WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 30
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
SUPERSTORM SANDY VICTIMS STILL STRUGGLING 1 YEAR LATER
A year after Superstorm Sandy hit, thousands of New York and New Jersey residents are still struggling to get back on their feet. The storm, which made landfall a year ago yesterday, killed an estimated 160 people in the U.S. and caused billions of dollars in damages. Many victims are still fighting with insurance companies and waiting for government aid in order to rebuild. At least 27,000 households in New York and New Jersey remain displaced, while others are living in partially repaired homes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided more than $1.4 billion in assistance to more than 182,000 disaster survivors in five states, including New York and New Jersey. But states have been slower to supply $150,000 to $300,000 in federal grants, provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, to individual homeowners to assist with repairs.
SPY CHIEF DEFENDS NSA SURVEILLANCE PROGRAMS
Director of National Intelligence James Clapper defended the NSA’s surveillance programs yesterday, saying the activities were lawful and effective at catching terrorists and saving lives. “We do not spy on anyone except for valid foreign intelligence purposes and we do not violate the law,” he said. He did, however, concede that “mistakes have been made” due to human error or technical problems and that there has been an “erosion of trust in the intelligence community.” He said he would support declassifying secret intelligence court orders to boost transparency, but warned there could be consequences if the programs are restricted too much. Months of leaks about U.S. spying by former government worker Edward Snowden are already “affecting our ability to conduct intelligence and keep our country safe,” he said.
TRAYVON’S MOTHER TESTIFIES AGAINST STAND-YOUR-GROUND LAWS
Trayvon Martin’s mother testified on Capitol Hill yesterday against the so-called “stand-your-ground” laws.Sybrina Fulton told senators at the hearing that the laws do not work and should be changed. Stand-your-ground laws typically allow those who feel threatened to use deadly force even if they have the option to run away. "The person that shot and killed my son is walking the streets today,” she said. “This law does not work.” The law was hotly debated in the case of George Zimmerman, a former neighborhood watchman who shot and killed the unarmed 17-year-old Martin last year. But Florida’s “stand-your-ground” law was not raised by the defense during Zimmerman’s trial. Republicans disagreed with Fulton and said the matter should be left to the states that passed the laws. Twenty-two states have some form of the policy.
MAN SUSPECTED OF KILLING 5 STRUGGLES WITH DRUG ADDICTION
A man suspected of killing his mother and four other people in North Texas Monday night struggles with drug addiction, according to his brother. Terrence Walker said that his brother, 36-year-old Charles Everett Brownlow Jr., lived at home with their mother, Mary Brownlow, in Terrell. He said his brother “always wanted to take something that wasn’t his.” "I was hoping my mom would open her eyes and realize that she needed to let him grow up, put him out," said Walker. The five victims were killed at four different locations, beginning around 5 pm Monday when a woman was shot at a Terrell home. About a half hour later, fire crews responded to a blaze at Mary Brownlow’s house a few blocks away and discovered her body in the wreckage. At around 10:30 pm, police found the bodies of a man and a woman who had been shot at a home elsewhere in Terrell. Brownlow Jr. allegedly slayed a convenience store clerk before leading police on a high-speed chase.
GIRL WITH CONDITION THAT PREVENTED HER FROM AGING DIES AT AGE 20
A 20-year-old who suffered from a rare disorder that kept her from aging mentally and physically, has died.Brooke Greenberg of Maryland never developed beyond the size of an infant or the mental capacity of a 2-year-old. She was one of about a dozen children in the world who have what some call syndrome X – a condition that baffles doctors and scientists. Brooke had survived numerous medical emergencies in her short life and her story was chronicled on a 2009 episode of ABC’s 20/20. Her funeral was Sunday at a synagogue outside Baltimore, family friends confirmed. She is survived by her parents, Howard and Melanie Greenberg, and her three sisters: Emily, 26; Caitlin, 23; and Carly, 17.
SHOWBIZ NEWS:
CHRIS BROWN IN REHAB
Two days after getting arrested for punching a man in the face, R&B star Chris Brown has voluntarily checked into rehab. “His goal is to gain focus and insight into his past and recent behavior, enabling him to continue the pursuit of his life and his career from a healthier vantage point,” his spokesperson told Gossip Cop. On Monday, Brown was released from jail after being charged with misdemeanor assault in Washington DC.
GRAMMER GETS RESTRAINING AGAINST BEAU
Camille Grammer yesterday took out a restraining order against her former boyfriend Dimitri Charalambopoulos. The former Real Housewives of Beverly Hillsstar claims that on October 16th, just days after she had cancer surgery, she and Dimitri were at a Houston hotel when they got into a fight over a woman who was texting and calling him. Dimitri allegedly grabbed Camille by the hair and repeatedly pulled her head into the bed and its headboard. She says the abuse continued for almost an hour and she feared for her life. Dimitri must now stay at least 100 yards away from Camille and her children. Camille first revealed she had been abused on Twitter Monday, although she didn’t name Dimitri. “Info will come out today that is jaw dropping. And women can't be silenced after being physically abused!” she tweeted. “Getting my strength back now that I am at home and wasn't able to deal with talking about it after my cancer surgery or what had happen [sic].”
CLOONEY’S NEW GAL A LAWYER?
Has George Clooney found a new gal pal? The Ocean’s Eleven star was spotted dining with a woman at Berners Tavern in London last week, and E! has now identified his date – British lawyer Amal Alamuddin. Alamuddin, who specializes in international law, is no stranger to famous faces. She’s currently representing WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in his fight against extradition to Sweden. But Us Weekly insists that George and Amal are just friends, and the actor is actually still dating Croatian model Monika Jakisic. The pair first got together in 2004 and rekindled their romance this past September after George split from Stacy Keibler.
KHLOE REUNITES WITH LAMAR AT KANYE CONCERT
Things may be getting a little better for Khloe Kardashian and estranged hubbyLamar Odom. Sources say the pair attended Kanye West’s Los Angeles concert Monday night, along with Khloe’s family. It was their first outing together in months and witnesses say they looked pretty close. "Kim and Lamar were dancing together and high-fived," a source told Us Weekly. But insiders tell TMZ that while the pair was together at the concert, they have not reunited. Apparently Lamar has been sober for several weeks so the family, “wanted him to have a good time."
KELLY READY TO BURY THE HATCHET WITH GAGA
Sounds like Kelly Osbourne is ready to end her feud with Lady Gaga. After rejecting the pop star’s peace offering of a birthday cake earlier this week, Kelly admitted she may have overreacted. "@ladygaga I acted like a child last night. Just not into publicity stunts call me & we will end this like adults I don't want 2 fight anymore," the E! star tweeted Monday. The pair’s feud began in 2009 after Kelly criticized Gaga for not walking the red carpet at the Grammys, prompting the pop star’s fans to berate Kelly on Twitter. Kelly called out Gaga for not doing anything to end the bullying.
NICOLE SAYS SHE AND TOM WERE LIKE BRANGELINA
Nicole Kidman tells Vanity Fair that her marriage to Tom Cruise was sort of a 1990s version of Brangelina. “There is something about that sort of existence that, if you really focus on each other and you’re in that bubble, it’s very intoxicating, because it’s just the two of you,” says Kidman. “And there is only one other person that’s going through it. So it brings you very close, and it’s deeply romantic. I’m sureBrad (Pitt) and Angelina (Jolie) have that — because there’s nobody else that understands it except that person who’s sleeping right next to you.” But it certainly sounds like Nicole is much happier now that she’s married to Keith Urban. "With no disrespect to what I had with Tom, I've met my great love now," she says. "And I really did not know if that was going to happen. I wanted it, but I didn't want it for a while, because I didn’t want to jump from one relationship to another. I had a lot of time alone, which was really, really good, because I was a child, really, when I got married [to Cruise]. And I needed to grow up."
SHEPARD & BELL’S BUDGET WEDDING
Dax Shepard didn’t give wife Kristen Bell the lavish Hollywood wedding some women dream of. On Monday’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, Dax joked about how Kimmel’s summer wedding was so extravagant, it prompted him to go the other way with his nuptials. “Not that I was counting your money, but I was counting your money because it was flying out the windows. They were setting it on fire at the place,” joked the Parenthood star. "But I made a mental note when I watched that. I thought: I'm going to go a different route. So we went to the Beverly Hills Courthouse and — all in, with fuel to get there — $142 out the door." The wedding took place earlier this month, and while Dax and Kristen didn’t invite anyone to the wedding, two friends met them after the “I Dos.” "It was just Kristen and I at the courthouse, so they brought us this cake afterwards: 'The World's Worst Wedding,'" he said, sharing a photo of the message on the cake. "How many people can say they threw the world's worst wedding?"
BOOK CLAIMS NICHOLSON & STREEP HAD AFFAIR
A new biography about Jack Nicholson claims the well-known ladies’ man had a steamy affair with Meryl Streep while they were filming the 1987 movie Ironweed. “As soon as it began, rumors exploded like wild mushrooms that something was going on between Jack and his co-star … Meryl Streep,” writes author Mark Elliott. “‘There had been talk that the two had grown unusually close, but both denied it.” Adds the writer, “However, once filming began on Ironweed, everyone on set and those who heard about it were talking …about Jack and Meryl. Often during shooting, his Winnebago seemed to be balanced on four overworked Slinkys.”
DINA MANZO COMES BACK TO HOUSEWIVES
Dina Manzo has confirmed that she will be returning to The Real Housewives of New Jersey for its upcoming sixth season. “Well I guess the (hairless) cat’s out of the bag,” Manzo tweeted Tuesday. “Yes, I’m back. Unlike the past, this time it felt ‘right.’ See you on Bravo, my friends. xo.” Manzo appeared in the first two seasons of the reality hit. Her estranged sister, Caroline Manzo, announced earlier this month that she was leaving the show after five seasons to star in a spinoff,Manzo’d with Children.
WRITER SUES OVER TIMBERLAKE MOVIE
Someone actually wants to take credit for the Justin Timberlake bomb In Time. A writer named Odysseus Lappas is suing Twentieth Century Fox claiming they stole his idea for the film. Lappas says he brought a screenplay called Time Card to Fox but refused to sell it to the studio because he wanted to direct the film himself. Fifteen years later, the studio made In Time. Lappas claims the plot for the movie was directly lifted from his script. He is seeking $4.5 million in damages.
SEYMOUR FILES FOR LEGAL SEPARATION
Six months after announcing their split, Jane Seymour has filed for legal separation from her husband of 20 years, James Keach. The British actress cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for the breakup. Seymour is requesting joint legal and physical custody of the pair’s twin sons, John and Kristopher, 17. She is not asking for spousal support.
TORI SPELLING LIED ABOUT DIET
Tori Spelling is admitting she lied about how she lost her baby weight after giving birth to her fourth child Finn Davey. The former Beverly Hills 90210 star, who had to have emergency surgery after Finn’s birth, claimed in a magazine article the pounds came off after her doctor suggested she try swimming. Well, in her new memoir Spelling it Like It Is, Tori admits she didn’t swim at all. “For several months, I couldn't really exercise,” she writes. “There were a couple reasons. First, there was some risk that my scar would open up again. I was terrified of that. Second, I really don't exercise much, period. So I took my weight off the old-fashioned way. I like to call it the ‘Just Keep Your F***ing Mouth Shut and Eat Air’ diet. It's all the rage.”
ABC APOLOGIZES FOR KIMMEL SKETCH
ABC has apologized for a Jimmy Kimmel sketch in which a child joked about killing Chinese people. The sketch featured a bunch of youngsters commenting on news events, with one suggesting we “kill everyone in China” in order to erase the U.S. debt. A pan-Asian political organization called 80-20 complained, prompting the network’s apology. In addition, ABC said the skit will be edited out of future airings of the Jimmy Kimmel Live episode.
MISCELLANEOUS MOVIE NEWS
● Martin Scorsese is going to try for another Oscar this year. Paramount Pictures announced yesterday that his latest flick, The Wolf of Wall Street, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, will hit theaters on December 25th in order to put it in Oscar contention. The film was originally supposed to come out November 15th, but Scorsese was forced to go back to the editing room when his original cut came in longer than 180 minutes. He has now trimmed it to 165 minutes.
● Looks like we will finally be getting an Entourage movie. After some contentious negotiations with the stars, creator and screenwriter Doug Ellin announced on Twitter Monday that the film is going to happen. “It’s a go. Love you all,” he tweeted alongside a picture of the cast.
TV TIDBITS
● AMC has renewed The Walking Dead for a fifth season.
● Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor John Larroquette has landed a recurring role on Fox’s new drama Almost Human. He’ll play Nigel, a genius roboticist who is highly intelligent but a bit broken. Almost Human, starring Karl Urban and Michael Ealy, kicks off with a two-night premiere, Sunday, November 17th and Monday, November 18th.
● Channing Tatum is developing an hour-long docuseries for A&E. The still-untitled project will follow the employees of the Saints and Sinners burlesque club which Tatum opened last year with his friend and business partner Keith Kurtz.
● Cher will perform two songs and join the judging panel on next Monday’s Dancing with the Stars. She is expected to open the ABC program with her hit “Believe” and end it with her new single “I Hope You Find It,” from her new album Closer to the Truth.
ROCK NEWS:
MOTORHEAD POSTPONES MORE SHOWS OVER LEMMY HEALTH WOES
It’s becoming a broken record: Motorhead has been forced to delay more tour dates due to frontman Lemmy’s ongoing health issues. Ina statement posed on the band’s Facebook page, Lemmy announced the band has postponed its upcoming European tour until early 2014 “because I am not quite ready to hit the road yet, and am working my way back to full fitness.” He added: “Don’t worry – I’m not about to start promoting veganism and alcohol-free beverages, but…I personally have been reconfiguring areas of my life to make sure I can come back fitter and stronger than ever.”
METALLICA LOSES AUSTRALIAN VENUE BOX OFFICE MARK TO BOY BAND
It’s not often (if ever) you see the names of UK boy band One Direction and heavy metal mastersMetallica in the same sentence, but here is the exception. One Direction just wrapped a seven-show run at the Allphones Arena in Sydney, Australia, having sold a total of 81,542 tickets. That number easily topped Metallica’s mark of 74,244 over four shows in 2010.
THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS ISSUES STAR-FILLED “CITY OF ANGELS” CLIP
Singer and movie star Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds to Mars directed the band’s confessional mini documentary that serves as the (NOTE CONTENT) video for the grandiose song “City of Angels.” The ambitious clip stars a cast of famous faces including Kanye West, Lindsay Lohan,James Franco and pop singer/actress Selena Gomez, among others, all sharing their thoughts – pro and con – about Los Angeles, the city of dreams come true and broken dreams.
FLAMING LIPS JOIN MY MORNING JACKET-HOSTED MEXICO FESTIVAL
Oklahoma-bred the Flaming Lips have been invited to join My Morning Jacket’s One Big Holiday festival taking place at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, Mexico January 26-30, 2014. In his inimitable way, Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne reacted to the invitation from MMJ mainmanJim James by saying being with James “is like hanging with an outlaw who just broke out of jail, but this outlaw is also Jesus Christ at the last supper…and there is music everywhere being made by magic birds that leave diamonds in your drinks.” For ticket information, visitmmjonebigholiday.com.
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE TO TEMPER ANGER ON NEXT ALBUM
The members of Britain’s Bullet for My Valentine are aiming to tap down the anger on their next album, the follow up to Temper Temper, their current record which drummer Michael Thomasdescribes as “more of an angry record.” He told Billboard the band has “already started writing for the next album, which is completely different from Temper Temper. We always like to keep changing our records and our sounds and stuff…we just want to…get to another level each time out.”
EX-VAN HALEN BASSIST ANTHONY REMAINS HAPPY FOR REPLACEMENT
No matter how hard you try you can’t get former Van Halen bassist Michael Anthony to take the bait and bash his replacement, Eddie Van Halen’s son, Wolfgang. In a recent interview, Anthony called Wolfgang “a great kid” and “a great bass player,” adding, “His dad, Ed, wanted his son to play with him, so…that’s…totally great. I wished him luck in a couple interviews I did, and hopefully he read those.”
GUITAR KING CLARK TAPPED TO OPEN FOR KINGS OF LEON
Austin-born six-string wizard Gary Clark Jr., who will kick off a run of 15 solo dates on November 10 in Boston, has been chosen to open for Kings of Leon on each of their 16 initial North American dates. Clark’s solo shows stretch through a hometown gig on November 29, and his opening act duties for Kings of Leon begin February 5 in Atlanta and wrap March 8 in Chicago. Clark’s latest album, Blak and Blu, is available now. Finally, he’ll be performing solo on CBS’ The Late Show with David Letterman on November 7.
MORRISSEY MEMOIR MAKING AMERICAN DEBUT DECEMBER 3
Already a No. 1 best-seller in his native UK, former Smiths singer Morrissey’s critically acclaimed memoir, simply titled Autobiography, will finally hit U.S. bookshelves on December 3. The paperback edition will be released at a later date. Several publishers were vying for the rights to release the book in the U.S., but G.P. Putman’s Sons, an imprint of Penguin Random House, managed to win out in the end.
ROLLING STONES HYDE PARK CONCERTS COMING TO THEATERS, DVD
For the lucky ones who attended the Rolling Stones July shows in London’s Hyde Park, they’ll get a chance to relive the experience; for the millions who missed them, they’ll get a chance to experience the shows in their living rooms and/or neighborhood movie theater. Sweet Summer Sun – Hyde Park Live will be available November 11 in various configurations: on DVD, Blu-ray, as a 2-CD/DVD set and as a 3-LP/DVD package. Finally, Sweet Summer Sun will begin a run in theaters on November 6.
DALTREY SAYS THE WHO WILL PERFORM, BUT NOT MOUNT TOURS
If Roger Daltrey is to be believed, he and surviving The Who bandmate Pete Townshend may be too old to tour, but their willingness to perform has yet to die. The two have plans to mount one final world tour to celebrate The Who’s 50th anniversary, but Daltrey told Billboard, “The band got better reviews on our last tour than we had for years. It was incredibly exhausting, and we have to be realistic about our age. But it’s not going to be the last thing The Who will do. We’re going to be doing events. We’re going to be doing shows. We might do other things, more experimental.”
