The hosts of Atlants 790 The Zone’s sports talk show Mayhem in the AM were fired after making fun of former NFL safety Steve Gleason. Program hosts Steak Shapiro, Chris Dimino, and Nick Cellini aired a “humorous” segment on Monday in which “Gleason,” who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2011, called into the radio show. As Gleason cannot speak without the aid of a synthetic voice, he was parodied in the segment with a robotic voice telling a knock-knock joke. The punchline was, “Smother me. Do me a favor.”

Gleason played as a safety for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2007. He now runs Team Gleason, an organization dedicated to raising ALS awareness and providing services to those afflicted with ALS.

Rick Mack, the general manager of 790 The Zone issued a statement on the matter on Monday, apologizing specifically to Gleason and explaining that the hosts have been fired:

“We deeply regret the offensive programming that aired this morning on “Mayhem In The AM” on 790 The Zone, related to former New Orleans Saints player Steve Gleason and his battle with ALS. We suspended the three individuals involved immediately following their comments and have since terminated their employment. 790 The Zone, our owners, sponsors and partners in no way endorse or support this kind of content. We sincerely apologize to Mr. Gleason, his family and all those touched by ALS.”

Dimino has has also issued an apology on his Facebook page, referring to himself as a bully:

So where to begin. The obvious and rightful place is with an apology. And the reality of knowing that falls short…no matter what I say…is heartbreaking.

The sheer stupidity of trying to put this as a failed attempt at humor is not lost on me.

The words “Should have known better” mean nothing to me. And shouldn’t to you right now

I would like to though offer my apology. Knowing that it is everyone’s right not to accept it. Or even consider accepting it for now.

My apologies go out first to Steve Gleason and his family. The weight of what he and they are going through did not need to be made heavier or worse by the pure and straight insensitivity of my actions.

I also want to offer up my apologies to all who are not only dealing with ALS..but to those who are dealing with ANYTHING that has made themself or family and friends subject to the physical and emotional heartache of any debilitating disease or condition.

As a father of two girls, I put myself in a position that I have begged…pleaded..DEMANDED..they not put themselves in. That of the bully. The mean kid. The one who thinks what they say or do comes with no consequence. It does. It always does.

I have no illusion as to what 19 years on the radio…30 years of being a grown man..and most importantly almost 10 years of being a father..and what you build up in your name and reputation over those periods of time..should and does mean.

Now I know how quickly a stupid and worse than that non thinking moment can change all of it.

I hope I get a chance to prove this is not who I want to be. It was and is who “I am” today though. That much is not lost on me.

I have spent so long not trying to put other people in a bad place because of me. Today I failed miserably.

I’m very open to any and all dialogue as it pertains to the people I have hurt and disappointed. I’ve had that dialogue with myself..my wife and will with my kids.

Thanks for at least this much of your time

Chris Dimino

Steak Shapiro has appeared on CNN to apologize, calling the radio segment “stupid” and “offensive.”

(Image courtesy Team Gleason)

The cookie brand is now selling a limited edition run of Watermelon-flavored Oreos. The cookies have Golden Oreo cookies on the outside and a pink-and-green cream center.

According to a review by the Junk Food Guy food blog, the cookies do not taste too much of artificial watermelon flavoring. Instead, the creme filling was described as watermelon mixed with cream, like some sort of watermelon ice cream.

Watermelon Oreos are another in a long line of experimental limited edition Oreo flavors that include Strawberry Milkshake Oreos, Gingerbread Oreos, Lemon Twist Oreos, Neapolitan Oreos, and Birthday Cake Oreos. Last fall, Nabisco released Candy Corn-flavored Oreos for the Halloween season.

For those that are still wary of mixing fruit and cookies, YouTube user Big D Pitchas has produced the most definitive Watermelon Oreo review to date:

(via Junk Food Guy)

Disney unveiled today the first trailer for its newest animated comedy – Frozen. Here’s the official synopsis from Disney:

Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio behind “Tangled” and “Wreck-It Ralph,” presents “Frozen,” a stunning big-screen comedy adventure. Fearless optimist Anna (voice of Kristen Bell) sets off on an epic journey—teaming up with rugged mountain man Kristoff (voice of Jonathan Groff) and his loyal reindeer Sven—to find her sister Elsa (voice of Idina Menzel), whose icy powers have trapped the kingdom of Arendelle in eternal winter. Encountering Everest-like conditions, mystical trolls and a hilarious snowman named Olaf, Anna and Kristoff battle the elements in a race to save the kingdom.

Admit it – you chuckled at least a little bit. While the above trailer had nothing to do with the movie, the actual film should be pretty good. It’s co-directed by Chris Buck (Tarzan) and Jennifer Lee (screenwriter, Wreck It Ralph). In even better news, Robert Lopez, the co-creator of broadway hit Avenue Q, is writing some of the music.

Frozen will be in theaters this Winter.

In an interview with Vogue, Perry said that Brand asked for a divorce via a text message:

“I was in love with him when I married him, [but] let’s just say I haven’t heard from him since he texted me saying he was divorcing me December 31, 2011,”

If that sounds rough, it was for the pop star. Perry said that she initially shouldered some of the blame for the divorce, but she later came to the realization that it wasn’t because of her. Her reasoning was that the divorce was beyond her and that she needed to put it behind her.

Interestingly enough, Perry says that she only stopped blaming herself after she found out the real truth behind the divorce. She won’t disclose what that truth is, however, as she is opting instead to save it for a “rainy day.”

The rest of the Vogue interview is a fascinating look into her short fling with John Mayer, her parents, her education and what she wants out of life. Katy Perry fans will definitely want to give it a read. As for everybody else, you might just learn something about that pop star that caused one of the only few controversies on Sesame Street.

The recall was made after a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) test returned positive for Salmonella on a single sample. The products being were all packaged in the same production facility as the positive sample.

Natura Pet Products manufactures pet food and treats markeded as “natural” and “holistic.” The recall includes dry dog food, dry cat food, and pet biscuits/bars/treats branded Innova, EVO, California Natural, Healthwise, Karma, and Mother Nature with expiration dates prior to June 10, 2014.

The company has released a statement through its website apologizing and stating that additional testing procedures have been implemented for its products. The statement, in full:

Dear Natura Family,

We have some sad news to share. We are announcing today a voluntary recall of all Innova, California Natural, EVO, Healthwise, Mother Nature and Karma branded dry pet food and biscuit/bar/treat products with expiration dates prior to June 10, 2014.

We made this decision in part due to a single positive Salmonella test by the FDA on product manufactured April 3. Normally, this would have resulted in retrieval of product manufactured over just a few days. However, we are taking the additional precautionary measure to recall all products in the marketplace. Our first priority is the wellbeing of the pets we serve.

Our decision allows us to ensure that all products available in the marketplace were produced after June 10, the date when we implemented additional finished product testing procedures with the guidance of industry experts.

Below this message you will find instructions on how to request a replacement voucher or refund. If you have any further questions, please contact us at http://www.naturapet.com/about/contact-us or (800) 224-6123.

We are truly sorry. We know this news disappoints you; we are disappointed too. Natura will always focus on high-quality ingredients, product safety and innovation in pet nutrition. We remain committed to making products you can trust.

Sincerely,
Employees of Natura Pet Products

Customers can download a form through the Innova website to request a refund for recalled products.

Researchers have uncovered what seems to be the lost city of Mahendraparvata, previously known only from 1200 year old inscriptions. Mahendraparvata, one of the first capitals of the Khmer Empire, was considered lost to history and described in documents dating to 802 A.D.

The Cambodian Archaeology and Development Foundation, searching the region of Phnom Kulen near Angkor, used an airborne laser scanning technology known as LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging). The researchers’ findings will appear in a forthcoming issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The cityscape, which predated the temples of Angkor Wat by over 300 years, was revealed with “exceptional clarity,” despite the layers of dense jungle overlaying it. LiDAR technology has been used in similar applications in Canada, where it was used to learn more about the siege of a Seven Years’ War-era fort, and in Honduras, where it has been used to find what may be the fabled Ciudad Blanca.

The new findings have challenged previous ideas about Angkor that assumed a series of individual, walled-in cities. Roland Fletcher of the University of Sydney says that the new findings instead reveal an urban landscape much like the “configuration of Los Angeles”: a densely-populated center with vast sprawl.

Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.

Deadline reports that Ken Levine has been tapped to write the Logan’s Run remake. Gamers may know Levine better as the writer behind games like System Shock 2, Bioshock and Bioshock Infinite. Those games share a lot in common with Logan’s Run so it seems like a good fit.

What makes all of this an even better fit, however, is that Levine is a trained screenwriter and playwright. In fact, he was initially pursuing a career in Hollywood where he wrote two screenplays. Soon after, he began working at Looking Glass Studios on Thief and then moved on to found Irrational Games where he wrote the critically acclaimed System Shock 2.

Going back to Logan’s Run, it seems that Levine was only recently tapped to write it. He’s doing it because the film is a “passion project” for him. He’s also the best chance the film has at actually being good.

Fans of Levine may be worried that he’s leaving games behind to pursue his original career in Hollywood, but that will not be the case. It’s more like he’s doing this on the side as he continues to work on projects at Irrational Games. His team is currently working on Bioshock Infinite DLC, but his team is undoubtedly already forming a plan for their next game.

Kaidence Donda West was born on Saturday and was premature, so chances are good that she and mom will have a little stay in the hospital. For now, the family is mostly keeping quiet about the birth and there have been no photos released, but word is getting around about the name. Donda was Kanye’s mother’s name, but it’s not known where the couple came up with Kaidence. Rumor had it that Kim initially wanted her daughter’s name to be North, which, if she’s given her father’s surname, would make her North West. It’s probably best, for her sake, that the idea was shot down. Plus, it didn’t fit the “K” theme.

Friend of the family Larsa Pippen said Kanye hasn’t left Kim’s side and has put plans for promoting his new album on hold for the moment so he can be with Kim and the baby.

‘He’s so cute. He doesn’t leave the room,’ she told E! News

West has been hard at work on his latest project, “Yeesus”, and released a promotional video this week starring Kim’s sister’s man, Scott Disick. Disick plays the “American Psycho” character Patrick Bateman in the short, which was originally written by author Bret Easton Ellis.

Kanye won’t be seen much on the next season of “Keeping Up With The Kardashians”; the rapper has famously said he doesn’t want his daughter to be put in that spotlight, either, so it’s hard to say how much media attention they’ll allow the baby to get.

Kim’s stepdad, Bruce Jenner, said Kanye hasn’t been around too much, but that could be because he’s been busy working on the album.

“Actually, I have only met him once,” Bruce said. “He’s never … he’s not around,” he said, “He was in Paris the whole time writing, and he just hasn’t been around.”

Image: LOLSnaps.com

Back in March, Chappelle showed up at a New York comedy club and teased a possible joint comedy tour with Chris Rock. This week, the rumors and teasing of Chappelle’s return to comedy are over.

Funny or Die has just announced the Oddball Comedy & Curiosity Festival, headlined by none other than Dave Chappelle. The comedy tour will also feature Al Madrigal, Demetri Martin, Hannibal Buress, Kristin Schaal, and Flight of the Conchords. A second stage with even more comedic performances will be at the shows, hosted by Brody Stevens.

The tour will run from August 23 until September 20 and will be hitting major U.S. locations such as New York, Dallas, Chicago, Austin, and Boston. Tickets for the events will be up for sale on Friday.

The iconic singer was there to receive an honorary doctorate in philosophy from Hebrew University of Jerusalem and will perform two concerts in Tel Aviv, as well as sing for Israeli President Shimon Peres’ birthday, but on Monday she spoke on behalf of women in the country when she talked about the way they’re treated during prayer hours.

“It’s distressing to read about women in Israel being forced to sit in the back of a bus or … having metal chairs hurled at them when they intend to peacefully and legally pray,” Streisand said. “Or women being banned from singing in public ceremonies.”

Streisand was referring to incidents in which ultra-orthadox Jewish men tried to prevent women from wearing prayer shawls, carry Torah scrolls, and pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, which is considered the holiest site of worship. They believe only men can do those things, and although a court has declared that women are legally allowed to don prayer garb and attend the Western Wall, some haven’t changed their attitudes towards females among their member.

Streisand admitted that in her own country, things aren’t as equal as she’d like them to be.

“I know that solutions don’t come easy. And they don’t in the United States, where women are still making 80 cents for every dollar that a man makes,” she said.

Streisand did praise the university for having a record number of female Ph.D. graduates this year and spoke highly of the academics program; the school has a building named after her father. Her performances this Thursday and Saturday will mark her first ever in Israel.