iblog

Kayleigh: Famous Hollywood actor Heath Ledger was found dead in his apartment yesterday. Twenty eight year old Ledger was booked in for a massage at his home when his housekeeper walked in on him to tell him, but found him lying unconscious next to a bottle of pills. Police are investigating the possibility that the Brokeback Mountain star took an overdose. Heath Ledger's father, Kim Ledger is devastated and said the death of his son had been "tragic" and "accidental". Speaking from Heath's home town in Perth, Australia, he said:  "Heath has touched so many people on so many different levels during his short life," he said. Fellow Hollywood actor Mel Gibson said: "I had such great hope for him. He was just taking off and to lose his life at such a young age is a tragic loss." The people of Australia are also shocked and saddened to hear the news. The Australian Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, described the death as a tragedy, and said: "Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor." The successful American actor John Travolta said: "I adored him. He's my favourite actor. I don't know how to compare his talent to others but he's touched me deeply as a talent and it's a great loss." The star leaves behind a daughter, Matilda, 2, whom he had with former Dawson's Creek star, Michelle Williams, who he spilt up with in September. Michelle's father, Larry Williams said: "My heart goes out to everyone in his family and my family. The saddest thing is that his daughter whom he loved dearly, Matilda will grow up without knowing her father." Ledger has starred in many Hollywood films such as 10 Things I Hate About You, Monster's Ball and A Knight's Tale, and had been nominated for an Oscar in his role in Brokeback Mountain. An autopsy is due to be carried out today.

Kayleigh: Scientists have found that living a healthy life can increase an individuals life span by up to 14 years. Doing frequent exercise, not smoking, drinking in moderation and eating more fruit and vegetables were the key factor in increasing a person's life, a study by the University of Cambridge and the Medical Research Council based in Norfolk found. The Public Library of Science Medicine study involved research on 20,000 people over a time span of ten years. Participants, who were between the age of 45 and 79, were given a point for each of the four healthy behaviours, which were not smoking, exercising, drinking no more than than 15 units of alcohol per week, (which is less than five large glasses of wine) and eating five servings of fruit and vegetables a day. The results showed that the participants who were aged between 45 and 79, and who followed all four rules were more likely to have lived longer than those who didn't. In fact of those that didn't, some died. The results also showed that smokers were 77% more likely to have died during the ten year period. Professor Kay-Tee Khaw a gerontologist at Cambridge University who led the study said: "The results strongly suggest that these four achievable lifestyle changes could have a marked improvement on the health of middle-aged and older people, which is particularly important given the ageing population in the UK and other European countries." Health organisations welcomed the study and encourage people to take note of the findings. Judy O'Sullivan, who works at the British Heart Foundation said: "This is good news and shows that by living a healthy life, people can reduce their risk of dying from heart and circulatory disease. "By not smoking, drinking alcohol in moderation, taking regular physical activity and eating a diet rich in fruit and vegetables, people can improve their chances of living longer." I am not a smoker, but I do tend to abuse alcohol on weekends and I should eat more fruit and vegetables, and this research has encouraged me to look after my body more. What better time to start than the New Year- this should help you keep your resolutions!

Kayleigh: Britney Spears has gone crazy after losing her court battle against ex husband Kevin Federline to gain sole custody of her two sons Sean Preston and Jayden James. The famous pop star has also lost the right to visit her young sons. Police and ambulances were called to her LA mansion after she refused to hand over her sons after a monitored visit to Kevin's bodyguards on Thursday. Britney locked herself and her two children in her bathroom and it took four hours for police and medics to get her out. Britney is now in hospital after being stretchered out of her LA home. Britney may now have to face up to 30 days of mental evaluation, and has been placed on "5150 hold", meaning she is considered a danger to herself. A source told us.magazine.com, "They had to strap her down like a mental patient and she was going between laughing and hysterics. She just went crazy." According to The Daily Star newspaper, reports showed Britney had attempted to take her own life by mixing drink and drugs. A friend of Britney's said: "We're so worried. She's acting weird and may never get full custody of her boys again after taking them hostage. "She desperatley needs help. These are not the actions of a well woman." Federline and Spears married in September 2004 and had a rocky marraige before they divorced in July 2007. Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Kaplan said: "I'm not happy about any of these events. There's no winners here." The events follow after a turbulant year for Britney, who shaved off all her hair in February 2007, before smashing a car up with an umbrella. The 26 year old's singers mum, Lynne Spears, said: "Let's just say prayers." A new custody hearing has been set for January 14th. Whilst I do believe that primarily children should be with their mother, Britney has been going off the rails for some time now. She needs to clean up her act before she can be taken seriously by any US court for custody of her children. The priority in this case is the children's safety.