With Hollywood legend Jane Russell providing the pre-dinner entertainment and The Temptations and Ben E King popping up to finish the evening in fine fashion, it was quite a night at Liverpool Cathedral last week.
I’ve been remiss – although I’ve got a good excuse as I only got back from Hamburg last night (more of that later) – in recouting the incredible evening organised by cathedral supporter Margaret Harry and by David Gest on Thursday evening.

I’ve heard plenty of performances in the cathedral, but I’ve never heard people like Deniece Williams, Kim Weston and Dorothy Moore opening up their vocal chords and filling the “great space” with the most amazing gospel.

Then there was William Bell (whose piano player accompanist was apparently from Massive Attack) who performed a unique version of the Beatles’ Yesterday, followed by Freda Payne (who with Deniece Williams had been at the Everyman to see The Caretaker the other week) who went back to her first love of jazz and big bands to bring us a cracking version of Ella Fitzgerald’s first hit Mr Paganini. [...]

Rena Sofer is best known to soap fans as Lois Cerullo from General Hospital, who she played from 1994 – 1997. Since then she has appeared in a slew of TV series, such as “Melrose Place,” “Ed,” “Just Shoot Me!,” “24,” and “Heroes,” as well as the feature films “Traffic” and “Keeping the Faith.”

Now, Rena can be seen in the Hallmark Channel movie “Always & Forever,” about a single mom who owns her own design firm and is in a relationship, but starts to rethink some things when she runs into her old boyfriend from high school.

I recently had the pleasure of talking with Rena about her new project, which also stars Dean McDermott (“Tori & Dean: Home Sweet Hollywood”), Barbara Eden (“I Dream of Jeannie”) and Max Gail (“Barney Miller”), as well as her thoughts on playing Lois again.

Soaps.com: “Always & Forever” is a sweet love story. What about the script appealed to you? [...]

I was expecting Chasing Amy to be a heart-tugging story after watching too many times in YouTube the scene where Holden (Ben Affleck’s character) told Alyssa how he can’t stand another day without telling her that he loves her. Watch it below and I tell you, if a guy proposes to you that way, you wouldn’t be able to help but feel something for him too, even for a just a fleeting moment.

Watch below! It’s the most honest and romantic thing you’ll ever hear.

An excerpt here.

Alyssa: Why are we stopping?
Holden: Cause I can’t take this.
Alyssa: Can’t take what?
Holden: I love you.
Alyssa: You love me?
Holden: I love you. And not, not in a friendly way, although I think were great friends. And not in a misplaced affection, puppy-dog way, although I’m sure that’s what you’ll call it. I love you.
Very, very simple, very truly. You are the-the epitome of everything I have ever looked for in another human being. And I know that you think of me as just a friend, and crossing that line
is-is-is the furthest thing from an option you would ever consider. [...]

Shiloh Pepin, a girl born with a rare condition often called “Mermaid Syndrome,” has died. She was 10-years-old.

Shiloh was born with sirenomelia, a condition which caused her legs to be fused from the waist down. The condition is about as rare as conjoined twins and is usually fatal within a day or two of birth. Shiloh died Friday afternoon at Maine Medical Centerm, hospital spokesman John Lamb told The Associated Press. She had been hospitalized in critical condition since last week.

Little Shiloh’s health battles took her to The Oprah Show and TLC. Just last month, Shiloh sat down with Oprah and said she didn’t mind being called “mermaid girl” and let the world know she had no interest in getting her legs separated.

Rest in peace, Shiloh….

Liberal humanists make an important distinction between respecting someone’s beliefs, and respecting their right to hold and convey those beliefs. So, for example, when someone holds the noxious belief that it was not the Third Reich that caused the Holocaust, but the US, Britain, and allied powers, as historian David Irving does, the Jeffersonian thing to do is to defend his right to hold (and publish) this belief, even while condemning it.

This is a difficult thing to do, and writers such as Johann Hari and Christopher Hitchens (each of whose flaws I never tire of enumerating) should be given credit for coming to the defense of Irving’s right to be a Holocaust denier (Irving is English, and thus has no right to protected speech, except for the relatively toothless provisions of the UN Charter on Human Rights.) There is no greater test of one’s commitment to free speech than defense of the thing most hateful to you. [...]

Carlos Trujillo’s case was set for jury selection Wednesday but a judge postponed the proceedings after last-minute developments in a related case in light of evolving talks of a plea deal with the co-defendant, Carlos’ cousin Leonard Trujillo. Andrew Kissel was found dead in his backcountry mansion in Greenwich in April 2006, stabbed to death days before he was to plead guilty on federal multimillion-dollar fraud charges. The Trujillos were arrested in March 2008.

Carlos Trujillo, 48, of Bridgeport, faces a lesser charge of conspiracy to commit murder while Leonard Trujillo, 22, of Worcester, Mass., is set for trial on capital murder and first-degree murder charges. Carlos Trujillo was Andrew Kissel’s driver.

Bob Griese had something of a senior moment today during today’s Ohio State – Minnesota college football game that was broadcast on ESPN when he made a somewhat racist comment about NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya (who isn’t even Mexican  he’s in fact Columbian):

Chris Spielman (during a promo for the Martinsville NASCAR event): “Where’s Montoya?”
Bob Griese: “He’s out having a taco.”

Griese apologized later in the game, saying “Juan Pablo Montoya is one of the best drivers in NASCAR. I just want to apologize for the comment I made earlier in the ballgame.” [...]

Being a Canadian patriot can be tough on the old wallet. At least, that’s Jowi Taylor’s experience.

So far, the Torontonian’s effort to bring us Canucks together has cost him a cool $80,000.

Taylor has made headlines by spearheading the construction of a guitar the so-called Voyageur using 67 tidbits representing aspects of Canadian history. The acoustic guitar, secured in a canary-yellow case, is made from stuff like Pierre Trudeau’s canoe paddle, Paul Henderson’s hockey stick from the 1972 Russia-Canada hockey game, Maurice Richard’s 1955-56 Stanley Cup ring (a fragment of gold is embedded in the fretboard) and Haida Gwaii’s sacred Golden Spruce.

There’s even wee bit of Victoria in the Voyageur. Taylor obtained wood from antique doors that once gated Fan Tan Alley. In the old days, when police raided Chinatown gambling dens, they’d have to break down these doors. The commotion provided the gamblers with a primitive alarm system. [...]

Steve Phillips, ESPN analyst, is on the news today after it was discovered he was having an affair with Brooke Hundley, a 22-year-old production assistant. Right now the Web is searching for Brooke Hundley pictures, and we are working very hard on bringing you them. Stay tuned to this post to check them out. I know, everybody wants to see the face of the mistress!

The story was posted by the New York Post. Brooke Hundley sent a letter to Marni Phillips, Steve’s wife after he ended the extra-marital relationship. In it she even described birthmarks form Steve! The letter also contained facts that makes this story even more juicy for the media:

“Hundley crashed her car into Phillips’ home after dropping off the letter; she may have impersonated a 16-year-old to chat with Phillips’ son online”

We have shown you multiple Marcus Jordan PEs within the past couple of years in which many of you have positively commented on to say the least (see Air Jordan 9 & 10 PE). While there is no debate that these may be some of the nicest PEs seen to date, an argument continues to materialize over whether or not Marcus Jordan will be able to wear Jordan’s at all this basketball season.

The University of Central Florida, Marcus Jordan’s current school, have a contract with Adidas; however, Marcus Jordan has obviously wore Jordan sneakers most, if not all of his life. It has been stated that Marcus will honor UCF’s contract with Adidas by wearing the Adidas apparel; yet, he will not partake in wearing Adidas sneakers on the court. [...]