Recent photo of Brittany Murphy looking awfully thin.
I really don't enjoy just reporting what other sites are posting, but the following update seems to really cover the most up-to-date information about the sad and untimely death of actress, Brittany Murphy.
via OKMagazine.com
"With sudden news of Brittany Murphy’s death after a 911 call was placed from her home in L.A. early Sunday morning, Hollywoodlife.com reveals how her husband reacted to the tragedy and what went on inside their private house hours after her passing.
Simon Monjack, Murphy’s husband since 2007, was seen pacing back and forth in front of their home after coming back from the hospital where his wife was pronounced dead at 10:04 AM according to Hollywoodlife.com.
The shaken screenwriter was spotted by a witness at the scene crying and screaming while on the phone that afternoon accompanied by a bodyguard, family, and the county coroner at the house, Hollywoodlife.com reports.
Sharon, Brittany’s mother, who found her unconscious and called the paramedics, remained at the hospital until later in the afternoon, where her daughter’s body still remains.
Hollywoodlife.com also spoke with neighbors at the scene while Brittany was being wheeled out to the ambulance on a stretcher.
Claire Staples, who lives nearby, tells Hollywoodlife.com that, “It was obvious she was already gone by the time they brought her down from the house.”
Although paramedics, who arrived at the West Hollywood residence at 8:30 AM, were attempting to give the actress CPR by, “sticking tubes down her throat,” Staples claims that Brittany already, “looked yellow.” And while the medical team tried to revive Brittany, a very shaken Simon stayed away from the body, still in his pajamas from the night before, Hollywoodlife.com reports.
As for now, Assistant Chief Ed Winter of the L.A. Count Coroner’s office tells Hollywoodlife.com that he was present at Murphy’s house in the afternoon for a, “general investigation,” into her death."
I need to reiterate the issue of drugs and weight-loss in women. I've fucking been there. To hear that Brittany was found in the shower is totally not shocking. Taking a shower is one of the most difficult chores for someone who is dangerously underweight. I needed a chair when I was in Casa Palmera in order to take a shower...and even then, I couldn't do it every single day. When I got home, Stephen had to stand next to the shower to makes sure I didn't collapse. Add the possibility of drugs in Brittany's system (which has not been determined, only rumored about), it's a lethal combination.
Nice, huh?
Another photo of your's truly in 2008.
This whole situation makes me sad and angry. At Hollywood. At society. At what we do to ourselves in search of PERFECTION and to TRY TO MAKE OUR DEMONS DISAPPEAR.
Brittany, I hope you find peace now, but I just don't know what happens now.
Ashton Kutcher Twitter reaction to Brittany Murphy passing away: 2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine. My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon.
Ashton Kutcher second Twitter message: See you on the other side kid.
Brittany and Ashton, 2003
I remember seeing Brittany and Ashton laughing and being silly all over the place when the two were promoting Just Married. They both seemed crazy in love at the time. Brittany and Ashton were engaged in 2003.
Wow. Brittany Murphy was DOA **early this morning** (latest reports) en route to Cedars Sinai in Los Angeles after going into full cardiac arrest.
The troubled actress was rumored to have been fired from a film recently due to bad behavior onset in Puerto Rico. She was also the topic of suspected drug abuse and a supposed eating disorder.
Brittany's husband, Simon Monjack was rushed to the ER three weeks ago after a possible "asthma-related" episode.
via TMZ.com
"UPDATE 3:11 PM ET -- Sources tell TMZ Brittany Murphy's mom discovered her unconscious in the shower. We're told when paramedics arrived, they quickly determined Murphy was in full cardiac arrest and immediately administered CPR. They continued CPR in route to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center -- several miles away -- and Murphy was unresponsive. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
We're told the LA County Coroner's is picking up Murphy's body from Cedars later today and will launch an investigation."
Brittany co-starred in one of my favorite films, "Girl Interrupted".
via TMZ:
Brittany Murphy died last night after she went into full cardiac arrest and could not be revived, multiple sources tell TMZ.
She was 32.
The Los Angeles City Fire Department tells TMZ they received a call to a home in Los Angeles that is listed as belonging to her husband, Simon Monjack.
We're told Murphy was taken to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Murphy starred in such films as "Clueless," "8 Mile," and "Don't Say a Word."
Like most everyone here in Washington State, particularly Western Washington, I'm watching the coverage of the Memorial for the four Lakewood Police Officers who were gunned down in a coffee shop while doing their paperwork last week.
Upwards of 20,000 police officers from all over the United States have gathered at the Tacoma Dome (about 30 minutes from our house) to pay their respects to the Brothers and Sister in Blue. Watching the four white hearses and seeing the family members following behind in limosines is just making my chest hurt.
The magnitude of this insanely violent and senseless act is coming to a silent crescendo.
via KOMO4
Donate online to the fallen officers of the Lakewood Police Department
Lakewood, Washington
The Lakewood Police Independent Guild has set up a benevolent fund for the families of the four officers killed Sunday morning.
Guild president Brian Wurts said in a statement on the guild's web page that the account has been established through the union.
If you would like to contribute, you can donate online or via mail.
Donate by Mail: Mail checks to LPIG Benevolent Fund, PO Box 99579, Lakewood, WA 98499
Make out the checks to the "LPIG Benevolent Fund".
Officers set up survey tripods at the scene where suspect Maurice Clemmons
was shot and killed by police early Tuesday morning.
CLIFF DESPEAUX / THE SEATTLE TIMES
Finally. The suspect in the brutal ambush and killing of four Lakewood, Washington police officers was killed in Seattle early this morning during a routine 911 call for regarding a stolen car.
via SeattleTimes.com
Information from Seattle Times staff reporters Jennifer Sullivan, Steve Miletich, Mark Rahner, Sara Jean Green, Jack Broom and Times researcher Miyoko Wolf is included in this report.
Maurice Clemmons, the suspect wanted in the slaying of four Lakewood police officers, was shot and killed in South Seattle early this morning by a Seattle police officer making a routine check of a stolen car.
The shooting occurred about the same time as Pierce County sheriff's detectives took into custody a man believed to have acted as a getaway driver in Sunday's slayings of the Lakewood officers. Police also booked four people into jail on suspicion of providing assistance to Clemmons, said sheriff's spokesman Ed Troyer.
The News-Tribune newspaper in Tacoma is reporting that one of those arrested is the alleged getaway driver and is believed to be a former cellmate of Clemmons in Arkansas, according to law enforcement and KIRO TV.
Several other people also will be taken into custody for helping Clemmons, Troyer said.
Clemmons, who was armed with a handgun taken from one of the officers he is accused of killing, was shot in the 4400 block of South Kenyon Street during a confrontation with a South Precinct patrol officer, police officials said. He refused commands to stop and was shot by the officer about 2:45 a.m., the officials said.
Troyer said Clemmons had an older wound to his stomach believed to be the result of a gunshot fired by one of the Lakewood officers killed Sunday. Troyer said he was surprised Clemmons survived that wound. Troyer praised the Seattle officer who shot Clemmons, saying the officer was lucky he wasn't killed. The officer has been placed on routine administrative leave.
Seattle police said the officer, a 4 ½-year veteran, was on routine patrol when he saw a car with the hood up and the engine running. The officer ran the license plate and determined the car had been stolen, said Seattle Assistant Chief Jim Pugel.
The car had been reported stolen from the 4800 block of South Chicago Street about 12:45 a.m., a law enforcement source said.
As the officer sat in his patrol car doing paperwork on the stolen car, he noticed a man was approaching the driver's side of the patrol car from behind.
The officer immediately recognized the man as matching the description of Clemmons and got out his patrol car, Pugel said.
"He ordered the person to stop. He ordered the person to show his hands, that person would not show his hands, and also began to run away counterclockwise around the vehicle," Pugel said.
The officer again told him to stop and he didn't comply, Pugel said.
The officer then fired several shots at Clemmons, who was pronounced dead at the scene, officials said.
Pugel said it was unclear whether the man displayed a weapon before he was shot.
The man has been tentatively identified as Clemmons based on his description and other information, Pugel said.
The officer, whose name was not released, was not injured.
A check of the serial number on the handgun found on Clemmons showed that it belonged to one of the Lakewood police officers, Pugel said. Troyer did not identify the officer whose gun was taken.
Clemmons has been the focus of a massive manhunt since Sunday morning, when he is accused of killing four Lakewood police officers in a coffee shop in Parkland.
Troyer said Clemmons' relatives and friends provided him with medical assistance, cellphones, money and were making arrangements to help him leave the state. Some people provided misleading information to hinder the search for Clemmons, he said.
Numerous people have helped him since Sunday's shooting, and active investigations are ongoing into their role, Troyer said.
"We expect to have up to six or seven people in custody by the day's end," he said.
Officers earlier detained a sister of Clemmons who they think treated the 37-year-old suspect's gunshot wound. She wasn't in custody late Monday, and her name wasn't released.
A man who possibly is a half-brother of Clemmons was booked into jail in Pierce County early today.
Clemmons apparently had no tie to to residents on the block where he was killed, Pugel said.
Lakewood Police Chief Bret Farrar arrived at the scene a few hours after the shooting to express relief and appreciation for the work that has been done by law enforcement agencies throughout the area since Sunday's shooting.
"I just want to thank all my brothers and sisters in law enforcement," he said. "I just can't say enough about what they've done in the last few days."
He said the families of the dead officers have been notified of Clemmons' death.
"What went through my mind mostly was ... we can close the page on this and we can get our people together and start the healing process," Farrar said.
Harvey Lagon, whose car was stolen, reported the theft before about 12:45 a.m. today, above five blocks from the shooting scene. Lagon was watching television when he heard a car start up and heard someone revving the engine.
"I looked out the window and it was my car," he said. He did not know until contacted by a Times reporter that his car had been stolen by Clemmons.
"I'm the one who called the cops," he said. "I was going to go after him. It's a good thing I didn't."
He got home from work about 12:20 a.m., was watching TV, heard a car start, and saw it moving. His first thought was to chase it.
"I grabbed my cellphone and I called the cops and that's all she wrote." The car is owned by his father, Rodolfo Lagon, "I'm glad the dude got caught because I called the police. But I'm not glad the car was stolen." Lagon noted that sometimes the car dies.
"It's not a very reliable car." he said. "We only use it for short trips." Jessica Breznau, who lives near the shooting scene, said she came outside after the shots were fired and saw police.
"One of the policemen took me aside and said, 'Let me tell you what's going on.' He was kind of emotional and he said, 'This is the guy who shot the people in Lakewood. He's gone.' "
Breznau said the officer told her that Clemmons had a gun.
Sylvester Dennis, 50, who lives in the area, walked to scene before 5 a.m.
"Sounds like he got what he deserved. Those were police officers, man. You just can't just go around killing people," said Dennis, a truck driver who has lived in the area since he was 11.
Linda Coomas, 52, who lives around the corner from where the shooting occurred, said she heard a series of what sounded like loud, sharp knocks just before 3 a.m.
"And soon after that, I heard a lot of sirens and saw a lot of lights."
Coomas, who has lived in the area 3 ½ years, said, "It's a transitional neighborhood. You've got all kinds of people here. I generally feel safe, but I am really glad I have a security system."
By 8 a.m., hours after the shooting, more than a dozen police units remained at the scene and officers could be scene checking out the street, sidewalk, parking strip and nearby porches looking for evidence.
At one point, a Seattle Fire Department ladder truck was brought in to hoist a police photographer high above the scene. The suspect vehicle was still in place, its hood up and passenger side door open. A two-block section of South Kenyon Street remained closed.
Authorities said the gunman singled out the Lakewood officers and spared employees and other customers at the coffee shop in Parkland, a Tacoma suburb about 35 miles south of Seattle. He then fled, but not before he was apparently shot in the torso by one of the dying officers. Killed were Sgt. Mark Renninger, 39, and Officers Ronald Owens, 37, Tina Griswold, 40, and Greg Richards, 42.
Police said they aren't sure what prompted Clemmons to shoot the officers as they did paperwork on their laptops. Clemmons was described as increasingly erratic in the past few months and had been arrested earlier this year on charges that he punched a sheriff's deputy in the face.
Troyer said that Clemmons indicated the night before the shooting "that he was going to shoot police and watch the news."
Police surrounded a house in a Seattle neighborhood late Sunday following a tip Clemmons had been dropped off there. After an all-night siege, a SWAT team entered the home and found it empty. But police said Clemmons had been there.
Police frantically chased leads on Monday, searching multiple spots in the Seattle and Tacoma area and at one point cordoning off a park where people thought they saw Clemmons.
Authorities found a handgun carried by the killer, along with a pickup belonging to the suspect with blood stains inside. They posted a $125,000 reward for information leading to Clemmons' arrest and alerted hospitals to be on the lookout for a man seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
Governor Chris Gregoire said today that she has asked the Department of Corrections, the Department of Social and Health Services and any other state agency who had contact with Clemmons to put together for her any information the agency has on Clemmons.
In an interview with KING-TV, Gregoire said, "We will release everything we have on him. How this guy was out on our streets. I want those answers like everyone else."
I posted this entire article for the benefit of my readers from all over the country, as well as my international readers. The local folks here in Seattle tend to have a more detailed account of this horrible story that occurred early Sunday morning.
Now we can all concentrate on the families in the community who were affected.
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart for saving his little life.
Be warned. This is yet another horrific discovery by Chicago authorities of a dogfighting ring--but this time, it was on the very same premises of an at-home daycare. Good God.
via The Chicago Tribune:
"Dart said 10 children were being watched at the house at the time of the raid. In a garage behind the house, police found "a very aggressive" pit bull, blood on the floor and along the sides of a car and medication, bite sticks and harnesses used in dogfights.
Investigators learned that many fighting dogs were housed nearby in the garage of a home in the 2000 block of South Sixth Avenue. That house was home to an ex-con who charged $60 a month for dogs to be kept there, authorities said.
Martez Anderson, 38, was cited Tuesday for being a felon in possession of an unneutered or unspayed dog, the sheriff's office said.
In the garage at Anderson's home, police found an 18-month-old pit bull and three 4-week-old puppies in a wire cage that was soaked in feces and urine, with no signs of food or water, Dart said. Police said they believe the puppies were already being used in fights, possibly as "bait dogs." "
The little white puppy the Sheriff Dart is holding is the one whose eye was gouged out while he was used as fight bait.
"Dart said a swing set on which the children played was 10 feet from a garage where "a vicious fighting dog" was kept. The garage had bloodstained floors, Dart said.
"The very equipment used to train these dogs to kill was being kept in the garage right behind the house," Dart said.
As investigators searched Anderson's property, they noticed a dog with a shredded face through an opening in a next-door neighbor's fence, Dart said, leading police to a third site not originally targeted in the raid. There police found two dogs -- one with fresh fighting wounds and another puppy that was emaciated and had scarring.
The owner of that home consented to a search and, police said, they also found a treadmill in a dilapidated garage, which had been altered specifically to train dogs to fight.
All dogs rescued in the raid are being treated at the Animal Welfare League in Chicago Ridge and are expected to recover."
I feel sick. Sick for the children who were probably exposed to this kind of horrific violence; sick for the parents of the children, who undoubtedly never knew this was going on in the home they placed their children for daycare; and sick for the dogs themselves, who are innocent victims of abuse. This needs to stop.
I hate these stories...but I will continue to post them for awareness purposes.
Eight months after John Travolta's son Jett died in the Bahamas, the actor is expected to testify in a trial related to Jett's death. This is going to be such torture for that poor family.
via Extra.com
"According to People magazine, Travola, 55, filed an extortion complaint against paramedic Tarino Lightbourn and a former Bahamian senator Pleasant Bridgewater after the men allegedly conspired to extort $25 million from Travolta. According to the actor's complaint, Lightbourn and Bridgewater asked for the money in exchange for one of Jett's medical documents.
According to the Bahamian police, the document was a "refusal to transport" form that John signed that day. Tarino was one of the medics that attempted to resuscitate Jett on January 2, 2009, after the 16-year-old suffered a seizure."
Can you even imagine the pain this family is still going through? John's wife, Kelly Preston was asked to speak at a women's conference on grief in Los Angeles, chaired by Maria Shriver next month. Initially, she agreed, but later backed out. Kelly was quoted as saying:
"It is with my sincere apologies that I must pull out from speaking at the conference. I am sorry, but I truly believed that I could do it. Otherwise I never would have said that I could. But I am still deeply in the process of healing, and it's just too soon."
There is just no way I could speak at a conference about grief so soon after losing a child. I understand that Maria Shriver just lost her mother, Eunice Shriver and her uncle, Ted Kennedy. In all honesty, they live very full and long lives. Losing a 16 year old child, however, is something John and Kelly will never get over.
This story makes me really sad. Mary Travers from Peter, Paul and Mary has died today at the age of 72 in Connecticut, reportedly from cancer.
I remember being in my crib, during a thunderstorm, with the album Moving playing on the stereo to soothe me. I was almost two years old...and I really, truly do remember this day. My Mommy played Peter, Paul and Mary's music all the time for me. I can't listen to this particular album (Puff the Magic Dragon, especially) without getting choked up. (I still can't cry, but when I could, I did.)
"Mary Travers, whose ringing, earnest vocals with the folk trio Peter, Paul and Mary made songs like “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” enduring anthems of the 1960s protest movement, died Wednesday night in Danbury Hospital in Connecticut. She was 72 and had lived in Redding, Conn.
The cause was cancer, said her spokeswoman, Heather Lylis."
I've got an ache in my chest tonight. How much more of my childhood is going to fade away?
Oh dear. Patrick Swayze has passed away. He fought a hard battle with pancreatic cancer.
via THR.com
"Patrick Swayze, who soared to stardom as a heartthrob dancer in "Dirty Dancing" and ascended to romantic icon status as a deceased lover in "Ghost," died Monday. He was 57.
Swayze was hospitalized with pneumonia in January while promoting his most recent project, A&E's new drama series "The Beast," which premiered Jan. 15.
It was first reported in March 2008 that the actor was being treated for inoperable stage-four pancreatic cancer. In an ABC interview in January, Swayze said it "seemed likely" he would live for two more years.
A trained dancer and gymnast, the athletic Swayze was a swooner as a romantic lead in those two early '80s sleeper hits. He garnered his first of three Golden Globe nominations for his electrifying "Dirty Dancing" performance.
The 1987 movie showcased Swayze's dual abilities as a dancer and actor. He also composed and performed a song for the movie, "She's Like the Wind," which became a hit. And his line, "Nobody puts Baby in a corner," which he directed at Jennifer Grey character's father, played by Jerry Orbach, became a popular movie one-liner."
The year 2009 has been truly one of the saddest years we've seen...
As I am writing this, Michael Jackson's funeral is taking place in Glendale, California. It's sort of being televised, but not in its entirety. (I have a sneaking suspicion it may show on up DVD at some point, but that's the cynic in me. I just wouldn't put it past Joe.)
Anyway. Lisa Marie Presley (Michael's first ex-wife) was seen crying when the casket was brought into the mourning area. Corey Feldman, Chris Tucker, Macaulay Culkin and girlfriend Mila Kunis, and Dame Elizabeth Taylor were all in attendance. (Miss Taylor looked unbelievably gorgeous, I must say.) Of course, Michael's darling children arrived, Prince Michael hanging close to "Blanket", and Paris looking very stoic in eyeglasses. They really are beautiful children.
I feel a bit badly for making light of the burial of Michael Jackson earlier today...but gee, 70 days since he died and he's just now being buried? All I know is, we have not heard even remotely the end of this story. We still don't have an arrest in his homicide. That will happen any day now, I guarantee it. Dr. Conrad Murray will be arrested, then we'll have the trial...many months (years?) of trying to get to the bottom of Michael Jackson's death.
It's so cliche` to say, but Michael's music really was a soundtrack to periods of my life, just like millions of others. One funny one is when "Off the Wall" came out in 1979...I really wanted to be his friend. I was living in Ventura, California at the time, and I thought if I could just be Michael's friend, maybe he'd find some normalcy. What a weirdo I was...but I can't help but remember that time in my life and how much I LOVED Michael Jackson.
Just a quick follow-up on the death last week of DJ AM. I don't think anyone can know what was going on in his head when he relapsed, and ultimately died from what seems to be an overdose of crack cocaine and pain meds.
via MSN.com
"After living through the terrible ordeal of the plane crash that took the lives of four of his friends in September 2008, Adam Goldstein, or DJ AM, suffered from Survivor Guilt. Although he and friend Travis Barker from Blink 182 managed to get out of the plane, they received severe burns. Despite being alive, DJ AM could not shake the feelings of sorrow for the fate of his friends that perished on the plane.
In an email that was sent last October, shortly after the crash, DJ AM expressed his feelings of guilt that he survived while others did not. The recipient of the email shared it with Radar. Here is a sample of what DJ AM said: "I had no idea of how the survivors guilt could have felt. I'm a mess though man. I just hope time will fix this depressed feeling asap. I can't go on being this miserable." Survivor guilt is a mental condition in which a person perceives himself to have done wrong by surviving a traumatic event. It may also be described as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."
This event makes me wonder if DJ AM had actually taken care of his mental health after surviving the plane crash last year (with Blink 182's Travis Barker). I would guess he didn't. Survivor's guilt is a real condition and is accompanied by Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I certainly hope Travis is involved in some sort of intensive psychotherapy at this point, even though he's on tour. This is just another blow to a fragile psyche (of a musician going through a nasty and public divorce, no less). We really don't need or want to hear any more bad news...
Holy shit. This isn't funny anymore and it's not cool, man. DJ AM was found dead this evening in New York City. He was 36. Good Lord. For those of you who aren't sure who he was, he was a fantastic DJ, who played parties and events, was engaged to Nicole Ritchie at one point and was generally very well respected for what he did.
via TMZ:
"Sources tell us he was found in his apartment at around 5:20 PM. We're told drug paraphernalia was found at the scene.
Our sources say DJ AM had not been seen or heard from for a few days -- one of his friends went to check on him, but got no response after knocking on his apartment door.
We're told the friend called the cops -- but it was the fire department who finally entered his apartment and found the body.
Back in September of 2008, DJ AM and Travis Barker survived a plane crash in South Carolina. Four people died in the crash -- which was caused when the airplane aborted takeoff and then ran off the runway. DJ AM and Barker were the only survivors."
There are whispers of drugs being involved (the mention of paraphernalia being found), but we won't know that for a good while. I've heard of people dealing with "survivor's guilt" after living through something as horrific as he and Travis did...you just don't know what's going on in someone's head, do you?
DJ AM's last Tweet on Twitter was:
"New york, new york. Big city of dreams, but everything in new york aint always what it seems."
I feel quite sad about the passing of Dominick Dunne. He was a prolific best-selling author and special correspondent for Vanity Fair Magazine. He died of bladder cancer today at his home in Manhattan.
Mr. Dunne was someone I could listen to for hours on end. His delivery and passion when reporting on the sensational trials of O.J. Simpson, the Menendez brothers, Phil Spector, William Kennedy Smith were riveting. Sadly, that passion flowed from the tragic murder of his own daughter, then watching her killer go free. It's well-known what an active advocate for victim's rights Mr. Dunne had been during the years after his daughter's death.
It's been insinuated that Mr. Dunne was a bit of a name-dropper when speaking or writing...how could he not have been, given his circle of friends? It was part of the charm of his writing. I admired how Mr. Dunne wasn't afraid of anyone...even the Kennedy family. (Coincidentally, Ted Kennedy died today as well.) I have a feeling Mr. Dunne may be smirking about the timing of today's events.
Vanity Fair just won't be the same without Dominick Dunne.
