MONDAY, AUGUST 5

NATIONAL HEADLINES:

U.S. EMBASSIES REMAIN CLOSED AMID AL QAEDA THREAT

Officials announced yesterday that 19 U.S. embassies and consulates across the Middle East and North Africa would remain closed through next Sunday amid a new, unspecified terror threat. According to officials, intelligence suggests the “significant” threat could mean either one large attack or simultaneous attacks across the globe. Reports indicated the threat might be linked to Yemen, but the State Department only confirmed that the warnings are generally connected to al Qaeda. Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R.-Ga.), the ranking member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on NBC’s Meet the Press yesterday that the chatter is “very reminiscent of what we saw pre-9/11.” Meanwhile, some European countries — includingBritain, Germany, and France — were taking action of their own and temporarily shutting down their embassies in Yemen.

WOMAN KILLED, 11 INJURED AFTER CAR PLOWS INTO VENICE BOARDWALK

One woman was killed and 11 others were injured Saturday after a driver plowed his car into pedestrians walking along the Venice Beach boardwalk in California. The woman killed was identified as Alice Gruppioni, the 32-year-old daughter of a prominent Italian businessman who was on her honeymoon at the time of the accident. Gruppioni’s husband, Christian Casadei, suffered minor injuries and was at her side when she died. Los Angeles police said yesterday that the driver, 38-year-old Nathan Campbell, turned himself into police after initially fleeing the scene. Witnesses said it appeared Campbell deliberately swerved his car onto the boardwalk with the intent of harming people, but police said his motive was still unclear. Bail was set at $1 million.

OHIO DEATH ROW INMATE HANGS SELF DAYS BEFORE EXECUTION

A death row inmate set to be executed on Wednesday was found hanging in his cell yesterday. Billy Slagle, 44, was discovered at about 5 a.m. at the Chillicothe Correctional Institution south of Columbus, Ohio.Prison spokeswoman JoEllen Smith said he was in his cell alone and that it appeared to be a suicide. Slagle was convicted of stabbing a neighbor to death during a Cleveland burglary 26 years ago. The then-18-year-old Slagle broke into Mari Anne Pope's home and stabbed her 17 times with a pair scissors. Two children she was babysitting that night witnessed the attack and told detectives what happened.

POWERBALL JACKPOT NOW AT $400 MILLION

The Powerball jackpot is now at an estimated $400 million after no ticket matched all six numbers in Saturday night’s drawing. The winning numbers were 21, 24, 36, 42, 45 and powerball 15. The next Powerball drawing is Wednesday and is being played in 43 states, as well as Washington, D.C. and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The most recent winner was 84-year-old Gloria C. Mackenzie of Zephyhills, Florida, who took home  a $590 million jackpot in June.

BODY OF SNOWBOARDER RECOVERED FROM COLLAPSED ICE TUNNEL
The body of a 25-year-old snowboarder was recovered from a collapsed ice tunnel in Oregon yesterday.Collin Backowski, of Colorado, was traveling with five companions Saturday afternoon when the collapse occurred on Mount Hood. The others tried to dig him out but could not break through the ice and snow. A dozen rescuers used chain saws and other tools to free the body. It had been buried by 8 to 10 feet of snow and ice described as being about as thick as concrete.

THE WEEKEND BOX OFFICE FROM YAHOO! MOVIES

SHOWBIZ NEWS:

THE LATEST ON COWELL’S BABY MAMA DRAMA

Simon Cowell’s baby mama and her estranged husband are in a war of words over her cheating. Friends of Lauren Silverman claim hubby Andrew knew about her relationship with Simon, and never had an issue with it because he was out partying with other woman. But insiders on Andrew’s side says that’s not true and he is furious Lauren’s peeps are leaking those stories. Andrew’s friends believe it’s just “a desperate attempt to smear him.” Meanwhile, sources tell The Mail Simon actually dumped Lauren six weeks ago, before he knew she was pregnant. “He and Lauren split up six weeks ago but the next thing we know he gets a phone call from her saying, 'Guess what?' Since then he has been feeling very confused about everything,” claims a source. But, the insider adds, Simon plans to stand by Lauren during her pregnancy

ELLEN HOSTING THE OSCARS

Ellen DeGeneres is hosting the Oscars again! The talk show host was confirmed last Friday as host of the 86^th annual Academy Awards, set to air March 2. She previously emceed the 79^th annual Oscars in 2007. “I am so excited to be hosting the Oscars for the second time,” DeGeneres said, joking that “you know what they say – the third time’s the charm.” Executive producers for the awards show, Craig Zadan and Neil Meron, said they are “thrilled” to have DeGeneres as host. “There are few stars today who have Ellen’s gift for comedy, with her great warmth and humanity. She is beloved everywhere and we expect that the audience at the Dolby Theatre, and in homes around the globe, will be as excited by this news as we are,” the two said in a joint statement. 

J.LO RETURNING TO IDOL

Sounds like Jennifer Lopez will be making a return trip to American Idol. Deadline.com reports J.Lo has reached an agreement to rejoin the series’ upcoming thirteenth season. Details of the deal are not known, but Deadline reports she could be making the same salary she had when she left the show, which was around $15 million. Fox is expected to announce J.Lo’s return within the next week or two. As for the third judge’s spot, sources say will.i.am is the frontrunner for the position. And it looks like Jennifer Hudson, who was rumored to be joining the show, won’t be making the cut. Sources say that when producers couldn’t nab fellow Idol alums Carrie Underwood andKelly Clarkson, they decided to go in a different direction with the judging panel.

LINDSDAY CLEARING OUT THE BOOZE

Lindsay Lohan is really taking her sobriety seriously this time. According to TMZ, the 27-year-old, who got out of court-ordered rehab last week, is so determined to stay sober she’s clearing all the alcohol out of her home, and plans to demand hotel rooms, dressing rooms, and even her mom’s Long Island home be booze free when she’s there. Apparently she checked into the Beverly Hills Hotel last week and had the alcohol removed from the room prior to her arrival.

KIM APPEARS ON MOM’S TALK SHOW

Kim Kardashian sort of came out of hiding Friday. The new mom made a videotaped appearance on Kris Jenner’s talk show. "Hi mom, I just want to say congratulations on your new show," she said. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there in person, but I'm just loving life a little bit too much at home right now." But anyone hoping to get a glimpse at baby North or Kim’s post-baby figure were out of luck. The baby was nowhere in sight, and Kim was shot from the chest up so as not to reveal anything.

CRUZ & BARDEM NAME DAUGHTER LUNA

Penelope Cruz and Javier Bardem have reportedly named their new daughter Luna Encinas Cruz. According to People, Luna means moon, while Encinas is Bardem’s first surname. The baby, born July 22^nd, is the second child for the couple. Their son Leonardo is 2 ½.

HAS RAVEN-SYMONE COME OUT?

Former Cosby kid Raven-Symone appeared to confirm the long-standing rumors that she is a lesbian, with a tweet about gay marriage. "I can finally get married! Yay government! So proud of you," she wrote Friday. She then retweeted the post when a fan commented, “she’s been out, momma just didn’t have time for bulls***.” Later on Friday, Raven gave a statement to toofab explaining why her pro-gay marriage tweet came more than a month after the Supreme Court overturned DOMA. "I am very happy that gay marriage is opening up around the country and is being accepted,” she said. “I was excited to hear today that more states legalized gay marriage. I, however am not currently getting married, but it is great to know I can now, should I wish to."

MEGAN FOX IS PREGNANT AGAIN

Megan Fox is preggers with baby No.2! The 27-year-old actress and her 40-year-old hubby, Brian Austin Green, have confirmed that they are expecting their second child together. “They are both very happy,” Fox’s rep said. The couple welcomed their first child, a son named Noah Shannon, last September. Green is also dad to 11-year-old Kassius Lijah from his previous relationship with Vanessa Marcil.

REMINI TO WRITE TELL-ALL

Leah Remini may be ready to spill the beans about her recent departure from the Church of Scientology. The former King of Queens star tells Us Weekly that she’s about to write a memoir. Said Leah, "It will include my experiences, everything that's taboo to talk about.”

BATES SLAMS NBC

Kathy Bates isn’t one to mince words. While talking to TV critics about joining FX’s American Horror Story, she had some choice words for NBC about how they handled her former seriesHarry’s Law. "I think they treated us like sh*t," she said. "They kicked us to the curb. They disrespected us. They disrespected our 11 million viewers every week. And I think they're getting what they deserve." In fact, after how badly she was treated, she almost swore off TV. Said Kathy, "I thought after all of that, I wouldn't [go back to TV]. But I met with Ryan [Murphy], and I must say that when he pitched this show to me, this little kid in me started running around jumping."

CORY’S MOM THANKS FANS FOR THEIR SUPPORT

Cory Monteith’s mother has broken her silence for the first time since her son died last month. On Friday, Ann McGregor tweeted to her son’s fans, “I would like to thank all of Cory’s supporters at this extremely emotional time. Your support has been overwhelming… thank you!” Meanwhile, Cory’s girlfriend, actress Lea Michele seems to be finally getting on with her life. She was spottedSaturday with actress Joanna Garcia attending Jamie-Lynn Sigler’s baby shower in Los Angeles.

ELLE MACPHERSON WEDS

Model Elle MacPherson is a married woman. The former Fashion Star host married longtime boyfriend Jeffrey Soffer in Fiji on Saturday. This is the second marriage for Elle, who was previously married to fashion photographer Gilles Bensimon. She has two sons from her former relationship with Arpad Busson.

BREAKING BAD NAMED PROGRAM OF THE YEAR

Breaking Bad was named Program of the Year at Saturday night’s Television Critics Association Awards. Critics seemed to spread out their accolades, with no one show walking away with multiple honors. Other winners included: Outstanding Drama – Game of Thrones; Outstanding Comedy – The Big Bang Theory and Parks and Recreation; Outstanding New Program – The Americans; Individual Achievement in Drama – Tatiana Maslany, Orphan Black; Outstanding Achievement in Comedy –Louis C.K., Louie; Outstanding Movie/Miniseries – Behind the Candelabra;   and Outstanding Reality Program – Shark Tank.

NEW DOCTOR WHO NAMED

Peter Capaldi, probably best known for playing political advisor Malcolm Tucker on the British TV series The Thick of It, will be the 12^th Time Lord on Doctor Who. The 55-year-old replaces Matt Smith, who announced his departure earlier this year, and will leave the show after the 50^thanniversary show and Christmas special at the end of the year.

ROYAL BIRTH IS OFFICIALLY REGISTERED!

Prince William and Kate officially registered the birth of Prince George last Friday. The Palace announced that William, 31, was visited by a registrar from Westminster Council, who served as a witness while William signed the birth certificate for his newborn son. William and Kate’s occupations are listed as “Prince and Princess of the United Kingdom” on the document, and William listed their “usual address” as Kensington Palace. Prince George – full name George Alexander Louis – was born July 22. He is third-in-line to the throne.

ROCK NEWS:

MOTORHEAD SHOW STALLS OUT AFTER JUST 30 MINUTES

Questions continue surrounding the health of Motorhead mainman Lemmy after the band was forced to nix its planned 75-minute set at the Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany after just 30 minutes on Friday because he was too ill to continue. The group was just five songs into its show when Lemmy left the stage, and after an extended guitar solo returned for one more song, after which the entire band left the stage and never returned. On Saturday, festival organizers released a statement that read in part: “Lemmy gave everything he’s got to play an amazing live show. He’s keeping well, but the temperatures and circumstances led to the point that continuing the show would have led to a loss of quality.”

POSSIBLE BLACK KEYS LINK IN WHITE, EX-WIFE’S CUSTODY BATTLE

The ex-wife of Jack White was granted a restraining order against the musician, due in part to alleged angry emails sent by White, some of which may have been tied to his longstanding feud with Black Keys singer/guitarist Dan Auerbach, whom he accuses of copying his music. Legal documents in the case between White and former wife Karen Elson include an email in which White expressed concern about Elson’s choice of Nashville school for their two children. White writes: “My concern with Auerbach is because I don’t want the kids involved in any of that crap. That’s a possible 12 f***ing years I’m going to have to be sitting in kids chairs next to that a**hole. With other people tryig to thump us in together. He gets yet another free reign to follow me around and copy me and push himself into my world.”

ARCTIC MONKEYS EVOLVE ON FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM

If you as Arctic Monkeys singer Alex Turner about the group’s forthcoming fifth studio album, he’s like to tell you what he told UK music magazine Q: the record is their “most original yet.” Now the definition of “original” is debatable because almost in the same breath Turner said AM (due September 10) is heavily influenced by classic R&B and 70s rock, though he goes on to explain, “After our first LP I don’t think we knew where we were going to go. We were never going to be a boring indie band. We were always going to explore.”

MUMFORD & SONS’ DWANE DONE WITH “HEAD-BANGING”

You can’t blame Mumford & Sons bassist Ted Dwane for deciding to forego any future onstage (and presumably, offstage as well) head-banging post unexpected brain surgery. The musician, who underwent emergency surgery last month to remove a blood clot on the surface of his brain, said he is “definitely going to cool it” on the head-banging,” adding, “You’ll notice today it’s all in the hips.” Asked if banging his head may have caused the clot, he replied, “I’m not sure, but it happened during a gig so…I don’t know. I just got a bit overexcited.”

CAMPAIGN UNDERWAY TO ERECT BONHAM HOMETOWN STATUE

The hometown of late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham has kicked off a campaign to raise funds to erect a statue in his honor. According to the Reddich Standard, three Reddich, England business owners have set up the John Bonham Memorial Fund in hopes of collecting enough money to commission the creation of a statue or sculpture in honor of Bonzo. The fund drive will officially get underway in the fall when an online donation page goes live.

KID ROCK OFFERS REWARD FOR BURGLARY SUSPECT

A man in a van picked the wrong man to mess with last week when said man ran his white van through the gate at Kid Rock’s Detroit home. The rap rocker is offered a $5,000 reward for any information leading to the arrest of a man on crutches who was seen on surveillance footage. Never shy about speaking his mind, Rock wrote on his website: “Don’t mess with a Motherf***er like me. Thank God I was not on the property… I…will not hesitate to shoot anyone who has myself or family in fear of our lives.” Late Sunday night, the Detroit Free Press reported the unidentified suspect had been arrested and is expected to be arraigned today.

WATERS RESPONDS TO RECENT USE OF STAR OF DAVID CONTROVERSY

Former Pink Floyd frontman Roger Waters has finally responded to a barrage of negative press and comments he received over his use of the Star of David on an inflatable pig at a concert in Belgium last week. In a Facebook post, Waters defended himself against Rabbi Abraham Cooper, Dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, who labeled him “an open hater of Jews,” calling Cooper’s charge “wild and bigoted” while claiming to have close Jewish friends and a Jewish daughter-in-law, thereby making his grandsons Jewish as well. He wrote: In a functioning theocracy it is almost inevitable that the symbol of the religion becomes confused with the symbol of the state… The Star of David represents Israel and its policies and is legitimately subject to any and all forms of nonviolent protest. To peacefully protest against Israel’s racist domestic and foreign policies is NOT ANTI-SEMETIC.”

U.S. ALBUM SALES DIP DOWN TO HISTORIC LOWS

Blame it on a somewhat traditional seasonal summer slowdown, the continued upward trend of streaming, or falling catalog sales, but U.S. album sales recently reached never-before seen lows. According to Billboard, albums sales have bottomed out at new historic lows over the last five weeks marching the longest consecutive dry spell in the Soundscan era that the record biz has gone without selling over five million albums nationwide. Over the past two weeks, record sales hit consecutive record lows, totaling an all-time record low 4.68 million the week ending July 28, and a previous record low of 4.71 million the prior week.