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Ty Lawson Dunk VIDEO: Lawson Destroys Lakers DJ Mbenga, Josh Powell

2009-11-14T16:38:30Z

The Denver Nuggets hosted the Los Angeles Lakers last night in a rematch of the 2009 Western Conference Finals. During the final moments of the Nuggets' comfortable 105-79 victory over the defending champions, Denver point guard Ty Lawson drove towards the basket and unleashed a spectacular dunk on Lakers center D.J. Mbenga and forward Josh Powell. Lawson, a rookie drafted 18th overall in June, is just 5'11", but still managed to bulldoze the 6'9" Powell and 7'0" Mbenga.

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Lindsay Lohan Has A Meltdown When Asked To Pay Bar Bill

2009-11-14T16:32:06Z

Lohan, 23, was partying at the Crown Bar in Los Angeles Nov. 6, and, according to one onlooker, caused quite a scene when asked to ante up for her drinks.

"Lindsay stormed into the kitchen and grabbed two bottles of really expensive champagne. She finished both bottles with a friend. When the bartender gave her a bill, she had a meltdown," says the source.

Nicolas Cage Loses Two Homes To Foreclosure

2009-11-14T16:24:26Z

Nicolas Cage's next film may take place in New Orleans, but the debt-plagued actor can now no longer claim to be a resident of the Big Easy.

Cage, 45 who filed a lawsuit blaming his financial collapse on his longtime business partner, had his two historic French Quarter homes purchased in a foreclosure auction Thursday.

1950s Fashionista: Mamie Eisenhower's Mid-Century Mode (PHOTOS)

2009-11-14T16:23:05Z

Before Michelle Obama's belts and brooches and Jackie Kennedy's pearls and pillbox hats, another style-setter called the White House home: Mamie Eisenhower. As Dwight's wife, Mamie was first lady from 1953 to 1961, overseeing nearly a decade of short bangs, flowers, clutches, lace and perfectly perched hats. Today, on the anniversary of her birthday (she would be 113), we take a look back at Mamie's mid-century mode:

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Fort Hood Victims' Funerals Set For Saturday

2009-11-14T16:03:34Z

KIEL, Wis. — When Staff Sgt. Amy Krueger joined the U.S. Army Reserves after the 2001 terrorist attacks, she vowed to hunt down Osama bin Laden. When her mother said she couldn't do it alone, the soldier defiantly told her, "Watch me."

Krueger and several of the other 12 victims of the Fort Hood shooting rampage were set to be mourned at funerals across the country Saturday.

On Friday, hundreds packed into the Kiel High School gymnasium for a visitation for Krueger, 29, who was remembered as a determined, energetic young woman.

"We know what happened, but we don't know why it happened," said Geneva Isely, 57. "To give her all the way she did – and on United States soil. Just unbelievable."

Krueger was set to deploy to Afghanistan for a second time in December and had recently arrived at Fort Hood for training. She had been studying psychology at University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and was a mental health specialist who wanted to help soldiers cope with combat stress.

She also loved playing sports, shooting pool and was a partygoer who sang karaoke and belted out songs by rapper Eminem.

"Her smile would light up any room, her energy would envelope all of those around her," her parents, Jeri and David Krueger, said in a statement. "It is that smile and that energy that keeps us going throughout this difficult time."

She was to be buried in a private service.

Funerals also were planned Saturday for Pfc. Aaron Thomas Nemelka, 19, of West Jordan, Utah; Staff Sgt. Justin M. DeCrow, 32, an Indiana native who lived in Evans, Ga., with his wife and daughter; Capt. John Gaffaney, 56, a psychiatric nurse who worked for San Diego County, Calif.; Spc. Jason Dean Hunt, 22, of Frederick, Okla.; and Pfc. Michael Pearson, 22, of Bolingbrook, Ill.

Utah's congressional delegation, governor and the president of the Mormon church were among those expected to attend services for Nemelka, an Eagle Scout who carried on a family tradition by joining the Army a little more than a year ago.

"Aaron was a man of few words but deep feelings and a gentle disposition," according to an obituary in Salt Lake City newspapers. "His beautiful smile and cheerful, fun-loving personality endeared him to his many friends and family members."

In Plymouth, Ind., small American flags were to be distributed downtown to honor DeCrow. His body was to be escorted from a funeral home to a church by military members, police officers and Indiana Patriot Guard motorcyclists.

"It tears at your heart that it was someone from our community," Mayor Mark Senter said. "People will be out to support him and all that he did for our country."

In Kiel, an eastern Wisconsin town of 3,500 and self-proclaimed "little city that does big things," Krueger knew Mayor Robert Werdeo Jr. simply as "Uncle Bob."

"She had that constant, ever-loving smile – except when she was playing pool. Then she was there to win," Werdeo said. "Just a very strong-willed, determined, beautiful young lady."

Werdeo said Krueger always wore an Army hat or shirt around town and received a tattoo shortly before leaving for Fort Hood, where authorities allege Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan opened fire at a processing center last week.

With a tattered flag in the background, Krueger's tattoo read: "All gave some. Some gave all. Sacrifice."

Google Makes Concessions On Digital Book Deal

2009-11-14T15:43:08Z

SAN FRANCISCO — Internet search leader Google will ease its control over millions of copyright-protected books earmarked for its digital library if a court approves a revised lawsuit settlement that addresses objections of antitrust regulators.

The offer comes two months after the U.S. Justice Department balked at Google's original agreement with authors and publishers, warning the arrangement could do more harm than good in the emerging market for electronic books.

Google Inc. is hoping to keep the deal alive with a series of new provisions. Among other things, the modified agreement provides more flexibility to offer discounts on electronic books and promises to make it easier for others to resell access to a digital index of books covered in the settlement.

Copyright holders also would have to give more explicit permission to sell digital book copies if another version is being sold anywhere else in the world.

The concessions filed late Friday in New York federal court are just the latest twist in a class-action lawsuit filed against Google four years ago by groups representing the interests of U.S. authors and publishers. The suit alleged Google's ambition to make digital copies of all the books in the world trampled their intellectual rights.

Google negotiated a $125 million truce nearly 13 months ago only to be attacked by a brigade of critics who protested to U.S. District Judge Denny Chin, who must approve the agreement before it takes effect. The financial terms of the settlement remain intact, including a promise to give 63 percent of all sales proceeds to participating authors and publishers.

Among other complaints, the opposition said the plan would put Google in charge of a literary cartel that could illegally rig the prices of electronic books – a format that is expected to become increasingly popular.

In echoing some of those concerns, the Justice Department advised Chin that the original settlement probably would break laws set up to preserve competition and protect copyright holders, even if they can't be located.

The concessions didn't go far enough to satisfy one of the most strident opponents, Open Book Alliance, a group that includes Google rivals Microsoft Corp., Yahoo Inc. and Amazon.com Inc.

"Our initial review of the new proposal tells us that Google and its partners are performing a sleight of hand," said Peter Brantley, the Open Book Alliance's co-chairman. "Fundamentally, this settlement remains a set-piece designed to serve the private commercial interests of Google and its partners."

In a Friday conference call, representatives for Google, the authors and publishers expressed confidence the revisions would gain court approval, although they conceded they didn't respond to all misgivings raised by the Justice Department.

Under the timeline laid out in the revised settlement, the Justice Department would have until Feb. 4 to file its opinion about the changes. The revised settlement suggests that a final hearing be scheduled for Feb. 18.

French and German officials also protested the settlement, arguing that it's so broad that it could infringe on copyrights in their countries.

The revised settlement would apply only to books registered with the U.S. copyright office or published in Canada, the United Kingdom or Australia.

Much of the concern about the settlement has focused on whether it would give Google a monopoly on so-called "orphan works" – out-of-print books that are still protected by copyright but whose writers' whereabouts are unknown.

If the writers or their heirs don't stake a claim to their works, the original settlement calls for any money made from the sales of their books to go into a pool that eventually would be shared among the authors and publishers who had stepped forward to work with Google.

The revised settlement will designate an independent party to oversee the financial interests of the orphan books' copyright owners. Proceeds from the sales to orphan books also would be held for 10 years, up from five years in the original agreement. After that, the money would be given to charities.

The revised settlement suggests that a final hearing be scheduled for Feb. 18.

Eliot Spitzer Talks Financial And Personal Crisis In BBC Interview (AUDIO)

2009-11-14T15:22:00Z

In a wide-ranging interview with the BBC's Carrie Gracie, former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer discusses crashes -- both personal and financial.

After eighteen months out of the spotlight, following his resignation amid a sex scandal, Spitzer is once again engaging in public discourse about the origins of the financial collapse. During his tenure as New York State Attorney General, Spitzer gained a reputation as a foil to Wall Street.
"It is very difficult to have watched this story unfold," Spitzer told Gracie, referring to the economic crisis. "It was during the decade of financial excess that I...played a significant role in trying to highlight the failures that ultimately metastasized to bring down an entire financial system."

Spitzer also discusses his personal trials and the plight of his wife and family.

Click below to listen to the interview.

Al Gore Calls For A Green Revolution To Fuel The Economy

2009-11-14T15:15:28Z

"We have a climate crisis at the same time we have an economic crisis at the same time we have a national security crisis," Gore said to a cheering crowd of thousands at Chase Field in Phoenix. "We need to create millions of good new jobs. Well, I know where we can get at least 2.5 million good new jobs: by building green buildings and retrofitting."

Animals That Fit In Your Palm (PHOTOS)

2009-11-14T15:14:25Z

Some animals are cute just because they're so teeny tiny. Check out these adorable photos of animals so small they fit in your palm! Don't forget to vote for your favorite teeny critter.

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A risky setting for NYC trial of 9/11 suspects

2009-11-14T15:02:19Z

WASHINGTON — In a move both politically and legally risky, the Obama administration plans to put on trial the professed mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attacks and four alleged accomplices in a lower Manhattan courthouse.

The venue for the biggest trial in the age of terrorism means prosecutors must balance difficult issues such as rough treatment of detainees and sensitive intelligence-gathering with the Justice Department's desire to prove that the federal courts are able to handle terrorism cases.

Attorney General Eric Holder announced the decision Friday to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others detained at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to trial in a courtroom barely a thousand yards from the site of the World Trade Center's twin towers they are accused of destroying.

Trying the men in civilian court will bar evidence obtained under duress and complicate a case where anything short of slam-dunk convictions will empower President Barack Obama's critics. U.S. civilian courts prohibit evidence obtained through coercion, and a number of detainees were questioned using harsh methods some call torture.

Holder insisted both the court system and the untainted evidence against the five men are strong enough to deliver a guilty verdict and the penalty he expects to seek: a death sentence for the deaths of nearly 3,000 people who were killed when four hijacked jetliners slammed into the towers, the Pentagon and a field in western Pennsylvania.

"After eight years of delay, those allegedly responsible for the attacks of September the 11th will finally face justice. They will be brought to New York – to New York," Holder repeated for emphasis, "to answer for their alleged crimes in a courthouse just blocks away from where the twin towers once stood."

Holder said he decided to bring Mohammed and the other four before a civilian court rather than a military commission because of the nature of the undisclosed evidence against them, because the 9/11 victims were mostly civilians and because the attacks took place on U.S. soil.

Lawyers for the accused will almost certainly try to have charges thrown out based on the rough treatment of the detainees at the hands of U.S. interrogators, including the repeated waterboarding, or simulated drowning, of Mohammed.

The question has been raised as to whether the government can make its case without using coerced confessions, but prosecutors have other evidence including a written confession from Mohammed and other statements and documents to bolster their case.

Held at Guantanamo since September 2006, Mohammed said in military proceedings there that he wanted to plead guilty and be executed to achieve what he views as martyrdom. In a letter from him released by the war crimes court, he referred to the attacks as a "noble victory" and urged U.S. authorities to "pass your sentence on me and give me no respite."

Holder insisted the case is on firm legal footing, but he acknowledged the political ground may be more shaky when it comes to bringing feared al-Qaida terrorists to U.S. soil.

"To the extent that there are political consequences, I'll just have to take my lumps," he said. But any political consequences will reach beyond Holder to his boss, Obama.

Bringing such notorious suspects to U.S. soil to face trial is a key step in Obama's plan to close the military-run detention center in Cuba. Obama initially planned to close the prison by next Jan. 22, but the administration is not expected to meet that deadline.

Obama said he is "absolutely convinced that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be subject to the most exacting demands of justice. The American people will insist on it and my administration will insist on it."

The five suspects headed to New York are likely to face thousands of counts of murder and conspiracy. Mohammed and the four others – Waleed bin Attash, Ramzi Binalshibh, Mustafa Ahmad al-Hawsawi and Ali Abd al-Aziz Ali – are all accused of orchestrating the 2001 attacks.

The government also announced five other Guantanamo detainees, including the alleged mastermind of the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, would be sent to military commissions to face charges.

___

Associated Press writers Pete Yost, Mark Sherman and Jesse J. Holland in Washington, David B. Caruso in New York and Ben Fox and Mike Melia in San Juan contributed to this report.

Zoe & Chloe Have A Bra-Out Book Party (PHOTOS)

2009-11-14T14:56:55Z

Chloe Sevingy and Zoe Saldana wore a similar bra-out look to a Prada book party in Los Angeles Friday night.

Presumably both dressed in Prada, the "Big Love" and the "Star Trek" actresses avoided posing together.

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Obama Urges Congress To Put Off Fort Hood Probe, Warns Against Turning Tragedy Into "Political Theater" (VIDEO)

2009-11-14T13:56:39Z

(AP) WASHINGTON — President Barack Obama on Saturday urged Congress to hold off on any investigation of the Fort Hood rampage until federal law enforcement and military authorities have completed their probes into the shootings at the Texas Army post, which left 13 people dead.

On an eight-day Asia trip, Obama turned his attention home and pleaded for lawmakers to "resist the temptation to turn this tragic event into the political theater." He said those who died on the nation's largest Army post deserve justice, not political stagecraft.

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"The stakes are far too high," Obama said in a video and Internet address released by the White House while the president he was flying from Tokyo to Singapore, where Pacific Rim countries were meeting.

Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan, 39, was charged on Thursday with the shooting spree at Fort Hood last week. Army investigators have said Hasan is the only suspect and could face additional charges.

Obama already had ordered a review of all intelligence related to Hasan and whether the information was properly shared and acted upon within government agencies. Several members of Congress, particularly Michigan Rep. Peter Hoekstra, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, have also called for a full examination of what agencies knew about Hasan's contacts with a radical Muslim cleric in Yemen and others of concern to the U.S.

Hoekstra confirmed this week that government officials knew of about 10 to 20 e-mails between Hasan and the radical imam, beginning in December 2008.

A joint terrorism task force overseen by the FBI learned late last year of Hasan's repeated contact with the cleric, who encouraged Muslims to kill U.S. troops in Iraq. The FBI said the task force did not refer early information about Hasan to superiors because it concluded he wasn't linked to terrorism.

Lawmakers, however, already have announced they want their own investigations and were frustrated with what they view as a less-than-forthcoming administration.

Rep. Howard McKeon, R-Calif., said he wanted to go ahead with an investigation from the House Armed Services Committee, where he is the top Republican. He said he wanted an investigation that wouldn't compromise law enforcement or military investigations that were continuing on separate tracks.

In the Senate, Sen. Joe Lieberman, a Connecticut independent, said his Homeland Security Committee was opening an investigation.

Obama said he was not opposed to hearings – eventually. But he strongly pressed lawmakers to hold off until the probes now under way are completed.

"There is an ongoing investigation into this terrible tragedy," Obama said. "That investigation will look at the motives of the alleged gunman, including his views and contacts."

"We must compile every piece of information that was known about the gunman, and we must learn what was done with that information. Once we have those facts, we must act upon them."

- PHILIP ELLIOTT

Estranged Wife: Eddie Cibrian Cut Off My Cash

2009-11-14T13:55:29Z

Brandi Glanville says she's unable to buy basic necessities like food and gas because her estranged husband Eddie Cibrian controls her credit card, Los Angeles court papers show.

Glanville, 36, a former model turned full-time mom, is also requesting at least $39,963 in monthly support from Cibrian, who filed for divorce after going public with his relationship with LeAnn Rimes.

Zsa Zsa Gabor Has $118,321 Tax Bill, Blames Madoff

2009-11-14T13:49:39Z

LOS ANGELES — Zsa Zsa Gabor's lawyer blames convicted swindler Bernard Madoff for a hefty tax bill owed by his client.

According to documents obtained by The Associated Press on Friday, the Internal Revenue Service filed a lien of more than $118,000 for the years 2001 and 2002 against the 92-year-old actress on Oct. 5 in the Los Angeles County Recorder of Deeds.

Gabor lawyer Chris Fields estimates that Gabor lost about $7 million in Madoff's Ponzi scheme and the tax bill is part of the fallout. Fields says third-party money managers invested Gabor's money with Madoff.

Fields says Gabor and husband Frederic von Anhalt are pulling together their resources and working out a payment plan with the IRS.

The Stupid Virus (VIDEO)

2009-11-14T13:36:38Z

"SuperNews!"--aka the guys that brought you the Twouble with Twitters, Larry King interviewing the Large Hadron Collider and Emoticon Wars--have returned this week to bring you the answer to this question: Why are people so stupid? Turns out it's a virus spread by an Obama-hating monkey. He's responsible for birthers, the people who equate health care reform to the Holocaust, and Rush Limbaugh.

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