Update May 30: Today Yahoo News, is reporting that "Sediuk's publicist (?!) has dumped him ("After the Pitt incident I … was as shocked as anyone," Christa Scherck told The Insider With Yahoo) and his attorney has issued a statement proclaiming Sediuk's innocence. Oh, and his former employer, 1+1 TV channel, put out a press release announcing his termination a few weeks ago after the Ferrera attack at Cannes. "From now on, the journalist no longer represents the interests of the company," they declared. I wish him good luck with all that."
Original report below:
Last night as crowds thronged the red carpet for the premiere of Disney movie “Maleficent”, Vitalii Sediuk jumped over the barrier and struck actor Brad Pitt in the face. Pitt was attending the event in support of the star of the movie and mother of his children, Angelina Jolie. Sediuk was taken away and arrested.
This is not the first time Sediuk has turned out to be a thorn in the side of Hollywood’s elite. (Continue reading full story here.)
Benzino, 48, is recovering after being shot multiple times by his own nephew.
(photo credit: TMZ.com)
So much for naysayers who believe all reality TV drama is scripted phoniness. Too much of the madness is real. Sadly, the unbelievable happened Saturday in Plymouth, Massachusetts. “Love and Hip Hop Atlanta” star Benzino (real name Raymond Scott) was shot multiple times as he was on the way to his mother’s funeral.
Benzino, 48, is one of the former owners of Source Magazine, a colorful hip-hop monthly that prides itself on dishing the latest rap, music, celebrity and political news. Since 2012 he has been, and is currently, one of the stars of Mona Scott’s breakout southern reality show Love and Hip Hop Atlanta, which chronicles the lives, loves, ups and downs of a group of newcomers (as well as trying-to-make-a-comeback rap stars) whose lives heavily revolve around the rap/hip-hop music industry.
The grieving Benzino, who had recently posted a message on Instagram saying he didn’t know how he would go on after losing his mom, was driving in his mother’s funeral procession when his very own nephew, 36-year-old Gai Scott, pulled up alongside the vehicle Benzino was in and brutally fired shots, hitting his uncle Benzino. Benzino managed to get out of the car and a passerby rushed him to the hospital where he is recovering.
The rest of the family proceeded to the church and laid Mary Scott to rest without further incident. Benzino later said that he had a bad feeling about going to the funeral due to growing family tensions. He paid his respects to his mother at a wake the night before and believes that she stepped in and saved him, and he is just glad to be alive.
Gai Scott has been taken into custody and charged with attempted murder.
Tobin Barton, Officer of the Law, arrested for Criminal Domestic Violence
(photo credit: thestate.com)
Once again the Columbia Police Department (CPD) made
the news, in a not-so-desirable way, over the weekend. Authorities responded to a possible assault
call in the wee hours of Saturday morning.
Upon arriving at a residence in the northeast area at about 1 a.m., officers
were surprised to find that it was one of their very own they would have to
handcuff and haul off to the slammer. CPD
Officer Tobin Barton, 36, was charged with criminal domestic violence
after an argument with his girlfriend allegedly turned physical.
Columbia residents have suffered more than their fair
share of public humiliation regarding the CPD recently. There have been allegations of secret
recordings, police being ordered to plant drugs and a gun to get a city
employee fired, threats and just last week a crime analyst slapped the City of
Columbia with a lawsuit claiming
her lover and former police chief Randy Scott wrongfully forced her to resign
or be terminated on the spot.
Columbia has had six police chiefs in the last seven
years. After a long and controversial
search process current Huntington, West Virginia Police Chief William
Holbrook has been selected to be the new CPD chief. His resignation from the Huntington PD isn’t
effective until April 7th.
Hopefully all
the turmoil brewing in the CPD won’t cause Holbrook
to change his mind about coming to our fair city. CPD needs a leader, and fast, to whip things
into shape. Unfortunately it seems as if
the agitation at the CPD is now spilling over into the community with officers
taking their stress home. Hurry Holbrook,
hurry. And it might not be a bad idea if
you’d come riding in on a white horse with a long-handled broom to start
sweeping things clean down at the CPD station.
Compare the two scenarios. One is all about a multi-generational family gathered together around a delectable feast of Thanksgiving meal staples. The next step was usually everyone gathered in the family room in various states of what has been called a carb-induced com; often with the Thanksgiving Day football game playing unseen.
Video Credit: Courtesy of Youtube.com
The video is indicative of a large part of the population that has replaced the lazy evening with the shopping frenzy that has become known as the pre-Black Friday sales. This means that many of the stores that used to open at midnight the morning of Black Friday are now opening as early as 5:00pm Thanksgiving evening.
Now we all know that certain professions like military, law enforcement and medical require its employees to pretty much have to be available weekends and holidays. Even some grocery stores have traditionally been open until 5:00pm-6:00pm on holidays for those last minute runs for milk, sugar, baby food, etc.
But with these situations, it was always readily accepted as a matter of necessity, if not life or death. Now we've come to a place of actually wanting to be out of there. It's a paradox that those of us who don't have to be out working, now actually choose to be out the fray. The retailers say they open because we stand in lines to get in, so we obviously want it. We say we are practically forced to come out because that's when the retailers offer the door-buster deals.
In the end it's a matter of choice, but where the line somehow needs to be drawn is the violence. This is a recent phenomenon. People have always associated hustle and bustle with holiday shopping. But what is new and disturbing is the absence of the gracious "thank yous", "excuse mes," and "pardon mes".
Various news media are reporting an animalistic savagery in some of our approaches to shopping. Sadly our sense of stubborn entitlement seems to rise in proportion to the sweetness and the rareness of the deal. It turns from an "I want such and such" to "I must have such and such". I submit to you some of this short temper may derive from lack of sleep from camping out to be first in line.
Whatever the cause, look at these pictures and dream. Dream that maybe, just maybe in 2014, we will extend our intention of a kinder, gentler nation into the holidays. After all there is enough to go around. Like the song says "Christmas is a feeling..." Let's all make an effort to do whatever we can to ensure a peaceful and safe holiday season in our own communities. Are you in?
Shame, Shame, Shame on the Senate of the United States of America. Against the hard brick wall of partisan blocking, President Obama brought out the big "guns" (so to speak) of almost the only thing sure to turn hearts of stone into human hearts: the eyes of those who had lost loved ones in the Newtown Massacre. And believe it or not, the Senate didn't blink. They stood their ground against all reason. Read, and please remember come election time, how your Senator voted. Did he/she vote in a way that really represents what you believe in?
The Senate trampled through the salty puddles of tears from the combined families with weak excuses like:
By now almost everyone has heard about the horrible shooting massacre that occurred at the midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Aurora, Colorado, on July 20, 2012. This story is so horrible on so many levels. I was surprised to learn that the theater where this tragedy took place was only about 15 miles away from where the Columbine shooting took place a number of years ago. I can't imagine the horror that replaced the excitement of being among the first to see the much anticipated installment of the Batman movie series. However, one statement struck me in the head like a hammer.
