ISRAEL SUSPENDS FIRE DURING EGYPTIAN PM'S VISIT TO GAZA: Israel said it would suspend fire against targets in the Gaza Strip today (November 16th) during a brief visit to
the Palestinian-held territory by Egypt's prime minister, as long as militants didn't fire rockets at Israel. The suspension of fire was being made in response to a request from Egypt, which said its prime minister was making the visit in a show of solidarity with Gaza's militant Hamas rulers. An Egyptian diplomat said that the militants have told Egyptian intelligence they'd be
willing to hold their fire if Israel would commit to mediation to stop its military operation and targeted killings. The days of fire between Israel and Gaza began Wednesday (November 14th) with Israel's assassination of Hamas' top military leader, followed by a wave of attack on militant targets. The attacks were launched in response to days of rocket fire into Israel from Gaza, and the rocket attacks were intensified after Israel's operation began. The fighting
escalated Thursday with a first-ever rocket attack from Gaza on the Tel Aviv area, Israel's most densely populated area. No casualties were reported there, but three people died in the southern part of the country. The death toll in Gaza rose to 19. There are signs Israel is readying a ground invasion, with troops, tanks and armored personnel carriers massed near the Gaza border.

BP TO PAY $4.5 BILLION, THREE TO FACE CHARGES IN 2010 GULF OIL SPILL: Oil giant BP on Thursday (November 15th) agreed in a settlement with the U.S. government to plead guilty to charges in the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill and pay a record $4.5 billion, including the biggest criminal fine in U.S. history. Three BP employees were also charged
criminally, two of them with manslaughter. The April 2010 explosion on the Deepwater Horizon offshore oil rig killed 11 workers and led to the nation's largest offshore oil spill, with oil gushing out of the blown-out well for more than 85 days. BP will plead guilty to charges involving the 11 deaths and lying to Congress about how much oil was spewing from the well. Two rig workers are facing manslaughter charges, accused of repeatedly disregarding abnormal high-pressure readings, and BP's former VP of exploration for the Gulf faces
charges of withholding information from Congress that more oil was gushing from the well than he let on. Despite the criminal settlement, BP still faces several billion dollars in additional civil claims. Investigators have blamed the initial explosion on time-saving, cost-cutting decisions by BP and its drilling partners in cementing the well shaft.

FOUR DEAD, 17 HURT IN TRAIN COLLISION WITH TEXAS VETERANS PARADE: Four people were killed and 17 injured Thursday afternoon (November 15th) when a freight train slammed into a parade float carrying wounded veterans and their spouses during a parade in Midland, Texas. The float was trying to go through a railroad crossing on the way to an honorary banquet when it was hit. The train was reportedly sounding its horn and people were jumping off the float before the collision. Union Pacific spokesman Tom Lange said a preliminary investigation indicates the crossing gate and lights were working.

CONGRESSIONAL INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEES SEE FILM OF BENGHAZI ATTACK: In a closed-door hearing yesterday (November 15th), intelligence officials showed members of the House and Senate intelligence committees a real-time film of the attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, in September in which the U.S. ambassador and three other Americans
were killed. Part of the video came from surveillance by a Predator drone. They also spoke about the timeline of the attack in exchanges that were sometimes heated, as the Republicans have been hammering the Obama administration over the adequacy of security at the consulate, the U.S. response to the attack, and the administration's initial public comments that turned out to have incorrectly suggested the attack had grown out of a protest over an anti-Islam video made by a California man. The session came ahead of testimony today
before the same two committees by former CIA Director David Petraeus, who resigned last week over an extramarital affair.

OBAMA VISITS STATEN  ISLAND IN WAKE OF SUPERSTORM SANDY: President Obama
made his first visit on Thursday (November 15th) to areas of New York City hit hard by Superstorm Sandy two-and-a-half weeks earlier, vowing that the federal government will be there to provide assistance, quote, "until the rebuilding is complete."  Obama visited a devastated area of Staten Island, offering comfort and a message of a unified America supporting the victims. He also met privately with the parents of two young boys who drowned when they were swept away from their mother by the storm surge as she tried to hold on to them. The president announced that Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, a former chief of New York's Housing Authority, will be his point person to oversee long-term redevelopment in the region. Before arriving on Staten Island, Obama's helicopter flew over the hard-hit Rockaway Peninsula in Queens. Obama went to New Jersey two days after Sandy struck to view the damage with Governor Chris Christie. The White
House said he didn't visit New York at the time so as not to interfere with recovery efforts.

PANETTA ORDERS MILITARY ETHICS REVIEW: Defense Secretary Leon Panetta has ordered the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey, to carry out a review to look for any gaps in ethics training, saying there have been lapses in judgment by top officers that could, quote, "erode public confidence in our leadership." The order comes as retired General David Petraeus has stepped down as CIA director over an extramarital affair, and General John Allen, who heads the war effort in Afghanistan, is being investigated for potentially inappropriate emails with a Tampa socialite caught up in the Petraeus scandal. But a Pentagon spokesman said the development of Panetta's order came before the latest
scandals. However, there have been recent issues involving lesser-known military leaders, including one general who was demoted for wasting taxpayer money on misconduct in travel and misuse of military aircraft and staff, and another who's facing accusations including forcible sodomy of a subordinate.

POST OFFICE HAD RECORD LOSS OF $15.9 BILLION THIS YEAR: The struggling U.S. Postal Service reported Thursday (November 15th) that it had a record loss of $15.9 billion in
the fiscal year that ended on September 30th, and predicted even greater losses in 2013 if congressional action isn't taken. The 2012 losses were more than triple the $5.1 billion loss the previous year, with most of it due to growing mandatory costs for future retiree health benefits. Postmaster General Patrick Donahoe said they've been able to reduce costs significantly by increasing worker productivity. But he said they've been hurt by congressional inaction on a postal overhaul bill that would allow the elimination of Saturday mail delivery
and reduce its $5 billion annual payment for future health benefits. The Postal Service is an independent agency that doesn't receive tax money for its day-to-day operations, but is subject to congressional control.

MOTHER OF COLUMBINE SHOOTER SAYS PRAYED FOR HIS SUICIDE: The mother of Dylan Klebold, one of the two Columbine High School students who killed 12 of their fellow
students and a teacher in April 1999 before killing themselves, confesses in a new book that when she heard about the shooting, she prayed for her son to commit suicide. In Far From the Tree by Andrew Solomon, which includes a chapter on children who commit crimes, Sue Klebold talks about when she learned on the day of the massacre that her son was one of the shooters. She says, "I had a sudden vision of what he might be doing. And so while every other mother in Littleton was praying that her child was safe, I had to pray that
mine would die before he hurt anyone else." She also says, "I thought that if this was really happening and he survived, he would go into the criminal justice system and be executed, and I really couldn't bear to lose him twice. I gave the hardest prayer I ever made, that he would kill himself, because then at least I would know he wanted to die and wouldn't be left with
all the questions I'd have it he got caught by a police bullet. Maybe I was right, but I've spent so many hours regretting that prayer: I wished for my son to kill himself and he did."

CABRERA, POSEY WINS BASEBALL'S MVP AWARD: Triple Crown winner Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers won the American League Most Valuable Player award Thursday (November 15th) and the San Francisco Giants' Buster Posey was named the winner in the National League, both getting the honor by wide margins. Cabrera, the first Triple Crown winner in 45 years, got 22 of 28 first place votes and 362 points in voting by the Baseball Writers' Association of America, easily beating Los Angeles Angels center fielder and Rookie of the
Year Mike Trout, who had 206 points. Cabrera hit .330 with 44 home runs and 139 RBIs, and the third baseman was the second straight Detroit player voted MVP, after pitcher Justin Verlander last year. Posey, the 2010 NL Rookie of the Year whose Giants won the World Series, is the first catcher in four decades to win the NL award. He got 27 of 32 first place votes and 422 points to leave 2011 winner Ryan Braun of the Milwaukee Brewers far behind in second place with 285 points. Posey hit .336 with 24 homes and 103 RBIs.

FORMER WNBA STAR HOLDSCLAW JAILED FOR ALLEGED ASSAULT OF EX-GIRLFRIEND: Former WNBA star Chamique Holdsclaw is in police custody on assault charges after being accused of shooting into her ex-girlfriend's car in Atlanta Tuesday (November 13th) after using a bat to break the windows. Police said the incident happened after the
35-year-old Holdsclaw followed Jennifer Lacy, who plays for the Tulsa Shock, to her car. No one was injured. Holdsclaw, who led Tennessee to three consecutive national championships from 1996 to 1998 before her pro career that including six WNBA All-Star selections and a 2000 Olympic gold medal, has spoken about her past battles with clinical depression, including a 2006 suicide attempt.

TOM MORELLO TALKS RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE REISSUE: The good news is that Rage Against The Machine will issue a deluxe edition of its classic 1992 self-titled debut on November 27th, complete with unreleased demos and tons of live material. The bad news is that this is the only release we're going to see from the band for the foreseeable future:
guitarist Tom Morello told Billboard that despite some recent hints from bassist Tim Commerford and singer Zack de la Rocha, there are "no plans" for Rage to make a new
record.

As for the 20th anniversary of the first Rage album, Morello told Pulse of Radio that the band had no idea when it first started out that its pioneering mix of rock, rap and radical politics would last this long: "I had literally zero expectations. It's very different now, like, everybody's got Lil Wayne and  Metallica in their iPod. That was not the case in 1991. They were opposing musics. And to combine traditionally black and white music and then to have a
multi-ethnic band, and then have the lyrical content -- I didn't think that we
would be able to book a club show."

• Rage Against The Machine XX, as the new reissue is called, will come out in
       three versions: a regular single disc, a two-CD/one-DVD package, and a deluxe box set featuring the CDs, two DVDs, the album on vinyl picture disc, plus a 40-page booklet and a double-sided poster.
• The first CD will feature three hard-to-find B-sides along with the original album, while the second CD will contain the rare, original Rage Against the Machine 1991 demo tape that helped land the group their record deal with Sony.
• The first DVD will contain Rage's free concert in Finsbury Park on June 2010. Also included are music videos and other live concert performance clips. The second DVD will feature Rage's first public performance ever at Cal State North Ridge in October 1991, plus various rare early concert clips.
• Morello told Billboard about the release, "We're really psyched to be putting this out for the fans . . . I want to really give them a motherlode of Rage Against The Machine history, past and present."

SLIPKNOT’S CLOWN TO DIRECT NEW HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD VIDEO: Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan will direct the new video from Hollywood Undead for the song "We Are." The track is the first single from the Los Angeles band's upcoming album, Notes From The Underground, which is due out on January 13th, 2013. Hollywood Undead's Da Kurlzz said, "We are very excited to be working with someone that thinks as progressively about their art as we do. Clown is a great director, and together we are going to deliver
something truly memorable."

• Notes From The Underground follows up Hollywood Undead's 2010 effort, American
       Tragedy, which debuted on the Billboard 200 at Number Four.

NEW SEVNEDUST ALBUM GETS A NAME: Sevendust has set Black Out The Sun as the title of the band's ninth studio album, which is due for release in April 2013. Guitarist Clint Lowery said about the album in a recent interview, "It's a lot of what we do -- it's heavy and it's got its melodic element in it." He also compared the "vibes" of the disc to early albums Animosity and Home. Lowery also mentioned that the group may hit the road with Coal
Chamber and Lacuna Coil early in the new year. Black Out The Sun will follow up 2010's Cold
Day Memory.

NEW NIRVANA DOCUMENTARY ON THE WAY: A new documentary on late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain is in the works from filmmaker Brett Morgan, whose
history of the Rolling Stones, Crossfire Hurricane, premiered Thursday night (November 15th) on HBO. Morgan revealed that he's been discussing the Cobain project with the musician's widow, Courtney Love, since 2007, saying, "We've been trying to find the right time to put this film together and the time is now. Kurt was not only an amazing songwriter and musician, he was an incredible artist and filmmaker. So we are going to do the movie sort of
like a third-person autobiography -- (as) if Kurt was around and making a film about his life." (The New York Post)

BLACK SABBATH RECORDING CONTINUES; VINYL BOX SET UNVEILED: Three
original members of Black Sabbath continue to work on their first album together in 34 years, with bassist Geezer Butler recording his bass tracks on Thursday (November 15th). A post at the band's Facebook page featured a picture of an empty stool and a bass guitar in the studio, with the caption reading, "Geezer Butler is all set to record some more bass tracks on the
new album today."

Butler, singer Ozzy Osbourne and guitarist Tony Iommi began working on the album earlier this year in London so that Iommi could be close to his doctors after being diagnosed with cancer. Recording has now moved to the Los Angeles area, with the album on track to be
released next April and tour dates starting to surface.

• Founding drummer Bill Ward is sitting the sessions and all live shows out,
       with Tommy Clufetos taking over behind the kit.
• Meanwhile, Sabbath has also announced a December 12th release date for Black Sabbath -- The Vinyl Collection: 1970 - 1978.
• The limited edition box set will contain all eight studio albums recorded by the original lineup on 180-gram vinyl with new reproductions of the artwork, the Live At Last concert album, a seven-inch copy of the group's debut single "Evil Woman," plus a
       hardback book featuring the original tour programs from the band's 1970,
       1975, 1976 and 1978 treks.

CHECK IT OUT: See a photo of the box set at http://tinyurl.com/d582eob

JENELLE EVANS TWEETS ENGAGEMENT RING: Teen Mom star Jenelle Evans announced her engagement on Twitter by sending out a picture of her hand with a tiny ring on it. She will be marrying her boyfriend Gary Head.

ANGELINA FROM JERSEY SHORE NOT INVITED TO SANDY BENEFIT: Angelina
Pivarnick from seasons one and two of Jersey Shore told TMZ she was not welcome to
be a part of the Restore the Shore benefit airing on MTV. The self-proclaimed Kim Kardashian
of Staten Island, who left the shore house twice, wanted to participate because her friends and neighbors were badly affected by the hurricane.

HOPE SOLO WEDS: Despite her fiance's trip to jail for an alleged incident of domestic violence, Hope Solo wed Jerramy Stevens as initially planned. The two reportedly fought over where they would live as a married couple but that did not prevent the Dancing with the Stars
alumnus from walking down the aisle the day after all of the drama went down.

SHOWTIME TELLS JOAN RIVERS TO STOP PROMOTING COMEDY SPECIAL: Showtime sent a cease and desist letter to Joan Rivers for promoting her upcoming comedy special Don't Start With Me. The comedian, known for her crazy antics in the name of self-promotion, has refused to comply with the order.

FX'S 'AMERICAN HORROR STORY' RENEWED: Ryan Murphy's FX hit American Horror Story has been picked up for a third season. The only other detail revealed for season 3 is that Jessica Lange will continue to be a part of the show.

ORIGINAL VOICE OF SMURFETTE HAS DIED: Lucille Bliss, the original voice of Smurfette, has passed away. She was 96 years old. The actress also provided the voice of Elroy on The Jetsons and one of Cinderella's stepsisters in the 1950 animated movie, Cinderella.

TRAILER FOR NEW 'STAR TREK' FILM COMING IN DECEMBER: Paramount will be showing the first nine minutes of Star Trek Into Darkness before IMAX screenings of The Hobbit, as an  extended trailer. The sequel to the J.J. Abrams film won't hit theaters until May 17, 2013.

JUDGE SAYS HULK HOGAN’S SEX TAPE STAYS ONLINE: A judge has
denied Hulk Hogan's request to have Gawker remove his sex tape from their website. The ruling allows the site to keep the video online until the official case is decided.

When the tape first leaked, Hulk filed the lawsuit claiming it was an invasion of privacy and that the damage it caused was irreparable. TMZ reports that the judge explained that
the former wrestler failed to prove that posting the tape was not within their first amendment rights. He went on to say that protecting Hogan's privacy was not necessary at this point since the proverbial cat was out of the bag.

• There is still a chance that the judge presiding over the $100 million lawsuit could overturn this ruling and call for the removal of the video.

'STAR WARS' INDUCTED INTO TOY FALL OF FAME: Star Wars action figures and dominoes are the latest toys to be inducted into the Toy Hall of Fame in Rochester, New York. The action figures were released in 1978 and reportedly sparked a trend in selling toys as a tie-in with movies and TV shows. The two inductions beat out the Magic 8 Ball, Simon, Twister,
Lite-Brite, the Fisher-Price corn popper and the tea set, which were all on a shortlist for consideration. (NBC)

MOM HIRED STRIPPER FOR TEEN SON'S BIRTHDAY PARTY? A woman in South Glenn Falls, New York has been accused of hiring strippers for her son's 16th birthday party. Police said the mom threw her son a surprise party at the Spare Time bowling alley where there were about 80 guests, mostly 14 to 16-year-olds. Saratoga County district attorney James Murphy III said some of the parents of teens who attended the bash contacted the police because there were exotic dancers at the party from 'Tops and Bottoms' -- a strip club in Albany. Police said they are looking into the claims. (UPI)

105-YEAR-OLD WOMAN INVITED TO ATTEND PRE-SCHOOL: A 105-year-old woman in Tierp, Sweden with an '07 birth year was sent a pre-school acceptance letter meant for someone born in the year 2007, as opposed to 1907. Anna Eriksson was among the recipients of the acceptance letter that went to more than 60 local children born in 2007. The principal of The Central School said, "Her daughter got in touch and she and I both thought it was
pretty funny. The two of them and I could see the humor in what happened."
The principal added that it would be fun if Anna would stop by to meet school
officials and have coffee. (TheLocal.Se)

BAD DRIVER ORDERED TO MAKE COPS THANKSGIVING DINNER: A woman who pleaded guilty to felony assault and three misdemeanors, for knocking over a police officer with her vehicle, has been ordered to cook Thanksgiving dinner for three officers on
leave or unable to work in Canton, Ohio. In addition, the woman -- 46-year-old
Valerie Rogers -- is on probation for one year. The judge has reserved a year
of prison time for her in case she violates her probation. (Huffington Post)

WHAT LIVES IN YOUR BELLY BUTTON? Researchers have been analyzing what lurks in the human belly button. Dr. Rob Dunn of North Carolina State University and his team say they found over two-thousand species of bacteria in the navels they sampled from, with nearly
one-thousand-five-hundred of those species being new to science. Dunn says part of the reason researchers launched this project was to investigate claims made in recent years that the organisms on human skin form the first line of defense against pathogens. Dunn says the next step for scientists will be trying to figure out why certain bacteria live in certain people's belly buttons. (Daily Mail)

HOW OLD IS OLD? A new study finds that most Americans think old age is not represented by a birthday, but by a person's actions. For the study, researchers interviewed people in their
eighties, their family members, and their paid caregivers. They found that the ability to participate in certain activities, such as grocery shopping or attending medical appointments, serve as a way of identifying if someone is "old." Oregon State University researcher Michelle Barnhart found says that society views and treats people in their eighties and nineties as
"not old" if they are aware, active, safe or independent. (Live Science)

HOMELAND SECURITY TO TEST SOCIAL MEDIA AS DISEASE-TRACKING TOOL: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to see if data from Facebook, Twitter, and blogs can be used to track diseases. The yearlong project will search for disease-related warning
signs using publicly available data from the social networks. The goal is to predict possible public health crises. The company Google already uses people's online searches to track flu trends. (Live Science)

PINTEREST ADDS PRIVATE BOARDS: Pinterest users now have the option of creating private boards for their profiles. Pinterest says the use of secret boards would be ideal for things like planning a surprise party, or gift ideas that users don't want others to
know about. Each user can create up to three secret boards. (ClickZ)