RIP - Pop world mourns Boyzone's Gately

Friends, fans and stars have paid tribute to
Boyzone singer Stephen Gately, who has
died suddenly at the age of 33 while on
holiday in Majorca.
Gately's bandmates described him as "our friend
and brother" and said he "lit up our lives and
those of the many friends he had all over the
world".
Boyzone manager Louis Walsh has pulled out of
Sunday's X Factor TV show.
A spokesman for Gately's family attributed his
death to natural causes and ruled out drugs and
suicide.
Gately's boy band enjoyed huge success in the
1990s, scoring six UK number one singles.
They reformed in 2007 before embarking on a
string of comeback concerts and were planning
to release a new album next year.
A statement from the four remaining members
of Boyzone said: "We have shared such
wonderful times together over the years and
were all looking forward to sharing many more.
"Stephen was a beautiful person in both body
and spirit. Our love and sympathy go out to
Andrew and Stephen's family. We love you and
will miss you forever."
Singer Ronan Keating was in Chicago when the
news of Gately's death emerged and has travelled
to join the rest of the group, who have flown to
Majorca.
Irish solicitor Gerald Kean, a spokesman for
Gately's family, said: "There's no foul play
involved and it's not suicide.
"It's just a tragic accident is what we've been told
and we're happy that that is correct information.
"There is nothing untoward, it's not drugs, we
don't believe, it's not suicide, it's not murder, it's
not a fight. That's what we've been told."
The family hope to have the remains returned to
Ireland by the end of the week for the funeral in
Dublin, he added.
A post mortem will take place in Spain on
Tuesday.
Police said they were called to a house near Port
d'Andratx on the western tip of the island on
Saturday afternoon.
"At the moment it is not known how he died," a
police spokesman said. "There are no signs of
suspicious circumstances."
Gately was on holiday with his long-term partner
Andy Cowles, who was introduced to him by Sir
Elton John and his partner David Furnish.
Sir Elton said on Sunday he and Furnish were
"stunned by this tragedy".
"Stephen was the kindest, gentlest soul," he said.
"We send our love and condolences to his
partner Andy and to all his friends everywhere."
Former Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, a friend of
Gately, said the singer and his group had been
"part of Irish life, and far wider than that" for 15
years. "It's a huge, huge tragedy. It's so sad," he
said.
Louis Walsh's spokeswoman confirmed that the
manager would not go ahead with his
appearance as an X Factor judge.
His spokeswoman said: "He thanks you all for the
messages of support at this sad time."
An X Factor spokeswoman said the other three
judges would "continue with the show in the
usual way".
Walsh earlier told the News of the World
newspaper that he was "in complete shock".
Fellow Irish boy band Westlife, also managed by
Walsh, put out a statement describing Gately as a
"friendly, positive spirit and a passionate
performer".

Mike Bongiorno dies!

Well known Italian television presenter and quiz master Mike Bongiorno has died aged 85.

Born in New York to an Italian mother and an Italian-American father, Bongiorno moved to Italy when still a child and became an institution in the Italian broadcasting scene.

He was one of the first high profile presenters to defect from Rai to privately-owned Canale 5 and continued to present programmes well into old age.

Among his best known programmes were Lascia o raddoppia.

Many will remember him for his trademark Allegria! at the start of his shows.

Mr Bongiorno died suddenly of a heart attack in Monte Carlo.


from: timesofmalta

mythical of chupacabra - Monster or dog?!

The mythical chupacabra is a hairless, nocturnal wolf-dog; the name, roughly translated, means "the goatsucker." Widely regarded as the Mexican Bigfoot, tales of the bloodsucking beast originated in Puerto Rico, but alleged sightings have been reported over the last few years in the U.S. Last week a Texas taxidermist got what might be a chupacabra, and CNN and Telemundo rushed over to interview him faster than you can say "Look at that hairless goatsucker!"

"The phone has been ringing off the hook" at the Blanco Taxidermy School, Robert McDaniel, the chief instructor, told The Times on Wednesday. The news media and the curious -- "Good Morning America" among them -- have called in asking for interviews and to find out if they have really found a chupacabra. "We've gotten about 100 calls today," he said.

The interest is all about a dead, hairless, coyote-like creature that was captured by Lynn Butler, a former student at the school. According to McDaniel, Butler heard something in his cousin's barn "tearing up the chickens pretty bad. So he left poison out thinking it was a raccoon or other varmint." The next day he found the lifeless animal that many claim is a chupacabra.

Jerry Ayer, owner of the Blanco Taxidermy School, isn't so sure that what he has really is what everyone hopes he has. But as the man who is in the process of stuffing the beast, he does know he's working on something unique.

"To be honest, I don't know what it is. I'd probably say it's a freak-of-nature coyote, or a hybrid breed with a genetic mutation," the soft-spoken Ayer said.

Ayer says he stuffs about 15 to 20 coyotes a year, and this is no coyote. "The footpads are different. They're rather bulbous. And this has longer legs by a few inches."

But what makes it so different from other coyotes or dogs is that it is mostly hairless. "It has a little fuzz around the feet," Ayer says. "Almost like little socks of fur. And there's a little hair up the backbone. Very odd-looking."

Clearly intrigued by the creature's abnormalities, Ayer continues, "The hairlessness is sinister because you can see the bones protruding at the hips."

It's that creepy look and scavenger-like behavior that Ayer believes leads people to buy into the myth. "These types [of animals] will zip in and out of people's backyards and eat anything live or dead. They have two big canine teeth in the front and they go for the neck." When someone hears the animal and goes out back with a flashlight to investigate, "They see this weird-looking dark creature running off. And they see two holes in the side of the neck of a goat, and they take it from there."

Chubacabra What they take it for is a chupacabra, whether Ayer agrees or not. "It doesn't matter what I call it," Ayer says. "It's been labeled."

But one thing does matter to Ayer. "I don't want to be known as the chupacabra quack," he said by telephone. "People say there's a mythical beast and [that] I have one. I'll call it chupacabra because people love it, but I don't know what it is."

Two universities might help identify exactly what Ayer has. He said he has received requests from the University of Texas and UC Davis to provide tissue samples for their ongoing research.

And what of the possibility that a chupacabra might make an appearance locally -- say, at the Los Angeles Zoo? Asked if the zoo would house a chupacabra if one was captured, Jason Jacobs, the zoo’s marketing and public relations director, put off the issue as a matter of conjecture. "We don't have scientific proof that one exists," Jacobs noted.

Meanwhile, as the university scientists conduct their studies, the careful craft of taxidermy is being performed in Central Texas.

McDaniel and Ayer, who are half-brothers, say they have no immediate plans to charge admission to view the animal once it is properly stuffed and mounted; they're just happy that it is bringing attention to the taxidermy school. (According to McDaniel, for $3,500 the school will provide all the education anyone would need to become a professional taxidermist.)

Once the mounting is complete, Ayer says, he plans on displaying it at the school. But he'll store it at night in a safe place -- because, he says, he's sure something as rare as whatever he has would be quite valuable to thieves.

-- Tony Pierce

Photo credits: Robert McDaniel


more information on : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chupacabra

Burial film irks Jackson brother ?!

A live video feed of guests arriving at Glendale Forest Lawn Memorial Park had been provided, but ceased as the star's body arrived for privacy reasons.

But a camera kept filming the ceremony on a hovering helicopter, leaving him "dismayed". It had "severely disrupted" the service, he said.

Jackson has requested the media stop showing that footage.

In a statement, the former Jackson 5 singer said: "I was dismayed last night and again today at the coverage I saw on television of our ceremony for Michael.

'Ignored wishes'

"We had asked the media to respect the privacy and the sanctity of this event; to give us one moment of privacy to mourn as a family out of the public spotlight.

"Unfortunately, despite a no-fly zone around Forest Lawn, many media organisations decided to ignore our wishes," he said.

Mourners arrive at Michael Jackson's funeral

"I therefore ask today that media organisations airing helicopter footage of the ceremony we held for my brother immediately pull that footage from their air and refrain from airing it in the future."

Around 200 mourners gathered at the cemetery to pay their respects to Jackson including the star's former wife, Lisa Marie Presley, Dame Elizabeth Taylor, actor Macaulay Culkin.

The service took place after dark in the open air outside Forest Lawn's Great Mausoleum.

It came more than two months after Jackson died of a lethal cocktail of prescription drugs at the age of 50.

Last week Jackson's death was ruled to be a homicide by the Los Angeles coroner.

from: bbc uk

halloween trick or treating, hallowen day

Halloween (also spelled Hallowe'en) is a holiday celebrated on October 31. It has roots in the Celtic festival of Samhain and the Christian holy day of All Saints’ Day. It is largely a secular celebration, but some Christians and pagans have expressed strong feelings about its religious overtones.Irish immigrants carried versions of the tradition to North America during Ireland's Great Famine of 1846. The day is often associated with the colors orange and black, and is strongly associated with symbols such as the jack-o'-lantern. Halloween activities include trick-or-treating, wearing costumes, ghost tours, bonfires, costume parties, visiting haunted attractions, carving jack-o'-lanterns, pranking people, reading scary stories, and watching horror movies. (wikipedia)