Schapelle Corby

Schapelle Corby Just watched the Ganga Queen documentary on HBO. I have to say it was pretty fascinating. While I feel 20 years is a completely insane sentence for any amount of marijuana, watching the documentary you definitely get the feeling that neither Schapelle Corby, her family or supporters helped her case in any way. That fact is even more apparent if you take a look at some of the info on her Wikipedia entry.

What I found incredibly hard to believe, and what no one seemed to mention, is that neither Corby nor her brother, who were the only ones who actually lifted the boogie board bag, didn’t notice that the bag was 10lbs heavier than when they dropped it off. The bag contained a boogie board and some fins, you would think that an extra 10lbs out of nowhere would have been pretty easy to notice. Don’t think so? Take your bag that you carry everyday, drop a 10 pound weight in there and then pick it up after a bit and see if you notice a difference. I bet you do.

The criminologist who was meeting with her lawyers kept claiming that in all of his experience Corby doesn’t seem to fit the profile of someone who would smuggle drugs. Has this guy ever seen Locked Up Abroad? She’s exactly the kind of person who would get caught smuggling drugs. According to a new survey by the Sydney Morning Herald, more than half of the people polled believed that Corby was guilty with 3/4 of those people believing she should serve out her full 20 year sentence.

James Marcello

James Marcello on Thursday after a federal jury held him responsible for the deaths of Tony "The Ant" Spilotro and his brother Michael. Tony was the inspiration for Joe Pesci's character in the movie "Casino."Marcello was convicted in September 2007 with four others in the landmark Operation Family Secrets trial.Zagel says Marcello had to pay for his crimes.

Mob boss and murderer James Marcello,pictures above once called Chicago's top mob boss by federal authorities, was sentenced to life in prison n in federal court in connection with one of the most infamous hits in Outfit lore: the 1986 slayings of Anthony Spilotro, picture above the mob's Las Vegas chieftain, and his brother Michael Spilotro pictured above.

The movie "Casino" incorrectly depicted the Spilotros as being beaten to death in an Indiana cornfield. But the trial showed that Marcello, 66, drove the Spilotros to a Bensenville home, where Michael thought he was going to become a "made member" of the Outfit. Other mobsters were waiting for them. They were beaten, strangled and their bodies dumped in the cornfield.

Darci Kistler

Darci Kistler, the only remaining dancer at New York City Ballet to have been hired and trained by George Balanchine, will retire during the 2010 season according to The NY Times. Next year will mark thirty years with the company for the 44-year-old principal dancer. She will continue teaching at the School of American Ballet, where she has been a faculty member for fifteen years.

Ms. Kistler said she wanted to devote more of her day to teaching at the School of American Ballet, affiliated with the company, where she has been leading a hefty schedule of classes for 15 years. And the aches and pains that come with age have taken their toll, she said.

Although Balanchine never choreographed a role for her, Ms. Kistler danced central parts in most of his creations, including “Agon,” “Apollo,” “Symphony in C,” “Concerto Barocco” and “Vienna Waltzes.” She interpreted roles created for her by Jerome Robbins and her husband, Peter Martins, New York City Ballet’s ballet master in chief Ms. Kistler was born in Riverside, Calif., the only daughter and youngest of five children, and studied early on with Irina Kosmovska in Los Angeles.