cooperating with federal authorities and investigating the allegations.

EASING THE MARKET OPEN

While U.S. box office sales dropped some 5 percent to around $10 billion last year, Chinese box office revenue grew roughly 35 percent to $2.1 billion.

Much of the revenue came from 3D titles, a rapidly growing sector of the film industry, making China an even more desirable market.

U.S. movie studios have long been frustrated with China's tight restrictions on foreign films, which they say helps fuel demand for pirated DVDs that are widely available in China.

But recently the dynamics within the Chinese market have shifted.

China's booming middle class is increasingly willing to pay tickets prices for a cinema experience, forgoing cheap pirated DVDs and free internet downloads.

Also, Xi's visit to Washington and then Los Angeles in February was quickly followed by the deal that loosened China's annual quota on foreign film imports.

That pact also strengthens opportunities to distribute films in China through private enterprises rather than the state film monopoly.

Hollywood has struck a flurry of deals since the deal was reached.

Besides DreamWorks Animation's plan to build a production studio in Shanghai, Disney announced last week that the next "Iron Man" film will be co-produced in China under a joint agreement between Disney, its Marvel Studios arm and China's DMG Entertainment.

Disney had also announced earlier this month that it would work with China's Ministry of Culture and Tencent Holdings to promote the animation industry in China.

SWEEPS

U.S. anti-corruption regulators have specifically focused their interest in countries like China, where much of the economy is state-run.

Since 2002, the United States has brought around four dozen FCPA enforcement actions related to corruption in China, second only to those involving Nigeria.

The SEC has also initiated several so-called industry sweeps for potential foreign bribery across an industry. Last year, for example, it sent letters to a handful of banks and private equity funds and said it was investigating possible FCPA issues in their dealings with sovereign wealth funds.

"Typically those (sweeps) arise where the agencies, most commonly the SEC, see a situation in a particular company that it believes for some reason may reflect a broader practice or pattern in the industry," said Homer Moyer, a partner with Miller & Chevalier who has worked on FCPA issues for decades.

But U.S. regulators have brought few cases in the entertainment industry. In one of the few actions targeting the movie industry, the Justice Department in 2008 charged Gerald and Patricia Green, a husband and wife pair of film producers, of bribing government officials in Thailand in order to run a film festival there.

The Greens were convicted in 2009 and served six months in jail.

(Reporting By Aruna Viswanatha with additional reporting by Lisa Richwine in Los Angeles, and Ben Blanchard and Michael Martina in Beijing; Editing by Karey Wutkowski and Tim Dobbyn)

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Cassandra Bankson is a 19-year-old model whose face can be seen in magazine pages and in her extremely popular YouTube videos.

But underneath her flawlessly applied makeup, Bankson is hiding severe acne—her YouTube videos show millions of people how to help hide their own blemishes with makeup tips.

Her videos have been so helpful that they now garner around six million hits.

But it hasn't been an easy road.

Watch Cassandra's physical transformation >

Bankson left school after bullying from classmates about her skin and instead completed high school as an independent study. This allowed the teen much more time to try out new beauty products, routines and tricks that Bankson now shares with her millions of viewers.

Bankson's most popular video to date is one in which she documented her complete transformation, from a fresh, acne-ridden face to a fully made up model.

“I was crying before I filmed the video and it didn’t go up for four months until after I filmed it," Bankson said while appearing this week on "Today." "I always wanted to help people but it wasn’t until my boyfriend actually told me, 'You’ve always wanted to help people. This is how you can do it; it’s your duty.'”

Almost seven million hits later, Bankson's courage has paid off.

Cassandra starts her video fully made up, explaining that she is about to take off all of her makeup and reapply it so viewers can see how she covers her severe acne.

Cassandra comes back to the screen with zero makeup on. "Taking my makeup off is one of my most insecure things I can possibly do."

She shows viewers that the acne isn't just on her face, but also her neck and back.

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Porn star Bree Olson spent her day using her breasts to protect other women's.

Olson, who is the ex-girlfriend of Hollywood playboy Charlie Sheen, rode around New York City today on the "Save Our Boobs" bus which gave out free breast exams to women and promoted breast cancer awareness, according to Fox News.

The exams were administered by certified plastic surgeons—not the porn stars.

The bus, which was sponsored by the adult entertainment website Porn Hub, stopped at Grand Central Terminal, Times Square, and Central Park.

Olson, who called herself the "cheerleader" of the event, told Fox News' Alex Crees: "Pornhub came to me with this idea to do breast cancer awareness. They figured, you know, breasts are a large part of our industry, and the two would kind of coincide."

DON'T MISS: How To Get Your Boob Job Done In South Korea >

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The E! Network has just inked a renewal with The Kardashian clan ... and it is a doozy. 

Reality TV's first family is getting three more seasons of their "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" series on the single letter channel—and TMZ reports that they'll earn up to $40 million. 

This deal includes ALL of the Klan: Kim, Khloe, Kourtney, brother Rob, Bruce Jenner, Kris Jenner and the two younger Jenner's Kendall and Kylie. 

But the deal isn't just sweet for the family, The Hollywood Reporter says that E! also gets "first look rights" (aka dibs) on any of the Kardashian members' non-scripted ideas or projects. 

Considering the show has steadily been increasing in its audience for the last six seasons, this seems like a home run for E!. From 2007 to last year's season six finale, the show has gained over 2 million viewers. 

Season seven of the hit show airs on May 20th with 18 all-new episodes. 

Here's to hoping for a televised Kim and Kanye wedding special.

Now check out some other celebrities who have played themselves onscreen >

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The two-bedroom Watermill estate of the late Cliff Robertson, the Oscar-winning actor who once played a young John F. Kennedy and who passed away last year,  is on sale for $22.5 million, according to Curbed.

The home sits on four acres of land and has 265 feet of waterfront property.

For only two bedrooms, and only four acres, $22.5 million might seem like a hefty price tag—but this is the Hamptons, after all.

Welcome to the Lagmore Bayfront Estate.

The property has a main house and a four-car garage.

Inside, the ceilings are very high.

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The "it girls" of couture are getting younger and younger.

Click here to see fashion's youngest models>

While models in stilettos, dark eye makeup, and thousand-dollar dresses might look like they're in their 20s, it's more likely that they are only 13. French Vogue even featured a 10-year-old in a 2011 spread straight out of Nabokov's daydreams.

In January 2011, the Council of Fashion Designers of America announced guidelines banning under-16s from modeling in Fashion Week runway shows.

But as Kate Moss, Christy Turlington, and Tyra Banks (to name a few) were all discovered in their early teens, many agencies and designers scoff at the idea. Some even lie about models' ages.

So the models get younger, the material gets sexier, and the apparel business dares authorities to investigate its use of young girls in sexualized situations.

In 2011, French Vogue published a 13-page feature in which "model-ettes" stared up from animal print rugs with puckered lips and bedroom eyes.

Thylane Loubry Blondeau, who began walking the runway at five, was only 10 years old in the Vogue spread.

Thylane's mother told a French newspaper, "The only thing that shocks me about the photo is the necklace that she's wearing, which is worth 3 million Euros."

Veronika Loubry later posted on Facebook:

hey guys im the mum of thylane something going ‘s wrong at the moment with thylane and bad personn in usa about pictures she make's 8 months ago for vogue ,,thylane doesn't know about the buzz and i want to protect her from the deapest of my heart ,,, she's so young ,, so we are going to close this accompte for a while ,,i know all of you are good person who like her so i send you a big kiss,,thanks

(The above spelling is reproduced verbatim).

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President Barack Obama made a huge push for the youth vote today, with two swing-state campus rallies on college affordability and an interview with Jimmy Fallon. 

The interview, which was taped this afternoon at UNC-Chapel Hill, is set to air on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon tonight, but early reports indicate that the President still has some late-night talk show game. 

According to White House pool reporter Dave Boyer of The Washington Times, Obama made his grand entrance after Fallon told the audience that he wanted to "slow jam the news." 

"I'm President Barack Obama, and I, too, want to slow jam the news," he said, while a background singer serenaded him as the "POTUS with the most-est." 

Per the pool report, Obama also talked to Fallon briefly about the Secret Service's growing prostitution scandal: 

"The secret service, these guys are incredible," Obama said. "They protect me, they protect our girls. A couple of knuckleheads shouldn't detract from that they do. What they were thinking, I don't know. That's why they're not there anymore."

Noting that he had been on the UNC campus for two days, Fallon said, "I've been having the best time hanging out with the Secret Service."

When asked about Mitt Romney, Obama kept things positive: 

"I've met him, but we're not friends. His wife is lovely," Obama said, adding that Romney "seems like somebody who cares about his family."

The full interview will air tonight on NBC. 

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President Barack Obama appeared on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to promote low interest rates for student loans in one of the show's popular segments – 'slow jamming the news.'

Obama performed with Fallon and The Roots at UNC-Chapel Hill on yesterday afternoon for the broadcast of the show that evening. Check out the video of the president 'slow jamming the news' below.

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Ever wonder what Brad Pitt is thinking about when he watches Angelina Jolie make out with another actor for a movie?

Of course you have.

Fortunately, Q&A site Quora exists, and there, the question has been asked and an actor – not quite Brad Pitt, perhaps – has answered the question "How do actors' spouses feel about love scenes in film and TV?"

I answered almost this exact same question once before. I wish I could find a link to it. 

I'm a theatre director (with a tiny amount of experience in television), but I don't imagine the dynamics are much different in theatre than in film or television. Of course, different people feel differently, and there probably are some who get jealous. What I write here is based on my own experience and the experiences of the many couples I've worked with over the years.

My wife is an actress. I have watched her make out on stage many times. Some of those have been plays that I've directed, and I've had the odd experience (which doesn't feel odd to me, but I can see how it would seem odd to an outsider) of directing her to kiss another actor more passionately.

It's simply not a big deal, and I don't feel jealous. I remember feeling funny the first time, but the 900th time, in rehearsal, you watch a kiss, it ceased to be very meaningful. 

There are a lot of factors that tend to make this stuff no-big-deal. First of all, everyone in the business understands, going in, that it's part of the business. It's not a surprise or anything. I work with an ensemble of actors, and I think, by now, most of them have played sex scenes together. No one cares. We joke about it.

Second, it's almost never sexy. It's choreographed. You simply can't tell two actors to "go at it" and let them improvise. No one in the audience would see anything. Heads would be in the way, etc. It's even less romantic in the film world, where there are camera men in track suits and mics stuck all over the place. Even if the spouse wasn't there during rehearsal, he would know -- just from being married to the actor -- how un sexy this stuff is.

(Once, when I was acting -- long before I was married -- I got to make out with an actress I was very attracted to. I was excited beforehand, but in the end it turned out to be totally un-titillating. It was by-the-numbers. Turn head, count to three, press lips together....)

Added to this, most people in the business, if they stay in the business, are very professional and have a good sense of humor about this stuff. It's rare for anyone to "pull anything" or to try to take advantage of a sex scene. Actors do their work and then quit. 

Which is not to say there isn't a fantasy element to it. If you're playing a bad guy, part of the fun is ... getting to be the bad guy. To get to pretend you're blowing up the White House and have a blast doing it. And part of the fun of a sex scene is ... making out with someone. 

I am sure my wife has enjoyed making out with some of her costars (and I know that she's suffered through others). That's human nature, and it doesn't make me jealous or uncomfortable. It would be odd if she hated every minute of it, would it?

The final piece of the puzzle is that theatre and film folks tend to be very liberal and pretty easy-going about sexual matters. That isn't a coded way of saying "we're all swingers." We're not. But we're very far from being prudes, we're very touchy feely in general, and very used to make believe. Someone uncomfortable with this stuff isn't likely to go into acting or be married to an actor.

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For the average reality TV-watching American, there isn’t much to be learned from the endless shows that seem to recklessly feature nothing but arguments, fights and sex.

But there are a few valuable gems in the bunch that produce worthy advice amid the drama. In particular, if you’re learning how to budget, there are a few shows that can make you smarter with your money.

Why Learning How to Budget is Crucial

In the United States, we’ve faced tougher economic conditions over the past few years than we have in decades. Over a short period of time, millions of Americans lost their jobs, homes and overall stability to the financial crisis and recession.

Though the economy is now headed toward recovery, millions of workers are still unemployed. And those who are working need help holding on to their cash as gas prices and other costs continue to rise.

Learning how to manage money by setting up a budget is important in giving your family much-needed financial stability. Luckily, there is a lot of great advice to help you get started — and some of it comes right from your TV set.

TV Shows that Can Make You Financially Smarter

There are tons of reality shows on TV willing to educate you on matters that won’t improve your life, but if you want to get smarter with your money, here are six that get the job done:

1. Clean House

Clean House is a show that started with the energetic, flower-wearing host Niecy Nash and her fun crew cleaning up the “mayhem and foolishness” in homes. Now the show has a new host (former Cosby kid Tempestt Bledsoe), designer (Didi Snyder) and crew cleaning up excessive clutter, selling as much as possible in a yard sale for extra cash, then remodeling the home with the money earned.

Clean House Financial Tip: The show offers two great financial tips surrounding yard sales. The first is that you can sell unwanted items in your home to earn some extra cash (be sure to check the worth of valuable items before tagging them with a price). Also, you can save a ton of cash on great items by negotiating at someone else’s yard sale.

2. The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice

The Apprentice and Celebrity Apprentice are two shows known for bringing tons of drama to TV screens. Led by mogul Donald Trump, both shows follow contestants who are fighting to win the final spot as Trump’s apprentice. The main difference between the shows is that the winner of The Apprentice wins a job running one of Trump’s companies, while the winner of Celebrity Apprentice donates a large cash reward to a chosen charity.

The Apprentice Financial Tip: If you can overlook the inevitable drama encompassing both shows, you can learn some great tips on ways to budget money. In many episodes, contestants are given a small amount of money and are expected to pull off major feats.

3. House Hunters

House Hunters is a fun show following individuals, couples or families in search of a new home with the assistance of a realtor. Each episode starts with the buyer examining three properties based on personal preferences.  After a choice is made considering home price and style, neighborhood and other factors, the buyer makes an offer that is usually accepted by the seller.

House Hunters Financial Tip: Buying a home can be a challenging task, so viewers of House Hunters can benefit from learning various aspects of the buying process, including determining what you can afford, choosing homes based on neighborhood property values, negotiating the price based on home features, asking the buyer to pay for closing costs and even how escrow works.

4. Extreme Couponing

Extreme Couponing follows people who are extremely talented at saving tens or sometimes hundreds of dollars in a single shopping trip by using coupons. Participants in the show typically set a goal for their final purchase, then organize their coupons to meet that goal. In some cases, participants have been known to have a zero balance or even receive cash back from the store after making purchases.

Extreme Couponing Financial Tip: One overlooked way to save money is through the use of coupons. Coupons can be found just about anywhere (newspapers, circulars, online) and can help you save a ton on purchases. So it’s good to utilize tips from participants on the TV show that can help you find the best bargains. But if you want to make couponing a lifestyle, first ask yourself: is extreme couponing for you?

5. Top Chef

Top Chef is a mouth-watering elimination show that pulls together talented cooks and chefs from around the country to compete in a number of strenuous timed cooking challenges. Each week, a contestant is eliminated until one is named top chef and wins a large cash prize.

Top Chef Financial Tip: Aside from looking at all of the amazing food on Top Chef (which could actually encourage you to go out and spend your last dime in a restaurant), viewers have the benefit of watching contestants work with limited funds to pull off huge meals  that sometimes feed hundreds of people. Some episodes have even required chefs to create great dishes with random items found in the cabinet.

6. Extreme Cheapskates

Extreme Cheapskates was a one-hour TLC special featuring people who found outrageous ways to save money. In the special, a mom made reusable toilet paper out of old towels and clothes to save $20 a month on store-bought toilet paper, while a man created meals on a budget by buying kidneys, hearts and a goat head. Yikes! The special was turned into an eight-episode series that will air this summer.

Extreme Cheapskates Financial Tip: The self-proclaimed penny pinchers on this TV show are undoubtedly extreme in their attempts to save money. While you may not want to consider their sometimes risky measures to cut corners, you can attempt your own variation of their ideas to pad your budget in a major way.

Reality TV is everywhere — it’s nearly impossible to avoid. So why not get the most of the shows you do watch by acquiring some valuable financial knowledge at the same time? You won’t regret your decision!

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Don't forget TLC's 'The Duggars': See how they raised 19 kids without going into debt >

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Last night, President Obama appeared on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon."

While Obama didn't sing with Dave Matthew's Band, we did get some insight into the president's past and hear his thoughts on the recent Secret Service prostitution scandal. 

The president taped the segment yesterday afternoon at the University of North Carolina on Chapel Hill. Before the much-anticipated episode aired, buzz swirled about Obama "slow-jamming" the news (over saturation made the bit lose its appeal come 12:45 a.m.) while attempting to appeal to the younger generation.

Yes, Obama discussed plenty about student loans, the importance of expanding education and utilizing solar energy. 

However, he also discussed his favorite film, his relationship with Mitt Romney and hairstyles in college. 

OBAMA SLOW JAMS THE NEWS: As his big entrance, President Obama jams out his feelings on stafford loans while Fallon chimes in with back up vocals. Oh, and Obama gets called the POTUS with the Most-est.

Fallon calls Obama the Preezy of the United Steezy. That happened. (Also, we guess that's how the spelling would work.)

HE CALLED HIMSELF AN IDIOT: Obama admitted his most embarrassing moment included leaving the stage promptly after a speech with Michelle only to find out he needed to stay to hear the rest of the speakers.

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• Beyoncé takes this year's top prize as People magazine's "World's Most Beautiful Woman." "I feel more beautiful than I've ever felt because I've given birth," B told the mag after beating out top contenders Sofia Vergara, Kate Middleton and Charlize Theron.

• Chris Brown is going into the puppy business, selling two-month-old pit bulls from his family's home in Virginia. (Sorry Brown, not even puppies can make you like a nice guy.)

• Meanwhile, Brown's girlfriend Karrueche Tran tweeted this pic of the couple's sunset lip-lock in Australia with the caption, "Head over heels." Rihanna is plotting her Twitter retaliation.

• Jack Osbourne, 26, is a dad! The reality TV star and his fiancé Lisa Stelly welcomed a baby girl named Pearl. Grandma Sharon Osbourne tweeted, "Today I witnessed my first grandchild being born, life changing experience. She is an angel.”

• Kim Kardashian and Kanye West step out in NYC—in coordinating outfits.

• Pixar announced three original cartoons and Disney finally confirms a sequel to the "Muppets" yesterday at CinemaCon.

• Oprah buys a homeless man a fancy dinner in Beverly Hills.

• Britney Spears sold her Beverly Hills home for $4.2 million. The estate was listed at $2.9 million.

• Jack White is doing the music for Johnny Depp's upcoming "Lone Ranger" á la Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood's score for "There Will Be Blood."

Now see what you missed from Obama's appearance on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" last night >

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NBC believes Thanksgiving night football could become the new Super Bowl of ad ratings: It wants up to $1 million for a 30-second ad unit in the Thursday evening, Nov. 22, 2012, game between the New England Patriots and the New York Jets in Rutherford, N.J.

That would give the TV networks a third tentpole advertising night, after the Super Bowl and the Oscars.

The Super Bowl itself, of course, remains the king ad prices. This year's big game fetched $4 million for 30 seconds. Super Bowl prices first breached the $1 million mark in 1985, the year after Apple ran its famous "1984" spot from TBWA/Chait/Day, which stamped the game as the premier showcase for ad creativity.

• See our Super Bowl ad prices chart, below.

The 2012 Oscars price was $1.7 million. The Academy Awards show is often referred to in the ad business as "the Super Bowl for women."

Thanksgiving night football has potential: Families are gathered at home; football is suitable for all ages; it's a captive audience.

CBS and Fox will both broadcast games during the day, and they're expecting audiences of 30 million each. Unlike NBC, however, neither of those networks has billed their Turkey Day game as some sort of banner TV event.

NBC is betting big on the night game: As you can see from this NFL schedule, NBC owns the Thanksgiving night game all the way through 2022.

It's a smart move by the network. Its broadcast rights contract with the NFL jumped from $650 million a year to $950 million from this year on, but it's still paying less than the other two nets (Fox pays $1.1 billion and CBS pays $1 billion).

In other words, if NBC can pull this off it will have paid less to get more.

Below: Super Bowl ad prices by year (click to enlarge):

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While the rest of the web is salivating over new "Dark Knight Rises" footage shown at CinemaCon yesterday, we have three new promos for the film.

The images popped up on a few forums and sites including comingsoon.net. that were reportedly released by Warner Bros. yesterday.

The first image seems reminiscent of Christopher Nolan's previous "Inception" posters. The best is the full-on action sequence with Bane.

The caped crusader returns to the screen July 20.

If you can't wait until then, the third trailer for the film will premiere ahead of "The Avengers" May 4.

Bruce Wayne is one of the richest billionaire playboys. See where he ranks among the 15 wealthiest fictional characters>

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