Joe Simpson pleaded no contest in his DUI case and will serve three years of probation, according to reports. He will also attend alcohol education classes. The embattled father of Ashlee and Jessica Simpson entered the plea to one misdemeanor count via his attorney Tuesday. A second count was dismissed. The 54-year-old, who has also been in the tabloids lately over his alleged trysts with Bryce Chandler Hill and Joey Anderson , was pulled over in August. He spent the night in jail after his arrest. A source said at the time that Simpson had had “a couple of glasses of wine at dinner with his wife” in Sherman Oaks (Calif.) and took a Breathalyzer voluntarily. Simpson, meanwhile, is in the midst of a divorce proceeding. His wife Tina Simpson , 52, filed for divorce in Texas last month, citing “discord or conflict of personalities” as the grounds for separation in court papers. Rumors that Joe is a closeted gay man have persisted, but the couple has said nothing publicly other than to say that the split has amicable. [Photo: WENN.com]
We can’t imagine what onlookers felt when the train struck the float. Sadly, the crash has left at least 10 of the victims in critical condition . According to The Daily Mail : At least four people have died and 17 were injured in west Texas after a freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans for a charity benefit. The veterans and their wives were seated on the flat beds of two tractor trailer rigs that paraded through downtown Midland, Texas, for a ‘Show of Support’ banquet in their honor. As the two trailers crossed the train tracks, a Union Pacific train suddenly appeared, barreling down the tracks about 4.30pm on Thursday. The first float pulled ahead and successfully clear the tracks, but the second float, still filled with people, was smashed by the locomotive. Two people died at the scene. Two more died at the hospital. Ten of the victims are in critical condition. Eight are stable. ‘It was pandemonium at the point of impact. Some (of the veterans) tried to jump and protect each other, their girlfriends and their wives,’ Sheriff Gary Painter told the Midland Reporter-Telegram. The overwhelmed staff at Midland Memorial Hospital have begun asking the community for blood donations and set up an emergency donation center in the city, KWES-TV reports. Event organizers say 24 veterans and their spouses were on the trailers, en route from a downtown hotel to a banquet in their honor, according to the newspaper. The eastbound train was sounding its horn before it hit the float, Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange said. A preliminary investigation indicates the crossing gate and lights were working at the time, Lange said, though he didn’t know if the train crew saw the float approaching. However, witnesses reported that the crossing arms never lowered at the intersection, leaving the truck driver and the veterans completely off guard. The parade was meant to kick off a weekend of celebration for the veterans, who were supposed to go on an all-expense-paid whitetail deer hunting trip this weekend, while their wives were treated to a weekend out on the town. Those events have been canceled as the community reels from the disaster. While we’re keeping all involved in our thoughts, we can’t help but wonder who the hell planned the parade without checking the damn train schedule!?!? Images via AP
Everything’s bigger in Texas. That apparently includes secession petitions . A petition to allow Texas to secede from the United States has qualified to receive a White House response, garnering more than 81,000 signatures. The Texas secession movement’s leader said President Obama’s reelection was a “catalyzing moment” for his group’s efforts “to quit the United States.” Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, said: “I am completely aware that Election Day was a catalyzing moment, but I do not believe that the underpinnings of this are solely about Barack Obama.” “This cake has been baking for a long time – it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.” The Texas secession petition reads : Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union. To do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government . The support for the petition has surged despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who has flirted with the secession idea in the past – callng to support the union. The governor’s press secretary, Catherine Frazier, said that Perry “believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it.” Perry does, however, “share the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.” The Lone Star State is not exactly alone. Residents in more than 40 states have filed secession petitions to the Obama administration’s “We the People” site. Though none of the breakaway efforts have come even close to Texas’ huge number, many petitions have attracted 20,000-30,000 signatures.
Everything’s bigger in Texas. That apparently includes secession petitions . A petition to allow Texas to secede from the United States has qualified to receive a White House response, garnering more than 81,000 signatures. The Texas secession movement’s leader said President Obama’s reelection was a “catalyzing moment” for his group’s efforts “to quit the United States.” Daniel Miller, president of the Texas Nationalist Movement, said: “I am completely aware that Election Day was a catalyzing moment, but I do not believe that the underpinnings of this are solely about Barack Obama.” “This cake has been baking for a long time – it’s the Obama administration that put the candles on the cake and lit it for us.” The Texas secession petition reads : Given that the state of Texas maintains a balanced budget and is the 15th largest economy in the world, it is practically feasible for Texas to withdraw from the union. To do so would protect it’s citizens’ standard of living and re-secure their rights and liberties in accordance with the original ideas and beliefs of our founding fathers which are no longer being reflected by the federal government . The support for the petition has surged despite Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who has flirted with the secession idea in the past – callng to support the union. The governor’s press secretary, Catherine Frazier, said that Perry “believes in the greatness of our Union and nothing should be done to change it.” Perry does, however, “share the frustrations many Americans have with our federal government.” The Lone Star State is not exactly alone. Residents in more than 40 states have filed secession petitions to the Obama administration’s “We the People” site. Though none of the breakaway efforts have come even close to Texas’ huge number, many petitions have attracted 20,000-30,000 signatures.
She says he did and now she’s suing for $5 MILLION in damages!?!? According to TMZ : More legal trouble for Katt Williams — the comic has just been sued for $5 million after allegedly socking his female assistant …. and causing her permanent injuries. Melissa Ishage filed the lawsuit in L.A. County Superior Court, claiming she’d been working as Katt’s personal assistant — but on October 6th, things suddenly went sour at Katt’s house … when Katt attacked her, punching her and causing her “serious and permanent injuries.” Melissa doesn’t explain why Katt flew into a rage — but claims she had to go to the hospital as a result of the beatdown … and now she wants at least $5 million from Katt to call it even. Melissa’s attorney tells us, his client claims Katt struck her in the head and knocked her to the ground. The lawyer says police were called to the scene but no one was arrested. The incident is currently under investigation. Calls to Katt’s rep were not returned. Do you think she’s telling the truth or just trying to squeeze him for $5 mil? Or both?? Images via tumblr
Can You Guess Who This Is Every now and then, celebs take a trip down memory lane and share rarely seen back-in-the-day photos from before they were ballers and bangers and were just innocent lil crumb snatchers. Can you guess which serially-shirtless ladies man this is in the pic above on the right? Just incase you can’t, we’ll help you out. Yep, it’s Trey Songz. Before the little guy on the right was making love faces at big-booty video chicks and models, he was just a young man with a koolaid smile and a dream. You can also check out Mr. Hawaiian silky shirt in the next installment of the Texas Chainsaw Massacre film franchise that hits theaters early next year. That’s a sneak peek in the photo above. Twitter
The Cops never even released an Amber Alert , citing the teen “did not fit the criteria”. Her poor family had to get the heartbreaking news that their baby girl’s body was found, stuffed inside a furniture trunk, alongside the highway and everyone’s wondering if the Police should have done more. According to The Huffington Post , the family is asking the killer to come forward. The emotional plea came Thursday from Alicia Chanta Moore’s aunt, Jessica Byrd, on behalf of the 16-year-old murder victims’ entire family. “Do the right thing and turn yourself in. That’s all we ask you to do so we can get some sort of peace from this situation,” Byrd told The Huffington Post. The distraught aunt, whose deep sorrow was evident in her voice, added, “We’re not here to judge you. That’s not our job. That’s God’s job.” The body of 16-year-old Alicia Moore was discovered at about 12 p.m. Tuesday in a furniture trunk along Highway 47. The body, police said, was transported to the Dallas County Medical Examiner’s Office for the positive identification. According to Greenville Police Chief Dan Busken, detectives are treating the case as a homicide. Moore appears to have suffered trauma wounds, though the exact cause of death has not yet been determined, Busken said. “We have a lot of work ahead of us with this investigation,” Busken said. “We have received many tips from the community, and we hope those tips continue to come in.” The police chief did not elaborate on what type of trauma Moore suffered and did indicate whether police have a suspect in mind. Moore’s body was found in Van Zandt County, about 40 miles away from Greenville where she disappeared. Moore was last seen Friday afternoon when she got off the school bus. Busken said officials at Greenville Independent School District reviewed campus surveillance camera footage that showed Moore safely exit the bus at 3:25 p.m. Friday, near her home at the corner of Bourland and Walnut streets. What happened to the teen after her drop-off — roughly one block from her home — remains a mystery. “There’s nothing that we can think of that could have happened,” Byrd said. “She’s not the type that would just take off and she would not walk up to anybody she did not know. She is very shy and quiet. Either someone threatened her to come with them or she was approached by someone she trusted. We just don’t know.” Authorities said they interviewed Moore’s friends and teachers. The school district’s technology department also attempted to trace the location of Moore’s school-issued iPad, however officials said the device had been reset and was untraceable. Byrd said Moore’s family is upset that police did not do more to locate the missing teenager. An Amber Alert was never issued and a police press release was not issued until Monday, Byrd said. “[Police] didn’t do enough,” Byrd said. “They told us the situation did not qualify for an Amber Alert because there was no evidence of abduction. Then they waited till Monday to do something.” Cedric Fisher, a friend of Moore’s family, expressed the same doubts in an interview with The Dallas Morning News. “I feel like personally [the police] really dropped the ball,” Fisher said. Lori Philyaw, public information officer for the city of Greenville, Texas, told HuffPost Wednesday that authorities did not issue an Amber Alert for Moore because the case “did not fit the criteria.” According to the Texas Department of Public Safety, a law enforcement agency in Texas must meet a number of specific criteria’s to issue a state Amber Alert. That criterion includes determining whether abduction occurred and or if the child is in “immediate danger of sexual assault, death or serious bodily injury.” The Greenville Independent School District issued a notice to parents Thursday about a suspicious person who had approached a student. According to the notice, a student at Greenville Middle School reported being approached Wednesday and offered a ride by a man in a gray or silver Dodge four-door pickup truck. “The student reported that the suspect had been waiting on Texas Street in front of the Middle School as though waiting to pick up a child, only he did not pick up a child,” Superintendent Don Jeffries said. “Instead, the man drove his pickup truck toward the student in the parking lot. He lowered his window and asked if the student needed a ride and offered to take the student home. When the student refused, the man drove away west on Park.” Authorities have not yet commented on the possibility of a link between Wednesday’s report of a suspicious person and Moore’s homicide. Meanwhile, Byrd said that the last 6 days have been a living nightmare for her family. “We just don’t know why [this happened] or who could be responsible,” she said. “This is a nightmare that we wish would just go away.” Anyone with information in this case is asked to contact the Greenville Police Department at 903-457-2900. This is just all-around sad to think about. Knowing that last image of Alicia getting off of the bus is the last her loved ones have of her. Thoughts and prayers go to the family and we hope this is a reminder to us all to keep your beautiful babies close. There are monsters out there! Images via tumblr
You guys know we love Anderson Cooper over here , so we were thrilled to have our Sr. Editor Janeé Bolden in the “Anderson Live” audience as “Blogger of the Day” for Friday’s show. In case you didn’t see the episode yourselves, here’s what Janeé had to say about it: It was a real joy taking a little break from the gossip blogging to live tweet for Anderson Live today — but it turns out I still got my celebrity fix. I have to give Anderson and guest host Nancy Grace credit for calling my attention to talk of Jay-Z and Beyoncé and other stars partying it up this week in NYC while many other residents were still without heat and power. We don’t miss much when it comes to that couple so it was a great talking point to kick off the show. Of course Hurricane Sandy dominated much of the discussion, with Anderson and Nancy weighing in that perhaps now might not be the best time for NYC to go forward with the NY marathon. I threw the question out to our Twitter followers and many suggested that we have the runners volunteer toward recovery efforts rather than race, while the majority of responses agreed that the marathon should be rescheduled. I had the honor of having a dressing room next to Glitzy the Pig’s, so like Anderson I also had a chance to meet Honey Boo Boo’s former pet. Anderson showed a lot more bravery than I did though, because he actually held that thing! And long enough for it to stop squealing… I also enjoyed seeing Real Housewives of Atlanta cast members Phaedra Parks and Porsha Stewart . Phaedra managed to get a little shameless self promotion in for her side hustles doing a fitness video and running a mortuary business. When I tweeted the name of the workout DVD (Donkey Booty) some of the responses were pure comedy. I’m not sure Phaedra will live up to her goal of becoming the Vera Wang of funerals but she’s definitely proven she has some entertainment value. The main segment on Chris and Brittni Colleps was pretty difficult to stomach. We’ve featured Brittni on Bossip.com before so I was familiar with her case. She’s the former Texas high school teacher who was video taped having sex with five of her students — despite being married with three kids! The audience was definitely shocked with the details of the case, but I couldn’t help but feel a little bit bad for Brittni. Not only was she apologetic, her hubby Chris has also forgiven her and credits their faith in God with helping their marriage survive. Chris even blames himself because he committed adultery first! Still, if the five years she was sentenced to in jail weren’t bad enough, Nancy dished out a pretty tough tongue lashing that was only slightly outdone by an audience member! I wouldn’t be able to do justice to what the man (who was also a teacher) had to say, so you guys will definitely have to check out the episode and see for yourselves. Thanks again to Anderson Live for having me! I hope to be back soon. You can watch the episode HERE if you missed it! Enjoy Janeé’s photos below:
Also in Thursday evening’s round-up of news briefs, Bennett Miller’s Channing Tatum – Steve Carrell drama heads to theaters; Stellan Skarsgård joins a comedy/drama; And Wreck-It-Ralph is on track to dominating the weekend’s box office. Bennett Miller’s Foxcatcher Heads to U.S. Theaters The film starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Sienna Miller, Vanessa Redgrave and Anthony Michael Hall has been picked up by Columbia Pictures which took U.S. rights. The deal reunites Miller with Columbia, having previously collaborated with the studio on last fall’s release of the Academy Award-nominated picture, Moneyball . The film revolves around John du Pont, who suffered from paranoid schizophrenia and killed Olympic wrestler David Schultz. Sheryl Crow Contributes Original Song to Brooke Shields & Darly Hannah’s The Hot Flashes The song is titled Leaning in a New Direction and will be the closing track to the film. The comedy, written by Brad Hennig and directed by Oscar-nominated Susan Seidelman centers on five middle-aged Texas women who decide to start an unlikely basketball team and go to comic extremes to prove themselves on the court. The film will make its world premiere at the American Film Market in Santa Monica on November 3rd. Stellan Skarsgård Joins Hector and the Search for Happiness Skarsgård joins Simon Pegg ( Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol ), Rosamund Pike ( Jack Reacher ) and Oscar-winner Christopher Plummer ( Beginners ) in the comedy/drama by Peter Chelsom. The film revolves around Hector (Pegg), an eccentric yet irresistible London psychiatrist in crisis: he’s going nowhere and his patients are just not getting any happier! Until one day, armed with buckets of courage and child-like curiosity, Hector breaks out of his sheltered vacuum of a life into a global quest to find out if happiness exists. More importantly, if it exists for Hector. And so begins an exotic, dangerous and hysterical journey. Oma and Bella Heads to U.S. Theaters Alexa Karolinski’s documentary revolves around two older Jewish women who are best friends living together in Berlin. Having survived the Holocaust and then stayed in Germany after the war, Oma and Bella spend their days telling stories, cracking jokes, dispensing advice, and devoting the majority of their time to their greatest love of all – cooking. Through their cooking and their conversation, an intimate portrait emerges of two incredibly strong, funny, endearing women who look candidly at their lives as they both wrestle with the past and engage with the present. Oscilloscope Laboratories picked up North American rights to the film, which will have its New York premiere at the upcoming DocNYC on November 10th. It will be available beginning today via VOD. Around the ‘net… Colin Firth and Michael Fassbender Set for Genius The story revolves around the relationship between author Thomas Wolfe and renowned editor Max Perkins, the film will be directed by Michael Grandage. John Logan will adapt the script from A. Scott Berg’s award winning biography Max Perkins: Editor Of Genius , Deadline reports . Box Office Preview: Wreck-It-Ralph Set for $45M at Weekend Most of the 300 theaters closed earlier in the week have re-opened. If Wreck-It-Ralph reaches the figure in its 3,600 screen debut, it could score the top non-holiday opening for a Disney animated title, minus Pixar movies, THR reports .
