The WIRE: Week In REview, #2

Andy Keaton: A Fugitive No More

On December 11, Brian Bonsall, best known for his role as Andy Keaton on the sitcom Family Ties was charged in Colorado with second-degree assault after police say he repeatedly hit a friend in the head with a broken wooden stool in a December 5th bar brawl. The 28 yr old Bonsall had apparently been on the lam for over a year due to previous legal troubles when he was apprehended for the bar stool beatdown. Family Ties cast members are 2 for 2 in regards to being mentioned in The WIRE (last week, Meredith Baxter made it due to her recent coming out). Will Steven, Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, or Skippy step up and make it 3 for 3? Stay tuned.

Actor Gene Barry Dies At the Age of 90

On December 9, actor Gene Barry passed away. In addition to his lead role in the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds, Gene starred in the TV series Bat Masterson (1958-1961), Burke's Law/Amos Burke-Secret Agent (1963-1966, and 1994-1995), and The Name of the Game (1968-1971). If you were to look up the words "dapper" and "debonair" in the pop culture dictionary, you'd likely see a picture of Gene Barry.

"Catwoman" Foils A Not So Purrfect Crime

Robert Ouriel, an acquaintance of Julie Newmar's, was recently brought to justice after allegedly stealing $25,000 worth of jewelry from the actress best known for her recurring role as "Catwoman" on the 60s camp classic Batman. According to the D.A.'s office, Newmar noticed that several items were missing from her California home. She later discovered three of the items for sale on eBay. Prosecutors claim Ouriel shipped the stolen items to an Illinois pawnbroker, who later posted them on eBay. If convicted, Ouriel faces up to a 3-spot in the slammer. Take that Michelle and Halle!

Flint's Mark Ingram wins The Heisman Trophy

By the slimmest margin in voting history, Alabama running back Mark Ingram was awarded the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, December 13th. Given Alabama's rich college football history, I was surprised to learn a few weeks ago that none of their players had ever won The Heisman... well that's all changed. The highlights of the Mark's sophomore season include over 1,500 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns. With my hometown often making national news in a negative fashion, it's gratifying to see Flint get some positivity.

The Governor and T.J.: We Got the Beat

During Friday's episode of The Tonight Show, master thespian William Shatner continued his beat poetry-style rendering of the musings of Sarah Palin by reading a passage from the former Governor's bestseller Going Rogue. Shatner had the tables turned when Palin made a surprise appearance and read excerpts from his autobio Until Now. Given that Palin isn't a fan of "good ole David Letterman", it probably didn't take too much prodding to get her to appear on his rival's chat fest. Still, it was fun to see.

CTFD: Teens Face Charges For Rapping At McDonald's Drive-Thru

Last week, four Utah teens were ordered to face charges of disorderly conduct after performing a rap from a popular You Tube video at McDonald's. The four students from Lone Peak High in American Fork, UT performed the rap, which begins with the line "I need a double cheeseburger and hold the lettuce...," twice, causing employees to ask them to either order or leave as they were holding up the line. According to one of the accused, there wasn't anyone in line at the time.

The four left without ordering, but were tracked down by police at a volleyball game and issued with citations. The McDonald's employees claimed that the teens used vulgar language and that employees felt threatened by their behaviour. The accused deny acting in a threatening manner, and claim that only one vulgar word was used. The parents of the accused plan to contest the charges.

Didn't these teens realize they were in Utah?! There is NO rapping in Osmond country! Now, if they wanted to sing their order to the tune of either One Bad Apple or Down by the Lazy River, they would have been OK. Seriously, don't the cops in UT have anything better to do?

The clip below is from The Young Turks where they breakdown this story:

Facebook Lesson #13: A "Poke" Could Send You To the Pokey

I've given up saying, "Now I've seen it all" because of stories like this one. Last month, Shannon D. Jackson of Hendersonville, TN was arrested for "poking" an acquaintance on Facebook. Although "poking" sounds like something Larry Dallas might do, it's normally harmless. It's basically the online equivalent of saying "what's up?!"

I said "normally harmless" because if a person slaps you with a restraining order, "poking" them could get you fitted with a bright orange jumpsuit. According to police, Jackson is accused of using the "poke" option on Facebook to contact Dana Hannah (also of Hendersonville), thus violating the terms of the order of protection, which stipulates "no telephoning, contacting or otherwise communicating with the petitioner."

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/shannon-d-jackson-woman-a_n_315877.html

Violating an order of protection qualifies as a misdemeanor, and can carry a sentence of up to one year in jail, as well as a maximum fine of $2,500.

Read more at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/10/09/shannon-d-jackson-woman-a_n_315877.html

ABC News video:

Woman arrested for Facebook Poke

Although Ms. Jackson's situation looks bleak at the moment, she could easily turn things around:

Write a best-selling memoir

Make a tearful appearance on Oprah

Have her memoir adapted into a Lifetime movie of the week starring Heather Locklear