Mereja

Author: Sean Patterson

  • Dave Chappelle, Chris Rock Tease a Tour

    Almost one decade ago, comedian Dave Chappelle found wild success with his Comedy Central TV show Chappelle’s Show. However, the TV show, which spawned numerous memes, also changed Chappelle’s stand-up audiences, and eventually led to the star’s self-imposed hiatus from comedy.

    Now, it appears that Chappelle may have resurfaced on the New York comedy scene. The Los Angeles Times is reporting that the comedian was spotted at three different on-stage appearances at New York’s famed Comedy Cellar recently.

    Chappelle wasn’t alone, however. He was joined on-stage at some points by other famous comedians, including Marlon Wayans and Chris Rock. Surprisingly, Chappelle even joked with Rock about possibly doing a joint comedy tour. Reportedly, Rock took the joke seriously and the two began to work out their schedules, all on-stage. The Times report quotes Rock as saying, “By Halloween I could do dates” and quotes Chappelle as saying, “This could be the show: fireside chats with Chris Rock.”

    Of course, whether the elusive Chappelle was serious is still a valid question. Still, the prospect of the comedian making a comeback is an exciting one for his fans, who have presumably grown up enough to stop heckling Chappelle by shouting “I’m Rick James, bitch!” constantly.

    (Image via Davej1006/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Lil Wayne Hospitalized Over Seizures

    Last October, rap star Lil Wayne’s plane flight was diverted to an early landing after the artist reportedly began having “seizure-like” symptoms. A representative for the star later stated that Wayne had a severe migraine, but Wayne was reportedly taking seizure medication in November.

    This week, it appears that those same symptoms may have returned. TMZ is reporting that the rapper was hospitalized on Tuesday, March 12, after “what appeared to be multiple seizures.”

    The publication cited an unnamed source “close to the rapper” who stated Wayne did suffer from seizures after a music video shoot and was taken to Cedars-Siani hospital in Los Angeles. He was released on Wednesday morning and is reportedly “doing much better now.”

    Lil Wayne has said in the past that he expects to retire in five years to spend time with his children. He also announced last fall that Tha Carter V will be his last album.

  • Six Killed in Bar Shooting in Cancun

    Cancun is known as as a premiere tourist destination and an island of respite from many of the problems that plague the rest of Mexico. This week, however, a bit of the country’s drug violence hit the seaside resort town.

    Reuters is reporting that two gunman entered a bar on the outskirts of Cancun on March 14, opening fire and killing six people. The gunmen were reported to be carrying a handgun and a “machine gun,” according to Reuters. Five other people were also wounded in the shooting.

    Cancun is located in souteastern Mexico, and is known primarily for being a tourist destination. The city’s beaches, its blue Caribbean water, and its constantly tropical weather bring tourists from all over the world. In addition to its beachside attractions, Cancun is located near many Maya ruins such as Chichen Itza and the city itself even contains maya ruins.

    Outside of Cancun, the Mexican government has been fighting a drug war against cartels within the country. Estimates show that drug war murders in Mexico have increased significantly in the past decade. The group Reforma Ejecutometro estimating over 12,000 drug war-related murders took place in 2011.

    (Image via Safa in la/Wikimedia Commons)

  • Chelsea Clinton Apartment Cost a Reported $10.5 Million

    Spending her formative years growing up living in the White House seems to have worked out for Chelsea Clinton. The daughter of former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State (and presumptive 2016 presidential candidate) Hillary Clinton has just purchased a posh apartment in Manhattan.

    The New York Post is reporting that the 33-year-old and her husband have purchased an apartment right across from Madison Square Park. The 5,000 square foot living space cost a reported $10.5 million. The apartment reportedly has four bedrooms and six and a half bathrooms.

    Both Bill and Hillary were spotted touring the apartment building last week. An unnamed source cited by the post stated that Chelsea and her husband found their new home “while out walking”.

    Chelsea Clinton attended Stanford University during her father’s final term, before attending graduate school at Oxford in England. After graduating, she move to New York City, where she has worked for consulting and investment companies. In 2010 Clinton married Marc Mezvinsky, the son of a former congressman and a former congresswoman. Mezvinsky is an investment banker who has worked for Goldman Sachs and 3G Capital Management.

  • Amanda Bynes is Looking Strange in New Twitter Pics

    Former Nickelodeon child star Amanda Bynes has had a rough year. Her decision-making (and driving) skills were called into question in 2012 when she was cited for driving while talking on a phone and later was charged with driving under the influence for a separate incident, despite insisting that she doesn’t drink alcohol. Later that year, Bynes had her driver’s licence revoked for hit-and-run charges involving a police car.

    Bynes’ agnet and publicist dropped her as a client over the incidents, and she began acting in bizarre ways. Now, even her face is beginning to match her strange behavior.

    In between cryptic messages such as “Forgetting past memories” and “Don’t read my mind read my lips,” Bynes’ Twitter feed has been chronicling her changing style and makeup choices.

    This week, her latest picture shows off cheek piercings and long, curly blonde hair draped over a camouflage top:

    This isn’t the first time Bynes has shown off the odd look. Back on February 7 Bynes showed off her suspicious curly hair and beanie, and on February 15 her cheek piercings were shown off in another pic:

    On February 25, Bynes announced that she had obtained a puppy, which she named Jasmine:

    Bynes has neither posted pictures of nor mentioned Jasmine since that post.

  • Higgs Boson Found in Large Hadron Collider Data

    Scientists working with data from CERN’s Large Hadron Collider (LHC) this week revealed that a detailed analysis suggests that the elusive Higgs boson really has been discovered.

    The possible discovery of the so-called “god particle” was announced last year, but scientists emphasized that more research would be needed before the discovery could be confirmed. Researchers have now analyzed two and a half times the data available at the time of that announcement, and it still appears likely that the Higgs Boson has been found.

    “The preliminary results with the full 2012 data set are magnificent and to me it is clear that we are dealing with a Higgs boson though we still have a long way to go to know what kind of Higgs boson it is.” said Joe Incandela, a physicist working on the CMS project at CERN.

    The analysis of the data focused on the observed particle’s quantum properties and interactions with other particles. The Higgs boson is hypothesized to have no spin and its parity is hypothesized to be positive. Researchers stated the data collected at CERN “strongly indicates” that the observed particle is the Higgs.

    “The beautiful new results represent a huge effort by many dedicated people,” said Dave Charlton, spokesperson for the ATLUS experiment at CERN, which is using the LHC’s high power to observe particle interactions. “They point to the new particle having the spin-parity of a Higgs boson as in the Standard Model. We are now well started on the measurement programme in the Higgs sector.”

    (Image via CERN)

  • ’24′ Movie Project Dead, Says Director Anton Fuqua

    Fans hoping for a new 24 story in the form of a movie got some disappointing news this week. Film director Anton Fuqua told Indiewire in an interview this week that the movie project is now dead.

    The movie project would have feature Kiefer Sutherland reprising his role as counter-terrorist agent Jack Bauer. Rumors held that Sutherland was holding out for a better contract for the movie deal, Fuqua stated that the project simply fell apart after a while. From the Indiewire report:

    “Yeah, that’s not happening. I don’t think it’s gonna happen at all, definitely not with me,” Fuqua shrugs, putting the stake in what has always been a pretty tenuous project. “I met with Kiefer [Sutherland], Fox wanted to do it, it was a matter of his schedule before he went off to do his new show [’Touch‘].” The story that circulated was that there were budgetary disputes, as well as the matter of a meager offer to Sutherland, and Fuqua leans towards that by admitting, “I don’t think he was able to get a proper agreement with Fox. The time just passed, and I went off to go to what I was doing.”

    Though Jack Bauer won’t be returning any time soon, Sutherland can still be seen on Fox starring as a struggling parent in Touch. Fuqua, who is best known for directing the movie Training Day, has also moved on with other projects. He is currently attached to a biopic about Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar and a military thriller called Hunter Killer.

  • Lance Armstrong Spotted in Los Angeles

    Lance Armstrong may represent the largest shift of public perception surrounding an athlete since Pete Rose was caught betting on baseball.

    Armstrong maintained his steadfast rejection of doping rumors until the last possible second, making his lies seem all the greater. His world came crashing down last year as he was abandoned by sponsors and even by his own Liveotrong organization. As a final humiliation, the cyclist was stripped of all of his record-setting Tour de France titles. The athlete recently appeared in an interview with Oprah Winfrey to give a lukewarm apology and reveal some choice details of his doping.

    This week, Armstrong (who lives in Texas) was spotted in Los Angeles. TMZ reported that the athlete was spotted attending a restaurant and posing for pictures.

    Armstrong has been rumored to be in talks with movie studio executives over a possible biopic about Armstrong’s storied life. In fact, TMZ hinted that there could two different movies about Armstrong in some form of pre-production.

    As a side note, let’s indulge in a bit of speculation as to who Hollywood may cast to play Armstrong in a movie. A young Paul Newman would be perfect, but rumors suggest that Bradley Cooper may have been cast as the world’s most infamous cyclist. More great casting suggestions would be welcome in the comments section below.

  • 600-Year-Old Coin Found on Kenyan Island

    A team of archaeologists has found a 600-year-old Chinese coin that was buried on the Kenyan island of Manda. Researchers say the find proves China and Africa were trading before European

    “This finding is significant,” said Chapurukha Kusimba, co-leader of the expedition and curator of African anthropology at The Field Museum. “We know Africa has always been connected to the rest of the world, but this coin opens a discussion about the relationship between China and Indian Ocean nations.”

    The coin itself is made of copper and silver, and has a square hole in the middle. Researchers say the coin is called a “Yongle Tongbao,” and was issued by Ming Dynasty Emperor Yongle. Emperor Yongle, who reigned from 1403 to 1425 CE, was known to have sent a man named Admiral Zheng He on a mission to explore the Indian Ocean.

    “Zheng He was, in many ways, the Christopher Columbus of China,” said Kusimba. “It’s wonderful to have a coin that may ultimately prove he came to Kenya.”

    Researchers say that the island of Manda held an “advanced civilization” from 200 CE to 1430 CE. After that, the island was abandoned and never again inhabited. Chinese expeditions dried up in the wake of Emperor Yongle’s death.

    “We hope this and future expeditions to Manda will play a crucial role in showing how market-based exchange and urban-centered political economies arise and how they can be studied through biological, linguistic, and historical methodologies,” said Kusimba.

    (Image courtesy John Weinstein/The Field Museum)

  • Miranda Kerr: Car Crash Leaves Model Shaken, But OK

    Victoria’s Secret supermodel Miranda Kerr was involved in a traffic accident on the Los Angeles freeway on Wednesday, March 13. After the model was spotted wearing a neck brace, spokesperson for the model told Reuters that Kerr experienced some pain after her vehicle was rear-ended.

    The spokesperson alleviated fans’ fears by also stating that Kerr is “totally fine.” Kerr herself spoke out to fans through her Twitter feed, assuring them that she will be fine and thanking them for all of the well-wishes she must have received.

    The Austrialian-born model began her career in 1997 at 13, and gained fame on runways across the world. Kerr was offered a contract with Victoria’s Secret in 2007, and became the first Australian “Angel.” Around that time she began dating actor Orlando Bloom and the two later married in July 2010. The couple gave birth to a son in 2011 and named the child Flynn Christopher Blanchard Copeland Bloom.

  • ‘Price Is Right’ Lawsuit Verdict Overturned

    Do pregnancy discrimination laws extend to employment that is based on a woman’s physical attributes? Brandi Cochran thinks so. Unfortunately for her, a judge believes she will have to argue her case a second time.

    The Associated Press is reporting that a Los Angeles judge has found that the jury in Cochran’s discrimination trial was not properly instructed. Specifically, the judge determined that the jury should have been instructed to consider, when The Price is Right producers declined to have Cochran returning as a model, whether pregnancy discrimination was a “substantial factor.” The $8.5 million verdict awarded to her has now been wiped away and a retrial has been called for.

    While performing as a model on The Price is Right, the 41-year-old Cochran became pregnant and took maternity leave. When she tried to return to the show in 2010, she was turned down by producers, who told her they needed no more models. Cochran sued for pregnancy discrimination, alleging that her pregnancy was the reason the producers to let her go.

  • Jeff Gordon Prank Ad Isn’t Real, But it is Fun

    This week, Pepsi released an ad designed for viral marketing online. It features Nascar driver Jeff Gordon dressing up with a fake beard and moustache, which is ridiculous enough on its own. He then proceeds to supposedly prank a used car salesman by taking a car for a very intense test drive while recording the man’s reactions using a camera hidden in a Pepsi can.

    Of course, the entire thing has been staged. Pepsi hasn’t come out and said so, but the used car salesman’s dialogue is cringeworthy. Saying the name Mike over and over to reinforce the notion he doesn’t suspect the driver is Gordon is particularly bad. Also, shots from some sort of dashboard camera can be seen during the video, and the fine print “CLOSED COURSE. PROFESSIONAL DRIVER. DO NOT ATTEMPT.” is a pretty big give away.

    Still, it’s a fun ad, and imagining that scenario in real life is even more fun. Except for the shouting and screaming that would no doubt take place.

  • Medieval Knight Found Underneath Car Park

    Knights today are romanticized in pop culture as noble warriors and defenders of chivalry, but the real thing has been found this week in Scotland.

    A medieval knight has been found buried underneath a car park in Edinburgh this week. The car park was reportedly being demolished when a decorated sandstone slab covered in the Calvary Cross and a sword was found. The knight’s skeleton is that of an adult and the markings on the slab indicate the remains could be that of a noble.

    The knight’s skeleton will now be taken for study, which should be able to determine significant facts about the person’s life, including the time period in which he lived.

    “We hope to find out more about the person buried in the tomb once we remove the headstone and get to the remains underneath but our archaeologists have already dated the gravestone to the thirteenth century,” said Richard Lewis, culture convener for the Edinburgh City Council.
    “This find has the potential to be one of the most significant and exciting archaeological discoveries in the city for many years, providing us with yet more clues as to what life was like in Medieval Edinburgh.”

    The site of the burial was reportedly also the site of several historical buildings, such as the 13th century Blackfriars Monastery. The car park was being demolished to build a rainwater-harvesting tank for the Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation (ECCI).

  • Paltrow Elimination Diet Book Cuts Out Meat, Wheat, and Sugar

    Gwyneth Paltrow may be most famous for her acting abilities, but the oscar-winning actress would really like you to know just how meticulously she plans her diet. The star and co-writer Julia Turshen will soon release a cookbook filled with recipes from Paltrow’s “elimination diet.”

    According to the publisher’s book description, Paltrow was once diagnosed as anemic and vitamin D deficient. She was placed on an “elimination diet” the star maintains helped her from feeling fatigued. Paltrow supposedly uses the diet when she needs to “feel more energetic” or “lose weight,” which seems suspicious since the actress has never been considered overweight (other than when wearing a fatsuit in the movie Shallow Hal).

    Elimination diets are based on the idea that certain foods should be avoided altogether, due to food allergies or some other reason. In Paltrow’s case, this meant she cut out coffee, alcohol, dairy, eggs, sugar, shellfish, deep-water fish, wheat, meat, soy, or anything processed.

    That wouldn’t seem to leave much to eat, but the new book manages to come up with 185 different recipes that don’t have any of those things. Highlights include huevos rancheros and salmon burgers, but the “power brownies” and “banana ‘ice cream’” mentioned probably won’t live up to their sugary namesakes.

    The book, titled It’s All Good, will be out starting April 2.

    Those who don’t particularly care what Paltrow eats on a daily basis may be happy to learn that she won’t be giving up her day job to become a cooking author just yet. Paltrow will reprise her role as Tony Stark lover Pepper Potts in this summer’s upcoming Iron Man 3 and has been cast as artist Dora Maar in an upcoming Pablo Picasso biopic.

  • Bieber Hamster Dies While in Fan’s Care

    Last December, pop star Justin Bieber gave his pet hamster, Pac, to a grateful fan in Atlanta. This week, that fan sadly announced that Pac the hamster has died.

    Tori McClure, the girl who received the hamster, tweeted out this week that Pac “probably won’t make it much longer.” Though some Bieber fans are rudely accusing McClure of not taking care of the small mammal, hamsters, depending on the type, don’t live long lives. Most do not live longer than three years.

    TMZ spoke with McClure, who told the publication that Pac has been buried in her backyard.

    Justin Bieber himself has not yet responded to McClure via Twitter and hasn’t yet acknowledged the rodent’s death. The pop star is currently touring in Europe, where rumors of his “diva-like” behavior led to a long Twitter rant in which Bieber lashed out against “fake stories” and “rumors.” The star also recently cancelled his second scheduled concert in Portugal, citing “logistical issues” with local unions.

  • Lamar and Khloe: Puppy Added to the Family

    Khloe Kardashian‘s marriage seems to be strong and happy. This is in contrast to her sister, who is in the midst of a contentious divorce from her legal husband, Kris Humphries, while currently pregnant with R&B singer Kanye West’s child.

    This week, Khloe announced a new member of the Kardashian family. She is now the proud owner of a boxer puppy. The announcement was made via the reality star’s Twitter account:

    “Lammy” presumably refers to Khloe’s husband, sleepy Los Angeles Clippers player Lamar Odom. The couple wed in 2009, with the wedding featured on the reality TV series Keeping Up With the Kardashians.

    There is no word yet on what the couple will name the puppy, but updates on the pup are sure to follow, and then take over Khloe’s various social media feeds in the weeks to come.

  • Peter Banks Dies; Yes Guitarist was 65

    Peter Banks, the original guitarist for the rock band Yes, has died at the age of 65. According to a BBC report, the English guitarist was found in his home on March 8, apparently dead from heart failure.

    Banks, along with Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, Tony Kaye, and Bill Bruford founded the progressive rock act Yes. The band is often cited as one of the bands at the forefront of the prog-rock scene in the 70s, along with bands such as Genesis and King Crimson.

    Banks left the band in 1970, the first of over a dozen musicians to play with Yes and then depart. After leaving Yes, Banks went on to have a solo career and play as a session artist with bands such as Roger Ruskin Spear. In addition to his solo work, he cut albums with the bands Flash and Empire

    Banks released his first solo album, Two Sides of Peter Banks, in 1973 and did not release another solo album until 1994′s Instinct. His latest release was 1999′s Can I Play You Something? (The Pre-Yes Years Recordings From 1964-1968).

  • Student Brings $20K to School, Begins Handing it Out to Classmates

    Teachers have been known to chastise students over contraband by sarcastically asking students if they have brought enough for the whole class. What if, instead of chewing gum, the contraband in question was a large stack of money?

    The ABC TV station for the Detroit area is reporting that a 12-year-old girl brought $20,000 to school in her backpack. Not only that, but the girl then proceeded to hand out some of the money to other students, in at least one case handing out $500 to a classmate.

    The incident occurred in the city of Taylor, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The school principal became aware of the situation and called police. The girl admitted to police that she got the money from a friend who brought it over to her house to play with. The police are now holding the money until the owners of it can provide a good explanation for why they have such a large stack of cash.

  • Miley, Liam Split According to One Source

    Miley Cyrus and Liam Hemsworth may have called off their wedding, if one report is to be believed.

    The New York Post’s Page Six is reporting that Hemsworth has left for Austrailia to “spend some time with his brother.” Meanwhile an unnamed source told the publication that the couple are “done,” and blamed Cyrus’ wild partying for the breakup.

    Just last week, rumors about the couple’s possible split, as well as rumors that Hemsworth was caught cheating popped up. However, Cyrus combatted the rumors via Twitter, saying that she hadn’t called off her wedding.

    Another Post source has stated that Cyrus “isn’t ready to accept that it might be over for good,” which means the couple might not officially be done yet. It does, however, imply that the tension reported in the past week is likely true to some extent.

    The couple had (have?) been together for three years and became engaged last May. Since that time, the wild partying cited by the Post source was spotted at a Cyrus video shoot and the couple even got complementary tattoos on their arms.

  • 49ers Trade Alex Smith to the Chiefs

    The San Francisco 49ers NFL football team has announced it has traded quarterback Alex Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs. In return, the 49ers are expected to receive an undisclosed 2013 draft pick and a conditional 2014 draft pick.

    Smith himself was a number 1 draft pick by the 49ers in 2005, and before that played in college for the University of Utah, where he went 21-1 as a starter. His rookie season in the NFL was marred by an injury, and he played only nine games that season. Smith has fought injuries and changing coaching staff in his eight seasons with the 49ers, ending up with a 59.3% pass completion rate and 81 touchdowns.

    “We would like to thank Alex for his contributions to the 49ers organization over the past eight years,” said Trent Baalke, general manager for the 49ers. “He is a true professional who represented the 49ers with class on and off the field.”

    The 49ers have posted a photo gallery of Smith’s career with the team to the 49ers website. 49ers fans have been using the hashtag #ThankYouAlex to recount their memories and express their feelings toward Smith via Twitter: