Shanna Widner Breaks Silence 20 Years After Infamous Cheerleader Murder Plot Case

Shanna Widner is speaking out for the first time in nearly two decades about the scandal that saw her mother convicted of trying to kill off her cheerleader rival.

Now 34 and a mother of two herself, Widner is finally sharing her side.

Widner tells People that her mother's 1991 arrest, trial, conviction and brief jail sentence for a crime that inspired TV movies left her with scars she still carries.

Then 14, Widner would rock herself to sleep at night, sobbing and cursing God: "I kept thinking, 'Why are you doing this to us?'" she remembers. "'I hate you!'"

Her mother, Wanda Holloway, was facing charges for allegedly hiring a man to kill Verna Heath, an ex-neighbor whose daughter, Amber, competed with Shanna.

Both girls vied for junior high school cheerleading squads.

At school, where Shanna remarkably remained and attended classes with Amber during the ordeal, Shanna recalls, "I felt like I had a flashing neon sign on my forehead that said, 'Pom-Pom Mom's Daughter'," she says.

"I felt," she adds, "very alone."

But over the years, the eighth-grade teacher and mother of sons, ages 9 and 11, managed to find joy again, and some closure with her mother.

(Read more...)

Halle Berry Fleeing U.S. Due to Death Threats?

Halle Berry does not want to move to France with young daughter Nahla and fiance Olivier Martinez to spite Gabriel Aubry - she fears for her life, according to reports.

TMZ reports that Halle is motivated by security in asking a judge for permission to move to France with Nahla - something Gabriel Aubry is trying to block.

There have apparently been serious threats to Halle's life - from one man in particular - and she feels the move out of the country is a life or death situation.

Robert Hoskins, a mentally unstable man, escaped from a mental institution last week and has made threats against Halle, specifically to "slit her throat."

Hoskins threatened to slit Madonna's throat in the past and was actually shot by her bodyguard in 1995 after he trespassed onto the pop star's property.

As if that weren't enough, another stalker who recently trespassed onto Halle's property multiple times in the past has just been released from jail.

Halle is particularly concerned because Starmaps and some Hollywood bus tours literally take tourists to her doorstep, and it freaks her out.

The actress is also concerned that Gabriel Aubry, Nahla's father, is parading in front (Read more...)

Did George Huguely Murder Yeardley Love?

Former University of Virginia lacrosse player George Huguely is on trial for murdering his ex-girlfriend, Yeardley Love, in a case that has garnered national attention.

His first-degree murder trial included dramatic testimony Wednesday in Charlottesville, Virginia, from Love's two roommates, serving as witnesses for the prosecution.

The saga is People's cover story this week. What makes it so noteworthy?

The element of mystery surrounding the case, for one, and the fact that the accused is a Division I lacrosse star - who professes his innocence.

Caity Whiteley, who lived with Love and was on the lacrosse team with her, described returning to Love's apartment to ask her to go out with them.

With Yeardley Love, 22, face down in bed, just as Whiteley had last seen her, nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary, at least at first.

"Her hair was all messed up and pulled aside," Whiteley said, according to Charlottesville's Daily Progress. "I moved her hair, and then that's when I noticed."

"There were cuts on her face, and it was just messed up." Whiteley also testified that Love's body was warm but that her feet were cold at the time.

On Thursday, when graphic photos (Read more...)

Suge Knight Arrested For Marijuana Possession

Marion "Suge" Knight was arrested in Las Vegas yesterday after a traffic stop. Cops say the hip hop mogul was carrying marijuana on him at the time.

Law enforcement sources say the one-time Death Row CEO was pulled over at 5:34 p.m. Wednesday for making an unsafe lane change in his Bentley.

Police ran Suge's name in the system (must have sat there for hours) and found multiple warrants out for his arrest, stemming from traffic violations.

After a quick search, police say they discovered a small amount of marijuana in Suge's possession. Knight was hauled off to a nearby jail for processing.

He was released a short time later after the obligatory mug shot.

Things could get worse for the man, though. Suge Knight is currently on three years unsupervised probation for driving on a suspended license.

Might wanna considering just getting a driver, Marion.

Roland Martin Suspended By CNN For Offensive Tweets

Roland Martin may have been joking about Super Bowl-related topics with some off-color Tweets Sunday night, but his bosses at CNN definitely didn't find it funny.

The political contributor has been suspended by the network after his remarks - most notably about David Beckham's H&M underwear ad - were called homophobic.

Gay-rights powerhouse GLAAD pushed hard for CNN to fire Martin. That did not happen, but disciplinary sanctions were taken, and his return date is not clear.

In a statement, CNN said:

"[Martin's] tweets were regrettable and offensive. Language that demeans is inconsistent with the values and culture of our organization, and is not tolerated."

"We have been giving careful consideration to this matter, and Roland Martin will not be appearing on our air for the time being."

Martin fired off the controversial tweet (above) during the Super Bowl.

In another, he wrote, "Who the hell was that New England Patriot they just showed in a head to toe pink suit? Oh, he needs a visit from #teamwhipdatass."

Martin tried to backpedal by issuing an apology Monday.

"Based on several tweets I made on my Twitter feed on Super Bowl Sunday yesterday, I have been accused by members of the (Read more...)

Ellen DeGeneres Responds to JC Penney Protest, Lists Her Traditional Values

Ellen DeGeneres was recently named a spokesperson for JC Penney.

Once this news broke, a conservative organization known as One Million Moms quickly launched an offensive to get the comedian fired from the gig. Bill O'Reilly addressed this topic on Fox News last night, taking the side that anyone is free to simply not shop at JC Penney... but to lobby for Ellen's ousting is un-American and wrong.

DeGeneres also touched on the scandal during her talk show monologue, keeping it short, but relying on two points:

1. A number of comments left on the One Million Moms' own Facebook page are in support of JC Penney and express their authors' intention to shop there even more now.
2. Have a problem with Ellen's "traditional values," as the group claims citizens should? Here they are: Honesty. Quality. Kindness. Compassion.

Ellen DeGeneres Reacts to Prop 8, JC Penney Flap

Vote now: Do you think Ellen should be fired from this role?

Amy Duggar Targeted in Extortion Plot; Teresa Hunt Arrested For Shopping Racy Photos

Amy Duggar from 19 Kids and Counting was targeted by a woman in Iowa who claimed to have compromising photos of her and tried to leverage money from TLC.

Federal court documents show Teresa Hunt was arrested February 1 after she apparently sent TLC executives letters demanding that they either:

1. Cancel 19 Kids and Counting, or
2. Pay her $10,000 in exchange for her not releasing photos of Amy and a 56-year-old musician engaged in "apparently intimate situations."

Amy, an aspiring country singer and the 25-year-old niece of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, said in a statement that there are no compromising photos of her with the musician, whom she has known for quite some time as a friend.

"It's totally untrue. He is a longtime family friend who has always been supportive of my music career. He's a good Christian man and it's upsetting that his generosity has been exploited like this," Amy Duggar said.

It's not clear why Teresa Hunt felt they were worth selling in that case, but good to know the 19 Duggar kids can still look up to their cousin.

No word if Amy's as psyched up about Rick Santorum's wins in the Republican primary (Read more...)

Seal Pushed Heidi Klum in Pre-Divorce Fight, Source Claims

Seal's split from Heidi Klum was one of the most shocking celebrity divorces in recent memory, but the parting of ways appeared to have been scandal-free.

Or was it? A new tabloid report suggests that may not be the case.

According to an alleged family insider, the couple, who married in May 2005, got into a full-blown screaming match at their L.A. home in mid-January.

A screaming match that led to even worse.

"Heidi told friends that Seal just lost it," the insider said, according to Radar and Star. "He was screaming - and, she said, he pushed her. It was horrible."

The encounter escalated to the point that Heidi's security guard had to intervene, reports say. "He had to physically restrain Seal," the source adds.

While Seal's temper has been widely rumored as a cause of the breakup, it's not clear if this fight or any other incidents pushed Heidi over the edge.

Publicly, at least, the pair insists the separation is mutual and amicable, and Seal even said on Ellen that a reconciliation may happen down the line.

[Photo: WENN.com]

Mimi Alford Alleges: JFK Took My Virginity!

Mimi Alford is not letting John F. Kennedy rest in peace.

This former White House intern appeared with NBC's Meredith Vieira yesterday and hyped her upcoming memoir, which will be released tomorrow and which alleges she carried on an 18-month affair with JFK while he was in office.

The book is titled "Once Upon a Secret: My Affair with President John F. Kennedy."

Why would she possibly reveal this information now?

"It's not so much that I feel that I'm exposing myself, it's that I'm really unburdening myself - it was a very difficult thing for me to do," Alford says in an interview that will air in its entirety tomorrow night on Rock Center with Brian Williams.

Alford says she was 19 when she started her White House internship and that she lost her virginity to the President.

"I should have felt guilty," Alford says. "He was married to Mrs. Kennedy. But I didn't."

She did, however, feel crushed later on when she learned about Kennedy's alleged other affairs, including his most famous dalliance, with Marilyn Monroe.

"I think that's probably partly what makes me feel sad when I look back," she says of JFK's penchant for other (Read more...)

Randy Travis Arrested For Public Intoxication

Country singer Randy Travis, 52, has issued an apology after being arrested on a charge of public intoxication outside a North Texas church early yesterday morning.

Denton County sheriff’s spokesman Tom Reedy says police in the town of Sanger, Texas, arrested Travis after spotting a vehicle parked in front of a church.

They found an open bottle of wine and Travis smelling of alcohol.

Reedy says Travis, whose country hits include “Forever and Ever, Amen,” was brought to the Denton County jail about 1:30 a.m. and released six hours later.

Travis, who split with his wife-manager of 19 years Lib Hatcher in 2010, was let go after he was booked on the misdemeanor charge of public intoxication.

The singer, who lives in the small town of Tioga near Sanger, apologized in a statement “for what resulted following an evening of celebrating the Super Bowl.”

We can understand that feeling - it was a pretty great game, unless you're Gisele Bundchen - but no need to booze it up in the car outside a church, Randy.

[Photo: WENN.com]