HAMMOND, La.  — 

Keith Bardwell, justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish, says it is his experience that most interracial marriages do not last long.

"I'm not a racist. I just don't believe in mixing the races that way," Bardwell told the Associated Press on Thursday. "I have piles and piles of black friends. They come to my home, I marry them, they use my bathroom. I treat them just like everyone else."

Bardwell said he asks everyone who calls about marriage if they are a mixed race couple. If they are, he does not marry them, he said.

Bardwell said he has discussed the topic with blacks and whites, along with witnessing some interracial marriages. He came to the conclusion that most of black society does not readily accept offspring of such relationships, and neither does white society, he said.

"There is a problem with both groups accepting a child from such a marriage," Bardwell said. "I think those children suffer and I won't help put them through it."

If he did an interracial marriage for one couple, he must do the same for all, he said.

"I try to treat everyone equally," he said.

Bardwell estimates that he has refused to marry about four couples during his career, all in the past 2 1/2 years.

Beth Humphrey, 30, and 32-year-old Terence McKay, both of Hammond, say they will consult the U.S. Justice Department about filing a discrimination complaint.

Humphrey, an account manager for a marketing firm, said she and McKay, a welder, just returned to Louisiana. She plans to enroll in the University of New Orleans to pursue a masters degree in minority politics.

"That was one thing that made this so unbelievable," she said. "It's not something you expect in this day and age."

Humphrey said she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to inquire about getting a marriage license signed. She says Bardwell's wife told her that Bardwell will not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples. Bardwell suggested the couple go to another justice of the peace in the parish who agreed to marry them.

"We are looking forward to having children," Humphrey said. "And all our friends and co-workers have been very supportive. Except for this, we're typical happy newlyweds."

"It is really astonishing and disappointing to see this come up in 2009," said American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana attorney Katie Schwartzmann. "The Supreme Court ruled as far back as 1963 that the government cannot tell people who they can and cannot marry."

The ACLU sent a letter to the Louisiana Judiciary Committee, which oversees the state justices of the peace, asking them to investigate Bardwell and recommending "the most severe sanctions available, because such blatant bigotry poses a substantial threat of serious harm to the administration of justice."

"He knew he was breaking the law, but continued to do it," Schwartzmann said.

According to the clerk of court's office, application for a marriage license must be made three days before the ceremony because there is a 72-hour waiting period. The applicants are asked if they have previously been married. If so, they must show how the marriage ended, such as divorce.

Other than that, all they need is a birth certificate and Social Security card.

The license fee is $35, and the license must be signed by a Louisiana minister, justice of the peace or judge. The original is returned to the clerk's office.

"I've been a justice of the peace for 34 years and I don't think I've mistreated anybody," Bardwell said. "I've made some mistakes, but you have too. I didn't tell this couple they couldn't get married. I just told them I wouldn't do it."

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TUESDAY UPDATE....    Multiple sources tell me the toxicology report on Michael Jackson is complete and that the Coroner's Office has submitted it's report to the LAPD.

I am told the report was finished very recently and most of the tests were conducted at the Coroner's Office and samples were for the most part not sent to outside labs. The Coroner's Office is not holding a press conference as they had originally planned, but is waiting for direction from the LAPD.

That doesn't mean they won't release cause of death, but the Coroner's Office doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation and is waiting for LAPD guidance.

WEDNESDAY UPDATE:    One of our sources has told me for a couple of days that he does believe the release of the toxicology report will come next week. Having said that, anything can happen, so we remain prepared to cover the release when it is anounced. This all comes as we also prepare for the court battle coming Monday over custody of the Jackson children and control of his will. I have just been e-mailed this statement from the Special Administrators listed in the 2002 Jackson will, who are preparing for that courtroom battle on Monday.  Since being appointed by the Probate Court as Special Administrators of the Estate of Michael Jackson, John Branca and John McClain, who were specifically designated by Michael Jackson in his will to be executors of his Estate, have been focused on preserving Michael's legacy and carrying out his wishes. According to two of my sources from different offices involved in this search.....They insist, this is NOT a raid. A raid "is when we go in with guns, knock down doors and arrest people." He continues, "This is serving a search warrant as part of an intense ongoing investigation."

The Special Administrators have and will continue to provide timely information to Mrs. Jackson's counsel regarding potential business opportunities for the Estate. Any inference that we have not been forthcoming in providing information to Katherine Jackson's attorneys is not accurate.

There is one agreement being requested by Mrs. Jackson's attorneys where the other party to the contract has agreed to provide the document to Mrs. Jackson and her attorneys but requested that the terms be kept confidential and not be shared with third parties. Mrs. Jackson's lawyers have refused that offer.

Based on comments made on The Today Show by one of Mrs. Jackson's attorneys it appears that they want to rewrite Michael's will to make Mrs. Jackson "Guardian of the Estate" and have her appointed as an Executor and Trustee of Michael Jackson's Estate.

In his will Michael was very specific that his mother act as the Guardian of his children and that Mr. Branca and Mr. McClain be the Executors of his Will and Trustees of his Trust.

FROM TUESDAY:

The reason why the raid is taking place in Las Vegas today and not last week is due to complications with obtaining a search warrant on Dr. Murray's home. As one tells me "Justice is sometimes slow and there is a strict protocol and method we have to follow. This is not a totalitarian state and we have to absolutely respect the right of someone being investigated like Dr. Murray."

6 Agencies are taking part (state, Fed and local). This is very similar to last weeks search warrant in Houston. It is under seal, initiated by Las Vegas Police and led by LAPD. The investigators are looking for documents and records. They are building a very detailed case and much of this stuff can't easily be destroyed without obvious.

The DEA is taking part in this investigation NOT due to a possible manslaughter investigation. They are strictly looking at Doctor Murray and his connection to the drugs involved in this case and possibly others.

Remember, last week we reported there might be more searches of locations connected to Dr. Murray.

I am also told: Investigators DO NOT feel that Dr. Murray is a flight risk. As of right now, they don't expect to arrest him any time soon, but that could always change on short notice. They suggest this investigation closely resembles the Anna Nicole investigation, which took months to wrap up.

I am also told, "prosecuting a person in a case like this is extremely difficult and some prosecutors would argue almost impossible. It is so hard to prove."

Multiple sources tell me the toxicology report on Michael Jackson is complete and that the Coroner's Office has submitted it's report to the LAPD.                                                                                                        I am told the report was finished very recently and most of the tests were conducted at the Coroner's Office and samples were for the most part not sent to outside labs. The Coroner's Office is not holding a press conference as they had originally planned, but is waiting for direction from the LAPD.                                                                                      That doesn't mean they won't release cause of death, but the Coroner's Office doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation and is waiting for LAPD guidance.

Multiple sources tell me the toxicology report on Michael Jackson is complete and that the Coroner's Office has submitted it's report to the LAPD.                                                                                               I am told the report was finished very recently and most of the tests were conducted at the Coroner's Office and samples were for the most part not sent to outside labs. The Coroner's Office is not holding a press conference as they had originally planned, but is waiting for direction from the LAPD.                                                                                 That doesn't mean they won't release cause of death, but the Coroner's Office doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation and is waiting for LAPD guidance.

And the Oscar for biggest ne'er-do-well brat child of a legendary acting family goes to — Cameron Douglas.

The son of Academy Award winner Michael Douglas has been arrested once again — this time in the Big Apple for getting in the middle of a deal to sell an eye-popping pile of crystal meth, law-enforcement sources said yesterday.

The 30-year-old sometime-actor/sometime-DJ was busted on July 28 at the Gansevoort Hotel in the Meatpacking District by a DEA task force, the sources said.

He had been staying at the hotel for some time in a room rented by his father, and when authorities barged in, they found the place a mess and Cameron Douglas "very strung out," according to the sources.

An informant had told the investigators that Douglas — grandson of Kirk Douglas — was the middleman in a deal to move a half-pound of crystal meth from California to New York to sell.

With her jet-black hair, thick red lips, sexy attitude and uncensored mouth its hard not to think of Megan Fox as the emerging Angelina Jolie, but the 23-year-old "Transformers" starlet has had enough with constantly being compared to the actress/activist.

"I think its cause she has tattoos really, I think a lack of creativity on the media's part," Fox said. "I am a brunette with tattoos, I curse and I have made mention of sex before. I joked about it which people find outrageous so they want to constantly compare that to her. You know Shia is the new Tom Hanks, Rhianna is the new Beyonce. Everybody is the new somebody although none of us are any of those people so you just walk around with it you live with it."

However Fox isn't the only one quick to diss the comparison, Jolie"s own father Jon Voight agrees that the two really aren't alike.

Megan is herself and Angelina is herself. No one is comparable; everyone in the world is unique," Voight told Tarts at the recent "Transformers" premiere in Los Angeles. "That"s the great thing about it, but of course they’re two very beautiful women."

But it turns out that "Jennifer’s Body" writer Diablo Cody may have played a prominent role in contributing to Fox’s self-proclaimed filthy mouth.

"She (Cody) has told me some of the dirtiest jokes I’ve ever heard in my entire life," Fox told Tarts over the weekend at the Comic Con Festival in San Diego.

But how did the world’s hottest woman feel about being mutated into a zombie for the role?

"Going through hours of zombie makeup wasn’t necessarily hard it was just so bizarre because I’m so used to being glamorized on a Michael Bay set to the point where you don’t feel beautiful anymore because you’re like a mannequin," she added. "So being made into a zombie was really bizarre and some of the prosthetics were very laborious but it was so interesting."

Candy Spelling -- the mother famously at war with her daughter -- has taken the bold step of communicating with Tori Spelling through TMZ ... and her opening line isn't gonna get her a lot of invites. Here's the open letter in all its glory:

EXCLUSIVE TO: TMZ.COM
TO: MIDDLE-AGED REALITY SHOW STARS (LIKE MY DAUGHTER)
FROM: CANDY SPELLING

I Know many middle-aged people have issues about their parents and their upbringing. I did. My memories didn't match all those of my mother, and, funny thing, it's the same way with my daughter.

Life has consequences. What you say is on the record. Other people have feelings.

have a vested interest in this subject. My daughter, Tori's, two-part season finale revolves around my granddaughter's first birthday party and how she has made what seems like an agonizing decision to invite me.

Cue music. Cue sideways glances. Cue Lights.

I did get an invitation just in time for the RSVP deadline. I'm sure its delivery will be on next week's episode with some comment about my house or driveway or street or something they won't like. I wonder if that will be spread out over one part or two. Sigh.

A big party wasn't how I envisioned meeting my granddaughter for the first time; but, hey, this is Hollywood, and my grandchildren have become reality show props, too. At the time I emailed "yes," I didn't realize I was being set up for a two-parter, even though it was clear I was being invited to be part of a segment for my daughter's reality show.

Spoiler alert. Don't read this if you plan to sit through an hour of people looking at their watches and saying "she's late." I decided my first meeting with my granddaughter should be on home video, not primetime cable; so I emailed that I would not be attending.

Back to other reality stars. My husband taught me that the plots have to be fresh and updated. The same old whining gets tired after a while. Enough complaining about what may or may not have happened during first grade or YMCA camp, or what vegetable you were forced to endure, especially when you are privileged enough to be on TV and get paid for it.

For all the reality show personalities, please remember that real life doesn't get edited to make things better or worse or get better ratings. You're responsible for what you do. Life isn't just a show. And your families can't just be props. Make your own season finale without creating conflicts you will regret later.

Eddie Cibrian is now free to be with rumored mistress LeAnn Rimes as his fed-up wife Brandi Glanville has left him. In an interview with Us magazine, the former model said she and Cibrian, 36, have “decided to take some time apart. “I want to do what is best for our children. Eddie and LeAnn deserve each other,” Glanville said, noting that the final straw came when Cibrian and his famous country-singer mistress were spotted out together last week, according to Us.

Just four months ago, the same magazine busted Cibrian and Rimes out together on a romantic date, cozying up to one another and even kissing over the table. According to the report, Rimes and husband Dean Sheremet’s friend Jeff Berger has been facilitating meetings between the singer and Cibrian for weeks, even giving them use of his rental home in Los Angeles. Berger denied enabling the affair.

EXCLUSIVE: The investigative team heading the probe into Michael Jackson’s death conducted interviews with physicians and personnel at medical facilities in Las Vegas on Monday, a law enforcement source close to the investigation told FOXNews.com.

Lead investigators from the Los Angeles Police Department’s Robbery and Homicide Division, along with several field agents from the Los Angeles Drug Enforcement Administration office, took a day trip to Las Vegas to follow up on leads indicating that at least one drug believed to have contributed to Jackson’s sudden death on June 25 originated in Las Vegas. Sources could not tell FOXNews.com what drug was the focus of the probe, who was questioned or which medical practices were visited, but Jackson’s personal physician Conrad Murray runs a cardiology practice in Las Vegas.

FULL COVERAGE: Click for FOXNews.com's complete coverage of Michael Jackson's death.

Murray is believed to currently be staying at his family's home in Texas. It is unclear if he was part of Monday's investigation, but it was reported that the doctor canceled his third interview with LAPD last week. A spokeswoman for Murray's legal team has denied those reports.

Police questioned Murray twice shortly after Jackson's death, which is being treated as a homicide.

The law enforcement source told FOXNews.com that investigators are using the results of preliminary toxicology reports, which have not yet been released to the public, to track down the sources of the drugs found in high concentrations in Jackson’s system.

Investigators have also been tracking down all drugs recovered from Jackson’s rented Holmby Hills mansion in the days following the death of the King of Pop.

The investigative team received assistance from members of local enforcement and spent the day conducting interviews at medical facilities, the source said. The team was expected to return to Los Angeles by Tuesday morning.

FOXNews.com has also learned that the Medical Board of California has started proceedings that could strip Murray of his license to practice medicine.

The Medical Board of California has informed Murray that he is the subject of a malpractice investigation, a law enforcement official told FOXNews.com.

Murray is licensed to practice in California, Texas and Nevada.

The Texas Medical Board and the State of Nevada Board of Medical Examiners are assisting in the California investigation.

Miranda Sevcik, a spokeswoman for Murray’s legal team, said, "We have no information on any investigation by the state medical board."

She says Murray continues to cooperate with police.

RENO, Nev. —  A woman is accusing Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger of raping her last summer in his penthouse hotel room at Lake Tahoe.

The woman worked at Harrah's hotel-casino at the time and says the attack happened when the Super Bowl-winning quarterback was in Tahoe playing in a celebrity golf tournament. She also alleges in the civil suit that Harrah's officials refused to investigate her complaint and went to great lengths to cover up the incident.

Roethlisberger's lawyer David Cornwell denies the claim and says the quarterback will be "fully exonerated."

The lawsuit filed in Reno on Friday seeks at least $390,000 in damages. It says she has been in and out of hospitals for treatment of depression since the episode.

It was not immediately clear if the woman went to enforcement with her complaints.

Kim Kardashian says she is shocked at some of the harsh comments she gets regarding her interracial relationship. The reality television star, who is mixed with Armenian, Scottish and Dutch, is dating African American NFL player Reggie Bush.

“I don’t understand it because I was raised to not see color,” Kardashian told FOX411 at the Three O Bubble Vodka Launch party in New York City earlier this month. “But you’re still faced with it.”

Read on to find out where Kim was told she “didn’t belong.”

Recently, the couple decided to embark on a charity trip to Africa to tour diamond mines with Russell Simmon’s Global Grind organization, which Kim said earned her criticism from a few critics who felt she “didn’t belong.”

“All the comments were, ‘How dare she go to Africa,’ and it’s just like, you know what, I can’t believe that charity work is being judged, and I can’t believe people would even comment on that and I think it’s really disgusting,” she said.

But the critics aren’t getting the star down, nor does it affect her relationship in any way.

“At the end of the day, you just have to brush them off, you have no choice,” She told FOX411. “I hope by the time Reggie and I have kids, things will be different.”

Mischa Barton was submitted involuntarily to a California mental health facility last week, and she’s still there. According to insiders, friends and associates have been trying to get Mischa into some sort of treatment for months, including party pal Lindsay Lohan.

The two club regulars often partied together into the early morning hours.  But last year, Lindsay walked away from the friendship after a messy Mischa pushed Lindsay over the edge.  Sources close to Lohan tell Fox 411 that the two girls haven’t spoken for months, but Lindsay would help Mischa if she asked for help to get through this latest fiasco.

“Lindsay and Mischa used to go out all the time together in Los Angeles.  They were like kindred spirits when it came to clubbing and letting loose,” says the insider. “ They have many mutual friends, but everything shifted for Lindsay last year at a party.  Mischa was completely out of control, and Lindsay sat Mischa down then to make it clear that she needed help.  Lindsay was desperate for Mischa to clean herself up and offered a treatment facility and a therapist to help Mischa.  Mischa completely ignored Lindsay, and that was the end.”

Several people close to the “OC” actress tell FOX411 she’s been on a downward spiral for years.  “No one close to her is surprised,” says one pal. “Alcohol was like the gateway to other things for Mischa.  Nobody has been able to stop her until now. Hopefully this psychiatric hold will force her to seek real help.”

Mischa’s latest stylist deserted her as well, says the insider, warning that ”Mischa must get help or she will be all alone. She can’t continue down the path of the last two years or so.  It’s destructive and it will end her career for good.”

Amid the custody crisis surrounding Michael Jackson’s children, Pop Tarts has been told that their grandmother and temporary guardian Katherine Jackson has been taking the three children to the Kingdom of Jehovah's Witnesses to help them deal with the death of their famous father.

“They need this stability and to bond with God at a time like this,” said longtime Jackson friend and biographer Stacy Brown. “I think this is one of the main reasons Michael named his mom as guardian, he knew that proper Bible training was best for them. But the Church doesn’t force anyone to be baptized, when they (the kids) are mature enough they will make that decision.”

However this isn’t the first time the children have attended a mass of this kind. According to Brown, they accompanied MJ to the church back in 2005.

“They were really attentive and really involved with the whole learning process,” he said. “They seemed to really enjoy it.”

Michael stopped being a Jehovah's Witness 1985 but reportedly resumed attending the Church’s meetings throughout his child molestation trial. Katherine and the eldest child Rebbie are the only two remaining Jehovah's Witnesses in the family. Speaking of which, we’re told that Katherine had “no control” and was less-than-impressed with the recent memorial service that took place in MJ’s honor at the Los Angeles Staples Center.

“Jehovah's Witnesses do not believe in interfaith services and Katherine’s wishes should have been respected on her day or mourning,” added Brown. “She was there but she wasn’t happy about it. Of course she would have wanted to do something for the fans, but not a public

On the note of public spectacles, a source close to the Jackson family said that it was disgusting and devastating that the footage of Michael Jackson’s explosive 1984 Pepsi commercial was released last week in the wake of his death.

“Michael’s deal was that he owned all footage from the incident, he never ever wanted anybody to see that, he would have been so humiliated and upset,” said our source. “So whoever leaked it had to be someone with access to his belongings …”

Budding Romance: Lionel Richie & Bai Ling??!

It seems as far as far can be from the perfect match, but hey opposites do attract -- so could it be that crazy actress Bai Ling and music legend Lionel Richie have something going on?

The unlikely duo was spotted on what appeared to be a romantic date last Thursday at Whist at Viceroy Santa Monica. According to an eye witness, Ling and Richie kept a low-profile and laughed and flirted throughout their meal.

The actress (who tells people she hails “from the moon” and has a habit of crashing Hollywood parties and dirty dancing for hours by herself) was most recently linked to Mickey Rourke with whom she put on quite the PDA with at the Chateau Marmont earlier this year.

'Inside the NFL' Reporter Says Romo Fans Happy Simpson Is Gone

Jenn Brown has made her mark as the only female reporter on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL” and when it comes to the recent Tony Romo/Jessica Simpson split she believes it is for the best.

“I think that he was doing a little bit better when she wasn't around. I don't think it's good to mix celebrities, if you've got two people with competing schedules where someone if off on tour and someone is competing, it just doesn't make a lot of time,” Brown told Tarts at last week’s ESPY Awards in Los Angeles. “I'm sure a lot of the football fans are happy she (Jessica)is gone.”

But on the other hand Laurie Phillips, wife of Dallas Cowboys Head Coach Wade Phillips, thinks the pop princess has been unfairly targeted as Tony’s bad-luck charm.

“She’s not to blame (for his decreased performance), absolutely not at all,” Phillips said.

Report: Iranian Militias Marry, Rape Virgin Prisoners Before Executions

Monday , July 20, 2009

TEHRAN, Iran — 

The anonymous militiaman told the Jerusalem Post that at age 18 he was "given the 'honor' to temporarily marry young girls before they were sentenced to death."

In the Islamic Republic of Iran it is illegal to execute a woman if she is a virgin, the former guard told the newspaper. So the government arranges "wedding" ceremonies to be conducted the night before executions, and prisoners are forced to have sexual intercourse with a guard.

Raped by her new "husband," a female prisoner is now fit to be put to death.

"I regret that, even though the marriages were legal," said the militiaman, who told the Jerusalem Post he had just been released from prison himself after freeing two teenagers rounded up during post-election protests.

Some of the prisoners in his care were drugged with sleeping pills to make them docile, as the girls in their custody always fought back, he said, fearing the night of the rape more deeply than their executions the following day.

"I remember hearing them cry and scream after [the rape] was over," he told the paper. "I will never forget how this one girl clawed at her own face and neck with her finger nails afterwards. She had deep scratches all over her."

'Burn Notice' Star Jeffrey Donovan Arrested, Suspected of DUI

Monday , July 20, 2009

MIAMI BEACH, Fla. — 

The arrest report says an officer pulled Donovan over on July 12 after noticing that he swerved his car to avoid hitting the police car from behind. When the officer approached Donovan, he reported that the actor's eyes appeared bloodshot and watery.

The actor of the popular USA Network series was arrested after failing a field sobriety test. The arrest report says Donovan refused to take a breathalyzer test.

The 41-year-old actor, who worked alongside actress Angelina Jolie in the 2008 film, "Changeling," was released several hours later on $1,000 bail.

His publicist declined to comment, and a phone message left with a network spokeswoman was not immediately returned.

Mischa Barton — the formerly willowy star of "The O.C." — was taken away by police and hospitalized under California's involuntary psychiatric-hold law just hours before she was due to fly to New York for the premiere of her movie, "Homecoming."

Cops took her to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, where she was hospitalized under Section 5150 of the California Welfare & Institutions Code, which allows authorities to hold a person for up to 72 hours if they present a danger to themselves or to others.

Barton, 23, looked bloated and almost unrecognizable at a public appearance last week, which her reps blamed on the removal of a wisdom tooth.

The once-scary-skinny starlet was arrested for DUI and marijuana possession in LA after driving in two lanes during a break from the movie's location work in Pittsburgh last year. She later checked into rehab.

Page Six reported that Barton would attend the premiere after we'd been assured by publicist R. Couri Hay that producers "Bingo [Gubelmann] and Austin [Stark] are hand-holding her from 4:30 to the premiere and through to the after-party at Pink Elephant, as she realizes the film is important to her."

Stark said, "She was really professional and worked hard. It's a shame she can't come out and promote the movie. She did a great job."

Barton's publicist told People, "Police were involved due to Ms. Barton's celebrity status to safely transfer her to medical treatment as per doctor's orders." The rep said Barton was now "OK" and "resting."

By NARDINE SAAD - 1 hour ago

LONDON (AP) — The surviving pages of the world's oldest Christian Bible have been reunited — digitally. The early work known as the Codex Sinaiticus has been housed in four separate locations across the world for more than 150 years. But starting Monday, it became available for perusal on the Web at http://www.codexsinaiticus.org so scholars and other readers can get a closer look at what the British Library calls a "unique treasure."

"(The book) offers a window into the development of early Christianity and firsthand evidence of how the text of the Bible was transmitted from generation to generation," said Scot McKendrick, head of Western manuscripts at the British Library.

As it survives today, Codex Sinaiticus comprises just over 400 large leaves of prepared animal skin, each of which measures 15 inches by 13.5 inches (380 millimeters by 345 millimeters). It is the oldest book that contains a complete New Testament and is only missing parts of the Old Testament and the Apocrypha.

The 4th-century book, written in Greek, has been digitally reunited in a project involving groups from Britain, Germany, Russia and Egypt, which each possessed parts of the 1,600-year-old manuscript.

They worked together to publish new research into the history of the Codex and transcribed 650,000 words over a four-year period.

The Codex was both a key Christian text and "a landmark in the history of the book, as it is arguably the oldest large-bound book to have survived," McKendrick said.

Codex Sinaiticus, which loosely translated means "the book from Sinai," was discovered at the Monastery of Saint Catherine at Mount Sinai by German Bible scholar Constantine Tischendorf in the mid-19th century. Much of it eventually wound up in Russia — just how exactly the British Library won't say, citing lingering sensitivity over the circumstances surrounding its removal from the monastery.

The British Library bought 347 pages from Soviet authorities in 1933. Forty-three pages are at the University Library in Leipzig, Germany, and six fragments are at the National Library of Russia in St. Petersburg. And in 1975, monks stumbled on 12 more pages and 40 fragments stashed in a hidden room at the monastery at Mount Sinai.

Juan Garces, the Codex Sinaiticus project manager, said putting the book online was a "definitely a historical moment."

"It's special because it's the oldest almost completely preserved bible," Garces said.

Garces said the only other Bible that rivals Codex Sinaiticus in age is the Codex Vaticanus, which was written around the same time but lacks parts of the New Testament.

"It's such an important book — that's why it should be accessible," Garces said. "If you would have liked to see it before you would have had to travel to four countries in two continents. If you want to see the manuscript right now all you have to do is go online and experience it for yourself."

On the Codex parchment leaves is written around half of the Old Testament and Apocrypha, the whole of the New Testament and two early Christian texts not found in modern Bibles. Most of the first part of the Bible manuscript — containing most of the so-called historical books, from Genesis to 1 Chronicles — is missing and presumed to be lost.

Garces said Codex Sinaiticus was handwritten by four scribes. Experts had previously believed there were only three, but researchers at the British Library looked at the script with high quality digital imaging that revealed the hand of a fourth penman.

"From Parchment to Pixel: The Virtual Reunification of the Codex Sinaiticus," an exhibit about the Bible's reunification process, opened at the British Library on Monday and runs until Sept. 7.

The digitized manuscript includes more than 800 pages and fragments, including the pages discovered in 1975 — published for the first time.

"There's a high demand," Garces said. "Our Web site has crashed because people want to look at it."

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

By JULIET WILLIAMS - 24 minutes ago

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Attempts to close California's widening budget deficit appeared to veer off course Monday after one of the key Democratic leaders sat out a top-level meeting amid frustration over the direction of the talks.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, refused to participate in morning negotiations between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Assembly and Senate. She told reporters that she would consider avoiding another so-called Big 5 meeting later Monday.

Bass criticized Schwarzenegger for fixating on what she called a "laundry list" of issues that would do little if anything to close the state's $26.3 billion shortfall. She demanded that the Republican governor and the other leaders focus on closing the deficit, rather than what she considers peripheral issues.

She said the chasm between Democrats and Republicans over addressing the state's fiscal crisis seemed to be growing.

"We need to be talking about closing the deficit," Bass said during a news conference called just 30 minutes before the governor was scheduled to address reporters.

Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, will continue attending the budget talks because he believes some progress is being made, said his spokeswoman, Alicia Trost.

Failure to find a quick resolution will leave thousands of state vendors in limbo. Last week, the state began issuing IOUs for all types of services provided by private contractors, including community health clinics, suppliers and janitorial crews.

Schwarzenegger also ordered some 235,000 state workers to take a third furlough day a month, cutting their pay by a total of 14 percent.

Monday's developments come after futile talks over the holiday weekend and after Republicans in the state Senate blocked a proposal last week to cut $3 billion in spending before the July 1 start of the fiscal year. That action widened the deficit by about $2 billion, in large part because more money will now flow to schools under California's complex education-funding formula.

Schwarzenegger and GOP senators said the Democratic majority in both houses of the Legislature needed to deal with the entire deficit at once rather than in piecemeal fashion.

At the same time, the governor is pushing for reforms he says will save California hundreds of millions of dollars a year and show taxpayers that state government is accountable for how it spends their money.

He met Monday with district attorneys from five counties to discuss alleged fraud in the in-home supportive services program, which provides care for people with medical problems.

He said he wants caregivers and patients to be fingerprinted as a way to prevent fraud and institute unannounced compliance checks at recipients' homes.

"The legislators upstairs, some of them, are very reluctant to do that. They feel that it would be an insult to fingerprint a patient," Schwarzenegger said during his own news conference. "I always tell them that fingerprinting is quite common in a lot of different areas."

Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear said the governor is asking for reforms to four state programs: in-home care, pensions for new public employees, Medi-Cal and CalWorks, the low-cost health insurance program for the poor.

McLear said the other legislative leaders would continue working toward a compromise on the budget deficit, with or without Bass. Schwarzenegger declined to criticize the Assembly speaker, instead calling Bass a passionate public servant.

"These are very challenging times, so I understand if people sometimes get frustrated and they get upset," he said.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Who Will Perform at Michael Jackson's Memorial?

By Jessica Herndon

Originally posted Monday July 06, 2009 03:45 PM EDT

By TERESA M. WALKER - 33 minutes ago

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Shot twice in the head and two more times in the chest, former NFL quarterback Steve McNair was the victim of a homicide, police declared Sunday. But authorities wouldn't say it was a murder-suicide — even with his 20-year-old girlfriend dead at his feet from a single bullet.

McNair had been dating Sahel Kazemi for several months, and Nashville police spokesman Don Aaron said Sunday that a semiautomatic pistol was found under her body. She was shot in the head.

McNair, who was married with four sons, had a permit to carry a handgun in Tennessee, and he was arrested once before with a 9mm weapon although charges in the case were dropped. Police said they had not yet determined who owned the gun found at the scene.

Investigators weren't looking for a suspect but were questioning friends of the couple as well as Kazemi's ex-boyfriend. They were also waiting for results of drug and other laboratory tests before deciding whether McNair was killed in a lovers' quarrel.

"That's a very important part of the investigation as we work to ultimately classify Miss Kazemi's death," Aaron said.

The details surfacing after McNair's death stand in stark contrast to the public persona he enjoyed during his career.

McNair repeatedly played through serious injuries and pain to win, though he came up a yard short of forcing overtime in the Tennessee Titans' famous drive in the 2000 Super Bowl.

Generous, he frequently took part in charity work for both the Titans and later the Baltimore Ravens after a 2006 trade. McNair even helped load donated food, water and clothes onto tractor-trailers that he had arranged for Hurricane Katrina victims, and paid for three football camps for children himself this year.

McNair and Kazemi were found dead at a Nashville condominium — which overlooks the Titans stadium — that he rented with his friend Wayne Neeley. Police believe both died early Saturday. Neeley found the bodies hours later, and called a friend, Robert Gaddy, who played at Alcorn State with McNair. Gaddy dialed 911.

"People have certain things that they do in life," Gaddy said. "We don't need to look on the situation at this time (but) on the fact we just lost a great member of society."

The quarterback's agent, Bus Cook, said he had never heard Kazemi's name until news of the shooting broke Saturday. What McNair's wife knew wasn't clear Sunday. Cook said Mechelle McNair was "in and out of it." He said she had no comment after the police called his death a homicide.

"It doesn't make any sense. I don't know what to say," Cook said.

Mechelle was "very upset, very distraught" Sunday, Cook said. She was preparing to finish funeral arrangements Monday.

McNair split his time between Nashville and his farm in Mount Olive, Miss. He recently opened a restaurant near Tennessee State University that was aimed at serving healthy, affordable food to college students.

McNair was also seen so often at Kazemi's apartment that a neighbor thought he lived there.

McNair met Kazemi when his family ate often at the Dave & Buster's restaurant she worked at as a server, and the two began dating in a relationship that included a vacation with parasailing. Photos posted on TMZ.com showed McNair gazing and smiling at the young Kazemi.

"She pretty obviously got mixed up way over her head with folks," said Reagan Howard, a neighbor of Kazemi's.

A man who answered the door at a house in the Jacksonville, Fla., suburb of Orange Park said it was the home of Kazemi's family, but said her relatives did not want to comment.

"We don't have anything to say, please leave us alone," he said.

The victim's sister, Soheyla Kazemi, told the Florida Times-Union in Jacksonville that the young woman had expected McNair to get a divorce. "She said they were planning to get married."

Kazemi often was dropped off by limousine in the early morning hours and recently went from driving a Kia to a 2007 Cadillac Escalade registered to both herself and McNair. Her niece told The Tennessean that Kazemi thought McNair was divorcing his wife of 12 years soon.

Nashville courts had no record of a McNair divorce case, but a home he owned in Nashville is on the market for $3 million.

The real estate agent declined to comment. Her online listing for property described it as a "gigantic house" of more than 14,000 square feet and photos showed a pool, home theater, baby grand piano and ornate furnishings throughout.

McNair and Kazemi were together Thursday night when she was pulled over driving that Escalade. She was arrested on a DUI charges, and he was allowed to leave in a taxi even though he was charged with drunken driving in 2007 when his brother-in-law was stopped for DUI while driving McNair's pickup truck.

McNair led the Titans to the 2000 Super Bowl, which they lost 23-16 to the St. Louis Rams despite his 87-yard drive in the final minute and 48 seconds. He was co-MVP of the NFL with Colts quarterback Peyton Manning in 2003.

Manning said in a statement Sunday that he had some great battles with the quarterback.

"Sharing the NFL MVP honor with him in 2003 was special because of what a great football player he was," Manning said. "I had the opportunity to play in a couple of Pro Bowls with him, and the time spent with him in Hawaii I'll never forget. I'll truly miss him."

The Titans drafted Vince Young in 2006 to replace McNair, who had mentored him since he was a teenager. They never played together but did play against each other that year.

"He was like a father to me. I hear his advice in my head with everything I do. Life will be very different without him," Young said in a statement Sunday.

McNair grew up in Mount Olive, Miss., and became a football star at Alcorn State, the Division I-AA school in his home state as he dominated the Southwestern Athletic Conference. He became a Heisman Trophy contender as reporters flocked to little Lorman to watch the man known as "Air McNair."

He still holds the Division I-AA (now known as Football Championship Subdivision) records for career yards passing (14,496) and total offense (16,823). McNair was drafted in 1995 by the Houston Oilers, who eventually became the Titans.

Picked four times for the Pro Bowl, McNair finished with 31,304 yards passing and 174 touchdowns. He led both the Titans and Ravens to playoff berths, including two AFC championship game appearances with Tennessee. Injuries finally led to his retirement after the 2007 season

Besides his wife, McNair is survived by his sons Junior, Steven, Tyler and Trenton.

Associated Press writers contributing to this report include: Ron Word in Jacksonville, Fla.; and Travis Loller, Lucas L. Johnson II and Joe Edwards in Nashville.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Marion Barry Charged With Stalking a Woman

WASHINGTON (AP) — Marion Barry, the former mayor of the District of Columbia, was arrested over the weekend and charged with stalking a female acquaintance, the latest in a long string of legal troubles for him.

Federal Park Police said Mr. Barry, who is a member of the Council of the District of Columbia, was arrested after a woman told an officer that Mr. Barry was stalking her. He was charged with misdemeanor stalking and released.

The police did not name Mr. Barry's accuser. But his spokeswoman, Natalie Williams, said on Sunday afternoon that the 40-year-old woman was someone Mr. Barry knew and had helped financially.

The woman and Mr. Barry are friends and had lunch earlier in the day, Ms. Williams said. Mr. Barry ran into the woman again during Fourth of July festivities in Anacostia Park but was on his way home when the incident occurred, Ms. Williams said.

Ms. Williams said the woman had accused Mr. Barry of stalking her before.

Mr. Barry was unavailable for comment, Ms. Williams said, but he planned to talk with reporters on Monday morning. A court appearance was scheduled for Thursday.

Mr. Barry served four terms as mayor. In his third, he was videotaped in 1990 in a hotel room smoking crack cocaine in a sting by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. He served six months in prison and in 1994 regained the mayor"s office.

Last Will of Michael Joseph Jackson

Wednesday, July 01, 2009

LAST WILL

OF

MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON

I, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, a resident of the State of California, declare this to be my last Will, and do hereby revoke all former wills and codicils made by me.

I

I declare that I am not married. My marriage to DEBROAH JEAN ROWE JACKSON has been dissolved. I have three children now living, PRINCE MICHAEL JACKSON, JR., PARIS MICHAEL KATHERINE JACKSON and PRINCE MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, 11. I have no other children, living or deceased.

II

It is my intention by this Will to dispose of all property which I am entitled to dispose of by will. I specifically refrain from exercising all powers of appointment that I may possess at the time of my death.

III

I give my entire estate to the Trustee or Trustees then acting under that certain Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust executed on March 22, 2002 by me as Trustee and Trustor which is called the MICHAEL JACKSON FAMILY TRUST, giving effect to my amendments thereto made prior to my death. All such assets shall be held, managed and distributed as a part of said Trust according to its terms and not as a separate testamentary trust.

If for any reason this gift is not operative or is invalid, or if the aforesaid Trust fails or has been revoked, I give my residuary estate to the Trustee or Trustees named to act in the MICHAEL JACKSON FAMILY TRUST, as Amended and Restated on March 22, 2002, and I direct said Trustee or Trustees to divide, administer, hold and distribute the trust estate pursuant to the provisions of said Trust, as hereinabove referred to as such provisions now exist to the same extent and in the same manner as though that certain Amended and Restated Declaration of Trust, were herein set forth in full, but without giving effect to any subsequent amendments after the date of this Will. The Trustee, Trustees, or any successor Trustee named in such Trust Agreement shall serve without bond.

IV

I direct that all federal estate taxes and state inheritance or succession taxes payable upon or resulting from or by reason of my death (herein "Death Taxes") attributable to property which is part of the trust estate of the MICHAEL JACKSON FAMILY TRUST, including property which passes to said trust from my probate estate shall be paid by the Trustee of said trust in accordance of terms. Death Taxes attributable to property passing outside this Will, other than property constituting the trust estate of the trust mentioned in the preceding sentence, shall be charged against the taker of said property.

V

I appoint JOHN BRANCA, JOHN MCCLAIN and BARRY SIEGEL as co-Executors of this Will. In the event of any of their deaths, resignations, inability, failure or refusal to serve or continue to serve as co-Executor, the other shall serve and no replacement need be named. The co-Executors serving at any time after my death may name one or more replacements to serve in the event that none of the three named individuals is willing or able to serve at any time.

The term "my executors" as used in this Will shall include any duly acting personal representative or representatives of my estate. No individual acting as such need post a bond.

I hereby give my Executors, full power and authority at any time or times to sell, lease, mortgage, pledge, exchange or otherwise dispose of the property, whether real or personal comprising my estate, upon such terms as my Executor shall deem best, to continue any business enterprises, to purchase assets from my estate, to continue in force and pay insurance premiums on any insurance policy, including life insurance, owned by my estate, and for any of the foregoing purposes to make, execute and deliver any and all deeds, contracts, mortgages, bills of sale or other instruments necessary or desirable therefore. In addition, I give my Executors full power to invest and reinvest the estate funds and assets in any kind of property, real, personal or mixed, and every kind of investment, specifically including, but not by way of limitation, corporate obligations of every kind and stocks, preferred or common, and interests in investments trusts and share in investment companies, and any common trust fund administered by any corporate executor hereunder, which men of prudent discretion and intelligence acquire of their own account.

VI

Except as otherwise provided in this Will or in the Trust referred to in Article III hereof, I have intentionally omitted to provide for my heirs. I have intentionally omitted to provide for my former wife, DEBORAH JEAN ROWE JACKSON.

VII

If at the time of my death I own or have an interest in property located outside of the State of California requiring ancillary administration, I appoint my domiciliary Executors as ancillary Executors for such property. I give to said domiciliary Executors the following additional powers, rights and privileges to be exercised in their sole and absolute discretion with reference to such property: to cause such ancillary administration to be commenced, carried on and completed; to determine what assets, if any, are to be sold by the ancillary Executors; to pay directly or to advance funds from the California estate to the ancillary Executors for the payment of all claims, taxes, costs and administration expenses, including compensation of the ancillary Executors and attorneys' fees incurred by reason of the ownership of such property and by such ancillary administration; and upon completion of such ancillary administration, I authorize and direct the ancillary Executors to distribute, transfer and deliver the residue of such property to the domiciliary Executors herein, to be distributed by them under the terms of this Will, it being my intention that my entire estate shall be administered as a unit and that my domiciliary Executors shall supervise and control, so far as permissible by local law, any ancillary administration proceedings deemed necessary in the settlement of my estate.

VIII

If any of my children are minors at the time of my death, I nominate my mother, KATHERINE JACKSON as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children. If KATHERINE JACKSON fails to survive me, or is unable or unwilling to act as guardian, I nominate DIANA ROSS as guardian of the persons and estates of such minor children.

I subscribe my name to this Will this 7 day of July, 2002

Signed 'Michael Joseph Jackson"

On the date written below, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, declared to us, the undersigned, that the foregoing instrument consisting of five (5) pages, including the page singed by us as witnesses, was his Will and requested us to act as witnesses to it. He thereupon signed this Will in our presence, all of us being present at the same time. We now, at his request, in his presence and in the presence of each other, subscribe our names as witnesses.

Each of us is now more than eighteen (18) years of age and a competent witness and resides at the address set forth after his name.

Each of us is acquainted with MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON. At this time, he is over the age of eighteen (18) years and, to the best of our knowledge, he is of sound mind and is not acting under duress, menace, fraud, misrepresentation or undue influence.

We declare under penalty of purgery that the foregoing is true and correct.

Executed on July 7^{th, 2002 at 5:00 p.m., Los Angeles}

After the first reports about Jackson's failing health, Hilton wrote that he doubted Jackson had gone into cardiac arrest. In a post that has since been removed from PerezHilton.com, the celebrity blogger speculated that Jackson was pulling a stunt to get out of his upcoming concerts in London.

Hilton's skepticism, of course, proved unfounded, and many have called for a boycott of the blogger. Hundreds of users on Twitter have urged others to "unfollow" Hilton on the microblogging service. Pete Wentz of the band Fall Out Boy was among the celebrities who chastised Hilton.

Hilton (real name: Mario Lavandeira) didn't return e-mails requesting comment.

He did, though, tweet many times about the situation, claiming that he was owning up to his mistake and that he was "genuinely feeling sorry that he died and sorry for his kids."

On Thursday, Hilton apologized for using a gay slur during a nightclub altercation Monday with Black Eyed Peas frontman will.i.am. The altercation resulted in the band's tour manager being charged with assault for allegedly punching Hilton.

Hilton apologized after the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation pressed him to apologize.

___

On the Net:

http://www.perezhilton.com

Michael Jackson Rushed to Los Angeles Hospital in Possible Cardiac Arrest

Thursday , June 25, 2009

According to a report in the Los Angeles Times, the legendary singer, 50, died Thursday afternoon. FOXNews.com has not confirmed this information.

On Thursday afternoon, multiple reports claimed that shortly after noon Thursday, Jackson went into cardiac arrest and had to receive CPR in the ambulance. Joe Jackson, his father, told multiple news sources that his son is not doing well.

Paramedics responded to a 911 call at around 12:26 p.m. PDT, the Los Angeles Times reported. He was reportedly not breathing at the time of their arrival.

A Jackson spokesman was unavailable for comment.

Jackson was born in Indiana in 1958. He rose to fame as part of the successful pop group The Jackson Five, formed with his brothers in 1967. The group went on to earn four number one hits in 1970 alone, and the 12-year-old Jackson became the undeniable breakout star of the group.

In 1972, Jackson enjoyed his first solo hit with the song "Ben.” Six years later, he made his film debut in “The Wiz,” where he renewed his friendship with producer Quincy Jones.

Collaborating with Jones, Jackson went on to become remarkably successful with his solo efforts “Off The Wall” in 1979 and “Thriller” in 1982.

From there, Jackson went on to become the undeniable “King of Pop,” winning seven Grammy awards for “Thriller” alone.

During the 1980s, he became an icon with a distinct style of fashion and performing as well, wearing one sparkling glove, bejeweled military clothing and short pants with socks.

It was around this time that Jackson began experimenting with excessive cosmetic surgery, including lightening of his skin.

In 1992, Michael founded the "Heal the World Foundation," a charity that brought underprivileged children to Neverland Ranch where Michael would spend time with them and allow them to spend the night.

This practice raised many eyebrows, especially when Jackson was accused of molesting a 13-year-old boy who had become a regular Neverland guest. Jackson responded to the allegations publicly, maintaining his innocence. In 1994, he settled the case out of court for an undisclosed amount.

Jackson was briefly married the daughter of Elvis Presley, Lisa Marie. The union was publicly scrutinized and speculations arose as to whether the marriage was simply an attempt to improve Jackson's image, though he maintained that they lived genuinely as man and wife; however, the marriage broke up after less than two years.

From there, his career never recovered, making headline after headline for strange and unusual behavior, including dangling his child over his head.

While Jackson was on the set, the police raided Neverland Ranch issuing an arrest warrant for charges of child molestation by the same boy who appeared in Martin Bashir's documentary about Jackson.

A trial took place in 2005, and Jackson was acquitted of all charges. After his acquittal, he relocated to the Gulf Island of Bahrain, where he has reportedly been spending his time writing new music.

In 2004, a man filed a lawsuit against him, alleging he had been molested 20 years earlier but had repressed the memory until 2003. However, a judge eventually dismissed the lawsuit.

Jackson was set to go on European tour of 50 concert dates this year, but he had not booked any dates. There were multiple reports that he was too sick to perform, but Jackson never confirmed the rumors.

Report: Violence Common Among Scientology Managers

Sunday , June 21, 2009

CLEARWATER, Fla. — 

The executives who have since left the organization told The St. Petersburg Times that they witnessed David Miscavige, chairman of the board that oversees the church, hit staff members dozens of times.

"It was random and whimsical. It could be the look on your face. Or not answering a question quickly. But it always was a punishment," said Mike Rinder, who oversaw the church's legal and media relations operations. Rinder said he was struck many times by Miscavige and that he also hit others before leaving in 2007.

In a response to the paper, the church denied the allegations, saying that the four former executives statements were "absolute and total lies," and the claims are an effort to tarnish Miscavige, who has led the church for more than two decades. A spokesman said Sunday the church provided documentation that the claims the four made were false.

Marty Rathbun, who served on the church's board and was a top lieutenant of Miscavige's, said he was often ordered by Miscavige to attack others.

Tom De Vocht, who for years oversaw the church's spiritual headquarters in Clearwater, estimated that during one three-year period, he saw Miscavige strike staffers as many as 100 times. He left in 2005.

De Vocht also participated, explaining to the newspaper how he rationalized his actions: "If I don't attack I'm going to be attacked. It's a survival instinct in a weird situation that no one should be in."

Amy Scobee, a manager in California who helped build the church's network of Celebrity Centres, said she witnessed numerous attacks before leaving in 2005 but was never hit herself or saw any other women attacked.

The former executives all expressed dismay at the violence, but the newspaper's story didn't detail the circumstances surrounding each one's departure.

Monique Yingling, a church spokeswoman, said they left because they had been removed from their posts and couldn't handle the demotions.

Church spokesman Tommy Davis told the newspaper that an internal investigation revealed that Rathbun — and not Miscavige — was responsible for dozens of attacks in the years before he left in 2004.

Davis told The Associated Press that the allegations about Miscavige were "absolutely, unquestionably false" and "sickening and outrageous." He said Miscavige is leading the church through unprecedented growth and is focusing on his parishioners, not the accusations.

The newspaper reported it met with church spokesmen and lawyers for 25 hours and that it began requesting to interview Miscavige on May 13 but was told his schedule would not permit it before a date in July.

"I am at a loss to comprehend how the St. Petersburg Times can publish a story about me and the religion I lead without accepting the offer to speak with me," Miscavige said in a letter to the newspaper e-mailed on Saturday.

Davis said Miscavige was busy with a massive project for a weeklong series that will be broadcast to Scientology churches all around the world.

Sunday's report was the first of a three-part series on the church.

The Los Angeles-based Church of Scientology, founded in 1954 by the late science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, teaches that technology can expand the mind and help solve problems. It claims 10 million members around the world, including celebrity devotees Tom Cruise and John Travolta.

Devotees converge on Clearwater, on Florida' west coast, for the highest levels of the church's training programs. By church tallies, around 12,000 Scientologists live and work in and around Clearwater.

Scientologists believe spiritual enlightenment is possible by ridding the mind and soul of the accumulated, unwanted effects of this lifetime and innumerable previous lifetimes through an intense counseling process called "auditing." Auditors use a device called an "e-meter," similar to a polygraph.

Parishioners pay hundreds and even thousands of dollars for the auditing services and progress through various levels of "Operating Thetan." Those seeking to achieve the highest "OT" levels visit Clearwater.

From FOXNEWS

Is 'Bruno' Harmful to Gay and Lesbian Causes, or Just Really Funny?

Friday , June 19, 2009

By Randee Dawn

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's new movie, "Bruno," a satire of gay and homophobic stereotypes, won't even be released until July 10. But already, everybody has an opinion.

Some critics have decided in advance of its release that it doesn't spoof homosexuals -- it bashes them.

"I don't think he's helping the cause doing that character," comedian Jennifer Elise Cox said in an interview. "It's a mockery." Fashion correspondent and former "Project Runway" contestant Nick Verreos agreed, calling Cohen's character "problematic."

PHOTOS: Is 'Bruno' Satire or Stereotype?

Cox and Verreos's critical statements were two of many made by entertainment insiders -- including Logo Network's president of programming Brian Graden -- that were catalogued by Third Rail Media and released on YouTube. Other actors and comedians nodded along as a reporter suggested that the gay character Bruno was a kind of "blackface." (The video ended with text labeling it "queerface.")

But while some in the LGBT community are fretting that Cohen's character is a step backward, others wonder if their worries are a case of political correctness run amok.

"Sacha Baron Cohen does a character well, and he pushes the envelope until it falls off the edge," Colombian-born comic Andrew Kennedy tells FOXNews.com. "If as a performer you're 100 percent full of conviction, people give you more leeway. But this political correctness has gotten out of control.

"I was in Florida, getting ready to do a show, and I told my waitress I wanted my coffee black. She said, 'No, no, we say "I'll take it plain" now.' That's ridiculous."

Comics have been feeling that pinch for a while, with the only "ethnic" group safe to poke fun at seeming to be straight, white, 30-something males. Fox's "Family Guy" is an "equal opportunity offender" when it comes to poke-in-the-eye comedy, says executive producer and show runner Mark Hentemann, but even that show recognizes the line in the sand.

"[White males] are the target where no one will ever cry foul if you laugh at them," he says. "It's only when we get into other minority groups that there's a line there."

Still, he says, he understands why: "White males as a group are not marginalized. They're the mainstream, and they haven't been maligned as much as other groups have."

Which may be part of the reason Cohen is getting flak for appearing to pick on a "marginalized" group. Cohen is Jewish, which makes him part of a stereotyped group himself, but by not being gay, he's not part of the LGBT community. (Cohen is engaged to actress Isla Fisher, with whom he has a daughter.)

This is another line in the sand of sorts, according to Jim Colucci, satellite radio show host of "Must Hear TV" and author of "Will & Grace: Fabulously Uncensored."

"I can call my sister a tramp -- but you can't," says Colucci, who is gay, explaining that jokes coming from within a group are often deemed acceptable, while jokes about that group coming from outsiders may not be.

"Intent is key to whether I find something funny or offensive," he continues. "Chris Rock can make jokes about black people and you laugh with that -- the intent is clear, and it's coming from a place of love. This is a tricky line."

So has Cohen crossed the line? Or are his critics in the gay community being oversensitive?

"Whenever they cover the Pride parades, the media puts on the most outrageous pictures -- the feather boa, the guys without shirts," says Bill Gehrman, president of the Independence Business Alliance, greater Philadelphia's LGBT chamber of commerce.

"That's part of our community, but I'd like a little more exposure that shows the true diversity of people who represent the gay community," he adds. "We're not just campy actors and actresses. We're not just a stereotype."

Bear in mind, Colucci says, that Sacha Baron Cohen is the same actor who portrayed "Borat" in 2006 -- so give him a break.

"He's earned enough street cred, as the kids would say, that you know to expect outrages from him no matter who his supposed target, and you can't take anything too seriously," Colucci says.

"We know that everything he does is going to be one degree more gross and more outrageous than most other people. So you have to go into it with an open mind.

"I can't imagine anybody going into the Bruno movie and seriously expecting to see an honest depiction of what a real gay person is like."

Iconic Signed Photo of Albert Einstein Sells for $74K

Saturday , June 20, 2009

CONCORD, N.H. — 

Bobby Livingston, of RRAuction.com in Amherst, says the picture was taken in 1951 after a 72nd birthday celebration for the physicist.

Einstein had nine prints made. He signed the print that was auctioned on Thursday and gave it to journalist Howard K. Smith. In his inscription, Einstein said his gesture was aimed at all of humanity. Livingston says it also was aimed at the Red Scare and the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s.

David Waxman of Great Neck, N.Y., is the new owner. He is a specialist in important scientific books and autographs.

Skinny to Solid: Supermodel Devon Aoki Forced to Beef Up by Training With a 30-Pound Gun

Devon Aoki is one of the most familiar faces and figures in the high-fashion world today, but even though the Japanese/German/British beauty was considered Karl Lagerfeld's muse and has graced the covers of Japanese and Russian Vogue, she still struggles with insecurities and image issues.

"Everyone has their own insecurities, regardless of how you look or how people perceive you, but sometimes people give their insecurities too much power." Aoki told Tarts in an exclusive interview. "Defining beauty is simply a matter of opinion. For me, real beauty has very little to do with the structure of someone's face or body."

Given the constraints of the couture world it comes as no surprise that the 26-year-old stunner recently decided to strut off the runway and focus on an acting career and as her latest role in "Mutant Chronicles" attests, it"s a far cry from the glamour of Givenchy or the posing in Prada.

"I had to pump my arms up quite a bit. They were a little on the weak side when we started and by the end of filming, I was pretty rock solid," Aoki said. "The funny thing was most the boys got dummy guns that weigh very little, and I got the real McCoy! I was running around with a 30-pound gun under my arm for the entire film. That might have been their way of telling me I needed some muscles!"

But before hitting the big-time as a ONE model and being featured in campaigns for Lancôme, Chanel, and Versace Aoki had to snag clothes (and some fashion sense) from Kate Moss’s wardrobe.

"At the start of my career Kate was very helpful and pushed me for some jobs, she is very sweet," Aoki told Tarts in our exclusive interview. "I was attending an event in Paris one year and had absolutely nothing to wear, except for a pair of Doc Martens or some ragged jeans and without a moment of hesitation she picked out one of her own beautiful dresses for me. It was very generous and I never forgot it."

Lindsay Lohan the Victim of Twitter Hackers?

Earlier this week Lindsay Lohan was so "bored" that she posted a topless photo of herself on Twitter, prompting many to speculate that the not-so-reformed rehabber was losing her mind. However Linds took to her Twitter page to blame the posted pic on her sister’s doing.

"Haha-the photo of me for FORNARINA in THE TRAILER was sent by my sister as a PRANK," she wrote. (Mind you, LiLo didn’t bother to remove it).

But if that wasn’t controversial enough, the 22-year-old is now claiming somebody hacked into her Twitter account and tweeted that Justin Timberlake was cheating on longtime girlfriend Jessica Biel at NYC club Avenue, even posting a pic from inside the hotspot.

"Stop trying to get onto my twitter page whoever you are! Its become extremely creepy!!! I don't twitter about my personal life! Let alone, someone else's life! I've learned my lesson some time ago," Lohan wrote on Thursday morning. "Just trying to clear the air! And I'm tired of changing my password every other day!"

So it Linds telling the truth or just trying to cover her tracks?

According to an inside source, the actress is still desperately trying to work things out with ex Samantha Ronson and when she gets like this "she says things without thinking". The club’s rep has since spoken out and made it clear that celebs that twitter about other celebs are "not welcome"…

A rep for Lohan did not respond for comment.

Holly Madison: Criss Angel Dates a Different Person Every Week!

After calling it quits with Hugh Hefner, Holly Madison quickly fell in love again, this time with Vegas magician Criss Angel. While the two lasted an intense four months, the busty blonde initially just assumed she would be his flavor of the week.

"He dates a different person every week so I didn’t think anything of relationship status would happen," Madison told Las Vegas Weekly. "But we would text each other and when I would come out here to work on a photo shoot and it was the first time I’d come out here by myself, we decided to go out together, and I thought that best-case scenario we would be friends with each other, but we just totally hit it off and we got together."

In February the dynamic duo made the surprise announcement that they were calling it quits - although it sounds as though that was a result of something a little deeper then things simply just not working out.

"I think it happened because some people don’t want to be happy and they always look for problems, even if there aren’t any," Madison added. "Some people don’t want to be happy, so they pick away at something until they find problems. I would have done anything to make it work. He’s the one with the problem, not me."

Needless to say, the former flames no longer have any contact at all.

"Hollywood Types" Get Upset at Ryan Seacrest’s Restaurant Opening

It looks as though the Global Economic Crisis is causing Hollywood’s slew of professional party people to go to desperate lengths for a free night on the town. Sunset Boulevard was a mess on Wednesday evening as hundreds of Hollywood agents, reps, actors and wannabes congregated outside the Grand Opening of the Ryan Seacrest-invested restaurant, BOA Steakhouse.

But there was more entertainment going on outside than inside the chic new dining hotspot as L.A’s "scene" stars and socials aren’t really used to being told to wait in a line (as per orders from the fire marshals). There was pushing, shoving and tears as people threw around "Don’t You Know Who I Am?," demanded they "speak to a manager", pretended they worked for Variety Magazine and one very distraught young female (whose dress left very little to be desired) even insisted that she recently had a guest spot in a popular reality show so she "deserved to be let inside immediately."

But for those who stuck around, it was worth the wait - every area of the large new restaurant was decked out with a special feature from chocolate fountains to wine bars to cotton candy to Kobe beef.

However the one celeb getting more attention than Mr. Seacrest himself was Los Angeles Laker, Sasha Vujacic. The NBA star was literally mobbed as he was escorted inside and everywhere he went starstruck party peeps chanted "world champ!" Vujacic eventually got some downtime when he hung out in the back with Seacrest and the two chatted over mini beef burgers. Other attendees included Shanna Moakler, Eva La Rue, Joe Francis, Kim Porter and Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon.

Sarah Palin Accepts David Letterman's Apology for 'Coarse' Jokes

Tuesday , June 16, 2009

Sarah Palin has accepted comedian David Letterman's apology made during Monday night"s broadcast of "The Late Show” for crude jokes made about her and her teen daughters last week.

In a statement to FOXNews.com early Tuesday, the Alaska governor said, "Of course it's accepted on behalf of young women, like my daughters, who hope men who 'joke' about public displays of sexual exploitation of girls will soon evolve."

"Letterman certainly has the right to 'joke' about whatever he wants to, and thankfully we have the right to express our reaction," Palin said. "This is all thanks to our U.S. Military women and men putting their lives on the line for us to secure America's Right to Free Speech - in this case, may that right be used to promote equality and respect."

The apology came after David Letterman took his biggest step to put the furor surrounding his jokes about Gov. Sarah Palin's daughters behind him.

"I would like to apologize, especially to the two daughters involved, Bristol and Willow, and also to the governor and her family and everybody else who was outraged by the joke. I’m sorry about it and I’ll try to do better in the future," Letterman told the studio audience.

Click to read about reactions from women's advocacy groups to Letterman's joke.

He went on to explain how he had come to the realization that last week's monologue, in which he joked about one of Governor Palin's teenage daughters being "knocked up" by New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, could be interpreted as being in poor taste.

"I thought I was telling it about the older daughter being at Yankee Stadium. And it was kind of a coarse joke. There’s no getting around it, but I never thought it was anybody other than the older daughter, and before the show, I checked to make sure in fact that she is of legal age, 18. Yeah. But the joke really, in and of itself, can’t be defended."

He said he didn't know that Palin's 14-year-old daughter was attending the game with her.

"Now people are getting angry and they're saying, 'Well, how can you say something like that about a 14-year-old girl, and does that make you feel good to make those horrible jokes about a kid who's completely innocent, minding her own business,' and, turns out, she was at the ball game," Letterman said.

"I had no idea she was there. So she's now at the ball game and people think that I made the joke about her. And, but still, I’m wondering, 'Well, what can I do to help people understand that I would never make a joke like this?' I’ve never made jokes like this as long as we've been on the air, 30 long years, and you can't really be doing jokes like that. And I understand, of course, why people are upset. I would be upset myself."

Letterman's mea culpa comes on the heels of New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb's calls to the CEO of CBS to fire David Letterman. In the letter to CBS chief Les Moonves, Kolb said he took Letterman to task for the "shockingly inappropriate" jokes.

“As the proud father of a daughter, and as a husband, I wanted Mr. Moonves to hear from me directly about Mr. Letterman’s disparaging remarks," Kolb said in a written statement.

“Firing Mr. Letterman would send a clear message that CBS will not tolerate any of its employees — even an established media figure like Mr. Letterman — making demeaning and degrading comments about women.”

The talk show host has also been blasted by women's groups

"There's a saying that out of the heart, the mouth speaks, and Letterman's statement reveals a pretty ugly reflection of who Letterman may be," Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America, told FOXNews.com.

"When he said those things, they were thought through. He probably kicked them around with his writers who thought it was appropriate to say these reprehensible things."

Lindsay Lohan's Topless Tweet Latest in Bizarre Behavior Bonanza

Tuesday , June 16, 2009

Lindsay Lohan's behavior continues to spiral downward as the actress has been placed in more and mroe compromising positions, the latest of which is completely her own doing.

On Tuesday, Lohan sent a scary skinny topless photo of herself to her Twitter followers with the caption "OLD PHOTOS. I'm THAT bored."

PHOTOS: Click here for the NSFW photo of Lindsay Lohan.

This followed a weekend in which Page Six spies reported seeing the 22-year-old partying in Southampton with her younger brother and having security guards delete photos of her taken by partygoers, before changing scenery and behaving "extremely oddly and erratically” at the New York City club The Box at 4:30 a.m., where she reportedly spent some quality time with its stripper pole.

“She walked up to a tall, handsome guy and asked him a question,” a source told Page Six. “When he said he didn"t know the answer, she lost it and started yelling and cursing a flying around the room. She was not acting normal.”

But even more troubling are claims that the “Mean Girls” star may be involved in a troublesome jewelry heist.

On June 6, Lohan was posing in a spread for an Elle magazine photo shoot wearing $400,000 worth of Dior diamonds in England. When the jewels went missing shortly thereafter, Scotland Yard promptly announced an investigation in the matter, which is likely to involve a questioning of the actress.

RELATED: Click here for FOXNews.com coverage of Lindsay Lohan.

"There have been no arrests at this stage," a police spokeswoman said. "We will speak to a number of people in connection with the inquiry."

The investigation will hardly be Lohan’s first brush with the law. Last year, she reportedly left a New York club with another woman’s mink. In May 2007, she was arrested after cops found cocaine in her car, and has also served jail time.

RELATED: Click here for more from the New York Post.

RELATED: Click here for more from Sky News.

NEW YORK (AP) - It isn't every day you get to hear a CEO sing.

Penguin Group (USA), where authors include Nora Roberts and Khaled Hosseini, has launched "From the Publisher's Office," an in-house network of online channels that includes video interviews and readings, audio discussions of classic literature and audio and text excerpts from new releases.

And there's music _ original music _ including "Wouldn't You Like To," a folksy sing-along composed, played and sung by Penguin CEO David Shanks that calls out to creators everywhere: "Wouldn't you like to write a story?/Don't you wish that you knew how?/You could be a famous author/Listen up and find out how."

Shanks, 62, said Tuesday that he has a background of singing and performing, whether in amateur folk groups or coming up with industry parodies for sales conferences. When Penguin president Susan Petersen Kennedy suggested he try some music for the new Internet project, Shanks was game.

"I saw that all of these people in this company were doing something extra to make this work and I just got into the spirit of it," Shanks said. "I don't think there are a lot of CEOs who get up and play rock 'n' roll and sing. But I think one of the things that makes us a successful company is that we don't we take ourselves too seriously."

The Penguin network http://www.penguin.com/thepublishersofficefeatures three channels and nine ongoing series of book programming. The strategy, Kennedy says, is "narrowcasting," appealing to librarians and teachers through "Penguin Storytime," to followers of the supernatural through "Project Paranormal" or to poetry lovers with "A Cup of Poetry."

The Penguin Web site currently has about 325,000 unique visitors per month, according to spokesman David Zimmer.

The promotion of "From the Publisher's Office" will continue an industrywide trend of trying to reach readers through the Internet, whether Facebook or Twitter, or through e-mail blasts at specific markets, such as educators or business people. At a time of declining newspaper coverage, Shanks said publishers have to experiment.

"If we don't change, we're going to be like the dinosaurs," Shanks said. "This is a way for us to stay on the curve of where book marketing is going. It's sort of a really interesting new world. Everybody's learning. Some of these things will work. Some of them won't."

Shanks isn't the only Penguin executive to jump in the talent pool. A senior academic sales and marketing director, Alan Walker, will review 26 works of classic literature. Joel Fotinos, publisher of the Tarcher imprint, will host "Tarcher Talks," a New Age series. Jeff Gomez, senior director for online consumer sales and marketing, composed theme music for a series on young adult books.

For Penguin Storytime, a featured reader will be Liz Shanks, a former children's librarian, a frequent speaker at schools and the CEO's wife.

Maine Mom Nabbed in International Child Porn Sting

Monday , June 15, 2009

By Joshua Rhett Miller

A mother of four young children in Maine was charged Monday with gross sexual assault after British investigators more than 3,000 miles away used the Internet to allegedly catch her in the act of Webcasting a sexual assault of her young child.

Julie M. Carr, 30, of Mars Hill, Maine, was arrested at about 11 p.m. Friday. Her four children — believed to range from 18 months to 5 years old — were taken into protective custody.

The Child Exploitation Investigation Team of England's West Midlands Police said their unit received information late Thursday that a local man was using the Internet to show inappropriate material of children. An unidentified 18-year-old man was later arrested in Walsall, England.

A day later, on Friday, additional information was obtained by investigators, prompting the West Midland Police to contact officials at the Child Exploitation Online Protection and the U.S. Embassy.

"Our officers worked through the night on Thursday and Friday to ensure the identification and safety of these children across the other side of the world," West Midlands Police Detective Chief Inspector Dave McCrone said in a statement obtained by FOXNews.com. "Many people use the Internet safely and securely; however, there are a small minority who choose to use it to commit criminality."

"We work to make people safer, sooner. The very same technology used to commit the crime enables us to work quickly to protect those who may be vulnerable."

Carr, who is being held on $50,000 bail on charges of gross sexual assault and felony exploitation of a child, was arraigned by videoconference before a judge on Monday. She did not enter a plea, Maine State Police Det. Sgt. John Cote told FOXNews.com.

Cote declined to identify the victim seen during the assault but said one recording was taken as recently as Wednesday.

"That's kind of what facilitated us acting quickly on this information as we received it," he told FOXNews.com.

Cote said it was impossible to immediately determine how many individuals viewed the material allegedly posted by Carr. He declined to discuss statements Carr may have given to investigators, but said "this type of crime" is increasingly common.

"It's just continuing a trend that we're seeing — an increase in this type of crime," he said. "But as technology gets better, more units are dedicating more agents to this type of crime and are just getting better at it. It lends itself really to the prevelance of computers in our society."

Cote, in a release issued on Saturday, said investigators were able to confirm that the woman seen in the video was Carr, and a search warrant was then secured for her home.

Attorney Jeffrey Pickering, who represented Carr during Monday's arraignment, could not immediately be reached for comment. If convicted, Carr faces up to 20 years in prison for each charge.

Tuesday , June 16, 2009

 MIAMI — 

Stallworth also reached a confidential financial settlement to avoid a potential lawsuit from the family of 59-year-old Mario Reyes, according to Stallworth attorney Christopher Lyons. Reyes was struck and killed March 14 by Stallworth, who was driving his black 2005 Bentley after a night drinking at a swanky hotel bar.

Stallworth, 28, told Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Dennis Murphy that he hopes to get involved in drunken driving education programs.

"I accept full responsibility for this horrible tragedy," said Stallworth, who was accompanied at the hearing by his parents, siblings and other supporters. "I will bear this burden for the rest of my life."

Stallworth faced 15 years in prison. After his release from jail, Stallworth must serve two years of house arrest and spend eight years on probation.

The NFL has said it will review the matter for possible disciplinary action. Lyons said the plea agreement will allow Stallworth to resume his football career.

Stallworth also must undergo drug and alcohol testing, will have a lifetime driver's license suspension and must perform 1,000 hours of community service. Lyons said after five years, Stallworth could win approval for limited driving such as for employment.

Miami-Dade State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle cited Stallworth's lack of previous criminal record, cooperation with police and willingness to accept responsibility as factors in the plea deal. Rundle also said the Reyes family — particularly the victim's 15-year-old daughter — wanted the case resolved to avoid any more pain.

"For all of these reasons, a just resolution of this case has been reached," Rundle said.

None of the Reyes family attended the hearing. Their attorney, Rodolfo Suarez, read a statement saying the family wants to "bring closure to this emotional and tragic event." Suarez was not immediately available to comment after the hearing.

After a night drinking at a bar in Miami Beach's Fountainebleau hotel, police said Stallworth hit Reyes, a construction crane operator who was rushing to catch a bus after finishing his shift around 7:15 a.m. Stallworth told police he flashed his lights in an attempt to warn Reyes, who was not in a crosswalk when he was struck.

Stallworth had a blood-alcohol level of .126 after the crash, well above Florida's .08 limit. Stallworth stopped after the crash and immediately told officers he had hit Reyes. Police estimated Stallworth was driving about 50 mph in a 40 mph zone.

Stallworth signed a seven-year, $35 million contract with the Browns before last season but was injured much of the year. The California native and University of Tennessee college star has also played in the NFL for New England, Philadelphia and New Orleans.

The night before the crash, Stallworth earned a $4.5 million roster bonus from the Browns.

David Cornwell, a Stallworth attorney handling the NFL situation, said he has kept top league officials apprised of the case.

"Whenever it is appropriate to do so, we are prepared to discuss the circumstances under which Donte' will resume his career," Cornwell said.

Paris Hilton's break-up with Doug Reinhardt was a messy affair -- the hotel heiress reportedly pelted ice and fruit at a girl she found flirting with her lover just hours before dumping him.

Hilton and "The Hills" star began dating last year, and despite announcing that he was her "future husband," the socialite publicly dumped Reinhardt through her publicist on Wednesday.

And the hotel heiress made sure their break-up was one to remember. She stormed into Los Angeles' Darkroom bar on Tuesday night and attacked beauty queen Kendhal Beal with snacks, according to the New York Post's PageSix.

A representative for Beal tells the publication, "Kendhal and a friend of hers ended up at Darkroom, where Doug and Brody Jenner were hanging out.

"Kendhal knows Brody and Doug, and so they were talking and catching up. They all took a shot and were watching the Lakers game. But Paris got word that Doug was at the bar, and she showed up and started going at it.

"Paris was picking up ice and fruit and throwing it at Kendhal -- she was the victim. Kendhal did nothing offensive or aggressive. Paris was throwing accusations, calling her names. It was the same thing you always hear about Paris and her tirades."

New York State Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb, a Republican, is calling on the CEO of CBS to fire David Letterman for crude comments he made about Sarah Palin and her daughter.

In the letter to CBS chief Les Moonves, Kolb said he took Letterman to task for the "shockingly inappropriate" jokes.

"As the proud father of a daughter, and as a husband, I wanted Mr. Moonves to hear from me directly about Mr. Letterman's disparaging remarks," Kolb said in a written statement.

“Firing Mr. Letterman would send a clear message that CBS will not tolerate any of its employees — even an established media figure like Mr. Letterman — making demeaning and degrading comments about women.”

The request came after the late-night host stopped short of apologizing for "jokes" he had made about Palin, the former Republican vice presidential nominee, and her family, including one that referred to her daughter being "knocked up" by New York Yankees baseball star Alex Rodriguez.

"We were, as we often do, making jokes about people in the news, and we made some jokes about Sarah Palin and her daughter, the 18-year-old girl, who is — her name is Bristol, that"s right, and so, then, now they’re upset with me," Letterman said.

"These are not jokes made about her 14-year-old daughter. I would never, never make jokes about raping or having sex of any description with a 14-year-old girl. I mean, look at my record. It has never happened. I don’t think it’s funny. I would never think it was funny. I wouldn’t put it in a joke."

The host later invited Palin and her husband to appear on “The Late Show,” a request they vehemently rejected.

"The Palins have no intention of providing a rating's boost for David Letterman by appearing on his show," the Alaska governor's office said in a written statement Thursday. "Plus, it would be wise to keep Willow away from David Letterman."

On Friday, the Alaska governor said Letterman owes an apology to young women across the country for the joke.

"I would like to see him apologize to young women across the country for contributing to kind of that thread that is throughout our culture that makes it sound like it is OK to talk about young girls in that way — where it's kind of OK, accepted and funny to talk about statutory rape," she said. "It's not cool. It's not funny."

Palin said Friday that it was time for people to rise up against Letterman's form of humor.

"No wonder young girls especially have such low self-esteem in America when we think it's funny for a so-called comedian to get away with such a remark as he did," she said. "I don't think that's acceptable."

“The Late Show” did not respond to a request for comment Friday.

But the controversy may wind up giving both Palin and Letterman attention at a time both could use it. Palin is considered a potential future candidate for national office, and standing up for her family could make her a hero to her fans. Letterman is in the second week of his new competition with NBC's Conan O'Brien, and the two are running neck-and-neck in the ratings.

On his show Thursday, Letterman joked that Palin had called to invite him on a hunting trip — the punch line no doubt a reference to former Vice President Dick Cheney accidentally shooting a friend while hunting.

His other references to the controversy were more oblique. When guest Denzel Washington said he would get in trouble with Obama for making a joke about the president's big ears, Letterman clearly had something else on his mind.

"You aren't in the kind of trouble I'm in," he said.

FOXNews.com's Allison McGevna and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

I saw this article about Chastity Bono. People need to love themselves and take God out of it. God is love not hate. This is what my podcast from last night is all about. 

Dear Laurie Higgins,

Hi. I see you're not gay, but you want to be. You need to love yourself and *&%& off!

Sincerly,

Aliya Leigh

By Laurie Higgins, Director of IFI's DSA, Illinois Family Institute

Chastity Bono's publicist announced that Chastity is pursuing a "sex change." Chastity, as everyone knows, is the only daughter of Cher and the deceased Sonny Bono. Many years ago, Chastity made the decision to embrace homosexuality, and as of March, she has begun the process of "changing sexes."

Of course, rational people realize that changing one's name, cross-dressing, ingesting hormones naturally produced by the opposite sex, and electively amputating healthy parts of one's sexual anatomy don't really change one's biological sex. The emperor was really wearing no clothes, and Chastity, who has assumed the moniker "Chaz," will always really be a woman.

It's utterly confounding that society en masse believes or pretends to believe that "transgenderism" reflects a real phenomenon of people actually trapped in the wrong body rather than a profound disruption in the development of a secure and proper sexual identity. Doctors who perform such surgeries are engaging in medical malpractice and violating the increasingly meaningless and antiquated Hippocratic Oath.

Governments and governmental bodies like departments of motor vehicles that permit people to formally change their sex on legal documents collude in fraud.

And friends, family members, schools, and churches that participate in the sexual confusion of "transgenders" lack both wisdom and compassion.

Someone who demonstrates both the wisdom and compassion so sorely needed in this time so suffused with sexual sin and the suffering it entails is Dr. Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology and Senior Vice President for Academic Administration at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He also serves as a preaching pastor at Highview Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky.

He has written an important and compelling document on how the church should respond to those who have had the woefully misnamed "sex reassignment surgery." Unfortunately, this issue will increasingly affect the church as society increasingly affirms sexual confusion. I should clarify that it is unfortunate that the phenomenon of transgenderism is increasing, but it will be a good thing if those who experience such torment someday find themselves in the pews of a Bible-believing church where they can experience the forgiveness and healing that comes from submission to Christ. The church needs to be ready and waiting for them with open arms.

Please read Dr. Moore's important document, send it to all the church leaders you know, and pray that Chastity Bono never has the surgery.

Chastity Bono Changing From Woman to Man

Thursday , June 11, 2009

From TMZ

Chastity Bono, civil rights advocate, journalist, author and musician, is in the early stages of changing his gender — transitioning from female to male, TMZ has learned.

Bono, the child of legendary entertainers Sonny and Cher, began the process earlier this year, shortly after his 40th birthday.

"Yes, it's true — Chaz, after many years of consideration, has made the courageous decision to honor his true identity," confirmed Bono's publicist, Howard Bragman.

PHOTOS: Click for pics of Chastity Bono.

"He is proud of his decision and grateful for the support and respect that has already been shown by his loved ones. It is Chaz's hope that his choice to transition will open the hearts and minds of the public regarding this issue, just as his 'coming out' did nearly 20 years ago.We ask that the media respect Chaz's privacy during this long process as he will not be doing any interviews at this time."

Screen Actors Approve New Contract

Adam Lambert Comes Out in Rolling Stone Magazine

Tuesday , June 09, 2009

NEW YORK  — 

The 27-year-old singer from San Diego acknowledges in an interview that he's gay, and says it shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone.

"I'm proud of my sexuality," he says. "I embrace it. It's just another part of me."

Lambert says he was inspired to audition for the Fox network singing competition after having a "psychedelic experience" at the Burning Man festival in Nevada. There, he says, he experimented with "certain funguses."

"I knew that it was my only shot to be taken seriously in the recording industry, because it's fast and broad," he says of "Idol."

Lambert emerged as an early front-runner and judge favorite, thanks in part to his soaring vocal range.

When he moved into the show's Bel-Air mansion with the other finalists, he roomed with Kris Allen, who won the "Idol" title over Lambert last month.

"I was like, `Oh, (bleep), they put me with the cute guy,"' Lambert says. "Distracting! He's the one guy that I found attractive in the whole group on the show: nice, nonchalant, pretty and totally my type — except that he has a wife. I mean, he's open-minded and liberal, but he's definitely 100 percent straight."

According to Rolling Stone, Lambert was open about his sexuality backstage at "Idol." In March, photos surfaced online of Lambert kissing his ex-boyfriend.

"Going into `Idol,' I assumed, `OK, people are going to talk,"' he says. "I mean, I've been living in Los Angeles for eight years as a gay man, I've been at clubs making out with somebody in the corner. But photographic evidence? Didn't count on that. Wasn't ready for that."

He says he worried that a public announcement would overshadow his singing, so he decided not to respond and largely kept his personal life under wraps on the show.

"I'm an entertainer, and who I am and what I do in my personal life is a separate thing," he says. "It shouldn't matter. Except it does. It's really confusing."

Lambert says he isn't interested in being the poster child for gay rights. "I'm trying to be a singer, not a civil-rights leader."

He also reveals that he began smoking pot and tried Ecstasy for the first time while performing in a European production of "Hair" in his early twenties.

"I've finally checked in to my self-worth for the first time in my life, and the fact that it has coincided with `Idol' is so sweet," he says. "I mean, I still have moments where I think, `Oh, my skin is terrible, and I'm a little fat, I should really go to the gym more.' But for the most part, when I look in the mirror now, I finally see someone who can do something cool."

Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Since news of her alleged affair with co-star Eddie Cibrian, LeAnn Rimes has been labeled everything from a cheater to a home wrecker. But now, Cibrian’s wife has given her a new title – stalker.

In an interview with Us magazine, Cibrian’s wife, model Brandi Glanville, says the singer, 26, refuses to let go of an unhealthy obsession with her husband.

“LeAnn is a stalker,” she said. “She refuses to leave us alone – it is shameful and scary. People are going to say it takes two to tango and I get that, but at some point LeAnn needs to stop asking him to dance.

RELATED: Click here to read about the alleged affair between Rimes and Cibrian.

Us first broke the news of the steamy affair, releasing surveillance video of a romantic tryst between the “Northern Lights” stars that included Rimes sucking on Cibrian’s finger. He has denied any affair, and reportedly changed his number to end the singer’s “constant texting and calling.”

PHOTOS: Click here to see LeAnn's tale of two dudes.

Glanville, who calls’ Rimes behavior “disgusting,” also charges that a later meeting between her husband, 35, and his alleged mistress at a Laker’s Game was all part of Rimes’ grand plan that included tracking Cibrian down.

“LeAnn is so desperate for fame she has left her self-respect in the gutter and doesn’t care who she hurts to get what she wants,” Glanville added. “She’s hurting my family and messing with the wrong mom.

Thursday , May 28, 2009

By Hollie McKay

LOS ANGELES — 

Source: Engaged Bijou Phillips Cheats on Fiancé Danny Masterson... With a Girl?

Bijou Phillips is engaged to "That 70’s Show" alum Danny Masterson, but it seems the party princess/notorious wild child was more focused on the same sex while partying at Hollywood’s underground hotspot Ecco Ultra Lounge on Saturday night.

According to an inside source, Phillips was so pumped up by the mix Carmen Electra’s fiancé rocker Rob Patterson was spinning that she started grinding another mystery blonde girl in the booth adjacent to the DJ booth.

"It wasn’t long before they took things further," said our source. "Eventually Bijou grabbed the girl and they started making out and getting it on … Danny (Masterson) was nowhere to be seen."

A rep for Phillips did not respond for comment.

Blink 182: Mark Hoppus Embarrasses Himself by Declaring Unreciprocated Love for Travis Barker

So we’re all pretty pumped about Blink 182 reuniting for a national T-Mobile tour, but it sounds as though (married) lead singer Mark Hoppus has a little extra incentive to ensure the band stays friends this time after their infamous split in 2005.

"I’ve had to learn that when Travis says ‘I love you’ it doesn’t necessarily mean I love you love you, it just means I love you as my friend and not more than that," Hoppus told Tarts last week at the band’s intimate party at Hollywood’s El Compadre restaurant. "I just have to now hold back my feelings for him. This is the one good thing that’s happened to me in a really long time and I just want to make sure it stays."

Barker, who was standing right beside Hoppus, seemed a little uncomfortable and shot his band mate a WTF look - prompting Hoppus to go into damage control.

"Can he reference me and my love? On tour we spend as much time with one another as we do with our wives, we’re like brothers," Hoppus said quickly. "I feel like I’ve dug myself into an enormous hole with my joke about Travis and I’m trying desperately to redeem myself. I’m just going to stop talking for the benefit of all mankind, thank you."

Instead Barker was more at ease discussing the album that Blink is working to bring out next year and explains why the tickets to their summer tour are going for just 20 bucks.

"Because that’s all its worth," he said enthusiastically.

Straight Celebrities Rally Against Prop 8 Ruling... But Where Were the Gay Stars?

Hollywood was up in arms on Tuesday night after the California government ruled in favor of upholding Proposition 8 which prohibits same-sex marriage. Thousands and thousands took to the streets of West Hollywood to rally for gay/lesbian rights and while we spotted a slew of straight celebs including Drew Barrymore, Haylie Duff, Sophia Bush, Emmy Rossum, Eliza Dushku, Pete Wentz, Kelly Osbourne and Shanna Moakler we couldn’t help but wonder where and why Tinseltown’s gay stars didn’t make the same effort.

Lindsay Lohan instead spent the night holed up in on-again/off-again lover Samantha Ronson’s Hollywood Hills home while T.R. Knight was spotted at Katsuya restaurant with his boyfriend Mark Cornelsen.

Neil Patrick Harris? Ellen? Portia? Lance?

Pop Tarts Scene & Herd

Jamie Lee Curtis and Val Kilmer at Royal/T culinary destination in Los Angeles last Thursday.

Dancing with the Stars alum Emmitt Smith checking out the newly open Yogen Fruz on 14th Street in Washington, D.C. on Thursday.

Teri Hatcher celebrating her father’s 74th birthday at STK in Los Angeles on Friday.

Supermodel Christie Brinkley arriving fashionably late to Hamptons magazine’s Annual memorial Day party at Niche Media's Haley and Jason Binn's Southampton home on Saturday. Also in attendance was Susan Lucci, James and Kedakai Lipton, Real Housewives’ Jill and Bobby Zarin, and stepkids Ally Shapiro and Jonathan Zarin, Ramona and Mario Singer.

Bethenny Frankel mixing Skinnygirl Frangelinis for guests at the Miracle House 19th Annual Memorial Day Kick-Off in N.Y. on Saturday night.

Kylie Minogue telling party-goers including James Blunt and Hayden Panettiere about the importance of ridding Africa of Malaria at the Miracle Africa International Charity event in Cannes, France on Saturday.

Molly Sims and a group of her closest girlfriends celebrating her 36th Birthday on Saturday with a 3 hour dinner and a surprise birthday cake at the Montauk Yacht Club. N.Y. Housewife Bethenny Frankel and John Legend were also spotted at the swanky club.

Mark Wahlberg and his wife checking out the Lakers game at the bar at STK Los Angeles. Gina Gershon, Elisha Cuthbert and boyfriend, Calgary Flames player, Dion Phaneuf and Taryn Manning were all later spotted in the popular restaurant.

Ben Stiller dining at N9NE Steakhouse at The Palms in Sin City before heading upstairs to the Playboy Club on Sunday evening.

Good Charlotte front man Joel Madden playing guest DJ on Sunday night at The Bank nightclub at Bellagio, joining his twin brother Benji (who hung out with UFC's most popular ring girl Arianny Celeste). Also spotted was Tyrese Gibson, Toni Braxton, Nelly and Big Boi.

Ellen Pompeo and Chris Ivery lounging at the Bagatelle Beach Club at The Gansevoort Hotel in Turks & Caicos before kayaking at sunset.

Anna Paquin picking up vintage bustiers at Collette before heading to Day +Night beach club at Pink Elephant to celebrate Memorial Day weekend at her Hamptons magazine cover party on Sunday.

Tiësto, the number one DJ in the world, delivering his signature sensational set on Sunday night at JET Nightclub inside The Mirage. Earlier in the day, Tiësto surprised pool partiers at BARE pool lounge at The Mirage when he took over DJ duties from Val Kolton, Madonna’s DJ.

Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins watching Rock of Ages on Sunday evening. "The City" starlet Whitney Port saw NYC's hit show the night before while the N.Y. Jets new QB Mark Sanchez was spotted in the audience on Friday night.

Ben Stiller celebrating his number one movie at the box office "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian" with a stay in a two-bedroom penthouse at Palms Place Hotel & Spa and a special breakfast with some friends at Simon at Palms Place on Monday morning.

Michael Clarke Duncan donning a John Cena "Hustle, Loyalty, Respect" baseball hat ringside at the Staples Center for WWE’s Monday Night RAW.

Mike Richards the Captain of the Philadelphia Flyers who is up for the Selke Award (top Defensive Forward in the league) had lunch at Simon at Palms Place on Tuesday.

Drew Barrymore, Kelly Osbourne and Haylie Duff joining the ranks of thousands and thousands on the streets of West Hollywood on Tuesday night to rally against the California state government for upholding Proposition 8 which prohibits same-sex marriage.

NHL Captain for the Philadelphia Flyers, Mike Richards, dining at N9NE Steakhouse inside Palms Casino Resort Tuesday night.

Kate Bosworth at the TeaZazz sponsored REEL Recovery Film Series in LA Tuesday night. Bosworth promptly left after the screening/Q&A session of indie-cult fave, Ivansxtc, to go outside for a cigarette with a bevy of Brit male model types including beau James Rousseau.

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart making out on the set of "New Moon" in Montepulciano, Italy on Wednesday.

Candy Spelling: Tori's Actions Killed My Husband Aaron Spelling

Thursday , May 28, 2009

Candy Spelling is blaming the death of her husband Aaron Spelling on the heartache he suffered from daughter Tori’s alleged decision to cut off contact from the family.

In an interview with 94.7 WMAS in Springfield, Mass. this morning, Spelling said that she and her “Beverly Hills 90210”star daughter’s relationship has been nonexistent for the past several years.

“Ive always been trying to work on the relationship [with Tori],” Spelling said. “I don’t know what the anger is. My daughter one day decided that she wasn’t speaking to my husband, myself and my son and that’s how it’s continued for the last, oh gosh, four or five years.”

Spelling went one step further however, saying Tori’s abandonment ultimately cost Aaron Spelling his will to live.

“It was sad because that’s what killed my husband actually. He just didn’t want to live after that. You know, He had done everything … he could possibly do for his daughter and she wanted no part of him once he couldn’t do anything for her.”

Aaron Spelling died on June 23, 2006. Just days after his death, Tori, 35, gave an interview to Us magazine, slamming her mother for an alleged relationship with family friend Mark Abramson.

Candy and Tori briefly reconciled in 2007 after the birth of Tori’s son Liam with husband Dean McDermott.

But in recent months, things have heated up again, with Candy arguing that Tori will not return any of her phone calls or emails, she has never met her granddaughter Stella and she doesn’t even know where her daughter lives.

Still Tori has denied any feud saying they aren’t “not talking” but have simply “not talked.”

"I love my mother. I've always loved her [and] no doubt she loves me. There's no feud. We simply never meshed,” Tori told People magazine. "My mother is who she is. I've become who I am. At some point I realized those two just didn't go together."

Attorney: Rihanna Will Be Called to Testify in Chris Brown Case

Thursday , May 28, 2009

LOS ANGELES — 

Donald Etra, Rihanna's lawyer, told reporters that prosecutors have told him the Barbados-born singer will receive a subpoena to testify at a preliminary hearing June 22. The hearing will focus on whether there is enough evidence to continue the case against Brown.

Etra said Rihanna will comply with the order. It would mark her first appearance in court since felony assault and criminal threats charges were filed against Brown in March.

PHOTOS: Click here to see photos of Rihanna.

If she is called to testify, the 21-year-old singer would be subject to cross-examination by Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos.

Other potential witnesses have not been named, but will likely include police investigators.

Brown was arrested in February on suspicion of hitting and choking Rihanna in a rented car hours before the couple were scheduled to appear at the Grammys.

Etra wouldn't address their relationship now, but said Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, was following the case closely.

A judge on Thursday rejected a motion by Geragos to receive police and investigative records related to the case and the apparent leak of a photo of a beaten and bruised Rihanna.

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg told Geragos the motion was premature and he could file it again after the preliminary hearing.

Brown wasn't in court Thursday, but he's required to attend the preliminary hearing. The 20-year-old R&B singer faces possible sentences that range from probation to nearly five years in prison if convicted.

Geragos argued that he should have access to the records to properly cross-examine police witnesses during the preliminary hearing. He also said intense public interest in the case should require the records' release.

Schnegg said Brown's fame wasn't an issue she was going to consider. She also called Geragos' motion "a fishing expedition."

She also said the records, which Geragos wants to use to search for police bias or misconduct, don't have anything to do with Brown's arrest. She said officers responded to a 911 call and the "Run It!" singer was arrested well before the photo of Rihanna's battered face was posted by celebrity gossip Web site TMZ.

Mike Tyson's Daughter, 4, Taken off Life Support After Found Hanging

Tuesday , May 26, 2009

Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter was taken off life support and pronounced dead at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday, one day after she was discovered hanging from a treadmill cable in her family's Phoenix home, police said.

Exodus Tyson's 7-year-old brother found her Monday with her neck in a cord dangling from the exercise machine, police Sgt. Andy Hill said.

"There are no words to describe the tragic loss of our beloved Exodus," the family said in a statement. "We ask you now to please respect our need at this very difficult time for privacy to grieve and try to help each other heal."

Click here for photos.

"Our sympathies go out to the family," Hill said Tuesday.

"Somehow she was playing on this treadmill, and there's a cord that hangs under the console — it's kind of a loop," Hill said. "Either she slipped or put her head in the loop, but it acted like a noose, and she was obviously unable to get herself off of it."

Exodus's mother took her daughter out of the cable, called 911 and attempted to revive her.

Responding officers and firefighters performed CPR on the little girl. She was rushed to nearby St. Joe's Hospital after she was found around 10:30 a.m. local time, MyFOXPhoenix.com reported.

Hill said former heavyweight champion Tyson, 42, had been in Las Vegas but flew to Phoenix immediately after learning of the accident.

"The Tyson family would like to extend our deepest and most heartfelt thanks for all your prayers and support, and we ask that we be allowed our privacy at this difficult time," the boxer said in a statement.

Brief footage from local TV station KTVK showed Tyson arriving at the hospital in a white button-up and black pants, and looking around with a frown before going inside.

Hill said everything in the investigation pointed to a "tragic accident."

"There's nothing in the investigation that revealed anything suspicious," he said.

The family's home is in a modest, quiet neighborhood. Neighbors say they saw Tyson there from time to time and the children played outside regularly.

Dinka Radic, who lives across the street, says the little girl would ask her if she had any chocolate in the house. When Radic would get some and give it to her, Exodus would hug the woman's knees and "kiss, kiss, kiss."

The neighborhood contrasts starkly with the lavish lifestyle Tyson had through his tumultuous years of boxing, when he spent tens of millions of dollars and says he had millions more stolen from him by unscrupulous associates. During two years at the height of his career, he earned $140 million.

The death of his child in such an unusual accident adds an awful chapter to the boxer's troubled life.

Tyson first began boxing in a facility for juvenile delinquents in upstate New York at the age of 12. Eight years later, he became the youngest heavyweight champion ever when he knocked out Trevor Berbick in 1986. But in 1990, he was defeated by James "Buster" Douglas in one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, and soon after was convicted of raping a beauty pageant contestant in Indianapolis.

Tyson, who still denies he raped the woman, served three years in prison.

A few years later, he served three months in jail for beating up two men after a minor car crash in suburban Washington.

As his career continued, so did his bizarre behavior. He bit off a piece of Evander Holyfield's ear during a boxing match and once threatened to eat the children of heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis.

Although Tyson's children had lived in their unassuming neighborhood for several years, he purchased a separate home in the tony Phoenix suburb of Paradise Valley in 2005 for $2.1 million, selling it two years later for $2.3 million.

In November 2007, Tyson spent 24 hours in Maricopa County's "Tent City" jail after pleading guilty to one count of cocaine possession and one misdemeanor count of driving under the influence. Police found the drug when they pulled over Tyson's car after he left a Scottsdale night club.

According to police, Tyson said after his arrest that he bought cocaine "whenever I can get my hands on it."

At Tyson's sentencing hearing, nearly a year after the arrest, his attorney David Chesnoff said his client had taken 29 drug tests without a relapse and was attending Alcoholic Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous meetings.

Tyson had become an example of how one overcomes problems with drugs, a violent past and poor upbringing, Chesnoff said.

"He's tried his hardest," his attorney said, "despite coming from almost impossible beginnings."

Click here to read more on this story from MyFOXPhoenix.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

'Spider-Man 3' Actress Commits Suicide in Paris Home

Thursday , May 21, 2009

A promising young English actress was found dead in an apparent suicide in Paris just days before her 29th birthday.

Lucy Gordon — who appeared in "Spiderman 3" — was found dead by her boyfriend in her central Paris apartment yesterday.

The unnamed boyfriend told police he was sleeping in the flat when Miss Gordon died.

PHOTOS: Pictures of British actress/model Lucy Gordon.

In "Spiderman 3," Miss Gordon played the role of roving British reporter Jennifer Duggan.

A spokesman for the Cannes film festival, currently underway on the French Riviera, described Miss Gordon as "a hugely promising young actress."

"We are devastated by this news," he said. "All those attending the festival had been hugely impressed by Lucy's work. She was a star in the making."

An officer described the scene as "absolutely horrific."

Police later said "We confirm the death of Lucy Gordon in an apparent suicide."

Her agent Jean-Louis Diamonika also confirmed that Miss Gordon had taken her own life.

A French magazine reported Wednesday: "Her boyfriend woke up on Wednesday morning to find Miss Gordon had hanged herself from the ceiling. He dashed out to the street in a panic for help and returned moments later with a local shopkeeper.

"Police were called and confirmed she was dead and had taken her own life."

The man told police that Miss Gordon had been deeply affected by the recent suicide of a friend back in Britain.

The aspiring actress — who also worked as a model — had recently finished filming a movie in which she stars as Jane Birkin, the wife of iconic French singer Serge Gainsbourg.

Click here to read more from The Sun.

Click here to read more from Sky News.

How 10 women met their last boyfriend

(The Frisky) -- When you're single, meeting eligible men can be kind of frustrating. Yes, you can go to bars, try online dating, or stalk pet-owners at the dog park, but if you tried your usual tricks and now feel like you've depleted your options, have no fear!

We asked 10 women in cities across the country how they met their last boyfriend (and what they did on their first date together) to give you a few new ideas.

It looks like we'll be signing up for acting classes, going to a few baseball games, and watching live wrestling events!

New York

"I met my husband at a Halloween party in New York. The party was crowded, and I needed to visit the bathroom but worried it would take so long that he'd think I was blowing him off and leave, so I asked him to hold my gloves while I was gone.

Sure enough, when I got back he said, 'You were gone so long I would have left if I wasn't holding your gloves!'" --Nancy Lichtenstein

Dallas, Texas

"I met the last guy I dated at the State Fair of Texas while standing in line to buy a corn dog. It was an extremely hot Texas day, and the line was unbelievably long. He saw that I was not taking the heat very well and offered to stand in line for me.

I politely turned the offer down and ended up chatting with him. Once we purchased our corn dogs, we exchanged numbers. Our first date was a return trip to the State Fair of Texas, in the evening, of course, and we enjoyed another round of corn dogs, which he gladly stood in line for." --Kaye Joseph

Cleveland, Ohio

"I met the last guy I dated sitting in a stadium watching the Cleveland Indians play baseball. I went to the game with some friends, and I got stuck on the end of the group next to a person I didn't know.

Well, that person ended up talking to me more than watching the game. We exchanged numbers after the game and the rest is history. Every year for our anniversary, we go to the stadium and watch the Indians play ball." --Natalie Walker

St. Louis, Missouri

"I met Dennis at Dock Rockers, a St. Louis bar. At one point during the night, after many drinks, I decided I needed more lip gloss and went to my car. When I was out there, I overheard this woman talking on the phone trying to convince her brother to come to the bar.

I would have never done this sober, but I interrupted her and told her that I was available, and she relayed the message to him. About an hour later he arrived and we danced to 'Love Me When I'm Gone' by 3 Doors Down." --Wendy Maple

Boston, Massachusetts

"I've known the last person I'm with since junior high school. He left me a necklace and perfume on my desk in science class. I wasn't interested. Now we're getting married.

The most fun date we ever went on was the night we went to The Blue Man Group at the Charles Playhouse in Boston. We had a casual and tasty bite to eat at the California Pizza Kitchen. Then we walked over to the Charles, watched The Blue Man Group and laughed until our cheeks hurt, much like we did back in junior high school." --Pam Gaulin

Chicago, Illinois

"I met my last date at a football game, and I don't even like sports. I was invited to Chicago's Football Classic because my employer was a sponsor. Walking inside the stadium after the Battle of the Bands at Soldier Field, I saw him performing onstage.

One interview later, and we were a couple. The last date we went on was to the Chicago Defender Newsmaker Gala at the Hyatt Regency. He was very polite to my co-workers, and we met R&B artist Danny Boy, who performed that night." --Shamontiel L. Vaughn

Los Angeles, California

"He sat next to me in my acting class. Our instructor paired us up for a scene, so we exchanged numbers to rehearse. He kept sending me flirty texts and asked me out that weekend.

Our first date was a picnic dinner in Griffith Park and a visit to the Griffith Observatory. We had an amazing view of downtown Los Angeles and the Hollywood sign. We kissed under the stars and were surrounded by city lights. It was so romantic and felt like it was straight out of a movie." --Adrienne Tilden

Miami, Florida

"The last guy I dated I met while working in a gym in Miami Beach. He was a client, and I fell for him right away. On our first date we went to the Samurai Japanese restaurant at the Falls. We had a blast watching the chef cook. We took a walk on Miami Beach after our dinner. We have been going hot and heavy ever since." --Colleen Starr

New Orleans, Louisiana

"I was at Café Beignet in the French Quarter, and he was standing in line in front of me. I mentioned how lucky we were to get away from the crowds on Bourbon Street, and he joked that he was doing the same. We hit it off right away!

Our first date was pretty casual. We went to the Jazz Parlor at Storyville for a jazz and blues concert. It was a great way to get to know each other, and the music hall wasn't too crowded. After the concert, we had drinks at Café Brasil." --Lauren Peterson

Minneapolis, Minnesota

"I met my last date -- and soon-to-be husband -- while waiting in line for a wrestling event at the Target Center. We bumped shoulders as a security guard escorted him out of the arena for having a digital camera in his knapsack.

He contacted me a month later on a message forum after recognizing my face and arranged for a happier meeting. Several months later, we had our first date in the Target Center for another wrestling event, and the night would have been perfect if I hadn't been knocked over by a cameraman.

We ended the night by sipping Diet Coke at a concession stand as I tended to my sore leg." --Ann Olson

TM & © 2009 TMV, Inc. | All Rights Reserved

STOCKHOLM (AP) - Actor Stellan Skarsgard says he's no big fan of Dan Brown's writing and accepted a role in "Angels & Demons" only after reading the script based on Brown's book.

"I think Dan Brown is a terribly bad writer, but he has cliffhangers after every chapter which makes you continue reading," Skarsgard told Swedish broadcaster SVT.

"It's like eating peanuts at a bar. You don't like them, but you keep on eating them anyway," he said.

The Swedish actor, who plays the head of the Pope's Swiss guard in the movie, said director Ron Howard's script was significantly different from the book.

Tom Hanks returns in the lead role as Harvard professor Robert Langdon in "Angels & Demons," a sequel to the "The Da Vinci Code" _ also based on Brown's novel with the same name. It will be shown around the world starting Friday.

"Angels & Demons" is better than the first film, Skarsgard said in the interview aired late Wednesday, because "the story is more simple and straightforward but just as dramatic."

WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - A former Marine charged with killing a pregnant colleague in North Carolina was not the father of the woman's unborn baby, according to documents obtained Friday by The Associated Press.

In a report completed by the Department of Defense Armed Forces Institute of Pathology May 7, analysts concluded that DNA from former Cpl. Cesar Laurean did not match that of the unborn child of Lance Cpl. Maria Lauterbach.

"Therefore, Cesar A. Laurean can be excluded as being the biological father of Baby Lauterbach," the report reads.

The tests are based on bone samples from Lauterbach's autopsy and samples taken from Laurean on April 27 after he returned to the United States.

Laurean is charged with first-degree murder in the death of Lauterbach, 20, of Vandalia, Ohio. Investigators believe he fled hours before Lauterbach's charred remains were found in January 2008, buried behind the house Laurean shared with his wife and young daughter.

Lauterbach, who was about eight months pregnant, worked with Laurean at nearby Camp Lejeune. She told Navy investigators that she was raped by Laurean in 2007, though later recanted her claim that Laurean fathered of her unborn child. Investigators never corroborated her rape claims.

Mexican authorities captured Laurean just more than a year ago in the small town of Tacambaro, Mexico. He was extradited to North Carolina last month after prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty.

Defense attorney Dick McNeil said he wasn't surprised by the results.

"This might help to negate some of the false rumors," he said.

Onslow County District Attorney Dewey Hudson said he couldn't comment on the tests.

Onslow County Sheriff Ed Brown did not return calls seeking comment. The Naval Criminal Investigative Service referred calls to Hudson's office.

Laurean was expelled from the Marine Corps on Wednesday because he "was unavailable to perform his mission," said Maj. Cliff Gilmore, a Second Marine Expeditionary Force spokesman. Gilmore said the Marine Corps would not release anything more specific, citing privacy rules.

McNeil said Laurean received an "other than honorable discharge." Laurean was notified April 17 and waived his right to appeal the discharge.

"They did this quick," McNeil said. "This is something we expected."

BY Amy Eisinger
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, May 13th 2009, 11:05 AM

That's the question law enforcement officials are reportedly asking after responding to a break-in call from Lohan's home security company, reports TMZ.com.

Law enforcement sources said that around 3 p.m. yesterday, they responded to a call from the home security company, saying there had been a break-in at Lohan's luxurious L.A. pad.

When police arrived, they found evidence of forced entry — there were pry marks on the back door and tampering with the back window.

After review, it appeared nothing had been taken, police said. But the house had been completely ransacked.

At least, that's what cops thought at first. According to TMZ, a law enforcement insider later said that it doesn't look like the house was ransacked after all—it's just incredibly messy.

Lohan was not home at the time of the reported break-in and the LAPD has launched an investigation.

A 75-YEAR-OLD woman has stunned docs by asking for a "designer vagina" op to help her sex life.

The randy Russian granny, named only as Nina M, said she wanted the trendy surgery to bag herself a young husband.

Dr Anna Uzunova said: "Usually such requests are from much younger women.

“But she wanted to have an active sex life despite her age so we agreed to do the operation and help her.”

Happy Nina was delighted with the results saying after the op: “I feel like a young woman again.”

Top baby names for 2008: Emma ends Emily's 12-year run, while Jacob still leads for boys

May 9, 2009

Emily's 12-year reign is over. Emma was the top name among girls born in 2008, while Jacob was king for a 10th straight year, the Social Security Administration said Friday. Among newcomers to the top 1,000 girl names were Isla (623), Mareli (718) and Milagros (731). Debuting among the boys were Aaden (343), Chace (655) and Marley (764). Other notables: Elvis (down 40 spots to No. 713) and Barack (up a record 10,126 places to No. 2,409). But he won where it counted most.

Lindsay Lohan makes mock dating service ad

April 14th, 2009 @ 3:04pm

NEW YORK (AP) - Lindsay Lohan is on the prowl again. The much-gossiped-about starlet has made a mock dating service video posted on comedy Web site FunnyOrDie.com. Lohan, 22, recently said that she and DJ Samantha Ronson are taking a "brief break."

The video, posted Tuesday, is in the guise of an eHarmony ad. Lohan says she's "recently single ... I think." She says she's looking for someone to spend the rest of her life with, "or at least the rest of my probation with."

Lohan pokes fun at herself, saying she's looking for the perfect mate who likes long walks on the beach, car chases on the Pacific Coast Highway, "antiquing and passing out in Cadillac Escalades."

A spokeswoman for FunnyOrDie, co-founded by Will Ferrell, says the video was shot last weekend.

The laws of sexual attraction

• Story Highlights
• Sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman: "We are innately all puppies in heat"
  
• Says woman are attracted to men by their smell
  
• Psychologist Lisa DeBruine says men find ovulating women more attractive
  
• The higher a woman's voice, the more attractive men find her, expert says
  

(OPRAH.com) -- Physical attraction may be as old as time, but new studies are beginning to uncover the science behind sex appeal. Unexpected factors -- like biochemical odors, face shape and voice pitch -- just might have more to do with your choice of mate than anyone ever expected.

Karl Grammer and Elizabeth Oberzaucher are leading the research on the human scent's influence on sexual attraction. They've found that when women are ovulating, they produce copulins, a scent that attracts men.

The researchers believe when a man gets a whiff of copulins, his testosterone levels rise. As a result, he secretes androstenone, an odor that repels women who aren't ovulating.

"Bars and nightclubs across the world are the battlefield for this invisible biochemical war," Oprah Winfrey says.

Sex therapist Dr. Laura Berman says attraction has a lot more to do with science and evolution than people might think.

"We are innately all puppies in heat," she says. "We are capable of discerning 10,000 different scents consciously. But then there's a whole realm of unconscious scents that we're not even aware that we're smelling." Oprah.com: Get Dr. Berman's 5 steps to better sex

These odors let people know when a woman is fertile and when a man's testosterone levels are high, Berman says. As a result, individuals can tell when someone else is most ripe for reproduction. "It's all about survival of the species," she says.

One common complaint Berman hears among women with relationship problems is that they love their partner, but they're not in love with him.

"There is a difference between love and chemistry," Berman says. "Take a really good whiff of him without cologne when he's relatively clean. If that smell turns you on, that's a really good cue of chemistry." Oprah.com: Can the chemistry come later?

In one recent study, Berman says, researchers had women smell men's T-shirts. The women were most attracted to the shirts of men with a different major histocompatability complex (MHC) from them. MHC is a collection of genes that are related to immune systems.

"We unconsciously want to mate with someone who has a different immune system than ours because that helps with the survival of our offspring," Berman says.

The T-shirt study also found that women taking hormonal contraception were attracted to men who had similar MHC as they did.

"If you're on the pill, your body is being tricked into think you're pregnant, so you're not ovulating," Berman says. "The bad news there is that they have looked at these couples who have similar MHC, and not only do they have higher levels of infidelity and higher levels of marital discord, but they also have higher infertility issues."

Another unexpected factor that has been found to directly affect attraction is voice pitch.

Gordon Gallup, Ph.D., a professor at the State University of New York at Albany, says that women with higher estrogen levels have higher voices, which makes them more desirable to men. "When females are midcycle, when they're the most fertile, the most likely to conceive, their voices are rated as being significantly more attractive," he says.

It's hard to pinpoint what distinguishes a gorgeous face from an average one, but some researchers are getting pretty close. Psychologist Lisa DeBruine, Ph.D., of the University of Aberdeen in Scotland says she's found that women's faces get more attractive to men when they are ovulating. "We're not entirely clear why there's this difference, but we think that the women might look healthier, have a bit of a healthier glow when they are ovulating."

Symmetry is another factor that determines a face's attractiveness. Kendra Schmid, an assistant professor of biostatistics at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, says there is a formula for the "perfect" face. She uses 29 different measurements to determine someone's appeal on a scale of 1 to 10.

To start, Schmid says the ratio of the length of the face to the width of the face should be 1.6, also known as the golden ratio."The face should also be divided into three equal pieces vertically," she says. "The forehead, then [the bottom of the forehead to] the nose and then from the nose to the chin."

Who's face is the most "perfect," according to Schmid's measurements? No big surprise here! "Brad Pitt's is the highest that I've ever used the [formula] on," she says. "He was a 9.3 [out of 10]."

Brad's partner, Angelina Jolie, didn't fare too badly either. "Angelina was a 7.67, and that's pretty high," Schmid says. "Most people rate about 4 to 6. ... The thing that is probably lowering her score is the thing that she's most famous for -- her full lips." Schmid says that ideally the width of a mouth should be twice the height of the lips.

Other celebrities Schmid tested were Halle Berry, who scored a 7.36, and Hugh Jackman, a 6.45. "There's never been anyone who was a perfect 10," Schmid says. "If you're out there, we're looking for you!"

Not everything that goes into finding a partner is biological. Researchers have also found that if a woman looks at the face of a man whom she knows nothing about, she will give it a rating on a scale of 1 to 10 that's different than if she is shown the same face and a corresponding income. When a man makes a lot of money, a woman will rate him higher on an attractiveness scale than she would that same man with a smaller income. Oprah.com: What do women really want?

Berman says this isn't a case of women being gold diggers.

"It goes back again to evolution. When we were having babies who were very dependent on us, we couldn't hunt and take care of ourselves, so we were looking for the man who had the most social status, who was the best hunter, who was going to bring home the biggest chunk of meat for our babies," she says. "It's the same thing today."

Smell, voice pitch and face symmetry might be unconscious detectors of attractiveness, but if you're trying to consciously assess the future of a relationship, Berman says there's one surefire way.

"You really learn a lot from a kiss. ... Sixty-six percent of women say they would dump a guy after a bad first kiss," she says. "It's not only because you're getting that good whiff of him so you're seeing if you like the way he smells. All your senses are engaged, and you get a sense of his sensuality, his connection, whether he's a take-charge kind of guy or more of a stepping back kind."

When it comes to relationships, Berman says kissing frequency is a direct indicator of happiness. "It turns out that couples who kiss and cuddle regularly are eight times less likely to be stressed and depressed than couples who don't get that," she says. "You have to have a minimum of a 10-second kiss every day."

From The Oprah Winfrey Show

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The Farm (2009) (TV)

After being convicted of murder Jenny Schecter, Alice is incarcerated in California's Humboldt State Farm and Prison for Women. Arriving alongside Alice is Valentina Galindo, a seemly humble articulate woman but beneath her gentle exterior lies a ruthless woman. She is feared by all and thought to be the most dangerous woman in California, while only convicted for racketeering, drugs and assault. Valentina is believed to be the Hitler of LA's underground responsible for ordering countless murders. Valentina has many enemies who would offer a handsome reward for her head. Written by Anonymous

Whaa? Britney Spears leaves the stage in Vancouver during Circus tour

By Korin Miller
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Thursday, April 9th 2009, 10:10 AM

The pop star performed only a few songs into her set before leaving the stage, which subsequently went black.

The problem? The arena was too smoky for Britney.

That'd be the same Britney who is often photographed puffing away on a cigarette.

"The building is awfully smoky. It is uncomfortable for everyone on stage, including Ms. Spears," an announcer said, per the Vancouver Sun newspaper.

"Please extinguish all cigarettes - this is a non-smoking building, and the show will resume when the smoke on the stage is cleared."

Many boos later, Spears returned, performed her ballad "Everytime" and once again left the stage ... more than a minute before the song was finished.

Despite months of erratic behavior prior to her tour kick-off, the singer has had a fairly smooth series of shows - save for random shout-outs from the stage.

"My p---- was hanging out!" she exclaimed during one show. "Merry Christmas!" she shouted in a high-pitched voice during another.

"We want to apologize to all the fans who attended our Vancouver show tonight for the brief pause in Britney's set," a statement later read on Spears' web site. " Crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue."

Downey suits up as `Iron Man 2' starts filming

Production started Wednesday on "Iron Man 2," the sequel to his 2008 blockbuster about the Marvel Comics character.

Downey reprises his role as a billionaire genius who fights bad guys in a high-tech metal suit that's loaded with gadgets. "Iron Man 2" reunites Downey with co-star Gwyneth Paltrow and also features Don Cheadle, who replaces Terrence Howard as the superhero's military ally.

Mickey Rourke is signed on to play a villain, and the cast also includes Scarlett Johansson and Samuel L. Jackson, who had a cameo at the end of the first "Iron Man."

Jon Favreau is back directing again for the sequel that hits theaters May 7, 2010.

Cops Find Pot Farm in Bedroom of 'Harry Potter' Star

Wednesday, April 08, 2009

A teenage star of the Harry Potter films has been arrested after cops found a cannabis farm worth more than $2,900 in his bedroom.

Drug squad officers swooped on 19-year-old Jamie Waylett — famed as bullying Hogwarts School pupil Vincent Crabbe in the wizard movies — after a tip-off.

Police first stopped him in an Audi car and discovered eight bags of pot inside the vehicle.
Waylett and a pal in the vehicle, also 19, were held at the scene on suspicion of possession.

Cops then raided the home the actor shares with his mom Theresa, two brothers and a sister — and seized ten mature cannabis plants valued at about $2,900.

The plants were growing under powerful hydroponic lights beside the actor’s DJ decks and a PlayStation.

Waylett was further arrested on suspicion of production of a Class B drug.

Click here to read the full story from The Sun.

Lindsay Lohan: Samantha Ronson break-up is like 'Mean Girls'

By Korin Miller
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Wednesday, April 8th 2009, 9:43 AM

"I'm not a bad person and this is what happens," the "Mean Girls" star tells Us Weekly. "I was raised to treat people well, and I'm so tired of this drama."

Lohan was forcibly kept out of a party at the Chateau Marmont where Ronson was DJing late Friday night. The actress says the moment was "humiliating," adding that it was "the worst night of my life."

And apparently Ronson isn't the only star who's "turned on me."

Lohan says Nicole Richie walked by her and said "Uck" the night of the Chateau showdown and "Sopranos" star Drea De Matteo said, "Come at me, b----."

The 22-year-old drowned away her sorrows on Monday night by chugging a bottle of vodka at a Hollywood club - right in front of her mother, RadarOnline.com reports.

Lohan, who told E! on Oscar night that she doesn't talk about her personal life, says she's "so alone" without Ronson.

"I'm a f--king 22-year-old girl who's in love," she says. "I felt like I was in 'Mean Girls', but worse: 'Mean Girls was a movie."

Ronson changed the locks on the house she shared with Lohan the next day, and her family asked police about obtaining a restraining order against the actress.

Ronson insiders tell the mag that the 31-year-old repeatedly tried to break-up with Lohan over the past month, but each time "Lindsay threatens to kill herself."

Says Lohan: "I'm just really hurt. The whole situation is sick."

Chris Brown enters not guilty plea in beating case

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Chris Brown pleaded not guilty Monday to threatening and assaulting his girlfriend, fellow music star Rihanna.

The 19-year-old R&B singer entered his plea, speaking in a soft voice, while standing alongside his lawyer, Mark Geragos. His mother sat in the first row, red-eyed.

Within moments of the hearing, a lawyer for Rihanna said the singer was hoping a plea deal could be reached before the case goes to trial. "She would be pleased if this was over quickly," attorney Donald Etra said. He reiterated that Rihanna would testify if required.

Brown was charged in March by Los Angeles County prosecutors with felony assault likely to cause great bodily injury and making criminal threats. He was arrested nearly a month earlier after police said he was involved in an early morning altercation with a woman who identified the "Run It!" singer as her attacker.

Court records list Brown's victim as "Robyn F." Rihanna's real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty.

Etra represented the 21-year-old "Umbrella" singer at Monday's arraignment, but did not speak during the five-minute hearing. He said afterward that that the singer is in "fine spirits" and spending time with her family in Barbados.

Etra said Brown's plea was "totally expected."

If convicted, Brown could be sentenced to probation or nearly five years in prison.

Neither side has publicly addressed Brown and Rihanna's relationship since the incident.

But there has been discernible fallout and backlash since Brown's arrest.

Neither singer performed at the Grammy Awards hours after the alleged beating, and both were also no-shows for the Kids' Choice Awards show March 28.

Sponsors have stopped using Brown, some radio stations have stopped playing his music and some broadcasters have even started playing an anti-Chris Brown song created by the little-known dance group Smoke Jumpers.

Brown left the courthouse with his mother, two bodyguards and an entourage. On his way out, he had to walk through a phalanx of cameras. He was picked up by a car in front of the courthouse.

Geragos offered no comment and quickly left the courthouse with his client.

___

Associated Press Special Correspondent Linda Deutsch contributed to this report.

4Chan: The Rude, Raunchy Underbelly of the Internet

Tuesday , April 07, 2009

By Taryn Sauthoff

The most powerful people on the Internet don't work for Microsoft, Google or the government. Rather, they're a bunch of antisocial, foul-mouthed, clever nerds who congregate at a largely unknown Web site called 4chan.org.

Ever get your MySpace page hacked into? Chances are it was 4chan's fault.

Surfing YouTube and suddenly find yourself watching an old Rick Astley music video? You were "rickrolled" by 4chan.

Enjoy reading Sarah Palin's personal e-mail? She's got 4chan to thank for that.

Hear someone shout out the ending of the latest Harry Potter book while you're in line at Barnes and Noble? 4chan strikes again.

4chan.org is the self-proclaimed Internet home for people who lack a social conscience, a Web site that's become a surreptitious cultural powerhouse.

It's responsible for launching several successful Web-based trends, from the wildly popular "lolcat" phenomenon to the surprise comeback of '80s one-hit wonder Rick Astley.

But what the heck IS 4chan?

Welcome to a new world, filled with terminology and conventions that the average person — or even the average nerd — may not know about.

4chan is a no-frills discussion Web site that features dozens of message boards and "image boards" within six broad categories, stemming from Japanese animation to travel, and given semi-random names ranging from "/a/"' to "/trv/."

That sounds harmless enough, except that within 4chan lurks the "/b/" board, dedicated to "random" images and topics, and its 5.3 million users, known as the "/b/tards."

The /b/ board, or just /b/ to its loyal visitors, is by far the site's most popular. Users fill the board with vile material, from pornographic images to incredibly racist and misogynistic comments.

It thrives on competition and users write "moar" to challenge each other to post further loathsome material throughout the day and long into the night.

What makes 4chan unique among message boards is its reliance on anonymity, a vast difference from most sites, which make users sign up with at least a verifiable e-mail address.

On 4chan, one can post anonymously using a nickname or a "tripcode," a system that uses an algorithm to give users unique coded nicknames.

Anonymously, /b/tards create alliances to plan their next big exploits.

In 2008, they bombarded MTV with votes to clinch Rick Astley the fan-picked "Best Act Ever" award at the MTV Europe Music Awards — which helped Astley get a slot performing in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

Recurring jokes on 4chan sometimes spread out into the wider Web to become Internet "memes," a pseudo-sociological term for jokey phenomena passed from person to person.

Remember the Hamster Dance and the lonely heart Mahir "I kiss you!" Cagri? Those were two early pre-4chan memes.

Aside from Astley, 4chan's most successful meme has been the "lolcats," photos of cats accompanied by goofy captions written in 4chan dialect, phonetically-spelled words using childlike grammar — for example, a hungry-looking feline with the words "I Can Haz Cheezburger?"

And the 2007 YouTube stardom of Tay Zonday and his song "Chocolate Rain" was due to 4chan users who found his amateurism charming and decided to artificially boost his viewing numbers.

But the antics of the /b/tards also have a dark side far from cute cats. They've been suspected of replacing people's MySpace profile photos with pornographic images. /b/tards have even gathered together to drive past bookstores with megaphones, shouting the ending of new Harry Potter books.

One of the most serious allegations against the /b/tards concerns the invasion of hip-hop Web site SOHH.com in June 2008, where much of the site's content was replaced with racist photos and slurs.

Fellow hip-hop site AllHipHop.com shut down its own forums as the invasion spilled over into them, a stunt that AllHipHop's managers deemed an "unprovoked racist attack" by "cyber terrorists."

Since users are anonymous, it's never proven that /b/tards are the culprits, but online communities often point fingers to 4chan for causing much of the chaos in (and sometimes out) of cyberspace.

/b/tards retaliate by saying that all original Web content stems from something they once posted on 4chan.

As long as users play by 4chan's carefully listed rules, created by the site's founder "moot," they don't get in trouble with the outside world and mainly stay unnoticed.

The rules are few and simple: Invasions of other sites are not tolerated, the SOHH incident notwithstanding, child pornography and illegal material are prohibited and no one under 18 is allowed.

Moot — he insists on the lowercase "m" — is reportedly Christopher Poole, a college dropout in his early 20s who lives in New York with his mother and is looking for more active employment.

Since 4chan is anonymous, it's unclear if Poole is truly his identity and whether it's true that he began 4chan in 2003 while in high school using his mother's credit cards or that he's still deeply in debt as the site continues to lose money.

4chan has been moot's main focus since he was 15 years old, which he began with one "anime/random" board.

Since those early days of 4chan, the boards have grown from something small and slightly elite to a site that moot says is now mainstream.

"4chan ceased to be a 'secret clubhouse' ages ago. We serve over 15 million users per quarter, and are larger than 99 percent of other sites on the Web," moot told FoxNews.com.

Moot says the growth of 4chan has kept things interesting. In just a few months, figures have increased to 450,000 posts a day.

Users tend to push the envelope as far as they can without breaking the site's rules — including a vague "rule" known on /b/ eloquently coined, "Don't mess with football."

That rule was made famous in 2005 when 23-year-old Jake Brahm posted bomb threats to major football stadiums across the country during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan on 4chan.

What resulted was a media storm — and what may have began as a practical joke turned into Homeland Security's arrest of Brahm. He was sentenced in June to six months of prison and $26,750 in restitution.

"If you want to post illegal things to 4chan, I would highly discourage it, unless you want to end up in federal prison," moot said at a Web conference.

Another controversy to hit 4chan was the "invasion" of the teen-centric online social site Habbo Hotel. At this online "hotel," users create avatars that walk into various virtual rooms and chat with other users.

In 2006, /b/tards swarmed the site, created avatars of men with Afros and Armani suits and blocked the hotel's swimming pool and shut it down, due to "AIDS in the water." After this incident, moot added "no invasions" to the rules.

The September 2008 hack of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin Yahoo e-mail was more muddled.

While some users applauded the /b/ newbie who claimed to have done it, others derided him as an idiot and amateur who would get the entire site in trouble — and quickly discovered his true identity long before the FBI figured it out.

Some see 4chan as a site filled with bored teenagers who like to push the limits on what they can do online. Others see users as part of an "Internet hate machine" filled with calls for domestic terrorists to bomb stadiums.

But it's hard to call someone a terrorist who posts photos of cats with captions in 4chan language every Saturday, or what /b/tards like to refer to as "Caturday."

The "lolcats" — Laugh Out Loud cats — became so popular that one user launched the images on his own blog, icanhazcheezburger.com, a site that has since been acquired for $2 million and spawned at least one book.

But why cats?

"At the end of the day, /b/tards are still human," says moot. "Cute cat pictures appeal to most people."

In an atmosphere where anything goes, the only thing that seems to truly rile a /b/tard is the abuse of a cat.

In February, a user documented abuse to his pet cat, Dusty, as a friend rolled tape. The video surfaced on YouTube and was viewed over 30,000 times.

In a rare 4chan moment, /b/tards created an alliance to do good and tracked down the cat abuser, Kenny Glenn, and alerted police.

Moot believes that 4chan has the ability to grow into something more powerful than a generator of memes.

During the past year, "Project Chanology," created by an amorphous 4chan-associated group calling itself "Anonymous," has become an organized effort against the legal and cultural power of the Church of Scientology.

Anonymous members, often wearing masks depicting the main character in the politically charged comic book and movie "V for Vendetta," protest across the country, claiming the religion endorses Internet censorship.

It all began in January of 2008 after the Church of Scientology tried and failed to purge the Web of a leaked Tom Cruise promotional Scientology video.

What the /b/tards may do next is anyone's guess. As moot says, if he had an idea for the next idea, he certainly wouldn't tell the media.

"4chan, both the site and its memes, has touched the lives of tens of millions of people from around the world, in one way or another, for better or worse,' he says. "I'd say that's culturally powerful."

Star Trek crew comes of age

By James Regan

SYDNEY (Reuters Life!) - The eleventh Star Trek movie in 30 years held its world premier in a makeshift cinema in the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday, with a cast markedly younger-than-ever-before.

Chris Pine, 28 who plays a cadet-aged James T. Kirk, admitted he's never met the original character for the role, William Shatner, who starred in the 1960s television series and the first Star Trek movies, though he watched the TV show "quite a bit" -- almost to a fault.

"All it was doing was making me think about what's the best way I could do a William Shatner impersonation," Pine said. "It wasn't helping bringing this story to life."

Hundreds of fans (only one wore Spock ears) waited for hours to meet the leading men, who spent nearly one hour walking the red carpet, signing autographs and talking with journalists.

"It's hard to believe Eric Bana plays a meanie when he comes across as such a nice guy," said Alicia Wetherley, who drove from central Australia to be on the steps of the Opera House for the premier.

Bana plays Nero, the film's heavily-tattooed Romulan villain bent on avenging the destruction of his planet.

He said all the film's cast "did everything they could" to come up with something fresh this time around.

The plot follows the young lives of the original cast from Gene Roddenberry's TV show as they find their places on the flight deck of the U.S.S. Enterprise as junior officers.

It was directed by J.J. Abrams, director of "Mission Impossible III" and "Lost."

"I was never a huge Star Trek fan growing up and so what I hope people will experience when they see the movie is one that stands on its own," Abrams said.

"It's a huge action, spectacle but at the core it is got a big heart," said Abrams.

Zachary Quinto plays Spock, the role made famous by Leonard Nimoy, 77, who has a cameo in the film.

Nimoy had joined a campaign for the movie to hold its premiere in the small farming town of Vulcan in Alberta, Canada, that proved unsuccessful, partly as the town had no movie theater.

Gavin Vonhoff, a 27-year-old IT engineer from Canberra said he hoped the film would carry "a message of hope to all Star Trek fans that Roddenberry's spirit was still alive" 18 years after his death.

The ashes of Roddenberry and his late wife Majel Barrett Roddenberry will be shot into space in about a year and a half, in accordance with their wishes.

"This film is about many cultures and nations coming together in a peaceful mission and I think it reflects the times and is something we need," said John Cho, the Korean-American who plays a swashbuckling Crewman Hikaru Sulu.

"Star Trek" opens in Australian cinemas on May 7, one day before opening in the United States.

© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.

Lindsay Lohan is publicly showing restraint in her split from Samantha Ronson. And it may be because she has to.

Ronson's family is pursuing a restraining order against the "Mean Girls" star, according to several reports.

The DJ's mother, Ann Dexter-Jones, and twin sister, designer Charlotte Ronson, visited the Beverly Hills Police Department on Monday to look into filing the order against Lohan, a police officer confirmed to Us Weekly.

"She does these things to get attention," said Charlotte told a clerk, per OK! magazine. "She was trying to get into my party this weekend. We had to tell security to keep her out. Then she booked a room at the Chateau Marmont. Her room was right below. ... She also followed our brother Mark around."

Lohan, who is reportedly devastated by the split, had to be restrained by five bodyguards while trying to get into Charlotte's bash this weekend, where Samantha was DJing. The actress later took to her private Twitter account, accusing Samantha of cheating on her.

Dexter-Jones had more serious allegations.

"[Lindsay] was doing drugs," she said of the party incident. "And we could not sleep that night at the Chateau. She was complaining about the music and noise coming from upstairs. She was trying to get attention, so that Sam could come down."

Added Ann: "She cuts herself too. She is a cutter!"

According to Charlotte, Lohan even broke into their hotel room. "She does these acts of public humiliation. It is all for attentio ... She was also got physical with Mark."

Samantha's family was instructed to file a petition for a restraining order at the Santa Monica courthouse.

Lohan confirmed her split with Samantha to E!, telling the network, "We are taking a brief break so I can focus on myself."

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Chris Brown is due back in a Los Angeles courtroom to enter a plea to charges he beat and threatened his girlfriend, Rihanna.

The 19-year-old's arraignment is scheduled for Monday afternoon. It has been nearly two months since Brown was accused of an early morning attack on 21-year-old Rihanna before the Grammys; both were supposed to perform at the show but withdrew.

Brown was charged on March 5 with two felonies — assault likely to cause great bodily harm and making criminal threats.

The "Run It!" singer's arraignment was delayed until Monday.

If convicted of those charges, Brown's potential punishment ranges from probation to nearly five years in prison.

Rihanna, whose real name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, is not expected to attend the proceedings.

Copyright © 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Gunmen Target Paparazzi at Bundchen-Brady Wedding

Monday , April 06, 2009

Tom Brady and Gisele Bundchen's armed bodyguards opened fire on paparazzi at the couple's nuptials in Costa Rica, blasting out the windows of a photographer's SUV, and just missing the shaken lensmen, the fotogs said yesterday.

Just moments after they talked their way out of an argument with Brady's irate buddies and hired goons, a bullet smashed through the rear window of the SUV and then through the front windshield, just missing the heads of the two fleeing photo journalists on Saturday night, they said.

"Thank God I'm all right. At that moment, I thought I was going to die," lensman Rolando Aviles told The Post.

"The bullet went between us, missing our heads," Aviles said. "If the bullet been a little more to the left or right, it would have killed one of us.

"I said, 'They're going to kill us,' and that's when I hunched down to cover myself."

"When the glass broke, that's when my friend started driving really fast."

Aviles said he and colleague Yuri Cortez, both veteran photographers hired by the INF photo agency, had permission from Gisele's neighbor in Santa Teresa to shoot the wedding ceremony from a vista about 300 feet away from the ceremony.

March 26th, 2009 @ 9:54pm

March 31st, 2009 @ 8:46am

Mon Mar 30, 2009 9:26am EDT

By Paul Bond

LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - You can't deny Bill O'Reilly's success. On Tuesday, the fiery host of Fox News Channel's "The O'Reilly Factor" will mark his 100th consecutive month as the No. 1-rated cable news show.

A former schoolteacher who first gained national prominence as the host of "Inside Edition," O'Reilly boasts three Emmys and several best-selling books.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT'S THE MOST FUN YOU'VE HAD ON THE AIR?

Bill O'Reilly: That's a tough one. I think it's the three interviews I did with President Bush. That's the hardest interview for any journalist, to interview a president, because you can't cross a certain line, and presidents all come in with what they want to say. To get them out of that rehearsed deal is very hard. The three interviews I did with Bush were instructive because I went up to that line. And then my interviews with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton during the campaign were fun because it was a chess match.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHY DID CANDIDATE OBAMA TAKE SO LONG TO AGREE TO AN INTERVIEW WITH YOU?

O'Reilly: I could be wrong, but I think Obama is not a confrontational guy. So why would he get in a confrontational interview situation where he knows he'll be challenged? Look at his interview history. Very rarely has he done that. He did it with me because he wanted to disrupt the Republican convention and get a lot of attention. He succeeded in doing the latter.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT'S THE ANGRIEST YOU'VE BEEN ON THE AIR?

O'Reilly: There was an attorney for people who oppose Jessica's Law (to punish sex offenders) that really got me. If you can't protect little kids, we should just pack it up as a country. And after 9/11, a kid in his 20s whose father was killed at the Twin Towers. I was all set to do a sympathetic interview, but the kid started saying the USA attacked the towers and killed his father. I just said, "Oh my God. Do you realize how many other people are suffering tonight in addition to you? How could you possibly say that?" I was very angry at that kid. And the Barney Frank thing (in which O'Reilly called Frank a "coward" during an October debate over Fannie May and Freddie Mac). But I really wasn't angry; I just needed to scold him because he was blaming everyone else, even though some of this economic mess is his fault.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHY ARE ACTORS SUCH FREQUENT TARGETS OF "THE FACTOR"?

O'Reilly: My job is to watch the powerful. A performer has a forum that other people do not, and all we ask is that they be fair. If they believe something and use their TV show, movie or concert to spout off about it, that's fine. But if we have some questions about their beliefs, I think they should answer them -- and not be drive-by people.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHO ARE THESE DRIVE-BY PEOPLE YOUSPEAK OF?

O'Reilly: I take it case by case. We took on George Clooney over the 9/11 charities, and we were absolutely right, but Clooney does a good job with Darfur. We took on Bruce Springsteen for things he has done at concerts because we want to know what his frame of reference is. These are powerful people, and we're not going to give them a free ride. If there was somebody screaming right-wing stuff, we'd do the same thing. But there is no one like that because if they do that in Hollywood, they're not going to work, which is an interesting story in and of itself.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: ARE THERE ACTORS WHOSE POLITICAL OPINIONS DISTURB YOU SO MUCH YOU WON'T SEE THEIR MOVIES?

O'Reilly: Just Sean Penn.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: SOMEONE WILL READ THAT AND ACCUSE YOU OF ENCOURAGING A NEW BLACKLIST ERA.

O'Reilly: Not at all. He's a great actor, and if you hire him, you'll get a good performance. I'm just not going to give a guy who gives aid and comfort to people like (Iran president Mahmoud) Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez and Saddam Hussein, when he was alive, my 10 bucks. That's my right as an American.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE MOVIES?

O'Reilly: "Godfather" and "Godfather II"; M*A*S*H; the original "The Producers." I'm a big movie guy.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: AND FAVORITE ACTORS?

O'Reilly: Clint Eastwood is No. 1. I admire him because he's a self-made guy. Gene Hackman, because I've never seen him give a bad performance. Al Pacino, particularly the early stuff.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT'S YOUR FAVORITE EASTWOOD MOVIE?

O'Reilly: "Unforgiven." That thing was layered 15 different ways. A great film. He deserved the Academy Award for that.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE TV SHOWS?

O'Reilly: I don't watch a lot of TV, but I'd say "60 Minutes" is the one I normally check in with.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: HOW ABOUT CNN, YOUR FAVORITE COMPETITOR?

O'Reilly: I think Wolf Blitzer does a nice job, and Anderson Cooper is an honest guy.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT'S THE REACTION YOU GET AT A RESTAURANT OR A STARBUCKS OR SOME OTHER PUBLIC PLACE?

O'Reilly: I get preferential treatment, although I don't want that. I very rarely have problems. Look, I'm 6-foot-4, and I don't look like I'll be receptive to bad behavior.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: DO YOU NEED BODYGUARDS?

O'Reilly: On occasion, if I have to go into a large crowd and be stationary.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: WHAT'S THE WORST REACTION YOU HAVE EVER HAD IN PUBLIC?

O'Reilly: Nothing. Never in 12-and-a-half years of doing this. We have had death threats here, and Fox security people are excellent. We know that the far-left loons bait on the Internet and the would do damage if they could.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: ANY OF THOSE DEATH THREATS RESULT IN ARRESTS?

O'Reilly: We've had a few people convicted of crimes. I'm not going to get into descriptions.

THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER: HOW DOES ONE GO FROM HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IN MIAMI TO NO. 1 CABLE NEWS STAR?

O'Reilly: I did it the hard way. I went back to school, got a master's degree from Boston University in broadcast journalism. I took a job in Scranton, Pa., and I worked hard. I took chances and did what I had to do. It's the great American story. That's why "Bold Fresh" (his latest book) is so successful, because if I can do it with my personality, so can anybody.

(Editing by Dean Goodman at Reuters)

© Thomson Reuters 2009. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.

Robert Hurwitt, Chronicle Theater Critic

Monday, March 30, 2009

Green Day, the chart-topping pop-punk band born in Berkeley, is morphing into a collective playwright, and it will unveil its first effort at Berkeley Repertory Theatre in September, the group announced Monday. The musical titled "American Idiot," based on Green Day's 2004 Grammy-winning, multi-platinum album of the same name, is being developed in collaboration with Michael Mayer, the Tony-winning director of Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik's "Spring Awakening."

Following the trail blazed by the Who's rock opera "Tommy," and more recently traveled by the Rep's production of Stew's "Passing Strange," the presumably also Broadway-bound "American Idiot" tells a story through song. The new musical will use all the songs on the '04 release that won Best Rock Album and Record of the Year Grammys and sold more than 12 million copies, as well as songs from Green Day's forthcoming "21st Century Breakdown" (to be released May 15). It begins previews Sept. 4 and opens the Rep's season Sept. 16, running through Oct. 11.

"I was struck by its innate theatricality," Mayer says of the album's tale of Jesus of Suburbia, St. Jimmy and Whatshername's trek from America's post-9/11 suburbs to the Middle East. "Here was a new musical drama begging to be staged."

The band members had already been thinking about a stage version when Mayer approached them, guitarist-vocalist Billie Joe Armstrong says. Mayer's concept and a trip to see "Spring Awakening" convinced them he was the man for the job, and what Armstrong calls Green Day's "hometown" theater would be a perfect partner. The Rep is "very adventurous," he says, "and their willingness to take chances is in keeping with the spirit of the album."

The final decision to go ahead with the project was made following a recent workshop in New York, produced by the Rep, with Mayer, choreographer Steven Hoggett and Armstrong, bassist Mike Dirnt and drummer Tré Cool, who founded Green Day at Berkeley's seminal punk club 924 Gilman in 1990. Green Day will not appear in the show itself. "American Idiot" will be performed by a cast of 19 with an onstage band.

Mayer says the musical will portray "a journey from apathy to action," reflecting what he describes as the "brutally honest, eloquent, passionate, funny and poetic" album. The Rep has put a limited number of seats on sale on its website, starting as low as $32. A broader range of prices and dates is available as part of its season subscription package, at (510) 647-2949 or www.berkeleyrep.org.

E-mail Robert Hurwitt at rhurwitt@sfchronicle.com.

March 25th, 2009 @ 6:26pm

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Comic George Lopez will start a new talk show on TBS next fall, saying he wanted to reach a diverse audience that generally isn't spoken to in late-night television. The hourlong show, which doesn't have a title yet, will air Monday through Thursday at 11 p.m.TBS is moving to establish a new talk show at a time of change in the genre. Jay Leno is moving to prime-time at NBC, Conan O'Brien takes over the "Tonight" show in June and Jimmy Fallon recently started in O'Brien's "Late Night" time slot."I'm a pretty visible Mexican-American guy who has managed to cross over," said Lopez, who had a six-year run with his own ABC sitcom. "I'm not a singer. I'm not Antonio Banderas. I'm a guy who came up the hard way on the street, and I speak to people who have the same life story."Late-night television, and TV entertainment in general, "is a place where everything is geared toward Caucasians," Lopez said.He said he wants to be inclusive, not divisive, in much the same way as Arsenio Hall's early-1990s talk show.Lopez and his producers approached TBS with a pilot episode filmed on an outdoor soundstage, with Eva Longoria, Dane Cook and Samuel L. Jackson as guests. Lopez sat audience members close to the stage, let them ask questions and didn't sit behind a desk."The music was from salsa to Led Zeppelin," he said. "Look, you can either go to Nieman Marcus or you can go to a flea market. When you go to a swap meet, there's just a ground-level feel that you can find anything there. At Nieman Marcus, you're not going to find tube socks and pliers. This will be a flea market feel."TBS was sold by the pilot, said Michael Wright, the cable network's programming chief."They took George Lopez and his style and his spirit and this is the best way to do this," Wright said. "Rather than jamming him into a show, they built a show around his personality. They basically made it a street party."Besides sensing that the time may be right to introduce a late-night talk show, TBS was looking into an uncertain future for its typical late-night fare. The network has done well then with reruns of "Seinfeld" and "Sex and the City," but when viewers eventually tire of those, there are few network sitcoms that eventually will hit the syndication market to replace them.TBS also has a relatively diverse audience. It is basic cable's top-rated network among young Hispanic adults, in large part because of its coverage of major league baseball playoffs. And TBS' "House of Payne" was the top series last fall among young black adults, according to Nielsen Media Research.Lopez's show, which will be produced in Los Angeles, will premiere in November to take advantage of promotion during the playoffs and because that month usually brings a bumper crop of celebrities available to talk shows to pitch new projects, Wright said.Lopez said he had already received a message from Longoria asking to be a guest on his first show."I told her that if she managed to get pregnant and announce it on my show she'd be in the pole position to be my first guest," he said.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

March 24th, 2009 @ 4:23am

LOS ANGELES (AP) - A prosecutor told a jury that Phil Spector's history of violence against women was like a game of Russian roulette that ended with the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson at his hilltop mansion.

Deputy District Attorney Truc Do urged jurors Monday in the music producer's retrial to find Spector guilty of second-degree murder, not the lesser possibility of involuntary manslaughter. His first jury deadlocked 10-2 for conviction.

She referred in her closing argument to Spector as becoming "a demonic maniac" when he drank and "a very dangerous man" around women.

"This case is about a man who has had a history of playing Russian roulette with the lives of women," she said. "Five women got the empty chamber. Lana got the sixth bullet."

A ruling by Superior Court Judge Larry Paul Fidler which permitted testimony by five women in Spector's past was perhaps the most controversial of both trials. All the incidents occurred between 1975 and 1995 but none resulted in guns being fired. All involved women who said Spector confronted them with guns when they tried to leave his presence.

Attorney Doron Weinberg was to present the defense argument Tuesday. The original case prosecutor, Alan Jackson, was to argue as well before the case goes to the jury Wednesday.

Weinberg is expected to say that the 40-year-old Clarkson, a down-on-her-luck actress in despair about her career, put the gun in her mouth and pulled the trigger six years ago. She was best known as the star of the 1985 cult film "Barbarian Queen."

Do, who joined the prosecution team for the second trial, is well known for her expertise with electronic evidence displays. She dimmed the courtroom lights and illustrated every point with photos, PowerPoint displays of testimony excerpts and the video testimony of a now-dead woman who testified at Spector's first trial in 2007.

She even projected a scene of dunes in her native Vietnam and said this illustrated the "shifting sands" of the defense case.

Do spoke briefly about blood spatter evidence which she said proved that Clarkson could not have shot herself, but the bulk of her argument concerned two aspects of the case: the testimony of the five other women and a chauffeur who testified that Spector told him: "I think I killed somebody."

She cited evidence of Spector washing his hands and trying to wash off Clarkson's bloody face after the shooting.

"He can wash his hands clean of her blood but he can't wash them clean of her murder," she said.

At the end of Do's presentation, Weinberg moved for a mistrial, saying she had overstepped the bounds of pretrial rulings by the judge in attacking Spector's character rather than focusing on trial evidence. The judge denied the motion.

Spector, 69, the legendary producer known for his "Wall of Sound" recording technique and his eccentric personality, sat staring straight ahead as the prosecutor spoke. His wife, Rachelle, and one of his sons were in the courtroom.

If convicted of second-degree murder he could draw a sentence of 15 years to life in prison. Involuntary manslaughter carries a penalty of two to four years behind bars.

March 24th, 2009 @ 3:56am

HONG KONG (AP) - Kiefer Sutherland will be back to play Jack Bauer for an eighth season of the hit counterterrorism drama "24," but the show's longevity will depend on its writers, the actor said Tuesday.

The 42-year-old told The Associated Press that "24," currently in its seventh season, will start shooting its eighth in May. He spoke during an interview in Hong Kong to promote the new 3-D animated movie "Monsters vs. Aliens," in which he voices the character of General W.R. Monger.

Sutherland, whose gritty portrayal of the counterterrorism agent has made Bauer an iconic character, said he's committed to the show that's revived his career.

"If I was going to liken '24' to a girlfriend, '24' has been really good to me. And I need to be really good back," Sutherland said.

"There are plays I want to do. There are so many different things I would like to do, but I was so fortunate to be part of something like '24' that my focus is still on that right now," he said.

Sutherland said the show's future also hinges on its writers' ability to shape its story.

"The real pressure is placed on the writers. It's a real question about how much they feel they can give and what they can do," he said.

Sutherland, whose movie credits include "Young Guns" and "A Few Good Men," said he hasn't thought much about his career after "24" and isn't worried about being typecast as a Bauer-like government agent.

"I will do the work I want to do and people can accept it or not," he said.

Working as a voice actor on "Monsters vs. Aliens" was a "fantastic counterbalance" to playing Bauer, he said.

"The relief was unbelievable. For five days a week, 14 hours a day, I'm doing Jack Bauer on '24' and then for five hours on the weekend, I got to kind of proverbially let my hair down and play this character and talk like that and be a kid. I felt like a five-year-old," said Sutherland, simulating the deep, raspy voice of his character.

"Monsters vs. Aliens," which is about a jailed group of monsters who are freed to help battle an alien robot, opens in U.S. theaters on Friday.

March 23rd, 2009 @ 11:07pm

March 22nd, 2009 @ 1:00pm

Retracts claim that Dancing with the Stars voting is rigged for ratings

March 19, 2009 After calling the producers of Dancing with the Stars "liars" and claiming that the voting is rigged, Apple Inc. co-founder Steve Wozniak has apologized, calling himself a "heel" and a "loudmouth."

Wozniak, one of 12 remaining celebrity contestants on the ABC program, spelled out his suspicions in an e-mail posted to his Facebook page after Monday night's program.

"The producers play games to get viewers and don't disclose the numbers," Wozniak said in the e-mail, which has since been deleted but was quoted by CNET. "If they disclosed the numbers, it would be less of a game, but still suspect. If tomorrow, they claim I'm in the bottom 2 dance teams, including viewer votes, I believe that it's an outright lie."

Wozniak claimed that the producers wanted him at the bottom to boost ratings. "I'm sure they want me in this dance-off to get higher Tuesday ratings, and they have preplanned it so that I win," he said in the e-mail. "If my leg acts up tomorrow, they will either have to announce another pair as being the lowest or send me home, and I don't think they will give me up."

On Tuesday night's results show, Wozniak and his professional partner, Karina Smirnoff, were one of the two couples with the lowest combined scores after the first two weeks of dancing. However, Wozniak and Smirnoff won the "dance-off" against Belinda Carlisle, former lead singer for the Go-Go's, and her partner, Jonathan Roberts.

Before the results show aired, however, Wozniak had retracted his earlier accusations and posted an apologetic e-mail.

"I have been around the Internet conspiracy theory forums for too long," Wozniak admitted at the top of his apology. "Yesterday I wrote my suspicions of the secret Dancing With The Stars audience vote tabulations. I wrote that the producers were liars, simply because I truly believed in that possibility, not because I had a shred of evidence. I hurt a lot of honest people."

Wozniak said that after the producers explained how votes are tabulated, showed him the equipment and described what antifraud measure are taken to guarantee the legitimacy voting, he took back his accusations. "Conrad [Green] and the other producers are not liars. They are extremely honest people in my mind," Wozniak said.

"I feel like a heel who stuck his shoe in his mouth, no puns intended," he added. "My last hope is that you can see inside of me and know that I am telling the truth from the bottom of my heart, and forgive the loudmouth emotional notes I wrote earlier."

This isn't the first time that Wozniak has taken a swing at the show. After his debut dance last week, he said the three on-air judges were "not in tune with what the public likes" and downplayed their relevance.

Wozniak and the other 11 celebrities will next dance on Monday, March 23, when the show airs at 8 p.m. Eastern time.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Leann Rimes' husband should stay away from grocery stores this week.

Because the latest issue of US Weekly has some bad news for him on its cover.

According to US, Rimes, 26, who is married to former backup dancer Dean Sheremet, is getting hot and steamy with her TV movie costar, Eddie Cibrian.

Cibrian is also married, and has two children.

Sources tell the magazine that Rimes and Cibrian, 35, started their affair on the set of their upcoming Lifetime flick, "Northern Lights."

The magazine has photos they claim were taken from a video security camera that show the two holding hands and kissing on a date in Laguna Beach on March 7.

Cibrian denied the report Wednesday, saying in a statement: "It is a fabricated story that is using random snapshots as connective tissue to create a scandalous relationship."

They also say they have information about a purported tryst in a hotel a week later.

And Sherement is standing up for Rimes..

USWeekly.com reported that Sheremet Twittered "I Love My Wife!!!" on Wednesday.

Rimes and Sheremet got married seven years ago when she was just 19 and he was 21.

MORE: Click to USWeekly.com for the full report.

Actors' Intervention? Baldwin Brothers Step in to Help Lindsay Lohan Stay Sober

Thursday , March 19, 2009

By Hollie McKay

Baldwin Brothers Step in to Help Lindsay Lohan Stay Sober

After a whirlwind weekend in the media spotlight in response to a warrant (which was later dropped) being issued for her arrest, Tarts has been told that Lindsay Lohan is seeking professional guidance to put her back on a positive path.

According to an inside source close to the Lohan family, the troubled 22-year-old will temporarily be in a "therapeutic environment" organized by fellow actors, Stephen and Danny Baldwin.

"Lindsay is still able to go to work and meetings and do normal things," said our insider. "But she wants to remove the negative influences in her life."

Reformed rehabber himself Daniel Baldwin is devoting a great deal of time and energy into making sure the young starlet doesn't fall back into her wild ways.

"Lindsay’s doing great, her sobriety is the most important thing to her," Baldwin told Tarts in an exclusive statement on Wednesday. "She is taking all the necessary measures and actions for her continued health."

A rep for Lohan confirmed that she is not in rehabilitation but did not respond for any further comment.

Lindsay’s father, Michael Lohan, declined to elaborate on his daughter’s immediate plans but said Lindsay is committed to improving her quality of life.

"Lindsay will disclose where she is staying and what she is doing when she is ready," he said, adding that he intends to come to Los Angeles this week to offer his daughter support and guidance.

In January 2007 the "Mean Girl" star was a patient at Malibu's Promises Treatment facility, in May 2007 she checked herself into West Hollywood's Wonderland Center, and then in August 2007, she went through the twelve-step program at Utah's Cirque Lodge.

Natasha Richardson died today in New York

Stay tune...

March 18th, 2009 @ 7:04am

March 18th, 2009 @ 2:54pm

March 18th, 2009 @ 10:09am

March 18th, 2009 @ 1:39pm

March 17th, 2009 @ 8:13am

March 17th, 2009 @ 4:56am

Steve-O skips `Dancing' because of back injury

March 17th, 2009 @ 5:08am

Houston Rockets Basketball Player Carl Landry Shot in Leg After Game

Tuesday , March 17, 2009

An NBA player with the Houston Rockets was shot in his car while getting fast food after a game.

Carl Landry, 25, suffered a minor leg injury after a gunman opened fire on his vehicle before dawn Tuesday in an apparent random shooting in Houston, team spokesman Nelson Luis told KPRC-TV.

The basketball forward was treated at a city hospital and released later in the day, the team said.

Landry's vehicle was hit twice, according to the station. One of the bullets struck him in the lower left leg.

The shooting happened about 4 a.m. Tuesday, a few hours after the Rockets returned from a game in New Orleans.

Houston police say Landry, a former Purdue University basketball star, went home after the team arrived back in the city at about 12:30 a.m. He then went out to get food.

A car with two occupants hit Landry from behind.

Police said Landry was shot when he got out to inspect the damage, and the other vehicle left the scene.

Landry is in his second season and has become a valuable player off the bench for the Rockets.

Click here for more on this story from Click2Houston.com.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sources: Natasha Richardson Brain Dead After Ski Accident

Tuesday , March 17, 2009

Sources close to Tony-award winning actress Natasha Richardson tell FOXNews.com that the 45-year-old actress is brain dead, and being transported back to New York City before she is to be taken off life support.

Richardson's condition deteriorated following a skiing accident on a beginner's trail at the Mont Tremblant ski resort in Quebec, Canada.

Richardson, who is married to actor Liam Neeson, had been reported in serious condition with a head injury by multiple outlets.

"We know that she has had an accident but we really do not know any more details," said Kika Markham, who is married to Richardson's uncle, Corin Redgrave. "We are very concerned."

PHOTOS: Click for photos of Natasha Richardson.

Neeson left the set of a movie he was filming in Toronto to be by his wife's side.

"Liam Neeson left the Toronto set immediately to fly to Montreal upon news of his wife’s accident," a rep for his film said in a statement to Canadian TV. "We do not have any details at this time but we hope for the best and our thoughts and prayers are with Natasha and Liam and their family."

Neeson's reps told FOXNews.com they had "no information at this time regarding this matter."

Mont Tremblant said Richardson fell on a beginner's trail during a ski lesson and later reported not feeling well. She was not wearing a helmet, nor was one required. "She did not show any visible sign of injury, but the ski patrol followed strict procedures and brought her back to the bottom of the slope and insisted she should see a doctor," said a statement from the resort.

Mont Tremblant spokeswoman Catherine Lacasse said Richardson was getting a private lesson and that she said she was fine at first.

"An hour later she said she didn't feel well. She had a headache, so we sent her to the hospital," Lacasse said. "There were no signs of impact and no blood, nothing."

Richardson, 45, is the daughter of actress Vanessa Redgrave and the late director Tony Richardson. She married Neeson in 1994 after they both appeared in the film "Nell." The couple have two sons.

In January, Richardson and her mother played the roles of mother and daughter in a one-night benefit concert version of "A Little Night Music," in New York.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

'Heidi Fleiss of Houston' and Husband Arrested for Allegedly Running High-Priced Call Girl Ring

Tuesday , March 17, 2009

Police in Houston arrested a married couple accused of operating one of the city's largest prostitution rings with a clientele of 1,500 professional athletes, doctors and lawyers.

Deborah L. Turbiville, 33, and her husband, 31-year-old Charles Fletcher Turbiville, were arrested on March 10. They face aggravated promotion of prostitution charges.

Deborah Turbiville allegedly recruited several of the prositutes using Craigslist.org, Houston news station KHOU-TV reported.

Investigators told KHOU that she called herself the "Heidi Fleiss of Houston."

Court records indicate the couple was released from the Harris County Jail on a combined $10,000 bond and their next scheduled court appearance is April 15.

Investigators are trying to find all the women who allegedly worked for the couple and also plan on interviewing those on the client list.

Click here to read more on this story from KHOU-TV in Houston.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Tuesday , March 17, 2009

Alex Rodriguez sounds confused.

And from the looks of the photos in Details Magazine's April issue, which goes on sale March 24, that confusion isn't going away any time soon.

The New York Yankees' third baseman, who in February admitted to steroid use earlier in his career, before undergoing hip surgery last week, opens up to the magazine about almost quitting baseball, "Internet stuff," and, of course, Madonna.

PHOTOS: A-Rod kissing his reflection, and more.

He also poses for photographs kissing his image in a mirror, and lying on a bare mattress gazing at himself in said mirror while stretching.

“We live in a world right now where everyone’s keeping score," Rodriguez, 33, tries to explain. "And it doesn’t stop when the games end...They’ve crossed over. And you have the Internet stuff, and all these phones...”

And ... all these magazines. Like the one he's kissing himself in. And several of which his good friend Madonna has graced.

So what's up with their relationship, which Rodriguez's ex-wife cited in her divorce petition?

“Well, we’re friends...I have a lot of respect for her...She’s very smart and she’s passionate about everything she does...if there ever was any situation, she’s a great ear to have, you know?” he says.

Err, not really?

More from Details.com

HUMOR: The Worst Haircuts...Ever.

By DAVID BAUDER
AP Television Writer NEW YORK (AP) - Don Imus said he has prostate cancer, but the radio personality expressed confidence in a full recovery.Imus, 68, made the announcement Monday on his morning show from New York, which airs on ABC Radio Networks and cable's RFD-TV. He said he wrestled with the idea of making it public, but figured he should because he might have to miss some work due to treatment."I'm changing the name of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer to the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with cancer and me," he said, referring to his charity to help children with cancer.Imus said he has early stage cancer, which means it hasn't spread outside the prostate.A one-time shock jock who now does a show heavy on the media and politics, Imus was fired by CBS Radio and MSNBC in spring 2007 for a racial slur of the Rutgers women's basketball team. He later apologized. He's built his radio network back to the level it was before the incident, although his influence has waned.Imus said he was surprised more than anything about the diagnosis, since he's been intent on following a healthy diet for the past decade.He noted that doctors seemed reluctant to talk about one of his big worries: What prostate cancer treatment will mean for his sex life.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Los Angeles, CA (CNS) - "MacGyver" will be pushing his way to the big screen with his trusty Swiss Army knife. New Line Cinema is developing to '80s action adventure series into a feature film.

Hollywood Reporter reports that Raffaella De Laurentiis is producing the big screen adaptation through her Raffaella Productions along with Martha De Laurentiis and the series' creator Lee Zlotoff.

The ABC series originally ran from 1985 to 1992. Richard Dean Anderson starred as the titular resourceful secret agent whose main asset is his practical application of scientific knowledge using common household items. Two more made-for-TV movies were produced in 1994.

Cable's Sci Fi channel is changing its name to Syfy, which sounds the same but can be trademarked, in an attempt to "broad[en] perceptions and embrac[e] a wider and more diverse range of imagination-based entertainment including fantasy and paranormal.

From http://www.itworld.com/offbeat/64356/sci-fi-channel-becoming-syfy-huh

We don't usually cover TV at ITworld, but this story was just too good to pass up.

A TV Week article claims that NBC Universal has decided to change the name of their Sci Fi Channel in an attempt to pull in a more mainstream audience. The new name? Syfy. (Tagline: Imagine Greater) This move is being made as The Sci Fi Channel comes off its best year to date.

The immediate reaction of sci fi fans on the web? Disbelief and derision. Followed by anger.

Why anger? Because, proving he has his finger on the pulse of the current generation, "TV Historian" Tim Brooks has this to say:

The name Sci Fi has been associated with geeks and dysfunctional, antisocial boys in their basements with video games and stuff like that, as opposed to the general public and the female audience in particular.

Way to win friends and influence people, Mr. Brooks.

In all fairness, Brooks is listed as someone who "who helped launch Sci Fi Channel when he worked at USA Network" so maybe we shouldn't be annoyed with NBC over that quote.

Dave Howe, president of the Sci Fi Channel, had this to say about the name change:

It gives us a unique word and it gives us the opportunities to imbue it with the values and the perception that we want it to have.

The perception I'm reading from the folks on twitter is that "Syfy" sounds like slang for syphilis. Probably not the perception that Howe was hoping for. (For a more immediate 'twitter-pulse' in regards to the term, click here.)

Granted, we twitterers are exactly the people that Howe no longer sees as important to the success of the channel. Or are we? Another Howe quote:

When we tested this new name, the thing that we got back from our 18-to-34 techno-savvy crowd, which is quite a lot of our audience, is actually this is how you'd text it,” Mr. Howe said. “It made us feel much cooler, much more cutting-edge, much more hip, which was kind of bang-on what we wanted to achieve communication-wise.

I'm hearing mixed signals here. Do they want the geeks or not? Or do they see "techno-savvy" and "geek" being two different demographics. One starts to wonder: is this all a big prank? An early April Fool's joke? He can't really believe what he is saying, can he?

But syfy.com (destined to replace scifi.com) is already live. And in truth, the channel has content that isn't even remotely science fiction related, like wrestling or the new WGC Ultimate Gamer reality series. So perhaps a change of branding is in order. But... Syfy? Really?

Syfy is set to go live on July 7th, 2009.

Beyonce Knowles: My Influence on Young Girls Can Be 'Scary'

Monday , March 16, 2009

These days, Beyonce Knowles seems to be Hollywood’s most unstoppable tour-de-force.

A veteran of the music business at just 27, the star graces the cover of the April issue of Vogue magazine to discuss singing for the president, her status as a role model and of course, those gorgeous curves of hers.

Indeed, Knowles has been known to easily transform her body shape for various roles, famously losing twenty pounds for her role in Dreamgirls, then gaining an additional 20 for Cadillac Records.

PHOTOS: Click here for photos of Beyonce in Vogue and more.

“It’s easy for me to gain weight,” she says. “I’m not a naturally stick-thin girl. I’m not heavy but Im not skinny either.”

Coupled with her amazing talent, it’s easy to see why the star’s self-confidence and poise have made her a role model to young girls everywhere, including Sasha and Malia Obama.

“The amount of influence I have on these young girls is scary sometimes. But I also understand how lucky I am to have that.”

Pick up the April issue of Vogue on newsstands March 24.

LINK: Click here for additional photos of Beyonce and the full feature at Vogue.com

Actor, Political Activist Ron Silver, 62, Dies

Monday , March 16, 2009

By Roger Friedman

Actor Ron Silver, 62, Dies

I am terribly saddened to report that the great actor and political activist, Ron Silver, died this morning at his home in New York. Ron was 62 and had been bravely battling esophageal cancer for the last two years. He leaves two children, Adam and Alexandra, his parents and his two brothers, as well as countless friends and admirers.

About ten days ago I wrote in this space about Ron’s great acting achievements. Of course, he first came to popularity acting with Valerie Harper and Julie Kavner in “Rhoda,” as their menschy neighbor, Gary. But very quickly he took off in movies, with such milestones as his performance in "Enemies: A Love Story", his wonderful portrayal of lawyer Alan Dershowitz in "Reversal of Fortune", and so many other films including "Garbo Talks", "Blue Steel", and "Ali". He was nominated twice for Emmy awards.

Ron was also an accomplished theater actor. His credits included the original Broadway cast of "HurlyBurly" (1984) with William Hurt, Judith Ivey, and Harvey Keitel. In 1986 he co-starred on Broadway with Marlo Thomas in the comedy "Social Security". And in 1988 he, Joe Mantegna and Madonna were the original cast of David Mamet’s “Speed the Plow.” Ron won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Charlie Fox, the screenwriter with the idea who comes to Bobby Gould (Mantegna) for help. In all three plays, Ron secured his place as the “it” New York actor of his time, consummate, literate, dangerous and smart.

The smart was a good thing and a bad thing. In 1989, Ron helped found the Creative Coalition with Alec Baldwin, Ron Silver, Christopher Reeve, Susan Sarandon, Blair Brown and Stephen Collins. It only takes a second to realize this was a group of liberal minded actors, and Ron was part of them. But soon his politics turned conservative. In short order Ron started endorsing candidates like New York Republicans Rudolph Giuiliani and Alfonse D’Amato. This caused no end of headaches, discussions, debates, and fights. But it also made for a lively time.

I didn’t always agree with Ron politically, but it didn’t matter. He was a great friend, a great family man. He loved his kids. Whether we ran into each other at events or planned on seeing each other, we always had a great time talking Hollywood or chewing over Washington. Last August, Ron insisted on covering the Democratic convention in Denver for Sirius Radio. He was very weak, but he did it with gusto, running around the city getting interviews for his show. He could not be stopped, even though his daughter, Alex, and I, as well as his Sirius assistant, could see the strain.

Last week when I checked in with him, Ron’s voice sounded like a distant signal over a radio. Still, he was bouncy and ebullient. We talked about a lot of things including his radio show on Sirius, which was he was still doing once a week. He had an idea. “Why don’t we a whole show with gossip columnists?” he asked. I said, we’ll think about it. But he couldn’t stop thinking. He had a million ideas for shows, and I think would have had dozens more great performances in him as an actor. I’m not the only friend who will say this in coming days, but he will truly, always, be sorely missed and greatly remembered.

Anna Nicole’s Creepy Doc: Revealed Here First

We’re not surprised: Anna Nicole Smith’s doctors and her ex-consort have been charged by authorities with three felony counts each of conspiracy and several other charges of giving fraudulent prescriptions.

Well, back on Friday, March 16, 2007 we told you exclusively that Dr. Kristine Ehrosevich had sent a fax from the Bahamas to Los Angeles before Anna Nicole Smith died asking for a menu of potent drugs that could kill her patient. This was the same doctor whom "Entertainment Tonight" paid as a consultant and was constantly referred to on their program as the dead model’s "best friend."

In the fax, Eroshevich requested a laundry list of drugs to be sent to the Bahamas by courier for "M. Chase," the pseudonym Smith used to obtain drugs.

EXCLUSIVE: Fax Details Anna Nicole's Prescriptions (pdf)

The list was scary and potentially very harmful. It included: four bottles of 2 mg Dilaudid; 2 milliliter bottles of Lorazepam (Ativan); two bottles of 350 mg Soma, a total of 180 tablets; one bottle each of 30 mg Dalmane and 400 mg Prexige, the latter a British drug; and one bottle of methadone, 300 5mg tablets. All of them are classified as different types of painkillers.

At first Eroshevich sent the fax from the Bahamas to Sandeep Kapoor, the Los Angeles physician who treated Smith under the pseudonym "Michelle Chase." Kapoor has also now been charged by authorities

According to the L.A. County District Attorney., the conspiracy counts allege that Eroshevich, Kapoor, and Howard K. Stern conspired to furnish controlled substances to Smith from between July 2004 and January 2007.

Eroshevich sent the damning fax on Sept. 15, 2006, a week after baby Daniellyn was born and five days after the death of Anna Nicole’s son Daniel.

When Kapoor refused to fill the prescriptions sent by Eroshevich, sources told us in March 2007, the doctor sent the request directly to Key Pharmacy in North Hollywood, Calif. It was also refused there.

The doctor wrote the fax in her own hand and added a note at the bottom: "You have my local number here. Please call if half of the amounts can be prepared, I’ll have someone take them to a courier to bring to me and he can [illegible] Fedex the rest, except for the Intensol, which has to be on ice."

She signed it "Kris," even though it seemed from the fax that she didn’t actually know Kapoor.

One pharmacist, to whom I read this list, noted at the time that all the dosages requested were much higher than usual.

"That’s 12 times the amount of Dalmane. All together, these drugs potentially will kill you. I would have refused to fill the order."

All of the drugs carry warnings for pregnant women and those who are breastfeeding especially not to take them.

The directions for Prexige read: "Tell your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby. Ask your doctor about the risks and benefits of taking Prexige in this case. It is not known if lumiracoxib, the active ingredient of Prexige, passes into the breast milk and could affect your baby."

In a brief conversation last night with Eroshevich, the psychiatrist acknowledged the existence of the fax, but declined to comment on it, citing "patient confidentiality."

The tabloid shows used Eroshevich as an expert even though she’d been fired in 2006 as a physician for the Los Angeles County Retirement Association — also reported here first.

From the Board of Retirement minutes:

"Recommendation to terminate the services of Board Panel Psychiatrist Khristine Eroshevich, M.D., Ph.D. (Memo dated July 7, 2006)

Mr. [James] Castranova [the board’s legal counsel] gave a brief explanation of the recommendation to terminate Dr. Eroshevich's services. It was noted that on two occasions, Dr. Eroshevich arranged for psychologists to conduct fact-to-face examination of LACERA members, which is a violation of the agreement between LACERA and Dr. Eroshevich, when only Board Certified Physicians are allowed to conduct these examinations.

"A motion was made by Mr. Russin, seconded by Mr. Chery, to approve the recommendation. The Legal Office, at the request of Mr. Russin, will review Dr. Eroshevich's invoices to ensure that charges are proper. The Legal Office will report its findings and any recommendations to the Insurance, Benefits and Legislative Committee. The motion passed with Mr. Macias abstaining."

Castranova, whom I spoke with in March 2007, confirmed that Dr. Eroshevich farmed out her duties to other shrinks in violation of her agreement. In other words, she was sending unqualified doctors to interview members of LACERA when she was supposed to be doing the work herself.

LACERA spokesman Gregg Rademacher told me it’s the first time he could remember that his organization had had a physician who’d farmed out their job to other professionals, only to be caught later. Calls to Eroshevich at two California offices with answering machines were not returned.

There was more that was odd about Eroshevich’s closeness to Smith. They were also neighbors. In fact, they were next-door neighbors.

Real estate records for both Anna Nicole and Dr. Khristine Eroshevich revealed — here for the first time — that the patient and her doctor actually lived next door to each other in million dollar homes in Studio City, California.

Public records indicated that Dr. Eroshevich and her husband, Wes Irwin, live at 3656 Avenida Del Sol in Studio City, California. Their house is listed as a four bath, four bedroom set up purchased in 2002 for $925.000. Eroshevich bought the house with a mortgage of $693,750.00. In 2006, according to public records, the total value was $980,335.00. And yes, the house has a pool.

Oddly, next door is a home owned by Anna Nicole Smith and Howard K. Stern. The home was purchased in 2004 for $1,335,000, with a $934,500.00 mortgage from a private firm in Burbank, California called J&R Lending. The deal wasn’t finalized until almost a year later and registered to a company called Hot Smoochie Lips, Inc. Stern and Smith were the only officers of that company. A woman who answered the phone at J&R said the loan had been subsequently sold, but refused to give any more information.

Jacko’s Mystery Manager Revealed

For about a year, since right before the chaos involving his Neverland Ranch possibly being sold at auction, Michael Jackson has had a mysterious new manager.

The man known as Tohme (pronounced toe-may) called himself a doctor. Different sources said he referred to himself either as an orthopedist or orthopedic surgeon. But there was a discrepancy: who was this man, the latest in a long line of managers who seemed to Svengali the pop star?

Yesterday, after many efforts, I finally pinned the 59-year-old Tohme down. A little. He conceded that he is not a licensed physician. “Not at this time,” he said. He refused, after repeated attempts, to say what kind of doctor he might have been at any time. His associates declined as well.

“If you want to talk about Michael Jackson, fine,” he said. “The story isn’t about me.”

But the story is very much about Tohme, who has not only taken over Jackson’s life but has a certain conflict of interest: he acts as a consultant to Colony Capital LLC, the company now partnered with Jackson in ownership of Neverland. Colony bought Fortress Investment’s $23.5 million note on the ranch last year.

More recently, they changed the name of the property to Sycamore Valley Ranch and became partners in the deed with Jackson. A small fortune changed hands, giving Jackson a much needed cash infusion of several million dollars.

But the pop singer always needs more money — he’s like a vampire when it comes to funds. So Tohme restarted talks with AEG Live begun in 2007 about Jackson performing at the O2 Arena in London. Now a staggering 35 dates have been set beginning July 8th. Another 15 are likely. Jackson hasn’t performed live in a full show since September 10, 2001.

Adding to this, Tohme is also responsible for the coming auction of Jackson’s personal memorabilia. He set up the auction with Julien’s Auction House last fall. Contracts were signed. Now Jackson is suing Julien’s, saying he didn’t know what was going on. Julien has catalogs printed, and is going forward. So far, Jackson’s attorney has not filed for a court order to stop the auction.

Sources around Jackson don’t have a high opinion of Tohme. They worry that he’s just the latest person who’s come into Jackson’s life with a personal agenda.

But Thomas Barrack, head of Colony Capital, says Tohme’s a “great guy,” someone’s he known a long time “in the business world, around L.A.” When I asked him how Tohme knew Jackson, Barrack answered: “You’ll have to ask him.” He did say it was Tohme who introduced him to Jackson.

Tohme is fuzzy on this point. “I knew him a long time,” he said of Jackson. At first he said he knew Jackson’s family, then he backtracked and said his relationship was with Michael. We never really figured that one out.

“I love Michael,” Tohme said. “I want what’s best for him. When the problems with Neverland came, I was approached to see if I could help. I knew him for twenty to thirty years.”

Tohme told me he set up the AEG Live deal, even though he was clearly not around in 2007 when I first reported the story. I asked him if he set up the auction. “I did not set up the auction, the auction is not going through!” This is in direct contrast to my conversation with auctioneer Darrell Julien last winter, who sang Tohme’s praises as the pair worked to put it all together.

“We had a certain period of time to empty Neverland last year,” Tohme said. “I was looking for a place for storage, a place to dump a lot of stuff like cars. I called Julien’s and asked if they could do it, come pick it up.” He says an auction could only go through with Jackson’s approval.

Last week, Darrell Julien told this column: “Michael has plenty of storage facilities. He wouldn’t have called me for storage.” True enough: Jackson at different times has had airport hangers at Santa Monica airport filled with his belongings. He’s also had warehouses closer to home near Neverland.

So what about Tohme Tohme, who’s not a doctor? There were a lot of questions I couldn’t ask him because he kept yelling, and refused to answer. I never got to ask him about a 1996 bankruptcy filing on record in the state of California. In the court filing, vs. Marathon National Bank, he listed himself as “Tohme Tohme, Doctor.”

A search of the Lexis Nexis database shows no mention of “Tohme Tohme,” doctor or otherwise, prior to December 22, 2008 when he issued a statement about Jackson’s health.

He was charming in our conversation. He said, “If you play it right, you will be the first one to know everything about Michael Jackson.” I said, thanks, I already was. He said that Michael is in great shape and could easily do 50 shows. “He could do a hundred.”

Madonna Leaves Jesus at Home

Madonna — you know, the other big pop star — dined out last night but she left Jesus at home.

That’s Jesus Luz, her 21-year-old boy toy from Brazil. Instead, Madonna and her manager Guy Oseary took a big booth all to themselves at the Waverly Inn. They missed the restaurant’s owner, Graydon Carter, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair, by about 15 minutes.

Briefly, designer Donna Karan stopped by and sat with them. Also coming over was Alec Baldwin, in a suit and tie he’d worn all day for the taping of “30 Rock.” He was on his way to dinner at a back booth with Brooke Shield and husband Chris Henchy.

Adjacent to Madonna’s table, New Yorker writer and author of “The Tipping Point,” Malcolm Gladwell, with a bunch of friends.

Before long, the booth next to Madonna’s and Guy’s was re-set and in came Will Ferrell from performing on Broadway in his George W. Bush show, “You’re Welcome, America.” His penultimate performance of the limited Broadway run, he told us, will be on Saturday night broadcast live on HBO. The show finishes on Sunday with a matinee.

And that’s the Waverly on a Thursday night. Someone told us the Princess of Sweden was having dinner with her gal pals at an all blonde table. Bob Colacello, of Vanity Fair and Andy Warhol’s original Interviews, was also in the room. Publicist Desiree Gruber told us about her happy baby boy with her Desperate Housewives husband Kyle Maclachlan.

Outside, while the paps waited for the stars, a crew from Old Navy dragged around a life size doll from one of their commercials in a promo stunt. “We’re hoping to get a picture of it with Madonna or Will Ferrell,” a young woman from the company said. She may still be out there.

Earlier in the night: Vanity Fair sponsored a huge photo exhibit of many famous shutterbug artists like Sylvia Plachy and Mary Ellen Mark at Donna Karan’s Zen Studio at 711 Greenwich Street. This is a huge facility with big white walls, and lots of groovy people eating cool looking hors d’oeuvres.

The whole thing seemed like a movie version of a hip New York party. Rose McGowan posed for pictures. Soap star Ricky Paull Goldin shook hands with fans. People asked Plachy, one of the most famous photographers of our time, where was her son, Adrien Brody, the Oscar winner? Two Law & Order stars— Linus Roache and Jeff Goldblum were there – but they never met and have never met.

Goldblum told me that “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” will finally start in April, six months late. They’ve got five of eight episodes in the can, at last. So what’s his character to like? “His parents were psychiatrists, but he doesn’t speak to his father,” Jeff said while a tall, gorgeous brunette tried to chat him up. “He has a mysterious past.”

But his name is not Tohme.

Grammy's Move; All the Rice Moves

The Grammy Awards are being moved up a week next year, to January 31st. They would ordinarily be on February 7th, but that’s the day of the Super Bowl. Both shows are on CBS. This puts Clive Davis’s party with NARAS on January 30th, and the MusiCares Person of the Year dinner on January 29th. Mark your calendars now…

…Peter Rice, the guy who made Fox Searchlight a hit, is getting kicked upstairs and is taking over Fox Entertainment. (As my mom would say, this is a “big” job.) Rice has had a string of hits and Oscar nominees like “Juno.” But last month Fox Searchlight got its Best Picture for “Slumdog Millionaire.” Nancy Utley and Steve Gilula will succeed Rice, but we’ll miss this guy a lot. Congrats, Peter! It’s been a swell ride!

Chris Brown and Rihanna record duet

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Singer Chris Brown has recorded a song with his girlfriend, Rihanna, just days after charges were filed against him for allegedly assaulting her, a source close to the record's producer, Polow Da Don, said Thursday.

The source, who did not wish to be named because she was not authorized to speak on the matter, did not have any further details

"My heart goes out to both Chris and Rihanna for what has happened in the past," Da Don said in a statement. "They are both great artists to work with, and I wish them well."

The Los Angeles, California, district attorney filed two felony counts against Brown, 19, last week relating to a February 8 incident in which police said he assaulted Rihanna, 21.

A police statement said the incident began when Rihanna, whose full name is Robyn Rihanna Fenty, found a text message on Brown's cell phone from "a woman who Brown had a previous sexual relationship with," according to court documents released last week.

Brown issued a public apology to his fans last month.

"Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired," he said in a statement released by his spokesman. "I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones, and I am committed, with God's help, to emerging a better person."

When Brown made his first appearance in court last Thursday, Rihanna's lawyer asked the judge not to prohibit him from having contact with her while he faces the charges.

Media reports have said the couple has reunited since the alleged incident; spokespersons for both have neither confirmed nor denied it. Watch some tough love for Rihanna »

Brown is due back in court on April 6 for his formal arraignment. If he is convicted, he could face as much as four years and eight months in prison, the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office said.

The case has been moved to L.A. County Superior Court Judge Patricia Schnegg who signed the search warrant in the case.

Brown's attorney, Mark Geragos, requested a prearraignment hearing which is scheduled for March 23 in Schnegg's chambers. Brown is not required to be at the hearing. iReport.com: Chris Brown fans: Share your reaction

On Wednesday he withdrew his nominations for two Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards, a spokesman said. Brown, 19, had been nominated for "Favorite Song" and "Favorite Male Singer."

"Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding the incident last month has shifted the focus from the music to whether he should be allowed to be among those nominated," the spokesman said in a written statement. "While Chris would like to speak to his fans directly about this and other issues, pending legal proceedings preclude his doing so at this time. Once the matter before him has been resolved, he intends to do so."

Jon Stewart, Jim Cramer Face Off on 'Daily Show'

Thursday , March 12, 2009

NEW YORK — 

"I understand that you want to make finance entertaining, but it's not a ... game," Stewart told Cramer, adding in an expletive during the show's Thursday taping. The episode was scheduled to air at 11 p.m. EDT on Comedy Central.

It was perhaps the hardest lashing Stewart has given to a TV commentator since 2004 when he called Tucker Carlson and his then co-host Paul Begala "partisan hacks" on CNN's "Crossfire," the since canceled political commentary program.

The program opened in mock hype of the confrontation, which caught headlines through the week as each snipped at the other over the air. The show announced it as "the weeklong feud of the century."

In his opening, Stewart announced that it was "go time." He played a video clip of Cramer's Thursday guest appearance on "The Martha Stewart Show" in which Cramer beat a mound of dough, pretending it was Stewart.

Said Stewart: "Mr. Cramer, don't you destroy enough dough on your own show?"

Once Cramer came out for the interview, Stewart wondered: "How the hell did we get here?"

Cramer, his sleeves characteristically rolled up, said he was a "fan of the show."

But the humorous tone — at least for Stewart — changed as the interview continued.

Stewart repeatedly said Cramer wasn't his target, but aired clip after clip of the CNBC pundit.

"Roll 210!" announced Stewart, like a prosecutor. "Roll 212!"

Most were from a 2006 interview not meant for TV in which Cramer spoke openly about the duplicity of the market.

"I can't reconcile the brilliance and knowledge that you have of the intricacies of the market with the crazy ... I see you do every night," said the comedian.

Stewart said he and Cramer are both snake-oil salesman, only "The Daily Show" is labeled as such. He claimed CNBC shirked its journalistic duty by believing corporate lies, rather than being an investigative "powerful tool of illumination." And he alleged CNBC was ultimately in bed with the businesses it covered — that regular people's stocks and 401Ks were "capitalizing on your adventure."

For his part, Cramer disagreed with Stewart on a few points, but mostly acknowledged that he could have done a better job foreseeing the economic collapse: "We all should have seen it more."

Cramer said CNBC was "fair game" to the criticism and acknowledged the network was perhaps overeager to believe the information it was fed from corporations.

"I, too, like you, want to have a successful show," said Cramer, defending his methods on "Mad Money." He later added: "Should we have been constantly pointing out the mistakes that were made? Absolutely. I truly wish we had done more."

Cramer insisted he was devoted to revealing corporate "shenanigans," to which Stewart retorted: "It's easy to get on this after the fact."

At one point, Cramer sounded the reformed sinner, responding to Stewart's plea for more levelheaded, honest commentary: "How about I try that?" said Cramer. "I'll do that."

By the end, the two-segment interview went far beyond its allotted time. Comedy Central said the on-air version would be cut by about eight minutes, though the entire interview would be available unedited on ComedyCentral.com on Friday.

Oprah 'Sends Love' to Chris Brown and Rihanna, Dedicates Show to Abuse

Thursday , March 12, 2009

Oprah Winfrey explored issues of domestic abuse Thursday, dedicating her show to the topic in an attempt to “send love” to both Chris Brown and Rihanna and help the embattled couple “heal.”

Brown, 19, was charged with two felony counts after he allegedly brutally abused Rihanna, real name Robyn Fenty, 21, following a party in Los Angeles last month. The couple later reunited and have reportedly planned a duet together.

After teen guests criticized Rihanna for taking Brown back, Winfrey said that she did not intend to attack the couple, adding that she was “sending love to both of them.”

PHOTOS: Click to see latest photos of Chris Brown.

PHOTOS: Click to see photos of Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Reaching out to teens and parents, Oprah told her viewers that a woman who returns to a man who hits her does so because “she doesn’t think she is worthy of a man” who won’t.

“It all boils down to how you feel about yourself,” Oprah said.

With guest co-host Tyra Banks, Oprah reiterated her previous message to Rihanna that “If a man hits you once, he will hit you again,” adding that “love doesn’t hurt.”

Banks, who has hosted both artists on her talk show seperately, said that both Rihanna and Brown grew up witnessing tumultuous relationships.

“Rihanna told me that her parents used to argue so intensely and she used to get these headaches, almost migraines ... and it was almost living hell for her,” Banks said.

Of Brown, Banks said that he confessed to witnessing domestic violence against his mother at the hands of a man with whom she was involved. Brown told Banks that he was so scarred by the trauma of watching the abuse that he would "wet the bed.”

"It's so sad that even when you grow up in an environment and [even when] you disdain that environment, you really cannot help yourself until someone helps you," Winfrey said.

Next Thursday, the Oprah show will continue to explore the issue by speaking with men who say they have been abusers.

Lesbian sues over denial of prom tuxedo

I will get more info soon.  Stay tune.....

NEW YORK (AP) - Mandy Moore is a married woman. Publicist Jillian Fowkes confirms the actress-singer and her fiance, rock musician Ryan Adams, quietly tied the knot Tuesday in Savannah, Ga. No further details were provided. The 24-year-old Moore confirmed her engagement to Adams last month.Moore started out as a squeaky-clean teen singer and later crossed into movies with featured roles in such films as "License to Wed," "A Walk to Remember," "Saved" and "American Dreamz."Adams, who played in the band Whiskeytown during the 1990s before beginning his prolific solo career, is known for his song "New York, New York," which appeared on his album "Gold," released in 2001.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

By NEKESA MUMBI MOODY
AP Music Writer NEW YORK (AP) - More than a month after the assault that left Rihanna bloodied and bruised, the situation gets more grim for the once-brilliant career of Chris Brown, her boyfriend and alleged attacker.Despite reports that the couple has reconciled _ including reports of an apparent duet recording session _ public animosity toward Brown, Billboard's artist of the year for 2008, seems to be growing.Radio stations are dropping his music, and on Wednesday he voluntarily removed his name from the ballot of Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, for which he was twice nominated just before his Feb. 8 arrest for allegedly beating Rihanna."Unfortunately, the controversy surrounding the incident last month has shifted the focus from the music to whether he should be allowed to be among those nominated," a statement from his representatives read.At 19, Brown is already a multiplatinum star who has not only dominated music, but made the leap to film in movies like "Stomp the Yard" and "This Christmas." He was a favorite of kids for his lithe voice, danceable beats and formidable dance skills; of young girls for his handsome looks; and of parents, because of his clean-cut image.That winning combination helped him rack up album sales and awards: Billboard named him as its artist of the year for 2008. But figures show his overall audience, if not his fan base, has shrunk since his arrest. A leaked photo showing the battered face of Rihanna didn't help, and an affidavit released last week included details that highlighted the apparent brutality of the attack.While Brown didn't have any new music out at the time of his arrest, his top hit "Forever" was still getting substantial radio play at the time. According to Billboard's Hot 100 Recurrent Airplay chart, the song was slowly drifting down, and was at No. 14 before the arrest, for a radio audience of about 16 million people.According to Billboard, right after the arrest, the song plummeted from 14 to 58, or an audience of about 9 million. It is now off the chart.Even having Brown featured on a song may be a bad move: Jive Records labelmate T-Pain, who did a duet with Brown called "Freeze," is offering an alternative version to radio stations that deletes Brown, according to people inside the radio industry who requested anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the situation.Bill Werde, the editor in chief for Billboard, said it may be too early to say whether the severe damage done to his career in the short term will affect Brown permanently."People's memories can be short, and I think sometimes an amazing hit can trump even people's expectations," he said Wednesday. "That said, Chris Brown is a guy who sort of developed his career around a very clean image, and an image that was safe for teens and tweens. ... When you have an artist whose career has been so predicated on keeping a clean image, this is a little bit of a tougher hurdle to get over."Howard Bragman, veteran Hollywood publicist, damage-control specialist and author of the book "Where's My Fifteen Minutes," said Brown's youth may also be an asset to him in the long run if he makes a sincere attempt at rehabilitation."I do think he can come back from this, I think if he made the mistakes people think he made," he said. "I think he is young enough and talented enough; eventually there are people who will forgive you."Rihanna may endure a challenging road herself whenever she finally decides to relaunch her equally white-hot career. Already, she had seen her image transformed from pop's femme fatale to domestic violence victim whose decision to go back to her alleged attacker has been endlessly called into question."What I think the caution is she has is not to let this incident define her. And I think that's the biggest risk to her career," said Bragman.An apparent reconciliation with Brown may only exacerbate that risk. Rap mogul Diddy confirmed he let the couple use his home to "talk about a situation they're in," and producer Polow da Don told the Los Angeles Times he was working with both stars on a duet (however, People.com, citing sources it did not name, said the couple has not yet recorded a duet that was penned for them to be included on Brown's new album.)"I think people are critical of her, saying, 'Oh my god, you're crazy, what are you doing?" said Cori Murray, entertainment editor for Essence magazine. "Then there are people who are like ... they don't want to pass judgment on her because they don't know the whole situation."While neither representative for the couple would comment on whether the couple was indeed reunited or recording together, that hasn't stopped others from weighing in on the situation.Oprah Winfrey is devoting an entire show Thursday "to all the Rihannas of the world" and on an episode last week, warned Rihanna: "Love doesn't hurt, and if a man hits you once, he will hit you again."On Tuesday's episode of "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," the host grilled Diddy about reports that he had lent his house to the couple to reconcile, and expressed her outrage about it in an intense exchange with the rap mogul: "I was a huge fan's of Chris' ... but to hit a girl," DeGeneres said, " ... I don't want any girl out there thinking it's OK to go back to a guy who hit her."Blogs have questioned everything from her mind-set to her sanity, but Werde said Rihanna still has overwhelming support and sympathy.Like Brown, Rihanna, 21, is between projects. But she still has singles in the Billboard's top 50 _ her solo hit "Disturbia" (co-written by Brown) and "Live Your Life" with T.I. And the multiplatinum selling singer was recently featured in a new ad by CoverGirl, for which she is a spokeswoman."I don't really expect Rihanna to face any hurdles here. It's pretty tragic what happened to her, and I'm certainly not about to try an alleged victim," Werde said. "I don't think that people are going to judge her harshly ... You can't blame the victim in any situation, especially in a domestic abuse situation."
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

"Big Love" network apologizes to Mormons

By Jill Serjeant

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - HBO, the network behind television polygamy drama "Big Love," apologized on Tuesday for any offense to Mormons in a depiction of a sacred ritual but made clear it would air the controversial episode as planned.

The HBO network's program about a non-Mormon polygamous family has stirred up a hornet's nest of complaints over an episode to be broadcast on Sunday showing its version of an endowment ceremony within a Mormon temple.

It is thought to be the first time the ritual, in which participants move to a higher level of understanding of their religion, will be shown on TV.

News of the episode prompted calls and e-mails for cancellation or an HBO boycott by angry members of the Mormon Church, officially known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS).

The Church itself has not officially called for a boycott.

"Big Love," which first aired in 2006, stars Bill Paxton as a member of a fictional breakaway Mormon sect who has three wives and eight children.

HBO said on Tuesday the writers had gone to great lengths "to be respectful and accurate" in the ceremony's portrayal.

"Obviously, it was not our intention to do anything disrespectful to the church, but to those who may be offended, we offer our sincere apology," the network said in a statement. In a separate statement, the creators of the series said they "took great pains to depict the ceremony with the dignity and reverence it is due."

'JUST OFFENSIVE'

The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints, based in Utah, has some 13.5 million members around the world. It officially banned polygamy in 1890, sixty years after it was founded, but the practice continues in some breakaway sects.

The furor reflected the dilemma faced by Mormons as the growing Church takes its place in mainstream society.

"This is a very sacred event in the lives of LDS church members. To have it splashed all over television for entertainment purposes (and ultimately for monetary gain) is just offensive," wrote a poster called "nanberg" on HBO's official "Big Love" message board on Tuesday.

The Church refrained from calling for a boycott of HBO, or sister companies owned by corporate parent Time Warner Inc, such as Internet service provider AOL. But the Church did recognize that individual members might do so.

"Certainly Church members are offended when their most sacred practices are misrepresented or presented without context or understanding," LDS said in a statement on Monday.

"Individual Latter-day Saints have the right to take such actions if they choose. The Church ... as an institution does not call for boycotts. Such a step would simply generate the kind of controversy that the media loves and in the end would increase audiences for the series," it added.

The LDS statement said that, despite assurances three years ago from HBO and the creators of "Big Love" that the show was not about Mormons, Mormon themes and increasingly unsympathetic characters were being woven into the show.

The Church was thrust into the spotlight last year for supporting a ban on gay marriage in California and during the removal of more than 400 children from a Texas polygamist ranch in response to an abuse complaint.

The LDS statement urged followers to behave with dignity, saying there was no evidence that extreme misrepresentations "have any long-term negative effect on the Church."

(Editing by Eric Walsh)

© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.

Diddy 'splains Chris Brown, Rihanna house loan

Ellen DeGeneres gets Sean "Diddy" Combs to talk about why he loaned his Miami home to Chris Brown and Rihanna for their reconcilation meeting.

"Why would you give Chris, a guy who hit a girl, and he’s Jet Skiing around in your ... ? I don’t understand ... ," says Ellen.

"It’s my house. I'm allowed to give my house to whoever I want to give my house to," Diddy counters. Then he gives a rambling answer about how it was a dark time for them and he was there more for support.

Ellen appears to buy this explanation but adds, "I don’t want any girl out there thinking it's OK to go back to a guy who hit her."

But as Diddy points out, none of us were there in the car that night. And perhaps we should wait for more information to come out before we start to condemn. What do you think?

Do you agree with him?

The audience sure seems to.

And then Diddy decides he wants to dance. So they dance.

Which seems so strangely inappropriate given the serious nature of their previous discussion about a young man accused of beating his girlfriend's face to a pulp.

Is it just me, or do you find that quick gear change unsettling and creepy?

LA Times: Shaq wants out of Phoenix

By Paul Coro - Mar. 10, 2009 10:28 PM
The Arizona Republic

Report: Woman Behind Chris Brown, Rihanna Fight Is Brown's Manager and Former Lover

Tuesday , March 10, 2009

The mystery woman behind the alleged physical altercation that resulted in felony charges for Chris Brown is his manager and alleged former lover, TMZ is reporting.

According to the gossip site, law enforcement officials have confirmed that the 3-page text message that Brown received on his cell phone was from 39-year-old Tina Davis, with whom he was rumored to have a relationship with he was just 16 years old.

The detective's affidavit refers to the sender of the text message as a woman with whom Brown "had a previous sexual relationship with."

RAW DATA: Click here to read the chilling details of the LAPD affidavit.

“Law enforcement tells us the text message to Brown talked about hooking up later – and it totally [angered] Rihanna,” TMZ said. “She slapped him and he then brutally fired back.

PHOTOS: Click to see latest photos of Chris Brown.

PHOTOS: Click to see photos of Chris Brown and Rihanna.

Rumors have swirled for years that Brown and Davis’ relationship went beyond professional, although both have vehemently denied the claim. Davis, a former top A&R executive at Def Jam records, reportedly hosted the star at her New Jersey home for months while he prepared for his career as a teen heartthrob singer.

LINK: Click here for the full report from TMZ.

Chris Brown, Rihanna recording love duet: reports

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Chris Brown and Rihanna are recording a duet together -- said to be a love song -- despite prosecutors charging Brown with a violent attack on his girlfriend, celebrity websites reported on Tuesday.

While lawyers work behind the scenes on a possible plea deal that could allow the 19-year-old R&B singer to avoid jail time, Brown and Rihanna have been in a Los Angeles area studio working on a love song, celebrity website TMZ.com said.

TMZ said the song was originally written for Rihanna before the couple fought on the eve of the Grammy Awards in February. But afterward, music producer Polow Da Don believed the track -- which focuses on overcoming difficult challenges as a couple -- would make a good duet.

The late night sessions were "very, very emotional...the feeling in the room was pure love," an unidentified source was quoted as telling TMZ.

Polow Da Don has worked with Brown in the past, as well as with singers Usher and Fergie.

E! News said Brown was hoping to include the track on his new album due later this year. "They've been working on it together," E! quoted a studio source as saying.

Brown, who had hits with "Forever" and "Run It!", was formally charged last week with punching Rihanna, 21, in the face and biting her ear and finger.

Rihanna and Brown were reported to have reconciled about three weeks after his arrest on the day of the Grammys, although neither have commented on the reports.

Brown has not entered a plea to the charges and his arraignment was postponed for a month, apparently to give lawyers a chance to work out a plea deal.

(Reporting by Jill Serjeant; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.

Rap star Coolio charged with crack possession

Tue Mar 10, 2009 7:15pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Rap star Coolio was charged on Tuesday with possession of crack cocaine and battery following his arrest last week at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Grammy-winning performer, whose real name is Artis Leon Ivey, was taken into custody at the airport on Friday after authorities said they found the drug and a crack pipe in his luggage.

Coolio, 45, was charged with a single felony count of possessing cocaine base, commonly known as crack, and a misdemeanor charge for the pipe.

The battery charge was included because the performer grabbed an airport screener's arm to prevent the search of his luggage, said Jane Robison, spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County District Attorney.

He faces a maximum sentence of three years in state prison if convicted and is scheduled to appear in court on April 3.

Coolio first gained fame in 1995 with the hit single "Gangsta's Paradise" and multi-million selling album of the same name. He won a Grammy that year for best rap solo performance.

His follow-up albums have failed to match that success and in recent years he has become known for his appearances on reality TV shows, including "Celebrity Fear Factor," and as host of online program "Cookin' With Coolio."

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb; Editing by Bob Tourtellotte and Paul Simao)

© Thomson Reuters 2008. All rights reserved. Users may download and print extracts of content from this website for their own personal and non-commercial use only. Republication or redistribution of Thomson Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Thomson Reuters. Thomson Reuters and its logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of the Thomson Reuters group of companies around the world.

By WILLIAM KATES
Associated Press Writer SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) - A magician who posted videos online detailing a "trip" he made in a crate aboard a cargo plane from upstate New York to Las Vegas admitted Tuesday that it was an elaborate hoax."It was a publicity stunt right from the start," said Wade Whitcomb, of North Syracuse, after federal officials declared the event a hoax. "If that's what they say, that must be the truth.""The FBI spoke to Whitcomb; he did not ship himself anywhere. We have no further interest in this," FBI spokesman Richard Kolko said Tuesday.Whitcomb had claimed he folded himself into a cramped wooden crate for the 26-hour trip on a United Parcel Service truck and a UPS plane. He posted a series of videos online of the purported trip shot with tiny cameras pointed out of the crate and one inside focused on him.Whitcomb, who goes by the stage name Wade Live, claimed he made the trip last November to publicize a buddy's Web site.The Transportation Security Administration and the FBI investigated Whitcomb's claim, saying it would violate a number of laws. The Atlanta-based UPS Inc. also investigated.UPS spokesman Dan McMackin said he couldn't verify the claim."To me, it seems like a publicity stunt, and therefore, I think it could be a hoax," he said.
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

LOS ANGELES (AP) - The Southern California woman who gave birth to octuplets two months ago told television talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw that she was getting ready to move into a new home that'll be inspected before two babies are released from the hospital.Nadya Suleman said on the "Dr. Phil" show aired Tuesday that she expected a social worker from the hospital to inspect the house near Los Angeles before any of the prematurely born babies are released."Four (babies) are ready to be released but they never send more than two at a time home," Suleman said. The other four babies will need to remain hospitalized for an unknown amount of time, she added.Suleman, 33, gave birth to the octuplets on Jan. 26. They were born nine weeks premature but are the world's longest-surviving set of octuplets. She has six other children.Suleman said she would accept free, in-home, round-the-clock nursing for her 14 children from a nonprofit group called Angels in Waiting, adding that the offer felt like "a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders because it's 100 percent for my children."McGraw said he had to mediate a squabble between Suleman and the nursing providers, who was represented by lawyer Gloria Allred. He said Suleman distrusted Allred because the lawyer made the offer and simultaneously filed a request with child welfare officials to investigate the mother.Allred said on the show that she filed the request because Suleman's own mother has said she can't take care of all her children.Suleman has drawn criticism after it was revealed that all of her children were conceived through in vitro fertilization and that she was unemployed and single.She said on the show that although she loves her children, she sees now that undergoing in vitro fertilization after already having six children was "irrational."Suleman also responded to comments made to UsMagazine.com by her former publicist, Victor Munoz, calling her "nuts" and "greedy." She said his statements were "unethical, untrue and unprofessional."Suleman said she used money earned from selling photos of the babies for a trust for her children, and also to put into escrow for a house that her father was buying in La Habra, about 20 miles east of Los Angeles. The four-bedroom, three-bath home was listed for $564,900.Prudential Realty listing agent Mike Patel said the deal may close as soon as Tuesday.A second "Dr. Phil" show featuring Suleman will air Wednesday.___On the Web:Dr. Phil, http://www.drphil.com
(Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

'Housewives of New York City' Star Kelly Bensimon Allegedly Beat Up Boyfriend

Tuesday , March 10, 2009

She's a hissing, claws-out socialite on the hit Bravo reality show "Real Housewives of New York City," but Kelly Bensimon turned into a butt-kicking boyfriend beater in her posh lower-Manhattan coop last week, court records claim.

The 6-foot-tall, 40-year-old former model, horse fancier and one-time marathon runner got into a fight last week with her boyfriend, 30-year-old Nick Stefanov, and clocked him, giving him a black eye and opening a blood-gushing gash on his left cheek, according to the records.

RELATED: "Real Housewives" Are Real Clueless

Stefanov fled her apartment on Centre Street after the Tuesday-morning beating and reported the mother of two to cops at the 5th Precinct station.

A source said Bensimon at the time was sporting "a fat lip."

Bensimon surrendered two days later and was charged with misdemeanor third-degree assault. She's due in court March 31.

"We got engaged a couple weeks ago," Stefanov told one friend. "We got into an argument that escalated and escalated. She hauled off and started swinging. She got a lucky punch on my cheekbone and just split it right open. I went down to the police station covered in blood."

RELATED: Go to NYPost.com for the full report.

Online Petition to Take Chris Brown Off Kids' Choice Awards Ballot Gathers Signatures

Tuesday , March 10, 2009

By Allison A. McGevna

Last week, a group called Twittermoms created an online petition protesting Chris Brown's nominations on Nickelodeon's Kids' Choice Awards, which they planned to send to the cable channel's parent company, Viacom.

On Monday morning, they had 74 signatures. By Tuesday morning, the number of signatures had skyrocketed to nearly 1,000.

LINK: Click here to see the online petition.

This comes amid reports that Viacom is getting pressure to remove Brown from consideration from the Kids' Choice Awards as top executives report an "overwhelming" number of calls and emails from angry viewers.

According to a report in the Chicago Sun Times, a top Viacom official said Monday that the response was unlike anything the company had seen.

"The words I'd use to describe the situation are overwhelming and swamped. [The issue has] even gotten to the Sumner level," the official told the Times, referring to Viacom head Sumner Redstone.

On Thursday, Brown encouraged young fans to vote for him for the Kids' Choice Awards on the same day that he appeared in front of a California Superior Court facing two felony counts for his alleged attack on girlfriend Rihanna.

Brown published a post to his Myspace page reaching out to fans and urging them to vote for him for Favorite Male Singer and Favorite Song for “Kiss Kiss.”

“Hey fans,” the post reads. “Vote for Chris on the Kids Choice Awards 2009 link provided below … Thank you for your support.”

LINK: Click here to read Chris Brown's MySpace post.

To many critics, Brown’s blog post was an indication that the star may not fully understand the severity of the charges he is facing, or that he simply doesn’t care.

And while Brown, 19, has already lost several endorsements, Nickelodeon, a network dedicated to children’s entertainment, has decided so far to keep Brown on the ballot. Nickelodeon said in a statement that "the kids who vote will ultimately decide who wins in the category."

PHOTOS: The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Award online ballots featuring Chris Brown and Rihanna.

According to Sonia Ossorio, the president for the New York chapter of the National Association of Women (NOW), while Nickelodeon may be in a tough position since the viewers nominated Brown months before the incident, the singer should hardly be considered eligible.

"He's not worthy of any award," Ossorio told FOXNews.com. "He is in no way a positive role model for young men and women and needs to spend time obtaining professional help."

If convicted, Brown – who remains free on $50,000 bail — could face anywhere from four years of probation to eight months in state prison.

While he issued an apology a few days after the incident, FOX 411 reported that it took Brown nine days to apologize to Rihanna herself, and did so through a text message — surprising in light of the charges that he allegedly slammed her head into a window, reportedly pounded on her face until her mouth filled with blood and possibly choked her to the brink of unconsciousness.

RAW DATA: Click here to read the chilling details of the LAPD affidavit.

RAW DATA: Read the California Superior Court Criminal Complaint against Chris Brown.

Weeks later, Brown reportedly reunited with Rihanna, 21, on the Star Island mansion of Sean “P.Diddy” Combs, where Brown was photographed laughing and flexing his muscles while jet skiing on the getaway.

Now, with the argument patched up and Browns’ arraignment postponed until April 6, the singer has returned to the studio to work on his third album.

PHOTOS: Click to see latest photos of Chris Brown.

PHOTOS: Click to see photos of Chris Brown and Rihanna.

But while stars like Diddy, Terrence Howard and several others have seemingly supported Brown, talk show mogul Oprah Winfrey warned Rihanna Friday that Brown “will hit you again.”

“Both Chris Brown and Rihanna, if I were your friend, I’d call you up and say, ‘Give it some time. Get yourself some counseling. Take care of yourself. Heal yourself first,'” Winfrey said on her talk show. “If a man hits you once, he will hit you again. He will hit you again.”

NOW's Ossorio expressed support for Rihanna as well, stressing that the young singer is not alone.

"She's not the first in this situation, and is not even the first who feels sympathy for her abuser and goes back to him," she said. "But there are many ways out of the cycle of abuse, and everybody is rooting for her."

Exclusive: Jacko's Personal Items in Pictures

Monday , March 09, 2009

By Roger Friedman

Come see how Michael Jackson squandered his fortune of hundreds of millions of dollars on high priced junk.

Four years ago, videotapes and evidence from Michael Jackson’s Neverland Ranch were used in the failed case against him for child molestation and conspiracy. (If you’re nostalgic for that time, there’s a birthday card from Dieter Wiesner, Jackson’s German associate, in Volume 5, Page 202).

There are no discarded noses or chins.

Now most of those items can be seen for the first time by the public in five separate catalogs being published for an auction beginning April 21, 2009 in Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Jackson has just filed suit against Julien’s Auctions, trying to stop this from going forward — despite the fact that he or his emissary, Tohme R. Tohme — signed contracts with Julien’s.

And this whole auction thing may get ugly fast: several behind the scenes storylines are coming together as you read this that put this auction at the center of Jackson’s financial dramas.

But in the meantime: now we can look at the stuff ourselves — Julien's has just put the catalogs online for perusal — and it’s chockablock with kooky, interesting, and mid priced valuables from Michael Jackson’s strange, strange life.

Missing, of course: a huge of collection of pornography introduced by the government at Jackson’s trial.

There are some rare pieces of memorabilia, however: check out Volume 5, page 72-73, two canvasses, one each by Macaulay Culkin and Michael Jackson, circa 1991 and 1998 respectively. And a carousel horse "gifted" by Elizabeth Taylor (Volume 4, page 163) should bring a nice price.

The creepiest parts of the catalogs for most people will be the items pertaining to children. We saw a lot of this in court back in 2005, so it’s not terribly surprising. But the average viewer may wonder about Vol. 1, page 14, the "life size sculpture of two boys on a bicycle." There are numerous sculptures of children, especially boys, not to mention of paintings and drawings of Jackson acting as a Pied Piper. Also, Vol 1, page 54: a bronze sculpture of two boys playing leapfrog, There’s a lot more like scattered through the books.

Much of Volume 1 consists of bronze sculptures, plaster casts, and other "historical" tchotchkes. The stuff isn’t worth much beyond belonging to Jackson — none of it is original or of real historical value. Think of someone with OCD weaving their way through every museum shop in the world. That’s how Jackson approached this part of his collection.

And there’s a lot — I mean, a lot — of it. Vases, furniture, you name it — all in the "style of" — all of it, shall we say, "eclectic." Volume 2, for example is just one gigantic flea market, a swap shop of rugs, runners, tables, and, yes, more sculpture. Prop houses for theater and movie companies should go wild here. I personally dug the gigantic gold throne with red velvet upholstery (Volume 2, page 190). Someone should buy it for Solomon Burke as a birthday gift.

Those generic items aren’t listed for much and won’t be hard to win at auction. The real meat of the Jackson auction comes from costumes — gloves, hats, socks, etc — used in his shows. The other artifacts that should fetch some money are all anything marked "Neverland" — giant clocks, signs, that sort of thing. Neverland has joined the ranks of the lost island of Atlantis as fantasy lands that have perished.

I was most interested by the sale of the Neverland front gates. The "parcel-gilt and black iron" huge entry to the ranch seems like something that Jackson his new partners, Colony Capital, would want to keep on the property. They would certainly make the ranch more valuable to whoever eventually bought it. And also, I do recall Jackson’s contractor telling me that the gold gates he bought for Neverland cost at least $50,000 a pop. This gate is listed only at $20,000-$30,000. (Vol. 1, page 90)

You don’t get into the real action until Volume 4, which starts off the Jackson’s collection of pinball machines and standing video arcade games. Memories of Macaulay Culkin, Emanuel Webster Lewis, Jordy Chandler, and Gavin Arvizo, are sure to be invoked by all the Star Wars, Pac Man, X Men and Simpsons games. And it’s not penny arcade stuff, but some collectibles as well: there’s even a Zoltar the Fortune Teller. And Prince may want to buy Jackson’s ride-able Little Red Corvette (Vol 4, page 26) with its own gas pump!

And then there are the real cars: a 1988 Lincoln Town Car Limousine, 1990 Rolls Royce Silver Spur II Touring Limousine, a 1999 Rolls Royce Silver Seraph Limo with 24 K gold embellishments designed exclusively by and for Jackson; a 1954 Cadillac Fleetwood Series 60. Jackson is said to have asked to hold out the two Rollses from the auction, but there is a tour bus for sale in its place. There’s also a Neverland Valley Electrified Coach. (Vol. 4, p 166)

But it’s Volume 5, which will be sold on April 25th, that should be the boon day. It contains all the personal memorabilia. There are many bejeweled and jewel encrusted items from actual crowns to socks and gloves to jackets, pants and shoes. There are also personal photographs. Brooke Shields will be pleased to know she’s the only female included with Jackson in a photo.

In one of the more ominous pictures, Jackson is shown with a boy of about 10 or 11 posing for an LA Gear ad in matching motorcycle jackets. In another Jackson is seen at his 1984 Hollywood Walk of Fame signing. He’s surrounded, in happier times, by a phalanx of police officers. It would be only a short item before many of these men in blue, or their counterparts in Santa Barbara County, would raid Neverland two or three times. The picture is one of the pricier items, maybe for its irony, at $15-20,000.

Monday , March 09, 2009

By Hollie McKay

Hef's Twins' Hair 'Too Over-Processed' For Charitable Donations

Hugh Hefner's twin girlfriends may seem perfect, but their bleached blonde hair was recently deemed "too overprocessed" to be donated for charity.

The revelation about the poor-quality locks of Karissa and Kristina Shannon comes after 2008’s "Playmate of the Year" Jayde Nicole established her own charity "Lengths for Love," and encouraged other playmates to donate their hair toward raising cancer awareness.

Nicole has enlisted the help of dozens of playmates and bunnies from all eras to "hop" into the project too. Just one major problem — hair that has been bleached can’t be used to make wigs and well, that pretty much cuts out 95 percent of the Playboy population — including the twins.

"The twins (Hef’s new girlfriends) can’t actually donate their hair, the hair used has to be healthy enough to be retreated and not too over-processed," Nicole told Tarts. "So we’re doing lots of fundraisers and events as well that everyone (including her PMOY predecessor Sara Jean Underwood, Hef’s former flame Holly Madison and his current number one Crystal Harris) can be involved with. Hef is supporting it too; he’s a huge fan of charities."

Nicole said that sometime over the summer the men’s magazine mogul even hopes to open the iconic Mansion for a party to raise funds for the cause. The starlet’s beau Brody Jenner also wanted to play a big part in "Lengths For Love" - but it was she who decided that that might not be so lovely.

"Brody wanted to grow his hair long but I had to tell him that wasn’t such a good idea and that there was far more beneficial things he could do," she admitted with a laugh.

But when she’s not tending to her hot head of hair, the brunette babe is busy bouncing around her current residence which is Hef’s Bunny House, filming The Hills with Brody (she said she loves the never-ending drama) and is getting ready to hand over her tantalizing title to the next lady in line.

"Everyone keeps asking me if I’m sad (to relinquish the title) but I’m actually really excited," she added. "It has opened so many doors and there is so much opportunity for me at the moment. I am so excited for the new girl, it's going to change her life."

Chace Crawford Boasts About Sleeping With The Editor Of Cosmo, Bradley Cooper Cries In Coffee Shops And Maria Menounos Says Size Matters

Ten of Tinseltown’s finest men (and one woman, Heroes hottie Ali Larter) were honored for their "Fun & Fearless" nature at the Annual Cosmopolitan Magazine party at new Beverly Hills hotel SLS last Monday night. But did Chace Crawford did have too much fun before the bash even began?

"Now I get to say I slept with the Editor of Cosmopolitan!" the Gossip Girl actor exclaimed inside the star-studded soiree. Hang on — what the? As it turned out, Crawford had taken the same red eye flight from NYC as Cosmo’s Editor-in-Chief Kate White and the ride was totally G-rated. Phew.

Honoree Bradley Cooper also opened up at the event, telling Tarts that he is always crying in front of females off set, and that’s what makes him fearless.

"I was in a coffee shop the other day reading a script and just started crying, I had to hide my face," he admitted. (Actually, we were sitting right beside him at West Hollywood’s Café Primo as the He’s Just Not That Into You star read thru the tear-jerking potential role.)

Access Hollywood beauty Maria Menounos hosted the lad-laden event and as it turns out, size matters when it comes to her male preference.

"Guys can be any size, well actually not too little," she told us. "We can go bigger. Bigger is good. The more to love."

On the flipside, Menounos said she herself has dropped ten dress sizes over recent years and prefers life on the petite side.

"I study Gamika which is an Israeli martial arts, I walk my dogs and I have a gym and get on the treadmill," she said. "I play basketball too; I just try to keep it fun and light. I wasn’t huge, but I was a size 14 so I'm a 4-6 now. It's a big deal."

Pamela Anderson’s High-fashion Wardrobe Malfunction

Pamela Anderson is famous for her girly assets, but even she was left a little red-faced when she couldn’t seem to keep them under control during an appearance at Paris Fashion Week on Friday.

The former Baywatch blonde gave the audience quite the eyeful after roaming the runway of Vivienne Westwood’s show when her top slipped as she congratulated the designer at the show’s conclusion. Anderson managed to laugh it off — after all, it certainly isn’t the first (and probably won’t be the last) time she flashes the flesh for a room full of strangers.

Paris Hilton Is Forever 28

Seriously, how many times can one person turn 28? Paris Hilton has celebrated her birthday (which was Feb. 17) a zillion times already with a bash at NYC’s Butter, a private "Pink" party at her Hollywood Hills home, a dinner with her sis at La Esquina, a celebration at L.A’s Bar Deluxe and has now just spent the weekend at Sin City’s Hard Rock Hotel & Casino for two days worth of "official" celebrations.

Hilton and her new Hills beau Doug Reinhardt didn’t leave each other’s side the entire time and put on quite the performance of kissing and touching as they were given the VIP treatment everywhere they went from the Poker Room to AGO to Nobu to nightclub Body English. The party princess even gave a big shout out to Reinhardt, declaring him "the sexiest man in the world."

Psst, Tarts has also been told that just prior to hooking up with Paris, Reinhardt’s peeps were snooping around for a high-profile starlet that could boost his career. So if that’s the case, he hasn’t done too badly with the pap-popular hotel heiress. …

Pop Tarts Seen & Heard

Whitney Port spotted snuggling up to beau Jay Lyon at STK in Los Angeles on Tuesday night to celebrate her 24th Birthday. Across the room Adrian Grenier, (in a hoodie and jeans) sipped Grey Goose with his 8 oz filet (he was even overheard telling friends that he will only eat meat if it's organic, free-range and hormone free.) David Arquette also dined with a bunch of boys while Paris Hilton and her current squeeze Doug Reinhardt enjoyed dinner before heading next door to club Coco De Ville.

Michael Stipe of REM, Unique, Richie Rich and Ally Hilfiger attended photographer Jeremy Kost's exhibit, "After the Party," opening at Dactyl Foundation in New York City on Tuesday.

Lucy Liu spotted with two friends finishing off her meal with a slice cheesecake at the Palm Tribeca in New York City on Wednesday night.

Lauren Bush seen eating with two girlfriends at NYC's Artisanal on Wednesday night (while her grandma was having open heart surgery.)

Paris Hilton, Amanda Bynes, Whitney Port, Brody Jenner and Jayde Nicole all got the VIP treatment at Hollywood hotspot MyHouse on Wednesday night.

Reformed rehabber Sean Stewart spotted partying alongside Russell Simmons and Tommy Hilfiger at Paper Magazine's Marky Ramone Rock Scene Collection Launch in NYC Wednesday night. Model Julie Henderson was also seen hanging out with pals when Simmons came over and asked why she hadn't returned his calls. Henderson shrugged him off, he stormed off but apparently the two left together.

Josh Hartnett seen in the lobby of West Hollywood's Chateau Marmont on Thursday afternoon.

Solange Knowles and Estelle sang at the Mezzanine in San Francisco on Thursday night as part of their Honeymag.com tour together.

Green Day, Belinda Carlisle and Yeardley "Lisa Simpson" Smith all dining (separately) at West Hollywood's Nobu on Thursday night.

"Idol" Top 13 finalist, Megan Corkrey, seen picking out a Danielle Stevens wood and beaded necklace with a stylist before attending the Finalist party at AREA in Los Angeles on Thursday.

Kim and Khloe Kardashian as well as Maria Menounos partied with Old Navy’s Supermodelquins at GUYS nightclub in LA on Thursday night to celebrate the clothing company's new advertising campaign.

Celebrity Apprentice's Annie Duke, Danica Patrick & Brad Garrett attended NBC's National Heads Up Poker Championship at Caesars Palace, Las Vegas on Thursday. PIC

Lindsay Lohan keeping a low-profile at Hollywood club Bardot on Friday night.

Elizabeth Banks noshing away at Strip House inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Vegas Friday night.

Molly "Olly Girl" Shea celebrated her 23rd birthday at Tabú Ultra Lounge in MGM Grand on Saturday night. Also spotted in the Sin City Hotel was Bow Wow celebrating his 22nd Birthday alongside Jermaine Dupri at Studio 54.

Tom Arnold enjoying his tea at Dr. Tea's Teagarden on Melrose Sunday afternoon.

Alice Cooper introducing his wife to "Jane’s Addiction" frontman Perry Farrell at the John Vervados/Converse "Bring Your Heart to Our House" Stuart House Benefit bash on Sunday.

Brown, 19, who was charged Thursday in Los Angeles with felony counts of assault and making criminal threats after a Feb. 8 incident with his girlfriend and R&B singer Rihanna, could face up to four years and eight months in prison. He may have also suffered irrevocable damage to his squeaky-clean, boy-next-door image.

The baby-faced, limber-limbed singer had been one of R&B's fastest-rising stars, with a budding acting career (Stomp the Yard and This Christmas).

But after turning himself in to police, Brown was dropped from ad campaigns for Got Milk? and Doublemint gum. Both he and Rihanna canceled heavily promoted performances at the Feb. 8 Grammy Awards, and he dropped out of his appearances at the NBA All-Star Game in Phoenix the following weekend. Some radio stations pulled his music. Rihanna, meanwhile, canceled a concert in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

"Prior to this, he was a teen idol with a fan base largely of teenage girls," says Entertainment Weekly music writer Margeaux Watson of Brown, whose two albums — 2005's Chris Brown and 2007's Exclusive— have sold more than 4 million copies combined and spawned such hits as Run It, Kiss Kiss, Wall to Wall and With You

"He was the guy all the girls wanted to date, and the guy that all of the guys wanted to be friends with. Now that's shattered."

The violence involved makes this case different from celebrity scandals about sex, substance abuse or other self-destructive behavior, says Cori Murray, entertainment director of Essence.

"It isn't like he was caught with drugs or was drunk," Murray says. "It's not like he was some bad boy, and this was just one more thing. It's so completely out of character for what audiences saw."

Rihanna, 21, is an even bigger crossover star than Brown. Her albums — 2005's Music of the Sun (582,000 copies sold), 2006's A Girl Like Me (1.3 million) and 2007's Good Girl Gone Bad (2.4 million) — have garnered increasingly larger sales, and she has more than a dozen endorsement deals, including Cover Girl, Totes, Nike and Fuze.

So far, she has maintained her corporate support and received an outpouring of sympathy. But public opinion could change in reaction to reports that the couple may have reconciled.

Regardless of the outcome of the court case or any reunion, both will carry a burden for years to come.

"She will always have support because she's a victim, but she has a difficult road ahead," says Murray. Promoting future music projects will be problematic because they'll be asked about the incident. "Just like he is always going to have to answer questions, she will also have to answer: 'Why did you take him back?' "

Watson says that question also could give sponsors pause.

"She's supposed to be a role model, and that isn't role model behavior," she says. "It goes counter to everything young girls are raised to do and believe. If I'm an executive, I would have to reconsider whether she's the proper spokesperson for my brand."

Chris Brown Charged With Two Felony Counts in Alleged Assault on Girlfriend Rihanna

Thursday , March 05, 2009

Chris Brown was charged with two felony counts on Thursday in the alleged beating of his girlfriend Rihanna on the way back from a pre-Grammy party in February.

The California Superior Court complaint outlined charges of assault and criminal threat against Brown, 19, who must now provide fingerprints and DNA samples.

Brown's alleged victim in the assault is labeled "Robyn F." Rihanna's given name Robyn Fenty.

If convicted, Brown could face up to eight months in jail or four years probation.

Brown is expected to appear in court Thursday afternoon.

DOCUMENTS: Read the California Superior Court Criminal Complaint against Chris Brown.

Earlier Thursday, FOX 11 in Los Angeles reported that LAPD notes from a search warrant in the Brown case detailed a horrific assault in the early morning hours of Feb. 8.

According to FOX 11, the notes reveal in shocking detail Brown shoving Rihanna's head against the window of his rented Lamborghini, repeatedly punching and biting her, and yelling, "I'm going to beat the **** out of you when we get home. You wait and see."

PHOTOS: Click for more Celebrity tragi-couples.

The alleged blow-by-blow happened as follows, according to FOX 11.

After Rihanna read a text message on Brown's phone from a woman, he tried to force Rihanna out of the car, but couldn't because she was wearing her seatbelt.

VIDEO: Click for FOX 11's exclusive report.

Brown then allegedly slammed Rihanna's head against her window, and when Rihanna turned to face him, he punched her.

The notes said blood spattered on Rihanna's clothing and the interior of the Lamborghini.

PHOTOS: Click for Radar Online's photos of a blood-spattered Lamborghini.

Rihanna also called her assistant, according to FOX 11, leaving a message saying, "I am on my way home. Make sure the cops are there when I get there."

Brown then reportedly replied, "You just did the stupidest thing ever. I'm going to kill you," and proceeded to punch and bite Rihanna. He allegedly put her in a headlock so long that she almost lost consciousness.

Brown later apologized, and he and Rihanna have reportedly reconciled.

Michael Jackson is expected to announce a series of summer comeback concerts at the O2 arena in London.

The pop legend is due to appear at the venue on Thursday make to a "special announcement", a statement said.

It follows months of speculation about a string of money-spinning shows. Jackson last performed in 2006, at the World Music Awards in London.

But he disappointed fans at that event by singing just a few lines of We Are The World. He last toured 12 years ago.

Chris Brown due in court Thurs. in Rihanna beat; LAPD says case moved to DA, paving way for charges

By Nancy Dillon
DAILY NEWS WEST COAST BUREAU CHIEF

Tuesday, March 3rd 2009, 1:06 PM

LOS ANGELES - Cops have wrapped up their three-week investigation into singer Chris Brown's alleged beating of pop sensation Rihanna, officials said Tuesday.

"The District Attorney does have the case," LAPD media spokesman Richard French told the Daily News.

Prosecutors, however, said they haven't seen anything yet.

"It's not true. There's been no meeting, no new information," said DA spokeswoman Jane Robison.

Det. Deshon Andrews, who managed the high-profile investigation, declined to answer questions.

Brown, 19 is scheduled for arraignment Thursday.

Known for his singing, dancing and acting chops, Brown was booked on suspicion of making criminal threats and released on $50,000 bail the night of the Grammys.

Cops never released Rihanna's name, saying only that an anonymous woman suffered visible injuries and identified Brown as her attacker after they responded to fight on a dark street in L.A.'s tony Hancock Park early Feb. 8.

A shocking photo of Rihanna's bruised and bloody face leaked to celebrity site TMZ.com, sparking an internal LAPD probe into its unauthorized release.

The Barbados-bred beauty has cooperated with investigators, sources told the Daily News.

But after spending some low-profile weeks apart, the on-again couple reunited in Miami over the weekend, allegedly staying together at a Miami Beach mansion owned by Sean "Diddy" Combs.

"Everyone wants them to take a break, to cool off," an unidentified relative of Rihanna's told People.com.
"No one wants them back together."

ndillon@nydailynews.com

Chris Brown learns anger management; could Rihanna use it too?

Wednesday, February 25th 2009, 9:35 AM

The troubled R&B singer, who was arrested two weeks ago on suspicion of making criminal threats against girlfriend Rihanna, attended his first class in Glendale, Calif., on Monday afternoon.

According to a source, Brown opted for anger management at the behest of his spin doctor, Michael Sitrick. "Chris doesn't actually have to go by law," our insider tells us, "but he believes it will make him look better to the public, and he wants to try to get in a few classes before March 5," his court date.

The Feb. 7 incident - in which Brown allegedly assaulted Rihanna and left her with cuts and bruises to her forehead, lips and cheeks - didn't just stir up controversy. It tarnished Brown's good-guy image so badly that several of his endorsement deals were suspended, including commercials for Wrigley's gum and the Milk Mustache campaign. Brown's songs have also been temporarily taken off the air at a handful of radio stations.

But insiders are rumbling that Chris shouldn't be taking the anger management classes alone. "Rihanna is temperamental, too," says our snitch. "They're both too hot-headed for their own good."

Adds another source: "It didn't help that Rihanna grabbed the keys out of his rented Lamborghini and threw them down the street. She knew it would really infuriate Chris, and it worked."

Look for a Chris/Rihanna reunion soon, though - at least physically. The songbird, who celebrated her 21st birthday on Friday and is hanging out at home in Barbados, will be L.A.-bound to attend Brown's trial.

"She'll be there - she has to testify," confirms our snitch, who doesn't foresee any jail time for Brown. "If Chris is convicted, it would be his first offense. He won't go to prison. "