Is Niall Married?

A Twitter story has sent Directioners into a frenzy. But is it true? Here's what happened.

The story claimed that Niall Horan of the hit group, One Direction, secretly got hitched in Germany. He did so by accidentally signing a marriage license slipped in by a devious fan during an autograph session.

Well, ladies, you can put down your torches and pitchforks because the "marriage" was invalid under German law (and probably most other countries too). The law states that the license must be signed at the registrar's office in the presence of at least two witnesses. 

Niall beat everyone to the punch with his response to the story: “Hahhaha I was gettin' mentions and dm's last night askin' me if I was married! Hahahahah heard it all now! People actually believe this stuff.”

Rest assured, ladies, Niall is still on the market but don't think you'll have a chance with him anytime soon. The pop star told Fabulous magazine: “I’d rather go to sleep than find a girl.”

Needless to say it looks like Niall will not be having a wedding anytime soon. And let's hope the girl who thought she was clever (but really wasn't) will be smarter in the future.

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ENG 316: The Story Behind The Refs

Referee Wayne Elliott (28) speaks with field judge Richard Simmons (102) before making a ruling on a call between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks during the fourth quarter at CenturyLink Field. (Joe Nicholson-US PRESSWIRE)

The replacement NFL officials have posed big problems for the players, fans and the league. 

The referees have not only made mistakes in calling the games, they have also endangered players. One instance happened just this past Sunday when a referee tossed his hat as a signal during a play. Normally, the hat would land right in front of the official's feet but it landed in the endzone instead, right in the path of a sprinting Dallas Cowboys receiver, Kevin Ogletree. Ogletree slipped on the hat but was, fortunately, not harmed.

Then came Monday night. The close game between the Green Bay Packers and the Seattle Seahawks came down to the final play. Former N.C. State quarterback, Russell Wilson, threw a Hail Mary to the endzone. It clearly looked as if the Packers defense had caught the ball for an interception but the referee signaled touchdown for the Seahawks; and that is how the game ended: with the Seahawks winning.

This game was the last straw for many fans, including those who were not necessarily fans of the two teams involved. The game also gave an opportunity for many news outlets to investigate the origins of these replacement referees. One such news outlet, Fox Sports, gave a revealing report on the exact back stories of the officials in this game. 

We find out that some of the referees have had, at least, a little bit of college officiating experience. Some have even had a little bit of NFL experience. What stuck out was how the official who made the call Monday night, Lance Easley, had no real experience in officiating big games such as this. In fact, Fox reports that Easley is Vice President of Small Business Banking at Bank of America and has only officiated high school and junior college games.

Although we do not know who exactly, Fox also reported that two of the officials on that crew were fired from the Lingerie Football League for the very thing they are being accused of now: poor officiating. It is hard to say who should be blamed for all this but one thing is clear: the NFL needs to have its original referees back for the sake of its players, fans and itself.

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NMM: Melanie Amaro

Who is this Melanie Amaro you ask? She is the first winner of the U.S. version of "The X-Factor." Amaro almost didn't even get to the live shows, being let go then brought back by Simon Cowell. That decision paid off as Amaro wowed America and was crowned the champ. She has now released two songs off her new album, one entitled "Don't Fail Me Now."

Much like its title suggests, the song is uplifting and tells the story of Amaro's journey to fame; all with a great beat in the background. Overall it's a really great song that will become a favorite for pop music listeners.

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Do They Care?

To put it nicely, I was appalled to learn that Senate Republicans blocked a measure that would open up $1 billion over five years and create 22,000 new jobs for military veterans, according to the New York Times. This begs me to ask one question: do Republicans even care for Americans anymore? I mean, you have Mitt Romney saying earlier this week that he basically doesn't care for the 47% who "depend on the government" and now Senate Republicans obviously have little regard for the 1 in 4 young vets who are unemployed.

Acording to the Times, the bill was opposed by, among others, Senator Rand Paul (R-KY) who has also been seeking amendments on bills that would cut off funding to Egypt and to Pakistan until Pakistan freed Shakil Afridi, the doctor who helped the United States find Osama bin Laden.

The vote was met with a strong rebuke from the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Paul Rieckhoff, director of the organization, said “Once again, this Congress let partisan bickering stand in the way of putting thousands of America’s heroes back to work. Lowering veteran unemployment is something both parties should be able to agree on – even in an election year.”

When I see this, I think about a couple of my friends who are in the military. Will they be able to get jobs when they are veterans? Why not lay out some framework now instead of continuously putting it off? So, back to my original question: Do Republicans (or Congress in general) care? No, I guess they don't.

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ENG 316: 'Go On' Makes Audiences Feel The Love

Courtesy: NBC

New primetime sitcom is attracting audiences for its witty take on human misery.

Matthew Perry is mounting a real television comeback eight years after the end of Friends with his new show Go On (Tuesdays 9/8c on NBC). The sitcom is centerd around Ryan King, a sports radio host, who recently lost his wife and isn't ready to deal with his grief. He is sent unwillingly to a support group full of interesting characters who have unique problems of their own. 

The show aims to deal with heavy issues in a mostly lighthearted way. For instance, Ryan leads the group in a tournament-style game to find out who has the worst problem (aptly titled "March Sadness"). Throughout its first few episodes, the show's writers and producers have done a wonderful job addressing their characters' miseries with humor and witty one-liners without insulting the viewers.

The show did take a more serious turn in the pilot episode when it hit on a subject so prevalent in our society today: texting while driving. We find out that Ryan King's wife was killed in a car accident while she was doing that exact thing.

It was a serious turn that was unexpected from the comedic elements seen earlier in the episode. With that, Go On really seems to hammer home the point that it is okay to laugh a little even during your toughest times.

I noticed from watching that the show gets to the core of its very being when it taps into the emotions of its audience. Because of that, the show gives its audience hope that they can get through their own personal struggles as well.

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Are You Kidding? Part 8

After a long break, the Oops Awards are finally back with one straight out of the idiot book. GOP presidential candidate, Mitt Romney, and his wife, Ann, taped an interview for Live! With Kelly and Michael that is set to air on Tuesday. The couple sat down with hosts, Kelly Ripa and Michael Strahan, and talked about some typical subjects: the economy, health care, etc. 

But then the interview took a lighter turn as the Romney's played "Romney Rapid Fire Round." Mitt was asked a multitude of questions but one in particular stuck out: "Who would you like to see play Mitt in a film?" The former governor responded by saying Gene Hackman. He also suggested Michele Pfeiffer for Mrs. Romney.

Really? Gene Hackman? Michele Pfeiffer? Have you noticed they don't look anything remotely close to you or your wife? Not to mention, Hackman is retired now?!?

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NMM: Between The Raindrops

It's been over two years since we've seen new material from Lifehouse. The "You and Me" stars are back with a new song featuring Grammy Award-nominated singer-songwriter Natasha Bedingfield. The song, called "Between The Raindrops," has a very interesting and, almost, infectious vibe to it. 

It took a while for me to really like the song because it has a different feel than most of the Lifehouse songs I'm used to. However, after listening to it a few times, I've grown to like it a lot. I would even venture to say it's one of my favorite Lifehouse songs ever. Have a listen!

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