Filed under: Gaming

We hear a lot of people are having problems with Xbox Live today (we’re not, for the record), but if you’re feeling a bit sheepish about giving the gift of a 360 + Live service to a loved one, just imagine how Microsoft must feel. The service — which we’d like to remind everyone is paid, unlike the competition’s — has been up and down since Christmas weekend. And it’s not some surprise that there would be an influx of users today, nor is it any mystery to Microsoft how many Live accounts and Xboxes were sold over the past couple of weeks — which is precisely why this kind of thing is so annoying. Thankfully, it seems to be a bit less widespread than last weekend’s outage. Feel free to shout it out in comments.

[Thanks, Peter]

Read - Xbox Live status
Read - Outage on Xbox Live Forums (again)

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

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Filed under: Holidays, Christmas

My family is rather traditional when it comes to holiday dinners. We usually have turkey, bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, squash, turnip, and cranberry sauce for dinner, and then a giant table filled with cookies, pies, brownies, nuts, and cheeses for later. This year we’re trying to do things a little bit differently. We’re still doing turkey, but we’re mixing in some pasta dishes, chicken dishes, and meatballs as well, along with some different vegetables. This doesn’t include what my sister is serving tonight at her annual Christmas Eve party.

What are you making for Christmas this year? Do you have a menu you follow every year? Are you doing anything differently this year?

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Filed under: Newspapers, On the Blogs, in sixty seconds

• A big selection of cookie and candy recipes for the holidays.
• I’m not much of a seafood fan, but I do love scallops.
• Want to cook a goose this Christmas? It’s easier than you think.
• A look back at some of the best cookbooks released in 2007.
• Globe food photographer Beatrice Peltre won an award from the Well-Fed Network for her work.
• Restaurant reviews: Jalapenos and Little Mexico.
• This week’s recipes: Chocolate and Walnut Torte, Gingersnaps, Saturday Afternoon Pasta, Soy-Glazed Baby Back Ribs, and Omelet Sante.

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Filed under: Parties, Hors D’oeuvres, Snacks, Pork, Holidays, Christmas

Sarah has already showed you chocolate chip cookies topped with bacon, so why not something called Pig Candy?

It comes from Bucky’s Barbecue and Bread, and they suggest that you serve it as an appetizer at your next Christmas party. Basically, it’s strips of bacon covered in dark brown sugar and cayenne, cooked in an over, grill or in a smoker.

I have this filed under “Appetizers” but I guess you could try it for breakfast too.

[via Serious Eats]

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Filed under: Recipes, Baking, Spices, Sugar, Holidays, Christmas

We’ve been baking cookies like crazy around these parts, all December long. I’m giving my rolling pin and baking sheets a break today and dipping into the archives to bring you some cookies from our archives.

Looking for a recipe that will look gorgeous on your buffet? These Cranberry-Cherry Icebox Ribbons are alternating stripes of red and white and are awfully nice to look at and will be tasty to boot.

Nicole’s Vanilla Cut-Out Cookies incorporate buttermilk for a soft consistency that isn’t cake-like. She also brought us Gingersnaps Two Ways last holiday season.

Want an easy, seasonal cookie? What about this Cranberry, Orange and Dark Chocolate Chip cookie? It’s a quick mixing drop cookie with a great taste.

For the chocolate lovers in the crowd, check out these Chocolate Peppermint Drops.

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Filed under: Web, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities

Hey, remember that show The Pick-up Artist, starring internationally recognized d-bag Mystery? Was one of your Christmas wishes to see the same kind of show, except this time on the internet, with lower production values, starring two has-been former Fox sitcom stars? Well start carving up the Christmas goose, because you just got your wish!

In a move that is sure to please lovers of both so-good-it’s-bad ironic entertainment and cautionary Hollywood tales, the AV Club is reporting that noted d-bag author of The Game, Neil Strauss, has released this set of promotional videos. In them, David Faustino and Corin Nemec team up to show just how good Strauss’s method for picking up chicks is by challenging each other to a “who can get the most telephone numbers” contest. A sample (NSFW) video after the jump…

Continue reading Parker Lewis and Bud Bundy lose what’s left of their dignity - VIDEO

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Britney Spears is obviously taking heed of the saying ‘Keep your friends close but your enemies closer’ after being spotted on a date with a paparazzo.

The pop princess partied the night away with a…

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Filed under: OpEd, Watercooler Talk, Celebrities, Talk Show

Dr. Phil McGraw has lost all credibility in my eyes. Not that he had a lot of credibility in my eyes to begin with, mind you — I have never been a fan of his down-home, pop psychology. However, his latest statements really put the capper on the fact that he doesn’t seem to know what he’s talking about.

During a holiday party in Beverly Hills this past weekend, Dr. Phil told People magazine that Lynne Spears, mother to Britney and recently pregnant, 16-year-old Jamie Lynn, is a “great and dedicated mother”. He admits that things aren’t looking up for her right now (ya think?), but McGraw adds that the Spears matriarch has her feet firmly on the ground and that she is turning to her faith for strength in this situation. In fact, Lynne told her friend Dr. Phil that they are turning to prayer to get past this all. No offense, but she must be praying nearly 24 hours a day.

Continue reading Dr. Phil says Lynne Spears is a great mother. No, really!

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Filed under: OpEd, Video, In the Limelight, Celebrities, Ugly Betty

Oh, Marc St. James, how are you so fabulous? Do your multiple layers of plaid infuse you with superstar powers? Does hanging around all the beautiful people of Ugly Betty automatically make you awesome by association? Ah, the real fabulous answer most likely lies in the fact that fabulous Marc is portrayed by the fabulous actor, Michael Urie.

It’s tough to shine on-screen when one’s partner is often the ultra-glamorous superstar Vanessa L. Williams, but Urie manages to hold his own just fine. Dare I say it, he even manages to outshine her every once in a while. I guess the folks at TLC saw something in him too, because he will soon be on the channel as the host of their new reality show, Miss America: Reality Check (premiering January).

Continue reading Michael Urie: In the Limelight - VIDEO

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Filed under: Videos and Screenshots

CyberConnect 2 is bringing their ninja skills to the PS3 with a currently unnamed Naruto project. The team has been responsible for the Ultimate Ninja series on PS2, which featured a surprisingly fun (and faithful) battle system that followed the events of the early half of the Naruto saga.

At Jump Festa, Namco Bandai unveiled a new trailer for their upcoming PS3 project. Unsurprisingly, it looks a lot like the Ubisoft-developed Xbox 360 Naruto game — although, we’re more than certain that the two will ultimately play quite differently from each other.

[Via NeoGAF]

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