Nick Romano

Before they hit it big, celebrities had a hard-knock life they wish they could simply forget. Funnyman Jon Hamm, for instance, used to be a set designer for porn movies, and before Bryan Cranston became the infamous Walter

Just as with scripts, movie concept artists go through many a draft until they get the final approval for their character portrayals. Take Shrek for example. A recent photo posted to Reddit revealed that our favorite green ogre with a hero’s heart started out looking more like the star of ‘Coneheads.’ And Yoda, ‘Star Wars” supreme Jedi master, was originally depicted as a combination of hobbit and elf from the upcoming ‘Hobbit‘ trilogy.

It’s safe to say that if things had gone differently — maybe if one day Pixar studio reps had drank too much coffee than usual and approved the wrong sketches — all these classic characters, from ‘X-Men‘ mutants to Woody and Buzz in ‘Toy Story,’ wouldn’t have looked the way they do today.

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Thursday night at the Republican Nation Convention in Tampa, Florida, Clint Eastwood emerged on the stage and revealed himself to be the mystery guest speaker everyone’s been talking about (as if there was any surprise there).

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After five seasons of binge drinking, late-night club brawls, Snooki-isms, and gym, tan and laundry, MTV has decided to cancel the long-running reality show ‘Jersey Shore‘ upon the end of its sixth season, premiering Thursday, October 4.

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Bill Nye the Science Guy has taken the internet by storm with Twitter rumors that he was killed in a balloon accident (sparked by The Onion) and his new Web series for Big Think. Most recently, however, our favorite childhood TV scientist sparked a lively debate through his video blog, pitting science against creationism, and America, obviously, had something to say about it.

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Ever since Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler left the ‘American Idol‘ judges’ table — Tyler to focus on being a rock star and J. Lo to focus on her family — Fox went into overtime to try and land some big names to come and fill in those empty spots.

Though some rumors floated around referencing the possibility of former ‘Idol’ contestant Adam Lambert and Disney star Nick Jonas joining the panel, Fox ended up landing a queen of R&B music, Mariah Carey. That meant there was just one more spot left and we’ve just learned that it too went to a big name in the music world — Ms. Nick Minaj herself.

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For those of you who didn’t know (which might actually be all of you), last Friday the 13th was Cow Appreciation Day. It was a day dedicated to showing your love for the majestic cow by dressing up in a head-to-toe cow costume. We’re still perplexed as to how this actually benefits these animals, but regardless the fast-food joint Chick-fil-A was very into this weird holiday.

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A Philadelphia firefighter pulled a Superman-worthy stunt when he risked his own life rescuing a woman from a burning building, but his heroics extended far beyond that moment.

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Here’s a look at some notable birthdays being celebrated today:

Breckin Meyer
Age: 38
Occupation: Actor, writer and producer
Known For: Most recently playing lawyer Jared Franklin on the TNT drama ‘Franklin & Bash’; voicing and producing the animated show ‘Robot Chicken’; and starring in ‘Road Trip,’ ‘Rat Race’ and a string of 90s movies and TV series.

Phil Campbell
Age: 51
Occupation: Rock guitarist
Known For: Playing lead guitar in the rock band Motorhead, recruiting ex-Saxon drummer Peter Gill into the group, and most recently laying down the guitar lines for ‘The World Is Yours’ album.

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Here’s a look at some interesting events that took place on this day in history:

1718 – New Orleans, Louisiana (first named La Nouvelle-Orléans) was founded by Jean-Baptiste Le Moyne de Bienville (More info)

1824 – Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, famous for its ‘Ode to Joy’ melody, debuts in Vienna (More info)

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Kentucky Derby fans know that the action in the stands is just as exciting as the actual race. We’re talking, of course, about the elaborate fashions and over-the-top hats.

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If Nicki Minaj, Rihanna, Beyonce and Pinterest are any indication, women are rediscovering the concept of nail art. That is, they’re turning their fingernails into majestic works of art through heavy, heavy bedazzling.

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