Mereja

Author: Amanda Crum

  • Beaten With Skateboards: Man In Critical Condition

    A man in Huntington Beach, California is in critical condition today after being mercilessly beaten by a group of teens.

    The man intervened after his girlfriend tried to break up a fight between the teens and they turned on her. Authorities say he was chased to a nearby laundry, where the group beat him with skateboards. Four suspects were arrested on charges of attempted murder; all of them were juveniles who were already on probation for other offenses.

    The 25-year old victim is said to be undergoing surgery for his injuries; witnesses say the beating was intense.

    “I was so scared, so I locked the door. They used their skateboards to beat the boy in the head,” said Sandy Nguyen, who works at a nail salon near the laundry.

    The victim’s identity is not being released at this time due to an ongoing investigation; police say there may be more arrests this week.

  • Missing Kansas Girl: Remains Believed To Be Found

    The missing Kansas girl whose mother was slain on a farm last week is believed to have been found one county away, authorities say.

    18-month old Lana Leigh Bailey went missing at the end of April with her mother, 21-year old Kaylie Bailey. Kaylie’s body was found last week on a rural farm in Kansas with two others–Andrew Stout and Steven White–by friends who had stopped by the home to check on animals kept there. Police said a gun was used on the victims, but wouldn’t go into detail about the murders as it was crucial to their investigation. Now, 27-year old Kyle Flack has been charged with 1st degree murder in those deaths, and investigators are awaiting autopsy reports to determine whether the remains of the young girl found in Osage County belong to little Lana.

    “The family needed to have this so they can move on,” Franklin County Sheriff Jeff Richards said at a Sunday news conference. “This helps bring some closure to them. It helps bring closure to all of this investigative team. A crime like this takes an emotional toll, especially when it’s a child….I want the family of Lana, and all the victims, to know that this investigation will continue until we are confident we have collected as much evidence as we can to ensure justice is served on behalf of all four victims.”

    Image: Facebook

  • “Smash” Canceled: Twitter Reacts

    The once-promising NBC drama “Smash”, about a cast of Broadway actors and dancers, has officially been canceled by the network.

    The show was much-hyped before its first season and brought in almost 12 million viewers, a staggering amount for a musical drama. But after a nine-month hiatus, the show just couldn’t hold onto its viewers. The numbers dropped to 4.5 million for the second season and ratings plummeted, sending the network bosses into a frenzy.

    The show, which stars “American Idol” alum Katharine McPhee and Anjelica Huston, will finish out the second season on Saturday nights.

  • Juliana Redding Murder Trial Set To Begin

    Juliana Redding, a young aspiring actress and model whose ambition brought her from Arizona to California, never got to see her dreams come to light. In 2008, she was found strangled and beaten to death in her Santa Monica home. Now, a trial is set to begin for her accused murderer.

    Kelly Sue Park, the alleged murderer, worked for a man named Munir Uwaydah, who is a physician with whom Redding’s father entered into a business deal. Just a few days before Redding was killed, her father backed out of the deal. Prosecutors believe Uwaydah paid Park $250,000 to carry out a hit on Redding in retaliation, but while Park has been linked to Redding’s murder through DNA evidence, Uwaydah hasn’t been charged.

    Park is now due in court to begin trial for the killing, though she is free on bond at the moment.

  • Royal Baby Due Date Falls During Queen’s Coronation Festival

    Kate Middleton, who is perhaps the most famous pregnant lady in the world right now (sorry, Kim), has managed to keep her baby’s due date a closely-guarded secret for months. However, reports are now coming in that she’s due July 13th, which falls smack in the middle of the Queen’s Coronation Festival.

    When it was revealed last year that Kate was pregnant, thousands were overjoyed as many had been waiting for the news since she married Prince William. But the Palace wasn’t so happy, as they had to make the announcement before they were ready due to Kate’s stay in the hospital for severe morning sickness. Now, a friend of the family’s has leaked the due date to The Daily Mail, and although the Palace has said that her due date would be in mid-July, they might not be so happy to find out the date was leaked.

    The “source” said that the date was extracted from a conversation recently overheard at a party.

    “Some of Kate and William’s closest pals were at a barbecue hosted by a family friend of the Royals recently. They were all discussing the fact that Kate’s baby is due to be born on July 13. Everyone was very excited,” the source said.

    If the due date is accurate–and if Kate doesn’t pop early–the baby will be arriving right in the middle of a festival held for the Queen to mark 60 years on the throne. We can’t imagine she’d mind too much, however.

  • Witherspoon Goes Blonde After Cop Debacle

    Reese Witherspoon tinted her hair a darker shade for her role in “The Good Lie”, but it looks like she’s back to blonde.

    The 37-year old actress was spotted supporting her son Deacon at his soccer game the day before Mother’s Day with light locks tucked up beneath a hat. It could be that she just missed her natural shade, but many are wondering if her recent arrest had anything to do with it.

    Witherspoon and her husband, Jim Toth, were taken in to an Atlanta police station in late April after Toth was found to be driving under the influence and Witherspoon argued with the officer and then tried to use her celebrity status to get out of trouble.

    “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 has since apologized publicly for her behavior and said she simply panicked.

    “I saw [the cop] arresting my husband and I literally panicked,” Witherspoon explained. “I told him I was pregnant. I’m not pregnant. I said all kinds of crazy things. We went out to dinner in Atlanta and we had one too many glasses of wine. We thought we were fine to drive and we absolutely were not . . .We know better and we shouldn’t have done that.”

  • New Orleans Shooting: Mother’s Day Violence Shocks Neighborhood

    A shooting spree in New Orleans during a Mother’s Day parade has shocked a neighborhood near French Quarter, and police are still investigating the damage left behind.

    About 400 people had turned out for the parade, including many children, when someone opened fire in the crowd. At least 19 were injured, with three people in serious condition as of this morning. Two of the injured were 10-year old children. Although cell phone footage shows the aftermath of the gunfire–shocking images of the injured laying in pools of blood–no one has come forward yet with information on the shooter or shooters.

    “These kinds of incidents will not go unanswered. Somebody knows something. The way to stop this violence is for you all to help,” Mayor Mitch Landrieu said.

    As of right now, it isn’t clear whether specific people were targeted for the shootings or if it was a random act of violence, but the FBI is calling it a “flare-up of street violence”. The parade was just blocks away from where the popular HBO show “Treme” is filmed.

  • Lion Tacos Pulled After Public Outcry

    Lion tacos, anyone?

    If that sounds weird to you, you’re not alone. A Florida restaurant is dealing with some major backlash this week after word got out about their exotic dishes…one in particular.

    “Our whole thought process of bringing the exotic meats to the Tampa Bay area was to give people the opportunity to try different things that they normally wouldn’t get to try,” said manager Brad Barnett.

    Taco Fusion also serves up meals made with bison, shark, ostrich, gator, gazelle, rabbit, duck, camel and kangaroo. Future menu items will include iguana, bear and zebra. But the lion meat is what has gotten so many people upset, with many sending threatening emails to the restaurant’s owner demanding that he stop selling the dish.

    “We have as much right for everybody to try it as you have as much right to say that you don’t like it,” Barnett said. “If you guys are mad now, just wait till you see what we do next.”

    With just one lion taco going for arond 35 bucks, one would think the demand would be low enough for the restaurant to discontinue the menu item, but the owner, Ryan Gougeon, says customers are clamoring for the meat. The restaurateurs want everyone to know that it comes from a vendor that raises the cats just for consumption.

    “It is not like someone is pulling up in the back with a truck with a carcass from the Serengetti and saying, “Hey I got this meat! Do you want to buy it?” No, it is all from approved sources,” said Barnett.

    Still, those in favor of protecting the big animals say it’s just not right. Jeff Kremer with Big Cat Rescue says, “We are hoping they make the humane decision and take it off the menu permanently they are still going to exploit other creatures or sell them for a novelty but you have to draw the line somewhere and the time to speak up is right now.”

    KPLC 7 News, Lake Charles, Louisiana

  • Justin Bieber Beer Pic Makes Rounds On Web

    Justin Bieber may be a youngster here in the states, but in South Africa he’s of legal drinking age…and he’s just fine with that.

    The 19-year old “Believe” singer posted a photo of himself on Instagram earlier this week while he was enjoying a frosty beer with a friend, and the pic is now making its way around the web as fans get hold of it.

    Bieber has spoken about his behavior being dissected by the media before, saying, “I’m young and I make mistakes. That’s part of growing up. I mess up sometimes. It’s part of growing up. I’m young and I want to have fun. I don’t think there is anything wrong with that.”

    justin bieber beer

  • Mariah Carey: “#Beautiful” Vid May Flash Lady Parts

    When Mariah Carey teamed up with Miguel for the song “#Beautiful”, fans rejoiced. The video has swept the web, but whether that’s because everyone loves the song or because they want to catch a glimpse of the alleged “upskirt” shot remains to be seen.

    We’re sure she’s just wearing nude undies. Well, pretty sure. I mean, it’s possible. Right?

    Judge for yourself:

    mariah carey nude

  • Kidnap Victim Shuns Family For Not Looking For Her

    Kidnap victim Michelle Knight has requested that her family members not visit her in the hospital as she recovers from what has been an 11-year ordeal, apparently because those closest to her didn’t look for her after she disappeared.

    32-year old Knight vanished in 2002 after a custody dispute involving her then-young son, and her family thought she had run away. When kidnapper and rapist Ariel Castro allowed Knight and the two other women he held captive–Amanda Berry, 27, and Gina DeJesus, 23–to watch television, he taunted them with footage of candlelight vigils held in their honor. Knight’s family held no vigil, in part because they believed she’d left of her own will.

    “They took him and she went out and took off and never came back,” said her grandmother. The family did file a missing persons report, however.

    Knight, who was held the longest of the three women, reportedly suffered five miscarriages at the hands of Castro, who allegedly beat her in the stomach and starved her while she was pregnant. She remains in the hospital’s care, though the other two women have been released. Ohio prosecutors say they are pursuing a charge of aggravated murder on Knight’s behalf, which carries a possible death sentence.

    The three women were rescued earlier this week after Amanda Berry saw her chance to escape with her 6-year old daughter and took it, banging on the outer door of the home to get the attention of anyone nearby. Neighbor Charles Ramsey was just finishing dinner when he heard the noise.

    “I’m eating my McDonald’s; I come outside; I see this girl going nuts,” he said. “I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man’s arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway!”

    Investigators said today that they’ve confirmed that Berry’s daughter belongs to Castro.

  • Tim Tebow Blackballed: Is Media Killing His Career?

    Tim Tebow had a spectacularly bad season last year, but it wasn’t for lack of trying. The young quarterback, who has just as many detractors as he does fans, was expected to do great things once he was traded from the Broncos to the Jets. But there was one major problem: the team already had a star quarterback, Mark Sanchez, and Tebow hardly got any time on the field to strut his stuff. Despite coach Rex Ryan’s glowing reviews of Tebow and his ability, it seemed his career with the Jets stalled at the gate. Now, he’s been released, and rumors are floating around the web that he’s being blackballed because of all the media hype surrounding him.

    “He seems like a great guy to have on a team, and I’d be tempted to bring him in as our backup,” one NFC head coach reportedly said. “But it’s just not worth dealing with all the stuff that comes with it.”

    Because of Tebow’s innate likability, his handsome visage, and the Christian values that include running an organization to help children, he’s garnered a media following like nothing anyone in the NFL has ever seen. His fans are almost in cult status. Yet it’s hard to figure out whether they love him so much because of his talent, or because of everything else.

    “The only place that Tebow hasn’t succeeded is in New York, where he couldn’t get off the bench. He may have seen the field more, if, dressed in a cheerleading outfit, he starred as the caveman in a GEICO commercial. The contempt toward all things Tebow was so over the top that it even had Alec Baldwin showing pity – “the only thing more imaginary than Manti Te’o’s girlfriend is the Jets offensive package for Tebow,” says writer John Kirkwood.

    For now, it’s hard to say what his immediate future holds. While the media circus isn’t his fault, it’s not going to help him gain a foothold with another team anytime soon.

  • Lipstick Ban For Flight Attendants, No Nail Polish Either

    A lipstick ban for Turkish flight attendants has been lifted after a public backlash ensued.

    Turkish Airlines says that several low-level managers put together a document saying that red and pink lipstick and nail polish would be banned for all female flight attendants without consulting the management. Chief Executive Temel Kotil responded to the document after receiving several complaints that the airline was moving too close to Islamic values for comfort.

    “As you know, some in Turkey are a little bit keen about these issues,” said Kotil. “We are a great global carrier and we know what we are doing. As to the lipstick, we had no problems but somehow low-level managers put together a paper without asking us and that paper leaked to the media and became a big issue.”

    Kotil now says that flight attendants are free to wear the lipstick and nail shade of their choice.

    “Staff can use the colour they want. This measure was not approved by the hierarchy,” Kotilo said.

    While they may not be getting that conservative, the airline has imposed a recent ban on alcohol served during flights.

  • Rodman Rips Obama: “He Can’t Do S**T”

    Dennis Rodman says he’s going back to North Korea to have a sit-down with Kim Jong-Un on August 1st because Obama “can’t do s**t”.

    The controversial baller has had an open line of communication with Jong-Un for months now and has reached out to him to get a pardon for Korean-American Kenneth Bae, who is serving hard time in North Korea on charges of entering the country under a false identity. Some say North Korea is using Bae as bait in order to get America to open up negotiations regarding their nuclear arms program and are wondering what Rodman’s end goal is.

    “I’m not a total idiot. I know what Kim Jong-un is threatening to do regarding his military muscle. I hope it doesn’t happen because America will take whatever actions to protect America and our allies,” Rodman said.

    Rodman recently said on camera that he has no faith in the president’s abilities to start negotiations with North Korea, which is why he’s stepping up.

    “We got a black president [who] can’t even go talk to [Jong-un] … Obama can’t do s**t, I don’t know why he won’t go talk to him,” he said.

  • Wrigley Pulls Gum Due To FDA Investigation

    Wrigley has announced they will be pulling their Alert gum off the shelves pending an investigation by the FDA on what the effects of caffeine are on children.

    “After discussions with the FDA, we have a greater appreciation for its concern about the proliferation of caffeine in the nation’s food supply,” Wrigley President Casey Keller said. “There is a need for changes in the regulatory framework to better guide the consumers and the industry about the appropriate level and use of caffeinated products.”

    In a world where everyone is constantly moving, food and beverage companies have hit it big with products featuring extra caffeine. Many soda makers have introduced “energy” drinks, and super-caffeinated shots like 5 Hour Energy claim to give the consumer a boost when they’ve hit the 3:00 slump. But it’s also a time when parents are concerned about the effects of extra caffeine and sugar on their children, and the Food and Drug Administration says they want to look further into it before they can give their stamp of approval.

    Though the gum has always been marketed with similar energy products rather than with candy, the company says they will comply with any regulations set forth. Each stick of gum contains around 40 milligrams of caffeine, which is the equivalent of half a cup of coffee.

  • Andrew Simpson Dead After Being Trapped Under Boat

    Gold medalist Andrew Simpson died on Thursday after being trapped beneath a capsized boat.

    Simpson won a gold medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and a silver medial in the 2012 Olympics in London, both in the Star class of sailboats. He was in San Francisco training with the Artemis Racing team for the upcoming America’s Cup when the boat, which had a crew of 11 men, capsized. Andrew was trapped beneath the platform for more than ten minutes, and was unable to be revived when he was finally pulled out.

    Artemis CEO Paul Cayard released a statement on the group’s website, saying:

    “Our prayers are with Andrew Simpson’s family, his wife and kids, and also the rest of my teammates. It’s a shocking experience to go through, and we have a lot to deal with in the next few days in terms of assuring everybody’s well being. The boat’s under control, but that’s not the first of our concerns. We’re focused on the people. That’s what we’re working with and on and we’ll give you more information when we’re able to.”

    As of now, it’s not known what caused the boat to tip over. At least one other person was injured in the accident.

    olympic gold medalist

  • Britney Spears’ Bikini Cover: Too Much Airbrush?

    Britney Spears is, without a doubt, looking better these days than she has in a long time. After a painful split from Kevin Federline, having two kids, suffering a very public nervous breakdown, and seeing her career and money go into a conservatorship, she attempted a comeback in 2007 that left her with an embarrassing, lackluster MTV Video Music Awards performance and widespread criticism about her body, which had once been toned and taut.

    Spears got her act together after that and made another comeback, this time to positive reviews. Several years later, she’s tested the Hollywood waters by judging on “X-Factor”, made another successful album, gone on tour, and has even shown off her bikini body on the cover of Shape Magazine.

    The 31-year old singer says she doesn’t work out as much as she used to and admits that dieting is hard.

    “Dieting is tough … because my specialties are spaghetti, brownies and chocolate chip cookies,” she says. “I have had to work hard at getting it back to where it used to be. I used to be obsessed with working out. …[now], three days a week is cool, even two.”

    But though she looks good, some think the cover is way too airbrushed. In a world where celebrities are judged harshly for their appearance, how much airbrush is too much?

    britney bikini cover

  • Abercrombie & Fitch Controversy: “Are We Exclusionary? Absolutely”

    The CEO of cool-kid retailer Abercrombie & Fitch is dealing with some backlash this week after it was noted that he doesn’t want his stores selling size XL and above.

    The store has garnered quite a bit of negative attention lately after a Florida man started a petition on Change.org to get the retailer to carry bigger sizes. 18-year old Benjamin O’Keefe says, “In a world where teens are constantly under pressure to fit the societal norms of beauty, we should be building them up and helping them love themselves.”

    With so much focus on body image in today’s youth culture, many stores have branched out in their sizing options to ensure that all their customers are happy, but A&F CEO Mike Jeffries has said in the past that he doesn’t want to go the way his competitors have.

    “In every school there are the cool and popular kids, and then there are the not-so-cool kids. Candidly, we go after the cool kids. We go after the attractive all-American kid with a great attitude and a lot of friends. A lot of people don’t belong [in our clothes], and they can’t belong. Are we exclusionary? Absolutely….”That’s why we hire good-looking people in our stores. Because good-looking people attract other good-looking people, and we want to market to cool, good-looking people. We don’t market to anyone other than that,” Jeffries told Salon in 2006.

    That may have been seven years ago, but Jeffries doesn’t appear to have changed his mind. The company has been in hot water before over his decisions to use young, sexed-up models and his hiring practices inside the stores, but the company hasn’t changed much. The difference between now and then, however, is that many more young people are taking a stand against exclusionary practices.

  • Joss Whedon $100 M: He Doesn’t Have “Downey Money”

    Joss Whedon recently cleared up some rumors on Whedonesque.com; namely, about how much he’s going to clear on “Avengers 2″.

    “I’m not getting $100 mil[lion] on Avengers 2,” he wrote. “I’m not making Downey money. I’m making A LOT, which is exciting. I’m not pretending to be a poor farmer, an Everyman, an ANYman. But that number is nuts.”

    The “Downey” in question would be Robert Downey Jr., who stars in “Iron Man 3′ and is reportedly paid quite a nice sum for the role.

    Here’s the entire post:

    Hi guys.

    I was going to let it slide, but I’ve got this sour taste in my mouth. (Mmmm, lemonade!). Some facts are not facts. I’m not going to go into the whole thing, but jeepers, I’m not getting $100 mil on Avengers 2. If I were, I would come on this site and laugh and laugh and laugh. I’m not making Downey money. I’m making A LOT, which is exciting. I’m not pretending to be a poor farmer, an Everyman, an ANYman. But that number is nuts. A few other things about me that have been “reported” that people should take with a grain of salt:

    That I throw wild Hollywood parties where everyone is naked and dancing and wild and I remember to serve enough snacks.

    That I can get a movie greenlit by sighing and staring into the middle distance.

    That I ate a unicorn and made it winter for three years.

    That I “can write.”

    Well, that’s a load off. Sorry to get so personal — the whole thing’s a bit tawdry. But honestly, it bugged me. I’m off for a nice juicy steak. There’s a place downtown that does it with rosemary butter, it tastes just like unico — like a steak.

    BYE-ee! J.

  • McDonald’s Cuts Angus Burger, Adds Bacon 1/4 Pounder

    McDonald’s announced this week that they will be cutting the Angus burgers from their menu, which are the most expensive items the restaurant serves.

    The fast-food giant appears to be trying to keep a good selection as well as low prices, which may set them apart from their biggest competitors, including Wendy’s. They also announced they will be expanding their quarter-pounder line, including an option with bacon. It’s about time!

    The company says the Angus burgers just didn’t stand a chance up against their lower-priced sandwiches or the dollar menu.

    “When you can get four or five burgers off the Dollar Menu, nobody’s going to buy the Angus burger,” consultant Richard Adams said. “The Dollar Menu has become a real problem for these chains.”

    Because of an intense drought last year, the price of beef rose substantially and restaurants had to compensate by offering up more chicken choices. Now, they say, they’re looking to give customers more options while keeping their food affordable in a rough economy.