Widow selling husband's tomb above Marilyn Monroe | Entertainment | People | Reuters

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - An American widow is selling her husband's burial spot directly above film legend Marilyn Monroe so that she can pay off her mortgage.

Elsie Poncher has put an advertisement on eBay to auction off the tomb in Westwood Village Memorial Park, Los Angeles.

"Here is a once in a lifetime and into eternity opportunity to spend your eternal days directly above Marilyn Monroe," says the advertisement.

"In fact the person occupying the address right now is looking face down on her."

The burial plot is currently occupied by the late Richard Poncher, described by his widow as an entrepreneur who bought two tombs from baseball player Joe DiMaggio, Monroe's ex-husband, as the pair were divorcing in 1954.

Monroe died at the age of 36 in 1962. Poncher died at the age of 81 in 1986.

Elsie Poncher said she would move her husband's remains over one spot into a crypt intended as her final resting place if the sale is successful, and she would be cremated instead when the time comes.

Bidding for the plot opened at $500,000 and had reached $2.5 million by Sunday. No one from eBay was immediately available to comment on the bidding process or to give more details.

Poncher told the Los Angeles Times that she hoped to raise enough money to pay off the $1.6 million mortgage on her Beverly Hills home.

"I can't be more honest than that," she told the newspaper. "I want to leave it free and clear for my kids."

The Westwood Village Memorial Park is home to many celebrities, including Dean Martin, James Coburn, Roy Orbison, Truman Capote, Natalie Wood, and the recently deceased Farrah Fawcett.

Playboy's Hugh Hefner bought the crypt beside Monroe in 1992.

(Writing by Belinda Goldsmith, Editing by Miral Fahmy)

Widow selling husband's tomb above Marilyn Monroe | Entertainment | People | Reuters

Octomum's Duodecaplet C-Section Eclipse Former Litter - Telegraph

Tunisian woman pregnant with 12 babies eclipses Nadia Suleman's octuplets

A Tunisian woman is reported to be about to eclipse the octuplets of the American mother Nadia Suleman after becoming pregnant with 12 babies.

 

By Aislinn Simpson
Published: 8:26PM BST 17 Aug 2009

The adventures of 'Octomum' have held the American public in thrall since the octuplets were born by Caesarian section Photo: AP

The unnamed teacher and her husband are said to be ecstatic about the pregnancy, which was achieved with fertility treatment after they suffered two miscarriages. They are expecting six boys and six girls and the woman is thought to be as much as nine months' pregnant.

But fertility experts have condemned the news, alleging the doctors who treated the couple are "irresponsible" and risking the health and lives of the mother and her babies.

It is not known what fertility treatment the woman had, but her husband was quoted by local papers as saying they had been expecting twins.

She is said to now be looking forward to hugging her babies and, according to her husband, has been told she can give birth naturally although experts say this is impossible.

The man, who was named only as Marwan and is a teacher of Arabic at a high school in their home town of Gafsa, southwest of the capital Tunis, told a local journalist the news was an "amazing and wonderful miracle".

"In the beginning, we thought that my wife would give birth to twins, but more foetuses were discovered," he was quoted as saying.

"Our joy increased with the growing number."

But Simon Fisher, a fertility expert from the University of Oxford, said the news of the duodecaplets was "horrendous" and said the doctors involved were "irresponsible" to allow it.

He said the pregnancy could have been achieved either because the couple ignored the advice of doctors and had intercourse during their treatment, conceiving naturally as well as through IVF, or religious reasons required all the embryos to have been used rather than some being destroyed.

"Whatever the reasons behind this, the chances of there being a happy ending are pretty remote," he said.

"The chances of all of them surviving are extremely remote and the chance of some of them surviving without any problems is unlikely - they are likely to have significant problems.

"Her chances of surviving depend on how well she is monitored. It will be a tremendous strain on her even if she is young and fit. IVF is practised responsibly all over the world and no one should ever get into this situation."

Dr Mark Hamilton, of the British Fertility Society, said the woman probably had ovulation induction treatment, which sees the woman have either tablets or injections to cause her to release an egg to be fertilised.

"Twelve babies seems extraordinary," said Dr Hamilton. "The woman could have been receiving ovulation induction treatment, which stimulates egg production. You don't have the same control as with IVF."

No one is thought to have ever given birth to 12 babies before.

In January, American Nadya Suleman gave birth to the world's longest surviving octuplets, conceived through IVF.

In May, a 29-year-old British woman, Nuala Conway, gave birth to the country's first sextuplets for a quarter of a century. One girl of the four girls and two boys, died last month.

In 1996, another Briton, Mandy Allwood, became pregnant with octuplets after taking fertility drugs.

She was offered the chance to terminate some of the foetuses to give the others a chance of survival but declined. The octuplets - six boys and two girls - were born over a period of three days and all died within an hour.

Tunisian woman pregnant with 12 babies eclipses Nadia Suleman's octuplets - Telegraph

COCAINE MAKES YOU SMARTER AND MORE ALERT TO TYPS, WHICH cuts drug offender's prison term - CNN.com

(CNN) -- A three-letter typo has slashed years off a prison sentence for a repeat drug offender in Ohio.

Calvin Eugene Wells discovered a discrepancy on the verdict form for his conviction.

Calvin Eugene Wells of Akron was sentenced in October 2005 to 10 years in prison after being convicted of possessing more than 100 grams of cocaine, a first-degree felony.

Or so it seemed.

While serving his time, Wells discovered a stray word on the verdict form signed by the jurors who convicted him in Summit County Common Pleas Court. The form, typed up by a court or prosecutor's office employee, read:

"We, the Jury, find the Defendant Guilty of the offense of POSSESSION OF CRACK COCAINE.

"We, the jury, further find that the amount of crack cocaine WAS in the amount exceeding ten one hundred (100) grams as charged in the indictment." See the document

The word "ten" in the second sentence is extraneous.

Wells brought the error to a succession of attorneys' attention, but no one managed to turn it to his advantage until Jason Desiderio was appointed to represent him.

Don't Miss

• See the erroneous verdict form (PDF)
• Read the Appeals Court's decision (PDF)

"I have never seen anything like this in my life, where just attorney after attorney did nothing," Desiderio said.

"I think he had four appellate attorneys, and one appeal ... It's a very, very bizarre case."

Under Ohio law, for a person to be found guilty of a higher-level felony, the jury form must state either the degree of the offense or the circumstances that would make it a higher offense. The form's second sentence apparently was an attempt to state those circumstances, but the stray word muddled the meaning, Desiderio said.

A three-judge panel of the Ohio Court of Appeals unanimously agreed.

"The form is unclear, and we cannot determine what the jury understood 'ten one hundred (100) grams' to mean," Judge Eve Belfance wrote in the court's decision. "It certainly could have meant an amount exceeding one hundred grams, but it is possible the jury believed the form actually meant an amount exceeding less than one gram." Read the whole opinion

The uncertainty meant Wells could be convicted of nothing more than a fifth-degree felony, the judges ruled. The maximum sentence for a fifth-degree felony is one year, and Wells already had served four. Game over.

But not quite.

It seems Wells is wanted in Morris County, New Jersey, on a November 2000 sheriff's warrant for violating his probation for drug and weapons convictions. The sheriff is seeking extradition, spokeswoman Staci Santucci said. It's unlikely he'll be able to avoid it, said Desiderio, who will not be able to represent Wells because he's not licensed in New Jersey.

The original judge in the Ohio case, James R. Williams, is retired. The Summit County prosecutor's office did not return calls seeking comment on Wells' case.

"At the end of the day, he was convicted, and I understand that some people are going to feel upset that he's essentially out six years earlier than anyone anticipated," Desiderio said.

"But in our system, we give the benefit of the doubt to the defendant, and we do that for good reason. And in here there's a statutory mandate to ensure that we know what we're convicting people of and we know why we're doing it. And that mandate wasn't met.

Typo cuts drug offender's prison term - CNN.com

Memorial service held for music man Dickinson >- Desoto Times Tribune

Memorial service held for music man Dickinson

Dickinson

By ROBERT LEE LONG
Community Editor

Published: Monday, August 17, 2009 9:43 PM CDT

HERNANDO - A private memorial service was held Monday for James Luther "Jim" Dickinson, an American record producer, pianist, and singer who collaborated with legendary artists and groups like Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones.

Dickinson died Saturday at Methodist Extended Care Hospital in Memphis following triple bypass heart surgery. He was 67.

Hernando Funeral Home was in charge of arrangements.

Dickinson was the father and musical mentor to sons Cody and Luther Dickinson, front men for the Grammy-nominated group, the North Mississippi Allstars. He and his wife, Mary Lindsay Dickinson, lived south of Hernando near Coldwater, residing at his rural home and recording studio known as the Zebra Ranch.

Dickinson's death came after three months of heart and intestinal bleeding problems.

Dickinson moved to Memphis at an early age. After attending school at Baylor University, he returned to Memphis and played on recording sessions for Bill Justis, and at Chips Moman's American Studios. Dickinson recorded what has been called the last great record on the Sun label, "Cadillac Man" by the Jesters, playing piano and singing lead on both sides, even though he was not an actual member of the group.

In the late 1960s, Dickinson joined with fellow Memphis musicians Charlie Freeman, Michael Utley, Tommy McClure and Sammy Creason.

This group became known as the Dixie Flyers and provided backup for musicians recording for Atlantic Records. Perhaps their best-known work was for Aretha Franklin's 1970 "Spirit in the Dark." In 1971, Dickinson also played piano on The Rolling Stones' hit "Wild Horses" and on The Flamin Groovies' track "Teenage Head." In 1972 Dickinson released his first solo album, "Dixie Fried," which was a mixture of songs by Bob Dylan, Carl Perkins and Furry Lewis.

In the 1970s he became known as a producer, recording Big Star's "Third" in 1974, as well as serving as co-producer with Alex Chilton on the 1979 Chilton album "Like Flies on Sherbert." He has produced Willy DeVille, Green on Red, Mojo Nixon, The Replacements, Tav Falco's "Panther Burns," and Screamin' Jay Hawkins, among many others, and in 1977 an aural documentary of Memphis'Beale Street, "Beale Street Saturday Night," which featured performances by Sid Selvidge, Furry Lewis and Dickinson's band Mud Boy and the Neutrons. He has also worked with Ry Cooder and with Dylan. In 1998, he produced Mudhoney's, "Tomorrow's Hit Today."

His sons Luther and Cody, who played on his 2002 solo effort "Free Beer Tomorrow," and the 2006 "Jungle Jim" and the "Voodoo Tiger," have achieved success on their own as the North Mississippi Allstars.

In 2007, Dickinson played with the Memphis-based rock band, Snake Eyes. The band, formed by Memphis musician Greg Roberson (former Reigning Sound drummer), featured Jake Vest, Toby Vest, and Adam Hill. While the band disbanded in October 2008, the members did complete two full albums, slated for a November 2009 release; though Dickinson's cardiac issues, which started in May of 2009, set back that release date.

Robert Lee Long: rlong@desototimestribune.com

Desoto Times Tribune > Archives > News > Local > Memorial service held for music man Dickinson

The Rant | The Rant | Memphis Flyer

In the early seventies, when we used to hang out at Phillips Recording

Service on Madison, Jim Dickinson told me the secret to gaining

prominence in music: "The best way to make it in the music business," he said, "is to start

a good rumor about yourself." That's why I took such delight in watching him create the "East Memphis Slim" persona he continued to develop. He became the authentic white boy with the blues, with a sardonic sense of humor and the willingness to step out on a limb for his art. Yet, he still had the intellectual honesty to once tell an interviewer, "We all learned it from the yard man." Sometime after his work with various Memphis bands and his stint as house keyboardist for Atlantic Records at Criteria Studios in Miami, Jim's ever-expanding credits as a producer became so impressive and his expertise and keen ear so desired by a new generation of musicians that the reality simply overran the rumor.

Jim based his theory on Mac Rebennack, a New Orleans keyboardist, who labored for years in anonymity before creating the Voodoo High Priest, Dr. John the Night Tripper and rocketing to recording stardom. Jim turned me on to that record in 1967, and when the opening notes of the title track began, he said excitedly, "Listen to that. That's a cane flute," displaying his fondness for esoteric instruments. That was the year I worked with him on our single recording project at the old Ardent Studio in John Fry's garage on National. Before Led Zeppelin, before Cream, even before Moloch, Jim had the idea to record some white-boy, electric blues, in contrast with the pop fare of the day. He recruited Sam the Sham's drummer, Jerry Patterson, Fred Hester on stand-up bass, and Lee Baker on lead guitar. Jim produced and played piano. Even though I was away at college and had been absent from the Memphis scene for a year, I was honored that Jim chose me to sing. It was one of those sessions that was deferred then abandoned for one reason or another. I bugged Jim about it for a year or so, but recording tape was too expensive to save something that you weren't going to use.

When Jim crossed paths with Sam Phillips, he took his credo to heart: "If you're not doing something different, then you're not doing anything." As a record producer, Jim became the true disciple of Phillips, both in his approach to recording and the talent he chose to work with. Jim, always prepared with a quote, once wisely said: "The best songs don't get recorded; the best recordings don't get released; and the best releases don't get played." For his own production career, Jim also adopted Phillip's: "Crazy is often good."

I'm dating myself, but it seems like only yesterday when Jim and Mary Lindsay Dickinson lived off White Station Road and entertained a group of Bohemians, hipsters, bluesmen, musicians, and magicians in their living room nightly. There was very little recording going on in Memphis once the famous labels closed, but the camaraderie among artists was such that it's strange how some of your fondest memories arise from times when you believed you were suffering the most. I valued Jim's opinion so much that, like a little brother, I still sought his approval for whatever I was doing musically.

Jim would tell you what he thought and was not one to idly hand out compliments. That's why receiving one from him meant so much. I participated in a garage band reunion a couple of years ago. I did some shtick that was a throwback to the old soul revues when the singer would chime, "I once heard a friend of mine say ..." and then sing snippets of various artists' songs. On the changeover, I was walking offstage, and Jim was stepping up when he said, "Hey man, that was great." Those few words made my night. Some time later, I got a call from David Less, whose label released Jim's albums. He said Jim wanted to know if I'd be interested in coming down to Mississippi and singing some backup on his latest solo effort. I sang harmony vocals on one song, and when I was done, Jim wrote me a check. "What's this?" I asked. "You're actually going to pay me?" Jim laughed and said, "That's the way we do it these days." I reminded him of our 1967 recordings and told him how pleased I was that it only took him 40 years to call me back. But I would have done it for free.

I can see by the way the North Mississippi Allstars have conducted their careers thus far that Cody and Luther's parents taught them well. Aside from his extraordinary talent, the other quality Jim had in abundance was integrity. He leaves a void in the vanguard of contemporary music production that is impossible to fill. Even after I heard he was in ill health and had bypass surgery, I assumed if anyone could kick a heart attack's ass, it would be Jim. The man had an air of invincibility about him. His "East Memphis Slim" creation had come full circle, and he was gaining the respect he desired as a producer with every passing day. It was as if he was almost where he wanted to be. Not quite, but almost. A whole generation, raised on the '50s music played by Dewey Phillips and Rufus Thomas and with an appreciation for the absurd and the eccentric, is beginning to fade from view. Jim has already achieved legendary status with a generation of musicians inspired by his adventurous productions. For many more who knew him well or those who only knew him by reputation, the loss of James Luther Dickinson is like losing a piece of Memphis itself. =

The Rant | The Rant | Memphis Flyer