Black Sabbath Finally Tops Billboard

Black Sabbath and megastar lead singer Ozzy Osbourne are now at #1 on the Billboard album chart for the first time ever, and the heavy metal band is in total shock.

Black Sabbath's new album, 13, has now made music history.  Neither the band nor Ozzy Osbourne ever had a number one album on the charts before in 43 years.

Metalheads around the world are beyond ecstatic upon hearing the surprising news.

Osbourne, the Godfather of Heavy Metal, is pinching himself after finally reaching the #1 album position on Billboard at age 64.

"I'm in shock!" exclaimed L.A. resident Ozzy Osbourne.  "The success of this album has blown me off my feet. We've never had a record climb the charts so fast."

Wife Sharon Osbourne, daughter Kelly Osbourne, son Jack Osbourne and the Osbourne grandchildren are cheering-on Grandpa Ozzy and Black Sabbath during their album's smashing success.

Many within the youth-oriented music industry have their mouths hanging agape in utter shock and disbelief at seeing Black Sabbath's new album at the top of the Billboard Top 200 chart.

The stunning upset comes immediately after 13 topped the UK album charts, so to say that Black Sabbath is back would be a supreme understatement.

When the rock band announced plans for a reunion, an album and a world tour 19 months ago from the Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, the band did not imagine hitting #1 in their golden years.

Today, Ozzy Osbourne and Black Sabbath (formerly called a 'classic rock' band) have certainly done just that, making senior citizen music fans shed tears of pride and joy.

Watch the following music video for Black Sabbath's new hit song, "God is Dead?"  Older and wiser today, the band placed that question mark in the song title on purpose.

Both song and video are perhaps the best social commentary of 2013, packed with keen observations on the current state of the world --- and an open admission that God is indeed NOT DEAD.

The obligatory shock-title and psychedelic imagery effectively make way for some profound depth while wondering if religion is getting in between God and humanity.

Black Sabbath | 13 | God is Dead?

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Men's Wearhouse Fires George Zimmer

Men's Wearhouse Inc. has fired founder George Zimmer as executive chairman after arguments with company CEO Doug Ewert over the bearded pitchman's "lack of appeal" to younger buyers.

George Zimmer, 64, had also experienced a difference of opinions with Ewert on whether to sell the K&G Superstores discount clothing chain, as well as the buy-back of stock and other heated issues.

Zimmer opened the first Men's Wearhouse in Houston 40 years ago, and the retail clothing corporation has enjoyed great success.  That does not matter, apparently, as the company has now terminated its aging founder and longtime advertising icon.

Men's Wearhouse happily reported that its fiscal first-quarter profit increased by an impressive 23 percent, which came on the back of the iconic phrase, "You're going to like the way you look. I guarantee it."

However, the profitable clothing retailer legally owns the rights to George Zimmer's commercial images.  In theory, Zimmer's distinguished face and famous tagline could be recycled without the founder even being alive.

The Houston-based company now wants to appeal to young "millennial" clothing buyers, so bye-bye, grandpa.

George Zimmer does not like the way the corporate death panel looks:

"Over the last 40 years, I have built The Men's Wearhouse into a multi-billion dollar company with amazing employees and loyal customers who value the products and service they receive at The Men's Wearhouse," Zimmer declared.

"Over the past several months I have expressed my concerns to the Board about the direction the company is currently heading. Instead of fostering the kind of dialogue in the Boardroom that has, in part, contributed to our success, the Board has inappropriately chosen to silence my concerns by terminating me as an executive officer," Zimmer added.

George Zimmer was born in New York City to a Jewish family in 1948.  He earned his Economics degree from Washington University in St. Louis before helping his father in the clothing manufacturing business.

Zimmer and his college buddies opened the first Men's Wearhouse store in 1973 with a cigar box in lieu of a cash register after operating out of a van.

George Zimmer starved and sweated for every penny he earned.

Now the successful Men's Wearhouse founder has been unceremoniously tossed out with yesterday's garbage as a senior citizen with a now-uncertain future.

How disrespectful, shameful and foolish.

Many wonder if George Zimmer's abrupt firing had anything to do with his financial support of California's Proposition 19, the 2010 statewide ballot initiative to legalize marijuana.

If so, that would be difficult to justify to young "millennial" male customers.

If George Zimmer is no longer at Men's Wearhouse to guarantee that we'll like the way we look, then all bets are off.  "We guarantee it."

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James Gandolfini Death

James Gandolfini has died at age 51, leaving fans in shock and mourning for the actor best known as Tony Soprano in the HBO TV series, "The Sopranos."

James Gandolfini won multiple Emmy awards and Screen Actors Guild awards for his portrayal of New Jersey mafia boss Tony Soprano from 1999 to 2007.

A television, film and Broadway actor, James Joseph Gandolfini, Jr. was born on September 18, 1961 in Westwood, New Jersey.  Now Tony Soprano dies along with the Hollywod actor who made him a global icon.

James Gandolfini's cause of death was coronary heart failure while preparing for a film festival in Sicily, according to doctors who pronounced the actor dead in Italy.  A full autopsy and toxicology report are pending.

Gandolfini is survived by wife Deborah Lin Gandolfini, son Michael and daughter Liliana, along with countless friends and fans who mourn the death of James Gandolfini.

James Gandolfini 1961-2013

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Johnny Rockets Diners Sold

Johnny Rockets, the California hamburger restaurant chain, has been sold.

Orange County's Johnny Rockets Restaurant Group Inc. has sold its post-WWII diner-themed chain to a Sun Capital Partners affiliate for $128 million, according to a restaurant industry source in Southern California.

The sale of the Johnny Rockets business was announced by advisory firm North Point Advisors of San Francisco.

Billionaire Washington Redskins owner Dan Snyder, 48, and his company, Red Zone Capital Management Co., sold the Johnny Rockets burger chain after only six years of ownership.

Just months ago, Red Zone sold its interest in Dick Clark Productions of Santa Monica for $175 million after only five years of ownership.

Johnny Rockets was founded by Ronn Teitelbaum in Los Angeles in the summer of 1986 with the original hamburger diner located on trendy Melrose Avenue.

The company now has more than 300 restaurant locations, including franchises at Knott's Berry Farm and Six Flags amusement parks, at Yankee Stadium and FedEx Field, and on Royal Caribbean cruise ships.

Johnny Rockets and corporate CEO John Fuller have been famously featured on the hit TV show, "Undercover Boss."

Sun Capital Partners bought Johnny Rockets to minimize expenses, maximize profit and further expand the popular restaurant chain internationally.

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Cher Rocks 'The Voice'

Cher sang her new hit song "Woman's World" on the TV season finale of "The Voice."  Cher looked hot in a goth costume and punk hairstyle as the audience cheered wildly for the music diva.

"The Voice" crowned the show's Season 4 winner, Danielle Bradbury, and the young champion singer was awed to share the same stage with Cher, the Goddess of Pop, exclaiming, "I'm so thankful.  I'm sorry.  I'm speechless."

Also wowing the TV audience on "The Voice" was superstar Pitbull with former judge Christina Aguilera, the stunning singer who co-starred with Cher in the smash Hollywood movie, Burlesque.

Cher was the TV show's hands-down highlight, though, looking every inch the unmitigated megastar she is in all her eye-popping glory.

The entertainment legend's electro-dance performance of "Woman's World" ended with explosions of pink fog to match the pink highlights in her mohawk-ish hairdo.  So totally Cher!

Not that Cher emphasized it, but her vocal performance on "The Voice" commemorated the 50th anniversary of Cher's first L.A. recording session as a backup singer on the classic megahit song "Be My Baby" by The Ronettes in 1963.

Famously, Cher went on to international teenage superstardom, and The Beatles were her opening act.  Not bad for a native California girl from El Centro.

In 2013, Cher doesn't even look like she's 50 years old yet --- and she never will, babe.  She is the undisputed Queen of Californiality.

Crank up the volume and watch Cher singing "Woman's World" on "The Voice" in the following video.

CHER IS BACK!

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Digg Reader Launches June 26

Google Reader will shut down on July 1, but Digg Reader will debut on June 26 to satisfy users' RSS feed read need.

Digg.com announced the launch of Digg Reader as a work-in-progress by saying, "RSS aggregation is a hard thing to do at scale, and we want to make sure the experience is as fast and reliable as possible."

There was much weeping and gnashing of teeth when Google announced the impending death of Google Reader, the free RSS feed organizing tool used by millions of Internet users around the world.

Can you Digg it?

Digg.com said the business will make it as easy as possible to migrate users' existing feeds from Google Reader to Digg Reader, which will feature a mobile app and sharing options.

Ironically, Digg held juicy talks with Google five years ago for a $200 million acquisition plan that never panned out amid a ton of buzz.

Digg.com, the popular social news website founded in San Francisco, was sold last year to other parties including venture capitalists at Betaworks, who invite all Google Reader users to try Digg Reader on June 26.

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