Casey Anthony: Tattoo Artist Speaks Out Again

Well, I’m gone for a few days and the news remains the same, Casey Anthony’s tattoo could end up as a major part of the case against her.

From MyFox Orlando:

The tattoo artists name is Bobby Williams. And he gave Casey Anthony a tattoo with the word’s Bella Vita on her left shoulder. Bella vita means beautiful life.

Williams knew that and didn’t think twice about it. He says Casey came in and was there for about an hour. She was very normal and most of the time he was doing her tattoo she was on the phone with her then boyfriend Tony Lazzaro.

Williams said Casey never mentioned her daughter Caylee or that she was missing. He did not learn that until he heard about Casey’s arrest on the news, and now looking back.

“It’s definitely, definitely strange now that you put two and two together and the child’s missing and she comes in and gets something like that. And acts totally normal? Yeah, like nothing happened. It’s like is it because she’s living a beautiful life or beautiful life because her daughter is missing.”

Where Does Sarah Palin Go From Here?

So, I go on vacation for a few days and come back to learn of quite a few major news stories, including the murder of Steve McNair and Sarah Palin resigning as Governor of Alaska. How do I miss these things?

The question now is: Where does Sarah Palin go from here? Is she going to hide away in obscurity? Will she run for President in 2012? Is there another scandal coming? Who knows!

From ABC News:

On many blogs this weekend, speculation ran rampant that a scandal is coming or that another shoe will drop.

But no evidence of anything more than rehashed rumors has appeared thus far.

After reports that she may have resigned because of a supposedly pending federal embezzlement investigation, her lawyers called such speculation false and warned in a letter to the media, “This is to provide notice … that the Palins will not allow them to propagate defamatory material without answering to this in a court of law.”

In a rare move, the FBI issued a statement to say there was no ongoing investigation of Palin.

Alaska Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who will take over the top state job later this month, said Palin is resigning because of the mounting legal costs the state of Alaska and she personally are incurring because of several ethics complaints filed against her during her term as governor. Even though the charges have been dismissed, she still has steep legal fees.

“What seemed to weigh heavily upon her was the cost associated with all the records request, ethics complaints, the cost of staff time, the distractions,” Parnell told ABC News. “We are up to $2 million in costs to Alaskan taxpayers for that and I think there was just that sense that that was a burden to moving Alaska forward.”

Palin’s political opponents like Alaska senator and fellow Republican Lisa Murkowski have criticized Palin’s unexpected decision.

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“I am deeply disappointed that the governor has decided to abandon the state and her constituents before her term has concluded,” Murkowski said.

Happy 4th of July to All!

I’ll be leaving in a few hours for the shores/campgrounds of Mendocino, California. The family and I will be taking our first camping trip together until Sunday evening (God help us all!).

Just wanted to wish all of you a happy and safe 4th of July!

See you in a few days!

John

North Korea Apparently Test Fires 4 Short Range Missiles

According to South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency, North Korea has test-fired four short-range missile off its east coast.

Send in Team America!

From CNN:

South Korea’s Defense Ministry had earlier confirmed three launches, but could not immediately be reached about the fourth reported missile.

The first three missiles were fired at 5:20 p.m., 6 p.m., and 7:50 p.m. local time from Sinsang-ni near the eastern coastal city of Wonsan, a ministry spokesman said.

A U.S. official told CNN “the missile firings come as no surprise.”

“The North has been carrying out provocative acts for some time,” said the official, who did not want to be named for security reasons. “North Korea needs to stop this type of activity and return to the process of bringing about a denuclearization of the Korean peninsula.”

A U.S. intelligence official confirmed the test firings and said there are “no indications whatsoever” of an impending long-range missile test.

Air France Flight Fell Apart On Impact

According to reports this morning, the Air France flight that crashed last month with 228 people aboard did not break up during the flight.

From CNN:

“The plane went straight down … towards the surface of the water, very very fast,” air accident investigator Alain Bouillard said.

Based on visual study of the physical remains of the Airbus A330 that have been recovered, “we were able to see that the plane hit the surface of the water flat. Therefore everything was pushed upwards — everthing was pushed from the bottom to the top” of the plane, he said.

The 228 people killed in the crash “had no time to prepare,” he said.

Karl Malden Dies at Age 97

Karl Malden, who won an Academy Award for his supporting role in “Streetcar Named Desire” and became a fixture in American Express  commercials, has died today at the age of 97.

A really rough week for celebrity deaths with Farrah Fawcett, Billy Mays and Michael Jackson also passing over the past 7 days.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Malden starred in the 1970s TV series “The Streets of San Francisco” and was the longtime American Express traveler’s-check spokesman, warning travelers to not leave home without it. He died of natural causes at his home in Brentwood, said his daughter Mila Doerner.

With his unglamorous mug — he broke his bulbous nose twice playing sports as a teenager — the former Indiana steel-mill worker realized early on the course his acting career would take.

In a movie career that flourished in the 1950s and ’60s, Malden played a variety of roles in more than 50 films, including the sympathetic priest in “On the Waterfront,” the resentful husband in “Baby Doll,” the warden in “Birdman of Alcatraz,” the outlaw-turned-sheriff in “One-Eyed Jacks,” the pioneer patriarch in “How the West Was Won,” Madame Rose’s suitor in “Gypsy,” the card dealerin “The Cincinnati Kid” and Gen. Omar Bradley in “Patton.”

Casey Anthony: Mother to Be Featured in Upcoming Special

I can hardly contain myself! Nancy Grace will be featuring Cindy Anthony in two upcoming episodes of her show, this coming Friday and Monday nights.

From Examiner.com:

Grace’s special is entitled, “Nancy Grace Investigates: Raw & Uncensored Cindy Anthony Caught on Tape!”

Hal Boedecker reports the show is billed by HLN as “a special inside look at the mother of accused killer Casey Anthony.” The two-part program will examine moments from Cindy’s deposition in the Zenaida Gonzalez defamation lawsuit against Casey. To see the complete video of Cindy’s deposition, click here.

Part 1 is scheduled to air Friday and Part 2 on Monday. You can watch live streaming of both parts when they air, by clicking here.

From the TV Guy:

Cindy Anthony is about to draw increased scrutiny from HLN’s Nancy Grace.

HLN is billing the program as “a special inside look at the mother of accused killer Casey Anthony.” The program will draw on Cindy’s angry deposition in Zenaida Gonzalez’s defamation suit against Casey.

Michael Jackson: Not The Biological Father of Kids?

I’ve heard this a lot in the past couple days but now it appears that sources have told TMZ that Michael Jackson did not donate sperm  for any of his children and that Debbie Rowe was merely a surrogate.

From Fox News:

According to a report in Us magazine, Jackson’s dermatologist and Rowe’s former boss Arnold Klein is the biological father to Prince and Paris.

“He is the dad,” a Jackson insider told Us. “He and Debbie signed an agreement saying they would never reveal the truth.”

In the case of Jackson’s youngest son Blanket, TMZ reports that the surrogate was never told that the baby was for Jackson.

A custody battle for the Jackson children has already begun, with his mother Katherine Jackson winning temporary guardianship. A hearing is set for August 3.

Michael Jackson Leaves Father Out of Will

According to the Los Angeles Times, a will Michael Jackson written and signed in 2002 placed his all of his assets in a trust and named his mother as guardian of his children.

Looks like he left his father, Joe Jackson, out in the cold!

From the Los Angeles Times:

The will is expected to become a central point of contention in what is shaping up to be a legal battle over the performer’s estate.

An L.A. Superior Court judge granted Katherine Jackson, 79, temporary custody of her three grandchildren and temporary and limited control of his assets Monday. Long-term arrangements are to be taken up at a July 6 hearing.

In court papers Monday, her lawyers said the family had not located a will for Jackson but acknowledged the possible existence of a will or multiple wills. The document executed in July 2002 appointed John Branca, Jackson’s longtime entertainment attorney, and John McClain, a music executive who had known the singer since he was a child, as executors, the source said. The role would give the men power to manage Jackson’s finances – an indebted but still profitable music empire – while the court is settling his affairs, a process that could take years.

From the Wall Street Journal:

Several people close to the late Mr. Jackson said that a lawyer for the pop singer could submit the will, believed to be his last, to Los Angeles Superior Court as soon as Thursday. That filing would cap a tense period in which relatives and advisers of the late singer debated what document, if any, was valid.

One or two other earlier wills have emerged since Mr. Jackson’s death last Thursday, according to people familiar with the situation. The Associated Press reported that Mr. Jackson’s parents, Joseph and Katherine Jackson, said in a Monday court filing that they believed the singer had died without a valid will. Joseph Jackson isn’t believed to be included in the most recent will.

In an email message, L. Londell McMillan, a lawyer who said he represents Mr. Jackson’s parents, said neither he nor his clients had seen the 2002 will. Mr. McMillan also once represented Michael Jackson.

Mr. McMillan said that he had spent much of Monday trying to ensure that Mr. Jackson’s mother would receive custody of the singer’s three children. A Los Angeles court on Monday granted her temporary custody pending a hearing in July. Mr. McMillan said the family is “pleased” with that decision. The 2002 will calls for the children to be placed in the custody of Mrs. Jackson.

Al Franken Wins Minnesota Senate Seat

“I deserve good things, I am entitled to my share of happiness. I refuse to beat myself up. I am an attractive person. I am fun to be with.”

Once mentioned by Stuart Smalley (aka Al Franken) back in his Saturday Night Live days.

Now, he finally been certified as the winner of the Minnesota’s long-running Senate race.

From the Associated Press:

The high court rejected a legal challenge from Republican Norm Coleman, whose options for regaining the Senate seat are dwindling.

Justices said Franken is entitled to the election certificate he needs to assume office. With Franken and the usual backing of two independents, Democrats will have a big enough majority to overcome Republican filibusters.

Coleman hasn’t ruled out seeking federal court intervention.

Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, said the earliest Franken would be seated is next week because the Senate is out of session for the July 4 holiday.

Franken, a former Saturday Night Live star making the leap from life as a left-wing author and radio talker to the Senate, planned a news conference later Tuesday and didn’t immediately comment.

Coleman’s campaign didn’t immediately return a call for comment. Nor did Gov. Tim Pawlenty, whose signature is required on the election certificate Franken needs to be seated.

Pawlenty, a Republican, has said he would sign the certificate if ordered to do so by the court. The court’s ruling stopped short of explicitly ordering the governor to sign the document, saying only that Franken was “entitled” to it.