Behind The Scenes Grammy Weekend Documentary Premieres In L.A. A documentary with footage from the 2012 Grammy Weekend, which was also the weekend of the death of superstar Whitney Houston, was premiered earlier this week at the Goldenson Theatre in L.A. The film, which is appropriately titled “A Death In The Family: The Show Must Go On,” provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the singer’s death affected the award show and the atmosphere leading up to the live broadcast. LL Cool J, who hosted the show and was on hand for the premiere, recalls the gig as “the most challenging moment I’ve faced in my career.” The 25-minute film can be viewed on the Grammy Awards website and at the Grammy Museum in L.A. Images via Wenn
Chris Brown And Rihanna’s Rocky Post-Breakup It’s been almost three years since Chris Brown physically assaulted Rihanna on the way to the Grammys. Since then, they’ve been a topsy turvy mess of break-ups and secret meetings. It’s really getting old. Let’s try to get all this drama sorted out, though. As they enter another period of secret rendezvous, lets take a look at all the ups and downs they’ve gone through over the last three years.
Homeboy had been suffering “emotional problems” over the last couple months… SMH. Black Trauma Surgeon Wanted In Shooting Death Of Woman At Erie County Medical Center A popular black surgeon is wanted in the shooting death of a woman at the Erie County Medical Center this Wednesday morning: Buffalo police are looking for a prominent trauma surgeon in connection with the fatal shooting this morning of a woman on the campus of the Erie County Medical Center. Timothy V. Jorden Jr., 49, of Lakeview, is described as a bald, black male, about 6-foot-2 and 250 pounds. Police also said Jorden, who served in the Army, could be “special weapons trained.” The victim was Jacqueline Wisniewski, a 33-year-old receptionist at ECMC. The shooting was “not a random act,” officials said. The shooting death prompted authorities to lock down the hospital as a huge police presence converged on the campus to find the killer. The lockdown was lifted shortly before noon. People familiar with the case called Jorden a well-known, popular trauma surgeon at the medical center. Two sources, though, said Jorden had experienced some emotional problems in recent months. The attempt to locate him also included information about four vehicles registered to Jorden, including two GMC Sierra pickups, a Cadillac and a Chevrolet Cobalt, all from 2008 or 2010. Police were given a photograph of the man and were showing it to people at various checkpoints. Meanwhile, a police helicopter and a police presence surrounded the area around Jorden’s home, on West Arnold Drive in Lakeview, late this morning and early this afternoon. K-9 dogs, the Buffalo and Amherst police SWAT teams, an Erie County sheriff’s helicopter, and a team of U.S. marshals all rushed to the shooting scene earlier in an attempt to track down the killer. Four shots were fired at about 8:15 a.m., killing the woman, police officials said. There has been no indication from authorities about anyone else being wounded in the attack. The shooting happened on the ECMC grounds, but there have been conflicting reports whether it occurred in a covered passage-way between the campus’s David K. Miller Building and the kidney center, or in the Miller Building itself. “The SWAT Team is in control of the situation,” Buffalo police spokesman Michael J. DeGeorge said at mid-morning, during a news conference several hundred yards from the shooting scene. “It is an active situation.” Through early afternoon the hospital diverted emergency room patients to Buffalo General Hospital but the campus reopened shortly before 2 p.m., except for the Miller building. The hospital also said all employees should report at their regularly scheduled time today. Here’s a little more information about Jorden : He graduated from the University at Buffalo School of Medicine in 1996 and also was promoted to captain in the Army, according to a Buffalo News profile of him. Jorden has been known as a highly skilled, busy trauma surgeon who was popular at ECMC. But two sources said he had experienced some emotional problems in recent months. A News profile in 1996 described Jorden as a Buffalo native and 1981 Bennett High School graduate who joined the National Guard in high school, went into the Army after graduation and served with the Army’s Special Forces, first as a weapons expert, then as a medic. In those roles, he was on active duty in the Caribbean, Japan and Korea. Following his Army service, Jorden went to Methodist College in Fayetteville, N.C., where he graduated cum laude, with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. Earning a scholarship through the Army’s Health Professional Scholarship Program, Jorden chose UB over other medical schools. While at UB, Jorden tutored local high school students in math and science and received an award for academic achievement from the Buffalo Chapter of the National Medical Association, as well as a dean’s award. From UB, Jorden went to Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Wash., for two years. He later joined the ECMC department of surgery as an attending physician in 2003, also serving as a clinical assistant professor in surgery at UB. Jorden is certified in advanced-trauma life support and has received numerous awards recognizing his relationships with patients, his teaching skills and his involvement in the community. In 2002, Jorden was one of about two dozen people honored with the Black Achievers in Industry Awards in Buffalo. Sounds like a really top notch guy who went all the way left. This is so sad. Hopefully they catch him before he does any more harm to himself or others. Source Photo Credit: James P. McCoy
*sigh* WTF?! 2 Killed 2 Wounded Outside Of Atlanta Funeral Gunfire erupted in a church parking lot as a funeral wrapped up Thursday in an Atlanta suburb, leaving two people dead and another two wounded. Police have not made any arrests in the shooting at Victory for the World Baptist Church in Stone Mountain, said DeKalb County police spokeswoman Mekka Parish. Kenneth Samuel, the senior pastor at the church, said the 1 p.m. funeral was for 19-year-old Ryan Guider. Guider was killed May 26, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Samuel said the shooting happened just after the hour-long service. “Shots rang out and the police locked down the church,” Samuel said. “I was shocked to hear what happened. I had just finished my eulogy and tried to do the best I could to speak to the many teens about valuing life.” Parish said the identities of the two killed and two injured have not been released. Samuel said a few hundred were attendance for the funeral. He said more than half the people who attended the service had started to empty into the parking lot before the shooting occurred. “Very tragic,” Samuel said. “Ryan was a good kid and his family did not have time to grieve him in a proper manner. Now, something like this happens. Very tragic.” What the hell is wrong with these ninjas?! What kind of low-life mickiefickies shoot and kill at church, much less a funeral?? Image via Tumblr Source
Acclaimed, Pulitzer-honored science fiction/fantasy author Ray Bradbury has died at the age of 91 in Los Angeles, following one of the most fruitful creative writing careers of the 20th century. The man behind such genre classics as Fahrenheit 451 , The Martian Chronicles , Something Wicked This Way Comes leaves behind a stunning legacy spanning works adapted for television, film, and the stage. It’s difficult to quantify the impact that Bradbury had on the worlds of science fiction, literature, and the numerous film and television adaptations that sprang from his seven decades of writing, not to mention the generations of sci-fi and fantasy lovers weaned on his tales. The man had an asteroid and a moon crater named in his honor, for goodness sake, had dozens of his stories adapted for stage, film, and television, and never went to college. For a child growing up with Bradbury’s stories, the world was filled much more with wonder. For an adult, his tales prompted deeper introspection. It Came From Outer Space : Icarus Montgolfier Wright : Something Wicked This Way Comes : Bradbury on his Fahrenheit 451 : Folks will have their own cherished Bradbury moments, but I’ll leave you with one of my favorite of his real life stories. Writing in 2001, Bradbury shared the childhood incident that inspired him to become a writer in the first place: A chance meeting with a carnival magician named Mr. Electrico in 1932 following the death of Bradbury’s uncle. Mr. Electrico was a fantastic creator of marvels. He sat in his electric chair every night and was electrocuted in front of all the people, young and old, of Waukegan, Illinois. When the electricity surged through his body he raised a sword and knighted all the kids sitting in the front row below his platform. I had been to see Mr. Electrico the night before. When he reached me, he pointed his sword at my head and touched my brow. The electricity rushed down the sword, inside my skull, made my hair stand up and sparks fly out of my ears. He then shouted at me, “Live forever!” I thought that was a wonderful idea, but how did you do it? The next day, being driven home by my father, fresh from the funeral, I looked down at those carnival tents and thought to myself, “The answer is there. He said ‘Live forever,’ and I must go find out how to do that.” I told my father to stop the car. He didn’t want to, but I insisted. He stopped the car and let me out, furious with me for not returning home to partake in the wake being held for my uncle. With the car gone, and my father in a rage, I ran down the hill. What was I doing? I was running away from death, running toward life. When I reached the carnival grounds, by God, sitting there, almost as if he were waiting for me, was Mr. Electrico. I grew, suddenly, very shy. I couldn’t possibly ask, How do you live forever? But luckily I had a magic trick in my pocket. I pulled it out, held it toward Mr. Electrico and asked him if he’d show me how to do the trick. He showed me how and then looked into my face and said, “Would you like to see some of those peculiar people in that tent over there?” I said, “Yes.” He took me over to the sideshow tent and hit it with his cane and shouted, “Clean up your language!” at whoever was inside. Then, he pulled up the tent flap and took me in to meet the Illustrated Man, the Fat Lady, the Skeleton Man, the acrobats, and all the strange people in the sideshows. He then walked me down by the shore and we sat on a sand dune. He talked about his small philosophies and let me talk about my large ones. At a certain point he finally leaned forward and said, “You know, we’ve met before.” I replied, “No, sir, I’ve never met you before.” He said, “Yes, you were my best friend in the great war in France in 1918 and you were wounded and died in my arms at the battle of the Ardennes Forrest. But now, here today, I see his soul shining out of your eyes. Here you are, with a new face, a new name, but the soul shining from your face is the soul of my dear dead friend. Welcome back to the world.” Why did he say that? I don’t know. Was there something in my eagerness, my passion for life, my being ready for some sort of new activity? I don’t know the answer to that. All I know is that he said, “Live forever” and gave me a future and in doing so, gave me a past many years before, when his friend died in France. Leaving the carnival grounds that day I stood by the carousel and watched the horses go round and round to the music of “Beautiful Ohio.” Standing there, the tears poured down my face, for I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico. I went home and the next day traveled to Arizona with my folks. When we arrived there a few days later I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago. I have long since lost track of Mr. Electrico, but I wish that he existed somewhere in the world so that I could run to him, embrace him, and thank him for changing my life and helping me become a writer. Live forever, indeed! Read the full entry here and leave your own Bradbury celebrations below.
Acclaimed, Pulitzer-honored science fiction/fantasy author Ray Bradbury has died at the age of 91 in Los Angeles, following one of the most fruitful creative writing careers of the 20th century. The man behind such genre classics as Fahrenheit 451 , The Martian Chronicles , Something Wicked This Way Comes leaves behind a stunning legacy spanning works adapted for television, film, and the stage. It’s difficult to quantify the impact that Bradbury had on the worlds of science fiction, literature, and the numerous film and television adaptations that sprang from his seven decades of writing, not to mention the generations of sci-fi and fantasy lovers weaned on his tales. The man had an asteroid and a moon crater named in his honor, for goodness sake, had dozens of his stories adapted for stage, film, and television, and never went to college. For a child growing up with Bradbury’s stories, the world was filled much more with wonder. For an adult, his tales prompted deeper introspection. It Came From Outer Space : Icarus Montgolfier Wright : Something Wicked This Way Comes : Bradbury on his Fahrenheit 451 : Folks will have their own cherished Bradbury moments, but I’ll leave you with one of my favorite of his real life stories. Writing in 2001, Bradbury shared the childhood incident that inspired him to become a writer in the first place: A chance meeting with a carnival magician named Mr. Electrico in 1932 following the death of Bradbury’s uncle. Mr. Electrico was a fantastic creator of marvels. He sat in his electric chair every night and was electrocuted in front of all the people, young and old, of Waukegan, Illinois. When the electricity surged through his body he raised a sword and knighted all the kids sitting in the front row below his platform. I had been to see Mr. Electrico the night before. When he reached me, he pointed his sword at my head and touched my brow. The electricity rushed down the sword, inside my skull, made my hair stand up and sparks fly out of my ears. He then shouted at me, “Live forever!” I thought that was a wonderful idea, but how did you do it? The next day, being driven home by my father, fresh from the funeral, I looked down at those carnival tents and thought to myself, “The answer is there. He said ‘Live forever,’ and I must go find out how to do that.” I told my father to stop the car. He didn’t want to, but I insisted. He stopped the car and let me out, furious with me for not returning home to partake in the wake being held for my uncle. With the car gone, and my father in a rage, I ran down the hill. What was I doing? I was running away from death, running toward life. When I reached the carnival grounds, by God, sitting there, almost as if he were waiting for me, was Mr. Electrico. I grew, suddenly, very shy. I couldn’t possibly ask, How do you live forever? But luckily I had a magic trick in my pocket. I pulled it out, held it toward Mr. Electrico and asked him if he’d show me how to do the trick. He showed me how and then looked into my face and said, “Would you like to see some of those peculiar people in that tent over there?” I said, “Yes.” He took me over to the sideshow tent and hit it with his cane and shouted, “Clean up your language!” at whoever was inside. Then, he pulled up the tent flap and took me in to meet the Illustrated Man, the Fat Lady, the Skeleton Man, the acrobats, and all the strange people in the sideshows. He then walked me down by the shore and we sat on a sand dune. He talked about his small philosophies and let me talk about my large ones. At a certain point he finally leaned forward and said, “You know, we’ve met before.” I replied, “No, sir, I’ve never met you before.” He said, “Yes, you were my best friend in the great war in France in 1918 and you were wounded and died in my arms at the battle of the Ardennes Forrest. But now, here today, I see his soul shining out of your eyes. Here you are, with a new face, a new name, but the soul shining from your face is the soul of my dear dead friend. Welcome back to the world.” Why did he say that? I don’t know. Was there something in my eagerness, my passion for life, my being ready for some sort of new activity? I don’t know the answer to that. All I know is that he said, “Live forever” and gave me a future and in doing so, gave me a past many years before, when his friend died in France. Leaving the carnival grounds that day I stood by the carousel and watched the horses go round and round to the music of “Beautiful Ohio.” Standing there, the tears poured down my face, for I felt that something strange and wonderful had happened to me because of my encounter with Mr. Electrico. I went home and the next day traveled to Arizona with my folks. When we arrived there a few days later I began to write, full-time. I have written every single day of my life since that day 69 years ago. I have long since lost track of Mr. Electrico, but I wish that he existed somewhere in the world so that I could run to him, embrace him, and thank him for changing my life and helping me become a writer. Live forever, indeed! Read the full entry here and leave your own Bradbury celebrations below.
Bosh hasn’t really been having the best year ever Miami Heat player Chris Bosh’s masseuse died Monday after she arrived at Bosh’s Miami Beach home and collapsed: According to a Miami Beach police report, the unidentified woman arrived at the Heat player’s North Bay Road home at 10:24 a.m. Monday for a massage session. She looked “well and in good spirits,” but she suddenly passed out around 2:28 p.m. She was taken to Mount Sinai Medical Center in Miami Beach, where she died around 11:45 p.m. The report stated a friend told police that the woman survived cancer a year ago. Miami Beach police are investigating. “It doesn’t look like any foul play is suspected at this time,” Detective Vivian Hernandez said. Pray for Chris Bosh and the family of the deceased massage therapist. He’s been simply unlucky this year, maybe winning the chip would be a great ending to all this tragedy and misfortune around him. Source
Richard Dawson, the legendary host of Family Feud and a veteran film and TV actor, has died from complications due to esophageal cancer, according to his son. He was 79. Gary Dawson wrote on Facebook late Saturday: “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my father passed away this evening from complications due to esophageal cancer.” “He was surrounded by his family. He was an amazing talent, a loving husband, a great dad, and a doting grandfather. He will be missed but always remembered.” Dawson hosted Family Feud from 1976-1985 and 1994-1995. He was also famous for being a regular on The Match Game and in the film The Running Man .
A letter Michael Jackson wrote to his former wife Lisa Marie Presley – in which he complains of chronic insomnia – was set to be sold at auctioned … before until Lisa Marie found out, threw a fit and demanded it be taken off the block. She didn’t say why she wanted the letter pulled , but it’s easy to guess. Written sometime between 1993 and 1996, the letter from MJ reads: “Smell here [arrow with box] Lisa I truly need this rest I haven’t slept litterally [sic] in 4 days now. I need to be away from phones and Business people.” “I must take care of my health first Im’ [sic] crazy for you Love Turd.” Yes … Love Turd. Michael Jackson died June 25, 2009. Dr. Conrad Murray , who was injecting him with the hospital-grade anesthetic Propofol to help him sleep, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter and sentenced to four years behind bars. Julien’s Auction in Beverly Hills didn’t elaborate on the incident beyond stating that Lisa’s request was of “a personal nature” and “we wanted to honor the request.” We can read between the lines.
Following a hospitalization for abdominal surgery in North Carolina, Grammy-winning folk singer Doc Watson passed away yesterday, the Associated Press confirms. He was 89. The singer/songwriter actually lost his eyesight as a child, but that didn’t stop him from going on to record such hits as “Tom Dooley” and “Shady Grove.” Doc Watson in Concert Watson toured for decades, beginning in the 1960s and faced tragedy in 1985 when he son Eddy was killed in a tractor accident. He is now survived by daughter Nancy. The popular artist won seven Grammys, as well as a lifetime achievement award in 2004. In 1997, he was given the National Medal of Arts from President Bill Clinton.
