Lindsay Lohan, Kim Kardashian Join List Of Odd White House Correspondents' Guests

George Clooney, Josh Hutcherson and Sway are also on the list.
By Gil Kaufman

Kim Kardashian
Photo: Getty Images

You expect celebs like George Clooney, Charlize Theron, Steven Spielberg and even MTV News' own Sway to get invites to Washington's annual night off from partisan bickering replaced with biting political jokes known as the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. It's a tradition to mix real Hollywood with the biggest stars in politics at the gathering, which over the years has made for some truly odd place settings.

This year is no exception, as tabloid staples Kim Kardashian and Lindsay Lohan have made the cut, meaning they will be rubbing elbows with the likes of Zooey Deschanel, Paul Rudd, Stevie Wonder, "Hunger Games" star Josh Hutcherson, Mary J. Blige, "The Artist" star dog Uggie, Diane Keaton, John Legend and "Portlandia" co-stars Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein. This is actually Kardashian's second go-round, as she was a guest of Fox News in 2010, though this is the first invite for Lohan.

While the Washington Post noted that the picks tend to be a bit safer these days, Lohan and Kardashian follow in the tradition of such past in-the-headlines-right-now choices as Ozzy Osbourne in 2002 and Ellen DeGeneres in 1997. The comedian was making her first appearance in public with a girlfriend that year, when she appeared with Anne Heche shortly after coming out as a lesbian.

But because media organizations get to submit their own guest list, it makes a weird Tinseltown sense that curvy Sofia Vergara got the nod from ABC News along with "Modern Family" co-stars Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Eric Stonestreet and Julie Bowen. The Huffington Post reserved a slot for Dakota Fanning, as well as Daniel Day Lewis and "True Blood" co-stars and mates Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer, while Newsweek made room at a table for Reese Witherspoon.

Lohan and Kardashian aren't the only strange bedfellows to make the cut recently. In 2011, you might have seen such invitees as "American Pie" alum Jason Biggs hanging with Bristol Palin, snowboarder Shaun White, "Dancing with the Stars" co-host Brooke Burke, Paula Abdul and Zach Galifianakis.

The 2010 list was even weirder, ranging from Betty White and Jon Bon Jovi to Chace Crawford, Enrique Iglesias, Ashley Greene, Justin Bieber and Jessica Simpson. Not to be outdone, in 2009 you got the almost-First Vice Husband, Todd Palin, as well as former "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, then-husband/wife Ashton Kutcher and Demi Moore, Tyra Banks, hero pilot "Sully" Sullenberger, George Lucas, Sting, Ludacris, Alicia Keys and Natasha Bedingfield.

Jimmy Kimmel is hosting this year's show, and while Kardashian's current man, Kanye West,
 is reportedly finishing up a short film in Qatar, it doesn't sound like he'll be flying in to be by her side on Saturday night. Kardashian will be attending with her mother, Kris Jenner, as a guest of Fox News, while Fox talking head Greta Van Susteren put Lohan on the list.

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Britney Spears' Fiance Granted Legal Control Of Singer

Jason Trawick is a co-conservator of the pop star along with her dad, Jamie Spears.
By Kara Warner

Jason Trawick and Britney Spears
Photo: Denise Truscello/ WireImage

Britney Spears' fiancé, Jason Trawick, has been granted his wish to become her co-conservator. The talent agent's request was approved by a Los Angeles judge Wednesday (April 25).

Spears' former agent-turned-paramour petitioned the Los Angeles Superior Court earlier this month to become the pop star's co-conservator. He will share the responsibility with Spears' father, Jamie Spears, who has maintained legal control of his daughter since February 2008.

According to People magazine, Spears' father is delighted with the court's decision. "Jamie's thrilled," attorney Geraldine Wyle told reporters following the hearing, referring to Spears' father. "It's all in the family."

Wyle also made a point to clarify the fact that the request to add Trawick as co-conservator came at Britney's request, not her father's. The 41-year-old will not have control of Spears' multimillion-dollar estate or career but will share responsibility with Jamie Spears for the singer's "general well-being," including decisions regarding food, clothing and medical care.

Jamie Spears took steps to gain legal control over his daughter's affairs in 2008 following a spate of increasingly erratic behavior that culminated in Britney's brief stay at UCLA Medical Center. In the years since, Spears has appeared to get her life solidly back on track, releasing two multiplatinum albums, launching two successful world tours and regaining custody of her young sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

The current status of Spears' conservatorship is reportedly more of a "formality" than anything else.

Trawick, Spears' former agent and co-star in her "Criminal" video, proposed to Spears in December on his 40th birthday with a four-carat diamond ring designed by Neil Lane.

Related Photos

• Lovebirds: Britney Spears And Jason Trawick

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HP Envy 4 shows up for pre-order on HP's China site, priced as low as 5,499 yuan

A few days ago, HP accidentally listed the unannounced Envy 4 and 6 on a support page within its American website. Fast forward to today, and the company's Chinese site is following in similar footsteps -- though, this time around exposing a couple more details. HP's online shop in China shows a total of six different Envy 4 models, starting with the 1005tx / 1019tx, followed by the mid-level 1004tx / 1021tx and ending with what appears to be the higher-end Ultrabooks: Envy 4-1006tx and 1021tx, which are both priced at 6,299 yuan (around $1,000). As expected, the pair sitting at the bottom of the pile is the lesser-specced of the bunch, revealing an Intel Core i3-2367M CPU, while the top-shelf machine (1021tx) is listed as sporting a Core i5-2467M. Taking into consideration all the recent leaks, it's now only a matter of time before Meg Whitman & Co. make these 14-inch skinny laptops an "official" reality. Until then, those living in China can try and pre-order one of these by pointing your browser toward the source link below.

HP Envy 4 shows up for pre-order on HP's China site, priced as low as 5,499 yuan originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 11:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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An iPad Dock That Actually Looks Better Than Your Tablet [Speakers]

Because they seemingly outnumber the stars in the sky, speaker docks for iOS devices are rarely worth a second glance. But Jarre's new AeroPad Two dock manages to do the near-impossible with a beautiful design that almost makes it feel like docking your iPad will muck it up. More »

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BlackBerry Curve 9320 spotted in Vietnam, leaves nothing to the imagination

Indeed, the Curve 9320's been anything but shy in these past couple of months. First, it was spotted while on a purported trip to India and shortly after that posing for T-Mobile's UK site. Now, the BlackBerry handset has been pampered by a full hands-on treatment from the Vietnamese folks over at Sohoa. Unlike its other adventures, though, this one presents far less speculation. As we'd previously heard, the device is in fact running BlackBerry OS 7.1, as well as being equipped with that undisclosed single-core CPU, 512MB of RAM, 3.2-megapixel rear shooter and a 1450mAh battery. Per the translation, Sohoa also notes the Curve 9320 offers a "better keyboard" and is thinner than the rest of the Curve lineup. There's an extra photo for your viewing pleasure after the break, but for the entire rundown be sure to check out the the source link below.

[Thanks, @tranquochuyvn]

Continue reading BlackBerry Curve 9320 spotted in Vietnam, leaves nothing to the imagination

BlackBerry Curve 9320 spotted in Vietnam, leaves nothing to the imagination originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Apr 2012 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Unique research on inner life of Google

ScienceDaily (Apr. 23, 2012) ? Google is one of the world's most innovative companies. Why? Ask Swedish researcher Annika Steiber at Chalmers University of Technology. She has been seeking answers inside the company's headquarters Googleplex for nearly a year. No other researcher has ever had such access.

On site in California Annika Steiber has spent nearly a year studying how Google is managed and organized so as to be able to maintain its high innovative capacity. The study is based on in-depth interviews with 28 employees. Among other things, they were asked to rank various possible explanations for Google's success in constantly developing new services that people want to use.

"Many factors play a huge role, above all the corporate culture that the founders brought with them from the outset and that has then been deliberately developed to steer the whole company in the direction of constant innovation," says Annika Steiber, who is now presenting her doctoral dissertation.

"It's also striking to see the focus Google has when it comes to bringing in the right individuals to the company and developing them."

These two factors interact. The status of the individual is very strong at Google. The company devotes great resources to comprehensive recruitment processes in which many associates have their say in order to bring in the right people for the organization. Thereby the company ensures that people with differing experience and backgrounds come to Google, at the same time as they cultivate a shared set of values regarding behavior among colleagues, but also toward the outside world, according to Annika Steiber.

Being Googley

The organization is also structured to reinforce the culture and to help its individuals to perform and create innovations in line with the company philosophy. Being "Googley" means that an employee behaves in accordance with company values. This concept is internally documented today at Google and consists of eleven "characteristics." Three of them are having a passion to change the world through the Internet, being smart, and being non-political. Doing good is a fourth -- "Don't be evil." Many interviewees testified that they were attracted to the company because of these stated values.

One of Google's primary focuses is to retain its unique and strong culture, which functions as a daily guiding rule for all employees and generates desired behaviors. To this end, the company has created the role of Chief Culture Officer, CCO. It has local culture teams all over the world. The company also monitors, in a transparent manner, that employees observe the company's stated values.

The attitudes and composition of top management -- and also its board -- are the foundation of Google's drive for innovation, according to Annika Steiber in her dissertation. The founders are also the creators of the company culture. Many of today's values are based on convictions that the founders had when they started the company. These values are now well integrated in the management style, organizational structure, processes, and incentives, Annika Steiber maintains.

"Google's organization and its capacity to boost innovation in the company has developed and changed with time, which is necessary in a changing world."

The study of Google is the first empirical research study of its kind in the world. It can serve as a foundation for a better understanding of how companies can manage and organize themselves to attain a higher degree of innovation, according to Annika Steiber, who hopes to continue with similar studies of other organizations.

Organizational Innovations

The dissertation is titled Organizational Innovations: A Conceptualization of How They Are Created, Diffused and Sustained. https://publications.lib.chalmers.se/cpl/record/index.xsql?pubid=156232

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