Lisa Loeb: An Appreciation

lisa loeb

Fresh off her marriage to "The Tonight Show" producer Roey Hershkovitz, '90s alt-culture crush Lisa Loeb is pregnant with her first child. While she hasn't really been a part of the pop music conversation since the turn of the millennium, Loeb may be one of the most iconic characters to come out of the grunge era. She was a folksy singer-songwriter who got her big break when her song "Stay (I Missed You)" got placed on the soundtrack to the 1994 Ben Stiller comedy "Reality Bites," broke out as a single and turned Loeb into a chart-topping star even though she didn't have a record deal. If you were of a certain age in 1994, Loeb was probably the cornerstone of your celebrity crushes, and if you were an especially impressionable person at that time, she might have even informed your entire outlook on the opposite sex. Loeb wasn't the first woman to wear cat's eye glasses or wear baby-doll dresses, but she was the artist who turned the sexy librarian look into a mainstream attraction.

The video for "Stay (I Missed You)" had as much to do with her success as the catchy, earnest song. The clip, which was directed by "Reality Bites" star Ethan Hawke (a friend who got her onto the soundtrack in the first place), contains no edits, was shot in only two takes in Loeb's New York City apartment. Loeb finally signed a record deal and subsequently had a few more minor hits ("I Do" and "How" among them), but more recently she had two reality shows (one a cooking show with then-boyfriend Dweezil Zappa and the other a dating show). But for anybody who discovered "Stay (I Missed You)" in 1994, she'll always be the sad girl in the apartment with the cat.

Dugar Family Doing Well!

dugard family


The Dugard Family is doing well, says aunt Tina Dugard today. Jaycee Lee Dugard and daughters are wonderful, says Tina Dugard.

During the press conference, Tina said Jaycee Dugard, Terry Probyn, Jacyee’s daughters, and her younger sister Shayna Probyn are in seclusion.

Tina said Dugard’s daughters are great and that Jaycee did a great job raising them. She also says Jaycee remembers everything perfectly about her family. Jaycee however is just getting to know Shayna who was A child at the time of Dugard’s abduction.

Tina read a statement, didn’t answer questions, and released three new photos of Jaycee as a child. As reportedly previously on LALATE, Jaycee Lee Dugard, for upwards of ten years, put her most recent photo on company business cards and met with clients, often with her children.

Starlite is 15, Angel is 11. Carl Probyn, Dugard’s step-father Probyn, said of the girls:

“He was the girls’ father - they all cried when he was arrested. Jaycee had to explain that she had been kidnapped. They were a family. They wept when he was captured. They were attached to each other. They thought Jaycee was their sister, They don’t realise she was kidnapped.”

Despite reports, in the 18 year of captivity, Dugard did have contact with the outside world. She went to movies, to the supermarket, interacted with clients, had internet access. But during that time she maintained the name Allissa, never attended school or a doctor.

People of Walmart, Maia Campbell and Man slaps child in Walmart

maia campbell

People of Walmart

For those who haven't heard of this website already, and very few are left among those who are frequently on the Internet, People of Walmart features pictures from Walmart stores and parking lots all across the country of interesting customers and odd sights. This site is similar to I Can Has Cheezburger, which features pictures of cats with funny captions, in both layout and formula; therefore, it's understandable that this site has become a success. The formula they're using is sure to get laughs, which gets thousands of hits in this day and age.

I have no problem with this website whatsoever. It's an invasion of the privacy of those in the pictures, but it's not like the captions include personal attacks, addresses, or phone numbers. A lot of the time, the person's face isn't even in the frame because their back is turned or the person taking the picture pointed the lense low enough to keep the person's face out of it. So, even though they're prominently pictured on a popular website, they can still maintain their anonymity.

With how horrible things are going in this country, why can't we laugh at ourselves?

Maia Campbell

Former actress Maia Campbell is back in the news today for rumors surrounding her possibly being a prostitute. This descent is not surprising due the unflattering results you receive when you enter her name into Google. Here's to hoping she turns her life around.

Hip Hop Gossip! There's Facts....Then There's Gossip!: So Sad: Maia Campbell & DMX

OMG Is That You Maia Campbell??

Man Slaps Child in Walmart

Roger Stephens, 61, walked up to the mother of a 2-year-old girl who wouldn't stop crying and said "If you don't shut the baby up, I will shut her up for you." After a few moments, he allegedly grabbed the child, slapped her four times, and said "See, I told you I would shut her up." Another customer stopped him, security was called, police came, and he was arrested and charged with cruelty with children in the first degree, which is a felony.

Cincinnati Pops’ Erich Kunzel dies

erich kunzel

Erich Kunzel, the longtime conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra, died Tuesday at the age of 74, the orchestra announced.

Kunzel had suffered from cancer of the pancreas, liver and colon for several months. He died at his home in Swans Island, Maine.

“The world has lost a musical giant, and we have lost a dear friend,” said Trey Devey, president of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, in a statement.

Kunzel joined the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra as associate conductor in 1965, at the invitation of Maestro Max Rudolf. He began conducting pops concerts with the orchestra that year, then took the helm of the Cincinnati Pops when it was spun off from the symphony in 1977.

Over the years, Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra have performed at Carnegie Hall, Radio City Music Hall, the Grand Ol’ Opry and the Blossom Music Festival, and recorded more than 85 albums on the Telarc label. The orchestra’s international tours included playing at the opening ceremonies for the Olympic Games in China last summer.

Kunzel also conducted the National Symphony in Washington, D.C., in its nationally televised Memorial Day concerts. In 2006, Kunzel was presented with the 2006 National Medal of Arts by President and Mrs. Bush at the White House.

Locally Kunzel was a well-known figure, as beloved for his showmanship as his musical skills. He spearheaded the fundraising for Cincinnati Public Schools’ new School for Creative and Performing Arts, now under construction at Elm Street and Central Parkway.

Kunzel is survived by his wife, Brunhilde. Besides Maine, the couple have homes in Newport and Naples, Fla.

The orchestra said its fall Pops concerts will go on as scheduled, with guest conductors.

Cheapskating: Kronos spreads the gyros gospel with free food

kronos gyros

Kronos Foods, a company that supplies a bevvy of Chicago's far-flung gyros joints, is celebrating its self-invented holiday, "Free Gyros Day." The catch is relatively minor—the company will gladly accept your full name, address, and e-mail address in exchange for the opportunity to, according to the website, “EAT MORE GYROS!!!!!” Forty-four Chicago-area locations are participating, with 13 in the city proper, including Felony Franks and two The Works locations. Make sure to print a coupon before heading out today.

Duggar Family Announces 19th Child; Quiverfull Movement in Spotlight Again

quiverfull

The Duggar family is currently expecting their 19th child, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar announced this morning on The Today Show. The couple, who have a reality television show called 18 Kids and Counting (formerly 17 Kids and Counting) have garnered much media attention in recent years for their large family size and perhaps controversial religious practices.

Who are the Duggars?
According to the Duggar Family website, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are normal people, who have strived to live a life according to God's will. MSNBC reports that Jim Bob Duggar is a former state legislator from the Arkansas House of Representatives, while Michelle stays home and tends for their large (and getting larger brood)...including homeschooling. They started their reality television show on TLC in 2007, and have also written a book, The Duggars: 20 and Counting!

What religion are the Duggar family?
Much of the controversy surrounding the Duggar family has to do with their religion. Evangelical Christians, the Duggars are reported to prescribe to the Quiverfull movement (though there is no reference to the movement by name on their website), whose foundation is based on Psalm 127: 3-5, "Lo, Children are the heritage of the Lord; and the fruit of the womb is His Reward. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them..." The Quiverfull movement has received nationwide attention, especially since the Duggar family came into the spotlight. With feminists calling the Quiverfull movement anti-feminist and many worrying about the health and well-being of women and children that prescribe to the faith, it's no wonder that the Duggar family continue to gain an audience of those curious to see how and why they do it.

Why are the Duggars so popular?
If you've ever watched the Duggar family on 18 Kids and Counting, or listened to Michelle Duggar speak, you'll quickly see why the show and the family are so addictive. With a calm, patient manner and a way when she speaks, Michelle Duggar appeals to parents (religious or not) who strive to bring that calmness and patience to their own parenting. With well-behaved, caring children and a strong family unit, many wish their own family could mimic the Duggar's, if not in size, then in structure.

With the Duggar family expecting their 19th child, expect even more attention to fall towards the controversial Quiverfull movement, the Duggars, and TLC's 18 (19) Kids and Counting.

Yucaipa Fire Rages on with 30 mph Gusts.

yucaipa fires


The Oak Glen and Yucaipa fires have been putting people on edge through the night and into this morning. The Yucaipa fire has caused mandatory evacuations through out the Eastern end of the Yucaipa Valley, between Willdwood Canyon Road on the south, and Oak Glen Road to the north.

Winds have picked up, with gusting up to 30 mph out of the west, pushing the flames towards more homes and a mobile home park.

Yucaipa and Calimesa schools have been closed because of bad air quality.

There are a number of resources for people to find online, the most up-to-date information for Yucaipa can be found at Rimoftheworld.net, where they are posting transcriptions of the fire crews at http://www.rimoftheworld.net/incident/7175.

More information, phone numbers, wild fire information, and news can be found at http://www.inlandempire.us/fire_info.php