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Author: Lacy Langley

  • Texas Pipeline Explosion: No Injuries Reported

    200 school children were evacuated after a massive pipeline explosion in the small Dallas, Texas suburb of Milford. Fortunately no injuries have been reported, according to the LA Times. Milford only has about 700 residents and is 40 miles south of Dallas. The explosion rocked the tiny town mid-morning at a drilling site, said the Ellis County Sheriff’s office.

    All workers were accounted for after the explosion that sent flames erupting into the air. The pipeline is owned by Chevron Corp., according to Reuters. The explosion was caused by a construction crew that accidentally drilled into a 10-inch liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) line, said Tom Hemrick, director of Hill County Emergency Management.

    Homes within a mile radius around the explosion were also asked to evacuate due to fumes and smoke. Those residents were sent to a concrete gym in the neighboring town of Italy.

    “The fire is definitely getting smaller,” Hemrick said of the inferno in an open field near Milford. “We’re not going to send anyone else in there with the danger,” Hemrick said, “The people with the gas lines have told us it’s going to burn for another 24 hours. They’ve shut it off at one end and have evacuated folks at the other end.”

    Another 14-inch LPG line runs just a few feet from the one that blew up. The crew still had liquified petroleum flowing in that line, because stopping it would increase the risk of a secondary explosion, Hemrick assured. “It is still flowing because the flow cools the line.”

    Joe Hubbard, a spokesman for the EPA regional office in Dallas, said, “EPA Emergency Response personnel are assisting with the response efforts to determine environmental effects of the explosion and provide additional support as requested.”

    In a statement, Chevron said, “Chevron has initiated its emergency response procedures and is currently responding to the incident. Chevron’s primary concern at this point is to ensure the safety of its employees and the surrounding community. As soon as there are further details, they will be made available.”

    Luckily, the explosion in Milford happened in a mostly rural area, unlike the explosion in West, Texas that happened in April and killed 15, and injured 160. The incredible response time and smooth procedure can be attributed to the lessons learned from West. “We learned a lot from West. It went by the book, everybody was accountable and we knew who was here. Right now it’s really just a waiting game.”, Hemrick said. If there ever was a silver lining, that would be it.

    image via youtube

  • Paul McCartney Asks Putin to Release Prisoners

    Paul McCartney is playing the Beatles card to try to get 28 Greenpeace protesters and their photographer and videographer out of jail in Russia where they are being held on charges of Hooliganism, according to CBS.

    He quoted the line from the song “Back in the USSR”: “Gee it’s good to be back home,” and McCartney asked Vladimir Putin, “Could you make that come true for the Greenpeace prisoners?”

    McCartney partly defended, partly threw under the bus, environmental group Greenpeace. They have a habit of staging protests against alleged environmental offenders around the world. He assured Putin that they were nonviolent and “most certainly not an anti-Russian organization. In my experience they tend to annoy every government!”

    His plight may be falling on deaf ears, however, as Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he only heard of the letter, written October 14th, from media reports. He said that he had not received it, according to NBC.

    Were I a Greenpeace prisoner, I wouldn’t hold my breath. McCartney was one of a group of celebrities who attempted to use their star power on Putin, in order to convince him to free two members of the punk band, Pussy Riot. They remain jailed…

    The Greenpeace activists face up to seven years in prison for their antics during a protest against Arctic oil drilling, during which they attempted to scale the Prirazlomnaya oil rig on September 18th. The rig is owned by state energy giant Gazprom, and is central to the Kremlin’s effort to tap the Arctic’s natural resources, therefore expanding Russia’s economy.

    It’s kind of a big deal to them.

    “It would be great if this misunderstanding could be resolved and the protesters can be home with their families in time for Christmas. We live in hope,” McCartney wrote on his website. Well, that would be great, but since accusations run rampant that Putin uses the court system to persecute those that dare to oppose them, I wouldn’t count on it.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Obama Makes Announcement on ACA Fix

    Obama Makes Announcement on ACA Fix

    President Obama announced a new proposition for a fix to the issue that has lost many Americans the insurance that they were perfectly fine with, and has even his own party turning against him, according to the New York Times. The fix could not come a moment too soon for the President, as Democrats have been expressing some frustrations over the failed rollout, as well as some unkept promises.

    A house Democrat speaking anonymously before the announcement disclosed that insurance companies supplying current, but not future, policy holders with plans that are sub-par, according to the ACA, would be able to renew those plans for one year. But, there’s a catch. They would be required to notify policy holders of alternative available coverage options, as well any benefits they might lose by staying on their existing plan, which Obama said is fine “until you get sick”.

    The announcement took place at 11:30 am, but earlier this morning, Nancy Pelosi dropped a hint about the content of the President’s speech. “Stay tuned. It could be an administrative fix, it could be a legislative fix,” said Ms. Pelosi. “I would rather it be done administratively, because then it could be done much more quickly without any accompanying agendas.”

    The announcement appears to be an attempt on the part of the administration to keep angry Democrats from voting for a Republican-backed law that is set to come up for a vote tomorrow. That law would allow Americans to keep their existing health coverage through 2014 without penalties, and is backed by popular Representative Fred Upton, Republican of Michigan and chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

    “I completely get how upsetting this can be for a lot of Americans,” Obama told reporters Thursday, on a streaming broadcast on ABC.

    The cancellation notices are estimated to affect up to 7 million Americans, many of those Obama is hoping will go to the “marketplace” to get better plans, since the new fix will only last for one year.

    Several times during the announcement, the President said, “That’s on me.” or “That’s on us.” It certainly is on them, but is his own party throwing him under the bus in the face of extreme criticism after they have been trying to help him justify this thing for years? With recent polls showing that the majority of Americans don’t think Obama is honest or trustworthy, this seems to be the case.

    Time will tell how this fix will help the millions who are angry about losing the coverage they have depended on.

    Image via wikimedia

  • Melissa Joan Hart Reveals Young Hollywood Hook-Ups

    Melissa Joan Hart, the girl we all remember as “Clarissa” on 90’s Nickelodeon, has enjoyed 10 years of wedded bliss with her husband Mark Wilkerson. But, before she was a contented wife and mom, she had her share of juicy Hollywood hook-ups, and was more than willing to share a few stories with Access Hollywood.

    The 37-year-old “Melissa Explains It All” author spilled on her co-star Joey Lawrence’s obsession with Chapstick, “He’s a little bit of germaphobe, so there’s not that much skin on skin contact. [But] it’s a nice little lube [for kissing].” Joey Lawrence is not, by far, the only celebrity she has locked lips with, though. She was even a lucky young lady who, many years ago, enjoyed the, ahem, company of Ryan Reynolds.

    “He gave me this beautiful watch and ran out of my dressing room. I chased him down and in the headlight of his car, I stopped him… and I just grabbed him and kissed him. We just made out all night… Ryan has grown up nicely.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc13mnB0Yjk

    Speaking of Hollywood young that have blossomed nicely, before Jerry O’Connell became Mr. Rebecca Romijn, he had a surprising run in with Joan Hart, “I met Mark and that [same] night I made out with Jerry. But, the next morning at the Derby races, Jerry is hitting on someone else and I said,’ Oh, I see how this is going to be.’ And then Jerry said to me, ‘When we get back to LA are we going to hang out?’ And I said, “I don’t think so, I think I met the man I’m going to marry.’”

    All this information that she shares on her past life in young Hollywood during the promotion of her new book, comes at the same time as she sends an over-share warning to current young shock-monger, Miley Cyrus. “You’ve got to be careful about what you put out there…keep some secrets so you can write a book later on,” she advises.

    Great advice! It seems to be paying off for Melissa Joan Hart! Perhaps the next generation will order the Miley Cyrus tell-all? I wonder what the title of that thing will be?

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Andy Warhol Painting Shatters Record Sale

    Andy Warhol Painting Shatters Record Sale

    Andy Warhol painting, “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” sold at Sotheby’s New York sale late Wednesday for a whopping $105.4 million, shattering the previous Warhol record set in 2007 when “Green Car Crash (Green Burning Car I)” sold for $71.7 million.

    Sotheby’s described the painting as, “a pivotal work from the artist’s ‘Death and Disaster’ series and the last of four works of its size and significance that was not currently in the collection of a museum.”

    A late phone bidding war jacked up the price, in what Michael Frahm, a contemporary art adviser and partner at the London-based Frahm Ltd called, “the ultimate trophy hunting.”

    “The demand for seminal works by historical important artists is truly unquestionable,” he told the Associated Press. “We will keep witnessing new records being broken.”

    “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” was not the only Warhol to sell this week. Another of Warhol’s iconic pieces, “Coca-Cola (3),” sold for $57.2 million on Tuesday at Christie’s auction house. Earlier in the day on Wednesday, his portrait of Elizabeth Taylor titled “Liz #1”, sold for $20 million.

    However, the sale on Wednesday made that day Sotheby’s most successful one ever, they said in a statement. Records were set for more than just Andy Warhol, they were also set for a number of other famous artists including Cy Twombly, Brice Marden, Mark Bradford and Martin Kippenberger.

    This astounding new Warhol record comes just one day after the most expensive work of art ever sold at an auction went for $142.4 million. That was Francis Bacon’s “Three Studies of Lucian Freud”, which sold after just six minutes of bidding at another auction house, Christie’s, beating the previous world record set last year when financier Leon Black paid nearly $120 million for Edvard Munch’s “The Scream.”

    The buyer of “Silver Car Crash (Double Disaster)” remains confidential.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Cheyenne Woods: Heir to Woods Golf Throne?

    Tiger Woods had better watch his back. He’s not the only one with golf skills in that family. This is Cheyenne Woods, Tiger Woods‘ neice and, by the looks of it, possible heir to the golf throne.

    The 23-year-old daughter of Tiger’s older half-brother, Earl Woods, Jr., has played three LPGA events this year, and has yet to collect any money, but she shouldn’t be discouraged. She obviously has what it takes to make it in the world of golf.

    Of course, she was first introduced to the sport by the same means as famous uncle Tiger. Her grandfather and Tiger’s father, Earl Woods, first taught her all about the sport.

    According to Fox Sports, Cheyenne is already a pro golfer. She graduated from Wake Forest as a two-time All-American before joining the family golf community. She has yet to quite reach the level of her phenom uncle, or even the LPGA ranks at all, for that matter. She did finished second in Stage 1 of Q-school in August. She also went on to tie for 56th at Stage 2 in October, which qualified her for the final stage, coming in December.

    In case you forgot, here’s the original Nike commercial that Tiger did:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oTMosZ76b8

    So, will Cheyenne’s Instagram video spur thousands to take up ball and club for hours of backyard and municipal course practice on this trick, like Tiger’s Nike commercial did? Assuredly. This video just might have a whole new generation bouncing and whacking at the illusive white ball, and could even ignite an interest in golf for a new set of kids. Who knows?

    Image via twitter

  • Rod Blagojevich Appeal Appears Weak at Best

    Rod Blagojevich’s attempted appeal of his corruption conviction doesn’t look like it’s going to hold water. Prosecuters, in a lengthy 169 page response, balk at the idea that Blagojevich’s shenanigans were just ordinary “political horse-trading”.

    Prosecutors rebutt this theory and more in the document, which is in response to the Democrat’s July appeal with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, according to the Denver Post.

    In the appeal, that ran 100 pages, defense attorneys for Blagojevich claim he engaged in a legal “political horse-trade”. He floated the idea of a Cabinet seat or possibly an ambassadorship for himself if he were to appoint Obama confidant Valerie Jarrett to Obama’s vacated seat.

    The appeal seeks a new trial, or at least a reduction for what it deems a disproportionate sentence for Blagojevich’s crimes. They allege the main cause of his heavy-handed conviction to be, in large, the errors of U.S. District Judge James Zagel. One of these major errors, they say, was allowing a biased juror to sit on the panel during Blagojevich’s second trial. The appeal refers to him as Juror No. 174, noting that he said something questionable about Blagojevich during jury selection: “I just figured him, possibly, to be guilty.”

    “Juror 174 told the court he believed he could do that and stated that he would do that,” prosecutors said. “Nothing in the juror’s comments suggested that he had ‘an irrational or unshakeable bias.’”

    The prosecution strongly disagrees with the juror claim, and points out that it is beside the point, anyway. “This is an extraordinary claim,” the government filing says. “No matter the price he charges, a public official who sells his office engages in crime, not politics.”

    According to the Christian Science Monitor, Shari Seidman Diamond, a law professor at the Northwestern University School of Law in Chicago, says that the difficulty is convincing the appeals court that he was not aware that pay-to-play is a crime, especially because he was an attorney himself.

    “There’s a difference between being aware of the acts you’re doing and the goals you’re trying to accomplish and being aware there’s a statute that forbids it. I think it’s very plausible he was and very hard to believe he wasn’t,” Diamond says.

    Very hard to believe, indeed.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Ohio Execution Stay: Good Will or Stall Tactic?

    Ohio’s governor, John Kasich, delayed the execution of convicted killer, Ronald Phillips. The execution of Phillips, who raped and killed his girlfriend’s 3-year-old daughter, was delayed because Phillips said he wanted to donate his organs, according to Fox News.

    Phillips had never mentioned wanting to donate his organs before this, which happened to be approved 24 hours before he was to become the first inmate to die from a lethal injection of a new drug combination. So, is this organ donation bid a desperate play for more time, or a true attempt at some final good deeds?

    Governor Kasich seems to think that it could be a last attempt to do good that should be taken advantage of either way. He said that while Phillips’ crimes were truly detestable, his willingness to donate his organs could save another life, and should be considered. “I realize this is a bit of uncharted territory for Ohio, but if another life can be saved by his willingness to donate his organs and tissues then we should allow for that to happen,” Kasich said in a statement.

    According to Fox 13, there is a letter written by his attorney, in which Phillips specifically requests that his heart be given to his sister, who has a heart condition. He also wants one or both of his kidneys go to his mother, who is “suffering from kidney disease and on dialysis.”

    The letter also states, “But, even if his specific suggestions as to recipients cannot be honored, he is nonetheless willing to do whatever is necessary to enable as many people as possible to benefit from his death.”

    There are around 3,500 people just in Ohio, and more than 120,000 in the US that could benefit and are currently awaiting organ donations, said Marilyn Pongonis, spokeswoman for the Lifeline of Ohio organ donation program, so shouldn’t every chance for organs to be donated be taken?

    Richard Dieter, executive director of the Death Penalty Information Center, whose group is opposed to the death penalty, said, “This step by the governor puts it into a more normal discussion of an inmate, without any security problems, can help save another person and is that the right thing to do,” he said. “With 24 hours to go before an operation had to be carried out, it definitely gets in the way of that process.”

    He added,”If the whole idea is to save a life, there’s one life to be saved simply by not executing the person at all.”

    However, it’s interesting to note that Phillips made his request after the governor denied him mercy. Phillips had also exhausted all of his other legal options. Then his last request is, ‘Wait, I want to donate my organs!’. Despite the questionable timing, his attorney said it wasn’t a delay tactic but an attempt to do good.

    Whatever happens, and whether this last act of Ronald Phillips is a delay tactic or final act of good will, if the donation of organs can help save the lives of others, it should be considered.

    Image via youtube

  • Joan Jett Wasn’t South Dakota’s Choice, Was Macy’s

    Joan Jett and the Blackhearts are scheduled to appear on South Dakota’s float in the the annual Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade. But, not everyone is happy about it, in fact, the ranchers of South Dakota’s livestock industry are a little perturbed at the choice, according to CBS. Joan Jett is an outspoken Vegan, as well as an ardent supporter of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, or PETA.

    South Dakota Cattlemen’s Association President Cory Eich, who farms and ranches near Canova in eastern South Dakota, finds the choice confounding. He said Jett’s stand on the cattle industry doesn’t mesh with a state where the industry makes up a huge part of the economy.”To me, it seems like a huge blunder,” Eich said. “I guess I couldn’t disapprove more. I don’t understand what they were thinking.”

    Even Ohio Senator Larry Rhoden, who’s also a rancher, is peeved at the choice to represent his state on their Mount Rushmore American Pride Float, according to E!. “Her agenda through PETA does not represent South Dakota. The organization is obviously very anti-ag. They are very misinformed on the ag industry and the animal ag industry.”

    Dan Mathews, senior vice president of PETA, responded by insinuating that the livestock industry is being defensive because it is the South Dakota industry that is the most destructive to the environment, human health and animals.

    “We’re surprised that ranchers want to draw attention to themselves by being crybabies over the appearance of a vegetarian icon such as Joan Jett on the state’s float,” Mathews said in an email.

    Eich insists that despite PETA’s remarks, mistreatment of animals doesn’t happen where he’s from.”You don’t mistreat your livelihood,” Eich said.

    South Dakota Tourism Secretary Jim Hagen says that people are mistaken if they think Joan Jett and the Blackhearts were chosen by them. He says that none of the artists proposed by the state were able or willing to appear on the float, so Macy’s actually made the selection.

    “It’s not because of any ill will Macy’s is trying to create or anything,” Hagen said. “They were just trying to do what they thought would be a great artist for us.”

    Can you imaging having the job of making sure none of the performers on the floats have beef with the state they are representing? Pardon the pun…

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Winter Cruises: New Orleans is Your Port

    Winter Cruises: New Orleans is Your Port

    If you’re looking for a winter cruise to escape the dreary conditions, you might try New Orleans. The Big Easy seems to be the place from which to get to destinations like Mexico, the Cayman Islands, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Florida, Belize, Honduras, San Francisco, the Canary Islands and Spain, according to philly.com.

    New Orleans in on track to set its third record this year for cruise ship passengers, said Gary LaGrange, president and CEO of the Port of New Orleans. Some larger ships will call New Orleans home in the near future, and business is up for the port.

    New Orleans’ cruise business skyrocketed over 32 percent last year to 977,703 passengers. The 2011 passenger total of 736,908, itself broke the passenger record set in 2004, port officials have said. “This year we have a good shot at passing a million,” LaGrange said.

    The Carnival Sunshine arrives Sunday, just in time for those winter cruises. The Sunshine carries 2,984 passengers, which is 22 more than the Carnival Conquest, the one currently in operation. April will see the arrival of the 3,646-passenger Carnival Dream. The dream will then stay in New Orleans.

    LaGrange said the Dream could also possibly increase the passenger numbers even more in 2014, when it’s expected to up Carnival’s passenger total from more than 330,000 a year to more than 400,000 a year. Carnival is the only cruise provider out of New Orleans that sails year round.

    LaGrange boasts that cruises have risen from about 5 percent of the port’s income 12 years ago to 20 percent of last year’s astounding number of over $50 million in revenues. He said, “A lot of it has to do with the fact that we’re marketing it as two vacations in one: Come down and you get the Big Easy and get the cruise as well.”

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Lily Allen Defends Video, Denies Racism

    Lily Allen Defends Video, Denies Racism

    Lily Allen is under fire right now for her new video, “Hard Out Here” in which she takes on issues concerning the objectification of women and the double standard in the music industry.

    Now she faces allegations, though they are a stretch at best, of racism in the video, according to Spin. Warning: This video is NSFW.

    “The video is meant to be a lighthearted satirical video that deals with objectification of women within modern pop culture,” she wrote. “It has nothing to do with race, at all.” She added that despite two weeks of attempting to master Miley’s famous twerk, she was unable to pull it off. She also stated that the reason she was wearing more clothes than the backup dancers was, in fact, her own insecurity, thank you very much.

    She took to Twitter to dispel the rumors and tongue lashings she was receiving:

    Allen is no stranger, unfortunately, to racism accusations. In August 2012, she sparked a mass frenzy with this tweet:

    However it may have seemed, the tweet was not racist. It is a little crazy to think someone would say something like that in this day and age, and actually mean the color of someone’s skin. And expect to ever work again….She later tweeted:

    While the backlash is damaging to Allen in some ways, and great in others (many fewer would have seen this video, if not for the brewing controversy), it’s sad that her message, bringing attention to the objectification of women in the music industry, may be lost in all the unnecessary hysteria.

    Image via youtube

  • Obama Administration: Over 106,000 Enroll Under ACA

    The Obama administration announced today that the enrollment for insurance under his new health care reform law hit 106,185 in October, according to Reuters. The administration admitted that the numbers would be low because of the endless list of troubles the website had after it’s initial roll-out October 1st.

    The numbers include 26,794 people who were able to log on and sign up for private health insurance plans through the bug-riddled, sketchy federal “marketplace” that serves 36 states. Included also, are 396,261 people who were determined to be eligible for the government’s Medicaid program or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (C.H.I.P.) for the underprivileged, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

    Even though initial numbers were admittedly low due to technical issues with HealthCare.gov, the figures still stress how far the administration has to go in order for the Affordable Care Act to be financially viable.

    They had better get those numbers up, because Republicans are on the hunt for Obamacare alternatives that can be heralded in the elections. In his speech at the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition’s annual fall banquet on Saturday the 9th, Mike Lee had some ideas to think about before the next election season, such as “market-based alternatives” that could replace Obamacare should the Republicans hope to have success at the polls in 2014.

    Technical issues haven’t been the only thing plaguing Obamacare. Just last week, President Obama was forced to apologize to the many Americans who began receiving cancellation notices from their insurance companies, after having promised, during the nauseating amount of stumping he did for his Affordable Care Act, that if you like your insurance, you would be able to keep it.

    He admitted that he failed to do enough to ensure that the law did not allow cancellation of insurance policies that citizens like because they don’t meet his requirements. “But obviously, we didn’t do a good enough job in terms of how we crafted the law,” Obama said. “And, you know, that’s something that I regret. That’s something that we’re going to do everything we can to get fixed.”

    Time will tell.

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Robert Downey Jr.’s Wife Celebrates With Bacon

    Robert Downey, Jr., really loves his wife of 8 years, Susan Downey, and she really loves bacon! I like the way she thinks. Downey, Jr. threw her a huge bash to celebrate her 40th birthday. It was quite the affair that went on during a weekend getaway for the stars at Cavallo Point Lodge in Sausalito, California. That is north of San Francisco.

    White roses and purple lights jazzed up the ballroom at the lodge while guests dined and participated in family-friendly fun. There was dancing, games, and of course, the obligatory photo booth. The night was lit up later on by a spectacular fireworks display over the bay in honor of Susan.

    On Sunday morning the lucky guests were treated to brunch from Hapa SF and Bacon Bacon food trucks, which featured bacon, of course! the menu included pancakes, omelets, breakfast tacos, breakfast sandwiches, and burgers. But that’s not all the food that starred at the bash. Susan was surprised with a a chorus of “Happy Birthday” and a huge cake made with all sorts of bacon: maple bacon, chocolate bacon, bacon bits, bacon jam and vanilla cake.

    The party was family friendly, so there were lots of kids there. Exton, the Downeys’ 21-month-old son, was there to celebrate Mom’s birthday. The list of other guests at the over-the-top shindig was impressive and included Gwenyth Paltrow, Reese Witherspoon, along with all their children. Justin Theroux was there, along with Jason Bateman, Maya Rudolph, Jon Favreau, and Gavin Rossdale with Gwen Stefani.

    Throughout brunch, an insider told Us that a videographer was recording their various guests giving messages and tributes to Susan. Paltrow must have had something amazing to say. “Gwyneth Paltrow talked on camera and was laughing and animated as she recorded her message,” the source says.

    I’m sure it was a night to remember for Susan Downey, and scored her hubby some major points!

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Montana Bride May Have Had Statements “Shaped”

    Could the Montana bride, Jordan Graham, who is accused of pushing her husband off of a cliff at Glacier National Park, be a victim of confession shaping? Attorney for the bride, Michael Donahoe said in court filings late Friday that he thinks this is the case, according to AP.

    Among other things, Donahoe claims that FBI investigator Stacey Smiedala sent a police detective from the room so that he could “shape” Jordan Graham’s first interrogation, which took place on July 16, without having to record it. He also claims that her statements about his death being an accident, and her fear that no one would believe her were twisted into an exaggerated version.

    The recorded portion of the transcript stated that her and Cody Johnson were arguing about whether they should have waited to get married, eight days after the wedding. She said Johnson suggested they drive to the National Park, and at one point, he was talking to her like a child and grabbed her arm. She said that she knocked his arm off, and pushed him in one motion, which caused him to accidentally fall.

    “I think I didn’t realize that one push would mean for sure you were over,” Graham said, according to the transcript. “I felt like I shouldn’t have gotten married at that time, but not, there were not any issues of being with Cody, no. I feel like he’s the person I was going to spend the rest of my life with.”

    According to the prosecution’s court filings, she initially said that Cody Johnson disappeared on July 7th after he drove off with friends. Then she led park rangers to his body three days later so the search would be called off “and the cops will be out of it.”

    Donahoe is now asking a federal judge to dismiss the murder indictment against Jordan Graham, in order to block prosecutors from using the statement in question. He also hopes that this action will disallow them to introduce a new theory that Graham blindfolded Johnson before he was pushed.

    Image via youtube

  • Kate Hudson Instilling Thrift Into Sons

    Kate Hudson Instilling Thrift Into Sons

    Kate Hudson admits that even she can’t afford the glamorous gowns that stars wear on the red carpet or for photoshoots, according to ABC. “People think we own all these dresses, but we borrow them!” she said of most Hollywood starlets. “I can’t afford to buy that stuff. There are certain things I splurge on, but it’s very rare, especially when you have two kids and school tuition.”

    Hudson came about this thrifty attitude honestly. She says it was intstilled by her mother, Goldie Hawn and long-time love Kurt Russel. “My mom wasn’t a big shopper for us,” Hudson told Harper’s. “I think they wanted to instill that in us even though we grew up in a really privileged and lucky lifestyle.”

    She reminisced about the good ol’ days when shopping was fun for her, “I’m not a big high-end fashion shopper,” Hudson said. “I wish I could, but the truth is things are just so expensive. Before Isabel Marant was a million dollars and famous, I used to go to her store in Paris and go crazy. It was so affordable.”

    So, is she raising her boys, Bing, 2, and Ryder, 9, to be thrifty and privileged or following in her mother’s footsteps to set a good example for them? Now, all of Ryder’s friends have their own cell phones. Will she cave? “I see his friends texting people, and I just can’t do it,” Hudson said about buying Ryder, her son with ex-husband Chris Robinson, his first cell phone. “The first device I got was a pager! I was 13, and it was hot pink.”

    To counter that kind of culture, Hudson is thinking about starting her own, reasonably-priced brand for the normal gal. “I really think that if I’m going to put my effort into something, I want to reach a larger amount of women, where they can afford the things I’m selling,” she told Harper’s. “Especially with the economy, it doesn’t make sense to me anymore.”

    That is a refreshing and real attitude coming out of Hollywood! Perhaps we can look forward to seeing what Kate can come up with for us average people?

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Miss Teen USA Could Have Justice Soon

    Miss Teen USA, Cassidy Wolf, and 7 other victims of “sextortion” could be on the way to getting justice, according to NBC. Jared James Abrahams, 19, who is from Temecula, California, pleaded guilty to three counts of extortion and one count of hacking yesterday. He was released on bond until sentencing on March 17, 2014. Abrahams faces up to 11 years in federal prison and $1 million in fines.

    The terms of the agreement severely limit his access to the internet. He has to notify his probation officer before using any computer or device that is capable of accessing the Internet or email as well as when upgrading software. He also cannot possess nude images on those devices, nor can he contact his victims. He cannot come within 100 yards of them.

    Abrahams used malware to control the webcams of his victims to take pictures and videos of them changing clothes, then used those pictures to threaten them. According to the complaints brought against him, he acquired unauthorized access to the computers of women from southern California and Maryland. But, he didn’t stop there. He also had access to the computers of women, including at least one minor, in several countries, like Ireland, Canada, Russia and Moldova.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SLtdV9yIho8

    The FBI first learned of Abrahams’ “sextortion” attempts back in March from an 18-year-old victim known as “C.W.”. She said she first became aware that something was wrong when she received an email alert that her password had been changed on a social media site. That email was followed by an extortionate email with nude photos attached, in which Abrahams threatened to plaster the pictures all over the internet.

    “C.W.” said Abrahams threatened to “turn her dream of being a model….into a porn star” if she did not comply with what he was demanding.

    Image via youtube

  • New Batsuit Will Not Disappoint, Says Kevin Smith

    For all those who were disappointed in the chosing of Ben Affleck to play Batman in “Batman Vs. Superman“, you now have a little something to set your sights on: The new Batsuit.

    Over the weekend, Kevin Smith, comic book fanatic and the brains behind “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy”, hosted a Q & A event with director Zack Snyder and “Man of Steel” stars Henry Cavill and Amy Adams, to promote the Blu-ray release of “Man of Steel”. Smith said today that the suit is mind-blowing, according to Business Insider.

    He said, “I saw the Batman costume. More than that I saw a picture of him (Affleck) in the costume … Now, I don’t want to give anything away ’cause that is up to them and stuff … but I am going to say this, I instantly bear hugged him (Snyder). You have not seen this costume in a movie on film before, and for a comic book fan, it was mind bending. I was like ‘Get the f— out of here, only you have enough power to pull this off.’”

    The new Batsuit is rumored to be modeled around the one in the 2011 hit graphic novel, “Batman: Noel”. So, does the suit make the hero? Or at least make up for the guy chosen to play Batman?

    Smith added, “The costume, it blew my mind. It’s its own thing. I was so elated.” Perhaps the awesomeness of the suit and the aptness of the directing guidance of Zack Snyder, this thing won’t be a total disappointment to Batman fans everywhere. He said even hardcore comic book fans would be able to get behind the suit, if nothing else. As a hardcore comic book fan, I guess he would know!

    Image via youtube

  • John Stamos and Rebecca Romijn Not Talking At All

    On November 9th, Rebecca Romijn attended the 2nd annual Baby2Baby Gala in Culver City, Ca. She talked to Us Weekly about her twin daughters with Jerry O’Connell and about her plans for adding to her family, or the lack of such plans. “No I am done having kids,” she told Us. “Two was always the goal, and we got that and here we are.”

    Two is a good number. Apparently having two girls at the same age has it’s perks and it’s downfalls, just like any other sibling dynamic. “They are very good friends,” Romijn said of her daughters. “They are each other’s best play dates. They keep each other such great company and they play so well but they also fight and it turns on a dime. I’m constantly admiring them and then breaking up fights but they are each other’s best company.”

    Romijn sounds pretty busy these days, so, of course when asked about her ex, John Stamos, Romijn says “I have no idea what is going on with him these days.” The “Full House” favorite filed for divorce from Romijn in 2004, and in 2009 finally opened up about his split from his seemingly perfect other half, according to Yahoo.

    In that interview he cleared up the rumors about the cause of their seperation. “Everybody thought that she dumped me [because] her career was on fire and mine wasn’t but that wasn’t the case. We just both woke up one day and it had run its course.”

    He added, “We were together for 10 years — it was heartbreaking. In my book at this point I would still be married and have three kids. So it was more about that plan being foiled than anything. I felt like a failure. It wasn’t as much about her as it was that the whole thing didn’t work.”

    Image via wikimedia commons

  • Katy Sagal Releases First Album in 9 Years

    Katey Sagal may have finally broken free from her Peg Bundy cage. The “Sons of Anarchy” star has more talent than acting, which she’s pretty fantastic at. Music was her first love and her first passion. Before becoming a TV star, her focus was on recording music. Now, she has released her first album in 9 years, with a little help from her friends.

    She was a member of “The Group With No Name” in 1976. Katey contributed to their album “Moon over Brooklyn”. She also enjoyed status in 1978 and 1982–1983 as a member of Bette Midler’s backup group “The Harlettes”.

    She then moved on to perform back-up vocals on Gene Simmons’ self-titled album, and also provided background vocals on Olivia Newton-John’s 1985 single, “Soul Kiss”.

    Her new album, “Covered” is packed with star power as well. “Covered”, as the title indicates, is an album full of Katey Sagal covering songs with her signature talent and class.

    The songs are songs that she says inspired her in her musical life, like Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin’” and Jackson Browne’s “For A Dancer”. So why the long wait and why the covers?

    “Probably a lot of writers’ block, and a real busy schedule,” she tells Billboard. “I love to play music, and I was playing gigs and doing a lot of songs off my other records. I thought ‘I really need to have some new songs.’ I’ve been trying to write, but I realized that I like the process of recording song and finding songs. It kind of came out of necessity of wanting to get to it. I couldn’t wait on myself anymore.”

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2CaAzYSSiT8

    The album includes a Jackson Browne cover “For a Dancer”, and also a collaboration with Browne on Steve Earle’s “Goodbye”. “It’s great. I love that song. It’s a Steve Earle song. My producer put the Spanish guitar on there, as well as the violin. They were players that played with Jackson sometimes. It was thrilling for me because I grew up listening to him. I sort of know him casually, so when I asked him if he would sing, he said yes. I think that’s a beautiful track.”

    https://soundcloud.com/eone-music/katey-sagal-free-fallin

    Cover albums usually don’t garner a lot of respect in the industry. However, Katey Sagal is not exactly a newbie to the scene, and has fully demonstrated her talent on the screen and in the studio, so “Covered” could very well be the exception to this rule!

    Image via youtube

  • Million Dollar Swimsuit Modeled by Miss Universe

    Gabriela Isler, the freshly-crowned Miss Universe 2013 began her duties today in Moscow by posing in the famous million dollar swimsuit, according to AFP. The beautiful 25-year-old posed and twirled around in the suit for photographers that were there to get a shot of the jewel-studded costume.

    “I feel very happy to share my first day as Miss Universe,” Isler said. “I’m a simple girl. I am just come to have fun, to enjoy the moment — and here I am.”

    She may be happy to share her first day, but she’s also probably a little tired. She admitted to reporters, at a celebratory ceremony on the day after being crowned, that that she had stayed up all night talking to friends and family on the phone after her big win.

    The photo shoot was in a Moscow hotel. Isler wore the white cut-away swimming costume featuring an emerald pendant and swirls of diamonds and rubies with a fur boa wrapped around the hips.

    “It’s very simple but very elegant, so it’s like me,” she said. “I’m still asking, ‘Where are those guards?’, because I’ll run with it.”

    “We do have armed guards, so don’t get any ideas,” the president of the Miss Universe organisation, Paula Shugart said of the $1 million dollar suit that is encrusted with over 900 stones.

    Isler said she felt honored to be the contest’s seventh winner from her country of Venezuela. She beat out 85 other contestants with her dazzling looks in the swimsuit and evening gown competitions. However, her answer to the question about her biggest fear may have been the clencher. She said, “We should overcome all our fears and this in turn will make us much stronger.”

    Gabriela Isler is not only enjoying her fame from being crowned Miss Universe, which in itself is pretty huge. She is also the new face of an Italian lingerie company, Yamamay.

    Image via youtube

  • Bahamas Plane Crash, Canada Plane Crash Kill Nine

    Four Americans were killed yesterday in a plane crash a few miles off the coast of Grand Bahama Island, according to AP. “All are believed to be Americans. It is thought they were on some kind of sightseeing tour.”, Police Superintendent Stephen Dean said.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Khe7nonuOQI

    Assistant Police Commissioner for Grand Bahama Island, Emrick Seymour, said that the single-engine Cirrus 22 plane crashed just minutes after taking off from the island’s international airport.

    Shortly after take off around 11 am, Seymour said that the pilot radioed that his plane was “experiencing some engine problems”. He added that police were “right in the middle of the investigation”, and therefore, the victims identities remain unknown.

    The Royal Bahamas Police Force said in a statement, that the aircraft had been totally destroyed. There were no survivors.

    It’s a busy day for aircraft crash reports, as news also broke of a plane crash over Canada Sunday night, according to CNN. Five people died and two survived when a regional plane for Bearskin Airlines caught fire after it crashed just short of a runway in Red Lake, Ontario, Canada. The two pilots and three passengers that died have yet to be identified.

    The two survivors were a male passenger who managed to pull a female passenger from the wreckage to safety before the plane was engulfed by flames, said Ontario police Sgt. Rob McDonough. He added that everyone on board was a Canadian citizen.

    Image via youtube