@mrjyn
July 17, 2009
"UFO over the Rocky Mountains" - The Denver Post
"UFO over the Rocky Mountains" - The Denver Post"UFO over the Rocky Mountains"
Young boys used to find summertime trouble outside; now they go to YouTube.By Mark ObmascikPosted: 07/12/2009 01:00:00 AM MDTAh, summer. The kids are out of school, which means it's time for my young sons to take up favorite vacation pastimes like baseball, bike riding, lemonade stands and duping the world with elaborate hoaxes about UFOs on YouTube.
It was a rainy day, and our three boys were confined inside the house doing what brothers usually do — socking one in the nose and blaming the other for the trouble. I was used to this. A few minutes later, however, came total silence. If ever there was a sign that the boys were up to no good — the kind of no-good that usually results in a call to our homeowner's insurance agent — this was it. I decided to poke around.
In the kitchen I found our 10-year-old with a cheap plastic digital camera and our 4-year-old with a circular LED light purchased from Wal-Mart for $4.88. The younger boy was reflecting the light off the kitchen window while the older boy shot a pixilated video clip. I have to admit: The reflection did look a little like a weird flying saucer, but the narration by my son sealed the deal.
"It's an alien!" he exclaimed in his most dramatic, breathless voice. "Oh my God, look at that!" (The video can be viewed below).
It all seemed so sweet and funny — two would-be Steven Spielbergs, one in pre-school and the other in elementary school, together serving up a Close Encounter of the Fraudulent Kind. Mostly, I was grateful that they were entertaining themselves indoors, without bloodshed, on a rainy summer day.
And then they posted their video on YouTube.
Within an hour, they had their first 100 hits. And then another hundred. And another. Before long, their 18-second clip with the take-notice headline "UFO Over the Rocky Mountains!" was the subject of an intense international debate.
Some viewers pronounced the video as conclusive proof of the existence of extraterrestrials. Others denounced it as a fake, but with impressive and elaborate CGI imagery.
My little 4-year-old and 10-year-old hoaxsters were thrilled. Adults from around the world were paying attention to them! They went to bed that night with dreams of Hollywood in their heads.
When they woke up the next morning, though, they learned a hard lesson about the movie business: Overnight they had been struck by pirates.
Their fake UFO video was so convincing that it was picked up by the Paranormal Network. Shortly after, another UFO site copy-and-pasted the video, and another, and then even a foreign-language site calling itself UFO Video Italia. Somebody else somehow stretched the 18-second clip into a two-minute epic, complete with ultra-slow-motion zooms and dramatic backing vocals that seemed to come from a strange marriage of Jerry Bruckheimer and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir.
Boy, was I mad. All this work by my own two sons and now all the glory, thousands and thousands of precious Internet hits, was being hijacked by some shamelessYouTube pirates. Oh, the nerve!
Surprising thing was, it didn't bother my sons a whole lot. As my 10-year-old said: "Don't worry so much, Dad. It's the Internet. These things happen."
And so here I was, the father of two baby-faced boys who fooled the world with a $99 camera and a $4.88 light from Wal-Mart. And I couldn't help but think that summer vacations have sure changed a lot since I was a kid.
Mark Obmascik is a Denver writer and author of a new book, "Halfway to Heaven" (Free Press, 2009). He can be reached via markobmascik.com.
Michael Jackson IV Junco Tracks
Michael Jackson IV Junco Tracks
Video sent by mrjynMichael Jackson IV Junco Tracks
SCARY Tito Jackson IN BEAT BOWLER BREAKS SILENCE OF PAST 30 YEARS TO DAILY MAIL
For years, the Jackson family largely presented a unified, denial-filled front in response to allegations of Michael Jackson's alleged addiction to prescription medication. But, following in the footsteps of sister LaToya, who was paid to speak to a British tabloid about her feelings that Michael was "murdered" by a shadowy group of conspirators, older brother Tito, 55, has broken his silence to a rival British tab, The Daily Mirror.
In a lengthy interview, Tito told the newspaper — which seems likely to have paid him for his time, as The Daily Mail did with LaToya — that the family was so concerned over Michael's alleged abuse of prescription pills that they planned a military-style intervention at Jackson's then-home, Neverland Valley Ranch. (Representatives for the Mail had not responded to MTV News' request for comment at press time.)
"I never saw him on drugs. Not once. He deliberately did it away from us. He didn't want his family to know anything about that part of him," Tito reportedly told the paper, adding that Jackson did everything in his power to hide his activities, even ordering his staff to bar his brothers and sisters from the ranch.
"We had to act," he explained, saying that as rumors grew of Michael's addiction his siblings rushed passed the security guards to confront Michael. "It was me, my sisters Janet, Rebbie and LaToya and my brothers, Jackie and Randy ... We bust right into the house and he was surprised to see us, to say the least. ... We went into one of his private rooms and had a discussion with him. Some of us were crying."
Tito claimed that the siblings kept asking Michael if it was true he was using drugs and the singer kept denying it, saying they were overreacting and asking a doctor who was on hand to assure them everything was OK.
Investigators are still trying to determine what caused Jackson to collapse and die on June 25 at the age of 50, apparently of cardiac arrest. Numerous news outlets have reported that the singer was taking a number of prescription pain medications and anti-anxiety drugs at the time of his death and that he was also allegedly using the powerful doctor-only approved anesthetic Diprivan as a sleep aid to counter his chronic insomnia.
Tito said that despite the assurances, the siblings didn't take Michael's word and attempted to speak to him about the problem for hours, to no avail. He did not say when the intervention took place, but noted that the family subsequently tried "many times" to speak to Michael about the issue, but were shut out by his handlers.
"I don't know if they were just doing their job or if it they were part of some kind of conspiracy," he said, adding that the security staff would often set up roadblocks to keep the siblings out. Tito said he first became aware of Michael's alleged problems with prescription drugs after the singer was treated at a rehab clinic in 1993.
"He had been taking pain medicine because of the burns to his scalp and evidently he got some type of addiction from it," Tito said, referring to injuries Jackson suffered from burns during a 1984 shoot for a Pepsi ad.
Though LaToya claimed that Michael was killed by a group of conspirators trying to get their hands on his money, Tito said he is not convinced of that. "I don't know whether he was killed or not," he said. "But I would say that sometimes he had people around him that were not in his best interests. ... Whether his death was an accident or whether it was deliberate, something has gone on and we need to get to the bottom of it."
On another topic the family declined to discuss over the years, Jackson's proclivity for image-remaking plastic surgery, Tito said that obsession may have come from taunting the singer endured from family patriarch Joseph Jackson when Michael was young about his nose and acne. "Michael's plastic surgery started around 1979, when he went solo," Tito said. "It was just something that a lot of entertainers were doing at the time. ... It started with just an alteration of his nose. He never told me why, but I think he thought it would improve his looks."
The former member of the Jackson 5 also countered reports in a new unauthorized biography by Canadian writer Ian Halperin, who said that near the end of his life, Michael was obsessed with fears of his own death.
"Michael was one of those people that was always worried about someone having to take care of him," Tito said. "He didn't want to turn into someone who couldn't make it up the stairs or couldn't make it to the bathroom. ... But I don't think losing his life at an early age was part of his plan either. ... He never talked to me about dying, but most of us are a little in fear of dying."
NOOOOOOOOO! Amy Winehouse Granted Divorce From Blake Fielder
Amy Winehouse Granted Divorce From Blake Fielder-Civil
Singer's headline-making marriage ends after two years.
After a tumultuous union filled with arrests, public spats and accusations of drug abuse, the turbulent marriage of British singer Amy Winehouse and onetime muse Blake Fielder-Civil ended on Thursday (July 16). The Associated Press reported that neither Winehouse, 25, nor Fielder-Civil, 27, were present when a judge granted the divorce petition at a brief Family Court hearing. The divorce becomes final after six weeks and a day, ending a marriage that provided dozens of international headlines and, according to sources close to Winehouse, nearly helped to write the epitaph for the troubled singer.
The couple, who met in a London bar in 2005, were married in a simple ceremony in front of a few friends in Miami in 2007 but spent much of their wedded life apart, as Fielder-Civil was arrested six months later on an assault charge and sent to jail.
Winehouse's father, Mitch Winehouse, has frequently accused music video production assistant Fielder-Civil for introducing his daughter to hard drugs, and the couple's up-and-down relationship made for plenty of tabloid headlines. Winehouse mined her misery over Fielder-Civil's early abandonment of their relationship for material on her multi-Grammy-winning breakthrough Back to Black, crying in her beer on songs including the album's title track. In interviews, Winehouse frequently spoke of her breathless love for her often disheveled Blake, and the couple appeared inseparable during the international promotional blitz for Black that made Winehouse a household name.
In addition to the reported drug use, Winehouse was famously caught on video carving the words "I Love Blake" into her stomach with a shard of glass, and during an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, she displayed photos of the couple passing pills to each other with their tongues.
But the Sid-and-Nancy-style love affair was also accompanied by photos of heated arguments that ended with both sporting bruises and scratches, as well as an arrest in Norway in October 2007 for marijuana possession; the couple were released with a fine. Just months after the wedding, Fielder-Civil was arrested on charges of suspicion of attacking a bar landlord and attempting to bribe him to drop the allegation. Following his incarceration, Winehouse was frequently seen wandering the streets of her Camden neighborhood in a daze, and she subsequently canceled a U.S. tour.
Fielder-Civil was released from prison in February and shortly after filed for divorce on claims of Winehouse's infidelity; she acknowledged adultery and said she would not contest the divorce. The AP reported that the divorce papers filed with the court stated that he found living with Winehouse "intolerable."
Winehouse recently returned to England after several months of living on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia, where she was reported to be working on the long-awaited follow-up to Back to Black.
What's DameElizabeth Been Doing? Find out on Twitter - She's Stopped Twittering since the Media's been sniffing around after MJ's Death!
Elizabeth Taylor (DameElizabeth) on Twitter
- My love goes out to Katherine and Michael's beloved children.4:28 PM Jul 6th from web
- I said I wouldn't go to the Staples Center and I certainly don't want to become a part of it. I love him too much.4:26 PM Jul 6th from web
- I just don't believe that Michael would want me to share my grief with millions of others. How I feel is between us. Not a public event.4:25 PM Jul 6th from web
- And I cannot guarantee that I would be coherent to say a word.4:24 PM Jul 6th from web
- I've been asked to speak at the Staples Center. I cannot be part of the public whoopla.4:22 PM Jul 6th from web
- I will always love Michael from the depth of my being and nothing can separate us.6:29 PM Jul 5th from web
- I am a survivor not only for myself, but for my family and for Michael too.6:28 PM Jul 5th from web
- Although my grief over Michael could not be any deeper, I am not on suicide watch as some of the cheaper "rags" would have you believe.6:27 PM Jul 5th from web
- I wanted you my friends to know that I'm going into the hospital Wednesday or Thursday to complete a test I was in the middle of.6:26 PM Jul 5th from web
- I keep looking at the photo he gave me of himself which says, "To my true love Elizabeth, I love you forever." And I will love HIM forever.4:08 PM Jun 26th from web
- I can't imagine life without him. But I guess with God's help I'll learn.4:06 PM Jun 26th from web
- I don't think anyone knew how much we loved each other. The purest most giving love I've ever known. Oh god! I'm going to miss him.4:04 PM Jun 26th from web
- It can't be so. He will live in my heart forever but it's not enough. My life feels so empty.4:01 PM Jun 26th from web
- I was packing up my clothes to go to London for his opening when I heard the news. I still can't believe it. I don't want to believe it.4:00 PM Jun 26th from web
- We had so much in common and we had such loving fun together.3:59 PM Jun 26th from web
- My heart...my mind...are broken. I loved Michael with all my soul and I can't imagine life without him.3:57 PM Jun 26th from web
- Dearest Elizabeth, You make the sun shine, the clouds move and the world spin. So many people love you and so do I. Love Always,______7:06 PM Jun 19th from web
- Somebody I care for very much sent the following note to me with flowers and I wanted to share it with you.7:04 PM Jun 19th from web
- Life without earrings is empty!1:29 PM Jun 19th from web
- Humor is the only way to stay alive.7:58 PM Jun 18th from web
- My mind, my soul were transported by his beauty, his voice, his inner being. God has kissed this man and I thank God for it.9:53 PM Jun 8th from web
- I went to see Andrea Bocelli last night. The first time I've been out in months. The Hollywood Bowl allowed me to use my wheelchair.9:52 PM Jun 8th from web
- So it's your name, your perfume. I hope you love it as much as I do. Wear it in love.1:06 PM May 29th from web
- Dear Fellow Twitterers: Thank you for your opinions on my new perfume's name. VIOLET EYES won hands-down.1:06 PM May 29th from web
- @Marie_Monr0e Fortunately for me I still have an active, up to date mind which for a "hip" lady like myself comes naturally. One Slick Chick5:20 PM May 28th from web in reply to Marie_Monr0e
- I think it's terrible for the California govt to retract the law on Gay Marriage after they made it legal. You can't treat people that way!4:08 PM May 28th from web
- The perfume company wants me to name my new fragrance VIOLET EYES. I think its conceited and like FOLLOW ME. Which do you prefer?4:03 PM May 28th from web
- Thank you to all who make White Diamonds sparkle! Everyone here, my partners at Elizabeth Arden and all the wonderful people in the stores.3:48 PM May 28th from web
- A thrill of excitement. I'm so stoked! My fragrance, White Diamonds entered the Hall of Fame at the FIFI Awards last night.3:33 PM May 28th from web
- It's a shame more public servants don't have San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom's courage in speaking out against Prop 8. Go Gavin!8:50 PM May 27th from web
- There is no such thing as a "Gay" agenda. It's a human agenda. The California Supreme Court decision on Prop. 8...TERRIBLE!!!!8:30 PM May 27th from web
- I'm home from the hospital and feeling great. Thanks for all the love and support!3:43 PM May 26th from web
- @kathyIreland Thanks Darling for the beautiful flowers and all the prayers. Now can you just get my puppy past hospital security. Love3:31 PM May 22nd from web in reply to kathyireland
- I've never been double-crossed by a sweet puppy or a lion in the jungle.11:14 AM May 22nd from web
- It's not true that I love animals more than people -- they are a very close second.11:14 AM May 22nd from web
- @kathyireland "politicians"...whoops...glasses3:28 PM May 19th from web
- "politicians"...whoops...glasses3:20 PM May 19th from web
- @kathyIreland My Darling Kathy...Have fun at the Capitol with Lily and give our polititians hell!!! Love, Elizabeth3:16 PM May 19th from web in reply to kathyireland
- When in Rome, check out my jewels at the Bulgari retrospective at Il Palazzo delle Esposizioni, the brand's first in 125 years.11:28 AM May 19th from web
- I'm enjoying some delicious tomatoes grown in my garden.11:44 AM May 18th from web
- Congratulations Quinn, USC Class of 2009.10:37 AM May 15th from web
- Just saw "Twilight" on DVD. I want more!10:57 AM May 14th from web
- Counting the days until Michael's opening night in London.11:15 AM May 13th from web
- Congratulations to Carole Bayer Sager on being selected for the 2009 Founder's Award from Lupus L.A.11:21 AM May 12th from web
- Thanking all my wonderful fans for their sweet messages of love and support!11:08 AM May 11th from web
- Also in People this week, my jewelry is on display at Cartier in NYC this month to celebrate their 100th anniversary in America.11:26 AM May 8th from web
- Just did interview with People about White Diamonds for Mother's Day.11:24 AM May 8th from web
- Looking forward to Mother's Day with my wonderful family.11:54 AM May 7th from web
- White Diamonds has been nominated for a FIFI Award. Please vote! http://www.fragrance.org/ba...1:42 PM May 6th from web
- Excited about my new website, now under construction -- address coming soon!12:04 PM May 6th from web
- Congratulations to Kathy Ireland on being named a Hero for Feed the Children.11:13 AM May 5th from web
- Ever since "National Velvet" I've had a passion for horses. Here are a few who need help badly: www.cghs.org3:49 PM Apr 28th from web
- Enjoying life with all its many gifts. Always something to look forward to!4:02 PM Apr 24th from web
- I just love Susan Boyle! I want to hear her magnificent voice again and again.4:01 PM Apr 23rd from web
- Doing an interview with NY Times Style section today. My pearl is going in the window of Cartier.3:55 PM Apr 22nd from web
- Holding the world's sweetest puppy, Delilah.11:16 AM Apr 22nd from web
- Enjoying brie on a baguette, well toasted.1:01 PM Apr 21st from web
- Sending sweet birthday thoughts to my friend Dr. Lee Perry of the International Sports Medicine Institute. Happy Birthday, Leesburg!5:11 PM Apr 20th from web
- Beaming with pride and welcoming the newest member of my family, a great grandson!4:38 PM Apr 20th from web
- You can't cry on a diamond's shoulder and diamonds won't keep you warm at night, but they're sure fun when the sun shines!4:54 PM Apr 17th from web
- Reading my friend Kathy Ireland's new book, "Real Solutions for Busy Moms: Your Guide to Success and Sanity." Congrats, Kathy!11:52 AM Apr 17th from web
- Spending time with my daughter Liza in my beautiful gardens. Hope the gardenias bloom soon.1:47 PM Mar 31st from web
- Presents make everybody happy. My friend Arnie Klein gave me a Matisse today! Happy.5:10 PM Mar 27th from web
James Burton International Guitar Festival: Schedule of Events
James Burton International Guitar Festival: Schedule of Events
James Burton invites you to join him for
The 2009
JAMES BURTON
INTERNATIONAL GUITAR FESTIVAL
TRIBUTE TO ELVIS
*****
FRIDAY, AUGUST 21, 6 PM - Midnight
THE JAMES BURTON BIRTHDAY BASH
Featuring local and regional bands.
Festival Plaza
Admission: $5
*****
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22, 9 AM - 11:30 AM
Guitar Showdown (Talent Competition)
hosted by Tipitina’s Shreveport Music Office Coop
Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
State Fair Grounds
Live Music
11:30 AM – 2:00 PM
Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
Guinness World Record Attempt
2:00 PM – Hirsch Memorial Coliseum
(Admission to Hirsh is free.)
James Burton & Friends Concert
7:00 PM – Municipal Auditorium
Tickets available: $25; $75; $100
*****
Two days of fun and unforgettable musical entertainment
"Way Down in Louisiana"
with JAMES BURTON and his famous friends.
**SCHEDULE OF EVENTS
WILL POST HERE FIRST
AS SOON AS THEY ARE CONFIRMED**
Location: Municipal Auditorium
705 Elvis Presley Avenue, Shreveport, LA 71101
Tickets: $25 – General Admission
Reserved: $75 – Dress Circle (lower balcony area)
Reserved: $100 – Orchestra
Reserved: $100 – Floor
7 PM TIL ?????
**UPDATES AND TIMES
WILL BE ANNOUNCED HERE**![]()
Municipal Auditorium
Enjoy breathtaking performances and a variety of music styles
in the intimate setting of the world-famous Municipal Auditorium from the stage
where Elvis began his career in the company of countless other country and rock icons. James' vision for the Guitar Greats Concert is to continue the legacy that began with the first concert in August 2005.
"We had incredible shows in 2005, 2007 and 2008
with some of the best entertainers in the industry.
Our FOURTH show will continue that tradition.
It's going to be an event you'll never forget."
Facts about Elvis - Elvis Presley's life - Elvis news
Facts about Elvis - Elvis Presley's life - Elvis newsA Message from James Burton about his International Guitar Festival
7/2/2009
This is James Burton sending all of you a personal invitation to my International Guitar Festival on August 21 and 22 in Shreveport, Louisiana.
This is going to be a very special year. It's a tribute to Elvis. During the event, we will also be attempting to break the Guiness World Record for the most guitar players playing the same song at the same time.
So I need all of you guistarists to join me in playing "That's Alright Mama" and "Hound Dog" on Elvis Presley Avenue in front of Elvis' statue at 2:00 PM on August 22. That evening at 7:00 PM, we will be performing on the very stage that Elvis kick started his career and is the historical landmark where Elvis first met Colonel Parker.
I would also like to invite you to help me celebrate my 70th birthday with a Birthday Bash on Friday night, August 21 starting at 6:00 PM.
Visit my web site at JamesBurtonMusic.com for times, locations and festival details.You've gotta be here and be part of this!



