MONDAY, OCTOBER 7

NATIONAL HEADLINES:

BOEHNER SAYS NOT ENOUGH HOUSE VOTES FOR “CLEAN” SPENDING BILL

The Obama administration is pressuring the House to end the government shutdown by passing a “clean” budget bill, but House Speaker John Boehner said yesterday that there aren’t enough votes to pass such a bill. In an interview airing on ABC’s This Week yesterday, Boehner insisted that Democrats must accept some kind of alteration to the healthcare law before Republicans will agree to a budget deal. "We voted to keep the government open," he said. "Providing fairness to the American people, under Obamacare, is all we're asking for." But White House officials shot back yesterday, saying Boehner is wrong. They called on the Republican leader to schedule a vote. “We think that [Boehner’s comment] is not true and Boehner should put it on the floor and give it an up or down vote,” a senior administration official said. The government has been temporarily shut down since Tuesday, when Congress failed to agree on a spending bill.

TOP AL QAEDA LEADER CAUGHT IN LIBYA

U.S. special forces captured and detained one of the top remaining leaders of al Qaeda yesterday. Pentagon officials said Nazih Abdul-Hamed al-Ruqai, known by his alias Anas al-Libi, was nabbed on the streets ofTripoli, Libya in a counterterrorism raid. Al-Libi was an alleged conspirator in the 1998 East Africa embassy bombings and he was also a close confidant of Osama bin Laden. He was on the FBI's most-wanted list with a $5 million bounty on his head. The Libyan government said yesterday that it has asked the U.S. to “explain” the raid. In a statement, the government said it "contacted the American authorities and asked it to present clarifications" regarding the al-Libi abduction. It said it hoped the incident would not impact its strategic relationship with the U.S.

EXPERTS BEGIN DESTROYING SYRIA’S CHEMICAL WEAPONS

A team of experts began destroying Syria’s chemical weapons stockpile yesterday, the United Nations said. Under the team’s supervision, Syrian personnel used cutting torches and angle grinders to destroy or disable the weapons. "This included missile warheads, aerial bombs and mixing and filling equipment. The process will continue in the coming days," said Eri Kaneko, associate spokeswoman for U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's office. The team of experts is made up of international inspectors from the Netherlands-based watchdog Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, along with a U.N. team.

MONSTER TRUCK LOSES CONTROL IN MEXICO, KILLS 8

A monster truck lost control at a Mexican air show this weekend, plowing into a crowd of spectators and killing eight people. Officials said 79 others were hurt. Driver Francisco Velazquez appeared to lose control of the vehicle after jumping over cars during a demonstration at the “Extreme Aeroshow” in Chihuahua Saturday. Velazquez was detained yesterday on suspicion of manslaughter and officials said he might have had alcohol in his system. Police were also investigating possible safety violations in the setup of the show. The crowd was positioned directly in the path of the monster truck without any wall or barrier to protect them.

9-YEAR-OLD BOARDS PLANE TO VEGAS WITHOUT TICKET

A 9-year-old boy was able to board a plane from Minneapolis to Las Vegas last week without a ticket, an airport spokesman confirmed yesterday. Security officials at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport screened the boy Thursday morning and he then boarded a Delta flight for Las Vegas shortly after. The flight crew became suspicious and contacted Las Vegas police, who met the crew upon landing and transferred the boy to child protection services. Video also showed the boy at the airport on Wednesday. He grabbed a bag from the carousel and ordered lunch at a restaurant. He ate and then told the server he had to use the bathroom, but left the bag and never returned to pay. Delta and the Transportation Security Agency said in separate statements that they were investigating.

THE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE FROM BOX OFFICE MOJO

SHOWBIZ NEWS:

A NEW BABY AND A NEW SHOW FOR HALLE

Halle Berry and husband Olivier Martinez welcomed a baby boy Saturday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. This is the first child for the couple, who married in July. Halle also has a five-year-old daughter, Nahla, with ex-boyfriend Gabriel Aubry. In other Halle news…on Friday it was announced that she’ll star in a new CBS summer drama, Extant, from producerSteven Spielberg. The 13-episode series is described as a futuristic thriller about a female astronaut trying to reconnect with her family after returning from a year in outer space.

KIM SHARES NEW PIC OF BABY NORTH

Kim Kardashian shared another adorable picture of baby North on Friday. “I missed waking up with my little [emoji of an angel]" she posted along with a pic of the baby swaddled in a blanket. Kim recently returned from France where she attended Paris Fashion Week with boyfriend Kanye West. The pair left their daughter at home.

IS THIS THE END FOR KHLOE & LAMAR?

It sounds like the chances of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom saving their marriage are not good. TMZ reports that Khloe went nuts last week after Lamar went to their Tarzana home to pick up some clothes and she found drugs. Despite Lamar’s claims he was clean, Khloe insisted he needed rehab and said she wanted nothing to do with him until he checked into an inpatient program. At some point during the visit, Khloe found a pipe and a baggie filled with crack, although the site doesn’t know if Lamar had the drugs on him or if they were in clothes he was picking up from the house. Khloe reportedly called him a “liar,” and said, “I’m done with you.” Although Khloe hasn’t taken legal steps to dissolve the marriage yet, sources say finding his stash “was the last straw.” On Friday, Khloe’s mom Kris Jenner talked about how she’s handling all of the drama surrounding her marriage to Lamar. “She is resilient, but she’s very strong,” Jenner told E! News. “She’s very sensitive, and she loves really hard, and she feels with all of her soul, but she also has the ability to put that game face on and go out there in the world and do what she needs to do.”

LETTERMAN EXTENDS LATE NIGHT CONTRACT

David Letterman has extended his contract and will now host Late Night with David Lettermanthrough 2015. “Les (Moonves) and I had a lengthy discussion, and we both agreed that I needed a little more time to fully run the show into the ground,” said Letterman in a statement. He is currently the longest-running late night talk show host in television history at 31 years and counting.

MADONNA WAS RAPED DURING EARLY YEARS IN NYC

Madonna reveals in this month’s Harper’s Bazaar that she was raped at knifepoint not long after she arrived in New York City two decades ago. “New York wasn't everything I thought it would be. It did not welcome me with open arms.,” she told the mag. “The first year, I was held up at gunpoint. Raped on the roof of a building I was dragged up to with a knife in my back.” As for how she got through it, Madge adds, “I was defiant. Hell-bent on surviving. On making it. But it was hard and it was lonely, and I had to dare myself every day to keep going.”

SINEAD SAYS COWELL MURDERED MUSIC

Sounds like Sinead O’Connor is starting another feud. Just days after warning Miley Cyrus about the perils of the music business in an open letter, the Irish singer went on a talk show where she blasted Simon Cowell for ruining music. “I feel sorry for the murder of music and rock ‘n’ roll, which has happened because of the industry,” O’Connor said on Ireland’s The Late Late Show. “Because of Simon Cowell, (British X Factor judge) Louis Walsh — they’ve murdered music. I stand to say it on behalf of every musician in the world and they’ll agree with me.” She added, “The industry has taken over so much – the money-making side of it, the sexualizing of extremely young people making records, and all the worship with money and bling and diamonds, … it all amounts to the murder of music and that’s what concerns me.”

BROWN LOST HIS VIRGINITY AT 8

R&B star Chris Brown revealed in a recent interview that he lost his virginity at only eight years old. “It's different in the country," the 24-yar-old told the UK Guardian. "By that point, we were already kind of like hot to trot, you know what I'm saying? Like, girls, we weren't afraid to talk to them; I wasn't afraid. So, at eight, being able to do it, it kind of preps you for the long run, so you can be a beast at it. You can be the best at it." Brown then compared his bedroom expertise, to that of Prince. " You know how Prince had a lot of girls back in the day? Prince was, like, the guy. I'm just that, today," he explained. "But most women won't have any complaints if they've been with me. They can't really complain. It's all good."

GLEE STAR ENGAGED

Glee star Naya Rivera is engaged to rapper Big Sean, Just Jared has confirmed. The actress, who plays lesbian Santana on the Fox hit, showed off her square-cut diamond engagement ring atLatina magazine’s Hollywood Hot List Party Thursday night in L.A. Rivera and Big Sean went public with their relationship at the premiere of the film 42 last April. “He’s awesome and I’m really happy and I feel like I’m in a really good place in my life,” Naya told E! in May.

MORE CELEBRITY ENGAGEMENT NEWS

Glee’s Dot-Marie Jones announced over the weekend that she and longtime girlfriend Bridgett Casteen are engaged. Jones proposed Friday near Disneyland Resort’s Sleeping Beauty Castle. "It's the happiest day of my life," the actress told the The Advocate. "I never thought I'd find somebody that is so loving and kind."

The Voice host Carson Daly is engaged to his baby mama Siri Pinter, Us Weekly reports. The pair, who’ve been together six years, has two children, son Jack, 3, and daughter Etta Jones, 13 months.

PAPER’S FUN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF BREAKING BAD’S FINALE

[SPOILER ALERT] Breaking Bad’s Walter White may have been a fictional character, but he got a real-life send-off from some die-hard fans. Last week, the Albuquerque Journal ran a real obituaryfor the character played by Bryan Cranston, which was paid for by a group of Breaking Badfanatics. The obit credits White as the co-founder of “Gray Matter,” who taught high school chemistry “and later founded a meth manufacturing empire.” It states that he died from “a long battle with lung cancer and a gunshot wound.”

COWELL’S EX CLARIFIES ABORTION RUMORS

Simon Cowell’s ex-girlfriend Sinitta is clarifying an earlier report that claimed she aborted Simon’s baby four years ago. “People are saying I aborted Simon’s baby in 2009 and that he only found out the other day,” the British singer told The Sun. “That’s all lies — I’d never do that to him.” She explained, “It was in the 1980s, not 2009, as by then I was already aware that I couldn’t carry a child full term. It was a long time ago when we were both young. Simon was very concerned and by my side.” Simon, of course, recently announced he’s expecting a baby with New York socialiteLauren Silverman.

FONDA TO BE HONORED WITH AFI ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Jane Fonda will receive the American Film Institute’s 42^nd AFI Life Achievement Award at a gala tribute June 5^th in Los Angeles. Jane’s father Henry Fonda received the AFI honor in 1978, making the Fondas the third family to receive multiple AFI Awards. The others are Kirk Douglas(1991) and son Michael Douglas (2009), and Warren Beatty (2008) and sister Shirley MacLaine(2012).

KASEM FAMILY BRING IN THE LAWYERS

Casey Kasem’s children are so desperate to see their ailing father that they’re ready to go to court. Last week it was reported that for the past three months, Casey’s wife Jean refused to let his three children Kerri, Julie and Mike see the radio personality, who is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease. Well, the siblings have now hired a lawyer in an attempt to negotiate with Jean. They say that if she doesn’t let them see their dad, they’ll go to court and ask a judge to create a conservatorship for Casey and make them the conservators.

TV TIDBITS

●  Fox has renewed The Simpsons for a 26^th season.

 ●  NBC has picked up a full season of the James Spader drama The Blacklist.

●  ABC has the first cancellation of the fall season. The network has axed the drama Lucky 7 after only two episodes. In its place the network will air repeats of Scandal at Tuesdays at 10 pm.

● Castle’s Nathan Fillion will guest star on the upcoming fifth season of NBC’s Community. He’ll play Bob Waite, Greendale’s politically savvy head custodian.

●  Topher Grace, Sarah Silverman and Patti Lupone will star in the HBO half-hour comedy pilotPeople in New Jersey. The series revolves around an adult brother and sister (Grace, Silverman) living in the Garden State. Lupone will play their opinionated widowed mother.

● Rob Lowe may be leaving Parks and Recreation, but he isn’t going far. NBC has given the go-ahead for a new sitcom, The Pro, starring Lowe. The actor will play a down-and-out former tennis doubles champion, who is working as a pro at a tennis and golf club, where he tries to charm his way back into the upper class.

● Fox on Friday confirmed that Kim Raver and William Devane will reprise their roles of Audrey Raines and her dad, former Secretary of Defense James Heller, in the upcoming 24 event series,24: Live Another Day. The 12-episode series, which will take place in London, airs spring, 2014.

ROCK NEWS:

RHCP MEMBERS TO HOST BENEFIT FOR CONSERVATORY OF MUSIC

The Silverlake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles announced Friday that founder Flea and Red Hot Chili Peppers bandmate Anthony Kiedis will host a very special benefit for the school on October 30 featuring performances by Neil Young and the Chili Peppers. Flea offered, “Having one of my favorite musicians Neil Young perform to help out the school is the greatest blessing! This is gonna be the funnest fundraiser ever!” Now in its 13^th year, the Silverlake Conservatory of Music offers private music lessons to 700 students with the goal of enriching “not only the life of the student but the community and society as well.”

SIXX REITERATES RETIREMENT AROUND THE CORNER

With Motley Crue having wrapped their second Las Vegas residency last night, the band is now turning its attention to the timing of when to mount its farewell tour, something several band members have opening acknowledged will happen in the not too distant future. Nikki Sixx toldRolling Stone, “It’ll happen, but we don’t know when it will happen. The most important thing about a farewell tour is that the band doesn’t lie to the fans, and the band doesn’t tour and comes back years later.” He went on to say,” The thing about Motley Crue is we are a people’s band… We believe artists should be in control of their own destiny and that destiny also includes when it should be done so that their fans can forever be proud.”

YORKE AGAIN SPOTLIGHTS EVILS OF SPOTIFY

Once again, Radiohead and Atoms for Peace frontman Thom Yorke has lashed out at Spotify. The singer told Mexico’s Sopitas, “I feel like as musicians we need to fight the Spotify thing. I feel that in some ways what’s happening in the main stream is the last gasp of the old industry. Once that does finally die, which it will, something else will happen,” adding that it’s “the last desperate fart of a dying corpse.” He later took to Twitter to say: “The corpse is the old music industry and old music. We are concerned with how artists survive creating new music in the future…”

BEATLES LEGEND LONGS TO COLLABORATE WITH YORKE

If a former Beatle calls, will Thom Yorke answer? That’s the question the Radiohead headman might need to answer if Paul McCartney gets his way. The rock legend recently told UK music magazine NME he would love to work with Yorke, but fears Yorke might be too busy to get together. Sir Paul said, “I’m a bit sort of paranoid to just ring him up. ‘Hey Thome, it’s Paul here. What do you fancy, what are you doing? Do you fancy writing something?’ Just in case he says, ‘Er, actually I’m busy.’” Meanwhile, McCartney’s next studio album, New, is due October 15.

ROTH READIES SOLO GREATEST HITS COLLECTION

Original Van Halen frontman David Lee Roth has set a November 19 release date for a CD/DVD package, Greatest Hits: The Deluxe Edition. The compilation gathers 16 of his marquee solo songs and videos, including hits such as “California Girls,” “Just a Gigolo,” “Just Like Paradise,” “Tobacco Road,” “Goin’ Crazy,” “Yankee Rose,” “A Lil’ Aint’ Enough” and “Sensible Shoes.” The DVD holds nine videos plus the “Dave TV” interviews.”

PIXIES DIDN’T MAKE BIG DEAL OF DEAL DECIDING TO QUIT

In a new interview with Rolling Stone, members of the Pixies shed more light on the recent departure of original bassist Kim Deal. Drummer David Lovering said, “For three or four days, we were in mourning. But we didn’t have time to keep doing that because we had this studio booked and a lot of overdubs to record.” Frontman Black Francis added, “This is what we do, and my solo career is over. For me, this is it.”

SIMMONS SLAMS LATE COBAIN, WINEHOUSE AS NON MUSIC ICONS

The always opinionated Gene Simmons shared his thoughts on late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain and UK songstress Amy Winehouse during a recent interview, saying neither deserved to be called music icons. The Kiss bassist said, “From 1984 until today, name one superstar that’s bigger than their music, and not just somebody that’s recorded one or two records, but anotherQueen or AC/DC, or somebody with a body of work? You can’t name one.” He went on to say, “Kurt Cobain – no, that’s one or two records. That’s not enough. Amy Winehouse – that’s one or two records. That’s not enough. What, just because you died, that makes you an icon? No, no, there aren’t any.”

KRAVITZ CALLS NEXT ALBUM “DECONSTRUCTED…RAW”

Rock star-actor Lenny Kravitz says he’s completed work on the follow up to his 2011 album, Black and White America, telling Billboard the as-yet untitled collection is “very deconstructed, very minimal.” He adds, “Guitar, bass and drums are the primary instruments. There’s some sax and horns on some tracks. There’s an orchestra on one track, but for the most par it’s very raw but it’s got a big sound.” Kravitz hopes to have the new set of songs ready for a spring 2014 release.”