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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check - May 31, 2012
May 31, 2012
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Those @$#%* Foreigners:
HDNet's DAN RATHER (remember him?) reports that Venezuelan president HUGO CHAVEZ is nearing death's door. Rather writes, "This reporter has been told that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has metastatic rhabdomyosarcoma, an aggressive cancer that has 'entered the end stage.'"
He adds, "This source says the prognosis is dire and that Chavez is now not expected to live 'more than a couple of months at most.' Chavez is running for re-election in Venezuela but several sources --including the one who revealed the exact kind of cancer-- have told me that they believe it is doubtful the dictator will live to see the results." (Pacelli)Sucking up:
We told 'ya last month (RBR 5.7.12) that NICKI MINAJ loves to spoil her friends with Louis Vuitton bags, but that's not where her generosity ends. The kooky rapper also treated her three closest friends to a free luxury automobile! One chose a Range Rover, another picked a Mercedes-Benz and the last had her eye on a BMW X6. The pop tart is very loyal to her pals and says they've "been with me forever." (Lee)
Paying the piper:
Don't be surprised if you see DENNIS RODMAN wearing an orange vest on the side of the highway --"The Worm" was just sentenced to 104 hours of community service! AbsoluteNow.com reports the former NBA star hasn't been paying child support, but no one knows how much he owes --an attorney for his ex-wife, MICHELLE, believes the amount is $750-thousand, while his attorney claims it's much less.
Dennis was also sentenced to three years of informal probation and heads back to court on June 22nd. (Lee)Broadcast, cable and video news:
JUSTIN BIEBER is getting his own network TV special.
E! News says NBC will air a one-hour special called "Justin Bieber: All Around the World" on Jun 21, with performances from the Bieber's current world tour and behind-the-scenes footage, some of it shot by Bieber himself.There could still be life for MARC CHERRY's new series, "Devious Maids." The show, which was to star SUSAN LUCCI, was about four maids who work for the rich and famous in Beverly Hills. Although ABC turned the series down, Hollywood trades have reported that the Lifetime cable network is looking to pick up the series, which would star ANA ORTIZ, JUDY REYES, DANIA RAMIREZ and ROSELYN SANCHEZ as the maids.
Part of the problem: the high price tag for the show. That could mean Lucci and some of the other stars including former "Melrose Place" star GRANT SHOW and former "True Blood" hottie MARIANA KLAVENO might have to take a pay cut or have the roles re-cast to make the series.Stupid people, stupid places:
A West Virginia Pentecostal pastor who used poisonous snakes during religious services has died of a rattlesnake bite.
MACK WOLFORD, was bitten during an outdoor service at a state park he had hoped would be a "homecoming like the old days," as he said on his Facebook page, filled with people speaking in tongues, handling snakes and having a "great time."
"Praise the Lord and pass the rattlesnakes, brother," he wrote last week.
Wolford believed that the Bible requires Christians to handle poisonous snakes to test their faith in God, and remain steadfast in their belief that they won't be bitten or will be healed if they are attacked. He was bitten on the thigh when he sat next to the rattlesnake during the service. He'd owned the snake for years. He was taken to a relative's home to recover, but was rushed later to a local hospital where he was declared dead.
A snake expert told the Washington Post that death by rattlesnake is "excruciating --the venom attacks the nervous system, and it's vicious and gruesome when it hits."
Wolford was the son of a snake-handler preacher who died of a snakebite when Wolford was 15. Wolford himself had just turned 44.
Editor's note: Darwin 1, Jesus nothing.
--So the religious hand waving magic didn't work, huh? It's because it isn't real. A tip for you, get a stick.
--Thank you rational universe for behaving exactly as one could anticipate. Goodbye to all non-rational rubbish, who want to turn the nation into a haven of idiocy. (Maiman) -
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