Piers Morgan, probably best known in the U.S. as a judge on “America’s Got Talent,” will replace Larry King on CNN’s prime-time lineup in January, the network announced on Wednesday. Continue Reading

Alvin Greene, the South Carolina Senate hopeful that arrived on the ballot for no particular reason, has been indicted on porncharges.  Of course, this isn’t the first time that a potential politician or a politician has been wrapped up in a sex scandal.  However, Alvin is just an ordinary guy and actually didn’t have politics in his career outlook.

The charges that Alvin is facing are one charge of disseminating, procuring or promoting obscenity – a felony.  He’s also facing a misdemeanor charge of communicating obscene materials to a person without consent.  He faces prison time if convicted.

Even amid a porn scandal, Greene is still planning on running against Jim DeMint.  Prior to the porn charges surfacing, he was a long shot to beat the incumbent but it’s probably safe to say now that he’s been charged he probably won’t make it to capital hill.

I am a little disappointed about the porn charges.  To think that an ordinary guy could have become a Senator would have made a very great story and could have inspired even more change and shifts to political careers.

Source: Newsweek.com

First Lady’s Spanish vacation angers many, and Michelle Obama has actually been dubbed the modern-day Marie Antoinette by some journalists.  People are balking at the fact that Michelle is able to travel in style, with all the accoutrements of luxury while nearly 40 million Americans are on food stamps.

Michelle and her 9 year old daughter Sasha are staying at  Ritz-Carlton hotel dubbed one of the world’s 10 best hotels, the Villa Padierna.  The rates run from a few hundred dollars a night up to $2,500 per night, although it’s not announced which rate Obama had to pay.  It’s also not certain whether Michelle Obama chose the hotel herself, or if security via the Secret Service made the call.

Although Michelle will undoubtedly pay her personal expenses, taxpayers are still footing the bill on her chartered air force plane and her 24/7 staff and security.  This is an unnecessary cost for an unofficial trip.

The First Lady’s Spanish vacation came at the same time as her husband’s 49^th birthday.  She was not with the President, who was not only disappointed in the absence of his family but also the absence of a birthday cake.

Obama’s birthday cake was absent from his 49^th birthday celebration, raising the question as to what good a birthday is with no cake. It’s not that the cake was forgotten, it’s that the Secret Service blocked it for “Security Reasons.”

Unions were supposed to give the Commander in chief a celebration, complete with a delicious treat.  Obama expressed his disappointment, and joked that the Secret Service was likely eating it at that very minute.

Sad.  A birthday without a cake is like…a car without gas, it just doesn’t run.  However, when it comes to safety, I guess you can’t ever be too secure – especially when the President of the United States is at risk.

Not only did Barack not have a cake, he didn’t have a family, either.  Sasha and Michelle are in Spain and Mailia is at sleepaway camp.  Everyone did call him, though and as the Press Secretary Robert Gibbs announced, those phone calls were the highlight of his big day.

The web is currently going crazy for Chelsea Clinton wedding and dress photos. We don’t blame the people for this search. It is human curiosity to see what the stars wear, what their taste is like and whom they favor.

Good news is I have been able to get my hands on some of Chelsea Clinton Wedding Pictures which also show her wedding gown and her pre wedding dress.

I believe her dress was personally designed by the famous designer Vera Wang who also happens to be a very close family friend. Vera Wang was also invited to the wedding and was spotted in Rhineback during this weekend.

Chelsea Clinton has come a long way since the days her dad used to occupy the White House. Chelsea has blossomed from an ugly duckling to quite a stunner that she is now. (Of course there are rumors doing the round that she got plastic surgery done).

Do write in the comments whether you like Chelsea Clinton’s wedding dress.

South Carolina state representative Nikki Haley found herself embroiled in a sex scandal just two weeks before the South Carolina Republican Primary when she got to work Monday morning.  Will Folks, in his blog, “FITSNews,” admitted to an “inappropriate physical relationship with Nikki,” noting that he was trying to get ahead of several “leaking” stories that were supposed to out the affair.  Nikki Haley immediately issued a statement on her website categorically denying the “disgraceful smear.”  But is it truly a smear?

Ben Smith at Politico.com revealed that Will Folks was on Nikki Haley’s payroll in 2008.  Will Folks had also come out in favor of Nikki Haley in the gubernatorial campaign.  So why post a story sure to bog Nikki Haley in scandal just as she is headed into the home stretch of the Republican Primary?  He’s a married man.  She’s a married woman.  What could be gained?

To make matters worse, Nikki Haley, according to a recent Rasmussen Poll, has the lead among the field of four conservative candidates vying for the Republican slot on November’s ballot.   In fact, she holds an 11-point lead over her nearest competitor.

Nikki Haley maintains that that is why the “smear” appeared at this time.  But she insists that the allegations are “outrageous and false” and she will continue her campaign unabated and without distraction.

But something seems amiss… Why would a blogger, a fellow conservative, who has endorsed a candidate for governor suddenly derail her gubernatorial train?  Why ignite a sex scandal when she is the frontrunner?  Why claim to have had sex with Nikki Haley if it is a lie, especially when you’re a married man (although Will Folks does say that the affair occurred before he was married)?  Apparently Will Folks’ sources that informed him of the forthcoming revelations were credible enough for him to try to get ahead of them.  Not that his confession does Nikki Haley any good…

And her denial of the affair is completely understandable.  She’s a Republican.  A conservative.  A “family values” candidate.  She’s running for governor in a conservative state.  She could lose everything she has worked for because of this alleged extramarital sexual relationship.

But logic keeps coming back to the why of it.  What would make Will Folks divulge the information when his candidate is so close to getting the Republican nod?  Could it be that Folks is thinking long-term:  Get the scandal out of the way, perhaps derailing Nikki Haley’s gubernatorial chances but allowing a strong Republican candidate to win the Primary?  Better to see Haley defeated in the Primary than to see the affair allegations surface after she is named the Republican candidate, erupting in a scandal that could possibly end with a Democatic candidate elected governor?

Or could it be that Will Folks lied in his blog?  Could it be that he never had a sexual relationship with Nikki Haley at all?  Could there be something personal going on (not that a sexual relationship with Nikki Haley wouldn’t be personal) that prompted Folks to confess to the alleged affair?  Something not political?

If something does present in the next few weeks that puts Haley and Folks together in a past “inappropriate physical relationship,” Nikki Haley will have far more to worry about than her South Carolina political career.

In what many are calling a new low for the former Duchess of York Sarah Ferguson, the British tabloid News of the World posted an expose and video of the 50-year-old former wife to Prince Andrew wherein she is seen taking a $40,000 bribe from a reporter posing as a businessman in return for access to the office and connections of Prince Andrew.   The $40,000 was just a ‘good faith’ downpayment on a more substantial bribe to come ($725,000), which would supposedly gain the businessman access to “everything you would ever wish for.”  Sarah Ferguson also claimed that Prince Andrew, who holds an unpaid position as a United Kingdom Special Representative for Trade and Investment, knew about the deal and even wanted a cut of the profits.

Although News of the World has the videotaped bribe of Sarah Ferguson, they were quick to note that as far as they could ascertain, Prince Andrew knew nothing of his ex-wife’s dealings in his name.  Buckingham Palace has refused to comment on the bribery scandal, pointing out only that Sarah Ferguson was no longer a member of the Royal Family.

In the video, Sarah Ferguson is seen dealing with a faux businessman, an undercover reporter for News of the World, and making a deal with him, promising that, as soon as she had all the money, she would “open doors.”

But why would the former Duchess of York do such a thing?  Apparently, she needed the money.  She explained to the News of the World reporter in the video that Prince Andrew had been “underwriting” her for years because she had no money. “So if you want to meet him in your business,” she said, “look after me and he’ll look after you. . . you’ll get it back tenfold.”

She even claimed that Prince Andrew was the one who came up with the bribe sum. “Andrew said to me, ‘Tell him £500,000.'”

According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson for Sarah Ferguson, Kate Waddington, has confirmed that the video is authentic and that the former Duchess of York is “devastated,” regretting having caused everyone concerned such embarrassment.

Despite the video and scandal, there has yet to be a claim that, although quite unethical, Sarah Ferguson actually did anything illegal.

The National Enquirer has been down this road before.  But this time their allegations aren’t about a former senator or a famous golfer, it is about President Barack Obama.  Still, the tabloid claims to have sources that say that President Barack Obama had an affair with political Vera Baker, a woman who helped get him elected as the junior senator from Illinois.  The National Enquirer reported Friday that their sources can put then Senator Obama and Vera Baker in the same Washington, D. C. hotel together.   There also seems to be footage from a video surveillance camera at the hotel that can place the two at the hotel at the same time…

Now everyone wants to see what Vera Baker looks like, hence the search for her photo.

The National Enquirer is claiming that top anti-Obama operatives are offering $1 million for witnesses to come forward with information, photos, anything about the alleged affair.   A source told the National Enquirer that a limo driver had come forward, insisted on remaining anonymous, and said that he had driven Obama and Vera Baker to several locations in Washington, D. C., as they campaigned for funds.  He said he later dropped the two off at the hotel where Obama was staying. 

“My services for the evening were done – and there was no indication she was going to leave the hotel that night.”

Supposedly, the limo driver’s story has been corroborated by independent witnesses.

The article goes on to say that the National Enquirer has learned that a video surveillance camera “could provide indisputable evidence” that the two were at the hotel together. 

But does any of it prove anything?   As circumstantial evidence, it does not.  Insinuations made by a limo driver that were relayed by a source does not make for the most reliable stories.  Nor does the fact that a politician and a political fund raiser were at the same hotel together and might actually appear on a video tape together mean anything.  It certainly doesn’t spell out “sex scandal.”

However, even with such ambiguous information, the hint of a sex scandal can be damaging to the president.  And deniability only goes so far, especially if the National Enquirer actually has unequivocal evidence or proof that an actual affair was taking place.  The last time such allegations were made, former North Carolina senator and Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards denied them until he was caught in a Beverly Hills hotel where his mistress, Rielle Hunter, was staying at the time. 

Could this be such a scandal?  Or is the Vera Baker / presidential mistress story simply a set of circumstances either composed by the president’s political opponents or extrapolation by the tabloid in order to get a good story? 

This isn’t the first time allegations have been made that the President was having an affair with Vera Baker.  The accusations have haunted Obama from the Senate to the presidency.  The allegations at present have remained too vague to count as actual proof of an affair.  However, the power of insinuation can ignite a powerful sex scandal and sometimes be as effective as photos and  

And people will say just about anything for $1 million.

Ashley Dupre, who became famous when it was discovered that she was one of then New York governor Eliot Spitzer’s call girls, will grace the cover and inside of the May issue of Playboy magazine.  Much to Playboy‘s chagrin, some of the naked pictures appeared online in a leak this past week.   It has been reported that Runnin’ Scared, a Village Voice blog, dished the Ashley Dupre naked photos, pre-empting the release of the May issue.  And if those “leaked” photos weren’t hot enough, the creation of Ashley Dupre’s Playboy pictures placed the former call girl in a hot situation as well.

The New York Post reported that during the Playboy photo shoot, Ashley Dupre was posed lying on the ground, surrounded by candles, at a Malibu mansion.  A few strands of her hair caught on fire at one point because of all the hairspray,” a source told the Post. “The stylist, Jorge Serrano from the Chris McMillan Salon, was the first one to notice and rushed over to put it out with his hands.”

The nearly too-hot candle-lit picture will be among those included in an 8-page spread in Playboy‘s May issue. 

The call girl scandal involving New York governor Eliot Spitzer would eventually cost him his position, but Ashley Dupre went on to gain enough publicity to sell a few copies of her music (she dabbles in pop) and write a column about “love and lust” for the New York Post.

And now there’s this Playboy pictorial.

The naked photos present Ashley Dupre in fake fur or lingerie.  Finally, the public gets to see what former governor Eliot Spitzer saw.  As for whether she (and other call girls) was worth losing so much over will remain debatable…

Congressman Hank Johnson was for the most part an unknown Democratic congressional member from Georgia’s 4th District until April Fools’ Day.  And you might have thought it was an April Fools’ Day joke until you saw the video of the House Armed Services Committee hearing wherein he told the gathered group of Congressmen and military personnel that he was worried that an extra influx of 8,000 American troops onto America’s most western territory would make the small island “tip over and capsize.”  The video is long enough to ensure that no one explain Hank Johnson’s words away by his being taken out of context.  Congressman Hank Johnson is dead serious in the video.  To make matters worse, the Hank Johnson “Guam Tip Over” video has gone viral.  Now millions know the name of Hank Johnson… 

Politicians say stupid things all the time.  Vice President Joe Biden is famous for his gaffes.  Sarah Palin is a walking treasure trove of gaffes and unsubstantiated idiocies.  So are Congressman Steven King of Iowa and Michele Bachmann of Minnesota.  And although their rhetoric tends to get them in trouble with the media and the public, their gaffes and verbal mistakes can usually be explained away by the heat of the moment, a slip of the tongue, or partisan politicking — in short, their chief weapon of explanation is plausible deniability.  Not so with the Guam tipping over video, which simply puts Hank Johnson’s ignorance of basic science in the spotlight. 

In the “Guam Tip Over” video, Congressman Hank Johnson is directing his comments and questions to Admiral Robert Willard, commander of the U. S. Navy’s Pacific Fleet.  He goes on for over a minute on the dimensions of the island, seeming to struggle finding the terms “width” and “length” until the Admiral acknowledges that, although he did not know the true dimensions of Guam, it was a “small island.”  It is then that Hank Johnson notes that it is his “fear… that the whole island will become so overly populated that it will tip over and capsize.”

It is clear that Admiral Willard is attempting not to laugh aloud and embarrass the Congressman.  He injects dryly, “We don’t anticipate that.”  The admiral then goes on to explain that, even with the additional influx of troops onto the island of Guam, the population (which stands at an estimated 175,000 and 17,000 American troops) will only reach 200,000 total. 

But for Guam to capsize or tip over would require that the island be buoyant, a floating land mass.  It would have to be boatlike.  But islands are simply nothing more than the protruding parts of the ocean floor that are high enough to rise above sea level.  They are not unattached, semi-attached, or drifting.  Therefore, unlike a boat, they are not in danger of tipping or capsizing when an enormous amount of weight is added to their surface or even if all the weight suddenly shifts to one side or end of the island. 

But that is elementary school geological science. 

A representative from Congressman Hank Johnson’s office issued a statement saying that Johnson was deadpanning, was not being literal, and was using a “facetious metaphor” in attempting to point out the impact on the environment and ecology with the addition of more troops (the “tipping point”) on Guam. 

They should have went with:  “Congressman Hank Johnson was just kidding.  April Fools’!”

Still, unless the Congressman is quite the deadpan actor, that comment does not appear to be a joke, all protestations considered.  And neither is the fact that the video makes the elected official look like an ignorant fool.