Events and Gossips: December 2010

The world of fungi is diverse and mystifying. Some fungi are delicious fried up or tossed into an omelet, other fungi are sought after for their hallucinogenic properties, and some fungi are thought to be responsible for mass plagues - dancing fever anyone?

Allow me to introduce to you one of the more unusual members of Kingdom Fungi, the Bleeding Tooth Fungus, or Hydnellum peckii which goes by various names often referring to juice or blood. This fungus can be found in North America where it is more common in the Pacific Northwest and resides mostly in coniferous forests. The Bleeding Tooth also makes appearances in Europe and has recently been discovered in both Iran and Korea.

Upon a first glimpse of the bleeding tooth fungus, one may dismiss the ruby-red liquid as the blood of some poor forest creature splattered across the white mushroom cap. When inspected more closely, it becomes obvious that the fungus is oozing liquid through its own small pores. The liquid on most specimens does in fact resemble blood, but can also be light pink, yellow, orange or beige in color. Many describe the liquid as blood-like or juice-like; some may think it resembles liquid candy, (the kind sold in vials at the convenience store). Though not uncommon, many people appear stumped when encountering this unusual shroom out in the wild, as is evident in many forum posts and blogs questioning their sanity and asking simply: “What is this thing?” One would think that the existence of these perplexing fungi would be a hot topic during biology class, it’s hard to imagine a middle school biology teacher passing up the opportunity to gross out the students with bleeding mushrooms, but I could be wrong.

We are often taught not to eat or touch unusual things that grow wild, but the flashy Hydnellum peckii is not considered toxic to humans, just inedible. This unique mushroom obtains its “inedible” status due to the taste of its flesh and juice which are described as “acrid” or extremely bitter and “peppery.”

The aroma of this fungus is often described as being “unpleasant”. The juice itself contains a pigment called atromentin which has been discovered as having anticoagulant properties similar to heparin which is derived from the mucus membranes of slaughtered cattle and hogs. Scientists have also discovered the fungus contains antibiotic properties, effective against streptococcus pneumoniae. The mushroom can also be dried and transformed into a plant based dye for cloth, producing an earthy beige color. Useful as well as mysteriously repulsive, this little fungus is sure to be counted as one of your favorites, that is, once you get over the initial shock of it’s gruesome appearance.

1. Steve Carell

The funnyman had an awesome year -- he starred in three hit movies: Date Night (with Tina Fey), Dinner For Schmucks (with Paul Rudd) and the animated flick, Despicable Me. He has a great ability to make everyone in all age groups laugh till their bellies hurt, which is why we're so sad this year marks his last season as "World's Best Boss," Michael Scott on The Office. The show, and our Thursday nights, won't be the same without him.

2. Drake

You couldn't turn on the radio once this year without hearing a Drake song playing from the speakers. The 24-year-old rapper and Degrassi alum produced hit after hit after hit on his platinum album, Thank Me Later, as well as his collaborations with just about everyone in the game. He may already be ruling the airwaves this year, but we have a feeling there's much more Drake to come. We can't wait!

3. James Franco

We can't think of many actors who can carry a whole movie on their shoulders as its only star, but James Franco did just that this year in 127 Hours. He made history by creating a frenzy at Inside the Actor's Studio -- 250 extra people showed up to see the actor on the show, but were turned away -- and he was recently announced as the co-host of the 83rd Academy Awards with Anne Hathaway. Not a bad year, right?

4. Zach Galifianakis

Following the success of 2009’s The Hangover, Galifianakis appeared in Due Date with Robert Downey Jr., Dinner For Schmucks with Steve Carell, and It’s Kind of A Funny Story, along with his hilarious web series Between Two Ferns. Rumor has it Galifianakis was the one who got nasty rageaholic Mel Gibson fired from The Hangover 2. The blog Jezebel suspects his feelings about Gibson have something to do with his fabulous girlfriend Quinn Lundberg, who runs an NGO called Growing Voices, which works with victims of domestic violence. We’re glad to know that Galifianakis is truly the sweetheart of our dreams!

5. Geoffrey Canada

Geoffrey Canada has been making waves in New York City for a long time, but 2010 was an especially big year for him. The founder of the highly successful Harlem Children’s Zone was featured in this year’s buzzed-about documentary Waiting for Superman. Canada gets serious results: 90 percent of this year’s HCZ seniors were accepted to college. The program has proven to be so successful that President Barack Obama is adapting it for 20 other communities in the hopes that these “Promise Neighborhoods” can achieve equal results. Thank you, Mr. Canada, for putting America’s children first!

6. Sean Penn

Actor Sean Penn has never been one to hide his opinions, but he’s also willing to put his money where his mouth is. Penn spent much of 2010 in Haiti after the January earthquake, helping run a relief camp in Port-Au-Prince. While some celebs flitted in and out of the country for photo ops, Penn has been living in a tent, coordinating deliveries of supplies and aiding the relocation efforts. He even has the U.S. military standing behind him. “My politics are not in line with Sean Penn’s, but we are allied in trying to save lives and alleviate human suffering,” Major General Simeon Trombitas told Vanity Fair. “He is a doer and not a talker…and I respect that immensely.” To find out what you can do to help, check out J/P HRO, the NGO founded by Penn to help the relief efforts.

7. Conan O’Brien

We’re with Coco! Conan O’Brien had a tough 2010, but we think he will end the year better than ever. O’Brien took over The Tonight Show from Jay Leno in 2009, but after less than a year on the job, NBC brought Leno back to late-night and asked O’Brien to turn The Tonight Show into The Really Early Tomorrow Morning Show. O’Brien, clearly wounded, turned The Tonight Show over to Leno in February after a poignant final episode. Though the loss of O’Brien’s dream job was clearly devastating, his fans rallied around him in a viral movement that led to a new nickname for the ginger star and two smashing new gigs: the Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour and his TBS late-night show, Conan. Go Team Coco!

8. Tim Gunn

Do we love Project Runway god Tim Gunn because he says things like “What’s wrong with retailers these days? How many women are a size 6?” or because he publicly slammed the tiresome trio (“The Kardashians have an absence of taste”)? The answer is all of the above! We adore this man from head to toe.

9. Donovan McNabb

Sometimes it seems that professional athletes off the field are involved in nothing more than questionable sexual behavior, alcohol, speeding violations and infidelity. That's not the case with Donovan McNabb. The Washington Redskins quarterback has been a passionate advocate for diabetes patients for the past decade, since his father was diagnosed with the disorder in 2001. Today he runs the Donovan McNabb Fund, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the American Diabetes Association. And he's a supporter of women's sports as well: In 2008, McNabb and his wife Raquel made a donation to the women's basketball team at Syracuse University, their alma mater.

10. Yao Ming

Most really big guys -- like over 7 feet -- don't do that well in the NBA, butt 7'6", the Houston Rockets' Yao Ming, 30, is an exception. Even more amazing than Yao's ability is the help he's given to people both in China and here. Earlier this year, when the Chinese province of Qinghai was devastated by an earthquake, the Yao Ming Foundation provided more than 800,000 minutes of telephone time for people to call family in the region. He also made a video aimed at overcoming prejudice against AIDS sufferers in China, and he's stopped eating shark's fin soup as part of an environmental effort. He shoots ... he scores with us!

11. Nick Cannon

One of the happiest multitaskers around, Cannon, 30, hosts America's Got Talent. He also sings, acts, hosts a radio, is the chairman of TeenNickand of course, is married to diva Mariah Carey. Despite his crazy schedule, Cannon always seems relaxed and easygoing--the perfect match for Carey! The couple, who are about to become parents, suffered a miscarriage this year, and Carey wasn't sure if she wanted to make it public. But Cannon urged her to do it, saying, "Let's be positive about it." A good philosophy of life. Besides, he always refers to the pregnancy as "our pregnancy." Mariah's pretty lucky!

12. Jon Hamm

Kudos to a man who stuck with acting into his 40s before making it big. Jon Hamm’s portrayal of Don Draper on Mad Men has half the women of the free world fantasizing about being taken for a ride on the bad boy’s office desk. He’s as charming as he is good looking, which makes this actor a surefire contender for one of the men that stood out most in 2010. Something tells us Jon has the staying power to make this list again next year.

13. Jon Stewart

Jon Stewart is our favorite funnyman with an actual political voice. The Comedy Central talk show host attracted over 200,000 people to Washington D.C. this year at his "Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Fear." That’s not too shabby for a TV personality. But he’s so much more; Jon’s humor has captivated our hearts for over a decade. The fact that he made so many headlines this year only confirms our longtime adoration for him.

14. Edison Pena

Edison Pena, along with 32 other men, miraculously survived 69 days trapped in a Chilean mine that collapsed. While trapped, Edison was nicknamed “The Runner” because he would jog 2,300 feet in near darkness. Just weeks after being rescued, Edison was up for the challenge some people only dream about: running the New York City Marathon! Edison to complete the 26 mile race in 5 hours, 40 minutes, and 51 seconds.

15. Mark Zuckerberg

Being the inventor of Facebook is remarkable in and of itself. But Mark Zuckerberg isn't resting on his laurels. Although Mark had nothing to do with this year's blockbuster hit about his life, the 26-year-old billionaire does have a lot to do with charity. In 2010 he gave $100 million to the Newark school district and signed up for the Giving Pledge, an initiative set up by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, which asks signatories to commit to donating the majority of their wealth. As part of this commitment, Mark promises to give over half of his wealth away to charitable causes.

16. Chris Rock

Caustic comedy is his trademark, but Chris Rock showed a chivalrous side recently when he helped a woman whose water broke just a few feet from him, as she was about to step on an escalator. Rock, who'd been shopping in Neiman Marcus in New Jersey's Garden State Mall, ran to help the woman — and kept her and the crowd laughing until an ambulance arrived. Rock, who's won three Emmys, is well known for his biting commentary on class and race in the U.S. in shows like Bring the Pain. He also produced and starred in Good Hair, a sensitive, funny exploration of black women and political and social issues about their hair. He and his wife, Malaak Compton-Rock, have two daughters: Lola, 8; and Zahra, 6. With a house full of females, no wonder he's such a sensitive guy — offstage, anyway!

17. Gavin Rossdale

Kudos to singer/actor/all around hottie and Gwen Stefani’s husband, Gavin Rossdale, for calmly discussing his teenage sexual experimentation with the press and handling the ensuing bullying with grace. Gavin had a fling with transgender singer Marilyn ... so what? Gavin didn’t rise to the tabloids' jabs; he just went on with his life. And by simply doing so, he quietly let thousands of teens know it’s okay to take time to find yourself and not give in to bullies: cyber, print or otherwise.

18. Adam Lambert

Why’s this guy on the list of men we love in 2010? It’s not ‘cause we all covet his smoky eye look and pray he’ll give us tutorials. It’s not ‘cause he loves to shock audiences. It’s because of his heartfelt message that was included in the It Gets Better Project to bullied teens -straight and GLBT. This guy is a true American Idol.

19. Kanye West

Oh, Kanye. Mr. West took this year to recover from his little interruption incident with Taylor Swift (you haven't forgotten, have you?), and boy are we glad he did. West's months of travel and soul-searching led him to join Twitter, where he revealed he has a stellar sense of humor and a special dedication to his fans. He also directed a short film called Runaway and what may just be the best album of the year: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. We know we've forgiven Kanye West - now if only he'd hang out with us!

20. Robert Downey, Jr.

Robert Downey Jr. was the Lindsay Lohan of his generation. After turning his life around, he's now one of the biggest stars around. We loved him in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, Tropic Thunder, Iron Man and Iron Man 2, and are eagerly awaiting his cerebral sexiness in the second installment of Sherlock Holmes.