LaMelo Ball leaves Australia, supposedly without telling his team
LaMelo Ball suffered as season-ending foot injury while playing Australia last month.
Now, he’s returning to the United States – and leaving behind some hurt feelings.
Timothy Fernandez of ABC News:
American basketball sensation LaMelo Ball has unceremoniously ended his Australian stint, leaving the country without telling his teammates.
His club, the Illawarra Hawks confirmed the 18-year-old guard had taken a flight home and will continue his rehabilitation from a foot injury, which kept him sidelined since November, in the United States.
Meanwhile, the owner of the Illawarra Hawks has criticised the star’s unannounced departure from the club.
“I’m really disappointed that he didn’t say goodbye to his teammates and his coach,” Simon Stratford told NewsCorp.
“We had some indication via his minder Jermaine Jackson that he wouldn’t stay for the rest of the season.
Ball was in Australia because the NBA still hasn’t lowered its age minimum. So, that’s where could go to earn money and improve his draft stock.
Did Ball handle his departure appropriately tactfully and respectfully? Maybe not.
Do I completely trust messaging from a spurned team? Nope.
As long as LaVar Ball remains in the picture, there will be concern about controversy surrounding LaMelo. Teams should look into how LaMelo handles this situation. Perhaps, his exit from Australia shows something about his dependability.
But LaMelo’s time in Australia absolutely showed his talent. That will get him picked high in the 2020 NBA draft.
Article via Yahoo
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Michael Strahan talks tensions with Kelly Ripa
Michael Strahan wants to make it perfectly clear how he feels about Kelly Ripa.
“I don’t hate her. I do respect her for what she can do at her job,” he told the New York Times Magazine in a recently published interview.
“I cannot say enough about how good she is at her job.”Not that there weren’t tensions.
Strahan famously left their daytime talk show “Live! with Kelly and Michael” in 2016 for a gig with “Good Morning America.” Ripa complained she was the last to know about his planned departure.
Now the former NFL player turned TV host is talking a bit about what he joked was an “experience.”
“I learned so much from Kelly, so much from Michael Gelman (the show’s longtime executive producer),” Strahan said.
“When it was time to go, it was time to go. Certain things that were going on behind the scenes just caught up.
“He also discussed the selfishness he saw in both professional sports and working in television.
Strahan formerly played with the New York Giants.
“In sports, you can put as many great players as you want on a team, but if one guy out there is worried about himself, it will not work,” Strahan said. “Then on television, I’ve had jobs where I got there and felt like: Wow, I didn’t know I was supposed to be a sidekick. I thought I was coming here to be a partner.
“Strahan said he tried to have meetings with Ripa regarding the issues going on behind the scenes.”We met a few times, and that was fine,” he said. “But then eventually she said she didn’t need to meet. Can’t force somebody to do something they don’t want to do.
“He admitted that his exit probably wasn’t handled the best way.Ripa ended up staying off the show for a few days, reportedly in protest for how ABC handled the situation.
“I didn’t wake up and say, ‘I want a job at ‘G.M.A.’ I was asked to do it by the people who run the network,” Strahan said. “It was really not a choice. It was a request.”
Strahan said the whole thing was “treated as if I was the guy who walked in and said, ‘I’m leaving.'”
“That part was totally misconstrued, mishandled in every way,” he said. “People who should have handled it better have all apologized, but a lot of the damage had already been done.
“But Strahan said he kept a particular attitude about it.”For me, it was like: Move on. Success is the best thing,” he said. “Just keep on moving.”
The show is now “Live with Kelly and Ryan,” which Ripa cohosts with Ryan Seacrest.
A rep for Ripa declined to comment.
Article via CNN
Disneyland Pays Tribute to Kobe Bryant in More Ways Than One
Disneyland paid tribute to their frequent guest, the late Kobe Bryant, and his daughter Gianna this week, days after their passing.
Disney’s Fab 5 — Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Donald and Pluto — all joined in on a huddle and did Bryant’s iconic jump shot pose together. Fans looked on in amazement and captured the moment on video.
Aside from the characters’ sweet tribute, a Disney fan edited a photo of Space Mountain to seem like it was lit with the Los Angeles Lakers’ signature purple and yellow colors.
To signify his legacy even more, the park also turned off the No. 8 vehicle on Dumbo the Flying Elephant in Fantasyland, which was reportedly one of Bryant’s family’s favorite rides. Cast members at the park reportedly put a cover over the vehicle to honor Kobe and Gianna.
Disney CEO Bob Iger shared two tweets to honor the fallen legend. “Our company @Disney mourns the tragic loss of @kobebryant… one of the most respected & popular athletes of our time… a friend and a fan of ours, full of life and taken from us too soon,” he wrote in a statement.
Aside from the company’s sweet tributes, a Disney fan edited a photo of Space Mountain to seem like it was lit with the Los Angeles Lakers’ signature purple and yellow colors.
Bryant previously spoke about his love for the park during a fan Q&A session where one guest asked what his favorite ride was.”I enjoy Soarin’ Over California,” Bryant replied.
He added that he recently took his family to Disney’s California Adventure. “You see that big ferris wheel they have? We didn’t realize how big the thing was, so we took our kids on that thing … we thought child services was gonna be waiting for us when we got off!”
Bryant and his wife Vanessa previously celebrated their 20th anniversary at the theme park. Most recently, they attended Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party.
The NBA icon frequently attended Disney events and participated in parades at both Disneyland and Walt Disney World in Orlando.
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Longest-ever border smuggling tunnel found stretching between Tijuana and San Diego, officials say
U.S. authorities discovered the longest smuggling tunnel ever found along the southwest border.
The tunnel originates in Tijuana, Mexico, near the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and extends a total of 4,309 feet long — more than three-quarters of a mile. The next longest tunnel in the U.S., discovered in San Diego in 2014, was 2,966 feet long.
“While subterranean tunnels are not a new occurrence along the California-Mexico border, the sophistication and length of this particular tunnel demonstrates the time-consuming efforts transnational criminal organizations will undertake to facilitate cross-border smuggling,” Cardell Morant, acting special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Diego, said in a press release. The investigation that led to the discovery spanned many years and involved various agencies.
The tunnel features a complex cart and rail system, forced air ventilation, high-voltage electrical cables and panels, an elevator at the tunnel entrance and a complex drainage system, according to U.S. Border Patrol.
No arrests or seizures have been made at this point after the discovery of the tunnel.
“The investigation continues, and I am confident that our hard work and dedication to uphold the law will lead to future arrests and seizures,” Deputy Chief Patrol Agent Aaron Heitke said.
The tunnel is approximately 5 and a half feet tall, 2 feet wide and has an average depth of 70 feet from the surface. An offshoot of the main tunnel was discovered at around 3,500 feet into the U.S. It traveled several feet and came to an end without breaching the surface. It led agents back to the main tunnel where they discovered several hundred sandbags blocking the suspected former exit of the tunnel.
“As efforts to strengthen security on our Southern border increase, Mexican drug cartels are forced underground to smuggle their deadly drugs into the United States,” DEA Special Agent in Charge John Callery said. “The sophistication of this tunnel demonstrates the determination and monetary resources of the cartels.”
Article via FoxNews
Chicago Woman Infects Husband With Coronavirus in 1st Case of Person-to-Person Transmission in U.S.
Health officials Thursday reported the first U.S. case of person-to-person spread of the new virus from China.
The man is married to the Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from a trip to Wuhan, China, the epicenter of the outbreak. There have been cases reported of the infectious virus spreading to others in a household or workplace in China and elsewhere.
The new case is the sixth reported in the United States. The other five were travelers who developed the illness after returning to the U.S. from China. The latest patient had not been in China.
The Chicago woman returned from central China on Jan. 13, then last week went to a hospital with symptoms and was diagnosed with the viral illness. She and her husband, both in their 60s, are hospitalized.
Experts have said they expected additional cases, and that at least some limited spread of the disease in the United States was likely. Health officials think the new virus spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Illinois health officials said that health workers and people who have been in contact with the latest patient are being monitored for symptoms.
“We anticipated this,” said Dr. William Schaffner, a Vanderbilt University infectious diseases expert. “The kind of contact that you have in a household is very close and very prolonged. That’s the kind of circumstance where we would anticipate a virus such as this could be transmitted.”
The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing and pneumonia. It is a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have caused outbreaks in the past. The new virus has sickened thousands, mostly in China, and killed about 170.
An international outbreak caused by the virus first emerged last month in China. Doctors there began seeing the new virus in people who got sick after spending time at a wholesale food market in Wuhan. Officials said the virus probably initially spread from animals to people, as did SARS and MERS.
The other U.S. cases are in Arizona, Southern California and Washington state.
Photo Credit: ktla.com
California couple uses a lawn mower and GPS to create giant grass mural of Kobe Bryant
Tributes and murals of the late Kobe Bryant have been popping up all around the world. But one created by a California couple can only be seen from the sky.
Using the Turfprinter technology from their company, New Ground Technology, Kelli Pearson and her husband, Pete Davis, created a 115-foot tall and 92-foot wide mural of Bryant in a grass field at a park in Pleasanton.
Pearson first created a black and white image of Bryant using several pictures.
“The face was from two different photos, the neck was from a different photo and the body was from a different photo. It ends up creating an artwork piece,” Pearson said. “I tried to capture him, the likeness of him smiling and as an athlete.”
The image was then loaded into a lawn mower-type machine that Davis moved around the field. With the help of GPS and digital processing, the machine blows air to gently bend the grass away or toward you to make up the dark and light contrast, according to Davis.
For the couple, who said they are big Kobe fans, the decision to create the mural was only natural.
“This tragedy came as a huge surprise. He was an amazing person, amazing family man and an amazing athlete,” Pearson said. “Fortunately, we have this technology that allows us to do this huge tribute.”
The mural will last for about two days before the grass returns to its normal position, but the couple is hoping the tribute will create a lasting effect on their community.
“For me, it’s a community effort,” Davis said. “You feel helpless and there’s really nothing more you can do in the situation. But in our space, I did it to represent our community and let the community be a part of this closure.”
The 41-year-old basketball legend, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven other people were killed Sunday morning in Southern California in a helicopter crash.
By Alicia Lee, CNN
Photo Credit: fox2now.com
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Aaron Hernandez’s Fiancée Addresses Sexuality Rumors After Netflix Docuseries
Shayanna Jenkins-Hernandez, the fiancée of the late Aaron Hernandez, is speaking out about Netflix’s docuseries.
Less than a month after Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez was released, Shayanna sat down for her first interview and shared how she really felt about the project.
The docuseries examined the life of the former New England Patriots player, from his childhood and NFL career to his court cases and death. It also addressed rumors about Aaron’s sexuality.
When ABC News’ Amy Robach asked if there was anything in the series that, in her opinion, shouldn’t have been included, Shayanna noted the rumors about his sexuality.
“You can’t describe someone’s sexuality without them being here,” she stated during the interview—which aired on Wednesday’s episode of Good Morning America. “Although I’ve had a child with Aaron, I still can’t tell you how he was feeling inside. No one can.”
Amy also asked Shayanna if she’d like to comment on the rumors that Aaron may have been bisexual or gay.
“If he did feel that way or if he felt the urge, I wish that I was told,” she replied. “I wish that he would have told me because I would not have loved him any differently. I would have understood. It’s not shameful, and I don’t think anybody should feel shameful on who they are inside, regardless of who they love. I think it’s a beautiful thing. I wish I was able to tell him that.”
Aaron’s lawyer, Jose Baez, also participated in ABC News’ interview.
“I agreed to be part of the documentary based on a representation that certain people would be taken out that were discussing his sexuality,” he said. “After I was done interviewing, they went back on that promise. That’s the issue I have.”
He also said he didn’t understand why people felt a need to further explore Aaron’s death.
“I think they’re trying to find a simple answer for a complex situation,” he said. “His health was a huge factor. I mean, I don’t know understand why we need to search around for an answer as to why he committed suicide when he was at an advanced stage of a disease where the primary symptom is suicide.”
In 2015, Aaron was convicted of first-degree murder in the death of Odin Lloyd. He was sentenced to life in prison without parole. In 2017, he was found not guilty of murder in the deaths of Safiro Furtado and Daniel de Abreu. Just days after the ruling, Aaron was found hanging in his cell and was pronounced dead. After his death, it was determined that he suffered from CTE.
When asked if she believed Aaron was innocent, Shayanna said she did.
“Yes, of course, I do,” she said. “I’d be a cold person to leave someone that had nobody at all.”
She also spoke about how she’d describe Aaron to his now 8-year-old daughter.
“I would describe her father as a loving individual who obviously loved her,” Shayanna said. “I think it’s more bringing back the memories for her and let her form her own opinion. I think that would be just enough to let her know.”
Shayanna claimed she was asked to participate in the docuseries but decided against it.
Netflix did not respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
Article via EOnline
Video Of Black Artists Passing Up All The Black Media At The Grammys Is A Disappointing Sight To See
The Grammy awards were on Sunday night and while there were plenty of winners, including Lizzo going home with three gramophones, Black media lost out big on the red carpet.
BlackTree Media, which has covered the show for the last 14 years, was present with their camera crew on the big night, and captured plenty of disappointing video of Black artists walking past them and the few Black media correspondents who were all thrown together at the end of a long red carpet.
“There’s a struggle, especially for Black media,” Jamaal Finkley, CEO of BlackTree, said over B-roll of stars on the carpet. “The struggle is multifaceted. First, there’s the placement that we are on the carpet, which is usually we’re all bundled near the end of the carpet. Second is the publicists that represent the talent, which you’ll see in some of these videos, and third, it’s the talent themselves, who make conscious efforts or lack of effort to take time to speak to the few Black-owned media.”
As he pointed out, there is not more than four or five Black media representatives on the carpet at one time out of a sea of non-Black ones, but by the time celebrities get past the major white publications at the beginning of the carpet, they, along with their publicists, zone out. Finkley can be heard in the video telling the likes of rappers Gucci Mane and Quavo of the Migos, “Don’t just do PEOPLE!” (Interesting enough, both mens’ names popped up for interviews secured with Billboard that night.) Other stars who walked past were H.E.R., Questlove, Lil Nas X and reportedly Rick Ross. Rapper Gunna did stop with his publicist, but wasn’t able to answer questions for long.
“Been doing it for too long to continue to watch this BS happen,” Finkley wrote in the comments on YouTube. “Each of these award shows cost blacktree $1500 to cover and to see people just ignore us for white media is ridiculous. They thirsty for that 30 seconds on a white outlet while ignoring 4 black outlets. Maybe 5. Like you can’t make the time sis or bro? Wtf. We here to cover you.”
Finkley was able to speak with some talent, including Misty Copeland, but more people walked by than they did stop by for one question. While it’s understandable that people may need to get inside a show by a certain time, enough time should be allotted to speak with more than just the mainstream outlets or don’t speak to any. In addition, it is somewhat hypocritical that some of these same artists and names are outspoken about feeling like their work isn’t respected or properly acknowledged by the Recording Academy because it’s Black or want to acknowledge poor treatment of Black folks in general, but won’t give the time of day to people who help them build their name before becoming part of the A-list.
And before you go about talking about Black media being messy, the reputable sites they tend to flock to, from PEOPLE to E! and Entertainment Tonight, often focus on the same angles and drama they specifically point the finger at Black reporters about.
At the end of the day, if they can stop for those publications and sites, what would it hurt to give your own people the chance for at least one question? As previously mentioned, it’s disappointing, but not surprising at this point. There is hope, though. If you’ll recall, Halle Berry made time for the two Black journalists at the premiere of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (one of them being for Blacktree) after her publicist claimed she had no time. As she made clear, “I can’t skip my brother and my sister,” and that gesture meant a lot more than Berry realized to the reporters she spoke to.
Photo Credit: Rick Fury/madamenoire.com
‘Mighty Ducks’ actor Shaun Weiss arrested on burglary, meth charges
MARYSVILLE, Calif. (WXIN) – A former child actor who starred in “The Mighty Ducks” was arrested once again over the weekend.
The Marysville Police Department arrested 40-year-old Shaun Weiss on Sunday just before 7 a.m. He was charged with residential burglary and being under the influence of a controlled substance.
Police say Weiss broke into a woman’s garage, then into her car by shattering a window.
The homeowner called police during the break-in, and officers found Weiss in the car when they arrived.
They arrested him and took him to the Yuba County Jail. He was charged with being under the influence of methamphetamine and residential burglary. He is being held on a $52,500 bail.
Weiss is best known for his role as goalie Greg Goldberg in the 1992 film “The Mighty Ducks.”
This arrest is another chapter in Weiss’ downward spiral in recent years. He was arrested for public intoxication in August 2018 and for shoplifting in December 2018.
Photo Credit: fox2now.com