Singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son in custody

TAMARA LUSH Associated Press The Associated Press

Saturday, December 3, 2011 6:55 PM EST

FILE - In this undated file photo, country singer Mindy McCready performs in... (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, file)

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S T. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) — By the time Arkansas authorities took country singer Mindy McCready's 5-year-old son from her and into custody on Friday evening, one thing had already become apparent to many in America: McCready's life has come to resemble a bad country song.

Since her emergence in the mid-1990s as a honey-voiced success story out of Nashville, McCready has been increasingly known for her personal foibles instead of her music.
This week's custody battle was the latest in a long saga of personal heartache and brushes with the law.
Florida Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Terri Durdaller wrote in an email Saturday that her agency was working with Arkansas state officials to bring McCready's son, Zander, back to her legal guardian in Florida. His maternal grandmother has been Zander's guardian since 2007.
Officials say he's safe and in good health.
"Zander is in Arkansas and we continue to arrange his swift arrival back to Florida," Durdaller wrote.
In Arkansas, Cleburne County Sheriff Marty Moss said Saturday that McCready didn't have permission to be in the unoccupied summer home where she was found Friday evening with her son. Authorities continue to investigate the matter, he said.
The sheriff's office said in a news release Saturday that it was known McCready had been a visitor to the area and that deputies were working with the U.S. Marshals Service to see if the singer might be there. Authorities located McCready after receiving a report of "possible occupants in a summer home that was supposed to be unoccupied," the news release said.
Authorities said officers entered the home and found McCready and her son in a bedroom closet. A man, David Wilson, was also in the residence. Moss said neither had permission to be in the residence, but neither was arrested at the time.
Moss told the Associated Press on Saturday that the house where all three were found is next door to one where Wilson has stayed in the past. He said he doesn't know if McCready is still in the area and doesn't expect that she will face any charges for being at the unoccupied home

Top 10 Christmas Movies We All Know and Love!!!

The List: Top-10 Christmas movies

'It's a Wonderful Life,' a Red Ryder BB Gun and ... Buddy?

Published by the Record seen  on: Time Herald Record online!!

Published: 1:53 PM - 11/29/11 Photo 1 of 1  |  Zoom Photo +

A scene from "It's a Wonderful Life."The Associated Press

Last updated: 2:00 PM - 11/29/11

This year, there will be approximately 47 new Christmas movies created for public consumption. It’s a fact, 82 percent of these movies will be broadcast on the Hallmark Channel. Five will star Valerie Bertinelli.

Seriously, with each year comes a new run of Christmas movies, which means time for us to scientifically (subjectively) prove the best of all. Here’s our list. Want to tell us yours? Email tmalcolm@th-record.comwith the subject line “Christmas Movies,” and we might publish it.

Note: We’re not including television specials, so “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which would crack the top-five normally, is out. And movies that aren't really about Christmas, or straddle the line a little too much ("Die Hard," "The Nightmare Before Christmas") have been left out, too. Both probably would've made this list if we considered them, by the way.

The List: Top-10 Christmas movies

10. “Home Alone”
Watching Harry and Marv stumble through Kevin McAllister’s Christmas Eve fun house is a growing boy’s dream come true. But for all the madcap slapstick the movie presents, “Home Alone” is also pretty sentimental. And there’s scene stealing moments throughout, including a great little role for the late John Candy.

9. “Holiday Inn”
A nice love story set over the course of America’s major holidays, “Holiday Inn” is really best known for being the origin of the Irving Berlin classic “White Christmas.” Bing Crosby made it his holiday staple, a song known throughout the world. One embarrassing thing to forget: The controversial blackface number “Abraham.”

8. “A Christmas Carol”
The story itself is as much a part of Christmas as the reindeer: A grouchy businessman discovers the true meaning of the holiday, transforming into a generous man. The movie is a must just for Alastair Sim, who is astonishing to watch as Ebenezer Scrooge.

7. “Scrooged”
Overlooked and perennially stuck in 1988, “Scrooged” remains a hilarious and oddly portending film. Bill Murray plays a Ebenezer Scrooge, but as a ruthless television executive. His performance is fantastic, and the film is hilarious. But the final scene, Murray’s big speech, is an underrated Christmas gem.

6. “Elf”
The most modern film on the list, there may not be a better Will Ferrell movie. As Buddy the Elf, Ferrell is magic, curious and awkward, but lovable all the while. The story is pretty standard for Christmas fare (holiday character tries to prove his identity), but it’s so darn fun.

5. “White Christmas” 
Sub out Fred Astaire from “Holiday Inn” with Danny Kaye, and you have Bing Crosby’s partner for this film, which now attempts to take full advantage of the Irving Berlin tune. Crosby and Kaye bring holiday cheer by way of an entertaining duo who help save a Vermont lodge. It’s cheery and lighthearted – great for the holidays.

4. “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation”
All Clark Griswold wanted was a good, old fashioned family Christmas. Instead he got lighting problems, a squirrel, a roasted feline, a Jell-O mold with cat litter, Cousin Eddie and a subscription to the Jelly of the Month Club. Over the top but well played by Chevy Chase, “Christmas Vacation” is a modern staple.

3. “A Christmas Story”
It’s not based on some fancy plot like the identity of Santa Claus or a roulette of ghosts. “A Christmas Story” is really just a few vignettes about a middle-class family Christmas. There’s a fight, some dogs, a “Chinese turkey,” a leg lamp and a Red Ryder BB Gun. It’s charming and awkward, and instantly familiar.

2. “Miracle on 34th Street”
The original version, from 1947, is a Christmas classic about belief and the meaning of “lovely intangibles.” And it’s such a fine movie that it’s been remade multiple times. Not only that, each year another movie or two seems to labor on the plot of “Is Santa Claus real?” Of course he is!

1. “It’s a Wonderful Life”
It’s hard to root against George Bailey, who grows more depressed watching those around him reach their dreams and steal good fortune from others. Overly sentimental but well thought out, Frank Capra’s masterpiece has become a glowing reminder of the true greatness in people: “Remember no man is a failure who has friends.

Turning US into a Battlefield!!

Senate bill to turn US into battlefield

by THETOTALCOLLAPSE.COM on NOVEMBER 28, 2011

American civil rights activists have censured the country’s senate for seeking to allow the military to imprison American citizens without bringing a charge against them.

American rights activists have slammed the US Senate for gearing up to vote on a bill on Monday that would define the whole of the United States as a ‘battlefield’ and allow the military to arrest American citizens in their own back yard without charge or trial.

The reactions comes after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said last week that “the senate is going to vote on whether Congress will give this president-and every future president – the power to order the military to pick up and imprison without charge or trial civilians anywhere in the world. The power is so broad that even US citizens could be swept up by the military and the military could be used far from any battlefield, even within the United States itself.”

Under the ‘worldwide indefinite detention without charge or trial’ provision of S. 1867, the National Defense Authorization Act bill, which is set to be up for a vote on the Senate floor Monday, the legislation will “basically say in law for the first time that the homeland is part of the battlefield,” said South Carolina’s left-wing Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, who supports the bill.

The bill was drafted in secret by Senators Carl Levin (D-Mich.) and John McCain (R-Ariz.), before being passed in a closed-door committee meeting without any kind of hearing, the ACLU added.

This means Americans could be declared domestic terrorists and thrown in a military brig with no recourse whatsoever.

Given that the Department of Homeland Security has characterized behavior such as buying gold, owning guns, using a watch or binoculars, donating to charity, using the telephone or email to find information, using cash, and other instances of mundane behavior as potential indicators of domestic terrorism, such a provision would be wide open to abuse, critics say.

The senate bid comes against a backdrop of protests in the United States where Americans have been holding rallies against the corporatism and corruption on Wall Street.

The so-called ‘Occupy’ protesters say they are fed up with current economic hardships and are demonstrating against poverty, unemployment, war, and corporatism among other grievances that have plagued the country for several years now.

Protesters say they aim to increase the awareness of the public on the economic injustice in the country.

The Occupy movement emerged after a group of demonstrators gathered in New York’s financial district on September 17 to protest the unjust distribution of wealth in the country, and the laws that maintain the distribution.

Johnny Depp on Selling out

Johnny Depp On Success And Selling Out

Story at: Huffingtonpost.com

Posted: 11/8/11 09:03 AM ET

 Johnny Depp spent the early part of his career making eclectic, unconventional and critically acclaimed films that rarely made a dent at the box office. The past decade or so, he's made eclectic, unconventional and (usually) critically acclaimed films that have banked billions. One would think that the financial boom is a good thing, but when it comes down to judgments of street cred and artistic integrity, things don't always quite make sense.

The man who played Hunter S. Thompson, Edward Scissorhands and Gilbert Grape is, all of a sudden, accused of selling out. And he's not happy about it.

"'Pirates' was a film I did just like any other one, I made that choice the same way I made every other choice," Depp tells the Guardian in a new interview. As it turns out, with the ensuing franchise's multi-billion dollar box office take, the film launched Depp into the world of huge money movie stars, but he doesn't see how that impacts his authenticity as an artist.

"I wouldn't change anything, no. Because I think I went into it innocently, and it became what it became," he says. "And now they want to tear me down. Instantly, as soon as I did 'Pirates II,' they say: 'Oh, he's selling out.' What the f*ck does that mean, selling out? What if I did 'Ed Wood II,' is that selling out? I mean, it's not like I was ever looking to become franchise boy, I was never looking to become anything like that. I just latched on to a character I loved."

Perhaps ironically, Depp has received more personal acclaim in the last decade than he ever has before; he's received three Oscar nominations, earning his first nod for the first "Pirates" and then for "Finding Neverland" and "Sweeney Todd." And those films did not sacrifice integrity for box office success; "Sweeney" made $152 million worldwide, while "Neverland" took in $116 million.

He also can defend his choices to do films such as the "Pirates" franchise, "Willy Wonka" and "Alice In Wonderland," if need be, on artistic grounds.

"I want to do kiddie movies now. I'm fed up with adult movies -- most of them stink," he told the Telegraph in 2002. "At a certain point with movies it becomes all about mathematics: this has to lead up to this, this has to lead up to that -- you're always bound by some kind of formula. But since having kids and watching lots of animated cartoons and all those great old Disney films, I think they're better, they're much better. They're more fun and they take more risks."

Depp, through European retreats and a love of gardening, has been able to escape the press, now that he's a billion dollar film star. It's a much productive way than his previous method, when he was a star despite the relative commercial failures of his movies.

"I mean, all those films didn't do well at the box office. But I still had paparazzi chasing my tail, so it was the weirdest thing in the world. Everywhere you went you were on display," he remembers. "It was always some kind of strange attack on the senses; I was never able to embrace it. So self-medication was just to be able to deal with it."

That, of course, refers to his copious ingestion of drugs and alcohol. Which now, he only does on film, including in this fall's "The Rum Diary," which was a commercial failure. Maybe that flop will get the doubters off his back. And if not, he's got the delightfully creepy TV adaptation "Dark Shadows," as well as an off-kilter revival of "The Lone Ranger" on the way.

Iran Nuclear Questions

Awaiting Nukes Report, U.S. Questions Iran's Intent

by Sarah Courtney | FoxNews | November 03, 2011

As the International Atomic Energy Agency prepares to release its latest report on Iran's nuclear program, an Obama administration official said Thursday that the Islamic regime has a credibility problem.

"Iran, over many years, has been unable to demonstrate the peaceful intent of its nuclear program," Deputy National Security Adviser for Strategic Communications Ben Rhodes told reporters in Cannes, France, where President Obama was attending the G20 summit.

"They're the only treaty member of the (Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty) that cannot convince the International Atomic Energy Agency that their program is peaceful," Rhodes said.

The U.N. nuclear watchdog is expected to roll out an update next week to bullet point the purpose and size of Iran's nuclear fuel program. The country insists that it is only interested in energy, but the assessment is expected to detail mounting evidence that Iran may be building an atomic bomb.

Rhodes noted that Iran is already ignoring the requirements of the IAEA report, and the NPT.

During Thursday's meetings, Obama stressed the need to maintain "unprecedented international pressure on Iran to meet its obligations."

Those obligations are laid out in a U.N. Security Council sanctions package against Iran, which Rhodes said the U.S. and France aggressively pursued to put pressure on the Iranian government. He said that it has resulted in "the toughest sanctions regime to date," marginalizing Iran globally.

But the isolation is further exacerbating tensions between Tehran and Washington.

"What we're focused on is a diplomatic strategy," said Rhodes, "which increases the pressure on the Iranians, through financial pressure, through economic sanctions, through diplomatic isolation."

Scarlett Johansson comes clean!!

Scarlett Johansson Admits Sending Those Nude Photos to Ryan Reynolds

By Erin Carlson | The Famous: Watching the Watched | Posted on OMG Yahoo.com|– 3 hours ago

Venturelli/WireImage

Scarlett Johansson is speaking out about her nude photo scandal in a surprisingly candid -- and good-humored -- interview with Vanity Fair.

"I know my best angles," says Johansson, who graces the magazine's December cover. "They were sent to my husband (Ryan Reynolds). There's nothing wrong with that. It's not like I was shooting a porno." She adds: "Although there's nothing wrong with that either."

Last month, the FBI arrested the guy who leaked those private photos after hacking into Johansson's phone. (The guy, 35-year-old Christopher Chaney of Jacksonville, Florida, also targeted Mila Kunis, Christina Aguilera and Vanessa Hudgens, among dozens of other starlets.)

After little more than two years of marriage, Johansson and Reynolds -- aka "ScarJo and RyRy"  -- split up in November 2010. "I didn't really know what to do with myself," she says of the breakup. "It was such a strange time. There was nothing that was interesting to me. I had a very public separation. It was difficult. I felt very uncomfortable."

Divorce: more humiliating than a nude photo scandal.

Bruce Willis "Die Hard 5"

Bruce Willis gears up for baby No. 4, 'Die Hard' No. 5

October 26, 2011 |  1:04 pm

Article posted in: "Los Angles Times"

Bruce Willis is jumping back on the baby train again: His wife Emma Heming Willis is pregnant.

The couple "are overjoyed with this news and they look forward to welcoming this newest addition into their family," Willis' rep said in a statement.

The baby will be the couple's first together, but it's baby No. 4 for the 56-year-old "Die Hard" actor. He has three children -- Rumer, 23, Scout, 20, and Tallulah Belle , 17 -- from his previous marriage to Demi Moore, who's going by the name of Mrs. Ashton Kutcher these days.

Emma, 35, a designer and model, married Willis in 2009. They're expecting their bundle of joy early next year. But a baby won't be stopping streetwise cop John McClane: E! reports Willis recently signed up for another installment of the action-packed franchise, "A Good Day to Die Hard," in which he'll fight off some Russian villains.

Bring on more helicopter-police car collisions!