The bus driver is acquitted for ignoring this as well… White Teen Bullies Torture 10-Yr Old Black Boy On Bus his video shows the shocking torment suffered by a 10-year-old boy on his way to school. For 40 minutes Cequan Haskins was abused by a pair of 15-year-old bullies in May 2011. They called him names, made sexual and racial slurs and held a scorching cigarette lighter to his skin. In the chilling footage Cequan can be heard screaming and pleading with the bullies to stop but they are relentless, clambering over seats to get at him. They are visibly much larger than their victim and he is unable to get away from them as they yell at him to ‘sit down and shut your mouth’. Cequan’s mother, Roxanne Haskins, released the video at a press conference on Friday, telling wset-tv that she wanted people to know just how bad bullying can be. ‘I wanted parents to be aware, that when I speak out, I’m speaking out for all kids. But unfortunately, this did happen to my child, and I want parents to be aware of what’s going on in the school system,’ she said. ‘My son, he was a special needs child and he didn’t deserve this. He was entitled to a safe transportation just like any other child in the Appomattox County Public School System.’ Cequan was left with physical and emotional scars in the aftermath of his ordeal, Ms Haskins said. He continues to suffer from post traumatic stress disorder and has undergone hours of therapy. Both of the teens involved were found guilty of disorderly conduct, assault and battery. Ms Haskins has launched a civil case against the Appomattox County School Board and is awaiting a trial date. The bus driver, Nancy Davis was initially investigated for child neglect, the video playing a key part in her trial. She can be heard shouting ‘Ugh, anything to get him quiet! I’ve got to drive this bus’ as the boys torture Haskins toward the back of the bus. She was acquitted of all child abuse charges several months ago. youtube
Police Called To Jackson Family Home Over Domestic Assault The Jacksons really need to get it together… SMH. According to TMZ reports : L.A. County Sheriff’s Deputies went to the Jackson family home in Calabasas and took a battery report … after family members reported a disturbance. Steve Whitmore tells TMZ … Lost Hills deputies from the Sheriff’s Dept. showed up this afternoon at the compound and someone inside accused someone else present of a physical assault. Deputies took a report but no arrests were made. Whitmore tell TMZ … Lost Hills Sheriff’s deputies have been on the Jackson case since April, when a business associate of the Jackson family alleged that Katherine Jackson was being emotionally and financially mistreated by family members. At the time, deputies interviewed Katherine who denied she was being mistreated, but we’re told the Sheriffs are still on the case and are interviewing other family members to determine if there is possible financial abuse. This sounds like a hot mess, but even worse, the police are now talking yang cuz they are sick of the petty family bs . Some L.A. County Sheriff’s deputies feel “used and manipulated” by Michael Jackson’s family members who reported Katherine Jackson missing … this according to Sheriff’s Dept. sources. Members of the Dept. familiar with the situation tell TMZ … they believe MJ’s family members knew Katherine was not in danger but used the Sheriff’s Dept. as a “pawn in the middle of a family game.” Sheriff’s sources grouse that their budget has been severely cut which makes bogus claims sting even more than usual. They believe the end game here is money. As you know … MJ’s brothers and sisters want Michael’s will invalidated so they can get a piece of the pie. But there’s a BIG problem. If the will is invalidated, the prior will gets resurrected, and under that document Michael’s siblings are completely cut out. Sheriff’s spokesperson Steve Whitmore tells TMZ, “We don’t feel manipulated. We respond professionally to all such reports.” BTW … no matter what the family’s motives, the Sheriff’s Dept. will continue to investigate the claims. This is really sad, and we especially feel bad for Janet who just came back to Cali from that lovely vacay with her billionaire boo and was photographed in deep conversation with Jermaine outside the family home around the time police were called. We hope these folks get it together soon!
Following a scathing report by an unbiased investigator, which implicated Joe Paterno directly in a cover-up that allowed Jerry Sandusky to roam free years after he sexually molested a series of young boys, Penn State officially have taken down the statue of the legendary coach from its campus. University President Rod Erickson said he reached the decision because the statue “has become a source of division and an obstacle to healing” and would be “a recurring wound” to victims of abuse had it remained. Despite enormous public pressure for the statue to go, the Paterno family remains in the corner of the former head coach, who died in February of lung cancer. The removal “does not serve the victims of Jerry Sandusky’s horrible crimes or help heal the Penn State community,” said the family in a statement, taking issue with the report by former FBI Director Louis Freeh being treated as a legal verdict and adding: “It is not the University’s responsibility to defend or protect Joe Paterno. But they at least should have acknowledged that important legal cases are still pending and that the record on Joe Paterno, the board and other key players is far from complete.” What do YOU think? Should Penn State have taken down the statue?
We’re down to the final two on The Bachelorette. The last two men standing: hot speed racer Arie Luyendyk, Jr . and skateboarding cutie Jef Holm . Which one of these men has stolen bachelorette Emily Maynard’s heart? Find out NOW in our THG LIVE Recap! If you don’t want to wait, you can always check out The Bachelorette Spoilers , but we think you’ll want to stick around for this. Chris Harrison reminds us that this is a super special finale with a super special After the Rose special! Yay for three hours of Emily Maynard! Minus 8 Curacao. It must suck to be there, right? And to be in love with two guys while there? That’s tough. Oooh look, Ricki sighting! Plus 5. Jef’s meeting the family, including the future sister-in-law, but not Ricki. And he brought flowers for her mom. What a sweetheart. Plus 10. Mom’s a little leery because Brad really stole HER heart. She’s going to grill Jef about Ricky and how he feels about being a dad. Jef’s ready to be a dad and wants to marry Emily. I’m totally Team Jef right now. Plus 20. Oooh, now big brother’s going to grill Jef. Except they end up talking about Rick, her late fiance’ and father of her child. Which is a little odd. But big brother’s impressed, so score one for Jef with one F. Plus 8 . Jef wants Daddy’s blessing before he proposes to Emily if she’s the one he chooses. Daddy gives the blessing and says it’s obvious they care about each other. Hooray for Jef! Plus 10 . Emily underestimated just how much her family would like Jef and says she hopes they have to meet Arie tomorrow. Then she says she hopes they’re open-minded and for half a second I wonder if she wants to choose them both. Which would definitely be a first for The Bachelorette . Back in the studio audience, Chris Harrison says this is one of the most dramatic finales in Bachelorette history. And now it’s Arie’s turn to meet the family. Arie didn’t bring flowers for Mom. Minus 3 . Dad says Arie has his work cut out for him and he isn’t sure why they’re going through with meeting another guy today. Arie tries to make small talk about fishing and then he just keeps on talking. And no one else talks. This is just not going well. Minus 4 . Arie DID bring flowers! All of the roses Emily gave him this season. Now I’m Team Arie! Plus 6. Mom gets Arie alone to talk and Arie drops that he’s dated a single mom before. Mom’s impressed! And now she loves Arie, too. Plus 7. Big Brother says Arie’s a smooth talker and worries that he’s not in this for the right reasons. The smile plastered on his face says that he’s not buying what Arie’s selling. After their talk, Big Brother is confused. Arie tells Dad that Emily’s the love of his life and asks for his blessing. Dad gives it. Plus 10. Arie and Emily make out for a bit and then she calls him “Honey.” Awww. Plus 2. Emily’s sitting down with her family to see what they think of the two guys. None of them can pick one guy over the other. Emily says she’s in love and that she loves both of them in different ways. She wanted help choosing which of them would be better with Ricki and they didn’t have any answers. Mom encourages her to hold off on an engagement until she’s seen how the guy she chooses is with Ricki. Plus 10. Mother knows best. Now Emily’s not sure she’s ready to get engaged when this is all over and isn’t sure if any of the guys we’ve seen this season has been the one for her. What have we been DOING all summer? Minus 3. Chris Harrison asks the studio audience who they think is best for Emily. While they clearly cheer more loudly for Jef, Chris pretends they were split evenly. Minus 2 . Another Ricki sighting! Ricki’s favorite place on this jet-setting adventure has been Curacao. Mine too, Ricki. Mine too. It’s Jef and Emily’s last date. Jef sees everything in Emily that he’s ever wanted to see in the woman he’d spend his life with, but says that there’s one big obstacle in the way: Meeting Ricki. Emily says she’s stressed and Jef says he’s not stressed at all. Jef brings up the fact that he hasn’t met Ricki yet and says that he thinks about her every day, even if he’s never met her. Plus 10. Emily says it’s just a big decision. Jef asks how she’d feel if the roles were reversed. She says it would be weird. And then they stop talking and it’s awkward. Minus 12. Emily decides to introduce Jef to Ricki because she “has all the faith in the world” that this time will be different. Plus 4.
The Dark Knight Rises director Christopher weighed in about the brouhaha that flared this week after some passionate Batman fans threw a fit after a spattering of negative reviews, resulting in aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes’ decision to disable user comments for the time being. Nolan’s final stint in the trilogy is expected to fetch box office records this weekend and so far reviews have been mostly positive, but a few critics gave TDKR a thumbs down and some fans went ballistic. Wednesday night at the film’s London premiere, Nolan appeared to defend fans’ emotional response. [ GALLERY: Christian Bale, Anne Hathaway & Co. at the Dark Knight Rises premiere ] “I think the fans are very passionate about these characters the way a lot of people are very passionate. Batman’s been around for over 70 years and there’s a reason for that,” A.P. reported Nolan as saying. “He has a huge appeal, so I think you know people certainly respond to the character.” RT’s editor-in-chief Matt Atchity said in an open letter on the site that the venomous push-back may alter their policies going forward, changing its commenting system so that it no longer allows for anonymity. “You’ll have to stand by your comments, just like a critic does. So you’ll still be able to argue about a movie you haven’t seen, but people will know it was you,” wrote Atchity. In an unrelated bout of TDKR mini-controversy, Nolan also offered up his take on conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh’s opinion that the pic’s villain, “Bane” is a not so-subtle reference to presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney’s former employer Bain Capital, decrying the movie and its makers for maligning the former Massachusetts governor who continued to hold a major investment in the company after departing its day to day operations. Liberals have accused Romney and Bain of “outsourcing American jobs overseas.” “I’m not sure how to address something that bizarre, to be honest,” said Nolan. “I really don’t have an answer for it, it’s a very peculiar comment to make.” Morgan Freeman, who plays Lucius Fox in Rises called the whole thing “ridiculous.” The Bane character originated back in 1993, first appearing in DC Comics’ Batman: Vengeance of Bane #1 , according to Wikipedia. [Source: A.P. , Rotten Tomatoes , Wikipedia ]
It’s hard to imagine that the documentary Lauren Greenfield initially set out to make when she started shooting The Queen of Versailles would have turned out to be anything other than grotesque. When the filmmaker, who previously directed the unflinching eating disorder investigation Thin , first approached her subjects Jackie Siegel and her billionaire husband David, it was to record them as they built their dream home, Versailles, a monstrous 90,000-square-foot Orlando abode that when completed would be the largest single-family house in the U.S. Like the Siegels themselves, the plans for Versailles displayed an astounding capacity for excess and extravagance with no accompanying sense of taste or restraint. Inspired in equal parts by the French palace after which it was named and the Paris Las Vegas Hotel, the house and its accompanying area was intended to include 10 kitchens, 30 bathrooms, a bowling alley, a baseball field and a grand ballroom, among other indulgences. As Jackie, a 43-year-old former Mrs. Florida, gigglingly swans through the half-constructed building in her designer outfit to the film’s bitingly whimsical soundtrack, pointing out offhandedly to the camera that “this is what five million dollars worth of marble looks like,” she looks like a perfect symbol of oblivious privilege, a easily loathed nightmare of the One Percent. But when David’s timeshare company Westmark gets walloped by the 2008 financial crisis, the Siegels and their eight kids (seven are Jackie’s and one is a niece plucked from a troubled home life) face a writ-large version of the economic turmoil into which so many households were plunged. The Siegels may be rich, but underneath the $17,000 Gucci crocodile boots, they turn out to be just as leveraged as other families who had to fight to hold on to their homes and their livelihoods, and soon their mammoth mansion is being put up for sale, an empty shell with luxury trimmings available for a mere $100 million. The Queen of Versailles begins by inviting us to judge the Siegels, to laugh and to sneer at them — and you have to, when you see things like the custom 18th century-style family portraits of David and his wife hanging on the walls, or Jackie’s late, beloved dog Chanel, commemoratively stuffed and mounted in a glass display case. But the film shifts into something profound, a genuine quiet tragedy, as the Siegels are forced to scale back and their pursuit of the American dream starts to look like a kind of infection rather than anything to do with happiness, a compulsion that demands more and more. David earned the fortune, but this is Jackie’s movie, and we start to fall in love with her as she remains steadfastly bubbly in the face of finances crumbling and her husband pulling away to obsess over saving the tower his company just had built in Vegas. She’s a little ridiculous, sure, with her cantilevered bosom and carefully tautened visage, grappling to hold on to youth for the sake of a spouse who jokes about trading her in for two 20-year-olds. But Jackie’s actually much less of the silly trophy wife than she appears and into which she’s transformed herself — in interviews, she talks about how she got an engineering degree and a job at IBM before deciding to pursue modeling instead, and reveals how she fled her first abusive marriage. David isn’t abusive, but as times get (relatively) tougher it becomes clear that he looks at Jackie, his third wife and over 30 years younger than him, as just another acquisition rather than as a partner. “Do you get strength from your marriage?” asks an off-camera Greenfield, and he responds, “No, not really. It’s kind of like having another child.” Both he and Jackie came from normal middle-class backgrounds, but the lifestyle they’ve settled into isn’t one that can easily be adapted or downsized — when they have to fire most of the 19 staff members that keep their household running, the already sizable house they’ve been living in while waiting on Versailles to be completed becomes an expensive shambles, with dog crap everywhere and other pets dying of neglect. “Nothing makes me happy anymore,” David tells the camera toward the end of the film, after having to lay off a slew of employees, still searching frantically for financing to save his Las Vegas tower from the bank. And both he and Jackie have the look of children who’ve made themselves sick gorging on candy but feel like they need to keep eating because they know it’s a treat. He retreats into his cluttered work room, where he sits with the TV on, surrounded by paperwork, avoiding his family. Forced to downgrade to Walmart, Jackie purchased multiple shopping carts full of toys that her kids don’t need or want — the camera silently observes the new bike she purchased for one of the children being added to a huge pile of them already crowding the garage. Why did the Siegels let Greenfield keep filming? Well, why did they let her start in the first place? These are people who aren’t afraid to discuss the fact that the pile of caviar they’re eating cost $2,000, because the amount that was spent on it is part of (maybe all of) the pleasure, and that only counts when there’s an audience to appreciate it. There’s a certain type of painful honesty that shines through in both their interviews toward the end and, particularly, in those with the staff, women from places like the Philippines who are saving up for homes of their own with families they haven’t seen for years. David is now suing Greenfield for the way his family and business is portrayed in the film, but The Queen of Versailles isn’t a hit piece — it develops an almost mournful empathy for its subjects as they fall from great heights to merely impressive ones. To say that money can’t buy happiness is a trite reduction of the complicated range of emotions the film evokes — maybe it’s more that money can allow you to escape from the self-reflection that’s always threatening to catch up with you and lay you bare. Follow Alison Willmore on Twitter . Follow Movieline on Twitter .
In an interview that airs tonight on Fox News – more excerpts from which we’ll run tomorrow – George Zimmerman issues an emotional apology to the parents of Trayvon Martin.
Kevin Durant Dating LeToya Luckett? It looks like a little NBA fame can go a long way. The NBA scoring champion and the sport’s new big name. So naturally, he needs to get a famous boo thang on his side. The lady in question is reportedly none other than former Destiny’s Child member LeToya Luckett. She was allegedly considering getting back with her man Matt Kemp, cutting Durant off for months. But he stuck with it and they were spotted out on the town together. They actually seem pretty cute together despite the age difference. Did Durant luck out on the hottest non-Beyonce Destiny’s Child member? Let’s look at the pics and see for ourselves.
Nevermind “cheaper to keep her”, it’s cheaper to get custody! Tom Cruise Will Not Have To Pay Katie Holmes Alimony According to TMZ reports : Tom Cruise did not pay Katie Holmes a lump sum in his divorce settlement, but he will pay handsomely in the child support department … sources familiar with the situation tell TMZ. Our well-connected sources tell us … reports that Katie scored $50 million are “ridiculous.” We’re told she did not get a lump sum of money at all. As we previously reported, Katie signed a prenup which gave her goose eggs by ending the marriage. And, sources connected with Katie have been telling us from day 1 that she was not after his money. As one source put it, “She has her own money.” We do know, however, that Tom is paying “a lot of money” in the form of child support. Tom will be making regular payments for 12 years. Our sources say all tolled, Tom will be paying “more than $10 million” in child support, though no one would be more specific. $10 million is a helluva lot cheaper than half… Image via SplashNews
