norm van lier dead

So long Stormin' Norman. Chicago sports will not be the same without you.

Norm Van Lier, one of the most popular players in Bulls history, was found dead in his Chicago apartment today. He was 61.

Believe it or not, but the Bulls did have fans before Michael Jordan. Nor Van Lier, who died today in his Chicago apartment, made fans of many early Bulls watchers. His cause of death is still unknown, but it is thought that he fell ill due to his recent struggles with advanced heart disease. He was 61 years old.

News of his death hit the airwaves in Chicago like a tsunami. All afternoon, I have heard mournful tributes on the radio and on television. There are very few players that can be instantly identified with the Bulls, have a decades long history with them and still take every move personally. Norm Van Lier hit all of those cylinders and more.

Van Lier had been working as a Bulls analyst for ComcastSportsnet Chicago after 10-year playing career.

He did not arrive for a scheduled appearance on the network's postgame show following the Bulls-New Jersey Nets game Wednesday night.

Stormin’ Norman career’s was marked by underappreciation and silent endurance. He attended Saint Francis University after most high-major colleges balked on recruiting the 6-1 point guard. His grizzled, physical play won him respect among fans and his teammates–he played alongside his hard-nosed Bulls Jerry Sloan, Bob Love, Chet Walker and Tom Boerwinkle. In his 10 years in the L, there wasn’t much Van Lier didn’t accomplish. He lead the League in assists in 1971, made three All-Defensive First Teams, was a three-time All-Star and an All-NBA Second Teamer in 1974.

A Chicago Fire Department squad conducted a wellness check after he hadn't been reached Thursday morning. They discovered his body shortly before 1 p.m., and he was pronounced dead at the scene.

There was no one harder on current Bulls players when they were slacking and there was no one who celebrated each victory more than Norm. Basketball and the Bulls were in his lifeblood. Chicago sports and the Chicago Bulls have lost a unique and passionate man, who deeply cared about the sport. You will definitely be missed, Norm.

nadya suleman porn offer

In an offer letter obtained by TMZ.com, the president of the pornography studio and distributor Steven Hirsch says the company would release the film under their "Vivid-Celeb imprint, which has released titles starring such personalities as Pamela Anderson, Kim Kardashian, and most recently, former Miss USA Kelli MCarty."

Major porn distributor Vivid Entertainment has just fired off a letter to Nadya Suleman, offering her 1 million bucks to star in a skin flick of her own. Vivid is willing to go one step further, by giv her family full medical and dental insurance if she becomes a "contract girl"... meaning she'll have to do multiple videos.

Vivid Entertainment spokeswoman Jackie Martin said the offer also promises a year of health insurance for Nadya Suleman and her 14 children.

Suleman, 33, gave birth to octuplets at a Bellflower hospital on Jan. 26, and already had six other children. The home the unemployed single-mother lives in is facing foreclosure.

see through fish

This fish is bananas!

The "barreleye" fish gives a new meaning to "clear-headed" -- members of the central California species Macropinna microstoma have fully transparent skulls filled with a jelly-like fluid that scientists discovered this week allows the fish 360-degree vision.

The barreleye (Macropinna microstoma for you ichthyologists) is a deepwater fish that has a see-through, fluid filled head in which it moves its eyeballs. And that, dear reader, is freaking awesome.

The common name for the fish is "barreleyes." Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute investigators recently figured out why this species has such an unusual head. Its eyes can actually rotate within its "skull," so the transparency allows the wary swimmer to keep a literal eye on happenings above it, as well as to the sides and directly in front.

You read that right, transparent skulls.

Scientists had announced Monday that they had solved a nearly 50-year mystery behind the fish, explaining that the neon green, bulbous eyes inside their see-through heads can fully rotate - dispelling previous claims that their eyes were stuck in "tunnel vision."

Using video cameras, MBARI researchers Bruce Robison and Kim Reisenbichler revealed the fish's eye movements. When remotely operated vehicles approached the fish, its eyes glowed a vivid green shade in the bright lights of the ROVs. Usually the fish were just hanging out motionless under the deep waters offshore California's central coast.

The eyes of the barreleye fish are extremely light-sensitive, so the fish tend to swim close to the depths of the ocean - making it hard to study the species, researchers said.

Newly developed vehicles designed for deep-sea research allowed the scientists access to the bottom-dwellers. They carefully brought one fish ashore and determined they had been wrong for nearly half a century about the fish's sight capabilities.

The barreleyes also have flat fins that let them remain motionless in the water - any sudden or intense movement can upset their fragile "headgear."

amsterdam plane crash

A Turkish Airlines plane has crashed on landing at Amsterdam's Schiphol international airport, injuring at least 20 people.

A Turkish airliner crashed at Amsterdam’s main airport about 10:40 a.m. Wednesday local time, Dutch airport officials said.

The plane, with 135 passengers on board, crashed short of the runway near the A9 motorway and suffered significant damage.

It was Flight 1951 from Istanbul and was a Boeing 737-800 aircraft.

Witnesses have spoken of seeing at least 20 passengers walking from the wreckage, with luggage scattered about.

Images from the scene of the Amsterdam crash show the plane broken into three pieces.

“Some passengers are dead, some are injured and some are alive” in the crash, a spokesman from Schiphol airport’s press office said over the telephone before hanging up.

Turkish media said the plane was carrying about 135 people.

The Boeing 737-800, which originated from Istanbul, Turkey, was trying to land at Amsterdam Airport Schiphol when it went down.

There were 127 passengers, including a baby, and seven crew on board.

Earlier reports said there was one dead, but Turkish Transport Minister Binali Yildirim later clarified that no-one had died.

Turkish Airlines Candan Karlitekin told reporters: "There are injured passengers at the back of the plane but there are no confirmed casualties."

Dutch television reported that rescuers had been hampered in getting to the scene because the field was recently ploughed.

The BBC's Geraldine Coughlan in the Hague says television has been showing pictures of helicopters at the scene, with about 20 ambulances and fire engines.

Kieran Daly, of Air Transport Intelligence, said the pictures indicated there had not been a widespread fire.

He said the impact had been severe but it could have been survivable because of the lack of fire.

Daly said their had been vast improvements in the materials used to build airplanes, meaning they did not burn as easily.

Since this report, others have come out reporting that some people have died in the crash, although they have not yet given any numbers. Hopefully those numbers won’t be too great.

All flights have been suspended.

The last crash involving a Turkish Airlines plane was in 2003 when 65 people died in an accident in Turkey.

Schiphol airport has six runways and one major passenger terminal. In 2007, it handled 47 million passengers, ranking fifth in Europe.

serena williams boyfriend

Is Jackie Long, Serena Williams's New Boyfriend or Did Serena date Jackie Long?

Jackie Long is an actor and former boyfriend of tennis player Serena Williams. You can see his biography, video and photos below.

Jackie Long and Serena Williams were dating until recently according to her blog. Serena doesn’t specifically name Jackie Long, but it is widely speculated she was referring to him in her 600-word account of their break up on her official web site. Click here to read her heart felt entry.

Tennis ace Serena Williams looks circumspect as she tried to relax in the Miami sun ahead of Wimbledon.
Boyfriend Jackie Long helps Serena into her bikini as the couple spend some quality time getting close.

The tennis star is currently on a break from the WTA Tour, nursing an ankle injury. Boyfriend Jackie Long helps Serena into her bikini as the couple spend some quality time getting close.

She took a break from tennis to spent time with her boyfriend, Jackie Long, on Miami beach.Serena will have to put aside her loss to face the courts in two weeks time when Wimbledon opens.She is known to draw strength from her fans' support and her faith as a Jehovah's Witness.

Watch The Serena Williams Video (YouTube):

Jackie Long Biography

As a biography, Jackie Long is 26-years-old, and according to his MySpace page, he is divorced, a Libra, and six feet tall with more to love. He also likes hip hop along with being an actor.

Jackie played Esquire in the movie ‘ATL’ and appeared in ‘The Comebacks’ and ‘Playas Ball.’ Long has also been in the music videos ‘What You Know’ by T.I., ‘Can’t Help But Wait’ by Trey Songz, and ‘Wait a Minute’ by RayJ. Jackie appeared on an episode of Nick Cannon’s MTV show ‘Wild ‘N Out’ with Serena. His next project scheduled for release this year is called ‘The Doorman.’

mardi gras shooting

What should be an all out celebration has turned violent as police say several people have been shot today along the Mardi Gras parade route in New Orleans.Six people, including an infant have been shot on the Mardi Gras parade route in New Orleans,US.

The shootings occurred just after the last formal parade float had passed at 1:40pm local time (Tuesday).

Shots erupted during a truck float parade that followed. One victim was shot in the stomach and is in serious condition according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune newspaper.

Police lining the parade route on historic St Charles Avenue heard the shots among the crowd at about 1340 local time (1940 GMT).

The infant was grazed along the back but was not seriously hurt, said police spokesman Bob Young.

Medics rushed each of the victims to the Trauma Center at University Hospital in New Orleans. Two men aged 20 were the most seriously injured. Those two Mardi Gras parade shooting victims are in guarded condition according to the New Orleans EMS.

The other victims are in stable condition including a 1-year-old baby boy with a graze wound in the back; a 17-year-old girl was shot in the thigh, while a 50-year-old woman was shot in the elbow and a 30-year-old man suffered a graze wound to the thigh. Each of the victims appeared to be innocent bystanders according to Deputy Chief of police Kirk Bouyelas.

'Everybody was petrified'

"It sounded like a string of fireworks, so I knew it was more than one shooter," witness Toni Labat told teh Associated Press news agency.

"Everybody was petrified. They hit the ground, the floats stopped, everybody on the floats ducked," she said, adding she saw one man dragging himself along the ground and another man bleeding from the mouth, the agency reported.

Doctor Jim Parry, a 41-year-old surgeon, was nearby and tended one man who had been shot in the abdomen, AP reported.

"He kept asking me, 'Was I shot? Was I shot?'," he was quoted as saying.

The two men arrested by police were reported to be aged 18 and 20. Three weapons were recovered when they were held, AP reported.

The shootings marred what had been described as a generally peaceful event, which saw hundreds of thousands of people take to the historic heart of New Orleans for a day of street parties.

Mardi Gras is New Orleans' pre-Lenten celebration that attempts to rival Brazil's Carnival. Family picnics on the parade route are a common staple, along with plenty of X-rated sights on Bourbon Street. Mardi Gras ends officially Tuesday night and is marked by flashy parades and high spirited celebrants.

Two male suspects were arrested shortly after the incident.

amy jacobson bikini video

Meet Amy Jacobson, a former NBC-5 news reporter who was involved in a controversy over her bikini video being shot at the home of the husband of a missing woman, whom she was investigating. The bikini video was aired by a rival news station. See video and a biography of Amy Jacobson here.

A Chicago-based NBC reporter who sued CBS for airing a controversial video of her in a bikini is winning her battle against the media giant.

Amy Jacobson, who once worked for Chicago’s NBC channel 5 news, filed a lawsuit against a local CBS-owned station, WBBM, on channel 2, for airing a six-minute video of her in a bikini at a house of a man whose wife mysteriously disappeared. The video showed Jacobson and her children attending a pool party on July 6, 2007 at Craig Stebic’s home. At the time, Jacobson had been covering the April 2007 disappearance of Stebic’s estranged wife, Lisa, according to the lawsuit filed by her attorney.

The video allegedly cost Jacobson her job, and the paycut forced her and her husband to sell their "dream" home, the suit read. The suit also said that the negative publicity from the footage made it impossible for Jacobson to find a new job.
Associate Cook County Judge Elizabeth Budzinski upheld four of Jacobson’s eight counts, dismissed three without prejudice (which allows for re-filing of the case in the future) and dismissed just one count.

Amy was with her children at the time the video was shot from a neighbor’s house in July 2007. She was investigating the missing case of Lisa Stebic and was shot scantily clad in a bikini at her husband Craig Stebic’s place. Now, Amy is suing the news station CBS-2’s WBBM-TV for airing the tape and has won the initial round by getting a ruling handed down by a Cook County judge.

“The statements made by the CBS reporters during the broadcast regarding Jacobson are capable of being proven true or false. Thus these statements are actionable.”

The controversy raged back then as Amy had used adultery to obtain news story from the husband of a missing woman and she was fired by the network over this issue.

Check out Amy Jacobson video:

As a biography, Amy Jacobson was born in November 1969 in Mt. Prospect, Illinois so her age is 39. She attended the University of Iowa and earned a Bachelor’s degree in film and broadcasting in 1991.

She started out working in WJBK-TV in Detroit, KVIA-TV in El Paso and KOLD-TV in Tucson before moving on to WMAQ-TV by NBC-5. She was a general assignment reporter with the news station. She has also appeared on the Today show and is currently working on the Roe Conn show on WLS-AM radio.

In her personal life, Amy was married to Jaime Anglada in 2002 and the couple have two children. They filed for divorce after the incident in November last year.

Julia Anderson is True Beauty Winner

Meet Julia Anderson, True Beauty Winner and Miss Teen Texas USA. See her pageant photos, biography and video here. She is hot and America’s Most Beautiful Person according to one TV show!

She was named the True Beauty winner for her beauty both inside and out on the show’s finale held on February 23rd 2009. Luckily for her self-esteem, Julia beat out two dudes, one with a giant attitude problem and the other a wuss. She divided and conquered. The grand prize is $100,000 cash and her photo in People magazine’s “Most beautiful people” issue. Read way too much more.

Julia Anderson, 23, a pageant queen and magician's assistant from Dallas won the top prize on "True Beauty" Monday.To do so, the last female standing among the original 10 candidates had to beat the two maile finalists -- Joel Rush, 26, an overly confident software salesman from Tampa, who came in second; and Billy Jeffrey, the oldest one in the competition at 31 and a vitamin store owner from Lewiston, Idaho, who came in third.

Anderson will get a $100,000 cash prize, her photo in People magazine's "Most beautiful people" issue, and the title of "America's Most Beautiful Person," whatever that's worth.

The title combines both the outer and inner beauty of a contestant, and the latter part was the secret kept from the models, who by and large were narcissistic and callous and had been eliminated by the judges that included Cheryl Tiegs and Nole Marin along with host Vanessa Minnillo.

Anderson was the only person who passed all of the qualities that secret cameras watched for throughout the show: Honesty, charity, compassion, consideration for others, teamwork decency, loyalty and modesty.

Earlier in the finale, Anderson told tearfully about losing a statewide pageant crown in Texas over a drunk driving incident. After winning, she said, " This is definitely the second chance that I've always wanted. And I finally found true beauty. I did it. I found myself, I won the competition, and I feel like a winner in every way possible, honestly."
The show itself, a product of Ashtun Kutcher and Tyra Banks, has struggled in the ratings, averaging 7.1million viewers (good enough for only No. 72) despite having appeared immediately after "The Bachelor," whose popularity is surging this year, averaging 10.4 million viewers and landing at No. 37 among network series

Julia Anderson Biography

As a biography she was born July 13, 1985 in Dallas Texas, which makes her 23 year old. She currently lives in Ft. Worth Texas. Her beauty is party due to ethnicity as she is part American Indian and part a zillion other things.

She won the crown of Miss Texas Teen USA in 2002 but gave it up for an arrest and public intoxication scandal that was revealed on the True Beauty show. Nice to see that hot girls can bounce back from anything.

Speaking of bounces, we are unaware of any love interest for our True Beauty Winner so she is obviously a wholesome girl. On a more serous note, Julia gets eyelash extensions every two weeks and tans very easily when she is sweltering beneath the hot Texas sun.

She does have many interests. To complete her biography, Julia Anderson’s official occupation is listed as dancer/performer, and she has been on stage as a magician’s assistant. We hope that her special trick is making the beautiful girl disappear beneath the sheets.

Look for her image in People magazine, and meanwhile see more pictures and a video of the True Beauty winner after the jump.

Julia Anderson Video

miss teen texas

True Beauty airs the final episode on ABC tonight, finally revealing who they have chosen as the most beautiful person in America. Last week, sexiest contestant Laura went home, leaving Billy, Joel, and Julia in the house. Julia has never been to the Hall of Beauty, and she’s a pageant queen. Will that give her the edge to beat out superfit Joel and Chippendale dancer Billy?

Joel survived the Hall of Beauty, and he’s happy with the judge’s comments towards him. Billy is surprised to be in the final three, and Julia’s glad that Laura was eliminated, leaving her as the only female contender. “I know that I’m more beautiful than anybody else,” Joel says, and if doesn’t win he’ll consider himself a failure. He’s decided not to be too friendly any more.Julia is missing her eyelash extension appointments, and settles for fake lashes for the final judging. Billy plans to make sure the judges get to know him.

People Magazine has arrived for a photo shoot, and Vanessa’s going to watch the contestants every move. The contestants will have a one on one interview with Jess Cagle, and then a photo shoot with legendary photographer Matthew Rolston. They’ll also be shot wearing nothing but a red towel.Julia is worried that the photo shoot will be nude, and she doesn’t think she wants to do it. She wants to be Miss America and Miss Texas, and has to be very careful to be a good role model. Luckily, Jess is judging the contestants on honesty, humility and modesty.

Joel freezes up during the initial interview question, but eventually warms up. Vanessa thinks Billy sounds rehearsed, but it’s not as bad as some of Joel’s answer. “If you run with dogs you get fleas,” Joel tells Jess, when asked if any of his friends are unattractive. Julia says she’s not vain, but takes pride in her appearance. Billy gives out a story about bad pimples and how it humbled him.Julia drops the bombshell that she gave up her title of Miss Teen Texas at age 17, after getting a public intoxication ticket, and the judges are impressed with her. Jess thinks Julia sounds fake, Joel has no modesty, and Billy rehearsed his answers too much.

'True Beauty' Finalewatch: Your inner beauty is showing

It's down to the final three contestants: Billy, Julia, and Joel. It's not really surprising that Billy and Julia are still in the competition. After all, they seemed like the nicest people along the way. Joel, though? He's kind of a dick. Let's see if the final episode shines any light on his inner beauty.

Their final challenge is the People Magazine photo shoot and interview. Naturally, the editor conducting the interview is also a "secret judge." How secret can he be if he's sitting there asking them questions? After the interview, they'll be doing a super-sticky nude photo shoot. Julia's apprehensive about it because she wants to be Miss America one day, but she decides to do it anyway. Boobies!

Joel's interview is typical. He can't seem to answer a simple question like "where are you from" and yet is perfectly comfortable explaining how he doesn't like hanging out with ugly people. In his defense, ugly people are icky. Billy whines more about being the ugly kid. Julia actually shares an interesting tidbit. It turns out she was once Miss Teen Texas but was de-crowned when she was arrested for public intoxication. So she's not Little Miss Perfect? Awesome.

On to the photo shoot! Someone must have bought a vat of hot oil on sale the night before, because they were definitely slicked up. Joel is very proud of his physique. I'd use the word "cocky" but it seems ironic with all the nakedness. Billy looks terrifying. Seriously, the scowl is not sexy. Julia looks bangin'. I mean this in the nicest way possible, but she turned from girl-next-door beauty queen to pin-up model once she stripped her clothes and thick makeup. I'll take one of those, please.Vanessa, Nolé, and Cheryl gather 'round to announce the winner. But guess what? They're all winners! They've got mail, they've got mail! Yay!

Once they get back to the mansion, shiz starts to go down. They get a clue to go downstairs, and after a few minutes of deciphering they finally find the hidden bat cave. It's the judges' secret spy room and they're finally let in on the secret of the show. They don't seem that surprised. Maybe because it was, like, the worst-kept secret ever.

It's finally decision time. The contestants are all brought back to the Hall of Beauty for the verdict. We've seen both Billy and Joel act like tools, but Julia's mostly flown under the radar until her crying fit tonight. Still, it was a little surprising that Billy ended up in 3rd place. Joel was a much bigger jerk. I guess they found him to be more attractive. Either that, or Vanessa wanted to jump his bones. And now for the winner… it's Julia. Duh. Is anyone shocked?

Academy Awards Winners

Here I bring to you the complete winners for the Academy Awards 2009 :

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire

Actor in a Leading Role: Sean Penn, Milk

Actress in a Leading Role: Kate Winslet, The Reader

Actor in a Supporting Role: Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight

Actress in a Supporting Role: Penélope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona

Director: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire

Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black, Milk

Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy, Slumdog Millionaire

Animated Feature Film: WALL-E

Foreign Language Film: Departures (Japan)

Original Score: A.R. Rahman, Slumdog Millionaire

Original Song: "Jai Ho," A.R. Rahman and Gulzar; Slumdog Millionaire

Art Direction: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire

Costume Design: The Duchess

Makeup: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Film Editing: Slumdog Millionaire

Documentary Feature: Man on Wire

Documentary Short Subject: Smile Pinki

Animated Short Film: La Maison en Petits Cubes

Live Action Short Film: Spielzeugland (Toyland)

Sound Editing: The Dark Knight

Sound Mixing: Slumdog Millionaire

Visual Effects: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award: Jerry Lewis

oscar predictions 2009

The Oscars are going to start at 8:30 EST tonight, and the world is waiting to see whether Slumdog Millionaire, a film which almost did not make it to cinematic release, will fulfill its destiny and capture the Academy Awards like it already has the hearts of the world. I just wrote a little about Yahoo Movies and their Oscars site with their Oscar predictions, but wanted to share some more search engines and online resources that are predicting the winners for tonight’s 81st Annual Academy Awards.

We all know the 2009 Oscar predictions that include the likes of Heath Ledger to win Best Supporting Actor, Slumdog Millionaire to win Best Film, and Danny Boyle to win Best Director. These are all huge favorites that require 10 times or more the amount wagered that is likely to be won. Some online sportsbooks like Sportsinteraction.com are not even offering odds on Heath Ledger considering he is such a "lock" to win.

All right, so anyone can make these Oscar predictions.

How about some potential big payout predictions?

One needs to look no further than the Best Supporting Actress category to find value.

While Penelope Cruz is listed as the -143 favorite, paying nearly even odds, Sukhdev Sandhu of The London Telegraph doesn't think Cruz will win or should win.

Instead he's going with Taraji P. Henson as the nominee most likely to win.

"A sop to one of the few non-mediocre performances in David Fincher's tasteful snooze-athon," Sandhu says, making reference to Henson's performance in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button.

Henson would pay out $1200 for every $100 bet or $120 for every $10 bet at Sportsinteraction.com.

Who should win if Sandhu had to pick?

"Viola Davis - Short on actual screen time, but her heart-stoppingly powerful exchange with Meryl Streep is Doubt's only high point."

Davis would offer a payout of $400 on every $100 bet or $40 on every $10 bet.

Some say Kate Winslet is a safe bet with relatively short odds. She's the -250 favorite at SBG Global, requiring only a $25 bet to win $10. You won't find odds that are much better than this. Should she win, the $25 bet and $10 profit are paid out to those betting on Winslet. You would have to bet $125 to win $100, which might be a worthwhile option. She' been nominated 5 times before and hers appears to be the best performance in this category.

"Expect tears to flow when Kate Winslet nabs the top actress honour for her turn in The Reader. A victory for Kate would be her first at the sixth time of asking and spare her from nearing Peter O'Toole's scandalous eight Oscar snubs," writes Simon Reynolds of DigitalSpy.com.

Oh, and you can bet on Kate Winslet crying at the Oscars. The payout is $125 for every $100 bet at Sportsinteraction.com. We think that might have some value.

The toughest call appears to be Best Actor where Mickey Rourke sits as the small favorite but Sean Penn turned in a performance that is also receiving rave reviews. Rourke's story, his comeback, provide that extra edge and we here at Gambling911.com are going out on a limb to say place that $25 bet on Rourke to win $10 (and of course get back your initial $25 should he win). Hopefully these 2009 Oscar predictions come through. The Best Supporting Actress category appears to have the potential for a juicy payout for online gamblers. Any upset among the other categories will really pay out well.

Gambling911.com is covering the Oscar betting around the clock. The Academy Awards is the 3rd most bet on single day event of the year.

Christopher Costigan, Gambling911.com Publisher

Here are some predictions....

Cinefille makes 2009 Oscar predictions.

For me, the Academy Awards is the greatest event to happen every year. It is as though Christmas, New Year's, birthdays and Thanksgiving combined and made one great holier than though holiday. I love the glitz, the stars, the history, the Red Carpet - seriously, words cannot explain how much I enjoy Ryan Seacrest and the Big Vowel. And of course, I love the movies nominated. Okay, enough of my rambling. Here are my predictions for the 2009 Academy Awards.

Sunday, February 22, 2009
My 2009 Oscar Predictions

For me, the Academy Awards is the greatest event to happen every year. It is as though Christmas, New Year's, birthdays and Thanksgiving combined and made one great holier than though holiday. I love the glitz, the stars, the history, the Red Carpet - seriously, words cannot explain how much I enjoy Ryan Seacrest and the Big Vowel. And of course, I love the movies nominated. Okay, enough of my rambling. Here are my predictions for the 2009 Academy Awards.

Best Picture

The Nominees: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Frost/Nixon; Milk; The Reader; Slumdog Millionaire

Should Win: Although it is nominated for the most awards (13), Benjamin Button is more likely to win for something like Best Make-up. Frost/Nixon is a better play than movie. I'm still pretty pissed that The Reader is nominated at all. Milk is easily one of best biopics to come out in a while. But my pick for "should win" is ...The Wrestler. Oh wait, it's not nominated. Well, in that case, Slumdog Millionaire should win.

Will Win: Slumdog Millionaire. It's not even a competition any more.

Best Actor

The Nominees: Frank Langella, Frost/Nixon; Richard Jenkins, The Visitor; Sean Penn, Milk; Brad Pitt, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Mickey Rourke, The Wrestler

Should Win: Although I enjoyed Sean Penn as Harvey Milk, my two favorite performances of the year were Richard Jenkins and Mickey Rourke. I'm also partial to Frank Langella.

Will Win: Mickey Rourke. Hopefully, the Oscar gods are on his side. The Wrestler is the best movie of the year and it should win every award it is nominated for.

Best Actress

The Nominees: Anne Hathaway, Rachel Getting Married; Angelina Jolie, Changeling; Melissa Leo, Frozen River; Meryl Streep, Doubt; Kate Winslet, The Reader

Should Win: Frozen River blew me away (I hope writer/director Courtney Hunt wins for Best Original Screenplay) and Melissa Leo delivered the best female performance of the year.

Will Win: Honestly, I don't want Kate Winslet to win. Think about it. Winslet never winning an Oscar puts her in better company than if she won an actual Oscar. But I've accepted that Winslet will win on Sunday and I can live with that because no one deserves an Oscar more than Kate. (I know it's strange logic but just work with me here). Also, don't forget that there is a person named Meryl Streep in this category who is overdue for her third Oscar win.

Best Supporting Actor

The Nominees: Josh Brolin, Milk; Robert Downey Jr, Tropic Thunder; Philip Seymour Hoffman, Doubt; Heath Ledger, The Dark Knight; Michael Shannen, Revolutionary Road

Should Win: Josh Brolin as Dan White is eerie. But he is so eerie, that it is AMAZING.

Will Win: Heath Ledger. My friend made a really good point to me about Ledger winning - half of the voters will pick him for the sentimental aspect, the other half will choose him because he really deserves it. I'm just glad Best Supporting Actor is presented in the beginning so we can get what will be the saddest and most bittersweet moment of the evening over with.

Best Supporting Actress

The Nominees: Amy Adams, Doubt; Penelope Cruz, Vicky Cristina Barcelona; Viola Davis, Doubt; Taraji P. Henson; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler.

Should Win: This is by far the year's strongest acting category and each actress deserves to win. Other than the make-up, Henson is the most compelling performance of Benjamin Button. With 12 minutes of screen time, Viola Davis is the definition of a supporting character. Her co-star Amy Adams goes head-to-head with Streep and Hoffman and once again proves her amazing talent. In a movie about Vicky and Cristina, Penelope Cruz makes you forget that she is not the film's star. And Marisa Tomei, as a stripper, had probably the most daring role (she was naked for most of The Wrestler) but her performance really makes The Wrestler an incredible film.

Will Win: Penelope Cruz; her scenes with Javier Bardem, when they are fighting in English and Spanish are so intense and passionate. It's a great character and it is about time that Penelope Cruz wins an Oscar. But do not be surprised if one of the Doubt ladies takes home the prize instead.

Best Director

The Nominees: Danny Boyle, Slumdog Millionaire; Stephen Daldry, The Reader; David Fincher, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button; Ron Howard, Frost/Nixon; Gus Van Sant, Milk

Should Win: Stephen Daldry is the first director to be nominated in this category for his first three features; he will win soon enough just not this year. Although I'm not crazy about Slumdog Millionaire as far as directing goes, it is the best directed film this year. Still Milk is a close second. So I'm torn between Van Sant and Boyle.

Will Win: Danny Boyle. Like I said before, Slumdog Millionaire cannot be stopped and will win big tonight.

colin farrell Sex tape

"Survivor" Contestant's Colin Farrell Connection
Candace Smith's bio page for the new "Survivor" says she's a former Miss Ohio USA, graduated from Northwestern University School of Law, and currently is working on a book of her memoirs. It fails to mention she was once sued by Colin Farrell as part of a sex tape scandal.
Farrell sued Smith in June 2006, claiming she conspired with Nicole Narain (Farrell's co-star in the tape) to distribute the video behind Farrell's back.

The case was dismissed less than a month later -- and if she could "survive" that ...

Colin Farrell's Sex Tape Lawsuit: Just The Hot Parts

Put down that bagel and coffee. You're going to want to read this on any empty stomach:

the roumors are true. the video is here. watch Colin fuck playboy bunny Nicole Narain.

Lapses in copy editing aside, the Colin Farrell sex tape, whose existence was first announced back in July, has finally arrived. DirtyColin.com boldly claims "Colin tried to stop us from showing you this...Well, here it is anyways," but how exactly the site's proprietors have circumvented the small problem of Farrell's consent is unclear. (Our three years of celebrity sex tape law school make us think that either 1) the video is completely illegal [or fake] or 2) they somehow quietly obtained Farrell's permission for its release.) We haven't actually plugged $14.99 worth of quarters into the virtual video booth, but the sample stills of the apparently Daredevil-era (read: pre-rehab and Miami Vice manboobs) Farrell and his onetime sex bunny are already seared onto parts of our brain we'd hoped to use one day for less psychically distressing purposes.

UPDATE: Caveat emptor, sickies: A reader writes in to warn us that he paid for the video, but couldn't download it or get it to play, so you might be better served resisting the uncontrollable desire to watch Colin Farrell enjoying a vigorous round of coitus. And we've noticed that the site's been inaccessible for a while anyway, casting further doubt about the whole thing's legitimacy.

other stories:
Carol alt playboy

Caroline Stitcher: Deerfield Girl Missing

Deerfield High Shool in Illinois today has released a statement that they are looking for volunteers to find Caroline Stitcher, who is a 17 years old teenage girl missing.

Per the directive of the Deerfield and the Highland Park Police Departments, we are seeking volunteers to serve as members of a search party. Our objective is to look for Caroline Stitcher, the missing 17 year old student last seen leaving Deerfield High School on Friday, February 20 at 3:15 PM. Caroline is described as a white female, 5’3”, 114 lbs., blond hair, blue eyes. She was last seen wearing a red sweatshirt, red shorts, black jogging tights and running shoes.

The police departments request that all volunteers meet in the Deerfield High School auditorium to hear direction from their officers coordinating the search. The meeting time is set for 1:30 P.M. It will be necessary that any volunteers dress appropriately for the weather and be prepared to walk the high school campus and surrounding neighborhoods. Carrying a cell phone is necessary. Contact the following police departments to report any information: Deerfield Police Department—847-945-8636 or the Highland Park Police Department—847-432-7730

Anyone with information about Caroline Stitcher is asked to contact the Deerfield Police Department at 847-945-8636 or the Highland Park Police Department at 847-432-7730.

eddie george and Taj George in realities series

A contestant on the latest installment of Survivor will likely have a strong following in central Ohio.

Taj Johnson-George is one of 16 contestants vying to win $1 million in the show's 16th season that was scheduled to premiere on Thursday night.

Johnson-George has been in the spotlight before as part of the Grammy-nominated R&B group, SWV. Now she is taking center stage in Survivor: Tocantins - The Brazilian Highlands, 10TV's Andrea

"I wasn't going to be eating any bugs," Johnson-George said. "I'm not eating any baby embryos. I'm just not doing that!"

In addition to the legions of music fans she has across the U.S., Johnson-George, 37, is the spouse of a favorite son, former Ohio State Heisman Trophy winner Eddie George.

The show's producers went looking for a current or former NFL player's wife to try to outwit, outplay and outlast all the others and Johnson-George said she was game, Cambern reported.

"I think they were looking for someone posh, prissy, (and) comfortable in her posh setting - not being comfortable being out in the woods - they got me, the tomboy from Brooklyn," Johnson-George said.

She said that she had never seen a single episode of the original reality show.

"I had to watch them back-to-back-to-back and I thought, 'What am I getting myself into?'" Johnson-George said.

Eddie George said that he never had any doubt that his wife had what it takes to compete.

"That's what I love about her," George said. "She's so independent. She has dreams, goals that she wants to fulfill."

Learning to swim was at the top of Johnson-George's to-do list.

"I said you couldn't swim all this time (but) all of a sudden you're going on "Survivor," you can swim like Michael Phelps," George said.

The couple has been married for five years and has a son together and another from a previous relationship, Cambern reported.

"(Eddie) may walk on water in Columbus, but here we keep him right on the ground," Johnson-George said. "We keep him level here."

Johnson-George said that she can overcome the backstabbing in Brazil and has a plan to kill the other competitors with kindness.

"I'm a friendly person," Johnson-George said. "I can make the devil feel loved."

Eddie George does not doubt that at all. He has faith that his wife will go far in both "Survivor" and in the game of life.

"Her resilience and her spirit - that's what people are going to come to love and that's what I love about her is her spirit," George said.

FROM R&B TO REALITY: SWV’S TAJ DOES SURVIVOR

Well then of course you remember TAJ (nee Taj Johnson-George), the most statuesque of the trio. And guess what, she’s got a new gig! Looks like the singer will be testing her tough on the CBS reality series Survivor: Toucantins. According to the show’s website:

In addition to her music career, Taj is also an accomplished writer. The author of “Player HateHER: How To Avoid The Beat Down And Live In A Drama Free World,” she tries to practice what she preaches as her true pride and life’s focus lies within her family. The wife of Heisman Trophy winner and former Tennessee Titan running back Eddie George, she warns all opponents, “I’m not the average NFL wife and mother.”

Taj is no stranger to fighting for survival. Over the years, she has spoken openly about childhood abuse and says that she’s naturally distrustful and perhaps one of the most underestimated players on the island.

“I am literally, truly a survivor, who has survived more things you can ever imagine.”

Hey, it’s a recession. And as long as that CBS check clears, I say good for her.

How random is this! But remember SWV? Of COURSE you remember SWV!

linda lou taylor, most married woman

An Indiana woman who has been single for 12 years after 23 marriages said she hasn't ruled out getting married again.

Linda Lou Taylor, 68, who holds a Guinness World Record as the most married woman in history, said two of her husbands turned out to be gay, has ended up homelessness for two, just one cheated on her, and a another choked and padlocked her into the refrigerator, Gannett News Service reported Wednesday.

Linda Lou Taylor has been married 23 times. Linda Lou Taylor has married Scott, Street, Smith, Moyer, Massie, McMillan, Berisford, Chandler, Essex…

"It's easy to sum up," Taylor said of her oft-married life. "When I was younger I was just a snot-nosed kid but the neighborhood boys were all in love with me. They all wanted to marry me."

Taylor said that despite her 23 failed marriages and being single for the last twelve years, she has not ruled out future marriage.

“I want to marry again,” says Gannett, “because, you know, one becomes lonely.”

Linda Lou Taylor was born in 1940 and raised in Alexandria, in central Indiana. Taylor was first married in 1957. Taylor’s last known marriage was in 1996. Presently, Taylor is Mrs Linda Wolfe. Taylor was listed in the Guinness Book Of World Records as the most married woman in history. Taylor is the most married person still alive.

danica patrick love her tattoo

So this morning, we were reading one of our favorite sites, SportsByBrooks, and we come to find out that Sports Illustrated allegedly took the liberty to take the tattoo off the back of Danica Patrick in its Swimsuit Issue.

What do you get when you cross two sexy female race car drivers that are more than willing to strip to gain attention for their efforts in the sport of auto racing? Danica Patrick and Milka Duno are both attractive women so when they went at it on the track complete with four letter expletives fans sat up and took notice.
Both Danica Patrick and Milka Duno have posed for racy photos with Danica even taking her top off for pictures that have been published. In my view, Milka Duno is far sexier and exotic and in the online video where she slaps Danica with a towel not once, but twice as Patrick is cursing her makes her even hotter.

We placed calls to both Danica's team, through BNC public relations in Los Angeles, and to Sports Illustrated.

Sports Illustrated acknowledged that the tattoo, on the small of her back, was taken out, but a spokesman didn't comment as to why it made that editorial decision. Patrick's tattoo was in the issue last year.

As for Team Danica, it seems like they're fine.

"Danica is aware of the edits and is comfortable with the final photos," BNC's Lewis Kay told us.

As you know, airbrushing tattoos have been controversial in the past. The most controversial? When Hoop Magazine airbrushed Allen Iverson's neck tattoo and his earrings off their cover shot ten years ago.

It's not as offensive since Patrick knew of it and we know that there's plenty of airbrush usage in the Swimsuit Issue. But do you have a problem with it? We'll throw one more thing at you. The tattoo is of an American flag.

Other HOOTTT stories:

Danica Patrick Tattoo Photos

Giants great Brad Van Pelt dies at 57

Brad Van Pelt will be remembered by many for his contributions to one of the most fearsome linebacking groups in NFL history. Together with Hall of Famers Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor and Brian Kelley, they formed the "Crunch Bunch" in the 1970s and early 1980s for the Giants.

But for those closest to Van Pelt, football mattered little.

Just spoke with Harry Carson and George Martin about their memories of Brad Van Pelt, the Giants linebacker and five-time Pro Bowler who passed away on Tuesday at age 57. Very little of our conversations centered around football.

"He will be fondly remembered and he will be missed," former Giants defensive lineman George Martin said. "His impact on our lives was greater as a person than it was as a ballplayer."

"Football is irrelevant," Martin told me. "We think in terms of friendship and the impact we had on each others’ life."

Carson said he spoke with Bill Parcells this morning.

"He said that when you start losing your constituants, it gets a little hairy," Carson said. "I agree."

Also, on a sad note, Martin said that this is the third loss he's suffered recently. A high school friend of his recently died from cancer and his younger sister died just last week at age 48.

Van Pelt was found dead at home in Owosso, Mich., of an apparent heart attack .

Remembering Brad Van Pelt

Giants President and CEO, John Mara

Brad was one of the best players in our history and was a good person with a huge heart. He was a great athlete coming out of college and had a chance to play major league baseball. He was a particular favorite of my father, who signed him to his first contract (outbidding the St Louis Cardinals baseball team). Brad was a kind and generous person and a true Giant.

Lawrence Taylor

One of the greatest players I ever played with. I not only liked him as a player but he was one of my true friends, one of the original members of the Big Blue Wrecking Crew and the Crunch Bunch.

As a collegian, Van Pelt was perhaps even more impressive:
WILX.com:
If Brad Van Pelt wasn’t Michigan State’s all time greatest athlete, then who was? Will we ever see a seven letter athlete again? A guy who starred in three sports? It just doesn’t happen. Will MSU ever have the college football player of the year again? Maybe, but Van Pelt won the Maxwell Award in 1972 as a defensive back, and will a DB ever win such an honor anywhere in America again?

If you have any memories you’d like to share, please put them in the comments section:

Here is the obituary that will be posted on the Web site later tonight:
By Bruce Weber
Brad Van Pelt, a stalwart linebacker for the Giants who was perhaps the best player on the woeful squads fielded by the team in the 1970’s, died Tuesday in Harrison, Mich. He was 57 and lived in Harrison.
The cause has not been confirmed, his brother Kim said, but the suspected cause is a heart attack.
A fleet, athletically gifted player who was a safety in college and was converted to linebacker as a pro, Van Pelt excelled in pass coverage, intercepting 20 passes during his career. He was especially recognizable on the field for two reasons: his rangy physique, unusual for a linebacker, and his uniform number, 10. League rules usually reserved such low numbers for kickers and members of the backfield, but because he was listed as the Giants’ backup kicker when he was a rookie, the league allowed him to wear it for his entire tenure with the team. He played 11 years for the Giants, from 1973 to 1983, and for five consecutive seasons, from 1976 through 1980, he was named to play in the Pro Bowl. The Giants named him their player of the decade for the 1970’s.
Only once during his career, however did the team have a winning record, in 1981. By then he and another hard-working but little-rewarded player, Brian Kelley, had been joined in the linebacking corps by Harry Carson and Lawrence Taylor, and together they were the strength of the team. In a sense, Van Pelt was born just a few years too soon; as his career waned, Carson and Taylor were becoming stars, and they, along with Carl Banks, who was drafted as Van Pelt’s replacement, provided the backbone of the defense that helped the Giants win their first Super Bowl after the 1986 season.
Van Pelt finished his career playing two seasons for the Los Angeles Raiders and one for the Cleveland Browns, retiring just as the Giants were becoming champions.
Brad Alan Van Pelt was born in Owosso, Mich., near Flint, in the central part of the state. He was a high school hero, making the all-league team in basketball, baseball and in football on both defense and offense; he was an all-state quarterback for Owosso High School. At Michigan State University, where he was twice an All-American safety, he played the two other sports as well. The Giants made him their second-round choice in the 1973 draft, and the only reason he was not chosen by any team in the first round was that he was also considering a career in baseball; the St. Louis Cardinals had drafted him as a pitcher.
Van Pelt always felt the tug of home, even as a Giant. After a few years on the miserable Giant teams of the 1970’s he asked the team several times to trade him to the Detroit Lions. He went back to Michigan State in the 1990’s and earned a degree in kinesiology, the branch of physiology that deals with human movement.
His two marriages ended in divorce. In addition to Kim Van Pelt, who lives in Owosso, he is survived by his fiancée, Deanna Ireland of Harrison; his mother, Bette Van Pelt of Harrison; a brother, Robin, of Owosso; and three sons: Brian, of Boulder, Colo., Bret, of Santa Barbara, Calif., and Bradlee, also of Santa Barbara, who has played quarterback for both the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans.

chimpanzee attack

The frantic owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that went berserk in Connecticut pleaded with police over the phone to help her stop the animal from mauling her friend, begging them to "Hurry, please! He ripped her face off."

Police in Stamford released 911 tapes of Sandra Herold's desperate call to police Monday as her 15-year-old chimp, Travis, was attacking 55-year-old Charla Nash.

The chimp can be heard grunting at times on the tape, as Herold cries, "He's killing my friend!"

The dispatcher says, "Who's killing your friend?"

Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"

After police arrive, one officer radios back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."

Police say Charla Nash was visiting the home of the primate's owner, 70-year-old Sandra Herold, when the chimp attacked. Herold saved her friend's life by stabbing the 14-year-old chimpanzee with a knife and bludgeoning him with a shovel. The chimp was eventually killed by a police officer who responded to a 911 call and shot the animal as it opened the door and entered his patrol car.

Herold says she loved her chimp, Travis, like a child, and she has reportedly called the incident a "freak thing." But animal experts say chimpanzees are enormously powerful primates that, though highly evolved, remain wild animals despite attempts to domesticate them.

"Travis is just one story out of many, and all of them end badly," Dr. Virginia Landau, vice president of The Jane Goodall Institute and director of its Chimpanzoo Program, told FOXNews.com.

"He wanted to be the boss. In the wild, he'd be working his way up the social ladder and be taking on females in the group to make them more submissive."

Chimp attack: 'As I stabbed him to save my friend, he looked at me as if to say, Mom, what did you do?'

THE owner of a 14-stone chimpanzee that was shot dead after mauling a woman in the United States called the incident "a freak thing" yesterday and insisted that her pet was not a "horrible" animal.

Sandra Herold, 70, told NBC's Today Show that Travis, her 14-year-old chimp, had been like a son to her, despite the fact it nearly killed her friend, Charla Nash, 55, in a frenzied attack on Monday.

As Travis attacked Ms Nash, his owner frantically stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher's knife and hit him with a shovel.

"He looked at me like, 'Mom, what did you do?'," Ms Herold told NBC. "It was horrific what happened, and I had to do what I had to do but, still, I'll miss him for the rest of my life."

Ms Nash remained in a critical condition yesterday, with major injuries to her face and hands. Police are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. A pet owner in Ms Herold's home state, Connecticut, can be held criminally responsible if he or she knew, or should have known, an animal was a danger to others.

Connecticut law requires anyone who owns a primate heavier than 50lbs to obtain a state permit. But Ms Herold was exempted from the law.

Dennis Schain, of the state's department of environmental protection, explained: "Given that the family owned Travis before this law was put on the books, and the fact that over the years the animal did not appear to present a public safety risk, their possession of the chimpanzee was allowed to continue."

Ms Herold, a widow whose daughter died in a car accident several years ago, said

Travis "couldn't have been more my son than if I gave birth to him", and she rejected claims chimpanzees were inappropriate pets.

"It's a horrible thing, but I'm not a horrible person and he's not a horrible chimp," she said.

Police said Travis, who appeared in TV commercials when he was younger, had been agitated earlier on Monday and that Ms Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the chimp.

In humans, Xanax can cause memory loss, lack of co-ordination, reduced sex drive and other side-effects.

Dr Emil Coccaro, the head of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Centre, said it could also lead to aggression in people who were unstable to begin with. He said if human studies were any indication, "Xanax could have made him worse".

Investigators said they were also told Travis had Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness with flu-like symptoms that can lead to arthritis and meningitis in humans.

Ms Nash had gone to her friend's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out. After the animal attacked Ms Nash when she got out of her car, Ms Herold ran to get the knife and stabbed him.

Travis ran away and started roaming Ms Herold's property until police arrived. He then went after several of the officers, one of whom shot Travis several times after the chimp opened the door to his police car and started to get in.

Dwyane Wade Sues Estranged Wife Siohvaughn Wade

Dwyane Wade sued his estranged wife and two of her lawyers Wednesday over accusations the Miami Heat star contracted a sexually transmitted disease through an extramarital affair.

In the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, Wade is seeking at least $50,000 in damages from each defendant.

Siohvaughn Wade said last month the player infected her with an unspecified disease in 2007. Weeks later, she withdrew the claim from the court hearing the divorce case for unknown reasons.

That wasn't enough to satisfy the 2006 NBA finals MVP, who said her allegations not only defamed him, but caused "embarrassment" and "humiliation" along with damaging future earning potential.

"It has been difficult to see false allegations, rumors and gossip repeatedly discussed in public about my personal life,I had no other choice but to file this action in order to clear my name." Dwyane Wade said in a statement released.

Wade declined further comment.

The All-Star guard also lists attorneys Michael Berger and Dorene Marcus as defendants, along with their firms, contending they wronged him in the same manner as his estranged wife. The suit was filed in Chicago, where the divorce proceedings have gone on for nearly a year.

"Mr. Wade has been the victim of a reckless campaign by Siohvaughn Wade and her lawyers to publicly humiliate him and damage his reputation," Joe Power, an attorney representing the Heat player, said in a statement to the AP. "To clear the public record from these false and malicious allegations, we have filed a defamation suit in court ... and will seek appropriate compensation for damages."

Siohvaughn Wade's claim made "by and through her attorneys, and disseminated by various print and online media throughout the world placed plaintiff Dwyane Wade in a false light," according to the lawsuit.

"We believe there's absolutely no merit to it," Berger said. "I believe that the lawsuit will get dismissed. It seems interesting to me Wade would file a lawsuit like this when he supposedly wants to keep a low profile. This lawsuit will put his entire private and social life in full view of the public."

Berger added that even though the original claim by Siohvaughn Wade was withdrawn, "Mrs. Wade has stood behind her allegations."

In the allegations filed in January, along with the claims of affairs and being infected with an STD, Siohvaughn Wade said her husband abandoned their children and goes weeks at a time without speaking to them. She added that the paternal relationship was so severed that her younger son cries uncontrollably when he's around and he does not recognize Dwyane Wade as his father.

Siohvaughn Wade's withdrawal of the claim wouldn't prevent her from resubmitting it to court at a later date. The divorce proceedings are not expected to end anytime soon.

Dwyane Wade's private life has been tabloid fodder for several months, a span that largely coincides with his split from his high school sweetheart.

A recent story in The Palm Beach Post, based on comments made by a former business partner of Dwyane Wade — a person who's filed suit against him, alleging breach of contract in a failed restaurant deal — said Wade used a rented Miami apartment for sex parties and smoked marijuana.

Wade's representatives denied that story, dismissing it as lies from someone seeking a payoff from the NBA star.

What has Siohvaughn Wade Done to her Beautiful Dwyane?

Here's everything interesting we know for sure about the Dwyane Wade divorce situation: His soon-to-be ex Siohvaughn claims Wade gave her some sort of STD.

Everything else is just hearsay, but my old pals at Deadspin have the ultimate hearsay. Now, before irresponsibly spreading this, it should be noted it is from their "Deleated Scene" column, which basically consists of all the "absolute horseshit" they hear during the week.

Not sure how much of this you've heard, but I have a friend in the Miami Heat organization. He told me that D-Wade (whose marriage is in divorce proceedings) took a horrifying turn when his wife (who mysteriously picked up Herpes) demanded a list of all the girls he slept with while they were married. You may know that D-Wade is now with Gabrielle Union and happy. But when his wife initially found out she got a dose of the nasty stuff....she apparently placed all his NBA stuff in the living room: His MVP trophy, and all sorts of other shit that meant the world to him. While D-Wade wasn't home, his wife took a baseball bat to all his stuff and bashed the fucked out of them for him to find when he got home.

Obviously, this could be bullshit. All we know is that someone from the Miami Heat organization is probably spreading around rumors about Siohvaughn, which somehow ended up being sent to a popular sports blog, which might just mean this whole thing is just about ready to be one of the nastiest, public sports star divorces in recent memory with lots more leaks to gossips to come.

Tonya Harding:XXX video & Nancy Kerrigan scandals

Former US figure skating champion Tonya Harding is infamous for her sex video with ex-husband Jeff Gillooly. The so-called “Wedding Video” was made sometime in the early 90s and was published by Penthouse in September 1994. See a video and a biography of Tonya Harding here.

Harding has also been involved in a bigger controversy related to the conspiracy to kill one of her competitors Nancy Kerrigan during the 1994 US Championships. Her ex-husband and bodyguard hired Shane Stant to strike Kerrigan on her knee to force her out of the competition. Harding had won that event but was later found guilty.
This year is the 15th anniversary of Tonya Harding’s scandal with Nancy Kerrigan. In the latest TV documentary, HBO Real Sports, Harding said she has paid her dues. Harding said she wanted to move on and asked why society still punishes her.

Fifteen years after Tonya Harding became a household name in the breaking of figure skating rival Nancy Kerrigan's knee, the retired, disgraced and disgruntled skater has returned to television to ask just how long someone must pay for her past.

Obviously this is in reference to the time Tonya Harding and her ex-husband, Jeff Gillooly, hired Shane Stant to smoke Nancy Kerrigan in the knee. Who would have thought figure skating could be so tough.At the same time, Harding said last night on HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, she owes President Barack Obama a certain debt for his campaign-trail remark that he wasn't about to "do a Tonya Harding'' on his primary opponents. She maintains it helped her find work, paid appearances - "because people forget who Tonya Harding is.''

Obama, then a candidate for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination, remembered well in December of 2007 when he told a crowd in Vinton, Iowa, that he was not about to pull a Harding in pursuit of that first caucus victory in Iowa.

"Folks said there's no way Obama has a chance unless he goes and kneecaps the person ahead of us, does a Tonya Harding," Obama joked then, alluding to the athlete who had conspired to stop her rival during the 1994 U.S. Figure Skating Championships. "We decided that's not the kind of campaign we wanted to run.''

Yet, Harding voices a great deal of bitterness about all she has been through since then.

"How much responsibility do you think I need to take?'' she asked in the Real Sports appearance. "I paid my debt to society... How much punishment do you think I need to go through?... I've done my time in jail... Everything that I've made mistakes on, I have paid for.''

As a biography, Tonya Harding was born on November 12, 1970 in Portland, Oregon so her age is 38. She attended David Douglas High School but stopped before completing her studies. She had a troubled childhood and got married at the age of 19 only. Her marriage ended after 3 years amongst a lot of heat.

Harding started skating at a very early age and won Skate America in 1989. She did consistently well in the U.S. Figure Skating Championships during the late 80s and landed her first triple axel in the 1991 event which won her the title with a perfect score. She also finished second at the World Championships in the same year. Her career began falling apart after two years due to injuries and other issues and later ended after the Kerrigan attack controversy.

Tonya started her professional boxing career after appearing on the Fox TV network Celebrity Boxing show in 2002. It proved to be very short and she stopped boxing in late 2004.

Tonya has been quite popular in the media because of the Kerrigan scandal and was referenced a number of times. The shows include FOX’s In Living Color, The Understudy (A Seinfeld episode) and The Jim Rome Show. She has also been mentioned in various songs by Loudon Wainwright III and Insane Clown Posse.

cori daye desmond found dead

A dead woman found near a San Bernardino Mountains highway was identified Tuesday as 28-year-old Cori Daye Desmond of Torrance, last seen at a Redondo Beach nightclub.

Investigators turned their attention to the South Bay after Desmond's 1998 Jeep Wrangler was found near the Bac Street Lounge on Artesia Boulevard. She was last seen at the bar early Sunday, relatives and authorities said.

San Bernardino County sheriff's detectives worked much of the day with Redondo Beach police, seeking clues in the area where the vehicle was found, said Jodi Miller, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Department.

On Tuesday evening, investigators were expanding their focus to Manhattan Beach, where Desmond worked at Beaches, a restaurant and bar, Miller said. The North Torrance High School graduate had worked a Valentine's Day shift at Beaches before going to the Redondo Beach bar. She knew friends at Bac Street and previously worked there, said her cousin, Thomas Desmond.

Desmond's body was found near a turnout on California 330 below Running Springs on Monday afternoon. A driver reported seeing what appeared to be a human foot protruding from a bag, officials said.

Police are looking for any tips.Anyone with information is asked to contact Sgt. Tony De Cecio or Det. Trevis Newport. If you know anything, be sure to call one of the two numbers.

1. 909-387-3589
2. 1-800-78-CRIME

final stimulus bill

House and Senate negotiators settled Wednesday on a $789 billion package of tax cuts and new federal spending meant to save the US economy from a deep recession, or worse.

Today, President Barack Obama is expected to sign the economic stimulus bill, officially called the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

Final congressional action came late on February 13 in the Senate, where three Republicans joined 55 Democrats and two Independents to pass the bill by a vote of 60-38, the minimum majority needed for approval. In the House, the legislation passed by a vote of 246-183; no Republicans voted in favor of it.

While difficult to tally, it is estimated that roughly $130 billion of the bill is earmarked for construction-related spending. Below are some highlights.

The final plan expends $20 billion less than the House’s original version and $39 billion less than the Senate’s. Tax cuts for workers, including those who don’t earn enough to pay income taxes, still make up about one-third of the overall expenditure.

Senate majority leader Harry Reid, in announcing the deal, said the package would create 3.5 million jobs – more than the Senate bill and at less cost than the House bill.

Most of the $789 billion would flow into the economy during the next two years, though some would take 10 years to filter out to recipients. Economists debate whether that is soon enough to bring the economy out of its tailspin, though many agree the federal government has become the consumer of last resort and must act.

The deal followed intense, tough negotiations involving key House and Senate Democrats, the White House, and three Republican senators, whose votes are critical for passing the bill in the Senate.

“I’m pleased to announce we’ve been able to bridge those differences,” said Senator Reid, who, in an unusual move, named himself one of the conferees.

One key issue was settling on a top line. President Obama had asked Congress to pass a stimulus plan of about $800 billion. The House bill came in at $819 billion; the Senate’s version maxed out at $838 billion.

But with the swing votes to make or break the deal, the three GOP senators held the final bill to less than $800 billion. In the end, the compromise struck last Friday by a bipartisan group of moderates led by Sens. Susan Collins (R) of Maine and Ben Nelson (D) of Nebraska set the template for the final agreement.

“We hung tough, and it was modified only in the case of absolute necessity,” said Sen. Arlen Specter (R) of Pennsylvania, who along with Senator Collins and Sen. Olympia Snowe of Maine gave the bill its only GOP votes in the Senate.

GOP moderates insist this new government spending is only temporary. Beneficiaries of the new federal spending include the following.

TRANSPORTATION: $49.3 billion
Highways: $27.5 billion
High-speed rail: $9.3 billion
Transit: $8.4 billion
Airport Improvement Program, construction grants: $1 billion
Coast Guard, acquisition and facility upgrades/construction: $98 million

ENERGY: $30.6 billion
Electricity grid, including “Smart Grid” activities: $11 billion
Energy efficiency and conservation grants: $6.3 billion
Renewable-energy loan guarantees: $6 billion
Home weatherization assistance: $5 billion
Carbon capture and sequestration demonstration projects: $1.5 billion
Clean Coal Power Initiative: $800 million

WATER/ENVIRONMENT: $20.1 billion
Department of Energy, environmental cleanup: $6 billion
Environmental Protection Agency, Clean Water and Drinking Water funds: $6 billion
Corps of Engineers, civil works: $4.6 billion
Agriculture Department, rural water and waste-disposal facilities: $1.3 billion
EPA cleanup, including Superfund: $1.2 billion

BUILDINGS: $13.4 billion
General Services Administration (GSA), energy-efficiency upgrades for federal buildings: $4.5 billion
Facilities on federal and tribal lands: $3 billion
National Institutes of Health, facilities upgrades/construction: $1.5 billion
National Science Foundation, research equipment and facilities upgrades/construction: $600 million
Department of Homeland Security, new headquarters: $450 million
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, procurement, acquisition, and facilities construction: $430 million
Department of Homeland Security, ports of entry: $420 million
National Institute of Standards and Technology, facilities construction: $360 million
Department of Agriculture, facilities: $330 million
Border stations and ports of entry: $300 million
U.S. Courthouses and other GSA buildings: $300 million
Fire stations: $210 million
State Department, Capital Investment Fund: $90 million
Smithsonian facilities: $25 million

HOUSING/HUD: $9.6 billion
Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), Public Housing Capital Fund: $4 billion
HUD, redevelopment of abandoned and foreclosed homes: $2 billion
HUD, Community Development Block Grants: $1 billion
HUD, energy retrofits, "green" projects in HUD-assisted housing projects: $250 million

DEFENSE/VETERANS: $7.8 billion
Veterans Affairs, medical facilities upgrades/construction: $1.25 billion
Department of Defense (DOD), facilities upgrades/construction: $4.2 billion
DOD, military “quality of life’ projects, such as housing and child-care centers: $2.3

SCHOOLS: $0
School construction was not a specific line item in the bill. However, $39.5 billion of the bill's $53.6-billion State Fiscal Stabilization Fund will go to local school districts, and school modernization would be one of several eligible uses of the money. Presumably, states will decide how to spend the school “stabilization” allotments, although new school construction is not eligible.