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Lindsay Lohan fires back at police ‘gay’ remark

Posted by: on: August 21, 2008

Actress Lindsay Lohan attends Sephora’s tenth anniversary celebration at Angel Orensanz Foundation, July 17, 2008 in New York. Lindsay Lohan said police have no business getting involved in her personal life Friday, Aug. 1, 2008, a day after the police chief said the 22-year-old actress had evidently “gone gay” as a part of his explaination for why the paparazzi were no longer an issue. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Lindsay Lohan said Friday that police have no business getting involved in her personal life, a day after the police chief explained that the paparazzi were no longer an issue — in part because the 22-year-old actress had evidently “gone gay.”

“Police chiefs shouldn’t get involved in everyone else’s business when it comes to their personal life. It’s inappropriate,” Lohan said in a video shot by paparazzi Friday and posted on TMZ.com. In the footage, Lohan and gal pal Samantha Ronson are trekking through the Los Angeles Airport on their way to catch a flight to Chicago.

The day before, Chief William Bratton said the paparazzi have become less of a problem thanks to Britney Spears, Paris Hilton and Lohan leading more moderate lifestyles.

“If you notice, since Britney started wearing clothes and behaving; Paris is out of town not bothering anybody anymore, thank God, and evidently, Lindsay Lohan has gone gay, we don’t seem to have much of an issue,” he told KNBC-TV.

Bratton was speaking about his refusal to participate in a meeting held by elected officials Thursday that was called to discuss new laws to curb problem paparazzi.

He called Los Angeles City Councilman Dennis Zine’s special session — which was attended by the likes of John Mayer, Eric Roberts and Milo Ventimiglia — “a complete waste of time.”

Bratton later called a news conference outside police headquarters to clarify his position on the paparazzi. When asked about the Lohan remark — which followed months of tabloid speculation that Lohan and Ronson, a DJ, are dating — Bratton said his sister is gay and he is a proponent of gay rights.

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"Dark Knight" clears $400 million at record pace

Posted by: on: August 6, 2008

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Batman sequel “The Dark Knight” smashed yet another Hollywood record as it cleared the $400 million domestic box office mark in 18 days, less than half the time it took “Shrek 2” to reach that milestone, Warner Bros. Pictures said on Tuesday.

After a third straight weekend at No. 1 in U.S. and Canadian theaters — grossing $42.7 million Friday through Sunday — “Dark Knight” amassed $6.3 million on Monday to bring its domestic tally to $400.03 million, the Time Warner Inc.-owned movie distributor reported.

The previous record holder, the computer-animated storybook spoof “Shrek 2,” crossed the $400 million mark in 43 days back in 2004, according to box office watcher Media By Numbers.

Warner Bros. has said it expects “Dark Knight” to add at least another $100 million to its North American ticket sales, surpassing the $461 million haul of 1977’s “Star Wars” and its two reissues. “Star Wars” ranks as the No. 2 movie of all time in the United States and Canada.

While “Dark Knight” appears destined to become only the second movie to gross $500 million domestically, the $601 million record held by 1997’s “Titanic” seems unlikely to sink, said Media By Numbers president Paul Dergarabedian.

“That $600 million is kind of one for the ages. It’s held for 10 years,” Dergarabedian told Reuters. “It’s very, very difficult to get from $500 million to $600 million. But the fact we’re even talking about it tells you something about the strength of ‘The Dark Knight’ and what a phenomenon it is.”

Adjusted for inflation, though, “Titanic” ranks at No. 6 in the record books, far behind “Gone with the Wind” at $1.4 billion, according to tracking firm Box Office Mojo.

“The Dark Knight,” the second of the newly revived Warner Bros. film franchise based on the adventures of D.C. Comics’ Batman character, is a follow-up to 2005’s “Batman Begins.” Continued…

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Knox and Vivienne: A First Look at the Brangelina Babies!

Posted by: on: August 6, 2008

They’re the most talked about siblings since Danny DeVito and Arnold Schwarzenegger were paired up in a certain 1988 movie.

Indeed, the first photos of Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline may have sold for almost as much money as the above-referenced film, Twins.

People Magazine reportedly shelled out $14 million for the following pic of Brangelina’s babies. Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are giving the money to charity. Yes, on top of being gorgeous, these actors are model humanitarians.

Enjoy the shot of Knox and Vivienne after this article’s jump…

Knox Leon and Vivienne Marcheline

Pick up a copy of this week’s People for 19 pages of Brangelina baby photos!

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With Security at Risk, a Push to Patch the Web

Posted by: on: August 2, 2008

Since a secret emergency meeting of computer security experts at Microsoft’s headquarters in March, Dan Kaminsky has been urging companies around the world to fix a potentially dangerous flaw in the basic plumbing of the Internet.

Dan Kaminsky, a Web security specialist, showing a list of servers and whether they are patched.
While Internet service providers are racing to fix the problem, which makes it possible for criminals to divert users to fake Web sites where personal and financial information can be stolen, Mr. Kaminsky worries that they have not moved quickly enough.

By his estimate, roughly 41 percent of the Internet is still vulnerable. Now Mr. Kaminsky, a technical consultant who first discovered the problem, has been ramping up the pressure on companies and organizations to make the necessary software changes before criminal hackers take advantage of the flaw.

Next week, he will take another step by publicly laying out the details of the flaw at a security conference in Las Vegas. That should force computer network administrators to fix millions of affected systems.

But his explanation of the flaw will also make it easier for criminals to exploit it, and steal passwords and other personal information.

Mr. Kaminsky walks a fine line between protecting millions of computer users and eroding consumer confidence in Internet banking and shopping. But he is among those experts who think that full disclosure of security threats can push network administrators to take action. “We need to have disaster planning, and we need to worry,” he said.

The flaw that Mr. Kaminsky discovered is in the Domain Name System, a kind of automated phone book that converts human-friendly addresses like google.com into machine-friendly numeric counterparts.

The potential consequences of the flaw are significant. It could allow a criminal to redirect Web traffic secretly, so that a person typing a bank’s actual Web address would be sent to an impostor site set up to steal the user’s name and password. The user might have no clue about the misdirection, and unconfirmed reports in the Web community indicate that attempted attacks are already under way.
The problem is analogous to the risk of phoning directory assistance at, for example, AT&T, asking for the number for Bank of America and being given an illicit number at which an operator masquerading as a bank employee asks for your account number and password.

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Miley Cyrus tops the charts ‘Breakout’ debuts at #1, selling 371,000 copies

Posted by: on: July 30, 2008

The transition from “Hannah Montana” to Miley Cyrus at the top of the album sales chart has been completed.
Cyrus’ “Breakout” (Hollywood) not only debuted at No. 1, its first-week sales surpassed the tallies registered by the two “Hannah Montana” soundtracks, which also debuted at No. 1. The queen of tweens’ “Breakout” sold 371,000 copies in the week ended Sunday, according to Nielsen Soundscan data.
That first-week number bested the 326,000 of “Hannah Montana 2/Meet Miley Cyrus” last summer and the 261,000 for the first “Hannah Montana” in late 2006. The first one has sold 3.6 million copies; volume two has moved 3.1 million.
The “Hannah Montana/Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert” pic grossed $65 million during its theatrical release, which started in February.
At No. 2, Sugarland’s deluxe version of “Love on the Inside” (Mercury Nashville) sold 314,000 copies, registering the biggest sales week of the year for a country act. The duo’s 2006 release, “Enjoy the Ride,” peaked at No. 4 on sales of 211,000.
Release is a rare example of a deluxe edition preceding the release of a standard edition. Album with five fewer tracks went on sale Tuesday.
The “Mamma Mia!” soundtrack nearly doubled its sales for a second week in a row, moving 168,000 copies and staying put at No. 3.
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L.A. suburb at quake epicentre gets hard shake

Posted by: on: July 30, 2008

CHINO HILLS, California (Reuters) – Living in the shadow of Los Angeles, retiree Doug Sparkes thought that Tuesday’s strong tremor had squarely hit the big city.
Little did he know his town of Chino Hills, where he and his wife live on a farm with horses and chickens, was the epicentre of the biggest earthquake to hit the Los Angeles area in nearly 15 years.
“The first thing we thought was that L.A. went down and we were on the other end of it,” Sparkes said as he shopped at a supermarket a few hours after the magnitude 5.4 quake. “It was a hard shake and it lasted about 30 seconds.”
The Sparkes had been through stronger Southern California temblors, the 1994 Northridge and the 1987 Whittier Narrows quakes.
“This felt double that,” said Debbie Sparkes. The centres of those quakes were much farther from Sparkes’ home, though.
Around 30 miles (48 km) east of Los Angeles and home to 80,000 people, Chino Hills is a pleasant suburb with new large homes built among the big rolling hills.
The town returned to normality just a few hours after the temblor and filled up with people shopping and eating out. Only the presence of police, emergency teams and reporters indicated something big had happened.
The Wal-Mart store where some bottles fell off the shelves was back open for business in a few hours, after inspectors made sure nothing would fall and hurt customers. Continued…

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BBC NEWS | Technology | Alarm at Google Yahoo partnering

Posted by: on: May 10, 2008

The exterior of Yahoo headquarters in Sunnyvale, California

No firm deal with Google has actually been announced

Regulators in the US are being urged to investigate any potential online advertising and search partnership between Google and Yahoo.

The call by a coalition of 16 American civil rights and rural advocacy bodies comes despite the fact no firm deal has actually been announced.

“We all suffer in such mega mergers,” Gary Flowers of the Black Leadership Forum told BBC News.

The justice department is examining a trial the companies did in April.

It has been widely reported that it is looking into the anti-trust implications of last month’s two-week test.

However, the department says it has no comment on the coalition’s demands because there is no definitive agreement between Yahoo and Google at the moment.

But reports say that the two companies are presently hammering out the intricacies of a future potential advertising and search agreement, and are sharing their plans with antitrust regulators.

At Google’s shareholder meeting on Thursday, Chairman Eric Schmidt said: “If there were a deal [with Yahoo], we would anticipate structuring the deal to address the anti-trust concerns that have been widely discussed.”

‘Never positive’

This assurance is not good enough for the coalition which is made up of the League of Rural Voters, the National Black Chamber of Commerce and the American Agriculture Movement.

It also includes the Black Leadership Forum, an umbrella group of 36 civil rights organisations including the NAACP and the National Urban League.

In a letter to Assistant Attorney General Thoma Barnett, head of the Justice Department’s anti-trust division, the coalition argues that such a deal would give Google almost 90% of the search advertising market and strengthen its influence over internet users’ access to information.

“We face a possible future in which no content could be seamlessly accessed without Google’s permission,” the letter states.

The effect Mr Flowers says of such large partnerships is never positive and would for the black community, as for other communities, “condense competition, increase prices and limit new business opportunity on the internet”.

‘Do no evil’

League of Rural Voters’ executive director Niel Ritchie claims that the do-no-evil mantra may no longer apply in today’s marketplace in which Google’s reach is apparently without bound, touching more and more aspects of our everyday lives.

“We believe the government should give this agreement very careful scrutiny,” he says.

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Miley Cyrus Thanks Fans At Disney Channel Games – News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News

Posted by: on: May 6, 2008

‘Hannah Montana’ star avoids questions about controversial pics by skipping down red carpet.

By Chris Harris

In her first major public appearance since near-topless photos, which were shot for Vanity Fair, stirred considerable debate among fans, parents and celebs like Madonna and Hilary Duff, “Hannah Montana” star Miley Cyrus appeared Saturday night at the Disney Channel Games concert, held at Orlando, Florida’s Walt Disney World, and thanked her fans for their undying support.

“I hope you had an awesome time,” Cyrus was quoted as saying on People.com. The Disney moneymaker skipped her way down the event’s red carpet, seemingly to avoid questions about the photo scandal. “I saw a sign back there that said, ‘Miley, I’m praying for you.’ I could not be more appreciative. Thank you, guys, for all your support. Without you, none of this would be possible. I love every one of you, and I could not be more appreciative. God bless you.”

Cyrus’ set opened with “See You Again,” and later on, the star previewed two tracks — “Fly on the Wall” and “Breakout” — from her forthcoming, yet-untitled album, which hits stores July 22.

Other performers that took the stage Saturday included the Jonas Brothers, the Cheetah Girls and Jordan Pruitt.

But the fans weren’t the only ones backing Cyrus up. In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Cyrus’ “Hannah Montana” co-star Jason Earles said she’s taking last week’s controversy in stride. “She’s one of the strongest people I’ve ever met,” he told the paper. “She’ll do everything to make sure she does right by her fans. It will be all right. I know what kind of person she is. She has a great heart.”

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Scared prostitutes ‘shunned Josef Fritzl’ at brothel – Times Online

Posted by: on: May 6, 2008

Josef Fritzl during a four-week-holiday in Pataya, Thailand

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The Josef Fritzl case has provoked huge public soul-searching in Austria

A barman at a brothel frequented by Josef Fritzl, the Austrian man who imprisoned his own daughter in a dungeon under his house, has told how some of the prostitutes were so frightened by his perversions that they refused to accept him as a client.

He listed various extreme demands made by the retired electrical engineer, who liked to inflict pain on the women and asked them to act like corpses.

Christoph F, 38, worked at the Villa Ostende in Linz for six years and said that Mr Fritzl, a regular customer, was notorious for being “domineering” towards the staff.

“Ninety-five per cent of the guests are entirely normal, 3 per cent are slightly ‘derailed’, but Fritzl belonged to the last 2 per cent of extreme perverts, who are surely mentally deranged,” Mr F told the Oesterreich newspaper.

He said that some of the prostitutes would refuse to go upstairs with him – which was extremely rare in this business” – because of demands including sadism and “demanding that a girl should pretend to be a corpse.”

Prostitution is legal in Austria, and the Villa Ostende charges its customers €150 an hour. Most of the prostitutes come from Eastern Europe and change every few weeks.

The barman said that Mr Fritzl, who kept his daughter Elisabeth captive in the cellar of the family home for 24 years and fathered seven children by her, was a longstanding customer renowned for his meanness.

“I was working there for six years and Fritzl would come regularly. I will never forget his stinginess,” he said. “If he would consume drinks for €97 and would pay with a €100 bill – he would demand the €3 back.

“At the bar he was domineering. If he liked a girl he would order champagne for her, but after a short while he would start behaving like a headmaster with pupils and say things like ‘Sit straight!’ or ‘Don’t speak nonsense!’. Such behaviour is unusual in sex clubs.”

In the aftermath of the Fritzl case, the Austrian Parliament is to discuss the introduction of more severe punishments for sex offenders.

The Nationalrat will discuss the case tomorrow, when MPs will debate a motion on whether to change the law to introduce tougher penalties for rapists, as well as to allow criminal records to be kept for a longer period of time.

Despite the fact that Mr Fritzl had a previous conviction for rape he was allowed to adopt, or become the foster parent, of three of the children claiming he was their grandfather. This is because Austrian law sees files on convictions for sex offences removed from the records after ten to 15 years.

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FCC Chairman: Comcast Blocked Traffic At All Times

Posted by: on: May 3, 2008

Says Comcast’s equipment didn’t distinguish between a network that needed management and one that didn’t

Testifying before Congress, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin presented a damning contrast (PDF) to Comcast’s claims that it blocked traffic only when needed.

“Contrary to some claims, it does not appear that [Comcast’s BitTorrent technique] was used only to occasionally delay traffic at particular nodes suffering from network congestion at that time,” said Martin. Basing his statements on testimony received, he added that Comcast’s blocking equipment is “typically deployed over a wider geographic or system area and would therefore have impacted numerous [regions] within a system simultaneously.”

Martin further accuses Comcast of not using “content agnostic” management equipment, a point that violates FCC policy and inadvertently conceded by Comcast, who recently announced a switch to “content agnostic” network management techniques.

Comcast says it expects to have its network switched over by either the end of this year or early 2009 – a timetable that many, including the FCC, have found unsatisfactory. Comcast claims that it can’t implement a change instantly as such a tactic would overwhelm its network.

Regardless of Comcast’s stated intentions – and prior praise for the change, taken entirely on Comcast’s own initiative – Martin expressed doubts on Comcast’s commitment: “Indeed, the question is not when they will begin using a new approach but if and when they are committing to stop using the old one,” he said.

However, the seemingly adversarial relationship between ISPs and the FCC enjoys at least one common ground: Kyle McSlarrow, president and CEO of the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, urged Congress not to regulate (PDF) ISPs’ management of their networks – a point that Martin agrees with.

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