R.I.P's

Comedian Greg Giraldo died this morning of a drug overdose. His Comedy Channel stuff was hilarious. He was the "King of Roasts" prompting the politically incorrect Gilbert Gottfried to twitter this morning "If Greg Giraldo gets cremated will it be the Greg Giraldo Roast?" HAHA, it's never too soon, Gilbert. Greg would've liked that one.

Tony Curtis was HOT, HOT, HOT

Also, on the 55th anniversary of the death of legendary actor James Dean (Sept. 30th), we found out that actor Tony Curtis has also passed away.

With over 100 movies and an Oscar Nomination to his credit, Tony was Hollywood Royalty. He also gave us his daughter, Jamie Lee, who by all accounts is a pretty cool chick.

Gloria Stuart passed away on Sept. 26th. She was best known for playing the older Rose in Titanic. She was 100.


Terry Newton, the FAMOUS British Rugby player committed suicide last week. It's a tragedy that has left England's Rugby and fan world reeling. He was only 31 and left behind at least 2 kids.

Another Hollywood legend of sorts, Eddie Fisher also died this month. As one of Elizabeth Taylor's ex-husbands, he was most well known for being Carrie Fisher's dad.

R.I.P.

Dave Navarro's Open Letter to Gay, Bi & Transgender Teens

We never in a MILION years thought we could be inspired by former Red Hot Chili Pepper rock star Dave Navarro.

Until today. His open letter, aimed at teenagers overwhelmed with anger, targeted by bigots and contemplating suicide was posted at PerezHilton.com and it is amazing. We hope that all gay and lesbian teens could read this and take hope in his words.

Here is it in entirety:

"Ok everybody, here is the deal. I cannot imagine what it’s like growing up in a close minded environment and being gay, bi or tans-gender. I don’t think any of us who aren’t can possibly imagine. The strength and character it must take to stay true to yourself in such an unforgiving microcosm are qualities that a major portion of the world lacks… Sad, but true. It’s just how it is at the moment. However, it’s that very strength and character that gives the world hope for a new way of thinking and acceptance in the future and when one of our children gives in and gives up, it is not only a tragedy but a victory for those who fear diversity. DO NOT LET THEM WIN! I know how overwhelming the feelings can get and how small the reality can feel, but the bottom line is that this is but a drop in the bucket in terms of the magnitude of life. You can get through this. High school is full of plenty of bullies and fear based hate, as is the world. With any group of people comes a percentage of people who just don’t get it and probably will never get it. That’s OK. We all deal with this to an extent. The truth is that in High School, you are kind of stuck in the group you are a part of until graduation, but trust me… You can pick and choose who you associate with and there are plenty of like-minded people in the world that are understanding, accepting and loving. Sometimes, we just have to stick it out to meet them. The hard cold reality is that once you have chosen suicide, that’s it. No going back. Sure, there is a public outcry and MAYBE the bullies feel remorse for a while, but it all dies down, life goes on, the bullies let the memory fade and get on with their lives. They learn to laugh, love, reach their goals and in many cases go on to have a full and productive life. Who loses? You do! Your family! Your friends! Other teens who need support in this area! Oh yeah… We all Lose! Now the world has one less mind that is open and different and unique and sensitive. Instead, we inherit the bullies, the fear, the set back… Our world has one less soul to help it evolve with a new level of clarity. Personally, I have seen a lot of darkness and tragedy that has felt insurmountable. The murder of my mother, my battle with drug addiction, the loss of friends and family. Utter depression and despair. Of course the thought of suicide has crossed my mind a time or two. Let me share this. THANK GOD I never took that action. The friends I have made, the experiences I have had, the laughter I have shared would have all been missed. In hindsight, some of my darkest moments now seem so small and insignificant that I am amazed I gave them so much power at the time. I am even able to laugh about it now. When I think back to the times I have considered ending it all I end up saying to myself, “What was I thinking?” To those of you contemplating such a course, please do us a favor. Seek counseling first. Find a network of people who have gone through what you are going through. Help others in even more turmoil than you. I am certain that you can find peace. As you know, our society and political climate is SO divided right now. We need your voice. The world at large needs your sheer existence in order to come to terms with itself and where we are going as a planet and species."

Well said!

In addition to the good words above (paragraphs be damned!), Jay Manuel has put out a YouTube video telling gay teens that it DOES GET BETTER OUT THERE.



Considering there have been so many gay teen suicides lately, all of this cannot come soon enough. The gay teen suicide rate is at an all time high. It's the saddest epidemic in America right now. There were two high profile cases this week alone. America's gay youth need to tough it out and SURVIVE so that they can live to CHANGE THIS COUNTRY FOR THE BETTER.

BUSTED!

E tu, Alberto?

Alberto Contador has failed a doping test, with a small concentration of some banned substance and he is, of course, blaming FOOD. It was "bad meat" brought to him on a Tour rest day.

He has been suspended and there is talk of rescinding his 2010 Tour De France Title. GIVE IT TO ANDY SCHLECK!!

Anyway, it's no secret that we can't stand the guy and once again cycling is the worst for it. Food poisoning, Alberto? Come on!

Washington Post Article



In MUCH BETTER CYCLING NEWS: Congratulations to Fabian Cancellara for winning his Fourth Consecutive World Time Trial! It was a record breaking win and makes him the fastest rider in history, cementing his place as a legend in the sport. Cancellara blew the other riders away at the tournament in Australia yesterday.

CyclingNews.com

All Hands Abandon Ship!

John and Andy Hillstrand

"We have been through a lot over the past year and
unfortunately given the current situation with Discovery
we are unable to continue participating in 'Deadliest Catch'.
It has been a fantastic ride, and we wish the best to all of the
amazing and supportive Catch fans we have met over the years.”

They quit the show. John & Andy Hillstrand and Sig Hansen are heading into unknown waters.

It's been a very hard year for the crab fisherman of the Bering Sea and especially the Captain's of the show The Deadliest Catch. One of them DIED, for God's sake. (R.I.P. Phil Harris) The show is a fan favorite and earns seriously high ratings and money for the Discovery network. In fact, TDC is the highest rated cable network show and the highest rated show ever for the Discovery Channel.

With all that in mind, you'd think that the network would work with these guys more and if not "coddle" them, at least cater to them a bit. Not Discovery. No. Way. The Discovery Channel in an effort to cash in on the humongous popularity of the Hillstrand brothers, cast them in a special show called appropriately enough "Hillstranded." The Captains of the f/v Time Bandit, Andy and Johnathan, were filmed for over a 6 week period. The show was "in the can" so to speak. Not so, says Discovery. Suing the brothers Hillstrand for over $3 Million dollars, Discovery contended the brothers were not finished filming and owed them interviews, voice-overs and that sort of finishing stuff that rounds out a show. The Hillstrands bailed contending on their own that they were in fact finished and done with it.

Enter Captain Sig Hansen of the f/v Northwestern, the tough as nails Norwegian Fishing God and faithful and loyal compatriot and peer of the Hillstrands. In a supreme show of solidarity Captain Sig has basically told Discovery Channel to go fuck itself. Hansen said, "I want people to know the captains stand together, and me and my brothers support them 100 percent."

We liked Sig. We love him now.

Sig points out that although crab fisherman are extremely well compensated for their catch - million of dollars per boat - the money goes right back into the boat. Fuel alone could cost a Captain hundreds of thousands of dollars. It's ridiculous the amount of overhead that goes into a fishing vessel. Essentially, a $3 million dollar lawsuit would bankrupt the Hillstrands, force them to sell their boat, fire their crew and end their careers as fishermen.

Discovery is set to release a statement today.

Captain Sigurd Hansen,
a take-no-shit, hard-working, son-of-a-bitch

Basta!

"I'm angry this season!"

Enough!

Dear Bruno Tonioli,

We love the dramatic and emphatic commentary you make every week as a judge on Dancing with the Stars. That is...usually, we do. Your take-no-prisoner approach to poor Michael Bolton was bullshitty at best and down right bullshitty at worst.

What was going through your mind? It's a celebrity dance show, not the fucking International Ballroom Finals!

You shouldn't send away your paycheck with thoughts of suicide! The celebrities on the show are there for their own PR and money, not to be belittled and humiliated. They are very brave for going through the training and doing ballroom dances in front of millions of people..live on TV.

If course, belittlement and humiliation are par for the course, but to say it to them with such flair was unconscionable. It's only week 2. What exact perfection were you really expecting?

You have to know it's bad when Len Goodman is telling you you're inappropriate.

We feel sorry for Michael Bolton's 90 year old mother who flew all the way in to L.A to see the show and didn't even get a lousy "My son was on Dancing with the Stars" t-shirt.

NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST CHAMPS...AGAIN!

The Philadelphia Phillies have had another spectacular September culminating in their
FOURTH CONSECUTIVE NATIONAL LEAGUE EAST
TITLE AS DIVISION CHAMPS.

WAY TO GO!

The Dark Side of Hershey Chocolate Co.

Milton Hershey (1857–1945), was a Pennsylvania farm boy with a fourth grade education who went on to build a vast empire. After creating and selling (at a huge profit) his own caramel candy factory, using a caramel recipe he obtained while traveling, Milton went on to invent his own milk chocolate recipe/formula. His is a success story of the utmost caliber. He created a chocolate product that is an American icon and we think he should be honored as a national BONAFIDE HERO and Legend.

What made Milton great though, was the fact that he was a philanthropist of the highest order and proved it through the commitment to fund education of the area's children. He and his wife, never having been able to conceive children of their own, donated and built a school (It still owns the stock for the entire Hershey Chocolate Company and Theme Park!) and a charitable foundation to help township residents.

This guy was solid gold. So what's the dark side?

Well, in the many, many years since his death, the Hershey Company has succumbed to modern business practices. Meaning, that the cocoa itself is outsourced to "improved supply-chain efficiencies." Mainly, the source of the Hershey cocoa now is West Africa and the famed Ivory Coast. A romantic sounding name for a fucking hell-hole where children by the hundreds of thousands are sold into slavery and are beaten, whipped and forced into hard labor on cocoa farms every single day. Children whose bodies are covered in scars and bent crooked from all the physical labor. Half-starved children who will never run in sunshiny grass fields enjoying a piece of chocolate candy.

The CEO of Hershey takes in an annual salary of over $8 million. Just salary, Not bonuses, incentives, stock options and what-have-you. The children on the cocoa farms get nothing. The parents that sold them there probably got a one time only pathetic stipend for the sale of their child.

In fact, all of this is very well known and documented. Hershey Company refuses to comment or change practices, other than issue a pathetic corporate doctrine entitled "Corporate Social Responsibility Report." Gee, wow. We're impressed. You paid spin doctors to write up some bullshitty corporate spiel while children are dying on your farms the entire time and currently continue to do so.

Other companies HAVE indeed changed including Cadbury's who was the first chocolatier to make their products "Fair Trade Certified."

We think Milton would be flipping around in his grave if he knew the good name he spent his lifetime building would be used to denigrate, use and abuse children. The very thing he always wanted.

We will find Hershey's chocolate hard to swallow after this.

Full article at The Huffington Post

READ MORE about Milton Hershey's incredible life

SURVIVOR: Crazy Town

Homophobic Shannon scouting for possible infiltration
of gay people...from New York

WOW! First off, let us remind everyone, that this isn't the Survivor Blog - it's still The Omni Report but since Survivor is one of the best shows ever...here is our summary of last night's episode...

HOLY FUCKING BAT SHIT! Not one, but TWO survivors lost their shit last night...

First off, the episode was kind of boring. It only had one challenge that was for both Reward and Immunity and we hate those episodes. There was lots of "camp talking" and nothing was happening...until...Holly of the "Old" tribe, feeling, well...crazy, overheard someone calling her crazy and well...went crazy. She stole the guys SHOES, loaded them with sand and then promptly dropped them off in the lagoon, letting them sink all 5 inches to the very bottom, where they looked like a new type of fish to be caught for supper. Or actually a pair of sand filled shoes.

Cut to the Old People camp and lo and behold it's an all out APB for the shoes. And it turns out, they aren't just shoes...they are $1,600, hand-made, custom, 100% pure alligator dressy shoes. We're not sure where to begin here!

1) People who pay $1,600 for shoes are fucked up in the head.
2) Only someone fucked up in the head would BRING a pair of $1,600 dollar shoes to the goddamn jungle to begin with.
3) The harmless "oh but he called me crazy" prank turns out to be a fucking grand theft larceny!

Cut to the shot of the sunken shoes and try not to laugh...

Okay, THEN it gets crazy...Holly, completely overcome with guilt and waking up to her actions, is horrified, calls a tribal meeting and spills her guts. As she is confessing, the stolen shoes guy (hey, it's week 2, who the hell knows their names?), confesses back "If you were a guy I'd punch you" or something like that. He was clearly in shock and kept mumbling "She stole my shoes, she stole my shoes." Where's Russell Hantz when you need him? I'd like to see the way he would've handled his shoes being sunk into a lagoon, by a psycho chick. So Holly, the psycho chick, wrote her own obituary here and if Old Tribe loses, she is gone.

At the Reward/Immunity Challenge the Old Tribe uses the **Cue the heavy metal music** "MEDALLION OF POWER" to their advantage and actually win! The Infant Tribe is totally shocked and sent for the first time to Tribal Council. Holly wins a reprieve...

This is the point in the episode where Survivor #2 goes crazy. At Tribal Council, Jeff asked one question. One tiny-weenie question and BOOM. Crazy Fucking Town.

Jeff "Fearless Leader and Sex God" Probst: "Shannon, how difficult do you find the game?"

To which Shannon went off on a homophobic filled rant where he vented on Chase then Sash. (Where are the guys getting their names from? Shannon? Chase? Sash?) They quipped about who had the hotter girlfriends, how New York is full of gay people and on and on went Shannon, digging his grave faster than Wendy did last week. To which Jeff replied "New York is filled with gay people?" and to which Shannon replied "They have more than Louisiana." Poor Louisiana...is there no diversity down there? Hasn't Shannon EVER BEEN to a Mardi Gras Parade? There's more gay in one hour than any normal year in NY.

So, Goodbye Shannon, the homophobe with the girly name.

Tune in next week to witness Jimmy Johnson bond with some monkeys! Can't wait!

This season is shaping up really good, really fast.

Jeff's Survivor Blog at EW.com

It's a Bird, It's a Plane, It's....Uranus, Jupiter and the Harvest Moon!

Sky watchers Celebrate! There are several super-duper celestial events happening tonight and tomorrow, including the Autumnal Equinox this evening at 11:09 EST.

From Geoff Gaherty at space.com

"Check out the eastern sky just after sunset tomorrow (Sept. 22), and you'll catch a sky watching treat. The nearly full moon will be rising just above the bright planet Jupiter and a somewhat dimmer Uranus.

You'll need binoculars if you hope to spot Uranus — it appears as a tiny bluish speck, too dim for the naked eye. So the coming celestial lineup is an excellent time to find that planet with binoculars or a small telescope, using Jupiter as a helpful guidepost.

Sky watching marathon
Several astronomical events happen in rapid succession this week, offering a celestial show for observers graced with clear skies. The times indicated here are for eastern North America and may vary a little if you’re elsewhere in the world:

•Today (Sept. 21) at 8 p.m. EDT, Jupiter is in opposition. This means that Jupiter will be exactly opposite the sun in Earth’s sky. This also means that Jupiter will be visible the entire night. (Yesterday — Sept. 20 — Jupiter made its closest approach to Earth in nearly 50 years.)

•Five hours later, at 1 a.m. tomorrow (Sept. 22), Uranus will be in opposition, taking its turn opposite the sun in the sky.

•Later tomorrow at 3 p.m., Jupiter and Uranus will be in conjunction, less than 1 degree apart in the sky. They won’t be visible right then in North America because they will be below the horizon, but they will still be close together when they rise just after sunset. You will be able to see both planets at the same time in the field of a small telescope at low magnification.

•The show continues tomorrow night at 11:09 p.m. EDT (Sept. 23), when the sun crosses the celestial equator — a projection of Earth's equator on the sky — and enters the southern hemisphere. This is known as the equinox, meaning "equal nights." Daytime and nighttime are of equal length, about 12 hours, everywhere on Earth. (Of course, the sun won’t be visible at this time in North America, being on the other side of the planet.)

•Finally, at 5:17 a.m. EDT, Thursday, the full moon of September will occur, since the moon will be exactly opposite the sun in the sky. This is a special full moon: It is the full moon closest to the equinox, known as the harvest moon. "

So cue the Neil Young "Harvest Moon" CD and get ready to experience some serious celestial activity.

Sir Ian McKellen

Sir Ian McKellen attended an Anti-Pope, Anti-Catholic, Pro-Gay Rights rally in London's Hyde Park the other day and he DID NOT WEAR THE ABOVE SHIRT. Well, he sort of did. He wore the standard "Some people are gay get over it" shirt. THAT shirt was photo shopped into the above and went viral. We LOVE the photo shopped shirt!

The End of an Era

Discovery on the Cape Canaveral luanch pad - September 20th, 2010.

Goodbye Discovery Space Shuttle. Goodbye ALL space shuttles. Discovery will launch it's final journey on November 1. After that the shuttle Endeavour will launch its final run in February 2011 and then...no more...

After Endeavours final flight there will never be another space shuttle launch ever. So sad.

Discovery was the most used shuttle - a beloved workhorse of the NASA space program. Whether you believed we landed on the moon or not is irrelevant at this point as far as the shuttle program goes. The shuttle program when it first began heralded a new space age. No more obsolete rocket ships, no more touch and go splashdowns.

The Obama administration is unsure where to take NASA in the future and this article will in no way address the shortcomings and evil nature of the NASA program. It will only lament the end of an unfulfilled and hopeful era...

Animals with Designs

Small dogs with little hearts...

A cow with a heart on its head.

Holy cow!

This is proof of intelligent design.

Formal cat appreciates an old-fashioned top hat.

I have what on my back?

I am CAT see me roar!

R.I.P - Beatrice Sinclair

Beatrice Sinclair and husband Donald with daughters Ann and Helen.
They were the inspiration behind Sybil and Basil Fawlty

The real life inspiration for Sybil Fawlty has died, aged 95. Fawlty Towers, undoubtedly the greatest Britcom of all time, was the brainchild of actor and Monty Pythonian John Cleese.

Cleese created his hotel themed comedy after staying at the Gleneagles hotel owned by Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair. Mr. Sinclair, probably a great guy, made quite the impression of a not so much bumbling owner but a harassed one, one that couldn't be bothered with guests.

His wife, Beatrice, didn't like the way her husband was portrayed in the series and took fault (pun intended) with the whole affair. It's okay Beatrice. Your husband may have been fodder, but he was the fodder for one of TV's greatest characters EVER, Basil Fawlty.

John Cleese and Prunella Scales as Basil and Sybil Fawlty
in the classic TV series Fawlty Towers

News Link

Yoga Bears

"And one and two..."

All animals are cool. Bears are amongst the coolest. Here is some funny bear stuff.

Click HERE to see some GREAT pics of Santra the bear doing her cool yoga moves.

Awesome video of three bears limbering up for some breakfast. Apparently they love to grab their feet!

SURVIVOR: Nicaragua

Gear up, people! Survivor kicks off it's 21'st season tonight!

It's another round of Young vs. Old. Look for Jimmy Johnson to stand out tonight as they concentrate more on the older tribe in this first episode.

Jeff Probst also gave an interview stating that the first challenge was foiled by the contestants as the production staff had planned for it to go an entirely different way from how it actually got played.

Also, look for the first ever Immunity Medallion to be played this season. No more hiding immunity idols in trees and under rocks with lame clues. Russell Hantz, world's greatest Survivor, ended that trend after he found every single one of them in the seasons he played.

Look for Survivor on WEDNESDAYS at 8pm!


Official Survivor CBS Site

NUMERO UNO!!

I'm a GRAND SLAM WINNER!

Rafael Nadal is the World's #1 tennis player and ONLY THE 7th IN HISTORY (and the youngest player) TO WIN ALL GRAND SLAMS! CONGRATS, RAFA!!

The off-the-court humble Rafa insists that Roger Federer is still the best in the world. NO WAY, RAFA! You've got the game face to end all game faces plus the goddamn GAME to go with it!

We LOVE Rafa. We miss his teenage mutant ninja turtle look though and would love for him to get it back. At least he is healthy again. And for the record...Roger was the world's best player until Nadal came to play and became the world's biggest monkey wrench to Roger's career. Ultimately, Roger could've/would've dominated the sport MORE than he already has had our little Spanish Bull not been born - this is one of the greatest sports rivalries of all time. With Rafa in the court, Roger better fear. (Note: The Andy's - Murray and Roddick are totally screwed, not to mention Djokovic. The Rafa/Roger thing is way to intense for anyone to even compete with them at this point.)

Roger was 27 before he won all the Slams and Rafa is only 24 yet. He is without a doubt the greatest tennis player ever born.

Who were the other 6 to win all Grand Slams?

Fred Perry (GB): Britain’s greatest completed the set in 1935, aged 26. Won eight slams.

Don Budge (US): Won his fourth different slam in 1938, aged 22. Won all four in 1938 and six in total.

Rod Laver (Australia): The 24 year-old was first man in the open era to complete the feat in 1962. Won 11 slams in all.

Roy Emerson (Australia): The 1964 Wimbledon title completed his full set, aged 27. Won 12 in total.

Andre Agassi (US): Joined the club by winning the 1999 French Open, seven years after his first slam, aged 29. Eight slams in all.

Roger Federer (Switzerland): Won French Open in 2009 to ensure career slam, aged 27. Has 16 slams to date.