PopEater

What do you get when you take the daughter of Washington state barley farmers, dress her up fancy and send her to the Screen Actors Guild Awards with her Outstanding Drama Performance-nominated cast mates? If the farm girl in question is Mariana Kleveno of 'True Blood,' you get a charming, hard-working actress who quit her job waiting tables only months ago - despite snagging the role of Lorena, one of the major players in the upcoming season of the hit HBO vampire drama.

"I was still working at a restaurant right up until season two of 'True Blood,'" the lovely Kleveno told PopEater in an exclusive interview. "I was still working at a restaurant right up until season two of 'True Blood'. I held onto the job for a long time and it was what grounded me that I was a struggling, starving actress, and I didn't want to cut the security cord quite yet."

Louis Gossett Jr., best known for his Oscar-winning performance in the 1982 movie 'An Officer and a Gentleman,' is reportedly fighting the early stages of prostate cancer.

According to the Los Angeles-based KTLA, the 73-year-old actor went public with his illness today. The reason: to "set an example for the large number of African-American men who are victims of this disease because of the comparatively low emphasis in our community on preventative examinations and early treatment."

When you think about it, the corporate environment is kind of a weird place. Socially, it almost works like a miniature version of society as a whole. In other words: Anyone who is positioned in the upper levels of management hierarchy is, in that particular company, treated like a celebrity.

Let's say the head honcho's name is -- as in the case of Sunday night's premiere of 'Undercover Boss'; featuring the Waste Management CEO posing as a regular employee -- Larry O'Donnell. "Did you hear?" Co-workers will gab, "Larry O'Donnell is visiting today," followed by a sense of excitement and anxiety. It's not just that it's their boss. No, it's mostly because it's the guy they've seen in those corporate videos explaining the new employee referral policy. And in the eyes of that particular company, a celebrity. (I've seen it in person! At a company I worked for right after college, I witnessed an employee ask a member of upper management for an autograph.) But to us, the people not in that particular company, Larry O'Donnell is not a celebrity; no different than the guy on the corner selling hot dogs or the lady I spoke to today to dispute a credit card charge. Now, thanks to CBS's 'Undercover Boss,' that's no longer the case. Now these company big wigs are on network television... and there's a lot not right about that.

It seems everywhere you turn these days, you will inevitably encounter the ever-changing face of Lady Gaga. She is kind of like those Geico commercials-- she's always watching you! With Gaga dominating the world's radio, TV and Internet channels, U.S. based artist Craig Gleason has immortalized the pop phenom's visage on U.S. currency -- and the results are rich to say the least. Gleason has transformed our founding father George Washington with hair bows, lace crowns and plenty of giant sunglasses. Check them out after the jump.

While we were shocked when Simon Cowell announced his 'American Idol' departure, we were not prepared for Howard Stern to throw his hat in the ring to be considered for Cowell's old gig. At first, we thought Stern might be joking about his 'Idol' interest, but after bringing it up on his show two days in a row, it's time to consider the pros and cons of a Stern/'Idol' pairing. Entertainment Weekly Senior Writer and resident 'Idol' expert Michael Slezak likens Stern on 'Idol' to combining chocolate with cheeseburgers. "They're two great tastes," Slezak tells PopEater. "But I don't necessarily know you'd want them together. They're very popular, but I think there's a reason McDonald's has never offered a chocolate-dipped cheeseburger. I think Howard Stern and 'American Idol' are pretty much a chocolate cheeseburger." Can America handle a chocolate, Stern/'Idol' cheeseburger? Vote after the jump.

Everyone has celebrity crushes, and our loyal PopEater fans on Facebook and Twitter were not shy about revealing which stars they'd love to be with on Valentine's Day. The women's top picks included Johnny Depp, Gerard Butler, Robert Pattinson and (surprisingly) Donnie Wahlberg! Watch out boys. On the other hand, men were more skewed and picked everyone from Zooey Deschanel and Britney Spears to the 'Poker Face' singer herself, Lady Gaga. (Okay, even we would love to be a fly on the wall for that date -- just to see what outrageous outfit the pop phenom would wear.) So, do you agree or disagree with these picks? Join the ongoing discussion on PopEater's Facebook.

Irish pop band The Script was recently on tour, and they were happy to spill the secrets of their behind-the-scenes shenanigans with PopEater readers.

Check out the exclusive video diary for details on their first major American tour - and come back for the next six installments. Episode 2 of The Script Video Diary arrives February 12.