Oh, girl! Brit custody battle gets down, dirty
Oh, girl! Brit custody battle gets down, dirty
The latest Britney Spears pal to get served by Kevin Federline’s legal camp is her former assistant Shannon Funk who, sources told OK! magazine, has participated in some girl-on-girl action with the troubled pop tart.
Nothing like a nasty custody battle to drag out all the dishy stuff!
A “close” pal of Britney’s tattled to OK! this week that the college boy who snitched to Us Weekly last week about his pool-side tryst with the Tinseltown train wreck wasn’t telling the truth. Imagine. Because it was Funk who scored with the perpetual headline hog that night!
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“That boy who claims he went back to hang out with Britney and hook up with her? No, that’s not what happened,” the source told OK! “Instead of hooking up with him, (Shannon) ended up back in Brit’s room and bed.”
And that’s not all.
Several former Spears staffers squealed to Us Weekly that the pop star once asked a nanny to sleep in the same bed as her and her now 23-month-old son Sean Preston, and is often drunk in front of the tot and his little bro, Jayden James, 11 months,
“At first, the drinks would help her loosen up and not be so angry,” one employee confessed. “But she’d inevitably drink too much and be out of it, at which point the nannies would take care of the kids.”
And multiple sources confirmed to the weekly mag that Spears frequently stripped down in front of staffers asking “Do I look sexy? Do I look pretty?”
“She hires people to be her friends,” another former caretaker added.
Funk denied that she and Spears are more than friends to OK! but asserted “I love that girl. I will do what I can to protect her.”
But if the stories are true, Funk’s under-oath testimony could cause irreparable damage to Spears’ case to maintain 50-50 custody of her two sons with the failed rap artist.
On Tuesday night, Funk was served with two subpoenas and one request to report to a deposition by K-Fed’s lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan just as she was arriving at California’s Long Beach Airport.
Also served this week was Spears’ former assistant, cousin, and BFF Alli Sims and the singer’s current body guard, Daimon Shippen.
“Kevin is pursuing relevant information from all relevant sources,” Kaplan explained to Us Weekly. “There is a significant strategy in place that Kevin is going to pursue whatever he needs to do to protect his kids.”
Bush's daughter Jenna gets engaged
Bush's daughter Jenna gets engaged Once a party girl and now a teacher, she will marry a former White House aide.
By Maura ReynoldsAugust 17, 2007
Jenna Bush, the presidential daughter turned schoolteacher and author who is perhaps best known for her hard-partying ways, is settling down, the White House announced Thursday. Bush, 25, and longtime boyfriend Henry Hager, 29, are engaged to be married, according to a brief statement from the first lady's press office. No wedding date or location have been set. In the more than six years of her father's presidency, Bush, who has a twin sister, Barbara, has evolved from a lighthearted college student and party girl into a charter-school teacher and social activist. An unpaid internship with UNICEF in Panama last spring introduced Bush to Ana, a 17-year-old HIV-positive single mother who inspired her to write a book. "Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope" is scheduled for publication Oct. 2. According to advance copies, the book is dedicated to her "amazing" parents and "my patient Henry." Hager has been Bush's boyfriend for several years. One of his most prominent appearances with her was as her date to a state dinner in honor of Britain's Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, in November 2005. The two met when Hager, from a prominent Republican family in Virginia, worked on President Bush's reelection campaign and later when he served as a junior White House aide. He is now pursuing an MBA at the University of Virginia. Hager's father, John H. Hager, is a former lieutenant governor of Virginia who served until recently as an assistant secretary of education in the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. In July, he was elected chairman of the Republican Party of Virginia. Jenna Bush graduated from the University of Texas at Austin in 2004 with a degree in English. Barbara graduated the same year from Yale University. During their father's first term, the daughters kept a low public profile, in part because White House officials refused, sometimes stridently, to disclose any information about them. They made headlines anyway: In 2001, a few months after her father was sworn into office, Jenna -- then 19 -- was twice charged with alcohol-related misdemeanors. Her driver's license was suspended for 30 days, and she performed 100 hours of community service. As they graduated from college, however, the twins shed their cloak of secrecy and took on more prominent roles in their father's political life, appearing with him frequently at campaign events. And with greater maturity, the stories of their hard-driving social lives began to diminish. "It's been a while since the twins truly cut loose in public," the Washington Post gossip column, "The Reliable Source," lamented in June 2006. Jenna Bush's "more recent outings, though slavishly chronicled in this column, have been far more subdued -- weekend dinners at nice restaurants, shopping trips, and a Richmond 10K with 'Sister.' "Bush accompanied her mother on a trip to Africa in June. The first lady and first daughter are collaborating on a children's book. --maura.reynolds@latimes.com
Beckham eyes transatlantic marathon
Beckham eyes transatlantic marathon
David Beckham wants to play two matches on two continents in two days next week as he begins juggling England duty with his Major League Soccer LA Galaxy commitment.
Beckham made his first start for the Galaxy on Wednesday, scoring with a free kick and creating a goal for Landon Donovan in Los Angeles' 2-0 SuperLiga victory over DC United.
He was to fly to the East Coast for Saturday's MLS match against the New York Red Bulls at Giants Stadium.
From there, he plans to depart for England to join coach Steve McClaren's squad for a friendly against Germany next Wednesday at Wembley.
He wants to be back the following day in time for an MLS match against Chivas USA, the other Los Angeles club that share the Galaxy's Home Depot Center facility.
"I think I arrive back about 12 noon, and we've got a game that evening," said Beckham, whose has seen limited action in a month with the club due to a sore left ankle."
"Hopefully I'll be physically ready to play some part in that game as well. Hopefully it will all be good."
Beckham played 63 minutes against United before he was replaced on Wednesday. He immediately put ice on his sore ankle and said he had further treatment immediately after the match.
"I had to have my legs flushed through and get any of the little knots that were actually in my legs," Beckham said. "This was the first time I've been on the field in eight weeks or done any sort of running like that."
"I had to get some treatment. The ankle was a lot better than I actually thought it was going to be."
Hurricane Dean Forecast to Reach Lesser Antilles Islands Today
Hurricane Dean Forecast to Reach Lesser Antilles Islands Today By Kelly Riddell and James Temple
Aug. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Hurricane Dean is poised to descend on the Caribbean's Lesser Antilles group of islands today, bringing sustained winds of almost 100 miles per hour (160 kilometers an hour).
Preparations to protect life and property should be ``very near'' completion, the National Hurricane Center warned in an advisory at 10 p.m. New York time yesterday.
Dean's center was 160 miles east-southeast of the French island of Martinique and about 80 miles northeast of Barbados at that time. It was heading west at almost 25 miles (41 kilometers) per hour. Sustained winds were almost 100 miles per hour, making it a Category 2 hurricane.
``Dean is on path to do some damage in the Caribbean,'' Hugh Cobb, a hurricane specialist at the center in Miami, said yesterday in a telephone interview. ``It looks like it could become a Category 4 hurricane.''
A Category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale has sustained winds between 131 miles per hour and 155 miles per hour. The center predicted Dean strengthening today.
Hurricane warnings, meaning such conditions are likely within the next day, remain in effect for Dominica, St. Lucia, Martinique and Guadeloupe and its dependencies.
``Most businesses have closed and sent their staff home,'' Chris Joseph, chief executive officer of the Chamber of Commerce for the island of Dominica, said in an interview. ``This town is pretty much a ghost town.''
Storm Warnings
A tropical storm warning has been issued for the U.S. Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Barbados, Montserrat, Saba, St. Eustatius, Antigua, St. Maarten, Anguilla, Barbuda, St. Kitts, Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Grenada and its dependencies.
A tropical storm watch, meaning conditions are likely within the next 36 hours, is in effect for the south coast of the Dominican Republic from Cabo Engano to the Haiti border.
The Hovensa refinery, a 495,000-barrel-a-day plant on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, continues to operate normally and no shutdown is planned, spokesman Alex Moorhead said yesterday in a telephone interview. The refinery is a joint venture of Hess Corp. and Petroleos de Venezuela SA.
Delta Air Lines is offering customers booked on flights between Aug. 16 and 22 to or from selected cities in the Caribbean a one-time itinerary change without penalty, according to a statement issued by the company yesterday.
All Carnival Corp. cruise ships set to steam into the Caribbean through Aug. 19 remain on schedule with a few itinerary modifications that will steer ships away from the eastern Caribbean islands, a spokeswoman said in an interview.
Cobb compared Dean's track to that of Hurricane Ivan, which ravaged Grenada in 2004, killing 28 people, before moving through Jamaica and Grand Cayman and into the Gulf of Mexico.
Oil, Gas Production
Ivan struck Florida and came aground in Orange Beach, Alabama. U.S. insured damages were estimated at $7.1 billion. The storm also disrupted oil production in the Gulf.
``Dean could very easily be a threat to the U.S. Gulf Coast by the middle of next week,'' according to a report from the ReAdvisory group of reinsurance intermediary R.K. Carvill International Holdings Ltd.
``After entering the Caribbean Sea, we expect Dean will quickly intensify to a major hurricane due to very warm water, low wind shear and moist air,'' the report said.
The Gulf of Mexico accounts for about 27 percent of U.S. oil production and 15 percent of gas output, according to U.S. Energy Department figures. Fuel prices rose to a record in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on platforms, pipelines and refineries on the Mississippi and Louisiana coasts.
Tropical Storm Erin weakened to a depression yesterday, drenching the Houston and Galveston areas in Texas before continuing to carry heavy rains toward the western part of the state, the National Weather Service said.
Flood watches and warnings remain in effect for much of south-central Texas. The storm's remnants are moving west- northwest at about 10 miles per hour and are expected to reach West Texas today, the weather service said at 11 p.m. New York time yesterday.
To contact the reporters on this story: Kelly Riddell in Washington at
kriddell1@bloomberg.net ; James Temple in San Francisco at
jtemple@bloomberg.net . Last Updated: August 17, 2007 00:53 EDT
You can count on this in college football
You can count on this in college footballFrom the new kickoff rules to USC losing a game to who'll be playing QB for Notre Dame by season's end, College Football News gives us three things (and then some) they're sure will happen this year.
Q: Give three things you're absolutely sure of going into this year.
Pete Fiutak
1. There will be plenty of fireworks on kickoffs.Everyone made a big deal out of the clock rule changes last year (which were changed back this year), but that was nothing compared to what's about to happen. Teams and coaches get a limited amount of time to work on the basics, much less fine tune the special teams. Those who aren't strong in kickoff coverage are going to get ripped apart now that kickoffs are starting from the 30 instead of the 35. Those teams with elite returners are going to have a serious advantage, since there won't be many touchbacks. Expect a three-game adjustment period with some very ugly results for some.
2. USC will lose a game.Not only is USC the most talented team in America, but it's not even close. The second, third, and even fourth stringers are better than most teams' starters, and it's gotten to the point to where other major teams are bragging when they get a player recruited by USC, as if it's now the gold standard. Even with all that talent that's come through Pete Carroll's program, the team has only gone tape-to-tape once without a loss, and this year's team isn't the 2004 squad.
While it's hard to come up with any one game that screams for a possible upset, remember, no one saw the near-miss against Fresno State coming two years ago. No one predicted the loss to Oregon State last year. USC needing a win to play for the national title is like Tiger with a lead on Sunday — it's over — but UCLA had other ideas last season.
Sorry, Pete. But the CFN crew seems to think your guys are going to lose at least one game this year. (Reed Saxon / Associated Press)
Predicting a loss at Nebraska on September 15th is too obvious. The same goes for the November 10th showdown at Cal. It's going to happen, but it's going to be when everyone is assuming a Trojan win, like at Oregon the week after the trip to Notre Dame, or at Arizona State before the showdown against UCLA ... or in the BCS Championship.
3. This year will be better than last year.It won't be 2005, but it'll be a lot more entertaining than 2006. College football historians will easily be able sum up last year. Ohio State was No. 1 and wasn't really challenged until the Michigan game, Troy Smith won one of the most boring Heisman races ever, and then Florida obliterated the Buckeyes when the sports world was paying attention to the NFL playoffs. Things will be far different this year, with a far more entertaining Heisman race, a national title chase — at least for the number two spot if USC rocks out of the gate — that'll be terrific, and overall, better teams and conferences. It'll be a wild ride.
John Harris
1. More points will be scored this season in the Big 12 South than in any other year.The offensive talent in that half of the conference is overflowing. Texas returns seven offensive starters, not including star running back Jamaal Charles; Oklahoma returns eight starters, not including star running back Allen Patrick and upcoming stud DeMarco Murray; Texas A&M returns nine starters, not including star Mike Goodson; Oklahoma State returns one of the best QB-RB-WR trios in the nation with Bobby Reid, Dantrell Savage and Adarius Bowman; and Texas Tech has QB Graham Harrell returning. And Baylor ... well, okay so Baylor isn't nearly as potent, but you get the point, right? Add to that the fact that each team has serious defensive question marks and it's a fairly safe bet that the scoreboards will be exploding in '07.
2. Notre Dame's Evan Sharpley may start the season as the Irish starting quarterback, but he won't finish it that way.Remember Todd Helton in 1994 at Tennessee? Held the seat warm for some kid named Manning (in addition to another freshman, Branndon Stewart), then went and played major league baseball. If Jimmy Clausen isn't starting by the USC game, then he's either a fraud or Demetrius Jones is the real deal. Notre Dame has a monster first half of the season, but a manageable second half, one that should allow for Clausen to get experience, some Ws and a bowl trip under his belt. Essentially, he can prep for a strong 2008 season.
3. Florida's Tim Tebow will throw the ball much better than anyone anticipates. Oh, and one more, no university recruiting video will ever be worse than the Appalachian State "Hot, Hot, Hot" video. Just go to YouTube and feel the heat.
How's your team look?Get ready for the college football season with our
119 teams in 119 days series. And stay tuned as our series of
conference previews unfolds.
Richard Cirminiello
1. USC will win the Pac-10 in a walk. Although Cal and UCLA are quality programs, the gap between No. 1 and No. 2 is nowhere more pronounced than it is in this conference. And while the Trojans have retooled for another monster run toward a national championship, the other nine programs are packed so tightly that they'll cannibalize one another every Saturday.
2. Week-in and week-out, the SEC will show the rest of the nation why it's still the deepest, most talented, and most exciting conference in America.Don't even waste your time debating otherwise. College programs are only as good as their leaders, and the SEC boasts a Murderer's Row of head coaches that includes Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, Mark Richt, Steve Spurrier, Phil Fulmer, Les Miles, and Tommy Tuberville. Enough said.
3. Moving the kickoff back five yards to the 30 will prove to be a very good rule change for the game.Let's see, dramatically fewer touchbacks and more open-field touches for some of college football's most exciting athletes — yup, that's the definition of a win-win, particularly for fans.
We're also 98% sure that ...
Michigan will lose a game this year that it's not supposed to. Yeah, the Wolverines are all the rage in the Big Ten and the offense will be nifty, but that offense wasn't enough to overcome a defense that got ripped by Ohio State and USC late in 2006. You know, the same defense that's trying to replace its best pass rusher, run stuffer, linebacker, and cornerback.
This will be the final collegiate season for Arkansas' Darren McFadden, Miami's Calais Campbell, West Virginia's Steve Slaton, and Ohio State's Malcolm Jenkins. They'll be joined by another three dozen or so juniors and redshirt sophomores that leave school early in order to be eligible for the 2008 NFL Draft.
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