TUESDAY, JULY 2

NATIONAL HEADLINES:

19 FIREFIGHTERS IN ARIZONA DIED IN “PERFECT STORM” OF EVENTS

Authorities released more details yesterday about the Arizona wildfire that killed 19 firefighters. Wade Ward, a spokesman for the Prescott Fire Department, said only a “perfect storm” of events could have overtaken the elite team of the Granite Mountain Hotshots. All but one member of the team was killed Sunday in the biggest single event for firefighters since September 11th. In a statement, President Obama called the men “heroes.” Officials were still investigating exactly what happened, but it appeared the 19 were engaged in a “direct attack” – which meant they were getting close to the fire and trying to create a break to starve it of fuel. The conditions on Sunday were extreme, with scorching temperatures and unusual wind. Investigators believe the fire, which started Friday, was sparked by lightning. It has claimed more than 200 buildings in the town ofYarnell.

EGYPTIAN MILITARY GIVES MORSI AN ULTIMATUM

After a weekend of mass protests, Egypt’s military yesterday gave the government 48 hours to meet the opposition’s demands. In a statement read on state television, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said if President Mohammed Morsi’s government did not comply, the army would intervene. The protesters’ main demands are that Morsi announce early elections and agree to step down, allowing a temporary government to take over. Anti-government demonstrators yesterday ransacked the headquarters of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood inCairo. Sixteen people were killed and more than 700 were wounded during the protests Sunday and early yesterday.

PUTIN WILL ALLOW SNOWDEN TO STAY, ONLY IF HE STOPS LEAKING U.S. SECRETS

Russian President Vladimir Putin said yesterday that he would allow NSA whistleblower Edward Snowdento remain in his country only if he agreed to stop leaking American secrets. And while President Obama has said there’s been high-level talks between the U.S. and Russia about Snowden’s extradition, Putin reiterated that Russia would not be handing Snowden over to U.S. authorities. “If he likes to stay here there is one condition: he should cease his work aimed at damaging our American partners. No matter how strange it will sound from me," he said. Snowden has been in limbo at a Moscow airport, after arriving there from Hong Kong on June 23. The U.S. has annulled his passport, and Ecuador, where he has hoped to get asylum, has not yet agreed to grant his request.

CORRUPT EX-FBI AGENT APOLOGIZES TO VICTIM’S FAMILY DURING BULGER TRIAL

Corrupt former FBI supervisor John Morris was tearful and apologetic yesterday as he testified for the third day at the trial of Boston mobster James “Whitey” Bulger. Morris became choked up as he addressed the widow and two sons of a man who was killed because Morris allowed an informant’s name to be leaked to Bulger. "I don't ask for your forgiveness, but I do want to express my sincere apology for things that I have done and things that I didn't do,'' Morris told the court, as he faced Michael Donahue’s family. Donahue was killed after offering a ride to Brian Halloran, an informant who agreed to testify against Bulger in exchange for federal protection. Bulger, 83, is accused of being involved in 19 murders, including the execution of Halloran and Donahue. Morris claimed he did not realize Bulger intended to murder Halloran.

OBAMA AND BUSH TO CROSS PATHS IN AFRICA

President Obama is set to meet up with predecessor, George W. Bush, today as the two cross paths inAfrica. Obama and Bush will both participate in a wreath-laying ceremony for victims of the 1998 bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Obama and his family are wrapping up a three-country trip around the continent, while Bush is traveling to Tanzania as part of a conference on women’s issues in Africa. Yesterday, Obama praised Bush's funding for AIDS treatment in Africa – calling it one of his predecessor’s “crowning achievements.”

ROCK NEWS:

PEARL JAM POSTS MYSTERIOUS COUNTDOWN CLOCK ON ‘NEW’ WEBSITE

On Monday we reported that according to Australian radio station Triple M, Pearl Jam was preparing to release a new song sometime this month titled “Mind Your Manners.” The band has now posted the following message on what it describes as “the new PearlJam.com:” “The countdown is on…” along with a countdown clock that as of yesterday stood at six days…and counting. Longtime members of the band’s Ten fan club speculate tour news is on the way, while the band has hinted something big is coming, perhaps a tour and a new album.

MOTORHEAD PULLS PLUG ON REMAINDER OF EUROPEAN TOUR

Hard rock heroes Motorhead have officially cancelled the remainder of their planned European tour as singer/bassist Lemmy continues to deal with health issues. The band wiped out three dates in June, but now axed all shows through August 4. Drummer Mikkey Dee told a Swedish newspaper, “We’re really sorry. But we’re not cancelling because of a cold… You have to put health before everything else.”

MOBY BREAKS MOLE-LIKE PATTERN IN STUDIO FOR NEW ALBUM

Electronic music master Moby is accustomed to breaking musical molds, and for the recording of his upcoming eleventh album, Innocents (due October 1), he broke his own pattern of working alone. He told Rolling Stone, “I spend most of my time alone in my studio, so for Innocents it seemed like a really nice idea to involve other people in the making of the record.” Those “other people” include Flaming Lips principal Wayne Coyne, former Screaming Trees and Queens of the Stone Age singer Mark Lanegan, and Cold Specks vocalist Al Spx, who is heard on the album’s first single, “A Case for Shame.”

THE PIXIES PREP EUROPEAN TOUR, PRESENT NEW BASSIST

The Pixies closed last week by premiering the video for “Bagboy,” their first new song in nine years, and opened this week by announcing they’ll begin the first leg of a world tour on September 29 in Paris, and introducing their new bassist, Kim Shattluck, who replaces Kim Deal, who last month announced she was leaving the band. The upcoming 17-show trek will end in London on November 24.

DAFT PUNK GIVES LOVERBOY UNEXPECTED SHOT IN THE ARM

Canadian Eighties rockers Loverboy can thank French electronic dance music duo Daft Punk for the recent spike in online streaming plays of their 1981 four-million-selling album Get Lucky. According to online streaming company Sounddrop, the current global success of Daft Punk’s smash single “Get Lucky” “has led some fans to the band’s album…” Loverboy guitarist Paul Dean said, “I don’t mind how they find out about us. Maybe we ‘Got Lucky’ back in the day, but it takes more than luck to survive this long. Hey, we’re just a bunch of daft punk-rockers ourselves.”

DAVE STEWART PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT OPENS TO PUBLIC JULY 13

The Morrison Hotel Gallery, located at the Sunset Marquis Hotel in West Hollywood, has announced the opening of a special photography exhibit by multitalented singer/songwriter/producer/filmmaker/author/photographer Dave Stewart. The aptly named Dave Stewart: Jumpin’ Jack Flash & The Suicide Blonde opens to the public July 13 and features the former Eurythmics member’s impressive photographs of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger,Sinead O’Connor, Björk, guitarist Orianthi, singer Joss Stone, actress Demi Moore, and British artist Damien Hirst, among others.

REED BACK HOME RECOVERING FROM BOUT OF DEHYDRATION

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member Lou Reed is back home after reportedly being admitted by ambulance to a Southampton, NY hospital for dehydration. The 71-year old former Velvet Underground singer was taken to a hospital early Sunday morning after repeatedly vomiting. In April, he underwent live-saving liver transplant surgery, but doctors ruled out any connection to the surgery as cause for his dehydration.

NEW ALBUM RELEASES

New albums out today: Iration – Automatic; Oliva – Raise the Curtain; Various – The Lone Ranger: Wanted Soundtrack; Autopsy – Headless Ritual; Pretty Lights – A Color Map of the Sun.

SHOWBIZ NEWS:

J.LO’S NOT TO BLAME FOR TURKMENISTAN PERFORMANCE

Jennifer Lopez’s manager Benny Medina claims she isn’t to blame for singing Happy Birthday to the President of Turkmenistan, who is known for his human rights violations. Medina tells TMZ Jennifer was hired to perform at a corporate concert by the China National Petroleum Company and after she finished her 3-song set, someone told him President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was in the audience, and asked if J.Lo would return to the stage to wish him a happy birthday. Medina told her to go back out, but once J.Lo got there, the evening’s emcee pushed her into singing to the president. Medina claims J.Lo’s camp didn’t do any research into Berdimuhamedow’s human rights record because they didn’t know he was going to be there. When asked if J.Lo plans to return her $1 million plus fee, Medina basically said no.

THREE LAWSUITS AGAINST ELMO THROWN OUT

Former Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash scored a huge victory in court yesterday. A judge ruled that three of the men who accused him of sexually abusing them when they were minors waited too long to file their lawsuits. The New York judge threw out lawsuits filed by Cecil Singleton, Kevin Kiadii and a third unnamed accuser, ruling their lawsuits were filed after the statute of limitations had run out, which was three years after the accusers turned 18.

SCHERZINGER & HAMILTON SPLIT

The romance is over for Nicole Scherzinger and longtime beau, Formula 1 racer Lewis Hamilton. The UK press is reporting the couple, who’s been dating on and off for five years, has called it quits. Just a few weeks ago, Hamilton hinted he was possibly going to propose to the 34-year-old X Factor judge sometime in the near future. “We’ve been together for five years which is quite a milestone,” he said. “But hopefully in the near future. Maybe before we get to six years.”

BIG BROTHER LIVE FEED UNVEILS OFFENSIVE CAST

Sounds like CBS lined up a pretty deplorable cast for this season’s Big Brother. While the network telecast won’t show you anything offensive, the 24/7 live feed sure does, and according to Zap2it, that includes racism, misogyny, and homophobia. The site reports that Aaryn, GinaMarie andKaitlin made fun of Helen’s Asian culture by saying she should “go make some rice,” and then later joked “everyone loves the queers.” One of them is also heard saying that Candice’s“blackness” is coming out. Meanwhile, GinaMarie was heard using the N-word, and Spencerpraised Hitler’s oratorical skills and Nazi medical experiments. Oh, and he likes to use the C-word when talking about women. According to Zap2it, it got so bad that at one point, somebody used theBig Brother public address system to warn the houseguests about what they were saying. "Houseguests, just a reminder" is heard over the loud speaker, at which point Amanda chimes in and goes, "Do not make racial slurs against other houseguests." Then Spencer is heard saying to her “Do you want to scream that out louder?” Well, it sounds like they should.

FARRAH ABRAHAM CHECKS INTO REHAB

Teen Mom Farrah Abraham checked herself into a Florida outpatient facility over the weekend to deal with alcohol abuse. “At this time in my life I need to stay focused on the positive to get through all of the negative that a DUI has caused my life,” the porn star, who was busted in March for driving under the influence, explained. “I’m 22 and want to make better choices and ensure I can recognize when I’m putting myself in a bad situation next time.” She’s expected to undergo counseling for 10 days at the Lukens institute in Palm Beach, FL. Her four-year-old daughterSophia will be cared for by Farrah’s father during her rehab stint.

LINDSAY’S POST-REHAB PLANS

Sounds like Lindsay Lohan may be taking her sobriety seriously this time. Sources tell TMZ theMean Girls star plans on going into hiding when she gets out of rehab in August because she finally realizes she can’t stay sober when she’s out partying in New York and Los Angeles. Insiders claim she wants to move somewhere in the U.S. where the paparazzi won’t find her (good luck with that) so she can concentrate on herself.

MAN OF STEEL’S CAVILL DATING KALEY CUOCO

Us Weekly reports that Man of Steel’s Henry Cavill is dating Kaley Cuoco. According to the mag, Cavill’s 10-month relationship with MMA fighter/actress Gina Carano ended in May, and he recently got together with the 27-year-old Big Bang Theory star. "They are totally hot for each other," a pal tells the magazine. The pair had hoped to keep the romance quiet for now, although last month Kaley tweeted a hint about her new beau – a picture of herself gazing at a Man of Steelposter, raving that the movie is “fantastic in every way.”

PIERCE BROSNAN’S DAUGHTER DIES

Pierce Brosnan has lost his daughter Charlotte to ovarian cancer, the same disease that killed his wife 22 years ago. She was 41. "On June 28 at 2 p.m. my darling daughter Charlotte Emily passed on to eternal life, having succumbed to ovarian cancer," Brosnan told People. "She was surrounded by her husband Alex, children Isabella and Lucas and brothers Christopher andSean." He added, “Charlotte fought her cancer with grace and humanity, courage and dignity. Our hearts are heavy with the loss of our beautiful dear girl. We pray for her and that the cure for this wretched disease will be close at hand soon." Charlotte’s mother Cassandra Harris died from ovarian cancer in 1991. Her mother died from the disease as well.

KRIS JENNER REFUSED MARRIAGE COUNSELING

Kris Jenner may think everything’s fine with her marriage, but apparently her husband doesn’t agree. According to Radronline, Bruce Jenner decided to move to his Malibu beach house after his attempts to get Kris into marriage counseling failed. A source claims the former Olympian tried for months to get Kris to seek help with their marriage but she refused. “The marriage has been in trouble for a very long time, and had only continued to go downhill,” said the source. “Bruce and Kris have become more like roommates, and there is just no romance in the relationship.” But Kris turned him down because, “she didn’t think anything was wrong and was happy with the status quo. She felt that it would just be a waste of time.”

KIM’S FATHER’S DAY GIFT TO KANYE

Kim Kardashian certainly knows how to please her baby daddy Kanye West. The rapper tweeted a picture on Monday of two Apple computer mice signed by company founders Steve Jobs andSteve Wozniak with the caption, “one of the other gifts my girl gave me for fathers day.” Kanye has in the past talked about his respect for the late Jobs and it was recently revealed that Wozniak visited Kim and Kanye not long after baby North was born.

OMAROSA VS. CLAUDIA JORDAN AT THE BET AWARDS

Celebrity Apprentice’s Claudia Jordan claims she was assaulted at the BET Awards Sunday night. The Deal or No Deal model told TMZ the mother of fellow Celebrity Apprentice contestantOmarosa attacked her after Claudia and Omarosa got into a heated verbal exchange on the red carpet. During the argument, Omarosa called Claudia a “stupid b**ch” and at one point Omarosa’s mom walked over to Claudia and punched her in the arm. Security eventually came over, broke things up and Claudia allegedly filed a police report regarding the incident. But Omarosa says Claudia was the one who started things by pushing Omarosa’s 65-year-old mother.

DEMI SUICIDAL AT SEVEN

Demi Lovato has opened up about her battles with bulimia and cutting in her teens, but she now says she’s been dealing with issues for much longer than that. "At the time, I was just so grateful to be on TV, but I was also really struggling," Lovato tells Cosmopolitan of her first gig on Barney & Friends. “Looking back, there was a connection, probably between any kid who's ever sang that song to Barney, a little place in a child's heart, a void, that could be filled. And maybe Barney fills it. Even before Barney, I was suicidal. I was 7.” And Demi actually believes the lovable purple dinosaur may have helped her through some of her tough times. “I guess subliminally, I did have a relationship with this figure that was saving my life in a way," she says. "I've talked about being bullied and the years of being a teenager, but I went through things when I was younger that I've never talked about that probably caused me to turn out the way I ended up turning out."

MASTERCHEF CONTESTANT ACCUSED OF POSTING RACIST TWEETS

NOTE CONTENT: A contestant on Fox’s MasterChef allegedly posted racist tweets on her Twitter account last year. According to the Philadelphia Daily News, Krissi Biasiello used offensive language to complain about the Philadelphia 76ers in May, 2012. “Why do the 76ers keep coming up in my who to follow. i HATE basketball. NBA = N*ggers Bouncing Around #thatsracist,” she wrote in the tweet. Then, last July, in response to an online poll about sexual habits, she tweeted, “Better make sure you’re on top when sleeping with a black guy… Otherwise it’s probably rape.” The account from which the tweets originated has since been taken down, but she now has a new one, @MC4Krissi, which is still active.

BRAD & SHIA VISIT SOLDIERS

Brad Pitt and Shia LaBeouf visited the National Training Center in Fort Irwin, CA, as part of their research for the upcoming World War II movie Fury. "It was a unit-sponsored event with just a small group of soldiers in the field," a Fort Irwin spokesperson told the Desert Dispatch. "They talked about the mission of the NTC, what those particular soldiers do, and the soldiers' experience and background. There was no official meet-and-greet." The two actors, along with their co-starLogan Lerman, spent the night embedded with the Operations Group last Thursday.

TV TIDBITS

● American Idol champ Ruben Studdard is going to appear on another reality show, this time to get healthy. The season two winner, known as the “Velvet Teddy Bear,” will compete on the next edition of NBC’s The Biggest Loser, which returns to Tuesdays this fall.

● While everyone is distancing themselves from Paula Deen, rumors claim one reality show is itching to sign her up. The International Business Times says ABC is dying to land Paula for the next edition of Dancing with the Stars. ABC has yet to comment on the rumors.

● NBC has landed Mark Burnett’s follow-up to the The Bible. A.D. Beyond the Bible begins in the days following Jesus' betrayal and death. The Bible, a 10-part History Channel miniseries, was the top-selling miniseries of all time and the number one television series on DVD and Blu-Ray in the past five years.

● ABC has renewed Extreme Weight Loss for a fourth season.

● There will be no happy ending for fans of ABC’s Happy Endings. The network cancelled the series earlier this year, and all efforts to revive it on another network have reportedly failed. Rumors claimed USA Network was interested in the critically acclaimed, yet underrated series, but no deal was made. The options on all the cast members expired yesterday, which means the show is officially dead.

● Jenna Elfman is replacing Parker Posey in the new NBC comedy Growing Up Fisher. Parker dropped out of the sitcom not long after the network picked up the series. The comedy centers on a son (Eli Baker) who grows closer to his parents after they divorce. J.K. Simmons plays the dad, while Elfman will now play the mom.