Tina Fey shows off her baby bump

 

The "30 Rock" actress who is five months pregnant with her second child steps out on the town.

Top Shots of the Week

Miss any of the hot celebrity moments from last week? Check out omg!'s Top Shots!

A mansion with a secret elevator for cars

 

A $10 million California estate comes with an unusual feature to lure buyers.

Homes With The Most Outrageous Amenities 

Batman would be proud of this Laguna Beach, Calif. estate's hydraulic car lift. Photo: Realtor.com

Whether a home is newly purchased or long inhabited, an updated kitchen, a new deck or even a coat of fresh paint can make it feel spiffier. When it comes to luxury real estate, however, some homeowners take upgrades to an extreme, spending big bucks on outrageous amenities.
We pulled together a list of upscale abodes for sale or just sold that have been equipped with fantastic, unusual--and in some cases downright wacky--amenities. These are not your typical luxe enhancements like home theaters, wine cellars and game rooms, although most of our estates have those features too. Our friends at Trulia.com, Realtor.com, Sotheby's International Realty and Coldwell Banker Previews International helped us uncover these unique listings.
In Pictures: Homes With The Most Outrageous Amenities The $10 million cliffside dwelling at Point Place in Laguna Beach, Calif., would make Bruce Wayne proud. The driveway has a secret, subterranean entrance below the house's steep perch, inside the cliff itself. Once a car passes through the hidden garage door, a commercial-grade hydraulic lift transports it up and into the house.

This Westlake Village, Calif. home has its own aesthetician's room for facials and waxings. Photo: Realtor.com

Even among snazzy home swimming holes, Las Vegas' $10 million Wood Creek Court residence stands out. It has a full-on water park with sandy beach island, a sunken swim-up bar--even a lazy river. The owners of the $7.4 million French Bastide in Greenwich, Conn., converted an English phone booth into a poolside outdoor shower. Recently Sotheby's International Realty sold a Beverly Hills home, complete with a giant bird-shaped swimming pool, for $4.2 million. As if a winged body of water wasn't enough of a talking point at house parties, the owners also dug out an underwater observation room.

This Oak Brook, Ill. home sports a tree-laden atrium and flowing koi-filled stream. Photo: Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage

Other homes have indoor water works. The $3.4 million Midwest Club estate in Oak Brook, Ill., is on the market for $3.4 million, thanks in part to waterfront views and seven bedroom suites with private living areas and a foliage-lined indoor koi stream. The koi stream warps around a little island holding a ficus tree, while the stream's banks nourish dozens of plants. If you want to access the far side of the room, a stone-tiled bridge will take you there.

The pool shower in this Greenwich, Ct. estate is in the converted phone booth. Photo: Sotheby’s International Realty

High-end homes with outrageous and wacky amenities lure many a gawker, but attracting real buyers can be tricky. Luxury homes with unusual amenities speak to a small niche and can sit on the market for longer periods of time, waiting for the right buyer to come along.
"The quirkier they [extreme amenities] are, the more they complicate the prospects of reselling the property," says Tara-Nicholle Nelson, consumer educator at Trulia.com, a San Francisco-based real estate listing site. However, she also notes, "Some of the extreme high-end home features actually create a clear way for sellers to differentiate their otherwise already highly attractive home from the other uber-opulent homes on the market."
Hall Willkie is president of Brown Harris Stevens, a New York-based real estate firm that represents a $35 million Manhattan townhouse boasting a two-story indoor wall of water. Willkie says both the pool of potential buyers and the selection of homes with opulent amenities are small.
The homes "are the opposite of cookie cutters, so when

What sends up red flags at the IRS

 

 The odds of a tax audit go up if you fail to take these steps when filing your return.

10 Ways to Avoid a Tax Audit

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Worried about extra scrutiny from the Internal Revenue Service?
While you can never completely "audit-proof" your business's income tax return, you can take actions that will greatly reduce your chances of being flagged.
Here are 10 ways to avoid a tax audit:
1. Choose your tax return preparer with care. Today, according to the recent National Taxpayer Advocate report, 60% of individuals and even a greater percentage of businesses use paid preparers to do their income tax returns. Yet, preparers now face more intense IRS review. If the IRS believes a preparer is claiming unwarranted deductions or taking other fraudulent steps on clients' returns, then the preparer's clients are at risk for audit.
The IRS has eight tips for choosing a tax preparer. Key among them is to check the preparer's history to see if there has been any disciplinary action. For example, if you use an enrolled agent, check with the IRS' office of Professional Responsibility at opr@irs.gov (include the preparer's name and address).
2. Report all of your income. The IRS uses information returns, such as W-2s and 1099s, to cross-check income reporting. Under its document-matching program, the IRS' computers compare information on the forms with the income reported by taxpayers on their returns. If the information doesn't match, this leads to an automatic audit. But don't panic; it's merely a correspondence asking about the discrepancy. It can be easily cleared up by submitting an explanation by mail if you think you are correct, or paying the tax owed if the omission was your oversight and the IRS is correct.
Sole proprietors, freelancers and independent contractors who use the cash method of accounting may be vulnerable to year-end payment problems. For instance, a sole proprietor that performed work for a client may have received a payment in early January -- but the client might have mailed (and recorded) the payment in December. The client will include the payment on Form 1099-MISC for 2010, but it isn't taxable until 2011. What to do: Include the payment as it is reported on the 2010 return, but then subtract the payment and attach an explanation with the return. Then include the payment on the 2011 return, even though no 1099 will be issued for this year.

Nicolas Cage arrested in New Orleans

 

The Oscar-winning actor is slapped with multiple charges, including disturbing the peace.

Actor Nicolas Cage arrested in New Orleans (AP)

NEW ORLEANS - Actor Nicolas Cage was arrested after he got drunk in the city's French Quarter and argued in the street with his wife over whether a house they were in front of was theirs, police said Saturday.
The couple was in front of a home that Cage insisted they were renting, police said. When she said it wasn't theirs, Cage grabbed her arm, according to a police news release.
Cage started hitting vehicles and tried to get into a taxi, police said. An officer saw that Cage was drunk and told him to get out of the cab. Cage then started yelling at the officer.
The actor has been booked on charges of domestic abuse battery, disturbing the peace and public drunkenness. He was released on $11,000 bond Saturday.
Representatives for Cage could not immediately be reached Saturday.
Cage has been a frequent visitor to New Orleans, where he has owned property and shot movies. He has also had financial troubles, despite being one of the highest-paid stars in Hollywood.

Dance spoof of royal wedding goes viral

 

Amateur video appears to catch Prince William, Kate Middleton, and Queen Elizabeth cutting loose.

We'll be the first to admit that the oh-so-serious nature of the royal wedding can be a bit much. Credit T-Mobile for finding a fun way to poke fun at the hype.
The impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton get spoofed in this two-minute ad featuring look-alikes for Prince Charles, Prince Harry, Queen Elizabeth, Camilla, and, of course, the happy couple.
[ Related: 10 biggest wedding bloopers ]
The buzzy clip looks a lot like an amateur video of the royal wedding. You know the drill. A regal church. Very serious guests sitting patiently. But then the wedding party starts strutting down the aisle in a most un-royal fashion, and the music starts to get funky.
Bridesmaids shake their groove thangs. Prince Charles gets jiggy with it, the Queen busts a move or two, and then Prince Harry (not really, but it looks like him) absolutely OWNS it on the aisle. Finally, Kate and William raise the roof, and all is well in the world.
[ Related: Jerry Seinfeld slams royal wedding ]
The clip has to be seen to be appreciated. So, without further pomp and circumstance, here's a look at the royal wedding we'd all love to see. It's just a few minutes long and sure to be a lot more entertaining than the real thing.
Follow Shine on Facebook for the latest royal wedding updates and enter to win a vacation for two.

 

News Source: Yahoo