James Frey pens 'The Final Testament of the Holy Bible'

By Deirdre Donahue, USA TODAY

James Frey, the cleverest show pony on the media carousel, is ready to prance again this spring.

  • James Frey is back with a new book, 'The Final Testament,' released on Good Friday.

    By Terry Richardson

    James Frey is back with a new book, 'The Final Testament,' released on Good Friday.

By Terry Richardson

James Frey is back with a new book, 'The Final Testament,' released on Good Friday.

Today ? Good Friday ? he releases a deliberately outrageous new book, The Final Testament of the Holy Bible. Thanks to Oprah Winfrey's recent invitation, he'll probably be promoting it on her couch next month.

No doubt both hope his return visit will equal the media fireworks set off in 2006 when Winfrey castigated Frey for lying in A Million Little Pieces, his "memoir" about drug addiction.

Attention-seeking doesn't begin to describe TheFinalTestament. In Frey's modern-day presentation, the Son of God is a Manhattan security guard named Ben who denounces faith, religion, the Bible, the afterlife, heaven, sin and pretty much all traditional concepts of God.

The Final Testament of the Holy Bible

By James Frey

Ebook edition, $9.99

Hardcover edition: $50 (Gagosian Gallery)

Instead, God is love, physical love, according to Ben, who goes out to heal the world one sexual encounter at a time, though sometimes with more than one partner, among them fat lonely women, self-hating gay men and crack- addicted lap dancers. When Ben and his followers gather in secret at an upstate farm, they share the love with the kind of uninhibited variety not seen since Plato's Retreat closed.

Ben tells the faithful that not only is religion false, it has caused almost all the world's misery, pointing specifically at white American evangelical Christians and the Catholic Church.

Believers, ignore him. Frey is yanking your chain to sell books. Already published in the UK, Testament has received some good reviews there. Probably because it confirms many nonbelievers' conviction that much of this country is one big David Koresh/Branch Davidian nest of sects and racism. No fatwa for Frey ? he steers clear of mocking Islam.

With each chapter and character, Frey blasts away at easy stereotypes and cliches til the whole book stinks like a barrel of dead fish. "Luke" is an ex-racist, anti-Semitic, Ole Miss frat boy turned crack addict. The Catholic priest "Mark" is a sex-starved husk who worships a piece of wood until Ben awakens him.

Black and Puerto Rican characters are equally clichéd but with added soupcon of liberal pity. "Matthew" is a homeless, rage-filled black man forever spouting the F word. "Mariaangles" is a 19-year-old single mom/prostitute/druggie whose addiction Ben heals with sex.

No matter whether you believe or not, by the end of this boring, predictable book, you'll feel you've suffered fiction's version of Stations of the Cross.

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Stephen M. Davidson: Amazing Medicare!

At first glance, it appears to be one of the most remarkable political stories in a long time: a new poll shows not only that 80 percent of all Americans do not want Medicare to be cut, but, amazingly, that total includes 70 percent of self-identified tea-partiers. How is that possible? Isn't their main goal to cut a huge amount out of government spending -- all government spending?

Why does Medicare (and even Medicaid) appear to be off the table even for them?

The answer is simple: Medicare works. It does exactly what it is supposed to do, and lots of Americans, including tea partiers and their parents, benefit from it. The fact is that, for more than 45 years, Medicare has paid the medical care bills for elderly Americans, as well as for many who are disabled. Even though the social insurance program is administered by the U.S. government, it is hugely popular. How is that possible!

Their health, rightly, is a big worry for seniors, and Medicare has provided access to the medical services they need. As people who live largely on fixed incomes, they know that, otherwise, they would have lots of trouble getting that care. Not only do the seniors appreciate it, but so do their children. The fact is that not having to worry about whether they can access needed care is a great comfort to those affected and probably shortens their recovery time.

Of course, the program has problems. Chief among them, the amount of spending has grown year after year (though somewhat less than total health care spending). Partly as a result, seniors' sense of Medicare-induced security has been eroding over the years, as cost-sharing of ever-more expensive services has become impossible for some beneficiaries to manage. And when Medicare reduces fees to physicians (or declines to raise them) in the effort to contain its expenditures, it drives some of those physicians from the program, further reducing access to services.

Rather than seek creative ways to solve Medicare's problems, however, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives recently punted. They passed a budget for 2012 that would simply end the current program. Instead, beneficiaries -- that may not be the right word any more! -- would receive a voucher that would cover part of the cost of a private insurance plan that seniors could buy on the open market. Since seniors and everyone else already knows what private, for-profit insurers do in that market, they are not too happy about that prospect.

Insurers' first goals are to make a profit and grow the value of their shares. But they have only three ways to achieve those objectives: (1) they can limit who buys their policies to those who are likely to need fewer services (and discourage those likely to need more); (2) they can limit benefits, either by limiting the amount of services covered or increasing cost-sharing; or (3) they can raise prices. Each of these would reduce seniors' access to needed services.

Moreover, with less revenue, providers -- doctors, hospitals, and others -- would lose the cash they need to keep up with the latest developments, to maintain and modernize their equipment, to invest in information technology, and to engage in continuing education. In other words, the health care delivery system would continue to deteriorate as providers searched for ways to make up the lost income. One way is to look for other money-making opportunities. For example, they might diversify -- perhaps, by earning fees for participating in clinical trials (which can also create conflicts of interest). A side effect of that approach is to divert providers' attention from their patients' medical needs, thus eroding the quality of care, which already is unreliable enough.

Although Medicare needs some changes, its problems are largely those of the larger medical care system, not the program. Until we tackle and solve the real problems -- like the methods of paying providers -- the potential for saving money without reducing access to care or contributing to the further deterioration of quality is virtually non-existent.

Given Medicare's popularity, it should be obvious that by pursuing this approach, the GOP is putting itself at considerable political risk. Of course, the extent to which that risk will be realized will depend to a great degree on the actions of Democrats and other Medicare supporters.

Will they let Republicans frame the issue as the imperative to cut costs? Or will they insist the real goal is to protect the good that Medicare does for seniors (and the health care system)? Will Democrats highlight the nasty behavior of for-profit insurers or the trends in Medicare expenditures? Will Medicare spending be taken in isolation or compared to other health-care spending?

Even tea partiers realize they have a stake in the Democrats getting it right.

Davidson, a professor at Boston University's School of Management, is the author of Still Broken: Understanding the U.S. Healthcare System.

 

Jennifer Gareis Kirsten Dunst Bridget Moynahan Nadine Velazquez Charli Baltimore

Princess Diana?s Bridesmaid Gives Kate Middleton Some Advice

The late Lady Diana, Princess of Wales had a lot of hype following up to her own wedding day. One of Diana?s bridesmaids, India Hicks was recently interviewed about Kate Middleton?s big day and she offered some words of wisdom.

?It?s an incredibly difficult role that she is going to be taking on,? Hicks told PEOPLE. ?What will be particularly difficult is finding the balance. The world will be sharing that day with her, yet she must bear in mind that it is her wedding day. Kate must enjoy it intimately with her family and with the man she loves and will spend the rest of her life with.?

PHOTOS: Photos Of Princess Diana?s Wedding Ring, Which Now Belongs To Kate Middleton!

Seen here, Prince William and Kate Middleton meet athletes at Witton Country Park on April 11th in Blackburn, England. Kate is all smiles here and looks excited for the big day. This lady has legs for days! Sources say that Kate will not say the word, ?Obey? in her wedding ceremony and she may be riding back to the palace in Diana?s horse drawn carriage. It?s nice knowing that the royal family is trying to include Princess Diana in her son?s wedding in these unique ways.

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Interview With Khadija And Mariam, Founders Fresh and Funky Women's Webzine "Hijab and The City"

This is a guest post by Hédia Charni of Girlz In Web, The NextWomen?s media partner in France. You can read the original article in French here.

By chance when browsing the web, I was pleased to come across these two sisters full of boundless positivity and readily shared smiles. I wanted to know more about these women who have left everything to become web entrepreneurs. This interview is in no way proselytizing; these women are first and foremost business leaders and also our readers. I wanted to share with you their testimony, vision and feedback.

Can you present yourselves and summarise your career paths?

Khadija, 30 years old, I graduated in political sciences and urban planning. I worked for a year in the planning profession after I graduated, specializing in urban regeneration.  
Mariame, 23 years, I've always been a student (I've had to have one or two student jobs). I took a double degree in economics/management and sociology and I started an MA in economics. I finally quit the university so that I could fully explore the adventure of Hijab and The City (I wanted to do some research and it proved difficult to do this as well as an MA).

When and why was Hijab and The City born?

We started with the blog, launched in May 2008 and aimed at French women of Muslim culture, a group hitherto ignored by the press and the female blogosphere. It quickly became a participative women's webzine, a forum for these women who are much talked about but are never given the floor, a forum that expresses a diversity of views as there is not just one singular Muslim woman but a plurality of different motivations and personalities, which are reflected on this website of their daily lives, their way of living their femininity and their attempt to strip themselves of the stigma attached to them, not just as women, but also as believers.  

Can you introduce Hijab and The City?

Since its inception the site has evolved, following the daily needs of our readers, who are as concerned for their spiritual development as the latest fashion trends. We meet with our readers often and listen to them daily, and try to meet the needs they express in their comments in the forums on our social network pages, or in the surveys we conduct with them. What they want: to communicate, debate, shop, have fun, party. In a word: to live. So Hijab and The City is a great club of girlfriends (and guy friends too!), members who read and discuss, enjoy shopping trips and outings, and meet at brunches / evenings we organize regularly. A beautiful and rich web community, one of a kind!

What are the themes? Is this a site reserved for the veiled Muslim woman?

The site talks about everything in a light and frivolous manner, rather than serious and grave. No material is formatted or sanitized, it is intended that this online magazine is alive, to be contributed to and read. This is how we designed it and this is how it works. We were joined by other women from diverse cultural, religious, social and economic backgrounds. So it seemed like a winning bet, because we aim to build bridges and discussions with the media, especially women. To touch upon the site name, it was intended only to announce our colour once and for all: we (the two founders) are veiled. It shows, but it stops there. We're not imamettes ... We therefore return to the matter at hand; that is to say, the site!

Are there any issues that you feel are too sensitive to discuss?

No, no taboos or restrictions here. We talk about what we want and discuss issues that our readers want to see addressed.

Who is on your team? Is it mixed?

Our columnists come from all around! Veiled and not veiled, Muslim, non Muslim, French, English, a Belgian, all different sizes, fashionistas, experts, enthusiasts, Parisians, ?suburbanites? and "provincials" (that ugly word!).  In summary, a score of chic girls who live life to the fullest! And we also have male columnists! It is not Misandra, far from it. We notice at our brunches that more and more men are part of the Hijab and The City community. And that is no bad thing!

What is your advertising market?

We have several categories; ad campaigns carried on our site tend to be related to fashion, beauty / well-being, cooking, outings. Some advertisers trust us, others are cautious, through fear of being associated with Muslim women, thanks to prejudice. Our readers are consumers like everyone else, and shoppers eager for good deals!

What is your business model?

For now advertising and selling content. We are currently working on a major new phase of the Hijab and The City project. Until now, the goal was emancipation through speaking out and providing an open forum for all women. The second step is to offer economic empowerment through WOM, our new baby, an introduction to economic activity, a source of additional income, economic independence, a modest stop-gap to help remedy the instability of many of women in the labor market. WOM, The Little Big Business! I hope we will have the opportunity to tell you more soon!

Who are your customers, your partners?

At the commercial level, it ranges from big French businesses such as Casino to one-person enterprises.  Large web sites too, such as Mektoube.fr, or online shops (including clothing), organic cosmetics, restauranteurs, concept stores, all of them Parisian. At the partnership level ..., bloggers, both professional and amateur, community media, entrepreneurial networks, etc..

What are the most common prejudices that you encounter on the road or in meetings of web professionals?

Unfortunately, the main obstacle is our appearance. Some people can?t get past it and the discussion ends before it even begins. Others play the game and end up congratulating us for our work, or telling us that what we do is very relevant and interesting. Some women are not kind to us at all, we remember one such bad experience with a network that supposedly promotes and supports female entrepreneurship. But those experiences aside, we have been able to meet some exceptional women. For example, Marie-Laure Sauty de Chalon of Aufeminin.com, a brilliant entrepreneur who listens and makes time for us. Or Marie-Françoise Colombani of ELLE is a talented journalist, down to earth and extremely attentive to our work. And many more!

Is it different to conduct surveys or trade negotiations with a veil?

As we stated before, the veil may indeed be a problem. Despite this, there is no limit, we just go for it. If things go well, so much the better, if not, tough luck! We refuse to enter into a process of perpetual justification. Hijab and The City: take us as we are!

How do you see the evolution of the site's editorial?                           

The site is constantly under development. Each year we change version, carrier and contents. At the editorial level, we expect to see more videos, many more exchanges via our newly installed forum, more and more participatory content, regular meetings, good plans ...

Foreign media talk a lot about you, so why do you think that the French media are more reserved?

We ask ourselves the same question. Especially as the foreign media is interested in us as entrepreneurs, as bloggers, and not as veils on legs, or the source of info on stoning, polygamy and female circumcision. One journalist from a major national newspaper conducted a 2-hour interview with us and has not published it because we were not militant enough for him. Having said that, we have been talked about on Canal +, Rue89, Libé, France Culture ... we can?t complain too much!

Can you tell us about the Hijab and The City? brunches and parties?

These moments of conviviality are organized to meet our readers, to celebrate and share, and to realize that there is a real and faithful Hijab and The City community, that we?re not just blowing hot air. At our first evening event, 170 of us celebrated Women's Day in a girly and chic restaurant, talking, eating well, and enjoying the setting and entertainment that we had put on for our readers (and not just our female readers either, the male to female ratio wasn?t bad at all, around 70-30). It was great! The brunches are new and happen more regularly. They revolve around themes chosen by our editors. Thus, we?ve had a British brunch, a (non)Valentine's Day brunch. These are organized in our premises in the 10th precinct, on a Sunday or Saturday, and we welcome around 35-40 readers and members of the Hijab and The City team.

The Web and Arab revolution: what is your analysis of this phenomenon?

It is certain that the active use of social networks by some players could allow many things. But to say that twitter and facebook are the source of these spectacular uprising, no. Poor Bouazizi, who sacrificed himself, was not an influential tweeter, but a street vendor who lived with daily insecurity and injustice.

What are your standby sources?

Professional blogs, web marketing, personal brands etc.. Twitter, Facebook, online specialist media or social media. Also the press (economic, web ...) and general press, women?s press, female blogs and a host of other material!

Mac or PC ?

Mariame: Mac (after having 3 PCs in one bad year, they call me Sticky Hands. I?ve also had 3 Ipods and 2 Blackberrys in less than two years). Khadija: PC, and will shortly go Mac, for purely aesthetic reasons! We are always complementing each other, in fact.

What are your favorite mobile applications?

Facebook and Twitter, primarily. We try to limit our use of the phone, it quickly becomes time consuming.

A tip for our readers who would like to start as entrepreneurs?

Never wait to be given a helping hand, just get on with it. And if something is not well done, re-do it. And if you fall, get up again. Us, we did everything by ourselves. When you have no fuel but you have ideas, you have to go for it (but if a business angel passes through here, they should feel free contact us, haha!).

What is the question we haven?t asked you but you would like to be asked?

What you do is amazing, how much do you need right away?

Discover the webzine Hijab and The City here.

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How do you see the evolution of the site?s editorial?

The site is constantly under development. Each year we change version, carrier and contents. At the editorial level, we expect to see more videos, many more exchanges via our newly installed forum, more and more participatory content, regular meetings, good plans ...

Alexis Bledel Aaliyah Amber Brkich Christina Ricci Giulianna Ramirez

Lindsay Lohan sentenced to jail for probation violation

Lindsay Lohan arrived for a preliminary hearing at LAX Courthouse in Los Angeles on April 22.

Chris Pizzello/AP

Lindsay Lohan arrived for a preliminary hearing at LAX Courthouse in Los Angeles on April 22.

LOS ANGELES - Lindsay Lohan was sentenced to 120 days in jail Friday for violating her probation by waltzing out of a jewelry store with a necklace.

Her lawyer immediately announced plans to appeal and was set to post $75,000 bail after processing at the lockup.
Lohan threw up her hands and looked plaintively at her lawyer as deputies led her away for her fourth visit to jail since 2007.

In addition to the jail time, the judge also ordered Lohan to perform 120 hours of community service at the county morgue and 360 hours at a women's center.

"Perhaps then she might see how truly needy women who have fallen on truly hard times have to live," Judge Stephanie Sautner said.

Her ruling came at the end of a daylong hearing in which she heard evidence about Lohan's alleged January jewel theft.

While Sautner reduced the theft charge to a misdemeanor, she found that Lohan had violated her probation on 2007 back-to-back DUIs.

She gave the "Mean Girls" star a tongue-lashing, saying she couldn't decide if she was stupid or brazen for leaving Kamofie & Co. jewelers with the $2,500 bauble and failing to return it.

"Would a person with brains put a necklace on and walk out? It happens every day. Brazenness? Stupidity? I don't know," the judge said.

"If, in fact, it was an accident, she had the phone number of the store and could have called them back," Sautner added.

"I see intent here and a level of brazenness with 'Let me see what I can get away with,'" the judge continued.

Shawn Holley had argued that LiLo wasn't a thief - she was just spoiled.

"A reasonable interpretation of the evidence is that Miss Lohan did not rush to return the necklace. There's no question about that," the lawyer said.

"And I contend that makes her not a very considerate or courteous person. Perhaps you or I, upon noticing we had the necklace, would rush to return it," Holley said.

"The fact that she may not have been a courteous person ... does not make her a thief, it doesn't make her a criminal, it doesn't make her someone with intent to permanently deprive the shop owner."

The judge was not buying it.

"We all have busy lifestyles," she said. "She wasn't running to catch a flight."

Lohan, who had turned down several plea offers, faces a June 3 trial on the necklace theft charge. She could get up to a year in prison if she's convicted.

The Long Island-raised star has been trying to mount a comeback while confronting her legal problems. This week, she was cast as the wife of John (Junior) Gotti in a movie about the mob scion.

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Julianne Hough: Miami Dog Walker

Stepping out in the warm Florida sunshine, Julianne Hough and her pet pooch were spotted out in Miami on Friday (April 22).

The ?Footloose? babe looked cute and casual as she and Lexi walked along with a gal pal before stopping in a nail salon for a pedicure.

In case you haven?t noticed, Ms Hough is featured on the May issue of Women?s Health magazine where she shows off her fine figure on the cover.

Of her eating and exercising habits, Julianne told the mag, "Growing up, I could eat anything, but the minute I hit 22, I stopped dancing and kept eating whatever I wanted, and I gained weight.?

To stay fit now, the blonde beauty avoids processed foods and hits up Tracy Anderson?s high-intensity cardio dance classes a couple times a week.

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Kevin Jarre, Hollywood Screenwriter, Dies at 56


Kevin Jarre, an acclaimed screenwriter who wrote Glory and Tombstone, passed away due to heart failure at his home in Santa Monica. He was 56.

Jarre was a known history buff whose interest in the Civil War lead him to write Glory in 1989. The Denzel Washington film won three Oscars.

His 1993 classic Tombstone depicts the famed shootout at the O.K. Corral, starring Kurt Russell as Wyatt Earp and Val Kilmer as Doc Holliday.

Kevin Jarre Picture

Kevin Jarre also co-wrote Rambo: First Blood Part II, The Devil's Own and The Mummy. He will be missed, but is survived by some terrific work.

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