Evangeline Lilly about to be killed out of Lost

Is it rumors? is it true? one minute it is "Confirmed as true" the next, "she is definatly staying" Why the mixed messages and who is sending them? Then again is anyone really dead in Lost? 

Loch is dead. or is he? The writers have brought the show to a point where they can kill of anybody and then change thier mind. But I hope they keep here - She is damn pretty!

Evangeline Lilly plays a big part on Lost, specifically the part of the pretty girl who can’t convey emotion too well.

But no actor is safe on Lost. Just look at what the show did to Charlie. Or Mr Eko. Or that moany bloke who blew himself up with dynamite. Any Lost character can bite it at any point - and recently there’s been speculation about Evangeline Lilly getting the chop soon.

But relax, because Evangeline Lilly’s rep has denied everything, hinting that she’ll stay on Lost until the last episode, when the smoke monster will kill her. Oh, spoiler alert.

As Lost gets progressively sillier and sillier with each new episode - oh, there’s Jin in the past! Oh, Locke’s resurrected himself! Oh, Jim Robinson from Neighbours seems to be the baddie now! - Evangeline Lilly’s role has never been so important.

Because, regardless of how brain-crampingly intellectual Lost gets, it’s a safe bet that every six weeks or so we’ll get an episode about Evangeline Lilly whining and looking a bit arsey and getting off with Jack or Sawyer or Anonymous Policeman Husband Number One or Ben. Oh, spoiler alert. Anyway, Evangeline Lilly’s episodes always ground Lost when it threatens to get all out of hand.

Which is why it was so weird that reports started emerging yesterday stating that Lost was going to kill off Evangeline Lilly and that she was already looking for other work. Zap2it reported:

Rumor has it, Kate might not live “ever after” at all. Solid sources tell me exclusively that Evangeline Lilly is auditioning for pilots … pilots that are intended to launch this fall. And Ms. Lilly’s people apparently told producers she will be available. Say wha–??

Now, obviously it’d be a gigantic shock if Lost killed off Evangeline Lilly before the final episode next year. Although, having said that, we’ve already compiled our top three favourite ways that we’d like to see Evangeline Lilly leave Lost:

1 - Kate realises that her mother is Sabrina The Teenage Witch’s aunt and realises her destiny lies not in enigmatic time-travelling mysteries, but having a best friend who’s a sarcastic animatronic cat and pretending to be a schoolgirl until she’s obviously in her mid-forties.

2 - Kate kills herself when Jack and Sawyer, sick of her constantly playing with their emotions, gay up and deliberately bum each other in front of her.

3 - Kate has it off with so many men that she develops a severe case of bacterial vaginosis and she’s clubbed over the head by Richard Alpert because it stinks so much.

However, it looks like those three options will have to remain firmly in the realm of disturbing internet fan fiction, because Evangeline Lilly’s rep has issued a statement claiming that any rumours of her leaving Lost before it finishes have no validity whatsoever.

So it looks like Evangeline Lilly will remain a part of Lost right up until the end, then. Unless, you know, someone spikes her juice with vodka and she gets arrested for DUI. Because if she does that she’ll definitely be killed straight away just like Mr Eko and Michelle Rodriguez and that other one. Oh, spoiler alert.

Turkish airliner crashes at Amsterdam airport, 9 dead

A nother plane crash this time in Europe, Netherlands to be precise. Only 9 people dead. Only.

Thats probably hundreds of lives affected by the loss of those 9 people. but still with a 200 ton metal tube filled with 124 people slammes into the ground at 250 mph it's a miracle that anyone gets out.

A Turkish Airlines plane with 134 passengers and crew aboard crashed in light fog while trying to land at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport on Wednesday, killing nine people and injuring dozens.

Officials said some 84 people were taken to hospitals, including 25 who were severely hurt, when flight TK 1951 from Istanbul crashed into a field short of a runway at Schiphol, Europe's fifth-largest airport by passenger volume.

Six were in critical condition.

"We cannot say anything about the cause at the moment," acting local mayor Michel Bezuijen told reporters. "The priority...is providing help and care."

The bodies of three crew members, left in the cockpit amid the plane's wreckage for investigation, were later taken out. Dutch media said the pilot and co-pilot were among the dead.

Officials said they had found the plane's flight data recorder and that it would be analyzed.

Earlier, Dutch officials said 135 people were on board the plane, but that was revised to 134.

Dutch television showed what appeared to be covered bodies on the ground near the crumpled, single-aisle Boeing 737-800.

At least four Americans, who work for the plane's manufacturer Boeing, were on the plane, an official said.

The airliner lay in three parts, with the tail section of the fuselage ripped off, and a wide crack just behind the cockpit. The engines had broken off and no fire was visible.

The plane broke up when it collided with the ground north of a runway at Schiphol, which is 20 km (12 miles) southwest of Amsterdam's center. Survivors were rushed to hospitals in Amsterdam as well as nearby Haarlem and other cities.

"We fell suddenly and stopped," said a passenger who gave only his surname, Mutlucan. "There was a lot of screaming. We crashed and landed in what looked like a field."

"The pilot told us we would be landing in 15 minutes, but seven or eight minutes later we hit the ground."

LIGHT WINDS

Weather reports at the time of the crash indicated decent visibility despite misty conditions, and light winds.

"I thought it was a car collision. We heard a sort of loud and strange sound," eyewitness Randy Cordes, 14, told Reuters. "I saw one engine that was burning but the fire died quickly."

Officials said late on Wednesday they were still trying to confirm passenger identities, which included Dutch, Turkish and U.S. nationals.

A flight from Istanbul carrying relatives of crash victims was to land later on Wednesday.

The Turkish airliner crashed 1 mile short of the "polderbaan" runway, the furthest from terminal buildings, on an approach from the north between Schiphol and Haarlem.

Dutch Transport Minister Camiel Eurlings has said Turkish Airlines met all safety regulations at Schiphol, but added in a statement that the cause of the accident will be investigated.

"The pilot is an experienced one who is a former member of the Turkish Air Force," Turkish Airlines Chief Executive Temel Kotil said.

Wednesday's crash was the 11th accident involving a Turkish Airlines flight in the past 20 years, the NLR Air Traffic Safety Institute in Amsterdam said in a statement.

Turkish Airlines had a troublesome safety record in the 1970s, with 608 lives lost in around two years, but the modern airline's safety record has improved. Wednesday's crash was its second fatal incident this decade, according to the Flight Safety Foundation.

The crash appeared to be the worst at Schiphol since an El Al cargo plane crashed into high-rise apartment blocks in 1992, killing 43 people, 39 of them on the ground.

Octuplet mom fears hospital may not release babies

Octuplet mother Nadya Suleman is making the news again, and frankly I don't know why. This story has been exhausted. What we need is a paternety battle. Who is going to step up to the plate and claim to be the father? At least Dr Phil is on the case.

Nadya Suleman has voiced concern that the hospital where her octuplets are being cared for may prevent her from taking them home when they're healthy enough in coming weeks. But in reality, hospitals don't prevent healthy children from going home — child protective services do.

And that's only if a complaint has been filed. Hospital employees are mandated to report to county authorities any concerns they have about unsuitable home environments, a mother's emotional or psychological instability, or any other situation that could result in harm to a child.

According to talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw, the 33-year-old unemployed mother called him Tuesday and said hospital officials were worried that her current living arrangement wouldn't be suitable.

Stu Riskin, a spokesman for Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, said the agency cannot comment specifically on Suleman's situation and could not confirm whether a case had been opened on her family.
But in the event a child welfare complaint is made for a baby ready to leave the neo-natal intensive care unit, it's followed by interviews with family and doctors and in-home visits in an effort "to leave no stone unturned so that we can make the best possible assessment," Riskin said.
If a home is determined to be unsuitable, the county first looks to relatives willing to care for the children. If none is found, a foster home is sought, Riskin said.
Suleman gave birth to the octuplets at Kaiser Permanente Bellflower Medical Center on Jan. 26, when they were nine weeks premature. She has six other children, lives in her mother's three-bedroom home in Whittier and has relied on food stamps and disability income to provide for her family.

She expects the children to come home within the next two weeks, she told McGraw in a show that aired Wednesday. Part two of the interview is scheduled to air Thursday.
Kaiser Permanente spokesman Jim Anderson refused to provide details of Suleman's case, citing privacy concerns, and further refused to elaborate on the health provider's normal procedure for discharging neo-natal infants.

But according to experts and information published on the health provider's Web site, typical protocol for babies discharged from NICU is that the hospital's hired social workers and discharge planners work with parents to coordinate the child's return to the home.
"This discharge plan has to account for the fact that these children, because they're small, they might require special consideration," said Lizelda Lopez, spokeswoman for the state's Department of Social Services, which oversees the county-run child welfare programs. "The hospital has to plan for that and has to work with Ms. Suleman."
It is normal for hospitals to provide parents of premature babies with a host of services to prepare them to care for the babies at home, according to Vicki Bermudez, a neo-natal intensive care unit nurse at the Kaiser hospital in Roseville and a California Nurses Association regulatory policy specialist.

That includes environmental assessments and parenting instruction. Home consultations or home visits from nurses are not unusual, Bermudez said.
"This whole issue has been very emotional, and there have been many judgments made by the public. But nurses and doctors aren't there to make judgments," she said. "They just want to make sure the children and family are getting the services they're entitled to and what's in the best interest of those babies."

The babies must be medically stable before they can be released, which means they should be feeding well and able to breathe on their own, though they are sometimes sent home with oxygen or monitoring equipment, said California Nurses Association co-president Geri Jenkins, also a registered nurse.
"The bottom line is they won't be sent home until the medical team is sure — and they're evaluated to make sure — they're strong enough to eat and grow and thrive," Jenkins said.

In a video posted on the celebrity news Web site RadarOnline.com on Wednesday, cameras went from room to room at Suleman's home, showing cramped quarters and clutter.
In the video, Suleman says the home is "obviously too small" but has a large backyard where the children can play. She also says she's looking for a larger home to rent.
"I want the house to be ready, so my whole head is swimming with ideas," Suleman said in the video.

She has not responded to repeated interview requests from The Associated Press. Her phone has been disconnected and though she said on "Dr. Phil" that she has a publicist, the show only identifies him as "Victor" at his request. Efforts to reach him were unsuccessful.

Record-breaking stingray caught

This is some fish, Well done Ian Welch. A 771 lbs Stingray. You should of kept it you could of had ray and chips for the rest of your life. 

A record-breaking stingray capture, by the numbers:

1 rod and line

90 minutes for British biologist Ian Welch (with help) to reel in the freshwater fish

13 men to drag said fish onto a boat

125 pounds—that's the difference between the stingray's weight at 771 pounds and the previous record rod-&-reel capture of a catfish

The Thailand capture of the massive female stingray was part of a program to tag such Maeklong River residents. The captive, part of a "vulnerable species" listed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, measured a hefty 7 feet by 7 feet. That doesn't include the 10-foot-long poisonous tail.

Such creatures are dangerous, of course: Famed Australian TV personality Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin died from a stingray barb at the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.

The numbers currently put one Ian Welch on the world record books. (Pictures of Welch posing with his female companion can be found here.) The stingray's resistance nearly dunked Welch into the river, and he was literally saved by the seat of his pants when a crewmate grabbed his trousers.

Another reason that this marine fish is so huge: She's pregnant. (Cue soap-opera gasp.) After she had been towed to the bank (too big to be onboard the boat), she was duly marked, had DNA samples removed, and returned to the river whence she unwillingly came. Welch gave her a farewell smooch, then spent the rest of the day with a cold beer and memories of her.

By the way, one number isn't known: the exact stingray population count, which has shrunk 20 percent in the past decade. With this lady's help, at least one more will be added to this number...and with a tale to tell.

GOP Gov. Bobby Jindal calls Obama's plan irresponsible

There they go agian, complaining and criticising without actually adding any constructiveness to the equasion. Ok, we heard you bobby - but give us an alternative, give us a nother way to solve the problem at hand rather then just giving out about the atempts being made.

Republican leaders continued their attacks on President Barack Obama's handling of the economy Tuesday, calling it irresponsible and certain to increase taxes and federal debt.

Responding in advance to Obama's televised speech to a joint session of Congress, top Republicans said the president relies too heavily on spending, and not enough on tax cuts, to try to revive the gasping economy. They said they want to work with Obama, and sometimes blamed congressional Democrats more than him. But their criticisms were sharp and plentiful.

"The way to lead is not to raise taxes and put more money and power in hands of Washington politicians," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, who gave the Republican Party's official response, said in excerpts released early. The massive economic stimulus bill recently enacted by Obama and congressional Democrats, Jindal said, will expand the government, "increase our taxes down the line, and saddle future generations with debt."

"It's irresponsible," said Jindal, who is eyeing a presidential bid in 2012.

The tone of the Republicans' response was in keeping with their nearly unanimous opposition to the $787 billion economic stimulus bill, which was backed by only three Republicans in the Senate and none in the House. Some Democrats and independents think the Republicans are blundering and misreading most Americans' sentiments about the need for massive government action to help the economy.

In the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, about three-fourths said Obama was trying to be bipartisan, and almost as many faulted the response of Republican officials, which was seen as politically motivated.

Despite such findings, GOP lawmakers say they believe they will be proven right in the long run.
House Republican leader John Boehner of Ohio said Tuesday that Republicans want to help Obama find "responsible solutions to the challenges facing our nation, but thus far congressional leaders in the president's own party have stood in the way."

Boehner, Jindal and other Republicans repeatedly accused Democrats of wanting to raise taxes, but the Obama-backed stimulus package has extensive tax cuts.

Jindal acknowledged that to some degree, Republicans deserved the drubbing they took in the last two national elections.

"Our party got away from its principles," he said. "You elected Republicans to champion limited government, fiscal discipline, and personal responsibility. Instead, Republicans went along with earmarks and big government spending in Washington." But that is changing, he said.

Taking advantage of his moment in the national spotlight, Jindal publicized a Web link Tuesday () allowing respondents to receive early excerpts of his planned televised response, and to donate to his political organization. Jindal also collected their e-mail and postal addresses, which could prove handy in a presidential race

Possible Octuplet Dad Gave Sperm Because He Was in Love With Suleman

Oh oh, Look at me, I want to be famous to, it was me I donated the sperm. I knocked up Chantelle all while dressed as Joaquin Phoenix on steroids.. Fool. Good luck anyway. your on the internet now. Happy?

Denis Beaudoin, the man who says he could be the biological father of Nadya Suleman's octuplets, said he donated his sperm to her three times without asking questions because he was young and in love.

Beaudoin said he thought it was "out of the ordinary" when she asked him to donate. "But I cared about her so much. And I mean, we were, we were in love. I mean, I loved Nadya very much," he told Chris Cuomo in an exclusive interview with "Good Morning America."

Beaudoin said he and Suleman had a "serious" three-year relationship from 1997 to 1999 when he was in his early 20s.

Though he and Suleman never talked about marriage, Beaudoin said when he donated the sperm he thought it would be part of "starting a family" together at some point.

He called Nadya "a really great girl" and thought she would make a good mother. His friends nicknamed her "Giggles" for her laugh.

"She really had a really infectious laugh. You know, just her laugh would, it would make you crack up. It's kind of like she had a real high-pitch, squeaky cartoon voice. And, you know, she was a lot of fun to be around. Just her whole bubbly outward personality was really, really cool," Beaudoin said.

But now Beaudoin said he sees a very different woman, both in appearance and demeanor, than the one he knew.

"She looks different, sounds different. You know, it's just not the Nadya I remember," he said.

Nor did Suleman express a desire to have a lot of children, he said.

McCain questions Obama about helicopter at summit

Ofcourse the man needs new Helicopters. Pimped ones with 22" alloys and a descent sound system too. McCain is only complaining cause he didn't get to pick the color. I'm sure there are many other military spendings that can and should be reviewd, but as soon as a black man wants 28 new helicopters white america gets scared and puts the brakes on. Tell them they are for killing arabs and nobody will care..

President Barack Obama never had a helicopter, which he says might explain why he's perfectly happy with the current White House fleet and doesn't need a more costly one. At the conclusion of a fiscal summit Monday, Obama faced questions from Republican and Democratic lawmakers, including his former presidential rival, Sen. John McCain.

McCain bemoaned cost overruns in military procurement. The new fleet of 28 Marine One helicopters being built by Lockheed Martin Corp. — now over budget at $11.2 billion — will cost more than Air Force One.

Obama said the helicopter he has now seems adequate, adding that he never had a helicopter before and "maybe I've been deprived and I didn't know it."

Obama said he has already talked to Defense Secretary Robert Gates about reviewing the program and its ballooning costs.

"It is an example of the procurement process gone amok, and we're going to have to fix it," Obama said.

The Navy — which is in charge of overseeing the helicopter program — reported to Congress in January that its price tag had nearly doubled. That notification triggered a formal process mandating the program be re-certified as a national security requirement by senior Pentagon leadership.

The Navy waited nearly a year before formally disclosing the information to lawmakers as it sought to find ways to keep the program within budget. Those efforts failed.

Gates already has warned of tough cuts in the upcoming fiscal 2010 budget as the Pentagon faces the pressure of paying for two wars during a recession.

Lockheed Martin spokesman Troy Scully said in a statement, "We are committed to the program's success and are confident we can deliver the required number of helicopters compliant with the specifications that emerge from the ongoing review."

A Navy spokesman could not be immediately reached for comment Monday evening.

The helicopter, which will be outfitted with communications equipment, anti-missile defenses and hardened hulls, is dubbed Marine One whenever the president is on board. The aircraft is expected to be similar to Air Force One, unlike the 30-year-old helicopters they would replace.

Shares of Bethesda, Md.-based Lockheed Martin fell $3.88, or 5 percent, to $73.87 Monday.

The sad story of tight end Brian Mandeville

How is this news? The story of the guy who didn't make it. Why is it making its rounds around the internet? there must be thousands of young athletes every year who are told similar news.
I'm sorry Brian, Your not special. you won't be a football pro, along with millions of others.

Northeastern University is not exactly a professional football factory. Dan Ross and Sean Jones came through there, but after that, the cupboard's bare.

The Huskies went 2-10 last year, and haven't had a winning season in five years. So when a guy from Northeastern even gets an invite to the combine, it's a big deal ... which, unfortunately, makes this even sadder.

Tight end Brian Mandeville waited and waited for his invite to the combine, and finally, it came. He ventured out to California to prepare at the Velocity Sports Performance Center. And when the time came to show up at the combine and impress everyone, doctors instead told him that he should retire before he even got started.

How's that for soul-crushing? A guy gets an invite to the combine, which is essentially an audition to make a career out of playing football, and when he gets there, the first thing that happens is that they tell him he has no chance to make a career out of playing football. That's like getting a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Dance right before your advisor takes a baseball bat to your knees.

Doctors performing a routine exam found an issue with one of Mandeville's heart valves and advised him that he should give up football. The issues, according to his agent, aren't life-threatening, but they are career-killing. Even his agent grants that it's unlikely now that Mandeville will have a career in football.

It's a shame. By all accounts, he's a bright and capable young guy, so I'm sure he'll carve out a place for himself in the world. And of course, we all wish him luck with that.

'Slumdog' celebrations fill Mumbai's crowded slums

As happy as I am for the cast of 'Slumdog' I can't help but wonder is this rich America clearing its own conscience. There are a 100 million starving people there - but at least we gave them an Oscar. We did our bit. I don't wish to detract from the performances and efforts of every one involved you all did a fantastic job, but are you being rewarded for the wrong reasons?
Congratulations Slumdog Millionaire.

MUMBAI, India – In the narrow lanes behind the Mumbai train tracks, the slum's first Oscar party turned into a raucous celebration of two hometown heroes, complete with Bollywood dance moves and squeals of joy from old friends.

Every time the big-eyed girl who calls this slum home appeared on TV, her friends gawked, beamed, shouted — and danced.

Rubina Ali, 9, was plucked from the tin roof shack she shares with her parents and six siblings in this squalid Mumbai slum to star in "Slumdog Millionaire," the darling of this year's Academy Awards.

Her friend and neighbor, Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, 10, was also chosen for the film, and both were flown to Los Angeles to watch "Slumdog" nab eight Academy Awards, including the Oscars' highest honor for best film.

Crowds gathered around the few television sets in the slum and it took barely a minute for word of each award to spread through the slum's winding lanes.

"It seems like happiness is falling from the sky," said Sohail Qureshi, a neighbor who said he had watched Rubina grow up.

The Bandra slum could not be farther from the Hollywood glitz, stretch limousines and designer dresses of the Oscars.

Azhar lives in a lean-to made of plastic tarpaulins and moldy blankets. Rubina's home is perched above an ocean of trash. Dirty train tracks and a clogged highway form the slum's borders.

Hordes of journalists descended on the neighborhood Monday. TV tripods straddled the thin stream of sewage outside Rubina's home while rows of satellite trucks idled outside a usually sleepy tea stall.

"Normally, no one talks to us and no one comes here, but now everyone is here," Mohammed Ismail, Azhar's father, said before a bouquet of flashing bulbs.

If the Oscar excitement brought a sheen of glamour to the community, it vanished Monday shortly after the final award was announced.

The journalists left, the dancing stopped and life pressed on as always. The sweatshop men hunched over humming sewing machines. Squatting children relieved themselves by the train tracks. Mothers washed their dishes in murky water.

"I am poor," Fakrunissa Sheikh, 40, said inside her lean-to next to Azhar's.

About 65 million Indians — roughly a quarter of the urban population — live in slums, according to government surveys. Health care is often nonexistent, child labor is rampant and inescapable poverty forms the backdrop of everyday life.

Although everyone from the local butcher to the prime minister called the Oscar coup a proud day for the country, "Slumdog Millionaire" was hardly a phenomenon with Indian audiences.

"Hit in the West, flop in the East," read a front page headline in DNA's Sunday newspaper. The film was a tough sell in Indian movie theaters because it was largely in English, featured few giant stars, and skimped on the dance numbers.

Many people here also objected to its gritty portrayal of India, as well as its title, which some took as derogatory. The film sparked protests in Mumbai and at least one north Indian city by slum residents who said the movie demeaned the poor.

"No one can call me a dog," Sheikh said Monday. "I work very hard."

A widow and mother of seven, Sheikh is a housekeeper who said she earns 600 rupees (US$15) a week.

She said the movie has been good for the families of Azhar and Rubina, but that her days are as difficult as ever.

"Look at my house," she said, pointing to the walls made of rags and the mud floor covered with a thin plastic tarp. "What has changed?"

The "Slumdog" filmmakers said they wrestled with the complications of working with children from impoverished families. Danny Boyle — who won the Oscar for best director — and producer Christian Colson decided to help Azhar and Rubina by securing them spots in Aseema, a nonprofit, English-language school in Mumbai.

Rubina's parents were thrilled with Boyle and his team.

"Whatever a parent could have done, they have done much more than that," Rafiq Qureshi said during the run-up to the awards.

Neighbors said they were nothing but happy for the child actors.

"It's Rubina's fate," said Mohammed Muzzammil, 22. "We don't want anything from her success."

Rubina's best friend Saba Qureshi wants something, however — lots of stories and pictures from Los Angeles.

"My eyes couldn't believe that I was seeing Rubina in America," said Saba, who led her sisters in Bollywood dance numbers throughout the morning. "She looked like an angel."

"When she comes back," Saba said, "we will have the biggest party."

Ben Stiller as Joaquin Phoenix at the Oscars

This is fantastic, not only is it hilariosly funny but it also adds to the mystery of Joaquin Phoenix. Has he realy lost his mind? is it a spoof? if it is, why is Ben Stiller spoofing the spoof? to add to the confusion..? I persume Joaquin wasn't at the Oscars himself? Anyway, this clip is hilarious:



Oh, and congratulations to Slumdog Millionaire for the Oscar

Oscar night - last chance.

Ok, the celebs are arriving on the red carpet as I am typing, so this is your last chance to read up and impress your friends with your knowledge of the Oscar ballot and your ability to pick a winner.

If you are out of the Oscar loop this year, don't worry. You don't have to see the nominated movies and performances to pick the Academy Award winners. You just have to know something about the past and have a sense of the present media buzz.

If you have seen many of the nominated pictures, remember to set aside your own preferences. Instead, imagine yourself as a Hollywood actor. They make up the largest voting segment of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences.

Actors like movies that employ a lot of actors. They are suckers for comeback performances and revere indelible characterizations. They appreciate the difficulty of making a critically acclaimed movie on a small budget as well as the hardship of making a blockbuster with a cast of thousands.

So, before tonight's Oscar party, check out the official oscar ballot and squint like Clint Eastwood as you check out our prediction tips.

Best Actor
The nominees: Richard Jenkins ("The Visitor"), Frank Langella ("Frost/Nixon"), Sean Penn ("Milk"), Brad Pitt ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") and Mickey Rourke ("The Wrestler").

Tip: Vegas odds are on Mickey Rourke.

Richard Jenkins' moving portrayal of a lonely widower was overshadowed by the performances of leading men in movies released later in the year. Sean Penn won the Screen Actors Guild award, which makes him the favorite to take home the Academy Award. On the other hand, Vegas oddsmakers are picking Rourke. Penn's portrayal of a gay politician earned him a batch of trophies, but Rourke's fellow actors will identify with his up-and-down career and reward him for his emotional comeback performance as hard-luck wrestler Randy "the Ram."

Best Actress
The nominees: Anne Hathaway ("Rachel Getting Married"), Angelina Jolie ("The Changeling"), Melissa Leo ("Frozen River"), Meryl Streep ("Doubt"), Kate Winslet ("The Reader").

Tips: Traditionally, the winner of this award has no previous wins in this category. Films related to the Holocaust often collect Oscars.

Despite the fact that Streep already has two Oscars (one for leading actress and one for supporting), she's still a top contender because she won a SAG award for her portrayal of a protective, suspicious nun in "Doubt." Streep has a record 15 Oscar nominations but will not win her third Oscar this year.

Jolie, Hathaway, Leo and Winslet have never won an Oscar for best actress. The winner will be Winslet, who has six career Academy Award nominations. Streep won an Oscar for the Holocaust-related movie "Sophie's Choice"; Winslet will win her first Oscar for playing Hannah Schmidt, a former German guard at a Nazi prison camp.

Best Supporting Actor
The nominees: Josh Brolin ("Milk"), Robert Downey Jr. ("Tropic Thunder"), Philip Seymour Hoffman ("Doubt"), Heath Ledger ("The Dark Knight"), Michael Shannon "Revolutionary Road").

Tip: This category will defy trends because of Ledger's unforgettable, last performance as the Joker in 2008's blockbuster hit.

Normally, the youngest actor doesn't win this category. But Heath Ledger, who died of an accidental overdose at age 28 in January 2008, is the odds-on favorite for a posthumous Academy Award.

Best Supporting Actress
The nominees: Amy Adams ("Doubt"), Penelope Cruz ("Vicky Christina Barcelona"), Viola Davis ("Doubt"), Taraji P. Henson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button"), Marisa Tomei ("The Wrestler").

Tip: First-time nominees in this category usually win.

That means Adams, who played a young nun, and Tomei, who played a stripper, are not likely to win. Adams was previously nominated for a supporting part in "Junebug," and Tomei was nominated twice in this category, winning for a role in "My Cousin Vinny."

Cruz was hilariously tempestuous in Woody Allen's movie. Although she was nominated in the Best Actress category previously, she's a newcomer in this category. She has momentum and luck on her side. Mark your ballot for Cruz.

Best Picture
The nominees: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Frost/Nixon," "Milk," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Tip: If the movie has swept previous awards, look for it to take home the top Academy Award.

"Slumdog Millionaire" won the Golden Globe, an ensemble award from the Screen Actors Guild and the best picture award from the Producers Guild of America, which knows something about making a movie. Unless the movie's buzz has peaked and is on the downslide, it should be a shoo-in as Best Picture.

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").

Tip: Most of the time, the director of the movie that wins the Best Picture Academy Award also wins the directing prize.

The winner of the Directors Guild Award also is a good indicator. With that in mind, look for British filmmaker Danny Boyle to make an Oscar speech.

Best Animated Feature
The nominees: "Bolt," "Kung-Fu Panda" and "WALL-E."

Tip: Big box-office and major buzz herald the winner.

If Hollywood doesn't give the animated feature Oscar to "WALL-E," which many contend deserved a spot on the Best Picture ballot, fans should storm the red carpet.

Best Visual Effects
The nominees: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Iron Man."

Tip: I doubt if you need one, but here it is: The splashiest, most technically awesome work in a box-office hit is usually recognized.

There was no movie bigger last year than "The Dark Knight," and it got snubbed for Best Picture.

Best Cinematography
The nominees: "The Changeling," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "The Reader," "Slumdog Millionaire."

Tip: Choose the cinematographer who won the American Society of Cinematographers' prize.

Mark your ballot for Anthony Dod Mantle of "Slumdog Millionaire." Besides the ASC prize, he won the best cinematography award from the British Academy of Film and Television.

Best Costume Design
The nominees: "Australia," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Duchess," "Milk," "Revolutionary Road."

Tip: One word — corsets.

Period movies usually win this category. Since all five films take place in the past, choose the one with elaborate wigs, fancy hats and bulging bosoms.

"The Duchess."

Best Makeup
The nominees: "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "The Dark Knight," "Hellboy II: The Golden Army."

Tip: Pick the movie that will get shut out of other prizes, including Best Picture.

The voters will throw "Benjamin Button" a bone for the makeup artistry involved in making a baby look freakishly old and Brad Pitt look homely.

Best Song and Best Score
Tip: Both music Oscars will go to the Best Picture winner.

"Slumdog Millionaire."

Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay
Tip: The Writers Guild Award winners will also win the Oscars.

The WGA recently handed its original screenplay prize to Dustin Lance Black for "Milk" and gave the adapted screenplay award to Simon Beaufoy for "Slumdog Millionaire."

With Landmark Trial Half Over, Pirate Bay Crew Celebrates Early Victories

This is an interesting story to anyone who has ever shared a file over the internet. It seems a massive cock-up on the prosecutions side to prepare a trial for three years and after day one of the actual trial drop half of the charges, only realizing now he has not got enough evidence?

Oh well, good luck to the boys anyway.

STOCKHOLM -- As the landmark trial of The Pirate Bay wrapped up its first week Friday, the prosecutor fought to tie the last two defendants to the daily operation of the world's most notorious filesharing site.

Four defendants in all are accused of contributory copyright infringement for allegedly deliberately facilitating the making available of copyrighted works to the public. Establishing intent is crucial for a crime to have been committed under Swedish law, and the prosecutor and civil plaintiffs have tried to show that the overriding purpose of The Pirate Bay is to encourage unlawful sharing of copyrighted material.

With the Pirate Bay trial half over, the defendants have reason to be hopeful. First, the government stunned observers on Tuesday by dropping half the charges in the joint criminal-civil prosecution, resulting in a partial acquittal. And despite aggressive questioning by the prosecutor and a battery of entertainment industry lawyers, defendants Gottfrid Svartholm Warg and Fredrik Neij stuck to the story that the sole purpose of The Pirate Bay is to let internet users transmit whatever material they want.

Warg and Neij were never public people, and that showed in their sometimes awkward testimony. But Friday's first witness, Peter Sunde, aka Brokep, is The Pirate Bay's official spokesman, and he's accustomed to the spotlight. He wore a grey hoodie as he took the stand to defend the website, even as he sought to distance himself from its operations.

The first questions posed to Sunde by prosecutor Hakan Roswall focused on his ideology, prompting Pirate Bay supporters in the blogosphere to cry foul. Referring to the open-culture activist organization that founded The Pirate Bay the prosecutor asked: "Is it correct that the Pirate Bureau discusses copyright and is critical of copyright as it is today?"

"What is your personal opinion on copyright?" the prosecutor followed up.

When recording industry lawyer Peter Danowsky asked the same question later, Sunde fired back. "That is a political question," Sunde said. "Is this a political trial or a legal trial?"

Danowsky's answer: "In what way is copyright a political question?"

Danowsky then produced printouts of news articles on The Pirate Bay, pointing out statements made by Sunde. One exhibit came from a 2006 Wired.com article, from which Danowsky read the last paragraph aloud: "We're also into educating people about the consequences of piracy. We're teaching them how to do it."

Sunde said that he meant that The Pirate Bay educates people about filesharing in general. He quoted the paragraph before to show that his statement was a response to MPAA, which claimed that it was "educating people about the consequences of piracy and getting involved."

Likeable with a boyish face, Sunde can argue with die-hard enemies on TV and still carry a winning smile while his opponent resorts to cursing. He testified Friday that he was "only" a media contact for the website, and that he never actively participated in the acts charged by the prosecutor --namely, "organizing, systematizing, programming, financing or running " Pirate Bay. But Danowsky confronted Sunde with e-mail printouts taken in the 2006 police raid, which seemed to show that Sunde was more involved than he's acknowledged.

Carl Lundström, a wealthy 48-year old businessman, has a far more tenuous connection to the site, and he did not face any ideological questions on the stand. The prosecutor tried to tie Lundström to The Pirate Bay as a "co-owner," but Lundström claimed that he has only sold hosting and internet services to the site's operators.

Fredrik Neij, one of the young defendants, was hired by Lundström's CTO as a network technician in 2004, while Neij was already running the then-tiny filesharing site.

Lundström admitted giving The Pirate Bay's crew moral support and sympathy, but said he'd rejected becoming a business partner with them, finding the prospect too legally risky. "I didn't want to get into potential illegal things when I had 50 employees," he stated.

The court adjourned for the weekend, with testimony set to resume Tuesday afternoon. Among the scheduled witnesses is John Kennedy, the chairman of the International Federation of Phonographic Industries - the international version of the RIAA. The trial is expected to wrap up at the end of next week. The three civilian law judges, and a fourth professional judge, will decide the defendants' guilt or innocence by a majority vote. In the event of a tie, the professional judge's vote will prevail.

Friday night, Sunde will play DJ at a party arranged by the Pirate Bureau. Stockholm's digerati are expected to turn up to show support for The Pirate Bay.

Arrest Near In Chandra Levy Case?

This is an old one, I had completely forgot this one... nice to see that the police seem to be doing their job. Nice for Chandras family aswell I guess.

Reports: D.C. Police Eyeing Inmate In 2001 Murder Of Washington Intern

Authorities in Washington, D.C. may be close to an arrest in the murder of former government intern Chandra Levy, a case that made headlines, and brought down a congressman eight years ago.

There are reports that D.C. police have submitted evidence to the U.S. Attorney's Office in an effort to get an arrest warrant for a man identified as Ingmar Guandique.

He's behind bars, convicted of assaulting two women jogging in Washington's Rock Creek Park.

An inmate serving time with Guandique reportedly told investigators that Guandique told him he killed Levy, but Guandique is said to have told police he saw Levy in the park, but didn't harm her.

Levy was an intern at the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

She was 24 when she disappeared from her D.C. apartment. Her remains were found more than a year later in Rock Creek Park by a man walking his dog.

D.C. cops were sharply criticized at the time for saying they'd searched that park, and found nothing.

Levy's disappearance has remained a mystery ever since, but it also revealed an affair with then-California Rep. Gary Condit. That cost him his seat.

For many weeks, Condit appeared to be the prime suspect in her disappearance. For months, he said little about his relationship with Levy, except for repeating over and over that he had nothing to do with her death or disappearance.

On The Early Show Saturday Edition, CBS News legal analyst Lisa Bloom speculated a jailhouse snitch, like the one cited in news accounts, could have been the source of the new evidence police are apparently using to target Guandique.

"My guess would be two things," Bloom said. "One, new statements from the suspect behind bars, possibly linking him to Chandra Levy. The other would be developments in forensic science, which has grown by leaps and bounds in the last eight years. Maybe they have something new on him ... something linking him to the remains of Chandra Levy. When her remains were found in Rock Creek Park, they were highly decomposed. ... Nevertheless, hair, bone samples, dental records, something linking him to her remains. Otherwise, it's hard to understand what could be new -- statements perhaps made behind bars to other inmates, a jailhouse confession, something of that nature."

Canada Welcomes Obama On First Foreign Trip

I think America has a lot to learn from Canada. And I think Obama is the man who would listen and learn. Anyways Norhern American relations could sure do with some improvments and I reckon Barack will make it happen.

President Barack Obama tried to calm fears about American protectionism and assure Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that he wants to grow trade between the two nations during his first foreign trip as president, reports the AP.

Obama says he told the Canadian leader during talks in Ottawa that there is nothing in the stimulus package that would run counter to that goal.

Obama had caused some nervousness in Canada by pledging during the presidential campaign to renegotiate NAFTA, the trade agreement linking the U.S., Canada and Mexico, to get better labor and environmental standards.

Both leaders said Thursday that as economies around the world face challenges, it's important for the U.S. and others to resist calls for protectionism.


President Barack Obama touched down in Ottawa, Canada this morning for his first foreign visit as commander-in-chief.

The day-long trip is jampacked. So far, Obama has met with Canada's Governor-General, Michäelle Jean and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. In a longer lunch meeting later today, Obama will discuss a variety of issues including climate change, the Afghanistan War and trade with the leader of our northern neighbor, according to the Winnipeg Sun.

Obama made a quick entrance to Parliament Hill and failed to greet the crowd of more than 500 Canadians who gathered to catch a glimpse of the new president and prime minister, a Globe and Mail blog vented.

The two men waved ever so briefly to the assembled group from behind a newly-installed pexiglass. That's it. That's all. You can go home now.

Obama hopes to reconcile with Canada on the environmental issue, specifically, and repair the damage done by the Bush administration, the Globe and Mail reported.

A day earlier, Mr. Harper said Mr. Obama's presidency is ushering in a new era of North American co-operation against climate change after George W. Bush's inaction held back Canada's ability to tackle greenhouse-gas emissions.

In Mr. Obama's first foreign trip as President, the two leaders are expected to task officials with exploring North American co-operation on energy and the environment - which Mr. Harper's government hopes will be the first step to a broader pact.

The Washington Post reports that trade will be a major focus of the discussions today as well, especially in light of the "Buy American" clause in the newly passed Stimulus Plan that has ruffled some feathers in Canada.

A top Obama aide said this week that the president's main message to Harper will be to reassure Canadians that the United States intends to maintain a robust trading relationship with its neighbor.

"This is no time to -- for anybody to give the impression that somehow we are interested in less rather than more trade," said Denis McDonough, deputy national security adviser. "And that's what -- that's the message that he'll underscore."

Obama will also have a longer meeting with Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff to discuss border issues, Afghanistan and the environment, reported Canada TV.

"I don't think you advise the president of the United States, you defend Canadian interests and the key Canadian interest that I see is the border," Ignatieff said. "It's becoming a choke chain for both our economies and we have to work together to reduce the barriers between the United States and Canada."
The Globe and Mail reports that Ignatieff, who would like to be seen as a contender for the prime minister position, will benefit the most from Obama's visit because he will win valuable media time during his meeting with President Obama.

Every leader of the Opposition wants to be seen as a prime-minister-in-waiting. A presidential visit helps immensely, particularly for a leader who's still introducing himself to Canadians.

"It puts him on an equal level, at least in a visual sense, with an American president, and therefore makes him look like a stand-in for the head of government, so people can literally begin to visualize this person as prime minister," said Strategic Counsel pollster Peter Donolo.

'Slumdog' kids ready for the Oscars

Even if they don't win an Oscar this is proving to be a real rag-to-riches story. I realy hope it does change the lives of these kids and its not just conned out of them by someone else. Also the film has great so I hope to see them all acting in the future. But then again since I don't get to see that many Bollywood productions I will probably never see them again. Oh well, Good Luck


Two of the child actors from hit film "Slumdog Millionaire" are expected on the red carpet at Sunday's Oscars, experiencing riches and glamour a world away from their lives in Mumbai's shantytowns.
But who wins a coveted golden statuette under the bright lights of Hollywood's Kodak Theatre is largely immaterial for Azharuddin Mohammed Ismail, who plays the young Salim, elder brother of the film's central character Jamal.

He has more pressing concerns. The city authorities recently razed his family's neighbourhood.

"My hope is that we'll be able to get a house to live in," the boisterous 10-year-old told AFP TV at the tarpaulin-covered lean-to he now calls home before leaving for the United States.

"Slumdog Millionaire" has captivated audiences around the world with its rags-to-riches tale of true love lost and found, sweeping the board at the Golden Globes and Britain's BAFTAs, and bagging 10 Oscar nominations.

But concerns have been expressed that Azharuddin -- Azhar to his friends -- and nine-year-old Rubina Ali, who plays the younger version of Jamal's love interest Latika, still live in poverty in the sprawling slums.

There have also been court petitions and protests about the use of the word "slumdog" for being derogatory to slum-dwellers, as well as criticism of Western portrayals of Indian poverty.

About half of Mumbai lives and works in the patchwork of communities of precariously-built brick houses, bamboo and corrugated iron-roofed huts, many without running water and surrounded by open sewers and garbage dumps.

"Slumdog" director Danny Boyle, producer Christian Colson and others involved in the film insist that no offence was intended in the title and that they are providing for the two children.

Azhar and Rubina are currently attending an English-medium school for underprivileged children and a trust fund has been set up for them until they are 18. They also get a monthly stipend.

But the money Azhar earnt for filming has already gone to daily expenses, said his father, Mohammed Ismail Mohammed Usman, who sells cardboard to eke out a living.

"The only thing that happened was that I became well-known because of my son. That's it. Nothing else changed. My kid became a hero and I'm living like a zero. This is my shack," he said.

For India's film industry, Sunday's Oscars ceremony provides a chance to showcase the best of the country's talent, the chief executive of Fox Star Studios Vijay Singh told AFP.

It could also see the acclaimed composer A.R. Rahman, dubbed the "Mozart of Madras," become only the second Indian after filmmaker Satyajit Ray to win an Oscar.

Ray was given an honorary award just weeks before his death in 1992. Rahman is up for three awards in the best musical score and song categories.

Bollywood star Anil Kapoor, who plays the quizmaster in "Slumdog," said the British film with a cast of actors virtually unknown in the West was on a par with the 1982 epic "Gandhi," which won 11 Oscar nominations and eight awards.

"Sir Richard Attenborough did a great service to Mahatma Gandhi, his legacy and our country by making 'Gandhi.' But the kind of frenzy 'Slumdog' has evoked in the US is far bigger," he told the Hindustan Times daily Friday.

"It's like a tidal wave, a movement... almost historic."

For the winners, Oscar success brings fame and sometimes huge fortune. For Azhar, the stakes are much higher.

"Other people will see me in this film -- big, big people. If another good director sees me, then they may take me. This film will be very useful to me," he said.

Police photo of Rihanna leaked on the internet

Harrowing, or is it. Most pictures of celebreties out makeup look pretty bad, with dark circles around thier eyes and blemished skin. Im not saying Chris Brown didn't knock her about, but maybe it's not as bad as this picture portrays - you be the judge.

A harrowing image of Rihanna with deep bruises on either side of her forehead, blackened areas around her eyes and what appears to be blood at the corners of her mouth was posted Thursday night on the celebrity gossip site TMZ.com.

The picture matches descriptions of a police photo taken after the "Umbrella" singer's alleged assault at the hands of boyfriend Chris Brown on Feb. 8, the morning of the Grammys.

Police declined to deny its authenticity but issued a stern statement.

"The LAPD does not and will not release any victim's photos. It's that simple. We have not," said Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Jason Lee.

Brown, 19, was arrested on suspicion of making criminal threats while the Grammys carried on without his scheduled appearance. He was released on $50,000 bail.

Police never identified Rihanna, who turns 21 Friday, as Brown's alleged victim, saying only that an unidentified woman was "visibly injured" when they responded to a 911 call and found her battered and alone on a street in Hancock Park.

Barbados-born Rihanna, a striking beauty regularly photographed with a megawatt smile, has not confirmed the assault publicly but is cooperating with police, a music industry source told the Daily News

Brown issued a statement of apology and said he would seek counseling.

The Los Angeles District Attorney is expected to review the case before Brown's March 5 court date and make a decision on formal charges.

Jade Goody, British Reality Star, Dying Of Cancer On TV

I say - Good on ya Jade! I myself cant stand the woman, but media addiceted as I am I will be following the story. And if anyone cared enough about my death to pay me millions of dollars for the story - I would be cashing in too, for my family. It´s a tragic story but hopfully her kids will benefit from it and also get to choose thier own involvment with the media.

LONDON — A brash British reality show star whose ups and downs captivated the nation is approaching her death the same way she has lived _ on television.

Dying of cervical cancer that has spread to her liver and bowels, 27-year-old Jade Goody sees no reason to turn the cameras off now.

Her first foray into the spotlight was in 2002, when she lost at strip poker on Britain's version of "Big Brother." She went on to write her autobiography, star in fitness videos, release a perfume and appear on "Celebrity Big Brother," where she was accused of racism and bullying a Bollywood star, Shilpa Shetty.

To make amends, she went to India last summer to star in its version of "Big Brother." It was there _ in a shocking diagnosis captured on television _ that she found out about her cancer.

Bald and pale from chemotherapy, pictures of Goody have since been daily fodder in the British press. She says the publicity and profits made from selling her story will help her sons, 4-year-old Freddie and 5-year-old Bobby Jack, and raise awareness of cervical cancer.

On Thursday, a television show documented the weeks before she learned she only has months to live. On Sunday, the cameras will roll at her wedding to 21-year-old boyfriend, Jack Tweed _ recently released from prison after serving time for assault and wearing an electronic monitor. Goody will take her vows in a designer dress donated by Harrods owner, Mohamed Al Fayed.

While neither are scheduled to air in the U.S., video clips of her wedding shopping spree and cancer battle _ including one where she breaks into sobs as she stares at her balding head in her bathroom mirror _ have been widely viewed on YouTube. Photos of the nuptials are to be printed in OK! magazine, which along with television deals are believed to have earned Goody $1.4 million.

Her actual death is not expected to be televised or photographed, her publicist said.

People will say I'm doing this for money," Goody told the Sun tabloid earlier this month. "And they're right. I am, but not to buy flash cars or big houses. It's for my sons' future."

Some have said Goody should spend time with her family rather than staying in the spotlight. But most have also praised her commitment to her sons and her effort to draw attention to the need for regular Pap smears, which can catch cervical cancer in its early, treatable stages.

"I may have questioned the wisdom of Jade treating the media as confidantes in her final days," wrote Allison Pearson in the conservative Daily Mail. "But I have nothing but respect for her decision to accumulate enough money for the boys to enjoy the very best education."

The media, who are now so firmly in Goody's corner, were not always so kind. She was ridiculed for being vulgar, uneducated and crass; even after her cancer diagnosis, it was suggested she was capitalizing on her illness to regain the public's affection.

From the beginning, Goody's tortured childhood provided kindling for reality TV. She grew up in a tough part of London, the daughter of drug users. Her father, who served time in prison, died from a drug overdose.

With her in-your-face attitude and willingness to share the tawdriest details of her life, the buxom brunette both fascinated and repelled Britain. Her lack of education sometimes made her an object of ridicule, such as when she asked where the English region of East Anglia _ less than a two-hour drive from London _ is located, and pronounced it "East Angular."

"She's a kind of product of our time," said her publicist Max Clifford. "I suppose, when I started out, it was all about talent, but Jade was the one who proved that you don't need to have talent to be someone in Britain today. She's famous for just being herself."

There was admiration, even from the prime minister, for Goody's sheer determination to make a better life for herself.

"It's very sad and indeed tragic that someone so young has got this deadly disease of cancer and it's very sad indeed that the treatment that has been given has not been successful," Gordon Brown said Wednesday at his monthly news conference.

"I think everyone has their own ways of dealing with these problems and her determination to help her family is something that we've got to applaud," he said. "I wish her well and I wish her family well and I think the whole country will be worried and anxious about her health."

The Guardian newspaper _ which appeals to the left-leaning intelligentsia _ weighed in on Goody's decision to publicize her impending death, praising her for confronting her mortality.

"The ostentatious rituals of mourning and public graveyards of earlier eras are not part of modern life," it said in an editorial. "Today, mortality is as finite as before, but has somehow been marginalized."

In Bermondsey, the neighborhood near London Bridge where Goody grew up, residents still consider her one of their own. Nearly all support her choice to stay in the spotlight.

"She's like one of us. We all feel for her. It's not fair," said 40-year-old Janine Stacy, a special education teacher. "It's totally her choice."

Clifford said that Goody may consider doing other deals after the wedding. "We are in discussions to do a final documentary ... She's very keen to do it, providing she's well enough," he said.

New York Post Chimp Cartoon Racist or Not?

Im going to have to side with the New York post on this one: With all the hassle of going back and forth amending and re-amending you would think they had a team of monkeys employed on the hill figuring this all out. There in lies the joke.

That Barack Obama happens to be an African American and that racists have likend them to monkeys is in this case irrelevant. It would be ok to ridicule George Bush, because he is just an idiot. Easy target - George, you monkey!

We still need to be able to be satirical about our government, race, religion or species.

A cartoon likening the author of the stimulus bill, perhaps President Barack Obama, with a rabid chimpanzee graced the pages of the New York Post on Wednesday.

The drawing, from famed cartoonist Sean Delonas, is rife with violent imagery and racial undertones. In it, two befuddled-looking police officers holding guns look over the dead and bleeding chimpanzee that attacked a woman in Stamford, Connecticut.

"They'll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill," reads the caption.

An email to Delonas and a call to the New York Post went unreturned. The cartoon appears both on the New York Post website and page 12 of the Wednesday paper.

At its most benign, the cartoon suggests that the stimulus bill was so bad, monkeys may as well have written it. Others believe it compares the president to a rabid chimp. Either way, the incorporation of violence and (on a darker level) race into politics is bound to be controversial. Perhaps that's what Delonas wanted.

Rev. Al Sharpton has weighed in on the cartoon in a statement:
"The cartoon in today's New York Post is troubling at best given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys. One has to question whether the cartoonist is making a less than casual reference to this when in the cartoon they have police saying after shooting a chimpanzee that "Now they will have to find someone else to write the stimulus bill."

"Being that the stimulus bill has been the first legislative victory of President Barack Obama (the first African American president) and has become synonymous with him it is not a reach to wonder are they inferring that a monkey wrote the last bill?"

Woman mauled by pet chimp Travis in critical condition after surgery at Conn. hospital

This is truly scary - have they not seen the film Link? Everyone knows that chimpanzees can be vicious animals. It sure does bring into focus the laws (or lack of) that allows individuals to keepp these beasts in thier homes. And in this case the ape had escaped and caused mayhem on previous occasions. Why where they allowed to keep it? It is a wild animal.

The Connecticut woman brutally mauled by a gigantic pet ape remained in critical condition Tuesday, officials said.

Charla Nash, 55, suffered massive injuries to her face and hands after her friend's 200-pound chimp, Travis, suddenly pounced on her Monday.

Nash had surgery last night at Stamford Hospital and was doing "okay," her sister-in-law, Kate Nash said.

Nash suffered what Stamford Mayor Daniel Malloy described as "life-changing, if not life-threatening injuries" after Travis got his hands on house keys and escaped from his home.

Travis attacked Nash as soon as she got out of her car to try to help his owner, Sandy Herold, get the ape back in his cage, said Stamford, Conn., police Capt. Rich Conklin.

Herold, stabbed Travis with a butcher knife and struck him with a shovel in a bid to end his rampage, police said.

But the normally docile chimp, who starred in a TV commercial for Old Navy cargo shorts and enjoyed human activities like drinking wine and surfing the Internet, could not be stopped.
When cops drove up around 4 p.m., the burly ape tore off a cruiser's side mirror and opened the door.

The officers had "nowhere to retreat," Conklin said, and shot him several times.

Bleeding from stab wounds and gunshots, 15-year-old Travis staggered down the driveway and into Herold's house, where he collapsed and died in a zoolike cage the size of a room.

Conklin said it wasn't clear what set the chimp off, but theorized Travis' bout with Lyme disease - which can cause panic attacks, paranoia, personality changes and mood swings in people - could be connected. Travis was taking medication for the disease, Conklin said.

"These actions have not been seen in the chimpanzee before. This animal had been raised as a member of the family," Conklin said.

Herold, 70, had given the pyscho simian tea with Xanax to calm him down just before Nash arrived, cops said, and called 911 as the chimp mauled her friend.

A 911 dispatcher could hear the animal screaming in the background as he ripped into the victim.
Herold told cops that Travis may not have recognized Charla Nash because she wore her normally long, flowing hair up Monday.

Herold and her husband, Jerome, who treated Travis almost like a child after the death of their daughter more than a decade ago, were distraught.

Conklin said the couple had owned Travis for close to 14 years.

Herold's friend Lynn Mecca said Travis had known Charla Nash for years.
"I don't know why he would do that," she said.

But Mecca's ex-husband Don Mecca said the ape had a mean streak and often was aggressive. He said he had warned Nash to be careful around Travis. "I told her, 'Charla, don't get close to that monkey when he is not in that cage,'" Mecca said.

Nash's brother Steve said his sister was aware Travis could be moody.
Travis was known to the town cops because they worked with the Herolds' towing company, Desire Me Towing. He would ride in the trucks, waving.

When the Herolds' daughter was killed in a car crash, the ape appeared to mourn, holding her photo sadly, they told the paper.

In October 2003, the chimp made headlines when he jumped out of his owners' SUV and commandeered a major intersection, holding cops at bay for two hours.

Travis had been in the vehicle when it stopped at a light, and someone in the next vehicle threw something at him, hitting him through an open window.

He unbuckled his seat belt and jumped out of the vehicle, wanting to play.
Cops arrived in a dozen cruisers but could not corral Travis, who was capering in the street, occasionally rolling on his back and charging at officers.

Officers, who had no tranquilizer gun, tried using cookies, macadamia nuts and ice cream to lure Travis into a cruiser. Nothing worked until he tired and got back into the Herolds' SUV.

No charges were filed in that case. It is not illegal to own an exotic pet in Connecticut.
"That was more mischievous than vicious," Conklin said. "It became something of a legend."
Travis was also something of a celebrity in his younger days.

He co-starred with Morgan Fairchild in an Old Navy ad, filmed a TV pilot and appeared on "The Maury Povich Show."

"Our closest relatives, we would like to think they can be domesticated," Malloy said Monday night.
"Unfortunately, this is not always the case."

'American Idol' selects first 3 finalists

I havn't actually seen this years Idol contestants. but is it not getting a bit boring? Its the same thing over and over, with Simon Cowell insulting people, trying to get a reaction out of people.

Borinng!

Tatiana Del Toro had something else to cry about. The emotional 28-year-old crooner from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was one of nine "American Idol" semifinalists sent packing Wednesday. Del Toro, whom judge Simon Cowell called a "drama queen" after her performance Tuesday, bawled after she wasn't selected to continue in the "Fox" singing competition.

"It's up to America," she told host Ryan Seacrest before the results. "It's up to the power of love."

No tears were shed by the first three finalists of season eight: Alexis Grace, the soulful 21-year-old single mother from Memphis, Tenn.; Michael Sarver, the beefy 27-year-old oil rig worker from Jasper, Texas; and Danny Gokey, the spikey-haired 28-year-old church music director from Milwaukee. The trio received the most viewer votes.

Recent widower Gokey overwhelmed the judges with Mariah Carey's "Hero" at the conclusion of Tuesday's ho-hum performance episode. They were also impressed with Grace's take on Aretha Franklin's "Never Loved a Man," comparing her to first "Idol" Kelly Clarkson. Sarver, who sang Gavin Degraw's "I Don't Wanna Be," received a mixed reaction from the panel.

"I think if you get through, it's because people like you," Cowell told Sarver on Tuesday.

Next week, 12 more semifinalists will vie for three spots in the competition's top 12, but Del Toro and the other dismissed semifinalists, such as Anoop Desai and Ricky Braddy, may have another chance. After the first nine finalists are selected by viewer votes, the judges will pick the last three finalists following a wild card round March 5.

Bristol Palin Interview: Hardly the Typical Teen Pregnancy Hardship Story

Boohoo.. This is a good article though, read it. Poor little Bristol should read up on little Alfie Patten for advice on teen pregnancies, or not. And 50 out of 1000 births is not considerd low in europe where the UK has one of the highest with 28 and low and behold Sweden, one of the most unreligious (and therefore imoral) countrys in the world has 7 teen pregnancys per 1000 births.
In fact the US has one of the highest in the developed world. Why

The New York Times blog, the Caucus, noted today that Bristol Palin sat for her "first interview since giving birth to Tripp" last night when she went on the air with FOX's Greta Sustern. Bristol Palin is the 18 year old daughter of former vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor Sarah Palin. Sarah Palin created a public stir when she announced during the presidential campaign that her teen daughter was pregnant.

But back to the Bristol Palin interview. First interview? Since when do we expect teens whose only public "accomplishment" is becoming pregnant out of wedlock and giving birth to give series of interviews? Do we expect that teens like Bristol Palin who make the mistake of unintentionally becoming pregnant become some sort of instant experts on teen pregnancy?

Other than the tabloid factor, why should anyone care what this one particular teenage mom says about teen pregnancy? Bristol Palin is one of hundreds of thousands of teens who experience teen pregnancy each year. Is there anything that makes her story compelling?

And what sort of expert is Bristol Palin on the occurrence of teen pregnancy? In her interview with van Sustern, Bristol Palin says abstinence is the best policy but it's not realistic. When pressed for a reason, Palin finally said that it [having sex] is so accepted now.

Perhaps Bristol Palin did not get the word that teen pregnancy is in fact near a historic low although it did increase slightly in 2006. According to the Centers for Disease Control, of the 41.9 live births per 1000 women ages 15-19 in 2006 (435.427 total), 80% were unintended.

Is Bristol Palin even close to typical? No. The typical pregnant teen- unlike Bristol Palin- receives minimal prenatal care. The typical pregnant teen- unlike Bristol Palin whose mother is a governor- lives in poverty. And Bristol Palin has a large network of extended relatives to help her care for her baby so she can continue her schooling, unlike the average pregnant teen who drops out of school. Smoking, low birthweight, these are issues associated with teen pregnancy- issues off Bristol Palin's radar.

Bristol Palin may be losing some sleep and be adjusting to her new identity as mom first, teen second, but she is hardly the face of teen pregnancy in America.

The Bristol Palin interview added nothing to the national discussion of causes or prevention of teen pregnancy. Greta van Sustern of FOX may believe she attained a quasi celebrity coup by interviewing Bristol Palin, but if she wanted to know the true hardship of teen pregnancy, she should have chosen a more typical pregnant teen to interview.

Obama signs stimulus bill, readies homeowner plan

Lots of news of stimulus bill being signed awaiting aproval, being approved, being amended. Mean while we are all sitting here waiting for the results. How long will it take is the real question!

President Barack Obama put his own indelible imprint on the nation's distressed economy Tuesday, signing the huge recovery package into law, readying a $50 billion proposal to help homeowners fend off foreclosure and awaiting emergency restructuring plans from flailing automakers. Obama said the sprawling legislation, which congressional Democrats pushed to passage last week over near-unanimous opposition from Republicans, would "set our economy on a firmer foundation."

Obama's first major piece of legislation, it's a $787 billion mix of tax cuts and one of the biggest public spending programs since World War II.

"I don't want to pretend that today marks the end of our economic problems. Nor does it constitute all of what we have to do to turn our economy around. But today does mark the beginning of the end, the beginning of what we need to do to create jobs for Americans scrambling in the wake of layoffs," Obama said.

The setting for the signing was the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, with solar panels on its roof, underscoring the investments the new law will make in "green" energy-related jobs. Workers in solar, wind, and other renewable-energy industries joined Obama and Vice President Joe Biden at the bill-signing ceremony.

Presidential spokesman Robert Gibbs told reporters the White House was open-minded about another stimulus effort. But he stressed that there were no plans in the works for one.

Meanwhile, General Motors Corp. and Chrysler LLC raced to complete recovery plans they were due to submit as part of their deal to receive billions of dollars in government loans. It was not clear they would make Tuesday's deadline.

The two automakers have been living off a combined $13.4 billion in federal bailout loans. They must persuade the administration that they can remain viable. Detroit's third major automaker, Ford Motor Co., did not request government help.

With the economy dominating Obama's first weeks in office, the president on Wednesday will unveil another part of his recovery effort — a $50 billion plan to help stem foreclosures.

All the activity also is allowing Obama to get away from Washington, with its intense partisan wrangling, and be cheered by people who may benefit from the huge government intervention.

Obama planned to outline his plan to help struggling homeowners in a speech in Arizona, one of the states hardest hit by home foreclosures that are at the center of the nation's economic woes.

The $50 billion program was mentioned last week by Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner as part of a wide-ranging financial-sector rescue plan that could send $2 trillion coursing through the financial system. But details were not announced at the time.

Obama's announcement is expected to include details about how the administration plans to prod the mortgage industry to do more in modifying the terms of home loans so borrowers have lower monthly payments.

More than 2.3 million homeowners faced foreclosure proceedings last year, an 81 percent increase from 2007, and analysts say that number could soar as high as 10 million in the coming years, depending on the severity of the recession.

As for Tuesday's stimulus package, it will pump money into highway, bridge and other infrastructure projects, health care, renewable energy development and conservation.

It includes a $400 tax break for most individual workers and $800 for couples, including those who do not earn enough to pay income taxes. It will distribute tens of billions of dollars to states so they can head off deep cuts and layoffs and will provide financial incentives for people to start buying again, from first homes to new cars to shoes and cereal. It also provides help to poor people and laid-off workers, with increased unemployment benefits and food stamps, and subsides for health insurance.

Separately, GM and Chrysler raced to finish restructuring plans to present to the federal government but seemed unlikely to complete deals with debtholders and union workers by the government-imposed deadline on Tuesday.

Gibbs, Obama's press secretary, told reporters aboard Air Force One that he wouldn't rule out bankruptcy for Detroit automakers. Gibbs said the administration looks forward to reviewing GM and Chrysler's restructuring plans. Gibbs said it is important for the economy to have a strong and viable auto industry and that it's up to automakers to make choices about what is most helpful to their recovery.

GM earlier received $9.4 billion in government loans and Chrysler $4 billion. GM picked up the second installment of its loans, $4 billion, on Tuesday, according to Gibbs.

The Obama team had weighed appointing a "car czar." But Sunday night, the White House instead announced a task force to oversee the companies' restructuring.

The back-to-back government moves to try to lift the economy from a crippling recession had been eagerly awaited by Wall Street. But with the programs now being put in place, investors seemed concerned the impact might not be fast enough or big enough and stocks tumbled on Tuesday to near their November lows.

A-Rod: Cousin gave me drugs

Aha! so it was the cousin who done it. or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the rope?
Or perhaps it was mr Rodriguez himself? And who cares if its Bola or boli. BooYa!
It was six years ago, can we move on now?

Alex Rodriguez said on Tuesday that he was injected with steroids from 2001-03 by a cousin who purchased the drugs in the Dominican Republic, but he denied knowing they were steroids, didn't know how they impacted his performance and refused to name his cousin.

Rodriguez made the comments in a packed, emotional, 35-minute press conference at the Yankees' spring training complex in Tampa, Fla.

"I didn't think they were steroids," Rodriguez said. "That's part of being young and stupid. It was over the counter. It was pretty basic. It was amateur hour.... It was two guys doing a very amateur thing ... All these years I never thought I did something wrong."

Rodriguez said his cousin injected him twice a month for three years. He later clarified that it could have been fewer than twice a month or more than twice a month in certain months.

"It was injected," he said. "To what degree it helped, I don't know." He did admit he had more energy.

Ripped Fuel
Rodriguez also said he used Ripped Fuel, an off-the-shelves muscle-building supplement created by a Hauppauge-based company called Twinlab, during his years with the Seattle Mariners.

Ripped Fuel was eventually taken off the shelves because it contained ephedra, an amphetamine that stimulates the central nervous system and was cited in the death of Baltimore pitcher Steve Bechler in February 2003. Twinlab went bankrupt later that year and their Hauppauge office closed in 2005.

A-Rod said his cousin procured the drugs from the Dominican Republic at his request.

"He basically took instructions from me. He thought he was doing something that was helpful, not hurtful."

Primabolan
He said in 2001 his cousin told him about a substance he could buy that would give him a boost. Rodriguez said it was known "on the streets" as "boli" or "bola." He said his cousin was also the person who injected him with the drug.

"Bowl-ee" or "bowl-ah," as pronounced by Rodriguez, apparently is steroid-user's slang either for Primabolan or Dianabol, both anabolic steroids banned as performance-enhancing substances by baseball.

"We consulted no one," Rodriguez said. "It was pretty evident we didn't know what we were doing. . . I didn't think they were steroids. I know we weren't taking Tic Tacs. It could potentially be something that perhaps was wrong."

"It was basically amateur hour," Rodriguez said. "We used to do it about two times a month. I don't even know if that's the right way to take it."

"He's a huge investment. So he's an asset, and this is an asset that's currently in crisis," general manager Brian Cashman said. "So we will do everything we can to protect that asset. ... If this is Humpty Dumpty, we've got to put him back together again, to get back up on the wall."

Rodriguez held his first news conference since a Feb. 7 Sports Illustrated report that he tested positive for steroids in 2003. In an interview with ESPN's Peter Gammons Feb. 9, Rodriguez admitted his steroid use from 2001-03 while with the Texas Rangers, but he was not specific about what he used or for how long. He also claimed not to know what he was taking.

SI.com reported Rodriguez tested positive for two anabolic steroids, testosterone and Primobolan, in 2003.

A-Rod started the press conference on Tuesday by saying, "First, bear with me. I'm a little nervous - or a lot nervous." Then he read a prepared statement. After that, he took questions from the 200 or so assembled media members.

Rodriguez, 33, has been called one of the greatest baseball players of all time and has long been considered a lock for the Hall of Fame. Rodriguez, who is on pace to break the all-time home run record, is a career .306 hitter with 553 home runs, 1,606 RBIs and 1,605 runs scored -- plus nine years left on his Yankees contract.

Rodriguez was joined by Yankees officials Hank Steinbrenner, Felix Lopez, Cashman, manager Joe Girardi and teammates, including Derek Jeter, Andy Pettitte, Mariano Rivera, Jorge Posada and Johnny Damon.

Specifically addressing his teammates, Rodriguez said, "I thank you, I love you. I look forward to putting this day behind us and having an amazing season."

"After today," Rodriguez said, "I hope to put this behind me and focus on baseball."

The Simpsons' new opening sequence

Check out the new Simpsons opening sequence as it aired in HD last night.
It's pretty cool. There are a lot more charachters added and they will probably shorten it later but here it is in all its yellow tanned glory



After 20 years the Simpsons have changed their opening sequence. Tonight the show had its premier in HD and with it brought the first revamp of the main titles since 1989.

While some of the old parts remain (Bart still writes on the chalk board, Lisa still saxes her way out of music class, and Homer still throws radioactive material down his shirt) most of it has changed to catch up on 20-seasons worth of character additions. Apu's octuplets now appear in the opening as do Maggie's nemesis, the unibrow baby, and the crazy Texan millionaire, all added since the original sequence was created.

As a side note to fans, check out Marge's groceries, they have changed to include tomacco juice, and Mr. Sparkle detergent.