Inside Ashlee and Pete's Wedding

Ashlee Simpson and Pete Wentz got hitched Saturday night under tents and amid tight security, but E! News has an insider's account of the top-secret wedding ceremony and reception.

The ceremony was held in the backyard of parents Joe and Tina Simpson, decorated in an Alice in Wonderland theme.

"It was magical and beautiful," says the guest, who termed the whole affair "The Joe Simpson Show."

After escorting Ashlee down the aisle, Joe Simpson regaled the 100-plus guests with funny and touching stories of his daughter before performing the brief ceremony himself.

The elder Simpson got choked up throughout the ceremony, as did Ashlee and Jessica. "They were all crying," says the source. "It was very moving."

Seeming to acknowledge the challenges of marrying into the Simpson family, at one point Joe quipped, "Pete is a very patient guy."

Ashlee wore an ivory Monique Lhuillier gown with a veil for the ceremony, while the bridesmaids were draped in black Vera Wang numbers. The men wore black tuxes with skinny black ties. Guests had been asked to wear dark clothing, and most everyone did, with attire ranging from black jeans and sports coats, to fancy black tuxes and dresses.

The reception and dinner followed.

Jessica and Tony Romo sat at the wedding party table, but the guest observes, "Jessica did not look happy the entire night. She just wasn't her bubbly self. She was very subdued and she and Tony barely interacted the entire night, except for some dancing at the end.

"You could tell she was really happy for her sister, but that maybe she was a little bit sad that things aren't working out as well for her."

Jessica did, however, give a very emotional, off-the-cuff speech toast, saying that Pete and Ashlee's relationship "has inspired me to love again" and spoke very affectionately of her little sister.

"She apologized for not writing anything more formal," the guest says, "but it was very much from the heart."

Wentz's brother also gave a toast.

The guest says that for a wedding of two musicians it subdued, with a deejay and no band. "It was weird. No one was dancing. There was like nobody on the dance floor until after they cut the cake, and then people finally danced."

After taking photos, the bride livened up and slipped into a "sexy black party dress" and danced. "She managed to hide her pregnancy pretty well," the source says. "She really didn't look pregnant."

Guests were required to check their cell phones and cameras outside the tent. "You could step out and make a call, but you had to check the phone in before returning back inside. It wasn't a big deal. Everyone there gets it."

The reception did experience some drama. At one point later in the night, Ashlee lost one of her diamond earrings. "Pete got on the mic and told everyone to look for the earrings," the guest says. "He said they cost more than the entire wedding!" Within a few minutes, a guest found the missing baubles.

By about 1:30 a.m., the reception had died down and most guests had left. "It was beautiful. It was truly intimate and friends and family only. It wasn't a Hollywood wedding at all," says the attendee.

Guests were given a parting gift: a red box containing a cookie inscribed "Eat Me."

Souce ~ E-Online

'Indiana Jones' arrives in Cannes

Cannes obviously has a jones for “Indiana.”

The Sunday night premiere of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” met with a 3½-minute standing ovation -- nowhere near a festival record, but a reaction of respect, appreciation for the film’s craftsmanship and its nostalgic sensibility and style.

Paramount’s gamble in bringing the film here seems to have paid off and the pic avoided what has become known as “the ‘Da Vinci’ syndrome.”

The mood -- a cross between goodwill and acceptance of the pic’s inevitable success -- began Sunday afternoon at the press screening, as jaded media members whooped when the lights dimmed. Later, reporters asked fawning questions at the press conference and hundreds of onlookers began gathering early in the day in front of the Palais, eventually creating an enthusiastic gridlock that far surpassed the energy of any event so far during the 61st festival.

Even Mother Nature seemed primed for the preem: Though torrential rains were forecast for Sunday evening, clear sunshine greeted the filmgoers, while a nearly full moon shone as the exited.

The crowd went nuts at the arrival of Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and Harrison Ford. Some photographers went a little nuts too. Before the film had ended, the festival sent out an alert that it would be reviewing tapes of the hordes of photographers on the red carpet, and revoking the closing-night credentials of those responsible for “inacceptable incidents.”

Apparently some got overenthused and crossed the physical boundaries of the designated fotog space, though the stars and filmmakers entered the Palais without being hassled.

Most of the audience was hustled into the Palais to allow the stars and filmmakers, including Par’s Brad Grey, to make the big final entrance.

But earlier, Par’s John Lesher, Nick Meyer, Brad Westin and Rob Moore schmoozed at the foot of the Palais steps, while CAA partner Richard Lovett snapped photos (including DreamWorks’ Stacy Snider).

Other major film honchos included Jim Gianopulos, Brian Grazer, Christian Grass, Peter Rice, Harry Sloan and Harvey Weinstein. Agents on hand included Endeavor’s Patrick Whitesell and CAA’s Emanuel Nunez.

A huge throng of fans -- many wearing faux Indy fedoras -- whooped for celebs including Salma Hayek, Michael Moore, Adrien Brody, Goldie Hawn, Dennis Hopper and Christian Slater made their way up the steps.

At a press conference following the afternoon screening for the media, Spielberg said bringing the film to Cannes seemed the right thing to do. The pic was developed and filmed in secrecy, so they wanted to unveil it to the world’s press all at once, rather than giving a series of regional review screenings.

Coming to Cannes, he said, seemed “the fair thing to do and the fun thing to do.”

Though critical reaction is not likely to be unbridled enthusiasm, it won’t matter. The film is critic-proof and the brickbats thrown at “The Da Vinci Code” two years ago didn’t dent that film’s box office.

At the press gathering, Ford shrugged off thoughts of the critics’ reaction. “I’m not afraid at all. I expect to have the whip turned on me.” It’s not unusual for something popular, he said, “to be disdained by some people.” But this film is “a celebration of the movies and I feel inured to professional criticism.”

The press conference began with a lengthy question in French asking Spielberg if he’d received any communist pressure to create the movie. (He assured that he hadn’t.) One Japanese correspondent pointed out that atomic bombs -- the film takes place during the ‘50s Cold War -- are still a very sensitive subject to the Japanese.

Those were the only hints at negativity in the 40-minute sesh, with most of the time taken up with softball questions. Ford was asked to compare Spielberg’s directing now to the 1981 original (Ford’s answer: “As brilliant as he was 20 years ago, he is even better now”) and if he is flattered by the fans’ enthusiasm (“I am very gratified”), while Spielberg was asked if Ford is his “secret weapon” (the filmmaker said he’s so good, he’s a secret weapon for any director).

Spielberg was also asked about a fifth edition and he said it depends on reactions to this film (“We will keep our ears to the ground”).

Queried where they were during the press screening (i.e., the first public showing), Spielberg laughed. “We were all doing press. ... We were doing the Cannes waltz.”

The bulk of the questions were directed at Spielberg and Ford, with George Lucas as runner-up (he was asked if he believes in crystal skulls and to talk about other action films that have imitated the “Indy” series).

Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen and Shia LaBeouf spoke briefly, while Jim Broadbent, Ray Winstone and John Hurt sat smiling and mute, ignored by the press.

The Cannes critics and journos love to discover filmmakers, like Romanian Cristian Mungiu, whose “4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days” arrived with minimal advance buzz last year and went on to win the Palme d’Or. In contrast, these lovers of high art are often grumpy about overhyped biggies, with Sony’s “The Da Vinci Code” two years ago falling victim to blockbuster backlash as festgoers’ skepticism during the opening credits turned into hostility by the end of the film.

(Sharon Swart contributed to this article.)

Souce - http://www.variety.com/VR1117986022.html

Company to reprint yearbooks after head switching

McKINNEY, Texas - School officials say they are appalled by altered photos — including heads on different bodies — in hundreds of McKinney High School yearbooks delivered this week.

Besides the head and body switching, some necks were stretched, one girl's arm was missing, and another girl's head was placed on what appeared to be a nude body, with the chest blurred.

A spokeswoman for Minnesota-based Lifetouch National School Studios Inc. said the alterations were "an unfortunate lapse in judgment" by an employee but didn't believe it was malicious.

The high school had required Lifetouch to make heads the same size and eyes at the same level in all student photos, company spokeswoman Sara Thurin Rollin said Saturday. The request was "unusual and definitely very particular, but that's not to suggest what happened here is acceptable," she said.

Rollin declined to say if the company fired or reprimanded the employee who altered the images. She said Lifetouch is taking full responsibility for the altered pictures, about 30 in all, and will pay to have the publication reprinted before the seniors graduate.

Lori Oglesbee, the school's yearbook adviser at McKinney High School, said the yearbook staff would spend the weekend rebuilding the yearbook.

McKinney is about 20 miles north of Dallas.

Source ~ AP

2 Colo. men exchange Taser shots over parked van

BOULDER, Colo. - It wasn't exactly pistols at 30 paces, but police say a security company supervisor and a restaurateur shot each other with Tasers in a "bonehead" confrontation over parking.

Officers said neither man needed medical attention after the Saturday confrontation, but Harvey Epstein, co-owner of Mamacitas restaurant, was arrested on suspicion of felony menacing and using a stun gun.

A police report said Epstein and Casey M. Dane, a supervisor for Colorado Security Services Inc., were arguing over a metal boot that one of Dane's guards had clamped on a wheel of a van parked behind Mamacitas.

Dane told police he was afraid Epstein was going to hit him with a 2-foot-long pair of bolt cutters. Epstein told police he had only tried to remove the boot with the bolt cutters and hadn't threatened anyone with them.

Epstein told police Dane put his hand on a holstered pistol and threatened to shoot him. Dane told The Associated Press by telephone that he did put his hand on the holstered pistol but never threatened to shoot Epstein.

Both men drew Tasers.

"They shot each other," Police Sgt. Pat Wyton told the Camera newspaper. "It was just kind of a bonehead deal."

The guard claimed the van, owned by a Mamacitas employee, was on property he was hired to patrol. The van owner denied that.

Epstein, 36, told the AP in a phone interview Sunday he took out his Taser only after Dane pointed his at him and his mother, who was also outside. Epstein also said Dane repeatedly told him he was a police officer and that failing to comply with his orders was a federal offense, allegations that Dane denies.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Big, hairy pig attracted gawkers in Wisconsin

VIROQUA, Wis. - A steady stream of vehicles pulled along the shoulder of the road to get a look at it: an enormous, hairy pig that apparently had been struck and killed by a vehicle.

"I took a look to see if it had any tusks," Andy Sherry of Viroqua said. "If it did, somebody got to them before I did. It was really a big, big pig."

Large populations of the hard-to-find, feral animals are thought to live in southwestern Wisconsin.

The animal was found on the highway five miles south of Viroqua 61 Friday morning. It appeared to have been dragged from the center of the road, and it had a severe head wound.

Vernon County chief deputy Jim Hanson said a semi driver hit the 450- to 500-pound sow early Friday and apparently didn't have reportable damage. He said a removal company took care of the carcass.

"It's not a real common occurrence," he said.

The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources considers feral pigs an exotic species that poses a threat to the environment and to agriculture. Anyone with a small-game license is allowed to hunt them at any time of the year.

Souce ~ Yahoo News

Half-eaten Snickers bar implicates hungry burglar

JONESBORO, Ark. - Police say DNA found on a half-eaten candy bar helped them zero in on a robbery suspect.

Detective Jason Simpkins says Brian D. Bass' DNA matched the sample found on the bar left on the counter at Cato Animal Hospital during a January robbery. Bass was being held in jail Friday on $50,000 bond.

Bass was on probation after he served time on a firearms possession charge. Simpkins said the state had his DNA on file.

Police say Bass is facing felony commercial burglary and theft charges. The public defender's office says Bass, 39, doesn't have an attorney yet.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Ohio township to feds: We don't want your money

CLEVELAND - The federal government isn't used to being snubbed when it offers to help local governments.

When it offered Chardon Township in Ohio $10,000 in disaster aid for a snowstorm in March, the locals said no thanks.

Township Trustee Chuck Strazinsky told The Plain Dealer for a story published Friday that it was a typical snowstorm unworthy of federal aid. He says the money should be reserved for true emergencies.

Township Trustee Steve Borowski disagrees with the decision, saying help from the federal government shouldn't be turned down.

Last month the Federal Emergency Management Agency included Geauga among 17 Ohio counties eligible for disaster aid.

Wedding day fireworks land groom in jail

ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) - Bridegroom Kedir Mohamed wanted his wedding day to go with a bang and decided to celebrate by letting off firecrackers after the ceremony.

However, it turned into damp squib when he was arrested for disturbing the peace in Bechena in northern Ethiopia on Sunday, the weekly Reporter newspaper said.

The reception was cancelled and the newly-wed spent his wedding night in police custody.

(For full Reuters Africa coverage and to have your say on the top issues, visit: http://africa.reuters.com/ )

(Reporting by Tsegaye Tadesse; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)

Woman sentenced for having son dress up as Scout

EASTON, Pa. - A former Bethlehem woman will serve up to 23 months in prison for having her 7-year-old son dress as a Cub Scout to collect money for a nonexistent cause.

Sally Ann Gombocz, 51, told a Northampton County judge she wanted to apologize to anyone she hurt. She previously pleaded guilty to theft by deception and corruption of a minor.

Gombocz had her son dress as a scout in 2003 and tell people he was raising money for a camping trip. A prosecutor says the family collected $69.

Gombocz was sentenced Friday to six to 23 months in the county jail. She also was fined $2,000, ordered to perform community service, take parenting classes, have psychological counseling and submit to random urine screens. She also must pay restitution.

Source ~ Yahoo News

"Snake man" slithers out of Austrian prison cell

VIENNA (Reuters) - A man has escaped from his Austrian jail cell by squeezing through a food hatch in the door, police said on Wednesday.

The 19-year old Kosovan, who weighed less than 55 kilos was being held at the prison in Linz for entering the country illegally, police spokesman Alexander Niederwimmer told APA news agency.

How he got through two further doors or possibly over the prison wall is being investigated, said Niederwimmer, calling the escapee "a snake man".

(Reporting by Paul Bolding; editing by Keith Weir)

Source ~ Yahoo

Police say men trying to steal power lines shocked

CONFLUENCE, Pa. - Two Somerset County men are charged with trying to steal live power lines that were still attached to a transformer and utility poles.

Police said Kevin Lee Lytle, 27, and Daniel Jay Basinger, 24, both of Confluence, were shocked during the theft attempt on May 3 in Lower Turkeyfoot Township.

Both were charged Wednesday, but only Basinger was well enough to attend his arraignment on the attempted theft charge.

Police say the incident disrupted power to area residences for about five hours. Penelec Power Co. owns the lines which suffered $1,500 damage.

The Associated Press could not immediately reach either man for comment.

DNA tests exonerate 'Lizard Man' in van attack

BISHOPVILLE, S.C. - DNA testing has shown an attack on a family van some blamed on the legendary Lizard Man appears to have been actually done by a domestic dog. Something chewed up the front fender of Bob and Dixie Rawson's van in February. Bite marks were left on the wheel wells and blood was found on the vehicle.

The Item of Sumter reported that a veterinary lab in California tested the blood and found it came from a dog.

But Bob Rawson isn't sure, saying it would have to be one big dog.

Lee County Sheriff E.J. Melvin isn't convinced either. He thinks it was a coyote or wolf.

Lizard Man became a phenomenon in the area 20 years ago when people began reporting a tall, big-eyed swamp creature. Authorities never figured out exactly what prompted the sightings.


Source ~ The Item, http://www.theitem.com

Solar bra brings conservation closer to the heart

TOKYO (Reuters) - Ladies, take your battle for the environment a little closer to your heart with a solar-powered bra that can generate enough electric energy to charge a mobile phone or an iPod.

Lingerie maker Triumph International Japan Ltd unveiled its environmentally friendly, and green colored, "Solar Power Bra" on Wednesday in Tokyo which features a solar panel worn around the stomach.

The panel requires light to generate electricity and the concept bra will not be in stores anytime soon, said Triumph spokeswoman Yoshiko Masuda, as "people usually can not go outside without wearing clothes over it."

But it does send the message of how lingerie could possibly save the planet, Masuda said, adding that the bra should not be washed or sunned on a rainy day to avoid damaging it.

Being eco-friendly is now fashionable in Japan, and the "Solar Energy Bra" follows the company's other green-themed undergarments that include a bra that turns into a reusable shopping bag and one that featured metal chopsticks to promote the use of reusable chopsticks.

"It is very comfortable and I can really feel involved in eco-friendly efforts as well," model Yuko Ishida said.

Source ~ Yahoo News

NYC cabbie is fined $1,000 for foul-mouthed tirade

NEW YORK - The days of the cursing cabbie may be over. A New York City cab driver has been fined $1,000 for launching a foul-mouthed tirade at another cabbie.

The confrontation occurred Oct. 8, 2007, on the West Side of Manhattan when neither driver had a passenger.

Driver Malik Rizwan honked at fellow cabbie Zbigniew Sobczak after Sobszak cut him off, prompting Sobszak to jump out of his cab and use a vulgarity repeatedly.

Rizwan called the police and accused Sobczak of assault.

A city administrative law judge found Sobczak guilty of verbal harassment, not assault, and recommended a $350 fine.

But Taxi and Limousine Commission Chairman Matthew Daus, in a ruling last Friday, increased the penalty to $1,000 and a 30-day suspension.

There was a time when cab drivers were given more leeway with language.

A 1982 legal decision in a case called TLC vs. Baudin found that a "driver's use of profanity during a fight with a pedestrian was not misconduct given cognizance to the realities of life in New York City."

But Daus, in a letter to Sobczak, said, "To the extent that decisions issued before my tenure, such as TLC vs. Baudin, may be read to overrule the penalty of license revocation for verbal harassment or abuse, I would override those decisions."

"The city has changed over the years," Daus said in an interview Wednesday. "It's become more civil. ... The days when drivers can curse at each other are over in my opinion."

Sobczak's lawyer, Cynthia Fischer, told the New York Post that Daus' decision was unduly harsh.

"You're asking cabbies to be inhuman and not react to ... things any one of us would react to," she said.

Fischer did not immediately return a call seeking comment Wednesday.

Source ~ Yahoo News

10-year-old scholar takes Calif. college by storm

DOWNEY, Calif. - With the end of another school year approaching, college sophomore Moshe Kai Cavalin is cramming for final exams in classes such as advanced mathematics, foreign languages and music. But Cavalin is only 10 years old. And at 4-foot-7, his shoes don't quite touch the floor as he puts down a schoolbook and swivels around in his chair to greet a visitor.

"I'm studying statistics," says the alternately precocious and shy Cavalin, his textbook lying open on the living room desk of his parents' apartment in this quiet suburb east of Los Angeles.

Within a year, if he keeps up his grades and completes the rest of his requirements, he hopes to transfer from his two-year program at East Los Angeles College to a prestigious four-year school and study astrophysics.

One of his primary interests is "wormholes," a hypothetical scientific phenomenon connected to Albert Einstein's theory of relativity. It has been theorized that if such holes do exist in space, they could — in tandem with black holes — allow for the kind of space-age time travel seen in science fiction.

"Just like black holes, they suck in particulate objects, and also like black holes, they also travel at escape velocity, which is, the speed to get out of there is faster than the speed of light," Cavalin says. "I'd like to prove that wormholes are really there and prove all the theories are correct."

First, he has statistics homework to finish. Later, he'll work with his mother, Shu Chen Chien, to brush up on his Mandarin for his Chinese class. Then it's over to the piano to prepare for his recital in music class.

His father, Yosef Cavalin, frets about the piano-playing, noting that his only child recently broke his arm pursuing another passion, martial arts. He has won several trophies for his age group.

"Finals are coming and everything and he cannot play with both hands. He'll just try to play with the right hand," he says. "I don't know how his grade's going to be in piano. It worries me a bit."

If past success is any indication, his son will find a way to compensate. Cavalin, who enrolled in college more than a year ago, has maintained an A-plus average in such subjects as algebra, history, astronomy and physical education.

College officials couldn't immediately say whether he is the youngest student in the school's 63-year history. Among child prodigies, Michael Kearney, now 24, is often cited as the world's youngest college graduate, having earned a bachelor's degree in anthropology from the University of South Alabama at age 10.

Cavalin's professors can't recall having a younger student in their classes.

"He is the youngest college student I've ever taught and one of the hardest working," says Daniel Judge, his statistics professor. "He's actually a pleasure to have in class. He's a well- adjusted, nice little boy."

Cavalin was an 8-year-old freshman when he enrolled in Guajao Liao's intermediate algebra class in 2006. By the end of the term, Liao recalls, he was tutoring some of his 19- and 20-year-old classmates.

"I told his parents that his ability was much higher than that level, that he should take a higher-level course," Liao says. "But his parents didn't want to push him."

Cavalin's parents avoid calling their son a genius. They say he's just an average kid who enjoys studying as much as he likes playing soccer, watching Jackie Chan movies, and collecting toy cars and baseball caps with tiger emblems on them. He was born during the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese zodiac.

Cavalin has a general idea what his IQ is, but doesn't like to discuss it. He says other students can achieve his success if they study hard and stay focused on their work.

His parents say they never planned to enroll their son in college at age 8, and sought to put him in a private elementary school when he was 6.

"They didn't want to accept me because I knew more than the teacher there and they said I looked too bored," the youngster recalls.

His parents home-schooled him instead, but after two years decided college was the best place for him. East L.A. officials agreed to accept him if he enrolled initially in just two classes, math and physical education. After he earned A-pluses in both, he was allowed to expand his studies.

"He sees things very simply," says Judge, his statistics teacher. "Most students think that things should be harder than they are and they put these mental blocks in front of them and they make things harder than they should be. In the case of Moshe, he sees right through the complications. ... It's not really mystical in any way, but at the same time it's amazing."

Source ~ Yahoo News

Giant beetles seized at Pennsylvania post office

PHILADELPHIA - Customs agents seized more than two dozen giant beetles — some the size of a child's hand — from an overseas package after postal workers heard the insects making scratching noises.

The large bugs arrived last week from Taiwan at a post office in Mohnton, about 50 miles northwest of Philadelphia, in a box whose contents were labeled as toys, gifts and jellies, officials said Wednesday.

But the postmaster suspected the package contained live organisms and notified authorities, according to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency. The package was sent to Philadelphia, where it was X-rayed and then opened.

"The specimens were some of the largest of their kind, and some of the largest I've ever seen, averaging five to six inches in diameter," John Plummer, an agency agriculture specialist, said in a statement Wednesday. "They are highly destructive insect pests that can cause extensive damage to fruit and vegetable crops, trees, shrubs and turf grasses."

In all, authorities found 26 Hercules, rhinoceros and Goliath beetles. It is illegal to ship live beetles into the United States without a permit from the Department of Agriculture.

Seven of the beetles were in containers labeled by gender, which means they could have been intended for breeding, customs agency spokesman Steve Sapp said Wednesday.

The sender and recipient have been identified, Sapp said. An investigation is under way, but no decision has been made whether to file charges, he said.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Michigan Girl Scout sells 17,328 boxes of cookies

DETROIT - A Girl Scout sold 17,328 boxes of the group's signature cookies this year by setting up shop on a street corner, shattering her troop's old mark and probably setting a national record.

Jennifer Sharpe, a 15-year-old from Dearborn, plans to travel to Europe with her troop with the proceeds from her feat.

"It's always been one of those goals I wanted to accomplish," Sharpe said Wednesday.

The two bakeries that make the cookies said Sharpe sold more than anyone this year, according to Dianne Thomas, spokeswoman for the Girl Scouts of Metro Detroit.

Michelle Tompkins, spokeswoman for the New York-based national organization, called the figure "amazing" but said there's no national record on the books.

"We're thrilled for the girls who take it to such a great level, but so far, we don't track it at the national level," she said.

Sharpe sold cookies every day on a street corner with help from her mother and troop leader, Pam Sharpe.

"We were always there; we never closed," Pam Sharpe said. "At one point, Jenny got really sick and we did shut down early, and we heard about it the next day."

Jennifer Sharpe's Troop 813 raised about $21,000 in cookie sales, paying for its 10-day trip to Europe this winter. Troops get only part of the proceeds from their members' sales.

The cookie program has helped push Jennifer out of her shell, Pam Sharpe said.

"It's made her really confident," she said. "I remember when she first started selling, she was very shy and quiet and you had to push her out to talk to customers, but now she's right out there, first to the door."

One thing that hasn't changed, despite selling thousands of boxes for the past few years, is Jennifer Sharpe's feelings about the cookies.

"I love them," she said.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Man jailed when daughter fails to get diploma

CINCINNATI - A man ordered by a judge to make sure his daughter hit the books has found himself in jail because she failed to earn a high school equivalency diploma.

Brian Gegner, of Fairfield, was sentenced last week to 180 days in jail for contributing to the unruliness or delinquency of a minor.

He was ordered months ago to make sure his 18-year-old daughter Brittany Gegner, who has a history of truancy, received her GED — something that hasn't happened yet.

Brittany Gegner, who said Monday that she plans to take a required GED test this month, said her father shouldn't be blamed for her failure because she has been living with her mother.

"It was my wrongdoing, not his," said Brittany Gegner, whose fiance and 18-month-old daughter also live at her mother's home in nearby Hamilton. "He shouldn't have to go to jail for something I did."

Her mother agrees.

"Brittany is almost 19 years old now and I think it's unfair to put her father in jail," said Shana Roach. "She's an adult now, and it's not right to rip an innocent man from his home."

Butler County Juvenile Court administrator Rob Clevenger Jr. said Monday that the court still has jurisdiction in the case because Brittany Gegner was a juvenile when the truancy problems began and when the charge against Brian Gegner was filed in 2007.

A hearing on a motion filed by Brian Gegner's attorney to reconsider the sentence is scheduled for Friday. Messages seeking comment were not returned Monday at the offices of defense attorney Tamara Sack and the Butler County prosecutor.

Brian Gegner's wife, Stephanie Gegner, said she and her husband are afraid he will lose his job if he remains in jail. She said they tried to keep his daughter in school.

"You'd take her to school and she'd go out the other door," Stephanie Gegner said.

Source ~ LISA CORNWELL, Associated Press Writer

Australian fined for buckling in beer, not child

DARWIN, Australia - An Australian man has been fined after buckling in a case of beer with a seat belt but leaving a 5-year-old child to sit on the car's floor, police said Tuesday.

Constable Wayne Burnett said he was "shocked and appalled" when he pulled over the unregistered car Friday in the central Australian town of Alice Springs.

The 30-can beer case was strapped in between two adults sitting in the back seat of the car. The child was also in back, but on the car's floor.

"The child was sitting in the lump in the center, unrestrained," Burnett told reporters Tuesday.

"I haven't ever seen something like this before," he said. "This is the first time that the beer has taken priority over a child."

The driver was fined 750 Australian dollars — about $710 — for driving an unregistered and uninsured vehicle and for failing to ensure a child was wearing a safety belt.

Source ~ AP and Yahoo News

Man says JetBlue made him sit on toilet

NEW YORK - A New York City man is suing JetBlue Airways Corp. for more than $2 million because he says a pilot made him give up his seat to a flight attendant and sit on the toilet for more than three hours on a flight from California.

Gokhan Mutlu, of Manhattan's Inwood section, says in court papers the pilot told him to "go 'hang out' in the bathroom" about 90 minutes into the San Diego to New York flight because the flight attendant complained that the "jump seat" she was assigned was uncomfortable, the lawsuit said.

Mutlu was traveling on a a "buddy pass," a standby travel voucher that JetBlue employees give to friends, from New York to San Diego on Feb. 16, and returned to New York on Feb. 23, the lawsuit said.

Initially, Mutlu was told a flight attendant had taken the last seat on the plane, but then he was advised she would sit in the employee "jump seat," meaning he could have the last seat, the lawsuit said.

The pilot told him 1 1/2 hours into the five-hour flight that he would have to relinquish the seat to the flight attendant, court papers say. But the pilot said that Mutlu could not sit in the jump seat because only JetBlue employees were permitted to sit there, the lawsuit said.

When Mutlu expressed reluctance to go sit in the bathroom, the pilot, who was not named in the lawsuit, told him that "he was the pilot, that this was his plane, under his command that (Mutlu) should be grateful for being on board," the lawsuit said.

When the aircraft hit turbulence and passengers were directed to return to their seats, but "the plaintiff had no seat to return to, sitting on a toilet stool with no seat belts," court papers say.

Some time later, a male flight attendant knocked on the restroom door and told Mutlu he could return to his original seat, court papers say.

Mutlu's lawsuit, filed Friday in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, says JetBlue negligently endangered him by not providing him with a seat with a safety belt or harness, in violation of federal law.

A JetBlue spokesman declined comment on the lawsuit Monday.

Source ~ Yahoo News

Woman mistook naked thief for husband

KUALA LUMPUR (Reuters) - A Malaysian woman woke up to a real-life nightmare, discovering that the naked man who had slipped into her bed in the middle of the night was a thief, not her husband, a newspaper said on Tuesday.

The 36-year-old housewife was asleep when the thief, noticing that her husband was fast asleep on the couch, quietly stripped off and lay down beside her, the Star newspaper said, quoting a police report filed in the eastern state of Terengganu.

The dozing woman's suspicions were raised when she spoke to him and his voice sounded strange, the paper said.

"She then went to another room and found her husband fast asleep on the couch. That's when she screamed, causing the thief to flee by leaping out the window together with the stolen items," it added.

Source ~ Yahoo News

'Darth Vader' spared jail in Jedi church attacks

HOLYHEAD, Wales - A man who dressed up as Darth Vader, wearing a garbage bag for a cape, and assaulted the founders of a group calling itself the Jedi church was given a suspended sentence Tuesday.

Arwel Wynne Hughes, 27, attacked Jedi church founder Barney Jones — aka Master Jonba Hehol — with a metal crutch, hitting him on the head, prosecutors told Holyhead Magistrates' Court.

He also whacked Jones' 18-year-old cousin, Michael Jones — known as Master Mormi Hehol — bruising his thigh in the March 25 incident, prosecutors said.

The two cousins and Barney Jones' brother, Daniel, set up the Church of Jediism, Anglesey order, last year. Jedi is the faith followed by some of the central characters in the "Star Wars" films.

The group, which claims about 30 members, says on its Web site that it uses "insight and knowledge" from the films as "a guide to living a better and more worthwhile life."

"We all love the films and what they stand for. Obviously some people are going to laugh about it," the Wales on Sunday newspaper quoted Barney Jones as saying last month. "But a lot of people do take it seriously."

Unfortunately for Hughes, his March attack was recorded on a video camera that the cousins had set up to film themselves in a light saber battle.

"Darth Vader! Jedis!" Hughes shouted as he approached.

Hughes claimed he couldn't remember the incident, having drunk the better part of a 2 1/2-gallon (10-liter) box of wine beforehand.

"He knows his behavior was wrong and didn't want it to happen but he has no recollection of it," said Hughes' lawyer, Frances Jones.

District Judge Andrew Shaw sentenced Hughes to two months in jail but suspended the sentence for one year. He also ordered Hughes to pay $195 to each of his victims and $117 in court costs.

In the 2001 United Kingdom census, 390,000 — 0.7 percent of the population — listed Jedi as their religion.

Source ~ Yahoo News

What a Diva

"Idol" castoff Kristy Lee Cook is getting too big for her britches -- at least in her own head.

The songstress called her local nail salon in Grants Pass, Ore. yesterday to make an appointment, and get this -- Kristy asked to be ushered in through the back door to avoid the crowds of adoring fans. Only problem, there weren't any!

No one at the salon had even heard of her. Needless to say, Cook walked in unharmed by the swarm of no one and got her nails and feet did. It's hard being famous y'all!

Source ~ TMZ

Weiland Pulls in and out

Rocker Scott Weiland checked himself in to the Van Nuys Municipal Court Lockup on Monday to begin serving his 8 day DUI sentence.

And, he was released THAT SAME DAY!!!

Scott went in at 8:55 A.M yesterday and at 6:54 P.M. he was let go - a free man.

Source ~ Perez Hilton

Woe, Speed Racer, Tanks

As it turns out, Speed Racer didn't have a bad opening weekend. It had a worse one.

Final grosses out today show the big-budget, high-octane movie sputtered to a debut of just $18.6 million, down from the $20.2 million that was projected Sunday.

To top it off, Speed Racer dropped a spot in the rankings, falling to third, behind Iron Man and the newly upgraded No. 2 movie, What Happens in Vegas.

Jeff Bock, a box-office analyst for Exhibitor Relations Co., correctly predicted Sunday that Speed's wheels would really come off come Monday.

"Every studio except Warner Bros. estimated they'd be in third place [with Speed Racer]," Bock said today.

One of Speed's problems: Mother's Day.

While most of the weekend's top films, from Iron Man to Baby Mama, did bigger than expected Sunday business, Speed Racer didn't.

"It's a pretty bad sign in terms of long-term legs," Bock said. "It just doesn't look like the film has any."

Things aren't likely to get better for Speed, which cost a purported $100 million—at least—to make.

Box-office experts from Bock to Box Office Mojo's Brandon Gray predict the film will be lucky to make back half of its production budget from its domestic run.

"It should be a struggle to pass the $50 million line," Gray said today.

Even adding in its worldwide take, Speed Racer only grossed $31.2 million over the weekend, according to Box Office Mojo.

By comparison, Iron Man, which cost a reported $186 million, had its budget more than covered by its debut weekend. As of today, its worldwide take stands at $342.8 million.

Unlike Iron Man, Speed Racer never got its buzz going, this despite its lineage as a beloved 1960s cartoon and the presence of The Matrix's Andy and Larry Wachowski behind the camera.

"The movie lacked relevance," Gray said. "...It just wasn't that broadly appealing."

For Hollywood, at least, there is an upside to the downfall of Speed: According to Gray, its demise doesn't mean the overall summer box-office season is doomed.

Said Gray: "It just means Speed Racer did not do well."

Source ~ E Online

A big baby coming to prime time soon

Get your popcorn ready: Terrell Owens is coming to prime time Wednesday night. As an actor.

T.O. will make his sitcom acting debut on the MyNetworkTV show "Under One Roof" as the long-lost brother of the show's star, Flavor Flav. Owens tries convincing Flav and sitcom sibling Kelly Perine that they're all brothers in hopes of getting them to invest in his Web site.

"I see dollar signs," Owens said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I'm trying to kind of smooth my way into the family, but Flav is not buying it. It's a lot of funny dialogue. It was a good time."

It might also be a first step toward a second career.

"If I'm going to really consider doing acting after football, this a great start to let me get my feet wet," Owens said. "For an actor trying to become an A-lister, I think I'm on the bottom of the pile. I'm a D-lister."

Owens always has been comfortable in front of a camera, but it's usually playing the character known as T.O.

He's built his reputation through end-zone celebrations, colorful interviews (such as the time he answered questions while doing sit-ups in his driveway) and dressing up for the Tour de France just to ride a stationary bike at training camp. He showed more acting skills during a skit with one of the "Desperate Housewives" that aired before a Monday Night Football game. The scene ended with the woman dropping her towel - and ABC later offering an apology.

Owens got a taste of Hollywood in 1999, when he appeared in "Any Given Sunday" with a star-filled cast. A friend who is the casting director of this show has long been encouraging Owens to take on roles, something he's more receptive to after the way things went with Flav's show.

He came away with several football-acting comparisons: Cast members are like teammates, the script is like a playbook and both require lots of practice so that once the lights go on you're ready for anything.

"You've got to get a feel for the flow of the show and the storyline and go with it," Owens said. "They told me they were very, very pleased with the way I played my character, just how I was getting my lines on point and on cue. That was very, very encouraging."

Viewers can see for themselves at 8 p.m. EDT on Wednesday night. Owens will be tuned in, too, because that'll be the first time he sees the finished product.

And, yes, he'll have his popcorn ready, like he memorably urged fans to do upon joining the Cowboys.

"I think I've got everyone I know tuned in to watch this show. I even sent an e-mail out," he said. "I guarantee you, once people see the show, I'll be getting e-mails and text messages out the wazoo. ... Believe me, it's some funny stuff. It's going to be great."

Even if the reviews are outstanding, Owens won't be giving up his day job any time soon - even if he is in the final year of his contract.

"I know what's the breadwinner for me," he said. "But definitely I'm looking forward to doing some acting after football, in the offseason next year. I think I did well enough that they even may bring me back for some recurring roles. It's a start for me, and I don't like to fail at anything I do."

Source ~ The Associated Press

Scott Weiland Begins Jailhouse Rock

This Stone Temple Pilot has landed safely in jail.

Scott Weiland checked into a Van Nuys, Calif., jail this morning to begin serving an eight-day stretch for driving under the influence, stemming from his November bust after a minor fender bender on a Los Angeles-area freeway.

Per the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the alt-rocker showed up around 8:55 a.m. but wasn't booked until 12:15 p.m.

Weiland was sentenced April 28 after pleading no contest to misdemeanor DUI, his second conviction in four years. He also was put on four years probation, ordered to complete an 18-month alcohol program and fined nearly $2,000.

So far, it's unclear as to how he's planning to make the Stone Temple Pilots' May 17 gig at the Rock on the Range Festival in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday, minus some time off for good behavior or, as has befallen many a celebrity before him, early release due to overcrowding within the county jail system.

According to STP's website, the group is still planning to rock the Buckeye State this weekend.

Source ~ E Online

Foreclosure on Jackson's Ranch Averted

NEW YORK (May 11) - Entertainer Michael Jackson said on Sunday a foreclosure sale on his Neverland Ranch set for this week was averted after a loan on the California property was sold to Colony Capital, a large real estate investment firm.

The loan had been held by Fortress Investment Group, a New York-based private equity and hedge fund group.

The loan was about $23.5 million, according to a source familiar with the matter.

In a press release, Jackson said he was in discussions with Colony and its founder, Tom Barrack Jr, "with regard to the ranch and other matters."

Representatives of Jackson and Colony did not provide additional details. A Fortress representative could not be reached for comment.

The formerly high-flying singer and songwriter saw his career slammed by child molestation charges in 2005. Even though he was acquitted on all counts, he has faced significant financial problems in recent years.

Source ~ AOL News

Suspect surrenders after cop yells 'Taser, Taser, Taser

SALT LAKE CITY - Just the threat of a jolt stopped a man in his tracks. A Salt Lake City police officer couldn't catch up to a 32-year-old man until he yelled, "Taser, Taser, Taser."

Police said the suspect suddenly threw himself on the ground and surrendered Wednesday.

The pursuit began when curious detectives watching a house noticed the man coming from another house. His parole officer was working on an arrest warrant at the time.

Tasers use compressed nitrogen to fire two barbed darts that immobilize people with a 50,000-volt shock.

Source ~ AP

Gorilla celebrates her 55th birthday with frozen cake

DALLAS - Jenny, recognized as the world's oldest living gorilla in captivity, celebrated her 55th birthday Thursday with a four-layer frozen fruit cake and banana leaf wrapped treats at her wooded home in the Dallas Zoo.

Her caretakers say she's having a few joint issues and her eyesight isn't what it used to be but she still looks good for an old ape.

"It's a special milestone for us," said Todd Bowsher, curator of the zoo's Wilds of Africa exhibit. "It signifies that we've made great strides in veterinary care, nutrition and animal husbandry."

The International Species Information System, which maintains records on animals at 700 institutions around the world, said Jenny is the oldest gorilla in its database.

"I think it's amazing," said Kristen Lukas, curator of conservation and science at Cleveland Metroparks Zoo in Ohio and the gorilla species survival plan coordinator for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. "I think it's a testament to the good care that she's received at the Dallas Zoo and also the resilience of gorillas in general."

Lukas said gorillas in the wild normally would live to age 30 or 35. Health care and protection from predators has extended the lifespan in zoos.

Of the roughly 360 gorillas in North American zoos, only four are over the age of 50. All of them are female. In addition to Jenny, Lukas noted Trudy at the Little Rock Zoo in Arkansas, Colo at the Columbus Zoo in Ohio and Helen at the Louisville Zoo in Kentucky.

Jenny's keepers describe her as very sweet though a little bossy.

"If she doesn't want to go out on a certain day, she doesn't," Bowsher said. "But she really likes people."

There were plenty of them at the Jake L. Hamon Gorilla Conservation Research Center Thursday, chowing down on giant sheets of chocolate and vanilla birthday cake as they peered at Jenny through the glass.

When keepers set out Jenny's berry-topped frozen cake in a forested clearing, she slowly approached. She scooped up the fruity treat with her right hand, dug into the middle of it with her left then sat down to savor the tasty yogurt-covered remains.

At one point she stood, turned her backside to the phalanx of photographers and cameramen then lumbered off to enjoy her meal in peace. She wasn't about to share with her primate peers.

"It's pretty amazing that the zoo where we live has the oldest gorilla that's known," said Ben Deming, 8, of Frisco as he stared at Jenny.

Born in the wild of western central Africa in 1953, the exact date of her birth is unknown. Jenny lived with a family on the Cape Verde islands before the Fort Worth Zoo acquired her in 1957.

"I remember the day she arrived," said Nancy Hamon, 89, of Dallas, whose family bought the gorilla for the zoo and continues to be among its strongest supporters.

Jenny, a Western lowland gorilla is one of four gorillas at the zoo.

"It's a good time for the zoo," said Sean Greene, director of Community Relations for the Dallas Zoological Society.

He said the upbeat birthday party was welcome contrast to the tragedy that occurred in 2004 when another gorilla, 13-year-old Jabari, broke out of his enclosure. The 300-pound ape went on a 40-minute rampage in which he snatched up a toddler with his teeth and attacked three other people before officers shot him.

So to what does Jenny attribute her longevity? She's not saying. But her vegetarian diet couldn't hurt: seeds, cereal and one her favorites, banana peels.

Source ~ By LINDA STEWART BALL, Associated Press Writer

And Wino is Free...Again

After more than nine hours of questioning at an East London police station yesterday, Amy Winehouse has been released from police custody.

Stop Stalling!

I think it's about time R Kelly has his day in court. Read this crap.

R. Kelly's lawyer has asked for another delay in his ongoing child pornography trial.

Kelly's lawyer, Ed Genson is asking that jury selection, slated to begin May 9th, be delayed because of a recent news report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Sun-Times published a report on Saturday stating that a witness has been added to the witness list who claims to have had a threesome with Kelly, 41, and the allegedly underage girl who appears in the now infamous sex tape.

Kelly's lawyer wants jury selection postponed due to the amount of publicity the article generated over the weekend.

Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has continued to deny the allegations made against him, claiming he is not the man on the tape.

Judge Vincent Gaughan is expected to rule on the request on Friday.

Source ~ chicago tribune

Philly officers taken off street after videotaped beating

PHILADELPHIA - A police sergeant and five officers were pulled from street duty Wednesday as city officials investigated television footage showing a group of officers kicking and punching three shooting suspects during a traffic stop.

More than a dozen officers were involved, but Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said investigators were having the videotape enhanced to help determine how many of them were actually striking the suspects.

Any information police find will be sent to prosecutors, who will determine whether charges are warranted.

"We certainly are concerned about what we saw on the tape," Ramsey said at a news conference. "The behavior that at least was exhibited on the tape is unacceptable."

Police stopped the suspects' car while investigating a triple shooting Monday night. No weapons were found in the car or on the suspects, Ramsey said, but officers said they had seen them shoot three people on a drug corner moments earlier.

The video, shot by WTXF-TV from a helicopter, showed three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road.

Officers gathered around the vehicle and pulled three men out. About a half-dozen officers held two men on the ground on the driver's side. Both were kicked repeatedly, while one was punched; one also appeared to be struck with a baton.

On the other side of the car, the video showed, more officers kicking a third man who ends up on the ground.

The three suspects — Dwayne Dyches, Brian Hall and Pete Hopkins — were each charged with attempted murder in the shooting, police said.

The beating happened two days after the fatal shooting of a city officer, the third killed on duty in two years.

Ramsey said officers have been on edge since Officer Stephen Liczbinski was killed, but that they still need to maintain a high standard of conduct.

"We do expect them to maintain a level of conduct on the street that is beyond reproach," the commissioner said. "The sergeant should have taken some kind of action to intervene."

Liczbinski was shot with an assault rifle after a robbery Saturday. One suspect was fatally shot by police soon after, another was arrested Sunday and a third was captured late Wednesday.

D. Scott Perrine, an attorney for the three men seen in the video, has said that, as terrible as the officer's death was, it does not excuse what police did to the suspects.

Dyches had a welt on his head the size of a baseball, and one of his legs was seriously injured, Perrine said. He said he didn't know the extent of the other men's injuries.

The mother of one of the suspects said she was outraged.

"I'm horrified to see that our city cops would beat some human being like they did, like a gang-style fight," Leomia Dyches said. She added, "I'd like to see them tried for what they did."

Source ~ PATRICK WALTERS, Associated Press Writer

Sharpton arrested as hundreds protest NYC police shooting (AP)

NEW YORK - Hundreds of demonstrators led by the Rev. Al Sharpton clogged intersections and snarled traffic across the city to protest the acquittal of three officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on his wedding day.

Protesters said Wednesday's "pray-in," which led to the arrest of 216 people, was a preview of potential future demonstrations designed to paralyze the city until federal authorities investigate the shooting.

"We're going to keep coming until we get federal indictments. It's wrong," said Frank Rodriguez, a military veteran who attended one of six rallies across the city.

U.S. attorney spokesman Robert Nardoza said the case was under review, but he declined further comment about a possible federal case.

Sharpton and relatives of Sean Bell, the groom killed in 2006 in a 50-bullet barrage, planned to meet privately with Gov. David Paterson on Thursday to talk about the case.

The demonstrators on Wednesday prayed, sang and chanted slogans including "no justice, no peace!" as they converged on six locations, including heavily used bridges and tunnels that carry traffic to and from Manhattan.

Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man's fiancee lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police arrested them on disorderly conduct charges. They were released about four hours later, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger.

The protests were carefully orchestrated: Organizers circulated sign-up sheets for those willing to be arrested and issued instructions on how to behave when arrested. They also were advised not to volunteer if they had warrants out for their arrests or other pending legal issues.

After marching to the New Jersey-bound Holland Tunnel behind a "Stop the Brutality" banner, protesters blocked two entrances as some sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." Demonstrators who moved to the sidewalk applauded each time one of their fellow protesters was arrested.

Drivers waited patiently. "I disagree with doing anything illegal, but, hey, this is what makes America great," said Aaron Hanson, a passenger in a car waiting to get into the tunnel. "If this is what people really need to do to make a statement, it's what they should do."

A few miles uptown, some protesters were arrested after blocking traffic into midtown Manhattan on the Queensboro Bridge, while about 200 people rallied near the entrance to the Triborough Bridge in Harlem.

Sharpton, shooting survivors Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, and Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, linked arms as they blocked a street at the Brooklyn Bridge's base.

They were followed by at least 200 demonstrators who kneeled down in prayer in the road and counted from one to 50 in a stark reference to the 50 shots. Some carried signs proclaiming, "We are all Sean Bell."

A heavy police presence initially stood by during the demonstrations, allowing the protesters to march unimpeded to the bridges and tunnels. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had pledged to "make sure that everybody's rights are protected and that the law is obeyed."

The racially polarizing case has raised questions about police use of deadly force in minority communities. Bell was black, as are two of his friends who were wounded in the shooting; the officers were black, Hispanic and white.

The three officers were acquitted of state charges last month. They testified that they feared for their lives after Bell and his friends got into a testy exchange with another patron outside a Queens strip club and appeared to be going to retrieve a gun; Bell's friends testified the detectives fired wildly and without warning at Bell's car. No gun was found with Bell or his friends.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday that the department was continuing to examine the possibility of disciplinary action against the detectives.

Source ~ Associated Press writers Bonny Ghosh and Ted Shaffrey contributed to this report