LVMH TO ACQUIRE BULGARI

FRENCH LUXURY GROUP LVMH HAS AGREED TO BUY ROME BASED LUXURY JEWELER BULGARI SPA IN A CASH AND SHARES DEAL WORTH 4.3 BILLION EUROS. THE DEAL WILL SEE BULGARI'S FOUNDING FAMILY BECOME THE SECOND LARGEST FAMILY SHAREHOLDERS IN LVHM BEHIND THAT OF CHIEF EXECUTIVE BERNARD ARNAULT. LVHM ALSO ANNOUNCED A TENDER OFFER OF 12.25 EUROS PER SHARE TO ACQUIRE THE REMAINING SHARES OF BULGARI, A 61 PERCENT PREMIUM OVER WHERE THEY WERE TRADING BEFORE THE ANNOUNCEMENT.

COLOUR FOR 2011 PANTONE® 18-2120 HONEYSUCKLE

EACH DECEMBER, PANTONE, THE GLOBAL AUTHORITY ON COLOUR AND PROVIDER OF PROFESSIONAL COLOUR STANDARDS FOR THE DESIGN INDUSTRY, CHOOSES THEIR COLOUR FOR THE NEXT YEAR. THE CHOICE FOR 2009 WAS SUNNY MIMOSA YELLOW AND 2010 SAW TURQUOISE ASCEND TO THE THRONE. TURQUOISE SEEMED TO BE PARTICULARLY POPULAR SHOWING UP BOTH IN FASHION AND HOME DECOR. PANTONE ANNOUNCED PANTONE® 18-2120 HONEYSUCKLE AS THE COLOUR OF THE YEAR FOR 2011. HONEYSUCKLE IS A REDDISH PINK. LEATRICE EISEMAN, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE PANTONE COLOUR INSTITUTE SAYS THAT 'HONEYSUCKLE DERIVES ITS POSITIVE QUALITIES FROM A POWERFUL BOND TO ITS MOTHER RED, THE MOST PHYSICAL, VISCERALLY ALIVE HUE IN THE SPECTRUM.' WHEN WORN BY MEN AND WOMEN THE COLOUR IMPARTS A HEALTHY GLOW AND IT CAN ADD A BIT OF FLAIR TO INTERIOR SPACES. HONEYSUCKLE IS ONE OF NEARLY 200 PANTONE COLOURS AVAILABLE FROM DESSY, A LEADING MANUFACTURER OF BRIDESMAID, SOCIAL-OCCASION AND FLOWER-GIRL DRESSES. IT IS ALSO AVAILABLE IN PAINT.

MOHAMED FAYED ADMITS TO BURNING ROYAL WARRANTS

MOHAMED FAYED, THE FORMER OWNER OF HARRODS, HAS RECENTLY DISCLOSED THAT HE BURNED THE ROYAL WARRANTS AFTER THEY WERE REMOVED FROM THE FOUR CORNERS OF THE LONDON DEPARTMENT STORE. THE EGYPTIAN TYCOON, WHO STEPS DOWN AS HONORARY CHAIRMAN OF HARRODS IN NOVEMBER AFTER SELLING THE COMPANY TO THE QATARI ROYAL FAMILY FOR £1.5 BILLION, CLAIMED THAT THE WARRANTS HAD PUT A 'CURSE' ON THE STORE. IN A LETTER TO THE SUNDAY TELEGRAPH, HE WROTE: 'I ORDERED THEIR REMOVAL. LATER, I HAD THEM BURNED. THEY WERE A CURSE AND BUSINESS TRIPLED FOLLOWING THEIR REMOVAL.' THE WARRANTS, FROM THE QUEEN; THE DUKE OF EDINBURGH; THE LATE QUEEN ELIZABETH, THE QUEEN MOTHER; AND THE PRINCE OF WALES, WERE TAKEN DOWN IN 2000. THEY HAD BEEN DISPLAYED SINCE THE LATE QUEEN MOTHER FIRST GAVE HER APPROVAL IN 1938. THE DUKE HAD WRITTEN TO THE BUSINESSMAN FIVE MONTHS EARLIER TO INFORM HIM THAT HE WOULD NOT BE RENEWING HIS WARRANT AFTER 40 YEARS BECAUSE HE NO LONGER PATRONIZED THE KNIGHTSBRIDGE SHOP. HE HAD BEEN ACCUSED BY FAYED IN COURT OF MASTERMINDING THE DEATHS OF THE TYCOON'S SON DODI AND DIANA, PRINCESS OF WALES, IN A CAR CRASH IN 1997. IN HIS LETTER, FAYED, ALSO CALLS FOR THE STORE'S NEW OWNERS, WHO ENJOY CLOSE LINKS TO THE BRITISH ROYAL FAMILY, TO RETAIN THE TWO MEMORIALS THAT HE ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF HIS SON AND THE LATE PRINCESS. ACCORDING TO SEVERAL NEWS SOURCES THE QATARIS ARE CONSIDERING THEIR REMOVAL. 'UNLESS AND UNTIL THIS COUNTRY GIVES THE PRINCESS THE THANKS AND DEVOTION SHE DESERVES IN THE FORM OF FITTING PUBLIC MEMORIAL, THIS STATUE, INNOCENT VICTIMS, SHOULD REMAIN TO REMIND THE WORLD OF WHAT WAS LOST WHEN TWO YOUNG PEOPLE, ON THE BRINK OF HAPPINESS TOGETHER, WERE KILLED', HE WROTE. THE OUTSPOKEN TYCOON DID NOT SAY WHETHER HE HAD BEEN GIVEN ANY REASSURANCES BY THE QATARIS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE BRONZE STATUE, WHICH WAS ERECTED IN 2005 AND DEPICTS THE PAIR RAISING THEIR HANDS TO A SEAGULL. HE CLAIMS, HOWEVER: 'I BELIEVE THE NEW OWNERS OF HARRODS REGARD IT WITH THE SAME REVERENCE AS THE THOUSANDS WHO VISIT IT EVERY WEEK.' A SECOND MEMORIAL, WHICH WAS UNVEILED IN 1998, CONSISTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE PAIR BEHIND A PYRAMID-SHAPED DISPLAY THAT HOLDS A WINE GLASS STILL SMUDGED WITH LIPSTICK FROM THE PRINCESS'S LAST DINNER, AS WELL AS A RING FAYED'S SON PURCHASED FOR HER THE DAY BEFORE THEY DIED DURING A VISIT TO PARIS. HELEN BOWMAN, OF ENGLISH HERITAGE, SAID THAT ALTHOUGH HARRODS WAS IN A LISTED BUILDING, THE MEMORIALS COULD BE LEGALLY REMOVED. SHE SAID: 'THESE ARE TEMPORARY STRUCTURES, AND, AS MUCH, WERE NOT PART OF THE ORIGINAL ASSESSMENT OF THE BUILDING'S ARCHITECTURAL AND HISTORIC MERIT. WE APPRECIATE, HOWEVER, THAT THERE MAY BE AFFECTION FOR THEM.'

SCIENTISTS TO ASSESS CONDITION OF TITANIC

A TEAM OF SCIENTISTS WILL LAUNCH AN EXPEDITION TO THE TITANIC NEXT MONTH TO ASSESS THE DETERIORATING CONDITION OF THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS SHIPWRECK AND CREATE A DETAILED THREE-DIMENSIONAL MAP THAT WILL 'VIRTUALLY RAISE THE TITANIC' FOR THE PUBLIC. THE EXPEDITION TO THE SITE 2½ MILES BENEATH THE NORTH ATLANTIC IS BILLED AS THE MOST ADVANCED SCIENTIFIC MISSION TO THE TITANIC WRECK SINCE ITS DISCOVERY 25 YEARS AGO. THE 20 DAY EXPEDITION IS TO LEAVE ST JOHN'S NEWFOUNDLAND UNDER A PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN RMS TITANIC INC WHICH HAS EXCLUSIVE SALVAGE RIGHTS TO THE WRECK, AND THE WOODS HOLE OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION IN MASSACHUSETTS. THE EXPEDITION WILL NOT COLLECT ARTIFACTS BUT WILL PROBE A 2 BY 3 MILE DEBRIS FIELD WHERE HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF ARTIFACTS REMAIN SCATTERED. ORGANIZERS SAY THE NEW SCIENTIFIC DATA AND IMAGES WILL ULTIMATELY BE ACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC. THE TITANIC STRUCK ICE AND SANK ON ITS MAIDEN VOYAGE IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS ON 15.APRIL.1912, LEAVING 1,522 PEOPLE DEAD. SINCE OCEANOGRAPHER ROBERT BALLARD AND AN INTERNATIONAL TEAM DISCOVERED THE TITANIC IN 1985, MOST OF THE EXPEDITIONS HAVE EITHER BEEN TO PHOTOGRAPH THE WRECK OR GATHER THOUSANDS OF ARTIFACTS, LIKE FINE CHINA, SHOES AND SHIP FITTINGS. RMS TITANIC MADE THE LAST EXPEDITION TO THE SITE IN 2004. THE COMPANY, A SUBSIDIARY OF PREMIER EXHIBITIONS INC OF ATLANTA, CONDUCTS TRAVELING DISPLAYS OF THE TITANIC ARTIFACTS, WHICH THE COMPANY SAYS HAVE BEEN VIEWED BY TEN MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WORLDWIDE.

RIVIERA HOTEL & CASINO FILES FOR BANKRUPTCY

THE OWNER OF THE RIVIERA HOTEL & CASINO ON THE LAS VEGAS STRIP HAS RECENTLY FILED FOR BANKRUPTCY PROTECTION. RIVIERA HOLDINGS CORP FILED CHAPTER 11 UNDER A PRE-NEGOTIATED DEAL THAT WILL END UP TRANSFERRING THE OWNERSHIP OF THE COMPANY TO SECURED LENDERS. THE REORGANIZATION PLAN HAS THE APPROVAL OF A MAJORITY OF THE LENDERS HOLDING PARTS IN IT'S NEARLY $248 MILLION IN DEBT. THE RECENT FILING HAS NO IMPACT ON THE DAY TO DAY RUNNING OF THE RIVIERA HOTEL AND CASINO IN LAS VEGAS AND THE RIVIERA IN BLACK HAWK, COLORADO WHICH REMAIN OPEN. RIVIERA HOLDINGS LOST $4.5 MILLION AS REVENUE FELL IN THE FIRST QUARTER. WHILE ROOM OCCUPANCY WAS UP, THE AVERAGE ROOM RATE IS LAS VEGAS CONTINUED TO FALL AS THE HOTEL COMPETED WITH OTHER VENUES IN THE CITY WHICH ALSO HAVE BEEN DROPPING THEIR PRICES. LIKE MANY LAS VEGAS PROPERTIES, THE RIVIERA HAS BEEN AFFECTED BY THE DROP IN TOURISM. THE PROPERTY ITSELF HAS ALSO SUFFERED BECAUSE OF ITS NORTH STRIP LOCATION. MANY OF THE CASINOS ON THE NORTHERN END OF THE STRIP HAVE BEEN TORN DOWN OR SOLD TO MAKE WAY FOR NEW BIGGER AND MORE OUTRAGEOUS RESORTS LEAVING UNATTRACTIVE GAPS ALONG THE GLITTERING BOULEVARD.

UPS TRUCK CRASHES INTO HIRSHHORN MUSEUM'S FACADE

THE HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN MADE AN UNINTENTIONAL ACQUISITION LAST NIGHT WHEN A UPS TRUCK VEERED FROM THE STREET, BREAKING THROUGH CEMENT PLANTERS PLACED OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING AND CRASHING INTO THE GLASS-FRONTED LOBBY OF THE ICONIC WASHINGTON DC INSTITUTION. THE DRIVER HAD BEEN TRAVELING PAST THE MUSEUM ON INDEPENDENCE AVENUE SW, THE STREET THAT RUNS PAST THE CAPITAL'S TOURIST HEAVY MUSEUM DISTRICT ON THE WASHINGTON MALL, WHEN THE DRIVER 'SUFFERED SOME KIND OF MEDICAL CONDITION, WE DON'T KNOW WHAT IT WAS, AND LOST CONTROL OF THE TRUCK' AROUND 8.30pm, A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE MUSEUM SAID IN A RECENT OVERVIEW. BEFORE STRIKING THE MUSEUM, TRAVELING ABOUT A FOOT OR SO THROUGH THE LOBBY'S EXTERIOR, THE UPS TRUCK PASSED BETWEEN CLAUS OLDENBURG'S 1791 SCULPTURE GEOMETRIC MOUSE AND JIM SANDBORN'S 1997 COPPER AND PETRIFIED WOOD SCULPTURE ANTIPODES, WHICH STAND IN THE BUILDING'S COURTYARD. THE DRIVER WAS TAKEN TO AN AREA HOSPITAL WITH 'SERIOUS BUT NOT LIFE-THREATENING INJURIES'. BECAUSE THE HIRSHHORN IA A FEDERAL BUILDING, THE METROPOLITAN POLICE'S SQUAD WAS CALLED IN TO CLEAR THE AREA AND SCREEN THE PACKAGES IN THE UPS TRUCK, BUT NO SUSPICIOUS MATERIAL WAS FOUND. 'THE ONLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION WE HAD THAT THERE WAS A FUEL SPILL FRO THE TRUCK, BUT WE CLEANED THAT UP', THE MUSEUM SPOKESPERSON SAID. AS OF TUESDAY AFTERNOON PLYWOOD WAS COVERING THE DAMAGED SITE ON THE MUSEUM'S FACADE, BUT THE LOBBY WAS OPEN TO VISITORS.

SWEDISH ROYAL ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN CALLED OFF

A SWEDISH ROYAL ENGAGEMENT HAS BEEN CALLED OFF AFTER A STUDENT STUDYING IN BOURNEMOUTH CLAIMED SHE HAD A BRIEF AFFAIR WITH THE GROOM TO BE. JONAS BERGSTROM HAD BEEN ENGAGED TO PRINCESS MADELEINE OF SWEDEN, 27, AFTER A ROMANCE SPANNING EIGHT YEARS. BUT THE 31 YEAR OLD LAWYER CHEATED ON HER WITH A BEAUTIFUL NORWEGIAN STUDENT STUDYING AT ARTS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE IN THE SEASIDE RESORT, DURING A SKI TRIP WITH FRIENDS. AFTER TORA UPPSTROM BERG REVEALED THEIR AFFAIR TO A MAGAZINE, THE ROYAL PALACE IN STOCKHOLM ANNOUNCED THAT THE ENGAGEMENT WAS OVER. PRINCESS MADELEINE FLED TO NEW YORK FOR 'PEACE AND QUIET' TO RECOVER FROM THE SHOCK OF HER FIANCE'S BETRAYAL. THE SCANDAL IS THE LATEST TO SHAKE THE SWEDISH MONARCHY. MADELEINE'S BROTHER PRINCE CARL PHILIP IS DATING A TOPLESS REALITY TV SHOW MODEL. THE COUNTRY IS PREPARING FOR THE WEDDING OF MADELEINE'S OLDER SISTER CROWN PRINCESS VICTORIA TO THE OWNER OF A HEALTH CLUB IN JUNE. PRINCESS MADELEINE, WHO IS THIRD IN LINE TO THE THRONE AFTER HER SISTER AND BROTHER, SHARED AN APARTMENT IN STOCKHOLM WITH HER FIANCE. HE PROPOSED TO HER ON THE ISLAND OF CAPRI LAST AUGUST. NO DATE HAD BEEN SET FOR THEIR WEDDING BUT IT WAS WIDELY EXPECTED TO BE ANNOUNCED IN THE SUMMER. FOR THREE DAYS AFTER THE SCANDAL BROKE THE PALACE REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE COUPLE HAD ANY PROBLEMS. BUT ON SATURDAY MADELEINE TOOK OFF HER ENGAGEMENT RING, BOARDED A FLIGHT FOR THE US AND A STATEMENT CONFIRMED THEY HAD SPLIT. 'THEY HAVE DECIDED THAT THE BEST FOR THEM IS TO GO THEIR SEPARATE WAYS', THE PALACE SAID. THE ROYAL COURT ASKED FOR THE MEDIA TO LEAVE THE PRINCESS AND HER FORMER FIANCE ALONE. 'THEY NEED PEACE AND QUIET IN THIS DIFFICULT SITUATION. THE HEAVY COVERAGE DOES NOT EASE THE SITUATION FOR THEM', IT SAID, ADDING IT WOULD NOT COMMENT FURTHER ON THE ISSUE. THE PRINCESS, WHOSE FULL TITLE IS MADELEINE THERESE AMELIE JOSEPHINE, PRINCESS OF SWEDEN, DUCHESS OF HALSINGLAND AND GASTRIKLAND, WILL SPEND A FEW WEEKS IN NEW YORK. INSIDERS SAID SHE WOULD TRY TO OVERCOME HER MISERY BY THROWING HERSELF INTO HER WORK FOR THE WORLD CHILDHOOD FOUNDATION.

NEW $100 BILL REVEALED

DUE TO BE RELEASED 10.FEBRUARY.2011 THE AMERICAN $100 BILL HAS HAD A STUNNING NEW MAKEOVER, TO DETER THE PROLIFERATION OF COUNTERFEITING, AND IS FULL OF NEW AND HIDDEN FEATURES. 'AS WITH PREVIOUS US CURRENCY REDESIGNS, THIS NOTE INCORPORATES THE BEST TECHNOLOGY AVAILABLE TO ENSURE WE'RE STAYING AHEAD OF COUNTERFEITERS', SAID SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY TIM GEITHNER. 'WHAT'S ESPECIALLY NICE IS THAT WITH THIS NEW HUNDRED DOLLAR BILL, YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE AN EXPERT TO SEE IF YOU'RE BEING FOOLED.' FOR EXAMPLE, THERE'S A NEW BLUE RIBBON EMBEDDED IN THE BILL. THAT'S A '3-D SECURITY RIBBON', WITH BELLS AND 100s THAT MOVE AND CHANGE BACK AND FORTH LIKE A HOLOGRAM. THERE'S ALSO A BELL IN THE INKWELL ON THE BILL FRONT WHICH CAN BARLEY BEE SEEN, IT CHANGES COLOUR FROM COPPER TO GREEN WHEN THE BILL IS TILTED FORWARD. AND THE FINAL TOUCH IS A DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE WATERMARK PORTRAIT OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 'THE ADVANCED SECURITY FEATURES WE'VE INCLUDED IN THE NEW $100 NOTE WILL HINDER POTENTIAL COUNTERFEITERS FROM PRODUCING HIGH-QUALITY FAKES THAT CAN DECEIVE CONSUMERS AND MERCHANTS', SAID LARRY R FELIX, DIRECTOR OF THE TREASURY'S BUREAU OF ENGRAVING AND PRINTING. ADDITIONAL NEW FEATURES INCLUDE PHRASES FROM THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE, A BIG QUILL AND A VIGNETTE OF THE REAR OF INDEPENDENCE HALL ON THE BACK.

ELIZABETH TAYLOR REFUSES ANY MORE SURGERY

AFTER MORE THAN 100 OPERATIONS IN THE LAST QUARTER OF A CENTURY, ELIZABETH TAYLOR HAS FINALLY HAD ENOUGH. THE ICONIC HOLLYWOOD LEGEND, 78, HAS REPORTEDLY TOLD FAMILY AND FRIENDS THAT SHE DOESN'T WANT TO GO UNDER THE KNIFE ANYMORE, DESPITE SUFFERING FROM CRIPPLING BACK AND NECK PAIN. TAYLOR HAS STRUGGLED WITH HEALTH PROBLEMS FOR MOST OF HER LIFE AND HAS ALREADY BEEN ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL IN LOS ANGELES THREE TIMES THIS YEAR. NOW VIRTUALLY CONFINED TO A WHEELCHAIR, SHE IS SAID TO FEEL 'TO TIRED AND WEAK' TO UNDERGO ANY FURTHER SURGERY. THE LONDON-BORN ACTRESS HAS SURVIVED NUMEROUS BRUSHES WITH DEATH AND DEFIED MORTALITY PREDICTIONS ABOUT HER FUTURE ON COUNTLESS TIMES. SHE WAS ONCE QUOTED AS SAYING: 'I ENTER HOSPITALS AS OFTEN AS OTHERS ENTER TAXI CABS.' SHE HAS HAD BOTH HIPS REPLACED AND FIVE OPERATIONS ON HER BACK. HER LONG LIST OF MEDICAL PROBLEMS ALSO INCLUDE A BRAIN TUMOR, SKIN CANCER, DIABETES, PNEUMONIA, SEIZURES AND A STROKE. SHE HAD A RISKY HEART PROCEDURE LAST OCTOBER TO TREAT HER CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE, A PROGRESSIVE CONDITION IN WHICH THE HEART IS TOO WEAK TO PIMP SUFFICIENT BLOOD AROUND THE BODY. SHE IS SAID TO BE CRIPPLED WITH OSTEOPOROSIS, A DISEASE THAT LEAVES BONES WEAK AND EASILY BROKEN. AND FRIENDS SAT SHE IS STILL SUFFERING EXCRUCIATING NECK PAIN AS A RESULT OF HER LIFELONG BATTLE WITH SCOLIOSIS, OR CURVATURE OF THE SPINE. 'SOME MORNINGS HER NECK IS IN SUCH ACUTE PAIN SHE IS BARELY ABLE TO LIFT HER HEAD', SAID ONE REPORT. DESPITE THE AGONY, HOWEVER, SHE IS SAID THIS WEEK TO HAVE SPURNED DOCTORS' PLEAS TO HAVE CORRECTIVE SURGERY. THE ACTRESS, WHO HAS BEEN MARRIED EIGHT TIMES, LIVES ALONE IN LOS ANGELES. SOURCES CLAIMED THAT TAYLOR WAS SO DEPRESSED SHE SPENT HER 78th BIRTHDAY ALONE LAST MONTH WITH HER STAFF AT HER PLANTATION-STYLE MANSION. THE OSCAR-WINNER FOUND FAME AT JUST 12 IN NATIONAL VELVET. ALTHOUGH THE FILM WAS THE SPRINGBOARD OF HER CAREER, IT WAS ALSO THE START OF HER CHRONIC BACK PAIN AFTER SHE FELL OF A HORSE DURING FILMING. SHE WENT ON TO STAR IN CLASSICS SUCH AS TAMING OF THE SHREW, CAT ON A HOT TIN ROOF AND CLEOPATRA. UNTIL NOW, SHE HAS MANAGED TO BOUNCE BACK FROM HER HEALTH PROBLEMS. AND AFTER A TRIP TO HOSPITAL IN LOS ANGELES LAST JULY, SOON AFTER THE DEATH OF HER CLOSE FRIEND MICHAEL JACKSON SHE REPORTED ON HER TWITTER PAGE: 'I'M HOME FROM HOSPITAL SORE, BUT INTACT. OF COURSE, I'M STILL GRIEVING FOR MICHAEL. I ALWAYS WILL. BUT AS I SAID BEFORE I WENT INTO HOSPITAL, 'I AM A SURVIVOR'

I SPY STAR ROBERT CULP DIES AT AGE 79

ACTOR ROBERT CULP HAS DIED AFTER COLLAPSING OUTSIDE HIS HOLLYWOOD HOME YESTERDAY. THE STAR, WHO TEAMED WITH BILL COSBY IN THE RACIALLY GROUNDBREAKING TV SERIES I SPY AND APPEARED AS ROB IN THE CRITICALLY ACCLAIMED SEX COMEDY BOB & CAROL & TED & ALICE, WAS TAKEN TO HOSPITAL BUT WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD UPON ARRIVAL, HE WAS 79. HIS MANAGER, HILLARD ELKINS, SAID THE ACTOR HAD BEEN ON A WALK WHEN HE FELL. THE ACTOR'S SON WAS TOLD HE DIED OF A HEART ATTACK, ELKINS SAID, THOUGH POLICE WERE UNSURE IF THE FALL WAS MEDICALLY RELATED. LOS ANGELES POLICE LT ROBERT BINDER SAID NO FOUL PLAY WAS SUSPECTED. BINDER SAID A JOGGER FOUND CULP, WHO APPARENTLY FELL AND STRUCK HIS HEAD. CULP HAD BEEN WORKING ON WRITING SCREENPLAYS, ELKINS SAID.

I SPY, WHICH AIRED FROM 1965 TO 1968, WAS A TELEVISION MILESTONE IN MORE WAY THAN ONE. ITS COMBINATION OF HUMOR AND ADVENTURE BROKE NEW GROUND, AND IT WAS THE FIRST INTEGRATED TELEVISION SHOW TO FEATURE A BLACK ACTOR IN A STARRING ROLE. CULP PLAYED KELLY ROBINSON, A SPY WHOSE COVER WAS THAT OF AN ACE TENNIS PLAYER. IN REAL LIFE, CULP ACTUALLY WAS A TOP-NOTCH TENNIS PLAYER WHO SHOWED HIS SKILLS IN NUMEROUS CELEBRITY TOURNAMENTS. COSBY WAS FELLOW SPY ALEXANDER SCOTT, WHOSE COVER WAS THAT OF CULP'S TRAINER. THE PAIR TRAVELED THE WORLD IN THE SERVICE OF THE US GOVERNMENT. THE SERIES GREATLY ADVANCED THE CAREERS OF BOTH ACTORS. CULP ALSO HAD STARRING ROLES IN SUCH FILMS AS THE CASTAWAY COWBOY, GOLDEN GIRL, TURK 182!, AND BIG BAD MAMA II. MORE RECENTLY, HE APPEARED IN THE VIDEO FOR EMINEM'S 1999 HIT SINGLE, GUILTY CONSCIENCE. HIS TEAMING WITH COSBY, HOWEVER, WAS PROBABLY HIS BEST REMEMBERED ROLE.

WAL-MART INVESTIGATES UNPRECEDENTED ANNOUNCEMENT

POLICE BEGAN A RACE HATE CRIME INVESTIGATION RECENTLY AFTER AN ANNOUNCEMENT WAS BROADCAST AT A WAL-MART SUPERSTORE IN NEW JERSEY ORDERING 'BLACK PEOPLE' TO GET OUT. A MAN'S VOICE WAS HEARD CALMLY SAYING OVER THE PUBLIC ADDRESS SYSTEM: 'ATTENTION WAL-MART CUSTOMERS, ALL BLACK PEOPLE LEAVE THE STORE NOW'. THE UNUSUAL DEMAND CAUSED AN OUTCRY AMONG SHOPPERS AT THE STORE IN WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP. OFFICIALS AT WAL-MART, WHICH IS AMERICA'S LARGEST STORE CHAIN, WERE REVIEWING SECURITY TAPES TRYING TO DISCOVER WHO HIJACKED THE INTERCOM TO MAKE THE OFFENSIVE MESSAGE. DETECTIVES WHO ARE INVESTIGATING THE INCIDENT BELIEVE A RACIST EMPLOYEE MAY BE RESPONSIBLE. WITNESSES TOLD THE COURIER-POST NEWSPAPER THAT CUSTOMERS AND STORE EMPLOYEES LOOKED STUNNED AND SHOCKED. MANAGEMENT LATER APOLOGIZED. A COMPANY SPOKESPERSON SAID THAT THE INCIDENT WAS 'UNACCEPTABLE', AND WILL BE LOOKING AT WAYS TO PREVENT IT FROM HAPPENING IN THE FUTURE. WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP AND THE GLOUCESTER PROSECUTOR'S OFFICE ALSO ARE INVESTIGATING. WAL-MART OFFICIALLY APOLOGIZED FOR THE 'UNACCEPTABLE' INCIDENT, BUT SHOPPER SHEILA ELLINGTON, WHO WAS IN THE STORE WHEN THE ANNOUNCEMENT WAS AIRED, HAS VOWED SHE WILL NEVER RETURN. 'IN 2010, I WANT TO KNOW WHY SUCH STATEMENTS ARE BEING MADE. IT FLIES IN THE FACE OF WHAT WE TEACH OUR KIDS, AND THAT'S TOLERANCE', SHE SAID.

MISSION IMMPOSSIBLE STAR PETER GRAVES DIES, AGED 83

Airplane! and Mission Impossible actor Peter Graves dies, aged 83
PETER GRAVES, STAR OF THE TELEVISION SERIES MISSION IMPOSSIBLE AND THE AIRPLANE! FILMS, HAS DIED. GRAVES' PUBLICIST, SANDY BROKAW, SAID THE ACTOR DIED SHORTLY AFTER RETURNING TO HIS LOS ANGELES HOME FROM BRUNCH WITH HIS FAMILY. HE WAS 83. THE ACTOR BEST KNOWN FOR HIS PORTRAYAL OF JIM PHELPS, LEADER OF A GANG OF SPECIAL AGENTS WHO BATTLED EVIL CONSPIRATORS IN THE LONG-RUNNING TELEVISION SERIES MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE.
NORMALLY CAST AS A HERO, HE TURNED IN AN UNFORGETTABLE PERFORMANCE EARLY IN HIS CAREER AS THE TREACHEROUS NAZI SPY IN BILLY WILDER'S 1953 PRISONER OF WAR DRAMA STALAG 17. HE ALSO MASTERFULLY LAMPOONED HIS MACHISMO IMAGE WHEN HE PORTRAYED BUMBLING AIRLINE PILOT CLARENCE OVEUR IN THE 1980 DISASTER MOVIE SPOOF AIRLINE! GRAVES APPEARED IN MORE THAN 70 FILMS, TV SERIES AND TV MOVIES. HIS BODY WAS FOUND IN HIS HOME IN PACIFIC PALISADES SHORTLY AFTER HAVING SUNDAY BRUNCH WITH HIS FAMILY, JUST FOUR DAYS PRIOR TO HIS 84th BIRTHDAY. ACCORDING TO GRAVES' BUSINESS MANAGER, GRAVES DIED OF A HEART ATTACK.

NEW YORK CITY TO RETAIN RIGHTS TO 'TAVERN ON THE GREEN' NAME

THE RESTAURANT HAS BEEN CLOSED, THE FURNISHINGS, ARTWORKS AND MEMORABILIA HAVE BEEN SOLD OFF BUT THE TAVERN ON THE GREEN STILL LIVES ON IN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF MANY DINERS WORLDWIDE. NOW A JUDGE HAS DECIDED THAT THE CITY CAN KEEP THE 'TAVERN ON THE GREEN' NAME. THE AP RECENTLY REPORTED THAT US DISTRICT JUDGE MIRIAM GOLDMAN CEDERBAUM RULED THAT THE CITY AND NOT THE DEBT HOLDERS OF THE BANKRUPT RESTAURANT HAS THE RIGHTS TO THE NAME. THE NAME ITSELF HAS BEEN VALUED AT AN ESTIMATED $19 MILLION. A THREE-DAY SALE BY GUERNSEY'S AUCTION HOUSE IN JANUARY OFFERED MORE THAN 25,000 ITEMS WITH THE VALUES FROM $100 TO $1.2 MILLION, THE PROCEEDS OF WHICH WENT TO ERASING THE PRIOR OWNER'S $8 MILLION DEBT. THE JUDGE SAID THAT BECAUSE THE CITY HAD LICENSED THE FACILITY AND HAD A HAND IN HOW THE RESTAURANT WAS RUN, INCLUDING REGULATING THE HOURS AND MANNERS OF OPERATION, IT WAS THE OWNER OF THE NAME. LAST SUMMER THE CITY AWARDED THE LICENSE TO RESTAURATEUR DEAN POLL WHO PLANS TO OPEN A NEW RESTAURANT IN THE SPRING AFTER SPENDING $25 MILLION OF REFURBISHMENTS. LAST YEAR, RESTAURANTS AND INSTITUTIONS PLACED TAVERN ON THE GREEN SECOND IN THEIR LIST OF THE 100 HIGHEST GROSSING INDEPENDENT RESTAURANTS IN THE US WITH 2008 SALES OF OVER $34 MILLION.

LOST BOYS ACTOR COREY HAIM DIES AT 38

COREY HAIM, THE HOLLYWOOD TEEN STAR OF THE 1980s WHO BECAME FAMOUS FOR HIS STRUGGLES WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE AS HIS ACTING, HAS DIED IN LOS ANGELES OF AN APPARENT DRUG OVERDOSE, AFTER BEING FOUND UNRESPONSIVE AT HIS APARTMENT IN THE OAKWOOD AREA OF LOS ANGELES, HIS MOTHER IS THOUGHT TO HAVE CALLED THE EMERGENCY SERVICES. HE WAS 38. HAIM, WHO ROSE TO FAME ALONGSIDE FELLOW 'COREY' TEEN STAR COREY FELDMAN AND BECAME KNOWN FOR HIS HARD PARTYING WAYS, WAS TAKEN BY AMBULANCE TO ST JOSEPH'S HOSPITAL IN BURBANK, WHERE HE WAS PRONOUNCED DEAD AT 2:15am. WHILE THE LA CORONER'S OFFICE HAS YET TO CARRY OUT A POST-MORTUM, THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF FOUL PLAY. HAIM HAD FLU-LIKE SYMPTOMS BEFORE HE DIED AND WAS GETTING OVER-THE-COUNTER AND PRESCRIPTION MEDICATIONS, SGT WILLIAM MANN OF THE LAPD SAID. 'HE COULD HAVE SUCCUMBED TO WHATEVER ILLNESS HE HAD OR IT COULD HAVE BEEN DRUGS. HE HAS HAD A DRUG PROBLEM IN THE PAST.' IN THE 1980s, THE CANADIAN-BORN ACTOR HAIM FIRST CAME TO INTERNATIONAL PROMINENCE IN THE 1986 FILM 'LUCAS', ALONGSIDE CHARLIE SHEEN AND WINONA RYDER, FOLLOWED BY HIS BIGGEST HIT, CULT-CLASSIC 'THE LOST BOYS', WITH KIEFFER SUTHERLAND, JASON PATRIC AND COREY FELDMAN, AS WELL AS 'LICENSE TO DRIVE', ALSO WITH FELDMAN. BUT IN THE 90s, HE SLIPPED INTO OBSCURITY AFTER SEVERAL FILMS WENT STRAIGHT TO VIDEO WITHOUT CINEMATIC RELEASE, AND SPENT MOST OF THAT TIME PERIOD IN AND OUT OF REHAB RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR PRESCRIPTION DRUG ABUSE. HE BECAME KNOWN FOR HIS ON-SCREEN PARTNERSHIP AND OFF-SCREEN FRIENDSHIP WITH FELDMAN, WHO ALSO STRUGGLED WITH SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND THEY OFTEN WERE REFERRED TO AS 'THE TWO COREYS'. THE PAIR STARED IN A REALITY TV SERIES OF THE SAME NAME ON AMERICAN CABLE TELEVISION IN 2006, BUT IT WAS CANCELED BEFORE FINISHING THE SECOND SEASON. IN A 2007 INTERVIEW ON CNN'S 'LARRY KING LIVE', HAIM CALLED HIMSELF 'A CHRONIC RELAPSER FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE'.

OSCAR'S $91,000 CONSOLATION GIFT BASKET

AS THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS FOR TOMORROWS 82nd OSCARS CEREMONY, IT'S BECOME APPARENT THAT THIS YEAR'S ACADEMY AWARDS ARE ALMOST WORTH LOSING AS ALL THE NON-WINNING NOMINEES IN THE MAIN CATEGORIES WILL RECEIVE AN AMAZING CONSOLATION GIFT BASKET PRESENTATION DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO THEIR DOORS ON MONDAY MORNING, $91,000 WORTH OF COMPLEMENTARY ITEMS. THE STUNNING DESIGNER GIFT BASKET INCLUDES A SLEW OF TRAVEL OPPORTUNITIES, INCLUDING A PRIVATE SOUTH AFRICAN SAFARI FOR EIGHT ADULTS AND EIGHTS KIDS WORTH A STAGGERING $45,000. A $14,500 TRIP TO MONACO IS ALSO INCLUDED IN THE GIFT PRESENTATION, WITH A FOUR-NIGHT STAY IN THE HISTORIC PRINCIPALITY, AND SO IS A EXCURSION TO THE TURKS & CAICOS, WITH A PRIVATE ISLAND HOLIDAY. THERE IS A SPECIAL LEATHER SUITCASE WORTH $4,000 CREATED BY SWISS ARMY, WHICH THERE ARE ONLY 175 OF THEM AVAILABLE WORLDWIDE AND A $4,850 ONE WEEK BOOT CAMP, SLIMWARE PORTION-CONTROL PLATES AND 10 PERSONAL TRAINING SESSIONS. THE GIFT BASKET DOESN'T FORGET THE PAMPERED PETS OF THE CELEBRITIES, THERE IS A TIFFANY CRYSTAL-STUDDED COLLAR AND A FLIPCAM FOR CAT LOVERS AND FOR DOG OWNER'S, THERE'S A VOUCHER FOR A PROFESSIONAL DOG PHOTO STUDIO. FOR THE CELEBRITIES WHO REFUSE TO RECEIVE THE FREE GOODIES THEY CAN BE DONATED TO CHARITY.

LAPD APOLOGIZE TO KENNEDY FAMILY FOR CONFERENCE EXHIBIT

THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS RECENTLY APOLOGIZED TO THE FAMILY OF ROBERT F KENNEDY FOR EXHIBITING THE TIE, WHITE SHIRT AND BLACK JACKET THE SENATOR WAS WEARING WHEN HE WAS ASSASSINATED IN 1968. AFTER A COMPLAINT FROM THE FAMILY, THE LAPD REMOVED THE ITEMS FROM A DISPLAY AT A HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS CONFERENCE IN LAS VEGAS. 'THIS IS SUPPOSED TO A BE A LEARNING EXPERIENCE', POLICE CHIEF CHARLIE BECK TOLD THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. 'IT WASN'T INTENDED TO CAUSE ANYONE GRIEF OR TO BE PRURIENT OR SALACIOUS IN ANY WAY.' KENNEDY WAS SHOT IN THE HEAD BY SIRHAN SIRHAN AT THE AMBASSADOR HOTEL IN LOS ANGELES. BECK SAID IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THE CLOTHING HAD BEEN ON DISPLAY. SANDI GIBBONS, A SPOKESPERSON FOR THE LOS ANGELES COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY'S OFFICE, HAS VIEWED THE CLOTHING MANY TIMES AND SAID IT CONTAINS SPOTS THAT ARE LIKELY BLOOD. POLICE SPOKESPERSON MARY GRADY SAID THE KENNEDY FAMILY MADE THE ONLY COMPLAINT SHE WAS AWARE OF. SHE SAID THE EVIDENCE ON DISPLAY HAD ALL BEEN PRESENTED IN COURT AND WAS PART OF THE PUBLIC RECORD. PHOTOS OF MANY OF THE ITEMS HAVE BEEN POSTED ON WEB SITES, SHE SAID. OTHER ITEMS IN THE EXHIBIT ENTITLES 'BEHIND THE SCENES' INCLUDED GLOVES AND A KNIT CAP FROM THE OJ SIMPSON MURDER TRIAL AND ROPE THAT WAS TIED AROUND THE NECK OF SHARON TATE AND OTHER WEAPONS USED WHEN SEVEN PEOPLE WERE KILLED BY THE MANSON FAMILY 40 YEARS AGO. DEBRA TATE, THE SISTER OF SHARON TATE, SAID SHE AND FAMILY MEMBERS OF THE OTHER VICTIMS SHOULD HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED IN ADVANCE THAT EVIDENCE WAS GOING TO BE SHOWN. TATE PLANS TO COMPLAIN TO THE LAPD, HOWEVER, SHE SAID SHE UNDERSTANDS THE VALUE OF THE EXHIBIT. 'I UNDERSTAND USING IT AS A TEACHING TOOL AND KEEPING THE PUBLIC AWARE OF HOW HEINOUS THESE MURDERS WERE', SHE SAID. 'FROM THAT ASPECT IT'S VERY IMPORTANT.' THE KENNEDY ITEMS WERE REMOVED TUESDAY BEFORE THE EXHIBIT OPENED TO THE PUBLIC. THE DISPLAY WAS PREPARED BY THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT FOR THE 2010 CALIFORNIA HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS CONFERENCE AT THE PALMS HOTEL AND CASINO RESORT IN LAS VEGAS. IT ALSO INCLUDED PHOTOGRAPHS, VIDEO FOOTAGE AND VINTAGE VEHICLES FROM LOS ANGELES HOMICIDE INVESTIGATORS SPANNING OVER 100 YEARS.

CAR SLAMS INTO FAMED TIFFANY'S STOREFRONT

AN OFF DUTY POLICEMAN AND TWO OF HIS PASSENGERS WERE INJURED IN A DRINK-DRIVE ACCIDENT EARLY SATURDAY MORNING WHEN THEIR CAR FLIPPED OVER AND SLAMMED INTO TIFFANY'S ICONIC MIDTOWN STOREFRONT, A POLICES SPOKESPERSON SAID. POLICE OFFICER RAPHAEL OSPINA WAS BEHIND THE WHEEL WHEN HIS LUXURY CAR PLOWED INTO A GARBAGE TRUCK AT THE CORNER OF 57th STREET AND 5th AVENUE, BEFORE CAREENING ONTO THE SIDEWALK AT 3am. BLOOD WAS SPATTERED THROUGHOUT THE INSIDE OF THE CRUMPLED CHRYSLER 300, BUT WHILE ALL THREE MEN HAD BEEN RUSHED TO HOSPITAL, THEIR INJURIES WERE NOT CONSIDERED LIFE-THREATENING, ACCORDING TO OFFICIALS. A CHAMPAGNE CORK AND A CARTON OF ORANGE JUICE WAS SPOTTED INSIDE THE CAR, WHICH HAD ITS WINDSCREEN SHATTERED IN THE CRASH AD ITS ROOF CUT OFF BY FIREFIGHTERS RESCUING THE MEN TRAPPED INSIDE. OSPINA WAS CHARGED WITH DRIVING WHILE INTOXICATED AND VEHICULAR ASSAULT, POLICE SAID. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE A GARBAGE TRUCK WAS TRAVELING WEST ON 57th STREET AND TURNED ONTO FIFTH WHEN IT COLLIDED WITH THE CHRYSLER. THE SPINNING SEDAN WAS PROPELLED ONTO THE SIDEWALK WHERE IT KNOCKED OVER A TREE AND GARBAGE BIN BEFORE COMING TO REST PARTIALLY LODGED IN TIFFANY'S HISTORIC MARBLE FACADE, CAUSING MODERATE DAMAGE TO THE ENTRANCE AND WINDOW DISPLAY CASES.

FASHION DESIGNER ALEXANDER MCQUEEN FOUND DEAD FROM APPARENT SUICIDE

ICONIC BRITISH FASHION DESIGNER ALEXANDER MCQUEEN WAS DISCOVERED DEAD TODAY AFTER TAKING HIS OWN LIFE. THE INDUSTRY WAS LEFT REELING AFTER THE 40 YEAR OLD'S SUICIDE THIS MORNING, WHICH COMES JUST DAYS AFTER THE DEATH OF HIS BELOVED MOTHER, JOYCE. IT IS ALSO JUST THREE YEARS SINCE HIS CLOSE FRIEND, STYLE GURU ISABELLA BLOW, WHO PLUCKED HIM FROM OBSCURITY AND HELPED HIM BECOME A STAR, KILLED HERSELF. MCQUEEN, WHO WAS CHRISTENED LEE BUT USED HIS MIDDLE NAME AS A DESIGNER, WAS FOUND AT HIS LUXURY FLAT IN GREEN STREET, IN LONDON'S WEST END. IT IS BELIEVED HE HANGED HIMSELF. ONE OF HIS LINES, MCQ, WAS DUE TO BE SHOWN AT NEW YORK FASHION WEEK THIS AFTERNOON BUT THE SHOW HAS SINCE BEEN CANCELED. POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE DESIGNER'S £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

MARGARET THATCHER RETURNS TO NO. 10 DOWNING TO UNVEIL PORTRAIT

FORMER PRIME MINISTER FOR BRITAIN, MARGARET THATCHER, RETURNED TO DOWNING STREET RECENTLY TO UNVEIL HER OWN OFFICIAL PORTRAIT, WHICH HAS BEEN INSTALLED IN THE OFFICIAL RESIDENCE OF THE PRIME MINISTER. THATCHER, PRIME MINISTER FROM 1979 TO 1990, JOINED CURRENT PRIME MINISTER GORDON BROWN AND DAVID CAMERON, A SUCCESSOR TO THACHER AS CONSERVATIVE PARTY LEADER, AT NO. 10 DOWNING STREET FOR THE UNVEILING. THE 84 YEAR OLD FORMER WORLD LEADER, NICKNAMED 'THE IRON LADY' FOR HER UNCOMPROMISING STANCE AGAINST THE FORMER SOVIET UNION, WAS GREETED BY BROWN AND A CLUTCH OF FORMER ADVISERS AS SHE ARRIVED AT HER FORMER HOME. A BROWN SPOKESMAN SAID THAT THE PAINTING BY RICHARD STONE, WHO ALSO PRODUCED A PORTRAIT OF QUEEN ELIZABETH II, IS ON DISPLAY IN THE FIRST FLOOR LOBBY. IT WAS PAID FOR BY AN ANONYMOUS DONOR. 'THE PRIME MINISTER MADE A SHORT SPEECH IN WHICH HE THANKED BARONESS THATCHER FOR THE CONTRIBUTIONS SHE MADE TO THE COUNTRY OVER MANY YEARS', THE SPOKESMAN SAID. THATCHER IS THE FIRST LIVING LAWMAKER IN THE MODERN ERA TO BE HONORED WITH A PAINTING AT DOWNING STREET. PHOTOGRAPHS OF ALL MODERN PRIME MINISTERS LINE THE RESIDENCE'S MAIN STAIRCASE, BUT ONLY TWO FORMER LEADERS HAVE PAINTED PORTRAITS ON DISPLAY: WINSTON CHURCHILL AND DAVID LLOYD GEORGE.

ASHES OF LAST TITANIC SURVIVOR SCATTERED AT SEA

THE ASHES OF THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE TITANIC WERE SCATTERED RECENTLY IN THE WATERS WHERE THE ILL-FATED SHIP SET SAIL. MILLVINA DEAN, WHO WAS NINE WEEKS OLD WHEN THE LINER SANK AFTER HITTING AN ICEBERG, DIED ON 31.MAY OF THIS YEAR. THE DISASTER IN THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF 15.APRIL.1912, RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF 1,517 PEOPLE IN THE NORTH ATLANTIC, LARGELY DUE TO A LACK OF LIFEBOATS. "WE HAD HER FOR 97 YEARS AND WE FEEL LUCKY FOR THAT. WE WOULD HAVE HAD HER FOR ANOTHER 97 YEARS, IF WE COULD HAVE. IT WAS A VERY MOVING CEREMONY AND THE SUN SHONE ON HER RIGHT AT THE END", A FAMILY FRIEND WAS QUOTED AS AFTER THE SERVICE. "SHE WAS A LOVELY LADY AND ANYONE WHO MET HER WOULD SAY EXACTLY THE SAME." THE SIMPLE CEREMONY FOLLOWED A MEMORIAL SERVICE AT ST MARY'S CHURCH, COPYTHORNE, HAMPSHIRE, WHERE DEAN WAS CHRISTENED AND WHERE HER FUNERAL WAS HELD EARLIER THIS YEAR. AROUND 150 PEOPLE, INCLUDING MEMBERS OF THE BRITISH TITANIC SOCIETY AND FRIENDS OF DEAN, GATHERED THERE TO PAY THEIR LAST RESPECTS. DEAN, THE LATE PRESIDENT OF THE BRITISH TITANIC SOCIETY, WAS GIVEN A QUIET FAMILY ONLY FUNERAL IN JUNE. ELIZABETH GLADYS DEAN, KNOWN TO FRIENDS AS MILLVINA, WAS BORN ON 2.FEBRUARY.1912 AND BOARDED THE DOOMED SHIP WITH HER PARENTS BERTRAM FRANK AND GEORGETTE EVA AND HER ELDER BROTHER BERTRAM. THE FAMILY, WHO WERE THIRD-CLASS PASSENGERS, WERE EMIGRATING TO WICHITA, KANSAS, WHERE HER FATHER HAD HOPED TO OPEN A TOBACCONIST SHOP. WHEN THE ACCIDENT HAPPENED, HER FATHER FELT THE SHIP SHUDDER AND QUICKLY TOLD HIS FAMILY TO GO ON DECK. DEAN, HER MOTHER AND BROTHER WERE AMONG THE FIRST STEERAGE PASSENGERS TO ESCAPE THE SINKING LINER BUT HER FATHER WAS UNABLE TO GET ON A LIFEBOAT AND PERISHED IN THE DISASTER. THE FAMILY RETURNED TO SOUTHAMPTON, WHERE DEAN WENT ON TO SPEND MOST OF HER LIFE.