Monthly Archive for June, 2011

“To Catch a Predator” Host Chris Hansen Caught on Camera in Extra-Marital Affair

By: Zack Stovall, June 30, 2011 in Celebrities. 0 Comments Tags: , .

"Hey Chris, why don't you sit down and talk about what you're doing here..."

Talk about getting a taste of your own medicine.

Chris Hansen, host of NBC Dateline’s “To Catch a Predator,” the sensational television show that staged and caught pedophiles attempting to lure minors into sexual acts, was himself caught on camera having dinner and sleeping over at an apartment of someone who was not his wife. Hansen was discovered in Florida with NBC-affiliate reporter Kristyn Caddell, who is 21 years younger than the 51 year old Hansen.

The irony, of course, stems from the fact that Hansen was busted by the very tactic he utilized with great success to thwart would-be pedophiles: hidden camera. The National Enquirer, not widely-regarded as a reputable news source, claims to have video evidence on their website and says they have been following Hansen for weeks.

You’d think after telling so many people they were on camera, getting caught in front of a national audience acting out their private fantasies in public, he would have learned to never get caught in front of a national audience acting out his private fantasy in public.

Tylenol Recalls Products…Again

By: Zack Stovall, June 29, 2011 in News. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Side effects include chemical odors

Tylenol has recalled a number of its products due to a strong chemical or “musty” odor coming from some of the medicine bottles, said to have been caused by trace amounts of chemicals contaminating the acetaminophen tablets.

These things happen, one could say, but this isn’t Tylenol’s first go-round. Over 100 million of their products have been recalled in total, with this recall affecting 60,912 bottles of Tylenol Extra Strength pain relief medicine. The bottles were produced in February of 2009.

Interestingly enough, celebrities flocked to social media outlets such as Twitter to help spread the news. Among them were actress Alyssa Milano and “Dancing with the Stars” host Brooke Burke.

The effects of taking such medicine are not thought to be lethal, however they may cause an upset stomach, which if you’re already needing to take Tylenol, would just be icing on the pain cake.

Shia LaBeouf, “Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon” and Other Things or People That Fight and Explode in Theaters This Weekend

By: Zack Stovall, June 28, 2011 in Celebrities and Movies. 1 Comment Tags: , , , .

Got my costume for the premiere!

If you like sequels that provide little to no differences to the original, which was a lot of robots fighting and making things go “BOOM!”, then boy-oh-boy is this the weekend for you.

“Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon” crashes into theaters this weekend. The franchise is based off of the popular toys that turned everyday automobile toys into action figures. The toy begot the show, which in turn begot cult followings and years later, the multi-million dollar films. That’s a whole lot of begetting.

In this edition, Shia LaBeouf reprises his role as the perpetual sidekick to the Autobots (GOOD GUYS) against the evil Decepticons (BAD GUYS), this time without the help of the really-good-looking Megan Fox (who was fired from the film, citing disagreements with the director Michael Bay), but rather with the help of her replacement, played by some other really-good-looking actress whose name escapes me and I could Google, but don’t care to.

Michael Bay, the King of Crash, is the director, and it is rumored that a fourth installment is slated to be filmed. However, Shia LaBeouf has stated definitively that he will not be taking part in the fourth edition. Hopefully this will not derail the franchise, as I’ve clearly got an addiction to seeing robots fight each other that needs to be fulfilled every two years or so. BUT WHO WOULD REPLACE SHIA?

Former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich Found Guilty of Trying to Sell Obama’s Senate Seat in Retrial

By: Zack Stovall, June 27, 2011 in Government. 1 Comment Tags: , .

Rod Blagojevich

Our long national sideshow is over, or so it seems today.

A grand jury convicted former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich of 17 counts of corruption out of 20. Blago was accused of trying to sell then-President-elect Barack Obama’s empty Senate seat to the highest bidder. Of those charges pertaining to Obama’s old seat, nine were wire fraud counts. Other charges included conspiracy to commit extortion, attempted extortion and conspiracy to solicit a bribe.

The maximum amount of time Blagojevich faces in federal prison is 300 years. No typo there, that’s three hundred years, although sentencing will likely be substantially less than 300. However, it is possible that Blago could spend the rest of his life behind bars.

The former Governor of Illinois narrowly avoided conviction last summer as  jurors in his first trial convicted him of lying to the FBI. There was a hung jury on 23 other charges, leading  U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald to re-try Blagojevich. Blago faces five years in prison for that initial charge.

Pretty small shoes for the current Governor of Illinois Pat Quinn to fill: “Just don’t get convicted and possibly sentenced to 300 years in the federal pokey.” GOT IT.

Missy Elliott Living with Graves Disease For Past Three Years

By: Zack Stovall, June 24, 2011 in Celebrities. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Missy E

If you are anything like me, you listen to “Lady Marmalade” by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and Pink at least once per day, usually in the morning, after you take a shower, but before you brush your teeth.

Okay, so you probably don’t listen to it THAT often, but the 2001 hit helped not only bolster the careers of the singers, but also status of the song’s the producer, Missy “Missy E” or Misdemeanor” Elliott. With her own hits like “Get Ur Freak On,” “Work It” and “Lose Control,” one might expect the rap goddess to have a higher profile.

In fact, Elliott’s had a remarkably low profile for the last three years as she has been battling and dealing with Graves disease, a devastating immune disorder which causes symptoms such as loss of motor skills, lumps in the throat, hair loss, mood swings, dizzy spells and bulging eyes.

Graves disease is a type of hyperthyroidism, and occurs when an individual’s immune system attacks the thyroid gland,which then produces too much thyroxine. This speeds up the body’s metabolism causing  changes in appearance and mood.

Fortunately, this disease is not usually life-threatening, and from radiation and medicinal therapy, Elliott says her thyroid has been functioning properly for the last nine months.Here’s to hoping we hear from Missy E in the near future (may I suggest “Get Ur Freak On II: Return of the Freak” as a potential comeback track?).

2011 NBA Draft Tonight: Who Is Going Where?

By: Zack Stovall, June 23, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

On the heels of the Dallas Maverick’s victory as NBA Champions comes the NBA Draft, in which teams who didn’t make it to the Big Dance get a chance to reload with some of the game’s best up-and-coming players from college and even international leagues overseas.

The Cleveland Cavaliers lucked out in the NBA Draft Lottery and have two top five draft choices from which to choose. The Cavs were sent reeling this season after the departure of the erstwhile hometown hero LeBron James to the Miami Heat, where he lead them to a NBA Finals appearance but could not come away with the win. Cleveland is most likely going to select Duke point guard Kyrie Irving with the No. 1 pick, and are rumored to be interested in taking Lithuania’s Jonas Valanciunas with the No. 4 pick.

Arizona forward Derrick Williams is likely to be Minnesota’s pick at No. 2, while the Utah Jazz are said to be deciding between two University of Kentucky players, center Enes Kanter and guard Brandon Knight, with the No. 3 pick in the draft.

Another point of interest is BYU point guard Jimmer Fredette’s future. Fredette wowed college basketball audiences with his shooting prowess, but many scouts are skeptical of his abilities to transition toward the NBA.

One thing is for certain: an NBA Superstar will find his team tonight, no matter if he is the first or last pick in the draft.

Venus and Serena Williams Still Dominating Women’s Tennis at Wimbledon

By: Zack Stovall, June 22, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments Tags: , , , .

Serena and Venus Williams

Dynasties come and go in professional team sports in the NBA, NFL and MLB, and even the greats like golf’s Tiger Woods can stumble. But the tandem of sisters Venus and Serena Williams are still dominating women’s tennis, the latest showing being this year’s Wimbledon tournament.

Four-time Wimbledon champ Venus has made it to the third-round after narrowly escaping an upset against 40-year old Kimiko Date-Krumm. Serena, also a former Wimbledon champion, defeated Aravane Rezai of France 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 on Centre Court, capping her return to tournament play after a “disaster year.”

The disaster to which Serena refers is the potentially-life-threatening blood clot that was removed from her lung in March, with Wimbledon being only the second tournament in which she has competed since. Her victory in the first round of the tournament brought the usually-stoic Serena to overwhelmed tears.

Venus has also been on the comeback trail, after a hip injury derailed her season last year.

Moderate Jon Huntsman Throws His Hat Into the GOP Presidential Race

By: Zack Stovall, June 21, 2011 in Politics. 0 Comments Tags: , .

Huntsman

The GOP field to challenge sitting President Barack Obama is thickening, with former Utah Governor Jon Huntsman declaring today that he will be a candidate for the Republican primary.

Huntsman was elected and re-elected the Governor of Utah in 2004 and 2008 before being named U.S. Ambassador to China in Obama’s Administration. In fact, he has served in four administrations altogether, including the Reagan and both Bush Administrations along with the current President’s.

Huntsman is seen as a fiscal conservative, while being somewhat socially moderate. In a primary campaign that has its share of social conservatives, Huntsman is seen as a viable alternative, and someone with a proven track record of reaching across the aisle and working with the other party, in this case, Democrats.

This also marks the second Mormon to enter the race, the first being Mitt Romney. No Mormon has ever occupied the White House.

Rory McIlroy Dominates U.S. Open with Record-Breaking Score

By: Zack Stovall, June 20, 2011 in Sports. 0 Comments Tags: , , .

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner

When last we left young Irish golfer Rory McIlroy, he had just completed one of the most epic collapses in all of sports, performing as poorly as a professional can on the last leg of the four-day Masters tournament in Augusta, GA, and giving up a double-digit lead he had held from the beginning of the tournament.

Turns out he was just staging the ultimate redemption story.

McIlroy began and ended the U.S. Open tournament in the lead, with a scorching and record-breaking 16-under par. The 22-year old was able to put the haunting memories of the Masters behind him to claim his first major victory of his brief career. With Tiger Woods sitting this tournament out due to injury, the vacuum caused by his absence has lead many to believe that Rory could be golf’s next superstar.

If he keeps lapping up the competition, Rory will be destined to be golf’s next king with or without Tiger.

Father’s Day Is Sunday: QUICK! Go Pick Up the Worst Necktie Possible!

By: Zack Stovall, June 17, 2011 in Holidays. 0 Comments Tags: .

Happy Father's Day!

Father’s Day is upon us again this year, a day of remembering that you forgot to get your mom anything for Mother’s Day and you should probably get around to doing that or at least get them some kind of joint present or something, because you know your stupid brother is going to get them something great, even though he said he was going to get them something in the $20-range, so you end up looking like the cheapskate, no-good, idiot son they regret having to claim in public as the product of their raising.

Just me? Okay.

Father’s Day was first celebrated in 1908, the same year as the first Mother’s Day earlier that year. Originally in July, its genesis began in Fairmont, West Virginia, as a tribute to the 210 fathers who were lost in a mining disaster the year before, while the traditional first Father’s Day was in Spokane, Washington two years later, created by Sonora Dodd.

Presidents long refused to recognize Father’s Day, fearing it would be over-commercialized, until Lyndon B. Johnson recognized it as the third Sunday in June in a presidential proclamation in 1966. Six years later, President Richard Nixon declared it a national holiday, exclaiming as he signed it into law, “Surely this is what I will be most remembered for throughout history!”

Okay, he didn’t really say that. But celebrate Father’s Day with dear old dad this weekend anyway he and you would like, whether it’s a barbecue, a baseball game or swapping terrible neckties.