Mereja

Author: Sean Patterson

  • Matt Lauer: ABC Rumored to Have Courted Him For Daytime Show With Katie Couric

    Ever since Ann Curry was forced out of her position at the Today Show last year, the show has been losing viewers and Matt Lauer’s reputation has been taking a nose dive. Whether or not Lauer was responsible for Curry’s firing isn’t clear, but her replacement with the younger Savannah Guthrie rubbed fans the wrong way.

    This week, yet another wrinkle in the tale of the Today Show anchor drama has been revealed.

    New York Magazine this week published an expose on Lauer and the Today Show that details the anchor’s flirtation with jumping ship from NBC to ABC. According to the report, Lauer was speaking with ABC to develop a daytime TV show hosted by Katie Couric and himself, just like the old days. This was around the time rumors of Lauer being replaced by Ryan Seacrest were making the rounds. Lauer was to be a host on the daytime show and an on-air news personality for ABC, which the network hoped would help Good Morning America beat the Today Show.

    The talks evidently broke down because Lauer ended them. He had been offered a substantial contract to stay on at the Today Show, where Curry would soon be out.

  • Rare Giraffe Born at Connecticut Zoo [VIDEO]

    The LEO Zoological Conservation Center (LEOZCC) in Greenwich, Connecticut, has announced the birth of a rare giraffe.

    A six-year-old Rothschild giraffe named Petal gave birth to a female calf on Friday, March 22. The center has stated that Petal “has bonded extremely well” with the calf and that the calf was standing and nursing within half an hour of being born.

    The Rothschild giraffe, named after Lord Walter Rothschild, is an endangered subspecies of giraffe. The gestation period of the Rothschild giraffe is 14 to 16 months (Petal’s was 15). The LEOZCC claims that there are fewer than 670 of the animals left in the wild.

    The LEOZCC is a non-profit refuge for endangered animals. The organization focuses on breeding at-risk species, and has succeeded in the case of the Rothschild giraffe. This birth was the LEOZCC’s first giraffe birth.

    The video below shows the calf standing up for the first time:

  • Pauley Perrette Ex-Husband Faces Jail Time For Restraining Order Violation

    Network TV star Pauley Perrette was officially divorced from her first husband in 2006, but her marital troubles have only seemed to continue.

    TMZ is reporting that Perrette’s ex-husband, Coyote Shivers, has violated his restraining order. The musician has been charged with violating a court order and violating his probation, which he was placed on for sending “harassing” emails to Perrette’s lawyer.

    The violations stem from an altercation between Shivers and Perrette at a sushi restaurant in L.A. last month. The two argued, though Shivers has stated the run-in was an accident. Shivers could face up to 18 months in jail if convicted.

    Perrette has landed roles in numerous TV shows and movies, such as The Ring and Almost Famous, throughout the 90s and 00s. She currently stars in the hit CBS Show NCIS, on which she plays Abby Sciuto, a forensic scientist.

    Shivers is a musician who has played with bands such as Sharkskin and The Dave Rave Conspiracy. He is also an actor, and is best known for his roles in the movies Empire Records and Jonny Mnemonic.

    (Image Courtesy Angela George/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Father Kills Son, Self in Pennsylvania Murder-Suicide

    As Lamar Odom can attest, child custody arrangements are often contentious and exhausting. The stress involved is enough to engender harsh feelings, but one Pennsylvania man has taken his hatred much further.

    The Altoona Mirror is reporting that Kenneth Ayers of Petersburg, Pennsylvania shot and killed his two-year-old son before killing himself on Saturday, March 23. The shooting took place during a child custody visit and the boy’s mother, Hollie Ayers, was shot as well, but is expected to survive.

    Kenneth arrived at his mother’s house on Saturday, where his supervised visit with his son was to have taken place. He allegedly shot Hollie in her leg and arm, then shot his son, Michael, before taking the boy’s body to his car. Hollie is reported by the Mirror to have followed and attempted to retrieve Michael before being shot once more in the face.

    Kenneth drove off, switched vehicles, and was later found in the cab of his truck, dead from apparent suicide. The newspaper reported that the man was under a protection from abuse order, a type of domestic violence protection issued in Pennsylvania. Police stated that Kenneth may have planned the shooting.

  • Malcolm-Jamal Warner Splits With Regina King

    Celebrity break-up rumors are a dime a dozen, and a dime is more than they are usually worth. Just last week country music power couple Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert joked about rumors that their marriage was falling apart.

    This week’s celebrity break-up story involves Malcolm-Jamal Warner and Regina King. US magazine is reporting that Warner and King have split up after two years of dating. The publication’s unnamed source stated that Warner “wasn’t feeling it anymore.”

    Warner has not responded to the rumors, but King was quick to challenge parts of the story via her Twitter feed. Though she seems to acknowledge the break-up, she takes issue with US reporting that “it wasn’t the most amicable of partings,” saying “Me & @MalcolmJamalWar are good.”

    Warner rose to fame in the 80s and 90s as Theo Huxtable on The Cosby Show. He now stars as Dr. Alex Reed in the BET show Reed Between the Lines and has a recurring role in the NBC TV show Community. King, best known for her roles in the TV show 227 and the movie Jerry Maguire, now stars in the TNT cop show Southland.

  • Aurora Shooter James Holmes Islam Conversion Rumored

    Earlier this month, Aurora shooter James Holmes appeared in court sporting a huge beard. Now, rumors have begun to surface claiming that the man has converted to Islam.

    According to a report in the Daily Mail, the rumor first surfaced in the tabloid publication The National Enquirer. An unnamed “prison source” allegedly told the Enquirer that Holmes has converted to Islam, prays five times a day, eats only halal food, and studies the Koran. The source is quoted as saying Holmes now believes his shooting rampage was part of “his own personal jihad.” The rumors also hold that Holmes’ fellow muslim inmates are not happy with his alleged conversion, as they don’t want the religion to be associated with his crimes.

    Holmes is currently on trial for the shooting that took place at an Aurora, Colorado movie theatre in July 2012 during a showing of the move The Dark Knight Rises. He allegedly entered the theatre wearing a gas mask and shot canisters of tear gas into the crowd. He then shot into the crowd with a shotgun, semi-automatic rifle, and handgun. 12 people died and 58 others were injured.

    The rumors of Holmes’ religious conversion sound a bit sketchy. If true, though, they could be an indication of Holmes’ mental health, which has been called into question. Of course, the rumors could just be false, or Holmes could simply be trolling everyone.

  • Jennifer Capriati Charged For Allegedly Stalking, Hitting Ex-Boyfriend

    Less than one year after being inducted into the International Tennis Hall of Fame, tennis prodigy Jennifer Capriati could be in trouble with the law.

    The 36-year-old Capriati has been hit with battery and stalking charges in Palm Beach County, Florida. The charges stem from an incident between the former tennis star and her ex-boyfriend on Valentine’s Day. She is alleged to have hit Ivan Brannan on that day, and is also charged with “willfully, maliciously, and repeatedly” stalking the man around Valentine’s Day in 2012.

    The New York Post has reported that Brannan told police that Capriati accosted him at a gym on Valentines day and hit him in the chest four times. The report also recounts accusations that Capriati stalked Brannan at his workplace, pounding on the windows and calling him dozens of times a day.

    Capriati has denied the allegations via Twitter, stating that Brennan is lying and that she is “outraged” about the allegations:

    (Image courtesy daramot/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Kate Winslet to Star in ‘Divergent’

    Kate Winslet has been on a bit of a hot streak lately. The actress, who won an Oscar in 2008 for her role in The Reader, recently married Ned Rocknroll and discussed her love life (including her divorce from director Sam Mendes) in the latest issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

    Now, it appears that the Titanic actress could be part of the next big young adult movie series. Reuters is reporting that Winslet has been cast in the role of Jeanine Matthews in the movie Divergent.

    Divergent is will be adapted from a series of young adult novels by Veronica Roth. The books are set in a dystopian Chicago, where a young girl deals with the political and philosophical realities of the different factions that rule society.

    Though Winslet’s name will lend credibility to the movie, it could also be a chance for the actress to step away from the more serious dramatic roles she is known for. Winslet has shown a knack for comedy in the past, as the clip below from a 2005 episode of the Ricky Gervais/Stephen Merchant comedy Extras demonstrates:

    (Image courtesy Andrea Raffin)

  • Risë Stevens Dies; Opera Singer Was 99

    Opera singer Risë Stevens died this week at the age of 99. Stevens was best known for her title role in the opera Carmen during the 1950s.

    According to her New York Times obituary, Stevens died at her home in Manhattan on March 20.

    Stevens was born in New York City in 1913. She later attended the Julliard School for three years before being trained by opera singers in Vienna, Austria. After developing her voice in the Vienna State Opera, Stevens joined the Metropolitan Opera (Met), where she was the company’s lead mezzo-soprano for 22 years, from 1938 until 1961. The Met has stated that Stevens sand 337 performances at the met, 124 of which were in the role of Carmen.

    After her retirement from opera singing, Stevens went on to be the general manager of the Metropolitan Opera National Company for several years during the 60s. She also continued to coach younger singers at the Met.

  • Christie Gay Therapy Bill Stance Still Unclear

    Being a Republican governor in a blue state can be difficult, especially if that governor may rumored to be gearing up to run for the Republican nomination for President in 2016.

    New Jersey Governor Chris Christie tried to walk the fine line between his constituents and the national Republican base on social issues this week. A significant portion of that base is highly religious and opposed to homosexuality. On the other hand, Democrats in the New Jersey have recently been criticizing the Governor for failing to take a stand on a bill making its way through the New Jersey legislature that would ban the practice of what is known as “gay conversion therapy” in the state.

    The practice of “gay conversion therapy” is based on the belief that a person’s sexuality can be changed. Most often such programs in the U.S. are associated with fundamentalist Christianity. The American Psychiatric Association has condemned the practice as unethical.

    This week, Christie finally took a position on the issue. Sort of.

    A spokesperson for the governor told The Star-Ledger that Christie does not “believe in conversion therapy” and that he believes sexual orientation is determined at birth. However, the same spokesperson declined to say whether Christie would sign a ban into law. Christie has said that while he is generally opposed to bills that restrict parental decisions, the conversion therapy bill could be an exception.

    Governor Christie still maintains his opposition to gay marriage, and in the past has vetoed a bill to legalize it. That position could change in the future, though, as Senator Rob Portman’s turnaround on the issue last week demonstrated.

  • New Pepsi Bottle Design Announced

    Over the years, both Coke and Pepsi have gone through so many packaging redesigns that a new design (not to mention a new version of soda) is almost expected every 18 months. However, the shape of the bottles don’t change quite as often.

    This week, Pepsi announced its latest packaging redesign for its 20-ounce Pepsi bottles. According to an Associated Press report, the bottom half of the bottle will now have a contoured shape, and the label has been cropped. The new design will be adopted for Pepsi, Diet Pepsi, Pepsi Max, and Pepsi Next. The design will also be adopted for Pepsi’s 16-ounce bottles.

    The new bottles will reportedly begin showing up in gas stations and vending machines starting in April. A Pepsi spokesperson told the AP that the design of the Pepsi bottle shape hasn’t changed since 1996. Pepsi bottling plant manufacturing lines will have to be converted to produce the new shape.

  • Naked Bathers Flee Fire in China

    In a life or death situation, emotions such as embarrassment and pride can always be ignored.

    Bathers in a Chinese bathhouse did just that this week as flames began to engulf the building where they were lounging around in their birthday suits.

    According to a report from the Daily Mail, the fire began in an adjacent apartment and then spread throughout an entire block, including the bathhouse. One person is reported dead and six others were injured as the fire quickly spread.

    The bathers stated that they had little time to react after smelling smoke and hearing screams. Many of them ran from the building wearing nothing, where they watched the building, along with their clothes, burn.

    A spokesperson for the Yuequing city fire service told the Daily Mail that the fire began when a leaking gas pipe in an apartment kitchen ignited. The scenario is suspiciously similar to the one shown in the 1999 movie Fight Club.

  • Reagan Daughter’s Lesbian Novel Self-Published on Kindle

    It turns out that not even having a U.S. president for a father can guarantee a publishing contract.

    This week, Patti Davis, born Patricia Reagan, self-published a novel in the Kindle book store. Titled Till Human Voices Wake Us, the book deals with a woman’s lesbian relationship with her sister-in-law. From the book description on Amazon:

    In the empty days after her son’s death, left alone in her grief by her husband, Isabelle Berendon falls in love with the unlikeliest person in the world: her sister-in-law.

    Davis has previously written 8 books, including The Long Goodbye, which chronicled her father’s, Ronald Reagan’s, battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Now that she has penned a fictional novel (and one dealing with lesbianism at that), she states in her author biography that she finds herself in the same boat as other authors who can’t get an offer from a publishing house. However, she is also embracing the self-publishing model that ebooks are making more possible:

    I’ve written a lot about my famous family, the Reagans — maybe this non-autobiographical novel was too much of a departure for publishers to wrap their heads around. But now there is KDP and the room to publish a book yourself. It’s exciting to me — a new era in publishing. Most writers have books they have labored over for years and long to put out into the world. Till Human Voices Wake Us is one of those books.

  • Obamacare ‘Kills’ Says Michelle Bachmann

    Michele Bachmann, the U.S. congressional representative from Minnesota’s 6th district, is well-known for saying things that strike Americans in the middle or on the left of the U.S. political spectrum as inflammatory and pandering. Though her posturing rings true with the most conservative Americans, it has also made her the subject of many a joke.

    This week, Bachmann continued her Don Quixote-like campaign against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – known derisively by conservatives as “Obamacare.”

    The day after the 113th U.S. Conogress was sworn in, Bachmann proudly announced that she had introduced the first bill of the session, titled “To repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act and health care-related provisions in the Health Care and Education Reconciliation Act of 2010.″

    This week, Bachmann took to the house floor to rail against the president’s health care reform once again. She claimed that Americans, specifically women, children, and the elderly, are now paying more for less health coverage. She goes on to press her point with some hyperbole, saying,”Let’s repeal this failure before it literally kills women, kills children, kills senior citizens. Let’s not do that. Let’s love people. Let’s care about people. Let’s repeal it now while we can.”

    Presumably, someone has convinced Bachmann that the “Obamacare” legislation contains a provision that spares non-elderly men from the legislation’s secret death mandate.

  • Ted Danson to Return to CSI in Season 14

    CBS Entertainment today announced that CSI: Crime Scene Investigation has been renewed for its 14th season, which will air in 2013 and 2014. The hit show has been airing on CBS since 2000.

    The studio also announced that star Ted Danson will be returning to the show. The Cheers actor has signed on for two more years with the network show. Actress Elisabeth Shue will also return for the show’s 14th season.

    “CSI is synonymous with CBS, and we are so proud of the series’ creative and commercial legacy and its continued success on our Network,” said Nina Tassler, president of CBS Entertainment. “The writers and producers have done an amazing job evolving CSI, reinventing the show around an incredible leading man in Ted Danson, the acclaimed Elisabeth Shue and our beloved and talented core of original cast members.”

    Danson has played the character D.B. Russel on the crime mystery show for the past two seasons. Other returning cast members include George Eads, Jorja Fox, Eric Szmanda, Paul Guilfoyle, Robert David Hall, Wallace Langham, Elisabeth Harnois, David Berman and Jon Wellner.

    (Image courtesy BankingBurn/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Girl Scout Cookies: Mother Fired For Selling to Customers

    Parents who pressure co-workers to buy fundraiser products for their child’s sports team or school band can make things awkward around the break room, but Girl Scout cookies are generally the welcome exception. Even so, one woman went a step further by offering the snacks to customers and has now been fired for the offense.

    The local Fox affiliate in Washington D.C. is reporting that Tracy Lewis, an employee for a food service company at American University has been fired for selling Girl Scout cookies at work.

    Her former employer accuses her of selling Girl Scout cookies over-the-counter to customers. Lewis admitted to Fox that she kept the cookies “on a cart” and would sell them if customers asked, but she also stated that she did not solicit customers to buy them. She said that she had been doing this for three years.

    Fox reported that Lewis had been working for various food service companies at American University for 28 years.

  • Harry Reems Dies; ‘Deep Throat’ Porn Star Was 65

    Porn Actor Harry Reems has died at the age of 65.

    Reems’ friend, Don Schenk, reported the death on an internet marketing forum Wednesday afternoon.

    Reems, born Herbert Streicher, reportedly died on March 19 at a veteran’s hospital in Salt Lake City. He had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2012 and went through chemotherapy and radiation treatment before his health deteriorated.

    Reems is best known for his role in the infamous 1972 adult film Deep Throat. He played the role of Dr. Young, who discovers that Linda Lovelace’s clitoris is located in her throat. Schenk relates that Reems was not originally cast in the movie, and that he did not choose his stage name:

    The funny thing is Harry was not even supposed to be in the film. He was hired to handle the lighting. Writer/Director Gerard Damiano ran into a casting issue when the fellow hired to play the lead part didn’t show up. Harry was thrust into the job, for which he was paid only $250.

    Damiano came up with the name Harry Reems. At first Herbert (Harry) really disliked the name, but in time, as the name became famous, he adopted the name, and continued to use it for the next 40 years – long after he left the adult film industry.

    Due to his role in the movie, Reems was convicted in Tennessee for pandering obscenities. His conviction was later overturned on appeal, and he went on to star in in dozens of adult films in the 70s and 80s.

    Reems left the porn business in 1989 and began 12-step recovery for alcoholism. He is reported to have converted to Christianity at that time, though he would later claim to be “spiritual.”

    Reems was portrayed by actor Adam Brody in the recently released Linda Lovelace biopic Lovelace.

    The interview with Reems seen below is not pornographic, but it does contain adult language.

  • Seth MacFarlane Splits With Emilia Clarke

    Perhaps singing about seeing other actresses’ boobs isn’t the best way to keep a relationship together, even if it did help this year’s Oscars become one of the most memorable airings of the award show in recent history.

    E! news is reporting that Family Guy creator and Oscar host Seth MacFarlane has broken up with his girlfriend, Emilia Clarke.

    The report’s unnamed source didn’t blame MacFarlane’s behavior, however. The split is supposedly due to the performers’ different work schedules, which left them on different continents. The source told E! that the couple “have remained friends.”

    MacFarlane is working in the U.S. while Clarke is shooting the hit HBO TV show Game of Thrones in Europe. Clarke plays Daenerys Targaryen in the TV show, which is adapted from a series of popular fantasy novels authored by George R. R. Martin. MacFarlane is currently working on directing a movie called A Million Ways To Die in the West, which will star Amanda Seyfried, Liam Neeson, Sarah Silverman, and Charlize Theron.

  • Vegas: 98 Arrests Made During Union Protest

    A protest on Las Vegas Boulevard on Wednesday culminated in the arrest of 98 union protesters.

    According to a Las Vegas Sun report, the protesters were members of Culinary Union Local 226. The protest took place outside the The Cosmopolitan hotel and casino.

    The union states that it has been in contract negotiations with Deutsche Bank, the owner of The Cosmopolitan, for over two years and “have not come to an agreement on major issues.” Worker contracts are scheduled to expire on June 1.

    The arrests came after some of the protesters sat in the middle of Las Vegas Boulevard, blocking traffic for over an hour. The protesters in the road were well aware that the act would likely result in their arrests. According to the Vegas Sun, they were surrounded on walkways and sidewalks by over 2,000 of their fellow protesters.

    FOX5 Vegas – KVVU

    (Image via Culinary Union/Instagram)

  • Kardashian Baby Name Could be ‘North’

    Reality TV actress and amateur porn star Kim Kardashian is having R&B superstar R. Kelly’s baby. That fact alone would have been unbelievable just a few years ago. Now, with the birth of the newest Kardashian drawing nearer, rumors about the baby’s name are throwing the entire situation into the realm of the ridiculous.

    Tabloid The Sun this week reported that Kanye West wants to name the baby ‘North’.

    Get it? North West?

    The Sun’s anonymous source told the publication that West was telling friends about the name recently and is serious about it. The source cited West’s ego as being “something else.” It would have to be to give a joke name to what will soon become one of the most famous babies in the U.S.

    Still, ‘North’ isn’t the worst first name a celebrity has ever given their child. Gwyneth Paltrow named her first child Apple, which, if nothing else, will be memorable. Frank Zappa named his children Moon Unit, Dweezil, Ahmet Emuukha Rodan, and Diva Thin Muffin Pigeen. Michael Jackson’s son, Prince, is beginning a normal career as an entertainment news correspondent.