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Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt make love on the SAGA red carpet – photos

THE 18th Screen Actors Guild Awards in Hollywood starred Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt. Others were there. But it’s the A-list power couple who get the headlines. Unless Miss Piggy and Kermit reunite, adopt a baby vampire and score a celebrity portmanteau (Permit?) or Prince Harry squires Jennifer Aniston (Hansiton, as the butler might say) *, Brangelina are the hottest.

They want to remind us that while individually they are the apogee of human beauty, together they are scorchingly at it. Six young children careering around the family home may ruin the sex drive of others, but when you’re Brad and Ange, loving is all. She is the woman who opined: “We have so many kids, it’s just year-round birthdays! It’s one of life’s great pleasures.”

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Posted: 30th, January 2012 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comment


Network Rail killed Olivia Bazlinton and Charlotte Thompson – on the level

THE Times reports that state-funded private company Network Rail will admit responsibility for the deaths of Olivia Bazlinton, 14, and Charlotte Thompson, 13, when the case comes before the Beak at Magistrates’ Court. The teenagers were killed on a village level crossing in Elsenham, Essex on December 3 2005.

Last weekend, 15-year-old Katie Littlewood, from Bishop’s Stortford, Hertfordshire, was killed at the Johnson’s Footpath Crossing.

In 2001, John Hudd, the level crossing manager at Elsenham in 2001, wrote a report to Network Rail. It stated:

“The sighting to trains in either direction is very poor and the risk of disaster is real”.

Network Rail did not act on that advice.

Hudd said the pedestrian gates could be locked when the train was approaching.

Nothing was done.

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Posted: 30th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comments (3)


Star Tips are here to help your life swing

STAR Tips are NOW! magazines way of saving YOU! money and helping you to look GREAT! Of course, you could just cut back on buying glossy magazine – but DON’T! If you do you will not learn, for instance, that a sanitary towel pinned on the side of your knickers, gives you instant curves”. AND that is not all. Cushioned bras CAN be used as KNEEPADS! Now read on…

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Spotter

Posted: 29th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, The Consumer | Comments (3)


Liverpool fan arrested for calling Manchester United’s Patrice Evra a monkey? Call the race police

AND so it came to pass that one man in the stands saw fit to grunt and make monkey noise towards Patrice Evra, the Manchester United captain. Yesterday, we asked why Liverpool fans booed Evra. Their reasons are many. Liverpool versus United in the FA Cup was the first meeting between the clubs since Liverpool’s Luis Suarez was found him guilty of racially abusing Evra.

Today we wonder why one fan made like a monkey. This seems to be racist abuse. Polcie are talking the matter over with the 59-year-old from North Wales.

Chief Superintendent Jon Ward said:

“We can confirm that specialist officers are reviewing match footage, as a result of a picture posted on Twitter. This matter is now under investigation by specialist hate crime detectives.”

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Posted: 29th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Sports | Comments (23)


Has Chloe Moretz turned Daily Mail writers into paedos?

WHAT does the Daily Mail think of the film Kick Ass and its young star Chloe Moretz, a talented actress on the rise?

In 2010, Christopher Tookey called it “EVIL”. It had a 15 rating:

The reason the movie is sick, as well as thick, is that it breaks one of the last cinematic taboos by making the most violent, foul-mouthed and sexually aggressive character, Hit-Girl, an 11-year-old played with enormous confidence by Chloe Moretz…The movie’s writers want us to see Hit-Girl not only as cool, but also sexy…Paedophiles are going to adore her. One of the film’s creepiest aspects is that she’s made to look as seductive as possible.. She’s fetishised…As if that isn’t exploitative enough, she’s also shown in a classic schoolgirl pose, in a short plaid-skirt with her hair in bunches, but carrying a big gun…Underage sex isn’t a laugh.

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Posted: 28th, January 2012 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comments (5)


American Express offers card members trip on Costa Concordia

CAN American Express outdo the newspapers and Google with their Costa Concordia promotion? Seventeen bodies have been found so far on the Italian ship that ran aground. The blurb for the American Express Costa Concordia Experience – a $749 tour of Spin, Italy and France – runs:

“When you choose Costa Cruises, you don’t just see Europe — you live it. From authentic cuisine and beverages to dazzling decor and exhilarating celebrations, it’s easy to fall in love with the rich cultural heritage that inspires ‘Cruising Italian Style’. On an Eastern or Western Mediterranean vacation, you cruise through thousands of years of history, pampered with posh resort amenities in a floating environment of art and beauty. You’ll visit picturesque harbours, ancient ruins, busy markets and bustling boutiques — destinations that won Costa Cruises the Porthole Cruise Magazine Reader’s Choice Award for ‘Best Mediterranean Itineraries. On board you can relax in the dazzling casino, romantic piano bar, internet cafe or on a dance floor. Dine amidst Roman pillars and Italian marble in the main restaurant, savour a gourmet spa menu, or visit a cosy bistro for authentic pizza, gelato and cappuccino. Take time for a state of the art Technogym workout, a private golf lesson, pick-up water polo or bocce ball. Indulge in a Turkish or Roman steam bath. Or just linger on a spacious teak sun deck and savour la dolce vita. You can meet fascinating global travellers and dedicated staff with distinctively Continental perspectives. Barriers can dissolve in the high jinks of theme nights on board — tarantella dancing, ice carving or a Roman Toga party. As a member of the World’s Leading Cruise Lines, Costa Cruises offers a luxury cruise experience to cherish.”

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Posted: 28th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, The Consumer | Comment


The Daily Express and weather reporting

THE Daily Express loves weather. It’s often on the paper’s front page. It’s almost as if with no Madeleine McCann (f1) or Princess Diana stories F2), the News Bot presses f3 on the keyboard. Today’s headline declares as bald fact:

“Freezing Weather Will Kill”

Nathan Rao licks his finger and sticks it to the wind:

Health chiefs issued a nationwide alert yesterday warning of a killer freeze on the way.

The killer freeze is soon given a nickname, like serial killers get:

Dubbed the “Beast from the East”, the weather system is set to roar in from Siberia bringing widespread snow and freezing temperatures.

Who will die?

Older people in particular were warned to take extra care to keep warm as night-time temperatures are expected to plunge as low as -9C (16F), sending death rates soaring.

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Posted: 28th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts | Comment


In photos – Denise Welsh beats off Frankie Cocozza to win Celebrity Big Brother

CELEBRITY Big Brother has been won by embarrassing, self-pitying mum Denise Welch, who beat off the challenge of bewilderingly untalented X Factor renegade Frankie Cocozza, likeable Welsh rugby player Gareth Thomas, a thong (?) of good looking women with only two settings – dull and disagreeable – Reservoir Dogs 2’s Michael Madsen, a desperate Natalie Cassidy and someone who isn’t Mark Wright from The Only Way Is Essex. All in all it was lots of telly with some terrific highlights that made us wonder why Channel 4 ever ditched it. Chuck in a bigger budget and the Big Brother could go on for ever….

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Brian Dowling (right) with Nicola McLean as she is evicted from the Celebrity Big Brother House at the Elstree Studios, Borehamwood.

Posted: 27th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comments (7)


Susanna Barrett sues Daily Mail and TMZ for sexualising her five-year-old daughter

MEET Susanna Barrett. You might already know her from the TV show Toddlers & Tiaras, which stars her five-year-old daughter Isabella and other decorated children in what seems to be an interactive audition for the role of Violet Elizabeth Bott in the musical I’ll Scream And Scream (Until I’m Sick).

That’s Isabella Barrett eyeing her arch rival Paisley Dick (nominative determinism?) and telling TMZ:

“Last time I was here, Paisley was trying to copy me … but MY mom doesn’t dress me up as a hooker.”

That’s Isabella Barrett singing LMFAO’s I’m Sexy And I Know It at a venus in New York City.

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Posted: 27th, January 2012 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comment (1)


Amy Winehouse’s celebrity dad Mitch bares his pain to the Sun – Gaultier laughs

IN “INSULT TO MY AMY”, the Sun says Amy Winehouse’s father Mitch Winehouse is in a state of “fury”. Why? And why not “Our Amy” – is Winehouse not what the tabloids call a “national treasure”?

Well, at Paris fashion week, Jean-Paul Gaultier adopted Wino’s trademark beehive and kohl look, cleaned it up and stuck it on beautiful, lithesome models.

Gordon Smart reports:

The ex-cabbie accused Gaultier of cashing in on Amy’s death with a “bad taste” fashion show. Mitch said the singer’s family was devastated by pictures of catwalk models smoking and wearing the singer’s trademark beehive hairdos and heavy eyeliner.

Devastated?

Wednesday’s show at Paris Fashion Week came just two days after the half-year anniversary of the Back To Black star’s death — and Mitch said it portrayed Amy at her worst.

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Posted: 27th, January 2012 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comment


Costa Concordia: Hairdresser Giovanni Di Mauro was last off the ship – Francesco Schettino lied?

Costa Concordia: introducing superstar hairdresser Giovanni Di Mauro and Roberto Ferrarini…

JUST when you thought Captain Francesco Schettino of the Costa Concordia was looking the hero, we hear it alleged that he asked Roberto Ferrarini, Costa Cruises’ maritime operations manager in Genoa, to agree a cover story that the running aground was due to an electrical blackout. The alleged story would be that the blackout did not follow the disaster – the blackout preceded the disaster.

Roberto Ferrarini has put his report to the Italian Parliament:

“He asked me to agree the line to be taken with the authorities, who were evidently asking him what had happened. He said he intended to say that the ship first suffered a blackout after which it had hit the shoals. I immediately rejected any such possibility, warning him to describe exactly how events unfolded.”

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Posted: 26th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comments (5)


Kerry Katona and Brian McFadden are getting married

KERRY Katona and Brian McFadden (aka former Westlife crooner Brian McPadding) are the subject of OK!’s front-page news headline: “We’re getting married.”

Not married to each other. Kerry is with Steve Alce. Her ex-husband, McFadden, is with his “fiancee“, a woman called Vogue Williams (sister to Exchange & Mart Williams, Beano Williams and Readers’ Wives Williams . The front-page quote has him saying:

“I haven’t told my daughters I’m getting married.”

Thankfully, the girls can’t yet read and OK! is sold under the counter at their local sweetshop. The secret remains safe.

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Posted: 26th, January 2012 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comment


Trim Stacey Irvine is the girl addicted to McDonald’s nuggets – sometimes

STACEY Irvine might be a spokesman for McDonald’s. The 17-year-old is the subject of the Sun story:

15 years on nothing but chicken nuggets – Docs warn Stacey’s fast food diet will kill her

Stacey Irvine has “eaten practically nothing else since the age of TWO“.

Over in the Daily Mail, this story becomes:

Hooked on chicken nuggets: Girl, 17, who has eaten nothing else since age TWO rushed to hospital after collapsing

Back in the Sun, we get:

Horrified doctors learned of the teenager’s chronic 15-year addiction after she collapsed and was rushed to hospital struggling to breathe. Factory worker Stacey, who has never touched greens or fruit, was found to have anaemia and swollen veins in her tongue.

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Posted: 26th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, The Consumer | Comments (2)


In photos – the Costa Concordia escape and sinking

COSTA Concordia – new photos have emerged of the ship being evacuated. We already know why the Costa Concordia ran aground off the island of Giglio a (see all reasons here). We know that Captain Francesco Schettino fell into a lifeboat. We know that Captain Francesco Schettino is a hero.

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Posted: 26th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comments (3)


National Television Awards 2012 – all the winners and photos

THE National Television Awards are presented by – literally – Dermot O’Leary a man so on-message he comes with an SMS  display inserted behind his eyeballs. The  NTAs are the populist awards voted by the real people (that may or may not be you) who prefer the Daily Mirror to the Guardian, Benidorm to the Dordoyne and think Jeremy Clarkson really should be the Prime Minister. Reality TV and soaps are the stars. Spotting the difference may be the most hollow debate since  heated discussion about whether Rebecca Loos was posher than Victoria Beckham. The other debate is Carol Vorderman’s eye. Do the breasts let you see it?

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Chloe Simms arriving for the 2012 NTA Awards at the O2, Greenwich, London

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Posted: 25th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, TV & Radio | Comment


James Bulger lies, Denise Fergus and sense on child crime from the Centre for Social Justice

KNOW that between 2005 and 2010, 346 children aged 10 and 11 were found guilty of sex crimes. The Sun produces this news under photos of James Bulger and his two killers, Jon Venables and Robert Thompson, and the headline:

Children in rape Torture & Arson

You might have heard the news back in 2010, when the Daily Telegraph reported:

A total of 346 youngsters were either convicted in a court or handed a reprimand or formal warning, according to the Youth Justice Board.

Why has the Sun reproduced this news and passed it off as something new? The figures were produced by the Youth Justice Board in response to the arrests of two brothers in Edlington Yorkshire in April 2009. They were jailed for five years for subjecting their victims to torture and sexual humiliation.

So. Why is this news now? And why is it illustrated with pictures of Robert Thompson and Jon Venables, the boys who murdered two-year-old James Bulger? Well, the Sun’s editor Dominic Mohan told the Leveson Inquiry that the biggest story of 2011 was James Bulger. So. The murdered toddler is once more presented to satisfy the readers’ needs. And where James Bulger is mentioned, his mother Denise Fergus is sure to feature.

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Posted: 25th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comments (34)


The death of Danny O’Shea: The celebrity Canning Town murder

CHRIS Nathaniel has been arrested on suspicion of stabbing to death Danny O’Shea in Canning Town, London. Mr Nathaniel is out on police bail. This story is front-page news in the Sun. Not because it is a take on the tabloid’s Broken Britain bollocks, rather it’s because Nathaniel “brokered a bar deal” between Chelsea and England footballer Ashley Cole and superstar rapper Jay-Z.

Also, Mr Nathaniel once worked as a director of Man United captain Rio Ferdinand’s youth foundation.

Details of the crime are sketchy. The Sun prefers to tell us about Mr Nathainel, who has not been charged with any crime, let alone tried. We are told:

Nathaniel, head of the NVA Entertainment Group, has been involved in a host of dazzling deals.

On the companys’s website, we learn that NVA “works closely with the Damilola Taylor Trust”, the fund set up in honour of the young boy stabbed to death in London.

The Sun overlooks this in favour of those “dazzling deals”:

Last year he brokered a multi-million pound tie-up between Jay-Z and Chelsea soccer star Ashley Cole to open a London branch of the US rapper’s 40/40 restaurant and bar franchise. He was also the middleman in a seven-figure book deal for Cole’s team-mate, England skipper John Terry — and claims to promote the world’s fastest athlete Usain Bolt.

Why mention what he claims? Aren’t deal – dazzling ones – a matter of record?

He claims to represent footballers including Manchester United winger Antonio Valencia and Birmingham City defender Curtis Davies.

The story is less about the death of a young man – Danny O’Shea was just 18 when he died in December 2011- and more about trying to finger football in a crime. The Sun adds:

Nathaniel and his pal were questioned at an East London police station over West Ham fan Danny’s murder after their arrest on Monday. They were later freed on bail until March pending further inquiries.

What team does Chris Nathaniel support? Shamefully, the Sun does not tell us. We can tell you that Jay-Z is an Arsenal fan. Such are the facts.

Deep into the news, the Sun reveals:

Several people were seen getting out of a white Ford Transit minibus on the night of the killing, clambering back inside it later. The vehicle bore red and blue lettering and the words “self-drive hire”. Although Danny’s attackers were black, according to police, his mum Julie insisted the killing was not racially motivated.

We then get a quote from Danny’s mum, not named, which sounds pitifuly feeble in light of her son’s apparent murder:

She said Danny “was a popular boy with friends from all cultural backgrounds”.

Define popular.

Nathaniel, whose business is based in London’s Canary Wharf, seems keen on posting cryptic messages on social networking websites. The day before his arrest, he wrote: “Dnt surrender dnt give in persevere no matter how difficult ur life is with perseverance u will get thru anything!”

Blimey. That is cryptic. It’s hard to find any reference to Danny O’Shea unless you jumble up all the letters and chuck in a football shirt.

Here are some facts the Sun omits to mention:

On December 4 2011, two days after the stabbing, a 43-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of murder.

Mr O’Shea’s mother is called Julie Brewer. She said:

“We are devastated by what has happened to Danny and we are still trying to come to terms with it. We do not know why such a terrible thing happened, but what we do know is that this is not racially motivated as Danny was a popular boy with friends from all cultural backgrounds. We do not want to see any local retribution and just urge anyone with any information to come forward to the police.”

It sounds lot like Mrs Brewer is being coached by the on-message police to mention the racial element and then to discount it.

Det Ch Insp John MacDonald had previously said:

“We are keeping an open mind regarding the motive for the attack, however, I wish to reinforce the family’s position that there is nothing to suggest Danny’s murder is racially motivated.”

But why discount it, then? Do the police have closed minds on certain crimes?

Detective Chief Inspector John Macdonald of the Homicide & Serious Crime Command said:

“We believe that the victim may have been chased by a group of black males from Butchers Road at the junction of Hooper Road down into Boreham Avenue.
The area would have been quite busy on a Friday evening, and we need anyone who saw anything suspicious to call us.”

Eleven people have now been arrested. All have been released on police bail.

On 4 December 2011 a (then) 43-year-old man [A – now 44] was arrested and taken to an east London police station. He was later bailed to return – next due in April 2012.

On 5 December 2011 a 32-year-old man [B] was arrested and taken to a west London police station. He was later bailed to return in mid-Feb. 2012 pending further inquiries.

On 9 December 2011 a 31-year-old man [C] was arrested in the Battersea area and taken to an east London police station. He was later bailed to return to an east London police station in late January 2012 pending further enquiries.

On 14 December 2011 four men [D – aged 29; E – aged 22; F – aged 29; G – aged 34] were arrested at an address in the Isleworth area. They were later bailed to return in February 2012 pending further enquiries.

On 20 December 2011 a man [H – aged 23] was arrested in the West Midlands. He was later bailed to return in February 2012 pending further enquiries.

On 21 January 2012 a 29-year-old man [I] was arrested at an address in Middlesex on suspicion of murder. He was later bailed to return in late March, pending further enquiries.

On 23 January 2012 two men, one aged 39 [J] and the other 33 [K], were arrested at Heathrow airport on suspicion of murder nd are currently in custody.

Posted: 25th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comments (2)


The 20 most useless stock photo images ever

WHEN journalists need pictures they can avail themselves of stock images. (Anorak is partners with the Press Association and we get a lot of images (anyone out there want to create galleries of them, please get in touch). These stock images can be odd – photographs waiting for a story. But what story would these photos go with? Any ideas?

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Spotter: Buzzfeed

Posted: 24th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Photojournalism | Comment (1)


Anonyupload.com will not help Megaupload users get their ‘stolen’ property back

MEGAUPLOAD.Com, the file-sharing website registered in Hong Kong, is closed by the FBI and its multi-millionaire founder, Kim Dotcom (aka Kim Schmitz), arrested by the FBI and the Organised and Financial Crime Agency New Zealand in the panic room at his New Zealand mansion on his 38th birday.

Kim Dotcom is not a US citizen. He holds residency in New Zealand, Finland and Germany.

Kim Dotcom was honest with the Kiwi authorities and passed the good character and health requirements for New Zealand residency.

New Zealand’s Dominion Post newspaper reports that Kim Dotcom was given residency in 2010 under the investor plus category, which requires an investment of at least NZ$10million in New Zealand. Dotcom invested in Government bonds.

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Posted: 24th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Technology | Comment (1)


Penguin gifs – the best ones ever

PENGUINS – the best gifs featuring penguins will brighten, enliven and spruce up your day. Promise… Penguins never disappoint:

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Posted: 24th, January 2012 | In: Gifs, Key Posts | Comment


The Adult Video News Expo 2012 – in photos

BEFORE the Adult Video News Awards bestowed honour on the porn industry’s best and brightest talent, there was the Adult Video Expo, in which consumers get to interact with adult film stars in Las Vegas. Porn has gone mainstream. Look out for porn Anyman Ron Jeremy signing his book for Jean Austin of Canoga Park, Calif. Those Californians revere their porn stars, who, thanks to the interest and user-generated content, can be their rivals…

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A convention goer records video of an adult film star at the Adult Video Network Expo, Thursday, Jan. 19, 2012, in Las Vegas. On Tuesday, the Los Angeles city council approved a city ordinance requiring adult film actors to wear condoms while performing. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

 

Posted: 24th, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, The Consumer | Comment


Kim Dotcom refused bail: Megaupload founder banned from bedroom swimming pool (photos)

MEGAUPLOAD.COM is dead. The owner of the Hong-Kong-based file-sharing website, Kim Dotcom ( formerly Kim Schmitz), is in a New Zealand jail. The FBI accuses the 38-year-old multi-millionaire of internet piracy, criminal copyright, infringement and conspiracy to commit racketeering money laundering. The FBI alleges Megaupload defrauded the entertainment industry of $500m. Kim Dotcom was arrested at his NZ$30 million (£15 million) 25,000-square-foot rented mansion in Auckland last Friday. He was hiding in a metal-cased panic room and had to be cut out.

The mansion boasts a heated pool just off the master ensuite filled with imported spring water. The place has about seven 60-inch television screens – each with its own X-box and luxury, recliner chair.

Police seized $4.8 million worth of cars at Doctom Mansion, with license plates like “GUILTY,” “MAFIA”, “POLICE” and “STONED.”

Anne Toohey, the New Zealand crown prosecutor, put it to the North Shore court in Auckland that Mr Dotcom represented a a flight risk “at the extreme end of the scale”. Given his access to big money, cars, boats, aircraft and multiple aliases (Schmitz, Vestor and Dotcom), the chance that he would abscond seems high. Kim Dotcom’s lawyer, Paul Davison, said his client was no risk. He noted that Kim Dotcom’s assets have been frozen and his passport confiscated.

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Posted: 23rd, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Technology | Comment


Costa Concordia: New audio proves Captain Francesco Schettino did not abandon ship (full transcript)

DID Captain Francesco Schettino really trip and fall into a lifeboat, as he claims? Also in that slippery lifeboat were Dimitri Christidis, the ship’s second officer, and Silvia Coronia, the No 3. Eleven people died when the Costa Concordia ran aground. You can find out why it did so here. But is Captain Schettino a coward, as she has been painted? Did he leave his ship before the passengers? Is Domnica Cemortan right – captain Schettino saved lives and acted with honour?

Why did Captain Gregorio Maria De Falco tell Schettino “Get the f*** back on board”?

A recording of an phone call between Captain Francesco Schettino and the Livorno might be evidence that Captain Schettino was telling the truth. We do not know what time the call took place, only that it apparently did.

The Transcript:

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Posted: 22nd, January 2012 | In: Key Posts, Reviews | Comment


Heidi Klum and Seal split over the vol-au-vents (photos)

SUBSCRIBERS of E-Divorce Vulture will know that Heidi Klum and Seal Samuel are all set to divorce. TMZ.com says that “sources with direct knowledge” know that Klum would file divorce papers at Los Angeles County Superior Court next week. The site says:

“We’re told Heidi will cite ‘irreconcilable differences’ as the cause for the divorce.”

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Posted: 21st, January 2012 | In: Celebrities, Key Posts | Comment