Author: Connor Simpson

The Video of the Washington Bridge Collapse Is Terrifying

AP

Seattle's KIRO-TV got their hands on surveillance video capturing the very moment when a too-heavy truck starts crossing the bridge and the supports start to collapse. You can see the next truck start to cross the bridge as the whole thing is coming apart. It is a terrifying video.

By Connor Simpson

May 12, 2013

Kristen Wiig's Mom Is Way Worse Than Your Mom

So less than a year since her departure, Kristen Wiig made her triumphant return to Saturday Night Live last night to retread all the characters you knew and loved. But most importantly she stayed out of the way when she needed to let the new, very strong female cast shine. 

Comments | 3,273 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

So What Were Bloomberg Reporters Using Those Terminals for Anyway?

Investigations are being launched by the Treasury Department and the Federal Reserve to see if their employees were spied on by Bloomberg reporters, too. But they may find Bloomberg reporters didn't always use the terminals to get scoops. They used them for fun on slow days, instead. 

Comments | 2,859 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Why the IRS Abruptly Apologized to the Tea Party

It came as a surprise when the Internal Revenue Service apologized, seemingly out of the blue, to a number of Tea Party groups for unfairly scrutinizing their tax exempt status on Friday. Now we know why the apology came when it did. 

Comments | 19,400 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

They're Going to Tear Down and Rebuild Sandy Hook Elementary

After weeks of deliberations, the task force assigned to figure out where to build the new Sandy Hook Elementary have finally concluded their search. They're going to demolish the old one and build the new school in the very same spot. 

Comments | 1,838 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Astronauts at the International Space Station Successfully Fixed Its Leaky Pump

Astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn completed the most impromptu spacewalk in NASA history ahead of schedule. The two men spent roughly five hours outside of the International Space Station repairing an ammonia pump used to cool the laboratory's engine system. 

Comments | 1,429 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Violence Doesn't Stop Pakistan from Voting on Election Day

Despite violence from the Taliban, citizens in Pakistan turned out in huge numbers on Saturday to vote in the country's historic first ever democratic elections.

Comments | 408 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Why Elon Musk Broke Up with Mark Zuckerberg's PAC

Tesla CEO Elon Musk decided to leave Mark Zuckerberg's immigration reform pushing political action committee FWD.us Friday evening because he doesn't agree with the group's habit of supporting politicians on both sides of the aisle, just so long as they support immigration. 

Comments | 22,197 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 11, 2013

Sorry, but 'Smash' and 'Happy Endings' Got Cancelled

In the dead of night, while you were sleeping or paying attention to other less trivial things, ABC and NBC announced the cancellation of Happy Endings and Smash, respectively. Feel free to use this space as a memorial for both shows. 

Comments | 14,458 Views

By Connor Simpson and J.K. Trotter

May 8, 2013

Ariel Castro Charged with Kidnapping & Rape, but His Brothers Got Nothing

The 52-year-old former schoolbus driver accused of holding and abusing three women in his Cleveland home, will face four counts of kidnapping and three counts of rape, police announced Wednesday afternoon. Castro's two brothers, Pedro and Onil, have not been charged at this time.

Comments | 11,132 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 8, 2013

Charles Ramsey Has a Rap Sheet

He is the neighbor who helped save three women and apparently a child from living in captivity in brutal conditions in Cleveland. He also gave a couple interviews that led the Internet to turn him into a meme. Now it turns out that Ramsey has a few convictions to his name.

Comments | 7,489 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 8, 2013

Silvio Berlusconi Always Has a Get-Out-of-Jail Free Card

This we know for sure: Silvio Berlusconi is still guilty of tax fraud. But the former three-time Italian prime minister and long-time media baron may never see the inside of a jail cell, on account of being a wealthy political fat cat, and also because he's really old.

Comments | 202 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 8, 2013

The 'NBA Jam' Theory of Sports Streaks Can't Debunk the Science of Superstars

A Yale biologist has managed to prove that players like Nate Robinson are "on fire" for a reason. But do actual sports teams really care about the phenomenon of heating up for a few games? The MLB and the NHL would say no — and so would Derrick Rose.

Comments | 1,012 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 8, 2013

The Ultimate 'Between Two Ferns' Video Mashes James Franco and Lonely Island

Would you count Edward Norton, James Franco, Zach Galifianakis and the Lonely Island guys among your favorite people? It's your lucky day! Because the Lonely Island troupe just premiered a new video and song inside a "Between Two Ferns" sketch that also stars James Franco. 

Comments | 2,631 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 8, 2013

How on Earth Did an Italian Watchtower Not See This Giant Boat Coming?

A container ship lost control and took out the massive concrete and glass control tower overlooking Genoa, Italy's busiest port, on Tuesday evening, killing three people while another four were taken to the hospital for treatment and a few more are still missing.

Comments | 1,618 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 7, 2013

Aurora Shooter James Holmes Pleads Insanity

Lawyers for James Holmes have finally entered an official plea in the case: they're going going to mount a "not guilty by reason of insanity" defense, The Denver Post reports.

Comments | 598 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 7, 2013

Daft Punk Can't Wait for You to Hate Their New Album

Daft Punk, the world's most beloved DJs behind the most anticipated dance album of the year, aren't exactly anticipating that you fall in love with their new record, Random Access Memories. It doesn't sound like other Daft Punk records, which was deliberate, they say, because everything in electronic music sounds like knock-off Daft Punk right now

Comments | 35,155 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 7, 2013

Confessions of Obama's Basketball Elbower, 'The Only Guy That Ever Hit the President and Never Got Arrested'

There had been whispers, of course — whatever happened to The Guy Who Famously Elbowed President Obama? — but no one ever landed the post-pickup-game interview. Until now.

Comments | 606 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 6, 2013

Tina Brown Really Wanted to Get Rid of Howard Kurtz Before the Collins Scandal

So it turns out Kurtz wasn't exactly fired by The Daily Beast just for his egregious Jason Collins story: Brown had been "putting together a file" of excuses to fire him, and the big gay cover-up heard 'round the media world let her dump Kurtz and his quarter-million-dollar contract, quickly and affordably.

Comments | 1,006 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 6, 2013

Led Zeppelin Wouldn't Reunite for Bill Clinton and Hurricane Sandy

The old British curmudgeons in Led Zeppelin were asked to reunite for last year's star-studded Hurricane Sandy benefit concert — by former President Bill Clinton, no less — and they said no. Here's how the Zep-for-Stones swap went down.

Comments | 1,384 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 6, 2013

Everything You Need to Know About the German 'Nazi Bride' Trial

The last remaining member of a neo-Nazi group — who's being called "the Nazi bride" by the German press, and probably soon the American tabloids — is now on trial for murder in a case that's remarkable as much for the horrible crimes as the retrograde justice for human-rights violations that were ignored for years.

Comments | 4,825 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 6, 2013

Venezuelan Government, Mid-'Argo' Plot, Calls Obama 'Chief of the Devils'

Accusations that an American documentary filmmaker was posing as a U.S. spy in Venezuela are "ridiculous," if you believe President Obama, who according to Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro is the "chief of the devils." Did you catch all of that? Here's the whole story. 

Comments | 2,612 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

The Curious Case of Burying Tamerlan Tsarnaev Anywhere but Cambridge

The funeral home where 26-year-old Boston bombing suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev is having the hardest time finding somewhere to bury him. The city of Cambridge, Mass. where the Tsarnaev family settled when they came to the U.S. from Dagestan won't take him. 

Comments | 1,806 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

Justin Bieber's Dubai Trip Is Not Going Very Well

Justin Bieber seems to get into trouble when he goes overseas. At his concert Sunday in Dubai, a fan was able to bum rush the stage and briefly attack the spritely Canadian singer. 

Comments | 25,019 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

Box Office Report

Summer is Here: 'Iron Man' Makes a Mint

Welcome to the Box Office Report, where we're ready to declare Marvel the rulers of the summer movie season. No mas. Mercy. We surrender. 

Comments | 1,193 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

The Sunday Grind

Dick Durbin Brings Boston into the Immigration Debate

Everyone talks about the upcoming immigration bill debate while Peter King thinks arming the Syrian rebels may not be the best idea for the U.S. 

Comments | 201 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

Howard Kurtz Read the Jason Collins Story 'Too Fast'

Howard Kurtz used his CNN show Reliable Sources to explain why and how that debacle of a Daily Beast article where he accused Jason Collins of being dishonest happened. He said he "carelessly" missed the most important detail he framed his story on during his apology. 

Comments | 1,605 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

Zach Galifianakis' 'Game of Thrones' Fan Would Fit in at Comic Con

Zach Galifianakis hosted Saturday Night Live for the third time while promoting The Hangover III and turned in an absolutely brilliant performance as every over-excited Game of Thrones fan you've ever met. Also, the show destroyed Google Glass users. 

Comments | 16,696 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 5, 2013

Israel's Second Attack in Syria Was a Big One

For the second time in as many days, Israel mounted a late night air raid on Syrian military facilities that were allegedly holding weapons destined for Hezbollah. This attack produced some of the biggest explosions seen in Damascus since the two year old conflict began. 

Comments | 2,408 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

Orb Completes Come from Behind Kentucky Derby Win

A horse named Orb just won the 139th running of the Kentucky Derby, becoming the latest horse to attempt to piece together the elusive Triple Crown.

Comments | 401 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

Hamid Karzai Would Prefer If That Sweet CIA Money Kept Coming, Thanks

Afghan president Hamid Karzai isn't ready to give up his financially beneficial relationship with the CIA just yet. No, he wants those backpacks full from cash to keep coming.

Comments | 2,203 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

Niall Ferguson's History with John Maynard Keynes' Gayness

Harvard professor and prominent Daily Beast columnist Niall Ferguson is now apologizing for saying economist John Maynard Keynes' theories about surplus and deficit spending were somehow shaped by that fact that he was gay and childless. Which is great, except that it may not be that sincere. He's made the argument before. 

Comments | 15,422 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

What It's Like Being Eaten by a Hippo

Paul Templer survived a trip few can claim they've returned from. Namely, he was inside a hippo's stomach and lived to tell the tale. 

Comments | 5,608 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

Warren Buffett Won't Reveal His Secret Successor Just Yet

At Saturday's annual Berkshire Hathaway shareholder meeting, the 82-year-old CEO Warren Buffett announced that he knows who his successor is, but he's not ready to share the secret with the rest of us just yet.

Comments | 1,803 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

How Much Did Tamerlan Tsarnaev's Widow Know?

In an investigation that seems to go in a new direction every other day, some incriminating evidence is causing officials to take a deeper look into Katherine Russell, the 24-year-old of Tamerlan Tsarnaev. 

Comments | 5,207 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 4, 2013

Israel Bombed Syria Because of Alleged Weapons Shipment to Hezbollah

Reports came out late Saturday night that Israel made the curious decision to attack Syria, potentially entering the armed conflict, but as more information came out it was clear Israel was trying to protect its own interests. 

Comments | 1,202 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 1, 2013

Howard Kurtz Is Too Bad at His Job to Effectively Shame Jason Collins

The media critic who finds enough time to criticize all media and still write puff pieces about Matt Lauer for The Daily Beast, just didn't have enough time to read eight paragraphs of one of the most important articles in the media this week.

Comments | 4,150 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 1, 2013

Feds Refuse to Satisfy Beyoncé Lip-Sync Truthers

Bloomberg's attempt to FOIA the inauguration performance emails was met for the most part with despair and mockery — despair because the relevant information wasn't turned over, and mockery because, really, this is all a little silly.

Comments | 982 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 1, 2013

Going Offline for an Entire Year Won't Make You Any Happier

When you're completely disconnected from the online world, when you refuse to engage in every collective breath over social media, are you really even alive anymore? One blogger tried, and this one can sympathize.

Comments | 1,581 Views

By Connor Simpson

May 1, 2013

The Koch Is Hitting the Fan at the L.A. Times

The Times staff is in open revolt against Charles and David Koch's potential purchase of papers from Tribune Co. And the city council is apparently so petrified of the Kochs's lack of objectivity that it's threatening to pull funding for those staffers' retirement accounts. If you thought Rupert Murdoch was bad, the Kochs may already be contributing to what one local politician called "the end of journalism" — and they haven't even made an offer yet. 

Comments | 2,371 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 30, 2013

It's Getting Harder and Harder to Rent an Apartment on Airbnb

Amidst increasing pressure from the law and creepy renters, the world's best urban vacation rental startup is forcing users to fork over government-issued photo I.D. so they can crosscheck your identity against your social media account... all to rent a cheap apartment. Yes, Airbnb is now more strict than most bars. 

Comments | 4,336 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 30, 2013

This Is Jeff Zucker's CNN Morning Show, but What About His New Primetime?

Now that the morning show guru turned network executive has CNN's fresh-faced morning show ready for launch, Zucker can turn his attention to reviving his primetime lineup. The big question for the months ahead: Will he take CNN in reverse to pass ahead? And what does Crossfire have to do with any of this?

Comments | 788 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

The NFL Gets Mike Wallace and Its Teams Ready for the Jason Collins Effect

As the sports world continues to react to news of America's first openly gay major pro athlete, the NFL has reinforced its discrimination policy in an internal memo, and an NFL official tells The Atlantic Wire that one outspoken player's social media response to the Collins announcement has already drawn an inquiry.

Comments | 8,061 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

Is the Sports World Ready to Accept the New Reality of Jason Collins?

Perhaps the biggest worry about the future of gay rights on the biggest of stages for American role models was not if or when a gay pro athlete would come out. It was how the acceptance (or lack thereof) might follow. And based on the early reaction to the historic coming-out party of Jason Collins today, the NBA is ready for out sports, and so is (almost) everybody else.

Comments | 1,965 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

Jason Collins Is the First Openly Gay Major Professional Athlete

Before today, Jason Collins was known as a 34-year-old center on the NBA's Washington Wizards. But after an historic public admission sure to redefine sexuality in sports, Collins has now become the first openly gay athlete playing in one of the four major sports in North America. As Collins writes in his cover story for this week's Sports Illustrated: "Things can change in an instant, so why not live truthfully?"

Comments | 7,269 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 29, 2013

Tim Tebow's Tabloid Dreams Are Over

Perhaps fittingly for the city and the man, Tebow's time with the New York Jets will be remembered more for the unending media hype than anything he actually did under center. And it was a local tabloid story turned national, with seemingly every outlet from TMZ to the Newark Star-Ledger going full-on New York Post at one point or another.

Comments | 1,179 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

This Is Not Where You're Supposed to Wear Your Google Glass

Did you expect to see someone wearing Google Glass in a box? Did you expect to see someone wearing Google Glass with a fox? Did you expect to see someone wearing Google Glass with a mouse? How about a mouse? You probably didn't expect to see them in the shower, that's for sure.

Comments | 5,299 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

The NFL Passed on Its Chance to Draft an Openly Gay Player

As the clock wound down during the final rounds of the NFL draft on Saturday, only two kickers were chosen — and 23-year-old openly gay former Middle Tennessee State placekicker Alan Gendreau was not one of them. 

Comments | 13,934 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

Box Office Report

Michael Bay and The Rock 'Gain' Just Enough to Win the Weekend

Welcome to the Box Office Report, where we're reluctant to live in a world where The Rock is a real movie star. 

Comments | 1,374 Views

By Connor Simpson

Apr 28, 2013

The Sunday Grind

Joe Manchin Wants to Bring Gun Reform Back to the Senate

Sen. Joe Manchin wants to bring that ol' background check bill back to the Senate floor, he revealed on Fox News Sunday.

Comments | 981 Views

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