TV star Christopher Allport killed by avalanche

Actor Christopher Allport has been named as the third fatality killed by the snowstorms noisy towards Southern California.

Skiing enthusiast Mr Allport, 60, was reported missing after a trio of "freak" avalanches. His body was found near the Mountain High ski resort in Wrightwood.

The veteran character actor had appeared on US shows including ER, Felicity, and Matlock.

He wrote a story that appeared in the Los Angeles Times in 2004 about the pleasures of backcountry skiing.

"Any excursion into the mountains requires awareness," he wrote. "Have fun, but be careful."

Friday's avalanches also killed Michael McKay, 23, an off-duty member of the resort's ski patrol, and Darin Coffey, 31. Both were skiing out of the resort boundaries.

Avalanches are extraordinary in the San Gabriel Mountains, authorities said, but so was the 3ft or more of new snow that has hit the region in a matter of days this week.

Avalanches were "a freak occurrence" in the local mountains, said Pete Olson, president of Mt Baldy Ski Resorts. "We depend on snow-making, and snow-making doesn't lead to avalanches," he said. "It usually doesn't snow enough to make anything happen up here."

A missing snowboarder was found on Saturday after spending the night on the mountain. Oscar Gonzales, 24, said he got lost when he left the marked ski trails at the resort and protected in an old plane fuselage.

gulliver s travels - PURPLE PATCH: Meditation upon a broomstick —Jonathan Swift

This solo stick, which you now observe ingloriously lying in that mistreated corner, I once knew in a flourishing state in a forest. It was full of sap, full of plants, and full of boughs; but now in vain does the busy art of man pretend to vie with nature, by tying that withered package of twigs to its sapless trunk; it is now at top but the overturn of what it was, a tree turned upside-down, the branches on the earth, and the root in the air; it is now handled by every dirty wench, condemned to do her drudgery, and, by a unpredictable kind of fate, destined to make other things hygienic, and be nasty itself; at length, worn to the stumps in the service of the maids, it is either thrown out of doors or condemned to the last use of kindling a flames. When I behold this I sighed, and said within myself, “Surely fatal man is a broomstick!” Nature sent him into the world brawny and robust, in a thriving condition, wearing his own hair on his head, the proper branches of this reasoning vegetable, till the axe of intemperance has lopped off his green boughs, and left him a withered trunk; he then flies to art, and puts on a periwig, valuing himself upon an perverted bundle of hairs, all covered with powder, that never grew on his head; but now should this our broomstick imagine to enter the scene, proud of those birchen spoils it never bore, and all covered with dust, through the sweepings of the premium lady’s chamber, we should be apt to ridicule and scorn its vanity. Partial judges that we are of our own Excellencies, and other men’s defaults!But a broomstick, perhaps you will say, is an sign of a tree standing on its head; and pray what is a man but a topsy-turvy creature, his animal faculties everlastingly mounted on his rational, his head where his heels should be, groveling on the earth? And yet, with all his faults, he sets up to be a universal reformer and corrector of abuses, a remover of grievances, rakes into every slut’s corner of nature, bringing unseen corruptions to the light, and raises a mighty dust where there was none before, sharing deeply all the while in the very same pollutions he pretends to sweep away. His last days are spent in slavery to women, and generally the least deserving; till, worn to the stumps, like his brother besom, he is either kicked out of doors, or made use of to kindle flames for others to tepid themselves by.

Underdog Giants look to continue their theme

The New York Giants have made a postseason habit of avenging regular-season sufferers.

Dallas? Check.

Green Bay? Check.

New England? Well ... not yet.

But if the Giants avenge this one, in Super Bowl XLII, before a extremely large viewing audience, it will go down as one of the supreme upsets in the history of football.

Not that Eli Manning was thinking that way before this week.

Typical Manning, he was just glad to get another shot at the perfect 18-0 Patriots after falling three points short Dec. 29.

"This is a immense opportunity," Manning said. "This is the position you want to be in. We like making things strong on ourselves. We like the tough situations."

Tough? Some might say impossible, considering the Las Vegas oddsmakers started the Patriots as 13 1/2-point favorites. The line is down to 12 now, but that's still pretty imposing.

History has been kind to the Giants and long lines, however. They were more than a touchdown underdog in 1990, too, when they beat the Buffalo, 20-19 as Bills field goal kicker Scott Norwood missed a chance to win it in the final seconds, going "wide right."

The playoff run-up to that Super Bowl was much special than this one, however. Less taxing, at least. The Giants didn't have to win three directly road games, knocking off the No. 1 and 2 seeds in succession, to get there.

And they didn't have an improbably close loss to an unassailable squad to trigger the whole run.

"I think it definitely helped," Manning said of that 38-35 setback. "We've played in some tough games and had some bad weather conditions the couple of weeks before. We weren't playing our best football, and all of a sudden that week, we had a great mind-set. We were going to try to beat an undefeated team and we played good football. We gave ourselves a shot to win. We fell short, but it got our confidence going."

The mind-set remains the same, according to coach Tom Coughlin. The Giants thought they could beat the Patriots then, and they believe they can beat the Patriots on Feb. 3 in Glendale, Ariz.

"The first time, the initiative was that we were going to play to the best of our ability," Coughlin said. "It was all going to be positive. We had nothing to lose, and we were going to have some fun with it."

It has all led to an incredible playoff run where a season's sweep at the hands of the Cowboys and a Week 2 trouncing by Green Bay have been pressed under the proverbial carpet.

Now they get another shot at the Patriots, on football's grandest point.

"You didn't know if they were going to be in the Super Bowl, but you hoped you had another opportunity," Manning said.

Chuck Norris doesn't cry

If you believe the online "Chuck Norris indiscriminate Fact Generator," then you know that the martial arts connoisseur and actor "does not read books. He stares at them until he gets the information he needs." In the case of Ian Spector's '09 new book, he's locked in more than a staring match. In December, Norris sued Penguin Group in an attempt to stop publication of "The Truth About Chuck Norris: 400 Facts About the World's supreme Human."

Spector created the "Chuck Norris Random Fact Generator" on his website, http://4Q.cc/, in the summer of 2005. The Web site also includes "Fact Generators" about the actors Mr. T and Vin Diesel. The satirical "facts," which poke fun at Norris's tough-guy persona, are submitted by Web site visitors. Some of the premier-ranked "facts" include "Chuck Norris can speak Braille," and "Chuck Norris' tears cure cancer. Too bad he never cries."

Norris, the "Walker, Texas Ranger" star, was denied a temporary restrictive order against Penguin to stop book sales, according to Stacy Noble, Spector's publicist.

Norris once openly recited "facts" from Spector's website on the "Best Damn Sports Show Period," a show on Fox Sports. More recently, Norris appeared in a television ad endorsing Republican presidential candidate Mike Huckabee, who recited some "facts" similar to those found on Spectors' site.

The "Random Fact Generator" became a Web consciousness, and publishers began approaching Spector in the spring of 2006.

When the book was published on Nov. 29, Norris asked the U.S. District Court in New York City to suppress publication of the book on Dec. 21, according to a Penguin press release. The release also said Norris would probably file another motion in February to enjoin the book's sale and publication. Norris' case is based on trademark infringement, according to a clerk at the federal court. Reuters reported on Dec. 21 that Norris is suing for unjust enrichment and privacy rights. It is unclear what Norris is seeking in reimbursement.

The book has sold over 70,000 copies so far, according to the Penguin press release, which was issued Tuesday. The book is currently the No. 1-selling "Jokes and Riddles" book on Amazon.com.

Penguin doesn't seem worried about its dispute with Norris. In the press release, the company said it expected him to be unsuccessful "in his effort to suppress what is an obviously humorous commentary on the iconic status that Norris enjoys, and which he unabashedly exploits when campaigning for Mike Huckabee."

Spector declined to speak to The Herald about the lawsuit, but commented about the case in a Jan. 13 article in the New York Times.

Norris "takes himself very seriously," Spector told the Times. "Maybe because he takes himself so seriously, it makes it all the more ridiculous."

Bon Jovi has tipping to a tee

FROM shouting Sydney waiters inflated tips to playing a round of golf with local restaurateurs - Bon Jovi have rocked the city of Sydney far beyond their '80s anthem stadium shows at the Acer Arena.

The dose of good medicine for Manta waiter Tristian Tomlinson came in the form of a hefty $600 tip, but for Double Bay eatery owner Evan Hansimikali it was as simple as wacking around a few balls with Bon Jovi drummer Tico Torres (pictured).

Taking advantage of his only day off on the Sydney leg of the band's tour, Torres partnered up with Pink Salt's Hansimikali and his mate Anthony Puntoriero for a round of The Lakes course.

Word is Torres can hit a ball as well as he smashes his drums, with the US rocker shooting an impressive eight over par. Rock on

Stars React To Heath Ledger's Death

Following news of Heath Ledger’s untimely death, his fellow Hollywood colleagues are responding.
Mel Gibson, who worked with Heath on the 2000 drama “The Patriot,” released the following statement to Access Hollywood:
“I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss. My thoughts and prayers are with him and his family.”
During the G’Day USA event on Tuesday night in New York, John Travolta also offered his condolences.
“I adored him. He's, if not my favorite actor, he's… I don't know how to compare his talent to others, but he's touched me deeply as a talent and, it’s a great loss,” Travolta told Access. “Losing him at any age would be a loss but it was pretty rough news. I was really shocked by it.”
Later, inside the event, Travolta told the Australia Plays Broadway audience, “I would give back all my awards and nominations to get him back.”
Ledger’s fellow Aussie, Terri Irwin, said although she didn’t know the actor, she was saddened to hear the news of his death.
“I don't know any of the details, but I do know that none of us are immune to tragedy and we'll just pray for his family,” Irwin told Access.
Meanwhile, director Todd Haynes, who worked with Heath on the Bob Dylan biopic “I’m Not There,” told Access, “This is an unimaginable tragedy. Heath was a true artist, a deeply sensitive man, an explorer, gifted and wise beyond his years. There is no finer person on this earth.”
Geoffrey Rush, who shared the screen with Heath in the films “Ned Kelly” and “Candy,” called the actor’s passing a “tragedy.”
“This is such a sad event. I admired Heath enormously. He was a sensitive and committed and daring actor. This is truly a tragedy. I send my condolences to his family and friends and colleagues,” Rush said in a statement to Access.

Lindsay Lohan to Work in Morgue as Punishment

LOS ANGELES — Lindsay Lohan is about to see dead people. The 21-year-old actress will soon be working at a morgue as part of her punishment for misdemeanor drunken driving, her attorney, Blair Berk, told a judge Thursday.

She has also spent two months in rehabilitation and has done some community service, Berk said at a hearing on her progress toward fulfilling the terms of her plea bargain.

Her two four-hour days at the morgue are part of a court-ordered program to show drivers the real-life consequences of drinking and driving. She must also spend two days working in a hospital emergency room.

Lohan was arrested twice last year on DUI charges and pleaded guilty in August to misdemeanor drunken driving and cocaine charges. She has already served 84 minutes in jail as part of the plea deal.

Lohan was not required to appear at Thursday's hearing.

Pop Tarts: Sarah Michelle Gellar Knows Loneliness, Calls America 'Gluttonous'

LOS ANGELES — She may have spent six years slaying vampires as "Buffy," but it seems Sarah Michelle Gellar has had to battle more demons off-screen than on.

"I have experienced first-hand and I know how lonely life — and it is not just Hollywood — can be," Gellar told Pop Tarts while promoting her latest crime/drama "The Air I Breathe."

"It's hard. You are constantly someone else and it is hard spending your life being someone else and projecting an image to really find yourself. It's tough."

Although Sarah plays a character called Sorrow in the new flick alongside Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia and Kevin Bacon, she uses her star status to bring a starry smile to others.

During her travels as an ambassador for CARE to poverty-stricken places, the Tinseltown tiny experiences the exact opposite of sorrow when she wanders in war zones.

"When I travel to these remote places, I feel pleasure and happiness and helping these young girls — in America we are such a gluttonous society, and seeing the way these people appreciate everything is such an exciting time," she said. "Sorrow is when I come back."

But how does the wife of Freddie Prinze Jr. really feel about being named Maxim's 2008 Woman of the Year?

"It's so far removed. I was at the airport newsstand and people were looking back and forth and then went "Nah, it's not her" — but it is still a great honor," Gellar said. "And I get to lord it over my friends, which is fun."

Hiltons to Soon 'Chow' in Sin City?

Pop Tarts spotted the Hilton sisters indulging in those wondrous wontons at Mr. Chow's in Beverly Hills on Friday night, but we've been told that the gals will now be able to chomp on Chow's in a more "sinful" environment.

An insider has said that the cooking connoisseur to the stars (aka Michael Chow) has plans to open his famous dining digs in Las Vegas inside The Harmon Hotel Spa & Residences (to be operated in the MGM Grand).

Apparently, Chow plans to design the dim-sum hotspot himself, but no word yet whether his fave clients Paris and Nicky will be part of the promo process...

But just like the hotel chain she is heiress to, it turns out that Paris is anything but cheap. The "Simple Life" starlet is a regular at the trendy Optics by Victor in Beverly Hills, but every time she goes in for some fresh shades, she has problems making up her mind.

Apparently, the party princess practically ends up purchasing each pair she tries on — and who knew Paris also had problems with plastic.

"Ms. Hilton always pays cash — she just pulls out a stash of bills, which is scary," said a spokesperson for the store. "But she is one of the few celebrity clients that never ever asks for a discount — this girl is never cheap."

But it seems Paris won't say no to a free night on the town. The perennial partier and her sis Nicky (and Nicky's beau Dave Katzenberg) lounged around Les Deux in Hollywood on Wednesday night enjoying VIP treatment and of course, the finest drinks in the house.

Barrymore and Long Purr and Preen

Speaking of VIP treatment, Drew Barrymore and newbie boyfriend Justin Long were popped purring and preening while watching the Pussycat Dolls get down and dirty at their Lounge in Las Vegas on Wednesday night.

Cuddling and cooing in the VIP booth, eyewitnesses tell Pop Tarts that the off-screen sweethearts were so "into each other" that they barely remembered they were actually in Sin City to celebrate Long's little brother's birthday (Christian Long made an appearance in one of Justin's recent films, "Accepted.")

But baby bro didn't seem to mind, as he was still smiling (a lot) when the Dolls came over to mingle afterward. But as amazing as their performance was, there was one minor disappointment.

"We were hoping Drew would join them onstage," said a partygoer. "Especially seeing as though she was a guest Pussycat Doll in 'Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle.'"

Spears' Late-Night Shopping Spree

Surprise, surprise. Britney Spears got bored on Wednesday night and decided to blow $10,000 on goodies on Robertson Blvd. Talk about retail therapy — boyfriend Adnan was nowhere to be seen, and apparently Brit was having da blues about it.

However, it seems as though the pap may be in for a makeover, 'cause the "Crazy" crooner didn't appear to purchase any girly goodies — her dimes went totally on male attire.

Meanwhile, TMZ reports that sources are saying that Spears has multiple personalities, including "the British girl." Spears has been using a British accent in her speech recently.

Sources told TMZ that when Spears loses the British personality, she has absolutely no idea what she did during the time she assumed that personality. They also say she has a number of other identities, where she becomes "the weepy girl, the diva, the incoherent girl" and others.

They added that Britney had become the British girl the day she didn't show for her deposition and has no recollection of it.

Gandhi Makes Out With an Olsen

'Gandhi' Makes Out With an Olsen
I didn’t think I’d live long enough to see Sir Ben Kingsley make out on screen with Mary-Kate Olsen, one-half of the "Full House" twins, but it’s happened and there’s no undoing it.
The scene in question takes place in a phone booth in New York City in 1994 in writer-director Jonathan Levine’s excellent film, "The Wackness." The film wowed audiences on the first full day of the Sundance Film Festival on Friday.
I know — it’s a strange title, and nothing could be weirder than this pair hooking up, but Olsen is actually very ingratiating in a small role. And Kingsley gives an Oscar-caliber performance similar in some ways to his "Sexy Beast" work. Whichever studio wins the rights to "The Wackness" will have that going for them, too.
"The Wackness" can be described as Levine’s version of "The Squid and the Whale" but more accessible. You could also think of it as the Upper East Side edition of "American Beauty."

Either way, the film — which also stars Josh Peck, Olivia Thirlby, Famke Janssen, Talia Balsam and rapper Method Man — is simply one of those completely original, refreshing coming-of-age stories that you can’t get out of your head. It also reminded me of "Igby Goes Down" and "Rodger Dodger."
And Peck, from cable TV’s "Drake and Josh," is a hoot as drug-dealing high school senior Luke Shapiro. Look for "The Wackness" to become something of a cult film when it finally hits theaters later this year.
Amy Adams Enchanting in Sundance Hit
Amy Adams has already had a big hit this season in "Enchanted" and earned an Oscar nomination for "Junebug." But when "Sunshine Cleaning" — directed by Christine Jeffs and written by Megan Holley —comes to screens next fall, Adams is going to move up several notches on the movie star chain. Friday night’s screening of this much-anticipated comedy/drama — which costars Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin — was the hot ticket in town. The Racquet Club was packed with distributors seeing the movie for the first time.
And they were not disappointed. "Sunshine Cleaning" has the potential to be the next "Juno" or "Little Miss Sunshine." It’s that good. Not only is Adams super as a young single mother who starts a business cleaning up crime scenes, but Blunt — as her sister — is also simply sublime. The pair really seem like sisters, and Arkin is perfectly cast — reprising his Oscar-winning work from "Little Miss Sunshine" — as their eccentric father.
"Sunshine Cleaning" is beautifully crafted, too. Jeffs and Holley present that rare thing, a fully rounded-out film that hits all the right notes. More importantly, it has a very smart third act that crosses all its T’s and dots all its I’s as it comes in for a landing. There’s also a terrific supporting cast with Clifton Collins Jr., Mary Lynn Rajskub, Steve Zahn and child star Jason Spevak, who almost steals the entire movie.
I’ve said before that Adams was fast becoming our generation’s Julie Andrews. With "Sunshine" she’s also moving into Nicole Kidman/Julia Roberts territory as well, playing sexy, irreverent and sarcastic against her girl-next-door looks.
So now the heat is on. By the time you read this, several film companies will have outbid each other on both "Sunshine" and "Wackness." And that’s not all. Check back with me Saturday afternoon for updates and more reviews. This Sundance festival is already proving to be one of the best in many, many years.

Anti-Tax Groups Convince Americans Not to Pay Taxes

While most Americans only dream about not having to pay taxes, there are others -- allegedly including Hollywood actor and millionaire Wesley Snipes -- who believe they are exempt from taxation because of the way they interpret the Internal Revenue Code.

But tax lawyers told ABCNEWS.com that the obscure "interpretation" is often nothing more than a technique used by organized groups to bilk people out of money through consulting fees and membership dues by convincing them they don't owe tax money to the government.
Snipes, whose criminal trial began this week in Florida, is charged with eight counts of tax fraud and conspiracy to defraud the government after allegedly filing fraudulent claims for income tax refunds worth millions. He is also accused of refusing to file tax returns at all, beginning in 1999, according to the federal indictment against Snipes, obtained by ABCNEWS.com.
The indictment alleges that Snipes became a member of an anti-tax group known as the American Rights Litigators, which tax analysts told ABCNEWS.com is known for scamming its clients into believing in the "861 Argument."
This so-called argument refers to Section 861 of the Internal Revenue Code, which groups like the ARL say imposes taxes only on income made outside the United States, therefore making income earned within the United States ineligible for taxation.

"It's a twisted reading of the federal tax code," said J.J. MacNab, a Maryland tax expert who has testified before Congress on anti-tax movements. "It's a cult belief."
The government argues that, under the direction of the ARL, Snipes used multiple illegal tactics to avoid paying taxes.
After first initiating contact with ARL and paying the organization a consulting fee in January 2000, Snipes filed an affidavit of incompetence, claiming, among other things, that he did not understand the tax laws and did not know how they applied to him, according to the indictment.
In 2000 Snipes also filed a fraudulent amended tax return for the 1996 tax year that claimed the government owed him a refund of more than $4 million, according to the indictment.

Also in 2000, the ARL began producing fake "bills of exchange," also known as phony checks, totaling $14 million, which Snipes delivered to the IRS in "alleged payment of his federal income tax obligations" for the years of 2000, 2001 and 2002, according to the court documents.
Beware: Hundreds of Groups like ARL
Tax dispute lawyers told ABCNEWS.com that, historically, the 861 argument has never held up in court. There have been a few cases in which defendants were acquitted of criminal charges and avoided jail time by essentially arguing they were brainwashed by groups like the ARL. But every one of the cases has resulted in defendants being forced to pay outstanding taxes and late penalties, the tax lawyers said.
"The American Rights Litigators is a small group -- maybe five or six people in their office -- that profit from marketing to tax protestors," said MacNab. "They claim that if you follow their forms, buy their books and abide by their guidelines they'll get you out of the tax system forever."