smoskowitz
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Sunday, December 24, 2006
Friday, December 22, 2006
Test Reveals Canine Fur on Diddy's "Sean John" Jacket Sold at Macy's
The test results are in on Diddy’s fur jacket: raccoon dog.
The HSUS tested the fur on a Sean John Hooded Snorkel Jacket sold on Macys.com that was originally advertised, incorrectly, as having an "imitation rabbit fur collar" and materials identified as "faux fur."
The jacket, part of a clothing line by celebrity rapper and music producer Sean "Diddy" Combs, was not only incorrectly advertised by Macy's but also labeled as containing "raccoon" fur, which has now been found to come from a canine species known as raccoon dog.
Macy's has reportedly pulled the mislabeled Sean John garments from its department stores and online shop, but The HSUS is calling on Diddy and other designers and retailers to stop using and selling fur trim altogether.
Previous tests conducted by The HSUS on fur-trimmed jackets from a range of other retailers and designers revealed the same problem—raccoon dog fur from China mislabeled as being from a different species, either "raccoon" or "coyote."
The mislabeling of a fur product is a violation of federal law.
China has no animal welfare laws. Animals killed for their fur in China—dogs, raccoon dogs and others—often face horrible abuse, and are too often skinned alive.
hsus
Update!
Sean "Diddy" Combs notified The HSUS through a representative Dec. 22 that the Sean John snorkel jacket containing raccoon dog fur (see video of raccoon dogs killed for fur) was being pulled from sales, and in the future, the garment will be made with faux fur trim only.
"I was completely unaware of the nature of this material, but as soon as we were alerted, the garments were pulled off the Macy's floor and website," Combs said. "I have instructed our outerwear licensee to cease the production of any garments using this material immediately. I appreciate the tireless work that the Humane Society does and would like to thank them for bringing attention to this issue."
The HSUS and the Sean John company are discussing the company's broader policy on fur trim.
Gus Van Sant enjoys too much egg nog; gets busted for DUI
Filmmaker Gus Van Sant, whose credits include 'Finding Forrester' and 'Drugstore Cowboy,' has been arrested here on a drunken driving charge, police said.
Sgt. Brian Schmautz, Portland Police Bureau spokesman, said Van Sant, 54, was arrested at 1:48 a.m. Thursday. A breath test showed a blood-alcohol level of 0.19 percent, Schmautz said. That's more than twice the state limit, 0.08 percent.
An officer saw that the headlights on Van Sant's vehicle weren't on, Schmautz said. Van Sant, who lives in Portland, had bloodshot eyes and slurred speech, smelled of alcohol and failed the sobriety tests, Schmautz said.
topix
Jessica Simpson Drops Out of Kennedy Broadcast
Unhappy with her attempt to pay tribute to honoree Dolly Parton with a rendition of the country legend's hit song "9 to 5," Jessica Simpson has withdrawn from the program, which was filmed Dec. 3.
Simpson botched the lyrics when she originally performed the song live, then recorded it again for the broadcast show. However, ultimately Simpson's spokesperson, Cindi Berger, told the Associated Press after Simpson had viewed the tape, "She really wasn't happy with her performance, and she did want it to be perfect for Dolly, who she idolizes."
George Stevens Jr., the show's producer, said, "We appreciate the time and energy Ms. Simpson put into this event and respect the high standards she has for herself and that of the Kennedy Center Honors."
At the time Simpson flubbed the song at the Washington, D.C., tribute – which also recognized Andrew Lloyd Webber, Zubin Mehta, Smokey Robinson and Steven Spielberg, and was hosted by Caroline Kennedy – she fled the stage in tears in front of a packed house that included President George W. Bush and First Lady Laura Bush.
"Dolly you make me so nervous. I can't even sing the words right," said Simpson, 26.
people
Anna Nicole Smith must return to CA for paternity tests
Anna Nicole Smith will be forced to have her baby daughter undergo paternity tests, after a Los Angeles court ordered her to return to the California city Thursday.
The former model's boyfriend, photojournalist Larry Birkhead, is challenging claims from Smith's partner and attorney Howard K. Stern that he's the baby's father.
His publicist released a statement saying: "Los Angeles Superior Court has ruled today that Anna Nicole Smith and three-month-old baby daughter Dannie Lynn are ordered to submit to paternity testing."
Birkhead added, "Christmas has come early, and I thank God that I will soon have the opportunity to prove that I am the father... and eventually hold her in my arms."
Smith's attorney Ron Rale would not deny or confirm the ruling.
kcoy
Pink Launches Global Boycott of Australian Wool
Pink launches her brand-new video exposé of the Australian wool industry before a concert in Paris and calls for an international boycott of Australian wool until the abuses documented in the video are ended.
You can learn more about this at PETA.
Diddy is a daddy again
Sean "Diddy" Combs and girlfriend Kim Porter welcomed twin daughters on Thursday, PEOPLE has confirmed.
"Diddy received an early Christmas gift! It gives us great joy to announce the arrival of Diddy's twin girls. The beautiful, healthy baby girls were born this morning with Diddy by mother Kim Porter's side," Sean Combs's rep, Robert Zimmerman, of Dan Klores Communications .
"The first arrived at 7:56 a.m. weighing 5 lbs., followed 2 minutes later by the second at 5 lbs., 4 oz. Diddy had a plane on standby in Toronto where he is filming Raisin in the Sun and made it just in the nick of time for the delivery. Both Kim and the girls are doing great."
In honor of two people who had an enormous influence on both Porter and Diddy, 5 lb., D'Lila Star Combs was named after Porter's grandmother, Lila Star, Zimmerman said Thursday afternoon. Her 5 lb. 4 oz. sister, Jessie James Combs, was named after Diddy's grandmother, Jessie Smalls.
On his MySpace page Diddy also posted a message announcing the birth of his girls, adding: "Thank you for all your support this year! I Love Y'all! God Bless."
people
Lara Flynn Boyle Gets Hitched
Lara Flynn Boyle and Donald Ray Thomas were married on Monday, a rep for the former star of The Practice.
"She's ecstatic," says the spokeswoman. She's "very, very happy."
The couple met two years ago and became friends before starting to date six months ago.
people
When will she learn to keep her mouth shut?
Britney Spears has reportedly signed a deal with Vanity Fair magazine to tell all about her failed marriage to Kevin Federline.
The singer was so impressed by the publication's heartfelt interview with Jennifer Aniston following her split from Brad Pitt, she plans to lift the lid on her two-year union with the aspiring rapper.
A source tells British newspaper The Sun, "Britney has agreed to make Vanity Fair her first big statement about her new life.
"The interview will be very frank. She liked how they handled Jennifer's first interview after her divorce from Brad Pitt."
sfgate
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
Ew. This creeps me out.
Sharon Stone and Christian Slater have confirmed rumors they're dating and now plan to spend Christmas together.
The star couple, who co-star in the new movie "Bobby," sparked romance rumors when they attended a string of events together, but refused to confirm their relationship.
But now 48-year-old Stone and her 37-year-old beau aren't hiding their affections for each other -- they recently attended a party for fashion label Dolce & Gabbana at the Chateau Marmont Hotel in Los Angeles arm-in-arm and made sure everyone knew they were a couple.
A source close to Stone says, "They're both really happy -- but they don't have long-term expectations.
"It's a fun fling for the holidays and Sharon is a good influence. She rarely drinks and has three kids. It's a good match for now."
sfgate
Christina Ricci won't wear fur; PETA sends gifts
Christina Ricci has pledged never to wear fur again after being deluged with angry letters from fans.
The movie star was named People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Worst Dressed Celebrity of 2006 after she appeared in fur on the cover of W magazine, and now she's desperate to make amends.
In a letter to the animal rights organization, the star insists she'll be fur-free in 2007.
She writes, "After being named on the PETA worst-dressed list for wearing fur on the cover of W magazine, I have been deluged with angry and disappointed fans.
"I never meant to hurt nor anger anyone with my insensitivity. For what it is worth I have received the message loud and clear and will not be wearing fur in the future. I apologize for my offensive actions."
A Web site devoted to Ricci was recently shut down when the owner spotted the star posing in reindeer fur on the cover of the fashion magazine.
A representative for PETA says Ricci's name has been removed from the Worst Dressed list.
In addition, the animal rights group is also sending her a Christmas basket full of "cruelty-free goodies to thank her for her compassionate decision."
sfgate
Eminem and Kimberley Mathers are divorced – again
The couple, who have been married to each other twice, reached an out-of-court settlement during a hearing at Macomb County Circuit Court on Tuesday. The pair agreed to share custody of their daughter, Hailie Jade Scott, who turns 11 on Christmas Day, the newspaper reports.
It's not clear if Kim was granted the financial support and attorney fees she'd been seeking from the rapper, whose real name is Marshall Bruce Mathers III.
The couple "conducted themselves with dignity and respect," Chief Judge Antonio P. Viviano told Free Press. Eminem declined to comment after the hearing.
people
Britney named Worst Celebrity Dog Owner of 2006
Britney Spears' parenting skills are being called into question once again. This time she's been voted the world's worst celebrity dog owner in an online vote conducted by two dog magazines.
"Britney was the overwhelming choice," Hilary O'Hagan, editor of The New York Dog and The Hollywood Dog magazines, said in a statement picked up by the Associated Press.
"She once had three Chihuahuas … and never left home without at least one of them on her arm," O'Hagan said. "As soon as she met K-Fed and had kids they (the dogs) disappeared."
Paris Hilton placed second for "treating her dogs like accessories.”
Oprah Winfrey, who owns five dogs (not including Stedman), was voted this year's best celebrity dog owner. The talk-show host replaced 2005 winner Joss Stone, and beat out fellow dog owners Tori Spelling and Nicollette Sheridan.
us
Tawny Kitaen Enters Drug Rehab Program
Actress Tawny Kitaen has entered a drug rehabilitation program after pleading guilty to possessing 15 grams of cocaine.
The 45-year-old actress will be allowed to change her plea to not guilty after completing the program, under terms of a plea agreement, officials said. The plea change will remove the conviction from her record.
Kitaen was charged with felony possession after sheriff's deputies said they found cocaine in her apartment in May.
topix
Saturday, December 16, 2006
Friday, December 15, 2006
Christina Ricci wears fur; fansite shuts down
The animal-loving owner of actress Christina Ricci's fansite has shut the cyberspace tribute spot down after learning her movie heroine is a fur wearer.
The site www.christinaricci.info now features the message, "offline due to fur usage" followed by a note from the owner, explaining her reasons for shutting the 8-year-old tribute page down.
She writes, "I recently found out Christina doesn't appear to have a problem wearing fur. Well, I do. I also have a problem with people who wear fur. Conclusion: I have a problem with Christina."
The former fansite now links to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals' Web site, where fans can read what the animal rights group had to say in its worst dressed feature about Ricci this year.
PETA activists were appalled when Ricci recently posed for a magazine cover wearing fur from slaughtered reindeer, and voted her one of the Worst Dressed Celebrities of 2006
sfgate
Natasha Lyonne turns herself in to NY court
Actress Natasha Lyonne, the star of "American Pie" accused of threatening to sexually molest a dog, turned herself in at a New York court on Friday.
A bench warrant was issued for her arrest in January after Lyonne, who has also appeared in "Blade," and "Scary Movie 2," missed four court hearings.
The 27-year-old faced a number of charges including criminal mischief, harassment and trespassing after accusations she threatened to sexually molest her former neighbor's dog and ripped a mirror off the wall during a 2004 argument.
At the Manhattan Criminal Court appearance, drug counselor Heather Hayes said Lyonne had completed an in-patient drug program in February and continued to attend outpatient rehabilitation groups.
Judge Anthony Ferrara said the charges would be dropped if the actress stayed out of trouble for the next six months.
In the court complaint, Lyonne's former roommate claimed Lyonne trashed their apartment and then banged on a neighbor's door, rushed into that apartment and picked up her dog, telling the woman, "I'm going to sexually molest your dog."
boston.com
Former "Phish" singer busted for DWI
Trey Anastasio was accused of driving under the influence of drugs in an upstate New York town near the Vermont border early Friday.
The former Phish frontman was pulled over by an officer who saw his car failing to keep to right side of the road at about 3:30 a.m., Whitehall village police said.
A search turned up quantities of the painkillers hydrocodone and Percocet, as well as the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, that had been prescribed for someone else, police said.
Anastasio, who was driving with a suspended New York license, was charged with third-degree aggravated unlicensed operation, seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance and driving while intoxicated-drugs, police said.
The 42-year-old guitarist was released and scheduled for a court appearance at a later date.
Anastasio lives in Vermont and has been performing solo since Phish broke up in 2004.
The Phish tour was well-known for its active drug scene, and Anastasio said in a 2005 Associated Press interview that part of the reason he went solo was to escape that atmosphere.
Asked how sobriety had affected him, he said, "It affects you positively in every possible way that you can imagine, 'cause it's YOU. ... Any feeling you're trying to achieve using hard drugs you're gonna achieve through sobriety."
sfgate
Madonna can't take a joke
Madonna seethed the other night when British TV personality Jonathan Ross made fun of her adoption of a Malawi urchin.
"Congratulations on your little lovely black baby, David," Ross gushed as she made a surprise appearance at the British Comedy Awards. "Are you stopping there, or getting more? When I went to Africa, all I got was a wallet."
The furious Material Mom shot back, "You might go home with a black eye!" She later skipped the after-party.
pagesix
Money brings Anna Nicole Smith back to the US
A fat wad of cash has managed to do something that a paternity suit, an ex-boyfriend and a very angry lawyer couldn't: get Anna Nicole Smith back in the country.
The formerly zaftig Playboy Playmate left the extradition-exempt comfort of her Bahamian hideout to appear in a San Francisco court Friday morning, lawyer Ron Rale confirmed to E! Online, marking the former reality star's first time back in the U.S. since the birth of her daughter and death of her son in September.
Smith showed up at the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to participate in mediation between a judge and the family of J. Howard Marshall II, her late oil tycoon hubby, over her much-disputed share of his $1.6 billion estate.
Legal sidekick turned committed partner Howard K. Stern accompanied Smith to the proceedings, the latest in a contentious, and seemingly never-ending, legal battle—though he may now wish he'd stayed home.
Larry Birkhead, Smith's litigious ex-boyfriend, confirmed to E! Online that Stern was served with legal papers outside the courthouse for allegedly giving perjured statements in connection with Birkhead's paternity suit—yet another contentious and seemingly never-ending legal battle.
As for Smith, her is-she-or-isn't-she-entitled case finally made its way to the U.S. Supreme Court this year, and in May the high court justices reversed a federal appeals court decision, virtually reinstating the $88.5 million Smith was originally awarded back in 2002.
It's unknown what was brokered in Friday's closed-door court tête-à-tête, though it's not the first time Smith's name has been featured on a docket this week.
yahoo
Thursday, December 14, 2006
Lovely little babies
Melissa Etheridge and her wife, Tammy, sat down for an exclusive interview and photo shoot with their little twins for the new issue of Us Weekly.
Richie Has Prior DUI -- Mandatory Jail on the Line
Nicole Richie could be adding stripes to her wardrobe in the very near future.
TMZ has found court documents which reveal that Richie pled no contest four years ago to driving under the influence. Under California law, if Richie is convicted of DUI as a result of Monday's arrest, the judge must impose a jail sentence.
The law requires a mandatory sentence of five consecutive days in county jail as well as a one year license suspension for anyone twice-convicted of DUI. In addition, Richie would be ordered to attend an alcohol education program for a year-and-a-half, even if the second conviction is not alcohol-related.
As TMZ first reported, Richie admitted to CHP officers that she had taken Vicodin and smoked pot before driving the wrong way on a Burbank freeway. A field sobriety test revealed she was not under the influence of alcohol. Cop: "What have you eaten today?"
Nicole: "French Fries"
tmz
Man Pleads Not Guilty in Actress' Death
A construction worker charged with murdering an actress in her Manhattan apartment attacked her because he was worried about immigration officials, say court papers prosecutors filed Wednesday.
"I lost control and kept cursing," the papers quote Diego Pillco, a 19-year-old Ecuadorean, as saying. "She was insulting me. ... I thought she was going to call the police when she went upstairs. I was afraid of immigration."
The papers were filed with a second-degree murder indictment at Pillco's arraignment in Manhattan's state Supreme Court, where he pleaded not guilty in the death of Adrienne Shelly, 40.
The body of Shelly, who appeared in the 2005 movie "Factotum" with Matt Dillon, was found Nov. 1 hanging from a shower rod in the Greenwich Village apartment that she used as an office.
According to the court papers, Pillco said Shelly approached him in the apartment where he was working about trying to make less noise. The two argued, and she threatened to call police, the papers say. Fearing immigration problems if she did, he followed her up to her apartment, where he hit Shelly, the papers quote Pillco as saying. He said Shelly hit her head on a computer table, lost a pulse and stopped breathing, according to the papers.
newsday
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