Winston's Word

What New Yorkers Say

2012-01-19T20:51:00.001-08:00

Woman Calls Police After Drug Dealer Sells Sugar, Not Cocaine

2012-01-12T00:59:00.000-08:00

"Really, how many times do we have to say this? If your drug dealershorts you, stealsyour money, or provides a substance other than the illegal one sought, do not call 911," smokingun reports.

"Suzanne Basham, 47, made that mistake yesterday morning when she dialed police in Springfield, Missouri to report that she had paid $40 for crack cocaine that turned out to be sugar. Basham, who was not seeking a sugar high, asked cops to arrest her dealer for theft (and, of course, secure a refund for her). While patrolmen went to the address where Basham said she purchased the crack, residents there denied selling dope and declined to let investigators into the home.

Since cops discovered that Basham was in possession of a crack pipe, she was cited for possession of drug paraphernalia. She is pictured above in a mug shot snapped in October 2010 following a collar for drug possession."

With criminals like this, it's wonder there's any crime.

Warning: Nonsexual Nudity

2012-01-03T11:48:00.000-08:00

Warning from the New York Times (via Chris):

“The Iron Lady” is rated PG-13 (Parents strongly cautioned). Strong language, some violence and nonsexual nudity.

New National Security Threat: Snow Globes?

2011-12-25T11:40:00.001-08:00

Spotted at La Guardia airport:

Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert Sign a Hanukah song

2011-12-22T13:46:00.001-08:00

NYU Professor Fired for Giving James Franco a Bad Grade

2011-12-21T06:55:00.000-08:00

"James Franco’s tired James Dean act got an NYU professor booted from the school last year — after the teacher dared to give the overhyped Hollywood hunk a “D” for blowing off class, a lawsuit charges," the NY Post reports.

José Angel Santana said he slapped the “127 Hours’’ star with the bad grade because he missed 12 of his 14 “Directing the Actor II” classes while pursuing a master’s in fine arts.
Santana said he then suffered all kinds of drama — first from Franco, who publicly ridiculed him, then from his department, which axed him over the “D.”
“The school has bent over backwards to create a Franco-friendly environment, that’s for sure,” Santana, 58, told The Post. “The university has done everything in its power to curry favor with James Franco.”

Airline Says: Pick Your Seatmate Via Facebook

2011-12-20T05:21:00.000-08:00

"Meet and seat" is a new feature that the airline, KLM, will introduce next year, the LA Times reports.

Media reports say the service would allow KLM passengers to pick seatmates by checking out social media profiles of fellow passengers who link to their profiles during check-in.

Details on the plan are scant, according to tnooz, which notes: "Of course, passengers don’t have to link up their profiles if they’re not interested but what if they play along and end up with someone who just wants to make a sales pitch?" Or someone who blathers on about Farmville?

A company called Planely that's already up and running provides a similar service. Travelers create a profile with the online company and link it to Twitter, Tripit, LinkedIn or Facebook. When they're ready to go, they provide their flight information and choose a flying buddy.

"You can then make arrangements to sit together on the plane, have a coffee on the ground or share a cab home," Planely's website says.

But if that first coffee goes badly, it's going to be a long 9 hour flight across the Atlantic.

Ali G, Bruno, Borat .. Now The Dictator

2011-12-14T09:26:00.001-08:00

Sasha Baron Cohen's newest movie ... The Dictator

The Dalai Lama Walks Into a Bar ...

2011-12-14T06:18:00.001-08:00

Chasidic Reggae Star Matisyahu Shaves His Beard

2011-12-13T10:34:00.000-08:00

The chasidic reggae star, Matisyahu, this morning posted a beardless picture of himself, and has released this statement:

NOTE FROM MATISYAHU

This morning I posted a photo of myself on Twitter.

No more Chassidic reggae superstar.

Sorry folks, all you get is me…no alias. When I started becoming religious 10 years ago it was a very natural and organic process. It was my choice. My journey to discover my roots and explore Jewish spirituality—not through books but through real life. At a certain point I felt the need to submit to a higher level of religiosity…to move away from my intuition and to accept an ultimate truth. I felt that in order to become a good person I needed rules—lots of them—or else I would somehow fall apart. I am reclaiming myself. Trusting my goodness and my divine mission.

Get ready for an amazing year filled with music of rebirth. And for those concerned with my naked face, don’t worry…you haven’t seen the last of my facial hair.

- Matisyahu

As someone who (at least initially) made his mark by being the chasidic reggae star, what effect will this have on his music, brand, and following?

Notice he waited until after the Jewish High Holy Days.

Huntsman's Girls Bringing Sexy Back

2011-12-02T05:37:00.000-08:00

Last month the daughters of GOP presidential contender spoofed Herman Cain's political ad:

Now they've done a take on Justin Timberlake's Bring Sexy Back:

India Talent Show: The Warriors of Goja

2011-11-23T13:04:00.000-08:00

Bizarre.

The Worst Thing About Amtrak ...

2011-11-23T11:07:00.000-08:00

As Americans head home to enjoy the Thanksgiving Roast, many - the ones who want to avoid sitting in traffic for hours - opt to take Amtrak. This, however, brings it's own perils.

These include:
- Delays.
- No available seats.
- People talking too loudly on their phones.
- Overpriced tickets.
- Crazy people in the station bathrooms.

Anything we missed?

The Worst Passwords Possible?

2011-11-23T10:58:00.000-08:00

According to SplashData (via Yahoo), the below passwords are common, and are no doubt the easiest to hack in to.

Yahoo advises: "If you see your password below, STOP! Do not finish reading this post and immediately go change your password -- before you forget."

We concur. Unless you're under 5, there's no excuse. And in today's internet age, most kids probably know better.

1. password
2. 123456
3.12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. monkey
7. 1234567
8. letmein
9. trustno1
10. dragon
11. baseball
12. 111111
13. iloveyou
14. master
15. sunshine
16. ashley
17. bailey
18. passwOrd
19. shadow
20. 123123
21. 654321
22. superman
23. qazwsx
24. michael
25. football

Google Downsizes?

2011-11-23T08:54:00.000-08:00

Google's streamlining of operations continued, with its Knol (a Wikipedia type tool), Buzz (it's Twitter type tool), it's wave (real time collaboration) and Google Health all biting the dust.

Bad news for anyone relying on the tools, especially the Health one.

Press Release from Netflix: Arrested Development to Restart 2013

2011-11-19T19:03:00.001-08:00

The Bluths Are Back and Only on Netflix
Twentieth Century Fox Television and Imagine Television Make Historic Deal With World's Leading Internet Subscription Service to Bring Classic Series "Arrested Development" Back to Production
America's Favorite Dysfunctional Family Returns For All New Episodes Premiering The First Half Of 2013
Nov 18, 2011

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif., Nov. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- In a landmark deal, all new episodes of the Emmy Award-winning comedy series "Arrested Development" will be coming exclusively to Netflix for its U.S. members to watch instantly, beginning in 2013.

For the first time in their histories, Twentieth Century Fox Television and Imagine Television will produce original first-run entertainment content for the world's leading internet subscription service, bringing back the acclaimed series to production on all new episodes five years after its cancellation.

One of Time Magazine's "100 Best TV Shows of All-TIME," the tale of the formerly wealthy, deeply eccentric Bluth clan aired for three seasons, 2003-2006, on Fox and was honored with the Emmy award for Outstanding Comedy Series after its first season on the air.

Don't Judge Too Quickly ...

2011-10-07T11:08:00.001-07:00

Don't Judge Too Quickly... We Won't. - Click here for this week’s top video clips

Tom Cruise Does the Worm at a Wedding

2011-10-07T05:41:00.000-07:00

TMZ got their hands of Tom Cruise "battling" someone at the wedding of David Ellison (executive producer on "Mission Impossible -- Ghost Protocol" and son of Oracle CEO Larry Ellison).

video platform video management video solutions video player

TMZ is unsure who "won."

Arrested Development to Return?

2011-10-02T16:52:00.000-07:00

Today, Mitchell Hurwitz, the creator of “Arrested Development,” told the New Yorker festival that "a movie was still in the works, along with a new set of television episodes that would serve as a prelude to the film," the New York Times reports.

Asked by the event’s moderator, Nancy Franklin, for an update on the movie, Mr. Hurwitz said, “We’re 80 percent of the way to an answer,” which was understandably greeted by some laughter.

Mr. Hurwitz went on to say that he and Ron Howard, the director and producer who was the “Arrested Development” narrator, “had been talking about this for ages and trying to get this going.”

Mr. Hurwitz said, “We’re trying to do a limited-run series into the movie.” After a wave of excited applause died down, he continued, “We’re basically hoping to do nine or 10 episodes, with almost one character per episode.”

The first episode, he said, could focus on Buster Bluth, the deeply neurotic brother played by Tony Hale. “The latest joke we have,” Mr. Hurwitz said, “is that it’s Cambridge, Mass., and there’s all these scientists in lab coats and they’re waiting for somebody. Buster comes through the door in a white lab coat – ‘Let’s begin’ – and they say, ‘Oh, no, you don’t get to wear the lab coat. We’re experimenting on you.’ ”

Charlie Sheen and Kate Middleton Come Top

2011-09-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

"'Royal wedding' and 'winning' (as in Charlie Sheen's catch-phrase) were the two most used phrases on television in 2011, according to a survey released on Tuesday." Reuters reports.

Middleton's April wedding to Britain's Prince William was watched by millions of people around the world and generated massive media attention.

But Sheen wasn't far behind. The comedy star embarked on a series of bizarre interviews, videos and even a nationwide tour after being fired in March from what was the highest-paid acting job on U.S. television.

"Winning" was one of his favorite phrases, followed closely by "tiger blood" and bragging about his various "goddesses," or live-in girlfriends.

Cheney Can't Find a Single Conservative to Support Him?

2011-08-25T20:28:00.000-07:00

The New York Times reports that "Former Vice President Dick Cheney says in a new memoir that he urged President George W. Bush to bomb a suspected Syrian nuclear reactor site in June 2007. But, he wrote, Mr. Bush opted for a diplomatic approach after other advisers — still stinging over 'the bad intelligence we had received about Iraq’s stockpiles of weapons of mass destruction' -- expressed misgivings."

Cheney writes:

“I again made the case for U.S. military action against the reactor,”
Mr. Cheney wrote about a meeting on the issue. “But I was a lone
voice. After I finished, the president asked, ‘Does anyone here agree
with the vice president?’ Not a single hand went up around the room.”

While the former VP appears to be trying to boast about his hawkishness, a closer examination shows that it's actually a pretty terrible performance by him.

To put it simply: He's in a room full of conservatives and yet after he makes his case he can't find a single person to support him in attacking a rogue regime that oppresses its people and supports international terrorist groups.

Caption Competition: Biden Takes On a Sumo Wrestler in China

2011-08-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

(AP)

Abercrombie to Pay 'The Situation' To Stop Wearing Their Clothes

2011-08-17T04:36:00.000-07:00

Abercrombie & Fitch, the clothing retailer, on Tuesday offered a "substantial payment" to MTV's Jersey Shore's Mike "the Situation" Sorrentino, if he stops wearing their clothes on TV. The retailer said in a statement:

"We are deeply concerned that Mr. Sorrentino's association with our brand could cause significant damage to our image. We understand that the show is for entertainment purposes, but believe this association is contrary to the aspirational nature of our brand, and may be distressing to many of our fans. We have also extended this offer to other members of the cast, and are urgently waiting a response."

E-Trade Baby Loses Everything

2011-08-07T06:23:00.001-07:00

Pregnant Woman Takes Bar, Leaves Early to Deliver

2011-08-03T13:56:00.000-07:00

"Think you had a harrowing time taking the bar exam? It probably can't compare to Elana Nightingale Dawson's experience. The 2011 Northwestern University Law School graduate sat for the Illinois bar in Chicago on July 27, and less than two hours after she finished gave birth to her first child, a boy who weighed in at 6.6 pounds," ABA Journal reports.

This was Dawson's first child, and she told the ABA Journal that it was not until Wednesday afternoon, while she was working through the bar exam's multiple-choice section, that she realized something was going on. But, what, exactly, she was unsure of. Everyone told her the first labor takes a long time, and the only indication she had that things were moving quickly was that she didn't think she could talk during contractions.

Not that she would have. Dawson, 29, stresses that she did not want to disturb the other test-takers.

"The hardest part was going through a contraction and not moving," says Dawson, who wanted to have natural childbirth but was scheduled for a C-section today, because her baby was in a breech position ...

By 3:15 p.m., Dawson sent a note to a test proctor, asking the person to contact her husband. For the next 45 minutes, she got through the questions as quickly as possible. Her contractions by that time were about 10 minutes apart ...

Dawson gave birth at Northwestern's Prentice Women's Hospital, which is walking distance from where she took the bar exam. Her husband was stuck in rush-hour traffic, and a test proctor accompanied Dawson to the hospital, waiting with her until her husband arrived.

The story has a happy ending with the pregnant birth, but we're hoping she passed the bar too.