Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Aditya Chakrabortty: "George Osborne: this economic recovery SUCs" (Guardian)
S is for sluggish, U for unemployment and C for credit. Where are the wage rises, exports and business investment?
Leo Beneductus: How Skittles became a symbol of Trayvon Martin's innocence (Guardian)
Skittles, with their bright colours and 'Taste the Rainbow' slogan, have become a flag for those protesting against the acquittal of George Zimmerman.
Stephen Moss: Henning Mankell: 'I shall not miss Wallander' (Guardian)
Now that Henning Mankell has consigned his gloomy detective to a care home, what next for the master of Scandi-noir? Well, a novel about a young Swedish brothel madam in Mozambique, actually.
Haroon Siddique: JK Rowling publishes crime novel under false name (Guardian)
The Cuckoo's Calling was released in April using pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Lachlan M., Javier Yepes: 5 Beloved Celebrities Everyone Forgets Did Terrible Things (Cracked)
#5. Jimmy Page Kidnapped a 14-Year-Old Girl
Hotel Takes Special Requests from Guests Very Seriously (Neatorama)
The staff at The Woodlands Resort north of Houston, Texas is serious about giving its guests exactly what they want. Redditor DecentDudeDustin gave specific instructions when reserving a room. The staff carried them out precisely.
Leslie Bentz and AnneClaire Stapleton: "Funny the way it is: Stranded Dave Matthews hitches ride with fan to show" (CNN)
Emily Kraus was psyched. She had been a Dave Matthews fan since she was 9. And she was on her way to see him at a show in Hershey, Pennsylvania. What she didn't count on was finding him stranded by the side of the road with his bicycle.
Hatt730: Telling People I Want to Get Fit (Imgur)
Cartoon.
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Reader Suggestion
Michelle in AZ
From The Creator of 'Avery Ant'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Ventured behind the Orange Curtain.
Now A Federal Building
William Jefferson Clinton
Former Clinton administration officials and congressional leaders packed into the Environmental Protection Agency headquarters Wednesday to mark the building's renaming in honor of former President Bill Clinton.
"This is a very strong building, and Bill Clinton was a very strong president," Senator Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., said as she welcomed guests to what is now the William Jefferson Clinton Federal Building. Boxer sponsored the legislation to change the building's name.
In front of family and friends Clinton strongly defended his environmental legacy, saying his administration's efforts to promote clean air, conserve land, and combat dirty water made a big difference in Americans' lives.
The former president credited his team including former Vice President Al Gore, who Clinton suggested could have been honored with his name on the building just as easily.
William Jefferson Clinton
Rejoins ESPN
Keith Olbermann
Keith Olbermann and ESPN are going to try it again, this time with a late-night show that will steer clear of the liberal political commentary that gained him a following on U.S. television, the Disney-owned sports network said on Wednesday.
Olbermann, 54, who is as famous for his acrimonious departures from ESPN, MSNBC and Current TV as for his sharp tongue and wit, vowed to make amends for any bridges he burned during his first split with the network in 1997.
"I don't want that to be in the obituary. I don't want that to be the end of the story," Olbermann said during a media conference call.
Olbermann's 11 p.m. ET show, which will be called "Olbermann" and debut on August 26 on the network's sister channel ESPN2, will feature guests and commentary on sports, ESPN President John Skipper said, adding that the show will not delve into politics.
Bringing Olbermann back into the fold at the network is a low-risk move, especially at such a late hour on lower-rated ESPN2, Sports Illustrated media writer Richard Deitsch said.
Keith Olbermann
Wedding News
Turner - Bach
Singer Tina Turner has married her long-time partner in a civil ceremony in Switzerland ahead of a Buddhist celebration at their home on the banks of Lake Zurich on Sunday.
The 73-year-old "Simply the Best" singer tied the knot with German-born record producer Erwin Bach at a registry office in the Kuesnacht suburb of Zurich where they live, a municipal official said on Wednesday.
Turner, an eight-time Grammy winner known for songs like "River Deep, Mountain High" and "Private Dancer", will celebrate the wedding with a Buddhist water ceremony at her lakefront mansion this weekend, Swiss newspapers reported.
The singer, who was born in Tennessee but has lived in Switzerland for nearly 20 years, was reported to have sent flyers to neighbors apologizing in advance for any noise from the residence where a small stage is being built for the party.
Turner retired from performing after her last tour, which ended in 2009, and became a Swiss citizen earlier this year.
Turner - Bach
A Pile of Romanian Ash
Kunsthal Heist of 2012
If you needed more proof that art theft is a futile, dead-end job, look no further than the Kunsthal heist of 2012. After the theft of seven masterpieces worth tens of millions of dollars --a Picasso, two Monets, and a Matisse, among others-it appears that the mother of one of the suspects said she burned their cache of high-priced art partly because the thieves couldn't find any buyers.
"A Romanian museum is analyzing ashes found in a stove to see if they are the remains of seven paintings by Picasso, Matisse, Monet and others that were stolen last year from the Netherlands," reports the Associated Press, which adds that the ashes were found in the stove of one Olga Dogaru, the mother of prime suspect Radu Dogaru. The AP adds:
Dogaru told investigators she was scared for her son after he was arrested in January and buried the art in an abandoned house and then in a cemetery in the village of Caracliu. She said she later dug them up and burned them in February after police began searching the village for the stolen works.
According to Romania-Insider, an English-language news site, the suspects stashed the paintings at Olga's house because they were having trouble finding buyers. And citing a local report from Romania, the NL Times is reporting that experts have confirmed that the ashes are the burned remains of Monet and Picasso work. It should be noted, however, that the AP story conflicts with that local report, saying that the main prosecutor and officials said it could take months for the results to be confirmed.
Kunsthal Heist of 2012
Parts Ways With Fox "News"
Liz Cheney
Fox News has parted ways with Liz Cheney (R-Chicken For The Colonel), the eldest (sic) daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney (R-Draft Dodger), after her announcement that she will challenge incumbent U.S. senator and fellow Republican Mike Enzi in Wyoming, a spokeswoman for the network said.
Cheney, 46, launched herself into the race on Tuesday with a nearly six-minute Web video in which she laid out a cafeteria-conservative agenda, saying the federal government was too large and wasted taxpayer dollars, and sharply criticized Democratic President Barack Obama.
Cheney has appeared as a political analyst for Fox News, where she was first hired as a contributor in early 2012, a Fox News spokeswoman said on Wednesday. She said Cheney's contract was terminated on Tuesday after the Senate run was announced, but gave no further details.
Cheney, who describes herself in a biography on her official campaign website as a "fourth-generation Wyomingite," is an attorney who served in the U.S. Department of State during the administration of resident George W. Bush (R-No DD214). Her father served six terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from Wyoming, and "had better things to do" than serve in the military.
Liz Cheney
"Giving You the Business"
Food Network
A New York City resident has sued the Food Network, saying its reality show "Giving You the Business" wronged him by failing to award him a promised frozen yogurt franchise.
Kris Herrera says in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in state court in Queens he was told in April along with three other contestants one of them would win a 16 Handles frozen yogurt franchise. Herrera already worked for a store as a manager. The lawsuit says he won but instead was given a share of stock in the stores' parent company, Yogurt City Inc.
He says since the show aired in May dozens of people have congratulated him each week.
Messages seeking comment from the Food Network and the parent company of the franchises on Wednesday haven't been returned.
Food Network
Reaches Settlement
Shia LaBeouf
It was a saga that lasted longer than "Orphans" ran, but the Shia LaBeouf fiasco has finally reached an end.
The actor and the producers of the Broadway revival announced a settlement this week over LaBeouf's very public firing from the show.
Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, although the tone of the statement was conciliatory with Cole and Zollo saying that they would like to work with LaBeouf in the future.
LaBeouf exited the production during rehearsals after clashing with co-star Alec Baldwin. He was replaced by Ben Foster. In a grievance against the producers filed by Actors Equity union, LaBeouf claimed he was unfairly dismissed from the show, according to a report in the New York Times.
LaBeouf's firing became a staple of the New York tabloids, but the notoriety did not translate into strong ticket sales or sterling reviews. The show closed in May after 27 previews and 37 regular performances. The limited engagement was originally slated to close on June 30.
Shia LaBeouf
South Beach Mansion Headed For Auction
Gianni Versace
The South Beach, Fla., mansion once owned by Italian designer Gianni Versace and the place he was fatally shot is headed for the auction block.
Fisher Auction Company is handling the sale, set for Sept. 17. The 23,000 square-foot oceanfront mansion had been previously listed for $125 million.
Originally built in 1930, the 10-bedroom, 11-bathroom, gated home features a 54-foot long mosaic pool lined with 24-karat gold. It also includes numerous frescos, ornate statues, arched doorways and an open air courtyard.
The property had been operating as a 10-room boutique hotel for several years but closed earlier this year. A bankruptcy court has appointed Fisher Auction Company to handle the sale, in conjunction with Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate.
Gianni Versace
Brother of Randy Travis
David Traywick
Authorities in North Carolina say a brother of country singer Randy Travis was arrested after sheriff's deputies found a methamphetamine lab inside his home.
Union County sheriff's investigators searched the home of 50-year-old David Traywick on Tuesday and said they found a working meth lab.
Deputies arrested Traywick, his wife, Jessica, and two other women, charging them with conspiracy to traffic meth. Bond was set at $500,000 bond apiece for David and Jessica Traywick. They were scheduled to appear in court Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear whether either person has an attorney.
Last September, deputies charged David Traywick with cooking meth in a makeshift lab near his home in Marshville, about 35 miles southeast of Charlotte.
David Traywick
Renewed By ABC
'Rookie Blue'
"Rookie Blue" has been renewed for a fifth season, confirms ABC.
Before the network confirmed the renewal, the show's official twitter handle and its star Peter Mooney both made the announcement.
The fifth season of the series will start development in the fall and will move into production in January 2014.
The one-hour drama's return on May 23 - its season 4 premiere - received over 1.5 million viewers. The one-hour, original dramatic series is also ABC's No. 1 series in total viewers this summer to date.
'Rookie Blue'
Tops MSNBC's 'Morning Joe'
CNN's 'New Day'
Half a year after Jeff Zucker took over CNN, the news network is showing signs of revitalization from its previous ratings doldrums.
A month after its June 17 premiere, CNN's morning show "New Day" has shown steady growth in the key 25-54 news demo, edging out MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
From the first week to its fourth week, ending July 12, "New Day" grew from 102,000 viewers in the demo to 121,000 viewers, averaging 111,000 viewers for the month - narrowly besting MSNBC's "Morning Joe," which averaged 110,000.
The demo growth for "New Day" has been steady from week to week - the show, which is anchored by Chris Cuomo, Kate Bolduan and Michaela Pereira - has averaged 102,000, 109,000, 114,000 and 121,000 in weeks one through four, respectively. ("New Day" also won the key news demo on Tuesday.)
CNN's 'New Day'
In Memory
Dennis Burkley
Actor Dennis Burkley, who voiced the middle-school principal on "King of the Hill" and played Fred Sanford's partner on a sequel to "Sanford and Son," has died at age 67.
Burkley died in his sleep Sunday in Sherman Oaks, Calif., his agent told The Hollywood Reporter.
Burkley, who was born in Los Angeles but raised in Texas, played the recurring character of Carl Moss , a high-school friend of Hank Hill and principal of Tom Landry Middle School, on Fox's long-running animated show "King of the Hill." The show ran from 1997 to 2010.
Burkley got his acting break in 1976 thanks to his other job -- cleaning pools.
"As luck would have it, one of the pools I cleaned belonged to director Bob Rafelson," Burkley wrote on his website. "Bob cast me in my first film, 'Stay Hungry,' along with another unknown, Arnold $chwarzenegger."
He went on to numerous parts on television and in film, but Burkley said his big break came when a role on "Maude" brought him to the attention of famed producer Norman Lear, who cast him in a recurring role as truck driver Mac on "Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman."
One of his most memorable roles was that of Fred Sanford's junk-business partner in the two-season sitcom "Sanford," NBC's 1980 attempt to revive the 1970s hit. Burkley played Cal Pettie, whose character essentially replaced Sanford's son Lamont after actor Demond Wilson chose not to reprise his role from the original show. "Sanford" never caught on as its predecessor had and was canceled before completing a second season.
The heavyset actor played Dozer, a biker who never speaks, in the 1985 film "Mask,"
In addition to "Sanford," Burkley appeared on numerous television shows, including "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air," "Emergency," "The Rockford Files," "The Dukes of Hazzard" and "My Name Is Earl." One character he played on "Hill Street Blues," criminal Sonny Crockett, became more famous when the show's creator re-used the name for Don Johnson's unrelated role on "Miami Vice."
He made his directorial debut with 2005's "Repetition," an independent film about acting students. It was named a best feature film winner in that year's Appalachian Film Festival. He also taught acting classes.
Burkley is survived by his wife Laura and two children.
Dennis Burkley
In Memory
David Schubert
A former prosecutor-turned-fugitive who handled the high-profile drug cases of Paris Hilton and Bruno Mars was found dead Wednesday in his Las Vegas home, his lawyer said.
David Schubert, 49, had completed a five-month stint in prison for crack cocaine possession in April. He was found sitting in his truck in his home's garage with the windows rolled down, according to his lawyer and friend Lou Schneier.
Schubert spent 10 years as a Clark County prosecutor, including a stint as a liaison to a federal drug task force. He resigned in 2011 after he was arrested with $40 in rock cocaine and an unregistered handgun in his car.
He fled to Mexico to avoid jail but returned to the U.S. He told a judge he felt he had been treated exceptionally harshly.
He expected mandatory probation and a chance to wipe the felony conviction from his record. But the judge refused to consider a plea deal, calling Schubert "a disgrace to his oath as a prosecutor and a lawyer" and declaring that he wouldn't get special treatment.
He was isolated for his own safety in prison because of his history as a prosecutor. Schneier said that may have contributed to Schubert's poisoning sense of injustice.
The ex-prosecutor missed a check-in with his parole officer last week, Schneier said. His phone had been turned off for at least a week, possibly because he couldn't afford the bill.
After a few visits to Schubert's home, parole officers finally entered early Wednesday and found the body, Schneier said.
Schubert's sentence contrasted with those of the people he helped prosecute. Both Hilton and Mars made plea deals and avoided jail time.
The ex-prosecutor is survived by a 15-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter who live with their mother in another state.
David Schubert
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