Thursday, September 6, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
Deadly shooting near the Empire State Building
Eight people have been wounded, and at least two people are dead, after a shooting outside the Empire State Building in the Midtown area of Manhattan on Friday morning.
The shooting occurred at Fifth Avenue and West 34th Street around 9 a.m. ET. The New York Post reported that the incident was the result of a co-worker dispute. The shooter, who was shot by police at the scene, and a bystander are both dead.
[Slideshow: Photos from the scene at Empire State Building shooting]The shooter followed his coworker down 33rd Street, and shot him outside of Legend's Bar, the Post reported. It is unclear if he fired into a crowd of pedestrians outside of the landmark building, or if pedestrians were caught in crossfire, reported the New York Daily News.
Police shot and killed the gunman near the tourist entrance of the Empire State Building.
The number of fatalities has not been made official. Mayor Michael Bloomberg has scheduled a press conference for 11 a.m. ET.
Police cordoned off a one-block perimeter around the Empire State Building after the shooting. Around 10 a.m., a lone tourist bus headed down Fifth Avenue, and a guide could be heard over the bus's mic explaining they were nearing the landmark. As police waved the bus to detour down 36th Street, the guide was openly mystified. "I don't know what's going on, folks," he said, as the bus turned. By then the bus's passengers were looking up at the sky at a news helicopter floating overhead. Some stood, clutching their cameras.
Along 35th street, hundreds of people stood photographing the scene with iPhones and iPads. Officers could be seen standing in the middle of 34th street around a scene surrounded by police tape. Television producers roamed the crowd looking for witnesses. "Was anybody here when this happened? Was anybody here when this happened?" one NBC producer yelled.
Eyewitnesses told CNN that the gunman was using a rifle or shotgun.
Word of the shooting spread rapidly on social media networks.
"On 5th avenue surrounded by helicopters and police," @CeciliaHalling wrote on Twitter. "I'm very glad I wasn't 20 blocks further down half an hour ago."
We'll update this story as more details are known.
Yahoo! News staffers in New York City contributed to this report.
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Top recruit collapses in court after receiving three-year prison sentence
Instead of sifting through scholarship offers, selecting a school and launching his college basketball career as he originally planned, an Ohio high school standout will have to put his dreams on hold.
Tony Farmer, an 18-year-old senior at Garfield Heights High School, received a three-year prison sentence on Tuesday as a result of pleading guilty to kidnapping, felonious assault and other crimes.
The 6-foot-7 forward had been hoping to receive probation after teachers, coaches and family members testified on his behalf. When he learned he'd be going to prison as the judge read his sentence, he crumpled into the arms of a sheriff's deputy and collapsed to the ground in anguish.In an odd twist, among those in the gallery sobbing in reaction to the judge's decision was the victim herself, Farmer's ex-girlfriend Andrea Lane. Even though the two remain separated since Farmer attacked Lane last April after she didn't want to reconcile their relationship, Lane had previously asked Judge Pamela Barker not to put Farmer in prison.
"I know he was a good person," she said, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "I hope he still is."
The entire courtroom scene is depressing and hard to watch because Farmer had such a bright future prior to this incident. Before video cameras caught his altercation with Lane on tape last April in the lobby and parking lot of her apartment complex, Farmer was a consensus top 100 prospect who had drawn interest from the likes of Ohio State, Xavier, Dayton and Michigan State.
What Farmer did was unequivocally wrong and the punishment he received from Barker is appropriate. But unless Barker reduces Farmer's sentence when she reviews it in 180 days, his hopes of playing major college basketball are likely now over
Lakers center Robert Sacre was the only one without a number at the NBA’s rookie photo shoot
It's got to be tough enough for rookie Robert Sacre that he's still unsigned nearly two months after the Los Angeles Lakers chose him with the final pick in June's 2012 NBA draft, especially since he knows he's unlikely to see any shot at minutes in the middle thanks to the trade for Dwight Howardand the re-signing of free agent Jordan Hill, and especially since L.A.'s got the rights to 16 players for 15 roster spots (or, as Darius Soriano recently noted at Forum Blue and Gold, more probably 14 spots), putting him very squarely on the chopping block in the months before the start of the season.
But man, did the Lakers have to send the former Gonzaga Bulldogs big man to the NBA's rookie photo shoot in Tarrytown, N.Y., on Tuesday without a number?
Welp. (Getty Images)Well, um, look on the bright side, Robert — since every other rookie present actually had a number, you definitely stand out. That counts for something, right?
There's an explanation for the number-free kit, and according to ESPN.com's Lynn Hoppes, it revolves — as all things Laker-y do nowadays — around the Howard trade:
Sacre, who averaged about 11 points and six rebounds at Gonzaga, showed up at the 2012 NBA rookie photo shoot on Tuesday with no number on his jersey.
"Dwight took my No. 12 that I was wearing in the Summer League. I can't argue with that. That's what happens when you have seniority," said Sacre, who has agreed to switch to No. 6 for the Lakers. "I'm OK with all of this. I just want to get back on the court." [...]
And Sacre said he knows he'll get his number when he heads to Los Angeles to start training camp in a few weeks.
Provided, of course, this isn't just a really, really bad omen.
If it's not, here's hoping the Lakers spring for a new set of press shots pronto. If it is, well, then at least Sacre suffered it with a smile. Doing so might not make him as proudly hirsute as Quincy Acy or asConanic as Kyle Singler, but looking on the bright side for posterity still makes him a photo-shoot champ in my eyes.
original post found here
Vivienne Jolie-Pitt & 'Maleficent': Angelina & Brad's Daughter To Act In Film With Her Mother
Brad Pitt, Video, Vivienne Jolie Pitt, Angelina Jolie Daughter, Angelina Jolie Maleficent,Maleficent, Vivienne-Jolie-Pitt-Maleficent-Movie, Entertainment News
Angelina Jolie's daughter Vivienne Jolie-Pitt will appear in "Maleficent."
LOS ANGELES -- Four-year-old Vivienne Jolie-Pitt is making her movie debut alongside her famous mom.
Walt Disney Studios says Angelina Jolie's youngest daughter will play a "minor role" in "Maleficent," in which Jolie plays the title character. Vivienne is set to play a young Princess Aurora, who grows up to be evil Maleficent's target in the live-action "Sleeping Beauty" tale.
Production on the film began in London in June. "Maleficent" is set to hit theaters in March of 2014.
No word if Vivienne's twin brother, Knox, is working on a movie career of his own.
Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt1 of 21
Getty
original post found here:
Michael Strahan's bumpy journey from football star to Kelly Ripa's co-host
If the buzz is to be believed, when Kelly Ripa makes the big announcement about her new “Live!” co-star on September 4, she will be saying the name “Michael Strahan.” Yep, the gap-toothed former NFL star will reportedly be the new Regis Philbin.
[Related: Michael Strahan to join 'Live! With Kelly' as permanent co-host]
Strahan, 40, has certainly been well-received by the morning show’s audience, who hooted and hollered when he ripped off his pants and performed a “Magic Mike”-inspired strip tease on the show late last month. And there has long been buzz that out of the 59 guest hosts who “auditioned” for the role with Ripa since Philbin retired in November 2011, Strahan was at the front of the pack. Stephen Battaglio, who is the business editor for TV Guide, explains the reasoning behind the pick to Yahoo! TV. “She is comfortable with him," Battaglio says. "He's filled in on the show many times, so Disney ABC Television was probably able to do a lot of research on how the audience feels about them as a team. The ratings are up among younger viewers since Regis left the show, which tells you that Kelly is who they're tuning in for. So if she's happy, the viewers should be happy.”
So who is Strahan – other than the guy who bested Seth Meyers and Nick Lachey for the job? He was a pro football player for the New York Giants before retiring in 2007. He ended his 15-year NFL career with a Super Bowl win against the previously undefeated New England Patriots. He immediately transitioned to TV as a commentator on “Fox NFL Sunday,” and he took on guest roles on shows including “Entourage,” “Chuck,” and “Are We There Yet?” He has also appeared in countless commercials – from Campbell’s Chunky Soup to Sports Authority.
However, there have been some bumps in the road, so much so that a 2006 New York Times articlenoted that Strahan “will need to spend time repairing his image.” The comment stemmed from his bitter 2005 divorce from his wife, Jean, which played out in the New York City tabloids. For three years, the Strahans waged a nasty court battle against each other during which she accused him of abusing her, secretly videotaping her sister undressing, and having affairs with multiple women – including one who went by the name Cupcake. (Yes, Cupcake.) For his part, Strahan said she was guilty of overspending his fortune, dropping $27,000 on clothes for their then 20-month-old twin daughters in a just one year. "They like to be accessorized," Jean testified in court.
A judge later awarded Jean a whopping $15.3 million, which was a huge win for her as court records showed his net worth was about $22 million. Jean later held a tag sale at their $3.6 million mansion in Montclair, N.J., selling the family’s intimate possessions on the front yard.
[Related: Kelly Ripa: I serve my husband breakfast on a tray]
In 2009, Strahan’s personal life made headlines again when the New York Post reported that he put a GPS-type tracking device in his new girlfriend Nicole Murphy’s car when he allegedly suspected she had been cheating. Strahan never commented on the incident with Murphy, the ex-wife of comedian Eddie Murphy, and they are still a couple, happily appearing together on the red carpet just days ago.
Strahan was also likely left embarrassed when his close friend Marc Dreier, with whom he hosted an annual Strahan/Dreier charity golf tournament, was arrested in 2008 for running a $113 million scheme to defraud investors. The following year Dreier was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.
With all that in the past, Strahan will now be spending his mornings with Ripa, playing “Travel Trivia” and talking about current events during host chat. Of the gig, he told CNN, “I try to not think about it as replacing Regis. There is no way I can ever do that. And I think if you put it in that aspect, if you think about it, it`s just too big.”
Ripa will host the September 3 premiere of the show by herself – the first time she’s ever appeared solo – with Claire Danes and Phillip Phillips as guests. Her announcement about her new co-host will take place the next morning.
original post found here:
Is Karlie Redd Getting Married In Vegas?
After four episodes of dating, Karlie Redd and Benzino‘s relationship seemed to be moving at lightning speed. There was a dinner, a kiss, thug tears, and then a ring.But, on the season finale of “Love & Hip Hop Atlanta,” Karlie Redd was brutally embarrassed by Benzino’s make pretend proposal.
Before I get married what should I ask him???
KARLIE REDD2 days agoReplyRetweetOk he puts my career first most def what else should I ask him. He got the ring and when I said are u ready he said "Hell Yea"
KARLIE REDDSince her break up with Benzino and outside of her full blown campaign to sleep with date 50 Cent, Karlie Redd has not been publicly linked to anyone romantically. So, we’ll just assume this is a pretend tweet to go along with her fake proposal.
Guess we’ll just have to wait and see.
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