It's a moment that illuminates not just the way Michael danced or sang, but how he thought -- viewing the world in terms of movement, human semaphore. "This Is It" offers only a few such insights into Michael’s artistic process, though enough surface to make this a useful document, as well as a beautiful one. Mostly it's a tribute to the power of Jackson's body and voice, which the film presents as surprisingly intact despite his age, 50 at the time of his death, and the various ailments that reportedly had plagued him in the preceding decades.
As a tragic teaser for the shows that might have been, "This Is It" hurts. If Michael had been able to perform as he frequently does during these scenes, he would have accomplished the comeback for which he was so hungry. It's tough to believe he was 50, he seems so feather-light and vigorous.
The special effects and short films made for the O2 shows also delight. "Thriller" gets an update that takes the legendary video's graveyard scene into the Tim Burton era. "Smooth Criminal" inserts Michael into the classic Hollywood films he loved -- from "Gilda" to "In a Lonely Place." There are aerialists, "pole dancing specialists," arcs of fire and one adorable little girl.
Chronicling the months from April through June 2009, is drawn from more than one hundred hours of behind-the-scenes footage, featuring Jackson rehearsing a number of his songs for the show. In raw and candid detail, Michael Jackson's This Is It captures the singer, dancer, filmmaker, architect, creative genius and great artist at work as he creates and perfects his final show.
The film's prologue states that this raw footage was meant for Michael personal library, yet it's hardly raw. It's lighted and edited like a real concert film, and the sound is almost too good to believe. I truly enjoyed everything that the film offered who would have known when Michael announced that “This is it” that it truly would have been his last. If you are a true Michael Jackson fan you should pop in the dvd, turn the surround sound up and get ready to experience the best 111 minutes you have had in a long time. I know I did!!
Anyone who's been through a serious loss knows about the baffling part: After it's over, you are still you. You are you, plus the loss, plus the pain and confusion the loss causes. The process of healing isn't really a matter of "getting over it" -- taking it in is what's necessary, incorporating what's been felt and learned and figuring out how to be the person you've always been is what's different now.
"The Sea," British soul singer Corinne Bailey Rae's second studio album, marks a change from her first effort in that it features moody, deeply textured tracks that require repeated listenings to fully absorb their sound.
Rae's husband, saxophonist Jason Rae, accidentally overdosed on methadone and alcohol in March 2008. Rae grieved for him by doing nothing for months, then returned to making music. That event pervades the album, with lyrics clearly reflecting her grief. The muted “Are You Here” seemingly recalls their first meeting: “He’s a real live wire/He’s the best of his kind/Wait till you see those eyes” she sings in a fragile voice. The lead single, the jazz-tinged “I’d Do It All Again,” Rae beautifully expresses that love can cause pain, but is ultimately rewarding. While the mood is somber, the song ultimately communicates hope for love.
Despite the serious underlying meanings on many tracks, The Sea also contains some upbeat, funky moments. “The Blackest Lily” features gospel-tinged organ and a rocking guitar solo. Fans of her first album will enjoy the slow burn of “Closer,” where she seduces a lover: “I want you to travel with me/Lay loose and let your mind go free.”
Rae can tell stories from other people’s perspectives, such as on the dark “Paper Dolls.” The song begs the question: where does the false persona end and the real person begin?
Perhaps no other track sums up the deeper meanings of The Sea than the last two tracks, “Diving for Hearts” and “The Sea.” The former song again refers to her personal tragedy: “Can’t forget the things I’ve seen,” she laments, but she longs to “keep on diving/Till my heart is found.” One senses that Rae wishes to find peace and removal of her pain; writing these songs presumably helps her find catharsis.
While The Sea communicates all Rae has endured since her husband’s death, it also expresses hope in love’s healing power. Fans expecting something as immediately accessible as “Put Your Records On” might be puzzled by the new album, but repeated listenings undercover the songs’ true beauty and complexity. Spend time in The Sea for a rewarding musical experience.
Listen and watch her first single off her new album “The Sea” below: “I’ll Do It All Again”
Aiite! It's Here!!! The 2010 NBA ALL STAR Weekend is approaching and fast! And trust me, there will be more parties than you can possibly attend. So make sure you pick the right ones cuz they will be baaaaaaaalin!!!!!! Seriously, here's a rundown of a few of the "hot spots" in & around Dallas, TX between February 11th-15th!
All-Star Weekend Kick-Off Party
Hosted by Josh Howard, Devin Harris & Alesha Renee
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2010
Time: Doors open at 9 PM
Venue: The Bank
Address: 1313 Main St, Dallas, TX, 75202 – Floor 48th
Capacity: 800 people
Age Recommended: 21 and up for Ladies; 23 and up for Fellows
Music by: Big Daddie The DJ
Men’s attire- Grown & Sexy
Women’s attire- Sassy & Stilettos
LEBRON JAMES & DRAKE ALL STAR CELEBRITY EXPERIENCE PARTY
at AM/PM LOUNGE - 300 N. Arkard St. Dallas Texas 75201
Friday Feb 12th 2010
9pm - 2am
10 VIP Bars | 7 party Areas | 2 Penthouse VIP Suites
4 International DJs | 3 Luxe Lounges | 2 many Celebrity Guests
Carmelo Anthony's KrossOver Entertainment ALL STAR PARTY
Friday Feb 12th 2010
at BEAMERS - 2443 Walnut Hill Lane Dallas TX 75229
More info >> BEAMERSALLSTAR.com or call 214.902.6490
TERRELL OWENS & FRIENDS
Welcome TO Dallas Party
Friday Feb 12th 2010
at the ALOFT HOTEL - 1033 Young Street
9pm - 2am
Infoline >> 832.794.0743
Diddy Does Dallas
Hosted by: Diddy and NBA friends
Date: Friday, February 12, 2010
Time: Doors open at 9 PM
Venue: Palladium Ballroom
Address: 1135 S Lamar St, Dallas, Texas, 75215
Capacity: 9,000 people
Age Recommended: 21 and up for Ladies; 23 and up for Fellows
Men’s attire- Grown & Sexy
Women’s attire- Sassy & Stilettos
What to Expect:
Utica Entertainment & Elite Events Presents
"A Dallas State of Mind"
Celebrity Host: Rosa Acosta's All Star Ladies Night Edition
Friday Feb 12th @ Vu (Formerly Karma Night Club) 15203 Knoll Trail
Featuring An All Star Line Up
Boris Kudjoe: Soul Food & Nip Tuck
Hosea Chanchez: BET Hit TV Show "The Game"
Brian White: Stomp The Yard & Tyler Perry's "I Can Do Bad All By Myself"
Tank: R&B Crooner
Lance Gross: House of Payne, & Meet The Browns
Spinning: Mr. Party Starter Himself "Biz Markie"
Attire: Grown & Sexy
Time: 9:30 - 2:30 am
For More Info: Log onto www.utica-ent.com, or email j_seliteevents@yahoo.com to find
out about Discounted Tickets, Tables, and Bottle Service, or call JP @ 214-227-8526
Utica Entertainment & Elite Events offers alternate options to the nightlife scene.
Why settle for Ordinary? When you can be among The Elite!
Tickets available at http://allstarladiesnight.eventbrite.com/
STAR STUDDED HIT EM WITH THE FLEX FRIDAY
Fri Feb 12th 2010
at KENICHI Bar & Lounge - 2400 Victory Park Lane Dallas Texas 75219
21 and Up
Dress to Impress
InfoLine >> 214.871.8883
LUDACRIS is hosting the Welcome to Texas All Star Party
Friday Feb. 12th 2010
with Slim Thug, Z-Ro, Webbie & Foxx and more!!
$1,000 How Low Can You Go Contest
Sounds by DJ Hi-C
also featuring Pinky's Champagne VIP Room w/ Dancers from Houston, Dallas and Atlanta
CLUB CIRQUE
1930 PACIFIC AVE at Harwood
Downtown Dallas, TX
JERMAINE DUPRI's ECLIPSE ALL BLACK AFFAIR with bryan Michael Cox
Friday Febraury 12th 2010
@ The Tower at Cityplace
2711 N. Haskell
DJ Kid Capri & DJ Cruise Control inDmix
Your finest Black Carpet Attire is requested. Ladies pull out that elegant and sexy
little black dress. Gentlemen get laced up in your most sophisticated stylish black
winter wear. Absolutely no athletic wear accepted.
We reserve the right to be selective so make a statement! See & Be Seen.
www.eclipseblackaffair.com
The Grown and Lovely Movement Continues….
NextEpisode Entertainment proudly invites you to experience the
Ultimate Double Play during the NBA All-Star Weekend!
Chapter 1: TESTIFY – THE Daytime Party Event
Special Guest Host and Mixologist:
Houston’s Own World Renowned DJ Def Jam Blaster
Saturday 02.13.10
J Pepe’s
2701 N. Stemmons Fwy
Dallas, Tx. 75207
(I-35@ Inwood Rd. exit; Service Rd. South; just 5 mins from American Airlines Center)
Doors Open @ 2pm-7pm
-Margarita and Mojito Drink Specials and other surprises
**PRESALE TICKETS Only $20**
(Must Be purchased In Advance)
(ladies 23+; gentlemen 25+) and Classy Casual Dress code
Presale tickets available exclusively via www.clubzone.com"
For direct access: www.clubzone.com/h1/dallas/nightlife.html
For tickets and add'l info 214.454.2481 and 972.741.4030
NOW KEEP IN MIND, THIS IS A SMALL HANDFUL OF ALL THE PARTIES & EVENTS GOING ON ALL-STAR WEEKEND. YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE REST ON http://www.indmix.com
Periodically, we all have questions that may seem so simple. But I was always taught the only stupid question is the one you don't ask. Come sit on tha couch!!
Question:
How do you know if your man is cheating on you?
Answer:
There are only two ways of knowing for sure that your man cheated. He either tells you or you see it with your own eyes (walk-in/pic/video etc.). All other forms of evidence are open to interpretation. If you want to catch your man, then be prepared to do the investigative work (tracking his calls, following him when he goes out etc.). This process can and will drive you crazy and I am a firm believer that if you start playing detective you already know you have a cheater on your hands and it would be far more beneficial to resolve the relationship issues then to worry about the who and what of the cheat.
Want to ask "Tha Shrink" something? Email sitonthacouch@gmail.com. All names will be kept strictly confidential.
A second Washington Wizards player was charged today with weapons violations following a plea deal with the feds.
As part of the deal, federal prosecutors agreed to drop a second misdemeanor charge against Javaris Crittenton and recommend a sentence of probation.
Crittenton, 22, was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation and $1,250 in fines.
He was charged this afternoon in a Dc courtroom with unlawful possession of a firearm and attempting to carry a pistol without a license, both misdemeanors.
Each charge carried a maximum year in jail.
The deal comes just 10 days after his teammate Gilbert Arenas pleaded guilty.
"Mr. Crittenton brought a lawfully owned, unloaded handgun into Washington, DC, only because he legitimately feared for his life," said his lawyer Peter White. "The government's proffer of facts to be filed today acknowledges that his handgun was not loaded and that he never threatened anyone with it. The gun was legally purchased, but bringing it into the District, even for self-defense, violated the city’s strict gun control laws."
Arenas, who is suspended indefinitely from the NBA without pay, pleaded guilty Jan. 15 to a felony gun charge connected to a locker-room argument that is believed to have involved Crittenton.
At his court hearing, prosecutor Chris Kavanaugh revealed new details of the case, including that during a Dec. 19 team flight, Arenas and Crittenton argued about a card game, and Arenas said he would "burn" Crittenton's Cadillac Escalade or "shoot him in the face."
Crittenton retorted that "he would shoot the f- - - out of Arenas" and "shoot Arenas in his" surgically repaired knee.
Two days later, Arenas arrived at the Wizards locker room in the Verizon Center carrying at least one gun inside his backpack, records say.
Arenas then "placed four firearms" on Crittenton's chair, as well as a handwritten note reading "PICK 1," prosecutors said. Those handguns were a .50-caliber Desert Eagle, a .500 Magnum Smith & Wesson revolver, a .45-caliber semi-automatic and a 9mm Browning pistol.
When Crittenton came in, he said, "What's this?" and Arenas replied, "You said you were going to shoot me, so pick one," according to Kavanaugh.
Crittenton picked up one gun, hurled it across the locker room, and pulled out a gun of his own, court papers say.
Arenas then packed his guns into a suitcase and asked another Wizards player to take the case to his car in the team garage, papers say. When the other player couldn't identify Arenas' car, he left the case in the garage. Can you say, clown?
A clumsy art lover damaged a rare Picasso painting after losing her balance and tripping onto the masterpiece, Sky News reported Monday.
The woman collided with the century-old work, called The Actor, and caused a six-inch vertical tear in the lower right hand corner.
The accident happened at New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, where its experts have been assessing the damage.
In a statement, the Met said the tear did not affect "the focal point of the composition," and said it expects the repair, which will take place in the next few weeks, to be "unobtrusive."
The painting, measuring about 6-by-four feet, had been hanging on the wall of a second-floor gallery with other early Picassos.
The woman was attending an adult education class Friday afternoon when she stumbled into the masterpiece. She has not been identified by the Met and was not injured in the accident.
Picasso created the painting, which depicts an acrobat posed against an abstracted backdrop, during his so-called Pink or Rose Period in the winter of 1904-5. It was donated to the Met in 1952.
Museum officials say they expect the repair to be completed in time for a new exhibition, Picasso In The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, which opens on April 27.
Most of you know someone or you may be battling with one of the most deadly killers known to man, Hypertension, or commonly known as, Diabetes. The reason most people don't know if they have it or not is because it doesn't have symptoms like the common flu. Here's some basic questions & answers that you may want to pay attention to:
1. What Causes High Blood Pressure?
While the cause of high blood pressure in most people remains unclear, a variety of conditions -- such as getting little or no exercise, poor diet, obesity, older age, and genetics -- can lead to hypertension.
2. What Is Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure?
The blood pressure reading is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and is written as systolic pressure, the force of the blood against the artery walls as your heart beats, over diastolic pressure, the blood pressure between heartbeats. For example, a blood pressure reading is written as 120/80 mm Hg, or "120 over 80". The systolic pressure is 120 and the diastolic pressure is 80.
3. What Is a Normal Blood Pressure?
The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure has classified blood pressure measurements into several categories:
"Normal" blood pressure is systolic pressure less than 120 and diastolic pressure less than 80 mmHg
"Prehypertension" is systolic pressure of120-139 or diastolic pressure of 80-89 mmHg
Stage 1 Hypertension is blood pressure greater than systolic pressure of 140-159 or diastolic pressure of 90-99 mmHg or greater.
Stage 2 Hypertension is systolic pressure of 160 or greater or diastolic pressure of 100 or greater.
4. What Health Problems Are Associated With High Blood Pressure?
Several potentially serious health conditions are linked to high blood pressure, including:
Atherosclerosis: a disease of the arteries caused by a buildup of plaque, or fatty material, on the inside walls of the blood vessels. Hypertension contributes to this buildup by putting added stress and force on the artery walls.
Heart Disease: heart failure (the heart can't adequately pump blood), ischemic heart disease (the heart tissue doesn't get enough blood), and hypertensive hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart) are all associated with high blood pressure.
Kidney Disease: Hypertension can damage the blood vessels and filters in the kidneys, so that the kidneys cannot excrete waste properly.
Stroke: Hypertension can lead to stroke, either by contributing to the process of atherosclerosis (which can lead to blockages and/or clots), or by weakening the blood vessel wall and causing it to rupture.
Eye Disease: Hypertension can damage the very small blood vessels in the retina.
5. How Do I Know if I Have High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure often doesn't have any symptoms, so you usually don't feel it. For that reason, hypertension is usually diagnosed by a health care professional on a routine visit. This is especially important if you have a close relative who has hypertension or embody risk factors for it.
If your blood pressure is extremely high, you may have unusually strong headaches, chest pain, and heart failure (especially difficulty breathing and poor exercise tolerance). If you have any of these symptoms, seek treatment immediately.
Well its that time again for Skillz to sum up all the happenings of the past year. This year he decided to do a video along with the "Rap Up." Enjoy!!
After being arrested yesterday afternoon in Utah on an outstanding warrant, Coleman finally posted bail today.
Law enforcement in Santaquin, UT says they were called to Coleman's house for a domestic disturbance. They found no crime was committed, a computer check, however, revealed a misdemeanor failure to appear in court warrant for the former "Diff'rent Strokes" star stemming from a domestic violence incident last year, the spokeswoman saidbut he was was picked up because of a warrant stemming from a prior incident.
The warrant for which Coleman was arrested was for domestic violence incident in 2009. Coleman was cited, but never showed up for court, thus the warrant.
Police did not release details about the previous case related to the arrest warrant, but by looking at this mugshot Arnold, I mean Gary, wasnt very happy..."What you talking about smile?"
Haitian-American Wyclef Jean held a press conference in New York on Monday to defend against accusations that he has profited from his charity Yele Haiti. Since the massive earthquake that struck Haiti last Tuesday, Wyclef has called on the public to text "YELE" to 501501 to donate $5 to the Yele Haiti Earthquake Fund which has raised over $2 millions in just days.
"Yele's books are open and transparent. We have been given a clean bill of health by an external auditor every year since we started," Jean told reporters
He denied all accusations that he personally benefited for Yele Haiti and pointed out that he gave $1 million of his own money to the charity.
He referred all further questions on finances to the president of the foundation, Hugh Locke.
This was the second time in three days Jean has defended the charity.
Last week, The Smoking Gun released IRS forms filed by Yele Haiti that seem to show the nonprofit used donations to pay "the performer and his business partner at least $410,000 for rent, production service and Jean's appearance at a benefit concert sponsored by Yele Haiti. The foundation has filed tax returns for only 3 of the 12 years it has been active and filed those forms only this past August.
Wyclef has not addressed specific financial question in his recent statements but defended himself by saying: "Accusations have been made about me and about Yele. I'm not at all sad by this because my daddy told me the day would always come where you would always be challenged by doing good work."
Seems like daddy should have also told him make sure you keep your books straight and file your taxes.
A not-so-clever bandit waving a gun barked orders at a Queens deli clerk before he remembered to pull his ski mask down over his face.
The dim-witted crook is seen on surveillance video storming up to the counter inside Alba’s Grocery Store on Metropolitan Avenue in Kew Gardens just after midnight on Dec. 21. Two accomplices are keeping watch behind him.
Sporting a black jacket, dark pants and a red T-shirt, the chubby-cheeked thief grabbed a customer, slammed him against a freezer with one hand and pointed an apparent 9mm at the counter person with the other hand.
He then shouted cash demands at the worker while he waved the gun. Suddenly, he remembered the ski mask on top of his head and yanked it down, but his face had already exposed.
The crooks stole about $3,500 and ten T-Mobile calling cards, before fleeing, possibly in a gray or silver Dodge Charger.
Police said the thieves are responsible for three other similar gunpoint robberies at Queens stores that netted them over $1,500.
Anyone with information in regards to these robberies is asked to call the New York Police Department's Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS. People can also submit their tips by logging onto the Crime Stoppers web site at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com or texting their tips to 274637 (crimes) and then entering TIP577.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Desperately needed aid from around the world slowly made its way Thursday into Haiti, where supply bottlenecks and a leadership vacuum left rescuers scrambling on their own to save the trapped and injured and get relief supplies into the capital.
The international Red Cross estimated that 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed in Tuesday's magnitude-7.0 earthquake.
President Barack Obama announced that "one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history" is moving toward Haiti, with thousands of troops and a broad array of civilian rescue workers flying or sailing in to aid the stricken country — backed by more than $100 million in relief funds.
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti — Desperately needed aid from around the world slowly made its way Thursday into Haiti, where supply bottlenecks and a leadership vacuum left rescuers scrambling on their own to save the trapped and injured and get relief supplies into the capital.
The international Red Cross estimated that 45,000 to 50,000 people were killed in Tuesday's magnitude-7.0 earthquake.
President Barack Obama announced that "one of the largest relief efforts in our recent history" is moving toward Haiti, with thousands of troops and a broad array of civilian rescue workers flying or sailing in to aid the stricken country — backed by more than $100 million in relief funds
Teddy Pendergrass, who became R&B’s reigning sex symbol in the 1970s and ’80s with his forceful, masculine voice and passionate love ballads and later became an inspirational figure after suffering a devastating car accident that left him paralyzed, died Wednesday at age 59.
The singer’s son, Teddy Pendergrass II, said his father died at a hospital in suburban Philadelphia. The singer underwent colon cancer surgery eight months ago and had “a difficult recovery,” his son said.
“To all his fans who loved his music, thank you,” his son said. “He will live on through his music."
Pendergrass suffered a spinal cord injury and was paralyzed from the waist down in the 1982 car accident. He spent six months in a hospital but returned to recording the next year with the album “Love Language.”
He briefly returned to the stage at the Live Aid concert in 1985, performing from his wheelchair.
Pendergrass later founded the Teddy Pendergrass Alliance, an organization whose mission is to encourage and help people with spinal cord injuries achieve their maximum potential in education, employment, housing, productivity and independence, according to its Web site.
Pendergrass, who was born in Philadelphia on March 26, 1950, gained popularity first as a member of Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes.
In 1971, the group signed a record deal with the legendary writer/producers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. The group released its first single, “I Miss You,” in 1972 and then released “If You Don’t Know Me by Now,” which was nominated for a Grammy Award.
Gamble remembered Pendergrass fondly and lauded him.
“I think Teddy Pendergrass was really one of a kind of an artist, and his music kind of speaks for him,” Gamble said in an interview early Thursday. “He had such a powerful voice, and he had a great magnetism.”
Pendergrass quit the group in 1975 and embarked on a solo career in 1976. It was his solo hits that brought him his greatest fame. With songs such as “Love T.K.O.,” “Close the Door” and “I Don’t Love You Anymore,” he came to define a new era of black male singers with his powerful, aggressive vocals that spoke to virility, not vulnerability.
His lyrics were never coarse, as those of later male R&B stars would be, but they had a sensual nature that bordered on erotic without being explicit.
“Turn Off the Lights” was a tune that perhaps best represented the many moods of Pendergrass — tender and coaxing yet strong as the song reached its climax.
Pendergrass, the first black male singer to record five consecutive multi-platinum albums, made women swoon with each note, and his concerts were a testament to that adulation, with infamous stories of women throwing their underwear on stage for his affection.
But his career was derailed by the car accident, Gamble said.
“He had a tremendous career ahead of him, and the accident sort of got in the way of many of those plans,” Gamble said.
However, Pendergrass’ career did not end. He continued to sing and recorded several albums, receiving Grammy nominations; perhaps his best-known hit after his crash was the inspirational song “Life is a Song Worth Singing.”
It was 19 years before Pendergrass resumed performing at his own concerts. He made his return on Memorial Day weekend in 2001, with two sold-out shows in Atlantic City, N.J.
Pendergrass is survived by his son, two daughters, his wife, his mother and nine grandchildren.
If you drive in Chicago, get ready to dig deeper into your pockets for the new privatized parking meters.
Parking meter rates will rise from $3.50 an-hour to $4.25 an-hour in the Loop and downtown area.
In the neighborhoods, parking meter rates will go from $1.25 an-hour to $2.50 an-hour.
It's an increase of 25 percent from the previous rates, but a 500 percent increase overall from the time when the City of Chicago was operating the meters.
"We can always do what we're entitled to do and that is vote with our wallets. Park somewhere else, ya know, don't shop in places where you pay exorbitant rates, vote with your wallet." one motorist told FOX Chicago News.
Mayor Richard Daley's administration leased the city's 36,000 parking meters to a Morgan Stanley-owned company, now called Chicago Parking Meters, or LAZ, for 75 years. The city got $1.15 Billion for the contract.
LAZ plans to start making the switch over this morning, using 10 two-man crews to program the changes into the kiosks. All of the meters should be updated by January 15th the company said.
Some motorists have been bedeviled by problems with the meters, starting with jammed parking meters that led to parking tickets.
The city halted ticket-writing by LAZ workers for awhile while they worked to fix the meters. And the new pay kiosks sometime freeze up in cold weather, leaving parker wondering what to do.
Come Monday, if you drive, be prepared to carry extra coins or pay by credit card.
LAZ officials say they now will allow parkers to pay at one kiosk and park in other areas as long as the parking rate is still the same.
Chicago - A West Loop school bus driver has been charged with sexually assaulting a mentally challenged teenage girl in March on the South Side, police said.
The man was employed with the same Roseland neighborhood bus company as another driver who was charged in Sept., 2009 with kidnapping a Hyde Park kindergartner.
Antonio Ross, of the 900 block of West Madison Street, was charged Tuesday at 9 p.m. with criminal sexual assault of a victim who was between the ages of 13 and 17, according to police who said the incident occurred March 24, 2009 in the 8200 block of South Luella Avenue.
Ross, who was 26 at the time of the incident, is accused of sexually assaulting a 17-year-old mentally challenged female while he was employed with Jewel’s Bus Company as her bus driver, police said. A police report said allegedly fondled her breasts and placed his penis in her mouth, according to a police report.
In May, 2009, Ross was arrested and charged a few days later with felony intimidation and felony communication with a witness in connection with the same victim, police said.
Those two charges stem from Ross allegedly having contact with the victim on three occasions, the last time on May 4, 2009, when he allegedly stated, “Why did you call the police on me? I should kick your a--,’’ according to a police report. Ross also allegedly grabbed her arms to restrain her while she was fearful for her safety, according to the report.
The Chicago Police Special Investigation Unit is investigating the March 24, 2009 incident.
Another Jewel’s bus driver, Willie Bledsoe, of the 7600 block of South Honore Street, was charged with one count of kidnapping -- a Class 2 felony -- for allegedly not letting a 5-year-old boy exit the bus about 8 a.m. Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009, outside Murray Language Academy near 53rd and Kenwood, police said.
The child wasn’t dropped off at his home until 3 p.m. that day, according to a Chicago Public Schools spokeswoman. On Friday, Sept. 18, Judge Jackie Portman set bond for Bledsoe, who was 67 at the time, at $30,000.
A spokesperson for Jewel’s Bus Company, 1035 W. 111th St., was not immediately available.
In an unrelated incident, a third bus driver -- though he is not employed by Jewel’s -- is under investigation for a separate alleged aggravated sexual assault of a 14-year-old female special needs student who he drove to her South Side school and back in Dec., 2009 and earlier this month, according to police.
Police said the 56-year-old man works for a south suburban Posen bus company and he was arrested at 3:15 p.m. Tuesday in the 5400 block of South Dearborn Street but hasn’t been charged with anything as of early Wednesday.
People really just don't know how to deal with snow in some places.
A Tennessee man was arrested after allegedly pulling a shotgun on a neighbor who loudly stomped snow off his boots outside their apartment building.
John Shepardson, 46, claimed the man had woken him up. He was charged with aggravated assault.
***
The food here is so good, it stops air traffic.
Aviation officials are looking into two separate episodes in which two small planes landed on a frozen lake in Minnesota so the pilots could grab lunch at a nearby restaurant.
Perhaps the joint makes a great aero sandwich.
In any event, it's against the law for the planes -- which were outfitted with landing skis -- to touch down on the lake without a permit.
***
This is what divorce "This Old House"-style looks like.
A woman in Washington state whose husband was leaving her got back at him by allegedly rewiring his power tools to deliver a powerful electric shock when he used them.
She was arrested after he was knocked to the ground while using a 220-volt table saw.
***
It's a dam shame.
Canada's second-oldest magazine, The Beaver, was forced to change its name after 90 years because its title resulted in its e-mail getting caught up in online porn filters.
The magazine, which chronicles Canada's past, originally was about the fur trade. It will now be called Canada's History.
***
What a whore!
A Polish prostitute was hit with an $820,000 fine for unpaid taxes after years of being a working girl.
The woman told the tax office she has very "generous" clients. She claimed one customer paid her nearly $2 million over a five-year period.
An escaped British convict whose online antics drew an international Internet fan base has been caught after nearly four months on the run, police said Wednesday.
Craig "Lazie" Lynch, 28, was caught by Scotland Yard in southern England on Tuesday night. The force confirmed only that he had been arrested and gave few other details.
Lynch was serving time for burglary at a minimum security prison in Suffolk, eastern England. He escaped on Sept. 23 and has spent much of his time since posting defiant photos of himself mocking the police on the Internet.
The ensuing media attention drew as many as 40,000 fans to his Facebook page and other associated fan sites, spawning T-shirts and even a tribute song.
Lynch's page could not be located Wednesday.
Suffolk Constabulary said that Lynch had been charged with escaping from custody and was due to appear in court later Wednesday.
Omarion released his third studio album “Ollusion” today via EMI.This is Omarion’s first solo effort in over three years,unfortunately the result is not really impressive.Omarion rarely takes control on “Ollusion” although he wrote and and co-produced all of the songs on it, at times he even sounds like a guest on his own album. On a positive note the former B2K leader tried to be creative on tracks like “I Think My Girl Is Bi” and “Wet” where he proves that his has potential to be a pretty decent R&B singer.Overall “Ollusion” is a slightly disappointing album from Omarion ,hopefully it is just a step toward better things
