Archive for » February, 2010 «
Ole is a farmer in Minnesota . He is in need of a new milk cow and hears about a nice one for sale over in Nordakota (that would be North Dakota for you non-Scandahoovians out there).He drives to Nordakota, finds the farm and looks at the cow. He reaches under to see if the cow gives milk.When he grabs a teat and pulls…the cow farts. Surprised, Ole looks at the farmer who’s selling the cow, then reaches under to try again. He grabs another teat, pulls, and the cow farts again. Milk does come out however, so after some discussion with the cow’s current owner, Ole decides to buy the cow.When he gets back to Minnesota , he calls over his neighbor, Sven, and says, ‘Hey, Sven, come and look at dis ere new cow I yust bought. Pull her teat, and see vat happens.’Sven reaches under, pulls the teat…the cow farts.Sven looks at Ole and says, ‘You bought dis here cow in
Nordakota, didn’t yah?’Ole is very surprised since he hadn’t told Sven about his trip. Ole replies, ‘Yah, dats right. But how did yah know?’Sven says, ‘My wife is from Nordakota.’
Whitney Houston Tour has Fans Asking for Refunds. There have been multiple reports in the past week calling Whitney Houston’s overseas tour performances a complete disaster and that she’s been asked to postpone some dates due to her “fragile condition.” The latest complaints come from Australian fans, who apparently watched as the diva flubbed her way through a concert in Brisbane on Monday night. Popeater is reporting that the 46-year-old “took a break after just two songs, brought her brother onstage to hit her high notes and slurped from a water bottle through a closing performance of ‘I Will Always Love You.’” One concertgoer told the press outside: “She couldn’t entertain a dead rat.” Monday’s performance at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre was the first of several Australian stops on Houston’s “Nothing But Love” comeback tour. On Tuesday (Feb. 23), concert promoter Andrew McManus defended the singer against the many ticket purchasers calling for a refund. “It was not a train wreck,” McManus told Agence France-Presse of Houston’s performance. “She was hitting most of the notes; yes, her throat was a little croaky. Her health is fine, but she’s also not 22 years of age anymore.” According to concert reviews cited by the AFP, Houston also appeared disoriented during the show, relied heavily upon backup singers and struggled to remember the names of her band members. “This show was like watching a slow and painful death of a living legend,” a Courier-Mail reader wrote in. Last week, a rep for Whitney Houston denied rumors that the “Million Dollar Bill” singer is in ill health following poor performances in Japan. According to the National Enquirer, Houston was urged to postpone upcoming live dates “after a string of health problems in recent months.” But her spokesperson called the article “rubbish” and “ridiculous.” In fact, she has added three more dates to her upcoming U.K. leg, which kicks off in Manchester on April 8.
Whitney Houston has suffered another setback in her ongoing tour of Australia — fans walked out of her show in Sydney on Wednesday night after the singer’s voice began to fail.
The “I Will Always Love You” hit maker was previously accused of putting on a lackluster performance in Brisbane on Monday, reportedly coughing through her set and taking breaks to catch her breath.
Promoters behind the concert defended Houston’s performance, and brushed off fears the star is in poor health.
But concerns for the singer were raised again on Wednesday following her show at the Acer Arena.
Search: Whitney Houston
View results for: Houston’s concert woes Houston’s career Houston’s comeback Reporters at local newspaper the Sydney Daily Telegraph claim the first 50 minutes of the concert ran smoothly, but the show began to deteriorate after a 13 minute break halfway through, with fans allegedly storming out of the gig as Houston began to struggle with her set.
One fan, Shane Norquay, tells the paper, “Some of it’s been beautiful and some it is just horrible. It feels like she’s trying to be herself but it’s not working.”
Bernadette Latta, whose son bought her the tickets as a Christmas gift, adds, “It’s terrible. I have never walked out before a concert finished but that was just terrible. I’ll be suggesting my son tries to get a refund.”
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OK let’s be for real, and stop the b.s. about Whitney. Whitney Houston was trying to revive her career at what cost. Where is the voice Whitney (gone)? Your CD sucked I didn’t enjoy not one song on it compare to what you have put out in the height of your career. The interview with Oprah was obvious scripted and mostly lies, baby girl we saw through all that b.s., even Ray Charles saw that shyt from the grave you where ly
ing. You are not finished with drugs OK, just admit it and makeup in your mind to change your life for the better, we don’t care if you never sing another song, just get your health corrected, and for God’s sake your mind. Get some therapy because you so desperately need it, and don’t believe it. Whitney you are so obvious by your behavior, just recently “BET Honors” need I say more……………..
There are family and friends that truly love you and are concerned about you, and you my dear are not listening, Bobbie has moved on with another marriage and child. Whitney’s what’s your excuse. You where blessed with an amazing voice, beautiful looks, and nice shape body, please tell us Whitney what can we do to help you???? Trust me it is not seeing you perform in concert right now, because you are not even there yourself!!!
Christian Boarding Scholl Head Accused of Violence. Dr. Jack Patterson, founder of the Christian boarding school, Reclamation Ranch, goes on trial for aggravated child abuse March 10 in Blount County Alabama. The trial comes two years after a 17-year-old male resident came forward with charges of severe abuse, torture and beating. “The search by law enforcement and the questioning of involved minors yielded corroboration of the original allegations and evidence of other instances of mistreatment,” said Blount County District Attorney Tommy Rountree, in a Birmingham News article. One report said investigators seized handcuffs and shackles from the facility, and as the clip mentions handguns and rifles were also present. Ultimately, eleven juvenile boys were sent home from Reclamation Ranch pending the outcome of the investigation. Jack Patterson was at the courthouse in November 2008 when Alabama Circuit Court Judge Steve King made the ruling. He wasn’t alone – about 200 of his supporters came out that day. A handful of those gathered, according to the Birmingham News, blew Dr. Jack kisses as he looked down from a second story window.
No Deal for Magic and Johnson Publishing. It looks like the likelihood of Earvin Magic Johnson buying Johnson Publishing is no longer in the offing. In a statement, Johnson admitted an affiliate of his company held “advanced discussions” to buy Johnson Publishing Co., the owner of Ebony and Jet, but was unable to reach an agreement. Johnson says he remains interested in African-American media, but currently isn’t disclosing whether he is looking at other properties: “I would like to salute Linda Johnson Rice and the Johnson family for pioneering the iconic brand of the Johnson Publishing Company, which we have all come to love and respect. Ebony and Jet have been permanent fixtures on coffee tables in African-American homes for many years. Recently, an affiliate of Magic Johnson Enterprises and Johnson Publishing Company were in advanced discussions to do business together, but unfortunately we were unable to reach a definitive agreement. We will continue to look for opportunities to invest in African-American media.”
Meanwhile, Wendy E. Parks, Johnson Publishing Co. spokeswoman, issued this statement to Journal-isms: “Our team of advisers have continued to explore a wide range of options to leverage our iconic Ebony and Jet brands and sustain our leadership position in the marketplace as the No. 1 African-American-owned publishing company in the world. As a privately held company, we are unable to discuss specifics of our discussions with potential partners.” Ad revenue at Johnson Publishing’s Ebony magazine declined 38 percent to $35.5 million last year on a 39 percent drop in ad pages, according to Publishers Information Bureau. Los Angeles-based Magic Johnson Enterprises, has partnerships with several companies including Starbucks Corp., 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide Inc. and T.G.I. Friday’s Inc.
Snoop Dogg Continues to Fight UK Ban. A U.K. Asylum and Immigration Tribunal is expected to rule today on whether its ban on Snoop Dogg’s entry into the country is really necessary. The rapper—real name Calvin Broadus— has been assigned a special no-fly status by the UK which allows it to deny entry based on questions of character. This all started with the 2006 Heathrow Airport incident that sparked when some members of his 30-strong entourage were not allowed into the British Airways first-class lounge during a layover. After a heated argument and mini-scuffle with police ensued, Snoop was detained and later released with a warning for what British authorities said, and he admitted, was the use of “insulting words.” But the rap star has been barred from setting foot in the U.K. ever since.
TMZ Sued Over Debbie Rowe Interview, A production company is suing celeb gossip site TMZ.com over the use of an interview with Michael Jackson’s ex-wife Debbie Rowe. F. Marc Schaffel Productions says it’s the owner of the 2003 interview with Rowe – some of which aired that year while other portions were held back as private and confidential, subject to a joint consent agreement between the interviewer and interviewee. In the lawsuit filed Monday in California District Court, Schaffel accuses TMZ of stealing the confidential footage and broadcasting it without permission. After Jackson was indicted for child molestation in December 2003, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff obtained and executed a search warrant on Schaffel’s home and seized the interview tapes. Two years later, the County Sheriff claimed that he returned the property and hadn’t released the “confidential outtakes” to anyone. But last July, TMZ broadcast those confidential outtakes that included a conversation where Rowe talks about needing sedatives. The plaintiff says that Rowe’s comments were made in the context of a joke about stage fright, but taken by TMZ to tie past drug use to Jackson’s death from a prescription-drug overdose. After TMZ aired the interview, Schaffel and Rowe demanded that the confidential outtakes be removed. TMZ first claimed the video was sourced from a British TV station, but then said it came from the Santa Barbara Sherriff’s Department. The plaintiff says that when confronted, TMZ rescinded the story and claimed its source was confidential. Schaffel is now seeking damages from TMZ over copyright infringement and conversion. Schaffel says the confidential outtakes have “an estimated value of potentially millions of dollars, the exact amount of which shall be proved at trial.” Schaffel also sued Fox News last month for airing the interview. Details of a possible lawsuit against TMZ were first reported by Hollywood Reporter blogger Roger Friedman last August.
FBI Prepping New Charges Against Kwame Kilpatrick. The FBI is preparing to file new corruption charges against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and his Dad based on evidence the two took hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes from Karl Kado, a little-known city contractor. Kilpatrick resigned from office and pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice charges on Sept. 4, 2008, following an investigation that showed he used city resources to cover up a romantic affair with his chief of staff Christine Beatty. He served 99 days in jail and was ordered to pay restitution of $1 million to the city. According to the Detroit Free Press, Kado has been cooperating with the FBI for almost five years. He told the feds he paid $100,000 in cash directly to the then-mayor in 2002. He also claims to have paid hundreds of thousands more to Bernard Kilpatrick, the mayor’s father. Kado is awaiting sentencing for paying bribes to protect multi-million dollar contracts connected to the city’s Cobo Center, which is home of the North American International Auto Show. Dennis Darnoi, a political operative in Oakland County who runs Densar Consulting, told the Free Press that a number of Oakland County businessmen interested in doing business with the city said they were given Bernard Kilpatrick’s number and told to call it to set up a meeting with the mayor. Bernie Kilpatrick would then allegedly request $10,000 to guarantee a meeting with City Hall. “It was just kind of how business was done,” Darnoi said. Nine people have already plead guilty in connection to the long-running federal investigation of the city government and a 10th, political consultant Sam Riddle, recently saw his case end in a mistrial when the lone black jury member refused to discuss the particulars of the case with her fellow jurors. The Detroit Free Press reported Sunday that the FBI is considering bringing racketeering charges against the Kilpatricks and their accomplices.
American Chad Hedrick, who won three medals at the 2006 games, took the bronze medal in the event at the Richmond Olympic Oval. Their accomplishments in Turin—Davis won a gold and silver; Hedrick a medal of each color—were overshadowed by a beef stemming from the team pursuit. Davis wanted to stick with his individual events, a decision that peeved Hedrick, who believed it cost the Americans a shot at a medal. Their animosity boiled over at a news conference after the 1,500, in which Davis finished second and Hedrick third. Hedrick brought up the team pursuit, and Davis stormed out of the room complaining that Hedrick didn’t congratulate him on his gold, only the silver. But those issues were left in the past, as the two stood together on the victory stand, each holding one end of an American flag. “Everything that Shani and I had in 2006 is behind us now,” Hedrick said. “We’re here. We’re proud to represent our country. We’re proud to put a few more medals on the table of the Americans.”
Jayson Williams Sentenced to Five Years in Prison. Former NBA star Jayson Williams was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday for fatally shooting a hired limo driver in 2002, closing an eight-year legal case by tearfully apologizing to the victim’s family. Williams pleaded guilty last month to aggravated assault in the death of Costas Christofi on Feb. 14, 2002. He will be eligible for parole in 18 months. The guilty plea allowed Williams to avoid a retrial on a reckless manslaughter count that deadlocked the jury at his 2004 trial. At the same 2004 trial, he was acquitted of aggravated manslaughter but convicted on four counts of covering up the shooting. The sentences on the assault and cover-up counts will run concurrently. State Superior Court Judge Edward Coleman went along with a plea agreement that spelled out the five-year prison sentence and the potential for Williams to be released as early as summer 2011.