'Evil' actor killed college students, girlfriend says

A woman authorities say helped her then-fiance after he allegedly killed two people said at a news conference Tuesday night that she is "completely innocent." Rachel Mae Buffett, 25, addressed the media at her brother's Long Beach wine bar flanked by her brothers, sister and mother. She declared her innocence and vowed to assist Costa Mesa police in their ongoing investigation into the...

Read More..

IHT Rendezvous: Gay Marriage Fight Intensifies in Britain and France

LONDON — The pragmatic Dutch should be forgiven for wondering what all the fuss is about.A decade after the Netherlands legalized marriage for same-sex couples with a minimum of brouhaha, the issue has spurred a fierce and emotional debate in two other European countries, France and Britain.The disputes focus on plans by the Socialist government in France and the Conservative-led government in Britain...

Read More..

‘The Hobbit’: Like One Bad Video Game

Perhaps the most exciting thing about Peter Jackson‘s landmark, blockbuster Lord of the Rings films was that they made fans, through a combination of stunning landscapes and intricate special effects and soaring music and dramatic spectacle, feel as though we were seeing an almost impossible elevation of the potential size and scope of movies. Here was a rich, dense, sprawling series of films that...

Read More..

Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Kanye West & More Perform for Sandy Relief

By Andrea Billups 12/12/2012 at 06:30 PM EST Kanye, Bon Jovi, Alicia Keys and Bruce Springsteen Kevin Mazur/WireImage; Jamie McCarthy/Getty; WireImage; Tim Mosenfelder/Getty It's time for a concert for a great cause.On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., musicians including...

Read More..

Congress examines science behind HGH test for NFL

WASHINGTON (AP) — A congressional committee has opened a hearing to examine the science behind a human growth hormone test the NFL wants to start using on its players.Nearly two full seasons have passed since the league and the players' union signed a labor deal that set the stage for HGH testing.The NFL Players Association won't concede the validity of a test that's used by Olympic sports and Major...

Read More..

Doctor caught with 1,000 child porn images, police say

A Santa Ana foot doctor was arrested Tuesday on a warrant accusing him of possessing more than 1,000 images of child pornography on his company computer. Dr. Pete Thomas, 58, of Coastline Podiatry in Santa Ana, surrendered to a judge Tuesday and was booked into Santa Ana jail before being released on $50,000 bail, Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said. The images were first discovered...

Read More..

Seeking Allies Among Syrian Rebels, U.S. Instead Finds Hostility

Narciso Contreras/Associated PressFree Syrian Army fighters aimed their weapons during heavy clashes with government forces in Aleppo. BEIRUT, Lebanon — As the United States tries attempts to rally international support for the Syrian rebellion, trying to herd the opposition into a shadow government that it can recognize and assist, on the ground in Syria it faces an entirely different problem: Much...

Read More..

Hugh Hefner's Engagement Ring to Crystal Harris Revealed

By Mike Fleeman 12/11/2012 at 07:00 PM EST The wedding's back on – though it may be a good idea to save that gift receipt. Hugh Hefner, 86, officially confirms that he is once again engaged to Crystal Harris, 26, telling his Twitter followers, "I've given Crystal Harris a ring. I love the girl." And to prove...

Read More..

DA investigating Texas' troubled $3B cancer agency

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Turmoil surrounding an unprecedented $3 billion cancer-fighting effort in Texas worsened Tuesday when its executive director offered his resignation and the state's chief public corruption prosecutor announced an investigation into the beleaguered agency.No specific criminal allegations are driving the latest probe into the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas, said...

Read More..

Actor's girlfriend says he killed, dismembered college students

Hours before he played the romantic lead in a community theater play opposite his real-life fiancee, authorities allege Daniel Patrick Wozniak shot and killed his neighbor.Not long after that evening’s performance, he slipped out of the Costa Mesa apartment he shared with his then-fiancee, Rachel Buffett, 25, and killed a second person , according to police, prosecutors and Buffett's account...

Read More..