Articles by Melanie Jones

Mitt Romney calls his wife Ann the heavyweight champion of my life -- and for good reason. While she may not have been very visible on the campaign trail so far, her ability to connect with the average voter may give the U.S. presidential candidate his best chance to win the general election.

Fans of Downton Abbey will have to wait several months for the addictive drama to return to the screen, leaving unanswered questions and only a few spoilers to tide viewers over. Until then, however, check out these television shows, mini-series and films that will help with the wait until Season Three.

Liam Neeson has confirmed that he will return for Christopher Nolan's final Batman film. Speculation continues, however, as to whether his role will be limited to flashbacks or feature a true return of the character from the dead... and Neeson himself isn't doing much to answer fans' questions.

Dongyang, in the Zhejiang province of China, boasts one of the most unique delicacies to still be consumed in modern times: virgin boy eggs, hard-boiled eggs soaked and boiled in the urine of boys under the age of ten. While medical experts view the delicacy (see photos here) warily, the day-long process for making the eggs has made the unusual food a proud part of Dongyang life for centuries.

The convicted sex offender and child killer was executed Wednesday for the murder of 10-month-old Karlos Borja, but Hernandez's death is really making headlines for his last words: a shout-out to his favorite football team. Read ten of the most unusual last words said by the condemned, from jokes about their impending execution to belligerent demands for different food and threats to return with the Rapture.

Tracy Martin and Sybrina Fulton say Sanford police came to them after Trayvon was killed and told them he attacked Zimmerman twice before he was shot. Following the release of a tape that shows Zimmerman completely unharmed from the allegedly vicious attack, Martin's parents continue to assert their son's innocence, and say the tape shows how poorly the investigation into their son's death was handled by the Sanford police.

Season Two of the hit series returns to HBO on April 1, promising more sex, violence, intrigue and backstabbing than ever before. Refresh your memory of Season One before the Sunday premiere by watching the most shocking, exciting and tragic moments in the series so far here, from Viserys getting his golden crown to the betrayal of Ned Stark and his ultimate death.

Stephenie Cutter, a top aide in Obama's re-election campaign, lashed back at GOP candidate Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich for their assertion that Obama had played the race card in his commentary on the Trayvon Martin case, calling their reactions abysmal and despicable and accusing them of being the truly divisive politicians in the case.

Johnson and his partners are buying the Los Angeles Dodgers from owner Frank McCourt for a record $2 billion, yet another chapter in the life of a perennial comeback kid and a sign that the Dodgers are in good hands. Take a look back at Johnson's tumultuous but ultimately legendary career in our timeline of the American icon here, and see how his struggles in the past could help the L.A. Dodgers in the future.

Rivera has issued a public apology through POLITICO for saying that Martin's hoodie was as much to blame for the 17-year-old's death as the actual shooter, George Zimmerman. Even within his official backtrack however, Rivera continues to assert that the idea Martin was asking for trouble was legitimate, continuing a cycle of victim blaming that has become an epidemic in American culture.

Some Games fans, infuriated that some characters from the series were played by black actors, took to Twitter to post a series of virulent and increasingly racist comments against 13-year-old Amandla Stenberg (playing Rue). Other fans, however, are now taking to the same site to mock the original posters and defend the actress from the slurs being hurled at her.

Are you a Greyjoy, a Stark, a Lannister, a Baratheon or a Targaryen? With only five days to go before the Season 2 premiere of political fantasy epic Game of Thrones, HBO has aired five new TV spots asking viewers to pledge their allegiance to one of the five houses. Watch them all here, and find out what they can tell viewers about the show's second season.

Twenty of Louisiana's delegates to the Republican National Convention in August are up for grabs in the state's presidential primary election Saturday. Here is when to look for the results of the election, where to watch online and on TV, and how to follow the race on Twitter.

Jonathan Turley, a defense attorney and professor at George Washington University, is claiming that the case against George Zimmerman in the Trayvon Martin case may not be as much of an open-and-shut case as people assume, even when it comes to the 911 tapes cited as proof that Zimmerman wasn't acting in self-defense.

Ed Speleers, best known for 2006 fantasy film Eragon, will be joining the cast of Downton Abbey for the hit TV show's third season. Find out his role and get the dirt on who else is joining the cast, from Shirley MacLaine as Lady Cora's mother to Matt Milne as the nephew of scheming lady's maid Miss O'Brien.

Google celebrates the 125th birthday of Spanish artist Juan Gris today with a Cubism-inspired Google Doodle, honoring one of the form's lesser known but most talented painters. Find out the story behind the Google Doodle honoring the Third Musketeer of Cubism and relive some of his most classic paintings here.

Sanford Police Chief Bill Lee announced Thursday that he will be stepping down temporarily as chief, a move instigated by growing criticism of his handling of the Trayvon Martin shooting case in Florida. My role as the leader of this agency has become a distraction from the investigation, Lee said (watch full video here). It is apparent that my involvement in this matter is overshadowing the process.

From Ron Paul's major' endorsement by South Carolina Sen. Tom Davis to Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine's unexpected reversal from Mitt Romney to Rick Santorum, here are the remaining GOP candidate's most significant endorsements so far, and how the candidates' supporters, and their reasons for backing the candidates, help illustrate each campaign's central message.

Goldman Sachs is planning to conduct a company-wide internal email scan to see if employees are really using derogatory terms like muppet to refer to their clients, a move triggered by last week's scathing op-ed by former employee Greg Smith. Smith tore into the investment and securities giant for its toxic, destructive and unethical environment after resigning earlier this month.

Former Sen. Durell Peaden and Rep. Dennis Baxley, two of the authors of Florida's controversial Stand Your Ground law, are arguing that George Zimmerman, under grand jury investigation for the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, lost the right to claim self-defense the moment he began following Martin in his car, insisting that the law itself is not to blame for Martin's death.

It's time to say these words, this word -- 'enough,' the Republican front-runner told supporters at a victory rally. We know our future is brighter than these troubled times. We deserve a president who believes in us. And I believe in the American people.

Another week, another HBO trailer for Season Two of Game of Thrones. This week's teaser, however, gives away far more than the ones before it, from big plot spoilers to some of fans' first looks at the new characters on set. From Dany's metamorphosis and Melisandre's (literal) demon spawn to Cersei's sudden attack of conscience and Tyrion's dips into wildfire, here's everything we caught from HBO's newest trailer.

On Feb. 26, 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, an unarmed black teenager in Sanford, Fla., was shot dead by George Zimmerman, a 28-year-old white Hispanic man touring his gated community in an SUV as part of the neighborhood watch. From what what Martin told his friend moments before he shot, to all the details on the case so far, here are seven things to know about George Zimmerman and the Florida shooting of Trayvon Martin.

Puerto Rico will send 23 delegates to the Republican National Convention in August, so find out here when to look for the results of the 2012 Puerto Rico GOP presidential primary election conducted Sunday, where to watch on TV and online, and how to follow the race on Twitter.

The gentle giant of American Idol was booted from the show this week after producers found out he had been concealing a criminal past. But Jones is not the first Idol contestant to be ousted for breaking the rules, nor is he the first elimination to prompt a furious fan reaction. From Frenchie Davis' ouster for an adult photo spread to Jennifer Hudson's surprise cut, here are the 10 most shocking eliminations in Idol history.

Over the past two days, no less than four character featurettes have been released for Game of Thrones, centering on Daenerys Targaryen, Jon Snow, Joffrey Baratheon and on Renly Baratheon and wife Margarey Tyrell. Watch all four of the teasers here, and find out what we've learned about Season 2 from the featurettes.

Grylls was fired from the Discovery Channel after filming seven seasons of the award-winning program. In honor of Grylls' extreme and often unforgettable adventures, here are his ten Man-liest moments, from burrowing into animal carcasses to drinking his own urine and using his hand as bait in the swamps of Louisiana.

Borden's lawyer, Andrew Jackson Jennings, kept a meticulous record of his preparations for the trial, including never-before-seen letters and testimony, in his two leather-bound diaries. Those journals have now been donated to the Fall River Historical Society, whose curator claims they reveal the true story behind the legend, innuendo and outright lies of the Borden murder case.

Rick Santorum has won the Alabama GOP Primary, and as of Tuesday evening, he is projected to win in Mississippi, television networks report.

Find out when to look for the results of the 2012 Alabama Republican primary, where to watch on TV and online and how to follow the race on Twitter, below. Former Mass. Gov. Mitt Romney, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Texas Rep. Ron Paul and former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum all have high stakes in Tuesday night's primaries in Alabama and Mississippi, and in caucuses in Hawaii and American Samoa.