Lohan and Murphy lead Razzie race

Lindsay Lohan's thriller I Know Who Killed Me has been nominated for nine Razzie awards, while Eddie Murphy's Norbit is up for eight.
The LA-based Razzies, which honour the year's worst Hollywood films, have given Murphy five nods - the most an individual has received in one year.

He plays three characters in the film about a man who meets his ideal woman while engaged to a battleaxe.

Lohan got two nods for playing two characters who may be the same person.

Both movies are up for worst film.

It is quite a turnaround in Murphy's fortunes, as he was up for an Oscar last year for Dreamgirls. He shares a worst screenplay nomination for co-writing Norbit.

"We decided that each of his characters was so offensive that he deserved individual nominations," said Razzies founder John Wilson.

He added that Lohan, whose characters are a small-town girl abducted by a psychopath and an alter-ego stripper who's missing body parts, got more votes than any other actor since Sofia Coppola in The Godfather Part III.



"I Know Who Killed Me is the most fabulously brainless movie since Showgirls, which Razzie voters picked as the worst movie of the 1990s," said Mr Wilson.

"By the end of it, you still don't know what happened. Are they twins or aren't they? Did she imagine it? Can I please have my hour and 50 minutes back?"

The other worst-picture nominees were Bratz, a live-action film based on the childrens' dolls; Daddy Day Camp, with Cuba Gooding Jr starring in the sequel to Murphy's Daddy Day Care; and I Now Pronounce You Chuck & Larry, Adam Sandler and Kevin James' comedy about firefighters posing as a gay couple.

Sandler and Gooding were both up for worst actor along with Nicolas Cage for Ghost Rider and Jim Carrey for The Number 23.

The four stars of Bratz shared a nomination for worst actress, along with Jessica Alba for three films - Awake, Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and Good Luck Chuck.

24 star Elisha Cuthbert was nominated for Captivity while Diane Keaton got a nod for Because I Said So.



The Razzie nominations came out a day before the Oscar nominations, and the awards are held on 23 February, the day before the Oscars.

Paparazzi chasing Britney arrested

Four paparazzi have been arrested for reckless driving while chasing Britney Spears' car in the San Fernando Valley.

Los Angeles police Lt. Mario Munoz said officers observed several cars following a white Mercedes-Benz around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday in Mission Hills.

The cars were following Spears' car too closely and traveling at unsafe speed. They also made several unsafe lane changes, authorities said.

Munoz said officers stopped the Mercedes, interviewed Spears and released the 26-year-old pop star after verifying her driver's license.

But the four photographers in the cars chasing her were booked for investigation of reckless driving.

Spears has been a favorite of the paparazzi, especially since her marriage to Kevin Federline fell apart last year. She was a fixture on the club circuit and famously shaved her head in a parlor in nearby Tarzana.

She currently is locked in a legal battle with Federline over custody of their two boys. Her visitation rights have been temporarily suspended.

Mexico arrests top drugs suspect

Mexican special forces have captured a man suspected of being a senior member of the powerful Sinaloa drugs cartel.
Alfredo Beltran Leyva was detained on Sunday in the north-western city of Culiacan along with three other people, an army spokesman said.

They were allegedly carrying $900,000 (£460,000) in cash in two suitcases and a Kalashnikov rifle.

Mexico is in the grip of so-called "narco wars" - the fight between drug cartels and the security forces.

Dressed in jeans, a dark jacket and boots, the handcuffed Mr Beltran Leyva was shown off to reporters before being flown to an unknown destination by the military.

Prosecutors say he is a close associate of Mexico's most wanted man, Joaquin "Shorty" Guzman, head of the Sinaloa cartel.

He was allegedly in charge of transporting drugs, bribing officials and laundering money for the cartel.

He is also said to have commanded teams of sicarios, or hitmen.

Poll: More Americans think U.S. ready for black president

(CNN) -- Four decades after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death -- and just weeks after Barack Obama's win in the Iowa caucus -- a CNN poll finds more Americans than ever before believe the country is ready for a black president.

Seventy-two percent of white Americans and 61 percent of black Americans surveyed in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday say the nation is ready for a black commander in chief.

That number is higher than it was two years ago, when 65 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks felt the same way. It's also higher than the proportion of either men or women -- 64 percent and 65 percent, respectively -- who currently believe the nation is ready for a woman in the White House.

The top six concerns for both whites and blacks in making their presidential choice this year are exactly the same in the following order -- the economy, Iraq, terrorism, health care, gas prices and Iran -- though blacks place a higher level of importance on all those issues.

But the groups part ways over the issue of race relations. That concern is roughly as important as taxes to black voters this election year, with roughly 41 percent saying it will have a major impact on their presidential vote. But just 12 percent of whites feel the same.

Roughly four in 10 individuals in both groups say that the country has fulfilled all, or at least a great deal, of King's dream. However, they have different views on whether King's dream will ever be fully realized in the United States. When asked whether race relations will always pose a problem in the United States, about half of black Americans, 52 percent, said yes -- and just 43 percent of whites shared that view. When posed the same question in 1993, 55 percent of blacks and 53 percent of whites thought race relations would always be a problem for the United States.

The survey, which includes interviews with 1,393 adult Americans, including 743 whites and 513 blacks, was conducted by telephone January 14-17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Poll: More Americans think U.S. ready for black president

(CNN) -- Four decades after Martin Luther King Jr.'s death -- and just weeks after Barack Obama's win in the Iowa caucus -- a CNN poll finds more Americans than ever before believe the country is ready for a black president.

Seventy-two percent of white Americans and 61 percent of black Americans surveyed in a new CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Monday say the nation is ready for a black commander in chief.

That number is higher than it was two years ago, when 65 percent of whites and 54 percent of blacks felt the same way. It's also higher than the proportion of either men or women -- 64 percent and 65 percent, respectively -- who currently believe the nation is ready for a woman in the White House.

The top six concerns for both whites and blacks in making their presidential choice this year are exactly the same in the following order -- the economy, Iraq, terrorism, health care, gas prices and Iran -- though blacks place a higher level of importance on all those issues.

But the groups part ways over the issue of race relations. That concern is roughly as important as taxes to black voters this election year, with roughly 41 percent saying it will have a major impact on their presidential vote. But just 12 percent of whites feel the same.

Roughly four in 10 individuals in both groups say that the country has fulfilled all, or at least a great deal, of King's dream. However, they have different views on whether King's dream will ever be fully realized in the United States. When asked whether race relations will always pose a problem in the United States, about half of black Americans, 52 percent, said yes -- and just 43 percent of whites shared that view. When posed the same question in 1993, 55 percent of blacks and 53 percent of whites thought race relations would always be a problem for the United States.

The survey, which includes interviews with 1,393 adult Americans, including 743 whites and 513 blacks, was conducted by telephone January 14-17 and has a sampling error of plus or minus 4.5 percentage points.

Clinton, Obama engage in bitter debate

Democratic presidential rivals Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama accused each other of repeatedly and deliberately distorting the truth for political gain Monday night in a highly personal, finger-wagging debate that ranged from the war in Iraq to Bill Clinton's role in the campaign.

Obama told the former first lady he was helping unemployed workers on the streets of Chicago when "you were a corporate lawyer sitting on the board at Wal-Mart."

Moments later, Clinton said that she was fighting against misguided Republican policies "when you were practicing law and representing your contributor ... in his slum landlord business in inner city Chicago."

Obama seemed particularly irritated at the former president, whom he accused in absentia of uttering a series of distortions to aid his wife's presidential effort.

"I'm here. He's not," she snapped.

"Well, I can't tell who I'm running against sometimes," Obama countered.

The two rivals, joined by former Sen. John Edwards, debated at close quarters five days before the South Carolina primary — and 15 days before the equivalent of a nationwide primary across 20 states that will go a long way toward settling the battle for the party's nomination.

Hillary Clinton was the national front-runner for months in the race, but Obama won the kickoff Iowa caucuses three weeks ago, knocking her off-stride. She recovered quickly, winning the New Hampshire primary in an upset, and on Saturday, won the popular vote in the Nevada caucuses while Obama won one more delegate than she.

The Democratic electorate in South Carolina is expected to be roughly 50 percent black, an evident advantage for Obama in a historic race that matches a black man against a woman.

Even in the superheated atmosphere of the primary, the statements and exchanges between Clinton and Obama were unusually acrimonious. The debate came as the two campaigns continued to complain about dirty politics and disenfranchisement of voters in last Saturday's Nevada caucuses.

Obama suggested the Clintons were both practicing the kind of political tactics that had alienated voters.

"There was a set of assertions made by Senator Clinton as well as her husband that are not factually accurate," Obama said. "I think that part of what people are looking for right now is someone who is going to solve problems and not resort to the same typical politics that we've seen in Washington."

Clinton countered: "I believe your record and what you say should matter."

Edwards, who badly trails his two rivals, tried to stay above the fray while pleading for equal time.

"Are there three people in this debate, not two?" he asked.

"We have got to understand, this is not about us personally. It's about what we are trying to do for this country," Edwards said to applause from the audience.

Hillary Clinton, who was close with the Walton family, served on the Wal-Mart board from 1986 to 1992. In 2006, her Senate campaign returned $5,000 to the company's political action committee while citing differences with company policies.

A blind trust held by Clinton and her husband, the former president, included stock holdings in Wal-Mart. They liquidated the contents of the blind trust in 2007 because of investments that could pose conflicts of interest or prove embarrassing as she ran for president.

Chicago real estate developer and fast food magnate Antoin "Tony" Rezko was a longtime fundraiser for Obama. Prosecutors have charged him with fraud, attempted extortion and money laundering in what they allege was a scheme to get campaign money and payoffs from firms seeking to do business before two state boards.

Obama's campaign said Saturday it was giving to charities more than $40,000 from donors linked to Rezko. In 2006, when charges against Rezko were made public, Obama gave $11,500 in Rezko contributions to charities.

Often speaking over each other, Obama and Clinton bitterly complained about each other's legislative records. Obama questioned why the New York senator had voted for a bankruptcy bill that she later said she was glad hadn't passed, and Clinton criticized Obama for voting "present" on dozens of occasions while a member of the Illinois legislature.

"Senator Obama, it's hard to have a straight up debate with you because you never take responsibility for any vote," Clinton said to loud boos. "On issue after issue, you voted present ... Whenever someone raises that, there's always some sort of explanation."

Obama accused Clinton of playing loose with the facts and saying anything to get elected, while Edwards joined Clinton in criticizing Obama for the "present" votes.

"Why would you over 100 times vote present?" Edwards pointedly challenged Obama. He said he didn't simply refuse to vote on controversial bills in Congress. "It would have been safe for me politically ... but I have a responsibility to take a position even if it costs me politically."

Obama said most of his present votes didn't have political consequences but were because of technical or legal concerns.

"Don't question, John, that on issue after issue that is important to the American people, I haven't followed. I have led," Obama said.

"Present" votes are common in the Illinois legislature, and they have the same impact as a "no" vote. Legislators use them for a variety of reasons, from registering doubts about a measure's legality to avoiding a firm position.

Democratic Rep. Jim Clyburn, an influential leader in South Carolina, suggested on Monday that Bill Clinton tone down his rhetoric. Questioned about it, Hillary Clinton said her husband was "a tremendous asset. .. I believe that this campaign is not about our spouses. It is about us. It is about each of us individually."

Obama said he would expect the ex-president to campaign for his wife, but "I have been troubled ... the degree to which my record is not accurately portrayed."

With the holiday honoring the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., as a backdrop, the candidates also addressed questions of racial equality.

Clinton and Edwards compared their records on helping to alleviate poverty, while Obama was asked if he agreed with the famed black novelist Toni Morrison who dubbed Bill Clinton "the first black president."

Obama praised the former president's "affinity" with black people but also drew laughs.

"I would have to investigate more, Bill's dancing abilities and some of this other stuff before I accurately judged whether he was, in fact, a brother," Obama said.

"I'm sure that can be arranged," Clinton joked.

The debate was sponsored by the Congressional Black Caucus Institute and CNN.

5 dead as planes collide in SoCal

CORONA, Calif. - Authorities were trying Monday to learn why two small planes collided over a row of businesses, dropping a macabre shower of debris and body parts and killing someone inside an auto dealership when one of the aircraft punctured the roof.

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All four people aboard the two aircraft also were killed in Sunday's crash, on a clear crisp afternoon that seemed ideal for flying.

No one else was hurt, though wreckage fell on three car dealerships, all of which remained closed to customers as investigators combed through the debris in Corona, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.

People in the area after the collision along the 91 Freeway described a horrific sight. Marisela Garay was working a few hundred yards away at Lucky Greek Burgers when she saw the planes come down.

She and some customers ran outside, where they saw blood and what looked like body parts on the ground.

"There was a lot of stuff everywhere. I was shocked, I couldn't believe what happened," said Garay, 17.

"There were bodies falling out of the sky," witness Hector Hernandez told KCBS-TV. "One of them crashed into the top of a Ford Mustang, and another one fell not too far behind that one on the parking lot."

In one of the car lots, the twisted hull of a plane rested against two vehicles.

Witnesses told authorities that one of the planes slammed into the other. One of the aircraft shattered on impact, while the other spiraled to the ground, left mostly intact.

Authorities haven't released the planes' origins or destinations. The crash occurred about a mile south of the Corona Municipal Airport, which doesn't have a manned control tower.

The crash is the sixth in the area over the past 10 years.

Without the aid of air traffic controllers, pilots are supposed to use visual flight rules when there are clear conditions. Pilots are responsible for their own safety, making sure they steer clear from aircraft and other potential hazards.

Pilots can communicate by radio with one another, but not all do, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

Investigators will likely try to determine if there were any other pilots in the area who saw the crash or heard any transmission between the two planes, he said.

Two people were killed from each plane, National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Wayne Pollack said.

The Riverside County Coroner's Office identified the dead as Scott Gayle Lawrence, 55, of Cerritos; Paul Luther Carlson, 73, also of Cerritos; Brandon William Johnson, 24, of Costa Mesa; Anthony Joel Guzman, 20, of Hesperia; and Earl Smiddy, 58, of Moreno Valley.

Smiddy was crushed in the car dealership.

Investigators said Sunday night they would have to open up the fuselage of the planes to ensure that there were no additional victims. NTSB investigators declined to comment on that effort Monday until news conference set for late afternoon.

One of the planes was a Cessna 172 registered to William A. Reinke of La Habra, according to aircraft databases. Reached at his home Sunday night, Reinke declined to comment.

The second plane, a Cessna 150, is registered to Air Corona Inc., based in Dover, Del. Many plane owners register their aircraft in Delaware even if they are not based there because of the state's low taxes.