If you've been watching Bravo's new reality show, "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley," then you won't be surprised to learn that Kim Taylor has quit her Account Management job at Ampush Media.

Up next for Taylor: founding a company.

In the last episode, all signs pointed to Taylor's departure from Ampush. She butted heads with the social media company's founder, Nich Shah, when he insinuated that Taylor might not be well connected enough to promote Shah properly.

"He thinks certain people in the industry want to see a certain type of person [in my role]," Taylor said. "And that person is a gray-haired man that wants to take credit for all the s*** I actually do...It's insulting at its worst, and stupidity at its best," she added.

Based on Taylor's LinkedIn profile, she left her position as head of sales at Ampush in July 2012 and has been working at stealth fashion startup, Shonova, ever since.

Taylor tells Business Insider that her interaction with Shah captured by Bravo's campers did play a role in her decision to leave the company.

"The goals of a company change as they scale," Taylor tells us. "It’s important to read between the lines. I’m grateful for my time there and learned a lot but my future wasn’t with them. There were a lot of things I wanted to accomplish that wouldn’t happen as someone else’s employee."

Taylor also says that she missed the early-stage company chaos, and felt that she had outgrown the company. 

"For women it’s important to know when to walk away," Taylor says. "If you are undervalued, underpaid or not getting promoted you need to evaluate what your next move should be. Don’t wait for opportunities. Take them. No one is going to do it for you."

Check out the interaction between Shah and Taylor below:

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The first episode of a new Bravo reality show, "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley," launched a few weeks ago.

Randi Zuckerberg, Mark Zuckerberg's sister, is driving the drama as the show's executive producer. And she's already hunting for New Yorkers who could star in their own spinoff.

The current show has a cast of characters that range from videobloggers to entrepreneurs. They're young, up-and-coming people in tech who love to socialize.

With that in mind, we racked our brains for some of the most entertaining people Zuckerberg could sign up to represent New York's burgeoning tech scene.

You won't find Foursquare's Dennis Crowley or Thrillist's Ben Lerer on this list—anyone with serious funding probably has their hands too full to apply, though they'd make killer cameos.

The people we chose are young, fun, and on the brink of making names for themselves.

Think we missed a rising star? Put them in the comments.

Laurie Segall is a confident, up-and-coming video journalist

Segall is rapidly working her way up the ranks at CNN, where she covers technology and startups. She's conducted a number of video interviews and has appeared on multiple on-air segments.

The Michigan grad is a fiery, confident go-getter. Like Sarah Austin on the current Startup: Silicon Valley cast, she's in the video blogosphere. But unlike Austin, Segall covers market crashes, not party crashes.

Nitasha Tiku runs the show at the New York Observer's tech section, BetaBeat

Another member of the press who could be a good addition to the show is Nitasha Tiku.

She runs BetaBeat, the New York Observer's tech and startup section. She's well-sourced in the industry, having interviewed entrepreneurs and investors alike.

If Sam Biddle is half as funny on camera as he is in his articles, the Gizmodo writer would make a good Bravo star

Biddle is one of Gizmodo's funniest and savviest writers.

If he acts anything like he writes, he'd be a no-brainer for "Start-Ups: New York."

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It's only been a month since Jay Penske, the CEO of Penske Media Corporation, purchased Hollywood trade publication, Variety, for $25 million.

And now Penske, who also owns Nikki Finke's rival publication Deadline, laid off between 20 and 25 people from the 165 person staff, it was announced Thursday.

While the lay offs were from the database and conference departments and at sister brand LA411/NY411, the editorial side was, for now, unaffected by the changes.

But the lay offs appear to be a part of Penske's master plan, as he says he plans to further invest in editorial and digital.

Penske also plans to abolish the online pay wall that prevents nonsubscribers from reading articles — putting them in direct competition with free rival trades such as The Hollywood Reporter, TheWrap and its corporate sister Deadline.

In a memo that went out to staff and was later posted on Deadline, Penske writes:

Dear Team

For the past six months, we have diligently reviewed every aspect of the Variety business. And in more recent weeks, we have outlined to Variety senior management an exciting and also aggressive trajectory for the brand’s resurgence. These steps will include substantial further investment in editorial and digital, but will unfortunately require some immediate eliminations in the following business units:  LA411/NY411, Circ, Systems, Conferences, and Admin.

Without a doubt, this is a challenging day, and I particularly wanted to notify and acknowledge those of you who will be saying goodbye to valued colleagues and friends. As we look ahead, Variety’s business holds almost limitless potential and I will remain available to answer any questions you might have regarding today’s changes and our future. As always, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me, or see Tammy Chase to arrange an appointment.

Sincerely,
Jay Penske
CEO

Before Thursday, the only major move Penske had made was the appointment of sales executive Michelle Sobrino-Stearns as publisher of daily and weekly Variety.

In addition to the lay offs, Daily Variety is expected to cut back its printing schedule, though it's not yet known by how much.

SEE ALSO: Destroyed By Blogs, "Variety" Magazine Will Sell For Less Than $30 Million >

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Cinnabon president Kat Cole recently went on CBS reality show "Undercover Boss," and learned just how hard it is to remain incognito.

"In one [location] it was because the employee that I worked with showed me something that I signed for him," she explained to us. "So that was tough, because I really wanted to talk with him."

"And then there were other times where I just wanted to respond to the feedback employees were giving," said Cole, who at age 34, is the youngest-ever "boss" the show has featured.

For the show, which was taped during the summer, Cole went to various locations in four states — franchisee locations and a manufacturing plant. She couldn't go to corporate locations because they'd recognize her instantly, she explains.

"I wanted to ask them more questions, but the questions that I asked would make it very clear that I'm the one that runs the company," said Cole. "I had to act like I didn't know things so that they didn't know who I was."

Although Cole saw problems that needed to be addressed fast — such as physically small employees told to do tasks they shouldn't be doing — nothing came close to inspiring her to break her cover. During an appearance on the show, Checkers CEO Rick Silva famously got so mad at a manager that he revealed himself and shut down the restaurant on the spot.

"Any time I saw something that concerned me, I'd ask about it in an innocent way," said Cole. "At least at the locations that I worked, they had a really good answer and took care of it." 

The show airs Friday at 8 PM ET.

NOW SEE: Smashburger Is Trying To Revolutionize 'Better Burgers' [PHOTOS] >

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Love it or hate it, "Transformers 4" is all go for 2014 with a new logo, a new lead actor Mark Wahlberg, and ... a new setting? 

According to Vulture, Director Michael Bay's been looking to set production in China and is trying to find ways to make the film with a Chinese partner.  

He's not the first to notice the overseas potential.  

Earlier this year, Disney teamed up with Chinese film production company DMG and filmed parts of the upcoming "Iron Man 3" in China.  

If Bay's planning on taking the franchise anywhere, China's his best bet considering these three things:

China's Huge International Market

Currently, China is the second-largest international market in the world. According the the Motion Picture Association of America, last year alone it grew a huge 35 percent. 

The top five international markets of 2011: 

1. Japan: $2.3 billion

2. China: $2 billion

3. France: $2 billion

4. U.K.: $1.7 billion

5. India: $1.4 billion

Tapping into one of the largest markets could lead to … 

A Wide Release in China 

Currently, China's been choosy with their rollout of big American box-office blockbusters.  

They opted to pit "The Dark Knight Rises" and "The Amazing Spider-Man opposite each other at the end of August.  

As a result both films earned paltry $30 million  when they each had the potential to earn much more. 

China's reasoning for doing this is to limit the effect of American films on the foreign box office.  

Filming in China and, even more ideally, working with a local production partner raises the odds that the fourth Transformers will get a wide release in the country instead of shoved off until a later date or put head-to-head with another American film. 

And, it wouldn't hurt if the film picked up a fan following in China as well since … 

Transformers fever has been on the decline in the U.S.  

"Transformers" has been far from a box-office flop at home, but like the tired "Shrek" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchises, after three installments, it gets to be a bit much for U.S. audiences. 

The one place where the "Transformers" flicks haven't seen a decline has been in the foreign markets. Rather, it's seen a sharp rise of $337.2 overseas million since the last film. Compare the differences in domestic and foreign grosses over the course of the franchise: 

                                                                     Domestic                    Worldwide

"Transformers":                                          $319.2 million                $390.5 million

"Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen":     $402.1 million                $434.2 million

"Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon":     $352.4 million                $771.4 million 

If the film can sustain a massive following elsewhere–as it's been doing–Paramount can expect an even bigger take in from the foreign box office. China is definitely looking like the hot spot of the moment to do so. 

SEE ALSO: Who's benefiting from the billion dollar bond film 'Skyfall' >

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Why do people like to sue the Kardashians so much?

Since January 2011, their business ventures have spurred at least two major lawsuits and a cease-and-desist letter against a major retailer that works with them.

And just last month, a makeup company threatened to sue them over an upcoming Kardashian cosmetics line, the Huffington Post reported.

Here's the litigation that has engulfed the reality TV darlings:

• In January 2011, Kim, Khloe, and Kourtney Kardashian were sued for allegedly backing out of an endorsement agreement with a prepaid debit card company, according to Huffington Post.

Fresno-based Revenue Resource Group wanted $75 million in damages — just a little more than the $65 million that the clan made the previous year. However, the suit was dismissed in June 2011. 

• Later that year, the Kardashians were accused of ripping off a handbag design. Monice Botkier, designer of the "Clyde" bag, sent a cease-and-desist letter to Sears, which carries the Kardashian Kollection, according to New York Magazine. 

"They say imitation is the highest form of flattery but we don’t think so," Botkier wrote on her blog.

The bag was pulled from Sears' website, and the issue was resolved, apparently before an actual lawsuit was filed.

• In March 2012, the Kardashians were sued for $5 million for making allegedly "unsubstantiated, false and misleading claims" in ads for QuickTrim, a weight-loss product, according to Reuters.

• Their latest business venture could also be marred in a trademark lawsuit.

At the end of October, Beverly Hills-based Chroma Makeup (with a "C") threatened the Kardashian sisters with a lawsuit over their upcoming Khroma Beauty cosmetics line, according to Huffington Post. Apparently, Chroma Makeup isn't too fond of the possibility of being associated with the Kardashian line, calling it an "inferior cosmetic [product]." 

SEE ALSO: More On The Socialites At The Heart Of The Pentagon Scandal >

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"The Big Bang Theory" star Kaley Cuoco led the cast and crew of her hit CBS show in a flash mob during the Oct. 23 live taping, surprising showrunners Chuck Lorre, Bill Prady and Steve Molaro.

The whole thing was set to Carly Rae Jepsen's summer hit "Call Me Maybe," naturally.

The video, released late yesterday, already has nearly two million hits — despite being a little late to the "Call Me Maybe" cover party.

Watch below:

Bazinga!

SEE ALSO: Viral Showdown: The Best 'Call Me Maybe' Videos You Must Watch >

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Disney's plan to revive the long-running Star Wars saga could be far more ambitious than first thought following reports that the studio is planning two to three new movies every year.

In the wake of Disney's $4.05bn purchase of all rights to Star Wars, filmgoers were expecting a new trilogy of films released over several years.

But according to a number of US sites, new Lucasfilm chief executive Kathleen Kennedy has a far more aggressive plan. She is quoted as telling the new edition of Entertainment Weekly, which is due to hit US news stands today, that Disney envisions "two or three films a year".

It has been reported elsewhere that Star Wars could be packaged in line with the studio's Marvel universe, which successfully delivered a series of comic book films focusing on individual superheroes before bringing them all together for the $1.5bn box office hit The Avengers earlier this year. If Kennedy's comment is confirmed, it would appear Star Wars is set for a similar structure.

Studios have learned that popular franchises can effectively be inured against weakly-received instalments provided that new movies continue to roll off the production line. Hollywood once planned to film a project based on JRR Tolkien's Lord of the Rings fantasy trilogy as two movies, while Steven Spielberg is said to have wanted to shoot several Harry Potter books as one feature. In the end, Potter emerged as eight movies from seven books, while the forthcoming Hobbit trilogy has somehow magicked three films from one short novel.

The final instalment in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn, was split in two and fans have eagerly lapped up both instalments, despite regular critical derision for the series as a whole. Disney's proposals for Star Wars would appear to be a continuation of a mantra that says popular franchises should be mined for everything they are worth.

Disney last week confirmed the Oscar-winning writer of Little Miss Sunshine and Toy Story 3, Michael Arndt, as the screenwriter for Star Wars: Episode VII, which is due in 2015. British director Matthew Vaughn was recently rumoured to be in talks to helm the first film in the new trilogy, while Steven Spielberg and Star Trek's JJ Abrams have ruled themselves out. The stars of the original trilogy, Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia) and Harrison Ford (Han Solo) have all been tipped to return to the series.

This article originally appeared on guardian.co.uk

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The sex scandal that brought former Gen. David Petraeus' illustrious public service career to a screeching halt last week continues to unfold with new, juicy details.

The cast of characters -- including a Florida socialite, a clueless co-author and a NATO commander -- keeps expanding, and it's almost too good not to be the creation of some Hollywood screenwriter.

General David Petraeus

Gen. David Petraeus could probably woo three times as many young, ambitious biographers in his dapper tuxedo ...

Daniel Craig as General David Petraeus

... which is why Daniel Craig, Mr. James Bond himself, should play him in Hollywood's take on the D.C. sex scandal.

Paula Broadwell

The disgraced former CIA director's mistress was his biographer, Paula Broadwell, whose taut physique and slender build reportedly made her the envy of many a woman at diplomatic cocktail functions ...

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Bravo's "Start-Ups: Silicon Valley" has received its fair share of reviews since premiering two weeks ago. 

People have criticized the reality-TV show for not depicting an accurate, authentic view of life in Silicon Valley.

"The problem with Start-Ups is that there’s absolutely nothing that’s reflective of the place and culture that is Silicon Valley," Bloomberg Businessweek's Sam Grobart wrote. "And that’s the final shame of it, because someone could do a really interesting take on the Valley and what’s going on there now."

But cast member Kim Taylor told Business Insider that authenticity isn't really what the show is all about.

"The show isn’t meant to represent all of Silicon Valley," Taylor says. "This isn’t PBS. It’s Bravo ... It’s meant to represent the reality of six people, some of whom may be insane. Thus far they were alarmingly accurate about what I was going through in my life."

Regarding the feedback the show has received so far, Taylor says she is amused.

"No one laughs about it more than me, well, except maybe the New York tech reporters," Taylor tells us. "It’s a doc-com"—a hybrid documentary-comedy. "It’s supposed to be funny and over the top."

Don't miss: SPOILER ALERT: Bravo Reality Star Kim Taylor Quits Her Ampush Media Job To Start A Company >

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Allyn Rose is a Washington, D.C. representative in the upcoming Miss USA pageant, a roller skating enthusiast, a model, a paralegal — and now she is going to be the recipient of a double mastectomy — all at the young age of 24.

The surgery is a preventative measure after Rose learned she is a carrier of the same rare chromosomal disease that her mother died of when the beauty queen was just 16-years-old.

"I had to become my own mentor. I had to go pick out my prom dress by myself. I had to go to my high school graduation without my mom," Rose tells People magazine of her life without her parent. "She didn't see me go off to college or go on my first date or drive a car for the first time."

And while Rose says her mother was "incredible," she doesn't want the same fate.

So, after January's Miss USA competition is complete, Rose will undergo the invasive surgery.

"The idea that I could wake up one day and not have the same body that I did the day before is very scary," Rose, a self-proclaimed former tomboy, told the magazine. "But I also realize my mom was diagnosed at 27. That's three years away from me. I'm not going to let my fear of losing this part of my femininity stop me from living."

Rose explains that the preventative surgery is something almost necessary for her to survive the potential disease diagnosis: "It manifests in male children, but there have been studies that women who are the carriers of it have almost a 75 percent likely chance of contracting breast cancer. It's a very strange change in our genetic code. Almost all of the women in my family have passed away from it."

"My mom had her right breast removed at 27, but at 47 or 48, it came back in her left breast," Rose continued. "It was already stage three. She could have had that other breast removed, but I'm sure there was a part of her that thought she didn't want to give up this other part of herself."

She adds, "My dad said he begged her for years and years to get it removed, but she said no. It's ultimately the thing that killed her."

Why speak out about her personal struggle? Rose, who idolizes famous breast cancer battlers Robin Roberts and Giuliana Rancic, says "Title holders across the country get an opportunity to speak to their generation and have something they can advocate ... To win the pageant would truly have my mother's dreams for me come to fruition."

Rose adds, "Being in the industry and competing in the most iconic swimsuit competition in the world, I thought to myself, 'If I were to win and have this surgery a year from now, would I be a different Miss America because I lost my breast?' No."

SEE ALSO: 14 stars who have aged really well >

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Police have charged a 20-year-old man with planning to shoot up a Bolivar, Mo., screening of "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn -- Part 2" -- a plot that calls to mind the mass-killings at a late showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" last summer.

Blaec Lammers, 20, has been charged with first-degree assault, making a terroristic threat and armed criminal action, according to a Bolivar Police Department spokesman.

He is being held on $500,000 bail, the spokesman said.

Police were alerted to Lammers' plans by his mother, who became concerned after he purchased assault weapons and more than 400 rounds of ammunition, according to a report in the Springfield News-Leader.

After being picked up at a local Sonic, he confessed to police that he was planning a shooting spree and had bought a ticket to a Sunday screening of the "Twilight" sequel.

Lammers reportedly said he had little experience handling a gun and also admitted he was not taking his medication. The News-Leader did not indicate what the medication was for.

The planned shooting seems to have been partially inspired by the movie theater killings in Aurora, Colo., last July. The theatrical exhibition industry was badly shaken after James Holmes, a 24-year-old former neuroscience student, killed 12 people and injured 58 others at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises."

A hearing on his case was delayed this week after Holmes reportedly attempted suicide.

SEE ALSO: 12 Sesame street scandals that have plagued the show's history >

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Forget Channing Tatum, according to social media, men would have preferred a certain Batman villain as People's Sexiest Man Alive of 2012.

According to research firm Fizziology, the biggest man crush of the year is on Bane's Tom Hardy from "The Dark Knight Rises."

The social media researchers gathered data on male actors who gathered the most buzz on Twitter during each of their last two films. Hardy blew the competition away.

Tom Hardy: 20%

Ryan Gosling: 4%

Channing Tatum: 2%

Like Tatum, Hardy also had three successful films out this year: romantic comedy "This Means War," Weinstein Company's "Lawless," and, of course, "The Dark Knight Rises," which has earned more than $1 billion worldwide.

Hardy was also just cast as the lead in the film adaptation of "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell" video game and book series.

Do you agree?

SEE ALSO: Channing Tatum's journey from college dropout to box-office 'magic' >

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Alessandra Ambrosio was born in the small Brazilian town Erechim, to gas station-owning parents.

At the age of 11, Ambrosio fixed her biggest insecurity and had her ears pinned back.

After that, it wasn't long before the Brazlian beauty landed a modeling contract with one of the largest agencies in the world.

One of the first Victoria's Secret models, Ambrosio is still strutting her stuff at age 31 during the retailer's annual holiday show, with her two young children cheering her on from the front row.

Earlier this month, the model donned a $2.5 million bra to strut her stuff down the famed runway.

After being a Victoria's Secret spokeswoman for the past ten years and appearing on over 70 international magazine covers, Ambrosio has earned a spot as the sixth wealthiest model in the world.

April 11, 1981: Alessandra Corine Ambrosio was born in Erechim, Brazil. Her parents, who are of Italian and Polish Brazilian descent, owned a gas station.

1992: Alessandra, who was always insecure about her large ears, had cosmetic surgery at agee 11 to get her ars pinned back.

1993: At age 12, she enrolled in modeling class and by age 14, she was one of 20 finalists for an Elite modeling competition in Brazil.

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Freestyle rappers such as Eminem and Philadelphia's Cassidy make up and bust out rhymes on the spot — a hugely challenging art form. Now, however, researchers have learned how the brain does it.

A new study finds that when rappers improvise, parts of their brains linked to motivation, organization and integration get active, while portions responsible for self-monitoring and control get quiet. The findings suggest freestyle rappers essentially shut down the parts of their brains that might disrupt their creative flow.

"If an athlete starts paying attention to what they're doing, how they're going to move their body to catch a ball, they'll clutch and they won't do it," said study researcher Allen Braun, the chief of the language section of the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD), a part of the National Institutes of Health. Freestyle rappers may face a similar challenge when making up rhymes, Braun told LiveScience.

"You have to suspend that kind of attention," he said.

The improvising brain

Braun and his colleagues are interested in how the brain thinks creatively. To find out, they've previously researched the improvisation of music; now, they've turned their focus to the intersection of music and language in the brain. They teamed up with two freestyle artists, Michael Eagle and Daniel Rizik-Baer, to investigate. [Creative Genius: The World's Greatest Minds]

Eagle and Rizik-Baer helped the researchers publicize their study in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore freestyle communities, eventually recruiting 12 male freestyle rappers to come drop rhymes while in a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine. The machine measures oxygen levels in the brain, providing a map of blood flow that indicates which areas of the brain are active and which are at rest at any given time.

The rappers were all given an eight-measure (or –bar) backing track and a set of lyrics to memorize. After they rapped those lyrics in the fMRI scanner, they were given the same eight bars of music and told to freestyle about whatever they liked.

"They talked a lot about their environment, about how they are in the scanner," said study researcher Siyuan Liu, a scientist at the NIDCD. "Or sometimes they talked about their careers, like how many albums they'd published."

Freestyle flow

Whatever the subject, the rappers' brains activated differently during the improvised flow versus the memorized lyrics. The medial prefrontal cortex became more active during the freestyle rap, while the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex became less active. Both of these regions are in the front of the brain, behind the forehead, with the medial prefrontal cortex sitting more toward the center of the brain than the dorsolateral portions. The medial prefrontal cortex is responsible for organizing and integrating information, while the dorsolateral regions are in charge of self-control, self-monitoring and self-censoring.

The researchers also found that the medial prefrontal cortex lit up at the same time as language and motor areas of the brain — no surprise given that rappers had to think of words and produce them with the muscles of the mouth and jaw. This network of brain areas also communicated heavily with the amygdala during freestyle rapping, likely indicating emotional activity, a function of this deep-brain almond-shaped structure.

Toward the end of the 8-bar track, attentional areas in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex started to wake up, the researchers found, suggesting that wrapping up a rap requires a bit more control and attention.

Eagle and Rizik-Baer rated the rappers' freestyle tracks for creative use of language. The researchers found that the highest-rated rappers had more activity in the upper part of the medial prefrontal cortex. They also showed lots of activity in the posterior lateral temporal region of the brain, the back section of the brain lobe that sits behind the ear. This section is traditionally linked to mental lexicon, or vocabulary.

The researchers aren't yet sure if this improvising brain network can be trained for quicker thinking, but the study does suggest there's nothing magic about creativity, Allen said.

"These are just simple rearrangements of brain activity and cognitive processes that are a normal part of everyday experiences," he said.

The researchers report their findings today (Nov. 15) in the journal Scientific Reports.

Follow Stephanie Pappas on Twitter @sipappas or LiveScience @livescience. We're also on Facebook & Google+.

• 10 Ways to Keep Your Mind Sharp
• Inside the Brain: A Journey Through Time
• Top Ten Unexplained Phenomena

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Paperless Post cofounder Alexa Hirschfeldtold Cosmo she got some helpful hints on using Facebook to boost her startup's online invite service after running into CEO Mark Zuckerberg at a wedding.

We're not positive, since Hirschfeld didn't give details, but we think we've pieced together where that might have happened.

In late September, Sam Lessin, the head of product at Facebook, and Jessica Vascellaro, a Wall Street Journal editor, got married. And that event was quite the meeting of the minds.

If you were lucky enough to be invited to the nuptials, you may have gotten some business done between cocktails.

We know that Hirschfeld is Facebook friends with the Lessins, who, like her, overlapped at Harvard University with Zuckerberg. Hirschfeld told Cosmopolitan's Michelle Ruiz that she actually didn't know Zuckerberg at Harvard:

I did meet Mark Zuckerberg recently at a friend's wedding and he's really nice. I've spoken to the head of product [at Facebook] and we've been thinking about how to use Facebook as a distribution platform.

For any startup founder hoping to build ties with Facebook, this event was a gold mine. Zuckerberg was a groomsman. There were tons of high-profile Facebook executives and influential former Facebookers, too, like Benchmark Capital's Matt Cohler and Path founder Dave Morin.

According to the Facebook photos, the guest list included:

• Path CEO Dave Morin and his wife Brit, founder of Brit & Co
• Mark Zuckerberg; his wife, Priscila Chan; and their dog Beast
• Facebook and Asana cofounder Dustin Moskovitz
• Benchmark Capital's Matt Cohler
• Zuckerberg's right-hand man, Chris Cox
• Hot Potato cofounder turned Facebooker Justin Schaffer
• Photo-tagging inventor Scott Marlette
• Facebook product director Adam Mosseri
• Dropbox engineers and former Facebookers Aditya Agarwal and Ruchi Sanghvi

In fact, the last time we've seen Facebook's brain trust gather like this was in 2010, when Zuckerberg and others attended Agarwal and Sanghvi's wedding in Goa, India.

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Google. Yahoo. Yandex. Some of today's biggest companies are named the strangest things.

Sometimes, it's not the company's fault. There's a running joke that vowels are too expensive in Silicon Valley and founders can't afford normal-sounding domain names.

Others strive to come up with something a little different. "I wanted a nonsense word because I wanted to build the brand from scratch," one founder said.

One Kings Lane is a made-up address

One Kings Lane is a big home decor shopping site run by Doug Mack, Susan Feldman and Ali Pincus.

The name is a made up address. "It's meant to reflect a blend of Old and New World sensibilities," Fortune writes.

Etsy means "And if" in Latin and "Oh, yes!" in Italian

Robert Kalin sought a meaningless word that he could turn into a brand.

He listened to foreign movies, wrote down what he heard, and turned it into the company's name.

Kalin explains to Reader's Digest, "I was watching Fellini's 8 ½ and writing down what I was hearing. In Italian, you say 'etsi' a lot. It means 'oh, yes.' And in Latin, it means 'and if.'"

Yandex has a double meaning, "Yet Another iNDEXer,' and the Russian word "Я" (Ya") Sounds like "I" In English (Ya-ndex).

The Russian search engine's name is both an acronym and a pun.

According to Wikipedia, ""The name initially stood for "Yet Another iNDEXer." The Russian word "Я" ("Ya") corresponds to English personal pronoun "I", making "Яndex" a bilingual pun on "index"; another pun is based on yin and yang contrast."

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Justin and Jessica in Italy! Gwyneth in Spain! The Kardashians in Bora Bora!

It seems impossible to open up a magazine or pull up an entertainment website without being bombarded with pictures of celebrities enjoying luxurious vacations.

It’s enough to give you a major case of travel envy.

Here at Hopper we wanted to dig deeper into celebrity vacation statistics to find out just how big a dent these mega-trips make in celebrities bank accounts.

According to a recent American Express survey, American households planned to spend about $1,200 per person on summer vacations this year.

That translates to an estimated five to seven percent of income dedicated to vacationing.

How do A-list celebrities’ compare to the average American family when it comes to their trips?

The Kardashians

Where: Dominican Republic
Hotel: Casa De Campo
How Much: $22,575 (estimated)
Income: $65 million
% of Annual Income: 0.03%

The Kardashians know how to vacation, descending en masse on luxury resorts from Bora Bora to Mexico. This year they hoofed it to the Dominican Republic, enjoying a few days at Casa De Campo, a 7,000 acre resort with stunning tropical vistas and interior design by none other than Oscar De La Renta. Villas here don’t come cheap, but a standard room can start at around $250 dollars a night.

Jessica Alba

Where: Amalfi, Italy
Hotel: Hotel Santa Caterina
How Much: $57,770 (estimated)
Income in 2011: $9 million
% of Annual Income: 0.64%

Jessica Alba and her family enjoyed the Mediterranean beauty and architecture of Amalfi, Italy this summer. The picturesque Italian town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its distinctive medieval architecture with strong  Byzantine influences. Alba, Honor and Haven luxuriated in style at the Hotel Santa Catarina, a 19th century seaside palazzo turned into a 5 star hotel.

Britney Spears

Where: Maui, Hawaii
Hotel: Grand Wailea
How Much: $28, 750 (estimated)
Income: $10 million
% of Annual Income: 0.29%

Britney Spears, her two sons and fiance jetted to Maui, Hawaii for the 4th of July. There they relaxed poolside at the Grand Wailea, a Waldorf Astoria resort on 40 acres of beachfront property. The grounds here are impeccable (and kid friendly!) with activity pools boasting water slides, rapids, and the world’s first water elevator.

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Not a lot of people live in hotels anymore, but it sounds like a pretty nice set-up.

Comic Louie Anderson described living at Las Vegas's new CityCenter in an article at the Wall Street Journal.

His first impressions:

I'll never forget the day I drove here to look at this place. I turned left off Las Vegas Boulevard, in the lane that was marked with the hotel name. You gotta love any place that has its own lane. As I entered, I went down a tunnel under City Center…Batman style! As I came up out of the tunnel, a valet was there to greet me. As he opened my car door he said, "Welcome, sir." I replied, "Thank you, Alfred!"

I was greeted by the "Director of Services," who would be showing me my possible new home. Wow, a "Director of Services." A lot of the hotels I've stayed in didn't even have maids. Before heading up to the unit we strolled through the lobby, which included two sitting areas, enough magazines to open your own newsstand, a billiards table and a cappuccino machine. I thought, forget a room, I'll just live in the lobby. I secretly wondered how long I could actually do that before security would finally get wise.

The director asked, "How do you like it?"

"You had me at the unlimited free cappuccinos!" I replied.

Read the rest at WSJ >

CityCenter is a 67-acre resort that doubles as a hotel and residence. It has 30 dining options, 45 retail stores, three spas, one permanent Cirque Du Soleil show, and 14 bars and lounges.

One-bedroom units at the complex start at $1.1 million. Two-bedroom units start at $2.8 million and three-bedroom units start at $5.9 million.

Big things are happening in Vegas. Don't miss: How Tony Hsieh Will Change Sin City Forever >

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NEW YORK (AP) — If the holidays still seem a long way off, you clearly haven't done much television channel surfing lately.

The Hallmark channel has already begun two months of wall-to-wall holiday programming. Lifetime has ramped up its seasonal selections with 10 new made-for-TV movies, the first one airing last weekend.

ABC Family's annual "25 Days of Christmas" programming isn't enough, so they do a "Countdown to 25 Days of Christmas," starting Sunday.

This is in addition to all the old favorites, from Charlie Brown to Frosty the Snowman, that will fill broadcast network schedules during the next month. An already popular television genre is growing in power, judging by the 22 new movies Hallmark and Lifetime are rolling out between them, and a new Disney holiday musical.

"This is a strategy that developed naturally from demand," said Rob Sharenow, executive vice president of programming at the Lifetime networks. "It's really giving people what they want."

A sneak preview of the movie "Christmas Song" on Hallmark Nov. 3 was a hit that left the network second behind ESPN in cable viewership at that time, the Nielsen company said. Hallmark's 2006 movie, "The Christmas Card," is still the network's most-watched original movie and will be repeated again this season.

"Others try and emulate and replicate and copy what we do, but because of our brand, no one can do it like we do," said Bill Abbott, president and CEO of the Hallmark Channels.

Lifetime's aggressive investment makes it the relative newcomer in this area. The longtime maker of TV movies that appeal to women is coming off its biggest success in years, October's "Steel Magnolia" remake with Queen Latifah, which surprised even network executives with its potency.

Its movies feature Mira Sorvino, Shelley Long, George Wendt and Lea Thompson. Wendt and Long play Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus as they're about to meet their future daughter-in-law, Ralph Macchio is a former dance champion who comes back to win a Christmas Eve dance contest, and Thompson is featured in "Love at the Christmas Table."

Happy endings abound. Don't expect any holiday shootouts.

Beyond the new originals, Lifetime is airing more than 50 seasonal films, the biggest commitment in its history.

"In the times we're in, people want to feel good," Sharenow said. "People are definitely gravitating toward feel-good escapism and having fun and that's what these movies do. They're like little Christmas gifts."

Hallmark, part of a company that also sells Christmas cards, is a natural for holiday programming. This is the fourth year that the network essentially shuts down its regular programming for two full months to devote itself to the genre. The holiday focus began on Nov. 9 and ends Jan. 2.

There's a risk both in overkill and having fans get out of the habit of watching the network's regular shows, Abbott said, "but we have found over the years that our viewers really look forward to it and really want it."

Hallmark's original movies are premiering every Saturday and Sunday night heading into Christmas.

With titles like "Hitched for the Holidays," ''A Bride for Christmas," ''Matchmaker Santa," ''Come Dance With Me" and "Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade," the focus is pretty clear.

While confident of the programming strategy's ultimate success, Abbott said it is clear that Hallmark has more competition. "We sleep with one eye open," he said.

ABC Family's holiday focus is primarily on movies that started in theaters, like "Home Alone" and "Elf." Its own production is "The Mistle-Tones," about a woman who creates her own Christmas singing group after being turned down for a spot in a well-known group.

The network's "countdown" programming includes the premiere of the movie "Home Alone: The Holiday Heist" on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

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