'Jackass' star Ryan Dunn dies in fiery Pa. crash

"Jackass" star Ryan Dunn, who along with his cast mates made Americans cringe and snicker through vulgar stunts in their multimillion-dollar TV and movie franchise, was killed early Monday in a fiery car crash. He was 34.

Dunn, a daredevil who gained notoriety for diving into a sewage tank and performing other unsavory stunts, was driving his 2007 Porsche in suburban Philadelphia when it careered off the road, flipped over a guardrail and crashed into the woods before bursting into flames. A passenger was also killed, and speed may have been a factor in the crash, West Goshen Township police said.

The force of impact shattered the vehicle into several twisted and blackened pieces, leaving the Porsche 911 GT3 unrecognizable except for a door that was thrown from the crash and not incinerated. A 100-foot-long tire skid marked where the car left the roadway.

Both Dunn and his passenger were severely burned. Police said they were able to identify Dunn through his tattoos and hair, but the identity of his passenger was still unknown.

Dunn appeared on MTV shows "Jackass" and "Viva La Bam" and the three "Jackass" big-screen adaptations. He also was the star of his own MTV show, "Homewrecker," and just began hosting the show "Proving Ground" on the G4 cable network.

G4 spokesman Dave Welch said "Proving Ground," which premiered June 11 with the second episode slated to air Tuesday, was being pulled for now until the network can discuss the show's future.
Dunn's longtime friend and fellow "Jackass" daredevil Johnny Knoxville tweeted on Monday afternoon, "Today I lost my brother Ryan Dunn. My heart goes out to his family and his beloved Angie. RIP Ryan, I love you buddy."

Dunn also starred in the yet-to-be-released film "Living Will." The film's website describes Dunn's character as a "party bum slacker (who) returns from the dead as a mischievous and perverted ghost."

In a statement, MTV praised Dunn's humor and enthusiasm and said he would be missed.
"We are devastated by the tragic loss of Ryan Dunn — a beloved member of the MTV family for more than a decade," said Van Toffler, president of MTV Networks Music/Films Group. "The Jackass brotherhood will never be the same."

Dunn was born in Ohio and moved at age 15 to Pennsylvania, where he met Bam Margera on his first day of high school, according to a biography posted on his website.

Dunn, Margera, Christopher Raab (known as Raab Himself) and Brandon DiCamillo, under the moniker CKY for "Camp Kill Yourself," started making videos that featured them skateboarding and performing stunts.
Dunn was working as a welder and at a gas station when Knoxville, a friend of Margera's through the skateboarding circuit, asked the crew to allow their videos to be part of the series "Jackass," which became a hit on MTV and ran from 2000 to 2002.

Perhaps his most famous stunt, in 2002's "Jackass: The Movie," involved inserting a toy car into his rectum and going to an emergency room, where he made up a story that he was in mysterious pain after passing out at a fraternity party. Dunn's X-ray from the hospital became a popular T-shirt for "Jackass" fans.
That first movie, filmed on a budget of just $5 million, went on to make more than $60 million in the United States alone. The most recent installment, released in 3-D in 2010, brought in $50 million on its opening weekend alone.

In a 2000 stunt, he dived into a tank at a raw sewage plant wearing flippers, a mask and a snorkel.
A few hours before the 3 a.m. crash, Dunn tweeted a picture of himself drinking with two friends. The photo has since been removed.

Autopsies were to be conducted Monday, though it was unclear when the results would be released.
According to court documents, Dunn was charged in April 2005 with driving under the influence after crashing his car in West Whiteland Township, about 2 miles north of Monday's crash site. The documents show he successfully completed a program designed for first-time, nonviolent offenders that allows charges to be dismissed after defendants finish the program.

Source: http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/tv-news.en.ap.org/tv-news.en.ap.org-20110620-us_obit_ryan_dunn

Tattle: Hey, golden girls! Hef's back on the market

PEOPLE SAID it would never last, but at least most of them thought it would start.
Alas, Hugh Hefner's fiancee, Crystal Harris, has called off the wedding five days before she was to say "I do."
TMZ.com sources say that Crystal and Hef had a nasty phone argument over the weekend and soon after Crystal moved out of the Playboy Mansion.
Life & Style chimed in with a reminder that it had broken the news months ago that Crystal had been dating Jordan McGraw on the sly.
Jordan was Crystal's songwriting partner, and it was believed that in addition to making music, they also made sheet music.
Jordan is the son of Dr. Phil, who perhaps should counsel his boy on not taking advantage of the elderly.
"Crystal informed me of the news this morning and that the decision to call off the wedding was mutual," Crystal's manager, Michael Blakey, told Life & Style. "The split was amicable and I'm happy to say that Crystal and Hef will remain close friends."
Sure they will.
Wonder feted at Apollo
Stevie Wonder was honored at Harlem's famed Apollo Monday during the theater's spring gala. Wonder, who first performed at the Apollo as a child, was inducted into the Legends Hall of Fame, alongside Aretha Franklin, Michael Jackson, Ella Fitzgerald and James Brown.
As part of the show, Wonder performed with a cast of friends and admirers including Tony Bennett, Chick Corea, Paul Shaffer and Doug E. Fresh. The tribute concert also featured Raphael Saadiq, Yolanda Adams, Kim Burrell, Melanie Fiona, ?uestlove and others.
Bennett gave the honor to Wonder, who in turn lauded his presenter for his commitment to the Apollo and to civil-rights causes.
"As much as I may never see the color of his skin, I'm able to feel the color of his spirit," Wonder told the audience. "When it was not fashionable to hang out with the brothers and sisters, you did."
The Apollo spring gala raised more than $1.2 million. The funds will be used for its educational programs and to preserve the historic theater's legacy, organizers said.
Cage in court
Nicolas Cage met with a judge yesterday to settle a lawsuit filed by his ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton over money and a house that she claims Cage promised her.
Cage and his attorneys were in Superior Court Judge Teresa Sanchez-Gordon's chambers for roughly 90 minutes before Fulton and her attorneys were called before the judge.
The judge ruled that Fulton couldn't sue Cage for breaching an oral contract to transfer ownership of the L.A. house to the ex-actress, saying that the claim was barred by a statute of limitations.
Fulton sued Cage in December 2009 for $13 million, claiming that he had broken a promise to care for her and their now-adult son.
Fulton's attorney, K. Lee Crawford Boyd, said Cage had promised to provide the home and support payments to her client so he could become a star.
"If Nicolas Cage had to step in and be a parent, he could not be Nicolas Cage," she told the judge.
Fulton also sought yesterday to amend her lawsuit and add some claims against Cage, but Sanchez-Gordon rejected that
effort.
The judge urged the parties to try to settle before trial and not treat the case as a rehash of the private paternity case they previously settled.
Fox Business host Eric Bolling said Monday that he was sorry for what detractors have called racist insults directed at President Obama.
In a brief mea culpa on his broadcast, Bolling said that he "got a little fast and loose with the language." He said that he's sorry his remarks were interpreted as disrespectful.
On Friday's show, Bolling criticized Obama's recent meeting with Gabon President Ali Bongo, who is viewed by some as a corrupt leader.
Well, "some" people view every leader as corrupt.
Bolling went on to say that it's not the first time that Obama has had "a hoodlum in the hizzouse."
He added, "What's with all the hoods in the hizzy?"
* Candy Spelling, widow of TV producer Aaron Spelling, has sold her 57,000-square-foot mansion, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The asking price was $150 million, but the final purchase price was not disclosed.
Who could buy a $150 million home in this housing market? A 22-year-old heiress, of course.
She's Petra Ecclestone, another winner of the genetic lottery, whose 80-year-old daddy, Bernard Ecclestone, runs Formula One racing and is one of the richest men in Great Britain, and whose mom, Slavica, Bernie's ex-wife, was a model for Armani.
Slavica wasn't just 27 years younger than her 5-foot-2 husband, but a foot taller - and fortunately for Petra, she has mom's looks to go with dad's money.
Amazingly, the $150 million California home won't even be Petra's primary residence. She also has a $91 million home in London, and will split her time between the two.
* Arnold Schwarzenegger's
former housekeeper Mildred Patty Baena has finally opened her mouth about having a child with the ex-governor, saying that her son learned only about a year ago who his father was.
In an interview with the U.K.'s Hello! magazine, Baena said that her son Joseph's response to the news was: "Cool!"
Maria Shriver's response was a little less enthusiastic.
Daily News wire services contributed to this report.

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Game Of Thrones episode 9 review: Baelor

This review contains spoilers.
9. Baelor

For those of us familiar with the books, we knew that the shocking death of Ned Stark was on the horizon. We all held our tongues, not wanting to ruin the shock twist for those who were new to Westeros and the Seven Kingdoms. But watching the show, I could almost hear the collective gasps of surrounding households as the former King's Hand was executed.

Throughout the show's marketing campaign, HBO have had Sean Bean front and centre. For those unfamiliar with the books, he was a recognisable face that would draw in curious viewers as well as those who were fans of the likes of Sharpe and Lord Of The Rings. His presence was reassuring and comforting, and despite the outbreak of war, many assumed that Ned Stark would rise to defeat those that had wronged his family and ride off into the sunset back to Winterfell.

However, George R. R. Martin doesn't do happy endings, and such a resolution would be far from the bitter reality of war, even in a land with zombies, direwolves and (formerly) dragons.
It's war that's causing all the men of Westeros to re-evaluate their lives. For Jon, he's torn between his vows to the Night's Watch and his desire to aid his family. For Robb, his duty to his family and the North means he has to sacrifice the lives of his men as well as marry one of Walder Frey's (Harry Potter's David Bradley) unsightly daughters. And for Tyrion, it seems like war is just his father's way of attempting to finally be rid of him.

Thankfully, there's plenty of wine, the comfort of a good whore and Bronn's drinking games to pass the time before battles. Now, I've sung Peter Dinklage's praises enough already, and while he was excellent (again), this episode, with his heart-breaking account of his first marriage, inspires me to talk about Jerome Flynn.
I never watched Soldier, Solider, and for me, Jerome Flynn was just one half of Robson & Jerome, that duo that were at number one for weeks, with their awful cover of Unchained Melody. However, he's fantastic as Bronn, the flippant and carefree sellsword (that's mercenary, to most people) that's always been one of my favourite characters in the books. His dry one-liners and banter with Tyrion have provided the show's best moments, and this week was no exception. As the twosome prepare for battle, Bronn's words of wisdom to the nervous Imp are simply, "Keep low."

Battles are also a hard thing to show in shows like this. Over two seasons, Rome very rarely showed its large scale conflicts, often cutting to the characters in the aftermath. In fact, it wasn't till halfway through season two that it spent a large portion of its budget on the epic Battle of Philippi. It's the same for Game Of Thrones.
This week saw the Battle of Whispering Wood, where Jaime is captured and Robb decimates a Lannister army. But the budget simply wasn't big enough to show it. It's a shame, as it would have been pretty spectacular, although, by having a battle that would rival Gladiator's opening skirmish, one imagines you would handicap the production for the rest of the series. Let's hope HBO ups the budget for season two, when the Clash of Kings really gets going.

So, we have one week left, and for those of you haven't read the books, it must seem like all bets are off. If Sean Bean can die, who's safe? Will Jon Snow leave The Wall to fight with his family? Is Khal Drogo destined to join Ned Stark in the afterlife? What will this mean for Daenerys? Will Littlefinger get his comeuppance? Will anyone slap that grin off Joffrey's face?

I expect we'll all be tuning in next week to find out. The question is what will we do afterwards? My bet is book shops and sellers are going to see a lot of orders for Martin's continuing books.
Read our review of episode 8, The Pointy End, here.