Kansas City gas prices: A wild wide in the month of May

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Gas prices went down almost two cents in Kansas City, Mo., Friday, a 12th consecutive drop, but still marked the end to a wild month of painful trips to the pump for millions of drivers here and across the country.

When viewed through the nozzle of your ride to work and school, the first day of the month seems like a long time ago.

A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline cost $3.2634 on the Missouri side of the metro on May 1, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge Report. Drivers in Kansas City, Kan., as always, were paying a little more, $3.363o. Both were a considerable amount under the pace of the national average of $3.5221.

Blake Shelton raises funds for Oklahoma with all-star line-up

Singers MIRANDA LAMBERT, REBA McENTIRE and USHER joined forces with BLAKE SHELTON on Wednesday night (29May13) to help raise funds for the tornado recovery effort in his native Oklahoma.

The Honey Bee hitmaker leaped into action last week (begs20May13) to organize the televised Healing in the Heartland: Relief Benefit Concert after a twister ripped through the state, devastating the city of Moore and leaving at least 24 people dead.

Shelton got proceedings at the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City underway with a touching rendition of God Gave Me You, followed by performances from Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts, Luke Bryan and OneRepublic's Ryan Tedder.

Zosia Mamet launches Kickstarter campaign

GIRLS star ZOSIA MAMET has launched a campaign on Kickstarter.com to fund her debut music video.

The actress and her sister Clara perform as The Cabin Sisters, and the siblings are seeking fan donations to cover the costs of the promo for their track Bleak Love.

The pair is looking to raise at least $32,000 for the video by 9 June (13), and they are offering rewards such as T-shirts and lyric sheets to donors.

Actress Candice Accola engaged

Actress CANDICE ACCOLA is engaged to marry THE FRAY guitarist JOE KING.

The musician proposed to The Vampire Diaries star during a vacation in Florence, Italy earlier this month (May13) and the pair took to Instagram.com on Wednesday (29May13) to announce the romantic news.

King posted a picture of his new fiancee flashing her engagement ring and declared, "I'm a lucky man", while Accola uploaded a snap of the pair cuddling and added, "Cheers from the future Mr.&Mrs. Joseph Aaron King."

Her TV co-star Nina Dobrev, who recently split from longtime boyfriend and castmate Ian Somerhalder, was quick to send her congratulations, writing on her Twitter.com page, "Dying right now! So excited/thrilled/happy/hyperventilating over your engagement! Match made in heaven!"

Shia LaBeouf still makes sure his first agent gets paid

Generous SHIA LaBEOUF still makes sure the aged agent who gave him his first big break gets a cut of his movie pay cheques.

Retired Teresa Dahlquist, who has launched a new reality TV show with her sisters on Oprah Winfrey's TV network OWN, has revealed she signed on to represent the Transformers star when he was an 11-year-old hopeful.

She tells news show Access Hollywood, "He called me on the phone at 7.30 in the morning and said, 'I need an agent!' He found me in the Yellow Pages (phone book)... I saw right away that he was unbelievable."

Justin Bieber delights Travis Barker's daughter with special visit

Pop star JUSTIN BIEBER is under police investigation for allegedly driving his sports car at dangerously fast speeds inside the confines of his private gated community over the last few days.

Police responded to two separate calls from residents of the exclusive The Oaks compound in Calabasas, California claiming the Baby hitmaker was driving his Ferrari at breakneck speeds in the vicinity of at least one child playing.

Los Angeles Country Sheriff spokesman Steve Whitmore tells TMZ.com the callers reported Bieber was driving at a "startling high rate of speed" and the singer refused to speak to the cops who went to the star's house to investigate.

Rihanna's stylist completes fashion series panel

RIHANNA has hired her personal stylist and tour wardrobe master MEL OTTENBERG as the final judge on her new reality TV show STYLED TO ROCK.

Ottenberg will join Pharrell Williams and model/designer Erin Wasson on Style Network's new competition series, which debuted in the U.K. last year (12).

Rihanna, who will serve as executive producer of the show, says, "Mel and I have such a similar aesthetic. It's as if he can read my mind sometimes. I love his attention to detail and all the research he does for every look. He is more than a stylist. He is an artist."

Will Smith staged 'reality check' dinner for Tyrese Gibson

TRANSFORMERS director MICHAEL BAY called in pal WILL SMITH to share a few words of wisdom with his star TYRESE GIBSON after the actor/singer made a series of errors on the set of his blockbuster.

Gibson refuses to go into detail about what he did to upset the moviemaker, but it led to a tense dinner table showdown with Smith, during which the Men in Black star lectured his protege on how to make it Hollywood.

The Fast & the Furious 6 star tells news show Access Hollywood, "The first dinner that me and Will had, I called it the reality check dinner... I probably ran from the dinner table about 15 times during this conversation because he was dropping such heavy jewels (of wisdom) on me. It was crazy.

Zach Galifianakis skips Sugarloaf Mountain press conference over fear of heights

THE HANGOVER star ZACH GALIFIANAKIS pulled out of a press conference in Brazil after he found out the event would take place at a venue on the ascent to the country's famous Sugarloaf Mountain.

The funnyman was due to join his castmates, including Bradley Cooper and Ed Helms, for a junket to promote the third installment in the comedy franchise in Rio de Janeiro this week (beg27May13).

However, Galifianakis decided to skip the event after he found out the Morro da Urca site, where the press conference was held, is 220 metres (722 feet) above ground on the ascent to Sugarloaf Mountain and can only be reached by cable car.

Mermaids do not exist, U.S. government agency confirms

(CNN) - One of John Athanson's earliest memories is seeing mermaids at Weeki Wachee Springs, the "City of Live Mermaids."

Today, the 47-year-old is the public relations manager for Weeki Wachee Springs State Park, and has been for 10 years.

The park north of Tampa, Florida, hosts shows year-round involving women dressed as mermaids. It bills itself as "a magical entrance into a mysterious blue underwater world of mermaids, manatees, turtles and bubbles."

"If you ask me, (mermaids) do exist," Athanson said Thursday. "They exist, and they exist right here in Weeki Wachee."

He was responding to the U.S. government's fresh announcement to the contrary.

Mermaids do NOT exist, agency assures Americans after TV show prompts questions from viewers

The question as to whether mermaids are real or not was recently put to rest as a U.S. scientific agency confirmed the sea creatures do not exist.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have confirmed that there is no evidence that the half-human, half-fish beings are a genuine living species.

The agency made a statement last week clarifying that the sea species is not real after they received a few calls following a fictional Animal Planet show called Mermaids: The Body Found that confused some viewers as fact.

Channing Tatum: "I Fluctuate About 25-30 Pounds Between Movies"

Jenna Dewan-Tatum isn't the only one eating for two! In the July issue of Cosmopolitan, the pregnant actress' husband Channing Tatum admits he's also got a healthy appetite. "I'm a fat kid on the inside," the White House Down actor reveals. "I love food so much, and I fluctuate about 25-30 pounds between movies."

Though Tatum is currently filming Jupiter Ascending in London (where his wife will give birth to their firstborn child any day), the 33-year-old star jokes that he'd like to find a project that requires less exercise.

"I feel like I have to do a chess movie that requires very little movement at some point, just so I can eat pizza and play chess on the beach all day," Tatum says. "And then eat more pizza and cheeseburgers and drink beer. That'd be amazing. I'd give anything for that. I gotta figure that movie out!"

Kristen Bell, Dax Shepard Share First Glimpse of Baby Daughter Lincoln: Picture

Finally, baby Lincoln's debut! After welcoming their first child on March 28,Kristen Bell and fiance Dax Shepard were photographed for the first time stepping out with their baby girl on Thursday, May 30. 

The new parents were spotted taking little Lincoln to a doctor's appointment together in Beverly Hills. Dad Shepard, 38, carried his adorable daughter in her car seat, where she was resting comfortably under a blanket.

Write a Fashion Police Caption for Vanessa Hudgens

Think you have what it takes to be an Us Top Cop?

Write a snippy one-liner for this photo of Vanessa Hudgens. If you want your joke to appear in a copy of Us Weekly, please leave your full name in your comment.

Andre 3000's Mother Dies One Day After Outkast Rapper's Birthday

Andre "3000" Benjamin's mother passed away in her sleep on Tuesday, May 28, just one day after the hip-hop star's 38th birthday. The Outkast rapper's fans and famous friends in the music community came forward with an outpouring of love and support on Twitter immediately following the news of Sharon Benjamin-Hodo's death.

"Prayers for Andre 3000," Russell Simmons tweeted one day later.

Ryan Lochte Dumped by Girlfriend Over the Phone

In some situations, even Ryan Lochte doesn't know what to do. During the talked-about May 26 episode of his E! reality series, What Would Ryan Lochte Do? the Olympic swimmer, 28, got a surprising phone call while out to dinner with his guy friends.

Noticing that it was his long distance on-and-off girlfriend of four years, Jaimee Hollier, Lochte said he felt compelled to answer it.

"I don't know why, but there's just something in me that was saying, 'Pick it up,'" he recalled in an on-camera interview afterwards.

Newly Single Kristen Stewart Steps Out With Friends in L.A.

--Newly single Kristen Stewart having lunch with two girlfriends at Hyperion Public in L.A.'s Silverlake neighborhood.

--Kid Cudi dancing on his table to Michael Jackson songs at Tequila Taco Tavern AYCHIWOWA in Chicago.

--Sophia Bush sipping Veev cocktails by the pool at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

--Jake Gyllenhaal grabbing some juice at One Lucky Duck in NYC.

David Beckham, Daughter Harper Caught on Kiss Cam at Los Angeles Kings Game

Cutest Kiss Cam moment ever! At the Los Angeles Kings playoff game on Tuesday, May 27, David Beckham's adorable 22-month-old daughter Harper stole the show.

The father-daughter duo were caught on the Kiss Cam together, and Harper's reaction was priceless. The 38-year-old retired soccer player gave his baby girl a big kiss on the cheek, and pointed to her image on the Staples Center's big screen. Harper's eyes lit up, and she flashed the camera a big smile in excitement.

Beckham's wife Victoria, 39, and their three sons Brooklyn, 14, Romeo, 10, Cruz, 8, were on hand for the fun. The 39-year-old mother of four held son Cruz on her lap during the game, and kept the kids satiated with snacks.

AMANDA BYNES SUES THE UNITED STATES

Amanda Bynes has filed a lawsuit in Federal court claiming the United States government is plotting to “get her.”

Bynes unleashed a barrage lawsuits against the NYPD and her apartment complex - all over her arrest earlier last week, and then today, she decided that New York City is conspiring with the federal government to turn her into a slave for the United States.

“I believe that the United States government is targeting me. They want me to work for them somehow and they want all my money. They are purposely ruining my reputation. I will not stand for that,” Bynes reportedly told fans gathered outside her hotel.

UFO OVER SAN DIEGO

An alien spaceship from Planet Zeeba hovered over San Diego.

The spaceship – identified at first as a UFO – was first seen over Santee, California on May 7th.

The U.N. Panel on Extraterrestrials sent Dr. Susan Begley to Santee to investigate. ”We gathered evidence from hundreds of eyewitnesses as well as studying numerous photographs and videos,” said Dr. Begley. ”This is clearly a spaceship from Planet Zeeba. But there is nothing for people in San Diego to worry about.”