Author: Amanda Crum

Hugh Jackman has faced rumors for years that he’s gay, and now he’s speaking out about it, saying it’s upsetting his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.

“Just recently, it bugs her,” he said. “She goes: ‘It’s big. It’s everywhere!”

The rumors may affect Deborra a bit more than they do him, he says, because she frequents the internet more than he does. But he maintains that he is deeply devoted to her and to his family, and says he tries to shrug off the comments. “X-Men” producer Lauren Shuler Donner feels the same way.

“I have seen him with Deborra since the beginning of their trip to Hollywood, and I’ve been on five movie sets with him and have never seen him stray, have never seen him eye anyone. I met him when he did Oklahoma! [at London’s Royal National Theatre in 1999]. He was genuine, hugely talented. He was in love with his wife that day and still is,” she said.

The rumors may have began because Jackman is handsome and unafraid to bust out a show tune now and then, but many believe him when he says he’s a dedicated husband. He and Furness have been married 17 years.

Alyson Hannigan, who rose to fame on the immensely popular Joss Whedon show “Buffy The Vampire Slayer” and now stars on “How I Met Your Mother”, recently obtained a restraining order after a fan began posting death threats against her and her husband, Alexis Denisof, on Facebook. Some of the posts allegedly threaten rape, as well.

“I am in severe fear for my safety and the safety of my family,” she wrote in her petition.

The mother of two claims that the man behind the threats, John Hobbs, is “mentally unstable” and was recently discharged from a mental hospital. As of now, he is not permitted to be within 100 yards of the actress or her family. Hobbs’ Facebook posts were included in the petition.

“With that said, in 2013 I still can marry you tomorrow. I can kill you tomorrow too. Cause I simply like and love you as you live life. Aly…It doesn’t end. Even after death,” read a post from early January.

Later that month he wrote, “Aly, many years ago I said we were ‘Soulmates’ Well, the only way you are going to see that now is by talking in person” and “Going to the casinos and a trip to Ca this year, so Alexis, I guess this means you better watch your wife, a little bit more than normal.”

A Massachusetts family has been awarded $63 million by a jury for a severe, life-threatening allergic reaction their daughter suffered when she was just seven years old. The cause? Children’s Motrin.

The family filed a lawsuit after 7-year old Samantha Reckis was given the over-the-counter medication in 2003 and suffered an allergic reaction so bad, it took off 90% of her skin, left her blind, and damaged her lungs. Her family says it also affected her memory. The Reckis’ attorney claimed that Johnson & Johnson, the makers of the drug, never put a warning on the medication that it might cause an allergic reaction. Samantha came close to death and had to be placed in an induced coma while her body fought off multiple infections.

The case has been drawn out for several years, so if the judge approves the settlement, the family will end up getting over $100 million after interest. The Reckis family says Samantha, who is now 16, is doing much better but still suffers from the after-effects of the reaction and has to work twice as hard in school due to her memory loss. Johnson & Johnson allegedly disagree with the verdict and issued a statement regarding their product, saying it is “safe and effective” when used as directed.

“A number of medicines, including ibuprofen, have been associated with allergic reactions and as noted on the label, consumers should stop using medications and immediately contact a healthcare professional if they have an allergic reaction.”

A warning on their website reads as follows:

Allergy alert:
Ibuprofen may cause a severe allergic reaction, especially in people allergic to aspirin. Symptoms may include:
hives
facial swelling
asthma (wheezing)
shock
skin reddening
rash
blisters
If an allergic reaction occurs, stop use and seek medical help right away.

Image: Motrin.com

A 13-year old boy who was adopted along with his sister has found sudden fame on the web after a “newborn” photo session garnered thousands of likes on Facebook.

Latrell Higgins and his younger sister, Chanya, were adopted by a Florida family recently, and when the mom, Kelli–who was pregnant–talked to the family about how she was setting up a photo session for the baby’s arrival. When one of Kelli’s biological children–she and her husband already had five–suggested that they do the same for Latrell, Kelli jumped on the idea.

“I thought it was funny and that it would be a good idea,” Mrs Higgins said. “I was very sad too because I didn’t have any photos of him. I think it’s really hard to have children and not know what they looked like when they were younger.”

Mrs. Higgins said it’s rare for older children to be adopted, and that’s why she and her husband wanted to do it even though they were already expecting a sixth child of their own.

“These children, once they get past a certain age, they don’t find homes and they age out of foster care,” she said. “They have to figure out the world on their own and there’s no one to go back to as an adult. Where do you go for Christmas? It’s just horrible, it’s heartbreaking.”

The family says they’re hoping that now that they photos have gone viral, they’ll help raise awareness about older-child adoption. Indeed, Latrell and his family have garnered tons of support from people all over the world after the photos began making the rounds on the web.

Image: Kelli Higgins Photography

When mom Aya Sakai uploaded photos of her adorable son Tasuku spending quality time with his French Bulldog Muu to Instagram, she thought she’d just be sharing them with a few people. But pretty soon, anyone with a beating heart and access to a smartphone discovered just how cute the inseparable friends are and the pics went viral.

With that, I give you Tasuku and Muu. Prepare for cuteness overload.

Honey Boo Boo has taken the world by storm, whether we like it or not, and her mom, June Shannon, is getting her fair share of press lately.

The entire family–featured on TLC’s “Here Comes Honey Boo Boo”–has made headlines over the past several months for their penchant for eating something called “sketti”, farting, participating in the Redneck Games, and the Mt. Dew habit most of them seem to have (even little Honey Boo Boo herself, who uses it to get some energy before pageants). But recently, they’ve also garnered some attention for the good things they do, such as collecting toys, clothes, and money for the needy during the holidays. And despite the unconventional way they lead their lives, they are also getting strong, positive attention for continuing to be themselves–including staying in the same home they lived in before making big money with the show–no matter how popular they get. June Shannon has even said that the money her daughters make from appearances on the show goes straight into a trust fund and is untouchable until they reach a certain age.

With all the attention they’re getting, it’s no surprise that June is rumored to be up for a spot on “Dancing With The Stars”. And while a rep for TLC has said the rumors are untrue, some are hoping she’ll take a chance and sign up.

Shannon recently announced that she’d lost 115 pounds due to a rigorous shooting schedule and being more active, and many are applauding her for it.

“I have lost 115 pounds, but that’s because I’m on the go. We love fried food, but I lost that weight because I’m more active doing things,” she said.

Image: TLC

Rapper DMX was arrested for driving without a license early this morning, and his infant daughter was in the car with him at the time.

The performer–whose real name is Earl Simmons–was pulled over in South Carolina after an officer spotted him at a convenience store and recognized him as someone who’d had previous driving offenses. After Simmons drove off, he was quickly stopped by the officer and taken into custody for driving without a license. The car was turned over to a licensed passenger in the car.

Simmons had already been issued tickets for the same offense in and around the county he was pulled over in, but said he was willing to pay the fine on the spot to avoid having to go to jail. Instead, he was taken in to a detention center, where he was made to wait five hours before he was released.

“When I could have just paid the money right there on the spot,” Simmons said. “Basically it was just five hours wasted for nothing. I don’t have a court date or a court appearance.”

FOX Carolina 21

Daniel Radcliffe has made great efforts in recent years to move away from his “Harry Potter” persona, taking a highly talked-about role in the stage production of “Eqqus” in 2007–in which he appeared nude–and a controversial role in the upcoming Allen Ginsberg flick “Kill Your Darlings”, in which he’ll participate in a gay love scene.

Radcliffe spoke recently about the film and about all the talk the movie is generating, saying he doesn’t see anything “shocking” about the scene.

”It’s interesting that it’s deemed shocking,” Radcliffe said. “For me, there’s something very strange about that because we see straight sex scenes all the time. We’ve seen gay sex scenes before. I don’t know why a gay sex scene should be any more shocking than a straight sex scene. Or both of them are equally un-shocking.”

In the new issue of Out Magazine, Radcliffe addresses the scene again and says it wasn’t that hard to get into the mindset of a gay man for the role.

“You never see a gay actor getting asked what it’s like to play straight — to my knowledge, at least, there is no difference in how heterosexual and homosexual people fall in love,” he said.

On playing controversial Beat poet Ginsberg, Radcliffe acknowledges that it might be odd for some viewers, whether because they’re fans of the “Harry Potter” series or of Ginsberg’s. But, he says, that’s what makes it exciting.

“I can see why people are skeptical about me playing Allen Ginsberg. I don’t look like him, and I’m English and middle-class and not from New Jersey. But that’s what I think is so exciting about it, because people have no idea.”

Image: Out Magazine

An Australian woman says that after getting out of a cab in New York early Sunday morning, a man came up behind her and dragged her into an alley, where he raped her.

The 20-year old woman was on her way home after partying at the popular club Lavo, located at East 58th Street between Park and Madison avenues. After hailing a cab, however, she had a disagreement with the driver and quickly got out (one report says the young woman decided to wait because the traffic was so bad). That’s when the rapist allegedly struck.

There is currently an artist’s rendering of the man’s face being passed around the web, but police are also checking surveillance videos and are working on tracking down the cab driver for questioning. The man is described as a black man, 35 to 40 years old. He is about 6 feet, 2 inches tall, 190 pounds and was wearing a skull cap and dark clothing at the time of the attack.

Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers at 800-577-TIPS.

O.J. Simpson, who is serving a 33-year prison sentence for kidnapping and armed robbery, is apparently living it up while he’s behind bars.

The 65-year old former football star bought himself a television from the “inmate store” and is one of very few prisoners who has one in his cell, so when it came time for the Super Bowl, he had a little party. A source told The Daily Mail that inmates were fighting over who would get to attend, as there was obviously limited space.

‘He’s like the Godfather of the prison now,’ friend Norman Pardo said.

Simpson made headlines last year when L.A. District Attorney Christopher Darden claimed he thought the infamous glove presented as evidence in Simpson’s murder trial had been tampered with, and ordered an investigation. But members of Simpson’s defense team spoke out against the idea.

“As members of the defense team, Carl Douglas and I were present in court on the day that Chris Darden asked O.J. Simpson to try on the glove,” attorney Shawn Holley said in a statement. “Mr. Darden’s self-serving assertion that Johnnie Cochran tampered with the glove–or any piece of evidence–is false, malicious and slanderous. Almost 20 years later, it seems Mr. Darden is still trying to exculpate himself from one of the biggest blunders in the history of jurisprudence.”

Julia Pastrana, who was labeled as “Ape Woman” and described as “the ugliest woman in the world” during her time, has finally been shipped home and laid to rest after over 150 years of being on display to the public.

Pastrana was born with the rare disorder congenital terminal hypertrichosis, which left her face and body covered in thick hair, and gingival hyperplasia, which made her lips and gums thick. Combined, those things left her with the appearance of an ape, which was widely regarded as “freak” status in 1854. When she left her Pacific coast home of Sinaloa that year at age 20, she was quickly joined by Theodore Lent, who used her unique appearance to their advantage by taking her on a tour of Europe in a traveling exhibition. Pastrana sang and danced for paying audiences, and she and Lent eventually married. When she became pregnant, however, Pastrana developed a fever and she and the baby both died.

But rather than lay her body to rest, Lent kept Pastrana on display alongside their son, propping them up inside glass cases for audiences to look at. For years, Pastrana’s body toured the world, until Lent’s death in 1884. After that, the bodies found their way to a Norway fairground warehouse, where they were stolen in 1976. Pastrana’s body was recovered from a trash bin, but her son’s body couldn’t be salvaged. The remains were taken to the University of Oslo, where they’ve been until recently. After several requests from those who knew her story, Julia Pastrana’s body is now at peace in Sinaloa.

“Julia Pastrana has come home,” said Saul Rubio Ayala, mayor of her hometown of Sinaloa de Leyva. “Julia has been reborn among us. Let us never see another woman be turned into an object of commerce.”

Pastrana made quite an impact on those who knew her story, even decades after her death.

“Today, it’s almost incomprehensible that a circus used corpses for entertainment purposes,” said Jan G. Bjaalie, who is head of the Institute of Basic Medical Sciences at the University. “Hers was used in a way we today would consider to be completely reprehensible,” he said. “It’s important that we now have a clear end to the way she was treated.”

Lead image: Wikipedia

Pastrana and her son on display (DailyMail)

A set of Lady Gaga’s shows have been postponed under strict doctor’s orders following an injury she sustained during a performance which has left her unable to walk.

The painful ordeal has been described as synovitis, a severe swelling of the joints. The singer took to Twitter to explain what was happening and to apologize to her fans for the show delays. Those affected include performances on February 13th and 14th in Chicago, February 16th in Detroit and Feb. 17th in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

There’s an unfortunate announcement coming out right now, concerning myself and the Born This Ball. Im so sorry. I barely know what to say.

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 12, 2013

I’ve been hiding a show injury and chronic pain for sometime now,over the past month it has worsened. I’ve been praying it would heal

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 12, 2013

I hid it from my staff, I didn’t want to disappoint my amazing fans. However after last nights performance I could not walk and still can’t

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 12, 2013

It will hopefully heal as soon as possible, I hate this. I hate this so much. I love you and Im sorry.

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 12, 2013

Due to a case of synovitis, (severe inflammation of joints) Gaga’s doctor has ordered her to postpone show in Chicago, Detroit + Hamilton

— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) February 12, 2013

Rick Huxley, one of the last surviving members of The Dave Clark Five, has died after a long battle with emphysema. He was 72 years old.

Huxley played bass for the band, who saw several hits in the ’60s. They appeared on “The Ed Sullivan Show” right around the time The Beatles did, and shot to the top of the charts in 1964 with “Glad All Over”, one of their biggest hits. Huxley, who had been sick for some time, did say recently that he’d been given a clean bill of health by his doctor, so his death came as a shock to his bandmates and friends. Leader Dave Clark said the two of them still kept in touch weekly and that he was deeply saddened by the news.

“Rick was a dear friend and an immensely talented musician with an amazing sense of humour, he always made me smile,” Clark said.

Clark and guitarist Lenny Davidson are now the sole remaining members of the group, as saxophone player Denis Payton died in December 2006, and singer and keyboardist Mike Smith died in 2008.

Kate Middleton has been under scrutiny for years now, but ever since word got out that she’s pregnant with a royal baby, the poor girl can’t catch a break from the photographers.

Middleton found herself in the center of a scandal last summer when she was snapped topless while sunbathing at a private residence in France; the family later became involved in a lawsuit with Closer France, the magazine that printed the photos. In a statement regarding the incident, the Palace representatives said, “Their royal highnesses have been hugely saddened to learn that a French publication and a photographer have invaded their privacy in such a grotesque and totally unjustifiable manner.”

Now another magazine, Chi, has obtained photos of Kate and William on vacation on the island of Mustique and have printed the pictures, which show a little “baby bump” beneath her bikini…and the Palace isn’t happy.

“We are disappointed that photographs of the Duke and Duchess on a private holiday look likely to be published overseas,” St. James Palace said in a statement. “This is a clear breach of the couple’s right to privacy.”

The world has found itself caught up in baby mania since news of the royal child broke, and reached a frenzy when the Duchess was admitted to the hospital in December with acute morning sickness. A radio prank gone awry played a part in the suicide of a nurse who was on duty at the time, making international headlines.

Justin Bieber has shot back at the drummer for The Black Keys, Patrick Carney, following a remark he made after the Grammy Awards on Sunday night.

When asked about Bieber’s supposed “snub” at the awards show–which saw The Black Keys take home several trophies–Carney said, “He’s rich, right? … Grammys are for music, not for money … and he’s making a lot of money.”

Bieber promptly fired back on Twitter.

the black keys drummer should be slapped around haha

— Justin Bieber (@justinbieber) February 12, 2013

He must not be too mad, though, because soon after, he retweeted Stewie Griffin.

Lesson #1: Only trust people who like big butts… They can not lie.

— Stewie Griffin (@TopLadStew) February 12, 2013

Passengers on a flight to Salt Lake City were stunned on Sunday when a man on the plane suddenly died.

The man, believed to be in his 30′s, has not been publicly identified yet. Passengers say he was snoring loudly for a while before the plane landed and then suddenly was quiet.

“You could tell something was wrong. I asked, ‘Hey, sir, are you awake?’ ” passenger Jared Noall said. “I shook him a bit, trying to see if I could get a response out of him. We checked his throat for a pulse, and it wasn’t there, so we laid him down in the aisle and started CPR.”

Noall and two others on board attempted CPR for more than thirty minutes, but to no avail. Passengers were visibly distraught as they left the plane to go on to their destinations, say officials. An investigation is ongoing.

“They tried their very best; the family of the deceased man would be glad to know he did everything possible to revive him.” said fellow passenger Kevin MacIsaac. “It was sad to see the flight attendant remove his bag from the overhead rack — what shocking news for his family.”

With the return of “The Walking Dead” this past Sunday came a record-breaking viewership for the show, pulling in 12.3 million zombie-hungry watchers as the story picked up from a mid-season hiatus.

While many fans came to the show fresh off a love for the comic books (which were written by fellow Kentuckian Robert Kirkman, I feel obliged to say), the AMC hit has appealed to thousands who never followed the books and simply love the story, the gore, and the drama that spins out between characters who are often at odds with one another. But there’s still a lot fans may not know about how the show operates, or what goes on behind the scenes. That’s where this infographic comes in.

Courtesy of TvDuck.com. Shoutout to Jude Fiorillo for the heads up.

TV Duck Watch The Walking Dead Online

http://www.tvduck.com/The-Walking-Dead.html

John Kerr, the stage and film actor whose credits included “Tea And Sympathy” and “South Pacific”, has died of heart failure. He was 81 years old.

Kerr was well-known for his role as Tom Robinson Lee, a student suspected of being a homosexual, in the 1953 Broadway production of “Tea And Sympathy”. He later played the character once more for the film version, which was considered very risque in those days and dealt with a topic many would have preferred to sweep under the rug. The film ended with a very famous last line: “Years from now, when you talk about this – and you will – be kind.”

Playwright and screenwriter Bob Anderson once said of the story, “I have always seen the play basically as a love story…Of course the meanings of the play are various, the chief one being that we must understand and respect differences in people. Along with this is the whole concept of what manliness is. I attack the often-fostered notion that a man is only a man if he can carry Vivien Leigh up a winding staircase. I stump for essential manliness which is something internal, and consists of gentleness, consideration, other qualities of that sort, and not just of brute strength.”

The role of Tom Lee gave Kerr a sudden career boost and earned him critical acclaim. He went on to star in over 75 titles, including films and television.

Image: John Kerr’s website

“Storage Wars” star Mark Balelo was found dead in his home on Monday morning of an apparent suicide, and some think he was depressed over a recent arrest.

Balelo was picked up for a drug-related offense on Saturday and expressed fear to his fiancee that he might hurt himself. After his release, he went home to rest and seemed to be doing better. However, the 40-year old was found dead in his garage this week of apparent carbon-monoxide poisoning. An autopsy will be completed today.

Balelo had issues with the law before, after an earlier arrest on a felony drug offense and complications with the custody of his children. Nicknamed “Rico Suave” because of his flamboyant style, Balelo was a popular contributor on “Storage Wars”, often bringing thousands in cash with him to bid at auctions. His Facebook profile hinted at new reality projects in the works.

“I fly private planes, race cars and love going to Las Vegas and put on a show. I own several businesses and participate in many TV shows including Storage Wars. I am currently working on a new reality show of my own,” he wrote.

Four people were killed earlier today when a parade float touched a power cable and caused a short circuit.

The float, which belonged to a samba group called Sangue Jovem, was part of the Carnival celebration which is celebrated throughout Brazil every year with colorful costumes and street parades. After the fire, the event was canceled.

“This is a tragedy for our city,” said the Mayor of Santos, Paulo Alexandre Barbosa. “We cannot continue the parade in the current mood. This is a moment of extreme sadness.”

Officials say the incident caused a power outage for thousands; the city of Santos was in the dark for several hours, but the fire has also brought back unpleasant memories of a nightclub fire in southern Brazil last month which killed 239 people.

Today’s deadly fire has many worried about the consequences of having so many visitors to the country for next year’s World Cup games, and the Olympics in 2016. The country has come under scrutiny since the nightclub fire last month, after which it was announced that the club had inadequate fire exits and was overcrowded.