Edward Kennedy aka Ted Kennedy, Dies at 77

Edward M. Kennedy, one of the most powerful and influential senators in American history and one of three brothers whose political triumphs and personal tragedies captivated the nation for decades, died at 77.Known as the “liberal lion of the Senate,” Kennedy championed health care reform, working wages and equal rights in his storied career. In August, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom — the nation’s highest civilian honor — by President Obama. His daughter, Kara Kennedy, accepted the award on his behalf.

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, known as Ted or Teddy, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor in May 2008 and underwent a successful brain surgery soon after that. But his health continued to deteriorate, and Kennedy suffered a seizure while attending the luncheon following President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Kennedy, a Massachusetts Democrat, was the last survivor of a privileged and charismatic family that in the 1960s dominated American politics and attracted worldwide attention. As heir through tragedy to his accomplished older brothers -- President John F. Kennedy and Sen. Robert F. Kennedy (D-N.Y.), both of whom were assassinated -- Edward Kennedy became the patriarch of his clan and a towering figure in the U.S. Senate to a degree neither of his siblings had been.

Kennedy served in the Senate through five of the most dramatic decades of the nation's history. He became a lawmaker whose legislative accomplishments, political authority and gift for friendship across the political spectrum invited favorable comparisons to Daniel Webster, Henry Clay and a handful of other leviathans of the country's most elite political body. But he was also beset by personal frailties and family misfortunes that were the stuff of tabloid headlines.

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Robert Novak (Bob Novak) Passed Away at 78

Robert D. Novak, 78, an influential columnist and panelist on TV news-discussion shows who called himself a "stirrer up of strife" on behalf of conservative causes, died today at his home in Washington of a brain tumor first diagnosed in July 2008. One of his more legendary moments in recent memory came in 2005, when he said "Bullshit!" on the air on CNN and stormed off the set after a comment by James Carville.

In recent years, Mr. Novak was best known for publicly identifying CIA operative Valerie Plame. His July 14, 2003, column was printed days after Plame's husband, former U.S. ambassador Joseph C. Wilson IV, publicly claimed that the Bush White House had knowingly distorted intelligence that Iraq tried to obtain uranium from Africa.

The column triggered a lengthy federal investigation into the Plame leak and resulted in the 2007 conviction of a top vice presidential aide, I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, for perjury and obstruction of justice. President George W. Bush later commuted Libby's prison term.Mr. Novak was accused by prominent journalists of being a pawn in a government retribution campaign against Wilson. Mr. Novak, who had called the U.S. invasion of Iraq "unjustified," denied the allegation.

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John Fautenberry Executed For Killing Spree

A former truck driver who went on a multistate killing spree has been executed in Ohio for the murder of a Cincinnati-area man who gave him a ride in 1991.Forty-five-year-old John Fautenberry of Oregon was pronounced dead at 10:37 a.m. Tuesday at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in Lucasville.

Fautenberry was sentenced to death for the slaying of Joseph Daron Jr., who picked him up while he was hitchhiking on Feb. 17, 1991.Fautenberry also confessed to killing a four people in three other states — Alaska, Oregon and New Jersey — during a five-month period in late 1990 and early 1991.Fautenberry is the first inmate executed in Ohio since June 3.

John Fautenberry is scheduled to die by lethal injection at 10 a.m. at the state prison in Lucasville. Fautenberry, a former Oregon truck driver, was sentenced to death for murdering Joseph Daron Jr., 46, of Milford, in February 1991.Fautenberry gave up his right to a trial by jury in Cincinnati and pleaded no contest on July 23, 1992, to two counts each of aggravated murder and grand theft and one count of aggravated robbery.

Fautenberry confessed to killing a total of five people in four states — Alaska, Oregon, Ohio and New Jersey — during a five-month period in late 1990 and early 1991.

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Saleh Kazemi (Sahel Kazemi) Identified as Woman with Steve McNair (Photos)

Steve McNair was found dead with multiple gunshot wounds. 20 year-old Sahel Kazemi was also found dead at the Nashville, Tennessee condo. McNair had several bullet wounds, and Kazemi was found with a single shot to the head.McNair was 36 and played 13 seasons before retiring in April 2008. He was married to Mechelle McNair. and they had four sons. A police spokesman said authorities were still investigating the shootings and questioning everyone with any possible involvement or motive.See pictures of McNair’s special friend Sahel Kazemi here.

Police officers responded at the scene after receiving a call about injured persons inside the condo. When they arrived at the site, they found a man and woman shot to death inside the residence. The condominium is one that McNair often used.In June, McNair opened a restaurant near the Tennessee State University campus. It was closed Saturday evening, but it had become a small memorial, with flowers, candles and notes placed outside the door.On the restaurant's windows were messages: "We will miss you Steve" and "We love you Steve."

Sahel Kazemi has been identified as the woman found dead with Steve McNair. All of the details of the Kazemi-McNair relationship aren’t known, but the 20-year-old Kazemi was recently cited for DUI while driving a car registered to McNair. The former NFLer was in the passenger seat when the car was pulled over.

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OK Magazine Michael Jackson Cover

Most magazines are remembering Michael Jackson on their covers, but OK Magazine has published a quite different photo on their cover… of Michael Jackson’s dead body. Read more on the Michael Jackson cover which is angering many of Jackson’s fans.Many of the well-known magazines such as Newsweek, People, etc. have put out a beautiful tribute to Michael Jackson. But OK Magazine made the decision to pay $500,000 for a blurry photo of Michael Jackson, where he is presumably already dead.

OK Magazine defends it’s decision and had this to say:“The cover represents an event in the history of an extremely entertaining and controversial figure and is sure to provoke some emotion and questions from readers and fans about the circumstances. The news often does.”

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Billy Mays Found Dead In Florida Home

Brash TV pitchman Billy Mays, whose ubiquitous ads for household products like OxiClean and Orange Glo made him a pop icon, was found dead at his Tampa home on Sunday morning.The booming-voiced Mays, 50, died just hours after suffering a blow to the head during a rough plane landing on a US Airways flight.

It was unclear whether the bumpy landing contributed to Mays' death, but he complained about not feeling well before going to bed."All of a sudden as we hit, you know, it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping," Mays told Fox 13 in Tampa. "It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head."He wrote on Twitter: "Just had a close call landing in Tampa. The tires blew out upon landing. Stuck in the plane on the runway. You can always count on US Air."

Mays' wife, Deborah, found him in bed at their home and called 911 when she couldn't revive him around 7:45a.m.Tampa police said there were no signs of foul play.Police spokeswoman Laura McElroy said any connection between the rough landing and Mays' death would "purely be speculation."There were no reported injuries at the time of the landing. An autopsy will be done on Mays today.

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Michael Jackson Autopsy Results:Death Report Deferred

Doctors conducted an autopsy on the body of Michael Jackson on Friday but could not immediately determine what killed the "King of Pop," amid reports he had been injected with a narcotic painkiller shortly before collapsing.Jackson was in full cardiac arrest when paramedics arrived at his rented mansion in the Holmby Hills neighbourhood of Los Angeles on Thursday afternoon, with his personal physician trying desperately to revive him.

The 50-year-old pop superstar was rushed to nearby UCLA Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead without regaining consciousness."The cause of death (determination) has been deferred, which means that the medical examiner has ordered additional testing such as toxicology and other studies," Los Angeles County Coroner's spokesman Craig Harvey said. "Those tests we anticipate will take an additional four to six weeks."Speaking to a throng of reporters outside the coroner's office, Harvey said, "There was no indication of any external trauma or indication of foul play to the body of Mr. Jackson."

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Michael Jackson Death Photos: Michael Jackson Funeral Plans

As controversial and shocking as Michael Jackson’s death may be, what is even more difficult to see are the Michael Jackson death photos. And yes, they have been released by Entertainment Tonight. Read more about the Michael Jackson funeral and see photos and video here.The Michael Jackson death photos are rather disturbing so please peek at your own risk. The picture that was released by Entertainment Tonight is a picture of the singer dying in an ambulance on the way to UCLA Medical Center. While the Michael Jackson funeral arrangements are still being made, the cause of Michael Jackson’s death is still being evaluated. Some startling news has been revealed today by a source who spent time with the pop singer on and off for decades.In the photo we can see Jackson being rushed to the ambulance. However, if reports are accurate Michael was already dead, as paramedics couldn’t revive him.

A source tells FOXNews.com, “There was a doctor with Michael at all times. He traveled with a doctor. Michael got injections of drugs daily.” The insider is said to have traveled with Michael for an entire year and revealed that the singer “was doing massive amounts of skin grafting. It was very unhealthy and sad to witness it all. The source adds, “Michael was worried about losing his popularity and his relevance. Even when he was at a personal high, he was terrified of losing his edge. He felt very alone. Michael had no close friends around him and he always harbored miserable feelings with his father. He was always sad that his family was not with him.”The Michael Jackson funeral details are expected to be released sometime next week of June 28th, 2009.

Michael Jackson Death Video

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Michael Jackson Wants Janet Jackson To Take Care of His Kids (Photos)

Michael Jackson believes he won’t be around long enough to see his children grow up with his deadly disease. Jackson is reportedly asking his sister Janet Jackson to raise his three children when he’s gone.Michael seems to think he won’t be around for long and is concerned about his three young children. He seems to feel sister Janet would be the best with his children.

“Please raise my kids, Janet. You’re the only one left I trust!”“Michael feels the end is near,” a family friend told the Enquirer. “He’s terrified that if he dies, his children will end up with his aging parents or his brothers.”“He knows Janet will give his kids a mother’s love and see that they grow up away from the showbiz spotlight.”Michael Jackson, 50, has Prince Michael, 12, Paris, 10 from his ex-wife, Debbie Rowe. But Prince Michael II called “Blanket” was adopted in 2002.

“Michael is in bad shape,” a friend stated. “He has respiratory problems, heart palpitations, is losing weight rapidly and is now worried that he may have contracted the killer flesh-eating disease. He has begged Janet to look after the kids.”It’s said that his health issues started soon after his last plastic surgery.

“He’s been visiting a Beverly Hills clinic receiving antibiotics through an intravenous drip,” disclosed the pal. “Michael has difficulty walking, often has to use a wheelchair and spends most of his days in bed, at the doctor’s office or in the bathroom.“His sole companion is his longtime nanny Grace Rwaramba. Michael knows Grace loves the kids, but doesn’t think she can cope with them on her own.

“Debbie, mother of Prince and Paris, has been out of the children’s lives and only sees them rarely. Janet sees them all the time and is more like a mother to them than anyone.”“Family members have offered to help, but he’s afraid of the children being exploited. The only family member he trusts is Janet.”This is very sad if Michael Jackson’s health problems are accurate.

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Michael Jackson Dies Of Heart Attack At Age of 50

Michael Jackson, the sensationally gifted "King of Pop" who emerged from childhood superstardom to become the entertainment world's most influential singer and dancer before his life and career deteriorated in a freakish series of scandals, died Thursday, a person with knowledge of the situation told The Associated Press. He was 50.

The person said Jackson died in a Los Angeles hospital. The person was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.The circumstances of his death were not immediately clear. Jackson was not breathing when Los Angeles Fire Department paramedics responded to a call at his Los Angeles home about 12:30 p.m., Capt. Steve Ruda told the Los Angeles Times. The paramedics performed CPR and took him to UCLA Medical Center, Ruda told the newspaper.

Jackson's death brought a tragic end to a long, bizarre, sometimes farcical decline from his peak in the 1980s, when he was popular music's premier all-around performer, a uniter of black and white music who shattered the race barrier on MTV, dominated the charts and dazzled even more on stage.His 1982 album "Thriller" — which included the blockbuster hits "Beat It," "Billie Jean" and "Thriller" — remains the biggest-selling album of all time, with more than 26 million copies.

He was perhaps the most exciting performer of his generation, known for his feverish, crotch-grabbing dance moves and his high-pitched voice punctuated with squeals and titters.His single sequined glove, tight, military-style jacket and aviator sunglasses were trademarks second only to his ever-changing, surgically altered appearance.

As years went by, he became an increasingly freakish figure — a middle-aged man-child weirdly out of touch with grownup life. His skin became lighter and his nose narrower. He surrounded himself with children at his Neverland ranch, often wore a germ mask while traveling and kept a pet chimpanzee named Bubbles as one of his closest companions.In 2005, he was cleared of charges he molested a 13-year-old cancer survivor at Neverland in 2003. He had been accused of plying the boy with alcohol and groping him. The case took a fearsome toll on his career and image, and he fell into serious financial trouble.

Jackson was preparing for what was to be his greatest comeback: He was scheduled for an unprecedented 50 shows at a London arena, with the first set for July 13. He was in rehearsals in Los Angeles for the concert, an extravaganza that was to capture the classic Jackson magic: showstopping dance moves, elaborate staging and throbbing dance beats.

Hundreds of people gathered outside the hospital as word of his death spread. The emergency entrance at the UCLA Medical Center, which is near Jackson's rented home, was roped off with police tape."Ladies and gentlemen, Michael Jackson has just died," a woman boarding a Manhattan bus called out, shortly after the news was annunced. Immediately many riders reached for their cell phones.

In New York's Times Square, a low groan went up in the crowd when a screen flashed that Jackson had died, and people began relaying the news to friends by cell phone."No joke. King of Pop is no more. Wow," Michael Harris, 36, of New York City, read from a text message a friend sent to his telephone. "It's like when Kennedy was assassinated. I will always remember being in Times Square when Michael Jackson died."

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Farrah Fawcett Dies With Her Family at Her Bedside

Farrah Fawcett lost her battle with cancer today.The 62-year-old American actress passed away with family and friends by her side, her spokesman confirmed.The devout Catholic had been read her last rites this morning.In a statement, a spokesman said Farrah had 'passed to a better place and left the pain and confines of her bed behind'.

Fawcett was rushed into intensive care last night from her West Hollywood home to a nearby hospital.Fiancé Ryan O'Neal and best friend, actress Alana Stewart, who produced the reality documentary charting her battle with the illness, were among those with her in her last hours.However her son Redmond O'Neal, 24, who is currently in jail on a drug rehab programme, was not able to be present.

Fawcett was originally diagnosed with rectal cancer in 2006, and believed she had beaten it after surgery and a course of chemotherapy.However, the disease returned the following year, and despite experimental treatment in Germany, spread to her liver.Last month, Fawcett's treatment ended. Bald and bedridden, she returned home to the Malibu mansion she shared with Love Story actor O'Neal.The news comes just two days after the Charlies' Angels star was released from hospital following a brief stay.

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Shiloh Pepin Is Mermaid Girl!!

Shiloh Pepin is a mermaid girl but is one which I will consider special and not different! She is a living mermaid and is a source of inspiration about life. Why a mermaid? Well because even though it is a disease called the mermaid syndrome, she is a fighter and she is special in the way that she accepts the way she is.

Shiloh Pepin is a girl with Mermaid Syndrome or sirenomelia. Shiloh Pepin is one only three people in the world surviving with sirenomelia.Sirenomelia is when your lower body doesn’t develop correctly as a fetus resulting in the two limbs attached. Most fail to survive hours after birth. But Shiloh is doing great, after a kidney transplant in 2007.

The syndrome is a congenital deformity where your legs grow together appearing like a tail of a mermaid. The condition only occurs in one of every 100,000 births, with persons passing within 48 hours of birth.Shiloh the mermaid girl was born in Kennebunkport, Maine on August 1999. She was born with a missing bladder, uterus, colon and vagina, and with only one kidney and one ovary! Normally this occurs when there is a malformation of twins which did not really suceeded to became twins.

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Kathryn Winkfein,72 year Old Woman Tasered During Traffic Stop (Photo)

Kathryn Winkfein a 72 year old woman was tasered during a traffic stop last month. She is now pressing charges against the police officer. Watch video of the incident and read more about this story here.

Kathryn Winkfein is a 72 year old woman, a great grandmother, and what most would think of as a sweet little lady. She was pulled over for speeding last month, in Travis County, Tex. by Deputy Chris Bieze. Apparently she did not want to sign the ticket, got into a bit of an argument with the officer and dared the cop to use the taser on her.

Officer Bieze and the 72 year old woman went back and forth, and he warned her if she did not step back, he would use the taser, and that is what he did.The department is standing behind Officer Bieze, saying the officer acted properly in a “dangerous situation.”Meanwhile, 72 year old Winkfein told her side of the story to her local Fox station, MyFox7, saying “I wasn’t argumentative I was not combative, OK? This is a lie, all of this is a lie. Pulled away from him, I did not.The video is posted below for you to make your judgment.

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Kavya Shivashankar Wins Spelling Bee 2009 By Spelling Laodicean

Kavya Shivashankar wrote out every word on her palm and always ended with a smile. The 13-year-old Kansas girl saved the biggest smile for last, when she rattled off the letters to "Laodicean" to become the nation's spelling champion.The budding neurosurgeon from Olathe, Kan., outlasted 11 finalists Thursday night to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee, taking home more than $40,000 in cash and prizes and, of course, the huge champion's trophy.

"I can't believe it happened," Kavya said. "It feels kind of unreal."After spelling the winning word, which means lukewarm or indifferent in religion or politics, Kavya got huge hugs from father Mirle, mother Sandy and little sister Vanya."The competitiveness is in her," Mirle Shivashankar said. "But she doesn't show that. She still has that smile. That's her quality."

Kavya won in her fourth appearance at the bee, having finished 10th, eighth and fourth over the last three years. She enjoys playing the violin, bicycling, swimming and learning Indian classical dance, and her role model is Nupur Lala, the 1999 champion featured in the documentary "Spellbound.""This is the moment we've been waiting for; it's a dream come true," Mirle said. "We haven't skipped meals, we haven't lost sleep, but we've skipped a lot of social time."

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Sara Jane Moore, Woman Who Tried to Assassinate Ford Offered Apology

Sara Jane Moore, the woman who tried to assassinate President Ford in San Francisco in 1975, emerged in public this morning and offered an apology for her actions.In an interview on the "Today" show, Moore, now 80, described what life has been like since she was released from prison at the end of 2007 and tried to explain why she tried to kill Ford.

“I still believe if I hadn’t done it, someone else would.... It was a time people don't remember. We had a war in this country, the Vietnam War,” she told "Today." “The only way it was going to change was by revolution.”The only woman to fire a shot at a president said it was only later, while spending time in solitary confinement, that she “had begun to realize that I'd been used.” “I think that I was misled, that I was mistaken. I think I made a serious error,” she told "Today's" co-host Matt Lauer. “I had to learn later that everyone else didn't feel that way.”

Moore said she realized in prison that what she had done was wrong. "I think it was a serious error," she said.The terms of her parole are very strict, requiring that she complete paperwork when she travels and let her parole officer know where she is at all times, Moore said.

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Mike Tyson's Daughter Exodus Fighting For Her Life After Mishap

Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson's 4-year-old daughter is in critical condition after she was found with a cord around her neck following an accident, according to media reports on Monday.Exodus Tyson was playing near some exercise equipment when she accidentally got tangled in a cord or rope hanging from a treadmill, the Arizona Republic reported on its website.

The Phoenix Police Department did not immediately return phone calls.ABC News reported that the child was rushed to St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center in central Phoenix, where she was listed in critical condition on life support.Police said that based on the initial investigation, the incident appeared to be "a tragic accident," ABC reported.Tyson is the subject of a new documentary by director James Toback. He was not in Phoenix at the time of the accident, but was shown later on television news arriving at the hospital.

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Rapper Dolla Shot And killed at Beverly Center

Atlanta rapper Roderick Anthony Burton II, aka Dolla, was shot and killed in LA today. Some of you may recall Dolla as a member of the boy group Da Rascals back in the 90s. Dolla signed to Akon’s Konvict Records in 2007 and seemed to have a bright future ahead of him with the release of his debut single “Feelin’ Myself”. But he could not escape the violence that permeates the Hip Hop community.

From the LATimes.com:

The man shot at the Beverly Center mall this afternoon was identified as Atlanta-based rapper Dolla, whose real name is Roderick Anthony Burton II, according to his publicist, Sue Vannasing. She said Dolla was shot in the head around 3:10 p.m. while he and another rapper, D.J. Shabbazz, waited in the area after shopping at the popular Westside mall. A friend who was with the rapper at the Beverly Center also confirmed his identity to The Times.About two hours later, Los Angeles police detained a “person of interest” as he attempted to board a plane out of Los Angeles International Airport. The man allegedly drove his silver Mercedes SUV from Beverly Center to the airport.

Vannasing said Dolla had gotten into an altercation with other passengers on a flight from Atlanta to Los Angeles, but it’s unclear if that was related to the violence.Police have arrested one “person of interest” in connection with the shooting but were looking for a second suspect.The arrested suspect, who fled from the mall in a silver Mercedes, was detained at Los Angeles International Airport while trying to board a flight. Police said the shooting took place in the valet waiting area of the mall].

The shooting occurred just after 3 p.m. at the La Cienega Boulevard entrance to the popular Westside shopping center. All entrances and exits to the popular Westside shopping mall were sealed off as police swarmed the scene.Burton aka Dolla was an up-and-coming rapper who had recorded several singles. He was in town to work on his first album, slated to be released this summer on Jive Records, Vannasing said.

His first single, released in 2007, was "Who the [Expletive] is that?" He was born in Chicago in 1988 and moved with his family to the Los Angeles area and then to Atlanta, according to a biography on his MySpace.com page. The biography said he witnessed his father commit suicide at age 5 and turned to crime to support his family at 10.

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Leta Cordes' Story on Dateline NBC Tonight

The story of the disappearance of Leta Cordes is being featured tonight on Dateline NBC at 8PM ET. I am not sure what new information they can bring to the story, but it does look as if they have some interviews with Cordes' friends and family. Leta Lynn Cordes Has Been Missing Since January 11, 2008 In Sint Maarten / Saint Martin, in the Caribbean vacation spot. Her husband last saw her when she left for the casino.

Frank Cordes has stated Leta departed their vacation home alone on foot to make the half mile walk to the casino at the Westin Hotel. She has not been seen since.Leta Cores never made it to the Westin according to surveillance tapes, and there were no eye witnesses placing her at the hotel that night, or on the road to the hotel.According to Frank Cordes, Leta apparently had nothing more than a blouse, jean shorts, black laced sandals, around $200, and her drivers license (she did not have her passport). She also was not carrying a cellphone.

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Mark Landon, Son of Michael Landon Found Dead

Mark Landon, the son of the late actor Michael Landon, was found dead inside his West Hollywood home Monday, authorities said.The body of Landon, 60, was found about noon.The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is investigating the death, but a spokeswoman said there was no evidence of foul play.Michael Landon, one of the stars of “Bonanza” and “Little House on the Prairie” television series, died in 1991 of cancer.

The cause of death was not immediately clear but there was no evidence of foul play, said Sgt. David Infante of the Los Angeles County sheriff's office.Mark Landon, among Michael Landon's nine children, appeared in three movies, including "Us" - a CBS television movie written and directed by his father in 1991 just before he died of cancer at age 54. The film was a pilot intended to be another series for Michael Landon. It aired a few months after his death.

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Connie Culp First Face Transplant Patient in the U.S. (Photos)

Connie Culp is the first US face transplant recipient and she has put on display off the work of her doctors to try and bring attention to the family that helped her and speak out to teach people not to be so cruel to those with disfigurements. The woman was shot in the face by her husband and the injuries were horrific. Half of her face was gone and she barely survived and could only eat through a straw.

In fact, Connie was able to survive through that small hole in her throat as eventually that is what allowed her to breathe and was used to give her food and drink. Now she is able to chew some food.She held a press conference today and it has now been revealed that the operation is the fourth of its kind in the world and the first in the United States and the surgery was very complex and took place last December and lasted nearly 23 hours.She was later released from the clinic on February 5. She said at her press conference, "I want to focus on the donor family that allowed me to have this Christmas present."

At the press conference, Connie Culp says:“I guess I’m the one you came to see today, I think it’s more important that you focus on the donor family that made it so I could have this person’s face. When somebody has a disfigurement and don’t look as pretty as you do, don’t judge them, because you never know what happened to them, Don’t judge people who don’t look the same as you do. Because you never know. One day it might be all taken away.

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