THURSDAY, JULY 25
DEATH TOLL CLIMBS TO 77 IN SPANISH TRAIN DERAILMENT.
Spanish government officials told the nation’s newspaper El Pais the death toll stood at 77 late Wednesday night after a high-speed train derailed near the city of Santiago de Compostela in northwest Spain at around 8:40p local time, with more than 100 injured. The train was carrying 218passengers and was about an hour away from completing a six-hour trip from Madrid when it derailed as it was speeding around a curve. Emergency personnel and fellow passengers alike were seen pulling bodies out of broken windows and damaged doors. One witness said, “The train was broken in half. Officials are investigating the cause of the crash but do not believe terrorism was involved.
HOUSE REJECTS BILL AIMED AT LIMITING NSA POWERS.
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives Wednesday voted down a proposal that would have put restrictions on the scope of the National Security Agency’s phone surveillance program that many liberals and conservatives argue is too intrusive. In a rare display of agreement on any subject, President Barack Obama and House Speaker John Boehner both defend the NSA’a use of telephone and internet surveillance, and the normally combative political foes joined forces to reject the proposal voted on in the House yesterday, which was defeated 217-205.
OBAMA ADMINISTRATION DELAYS DELIVERY OF FIGHTERS TO EGYPT.
The Obama administration Wednesday sent the Egyptian military a clear sign it expects a rapid restoration of civilian rule following the ouster of President Mohamed Morsy by deciding to delay the delivery of four F-16 fighter jets to Egypt. President Barack Obama has expressed his unease about the removal of Egypt’s first democratically elected president and has ordered a full review of U.S. law regarding financial assistance to the strategically important Middle East country. So far, the administration has not categorized the removal of Morsy as a military coup, which could slash over $1 billion in U.S. aid, if the Morsy’s ouster was defined in that matter. The four jets are part of a $1.3 billion arms package.
INCREASED WARMING IN ARTIC COULD COST $60 TRILLION.
Green appears to be the new white in the Arctic Circle, where scientists are seeing more plant life as warming continues to melt the region, while governments and corporations see more greenbacks in the future with new shipping routes opening and the prospect increases of searching for and discovering new sources of energy. Meanwhile, experts warn the pace of climate change could increase drastically by the release of methane gas in the region’s permafrost – a risk to which a study by researchers at Erasmus University in the Netherlands could come with a cost of a staggering $60 trillion. The study concluded that developing nations of Asia and Africa would suffer disproportionately as a result of bigger storms, worse flooding and intense droughts.
BUSH 41 SHAVES HEAD IN SUPPORT OF YOUNG CANCER PATIENT.
Former President George H.W. Bush shaved his head as a show of support for the two-year old son of one of the members of his Secret Service detail who is battling cancer. According to a statement from a representative of Bush 41, the 89-year old shaved his head after members of his Secret Service detail shaved theirs as a way to express solidarity with Patrick, who is battling leukemia. His last name is being withheld along with that of his father Jon. Bush and his wife, Barbara, lost their second child, Robin, to the disease 60 years ago at the age of four.
SHOWBIZ NEWS:
INTRODUCING PRINCE GEORGE ALEXANDER LOUIS OF CAMBRIDGE
Prince William and Kate Middleton finally revealed the name of their newborn son yesterday. The tot, born Monday, will go by Prince George Alexander Louis of Cambridge. Meanwhile, the public is obsessed with anything tied to the Royal Baby, even the dress Kate Middelton wore leaving the hospital. Reports claim the polka-dotted Jenny Packham dress was so popular, other designers are reporting a huge uptick in interest for similar polka-dotted outfits. In fact, one designer reported selling 5,000 polka-dotted dresses in a day.
DOCS WANT BYNES HOLD EXTENDED
TMZ reports that medical professionals are seeking to extend Amanda Bynes’ 5150 hold by two weeks so they can properly diagnose her. Insiders say she is exhibiting signs of schizophrenia, and people close to her are convinced she is suffering from some sort of mental illness. Sources add that Amanda’s parents are also planning to ask a judge to put their daughter in a conservatorship because they believe she can’t care for herself and is a danger to others. Amanda was taken into custody Monday night after lighting a fire in the driveway of a Thousand Oaks, CA home. TMZ reports that during the incident she accidentally covered her dog in gasoline, and rushed to a local liquor store to try and wash the pooch off. Surveillance video shows her pacing through the store before finally heading to the “employees only” area to use the sink to wash off the pup. When she was confronted she reportedly “freaked out” and left. The dog is okay and is currently in the custody of Amanda’s parents.
On a positive note, TMZ reports that prosecutors in LA are not going to charge Amanda with a crime in connection with the incident. They view her conduct as rooted in mental illness, and believe she needs professional help, not punishment.
LIVELY NOT PREGNANT
A rep for Blake Lively is denying an OK! magazine report that claims she and husband Ryan Reynolds are expecting their first child together. The cover of the tab reads, “Hollywood’s most perfect couple has some surprising news to share,” quoting an “insider” who said “It’s pretty obvious Blake is expecting a baby” because she is “glowing” and allegedly has a “baby bump.” But a rep for Lively tells Gossip Cop, “The story is 100% false. Blake is not pregnant.”
WATCH THE GOLDEN THRONE
Kanye West and Kim Kardashian certainly have expensive taste. The Sun reports the couple is spending millions of dollars decorating their new Bel Air home, including shelling out $750,000 on four gold-plated toilets. They’ve also reportedly spent $1 million on six special-edition beds from London’s Savoy hotel, and ordered a Swarovski-crystal encrusted refrigerator. In fact, their taste is so pricey, the paper claims the interior will cost twice as much as the property itself.
LEVINE TOLD EX OF ENGAGEMENT VIA TEXT
Adam Levine is one classy fella. The Voice judge got engaged to Victoria’s Secret model Behati Prinsloo last week, and according to The New York Post, he broke the news to his ex, modelNina Agdal via text message. Sources say the news left Agdal “heartbroken,” especially since they were dating as recently as last month.
LEA GUSHED ABOUT CORY IN INTERVIEW PRIOR TO HIS DEATH
One month before the death of her boyfriend Cory Monteith, Lea Michele gave an interview toMarie Claire in which she gushed about dating her Glee co-star. "It's more interesting having a relationship with someone you work with because we get more attention because we play boyfriend and girlfriend on the show and we are also in real life," she told the magazine. "But he is the best person I know, he has made my life so incredible, and I am so thankful for him and not only to have him as a partner but also as a co-worker." She added, “It is important to have someone that supports you and encourages you, someone that makes you feel that you are unstoppable, that you can do anything in the world because you have him.” The magazine’s editor says that Cory joined Lea for her photo shoot in Mexico and said the couple was “very nice and obviously happy and in love.” Cory died July 13th from a drug overdose.
SUDEIKIS CONFIRMS SNL DEPARTURE
For anyone still wondering whether Jason Sudeikis was going to return to Saturday Night Livenext season, the comedian made it quite clear last night on Late Show with David Letterman that his 10-year tenure on the late night show is over "A person can go on for as long as they want. I mean, Lorne [Michaels] has been kicking butt at it for 33 years out of 38, but for me, I'm definitely done," he said "I'm gonna be leaving. I'm not coming back in the fall."
BETHENNY’S EX WANTS DAUGHTER AWAY FROM NEW BEAU
Bethenny Frankel’s divorce from Jason Hoppy continues to be ugly. According to Radaronline, Hoppy is now making moves to possibly ruin Bethenny’s current relationship with hedge fund manager Warren Lichtenstein. According to the site, Jason is asking the judge to prevent Bethenny from bringing daughter Bryn to Warren’s home. Bethenny and Warren, who’ve been friends for 20 years, have been dating for about six months and recently vacationed together in Saint-Tropez. “Jason resents the fact that Bethenny has moved on with her life so quickly by hooking up with Warren,” claims a source, who adds Jason thinks Bryn spending time at Warren’s home is “very confusing” for his daughter.
HAS ABC PICKED THEIR NEXT BACHELOR?
ABC may already have a contender for next season’s The Bachelor. E! reports Juan Pablo, who was eliminated in episode six of Desiree Hartstock’s current The Bachelorette season, is the frontrunner to be the next Bachelor. "The ladies seem to love him, and he's really good-looking and personable," says a source close to the show. ABC has not commented on the rumor.
MURRAY THREATENS EXPLOSIVE JACKSON INFORMATION
Dr. Conrad Murray claims to have some explosive information he’s threatening to reveal if he’s forced to testify in the Jackson family’s wrongful death trial against concert promoter AEG. According to TMZ, Murray made the threat in a recent voicemail to a friend, in which he begged AEG and the Jacksons to leave him out of the trial. "Please stop. If you don’t, let this serve as my final warning to both sides,” he said. “Don’t incite me to testify. Consider this as an imminent nuclear warning. Enough is enough." Murray is currently behind bars for involuntary manslaughter in the death of Michael Jackson.
BRUCE WILLIS GIVES AWKWARD INTERVIEW
Bruce Willis isn’t doing much to promote his new movie Red 2. In fact, during a recent interview in the UK, it was pretty obvious Willis would have rather been doing anything else. When reporterJamie Edwards asked the Die Hard star which location he liked filming in the most, he responded “Istanbul,” even though they didn’t shoot the movie there. Said Willis, “Oh, not in this film…in general, I like Istanbul. I think it’s a good place to go.” Obviously sick of trying to sell his movie, Willis then said to Edwards, "Has any actor ever told you this, Jamie? This part is not acting, what we’re doing right now. You might be. But we're just selling the film now. Sales. The fun part was making the movie.” When Edwards asked Willis how he’d prefer to sell the film, Willis awkwardly replied, “I wouldn’t. I’d slash my hooves.”
GARLIN SUED OVER ROAD RAGE INCIDENT
Jeff Garlin is being sued over a road rage incident that took place earlier this month. The Curb Your Enthusiasm star spent the night in jail after vandalizing a woman’s car in a dispute over a parking spot. Now the victim, described as a “small woman, 5’2” in height,” has filed a civil suit. She says Garlin refused to move his car so she could park, causing her to find another space. When she did, Garlin “got out of his car, followed her from behind and slammed his fist against the driver’s side window so hard that it broke the glass.” He then “gave her the finger” and began screaming. The woman is suing for assault, intentional destruction of personal property and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She is seeking unspecified damages.
MAGIC MIKE COMING TO BROADWAY
Channing Tatum has confirmed that a musical version of his male stripper movie Magic Mike is coming to Broadway. Channing will produce the musical with his partner Reid Carolin, with the music written by Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey, creators of the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning Broadway hit Next To Normal.
TV TIDBITS
● Henry Winkler will guest star on an upcoming episode of Parks and Recreation. Winkler will appear in the season six premiere playing the father of evil genius Jean-Ralphio (Ben Schwartz).Parks and Recreation premieres September 26th on NBC.
● Kirstie Alley will reunite with her Look Who’s Talking co-star John Travolta in an upcoming episode of her TV Land sitcom Kirstie. The series, which premieres December 4th, stars Kirstie as a Broadway star whose life changes when the son she gave up at birth returns as an adult. Travolta will play a stagehand who has a one-night stand with Kirstie’s character, Madison “Maddie” Banks.
● Kenya Moore has reportedly agreed to return for the sixth season of Real Housewives of Atlanta. An insider tells Us Weekly the 42-year-old will receive a raise, making $600,000 for the season, plus additional bonuses depending on ratings.
● Former Alias star Michael Vartan has landed a recurring role on the second season of Bates Motel. He’ll play a recently-divorced man who develops a crush on Norma (Vera Farmiga).
MISCELLANEOUS MOVIE NEWS
● Laura Dern and Admission’s Nat Wolff have been cast in the big screen adaptation of John Green’s best-seller The Fault in Our Stars, about two teens, Hazel (Shailene Woodley) and Augustus (Ansel Elgort), who meet at a cancer support group. Dern will play Hazel’s mother, while Wolff will play Isaac, Augustus’s close friend, who is also a cancer patient.
● Carey Mulligan is in talks to star in The Fury, about the suffragist movement in the UK. Mulligan will next be seen in the Coen Brothers film Inside Llewyn Davis, which opens December 6th.
● Christopher Walken will star in Jersey Boys, the Clint Eastwood-directed big screen adaptation of the hit Broadway musical. Walken will play Angelo “Gyp” DeCarlo, the Jersey mobster who helps a group of young singers as they try to build their career without falling into the grip of organized crime.
● The complete lineup for the upcoming Toronto Film Festival has yet to be announced, but two films confirmed for the fest are the new Hugh Jackman/Jake Gyllenhaal flick Prisoners and theSandra Bullock/George Clooney thriller Gravity. Prisoners will premiere Friday, September 6th at 9 pm, while Gravity premieres Sunday, September 8th at 6:30 pm.
ROCK NEWS:
MUSE, KINGS OF LEON, PHOENIX HEADLINE AUSTIN CITY LIMITS MUSIC FEST
Headliners for this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival were announced yesterday, and for the first time in the event’s history, the festival will take place over two consecutive weekends, October 4-6 and 11-13. Muse, Depeche Mode and Queens of the Stone Age will top the Friday bills, Kings of Leon, The Cure, Wilco and Passion Pit will highlight the Saturday performances, and Phoenix, Atoms For Peace and the legendary Lionel Richie will be the featured acts on Sundays. The full lineup also includes Vampire Weekend, The National, Arctic Monkeys,Silversun Pickups and Jimmy Eat World, just to name a few.
PHISH FALL TOUR FEATURES TWO THREE-NIGHT STANDS
Jam band giants Phish Wednesday unveiled details of their upcoming fall tour, which includes a total of 12 shows, including a pair of three-night stands to open and close the run. The road trip will get underway with three shows in Hampton, VA October 18-20, followed by one concert in Rochester, NY, another in Glens Falls, NY, two in Worcester, MA October 25 and 26, one in Hartford, CT, and one in Reading, PA, before the final three performances in Atlantic City October 31, November 1 and 2.
ALTER BRIDGE BUILDS FORTRESS; FOURTH ALBUM DUE OCTOBER 8
The Mark Tremonti-led rock unit Alter Bridge is again ready to do battle in the competitive rock arena with the forthcoming release of their fourth studio album Fortress, available October 8. The record’s rollout will coincide with the band hitting the road for a stretch of European tour dates, starting October 16 in Nottingham, England. But first the band will celebrate the album’s release with an October 4 concert at the House of Blues in Orlando, FL.
DMB VIOLINIST TINSLEY FLEECED OUT OF $400,000
A Richmond, VA man has confessed to embezzling over $400,000 from longtime Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley. Getty Andrew Rothenberg, 39, pleaded guilty Tuesday to wire fraud, admitting he submitted fraudulent or inflated bills and used the extra cash for personal use while employed as Tinsley’s personal assistant and financial manager. Rothenberg faces up to 30 years behind bars and is scheduled to be sentenced September 17.
CAMPBELL CLAIMS RIGHT TO PLAY DIO SONGS AS LAST IN LINE
Guitarist Vivian Campbell’s less than amicable exit from Dio and strained relationship with the lateRonnie James Dio are well documented, but the longtime Def Leppard member remains adamant that he has every right to perform classic Dio songs with his former Dio bandmates in the newly formed lineup Last In Line. In a recent interview with Rock Guitar Daily, Campbell claims, “We wrote and recorded those songs, and we’d like to play them! That’s what it comes down to – the only issue being that Ronnie and I had a public spat.” He ended by saying “the fact is that’s my music, I’m the one who’s entitled to play it and that’s what I’m going to do.”
HENDRIX BIOPIC TO DEBUT AT TORONTO FILM FESTIVAL AUGUST 20
The highly anticipated Jimi Hendrix biopic All Is By My Side starring hip hop group Outkastmember Andre 3000 is scheduled to make its world premiere at the annual Toronto International Film Festival on August 20. The movie, which focuses on the period between 1966-67 when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame guitarist was brought from New York to London by Animals bassistChas Chandler, during which he formed the Jimi Hendrix Experience, ran into a bit of a roadblock last year when the Hendrix estate refused permission for any of his music to be used in the movie. Super session veterans Waddy Wachtel (guitar), Kenny Aronoff (drums) and Lee Sklar (bass) were drafted to record a number of Hendrix classics heard in the final cut.
CHEAP TRICK FACING POTENTIALLY EXPENSIVE LAWSUITS
The current chilly relationship between sidelined Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlosand the three other members of the band has turned ice cold now that Carlos, along with former band manager David Frey, are suing the other members over similar grievances: cold hard cash. The case is complicated, but basically Carlos alleges the other band members are “among other things, refusing to allow Carlos to participate in any of the activities of the band…and otherwise preventing Carlos from participating in the management and operations of the Cheap Trick Companies.” Meanwhile, Frey, who was fired in July 2012, claims his ousting is “null and void” because his contract stipulates a unanimous vote, and since Carlos wasn’t given a vote, he feels he’s still the band’s manager.
NUGENT FIRES OFF INSULT-FILLED RETORT TO WONDER BOYCOTT STANCE
The always provocative (to say the least) Ted Nugent had some very inflammatory (what else) things to say to Stevie Wonder regarding the Motown legend’s decision to boycott Florida in the wake of the George Zimmerman verdict. In a radio interview Wednesday, Nugent said, “So 700 black people, mostly children…were slaughtered in Chicago last year, by black people, and not a peep out of Stevie Wonder. What is this, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? How braindead do you have to be? How dishonest? How cheap do you have to be, to focus on a clearcut case, where all the evidence…determined that George Zimmerman acted in self-defense against the life-threatening attack by a hoodlum, dope-smoking Trayvon Martin. I will pray for Stevie Wonder and all these other numbnuts who think that Trayvon Martin’s life is more important than the tens of thousands of slaughtered blacks at the hands of blacks. How do you go from being one of the most soulful people in the world, to being absolutely soulless?”
