Who Is Talking Today-- Free Health Insurance Quote- 1-888-842-9430: 2009

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Jasper Schuringa subdued alleged terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab on Northwest Airlines 253

The passenger who tackled a suspected terrorist on Northwest Airlines Flight 253 said Saturday that he’s “happy” to be alive.

Jasper Schuringa, a video director and producer from Amsterdam, told CNN how he helped the cabin crew to subdue Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the 23-year-old who reportedly ignited a small explosive device on board the plane Friday as it prepared to land in Detroit.

Schuringa said he heard a sound that reminded him of a firecracker and someone yelling, “Fire! Fire!”

But he was only certain something was wrong when he saw smoke. He saw Abdulmutallab's pants open and he was holding a burning object between his legs.

"I pulled the object from him and tried to extinguish the fire with my hands and threw it away," Schuringa said.

He said he then screamed for water and pulled Abdulmutallab out of his seat and dragged him to the front of the plane.

Schuringa told CNN that Abdulmutallab seemed out of it and "was staring into nothing."

To ensure the suspect did not have other explosives on his body, Schuringa stripped off Abdulmutallab's clothes. He then handcuffed the alleged attacker with the help of a crew member.

Schuringa said the other passengers applauded as he returned to his seat and that he sustained minor injuries during the take down.

"My hands are pretty burned. I am fine," he said. "I am shaken up. I am happy to be here."

Federal law enforcement and airline security sources say Abdulmutallab was immediately taken into custody following the incident and treated for second- and third-degree burns on his thighs.

CNN reports that the Nigerian suspect, a student at University College London, is 'talking a lot' to the FBI.

The Transportation Security Administration said in a statement that the plane and its baggage were screened after the incident. Security sources told CNN that remains of the device were sent for analysis to an FBI explosives lab in Quantico, Virginia.

Law enforcement and airline security sources also told CNN that no other suspicious materials were found and that the suspect only had carry-on luggage.

Passengers on board the flight were interviewed by law enforcement before leaving the airport.

Abdulmutallab flew on a KLM flight from Lagos, Nigeria, to Amsterdam and is reportedlynot on a "no fly" list, though he is on a U.S. database of people with suspected terrorist connections.

Although there is no evidence that he is a trained member of Al Qaeda, the Nigerian national reportedly claimed a link to extremists. A federal security document obtained by CNN further revealed that his explosive device "was acquired in Yemen along with instructions as to when it should be used."

White House spokesman Bill Burton told CNN that from his holiday vacation in Hawaii, President Obama told security advisers "that all appropriate measures be taken to increase security for air travel,"

With news wire services

Friday, December 18, 2009

Time's Person Of The Decade

I never thought I would be a famous historian. This is largely because I'm not an academic or a biographer or particularly interested in history. I am, however, very interested in being famous. So when TIME didn't pick a Person of the Decade this year, I decided to do it myself.

Not wanting to read a bunch of old newspapers, I sought advice from former TIME editor Henry Muller, who picked Mikhail Gorbachev as the 1980s Person of the Decade. "The process is pretty simple. Pretend to consult a lot of people, and then make the decision yourself," he told me. I did him one better. I pretended to pretend to consult a lot of people and made the decision myself.

(See TIME's 2009 Person of the Year: Ben Bernanke.)

One obvious choice was Osama bin Laden, since he reconfigured the relationship between the Arab and Western worlds and gave action movies bad guys who made sense again. But picking bin Laden would lead to a lot of hate mail and lose me a bunch of readers. Same with George W. Bush. China had a good decade, but there was no way I was going to search 1.3 billion people on Facebook to find out who was responsible. And picking generic "Chinese guy" seemed like one of those experiences that would feel good at the time but leave me unsatisfied an hour later.

Another problem was that I'd have to write a profile on my person, and none of my choices seemed likely to respond in the 48 hours between when I thought of this idea and when the column was due. Which is how I decided on the Google guys, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. They have a publicist who returns e-mails. And if I've learned one thing these past 10 years, it's that without the help of a high-level exec at their company, there's nothing a man can do to stop his No. 1 Google image from being a high school photo of himself at the Jersey Shore with a mullet down to his butt. (See the best pictures of 2009.)

The greatest thing about picking Person of the Decade is that you get to write in the inflated style that TIME reserves for this issue. It doesn't even have to make sense; it just has to sound as though it makes sense, like the stuff Sarah Jessica Parker typed on Sex and the City: In a decade when power shifted from organizations to individuals, when writers became cheap and librarians dear, when giving things away was the most successful business model, these men used their ingenuity to organize, connect and map our planet. For these reasons, and the fact that they can keep "Joel Osteen" from popping up every time you try to find me online, Sergey Brin and Larry Page are TIME's Persons of the 2000s. It turns out writing like this is totally easy. (See pictures of the worst decade ever.)

The Google guys, however — after Googling a few of my columns — decided not to talk to me. But this did not stop the writers who profiled TIME's Person of the Year when they were unable to score interviews with the computer (1982), the planet (1988) or even You (2006), when You were too busy flipping houses and hedge-fund investing. It's not going to stop me either:

Declining to sit down with TIME in Google's office in Menlo Park, Calif., the Google guys are making applications that will one day turn the human race into a bunch of fat idiots, subservient to robots, while they take all our money. (I am seriously mad at them for not talking to me.) (See the 50 best websites of 2009.)

With my place as a great historian secured, I moved on to my runner-up. I picked the person I think is the best chef in America, Thomas Keller. In a decade when food became both entertainment and politics, when obscure ingredients filled grocery-store aisles, when I had to go outside in zero-degree weather to suck in air in order to keep from barfing after gorging on 22 courses at his restaurant Per Se but then ate four more courses, Keller led the way by focusing on being the best instead of hosting a Food Network show. For these reasons, Thomas Keller is TIME's runner-up Person of the 2000s. Seriously, the only thing easier than writing like that is writing the profile of him:

During an intimate sit-down with the Napa Valley, California, chef, in which I was sitting at a desk in Los Angeles with a cell phone and he may or may not have been sitting, Keller gave credit to his staff and farmers. Then he said something about the food chain, followed by "You'll get free food for the next decade." I know it's early, but it's hard for me to see how Keller isn't going to be the Person of the 2010s. (See the top 10 everything of 2009.)

As a famous historian, I realize that people are going to argue with my choice. I welcome that discussion as long as I don't have to listen to it. I will be busy doing famous-historian stuff, like droning on to Ken Burns, blurbing books I haven't read and sleeping with grad students. Though deep down, I wonder if we should have just done a Bravo show about the real columnists of TIME magazine instead. I know how this decade really worked.

See 25 people who mattered in 2009.

See TIME's tribute to people who passed away in 2009.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Oscar winner Jennifer Jones dies at 90

Image via Wikipedia

LOS ANGELES — Jennifer Jones, an Oscar-winning Hollywood leading lady in the 1940s and 1950s, died of natural causes at her home in Malibu, California, a spokeswoman said Thursday. She was 90.

Jones, who won the best actress Oscar in 1943 for her role in "The Son of Bernadette," was hailed by critics and public alike for her roles alongside Hollywood heavyweights like Gregory Peck, Humphrey Bogart, Rock Hudson and Laurence Olivier.

She was married three times, including to "Gone With the Wind" director David Selznick and to industrialist Norton Simon, whose art collection on his death in 1943 went to found the art museum in Pasadena, California, that bears his name.

Norton Simon Museum of Art spokeswoman Leslie Denk confirmed Jones's death to the Los Angeles Times.

Jones is best remembered for "A Farewell to Arms" (1957), as well as the film for which she won the Academy Award and four other Oscar-nominated roles, in "Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing" (1955); "Duel in the Sun" (1946); "Role for Love Letters" (1945) and "Since You Went Away" (1944).

Her last movie appearance was in 1974's "The Towering Inferno."

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The 2010 Golden Globe nominations

The 2010 Golden Globe nominations have been announced and it’s prediction time!

Also of note is Meryl Streep’s two nods, in the same category, for different movies. She’ll probably win the Globe for her role in “Julie & Julia”.

Of course, Gabourey Sidibe will probably win for her role in “Precious”, but I wouldn’t be surprised at all if Helen Mirren swept in for the win. I’m really glad to see Jon Hamm on this list, too, even if just for the fact that he’s a hot Don Draper. Yum. Also missing is Vincent Kartheiser, who plays Pete on “Mad Men”. Or even John Slattery, for that matter.

The awards show airs on January 17, 2010 on NBC at 8PM EST.

Who are you rooting for? Who are you missing from the list of nominations?

BEST MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
AVATAR
THE HURT LOCKER
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS
PRECIOUS
UP IN THE AIR

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
EMILY BLUNT - THE YOUNG VICTORIA
SANDRA BULLOCK - THE BLIND SIDE
HELEN MIRREN - THE LAST STATION
CAREY MULLIGAN - AN EDUCATION
GABOUREY SIDIBE - PRECIOUS

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – DRAMA
JEFF BRIDGES - CRAZY HEART
GEORGE CLOONEY - UP IN THE AIR
COLIN FIRTH - A SINGLE MAN
MORGAN FREEMAN - INVICTUS
TOBEY MAGUIRE - BROTHERS

BEST MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER
THE HANGOVER
IT’S COMPLICATED
JULIE & JULIA
NINE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY OR
MUSICAL
SANDRA BULLOCK - THE PROPOSAL
MARION COTILLARD - NINE
JULIA ROBERTS - DUPLICITY
MERYL STREEP - IT’S COMPLICATED
MERYL STREEP - JULIE & JULIA

For more, follow me after the jump!

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MOTION PICTURE – COMEDY
OR MUSICAL
MATT DAMON - THE INFORMANT!
DANIEL DAY-LEWIS - NINE
ROBERT DOWNEY JR. - SHERLOCK HOLMES
JOSEPH GORDON-LEVITT - (500) DAYS OF SUMMER
MICHAEL STUHLBARG - A SERIOUS MAN

BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM
CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS
CORALINE
FANTASTIC MR. FOX
THE PRINCESS AND THE FROG
UP

BEST FOREIGN LANGUAGE FILM
BAARIA (ITALY)
BROKEN EMBRACES (SPAIN)
THE MAID (CHILE)
A PROPHET (FRANCE)
THE WHITE RIBBON (GERMANY)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
MOTION PICTURE
PENÉLOPE CRUZ - NINE
VERA FARMIGA - UP IN THE AIR
ANNA KENDRICK - UP IN THE AIR
MO’NIQUE - PRECIOUS
JULIANNE MOORE - A SINGLE MAN

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
MOTION PICTURE
MATT DAMON - INVICTUS
WOODY HARRELSON - THE MESSENGER
CHRISTOPHER PLUMMER - THE LAST STATION
STANLEY TUCCI - THE LOVELY BONES
CHRISTOPH WALTZ - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST DIRECTOR – MOTION PICTURE
KATHRYN BIGELOW - THE HURT LOCKER
JAMES CAMERON - AVATAR
CLINT EASTWOOD - INVICTUS
JASON REITMAN - UP IN THE AIR
QUENTIN TARANTINO - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST SCREENPLAY – MOTION PICTURE
NEILL BLOMKAMP - DISTRICT 9
MARK BOAL - THE HURT LOCKER
NANCY MEYERS - IT’S COMPLICATED
JASON REITMAN - UP IN THE AIR
QUENTIN TARANTINO - INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS

BEST ORIGINAL SONG – MOTION PICTURE
“CINEMA ITALIANO” — NINE
“I WANT TO COME HOME” — EVERYBODY’S FINE
“I WILL SEE YOU” — AVATAR
“THE WEARY KIND (THEME FROM CRAZY HEART)” — CRAZY
HEART
“WINTER” — BROTHERS

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
BIG LOVE (HBO)
DEXTER (SHOWTIME)
HOUSE (FOX)
MAD MEN (AMC)
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
DRAMA
GLENN CLOSE - DAMAGES
JANUARY JONES - MAD MEN
JULIANNA MARGULIES - THE GOOD WIFE
ANNA PAQUIN - TRUE BLOOD
KYRA SEDGWICK - THE CLOSER

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES – DRAMA
SIMON BAKER - THE MENTALIST
MICHAEL C. HALL - DEXTER
JON HAMM - MAD MEN
HUGH LAURIE - HOUSE
BILL PAXTON - BIG LOVE

BEST TELEVISION SERIES – COMEDY OR MUSICAL
30 ROCK (NBC)
ENTOURAGE (HBO)
GLEE (FOX)
MODERN FAMILY (ABC)
THE OFFICE (NBC)

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL
TONI COLLETTE - UNITED STATES OF TARA
COURTENEY COX - COUGAR TOWN
EDIE FALCO - NURSE JACKIE
TINA FEY - 30 ROCK
LEA MICHELE - GLEE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES –
COMEDY OR MUSICAL
ALEC BALDWIN - 30 ROCK
STEVE CARELL - THE OFFICE
DAVID DUCHOVNY - CALIFORNICATION
THOMAS JANE - HUNG
MATTHEW MORRISON - GLEE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A
SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
JANE ADAMS - HUNG
ROSE BYRNE - DAMAGES
JANE LYNCH - GLEE
JANET McTEER - INTO THE STORM
CHLOË SEVIGNY - BIG LOVE

BEST PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES,
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
MICHAEL EMERSON - LOST
NEIL PATRICK HARRIS - HOW I MET YOUR MOTHER
WILLIAM HURT - DAMAGES
JOHN LITHGOW - DEXTER
JEREMY PIVEN - ENTOURAGE

Stay tuned for our coverage of the Globes, as well as the full winners list!

source: The Golden Globe Nom

Tiger Woods affair photo

here is a new Tiger Woods affair photo. In fact there are two.

The latest to join the "I Had An Affair with Tiger Woods" club are Theresa Rogers and Julie Postle.

Rogers reportedly is now a client of Gloria Allred, who is also Rachel Uchitel (Tiger Woods mistress #1 who broke this scandal wide open) attorney. It is alleged that Rogers was intimate with Woods before and after his marriage to wife, Elin Nordegren.

Julie Postle supposedly met Woods while she was working as a waitress in cocktail bar. No big surprise there.

What may or may not be a surprise, is that Woods is losing millions and millions of dollars due to his adulterous ways:

1. Payoff to mistress # 1, Rachel Uchitel.
2. Loss of money from endorsements when Accenture, Gatordade and Gillette dropped him (or are limiting his commercials) like a hot potato.
3. The "indefinite break" from golf to focus on his family.
4. Tthe most painful and costly effect of the Tiger Woods Affair Photos, is yet to be determined by the woman who was hurt the most: If or when his wife Elin, plans on to divorce him.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Neil Diamond The Chanukah Song

The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty

Tito Jackson via last.fm

The Jacksons: A Family Dynasty aired 12-13 on A&E. The show will focus on Marlon, Jermaine, Jackie and Tito Jackson as they try to reunite the iconic ‘Jackson 5′ back on the stage. However, with the untimely death of brother Michael the show takes a dramatic turn.

A train wreck waiting to happen, or a pleasant surprise? You decide and let us know.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Celebrity Gossip

Facing a celebrity gossip, no matter how big or small, is part of the glitz and glamour of being a celebrity. As celebrities are known personas, it is just normal for people to be interested in all the happenings of their lives, even the tiniest bit of issue regarding them.

Gossip may be thought of as merely news regarding popular personalities. However, there is a line that separates and borders the two. In several angles, celebrity gossip differs from news.

News is basically defined as anything about matters, events and happenings that are currently taking place. These are presented in papers, live television and radio broadcast, internet and the most basic of all, word of mouth.

Celebrity gossip comes in the same form - papers, broadcast, internet and word of mouth. However, gossips are more observable through the internet and word of mouth unlike straight news which is more apparent in live broadcast and newspapers. Also, gossips only talk about more particular issues as they are specific towards popular personalities only. News, on the other hand, cater on anything under the sun starting from current events, politics, environment, art, music, changes and developments on various fields such as technology, medicine, entertainment and many more.

The most significant difference of the two falls on their contents: news is a factual report, while gossips are not. News, as far as responsible journalism is concerned, only contains verified information. In contrast, gossips may contain unverified reports and information. Oftentimes, reports and gossips on celebrities are simply hear-say and speculation.
Today, celebrity gossips are often brought to surface through the unstaged celebrity photographs taken by paparazzi. In most cases, rumors and speculation start from the malicious photographs posted over the internet. As the discussion grows, the talk spreads and evolves into what we know as rumor or gossip.

At the end, I'd like to share cool website with more information on Current Celebrity Gossip and Celebrity Gossip. Visit for more details.