Mumbai Siege Ends

Indian commandos kill the last remaining gunmen, ending days of terror

- A 60-hour terror rampage that killed at least 195 people across India's financial capital ended Saturday when commandos killed the last three gunmen inside a luxury hotel while it was engulfed in flames. Authorities searched for any remaining captives hiding in their rooms and began to shift their focus to who was behind the attacks, which killed 18 foreigners including six Americans. A previously unknown Muslim group with a name suggesting origins inside India claimed responsibility for the attack, but Indian officials said the sole surviving gunman was from Pakistan and pointed a finger of blame at their neighbor and rival. Islamabad denied involvement and promised to help in the investigation. A team of FBI agents also was on its way to India to lend assistance. Some 295 people also were wounded in the violence that started when heavily armed assailants attacked 10 sites across Mumbai on Wednesday night. At least 20 soldiers and police were among the dead. Orange flames and black smoke engulfed the landmark 565-room Taj Mahal hotel after dawn Saturday as Indian forces ended the siege there in a hail of gunfire, just hours after elite commandos stormed a Jewish center and found at least eight hostages dead. "There were three terrorists, we have killed them," said J.K. Dutt, director general of India's elite National Security Guard commando unit. Later, adoring crowds surrounded six buses carrying weary, unshaven commandos, shaking their hands and giving them flowers. The commandos, dressed in black fatigues, said they had been ordered not to talk about the operation, but said they had not slept since the ordeal began. One sat sipping a bottle of water and holding a pink rose. With the end of one of the most brazen terror attacks in India's history, attention turned from the military operation to questions of who was behind the attack and the heavy toll on human life. The bodies of New York Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife, Rivkah, were found at the Jewish center. Their son, Moshe, who turned 2 on Saturday, was scooped up by an employee Thursday as she fled the building. Two Israelis and another American were also killed in the house, said Rabbi Zalman Schmotkin, a spokesman for the Chabad Lubavitch movement, which ran the center. In Jerusalem, Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said eight bodies had been discovered in the Jewish center and that officials were investigating the possibility of there being a ninth. Among the foreigners killed in the attacks were six Americans, according to the U.S. Embassy. The dead also included Germans, Canadians, Israelis and nationals from Britain, Italy, Japan, China, Thailand, Australia and Singapore. By Saturday morning the death toll was at 195, the deadliest attack in India since 1993 serial bombings in Mumbai killed 257 people. But officials said the toll from the three days of carnage was likely to rise as more bodies were brought out of the hotels. "There is a limit a city can take. This is a very, very different kind of fear. It will be some time before things get back to normal," said Ayesha Dar, a 33-year-old homemaker. Indians began cremating their dead, many of them security force members killed fighting the gunmen. In the southern city of Bangalore, black clad commandos formed an honor guard for the flag-draped coffin of Maj. Sandeep Unnikrishnan, who was killed in the fighting at the Taj Mahal hotel. "He gave up his own life to save the others," Dutt said from Mumbai. A group called Deccan Mujahideen, which alludes to a region in southern India traditionally ruled by Muslim kings, claimed responsibility for the attack, but Indian officials pointed the finger at neighboring Pakistan. On Saturday, officials said they believed that just 10 gunmen had taken part in the attack. "Nine were killed and one was captured," Maharshta state Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh told reporters. "We are interrogating him." Deshmukh's deputy, R.R. Patil, identified the gunman as a Pakistani national, Mohammad Ajmal Qasam. The gunmen had sophisticated equipment and used "GPS, mobile and satellite phones to communicate," Patil said. "They were constantly in touch with a foreign country," he said, refusing to give further details. On Friday, India's foreign minister, Pranab Mukherjee, told reporters that evidence indicated "some elements in Pakistan are responsible for the Mumbai terror attacks." Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani insisted his country was not involved. His government was sending an intelligence official to assist in the probe. Deshmukh said the attackers arrived by sea. On Saturday the Indian navy said it was investigating whether a trawler found drifting off the coast of Mumbai, with a bound corpse on board, was used in the attack. Navy spokesman Capt. Manohar Nambiar said the trawler, named Kuber, had been found Thursday and was brought to Mumbai. Officials said they believe the boat had sailed from a port in the neighboring state of Gujarat. Indian security officers believe many of the gunmen may have reached the city using a black and yellow rubber dinghy found near the site of the attacks. In the U.S., President-elect Barack Obama said he was closely monitoring the situation. "These terrorists who targeted innocent civilians will not defeat India's great democracy, nor shake the will of a global coalition to defeat them," he said in a statement. On Friday, commandos killed the last two gunmen inside the luxury Oberoi hotel, where 24 bodies had been found, authorities said. But in the most dramatic of the counterstrikes Friday, masked Indian commandos rappelled from a helicopter to the rooftop of the Chabad Lubavitch Jewish center. For nearly 12 hours, explosions and gunfire erupted from the five-story building as the commandos fought their way downward, while thousands of people gathered behind barricades in the streets to watch. At one point, Indian forces fired a rocket at the building. Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak told Israel's Channel 1 TV that some of the victims found at the center had been bound. The attackers were well-prepared, carrying large bags of almonds to keep up their energy during a long siege. One backpack found contained 400 rounds of ammunition. India has been shaken repeatedly by terror attacks blamed on Muslim militants in recent years, but most were bombings striking crowded places: markets, street corners, parks. Mumbai — one of the most highly populated cities in the world with some 18 million people — was hit by a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people. The latest attacks began Wednesday at about 9:20 p.m. with shooters spraying gunfire across the Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station. For the next two hours, there was an attack roughly every 15 minutes — the Jewish center, a tourist restaurant, one hotel, then another, and two attacks on hospitals. (AP via Yahoo/ Reuters Photo via Time.com)

Sex Means Trouble

Dalai Lama says 'chastity brings freedom'

- The Dalai Lama, the exiled Tibetan spiritual and temporal leader, on Friday said sex spelt fleeting satisfaction and trouble later, while chastity offered a better life and "more freedom." "Sexual pressure, sexual desire, actually I think is short period satisfaction and often, that leads to more complication," the Dalai Lama told reporters in a Lagos hotel, speaking in English without a translator. He said conjugal life caused "too much ups and downs. "Naturally as a human being ... some kind of desire for sex comes, but then you use human intelligence to make comprehension that those couples always full of trouble. And in some cases there is suicide, murder cases," the Dalai Lama said. He said the "consolation" in celibacy is that although "we miss something, but at the same time, compare whole life, it's better, more independence, more freedom." Considered a Buddhist Master exempt from the religion's wheel of death and reincarnation, the Dalai Lama waxed eloquent on the Buddhist credo of non-attachment. "Too much attachment towards your children, towards your partner," was "one of the obstacle or hindrance of peace of mind," he said. Revered by his followers as a god-king, the Dalai Lama arrived in Lagos on Wednesday on a three-day visit following an invitation from a foundation to attend a conference. He has made no political speeches in the west African country. He leaves Friday night for the Czech Republic and then on to Brussels to address the European Parliament before heading to Poland, where he is due to meet with French President Nicolas Sarkozy. The 73-year-old Nobel Peace laureate has been a mainstay on the diplomatic stage ever since he fled his native land for neighbouring India in 1959. Still based in northern India, the Dalai Lama has increasingly been in the spotlight since protests in Tibet turned violent in March this year, just months before the Chinese capital Beijing hosted the Summer Olympic Games. Regarded by his many supporters outside China as a visionary in the vein of Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King, the Dalai Lama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989 for his accent on non-violence to achieve change. However, he is reviled by the Chinese government, which has branded him a "monster" and accused him of trying to split the nation. (AFP via MSN/ Photo: Hanif Nashrullah -- illustrated by models)

They Just Fired Randomly

Black-clad Indian commandoes raided two luxury hotels to try to free hostages Thursday, and explosions and gunshots shook India's financial capital a day after attacks by suspected Muslim militants killed at least 119 people. About 10 to 12 gunmen remain holed up inside the hotels and a Jewish center, a top Indian general said. The remaining gunmen appeared to have been killed or captured, Maj. Gen. R.K. Huda told New Delhi Television. Authorities said 119 people died and 288 were injured when suspected Islamic militants — armed with assault rifles, hand grenades and explosives — launched a highly coordinated attack against 10 sites in the city Wednesday night. Officials said eight militants were also killed. Dozens of people were being held hostage at the hotels, as well as a nearby Jewish center, by the well-trained and heavily armed gunmen, authorities said. While hostages trickled out of the hotels throughout the day, witnesses said many bodies remained inside and the two-day siege showed few signs of ending quickly. Several bodies were carried out of the five-star Taj Mahal Palace and Tower hotel. The attackers had specifically targeted Britons and Americans inside the hotels, witnesses said. Dozens of people were also apparently still hiding in their hotel rooms, terrified by occasional bursts of gunfire and explosions, as well as fires burning in parts of both hotels, and waiting for authorities to get them to safety. After dusk Thursday, police brought hostages out of the Oberoi, one of the city's best-known five-star hotels. One man, a who identified himself as a Pole but did not give his name, told reporters he had seen many bodies inside, but refused to give more details, saying he had promised police not to discuss details of the rescue operation. The Maharashtra state home ministry said 84 people had been freed from the Oberoi — 60 of them hostages — and dozens more were still trapped inside. Police said they were going slowly to protect the captives. A previously unknown Islamic militant group claimed responsibility for the carnage, the latest in a series of terror attacks over the past three years that have dented India's image as an industrious nation galloping toward prosperity. Among the dead were at least one Australian, a Japanese and a British national, said Pradeep Indulkar, a senior government official of Maharashtra state. An Italian and a German were also killed, according to their foreign ministries. The most high-profile target was the Taj Mahal hotel, a landmark of Mumbai luxury since 1903, and a favorite watering hole of the city's elite. Police loudspeakers declared a curfew around the hotel Thursday afternoon, and commandos ran into the building as fresh gunshots rang out from the area. Into the night, brief exchanges of gunfire and explosions could be heard coming from the building. The attackers, dressed in black shirts and jeans, stormed into the hotel about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday and opened fire indiscriminately. Dalbir Bains, who runs a lingerie shop in Mumbai, was about to eat a steak by the hotel pool when she heard gunfire. She ran upstairs, taking refuge in the Sea Lounge restaurant with about 50 other people. They huddled beneath tables in the dark, trying to remain silent as explosions went off. "We were trying not to draw attention to ourselves," she said. The group managed to escape before dawn. The gunmen also seized the Mumbai headquarters of the ultra-orthodox Jewish outreach group Chabad Lubavitch. Around 10:30 a.m., a woman, a child and an Indian cook were seen being led out of the building by police, said one witness. Chabad spokesman Moni Ender in Israel said there were eight Israelis inside the house, including Rabbi Gavriel Noach Holtzberg and his wife. Among those foreigners still held captive in all three buildings were Americans, British, Italians, Swedes, Canadians, Yemenis, New Zealanders, Spaniards, Turks, French, Israelis and a Singaporean. At least three top Indian police officers — including the chief of the anti-terror squad — were among those killed, said Roy. The United States and Pakistan were among the countries that condemned the attacks. In Washington, President George W. Bush offered Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh "support and assistance" as he works to restore order in the populous and growing Southwest Asian nation, according to White House press secretary Dana Perino. The motive for the onslaught was not immediately clear, but Mumbai has frequently been targeted in terrorist attacks blamed on Islamic extremists, including a series of bombings in July 2006 that killed 187 people. An Indian media report said a previously unknown group calling itself the Deccan Mujahideen claimed responsibility for the attacks in e-mails to several media outlets. There was no way to verify that claim. Magnus Ranstorp, a terrorism specialist with the Swedish National Defense College, said there are "very strong suspicions" that the coordinated Mumbai attacks have a link to al-Qaida. He said the fact that Britons and Americans were singled out is one indicator, along with the coordinated style of the attacks. India's prime minister blamed "external forces." "The well-planned and well-orchestrated attacks, probably with external linkages, were intended to create a sense of panic, by choosing high profile targets and indiscriminately killing foreigners," Singh said in address to the nation. Indian navy spokesman Capt. Manohar Nambiar said navy officers had boarded a cargo vessel that had recently come to Mumbai from Karachi, Pakistan. Hours later, he said nothing suspicious had been found on board and the ship had been released. Mumbai, on the western coast of India overlooking the Arabian Sea, is home to splendid Victorian architecture built during the British Raj and is one of the most populated cities in the world with some 18 million crammed into shantytowns, high rises and crumbling mansions. Among the other places attacked was the 19th century Chhatrapati Shivaji railroad station — a beautiful example of Victorian Gothic architecture — where gunmen sprayed bullets into the crowded terminal, leaving the floor splattered with blood. "They just fired randomly at people and then ran away. In seconds, people fell to the ground," said Nasim Inam, a witness. Other gunmen attacked Leopold's restaurant, a landmark popular with foreigners, and the police headquarters in southern Mumbai, the area where most of the attacks took place. Gunmen also attacked Cama and Albless Hospital and G.T. Hospital. (AP/ AFP Photo via Yahoo)

Bigger than Jesus?

The Vatican's daily newspaper marked the 40th anniversary of the "White Album" by dismissing as a "quip" John Lennon's notorious claim that the Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ. The legendary double album -- which came out on November 22, 1968 at the height of the Fab Four's influence and popularity -- was "a magical musical anthology" from a band "full of talent," L'Osservatore Romano said. Rather inevitably, its lengthy article kicked off with Lennon's remark to a London newspaper in March 1966 that "Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink ... We're more popular than Jesus now". "It is a phrase that provoked deep indignation at the time, but which sounds today like a quip from a young man from the English working class overtaken by unexpected success," the newspaper wrote. The real talent of the Beatles, it said, "rested in their unequalled capacity to write popular songs with a sort of euphoric lightness that constituted a genuine trademark". "Today," it went on to lament, "recordings seem above all to be standardized and stereotyped -- falling well short of the creativity of the Beatles." (AFP via MSN)

Never Forgive, Never Forget

“I don’t have a Maradona doll at home that I stick pins in. Although, maybe I should get one. I can never forgive him for what he did. It was probably the best chance England had of winning the World Cup since 1966.”

Photo Caption: Former England captain and now Scotland's assistant manager on Diego Maradona 'hand of God' goal---that ended England's chances at the 1986 World Cup---as Scotland played soccer friendly match vs Argentina at Glasgow, 19 November 2008.

(Taken from "They Said It... Quotes in the News"/ msn.com)

Sexiest Woman In The World

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- It takes a lot of things to be sexy - but apparently a belly button isn't one of them. E! entertainment television has just named supermodel Karolina Kurkova the sexiest woman in the world. (VIEW THE PHOTOS: Karolina Kurkova)

In earning the honor, the Czech-born beauty beat out fellow Victoria's Secret models Giselle Bundchen, Adriana Lima and Heidi Klum, who placed fourth, sixth and seventh on the list, respectively.

"Karolina is flattered to have been named Sexiest Woman in the World by E!" a rep for the model told AccessHollywood.com. "As she delves into the motion picture industry with her upcoming role in 'G.I. Joe,' she appreciates the support E! has given her." (VIEW THE PHOTOS: Angelina Jolie)

Kurkova will play the role of Cover Girl in Paramount's upcoming "G.I. Joe." Dubbed by E! as, "she of the mysterious belly button," much has been made of Kurkova's noticeably smooth - almost invisible - navel. According to the model's rep, Kurkova does not have a belly button, due to an abdominal operation as an infant. (VIEW THE PHOTOS: Model Mania)

Buzz over Kurkova's unique abdomen began to build recently, following a Victoria's Secret photo shoot in Miami, which featured the 24-year-old model in a bikini and sporting a seemingly absent navel - a departure from some of her shoots in the past, which have showed her with a navel.

Kurkova's rep confirmed her lingerie and swimsuit photos are often altered to include an image of a navel - a practice that the rep said is typical in the industry when needed. Belly button or not, there's no denying Kurkova's sex appeal - and her success speaks for itself, as Forbes has ranked her as one of the world's highest-paid models.

And while Kurkova has been dubbed sexy, she has her own idea of what sexy really means. "A guy who's not afraid to cry or be vulnerable and show his softer side," she told AccessHollywood.com in a previous interview. Second place on E!'s sexiest list went to Israeli model Bar Rafaeli, who has been linked to Leonardo DiCaprio.

Coming in third was Angelina Jolie, while Tom Brady's babe, Bundchen, finished fourth and Scarlett Johansson rounded out the top five.

The complete top 10 of E!'s Sexiest Women In The World:

1. Karolina Kurkova

2. Bar Rafaeli

3. Angelina Jolie

4. Gisele Bundchen

5. Scarlett Johansson

6. Adriana Lima

7. Heidi Klum

8. Penelope Cruz

9. Manuela Arcuri

10. Shakira

(omg.yahoo.com/ AFP Photo/ GettyImages)

Australia's Sex Party Takes on 'Nanny State'

Australia's sex industry launched a political party Thursday, vowing to fight what it called growing conservatism in a "nanny state" -- along with global economic crisis gloom. The Australian Sex Party will run for senate seats on a platform of cheaper access to sexual dysfunction drugs and protection for porn workers against government censorship of the Internet, the founders said. They also suggested that the tanking world economy and a possible local recession next year would stimulate demand for sex toys and porn films as Australians sought cheaper pleasures. "We're a cheap luxury that can make you feel good," convenor and Eros industry group chief executive Fiona Patten said at the party's launch amidst pole dancers at the Melbourne Sexpo exhibition. "There is a new conservatism creeping up in Australia -- we're becoming a nanny state where politicians can't talk about sex without giggling or saying something negative." The Sex Party has already come under fire from the Australian Christian Lobby, which said it supports the exploitation and degradation of women through pornography and prostitution. The party's platform includes opposition to government plans for a national Internet filter, with Patten saying the proposal to block up to 10,000 sites could cost 16,000 adult industry jobs. "If they go ahead with what they propose, we'll wipe out the adult industry in the next five years," she said. Patten said the party aimed to win parliamentary seats at both state and national levels, and had already signed up 500 members. "We're serious about sex and we're serious about the Sex Party," she said. (AFP via MSN)

Americans Believe Obama can Bring Wind of Change in Fashion

Barack Obama promised to bring change and may just succeed -- at least in the way Americans dress. The 47-year-old president-elect promises to fix the economy, withdraw from Iraq, and catch Osama bin Laden. If nothing else, he'll go down as the man who returned elegance to the White House. "He's incredibly well turned out and looks a lot less than 47," Robert Johnston, associate editor at the British fashion magazine GQ, told AFP. "He's got an effortless style. The only other American president you can imagine on the cover of a fashion magazine is Bill Clinton. It's that sort of stylishness you can't put your finger on. It just looks right. Statesmen can make powerful, if sometimes unlikely fashion leaders. Some claim a hatless president John F. Kennedy killed the once near universal practice in the United States of wearing a fedora. More recently, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's trademark beige jacket became a hit with fellow Iranians, while Prime Minister Vladimir Putin's black raincoats fuel KGB nostalgia in Russia. Obama, so far, has not made any wardrobe item his own. He got attention this month in urging youths to abandon prison-style baggy, buttocks-baring jeans. But fashion watchers say the key to Obama is not so much what he wears as how. Tyler Thoreson, executive editor at men.style.com, says Obama's suits hang almost perfectly on a gym-trimmed body, unlike the ill-cut clothes common to men of President George W. Bush's generation. This creates a modern, yet sober image appropriate to these perilous times and a stark change from Bush's championing of cowboy boots and Stetsons. "It's a simple thing: his suits are actually tailored to fit him, whereas most middle aged men are swimming in extra fabric," Thoreson said. Another telling detail, Thoreson points out, is Obama's preference for the "jaunty" four-in-hand tie knot, rather than the more formal Windsor or half-Windsor. "He's very comfortable with himself physically and emotionally ... and that's one of the key things that makes him appealing in a tough time," Thoreson said. "He's absolutely going to have a big impact on the way men dress." On New York's 5th Avenue, home to Prada, Escada, Gucci, Louis Vuitton and other fashion temples, Obama gets the thumbs up. "He seems elegant, while not being fancy. It's about his personality, it's about the way he carries himself," said Emilia Severino, 23, an immaculately dressed shop employee. Resplendent in oversized sunglasses, pink T-shirt, loud tweed jacket and gelled hair, student David Schiffhauer also approved Obama's sartorial savvy. "He's different to other presidents. They were more formal. I mean, we've seen him in a swimsuit and he looks good," Schiffhauer said. "He's smart, but not super formal -- casual but smart." Fashionistas say Obama only flops when it comes to home wear. A snarky New York Times article claimed Obama's white tennis shoes, tucked in shirt with jeans, and windbreaker left him resembling comedian Jerry Seinfeld in his famous TV series. But for Mike England, a 26-year-old banker visiting New York from Britain, Obama has the magic that can make an icon. "It's not so much his dress sense as his personality. He's like Tony Blair when he first came in as prime minister -- young and full of ideas and that's what really makes him fashionable. (AFP via MSN/ AP Photo via Yahoo)

Gone But Not Forgotten

Even though comedian Bernie Mac died at the age of 50 of pneumonia this past August, he still stars in two movies opening this weekend. He not only plays opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the endearingly foul-mouthed tale of two washed-up singers in "Soul Men." But he also lends his voice to DreamWorks' animated movie "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa." Here's a look at other film stars who died before the release of their final films.

Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight -

Though he died of an accidental drug overdose this past January, a full seven months before "The Dark Knight" opened, Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker in Christopher Nolan's grim superhero blockbuster has already garnered Oscar talk. The Australian actor died while shooting Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," but a trio of other stars -- Johnny Depp, Jude Law, and Colin Farrell -- stepped in to film the character's remaining scenes.

James Dean - Giant -

Dean was a mere 24 years old when he died in a car wreck in 1955. But in that short time, he starred in three movies and garnered two posthumous Oscar nominations, one for "East of Eden" and the other for "Giant."

Oliver Reed - Gladiator -

Legendary British actor Oliver Reed died of a heart attack during production of this epic sword and sandal flick. As a result, a number of his scenes had to be re-edited using a double, digital effects, and plenty of shadows.

Bruce Lee - Enter the Dragon -

Bruce Lee died just three weeks before his breakout movie opened, killed suddenly by a cerebral edema. "Enter the Dragon" proved to be such a hit -- one of the most profitable movies of all time -- and there was such a demand for its departed star that Hong Kong soon started cranking out films with leads named Bruce Li, Bruce Lei, Brute Lee, and Lee Bruce.

Brandon Lee - The Crow -

In a coincidence so ghoulish people speculated there may have been some sort of "curse" involved, Bruce Lee's son Brandon was killed in a freak on-set accident during filming of 1994's "The Crow." An improperly-cleaned prop gun discharged a blank that pierced Lee's abdomen and lodged in his spine. After the tragic mishap, production resumed using stunt doubles and digital trickery for the remaining scenes.

Spencer Tracy - Guess Who's Coming to Dinner -

Spencer Tracy starred alongside Katharine Hepburn and Sydney Poiter in the 1967's landmark "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," which broached the then-taboo subject of interracial marriage. Tracy's health was so bad prior to shooting that insurance companies refused to cover him for the production. He died after the film wrapped and posthumously received his ninth Oscar nomination.

Adrienne Shelly - Waitress -

When "Waitress" premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007, the film was hailed as being a sweet, witty comedy about one of life's true pleasures: pie. Sadly, writer/director/actress Adrienne Shelly was not there. She was murdered months prior by Diego Pillco, a New York City construction worker. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison earlier this year. Peter Finch - Network Though he did die two months after "Network" opened, Peter Finch, who brilliantly played crazed newscaster Howard Beale, is the only person to win an acting Oscar posthumously.

Tupac Shakur - Gridlock'd -

Rapper Tupac Shakur proved to be almost as posthumously prolific in movies as he was with music. After he was killed in a drive-by shooting in Vegas in 1996, Tupac appeared in both "Gridlock'd" and "Gang Related," both of which were released the following year.

Clark Gable - The Misfits -

The day shooting for John Huston's 1960 movie "The Misfits" wrapped, Clark Gable was reported to have said, "Christ, I'm glad this picture's finished. [Co-star Marilyn Monroe] damn near gave me a heart attack." He keeled over from a heart attack the next day and died 11 days later. "The Misfits" also proved to be Monroe's final film as well. To hear Samuel L. Jackson, Sharon Leal and director Malcolm D. Lee reminisce about their experience working with Bernie Mac on "Soul Men," watch the exclusive interview below. (Jonathan Crow/ Yahoo/ Photo by Warner Bros Pictures, Everet Collection)

Ex-Classmates Applaud 'Barry' Obama

Former classmates in Indonesia reacted with pride and amazement Wednesday as the chubby little boy they knew as Barry made history by becoming the first black president of the United States. "It's just amazing, I mean we're so proud of him," said Dewi Asmara Oetojo, a lawmaker in Indonesia's parliament who was a school friend of US president elect Barack Obama at primary school here in the 1960s. "He was a very easy-going person and also very wise. At that time we were so small we never thought he had the qualities of a leader. He said 'I want to be president' and we all thought that was so funny," Oetojo said. Oetojo said classmates were excited about having the president of the United States show up to their next three-monthly reunion, but understood that Obama might be a little busy. "A reunion in the White House is not our target. Our task as classmates is to support him, but if we have the chance, why not?" she said. "He can be a bridge for the West to understand people in the East. I think that will make him different from other American presidents." The son of a white American mother and a black Kenyan father, Obama was raised in Hawaii and moved to Indonesia when he was six after his divorced mother remarried an Indonesian. He went to school in Menteng in the late 1960s, and in his memoirs recalled his time here as the "bounty of a young man's life." "It's great, it's great. Our prayers have been answered," said Sonny Imam Sukarso, a lawyer who admits he is still "astonished" a black man can rise to become US president.. "We're proud a friend of ours from primary school became president. Maybe he'll remember us and we hope he'll remember his debt to Indonesia and help Indonesia develop," Sukarso said. "When he was small, he was already the right kind of person to become president. He had the spirit of inquiry but he wasn't arrogant, he would mingle with everyone," he said. Sukarso said his support was not only personal, but also because Obama's policies were more in line with public opinion in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country which has a love-hate relationship with the United States. "He wants to take troops out of Iraq and I really agree with that," he said. Some 250 current students at the Menteng One primary school celebrated Obama's election win with chants of "Obama wins! McCain loses!" and were already looking forward to his first presidential visit. Deputy principal Akhmad Solikhin won rapturous applause when he announced to the children that Obama would be visiting them soon, as they stopped classes to watch the election coverage on local television. Ecstatic students charged out and danced in the rain after Obama won. Solikhin said the Democrat senator was having a major influence on his old school on the other side of the planet. "We're using Obama as a tool to motivate the students to be successful. There is an emotional connection between the students and Obama," he said, adding that enrollments had increased five to 10 percent over the last year. Sixth-grader Farhan Ashardi, 11, said he now believed he could be president of Indonesia one day. "If Obama can do it so can I," he said. But fifth-grader Aisya Nadine said she had no plans to become president of Indonesia, itself a rowdy democracy of 234 million people. "It's hard to become president in Indonesia, there's a lot of corruption here, it's hard to control," she said. (AFP via MSN/ Reuters Photo via Yahoo)

Cheetahs on a Plane

A Delta baggage worker got a bit of a fright before Halloween when she opened a jetliner's cargo door and found a cheetah running loose amid the luggage. Two cheetahs were being flown in the cargo area of a Boeing 757 passenger flight from Portland, Ore., to Atlanta on Thursday when one escaped from its cage, Delta spokeswoman Betsy Talton said Friday. "They told us a large animal had gotten out of a container in the cargo hold and they were having to send someone to tranquilize it," said one passenger, Lee Sentell of Montgomery, Ala. He said luggage was delayed, but baggage handlers promised to send his bags to him in Alabama. The good news for passengers: The escaped cheetah didn't damage any of their luggage. The airline summoned help from Zoo Atlanta, and experts rushed to a closed airport hangar and tranquilized the escaped animal and took both big cats to the zoo. Both 1-year-old female cheetahs were on their way from the Wildlife Safari Park in Winston, Ore., to the Memphis Zoo in Tennessee, Memphis Zoo spokesman Drew Smith said in an e-mail. He said the two cheetahs will stay a few days at the zoo in Atlanta until the Memphis Zoo gets a team together to fetch them. The cheetahs are on loan to the Memphis Zoo, but Smith said he wasn't sure how long they would stay there. (AP via MSN/ Illustration Photo via blogger.com)

Tragedy Strikes a 'Dreamgirl'

Until recently, it seemed like this week's column would be filled with usual fodder--a couple of trials, a couple arrests, an awards show or two, some Guns N' Roses rumors, a bit of Madonna gossip, etc. But then, on Friday, tragedy struck.

At 2:44pm Friday afternoon, Jennifer Hudson's brother, Jason Hudson, and her mother, Darnell Donerson, were found dead by shotgun blast in Jennifer's mother's Chicago home. The bodies were discovered by Jennifer's cousin, who lived nearby. Additionally, Darnell's 7-year-old grandson, Julian King, was reportedly abducted from the scene--possibly by the suspect in this tragic double murder.

This news comes at a time when Jennifer should be enjoying the happiest time of her life--she just released her debut album, she's about to hit the silver screen again in the highly anticipated The Secret Life Of Bees, and she just got engaged to her lawyer/reality-star boyfriend, David "Punk" Otunga. But now, just as the dreamgirl is about to have all her dreams come true, she is instead facing this ultimate nightmare. Our deepest condolences to Jennifer and the entire Hudson family at this extremely tragic time.

Moving on to less horrific news of the week, although no one experienced the same kind of major highs and lows that Jennifer Hudson is sadly dealing with right now, Lil' Wayne was certainly on a rollercoaster ride himself this week. He experienced yet another major professional high at the BET Awards, where he was the top nominee and the top winner (he took home four trophies, including ones for MVP, People's Champ, and Lyricist Of The Year). And in his personal life, the "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" rapper happily became a daddy again (a still-anonymous babymama gave birth to his second child--and his first son--christened Dwayne Carter III). We send our congratulations to this People's Champ.

But it wasn't all babies and BETs in Wayne's world, as the People's Champ unfortunately found himself in the People's Court this week. His Manhattan trial on gun charges (stemming from a July incident when NYC police searched his suspiciously cannabis-scented tour bus outside New York's Beacon Theatre) continued--and Wayne's assistant Terry Bourgeois testified that he "occasionally" saw a .40-caliber pistol on the bus and witnessed various members of Wayne's posse passing the dutchie.

However, another eyewitness, security guard Derrick Parker, testified that he didn't smell or see any pot-puffing on or around Wayne's bus. Wayne has pleaded "not guilty" to criminal possession of a weapon (if convicted, he could face up to three and a half years in prison) and his attorney, Stacey Richman, is seeking to have the charges dropped on the grounds that cops falsified the marijuana claim in order to conduct a search of the bus.

So for now, Lil' Wayne remains free on $70,000 bond. Speaking of, um, Guns (how's that for a totally tenuous segueway?), Guns N' Roses announced this week that their Chinese Democracy album is actually slated for a November 23 release date. No, readers, that's not a typo. And no, we don't mean November 23, 2021. We mean this November, people! Yes, Axl Rose and his many interchangeable hired Guns have been working on various versions of the long-shelved, long-presumed-nonexistent Chinese Democracy for 17 ridiculously long years now...but next month the mythical album (GNR's first original studio release since 1991!) will finally be available for sale exclusively at Best Buy. Who'd a thunk?

Apparently, the manufacturers of Dr Pepper soda were among the many doubters who never thought this record would ever, ever come out, because back in March they pledged to give every single American citizen a free soft drink if Chinese Democracy was released any time in 2008. So now the good Dr must make good on its bubbly promise. "We never thought this day would come," Tony Jacobs, vice president of marketing for Dr Pepper, understandably announced in a statement this week.

"But now that it's here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us." So, in what might be the best instance of soda/pop synergy since "I'd Like To Buy The World A Coke"--or at least since Suicidal Tendencies begged for "just a Pepsi" in the punk classic "Institutionalized"--fans of GNR and/or free soft drinks need only log onto http://us.lrd.yahoo.com/_ylt=Agpd_OVd850HKZVoZHB_KTnOwSUv/SIG=10p68uii8/**http://drpepper.com/, starting at 12:01am Eastern Time this November 23, to obtain their free 20-ounce soda coupons. This is, of course, assuming that Chinese Democracy really DOES come out that day...we still don't quite believe it. Aside from Lil' Wayne and Kevin Cogill, a few other music-biz types found themselves dealing with legal issue this week. Former Soul Train host Don Cornelius was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence and released on $50,000 bail; a new jury was selected for the murder retrial of legendary music producer Phil Spector; and, according to various gossip rags, Madonna and Guy Ritchie's split started to get very nasty, indicating that their upcoming divorce-court showdown (spearheaded on the Madonna side by Paul McCartney's superstar attorney, Fiona Shackleton) will be an ugly, bitter battle indeed. Yes, this week the (fingerless black lace) gloves were definitely off between Madonna and her newly estranged hubby, at least according to several incendiary tabloid articles. Us Weekly reported that Guy used to call Madonna "old, fat, ugly, and wrinkled" and "said that she was stupid and couldn't sing"; Us also alleged that Madonna conversely used to taunt, slap, and poke her beleaguered future-ex-husband. OK! magazine reported that Madonna has "instructed her team to start a hate campaign" against Guy. British tabloid News Of The World claimed that Guy once described martial relations with Madge as being like "cuddling up to a piece of gristle." And several other gossip outlets reported that while Madonna is now getting cozy with her new Kabbalah buddy Alex Rodriguez, Guy has already started dating presumably un-gristle-like actress Kelly Reilly, star of his upcoming Sherlock Holmes film. Yikes. Guess Madge knew what she was talking about when she once sang "Love Don't Live Here Anymore." And finally, while it may seem weird that Guns N' Roses are releasing new music again and Madonna's being cruelly compared to a chewy piece of beef, we'll wrap up this week's column with two truly weird stories... Aforementioned Fiona Shackleton star client Paul McCartney, who's certainly dealt with his unfair share of emotional problems lately, literally lost his head this week, when a wax replica of his famous cranium was accidentally left on a London train. The paraffin skull-sculpture, which was molded in the 1960s, was expected to sell for between $10,000 and $20,000 at Carters Entertainment auctioneers before it went missing; its embarrassed owner, Joby Carter, therefore offered a cash reward for the Macca head's safe return. Happily, homeless man Anthony Silva found the head in a trashcan at train station innearby Reading, and after initially mistaking it fora Halloween mask, he returned the head and claimed the $4,000 reward from Joby. "It's just what I need, and I hope my luck has changed for the better," Anthony told the press. And finally, Beyonce may have lost her head in the more figurative sense, when--after years of building up "Beyonce" as an internationally recognized and celebrated brand name--she announced this week that she would now like to be formally known as "Sasha Fierce" instead. "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm onstage, this alter-ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am," the Artist Formerly Known As Beyonce explained in a cryptic statement. We just hope this kooky name change doesn't wreak havoc on her new union with Jay-Z...doesn't Sasha realize that Madonna and Guy Ritchie's marriage started to suffer after Madonna announced to the world that she wanted to be addressed by her Kabbalah name, "Esther"? Well, that concludes another weird, wild, and woeful week. We once again send our thoughts and prayers to Jennifer Hudson (feel free to do the same on the message board below), and invite you to come back next Friday for more, hopefully cheerier, music news. (Lyndsey Parker/ Music Blog/ AFP File Photo via Yahoo)

Elderly Woman Accused of Keeping Boy's Ball

BLUE ASH, Ohio – Police in Ohio say an 89-year-old woman was facing a charge of petty theft because neighborhood children accused her of refusing to give back their football. Edna Jester was arrested last week in the Cincinnati suburb of Blue Ash. Police said one child's father complained that Jester kept the youngsters' ball after it landed in her yard. Police Capt. James Schaffer said there has been an ongoing dispute in the neighborhood over kids' balls landing in the woman's yard. Jester said Monday she has received many calls and didn't have time to discuss the matter any more. Jester is to appear in court next month. The maximum penalty for a petty theft conviction in Ohio is six months in jail and a fine of up to $1,000. (AP via Yahoo)

Father Takes Son to Court for Idleness

LAGOS – A father took his 20-year old son to an Islamic court in northern Nigeria for idleness, asking that he be sent to prison for refusing to engage in productive activities, state news agency NAN said Friday. "He is not listening to words and he is bringing shame to my family. I am tired of his nefarious deeds. Please put this boy in prison so that I can be free," Sama'ila Tahir, a market trader in the northeastern town of Bauchi, was quoted as saying. Tahir told the court that his son had refused to go to school and accused him of belonging to a criminal gang. The court sentenced the son to six months in prison and 30 strokes of the cane -- which were immediately administered on the premises -- for being disobedient to his parents, NAN said. (Reuters via Yahoo)

Drinking Mom Asks Nine-Year-Old Daughter to Drive

TORONTO – An Ontario woman was charged with a traffic violation after having her nine-year-old daughter drive her home following a night of drinking. "The woman was concerned that she was unable to drive having consumed some alcohol at a social function," police said on Thursday. The child was driving the car slowly along country roads in southeastern Ontario on October 12 when police noticed how tiny she was and pulled her over, police said. (Reuters via Yahoo)

Man Sues Strip Club over Dancer's Flying Shoe

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – An angry wife or girlfriend might not be the only thing to worry about when visiting a strip club. A man suing a Pompano Beach club claims a performer's shoe flew off during a pole dance, shattered the mirrored ceiling and caused glass and the shoe to hit him. The lawsuit filed in Broward County by 35-year-old Charles Privette says the Booby Trap breached its duty when its employee failed to perform her routine in a reasonably safe manner. The suit seeks at least $15,000 in damages. Privette's attorney says his client suffered a small cut to his eyebrow, headaches and nose bleeds because of the Jan. 14 pole dance. Booby Trap general manager George Gettinger acknowledges paramedics were called but said injuries were minor. (AP via Yahoo/Illustrated Photo: Hanif Nashrullah)

Woman Obliges after Husband Begs to be Shot

CENTENNIAL, Colo. – Authorities said a woman who shot her husband in the knee won't face charges because he begged her to do it. The Arapahoe County Sheriff's office said a 35-year-old woman accused her husband of being drunk and becoming violent during an argument. She took control of a handgun during the dispute and claimed her husband begged her to shoot him and told her to 'finish it' after she fired a shot. The sheriff's office said the 34-year-old husband was uncooperative with deputies before he was taken into custody and hospitalized. He was now being held at the Arapahoe County jail after his wife accused him of forcing her into the bathroom and holding a gun to her head before the shooting. He faces charges of felony menacing, third-degree assault and false imprisonment. (AP via Yahoo)

Bold Thief Leaves Police Red-Faced

PERTH – Australian police have been left embarrassed after a man stole a large quantity of seized drugs from a police station. More than 2,000 ecstasy pills as well as small amounts of cocaine and amphetamine, with a street value of about A$27,000 (10,700), were stolen from an exhibit room of the Maroochydore police station in the northeastern state of Queensland, police spokesman Ben Tracey said. A small amount of the stolen drugs has since been recovered but most of the drugs are still missing, police said. A 36-year-old tradesman, who was given unsupervised access to the room which contained the drugs, will be charged next week on 10 charges including drug theft. (Reuters via Yahoo)

Police Arrest a Man for Car Wash Vacuum Sex

THOMAS TOWNSHIP, Mich. – Police say a Michigan man has been arrested after "receiving sexual favors from a vacuum" at a car wash. The Saginaw News reports the 29-year-old Swan Creek Township man was arrested Thursday in Saginaw County's Thomas Township, about 90 miles northwest of Detroit. Police Sgt. Gary Breidinger says a resident called to report suspicious activity at the car wash about 6:45 a.m. An officer approached on foot and caught the man in the act. The suspect, whose name wasn't immediately released, is being held in the Saginaw County Jail. (AP via Yahoo)

Iranians Eat Evidence of World Record Sandwich

Iran failed Friday to register what it said would be the world's largest sandwich in the Guinness book of World Records after people rushed forward and began eating it -- before it was measured. Event organisers had planned to stuff the 1,500-metre-long sandwich with 700 kg of ostrich meat and 700 kg of chicken, and display it in a park in the capital Tehran. But as the sandwich was being measured, chaos ensued. The giant snack was gone in minutes, a Reuters witness said, leaving the three Guinness representatives present with a dilemma. One of the event's organisers said video footage of the sandwich would be sent to Guinness officials. "We still think the sandwich will be recorded in the Guinness book because of all the evidence and footage that we will send them," Parvin Shariati said. (Reuters via Yahoo)