Brittany Murphy died early this morning after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived.
She was 32.
A 911 call was made at 8:00 AM from a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband, Simon Monjack, the Los Angeles City Fire Department said.
We're told Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Her time of death was listed as 10:04 AM.
Murphy starred in such films as "Clueless," "8 Mile," and "Don't Say a Word." Murphy was reportedly fired from last film, "The Caller," after reports she was problematic on set.
UPDATE 3:11 PM ET -- Sources say that Brittany Murphy's mom discovered her unconscious in the shower. We're told when paramedics arrived, they quickly determined Murphy was in full cardiac arrest and immediately administered CPR. They continued CPR in route to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center -- several miles away -- and Murphy was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
LA County Coroner's is picking up Murphy's body from Cedars later today and will launch a death investigation.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Brittany Murphy Dies
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Tiger Watch: Who's Who?
Call it the crash heard 'round the world. Tiger Woods' car accident has led to many stunning revelations and a lot of rumors that won't go away. The golf legend has made his mea culpa — for the rest of the story and gossip tidbits, people are looking online. Below, we take a look at some of the drama's key players in Yahoo! Search and their rumored roles.
Elin Nordegren
The wife of Tiger Woods has been thrust into the Search spotlight over the past week. While no stranger to gawkers (she was once a model, after all), this level of Search attention has elevated Ms. Nordegren to a whole new level of public scrutiny. Over the past week, Web lookups have soared an astounding 2,832%. Additionally, related Searches on "elin nordegren pictures" spiked to new heights. She has yet to release an official statement on the sordid affair.
Jaimee Grubbs
In Tiger's boilerplate apology statement, he mentions "transgressions" that have let his family down. Though Tiger hasn't named names, Jaimee Grubbs has more than volunteered to explain her part in the troublesome situation. A Los Angeles cocktail waitress and former participant on the VH1 reality show "Tool Academy," Ms. Grubbs claims to have had a lengthy affair with Woods. Additionally, she has gone on record as saying she has pictures, hundreds of risqué text messages, and even a "frantic voicemail" from the married golfer. Searches on "jaimee grubbs" and "jaimee grubbs photos" have both shot up from zip into the tens of thousands overnight. Last word: Claims to have had affair.
Rachel Uchitel
In contrast to Ms. Grubbs, Rachel Uchitel has strenuously denied the allegations that she and the world's best golfer have hooked up. Still, that hasn't stopped the Searches. Lookups on "rachel uchitel" and "who is rachel uchitel" have both rocked the Search box, as curious searchers seem unwilling to take her at her word. Time magazine has an interesting article on Ms. Uchitel. The 34-year-old nightclub promoter is reportedly "aggressive" when it comes to meeting celebrities (her mom claims she once dated Derek Jeter and A-Rod). However, in an exclusive interview with the New York Post, Uchitel has denied the allegations of a romance with Woods, even going so far as to offer to take a lie detector test. Last word: Denies affair.
Kalika Moquin
Lastly (or not?), there's Kalika Moquin. A relative newcomer to the Tiger watch, Ms. Moquin was named in Life & Style magazine as having romantic links to Tiger. As soon as that possible connection hit the Web, searches on Moquin roared into breakout status. Though her connection to Tiger is still just a rumor, folks clearly want to know more about her. Life & Style explains that she works as a marketing manager at a Las Vegas nightclub. According to the magazine, when Moquin was asked about an alleged affair, she neither confirmed not denied it, saying, "It's not appropriate for me to comment one way or the other." Last word: No comment.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
A special World
A special world for you and me
A special bond one cannot see
It wraps us up in its cocoon
And holds us fiercely in its womb.
Its fingers spread like fine spun gold
Gently nestling us to the fold
Like silken thread it holds us fast
Bonds like this are meant to last.
And though at times a thread may break
A new one forms in its wake
To bind us closer and keep us strong
In a special world, where we belong.
Jose,
http://jose-aviles.blogspot.com
http://avilesnews.flux.com
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Kanye West ruins Taylor Swift's big moment
9:30pm - People are going nuts in here. They booed like crazy when Kanye leaped onstage. He responded by giving them all the finger on the way back to his seat. During commercial, Pink walked by him shaking her head in disgust. Even the show producers gave him a talking to. Not surprisingly, he didn't seem at all bothered by everyone's reactions, promptly grabbing his date Amber Rose and planting a kiss on her lips.
9:25pm - Kanye West ruins Taylor Swift's big moment. Further proof that he's on the Hennessy. In my humble opinion, that is.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Senator Edward Kennedy dies at age 77
Straight from the Press Release:
U.S. Senator Edward Kennedy, a towering figure in the Democratic Party who took the helm of one of America's most fabled political families after two older brothers were assassinated, died at age 77, his family said.
"Edward M. Kennedy, the husband, father, grandfather, brother and uncle we loved so deeply, died late Tuesday night at home in Hyannis Port (Massachusetts)," the Kennedy family said in a statement early on Wednesday.
One of the most influential and longest-serving senators in U.S. history -- a liberal standard-bearer who was also known as a consummate congressional dealmaker -- Kennedy had been battling brain cancer, which was diagnosed in May 2008.
His death marked the twilight of a political dynasty and dealt a blow to Democrats as they seek to answer President Barack Obama's call for an overhaul of the healthcare system.
Kennedy was a longtime advocate of healthcare reform, a signature issue of Obama's presidency. Obama said on Wednesday he was heartbroken to hear of the death of Kennedy, a crucial supporter of his presidential candidacy.
"I valued his wise counsel in the Senate, where, regardless of the swirl of events, he always had time for a new colleague. I cherished his confidence and momentous support in my race for the Presidency. And even as he waged a valiant struggle with a mortal illness, I've profited as President from his encouragement and wisdom," said Obama, who was elected last November and took office in January.
Kennedy had recently urged Massachusetts lawmakers to change state law so the governor, if necessary, could quickly fill a Senate vacancy as the chamber debates the contentious healthcare issue.
Known as "Teddy," he was the brother of President John Kennedy, assassinated in 1963, Senator Robert Kennedy, fatally shot while campaigning for the 1968 Democratic presidential nomination, and Joe Kennedy, a pilot killed in World War Two.
When he first took the Senate seat previously held by John Kennedy in 1962, he was seen as something of a political lightweight who owed his ascent to his famous name.
Yet during his nearly half century in the chamber, Kennedy became known as one of Washington's most effective senators, crafting legislation by working with lawmakers and presidents of both parties, and finding unlikely allies.
At the same time, he held fast to liberal causes deemed anachronistic by the centrist "New Democrats," and was a lightning rod for conservative ire.
He helped enact measures to protect civil and labor rights, expand healthcare, upgrade schools, increase student aid and contain the spread of nuclear weapons.
"There's a lot to do," Kennedy told Reuters in 2006. "I think most of all it's the injustice that I continue to see and the opportunity to have some impact on it."
After Robert Kennedy's death, Edward was expected to waste little time in vying for the presidency. But in 1969, a young woman drowned after a car Kennedy was driving plunged off a bridge on the Massachusetts resort island of Chappaquiddick after a night of partying.
Kennedy's image took a major hit after it emerged he had failed to report the accident to authorities. He pleaded guilty to leaving the scene and received a suspended sentence.
Kennedy eventually ran for his party's presidential nomination in 1980 but lost to then-President Jimmy Carter.
His presidential ambitions thwarted, Kennedy devoted himself to his Senate career.
A 2009 survey by The Hill, a Capitol Hill publication, found that Senate Republicans believed Kennedy was the chamber's easiest Democrat to work with and most bipartisan.
Republican Senator John McCain called Kennedy "the single most effective member of the Senate if you want to get results."
In January 2008, Kennedy endorsed Obama, who was serving his first term as a senator, for the Democratic presidential nomination. Many saw the endorsement as the passing of the political torch to a new generation. A year to the day before his death, Kennedy made an electrifying speech to the Democratic convention that nominated Obama for president.
'LION' BATTLED ON
Kennedy had been largely sidelined in Congress since becoming ill. The "Lion of the Senate" began to use a cane and often looked tired and drained as he mixed work with treatment.
Yet colleagues and staff said he remained determined to fulfill what he called "the cause of my life," providing health insurance to all Americans. He helped draft legislation to overhaul the $2.5 trillion U.S. healthcare system.
Kennedy's interest in healthcare dated from his son's bout with cancer in the 1970s. More recently, he cited his own illness as he made a case for reform.
"I've benefited from the best of medicine, but I've also witnessed the frustration and outrage of patients and doctors alike as they face the challenges of a system that shortchanges millions of Americans," he wrote in a May 28, 2009, issue of the Boston Globe.
His charisma as "the last of the Kennedy brothers" was such that draft-Teddy drives were a feature of U.S. presidential election years from 1968 through the 1980s.
But he never fully escaped the cloud of the Chappaquiddick accident. A decades-long argument arose about whether he tried to cover up his involvement by leaving the scene while Mary Jo Kopechne's body remained submerged and whether police helped sweep such questions under the rug. All involved denied any cover-up.
Later crises involving younger Kennedys, notably the 1991 Palm Beach rape trial of his nephew, William Kennedy Smith, caught a bloated and weary-looking Uncle Ted in a media glare. Reports of heavy drinking and womanizing led to a public apology for "the faults in the conduct of my private life."
Kennedy was remarried soon after that to Victoria Reggie, a 38-year-old lawyer with two young children from her first marriage. He poured renewed energy into the Senate, where he would become the third-longest serving senator in history.
Even his Republican foes recognized Kennedy's dedication as he worked to protect civil rights, give federal help to the poor, contain the spread of nuclear weapons, raise the minimum wage, expand health coverage and improve America's schools.
FAMILY STANDARDS
Born on February 22, 1932, Edward Moore Kennedy was the last of four sons and five daughters born to millionaire businessman Joseph Kennedy, who would later be ambassador to Britain, and his wife, Rose.
The Boston Irish family combined the competitive spirit of nouveau riche immigrants with acquired polish and natural charm. The sons were expected to mature into presidential timber and were groomed for that starting with the oldest, Joseph Jr., a bomber pilot who died in World War Two.
"I think about my brothers every day," Kennedy told Reuters. "They set high standards. Sometimes you measure up, sometimes you don't."
Like his brothers, Kennedy was known for his oratory, delivered in a booming voice at rallies, congressional hearings and in the Senate.
He drew praise from liberals, labor and civil rights groups and scorn from conservatives, big business and anti-abortion and pro-gun activists. His image was often used by Republicans in ads as a money-raising tool.
Tragedies dogged Kennedy throughout his life. They included a 1964 plane crash that damaged his spine and left him with persistent pain; bone cancer that cost son Teddy a leg; first wife Joan's battles with alcoholism that contributed to their divorce, and drug problems involving nephews, one of whom died of an overdose. His nephew, John Kennedy Jr., died in July 1999 when his small plane crashed into the ocean near Cape Cod.
In May 2008, Edward Kennedy collapsed at his Cape Cod home and was flown to hospital in Boston, where he was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. Brain cancer kills half its victims within a year.
Kennedy's illness kept him from attending the funeral of his sister, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, a leading advocate of the mentally disabled, who died on August 11 at the age of 88.
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
Michael Jackson vs. Princess Di: The Winner Is...?
Whose farewell scored more viewers: Michael Jackson's or Princess Diana's? Who is the new Mr. Big? And is a guy from Kentucky the new Susan Boyle?
The answers—and more questions—in this week's ratings quiz:
1. Michael Jackson or Princess Diana? Diana, but it was very close. According to Nielsen Media Research, 31 million people caught yesterday's live coverage of the Jackson memorial. Princess Di's funeral drew 33.3 million in 1997. Remarkably, Diana pulled in her audience from only eight networks, compared to the whopping 19 that carried the Jackson memorial.
2. Michael Jackson or Ronald Reagan? Both. The Jackson memorial outdrew Reagan's 2004 funeral (20.8 million); the Reagan burial—Nielsen counts the same-day events as separate and distinct—outdrew the Jackson memorial, with 35.1 million viewers.
3. Michael Jackson or Pope John Paul II? Jackson, in a rout. The pope's 2005 funeral, which aired in the wee, small hours of the morning in the States, drew a combined audience of 8.8 million.
4. Michael Jackson or Anna Nicole Smith? As big as the Smith story was, and if you think back to early 2006, it was huge, the Jackson saga has generated "about twice as much attention," the Pew Research Center found. (Emphasis added for, well, emphasis.) According to the group, Jackson coverage ate up 30 percent of network news airtime, and 28 percent of cable news airtime for the week of June 29-July 5.
5. Was the memorial service the beginning of the end of Jackson coverage? Hardly. Last night, hours after the service had concluded and the spotlight presumably had moved on, ABC, CBS and NBC still got a combined 17.5 million people to tune in their prime-time recaps of the service.
6. What's the name of TV's new Mr. Big? Ray Drecker, Thomas Jane's well-endowed basketball coach cum gigolo in HBO's Hung, which scored 2.8 million viewers in its June 28 debut. Although the number didn't put the show in the same league as Sex and the City, home of the real Mr. Big, it was the, well, biggest audience for an HBO series premiere in two years. True Blood, which leads into Hung, is driving HBO's return from the wilderness.
7. Is Kevin Skinner the new Susan Boyle? Going strictly by YouTube views, nope. Not even close. But the Kentucky man's downright fine downhome act did help boost the buzz on America's Got Talent—and led the show's Tuesday installment to a week-best 13.1 million viewers, per Nielsen Media Research. Other summer TV standouts (broadcast division): 48 Hours Mystery (8.02 million), Wipeout (8 million) and The Bachelorette (7.9 million).
8. Why hasn't So You Think You Can Dance been mentioned yet? Because the show got hammered by America's Got Talent on Wednesday and fell from 11th place in Nielsen's previous weekly standings to 17th in the latest rankings, with 7.7 million viewers. Demographically, the franchise fared better, with Wednesday's episode scoring more 18-49-year-olds than any show, save, yes, Tuesday's America's Got Talent.
9. Which sea creatures are happiest about Jon and Kate Gosselin's split? Crabs. With Jon & Kate Plus 8 on hiatus, Deadliest Catch reigned as cable's most-watched reality series, with 3.45 million viewers. The Next Food Network Star was a close second (3.4 million).
10. What hasn't Hannah Montana done in two years? Be as big as it was the night it aired after the premiere of High School Musical 2. The Miley Cyrus show came as close as it's gotten to that record performance with an all-new, hour-long episode that averaged a cable-best 6.9 million viewers. Other prime-time cable standouts: The Closer (6.3 million); Sonny With a Chance (5.2 million); a Hannah Montana rerun (4.1 million) and Army Wives (3.6 million).
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Ecstasy
Where, like a pillow on a bed,
A pregnant bank swell'd up, to rest
The violet's reclining head,
Sat we two, one another's best.
Our hands were firmly cemented
By a fast balm, which thence did spring;
Our eye-beams twisted, and did thread
Our eyes upon one double string.
So to engraft our hands, as yet
Was all the means to make us one;
And pictures in our eyes to get
Was all our propagation.
As, 'twixt two equal armies, Fate
Suspends uncertain victory,
Our souls—which to advance their state,
Were gone out—hung 'twixt her and me.
And whilst our souls negotiate there,
We like sepulchral statues lay;
All day, the same our postures were,
And we said nothing, all the day.
If any, so by love refined,
That he soul's language understood,
And by good love were grown all mind,
Within convenient distance stood,
He—though he knew not which soul spake,
Because both meant, both spake the same—
Might thence a new concoction take,
And part far purer than he came.
This ecstasy doth unperplex
(We said) and tell us what we love;
We see by this, it was not sex;
We see, we saw not, what did move:
But as all several souls contain
Mixture of things they know not what,
Love these mix'd souls doth mix again,
And makes both one, each this, and that.
A single violet transplant,
The strength, the colour, and the size—
All which before was poor and scant—
Redoubles still, and multiplies.
When love with one another so
Interanimates two souls,
That abler soul, which thence doth flow,
Defects of loneliness controls.
We then, who are this new soul, know,
Of what we are composed, and made,
For th' atomies of which we grow
Are souls, whom no change can invade.
But, O alas ! so long, so far,
Our bodies why do we forbear?
They are ours, though not we; we are
Th' intelligences, they the spheres.
We owe them thanks, because they thus
Did us, to us, at first convey,
Yielded their senses' force to us,
Nor are dross to us, but allay.
On man heaven's influence works not so,
But that it first imprints the air;
For soul into the soul may flow,
Though it to body first repair.
As our blood labours to beget
Spirits, as like souls as it can;
Because such fingers need to knit
That subtle knot, which makes us man;
So must pure lovers' souls descend
To affections, and to faculties,
Which sense may reach and apprehend,
Else a great prince in prison lies.
To our bodies turn we then, that so
Weak men on love reveal'd may look;
Love's mysteries in souls do grow,
But yet the body is his book.
And if some lover, such as we,
Have heard this dialogue of one,
Let him still mark us, he shall see
Small change when we're to bodies gone.
Jose,
http://jose-aviles.blogspot.com
http://avilesnews.flux.com
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
An Argument
I've oft been told by learned friars,
That wishing and the crime are one,
And Heaven punishes desires
As much as if the deed were done.
If wishing damns us, you and I
Are damned to all our heart's content;
Come, then, at least we may enjoy
Some pleasure for our punishment!
Jose,
http://jose-aviles.blogspot.com
http://avilesnews.flux.com
I Love You
When April bends above me
And finds me fast asleep
Dust need not keep the secret
A live heart died to keep.
When April tells the thrushes,
The meadow-larks will know,
And pipe the three words lightly
To all the winds that blow.
Above his roof the swallows,
In notes like far-blown rain,
Will tell the little sparrow
Beside his window-pane.
O sparrow, little sparrow,
When I am fast asleep,
Then tell my love the secret
That I have died to keep.
Jose,
http://jose-aviles.blogspot.com
http://avilesnews.flux.com