the scoop

the scoop
friendly feet
As every girl knows, good shoes are hard to find. And by "good" we mean they must (a) be cute/fashionable, (b) perfectly conform to our feet, and (c) not cause our feet any stress or blisters. (Yeah, right!)
Here's the next best thing. If heels or dress shoes of any form are in your future (prom, big dance, cousin's wedding, etc.), you'll want to know about Foot Petals. They're the simplest, most "why didn't I think of that" product, because their assorted cushions are true foot-savers.
They have everything from Tip Toes (which go under the ball of your foot on heeled shoes to help prevent your foot from slipping forward and to provide extra cushioning) to Strappy Strips (which are thin strips that prevent straps from slipping off your feet) to Killer Kushionz (which are full insoles that include a blossom-like cushion for the ball of your foot).
Prices range from 6.95 for a single pair of Tip Toes, a single pair of Heavenly Heelz, or four pairs of Strappy Strips, to 12.95 for a single pair of Killer Kushionz. Check out the entire line of Foot Petals, order and find stores at Footpetals.com.
harry potter cover
WHAT PICTURE shows a dramatic gold and orange sky and a teenage boy in glasses reaching upward?
It's the cover to the seventh and final Harry Potter book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," coming out July 21. As always, the cover was designed by illustrator Mary GrandPre, U.S. publisher Scholastic, Inc., announced Wednesday.
"The structures around Harry show evident destruction and in the shadows behind him, we see outlines of other people," David Saylor, Scholastic's art director, said in a statement.
"For the first time, the cover is a wraparound. On the back cover spidery hands are outstretched toward Harry. Only when the book is opened does one see a powerful image of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, his glowing red eyes peering out from his hood."
J.K. Rowling's fantasy series has sold more than 325 million copies worldwide. "Deathly Hallows" has an announced first printing of 12 million in the United States alone.
kids choice singers
Two-time Grammy Award-winning rock-soul band Maroon 5 will perform their brand-new single "Makes Me Wonder" for the first time live on TV, at Nickelodeon's 20th Annual Kids' Choice Awards, joining previously announced superstar Gwen Stefani to rock this year'stelecast, hosted by Justin Timberlake, at 8 p.m. Saturday. The song is from the band's forthcoming album "It Won't Be Soon Before Long."
Stefani will sing the hit title song from her new album, "The Sweet Escape" also featuring singer-songwriter Akon.
Kids will rule and record-breaking slime will rain at the kudos/mess-fest, with Ryan Seacrest set to host the breathtaking, never-before-attempted World Record Slime Stunt featuring bungee jumping.
'gears of war' movie?
A new version of a Microsoft product -- the hugely popular "Gears of War" -- looks like it could be coming out in a new version too. New Line Cinema has acquired the rights to make a movie based on the blockbuster game, with a script by "Collateral" writer Stuart Beattie. Lead game designer Cliff Bleszinski (aka Cliffy B) will serve as executive producer. "I'm not a gamer, but what blew me away about 'Gears' was how it captures the mythology of a war mission and how high the stakes are," producer Wyck Godfrey told Daily Variety.
this week's new games
It's a very slow week for new titles, which are led by the tie-in to Disney's new animated movie, "Meet the Robinsons" (Disney, for most systems). Electronic Arts' tired World War II franchise marches on with "Medal of Honor: Vanguard" (for the Wii and PlayStation 2). Casual gamers who like Electronic Arts' Pogo Web site can take some of their favorites on the road with "Pogo Island" (for the DS). "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Double Agent," from Ubisoft, finally sneaks onto the PlayStation 3, while Sega lobs "Virtua Tennis 3" over to the PlayStation Portable. To find the week's most intriguing new release, you have to be an Xbox Live subscriber. It's "The Shivering Isles," an expansion for the Xbox 360 version of Bethesda Softworks' "The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion."