Stop Stalling!

I think it's about time R Kelly has his day in court. Read this crap.

R. Kelly's lawyer has asked for another delay in his ongoing child pornography trial.

Kelly's lawyer, Ed Genson is asking that jury selection, slated to begin May 9th, be delayed because of a recent news report in the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Sun-Times published a report on Saturday stating that a witness has been added to the witness list who claims to have had a threesome with Kelly, 41, and the allegedly underage girl who appears in the now infamous sex tape.

Kelly's lawyer wants jury selection postponed due to the amount of publicity the article generated over the weekend.

Kelly, whose real name is Robert Kelly, has continued to deny the allegations made against him, claiming he is not the man on the tape.

Judge Vincent Gaughan is expected to rule on the request on Friday.

Source ~ chicago tribune

Philly officers taken off street after videotaped beating

PHILADELPHIA - A police sergeant and five officers were pulled from street duty Wednesday as city officials investigated television footage showing a group of officers kicking and punching three shooting suspects during a traffic stop.

More than a dozen officers were involved, but Police Commissioner Charles Ramsey said investigators were having the videotape enhanced to help determine how many of them were actually striking the suspects.

Any information police find will be sent to prosecutors, who will determine whether charges are warranted.

"We certainly are concerned about what we saw on the tape," Ramsey said at a news conference. "The behavior that at least was exhibited on the tape is unacceptable."

Police stopped the suspects' car while investigating a triple shooting Monday night. No weapons were found in the car or on the suspects, Ramsey said, but officers said they had seen them shoot three people on a drug corner moments earlier.

The video, shot by WTXF-TV from a helicopter, showed three police cars stopping a car on the side of a road.

Officers gathered around the vehicle and pulled three men out. About a half-dozen officers held two men on the ground on the driver's side. Both were kicked repeatedly, while one was punched; one also appeared to be struck with a baton.

On the other side of the car, the video showed, more officers kicking a third man who ends up on the ground.

The three suspects — Dwayne Dyches, Brian Hall and Pete Hopkins — were each charged with attempted murder in the shooting, police said.

The beating happened two days after the fatal shooting of a city officer, the third killed on duty in two years.

Ramsey said officers have been on edge since Officer Stephen Liczbinski was killed, but that they still need to maintain a high standard of conduct.

"We do expect them to maintain a level of conduct on the street that is beyond reproach," the commissioner said. "The sergeant should have taken some kind of action to intervene."

Liczbinski was shot with an assault rifle after a robbery Saturday. One suspect was fatally shot by police soon after, another was arrested Sunday and a third was captured late Wednesday.

D. Scott Perrine, an attorney for the three men seen in the video, has said that, as terrible as the officer's death was, it does not excuse what police did to the suspects.

Dyches had a welt on his head the size of a baseball, and one of his legs was seriously injured, Perrine said. He said he didn't know the extent of the other men's injuries.

The mother of one of the suspects said she was outraged.

"I'm horrified to see that our city cops would beat some human being like they did, like a gang-style fight," Leomia Dyches said. She added, "I'd like to see them tried for what they did."

Source ~ PATRICK WALTERS, Associated Press Writer

Sharpton arrested as hundreds protest NYC police shooting (AP)

NEW YORK - Hundreds of demonstrators led by the Rev. Al Sharpton clogged intersections and snarled traffic across the city to protest the acquittal of three officers involved in the shooting death of an unarmed black man on his wedding day.

Protesters said Wednesday's "pray-in," which led to the arrest of 216 people, was a preview of potential future demonstrations designed to paralyze the city until federal authorities investigate the shooting.

"We're going to keep coming until we get federal indictments. It's wrong," said Frank Rodriguez, a military veteran who attended one of six rallies across the city.

U.S. attorney spokesman Robert Nardoza said the case was under review, but he declined further comment about a possible federal case.

Sharpton and relatives of Sean Bell, the groom killed in 2006 in a 50-bullet barrage, planned to meet privately with Gov. David Paterson on Thursday to talk about the case.

The demonstrators on Wednesday prayed, sang and chanted slogans including "no justice, no peace!" as they converged on six locations, including heavily used bridges and tunnels that carry traffic to and from Manhattan.

Sharpton, two survivors of the shooting and the slain man's fiancee lined up and peacefully put their hands behind their backs as police arrested them on disorderly conduct charges. They were released about four hours later, said Sharpton spokeswoman Rachel Noerdlinger.

The protests were carefully orchestrated: Organizers circulated sign-up sheets for those willing to be arrested and issued instructions on how to behave when arrested. They also were advised not to volunteer if they had warrants out for their arrests or other pending legal issues.

After marching to the New Jersey-bound Holland Tunnel behind a "Stop the Brutality" banner, protesters blocked two entrances as some sang the civil rights anthem "We Shall Overcome." Demonstrators who moved to the sidewalk applauded each time one of their fellow protesters was arrested.

Drivers waited patiently. "I disagree with doing anything illegal, but, hey, this is what makes America great," said Aaron Hanson, a passenger in a car waiting to get into the tunnel. "If this is what people really need to do to make a statement, it's what they should do."

A few miles uptown, some protesters were arrested after blocking traffic into midtown Manhattan on the Queensboro Bridge, while about 200 people rallied near the entrance to the Triborough Bridge in Harlem.

Sharpton, shooting survivors Joseph Guzman and Trent Benefield, and Bell's fiancee, Nicole Paultre Bell, linked arms as they blocked a street at the Brooklyn Bridge's base.

They were followed by at least 200 demonstrators who kneeled down in prayer in the road and counted from one to 50 in a stark reference to the 50 shots. Some carried signs proclaiming, "We are all Sean Bell."

A heavy police presence initially stood by during the demonstrations, allowing the protesters to march unimpeded to the bridges and tunnels. Mayor Michael Bloomberg had pledged to "make sure that everybody's rights are protected and that the law is obeyed."

The racially polarizing case has raised questions about police use of deadly force in minority communities. Bell was black, as are two of his friends who were wounded in the shooting; the officers were black, Hispanic and white.

The three officers were acquitted of state charges last month. They testified that they feared for their lives after Bell and his friends got into a testy exchange with another patron outside a Queens strip club and appeared to be going to retrieve a gun; Bell's friends testified the detectives fired wildly and without warning at Bell's car. No gun was found with Bell or his friends.

Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said Wednesday that the department was continuing to examine the possibility of disciplinary action against the detectives.

Source ~ Associated Press writers Bonny Ghosh and Ted Shaffrey contributed to this report

Grand Theft Auto IV Sells Six Million Units in First Week

"Grand Theft Auto 4," the latest version of the hit video game franchise, racked up first-week sales of $500 million, Take-Two Interactive, the game's publisher, said Wednesday. The report exceeded the sales expectations of analysts.

The company is expected to report that it sold 6 million copies of the game, 3.6 million of them on the first day. The sales exceed projections of industry analysts who were estimating that about 5 million consumers would purchase the game in the first two weeks.

The significance of the sales extends beyond buoying Take-Two, a company that has had its share of legal, financial and management struggles in the last few years.

The company is the subject of a $2 billion hostile takeover effort by Electronic Arts, which is offering Take Two shareholders $25.74 a share for control of the company. If Take-Two can exceed expectations on sales of "Grand Theft Auto 4," it may drive up the share price and force Electronic Arts to raise its offer.

"They were better than the published expectations," said Todd Mitchell, an analyst with Kaufman Brothers. "I would say they were marginally better than the whisper number."

But, he added, he did not "think that many people buy the idea that just because you blow the numbers out on GTA, EA is going to come out with a higher bid."

Electronic Arts' takeover bid turned hostile after Take-Two's management said it would not negotiate an acquisition agreement with Electronic Arts - or any suitor - until after the release of "Grand Theft Auto 4." Now that the game is out, Take-Two may well have entered discussions with Electronic Arts and possibly with other suitors who covet the "Grand Theft Auto" franchise, but Take-Two has declined to comment on whether such discussions are taking place.

If Take-Two and Electronic Arts wind up seeking a deal, there is pressure on Electronic Arts and also on some Take-Two shareholders to get one done quickly.

Electronic Arts has said that it needs to reach a deal in time to subsume Take-Two's assets before the holiday selling season.

Take-Two's management has said that the success of "Grand Theft Auto 4" is awakening shareholders to the long-term value of the company's stock and that if investors can be patient it can command a higher price in the long term.

The first-week sales figure tops the $400 million benchmark set by Microsoft's "Halo 3" in September.

"This game sets a new standard in the industry," the Take-Two chief executive, Ben Feder, said in a statement.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" has been praised by reviewers for its graphics and for play that allows gamers to depart from the story line. The Parents Television Council, an organization devoted to limiting sex, violence and profanity in media, called the game "brutally violent" last month.

In the game, a former soldier, Niko Bellic, is lured to the United States from Eastern Europe by a cousin who brags of great wealth. On arrival, Bellic discovers that his cousin lied and actually is deep in debt to gangsters. He reluctantly takes on assignments from the mob to save his relative.

"Grand Theft Auto 4" has a "mature" rating in the United States from an industry council that says it is appropriate only for players ages 17 and older because of graphic violence and partial nudity.

Electronic Arts, based in Redwood City, California, began a $26-a-share tender offer March 13, after Take-Two refused to negotiate in February. The offer expires May 16.

Electronic Arts, which makes the "Madden NHL" football games, dropped the bid to $25.74 after Take-Two investors approved an incentive plan that increased the number of shares it would have to buy.

Source ~ International Herald Tribune

75 students arrested in San Diego State University drug bust

SAN DIEGO - Dozens of San Diego State University students were arrested after a sweeping drug investigation found that some fraternity members openly dealt drugs and one even sent a mass text message advertising cocaine, authorities said Tuesday.

Two kilograms of cocaine were seized, along with 350 Ecstasy pills, marijuana, psychedelic mushrooms, hash oil, methamphetamine, illicit prescription drugs, several guns and at least $60,000 in cash, authorities said.

Of the 96 people arrested, 75 were students. Eighteen of the students were arrested Tuesday when nine search warrants were executed at various locations including fraternities, said Jesse Rodriguez, San Diego County assistant district attorney.

The undercover probe, dubbed Operation Sudden Fall, was sparked by the cocaine overdose death of a student in May 2007, authorities said. As the investigation continued, another student, from Mesa College, died Feb. 26 of a cocaine overdose at an SDSU fraternity house, the DEA said.

Those arrested included a student who was about to receive a criminal justice degree and another who was to receive a master's degree in homeland security.

"A sad commentary is that when one of these individuals was arrested, they inquired as (to) whether or not his arrest and incarceration would have an effect on him becoming a federal law enforcement officer," said Ralph Partridge, special agent in charge of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration in San Diego.

Some defendants were scheduled to appear in state court to face charges Tuesday.

During the probe investigators discovered that in some fraternities most members were aware of "organized drug dealing occurring from the fraternity houses by its members," the DEA said in a news release.

"Undercover agents purchased cocaine from fraternity members and confirmed that a hierarchy existed for the purpose of selling drugs for money," the DEA said.

The district attorney's office said search warrants were served in San Diego and suburban La Mesa, including the Theta Chi fraternity house and several apartments.

A member of Theta Chi sent out a mass text message to his "faithful customers" stating that he and his "associates" would be unable to sell cocaine while they were in Las Vegas over one weekend, according to the DEA. The text promoted a cocaine "sale" and listed the reduced prices.

Theta Chi's San Diego chapter declined to comment.

"We're talking to our advisers," said John Phillips, a past president of the chapter.

Dale Taylor, the fraternity's national executive director, said he was "obviously shocked and saddened" by the allegations.

Theta Chi has prohibited the San Diego chapter from group activities like parties or sports and will investigate additional disciplinary measures, up to expulsion of members or the entire chapter.

Theta Chi, based in Indianapolis, has 131 chapters in the U.S. and Canada and more than 161,000 initiates. It was founded in 1856.

The San Diego chapter was founded 61 years ago and has 65 members.

"They were on the upswing," Taylor said. "They had improved their recruitment. They were trying to raise money for a new house."

University police and federal drug agents worked together in the investigation, making more than 130 undercover drug buys at locations including fraternity houses, student parking areas and dormitories, authorities said.

Shawn Collinsworth, executive director of the national office of Phi Kappa Psi, said he was told by two of the SDSU fraternity chapter's leaders that four of its members were arrested. He said the fraternity is cooperating with the investigation.

"It isn't behavior becoming of Phi Kappa Psi," Collinsworth said.

San Diego State is one of the largest schools in California's state university system with about 34,000 students. The campus has an active network of fraternities and sororities.

___

Associated Press writers Elliot Spagat in San Diego and Greg Risling in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

"Police: Kindergartner Brings Drugs To School"

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - Metro police said a 6-year-old brought drugs to school Monday.

Police found seven grams of marijuana and two grams of rock and powder cocaine in the child's pockets.

The student at Tom Joy Elementary School went to the teacher to show her what he found at home.

The teacher immediately took the student to the principal's office.

The child is developmentally challenged. There are nine students in his classroom. Police said no other students came into contact with the drugs. It didn't appear that the drugs were disturbed. The school was placed on lockdown until dismissal Monday afternoon.

"We believe that she didn't know that the school was aware that he had the drugs on him," said Sgt. Anna-Maria Williams. "So she was trying to get to the school to get them off of him."

The child's 27-year-old mother, Arthia Burrows received drug and child endangerment charges Monday. Police also are searching for her brother, who is wanted for arrest. He hasn't been charged yet.

Police said the curious 6-year-old gave them all the information they needed to take down a known drug house in East Nashville.

He told police he had his mother's "smokes."

"Our crime suppression unit had gotten a drug complaint on them, that this was place where people could go to buy marijuana and other drugs," Williams said. "So our crime suppression unit had been working on it, but hadn't had enough information to get inside. So, we got lucky as far as being able to get them at the same time to take the drugs off the child."

Police said Burrows does not have a criminal record.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services removed five children from the home. Even though Metro Schools has a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to drugs, the child will not be expelled because he was not aware he was bringing drugs to school.

BRIT AWARDS 2008 WINNERS:

In case you missed it

-British live act: Take That. (Winner chosen by BBC Radio 2
listeners).
-Critics' Choice Award: Adele.
-British breakthrough act: Mika. (Winner chosen by BBC Radio 1
listeners).
-International male solo artist: Kanye West.
-British male solo artist: Mark Ronson.
-International female solo artist: Kylie Minogue.
-International group: Foo Fighters.
-British female solo artist: Kate Nash.
-International album: Foo Fighters, "Echoes, Silence, Patience &
Grace."
-British group: Arctic Monkeys.
-British single: Take That, "Shine." (Decided by live public
phone-in.)
-British album: Arctic Monkeys, "Favourite Worst Nightmare."
-Outstanding contribution to music: Paul McCartney

Foo Fighters - Grammys 2008

This was hands down my fav. performance of the whole night.

2008 Screen Actors Guild Award Winners

The 2008 Screen Actors Guild awards have come and gone, and the winners of this year’s ceremony took even the biggest movie buffs by surprise.

The top honors for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role went to Daniel Day Lewis for his role in There Will Be Blood, while the top leading lady ended up being Julie Christie for her work in Away From Her.

The complete list of SAG award winners is as follows:

FILM

Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role

George Clooney, Michael Clayton
Winner: Daniel Day-Lewis, There Will Be Blood
Ryan Gosling, Lars and the Real Girl
Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild
Viggo Mortensen, Eastern Promises

Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role

Cate Blanchett, Elizabeth: The Golden Age
Winner: Julie Christie, Away From Her
Marion Cotillard, La Vie en rose
Angelina Jolie, A Mighty Heart
Ellen Page, Juno

Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role

Casey Affleck, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
Winner: Javier Bardem, No Country for Old Men
Hal Holbrook, Into the Wild
Tommy Lee Jones, No Country for Old Men
Tom Wilkinson, Michael Clayton

Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role

Cate Blanchett, I’m Not There
Winner: Ruby Dee, American Gangster
Catherine Keener, Into the Wild
Amy Ryan, Gone Baby Gone
Tilda Swinton, Michael Clayton

Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture

3:10 to Yuma
American Gangster
Hairspray
Into the Wild
Winner: No Country for Old Men

Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture

300
Winner: The Bourne Ultimatum
I Am Legend
The Kingdom
Pirates of the Caribbean:
At World’s End

TELEVISION

Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series

Winner: James Gandolfini, The Sopranos
Michael C. Hall, Dexter
Jon Hamm, Mad Men
Hugh Laurie, House
James Spader, Boston Legal

Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series

Glenn Close, Damages
Winner: Edie Falco, The Sopranos
Sally Field, Brothers & Sisters
Holly Hunter, Saving Grace
Kyra Sedgwick, The Closer

Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series

Winner: Alec Baldwin, 30 Rock
Steve Carell, The Office
Ricky Gervais, Extras
Jeremy Piven, Entourage
Tony Shaloub, Monk

Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series

Christina Applegate, Samantha Who?
America Ferrera, Ugly Betty
Winner: Tina Fey, 30 Rock
Mary-Louise Parker, Weeds
Vanessa Williams, Ugly Betty

Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series

Boston Legal
The Closer
Grey’s Anatomy
Mad Men
Winner: The Sopranos

Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series

30 Rock
Desperate Housewives
Entourage
Winner: The Office
Ugly Betty

Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Michael Keaton, The Company
Winner: Kevin Kline, As You Like It
Oliver Platt, The Bronx Is Burning
Sam Shepard, Ruffian
John Turturro, The Bronx Is Burning

Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries

Ellen Burstyn, Mitch Albom’s For One More Day
Debra Messing, The Starter Wife
Anna Paquin, Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
Winner: Queen Latifah, Life Support
Gena Rowlands, What if God Were the Sun?
Vanessa Redgrave, The Fever

Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Television Series

Winner: 24
Heroes
Lost
Rome
The Unit

Heath Ledger Found Dead

According to reports, Heath was found lying naked and unconscious on a bed with "pills scattered around his body." When paramedics responded, the actor "was in full cardiac arrest. They attempted to perform CPR on him, but were unsuccessful."

Meanwhile, NYPD spokeswoman Stephanie Jaramillo refused to comment on the cause of death, saying only that "the investigation is still ongoing."

Update:A rep for Heath Ledger's family says the Brokeback Mountain actor's death was accidental, with an autopsy scheduled for tomorrow.

To watch video footage covering Heath's death - Click Here!

To watch video footage of Heath being removed from his apartment - Click Here!

Below are a few pictures of Heath on the set of "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus" last week (January 18), along with a photo remembrance of Heath's life.

Source ~ http://www.celebrity-gossip.net

Can Oprah get any more money

(01-15) 16:06 PST New York (AP) -- Oprah Winfrey is getting her own TV network. OWN — for Oprah Winfrey Network — will debut next year in nearly 70 million homes with cable and satellite, part of a deal announced Tuesday with Discovery Communications. It will replace the Discovery Health network.

The announcement builds a media empire that already includes the top-rated TV talk show, a magazine, a satellite radio network, a Web site and TV movies made under her banner.

"This is an evolution of what I've been able to do every day," Winfrey said. "I will now have the opportunity to do this 24 hours a day on a platform that goes on forever."

She will be chairwoman of the network, owned 50-50 by Discovery and her company, Harpo Productions Inc. In return for taking over a network already operated by Discovery, Winfrey gives half ownership of the Oprah.com Web site.

Discovery owns 13 networks in the United States, including Discovery, TLC and Animal Planet. Discovery Health is one of the least successful, and company President and CEO David Zaslav was looking for ideas about what to do with it when his wife handed him a copy of Oprah's magazine.

He approached Winfrey about a partnership, coincidentally shortly after she had come upon an entry for her diary dated May 24, 1992, when she wrote about her idea for creating her own network.

"David came and really spoke about the vision I'd been having for 15 years," she said. "It felt like, 'I can't believe you're saying this.'"

Zaslav said that Discovery's core mission is knowledge and curiosity and "this is right in our sweet spot."

Winfrey envisions the programming dealing with issues such as money, health, weight, relationships and raising children. Some of the stable of in-house experts she uses on "Oprah" and the XM satellite radio station might be expected to contribute.

While Winfrey will be the face of the new network, she won't have much of a presence, at least at first. She is under contract to continue on "Oprah" through May 2011, a deal that prohibits the use of reruns on her own network.

After that, she could continue her show on broadcast TV or do it for the cable network, and may reach a deal to allow reruns on OWN. Taking "Oprah" off broadcast TV, however, could reduce its visibility and in turn make the cable network less valuable.

Winfrey said she needed to decide this fall whether to continue her syndicated show beyond 2011.

Winfrey was an early and visible investor in the development of Oxygen, a network for women that was created in the 1990s. She said she quickly determined that Oxygen "did not reflect my voice" and she removed herself from the company's board after a few meetings.

"The difference here is I will have editorial control and there is a vision for what I want to do with this network," she said.

Oxygen was also a startup in an industry where it's becoming harder to introduce new networks, while OWN will have the built-in advantage of already being in nearly two-thirds of the nation's homes with television.

2008 Golden Globe Winners Announced

While the ceremony was canceled due to the ongoing writers’ strike, winners of the 2008 Golden Globe Awards were announced last night at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills.

Among the big winners this year were two "Pirates Of the Caribbean" stars, Keira Knightley and Johnny Depp - as Knightley’s film "Atonement" picked up Best Drama, while Depp's "Sweeney Todd" collected the trophy for Best Musical or Comedy.
The complete list of winners is as follows:

FILM

Best Motion Picture – Drama
Atonement

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama
Julie Christie – Away From Her

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama
Daniel Day-Lewis – There Will Be Blood

Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Marion Cotillard – La Vie En Rose

Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
Johnny Depp – Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Cate Blanchett – I'm Not There

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture
Javier Bardem – No Country For Old Men

Best Director - Motion Picture
Julian Schnabel – The Diving Bell And The Butterfly

Best Animated Feature Film
Ratatouille

TELEVISION

Best Television Series – Drama
Mad Men

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Drama
Glenn Close – Damages

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series – Drama
Jon Hamm – Mad Men

Best Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Extras

Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
Tina Fey – 30 Rock

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series - Musical or Comedy
David Duchovny – Californication

Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Queen Latifah – Life Support

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Samantha Morton – Longford

Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Jeremy Piven – Entourage

Source ~ Gossipgirls.com

Writers' Strike

First let me say, happy new years ~ I hope you all had a fun and safe holiday.
Do you think the writers' strike is justified? And when do you think it will end?

Personally, I think that the writers' strike is warranted. They are the people that make the stars famous. I think the studios' should give into their demands. But as far as the length of time, no one can tell. I just hope it ends soon because I’m getting tired of watching reruns.