Thursday, December 29, 2011

Evidence casts doubt on claimed 'Cheetah' death

PALM HARBOR, Florida (AP) — Evidence and other accounts are contradicting a Florida animal sanctuary's claim that a chimpanzee that portrayed Cheetah, Tarzan's sidekick in movies of the early 1930s, has died at 80.

A number of chimpanzees played the sidekick role in the Tarzan movies of the 1930s and '40s.

But an 80-year-old chimpanzee would be extraordinarily old, perhaps the oldest ever known. According to many experts and Save the Chimps, another Florida sanctuary, chimpanzees in captivity live to between 40 and 60. Lion Country Safari in Loxahatchee, Florida, has a chimp it says is around 73.

Some Hollywood accounts also indicate a chimpanzee by the name of Jiggs or Mr. Jiggs played Cheetah alongside Weissmuller early on and died in 1938.

Debbie Cobb, outreach director at the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary along Florida's Gulf Coast, said

Jon Bon Jovi Death Hoaxer Breaks His Silence

Jon Bon Jovi was the latest mega star to fall victim of a death hoax earlier this month. Now, the man who claims to have started the false rumors has revealed why he did it.

Pennsylvania musician Jeffrey Goho, 30, told the Asbury Park Press on Tuesday that he was the first to perpetrate the rocker's fake death news via his friend's Twitter account.

Why would Goho do such a thing? He said it was a hasty decision stemming from his frustration for the attention Bon Jovi had been receiving away from his music.

"All I heard was 'Bon Jovi this,' 'Bon Jovi's starting a restaurant,'" Goho told the publication. "What was the latest one? The Advil commercial (featuring Bon Jovi)? It was like, 'Jeez, (Bon Jovi) was a household name due to the music, not the business.' So I'm not proud of it. I'm getting a lot of backlash from it, but as stupid as it sounds, that's how it started. I just had a blurb and went with it."

Following the post, apparently Bon Jovi fans somehow got a hold of Goho's email address despite the message being posted on his friend's account, because Goho claimed that his inbox soon filled with hate mail. These messages seemed to lead this misguided activist to a change of heart.

"Ultimately, the more thought that I gave to it after reading everyone's responses I realized that his endeavors, his business endeavors, have actually made the tri-state area prosper," said Goho. "Hence more musicians have more available places to go, more people to play to, and I was quite wrong."

On December 19, Jon Bon Jovi addressed the internet rumors by Tweeting, "Heaven looks a lot like New Jersey" along with a time stamped photo.

Jessica Simpson's 'Hot' Fiance

Jessica Simpson posted a pic on Wednesday of her fiance and soon-to-be baby daddy, Eric Johnson.

"My man is SO hot," Jessica wrote as a caption for the black-and-white snapshot.

The couple first announced their engagement last year, but have yet to nail down an official date for their nuptials.

Rihanna: Home Sweet Home

Looks like it might have been a white sand Christmas for Rihanna. The singer tweeted a picture of herself in Barbados on Tuesday.

In the pic, RiRi, dressed in a bikini, blows a kiss while showing off the ink across her rib cage. The Arabic tattoo reportedly translates to "Freedom in God."

Enjoy!

Steven Tyler is Engaged!

Legendary rocker Steven Tyler is engaged to marry his longtime girlfriend Erin Brady, a close friend reportedly confirmed to Us Weekly.

The American Idol judge, 63, and his fiance, 38, vacationed in Maui over the holiday weekend and Erin was spotted wearing a dazzling engagement ring.

Steven's friend and jeweler, Loree Rodkin, told the news source, "Having made Steven's jewelry for so many of the past years it was an honor to be part of his future ... with all my love to Steven and Erin."

Loree reportedly fashioned the bride-to-be's engagement ring.

Steven popped the question after five years of dating. This will mark the Grammy winner's third marriage, as he wed once in 1978 and again ten years later.

Heavy D's Cause of Death Revealed: Pulmonary Embolism

Case closed -- almost.

The Los Angeles County Coroner's Office has revealed why rapper Heavy D. died suddenly at age 44 on Nov. 8.

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According to preliminary results from an autopsy performed on the "Now That We Found Love" rapper, the star (real name: Dwight Myers) was the victim of a fatal pulmonary embolism.

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As cited on E! News, the hip hop icon suffered a deep vein thrombosis, in which a blood clot in the leg moves to the lung and blocks a main artery. Shortly before his untimely passing, Heavy D is said to have visited the doctor to complain of a persistent cough; his final performance was at a Michael Jackson tribute show Oct. 8 in Cardiff, Wales.

The beloved performer also suffered from heart disease and thickened artery walls due to high cholesterol.

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Heavy D's death was ruled as "natural," the report added, with prescription drugs playing no role. Final autopsy results are expected in about two weeks.

Report: Bradley Cooper Dating Zoe Saldana

People's Sexiest Man Alive is reportedly no longer single.

Sources told E! News that Bradley Cooper is involved with "Star Trek" beauty Zoe Saldana.

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Although a rep for Zoe dismissed romance rumors last month between the pair, one source told the website that the two are now "totally dating."

The source also claimed that last week the two were telling friends they had plans to go skiing together in the Rockies over the holiday period.

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Bradley and Zoe are co-stars in "The Words," a thriller also starring Olivia Wilde, Dennis Quaid and Jeremy Irons, due out in 2012.

Zoe and Keith Britton, whom she dated for more than a decade and was engaged to, revealed their breakup in November.

Bradley was briefly linked to Jennifer Lopez in October.

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Reps for Bradley and Zoe did not immediately respond to requests from E! News for comment.

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Justin Bieber's Grandparents Injured In Car Accident

Justin Bieber has a lot to be thankful for this holiday season.
The 17-year-old singer's grandparents, Bruce and Diane Mallette, were involved in a car accident on Tuesday, but fortunately, according to mom Pattie Mallette's Twitter page, they're going to be okay.
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"My parents got into a car accident today," Pattie, 35,tweeted. "They flipped into a ditch and totaled the car, but thank God they are alive!"
Bieber's mom explained that her dad "has broken ribs" and asked fans to "pray for him [and] for quick healing."
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"Count your blessings and forgive your parents always," she added. "You never know what tomorrow holds."
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Last year, Bieber gave his grandparents a 2011 Buick Encore. "They loved it and almost passed out when they saw it," he told Us Weekly of the car. "It's huge and awesome."
The pop star spent part of his holiday with his father, Jeremy, and half-siblings Jazmyn and Jaxon. "Spending time with the family -- feels really good," he tweeted. "Going to get to see these smiles on Christmas."

Jim Carrey Romancing NYC Student Anastasia Vitkina

Jim Carrey's new lady has been identified!

According to the New York Post, the blonde woman the 49-year-old actor has been romancing is Anastasia Vitkina.

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The paper reports that Russian beauty is a student in New York. A source told Us Weeklythe duo enjoyed a cozy dinner date at Perry St. in October. She and Carrey were also spotted together earlier this month at a Guns N' Roses show in L.A.

In August,the Mr. Popper's Penguins star professed his love for actress Emma Stone, 23, in a video unloaded to his official website. "Emma, I think you're all the way beautiful. Not just pretty, but smart and kind-hearted. And if I were a lot younger, I would marry you," Carrey told her. "We would have chubby little freckle-faced kids, we'd laugh all day long, go camping and play Yahtzee. Tell ghost stories by the fire."

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"And every day, for the rest of your life, you would thank God that I was the appropriate age for you," he continued. "But I'm not. I'm 49. I have lines on my face, sometimes a little gray in my beard, and it takes me a little bit longer to pee than it used to."

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Carrey split from Jenny McCarthy in April 2011 after five years together. He rebounded with 24-year-old model Anchal Joseph in January.

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