Omar Hammami, a wanted American jihadi fighter in Somalia, says he was the victim of an assassination attempt, which he proceeded to Tweet pics of. He said Friday that the leader of Islamic extremist rebels in Somali was starting a civil war, just hours after a bullet left the Alabama native with a neck wound. Omar Hammami posted on Twitter about what he labeled an assassination attempt late Thursday as he was sitting in a tea shop. He posted four pictures. In one of them, there is blood on his neck and all over his t-shirt. Hammami, one of the two most notorious Americans in overseas jihadi groups, moved from Alabama to Somalia and joined al-Shabab in about 2006. He fought alongside the al-Qaida-linked group for years while also gaining fame for posting YouTube videos of jihadi rap songs during that time. But Hammami had a falling out with al-Shabab over the last year amid signs of increasing tension between Somalis and foreign fighters in the group. He first expressed fear for his life in an extraordinary web video in March 2012 that publicized his rift with al-Shabab, and says he has received death threats. “Just been shot in neck by shabab assassin. not critical yet,” Hammami tweeted. On Friday he wrote that the leader of al-Shabab was sending in forces: “we are few but we might get back up. abu zubayr has gone mad. he’s starting a civil war.” Hammami has been a thorn in the side of al-Shabab after accusing the group’s leaders of living extravagant lifestyles with the taxes fighters collect from Somali residents. Another Hammami grievance is that the Somali militant leaders sideline foreign militants inside al-Shabab and are concerned only about fighting in Somalia. Hammami’s Friday comment about a civil war could refer to those differences. Al-Shabab slapped Hammami publicly in a December Internet statement, saying his video releases are the result of personal grievances that stem from a “narcissistic pursuit of fame.” The statement said al-Shabab was morally obligated to stamp out his “obstinacy.” Hammami has enemies on all sides. The U.S. named Hammami to its Most Wanted terrorist list in March and is offering a $5 million reward for information leading to his capture. Al-Shabab fighters are not eligible for the reward.
Cory Monteith has a message for all fans who never stopped believing: THANK YOU! Fresh from rehab , the actor sent gratitude to Glee followers everywhere this week via the following Tweet: “Sending out big love to everyone. Thank you for the continued support! It means the world to me! :)” Lea Michele, meanwhile, referred to yesterday as a “great day” and witnesses tell E! News that the couple has been reunited in Los Angeles. They were spotted together at the airport, reportedly “smiling the entire time” and “very happy.” We’re so glad!
Kerry Rhodes’ alleged boyfriend chatted exclusively with BOSSIP to talk about his down-low relationship with the famous NFL baller …. Kerry Rhodes’ Alleged Gay Lover Talks About Secret Relationship It shouldn’t matter if Kerry Rhodes is gay or not, but when the player came out publicly and said he wasn’t gay, he opened a Pandora’s box. Not only a pandora box but the wrath of a very scorned ex-lover. Meet Russell “Hollywood” Simpson, the man who has been photographed boo’d up with the NFL baller who is now ready to tell his side of the story. Bossip: So how did you meet Kerry Rhodes? Russell: I met him at an NFL training camp. A friend of mine was up there trying to get hired as a player’s assistant and I kinda tagged along. I don’t wanna be anyone’s assistant and I basically helped my friend get to Arizona (Cardinals) to get a job. We went up the hotel suite and Kerry was up there. We talked and that was about it. I later went back to North Carolina and he called me wanting me to come back to Arizona to help manage his assistants and personal team. We started dating about 2 months after and then got in a relationship. Bossip: What were your duties as Kerry’s boyfriend? Did his teammates know about you? Russell: I was like his wife. I ran the household and took care of all his personal needs. If anyone needed anything from Kerry they came to me! That’s what Kerry loved about me. i didn’t take no sh*t from nobody. Kerry is kinda a dumb athlete, like a dumb jock. So, I took care of things that he didn’t understand. And yes, his teammates did know about me. It was kinda unspoken but I was at all his training camps and events. The other wives knew and loved me too. I was always there. It was no secret! How was your sex life with Kerry? Was he top or power bottom? *laughs* It was great! It was very passionate because we were so in love. Of course he was the top! I’m not doing all that damn work! But, we were extremely close. It was very good and he put it on me! Hit the flip for more of the interview with Kerry’s ex-boyfriend as he talks about their relationship, the lavish gifts that was bought for him and how to tell if a NFL baller is gay.
G.O.O.D. Music MC and actress look cuddly at Tuesday’s ’42’ red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles. By Emily Blake, with additional reporting by Rob Markman Big Sean and “Glee” actress Naya Rivera Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images
G.O.O.D. Music MC and actress look cuddly at Tuesday’s ’42’ red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles. By Emily Blake, with additional reporting by Rob Markman Big Sean and “Glee” actress Naya Rivera Photo: Jeffrey Mayer/Getty Images
Suffice it to say, Shakira and Usher on The Voice works. NBC’s singing competition hit is pulling off a rare feat, increasing its ratings since the Season 4 premiere, with a switched-up judging panel to boot! Adam Levine and Blake Shelton are still holding it (and throwing it) down, but the show has not been dinged by the hiatus of Christina and Cee Lo. Three weeks in, The Voice is up 4 percent from the previous cycle, hitting a season high 13.7 million viewers and a 4.9 rating among adults 18-49 last night. The show still could tank as we head deeper into spring, but it certainly doesn’t look like it. In fact, Usher and Shakira are re-igniting the fire if anything. The blind auditions conclude this evening on NBC. Grade Usher and Shakira on The Voice: Love them! They’re great! They were okay. We’ll see if they improve. Not a fan! Get Christina and Cee Lo back in here ASAP! View Poll »
Fox is threatening to convert its entire operation to a pay-TV-only channel if Internet startup Aereo continues to “steal” its over-the-air television signal. News Corp., which owns Fox, said not being paid by Aereo threatens the economics of broadcast TV, which relies on both retransmission fees and advertising. Say what now? Anyone with an antenna can pick up a TV station’s signals for free. However, as we well know, cable and satellite companies typically pay stations and networks for the right to distribute their programming to subscribers. Industry-wide, those retransmission fees can add up to billions of dollars every year. Fees that Aereo is circumventing with its new business model: Aereo takes broadcast signals from the air with thousands of little antennas, recodes them for Internet use and feeds that to computers, tablets and phones. Subscriptions start at a mere $8 per month, which is much cheaper than a cable package, though the service is mostly limited to broadcast channels. Obviously, they were sued VERY fast, but last week, that industry was shaken after a federal appeals court issued a preliminary ruling siding with Aereo. The company contends that it doesn’t have to pay those fees because it uses thousands of tiny antennas to grab the signal, and a judge agreed. “This is not an ideal path we look to pursue, but we can’t sit idly by and let an entity steal our signal,” NewsCorp COO Chase Carey said in response. “But if we can’t do a fair deal, we could take the network to a subscription model.” While most people get Fox through a pay cable TV provider anyway, millions of other Americans rely on the free signal coming over their own antennas. If realized, Carey’s proposal would amount to a sea change in how Fox does business; currently, Fox sends its signal to TV stations across the country. Those stations, 27 of which it owns directly, relay Fox programming such as New Girl and Glee for free in local markets and add their own local news, etc. Carey didn’t explain how TV stations would be affected if Fox shut off the signals it sent to broadcasters and went straight over to a pay TV model. Later, the company said in a statement that any change due to the Aereo situation would occur “in collaboration with both our content partners and affiliates.” Last week, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said that Aereo could continue its service despite a legal challenge by Fox, ABC, NBC and CBS. In a split ruling, the court accepted Aereo’s position that having individual antennas meant that Aereo wasn’t retransmitting signals illegally for profit. Rather, the appeals court said that Aereo enabled its subscribers to do what they already could on their own with their own antenna and video recorder.
Glenn Beck’s biggest nightmare has come true. The former Fox News host blasted MSNBC on his radio show yesterday, taking the network to task for a promo that features Melissa Harris-Perry telling viewers that “kids belong to whole communities,” not just their parents. Watch the ad in question now: MSNBC Promo: Your Kids Belong To Us “It’s almost a parody of reality,” Beck said of the spot. “It is so far beyond what we have ever thought as a nation, it’s remarkable.” Beck didn’t stop there, of course. He connected the clip with far larger issues plaguing society, things he has “warned” folks about for years. “I think that there’s a good 20 to 30% of America, maybe even higher now… [that] will gladly have the State take that over so they don’t have to worry about it,” he ranted. “Yet another one of your responsibilities taken from you – I’m sorry. Another one of your responsibilities that you will gladly hand over because you don’t know what to do. And so they will do it for you: Don’t worry! We’ll raise your kids. We’ll train your kids. We’ll educate your kids because it’s working out so well.” We sense some sarcasm from the pundit at the end there. Overall, Beck sees this ad and all is represents as “the fulfillment of so many things that we have said on this program.” And don’t even get him started on Glee ! Did you watch the MSNBC promo? Whose side are you on in this feud? Team Beck Team MSNBC View Poll »
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