iCarly's Jennette McCurdy Romanced Online by Detroit Pistons' Andre Drummond: See Their Adorable First Meetup!

Jason Merritt/Getty Images for AQUAhydrate

This is really 2 cute.

Jennette McCurdy, best known for playing Sam on Nickelodeon's iCarly and the spin-off Sam & Cat, appears to have found romance online!

After months of being the subject of Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond's Women Crush Wednesday (#WCW) posts on Statigram, McCurdy started following him on Twitter.

She then reached out on Aug. 7, tweeting, "@DRE_DRUMMOND_ I wanna watch you play!" to which he replied, "@jennettemccurdy ill let you know when I play in LA!"

PHOTOS: Best-dressed NBA players

Well, they must have realized pretty quickly that neither wanted to wait that long to meet, considering the 2013-14 NBA season doesn't kick off until late October.

As chronicled by the Detroit Free Press, which first noticed the attention being paid by Drummond to McCurdy, the 20-year-old athlete started sending the 21-year-old actress gifts, such as flowers and a teddy bear, which she then proudly showed off via social media over the past month.

McCurdy also showed off a pic of Drummond for #ManCrushMonday last week.

And after a few weeks of this, they finally met up in person on her home court, as evidenced by various tweets and cozy pictures posted online throughout Labor Day weekend.

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Twitter

"With @DRE_DRUMMOND_ ahhhh!!!" McCurdy tweeted on Thursday. 

"Words can't explain...Add your own caption," Drummond then wrote on Friday along with a pic of him giving her a piggyback ride—which, yes, was an easy feat considering he's 6-foot-10 and her IMDb-listed height is 5-foot-2. 

According to Twitter (we're loving this transparency), the weekend also included laser tag, a trip to Disneyland and McCurdy happily going to bed wearing a hat that Drummond gave her.

"Beverly Hillsing it with @andredrummond0,"she wrote alongside another cute selfie-for-two that was posted just yesterday.

If somehow this is not a romantic relationship, then it's at least the beginning of a positively adorable friendship.

Instagram

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Call it chimp art: La. primate wins in online contest

NEW ORLEANS A painting by a 37-year-old Louisiana primate who applies color with his tongue instead of a brush has been deemed the finest chimpanzee art in the land.

Brent, a retired laboratory animal, was the top vote-getter in an online chimp art contest organized by the Humane Society of the United States, which announced the results Thursday. He won $10,000 for the Chimp Haven sanctuary in northwest Louisiana.

A Chimp Haven spokeswoman said Brent was unavailable for comment Thursday. "I think he's asleep," Ashley Gordon said.

This undated image provided by Chimp Haven, Inc. shows Brent, a chimpanzee at Chimp Haven in Keithville, La.

/ AP Photo/Chimp Haven, Inc.

But as the society said on its website, "The votes are in, so let the pant hooting begin!" — pant hooting being the characteristic call of an excited chimp.

Five other sanctuaries around the country competed, using paintings created during "enrichment sessions," which can include any of a wide variety of activities and playthings.

Chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall chose her favorite from photographs she was sent. That painting, by Cheetah, a male at Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Fla., won $5,000 as Goodall's choice and another $5,000 for winning second place in online voting, Humane Society spokeswoman Nicole Ianni said.

Ripley from the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Fla., won third place and $2,500.

More than 27,000 people voted, Ianni said in a news release. The organization is not giving vote totals "to keep the focus on the positive work of the sanctuaries and not necessarily the `winner,"' she said in an email. The sanctuaries care for chimpanzees retired from research, entertainment and the pet trade. Chimp Haven is the national sanctuary for those retired from federal research.

Other submitted paintings were by Jamie, a female at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest in Cle Elum, Wash.; Jenny, a female at Primate Rescue Center in Nicholasville, Ky.; and Patti, a female at Chimps Inc. in Bend, Ore.

A profile of Brent on the Humane Society's website says he has lived at Chimp Haven since 2006, is protective of an even older chimp at the sanctuary and "loves to laugh and play." It continues, "Brent paints only with his tongue. His unique approach and style, while a little unorthodox, results in beautiful pieces of art."

Cathy Willis Spraetz, Chimp Haven's president and CEO, said she chose a painting by Brent partly because of that unusual method. She said she later held a canvas up to the mesh of his indoor cage so she could watch him at work.

Some other chimps use brushes or point to the colors they want on the canvas, but Brent comes up to smush pre-applied blobs of child-safe tempera paints with his tongue, she said.

"If we handed the canvas to them where it was on the inside, they might not want to hand it back," she said. "They might throw it around and step on it."

View the original article here

The Best Places to Buy Cheap (and Gorgeous!) Jewelry Online

Unless you're a celebrity, you probably get your jewelry fix somewhere other than Cartier. And we think it's an excellent time to pick up a few new pieces in your price range without leaving the comfort of your sofa. So grab a glass of wine and your credit card and dig into our guide to the best places to shop for totally affordable (promise!) jewelry online.

BAUBLE BAR
Grab affordable fashion finds at Bauble Bar, which offers a super breezy interface, including "the must list," a shop-by-trends section. There's also a whole section for personalized pieces including initials, monograms and nameplates — an amazing option for gifts. And hello, free shipping!

URBAN PEACH BOUTIQUE
Precious pyramid studs for $4.95 — wait, what?! Urban Peach Boutique is a fab resource for fashion jewelry with tons of amazing deals, including statement necklaces under — way under — $20.

STELLA & DOT
It's true: We're totally obsessed with Stella & Dot's utterly on-trend and colorful costume pieces, where even some of the boldest statement necklaces hover around $100—but most pieces are far cheaper. Think stud earrings around $20. Love.

FOREVER 21
Forever 21 is hardly Tiffany & Co., both in quality and price. But that's the whole point! Stock up on super fun, colorful and totally on-trend pieces that won't last you forever, but you can buy half dozen pieces to coordinate with your wardrobe for an upcoming vacay for less than the price of your airport taxi.

GIRL PROPS
You could spend $3 on a coffee drink (tall, not grande), or you could put it toward jewelry at Girl Props, where that's the starting price point. There's free shipping in the U.S., and a "most popular" section to help you identify on-trend pieces.

OVERSTOCK
Find tons of great baubles at deeply discounted prices at Overstock, which is also a solid resource for wedding jewelry at excellent prices.

TOPSHOP
Topshop has tons of great costume baubles to pick from, most under $50. And many are way under that mark, with a great set of stacking rings we spied for $15 and heart stud earrings for $18.

RACHEL ROY
One thing we love about Rachel Roy is that the jewelry finds include out-of-the-ordinary pieces you're not likely to find in most places — for instance, a dainty hand chain for $28 or body chain for $38 that both look every bit high end.

EXPRESS
Express is a great source for fashion jewelry, including some very on-trend beaded bracelets we spied for $10. Bonus: This retailer is known for frequent sales with deep discounts.  

KOHL'S
Kohl's is an excellent option for jewelry, both costume and fine. Plus, it offers fun collections like Rock & Republic, which is filled with edgy pieces bearing studs and skulls at crazy low prices.

BLUE NILE
Diamond rings aren't cheap, of course, but if you're in the market for one (an engagement ring, perhaps?) you might find shopping online at Blue Nile to be just the right money-saving option. It's got an easy-to-shop interface, and also claims that its diamond prices average 20 to 40 percent lower than its competitors. There's a price-match program to stand behind that claim.

ICE
At Ice, get your fine jewelry fix at a price right even for an impulse buy. For instance, a recent search for diamond earrings under $100 pulled up two pages of results. Bling bling!

Alesandra Dubin is a Los Angeles-based writer and the founder of home and travel blog Homebody in Motion. Follow her on Google+ and Twitter.

WATCH: Top Tips For Traveling Without Tangling Your Jewelry

View the original article here

The Best Places to Buy Cheap (and Gorgeous!) Jewelry Online

Unless you're a celebrity, you probably get your jewelry fix somewhere other than Cartier. And we think it's an excellent time to pick up a few new pieces in your price range without leaving the comfort of your sofa. So grab a glass of wine and your credit card and dig into our guide to the best places to shop for totally affordable (promise!) jewelry online.

BAUBLE BAR
Grab affordable fashion finds at Bauble Bar, which offers a super breezy interface, including "the must list," a shop-by-trends section. There's also a whole section for personalized pieces including initials, monograms and nameplates — an amazing option for gifts. And hello, free shipping!

URBAN PEACH BOUTIQUE
Precious pyramid studs for $4.95 — wait, what?! Urban Peach Boutique is a fab resource for fashion jewelry with tons of amazing deals, including statement necklaces under — way under — $20.

STELLA & DOT
It's true: We're totally obsessed with Stella & Dot's utterly on-trend and colorful costume pieces, where even some of the boldest statement necklaces hover around $100—but most pieces are far cheaper. Think stud earrings around $20. Love.

FOREVER 21
Forever 21 is hardly Tiffany & Co., both in quality and price. But that's the whole point! Stock up on super fun, colorful and totally on-trend pieces that won't last you forever, but you can buy half dozen pieces to coordinate with your wardrobe for an upcoming vacay for less than the price of your airport taxi.

GIRL PROPS
You could spend $3 on a coffee drink (tall, not grande), or you could put it toward jewelry at Girl Props, where that's the starting price point. There's free shipping in the U.S., and a "most popular" section to help you identify on-trend pieces.

OVERSTOCK
Find tons of great baubles at deeply discounted prices at Overstock, which is also a solid resource for wedding jewelry at excellent prices.

TOPSHOP
Topshop has tons of great costume baubles to pick from, most under $50. And many are way under that mark, with a great set of stacking rings we spied for $15 and heart stud earrings for $18.

RACHEL ROY
One thing we love about Rachel Roy is that the jewelry finds include out-of-the-ordinary pieces you're not likely to find in most places — for instance, a dainty hand chain for $28 or body chain for $38 that both look every bit high end.

EXPRESS
Express is a great source for fashion jewelry, including some very on-trend beaded bracelets we spied for $10. Bonus: This retailer is known for frequent sales with deep discounts.  

KOHL'S
Kohl's is an excellent option for jewelry, both costume and fine. Plus, it offers fun collections like Rock & Republic, which is filled with edgy pieces bearing studs and skulls at crazy low prices.

BLUE NILE
Diamond rings aren't cheap, of course, but if you're in the market for one (an engagement ring, perhaps?) you might find shopping online at Blue Nile to be just the right money-saving option. It's got an easy-to-shop interface, and also claims that its diamond prices average 20 to 40 percent lower than its competitors. There's a price-match program to stand behind that claim.

ICE
At Ice, get your fine jewelry fix at a price right even for an impulse buy. For instance, a recent search for diamond earrings under $100 pulled up two pages of results. Bling bling!

Alesandra Dubin is a Los Angeles-based writer and the founder of home and travel blog Homebody in Motion. Follow her on Google+ and Twitter.

WATCH: Top Tips For Traveling Without Tangling Your Jewelry

View the original article here