Duct Tape Prom Dresses in Online Contest

Some students around the country this year planned for their proms in an unusual way -- they made their own duct tape dresses. Theone-of-a-kind dresses have been popping up on prom night for years and now offer students a chance at a $3,000 scholarship.

In Grafton, Ohio, Rachel Cunningham and her date, Billy Oliver , wore their homemade creations to the Midview High School prom in early May. The pair chose the theme of Mother Nature and Father Time for their outfits, which used 47 rolls of duct tape in 18 colors.

"It took a lot of trial-and-error," Cunningham said to The Morning Journal . "But I got better and better at it as I went."

The colorful outfits also got them selected for a national contest sponsored by the maker of Duck brand duct tape.

Two Flathead High School students in Kalispell, Mont. , are also among the finalists in a national duct tape prom-wear contest. Charden Wood says it took about a month to create her flamenco dress and her date's pin-striped suit. Her date, Steven Quade, said duct tape doesn't breathe, and his suit was very warm. "My suit was really hot, duct tape doesn't breathe at all."

The "Stuck at Prom" contest is down to 10 finalist, out of over 200 entries. The winning couple and school will each receive $3,000 scholarships. Online voting is available at www.stuckatprom.com . The last day for voting is July 2, and winners will be announced July 9.

If you are planning to make your own duct tape dress , a do-it-yourself fashion blog offers some instruction.

Source:myfoxmemphis

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Katherine Jackson seeks custody of Michael's kids

In the continuing story of life after Michael Jackson, his mother, Katherine Jackson, asked a Superior Court judge to name her administrator of her son's estate so she can ensure that his three children become its beneficiaries.

Court documents state that Katherine Jackson "intends to marshal assets of the decedent for the exclusive use of the decedent's three children -- her grandchildren -- after payment of debts and expenses of administration."

Superior Court Judge Mitchell Beckloff, who has already granted her request to assume temporary guardianship of her son's children, scheduled hearings for July 6 and Aug. 3 to take up the matters, including whether to approve her request to become permanent guardian of the children.

Also on Monday, investigators with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office emerged from Michael Jackson's rented home bearing two large plastic bags, possibly containing medications, the latest move in an investigation that may continue for several weeks.

Jackson, 50, died after suffering cardiac arrest Thursday at UCLA Medical Center, although questions remain about what part prescription drugs may have played in his demise.

As Jackson's family takes the first steps to lay claim to the sprawling estate and seemingly parentless children he left behind, it seems clear that the pop icon's sudden death will be no less complicated than his troubled life.

The funeral

Joe Jackson spoke at the Jackson family's home in Encino, Calif., yesterday and said his son's funeral would not be closed to the public. But he also said no funeral will take place until results from a privately ordered autopsy become available.

"We're not ready for that yet, because we're trying to wait on something else," Joe Jackson said, according to MyFoxLA, the Web site of a Los Angeles-based television station. "We're searching to see what happened to Michael," he added. "We don't have the time frame yet 'cuz I want to see how the autopsy's coming out, you know, the second autopsy."

The Rev. Al Sharpton, who flew in from Atlanta on Sunday to discuss with the Jacksons a possible worldwide celebration of the singer, said: "It is the determination of the family to be careful and deliberate on how they plan his celebration of life, because we're talking about a historic figure that really changed pop culture around the world."

The will

Jackson's parents believe he died without a valid will, according to a court filing. But the Web site TMZ.com claimed that Jackson's onetime lawyer, John Branca, was rehired by the singer about three weeks ago and holds a will signed by the late superstar.

Specifics of the alleged will have not been revealed, but Branca reportedly intends to file it within 30 days.

The case

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said his team entered the home to retrieve medications because of information developed by a police investigation, along with questions the coroner's office had. Winter wouldn't say what type of medications, or how much, were retrieved, nor would he identify where in the home they were found. But he did say the investigation would continue for four or five weeks.

The images

A gaunt but smiling Jackson can be seen in a series of pictures taken at Los Angeles' Staples Center during a rehearsal for the singer's ambitious run of 50 concerts -- dubbed "This Is It!" -- that were scheduled at London's O2 Arena.

The photos, taken by Kevin Mazur on behalf of AEG Live, provide hints of an elaborate, career-spanning show that reportedly would have included more than two dozen sets, numerous costume changes, pyrotechnics and 20-foot-tall puppets.

News also surfaced of a five-week video shoot, called "Dome Project," that Jackson completed two weeks before his death.

The video reportedly features four sets -- including a cemetery recalling the "Thriller" video -- and is said to be in postproduction with a release date of July 15.

source:Fox43

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Michael Jackson Leaked Autopsy

British tabloid paper, The Sun was quick to report that Michael Jackson’s autopsy report was leaked. E! Online confirms that the report is false and it was followed by a confirmation by the website TMZ.com. who first reported Michael Jackson had a cardiac arrest and being taken to the hospital.

The earlier reports where Jackson was “emaciated, lost all his hair and filled with needle scars” may or may not be true. “Bruises and scars due to a possibility of a recent fall” cannot be confirmed as well. A second autopsy report was ordered and there is no confirmation that the autopsy report was leaked in any shape or form.
TMZ.com do say that the “story is developing” and will announce any findings as soon as reports are received.

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Seattle Police seized-items auctions make more online

Inside the Seattle Police Department's property room, rows of bicycles, Christmas decorations, wheelchairs and other unclaimed or seized items gather dust until they're put up for auction. But bargain hunters no longer have to wait for police, or the King County Sheriff's Office, to schedule a public auction to score a deal. They now merely need to log onto a computer.

Seattle police and the Sheriff's Office contract with PropertyRoom.com, a California-based Web site that receives items from the property rooms of 1,600 law-enforcement agencies in the U.S. — 124 in Washington state — and sells them online.

Proceeds are split between the police departments and the Web site.

Before, the Seattle Police Department and Sheriff's Office periodically held auctions to sell off unclaimed items — and there wasn't even a guarantee they could sell it all.

"It's a lot easier for them [PropertyRoom.com] to come and take it all than for us to auction it off," said sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart "It's a very efficient way to dispose of excess property we get."

"It's a very green way to do it," added Cindy Granard, detective sergeant of evidence for Seattle police. "It's recycling old material and giving it to someone new."

When Granard wants to give items to PropertyRoom.com, she compiles a list and calls the Web site, which sends a truck to get them. The truck then takes the items to a facility in Seattle, where they move from one truck to another that goes to PropertyRoom.com's processing facility in Los Angeles.

"We usually wait until we have pallets full of stuff before we give to them." Granard said.

Once the items arrive in Los Angeles, Gemological Institute of America-trained specialists look over items containing precious stones to ensure they are real. They are then listed for auction on the Web site.

Once an item sells, the originating law-enforcement agency receives 50 percent of the proceeds if the item sells for less than $1,000, and 75 percent if it's more than $1,000.

Since using PropertyRoom.com starting in July 2003, Seattle police have seen their profits go up. From 2004 to 2005, for example, police recorded about a $28,000 increase in auction profit. In 2004, the department's auction profit was $29,951. In 2005, it was $57,974.

Proceeds from the sale go toward the department's pension fund.

PropertyRoom.com is set up as a kind of eBay for police auctions. Items are sold in categories including jewelry, fine art, tools, bicycles, watches and "everything else." The site was founded by former police officers, including Daryl Gates, former chief of the Los Angeles Police Department, according to its Web site.

Since many of the items were stolen but never reclaimed, PropertyRoom.com will return them to their owners provided they can prove ownership of an item shown online.

When the site started in 2001, it had contracts with 100 departments and profits of $3 million. Now, the company has contracts with nearly 2,000 departments, 25,000 new bidders each month, and last year reported a profit of $35 million, according to company spokeswoman Cher Murphy.

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