THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 6
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
SECOND WINTER STORM THIS WEEK HITS MIDWEST, NORTHEAST
The second major winter storm in three days hit a large portion of the country yesterday, causing dangerous travel conditions from the Midwest to the Northeast. Up to a foot of snow was expected in areas fromNorthern Pennsylvania to Southern Maine, and 8 to 15 inches was predicted in Poughkeepsie, New York.Manhattan was forecast to get three to six inches of snow, and up to a half-inch of ice. Almost 2,600 flights had been canceled yesterday morning, mostly from the New York-area airports, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington. Meanwhile, thanks to the back-to-back storms, Wisconsin was running low on salt. Two ships delivered 50,000 tons of salt to the state, where some communities have started mixing sand with salt to stretch their supplies. The city of Milwaukee had used 62,000 tons of salt before two storms that hit Saturday and Wednesday – already 5,000 tons more than it uses in a typical winter.
SOCHI JOURNALISTS REPORT DEPLORABLE HOTEL CONDITIONS
It’s not just terrorist threats Sochi guests have to worry about – it’s terrible accommodations. Journalists in the Russian city to cover the Winter Olympics have been reporting deplorable conditions in their hotels. Yahoo sports reporter Alan Springer tweeted, “Sochi hotel room – no wifi, tv, heat, working lock on front door or shower curtain. BUT, I've been told I have one of the nicer rooms?” Another reporter, Chicago Tribune’sStacy St. Clair, posted, “My hotel has no water. If restored, the front desk says, ‘do not use on your face because it contains something very dangerous.’” Among the other horrors: un-flushable toilets and dead bees found in honey packets.
MICHIGAN FUGITIVE CAUGHT IN SAN DIEGO AFTER 37 YEARS
A woman who escaped from a Michigan prison 37 years ago was recaptured in San Diego, authorities said yesterday. Judy Lynn Hayman, 60, was caught thanks to the work of one Michigan officer who decided to look through old fugitive files. Lt. Charles Levens requested the fingerprint cards for all old escapees and sent them to the FBI. Hayman's fingerprints came back matching those of a woman who had been arrested in San Diego. On Monday, police went to an apartment where a woman matching Hayman’s description answered the door. She claimed to be someone else, but officers took her to the station where she eventually admitted her real identity. Hayman will be returned to Michigan to complete her sentence for attempted larceny. The state Parole Board will determine how long she’ll be imprisoned. She had already served eight months of an 18-24-month sentence before she escaped.
FL. MOVIE THEATER SHOOTER PLEADS NOT GUILTY
The ex-cop accused of fatally shooting a man for texting in a Florida movie theater has pleaded not guilty.Curtis Reeves Jr., 71, is charged with second-degree murder in the Jan. 13 incident at the Tampa theater, which left Navy veteran Chad Oulson, 43, dead. Reeves was additionally charged with aggravated battery with a firearm. Circuit Court Judge Pat Siracusa also ruled yesterday that infrared surveillance video taken from the theater can be shown in court with the public present. “Withholding this video from public view would only fuel speculation of what’s on it,” Siracusa said.
3 ARRESTED IN CONNECTION WITH $5 MILLION VIOLIN THEFT
Three people were arrested in connection with the theft of a $5 million Stradivarius violin, a prosecutor said yesterday. The nearly 300-year-old violin had been stolen last week from Frank Almond, the concertmaster of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The instrument had been lent to Almond and he had just finished performing at Wisconsin Lutheran College when a robber attacked him with a stun gun, took the instrument and fled to a waiting vehicle. Police did not say whether the violin had been recovered. They would only say the investigation is ongoing.
ROCK NEWS:
ULRICH UPDATES PROGRESS ON NEXT METALLICA ALBUM
In a new interview with Rolling Stone, Metallica drummer Lars Ulrich was asked about the progress the band was making in the recording of their next studio album. Refusing to put even a potential timeline on the project, Ulrich replied, “What I can say is, we’re one day closer to the next record being released than we were yesterday.” Continuing his evasive answer, he added, “Unless there’s what’s called an ‘Act of God,’ I would hedge my bet that ‘201’ would be the first three digits in the release year. And I don’t know much beyond that. We’ve been jamming along. We’ve been putting in some time.”
MUSTAINE AXES FELLOW METALLICA ALUM NEWSTED FROM TOUR
One would think that fellow former Metallica members Dave Mustaine and Jason Newsted would have each other’s backs, but it appears the Megadeth leader has given Newsted a swift kick in the backside after booting Newsted’s eponymous band of an Australian tour. Organizers of the Soundwave Festival posted the following message on the event’s website: “At the request of Megadeth, Newsted will not be playing the below sidewaves and instead will be replaced byWhitechapel.” The “Sidewaves” are smaller theater shows put on by the festival’s promoters. Newsted was scheduled to appear on February 25 in Sydney and February 27 in Melbourne.
RHCP’S SMITH AUCTIONS SUPER BOWL DRUM KIT FOR CHARITY
Lost in the furor over the Red Hot Chili Peppers not playing live during their Super Bowl halftime performance was the cool custom drum kit Chad Smith was banging on. The set, a custom-made “limited edition” clear Plexiglas Pearl emblazoned with the logos of every NFL team, has been broken up into two separate kits to represent the NFC and AFC and the pair are being auctioned off at NFL.com, with proceeds benefitting Make-A-Wish. Bidding ends tomorrow at 10p EST.
ROSE RIPS RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS’ FAUX SUPER BOWL PERFORMANCE
For a guy who many feel fronts a phony version of Guns N’ Roses, Axl Rose had a lot to say about the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ admittedly fake playing during Sunday’s Super Bowl halftime show. In a series of sarcastic tweets, Rose wrote that the Peppers “got that karaoke thing going for ‘em!,” and later said that “Flea courageously had a newly invented breakthrough in microchip technology installed in his ass that picked up the frequencies in his bass and transmitted them to his amplifier.” In another tweet, Rose wrote: “Maybe they all had microchips installed in their asses and not only pick up the frequencies of their instruments but get DirecTV and the Internet, too!”
BLACK STONE CHERRY SET TO UNVEIL NEW MAGIC MOUNTAIN ALBUM
Bluegrass State rockers Black Stone Cherry have wrapped work on their next studio album,Magic Mountain, which will be available on May 6. The Kentucky band said in a statement: “After touring the world behind three previous albums that we are extremely proud of, we feel this album best captures the live energy. Honesty and vibe that encompasses our true musianship.”
IN THIS MOMENT INKS NEW RECORD DEAL, PREPS NEW ALBUM
The pride of Albany, NY, In This Moment is proud to announce it has signed a new major label recording contract and is ready to make its return to the recording studio later this month to begin work on the follow-up to its breakout release 2012’s Blood. Guitarist Chris Howorth told Billboard, “We have a bunch of ideas. We’re gonna try and replicate the magic of Blood and try to take the style and sound we had for Blood and just do it bigger and better while still keeping true to that same vibe. That’s our sound.”
JAGGER, BOWIE, BLONDIE SIDEMAN ARRESTED IN ACTOR’S DEATH
A session saxophone player with ties to Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Blondie and the late Amy Winehouse has been arrested in connection with the death of Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman of an apparent heroin overdose. The New York Post reports Robert Vineberg was one of four people arrested on Tuesday night in a New York City drug den. Vineberg’s name appears in the credits of Jagger’s solo album Goddess in the Doorway and Bowie’s Let’s Dance. Vineberg, 57, also played on sessions with Blondie, Paul Simon, Tom Jones and Winehouse, among others.
THE BEATLES: WE LOVE THEM, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH
In anticipation of this Sunday’s 50th anniversary of the Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, 1964, we’ve collected some rare soundbytes from John, Paul,George and Ringo talking about the dawning of Beatlemania. First, Paul talks about having to meet everyone and their mothers, including politicians. Next, Ringo explains how he was asked to join the band.
PAUL, RINGO CHAT WITH LETTERMAN AT ED SULLIVAN THEATER
Surviving Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr sat with late-night host David Letterman for an interview taped on Tuesday at the Ed Sullivan Theater, site of the Fab Four’s triumphant introduction to America on February 9, 1964. The conversation will be featured in the special television event The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to the Beatles, airing on CBS this Sunday at 8p, exactly 50 years to the day, date and time the Beatles made their debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. In more news tied to the 50th anniversary of the Beatles first visit to America, tomorrow at 11:30a Eastern the New York Port Authority will unveil a historic marker at John F. Kennedy Airport’s Central Terminal Area, 50 years to the day the Fab Four landed at JFK.
SHOWBIZ NEWS:
SELENA CONFIRMS REHAB STINT
Reps for Selena Gomez confirmed yesterday that the 21-year-old pop star spent time in rehab last month. Selena spent two weeks at the Meadows clinic in Arizona although her rep insists it was “not for substance abuse.” Sources tell Radaronline that friends urged Selena to get help because she was partying too much. “It just got to the point where she needed to get out of Los Angeles, get away from ‘the scene’ and the pressures of Hollywood to get away from those who had, admittedly, become a bad influence on her,” claims a source. According to TMZ, that bad influence was likely her on-again/off-again beau Justin Bieber, who she blames for a lot of her problems. Sources say it was the 19-year-old “Baby” singer who introduced Selena to alcohol, pot and other substances.
BIEBER HIGH IN THE SKY
Justin Bieber was certainly flying high on the private jet that took him to New York for the Super Bowl last Friday. NBC News is reporting Justin and his team were smoking so much weed on the flight that pilots were forced to wear oxygen masks because they feared inhaling the marijuana and later failing drug tests. In addition, Bieber and his father Jeremy were so abusive to a flight attendant that she had to hide in the cockpit. According to the official report, it was so bad, the attendant said she “would not work another flight with them.” When the plane arrived at New Jersey’s Teterboro Airport it was searched by authorities, who smelled marijuana. After several hours in custody, Bieber was released after drug-sniffing dogs failed to find any pot.
CLINTON ACCUSED OF HAVING AFFAIR WITH HURLEY
Radaronline is making the shocking claim that former President Bill Clinton had a fling with modelElizabeth Hurley while he was still in the White House. The accusations stem from an alleged audio tape in which actor Tom Sizemore, who used to date Hurley, details how he set the Austin Powers star up with the former Commander-in-Chief. Sizemore is heard explaining that after a White House screening of Black Hawk Down in 1998, Clinton asked him if he wanted a tour of the Lincoln bedroom and when they were in there he asked Sizemore for Hurley’s phone number. At first the actor was hesitant but claims Clinton said to him, “Give it to me. You dumb mother*****r, I’m the Commander-in-Chief of the United States of America. The buck stops here. Give me the damn number.” Sizemore finally gave in and Clinton called Hurley. After some convincing, she agreed to come over and Clinton sent a plane for her. As for what happened next, Sizemore says, “what do you think? She was there for four days. He f***ed her that night.” Hurley has denied the story claiming it’s “ludicrously silly” and “totally untrue.”
WOODY DEFENDED BY SON
Well, someone in Woody Allen’s family is on his side. The director’s adopted son Moses Farrowhas come to his defense, telling People that Woody did not molest his sister Dylan and that his mother Mia Farrow deliberately put her children in the middle of their feud. “My mother drummed it into me to hate my father for tearing apart the family and sexually molesting my sister,” Moses tellsPeople. “And I hated him for her for years. I see now that this was a vengeful way to pay him back for falling in love with Soon-Yi.” He adds, “Of course Woody did not molest my sister. She loved him and looked forward to seeing him when he would visit. She never hid from him until our mother succeeded in creating the atmosphere of fear and hate towards him.” Moses insists his sister is not telling the truth, and wonders about her true motivation. “I don’t know if my sister really believes she was molested or is trying to please my mother,” he said, adding, “Pleasing my mother was very powerful motivation because to be on her wrong side was horrible.”
HOFFMAN AUTOPSY INCONCLUSIVE/ ARRESTED DEALERS MAY BE CONNECTED TO ACTOR’S DEATH
The New York City Medical Examiner announced yesterday that the autopsy on actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was inconclusive and more tests will be needed to determine his exact cause of death. Meanwhile, four suspected heroin dealers were arrested in New York Tuesday and they may be connected to the actor’s suspected overdose. The New York Post claimed that a lower Manhattan address was raided Tuesday after receiving a tip that a dealer at the location sold to Hoffman, but the NYPD now says there’s “no truth” to the story. A “large quantity” of heroin, allegedly 350 glassine envelopes, was found at the location. The suspects are now being questioned to determine if they had any links to Hoffman.
HOFFMAN HOMOSEXUAL CLAIMS DENIED/LAWSUIT FILED
The National Enquirer ran a story yesterday claiming that the screenwriter who discovered Philip Seymour Hoffman’s body is now saying he was the actor’s homosexual lover but that’s a lie. The tab quoted writer David Bar Katz as saying “we were homosexual lovers. We had a relationship,” but Gossip Cop says the writer never talked to the tab. A rep for Hoffman told the site, “The story is completely 100% FALSE.” Bar Katz immediately filed a $50 million lawsuit against the tabloid over the article. “The story is a complete fabrication: There was no interview," states the lawsuit. "Bar Katz and Hoffman were never lovers. Bar Katz did not see Hoffman freebasing cocaine the night before he died, or at any other time. Bar Katz never saw Hoffman use heroin or cocaine." His lawyer added that the article is “just disgusting.”
CLAY AIKEN RUNNING FOR CONGRESS
Former American Idol runner-up Clay Aiken officially announced yesterday that he is running for Congress in North Carolina. “If you only know the part of my story that begins with a golden ticket," said Aiken in a campaign video, "you might wonder what qualifies me to run." The singer, who was also a runner-up on season five of Celebrity Apprentice, then tells a personal story of growing up in poverty and dealing with an abusive father. “For most Americans, there are no golden tickets," Aiken says. "At least not like the kind you see on TV. More families are struggling today than at any time in our history. And here in North Carolina, we've suffered more than our share of pain."
KIM & KANYE MOVE UP WEDDING
Us Weekly reports that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West have decided to move up their wedding. The couple originally planned to tie the knot in Paris in July, but now sources say the wedding will take place in May. An insider claims the pair is planning “lots of events leading up to the big day,” for their guests. In addition, their eight-month-old daughter Nori is expected to be a big part of the wedding.
EVA & RYAN OVER?
In Touch and Life & Style are both claiming that Ryan Gosling and Eva Mendes have ended their relationship. The couple, who started dating in 2011, reportedly called it quits over Christmas. “Neither is rushing out to date other people right now,” a source tells Life & Style, while another added, “They just knew it was time.”
CHER DIDN’T GO TO SON’S WEDDING
Cher’s son Elijah Blue Allman says in a new interview that he and his mother are estranged and their relationship is so bad he didn’t invite her to his recent wedding. Elijah, whose dad is rockerGregg Allman, married girlfriend Marieangela “Angie” King on December 1st at their Beverly Hills home and Cher has yet to congratulate him on the nuptials. “I wasn’t going to wait for anyone’s approval and congratulations just like I’ve never waited for any of that my whole life,” he told The Mail. “The way I eloped with my wife is the same way I’ve done everything I’ve ever done. I don’t know any other way and we knew it was the right time.” As for why he and his mother don’t get along, Elijah explained, “I’ve always been the black sheep of my family. The reason being we just have different value systems and we just have a different mentality and that clashes a lot. We have lots of ups and downs and right now isn’t the best time.”
WALKER LEFT FORTUNE TO DAUGHTER
Actor Paul Walker left his entire $25 million fortune to his 15-year-old daughter Meadow. The actor, who died November 30th, appointed his father Paul Sr. as the executor of his will, which was filed in probate court earlier this week. Paul Sr. also petitioned the court to appoint the Fast and the Furious star’s mother Cheryl Walker as Meadow’s legal guardian. So far there’s no word on whether Meadow’s mother Rebecca Soteros, opposes the move. Meadow currently lives with Soteros, but she had been living with Walker at the time of his death.
GIUDICE’S DAUGHTER POSTS OFFENSIVE TWEET
Teresa Giudice’s 13-year-old daughter Gia is in the news for a recent tweet that included a homosexual slur. After a user sent Gia a message that read, “I miss texting you everyday,” she shot back, "@nickslaaen who's this chick u little f—–t." The text has since been deleted. Meanwhile, Teresa was tight-lipped earlier this week when questioned about the fraud charges she’s facing in federal court. When asked by ABC News about the allegations she said, "I would love to answer all your questions, and one day I will. But, you know, out of respect of the process, I'm going to let, you know, the legal matters play out in court."
TEEN MOM JENELLE REVEALS FUTURE BABY’S NAME
Teen Mom 2’s Jenelle Evans has revealed that she and boyfriend Nathan Griffith are expecting a baby boy, and they’ve already picked out a pretty unique name for the tot. “We didn’t want something that everyone else had or had even heard before, even us,” she told Us Weekly. “So we wanted something different, and we ended up looking up Kaiser.” This will be the second boy for Jenelle. Her son Jace, who is being raised by her mom, is four.
MISCELLANEOUS MOVIE NEWS
● Ewan McGregor and Mud’s Tye Sheridan will star in the film Last Days in the Desert. The movie stars McGregor as both a holy man and a demon on a journey through the desert.
● Game of Thrones Kit Harington (Jon Snow) will star in Testament of Youth, based on the 1933 autobiography of Vera Brittain, who postponed her studies at Oxford to become a nurse during World War I.
TV TIDBITS
● NBC yesterday cancelled The Michael J. Fox Show. The network pulled the freshman comedy from the schedule effective immediately, replacing it with Hollywood Game Night. So far 15 of the 22 produced episodes have aired. There’s no word on whether the network will eventually air the remaining shows.
● USA Network announced that the current eighth season of Psych will be the show’s last. The final episode will air March 26th, followed by Psych After Show, a one-hour retrospective featuring a Q&A with the entire cast and the show’s creator Steve Franks.
