Andrew Koenig's Body Found in Vancouver

The body of Growing Pains star Andrew Koenig, who had been missing for nearly two weeks, was discovered in a Vancouver park Thursday. He committed suicide, his father said.

Growing Pains star goes missing

Koenig's body was found in Stanley Park about noon, Vancouver police said. Friends of Koenig initiated their own search of the park and invited his father, Star Trek alumnus Walter Koenig, along. His body was found in a densely wooded area where it initially was unseen from the path.

Search and rescue teams had scoured the park Wednesday and found no evidence that Koenig had been there recently. The park was known to be one of the actor's favorite spots when he lived in the city in the early '90s.

"My son took his own life," Walter Koenig said, trying to keep his composure at a news conference Thursday night. "The only other thing I want to say — I've already said what a great guy he was, and good human being — he was obviously in a lot of pain."

The Vancouver police would not give details on cause of death but "have no reason to believe that foul play was involved at all," Constable Jana McGuinness said. The case has been turned over to the British Colombia coroner's office.

Andrew Koenig's parents walked off Larry King Live for "personal reasons"

Koenig's father went on to mention "hundreds of e-mails" he had received from depressed people and their loved ones and express hope this tragedy would help them.

"If you're one of those people who ... can't handle it anymore," he said, breaking down in tears, "if you can learn anything from this is that there are people out there that really care. You may not think so, and ... ultimately, it may not be enough. But there are people who really, really care. And before you make that final decision, check it out again. Talk to somebody. And to families who have members who they fear are susceptible to this kind of behavior, don't ignore it, don't rationalize it. Extend a hand."

Koenig's mother, Judy Levin-Koenig , echoed those sentiments: "There is love out there."

The 41-year-old Venice, Calif., resident was last seen by friends Feb. 14 during a visit to Vancouver. Friends and family reported him missing Feb. 16, when he did not return to Los Angeles as scheduled.

Kirk Cameron "praying" for missing Growing Pains co-star

The Koenigs previously held a news conference at the Vancouver Police Department on Wednesday afternoon. They were later scheduled to appear on Larry King Live to discuss their missing son, but walked off the set moments before their segment because of "personal reasons," according to Walter Koenig's website.

Koenig is best known for his role as Boner, the best friend of Kirk Cameron's Mike Seaver, on Growing Pains and appeared frequently from 1985 to 1989. During the search for Koenig, Cameron told People he was "praying for his family during this time of distress and for his safe return."

Andrew Koenig's dad: "I just want to know you're OK"

Koenig also appeared in various TV shows, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, My Two Dads and 21 Jump Street. He dabbled in directing and writing as well, with a 2004 short called Woman in a Green Dress.

SeaWorld Orlando investigation: Killer whale pulled in trainer by ponytail

One person is dead at SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium, following an incident this afternoon, an Orange County Sheriff's Office official confirmed.

Orange County Fire Rescue responded to SeaWorld's Shamu Stadium this afternoon on report of a person who was not breathing. Details about the incident are not yet available, but a Sheriff's Office official confirmed it is a death investigation.

A local TV station is reporting that a female trainer was killed after she was grabbed by one of the theme park's whales at the start of a public show.

Park guest Victoria Biniak told Local 6 that the trainer was a veteran of SeaWorld and had just finished explaining to the audience the show they were about to see.

At that point, Biniak said, the whale came up from the water, grabbed the trainer around the waste and "thrashed her all around" to the point the trainer's shoe fell off.

Guests were evacuated and were later told the park was shut down, Biniak told Local 6. Rescue personnel were called to the theme park at 2 p.m. Calls to SeaWorld and Orange County Fire Rescue were not immediately returned.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration dispatched an investigator from Tampa to investigate, an OSHA spokesman said.

Local 6 is reporting that the whale involved in the incident is named Tillikum, and that whale has been involved in at least one other incident at the park.

Tillikum, nicknamed "Tilly," has a controversial past. The large whale was blamed for the drowning of one of his trainers in 1991 while he was performing at Sealand of the Pacific in British Columbia.

Sold to SeaWorld as a stud in 1992, the whale was involved in a second incident when authorities discovered the body of a naked man lying across his back in July 1999.

Authorities later concluded the man, who had either snuck into SeaWorld after hours or hidden in the park until it closed, most likely drowned after suffering hypothermia in the 55-degree water.

But they also said it appeared Tillikum had bit the man and tore of his swimming trunks, likely believing he was a toy to play with.

SeaWorld has had incidents with its killer whales in the past. In 2005, a trainer was injured by what park officials called an "overly excited" whale that bumped the trainer during a live performance. The injuries were minor.

Many animal-rights activists have long criticized SeaWorld and other marine parks for keeping orcas and other wildlife in captivity. Russ Rector, a former dolphin trainer in Fort Lauderdale, said keeping the animals captive makes them dangerous.

"Captivity is abusive to these animals. And the abuse mounts up. And when these animals snap -- just for a minute -- they're so big and can be so dangerous that it's like a shotgun," Rector said. "It does an incredible amount of damage in just a moment."

American Idol Report: Idol Contestant Cut After Dad Talks to Paper

A moment of pride has turned to sorrow as an American Idol contestant has been cut from the competition after violating a confidentiality agreement, according to a report.

Michael Lynche (a.k.a. Big Mike) was reportedly told to pack his bags after his father revealed to his local Florida paper, The St. Petersburg Times, that Michael had made the top 24 — a violation of Idol rules requiring the singers and their families to keep the Hollywood week results quiet until they’re broadcast.

The New York Post, citing Idol spoiler site Joe’s Place, says Michael was replaced in the top 24 over the weekend. FOX has declined to comment on the report.

If Lynche has indeed been booted, he wouldn’t be the first. Last season, Joanna Pacitti was replaced by Felicia Barton on the list of top 36 contestants. FOX would not give a reason other than Pacitti was found to be “ineligible to continue in the competition.” But her dismissal followed reports that she had connections to executives at Idol producer Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment.

Olympic luger Nodar Kumaritashvili from Georgia is killed after horrific training crash

So sad, I just hope this does mean other bad things to happen in the up coming games...

WHISTLER - Nodar Kumaritashvili, a 21-year-old luger from the country of Georgia, was killed Friday at the Winter Games following a horrific crash on an exceedingly dangerous luge course.

Hours before the Opening Ceremony at the Vancouver Games, Kumaritashvili lost control of his sled near the bottom of the swift course, crashing at 143.3 kilometers per hour (88 mph) into a metal pillar. He was given CPR on the site through a plastic tube, then lifted into an ambulance and rushed to Whistler Polyclinic as an emergency helicopter hovered above.

International Olympic Committee president Jacques Rogge said after the accident that he was uncertain if Georgia's Olympic delegation would stay and participate in the Games, but at a press conference later in the day, Nikolos Rurua, minister of sport for Georgia, said the seven-member team will compete, and would march in Friday night's Opening Ceremonies wearing commemorative black stripes on their arms and would place a black stripe on the Georgian flag.

Rogge also said an investigation into the luge venue was underway, but declined to elaborate about what steps might be taken. "I will be ready to debate or deliberate with you about that at a proper time," said Rogge. "I'm sorry but this is a time for sorrow. It is not a time to look for reasons. That will come in due time."

Gruesome replays of the crash were being shown all over Olympic venues Friday afternoon, dousing enthusiasm for the torch relay and the run-up to the opening ceremonies. Later, in an apparent effort at damage control, the IOC invoked its copyrights on the crash video and removed it from YouTube and several other Internet sites.

Entering the out-run of the luge track, the 21-year-old Kumaritashvili went over the wall, crashed into the post and lay motionless. About 90 minutes after the crash, photographers and television crews milled about on the wet asphalt, able to take photographs of the scene of the accident. The location where Kumaritashvili met his gruesome end was at the end of the final turn of the track, where about 20 steel pillars support a canopy of corrugated metal. The pillars are each square in shape.

A few hours after the accident, a group of six people in blue Olympic uniforms sat in a light drizzle on a concrete barrier just a few steps from where the accident occured, and were later seen talking to Canadian law enforcement officials while other uniformed officers kept a growing cluster of international television crews from getting closer to the track. By the time Olympic officials confirmed Kumaritashivili's death, access to the area near the death was more limited.

Woman shoots and kills three faculty members at University of Alabama's Huntsville campus

I just dont understand whats going on with all these campus shootings... Seems like they really need to up their security...

A woman opened fire during a biology faculty meeting at the University of Alabama's Huntsville campus Friday, killing three faculty members and injuring two other faculty members and a staff member.

The shooter was in custody, but university spokesman Ray Garner said he could not identify her or the victims. Local television stations reported she is a faculty member.

No students were hurt.

Huntsville Hospital spokesman Burr Ingram said two of the injured were in critical condition and the third was in stable condition.

Sophomore Erin Johnson told The Huntsville Times a biology faculty meeting was under way when she heard screams coming from the room.

The shooting happened in the university's Shelby Center, a science building. University police secured the building and students were cleared from it.

The Huntsville campus has about 7,500 students in northern Alabama, not far from the Tennessee line.

The university posted a message on its Web site Friday afternoon telling students the campus was closed Friday night and all students were encouraged to go home. Counselors were available to speak with students.

Garner said the campus was closed while police gathered evidence. He said at a news conference that the shooting was not unlike one the area experienced a week ago, when a 14-year-old student was shot to death in a middle school hallway, allegedly by a fellow student.

"This town is unaccustomed to shootings and multiple deaths," he said.

A Nightmare on Elm Street (The New Version)

I have mixed reviews about this remake. As a big fan of "Freddy" its not going to be the same. They are basically remaking the whole cast including one of my favorite characters, Nancy. So, I'm just wondering will they continue with the other parts following pt 1?



"You can't keep a good monster dead. Bloody Disgusting is reporting that New Line Cinema is "actively developing another Nightmare on Elm Street movie." Bloody Disgusting broke the news nearly two years ago that New Line was planning a prequel to the horror series that began in 1984; as Scott Weinberg posted, it would have covered "the back-story of the pre-dead Freddy Krueger, his unseemly relationship with numerous small children, and the neighborhood parents who strike back ... thereby creating an undead boogeyman who'll haunt them for the next 8 movies." Robert Englund, who played Freddy Krueger, and versatile director John McNaughton were attached to the project.

Those plans have reportedly been scrapped. Instead of an origin story, like the recent Halloween "re-imagination" perpetrated by Rob Zombie, the new Nightmare will be ... something else. New Line is throwing around ideas, apparently, without anything being locked down. Of course, with the ongoing writers' strike, they can't write anything down or have any writer pitch them anything. I imagine a roomful of bedraggled execs, some of whom have never seen any of the Nightmare movies, sitting around a big table, drinking stale coffee, and trying to come up with a new story line. "Can we send him into space in the future? How about if he terrorizes a big city? What if we do it from the POV of a bunch of kids with video cameras?"

In related Freddy Krueger news, Bloody Disgusting's source at New Line says that there are no immediate plans for a sequel to Freddy vs. Jason. Note: the emphasis is on "immediate," which sounds to me like they're putting this on the back burner and maybe allowing a few more years to pass before resurrecting the deranged duo...debuting April 30, 2010"

Say Goodbye to "The Big Bad Wolf"...= (

Say Goodbye to the Big Bad Wolf from Rob Warren on Vimeo.