The sad Christmas tale of Charlie Sheen arrested and charged with a reported two felonies and one misdemeanor charge of domestic violence against his wife Brooke Mueller Sheen in Aspen, Colorado is gaining clarity.
After accounts that Charlie Sheen would not be able to post bond after his arrest, TMZ.com reports that he paid $8,500 after talking to a county judge. He's out of jail.
Moreover, his wife, Brooke Mueller Sheen, was given a breath test to determine the level of alcohol in her body relative to her blood; the percentage was .13. By contrast, Charlie Sheen was given the same test and posted .04. TMZ wrote that law enforcement sources say Brooke Mueller Sheen was "legally drunk" when she called 911.
In a way, this is beginning to read like the Tila Tequila / Sean Merriman incident all over again. In that case, an intoxicated Tila Tequila called 911 reporting that Sean Merriman allegedly assaulted her. The San Diego County District Attorney dropped the case after witnesses and Merriman claimed he was trying to stop her from driving while drunk.
The difference here is there are no reported witnesses as of this writing, just Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller Sheen.
Charlie Sheen said Brooke Sheen was the agressor and he was trying to defend himself. Again, that's very similar to the Tila Tequila / Sean Merriman disagreement.
According to US media, the White House has issued a warning regarding another international terrorist attack like 9/11. According to the reports a terrorist wanted to blow up a flight by setting an explosive device in a flight of Amsterdam flying to Detroit.
There is a Nigerian who is claiming that he had directions from Al-Qaeda to ignite an explosive on the flight. Although, officials are investigating on his statement but they are in doubt about the credibility of his statement. The officials also briefed President Obama on the incident on Christmas vocation in Hawaii.
That suspected Nigerian was flying from Nigeria to Detroit via Amsterdam by Northwest Airlines Airbus in which 278 people were traveling at that time with him However, the flight had safely landed at destination but spokesman says that the man, who is also in the watch list of government, had set off a firecracker on the plane.
The passengers noticed a popping noise followed by a brief fire. The suspect and other two people are injured in the incident and being sent to hospital for treatment. IntelCenter is an independent Terrorist monitoring group it says that it was a serious terrorist attempt against the US and it had connections with al-Qaeda cells in Yemen and Nigeria.
Victor Beggs is the local Islamic Leader and head of the Council of Islamic Organizations of Michigan he says that he is very disturbed with the today’s attempted terrorists attacks. He emphasized the Muslims to work with law enforcement to fight against terrorism. He urged Muslim Communities to stop these maniacs who pursue political goals in the name of religion.
Pitkin County Sheriff arrested actor Charlie Sheen on charges of domestic violence.
Sheen is married to Brooke Mueller. They have twin boys less than a year old.
When Tiger Woods and Elin had their falling out a few weeks ago, I wrote a bit of unsolicited advice. You can read that article here. My suggestion to Elin was not to allow Tiger to prolong the marriage long enough to jockey into a better position to gain custody, like establishing residency in L.A..
Sheen makes his residence in Los Angeles. An L.A. residence means an L.A. jurisdiction, should Mrs. Sheen decide to get out of her marriage to an allegedly abusive man. Tough break for Brooke Mueller Sheen. Can you imagine how Judge Elizabeth Feffer would rule on this case? If the Naveen Andrews - Elena Eustache case is any indication, Sheen will have sole legal and physical custody of the children and the mother will get to visit them an hour a week at a "visitation center".
Or perhaps Presiding Family Law Judge Marjorie Steinberg can bring Commissioner Friedenthal back from doing arraignments for this one case. Then Commissioner Friedenthal can appoint his neighbor Michael Howard to monitor Mrs. Sheen and her children. At least Mrs. Sheen would need no fear if Charlie Sheen showed up in a rage. Mr. Howard told me he carries a concealed weapon.
There is no record of a permit for Michael Howard to carry a concealed weapon, but I digress...
Actress Brittany Murphy's funeral is today, Christmas Eve -- a "strictly private" service reportedly to be held at Forest Lawn Memorial-Park in the Hollywood Hills.
With that in mind, and in the spirit of the holiday as well, we'd like to celebrate Brittany's life a bit, with exclusive photos from her 2003 and 2004 USO tours that show the "sweet soul, with a lot of talent and heart" described by Alyssa Milano on Sunday on Twitter.
Alyssa's Twitter followers saw a couple of Twitpics of her and Murphy hanging out on the carrier Nimitz -- and through the magic of the interwebs (with an assist from Twitter user Dustin P. Jones), the Ministry has more, courtesy of Les Martines, the original photographer.
Alyssa and Les were both eager that the images reach Brittany's fans.
The shots of Alyssa and Brittany "were taken aboard the USS Nimitz about 100 miles out to sea on a USO tour in 2003," Martines said.
The closeups of Brittany singing were taken in 2004 at a Ft. Irwin, Calif., USO show that was also part of a Wayne Newton TV special.
Please click on the "photo gallery" image of Brittany and country singer Neal McCoy, to the left, if you'd like to see the pictures and let them speak for themselves. Otherwise, read on -- we're going to go long with a few quotes after the jump, because the sentiments are uniformly heartfelt.
Martines is road manager for Neal McCoy, who was on those tours too, along with USO stalwart Newton (he's performed during every conflict since the Vietnam War), Air Force and USO veteran Paul Rodriguez, and of course the lovely ladies. McCoy is about to set out on his 14th USO tour come January.
"Brittany was a part of a large group that went on two different USO tours," Martines said. "The one with Alyssa went to Kuwait, Iraq, Qatar and also to an aircraft carrier, where their pics were taken. That was in 2003." "She was always so sweet to us and although we were only around her for those two tours it was nice to have her come back the second time and know us by name," he said. "Her commitment to the troops was both tireless and effortless.
"She gave them all smiles and a little piece of her heart, which they all appreciated."
The "USO family" and others in its sphere of influence were hit hard by news of Brittany's sudden death.
Brittany was “a fun-loving young lady who got it," said Bernie Rone, the organization's director of celebrity entertainment recruiting, on the USO's official blog. "She went out on the tour for all the right reasons and the troops loved her.”
“The heat on that tour was unrelenting," said John Hanson, a USO senior VP who, like Rone, was on the tour. "It was over 120 degrees everywhere we went. Brittany Murphy was there for the troops 15 hours a day every day, and her commitment to the troops was clear from the beginning. We will miss her compassion, her charm and her generous spirit.”
Brittany made an impression, Rone said, by stopping to say hi and shake the hand of every service member she encountered. Plus, "she actually performed and sang a few numbers with Wayne Newton’s band. And we were blown away by how good she was.”
Rest in peace, Brittany.
Every time a popular book is adapted for film or a beloved movie is remade, the first thing fans ask is "how does it compare to the original?" Of course it's natural to want our favorite things -- be it a book, a movie, a television series -- to receive the love and careful hand they deserve. We want the new version to have something fresh to say, but we don't want it to detract from or adulterate the original in any way.
When it comes to music, the best cover songs are those that take an old gem and make the listener rethink it, or discover parts that might have been missed in the original. They can pay tribute to an icon, introduce an artist's own musical tastes or expose an unknown influence worth discovering and delving into further. Plus, there's nothing quite like that moment at a show when a band comes back on stage after a long applause and pulls out a surprising cover song for an encore.
So while every year, during "list-making" season, the focus is typically -- and rightfully -- focused around new, original works, think of this list as the equivalent to nominations for "Best Adapted Screenplay."
1) Beck -- "Sunday Morning" from Record Club on beck.com (Originally by The Velvet Underground)
Record Club: Velvet Underground & Nico 'Sunday Morning' from Beck Hansen on Vimeo.
For most artists, taking time away from touring or releasing an album is considered an "off-year." Not Beck, who has had one of the most productive years of his career, thanks to the generous creative output found on his newly revamped Web site. Frequent visitors to the site will know Beck has treated his fans with constant updates of archival music videos, offbeat interviews with Tom Waits, and a series of mixtape collages. What's generated the most interest is the ongoing collaboration project Record Club, a video series in which Beck invites his favorite musicians and friends over to record an entire album in a day with little-to-no rehearsing and no overdubs. So far, Beck has put out Leonard Cohen's Songs of Leonard Cohen with Devandra Banhart and MGMT and is currently unveiling Skip Spence's Oar with help from Wilco, Feist and Jamie Lidell. The first album he and his cohorts -- including producer Nigel Godrich, Joey Waronker, and singer Thorunn Magnusdottir -- covered, was the classic The Velvet Underground And Nico. Because of the purposefully unrefined nature of the project, the results are often mixed and inconsistent. At its best, tracks like "Sunday Morning" capture the energy and beauty of the original.
2) The Flaming Lips -- "Borderline" from Covered, A Revolution in Sound: Warner Bros Records (Originally by Madonna)
2009 Flaming Lips & Stardeath and White Dwarfs - Borderline from George Salisbury on Vimeo.
When The Flaming Lips pulled out Madonna's "Borderline" this year in the band's live shows, it initially was seen as little more than a funny gimmick tune nestled between spirited "Yoshimi" singalongs. Yet even if their tongues are firmly planted in cheek, the band members definitely take the song seriously. The song was recorded with Stardeath and White Dwarfs -- the Oklahoma City band of Wayne Coyne's own nephew Dennis Coyne -- and is the highlight of this Warner Bros. compilation for its pitch-perfect re-imagining. "Borderline" opens with chiming tones and a glitching drum machine that ever-so-slightly hints at the pulse and gauzy sheen of Madonna's original single. But when it reaches its climax, with soaring guitar lines and thunderous drums, The Lips turn the song into an epic stadium anthem.
3) Thom Yorke -- "All For The Best" from Ciao My Shining Star: Songs of Mark Mulcahy (Originally by Mark Mulcahy/Miracle Legion)
There were a lot of compilations created this year for worthy causes, but the circumstances behind Ciao My Shining Star: The Songs of Mark Mulcahy are truly tragic: A year after former Miracle Legion front man Mark Mulcahy's wife suddenly died, an impressive group of artists -- The National, Michael Stipe, Vic Chesnutt and others -- contributed to help Mulcahy continue making music while raising his young twin daughters. Thom Yorke's rendition of Miracle Legion's "All For The Best" shifts the original from its college rock roots and rebuilds it as minimalist, polyrhythmic electronic music. As he sings Mulcahy's deeply personal lyrics "Waking up and the bed was made/No one looked me in the eye/More I try more I cry and it's all for the best," Yorke sounds utterly haunted.
4) The Books + Jose Gonzalez -- "Cello Song" from Dark Was the Night (Originally by Nick Drake)
While odd musician pairings can often have middling results, an all-star collaboration is one of the best parts of a compilation album. This year's Red Hot Organization release, Dark Was The Night, saw many dream collaborations, including Ben Gibbard and Feist covering Vashti Bunyen, Antony and The National's Aaron Dessner covering Bob Dylan, and Dirty Projectors and David Byrne, all performing originals and cover songs benefiting AIDS awareness. One of the best tracks is Nick Drake's "Cello Song," reworked by electronic sound artists The Books and Jose Gonzalez. Gonzalez's mellow voice and deft guitar work have always borrowed heavily from Drake's sound, making the song an obvious choice. But with The Books providing the plucky synth-driven rhythmic bed and recognizable overlapping string themes underneath, their "Cello Song" is inventive and fresh, sounding like it was always meant for them to perform.
5) The National + St. Vincent -- "Sleep All Summer" from SCORE! 20 Years of Merge Records: THE COVERS! (Originally by Crooked Fingers)
This year marked the 20th anniversary of Merge Records, the venerable independent label founded by Mac McCaughan and Laura Ballance (of Superchunk). During the course of this year the good folks at Merge looked back at their impressive legacy with a new book, Our Noise: The Story of Merge Records and even their own concert festival, Merge XX. They also put together a few records celebrating their music, including a remix album and this record, Score! 20 Years of Merge Records: The Covers! which has top shelf artists such as Quasi, The Shins and Death Cab For Cutie paying tribute to well-known and obscure songs from the Merge back catalog. One of the highlights is this duet version of Crooked Fingers' "Sleep All Summer" performed by The National and St. Vincent. The intermingling of Annie Clarke's lovely voice and Matt Berninger's warm and groggy baritone makes this one of the most bittersweet love songs of the year.
6) TV on the Radio -- "Heroes" from War Child Presents Heroes (Originally by David Bowie)
War Child Presents Heroes is a benefit album produced by the War Child organization with proceeds devoted to the charity's aid efforts in war-stricken areas like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Uganda. Thematically the record features musical icons who selected one of their own songs and then nominated a new artist from the "next generation" to create a modern reworking. It's a smart concept that yielded Beck covering Bob Dylan, Yeah Yeah Yeahs covering The Ramones and TV On The Radio covering David Bowie's "Heroes." There is a strong connection between TV On The Radio and Bowie, considering he sang backup on Return To Cookie Mountain's song "Province," so it feels natural for them to tackle this classic anthem. Their use of fuzzy synths and blankets of washy guitar feedback give the song a jolt of energy, while the electronic beats feel like an homage to Bowie's late '70s and early '80s sound.
7) Yim Yames (Jim James) -- "Long Long Long" from Tribute To (Originally by The Beatles\George Harrison) Hear this song was which was featured on NPR's Song Of The Day. Tribute To finds My Morning Jacket singer Jim James -- recording as "Yim Yames" -- paying homage to the music of George Harrison. James recorded stripped-down versions of six classic Harrison songs in the months after the late Beatle's death in 2001, including "All Things Must Pass" and "My Sweet Lord." On this gorgeous and haunting version of "Long Long Long," James' spare guitar and echoing vocal harmonies bring out the full beauty and loneliness of the original.
8) The Bad Plus -- "Comfortably Numb" from For All I Care (Originally by Pink Floyd)
The addition of vocalist Wendy Lewis feels like a natural evolution for the Bad Plus, a jazz trio best known for deconstructing popular modern rock songs by Nirvana and Black Sabbath. Even now, years after the band's stellar debut These Are The Vistas, some jazz purists and staunch rock listeners don't know what to make of the music of Ethen Iverson, Reid Anderson and Dave King. So it was expected that the trio's latest album of covers, For All I Care, would be divisive. And yet, the choice of Lewis, with her plaintive, unadorned (and very un-jazz) voice, proves inspired on The Bad Plus' rendition of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb." The group adds plenty of surprises, such as Iverson's fluttering waterfall of piano arpeggios that shift further and futher out of rhythmic sync. The Bad Plus create such a dissonant tension against Lewis' chorus that when they finally realign near the end, jazz or not, it's as epic and revelatory a musical climax you'll hear in any song this year.
9) Taken By Trees -- "My Boys" from East Of Eden (Originally by Animal Collective)
While it's more common to cover older favorites, Swedish singer Victoria Bergsman chose to do a song for her East Of Eden album that was only a few months old: Animal Collective's "My Girls." Bergsman -- who records as Taken By Trees, and is best known for her work with The Concretes -- not only shifts the gender, renaming the song "My Boys," she also inverts the song sonically. Where the original is a pulsating electronic dance, awash in overlapping vocals and synthesizers, hers is inspired by Sufi music and was recorded in Pakistan with the assistance of producer-guitarist Andreas Soderstrom. Centered around a chirpy pop arrangement of plucked acoustic guitars, clacking percussion and hand claps, "My Boys" is a great introduction to Bergsman's exciting, innovative album.
10) Marianne Faithfull -- "The Crane Wife 3" from Easy Come Easy Go (Originally by The Decemberists)
Marianne Faithfull's brilliantly programmed covers set Easy Come Easy Go will likely earn comparisons to Johnny Cash's last recordings because it pairs the legendary singer with newer songs and inventive production. And, like Cash, hearing these many songs sung by Faithfull, in her superbly shot voice, adds extra weight and a sense of remorse. The arrangements are mostly jazzy, with a bit of cabaret and haunting country, especially on Neko Case's "Hold On Hold On" and Morrissey's "Dear God, Please Help Me." But her take on The Decemberists' "Crane Wife 3" is particularly poignant as she sings out "I will hang my head, hang my head low."
Pope Benedict XVI's Christmas Eve Mass at St. Peter's Basilica got off to a tumultuous start Thursday after an apparently deranged woman jumped the barriers and knocked him down on his way to the altar.
In his homily, delivered unflappably after the incident, Benedict urged the world to "wake up" from selfishness and petty affairs, and find time for God and spiritual matters.
The 82-year-old pope was unhurt after his fall, said a Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Ciro Benedettini.
Earlier, in Bethlehem, thousands of pilgrims from around the world descended on the traditional birthplace of Jesus, for the most upbeat Christmas celebrations the Palestinian town has seen in years.
While the Holy Land's top Roman Catholic clergyman reminded followers that peace remains elusive, while the threat of sectarian violence in the Islamic world and the lava spilling from a volcano in the Philippines clouded the celebrations for other Christian communities across the globe.
At the Vatican, witness video obtained by The Associated Press showed a woman dressed in a red hooded sweat shirt vaulting over the wooden barriers that cordoned off the basilica's main aisle and rushing toward the pope before being swarmed by bodyguards. She grabbed the pope's vestments as she was taken down, with Benedict seemingly falling on top of her.
The commotion happened as the pope's procession was making its way toward the main altar and shocked gasps rang out through the public that packed the basilica. The procession came to a halt and security rushed to the trouble spot.
Benedettini said the woman who pushed the pope appeared to be mentally unstable and had been arrested by Vatican police. He said she also knocked down Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, who was taken to hospital for a check up.
"During the procession an unstable person jumped a barrier and knocked down the Holy Father," Benedettini told The Associated Press by telephone. "(The pope) quickly got up and continued the procession."
In Bethlehem, residents hemmed in by an Israeli security barrier and still recovering from years of violence, celebrated their town's annual day in the spotlight along with pilgrims and tourists. Visitors milled around Manger Square, mingling with clergymen, camera crews and locals hawking food and trinkets.
Christmas in Bethlehem has its incongruous elements _ the troops of Palestinian boy scouts who wear kilts and play bagpipes in one of the town's holiday traditions, for example, or the inflatable Santa Clauses hanging from church pillars and storefronts looking out of place and overdressed in this Middle Eastern town with not a snowflake in sight.
Jeffrey Lynch, 36, a sanitation worker from New York City, was taking a tour through the Church of the Nativity, the fourth-century Crusader era structure built atop the grottos that mark the spot believed to be the birthplace of Jesus.
"It's a miracle being here on Christmas Eve. It's a lifetime opportunity. I wish everybody could be here," he said.
But the Holy Land's top Roman Catholic cleric, Latin Patriarch Fouad Twal, reminded listeners in a holiday address that peace remains out of reach. "The wish that we most want, we most hope for, is not coming. We want peace," Twal said after he passed into Bethlehem in a traditional holiday procession from nearby Jerusalem.
Twal and his convoy of dozens of vehicles entered Palestinian-controlled territory through a massive steel gate in Israel's heavily guarded West Bank separation barrier, escorted by Israeli soldiers and police in jeeps.
The barrier and the heavy Israeli security presence served as reminders of the friction and hostilities that have thwarted peace efforts.
Only hours later, an Israeli man was shot and killed in the West Bank in an attack by Palestinian gunmen. Such attacks, once common, have become rare in recent years as the West Bank has regained a semblance of normalcy.
The Israeli military identified the man as a resident of a nearby settlement, and a little-known Palestinian faction took responsibility in an e-mail sent to journalists.
Some Christians in other far-flung parts of the world also saw gloom edge out the holiday cheer.
Baghdad's small remaining Christian minority was to celebrate midnight Mass in daylight for security reasons, and churches were under heavy guard. A bombing this week targeting a 1,200-year-old church in Mosul killed two passers-by, underscoring Iraqi Christians' concerns.
A marble palace once occupied by Saddam Hussein housed an impromptu Christmas celebration for U.S. soldiers and others far from home.
"I have mixed emotions," said Lt. Col Timothy Bedsole, 52, an Army chaplain from Alabama who was marking his second Christmas in Iraq since the 2003 invasion. "It's a very happy time for us as Christians and a very sad time to be away from our families."
Few were celebrating at a tent camp 220 miles southwest of Islamabad, Pakistan, erected to house Christians left homeless by a rampage of looting and arson by Muslims in August.
The Christians say they have received cell phone text messages warning them to expect a "special Christmas present." They're terrified their tents will be torched or their church services bombed.
"Last year I celebrated Christmas full of joy," said Irfan Masih, cradling his young son among the canvas shelters and open ditches of the camp. But now "the fear that we may again be attacked is in our hearts."
Far to the east, in the shadow of the erupting Mayon volcano in the Philippines, thousands of families were spending Christmas Eve in shelters as the volcano belched out 20 gray ash columns Thursday, some of them a mile (1.5 kilometers) high.
Government workers and volunteers tried to keep some 47,000 displaced residents entertained with games, movies and concerts, a heavy burden during the Christmas season in this majority Roman Catholic country.
Noodles, fruit and corned beef were distributed at the shelters for Christmas Eve dinner. Children in one evacuation center gleefully lined up for ice cream.
Got nothing to do before, during and after Christmas? Well, aside from the usual eating, singing Christmas carols and opening gifts, it’s also fun to know where Santa is as he travels around the world.
This 2009, you can use the Norad Santa Tracker and see exactly where Santa is. NORAD stands for North American Aerospace Defense Command.
Watch this short video about the Norad Santa Tracker below:
