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The Morrison Hotel, the famous backdrop for The Doors’ 1970 album named after it, was destroyed by a huge fire Thursday while being occupied by dozens of homeless squatters. Almost 100 firefighters worked for at least two hours from 11 a.m. to control the fire at the downtown Los Angeles hotel best known for being on the cover of the legendary rock album. The blaze destroyed the roof of the building now red-tagged as being unlivable. Henry Diltz, the photographer who shot the album cover, said he was “very sad” to see the landmark so badly damaged, telling CBS News...

"Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" was famously used by Ronald Reagan in the 1980 presidential debate and remains relevant in elections today. Recent polls indicate that many Americans do not feel better under President Joe Biden's administration. According to a February AP-NORC poll, only 24% of Americans feel better off since Biden took office, while 41% feel worse off and 34% feel the same. These figures highlight the mixed sentiments about economic progress during Biden's presidency. Economic challenges such as inflation, high mortgage rates, and increased living costs are central to these perceptions. The...

Famous married actors Eric and Eliza Roberts came face-to-face with an intruder at their front door, Friday night. Eliza was dropped off at her San Fernando Valley home by her daughter around 9 p.m., according to TMZ. By the time the actress had made her way to the front door, her husband Eric had stepped out and found himself facing an intruder. “I know you,” the intruder said, before Eric sternly told him to leave. The incident unfolded shortly after Eliza exited the vehicle at the curb near her home and said goodbye to her daughter. She walked toward her...

The ongoing stampede of the rich and famous into South Florida is propelling real estate prices to new highs. The average cost of a spread in Palm Beach — home to an ever-growing roster of celebrities and financiers — climbed to nearly $16 million in the first quarter of 2022, according to the Serhant South Florida Report issued Thursday.

Happy Groundhog's Day, everyone! I wanted to refocus our attention for a moment on a political ad from the 2016 campaign. Robert Downey Jr. and a bunch of unknowns and has-beens put together an ad in support of Hillary (who is never mentioned) urging people to register so that a dude will appear naked in his next movie. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nRp1CK_X_Yw Wow, that's *supposed* to get me motivated? I guess if the target audience are homosexuals and women, this was a good move but, honestly, the ad spends three minutes sending mixed messages about why, exactly, we should care to vote.

Jeanne Moreau, whose brooding beauty entranced international film audiences in such films as The Lovers, Jules et Jim and The Bride Wore Black, has died at the age of 89.The French president's office announced her death without providing a cause. Dubbed "Le Moreau" for her slithering sensuality, she was a femme fatale who was also one of the top stage actresses of her time. Off-screen, Moreau oozed romance and mystery: Moreau was likened to the free-spirited woman with two lovers whom she played in Francois Truffaut's "Jules et Jim. "She burst to international stardom in Louis Malle's "The Lovers" (Les Amants)...

A centre spokesman confirmed to the BBC the squirrel was "safe and alive" but could not reveal any further information about what would happen to it now. 'Genetic defect' The RSPCA said under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it was generally illegal to release grey squirrels back to the wild once treated by a vet. Dr Helen McRobie, a lecturer in biomedical science at the Anglia Ruskin University, said she had never heard of a bald squirrel before but it would "need to be kept in the warm once the temperature drops". "This is very rare. I have been...

Famous Venezuelan ice-cream store closes over milk shortage CARACAS - An ice-cream store listed in the Guinness World Records book for its 863 different flavours has become the latest victim of Venezuela's economic crisis. "We are closed during the season due to shortage of milk," the famous Coromoto ice-cream store in the highland town of Merida announced on its Facebook page. Locals confirmed that the shop, hugely popular among tourists for its exotic and strange flavours ranging from beer to beans, had been closed since Christmas Eve. A sign on the door asked customers' forgiveness "for not attending you due...

Someone sent an email to me suggesting that if you blow up the photo of Obama sitting in the situation room during the OBL raid, it looks "Photoshopped". Sooooo, you know how much I love a good conspiracy.... Are there any 'puter experts out there who want to take a look and analyze it it? The perspective does look a little small. What says FReeper Nation?

Current state of affairs - brought to measure by the forebodings of yester-year and the pillars of our Great Nation regarding... I. THE WITHOLDING OF INFORMATION: "Information is the currency of democracy." "Resistance to tyrants is obedience to God." II. THE ENCROACHMENT OF GOVERNMENT: "Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others?" "The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground." "My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government." III. OUR...

If you’ve ever seen Teen Mom, you know that it in no way glorifies teen parenthood. Those young moms and dads are struggling, and despite the rumors that MTV pays them around $60,000 a season, (which MTV refuses to comment on) many of them are shown relying on government assistance to get by. The young women on the show, as much as their lives are put under the microscope, do get famous in their way.

Charlotte Church today showed signs of her strain at being a single mother bringing up two little ones. Charlotte, 24, struggled with a host of bags, toys and bottles as she took her two children out for the day. Meanwhile her estranged fiancé, peramatanned Gavin Henson, has been out living it up, looking relaxed and care-free.

Does anyone have a link to that website that used to have all those quotes from Hollywood actors and actresses? I think it was called "Famous Idiot."

The security of the online computer system used by more than three million people to file tax returns is in doubt after HM Revenue and Customs admitted it was not secure enough to be used by MPs, celebrities and the Royal Family. Thousands of "high profile" people have been secretly barred from using the online tax return system amid concerns that their confidential details would be put at risk. This provoked anger from consumer groups and accountants who said the same levels of security should be offered to all taxpayers regardless of their perceived fame. HMRC was responsible for losing...

WASHINGTON, June 28, 2007 – Famous television Chef Emeril Lagasse will salute the military with two programs showcasing recipes created by the men and women who keep the troops fed and happy. “Emeril’s Army-Navy Contest” will air on the Food Network tomorrow at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. “Emeril’s Military Contest” will air the following evening at the same time. The six winners, representing each of the five branches of the military, were selected from entries in “Emeril’s Military Recipe Contest.” “These folks are the real heroes,” Lagasse said of the servicemembers. “You just can’t understate the importance of what...

LOS ANGELES — The California Highway Patrol recommended Monday that actress-singer Brandy be charged with misdemeanor vehicular manslaughter in a freeway crash that killed a woman motorist last month, a city attorney's spokesman said. The CHP referred the matter to the city attorney's office for review, said spokesman Nick Velasquez. "The office is currently reviewing the case and determining whether the evidence warrants the filing of a misdemeanor charge of vehicular manslaughter," Velasquez said. A message seeking comment from Brandy's publicist, Courtney Barnes, was not immediately returned. Brandy, whose real name is Brandy Norwood, has publicly expressed condolences to the...

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Three quarters of Americans can correctly identify two of Show White's seven dwarfs while only a quarter can name two Supreme Court Justices, according to a poll on pop culture released on Monday. According to the poll by Zogby International, commissioned by the makers of a new game show on pop culture called "Gold Rush," 57 percent of Americans could identify J.K. Rowling's fictional boy wizard as Harry Potter, while only 50 percent could name the British prime minister, Tony Blair. The pollsters spoke to 1,213 people across the United States. The results had a margin...

At age 87, the Rev. Billy Graham can no longer stride to the pulpit and uses a walker to get around. Carrie Wood of Spring Hill, Ark., sings next to a statue of Rev. Billy Graham after it was unveiled at the Southern Baptist Convention annual meeting, Wednesday, June 22, 2005, in Nashville, Tenn. The statue, done by sculptor Terrell O'Brien, is a small version of a larger piece that will be presented in June at the Southern Baptist Convention's annual meeting in Greensboro, N.C. - Graham's home state - and then moved to Nashville for a permanent installation later...

WASHINGTON, March 9, 2006 – Retired Marine Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey, famous for his role as a drill instructor in the movie "Full Metal Jacket," has joined forces with a Midwest Junior ROTC unit to help support troops and their families. Retired U.S. Marine Gunnery Sgt. R. Lee Ermey signs autographs for students from Wentworth Military Academy at the "Unmet Needs" benefit concert in Kansas City, Mo., Feb. 25, 2005. The concert, featuring Gary Sinise and the Lt. Dan Band, kicked off Unmet Needs, a VFW program offering financial aid to military families in need. Photo by Phil...

Here's a speech we would like to hear from an Academy Award winner: I thank you for this wonderful award. Receiving an Academy Award gives the recipient an almost unique opportunity to speak to hundreds of millions people around the world, so I would like take this once-in-a-lifetime moment to say this: