[FashionRatty] tag: police

Estranged relative arrested in Hudson killings

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 21:50:13 +0000

Police arrested the estranged brother-in-law of Jennifer Hudson on Monday in the deaths of the entertainer’s mother, brother and young nephew, taking him from a prison where he had been held on a suspected parole violation.

William Balfour was arrested at Stateville Correctional Center and released to detectives as he awaited formal charges in the shooting deaths of the singer and Oscar-winning actress’ relatives, said Chicago police spokeswoman Monique Bond.

Until Monday, police had identified Balfour, 27, only as a “person of interest” in the investigation. He had not been charged by late Monday afternoon, said Andy Conklin, a spokesman for the Cook County state’s attorney’s office.

The bodies of Jennifer Hudson’s mother, Darnell Hudson Donerson, and brother, Jason Hudson, were discovered Oct. 24 at the family’s home on the South Side of Chicago. The body of 7-year-old Julian King was found three days later in a sport utility vehicle on the West Side. All three had been shot.

Police took Balfour into custody the same day the bodies of Donerson and Hudson were discovered. After 48 hours — the longest Chicago police can hold a person without charges — Balfour was taken by the Illinois Department of Corrections on the suspected parole violation.

Balfour — Julian’s stepfather and the estranged husband of Jennifer Hudson’s older sister, Julia Hudson — served seven years for a 1999 attempted murder and vehicular hijacking conviction.

His mother, Michelle Balfour of Chicago, has denied that her son had anything to do with the deaths. Telephone numbers for Balfour’s mother and sister were disconnected Monday.

Balfour had refused to take a lie-detector test and stopped cooperating with detectives in the case, a police official, who was not authorized to discuss the case publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity, has said.

Police have confirmed they found the gun used in the killings. The .45-caliber gun was discovered Oct. 29 in a vacant lot in the West Side neighborhood where the King’s body was found a few days earlier.

Bond declined to discuss any evidence Monday. But after a hearing at the prison, the chairman of the Illinois Prisoner Review Board said a woman had told authorities that a gun used in the slayings was “identical” to the gun that was recovered.

At the time, board Chairman Jorge Montes said the evidence was key to a decision finding probable cause that Balfour violated his parole and should remain locked up pending a Dec. 3 hearing before a review board panel.

Balfour did not have an attorney at the November hearing, and the Cook County public defender’s office said at the time that nobody from the office had been assigned because he was not formally charged with a crime.

No one in the public defender’s office was assigned to Balfour’s case late Monday, and it’ was not clear whether he had other representation.

Kirsten Dunst is on Stalker Alert

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 13:16:00 +0000

Kirsten Dunst has obtained a restraining order against alleged stalker Christopher Smith.

The declaration states, “Mr. Smith has repeatedly shown up uninvited at my place of residence in Los Angeles, going so far as to ignore police warnings, bypass my personal security measures, trespass on my property, and attempt to gain entry into my home.”

“Mr. Smith’s sudden, aggressive, and harassing efforts to contact me are extremely frightening. I fear not only for my own personal safety, but also for the safety and well being of my housemate and assistant.”

A private security guard adds, “[Mr. Smith was] arrested and subsequently placed on a 72-hour psychiatric hold.”

For more, tune into ET later today.

PLAXICO BURRESS WILL TURN HIMSELF IN MONDAY

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 07:49:15 +0000

Giants star wideout Plaxico Burress will surrender tomorrow morning to NYPD detectives, who will charge him with felony criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said today.

Burress, 31, accidentally shot himself in the right thigh early Saturday morning at Midtown nightclub Latin Quarter with a gun he was not legally permitted to carry, police sources said.

He also faces a possible charge of reckless endangerment.

“We will make arrangements for Mr. Burress to be present when required,” defense lawyer Benjamin Brafman said after spending an hour at the troubled player’s Totowa, N.J., home. “He’s not running away from this.

“He intends to deal with this responsibly, and we hope it works out in the end. I would ask that the public, the Giants, the media and everybody else withhold judgment.

“He’s presumed innocent, hasn’t been convicted of anything, and we have a long road ahead of us.”

Police had yet to recover the gun Burress brought into the Lexington Avenue club.

Burress arrived at the club with teammates Antonio Pierce and Derrick Ward around midnight, and was allowed to bring his weapon inside after going through a metal detector and being frisked, sources said.

A short time later, as he was being escorted upstairs to the VIP area, the gun became loose in his waistband and a round went off. He was shot through the same injured thigh which had already kept him out of today’s 23-7 victory over the Washington Redskins.

Burress refused medical care at the club and left with his teammates, turning up two hours later at New York Hospital, where he spent the next 12 hours. The hospital and club never reported the shooting to the police.

New York Hospital continued to deny that Buress was a patient there.

When asked about the hospital’s policy on reporting gunshot victims to the police - as the law requires - spokesman Bryan Dotson said, “I don’t know what the policy and protocal is on that.”

(source)

Celebrity Gossip, Celebrity News, Celebrity Photos

New York, Paris, Milan, SoSaLa?

Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:00:00 +0000

Utah Stories Front Page
New York, Paris, Milan, SoSaLa?

November 18th, 2008
Could South Salt Lake become the next fashion capital?
by Rebecca Edwards

If it seems unlikely that South Salt Lake, or SoSaLa as it has been coined recently, could become the latest hot spot for fashion and entertainment, it may be time to reconsider. With the likes of East High becoming forever imprinted on the pop culture psyche via the High School Musical (HSM) movies, and the hottest literary phenomenon since Harry Potter, the Twilight series, being penned by a BYU alum, it seems the time is ripe for Utah to splash onto the fashion scene as well.

Central Point South Salt Lake
One man has a big vision for the future of SoSaLa and Utah's place on the world fashion stage. Stacey Eastman, founder and president of Pulse Management, has partnered with Elite Model Management to open a full-fledged talent agency in SoSaLa. Eastman's hip office is the cornerstone of the new Market Street Station shopping and urban living center being developed at 2100 South and Main.

Despite swanky, new digs and the recent attention the entertainment world has given Utah thanks to HSM and American Idol runner-up David Archuleta, the question still remains: Why Utah?

"I have operated in seven different cities for over 21 years in many different markets," Eastman said. "And all of our superbowl rings (Vogue covers) have been procured by Utah talent alone."
For the past two decades Eastman has discovered and represented some of the biggest models in the world, including Utah discovery Hye Rim Park who has walked runways for top designers all over the world and graced the covers of magazines like Vogue.

Pulse, whose mission includes "slamming forth an intense revolution of raw, clean, talent" was established two decades ago by Eastman, a successful fashion photographer. In that time, Eastman has discovered some of the top models in the business, including recent phenom (and Utah native) Ali Stephens. Ali is the latest in a long line of successful models that Eastman and his team have discovered in Utah. Within three days of Pulse discovering her, she was walking the runway in Milan. Another Utah discovery, Hye Rim Park, has not only graced the cover of Vogue, but has been heralded by editors and photographers alike as one of the top ten models in the world.

SoSaLa is in good company. Elite also has modeling agencies in Chicago, Miami and New York.
The success of talent discovered in Utah caught Eastman's attention, and it's not letting go. Over the past ten years, he has been working more and more with Utah models, leading to the opening of the SoSaLa office in June, 2008. This is the first office Elite, one of the world's leading agencies, has opened in a market that is virtually unknown to the fashion world at large.

"This is the first time since 1965 that Elite has entered into a partnership like this, and it's in South Salt Lake. There's something in the water," Eastman jokes. "When Brigham Young said that 'this is the place,' he didn't know how right he was. Elite has launched more industry icons over the past 65 years than anyone else, and we have been able to accomplish this partnership solely because of the people we have been blessed to work with."

Eastman is not shy about crediting the lifestyle and family values of Utahans as contributors to the success of his models. "I haven't been able to put my thumb on it, but in 21 years the only thing I can come up with is that it's got to be the lifestyle. Whether part of the predominant religion or not, religion attracts other religious people, and that is accompanied by a certain lifestyle."

Pulse models are selected not just for physical beauty, but for being well-rounded and having a strong family support system. Eastman has found that although Utah is not immune to the typical pitfalls of being a modern teenager, such as rebellion and drugs, the kids he works with from Utah seem to display behavior that is contrary to what he finds in the rest of the country.

Central Point apartments have attracted young hip professionals, like Justin Erikson pictured above.

"Predominantly, kids are the best here," he said. "It has a lot to do with the parents and the entrepreneurial attitude of the state. People here are industrious. They live up to the slogan of the beehive state. They are healthy, driven, very entrepreneurial-minded, and passionate. If I go to Portland, to get the kids to do anything is like pulling teeth."

Eastman prefers to sign models who are more than just a pretty face, with involvement in school activities, sports, church, and good grades being crucial factors. Since 1992, he says he has found those qualities most often in kids from Utah. The contradiction of Utah's image and that of the fashion industry is not lost on Eastman, but he remains confident that the move to Utah is the right one. And Utah seems to be welcoming Pulse Management with open arms.

"We had so much political support," Eastman said, describing the grand opening street party he held in SoSaLa that was attended by 4,000 people. "This is not what you are used to in the fashion world. If Elite opened a second office in Manhattan, the mayor wouldn't go out of his way to endorse it. We received so much support from the president of the Utah Film Commission, Governor Huntsman, the mayor of South Salt Lake, and the police and fire chiefs. The support has been overwhelming for us."

The welcoming and supportive attitude of the Utah community has even caught the attention of the Elite office in Manhattan, according to Eastman. Attention that Eastman looks forward to keeping. Pulse has a variety of upcoming events planned, including partnerships with the Twilight movie premiere this coming weekend, the Sundance Film Festival, and an upcoming fundraiser for Huntington's disease.

Eastman has a powerful vision for what he calls the "New SoSaLa," and he plans to bring that vision to fruition through creative partnerships with local and worldwide entertainment and fashion leaders. Pulse has partnered with Wasatch Helicopters to offer sightseeing tours, heli-boarding, and heli-skiing, leading to a new helicopter pad across from the Pulse office. In addition, the number one casting director in Utah is putting in an office right next door.

"We're in the process of building a production capital, encompassing all aspects of the entertainment industry," Eastman said. "We're partnering with local clothing designers, the film industry, spas, salons, sound stages. This is what keeps us at the top of the totem pole, and I'm the only one in the world with the relationships to pull it off."

Eastman is committed to making a difference in the entertainment industry, and unbelievably to some, Utah is one of the keys to making that happen. As he said, "When we find a girl we can't always tell when she will make it, but we can tell if. In South Salt Lake, it might take months, a year, or longer, but it will happen. It's only a matter of time. We're changing this town."

LAWYER: BURRESS WILL TURN HIMSELF IN MONDAY

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 21:11:57 +0000

Giants star wideout Plaxico Burress will surrender tomorrow morning to NYPD detectives, who will charge him with felony criminal possession of a weapon, authorities said today.

Burress, 31, accidentally shot himself in the right thigh early Saturday morning at Midtown nightclub Latin Quarter with a gun he was not legally permitted to carry, police sources said.

He also faces a possible charge of reckless endangerment.

“He intends to deal with this responsibly, and we hope it works out in the end. I would ask that the public, the Giants, the media and everybody else withhold judgment.

“He’s presumed innocent, hasn’t been convicted of anything, and we have a long road ahead of us.”

Police had yet to recover the gun Burress brought into the Lexington Avenue club.

New York Hospital continued to deny that Buress was a patient there.

When asked about the hospital’s policy on reporting gunshot victims to the police - as the law requires - spokesman Bryan Dotson said, “I don’t know what the policy and protocal is on that.”

(source)

Yvette Mimieux: The Time Machine (Photos, Video)

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:42:23 +0000

Yvette Mimieux, 66, is a retired actress of French and Mexican heritage who was widely regarded as a sex symbol in the 1960’s. She debuted with two breakout movies in 1960: Where The Boys Are and The Time Machine, where she played the character “Weena” and co-starred with actor Rod Taylor.

The actress has been married to Howard Ruby since 1986. She is an anthropologist and real estate investor. Her husband is a founding partner and chairman of Oakwood Worldwide, formerly R&B Enterprises, a provider of corporate housing.

Photo gallery below and movie video.

(more…)

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Winona Ryder and the Missing Jewels

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:56:15 +0000

When actresses become famous they begin to enjoy the perks that go with stardom. They include being loaned some of the finest jewels that money can buy. Actress Winona Ryder was in Madrid, Spain last week to attend the Marie Claire magazine party and borrowed $125,000 worth of Bulgari diamonds that have since vanished.

Ryder claims that she gave the diamond-encrusted bracelet and ring to the front desk at her hotel. The actress states that she put them in an envelope and asked that they be locked up for safe keeping. Now the gems have gone missing and the hotel is having a hard time locating the surveillance video.

Bulgari executives have of course turned this matter over to the police for further investigation. Ryder’s people have yet to comment on the situation.

In 2001 Winona was arrested for shoplifting at Saks Fifth Avenue in Beverly Hills and received a fine and community service in a plea deal.

Photo: Wenn

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Super Bowl Champs In Super Gun-Related Trouble

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:09:37 +0000

Eli Manning must be sooooo pissed!

His pube faced Giants teammate, wide receiver Plaxico Burress, shot himself in the leg at a NYC club early Saturday morning.

Ding bat was packing heat at a Manhattan club and according to reports, when his gun slipped down his pant leg, his liquored up ass accidently set it off when he tried to get it back into position.

Thank goodness he didn't hurt anyone else.

The Giants' trouble doesn't end there.

Giants linebacker Antonio Pierce, who was also at the club pAArtying, tried to 'help' his teammate out by hiding Pube Face's gun.

Police insiders reveal that Pubes is expected to be arrested on felony weapons charges and that the Gun Hider's attorney was 'in frantic discussions with cops' on Saturday night to save his client from criminal charges.

Don't most teams have 'no partying' rules during the season?

Way to eff up the team's 'dream season', guys.

Oh, and get this.

Plaxico said that he had to carry a gun for 'protection'.

If shiz was really that bad, Plax, we're sure your coach would've forced the team to pay for a bodyguard.

You caught last year's Super Bowl winning pass for goodness sake!

[Images via AP Photos.]

Bottle of Wine

Sun, 30 Nov 2008 02:10:58 +0000

Bottle of wine

A woman and a man are involved in a car accident on a snowy, cold Monday morning; it's a bad one. Both of their cars are totally demolished, but amazingly neither of them are hurt. God works in mysterious ways.
After they crawl out of their cars, the man is yelling about women drivers.
The woman says, 'So, you're a man. That's interesting. I'm a woman. Wow, just look at our cars! There's nothing left, but we're unhurt. This must be a sign from God that we should be friends and live in peace for the rest of our days'.

Flattered, the man replies, 'Oh yes, I agree completely, this must be a sign from God! But you're still at fault...women shouldn't be allowed to drive.'

The woman continues, 'And look at this, here's another miracle. My car is completely demolished but this bottle of wine didn't break. Surely God wants us to drink this wine and celebrate our good fortune.'

She hands the bottle to the man. The man nods his head in agreement, opens it and drinks half the bottle and then hands it back to the woman.

The woman takes the bottle, puts the cap back on and hands it back to the man.

The man asks, 'Aren't you having any?'

The woman replies, 'No. I think I'll just wait for the police....'

Tis the Season

Sat, 29 Nov 2008 12:30:07 +0000

*Twas the month before Christmas*

*When all through our land,*

*Not a Christian was praying*

*Nor taking a stand.*

*See the PC Police had taken away,*

*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*

*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*

*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*

*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*

* December 25th is just a ' Holiday '.*

*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*

*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*

*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*

*Something was changing, something quite odd! *

*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*

*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*

*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*

* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*

*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*

*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*

*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*

*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*

*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*

*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton !*

*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*

*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*

*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*

* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*

*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*

*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*

*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*

*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*

*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*

*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,

not Happy Holiday !*