FLASH LITES: RIP ‘N’ READ POP CULTURE RECAP

FLASH LITES: RIP ‘N’ READ POP CULTURE RECAP



TOKYO – A Japanese couple has been accused of starving their 5-year-old son because he “wasn’t cute.” The couple kept their child in a room without food for long periods and told cops they refused to feed him because he “wasn’t cute.” The child is now in the hospital and the couple is currently in police custody.

LOS ANGELES – Film director Guy Ritchie doesn’t live in wife, Madonna’s, shadow. In fact, one “crazed transvestite” recently approached the Material Girl’s hubby at a restaurant and asked if he could smell the seat of Mr. Madonna’s chair, according to E! Online.

NEW YORK – Skyscraper mogul Donald Trump is just one of the New York executives considering buying a parachute in the wake of last month’s World Trade Center attack. The Sun tabloid reports at least two companies are making special office building parachutes.

ERLANGEN, Germany – Can sitting in a sauna make you stupid? A German psychologist claims it can. Dr. Siegfried Lerhl says the dehydration caused by saunas can affect your IQ, but drinking plenty of water helps your brain stay in peak condition.

LOS ANGELES – Erin Brockovich, the woman made famous by a movie starring Julia Roberts, is in the works of getting her own TV talk show. The format is not worked out yet but topics will likely reflect interests in Brockovich’s life.

NEW YORK – Sales of sleep aids and anti-depressants are soaring in New York following last month’s terrorist attacks.

HOLLYWOOD – Actor Ed Asner, best known for his role as Lou Grant on 1970s TV show Mary Tyler Moore, is the recent recipient of the Screen Actors Guild Life Time Achievement Award. The award will be presented to Asner on March 10, 2002, during a televised award ceremony.

LONDON – Even though many people listed their official religion on British census forms as being “Jedi,” British Census officials say the made-up Star Wars religion won’t become a legitimate pre- printed choice on future forms.

DURHAM, N.C. – A robber who ripped off a North Carolina bank has been caught red-handed – literally. Police arrested Mark Henderson after he was found with red stains on his hand – a result of a die-packet placed in the cash to identify possible burglars.

TEL AVIV, Israel – A Palestinian man was recently arrested while aboard a flight to New York after he was seen scratching himself with a plastic knife.