Prosecutors say NFL star Aaron Hernandez 'orchestrated execution,' concealed evidence
Former New England Patriots tight end Aaron Hernandez drove his friend to a remote spot in an industrial park in the dead of night and — still fuming from a fight at a nightclub three nights earlier — "orchestrated his execution," prosecutors alleged in a Massachusetts court Wednesday. Hernandez pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder and five firearms charges, including possessing a large-capacity firearm, more than a week after the body of Odin Lloyd, 27, was found near his Massachusetts home. A judge ordered him held without bail. Hernandez "drove the victim to the remote spot, and he then orchestrated his execution. That's what it was," First Assistant District Attorney William McCauley said in Attleboro District Court. "As (Lloyd) tried to turn, he was shot in the back, and the defendant and his confederates stood over him and delivered the two fatal shots," McCauley said, adding: "He orchestrated the crime from the beginning and took steps to conceal and destroy evidence." After getting into the car, Lloyd allegedly texted a family member, asking, "Did you see who I am with," prosecutors said. He then texted that it was Hernandez and followed it up with "Just so you know" in another text message, the prosecutors alleged during the arraignment.Later that morning, between 3:23 a.m. and 3:27 a.m., employees who were working the overnight shift at the industrial park where Lloyd's body would later be found reported hearing gunshots, authorities said. It's not clear who investigators believe fired the shots. Lloyd's bullet-punctured body was found by a jogger June 17 in an industrial park a mile from Hernandez's North Attleborough home. The death was ruled a homicide. Less than two hours after the arrest, the Patriots announced they were releasing Hernandez. "A young man was murdered last week and we extend our sympathies to the family and friends who mourn his loss. Words cannot express the disappointment we feel knowing that one of our players was arrested as a result of this investigation. We realize that law enforcement investigations into this matter are ongoing. We support their efforts and respect the process. At this time, we believe this transaction is simply the right thing to do," a statement from the team read. The Patriots drafted Hernandez in 2010. Last summer, the team gave Hernandez a five-year contractworth $40 million, including a signing bonus of $12.5 million. Hernandez lives with his fiancée and their infant.
 Is Tony Parker ready to wed again? Maybe, according to Twitter. During a live chat on the social media site on Wednesday, June 26, the 31-year-old basketball player hinted that he and girlfriend Axelle Francine may have gotten engaged. Responding to a fan's question about his favorite thing to do to unwind after a game, Parker tweeted, "Spend time with my fiance [sic]. #TissotTimeOut." (Tissot is a Swiss watchmaker; Parker is one of the brand's ambassadors, along with NASCAR driver Danica Patrick, and was doing the Q&A in connection with the company.) Parker and Francine have been together for two years.

I.am suing you – Pharrell Williams feels the wrath of Will.i.am

will.i.am is taking legal action against Pharrell for his use of the "I am" phrase. In court documents the rapper/producer claims he owns the copyright to the two words and states that Pharrell's logo for his creative brand "i am OTHER" looks "confusingly similar" to will.i.am's "I AM" logo. The "i am OTHER" brand was created by Williams as a "creative venture and way of life," he writes on his site, with brands such as Billionaire Boys Club & ICECREAM and Brooklyn Machine Works as part of the company. In will.i.am's opposition document, he claims that "the registration of the mark... is likely to dilute the I AM mark and the WILL.I.AM mark." Williams was "disappointed that Will, a fellow artist, would file a case against me," he said in a statement following the lawsuit. He continued, "I am someone who likes to talk things out and, in fact, I attempted to do just that on many occasions. I am surprised in how this is being handled and I am confident that Will's trademark claims will ultimately be found to be as meritless and ridiculous as I do."

 

NeNe Leakes' second wedding to Gregg Leakes was twice as nice as their first! Real Housewives of Atlanta star and her ex-husband tied the knot again on Saturday, June 22.  The nuptials were filmed for NeNe's upcoming spinoff, I Dream of NeNe: The Wedding, premiering this fall on Bravo. The Atlanta ceremony was a star-studded affair, with current and former costars Kim Zolciak, Phaedra Parks, Portia Stewart, Kandi Burruss and Lisa Wu in attendance. Several other Real Housewives personalities -- including Orange County's Gretchen Rossi and fiance Slade Smiley, plus Miami's Marysol Patton -- turned up for the event. Former Real Housewives of New York City star Jill Zarin also attended with her husband, Bobby, as did Millionaire Matchmaker's Patti Stanger.

Annie
Cameron Diaz has boarded Columbia Pictures' upcoming musical adaptation Annie. Sandra Bullock was previously up for the role, but lost interest. The film will be set in a modern day environment and centers on an orphan named Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis), who is confined to an orphanage run by a cruel supervisor named Agatha Hannigan (Cameron Diaz). She is sent to Oliver Warbucks' (Jamie Foxx) home for a short time and convinces the wealthy industrialist to help her find her parents. Along the way, Miss Hannigan, her evil brother, Rooster, and a female partner scheme up a plan to impersonate her family and gain the rewards.

Wal-Mart, Home Depot end relationships with Paula Deen

Wal-Mart has moved to sever ties with Paula Deen, the fourth company to do so after a week of scandal that’s knocked the queen of Southern comfort off her throne. Home Depot followed suit shortly after. "We are ending our relationship with Paula Deen Enterprises and we will not place new orders beyond those already committed,” Wal-Mart spokesperson Danit Marquardt said on Wednesday. “We will work with suppliers to address existing inventories and agreements." Wednesday evening, a spokesperson for Home Depot confirmed to NBC News that the company will stop carrying Paula Deen-branded items under their kitchen and cookware category as a result of the scandal. The Food Network, Smithfield Foods and Caesars Entertainment also terminated their partnerships with Deen, who appeared in her first live interview on TODAY Wednesday to discuss the controversy over her use of racial slurs. Target, Sears and QVC all said they were evaluating their relationships with Deen late last week. Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, has carried a variety of Paula Deen-branded products including cookware and health and wellness products for several years.
 Kat Von D has a history of sharing her relationship milestones on social media. Remember her infamous 2011 Facebook post about soon-to-be-ex-fiancé Jesse James that began, "Today I encountered the 19th girl to add to the list of people Jesse cheated on me with during this last year"? Kat Von D and deadmau5 got engaged on Twitter, so it’s only appropriate that things also ended via the micro-blogging site. So, something tells us that her plans to become Mrs. Deadmau5 during an underwater-themed ceremony on Aug. 10 may have hit a snag. "Cheating on your loved one is the most hurtful thing one could do," the tattoo artist, 31, tweeted on Wednesday. "I hate to have to admit, that this relationship is indeed over." When a follower cautioned, "Don't take him back no matter what. Ur worth more than that," she responded, "Never."

 TV NEWS

If you have A) yet to fire them up on your PC, B) can’t figure out how to feed a $5 bill into your Mac to pay for Hulu Plus or C) simply need to see Melissa Archer on a bigger screen, Oprah Winfrey’s OWN cable network will be encoring the first 40 episodes of The Online Network’s All My Children and One Life to Live relaunches. OWN’s 10-week summertime “second window” for the serials kicks off Monday, July 15, with AMC airing at 1 pm ET, and OLTL following at 3 pm. The half-hour episodes will air Monday through Thursday of each week.

 
When Elementary goes across the pond for its Season 2 premiere, we’ll meet at least one member of Holmes’ estranged family. Welsh actor Rhys Ifans, known to The Amazing Spider-Man fans as Dr. Curt Connors (aka The Lizard), has taken on the recurring role of Sherlock’s sibling Mycroft.

 
Brace yourselves. "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" are coming back. MTV will re-air its once successful reality series and equally popular spin-off as a part of the network's "RetroMTVBrunch" slate beginning July 8. As an added bonus, MTV will air a never-before-seen, alternate ending to "The Hills," the network announced. Laguna Beach: The Real Orange County" aired from 2004 to 2006, and "The Hills" aired from 2006 to 2010, launching the (mostly C-level) careers of stars Lauren Conrad, Kristin Cavallari, Brody Jenner, Heidi Montag and Whitney Port. MTV's "Laguna Beach" and "The Hills" marathons begin Monday, July 8 at 9 a.m. ET/PT on MTV before moving to 8 a.m. ET/PT the following day. "The Hills" alternate ending airs Friday, Aug. 9, at 11:30 a.m. ET/PT on MTV.


Fox is hereby the fourth broadcaster to let loose with their premiere dates for the fall season, leading with The X Factor‘s two-night, three-hour Season 3 premiere. On tap for midseason: American Idol, The Following and the new series Rake, Gang Related, Surviving Jack, Us & Them and Murder Police. The summer series 24: Live Another Day premieres in May 2014.

Wednesday, Sept. 11
8 pm The X Factor (season premiere Part 1)
9 pm MasterChef (season finale)
Thursday, Sept. 12
8 pm The X Factor (season premiere Part 2, two hours)
Monday, Sept. 16
8 pm Bones
9 pm SLEEPY HOLLOW (new series)
Tuesday, Sept. 17
8 pm DADS (new series)
8:30 pm BROOKLYN NINE-NINE (new series)
9 pm New Girl
9:30 pm The Mindy Project
Wednesday, Sept. 18
8 pm The X Factor (two hours)
Thursday, Sept. 19
9 pm Glee
Friday, Sept. 27
8 pm MASTERCHEF JUNIOR (new series)
9 pm SLEEPY HOLLOW encores
Sunday, Sept. 29
8 pm The Simpsons
8:30 pm Bob’s Burgers
9 pm Family Guy
9:30 pm American Dad
Monday, Nov. 4
8 pm ALMOST HUMAN (new series)
Friday, Nov. 8
8 pm Bones (new time slot premiere)
9 pm Raising Hope
9:30 pm ENLISTED (new series)