Author: Randy Slovacek

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Debt-limit bill yanked by House GOP

From Politico: House Republicans delayed by at least a day a floor vote on their package to raise the debt ceiling, the latest challenge facing Speaker John Boehner and GOP leaders as they try to avoid a default on the nation’s debt.

The decision to move the vote to Thursday or beyond came after the Congressional Budget Office reported late Tuesday night that the package Boehner crafted would only reduce deficits by $850 billion, $150 billion short of the speaker’s goal of $ 1 trillion in budget and spending cuts.

House Republican leadership aides were looking for ways to revise the bill to address the shortfall. This could include either lowering the borrowing authority Congress approves, or recommending additional spending cuts. GOP aides said the first option is more likely. The United States is projected to default on its debt Aug. 2, according to the Treasury Department.

Boehner was hauling members who are undecided or leaning “no” into his Capitol suite for one-on-one meetings, using the time-honored tradition of his office to twist arms and win votes. Boehner had “made progress,” but the CBO scores threw all that progress into doubt.

House GOP leaders are betting that if they get the bill in front of Obama within a week of a possible U.S. default on its $14.3 trillion debt, the president will have no choice but to sign it, despite a veto threat issued Tuesday afternoon by the White House.

No official whip counts are available, although some Republican lawmakers estimate 40 to 50 GOP lawmakers are no’s or undecided heading into the dramatic floor fight. Boehner is unlikely to bring such an enormously important proposal to the floor without being completely solid on his whip count, preferring not to roll the dice on this issue. And on Tuesday night, that determination was made.

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Chloe Lattanzi’s new video creating a big stir around the world

Chloe Lattanzi, Olivia Newton-John’s daughter, recently released her first music video on the internet and is receiving a lot of attention for it’s graphic imagery.

Some are shocked by the very dark images of the video, while other’s find the strong artistic vision to be very powerful.

The Daily Mail in the UK said some groups had a problem with the video for glorifying the themes in order to get ‘attention’.”

Child psychologist Michael Carr-Gregg told Sunrise this morning in Australia that he is calling on the Federal Minister for Mental Health to ban the music video.

However, the daughter of Olivia Newton-John says that her new music video, featuring suicide, drugs and self-harm, is all about artistic expression.

Chloe says, “The concept is actually quite dark, but not literal in meaning.”

While the video does have strong imagery, I personally support artists reaching for their own vision.  That’s how artists develop and grow, by finding their own “voice” as artists.

View the video below:

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Thriving Beauty: Olivia Newton-John on beating the odds

To maintain longevity in the entertainment industry, true stars needn’t rely on gimmicks and outrageous antics.

Just ask Olivia Newton-John, who has let her voice do the singing and her heart do the leading during an illustrious career that’s spanned more than four decades.

The 62-year-old vocalist and actress still dazzles audiences with her soulful music, but it’s her multi-faceted work behind the scenes that has taken center stage in her life, a spot she’s now happily sharing with her new husband, Amazon Herb Company founder John Easterling.

Check out Olivia’s interview in the latest issue of Living Well Magazine.

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New Olivia Newton-John interview on Advocate.com

From Advocate.com: Thirty years after the release of her smash “Physical,” Olivia Newton-John is still going strong and captivating fans. The iconic singer pays tribute to her favorite female vocalists, recalls the gay couples in her groundbreaking video, and tells why she’s excited about marriage equality.

The Advocate: On your new CD “Portraits” you sing songs associated with other female vocalists. How did you decide which songs to include on the album?

Olivia Newton-John: They are all women whom I’ve admired and songs I’ve sung during my career and while growing up. I just wanted to honor those ladies.

Advocate: The album includes a gorgeous cover of the Carpenters’ “Rainy Days and Mondays.” You and Karen were close friends, and it’s been nearly 30 years since she passed away. What’s something about her most people don’t know?

Olivia: She was a very good friend. She was a lovely girl and a lot of fun. I think most people don’t know how much she loved Mickey Mouse and Disneyland. She lived [nearby] and loved to go there. She had Mickey Mouses and photos of the Disney characters in her house. She wore T-shirts with Mickey’s face on it. She loved all of that. She was a kid, a big kid. She was a lot of fun and had the most amazing voice. I was such a fan of hers. She was a great girl and I do miss her.

Advocate: The proceeds from your new dance remix of “Magic”will benefit your Wellness and Cancer Center. When will the center open and how exactly will it help people?

Olivia: It’s hopefully going to open in Melbourne, Australia, next year, because we have eight or nine stories built already. It’s been an eight-year project raising the money for the center. We just got $45 million from the government and we’re just $8 million short of the money needed to finish. It’s going to be a very special place with a state-of-the-art hospital and two stories for a research institute. We’ll also have this wonderful wellness center attached to it. While people are going through treatment they’ll be able to go to the wellness center and take a yoga class or a meditation or have a group talk with other people going through the same situation or have a cup of tea. It will be a wonderful respite. I dreamt of something like this when I was going through cancer myself, and now I’m able to provide this for people at the center, so it makes me happy.

Advocate: Besides being an advocate for early cancer detection, you’ve also done a lot of charitable work on behalf of animals, children, and the environment. Why is it so important for you to give back to people?

Olivia: I feel that I’ve been given so much and I’ve been so privileged. I’m privileged that they asked me to raise money for this center and put my name on it. So it’s very important to me that it’s a wonderful place.

Advocate: Your career has been so varied and you’ve recorded in many different genres. Have you considered releasing an album of just dance music?

Olivia: Actually, yes. A few people have asked me that, so we’ve been pulling some of the old songs together to decide which ones would work with a dance remix. So yeah, it’s happening. [Laughs] Plus there will be some new songs. I have a new movie coming out, and I think I’ll record a dance song for it.

Advocate: This year marks three decades since you released “Physical,” which was not only your biggest hit, but the longest-running number 1 song of the ’80s. I’ve read that after you recorded it you were apprehensive about releasing it as a single.

Olivia: [Laughs] It’s funny. I had a delayed reaction. I recorded it and then had a panic attack. I called my manager and said, “You’ve got to stop it. It’s too naughty.” He told me it was too late. By that time it had already gone to radio and was on its way to number 1. [Laughs] So I quickly adjusted.

Read the whole interview at Advocate.com

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Casey Anthony’s Parents – $250,000 Doesn’t Get You An Interview

From TMZ: The network bidding war over key interviews in the Casey Anthony case has gone into the stratosphere. TMZ has learned a syndicated talk show was laughed at with a bid of $250,000 for Casey’s parents!

Sources say the bidding for a Casey interview was over $1.5 million.

Now ABC News has just released a statement, saying it will no longer pay for photos and video in exchange for interviews.

The announcement comes days after TMZ published a story that Casey’s lawyer, Jose Baez, was holed up in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel in New York City, taking bids from NBC, ABC and CBS.  Reportedly, Baez was in the Hotel bar Thursday night, discussing strategy with famed lawyer Mark Geragos.

Sources say all three networks were offering the same deal — they would pay a fortune to license photos and video from Casey.  That’s the “official” way they can say they don’t pay for interviews.  They are paying for video or photos.

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Appearance on Cougar Chat – 7-25-11

Cougar Chat – July 25, 2011 by randyslovacek

Here’s the recording of my first appearance on Cougar Chat this week as their new celebrity/entertainment correspondent.

The hosts are very fun and I cover a range of celebrity gossip – from Amy Winehouse to JLo and Marc Anthony breakup, to Jennifer Aniston’s new home search with her bf Justin Theroux, to Maria and Arnold’s divorce, to Olivia Newton-John’s daughter’s new music video currently making waves on the internet.

(One odd thing – there’s a cut in the recording where I’m talking about Kim Kardashian at the 6:13 mark, and then the recording jumps to talking about the JLo/Marc Anthony breakup, but it’s hard to know that with an unexpected jump….)

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Eric Cantor Admits That $1 Trillion In War Savings Counted In Both The Ryan Plan And ‘Cut, Cap & Balance’ Plan

From ThinkProgress: Today, Speaker John Boehner rejected Harry Reid’s plan, claiming that it was full of gimmicks. Boehner’s principle criticism was that it counted $1 trillion is savings from winding down the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In an interview on CNBC, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor admitted to Larry Kudlow that both the Ryan Plan and the “Cut, Cap, and Balance” Plan — which were both supported by nearly the entire GOP caucus — also counted savings from winding down the wars:

Cantor: Speaker Boehner came out months ago and said we are not going to increase the debt ceiling unless we have comensurate or even greater cuts in spending. Now Sen. Reid’s plan doesn’t do that. What Sen. Reid’s plan says is we’re going to raise the debt ceiling $2.4 trillion and we are also going to cut spending but what he does is counts over a trillion dollars in spending that is assumed to decrease and go away anyway which is the spending associated with the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Kudlow: Yes, but isn’t that in the Paul Ryan baseline also, which is the baseline for Cut, Cap and Balance.

Cantor: But, but, but… absolutely it is. But it’s not anything additional…

Please kids. You want to CUT SPENDING. The Reid plan CUTS SPENDING.

The Reid plan gives Repubs everything they want and now they are avoiding it because the real issue they want is to be able to revisit this in the middle of next year’s elections.

For months now we’ve heard that what the global markets need to see is stability and a plan they can count on. The Reid plan does that. The Boehner plan kicks the can down the road about 8-9 months. This does not show stability or a handle on our spending.

This is more posturing by the Repubs who just want to do everything they can, even if it means putting the full faith and credit of the United States at risk, to bring President Obama down.

If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck…

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Players vote to OK deal to end NFL lockout

Mark Sanchez, quarterback for NY Jets

From NPR: NFL players voted to OK a final deal Monday, days after the owners approved a tentative agreement, and the sides finally managed to put an end to the 4 1/2-month lockout, the longest work stoppage in league history.

“This is a long time coming, and football’s back,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said, “and that’s the great news for everybody.”

At a joint appearance outside the NFL Players Association headquarters, Goodell and NFLPA head DeMaurice Smith were flanked by some of the owners and players who were involved in the talks. They spoke shortly after the NFLPA executive board and 32 team reps voted unanimously to approve the terms of a deal.

“We didn’t get everything that either side wanted … but we did arrive at a deal that we think is fair and balanced,” Smith said.

The sides worked through the weekend and wrapped up the details Monday morning on a final pact that runs for 10 years, without an opt-out clause, a person familiar with the deal told the AP on condition of anonymity.

Owners decided in 2008 to opt out of the league’s old labor contract, which expired March 11. That’s when the owners locked out the players, creating the NFL’s first work stoppage since 1987.

Btw – please notice that there IS a football in the photos.  AND they are pictures of NFL quarterbacks.  AND I knew all that.

Impressed?

Brady Quinn of the Denver Broncos
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Boehner releases plan to kick the can down the road – again

House Speaker John Boehner released his plan today that cuts $1.2 trillion from the budget and kicks the can down the road a few months – again – so the budget/deficit issue can be addressed AGAIN next spring.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has his own plan to cut the deficit $2.7 trillion and raise the debt ceiling.

Specifically, Reid’s plan includes $1.2 trillion in savings from various domestic and defense programs, along with $1 trillion in savings from winding down the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. It also generates $400 billion in interest savings on the debt, and another $40 billion by rooting out waste, fraud and abuse.

Reid’s proposal would establish a congressional committee comprised of 12 House and Senate members to consider additional options for debt reduction. The committee’s proposals would be guaranteed a Senate vote with no amendments by the end of the year.

Boehner says Sen. Reid’s proposed plan doesn’t do anything about entitlements. Boehner’s criticism that the Reid plan doesn’t cut entitlements would be more convincing if Boehner’s plan actually cut entitlements. However, it doesn’t.

Democrats are vehemently opposed to the idea of holding more than one vote to raise the debt limit through the 2012 election, arguing that such a requirement is politically unrealistic and could prove to be economically destabilizing.

As leaders from the two parties continue to bicker, analysts warn financial markets are growing increasingly nervous about the prospect of a national default. The Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped more than 100 points almost immediately after opening Monday morning, although it later cut that loss.

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Amy Winehouse autopsy ‘inconclusive’ – tests still pending

All that seems to be known at this time is:

  • autopsy is complete – so far “inconclusive”
  • so far no signs of foul play
  • test results are still pending
  • died in bed with no drugs in sight

Much has been made of Amy Winehouse “joining The 27 Club” as other prominent musicians Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobain all also passed away at the age of 27.

Fans continue to leave memorabilia in front of her UK home.