Trending on Wednesday - June 22, 2011

Megan Fox

Ryan Dunn 

$1 Bank Robbery 

Hangover Tattoo

Tone Loc

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Today's Miracle: 

DELIVERANCE
"I was in a abusive marriage for 8 years. Mentally and physically but I called on the LOrd he heard my cry and delivered me. Jesus delivered me because I was faithful even in the mist of my pain. Like David said the LOrd heard my cry and my supplication and delivered me.If he did it for me he can do it for you. Just remain faithful in all that you do! May Jesus continue to bless you!Keep me in your prayers."
 

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Megan Fox

The UK's Daily Mail is reporting that the sexy actress didn't quit "Transformers 3." Rather, she was fired for comparing director Michael Bay to Hitler in a 2009 interview. The paper reports that Steven Spielberg, executive producer on the film, demanded she be canned.

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Ryan Dunn 

Ryan Dunn's passenger in fatal crash identified as 'Jackass' production assistant

As the West Goshen Police Department continued to investigate the fatal car accident that killed “Jackass” star Ryan Dunn on Monday, police confirmed the name of the passenger who also died in the wreck: 30-year-old Zachary Hartwell.

Hartwell, of West Chester, Pa., is credited as a production assistant on the second “Jackass” movie and is listed on IMDb as a “car stunt driver” on the Bam Margera-directed flick “Minghags” (2009).

The fiery crash took place around 2:30 a.m. Monday as Dunn's 2007 Porsche 911 GTS went off the road in West Goshen and burst into flames. The initial police report said that “excessive speed may have a contributing factor in the accident.” An investigation is still underway.

People questioned whether alcohol was the cause of the accident as images surfaced online of Dunn drinking at the West Chester bar Barnaby’s of America hours before the crash. Dunn had tweeted the picture; it has since been removed from his official account, but has been retweeted by many of his followers.

Film critic Roger Ebert took to Twitter on Monday and posted what some deemed a callous remark:  "Friends don't let Jackasses drink and drive."

Margera, a member of the “Jackass” crew, responded with a profanity-laced tweet on his own Twitter account (though it has also been removed): "I just lost my best friend, I have been crying hysterical for a full day," and "Roger Ebert has the gall to put in his 2 cents," Margera said. "Millions of people are crying right now," he added.

Ebert has since clarified his statements in a blog post. Here's an excerpt:

"I don't know what happened in this case, and I was probably too quick to tweet. That was unseemly. I do know that nobody has any business driving on a public highway at 110 mph, as some estimated -- or fast enough, anyway, to leave a highway and fly through 40 yards of trees before crashing. That is especially true if the driver has had three shots and three beers. Two people were killed. What if the car had crashed into another car?"

 ShowTrackers, what did you think of Ebert's remarks? Are people ignoring how alcohol might have been a factor in the accident?

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$1 Bank Robbery 

$1 bank robbery centered around man’s need for health care

James Verone, who says he tried to rob a bank of $1 because he needs health care and thought he could get it in prison.

The part of this story that's getting attention across the nation is that James Verone of Gaston County, N.C., decided that the only way he could get adequate health care and a solid roof over his head would be to get himself arrested for trying to rob a bank of $1.

Verone, 59, says he has several medical problems, including a growth on this chest and two ruptured disks. He also says he's out of work and has no insurance.

So, according to Verone, that's why he walked into a bank in Gastonia earlier this month and gave a teller a note that said "This is a bank robbery. Please only give me one dollar." Then, he waited for the police.

Getting less attention is this passage in the report from WCNC-TV in Charlotte:

"He is hoping for a three-year sentence. He would then be able to collect Social Security when he got out and said he would head for the beach. 'I've already looked at a condominium. I've spoken to a realtor on Myrtle Beach,' Verone said."

As Verone also tells WCNC, "I'm sort of a logical person."

He may have out-smarted himself, though: WCNC says the charge against him is "larceny from a person," not bank robbery. "He might not get as much time in the slammer as he was hoping for," the station says.

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Tone Loc

Tone Loc reportedly arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence

Tone Loc, the raspy-voiced rapper behind the 1980s hits "Wild Thing" and "Funky Cold Medina," has allegedly been arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence in Los Angeles, reports the Associated Press.

Burbank police Sgt. Tracy Sanchez says 45-year-old Anthony Smith was arrested Saturday (June 18). Anthony Smith is Tone Loc's real name and this Smith's birthdate and description matched those of the hip-hop artist. Sanchez could not provide any details about the alleged victim or the circumstances.

Smith is being held at a Burbank jail on a $50,000 bond. We'll update this story as more details become available. Tone Loc is also known for an acting career that includes the TV shows "Roc," "Thieves,' the movie "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective" and various voiceover work.

Hangover Tattoo

Fans of "The Hangover: Part II" can rest easy: the tattoo on Ed Helms' face is staying in the film.

Warner Bros. has settled the lawsuit brought by Missouri tattoo artist S. Victor Whitmill over the mark on Helms' face, which Whitmill claimed infringed a copyrighted tattoo he created for boxer Mike Tyson.

Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. "Warner Bros. and Mr. Whitmill have amicably resolved their dispute. No other information will be provided," Whitmill's attorney Geoff Gerber said.

Sources say the deal was hammered out during an all-day mediation in St. Louis on Friday.

Whitmill, who created the original tattoo and registered the copyright, sued in April asking that a federal judge halt the release of the blockbuster comedy sequel because it prominently features the tattoo without permission.

But on May 24, just days before the film was scheduled to be released, a judge denied Whitmill's request for a preliminary injunction. The judge did suggest that she saw merit in the case, even referring to the studio's defenses as "silly."

In subsequent court filings, Warners said that it planned to digitally alter the tattoo for the home video version of the film if the case didn't settle quickly.

And now it has. A notice of dismissal is expected to be filed shortly, putting an end to one of the odder copyright cases in recent memory. The film, meanwhile, has gone on to earn almost $500 million worldwide.