Southern Colorado shakes Earthquake

The earthquake center has now reported at least 11 earthquakes in Colorado since Monday evening.
Most of the quakes have been minor aftershocks following the 5.3 magnitude earthquake that hit around 11:46 p.m. Monday.

A magnitude 5.3 earthquake has shaken southern Colorado near the New Mexico border.
The National Earthquake Information Center in Golden, Colo. said the quake was recorded at about 11:46 p.m
. MDT Monday about five miles west of Cokedale, Colo.
One witness in Colorado Springs said they woke up around midnight and could feel their bed shaking.
The quake follows two smaller ones that hit the area earlier in the day.A magnitude 4.6 quake was recorded at 5:30 p.m. about 11 miles southwest of Cokedale, and a magnitude 2.9 quake was recorded shortly before 8 a.m. about 12 miles west-southwest of Cokedale.
The center's Jessica Sigala said the quake has the potential of causing minimal damage.
A dispatcher at the Las Animas County Sheriff's Office said she has received many calls from residents who felt the shaking.
Cokedale is about 190 miles south of Denver.

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Sprint iPhone may portend

Once Sprint Nextel gets the iPhone, you can bid farewell to its unlimited-data plan.
If history is any indication, Sprint will have to make some tough decisions, if Apple's blockbuster device starts weighing on its network. It's something the other carriers have done, and it's part of a broader trend of telecommunication companies struggling to keep up with growing bandwidth consumption.
After suffering through years of heavy bandwidth usage from iPhone users, AT&T relented and switched to a tiered pricing plan last year. It only took Verizon Wireless a few months after launching its version of the iPhone 4 before it opted to apply similar data caps.
Sprint, which The Wall Street Journal reported today will be getting the iPhone 5 at the same time as AT&T and Verizon in October, will likely follow the same path.
I have no first-hand knowledge of Sprint's thinking on its successful--but taxing--offer of an all-you-can-eat data plan for its smartphones. A Sprint representative wasn't immediately available to answer my questions.
But I do know that networks aren't fundamentally different from each other, despite the marketing jargon and hype that surrounds them. Sprint doesn't have any more capacity than Verizon and AT&T. In fact, it may be in a worse position now because its unlimited-data offer is unique in the market, likely attracting the heaviest of users.
The carriers' switch to tiered plans doesn't include existing unlimited-data customers, who have had the option to be grandfathered into an unlimited plan. You can see the strain the grandfathering is putting on the carriers, with both AT&T and Verizon switching to language in their service agreements that allow them to throttle, or choke off, the connection speed when a user exceeds a certain threshold of data consumption.
Sprint is in a touchy spot because it has positioned itself as the unlimited carrier. Ads talk about the company's truly limitless plans, and Chief Executive Dan Hesse has been featured on commercials deriding competitors' actions such as throttling.
As I've written, Verizon's decision to switch to a capped plan has been a boon for Sprint. The carrier is the only remaining company to offer a truly unlimited-data plan, a rare marketing and competitive edge outside of cheaper prices. Even Sprint's prepaid arm, Virgin Mobile, has decided to employ throttling.
But all good things have to come to an end. Speaking to a roundtable of bloggers and reporters last month, Hesse acknowledged that data traffic could eventually be an issue.
"Nothing's a guarantee that it's forever," he said at the time.
For Sprint, the choice is a trade-off: keep the unlimited-data plan and spur additional customer growth, or cut back on the plans and ease the need to invest in more capital for the network. Its decision may indicate whether it is favoring the consumer or Wall Street.
When I wrote about Sprint eventually dropping the unlimited-data plan, analysts gave it a year to 18 months before a change would happen. But with the iPhone becoming available to Sprint customers, that timetable could be accelerated. Thanks to its more affordable data plans, Sprint has a higher base of smartphone customers than its rivals--roughly half of its total customers.
While it has gotten used to dealing with the bandwidth-intensive Android phone, Sprint may be in for another pounding, once more customers start upgrading their basic phones for the iPhone.
And even if the iPhone isn't significantly more data-hungry than its Android counterparts, Sprint may use the iPhone's reputation as an excuse to close off the unlimited-data spigot.
So what does that mean for customers? If the iPhone does come out for Sprint, hop on an unlimited-data plan while you can (and thus get grandfathered in). The plan may not be around much longer.

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Uncle Frank of 'Kimmel Show' fame dies at 77

Frank Potenza, a former New York City police officer who turned to comedy as "Uncle Frank" on his nephew Jimmy Kimmel's late-night talk show, died early Tuesday. He was 77.
A statement from ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" said Potenza was "beloved by his co-workers and considered an uncle to all."
"His kindness and humor will be missed by everyone he touched," the statement said. It did not include further details.
The show is on hiatus until Sept. 6, and ABC did not have any immediate information about an on-air tribute to Potenza.
The silver-haired Potenza had served as a police officer for two decades and as a private security guard before Kimmel asked him to join his fledgling show as a guard and cast member in 2003.
On "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" the uniformed Potenza was paired in comedy bits with Guillermo Rodriguez, a real-life parking lot security guard for the show. The two men also joined with Veatrice Rice, another show security guard, in a clueless discussion about news events. Rice died in 2009.
Potenza and his former wife, Conchetta "Chippy" Potenza, were sent by Kimmel on comic "adventures" such as working on a dairy farm and learning self-defense.
"Thank you for your kind words about a very kind man -- my Uncle Frank -- who passed away this morning," Kimmel said in a Twitter posting.
A native of Brooklyn, N.Y., and a Korean War veteran, Potenza served as a police officer for 20 years before working as a guard in Las Vegas and at St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan. Then Kimmel asked him to move to Los Angeles to work with him.
Potenza is survived by his three daughters and a newborn granddaughter, according to the show's statement. Funeral plans were not released.

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Ryan Gosling Is A Superhero In A Muscle-Baring Striped

We ALL know Ryan Gosling is a megababe. Like, he's so far off in a league of his own that he can even wear a pajama shirt out in public and all women will still maniacally start crying at the mere mention of his name. I mean, the guy can't help it. He's got the looks, he's got the charm, and MOST IMPORTANT—he's got the style. (OK, FIIIIINEEE. His rockin' bod is PRETTY DARN important too.) But what happened the other day basically threw him off the charts. No one can EVER. COME. CLOSE. To Mr. Gosling's attractiveness after what a girl accidentally caught on camera in New York City the other day.

So, let's set up the scene. Two dudes are fighting in the middle of the street in NYC. (Typical.) They're playing tug-o-war over a painting (less typical) and while a girl is filming this ridic fight, literally OUT OF NOWHERE Ryan Gosling walks in (REALLY, REALLY not typical). He steps into the quarrel and when he spots this altercation, he immediately tries to break it up (HEART OF GOLD!). Ryan drops his shopping bag (NOT MATERIALISTIC!) and throws his GIANT, THROBBING man muscle of an arm against the perpetrator, who spots Ry Ry's huge guns and throws his hands up in defeat. By some crazy stroke of luck, Ryan decided to wear a striped and nautical-inspired tank the VERY day his bulging biceps would come in handy. THEREFORE, his tank top basically saved the day. Would the story have played out differently if he were wearing a baggy hoodie? YES. You can't see all that rock hard steel beneath layers of cotton, people. Pure brawn speaks louder than any words you could POSSIBLY say to these angry gentleman, and for THAT, we should all give a nice, HUGE round of applause to Ryan Gosling's tank top. It saved the day AND gave us a nice show of what those bad boys can do. Also, please note he's wearing cuffed sweatpants.

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Kris Jenner irate over alleged wedding day text from

Not surprisingly, members of Kim Kardashian’s family, particularly mother-of-the-bride Kris Jenner, are over-the-top furious about Kim’s ex Ray J for allegedly texting Kardashian on her Saturday wedding day to remind her about the sex video they made back in 2007.

While the entertainer gave an interview to Chicago’s WGCI-FM (107.5) claiming he was “so over that” relationship, he got vague when asked exactly what kind of message he sent his former girlfriend Saturday.

The singer/songwriter and reality TV star did say, “I wish them the best. She’s doing real good right now, that what it is.”

† There were reports that Ray J’s messages to Kardashian claimed it was their sex video — which Kardashian initially sued to quash — that helped turn her into a media phenomenon. “Keeping Up with the Kardashians” launched less than a year after the video was initially leaked.

BACK TOGETHER? Their TV shows may have been canceled, but Kat Von D and Jesse James supposedly are slowly reheating their once torrid romance.

A source close to Sandra Bullock’s ex-husband tells me, “they are taking things a bit slower this time. ... It’s another case of can’t live with her, can’t live without her. … We’ll just have to wait and see.”

GETTING ‘REAL’: Fans of all those “Real Housewives” shows on Bravo will get a chance to see some of the hit reality series’ mainstays at Water Tower Place over the next few weeks. Countess LuAnn de Lesseps (“The Real Housewives of New York”) will be chatting up her Class with the Countess book from 6 to 8 p.m. Aug. 31. Gretchen Rossi (“Orange County”) will be styling fans 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 1 and Teresa Guidice (“New Jersey”) will be signing her books Skinny Italian and Fabulicious!, 6 to 8 p.m. Sept. 8.

STAR SHOT: Sources on the set of “What To Expect When You’re Expecting” — currently filming down in Atlanta — claim they have been surprised that Chris Rock has “out-diva’ed” well-known diva Jennifer Lopez.

“He is way more demanding, has a far bigger entourage and is just more needy in every way than Jennifer,” said a movie insider.

IN DRIVER’S SEAT: The romance between Leonardo DiCaprio and Blake Lively is steady as ever, but the actor has insisted on certain changes in Lively’s life. The eco-friendly star has insisted she dump her gas-guzzling Range Rover, which he has replaced with a black Prius.

SEEN ON THE SCENE: A bunch of Emmy Rossum’s “Shameless” cast, including Laura Wiggins, Madison Davenport, Steve Howey, Jeremy Allen White, Emma Kenney, Ethan Cutkosky and Shanola Hampton, showed Sunday night to support her at the Harry Caray’s launch party for Michigan Avenue magazine’s September issue, featuring Rossum on the cover, in a story penned by Sun-Timesman Rich Roeper. Also spied at the wall-to-wall bash were actor Walt Willey, “The Playboy Club” star Laura Benanti and producer Chad Hodge, “Desperate Housewives” mainstay James Denton, Roe Conn, ex-Packer Neal Wilkinson and ex-NHL player Reid Simpson. … LeAnn Rimes was seen enjoying a relaxing dinner with hubby and “The Playboy Club” star Eddie Cibrian at Mercadito on West Kinzie — and later at the restaurant’s downstairs Double A nightspot.

FASHION FLASH: For the first time in more than a decade, the Costume Council of the Chicago History Museum will revive its signature black-tie gala. Originally called the Donor’s Ball, the updated Costume Ball will celebrate the opening of “Charles James: Genius Deconstructed” — an homage to the groundbreaking fashion designer.

A Chicago Who’s Who are expected for the Oct. 21 fete, co-chaired by Catherine Eberle, Lawrie Weed and Roben Loewenberg Berger. The evening also will honor a top contemporary fashion luminary, designer Ralph Rucci.

Helen Harvey Mills, whose late mother was one of James’ muses, will serve as the event’s honorary chair.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT: Talk about customer loyalty! Chicagoan Jerry Olson is on the verge of making his 1,000th (!!!) dining visit to Coco Pazzo Cafe on St. Clair. To mark the occasion, owner Jack Weiss and his staff will prepare a special four-course dinner for Olson and three guests and give him a set of fine wine glasses only he and his dinner companions will be able to use for future dinners in the eatery.

On top of all that, Olson will receive a $1,000 Coco Pazzo restaurants gift card — to help him start working on his next 1,000 visits!

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Will and Jada Pinkett Smith deny separation talk

Fans spent hours chatting Tuesday about an In Touch Weekly item that said Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith had decided to separate after 13 years of marriage, but the superstar couple said later in the day that it just isn't true.
"Although we are reluctant to respond to these types of press reports, the rumors circulating about our relationship are completely false," the couple said in a statement released to the news media about 4 p.m., hours after In Touch's initial report. "We are still together, and our marriage is intact."
Trey Smith, Will Smith's 18-year-old son from his first marriage, blasted In Touch's report via his Twitter: "No they did NOT split! False information."
In Touch's report that the Smiths are calling it quits came from what the publication described as an "insider."
Will and Jada Pinkett Smith have two children: "Karate Kid" star Jaden, 13, and "Whip My Hair" singer Willow, 10.

Stars react to Ashford's death

Motown founder Berry Gordy Jr. described Nick Ashford as an "all-around beautiful human being" Tuesday after getting news that the entertainer, 69, had died.
"He, together with his wife, Valerie Simpson, wrote and produced some of the most unique and memorable songs in the Motown catalog for some of Motown's biggest artists," Gordy said in a statement. "Nick will always be a great part of the Motown family and legacy."
Detroit singer Kem, who is on the Motown Records roster, told the Free Press: "I will remember Nick Ashford for his tremendous contributions to the music industry and even more for the kindness he always showed me."
Ashford died of throat cancer Monday in a New York hospital.

Brady, Bundchen: Best-paid

Pro quarterback Tom Brady (University of Michigan) and wife Gisele Bundchen are the world's highest-paid celebrity couple, according to Forbes magazine.
The New England Patriots quarterback and his supermodel wife pocketed $76 million from May 2010 to May 2011 to take the No. 1 position on Forbes' celeb couples list.
Others on the list include: Jay-Z and Beyoncé Knowles (No. 2, $72 million), Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (No. 3, $50 million), David and Victoria Beckham (No. 4, $45 million) and "Twilight" stars Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart (No. 5, $40 million).

Briefly

• Representatives from Palace Sports & Entertainment announced Tuesday that the Seats for Soldiers free ticket offer for veterans and people in the military, as well as their families, will include Saturday's Alice Cooper show and Ted Nugent's Sept. 3 date. Both concerts are at DTE Energy Music Theatre. Tickets for the promotion are limited, so qualified individuals should present their military ID or proof of military service at the Palace or DTE box offices while supplies last.
• Representatives from the MotorCity Casino Hotel said Tuesday that the second annual MotorCity Scavenger Hunt is scheduled for Sept. 10. The free fun, which includes a $10,000 grand prize, starts at 10 a.m. Participants get a map, a clue sheet, and a list of tasks that will take them to neighborhoods like Corktown, the Detroit Riverwalk and Campus Martius Park. There's a 1,000-person limit.

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Amy Winehouse family says toxicology tests show no illegal drugs in her body when she died

LONDON — Amy Winehouse had no illegal drugs in her system when she died, and it is still unclear what killed the singer, her family said Tuesday.
The family said in a statement that toxicology tests showed “alcohol was present” in the singer’s body but it hasn’t yet been determined if it contributed to her death.

The 27-year-old soul diva, who had battled drug and alcohol addiction for years, was found dead in her London home on July 23, and an initial post-mortem failed to determine the cause of death.
A statement released by spokesman Chris Goodman on the family’s behalf said “toxicology results returned to the Winehouse family by authorities have confirmed that there were no illegal substances in Amy’s system at the time of her death.” The statement did not mention whether any legal drugs were found.
It said the family awaited the outcome of an inquest that is due to begin in October.
Winehouse’s father, Mitch, has said his daughter had beaten her drug dependency three years before her death, but he admitted she was still struggling to control her drinking after several weeks of abstinence.
Mitch Winehouse told mourners at the singer’s July 26 funeral that she had said to him, “’Dad I’ve had enough of drinking, I can’t stand the look on your and the family’s faces anymore.’”
The Winehouse family announced plans to establish a charitable foundation in the singer’s name to help people struggling with addiction — although Mitch Winehouse has said the plans are on hold because someone else had registered the name Amy Winehouse Foundation.
In her short lifetime, Winehouse frequently made headlines because of drug and alcohol abuse, eating disorders, destructive relationships and abortive performances.
Her health often appeared fragile. In June 2008 and again in April 2010, she was taken to hospital and treated for injuries after fainting and falling at home.
Her father said she had developed the lung disease emphysema from smoking cigarettes and crack, although her spokeswoman later said Winehouse only had “early signs of what could lead to emphysema.”
She turned her tumultuous life and personal demons into songs such as “Rehab,” from her Grammy-winning album “Back to Black.”
Her death prompted an outpouring of emotion from fans — many of whom left flowers and offerings outside her house in north London’s Camden neighborhood — and from fellow musicians.
Her final recording, a duet with Tony Bennett on “Body and Soul,” is due to released next month as a charity single.
In Britain, inquests are held to establish the facts whenever someone dies violently or in unexplained circumstances. Winehouse’s inquest is due to begin Oct. 26 in London.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Motown songwriter Nick Ashford dies at 70

Motown songwriter Nick Ashford, who penned hits such as Ain't No Mountain High Enough with wife Valerie Simpson, has died at the age of 70.

Ashford, who was being treated for cancer, died in a New York hospital, former publicist Liz Rosenberg said.
Ashford and Simpson met in a church choir and penned a string of hits including You're All I Need To Get By and Chaka Khan hit, I'm Every Woman.
They also had a hit themselves in the 1980s with Solid (As A Rock).
Ashford moved from his native South Carolina to New York to pursue a music career in the early 1960s.
Simpson later inscribed "Nick Ashford slept here" on the park bench he slept on in the city's Bryant Park, when he first came to New York and was homeless.

The couple's breakthrough hit was Ray Charles's Let's Get Stoned in 1966.
Their other hits include Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing, one of several tracks written for duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and Diana Ross's first solo single, Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand).
The pair were inducted into the Songwriters Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2002.
"I'm so sad that he's gone," Alicia Keys said in a tribute posted on Twitter: "What a legacy of infectious music."
"His music is unmatched in terms of great songwriting," said Verdine White of Earth, Wind and Fire.
"They had magic and that's what creates those wonderful hits, that magic. Without those songs, those artists wouldn't have been able to go to the next level."
Ashford and Simpson are also credited as co-writers on Amy Winehouse's track, Tears Dry On Their Own, which contains a sample from Ain't No Mountain High Enough.
Ashford is survived by his wife and their daughters Nicole and Asia. Funeral arrangements have yet to be announced.

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Reindeer herder finds remains of baby mammoth in Russia's Arctic

A reindeer herder in Russia's Arctic has stumbled on the prehistoric remains of a baby woolly mammoth poking out of the permafrost, local officials said Friday.
The herder said the carcass was as perfectly preserved as the 40,000-year-old mammoth calf Lyuba discovered in the same remote region four years ago, authorities said, adding that an expedition had set off hoping to confirm the "sensational" find.
"If it is true what is said about how it is preserved, this will be another sensation of global significance," expedition leader Natalia Fyodorova said in a statement on the Arctic Yamalo-Nenetsk region's official website.
Scientists planned to fly the mammoth's remains to the regional capital Salekhard, where it would be stored in a cooler to prevent the remains from decomposing.
Giant woolly mammoths have been extinct since the Earth's last Ice Age 1.8 million to around 11,500 years ago.
Scientists worldwide were stunned by the discovery of Lyuba, named after the wife of the hunter who discovered her.
Arctic ice kept the extinct specimen so immaculately preserved that although her shaggy coat was gone, her skin and internal organs were intact.

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Don King at 80: A wild ride

It's a weird bit of coincidence that three of boxing's biggest power brokers over the last four decades were all born mere months apart in 1931.
It is unquestionable that the influence of World Boxing Council boss Jose Sulaiman and promoter Bob Arum remain undiminished as of this writing.
Don King, who turns 80 on Saturday, is no longer the towering figure he once was. While he has a decent stable of fighters, the most charitable view would see him as the fourth most powerful promotional entity in the sport, and possibly no higher than sixth.
It was telling that immediately after King's Joseph Abgeko was shafted last week by some of the most biased officiating seen in a major fight in years, it was left to the promoter's rep, Alan Hooper, to lobby from the fight site in Las Vegas. King was at his Florida home, unable to make the trip due to a bad back.
King used to own Las Vegas, and he controlled most of the fighters in the heavyweight division from the mid-1970s to just a few years ago. Lennox Lewis made a dent in that grip, but it was the shifting of the power base in the division to Europe and the Klitschko brothers that ended the fiefdom.
Outrageous, entertaining, contemptuous, overbearing, creative, criminal, a workaholic, Machiavellian, loquacious, blatant, shameless, shameful ... King hogs more adjectives than most public figures.
King's ability to hustle and convince two of the biggest sports stars, as well as representatives from an impoverished African nation, to come together for the Ali-Foreman fight is one of the legendary feats in sports promotion; and in the King vernacular, done using OPM — Other People's Money.
In 1986, he introduced a heavyweight unification tournament for the division he helped divide. He was clearly thinking six moves ahead, as it just so happened to come into fruition as Mike Tyson was coming into view as the next big thing.
A decade later, he helped convince about a million suckers to order Tyson's out-of-prison farce against Peter McNeeley.
As you'll see from the timeline below, though, King's accomplishments are fairly front loaded in his career.
He is also a central figure in the sport's ills. The charges levelled at King include: Blurring the lines between promoter and manager, using blank contracts, two versions of contracts, charging boxers for expenses, playing the race card to gain the confidence of black fighters, and working in cahoots with the sport's nefarious and self-serving sanctioning bodies.
Attempts to pin down the Teflon Don in court have proven mostly unsuccessful, however.
While he's not to blame for their individual foibles, an alarming percentage of King's heavyweight charges in the 1980s turned to drugs or crime. It's telling that many of Tyson's best moments came before King got his hooks fully into "Iron Mike."
Meanwhile, when you think of all the great welterweight and middleweight fights of the 1980s, King's involvement was very limited. He co-promoted the first two Ray Leonard-Roberto Duran bouts with Arum in 1980, but didn't have a role in subsequent superfights involving those fighters and Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns.
To draw a link from King to boxing's decline in popularity in the U.S., and the rise of mixed martial arts is very simplistic, however. There have been greater forces at play, including a drop in the relative number of North American fighters.
Men of a certain age have no problems talking wistfully about the Friday Night Fights era, arguably when boxing was at its most corrupt, as the mob often controlled fighters, and sometimes, outcomes. Today, fans of MMA don't seem to mind much that the fighters there make a fraction of what the best in boxing do, despite very healthy pay-per-view revenues.
To put things more starkly: Joe Gans and Jack Johnson were the first black boxing champions, in the early 1900s. The first successful black promoter over a period of time was King, who came to prominence around 1973. During his time in the sport, corporate titans like Donald Trump and Steve Wynn tried to become forces in boxing, but were fairly quickly outfoxed or outlasted by King.
So, on the occasion of King's birthday, a look at the wild ride of a one-of-kind impresario.
Aug 20, 1931: Born in Cleveland, one of six children to Hattie and Clarence King.
Dec. 7, 1941: King's father is killed in an industrial accident.
Dec. 2, 1954: Shoots and kills a man who is allegedly robbing a residence he owns (purportedly a gambling den). The killing is ruled justifiable homicide by authorities.
April 20, 1966: In view of several witnesses, King beats and stomps Amos Garrett to death on a Cleveland sidewalk. Claims it was self-defence despite the fact the unarmed Garrett weighs about 100 pounds less.
Feb 23, 1967: Found guilty of second degree murder, which carries the possibility of life in prison. King is sent to Marion Correctional Institute, where he immerses himself in books. Over the years he would go on to quote, and misquote, writers and philosophers such as Shakespeare, Nietschze, Marx, etc.
March-July 1967: In a decision that would change sports history, the judge mysteriously and unilaterally changes the conviction to manslaughter.
March 1971: Famously listens to the Fight of the Century, Ali-Frazier I, in prison. Less than five years later, he would promote the third fight of the series, The Thrilla in Manila.
Sept. 30, 1971: Leaves prison.
1972-73: Starts to learn the fight game through local promoter Don Elbaum.
Aug. 28, 1972: Through mutual Ali friend, singer Lloyd Price, arranges to have Ali come to Cleveland for an exhibition to benefit a struggling black hospital.
Jan. 22, 1973: Through connections he’s made in the fight game, King ends up in Kingston, Jamaica, for George Foreman’s shocking second round KO of Joe Frazier. He arrives with the current champ and leaves with the new champ, working his way into the frame for Howard Cosell’s post-fight interview with Foreman.
June 1973: Registers in New York as the manager of heavyweight Jeff Merritt, his first official boxer.
June to Sept. 1973: Elbows out the existing management of both Earnie Shavers and Larry Holmes.
Feb.-March 1974: Meets with Muhammad Ali and Foreman separately, guaranteeing them each several million dollars — which he does not possess — for a proposed fight. Through a series of meetings with European financiers, is introduced to a representative of Zaire dictator Joseph Mobutu.
March 26, 1974: The fight that would become known as The Rumble in the Jungle is announced after Foreman drubs Ken Norton in Caracas.
Sometime in 1974: Begins to comb his hair up, insisting to anyone who'll listen that it occurred one night through divine intervention.
Oct 30, 1974: Despite a fight postponement, a lack of existing infrastructure and a myriad of crazy happenings in Zaire, the fight comes off, with Ali's upset of Foreman turning out to be one of the epochal boxing matches of all time.
1975-1976: While Ali is technically a free agent, King's feat in Zaire is a springboard to promote a number of the champ's bouts, including the epic with Frazier and an easy defence against journeyman Chuck Wepner (who was a partial influence for Sylvester Stallone's Rocky Balboa).
Dec. 1976: King announces a tournament involving U.S. fighters in conjunction with The Ring magazine, to be televised by ABC.
April 1977: The tournament is suspended after a series of outrageous decisions and manipulated rankings and fighter records. An investigation finds ethical breaches, but no criminal acts, on King's part.
Oct. 1977:In a strange event lost to the winds of history, is involved with Ali and a consortium of local businessmen in a bid to bring an North American Soccer League franchise to Montreal.
Feb. 78: Frequent partner-in-crime Jose Sulaiman strips Leon Spinks of the title he just won, ostenbily for the crime of giving the legend Ali a rematch. The vacant title is eventually contested by King-controlled fighters Ken Norton and Larry Holmes.
1978-1990: From Holmes-Norton until the Buster Douglas upset of Mike Tyson, King absolutely dominates the heavyweight picture.
Dec 5, 1981: King is beaten up while in Bahamas for Ali-Trevor Berbick fight. He alleges that the fight promoter James Cornelius and a group of Black Muslims did the damage.
June 9, 1982: Ali sues King for nearly $2 million US in alleged unpaid earnings.
July 1982: Ali, hurting for cash after some bad investments, is persuaded to take a cash settlement for far less than $2 million in order to drop the suit.
June 9, 1982: Larry Holmes defeats so-called "Great White Hope" Gerry Cooney in a heavyweight superfight promoted by King. Holmes complains bitterly that the challenger ends up with a bigger chunk of the take.
Jan. 3, 1983: Receives a pardon for his manslaughter conviction. Among those recommending the pardon were Jesse Jackson, Coretta Scott King, and Cleveland sports figures Art Modell and Gabe Paul.
Nov. 1983: Announces the Jackson reunion tour for the following year. The tour grosses 75 million US but is not a sellout, and King is replaced months in, reportedly at the behest of Michael Jackson. King later returns to the fold to help the floundering tour regain footing.
Dec 13, 1984: U.S. attorney Rudy Giuliani announces a 23-count indictment for tax fraud and against King and his assistant Constance Harper. He is accused of skimming funds from Don King Promotions, not paying taxes, not reporting income, etc.
Nov. 19, 1985: King is acquitted on all charges, Harper is found guilty, serving four months in prison.
Jan. 17, 1986: Along with Butch Lewis, announces plans for a heavyweight tournament to end with one champion. King promotes most of the fighters, and clearly has an eye on rising force Tyson.
July 19, 1986: Pays the tab for several of the jurors from his tax trial to attend the Tim Witherspoon-Frank Bruno title bout in London.
March 23, 1988: Tyson's co-manager Jim Jacobs dies. The distraught Tyson is influenced by King, with the help of wife Robin Givens and mother-in-law Ruth Roper, to pull away from his other co-manager, Bill Cayton.
Feb. 11, 1990: Tyson is stunned in one of the greatest sports upsets ever. King and Sulaiman conspire to drum up a long-count knockout controversy to taint Buster Douglas's moment in the sun, but a media outcry proves too strong.
June 22, 1990: King and Tyson are honoured guests of the recently released Nelson Mandela (a one-time boxer), as he addresses the UN.
Feb. 10, 1992: Tyson sentenced to prison in Indiana on a rape conviction. With the likes of Riddick Bowe, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield and Michael Moorer at the top of the heavyweight division, the next few years are a period of relatively little influence for King.
Sept. 10, 1993: King-promoted Julio Cesar Chavez, a friend of fellow Mexican Sulaiman, receives a gift draw decision against Pernell Whitaker, one of the worst judging displays in modern boxing history.
July 1994: Charged with filing fake insurance claims to Lloyds of London for alleged unpaid training expenses to Chavez and other fighters.
Aug. 19, 1995: Despite reports the recently-released Tyson will go another route, King is back with him to engineer a big pay-per-view event surrounding the fighter’s appalling comeback bout against McNeeley.
Nov. 1995: Mistrial is declared in King's trial because of a hung jury and allegations of juror misconduct.
June 1997: Inducted in the Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, N.Y.
July 15, 1997: The NAACP honours King with its President's Award, for his "quiet" philanthroy and for helping to enrich minority athletes.
Nov. 1997:Don King: Only inAmerica, based on Jack Newfield's book, premieres on HBO, with Ving Rhames nabbing an Emmy for his portrayal of the promoter.
March 1998: Tyson claims in a lawsuit that King took advantage of him to the tune of $100M.
July 9, 1998: King faces a second trial in the Lloyds case, but is acquitted personally on nine counts of wire fraud. The jury is hung on a verdict concerning Don King Productions, voting 11-1 to acquit according to one juror. The U.S. Attorney's office in New York declines to prosecute that charge again.
March 13, 1999: Lewis and Holyfield fight to a controversial draw, a result that displeases nearly all. King happily bellows for a rematch to settle things at the post-fight presser. Lewis wins the rematch.
June 1999: King's offices in Deerfield, Fla., are raided by the FBI as part of an investigation into boxing dealings.
Dec. 1999: International Boxing Federation chief Bob Lee is indicted a result of the probe and later sentenced to prison. King is found to be one of a number of promoters who gave money to Lee in exchange for favourable fighter rankings. King is suspended in New Jersey, the IBF's base.
Spring 2001: Successfully woos Hasim Rahman with a briefcase of cash (allegedly $500K) and a cheque for millions soon after the fighter's upset win over Lewis. The courts block the move, ruling that Rahman has a valid contract with Cedric Kushner.
June 2001: King reaches The Supreme Court. The court rules 9-0 to reinstate a racketeering lawsuit against King by Kushner. The case had been bogged down in wrangling over whether King could be individually sued as a separate entity based on the actions of his DKP company.
Sept. 29, 2001: Promotes a middleweight tournament that ends with one of the most criminally overlooked post-9/11 sports moments: American Bernard Hopkins upsets Felix Trinidad of Puerto Rico at Madison Square Garden in front of hundreds of New York police and firefighters.
Dec. 2003: King is ordered to pay former charge Terry Norris $7.5M. In 1993, the fighter said: "King pays the most. He has been straight up with me so far. If he tries to screw me, he's gone."
July 2004: Tyson settles his suit with King for a reported total of $14 million.
Oct. 2005: The Don King Celebrity Roast takes place. Sample joke from Jackie Martling: "I know Mike Tyson is a little annoyed with Don King — he told me while parking my car last night."
March 21, 2007: Through an Italian fighter he promotes, King gets a front row pew at St. Peter’s Basilica and hands Pope Benedict a letter and a gift.
Dec. 2010: King's 87-year-old wife, Henrietta, dies from complications of stomach cancer. The couple were married more than 50 years. On the way to her Cleveland funeral he is stopped for having ammo in his carry-on luggage.
The preceding timeline relied in part on the work of boxing journalists Jack Newfield, Thomas Hauser and Phil Berger, as well as contemporary accounts from The New York Times, USA Today, and The Associated Press.

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Kelly Preston: Scientology saved her - 'don't know if [she] would've made it without it'

By Andrea Reiher
Actress Kelly Preston, wife to John Travolta and mother to children Ella, Ben and the late Jett, who passed away of a seizure two and a half years ago, opens up to Health magazine about her life since Jett's passing and the birth of Ben when she was 48 years old.

As to motherhood, Preston says, "I love being a mom. I'd keep having babies ... When I found out I was pregnant, I was floored. I'd snuck out of bed and then came back and woke Johnny up in bed. We both started crying. It was wonderful ... It's pretty amazing having a child at this age."

When asked how she coped with the emotional roller coaster she's been on in the last two and a half years, Preston says, "Johnny is definitely my rock. Kirstie [Alley] is one of my absolute best friends. My mom, my brother. And to be honest, the Scientology center. I don't know if I would have made it through without it."

She also says of Hollywood moms who get back into shape so quickly after having a baby, "In Hollywood everybody loses the weight in about three or six weeks; it's kind of insane. And I mean, if you have that type of body, then, all the power to you, it's amazing that you can do that if it's still healthy."

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Keeping Up With Khloe Kardashian

By Bethany Heinesh
There's no doubt the Kardashians have taken the world by storm and let's be honest -we just can't get enough. Whether we're glued to the boob tube watching their ridiculous antics on the smash hit reality show Keeping Up With the Kardashians, browsing magazines to keep up with their latest fashion fads or getting online to check out the latest gossip, Kim, Kourtney and Khloe definitely have our attention. Yes, we love Kris, Kendall, Kylie and the rest of the K-clan, but let's keep it real -who do we really want to see? Who keeps us entertained and wanting more? It's certainly not the Jenner teens, Bruce, Robert or Lamar. (No offense, guys!) It's those three wild and crazy gals, the Musketeers, the unstoppable sister trio who keep us hooked and tuning in every week.
Many have touted Kim as the favorite Kardashian, admiring her exotic beauty and complimenting her unique style. We see her face on the cover of at least one glamour mag a week and we all agree she's fabulous. Others have become obsessed with Kourtney's baby daddy drama and celebrate her maternal instinct and incredible strength. She's gorgeous and independent and we love her for it. And while Kim and Kourtney have a special place in the hearts and minds of Kardashian crazed admirers all around the world, people everywhere are lovin' them some Khloe.
Here's why we love Khloe Kardashian:
Khloe is Super Kool
To sum it up, Khloe has the "it" factor. Sure, she's beautiful and yes, she's stylish. But it's her personality that gives her that certain sparkle -the kind that makes a star shine. She's spontaneous; she's fun and she's carefree. In spite of her super glam girl status, Khloe seems very down to earth. She's the chick you want to hang with because you know there'd never be a dull moment. She's the kind of gal who's always ready to have a good time and where she goes, laughter follows. Plain and simple, Khloe just radiates kool and that's one of the reasons we love her.
Khloe is a Trend-Setter
If you're a die-hard Kardashian fan like me, you remember the recent episode of Keeping Up With the Kardashians where Khloe walked around the house in a huge Indian headdress. Sure, it's totally absurd and completely outlandish, but didn't it make you want to run right out to your local costume shop and buy one for yourself? I know I have since thought of getting one to wear to my mother's for Thanksgiving -just for the thrill of it. Whether it's leopard-print pumps or posing nude for an animal rights campaign, Khloe rocks whatever she wears -- or doesn't wear. Women look to her as a sort of compass and are guided by her fashion decisions. Khloe has the ability to pull off the most outrageous outfits, shoes and hats and that's another reason why we love her.
Khloe Keeps it Real
There's just something about Khloe Kardashian that makes her very relatable. She has managed to maintain her authenticity in a world of what many are now calling unreality TV. We love her for being so open about her insecurities, among them her personal battle with body issues and the pressure to stay thin. Even though she lives a life of luxury and privilege, somehow, we can identify with her. Yes, she's rich and famous and fantabulous, but I get the feeling she could make even the most star-struck fan feel comfortable in her presence.
Khloe Cares
Whether she's making a statement against the cruelty of animals or promoting gay rights, Khloe Kardashian seems genuinely moved to use her celebrity status as a vehicle to make the world a better place. Because of her good looks and charm, her depth and intelligence are often underrated, which is a shame. She demonstrates compassion, caring and real character. Her values are evident in all that she does and unlike so many reality stars, Khloe has what it takes to be a true role model. She loves her family; she is loyal to her husband and she seems truly concerned with the greater good.
So, in closing -Khloe Kardashian, wherever you are -don't change a thing, we love you just the way you are!

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Christina Aguilera

The singing sensation teams up with Adam Levine in her new video, 'Moves Like Jagger.' As the song's title suggests, the video features folks strutting their stuff just like the iconic singer of the Rolling Stones. Shake it if you got it, baby.

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Kendall Jenner

Justin Bieber a matchmaker? The singing sensation took to Twitter in an attempt to set up a friend with model Kendall Jenner. Jenner responded that she would, but with one caveat. "Only if you and Selena Gomez join," she wrote

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Myanmar says ethnic rebels kill 7 in ambush

Rebels in northern Myanmar ambushed a car carrying workers from a Chinese-backed hydroelectric project, killing seven people, state media reported Friday.

Ethnic Kachin fighters attacked the vehicle as it traveled from the Tarpein power plant to the town of Moemauk on Tuesday, the government-owned Myanma Ahlin newspaper said.

Rebels could not be reached for comment. But the website of the Kachin News Group, which is associated with Kachin exiles, said earlier this week that Kachin fighters attacked a military truck in the same area on the same day, causing an unknown number of casualties.

Among the passengers inside the vehicle were three technicians who had just come from the Tarpein plant, the newspaper said. Only one of the eight people inside the car, a policeman, survived, it said. The gruesome aftermath of the attack appeared in photos on several front-page newspapers in Myanmar.

Fighting erupted in Kachin state in June for the first time since 1994. The rebels say the army launched an offensive to force out Kachin forces after they refused to abandon a strategic base near the Tarpein plant, a joint venture between Myanmar's Electric Power Ministry and China. The rebels fought back, destroying bridges and power pylons in the area.

The violence has tapered off in recent weeks, but around 20,000 people are still displaced.
The 8,000-strong Kachin militia is one of several minority ethnic rebel armies in Myanmar who say they are fighting for greater autonomy from the country's repressive government.

Environmental activists say Myanmar's environment, often described as Asia's last bio-diversity frontier, is being degraded as China and other neighbors rush to use its natural resources with few governmental safeguards.

The Burma Environmental Working Group, a coalition of 10 organizations in exile, has said large dams are being built in the country with little regard to their environmental or social impacts. Kachin residents believe the dams will flood riverbanks and wipe out their livelihoods, while the electricity from the dams will be largely exported to China.

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How to Read Beauty Product Labels

By Karla Bowsher

If you've ever bought a personal care product because you thought it was natural, hypoallergenic, or wouldn't cause your toddler to cry in the bath, you've probably wasted your money.
I use the Garnier Fructis Body Boost Fortifying Shampoo. The bottle says that it’s for “fine or flat hair” and “weightlessly boosts for all-day volume.”
Cosmetics expert Paula Begoun says that’s false information: “Body Boost Fortifying Shampoo has lots of window-dressing wording that looks good on the label but does nothing for your hair.”
Oh, and my hair isn’t fine or flat. It’s thick and full. Despite the product’s claims, I use it because I love its citrus scent and, as Begoun puts it, “the shampoo does a great job of cleansing all hair and scalp types with minimal risk of buildup.”
So why does Garnier market it otherwise? In short, because they can – which is exactly why you should never buy a personal care product based on a promise on its packaging.
Unlike medications, these products are not approved by the FDA. It’s shocking, I know – we apply them to a vital organ (our skin) on a daily basis .

:

As the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics puts it…
The FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors has regulatory jurisdiction over cosmetics and personal care products. Most people assume the FDA regulates these products in the same way it does food and drugs to assure safety. In fact, cosmetics are one of the least regulated consumer products on the market today.
In other words, the FDA does not police cosmetic products or their ingredients. The only thing it really has any say in is certain parts of cosmetic products’ labels.

So what’s a beauty deal-seeker to do?

If you don’t want to waste your money on products that make empty promises, learn which parts of product labels are regulated by the FDA. There’s no other way to know which words on personal care product labels are credible and which could be nonsense.
FDA regulations only address…

1. Ingredients: The Code of Federal Regulations (Section 701.3) requires cosmetics packaging to “bear a declaration of the name of each ingredient in descending order of predominance.” As seemingly useless as ingredients with unpronounceable names may seem, this is about as trustworthy as a cosmetics product’s label gets. “The ingredient list is the only part of the product’s copy that you can and should rely on,” says Paula Begoun. “It’s true that knowing how to decipher an ingredient list is difficult, but … it is a far more reliable source of information than the product’s description and claims.”
To learn more about what’s in your cosmetics, check out:
• Paula Begoun’s Cosmetic Ingredient Dictionary
• The Environmental Working Group’s Chemical Index
• The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics’ Science page


2. Identity:
The Code of Federal Regulations (Section 701.11) also requires packaging to “bear as one of its principal features a statement of the identity of the commodity.” In other words, packaging must communicate the intended use of the product it contains, either by a common name (for example, “shampoo”), a “descriptive” or “fanciful” name (for example, “Body Boost Fortifying Shampoo”), or an illustration.


3. Quantity:
Section 701.13 requires packaging to “bear a declaration of the net quantity of contents.” My shampoo, for example, contains 25.4 fluid ounces, indicated on the bottle as “25.4 FL OZ (750ml).”

4. Manufacturer:
Section 701.12 requires packaging to “specify conspicuously the name and place of business of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor.” Garnier, LLC, of New York City makes my shampoo.

Can anything else be done?

Technically, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act says manufacturers shouldn’t sell misbranded cosmetics. This means they can’t omit required information from product labels or use labeling that is “false or misleading.” The thing is, false or misleading labeling is hard to prove. For example, Garnier Fructis Body Boost Fortifying Shampoo doesn’t add volume to my hair, but the FDA has no definition of the word “volume” that would allow it to prove otherwise. So words like “volumizing” are marketing jargon, not scientific claims.
As Dr. Linda Katz, director of the FDA’s Office of Cosmetics and Colors, told the New York Times in 2007, the FDA has never imposed standard definitions for marketing terms used on cosmetic products, which leaves manufacturers free to apply them to products as they choose.
The shocking example of Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is another illustration of this problem. In 2009, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported that…

The well-known claim that it is “as gentle to the eyes as pure water” just doesn’t measure up. Unfortunately, there are no legal standards that require products with such marketing claims to contain the safest ingredients available. … Our test results for Johnson’s Baby Shampoo, conducted by an independent lab for our “No More Toxic Tub” report, found levels of formaldehyde (200 and 210 ppm) that may be enough to trigger skin reactions in especially sensitive people. The formaldehyde in Johnson’s Baby Shampoo is likely a byproduct from the preservative Quaternium-15, which is used in many bath products, yet is known to sensitize skin.

So, a shopper’s best and only defense against this problem is herself – or himself:
Educate yourself: Learn what’s in your favorite products (see “Ingredients” above), read reviews online, ask friends and family about the products they use (and no longer use).
Watch out for the worst offenders: Three claims commonly seen on cosmetics deserve special attention. Due to the FDA’s loose oversight, they’re no less bogus than any other product claim, but more women fall for them – and therefore waste money on them.

Natural: First, understand that the word “natural” can legitimately be applied to any cosmetics ingredient and therefore doesn’t make a product unique. Even gasoline byproducts like petrolatum and mineral oil can be considered natural because gasoline starts out as crude oil that’s naturally produced by Mother Nature. “Synthetic ingredients are derived from many sources, but they all start as natural because everything comes from our environment,” says cosmetics expert Paula Begoun. “Nothing is created via alchemy.”
Second, understand that natural isn’t always better. “Consumers should not necessarily assume that an ‘organic’ or ‘natural’ ingredient or product would possess greater inherent safety than another chemically identical version of the same ingredient,” Dr. Katz said. “In fact, ‘natural’ ingredients may be harder to preserve against microbial contamination and growth than synthetic raw materials.” The best conditioners on the market contain silicone, which leaves your hair smooth and silky but is completely unnatural.
Hypoallergenic: Even if you have sensitive skin, products labeled “hypoallergenic” are a waste of money. “‘Hypoallergenic’ is little more than a nonsense word,” warns Begoun. “Given that there are no regulations governing this supposed category that was made up by the cosmetics industry, there are plenty of products labeled ‘hypoallergenic’ that contain problematic ingredients and that could indeed trigger allergic reactions. The word ‘hypoallergenic’ gives you no better understanding of what you are or aren’t putting on your skin.”
Studies: The back of the bottle of my shampoo promises “up to 70% more volume” and that it’s “proven to perform” based on “a consumer test.” “There are lots of ways to use pseudoscience to create proof for a claim that, in reality, has very little to do with science and everything to do with marketing,” explains Begoun. “During the more than 25 years I’ve been doing this, I have asked every cosmetics company whose product or products we’ve reviewed to show us their ‘study,’ and in all those 25 years, I have received only five of these studies and NONE, and I mean NONE, of those five studies proved the claims the companies were making.”

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Giant statue sighting in Hamburg

Boats gather around a sculpture of a mermaid in the inner city 'Alster' lake in Hamburg August 3, 2011. The four-meter-high sculpture made by Oliver Voss will be in place until August 12. REUTERS/Morris Mac Matzen (GERMANY - Tags: SOCIETY)

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Heather Locklear, 49, Steps Out in Skin-Tight Dress

Heather Locklear turned heads in London on Wednesday night when she attended a charity dinner for friend Samuel L. Jackson in a skin-tight black dress that showed off her age-defying figure and super-high black stiletto heels.
VIDEO: Watch Heather's vampy return to Melrose Place
The Melrose Place alum, who is weeks away from turning 50, was accompanied by her long-term boyfriend, actor Jack Wagner, 51.

PHOTOS: 90s stars -- where are they now?
And Locklear appears to have passed on her amazing genes to look-alike daughter Ava. Last year the 13-year-old, made her modeling debut at the White Trash Beautiful fashion show in Los Angeles as her dad, Richie Sambora's, Bon Jovi hit "Livin' on a Prayer" played in the background.

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Virginia Tech lockdown ends, no gunman found

AFP

Virginia Tech university, scene of the worst school shooting in US history, was on lockdown for several hours Thursday as police hunted for a man said to have been spotted with a handgun.
Police teams combed the campus for more than five hours looking for the man who was described by three youths attending a camp at the university in Blacksburg, Virginia.
"The campus alert is lifted. There will continue to be a large police presence on campus today," the university said in an update on its website, urging people to remain vigilant.
"Police have not received nor discovered additional information about a person possibly carrying a weapon beyond that reported this morning. The university community may resume normal campus activity."
The scare came four years after 32 people were gunned down and more than 20 others wounded in a horrific shooting spree by a South Korea-born student. The attacker then killed himself.
The university said in a bulletin on its website that at 9:09 am (1309 GMT), the three youths had seen a "white male, six feet (1.83 meters) tall, with light brown hair outside of New Residence Hall East holding what may have been a handgun."
"They say the weapon was covered by a cloth or covering of some sort," the statement said, adding that the suspect was wearing a shirt with blue and white vertical stripes, gray shorts and brown sandals."
Police also released a sketch of the person who was believed to have been carrying a weapon.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama had "been briefed and will be updated" and that the administration was monitoring events.
"These kinds of situations are frightening regardless," he added. "When it's happening as it is now at Virginia Tech, we're reminded of the horrible and tragic event there in 2007."
The school's assistant vice president Larry Hincker said there were probably several thousand people on campus as summer camps were taking place.
Police had stopped and questioned several people throughout the morning, but no one was found matching the description.
Memories are still fresh here of the 2007 massacre that saw Cho Seung-Hui, a 23-year-old Virginia Tech student, shot to death 32 fellow classmates and teachers before turning the gun on himself.
University officials came under heavy criticism at the time for failing to alert students early enough to the fact that a gunman was loose on campus, after he first shot two students and then a few hours later unleashed a larger shooting spree in a classroom.
The university was fined $55,000 in relation to the April 16, 2007 incident for failing to alert students in time to the gunman.
But student Kelsey Heiter told CNN she had had no hesitation in attending the university despite the shooting.
"It still hits close to home, but at the same time we have received the same kind of updates that we are now... Today, we have a better system. More updated," she said.
"People are receiving news a lot faster than they were then and the good thing is that I have not heard any reported incidents of anyone being hurt or injured or anything of that nature.
"I love Virginia Tech and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world," she continued, adding that the campus was "very safe."

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Alec Baldwin

Step aside, Steve Martin. Baldwin's one-upped you. The "30 Rock" star will be returning as host for the season opener of "Saturday Night Live," marking his 16th time on the show. The actor has been tied with the "wild and crazy guy" at 15 shows.

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Miranda Kerr

The model and new mom drew gasps and applause when she rocked the runway in a bikini just seven months after giving birth to a baby boy. Kerr, 28, told the Herald Sun that she's been doing squats and Pilates in addition to her "usual yoga routine."

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Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries wedding

The 30-year-old, who is marrying Kris Humphries, will have a televised ceremony (set your Tivo!) and wants a wedding cake like the one served for Will and Kate's bash. Unlike her English counterpart, the bride-to-be will have an American wedding dress designed by Vera Wang, Kim confirmed on Twitter.

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Andrea Bocelli To Perform Free Central Park

Famous Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is going to perform a free show in New York’s Central Park on September 15.
The 52-year-old is performing the show for PBS and he says it was a dream of his late father.
Tickets for the free event were available at various locations around the city on Thursday August 4 and hundreds of people lined up for their chance to grab early seats, most of which had sold out by 3p.m ET.
Bocelli will be performing with the New York Philharmonic and Westminster Symphonic Choir and along with the choirs special guests will be on hand to perform, although who will star alongside the tenor has not been revealed.
The “Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park” special will air on PBS on December 2 at 9 p.m and a CD of the concert along with available DVD’s will arrive sometime in November.
In a statement Bocelli said:

“I cannot help but smile when thinking about the upcoming concert in Central Park,” while adding,  ”It was my father’s dream, and my father was right, because my artistic path would have been entirely different without the strong and sincere embrace of this extraordinary city where everything is possible, even when it seems impossible.”

Following the concert Bocelli will perform in various U.S. cities including Washington, D.C. and Las Vegas.
Here’s a promotional video for “Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park”:

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Sofia Vergara

Teens, close your ears. According to the "Modern Family" star, being a teen mom isn't all that bad. The 39-year-old had her son, Manolo, at 19, and told Redbook that being a young mom had its benefits. She says in the magazine, "I had the energy for everything."

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‘Pentagon’s Worst Nightmare’

During a decade of warfare, the Pentagon mostly had its way with budgets, as Congress was reluctant to turn down many spending requests for troops in the field. There was billions here for IED-detection and billions there for weapons like the F-35 joint strike fighter, the Virginia class of submarines, or the Predator drone.

Sometimes defense officials even got money for projects they didn’t request, such as armored vehicles known as MRAPs (mine-resistant and ambush-protected) that top military officials said were not a good investment. The end result was the Pentagon’s base budget swelled from $307 billion in 2001 to $529 billion this year, a 72 percent increase over 10 years

And while the Pentagon was just beginning to trim its spending over the last year, the debt deal approved by Congress this week raises the possibility of steeper cuts between $350 billion and $800 billion over the next decade. And that has left even the most veteran Pentagon budget watchers surprised.

“This is the Pentagon’s worst nightmare,” says Travis Sharp of the Center for a New American Security.

“It’s chaos,” adds the Heritage Foundation’s Mackenzie Eaglen. “Like Upside-Down Day at the Pentagon.”

Pentagon officials are already running budget drills to game out the possible scenarios, while lobbyists for defense contractors plot how to spare their favorite projects.

“Historically, defense companies spend a great deal of money on messaging for their own programs—their pet rocks,” says Michael Herson, president of American Defense International, a lobbying firm with clients such as Northrop Grumman and Raytheon. “But now people are starting to wake up to the fact that we’re going to have to work together to fight for the top line.”

It is clear that the defense budget will be cut, though whether dramatically or modestly depends on how things play out. Even with minor cuts, military items may be lost, including the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter, “a $300 billion program that is both behind schedule and over cost,” says Travis Sharp, a budget analyst at the Center for a New American Security. In addition, Pentagon officials may decide to take stock of current plans and money, roughly $200 billion, that is needed to modernize their stockpile of nuclear weapons.

As part of a compromise reached in Washington, a Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction will be assembled by Congress to find up to $1.5 trillion in deficit savings by the end of the year. That’s on top of the $900 billion in deficit savings already identified in the legislation approved by Congress and signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. The committee will comprise six Democrats and six Republicans, and they will try to achieve their goal in part by cutting resources from the Defense Department, Department of Homeland Security, and other agencies that help protect national security.

The committee was created as a way to smooth negotiations over the budget, but it creates a precarious situation for defense officials. If the committee members fail to reach an agreement in the fall, an automated system of reductions known as a “trigger mechanism” will be enacted. This would be bad news for Pentagon officials, since it will mean they will have to carry a larger share of the cost-cutting, as much as $500 billion.

Luckily, for military boosters at least, the Defense Department is headed by a pillar of the Washington establishment. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is “a hell of a good manager,” says American University’s Gordon Adams, who worked for him at Office of Management and Budget in the 1990s. Panetta also is “liked in Congress, on both sides of the aisle.” These traits will come in handy during the “budgeting trench warfare,” as Adams describes things.

Nearly everyone in Washington, including Panetta, has known for some time that the defense budget would be cut: al Qaeda is now vanquished, or nearly so, as Americans learned recently from White House officials, and troops are coming home from Afghanistan. Analysts believe the defense cuts for the short term will be modest, and that cuts over the next decade or so may sound nasty, but they will be determined by the next president and consequently may never be enacted.

To be sure, the Pentagon can be cut—through attrition, for example, or through the elimination of the F-35.

Nevertheless, it is hard not to wonder about the concerted effort to slash the defense budget, accompanied by the scarcely hidden glee of some analysts. (“These guys have been reaping a bonanza,” Chris Hellman of the National Priorities Project told me.) Their enthusiasm underscores the gap between them and the men and women who are fighting in South Asia, Africa, and beyond.

The reality of their world is seen in Hinesville, Georgia; Fort Carson, Colorado; and in other places around the country where soldiers have been deployed four or five times, leaving behind wrecked cars, abandoned cats and children who “can’t stop crying, and they don’t know why,” as a school counselor at Patriot Elementary School in Fort Carson once told me. Cuts that make sense during discussions on Capitol Hill can seem callous in Hinesville.

Indeed, many analysts in Washington say hacking up the defense budget is a bad idea, not only for military families, but also for the nation, unless, as Thomas Donnelly of the American Enterprise Institute, says, “you can promise that there will be nothing but peace, love, and tie-dye for the next 12 years.” Otherwise, he says, Americans will be in trouble, since the reduced budget will mean the United States will have to retreat from its role as superpower.

“Do you want to share the world with the Chinese or with nuclear-armed Iran?” he says. “The only thing worse than Americans running the world is someone else running the world.”

For Pentagon officials and many defense analysts, that is a dark scenario and far worse than any budget crisis.

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PIC: Charlie Sheen, Brooke Mueller Smile With Adorable Twin Sons

Charlie Sheen and ex-wife Brooke Mueller happily reunited over the weekend for a casual family portrait with Bob and Max, their adorable two-year-old twin sons.
PHOTOS: Charlie's craziest shenanigans
The exes -- Sheen notoriously attacked her during a violent Christmas 2009 confrontation -- took the pic on the stairs of his Hollywood mansion on Sunday, they told tmz.
PHOTOS: Charlie's ex Denise Richards -- her romantic history
Bob and Max clutched candy during the impromptu photo shoot. "Harmony is our goal," Sheen, 45, told TMZ of the reunion with Mueller, who is currently seeking treatment at a rehab center. "Sunday was a wonderful start."

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Debris From Space Shuttle Columbia Disaster Found in Texas

By Clara Moskowitz

A piece of debris from NASA's space shuttle Columbia has been discovered in Texas, eight years after the 2003 disaster that destroyed the spacecraft and killed its seven-astronaut crew during re-entry, NASA officials confirmed today (Aug. 2).

The debris was discovered last week in eastern Texas. It is a round aluminum power reactant storage and distribution tank from Columbia, which disintegrated over Texas as it re-entered Earth's atmosphere near the end of a 16-day science mission.

The tank was discovered in an exposed area of Lake Nacogdoches, in Nacogdoches, Texas, about 160 miles northeast of Houston.

"The only reason it's exposed is because there's a drought going on and the tank was under the lake," Lisa Malone, a NASA spokeswoman at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, told SPACE.com. "The tank itself is full of mud."

Nacogdoches police informed NASA of the find and sent pictures for identification. NASA engineers who work on the shuttle's power reactant storage and distribution systems were able to confirm the piece belonged to Columbia. [NASA's Shuttle Program In Pictures: A Tribute]

"One of the guys had been here more than 30 years and recognized it, and said, 'That’s one of the tanks,'" Malone said.

The piece was one of 16 tanks on the shuttle that stored supercold liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen. The spherical tank, about 40 inches (1 meter) in diameter, will eventually be shipped back to Kennedy Space Center, where NASA stores all the collected debris from Columbia in a climate controlled area in the giant Vehicle Assembly Building.

"We're working the plans and details out right now as to how we would get it shipped back here," Malone said. "We do want to collect the debris items and keep them in one place."

To date, about 38-40 percent of the Columbia orbiter's wreckage has been recovered. The remainder was either burned up during reentry or is still where it landed in Texas and Louisiana.

"From time to time throughout the year we do get phone calls and emails from people about items they think are debris," Malone said.

The 2003 disaster was traced back to a hole that was punched into one of Columbia's wings by a piece of debris from its fuel tank during launch, according to the findings of a review board that investigated the accident. The hole rendered the orbiter unable to withstand the intense heat of re-entry, causing the vehicle to disintegrate.

Discoveries of debris from the wreck can still serve to reopen old wounds.

"It always makes you think about the accident and Columbia and the crew of course," Malone said. "It always does serve as a reminder."

Columbia was carrying commander Rick Husband, pilot William McCool, mission specialists Kalpana Chawla, David Brown, and Laurel Clark, payload commander Michael Anderson, and payload specialist Ilan Ramon, who was Israel's first astronaut.

Following the catastrophe, NASA upgraded equipment and processes to protect against a similar failure. All post-Columbia shuttles flew with external tanks that had been redesigned to diminish the amount of debris from their insulating foam that fell off during liftoff.

As a further precaution, recent crews conducted thorough inspections of their orbiters' heat shields once in orbit to make sure they hadn't sustained any damage that would endanger them during landing.

The Columbia accident was the second disaster in the history of the 30-year space shuttle program. It followed the 1986 destruction of the shuttle Challenger and its crew. Exceptionally cold weather at Challenger's Florida launch site that day caused a failure in an O-ring seal on one of the shuttle's solid rocket boosters that ultimately pulled apart the vehicle.

Last month NASA retired its remaining three space shuttle orbiters. The shuttle Atlantis landed July 21 to finish the 135th and final mission of the shuttle program. Now Atlantis and its siblings Discovery and Endeavour will be retired to museums, while NASA embarks on a new program to build vehicles for deep space exploration.

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Half Dome death: Jerry Brown sees danger at Yosemite

Jerry Brown and wife Anne Gust were visiting Yosemite National Park when three tourists tumbled over Vernal Falls after climbing over a metal rail. After the most recent fatal fall at the park at Half Dome, the California governor noted that the park was more dangerous at this time of year.
“It was clear to me. That water is treacherous,” Brown told the Associated Press. “I was up at Nevada Falls, and there was some kid standing up about the falls. It made me shake just looking at him. It’s dangerous. If they slipped, they would have went right over.”
Brown said signs warning about the danger of the swollen Yosemite rivers were easy to spot.
“They have a sign there that says if you get into the water you will die. That’s pretty clear to me,” he said. “I read the sign, but I didn’t need to read the sign.”
Officials are still investigating the death of a woman who fell 600 feet from Yosemite National Park’s Half Dome on Sunday.
Haley LaFlemme, 26, was descending the rain-soaked face of the granite dome around noon when she fell, making her the 14th person to die in the park this year and the first to die on Half Dome since June 2009.
Though the cause of the fall is still under investigation, park officials have said they believe rain might have been a factor. A severe thunderstorm had dumped rain on the dome for several hours Sunday morning, making the granite face slippery. Signs near Half Dome warn hikers not to climb the dome’s 400-foot long cables during rain and lightning, and although some turned around on Sunday, LaFlamme was one of about 20 people who remained.
The incident comes weeks after three hikers from a Modesto-area church group died after they climbed over a metal rail at the top of the park’s popular Vernal Fall and were swept over the 317-foot drop. Three other hikers died earlier this year: two after drowning in the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir on June 29, and another after falling into the Merced River on the Mist Trail on May 13.
Officials have said a large influx of visitors, as well as the park’s swollen waterways, could be contributors to the larger-than-normal fatality rate this year. Yosemite typically sees five or six deaths by the end of July and 12 to 15 by the end of the year, park officials said. The tally also accounts for fatalities from incidents like heart attacks, natural causes and motor vehicle accidents.

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