Diddy and Olivia Wilde take the stage at the 12-12-12 Concert. AP Photo/Starpix, Dave Allocca

Hurricane Sandy caused more than $42 billion in destruction. Many lives were lost and people left homeless. So the $50 million relief from the recent “12-12-12” Sandy benefit concert is more than welcome.

Although the organizers of the star-studded concert have yet to announce the total amount raised, they have said that the first installment of donations is ready to be distributed, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

The fundraiser for The Robin Hood Relief Fund included performances at New York’s Madison Square Garden by Kanye West, Alicia Keys, the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, Billy Joel, the Who and Paul McCartney. The concert was broadcast on a number of television stations.

The money will go to various groups aiding victims of the late October storm that devastated parts of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, the Los Angeles Times reports. Money was raised not only through ticket sales but also sponsorships, merchandise, telephone and Internet donations, as well as online auctions of memorabilia and advance orders of a forthcoming live album, which hit number one on iTunes as a pre-order. In all, two billion people were said to have had access to viewing the event.

“The money raised to date is going right to hundreds of organizations in the tri-state area serving those who need it most,” said David Saltzman, executive director of Robin Hood Foundation, in a statement. “Robin Hood has already begun granting the funds for Sandy relief. We are continuing to raise funds through various ongoing sales opportunities and donations and we urge people to continue to contribute.”

Image via @Brooklynettes

The new Barclays Center arena is opening this Friday with a sold out Jay Z concert, prepping everyone from the investors to the Brooklyn Nets basketball team to local businesses for a windfall of cash from the influx of new visitors. And every day, there seems to be a new announcement that further amps up the excitement for opening day.

Already, there’s been a lot of talk about how the Barclays Center threatens business for Madison Square Garden. Barbra Streisand, Rihanna and Justin Bieber are some of the other big-name musical acts that will be performing in the coming months. World Wrestling Entertainment will be there, along with the Golden Gloves, which dumped MSG after decades of hosting its finals in Manhattan. According to CBS, tickets to that Streisand concert are selling for as much as $600.

Of course, there are lots of events, lots of musicians and so lots of chances for everyone to draw crowds… not just Barclays and MSG, but also the Prudential Center in Newark.

But back to the question in our headline — What do you think about the Brooklynettes uniforms? Sure, they’re just the cheerleaders performing during halftime at Brooklyn Nets games. But, they obviously want to stand out from the usual short skirts and pom poms that cheerleaders typically wear. In addition to the picture above from a photo shoot for the New York Post, you can visit Business Insider for images from the complete line of seven outfits that include fingerless gloves, boots and leggings.

Besides generating buzz and lots of ogling, the Brooklynettes could end up generating a chunk of money too. The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders have been around for decades. The troupe has a calendar, a reality show that airs on Country Music Television, a trademark on their uniforms and has sold everything from gum to clothing. The bold Brooklynettes outfits could be the first step toward building a similarly strong brand.

realityaired.com

First of all, I’d like to thank Claire Huxtable, “first” Aunt Vivian (ya’ll know the “second” Aunt Viv was a joke) and all the other television moms that may have had an impact on our lives growing up.  Personally, when Claire yelled at Vanessa for going out of town to see “The Wretched,” I almost cried out of fear and imagined my own mother.   But those days are gone and the “television” moms we have now for the most part are on reality shows.  So here’s a shout out to all the mothers of today’s television – love them or hate them, they seem to be wonderful moms…

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There’s more to New York professional basketball than the possibility of LeBron James joining the Knicks… There’s the guarantee of Cappie Pondexter, the new star guard for the New York Liberty.

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