Pitt Jolie Hacking Victims

Pitt Jolie Hacking Victims - The Hollywood actors Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been named as victims of phone hacking allegedly carried out by journalists at the News of the World.

Prosecutors in London alleged that two members of staff at the now-defunct Murdoch newspaper conspired to intercept the voicemail messages of Eunice Huthart, an associate of Pitt and Jolie, and other unnamed people connected to the actors.

Huthart is a former stunt double for Jolie and participant in the Gladiators game show.

The actors' names emerged as prosecutors announced charges against eight people, including Andy Coulson, the former director of communications for the British prime minister, David Cameron, and Rebekah Brooks, the former chief executive of News International.

Seven of those charged are named in an alleged conspiracy that is said to have involved 600 victims – including a number of celebrities and politicians – over six years between 2000 and 2006.

Coulson and Brooks are charged in connection with the hacking of the phone of the murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler.

The announcement by the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) in London means some of Rupert Murdoch's former top aides have been charged with criminal offences. Also charged were Stuart Kuttner, former managing editor of the News of the World, Ian Edmondson, former news editor, Greg Miskiw, another former news editor, Neville Thurlbeck, former chief reporter, James Weatherup, former assistant news editor, and the private investigator Glenn Mulcaire.

Alison Levitt QC, principal legal adviser to the director of public prosecutions, said 19 charges would be brought. Thurlbeck and Weatherup are alleged to have conspired to intercept the voicemail messages of "persons associated with Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, who included Eunice Huthart", the CPS said.

Thurlbeck, a former chief reporter at the News of the World, said he would fight the charges laid against him. He said he was "most surprised and disappointed" at the the announcement. "I will vigorously fight to clear my reputation," he said.

Brooks said: "I am not guilty of these charges. I did not authorise, nor was I aware of, phone hacking under my editorship. I am distressed and angry that the CPS have reached this decision when they knew all the facts and were in a position to stop the case at this stage. The charge concerning Milly Dowler is particularly upsetting, not only as it is untrue but also because I have spent my journalistic career campaigning for victims of crime. I will vigorously defend these allegations."

The announcement follows a Scotland Yard investigation that began in 2011,, after police had repeatedly said there was no need to reopen the investigation.

In July 2009, the Guardian began running a series of articles that claimed phone hacking was more widespread than previously admitted.

On Monday, police said they believed there were 4,775 potential victims of phone hacking, of whom 2,615 had been notified. The Metropolitan police deputy assistant commissioner, Sue Akers, told the Leveson inquiry that her force had notified more than 702 people who were "likely" to have been victims.

The CPS has received files from the Met's Operation Weeting team covering 13 individuals, including 11 journalists from the News of the World and Mulcaire.

The Diamond Sterling

The Diamond Sterling - Britain’s economy shrank far more than expected in the second quarter of 2012, battered by everything from an extra day’s holiday to budget austerity and the neighbouring euro zone crisis. Chancellor George Osborne said the country had “deep-rooted economic problems”.

The Office for National Statistics said Britain’s gross domestic product fell 0.7 percent in the second quarter, the sharpest fall since early 2009 and a bigger drop than any of the economists surveyed in a Reuters poll last week had expected.

The figures confirmed that Britain is mired in its second recession since the financial crisis, with the economy shrinking for a third consecutive quarter.

It will add pressure on Osborne to get the economy growing again after a crisis that has left many Britons poorer as rising prices and higher taxes ate up meagre wage increases.

Sterling hit its lowest in nearly two weeks against the dollar after the data, and government bond prices rallied on speculation that the Bank of England may have to provide more economic stimulus than expected.

Earlier this month the Bank has announced another 50 billion pound programme of gilt purchases with newly created money to soften a grim economic outlook, but Wednesday’s data is likely to add to market speculation that it may cut interest rates later this year.

“This is terrible data. Frankly there’s nothing good that comes out of these numbers at all,” said Peter Dixon, an economist at Commerzbank.

“The economy looks to be badly holed below the water line at this stage. It’s a far worse period of activity than we’d expected.”

Goat Man In Utah

'Goat man' in Utah mountains identified as hunter, A man spotted dressed in a goat suit among a herd of wild goats in the mountains of northern Utah has been identified as a hunter preparing for a Canadian archery season.
After a hiker spotted the so-called goat man on July 15 in the mountains above Ogden, about 40 miles north of Salt Lake City, wildlife officials said they wanted to talk to the person to be certain he was aware of the dangers as hunting season approaches.
They speculated he might have been an extreme wildlife enthusiast who just wanted to get as close as possible to the goats. A few days after the spotting, state wildlife authorities received an anonymous call from an "agitated man" who simply said, "Leave goat man alone. He's done nothing wrong."

This week, however, the mystery was solved.
Phil Douglass of the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources said he received a call Monday from a 57-year-old Southern California hunter who explained he was merely trying out his goat suit in preparation for a mountain goat hunt in Canada next year.
"He gave me enough details about the area and the situation that it made me feel confident this was him," Douglass said Tuesday.
"In talking to him, I felt he was very knowledgeable, a very experienced hunter. He's hunted internationally," Douglass added. "My concern all along was that this person needed to understand the risks, and certainly after talking to him, I felt he was doing the best he could to understand and mitigate those risks ... He was simply preparing for a hunt."
The man did not identify himself, Douglass said, noting the hunter was concerned for his safety after widespread media coverage of the sighting, first reported by the Standard-Examiner of Ogden.
Coty Creighton, 33, spotted the goat man July 15 during his hike. He said he came across a herd, but noticed something odd about one goat that was trailing behind the rest.
"I thought maybe it was injured," Creighton said last week. "It just looked odd."
He said he pulled out binoculars to get a closer look at the goats about 200 yards away and was shocked. The man appeared to be acting like a goat while wearing a crudely made costume, which had fake horns and a cloth mask with cut-out eye holes, Creighton said.
"We were the only ones around for miles," he said. "It was real creepy."
Douglass said 60 permits will be issued for goat hunting season in that area, which begins in September, and he had worried the man in the goat suit might be accidentally shot or could be attacked by a real goat.
He said the hunter described the goat costume as merely a hooded painter's uniform and a fleece.
Douglass said wildlife officials encourage archery hunters to practice their skills and to "get themselves in a position where they make a clean and humane shot."
"That's exactly what he was doing," Douglass said. "There are laws that require people to wear hunter orange during rifle hunts, but people do wear camo during archery hunts."
And while it's not illegal to dress up like the animal you're trying to kill, Douglass said it's still dangerous.
"It's unwise," he said. "It's just a bad idea all the way around to do that kind of thing."

Christian Bale in town visiting victims

Christian Bale in town visiting victims - Christian Bale, star of the last three Batman films, met at the Medical Center of Aurora on Tuesday afternoon with seven patients injured in the mass shooting that occurred during a midnight showing of "The Dark Knight Rises."
Hospital interim president Bill Voloch said Bale spent about 2½ hours at the hospital, where he met with five people being treated for their injuries. Two others came from Swedish Medical Center to meet Bale, who stars as Batman/Bruce Wayne.

"The patients were really happy to meet Bale," Voloch said. "They are obviously big fans of his movies. They wanted to see Batman and were really pleased to see Bale."
Bale and his wife, Sibi Blazic, also met with a number of doctors, Aurora police officers and emergency medical technicians who were first responders when James Eagan Holmes allegedly killed 12 people and injured 58 others at Century Aurora 16 theater early Friday. Bale spent about 10 minutes with each person.
"It was good for the patients," Voloch said. "We hope it was therapeutic for them, and all the staff really appreciated him coming."
Nurse Crystal Flateland said she definitely did.
Flateland and 18 other staff members from Swedish were taken to Medical Center of Aurora on Tuesday for an appreciation buffet and — to their surprise — a meet and greet with Bale.
"I am probably one of the biggest Batman fans ever," Flateland said. "It was amazing, actually, to get to meet him. I think it's really great he came out here. It was touching."
Flateland was called in to work after the shooting. During that morning, she was part of a medical team transferred to Medical Center of Aurora, where more help was needed. Flateland said she ended up working about 40 hours straight.
"It was kind of exhausting," Flateland said. "But I've now caught up on sleep and recovered."
Bale also spent some time with Gov. John Hickenlooper.
Medical Center of Aurora received 18 patients from the movie theater shooting, and seven were admitted. Four patients went to Swedish Medical Center.
Voloch said Bale notified hospital officials that he wanted to visit the injured but asked that media not be notified. "He just wanted to meet with victims and police."
Among the people Bale visited was Carey Rottman of Denver. Friends quickly tweeted out a photo of their visit.
Bale and Bazic also visited a growing memorial to victims near the movie theater.
Officials from Warner Bros. Pictures, maker of "The Dark Knight Rises," said Bale came to Aurora on his own.
"Mr. Bale is there as himself, not representing Warner Brothers," said an assistant for Susan Fleishman, executive vice president for Warner Bros.' corporate communications.

News: Naval Shipyard Arson Suspect Faces Life

News: Naval Shipyard Arson Suspect Faces Life - A civilian laborer set a fire that caused $400 million in damage to a nuclear-powered submarine because he had anxiety and wanted to get out of work early, Navy investigators said yesterday. Casey James Fury, 24, of Portsmouth, N.H., faces up to life in prison if convicted of two counts of arson in the fire aboard the USS Miami attack submarine in dry dock May 23 and in a second blaze outside the sub on June 16.

Fury was taking medications for anxiety and depression and told investigators he set the fires so he could get out of work, according to a seven-page affidavit filed yesterday in U.S. District Court in Portland.

Fury did not enter a plea. People who appeared to be family members attended the hearing but declined to comment. His federal public defender, David Beneman, did not speak in court and earlier in the day also declined to comment to The Associated Press.

The Miami was in dry dock at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine, for an overhaul when the fire damaged the torpedo room and command area inside the forward compartment. It took more than 12 hours to extinguish.

A second fire was reported June 16 on the dry dock cradle on which the Miami rests, but there was no damage and no injuries.

Fury, who was working on the sub as a painter and sandblaster, initially denied starting the fires, but he eventually acknowledged his involvement, the affidavit states.

He admitted setting the May 23 fire, which caused an estimated $400 million in damage, while taking a lie-detector test and being told by the examiner he wasn’t being truthful.

Fury told Timothy Bailey, an agent for the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, that “his anxiety started getting really bad,” so he grabbed his cigarettes and a lighter, walked up to a bunk room and set fire to some rags on the top bunk.

$400 Million In Damage To Submarine

$400 Million In Damage To Submarine - A civilian worker has been arrested and charged in connection with a fire that caused $400 million in damage to a U.S. Navy submarine last May, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office inMaine. Casey James Fury, 24, was arrested by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service on suspicion of setting the massive blaze and setting a second fire around the submarine last month, according to a criminal complaint from the U.S. District Court of Maine released to the public Monday.

Fury was working inside the USS Miami on May 23 as a painter and sandblaster while the Los Angeles-class attack submarine was in dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Maine undergoing a massive overhaul.

The affidavit charges Fury with two counts of arson and says that he “willfully and maliciously set fire to and burned a vessel, namely the USS Miami, together with building materials and supplies located thereon.”

A Navy news release says the second count will be specific to burned building materials and supplies in and around the USS Miami.

Fury had initially denied involvement in both fires, according to the affidavit, but later confessed. The second fire Fury allegedly started was on June 16 in an area underneath the submarine where he was working. In both cases, he told investigators that he started the fires because he was having extreme anxiety and was trying to get out of work, according to the federal documents.

Naval investigators said Fury was also taking medication for depression and anxiety.

If convicted of either charge, Fury faces life imprisonment, a fine of up to $250,000 and restitution, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Initial investigations by the Navy found that the fire may have been started by a vacuum cleaner. But the criminal complaint said Fury admitted to setting fire to a pile of rags near a vacuum cleaner in a stateroom in the submarine.

A criminal investigation headed by NCIS began soon after the fire was reported on May 23 and is ongoing, according to the Navy. Other law enforcement agencies, including the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, are assisting in this investigation, according to a Navy news release.

The Navy has begun planning repairs with the goal of returning the USS Miami to the fleet.

The submarine was commissioned in 1990 and carries a crew of 12 officers and 98 enlisted personnel, according to the Navy.

Mariah Carey $18 Million

Mariah Carey $18 Million - Mariah Carey to be paid $18 million as new 'American Idol' judge: reports, Mariah Carey is known for her splashy style, and her latest gig, as a judge on "American Idol," will apparently be no different.
The iconic singer, whom Fox Entertainment President Kevin Reilly revealed as the newest addition to the hit Fox franchise Monday, will be raking in a record paycheck to dispense her musical wisdom and help find America's next big talent.
"Mariah is getting paid $18 million with a one-year option to do 'Idol,' making her the highest paid judge on any music competition show," an "American Idol" source told Us Weekly.
The singer, 42, is even reportedly beating out her predecessor, Jennifer Lopez, in the salary department – Lopez was reportedly paid a $12 million for her first season, and then $15 million for her second season.

Unconfirmed sources said that Lopez was then rebuffed when she requested a raise to return for a third season.
Fellow singing competition show divas Christina Aguilera and Britney Spears aren't faring too badly themselves, pulling in $10 million and $16 million for their stints on "The Voice" and "The X Factor," respectively.
Earlier this month, judges Steven Tyler and Lopez both announced their departures from the show within days of each other, citing a desire to refocus on their careers.
"I honestly feel that the time has come that I have to get back to doing the other things that I do that I put kind of on hold because I love 'Idol' so much," Lopez told Ryan Seacrest on his radio show July 13.
"I could keep just doing 'Idol' for the rest of my life, but that would be giving up a bunch of other things. We had an amazing run."
For now, however, Carey is undaunted about the prospect of major multitasking and has expressed only excitement over joining the "Idol" team.
"As a singer, songwriter and producer, it's going to be fun and rewarding to help find new talent and give back to 'American Idol,'" she said in a statement.
"I'm currently in the studio working on my new album and its first single, 'Triumphant,' which will be out early next month. I can't wait to channel my creative energy as a part of this show which is a massive global phenomenon."

American Idol Season 7- Mariah Carey

American Idol Season 7- Mariah Carey Signs as American Idol Judge for Season 12 — Is She a Good Choice? It’s not just a sweet, sweet fantasy: They belong together. Yes indeed, after several days of intense speculation, Fox announced at the Television Critics Association’s summer press tour in Beverly Hills Monday that Mariah Carey has officially signed on as an American Idol judge for the show’s upcoming 12th season.
“I am so excited to be joining Idol,” Carey shared via a phone call to Fox boss Kevin Reilly, just seconds after he shared the news with the TCA crowd. “I wanted to be there today and I wish I could have been there myself to tell you. I can’t wait to get started in a couple months.” Reilly — who confirmed that Steven Tyler as well as Jennifer Lopez are both “100 percent” done with their Idol runs — said that judge Randy Jackson, Carey’s co-manager, was “instrumental” in bringing the songstress to the show.

With a nod to the increase in singing competitions — Fox’s own X Factor included — Reilly said, “Not being the only game in town now, we needed to keep things fresh” on Idol. That said, “There’s really nothing else we can confirm” about Season 12, he noted.
Earlier in the day, Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe weighed in on the very public search for new judges, saying, “I would like to see the judges change every year. It’s horrible to be in this position where you guys [in the press] are asking, ‘Who’s it going to be?’ and there are thousands of names being thrown out,” said Lythgoe. “And it’s unfair on negotiations. You can’t negotiate with somebody in a public marketplace.”
As for Carey, she served as a guest mentor during Top 7 Week on Season 7 of Idol, resulting in a stellar night of music focused around the diva’s songbook that included David Cook’s “Always Be My Baby,” Jason Castro’s “I Don’t Wanna Cry,” Carly Smithson’s “Without You,” and Syesha Mercado’s “Vanishing.”
Carey had also been scheduled to serve as an advisor for Simon Cowell on Season 1 of his U.S. version of The X Factor, but was forced to cancel a trip to France to whittle down his roster of female solo contestants when Hurricane Irene grounded her plane in New York. Carey’s addition to the Idol judges’ table comes in the wake of Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler recently annoucning plans to exit Fox’s ratings behemoth after respective two-year stints on the panel. What’s more, Carey’s Idol gig creates something of a competitive conundrum in her own household: Husband Nick Cannon hosts NBC’s category competitor America’s Got Talent, which typically overlaps with Idol for a week or two in May. The “Vision of Love” singer’s potential strengths as a judge are obvious: As one of the most successful power vocalists in modern music history, her opinions on contestants’ performances — and her advice for how they can improve — immediately carry more heft than Auto-Tune-reliant predecessors like Lopez or Paula Abdul. What’s more, Carey doesn’t seem driven by the need to be viewed as relentlessly nice — a problem that has plagued many artists-turned-judges (see Steven Tyler describing everything over the last two seasons as “beautiful.”) Indeed, during her more than two decades in the spotlight, Carey has been known for being outspoken, a little bit cheeky, and occasionally biting. Plus, she brings a little of the unpredictability factor that Tyler and Abdul were known for (see video of her infamous/hilarious Home Shopping Network appearance.)
If Carey is willing to use her critical ear and her candor — and not grind her personality down to a smooth, test-marketed monument to blandness and “gold stars for everyone!” — she could be a great boost for the show’s short-term buzz and long-term sustainability.

Mariah Carey nightmare

Mariah Carey Nightmare - It's been, uh, hours since the announcement that Mariah Carey is joining American Idol, and TMZ is already digging up dirt on her last Idol appearance.

Back when Carey was a mentor in 2008, she was a "nightmare to work with" according to sources on the show. Apparently she was extremely late to the shoot and, a far greater offense, "not very nice at all." (Since when are divas supposed to be nice?)

Perhaps as an attempt to stir up that rivalry with J.Lo, TMZ makes sure to include a mention of what a sweetheart Jennifer Lopez was. In her tenure as judge on American Idol, Lopez was focused and work-oriented — "night and day" compared to Mariah. But hey, maybe Mariah has matured over the past four years. That would just kill some of the fun.

Oh, and the $17 million per season has apparently been bumped up to $18 million, which she can definitely live on.

USS Miami fire

USS Miami fire - A 24-year-old Casey James Fury set fire to the USS Miami nuclear submarine so he could "leave work early." Police say the civilian painter admitted to setting two fires that caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damage to the vessel.
A man who set two fires to a nuclear-powered submarine, causing $400 million in damage, admitted he did it because he wanted to leave work early.

Casey James Fury, 24, was working aboard the USS Miami in Kittery, Maine as a civilian painter and sandblaster when he purposefully set two fires this summer, according to a criminal complaint filed in the United States District Court in Maine.

Fury, who initially denied involvement in either incident, finally told investigators he was responsible for both fires after submitting to a polygraph test, and blamed his anxiety and a conversation with his ex-girlfriend for making him snap.
The first fire was set on May 23 around 5:30 p.m. while the submarine was in dry dock at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. The blaze raged for 12 hours until firefighters were able to put it out, and the Navy estimated it caused $400 million dollars in damage.
Less than a month later, on June 16, another fire started in the dry dock crade of the submarine. This time the flames were quickly extinguished and “little or no damage” was caused, according to the complaint.
Fury gave two sworn statements that he had simply been a witness to both fires, but when interviewed by investigators again on July 18, he admitted having set the June 16 fire.
He blamed a heated text-message exchange with an ex-girlfriend, explaining he started trying to "convince her that the guy she started seeing was not just a friend like she had been claiming,” according to an affidavit filed by Navy investigator Jeremy Gauthier.
"Fury explained that he became anxious over the text exchange with his ex-girlfriend and wanted to leave work," Gauthier wrote.
In the wake of this conversation with his former girlfriend, Fury said his “mind was racing” by 6:30 p.m., so he stuffed a bag of alcohol wipes in a corner of the submarine and lit it on fire.
Despite this admission, Fury continued to deny he had been involved in the first fire until July 20, when he submitted to a lie-detector test for Navy investigators. There, he admitted he had also set the May 23 fire to get out of work because his anxiety was “getting ready bad.”
He said he started it by lighting plastic bags filled with rags on fire, and walked investigators through the ship to demonstrate his actions, according to the affidavit.
Fury said he initially lied about not being involved "because he was scared" and that the numerous medications he was on made “everything blurry to him.”
He checked himself into a mental health facility on June 21 and checked himself out on June 23.
Fury, who made his first court appearance Monday, has been scheduled to appear at a hearing next month, according to The Associated Pres. He is charged with two counts of arson and reportedly faces life in prison or a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.

OJ Simpson The Unpromotable

OJ Simpson The Unpromotable - Footage is set to be released of OJ Simpson as he tried to restart his career with a promotional tour of nightclubs and concerts following his acquittal of his ex-wife Nicole Brown's murder.
The film, called The Unpromotable, is cut from 70 hours of footage taken by his one-time promoter while they toured the U.S. in 2001.
It was put together by Norman Pardo, 51, who took on the task of trying to change the public perception of the former football hero following the sensational trial in 1995.
Simpson walked free after being found not guilty of murdering Brown and her friend Ronald Goldman in Los Angeles in 1994.
Simpson is currently in jail after he was convicted in 2008 of charges including kidnapping and armed robbery following an incident in a Las Vegas casino hotel room with two memorabilia dealers.
The NFL Hall of Famer, 64, was sentenced in December 2008 and faces up to 33 years behind bars.
Talking about his film project, Pardo told the New York Daily News: 'It’s him with girls all over him in clubs. It doesn’t show him in a great light, (but) in both lights. I do show what it’s like to work with him.' Pardo toured 35 states with Simpson who he said was in complete denial as to how the public viewed him. The promoter added that he was sent death threats after taking on Simpson as a client.
The film will not be released until after the presidential elections in November. Simpson has reportedly ordered that its opening be postponed because the movie has racial undertones and he doesn't want to affect President Obama's chances.
In June 1994, Simpson's ex-wife Nicole was found stabbed multiple times in the head and neck outside her home in Brentwood, Los Angeles. Her friend Ronald Goldman was also fatally stabbed.
In 1995, Simpson was tried on two counts of murder to which he pleaded not guilty.
The trial, for which Simpson had hired a powerful defense team led by Johnnie Cochran, ended with Simpson being found not guilty.
The 'trial of the century' as it was dubbed was watched live on TV by more than half of Americans.
At a later civil trial in 1997, a judgement was awarded against Simpson for the wrongful deaths of Brown and Goldman and he was ordered to pay $33.5 million in damages.

Old Shirt Fetches $877,500

Old Shirt Fetches $877,500 - A war shirt worn by Chief Joseph of the Nez Perce tribe that can be seen in a painting hanging in the Smithsonian Institution sold Saturday for $877,500 at auction, organizers said.
Mike Overby, an organizer of the annual Coeur d'Alene Art Auction, said the shirt that sold in Reno is considered to be one of the most important Native American artifacts to ever come to auction. It had been expected to bring from $800,000 to $1.2 million at auction, he said.

"Anything associated with Chief Joseph is highly desirable, and that's a pretty special shirt," he told The Associated Press.
Chief Joseph wore the shirt in 1877 in the earliest known photo of him, and again while posing for a portrait by Cyrenius Hall in 1878. That painting, which was used for a U.S. postage stamp, hangs in the Smithsonian.
The poncho-style war shirt was made of two soft skins, likely deerskin. It features beadwork with bold geometric designs and bright colors. Warriors kept such prestigious garments clean in a saddle bag on their horse or carefully stored while in camp, to be worn only on special occasions, American Indian scholar Theodore Brasser noted.
The shirt surfaced at an Indian relic show in the 1990s and was sold without any knowledge of its link to the photo and portrait. It changed hands again before the connection was discovered.
Its quality makes it desirable for collectors, but it's the "surprising discovery of the shirt's role in history that reveals its true importance," said Brasser, a former curator of the National Museum of Ethnology in Leiden, Netherlands, and at the Canadian Museum of Civilization in Ottawa.
The photo and portrait showing the war shirt were made shortly after Chief Joseph led 750 Nez Perce tribal members on an epic 1,700-mile journey from Oregon to Montana in an unsuccessful bid to reach Canada and avoid being confined to a reservation. They were forced to surrender in 1877 after U.S. troops stopped them about 40 miles south of the Canadian border.
In a famous speech made after the surrender, Chief Joseph said: "From where the sun now stands, I will fight no more forever."
The shirt's sale involved private collectors. "It was a wild-card piece. We're real happy where it ended up," Overby said.
Despite its price, it was not the top-selling piece at the auction. The painting "Scout's Report," by Howard Terpning, went for $994,500, followed by $965,250 for "Cowboys Roping the Bear" by Frank Tenny Johnson.
Some 400 bidders took part in what's billed as the world's largest Western art sale. About 300 works were sold for a total of $17.2 million, up from $16.9 million last year and $9.2 million the year before.

Emptiest Cities in America

Emptiest Cities in America - It’s no secret that the U.S. housing market has seen better days. From falling home values and impaired labor mobility to backed-up inventories and a flood of foreclosures, the real-estate downturn has affected the economy at large in countless ways.

One of the unfortunate results of a bad housing market are empty homes. Vacant properties have increased by 43.8 percent
nationwide since 2000, according to the Census Bureau. Homes can be vacant for many reasons, but are defined by the bureau as both unoccupied rental inventory as well as homes that are unoccupied and “for sale.” As of 2011, there were about 14.3 million year-round vacant housing units in the country, with a 10.6 percent gross vacancy rate that excludes seasonal vacancies such as vacation homes.

Earlier this year, the Cleveland Federal Reserve analyzed the impact of foreclosed and vacant homes on the surrounding communities. The study found that a vacant or tax delinquent house decreases the value of nearby homes by at least 1.3 percent, thanks to poor maintenance, and because the empty makes the neighborhood appear less desirable.

This effect is amplified in higher-income neighborhoods where a vacancy or foreclosure has a negative price impact of 4.6 percent. In low poverty areas, each additional vacant or tax delinquent home was found to reduce values of surrounding properties by between 1.7 percent and 1.8 percent.

Each quarter, the Census Bureau publishes data on homeowner and rental vacancies in the 75 largest cities. Listed here are the 10 cities with the most vacancies, using a weighted ranking of both rental and homeowner vacancies based on a 12-month average of both kinds of vacancy rates to smooth out sampling errors. Weights are assigned to rental and homeowner vacancies according to the national proportion of homes to rental properties in the U.S. Our list reveals the most significant outliers in both categories relative to other major U.S. cities.

'Thorn Birds' Reunion

'Thorn Birds' Reunion - "The Thorn Birds" stars Richard Chamberlain and Rachel Ward reunited for the first time since the 1983 ABC miniseries, save for a passing incident.

Chamberlain played Ralph de Bricassart, a priest in a small town who fell in love with Meggie Cleary (Rachel Ward) in the TV drama. Even though they played two characters in love, the pair only saw each other once in an airport before Sunday night at the "Pioneers of Television" Season 3 presentation at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour.

"We did run into each other very briefly in an airport in Thailand," Chamberlain said via Access Hollywood. "We were working on the same project, but we didn't have scenes together. Rachel was just leaving town and I was just coming in and we met in the airport for about 10 minutes and it was so great to see you."

The short meeting hardly compared to their reunion on Sunday. "I'm absolutely thrilled [to be together again] and it just seems like not much has changed. You look more beautiful than ever, by the way," Chamberlain said.

Ward, who married her on-screen husband, Bryan Brown, also held the sentiment that it felt like not much changed. "It feels like I'm still in 'The Thorn Birds,' because I was always waiting for Richard," Ward said.

However, Ward's career did change after "The Thorn Birds." After getting mixed reviews from critics, Ward said, "I went, 'This isn't for me' ... I never got my confidence back again."

Chamberlain denied that the negative reviews held any truth. "I thought you were wonderful," Chamberlain told Ward.

Horrific Texas Crash Claims 14 Lives

Horrific Texas Crash Claims 14 Lives, The pickup truck was packed with 23 people when it veered off a highway and slammed into trees. 14 dead in horrific Texas pickup truck crash, A pickup truck carrying 23 people veered off a Texas highway and crashed late Sunday, killing 14 and injuring 9 others.

The Ford F-250 Super Duty pickup was was traveling north on U.S. Highway 59 when it crashed into two large trees near Goliad, Texas, about 100 miles southeast of San Antonio, Texas Highway Patrol trooper Gerald Bryant told KTRK-TV.

Some of the victims were airlifted to hospitals in San Antonio and Corpus Christi. The cause of the crash remains under investigation, police said.

“In my 38 years as an officer, this is one of the worst fatalities I have been to,” Bryant said. “I have never seen where we had that many in a vehicle.”

The victims were crammed in the cab and bed of the pickup truck.

“Based on the mode of travel, the way that the people were in the vehicle, it’s a high probability there were illegal immigrants traveling northbound on 59,” Texas Dept. of Safety Lt. Glen Garrett told KIII-TV.

According to CNN, U.S. border patrol and “immigration and customs enforcement agents were called to the scene.” Goliad County is about 150 miles northeast of the Mexican border.

The names of the victims have yet to be released. According to MySanAntonio.com, the vehicle was registered to an owner in Houston. The driver of the vehicle was one of the survivors.

Dr. Doom 2013 Prediction

Dr. Doom 2013 Prediction - The strangely named Dr. Doom has issued a 2013 prediction in which he says there will be an economic perfect storm. Of course the outcome is doom and gloom. The Inquisitr reports that economist Nouriel Roubini stands behind his claim of disaster for the world and its economies next year.

Because the NYU economics professor correctly predicted 2008's financial crises, people tend to pay attention to him. However, there is only so much bad news that people are willing to hear, so many are not paying heed to Dr. Doom's 2013 prediction.

A big part of the reason for the so-called "perfect storm" is U.S. tax increases combined with reduced spending. Add to that Europe's debt crises, China's tough economy fall, and Iran issues, and it has all the makings of trouble according to the good, bad doctor.

Three Separate Dark Knight Arrests

Three Separate Dark Knight Arrests - Police across the country have arrested at least three people accused of making threats during or after watching the new Batman movie days after a fatal theater shooting in Colorado.

In Maine, state police pulled over a man who said he was on his way to shoot a former employer one day after watching "The Dark Knight Rises." Timothy Courtois was arrested Sunday after a police search found weapons and news clippings of the massacre in Aurora, Colo.

In Arizona, sheriff's officials say a confrontation with an intoxicated man during a Friday showing caused 50 people to flee the theater.

A man in Southern California was accused of causing panic when the movie didn't start. Witnesses say the man alluded to the shooting and asked whether anyone had a gun.

Mouseketeer Ginny Tyler

Mouseketeer Ginny Tyler - Former Disney head Mouseketeer and voice actress Ginny Tyler has died in Washington state at age 86. Tyler died of natural causes on July 13 at a nursing home in Issaquah, Wash., her son, Ty Fenton, tells the Los Angeles Times.

When episodes of television's "The Mickey Mouse Club" were repackaged for syndication in 1963, Tyler became the head Mouseketeer who hosted new segments of the TV show that were woven around the old.

Tyler was the voice on the records "Bambi" and "Babes in Toyland."

She also was the voice of Polynesia the Parrot, who helped teach Rex Harrison to talk to the animals in the movie "Dr. Dolittle." And she sang the parts of barnyard animals in "Mary Poppins."

Study Suggests Propecia Side Effects Are Long-Lasting

Study Suggests Propecia Side Effects Are Long-Lasting - A new study suggests Propecia side effects could be more permanent than patients and physicians previously thought. Although studies have shown a risk of Propecia side effects in men, including sexual dysfunction, the drug’s warning label stated that the side effects were temporary and would resolve once the Propecia and Proscar were discontinued. Now, however, research indicates that patients could be at risk of Propecia long-term side effects.

The study, published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine (7/12/12), involved following up with men who had persistent sexual side effects between nine and 16 months after discontinuing the medication. The subjects were all healthy men under the age of 40 who had no sexual dysfunction or medical conditions before taking finasteride (the generic version of Propecia). Researchers found that at the time of follow-up, persistent sexual side effects were still present in 96 percent of the subjects.

“In most men who developed persistent sexual side effects [those that lasted for three months or more] despite the discontinuation of finasteride, the sexual dysfunction continued for many months or years,” researchers concluded.

The study size was small-54 men in total-and all men had already experienced sexual side effects linked to Propecia. Some of the men reportedly took Propecia for only a few weeks, but others took it for years. Among the side effects they reported were erectile dysfunction, decreased sexual drive and painful genitals. Some men also reported depression and difficulty with cognition.

Propecia is used to treat male pattern baldness in men, while a more concentrated version of finasteride, known as Proscar, is used to treat enlarged prostates. Most side effects linked to the two medications are thought to resolve once medication is discontinued, but recent studies suggest that the adverse effects could continue for years after final exposure to the drugs.

Overall, the percentage of men who experience long-term Propecia side effects is likely small, but given how frequently Propecia is prescribed, there could be many men at risk of suffering persistent sexual side effects.

Baldness Drug Propecia Making Men Impotent, Says Study

Baldness Drug Propecia Making Men Impotent, Says Study - A hair-loss medication reportedly tried by Wayne Rooney may cause prolonged and possibly irreversible impotence, scientists have claimed.
The recent findings come after one patient bravely stepped forward to reveal the drug left him with no sex drive and even shrank his genitals.

Kevin Malley, 30, was prescribed with the drug Propecia after he worried he could be losing his hair. He said he only planned to take the pill for a year.
However, just five months after he started taking it in May 2011 he found he was completely impotent and his testes also became smaller.
Worried, he consulted his doctor and was told the symptoms would disappear after he stopped taking the drug. But he says a year on and nothing has changed.
It will come as no surprise to Dr Michael Irwig from the University of Washington.
He recently published a study in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, that found the ingredient finasteride, which is found in Propecia, can cause persistent sexual dysfunction, including low sexual desire, erectile dysfunction and problems with orgasms.
The male pattern baldness drug is manufactured by Merck and was approved by the FDA in 1997.
While labeling on the medication in the U.S. currently warns about possible reversible sexual side effects, there is no reference to the effects being persistent, Dr Irwig said.
However, other countries including the UK and Sweden do require medical companies to include the 'persistent risk' warning on the labeling.
It was reported that Wayne Rooney started taking the medication in 2009 after he became sick of other footballer's jibes about his receding hairline. He has since had a hair transplant.
Dr Irwig first became aware of the problems caused by finasteride several years ago when he encountered several men who reported they had developed sexual dysfunction while taking the medication.
'It’s been very frustrating for a lot of these men because they’ve sought care from medical professionals who have looked at the literature and have not seen a risk of persistent sexual dysfunction,' says Dr Irwig.
'So a lot of these patients have been told to see psychiatrists and psychologists and that it’s all in their head.'
Dr Irwig then noticed that men had reported sexual dysfunction for months even after they stopped taking the medication.
'I came across a website called propeciahelp.com with more than 1,400 registered users - many young healthy men who developed the same sexual side effects from finasteride - and I discovered that nobody had published a series looking at these men - who they are, how long the sexual side effects lasted, what types.'
Dr Irwig’s study included results from interviews with 71 men aged 21 to 46 years old to assess how long they took finasteride, the type and duration of sexual side effects and their sexual frequency before and after the medication.
Dr Irwig discovered that 94 per cent developed low libido, 92 per cent developed erectile dysfunction and decreased arousal, and 69 per cent developed problems with orgasm.
On average, the men used finasteride for approximately 28 months but experienced persistent sexual side effects for an average of 40 months, from the time they ceased taking the medication to the time of the interview.
Dr Irwig also found that the average number of sexual episodes per month dropped after finasteride use.
'It turns out that almost all the men had multiple sexual function problems,' says Dr Irwig.
'Before finasteride use, the men experienced average sexual activity of approximately 26 episodes per month, but after use, it came down to approximately eight per month - an almost two-thirds reduction.
'Twenty per cent of patients I interviewed experienced persistent sexual dysfunction for more than five years, which makes me wonder if their persistent sexual dysfunction is permanent,' he adds.
This was certainly Mr Malley's experience. He told Good Morning America: 'I kept expecting the side effects to go away, but they did not, they only got worse.'
Mr Malley said before he took the drug he was engaged and worked as a public health researcher at a university in Las Vegas.
After he developed symptoms his fiancee broke off the engagement and he said he had to resign from his job because of cognitive problems. He said he is angry no one warned him the drug could have such lasting effects.
'Even if the side effects are rare, that doesn't mean that I should not have been warned. I did have a life before this,' he told Good Morning America.
Dr Irwig said roughly 5 per cent of men who take medicine will experience sexual dysfunction, and of those 'it’s hard to tell how many will experience persistent symptoms'.
'We know that this is a potential problem, but we can’t quantify what the exact risk is. I can’t tell a man if he has a 1-in-100 chance, or a 1-in-1000 chance of developing persistent sexual dysfunction, but it’s pretty clear there’s a relationship here,' he says.
Topical Rogaine can be used as an alternative to Propecia - applied directly on the skin, it does not get absorbed by body and thus does not cause sexual side effects - but Dr. Irwig says Propecia is very effective in treating hair loss and thus is commonly prescribed.
So Dr Irwig says it is crucial physicians treating male pattern hair loss discuss the possibility of persistent sexual side effects associated with finasteride with their patients.
'I think it’s very important that doctors who are prescribing this medicine talk about potential risks, so men can make an informed decision,' he said.
In a statement, Merck said no evidence has proved a causal relationship between Propecia and long-lasting sexual dysfunction.
A spokesman said: 'Merck believes that PROPECIA (finasteride) has demonstrated safety and efficacy profiles and that the product labeling appropriately describes the benefits and risks of the drug to help inform prescribing.

Hitler Olympic Village Berlin

Hitler Olympic Village Berlin - Conservations are in a race against time to save the abandoned Olympic Village built for the so-called 'Nazi Games' in 1936. The site on the western edge of Berlin is where athletes from all over the world headed 76 years ago to take part in the most infamous Olympic Games in history. But the athlete's accommodation has been largely left to rot since it was abandoned by Soviet forces in 1992 with only 25 of the 145 original buildings remaining - including the crumbling swimming pool, gym, theatre and dining hall. Jens Becker, from the DKB Bank which owns the site, told The Times of the ongoing struggle to save the historic site. He said: 'This is the oldest Olympic village that exists and that is why it is important to save it. It is a part of German history which nearly disappeared and now we are trying to save it. 'It was the first permanent Olympic village. The athletes were impressed - each house had its own steward and there had never been a swimming pool before at an Olympic village.' Around 4,000 athletes – including Great Britain’s 208-strong squad – took part in the Games in the summer of 1936 as Europe teetered on the brink on war. Adolf Hitler looked on with delight as his German ‘supermen’ lived up to his dreams of glory, winning the Games with a medal count of nearly 90; Great Britain came tenth with just 14. The only real slap in the face for the Führer was the success of America’s black track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens. He won four gold medals and was the star of the Games in the world’s eyes – even if Hitler regarded him as inferior because of his colour. Ironically, Owens’s tiny room – No 5, in block 39 – is so far the only athlete’s room that has been renovated. It’s a simple space that reflects the modesty of the humble man who stayed there – a man who, paradoxically, enjoyed more freedom in Nazi Germany at that time that he did in his segregated U.S. homeland. A short walk from Owens’s quarters lies the ‘Restaurant of the Nations’, the eating hall for the athletes. The record books tell how in three weeks the participants consumed 100 cows, 91 pigs, over 650 lambs, 8,000lb of coffee, 150,000lb of vegetables and 160,000 pints of milk. Sven Voege, who’s currently in negotiations to rent out some of the village sites as exhibition rooms, said 'it's a shame' so little of the site has been restored. He said: 'Because it is inextricably bound up with Nazism, most Germans avoid it. It is a place that lives and breathes sportsmanship and history, side by side. 'But German history is something we shun because of our past.’‘The Führer was teetotal and the order for the athletes was no drinking,’ says Voege. ‘But the French and the Italians railed against the idea of no wine, while the Belgians and Dutch thought the prospect of no beer was too much to contemplate. 'All four nations were the exception and were served alcohol at every meal.’ Only the salon where the Italians dined alongside the Soviets is preserved. The room where the British ate is a shell filled with fallen masonry. Hopes of refurbishing the building, which served in WWII as a hospital for wounded German troops, have fallen through. In 1936 a huge steel-and-wood sign depicting the five Olympic rings stood on top of the Restaurant of the Nations. That’s now propped up against a back wall, forgotten, in the off-limits gymnasium. Outside the hall is the 400m loop, which is just as it was when Godfrey Brown, Godfrey Rampling, Freddie Wolff and Bill Roberts pounded it in practice before going on to win gold for the UK in the 4x400m relay race. ‘Children were allowed into the village, and the English runners were firm favourites with them because of their impeccable manners,’ says Voege. ‘They always stopped to say hello to the children and sign autographs.’ During their stay, there were constant reminders of the Nazi regime’s less savoury side. Athletes were surrounded by officials in Nazi uniforms. And a bas-relief of marching German soldiers, which still stands near the theatre where athletes went to watch variety shows, hinted at Hitler’s future military ambitions. After the war ended in 1945, the Olympic Village was occupied for nearly 50 years by the Soviet Army. Among the new tenants were the torturers of SMERSH and the KGB, interrogators who turned the subterranean rooms housing the swimming pool’s heating system into a theatre of pain and death. The cremated remains of victims lie strewn over the site. Meanwhile, mocking Hitler’s dreams of a ‘thousand-year Reich’, a painting was added of heroic Red Army soldiers doing battle with the Nazis in the ‘Great Patriotic War’, which claimed the lives of over 25 million Soviets. So far, £1.7million has been spent to re-roof the swimming pool but there is no money left for the conservationists to work on restoring the rest of the village.

Conservationists Hitler Olympic Village

Conservationists Hitler Olympic Village - Conservationists are racing to save the crumbling remnants of a village on the western edge of Berlin, Germany, that was built for athletes of the 1936 Olympics – often called the "Nazi Games". Only 25 of the site's original 145 buildings remain after being abandoned by Soviet forces in 1992, and some see the complex – despite its infamy – as an important historical location that's worth protecting.

But the athlete’s accommodation has been largely left to rot since it had been abandoned by Soviet forces in 1992 with only 25 of the 145 original buildings remaining, including the crumbling swimming pool, gym, theatre and dining hall.

Jens Becker from the DKB Bank, which owns the site, talked about the ongoing struggle to save the historic site.

“This is the oldest Olympic village that exists and that is why it is important to save it. It is a part of German history which nearly disappeared and now we are trying to save it,” the Daily Mail quoted Becker as telling The Times.

“It was the first permanent Olympic village. The athletes were impressed – each house had its own steward and there had never been a swimming pool before at an Olympic village,” he said.

Around 4,000 athletes including Great Britain’s 208-strong squad had taken part in the Games in the summer of 1936 as Europe teetered on the brink of war.

Hitler had looked on with delight as his German “supermen” lived up to his dreams of glory, winning the Games with a medal count of nearly 90; Great Britain came tenth with just 14 medals.

The only real slap in the face for the Fuhrer had been the success of America’s black track-and-field athlete Jesse Owens.

He won four gold medals and had been the star of the Games in the world’s eyes even if Hitler regarded him as inferior because of his colour.

Owens’s tiny room No 5, in block 39 is so far the only athlete’s room that has been renovated.

A short walk from his quarters lies the ‘Restaurant of the Nations,’ the eating hall for the athletes.

£50,000 Cognac: $77K Cognac Bottle Smashed by clumsy Customer

£50,000 Cognac: $77K Cognac Bottle Smashed by clumsy Customer - A plan to break the Guinness World Record for most expensive cocktail is in pieces after an unidentified "wealthy customer" accidentally smashed a £50,000 ($77,579) bottle of Clos de Griffier Vieux cognac, dated in 1778. Renowned bartender Salvatore Calabrese had reportedly been due to produce the concoction in front of judges at London's posh Playboy Club, when the customer, who'd asked to view the bottle, stood up and sent it crashing to the floor.

Here's something groan-worthy. A customer at London's Playboy Club recently managed to destroy a $77,615 (£50,000) bottle of historic Cognac, which dated back to 1788.

The Drinks Business tells us that the customer, a businessman with apparently expensive tastes and butter fingers, had ordered two glasses of the brandy for $7,839 (£5,000) a pop when he asked to look at the bottle. When he stood up, he sent it flying across the room. It broke into smithereens upon hitting the floor.

The bottle had previously been sold for $37,000 at a Paris auction in 2009. It was supposed to have been featured this week by mixologist Salvatore Calabrese in the making of the world's most expensive cocktail for Guinness World Records.

Calabrese, a Cognac expert with an antique spirits collection valued at more than $1.5 million, expressed his horror and sadness to The Evening Standard:

Mr Calabrese said: “We all just froze, then it sunk in. I’ve been heartbroken. Not because of the value of the bottle, but because it is a piece of history that has been lost.”
Unfortunately for all, the bottle of Clos de Griffier Vieux wasn't insured because it had already been open. But, it seems the clumsy customer, a club regular, has been forgiven. "Accidents happen," Calabrese told The Evening Standard.

Clos de Griffier Vieux cognac

Clos de Griffier Vieux cognac - £50,000 HISTORIC COGNAC BOTTLE SHATTERED, The Coganc, a Clos de Griffier Vieux from 1788, was destroyed after a businessman, who had ordered two glasses of the brandy at £5,050 a measure, asked to look at the bottle.

As the customer stood up, he sent the bottle flying across the club, before it smashed on the floor.

The Cognac was due to feature in the world’s most expensive cocktail, which would have been mixed this week by Salvatore Calabrese in front of judges from Guinness World Records.

Apparently the bottle is not insured because it had already been opened.

Speaking to the Evening Standard after the accident happened at the end of last week, Salvatore said: “We all just froze, then it sunk in. I’ve been heartbroken. Not because of the value of the bottle, but because it is a piece of history that has been lost.”

The bottle had previously been in the cellars of Paris restaurant La Tour d’Argent and was auctioned in late 2009, fetching €25,000, before appearing on the drinks list at the Playboy Club.

Salvatore Calabrese

Salvatore Calabrese - $77,615 Bottle Of 224-Year-Old Cognac Shattered By Clumsy Customer, Here's something groan-worthy. A customer at London's Playboy Club recently managed to destroy a $77,615 (£50,000) bottle of historic Cognac, which dated back to 1788.

The Drinks Business tells us that the customer, a businessman with apparently expensive tastes and butter fingers, had ordered two glasses of the brandy for $7,839 (£5,000) a pop when he asked to look at the bottle. When he stood up, he sent it flying across the room. It broke into smithereens upon hitting the floor.

The bottle had previously been sold for $37,000 at a Paris auction in 2009. It was supposed to have been featured this week by mixologist Salvatore Calabrese in the making of the world's most expensive cocktail for Guinness World Records.

$460,000 scotch

$460,000 scotch - Guinness World Records has officially named the Cire Perdue “the oldest existing expression of the Macallan single malt at 64-years,” it was packaged in a unparalleled Lalique crystal decanter auctioned off for $460,000.

The auction took place at Sotheby’s in New York City back in November 2010; however, Guinness World Records has just made it official as “the most expensive whisky ever sold at auction.” This was not something that was not planned; the Macallan distillery teamed up with the well-known crystal maker Lalique in an attempt to make this record happen.

It was done to benefit charity: water, a nonprofit corporation geared at bringing clean and safe drinking water to people in developing nations, according to their website.

In addition, to the auction this action had global fundraising tours that brought in more than $600,000 in total for the charity.

Thousands of people have joined charity: water by doing fundraising campaigns on www.charitywater.org. They have been giving up their birthday gifts, ran marathons, jumped out of planes, sold lemonade all in a effort to provide clean water to people who are in need.

Accord to their website, “100% of each dollar raised funds water project costs in developing countries.”

Guinness: Most Expensive Cocktail 27.321

Guinness: Most Expensive Cocktail 27.321 - The most expensive cocktail commercially available is “27.321″, costing 27,321 United Arab Emirates Dirham (£3,766.52, US$7,439) and featuring on the menu of The Skyview Bar of Burj Al Arab Hotel, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The cocktail is an ultra-luxury version of the traditional ‘old fashioned’, consisting of 55 year-old Macallan whisky, ice made from the water used at their distillery, an exclusive ‘dried fruit bitters’ and passionfruit-scented sugar. It can only be prepared by a qualified mixologist, and is stirred using a stirring rod made from a Macallan cask.

Served in a glass produced in the French town of Baccarat that is emblazoned with 18 karat gold and the Burl Al Arab logo, which customers get to keep. A limited run of only ten (10) are on sale, with at lease 2 already sold.

If you frequently enjoy going out on the town for drinks, then you are probably familiar with paying too much for cocktails. Even so, the price of the most expensive cocktail in the world may surprise some, but won’t set back a high roller.

An original Trader Vic’s Mai Tai is the most expensive cocktail in the world, if you can afford £750 per cocktail then head on over to the Merchant Hotel in Belfast in Northern Ireland. This Mai Tai is made from 17-year-old Wray and Nephew Rum used by trader Vic Bergeron to create the original Mai Tai over sixty years ago.

Even though the 750ml bottle of rum looks nondescript, the rum fetches £26,000 per bottle. A rare batch of the 17-year-old rum was recently acquired with one bottle being purchased by Merchant’s Bar. So far, only three of the world’s most expensive cocktails have been made. The drinks are served with only £750 ($1480) added to your tab.

£50,000 cognac

£50,000 cognac: $77,615 Bottle Of 224-Year-Old Cognac Shattered By Clumsy Customer - A plan to break the Guinness World Record for most expensive cocktail is in pieces after an unidentified "wealthy customer" accidentally smashed a £50,000 ($77,579) bottle of Clos de Griffier Vieux cognac, dated in 1778. Renowned bartender Salvatore Calabrese had reportedly been due to produce the concoction in front of judges at London's posh Playboy Club, when the customer, who'd asked to view the bottle, stood up and sent it crashing to the floor.

Here's something groan-worthy. A customer at London's Playboy Club recently managed to destroy a $77,615 (£50,000) bottle of historic Cognac, which dated back to 1788.

The Drinks Business tells us that the customer, a businessman with apparently expensive tastes and butter fingers, had ordered two glasses of the brandy for $7,839 (£5,000) a pop when he asked to look at the bottle. When he stood up, he sent it flying across the room. It broke into smithereens upon hitting the floor.

The bottle had previously been sold for $37,000 at a Paris auction in 2009. It was supposed to have been featured this week by mixologist Salvatore Calabrese in the making of the world's most expensive cocktail for Guinness World Records.

Calabrese, a Cognac expert with an antique spirits collection valued at more than $1.5 million, expressed his horror and sadness to The Evening Standard:

Mr Calabrese said: “We all just froze, then it sunk in. I’ve been heartbroken. Not because of the value of the bottle, but because it is a piece of history that has been lost.”
Unfortunately for all, the bottle of Clos de Griffier Vieux wasn't insured because it had already been open. But, it seems the clumsy customer, a club regular, has been forgiven. "Accidents happen," Calabrese told The Evening Standard.

'Footy Show' proposal rejection

'Footy Show' proposal rejection - A proposal rejection video that went viral over a year ago was definitely a prank, according to a closely affiliated source.
The "Footy Show," which is a show about Australian rules football, ran a segment which critics dubbed the "proposal rejection" where a man took to a stage before a live audience to propose to his surprised girlfriend of three years.
A spokesperson for Channel 9, the network which broadcasts the show, later confirmed that the proposal was a stunt, according to news.com.au.
"It was a set up to have a go at Fatty (host Paul Vautin) because it was his 50th birthday on Tuesday. He wasn't in on it," the spokesperson said in a statement.

However, prior to that confirmation many viewers were left assuming that the proposal was genuine and could not help but pity the aspiring groom "Peter" whose supposed girlfriend "Katherine" left him red-faced after rejecting his marriage proposal.
"Ladies and gentleman prepare yourselves, we have one person in the crowd...his name is Peter and he has something he wants to tell you all. What is it you'd like to say?" Vautin starts out by saying.

"Ummm. Right happy birthday first. I've got a special girl here tonight I've been seeing...aaahhh Katherine. Been together about 3 years now, and yeah I wanna sorta go the next step...ahhh ask her to be my wife," a nervous Peter says as he pulls out a tiny box.
As the audience begins to cheer him on, he begins to lower himself on a bended knee despite the fact that a reluctant Katherine can be seen briefly shaking her head.
"Ah Katherine, will you make me the happiest man on earth and be my wife?" Peter asks.
"What are you doing? You can't do this right now!" a mortified looking Katherine whispers.
"Just say yes!" Peter urges, his words bear no affect and Katherine can be seen running off the stage crying.
The stunned audience grows silent as an awkward Peter is helped up off the floor as he explains his torment.
"I told my Mom to record it...let me call my Dad to make sure he doesn't record it," an embarrassed Peter says before exiting the stage.

LA man tries to run down ex-girlfriend

LA man tries to run down ex-girlfriend - A proposal turned violent In 2010, Francisco Hernandez used his car window as a proposal prop but was later arrested for going into a rage when his girlfriend turned him down.

A California man has been accused of trying to run down his ex-girlfriend in a car after she refused his wedding proposal.

The Los Angeles Times reported Friday that Francisco Hernandez was spotted carrying a bouquet of flowers while walking down the street after the incident.

Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Berg says the 22-year-old was charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

The proposal took place Thursday afternoon at the Burger Stop.

After the woman said no, Hernandez allegedly drove onto the sidewalk, through bushes and into the restaurant parking lot, narrowly missing the woman. "Stacy Will You Marry Me" was on the car's back window.

He was later picked up while fleeing on foot.

Hasselhoff proposal rejections PHOTOS

Hasselhoff proposal rejections - The Hoff got the brush-off, Last September, David Hasselhoff was turned down not once but twice by his girlfriend. His first attempt was during a romantic getaway. The second try was in a backstage dressing room.

The former Britain’s Got Talent judge and Baywatch star has made numerous attempts to get his Welsh girlfriend down the aisle, proposing in various locations including a tank surrounded by sharks and a romantic cliff-top.

While his marriage proposals will be soon be hitting double figures, the Hoff has not been deterred and decided to try again during the couple’s holiday in Australia.

Posting the now-trademark photo of himself on bended knee, he wrote on Twitter: ‘Tried it again on top of the Sydney harbour bridge!’

But while all his previous attempts have led to rejection, Hasselhoff hinted that his latest attempt might have ended in success. He asked followers: ‘What do you think she said!?!?!’ before posting a picture of the pair passionately kissing, suggesting Hayley had finally been persuaded to say yes.

But the former shop assistant – who walked out on her job last year to follow the Hoff around the world – remained quiet regarding the proposal on her own Twitter account.

Roberts was instead preoccupied with suspicious-looking lumps on her leg, admitting she was too scared to sleep in case she had been bitten by a poisonous spider.

The 32-year-old has previously said she was in no rush to marry her 59-year-old lover, explaining she would reconsider ‘two years down the line.’

Hasselhoff has been married on two previous occasions, to Catherine Hickland from 1984 to 1989 and to Pamela Bach from 1989 to 2006.

Marriage proposals gone wrong PHOTOS

Marriage proposals gone wrong - What's worse than getting snubbed while proposing? Having your heart broken in front of countless strangers. Watch these memorable rejections where one lovebird pulled out all the stops, only to have their significant other slam on the brakes

UCLA's mistletoe cam mishap "I knew that I was going to do this from the first day that I met you," said a wannabe groom who was broadcast on the Jumbotron during a UCLA basketball game. Since that ill-fated December 2011 day, video of his rejection has been viewed more than 9 million times.

A daytime TV disaster When Jacob Waterdale proposed to his girlfriend with the help of TV host Ellen DeGeneres, he got turned down in front of the viewing audience as well as fans watching at home.

The Hoff got the brush-off Last September, David Hasselhoff was turned down not once but twice by his girlfriend. His first attempt was during a romantic getaway . The second try was in a backstage dressing room.

A Kardashian proposal katastrophe Scott Disick's on-again/off-again girlfriend  Kourtney Kardashian, dissed him, and the rejection appeared on her reality TV show.

A footballer's love fumble Last year NFL wide receiver Roy Williams sent his intendeda Valentine's package that included an engagement ring , only to have his gesture fail.

A proposal turned violent In 2010, Francisco Hernandez used his car window as a proposal prop but was later arrested for going into a rage when his girlfriend turned him down.proposal turned violent In 2010, Francisco Hernandez used his car window as a proposal prop  but was later arrested for going into a rage when his girlfriend turned him down.

Gridiron romance gone awry Halftime spectacles at a 2010 Dolphins vs. Lions game included a proposal that ended in the woman covering her head with her shirt out of embarrassment.

A rink-side rejection A Rangers fan at Madison Square Garden used a skate break to pop the question , but his lady grabbed her things and split.

A blunder Down Under An audience member at an Australian sports variety show put his girlfriend in the spotlight in front of a live audience. She rebuked him and ran off stage.

Spurned while seeing the Spurs When the Spurs Coyote  led a woman to the court for a slam-dunk contest, he revealed her boyfriend waiting on bended knee. You probably know by now how it ended

Wizards marriage proposal A blindfolded Wizards fan thought she was competing for a cash prize but got a jolt when she found her boyfriend was waiting to propose. She ran away in fear.