We know her as a reality TV star, author, Bristol’s mom, GOP darling and ‘SNL’ comedy muse. But for years, Frank Bailey knew Sarah Palin simply as: the boss.
Once Palin’s trusted Chief of Staff, Bailey is breaking ranks and planning a new tell-all memoir– according to a new AP report out of Juneau, Alaska — based on his “thousands” of personal e-mails from his tenure working for the former Alaska governor, who was was inaugurated to the state’s highest office in 2006 and abruptly resigned from the job in 2009.
A draft of the book, tentatively titled ‘Blind Allegiance to Sarah Palin: A Memoir of our Tumultuous Years,’ has leaked to reporters, with excerpts circulating the Internet. Meanwhile, Bailey’s team deny involvement in the leak.
The manuscript allegedly states that Palin, before resigning as governor, wrote to Bailey and another aide, “I hate this damn job.”
Palin’s attorney did not respond Friday to news outlets’ requests for comment.
Over the years there has been some huge sporting scandals, mainly to do with what the sportsmen (and women) do in their personal life. But here is the 11 biggest sporting scandals that actually involve the sport.
11. Lebon & Cinzano
Cinzano was a champion Uruguayan horse; Lebon was an also-ran who looked very much like Cinzano. The two were flown to the United States in 1977 by veterinarian Mark Gerard, and Cinzano apparently died soon after. Gerard collected a $150,000 insurance payment for Cinzano and bet heavily on Lebon in a race at Belmont Park. Lebon, with 57-to-1 odds, won easily and Gerard won $80,440.
A Uruguayan newspaperman, perhaps tipped off by a female acquaintance of Gerard who lost $10,000 in Lebon’s first race, alerted New York racing authorities that the horse that won was not Lebon, but Cinzano.
10. The 2000 Spanish Paralympic Basketball Team
The Spanish basketball team won gold in the intellectual disability tournament at the 2000 Paralympic Games. There was one problem: 10 of the team’s 12 players had no disability. “We were encouraged to pretend to be stupid,” said player Carlos Ribagorda. Their scam was discovered soon after the Games and they were forced to return their medals.
9. The 1951 New York Giants
The 1951 New York Giants made one of the greatest comebacks in baseball history, erasing a 13-game deficit to catch their archrival Brooklyn Dodgers and beat them in a three-game playoff. In 2001, several former Giants players confirmed the long-held belief of Dodgers players and fans by admitting to stealing signs during the final 10 weeks of the season.
The Giants had a coach sit in center field with a telescope and relay the opposing team’s signs to the dugout with an electronic buzzer. The Giants’ Bobby Thompson, who ended the playoff with a game-winning home run, insists that he was not given a stolen sign when he hit the “shot heard ’round the world.”
8. Tim Donaghy
In 2007, a story broke that NBA referee Tim Donaghy had provided professional gamblers with inside information, bet on games he refereed and manipulated the outcome of games. Though commissioner David Stern branded him as a “rogue, isolated criminal,” the credibility of NBA referees, which wasn’t strong to begin with, was damaged immensely.
Donaghy recently tried to release a book that detailed the way he and other referees would manipulate games. The publisher has canceled the book, but excerpts of it were printed on the Web site Deadspin.
7. Danny Almonte
Danny Almonte was the star of the 2001 Little League World Series, pitching a perfect game, no-hitter and one-hit shutout in three starts for his Bronx, N.Y., team. He became a national celebrity and received a key to the city from New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani. However, there were questions surrounding his age, and on Aug. 30, a week after he pitched his final game, Sports Illustrated revealed that he was two years older than he claimed to be.
His team was forced to forfeit all its games, and his father and coach were banned from Little League. Today, the 21-year-old Almonte, after struggling in the low minor leagues, is playing junior college baseball for Western Oklahoma St.
6. Rosie Ruiz
In 1980, unheralded runner Rosie Ruiz crossed the finish line of the Boston Marathon before any other woman, winning with a women’s record time of two hours, 31 minutes. Ruiz did not appear sweaty or fatigued, and nobody had seen her running early in the race.
According to varying witness accounts, Ruiz had taken the subway toward the finish line and entered the race with a half-mile left. Though she steadfastly denied cheating, she was disqualified and the victory was awarded to second-place finisher Jacqueline Gareau.
5. Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan
On Jan. 6, a month before the start of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, figure skater Nancy Kerrigan was clubbed in the knee after a practice for the U.S. Olympic Trials. Soon into the investigation it was revealed that the attacker had been hired by the ex-husband of Tonya Harding, one of Kerrigan’s competitors. Though Harding did not know of the attack beforehand, she learned of it soon after and lied to investigators.
The story became a tabloid sensation. At the Olympics, Kerrigan won silver and went on to sign many endorsements and host “Saturday Night Live.” Harding wept during her routine after her skate lace broke and finished eighth. A national pariah, she was banned for life by U.S. figure skating and has since had many run-ins with the law and briefly had a career as a professional boxer.
4. Pete Rose
Pete Rose retired in 1986 as baseball’s all-time hit king, but he might never make the Hall of Fame. In 1989, an MLB investigation determined that, as manager of the Cincinnati Reds, Rose had gambled on baseball games during the 1985, ’86 and ’87 seasons. That same year, commissioner Bart Giamatti handed Rose a lifetime ban.
Rose denied gambling on baseball for many years, and frequently pleaded to be re-admitted and inducted into the Hall of Fame. In 2004, he admitted to gambling on baseball and in 2007, he admitted to betting on the Reds “every night.”
3. College Basketball Point-Shaving in New York
In 1950, City College of New York shocked college basketball by winning the NIT and NCAA tournament. The following year, the team was at the center of a massive point-shaving scandal organized by New York mobsters.
The scandal included four New York-area schools plus Toledo, Bradley and Kentucky, all of whom had players manipulating the score during games at Madison Square Garden. In all, 32 players were arrested for fixing 86 games between 1947 and 1950.
2. The Black Sox
The 1919 Chicago White Sox were one of baseball’s best teams, but they were paid far less than players on other teams. Looking to make a quick buck, first baseman Chick Gandil organized a group of six other players to conspire with professional gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series. The White Sox lost the World Series five games to three to the Cincinnati Reds, with pitchers Eddie Cicotte and Claude “Lefty” Williams—two of the fixers—combining to lose all five games.
Investigators uncovered the plot and the following September Cicotte and “Shoeless” Joe Jackson — whose involvement in the fix is disputed, as he played well during the series — admitted to fixing the World Series. The seven fixers, plus Buck Weaver, who knew of the fix but didn’t report it, were banned from baseball for life.
1. Nelson Piquet Jr.’s Intentional Crash
At the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix in September 2008, the Renault team ordered driver Nelson Piquet Jr. to intentionally crash his car, which gave teammate Fernando Alonso the victory.
The Times of London’s Simons Barnes, calling the act the “worst single piece of cheating in the history of sport,” wrote, “This is no run-of-the-mill piece of skulduggery. The Renault team’s crime was not an act of cheating as mere fraudulence. Rather, it was cheating as a potentially lethal act; as potential murder, if you like.”
What do you think is missing from this list?
source: The 11 Biggest Sports Scandals of All-Time [Finding Dulcinea]
Elizabeth Edwards, the estranged wife of former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, has been advised by doctors that “further treatment of her cancer would be unproductive,” according to a statement from the Edwards family.
A source close to the family told CBS News, “She is dying.” The source said Edwards would likely die within weeks and possibly days. Edwards, 61, posted to her personal Facebook page a message to friends reading in part, “The days of our lives, for all of us, are numbered. We know that.”
CBS News has confirmed that the Edwards family, including husband John, are now gathered with Elizabeth Edwards at the family home in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
You all know that I have been sustained throughout my life by three saving graces – my family, my friends, and a faith in the power of resilience and hope,” Edwards wrote in the Facebook post. “These graces have carried me through difficult times and they have brought more joy to the good times than I ever could have imagined.”
“…there are certainly times when we aren’t able to muster as much strength and patience as we would like,” she added. “It’s called being human. But I have found that in the simple act of living with hope, and in the daily effort to have a positive impact in the world, the days I do have are made all the more meaningful and precious. And for that I am grateful. It isn’t possible to put into words the love and gratitude I feel to everyone who has and continues to support and inspire me every day. To you I simply say: you know.”
The National Enquirer is reporting that the former Alaska governor recently flipped out after learning that her 16-year-old daughter Willow was not only having sex, but feared she might be pregnant by her 18-year-old boyfriend.
Jenn Sterger, Gang Green Sideline reporter, has accused New York Jets quarterback Brett Favre of sending pictures of his penis to her.
The photos showed up on the sports site Deadspin on Thursday, and they also posted some voice mails sent to Sterger’s cell phone. Sterger claims the photos of the football player’s private parts were sent to her in 2008. [Listen to the audio]
Why are they surfacing now?
Deadspin would not identify the source, but said that the voice mails were not from Sterger herself.
When reporters asked Favre about the allegations, he declined to answer questions from reporters, saying that he was busy with the Jets.
The Gang Green sideline reporter said that she declined the advances from the Jets quarterback because she did not date married men.
Want to see Brett Favre’s pigskin? After the jump!
Proving that the Levi Johnston/Bristol Palin clan is gunning for their own version of Teen Mom, Levi has allegedly impregnated another Wasilla woman.
In the wake of the announcement that they’re engaged, one of Levi’s old girlfriends is about to give birth to a child she believes may be Levi’s!
Reportedly, during his breakup from 19-year-old Bristol, after she gave birth to their son Tripp, Levi briefly reunited with his old girlfriend Lanesia Garcia.
Bristol is reportedly livid, and according to a source:
“She just found out about Lanesia’s pregnancy and is freaking out. He told her that getting back with Lanesia wasn’t serious – it was brief, just a fling and ended months ago. But Bristol is questioning the engagement. She’s really jealous. Lanesia’s planning to do a paternity test after the baby is born. She’s extremely embarrassed she doesn’t know who the father is.”
So much for Bristol’s dream wedding and happy ending.
The resignation this week of ABC entertainment honcho Steve McPherson was surprising enough, but now the affair has taken an ugly turn.
The Hollywood Reporter claims McPherson, who’s led the network for six years, resigned as he was the subject of an ongoing, formal investigation surrounding charges of sexual harassment. The resignation comes just as the networks are preparing to showcase their fall lineups for TV critics.
McPherson’s attorney, Tom Hoberman, issued a statement to the Reporter, which, curiously, didn’t include specific denials of the rumors surrounding an investigation:
“Upon Steve McPherson returning to work from his vacation on Monday, he made a voluntary decision to resign and ABC accepted his resignation. It is not uncommon for high level executives to be the subject of gossip and innuendo. That would include rumors of internal situations which can easily be misinterpreted or misrepresented. Seems like it goes with the territory, and there is nothing further to discuss.”
ABC also didn’t deny the rumors, and responded to questions by simply re-issuing the statement they made when McPherson resigned on Tuesday:
“Steve McPherson today submitted his resignation as President, ABC Entertainment Group, and the Company accepted. Mr. McPherson said, ‘I want to thank the wonderful team of individuals who have worked with me throughout my time here and wish them nothing but the best.’ A replacement for Mr. McPherson will be announced shortly.”
McPherson’s resignation was particularly surprising given the timing, as ABC and the other broadcast and cable networks are presenting their fall programming lineups to TV critics this week in Los Angeles during the annual summer Television Critics Association tour.
But THR’s sources say several complaints of sexual harassment had been filed against McPherson, and that a formal investigation had begun three weeks before he resigned.
The complaints are said to involve both network executives and on-air talent at ABC, and to include e-mails as well as an incident that took place during a company retreat.
As for McPherson replacements, ABC Family head Paul Lee is thought to be the main contender.
Next up, the other woman, the baby… and the sex tape. Not necessarily in that order.
Now that Kayden Nguyen has filed her lawsuit claiming that Steven Seagal tried to feel all over her lesbian booty, two new accusers have forward and give Nguyen sworn declarations. One of the two is the granddaughter of the late, great Ray Charles!
Both women claim that they were hired by Steven Seagal to be his personal assistant, but quit when he became sexually aggressive and inappropriate. Blair Robinson claims that she met Seagal at her grandfather Ray Charles’ funeral. She said that she went to the pony tailed one’s home after the funeral to discuss a possible job. She accepted a job from him and started work about a month later, but allegedly Steven Seagal told her on day one that massages were required, and then gave her a massage to show the proper technique.
The other woman, (who is unnamed at the moment), says that after he hired her as a personal assistant, Steven Seagal used his powers of kung-fu rape and lured her into his bedroom where he touched her breasts and claimed that he was checking for lumps like a doctor would (smooth!). She claims also that,
“Seagal reached his hand down my pants. He said, ‘I just wanted to touch it for a second to see what it felt like.’”
Apparently she screamed and cried until he let her go. Because we all know that the way to break the deathgrip of a ninja-like Aikido master is to have a woman scream rape in his ear.
Steven Seagal’s lawyer denies the hell out of these statements, saying that Seagal has “no knowledge” of either one of these women, and that,
“The declarations were clearly prepared by Nguyen‘s lawyer to be leaked to the media to help bolster his client’s meritless claims.”
What do you think, readers? Did Seagal try to get all rape-y with a bunch of women he hired, or is this a bid to break the aging actor’s bank account?
Source: Seagal’s New Accuser — Ray Charles Connection [TMZ]
Ann Kelly, 45, was a housewife living with her mortgage-broker husband and two children in a $600,000 home in a leafy New Jersey suburb.
Bruce Springsteen, along with his wife Patti Scialfa and daughter Jessica
But when the married Springsteen entered her life in 2005 — showering her with concert tickets, serenading her during rehearsals and confessing she was on his mind while he toured — the Jersey girl got lost in a “Tunnel of Love,” court records alleged.
The relationship between Kelly and the “Born to Run” singer began with chitchats on the treadmills at a high-priced Red Bank, NJ, gym, but the pace quickened with lunch dates and eventually a full-on affair, her soon-to-be ex-husband claimed.
Accusations of an illicit tryst came to light after Ann’s husband of 17 years, Arthur Kelly, 46, filed for divorce on March 27, 2009.
During the yearlong divorce proceeding, Arthur filed court papers alleging that Ann enjoyed a rendezvous with Springsteen while the husband was laid up in a hospital with heart trouble. Arthur also discussed marriage-counseling sessions at which The Boss was the main topic.
The bitter divorce is expected to be settled this week.
Rumors that Springsteen was stepping out with a redheaded knockout who was a dead ringer for Patti Scialfa, his wife of 18 years, began to swirl among gym rats at The Atlantic Club in 2005.
Arthur says Ann told him that Springsteen, 60, would stand at the end of her treadmill as she ran. It must have been a tempting vantage point for the “Thunder Road” singer because he once told Ann she had the “nicest ass” in the gym, Arthur says.
Workouts spilled into lunches at a nearby cafe, with Ann’s two daughters sometimes tagging along. The children got to know Springsteen so well that they called him “Bruce,” according to court records.
The wide-ranging chats Ann had with Springsteen got into politics. When the blue-collar hero and liberal icon learned that Ann was conservative, he gave her two books to read.
Being with Bruce brightened Ann’s day. She allegedly told Arthur’s mother several times that “it made her feel good that Bruce Springsteen was very interested in her,” the papers say.
The housewife allegedly conscripted her friends to be on Springsteen watch.
Childs play, unless you have at least four mistresses. Next?
source: Bruce Springsteen had ‘affair’ with New Jersey housewife: court papers [ny post]
Sandra Bullock and Jesse James are not living under the same roof right now, because Sandra quit that bitch!
The actress left the couple’s Southern California house, just days before a report of infidelity by her husband surfaced.
Bullock, 45, left on Monday, the source says. Bullock, who won her first Oscar – a Best Actress award – for The Blind Side on March 7, also abruptly canceled a trip to Europe for the London premiere of the film.
He’s such a fool!
In related news, Michelle “Bombshell†McGee, the bimbo that James had an affair with, claims to have proof. Furthermore, Jesse James decided to go into hiding and has deleted his Twitter account.
That damn Oscars curse!
source: Sandra Bullock Has Left the Family Home [people]
GQ is blasting Rielle Hunter, who is said to be repulsed by the racy shots of her in the magazine’s April issue.
Hunter — a 45-year-old videographer who had a fling with John Edwards and gave birth to his 2-year-old daughter Frances Quinn — told Barbara Walters that she thought photographer Mark Seliger would’ve used some of the “beautiful headshots” he took of her.
Instead, they used shots of her wearing no pants as she lounged next to stuffed animals.
But GQ isn’t buying it and frankly, I’m not either.
“Did she say she thought they would be headshots?
Rielle is a smart woman. She knows what she wore and what she was doing in the photo shoot.”
GQ also released a video of the shoot to “GMA” today and at one point the videographer asks Hunter, “You want to take a look at this?”
Talk about wanting some attention!
Why did you allow the shots to be taken then?
source: GQ Blasts Rielle Hunter: “She Knew What She Was Doing” at the Shoot [us magazine]
With the 2010 Winter Olympics going on in Vancouver right now and a bit of controversy surrounding the games. Let’s take a look at the all time biggest scandals for the Winter Olympics shall we?
1994: Tonya Harding’s figure skating sabotage
The most widely publicized and oft-remembered scandal in Winter Olympic history is the attempted sabotage of U.S. figure skater Nancy Kerrigan by teammate Tonya Harding. Harding’s ex-husband and his friends attacked Kerrigan after a practice event for the 1994 Figure Skating Championships before the big games. Although Kerrigan was badly injured, she maintained her spot on the Olympic team and went on to win the U.S. the silver medal. In an ironic twist, Harding’s ice skate broke during her performance, and she came in eighth.
Harding was never officially charged with responsibility for the attack, although she did plead guilty to attempting to cover up the attack. However, the USFSA conducted its own investigation and found Harding guilty — she was stripped of her FSC win, and banned for life from all USFSA events.
2002: Salt Lake City officials bribe IOC to win bid
After multiple failed attempts to win the bid for the Winter Games, the heads of the Salt Lake City Olympics Committee decided to try a new approach for 2002: bribery. They spent millions on gifts, trips, scholarships, and plastic surgery for International Olympics Committee members, and even hooked their family members up with jobs. Of course, it worked, and Salt Lake won the bid. The bribery was uncovered in 1998, and the two heads of the SLOC, as well as several members of the IOC, all resigned.
2006: Skier Bode Miller skis while drunk
A month before the 2006 Winter Games at Torino, U.S. favorite Bode Miller appeared on 60 Minutes. He ended up revealing that he had skied while “wasted” before, and that he wouldn’t be opposed to trying it again. Obviously, the public wasn’t very happy about this. Miller’s sponsors, coaches, and fans all questioned his devotion to the sport, and he quickly apologized and backtracked. This year, he came back strong and won the bronze medal in the men’s downhill event
1988: Ticket scams galore
Trouble at the 1988 Calgary games started way before the torch was lit. For starters, the government reserved 10,000 tickets for officials, sponsors, and other “VIPs,” leaving tickets for the public in short supply. Scalpers had a field day with the remaining few, and hiked their prices up to as high as $4,000 a ticket.
Additionally, ticket manager James McGregor scammed American ticket-buyers into paying the ticket price (listed in Canadian dollars) in American dollars, then pocketing the difference. He was later charged with fraud and spent five years in prison. In an ironic twist, not a single Canadian athlete won a gold medal in the 1988 games. (Canada finally ended their gold medal drought in home Olympics this year.)
1968: Women’s luge competitors cheat with heat
East Germany dominated the women’s luge competition in 1968, taking first, second, and fourth place. Few wondered how, after it was discovered that the women had been heating up the runners of their sleds prior to the races to increase their speed. All three of their medals were revoked, and third-place Italy was awarded the gold.
1976: Denver originally won the bid… but taxpayers refused
Taking note of this sign, which was photographed at the 1972 Olympics, you might recall that the 1976 Olympic games actually took place in Innsbruck, Austria. When, in 1970, Denver won the bid for the Olympics, everyone was excited — except for the citizens of Colorado. Concerns about a rise in taxes prompted them to reject the bid in the Fall of ’72, and the games were moved to Austria. This was the first and only time in history that citizens have refused the honor of hosting the Olympics.
1998: Is marijuana a performance-enhancing drug?
Canadian Ross Rebagliati won the first ever gold for snowboarding at the 1998 Olympics. And then he immediately had it taken away when authorities found traces of THC in his blood. Rebagliati argued that his friends had been smoking around him and the substances must have gotten in his system secondhand. Shoddy excuse aside, the decision was quickly overturned and Rebagliati’s medal reinstated when the Court of Arbitration for Sports determined that the International Ski Federation had not put marijuana on its list of banned substances.
1994: UK’s stars lose out over controversial “lift”
Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean seemed like an unstoppable duo. They became the highest-scoring figure skaters of all time in the 1984 Olympics, when they earned perfect scores across the board. So when the pair ended up with the bronze medal in 1994 after a seemingly perfect routine, everyone was surprised.
Some of the judges argued that one of the couple’s “overhead lifts” was illegal and marked them down severely for it. But Torvill and Dean countered that their lift did not violate the rule, and asked why no one had noticed it in the preliminaries. Further inconsistencies in the judging for figure skating across the board were later revealed. 1994 was their last competition. To this day, the pair holds firm that the lift was legal.
2002: Corrupt judge docks points from flawless performance
After Canadian figure skaters Jamie Sale and David Pelletier performed their flawless routine, Olympic commentators across the board assumed they would win. So it was a shocker to everyone when the judges awarded the gold to the Russian team, who had made an obvious technical error during their performance.
“How did that happen?” exclaimed NBC announcer Scott Hamilton.
As it turned out, French judge Marie-Reine Le Gougne had arranged a deal with the Russian judges to score their team higher in exchange for favorable marks for the French team in another competition.
Sale and Pelletier were awarded a second set of gold medals.
2010: Vancouver’s deadly luge track
The 2010 Olympics have barely begun, but disaster struck early. On Friday, Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili was taking his second practice run of the day when he spun out of control on a straightaway, flew off his sled, and hit a steel pole at 88 MPH. He was pronounced dead soon after the crash.
The Olympics organizers wound up shortening the luge race by having men start at the women’s starting position, and eventually added more walls to the course and padding to the rails. But officials refused to admit the course was dangerous, and pathetically blamed Kumaritashvili for his crash and death.
2010: NBC ruins the Olympics for millions by refusing to broadcast events live
NBC: The network that prevents you from watching the Olympics.
In the age of Twitter, 24/7 real-time online news coverage, and real-time everything, NBC still thinks it’s 1976, and that the best way to cover the Olympics is via tape delay. Actually, that’s the worst way to cover the Olympics. For instance, by the time NBC got around to airing Bode Miller’s downhill run last night, everyone already knew that he came in third place.
You know, I still can’t believe that NBC think it’s okay not to air the Olympics live. What would be your choices?
source: The 10 Worst Winter Olympics PR Disasters Of All Time [Business Insider]
There hasn’t really been much on the Tiger Woods front lately, it kinda died down, but here is a great little story. Gatorade announced they were shutting down their Woods themed drink but before they were all taken off shelves some prankster in the Gatorade staff got their hands on them.
Some fake bottles of Gatorade with the label “Unfaithful” showed up on Denver store shelves instead of the usual boring “Focus” tag.
This is fantastic, but of course there is some boring people out there and now the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are investigating this and the person behind this could end up being charged.
I’d love to know what people did with them, if they drank them thinking it was real or if they kept them and plan on selling them on eBay in a couple of years.
I wonder what a Tiger Woods drink would taste link? I know sex has a smell, but does infidelity have a taste? I’d actually rather not find out what his sex would taste like.
source: ‘Unfaithful’: Not quite the Tiger ad campaign Gatorade expected [Yahoo Sports!]
Tiger Woods has finally spoken out about the recent scandals in his life by releasing a statement on his official website, now it is most like written by his lawyer or publicist but here you go.
“I have let my family down and I regret those transgressions with all of my heart. I have not been true to my values and the behavior my family deserves. I am not without faults and I am far short of perfect. I am dealing with my behavior and personal failings behind closed doors with my family. Those feelings should be shared by us alone.
Although I am a well-known person and have made my career as a professional athlete, I have been dismayed to realize the full extent of what tabloid scrutiny really means. For the last week, my family and I have been hounded to expose intimate details of our personal lives. The stories in particular that physical violence played any role in the car accident were utterly false and malicious. Elin has always done more to support our family and shown more grace than anyone could possibly expect.
But no matter how intense curiosity about public figures can be, there is an important and deep principle at stake which is the right to some simple, human measure of privacy. I realize there are some who don’t share my view on that. But for me, the virtue of privacy is one that must be protected in matters that are intimate and within one’s own family. Personal sins should not require press releases and problems within a family shouldn’t have to mean public confessions.
Whatever regrets I have about letting my family down have been shared with and felt by us alone. I have given this a lot of reflection and thought and I believe that there is a point at which I must stick to that principle even though it’s difficult.
I will strive to be a better person and the husband and father that my family deserves. For all of those who have supported me over the years, I offer my profound apology.”
It sounds like a confession for his cheating to me, what do you make of it?
source: Tiger comments on current events [TigerWoods.com]
Sesame Street has been on the air for exactly 40 years and yesterday they celebrated their 40th anniversary, the show has always brought tons of joy for kids worldwide.
But it hasn’t always been plain sailing for the show, like with every kids show out there they have had scandals and parents screaming bloody murder over certain things. This list brings you the top 10 scandals that Big Bird and crew have had…
1. The racy years (1969 – 1974)
When it debuts in 1969, the show’s rather grown-up content alarms some parents. In a reflection of the era, Cookie Monster puffs on a pipe and Grover takes lessons in civil disobedience from a hippie. The first volume of the show’s DVD set now carries an “adults only” warning. (Watch video here)
2. Oscar the Grouch’s mood swings (1969 – present)
The least cheerful muppet has been regularly called out for being too cantankerous and caustic for preschool-aged viewers. Little known fact: Oscar was originally slated to lead an even more alienated life in a manhole, but “Sesame Street” producers decided to soften him up by switching his home to a trash can. (Watch video here)
3. Elmo’s questionable grammar (1979-present)
Elmo’s tendency to refer to himself in the third person (“Elmo scared!”) raises fears that his small, inchoate fans are learning improper grammar. The show’s creators defend the red creature’s diction by saying he engages preschoolers who can’t yet make sense of pronouns. (Watch video here)
4. Bert and Ernie’s sexual ambiguity (1980 – present)
Are these two single men who share a bedroom just friends (with color-coordiinated orange and yellow skin, respectively) or are they gay lovers? Critics have been registering their disapproval for decades, despite “Sesame Street” producers’ assurances that they’re not promoting a same-sex agenda. (Watch video here)
5. Mr Hooper’s death (1983)
After actor Will Lee — who played chatty shopkeeper Mr Hooper — dies in 1983, the program pays tribute with an episode that deals directly with death. Wrestling with grief, Big Bird imparts the lesson that life necessarily ends, a theme many parents feel their children are too young to confront. (Watch video here)
6. A muppet with AIDS (2002)
To fight stereotypes about people with AIDS, “Sesame Street” introduces an HIV-positive muppet named Kami. Some parents protest that their children are too young to face the harsh realities of the virus. (Watch video here)
7. Fears that “Sesame” gives kids ADD (2004)
Some critics say “Sesame Street” is partially to blame for the rise in ADHD diagnoses, noting that the program is broken into 40 short, unrelated segments — the sort of pacing that arguably triggers attention-deficit problems. (Watch video here)
8. Cookie Monster’s scandalous diet (2005)
As childhood obesity reaches epidemic levels, ‘Sesame Street’ is skewered for celebrating a blue beast whose defining characteristic is an addiction to baked goods. In 2005, a reformed Cookie Monster begins partaking of healthier choices like fruits and vegetables, prompting rumors that he will be renamed “Veggie Monster.” (Watch video here)
9. Mahboub the Muppet (2006)
At the height of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in December 2006, two versions of ‘Sesame Street’ air in Israel: One for Arab children and one for Israelis. To try to bridge the cultural gap and reinforce the message of tolerance, producers introduce Arab muppet Mahboub into the Jewish version. Though protests ensue, Mahboub soons endears himself to Israelis. (Watch video here)
10. The program’s “liberal bias” (2009)
In a “Sesame Street” segment that appears to mock conservative Fox News, an irate viewer calls the Grouchy News Network (GNN) to complain that the news isn’t grouchy enough: “From now on I am watching Pox News. Now there is a trashy news show.” After Fox complains, the PBS ombudsman admits that, although the parody was “too good to resist,” it “should have been resisted.” (Watch video here)
I am laughing so hard at all of these.
source: Top 10 ‘Sesame Street’ controversies [The Week]
