The investigation continues on what brought the helicopter down that killed Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna, and seven others. All nine bodies have been recovered from the crash site. Authorities are now saying that the Sikorsky helicopter was not equipped with a ground proximity warning device. A cell phone video showing the helicopter making what investigators are calling a “very aggressive circling maneuver” shows the helicopter approximately 30 minutes before it crashed.
A memorial is being planned in Los Angeles but the venue and date are yet to be decided. Some think the Staples Center is probably too small, as it only holds 20,000 people. More likely the LA Coliseum, which is an outdoor venue that can hold about 80,000 attendees will be used. Shaquille O’Neal just spoke out publicly for the first time. He and Kobe were teammates on the Lakers and close friends.
“I haven’t felt a pain that sharp in a while.. it definitely changes me.”’@SHAQ on the loss of his brother, Kobe. pic.twitter.com/dM5i0DDgGK
— NBA on TNT (@NBAonTNT) January 29, 2020
There was a story running around social media yesterday claiming that Nike had to suspend the sale of Kobe Bryant shoes and merchandise to thwart resellers snapping everything else in order to put on the secondary market. Nike, however said in a statement that at no point did they halt sales, but that nothing was available because everything sold out in the wake of his sudden death. Nike apparently has postponed the February 7th drop of a shoe called the Kobe Proto 5, as it has disappeared from retail shops websites.
Grey's Anatomy star Ellen Pompeo went after TMZ and it's head Harvey Levin for reporting the Kobe story before next-of-kin were informed. In a long series of tweets, Ellen said TMZ "is not news it's exploitation."
I wonder why police departments give @HarveyLevinTMZ all this sensitive info ? I wonder why @HarveyLevinTMZ puts out photos of women who have been attacked or assaulted. ...Who were victims ? Exploiting women who have been abused... why is this guy still in business at all?
— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) January 28, 2020
So many peoples lives will never be the same after this tragedy... but you got your scoop. Hope you sleep well at night @HarveyLevinTMZ I’m sure you do...
— Ellen Pompeo (@EllenPompeo) January 28, 2020
In other news, Miley Cyrus and Liam Hermsworth are officially single people, as their divorce has been finalized. Miley and Liam had a prenup, so that made things pretty easy. They had no kids, and Miley gets to keep the pets. They filed back in August and cited irreconcilable differences.
Kate Middleton was spotted without her engagement ring! But hold on, we can explain. Kate was visiting a nursery, and a rep says she left the £ 250,000 saphire diamond ring at the palace for "health and safety reasons," whatever that means.
