RIPs

UPDATE: Pitchman Billy Mays was found dead today in his home. He was 50. Unbelievable.

I haven't updated in a long time -- no time at all -- but I felt the need to chronicle today/this week as it will become legendary in pop culture history.

Michael Jackson, the "King of Pop," died suddenly today after an apparent heart attack. The artist behind best-selling album of all time died at the age of 50.

Also today, actress Farrah Fawcett lossed her very public battle with cancer. The "Charlie's Angels" actress famous for her pin-up status, Fawcett recently released a documentary depicting her struggles called "Farrah's story." She was 62.

Hollywood lost another legend earlier this week when former Johnny Carson sidekick Ed McMahon submitted to a number of health problems. He was 86.

Rampage in India

[UPDATE] 11 p.m., Nov. 28: The last terrorists involved in the attacks at Mumbai's Taj Mahal hotel were killed early Saturday, Mumbai's police chief told CNN-IBN. But the director-general of the national security guard said the situation remains unresolved. The conflicting accounts came after a fire broke out and a flurry of heavy gunfire. The death toll from the rampage has risen to 160 civilians, police and military, including 5 Americans. Indian officials are suggesting the terrorists came from Pakistan.

Not to be a downer on your holiday happiness, but it's important to note what's going on in India today/tonight.

From CNN.com: Gunmen rampaged through a series of targets in the Indian city of Mumbai killing indiscriminately and taking hostages at two luxury hotels.

Mumbai police spokesman Satish Katsa said gunmen have taken over the Taj Mahal Hotel and Hotel Oberoi, and were holding hostages on multiple floors.

Flames and smoke poured from the Taj early Thursday, and several explosions were heard at the building. (Photo, right: Blood stains the floor of the railway station.)

At the Oberoi the military reportedly entered the building and a large explosion was heard shortly afterwards. Another hostage situation was unfolding at Cama Hospital, CNN's sister network in India, CNN-IBN reported.

One witness told local reporters that gunmen tried to find people with U.S. or British passports and took about 15 of them hostage.

The voters have spoken...

In what certainly turned out to be a historic election, a record number of voters hit the polls today and voted for what they're hoping will be the change our country needs.

From AP: Barack Obama was elected the nation's first black president Tuesday night in a historic triumph that overcame racial barriers as old as America itself.

The 47-year-old Democratic senator from Illinois sealed his victory by defeating Republican Sen. John McCain in a string of wins in hard-fought battleground states — Ohio, Florida, Virginia and Iowa.

Obama and his running mate, Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, will take their oaths of office as president and vice president on Jan. 20, 2009.

Congratulations to our new president and congratulations to those of you who voted - you made history!

Another curse broken

Congratulations to the Philadelphia Phillies: Under manager Charlie Manuel, the "Phightins" beat out a young Tampa Bay Rays team to win the World Series, 4 games to 1.

Most of the country didn't really care about this series (as evidenced by a 25% drop in ratings from 2007), but it was still pretty exciting.

...and hopefully I don't have to bail out my friends from jail tonight.

After a 3-2 Philadelphia win in Game One, Tampa Bay struck back Thursday to even the series. The Phils then stormed back after a 90-minute rain delay Saturday, winning in one of the oddest endings to a game I've ever seen [click here to read the recap]. Then came Sunday, when the Rays just basically rolled over and died--even Phil's pitcher Joe Blanton jacked one out of the park.

Then we had the controversial Game Five. On a cold and rainy Monday night, the Phillies struck early, going up 2-0 on a Shane Victorino single in the first. Tampa Bay's slumping stars finally got a little something going in the top of the fourth, making it 2-1. The elements started to take over in the fifth inning, but Commissioner Bud Selig allowed the game to continue long enough for the Rays to manufacture another run off Phillies ace Cole Hamels. The tarps came out and the Phillies fans cried foul.

After rain and snow --yes, snow-- Tuesday, the teams took the field tonight, 46 hours after Game Five's suspension. The 3-inning game, which required an exorbitant amount of strategy, began with a lead-off double by Geoff Jenkins, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Jimmy Rollins and an RBI single from Jayson Werth. Tampa Bay's Rocco Baldelli jacked one over the fence in the top of the 7th, tying the game at 3, but not for long: Pedro Feliz put the Phils back on top in the bottom of the 7th and Brad "Lights Out" Lidge came in in the top of the 9th to shut down the Rays and bring Philadelphia its first championship since 1987.

[NOTE] Before I get into my schpeel and get scathing comments in respone to this post, I have a guest writer on-deck to write a "Yay Philadelphia" post in the coming day, so chill out on the hate messages. Now, on to my rant...

I grudgingly congratulate the Phillies because--being from south Jersey--I've just had it with the bandwagon fans who have come out of the woodwork the last month, and especially the last week. I know it's to be expected, but it's just obnoxious. Philadelphia was a city that was all about "bleeding green" for its Eagles for the last several years, and now that the Eagles are in last place, these people are jumping ship and "painting the town red," as they say. Suddenly everyone remembers that Philadelphia has a baseball team and their clothing, cars, away messages and Facebook statuses are overwrought with Phillies exclamations. You talk about bleeding green--I think I'm vomiting red. (That doesn't sound very healthy, eh?)

But hey, congraulations to all the real fans. Your curse is over. Now you can stop complaining. Hey, now you're just like everyone else. Now you've just gotta win 24 more World Series titles to catch up with the Yankees, haaaa. Oh, and the Eagles still suck.

RELATED LINKS
Or don't blame it on the rain...
Blame it on the rain
Taco, taco, taco!
World Series set to go
Boston wins World Snoozefest
Speedy Gonzalez
Yo quiero free taco
Dem's fightin' Phils

J-Hud's mother, brother killed

[BREAKING NEWS] The body of a young boy found today in a car has been confirmed as that of Julian King, Jennifer Hudson's 7-year-old nephew.

Several news agencies are reporting that the mother and brother of singer/actress Jennifer Hudson were found dead today in Chicago.

A male family member discovered the body of Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, 57, and police later found the body of Hudson's brother, Jason.

The shootings are believed to be domestic.

[UPDATE] Police confirm they have taken a person into custody but are not saying who it is. News reports, however, say that person is Hudson's brother-in-law, William Balfour. Balfour's mother has also acknowledged her son has been questioned about the shootings.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert for Hudson's 7-year-old nephew, Julian King, and were seeking a 1994 white Chevrolet Suburban.

The alert said the child was possibly abducted, and accompanied by a man — considered armed and dangerous — who was a suspect in the double homicide investigation. Records with the Illinois Department of Corrections show the man, who has not been charged with a crime, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle.

Oops! Sis did "it" again?

[BREAKING NEWS?] I was about to tell my boyfriend that he's been living under a rock when he sent me a link to a news story called, "Jamie Lynn Spears pregnant"--She gave birth to that kid three months ago, duhhh!

But when I actually read the story, I was shocked to find that Britney's little sis might have another bun in the oven.
The National Enquirer is reporting that Spears is pregnant with her second baby, after giving birth to baby Maddie Briann (wtf kind of name is that?) on June 19.

[UPDATE] A rep for Jamie Lynn told E! that the 17-year-old is not pregnant. A source who lives in Jamie Lynn's native Kentwood, La., tells E! News: "I talk to [her mom] Lynne all the time. Believe me, she would have mentioned if that little girl is expecting again. That's just a bunch of made-up crap."

Here are some of the tidbits the Enquirer got from an "insider":

“Jamie Lynn is about eight weeks pregnant, and she and her mom Lynne are hysterical. Jamie Lynn believed she couldn’t get pregnant while she was breast-feeding." - an inside source on Jamie Lynn's rumored pregnancy.

A home pregnancy test came back positive, the source said, and apparently the former "Zoey 101" star's friends are urging her to terminate.

And hey, who the baby daddy???

Who knows if any of this is true, but it seems like one Spears has just gotten her life back on track while the other one is following the deadbeat beaten path.

Thanks, TJS!

RELATED LINKS
Baby mama drama
Pregnancy 101

Clay is gay - sounds like a nice nursery rhyme?

[Breaking news] Clay Aiken is gay.

...Wait, really?? I'm not trying to make light of this--I just legitimately thought he had come out like, three years ago.

Aiken apparently comes out on on the latest cover of People magazine, holding his infant son, Parker Foster Aiken. The headline reads, "Yes, I'm Gay," with the quote: "I cannot raise a child to lie or hide things."

The baby's mother is Aiken's friend and record producer Jaymes Foster.

This is nowhere near as shocking --or as devastating-- as finding out in 2006 that Lance Bass was gay. Or is gay. Whatever. You know what I mean.

UPDATE Lindsay Lohan is jumping on the orient(ation) express - she admitted this week that she has in fact been dating friend Samantha Ronson for "a very long time." Another not-so-shocking announcement: The media has been covering this for months, but whatev. Good for them. (Thanks, Dave.)

No-no for Zambrano

[BREAKING NEWS] Chicago Cubs pitcher Carlos Zambrano has just thrown a no-hitter.

Zambrano, who had not pitched since Sept. 2 due to "arm fatigue," struck out 10 and walked one in a 5-0 win over the Houston Astros.

It was the Cubs' first no-hitter since Milt Pappas on Sept. 2, 1972, and the second no-no of the 2008 MLB season: Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester threw a no-hitter back in May.

The Cubs were technically the visiting team, but the event seemed more like a home game as it was played in front of 23,000 fans at Milwaukee's Miller Park after Hurricane Ike forced the series out of Houston.

Guess ESPN picked the wrong game for Sunday Night Baseball tonight, eh?

RELATED LINKS
No-no for Lester

RIP LeRoi Moore

BREAKING NEWS - Dave Matthews Band saxophonist, LeRoi Moore, died today (Tuesday) of complications from a June 30 ATV accident, according to several sources.

Moore, who had been in and out of the hospital after puncturing a lung and breaking ribs in the accident, died in Los Angeles today at the age of 46.

[UPDATE] Despite the members' loss, the band played its scheduled show Tuesday at the Staple Center in Los Angeles. Amidst the opening song of "Bartender" -- "if I go, before I'm old/oh, brother of mine, please don't forget me if I go" -- and the rest of the show, repeated chants for LeRoi could be heard. Posts on AntsMarching.org forums describe the pain felt throughout.

Dave also took a moment to describe the first time he met Roi here, saying, "I fell in love with that man, and I'm still in love with him."

Tuesday night, the opening page of the band's Web site was changed to a memorial for LeRoi, with the following post on the main page:

LEROI MOORE 1961-2008

08/19/2008

We are deeply saddened that LeRoi Moore, saxophonist and founding member of Dave Matthews Band, died unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon, August 19, 2008, at Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center in Los Angeles from sudden complications stemming from his June ATV accident on his farm near Charlottesville, Virginia. LeRoi had recently returned to his Los Angeles home to begin an intensive physical rehabilitation program.

For casual DMB fans (or the occasional DMB hater), this probably isn't big news. But unfortunately, this is absolutely devastating news for the band's fanatical and tight-knit community.

My friends and I attended the June 28 show in Bristow this year, which was not only our third and last show of the summer, but turned out to be Roi's last show with the band. It's sad to look back on our conversation that day, planning our summer 2009 road trip to see the band and hoping that 10 years down the road, we'd still be afforded the opportunity to see the best live show on the planet.

After the ATV accident, fans flooded LeRoi's hospital room with e-cards and the band's setlist each night encouraged fans to "send good thoughts for LeRoi."

Absolutely devastating.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Moore family and members of the band.

For an excellent tribute cover of #41 (a song Dave recently announced, ironically, that Roi hated playing), click here.

RIP Bernie Mac

Breaking news: Comedian and actor Bernie Mac died this morning from complications from pneumonia. He was 50 years old.

Mac suffered from sarcoidosis, an inflammatory lung disease that produces tiny lumps of cells in the body's organs, but had said the condition went into remission in 2005. He recently was hospitalized and treated for pneumonia, which his publicist said was not related to the disease.

Mac had a stacked resume, including two movies and two television stints in post-production. He appeared in the "Ocean's" trilogy, "Transformers," "Bad Santa," "Don't Be a Menace...," and of course, "The Bernie Mac Show," for which he was twice nominated for an Emmy and once for a Golden Globe. He also penned a memoir about his childhood entitled, "Maybe You Never Cry Again."

Click here to read more.

Everyone's Favre-ite topic

Breaking news: Brett Favre has finally found a home. The Green Bay Packers officially traded the record-setting, retired-unretired quarterback to the New York Jets in an overnight deal.

The trade is extremely conditional, i.e. if Brett takes 50 percent of snaps this season, the Packers get a fourth-round draft pick. The conditions grow increasingly favorable for the Packers the better Brett does: If Brett takes 80 percent of snaps and the Jets make it to the Super Bowl, the pick becomes a first-round pick.

New York Jets # 4 Brett Favre jerseys are already available.

I'd like to think that now that this trade has gone down, all of the FAVRE lines on the bottom of ESPN will go away, but we all know that's not going to happen.

RELATED LINKS:
The week in sports, kind of...
Favre saying goodbye to Green Bay
SI honors Fav-ra

Dress up your basement

Residents in Ohio this weekend may be less concerned with burgers than they are with the salad...dressing, that is.

At least 10 residents in Clintonville had their basements flooded with not just stormwater, but lots and lots of ranch salad dressing that seeped out from the sewage of T. Marzetti. Co. -- a local salad dressing producer.

"It's creamy-ranch- dressing-looking crap," resident Steven Maiken told the Columbus Dispatch.

I'm sure that guy wasn't angry at all.

BREAKING NEWS: Actor Heath Ledger found dead

Updating a post from earlier today:

Heath Ledger, 28, was found dead today in a New York apartment he'd been renting (not Mary Kate Olson's apartment as previously reported by the New York Times).

A masseuse with whom Ledger had an appointment arrived at the apartment and was let in by a housekeeper. When no one answered the door of the actor's room, the housekeeper and the masseuse opened the bedroom and found Ledger naked and unconscious on a bed, with pills scattered around his body.

Police said they did not suspect foul play, and earlier reports of suicide have been denied by family and friends claiming that the "Brokeback Mountain" star was suffering from pneumonia.

Police discovered presciption medication around the apartment and the pills around Ledger's body were sleeping pills. In reading a previous New York Times article, the insomnia factor is a little eery:

"'Last week I probably slept an average of two hours a night,' he said. 'I couldn’t stop thinking. My body was exhausted, and my mind was still going.' One night he took an Ambien, which failed to work. He took a second one and fell into a stupor, only to wake up an hour later, his mind still racing." - New York Times, Nov. 4, 2007

An autopsy is scheduled for tomorrow. More updates as information becomes available.