Balloon Boy Is Finally A TV Sham

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By MAJOR TOM | October 19, 2009

That’s how the ‘balloon boy’ brouhaha is turning out to be, a huge TV sham, when many on boobtube seem to be all gas.

Falcon Heene and his parents drew worldwide attention when on international TV, they faked what appeared to be a very serious and grave incident, the boy purportedly got accidentally brought into the air by a fancy giant balloon.

It turned out the boy was just hiding in their house’s attic all that time.

Police authorities are set to arrest the boy’s parents for staging what could be the cruelest joke on TV, and that would be the costliest stunt for them if they got prosecuted.

The vision of a shiny, mushroom-shaped balloon swept aloft kept viewers spellbound, breathless and (let’s face it) titillated. On-air commentators and experts kept busy speculating on how fast and far it might fly, when it might come down, and how much damage might result when it did. Meanwhile, voices were raised that maybe the child wasn’t on board after all, raising questions of whether the boy had fallen from the balloon — introducing another potentially tragic set of circumstances.

The parents, Richard and Mayumi Heene, met in a Hollywood acting school and “put on a very good show for us,” Alderden said. Authorities know there was “a conspiracy” between them, he added.

He said charges are expected to be filed in the case.

The couple’s attorney told CNN affiliate KMGH that he hasn’t seen any evidence beyond “speculation,” but the Heenes would turn themselves in if charges are filed.

“All I’m saying if you’ve got some reason to arrest him, let me know, he’ll turn himself in,” said Denver attorney David Lane referring to Richard Heene. “If you got the goods, just tell me.”

The sheriff said investigators also want to interview 25-year-old researcher Robert Thomas who worked with Richard Heene for about two months last spring. Thomas was paid by Gawker.com — a popular gossip site — to write about his experience with Heene for a story published on Saturday.

Leona Lewis Attacked

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By MAJOR TOM | October 15, 2009

British pop star Leona Lewis, who broke through stateside in 2007 with her Grammy-nominated hit “Bleeding Love,” got a rude welcome at a Picadilly bookstore Wednesday afternoon in London. The singer was was signing copies of her new autobiography, “Dreams,” when she was slapped in the face by a member of the crowd. The assailant was arrested and Lewis was taken to the hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

A man has been arrested after singer Leona Lewis was “punched in the head” at a signing session for her autobiography in central London.

The X Factor star was hit as she signed copies of Dreams for fans, her spokesman said.

The 24-year-old had been meeting members of the public at Waterstone’s in Piccadilly for around an hour-and-a-half when a man who had been waiting in the queue lashed out.

“Leona was the victim of an unprovoked attack this afternoon at her book signing,” the spokesman said.

“The police were called immediately and medical attention has been sought.

Michael Jackson’s “This Is It” : An Old Song by Paul Anka

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By MAJOR TOM | October 13, 2009

This has already been blogged about overnight - first by TMZ, then What Would Tyler Durden Do and Idolator - but it’s worth mentioning as a postscript to yesterday’s review of Michael Jackson’s ‘This Is It’, supposedly a ‘new song’ but actually nothing of the sort.

Turns out Jackson co-wrote it back in 1983 with former teen heartthrob Paul Anka. And now Anka’s peeved because he’s not been credited, and is threatening to sue.

“This Is It” was originally recorded by Jackson in a spartan piano-and-vocal version, fleshed out here with strings and swooping backup vocals courtesy of Jackson’s brothers. It’s a sweet, swaying, rather pedestrian number. It is also, to Jackson aficionados, eerily familiar, bearing an uncanny resemblance to “I Never Heard,” a song co-written by Jackson and Paul Anka that appeared on a 1991 album by the R & B singer Sa-Fire. In fact, the two songs are identical.

A lot of questions got resolved yesterday about the new Michael Jackson single “This Is It” — in particular, exactly who wrote the tune. (The answer apparently being Jackson and veteran singer-songwriter Paul Anka.) But you may still be wondering just who is Safire, the singer who originally recorded the track when it was called “I Never Heard.”

Watch Video:

Safire was born Wilma Cosme on the island of San Juan, Puerto Rico, and subsequently moved to New York’s Spanish Harlem. In the late ‘80s, she recorded a clutch of singles for Cutting Records and became a leading light of the on-the-rise Latin hip-hop/freestyle scene (a largely regional phenomenon whose ranks yielded stars like Stevie B, Exposé, and Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam).

Stephen Gately Is Dead

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By MAJOR TOM |

Irish boy-band star Stephen Gately died of natural causes, not from binge drinking or drug consumption, Spanish police said. Autopsy results from Gately’s unexpected death during a vacation in Majorca, Spain, were revealed at a court hearing today.

Officials told the court that Gately, 33, suffered a pulmonary oedema, or a build up of fluid in the lungs, which ultimately results in respiratory failure. The condition is usually caused by damage to lung tissue or circulation problems.

Police would not confirm whether Gately had been drinking or taking drugs before his death but ruled them out as causes of his death.

Spanish authorities now say a mystery heart problem killed former Boyzone star Stephen Gately.

Gately, who died on vacation in Majorca at the weekend, died from pulmonary oedema, a build-up of fluid on the lungs.

But Spanish investigators are no closer to figuring out what caused the fatal build-up.

A pulmonary oedema can indicate an underlying heart condition but family members have said that Gately was in good health.

Overdoses of drugs such as cocaine and even non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medicines have also been linked to pulmonary edema.

The toxicology reports are still pending but Irish celebrity lawyer Gerald Kean says that Stephen’s death had nothing to do with a drug overdose or binge drinking.

“We are not saying he was not drinking but eight hours is not something we accept,” Kean said.

“He was a very sensible man. He enjoyed himself, he loved life. I was with him many a night and, if anything, late into nights he would look as though he had just arrived.”

Kean, speaking on behalf of Gately’s family, said the family just wanted to get Stephen home.

“The family’s only wish is to get their son and brother home as soon as possible.”