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Danielle Olipra

Danielle Olipra is a DePaul University graduate with a degree in Creative Writing. In her free time she enjoys listening to music and comedy. Once she takes the world by storm with her pen, she plans to save the endangered species of the ocelot and record a soul album.

Elizabeth Warren ‘making a case’ for liberals

Elizabeth Warren causes a reaction, even with her clothes on

Harvard law professor and former Obama administration regulator Elizabeth Warren has caught the attention of media, both by sparring with Senator Scott Brown and making a case for liberals. Warren had expressed her disapproval of Scott Brown’s decision to pose nude 30 years ago, so he quipped back during a radio interview that it was a good thing Warren has never bared herself for us to see, sounding more like the typical turmoil of a “Real Housewives” episode than news from Washington.

But when she’s not caught up in high school spats, Warren has been blazing a trail for modern liberals with some controversial observations on the current state of our economy. Warren, currently running for the U.S. Senate in Massachusetts, made a “declaration heard ‘round the Internet world’, says the Washington Post when she said “there is no one in this country who got rich on his own.” This straightforward response to the nation’s current debate over taxing has some frightened that she may actually have a case for liberals.

Her statement implies that no one should call themselves self-made because everyone is part of society. She continued to repeat that “the rest of us” have paid for the taxes and education that made it possible for the successful to become successful. So, in turn, the wealthy and thriving owe something back to the government and the people. Yes, it sounds like a watered-down punk rock chant of “tax the rich,” but now that someone of influence has stated it, more traditional jaws are dropping over liberals actually having valid arguments. Only time will tell if she will continue to gain support, or if she’ll steer clear of more “Housewives” drama.

Read more about Warren’s recent statements here.

Nancy Shevell becomes Paul McCartney’s third wife

American heiress Shevell weds former Beatle

Nancy Shevell and the former Beatle said “I do” at Old Marylebone Town Hall in London on Sunday. The small service was attended by family and close friends, and upon McCartney’s return to his home, he told waiting fans, “I feel wonderful,” says abcnews.com. Among the guests were Ringo Starr and Barbara Walters, who is a second cousin to Shevell.

Shevell is an American heiress to her father Mike Shevell’s transportation conglomerate, estimated to be worth nearly a half billion dollars. She is currently the company’s vice president and is a board member of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority.

This is Paul McCartney’s third marriage. His first wife Linda McCartney died of breast cancer in 1998, and his marriage to second wife Heather Mills famously ended in a bitter 35-million-dollar divorce. Nancy Shevell first met McCartney in the Hamptons 20 years ago while married to Nassau County lawyer Bruce Blakeman, with whom she has a son.

The McCartneys and Blakemans were familiar with each other through the Hamptons’ social scene, but the heiress and Beatle weren’t romantic until the summer of 2007, after they were both separated from their spouses. Within a year they became inseparable, Shevell even embracing McCartney’s vegetarianism herself. And according to her clothing, she seems to have a nice rapport with McCartney’s fashion designer daughter Stella. Shevell often dons her designs and graced the aisle on Sunday in a custom Stella McCartney dress.

Read more about the big day here.

Climber scales 1,600 ft wall of rock with no harness

Alex Honnold climbs in Yosemite National Park with no ropes, no harness

Alex Honnold, a 26-year-old rock climber from Sacramento, California is being called the “best climber alive” after his most recent climb, reports CBS News. “60 Minutes” recently covered Alex Honnold’s attempt to scale at 1,600 foot rock surface at Yosemite National Park. What’s so special about Honnold’s climb? That would be his method—he uses no ropes to guide him or protection to catch him. Honnold wears rubber climbing shoes and straps a bag of chalk to himself, which he uses to keep his hands free of sweat. These are his only aides.

The climbing practice, dubbed “free-soloing,” is obviously extremely dangerous and is only suited for the truest of thrill-seekers. In fact, less than one percent of people who also consider themselves climbers even attempt it. Honnold defies both this statistic and gravity by having completed over a thousand free-solo climbs. He is the only person known to have free-soloed the northwest face of Half Dome (also in Yosemite).

“60 Minutes” correspondent Laura Logan recently interviewed Honnold, and while you may have a picture of him as a restless adrenaline junkie, he revealed to Logan that his state of mind during a climb is quite opposite. “There is no adrenaline rush,” he says. “If I get a rush, it means that something has gone horribly wrong, because the whole thing should be pretty slow and controlled.” Honnold’s tremendous feats put him in incredible peril every time, but he shows no signs of stopping.

Logan also interviewed John Long, who was a rockstar of climbing in the ‘70s. When asked what he believes is Honnold’s greatest accomplishment so far, Long replied, “that he’s still alive.”

Read more about Honnold’s ascent here.

Amanda Knox acquitted of murder

Amanda Knox freed from prison in Italy

On Monday in Perugia, Italy, an appeals court overturned the murder conviction of American student Amanda Knox and ordered her immediately released, reports CBS News.

Knox and her former boyfriend Raffaele Sollecito were convicted in 2009 of the 2007 murder of Knox’s British roommate Meredith Kercher, who was found sexually assaulted with her throat slit on the floor of her and Knox’s apartment.  Ivorian man Rudy Guede was also convicted of the murder in a separate trial but denied any involvement. Knox, who has maintained her and Raffaele’s innocence throughout the entire ordeal, told the court this morning, “I’m paying with my life for things that I didn’t do.”

Members of the jury and press became emotional as later on in her statement, Knox openly wept and pled through tears, “I insist I’m innocent and that must be defended. I just want to go home, go back to my life.” Both Knox and Sollecito served nearly four years in an Italian prison, and each has been acquitted of the murder charge. Knox collapsed into tears after the verdict was read.

In Amanda’s home town of Seattle, about a dozen members of a group called Friends of Amanda gathered at a hotel to watch the coverage of the appeal on TV.  As the verdict was announced, they burst into applause, chanting, “She’s free!” and “We did it!” The last statement made from the Kercher family came from Meredith’s sister Stephanie, who said her sister “has been most forgotten” in the midst of the media covering the popular trial.

Read more about the verdict here.

Elizabeth Hurley engaged

Elizabeth Hurley engaged to Australian cricket player

Elizabeth Hurley accepted Australian cricket player Shane Warne’s proposal over the weekend, says the Daily Caller. After dating for 10 months, Warne proposed to Hurley after a romantic dinner at the Old Course Hotel in Scotland. Hurley thanked her fans for their congratulations via Twitter on Saturday, posting a picture of herself and Warne about to attend the dinner after which he proposed down on one knee.

Both Hurley and Warne have been married once before. Hurley divorced her first husband Arun Nayar in December of 2010, and began dating Shane Warne shortly after. This spurred skepticism that the two had been having an affair, but Hurley was quick to post on Twitter that her relationship to Nayar had been over before the gossip-starting pictures of her smooching Warne were taken. On December 12, she tweeted, “my husband Arun and I separated a few months ago. Our close family & friends were aware of this.”

The 46-year-old British model and actress is known for roles in “Austin Powers” and “Bedazzled,” but rose to fame by simply being the hot girlfriend of Hugh Grant in the ‘90s. Hurley dated Grant for 13 years and famously dismissed him in 2000 after he allegedly solicited a female prostitute. She has one child, fathered by wealthy businessman Steve Bing, and is currently a cast member of “Gossip Girl”.”

Read more about the engagement here.

Seth Rogen Gets Married

Seth Rogen married to long-time girlfriend

While Rogen’s fans were lining up to see “50/50”, his film released on Friday, he was busy tying the knot. On Saturday at Kunde Estate in Sonoma, California, 29-year-old Rogen wed his long-time girlfriend, 30-year-old Lauren Miller, says hollyscoop.com. The ceremony was officiated by a female rabbi and lasted three days. After the ceremony ended, the pair drove off in a convertible to the nearby location of the reception.

Miller is a writer, and has made cameos in many of Rogen’s films including “Superbad,” “Observe and Report” and “Zack and Miri Make a Porno.” Many of Rogen’s comedy co-stars and friends attended the wedding, including Adam Sandler, Jonah Hill and Paul Rudd. Director-producer Judd Apatow and his wife Leslie Mann were also present.

The two met and began dating in 2004 when Rogen was a staff writer on “The Ali G. Show” and Rogen proposed last September. Last November, Rogen revealed to Conan O’Brien that he struggled with carrying around the ring and was nervous about proposing. “Literally, I felt like someone had given me like a truckload of heroin to hold onto. I felt like the feds were going to kick in my door at any second,” he said in his interview. Because having the ring on him constantly wracked his nerves, Rogen reportedly proposed randomly on the spot, while Miller was changing her clothes in the closet.

Read more about the wedding here.

Knox defends herself as hundreds await verdict

Amanda Knox gives final plea to appeals court in Italy.

On Monday morning, Amanda Knox begged an appeals court in Perugia, Italy to overturn her conviction and 26-year jail sentence for the 2007 murder of her British roommate.  The New York Times reports Knox is hoping to return to the United States and get her life back.

Meredith Kercher’s half-naked body was found in her apartment, her throat slit, the scene determined to be a sexual assault that spun out of control.  Knox and former boyfriend Raffaele Sollectio were arrested four days later on Nov. 6, 2007.   Monday, Knox maintained her complete innocence, stating “I did not kill; I did not rape; I did not steal; I was not there.”  She also defended Sollecito, pleading “I am innocent, Raffaele is innocent and we deserve our freedom because we didn’t do anything wrong.”  Following her statement, the court composed of two judges and six jurors retired to deliberate.

Over 400 journalists from Italy, the United States, and Britain swarmed the courtroom Monday morning to await the verdict of a 10-month long appeals trial.  While an Ivorian man named Rudy Guede was convicted to 16 years in prison during a separate trial for the same crime, the media has been focused on Knox.  The attractive 24-year-old student from Seattle has been painted as a both a drug-taking partier, and an innocent woman in the throws of a legal nightmare.  The case has sparked more than a dozen books, one made-for-TV movie, and a feature film which is currently in development.

Presiding Judge Claudio Pratillo Hellmann, aware of the media’s scrutiny and attention of the public, announced “let’s remember that a marvelous girl died and that the lives of two young people are on the line,” hoping that any ‘fans’ will respect the seriousness of the case.  In her final plea, a teary Knox said, “I lost a friend in the most brutal and inexplicable manner possible, my faith in the police was betrayed, I had to cope with unjust accusations and I am paying with my life for things that I did not do.”

The court could choose to acquit Knox and Sollecito, to confirm the sentences, or to increase them.  There will also be a decision made on a slander charge in the case of Amanda Knox.

Read more about the trial here.

“Arrested Development” revival in the works

“Arrested Development” creator Mitchell Hurwitz reveals plan for mini-series

“Arrested Development” fans may have something else to count down to while awaiting the release of the movie. EW.com reports that the producers of the Mitchell Hurwitz comedy series have been in negotiations with both Showtime and Netflix over airing a short series of mini-episodes that would fill the gap between the end of “Arrested Development” in 2006, and the beginning of the as of yet unfinished movie.

On Sunday at the New Yorker Festival in New York, Hurwitz said, “I have been working on the screenplay for a long time and found that as time went by there was so much more to the story.” It is his hope to shoot nine to 10 short episodes and have them air next fall. He explained that each episode would primarily follow one character through their life from when we last saw them in 2006, so that more of the movie could be dedicated to the characters once they were together.

And Hurwitz feels he has the support of his coworkers. “I really have to say, we’ve talked about this, we’re all game,” he said. The actors in attendance at the festival, including Jason Bateman, Portia De Rossi and Michael Cera, showed that they were in favor of the unconventional plan for the mini-series by revealing that they have been keeping their schedules clear for the opportunity to film as their “Arrested Development” characters again.

Read more about the latest news for “Arrested Development” here.