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Larry Flynt offers $1 million for Romney tax info

Magazine mogul is offering cash reward for damaging financial information on Mitt Romney.

 

Larry Flynt, American magazine entrepreneur best known for creating Hustler Magazine, is offering a whopping $1 million for information o Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney’s finances. Flynt took out a full-page article in the Washington Post and USA Today that asks the public, “What is he hiding?” Fox News reported that Flynt is looking specifically for unreleased tax returns and/or details of his offshore assets, bank accounts and business partnerships.

The ad, set to run in Tuesday’s issues, reads, “Can you provide documented evidence of your claims? Larry Flynt and Hustler Magazine will pay you up to $1 million if we publish your verified story.”

The inside information of course has to be verifiable, but, more importantly, it has to be controversial—Larry Flynt prefers a flare for the dramatics. Flynt, the president of Larry Flynt Publications has a history of offering large sums of money for inside information on hyped political debacles. Last year he offered $1 million to anyone who had “a gay or straight sexual encounter with Gov. Rick Perry,” when the Texas governor joined the Republican primary race. In 2007, one of Flynt’s hired investigators uncovered phone records from Sen. David Vitter of Louisiana to a D.C. prostitution service. The magazine mogul also claims responsibility for Rep. Bob Livingston’s resignation way back in 1999. Livingston admitted to extramarital affairs in wake of President Clinton’s 1998 impeachment and resigned after Hustler threatened to publish more information on Representative’s cheating scandal.

But, the attack on Mitt Romney is a deeper issue at hand. Hustler and Larry Flynt Publications have made Larry Flynt, 68, an otherwise icon in the porn industry. Flynt has been running strip clubs and producing sexually graphic videos and magazines for decades. Two weeks ago at the Republican National Convention, Mitt Romney and the GOP stood firm in the crackdown on the porn industry, stating, “Current laws on all forms of pornography and obscenity need to be vigorously enforced.”

I guess Larry Flynt just isn’t that conservative. Let’s see if he’s able to pull anything up before for the November election.

BP sells deep-water assets

Giant oil company BP has sold some of its assets in the Gulf of Mexico in order to concentrate investments elsewhere.

 

BP announced Monday that the company sold some of its deep-water assets in the Gulf of Mexico to Plains Exploration & Production for $5.55 billion. The company sold its stakes in a group of Gulf of Mexico oil fields, bringing its total asset sales to $32 billion since their extensive oil spill two years ago.

This is simply the next step BP is taking in its plan to dispose of $38 billion in assets between 2010 and 2013 in order to concentrate investments elsewhere. The company will look for growth opportunities around its four major operated production hubs, three non-operated production hubs in the deep-water and in exploration in the Paleogene and other areas. This is a big transfer of assets, but BP says they will continue to have a presence in the gulf and plan to invest billions into the region over the next ten years.

“While these assets no longer fit our business strategy, the Gulf of Mexico remains a key part of BP’s global exploration and production portfolio and we intend to continue investing at least $4 billion there annually over the next decade,” said BP CEO Bob Dudley.

The sold operations include three fields connected to the Marlin platform, interests in four other fields and exploration prospects. Combined, the fields produced 59,500 barrels a day of oil and natural gas liquids, according to the Washington Post.

Analysts have commended the sale as it opens up new opportunities for BP as well as allows the company to continue paying for settlements resulting from the 2010 oil spill that began with a blowout and killed 11 people. The spill was said to be a product of carelessness and deemed the worst maritime oil spill in history.

It’s obvious, though, that the giant oil tycoon won’t shrink away after the tragic disaster. BP now has six drilling rigs in the Gulf of Mexico and plans to have eight, the most the company has ever had in that region, by the end of the year.

Drew Peterson found guilty of murder

Ex-cop found guilty of murdering his third wife Kathleen Savio.

 

Drew Peterson faces a maximum 60-year prison term as jurors found the ex-cop guilty Thursday afternoon of murdering his third wife Kathleen Savio after his fourth wife, Stacy Peterson, vanished. Former Bolingbrook, Ill. police sergeant, Drew Peterson, received his sentence “stoically” at the Will County courthouse in Joliet, Ill. The five-year legal mess that surrounded the case has finally come to a close.

But the win over Drew Peterson wasn’t easy for prosecutors.

Said to have made many errors and received various reprimands from the judge, the prosecutors somehow managed to build, and win, a case with fragile evidence and a confident defendant. With only circumstantial and hearsay evidence, no witnesses and without tying Peterson to the crime scene, prosecutors were able to convince jurors that this was not only a murder trial but it was in fact Drew Peterson that was guilty of that murder.

Kathleen Savio’s body was found facedown in the bathtub of her suburban home outside Chicago on March1, 2004. The 40-year-old woman had a 2-inch gash on the back of her head and the incident was believed to be an accident drowning after falling in the bathtub. Not until Peterson’s fourth wife Stacy Peterson went missing in 2007 did police look back into Savio’s death, deciding to investigate the death as a homicide.

Savio had divorced Peterson a year before her death, and prosecutors said the motive was fear that a pending settlement that would ruin Peterson financially. Prosecutors also believe Peterson’s fourth wife disappeared because she was able to link Peterson to Savio’s death.

Illinois passed a law in 2008, named “Drew’s Law,” that allowed hearsay evidence in rare circumstances. This gave prosecutors the ability have friends and family testify at the trial concerning both Savio and Stacy Peterson, but one testimony was not hearsay. Drew Peterson’s former co-worker Jeff Pachter came to the stand to tell the courtroom of how Peterson had offered him $25,000 to hire a hit man to kill Savio. Peterson never followed through, though did mention sometime after Savio was found dead that he didn’t need the hit man anymore.

Done and guilty.

“This man thought he would get away with it,” says Pamela Bosco, spokesperson for Stacy Peterson’s family. “Today’s he’s facing reality. He is never going to see life outside a prison wall.”

Chief Keef has a hacked twitter?

Rapper Chief Keef is being investigated for harsh twitter counts.

 

Chief Keef, Chicago-native rapper, is being investigated by Chicago police for possible involvement in the murder of young rapper Lil Jojo. Lil Jojo, 18-year-old Chicago native, was gunned down Tuesday in Englewood, a south side neighborhood of Chicago. In wake of the unfortunate event, Chief Keef tweeted an incriminating comment that he later claimed was due to a hacker, yet Chicago police are still investigating his involvement in the case. 

Bad blood between Chief Keef and Lil Jojo, whose real name is Joseph Coleman, erupted when Lil Jojo and one of Chief Keef’s associates exchanged harsh words. Lil Jojo also released a song that criticized Keef, his associate and the 300 squad. Jojo was riding his bike with a friend Tuesday when a car pulled up and shot him six or seven times. 

Keef later tweeted, “It’s sad cus…Jojo wanted to be just like us #LMAO.” Within a short amount of time, the tweet drew a heavy amount of negative attention, to which Keef responded that his Twitter account had been hacked. Keef’s manager told the Chicago Sun Times to remember that Chief Keef is still only a “kid” and “kids make mistakes,” although he also doesn’t believe the tweet was a personal attack on Jojo. 

Jojo’s mother told the Sun Times, “I want justice for my son. It’s a stupid and senseless killing. It wasn’t a gang thing, it was a rap thing. My son was going to get a rap deal like some of them have and they were jealous.” 

Chief Keef is also blaming the supposed hacker of his Twitter account on a provocative comment to Lupe Fiasco. Keef and/or his hacker tweeted, “My Twitter has been hacked. I think I’m making a new one dumb ass hating people.” 

Lake Erie shore littered with dead fish

Thousands of dead fish and seagulls wash up on the northern shores of Lake Erie.

 

Lake Erie is experiencing an eerie phenomenon up on its northern shores. Tens of thousands of dead fish and seagulls floated to shore Wednesday afternoon according to Canadian officials. The cause of the mass deaths is still unknown and researchers are working to figure out why the sudden and mysterious event occurred.

The dead fish and seagulls are scattered over about 25 miles of northern Lake Erie coastline in Canada. Member of Provincial Parliament for the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario Rich Nicholls oversees sections of the shore community that saw the dead fish wash up.

“First thing that crossed my mind, is there any potential danger to humans from a health point of view?” Nicholls said. “Secondly, as I got more and more into it, what’s the cause of this sudden fish kill in the lake?” Nicholls also speculated about a possible manure dump that had an alarmingly negative effect on the fish in the lake.

But, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Ontario Ministry of the Environment think otherwise, stating that the fish most likely died of natural causes as there is no evidence of an industrial spill or chemical pollution in the lake. A possible reason for a naturally occurring mass death in Lake Erie could be a lake inversion. During an inversion, the cold and warm layers of water change quickly and the fish suddenly find themselves in less dense, less oxygenated water. The fish then risk suffocation.  

Researchers believe this to be the main cause for the deaths, although they are still taking precautions and looking into other options. While the water tests have not produced any evidence of pollution, officials are still waiting on lab results for the dead fish. Carp, sheepshead, perch, catfish and suckers were among the types of fish found on the shore.

As of right now the mass amount of dead fish on Lake Erie shores remains yet another mystery in a long line of recent mass animal deaths across the U.S., noting the dead birds in Arkansas, California, Kentucky and Louisiana and the dead fish on Maryland’s shore.

Scarlett Johansson and other celebrities to appear at the DNC

Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington to speak at DNC before Obama takes the stage.

 

Scarlett Johansson is among the celebrities to make an appearance at the Democrat National Convention. The Republican National Convention had their share of celebrity speeches, namely the Clint Eastwood “invisible chair” speech, and the Democrat National Convention will too. It is rumored that Johansson will be accompanied by Kerry Washington at the convention as well. According to CNN, the celebrities are scheduled to take the stage on Thursday after a performance by the Foo Fighters and right before President Barrack Obama accepts the Democratic presidential nomination. It was speculated that Natalie Portman was to appear as well but her rep has since denied these rumors.

No doubt the night is going to be full of flair what with the Scarlett Johansson and Kerry Washington speaking, the Foo Fighters concert and the president himself taking the stage (sounds a little like a Hollywood awards show, doesn’t it?). The two outspoken supporters of Obama have not confirmed what they are planning to say, but have vocalized their support of Obama since he first ran for presidency in 2008. Entertainment Weekly reported that Natalie Portman has also been an outspoken Obama fan and spoke at the Nevada Women Vote 2012 Summit in Las Vegas last February. Scarlett Johansson held an Obama fundraiser with Vogue Editor Anna Wintour last February and Kerry Washington also wrote an opinion article in favor of Obama for the upcoming election.

Wednesday displayed some of the flair-to-come at the Democrat National Convention as 16-year-old Olympic gold medalist Gabby Douglas lead the Pledge of Allegiance.

Move out of the way grey haired, balding old men, political conventions are not just for politicians anymore.

Fashion's Night Out returns!

The fourth annual Fashion’s Night Out encourages fashion in the community on Sept. 6, 2012.

 

Fashion’s Night Out, one of the most iconic nights of the year in the fashion industry, is back! Only four years old, the event has garnered more attention and more praise than most events in the fashion world. No less than 18 countries are celebrating FNO, with over 4,500 events in 500 American cities, according to the FNO website.

Anna Wintour, Vogue Editor herself, started Fashion’s Night Out in New York in 2009 to encourage and support local shops and designers during the economic crisis. Eight hundred stores signed on the first year of the event and 1,000 the next year. With Thursday, Sept. 6 marking the first day of New York Fashion Week, Fashion’s Night Out is kick starting the hype of fall fashion. The night allows shops and designers, on top of NYFW, to showcase their fall collections as well as highlight upcoming trends.

While it is not clear whether the night increases businesses’ sales, the night is simply meant to be exciting and fun. FNO has been known to pack the streets as shops offer free appetizers and drinks, and is a fun way to celebrate the fashion community around the world.

Check out the Fashion’s Night Out Twitter and Instagram to connect with the fashion hype all over the country tonight. 

Heidi Klum had a busy week

Upon arrival from vacation with bodyguard, Heidi Klum faces cheating allegations from Seal.

 

Heidi Klum and her bodyguard Martin Kristen were photographed last week as they arrived in LAX from a vacation in Sardinia. The two appeared to be more boyfriend/girlfriend than employee/boss, and while neither have confirmed nor denied a romantic relationship, Klum has announced that “Seal has moved on and so have I.”

Seal, 49, and Heidi Klum, 39, announced that they would be separating this past January. Klum says of their four children, “My priority has and continues to be protecting and providing for our children.”

When asked about the rumored relationship of Heidi Klum and Martin Kristen, Seal brought up his children and called into question Klum’s “class.”

“To be quite honest, if there is going to be somebody else in their lives, I’d much rather it was a familiar face,” he told TMZ. “I guess I didn’t expect any better from him, I would have preferred Heidi show a little bit more class, and at least wait until we separated first before deciding to fornicate with the help, as it were.”

Though Seal later explained that he was not accusing Klum of cheating, he did want to bring to attention that fact that “the divorce is not final so they are legally still married,” says a rep.

Either way, this divorce has been a messy one.

Jillian Michaels is returning to 'The Biggest Loser'

After leaving the show in 2011, weight-loss trainer Jillian Michaels is back.

 

Jillian Michaels has announced that not only will she be returning for The Biggest Loser’s 14th season, but that the show will be including teenagers this time around. Michaels started the weight-loss show back in 2004 with Bob Harper, and after taking two seasons off to focus on family and charity work, has decided to come back.

Excited to be a part of the upcoming season, which is to air in January 2012, Jillian Michaels does have a challenge in front of her. The controversial problem surrounding child obesity needs to be handled in a sensitive manner, not exactly the Jillian Michaels way when it comes to weight loss. But she has plenty of plans to tackle the issue at hand in a positive manner.

“We won’t be saying things to kids like, ‘How much weight did you lose?’ It’s about getting them healthy, using words like ‘healthy,” Yahoo reported her saying. “We won’t be getting them on a scale—it’s about getting them on a softball team—things like that. We’re very cognizant of how touchy it is, how controversial it is.”

The teenage contestants, ranging in age from 13 to 17, will be partaking alongside adults, although they will not be weighed on television and will not face elimination. The otherwise loud-and-in-your-face Jillian Michaels understands that the issue “needs to be handled with kid gloves.”

Along with The Biggest Loser changes, Jillian Michaels has faced big changes in her personal life. The fitness trainer became a mother of two in May 2012 when she and partner Heidi Rhoades welcomed daughter Lukensia and son Phoenix in the same week. The couple finalized the adoption of Lukensia, 2, from Haiti only a few days before Rhoades delivered Phoenix. Michaels says of the changes, “It’s been an incredible ride.”

iPhone 5 finally here?

Apple scheduled iPhone 5 event for Sept. 12 in San Francisco.

 

The iPhone 5 dawn is near as Apple schedules a big event for Sept. 12 in San Francisco rumored to be the debut of the company’s next generation iPhone. The invitation features a large “12” shadowed by the number five and the short phrase “It’s almost here.”

While this fall is reported to see the next era of iPhone mania, Apple has been quiet about the exact release date of the iPhone 5. According to the Huffington Post, Apple invited the press to the Sept. 12 gathering that’s supposed to take place at 10:00 a.m. PST at Apple’s favorite Yerba Buena Center in San Francisco. The invitation announced that the company will be previewing new products, though not specifying which products exactly. Still looks promising!

What is widely referred to as the iPhone 5, Apple’s next phone will likely have a 4-inch screen, a redesigned dock connector and a new two-toned unibody design. The screen, upgraded half an inch from a 3.5-inch LCD to a 4-inch LCD, is garnering both excitement and hesitation. A bigger screen allows for more interaction with the phone’s contents, but the larger phone’s incompatible accessories might throw past accessories out of date.  

Apple has been known to release their products a short nine to ten days after events, therefore the release date of the highly-anticipated iPhone 5 is predicted for Friday, Sept.21. Our fingers are crossed!