Miss California Alyssa Campanella took the crown at Sunday night's Miss USA pageant, beating out 50 other beauties at the event at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Auburn-haired Campanella, 21, took the stage donning both a turquoise gown and a blue and white polka dot bikini for the event's evening gown and swimsuit portions, and she answered a question regarding the legalization of marijuana for the Q&A section of the competition.

Campanella, who originally hails from New Jersey but now lives in Los Angeles, will represent the United States at this year's Miss Universe pageant in September in Brazil.
"I understand why that question would be asked, especially with today's economy, but I also understand that medical marijuana is very important to help those who need it medically," Campanella said.

"I'm not sure if it should be legalized, if it would really affect, with the drug war. I mean, it's abused today, unfortunately, so that's the only reason why I would kind of be a little bit against it, but medically it's OK."Ashley Durham, Miss Tennessee, was the first runner-up in Sunday night's competition. Contestants from Alabama and Texas placed third and fourth.

Kia Ben-et Hampton, Miss Kentucky, won Miss Congeniality USA, while Miss Arizona Brittany Dawn Brannon won Miss Photogenic USA.

ST. LOUIS -- The St. Louis Cardinals found a way to rally past the Kansas City Royals despite losing Albert Pujols to an injury.

Pujols sprained his left wrist and hurt his shoulder Sunday trying to make a tag at first base, but the Cardinals recovered to beat the Royals, 5-4, on Skip Schumaker's ninth-inning homer.

The Cardinals moved into a tie for first place in the N.L. Central with Milwaukee, which lost at Boston.

Pujols was injured in the sixth and the three-time N.L. MVP left the game. He will be evaluated today, a day off for St. Louis.

"To be honest, I can't give you guys too much until the X-rays and an MRI," said Pujols, whose left wrist was tightly wrapped. "I know I'm pretty sore. Am I worried? Of course. Hopefully, everything will come out negative tomorrow. When I come out of a game, believe me, something is really wrong. Hopefully, cross our fingers and I'll be all right."

General Manager John Mozeliak said no roster moves are being planned.

Wilson Betemit hit a chopper up the middle off Cardinals starter Jamie Garcia. Second baseman Pete Kozma backhanded the ball and made a jump-throw to first, pulling Pujols off the bag. As the slugger tried for a tag, Betemit ran into his glove hand and Pujols went down to the ground in pain.

"He hit me on my wrist and my shoulder," Pujols said. "He kind of jammed me back. It's the toughest play to make as a first baseman. It's a bang-bang play. I saw the replay a couple of times, but I didn't really want to look at it."

The collision was unavoidable, Betemit said.

"I was running hard and the ball arrived at the same time I got to the base," Betemit said. "I couldn't do anything about it."

With one out in the ninth, Schumaker connected off Tim Collins (3-4), the fifth Royals pitcher. It was Schumaker's second game-ending homer, the first coming in 2008, and his first home run since April 13.

"I'm not sure there's a better feeling than hitting a home run walk off," Schumaker said. "It doesn't happen too often, home runs in general so I'll take it."

Interleague

Red Sox 12, Brewers 3 at Boston: Kevin Youkilis hit a three-run homer to highlight Boston's six-run first inning and Tim Wakefield (4-2) held Milwaukee to three hits over eight innings.

Reds 2, Blue Jays 1 at Cincinnati: Miguel Cairo hit a two-run homer in the sixth off Carlos Villanueva, ending Cincinnati's streak of 16 scoreless innings, and the Reds beat Toronto to get their first win over an American League team this season.

Athletics 2, Giants 1 at Oakland, Calif.: Landon Powell hit a tiebreaking home run in the eighth inning, his first homer of the season, and Oakland held on to beat San Francisco, completing a three-game sweep at home of the defending World Series champs. Powell, making a rare start in place of catcher Kurt Suzuki, was hitless in two at-bats against San Francisco starter Matt Cain, a former Houston High player, before hitting his first homer of the season off reliever Jeremy Affeldt (1-1). Trevor Cahill (7-5) pitched eight innings to win for the first time since May 9. Cain left with his fifth no-decision of the season, ending a three-game winning streak.

Braves 4, Rangers 2 at Atlanta: Jason Heyward hit a two-run single in the third inning and Freddie Freeman added an RBI double in the seventh to help Jair Jurrjens earn his ninth victory in Atlanta;s win over Texas.

Yankees 10, Cubs 4 at Chicago: . Nick Swisher hit a tiebreaking three-run homer in the eighth inning and New York routed Chicago in the finale of its first series at Wrigley Field in eight years.

Indians 5, Pirates 2 (11 innings) at Cleveland: Cord Phelps hit his first major league homer in the 11th inning, a three-run shot that gave A.L. Central leader Cleveland a victory over Pittsburgh.

Orioles 7, Nationals 4 at Washington: Mark Reynolds had three hits, including a home run, and Baltimore ended Washington's eight-game winning streak.

Rays 2, Marlins 1 at St. Petersburg, Fla.: James Shields (7-4) threw a four-hitter with 10 strikeouts in his second consecutive complete game, Casey Kotchman had a tiebreaking single in the eighth inning and Tampa Bay handed the reeling Marlins their 10th loss in a row.

Angels 7, Mets 3 at New York: Tyler Chatwood (4-4) pitched seven scoreless innings, Erick Aybar hit a bases-loaded triple and Los Angeles beat New York.

Twins 5, Padres 4 at Minneapolis: Drew Butera's single scored Delmon Young in the bottom of the ninth as Minnesota rallied to beat San Diego and extend its winning streak to seven games.

Tigers 9, Rockies 1 at Denver: Justin Verlander threw a four-hitter for his second straight complete game and Detroit beat Colorado. Verlander (9-3) has four complete games, matching his total from all of last year,

Mariners 2, Phillies 0 at Seattle: Jason Vargas tossed a three-hitter for his second shutout of the season, outdueling left-hander Cole Hamels to lead Seattle to a victory over Philadelphia.

White Sox 8, Diamondbacks 2 at Phoenix: Phil Humber pitched effectively into the eighth inning, Paul Konerko homered for the third straight game and A.J. Pierzynski hit a three-run double to lift Chicago over Arizona.

National League

Dodgers 1, Astros 0 at Los Angeles: Dioner Navarro homered off reliever Wilton Lopez in the eighth inning as Los Angeles beat Houston to avoid a three-game sweep.

Ryan Dunn, whose crazy stunts were chronicled on MTV’s extreme series “Jackass,” died in a car accident early Monday morning near his home in Pennsylvania. He was 34.

"We're deeply saddened by the passing of a member of the MTV family, Ryan Dunn," MTV tweeted on Monday morning. "Our hearts and thoughts are with his friends and family."

According to the West Goshen Police Department, Dunn's 2007 Porsche 911 GT3 went off the road in West Goshen and was in flames.  An unidentified passenger was also in the car. Dunn and the passenger died around 3 a.m. as a result of their injuries from accident. Excessive speed may have a contributing factor in the accident, police said.

On Monday morning, Johnny Knoxville, the head of the “Jackass” clan, tweeted: “Today I lost my brother Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie. RIP Ryan, I love you buddy.”

"Jackass' " Jason "Weeman" Acuña tweeted Monday of Dunn: "I MISS YOU BUD!! You were always a happy kick-ass dude!!"

Dunn appeared in all three "Jackass" films and even ventured outside the wild antics in projects including NBC’s "Law & Order: SVU" and the straight-to-DVD film "Blonde Ambition," starring Jessica Simpson.

The Gossip Girl star made the most of a rare day off by taking the plunge and coming face-to-face with great white sharks, which are widely believed to be the most deadly creature in the ocean.

She says, "It's terrifying at first. They throw blood into the water and they throw fish guts. So you're standing on a boat and you're trying to lure in sharks. And then you see great whites circling your boat and that's a good thing? It's like everything you never want to happen is happening. And then you jump in the water with them. It was so amazing."

And despite their baring sharp teeth, she's developed a soft spot for the dangerous predator and urges others to protect them before they become extinct.

She adds, "It was scary but it was also a beautiful thing. They were just as afraid of us as we are them. We villainise them. Great white sharks are nearly extinct. There's less than 1,000 of them (left). They are finned. (People) cut off the fins and then they throw them back in the ocean so they just drown. It's a horrible thing that's happening."

ATLANTA (AP) – The gap in cancer death rates between college graduates and those who only went to high school is widening, the American Cancer Society reported Friday.

Among men, the least educated died of cancer at rates more than 2 1/2 times that of men with college degrees, the latest data show. In the early 1990s, they died at two times the rate of most-educated men.

For women, the numbers aren't as complete but suggest a widening gap also. The data, from 2007, compared people between the ages of 25 and 64.

People with college degrees are seeing a significant drop in cancer death rates, while people who have spent less time in school are seeing more modest improvements or sometimes none at all, explained Elizabeth Ward, who oversees research done by the cancer society.

The cancer society estimates there will be nearly 1.6 million new cancer cases in the United States this year, and 571,950 deaths. It also notes that overall cancer death rates have been dropping since the early 1990s, but the decline has been greater for some groups more than others.

Experts believe that the differences have to do with education, how much people earn and where they live, among other factors. Researchers like to use education as a measuring stick because death certificates include that information.

"Just because we're measuring education doesn't mean we think education is the direct reason" for the differences among population groups, Ward said.

That said, the cancer death rate connection to education is striking.

For all types of cancer among men, there were about 56 deaths per 100,000 for those with at least 16 years of education compared to 148 deaths per 100,000 for those with no more than 12 years of school.

For women, the rate was 59 per 100,000 for the most educated, and 119 per 100,000 for the least educated.

The gap was most striking when it comes to lung cancer.

People with a high school education or less died at a rate four to five times higher than those with at least four years of college education, the new report said.

More than a third of premature cancer deaths could have been avoided if everyone had a college degree, cancer society officials estimated.

Studies have suggested that less educated people are more likely to do risky things with their health.

They are more likely to smoke, drink and overeat, leading to obesity. All those things raise the risk for various cancers.

As for survival after diagnosis, the least-educated are often poor people without good health insurance. Studies have found that people with no health insurance are more likely to be diagnosed when their cancer is advanced stage, and they are also less likely to receive standard treatment.

LOS ANGELES - Nicolas Cage starred in a courthouse drama Tuesday that included negotiating sessions with a judge and ended with the actor settling a multimillion dollar lawsuit with an ex-girlfriend.

The Oscar-winning actor spent more than six hours at a downtown courthouse, repeatedly meeting with the judge who brokered an end to the case filed over payments and a house that Cage's ex-girlfriend claimed she was promised.

Dressed in black suit and tie, Cage faced off with his ex, Christina Fulton, throughout the day. Flanked by deputies he hurriedly walked past her in a hallway when he arrived Tuesday morning and both were apparently present for a final meeting with Superior Court Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon that solidified the deal.

He did not speak to reporters when he left just as the courthouse was closing at 4:30 p.m.

Fulton sued Cage in December 2009, claiming he owed her $13 million, had ruined her finances and broke a promise to give her a house in the upscale Los Angeles neighborhood of Hancock Park. The payments, Fulton claimed, were in exchange for raising for the couple's son, who is now 20 years old.

Fulton's attorney, K. Lee Crawford Boyd, said the arrangement allowed Cage to become a megastar.

"If Nicolas Cage had to step in and be a parent, he could not be Nicolas Cage," she told the judge.

The actor denied wrongdoing and his attorneys pointed out that the actor paid Fulton $3 million annually to support her and their son.

Tuesday's marathon settlement discussions came after Sanchez-Gordon ruled Tuesday that Fulton couldn't sue Cage for breaching an oral contract to transfer ownership of the Los Angeles house to the former actress, saying the claim was barred by a statute of limitations.

The issue of ownership of the house was one of Fulton's main claims against Cage, although she could have still pursued negligence claims against the actor that he and his former business manager ruined her finances by obtaining credit in her name.

The "Leaving Las Vegas" and "Con Air" star has had his own share of financial woes, with tax liens and other debts forcing him to sell homes and other property.Sanchez-Gordon urged the parties to reach an agreement, saying it was the "best option for everybody involved."

Boyd said she could not comment on the settlement, but that the case was ended to the "mutual satisfaction" of all parties.

"We're happy it's been resolved," said Cage's attorney, Thomas Dunlap.

GENEVA – The Arabian Oryx, whose distinctive horns are widely believed to have given rise to the unicorn legend, is back from the brink of extinction in the deserts of the Arabian peninsula.

About 1,000 of the wild Arabian or White Oryx now exist owing to nearly three decades of successful breeding, the International Union for Conservation of Nature said Thursday.

The global environmental network said efforts to breed captive oryx and release them back into the Arabian Peninsula, the only place this species is found, began in Oman in 1982, a decade after the last one was apparently shot in the wild.

It said the breeding program demonstrated that captive oryx could adapt to harsh wild conditions, first in Oman and later in the deserts of Saudia Arabia, Israel, the United Arab Emirates, and, most recently, in Jordan.

"To have brought the Arabian Oryx back from the brink of extinction is a major feat and a true conservation success story, one which we hope will be repeated many times over for other threatened species," said Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak, director general of the UAE government's Environment Agency-Abu Dhabi.

The Arabian Oryx — a large species of antelope with two long horns — is known locally as Al Maha, and figures heavily in Arabic poetry and paintings.

The creature can smell water from miles away, has wide hooves that let it easily navigate shifting sand and lives in small herds of eight to 10 animals.

When its long, narrow horns that curve slightly at the tip are viewed in profile, they can appear as one, like the fabled unicorn. But another antelope species, the Saola of Southeast Asia, is also seen as a possible source of the unicorn legend.

The improvement by the Arabian Oryx is reflected on the Gland-based conservation union's "Red List" of thousands of endangered plants and animals. The group operates in more than 160 countries, and has assessed the condition of 59,508 species.

This year it was reclassified as "vulnerable," the best improvement to date for a species once thought to be extinct in the wild.

SAN FRANCISCO,  -- Attention guys, a new survey from Zoosk, one of the world's most popular social dating communities, shows women aren't as excited about those naughty photos of you as you think they are. Today, Zoosk polled more than 5,000 members of its community to uncover how singles feel about receiving unexpected naughty photos. The majority of ladies (61%) agree that it would be "creepy" to receive a lewd photo from a guy. The majority of guys (74%), on the other hand, say they would find it "sexy" to receive a naughty photo unexpectedly from a woman.

"On the heels of two U.S. Congressmen allegedly sending shirtless or other naughty photos of themselves to women they don't know, we were wondering if these guys knew something that the rest of us don't – namely that women would actually be attracted to that kind of behavior," said Alex Mehr, co-founder and co-CEO of Zoosk. "Zoosk's survey reveals that what men find to be sexy isn't so sexy to women."

Zoosk conducted the poll on its Facebook page on June 7, 2011. It attracted 5,165 responses in the first hour from over 3.8 million Facebook users who 'Like' Zoosk.

Is it "cheating" to send a naughty or flirtatious photo to someone other than your partner? Again, the sexes are split. Last month, Zoosk conducted a survey to uncover singles' perspectives on monogamy and found that the majority of women polled (62%) said they consider sending flirty text messages or emails to be "cheating." Only 42% of men feel the same way.

Zoosk is one of the world's most popular social dating communities, with millions of singles from around the globe using the service each month. Zoosk provides a safe and fun online dating experience that users can easily access from Zoosk's website, social networking applications, mobile services, and downloadable desktop application. Zoosk is available in 25 languages and has subscribers in more than 60 countries. The service enables users to join, browse, and send a limited number of messages for free. Zoosk users can upgrade to a premium subscription for full access or purchase virtual currency to buy select features and virtual gifts. Founded in 2007 by Shayan Zadeh and Alex Mehr, the company is based in San Francisco and backed by Zoosk is the world's largest social dating community Canaan Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, and ATA Ventures.

Sarah Palin took to Twitter on Friday to question a report that next week she will announce whether or not she will run for president.

A conservative blog said the former governor was "expected within a week to make a decision on whether to enter the 2012 presidential campaign, according to one Republican source."

"Vendors of campaign services who hope to work for Team Palin have been told that Palin, the 2008 GOP vice presidential candidate, will decide soon one way or another on mounting a 2012 campaign,"Robert Stacy McCain wrote Friday on The American Spector blog.

Palin tweeted that it was news to her. "Really? Hmm, guess they forgot to inform me what I'm 'expected to do' next," she wrote.

When McCain updated the post in response to her tweet, he asked the hockey mom whether his source was wrong, but Palin has yet to respond.

A Rasmussen poll released Thursday said that 36% of likely GOP primary voters think it would be good for Republicans if Palin entered the race.

“Unclaimed Money” is a perennial hot topic, a search trend or a TV news story that gets regurgitated every few months for an obvious reason: everyone wants to get something for nothing. Being able to cash in on unclaimed money is the epitome of living a dream, but unclaimed money is the result of a stunning reality. The funds waiting in banks, retirement accounts, or being held by the IRS represent the hard-earned dollars of millions of individuals going to waste.

Often, unclaimed money lies stagnating due to simple failures of communication. On a recent program, ABC helped a woman recover almost $15,000 that had accrued in an account left behind when her mother died from Alzhiemer’s, which likely interfered with her estate planning. It took a team of reporters a little research to find Vickie Shaluta’s money, but it was worth it — on more than a financial level. The return of the monies seemed like a reconnection with her departed mom, providing both fiscal and emotional nourishment. With a bit of sleuthing, you too can perhaps uncover an uplifting windfall.

Scouring these sources can help you find unclaimed money that might be your due:

1. Rediscover Old 401 K(s)
Contact the National Registry of Unclaimed Retirement Funds, which might have listings for accounts you left behind when you switched jobs, or information on 401(k) monies that remained in tact when a former employer went out of business.

2. FDIC-Insured Funds from Failed Banks
If you had money at a failed bank, you are still entitled to it. Check out this site to explore whether you or a relative might have unclaimed funds with the FDIC.

3. Deceased Relatives’ Holdings
These sites can help you find the missing money of a dead loved one, if you have been willed to receive their assets:

www.missingmoney.com 
www.unclaimedmoney.com

The good news is that often unclaimed funds, if held in a managed account, grows through interest or investment by administrators. The bad news is that, unless attempts are made to find rightful heirs or owners, these monies will stew unused. The U.S. government estimates that there are $16 billion in unclaimed treasury bonds that remain unredeemed alone, to give you an idea of the scope of unclaimed money that is out there.

ABC News offers a full list of tips that can help you discover any piles of unclaimed money with your name on it, but be weary as you jaunt into this money journey. Unscrupulous companies are exploiting the desire to cash in on these riches. Forbes.com warns that these firms will charge you more in fees than you are likely to recoup in unclaimed money, so don’t fall for get rich quick schemes. With all the free information available online, you can easily look for unclaimed funds on your own — and keep your hard-earned money in your pocket.