FOUR DEAD IN CALIFORNIA SHOOTING SPREE: Three people were killed yesterday
(February 19th) in a shooting spree in Orange County, California, carried out by 20-year-old Ali Syed, which began when he killed an unidentified woman in her 20s in the home he lived in with his parents and then drove away in his parents' car. The woman wasn't related to Syed, and it's not known what she was doing there. His parents ran out of the house when shots were fired and called police. Syed went on to kill two more people during carjackings, including one driver who he marched to the curb and executed with a shot to the back of the
head, shoot up cars on busy highway interchanges, and leave three people injured before the rampage ended an hour after it began when he took his own life. Police don't have a motive for the violent rampage by Syed, who was unemployed and taking a class at a local community college.

GENERAL JOHN ALLEN TO RETIRE, WON'T BECOME NATO COMMANDER: U.S. Marine General John Allen, who led NATO forces in Afghanistan and was caught up in the scandal that forced CIA chief David Petraeus to resign, but was himself later cleared, said Tuesday (February 19th) that he will retire after a 38-year military career, passing on his nomination to become NATO's supreme allied commander. Allen said in a statement, "The reasons for my
decision are personal. I did not come to it lightly or quickly, but given the considerations behind it, I recognized in the end it was the only choice I could make. While I won't go into the details, my primary concern is for the health of my wife, who has sacrificed so much for so long." Allen's wife, Kathy, apparently has chronic health issues, including an autoimmune disorder.  Allen came under media scrutiny late last year over his email exchanges with Florida socialite Jill Kelley, who'd herself been caught up in the investigation into Petraeus' affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell. Allen's nomination to head NATO was put on
hold at the time, but after he was cleared of wrongdoing in January, the White House said it intended to move forward with the nomination.

26 STATES DECLINE TO SET UP HEALTH CARE EXCHANGES FOR OBAMACARE: The Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday (February 19th) that 26 states, mainly those with Republican leadership, had declined to set up health insurance marketplaces, known as healthcare exchanges, meaning that the federal government will operate the exchanges in those states when the Affordable Care Act -- dubbed "Obamacare" -- is fully implemented. Sixteen states and the District of Columbia are moving to institute their own healthcare exchanges, seven states are setting them up in partnership with the federal government, and Utah is asking that its existing exchange for small groups be certified. The exchanges will offer federally subsidized private health insurance to working families that qualify for assistance.

NEWTOWN KILLER WAS DIAGNOSED WITH SENSORY INTEGRATION DISORDER, ASPERGER'S: A Hartford Courant/Frontline investigation into Newtown killer Adam Lanza led to a documentary that aired last night (February 19th) on PBS, revealing new information about his troubled life. Lanza was diagnosed at a young age with sensory integration disorder, a medically controversial diagnosis indicating he had trouble coping with bright lights, loud noises and knowing when he was in pain. Later on, he was diagnosed in middle school with Asperger's, a condition related to autism that makes social interaction challenging. A friend of Lanza's mother, who he killed before going to Sandy Hook Elementary   School to carry out the massacre, told Frontline that when Adam was just six years old, he didn't like to be touched, and would recoil or get upset if other kids touched him. Richard Novia, who co-founded the tech club Lanza joined at Newtown High   School, told Frontline that the teen would have what he called "episodes" in which he'd completely withdraw from the world,
sometimes sitting in a corner, motionless.

KATE MIDDLETON DEBUTS BABY BUMP: Kate Middleton publicly debuted her baby bump on Tuesday (February 19th), sending the press into a frenzy, as she visited women recovering from addiction at Hope House in London, one of her charities. This is only the second official
public appearance by the Duchess of Cambridge since announcing her pregnancy in December, as she suffered from severe morning sickness that kept her out of sight and even led to her being hospitalized for several days. Middleton, who is four months along, appeared at Hope House wearing a MaxMara wrap dress, under which could be seen the small royal bump.

CHECK IT OUT:

• Kate and her bump: http://tinyurl.com/a5vhy6l

DRUG OVERDOSE DEATHS UP FOR 11TH STRAIGHT YEAR: Data out yesterday (February 19th) from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention showed that drug overdose deaths rose for the 11th straight year, with most of them accidents involving prescription painkillers. The CDC reported that there were 38,320 drug overdose deaths in the U.S. in 2010, with medicines involved in nearly 60 percent of them. The biggest class of prescription drugs involved was opioids such as OxyContin and Vicodin, and anti-anxiety drugs like Valium also
were common causes of overdoses. Among the medication-related deaths, just 17 percent were classified as suicide. CDC head Dr. Thomas Frieden said many doctors and their patients don't realize how addictive these drugs can be, and that they're prescribed too often for pain that can be managed with less risky drugs.

RESEARCHERS: NEWLY-DISCOVERED PARTICLE MAY DOOM OUR UNIVERSE: Researchers are saying that the long-sought subatomic particle called the Higgs boson that was discovered last year to much scientific delight may doom our universe, although it will be many billions of years from now. The particle had been theorized for years when physicists working at the world's largest particle accelerator in Geneva announced in July 2012 that they'd discovered a new particle whose properties strongly suggest it was the Higgs boson. That discovery allowed scientists to make new calculations, and they found that the mass of the Higgs boson is at a level that makes the universe fundamentally unstable in a way that would cause it to end catastrophically.  Physicist Joseph Lykken said at a a meeting of the American Association for the Advance of Science on Monday (February 18th), "It may be the universe we live in is inherently unstable, and at some point billions of years from now
it's all going to get wiped out." He humorously added that it wouldn't be all that traumatic for anyone still around, stating, "You won't actually see it, because it will come at you at the speed of light. So in that sense, don't worry."

SHATNER TRYING TO GET PLUTO MOON NAMED AFTER 'STAR TREK' PLANET: William Shatner is rallying the power of Trekkies to try to get a newly-discovered moon of Pluto named Vulcan, after the planet in the world of Star Trek that was home to Mr. Spock. The SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) Institute launched an online effort to name the
recently-discovered fourth and fifth moons of Pluto, putting up suggested names for a vote and also encouraging write-in names to be submitted. Shatner, who iconically played Captain James T. Kirk on Star Trek, proposed Vulcan, and with the Trekkies behind him, the name is winning by a landslide. Cerberus and Styx are in a close fight for second place.  The results will be submitted to the International Astronomical Union for consideration. All three of Pluto's named moons have been inspired by Greek mythology, called Charon, Nix and Hydra, and it would be breaking with tradition if the name Vulcan, the Roman god of fire, is chosen.

DAY TWO OF PISTORIUS' BAIL HEARING TODAY: The second day of the bail hearing for double-amputee Olympic runner Oscar Pistorius is being held today, with the prosecution to outline why they're charging the 26-year-old with premeditated murder in the Valentine's Day shooting death of his 29-year-old girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. Prosecutors are also arguing that Pistorius should be denied bail. On Tuesday, Pistorius' explanation for what happened early on February 14th, which he insists was an accident, was heard as an affidavit was read at the hearing by his attorney. Pistorius contends that he thought Steenkamp was an intruder in the bathroom of his Pretoria home when he fired four shots into the locked door, hitting her three times. He contends he only realized his mistake when he backed away into his dark bedroom and realized Steenkamp wasn't in the bed. But prosecutors will argue that the couple had a fight on the night of her death, and that she fled to the toilet and locked the door before Pistorius shot into it.

DAVID DRAIMAN’S NEW BAND DEVICE ISSUES FIRST SINGLE AND VIDEO: Device, the new band formed by Disturbed frontman David Draiman, has issued the first single and video from its upcoming self-titled debut. The track is called "Vilify" and Draiman told us where it's coming from musically and lyrically: "It is a very fierce introductory track for this record. It has a very strong fusion of that  electronic element in there. Still very heavy, still very rhythmic. Very anthemic, very intensely melodic. It's a song that lyrically is talking about
everyone out there who likes to make me out to be such a bad guy, this monster
of epic proportions, which I'm really not."

• The track and video were officially released on Tuesday (February 19th) after the song was leaked over the weekend.
• Draiman launched Device last year with ex-Filter guitarist Geno Lenardo, after Disturbed announced in the fall of 2011 that it was going on an extended hiatus.
• Lenardo will not be part of the Device live band
       due to previous commitments, but the touring lineup includes Evanescence drummer Will Hunt and Dope guitarist Virus.
• Device's debut album is due out April 9th and features guest appearances from Avenged Sevenfold singer M. Shadows, System Of A Down vocalist Serj Tankian, Rage Against The Machine guitarist Tom Morello, Halestorm singer Lzzy Hale, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler and ex-Deep Purple bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes.
• The group will make its debut at several big U.S. rock festivals this April and May, including Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion and Rock On The Range.

CHECK IT OUT: Watch the video for "Vilify":

TRAVIS BARKER TO MISS BLINK-182 AUSTRAILIAN TOUR: Blink-182 will tour this month for the first time without drummer Travis Barker, who has given the band his blessing to play nine shows in Australia without him. According to Classic Rock, Barker was unable to overcome a fear of flying that he has had ever since he was nearly killed in a 2008 small plane crash that took the lives of four others. Joining Blink on the trek, which begins Wednesday (February 20th), will be Bad Religion and Tenacious D drummer Brooks Wackerman.

• The September 2008 crash killed four of the six people on board, including two of Barker's friends, and left him and Adam "DJ AM" Goldstein both severely injured. Barker recovered but Goldstein later died from an addiction to the painkillers he took after the accident.
• Barker has traveled by boat for European tours, but traveling that way to Australia was not feasible this time.
• He said last year that he wanted to overcome his fear of flying, both for himself and his kids: "You know, I'm a father of three children, so I can't give up or I can't be defeated. I have to be strong. And then, you know, especially 'cause, you know, after Adam passed too, that was like, okay, now I've really got to get strong, you know."
• But Barker has now admitted that he couldn't do it, saying in a statement, "I still haven't gotten over the horrific events that took place the last time I flew when my plane crashed and four people were killed, two being my best friends. I gave the band my blessing to take another drummer if they still wanted to do the tour without me . .
       . I'm sorry to all the fans."
• The other members of Blink said, "The band knew the chances of Travis overcoming his fear of flying would be a challenge, but we wanted to play for our fans in Australia nonetheless. The three of us tried all measures to get us all there in full form . . . We love our fans in Australia so canceling was not an option.�"
• Barker's brush with death was said to be the catalyst for the members of Blink, who were not speaking at the time, to get back together and ultimately begin touring and recording again

BUCKCHERRY’S ‘CONFESSIONS’ OUT NOW: Out now is Buckcherry's new album, Confessions, the band's sixth studio effort and its first since 2010's All Night Long. The disc a
loose concept album that revolves around the notion of the seven deadly sins,
while the lyrics were inspired by events in singer Josh Todd's childhood. Todd told us why the seven sins made a good framework for the record: "Well, I've struggled with moderation my whole life, you know, so the sins have been prevalent in my life as far back as I can remember. So it's something that I'm always struggling with, and I think everybody does to some degree at some point. That's why they're unique and timeless and I think a lot of people can relate to them."

• Todd has also written the script for a short
       film that will act as a companion piece to Confessions, with the
       band hoping to shoot the movie later this year.
• The first single from the album is called
       "Gluttony."
• Buckcherry are currently out as special guests
       of Kid Rock on his Rebel
       Soul tour, which stops on Wednesday (February 20th) in Pensacola, Florida.
• The band will also play three hometown shows on
       March 7th, 8th and 9th at the Viper Room in Los Angeles.

METALLICA DENIES ASKING MILITARY TO STOP USING ITS MUSIC: Metallica has denied asking the U.S. military to stop using its music as part of alleged torture techniques against prisoners of war. In a recent interview with Esquire, the Navy SEAL who killed Osama bin Laden -- referred to as "the Shooter" in the article -- mentioned that the he used Metallica
songs to "soften up" prisoners before interrogations until the band asked the military to stop. He explained, "Metallica got wind of this and they said, 'Hey, please don't use our music because we don't want to promote violence.' I thought, 'Dude, you have an album called Kill 'Em All.'"

In a new statement posted at Metallica's website, however, the band said, "There has been a lot of talk recently about us asking the military not to use our music to 'soften people up before interrogation.' We NEVER commented to the military either way on this matter. Any statements that have been made otherwise are not correct."

• The Shooter claimed that he began using the music of a Christian metal band called Demon Hunter -- with their approval -- as part of his routine after he had to stop using Metallica.
• The Shooter also insisted that he did not actually torture prisoners, but that "repetitive questioning and leveraging fear was as aggressive as he'd go."
• In a 2009 appearance on MSNBC's Rachel Maddow Show, Metallica drummer Lars
       Ulrich said that the band did not "advocate or condone" the use of the band's music for torture, adding that if someone really wanted to use music to torture others, there were "30 Norwegian death metal bands that would make Metallica sound like Simon and Garfunkel."

ROBIN ROBERTS REVEALS WHAT GOT HER THROUGH RECOVERY: Robin Roberts tweeted that she took comfort in her "Faith, family, and friends..." during her MDS recovery while taking a leave of absence from Good Morning America. The anchor woman has been prepping her full-time return to the show which she is set to do this week.

LINDSAY LOHAN WANTS A HALF MILLION TO PROMOTE ENERGY DRINK: Sources are reporting that Lindsay Lohan is asking for $500,000 to promote Mr. Pink energy drink in Dubai. It is rumored that executives for the company are prepared to offer her $200,000 but cover all travel expenses.

CLIVE DAVIS COMES OUT AS BISEXUAL: Five-time Grammy award winning music producer Clive Davis reveals that he is bisexual in his new memoir The Sound Track of My Life. He discusses having been in relationships with two men over past 20 years after being
married and divorced twice.

Davis discussed his coming out to Nightline interviewer Cynthia McFadden who asked him about the belief that people are "either gay, straight, or lying." Clive responded, "I'm not lying. Bisexuality exists." The 80-year-old also told McFadden that he never felt shame sleeping with a man and that he believes that bisexuality should be discussed more.

• Davis has been in a relationship with an unidentified man for the past seven years who travels and attends industry events with him.
• Clive is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and is credited for the careers of Aretha Franklin, Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, and many
       others.

TEXAS WOMAN GIVES BIRTH TO TWO SETS OF TWINS AT ONCE: A Texas woman gave birth to two sets of identical twin boys on Valentine's Day. According to a news release from The Woman's Hospital of Texas, the four brothers were delivered at 31 weeks to Tressa
Montalvo via cesarean section. The boys - Ace, Blaine, Cash and Dylan - were conceived without the use of fertility drugs. The odds of delivering two sets of naturally occurring identical twins are in the range of 1 in 70 million.


THREE-YEAR-OLD CAUGHT IN WASHING MACHINE: A three-year-old girl was
rescued by the fire department after getting caught in a washing machine. She
was left to play unsupervised in the laundry room of a relative's home in
north-east China when she became trapped from the waist down and began to panic. Emergency services spent hours trying to free the girl before cutting the machine open. She was unharmed. (The Telegraph)HYPNOTIST WILL ATTEMMPT TO TURN A STRAIGHT MAN GAY: Famed British illusionist Derren Brown will attempt to hypnotize a straight man into believing he is attracted to other men during his next televised stunt. Brown came out as gay four years ago and says he believes he can convince a straight man that he is gay and hypnotize a gay man into
believing he is straight. In his previous television specials, Brown convinced people the world was ending and hypnotized a group of people into robbing an armed security van. (UPI)

HAVING A BEARD IS GOOD FOR YOUR HEALTH? A recent study from the University of Southern Queensland in the UK says a man's beard may actually be beneficial to his health. The researchers found that a beard offers significant protection against the sun's harmful rays by blocking them from the face, and they also say facial hair could be beneficial for those with asthma, as the hair could catch and hold dust or other allergens. Scientists also say that a
beard could keep skin looking young for longer as the growth of hair prevents water from leaving the skin. Additionally, experts say having a beard that grows under the chin or on the neck could raise body temperature and help fight off colds. (Daily Mail)

CAVEMEN HAD BETTER TEETH THAN WE DO: A new study finds cavemen had healthier smiles than we do now. Dr. Christina Adler of the Australian Center for Ancient DNA conducted the study. Adler studied the skeletal remains of 34-Europeans who lived during the Mesolithic period and found that their teeth were free of cavities and retained the vital dental
plaque which protects the teeth from decay. Adler says they found that the hunter-gatherer groups had a lot less disease-associated bacteria in their mouths compared to what we have today. Scientists say our modern sugar-heavy diets provide the perfect breeding ground for cavity-causing bacteria. (Bubblenews)

BEING COLD MIGHT MAKE YOU LIVE LONGER: According to new research, being cold might actually have some benefits. The research comes from the University of Michigan and it found that roundworms live longer in cold temperatures because the cold air triggers a gene receptor. The receptor, called TRPA-1, sets off a chain reaction that ends with the activation of a gene tied to longevity. Scientists say that humans have a version of the TRPA-1 gene activator that is known to be triggored by an active ingredient in wasabi and mustard oil. Other reasearch has found that mammals can live up to 20-percent longer when their core temperature is lowered by 0.9-degrees-Fahrenheit. (The Atlantic)

SCAMMERS ARE SEDUCING MEN ONLINE: A new type of scam is popping up on the
internet, and it's much more invasive than an e-mail telling you a foreign millionaire wants to wire you some cash. Police in Singapore, China are reporting a ring of online scam artists who use attractive women to "friend" victims on social media websites and then seduce them into cybersex on webcam. The scammer then takes naked pictures of the victim and threatens to post the images of the victim online if the do not pay the scammer. Police say 50-cases of this scamming occurred in 2012, and suggest not accepting friend-requests from strangers on
social media sites. (CNN)

CHILDHOOD MUSIC LESSONS MAY BOOST BRAIN POWER: New research finds those violin lessons your parents pushed on you at age six might have benefitted you significantly. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that children who were trained in
music before age seven tended to have more white matter in the part of the brain responsible for connecting the motor-regions of the left and right sides of the brain. For the study, scientists took 36-musicians and divided them into two groups - those who were trained before age seven and those trained after age seven. The musicans were given a questionaire designed to learn about their music education and practice. The musicians then had their timing and sychroniszation abilities tested. Researchers found early-music-learners had
more accurate timing in the experiment. One researcher says, "While starting [musical instruction] early may help you express your genius, it probably won't make you a genius." (Huffington Post)