Team Xtreme Racing trailer, Sprint Cup car stolen

by Jay Pennel / Hampton, GA

Team Xtreme Racing confirmed early Friday morning a trailer belonging to the team and containing the No. 44 Chevrolet that was supposed to be raced in this weekend's Sprint Cup event at Atlanta 

Motor Speedway was stolen from a Georgia hotel overnight.

A silver or gray Jeep Cherokee was seen leaving the hotel at the time of the theft, according to the police report. 

The incident forced the team to withdraw from the race.

"While this is obviously a setback for this weekend, our plans remain to compete in the 2015 NASCAR Sprint Cup season," said team owner John Cohen. "We are working closely with the police in hopes that our truck, trailer and race car are safely returned."

The team's main hauler was at Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday morning, but the car and trailer were still missing. Due to Wednesday's winter weather, the team sent its main hauler to Atlanta, but the team was not finished preparing the car at the shop, according to the team's hauler driver. Once work on the primary car was completed, it was sent to Atlanta in a trailer pulled by a dually truck. 

At 5:32 a.m. ET, the truck and trailer, with the car, were taken from the hotel parking lot. The team's hauler driver told FOXSports.com the theft was caught on camera. The team did not have a backup car as of Friday morning, and eventually informed NASCAR that it would be forced to withdraw from the race.

While Reed Sorenson piloted the Team Xtreme Racing Chevrolet to a 32nd-place finish in the season-opening Daytona 500, Travis Kvapil was slated to drive the car this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"It's really bizarre," Kvapil said. "You can handle maybe getting a flat tire, or getting caught up in a wreck, or a blown engine, something that actually happens on the race track. Or you don't qualify, because you don't have enough speed. But to not even get a chance ... that's pretty disheartening."

A trailer with the red race car inside was hitched to a black 2004 Ford F-350 pickup truck parked outside a hotel in Morrow, Georgia, about 15 miles south of Atlanta and a short drive from the speedway, police said. Surveillance video showed the truck and trailer being driven out of the parking lot around 5:30 a.m., Morrow police Detective Sgt. Larry Oglesby said.

Customs officials find stolen £1.6 million Picasso

By Rory Mulholland, Paris

A painting by Pablo Picasso stolen from the Pompidou Centre in Paris has been found by a US customs official after it was posted across the Atlantic disguised as a cheap Christmas present.

La Coiffeuse (The Hairdresser), painted in 1911, was reported stolen in 2001 when it was discovered missing from the Paris museum.

It lay hidden for the next 14 years until it turned up in Newark in December in a FedEx package from Belgium, labelled as “art craft/toy” with a stated value of $37 (£24) and with the message “Joyeux Noel” (Happy Christmas).

It had been posted by someone called “Robert” to a climate-controlled warehouse in Long Island, according to the New York Times. But customs officers inspecting the package discovered the painting, worth $2.5 million, and passed it on to a specialist unit dealing with international art trafficking.

French museum officials then visited New York to examine the painting and confirmed it was a Picasso.

“A lost treasure has been found,” said Loretta Lynch, attorney for the eastern district of New York.

“Because of the blatant smuggling in this case, this painting is now subject to forfeiture to the United States. Forfeiture of the painting will extract it from the grasp of the black market in stolen art so that it can be returned to its rightful owner, “ she said.

The painting, which measures 13 inches by 18 inches, is the property of the French government. It was bequeathed to the National Museums of France by one of its former directors.

It was last exhibited publicly in Munich, Germany, where it was on loan to the Kunsthalle der Hypo-Kulturstiftung.

It was then returned to Paris and placed in the storerooms of the Pompidou Centre. Officials only realised the canvas was missing when a loan request came through in 2001 and they could not find it.

Alain Seban, the director of the Pompidou, said the recovery of La Coiffeuse came as a “true comfort” at a time when the cultural world is reeling from an Islamic State video showing the destruction of statues in Iraq.

He said he hoped the work can be exhibited again publicly in May.

US and French authorities have not announced any arrests in the case.

Picasso, who died in 1973, was one of the world’s most famous artists and also has the distinction of being the painter who has had the most works stolen.

A total of 1,147 paintings by the Spanish-born artist are currently registered as stolen, missing or disputed, according to the Art Loss Register, a private database of lost and stolen art.

Leonard Nimoy, Spock of ‘Star Trek,’ Dies at 83

By VIRGINIA HEFFERNAN

Photo Credit Jerry Mosey / Associated Press 

Leonard Nimoy, the sonorous, gaunt-faced actor who won a worshipful global following as Mr. Spock, the resolutely logical human-alien first officer of the Starship Enterprise in the television and movie juggernaut “Star Trek,” died on Friday morning at his home in the Bel Air section of Los Angeles. He was 83.

His wife, Susan Bay Nimoy, confirmed his death, saying the cause was end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Mr. Nimoy announced that he had the disease last year, attributing it to years of smoking, a habit he had given up three decades earlier. He had been hospitalized earlier in the week.

His artistic pursuits — poetry, photography and music in addition to acting — ranged far beyond the United Federation of Planets, but it was as Mr. Spock that Mr. Nimoy became a folk hero, bringing to life one of the most indelible characters of the last half century: a cerebral, unflappable, pointy-eared Vulcan with a signature salute and blessing: “Live long and prosper” (from the Vulcan “Dif-tor heh smusma”).

As part of the Yiddish Book Center Wexler Oral History Project, Leonard Nimoy explains the origin of the Vulcan hand signal used by Spock, his character in the Star Trek series.

Mr. Nimoy, who was teaching Method acting at his own studio when he was cast in the original “Star Trek” television series in the mid-1960s, relished playing outsiders, and he developed what he later admitted was a mystical identification with Spock, the lone alien on the starship’s bridge.

Yet he also acknowledged ambivalence about being tethered to the character, expressing it most plainly in the titles of two autobiographies: “I Am Not Spock,” published in 1977, and “I Am Spock,” published in 1995.

In the first, he wrote, “In Spock, I finally found the best of both worlds: to be widely accepted in public approval and yet be able to continue to play the insulated alien through the Vulcan character.”

“Star Trek,” which had its premiere on NBC on Sept. 8, 1966, made Mr. Nimoy a star. Gene Roddenberry, the creator of the franchise, called him “the conscience of ‘Star Trek’ ” — an often earnest, sometimes campy show that employed the distant future (as well as some primitive special effects by today’s standards) to take on social issues of the 1960s.

His stardom would endure. Though the series was canceled after three seasons because of low ratings, a cultlike following — the conference-holding, costume-wearing Trekkies, or Trekkers (the designation Mr. Nimoy preferred) — coalesced soon after “Star Trek” went into syndication.

The fans’ devotion only deepened when “Star Trek” was spun off into an animated show, various new series and an uneven parade of movies starring much of the original television cast, including — besides Mr. Nimoy — William Shatner (as Capt. James T. Kirk), DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy), George Takei (the helmsman, Sulu), James Doohan (the chief engineer, Scott), Nichelle Nichols (the chief communications officer, Uhura) and Walter Koenig (the navigator, Chekov).

When the director J. J. Abrams revived the “Star Trek” film franchise in 2009, with an all-new cast — including Zachary Quinto as Spock — he included a cameo part for Mr. Nimoy, as an older version of the same character. Mr. Nimoy also appeared in the 2013 follow-up, “Star Trek Into Darkness.”

His zeal to entertain and enlighten reached beyond “Star Trek” and crossed genres. He had a starring role in the dramatic television series “Mission: Impossible” and frequently performed onstage, notably as Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof.” His poetry was voluminous, and he published books of his photography.

He also directed movies, including two from the “Star Trek” franchise, and television shows. And he made records, singing pop songs as well as original songs about “Star Trek,” and gave spoken-word performances — to the delight of his fans and the bewilderment of critics.

But all that was subsidiary to Mr. Spock, the most complex member of the Enterprise crew, who was both one of the gang and a creature apart engaged at times in a lonely struggle with his warring racial halves.

In one of his most memorable “Star Trek” performances, Mr. Nimoy tried to follow in the tradition of two actors he admired, Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff, who each played a monstrous character — Quasimodo and the Frankenstein monster — who is transformed by love.

In Episode 24, which was first shown on March 2, 1967, Mr. Spock is indeed transformed. Under the influence of aphrodisiacal spores he discovers on the planet Omicron Ceti III, he lets free his human side and announces his love for Leila Kalomi (Jill Ireland), a woman he had once known on Earth. In this episode, Mr. Nimoy brought to Spock’s metamorphosis not only warmth, compassion and playfulness, but also a rarefied concept of alienation.

“I am what I am, Leila,” Mr. Spock declares after the spores’ effect has worn off and his emotions are again in check. “And if there are self-made purgatories, then we all have to live in them. Mine can be no worse than someone else’s.”

Born in Boston on March 26, 1931, Leonard Simon Nimoy was the second son of Max and Dora Nimoy, Ukrainian immigrants and Orthodox Jews. His father worked as a barber.

From the age of 8, Leonard acted in local productions, winning parts at a community college, where he performed through his high school years. In 1949, after taking a summer course at Boston College, he traveled to Hollywood, though it wasn’t until 1951 that he landed small parts in two movies, “Queen for a Day” and “Rhubarb.”

He continued to be cast in little-known movies, although he did presciently play an alien invader in a cult serial called “Zombies of the Stratosphere,” and in 1961 he had a minor role on an episode of “The Twilight Zone.” His first starring movie role came in 1952 with “Kid Monk Baroni,” in which he played a disfigured Italian street-gang leader who becomes a boxer.

Mr. Nimoy served in the Army for two years, rising to sergeant and spending 18 months at Fort McPherson in Georgia, where he presided over shows for the Army’s Special Services branch. He also directed and starred as Stanley in the Atlanta Theater Guild’s production of “A Streetcar Named Desire” before receiving his final discharge in November 1955.

He then returned to California, where he worked as a soda jerk, movie usher and cabdriver while studying acting at the Pasadena Playhouse. He achieved wide visibility in the late 1950s and early 1960s on television shows like “Wagon Train,” “Rawhide” and “Perry Mason.” Then came “Star Trek.”

 Mr. Nimoy returned to college in his 40s and earned a master’s degree in Spanish from Antioch University Austin, an affiliate of Antioch College in Ohio, in 1978. Antioch College later awarded 

Mr. Nimoy an honorary doctorate.

Mr. Nimoy directed two of the Star Trek movies, “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock” (1984) and “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” (1986), which he helped write. In 1991, the same year that he resurrected Mr. Spock on two episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” Mr. Nimoy was also the executive producer and a writer of the movie “Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.”

Many times over the last 40 years I have told the story of how down-to-earth and gracious a man Leonard Nimoy showed himself to be during...

He then directed the hugely successful comedy “Three Men and a Baby” (1987), a far cry from his science-fiction work, and appeared in made-for-television movies. He received an Emmy nomination for the 1982 movie “A Woman Called Golda,” in which he portrayed the husband of Golda Meir, the prime minister of Israel, who was played by Ingrid Bergman. It was the fourth Emmy nomination of his career — the other three were for his “Star Trek” work — although he never won.

Mr. Nimoy’s marriage to the actress Sandi Zober ended in divorce. Besides his wife, he is survived by his children, Adam and Julie Nimoy; a stepson, Aaron Bay Schuck; and six grandchildren; one great-grandchild, and an older brother, Melvin.

Though his speaking voice was among his chief assets as an actor, the critical consensus was that his music was mortifying. Mr. Nimoy, however, was undaunted, and his fans seemed to enjoy the camp of his covers of songs like “If I Had a Hammer.” (His first album was called “Leonard Nimoy Presents Mr. Spock’s Music From Outer Space.”)

From 1995 to 2003, Mr. Nimoy narrated the “Ancient Mysteries” series on the History Channel. He 
also appeared in commercials, including two with Mr. Shatner for Priceline.com. He provided the voice for animated characters in “Transformers: The Movie,” in 1986, and “The Pagemaster,” in 1994.

In 2001 he voiced the king of Atlantis in the Disney animated movie “Atlantis: The Lost Empire,” and in 2005 he furnished voice-overs for the computer game Civilization IV. More recently, he had a recurring role on the science-fiction series “Fringe” and was heard, as the voice of Spock, in an episode of the hit sitcom “The Big Bang Theory.”

Mr. Nimoy was an active supporter of the arts as well. The Thalia, a venerable movie theater on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, now a multi-use hall that is part of Symphony Space, was renamed the Leonard Nimoy Thalia in 2002.

He also found his voice as a writer. Besides his autobiographies, he published “A Lifetime of Love: Poems on the Passages of Life” in 2002. Typical of Mr. Nimoy’s simple free verse are these lines: “In my heart/Is the seed of the tree/Which will be me.”

In later years, he rediscovered his Jewish heritage, and in 1991 he produced and starred in “Never Forget,” a television movie based on the story of a Holocaust survivor who sued a neo-Nazi organization of Holocaust deniers.

In 2002, having illustrated his books of poetry with his photographs, Mr. Nimoy published “Shekhina,” a book devoted to photography with a Jewish theme, that of the feminine aspect of God. 

His black-and-white photographs of nude and seminude women struck some Orthodox Jewish leaders as heretical, but Mr. Nimoy asserted that his work was consistent with the teaching of the kabbalah.

His religious upbringing also influenced the characterization of Spock. The character’s split-fingered salute, he often explained, had been his idea: He based it on the kohanic blessing, a manual approximation of the Hebrew letter shin, which is the first letter in Shaddai, one of the Hebrew names for God.

“To this day, I sense Vulcan speech patterns, Vulcan social attitudes and even Vulcan patterns of logic and emotional suppression in my behavior,” Mr. Nimoy wrote years after the original series ended.

But that wasn’t such a bad thing, he discovered. “Given the choice,” he wrote, “if I had to be someone else, I would be Spock.”

Daniel E. Slotnik and Peter Keepnews contributed reporting. All rights reserved.

Dwayne Johnson: Final Cut Of 'Furious 7' Is 'Great'

Dwayne Johnson has seen "Furious 7," and given it his seal of approval.

Access Hollywood's Billy Bush spoke with the actor on the Academy Awards red carpet on Sunday, and asked about the highly-anticipated "Fast & Furious" installment.

"Everything is good for 'Fast & Furious,'" Dwayne told Billy. "I saw the movie. [It's] great."


And The Rock is pleased with his other upcoming action movie, "San Andreas," as well.

"Everything's great for 'San Andreas' – I wrapped that yesterday, shot a little bit today," he said. "It's gonna be incredible."


"Furious 7" hits theaters on April 3, while "San Andreas" is set for theatrical release on May 29.
-- Erin O'Sullivan

Read more at http://www.accesshollywood.com/dwayne-johnson-final-cut-of-furious-7-is-great_article

Mystery tunnel found near Pan Am Games venue

By Sarah Bridge, John Lancaster, CBC News

National security officials have been notified that an underground tunnel was discovered near a venue for this summer's Pan Am Games in Toronto, CBC News has learned.  

The tunnel was dug in the woods near Toronto's Rexall Centre and York University's Keele campus. It was large enough for a person to stand in, at around 2.5 metres in height, and was about seven metres long. The tunnel had lights inside, powered by a generator, and the walls and ceiling were reinforced.

Sources told CBC News that the tunnel has now been filled in by authorities.

A Toronto and Region Conservation Authority employee reportedly found the tunnel while walking near the TRCA headquarters at 5 Shoreham Dr. in mid-January. The employee, who was carrying out day-to-day activities, noticed a piece of corrugated steel in the woods and when it was lifted, the tunnel could be seen about three metres down.

The TRCA told CBC News on Monday that it is aware of a police investigation.

Details of the mystery tunnel have been brought to the attention of national security authorities. (CBC graphic)

Authorities have essentially ruled out the possibility that the tunnel was going to be used as a drug lab or marijuana grow-op, according to sources. It likely took weeks if not longer to dig, and the earth excavated from the tunnel appears to have been removed from the site to help avoid detection.

Toronto police have refused to comment on the mystery tunnel, but are expected to hold a press conference about it Tuesday.

Tennis Canada, which operates in the Rexall Centre, is co-operating with the police investigation, a spokesperson said.

The Rexall Centre, Canada's national tennis facility, is set to be a tennis venue for this summer's Pan Am Games and the Parapan Am Games.

CBC News has learned that investigators visited the Tennis Canada site a few weeks ago and spoke with grounds crew at that time. While investigators were on site, there was also a police presence in the woods nearby.

The tunnel, marked above with a red circle, is adjacent to the Rexall Centre, Canada's national tennis facility. (CBC)

The former assistant director of intelligence at the Canadian Security Intelligence Service said the discovery raises some important questions.

"First and foremost is the question around the context of the tunnel — where it is positioned? How deep was it? How accessible was it? And what sort of things could be sent through that tunnel, being people or material," Ray Boisvert said.

A hole in this fence, which has since been fixed, led to the mystery tunnel. (John Lancaster/CBC)

Boisvert said that the tunnel's proximity to the Rexall Centre could be a concern for those involved in security for the Games.

"I would think that they would want to have some level of assurance that this was not targeting the games or targeting any other facility around there," he said.

"I would want to be able to have some sense that we know what the purpose of that particular tunnel was and who was likely — if not who, precisely — was behind it."

The Ontario Provincial Police, which is leading the Integrated Security Unit for the games, told CBC News that it was unable to comment on the tunnel, as it was "a matter for York University and the Toronto Police Service."

No one has come forward to claim the digging tools and generator found in the tunnel or offer any explanation for its existence.

CBC News has confirmed employees at several area gas stations were asked if anyone had been filling up gas cans recently that may have been used to power the generator.

So far, no suspects have been identified.

If you have any information on this, or any other story you would like investigated, please contact CBC Toronto’s investigative unit: sarah.bridge@cbc.ca and john.lancaster@cbc.ca

Glacier ice: The world’s new luxury ice cube?

An image of the Svartisen glacier taken from Svaice's website. Photo: Svaice

Imagine you’re lounging in a Dubai sky bar and you get served a vodka martini filtered through thousand-year-old ice mined from a glacier in the far north of Norway. This is the idea behind Norwegian start-up Svaice.

"Our product is 100 per cent natural, more than a thousand years old, and very luxurious," the company boasts on its website. "We guarantee goosebumps and a memorable moment for those who can find it." 

It’s not a long-term business plan, however, as within less than a hundred years the glacier is projected to have melted away. 

Svaice this week announced that it had won a 250,000 kroner grant from Nordland county council and a state forestry company to set up a pilot excavation operation on the Svartisen glacier. 

Geir L. Olsen, the company’s founder, has already travelled to Dubai to market the idea and claims to have received a positive response.

“Ice from the glacier is compact and thaws slowly,” Olsen told Norwegian state broadcaster NRK. “Meanwhile, it’s very clean and has a good taste. This means that you do not noticeably dilute the drink.” 

Per Swensen, mayor of the nearby Meløy municipality, is a keen supporter, hoping that the project will bring much-needed jobs. 

“Imagine being able to drop a more than 1000-year-old ice cube into your glass. It undoubtedly sounds quite exclusive,” he told NRK. 

Svartisen is mainland Norway’s second largest glacier, spanning some 369 square kilometres. But its thickness has halved in many places since the millennium. 

Nina Jensen, Secretary General of WWF in Norway said she could not understand why such a project was getting public support. 

“It seems very strange that the government should provide support to mine Svartisen when we know that it is shrinking because of climate change,” she said. “I do not think it is right to create short-term jobs by eating up the last parts of a glacier which is about to disappear.” 

Svaice claims that it will only mine ice at a part of the glacier where it is soon to become melt water anyway, meaning will not be accelerating the glacier's disappearance.  Even at full production of 3,600 cubic metres a year, it claims, the amount of ice mined would, if melted, only provide 54 seconds of power at the hydroelectric plant fed by the glacier. 

"The amount of ice that we are going to take out is literally just a cup of water in the ocean," claims the company's website. 

Nordland County’s press release said Svaice envisaged marketing the ice to high-end bars and restaurants worldwide, as well as to the cruise industry. 

The company has already bought a set of buildings from a bankrupt Norwegian solar power company, which it aims to turn into a factory. 

Stan Lee Draws Spider-Man For 8-Year Old Boy With Autism

 

By Joe Comicbook

Stan Lee is best known for his writing skills, not his artistic skills. However, that fact didn’t stop the Marvel Comics legend from drawing Spider-Man for an eight-year-old autistic boy, who is a big fan of the character.

According to the New York Times, one of Stan Lee’s neighbors approached him about drawing a Spider-Man picture for eight-year-old Jamel, after reading an article about him. Jamel has autism, and he didn’t speak until he was in preschool. Jamel recently celebrated his eighth birthday with a huge Spider-Man party.

“This was a unique experience,” explained Lee. “Corky [Lee's neighbor] called me and said there was a little boy. She wanted a sketch, so I did one.”

Lee also quipped, “I’m not known as an artist, which is lucky for the world.”

Lee’s neighbor then mailed the sketch to a New York Times reporter, who delivered the framed sketch to Jamel in his family’s East Harlem apartment.

NASCAR Suspends Driver Kurt Busch Indefinitely

by Alex Nunez | Photography by Getty Images
In a story that is breaking now, NASCAR has suspended Stewart-Haas racing driver Kurt Busch indefinitely, “for actions detrimental to stock car racing.”

This comes in the wake of a restraining order granted to Busch’s ex-girlfriend, Patty Driscoll, on Monday. The other shoe dropped this afternoon when Kent County, Delaware, court commissioner David Jones released a written opinion on the matter in which he stated:
 
“It is more likely than not that on Sept. 26, 2014, (Busch) committed an act of abuse against (Driscoll) by manually strangling (Driscoll) with his left hand on her throat while placing his right hand against her chin and face, causing her head to forcefully strike the interior wall of (Busch’s) motor home, thereby recklessly causing physical injury to (Driscoll).”
 
The September incident allegedly took place in Busch’s motorhome at Dover International Speedway.
At this time, there’s no statement from Busch or Stewart-Haas Racing, though the team is said to have a contingency plan in place for Sunday’s Daytona 500. 

 In the court proceedings leading up to Driscoll being granted the order of protection, Busch famously made news when he claimed, under oath, that Driscoll was a trained assassin.

---

Done deal: Floyd Mayweather will fight Manny Pacquiao on May 2

By Kevin Iole

LAS VEGAS – After years of frustration and disappointment, following many starts and stops, perhaps the most talked about boxing match in history is finally a reality.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. announced Friday that he's agreed to fight Manny Pacquiao in a welterweight bout May 2 at the MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. It's a bout the public has been calling for since late 2009 and pits the two finest boxers of their generation in a historic event.

"I am glad my decision to meet with Manny and discuss making this fight happen helped get the deal done," said Mayweather. "Giving the fans what they want to see is always my main focus. This will be the biggest event in the history of the sport. Boxing fans and sports fans around the world will witness greatness on May 2. I am the best ever, TBE, and this fight will be another opportunity to showcase my skills and do what I do best, which is win. Manny is going to try to do what 47 before him failed to do, but he won't be successful. He will be number 48."

The bout is expected to set numerous records, including purse size, live paid gate and pay-per-view sales. The cost of the pay-per-view has yet to be determined and won't be until there are deals with the distributors.

Formal details on the agreement have yet to be announced, but it's expected that Mayweather will have a 60-40 split advantage on revenues, with Mayweather making at least $120 million and Pacquiao, who signed the contract for the bout Thursday, earning $80 million.

"Floyd should enjoy being the A-side while he can," Freddie Roach, Pacquiao's trainer, said. "Because on May 2, Manny is going to put him on his backside."

The two nearly came to terms around the Christmas holidays in 2009, a month after Pacquiao stopped Miguel Cotto at the MGM Grand. It fell apart, though, when Pacquiao and promoter Bob Arum balked at Mayweather's demand for drug testing run by the United States Anti-Doping Agency during training camp.

There were numerous attempts over the last five years to reignite the talks. In 2011, then-HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg tried to act as a mediator between Mayweather adviser Al Haymon and Arum, but that didn't come to fruition.

In 2012, Mayweather, who was in Las Vegas, called Pacquiao, who was at his home in the Philippines, and offered him a guaranteed $40 million but with no pay-per-view upside. Pacquiao declined that offer.

Mayweather jumped from HBO, which had him under an exclusive television contract for much of his career, to Showtime in 2013, which seemed to be the death knell for the fight.

Mayweather has fought four of the six fights on his record-breaking Showtime contract and didn't have an opponent out there who would have made the kind of show that would resonate with the public the way a Pacquiao fight would.

Pacquiao remains under an exclusive television deal with HBO, so that further complicated the attempts to match the fighters. Only once previously, in 2002 when Lennox Lewis (HBO) and Mike Tyson (Showtime) fought, have the two premium cable giants gotten together to do a pay-per-view.

This most recent talks began in November and were started by CBS Corp. CEO Leslie Moonves, a longtime acquaintance of Arum's. Roach actually got them together by speaking to a friend of his who owns a Southern California pizza restaurant that Moonves frequents.

Moonves and Arum were joined in the talks by HBO CEO Richard Plepler. And while there were many false alarms along the way, they were able to get the deal done.

Arum told Yahoo Sports on Jan. 13 that Pacquiao had agreed to terms for the bout and that all that was required was for Mayweather to agree.

But because Mayweather, the pound-for-pound king and the sport's biggest pay-per-view attraction, had the upper hand and was dictating the terms, there was a lot of skepticism and back and forth. Several times, Mayweather went to social media to announce that no deal had been reached.

Mayweather and Pacquiao spoke face-to-face for the first time during these negotiations Jan. 27 at 
American Airlines Arena in Miami at a Heat-Milwaukee Bucks game. Pacquiao had served as a judge at the Miss Universe pageant in Miami two nights earlier, but because of bad weather on the East Coast, his flight to Los Angeles had been canceled.

Manny Pacquiao is the highest-profile opponent remaining for Mayweather. (Getty)

As a result, he went to the game to see the Heat because he’s friends with Miami coach Erik Spoelstra. Mayweather, who owns a home in Miami, also attended the game and walked over to speak to Pacquiao at halftime. 

Later, Mayweather went to Pacquiao's hotel room and they had further discussions.

That led to intense speculation of an announcement, but it took several more weeks before the deal could be consummated.

Roach told Yahoo Sports in January that he'd already gotten bleary-eyed from watching film of Mayweather and coming up with a plan.

"It's a huge challenge for Manny, no question, but I think it's a fight that he can win," Roach told Yahoo Sports.

The intrigue in the bout comes about because they are not only widely regarded as the two best pound-for-pound fighters in the world but their styles are vastly different.

Mayweather is the brilliant tactician and one of the finest defensive fighters in the sport’s history. He has an innate sense of timing and can see punches coming that others can’t.

Pacquiao, a left-hander, is a powerhouse offensive fighter who has the speed and quickness to deal with Mayweather.

"I am very happy that Floyd Mayweather and I can give the fans the fight they have wanted for so many years," said Pacquiao. "They have waited long enough and they deserve it. It is an honor to be part of this historic event. I dedicate this fight to all the fans who willed this fight to happen and, as always, to bring glory to the Philippines and my fellow Filipinos around the world."

Former world champion Timothy Bradley, who has gone 1-1 in two bouts with the Filipino congressman and cultural icon, told Yahoo Sports last year that Pacquiao is an extraordinarily hard puncher.

"He hits hard, man," Bradley said. "It's a whole different level. You feel it when he hits you."

The result is the kind of boxer vs. slugger match that has long intrigued boxing fans.

And five years after it first was talked about, it's finally a reality, and the endless debates over who would win will be settled in the ring.

Glen Campbell's Wife Opens Up About Why His Nomination Is So Important

By LESLEY MESSER / Concert photo's by Ray Tharaldson 2015

Glen Campbell has been lauded as a country music icon, but now, he's an Oscar nominee too.

The singer was honored with a Best Original Song nomination for "I'm Not Gonna Miss You," the track at the end of the documentary film "Glen Campbell: I'll Be Me."

"It's just so wonderful to have Glen acknowledged like this. He's such a great entertainer, a great singer, and this song is him pouring his soul out about what he's going through," his wife, Kim, told ABC News. "It's a song that speaks to me. In my mind, it's like him saying, 'Don't worry about me.' It's sad, but it's also comforting."

Campbell, 71, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease in 2011 and now lives in a care facility. His wife said that these days, the singer is doing very well physically but cognitively, he's declined "quite a bit."

"He's lost most of his ability to communicate but he can say short phrases like, 'I love you.' He likes to strum on the guitar a bit, and he still prays -- God and his faith have always been important to him," she said. "He's got a heart of gratitude and a positive attitude. ... He's cheerful and content."

However, though she told him about the nomination, it doesn't seem like he understood what it meant.

"I think maybe if I put one in his hands [he would understand]," she said. "If he could just hold it. I hope it happens."

But whether he wins or loses, she's excited to attend the show with their daughter, Ashley, who also appears in the film, on his behalf and watch their old friend Tim McGraw take the stage to perform the song. 

However, for her, the night won't be about rubbing elbows with stars: She's also hoping that the nomination helps to raise awareness about Alzheimer's disease.

"Our film and 'Still Alice' and others like that are starting a national conversation that needs to be had," she said. "Everywhere we go people come up to us and say when they watch the documentary, their story is being told."

Tim McGraw is scheduled to perform Glen Campbell song at the Oscars!

Concert photo's by Ray Tharaldson all rights reserved 2015

Newly Discovered Dr. Seuss Book To Hit The Shelves In July

by Tamerra Griffin

BuzzFeed News Reporter

Although the man behind Dr. Seuss died in 1991, his legacy lives on in the pages of the 44 children’s books he authored.

But this summer publishers will release one more rhyming read.

Random House Children's Books

On Wednesday, Random House Children’s Books announced that it will publish on July 28 a recently uncovered manuscript entitled What Pet Should I Get? penned by Theodor Seuss Geisel, the man behind Dr. Seuss.

In 2013, Geisel’s widow and secretary found manuscripts and illustrations for two other books, which will also be published.

It’s believed What Pet Should I Get? was written sometime between 1958 and 1962.

On Twitter, Seuss fans just couldn’t believe it! They chortled and hollered and scrambled to read it.

Details of the book have yet to be discussed publicly, but publishing director Cathy Goldsmith told the Associated Press that two of the main characters will be the same brother-sister duo from the literary staple, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish.

BuzzFeed News has reached out to Random House Children’s Books for further comment.

But the good news is… If you’re a kid who wants a pet, and just don’t know which one to get, just relax and have no fear, for Dr. Seuss will soon be here.

MSNBC pulls 'Ronan Farrow', 'Reid Report'

By DYLAN BYERS

In a bid to stem cataclysmic ratings declines and waning relevance, MSNBC has cancelled the daytime shows "Ronan Farrow Daily" and "The Reid Report."

In their place, MSNBC will bring in Thomas Roberts to anchor a new daily two-hour block of news programming from 1-3 pm, a network spokesperson told the On Media blog. Roberts will stop anchoring Way Too Early, the 5:30-a.m. show that precedes Morning Joe.

Ronan Farrow will launch a new series of primetime specials, featuring in-depth interviews, and will continue to be a special correspondent across programming. He will also continue his partnership with the NBC News Investigative Unit. 

Joy Ann Reid, the host of Reid Report, will become MSNBC’s national correspondent across platforms, a regular contributor for MSNBC’s primetime shows, and the first dedicated reporter for NowThisNews, an MSNBC online partner.

In a statment, and MSNBC spokesperson said the move was part of MSNBC's plan to make daysing programming exclusively "news-focused." The daytime schedule also features "The Daily Rundown" and "Andrea Mitchell Reports."

Earlier this month, MSNBC registered its lowest full-day rating in nearly a decade, drawing an average of 55,000 viewers in the all-important 25- to 54-year-old demo. In January, MSNBC's daytime ratings for January were down 20 percent in total and 37 percent in the demo when compared to the previous year. In prime time, total viewership was down 23 percent, while the demo dropped by 39 percent.

MSNBC President Phil Griffin says he has been "experimenting" with new ways to regain momentum, spawning widespread speculation that he planned to make significant changes to the lineup.

Vanilla Ice, Arrested in Residential Burglary

By Brian Hamacher and Laura Rodriguez

Vanilla Ice, AKA Robert Van Winkle, leaves the Palm Beach County Jail after his arrest on burglary and grand theft charges.

The rapper known as Vanilla Ice was arrested in connection with a Florida residential burglary, Lantana Police said Wednesday.

Robert Van Winkle, 47, is facing burglary and grand theft charges related to a burglary that happened sometime between December 2014 and February 2015, Lantana Police said.

Van Winkle was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and released.

"It's a misunderstanding, it was blown out of proportion. It's sad that good news doesn't travel this fast," Van Winkle told reporters as he left jail. "It's just out of proportion and I wish you guys would focus on all the good things I've done.

Vanilla Ice Arrested for Home Burglary

Robert Van Winkle, AKA Vanilla Ice, is arrested for burglary and grand theft in Lantana. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)

"It'll all get cleared up, you'll see."

According to police, the burglary happened at a home in the 100 block of N. Atlantic Drive. Numerous furniture items, a pool heater, bicycles and other items were taken, police said.

The home was in the process of foreclosure, and Van Winkle was renovating the residence next to the property, police said.

During the investigation, police determined Van Winkle played a role. A search warrant turned up the stolen items at a residence under the care and control of Van Winkle, police said.

Vanilla Ice Arrested for Burglary, Grand Theft

Robert Van Winkle, AKA Vanilla Ice, was arrested for residential burglary and grand theft, Lantana Police said. (Published Wednesday, Feb 18, 2015)

Van Winkle voluntarily met with detectives to provide a sworn statement and he was taken into custody.

Police said Van Winkle spoke with detectives Wednesday afternoon. It was unknown if he has an attorney.

 

Van Winkle is the host of "The Vanilla Ice Project" on DIY Network, which features the '90s rapper renovating homes.

"DIY Network has been made aware of this situation and is currently looking into the matter," the network said in a statement.

 The real estate broker of the home said he's not angry but it has been a hassle.

"Whoever it is, why would you jeopardize going to jail for basically junk? It was just worthless furniture and some items so it doesn't make much sense," Jim Lovely said. "The house wasn't full of Picassos, so it wasn't a high-dollar heist, so it's just the principal of having to secure the place two and three times.