The McAfee Most Dangerous Celebrities^TM study found movie stars and models top the “most dangerous” list this year while politicians like Barack Obama and Sarah Palin are among the safest.

Cybercriminals often use the names of popular celebrities to lure people to sites that are actually laden with malicious software. Anyone looking for the latest videos or pictures could end up with a malware-ridden computer instead of just trendy content.

“This year, the search results for celebrities are safer than they’ve been in previous years, but there are still dangers when searching online,” said Dave Marcus, security researcher for McAfee Labs. “Through consumer education and tools, such as McAfee^® SiteAdvisor^® site ratings, consumers are getting smarter about searching online, yet cybercriminals are getting sneakier in their techniques. Now they’re hiding malicious content in ‘tiny’ places like shortened URLs that can spread virally in social networking sites and Twitter, instead of on websites and downloads.”

Cameron Diaz Searches Yield Ten Percent Chance of Landing on a Malicious Site

McAfee research found that searching for the latest Cameron Diaz pictures and downloads yields a ten percent chance of landing on a website that’s tested positive for online threats, such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware.

Fans searching for “Cameron Diaz” or “Cameron Diaz and downloads,” “Cameron Diaz and screen savers,” “Cameron Diaz and wallpaper,” “Cameron Diaz and photos” and “Cameron Diaz and videos” are at risk of running into online threats designed to steal personal information. Clicking on these risky sites and downloading files like photos, videos or screensavers exposes surfers or consumers to the risk of downloading the viruses and malware.

The study uses SiteAdvisor site ratings, which indicates which sites are risky to search for celebrity names on the Web and calculate an overall risk percentage. The top 10 celebrities from this year’s study with the highest percentages of risk are:

“Cybercriminals follow the same hot topics as consumers, and create traps based on the latest trends,” continued Marcus. “Whether you’re surfing the Web from your computer or your phone or clicking on links in Twitter about your favorite celeb, you should surf safely, and make sure you’re using the latest security software.”

Beware of Victoria’s Secret Beauties

Three of Victoria’s Secret top models are among the top ten this year. Searching for downloads of sexy Gisele Bündchen (#4), Adriana Lima (#6), and Heidi Klum (#9) can result in landing on a high percentage of risky sites.

Dangerous Athletes

Tennis stars Maria Sharapova and Andy Roddick came in at (#13) and (#14) respectively. Most of the risky sites were uncovered when searching for screensavers featuring these sexy athletes. David Beckham ranked (#29) and Tiger Woods ranked (#33) this year.

“Bieber Fever” is Not Dangerous

Teen sensation Justin Bieber ranked towards the bottom of the list at #46. This young star recently broke a YouTube record with more views than Lady Gaga (#37). Other young Hollywood stars like Miley Cyrus (#44) and Zac Efron (#40) were also relatively safe to search.

Obama and Palin at the Bottom of the Pack

President Barack Obama (#49) and Sarah Palin (#50) are not among the most risky personalities to search; they ranked in the bottom of this year’s results, moving even lower on the list compared to last year.

Source: Business Wire

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The other 2 issues are based on the guys’ top two concerns –Sex and Style.

Maxim India editor Vivek Pareek said: “Given this is Maxim’s first ever Luxury, Style & Sex issue, we dug deep and asked ourselves just one question: Who signifies luxury? Sushmita Sen was the obvious and ultimate choice. Also we are pretty clear that Maxim is the most prominent men’s magazine because we’re exactly like hot-blooded, with-it Indian guys. We make no excuses for who we are. We’re proud of our roots, but we’re globally-relevant. We’re aware of the environment we live in and we live life the way it was meant to be lived – work hard, party harder, laugh out loud, outgrow the unpleasantness and celebrate the positives.”

Source: MAXIM India

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Fans, tourists, and onlookers burst into cheers as Sharapova was introduced by celebrity MC Quddus on a specially constructed stage where Maria unveiled her new advertising campaign for Cole Haan.

“Everyone loves Maria. It’s great to be working with her and adding a new dimension to Cole Haan’s history,” states Jim Seuss, Chief Executive Officer.

Children from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center’s Junior Tennis Development Program, New York Junior Tennis League, and the City Parks Foundation were thrilled to meet their tennis icon.

Sharapova’s collaboration with Cole Haan began with sketches, mood boards, and inspirations from the tennis star. Maria’s on-the-go, international lifestyle inspired this chic collection. Maria infused aspects of her playful personality into every detail of the line from the polished buckles of the shoes, to the leather wrapped chain straps of the handbags.

“It’s my hope that other young women will embrace the spirit of the collection; it’s fun, chic, fashionable and most importantly, able to take you from day to night,” says Sharapova.

Source: Cole Haan

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How People Arrived Here:

cole haan sharapova, maria sharapova, picture maria sharapova fashion on court

In the current issue of The Mag, Sharapova details how she would fix women’s tennis, and shows readers what she did while rehabbing her shoulder for eight months. In addition, she dispenses life advice to fellow jocks, and gives a NFL-caliber makeover to rookie QB Matthew Stafford. Check out video of Sharapova and Stafford here.

Sharapova on changing women’s tennis:

* “The players’ lounge isn’t a nightclub, either. It’s hard to get ready for a match when there’s a bleached-out blonde in six-inch stilettos and a denim miniskirt hanging out. Who is this person, and why is she here?”
* “Limit on-court injury timeouts to two per season. I’ve asked for a trainer twice in my career, but I’ve played against girls who call for an injury timeout in every match. They’re just buying time; it’s laughable.”

Sharapova on Stafford:

“I could tell (Matthew Stafford) felt a little weird about being fussed over, for good reason: when he took off his jeans, I noticed his boxers. The new face of a franchise, maybe a league, in boxers?! ‘C’mon, Matthew,’ I said. ‘Brady wouldn’t be caught dead in those.’”

Source: Business Wire

Net News Publisher for World News

The US publication, known for its rankings of wealthiest persons across the world, has named these Bollywood stars among ten celebrities adding star-power to mobile phones.

The two Khans and the junior Bachchan have been joined by two international sport stars Maria Sharapova and David Beckham, four singers Usher, Fergie, Rain and Andy Lau and race car driver Danica Patrick in the ‘Ten Celebs and Their Cells’ list published on the Forbes website.

“Once upon a time, perfume and designer jean makers were the ones who relied on celebrities to add a bit of star-dust glamor to their products. Add to that list, now, mobile phone makers,” the report said.

While Shah Rukh endorses mobile phones made by Nokia, the world’s biggest cellphone maker, Abhishek and Aimer are brand ambassadors for Motorola and Samsung phones respectively.

Among other celebrities, Russian tennis player Maria Sharapova endorses Sony Ericsson phones, while soccer star David Beckham is a brand ambassador for Motorola RAZR2 phone.

Forbes said the ten celebrities are “some of the big ones who want you to join their hand held club.”

“As nearly everyone on the planet seems to have a cellphone, device makers must work harder to win new customers. Cool designs and low prices help, of course. But so do celebrities. That’s led phone makers to recruit some A-listers from Usher to David Beckham to lend an ear– and a smile– to selling cellphones,” it added

Originally posted and written for OurBollywood.com

This post is licensed under a Creative Commons License.

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On December 30, Sharapova will play an exhibition tennis match against fellow Russian Anna Chakvetadze. During her first-ever trip to Singapore, the Russian tennis star will stay at the presidential suite at the riverside Fullerton Hotel worth $4,745 per night.

“Since there’s an interest for products that Sharapova will use during her stay here, we want to do this tastefully,” organizer Jerry Goh said.

Items on sale include a swimming suit, towels, slippers, pillow cases and bed linen. The official did not say whether they will be washed or unwashed.

The proceeds from the sale will go to charity, the media said.

However, Goh disappointed Sharapova’s fans, by saying: “So no toilet seats or covers will be offered for auction.”

Sharapova, 20, the former Wimbledon and U.S. Open champion, was named the world’s highest paid female athlete last year with estimated earnings of $25 million and the second most searched for sporting name on Yahoo’s Internet search engine in 2007.

Source RIA Novosti

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