4UMF Present– Today Headlines as on 13 July 2013
Current Events | Current News | Entertainment News * Man Sets 7 Yr Old On Fire *Ludacris Still Gets Paid Off 2 Chainz *Chris Rock Talks Grown Ups 2 * US Budget Surplus Highest In 5 Years *US Robot Could Help In Disaster Zones * NBC Axes Betty White * Michael From The Wire Releasing Album * 20th Century Fox Turns Hit Films Into Musicals * Cop Busted In Bed With 16-Year-Old *Edward Snowden Meets Activists
MAN SETS 7 YR OLD ON FIRE A man from Pennsylvania has been arrested for pouring a flammable liquid on his thengirlfriend‟s seven-year-old son and setting him alight. Police say the man, from Saxonburg, brought his own 15-year-old son along for the attack and proceeded to set the younger boy‟s shirt on fire. Edward B. Myers, 35, allegedly used his cell phone to film the assault as he watched the boy burn. Myers and his two sons ages 11 and 15, also repeatedly shot the victim with air guns. Police say the boy was taken to the hospital for third-degree burns on his face and chest, and welts on his forehead. According to court papers, the boy told police that after his mother left their house, Mr. Myers who was dating her at the time along with his two sons shot him with pellets from an airgun. „He asked them to stop, but they would not,‟ the complaint said. Later, he said Mr. Myers threw something into his eyes that felt like sand and burned, and when the boy went into the bathroom to rinse his eyes out, the man poured nail polish remover on him. When the boy then went into the room of one of the sons, either Mr. Myers or one of the sons „did something and caught his shirt on fire.‟ The little boy told police, „None of the Myers called anyone to help him, and „it seemed like hours‟ before his mother came back and took him to the hospital.‟ The burns covered about 10 percent of his body.
LUDACRIS STILL GETS PAID OFF 2 CHAINZ
Ludacris elaborates on role as “profit partner” with 2 Chainz, says he received a check for 2 Chainz‟ last studio album. Prior to 2 Chainz‟ current success, the rapper was one of many artists signed to Ludacris‟ Disturbing Tha Peace (DTP) label as a member of Playaz Circle. While 2 Chainz, who went by the Tity Boi moniker during his DTP days, has left the Ludacris-led label behind, according to Ludacris the two artists still have a working relationship with one another. 2 Chainz was one of a handful of artists discussed during Ludacris‟ appearance on Power 105.1‟s The Breakfast Club this week. Ludacris went on to express his pride in 2 Chainz and revealed that on top of working with the Based On A T.R.U. Story rapper occasionally, he also receives a percentage of the profits from Chainz‟ solo projects. “I‟m extremely proud of him, I‟m extremely happy, he works extremely hard, he deserves everything that he gets…We still work together in different capacities at all times,” Luda revealed. “I‟m still a profit partner at the end of the day. I just got a check for my album and his.” Last year, it was reported that 2 Chainz would even assist Ludacris on his Ludaversal album by taking on the role of A&R, picking and choosing beats for the project. As of now, it‟s unclear what specific role 2 Chainz will play on Ludacris‟ eighth studio album. Another former DTP artist to be brought up during Ludacris‟ interview was Chicago rapper Shawnna. The female emcee appeared on a number of songs with Ludacris including “What‟s Your Fantasy” and “Stand Up” and reportedly left the label with no warning. “I don‟t know what happened to Shawnna,” said the rapper. “I‟m just keeping it real with that. We was recording, I was in mid-album and I hear on the internet that Shawnna is signed to T-Pain. And I have not talked to Shawnna since.” Video of Ludacris‟ interview with The Breakfast Club
CHRIS ROCK TALKS GROWN UPS 2
It‟s three years later and Rock talks about how the cast all wanted to reprise their roles because they‟re all actually onscreen and off-screen friends. Rock talks about the film and giving an update where they are now. It‟s three years later and Kurt McKenzie (Chris Rock) is dealing with the woes of being a dad, getting along with his wife Deanne McKenzie (Maya Rudolph), dealing with a new baby who like to poop, a daughter who starts dating and his son getting into trouble.
US BUDGET SURPLUS HIGHEST IN 5 YEARS
The US government reported a budget surplus of $116.5bn (£77.02bn) in June, the most in five years. The improving US economy meant that tax receipts were higher than expected. Also, government spending plunged by 47% due to package of spending cuts and tax increases passed in January, know as the sequester. Government owned mortgage firms, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, added $66.3bn (£43.8bn) in payments. They have been in public ownership since 2008. Despite that strong month, the Congressional Budget Office forecasts the annual deficit will be $670bn (£443bn) when the budget year ends on Sept. 30. The rising deficit means the US government is once again expected to hit its debt ceiling – the point at which it must borrow more money to pay for ongoing obligations – in the autumn. The Obama administration must get Congressional approval to raise the limit, which has often proved to be a pivotal point for negotiating future spending deals. In 2011, the federal government almost shut down as a result of the negotiations and rating agency Standard and Poor‟s downgraded the US‟s credit rating from AAA to AA+.
US ROBOT COULD HELP IN DISASTER ZONES
A humanoid robot called Atlas could pave the way for intelligent machines to help in the wake of natural
disasters. The two meter tall robot was created as a test bed for a US Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency challenge. The Darpa challenge demands Atlas completes eight tasks that it might have to perform in an emergency. Six teams have until December 2013 to develop software that will help Atlas complete the tasks. Atlas has been developed by the Boston Dynamics robotics firm which has been working on robots that can aid the military. Like a human, Atlas has two arms and legs and gets around by walking. It sees using a stereo laser scanning system and has gripping hands developed by two separate robotics companies. Unlike humans, it has a high speed networking system built-in so it can communicate with its creators and pipe data back from disaster areas. Before now, the teams taking part in the robotic challenge have only worked with virtual versions of Atlas. In the next stage of the competition, algorithms and control programs for the virtual Atlas will be transferred to the real thing. The teams will then have five months to refine Atlas‟s abilities before taking part in a series of trials. During those, a tethered version of Atlas will be expected to complete tasks which include driving a car, removing debris blocking doors. climbing a ladder, finding and closing a valve and connecting a fire hose. The best performing teams in the December 2013 trials will win funding to continue refining Atlas so it can perform all eight tasks autonomously during the challenge finals in late 2014. “We have dramatically raised the expectations for robotic capabilities with this challenge,” said Gill Pratt, programme manager for the challenge in a statement. Darpa kicked off the competition in a bid to help drive breakthroughs in robotics. Current autonomous machines tended to be highly specialised and limited in their ability to cope with the real world. The teams taking part include researchers from Carnegie Mellon, Nasa‟s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Virginia Tech and hi-tech firm Schaft.
NBC AXES BETTY WHITE
NBC has axed Betty White. The Peacock network yanked White„s prank show, “Betty White‟s Off Their Rockers” Thursday, a candid camera style show in which old people would punk young ones. When it debuted last year it snared a whopping 12 million viewers, but since then the audience has shrunk significantly – averaging a measly 5.3 million for its second season. White, 91, still appears on “Hot in Cleveland” on a sitcom on TV Land.
MICHAEL FROM THE WIRE RELEASING ALBUM ďƒ’
Mack Wilds stops by Hot97 Morning Show to talk about new music and partnering with Salaam Remi.
20TH CENTURY FOX TURNS HIT FILMS INTO MUSICALS
Hollywood film studio 20th Century Fox has joined forces with a top Broadway producer to develop a raft of stage musicals based on Fox films. “For years we have been eager to expand our entertainment expertise to the world of live stage,” said Fox chairman Jim Gianopulos in a statement. “But we wanted to do it right and, most importantly, with the right people.” Kevin McCollum, the producer behind Broadway hits Rent and Avenue Q, is among those co-financing the operation. He has teamed up with film producer John Davis and entertainment mogul Tom McGrath to match Fox‟s 50% investment in the venture. “Theatre is about surprises and things that you haven‟t seen before on stage,” McCollum told the New York Times. “There are amazing Fox Searchlight titles and great films from the ‟70s that nobody today has heard of.” Some nine to 12 films will be developed into musicals, bound either for Broadway or US and international tours. McCollum declined to say what films he saw as potential candidates for a musical makeover. However, Fox‟s back catalogue includes such successes as Star Wars, Home Alone and Avatar. “Most important is not forcing anything,” said Davis, whose big-screen hits include Doctor Dolittle, Predator and I, Robot. “A big, popular movie doesn‟t always lend itself to a live experience.” Potential profit Co-financer McGrath previously worked for Viacom, where he was involved in the musical adaptations of Paramount titles White Christmas, Footloose and Saturday Night Fever. McCollum, who brought a version of High Fidelity to Broadway in 2006, is currently enjoying success with Motown: The Musical, which opened on Broadway in April and was nominated for four Tony awards. McCollum told the New York Times he hoped Fox would become a partner in reverse by bringing his original stage shows to the big screen. Fox‟s only prior experience of stage musicals has been as a licensee for productions such as 9 to 5 and Big. Warner Brothers, MGM, Sony and Universal all have Broadway operations of varying sizes, where the losses are relatively small compared to the film business. The profits can also be impressive, with Disney recently claiming the US tour of The Lion King has taken more than $1 billion . “A lot of different companies have wanted to get in,” said Thomas Schumacher, head of Disney‟s theatrical group, when asked about the new Fox alliance “But to do this with someone like Kevin, a smart producer who knows everybody, is a great decision.”
COP BUSTED IN BED WITH 16-YEAR-OLD
An NYPD veteran plied a teenager with porn and booze before a Fourth of July sexual encounter that ended when his wife found the two in bed, police sources said. Peter Ciollo, 29, was off duty when he allegedly targeted the 16-year-old victim over the holiday weekend, the sources said. Ciollo was partying with two 16-year-old girls before participating in “multiple sexual acts” with the victim, Staten Island prosecutor Victoria Levin said Thursday at the cop‟s arraignment. Levin, reading from the criminal complaint, said the accused officer blamed the victim for what started on the night of July 4 and finished around 2 a.m. the next day. “She came on to me,” Ciollo reportedly told authorities. “She told me she was 17.” Ciollo was released after posting $1,500 bail following his arraignment on seven misdemeanor charges, including attempted rape and sexual abuse. Peter Ciollo‟s wife discovered the two in bed, according to sources. Ciollo gave the girl alcohol before letting her drive his car. Prosecutors say Ciollo blamed his alleged victim. His purportedly cheated-on wife turned out to support her husband, and his lawyer said that Ciollo was innocent. “Peter denies the allegations, maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court to get rid of these charges,” said defense attorney Richard Barrett. The wife wept on another relative‟s shoulder as she left the courtroom with Ciollo. According to the sources, Ciollo gave the victim alcohol before letting her drive his car. The cop allegedly provided her with more to drink before they returned to his home. Ciollo, at some point, used a computer to show the girl pornography before kissing her on the lips and urging her to take her shirt off, the sources said. The pair wound up in bed, where the officer had the teen climb on top of him while he rubbed his genitals against hers, the sources said. The woozy girl later said she remembers waking up in somebody else‟s underwear before Ciollo‟s wife found the two in bed, the sources said. The Staten Island cop, who joined the force in 2006, was suspended without pay from the 120th Precinct.
EDWARD SNOWDEN MEETS ACTIVISTS
ugitive US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden has met leading human rights groups and lawyers at Sheremetyevo airport in Moscow. He spoke to around 10 activists in the airport transit zone. Mr Snowden told activists he was seeking political asylum in Russia. He had earlier dropped his application when Moscow said he could stay only if he stopped leaking US secrets. The Kremlin reiterated its condition on Friday. “Mr Snowden could hypothetically stay in Russia if he first, completely stops the activities harming our American partners and US-Russian relations and, second, if he asks for this himself,” President Vladimir Putin„s spokesman Dmitry Peskov said. Mr Snowden is wanted by the US on charges of leaking secrets about US surveillance schemes. He has sent requests for political asylum to at least 21 countries, most of which have turned down his request. However, Bolivia, Nicaragua and Venezuela have indicated they could take him in. It is thought he is considering seeking political asylum in Russia because he cannot fly out of Moscow. “He wants to stay here until he can fly to Latin America,” Tatyana Lokshina of Human Rights Watch is quoted as saying. Mr Snowden is unable to leave the transit zone without asylum documents, a valid passport or a Russian visa, none of which he reportedly has.