Michael Jackson's Neverland Ranch to Be Sold

"We are frustrated, bitterly disappointed and saddened that it has come to this," said a rep for Jackson's estate



http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/michael-jacksons-neverland-ranch-to-be-sold-20140801


By Kory Grow
August 1, 2014 9:50 AM ET

Michael Jackson's opulent, 2,700-acre estate Neverland Ranch will be hitting the market in the near future. Forbes reports that the Los Olivos, California property is being sold by the real estate investment firm Colony Capital, which owns equity in Neverland after an agreement with Jackson that took effect in 2008. "We are frustrated, bitterly disappointed and saddened that it has come to this," a rep for Jackson's estate told Forbes. "Sadly, Michael lost control of Neverland during his life as a result of advice from a former manager."

The Jackson estate said it considered many options with regard to Neverland, including buying it back, but the executors determined that the big picture costs – such as the millions required for upkeep on the estate – ultimately made the proposal untenable. The executors said it is their duty "to be fiscally responsible in protecting and growing the assets of the Estate for Michael’s children." (Incidentally, Forbes says the estate has brought in more than $750 million since Jackson's death in 2009, before taxes and expenses.)

The deal Jackson struck with Colony Capital said that the firm would manage Neverland as a joint venture with the pop star. With any money Colony put into Neverland, the firm's share of equity increased while Jackson's decreased. Forbes suggests that Colony has put more than $50 million into Neverland.

Jackson bought Neverland in 1988 from golf course entrepreneur William Bone, according to USA Today. As of 2003, the estate contained 22 buildings, including guesthouses, ranch-hand apartments, stables, a movie theater and theme park. At the time, its value was estimated at $30 million.

http://ultimateclassicrock.com/guitars-slugs/



The internet is an amazing source of information, and the myriad possibilities inherent in the technology behind the web have been used to help foster a feeling of connectivity between people around the world while giving a voice to the disenfranchised. It is also, as it turns out, a great place for sharing pictures of musicians that have been doctored to make appear as though their instruments have been swapped out for giant animals.

For just the latest example of this phenomenon in action, visit Slug Solos, a Tumblr blog devoted to posting photos of famous musicians playing solos on fat, writhing slugs. The latest effort from the creator of Bass Dogs, which features — wait for it — pictures of bassists playing dogs, Slug Solos already includes pictures of Eddie Van Halen, Alex Lifeson and James Hetfield (pictured here), as well as Angus Young, Bruce Springsteen and Carlos Santana, among others.

The next logical step in the brand of Photoshop hijinks humor that includes blogs such as Sports Balls Replaced with Cats, Slug Solos is also a little bit different; rather than relying on incongruity for laughs (e.g. “Ha! Ha! Look at this old photo of Joe DiMaggio which has been altered to look like he is about to hurl a fluffy kitten!”), its brilliance rests on the fact that a lot of musicians make funny faces when they play.

All of which is to say that, barring some kind of horrific Book of Revelations-style giant slug plague, we will most likely never see Carlos Santana on stage with a wet, floppy mollusk in his arms — but if we did, he might make the same faces he does when he’s peeling off a solo. Live and learn.

George Zimmerman's New Job: Security Guard At A Gun Store
The Huffington Post | By Andy Campbell

Posted: 07/29/2014 12:35 pm EDT Updated: 54 minutes ago

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/29/george-zimmerman-security-guard-job_n_5630516.html



George Zimmerman says he recently found work as a security guard at a store that sells motorcycles, guns and ammunition, according to police.

A year after he was acquitted of murder in the shooting death of 17-year-old Trayvon Martin, DeLand, Florida, police found Zimmerman parked in a truck outside of Pompano Pat's Motorcycles, according to WFTV. It's the same shop whose owner received death threats for offering Zimmerman a handgun identical to the one he used in the shooting of Martin.

An officer spotted a dark-colored truck behind Pompano Pat's at 12:30 a.m. on Sunday and found Zimmerman, according to a report obtained by My News 13. He told the officer that the owner of Pompano Pat's asked him to guard the store following a recent burglary.

Zimmerman was not arrested, but the owner of the shop could not be reached to corroborate his claims.

John Boehner Uses Billy Joel Puns to Blast Obama's Jobs Plan
House speaker salutes Gershwin Prize winner by weaving song titles into an attack

http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/john-boehner-uses-billy-joel-puns-to-blast-obamas-jobs-plan-20140726



By Miriam Coleman
July 26, 2014 5:09 PM ET

After the news came out earlier this week that Billy Joel will receive the Library of Congress' Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, John Boehner celebrated the Piano Man in his own fashion. The House Speaker's office closed out the week with a press release regarding the nation's jobs situation wrought entirely of puns on Joel's song titles.

Headed "14 of Our Recent Greatest Hits on Jobs," the bullet-pointed list includes groaners like "No, 'We Didn’t Start the Fire' of uncertainty that has small businesses in Southwest Ohio and nationwide struggling under ObamaCare," and "Yet the president just has to be a 'Big Shot,' bragging about his policies when Americans are having a tough time."

Some of the hits even manage to fit multiple track titles into a single point, as in: "On top of all this, the president’s 'Shameless' push for 'economic patriotism' would just make things worse, with even more jobs 'Movin' Out' of the country." And "So 'Say Goodbye to Hollywood,' Mr. President, and work with us to help grow the middle class and expand opportunity for everyone, from the 'Piano Man' to the 'Uptown Girl.'"

It seems unlikely that Billy Joel would sign off on the message behind the press release, however. Although he has largely tried to keep his politics to himself, Joel joined Bruce Springsteen in 2008 to play a campaign benefit for Obama in New York.

Sarah Palin

Wednesday, July 23 at 4:25pm

https://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin/posts/10152598289598588

Check out this post at Bristol’s blog and offer your thoughts. (I so appreciate her sincere and respectful “what do you think?” approach to these topics.) I am a huge admirer of Coach Dungy's, and I totally get where he's coming from. Looking at this personally, my family and I have been told certain event organizers would like us to participate in something but just can't because of the distractions I'd invite. I totally get it and I don't want to burden them with anything that takes focus off their mission. I don't whine that those people "uninviting" us are sexist or anti-conservative or anti-Christian. It is what it is, and in sports a coach needs to FOCUS on the goal, not unnecessary distractions! The key to victory on the field is keeping the main thing, the main thing.

(And, by the way, I think I know my gay friends well enough to know that not one of them would take offense with Coach Dungy's commonsense comments. In fact, from what they've told me, they're as sick and tired of the intolerant, politically correct thought police as I am. The small minority of uber-sensitive intolerant gays who make a big darn deal out of anything that can be spun up as “offensive” are really giving fellow members of their community a bad rap.)

- Sarah Palin

Here's the link:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/bristolpalin/2014/07/walsh-if-you-want-to-prove-you-dont-hate-gays-all-you-have-to-do-is-worship-at-their-feet/

Panic! at the Disco Turn Westboro Baptist Protest Into Charity Drive

The hate group recently protested Vegas band's concert in Kansas City, Missouri



http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/panic-at-the-disco-turn-westboro-baptist-protest-into-charity-drive-20140721

July 21, 2014 9:55 AM ET

The outspoken homophobes of Westboro Baptist Church protested Panic! at the Disco's Sunday night concert in Kansas City, Missouri. But the glam-rock band harnessed that hatemongering into a platform for a good cause: "Today @WBCSays is going to picket us. For every member of WBC that actually shows up we will donate $20 to @HRC [the Human Right Campaign]," the band wrote before the show on Twitter, using the hashtag #pride2014. Westboro responded, claiming that, besides the "myriads of angels" there in spirit, they managed to corral 13 protestors – but Panic deemed those results "weak" and decided to raise their donation amount to "an even $1,000." (They also donated 5 percent of their merch sales from that show to HRC.)

But, unsurprisingly, the exchange wasn't over for WBC, who continued to send hateful messages to the band after the show. A series of tweets included a Vine video of a woman driving her car on the street as protestors picket on a sidewalk. ".@PanicAtTheDisco $1000-pretty lame," wrote the group. "How about you donate the ticket price of all your fans who cheered the woman who tried to run us over?" The group followed that up Monday morning with another message: "What is this @PanicAtTheDisco tripe? There'll be panic at the second coming of Christ! (Rev. 6:16)," along with a picture of Panic frontman Brendon Urie wielding a microphone and text that reads "Repent! or Perish."

The Panic/Westboro back-and-forth started last Thursday, when the church released a parody song called "You Love Sin What a Tragedy," a send-up of the band's 2006 single "I Write Sins Not Tragedies." The original tune from the Vegas band defended a bride against wedding day accusations of being a "whore," but Westboro Baptist Church twisted it into a condemnation of gay marriage, with lyrics such as, "Oh! You all say it's okay to be gay/ The way to fag marriage has been paved/ Well this calls for some truth, now/ You're all insane."

Panic! at the Disco released their fourth studio album, Too Weird to Live, Too Rare to Die!, last year.

Sarah Palin added 2 new photos.

Sunday, July 20 at 1:06pm





https://www.facebook.com/sarahpalin/posts/10152591545293588

Rocky Mountain Black Conservatives, I was so thankful to meet you yesterday! This is the beautiful Stockham family: Debra, Casper, Faith, and Cheryl.