Jessica Simpson plans to launch maternity line

Jessica Simpson revealed on Friday that she plans to add a maternity line to her extremely successful fashion empire.

Simpson, who is expecting her first child in the spring, announced her plans while promoting her upcoming NBC reality competition series "Fashion Star," where she will serve as a mentor alongside Nicole Richie and John Varvatos on the show, which will be hosted by Elle Macpherson.

"The next thing you will see from the Jessica Simpson collection is maternity," Simpson said at NBC's Television Critics Association Winter Session panel for the series, according to Access Hollywood.

The singer said that she looks for comfort in the clothes she wears during her pregnancy, but isn't a fan of maternity wear in general.

"I definitely look at comfort, I buy bigger sizes," Simpson continued. "I haven't really gone to maternity clothes because I don't really love a lot of maternity stuff so I'm using it as a fun business thing to do."

Beyonce, who is also expecting her first child, announced in October that she also plans to launch a maternity line with her House of Dereon fashion collection.

Simpson, who said earlier in the week that her post-pregnancy goal is to look like her friend Jessica Alba, also opened up about her progress at the NBC event.

"I feel great. The pregnancy's going great. I'm just waddling around now," Simpson joked, according to Starpulse. "We're not saying the due date but it's in the spring so it's coming. I do want to be surprised [on the gender but], we've gone through all different kinds of names but we're pretty much set on our name so we'll see what happens."

Simpson, 31, has in recent years focused on her fashion endeavors. Her collections of apparel, perfume and other products, which are marketed to young women, have raked in about $1 billion in sales.

The singer launched her own line of diamond jewelry with Zales and also teamed up with celebrity aesthetician Nerida Joy to launch BeautyMint, an online portal that sells anti-aging skincare.

Simpson confirmed on October 31 that she and fiance Eric Johnson, 31, are expecting their first child. Simpson and Johnson began dating in May 2010 and announced the following November, after he finalized his divorce from his first wife, that they are engaged. No wedding date has been announced.

On "Fashion Star" newbie designers will compete for buyers like H&M and Macy's to get their designs on the market . The series is set to premiere on Tuesday, March 13 at 9 p.m. ET on NBC.

(Copyright ©2012 OnTheRedCarpet.com. All Rights Reserved.)

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Facebook begins soft launch of Timeline

  Eyewitness NewsNEW YORK (WABC) -- Facebook has begun rolling out its much anticipated Timeline.

The social media network announced Timeline in September and made it available to developers for app building.

Since then, over a million people have signed up for the developer beta to access Timeline.

On Tuesday, Facebook flipped the switch and made it available to people in New Zealand.

On its blog, the company says it will be measuring speed and other types of performance.

Facebook will roll it out more broadly "in the near future."

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Weather permitting, Atlantis fueled for last launch

  By MARCIA DUNNCAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- NASA fueled space shuttle Atlantis for liftoff Friday on the final flight of the 30-year program, even though stormy weather threatened to delay the launch.

Forecasters stuck to their original 70 percent chance of thunderstorms or rain, as fuel filled Atlantis' tank in the pre-dawn hours.

Mission managers acknowledged it might seem silly to proceed with fueling, given the dismal forecast, NASA spokesman Allard Beutel said. They said they would reassess the weather at sunrise and decide whether it makes sense to keep counting down.

The four shuttle astronauts were awake by the time the tanking operation was completed.

"Have you done your rain dance for the day?" joked Aly Mendoza, the tank and booster rocket vehicle manager.

Atlantis holds a year's worth of supplies - more than 8,000 pounds - for the International Space Station.

An estimated 750,000 people are expected to jam Cape Canaveral and surrounding towns for this final shuttle launch, reminiscent of the crowds that gathered for the Apollo moon shots.

Among the expected VIPs: 14 members of Congress, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Adm. Mike Mullen, four members of the Kennedy family, two former NASA administrators, singers Jimmy Buffett and Gloria Estefan, and the first shuttle pilot of them all, Robert Crippen.

By late Thursday, dozens of RVs and other vehicles already had claimed prime viewing spots along the Banana River.

NASA must launch Atlantis by Sunday or Monday, otherwise it will have to wait until at least July 16 because of an unmanned rocket launch scheduled for next week.

The 12-day mission will close out the space shuttle program, which began with the launch of Columbia in 1981. Atlantis will join Discovery and Endeavour in retirement, so NASA can focus on sending astronauts to asteroids and Mars. Private companies will take over the business of getting space station cargo and crews to orbit.

Once Atlantis soars, it will be another three years - possibly five or more - before astronauts blast off again from U.S. soil.

This will be the 33rd flight for Atlantis and the 135th shuttle mission overall.

"Everybody should be really proud how we've ended and just finishing strong," Mendoza said.

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Online: NASA

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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National emergency alert system set to launch

  By ALICIA A. CALDWELLNEW YORK -- After more than five years of planning, a national emergency alert system that will send messages to cell phones during disasters is set to launch in New York City and Washington by the end of year.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski said Monday the Commercial Mobile Alert System, which will be formally announced at a meeting in New York on Tuesday, will direct emergency messages to cell phones in case of a terrorist attack, natural disaster or other serious emergencies.

The alert plan was approved by Congress in 2006 under the Warning Alert and Response Network Act.

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Reaching people in the midst of disasters such as the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or Hurricane Katrina in 2005, when cell phone networks were overwhelmed or otherwise out of service, has been an ongoing concern for emergency personnel around the country.

Local and state governments have been increasingly turning to text messages to alert residents to everything from snow days closing schools to traffic blocking local roadways. But the volume of messages can be overwhelming or too late to be of much help.

Genachowski and Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Craig Fugate said the new national system will be selective in what it sends out.

"These are really focused on the highest levels of alerts, and those that require urgent action," Fugate said.

Genachowski added that officials expect the alerts "to be very limited."

There will be at least three levels of messages, ranging from a critical national alert from the president to warnings about impending or occurring national disasters to alerts about missing or abducted children. People will be able to opt out of receiving all but the presidential alerts, Genachowski said.

A special chip is required to allow the phone to receive the messages, and starting next all new phones will have the technology. Some smart phones already have the chip and software updates will be available when the network goes online later this year, Genachowski said.

Fugate said cell phones turned on in the direct vicinity of a disaster - an evacuation zone, for instance - would receive a message warning them of the impending danger. The alert would show up on the phone's front screen, instead of the traditional text message inbox, and arrive with a distinct ring and likely a vibration.

Messages are expected to get through even if traditional phone lines are swamped.

"Network congestion in times of major disasters is a real issue," Genachowski said. "This plan ... makes sure emergency alerts can get through even if the network is congested."

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