STEVIE WONDER : NFL PROTESTS DON'T DISRESPECT THE FLAG... Trump's Disrespecting the People

 9/30/2017 12:10 AM PDT
EXCLUSIVE
Stevie Wonder is telling TMZ Sports exactly what the national anthem protests mean to him ... and why taking a knee does NOT disrespect the flag.
We asked Stevie about the NFL movement sweeping the country ... and he told us that it's a fight for respect and unity -- two things Donald Trump wasn't preachin' when he told NFL owners to fire their "SOB" players.
"People want to be respected ... the constitution's about everyone being respected," Stevie said.
"It's about stopping all this ... putting one group against the other group."
As for criticism that kneeling ain't patriotic -- "People have died for the flag -- everyone, every culture, every ethnicity -- so it's not about not valuing the flag." 
FYI, the legendary singer joined the protest last weekend ... dropping to his knees in back-to-back concerts.

Hugh Hefner, Playboy founder, dead at 91

He died from natural causes, the statement read. 

With a bon vivant philosophy, urbane sophistication and sheer marketing brilliance, Hefner was an icon for the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the man-about-town embodiment of the lifestyle he promoted with gusto and a sly wink to readers.

Asked by the New York Times in 1992 of what he was proudest, Hefner responded: "That I changed attitudes toward sex. That nice people can live together now. That I decontaminated the notion of premarital sex. That gives me great satisfaction."

When he turned 85, he cheerfully observed, "You're as young as the girl you feel."

After a round of celebrity cheating by Tiger Woods and Jesse James was exposed, Hefner summed up his own attitude: "I had a lot of girlfriends, but it's not the same as cheating. I don't cheat. I am very open about what I do. ... I think that when you are in a relationship, you should be honest. The real immorality of infidelity is the lying."

The man known to millions simply as "Hef" was born April 9, 1926, in Chicago, the elder of two sons.

His parents were strict Methodists and Hefner went to Chicago schools before joining the Army, attending the Chicago Art Institute and graduating from the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana with a degree in psychology.

"Part of the reason that I am who I am is my Puritan roots run deep," he told the Associated Press in 2011. "My folks are Puritan. My folks are prohibitionists. There was no drinking in my home. No discussion of sex. And I think I saw the hurtful and hypocritical side of that from very early on. "

After working first as a copywriter for "Esquire" – where he reportedly left because he didn't get a $5 raise – Hefner decided to start his own publication and he raised $8,000 from 45 investors to launch "Playboy" in December 1953. (He had originally planned to call it "Stag Night," but was forced to change the name to avoid trademark infringement.)

It was produced in his kitchen and carried no date because he wasn't sure there would be a second issue.

But with the trademark intuition and shrewdness that seemed to always ensure his success, Hefner had acquired a nude photo of Marilyn Monroe for the centerfold, taken before the start of her film career.

The magazine sold 50,000 copies, making it an immediate success. (Hefner later bought the crypt next to Monroe's in a Los Angeles cemetery.)

An empire was launched, with Hefner – who divorced first wife Mildred Williams in 1959 – as its charismatic, cosmopolitan head.

Often pictured in pajamas – or a silk smoking jacket - and smoking a pipe, Hefner personally promoted the Playboy philosophy as the magazine became an amalgam of nude photographs of gorgeous women and intellectual writing. ("I just read Playboy for the articles," was a standard, if joking, line at the time.)

"If you had to sum up the idea of Playboy, it is anti-Puritanism," he was quoted as saying as the country's mood became more hedonistic.


In addition to the magazine, there were Playboy clubs, with "bunny" waitresses, two short-lived television series and a host of other Playboy Enterprises projects. From 2005-2010, a reality show detailing Hefner's relationship with then-girlfriends Kendra Wilkinson, Holly Madison and Bridget Marquardt ran on E! called "The Girls Next Door."

In 1975, Hefner moved to Los Angeles and in 1985, he suffered a minor stroke.

In 1989, he married longtime girlfriend Kimberly Conrad and for a while became a family man with two young sons before the couple separated in 1998.

"My father lived an exceptional and impactful life as a media and cultural pioneer and a leading voice behind some of the most significant social and cultural movements of our time in advocating free speech, civil rights and sexual freedom," Cooper Hefner, Hefner's son and chief creative officer at Playboy Enterprises, said in a statement.

Conrad and Hefner's divorce was finalized in 2010 and he proposed in 2011 to 24-year-old Crystal Harris, a former Playmate. Harris called off the wedding days before the ceremony, but changed her mind and they married at the end of 2012.

In August 2016, Hefner sold the iconic Playboy Mansion for $100 million. The deal was contingent on the understanding that the Playboy founder would live in the Mansion until the time of his death.

Hefner is survived by his wife Crystal as well as his daughter, Christie; and his sons, David, Marston and Cooper.

Playboy released no information on memorial plans, but Hefner owns a burial plot at a Los Angeles cemetery next to Marilyn Monroe.

The Playboy website was taken over on Thursday with a simple tribute to the man behind the company that featured an image of a younger Hefner and the quote, "Life is too short to be living somebody else's dreams."

Condolence to the family and friends
RIP  Hef     Shadow  and Witchy

Gregg Popovich says the US has become 'an embarrassment to the world' in speech slamming Trump and white privilege

 Business Insider       CORK GAINES         September  26th 2017 
Gregg Popovich has once again criticized President Donald Trump, saying the country has become "an embarrassment to the world"

Popovich spoke at Media Day for the San Antonio Spurs on Monday and was asked about Trump's recent comments criticizing NFL players who sit or kneel during the national anthem.

In an uninterrupted seven-minute speech, Popovich slammed the president for being "delusional," for "gratuitous fear-mongering and race-baiting," for enabling people like NASCAR owners who would fire people or kick people out of the country for non-violent protests, and for lowering the reputation of the country to the point that the U.S. has become "an embarrassment to the world."

"I think [the NASCAR owners and others] have been enabled by an example that we have all been given and we have seen it in Charlottesville and on and on and on. That's not a surprise," Popovich said. "Our country is an embarrassment in the world."

In separate speech, responding to a different question, Popovich also criticized white privilege, calling race "the elephant in the room," and noting that change won't happen until people feel uncomfortable, "especially white people."

"Obviously, race is the elephant in the room, and we all understand that, but unless it is talked about constantly, it is not going to get better. People get bored. 'Oh, is it that again. He's pulling the race card again. Why do we have to talk about that?' Well, because it's uncomfortable and there has to be an uncomfortable element in the discourse for anything to change. Whether it's the LGBT movement or women's suffrage, it doesn't matter. People have to be made to feel uncomfortable, and especially white people, because we're comfortable. We still have no clue of what being born white means... It's hard to sit down and decide, yes, it's like you are at the 50-meter mark in a 100-meter dash. You've got that kind of a lead. Yes, because you were born white, you have advantages that are systemically, culturally, psychologically, there, and they have been built up and cemented for hundreds of years. but many people can't look at it. It's too difficult... People want to hold their position. They want the status quo. People don't want to give that up. And until it is given up, it's not going to be fixed."
GREGG POPOVICH, SAN ANTONIO SPURS COACH
Ultimately though, Popovich said it was time for people to actually do something to create change instead of just constantly complaining about Trump.

To dwell on that, sometimes I think is the wrong way to go, because it is so obvious now, it's boring," Popovich said. "The childishness, and the gratuitous fear-mongering and race-baiting, has been so consistent it's almost expected. The bar has been lowered so far that I think it is more important to be thinking about what to do... You've got a choice. We can continue to bounce our heads off the wall with his conduct or we can decide the institutions of our country are more important, that people are more important, that the decent America we all thought we had and want is more important and get down to business at the grass roots level and do what we have to do."

Popovich has not been shy in his criticisms of Trump. Shortly after the inauguration in January, Popovich said "You really can’t believe anything that comes out of his mouth." In February, Popovich described Trump's "inability to get over himself" as "scary."
You can see Popovich's first speech here:

Facebook to provide ads bought by Russian company to congressional committees probing Trump ties

 Facebook Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg would be 36 years old by the time the 2020 election rolls around. (Esteban Felix / Associated Press)
David S. Cloud David S. CloudContact Reporter
Facebook said on Thursday that it would turn over to Congress copies of more than 3,000 ads linked to a shadowy Russian company, for House and Senate committees’ investigations of Kremlin interference in the 2016 election.

The move is an about-face for Facebook, which earlier this month said it had given the ads and other information to Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III, who is conducting a criminal investigation of possible links between Russia and the Trump campaign. But Facebook has said it could not give the material to Congress due to privacy concerns.

Most of the ads did not mention Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, but focused on immigration, gun control, gay rights and other divisive social issues. They were purchased by 470 fake accounts traced back to the Internet Research Agency, a Russian firm known for using troll accounts to post on news sites.

“After an extensive legal and policy review, today we are announcing that we will also share these ads with congressional investigators,” said Colin Stretch, Facebook’s general counsel, in a blog post. “We believe it is vitally important that government authorities have the information they need to deliver to the public a full assessment of what happened in the 2016 election.”

Facebook’s chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, said that the company was taking steps to provide more transparency about political ads that run on the site and to prevent covert attempts to influence elections. He said Facebook would continue to investigate attempts by Russia and other “foreign actors” to use the site to interfere in other countries’ elections.

“I don't want anyone to use our tools to undermine democracy. That's not what we stand for,” Zuckerberg said in a video statement.

Facebook executives had briefed the Senate Intelligence Committee earlier this month on the Russian-linked ads. But Sen. Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the committee, and other lawmakers had criticized the company for refusing to turn over the materials that it had given to Mueller.

Rep. Adam Schiff of Burbank, the senior Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that the Facebook material “should help us better understand what happened, beyond the preliminary briefings we already received.”

He added, “It will be important for the Committee to scrutinize how rigorous Facebook's internal investigation has been, to test its conclusions and to understand why it took as long as it did to discover the Russian sponsored advertisements and what else may yet be uncovered.”

Schiff made clear that Facebook is not be the only company that investigators expect to hear from.

“As we continue our investigation to get to the bottom of Russia’s multifaceted attack on our democratic process,” he said, “I believe it will be necessary to hear directly from Facebook, Google and Twitter, as well as others in the tech sector, including in open hearings that will inform the American public.”

15 Popular Shows That Won’t Return to TV in 2018

Michelle Regalado  
Every new television season brings a slew of exciting freshman shows, but — unfortunately for some fans — it also brings the conclusion of some long-running favorites. Several networks have already begun announcing which titles on their respective line-ups are getting renewed and which will not be back for another season. Here are 15 popular shows that won’t return to the small screen in 2018.
The Vampire Diaries

Ian Somerhalder and Paul Wesley play the Salvatore brothers on The Vampire Diaries 
The Vampire Diaries | The CW
The CW fantasy drama was once one of the highest-rated shows on the network, but that hasn’t been the case in recent seasons. Luckily for its devoted fans, the channel decided against abruptly canceling the series, and instead gave the show one more 16-episode season. Season 8 kicked off in fall 2016 and wrapped up in March with original lead Nina Dobrev (who exited the series after Season 6) returning as a guest star in the series finale.
2. Orphan Black 

Tatiana Maslay stars in Orphan Black on BBC America
Orphan Black | BBC America
BBC America’s cult series has earned critical acclaim and a loyal fanbase throughout its run, but the story is set to conclude for good in 2017. As announced in 2016, the Tatiana Maslany starrer will air one more 10-episode season that — as co-creators John Fawcett and Graeme Manson described — will bring an “epic conclusion to the tale of Sarah and her clone sisters.” The show’s final run of episodes will kick off in June 2017.
3. Teen Wolf

Tyler Posey stars in Season 4 of Teen Wolf on MTV
Teen Wolf | MTV
At 2016’s San Diego Comic-Con, MTV confirmed that this favorite fantasy drama will end after its sixth season. According to the announcement, the network planned the show’s conclusion to occur after its 100th episode — a special milestone that both cast members and producers described as a “good place” to end. The final season of the show (which premiered in November 2016) is split into two 10-episode arcs, instead of telling a single story. The second part of the series will air in summer 2017.
4. Pretty Little Liars

Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, and Sasha Pieterse on Freeform's Pretty Little Liars
Pretty Little Liars | Freeform
After months of speculation, Freeform finally confirmed that its hit mystery drama, Pretty Little Liars, will end after its upcoming seventh season. The show, starring Troian Bellisario, Ashley Benson, Lucy Hale, Shay Mitchell, and Sasha Pieterse, will air its final 10 episodes starting in April 2017.

After six seasons of non-stop drama, Season 7 will (hopefully) deliver some long-awaited answers to fans. The concluding installments will end with a special two hour series finale in mid-June of 2017.
5. Bones

Emily Deschanel and David Boreanaz star in Fox's Bones 
Bones | Fox
Back in February 2016, it was announced that Season 12 would also be the last for Fox’s long-running drama. The move didn’t come as a huge surprise to fans, as the show had seen dipping ratings in recent seasons and the series stars had openly suggested that the drama may be approaching its end.

The final 12-episode season of Bones kicked off in January 2017, finally bringing the story of Brennan (Emily Deschanel), Booth (David Boreanaz), and the Jeffersonian FBI team to a close. While the show isn’t expected to return to the air in 2018, fans shouldn’t fret. Rumors of a potential revival have already started circulating.
6. Girls

Lena Dunham and Jemima Kirke star in Girls on HBO
Girls | HBO
After earning plenty of critical acclaim in its first five seasons, Lena Dunham’s groundbreaking comedy drama will wrap up for good in the spring of 2017. HBO first confirmed that the sixth season would be the show’s last, following Dunham’s hints that Season 6 would be an ideal ending point for the series.

Girls kicked off its final 10-episode season in February, with the series finale airing in April 2017.
7. The Leftovers

Season 2 of The Leftovers on HBO 
The Leftovers | HBO
After over a year off the air, the HBO drama debuted its third season in April 2017. Season 3 will consist of a total of eight episodes and will reportedly relocate all of the action to Australia. As previously announced, this will be the final run for the drama, with HBO opting not to bring the series back for more episodes in 2018.
8. Workaholics

Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, and Anders Holm star in Workaholics on Comedy Central
Workaholics | Comedy Central
The seventh season of the Comedy Central series was also be its last. The decision to end the show was reportedly made by stars, Blake Anderson, Adam DeVine, and Anders Holm, who have made a name for themselves in feature films and other arenas since the series first debuted.

Though the show won’t be back in 2018, don’t worry — that won’t be the last time you see the three actors together. The trio is already planning on teaming up for a new Netflix movie titled, Game Over, Man!. 
9. Reign

Adelaide Kane plays Mary, Queen of Scots in Reign on The CW
Reign | The CW
The CW’s period drama, chronicling the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, began airing its fourth and final season in February 2017. According to Variety, the decision to make this season the last one was not totally unexpected, as the network had ongoing conversations about the show’s possible ending with producers. The final season consists of 16 episodes.
10. Bates Motel

Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore star in Bates Motel on A&E
Bates Motel | A&E
As confirmed at San Diego Comic-Con in 2016, A&E’s Bates Motel is shutting its doors after Season 5. The announcement wasn’t a shock, as executive producers Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin had long made it known that they envisioned the series to be a five-season run. Luckily for fans, the last season proved to be quite memorable, with Rihanna appearing as a surprising guest star. The fifth and final season debuted in February 2017 and consisted of 10 total episodes.
11. Longmire

Robert Taylor and Katee Sackhoff walk together sporting sheriff badges in a scene from Longmire
Longmire | Netflix
Longmire has had a complicated history, getting axed at A&E in 2014 and then picked up by Netflix later that same year. Though the crime drama may have avoided cancellation once, the same can’t be said this time around. The series, starring Robert Taylor and Katee Sackhoff, is set to air a 10-episode sixth and final season in 2017, marking a conclusion to the show’s bumpy journey. Season 6 will hit Netflix sometime in 2017, although a specific premiere date is still undetermined.
12. Switched at Birth

Vanessa Marano and Katie Leclerc lay on the grass in a poster for Switched at Birth on Freeform
Switched at Birth | Freeform
This veteran Freeform series also won’t be returning in 2018. The family drama kicked off its fifth and final season in late January, following a lengthy, year-long hiatus. While the season marked the end for the show, it also featured plenty of memorable moments for fans. The 10-episode farewell season included the show’s 100th episode, as well as a special 90-minute series finale in April 2017.
13. Episodes

Matt LeBlanc holds up his hands while talking to a woman in Episodes
Episodes | Showtime
The Showtime comedy, starring Matt LeBlanc as a charming but highly arrogant actor who’s trying for a comeback, will return for a fifth and final season. Though the show has never been a big ratings earner for the network, it’s been an awards favorite, with LeBlanc earning four Emmy nods for the series.

The final seven-episode run begins on Aug. 20, following a lengthy hiatus.
14. Halt and Catch Fire

The cast of 'Halt and Catch Fire' in a messy room with the words 'Welcome to Mutiny' spray painted behind them.
Halt and Catch Fire | AMC
AMC‘s Halt and Catch Fire is halting for good. The channel’s acclaimed drama will air its fourth and final season this year. The show’s final run, designed to “write the series focused on the dawn of the computer industry in the 1980s in Texas and California to conclusion,” will consist of 10 episodes.
15. The Get Down 

Two men in red and white spinning playing music surrounded by recording equipment
The Get Down | Netflix
Netflix pulled the plug on Baz Luhrmann’s ambitious musical drama in May 2017 — just a month after the release of the second half of Season 1. Netflix doesn’t release its ratings, but the cancellation may have been partly due to the high cost of the show. The Get Down was among Netflix’s most expensive shows, with Season 1 costing about $120 million to produce.

Luhrmann’s busy schedule also played a part in the series cancellation, preventing him from being able to commit to Season 2 full-time. “This exclusivity has understandably become a sticking point for Netflix and Sony, who have been tremendous partners and supporters of the show,” Lurhmann wrote in a Facebook post announcing the cancellation. “It kills me that I can’t split myself into two and make myself available to both productions… But the simple truth is, I make movies.

See you in the funnies ............Shadow  & Witchy

2 stories , you be the Judge #1 :IS DEATH ROW INMATE GLEN ROGERS THE REAL KILLER IN THE O.J. SIMPSON MURDER CASE?

ZZ by BENJAMIN H. SMITH SEPTEMBER 1, 2017
The prosecution of O.J. Simpson for the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman is one of the defining moments of the 1990’s. The sensational details of the crime, the star-studded circus of the trial and its contested outcome still capture our imagination and have inspired two of the year’s most popular television series; FX’s dramatized The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and the ESPN documentary O.J.: Made in America.  However, what if O.J. really didn’t do it? Friday’s all-new episode of It Takes A Killer, airing at 9:30/8:30c, profiles “Casanova Killer” Glen Rogers, who left a trail of dead women from coast to coast in 1995 and claims he killed the footballer’s wife and her friend after he was hired by O.J. to break into Nicole’s Brentwood, California home to steal back a pair of diamond earrings.

Glen Edward Rogers was raised in abusive family in Hamilton, Ohio and developed a gregarious outgoing personality to compensate for his low IQ and insecurity. A drifter, he landed in California in the early ‘90s after possibly murdering his roommate Mark Peters, whose dead body was found on a property belonging to Rogers’ family in Kentucky. In Los Angeles he worked odd jobs including painting, and allegedly worked for the Simpsons. In September of 1995 he picked up Sandra Gallagher in a bar in Van Nuys, California, strangled her to death and set her and her car on fire. Thus began a two-month murder spree as Rogers killed red-headed women from Mississippi to Florida and landed him on the FBI’s 10 Most Wanted List. After his arrest he boasted of killing up to 70 people.

Glen Rogers currently sits on death row in Florida, where he was convicted for the murder of Tina Marie Cribbs. Since 2012 he has claimed he was the man behind the brutal stabbing deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. He claims O.J. Simpson hired him to steal back the diamond earrings with the caveat that he “may have to kill the bitch.” His story is corroborated by his brother Clay, who recalls him telling him at the time he was partying with the Simpsons and that he was going to “take her down.” The LAPD are “quite confident” they know who the real killer is, citing the extensive DNA evidence incriminating O.J. Simpson, but say they will investigate Rogers' claims. Prosecutors in Florida though think this is just a ruse by the Casanova Killer to further delay his eventual execution.  
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
STORY # 2 :
Death Row Inmate Says He Killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman

BY LINDSAY WILLIAM-ROSS IN NEWS ON NOV 21, 2012 
Glen Rogers, now an inmate on Death Row, says he was asked by O.J. Simpson to kill Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, according to a new documentary.
In the TV special "My Brother The Serial Killer," narrator and Rogers' sibling Clay Rogers says he is "absolutely certain" Glen killed Brown Simpson and Goldman in 1994, according to CNN. 

"Receipts show that Glen was working as a housepainter in L.A. in 1994, and family members claimed Glen told them that he was working for Nicole Brown Simpson, and that he said she was rich and he was going to 'take her down,'" according to the show's description on Discovery.

No matter the insistence by Clay Rogers on the documentary, relatives of Ron Goldman and local authorities are angered and dubious, respectively.
From CNN:

"I am appalled at the level of irresponsibility demonstrated by the network and the producers of this so-called documentary," [Ron Goldman's sister] Kim Goldman told CNN. "I'm disappointed at the way this story was handled. Is this a confession?"
Goldman's father Fred made a similar objection:

"The overwhelming evidence at the criminal trial proved that one, and only one, person murdered Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman. That person is OJ Simpson and not Glen Rogers."

Commander Andrew Smith of the Los Angeles Police Department told CNN they're also fairly certain Rogers is not involved, however they will consider the possibility:
"The LAPD is quite confident that we know who killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. We have no reason to believe that Mr. Rogers was involved. Nevertheless, in the interest of being thorough in this case, our robbery homicide detectives will investigate his claims."

Per the documentary, Rogers told criminal profiler Anthony Meoli that O.J. Simpson "had hired him to break into his ex-wife's condo to steal diamond earrings he had given her." Part of his instructions suggested something more drastic than robbery:
"Glen told me that OJ's instructions were that 'You may have to kill the bitch,'" Meoli said. "Those were his exact words."
OJ Simpson was charged with the murders but was acquitted.
Rogers was arrested in November 1995, and claims to have killed "at least 70 women," according to authorities. He was sentenced to death in Florida, and again in California; he currently awaits execution in Florida, but if he is brought to trial in California for the Brown Simpson and Goldman case, it could postpone his death.

Country artist Troy Gentry of Montgomery Gentry dies in helicopter crash

Troy Gentry

Eddie  Montgomery  & Troy Gentry  

JENNIFER KLINE, AOL.COM      Sep 8th 2017 

Country artist Troy Gentry has died at 50 in a helicopter crash, according to reports out of his Kentucky hometown.

Gentry was one half of country duo Montgomery Gentry. The band was scheduled to perform in New Jersey Friday night, and the fatal incident reportedly occurred not far from the venue.

Early reports indicated that two people were killed in the crash. It is not believed that the other individual was fellow band member Eddie Montgomery.

Grammy-nominated Montgomery Gentry has released six studio albums and received an American Music Award in 1999 for Favorite New Artist - Country. The band went on to win awards from the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association, and it was inducted into the Grand Ole Opry in 2009.

Gentry and Montgomery have been performing together for more than two decades. Sadly, this isn't the first tragedy for their families: In 2015, Eddie's son, Hunter Montgomery, died at the age of 19. The heartbreak followed several rocky years for the artist: A few years earlier, he'd received a prostate cancer diagnosis -- and divorce papers from his wife not long later. He filed for bankruptcy in 2014.

Our sincerest  condolences to  the family and friends 

RIP Troy  you will be sadly missed                 Shadow & Witchy