Dog the Bounty Hunter - The Latest News

Here it is, Christmas time and the Writers' Strike doesn't look like it's going away anytime soon which is a big, big boost for reality TV ....

So what's happening over at A&E, where Dog the Bounty Hunter was its biggest draw before The Scandal and before The Strike?

1. Well, today saw a press release from LA non-profit group BOND (Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny) notifying the public that this Saturday, Dec. 15th, BOND will be hosting a book signing for Dog's autobiography along with a Christmas toy give-away for kids. Dog will be there - don't know about the rest of the family. And, it's being reported that BOND is an African-American organization.

2. On December 6th, a petition was forwarded to A&E to restore the show with Death by 1000 Papercuts reporting at least 14 other Bring Dog Back petitions in process, or already forwarded to the network.

3. Baby Lyssa has her own MySpace page, it just went up today (December 10).

4. There was an online push for fans to send pineapples (fresh, canned, dried, anything pineapple) to A&E in support of Dog. No idea how success this Pineapple Push has been -- but the A&E address is here if you're interested.

5. There's a Rally for the Dog in front of A&E's headquarters in NYC on December 13th. Fans are urged to attend -- and I've read that fans who cannot travel to the Big Apple are planning on telephoning A&E that day, voicing their support.

6. Bobby Brown, the Colorado bounty hunter seen several times on the DBH show, has issued his online statement of support for the Dog.

7. Dog the Bounty Hunter has a new website. A&E's logo is not displayed there; instead, it's "the Dog Network."

8. A&E continues to provide a Dog the Bounty Hunter page at its network site. However, it doesn't appear to be updated often -- the "news" sections reports only that:

"[i]n evaluating the circumstances of the last few days, A&E has decided to take Dog The Bounty Hunter off the network's schedule for the foreseeable future. We hope that Mr. Chapman continues the healing process that he has begun."

That's not news.

9. Dog's autobiography is getting 4.5 out of 5 stars as an overall review at Amazon.Com, and it's ranking 2540 in books.

Roundup: Did Drew Peterson Kill Stacy Peterson? 20 Things We Know Today

Did Drew Peterson kill Stacy Peterson? Here's 20 Things We Know Today:

1. Last night, police executed their 3d search warrant, seizing Drew Peterson's vehicles - a GMC Denali and a Pontiac Grand Prix.

2. Peterson's lawyer tells the media that the warrant is searching for items that "may have been utilized in commission of the offense of first-degree murder or the concealment of a homicidal death...." and for 'trace elements of several materials, including blue plastic.'

3. FoxNews is reporting that the nearby canal area has been closed off for 24 hours, starting on Tuesday, December 4th, to free the area for divers to search.

4. Drew Peterson has not been named as a suspect in Stacy Peterson's death according to the Associated Press. Then again, some reports say that he has been named a suspect - like CBSNews.Com.

5. A neighbor reported to FoxNews that they saw Drew Peterson and another man loading a barrel "big enough to put someone in" into Peterson's SUV. He described the barrel as blue and with a 35 to 55 gallon capacity.

6. Two Illinois truckers claim that two men, one believed to be Drew Peterson, came up to them at a Bolingbrook truck stop on October 29th, at around 3:30 am. They were asked to transport a package to an undisclosed location, where the two middle-aged men would then purportedly pick up the package. The truckers declined the invitation. Drew Peterson denies any knowledge of this through his attorney, who says this story just doesn't make good sense.

7. A nonprofit search group has been asked by authorities to search for a blue barrel.

8. Thomas Morphey, Drew Peterson's stepbrother tried to commit suicide last month. Morphey's sister reported last Friday that her brother is recovering, that Thomas helped Drew Peterson load a large container into the Denali, and that he fears he may have innocently helped with the disposal of Stacy's body. She says that Thomas will be assisting authorities.

9. Peterson's lawyer denies that Drew Peterson used police databases to search for information about family and friends - including a man with whom Stacy traded 'sexually suggestive text messages.'

10. Body language experts opine that Drew Peterson doesn't behave like a man whose wife has left him for another man.

11. The man exchanging the "suggestive text messages" has come forward: he is Scott Rossetto, whose brother briefly dated Stacy in 2001. He denies that he was having an affair with Stacy, that the emails were solely a flirtation, but that a husband could misconstrue them.

12. Neither Drew Peterson nor members of his family have joined in the search for Stacy Peterson.

13. Drew Peterson began a relationship with Stacy Peterson while he was still married to his third wife, Kathleen Savio.

14. Kathleen Savio died within a year of Drew's divorcing her and marrying Stacy. She was discovered in a waterless bathtub, hair wet and fingers wrinkled, with severe head trauma. The death was ruled accidental.

15. A grand jury presides over both the missing persons investigation of Stacy and the potential homicide investigation of Kathleen.

16. Letters have been sent to both the Peterson family and Stacy's family claiming to have seen a pregnant Stacy with a man. Sightings have been in Florida and in Illinois.

17. Drew Peterson was 30 years older than his bride on their wedding day, and held their 1 year old son in his arms at the ceremony (photo here).

18. Drew met Stacy when she worked as a night desk clerk at a hotel that he routinely checked out as part of his job as a night commander on the Bollingbrook Police Department.

19. Stacy's sister reports that Stacy called her on Friday (she disappeared on Sunday) to say that "if anything happens to me, I fear for my life," because Stacy had decided to divorce Drew.

20. Stacy's daughter with Drew is 2 years old. Her name is Lacy. Lacy Peterson.

For more information: www.findstacypeterson.com.

Blindspot: Fred Goldman Sues The Pirate Bay

On Thursday, in a Los Angeles County Superior Court, Fred Goldman sued The Pirate Bay for making If I Did It available for free on its website.

Yes, that Fred Goldman. Yes, that Pirate Bay.

Fred, Fred, Fred. Not only does a California court not have this kind of jurisdiction, but The Pirate Bay isn't new to the game. Listen. Listen closely, now. Can't you hear those Swedes snickering over there, I know I can.

For our reading enjoyment, The Pirate Bay routinely posts its responses to these sorts of actions, taking obvious great pleasure in replying to the likes of Apple, Microsoft, DreamWorks, SEGA, Warner Brothers, etc. They are particularly fond of referencing "retractable batons" ....

You've filed a lawsuit that you can't win, Fred, and you've not only given TPB free advertising thru the media coverage of your lawsuit (they've got free books online, too!) but you've made your critics aware that your profits from the book include advertising dollars in the hundreds of thousands.

Fred, Fred, Fred.

Prediction: The Paparazzi Push-Back 2

Earlier this month, I predicted that celebrities would start pushing back against paparazzis themselves.

I used the recent activities of Britney Spears as an example (driving over paparazzi if they refuse to get out of her way, etc.) as well as Nicole Kidman's recent trial testimony on how terrifying the paparazzi can be.

Today, I read that Julia Roberts is pushing back at the paparazzi -- and it's caught on video (see it here).

Seems paparazzi were filming Julia at a school in Los Angeles (presumably, her kids' school, but I don't have confirmation of that). Seeing this, Julia follows them in her Mercedes SUV, honking the horn and waving until they pull over. Then she gets out, and confronts the paparazzi (quoting Breitbart.Com) as they are videotaping her:

"Turn it [the video camera] off," Roberts tells the photographers. "I want to talk to you about the fact that you're at a school where children go. Turn it off."

My prediction: it's one thing when Britney Spears starts to push back, it's another when it's Julia Roberts. Having Julia Roberts do this will, I predict, empower other celebrities to confront the paparazzi, as well.

I also predict that these confrontations are going to get nasty, and physical, as tensions mount. I believe someone is going to get hurt, maybe seriously hurt, in LA before anything is done to deal with these guys.

And, I predict that this victim is going to be a celebrity and it will only be after this tragic circumstance that something will be done about the paparazzi. Princess Di wasn't enough -- she was an icon, and she was across the waters. It's going to be someone close to home, doing something like Julia - protecting kids - who gets really hurt.

And, we'll know about it because the paparazzi will sell that story and those photos, too.

Here We Go Again: OJ 2

OJ Simpson has pled not guilty to all the Vegas charges, and the trial has been scheduled for April.

Right now, OJ is set to defend himself alongside two co-defendants, Clarence Stewart and Charles Ehrlich, on 12 counts of conspiracy, kidnapping, robbery, and burglary. Wonder if they'll be going for separate trials sometime soon?

Meanwhile, the Vegas oddsmakers are already at work, here's what I saw at the time of this posting over at Gambling911.com:

O.J. Simpson Trial Props - OJ is found Guilty of Kidnapping: 3/1
OJ is found Guilty of Armed Robbery: 5/1
OJ is found Not Guilty on all Charges: 2/3
OJ flees the US: 25/1
OJ falls asleep in the court during trial: 10/1
The trial to end in a mistrial: 5/1
OJ arrives at court in a white bronco: 10/1.

Gotta love that last one ... made me laugh and laugh....