Athletes and Stars Can Be Good Role Models

Because it's not dirty laundry, it is unlikely to make a lot of news. Another famous person goes to jail but unlike other fallen heroes, it is not as an inmate.

The AP has reported that New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees made a surprise visit to Beaver, Utah. Brees visited inmates at the Beaver County correctional facility on Friday. "I was pretty blown away by the idea that somebody like him would come to a small town like Beaver, Utah," Sgt. Curt Heslington of the Beaver County sheriff's department said. Drew Brees spoke to 124 inmates in the Beaver County residential treatment program. He encouraged inmates by sharing his own trials and tribulations. "What Drew Brees did for us was incredible... It was highly motivating, not only for our residents but for me and for the staff," said Henslington. Brees signed autographs and posed for pictures after his speeches, then left town quietly like a gentleman. See Virginia, there is a Santa Clause.

Anonymous Lawsuits Against Borat

Reuters has reported that the movie "Borat" has been sued again. The most recent lawsuit is by a man filmed running away from the fictional Kazakh reporter in New York City.

Comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's interactions with unsuspecting ordinary people drew great laughs at the theater. A man anonymously identified as John Doe sued 20th Century Fox last week over the scene in which he is seen "fleeing in apparent terror," When you watch the film, he appears to be screaming "go away."

The comedy has grossed $260 million plus more than $60 million in DVD sales and it appears this anonymous man wants his share.

"Borat" has been sued at least three times already. The film attracted complaints from people who say they were tricked into appearing in the film. In February a Los Angeles Superior Court Judge dismissed a lawsuit brought by two college fraternity members who were filmed drinking alcohol and making ignorant racist remarks. The college plaintiffs had the audacity to claim that the scenes tarnished their reputations!

Last November, two individuals from a Romanian village sued 20th Century Fox claiming the film wrongly depicted them as criminals.

A suit concerning a bathroom scene was apparently deleted from the movie after a South Carolina man filed a lawsuit.

Is ABC Exploiting Paris Hilton's Misfortune?

ABC may be exploiting Paris Hilton to promote Dirty Sexy Money.
As Paris Hilton headed back to jail, there was a media frenzy outside the L.A. courthouse reminiscent of O.J. and Michael Jackson. Apparently a plane flying a banner "We Love Paris - The Darling Family" flew overhead as a promotion for ABC's new fall show "Dirty Sexy Money." ABC claims that the banner refers to Paris, France, because the Darling family (the family in the show) owns property in France. T.V. marketers stoop to an all time low when they think the public is that stupid. Why not just admit you are trying to cash in on the latest celebrate delinquent?

Tearful, Traumatize, Hilton Has Only Herself to Blame

Paris Hilton will likely spend the weekend in a medical ward at the jail referred to as the Twin Towers. Plans should firm up within an hour. Hilton will stay there over the weekend. Most likely, on Monday morning, her lawyer will file an appeal, called a writ of habeas corpus. In the mean time, we warned last night that Paris was in a tight spot (not unlike the gentleman who got his head caught in the sewer.) Paris' cesspool resulted from her own life style.

Cell Phones Kill! Wrongful Death Suit Around the Corner For Drowning in Sewer? Update 10-30-08

6-8-07 For statistic lovers who want to regulate cell phones as if they were handguns, this story provides some ammunition. (It may also be an example of the type of powerful ATTRACTION that our guests from the Mystery Forum hope to generate in their quest of women.) The A.P. has reported in Sheboygan, Wis. that a 41-year old man drowned in a sewer on Wednesday trying to retrieve his cell phone. The 300 pound man's head and shoulders became wedged underwater in the storm drain in front of his home. The man was kneeling over the sewer. He had pulled the iron gate off trying to get his cell phone. Neighbor, Chris Van Erem said he then saw the man's feet sticking up out of the grate. (Can you imagine a 3o0 lb man squeezing into this drain? Not even Tony Soprano could intentionally stuff a body in such a small space.) Van Erem ran over and tried to pull him out but was not successful. A child called 911 as Van Erem tried to free the man. It ultimately took six firefighters to free the body from the sewer. David Leffin, Sheboygan County Coroner, ruled the death as accidental. The cell phone was later found at the bottom of the sewer. (Should the cell phone manufacturer or the cell phone provider be liable for wrongful death in a court of law? Or is it the city's fault for not providing cell phone resistant grates?)

For a some what serious article on the dangers of cell phones follow the link: CELL

While not a 300 pounder, Paris Hilton finds herself in a tight spot too! Ms. Hilton's recent release from jail may not last. After she was sent home under house arrest on Thursday because of a "medical condition," the judge ordered her back into court to decide if she should go back to jail. Some times it sucks to be infamous...

Update 10-30-08: a passenger on a French high speed TGV train, apparently dropped his phone into the toilet. When he tried to get it back, the bowl's suction system latched onto his arm and left him unable to free it. Emergency services cut the toilet free of the train, delaying the other passengers for two hours, and removed the man on a stretcher with the toilet still stuck to his arm. A Lebanese student got stuck in his bathroom in 2005. A passenger on a Grand Central Station train suffered the same fate in 2003. Not everyone takes cell phone hazards seriously: killer cell phones. [Source: BBC via Textually.org]

Teacher Lawsuit Strikes Back at Pupils

In this day and age when teachers have been prosecuted for inappropriate behavior, one teacher is apparently striking back at students. A math teacher in Indiana, Daniel Clevenger, is reportedly suing a group of students who made a film of an evil teddy bear. The four boys, all aged 16, made 'The Teddy Bear Master' a film in which a teddy bear was trying to harass and kill a teacher named Mr. Clevenger. The toys' leader, The Teddy Bear Master, orders a Sopranos' like hit of the teacher for embarrassing him. In the film, some students fight back and try to save their teacher - but the would be heros are unsuccessful in the 78-minute film. The four Knightstown Intermediate School students have been named as Isaac Imel, Harrison Null, Charlie Ours and Cody Overbay. Their parents are also sued. (If nothing else, what an innovative way to get publicity for a film!)

Product Liability Lawsuit Concerning Perpetual Erection

Sorry, but no photos of this! The A.P. is reporting that in New York, Christopher Woods has sued the maker of the health drink Boost Plus. Woods claims that the vitamin-enriched beverage gave him an erection that would not subside. This allegedly caused him to be hospitalized.The nutritional beverage is made by Novartis AG. Woods bought it at a drugstore and drank it on June 5, 2004. Court papers say he woke up the next morning "with an erection that would not subside." He sought treatment that day for severe priapism. Woods, 29, underwent surgery for implantation of a Winter shunt (moves blood from one area to another.) Woods later developed problems that allegedly required penile artery embolization. (Closing blood flow prevents engorgement and lessens the likelihood of an erection.) Novartis' Boost Plus Web site states it is "a great tasting, high calorie, nutritionally complete oral supplement for people who require extra energy and protein in a limited volume," While I personally drink all of the flavors (vanilla, chocolate and strawberry) it has never really excited this author.