It’s a subject I’ve left mostly alone, not because I’ve been told not to address it but because I’m hesitant to give airtime or blog space to a man who still calls Web traffic ‘hits‘ and has an unhealthy obsession with WGN Radio. Tonight, on the podcast, I’ll dive into the mud on this one. Stay tuned.

The News Junkie chats with his former boss: a blind disc jockey.

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Actor Corey Haim was found dead this morning at his home.

Actor Corey Haim died this morning of an apparent overdose — possibly accidental — according to LAPD. He was 38.

Police tell us they were called to St. Joseph’s hospital in Burbank, CA shortly before 4AM PT to investigate.

Corey Haim was in dozens of popular 80s movies before a career flat-line in the late 90s. Some sources saying his death was an accidental overdose and other saying he was in a bad place mentally. Either way, this a pretty shocking way to start a Wednesday. I guess this means The Lost Boys 3 is off?

101-year-old Zhang Ruifang is normal… except for that horn on her head.

Grandmother Zhang Ruifang, 101, of Linlou village, Henan province, began developing the mysterious protrusion last year.

Since then it has grown 2.4in in length and another now appears to emerging on the other side of the mother of seven’s forehead.

Now, I’m thinking if my grandmother had a horn growing out of her forehead it might strike me as odd. But this lady’s grandson is not so easily shaken as I. Her youngest son (60-years-old) says that until last year ‘we really didn’t pay that much attention to it.’ Fantastic. Your grandmother, still kicking it at 101, has a horn on her forehead and that didn’t get your attention. This, ladies and gentlemen, is 2010. We’ve seen it all. Horns on foreheads are no longer outstanding. Local villagers are calling her the ‘devil’ and running away in fear, natch. But I’d like to see what happens to those horns. How long will they get?

Some great analysis of the current cable media landscape from CJR today. I disagree with a few points (especially the bit about MSNBC offering a rainbow of opinons) but this quote is interesting:

From personal experience covering news around the world, you almost always run into a CNN crew or stringer. You almost never run into a Fox reporter, and never one from MSNBC.

Read the whole thing at CJR’s website.

Linebacker Zack Follett visits a California animal park… in his uniform.

Lions linebacker — and fan favorite — Zack Follett had some fun playing with real lions recently (he thinks he might’ve found a free agent sleeper in his new pal Pele, too), and he has the video posted on his website. Follett took his camera with him as he paid another visit to the Cat Haven Wild Animal Park near his home in Fresno, Calif. (“When I became a Lion, I didn’t think it’d go this far,” jokes Follett, who’s also trying to help raise money for the park and its animal preservation goals.)

I know he was doing this for charity and all, but it seems a bit dick to tease the lion with your helmet and futz around with him through the cage. Follett uploaded this video to his personal website and several media outlets in Detroit caught a glimpse. I grew up in Florida near a park called Lion Country Safari and if they offered me a chance to frolic with the lions I’d take it. But I’m not sure those NFL pads or that Detroit Lions helmet will do much to save his hide if that lion goes nuts. In the end, I’m struggling to decide whether or not this was a good thing. So, let’s just say it was a thing.

It happened. It’s over. There were lions.

People pawn everything these days. But nuclear launch keys? That’s a first…

Apparently, the guy who was trying to sell these keys (for meth, booze, whatever) wanted $10,000. The guys who host Pawn Stars weren’t having any of that nonsense and offered up a few grand. Watching, all I could keep thinking was ‘how did this guy get his hands on Russian nuclear launch keys?’ and then I questioned their authenticity for a bit. They look legit. The box is nice. But it would take an awkward chain of events to end up with those keys in your possession. Bottom line: They would look grand in my apartment and I would like you to buy them for me. Do it. Hell, I’d settle for that sweet ass case.

California State Senator Roy Ashburn admits to being a homosexual in an interview today on KERN. You can listen to the interview in this post and read the details here. Ashburn vows to carry on.

Republican state Sen. Roy Ashburn said Monday he is gay, ending days of speculation that began after his arrest last week for investigation of driving under the influence.

Ashburn, who consistently voted against gay rights measures during his 14 years in statewide office, came out in an interview with KERN radio in Bakersfield, the area he represents.

Here’s the full audio of said interview:

Part 2:

After a massive online movement to draft her into the hosting duties at Saturday Night Live, Betty White confirms she will appear on the show.

But will she host?

When asked by PEOPLE, “Are you doing Saturday Night Live,” she answered, “Yes,” even if she remains perplexed by the groundswell of support.

“I don’t know why or how,” she says, “but it’s been wonderful.”

I can’t think of a better fit for SNL. Let’s build on this Zach Galifianakis-fueled momentum.

Sure, you can spin records. You can rock the crowd. But she’s 69-years-old.

Flowers, a trained singer who is from the Bristol area, met French producer Aurélien Simon through a friend. “We went wild together on this DJ granny idea,” Simon said. Simon taught her how to spin and helped her to develop a style, mixing her techno sets with tunes from Queen, the Rolling Stones and Lady Gaga. “We showed her the machines, the decks and then she practiced. It took some time, but I think that she has surpassed me and even some other DJs. She likes to touch switches to throw in an effect,” Simon said. “She is totally respected in the DJ circle. She is no joke. She’s got a real talent to make people dance.”

Her brand of music: Mamy Rock. Love it.

DJ Granny is working on her very first single ‘Behind The Decks’ which is set for release later this year. As I read this story, I was imagining myself absolutely hammered at some random club, bouncing around to the beats. Then, in my drunken haze, I glance over at the DJ booth and see this old lady. In a day and age where everything has been tried in every possible way, I have to say this is the first time I’ve heard of a geriatric disc jockey. And, you know what? I’m diggin’ it. DJ Granny isn’t as hot as Colleen Shannon but she’s got her own thing going here. So long as she doesn’t die in the club, I’d watch her spin.

PETA sees a wounded opponent in SeaWorld after last month’s killer whale attack. Their latest mantra: “Let whales and dolphins ‘out of prison.’

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals protesters rallied outside of a SeaWorld location in San Antonio, Tex. Saturday and hired a small plane to fly a banner overhead that read “SeaWorld: Let Whales and Dolphins Out of Prison.”

Protesters are headed for the Orlando location on Tuesday.

Daniel Angerer’s lactating wife provides a new ingredient for the chef.

As she produced far more than she could use for their their daughter Arabella, Daniel became curious as to whether human milk could be used in the kitchen.

So he began to experiment in using it to make cheese. He aged it for a fortnight before testing it – and was amazed at its sweet taste.

Now the unusual cheese is on sale at the chef’s Klee Brasserie in New York.

Homeboy even provides a recipe for the treat on his blog.

I’m always amazed at the different reactions you see to a story like this. Most people respond with a simple ‘yuck’ or ‘gross’ and reject the thought of eating cheese from a human’s breast outright. But, honestly, what’s the big deal? How did we arrive at a place where drinking milk from goats and cows seems run-of-the-mill and drinking milk from a human’s breast is vomit-inducing? I’m not sure I’ll be making mac-n-cheese with breast milk any time soon but I don’t find it so revolting. Surprisingly, the comments on his blog post are quite positive.

In related news, squirting breast milk is now 3rd degree assault:

A woman in jail for public intoxication was accused of assaulting a jailer by squirting breast milk at her. WYMT-TV reported that a 31-year-old woman was arrested Thursday on a misdemeanor charge of public intoxication. But as she was changing into an inmate uniform, she squirted breast milk into the face of a female deputy who was with her.

There are people who would pay for an assault like that.

Megan Mariah Barnes was shaving her crotch while driving. Seriously.

Florida Highway Patrol troopers say a two-vehicle crash Tuesday at Mile Marker 21 on Cudjoe Key was caused by a 37-year-old woman driver who was shaving her bikini area while her ex-husband took the wheel from the passenger seat.

“She said she was meeting her boyfriend in Key West and wanted to be ready for the visit,” Trooper Gary Dunick said. “If I wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have believed it. About 10 years ago I stopped a guy in the exact same spot … who had three or four syringes sticking out of his arm. It was just surreal and I thought, ‘Nothing will ever beat this.’ Well, this takes it.”

Above left is her mug shot from this week. Photo on the right is from 2009.

She looks like she’s lived a pretty rough life for the last 37 years. If I had to guess her age, I would’ve placed her at 50. Either way, I’ve heard it all now. I’ve seen people driving while eating, putting on makeup, talking on the phone or getting in arguments with passengers in the back seat. But this clearly takes the cake. What makes it even more awkward is her ex-husband was in the passenger seat as she was shaving her bikini area to prepare for a visit with her boyfriend. Quick, someone give this woman a radio show.

HUGE news out of Pakistan: American-born al-Qaeda leader Adam Gadahn has been arrested.

Update: It’s not him?

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Adam Yahiye Gadahn, a California-born spokesman for al-Qaida, has been captured in Pakistan, government sources said Sunday.

Gadahn was arrested in recent days, two officers who took part in the operation said. A senior government official also confirmed the arrest. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to release the information.

Pakistan’s really reeling them in these days, huh?

Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter can pop the Champagne now:

Even so, the Tim Burton-directed, Johnny Depp-starring fantasy flick had the biggest 3D release of all time. Of its 3,728 North American locations this weekend, its total domestic 3D count is 2,063, plus 180 Imax 3D engagements. That helped the pic post a $115+M opening weekend with numbers blowing away Avatar’s first Fri-Sat-Sun. IMAX on Friday had the biggest day in their history with $4.3M for Alice.

Alice In Wonderland comes through with a $115 million opening weekend bounty for Disney. Tim Burton’s bizarre flick should continue to build on these record-breaking totals as word-of-mouth reviews pack the houses on weekend 2. Alice In Wonderland (2010) has less of the drug-induced feel that the original, penned by Lewis Carroll, seemed to thrive on. This updated version turns into more of an Avatar-like Good Guys vs. Bad Guys battle that includes several intense action sequences. Think 300 with shrooms. It doesn’t seem appealing to me but obviously the movie is kicking ass so far. Budget: $200M (Rumored)

‘Breaking With Scientology’ won’t hit print until tomorrow but you can read the New York Times assault on Scientology online right now.

Mr. Collbran said he saw an officer hit a subordinate, and soon found that the atmosphere of supervision through intimidation was affecting him. He acknowledges that he pushed a 17-year-old staff member against a wall and yelled at his wife, who was his deputy.

This very well could be the most brazen robbery ever:

BERLIN — A heavily armed group stormed a poker tournament in a German luxury hotel Saturday afternoon and made off with a jackpot, a police spokesman said.

Several participants at the tournament in Berlin’s Grand Hyatt hotel were slightly injured when they panicked and fled following the daring afternoon heist, Carsten Mueller said.

Mueller said four robbers in disguises forced employees to hand over money, and then managed to escape. Mueller declined to give details, including how much money the men got away with.

Keep in mind this high-profile tournament was being broadcast on live TV at the time. The robbers, armed with automatic weapons, were able to escape with the $1.2 million prize that was to be given out at the tournament. Seriously, how long until they make a movie out of this incident? Given the crap that Hollywood is churning out these days (including much of the garbage set to be cheered during the Oscar broadcast tomorrow), I give it a week. Two weeks, tops.

Late night drunken chat with my girlfriend for you to hear…

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Seriously, could this whole thing be any more beta? Answer: No.

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The News Junkie on Chicago’s WGN Radio 720 on 02/06/10.

I stripped out the commercial breaks this time.

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