Kathy Landin

The Elf on the Shelf—whether you find him cute, annoying or somewhere in between, he's everywhere these days, making the holiday season even more complicated for parents. We did a little investigating on this elusive creature that has become a phenomenon, and discovered a few things we didn't expect.

Tonight (July 22) Selena Gomez received the best birthday gift ever. During the 2012 Teen Choice Awards, Selena Gomez and the Scene won Choice Music Group, as voted on by more than a million of America’s teens. The newest choice of America’s teens beat out LMFAO, the Wanted, Lady Antebellum and Gym Class Heroes for the honor of taking home a shiny surfboard.

Wake up. Sound the alarms. Father’s Day is on Sunday. It seems like we talk about Mother’s Day for a month before it actually happens, but Father’s Day just sneaks up on us every year. If this has happened to you and you aren’t prepared with a gift, it’s not too late.

Even though you love your kids dearly and want to spend time with them, the months that kids are out of school can be the longest of the year for any parent. The key to a peaceful summer household is keeping the kids busy and entertained.

It turns out that the strange color of Ooompa Loompa orange that Lindsay Lohan’s skin has turned doesn’t happen naturally. It also doesn’t happen for free. Poor orange LiLo is having trouble with the court again, this time over a tanning bill.

The service men and women of our country make huge sacrifices to fight battles on our behalf and keep the freedoms we hold dear. One of those sacrifices is being away from their families and loved ones for long periods of time. The only thing that makes this sacrifice bearable for most is the incredible sweetness of coming home, even if it is only for a short leave.

For the superstars on ‘Duets,’ the challenge is not only finding someone with some singing chops, but also finding that person whose vocal and personal chemistry blends easily with theirs. Robin Thicke must have had his ears on during his auditions because he found an incomparable voice in Alexis Foster.

Our pets are important to us, and a lot of times, we’ll consider whether a potential mate is a cat or dog person before we take the relationship to the next level. And, for almost everyone, whether or not your significant other gets along with your pets can be a deal breaker. But would you expect cats to be at the root of this couple’s divorce?

As Memorial Day opens the gate to summer, we all begin to plan our outdoor activities. Most of us will find a reason to get outside for the long weekend and enjoy food, friends, family and some delicious beverages. And really, it wouldn’t be a summer holiday without some grilling.

We’ve all done it. We buy a small bag of groceries at the store to donate to a food bank. We bring toys for the tots. We buy some gloves and a scarf to put on a tree for a needy child. But few of us have done what Rankin Paynter did for his Clark County community.

With the popularity of eBay and craigslist, it has become very easy to get great deals on “gently used” items without leaving the comfort of your home, but as the weather warms up, we can’t deny that there is just something much more exciting about finding those great deals while on the hunt at garage sales all over town.

When you go to Arby’s you expect to get finger food like, say, tater tots with horsey sauce. What you don’t expect is to be served an actual finger. But, a human finger is exactly what one kid got in his junior roast beef sandwich.