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BalloonBoy
Opinion: Reality Show Talk Tarnishes Sunderland's Achievement
By Matt Mendelsohn - AOL News(June 15) -- There's a mountain bike race in Leadville, Colo., the nation's highest incorporated town. It's 100 miles of nonstop pain, starting at 10,000 feet above sea level and finishing, unbelievably, 3,000 feet higher. And what do the brave souls who compete in the Leadville 100 get for completing this epic feat of endurance? I'll give you a hint: It's not money, it's not fame and it's certainly not a reality-TV series. If you finish the Leadville race in under 12 hours, you get a belt buckle. Some might say, "A belt buckle?!?!" But this belt buckle signifies that you are one tough dude. ...
Balloon Boy Mom's Interviews Contradict Husband
By not in system - AOL NewsFORT COLLINS, Colo. (Jan. 23) - A newly released video shows the mother of the 6-year-old boy purported to be in a runaway balloon finally acknowledging to authorities it was all a hoax - contrary to her husband's repeated public denials just before reporting to jail. The video interviews obtained by the Fort Collins Coloradoan Friday show Mayumi Heene telling sheriff's officials that the Oct. 15 event was a hoax that she and her husband orchestrated to gain notoriety and land a reality TV show. "We tried working so hard to make money to survive. It's a shame to come up with this idea," ...
Father in Balloon Boy Hoax Reports to Jail
By not in system - AOL NewsFORT COLLINS, Colo. (Jan. 11) -- The Colorado man who admitted orchestrating the balloon boy hoax reported to jail Monday to begin a 90-day jail sentence. Richard Heene pleaded guilty to attempting to influence a public servant after the Oct. 15 saga that captivated a national television audience. But Heene now says he truly believed his 6-year-old son Falcon was inside the balloon and that he pleaded guilty only to appease authorities and save his wife from being deported to Japan. Mayumi Heene confessed to deputies, authorities said, and she pleaded guilty to filing a false report. She ...
Father Denies 'Balloon Boy' Spectacle Was Hoax
By not in system - AOL News(Jan. 7) -- A man who pleaded guilty to perpetrating a hoax by falsely reporting that his son was drifting over eastern Colorado in a balloon maintains in an interview with CNN's "Larry King Live" that the incident was not part of a plan for fame. Richard Heene pleaded guilty in November to a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant and was sentenced last month to 90 days in custody, to begin Jan. 11. He also must serve four years on probation and complete 100 hours of community service each year. But Heene, in an interview airing Friday, told CNN's Larry King he pleaded ...
2009's Top 10 Scandals
By Steve Pendlebury - AOL News(Dec. 28) -- Corrupt politicians, cheaters, hypocrites, creeps, con artists and publicity hounds. That reads like any other year's roster of people behaving badly. A beauty pageant, a state dinner, the Appalachian Trail, a golf club, a funny-looking balloon -- plus a bunch of kids. All of that sounds downright wholesome. Mix them together, stir in too much reality TV and a couple of sex tapes, and you get the uniquely spicy concoction that is the 2009 edition of the year's biggest scandals. ...
'Balloon Boy' Parents Sentenced to Jail
By not in system - AOL NewsFORT COLLINS, Colo. (Dec. 23) - The parents who pulled the balloon boy hoax in hopes of landing a reality TV show were sentenced to jail Wednesday - 90 days for him, 20 days for her - and barred from profiting from their newfound celebrity status for the next four years. Choking back tears, Richard Heene apologized in court for the frenzy he caused when he claimed his 6-year-old son Falcon had floated away in a giant helium balloon shaped like a flying saucer. "I'm very, very sorry. And I want to apologize to all the rescue workers out there, and the people that got involved in the ...
Bird Brains Compete for 'Turkey of the Year'
By Buck Wolf - AOL NewsJust how did the turkey -- a bird native to North America -- become synonymous with thoughtless, annoying people, so often overstuffed with jive? Let's face it, some of our nominees for 2009 Turkey of the Year wouldn't be welcome at any Thanksgiving dinner. So, with no further ado, let's look at some of the year's most fowl personalities. AP Roguishly Raw: That ring you hear when your 15 minutes of fame are up must be a call from someone asking you to pose nude. Levi Johnston's offer came from Playgirl, and he promised the pictorial would be "tasteful." We now know that Johnston's ...
'Balloon Boy' Parents Plead Guilty to Charges in Hoax
By David Sessions - Politics DailyThe Colorado couple who told authorities that their 6-year-old son was carried away by a homemade helium balloon pleaded guilty Friday to federal and misdemeanor charges, CNN reports. Richard Heene was charged with a felony count of attempting to influence a public servant; his wife, Mayumi Heene, was charged with false reporting to authorities, a misdemeanor. The Heenes both pleaded guilty in Larimer County Court, and their attorneys said prosecutors are discussing a possible sentence of probation for the couple, plus 90 days in jail for Richard and 60 days in jail for Mayumi. ...
Last Week's Most Closely-Followed Stories. The Envelope Please ...
By Bruce Drake - Politics DailyHealth care reform topped the list of stories that Americans followed most closely last week followed by reports on swine flu and - yes, right up there in third place - the runaway balloon in Colorado, according to a poll by the Pew Research Center. ...
Heene's Kiddie Video: 'Let's Play in Boxes'
By Buck Wolf - AOL NewsLong before his 6-year-old became known as "Balloon Boy," Richard Heene was urging kids to play in cardboard boxes, much like young Falcon was supposedly doing last Thursday, when authorities feared for the boy's life. In an obscure, self-produced children's video provided to AOL News, the 48-year-old handyman, storm-chaser and reality TV star teaches boys and girls handy tricks to turn old boxes into homemade playhouses, with the help of an animated, talking cardboard critter named "Boxter." The Point: Rage at Balloon Parents, Fear for Kids "We've got to go to my garage!" Heene tells kids ...
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