TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
OBAMACARE EXPERIENCING PROBLEMS ACROSS THE BOARD
It’s not just the HealthCare.gov website – the entire Affordable Care Act enrollment process is having problems. A series of internal Obama administration memos reveals that the process of submitting health insurance applications through non-electronic channels is no more efficient than the glitch-plagued website. President Obama and other top aides have publicly reassured customers that they can bypass the troubled website by applying by paper or by phone. “The same portal is used to determine eligibility no matter how the application is submitted (paper, online),” reads a Center for Consumer Information and Insurance Oversight memo from Oct. 11. “The paper applications allow people to feel like they are moving forward in the process and provides another option,” it says. “At the end of the day, we are all stuck in the same queue.”
MICHELLE KNIGHT OPENS UP ABOUT KIDNAPPING ORDEAL ON DR. PHIL
Michelle Knight, one of the three Cleveland kidnapping victims, is set to appear on Dr. Phil in a two-part episode airing today and tomorrow. In a clip released yesterday, the 32-year-old describes her ten-year ordeal at the hands of captor Ariel Castro. She says she was tied by her hands, feet and neck with an orange extension cord and hung on the wall like “an ornament” by Castro. Knight will be the first of the three women to publicly tell her story with her appearance on the Dr. Phil show. Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23, announced a book contract last month.
GERMAN POLICE RECOVER ARTWORK STOLEN BY NAZIS
German police have recovered hundreds of masterpieces believed to have been looted by the Nazis during World War II. About 1,500 pieces of artwork by the likes of Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse and Marc Chagallwere found at the Munich apartment of a “loner” named Cornelius Gurlitt. Among the paintings, valued at around $1.35 billion, were also some empty frames, leading some to believe that certain paintings had been sold. Gurlitt, who stored the paintings in a dark room among tins of food, allegedly inherited the modernist masterpieces from his father, a German art collector. They were part of a collection that was stolen by the Nazis in the 1930s and 1940s.
FAMILY OF LAX GUNMAN SPEAKS OUT
The family of the accused gunman in the LAX shooting rampage last week broke their silence yesterday. In a written statement read by their attorney, the family of Paul Anthony Ciancia expressed sympathy for the victims and said they were “shocked and numbed” by the tragic events. "We acknowledge the need to understand what happened and why it happened,” the statement said. But the family also said they will continue to support Ciancia. "Paul is our son and brother. We will continue to love him and care for him. We will support him through the difficult times ahead," they said. The 23-year-old is charged with killing a TSA officer and committing violence at an international airport. Four others were injured in the rampage.
CT CAMPUS PLACED ON LOCKDOWN AFTER ALLEGED ARMED MAN SPOTTED
One person was taken into custody yesterday following reports of an armed man roaming the Central Connecticut State University campus. The campus was placed on lockdown after numerous students reported seeing a masked, camouflaged man with a gun entering a dormitory. But it all turned out to be a misunderstanding. The suspect was identified as 21-year-old student David Kyem, the son of CCSU geography professor Peter Kyem. Peter Kyem said his son was wearing a Halloween costume and was not carrying any real weapons. Still, police charged the senior with breach of peace and he was released after posting $1,000 bond.
SHOWBIZ NEWS:
DREW BARRYMORE PREGNANT
Drew Barrymore has another bun in the oven. After the 38-year-old was spotted out in Hollywood Sunday with a growing baby bump, her rep confirmed that the Charlie’s Angels star and husbandWill Kopelman are expecting their second child. Their daughter Olive is 13 months old.
PFEIFFER SAYS SHE WAS IN A CULT
Michelle Pfeiffer revealed in a recent interview that she once belonged to a cult. The Batman Returns star told Britain’s Sunday Telegraph that at the beginning of her Hollywood career she became involved with a group run by a “very controlling” couple who believed humans could survive without food or water, with only sunlight for nourishment. She says she was put on a strict diet that “nobody can adhere to.” The 55-year-old, who was in her twenties at the time, described the duo as “kind of personal trainers.” “I wasn’t living with them but I was there a lot and they were always telling me I needed to come more,” she said. “I had to pay for all the time I was there, so it was financially draining.” Michelle said she finally realized she was part of a cult when she met her first husband, Thirtysomething’s Peter Horton, who had been researching the quasi- Christian cult the Moonies. Said Michelle, “We were talking with an ex-Moonie and he was describing the psychological manipulation and I just clicked.”
GAGA ROMANCE ON THE ROCKS?
Lady Gaga’s career may be going well, but her love life is in the toilet. A report claims the pop superstar’s relationship with Chicago Fire’s Taylor Kinney is over. Word is Taylor felt Gaga’s “insane workload” kept their relationship from developing. “Taylor has told her she’s married to her career and he can’t deal with dating Gaga the megastar and all her obsessions and alter-egos,” an insider told The Sun. “He loves the cool down-to-earth girl but hardly gets to see her.” But Gaga hopes to salvage things when they get together later this month. “Gaga’s hoping to meet up with Taylor when their schedules allow to talk things through,” the insider said. “Taylor told her they need time apart and it’s looking as if this might lead to a permanent split.” A source close to Gaga says the story is “not true.” But while she and Taylor may be together, Us Weekly reports that Gaga has parted ways with her manager Troy Carter due to “creative differences.”
BECKHAM GOES AS HIMSELF FOR HALLOWEEN
David Beckham reportedly fooled an entire Halloween party by going as himself. According to theNew York Post, the British soccer star attended the Halloween Hangover party at Manhattan’s Bowery Hotel last week, but he was not in costume. Not that it mattered. In fact, one person walked over to him and asked “what’s your costume?” and he replied, “I’m going as David Beckham.” Not realizing they were talking to the real thing, the partygoer replied, “Wow, you look just like him.”
THE SIMPSONS HONOR MARCIA WALLACE
The Simpsons paid tribute to the late Marcia Wallace during the opening of Sunday night’s episode. Wallace, who died last week, was the voice of Bart’s teacher Mrs. Krabappel, and during Sunday’s chalkboard segment of the opening, Bart was seen writing, “We’ll really miss you Mrs. K.” The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean says Mrs. Krabappel will eventually die on the show, but since they do voice recordings far in advance, they have plenty of time before they have to address the issue on the series.
BROOKE DENIED RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST CHARLIE
Brooke Mueller was unable to get a court to force her ex Charlie Sheen to stay away from her. Last week Charlie went on a tirade about Brooke calling her an “evil whore” who is putting their twin sons’ lives in danger. He even threatened her life, which prompted Brooke to go to court in an attempt to get a restraining order taken out against the Anger Management star. But TMZ reports that a judge yesterday refused Brooke’s request, at least for now. Another hearing is set for next month. Meanwhile, despite Charlie’s rants, Brooke insists she is staying sober and she is not a danger to their kids. She even claims Charlie’s out to sabotage her and she’s worried he’ll plant drugs on her so she won’t be able to regain custody of the kids.
APPLEGATE CALLS OUT BLOGGER OVER POSTING KID PICS
Christina Applegate has had enough of the paparazzi snapping photos of her daughter Sadie, who is almost three. In fact, after Perez Hilton posted paps shots of Christina and her husbandMartyn Le Noble bringing the child to a Halloween party, she publicly called out the gossip blogger for using the photos. “Hey @PerezHilton I know you’re a thoughtful guy. But I’m asking you to please stop posting pics of my kid. She deserves better thank you,” tweeted the star. “We just need to stop the obsession. Perez is doing his job. But at some point humanity needs to come into play. #kidsofflimits.” She added, “I’ve read your posts. Let’s not be bullies. We can’t do that we have to be examples. I’m not angry at him. Just asking for respect.” So far, Perez has not responded.
PORN COMPANIES CELEBRATE KENDALL TURNING 18
Kendall Jenner continued her 18th birthday celebrations over the weekend. After the family rented out Six Flags Magic Mountain last week, they marked the occasion again Sunday with a dinner party. “Birthday dinner,” Kendall wrote on Instagram, along with a picture of herself and friendSpencer Johnson in festive masks. Later she posted another masked pic with her sister Khloe Kardashian. And apparently Kendall wasn’t the only one celebrating the fact that she is 18. According to TMZ, porn companies are particularly happy and six of them have already offered Kendall money to make a sex tape like her famous sister Kim Kardashian. One company, Bangyoulater.com, is willing to shell out $1.8 mil for such a tape.
DOLLY DEFENDS MILEY
Dolly Parton is defending her goddaughter Miley Cyrus. The country legend told the London Evening Standard she is a big fan of the 20-year-old “Wrecking Ball” singer. “I’ve loved her through the years and watched her grow up, and I’ve seen how smart she is and how talented she is,” said Parton. “I don’t think people really realize yet what a great singer and writer she really is.” As for Miley’s latest antics, Dolly says, “She’s just trying to find her own place and wings and learn to fly.” Although Dolly insists Miley “has thought this all through,” she adds, “It’s not easy being young. It’s hard to know what to do. You’ve almost got to sacrifice your damn soul just to get anything done.”
ONCE UPON A TIME’S MORRISON & STAN SPLIT UP
Once Upon A Time star Jennifer Morrison is single again. The actress and boyfriend Sebastian Stan, who guest starred as the Mad Hatter on the ABC series, have ended their romance of a little more than a year. Sources say the pair split up at least four months ago, but adds there is “no bad blood” between them. Said an insider, “They just grew apart.”
BROLIN GETS IN TWO FIGHTS IN ONE NIGHT
Josh Brolin apparently got into more than one fight on Friday. Over the weekend, TMZ posted video of the W. star fighting and then hugging it out with a bouncer at a Santa Monica bar. And now TMZ has obtained [NOTE CONTENT] footage filmed before the bar incident, in which Brolin got into an altercation at a Del Taco drive-thru in Los Angeles. According to the site, Josh rear-ended a cab while waiting in line for his food, and when the cabbie tried to get the actor’s insurance information, Brolin went off on an expletive-filled tirade. Brolin then took off when the cabbie pulled over to clear the drive-thru lane.
GOMEZ WILL ALWAYS BE A GOOD GIRL
Selena Gomez is never going to be a wild and crazy girl. “I’m always going to be the girl you want to take home to your parents, not for the night,” Gomez tells Teen Vogue, although she admits she’s sometimes tempted to be a bit reckless. “You fall in love and it completely consumes you. So a part of you is broken when that’s gone,” she says. “And part of you wants to have that rebellious feeling where you’re just like, ‘forget it — I can do anything I want.’” But, she explains, “I’ve tried it, and I’ve never been that girl.”
WIIG SPOTTED OUT WITH EX
Kristen Wiig may be back together with her ex. E! reports the former SNL star was spotted Sunday sitting courtside at a New York Knicks game with her former beau, Strokes drummerFabrizio Moretti. Although the pair never actually confirmed their breakup, several media outlets reported the split back in July.
BRODY JENNER SPLITS FROM GIRLFRIEND
Brody Jenner is on the prowl again. Us Weekly reports the Keeping Up With the Kardashian star has split from his girlfriend of four months, Bryana Holly. “It just fizzled,” claims an insider.
ANDERSON EXHAUSTED AFTER NY MARATHON
Former Baywatch star Pamela Anderson successfully completed the New York City Marathon Sunday in 5 hours and 41 minutes, but it sure took a toll on her. A few hours after the 26.2 mile, five borough race, the 46-year-old Anderson posted a picture of herself on Twitter, in which she is lying on a bed with bags of ice on her knee and abs, with the caption, “Ouch!” But all the pain was for a worthy cause. Anderson raised more than $288,000 for Sean Penn’s J/P Haitian Relief Organization.
TEEN MOM AMBER PORTWOOD OUT OF JAIL
Teen Mom Amber Portwood is a free woman. The 24-year-old has been behind bars for nearly a year-and-a-half after begging a judge to jail her for violating probation in a drug possession case. Amber was initially allowed to go to rehab, but decided she’d rather be jailed. Although she was sentenced to five years, Amber, whose daughter Leah is three, was released yesterday after only 17 months, thanks to good behavior and time served.
MISCELLANEOUS MOVIE NEWS
● Paramount Pictures is giving Anchorman fans a chance to see the upcoming sequel early. Fans who register at www.AnchormanMovie.com/superticket before Tuesday, November 26th will be the first to learn about what the studio is calling the Anchorman 2 “Super Ticket,” which will allow them to see the Will Ferrell flick two days before its nationwide release on December 20th. The studio did something similar with Brad Pitt’s World War Z earlier this summer. Fans paid $50 to get an advance screening of the flick, as well as popcorn, a digital copy of the film as soon as it became available and some other World War Z memorabilia.
TV TIDBITS
● Emily Wickersham, who most recently appeared on the FX series The Bridge, is joining the cast of CBS’s NCIS as a series regular. She’ll fill the void left by star Cote de Pablo. Wickersham will make her debut on the November 19th episode, playing NSA Analyst Eleanor “Ellie” Bishop, who specializes in international threat assessment and global preparation.
● Breaking Bad’s Anna Gunn will guest star on an upcoming episode of Fox’s The Mindy Project.The actress, who won an Emmy for playing Skyler White, will play Mindy’s idol, Sheila Hamilton, who she calls “the Tory Burch of Manhattan OB/GYNs.”
ROCK NEWS:
AVENGED SEVENFOLD NAMED DOWNLOAD FESTIVAL HEADLINERS
Southern California’s Avenged Sevenfold has been locked down as one of the three headliners for the 2014 edition of UK’s three-day Download Festival set to take place June 13-15 in Donington Park. In addition, Rob Zombie has been confirmed to perform opening night on the main stage. Event promoters said of A7X, “Their breathtaking live shows have garnered an unshakable reputation. Download history is sure to be made when they take their rightful place as UK festival headliners for the first time on the hallowed turf of Donington Park.” Avenged Sevenfold, who just released their sixth album Hail to the King, will close out day-one on June 13.
HALESTORM, REDLIGHT KING GREEN LIGHT WINTER TOUR TOGETHER
This year’s long cold winter just heated up significantly with news that a hot double bill featuringHalestorm and Redlight King will blast through 14 North American cities, starting November 26 in Memphis. The trek will also hit cities such as Louisville, New York, Montreal, Toronto, Baltimore, Cleveland, Pittsburgh and Madison, WI before blowing out in the Windy City of Chicago on December 15. Tickets are on sale now.
LAMB OF GOD BOLSTERS 2003’S AS THE PALACES BURN
Heavy metal mainstays Lamb of God are bringing their 2003 album As the Palaces Burn back from the ashes in the form of an expanded edition, due November 11. The freshly dusted off remixed and remastered version will feature three rarities, demos of “Ruin,” “Blood Junkie” and the title track, and a video to their sophomore record. Lamb of God are currently on tour withKillswitch Engage, Testament and Huntress. The trek stops tonight in Denver.
FREHLEY RETURNS FIRE FOLLOWING SIMMONS’ SALVOS
Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley has responded to the most recent derogatory comments made about him by ex-bandmate Gene Simmons, who in the past has put Frehley down as a drunk and drug addict that was once a “cancer” that had to be cut out of the band. In a recent radio interview, Frehley said Simmons “has no friends – he’s not respected by his peers. I mean, from the very beginning, his only motivation was money. He’s pissed off thousands of fans. He took the safe route: he never got loaded, he never partied. What’s he gonna talk about? All he can do is badmouth other people.”
SKRILLEX SET TO SCRATCH ITCH TO WORK HARD IN 2014
After seemingly laying pretty low for most of 2013, EDM heavyweight Skrillex says he’s ready to “go at it hard next year.” After debuting several new tracks at this past weekend’s HARD Day of the Dead festival in Los Angeles, Skrillex told Rolling Stone, “It’s definitely been a busy year for me. It’s been off-tour, but I’ve been hustling and getting ready, too. I’m gonna go at it hard next year. ’14 is gonna be super exciting, I’m gonna be out there and doing some new s**t.”
LUSCIOUS JACKSON RETURNS AFTER 14 YEARS WITH MAGIC HOUR
Nineties female rock unit Luscious Jackson is back minus one original member but eager to recapture some of the magic of their past with Magic Hour, their first new album in 14 years, which arrives today. The band – singer/guitarist Gabby Glaser, bassist Jill Cunniff and drummer Kate Schellenbach (keyboardist Vivian Trimble opted not to reunite) – will play some shows in support of the release, but due to family commitments the gigs will be kept to mostly weekends, including a November 23 show in Philadelphia and a December 7 set in New York City.
SMITH FEELS REED “PICKED THE PERFECT DAY TO DIE”
New York punk pioneer Patti Smith thinks her late friend and fellow Big Apple music legend Lou Reed chose just the right day to pass away. In an article for the New Yorker, Smith said she researched the “significance” of the day Reed died and wrote, “I found it to be the birthday of bothDylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. Lou had chosen the perfect day to set sail – the day of poets, on Sunday morning, the world behind him. Lou was a very special poet…” Reed died of liver disease at the age of 71.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New albums out today: Scott Stapp – Proof of Life; Various – Punk Goes Christmas; Various – Released: The Human Rights Concerts 1986-1998; Stryper – No More Hell to Pay (CD/DVD); Melvins – Tres Cabrones; Luscious Jackson – Magic Hour; Jimi Hendrix – Miami Pop Festival; David Bowie – The Next Day Extra (2-CD/DVD).
