Pentagon visit ahead for veteran who's dance champ (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has invited soldier-turned-actor J.R. Martinez, winner of this season's "Dancing with the Stars" competition, to meet him at the Pentagon.

During a 10-minute telephone call Friday, Panetta told the dance champion he demonstrated the strength and resilience of wounded veterans, Pentagon spokesman Capt. John Kirby said.

Martinez credited his military training for his performance on the ABC show, Kirby said. Martinez and professional partner Karina Smirnoff bested fellow finalists Rob Kardashian and Ricki Lake in the finale broadcast Tuesday.

Martinez, 28, was severely burned over more than 40 percent of his body when the Humvee he was driving for the U.S. Army in Iraq struck a land mine in 2003. After dozens of operations during a nearly three-year recovery, Martinez became a motivational speaker and in 2008 won a role on the now-retired ABC soap opera "All My Children."

Details of Panetta's meeting with Martinez are being worked out.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/us/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111125/ap_on_en_tv/us_pentagon_dancing_with_the_stars

jenny mccarthy megatron richard simmons war of 1812 war of 1812 jeffrey eugenides jeffrey eugenides

Crapgadget: BFF Gemz dilute the notion of a best friend (video)

If you want a charm that hangs 'round your neck and glows whenever your friend Missy tells you she loves Justin Bieber, then eMotion Inc has the gadget for you. The BFF Gemz sends pre-written coded messages to pals up to 450 feet away, which they can access the next time they're at a computer. You can add up to eight best friends (the BFF currency devalued to Weimar proportions) and four more if you buy some GPA: Girl Power Average points. It's not entirely private: Mom and Pop will get a weekly email, listing who you're messaging, so if you swap notes with that gal from the wrong end of town you'd better stick to paper airplanes. Those curious to see what the kids might be clamoring for instead of a new cellphone, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Crapgadget: BFF Gemz dilute the notion of a best friend (video)

Crapgadget: BFF Gemz dilute the notion of a best friend (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 Nov 2011 18:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  BFF <3, FCC  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/cmSuWjhCSos/

real steel real steel iphone 4 cases dean ornish dean ornish yom kippur yom kippur