Archive for June, 2009
Pop Icon Michael Jackson Dead
It’s truly a sad day for music fans all over the world, as we learned that pop icon Michael Jackson was pronounced dead today. At just 50 years old, MJ suffered a cardiac arrest and doctors weren’t able to bring him back. A staff member at Jackson’s Holmby Hills home called 911 when they found him unconscious. He was immediately rushed to the UCLA medical center, but attempts to revive him through CPR proved to be futile.
Jackson’s amazing career spanned decades, starting when he was just a child with his siblings performing in the Jackson 5, all the way through to his highly successful career as a solo artist.
To learn more, visit TMZ.com’s article on MJ’s death, the first news outlet to break the story online.
Continue ReadingSix Flags Theme Park Files for Bankruptcy
Since I’m not a big fan of roller coasters and other theme park rides, the fact that Six Flags recently filed for bankruptcy doesn’t really bother me.
Six Flags had been staving off the looming bankruptcy, trying to negotiate its increasing debt outside of court with private lenders. However, when they couldn’t reach an agreement, they had no choice but to file for bankruptcy in a Delaware court early Saturday morning.
The New York Times reports that Six Flags had a staggering $2.4 billion in debt and faced a payment of $300 million to preferred stockholders this August. Though the newly-installed management team has done a great job of cutting Six Flags’ net losses over the past 2 years, it wasn’t enough to counterbalance a 24% drop in revenue. And, because of the credit markets still largely frozen, Six Flags had a difficult time trying to offload their debt.
Continue ReadingBeer Bike Parades Streets in Amsterdam
Amsterdam has always been known for its liberal reputation, namely legal drugs and prostitution. I got to experience the liberal ways of Amsterdam back in 2004, when I visited for an extended weekend. It’s a fun city, but I probably would’ve lost my mind if I stayed there any longer!
Anyway, I wanted to let you all know about the Amsterdam Beer Bike. This is something I never saw while I was visiting, and hadn’t even heard about until recently. The beer bike is basically a mobile bar. Equipped with loads of booze and thirsty tourists, it roams around the streets of Amsterdam. The drinkers not only need to pay for a ride, they have to work for it. Everyone on the bike will be pedaling to propel it through the streets. Though, I suppose you could always take a break and the thing would still move, just a bit slower.
Check out a video of the beer bike in action in Amsterdam:
Continue ReadingDonald Trump Fires Miss California Carrie Prejan
In recent weeks, we learned that Carrie Prejan was allowed to keep her title of Miss California, despite supposedly breaking the rules of the contest. However, Donald Trump changed all that today. Miss California Carrie Prejan was stripped of her crown, due to “contract violations”.
She came under fire after topless photos of her surfaced last month, as well as due to her missed appearances and statements on same-sex marriage. It seemed like it was only a matter of time before she was dethroned, but when nothing happened immediately, people started to think she was going to be allowed to keep the crown.
Trump stated that “Carrie is a beautiful young woman, and I wish her well as she pursues her other interests…”. Clearly, those interests will not include her keeping the Miss California crown. She’ll likely have difficulty entering another beauty contest on the same level, but with all the press surrounding her, I’m sure she’ll be able to squeeze a living out of something.
Continue ReadingDavid Letterman Sarah Palin Joke Went ‘Too Far’
Critics are up in arms about the recent jokes David Letterman made about former Vice Presidential nominee Sarah Palin. Did Letterman go too far this time? I guess that’s up to you. Letterman remarked that Palin was going for the “slutty flight attendant look” on her recent trip to New York. He also took a stab at her daughter, joking that she “got knocked up by a New York Yankee”. in my opinion, they’re just jokes. Politicians are fair game.
Maybe people are starting to feel like Palin is being picked on a bit much. But, with her antics during the presidential election race, you really can’t blame anybody for making fun of her. I say keep the jokes comin’!
Continue ReadingGet Ready to Celebrate National Donut Day
National Donut Day takes place on the first Friday of June every year, which would make the celebration on schedule for tomorrow. The ‘holiday’ celebrates the donut – worshiping it, cherishing it, and eventually consuming it. Due to the conception that donuts are unhealthy, many people in recent years have modified the holiday to become ‘National Donut and Bagel Day. Like bagels are that much better.
National Donut Day started back in 1938 as a fundraiser for the Chicago Salvation Army. They wanted to raise money for the Great Depression and also to honor the ‘lassies’ who served donuts to solders in France behind the front lines in World War I.
There are many places you can get donuts to celebrate National Donut Day – the first place that comes to mind is Dunkin’ Donuts. But don’t forget about Krispy Kreme or your good ol’ local gas station. If you’re feeling brave, you can even bake your own donuts and feast in the comfort of your home!
Continue ReadingSonic Drive-In Giving Away Free Root Beer Floats!
The popular fast food chain, Sonic, is offering free root beer floats as part of a recent promotion. Sonic is the latest chain to hop on the trend of giving away freebies to get some press and spur some more business. It seems like there’s a new freebie hitting the press every day, so you won’t hear any complaints from me about it.
The promotion is only going on today from 8 PM until midnight, so if you want a free 10oz root beer float, you better get moving! Sonic estimates that they’ll be giving away about 3.5 million floats. Unfortunately for me, the nearest Sonic is at least a half hour away, so I won’t be enjoying any tasty root beer floats!
Click here to see all Sonic’s locations
Continue ReadingEminem Dissed by Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Bruno’
Last night at the MTV Video Music Awards, the fans got quite a show from Sacha Baron Cohen’s ‘Bruno’ character. Bruno is a very in-your-face homosexual who gets his laughs in by making straight guys feel really, really uncomfortable. Eminem was his latest victim, and he was not happy about it.
Bruno came down from cable attached to the ceiling, dressed as some sort of angel/fairy and landed right on Eminem’s face – bare-assed! Eminem looked completely surprised and appalled – his entourage immediately threw Bruno off of him and started to push him around, while Eminem repeatedly cursed Bruno. The act did not appear to be staged at all, and Eminem certainly looked surprised. After Bruno flew away, Em and his crew immediately got up from their seats and stormed out of the show.
Check out the video of Eminem getting teabagged by Bruno:
Continue ReadingAir France Flight 447 Missing
What is the fate of missing Air France Flight 447? For the 228 souls aboard the plane and all their friends and family, we pray that somehow they’re found alive. But as the hours tick by, rescuers searching the Atlantic still haven’t found anything. It’s highly unlikely that if the plane crash that there were any survivors, but with the miracle on the Hudson earlier this year, anything is possible.
The last contact with Air France Flight 447 came in the midst of a severe storm and heavy turbulence. The pilot reported a loss of pressure and electrical failure as they flew through heavy turbulence. That was the last anyone has heard of Flight 447. It’s possible that the plane was struck by lighting, but experts say that a modern airplane should be able to stay in flight even after being struck.
We’ll keep you posted on this developing story as we hear more about it. In the meantime, we offers our hopes and prayers to those aboard the flight and their families.
Continue Reading