From WBTV.com
Former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino has been hospitalized in the Charlotte-area after police sources confirm that she attempted to commit suicide. According to a report filed with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers responded on Monday at 8:43 p.m. to a suicide attempt call at a home on Bevington Place. Police sources and sources close to the investigation say Barrino was found in the closet of the Glynmoor Lakes neighborhood home and she was taken to Mercy South Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in Pineville. “Last night, Fantasia was hospitalized. She took an overdose of aspirin and a sleep aid,” manager Brian Dickens said in a statement to WBTV. “Her injuries are not life threatening. She was dehydrated and exhausted at the time. Fantasia is stable now. She will be released from the hospital soon.” According to the police report, Barrino was hospitalized with “possible internal injuries” after “ingesting medication.” The police report was classified as “suicide/overdose.” It isn’t clear if the overdose was intentional or accidental. Fantasia’s overdose comes after a woman named Paula Cook filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County court last week against her husband Antwaun Cook. According to court documents, Paula Cook claims Fantasia began having an affair with her husband last year and claims the pair even made a sex tape together. Dickens says the former Idol singer is not to blame for the couple’s divorce. “Fantasia is certain that she is not responsible for the deterioration of Cook’s marriage,” said Dickens. “Fantasia believed Mr. Cook when he told her he was not happy in his marriage and his heart was not in it. She believed him when he told her he and Mrs. Cook separated in the late summer of 2009. She believed Mr. Cook when he told her he lived elsewhere. He even took her there. One of Mr. Cook’s most redeeming qualities was his complete devotion to his children. Fantasia fell in love with Mr. Cook and believed that he loved her.” Dickens says Fantasia was heartbroken when she read the accusations against her in the court papers. “Fantasia read Mrs. Cook’s Complaint against Mr. Cook for the first time yesterday. She knows some of the allegations in Mrs. Cook’s complaint are totally false. There are others she strongly doubts. There is plenty she does not know. Fantasia is heartbroken and is sorry for any pain she may have caused. “
Former American Idol winner Fantasia Barrino has been hospitalized in the Charlotte-area after police sources confirm that she attempted to commit suicide.
According to a report filed with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, officers responded on Monday at 8:43 p.m. to a suicide attempt call at a home on Bevington Place.
Police sources and sources close to the investigation say Barrino was found in the closet of the Glynmoor Lakes neighborhood home and she was taken to Mercy South Hospital at Carolinas Medical Center in Pineville.
“Last night, Fantasia was hospitalized. She took an overdose of aspirin and a sleep aid,” manager Brian Dickens said in a statement to WBTV.
“Her injuries are not life threatening. She was dehydrated and exhausted at the time. Fantasia is stable now. She will be released from the hospital soon.”
According to the police report, Barrino was hospitalized with “possible internal injuries” after “ingesting medication.” The police report was classified as “suicide/overdose.”
It isn’t clear if the overdose was intentional or accidental.
Fantasia’s overdose comes after a woman named Paula Cook filed a lawsuit in Mecklenburg County court last week against her husband Antwaun Cook.
According to court documents, Paula Cook claims Fantasia began having an affair with her husband last year and claims the pair even made a sex tape together.
Dickens says the former Idol singer is not to blame for the couple’s divorce.
“Fantasia is certain that she is not responsible for the deterioration of Cook’s marriage,” said Dickens.
“Fantasia believed Mr. Cook when he told her he was not happy in his marriage and his heart was not in it. She believed him when he told her he and Mrs. Cook separated in the late summer of 2009. She believed Mr. Cook when he told her he lived elsewhere. He even took her there. One of Mr. Cook’s most redeeming qualities was his complete devotion to his children. Fantasia fell in love with Mr. Cook and believed that he loved her.”
Dickens says Fantasia was heartbroken when she read the accusations against her in the court papers.
“Fantasia read Mrs. Cook’s Complaint against Mr. Cook for the first time yesterday. She knows some of the allegations in Mrs. Cook’s complaint are totally false. There are others she strongly doubts. There is plenty she does not know. Fantasia is heartbroken and is sorry for any pain she may have caused. “
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It’s official, Clay Aiken has been dumped by his male beard, Reed Kelly. Clay Aiken and Reed Kelly have long been rumored to be dating, but no official confirmation has ever been published.
Sources are citing Clay Aiken’s prolific cheating as the reason for the break-up.
Several months ago, I published a blog post in which I showed that Clay Aiken had attempted to “hook-up” with me on Manhunt while he was rumored to be dating Reed Kelly. Claymates were quick to dismiss this. At the time, I stated that if the rumors of Clay and Reed dating were true, then Clay Aiken was cheating. I made it clear that Reed would be hurt and that Reed should be forewarned that Clay was not being faithful. Claymates immediately dismissed my unsolicited warnings and attacked me.
Apparently, Reed Kelly has been deeply hurt by Clay’s infidility and is suffering the trauma of being cheated on by yet another lover. These emotional scars will not heal easily and Claymates attacks on Reed, Reed’s friends, and family will not help- they are sure to happen.
Clay Aiken is a very sick and selfish individual. He does not care about love or long term relationships. Clay Aiken is not looking for stability- he is looking for instant gratification. Men entering and leaving Clay’s door will not bode well for the emotional stability or well-being of his son either. Clay’s selfishness and infidility will adversely affect Parker Foster Aiken, his son. How will Parker react when he learns that Reed will no longer be in his life? Perhaps Clay will tell Parker the truth- Daddy cheated and caused the bond that Parker was forming with Reed to be severed.
Will Clay Aiken ever learn? Will he ever put his family and career ahead of his need for anonymous sex? I somehow doubt it.
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How does Broadway raise money for charity? They strip. Classy, right? Of all the many ways for Broadway to raise money, they have decided to have 10 of their Broadway performers strip for cash- don’t worry, Clay Aiken is not one of the 10. Besides, he doesn’t strip for charity, just webcams. However, Clay Aiken’s long rumored boyfriend, and some say male escort, Reed Kelly, will be baring it all for charity. I guess with a career in the toilet, Clay doesn’t pay as well nowadays.
BROADWAY BARES returned to Chelsea’s hottest hot spot and the original location of the very first BROADWAY BARES in 1992, Splash, for SOLO STRIPS: AROUND THE WORLD on Sunday, April 11. Directed by Rachelle Rak, assistant directed by John Berno and costumes by Brad Musgrove, AROUND THE WORLD featured eleven of Broadway’s sexiest performers stripping to two capacity crowds and raising an impressive, if sweaty, $7,365. The evening was the second in a series paying homage to that very first BROADWAY BARES twenty years ago which featured Jerry Mitchell and six friends performing original strips on the bar at Splash for a $10 donation plus whatever tips the audience gave to the dancers. Rak had the challenging task of taking us around the world for a strip in nearly a dozen time zones but was certainly up to the task. She explained, “Ten years of Broadway Bares has made stripping sort of my specialty skill! Thanks to Jerry (Mitchell) who taught me how to take off a glove properly. I now pass on my knowledge and sass.” Host Marty Thomas, most recently in Xanadu and Wicked, kicked things off with an electric rendition of the evening’s theme song, the Electric Light Orchestra hit “All Over the World” which revved up the crowd for what it was about to experience. BROADWAY BARES creator and executive producer Jerry Mitchell joined Thomas and special guests Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia and Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan thanking the enthusiastic crowds and announcing raffle winners. With each strip, we get closer to the fundraising goal of $1 million goal set by Mitchell at the first SOLO STRIP this past January 31st for Broadway Bares XX, which will be held on June 20 at Roseland Ballroom.
BROADWAY BARES returned to Chelsea’s hottest hot spot and the original location of the very first BROADWAY BARES in 1992, Splash, for SOLO STRIPS: AROUND THE WORLD on Sunday, April 11.
Directed by Rachelle Rak, assistant directed by John Berno and costumes by Brad Musgrove, AROUND THE WORLD featured eleven of Broadway’s sexiest performers stripping to two capacity crowds and raising an impressive, if sweaty, $7,365. The evening was the second in a series paying homage to that very first BROADWAY BARES twenty years ago which featured Jerry Mitchell and six friends performing original strips on the bar at Splash for a $10 donation plus whatever tips the audience gave to the dancers.
Rak had the challenging task of taking us around the world for a strip in nearly a dozen time zones but was certainly up to the task. She explained, “Ten years of Broadway Bares has made stripping sort of my specialty skill! Thanks to Jerry (Mitchell) who taught me how to take off a glove properly. I now pass on my knowledge and sass.”
Host Marty Thomas, most recently in Xanadu and Wicked, kicked things off with an electric rendition of the evening’s theme song, the Electric Light Orchestra hit “All Over the World” which revved up the crowd for what it was about to experience.
BROADWAY BARES creator and executive producer Jerry Mitchell joined Thomas and special guests Tony Award nominee John Tartaglia and Emmy Award winner Leslie Jordan thanking the enthusiastic crowds and announcing raffle winners. With each strip, we get closer to the fundraising goal of $1 million goal set by Mitchell at the first SOLO STRIP this past January 31st for Broadway Bares XX, which will be held on June 20 at Roseland Ballroom.
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From The New York Post:
Oprah Winfrey — who built a billion-dollar empire persuading everyone from celebs to average Joes to reveal the truth about themselves — is a big phony when it comes to her own past, an explosive new book charges. Winfrey’s relationship with longtime “love” Stedman Graham, her reputed dirt-poor upbringing in rural Mississippi, her rumored lesbian crushes on women such as Diane Sawyer — all are stories she has manipulated for decades in the name of sensational ratings, according to writer Kitty Kelley’s latest unauthorized biography “Oprah.” The much-anticipated book details how: * Winfrey concocted stories about sexual abuse she suffered as a child — and grossly exaggerated the poverty she was brought up in. * She went to great lengths to conceal her “lesbian affairs” — including hefty payoffs — and publicly attached herself to Graham to appear more normal to her audience of housewives. * She lavished romantic gifts — including a diamond toe ring — on ABC talking head Diane Sawyer. * Winfrey sold her body to earn extra money and has even described herself as a teen “prostitute.” * She doesn’t know the true identity of her biological father. * Her relationship with her own mother is so cold that Winfrey won’t even let the older woman have her phone number. Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Miss., in 1954, and, the way she likes to tell it, she was so impoverished that she never had any new dresses or dolls and had to adopt two cockroaches as pets, naming them Melinda and Sandy. But her family says that’s nonsense. She may not have been well off, but Oprah was relatively “spoiled” as a little girl, her cousin said. “Where Oprah got that nonsense about growing up in filth and roaches I have no idea,” said the relative, Katherine Carr Esters. “I’ve confronted her and asked, ‘Why do you tell such lies?’ Oprah told me, ‘That’s what people want to hear. The truth is boring.’ “ A friend of Esters added that the manipulation of her past is a key to her success. “Every move is calculated to further her brand and lift her image, which is why she does good works,” Jewette Battles said. As a teen, Winfrey was a wild child, promiscuous to the point of prostitution, her relatives said. The future star would steal from her mother’s purse, pawn her jewelry and even turn tricks. She was eventually sent to live in Nashville with Vernon Winfrey, who was her mother’s former lover and who is listed on her birth certificate as her father. He has been described as the domineering disciplinarian who set her straight. Later, determined to become rich and famous, Winfrey was ready to change her story to her advantage, making sure she cultivated her image as an everywoman, the book alleges. That meant she had to quell rumors about her sexuality. At one point, the rumors included seamy talk at ABC about a relationship between Winfrey and Sawyer when Oprah worked there. Employees there described “giggly late-night phone calls” and a series of lavish gifts from Winfrey — including gigantic sprays of orchids and a 1-carat diamond toe ring — to Sawyer. Despite such rumors, Kelley concludes Winfrey is “asexual.” Still, she quotes sources describing how, in 1989, Winfrey was insistent on paying Tim Watts, an ex-boyfriend, $50,000 to keep quiet about her lesbian affairs and the fact that her brother, who died of AIDS, was gay. “He said she did not want him to talk about her brother being gay,” said Judy Lee Colteryahn, who also dated Watts. “It’s no big deal to have a brother who is homosexual, but apparently it was to Oprah. Tim also said he knew about some lesbian affairs.” As for Winfrey’s very public relationship with Graham, the pair do not even share a bedroom, according to the book. Landscape architect James van Sweden of Oehme, who spent years working for the couple, said he planned to design a space for a wedding in front of their new estate but knew immediately after watching them together that there would never be a wedding. “Oprah keeps Stedman around because she wants her audience to accept her as a normal woman with a man in her life, but from what I saw during those four years, I can tell you there’s nothing there with Stedman. Nothing at all,” he said. “He’s simply a fixture in her life,” van Sweden added. “Window-dressing.” According to her father, Vernon, Oprah admitted that she was not in love with Stedman. “I’m in like . . . not in love,” she told him, according to the book. She did reportedly have one affair with a man — “Entertainment Tonight’s” John Tesh, while the two were working in Nashville. According to Tesh’s ex, he broke things off because he couldn’t deal with the stigma of being an interracial couple. “He said one night he looked down and saw his white body next to her black body and couldn’t take it any more,” the ex said. “He walked out in the middle of the night.” Winfrey has played coy on Tesh. Vernon Winfrey says he’s been dismayed by how Oprah plays fast and loose with the truth. “She may be admired by the world, but I know the truth,” he says. “So does God and so does Oprah. Two of us remain ashamed.” Vernon reserves his harshest words for Winfrey’s best friend, Gayle King, who put the kibosh on a biography he was working on. Calling her a “dirt hog” and “street heifer,” he blames King for a rift in his relationship with Oprah. “She’s become too close to that woman Gayle,” he says. King and others in Oprah’s entourage worked hard to keep a tight grip on employees in order to keep her out of the tabloids. “I thought I would be working for the warm and fuzzy person I saw on television,” a former employee at Winfrey’s Harpo production company said. “But, God, I was conned. It’s a cult at Harpo. So oppressive it’s frightening.” Perhaps the biggest secret of the book is left a secret. Oprah allegedly does not know the true identity of her father. Esters told Kelley who he is, on the condition she not publish the information until Winfrey’s mother comes clean to her daughter. “And you’ll know when that happens because Oprah will probably have a show on finding your real father,” Esters said. “As I said, the girl wastes nothing.”
Oprah Winfrey — who built a billion-dollar empire persuading everyone from celebs to average Joes to reveal the truth about themselves — is a big phony when it comes to her own past, an explosive new book charges.
Winfrey’s relationship with longtime “love” Stedman Graham, her reputed dirt-poor upbringing in rural Mississippi, her rumored lesbian crushes on women such as Diane Sawyer — all are stories she has manipulated for decades in the name of sensational ratings, according to writer Kitty Kelley’s latest unauthorized biography “Oprah.”
The much-anticipated book details how:
* Winfrey concocted stories about sexual abuse she suffered as a child — and grossly exaggerated the poverty she was brought up in.
* She went to great lengths to conceal her “lesbian affairs” — including hefty payoffs — and publicly attached herself to Graham to appear more normal to her audience of housewives.
* She lavished romantic gifts — including a diamond toe ring — on ABC talking head Diane Sawyer.
* Winfrey sold her body to earn extra money and has even described herself as a teen “prostitute.”
* She doesn’t know the true identity of her biological father.
* Her relationship with her own mother is so cold that Winfrey won’t even let the older woman have her phone number.
Winfrey was born in Kosciusko, Miss., in 1954, and, the way she likes to tell it, she was so impoverished that she never had any new dresses or dolls and had to adopt two cockroaches as pets, naming them Melinda and Sandy.
But her family says that’s nonsense.
She may not have been well off, but Oprah was relatively “spoiled” as a little girl, her cousin said.
“Where Oprah got that nonsense about growing up in filth and roaches I have no idea,” said the relative, Katherine Carr Esters. “I’ve confronted her and asked, ‘Why do you tell such lies?’ Oprah told me, ‘That’s what people want to hear. The truth is boring.’ “
A friend of Esters added that the manipulation of her past is a key to her success.
“Every move is calculated to further her brand and lift her image, which is why she does good works,” Jewette Battles said.
As a teen, Winfrey was a wild child, promiscuous to the point of prostitution, her relatives said.
The future star would steal from her mother’s purse, pawn her jewelry and even turn tricks. She was eventually sent to live in Nashville with Vernon Winfrey, who was her mother’s former lover and who is listed on her birth certificate as her father. He has been described as the domineering disciplinarian who set her straight.
Later, determined to become rich and famous, Winfrey was ready to change her story to her advantage, making sure she cultivated her image as an everywoman, the book alleges.
That meant she had to quell rumors about her sexuality.
At one point, the rumors included seamy talk at ABC about a relationship between Winfrey and Sawyer when Oprah worked there.
Employees there described “giggly late-night phone calls” and a series of lavish gifts from Winfrey — including gigantic sprays of orchids and a 1-carat diamond toe ring — to Sawyer.
Despite such rumors, Kelley concludes Winfrey is “asexual.”
Still, she quotes sources describing how, in 1989, Winfrey was insistent on paying Tim Watts, an ex-boyfriend, $50,000 to keep quiet about her lesbian affairs and the fact that her brother, who died of AIDS, was gay.
“He said she did not want him to talk about her brother being gay,” said Judy Lee Colteryahn, who also dated Watts.
“It’s no big deal to have a brother who is homosexual, but apparently it was to Oprah. Tim also said he knew about some lesbian affairs.”
As for Winfrey’s very public relationship with Graham, the pair do not even share a bedroom, according to the book.
Landscape architect James van Sweden of Oehme, who spent years working for the couple, said he planned to design a space for a wedding in front of their new estate but knew immediately after watching them together that there would never be a wedding.
“Oprah keeps Stedman around because she wants her audience to accept her as a normal woman with a man in her life, but from what I saw during those four years, I can tell you there’s nothing there with Stedman. Nothing at all,” he said.
“He’s simply a fixture in her life,” van Sweden added. “Window-dressing.”
According to her father, Vernon, Oprah admitted that she was not in love with Stedman.
“I’m in like . . . not in love,” she told him, according to the book.
She did reportedly have one affair with a man — “Entertainment Tonight’s” John Tesh, while the two were working in Nashville.
According to Tesh’s ex, he broke things off because he couldn’t deal with the stigma of being an interracial couple.
“He said one night he looked down and saw his white body next to her black body and couldn’t take it any more,” the ex said. “He walked out in the middle of the night.”
Winfrey has played coy on Tesh.
Vernon Winfrey says he’s been dismayed by how Oprah plays fast and loose with the truth.
“She may be admired by the world, but I know the truth,” he says. “So does God and so does Oprah. Two of us remain ashamed.”
Vernon reserves his harshest words for Winfrey’s best friend, Gayle King, who put the kibosh on a biography he was working on.
Calling her a “dirt hog” and “street heifer,” he blames King for a rift in his relationship with Oprah.
“She’s become too close to that woman Gayle,” he says.
King and others in Oprah’s entourage worked hard to keep a tight grip on employees in order to keep her out of the tabloids.
“I thought I would be working for the warm and fuzzy person I saw on television,” a former employee at Winfrey’s Harpo production company said. “But, God, I was conned. It’s a cult at Harpo. So oppressive it’s frightening.”
Perhaps the biggest secret of the book is left a secret.
Oprah allegedly does not know the true identity of her father.
Esters told Kelley who he is, on the condition she not publish the information until Winfrey’s mother comes clean to her daughter.
“And you’ll know when that happens because Oprah will probably have a show on finding your real father,” Esters said. “As I said, the girl wastes nothing.”
________
Hollywood Liberal elites are quick to tell us how we should live and how rotten America is while living the life of luxury. And, like most liberals, regardless of how much they earn they always spend more. Well, in the latest Hollywood elitist to live beyond his means, Nicholas Cage’s home has been taken into foreclosure. Citibank has now taken ownership of Nicholas Cage’s home. I certainly don’t feel sorry for him.
Debt-ridden movie star Nicolas Cage lost his Bel Air mansion to foreclosure on Wednesday. The courthouse auction was a flop, as no one was willing to make the minimum $10.4 million bid. Stephen Shapiro, realtor and owner of Westside Estate Agency, said this clears out speculators and most lenders with stakes in the property, leaving Citibank as the sole owner. Cage owes $11 million to Citibank, the current owner of the mansion. Shapiro said he’s had the house on the market for nearly a year and is trying to get approximately $11.5 million.
Debt-ridden movie star Nicolas Cage lost his Bel Air mansion to foreclosure on Wednesday. The courthouse auction was a flop, as no one was willing to make the minimum $10.4 million bid. Stephen Shapiro, realtor and owner of Westside Estate Agency, said this clears out speculators and most lenders with stakes in the property, leaving Citibank as the sole owner.
Cage owes $11 million to Citibank, the current owner of the mansion. Shapiro said he’s had the house on the market for nearly a year and is trying to get approximately $11.5 million.
American Idol Season 9 open thread. Who’s your favorite tonight?
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From FrumForum.com
Debbie Schlussel posted a long piece last evening about a charity that Sean Hannity is affiliated with, accusing them of malfeasance and mismangement. FrumForum has done an exhaustive investigation of the charity in question, Freedom Alliance, and found enough evidence to substantially rebut each of Schlussel’s claims. I’ll approach them one by one. Schlussel Accusation: Sean Hannity improperly benefited from Freedom Alliance by charging private jets, hotel stays and luxury cars. Freedom Alliance’s press release today stated categorically that they have “never provided planes, hotels, cars, limos, or anything else to Sean [Hannity] … to be clear Sean pays for all his own transportation, hotels, and all related expenses for himself and his family and friends and staff.” We are satisfied that this is true. It is true that Freedom Alliance spent $60,000 on aviation services in 2006, but there is no evidence that this was for Sean Hannity’s benefit, and it seems unlikely that the money was used to lease a Gulfstream 5. Rates for G5 aircraft average around $8,000 an hour. $60,000 would not buy much at that rate. We have also been able to confirm that Sean Hannity has no operational control over the organization. Nor is he even a member of the group’s board. If Schlussel stands behind her statement, then she will have to do better than a quote from a blind source, who is, as she admits, a friend of a friend. Schlussel Accusation: Too Little of Freedom Alliance’s Spending Has Gone to Program Outcomes. FrumForum has intensively investigated Freedom Alliance’s 990 Forms, which have been submitted to the IRS and checked by an independent auditor. Debbie Schlussel alleges that only $1 million of the organization’s $8.8 million in revenue was going to soldiers and scholarships in 2008. This figure is the product of a misleading and selective reading of the organization’s tax forms. The numbers that Schlussel cite refer to direct financial transfers to individuals – that is, if there is a direct grant that Freedom Alliance gives to a soldier. This does not include all the positive work that doesn’t involve a direct grant. Freedom Alliance also spends money on non-cash benefits for military families, involving things like taking soldiers to sporting events and sending care packages to troops. The highest paid employee earned $152,000 in 2006. The second highest paid employee earned $83,000. In 2007, Freedom Alliance spent about $1 in $7 on salary and benefits. Total staffing costs may seem high, but they are not out of line with what is spent at many other charities. For example, the Armed Services branch of the YMCA spent about $1 in $2 on salaries and benefits in 2008. Schlussel Accusation: Soldiers Get Grants of Very Low Value Schlussel is unhappy with “the fact that in each year’s tax returns soldiers described as having brain trauma injuries, multiple amputated limbs, and severe burns over most of their bodies get a few hundred bucks each from Freedom Alliance and in almost every case, no more than $1,000.” However, this accusation is much weaker when you examine the Department of Defense regulations regarding donations to active duty soldiers. According to the DOD Joint Ethics Regulation, gifts with a value of over $1,000 must go through a lengthy bureaucratic process which involves ethics officials. Calls to the Department of Defense confirmed this point. What becomes clear is that there is a bureaucratic process to get approval from an ethics official, and that the costs of working through the bureaucracy for this purpose may want to be avoided by a charity, especially one that is working in a lot of other areas. Schlussel also decries Freedom Alliance donations of less than $1,000, complaining for example that Freedom Alliance only gave $200 to a serviceman who lost both legs and his left arm. FrumForum has determined that lower-value grants like these are approved for specific purposes, often requested by a DOD case officer. This applies to cases where, for example, a serviceman may need a bus ticket home to visit his family. The sums may seem small, but a soldier who is already receiving a government benefit may greatly value an airline ticket that goes above and beyond the Department of Defense’s budget. Schlussel Accusation: Too Little Money Is Being Spent on Scholarships for Children of the Fallen Schlussel complains that “167 students got an average of just $4,803.89 each in tuition. With the amount this charity raises, these kids should all be getting a free ride paid for by Freedom Alliance.” The scholarships that she is referring to are considered and approved annually, meaning that a freshman can qualify for about $20,000 over four years. Further, $4,800 covers more than a year’s tuition at an average Catholic private school and a substantial portion of tuition at many colleges. For example, it nearly covers a year’s tuition at the University of Georgia ($4,900), and covers about a third of a year’s tuition at the University of Michigan ($11,600 for freshmen, $13,000 for upper-classmen). Overall, Freedom Alliance raised $2.1 million for scholarships in 2008. About $800,000 of that went to scholarships for that year. Schlussel claims that the remainder, “$1,238,636 – all of which was supposed to go to scholarships for these kids of the fallen – went to Freedom Alliance.” FrumForum was able to confirm with Freedom Alliance that the $1.2 million that Schlussel cites did not go into the general Freedom Alliance revenues, but instead to the organization’s Scholarship Trust Fund. Why didn’t Freedom Alliance spend all of its $2.1 million on scholarships that year? Considering your average active duty combat soldier is in his mid-20s, many fallen soldiers have children that are not of age to go to college. Saving a substantial part of funds is simply good planning – the process of funding children of the fallen will continue for fifteen to twenty years. The organization’s trust fund now stands at around $15 million. Schlussel Accusation: Freedom Alliance’s Postage Costs Are Too High Debbie Schlussel complains that Freedom Alliance spends too much on postage. Freedom Alliance’s listed cost for postage was $775,599 in 2008, which may seem high given their overall expenses. However, Freedom Alliance sends care packages to active duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, which explains a good deal of the cost behind the postage figure. Comparing Freedom Alliance to other groups that specialize in sending care packages, Freedom Alliance’s expenditures seem ordinary. For example, Operation Gratitude is a group that specializes in “sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas.” When reviewing their tax forms, FrumForum found that they spend similar amounts on postage. Operation Gratitude spent $773,680 in 2008; Freedom Alliance spent $775,599. * * * A day of hard work by Tim Mak and Noah Kristula-Green was able to debunk the charges Debbie Schlussel levied against Sean Hannity. Tim and Noah worked through IRS forms and comparisons with other charities to conclude that Freedom Alliance does not spend the money it raises on lavish living. There are other questions of course: After all, only a small portion of the money spent on tickets to “Freedom Concerts” is received by the Freedom Alliance. If say a $40 ticket yields a $4 donation to Freedom Alliance, we can’t vouch for what happens to the other $36. Some must pay for rent of the stadium for example. We have only the written record and what we could find by asking questions. If people wanted to suggest that a concert is not a very efficient way to raise money for a good cause, they might have a point. The Washington Post reported in 2007 that many military charities spend too much on fundraising expenses. If you were asking my advice about how best to aid wounded soldiers, I’d suggest you give to Fisher House. That’s where President Obama chose to direct a good portion of his Nobel Prize money. But we were dealing with a specific allegation – not of inefficiency – but of corruption. Schlussel charged that Hannity supported a lavish lifestyle with charitable gifts. And that’s the charge we think we have rebutted.
Debbie Schlussel posted a long piece last evening about a charity that Sean Hannity is affiliated with, accusing them of malfeasance and mismangement.
FrumForum has done an exhaustive investigation of the charity in question, Freedom Alliance, and found enough evidence to substantially rebut each of Schlussel’s claims. I’ll approach them one by one.
Schlussel Accusation: Sean Hannity improperly benefited from Freedom Alliance by charging private jets, hotel stays and luxury cars.
Freedom Alliance’s press release today stated categorically that they have “never provided planes, hotels, cars, limos, or anything else to Sean [Hannity] … to be clear Sean pays for all his own transportation, hotels, and all related expenses for himself and his family and friends and staff.” We are satisfied that this is true.
It is true that Freedom Alliance spent $60,000 on aviation services in 2006, but there is no evidence that this was for Sean Hannity’s benefit, and it seems unlikely that the money was used to lease a Gulfstream 5. Rates for G5 aircraft average around $8,000 an hour. $60,000 would not buy much at that rate.
We have also been able to confirm that Sean Hannity has no operational control over the organization. Nor is he even a member of the group’s board.
If Schlussel stands behind her statement, then she will have to do better than a quote from a blind source, who is, as she admits, a friend of a friend.
Schlussel Accusation: Too Little of Freedom Alliance’s Spending Has Gone to Program Outcomes.
FrumForum has intensively investigated Freedom Alliance’s 990 Forms, which have been submitted to the IRS and checked by an independent auditor.
Debbie Schlussel alleges that only $1 million of the organization’s $8.8 million in revenue was going to soldiers and scholarships in 2008. This figure is the product of a misleading and selective reading of the organization’s tax forms.
The numbers that Schlussel cite refer to direct financial transfers to individuals – that is, if there is a direct grant that Freedom Alliance gives to a soldier. This does not include all the positive work that doesn’t involve a direct grant.
Freedom Alliance also spends money on non-cash benefits for military families, involving things like taking soldiers to sporting events and sending care packages to troops.
The highest paid employee earned $152,000 in 2006. The second highest paid employee earned $83,000. In 2007, Freedom Alliance spent about $1 in $7 on salary and benefits.
Total staffing costs may seem high, but they are not out of line with what is spent at many other charities. For example, the Armed Services branch of the YMCA spent about $1 in $2 on salaries and benefits in 2008.
Schlussel Accusation: Soldiers Get Grants of Very Low Value
Schlussel is unhappy with “the fact that in each year’s tax returns soldiers described as having brain trauma injuries, multiple amputated limbs, and severe burns over most of their bodies get a few hundred bucks each from Freedom Alliance and in almost every case, no more than $1,000.”
However, this accusation is much weaker when you examine the Department of Defense regulations regarding donations to active duty soldiers.
According to the DOD Joint Ethics Regulation, gifts with a value of over $1,000 must go through a lengthy bureaucratic process which involves ethics officials. Calls to the Department of Defense confirmed this point.
What becomes clear is that there is a bureaucratic process to get approval from an ethics official, and that the costs of working through the bureaucracy for this purpose may want to be avoided by a charity, especially one that is working in a lot of other areas.
Schlussel also decries Freedom Alliance donations of less than $1,000, complaining for example that Freedom Alliance only gave $200 to a serviceman who lost both legs and his left arm. FrumForum has determined that lower-value grants like these are approved for specific purposes, often requested by a DOD case officer. This applies to cases where, for example, a serviceman may need a bus ticket home to visit his family.
The sums may seem small, but a soldier who is already receiving a government benefit may greatly value an airline ticket that goes above and beyond the Department of Defense’s budget.
Schlussel Accusation: Too Little Money Is Being Spent on Scholarships for Children of the Fallen
Schlussel complains that “167 students got an average of just $4,803.89 each in tuition. With the amount this charity raises, these kids should all be getting a free ride paid for by Freedom Alliance.”
The scholarships that she is referring to are considered and approved annually, meaning that a freshman can qualify for about $20,000 over four years.
Further, $4,800 covers more than a year’s tuition at an average Catholic private school and a substantial portion of tuition at many colleges. For example, it nearly covers a year’s tuition at the University of Georgia ($4,900), and covers about a third of a year’s tuition at the University of Michigan ($11,600 for freshmen, $13,000 for upper-classmen).
Overall, Freedom Alliance raised $2.1 million for scholarships in 2008. About $800,000 of that went to scholarships for that year. Schlussel claims that the remainder, “$1,238,636 – all of which was supposed to go to scholarships for these kids of the fallen – went to Freedom Alliance.”
FrumForum was able to confirm with Freedom Alliance that the $1.2 million that Schlussel cites did not go into the general Freedom Alliance revenues, but instead to the organization’s Scholarship Trust Fund.
Why didn’t Freedom Alliance spend all of its $2.1 million on scholarships that year? Considering your average active duty combat soldier is in his mid-20s, many fallen soldiers have children that are not of age to go to college. Saving a substantial part of funds is simply good planning – the process of funding children of the fallen will continue for fifteen to twenty years. The organization’s trust fund now stands at around $15 million.
Schlussel Accusation: Freedom Alliance’s Postage Costs Are Too High
Debbie Schlussel complains that Freedom Alliance spends too much on postage. Freedom Alliance’s listed cost for postage was $775,599 in 2008, which may seem high given their overall expenses. However, Freedom Alliance sends care packages to active duty soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan, which explains a good deal of the cost behind the postage figure.
Comparing Freedom Alliance to other groups that specialize in sending care packages, Freedom Alliance’s expenditures seem ordinary. For example, Operation Gratitude is a group that specializes in “sending care packages addressed to individual Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines deployed overseas.” When reviewing their tax forms, FrumForum found that they spend similar amounts on postage. Operation Gratitude spent $773,680 in 2008; Freedom Alliance spent $775,599.
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A day of hard work by Tim Mak and Noah Kristula-Green was able to debunk the charges Debbie Schlussel levied against Sean Hannity.
Tim and Noah worked through IRS forms and comparisons with other charities to conclude that Freedom Alliance does not spend the money it raises on lavish living.
There are other questions of course: After all, only a small portion of the money spent on tickets to “Freedom Concerts” is received by the Freedom Alliance. If say a $40 ticket yields a $4 donation to Freedom Alliance, we can’t vouch for what happens to the other $36. Some must pay for rent of the stadium for example. We have only the written record and what we could find by asking questions.
If people wanted to suggest that a concert is not a very efficient way to raise money for a good cause, they might have a point. The Washington Post reported in 2007 that many military charities spend too much on fundraising expenses. If you were asking my advice about how best to aid wounded soldiers, I’d suggest you give to Fisher House. That’s where President Obama chose to direct a good portion of his Nobel Prize money.
But we were dealing with a specific allegation – not of inefficiency – but of corruption. Schlussel charged that Hannity supported a lavish lifestyle with charitable gifts. And that’s the charge we think we have rebutted.
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For those who have never driven one, the Bugatti Veyron – the fastest, most powerful and, at £1million ($1.7million), costliest production car ever made – must seem obscene.
The top speed it has clocked in a test drive by a racing driver is 253mph – a third of the speed of sound and 240mph more than the average speed on the traffic-choked streets of Los Angeles.
This is clearly no deterrent to Simon Cowell, who was pictured this week driving his pride and joy around the world’s entertainment capital.
Clay Aiken performed in Raleigh, NC tonight as part of a PBS Special that will air this Summer. Open thread for Claymates and non-Claymates to opine on the performance.
Music line-up:
Misty Unchained Melody Build Me Up Buttercup Crying In My Life Who’s Sorry Now? What Kind of Fool am I? Its Impossible Moon River Suspicious Minds Some Paul Anka Song Beso something? A Kind of Hush Make Believe I’ll Take Romance
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Obama's approval sinks to all-time low
Schools in Kansas City closing
1. Facing potential bankruptcy, the board that governs the once flush-with-cash Kansas City school district is taking the unusual and contentious step of shuttering almost half its schools. Administrators say the closures are necessary to keep the district from plowing through what little is left of the $2 billion it received as part of a groundbreaking desegregation case. The Kansas City school board narrowly approved the plan to close 29 out of 61 schools Wednesday night at a meeting packed with angry parents.
Ruling axes option to move health-care bill forward
2. Republicans said guidance they received from the parliamentarian means that President Barack Obama has to sign a Senate health bill into law before the House and Senate can approve changes to it. Some House Democrats, who object to provisions in the Senate measure, wanted Obama to hold off signing the legislation until reconciliation passed.
Democrats stop investigation of Massa
3. House Democrats have stopped a Republican bid to force an investigation into whether Democratic leaders covered up allegations that former Rep. Eric Massa sexually harassed male employees.
New Jersey looks to privatize jobs
4. Gov. Chris Christie today created a task force to identify savings from privatizing parts of the state workforce amid a budget crisis.
Christie declined to say which jobs or agencies could be run by the private sector, but ruled out privatizing New Jersey’s toll roads or its state police. He left other recommendations to the five-member task force led by Republican former U.S. Rep. Dick Zimmer, who is now a Washington lobbyist. The commission will make recommendations by the end of May, and privatization would begin in January, Christie said.
Betty White to host Saturday Night Live
5. Call it a victory for democracy or peer pressure, but either way it’s happening: Betty White, above, the 88-years-young “Mary Tyler Moore” and “Golden Girls” star, will be hosting “Saturday Night Live”on May 8, a pre-Mother’s Day episode also featuring appearances from six “SNL” alumnae. Though a popular Facebook campaign helped build Ms. White’s cause, Lorne Michaels, the “SNL” creator and executive producer, said Thursday that the grass-roots movement wasn’t the sole reason for the booking.
