Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps Archives 16

Sadly, I did not have the foresight to archive the 2000 series and deleted most of the files.

Base 7 Repetitions

Sharon Stone In Danger of Death, Due to Head or Neck Injury or Unknown Medical Crisis

July 7, 2008: In past emails I have discussed the possibility of applying the base 7 system to specific individuals or for people to be able to use it to chart out their their own specific life patterns.

Occasionally celebrities allow us to have insight concerning their own moments of danger, illnesses, injuries, accidents, suicide attempts, and the like. Sometimes we know part of the story of their lives simply by paying attention to events that happen to them when they happen and keeping the dates in mind. Other times they will discuss such events in interviews, filling us in on what we never knew.

Actress Sharon Stone is one of these. The following prediction is based on her own life experiences: Sharon Stone is in danger of death in September 2008 ... and it could even happen a few months before or a few months later.

On September 29, 2001, seven years ago, Sharon Stone walked into the emergency room suffering from what she thought was the most painful migraine headache she ever had had in her life. Stone was diagnosed with "subarachnoid hemorrhage," after initial tests showed minor bleeding on the brain apparently caused by a tiny aneurysm. The condition, which involves bleeding into the space between the brain and the arachnoid membrane, the middle of three membranes covering the brain, causes 5 to 10 percent of all strokes. According to doctors the condition can stem from a brain aneurysm, but even so in Sharon's case they were unable to pinpoint a cause and Stone remained hospitalised through the week for further testing. An aneurysm is a bulging area in a weakened wall of a blood vessel that can rupture and cause bleeding.

By October 4, 2001, Sharon's health was being reported as "hanging in the balance." A neurosurgeon expert at the hospital on that day informed the media that the risk of her dying would be significantly reduced if she got through the next two weeks without any major complications.

On October 9, 2001, Sharon was released from the hospital and was expected to make a full recovery with "no medical restrictions on her personal or professional activities." Doctors said they performed an endovascular coil embolisation procedure to eliminate blood flow through a vertebral artery dissection, which caused the hemorrhage she had suffered in September. When leaving the hospital, the actress said in a statement, "I would like to thank my fans for their love and support and the miraculous power of prayer. I am forever grateful."

Does anyone find it more than a little strange that so many reports are being published now about how Sharon Stone has been offered a free brain scan by the animal rights group Peta? This offer was made as a statement commenting about her seemingly heartless remarks about "bad karma" over Tibet being the reason for China's killer earthquake.

This is actually a very ominous event by itself, with much attention to be paid to the root meaning of the word "ominous" which is omen.

The fact that her head was involved in the near death experience she had in 2001, we must seriously consider the possibility that Sharon Stone may be in danger of an injury to her head or neck.

In 1971, at age 13, Stone was riding a horse and ran into a clothes line. The clothesline abraded her neck badly, ripping into parts of the skin. A long scar on her throat and neck remains visible to this day and has been the subject of much speculation.

In 1986, she was involved in a car crash that injured her sister but left Sharon unharmed. However, she was not so lucky in 1990. Shortly after the release of Total Recall, the actress had a bad car accident on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Immediately after the acident, she went home, not knowing she had just suffered a concussion (here the head comes into play again). She woke up almost completely paralysed, and ended up laying on the floor, crying, for three days. When she finally got to the hospital, she was diagnosed with the concussion, a dislocated shoulder and jaw, several broken ribs, and three compressed disks in her back.

In 1993, whilst in a convenience store to purchase food and other items, Sharon found herself suddenly in the midst of a holdup. One of the thieves held a gun to her head for about five tense minutes before making a getaway (into the arms of the law), leaving the actress shaken but unharmed.

Thus, we can see that Sharon Stone has a history of close calls. To make matters worse, most of the close calls are on seperate base 7 timelines (1971, 1978, 1985, 1992, 1999, and 2006 ... with the horseriding accident non-repeating; 1990, 1997, and 1984 with the auto crash non-repeating ... and the 2001 brain aneurysm which, of course, has yet to indicate any tendancy to repeat). However, the 1986 car accident does give us a repetition in 1993 seven years later with the holdup, but notice that in both of these instances Sharon was not harmed!

Even so, the accumulative evidence suggests head or neck injuries could occur due to four major incidents: the horseriding accident (1971), the concussion received in the car crash (1990), a gun being held to her head (1993), and the brain aneurysm (2001).

Regarding anything else of a current medical nature, it is known that Ms Stone suffers from diabetes and has been successfully treating it for some time. Perhaps it is this condition that requires some attention now on her part or on the part of her personal physician?

Conclusion: Sharon Stone is in danger of dying from a serious head or neck injury or from brain damage from an injury or a medical condition in September 2008 or therabouts. Of course her diabetes must also be closely monitored at this time as well.

2008 Name Sounds

NOTE ABOUT BLUE ALERT SYSTEM (3/11/03): Some of you may recall a few years back when I used "name blends" -- rhyming sounds and off-rhyme clues from part of one name to determine what the next name in the sequence might be (or later in the year). An example was the death of Layne Stahley and how "Layne" led to "Lynne" then "Linda" and the car crash death of Linda Lovelace which followed. I surmised that "Lace" in "Lovelace" might lead to a "Leese" then "Lisa" tragedy. The next day, Lisa Lopes of TLC was killed in a car crash.

Rather than create a whole other section on this page for name blends, I will instead highlight certain names in the lists below in light blue that I feel may be influenced by celebrity deaths that have occurred this year.

IMPORTANT NOTE ON EXCLUSIONS (1/23/04): We acknowledge the passing of dancer and actress Ann Miller, age 81, and note with great regret the passing of Bob Keeshan (Captain Kangaroo), age 76. However, it is no longer the mission of this website to address the deaths of celebrities who are of advanced age or those who have had a long term health problem and are in their early elderly years. Such deaths are largely inevitable and often beyond any purposeful prediction. Also, the one and only applicable sound in Mr Keeshan's name ("eeeee") we now consider to be far too common to be remarkable or in any way useful for predictive purposes. Ergo, save for certain celebrities of advanced or elderly age who may appear on the prediction lists, we will no longer be publishing their obituaries and including comments.

Prominent name sounds must also be present. "Ray", for example, is a prominent sound, "Ay", on the other hand, is not. This distinction will become more clear as we progress through the year.

ANSWER TO POSSIBLE QUESTION: Hey ... why all the chicks on here and hardly no MEN??? (6/9/07):

UPDATE (7/31/08): My apologies for this very late debut of the Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps page for the year 2008! Due to a series of unrelated illnesses last year and this year, as well as a car crash in March of this year, progress on my entire website has been slowed considerably. Thus, because it is now the end of July 2008, this page will prove useless for prediction purposes for the expired period of January 1, 2008 through July 31, 2008 quite obviously. However, it will still prove invaluable as a predictive guide for the final five months of 2008 and we can of course look over what has happened in the last seven months and see what celebrities have already matched with the name sounds for this year.

Obviously, I will not be posting all of the celebrity deaths and mishaps that have occurred so far this year all at one time. They will be posted over the coming days and weeks, in no particular order. Of course, they must relate to the name sounds lists or the conditions in the base 7 section to appear on this page. Any name that is in orange on the predictions list (such as George Carlin) relates to the first seven months of 2008 and will not be considered a "prediction fulfilled" (since I cannot actually prove the name would have appeared on the list back in January). Meantime, beginning right now, anyone new for the remainder of the year who I feel relates to this page's conditions will be posted and, if the name is listed, will count as a prediction fulfilled.

So as not to waste more valuable time, I will skip doing a summary for 2007 for now. Perhaps I may feel like attending to that another time. If I do, it will appear on Celebrity Deaths and Mishaps Archives 15 at the appropriate location near the top part of the page.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Alyssa Milano, LeAnn Rimes, Leah Cairns, Lee Majors, Lisa Kudrow, Charlize Theron, Celine Dion, Miley Cyrus, Angelina Jolie, Billie Piper, Kylie Minogue, Lesley Ann Warren, Molly Ringwald, Sally Struthers, Sally Field, Shelley Duvall, Shelley Long, Shelley Hack, Shelley Fabares, Dolly Parton, Kathleen Beller, Kathleen Turner, Beverly Garland, Emily Robinson, Natalie Cole, Lily Tomlin, Kelly Packard, Cicely Tyson, Jamie Lee Curtis, Gena Lee Nolin, Sheryl Lee, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Talia Shire, Carol Lynley, Paula Kelly, Joanne Worley, Jennifer Tilly, Meg Tilly, Priscilla Presley, Jaime Pressly, Jean Louisa Kelly, Yasmine Bleeth, Julianne Margulies, Paula Abdul, Paula Marshall, Paula Poundstone, Paula Zahn, Barbra Streisand, Maria Bello, Maria Schneider, Gloria Estefan, Tanya Roberts, Olivia Burnette, Olivia Hussey, Gina Philips, Linda Hamilton, Linda Hunt, Linda Lavin, Linda Ronstadt, Belinda Carlisle, Sarah Wynter, Wynonna Judd. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Anne Pressly, 26, was a popular morning news anchor at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas.

LITTLE ROCK, Arkansas (AP) -- A popular local TV anchorwoman who had a small part in the Bush biopic "W" was in critical condition Monday after being beaten in her home. Police questioned whether she could have been targeted.

Anne Pressly, 26, is a popular morning news anchor at KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas.

KATV anchor Anne Pressly, 26, was found about 4:30 a.m. Monday -- a half-hour before she was due to appear on the station's "Daybreak" program. Pressly's mother went to the anchorwoman's house when she didn't answer a wake-up call, Little Rock police spokeswoman Cassandra Davis said.

Davis said investigators are talking to Pressly's co-workers to determine whether she "has had any problems." Davis said Pressly's purse was gone and that robbery was among the possible motives being explored.

In a statement, KATV president and general manager Dale Nicholson said the anchor "is a person who simply lights up the room, by just walking in. "The KATV family is having to deal with a personal crisis in our lives with the senseless brutality last night to one of our Daybreak anchors, Anne Pressly," Nicholson said. "I know her viewers will join her family as well as the KATV family in praying for a speedy recovery for Anne, who means so much to all of our staff."

Pressly was found unresponsive in her bed and a police report said she was bleeding from her head. Davis said Pressly was in critical condition at an hospital. Davis said Pressly was stabbed, but KATV cited investigators later in reporting that all of her injuries were from being beaten in the head and upper body.

Pressly appeared briefly in Oliver Stone's new movie about President Bush that opened over the weekend. She portrays a conservative commentator who speaks favorably of President Bush's "Mission Accomplished" event on an aircraft carrier shortly after the start of the Iraq war. She won the role after being noticed by the casting director when she went to Shreveport, La., where the movie was filmed, to work on a story about it and the city's film industry.

Spokeswoman Kate Hubin for the film company Lionsgate confirmed Pressly's role but declined to comment further.

KATV's Web site notes that Pressly's most notable interview was with Vice President Dick Cheney. Traveling through an Arkansas town, she found the highway blocked in front of a hunting goods store because Cheney was inside. Pressly asked for an interview, which she conducted on the ammunition aisle. Early Monday afternoon, a man answering a phone number for Pressly's mother, Patricia Cannady, said the family had no comment.

Arkansas TV anchor Anne Pressly dies days after attack

The murders of Anne Pressly and student president of NCU Eve Carson earlier this year are remarkably similar.

(CNN) -- CNN affiliate KATV in Little Rock, Arkansas, announced Saturday evening that its morning anchorwoman, Anne Pressly, died from injuries sustained in an assault. Pressly, 26, was found beaten early Monday at her home. She was hospitalized and sedated.

Pressly's parents released a statement saying they were "with her in her last moments." They also asked for "the privacy we need at this very difficult time," KATV reported.

Police said Pressly was apparently not targeted but was attacked during the course of a burglary. Her purse was missing. Pressly was beaten around the head, face and neck. She had been unable to communicate with her family or police while sedated in the intensive care unit.

The anchor's death came only a day after a doctor said he was encouraged by her recovery. Dr. Clifton R. Johnson said Friday that swelling in Pressly's brain had gone down since she was hospitalized and that doctors had slowly been reducing her sedative dosages.

Police have yet to identify a suspect, though detectives have combed the area around Pressly's home in the Heights neighborhood, a mix of bungalows and mansions near the Little Rock Country Club. News reports have said detectives found evidence that Pressly's credit card was used Monday at a gas station a few miles from her home.

On Saturday, KATV opened its nightly news cast with a seven-minute segment devoted to Pressly. Anchor Pamela Smith told viewers that Pressly's family agreed to have their daughter be an organ donor.

Smith's voice hitched as she read condolences sent into the station, her eyes red. "She owned every room she was in, not because she demanded our attention, but because we willingly gave it to her," Smith said. "We all felt a little better, a little more alive just being near her.

"Life was easy for Anne Pressly. But it is her death that is so very hard for all of us."

A reward fund KATV set up to help find the killer or killers has reached $30,000, the station reported on its Web site Saturday night.

Pressly had a brief role as a TV commentator in Oliver Stone's film "W.," released in theaters earlier in October.

Eve Carson, age 22, NCU student president

COMMENTS (11/6/08): I have a very strange feeling about this murder, a sort of de ja vu. The cruel death of Anne Pressly is all to reminiscent of the student nurse murders of Eve Carson and Lauren Burk committed earlier this year on virtually the same night only a few hours apart. There is even an eerie resemblance between Eve Carson and Anne Pressly. Carson and Burk were the second and third in a series of nursing/medical student murders around the US which later included four more young women studying in that same field. Out of the seven, four murders remain unsolved ... Burk and Carson's killers were caught and are now facing trial and the death penalty.

I realise that Anne Pressly was not in the medical field, but she was of the same age and appearance of Eve Carson, 22, who was the most popular of the student victims thus far as she was the college president at North Carolina University, and even shared her ability to light up her surroundings with her warm personality ... and she was likewise killed during the commission of a robbery.

As there are also three other university student murders, one an exchange student, none in the medical/nursing field however, but nevertheless unsolved ... the total nationwide is now seven student murders unsolved, and three solved, with the killer or killers of the seven unsolved cases still on the loose.

The question: has the nationwide trend now jumped from the most popular and locally "famous" of seven murdered female students to a local television news celebrity and budding actress? Are more local female celebrities in danger now? If another leap is made in the trend before the end of the year or early next year, will the victim be a famous blonde actress????

I should also add that Anne Pressly was also a "last name" match for Priscilla Presley and Jaime Pressly, listed above. Two names have been coded blue due to similarities.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): George W. Bush, George Carlin, George Foreman, Susan Day George, Linda Harrison, Harrison Ford, Tony Blair, Linda Blair, David Nelson, Keith Emerson, Mel Gibson, Michael Jackson, Richard Dawson, Ernie Hudson, Liam Neeson, Ted Danson, Jackie Mason, Reggie Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson, Craig T. Nelson, Kadeem Hardison, Tim Matheson, Jack Nicholson, La Toya Jackson, Janet Jackson, Twiggy Lawson, Lynn Anderson, Florence Henderson, Laurie Anderson, Kate Hudson, Kate Jackson, Emma Thompson, Oakley Stevenson, Elle Macpherson, Gillian Anderson, Loni Anderson, Angie Dickinson, Charles Nelson Reilly, Jackson Browne, Bronson Pinchot, Orson Bean, Jason Alexander, Jason Biggs, Jason Hervey, Jason Patric, Jason Gedrick, Wilson Cruz, Alison Krauss, Allison Parks. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Award-winning comedian George Carlin dies -- Carlin died Sunday of heart failure, his publicist said

Comedian George Carlin: new material any time soon?

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Comedian-actor George Carlin, known for his raunchy but insightful humor, died of heart failure Sunday in Los Angeles, his publicist said. He was 71.

Jeff Abraham says Carlin went into St. John's Health Center on Sunday afternoon, complaining of chest pain. Carlin died at 5:55 p.m. PDT, The Associated Press reported. Carlin, who had a history of heart trouble, performed as recently as last weekend at the Orleans Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas.

"He was a genius and I will miss him dearly," Jack Burns, who was the other half of a comedy duo with Carlin in the early 1960s, told the AP.

Carlin was best known for his routine "Seven Words You Can Never Say On Television," which appeared in 1972's "Class Clown" album. When Carlin uttered all seven at a show in Milwaukee in 1972, he was arrested for disturbing the peace, the AP reported.

The comedy sketch prompted a landmark indecency case after WBAI-FM radio aired it in 1973.

The case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices ruled on a 5-to-4 vote that the sketch was "indecent but not obscene," giving the FCC broad leeway to determine what constituted indecency on the airwaves. "So my name is a footnote in American legal history, which I'm perversely kind of proud of," Carlin said. "In the context of that era, it was daring."

"It just sounds like a very self-serving kind of word. I don't want to go around describing myself as a 'groundbreaker' or a 'difference-maker' because I'm not and I wasn't," he said. "But I contributed to people who were saying things that weren't supposed to be said."

Carlin, who was also an author, was slated to receive the 2008 Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in November. "In his length career as a comedian, writer, and actor, George Carlin has not only made us laugh, but he makes us think," Stephen Schwarzman, Kennedy Center chairman, said in a statement. "His influence on the next generation of comics has been far-reaching."

In a typical wry response, Carlin said: "Thank you Mr. Twain. Have your people call my people."

Carlin hosted the first broadcast of "Saturday Night Live" in October 1975. He played the character of Mr. Conductor on the PBS series "Shining Time Station" and starred in more than a dozen HBO specials. Carlin was also a regular on The Tonight Show.

He produced 23 comedy albums, 14 HBO specials, three books, a couple of TV shows and appeared in several movies, from his own comedy specials to "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" in 1989 -- a testament to his range from cerebral satire and cultural commentary to downright silliness (and sometimes hitting all points in one stroke), the AP reported.

"Why do they lock gas station bathrooms?" he once mused. "Are they afraid someone will clean them?" He won four Grammy Awards, each for best spoken comedy album, and was nominated for five Emmy awards, according to AP.

COMMENTS (7/31/08): This is sure turning out to be a bad year for jokers. I couldn't believe what I was hearing when George Carlin's death was being reported on the television. Seeing his recent appearance on HBO, I could see no indication the man was either ill or in some way not long for this world. His many video performances continue to be aired, as though nothing at all has happened. I guess it will start hitting home when I begin to notice he's run out of new material.

Jennifer Hudson identifies bodies of shot mother and brother as FBI called in to hunt for missing nephew, 7

The FBI have been called in to hunt for the seven-year-old nephew of Oscar-winning actress Jennifer Hudson, a day after her mother and brother were found with multiple gunshot wounds at her Chicago home.

Hudson's brother-in-law William Balfour is currently being questioned by police as a suspect, but he has not been charged.

He was at first thought to have kidnapped his son Julian King, but the seven-year-old was not with him when he was found.

Detectives said the double murder was a 'domestic incident' that had got horribly out of control.

Singer-actress Hudson, who appeared in Dreamgirls and the film version of Sex And The City, flew back to her home-town of Chicago from Florida.

She visited the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office overnight with other family members to identify the bodies of her mother and brother, according to the office.

The 27-year-old has cancelled her trip to Japan on Monday, where she was promoting her new album.

A statement from her representative Lisa Kasteler said: 'We can confirm that there is an ongoing investigation concerning the deaths of Jennifer Hudson's mother, Darnell Donerson, and her brother, Jason Hudson. No further comment will be made and the family has asked that their privacy be respected at this difficult time.'

Deputy Chief Joseph Patterson said Hudson's cousin entered the home around 3pm and after finding Darnell on the living room floor left to fetch help. Officers then found Hudson's mechanic brother Jason, 29, dead in the bedroom, Patterson said.

There was no sign of forced entry.Darnell, 57, was shot in the head while Jason was shot in the chest. At least one of the victims had 'defensive wounds' police said. Hudson's sister bus driver Julia reported her son as missing after work on Friday.

Mr Payton Balfour married Julia in 2006, but his mother Michele Davis Balfour told the Chicago Sun-Times they have been experiencing problems in the last few weeks and were separated. 'I didn't raise no murderer,' Michele Balfour insisted. 'He was not a child abductor. They have the wrong person.'

Tragic: Hudson's brother Jason (left) was found dead in his bedroom, while her nephew Julian King (right) is missing.

Records from the Illinois Department of Corrections show Balfour, 27, is on parole and spent nearly seven years in prison for attempted murder, vehicular hijacking and possessing a stolen vehicle. Hudson, whose father Samuel Simpson died when she was a teenager, has described herself as very close to her family.

In a recent interview she said her family, which included older siblings Julia and Jason, helped keep her grounded. She said: 'My faith in God and my family, they're very realistic and very normal, they're not into the whole limelight kind of thing, so when I go home to Chicago that's just another place that's home. 'I stand in line with everybody else, or, when I go home to my mom I'm just Jennifer, (so she says), "You get up and you take care of your own stuff." 'And I love that; I don't like when people tell you everything you want to hear, I want to hear the truth, you know what I mean.'

Hudson shot to fame as a contestant on American Idol in 2004. Last year, she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her critically-acclaimed performance as Effie White in Dreamgirls, co-starring Beyonce Knowles and Eddie Murphy. Following her performance as Carrie Bradshaw's assistant Louise in the Sex And The City Movie earlier this year, Hudson released her debut solo album three weeks ago. Her single Spotlight is currently No.12 in the UK singles charts. Last month, Hudson announced her engagement to boyfriend David Otunga.

COMMENTS (11/6/08): Everyone around Jennifer Hudson appears to be dead or in peril. A new report has also come out stating that Jennifer Hudson was actually supposed to be the target and something went wrong. Technically Jennifer Hudson was also a "last name" match for actress Kate Hudson, listed above. Four names have been coded blue due to similarities.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Kurt Russell, Tony Curtis, Valerie Curtin, Jane Curtin, Carroll Baker, Yoko Ono, Elias Koteas, Anna Kournikova, Paula Cole, Diane McBain, Beyonce, Don McLean, Freda Payne, Natalie Maine, Carol Kane, Diane Lane, Linda Gray, Susan Dey, Rebecca Gayheart, Patrick Swayze, Geena Davis, Patti Davis, Mariel Hemingway, Rebecca DeMornay, Sidney Poitier, Lynn Redgrave, Bill Gates, Cassie Yates, Rain Phoenix, Jay Leno, David Bowie, David Clayton-Thomas, David Faustino, Tuesday Weld, Lindsay Lohan, Kate Nelligan, Kate Winslet. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Actress Joyce Germain found with cord around neck

The block of units in Bourke Street, Darlinghurst and the victim, Joyce Germain

THE badly decomposed body of a US actress was found buried beneath towels, cushions and a foot spa in the bathroom of her Sydney apartment, her inquest has been told. Joyce Germain, 59, had been dead for up to six days when police rescue workers found her body in her flat in Darlinghurst in April 2006.

Counsel assisting the inquest into her death Sergeant Rebecca Becroft told Glebe Coroners Court today the crime scene could only be described as "strange and bizarre". Ms Germain's dress was lifted above her shoulders and a clothes peg was attached to her genitals. Towels, cushions, a foot spa and a construction hat covered her body, obscuring all but her right arm. An electrical cord was wrapped around her neck and a toaster had been strung from the shower rail.

A knife and a razor blade were discovered near her body and lipstick was smeared throughout the bathroom and on Ms Germain.

"There did not appear to be any knife-inflicted injuries at the time of post-mortem," Sgt Becroft said. While the circumstances were clearly suspicious, two autopsies had been unable to determine a cause of death, she said.

Four persons of interest had been identified and would give evidence at the inquest, Sgt Becroft said.

Drug user Chady Wazir told police he had discovered Ms Germain's body and had sat beside her corpse while he injected ice into himself. A syringe containing his DNA was found in the bathroom.

Police also discovered a handwritten note from a woman named Brenda in Ms Germain's letterbox, warning her to beware of "Kiwi John".

A New Zealand man named John Adrian Marsh had been a friend of Ms Germain and appeared nervous when he was approached by police, the police officer in charge of in the investigation, Detective Constable Lawrence Milburn, said..

Another man, Robert Kamminga, came to the attention of police after yelling from his balcony above Ms Germain's flat that he "knew who did it", Det-Constable Milburn said. When he went upstairs to speak with Mr Kamminga, the detective said, he found "leather items, whips and chains hanging from the walls" for use in sexual activity.

Det-Constable Milburn said Mr Kamminga told him, "You can be my master any time, come round after work." When he reminded him it was a serious police investigation, Mr Kamminga replied, "Doesn't mean we can't have fun."

The area where Ms Germain lived was "notorious for prostitution, drug use and robbery", Det-Constable Milburn said.

Ms Germain was born in California and appeared in films and television commercials while a young woman in the US. She moved to Sydney in February 1986 and was described by those people closest to her as a "flamboyant character" and "mother figure" to many of the women who attended the local women’s crisis and community centres.

COMMENTS (1/23/09): Ewwwww, that hideous kink! Kinda reminds of me of how ol Doc Cyclops himself, Albert Dekker, was found hanging in the shower under very similar circumstances back in May 1968. Could be that Joycie "pleasure is my pain" Germain was a hardcore submissive to the bittersweet end, indicatin' a major actor or actress will take the kinky way out in May 2010, as can be read about in my Hollywood Horrors Part Two prediction about a famous actor or actress following the ultimate example of true kink-masters like Albert "Cyclops" Dekker and Clara "Auntie Em" Blandick on 2010 (Part Three).

Sydney actress's death scene described as 'auto-erotic'

A POLICE officer who investigated the bizarre death of Sydney actress Joyce Germain has described it as her "most unusual job". She also told of having never seen such a strange "auto-erotic" scene like it previously and said the scene where her body was found looked "staged", The Daily Telegraph reports.

Crime scene officer Senior Constable Sarah Davis also told the inquest at Glebe Coroners Court she had never seen anything like it, saying: "It was the most unusual job".

It is believed Ms Germain, an American actress, had been dead for six days when police discovered her decomposed body in her Darlinghurst unit in April 2006.

A foot spa and white hard hat were found on the 59-year-old's body while the cord of an electric iron was wrapped around her neck.

A blue clothes peg had been attached to Ms Germain's genitals and a banana skin was found nearby.

Sen Con Davis described the scene in the bathroom and laundry, where the body was found, as strange.

"It looked suspicious in that she had obviously died and somebody had placed stuff on top of her.

The officer said a disposable razor found between Ms Germain's legs had hair residue and shaving cream on it, and the woman's pubic region appeared partly shaved.

Sen Const Davis told the court that hair knotted around the iron cord made her think there had been a struggle.

She also said she had attended scenes where people had died during auto-erotic activity "but they were not like this - this was more propped".

The inquest has heard that decomposition made it difficult to determine how Ms Germain died.

Four people have been named as being of interest to police investigating her death.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Lee Trevino, Jason Priestley, Marilyn Chambers, Fergie, Veronica Cartwright, Martin Sheen, Charlie Sheen. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Mark Priestley dead, co-star Jolene Anderson injured

DETAILS of All Saints actor Mark Priestley's tragic death have finally emerged today. The much-loved actor, 32, who played nurse Dan Goldman, was found dead on an awning of the Myer store at Pitt St, on the corner of Market St, Sydney, at 2pm yesterday (Wednesday).

Police sources said the 32-year-old jumped from the Swissotel on the corner of Market and George Streets and was killed instantly. There are unconfirmed reports he plunged from a 22nd-floor room.

The incident caused chaos in the middle of the city, with emergency crews bringing in a cherry picker to help retrieve the body and to examine the crime scene.

A police spokesman said the death was not being treated as suspicious. A coroner would examine the circumstances of his death.

He checked into the hotel yesterday morning, Swissotel staff confirmed. He was alone when he checked in but it is unknown if he had any company with him at the time he plunged.

Swissotel marketing manager Georgina Williams said hotel staff were working with police.

Meanwhile it has emerged that his co-star Jolene Anderson - who plays Goldman's love interest Erica Templeton - was caught in a car crash yesterday. Anderson is recovering but was left "in shock" when informed of Priestley's death today.

Cast members of the hit Channel Seven medical drama are in mourning after the news was broken today.

Mark Priestley's closest acting colleagues today paid tribute to a remarkable actor and kind soul."It's so sad. He has some quiet from the pain now. He was a gift," said close friend and All saints co-star Wil Traval.

"Mark the actor was intuitive, and graced every scene in which he appeared with touch of whimsical genius that only he could apply.

"Mark the man was a shining light. A unique personality. I worked with him on stage and on screen, and will miss him more than I can say right now." said All Saints co-star John Waters.

"In each and every moment Mark spent with us on All Saints he gave his all. He could bring light, laughter and love to everything he did. We treasure every memory and experience. To have worked with him was a privilege. To have been able to call him a friend was a priceless gift," said the cast All Saints.

"Mark Priestley - a beautiful man of such sensitivity, genorosity, humour and talent. He was respected and admired by the industry in a way that few artists are. It's just too sad to think about what his family and close friends are going through right now," said Lisa Mann, Priestley's agent.

"Mark has created a wonderful spirited character whose truth resonates throughout our show. His work as an actor is always inventive and his performance in All Saints is a joy to watch. I have lost a major colourful character and a friend of many years," said Bill Hughes, series producer, All Saints.

"Mark was a remarkable person, one of those people you can't help but love. He could be quite a handful at times, but he had the most extraordinary combination of very deft comic touch and great emotional depth," said John Howard, All Saints co-star.

The Seven Network also released the following statement: "Mark Priestley was a tremendous young person – loved and respected by his fellow All Saints cast members and crew.

"After graduating from NIDA in 1999, Mark took on key roles in series such as Changi, The Secret Life Of Us and Blue Heelers before joining the cast of All Saints in 2004 as Nurse Dan Goldman. He also worked with the famed Bell Shakespeare Company and the Sydney Theatre Company."

Seven’s Director of Programming and Production Tim Worner said: "Mark was such a brilliant artist. His work on stage and screen was admired by everybody who knew him. His death is such a sad loss. We at Channel Seven will miss his energy and smile. Our thoughts and prayers are with Mark’s family and friends'.”

COMMENTS (9/3/08): Technically Mark Priestley was a "last name" match for actor Jason Priestley, listed above. This is really quite crazy ... on the nearly 21st anniversary (3 x 7) of actress Elizabeth Hartman's (see below) suicide by falling from her 5th floor apartment window, supermodel Ruslana Korshunova goes one better by jumping from a 9th floor apartment balcony. Thus far, the record has been held by singer Susannah McCorkle who took a swan dive off her 16th storey balcony seven years ago. So where's the water when you need it? Mark Priestley took the high board at 22 floors! No amount of water would have saved him.

Meantime there is Mark's All Saints co-star, Jolene Anderson, who crashed hard, but survived:

Mark Priestley 'love' Jolene Anderson injured in smash

AS Sydney reels at the news of All Saints actor Mark Priestley's death, it has emerged that his co-star Jolene Anderson - who played his on-screen lover - has been injured in a car smash.

Her character married Priestley's character, nurse Dan Goldman, after an on-off relationship, in Tuesday's episode - causing a ratings spike in Sydney.

Anderson was returning home from a matinee performance of Tell Me On A Sunday - her new musical - when her vehicle was stttruck by a truck.

An understudy was forced to cover for the actress in last night's stage musical at the Seymour Centre.

A staffer at Kookaburra Theatre, which produces the show, was unable to comment on when Anderson is expected to return to her leading lady role.

She has been informed of the Priestley tragedy today and is said to be "in shock" but has no comment to make, a spokesman said.

Porn star Marilyn Chambers dies at 56

Marilyn Chambers, porno queen, dies seven years to the month after the death of deep throater, Linda Lovelace.

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- Porn icon Marilyn Chambers was found dead in her Los Angeles home Sunday night, but investigators do not suspect foul play, according to a Los Angeles County Sheriff's spokesman.

Chambers began her career in 1970 as a model for Ivory Snow soap, and starred two years later in the porn classic "Behind the Green Door."

"She was a really nice girl," said actor Ron Jeremy, who co-starred with Chambers in adult films starting in the 1970s.

Chambers' death was a "total shock," Jeremy said, because they had been scheduled to sign a contract Monday to perform together in an off-Broadway "tongue-in-cheek" re-enactment of the porn classic "Deep Throat."

"What's strange is that she was at a stage where she was totally happy and totally content with her life," Jeremy said. "Her life was falling together, and she was doing really well."

A family member found Chambers, 56, in the mobile home where she lived in the Canyon Country area home and called police Sunday evening, sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitemore said.

The death appeared to be from natural causes, although toxicology tests have not been completed, Whitemore said.

The coroner's investigation has not been completed, and no cause of death has been determined, according to a spokesman with the Los Angeles Medical Examiner's office.

Although her career was mostly in X-rated films, Chambers' fame was boosted by the irony that her face had graced the Ivory Snow box, a soap advertised as "99 and 44/100% pure." Chambers eventually co-starred with all of the best-known porn actors of the 1970s and 1980s, Jeremy said.

COMMENTS (4/14/09): Marilyn Chambers is named in the prediction list above. Is there really anything "natural" about dying at age 56??? Marilyn Chambers, porno queen, dies seven years to the very month after the death of deep throater, Linda Lovelace. Lovelace died of medical complications that set in during hospitalisation following a car crash. Thus far, no one is saying how Chambers died.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Elizabeth Taylor, Elizabeth Hurley, Angela Cartwright, Carlene Carter, Paul McCartney, Art Garfunkel, Nicole Kidman, Sally Kellerman, Sandahl Bergman, Justine Bateman, Tracy Chapman, Gene Hackman, Paul Newman, Mandy Moore, Amanda Pays. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Paul Newman dies at 83

(CNN) -- Paul Newman, the legendary actor whose steely blue eyes, good-humored charm and advocacy of worthy causes made him one of the most renowned figures in American arts, has died of cancer at his home in Westport, Connecticut. He was 83.

Paul Newman's handsome face and solid acting made him a popular and respected film star. He died Friday, according to spokeswoman Marni Tomljanovic.

Newman attained stardom in the 1950s and never lost the movie-star aura, appearing in such classic films as "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," "Exodus," "The Hustler," "Cool Hand Luke," "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid," "The Sting" and "The Verdict." He finally won an Oscar in 1986 -- on his eighth try -- for "The Color of Money," a sequel to "The Hustler." He later received two more Oscar nominations. Among his other awards was the Motion Picture Academy's Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award.

"Paul took advantage of what life offered him, and while personally reluctant to acknowledge that he was doing anything special, he forever changed the lives of many with his generosity, humor, and humanness," said Robert Forrester, vice chairman of the actor's Newman's Own Foundation. "His legacy lives on in the charities he supported and the Hole in the Wall Camps, for which he cared so much."

He was often willing to make fun of himself. Early in his career he was mistaken for fellow Method actor Marlon Brando; Newman obligingly signed autographs, "Best wishes, Marlon Brando."

Newman was a Method-trained actor who blazed his own career trail and didn't shy away from risky roles -- inside and outside films. A portrayal as a race-car driver in 1969's "Winning" led to his actual competition in races; at 70, he participated in the 24 Hours of Daytona and he was still racing at age 80.

He stumped for liberal causes, including Eugene McCarthy's 1968 presidential candidacy, and earned a spot on Richard Nixon's enemies list -- "the highest single honor I've ever received," he said.

In 1982, Newman and his friend A.E. Hotchner founded Newman's Own, a food company that produced food ranging from pasta sauces to salad dressing to chocolate chip cookies. "The embarrassing thing is that the salad dressing is outgrossing my films," Newman once wryly noted.

To date, the company -- which donates all profits to charities such as Newman's Hole in the Wall camps -- has given away more than $200 million. Newman established the camp to benefit gravely ill children. "He saw the camps as places where kids could escape the fear, pain and isolation of their conditions, kick back and raise a little hell," Forrester said. Today, there are 11 Hole in the Wall camps around the world, with additional programs in Africa and Vietnam. Some 135,000 children have attended the camps -- free of charge.

The Association of Hole in the Wall Camps "is part of his living legacy, and for that we remain forever grateful," the association said in a statement. "We are greatly saddened by his passing. His leadership and spirit can never be replaced. But he has left us strong and confident."

Newman was half of one of the most successful showbiz marriages -- to Joanne Woodward, whom he married in 1958. He observed that just because he was a sex symbol there was no reason to commit adultery. "Why would I go out for a hamburger when [I] have steak at home?" he asked.

Newman's daughters said described him as a devoted husband, a loving father, an adoring grandfather and a dedicated philanthropist. "Our father was a rare symbol of selfless humility, the last to acknowledge what he was doing was special," they said in a statement. "Intensely private, he quietly succeeded beyond measure in impacting the lives of so many with his generosity. "Always and to the end, Dad was incredibly grateful for his good fortune. In his own words: 'It's been a privilege to be here.'"

CNN's Larry King, who interviewed Newman through the years, said he greatly admired the actor. "He lived a long and terrific life," King said Saturday morning. "He was much appreciated. Did some theater, graduated Yale. Long marriage to Joanne Woodward. One of those showbiz rarities."

Possible predictions (7/31/08): John Lithgow, John Travolta, John Malkovich, John McEnroe, John Davidson, John Elway, John Aniston, John Cusack, John Carpenter, John Fogerty, John Goodman, John Hurt, John Kassir, John Landis, John Stamos, Johnny Crawford, Johnny Depp, Johnny Mathis, Elton John, Jill St John, Olivia Newton-John, Artie Johnson, Magic Johnson, Don Johnson. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Kingston Trio member John Stewart, 'Daydream Believer' songwriter dies

John Stewart wrote Daydream Believer in 1967

John Stewart, who wrote the Monkees hit Daydream Believer and was a member of folk group The Kingston Trio, has died.

The 68-year-old suffered a massive stroke or brain aneurysm in San Diego on Friday, according to The Kingston Trio's website.

Stewart joined the group, one of the most successful and influential groups in popular folk, in 1961.

He wrote Daydream Believer, a global hit for The Monkees, in 1967, the same year he left The Kingston Trio. He went on to record more than 45 solo albums and his biggest solo success came with a US top five single, Gold, in 1979.

Stewart had been told in recent years he was in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease and had suffered numerous minor strokes, his friend Tom DeLisle wrote on The Kingston Trio site.

He collapsed in his hotel room and doctors said any surgery to save his life, if successful, would have left him immobile and unable to speak.

"John Stewart leaves a compilation of musical excellence unparalleled in his time," Mr DeLisle wrote. "He leaves behind a wide-ranging group of fans who have felt a passion for him and his music that bordered on fanaticism."

COMMENTS (3/18/09): The career of prolific singer/songwriter John Stewart spanned several eras in contemporary folk and rock music. At a time when rock n' roll was losing a part of its audience due to the death of Buddy Holly and a drought of new music from Elvis Presley who had volunteered to join the army, folk music and jazz music filled the gap, especially among the college-age crowd. The late Dave Guard formed the Kingston Trio in 1958 with fellow members Nick Reynolds and Bob Shane. Never intending to become a commercial success, the group produced a number of Top 40 hits during the Guard years, songs like "Tom Dooley," "A Worried Man," "Scotch and Soda," "This Land Is Your Land," and others.

Guard left the group in 1961 and John Stewart continued the Trio's dedication to both traditional and contemporary folk music, at times with a bit of country and blues-twanging rock n' roll. His first major hit with the group was Greenback Dollar, written by the late folk singer/songwriter Hoyt Axton (who starred as the saleman dad in the 1984 film Gremlins), perhaps the most famous of the Kington Trio hits.

Other pop hit successes, among many, included 500 Miles, Jane, Jane, Jane, Bottle Of Wine, and Seasons In The Sun (later to be covered by Terry Jacks as a pop rock hit in 1974).

The Kingston Trio style, as well as that of Peter, Paul, and Mary, inspired many rock bands in the middle and late 1960s. Indeed, rock music per se, before the advent of heavy metal, was almost entirely a fusion of folk and rock. Even psychedelic bands like Jefferson Airplane had folk music to thank for helping them to create their sound. We can hear the Kingston Trio ballad style easily being imitated even in early Beatles classics like And I Love Her and A Taste Of Honey. Complex harmony vocals that sounded easy was a major signature of the Kingston Trio, as it was with the Everly Brothers, and this also inspired bands like The Beatles.

As the article above says, after Stewart left the Kingston Trio in 1967, he wrote the smash hit Daydream Believer for The Monkees. In 1969, weeks after the Apollo Moon Landing, Stewart released his first solo hit, appropriately titled Armstrong (in homage to the astronaut Neil Armstrong). But one of the biggest surprises yet to come was the sudden appearance of John Stewart on the charts ten years later, hitting number #1 in July 1979 with the song Gold, which he performed with Fleetwood Mac lead singer Stevie Nicks. Quite a distance covered indeed.

There is doubtless a book that could be written about not only John Stewart, but the folk band Kingston Trio as well, in both the Dave Guard and John Stewart years.

Sadly, not only did John Stewart die last year, but so too did original Kingston Trio member Nick Reynolds. This could not be mentioned due to the lack of a "name sound" relationship.

So two Trio members died in 2008. Only one surviving Trio member is left: Bob Shane.

Slowly, but surely, all of the stars of music and film and literature who helped to shape our sense of national identity and contributed to the "Americana" of the post-World War II era are fading forever into the American landscape.

John Travolta's Son Jett Travolta Found Dead

John Travolta's 16-year-old son, Jett, died today while the family was vacationing in the Bahamas, police said. The boy's body was discovered by his caretaker, Jeff Michael Kathrain, at around 10 a.m. in a bathtub in the Travoltas' suite at the Old Bahama Bay Resort Hotel on Grand Bahama island, local police chief superintendent Basil Rahming told The Post.

"We are still investigating," Rahming said. Jett was rushed to Rand Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival, hospital officials said.

Neither Travolta, wife Kelly Preston, nor anyone else had seen Jett alive since he went to use the bathroom the evening before, according to the police report. Authorities said they would be conducting an autopsy, but the family believes he died of a seizure, said Travolta's attorney, Michael Ossi.

Travolta told investigators that Jett had a long history of seizures and other medical problems.

Travolta and Preston say the teen has long suffered from complications resulting from Kawasaki disease, a rare lymph-node disorder that causes severe rashes and fevers. But those who have seen Jett in public, most recently in Paris two months ago, speculate that the boy was autistic.

Some contend that Travolta - who never talks publicly about Jett - refuses to acknowledge the condition because of his belief in Scientology, which frowns upon mental illness and rejects psychology and psychiatry.

Preston went on the "Montel Williams Show" in 2002 to talk about Kawasaki disease, which she said Jett developed as a result of inhaling household chemicals. The disease tends to afflict young children, predominantly in Asia. Jett was put on a special detox program as prescribed by Scientology, Preston said.

"He ended up getting better," she said, but noted the boy still "has lots of allergies." In 2007, one of Travolta's Florida neighbors, whose son is autistic, said he was shocked that the movie star could let his beliefs stand in the way of helping the boy. "They see it as a weakness. That's what the space aliens are telling him, I guess," Tim Kenny told Hollywoodinterrupted.com after approaching Travolta as "one autistic father to another."

"Scientology is keeping him from acknowledging his son's autism. They see it as a weakness," he said.

Kenny also complained that unlike other celebrity fathers of autistic children, such as Sylvester Stallone, Travolta has done nothing to help.

In the world according to L. Ron Hubbard, as Tom Cruise has pointed out to much criticism, Western medicine and antidepressants are frowned upon. Instead, a cure of hard work is preferred. The existence of autism is not acknowledged. Travolta has reportedly bragged about Jett's passion for reading and sports, but it is clear to observers that he is barely able to do either.

When the family was criticized for neglecting Jett's condition, attorney Marty Singer called the charge "false and defamatory."

"The Travoltas are wonderful, loving parents, and their priority is their children," Singer told The Post at the time. "They have [taken] and they continue to take the best possible care of their children."

The family arrived in the Bahamas Tuesday on a private jet flown by Travolta.Travolta, 54, Preston, 46, and 8-year-old daughter Ella Blue will appear along with Robin Williams in the upcoming film "Old Dogs."

COMMENTS (4/18/09): John Travolta is named in the prediction list above. Two days overlapping into 2009 from 2008.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Dorothy Hamill, Dorinda Stevens, Kathy Bates, Kathy Ireland, Kathy Mattea, Sydney Pollack, Andrew McCarthy, Jenny McCarthy. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Toni Braxton has more medical tests

Toni Braxton is undergoing more tests for a heart problem

LAS VEGAS, Nevada (AP) -- Toni Braxton won't return to the stage on the Las Vegas Strip until at least next month. Toni Braxton is undergoing more tests for a heart problem. The Flamingo Las Vegas says Braxton's show will remain dark this week while the 40-year-old Grammy winner has more medical tests following her April 7 hospitalization for chest pain. Braxton was released the following day, but last week's shows were canceled.

Flamingo President Don Marrandino said her Tuesday-through-Saturday shows are also off, and Braxton will take advantage of a previously scheduled two-week break. She is due to resume her show at the Flamingo Showroom on May 6. The Flamingo is offering refunds for the canceled shows.

The exact cause of Braxton's chest pain hasn't been made public. She has been treated in the past for pericarditis, a viral inflammation of the heart.

Braxton is a six-time Grammy winner for songs including "Un-break My Heart." Her Las Vegas act, "Toni Braxton: Revealed," is in the midst of a two-year run at the Flamingo.

US director Sydney Pollack dies

Always the kidder, Sydney Pollack points and says "You're next!" after learning of his death.

US film director and producer Sydney Pollack has died of cancer, aged 73. He won producing and directing Oscars for the epic romance Out of Africa, starring Robert Redford and Meryl Streep, in 1985. He also directed Dustin Hoffman in Tootsie, plus The Way We Were, in which Redford partnered Barbra Streisand.

He died on Monday, surrounded by family members, at his home in Pacific Palisades in Los Angeles. He had been diagnosed with cancer 10 months ago. "Sydney made the world a little better, movies a little better and even dinner a little better," said George Clooney, on whose latest film, Leatherheads, Pollack was executive producer. "A tip of the hat to a class act. He'll be missed terribly."

Actress Sally Field, who was directed by Pollack in Absence of Malice, also paid tribute. "Having the opportunity to know Sydney and work with him was a great gift in my life," Field said in a statement. "He was a good friend and a phenomenal director and I will cherish every moment that I ever spent with him."

Born in Indiana on 1 July 1934, Pollack started out as an actor, although he was best remembered as a director. He developed a love of drama and opted to enrol at drama school in New York - where he studied for two years under Sanford Meisner - rather than going to college.

He continued performing throughout his career, appearing in his last film, Made of Honor, opposite Patrick Dempsey earlier this year. From the start, Pollack's career was identified with the big names and big studios of Hollywood.

The Slender Thread, his first feature film, starring Sidney Poitier and Anne Bancroft, was released by Paramount Pictures in 1965. Music producer Quincy Jones, who scored that movie, said: "Sydney Pollack's immense talents as a director were only surpassed by the compassion that he carried in his soul for his fellow man."

In later years, Pollack collaborated with the likes of Burt Lancaster, Jane Fonda, Robert Mitchum, Al Pacino, Tom Cruise, Harrison Ford and Nicole Kidman. He compared the Hollywood greats to working with thoroughbred horses, saying they were temperamental and he sometimes got thrown - but when they performed, the experience was thrilling.

Okay, Bill, let's cut the bullshit. All right? You've been way out of your depth for the last 24 hours. That whole play-acted, "take me" phony sacrifice that you've been jerking off with had nothing to do with her real death. Nothing happened after you left that hadn't happened to her before. She got her brains fucked out. Period.

But critics said as well as working with crowd-drawing stars, he also produced passionate and intelligent films which respected their audiences.

Pollack worked with Hollywood's leading stars for four decades "Called the quintessential 'actor's director', Sydney let the dialogue and the emotion of a scene speak for itself," said Michael Apted, president of the Directors Guild of America. "Not given to cinematic tricks, his gentle and thoughtful touch and his focus on the story let us inhabit the world he created in each film."

Later in his career Pollack teamed up with British film-maker Anthony Minghella, who died in March, at production company Mirage Enterprises, to become a prolific producer of independent films. Their releases included Cold Mountain and Sketches of Frank Gehry, a 2007 documentary which was the last film Pollack directed.

COMMENTS (1/23/09): "Listen, Bill, nobody killed anybody. Someone died. It happens all the time. But life goes on. It always does...until it doesn't. But you know that, don't you?"

As can be seen from the list, the name Sydney Pollack was predicted for this year.

Model Jenny Grant hangs herself after falling out with friends

Model Jenny Grant hanged herself dead in the hallway of her home in September 2008.

A 19-year-old aspiring model hanged herself at home after she had fallen out with friends at a party, an inquest has heard. Jenny Grant, who had just finished her first year studying psychology and criminology at Lancaster University, had also split up with her boyfriend before she was found dead on September 13 last year by police. She was in the process of launching a career in modelling at the time of her death and had been on a photo shoot.

The inquest at Wallasey Town Hall in Wirral, Merseyside, heard she left a party, where she had been drinking rum, vodka and wine, after a disagreement with friends at around 1am. She then spoke to her ex-boyfriend, Kevin Walsh, on the phone when she returned home.

Mr Walsh contacted police after he became worried and police found Jenny hanging in the hallway, the inquest was told.

A post mortem by Dr David Agbamu on September 16 concluded she died from hanging and was just under one-and-a-half times the legal drink-drive limit of 80 micrograms. A drugs test was negative.

Christopher Johnson, coroner for Wirral, said the circumstances surrounding Jenny's death were "perplexing".

Speaking about Miss Walsh's phone conversation with her ex-boyfriend, Mr Johnson said: "She appeared to be very depressed and could not be contacted subsequently." But he said: "She had everything in the world to look forward to."

Mr Johnson said it "seems totally illogical" Jenny hanged herself after recently splitting up with her boyfriend and a "verbal disagreement with some of her girlfriends".

"There is simply no explanation for such a talented young lady to die in such circumstances which she did," he said. Recording a narrative verdict Mr Johnson said: "The deceased died as a result of suspension by her own hand but the question of intent remains unclear."

Jenny's mother Lynn Grant, 47, said in a statement after the hearing: "I will never get over the tragic death of my beautiful daughter Jenny. It has left an empty space in the hearts of all her family and friends.

Wannabe Model Jenny Grant Hanged Herself After A Row With Friends At A Party, An Inquest Is Told

Aspiring model Jenny Grant "died as a result of suspension by her own hand but the question of intent remains unclear."

A 19-year-old aspiring model hanged herself after she had fallen out with friends at a party, an inquest has heard. Jenny Grant had also split up with her boyfriend before she was found dead at her home in Wallasey, Wirral, Merseyside, on September 13 last year.

Described as both "talented" and "beautiful", she had just finished her first year studying psychology and criminology at Lancaster University.

She was hoping to launch a career in modelling and had been on a photo shoot with the Sun newspaper.

Coroner Christopher Johnson said the circumstances surrounding Jenny's death were "perplexing" and "illogical".

Speaking about her final phone conversation with her ex-boyfriend, Mr Johnson said she "appeared to be very depressed". But he added: "She had everything in the world to look forward to.

"There is simply no explanation for such a talented young lady to die in such circumstances which she did."

The inquest at Wallasey Town Hall heard Jenny had gone to a party and had been drinking before she left following the row with friends at around 1am. After her phone call, boyfriend Kevin Walsh contacted police who found Jenny hanging in the hallway at her home at around 4.30am.

Recording a narrative verdict Mr Johnson said: "The deceased died as a result of suspension by her own hand but the question of intent remains unclear."

After the hearing Jenny's mother Lynn Grant, 47, said in a statement: "I will never get over the tragic death of my beautiful daughter Jenny. "It has left an empty space in the hearts of all her family and friends. Our wonderful memories of her will stay with us all forever."

The name "Jenny" was intimated by the name "Jenny McCarthy" in the list above. What a beautiful waste. The event occurred in September 2008, but is only being reported about now.

It may not go over well with certain people that I say this, but when a coroner describes the death of anyone in their twenties or late teens who is found hanged as "perplexing," uses the key phrase "suspension by her (or his) own hand," and concludes that "the question of intent remains unclear," it is likely to be attributed to accidental death by hanging during the commission of autoerotic asphyxiation. Jenny Grant, judging from her photos, was a highly-sexed person ... a trait which is not unusual to find in such well-known AEA victims as rock singer Michael Hutchence and porn actress Alex Jordan.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Terence Trent D'Arby, Matthew Perry, Morgan Fairchild, Alastair Yates, Paris Hilton, Karen Black, Karen Westwood, Cheryl Tiegs, Cher, Sharon Stone, Sherilyn Fenn. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Brilliant chess master, world-class eccentric Bobby Fischer dies

Today world reknown chess champion Bobby Fischer [R] lost the final match against his opponent, the Grim Reaper [L]

(CNN) -- Chess master Bobby Fischer, one of the greatest chess players in history, has died, a spokesman for the World Chess Federation confirmed to CNN Friday.

He was 64. No cause of death was given.

Fischer became the first American world chess champion when he defeated Boris Spassky of the Soviet Union in a legendary encounter during the Cold War in 1972. Former Russian chess champion Garry Kasparov said Fischer would be remembered as "the pioneer, some would say the founder, of professional chess" and called his death "very sad news."

According to media reports in Iceland, Fischer died at a hospital in the capital, Reykjavik. He moved to Iceland after being granted citizenship in 2005.

Fischer became almost as famous for his personality quirks and his renegade behavior as for his brilliance at chess. He learned to play as a child in Brooklyn, New York, and quickly became a prodigy.

He was only 15 when he reached the level of grand master in August, 1958.

Today world reknown chess champion Bobby Fischer [R] lost the final match against his opponent, the Grim Reaper [L]

His memorable and tumultuous defeat of Spassky in 21 games highlighted his eccentricity. He forfeited the second game of the contest after he refused to play on, complaining that the presence of cameras was distracting him. The match was then moved to a back room.

Some suspected that Fischer's sometimes bizarre behavior throughout the match was intended to unnerve the highly disciplined Spassky.

Fischer never defended his crown, refusing a 1975 match against Anatoly Karpov, another Soviet. The WCF awarded the title to Karpov and Fischer dropped from sight for nearly two decades.

In 1992, he resurfaced to play Spassky in a rematch in Belgrade, a move that defied U.S. sanctions against the former Yugoslavia. He won the chess match and the prize money of $3.5 million, but spent the next decade as a reclusive and somewhat mysterious figure who was regarded as a fugitive by American authorities.

"He was truly a great player, one of the best there has ever been. It is a sad loss to the world of chess," said Gerry Walsh, the head of the English branch of the WCF. He had been ill for some time, Walsh said.

Not one to be a poor loser, Fischer nonetheless insisted he would continue playing chess in his spare time "as conditions permit"

"Fischer was a source of inspiration for all young players," said Kasparov, who said he would be remembered for his efforts to improve conditions for fellow professionals in the game and as a "warrior" on the chessboard. He added that Fischer's early retirement was a great loss to chess as he retreated into what Kasparov termed "his mental self-exile."

In recent years, Fischer became better known for his outspoken criticism of the United States. Interviewed by a Philippines radio station hours after the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he allegedly called reports of a plane hitting the Pentagon "wonderful news" and said American foreign policy had provoked the attacks.

He also become known for virulent anti-Semitism, even though his mother was Jewish.

In 2002, Atlantic magazine reported that during a Manila radio broadcast he described his enemies as "Jews, secret Jews, or CIA rats who work for the Jews."

"The tragedy is that he left this world too early, and his extravagant life and scandalous statements did not contribute to the popularity of chess," former champion Kasparov told The Associated Press.

Fischer was arrested in 2004 at Narita Airport in Tokyo, Japan, for traveling on a U.S. passport that was revoked after the 1992 Belgrade match. Japan detained him for nine months while he fought deportation to the United States.

In March 2005 Iceland invited Fischer to live there. Japan released him, and he promptly renounced his U.S. citizenship and became a citizen and resident of Iceland.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Christina Applegate, Teena Marie, Marty Balin, Bruce Springsteen, Nick Nolte, Barbara Steele, Danielle Steel. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

US star Christina Applegate fighting cancer Actress Christina Applegate, of the new television comedy "Samantha Who?," is seen during the ABC Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this July 26, 2007, file photo. According to the syndicated television newsmagazine "Extra," a representative of the actress announced late Saturday Aug. 2, 2008 Applegate is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, file)

Actress Christina Applegate, of the new television comedy "Samantha Who?," is seen during the ABC Summer Press Tour in Beverly Hills, Calif., in this July 26, 2007, file photo. According to the syndicated television newsmagazine "Extra," a representative of the actress announced late Saturday Aug. 2, 2008 Applegate is undergoing treatment for breast cancer. (AP Photo/Nick Ut, file)

US actress Christina Applegate has been diagnosed with an early form of breast cancer, according to her publicist. Ame Van Iden said: "The cancer is not life threatening. She is following the recommended treatment of her doctors and will have a full recovery."

The 36-year-old is best known for her role as Kelly Bundy in the long-running US sitcom Married with Children.

Last month she was nominated for an Emmy award for her current role as an amnesiac in TV comedy Samantha Who? Applegate also received a Golden Globe nomination for the show, in which she plays a woman who awakens from an eight-day coma remembering nothing about her past.

The actress, whose films include Anchorman and The Sweetest Thing, is scheduled to appear next month on a TV fund-raiser in aid of cancer research.

Meryl Streep, Jennifer Aniston and Charlize Theron will also appear on the telethon, to be aired simultaneously on US networks CBS, NBC and ABC.

Applegate played Aniston's sister in two episodes of Friends, for which she won an Emmy for best guest appearance.

Applegate's publicist said she had benefited from early detection through an MRI ordered by her doctor.

COMMENTS (8/4/08): Christina Appelegate is named in the prediction list above ... quite prominently, I might add. If this was 1973, her prognosis would not be good at all.

Pop star Christie Allen dies

Australian singer Christie Allen, one of the pop sensations of the Countdown era, has died following a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Her death, at her home in country Western Australia early yesterday, was announced in a statement by her former promoter, Mushroom Records founder Michael Gudinski.

Born in Britain in 1954, Allen shifted to Perth with her family and was signed to Mushroom Records by Gudinski in the late 1970s.

She had three top 20 singles in the Australian charts in 1979 and 1980 - Falling In Love, Goosebumps and He's My Number One - and followed up with a gold album, Magic Rhythm. Goosebumps and He's My Number One were Mushroom's two highest selling singles at the time, and Allen was voted the most popular female singer at the Countdown Awards.

Goosebumps and He's My Number One were Mushroom's two highest selling singles at the time, and Allen was voted the most popular female singer at the Countdown Awards in 1979 and 1980. But her career declined following a long illness and several unsuccessful singles in the 1980s.

Allen had resurrected her music career by the 1990s, singing with country music bands, before Gudinski sought her out via an appeal on national radio to perform at a concert for the 25th anniversary of Mushroom Records in 1998. She retired following that performance, before a huge crowd at the MCG on November 14 that year.

Allen was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in March this year and remained at home with her husband Mark, daughter Christa Lea and relatives caring for her.

COMMENTS (9/3/08): This is one of a series of tragic deaths from down under to occur in recent weeks. Note that the name, Christie Allen, just happens to have all the name sounds. There continues to be a higher than normal death rate from "natural causes" for people in their 50s I see. Not terribly reassuring.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Jim Nabors, Jimmy Page, Jim Belushi, Jimmy Dean, Sheryl Crow, Al Pacino. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Max Baer Jr.'s girlfriend dead after apparent suicide

CARSON CITY, Nevada (AP) -- The live-in girlfriend of former "Beverly Hillbillies" star Max Baer Jr. apparently shot herself and died several days later, authorities said Wednesday.

Police were still investigating the death of 30-year-old Chere Rhodes, but no foul play is suspected, Douglas County Sheriff's Sgt. Jim Halsey said.

Baer, 70, an entrepreneur who played "Jethro" in the 1960s "Hillbillies" series, summoned authorities to his Lake Tahoe home last Thursday after he found Rhodes with a single gunshot wound to the chest, Halsey said.

"She was conscious on the scene and told [officers] that it was a self-attempted suicide," Halsey said.

She was flown by helicopter to Renown Regional Medical Center in Reno, Nevada, and placed on life support.

Baer, son of Max Baer, the heavyweight champion of the 1930s, has lived at Lake Tahoe for years.

He's currently trying to build a hotel-casino in northern Douglas County that would include a signature oil derrick evoking the "Hillbillies" sitcom theme of dimwitted Jethro Bodine, played by Baer, and other members of his family striking oil.

Chere Rhodes, girlfriend of former actor Max Baer Jr., shot herself in the chest and died several days later according to Lake Tahoe authorities. Baer is famous for playing ‘Jethro Bodine’ on the syndicated classic TV show ‘The Beverly Hillbillies’.

"Hey, Granny, Uncle Jed ! ... looks like Cher-ie just struck oil in the bedroom. Dang! We all gonna be even richer! Best call Miss Hathaway!"

Baer, 70, an entrepreneur who played “Jethro” in the 1960s “Hillbillies” series, summoned authorities to his Lake Tahoe home last Thursday after he found Rhodes with a single gunshot wound to the chest, Halsey said.

“She was conscious on the scene and told [officers] that it was a self-attempted suicide,” Halsey said. “There was a suicide note as well, which substantiated her statement.” He said the handwritten note cited “relationship problems.”

Baer’s father, the late Max Baer, Sr., was one of the more famous boxers of all-time. The movie Cinderella Man is based on his life. Baer, Jr. has been on record as saying the film distorts his father’s image in a negative and false light.

Baer wrote, directed, and produced several successful films before retiring to the slopes of Lake Tahoe.

Sienna Miller tells court of fears in 'frenzied' paparazzi pursuit

Sienna Miller shows us her body remains intact despite the intense hunting she experienced by photographers

British actress Sienna Miller told a London court Monday how she felt "hunted" by "frenzied" paparazzi photographers as they pursued her home after last year's BAFTA awards. Miller was giving evidence at the trial of Otis Ferry, who was cleared of criminal damage after removing keys from the cars of two snappers to stop the pursuit.

The star, known for roles in films "Factory Girl" and "Alfie" as well as once dating actor Jude Law, went to celebrity London nightclub Boujis after the awards and left with Otis and Isaac Ferry. She told West London Magistrates' Court that at least five photographers followed her as she returned to her new home at about 4:30 am.

"We were all quite shocked at the way they were driving," she told the court. "The reason they were being that reckless is that they wanted to find out where I lived, which makes you feel quite hunted as a woman."

Dressed in an all-black miniskirt and jacket, Miller said as she drove home, she phoned the Ferry brothers to ask if they could get between her car and the photographers so she could get away.

She described the photographers' driving as "really aggressive, driving really dangerously, undercutting, overtaking, flashing through the window at a moving vehicle.

"I believe it was particularly frenzied on this occasion because they didn't know where I lived," she added.

Ferry, the 25-year-old son of singer Bryan Ferry, twice got out of his brother's car and grabbed the keys from photographers' cars while they were stationary during the journey, the court heard. But he denied the two charges against him and told prosecutor David Bedenham he was neither drunk nor trying to impress Miller.

He was cleared by judge David Simpson, who ruled that neither vehicle had been damaged by having the keys removed and described Ferry's tactics as "the impetuous actions of a young man helping his brother's girlfriend."

COMMENTS (2/7/09): Actress Sienna Miller (above right) shows us her body remains intact despite the intense hunting she experienced by photographers. "Nothing is amiss, thank goodness," she quipped, allowing her gown to slide down a bit more over her ample bosom, grinning through all too perfect teeth. "But I do feel a bit like a greyhound," at which the star began to pant rapidly.

E Street Band's Danny Federici dies

NEW YORK (AP) -- Danny Federici, the longtime keyboard player for Bruce Springsteen whose stylish work helped define the E Street Band's sound on hits from "Hungry Heart" through "The Rising," died Thursday. He was 58.

Danny Federici (second from right) stands with Bruce Springsteen (left) and some of the E Street Band in 2002.

Federici, who had battled melanoma for three years, died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York. News of his death was posted late Thursday on Springsteen's official Web site. He last performed with Springsteen and the band last month, appearing during portions of a March 20 show in Indianapolis.

"Danny and I worked together for 40 years -- he was the most wonderfully fluid keyboard player and a pure natural musician. I loved him very much ... we grew up together," Springsteen said in a statement posted on his Web site.Springsteen concerts scheduled for Friday in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Saturday in Orlando were postponed.

Federici was born in Flemington, New Jersey, a long car ride from the Jersey shore haunts where he first met kindred musical spirit Springsteen in the late 1960s. The pair often jammed at the Upstage Club in Asbury Park, New Jersey, a now-defunct after-hours club that hosted the best musicians in the state.It was Federici, along with original E Street Band drummer Vini Lopez, who first invited Springsteen to join their band.

By 1969, the self-effacing Federici -- often introduced in concert by Springsteen as "Phantom Dan" -- was playing with the Boss in a band called Child. Over the years, Federici joined his friend in acclaimed shore bands Steel Mill, Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.

Federici became a stalwart in the E Street Band as Springsteen rocketed from the boardwalk to international stardom. Springsteen split from the E Streeters in the late '80s, but they reunited for a hugely successful tour in 1999. "Bruce has been supportive throughout my life," Federici said in a recent interview with Backstreets magazine. "I've had my ups and downs, and I've certainly given him a run for his money, and he's always been there for me."

Federici played accordion on the wistful "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" from Springsteen's second album, and his organ solo was a highlight of Springsteen's first top 10 hit, "Hungry Heart." His organ coda on the 9/11-inspired Springsteen song "You're Missing" provided one of the more heart-wrenching moments on "The Rising" in 2002.

In a band with larger-than-life characters such as saxophonist Clarence Clemons and bandana-wrapped guitarist "Little" Steven Van Zandt, Federici was content to play in his familiar position to the side of the stage. But his playing was as vital to Springsteen's live show as any instrument in the band.

Federici released a pair of solo albums that veered from the E Street sound and into soft jazz. Bandmates Nils Lofgren on guitar and Garry Tallent on bass joined Federici on his 1997 debut, "Flemington." In 2005, Federici released its follow-up, "Out of a Dream."

Federici had taken a leave of absence during the band's tour in November 2007 to pursue treatment for melanoma, and was temporarily replaced by veteran musician Charles Giordano.

At the time, Springsteen described Federici as "one of the pillars of our sound and has played beside me as a great friend for more than 40 years. We all eagerly await his healthy and speedy return."

Besides his work with Springsteen, Federici played on albums by an impressive roster of other artists: Van Zandt, Joan Armatrading, Graham Parker, Gary U.S. Bonds and Garland Jeffreys.

Newsman Tim Russert dies at 58

Tim Russert established himself as the face of NBC's political journalism as host of "Meet the Press."

(CNN) -- Tim Russert, who became one of America's leading political journalists as the host of NBC's "Meet the Press," died Friday, the network said. He was 58. Tim Russert established himself as the face of NBC's political journalism as host of "Meet the Press."

The network said the award-winning journalist collapsed at work Friday. He was taken to Washington's Sibley Memorial Hospital, where he died, the hospital confirmed. Colleague and former NBC anchor Tom Brokaw broke the news on the network Friday shortly after 3:40 p.m.

Russert had just returned from a family vacation in Italy with his wife, journalist Maureen Orth, and son, Luke, to celebrate his graduation from Boston College, Brokaw said.

"I think I can invoke personal privilege and say this news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice," Brokaw said Friday.

Friends and colleagues remembered Russert on Friday not only as one of the country's most respected and influential political journalists, but also as a friend, a devout Catholic and an avid sports fan, especially when it came to his home team, the Buffalo Bills. "I just loved the guy. He had this enthusiasm about all of the things that life brings to you," said James Carville, who often attended Washington National games with Russert. "My wife and I are in a complete state of utter shock."

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Neil Diamond, Donald Trump, Donna Summer, Andy Griffith. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

The late Heath Ledger dominates Dark Knight as the Joker

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Actor Heath Ledger was found dead Tuesday of a possible drug overdose in a Lower Manhattan apartment, the New York Police Department said. Heath Ledger was unresponsive when a housekeeper found him in a Manhattan apartment.

Ledger was found naked and unresponsive, facedown on the floor at the foot of his bed by a housekeeper trying to wake him for an appointment with a masseuse, said police spokesman Paul Browne. "Pills were found in the vicinity of the bed," he told CNN."This is being looked at as a possible overdose, but that is not confirmed yet."

Browne later told reporters some prescription medications were found in the room, including sleeping pills. But he stressed police have made no determination of the cause of Ledger's death -- that would be done by the medical examiner. He said the pills were not "scattered about." No note was found and there was no indication of foul play, Browne said.

Ledger was found at about 3 p.m., and was pronounced dead at the scene by emergency personnel about 3:30 p.m. A crowd of onlookers, photographers and reporters gathered outside the apartment building after news of Ledger's death was reported. Police officers were guarding the doors.

Browne said he did not know how long Ledger had been renting the apartment, which he said took up the entire fourth floor.

An autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday, said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the New York City medical examiner's office.

Ledger was born in Perth, Australia, and named Heathcliff Andrew after the main characters of Emily Bronte's "Wuthering Heights." He began acting at a local theater as a child. Ledger's first American film was the teen comedy "10 Things I Hate About You" in 1999, and he immediately attracted attention from Hollywood. He passed up several scripts before taking a role in the Revolutionary War drama "The Patriot" in 2000 and "A Knight's Tale" in 2001. He also played a supporting role in "Monster's Ball," among other films.

"In a way I was spoon-fed a career," he told the Glasgow Herald in 2005. "It was fully manufactured by a studio that believed it could put me on their posters and turn me into a product. ... I hadn't figured out properly how to act, and all of a sudden I was being thrown into these lead roles."

But Ledger was perhaps best known for his 2005 portrayal of Ennis Del Mar in "Brokeback Mountain," about two cowboys who had a secret romantic relationship. The role earned him an Oscar nomination. "I felt that choices were being made for me, so I feel this has been my time now to find the good stories and test myself," Ledger told the Glasgow Herald in the 2005 interview. "It has been an interesting year, where I finally have a sense of accomplishment."

Asked how he felt about filming love scenes with another man, Ledger said he and his co-star Jake Gyllenhaal simply focused on their roles. "We can't say that we weren't nervous about it," Ledger told Oprah Winfrey in 2006. "But once the first take was over, it's like, 'OK. So what? It's kissing another human being. How are we going to finish this scene? Let's get on with it and let's get out of here.' "

In a written statement, the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation said it mourns Ledger's death, adding that his portrayal of Del Mar "changed hearts and minds in immeasurable ways."

Ledger has a daughter, Matilda Rose, born in 2005 to his then-girlfriend, Michelle Williams, who played his on-screen wife, Alma, in "Brokeback Mountain." The couple have since separated.

"He was just so respected in the industry," said Kim Serafin, senior editor of In Touch Weekly. "It's just horribly tragic. He was just a fine actor and a good person, so this is horribly sad and very unexpected."

COMMENTS (7/31/08): Well you can't say Montgomery Clift without the "Cliff" and you can't say Heath Ledger without the "Ledge."

Bet ol' Heath didn't suspect he'd fall off the ledge and be one more name added to the ledger. Whoo hoo hoo! ... that is some story ain't it, the joker being naked and all, and there is a Batman curse that has plagued so many people since Dark Knight was made, even on the set of the filming I am told.

As comedian George Carlin found out in June, this is turning out to be a bad year for jokers. Maybe it would be best for all of us if we coughed or farted every time we have an urge to laugh. Gotta go now, I've only got four minutes till the next show! Whoo hoo hoo!

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Keanu Reeves, Yvonne De Carlo, Connie Stevens, Stella Stevens, Nancy Stephens, Garn Stephens, Steve Buscemi, Steve Martin, Steve Miller, Steve Miner, Stephen Bishop, Steve Winwood, Morgan Freeman, Al Green, Rex Reed, Ben Vereen, Halle Berry, Mariah Carey, Sean Connery, Oprah Winfrey, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Reese Witherspoon, Rita Moreno, Terri Garr, Carrie Fisher, Carrie-Anne Moss, Geri Halliwell, Lori Spelling, Tori Amos, Marie Osmond, Mary Hart, Mary Steenburgen, Mary McCormack, Maryam D'Abo, Mary Ann Mobley, Mary Chapin-Carpenter, Mary Tyler Moore, Valerie Perrine, Valerie Bertinelli, Aretha Franklin, Marianne Faithful, Hilary Duff, Hillary Rodham Clinton, Victoria Principal, Catherine Mary Stewart. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Model Ruslana Korshunova dies in fall from New York apartment building

Ruslana Korshunova fell from her ninth-storey apartment

NEW YORK (AP) -- A European Vogue cover model fell to her death from her Manhattan apartment building Saturday in an apparent suicide, published reports said.

Fashion model Ruslana Korshunova died Saturday in a fall from her apartment building in New York.

Ruslana Korshunova, 20, died around 2:30 p.m. in a fall from a building on Water Street, in Manhattan's Financial District, The New York Post, the Daily News and Newsday reported. The newspapers cited unnamed officials and police.

Police said the fall was under investigation. Korushnova's New York agency and a spokeswoman for medical examiners did not immediately return telephone messages.

Originally from the former Soviet republic of Kazakhstan, the almond-eyed, flowing-haired Korshunova appeared in advertisements and on runways for such designers as Marc Jacobs, Nina Ricci and DKNY. British Vogue hailed her as "a face to be excited about" in 2005.

Her break came when modeling booker Debbie Jones noticed her while perusing an in-flight magazine article about Korushnova's hometown of Almaty, according to the Vogue report

"She looked like something out of a fairytale!" Jones told the magazine. "We had to find her and we searched high and low until we did!"

Model Apparently Jumps to Death in Lower Manhattan

Ruslana Korshunova leaped to her death from this downtown building

Police believe that a 20-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping out of her Water Street apartment's balcony around 2:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon.

Newsday reported, "It appeared she fell from the balcony of her ninth-floor apartment, police said, where a large hole was visible in construction netting hanging on the front of the 12-story building."

A Con Ed worker, who had been talking to a cop at the time, told the Post, "I heard what sounded like a gunshot or a bomb or an explosion...I looked down the street, and I say to the cop, 'Did that person just get hit by a car?'"

Another person told the Daily News, "All I saw was something moving out of the corner of my eye, and then boom. It sounded like a bass drum when she hit the ground." No one on Water Street was hurt.

The building's doorman Mahmoud Nakeeb described Korshunova, who had modeled for DKNY, Marc Jacobs, Jill Stuart, Vera Wang, Lela Rose, and others, as "sweet" and "always smiling."

A friend spoke to the Post and said the model had just returned from a job in Paris, "The world lost a great person...There were no signs. That's what's driving me crazy. I don't see one reason why she would do that."

The ME's office will determine a cause of death; per Newsday, a police source said there were no signs of a struggle and it's "unclear if anyone else was in the apartment at the time of the fall or if a suicide note was found."

According to British Vogue, Korshunova was discovered in 2003, when a booker was reading an in-flight magazine feature about her hometown, "I saw her by chance and she looked like something out of a fairytale!"

What triggered the 20-year-old Russian cover girl's suicide?

Questions abound following the suicide of stunning Russian model Ruslana Korshunova, who plunged to her death from her 12-story apartment building in downtown Manhattan on June 28.

Witnesses say they saw Ruslana, 20, fall to her death from her ninth-floor balcony at 2:30 p.m. Saturday afternoon. The 5'8" green-eyed beauty was discovered dead in the middle of a street, barefoot in blue jeans and a purple tank top.

"Her arms were crushed," a witness told the NY Daily News. "Her head was on the left side and blood was coming out in a pool." New York City police say they found no signs of struggle in Korshunova's apartment, and the medical examiner's office has officially ruled the death a suicide.

Korshunova, who had recently returned from a modeling assignment in Paris, seemed to be "on top of the world," her best friend, Kira Titeneva, told NYDN. "She loved life so much." Titeneva insists Ruslana led a wholesome life and never did drugs.

Separately, her ex-boyfriend, Artem Perchenok, 24, told the NYPost he had dropped Ruslana off at her apartment at 5 a.m. the morning of her death after they had watched the movie Ghost together.

Friends broke the tragic news to Korshunova's mom, Valentina, who lives in Kazakhstan.

Ruslana, who hails from Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, has appeared in ads for top international designers, including Vera Wang, Marc Jacobs, Christian Dior and DKNY. A sought-after runway model known for her long cascading hair, Korshunova has graced the covers of French Elle and Russian Vogue.

Meanwhile, recently uncovered blog postings written by the Kazakh stunner shows her to be emotional, romantic in her worldview and longing for love. Can the dead model's secret thoughts reveal the true reasons behind her shocking suicide?

COMMENTS (6/30/08): This strange and spectacular death decidely fulfills the 'supermodel commits suicide' aspect of this prediction, albeit a year late. The long lull of a famous supermodel death like that of Gia Carangi's in 1986 has ended with cover supermodel Ruslana Korshunova's tragic leap from a 9th-storey balcony in midtown Manhattan. The last time a supermodel came close to walking in the steps of Gia was seven years ago on April 29, 2001, when supermodel Niki Taylor ended up in critical condition with internal injuries after a one-car crash in which she was a passenger. The vehicle the 26-year-old star was injured in crashed into a utility pole. Taylor had many hours of surgery several different times and lingered near death for nearly two months before making a miraculous recovery. Hers was obviously a "close call" and a reminder that death need not be the outcome of influences from the past such as this one. Alas, the intention of Ruslana to die was too strong and one cannot change the law of gravity.

There is also another strange set of base 7-related influences that may have sealed Ruslana's fate and caused her to time her suicide for 2008 rather than 2007: actress Elizabeth Hartman jumped from the 5th floor window of her apartment on June 10, 1987 at age 43, singer Susannah McCorkle jumped from a 16th floor balcony on May 19, 2001 at age 55, and (also the same year) Egyptian actress Suad Husni jumped from a 6th floor balcony on June 21, 2001 at age 59. It would appear that suicide jumpings are getting higher each time, since Ruslana Korshunova jumped from a 9th floor balcony (although singer McCorkle did jump from the 16th floor). Note however that two of the women were actresses and one was a singer; two were in their 50s and one in her 40s. Ruslana was only 20 years old (which links her to Niki Taylor who was 26 and Gia who was 26).

In any case, the suicide of supermodel Ruslana Korshunova is a PREDICTION FULFILLED in regards to the supermodel aspect of this prediction. The actress suicide aspect can be said to have been fulfilled prematurely by actress (and former model) Anna Nicole Smith.

Morgan Freeman hospitalized after car wreck

Morgan Freeman was in serious condition after being involved in a car wreck in northern Mississippi

(CNN) -- Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman was in serious condition but in "good spirits" at a Tennessee hospital after being involved in a car wreck in northern Mississippi Sunday night, his business partner said.

Freeman, 71, broke his left upper arm and suffered several other fractures and neck and shoulder injuries in the wreck, said Bill Luckett, an attorney from Clarksdale, Mississippi.

A woman who also was in the car was taken to the same hospital, said Angie Underwood, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Highway Patrol.

Freeman could have surgery as early as Monday evening and could need three to four months to recover, Luckett told reporters outside the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee. "He's in good spirits, but he's in some pain," said Luckett, who owns a restaurant and blues club with Freeman in Clarksdale.

Underwood said the wreck happened at about 11:30 p.m. Sunday on a state highway about five miles west of Charleston, Mississippi, where Freeman has a home.

According to The Associated Press, Mississippi Highway Patrol spokesman Sgt. Ben Williams said Freeman was driving a 1997 Nissan Maxima belonging to Demaris Meyer of Memphis when the car left a rural highway and flipped several times shortly before midnight Sunday. "There's no indication that either alcohol or drugs were involved," Williams said, according to the AP. Williams said Meyer was in the car, and that both she and Freeman were wearing seat belts, Williams said.

Clay McFerrin, editor of the Sun Sentinel in Charleston, Mississippi, told the AP that emergency personnel "had to use the jaws of life to extract him from the vehicle."

"He was lucid, conscious," McFerrin told the AP. "He was talking, joking with some of the rescue workers at one point." McFerrin, who told the AP he arrived at the accident scene not long after the incident, said bystanders were trying to get a look at the actor. When one person tried to snap a photo with a cell phone camera, Freeman joked, "no freebies, no freebies," McFerrin told the AP.

The cause of the wreck is under investigation, Underwood said. Milla Borden, spokeswoman for the Memphis hospital, confirmed that Freeman was in serious condition there Monday.

Freeman was headed to his Charleston home when the wreck happened, said Luckett, who added that the woman in the car "is a mutual friend of ours." Both had been at Luckett's home in Clarksdale -- about 35 miles northwest of the wreck site -- before the crash occurred, Luckett said.

Freeman won an Academy Award for best supporting actor in 2005 for his role in the gritty boxing film "Million Dollar Baby." He has been nominated for Oscars three other times, for the movies "Street Smart," "Driving Miss Daisy" and "The Shawshank Redemption."

He's starring in two successful summer films, the hitman drama "Wanted" and the blockbuster "The Dark Knight." He recently starred on Broadway in a production of the Clifford Odets play "The Country Girl."

He was born in Memphis and grew up in the Mississippi Delta region, moving back to open his blues club, Ground Zero, and a restaurant in Clarksdale in 2001. In a 2005 interview with CNN, he said returning to the area was "one of the smartest moves I've made in life."

"My aim in life, when I graduated from high school, was to get out of Mississippi," he said. "I started coming back in about 1979, because my parents moved back, which I couldn't understand. What in the world would make you come back here? It took me about 20 years to figure that out."

Freeman's nonprofit foundation has donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to schools in the historically poor region, and he established the club in part to preserve the Delta's musical heritage.

COMMENTS (8/4/08): Morgan Freeman is named in the prediction list above. He is a great actor and I hope his recovery is a speedy one.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Lauren Holly, Holly Hunter, Andy Williams, Claudine Longet, Randy Travis, Randy Quaid, Eddie Kendricks, Woody Allen, Dee Dee Sharp, Dido, Brandy, Dee Wallace-Stone, Candy Clark, Goldie Hawn, Cindy Williams, Mindy Sterling, Judy Carne, Judy Tyler, Kiki Dee, Cameron Diaz, David Cassidy, Shaun Cassidy, Billy Dee Williams, Cat Deeley, Joanna Cassidy, Ted Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Bo Diddley, Alvin Lee, John Cleese, Leon Redbone, Willie Nelson. Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Slap-happy Bo Diddley bangs on his guitar

Musician Bo Diddley has died at the age of 79. The Grammy-winning singer-guitarist died of heart failure in Florida, his spokeswoman said. He had suffered a heart attack in August 2007, three months after suffering a stroke which affected his ability to speak.

He rose to fame in 1955 when he topped the R&B charts with Bo Diddley. His other hits include Who Do You Love, Before You Accuse Me, and Mona. The legendary singer and performer was known for his homemade square guitar, dark glasses and black hat.

His so-called "Bo Diddley beat" influenced rockers from Buddy Holly, to Bruce Springsteen and U2.

With his trademark "hambone" rhythm that characterised so many of his songs and was adopted by Buddy Holly on Not Fade Away, Bruce Springsteen on She's the One and The Who on Magic Bus, Bo Diddley was a lasting influence on rhythm and blues. "I play the guitar like I'm playin' the drums", he once said.

He was born Ellas Otha Bates in Mississippi in 1928, changing his name to McDaniel when he was adopted by his mother's cousin. He moved with his new family to the South Side of Chicago where he acquired his Bo Diddley nickname at school. A "Diddley Bow" is a one-stringed African guitar.

In his teens, he trained as a boxer while regularly playing guitar on street corners when not in school.

He built his first rectangular guitar, that was to become his hallmark, while still a student.

After several years, he was given regular gigs at the 708 Club in 1951. This led, four years later, to a record deal with Leonard Chess's Checker label. His first single, the classic Bo Diddley, with its characteristic beat and heavily amplified guitar, was an immediate number one on the R&B charts.

His band looked different from others. He had a woman in it, and unusual instruments like electric violin and maracas. His biggest pop successes came in 1959 when Say Man hit the Top 20, and in 1962 when You Can't Judge a Book by the Cover entered the Top 50.

His live act, a meeting of blues and rock 'n' roll, featured Jerome Green, Otis Spann, Billy Boy Arnold, Frank Kirkland, and, later, his half-sister "The Duchess".

Though his songs influenced Buddy Holly in the 1950s, it was in the following decade that his songs permeated the repertoires of the so-called British invasion bands like The Rolling Stones, Yardbirds, Who, Pretty Things and The Animals. Bo Diddley toured extensively throughout the 1960s and 70s. By supporting The Clash in 1979, he introduced his sound to a new generation.

He made cameo appearances in George Thorogood's video Bad to the Bone, and played a pawnbroker in the Eddie Murphy film Trading Places. In 1998 he appeared in Blues Brothers 2000. In the late 1980s, he toured with Rolling Stones guitarist Ronnie Wood as The Gunslingers and released the album Live at the Ritz. In 1989, he raised his profile further with younger audiences when he appeared with baseball star Bo Jackson in a TV commercial for sports shoes.

In 1996, he released his first major album in two decades, A Man Amongst Men, with guest artists that included Ron Wood, Keith Richards and The Shirelles. Three years later, he received a lifetime achievement honour at the Grammy Awards, in recognition of the influence he had cast over the history of popular music.

COMMENTS (1/3/09): As can be seen from the list, the name Bo Diddley was up for this year. Appropriately, his name relates to that of Buddy Holly who died on the timeline 1959-2008.

Possible predictions (7/31/08): Eva Gabore, Eva Longoria, Barbara Corday, Stevie Nicks, Stevie Wonder, Genevieve Bujold, Christie McVie, Paul Sorvino, Madonna (not because of the name sound, but because she played her in the musical film, Evita). Additional predictions: (0/0/08):

Mystery murder: Suzan Tamim Decapitated

Sexy Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim was beheaded by her killers

Her body and head were found in a room near the top of the Jumeirah Beach Residence's Rimal 1 tower

Lebanese singer Suzan Tamim, 31, who was found dead, was decapitated inside her flat number 2204 at Jumeirah Beach Residence’s Rimal 1 tower on Sunday night, a police officer said. "The neighbours heard a fight inside Suzan’s flat after she and her friends came back from a night out," he said.

However, residents saw the police arrive at the scene only on Monday night between 8.30pm and 9pm. Her body was found by a cousin who called the police. He has been detained for interrogation.

Tamim had purchased the apartment just eight days ago. Her husband Adel Matouk, a famous Lebanese producer, was due to arrive in Dubai yesterday.

Her family released a statement on Lebanon’s Jaras TV which said: "We are deeply saddened by the demise of our daughter in Dubai and are hoping that the malevolent felon will be brought to justice. Respects will be paid when her body is returned to the homeland."

A Lebanese Consulate official in Dubai condemned the murder and said they were yet to be contacted by her family. The consulate will issue a death certificate after receiving the police report in order to repatriate her body. Her body is being kept at the Dubai Police General Headquarters mortuary.

The Criminal Investigation Department officers have collected data discs containing security video footage taken by the building’s CCTV cameras, a resident said. The resident who returned from work at 5.30pm on Tuesday, said the police were present from Monday till Tuesday night collecting information.

Another resident yesterday wrote on the community website www.jbrcommunity.com: "I rang the security yesterday to let them know that there was a person lurking around in the service area at the back of our apartment. They said they were busy and would come up in two minutes. Fifteen minutes later I had to call them again as I was going out and they came 10 minutes later."

A British expatriate who lives on the 30th floor of Rimal 1 was on her way to the swimming pool with her children when XPRESS caught up with her.

She said she was "clueless about the incident" but was stunned to hear the news.

"We saw police cars and an ambulance on Monday night around 9.30pm and wondered what was going on. But when we checked with the management, we were told that there was a fight in one of the flats and that there was nothing to worry about," she said.

Ahmad Ali, lifeguard of the swimming pool, said, "I saw the police here the night before last and asked them what was going on. They told me someone had been murdered and that the victim’s brother had informed the police. There are many ladies who meet Suzan’s description. I can’t tell if I have seen the singer."

COMMENTS (8/5/08): Singer Suzan Tamim is one of four "high profile" decapitation murder cases that have occurred over the last four days.

Hers is the highest profile, of course, because she is a celebrity in the Arab world.

The other three cases involved non-celebrities: a man who had fallen asleep against the passenger window of a bus stabbed multiple times, beheaded, and parts of his body eaten by a psycho in Canada; a British teen decapitated and dismembered by her Brazilian boyfriend because she threatened to tell police that he used drugs; and a young woman in Greece whose head was cut off by her knife-wielding boyfriend who then walked through the town holding her head aloft for all to see.

Russia's most famous - and glamorous - female bodyguard killed as her Porsche is carjacked in Moscow

Russia's most famous female bodyguard Anna Loginova has been killed after failing to prevent her own Porsche being carjacked.

The glamorous 29-year-old died from head injuries after clinging on to the door handle of the Cheyenne and being dragged along the street at high speed as the car screeched away.

Police believe that she was killed in a random carjacking and was not the victim of an attack based on her work for wealthy high-profile Russian clients.

Loginova ran an agency for female bodyguards, some trained by the ex-KGB, to give discreet protection to Moscow's billionaires and their wives and mistresses.

In a recent magazine interview, she insisted that she and her team of glamorous bodyguards gave better protection than the more traditional beefy male security men.

Loginova, 29, had recently foiled a thief by using her Jujitsu moves before pulling a gun on him. "I do think that a girl should be a girl, not a Terminator," she said.

She posed semi-naked for a Moscow men's magazine to make it clear that she was feminine as well as good with a gun.

She was highly respected for her bodyguard skills. "A normal man gets sick and tired of male bodyguards around him all the time," she said.

"In addition, many restaurants now do not allow a guard inside. They can come in and check everything but then they are asked to wait in the lobby."

"In contrast, you can take female bodyguards inside, she will sit down at the table and nobody would guess that she's a weapon herself - and can react appropriately in any dangerous situation."

She spoke of a recent carjacking incident in Moscow. "I got out, locked the car and at that moment a man ran up and squeezed my hand with keys. I reacted immediately with a Jujitsu move, bending back his hand and hitting his face with my elbow. He did not expect such a reaction. The next moment, I took out my handgun but a Honda car passed by and he jumped in."

Last year, 50 Porsche cars were stolen in Moscow, including 12 within the last two months. Only three were ever found.

Killing of glamour model-bodyguard Anna Loginova stuns Moscow

Hours from Death: Anna Loginova is photographed in one of her last shoots for the Russian edition of Maxim magazine.

MOSCOW, Russia (CNN) -- Anna Loginova was, for many Russians, a feminine icon -- bridging the glamorous world of modeling and the murky depths of Russian crime.

But this week, the stunning Loginova became a victim of the criminals she made sure could not get to her millionaire clients.

She was killed trying to stop a thief stealing her own car on a busy Moscow street.

As a glamour model, 29-year-old Loginova often appeared on the covers of Russian magazines, scantily clad. She fronted advertisements for high-profile brands in Russia, like the German carmaker BMW.

But behind the glossy images, Loginova had another profession: She was an experienced bodyguard, trained in martial arts, commanding high prices to protect Russia's wealthy elite.

Having a female bodyguard is more than just a status symbol in Russia. Industry insiders say women bodyguards are not recognizable and, thus, allowed to sit at tables with their clients during dinners and other events -- unlike their male peers who are usually forced to wait in the lobby.

Those who knew Loginova say she was passionate about her double life, saying she saw no contradiction between her femininity and her dangerous job as a bodyguard. "She was kind and sweet, not like a terminator, not like Sigourney Weaver in 'Aliens,'" said Igor Cherski, editor of Maxim magazine's Russian edition, which commissioned her last glamour shoot."But I feel that she was not afraid of anything. There was no fear in her eyes," he added.

On a busy street in southeastern Moscow on Sunday night, police say they recovered her battered body after she tried to prevent her Porsche Cayenne from being stolen -- clinging on to the high-end SUV as it sped away.

The vehicle was later found abandoned. "According to eyewitnesses, an intruder just threw her out of the car," explains Oleg Pavlov, a special police investigator in charge of the investigation. "She grabbed the door handle, but when the car took off and picked up speed, she let go."

COMMENTS (1/3/09): This makes two Russian models dead in 2008, both from body crushing injuries: one, Ruslana Korshunova, falling to her death from an eighth floor balcony in a suicide jump and this case involving being dragged by a car and impacting the road at high speed. Note both names end with "nova." Note also how closely Anna Loginova is to the name of model Eva Longoria listed above.

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