US – Saturday, July 4
Assets go into trust for family
Details of Michael Jackson’s will began to emerge Wednesday with all of his multimillion-dollar estate being placed in a family trust, even as plans for his highly anticipated funeral remained sketchy.
 
Last will of Michael Jackson
I, MICHAEL JOSEPH JACKSON, a resident of the State of California, declare this to be my last Will, and do hereby revoke all former wills and codicils made by me. 
 
The Beckhams’ island getaway
GOSSIP. According to the Sun, David Beckham is planning a trip to Necker Island, Richard Branson’s private island hideaway, to celebrate his 10th wedding anniversary with Victoria Beckham. And the best part? It only costs $51,000 a night to have the whole island to themselves.
 
The gangster of Hollywood
FEATURE. Johnny Depp doesn’t know what time it is. Though he technically calls an adorable village in France home and owns an island in the Caribbean, the mercurial actor spends so much time working that his internal clock is all out of whack.
 
 
Sales pressure seen hurting consumers
Consumer and labor groups demanded Bank of America Corp. and other lenders reform their sales practices so that workers under pressure to meet sales quotas do not saddle customers with costly and unnecessary products.
 
Got smart-phone envy?
You’re in an elevator, on the subway or waiting in a line, and while those around you are tapping away on their BlackBerrys and iPhones, you take out your plain old cell phone and can’t help but feel a little … inadequate. Worry no more. Here are a handful of phones and programs that will help you quash those feelings of cell phone shame.
 
Published 22:07, October the 22nd, 2008
 

Acting right-wing has liberal feeling left out

 The Democratic party is usually associated with acceptance and open-mindedness. But how easy is it for a Republican to fit in in the nation’s biggest and bluest cities? Metro’s Heidi Patalano gives us a peek inside her journal as she poses as a conservative in Manhattan.

Thurs., Oct. 16.
Getting dressed “as a Republican” has been so difficult. I’m generally donning all the clothes my mother bought for me to “look like a professional.” Lame. Is it fair to say all Republicans are squares? I can’t really think of any trendsetters who support tax cuts or overturning Roe v. Wade.

Fri., Oct. 17.
I bought a “Vote McCain” baseball cap on the street. I might as well have put a bulls-eye on my chest and let people stone me to death. On the subway, people wouldn’t stop staring at me like I was some kind of unearthly creature. I’ve never felt so judged and, quite frankly, threatened. Is it fair to be openly laughed at just for being part of the conservative minority in a liberal town?

Sat., Oct. 18.
I went to a same-sex engagement party for a friend of mine. Yeah, it was weird. The host introduced me to another guest. He couldn’t take his eyes off my McCain hat. “Is that for real?” he asked. As I nodded yes, the look on his face turned from amusement to thinly-veiled horror. I was quick to point out during discussion that McCain has been painted as the out-of-touch, Bush-loving evil incarnate by Obama supporters even though he was a favorite among both parties not long ago. They admitted I’m right. Score one. But then they started hammering me on Sarah Palin. I couldn’t let them get away with that. So I said it: “That’s right you liberals, she’s a maverick.” No one would talk to me for the rest of the night.