Damn… A man feared to have been murdered by a serial killer has been found alive after more than three decades, officials said Wednesday. Theodore Szal disappeared from the Chicago area in 1977 when he was 24, according to the Cook County Sheriff’s office in Illinois. His race, age and the date he vanished bore similarities to the 33 victims of serial killer John Wayne Gacy, eight of whom were never identified, leading his family to believe he was dead. On Wednesday, Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart announced Szal, 59, was found living in Beaverton, Ore. “I believe Christmas has come early for the Szal family,” said Dart in a statement. “Being able to tell an 88-year-old father that his son, whose picture he has been carrying around for 34 years in his breast pocket, has been found alive is something special.” Szal had decided to leave Illinois when he was 24, Dart said. He was going through a divorce, and wasn’t reported missing because he had a history of dinsengaging from his family for extended periods of time, reported NBCChicago.com. But when they didn’t hear from him for years, they worried he was dead. Szal’s vehicle had been found near O’Hare airport, close to Gacy’s house, according to NBCChicago.com, and he had a construction-related job at the time of his disappearance, fitting the description of the killer’s victims. Says the family about their long-lost relative: “While we are so relieved to have discovered that Ted is alive and well, our thoughts and prayers are also with the families of the victims – both known and yet to be determined – of John Wayne Gacy,” Szal’s family said in a statement. “We are so thankful to Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart and Detective Jason Moran. The work they are doing is meaningful and important. With the news they were able to bring us, we do ask that our privacy be respected while we sort through the next steps with our family. Thank you.” Wow, this makes for a very Merry Christmas indeed! Source More On Bossip! Vanessa Vs. The World: How Does The Former Mrs. Bryant Stack Up Against His Alleged Mistresses It’s Downhill From Here: Men That Had To Say Goodbye To The Best Things They’ll Ever Have Twitter Files: RihRih Rants Again! Singer Goes Off After Being Targeted By Racist Hotel Guest In Portugal Bricks, All White Bricks: The Craziest Celebrity Drug Busts Of All Time
‘I think it’s someone that’s strong in their beliefs,’ Dolly Parton tells MTV News before show, airing at 9 p.m. ET/PT tonight on VH1. By Jocelyn Vena Mary J. Blige Photo: Getty Images NEW YORK — On Sunday night, some of the music industry’s biggest divas gathered at Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan to pay tribute to some of the most-soulful divas in the biz for “VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul.” Kelly Clarkson, Florence Welch, Mary J. Blige, Jennifer Hudson, Jessie J and Jill Scott all put their new-millennium spin on classics from cities like Detroit, Chicago, London, Philadelphia and Memphis, Tennessee. “I don’t even know what a diva is,” Dolly Parton told MTV News on the red carpet before the big show kicked off. “I think it’s someone that’s strong in their beliefs, strong in their own talent, strong in who they are. … I see a lot of divas around here, and some say I am one, and I don’t know if that’s true or not,” she joked. “Do you think I’m a diva?” Jessie J waxed poetic about the title “diva.” “Sometimes the media can completely misunderstand what the word ‘diva’ means,” she said. “To me, tonight is what it’s about, and every single person’s that been here that’s had longevity, passion, consistent, amazing music that goes around the globe. For me to be a part of it in any way is incredible.” The show recalled some of the greatest hits from divas present, past and future. And it even took time to fondly remember the late Amy Winehouse, whose own music was so deeply inspired by soul music of days past. “She’s in a class by herself,” Mary J. Blige said. “She just broke the mold when she came out; it was like, ‘Wow, who is this?’ And I could hear all of the pain before I even knew she had pain.” While every diva at the show, which airs Monday night (December 19) on VH1, has played a pivotal role in pop music, Gym Class Heroes frontman Travie McCoy doesn’t believe that many will be as influential as Winehouse. “I don’t think there’s gonna be another voice that cut through the way her voice cut through,” he said. “And I think that alone makes her a legend.” Florence Welch of Florence and the Machine , one of the performers during the tribute, summed up Winehouse: “She was the most incredible artist, and I feel kind of overwhelmed to be doing it,” she said. She later took the stage with Nas, Wanda Jackson and Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings to remember Winehouse’s catalogue of music. “VH1 Divas Celebrates Soul” airs at 9 p.m. ET/PT tonight on VH1. Related Photos ‘VH1 Divas’ Celebrates Soul In New York City Related Artists Mary J. Blige Jessie J
Sad news today from Selena Gomez. A few weeks after announcing to the world that her mother was expecting a baby , the singer was forced to cancel a couple shows this weekend because, according to E! News sources, the child was lost to a miscarriage. Gomez was scheduled to perform this evening at the B96 Jingle Bash 2011 at the Allstate Arena outside of Chicago and also tomorrow at 106.1 KISS FM’s Jingle Bell Bash at the in Seattle. Her next live gig will likely take place on New Year’s Eve, when Selena takes part in MTV’s annual bash. This year’s event will be hosted by Demi Lovato and Tyler Posey. Our thoughts go out to Gomez and her family. [Photo: WENN.com]
Highlights of the Denver Broncos 13-10 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears can be viewed below: Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Opposing Views Discovery Date : 12/12/2011 06:09 Number of articles : 2
Highlights of the Denver Broncos 13-10 overtime victory over the Chicago Bears can be viewed below: Broadcasting platform : YouTube Source : Opposing Views Discovery Date : 12/12/2011 06:09 Number of articles : 2
Ten dollar HOLLER! San Francisco just became the first U.S. city to raise their minimum wage above $10. Well that’s a “lil positivity” at least! The sad part about it is that while the increase will benefit non-salaried workers, it’s not gonna help them as much as they probably need it — and the worst news is the increase may put some small businesses out of commission! San Franciscans passed a proposition in 2003 that requires the city to increase the minimum wage each year, using a formula tied to inflation and the cost of living. It’s just another way the progressive people of the City by the Bay have shown their support for the working-class in a locale where labor unions remain strong and housing costs are sky high. Karl Kramer of the San Francisco Living Wage Coalition said a decent wage for a single adult without children in the city would be $15, and that doubles when you have at least one child or more. But like other advocates of better wages, he’s still pleased that San Francisco will be the first in the nation to top $10. “It helps workers’ morale in a time of economic crisis; they feel that they’re able to tread water and get some relief from the recession,” said Kramer. While the city is at the forefront of attempting to provide a decent living wage, most employees say it’s still not a wage to live on, that the 32-cent hike seems like peanuts. And some employers say it could lead to layoffs by small businesses already forced to pay federal, state and city payroll taxes as well as a slew of other city-mandated taxes. Daniel Scherotter, chef and owner of Palio D’Asti, an upscale Italian restaurant in the Financial District, said the city’s minimum wage hike from $9.92 to $10.24 means that his highest-paid employees — the waiters who make most of their income from tips — will see more money in their pockets while his salaried kitchen staff will have to take the hit. If Scherotter raised menu prices to make up the difference, he’d risk going out of business in this economy. What the average San Franciscan may not know, he said, is that business owners also must pay another $1.23 to $1.85 an hour per employee for health-care coverage if they don’t offer health insurance. San Francisco is also the only city in the state that charges a payroll tax of 1.5 percent; it also mandates nine paid sick days annually per employee. “So that drives me nuts, that as a chef, I have to cut my kitchen allowance,” Scherotter said. “What I pay for a waiter is more than double what Manhattan pays, it’s more than double what Chicago pays, and it’s four times what Boston pays. And those are … other big, expensive, pro-labor cities. But I pay what they all pay added together for tipped employees.” Scherotter said the double whammy of recession and wage hikes has led to eight layoffs in his kitchen in the last four years. “We hear that all the time,” said Steve Falk, president and CEO of the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce. He said that by the time you add up all the mandates and taxes that city employers must pay for their minimum-wage workers, the payroll burden is at least 25 to 40 percent higher than other Bay Area cities. He gave the example of catering companies bidding for the contract at the city’s Treasure Island. In the end it went to a Napa firm over a San Francisco catering company because Napa was able to come in lower. “You can’t on one hand as a city impose mandates and fees on a local business and then exclude them because their costs are too high when they go to bid on a city contract or a city service,” Falk said. The chamber of commerce is calling on the city to build in a 25 to 30 percent bid allowance for San Francisco companies. “Fortunately, it’s a very attractive place to own a business and businesses thrive here because of the number of visitors,” Falk said. “But we always worry: where’s the tipping point?” That tipping point needs to lean toward the worker, said David Madland, director of the American Worker Project at the Washington, D.C.-based Center for American Progress Action Fund. He said the best studies on minimum wage indicate that the benefits outweigh the burdens placed on employers. “I think it’s a big deal when a city is making a commitment that says, `Our workers are going to get paid a livable wage for a day’s work,”‘ he said. “It’s also very important that in today’s economy when a core problem is lack of demand … that a city is actively taking steps to put more money into consumers’ pockets.” Source h1> More On Bossip! Must Be Nice: Chad Ochocinco Gives His Future Wife A Maserati And Other Expensive A$$ Gifts For Her Birthday (Photos) SMH: Peep The 15 Black And Latina Bangers Who Made Men’s Health’s 100 “Hottest Women Of All Time List,” Only One Made The Top Ten Which One Would You Wife? “Basketball Wives: Miami” Reveal A Few Shots From Their Season 4 Promo Photoshoot Ballers: Britney Spears Renting This Beautiful Thousand Oaks Mansion For $25K A Month Source
Last night Kanye West visited the home-front, when the Watch The Throne Tour hit Chicago’s United Center. Good for his eventful diversions, ‘Ye took a moment during the show to speak on the Grammy snub for Album of the Year, which overlooked his 2010 masterpiece My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. West places the blame on himself, using it only to fuel his creative fire. Head over to HipHopWired.com to see exactly what he had to say.
‘It is my personal way of seeing things. I am the artist of my own life,’ Gaga says of her self-directed video. By Jocelyn Vena Lady Gaga in her “Marry the Night” music video Photo: Interscope/ VEVO Lady Gaga exorcises her demons in her nearly 14-minute-long clip for “Marry the Night,” which premiered Thursday night. Depicting Gaga’s journey from an early career trauma to her reinvention as a successful pop star, she intended for art to imitate life in the clip. For those wondering what left Gaga so traumatized, she explained it all to E! News preceding the video’s premiere. The video is a metaphor for how she felt when she was dropped from her first record label, Island Def Jam, before landing at her current home at Interscope. “It was one of the worst days of my life and it happened quite quickly. But in my mind, when I think back on that period of my life, it all happened very slow,” she explained. “It is my personal way of seeing things. I am the artist of my own life. I choose to tell you what happened,” she continued. “If you give up after something like that, you were never destined to be an entertainer.” In the video , after hearing from her ballet director that she should quit, she restructures her goal and plots her rise to pop stardom. “In order to be great writing music or at fishing or at being a mechanic or designing buildings, you have to acknowledge what is wrong with your work, or what is dishonest about it,” she said. “What have I not been really great at?” Those obstacles, she says, are a big part of what makes her who she is now. “I love the obstacles,” she said. “To marry your obstacles means I, the artist, wholeheartedly accept everything you throw at me. I am destined to struggle, I am destined to write music about the struggle and I accept it willingly.” There are several scenes where Gaga is naked and experiencing a mental breakdown in her apartment. “Well, I was naked in real life when it happened,” she said, referring to the moment she found out she’d been dropped. “That’s probably the most honest moment in that video of everything I’ve ever done. My directorial decision was for them to just f—ing roll the cameras, because I couldn’t go in and out of the moment. I wonder if I will actually release that scene in its entirety — it’s about 30 minutes long.” “It was intensely important to me that it was not too beautiful,” she added. “It was an incredible experience. It was amazing. It was absolutely amazing.” This marks the first time that Gaga has directed a video all on her own. She recently split from her longtime creative director Laurieann Gibson , however, she clarified how the Haus works during the interview. “I have always been the creative director, and the Haus of Gaga has always been the creative force behind what we’ve done. There really aren’t many tremendous changes. “I know it’s my directorial debut, but I’ve really created everything I’ve ever done in my career,” she continued. “I really didn’t do anything differently on this video that I didn’t do on the ‘Telephone’ video or the ‘Paparazzi’ video or the ‘Bad Romance’ video. I hope my fans will take from this the progression that you have to trust yourself to make mistakes.” While the subject matter of the video is dark, there are also some tongue-in-cheek moments. “I always believe that you walk the line of humor if you’re being so incredibly serious,” she explained. “There’s something quite comical about the opening of the video, even though it’s quite sinister and dark,” she said. “It’s meant to be comical.” So, how would Gaga sum it all up? “In essence, it’s insight into my entire creative process and the way that I view things,” she said. Related Artists Lady Gaga
‘That’s my fault for dropping Watch the Throne and Dark Fantasy the same year,’ Yeezy tells fans about coveted Grammy nom. By Rob Markman Kanye West Photo: Pascal Le Segretain/ Getty Images Everyone knows that Kanye West takes his awards very seriously, but those who were excepting a Yeezy meltdown for his Grammy Album of the Year snub will be disappointed. On Thursday during the Chicago stop of ‘Ye and Hov’s Watch the Throne Tour , the hometown MC, who is leading the 2012 nominees with seven Grammy nods , addressed the crowd. ‘Something I figured out earlier today, because you know everybody came to me last night like, ‘Congratulations,’ because you know I’m leading — I have the most Grammy nominations once again, like we always do at this time,” Kanye said, drawing thunderous applause from the United Center crowd. “But, you know, people focus, they say, ‘You ain’t have Album of the Year or Record of the Year,’ ” he continued as the fan cheers quickly turned to disapproving boos. Then the outspoken rap star did the unexpected. Instead of sending shots toward the Grammy committee, Kanye blamed himself: “I figured it out though. That’s my fault for dropping Watch the Throne and Dark Fantasy the same year. I should’ve just spaced it out, just a little bit more.” In November 2010, ‘Ye released his fifth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, . The platinum LP was both critically acclaimed and a commercial success thanks to surefire singles like the rambunctious “Power,” the reflective sing-along “Runaway” and “All of the Lights,” which is nominated for Song of the Year and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration. Nine months after MBDTF, in August 2011, the Louis Vuitton Don hooked up with Jay-Z to release their tag-team album Watch the Throne . Both Yeezy LPs are nominated in the Best Rap Album category, but neither is in contention for the coveted Album of the Year Award. Instead Adele, the Foo Fighters, Lady Gaga, Bruno Mars and Rihanna will duke it out for the golden gramophone. Surprisingly Kanye West isn’t sweating it, though. “Don’t worry because me and Hov are gonna keep on making sh–,” he said to the crowd. Does this mean we can expect a Watch the Throne sequel? Guess we’ll have to wait till next year to see. What do you think of Kanye’s reaction? Should he have spazzed? Tell us in the comments! Related Photos Artists Shine At ‘Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!’ 2012 Grammy Nominees Related Artists Kanye West
What constitutes a golden hip-hop moment? If you ask Busta Rhymes, it would be when he signed to Young Money this past week . The rapper born Trevor Smith signed to Lil Wayne’s label after walking away from his deal with Aftermath/Interscope Records. With his first official Young Money track, “Why Stop Now” featuring Chris Brown getting spins on radio, The Urban Daily offers up ten fun facts about a rapper who knows what longevity means. 1. He once held a record in the Guinness Book of World Records. It’s no secret Busta raps at excessive speeds. I mean really, how many times did you have to listen to his verse on “Look At Me Now” to catch the first three lines of his verse? In 2000, Busta Rhymes was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for having said the most syllables in one second. The title belonged to voice-over actor, John Moschitta , previously. A little known rapper from Chicago stole the title back from the New York MC a few years later. 2. His rap name comes from a former football player. When Rhymes began rapping, he went along with the trend of hip-hop. Everybody who was anybody had “Ski” in their rap moniker. Busta Rhymes was no different. His first rap name was Chilly-O-Ski . Soon after giving himself that name, he and plenty of other people decided it was corny. Chuck D of Public Enemy rechristened him Busta Rhymes after the former Minnesota Viking, George “Buster” Rhymes . Could you imagine saying, “Yo, did you hear Chilly-O-Ski’s new song? That’s dope, son!” No? Us either. 3. He’s been featured on more than 300 songs. Remixes have become the norm in hip-hop. When a hot song drops, we sit and speculate who is going to be on the remix. More often than not, Busta is on the remix. Not only subjected to remixes, most of Rhymes’ biggest hits are tracks where he breezes in, drops a hot 16, and bounces. Case and point, The Pussycat Dolls’ first single, “Don’t Cha” got spins. However, when Busta hopped on it, the track became a Top 5 hit on the Billboard’s Hot 100 Singles chart in 2005. His collaborators range from people like house music sensation, Tiesto , to DMX . His wild energy and preciise delivery are a couple of reasons he lands on everyone’s track. 4. Busta Rhymes has only had one album debut at number one. Out of the eight discs he has released, five have gone platinum. Out of the five that have gone platinum, none opened at number one. 2006′s The Big Bang is Busta’s only disc to sit atop the album heap for at least a week. Ironically, The Big Bang is one of his lesser selling projects. In spite of hits like “Touch It” and “I Love My Chick, ” it’s only sold 613,000 copies after opening week sales of 209,000 copies. That means one third of total sales of this album came from the first week. Yikes! 5. He left Leaders of the New School before getting their record deal. Busta hit the scene as part of the rap group, Leaders of the New School. If you remember, the group ended on the set of Yo! MTV Raps . Many don’t know Busta and Leaders of the New School broke up and got back together before they got their deal. In an interview with VladTV , Rhymes recounted the tale of getting kicked out for not giving Dinco D and Charlie Brown a ride. “Me and Leaders of the New School weren’t getting along from before the first album. When you hear “Too Much On My Mind,” I don’t have a verse on it. They started recording while I was on the outs with the group and the person who wanted to sign Leaders of the New School didn’t want to sign us if it wasn’t the same members he saw perform months earlier. They asked me to come back and I agreed, but I had a few stipulations. The main one was that they had to let me use two of my solo songs on the album. So I did “Feminine Fatt” and “Show Me A Hero” by myself because of that.” 6. He was once a clothing designer. Everyone knows Busta Rhymes can rap and act, but what they scratched their heads about was if he knew anything about designing clothes. Rhymes proved he had a little bit of knowledge when he debuted his clothing line, Bushi , in the late 90s. Like most start up businesses, profit was damn near invisible for the first few years. As the profits continued to find their way to the rapper’s pockets at a snail’s pace, he became increasingly bored with the venture. Rhymes decided to cut his losses and close up shop. He donated the leftover merchandise to local charities and went back to being a rapper full time. 7. Getting a record deal was the reason for growing his dreads. Since entering the rap world in 1989, Busta has been seen with his trademark dreadlocks. Many attributed his locks to his Jamaican heritage. They would be wrong. The actual reason is far less cultural. When he got his record deal, he decided he wasn’t going top comb or cut his hair because he didn’t have to anymore. He hacked his locks off in 2005 when he left J Records to join Dr. Dre’s Aftermath stable. He said cutting his hair was symbolic of a new beginning at a new label. 8. Busta Rhymes is the Susan Lucci of rap music. Daytime soap actress, Susan Lucci , is famous for having been nominated for an Emmy 18 times since 1978 and only winning once in 1999. When it comes to rap, Busta is in the same boat. Despite having some of the most creative videos of the 90s, Busta Rhymes has never won a MTV Video Music Award. He’s been nominated 15 times. He is second to Britney Spears in shut outs. She was shut out of 17 nominations until she went home with three trophies in 2008. The Video Music Awards isn’t the only place Busta has been left out. With nine nominations, the Grammys have never recognized Rhymes for his work. This year might be different, with “Look At Me Now” being such a huge record, it’s bound to get nominated in the Best Rap/Sung Collaboration category. He has a pretty good shot at winning that one. 9. He would’ve rather been a member of A Tribe Called Quest. As mentioned earlier, the relationship between Busta Rhymes and the other members of Leaders of the New School was tumultuous. They fought over everything. Busta’s increasing popularity as a solo act was a big cause for arguments. Rhymes was getting so much attention as a solo act because he was featured on a handful of A Tribe Called Quest records without the other Leaders of the New School members. Busta gave an interview where he stated, “I always wanted to be in Tribe. I would always leave Leaders of the New School after a beef and call Q-Tip to find out what studio they were at. I have so many cameos on Tribe records without Leaders of the New School because Tribe always embraced me when I was going through my frustrations with Leaders of the New School. Tribe always considered me family.” 10. Sean Connery isn’t a fan of Busta’s lateness. Oscar winning actor, Sean Connery , is notorious for being extremely punctual. When shooting the film, Finding Forrester , Busta arrived on set two minutes late and was greeted by a late slip from the Scottish actor. Considering Sean Connery also served as one of the film’s producers, Rhymes couldn’t get too beside himself otherwise he would’ve been out of a job. The rapper did like 2pac when he got shot five times, he took the slip and smiled. RELATED POSTS: Busta Rhymes “You Ain’t Gotta Wait Till I’m Gone” [Heavy D Tribute] Busta Rhymes Calls Cash Money Deal “A Golden Moment For Hip Hop” [VIDEO]
