A fiscal and environmental nightmare is happening in Florida. Since Florida Governor Rick Scott canceled plans for eco-friendly high speed rail service from Tampa to Orlando, the federal government has given the $2 billion dollars originally set aside for Florida to a number of other states to use to implement or improve their local environment by providing high speed rail service between major metropolitan areas, according to the Huffington Post. Governor Scott had rejected the plan for Florida, claiming concerns that it would obligate t
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Animal Kingdom won 137th Kentucky Derby in front of biggest crowd ever?
Sports History!
Animal Kingdom won the 137th Kentucky Derby in front of the biggest crowd at horse race ever?
[May 7]
Here’s a bit of horse-play sports history trivia for you. The latest celebrity pet to make headline news is a horse called Animal Kingdom. Going off at 20 to 1 odds, the beautiful animal ran his first big race on a dirt track to win the 137th Kentucky Derby. And guess what? Apparently the majestic equine champion has no fear of crowds, as the 2011 Kentucky Derby has the most guests watching the race that they have ever had at the Southern event.
Vancouver Sun reports:
In his first race on a dirt surface, Animal Kingdom roared from the pack to capture the 137th Kentucky Derby on Saturday at Churchill Downs.
A 20-1 choice ridden by John Velazquez, who lost his ride on Uncle Mo on Friday when the horse was scratched, Animal Kingdom chased down Shackleford, who led almost the entire race. Animal Kingdom is trained by Graham Motion, who is based in Fair Hill, Md. Nehro also made a run, but finished second. Mucho Macho Man was third. Shackleford faded to fourth.
[Betters found out] Animal Kingdom paid $43.80, $19.60 and $13 on a $2 bet. Nehro returned $8.80 and $6.40. Mucho Macho Man paid $7.
The largest crowd in the history of the event, 164,858, packed Churchill Downs to watch as the best 3-year-olds in the world competed for the blanket of roses. Despite the fact that the race didn’t have an overwhelming favorite, it had no shortage of compelling story lines.
Whether or not you like horse racing as a sport or tradition, one thing is certain — the animals whose hearts pump 75 gallons of blood per minute when they are running are impressive. Even more impressive than the spectacle of so many women wearing outlandish Kentucky Derby hats, more grand an glorious than those seen at the Royal Wedding this year.
Failed Atlas Shrugged movie producer threatens to pull a John Galt?
New Movie News!
Failed Atlas Shrugged movie producer threatens to pull a John Galt?
[May 5]
The new Atlas Shrugged movie based on the best-selling Ayn Rand novel of the same name is out. Oh, did you miss it? The movie that was promised to be a blockbuster multi-part movie series of epic proportions is, in Hollywood terms, a total flop. It’s been out three weeks and has barely earned just over $450k. That’s not much money for a film about the glorious pursuit of capitalism as a grand ideal. Whats more, the producer of the film — who actually opted to turn away star celebs like Angelina Jolie who was at one point interested in playing the Dagney Taggert female heroine lead in favor of casting relative unknowns to play the leads for cheap — is so mad no one is coming to see his new movie that he is threatening to walk out on Hollywood and refuse to make the summary sequels. He fancies himself a real life John Galt character. Who is John Galt? To answer that question (if you don’t already know) you will have to do some mighty serious reading, as the Ayn Rand novel is one of the thickest [and best] books filled with deep and meaningful dialogue you may ever read. And, without the sequels finished, you can’t cheat by watching the 21st century Atlas Shrugged movie series to solve the mystery.
Celebrity Scandal: Newspaper hacks star celebs phones to get dirt?
Celebrity Scandal!
Newspaper hacks star celebs phones to get dirt?
[Apr. 21]
We are not talking about Beyonce Knowles and Lada Gaga telephone video celebrity scandal. A scandal that has been brewing for years with Rupert Murdoch’s News of the World tabloid is coming to a head. A judge has ruled that four test cases, among them pet friendly actress Sienna Miller, star of Factory Girl (2006) and The Edge of Love (2008), may move ahead with a lawsuit against News of the World for a phone-hacking scheme that violated the rights of a number of celebrities, sports stars, and royal family.
The word broke out in 2005 and 2006 that the tabloid had been involved in various means of intercepting voicemail communication and other private communications through phone-hacking. The News of the World had previously claimed no knowledge of the phone-hacking scheme, saying it was the work of just a couple of rogue employees, but investigation lately has demonstrated that the practice was far more widespread than initially thought.
The attorney for News Group, which owns News of the World, has argued that the case should not be allowed to continue because the paper has offered to settle for more than what complainants are likely to get awarded in court should they win. Regarding Sienna Miller, the attorney, Michael Silverleaf told the judge, “She cannot realistically recover more than we are offering.”
Sienna Miller has 21 days to decide if she will take the settlement, but it could mean allowing the newspaper to escape investigation into what could be many more cases. The paper has identified only eight complainants with whom it is offering to settle.
KIVI-TV reports:
Miller’s lawyer, Hugh Tomlinson, said money was not the primary motivation for many of the claimants.
“Damages are an aspect, but when private information is involved, the kind of relief people are looking for goes beyond simply monetary compensation,” he said.
Already Andy Coulson has had to step down as head of communications for Prime Minister David Cameron as a result of the scandal. Coulson was editor for News of the World while the phone-hacking scheme was ongoing, according to Yahoo! News. And two senior men with News of the World have been held on charges, according to Reuters.
Soap Opera Drama: ABC cancels All My Children and One Life To Live true?
Soap Opera Drama!
ABC cancels All My Children and One Life To Live rumor true?
[Apr. 15]
Shock and devastation for soap opera fans! ABC will be canceling its seminal daytime soap operas, One Life to Live and All My Children and both fans and the cast seem to indicate the same thing — it feels like the network is killing family. The surprising true news rumor verification came Thursday as ABC announced in a press release that it will be replacing the shows with two new shows — The Chew, a show focusing on food from all angles rather than other shows that focus on particular chefs, restaurants, or styles; and a show tentatively titled The Revolution, a daily focusing on health and lifestyle. Both new titles will be hard for soap opera devotees to swallow.
ABC says:
Guided by extensive research into what today’s daytime viewers want and the changing viewing patterns of the audience, ABC is evolving the face of daytime television with the launch of two new shows, “The Chew” which will premiere in September 2011 and “The Revolution” (working title) which will premiere in January 2012.
Celebrity Scandal: Kobe Bryant apologizes to LGBT community for gay slur
Celebrity Scandal!
Kobe Bryant apologizes to LGBT community for openly gay slur?
[Apr. 14]
Perez Hilton, an openly gay blogger, knows a little bit about bullying. When he speaks, his words have the power to heal, divide, or hurt any celebrity or public figure. Whether he is outing a Hollywood star or starlet who is not yet ready to have their sexuality thrust into the bright lights of paparazzi attention or he is simply commenting that someone’s choice of fashion on the red carpet is at best ugly, his words reverberate throughout the blogosphere in such a way that they give him star power and the accused or praised a public media boost like no other. But what about when simple phrases that reinforce negative stereotypes are thrown around by other less prolific celebrity figures while people are listening and cameras are rolling? Such was the case when celebrity athlete Kobe Bryant, an NBA basketball player, threw out some openly stupid remarks about the gay community. Realizing after the fact that he had been labeled a verbal bully recanted his remarks with a public apology almost immediately, and since the sports hero himself had a checkered past filled with nasty allegations about his own sexual nature with regard to misogynistic behavior but was forgiven by fans, Kobe Bryant now hopes the gay and lesbian community across the United States will forgive him.