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Marie Osmond’s 18-year-old son was remembered at a funeral service Monday with fond words, laughter and music from his famous singing family.

Michael Bryan’s uncle, Donny Osmond, also appealed to God in an opening prayer.

“Bless my sister,” he said, breaking into tears. “Bless my sister and her family.”

Bryan was then memorialized by six of his seven siblings as a lighthearted person and a deep thinker who had a brilliant sense of humor and a kind, generous heart.

“He was a man of his word. He wasn’t a talker, he was a doer. He was reliable,” Bryan’s sister Rachel Blosil, 20, said, struggling to express herself through tears. “He knew my hopes, he knew my dreams, my secrets, things that nobody knows. He was my best friend.”

Police in Los Angeles have said Bryan died Feb. 26 from an apparent suicide after jumping from the eighth floor of the Metropolitan apartment building. An official cause of death is pending the results of an autopsy and toxicology tests.

Police said Bryan left a note but have provided no details about its contents.

One of five children adopted by Marie Osmond, Bryan previously used his adoptive father’s last name, Blosil. Records from Utah’s 4th District Court, however, show a judge had granted him an October 2009 petition for a legal name change.

Marie Osmond and Brian Blosil divorced in 2007 after two decades of marriage. She also has three other children from marriages to Blosil and first husband, Stephen Craig, whom she divorced in 1985.

In 2007, Marie Osmond said her son had entered a rehabilitation facility but did not disclose what he was being treated for.

About 450 mourners attended Monday’s services at a chapel near the Provo temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including church President Thomas S. Monson, who offered words of comfort to the family.

Bryan was a first-year student of apparel manufacturing at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising and had planned on a career in retail marketing and design, according to a biography of his life read by the family’s Henderson, Nev.-based church bishop, Gary C. Milne.

The life sketch, a traditional part of Mormon funeral services, described Bryan as a hardworking, self-motivated person who loved sports, the arts, traveling and a good meal — from sushi to Peking duck and Italian pastas. An accomplished musician, Bryan played five instruments and wrote his own songs. He was also dedicated to service and since high school had been working with special needs children, Milne said.

In sharing their memories, Bryan’s siblings painted a portrait of a close-knit family, where laughter and music — along with whipped cream fights in the family kitchen and other games — were often present, with Bryan at the center of the fun, despite his sometimes quiet manner.

“He was an intricate part of our family,” said Stephen Craig, 26, the eldest of Marie Osmond’s children.” Each member of our family and every person here is better for having met him.”

In somewhat of a jest, each of Bryan’s siblings proclaimed themselves to be their brother’s favorite.

“My brother Michael loved me the most,” said 7-year-old Abigail Blosil, who drew laughter from the congregation as she launched the friendly, family competition. “My brother wrote a song about me that said I made him very happy. See, he did love me the most.”

In brief remarks, Marie Osmond expressed her gratitude for the outpouring of support and prayers she said she’s felt since Bryan’s death. Marie Osmond expressed pride in all of her children and acknowledged the presence of Bryan’s birth mother, “who gave me the greatest gift.”

“Thank you for those beautiful 18 years,” said Marie Osmond, who had not planned to speak at the service.

The service ended with a traditional Mormon hymn, sung sweetly by Marie Osmond and her famous brothers — Alan, Merrill, Jay, Wayne, Donny and Jimmy. The eldest Osmond brothers, Tom and Virl, who are deaf, accompanied the family by signing the words.

Bryan’s silver coffin was interred at the East Lawn Memorial Hills Cemetery in Provo. At the graveside, the family scrawled handwritten messages onto orange balloons before releasing them into the air.

Marie Osmond Son Funeral

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Feb
08

color test gets your personality

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Here is Career Path’s Personality Color Test for CEOs and others. Career Path’s Personality Color Test finds CEOs react alike to chosen colors.

The test suggests character traits dominate high level executives, and those traits come out in color selection. USA Today put the color test byCareer Path to the test.

USA Today pooled nearly 900 CEOs. The result? They love the color magenta, and didn’t particularly like red and yellow. (Is Tiger Woods not CEO material?)

The paper contends “the color test shows that the typical CEO is more sensitive and private than the typical person and is less likely to be a perfectionist or to be dominant and more likely to be emotionally unstable.”

Of the CEOs interviewed after the test, most said the results are very accurate.

click here to get the test

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Feb
08

Jack Murtha Dead At 77

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Democratic Congressman Jack Murtha died minutes ago at age 77.

Complications from gall bladder surgery.

He was a native of New Martinsville, West Virginia, and a Marine who was elected in 1974 as part of the Democratic class of congressmen following President Nixon’s resignation in disgrace.

Ironically from Abscam to his own Earmarks Incorporated chairmanship of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, Murtha’s 35 years in Congress were tainted by scandal.

He became a liberal icon when he announced he opposed the war in Iraq a year after enthusiastically voting for it.

Rest in peace.

Jack murtha

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Feb
08

steve phillips scandal

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Steve Phillips, the former ESPN baseball analyst and New York Mets general manager, said Monday that he knew he had a sex addiction problem in August — two months before he was fired from his role with the network.

“What I want to do is take ownership,” he said in an interview with Matt Lauer on NBC’s Today Show. “I made some mistakes … I’m fully responsible for what I did.”

Phillips spoke publicly for the first time since he left the Pine Grove Behavioral Health and Addiction Services clinic in Hattiesburg, Miss., the same clinic golfer Tiger Woods reportedly attended.

Phillips didn’t talk extensively about his time at Pine Grove, but did say that it is a place for people who are “broken” and “struggling to find answers.”

Phillips said he realized he had a sexual addiction problem in August, while he was having an affair with ESPN production assistant Brooke Hundley. That affair eventually included Hundley contacting Phillips’ wife at their home. It made its way to the New York tabloids, where Phillips was front-page fodder, in October.

“I recognized in August, I needed help,” Phillips said. “I started calling facilities.”

He said he had made the decision on Friday, Oct. 23, 2009, to attend the sexual addiction clinic. He was fired by ESPN two days later. Hundley was also let go by ESPN.

At the time, a representative for Phillips said he was entering a treatment facility “to address his personal issues.”

“I couldn’t stop myself from doing the things I was doing, even knowing the consequences,” Phillips told Lauer on Monday.

A month earlier, Phillips wife, Marni, had filed for divorce. The couple had been married for 19 years. He has four children.

He said he has returned to his home, but doesn’t know if his marriage can be saved. He declined to say if he had anything to tell Hundley.

“All of that is in the past,” he said. “My focus is moving forward, trying to save my family.”

Hundley, in a taped piece that preceded the Phillips interview, said that she was “young” and had made mistakes as well.

Phillips was the general manager of the Mets from 1997-2003. He said during that time, while taking a leave of absence from the team after a sexual harassment allegation, he had counseling locally for sexual issues, but didn’t enter a treatment facility.

He worked at ESPN from 2005 through October.

phillips

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Feb
03

Scott Brown Demands to be Seated

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Scott Brown, US Senate elect, has demanded to have his official swearing-in ceremony pushed up to tomorrow afternoon. Scott Brown demands to be seated citing that there are vital votes coming up in Congress. The Massachutes governor’s office granted Scott Brown his demand to be seated.

Originally Scott Brown was going to be sworn in on February 11, but the results of the Massachutes election will be certified tomorrow, and Scott Brown decided he wanted to go to work as a Senator immediately.
Scott Brown 1

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Feb
03

fsu gets christian jones

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It’s a good start for Florida State, as it got a commitment from outside linebacker Christian Jones. He’s ranked the No. 27 overall player in the ESPNU 150 and the No. 2 outside linebacker. Here’s what ESPN.com’s Billy Tucker had to say on Jones on the live chat:

Jimbo Fisher continues to close well down the stretch. With the Jones commitment, FSU likely will be one of the big movers of the day. In Jones, the Seminoles are getting a scheme-versatile defender. We feel he could play OLB or develop into a defensive end with added bulk and strength. He’s a tremendous athlete for his size and can be a disruptive presence on the perimeter at either position.
Also, on our live chat, Tom Luginbill just said he thinks that UNC can finish with a top-20 class today.

Christian Jones

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Feb
03

Keenan Allen Announcement

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Everybody wants to know that what Keenan Allen has announced about himself and what to be announced, is there something about Cal or Chris McCain? . According to CalSportsDigest.com The press conference for safety Allen and Chris McCain went on without expected third participant Gabe King, and with the first two announcing for Cal.

The recruitment of ESPNU 150 athlete Keenan Allen (Greensboro, N.C./Northern Guilford) certainly has taken a lot of twists and turns down the stretch. What appeared to be a solid commitment to Alabama as recently as a couple of weeks ago, now appears to be anything but.

Sporting News’ No. 58 prospect, DE Gabe King, and No. 70 prospect, DB Keenan Allen, both signed with Cal this morning. Allen had been an Alabama commitment since November, but when his brother, Buffalo sophomore quarterback Zach Maynard, transferred and was on the market, Allen wanted to play with his brother. Alabama wouldn’t offer Maynard, so Allen dropped his pledge to the Crimson Tide.

In the week leading up to National Signing Day, word began to get out that Allen was considering Clemson. Last weekend, he reportedly visited California with his half-brother, quarterback Zach Maynard, who is transferring from the University of Buffalo.

Penn State was even being mentioned as a possible destination for Allen, the nation’s top-rated safety according to recruiting analysts for Scout.com and Rivals.com.

In this year’s recruiting class alone, Alabama is bringing in two four-star safeties, in-state prospects Jarrick Williams and Nick Perry. The Tide also snagged five-star cornerback DeMarcus Milliner, who at about 6-2 has a 50-50 chance of moving to free safety, according to Every.

Allen

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Jan
28

Author J.D. Salinger dies at 91

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NEW YORK — J.D. Salinger, the legendary author, youth hero and fugitive from fame whose “The Catcher in the Rye” shocked and inspired a world he increasingly shunned, has died. He was 91.

Salinger died of natural causes at his home on Wednesday, the author’s son, actor Matt Salinger, said in a statement from Salinger’s longtime literary representative, Harold Ober Associates, Inc. He had lived for decades in self-imposed isolation in a small, remote house in Cornish, N.H.

J-D-SALINGER-l

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Jan
26

James O’Keefe Arrested

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James O’Keefe, who posed as a pimp for undercover sting videos that badly damaged the credibility of ACORN, has been arrested for apparently trying to pull a sting on the office of Sen. Mary Landrieu (D-La.).

FBI Special Agent Steven Rayes alleges that O’Keefe aided and abbetted two others, Joseph Basel and Robert Flanagan, who dressed up as employees of a telephone company and attempted to interfere with the office’s telephone system.

A fourth person, Stan Dai, was accused of aiding and abetting Basel and Flanagan. All four were charged with entering federal property under false pretenses with the intent of committing a felony.

O’Keefe had become a conservative media star since the ACORN sting. I just talked to Lisa De Pasquale, director of CPAC, who said that O’Keefe, along with co-stinger Hannah Giles and Andrew Breitbart, is (or was) under consideration for the annual conservative conference’s coveted Reagan Award.

Mike Flynn, the editor of Big Government–where the ACORN videos originally appeared–told me that the conservative news site had no knowledge of what O’Keefe was up to.

“We had absolutely no clue what he was up to,” said Flynn, “and now you see why! It’s a complete surprise to us. We’ll just see what happens.”

UPDATE: The FBI’s press release on the case:

Four Men Arrested for Entering Government Property Under False Pretenses for the Purpose of Committing a Felony

NEW ORLEANS—JOSEPH BASEL, age 24; ROBERT FLANAGAN, age 24; JAMES O’KEEFE, age 25; and STAN DAI, age 24, were charged in a criminal complaint with entering federal property under false pretenses for the purpose of committing a felony, announced the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

According to the complaint, which was unsealed earlier today, the arrest of FLANAGAN, BASEL, O’KEEFE, and DAI took place after BASEL and O’KEEFE attempted to gain access to the New Orleans office of United States Senator Mary Landrieu on January 25, 2010, while posing as telephone repairmen. According to the complaint, FLANAGAN and BASEL were each dressed in blue denim pants, blue work shirts, light green fluorescent vests, tool belts, and construction-style hard hats when they entered the Hale Boggs Federal Building, located at 500 Poydras Street, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130. Once in the building, FLANAGAN and BASEL sought access to the offices of Senator Landrieu. O’KEEFE was already present in the office, holding a cellular phone so as to record FLANAGAN and BASEL. Once inside Senator Landrieu’s reception area, FLANAGAN and BASEL told a member of Senator Landrieu’s staff that they were telephone repairmen, and they requested access to the main telephone at the reception desk. FLANAGAN and BASEL then manipulated the telephone system. FLANAGAN and BASEL next requested access to the telephone closet because they needed to perform work on the main telephone system. They were directed to the main office of the United States General Services Administration, also inside the Hale Boggs Federal Building, where they again represented themselves to be employees of the telephone company and stated that they needed to perform repair work in the telephone closet. Both FLANAGAN and BASEL stated that they had left their credentials in their vehicle. In addition, the complaint alleges that O’KEEFE and DAI assisted FLANAGAN and BASEL in the planning, coordination, and preparation of the operation. The men were apprehended by the United States Marshal’s Service soon thereafter.

If convicted, FLANAGAN, BASEL, O’KEEFE, and DAI each face a maximum term of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000, and three (3) years of supervised release following any term of imprisonment.

The United States Attorney’s Office reiterated that the complaint is merely a charge and that the guilt of the defendant must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt.

The investigation is being conducted by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Deputy Marshals with the United States Marshal’s Service. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jordan Ginsberg.

jamesokeefe

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Jan
26

morgan harrington body found

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More updates in the case of the human remains found on a south Albemarle farm this morning, that are likely to be Morgan Harrington, the Virginia Tech student who has been missing since October 17:

David Bass, who owns Anchorage Farm where the body was discovered this morning, told C-VILLE that in the course of checking fences this morning, in a location he arrived at via tractor, “I saw what looked like a dead deer. When I got a little closer, it didn’t look like a deer skull.” Bass further confirmed that clothing was found near the body, but added that Virginia State Police have asked him to not divulge further details.

Bass told C-VILLE that there is “no real history of trespassing” on his property, which county records show he has owned since 1985. He has no idea, he says, how the body got there, as the location where it is found is not accessible by car.

Meanwhile the Newsplex is reporting that in a phone call to a reporter, Morgan Harrington’s mother, Gil Harrington, said the state police informed her that the remains are probably her daughter’s. The State Police have a news conference scheduled for 5 p.m. today.

Gil Harrington tells the channel she believes the remains are her daughter.

“We don’t think it’s been proved definitively yet, but it’s most likely

“So, we want to go and be on hand and see if that determination can be made. Or if we can help in making that determination.”

“I was hoping we would find her alive, but at least we won’t always be wondering for a lifetime.”

“We’re still kind of processing, trying to, although all this time, we’ve been trying to prepare ourselves for this endpoint”.

“But thinking you’re doing it and having done it are different. So we’re trying to figure to how to be a tripod now instead of a four-legged strong table that we have been [as a family]. We haven’t done it. We’ll figure it out, but we haven’t done it yet.”

Morgan-Harrington-dead

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