Bank of America Corp. Chief Executive Kenneth D. Lewis announced his resignation, effective by the end of the current year, on Wednesday (September 30). The 62 year-old, who has been on the position since 2001, is reportedly fed up with the criticism related to the takeover of Merrill Lynch & Co.
“Bank of America is well positioned to meet the continuing challenges of the economy and markets,” Mr. Lewis said in a statement released by the company. “The Merrill Lynch and Countrywide integrations are on track and returning value already. We are in position to begin to repay the federal government’s TARP investments.”
BOA still doesn’t have a successor but assured they would select a successor by the time Lewis steps down December 31, 2009, which indicates the company’s board did not expect Lewis’ decision at this time.
OK! Magazine reportedly paid $300K for exclusive pictures of Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s wedding (unofficial photos here), which was completely scripted (watch video below) for a special episode of E! “Keeping Up With The Kardashians” and may not even be legal yet. Well, not legal until they finally sign a pre-nup.
OK! Khloe Kardashian and Lamar Odom’s wedding details:
At 5:12 p.m., Khloe, in her custom-made Vera Wang gown, walked down the aisle on the arm of her stepfather, Bruce Jenner — her beaming mother, Kris Jenner, looking on with pride.
After the rings were exchanged (Khloe’s 2.5-carat Vartan Fine Jewelry micro-pavé platinum band matched that of her 12.5-carat Vartan engagement ring; weighing in at almost 5 carats, Lamar’s Vartan platinum band had its share of bling, too) everyone retired to a massive marquee for a nightclub-themed reception organized by celebrity wedding planner Sharon Sacks, the woman behind the nuptials of Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera.
The evening featured a surprise serenade of “You Are So Beautiful” performed by Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, an endless supply of Perrier-Jouët champagne and emotional speeches, including one from Kris, in which the proud mom choked up, saying, “Everyone knows I boohoo in public!”
Lamar defended his marriage and claims it was the real deal. “It’s crazy how perception works in America when you’re looking at things from the outside,” Lamar told reporters at a press conference at the Lakers media day Wednesday. He added, “Anybody that was there will tell you that it was a beautiful event and it was real.”
As for Khloe, she is living a dream and she’s never been so happy. “I really hate all the crazy things I have been hearing regarding their wedding not being real. That is just crazy,” Kim Kardashian blogs. “Let Mr. And Mrs. Odom enjoy being newlyweds!” she adds. “They are sooo freakin cute together!”
No matter how real and sincere their feelings were because their real dream wedding was scripted and we have proof. TMZ got their hands on walkie-talkie chatter behind the scenes audio (watch video below), in which you can hear producers of the show discussing every little detail including the moment Khloe told Bruce Jenner she considered him her “real dad.”
On another note, where’s the groom in that OK! cover? Oh! Yeah, we can barely see Lamar’s face behind the three bootylicious Kardashian sisters. Khloe’s wedding will air at 9 p.m. on November 8 on “Keeping Up With the Kardashians”.
Actress Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake have reportedly called it quits after dating for almost three years, according to US Magazine. A source says, Justin broke up with Jessica over the phone about a month ago.
Justin has reportedly been going out, partying, clubbing and “on the hunt”. Last week, we reported Rihanna and Justin had been secretly hooking up and that she had even been seen giving him a lap dance. A source tells Star, “Rihanna and Justin have been talking and texting on the phone nonstop since the VMAs. She asked him on the phone, ‘Are you still with Jessica?’ And he hinted that things were cooling off between them.”
Jessica has been having a hard time letting go. She is in denial. Another source said, “There’s no way of knowing if it’s a firm breakup, because with them it’s so hot and cold.” In fact, Justin and Jessica were photographed together, holding hands but not actually happy in Northern California on Monday (September 28).
John Couey, a convicted sex offender who was sentenced to death in 2007 for the murder of a 9 year-old girl named Jessica Lunsford, died of natural causes in a Jacksonville hospital on Wednesday (September 30).
The 51 year-old man abducted Jessica from her bedroom, raped her and buried her alive in two plastic garbage bags back in 2005. His attorneys claimed he was mentally retarded and had a troubled childhood. John had recently petitioned for a new trial.
Actor Dennis Hopperwas taken by ambulance to an unknown hospital in New York City on Wednesday (September 30). There is not information about the 73 year-old actor’s condition but his rep said Dennis is merely suffering from a flu-like stomach ailment.
Dennis, who was in NY to promote his latest project, has already canceled appearances on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon and the Today Show.
During the fourth audition episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” on Tuesday (September 29), contestant #22036, who wore a short white dress, fell to the ground and exposed her lady bits. She was clearly NOT wearing panties!
A big mistake by the show’s editing team. Judge and Executive Producer Nigel Lythgoe doesn’t see what we see or he is not familiar with the female anatomy because he claimed “It is a crease in the young lady’s panties.” Nigel added, “None of us knew she did this. The show was always designed to expose talent, but not in this way.”
So You Think You Can Dance Flash NSFW Photo Below go on reading »
The Hills star Audrina Patridge, who is getting ready to have her own show, can’t get rid of a bad reputation when it comes to plastic surgery. Although Audrina keeps denying she any work done, we can’t help but notice a big difference on her facial features, not to mention a boob job.
In a recent interview, Audrina said, “People think I’ve got my nose done. My chin done. I just laugh at it. I’m just losing my baby fat – everyone grows up and changes. There’s always rumors. People are always going to point things out and it’s entertainment. It’s funny. Doesn’t bother me. Goes in one ear, out the other. I read it, forget it.
Isn’t baby fat something you lose in the transition from child to teenager? I might be wrong… I seriously don’t think Audrina lost that much weight but the “baby fat” certainly disappeared from some very specific places.
New “The Hills” star Kristin Cavallari was asked about Audrina’s transformation since the first season of the show. Kristin laughed and said, “I’m not commenting on her plastic surgery.” Meow! Cat fight!!
Actress Tori Spelling has been hospitalized with severe abdominal pain twice in two days this week and her family has also caught the unknown illness she called “The McDermott Family Bug“.
“Just out of the hospital,” husband Dean McDermottwrote on Twitter on Monday (September 28). “After a battery of tests, no conclusive answers. She still feels terrible. Hope it passes soon. She’s in a lot of pain.”
“Thnx 4 all the well wishes! [Dean] & I R at the ER,” Tori tweeted the afternoon of Sept. 20. “They R givn him IV. He’s very dehydrated. Running tests.will keep our tweeps updated!”
The ailment also affected her son Liam and daughter Stella last week. Tori’s rep said, “The emergency forced Spelling to pull out of hosting last night’s West Coast Liberty Awards. “She feels terrible about it.” It’s not time to think about work! We wish Tori and her family a quick recovery.
Who Was Eliminated On Dancing With The Stars Week 2? After the double elimination last week (read more details), Kathy Ireland and her partner Tony Dovolani were the third couple to leave Dancing With The Stars on Tuesday (September 29).
“There is so much to take away from this experience. I wouldn’t change a moment of it.” said the 46-year-oldKathy Ireland. “The fact that I got to learn how to dance from (pro partner and) world champion Tony Dovolani, it’s been so much fun — the entire experience.”
Also in the bottom three were Louie Vito and Chelsie Hightower, and Debi Mazar and Maksim Chmerkovskiy. Aaron Carter and Mya were the top two celebrity performances of the week with a score of 27 out of 30. The show included performances by Joss Stone, Selena Gomez and the USC Marching Band.
A magnitude 8.3 earthquake that struck about 120 miles off the Samoan coast at 6:48 a.m. local time created a Tsumani, which hit Samoa and American Samoa killing at least 100 people on Tuesday (September 29).
In Pago Pago, the capital of American Samoa, sea waters surged about 100 yards inland before receding, leaving some cars stuck in mud and causing electricity outages. In Samoa, the capital, Apia, appeared largely unharmed. But waves ripped up resorts and small villages in other, more remote areas, residents said.
Tsunami warnings were issued for a number of South Pacific islands, including Fiji and Tonga, as well as New Zealand, but the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center later canceled the tsunami warnings after the waves had passed.
