Updates on Earlier Posts

Hello Faithful Readers (all 2 of you!) -- I thought I would do a post that is a follow-up to some of the topics from earlier posts.

Bajan pop singer Rhianna is no longer dating hip-hop artist Chris Brown after Brown allegedly assaulted her. Rhianna is cooperating with Los Angeles Police and the District Attorney's Office while they build a case against her former paramour. Brown pled not guilty at an April 6th hearing related to the matter. The scuttlebutt is that Rhianna's attorney is working with the District Attorney's office to work out a plea agreement, but nothing has been settled as of yet.

Chris Brown has moved on in the romantic department, now dating a college co-ed he knew from his growing up days in Virginia. Let's hope she knows karate... (ooh I didn't just say that!).

Michael Phelps has also moved on since his pot-smoking picture came out. My prediction that part of his "rehab" would be finding Jesus hasn't come true, but he did have a confession of sorts when he went on the Today show with Matt Lauer. While Lauer isn't exactly associated with hard-hitting interviews, he did put Phelps on the spot when Phelps said his canned "I made a mistake, it was dumb, I've learned from it" blah blah blah. Lauer played back the last time Phelps got into trouble, when he got arrested in 2004 (at the age of 19) for a DUI and he said almost verbatim the same thing. Well, at least he's got consistently on his side.

Phelps' images remains conspicuously abscent from Subway's web site and advertising campaign, despite being on the payroll as an endorser. Omega, the uber expensive watch maker, recently hired Phelps as a spokesman. Too bad it's not "takes a licking, but keeps on kicking" Timex...

Recently I expressed my disgust when Ravenstahl claimed not to have any time to devote to a debate with co-candidates Patrick Dowd and Carmen Robinson when KDKA postponed the planned debate due to a scheduling conflict.

I'd like to think I had something to do with this (I'm sure I didn't), but WTAE was able to put together a debate amongst the three candidates that was broadcast live April 20th. Unfortunately, I didn't know about the re-scheduled event so I missed it, but from what I understand from Chris Potter's piece in this week's City Paper as well as Jon Delano's report on kdka.com, both opponents tried hard to beat up Ravenstahl, but Ravenstahl was equal to the challenge. You can say a lot about Ravenstahl, but one thing that is consistent is his inflappability on the debate podium.

While all sides tried to make swipes toward each other (I heard Dowd was on the attack, showing greater strength than in recent history), no clear debate winner emerged. Judging from all of the Ravenstahl "get er done" signs in my neighborhood, it seems unlikely that Dowd or Robinson have any chance of beating him. But we'll see come election day who emerges the victor.

That's all for now!