Headlines (Scroll down for complete stories):
1. Matt Damon Rewords U.S. History
2. O'Reilly-Olbermann Truce
3. Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and the 'Cop-arazzi' Case
4. Kelsey Grammer Honors Slain Sister’s Memory
5. Paul McCartney Channels Rush Limbaugh?
1. Matt Damon Rewords U.S. History
Matt Damon has joined forces with left-wing activist Howard Zinn for a documentary project on American History.
It turns out that Damon is a longtime fan of Zinn. In fact, in his breakthrough flick, “Good Will Hunting,” Damon’s character praises Zinn's book, “A People’s History of the United States.”
The actor has now co-produced and narrated “The People Speak,” which is an upcoming History Channel movie based on Zinn's book.
Unfortunately, Zinn’s work offers a pessimistic vision of the American experience, focusing mainly on oppressed minorities. What is also unfortunate is that “Zinn history” is filled with inaccuracies.
But the author seems to revel in twisting the subject. He has said that objectivity in history is “undesirable.”
Zinn also encourages the promotion of an agenda. “Because if you have any kind of a social aim,” he declares, “if you think history should serve society in some way; should serve the progress of the human race; should serve justice in some way, then it requires that you make your selection on the basis of what you think will advance causes of humanity.”
Zinn’s agenda is just about as far-left as it gets. He detests the founding principles of the United States yet delights in the kind of governance practiced in places like China under Mao, Nicaragua under the Sandinistas and Cuba under Castro.
Regrettably, Damon is joined in the documentary by other members of the Hollywood community including Josh Brolin, Viggo Mortensen, Morgan Freeman, and Marisa Tomei.
2. O'Reilly-Olbermann Truce
Fans of “The O'Reilly Factor” on the Fox News Channel and “Countdown” on MSNBC will soon notice that something’s missing from each of the cable news shows.
Hosts Bill O'Reilly and Keith Olbermann will no longer be mocking, attacking, or otherwise deriding each other.
Their respective bosses have issued a directive for a cease-fire.
Rupert Murdoch, owner of News Corp., parent company of the Fox News Channel, and Jeffrey Immelt, chairman of GE, which owns MSNBC, got together at a recent Microsoft CEO summit in Redmond, Wash., and decided to stop “the venomous culture between the networks and the increasingly personal nature of the barbs.” So says The New York Times.
The big wheels instructed key execs Jeff Zucker, CEO of NBC Universal, and Gary Ginsberg, EVP of News Corp., to issue the appropriate orders so that O'Reilly and Olbermann stop the on-air feuding.
Rumor has it that a beer fest may be in the works, though. I can just imagine O’Reilly going for the Guinness and Olbermann opting for Lowenbrau, which could even get a feud of a different kind going.
3. Sarah Jessica Parker, Matthew Broderick, and the 'Cop-arazzi' Case
Two Ohio police chiefs have been charged with felonies over alleged illegalities involving the surrogate mom for actors Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick.
Money is the alleged motivation as paparazzi would typically pay big bucks for items from a surrogate to the stars.
Barry Carpenter, police chief of Martins Ferry, was indicted for numerous felonies including two counts of burglary, one count of receiving stolen property, and one count of theft in office. If convicted on all counts, he could get 21.5 years in prison.
Chad Dojack, police chief of Bridgeport, was hit with two counts of complicity to burglary and one count of complicity to receiving stolen property. He could get as much as 14.5 years behind bars, if found guilty on all charges.
Both have pleaded not guilty and have been freed on their own recognizance.
Carpenter allegedly entered the home of Michelle Ross and took items that identified her as the surrogate mother. Carpenter and Dojack then purportedly tried to sell the items to paparazzi.
Despite the alleged bad behavior of the officers, the surrogate mom was not home at the time of the alleged burglary and eventually gave birth to twins who are now living with their famous parents.
Special prosecutor T. Shawn Hervey referred to the case as a “Hollywood soap opera.”
4. Kelsey Grammer Honors Slain Sister’s Memory
Kelsey Grammer, best known for his Dr. Frasier Crane role on the long-running “Frasier” TV sitcom (and for being one of the few open Republicans in Hollywood) recently revealed that he has had the experience of communicating with the dead.
One of the people from the “other side” that Grammer has conversed with is his sister who tragically was the victim of a heinous murder.
It was 34 years ago that Karen, Kelsey’s younger sister, was raped and stabbed to death by a juvenile gang. She was only 18 years old at the time.
Through participation in seances, Kelsey has been able to channel several other members of his family. He has also spoken with Alex, a person who, according to Kelsey, was born 15 years prior to Christ.
Grammer revealed that his sister's murder triggered a self-destructive period in his life, which involved substance abuse and failed relationships. He believes that his family is cursed.
For months he had been in great distress anticipating that his sister’s killer would be up for parole and that he would have to give testimony and encounter the murderer face-to-face.
Kelsey knew he would have to convince the parole board to block the release of the leader of the gang who murdered his sister. Folks around him tried to dissuade him from going to the parole hearing in Colorado.
Fortuitously for Kelsey, bad weather stalled his connecting flight. Rather than having to give personal testimony, his words were read to the parole board.
Here is what Kelsey wrote: “This is a butcher, this is a monster. Please consider when you wrestle with the fate of this man the degree of suffering he has inflicted on his victims, but also the families of the victims. Karen was my best friend. I was her big brother. I was supposed to protect her. It very nearly destroyed me.”
The heartfelt plea led to the board’s refusal of the convicted murderer’s application for parole.
Kelsey won’t have to worry about another hearing on the matter until 2014.
5. Paul McCartney Channels Rush Limbaugh?
Is Paul McCartney secretly a Dittohead?
The 60,000 fans attending a recent concert at FedExField in Maryland must have thought so.
The former Beatle dedicated the performance of the song he co-wrote with John Lennon, “Michelle,” to the first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama.
“I love you, I love you, I love you. That's all I want to say,” McCartney crooned following his dedication.
Long before the McCartney fawning, though, while her husband was still a candidate, radio talk-show host extraordinaire Rush gave Mrs. Obama the moniker “Michelle, My Belle,” a take off on the Fab Four tune.
Being part of the entertainment biz, McCartney predictably was a backer of Michelle’s spouse during the 2008 campaign and even told People magazine he wanted to sing to Michelle someday.
The first lady was not present to hear the McCartney serenade because she and the president were away on one of their multiple vacations, this time at Camp David.
An unsubstantiated rumor is floating around that when a recording of the concert performance is played backwards, it mysteriously repeats the words, “El Rushbo, El Rushbo, El Rushbo.”
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