Mereja

Author: Amanda Crum

  • Reese Witherspoon Arrested After Drunken Fight With Cop

    Reese Witherspoon, usually the very picture of poise and good taste, was arrested on Friday after hurling insults at the cop who pulled her husband over on suspicion of DUI.

    The actress and her husband, Jim Toth, had been out in Atlanta, apparently having a very good time; when an officer noticed that Toth was driving in the wrong lane, he promptly pulled him over. Witherspoon then began to pull the old, “Don’t you know who I am” routine on the cop, who was having none of it.

    “Mrs. Witherspoon began to hang out the window and say that she did not believe I was a real police officer,” the officer wrote in a police report. “I told Mrs. Witherspoon to sit on her butt and be quiet. Mrs. Witherspoon asked, ‘Do you know my name?’ I answered, ‘No, I don’t need to know your name.’ I then added, ‘Right now.’ Mrs. Witherspoon stated, ‘You’re about to find out who I am.’… Mrs. Witherspoon also stated, ‘You’re going to be on national news.’ I advised Mrs. Witherspoon that was fine.”

    Witherspoon was then handcuffed and arrested for disobeying repeated orders from the officer and she and Toth, who now faces a DUI charge, were taken into custody. The actress is charged with disorderly conduct.

    News of the arrest comes as a shock to fans, as the mom of three cemented her status as America’s Sweetheart with films such as “Man In The Moon”, “Sweet Home Alabama”, and “Legally Blonde”. She was in Atlanta to film “The Good Lie”. She recently released a statement regarding the arrest and her behavior:

    ”I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said. It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that is no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. I have nothing but respect for the police and I’m very sorry for my behavior.”

  • Kendra Wilkinson: Hospital Trip Following Car Crash

    Kendra Wilkinson, the former Playboy model and “Girls Next Door” star, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday following what has been described as a “bad” car accident in L.A.

    Wilkinson wasn’t seriously injured in the accident but was taken to the hospital as a precaution; she described her condition as “really sore” and said she was in shock, but was discharged soon after being admitted. There are few details as to the cause of the accident or the condition of the other driver involved at this time.

    Wilkinson has moved on from the Playboy world and has recently appeared in various reality programs, such as “Celebrity Wife Swap”–where she traded lives with Kate Gosselin for a week–and the diving competition “Splash”. The young mom recently left the show, however, stating a fear of injury and calling her decision to appear on the show a “mistake”.

    “I’m so sorry, everybody. It’s bittersweet. One thing I don’t do is quit. This is the first time in my life I’ve quit something,” she said. “This will haunt me for the rest of my life.”

  • Whiskey Flushed: Thousands Of Gallons Down The Drain

    Whiskey flushed down the drain at a bottling plant could have an adverse effect on the treatment of waste water, officials say, after workers accidentally dumped over 6,000 gallons of Chivas from its container.

    “We are currently investigating an accidental loss on the 26th of February at our Dumbarton site, where some spirit was released to the local water treatment plant,” the company said in a statement. “There has been no release of spirit to the River Leven or any other local water course. We have informed Scottish Water and all other relevant authorities.”

    The incident occurred on Thursday at the Chivas Brothers bottling plant in Dumbarton, Scotland when workers accidentally threw the lever to drain the whiskey rather than the wastewater they were going for. Now, the company faces a huge monetary loss as well as issues with the sewer system.

    “Discharging large volumes of alcohol into the sewer network can have an adverse impact on waste water treatment processes, particularly during dry, cold weather,” Scottish Water said in a statement. “We are continuing to closely monitor our Dumbarton wastewater treatment works to ensure treatment has not been compromised.”

    It’s rumored that the employees responsible for the accident may lose their jobs, but nothing has been confirmed as yet. The water system in and around Dumbarton is being closely monitored.

    Image: Chivas Brothers

  • DJ Ajax Dies In Accident On His Birthday

    DJ Ajax, a popular record-spinner from Australia, died early this morning after being hit by a truck. He was 41 years old.

    Adrian Thomas had been celebrating his birthday and was reportedly the victim of an accident, although police are investigating. A spokesperson for police said in a statement, “It’s believed the man ran in front of the north bound truck on College Crescent shortly before 1am. He died at the scene.”

    Thomas was a celebrated performer who was named “World DJ of the Year” by 3D Magazine three times. After making a name for himself with the group Bang Gang, he went on to found the label Sweat It Out. A rep for the label said today that Thomas was “instrumental in shaping the landscape of Australian dance music. He was a hugely talented individual and was highly respected by the local and international dance music community as a pioneer and innovator. Adrian touched so many people and it is impossible to sum up his legacy in words.”

    Thomas is being fondly remembered across the web today as friends mourn the loss of a talented musician.

  • Bonnie Franklin Dies: “One Day At A Time” Actress Was 69

    Bonnie Franklin, who starred in the ’70s sitcom “One Day At A Time”, has died from complications related to pancreatic cancer. She was 69 years old.

    Franklin announced last year that she was battling the disease but released a statement saying she would continue with her normal schedule as much as she could. A rep for her family said she would undergo treatment for the illness and that “she and her family remain extremely positive and thank everyone for their support and concern.”

    Franklin was reunited with her onscreen daughter, Valerie Bertinelli, when she made a guest appearance on “Hot In Cleveland”, which also stars Betty White. She remained a television regular after “One Day At A Time”, appearing on shows like “The Young And The Restless”, “Touched By An Angel”, and “Almost Perfect”. She also enjoyed a film career, landing a role in the Hitchcock film “The Wrong Man” opposite Henry Fonda. Many of her television fans didn’t know that she also enjoyed a stint on Broadway, where she showed off her singing skills in Applause.

    Franklin often staged one-woman shows in New York, much to the delight of her fans, and did regional theater in her later years. She left quite an impression in the business, especially for her work on “One Day At A Time”, a show which broached the difficult topic of divorce at a time when no one else would touch it.

    “Even though Ann Romano was not the first divorced woman on TV, she embodied that subject matter in a way that had not been done before,” said Syracuse University television scholar Robert Thompson.“The show focused on a young divorced woman who was getting by, but also she had a sense of being flustered and exasperated. She was by no means the perfect mother who had all the perfect answers and did everything right.”

  • Tattoo Shop Mixes Technology, Art In Help-Wanted Ad

    A tattoo shop in Istanbul has come up with a unique way to weed out serious potential employees from the ones who just think it’ll be a fun job: their help-wanted ad merges a QR code with inking skills, so the candidate has to prove they can ink a straight line before they even get into the interview process.

    A QR code–short for Quick Response–is a sort of 2-D barcode that can be easily photographed or scanned as a digital image. Placing a pale one in their ad for tattoo artists, Berrge Tattoo asks applicants to fill it in, snap a pic of it, and send it to their email address to be reviewed if they want to be considered for an interview.

    Of course, it takes a lot more skill to be a tattoo artist than just inking in some boxes, but this is a creative way for a shop to single out who they might be interested in. Take a look.

    Images: Instagram/The Inspiration

    berrge tattoo

    berrge tattoo

  • Florida Sinkhole Opens Up, Swallows Man

    A Florida sinkhole has pulled a man into a cavern that extends an estimated 100 feet across, and investigators say they haven’t found signs of life during their search for him.

    Jeffrey Bush’s brother, Jeremy, says he heard an incredibly loud crash and then a scream for help. When he ran into Jeffrey’s bedroom, he found the entire room collapsed and attempted to go down to make a rescue, but ultimately had to be rescued himself.

    “It swallowed his whole bedroom, his dresser — everything in his room is gone,” Jeremy said. “All I could see was the top of his bed. So I jumped in the hole and tried digging him out. I thought I could hear him screaming for me and hollering for me.”

    The sinkhole was initially estimated to be about 30 feet wide, but officials say it extends at least 70 feet more beneath the surface. Bush has not been officially presumed dead, but at this point things are looking grim.

    “We put engineering equipment into the sinkhole and didn’t see anything compatible with life,” Hillsborough County Fire spokeswoman Jessica Damico said.

    Incredibly, the home looks normal from the street; apparently the bedroom was completely on top of the sinkhole. Neighbors on either side of the home have been evacuated, however.

  • Kate Middleton’s Brother Gets Bailout For Cake Debt

    Kate Middleton’s brother, James, is in the headlines this week after getting a bailout from his family to the tune of $25,000 when his cake business saw a big loss.

    Nice Cakes was created by James in 2011 under the parent name Nice Group London, LTD; the personalized cake company came about after the success of his 2007 startup, The Cake Kit Company. However, Nice Cakes took a big hit during its freshman debut, leaving the company with a $25,775 debt.

    Middleton’s brother doesn’t seem too fazed by the loss, however, and says the company will be bigger and better than ever in 2013.

    “It is not uncommon for start-up companies to make a loss in the early stages of development and it is not something I am concerned about right now,” he said. “On the contrary I am very excited as after running a pilot over 2012, Nice Cakes will be officially launching later this year with a brand new website and range of products which I am very excited about.”

    Most of the Middleton family is in a similar business; parents Carole and Michael own Party Pieces, a multi-million dollar company, and sister Pippa aims to be a party planner.

    Image: Andrew Crowley

  • Ja Rule In Jail, But Only Until The Summer

    Ja Rule was freed from a New York prison earlier this month after serving almost two years on a gun charge, but he’s not in the clear yet.

    The 36-year old rapper was actually given two sentences to run concurrently and still has a 28-month federal tax evasion sentence to serve. For now, he’s been transferred to Oneida County Jail while he waits to hear where he’ll serve out those months, and is hoping to be able to do the time from a halfway house. His lawyers are hopeful that he’ll only have to do about six more months, max.

    “There’s a lot of anticipation knowing that he’s so close to the end of it … and frustration,” attorney Stacey Richman said. “He knew he wasn’t getting out today, but his spirits have been extraordinary throughout. A lot of people want to work with him.”

    The gun charge stemmed from a 2007 arrest, during which officers found a handgun with the serial number scratched off hidden in the backseat of the rapper’s car. He pleaded guilty to that charge in 2010.

    After the tax sentence is carried out, Ja Rule will be on four years probation. His lawyer says that after that, it’s up to him what happens.

    “He just lives his life and just has to not do anything wrong,” she said.

  • Jennifer Lawrence Without Makeup, Smoking A Joint?

    Jennifer Lawrence has had quite a week; after an Oscar win, an Oscar tumble, being hit on by Jack Nicholson, and flying to Hawaii to finish shooting for “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire” immediately after all that, she’s bound to need some R&R. Perhaps that explains the pics some lucky photographer snapped of her relaxing on her hotel balcony, drinking some wine and possibly lighting up a J.

    No judgement! If J-Law wants to let her newly-brunette hair down and get lifted in Hawaii, she certainly deserves it. Of course, it could just be a cigarette. An oddly-held, oddly fat cigarette. Either way, she’s using her downtime the way a lot of young people who’d just won an Academy Award would: however the hell she wants. Makeup? Pssh. Who needs makeup in Hawaii? All you need is a bottle of wine and a good friend to chill with while whale-watching (it’s their mating season, you know).

    Of course, all this does is up her street-cred, which wasn’t suffering to begin with. We love us some Jennifer Lawrence.

    jennifer lawrence without makeup

    jennifer lawrence no makeup

    Images: FameFlyNet

  • 7 Siblings Missing Found After Tense Week

    7 siblings who went missing from their Fresno, California home last week have been found safe with their father, officials say, and no charges have been filed thus far.

    The children–Chee Nou Yang, 12; Cha Meng Yang, 11; Zia Yang, 10; Chue Feng Yang, 8; Zang Yang, 7; Tria Yang, 6; and Tou Ger Yang, 5–were taken from their home when their mother and stepfather left them to go grocery shopping, and while there were no signs of forced entry–which suggested their estranged father might have taken them–it was a harrowing week for the family as they went without word regarding the kids.

    The father was tracked down, however, and did indeed have the kids at his home in Sacramento. The children were unharmed and in “good spirits”, and police say no charges have been brought at this time, though an investigation has been launched. The mother says the man has been estranged from the family for three years, so it’s unclear why he took the children without the mother’s knowledge.

    Image: YouTube

  • “Girls Gone Wild” In Bankruptcy But Won’t Disappear

    “Girls Gone Wild”, along with several of its subsidiaries, will be going into Chapter 11 after the heads of the company filed for protection to keep their assets from being taken over by a Las Vegas casino.

    The company found mega-success in the late ’90s after creator Joe Francis merged real college girls on spring break with late-night infomercials, selling millions of videos and DVDs. Francis, according to the court documents, has been in a battle with Wynn Las Vegas Casino and Resort over a multi-million dollar gambling debt, and the casino has been trying for years to collect. The bankruptcy filing would effectively stop them from acquiring the “Girls Gone Wild” franchise.

    “Wynn has confirmed what it has long suspected, namely that Francis has avoided Wynn’s collection efforts by, among other things, not taking any income and using accounts held by various entities that do business under his ‘Girls Gone Wild’ brand to pay all his personal expenses,” Wynn lawyers said in the lawsuit.

    Ronald D. Tym, an attorney for the GGW brand says that Francis is no longer an employee or owner of the company, however, and has nothing to do with the bankruptcy suit. Court documents were filed by Chris Dale, who manages the company. Tym told Gawker that the “Girls Gone Wild” brand wouldn’t be affected by the filing and that the products will still be available to customers.

  • Mariah Carey: Wardrobe Malfunction Or Wishful Thinking?

    Mariah Carey showed up at a party to celebrate So So Def’s 20th anniversary last weekend, and now the web is buzzing about a possible nip-slip she suffered while presenting a cake to music mogul Jermaine Dupri.

    There’s a photo making rounds that censors her left breast as she stands before the assembled party-goers in a cream-colored dress, but there’s an un-pixelated version out there as well, and it’s hard to tell if Mariah actually had a wardrobe malfunction or if she’s just the victim of some people who really wish she had been. At any rate, it’s not as bad as everyone is making it out to be. It’s just a nipple! We’ve all got ‘em.

    mariah carey wardrobe malfunction
    Image: Prince Williams, FilmMagic

    Either way, everyone’s talking about it today:

  • Sketchers Controversy: “Daddy’$ Money” Design Offends

    Sketchers has come up with some new shoe designs aimed at teen girls, and parents aren’t happy with the way they’re being marketed.

    “Daddy’$ Money” is the name of the line, and the whole premise of the idea seems to be that Sketchers wants their teen fans to run to Daddy with their hand out. Some of the design names are questionable, too, such as a floral sequined pair called “Gimme“.

    “It’s so bad that if it were a Saturday Night Live sketch — it would be hilarious. But it’s not. It’s real. And I had to watch it all the way through twice before it started to sink in that people were seriously trying to sell this garbage to my daughter,” a blogger who goes by the name of Lydia wrote.

    Indeed, the ad for the shoes is receiving quite a bit of backlash as parents question what the company is trying to accomplish. The fact that the shoes feature a built-in “secret” wedge is not lost on consumers, either, who say that trying to give sex appeal to footwear for teen girls is not okay.

    “Are we teaching them that they need to be taller? So that what? They appear to be thinner? Because whatever their size or height or body type, it’s wrong,” Lydia says.

    Parenting coach Tammy Gold agrees. “The whole aspect of self-worth is off in this because you want to motivate children, especially in this day and age, to do for themselves, to be independent, to get things for themselves, to earn [money] one day,” she said. “All of this is saying the opposite.”

    Twitter had quite a bit to say about the ad, as well. As for Sketchers, they insist that no harm was meant in the concept of the shoes.

    “The Daddy’s Money name and the collection’s advertising are designed to be fun and lighthearted,” the company said. “We regret that some people have been offended by the name.”

    Image: Sketchers

  • “The Lion King” Inspires “American Idol” Contestant

    There are many factors that go into the success of a contestant on “American Idol”; not only does one have to find a way to let their personality shine amongst a sea of hopefuls, they also have to choose their wardrobe very carefully and not let the show’s stylists stray too far from who they really are. And, of course, the song choice is super important. Apparently.

    One contestant learned last night that straying from the norm doesn’t always have to be a bad thing, especially with this year’s lineup of judges; they all seem to dig what Zoanette Johnson does, and this week was no exception. Johnson made it through a tough round–in which five ladies were cut–with her rendition of “The Circle Of Life” from “The Lion King”.

    Her less-than-traditional song choice was met with some confusion and snark on Twitter today, however, as some fans of the show are wondering why she got to stay on over contestants with more vocal abilities.

  • “Boardwalk Empire” To Be “Office Space” Reunion

    “Boardwalk Empire” has announced they’ll be bringing on some fresh blood for the fourth season, and it’s none other than “Office Space” actor Ron Livingston. He’ll be joining co-star Stephen Root, who already plays a Department of Justice investigator on the show.

    While details are scarce for the moment, it looks like Livingston will be playing a wealthy Jersey transplant who gets involved with Gillian Darmody, played with sexy insanity by Gretchen Moll. It’s also rumored that the show will jump forward a bit in time for the upcoming season to take place in 1924, when J. Edgar Hoover famously took over as head of the FBI and gangsters like Al Capone–whose presence on the show has so far been overshadowed by the bigger personalities–began making a name for themselves. One juicy rumor about the fourth season is that Agent Van Alden (played with precision by Michael Shannon) will be going even further rogue and joining Capone’s crew.

    The introduction of new characters is always welcome on shows like this one, where the storylines can become repetitive otherwise, but after the shocking ending of season three, it will be nice to see some of the old favorite characters come into new territory.

  • Winans Sentenced For $8 Million Church Scam

    The Winans family, who comprise one of the biggest names in the gospel music world, is taking a hit this week after Michael Winans Jr. was sentenced to 14 years in prison for a huge financial scam.

    The scam, which was reportedly promoted at church, included numerous victims and involved selling Saudi Arabian oil bonds. Some of the victims testified in court, saying the scam had robbed them of their life savings. Winans, while apologetic, did admit that he had taken money from the victims even after he learned the deal was a scam. Described as a Ponzi scheme, the scam involved paying off early investors to attract more; Winans ended up with hundreds of willing participants, many of whom are now broke. It’s estimated that more than 600 people are owed about $4.7 million.

    “I want to apologize to everyone. … These were decisions that were negligent and irresponsible,” Winans said in court.

    Judge Sean Cox relayed the words of some of the victims who weren’t in the courtroom, including a young woman who said she’d joined the Army just to be able to go to college because her family can’t afford her tuition now.

    “Fraud on good, decent church-going people – that was very, very troubling to me,” Cox said.

  • Kanye West: Taylor Swift, Timberlake Blasted Onstage

    Kanye West has never been one to be afraid of burning bridges, and it seems his latest onstage rant is aimed at making sure he has no friends left in the biz at all.

    The soon-to-be-father got some things off his chest during a solo show in London last weekend, calling out Taylor Swift and Justin Timberlake and taking apparent shots at his BFF’s wife, Beyonce. After slamming Swift again for winning that infamous MTV award over Beyonce, he went after Timberlake’s latest project–despite the fact that Jay-Z is collaborating with him on it.

    “I got love for Hov, but I ain’t f—in’ with that ‘Suit & Tie,’” he said, referring to Timberlake’s new single.

    He also ranted sarcastically about corporate endorsements with celebraties, and while he didn’t name names, he didn’t exactly make it difficult to guess who he was talking about. Beyonce, who just inked a $50 million deal with Pepsi to appear in their ads in exchange for cash to fund her creative endeavors, seemed to be the target.

    “Can I sell your drink for you please? So you can help me put on a better show,” he said. “Please corporations? Can you please support me, Please? Me, Kanye West? I swear I’m a nice n—a now. I swear I’ll put the pink polo back on. I swear to you. Please? Just for three million dollars. I need it so bad. I need a new pool in my back yard. So I’ll tell all my fans your s— is cool. And if they believe in me they should also believe in you . . . Did we you the check yet? Did the corporation send the check yet? What’s my public rating right now? Are people liking me again? Enough to get some money from the corporations? Are they liking me now? They forgot about the whole Beyonce thing right? Ok cool. Is it okay now?”

    Maybe the stress of being a dad is getting to him?

  • Rihanna: Restraining Order Isn’t For Chris Brown

    Rihanna was recently forced to get a restraining order, but despite the rumors, it wasn’t against on-again-off-again boyfriend Chris Brown.

    The Barbadian singer obtained the order against a man who broke into her neighbor’s home recently believing he was in Rihanna’s house, even sleeping in a bed he believed to be hers. He attempted to steal property from the home but was ultimately thwarted by police, who were called when people in a neighboring home spotted him.

    The suspect, Steveland Barrow, was released from custody last week and could be anywhere, so Rihanna felt it in her best interest to protect herself. The judge issued a temporary restraining order which would keep Barrow–who has been described as a “stalker” from coming within 100 feet of the singer.

    Twitter has been buzzing with the news, and many are taking shots at Rihanna about it. The singer hasn’t been in the good graces of many after taking back Brown, who famously beat her in a 2009 altercation.

  • Michelle Williams: Split From Jason Segel Was Quiet

    Michelle Williams and Jason Segel have reportedly ended their relationship despite being photographed on a vacation together less than a month ago.

    The couple, who have been dating for over a year, have been very quiet about their relationship and have not commented on the breakup. Rumor has it that the distances required of the pair to travel while working made it impossible to keep things going, as Segel is based in L.A. for his show “How I Met Your Mother” and Williams is a New Yorker.

    Williams turned up in Moscow recently for a press conference related to the upcoming release of her new film, “Oz The Great And Powerful”; she hasn’t commented on her personal life. She did, however, mention how happy she was in the latest issue of InStyle Magazine.

    “The other day I was out there all bundled up and the sun was shining and I realized I was smiling in a way I hadn’t in a long time. The roses in my cheeks weren’t from makeup for once. It was a perfect moment,” she said.