Cocaine Contributed to Death of Billy Mays
An autopsy report released today shows that cocaine use may have contributed to the sudden death of TV pitchman Billy Mays in June. The Hillsborough County medical examiner’s office previously determined that Mays had suffered a heart attack in his sleep at his Tampa home on June 28. While heart disease was the primary cause [...]
Senate Seat: Mack Not Interested, Smith Not A Sure Thing
Charlie Crist has officially said he won’t appoint himself to the Senate seat being left vacant by the resignation of Mel Martinez. However, that’s the only thing we know for sure. Despite the fact that many media outlets were reporting former Secretary of State Jim Smith was a lock to fill out the term, the [...]
Welcome to Meryl’s Kitchen
“Julie & Julia” is a real-life fairy tale, times two. With food. Lots and lots of food. Nora Ephron’s adaptation (she also directed) of blogmeister Julie Powell’s memoir and legendary chef Julia Child’s “My Life in France” is delicious fun. It spares no lip-smacking, cooing over cassoulet or near-orgasmic reactions to chocolate. The calorie count [...]
‘Funny’ Thing Happens
According to theory, a stand-up comic’s boast of “I killed out there” isn’t mere metaphor; rather, comedians are incurable malcontents who use laughter to keep the homicidal demons at bay. That’s the starting point for writer-director Judd Apatow’s “Funny People,” an epic-yet-intimate comedy that doubles as a treatise on the comedic psyche. Our subject: George [...]
July Unemployment Rate Drops
WASHINGTON – Employers shed 247,000 jobs in July, fewest in nearly a year, bolstering forecasts for a third-quarter economic recovery. Some economists, however, say the numbers were skewed by an unusual flurry of job additions in the automobile industry. The unemployment rate fell to 9.4 percent from 9.5 percent in June, as 422,000 Americans left [...]
Democrats’ Fear Is Showing on Health Care
The Democratic Party is panicking, lashing out like a cornered animal, all because its effort to take over the health care industry is coming apart like so much wet toilet paper. Nancy Pelosi, who will get her own bound volume in the annals of asininity, has outdone herself. When asked by a reporter whether the [...]
Senator Mel Martinez Will Resign This Month
U.S. Sen. Mel Martinez will announce today in Orlando that he’s leaving the Senate this month, sources confirmed Friday. Former Attorney General Jim Smith was expected to be named a temporary replacement by Gov. Charlie Crist, who is running to replace Martinez in the 2010 election. “He’ll be a caretaker,” former House Speaker John Thrasher [...]
Florida Tops USA Today Coaches Poll
Preseason poll. 2008 records in parentheses. Times p.m. Eastern. Outlook by USA TODAY’s Jack Carey. 1. Florida (13-1) Points: 1,466 (53 first-place votes). Previous ranking: 1. Outlook: The Gators appear to have an excellent chance at being the first with consecutive Bowl Championship Series titles and three in four years. QB Tim Tebow is back [...]
Heisman, Title Races Start With Familiar Faces
It’s as easy as one, two, three. Florida, Texas and Oklahoma, the top three teams in the preseason USA TODAY Coaches’ Poll, are led by three history-making quarterbacks: Tim Tebow, Colt McCoy and Sam Bradford. With Bradford claiming the 2008 Heisman Trophy and Tebow winning the 2007 trophy, could 2009 be McCoy’s year? Never before [...]
Hughes Tapped Into Heart of Teen Psyche
Nobody susses out a fraud more quickly than a kid. Any parent who has tried to share a child’s taste in popular music can attest to that. Please, mom, don’t try to rap. But John Hughes, who died Thursday at 59, was the rare adult who got it right. He tapped into the teen zeitgeist [...]
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