Ravens cheerleader: I got benched from Super Bowl for weight gain

While the celebrated career of star linebacker Ray Lewis is coming to an end with plenty of fanfare, there is one retiring veteran of the Baltimore Ravens organization who will not be on the sideline for Sunday’s Super Bowl.

Courtney Lenz, 23, a five-year member of the Ravens’ cheerleading squad, has not been invited to New Orleans to participate in the Super Bowl for what she believes is retaliation for a minor weight gain during the season. By NFL rule, the Ravens had to choose 32 members of their 60-member cheerleading team to cheer at the Super Bowl, and Lenz was the only veteran of three or more years who did not make the cut. Her supporters have created a Facebook page and an online petition requesting that she be reinstated, the latter of which had received more than 18,000 signatures by Thursday morning. 

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“(The Ravens) said that I had quote-unquote ‘a rough year,’’’ Lenz told Access Hollywood Wednesday night. “I’d been benched earlier in the season for a little bit of a weight gain. We do get weighed every week during the season, and you can’t fluctuate at all. I gained, I think it was 1.8 pounds.”

She said she was benched for weighing 125.4 pounds after weighing 124 for most of the season and that the organization wanted her to get down to 120 pounds. Lenz, who announced she was retiring at Baltimore’s final home game in the regular season, was not given a particular reason for why she was not included in the group that will cheer at the Super Bowl.

 

“They didn’t specifically say that (I was disqualified for weight gain), but when it comes down to it, that’s the only disciplinary action I had during the year,'' she said. "I got benched because of my weight, and they said that was the reason. Anybody that had disciplinary action taken during the season was automatically disqualified. However, there are some girls on the team that were also benched for their weight and are going.

“They just aren’t consistent and it isn’t fair, and that’s why I brought this to the attention of the fans because what they’re doing isn’t right.”

“Our selection process was based upon three criteria: seniority, performance ability and personal conduct throughout the season,'' Ravens spokeswoman Heather Harness said in a statement. "As much as we would like to take the whole team, we are unable to do so, due to parameters set by the NFL.’’

The online petition, created by Ravens fan Debbie Kammerer, 52, of Pasadena, Md., also alleges that Lenz was denied for failing to make enough public appearances for the organization in addition to her weight gain.

“She was told she didn't put in as many appearance hours this season as she did the past 4 yrs while in college,’’ Kammerer wrote in the petition. “This season she earned her B.S. degree and got a full time job... Bad call. They also stated she struggled with weight on occasion & she had been benched for a 2 lb weight gain during a game earlier in the fall, which is absurd, unhealthy and a complete inaccurate measurement of a woman's ‘appearance’ and size!”

Lenz started her cheering career for the Ravens as an 18-year-old college student, but decided to retire after this season because of the demands of trying to juggle her full-time job in marketing with her cheerleading obligations.

Miley Cyrus Shocks Again With Racy New Cosmo Cover

Miley does Cosmo. (Matthias Vriens-McGrath)Miley Cyrus strikes again!

Just when we think she can’t shock us anymore, she outdoes herself. The 20-year-old former Disney star is rocking the March cover of Cosmopolitan in nothing more than a white blazer and low-slung white pants … and no shirt or bra.
See More From The Miley Cyrus Story in Cosmopolitan
Add this racy look to the plethora of things the “Can’t Be Tamed” singer has done to raise eyebrows over the years: the risqué clothing, provocative photos, drug dalliances, that haircut, and her shocking engagement to Liam Hemsworth at the age of 19. But not only does she not care what we think, Cyrus has zero regrets over how it all went down.
"Some of the worst things that have happened in my career, like things getting leaked, have actually been what's best for me, because people knew when I was on [‘Hannah Montana’] that I was really growing up,” she tells the magazine. “I never faked anything. I never played the Disney game of smiling and being a princess and then suddenly having a hard time, saying, ‘That isn't who I really am.’”
Miley Cyrus’ Best Looks Of All Time
That same attitude is being applied as she plans her upcoming wedding to the “Hunger Games” actor, who popped the question last May with a 3.5-carat ring. Don’t expect it to be a big “who’s who in Hollywood” kind of ordeal, like Kim Kardashian’s $10 million fiasco.
“I feel the bigger the wedding, the more it becomes a target for people to ruin,” says Cyrus. “So we just want it to be small, with the people who we’d take bullets for. I don’t want to be looking at those photos and see people that I wish hadn’t been there. C’mon, I can’t even get coffee without a million paparazzi following me, so I don’t know why anyone thinks I’m going to have this huge, extravagant wedding. That is so not who I am."
Over-The-Top Celeb Engagement Rings

(Matthias Vriens-McGrath)(Matthias Vriens-McGrath)

Regardless of the kind of wedding they have, Cyrus already considers Hemsworth “her hubby,” which she let slip during the interview while describing how awestruck she still is by his good looks, four years after they met during the filming of “The Last Song.”
“I’ll literally look at him and be like ‘You are hot, dear God!’” she gushes to Cosmo. “The other day, I turned on the pool heater and it was steaming, and he walked outside and took off his clothes and jumped in the pool. I was like, ‘I’m gonna faint – the hottest guy of my life is in a steaming pool. This looks like a Playgirl shoot.’ So I took a photo and made it my background on my phone and was like, ‘Who’s that? He is so hot!’ That’s my hubby.”
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Although Cyrus continues to have both acting and music careers, she insists that her husband-to-be remains her top priority. “Number one is my relationship with Liam,” says Cyrus, whose fourth album, a blend of hip-hop and metal featuring Mary J. Blige and Tyler the Creator, is set to be released very soon. “That’s what I feel the most confident in because you never know; there’s so much hype behind my new record, but it could come out and, worst-case scenario, everyone f--king hates it.”
Shocking Celebs Who Look Exactly Alike

And as for her competition, Cyrus isn’t looking to leave them in her dust on the charts. “Katy Perry’s been my friend for f--king five years, and I’m not ever gonna let our work get between that relationship,” she insists. “If Katy sticks with being Katy, and Ke$ha is Ke$ha, and Rihanna is Rihanna, and I’m me, there’s room for everybody.”
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Vanilla Ice Reveals How He Got His Name

Vanilla Ice returns to TV. (DIY Network)Whether showing off one of the houses he's renovated on his DIY Network show "The Vanilla Ice Project" or rapping onstage to his mega-hit "Ice Ice Baby," Rob Van Winkle is always known as Vanilla Ice.

The 45-year-old explains to omg! that the moniker was not chosen, but given to him by friends. In fact, he didn't want it to stick!
"I used to break dance at 14 years old and at first I was just called Vanilla, because of my complexion. I was the only white kid in my neighborhood that was doing it," he says. "The ice came from a dance move I had that looked like I was sliding on ice. It was a very painful move, because I would have to be on kind of my head, the side of my ear, and shoulder, but if I had a beanie hat on it would work, but without it, you'd scrape the side of your ear and the side of your face."
[Related: Vanilla Ice Co-Stars in Adam Sandler's 'That's My Boy']
"Everybody loved this move that I invented in front of a mirror at my house," Ice says with a laugh. "And everybody kept saying 'Yo Vanilla, do the Ice!' And I hated it. I hated the name at first, and now I love it."

Remember this version of Vanilla Ice? (Walter Iooss Jr/Getty Images)

The musician has come to embrace his name, just like he has his totally awesome '90s past. At concerts, where he continues to bill himself as Vanilla Ice, he regularly performs his monster hit, even though he's released half a dozen hip-hop albums since the decade he's most known for ended.
Surprisingly, though, the tune isn't the biggest crowd pleaser!


"Of course, we take them back to the old school with 'Ice Ice Baby,' but I'm telling ya, these people, most of them grew up with the 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,' so they love the 'Ninja Rap!" Ice says, referring to his song from the 1991 movie "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze." "They come to the concerts dressed up like Ninja Turtles all the time."
Two of Ice's young fans are his teen daughters, Dusti Rain and KeeLee Breeze.
"They love it. They come on stage with me. They know every word," says Ice, who's been married to wife Laura for 15 years. "They sing with me."
When he isn't hitting the stage, the reality star is working on the show that grew out of his longtime hobby of turning lackluster houses into luxe pads. He and his team just completed work on the Palm Beach, Florida, house that will serve as the focus of the show's new season, which premieres Sunday, January 27.
[Related: Flipping Houses as Lucrative as Making Music for Vanilla Ice]
"For Season 3, I've got a Tahitian theme in this mansion that's been sitting for seven years, rotting, and we went from zero to hero at this house," he gushes. "It's like the most romantic house I've ever made — it's unbelievable."
The house features a sunset view, a master bathroom with all the luxuries of a spa, and — for that one extreme element — a "human slingshot" that propels the rider into a lake.

Ice is launching a new season. (DIY Network)Vanilla Ice poses with his wife Laura. (Larry Marano/Getty Images)

Ice is so passionate about his work that he's even launched his own Vanilla Ice lighting line of chandeliers and sconces. One piece is already available exclusively through Capitol Lighting, and he's working on a second design now, he notes.
"It's one of the greatest upgrades in a house that you can do … the lighting," he says.
Catch more of Vanilla Ice’s home design tips pn his show “The Vanilla Ice Project” on Sundays at 10 p.m. ET/PT on the DIY Network and on his new special “Ice My House.” Check local listings for times.

Blog Topics Word of the Day

Put all of your compassionate energy to good use today by offering aid to those in need. You don't have to hop on a plane to a third world country -- there are plenty of people right in your own little corner of the world who could use your help. You know, right now, there's someone in your life who could use a hand with a work project, a home repair, a relationship problem, or maybe even help moving into a new home! Offer to lend a hand to this person at some point today. 

Calvin C. Coleman......

Sheryl Crow Speaks Out About Lance Armstrong’s Doping Confession: ‘Honesty Is Always the Best Bet’

Sheryl Crow (Getty Images)It was only a matter of time before Sheryl Crow was going to have to publicly address Lance Armstrong’s doping confession – and that moment came in a new interview with “Entertainment Tonight.”

As one would expect, the 50-year-old didn’t seem all that eager to discuss her controversial ex-fiancé, whom she dated from 2003 to 2006 and didn’t stay in touch with after their split. But the “First Cut Is the Deepest” singer addressed the cyclist’s admission to Oprah Winfrey last week that he cheated to help win a record-setting seven Tour de France titles.

[Related: Memorable Quotes From Part 1 andPart 2 of Lance Armstrong's Interview With Oprah Winfrey]

"I think that honesty is always the best bet and that the truth will set you free," Crow said to “ET”in an interview that airs Tuesday. “It must be really hard walk around knowing you are not telling the truth about something. So I always contend that the truth is the best way to go.”

Crow, who was promoting her upcoming gig as a guest mentor on “The Voice,” noted that she watched “bits and pieces” of Armstrong’s interview with Winfrey. She also said, “To carry around a weight like that would be devastating in the long run.”

Crow famously dated Armstrong after he split from his wife, Kristin, and was by his side during his last two Tour wins. While it remains unclear about exactly how much Crow knew about Armstrong’s cheating, she reportedly was interviewed during the federal investigation into Armstrong’s doping activity and shared information she was privy to.

Crow with Lance Armstrong and three of his children at the 2005 Tour de France.

During an interview with Katie Couric in September, after Armstrong was stripped of his titles but before he finally confessed, Crow – who is now a single mom of two adopted sons – said that his fall from grace was difficult to watch.

“I know how hard he worked to win those titles, and you know, it was hard to watch,” Sheryl admitted on “Katie.” “I felt bad. I felt bad for him, I felt bad for his family, and I kinda felt like the rest of America. He is a hero that we watched and looked up to and admire.”

Kim Kardashian Defying Kris Jenner By Tweeting Baby’s First Pic — Report

Instead of cashing in on her first baby pics, pregnant Kim K reportedly wants to defy her momager — and release the first photos of her and boyfriend Kanye West’s baby on her own terms! Do you think Kim will sell her baby pics?

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West‘s baby is sure to draw a lot of lucrative offers for the first pics — they already turned down down an offer for $3 million from an overseas tabloid — but a new report alleges that Kim is going against her momagerKris Jenner and won’t even sell the first photos of her baby!

A source close to Kim told the New York Daily News that it’s Kim’s money hungry mom and manager Kris who is more interested in selling the first baby photos for money.

Kim Kardashian More Private Thanks To Boyfriend Kanye West

“Kim isn’t going to sell the pics. She’s not interested in doing that at all,” the source told the newspaper.

Ever since dating Kanye — who is super private like his pals Beyonce and Jay-Z — Kim has changed her priorities.

“Kris is the one who wants to make money, but Kanye has changed Kim so much. He’s not interested in doing any of that. He did one episode of her show and he’s not coming back on,” the source added. ”He’s not ever shown on Kourtney & Kim Take Miami. It’s just not good for his image and he’s way more private than Kim.”

Kim Kardashian: How She’ll Reveal Her First Baby Photo

The source added that Kim will probably release photos of her and Kanye’s baby on her own terms.

“She will tweet out the baby pic or do something like that,” the source said.

What do YOU think of the new report HollyMoms? Do YOU think Kim and Kanye will sell their baby pics, or keep them more private like Jay-Z and Beyonce? Let us know in the comments below!