New York Post Online Edition: JACKO'S JIHAD: "Michael Jackson is sick of his aggressive Nation of Islam bodyguards and wants to fire them, sources told The Post yesterday."

More on Michael Jackson's arrest.
My Way News: "Anderson said that he was taking Jackson's complaint of abuse as a formal citizen's complaint, and if found to be untrue by a state investigation, would file a complaint against Jackson for making a groundless accusation against an officer.

The sheriff played video and audio tapes of much of the booking. One tape made in a car while he was being transported recorded polite conversation and Jackson whistling. At one point Jackson asked for air conditioning and said "thank you" when it was turned on.

He said the singer blew a kiss to other inmates as he was checked in, then was kept in a holding room with a toilet, sink and bench for 15 to 20 minutes. He said the holding room is scrubbed once a day."

New York Post Online Edition: gossip: "AMERICAN pop tarts are popular across the pond. 'Dirrty' girl Christina Aguilera was voted 'top role model' by readers of the London-based teen magazine Sugar, beating out last year's winner, Tommy Lee's new chew-toy Pink. Sugar editorial director Lysanne Currie said, 'The fact that Christina Aguilera came out on top shows teenagers respect independent and strong-minded role models more than ever before.' The skanky songbird responded, 'It's an honor, and being in the U.K. has been a highlight of my year.'"

New York Post Online Edition: gossip: "CHELSEA Clinton bumping and grinding with Mark Wahlbergon top of a table at the Shore Club in Miami while her hapless boyfriend, Ian Klaus, looked on"

Generation E.A.: Ethnically Ambiguous: "Ad campaigns for Louis Vuitton, YSL Beauty and H&M stores have all purposely highlighted models with racially indeterminate features. Or consider the careers of movie stars like Vin Diesel, Lisa Bonet and Jessica Alba, whose popularity with young audiences seems due in part to the tease over whether they are black, white, Hispanic, American Indian or some combination."

The Sun Newspaper Online - UK's biggest selling newspaper: "HERE'S pop babe Britney Spears doing a cover of two big hits. Britney, 22, clamped her hands over her assets after being spotted sunbathing topless in Santa Monica, California."

It finally happened.
Mad cow in America!

FOXNews.com - Exclusive: Jacko CBS Special a 'Go': "Sources tell me that CBS is back in the Michael Jackson game. I'm told that the Tiffany network was tired of being upstaged by ABC's '20/20,' and has finally rescheduled its original special -- which was supposed to air in November -- for the first week of January.
Even more news: Last night, Jackson apparently agreed to the Ed Bradley interview"

The Sun Newspaper Online - Hugh flees from hookers: "SHOCKED Hugh Grant fled a Bangkok bar — chased by dozens of hookers trying to grab his WILLY.
The movie heart-throb ventured in for a drink with two minders and ended up scarpering with his hands in front of his crotch. "

Office Cube House

Mongophile Gear
"I like Korean girls!" T-shirt

More info on Paris than you possibly need.
Paris Hilton Video Blog: "Information and links about the public scandal around Paris Hilton's alleged sex tape."

World Photos - Reuters at Yahoo News

Whoa .. meeting of the superpowers.
ESPN.com - MLB - Celebrities commiserate: Strawberry visits Jacko: "Pop singer Michael Jackson has found a friend in another celebrity who's had his own brushes with the law: former baseball star Darryl Strawberry."

So how good is Rich McKay?
SI.com - Writers - Peter King's MMQB: "So, in total, Tampa Bay traded five first-round picks, three second-round picks and $8 million for [MeShawn] Johnson, [Kenyatta] Walker and [Jon] Gruden."

Why are Iraqi taxi drivers getting paid $100 to turn over innocent Arabs to US troops for torture? Why were these people put to work in a field with land mines? Why do people think it's a good idea to visit Iraq these days? Why does this Lebanese man like rap music?
GN Online: US troops 'tortured' man with rap music: "Lebanese Mohammed Jaber said he went to Iraq on a pilgrimage to Muslim holy sites, he ended up being 'tortured' with loud rap music by US troops suspicious he might be a foreign fighter against Americans.
Jaber said an Iraqi taxi driver handed him and three friends over to US troops for $100 each in April apiece as fighters for ousted president Saddam Hussain.
'They asked us why we were there and if we came to fight them. But we said we came only to visit the holy sites in Karbala,' he said. 'They didn't torture us physically but they did psychologically by raising the volume of rap music all day until it became unbearable and by withholding food,' he said.
But Jaber said he kept one secret from his captors, fearing the treatment could get worse. "I mean I like rap, just imagine them playing jazz."
US-led forces in Iraq freed Jaber and sent him and seven other Arab detainees home on Saturday.
The International Co-mmittee of the Red Cross said three of them were seriously injured while in US custody. Jaber said they had stepped on land mines while clearing up rubbish in a field for US soldiers."

Ha ha! Watch the Joe Namath-Suzy Kolber interview.
SPORTSbyBROOKS

The second news story today that questions the US military's version of Saddam's capture.
Yahoo! News - Saddam was held by Kurdish forces, drugged and left for US troops: "Saddam Hussein was captured by US troops only after he had been taken prisoner by Kurdish forces, drugged and abandoned ready for American soldiers to recover him, a British Sunday newspaper said.
Saddam came into the hands of the Kurdish Patriotic Front after being betrayed to the group by a member of the al-Jabour tribe, whose daughter had been raped by Saddam's son Uday, leading to a blood feud, reported the Sunday Express, which quoted an unnamed senior British military intelligence officer.
The newspaper said the full story of events leading up to the ousted Iraqi president's capture on December 13 near his hometown of Tikrit in northern Iraq, "exposes the version peddled by American spin doctors as incomplete"."

New York Post Online Edition: gossip: "prior to her appearance on 'Saturday Night Live,' Paris Hilton had no clue who Al Sharpton was and had to be briefed on the presidential candidate before she went on."

Isiah Thomas?? Are you kidding me?

It's funny how ESPN.com doesn't report on this embarrassing moment for the network.
SI.com - Namath tells Kolber he wants to kiss her: "Namath tells ESPN sideline reporter: 'I want to kiss you'"

New York Post Online Edition: sports: "Monday, during ESPN's NFL pre-game show (on behalf of ABC), the panelists were discussing how Randy Moss keeps his hands down, so as not to tip off the DB that the pass is coming. Interesting stuff.
Michael Irvin, in studio, then demonstrated how Moss does it, catching a pass from Ron Jaworski, then saying that the defender - Tom Jackson - couldn't react 'until it's too late . . . C-I-X!' Huh? C-I-X?
What Irvin was trying to say was that it was too late to prevent a TD, Moss would be on his to the end zone, 'S-I-X.'"

How can you be a "on-again, off again fiancée"? And I still don't get how Janet is going out with Jermain Dupri.
FOXNews.com - Foxlife - Fox411 - Exclusive Report: Jacko's Neverland Rally: "It was an odd but supportive crowd of 600 that turned out Saturday to salute Michael Jackson in his time of need.
Among the crowd was his sister, superstar performer Janet Jackson, who came with her on-again, off again fiancée Jermaine Dupri, according to my sources. All the other Jackson siblings and their children were present as well, including LaToya, Jermaine, Randy, Tito, Marlon, and Reebe.
Celebrities were rushed through the Neverland gates in limos with darkened glass. Tennis star Serena Williams, record producer Rodney Jerkins, 'American Idol' host Ryan Seacrest, baseball great Darryl Strawberry, Jackie Stallone (Sly’s mom) and her daughter, hip-hop star MC Hammer, Sugar Ray singer Mark McGrath, Lionel Richie, Mario Van Peebles, comic actor Chris Tucker, and singing brothers Aaron and Nick Carter all greeted Jackson, who was wearing a knee-length blue sequined jacket and black slacks."

'Sheed
Isn't it weird how athletes, especially NBA players, get crazier as they get older? Dennis Rodman was pretty normal his first couple of years in the league before he turned into an absolute circus act. Another example: Bison Dele.

MSNBC - Inside Red Dawn: Saddam Up Close: "He raised both hands in submission and, speaking in English, announced, 'I am Saddam Hussein, I am the president of Iraq and I'm willing to negotiate.'
As the story was later told, one of the Special Forces operators looked down at the disheveled, bearded, seemingly dazed man and replied, 'President Bush sends his regards.' And coming out of the hole, Saddam accidentally bumped his head. But a knowledgeable U.S. official told NEWSWEEK that it didn't quite happen that way. In fact, as Saddam was being handcuffed, he began to struggle with his captors. He spat at the soldiers. One of the commandos decked him, either with a punch or a rifle butt. (The military later tidied up the story of his capture for popular consumption.)"

Dodi's Child
Headline news from Sky News: "Diana, Princess of Wales was pregnant at the time of her death, it has been alleged."

Drunk Broadway Joe on ESPN
Namath makes unusual play - www.smh.com.au: "When Kolber asked Namath about watching this season's Jets struggle, he launched into a rambling reply. 'I want to kiss you,' he said. 'I couldn't care less about the team struggling. What we know is we can improve... We're looking to next season. We're looking to make noise now and I want to kiss you.'
Namath finished off his answer by yelping: 'Yeah!'
Kolber, with a bit of sarcasm, answered: 'Thanks Joe, I'll take that as a huge compliment.'"

Yahoo Photos

Yahoo! News - Al Gore's Son Arrested for Pot Possession
: "The son of former vice president and 2000 Democratic presidential candidate Al Gore has been charged with marijuana possession. "

ABCNEWS.com : Terror Threats to U.S. Cities Reported: "Sources say the threat to New York City possibly involves a female suicide bomber, but no specific target has been identified and intelligence sources are still evaluating the credibility of this threat."

My second favorite soccer player next to Beckham, Rio Ferdinand, has been suspended 8 months for missing a drug test. Players are selected randomly the day of the test and are given a one-hour window to report for the test. He claims that he simply forgot about the test and when he realized what had happened, he returned to the facility to try to take the test. The testers though had left by then. Rio did pass a drug test the following day and has never tested positive for drugs. This sounds like a very harsh penalty to me.
BBC SPORT | Football | Ferdinand banned for eight months: "Rio Ferdinand has been banned for eight months and fined £50,000 by the Football Association after being found guilty of missing a drugs test."

Charlize Theron

Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - AP

Who cares? It stil tastes good.
New York Daily News - City lets foul food carts stew: "A new audit released yesterday by state Controller Alan Hevesi found a smorgasbord of sickening conditions in city food carts - and an equally troubling failure by city health officials to investigate complaints swiftly."

A Chinaman on Man U!
BBC SPORT: "Man Utd move for Chinese star
Manchester United are set to complete the signing of 18-year-old Chinese striker Dong Fangzhuo this week.
Newspaper reports in China say United are willing to pay Dalian Shide up to £3.5m for Dong's services."

The Post also reported years ago that Mike Tyson changed his name to Malik Abdul-Aziz.
New York Post Online Edition: news: "Michael Jackson last night became a member of the Nation of Islam - and sources told The Post his religious changeover comes along with a shake-up of his personal staff."

From EK.
Fat Asian Kid

ESPN.com - NBA - NBA Recap: "The boos started when Shandon Anderson missed an uncontested layup with 3:30 left in the third quarter, continuing while fans started filing out in the middle of the fourth. By that time, the Knicks were down 20, the Warriors' starters were laughing on the bench and their reserves were draining jumpers.
'This is the first time I played at home and the fans booed us,' said Antonio McDyess, who scored 13 in his third start since returning from knee surgery. 'It didn't feel good.'"

I like the info box labeled "Planning The Orgy". That information could be useful.
BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | China jails orgy organisers: "A Chinese court has sentenced two people to life in prison for organising an orgy involving hundreds of Japanese tourists and Chinese prostitutes.
It caused outrage in China, in part because it coincided with the anniversary of a sensitive 1931 attack."

Why does the new WTC design look like a cigarette.

Yahoo! News - Top Stories Photos - AP

Bad Britney

Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - AP

Japanese people are crazy. Look at what they plug into their computer:
USB toothbrush
USB electric razor
USB noodle strainer
USB Hello Kitty

Here is more stupid USB stuff.

New York Post: "A 22-year-old transvestite was in critical condition yesterday after he hacked off his penis, then lied and told cops he was the victim of a hate crime."

Matsui pimp doll

Gothamist: Hideki Matsui: P.I.M.P.

Al-Qaeda scouted US terror targets in South Korea: "Agents from Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network made repeated visits to South Korea recently scouting for US targets, a lawmaker said, citing a closed-door intelligence briefing to parliament."

Keggy the Keg, Dartmouth mascot

My favorite Japanese league team is Nippon Ham Fighters.
ESPN.com - New York Mets - Clubhouse: "Former Mets and Giants OF Tsuyoshi Shinjo will return to Japan and play for the Pacific League's Nippon Ham Fighters next season."

Lupica is obviously reading smonews.
Mike Lupica's Shooting From the Lip: "Maybe Tranghese got the top job with the BCS because things are going so good in his conference, the Big East."

Insult
New York Post Online Edition: seven: "VICTORIA 'Posh Spice' Beckham snapping at a Chelsea Piers gym-goer when asked if she was a Roc-A-Wear model: 'A model? Do I look that un-intelligent? I'm not a model, I'm a Spice Girl!'"

Poor Michael.
Michael Jackson's Brother Claims Singer Was Mistreated In Custody: "Michael Jackson's brother said the pop star was physically mistreated while in custody of the Santa Barbara Sheriff's Department. Department officials disputed the claim."

Video of the line to get into the new Apple store in Japan ... I stopped watching it about half way through but it looked like it was about 20 blocks long.
Apple Store Japan

So they win a no-bid contract, get paid more than they should be and they still overcharge. Greedy pigs at Haliburton.
Yahoo! News - Pentagon Finds Halliburton Overcharged: "Halliburton charges the Army $2.65 a gallon for gas under a no-bid contract, while another Pentagon agency imports fuel from Kuwait to Iraq at a cost of $1.09 to $1.15 per gallon."

Does the fact that both the BCS and the Big East suck have anything to do the fact that Mike Tranghese heads both? Just asking.

New York Daily News - Not the last time we'll see Paris: "FALLON: Is it hard to get into the Paris Hilton?
PARIS: Actually, it's a very exclusive hotel, no matter what you've heard.
FALLON: Do they allow double occupancy at the Paris Hilton?
PARIS: No!
FALLON: Is the Paris Hilton roomy?
PARIS: It might be for you, but most people find it very comfortable.
FALLON: I'm a VIP. I may need to go in the back entrance.
PARIS: It doesn't matter who you are. It's not gonna happen."

New York Post Online Edition: gossip: "- YECCH - she did it again! Britney Spears is making a habit of throwing up in club bathrooms. Last week, we reported Spears lost her lunch at Lotus. Now, E! reports she also hurled in a Hawaii hotspot. "

New York Post Online Edition: gossip: "GET ready for more Paris Hilton. Fox is so happy with the runaway success of 'The Simple Life,' it's now in talks with Hilton to star in another reality show. Word is Hilton could get up to $3 million for her next TV foray, but that her comedic co-star Nicole Richie is not included. A family friend said: 'The negotiations have just started. Fox always had a first-look option with Paris for another show and they are picking it up.' Meanwhile, 'The Simple Life' is so popular, Fox scrounged up some outtakes and has put together a sixth 'bonus' episode to air Dec. 17."

New York City - Stuyvesant Senior Wins Science Prize: "Stuyvesant Senior Wins Science Prize"

CBS 2: "In less time than it took a North Brunswick patrolman to write a ticket for an unregistered vehicle, the driver got his car registered online Thursday."

Yahoo! News - AFP Top Photos

Britney in a hanbok. More photos.

Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - AP

Dan Okrent is NY Times' new reader advocate, was editor-at-large at Time, Inc. and also invented Rotisserie baseball. Cool guy. It's funny how he doesn't mention the fact the he invented Rotisserie baseball in his intro but then he doesn't play fantasy basebally these days because he tired of it. I should learn from him.
The Public Editor: An Advocate for Times Readers Introduces Himself

So I was not the only person thinking this about Simple Life. What they are doing to Paris is cruel.
Flak Magazine: The Simple Life, 12.05.03: "the late Chairman Mao was on to something when heforced certain urbanites to rural 'reeducation camps' to learn from the peasants."

Click here and read the recommendations.

What a funny looking guy.

Gothamist: Jayson Blair in Jane

How does he get off at having a title like "Burning Down My Masters' House"? Notice how he is squatting so that we can't see how short he is. I hate this guy.

Amazon.com: Books: Burning Down My Masters' House: My Life at the New York Times

Mirror.co.uk - TOSH SPICE: "Mel C blasts Victoria Beckham's new single as atrocious"

Photos of drunk Britney
The Sun Newspaper Online

New York Daily News - Home - Rush & Molloy: 'Something' about Jack and Diane?: "PARIS HILTON, who has canceled all interviews, will join guest host the Rev. Al Sharpton and musical guest Pink on 'Saturday Night Live,' we hear ..."

Is this for real?
ESPN.com - Page2: "HAS BASEBALL REPLACED THE NFL AS THE NO. 1 PRO SPORT IN AMERICA?"

Nicky dyed her hair.

low culture: Darling Nicky

Lock these thugs up.
New York Post Online Edition: news: "Five male Harvey Milk HS students pleaded not guilty yesterday at their arraignment on robbery charges stemming from a monthlong crime spree in which prosecutors say they posed first as female prostitutes, then undercover cops, to rip people off."

Baseball is stupid.

New York Daily News - Local viewers put 7 up: "Liz Cho was a relative unknown to local viewers when she joined WABC/Ch. 7 over the summer.
Now, Cho is part of the town's top-rated 11 p.m. newscast, according to ratings numbers released this week for the all-important November sweeps period."

The uber-station.

MTA - Fulton Street Transit Center

The Dick is back!

Former National Football League star Eric Dickerson joins Team Dream for a group photograph during their initial practice for the 'Lingerie Bowl' in Los Angeles December 2, 2003. The game features models and actresses from Team Euphoria against Team Dream in a full-contact game to be telecast on pay-per-view at halftime of Super Bowl XXXVIII.

Yahoo! News - Entertainment Photos - Reuters

World Tribune.com: Kim Jong-Il honored as a deity, has more than 1,200 titles: "Kim Jong-Il honored as a deity, has more than 1,200 titles"

Guardian Unlimited | The Guardian | Burberry's image goes from toff to tough: "Burberry's image goes from toff to tough
The world-famous brown plaid is now the must-have label for hooligans, according to bar staff and bouncers in Scotland."

Simple Life premieres tonight!
Gothamist: Nicole Richie is Black: "Nicole Richie is Black"

Adriana Lima

The Adriana Lima Café Gallery 1