TUESDAY, AUGUST 27
NATIONAL HEADLINES:
KERRY SAYS SYRIA UNDENIABLY USED CHEMICAL WEAPONS
Secretary of State John Kerry made a public statement regarding Syria yesterday, accusing the country of using chemical weapons against its people and hinting at a military response from the U.S. Kerry said the evidence was “undeniable” that the Syrian government had used toxic agents and said accounts from the past week were enough to “shock the conscience of the world.” He said President Obama believes “there must be accountability” for Syria’s actions. Kerry also accused Syrian leader Bashar Assad of destroying evidence and interfering with United Nations inspectors. Hours earlier, a United Nations team investigating claims of a poison gas attack in a Damascus suburb was targeted by sniper fire. The convoy was initially forced to return to a government checkpoint, but later returned to Damascus to carry on their investigation.
AFGHANISTAN WAR VET GETS MEDAL OF HONOR
President Obama yesterday bestowed Afghanistan war veteran Staff Sgt. Ty Michael Carter with the Medal of Honor. Carter became only the fifth living service member awarded the nation’s highest medal for courage inIraq or Afghanistan. The 33-year-old was commemorated for his bravery during the 2009 Battle of Kamdesh, a day-long firefight with Taliban militants near the Pakistan border. Carter risked his own safety to take out the enemy and rescue a wounded fellow soldier who was pinned down by overwhelming fire. The battle left eight American soldiers dead, making it the deadliest day for U.S. forces in the war effort that year.
PENN STATE SETTLES 25 LAWSUITS IN SANDUSKY CASE
Penn State settled lawsuits yesterday filed by 25 men who claimed they were abused by former Penn State coach Jerry Sandusky. The settlement deals totaled millions of dollars. A total of 31 suits had been filed against the school since the scandal came to light, including one filed by Sandusky’s adopted son, Matt Sandusky. In the suits, the men argued that Penn State had failed to put a stop to Sandusky’s behavior and put other children at risk. Sandusky was convicted in June 2012 of 45 counts of sexual abuse and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison.
2ND TEEN ARRESTED IN DEATH OF WWII VET
Police arrested a second teenager yesterday in the beating death of an 88-year-old World War II veteran inSpokane, Washington. Kenan Adams-Kinard, 16, was caught after spending four days on the run. He was charged with first-degree murder for the killing of Delbert “Shorty” Belton. Belton was in his car in the parking lot outside his Eagles Lodge when he was attacked Wednesday night. Police said the motive was robbery. The other suspect, 16-year-old Demetrius Glenn, turned himself in last week. Both Glenn and Adams-Kinard will likely be charged as adults. Three other juveniles who had helped Adams-Kinard elude capture were also arrested and charged with felonies.
COUPLE MARRIED FOR 65 YEARS DIED ON SAME DAY
It was like something out of The Notebook. An Ohio couple who had been married for 65 years died at a nursing home on the same day. Ruthie, 89, and Harold “Doc” Knapke, 91, both passed away on August 11thin the room they shared at the nursing home in Versailles. The two met in the third grade and went on to get married and have six children together. One of their grandchildren, 20-year-old Jeff Simon, said his grandparents were devout Catholics and credits their faith as the reason why his grandmother passed away just 11 hours after his grandfather. “It was very hard to see them both go at the same time, but it was a good thing in the end and to see the miracles God can do,” he said. The longtime lovebirds had a joint funeral Mass on August 16th.
SHOWBIZ NEWS:
KHLOE KEPT LAMAR’S DRUG SECRET FROM FAMILY
News of Lamar Odom’s crack cocaine addiction didn’t just surprise the public. According to TMZ,Khloe Kardashian had kept Lamar’s addiction secret from her family for most of their marriage. Sources say Khloe didn’t want to worry her fam with Lamar’s issues, and only told them about his addiction “very recently.” Apparently mom Kris Jenner has known about it the longest and Khloe only told the rest of the clan when rumors began to surface about Lamar’s infidelity. Khloe allegedly kicked Lamar out of the house last week after a failed intervention, and now sources tell Radaronline the NBA star is threatening to file divorce papers if Khloe doesn’t let him move back home. TMZ claims after not hearing from Lamar for several days, Khloe found him yesterday and secretly met with him to try and convince him to get help. TMZ says the pair has separated, although neither side is moving towards divorce just yet. But, sources say Khloe has made it clear that if Lamar doesn’t get help, she wants nothing to do with him.
IT’S ALL ABOUT MILEY
Everybody’s still talking about Miley Cyrus’ raunchy performance at the MTV Video Music AwardsSunday night and not in a good way. Sources tell Us Weekly, those in Miley’s camp are not particularly happy. "Miley's team is freaking about that performance,” said one source. "They saw the rehearsals, but those were really played down compared to the live performance." But another claims Miley’s raunchiness was expected. "It's the VMAs, of course she's going to do a standout performance!" said another insider. "No one (from her team) was shocked by this." Another person said to be upset by Miley is Robin Thicke, who feels he was upstaged by the 20-year-old. “Robin thought it would be fun to include Miley, but he didn't realize how much she would overshadow him. This was his big night and big performance," said a source close to Thicke. "I don't think he would have done it knowing what it ended up like." But one person who wasn’t mad at Miley was Thicke’s wife Paula Patton. While some sites claim she went ballistic after the performance, sources tell TMZ Paula wasn’t surprised by what went on because Miley and her husband had “tons of rehearsals” before the show and she knew what was coming.
PARENTS GROUP FUMING OVER MTV VMAS
Also unhappy about Miley and the rest of the VMA performances was the Parents Television Council, which blasted MTV for the raunchy telecast. "MTV has once again succeeded in marketing sexually charged messages to young children using former child stars and condom commercials — while falsely rating this program as appropriate for kids as young as 14. This is unacceptable,” PTC director of public policy Dan Isett said in a statement. "MTV continues to sexually exploit young women by promoting acts that incorporate 'twerking' in a nude-colored bikini. How is this image of former child star Miley Cyrus appropriate for 14-year-olds?"
MADONNA IS FORBES’ HIGHEST PAID CELEB
They don’t call Madonna the material girl for nothing. Forbes has named the superstar the Highest Paid Celebrity of 2013 with earnings of $125 million between June 2012 and June 2013. Coming in at number two is director Steven Spielberg with $100 mil, followed by X Factor judge Simon Cowell, Fifty Shades of Grey author E.L. James and America’s Got Talent judge Howard Stern, who each earned $95 mil.
FORBES’ HIGHEST PAID CELEBRITIES
1. Madonna
2. Steven Spielberg
3. Simon Cowell (tie)
3. E.L. James (tie)
3. Howard Stern (tie)
6. James Patterson ($91 mil)
7. Glenn Beck ($90 mil)
8. Michael Bay ($82 mil)
9. Jerry Bruckheimer ($80 mil) (tie)
9. Lady Gaga ($80 mil) (tie)
CAINE SAYS CONNERY MAY HAVE ALZHEIMER’S
The Dark Knight Rises star Michael Caine has told a German magazine that he fears former James Bond star Sean Connery may be suffering from Alzheimer’s. Caine told Bild magazine that Connery, who turned 83 on Sunday, “is no longer in control of his senses,” adding, “one must have serious concerns for him.” According to the magazine, only a few close friends have had any access to Connery, and his memory loss is “noticeable.”
KATE GOSSELIN SUES EX
The Gosselins are back in the news. Kate Gosselin filed a lawsuit in federal court Monday accusing her ex-husband Jon of stealing her hard drive and hacking into her computer. Kate alleges it was Jon who illegally obtained information for the book “Kate Gosselin: How She Fooled the World,” which was written by Jon’s friend Robert Hoffman. After the book’s initial publication, Hoffman claimed he got the data from Kate’s computer by digging through her trash that he found on the street. The book was eventually pulled from Amazon.
WOMAN CLAIMS SHE AUDITIONED TO BE CRUISE’S THIRD WIFE
A Norwegian woman claims she was once in the running to be Tom Cruise’s third wife, although she didn’t know it at the time. 27-year-old Anette Johansen, a former Scientologist, tells Australia’s Women’s Day that in early 2005 she was contacted by the church to film a training video, which she now believes was an audition tape for Tom. “I was the only person asked to audition,” Anette told the magazine. “They asked me so many questions about my life, my family background, everything I’d ever done in Scientology. There was a lot of talk about Tom Cruise at the time.” Anette said that it wasn’t until she read the New York Times article by former Scientologist Paul Haggis that she understood what the tape was actually for. The article detailed the church’s search for someone to replace Nicole Kidman and Anette realized that’s why she was videotaped. “It was exactly the same,” she said. “Every little detail was the same – there was no doubt that I was auditioned to be Tom’s wife.” In the end, Anette wasn’t chosen and Tom went on to marry Katie Holmes. That marriage ended in divorce in 2012.
JAMES FRANCO ROASTED
The Comedy Central Roast of James Franco was taped Sunday, and some of the actor’s comedy friends came out to get their best digs in. “He once told me he worked for 36 hours straight, which I didn’t believe. The straight part, of course,” joked Franco’s Pineapple Express co-star Seth Rogen, who then added, “Look at me doing all the talking while you sit there doing nothing. I feel like I’m hosting the Oscars with you.” And Franco even got in a few good digs at his own expense. He joked, “I agreed to do this roast because I wanted to do something I’ve never done before — something that has zero artistic value, something nobody will remember three months from now, something that’s offensive, homophobic and stars horrifically untalented people and something that’s only a big deal to a handful of teenage stoners on Twitter. You might say, ‘James, didn’t you just describe Your Highness? I wouldn’t know I didn’t see Your Highness.” The Comedy Central Roast of James Franco airs September 2nd.
BROWN OK WITH NEW COMMUNITY SERVICE
Just days after Chris Brown accused the Los Angeles DA of racism for questioning the validity of his community service in the Rihanna beating case, the R&B star seems to have had a change of heart. Brown took to Twitter Sunday to let everyone know he plans to set a better example for his fans. “I’m truly happy to have my fans and life. Even wit the bs. Can’t make a leader.. They have to be chosen by the people. #iju love…” he tweeted. “The community service isn’t a problem anymore. Ill do what ever duty I need too to [sic] fulfill my requirements as a man and a leader.”
TRUMP SLAMS LAWSUIT
Donald Trump was sued over the weekend by New York Attorney General Eric Schneidermanwho claimed The Apprentice star defrauded the public through his Trump University. The $40 million civil suit alleges thousands of people paid for expensive seminars that were based on false promises. Well, Trump fired back at Schneiderman during an appearance on Good Morning America, calling the AG a “political hack from beginning to end.” Said Trump, "We have a school that's a terrific school. It did a fantastic job and I've never even heard of this, it had a 98 percent approval rating from students." Schneiderman insists students who enrolled in the bogus university “were fleeced. They were taken. They were convinced by very persuasive motivational speakers and videos of Trump that they were going learn how to make money in real estate. They didn't get anything." Trump says this is just Schneiderman’s way of getting back at him for not contributing more to the politician’s campaign. Said Donald, “He was very upset with the fact that we didn't help him. He thought we should have helped him much more."
NCIS: LOS ANGELES STAR WELCOMES SON
NCIS: Los Angeles star Eric Christian Olsen is a dad. The actor and his wife Sarah Wrightwelcomed son Wyatt Oliver on Friday, August 16th. This is the first child for the couple, who married in June 2012.
TV TIDBITS
● Bill Murray will help David Letterman celebrate his 20th anniversary on CBS by appearing onThe Late Show Thursday. Murray was Letterman’s very first Late Show guest on August 30th1993.
ROCK NEWS:
GREEN DAY AMONG ACTS INKED FOR AUSSIE SOUNDWAVE FESTIVAL
A slew of superstars have been confirmed for next year’s edition of Australia’s traveling Soundwave Festival, which crisscrosses the country next February and March. Green Day,Korn, Alice in Chains, Avenged Sevenfold, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, AFI, Placebo and Stone Temple Pilots featuring new singer Chester Bennington are among the many huge acts scheduled to play in Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth February 22 through March 4.
HIGH-QUALITY NINE INCH NAILS REHEARSAL RECORDING LANDS ONLINE
An unidentified member of the Nine Inch Nails production team working with the band as it prepares to mount its fall tour has uploaded a two-and-a-half hour, studio-quality recording of one of the group’s rehearsals. Reportedly recorded back in June, the tape allegedly includes all of the songs the band has been performing over the past month, including classic cuts and several new tunes slated to appear on the band’s upcoming album, Hesitation Marks, available next Tuesday. In more NIN news, Trent Reznor went off on the promoters of this weekend’s Leeds and Reading festivals in the UK, and Sunday night’s headliner Biffy Clyro over not being able to use their full production for their Sunday night set at Reading. He tweeted: “Should be an unusual show tonight in Reading…the lying promoter and the band following us (whoever the f*** they are) f***ed us on our production.”
PASSION PIT ROCKUMENTARY BANKROLLED BY TACO BELL
Indie rock act Passion Pit has released a documentary produced and funded by fast food chain Taco Bell as part of their “Feed the Beat” initiative. Hello Everywhere, a documentary following Passion Pit and L.A.’s Wildcat! Wildcat! is streaming now on Vevo. Taco Bell chief marketing officer Chris Brandt said, “One of the things Taco Bell has tried to do in order to be more relevant with our fans is really nurture their creative spirit. Music is a great vehicle for reaching consumers…and many bands see the benefit as well.”
MUSTAINE WORKING ON LYRICAL IDEAS FOR NEXT MEGADETH ALBUM
Metal masters Megadeth are still supporting the release of their current album, Super Collider, but mainman Dave Mustaine says he’s already being inspired to got down lyrical ideas for the group’s next studio record. He tweeted: “I have been studying a lot of world history and a lot of crazy science stuff for new lyrics. This world is so fascinating!” On September 24, Megadeth will releaseCountdown to Extinction: Live on CD, DVD and Blu-ray.
MARS SAYS HIS HEALTH NO FACTOR IN MOTLEY CRUE RETIREMENT PLANS
It’s no secret Motley Crue guitarist Mick Mars has experienced declining health for several years now, but the musician says his medical issues had no bearing on the band’s decision to call it quits after a worldwide tour next year. Mars tweeted: “Any rumors regarding a farewell tour due to ‘my poor health’ are BS. I am doing fine. My AS (ankylosing spondylitis) has never kept me from touring and never will.” Mars’ comments come on the heels of singer Vince Neil telling the Oakland Press, “It’s just time. Mick’s health is not that good, and touring is tough on him.”
DALTREY TAPPED TO HEADLINE QUEEN AIDS BENEFIT CONCERT
Legendary singer Roger Daltrey of The Who has been confirmed to headline the annual Queen-curated AIDS benefit show scheduled to take place at London’s One Mayfair on September 5 – what would have been late Queen singer Freddie Mercury’s 67th birthday. The celebratory event is also this year’s edition of the annual Freddie for a Day, in which fans are encouraged to dress up like the late singer.
YES, MARILLION TOP SECOND ANNUAL CRUISE TO THE EDGE
Progressive rock pioneers Yes and fellow prog rock giants Marillion will top the bill for the second annual five-day Cruise to the Edge floating festival, scheduled to launch from Miami on April 7, 2014. Joining Yes and Marillion on the high seas will be Steve Hackett and Genesis Revisited,Queensryche, UK with Eddie Jobson, Tangerine Dream and Saga, among many others. Tickets go on sale this Thursday. Visit CruiseToTheEdge.com for complete details.
NEW ALBUM RELEASES
New albums out today: Avenged Sevenfold – Hail to the King; Devildriver – Winter Kills;Franz Ferdinand – Right Thoughts, Right Words, Right Action; Puscifer – All Remixed Up.
