Archive for December, 2006

James Mee was the office who arrested Mel Gibson for driving under the influence earlier this year. He is now claiming that his supervisors have been harassing him since the reports of Gibson’s tirade appeared in the media.

According to his attorney, Richard Shinee, he was interrogated, transferred to a different department, and had his home raided. Shinee said, “His life and career would be a lot different had he not made that arrest.”

A spokesman for the Sheriff’s department denied the allegations.

Gibson was arrested on July 29, 2006 for DUI. A report of Gibson’s arrest appeared on a celebrity website and quoted Gibson as saying “The Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world.”

Gibson has been making the rounds on the apology circuit since. There was much controversy about whether Gibson should be nominated for any awards for his movie “Apocalypto” after his tirade.

Your Therapy:

Isn’t this always the way these kinds of things go down. The guy that that did the crime goes on to make millions with a new movie and the guy that is just doing his job gets crapped on.

Of course it could be argued that Mee would be a prime suspect to have released this type of information. That is pure speculation on my part but it makes sense.

My take is you have celebrities who can get away with murder and cops that don’t follow their own regulations. How did this arrest report get on a celebrity news site? Oh well it washes out in the end. The celebs are going to get their personal stuff leaked but at least they have the bank to get out of trouble.

According to the Global Language Monitor, a company that tracks these sorts of things, here is a list of the top ten global catch phrases for the year 2006

1. Stay the Course – the Bush administration’s appeal to keep going in Iraq.

2. If I Did it – The title for OJ’s book about how he would have done it if he did do it

3. # – ) text speak for I’m wasted (drunk).

4. Airline Pulp – The Chinglish (Chinese/English Hybrid) word for airline food.

5. Serial Texter – a person who texts A LOT.

6. Global Warming – broken record of environmental alarmism

7. Keeping Parents Clueless – KPC – shorthand text notation for the act of keeping parents in the dark.

8. Brokeback Mountain – The movie about gay cowboys has launched a thousand bad jokes.

9. Come and Get it Fast – McDonald’s Chinese translation of ‘fast food’.

10. “You’re going to Hollywood!” – American Idol tag line

For your reference here are the top 10 phrases of 2005

1. Out of the Mainstream – politicians trying to discredit their opponents

2. Bird Flu/Avian Flu – new strain of flu

3. Politically Correct

4. North/South Divide – geographical separation between “have” and “have-nots”

5. Purple Finger/Thumb – Iraqi votes a digit stained purple to show they voted

6. Climate Change – (Or Global Warming.)

7. String Theory – The idea that the universe is actually constructed of 11 or more dimensions.

8. The Golden Quatrilateral – India’s new superhighway that links its major cities

9. Jumping the Couch – losing control like Tom Cruise on Oprah

10. Deferred Success – the idea in Britain that there is no failure just deferred success

Source: http://www.languagemonitor.com/

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Keith Urban got a brief break from his bust rehab routine to visit his wife Nicole Kidman. Urban entered treatment on October 19th and was expected to stay 35 to 40 days but he is still undergoing treatment.

Urban check himself in to the Betty Ford clinic after throwing an after bar bash at the home he shares with this wife. Apparently Nicole’s kids were home at the time. Also an ex-flame, Amanda Wyatt, was at the party. In a developing story Amanda has allegedly claimed that Keith was having an affair with her up until the day before he married Nicole.

Keith issued this statement before entering rehab. “I deeply regret the hurt this has caused Nicole and the ones who love and support me. One can never let one’s guard down on recovery, and I’m afraid that I have.”

We will keep you posted on the developing situation. Meanwhile here is a nice picture to remind you of happier times.

Former President Gerald R. Ford has passed away at age 93. He had been experiencing health problems since early in this decade.

Gerald Ford was actually born Leslie Lynch King, Jr. in Omaha, Nebraska. His father was abusive and his parents divorced soon after he was born. His mother later married Gerald Rudolff Ford and his mother referred to him as Gerald Ford, Jr. Ford later officially changed his name.

Ford attended College at the University of Michigan and played football. He turned down contracts with the National Football League in order to attend law school. He graduated from Yale law school in 1941.

Ford was initially against World War II, but signed up for the Navy after Pearl Harbor was attacked. He served on the aircraft carrier Monterey until it was damaged by a fire and sent to dry dock. Ford was then assigned to the athletic department where he coached football.

Ford married Elizabeth Bloomer Warren, better known as Betty, in 1948. They had four children together.

After the war Ford became active in politics and won a seat in the House of Representatives. During his campaign, he promised farmers he would help them with their chores if they elected him. After his election he came back and fulfilled his promise.

Ford came to the presidency in a very odd way. He is the only person to server as President who was not elected either President or Vice President. After Vice President Spiro Agnew’s resignation in 1973, Nixon nominated Ford for the job. A year later, President Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal and Ford became the 38^th President of the United States. Of course, the pardon of Richard Nixon is one of the most famous incidences in Ford’s tenure. It is thought that the pardon probably cost Ford the election in 1976.

Ford was the longest lived president, Ronald Reagan was the runner-up. Ford lived 29 years and 11 months after the end of his presidency which is second only to Herbert Hoover. Ford was also the last surviving member of the Warren Commission, the committee that investigated the assassination of John F. Kennedy.

Ford is pictured below with Chief of Staff Don Rumsfeld and his assistant Dick Cheney.

Donald Trump is suing Palm Beach, Florida after his club, the Mar-a-Lago, was cited for flying an oversized flag.

“The Donald” is claiming that flying the enormous flag is a constitutionally protected freedom. Trump is quoted as saying “The day you need a permit to put up the American flag, that will be a sad day for this country.”

According to the suit, “A smaller flag and pole on Mar-A-Lago’s property would be lost given its massive size, look silly instead of make a statement, and most importantly would fail to appropriately express the magnitude of Donald J. Trump’s and the Club’s members’ patriotism.”

Palm Beach officials say that Trump violated the local zoning ordinances by flying the flag. The flag measured 15 high by 25 wide and was hoisted atop an eighty foot flag pole. Apparently town ordinances prevent flag poles higher than 42 feet. The club was also sited for not getting a building permit and for not getting permission from the landmarks committee.

Trump’s attorneys are accusing the town of selectively enforcing its ordinances.

Your Therapy:

It seems Donald’s finally found a symbol big enough to represent his ego. This suit is crazy both because zoning ordinances are a bit ridiculous and because Trump is suing for ten million. I don’t really understand what Trump is suing over. Can’t a town enforce its own rules?

James Brown, age 73, passed away on Christmas day. The cause of death is heart failure brought on by pneumonia.

Brown was most famous for his singing but was also a songwriter, band-leader and record producer. His music ranged from gospel to rhythm and blues, soul and funk. He was a major influence in most of these genres and influenced yet many more like hip-hop , rock and jazz.

Brown picked cotton and shined shoes to earn money as a youth. He was convicted of armed robbery at the age of sixteen and served time in a juvenile detention center where he met Bobby Byrd, who would turn out to be Brown’s sideman.

Brown also tried boxing and baseball pitching before he focused on music.

“Try Me” was Brown’s first number one hit in 1958. He followed up with “Papa’s Got a Brand New Bag” and “I Got You (I Feel Good)” in 1965.

In the later part of the sixties Brown became more socially active with songs like “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud.” This activity seemed to alienate some of his white audience and limited some of his airplay.

The seventies saw Brown improve his art and he released songs like “The Payback”; “Stoned to the Bon”; “Papa Don’t Take No Mess”; Funky President (People It’s Bad)” and “Get Up Offa That Thing.”

Brown’s popularity declined in the late 70’s and early 80’s. However he came back in the late 80’s with appearances in movies like “The Blues Brothers” and “Rocky IV.” He had a hit in 1985 called “Living in America.”

Brown ran into legal problems. In 1988 he was arrested after a high speed car chase in Augusta, Georgia. He was convicted on firearms charges, PCP possession and use and fleeing police. Legal problems continued for Brown through the nineties and the next millennia. Most of his problems were related to drug use and domestic abuse charges.

During this time Brown kept working and recording.

Brown’s awards include induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1986. He won a lifetime achievement award at the Grammy awards in 1986. In 2006 he was inducted into the UK Music Hall of Fame.

Brown was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004. The cancer was cured with surgery.

Brown was admitted to the hospital on Christmas Eve after a dentist visit revealed he had severe pneumonia. He died on Christmas Day of heart failure, a complication of the pneumonia. James’s last words were purported to be “I’m going away tonight.”

Gwen Stephanie fell of the list. Christina Aguilera was the big gainer, going from 11 to number 8. Nelly Furtoda moved onto the top 10 at number 7.

1. Beyonce – Irreplaceable

2. Fergie – Fergalicious

3. Akon Featuring Eminem – Smack That

4. Akon Featuring Snoop Dogg – I Wanna Love You

5. Justin Timberlake Featuring T.I. – My Love

6. The Fray – How To Save A Life

7. Nelly Furtado – Say It Right

8. Hinder – Lips Of An Angel

9. Christina Aquilera – Hurt

10. Nickelback – Far Away

-source: www.billboard.com Issue Date 2006-12-30

Prosecutor Mike Nifong has dropped the rape charges against the three Duke Lacrosse players accused of assaulting a stripper at a team party.

Nifong filed papers in court stating that the stripper is not sure if she was penetrated during the alleged incident. According to the papers, “the State is unable to meet its burden of proof with respect to this offense.”

However the three players still face sexual offense and kidnapping charges. The sexual offense charge has the same penalty, 40 years maximum, as rape in North Carolina.

A week ago is was revealed that Nifong tried to withhold the results a DNA test that showed none of the players DNA was found on or in the accuser. However, genetic material from several other males was found in or on her underwear and body.

Also it was recently revealed that the accuser just had a baby slightly more than nine months after the alleged incident.

These recent revelations have brought into question the accusers credibility. Defense Attorneys allege that the woman has changed her story many times and that there are close to 12 different stories of the rape.

Mr. Nifong was not answering questions from the media at the time of this story.

The Hood Country Sheriff has called off the search for the remaining two missing climbers.

Sheriff Joe Wampler said, “The chance of survival is pretty nil. I don’t think I can justify putting any more people in the field with the hope of finding them alive.”

Wampler had received a tip from a snow-shoer who thought they spotted a yellow tent. Wampler flew a plane up to the mountain top to check the report. The tent turned out to be a rock.

Operations will now turn to recovery of the bodies. Planes will still search for the bodies of the missing men, but typically bodies aren’t found until spring.

Not much is known about what happened on the mountain. Evidence suggests that Kelly James, the climber found dead in an ice cave, might have been injured and the other two climbers might have gone for help. The other climbers might have fallen or have been buried by an avalanche.

Many of the volunteer searchers will return to their normal lives and National Guard helicopters will return to their bases.

Scholastic, the U.S. publisher of J.K Rowling has announced the name of the latest and last Harry Potter book.

“Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows” will be the final book in the series. A publication date has not been set as Rowling is still working on the book.

A note from the author on her website said “”I’m now writing scenes that have been planned, in some cases, for a dozen years or even more.” She continued, “I don’t think anyone who has not been in a similar situation can possibly know how this feels: I am alternately elated and overwrought. I both want, and don’t want, to finish this book (don’t worry, I will.)”

The previous books in order of publication:

1. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
2. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
3. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
4. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
6. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince