Wood County Authorities said the body found by the property owner matches the description of 62-year-old Gerald Haley, who left his home on Tuesday.

A search of the area was conducted by several fire departments, citizens, East Texas Flying Services ,and the Wood County Sheriff’s Office.

The body has been sent to Dallas for a positive ID and cause of death. The Sheriff’s office does not suspect foul play at this time.

The auction is slotted to end on Saturday, and bids have already exceeded $67,000. It’s expected to fetch between $75,000 and $100,000 at the end. Taylor’s auction coincided with the current Giants’ team receiving their Super Bowl XLVI rings. But Taylor isn’t the first ex-pro to turn to bid farewell to his Super Bowl bling in hopes of drumming up some quick cash.

Here’s a look back at how others who fell on hard times fared:

WILLIAM PERRY

In a heartwarming story, a 10-year-old decided in 2011 that he wanted to return a Super Bowl XX ring back to The Fridge. “He said Perry lost the ring through hard times, and that he only had one ring. He said, ‘I want him to have the ring back.’ That’s pretty special for a 10-year-old to want to do that,” the boy’s mother told ESPN. The boy’s father had bought the ring for $8,500 from Perry when the athlete needed money to pay for medical expenses.

ROCKY BLEIER

Bleier earned four Super Bowl rings with the Steelers, all of which he sold to pay for expensive divorces and to make up for back taxes. “The divorce left me in a terrible situation” that left him bankrupt and searching for financial answers, he said in 1997. Years later, things have turned around quite a bit for Bleier who is now a motivational speaker.

LESTER HAYES

In perhaps the strangest way a player has lost his ring, Hayes, a former Raider, took out a loan on the ring that he couldn’t pay back to a pawn shop that would up taking ownership over it. Then the shop sold it for $18,000 in an online auction. But he made up for it later on in his life: When times got better, Hayes asked the manufacturer to make him another Super Bowl XVIII ring.

JOE GILLIAM

Back in 1988, Gilliam got back his Super Bowl IX from a sympathetic fan who seemingly wanted to give the former Steelers quarterback a moment of redemption. “It was a humbling kind of thing,” he said at the time. “I’ve been clean a long time, and I never thought someone would do something like that for me.” Unfortunately, that moment of triumph was ever so fleeting. Gilliam died from a drug overdose in 2000.

JE’ROD CHERRY

The former New England Patriots safety sold his ring for a more noble cause. In 2008, someone challenged him to give the proceeds from an auction to charity, and Cherry wound up agreeing to the deal. He raised an impressive $150,000 from the sale. “I do not disrespect the idea of what the ring represents,” Cherry said. “I tried to elevate it to something even better.”

STEVE WRIGHT

Packers’ memorabilia tens to go for much more than the average since the team has such a rich history. Obsessive fans are always looking for a piece of the Green Bay tradition. Nothing compared though to the $73,409 brought in for Wright’s Super Bowl I ring in 2011. Wright only played four years in the league, but two of them were the first two championship seasons for the Packers. Not a bad haul.

“FUZZY” Thurston

Sale of Thurston’s ring in 2011 yielded $50,788 at an auction which went to helping Thurston pay off about $1.7 million in back taxes. “While the circumstances surrounding the auction of this ring are sad ones, we all hope that it works out for Fuzzy and that somehow the ring can make it back to him,” said the auction’s director. Thurston ran into trouble in his post-playing days when he invested in a chain of restaurants that failed. Some hoped that the winning bidder would return the ring to Thurston afterward, but to no avail.

ALVIN GARRETT

When Garrett decided to become a Born-Again Christian, he parted ways with much of the possessions he had accumulated during his playing days, including his Super Bowl ring from his time with the Redskins. Originally, Garrett took out an ad in the paper to sell the ring. It later went for $40,000 at an auction. “I didn’t come close to the amount I wanted,” Garrett would say.

THOMAS HENDERSON

Source: GuySpeed.com

VEVO

Lil Niqo, an impressive young — and we do mean young — MC just dropped his ‘Television Love’ video. Unless you happen to pass by a koala holding a basket of kittens, it’s the absolute cutest thing you’ll see all day.

Lil Niqo premiered the cute clip on ’106th and Park.’ In the video, it’s love at first sight with Niqo and a lovely lil’ lady walking home from school. He sweet talks her into being his “Television Love”: “I can be your Martin / You can be my GinaI can be your Justin / You can be Selena!” Seriously, does it get any more precious?

Yes. It does. Lil Niqo tells his equally smitten galpal that she can be the Amber Rose to his Wiz Khalifa, the Alicia Keys to his Swizz Beatz and the Beyonce to his Jay-Z — and the pair actually dress up as each A-list hip-hop couple. Lil Niqo and his girl capture Bey and Jay particularly well, right down to their mannerisms — the girl perfects Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ hand motions as Niqo expertly mimics Jigga’s gesticulations.

It’s all sunshine and chain-sharing … that is, until a certain someone else shows up. See what happens to young love in the video below. It’s so sweet you might get a toothache! And if you love it as much as we do, you can download Lil Niqo’s EP for free!

Watch Lil Niqo ‘Television Love’ Video

Source: PopCrush.com

Jason Kempin, Getty Images

Jay-Z is showing some brotherly love to the city of Philadelphia with a two-day music extravaganza on Labor Day Weekend. The rap mogul announced today (May 14) that he is hosting and curating ‘Budweiser Made in America‘ concerts at Ben Franklin Parkway in Fairmount Park on Sept. 1 and Sept. 2.

Over 30 artists are expected to perform across three stages at the event. The two-day festival will also be streamed live online, as well. “We already have 70 percent of the artists confirmed,” said Jay-Z at the press conference.

A full list of scheduled artists is expected to be announced on May 21. A wide variety of acts from rock, hip-hop, R&B, Latin and dance will be selected for the event. Tickets will go on sale via Live Nation on May 23 at $99 a pop. Proceeds from the sales of the tickets will go to United Way and local charities in Philadelphia and New Jersey.

“I can’t do half-baked work,” Jay-Z told the cheering crowd on hand at the press conference. “So, I’m really putting my all into this. It’s gonna be a great day in Philly.”

Yes, indeed. The Roc is in the building!

Watch Jay-Z’s Announcement of ‘Budweiser Made in America’ Music Festival

Source: PopCrush.com

Kevin Winter, Getty Images

Looking like the fiercest bride in all the land, Nicki Minaj took the Wango Tango stage and reinforced that despite her recent forays into pop, she still has a hip-hop heart.

Minaj opens with ‘Roman Holiday’ and ‘Did It on ‘Em,’ flanked by dancers who could pass for models and rocking the heck out of a long blonde wig. She looks a lot like an actual Barbie. She was probably particularly pleased by all of the pink lighting, as well. Soon, she launches into a medley, with bits from ‘Take Me to Your Leader’ before sailing into ‘Beez in the Trap.’ Unfortunately, 2 Chainz wasn’t around to join her, but she still held her own!

Clutching a pink bejeweled microphone, Minaj moves quite a bit along with her dancers, bringing attention to her backing track. She normally relies on backing tracks to supplement her vocals when she sings (like in ‘Starships’), since it’s harder to hold longer notes when you’re moving so much. Apparently it’s also a bit tough to spit rapid fire rhymes, but she keeps the volume much lower for this set than for many of her other recorded performances.

Minaj announced on Twitter that her full set would be online next week, but you can get a taste of her performance in the clip below.

Watch Nicki Minaj at Wango Tango 2012

Source: PopCrush.com

chispita_666, flickr

Over the past 25 years the annual Hole In One competition has raised more than a million dollars for endowed scholarship programs at UT Tyler. Students have benefited directly from the competition that could be giving away $1 million itself on Sunday, May 20, at Hollytree Country Club! Qualifying began Saturday at the UT Tyler Herrington Patriot Center and continues through 11 p.m. Friday.

Daily qualifying is open from 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m., except for the special Friday Night Lights qualifying that keeps the lights on driving range until 11 p.m. Friday. Daily qualifiers will face off to win $1 million Saturday and the finals will be held Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Hollytree Country Club in Tyler. In addition, daily qualifiers could end up winning $25,000 or a 2012 Cadillac SRX.

The contest is open to amateur golfers 18 and older, giving them a shot in the competition for $1 per shot.

Today (May 14) is Ladies Day. Ladies will receive an additional 10 shots for every 25 purchased. Tuesday is First Responders Day (police, fire, EMS, military) and Wednesday is Seniors Day (65 and over) and they also get an additional 10 shots with every 25 purchased.

Proceeds will go toward scholarship programs that support students across all UT Tyler campuses (Tyler, Longview and Palestine). For more information, check out the UT Tyler Hole In One Facebook page.

The UT Tyler Patriot Million Dollar Hole In One is at the UT Tyler Herrington Patriot Center at 3900 University Boulevard in Tyler.

Tyler Police say several females started fighting inside a building on North Grand Avenue, owned by a motorcycle club. The fight involving about a dozen people moved to the parking lot where three people were run over by a woman driving an SUV. The suspect then sped away and police are searching for the female driver.

Two of the victims were driven to the hospital in a private vehicle, and EMS transported the third person. All three are suffering from serious injuries but according to police, the injuries are not life-threatening.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to contact the Tyler Police Department at 903-531-1000. This investigation is ongoing.

Christopher Polk, Getty Images

It’s official! Demi Lovato is now an ‘X Factor‘ judge.

TMZ reports that Lovato, like fellow new judge Britney Spears, will hit up New York City to finalize her paperwork for the gig tomorrow (May 14). Though Lovato is scheduled to tour this summer, her ‘X Factor’ position shouldn’t interfere with her itinerary. Lovato will join Spears at the Fox Upfronts, where they will officially announce their casting on the series.

Lovato will likely be a great addition to the somewhat struggling Fox show, as she’ll draw in a younger demographic as well as be able to draw upon her own unique and sometimes dark experiences to coach contestants.

While Spears is said to be raking in $15 million for the show, Lovato’s payday isn’t yet known. She’s only been in talks for a pretty short time — the first reports of her involvement only popped up about two weeks ago, whereas Spears’ name had been swirling about for months. Auditions are scheduled to begin at the end of this month.

Lovato may not be the only Disney alum to sign on, either. Her pal and fellow Mouse House starlet Miley Cyrus is in talks to be the show’s new hostess with the mostess. Congrats, Demz!

Watch Demi Lovato, ‘Skyscraper’ Video

Source: PopCrush.com

Dave Kotinsky / Paul Zimmerman, Getty Images

How did Bobby Brown find out about Bobbi Kristina and the Houston family’s reality show?

The same way the rest of us did.

TMZ reports that Brown was not too pleased at the notion of Bobbi Kristina signing on to a Houston family series — because he wanted his and Whitney Houston’s daughter to appear on his own show. The problem with that? Bobbi Kristina cut off all ties to her dad. Sources said that Brown had been contacting Houston’s sister-in-law and manager, Pat, in efforts to get to Bobbi Kris.

Bobbi Kristina reportedly wants no part of Brown’s show, as she and Houston’s family, in what may be a slightly hypocritical notion, think he only asked her because she’d make his series more marketable.

Houston’s family thinks that their show with Bobbi Kristina will propel the 19-year-old to the music career and stardom she craves. In fact, Houston’s mother, Cissy Houston, thinks the family’s show will “help with the healing process” and aid in “keeping the family as one.”

Watch Bobbi Kristina Sing Adele, ‘Someone Like You’

Source: PopCrush.com

Smith County

The capital murder trial is set to begin today for Kimberly Cargill, who is accused in the June 2010 killing of Cherry Walker, the mentally challenged babysitter of Cargill’s 4-year-old son.  

Prosecutors, who will argue the case in the 241st District Court, say Cargill set fire to Walker’s body which was later discovered off County Road 2191 in Tyler.

The 45–year-old Whitehouse woman is also charged with injury to a child. Walker, 29,was found dead one day after she received a subpoena to testify in a child custody hearing regarding Cargill’s son.

A court-ordered psychological hearing held last year indicated Cargill has a history of psychological problems.

Arrest Made in Harrison County Murder

HARRISON CO – Sheriff Tom McCool and Criminal District Attorney Coke Solomon announce the arrest of a suspect in the murder of Kenneth Dillard, Jr. whose body was found on December 16, 2011.

The suspect, William Penn Jones, 29, was arrested May 3, 2012 in Montgomery County, Texas. The Sheriff’s Office believes the murder weapon has also been recovered. William Penn Jones is currently in the Montgomery County jail and is expected to be transferred to Harrison County during the week.

Captain Marty Latham with the Harrison County C.I.D. section, District Attorney’s Chief Investigator Kyle Ready, and Texas Ranger Jason Dudley travelled to Montgomery County and made the arrest with the assistance of the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office. The warrants issued for his arrest from Harrison County were Terroristic Threat and Murder.

Sheriff McCool stresses that this is not the end of this investigation and other previously interviewed persons of interest will be re-interviewed. Names of other people who may be involved in this investigation will not be released until this investigation is complete.

YouTube

There are a lot of Beastie Boys tributes on the Internet following the death of Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, but a Jay-Z performance of a Beasties classic has resonated with some devotees. Gawker highlighted the clip on their website so we figured you guys would like to “Ch-Check It Out” (see what we did there?).

But first a back story. In 2009, the Beastie Boys were scheduled to headline the All Points West music festival in New Jersey. Unfortunately, the trio had to cancel because Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch (R.I.P.) announced that he had throat cancer and would undergo surgery. “It’s a pain in the neck (sorry had to say it),” Yauch joked in a press release.

For Jay-Z, filling in for the Beastie Boys was a huge honor and it would also mark the first time he ever headlined an American music festival. As you can see in the video below, Jay-Z, backed by DJs and a live band, graciously kicked off his set with the Beasties’ hometown anthem ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn.’

Hov goes on to rap Mr. Yauch’s verse (“Born and bred in Brooklyn USA / My name is Adam Yauch but I’m MCA  / A lemon to a lime, a lime to a lemon / sipping up ale with all the fly women“), which helps him segue into his own anthem ‘Brooklyn (Go Hard).’

Jay-Z performance was a great hat tip to an incredible artist and humanitarian.

Rest in peace, Adam Yauch. You will be sorely missed.

Watch Jay-Z’s 2009 Performance of Beastie Boys’ ‘No Sleep Till Brooklyn’

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Source: PopCrush.com

Billboard

Usher is ready to brawl on the cover of the new issue of industry trade mag Billboard. He is putting up his dukes and is ready for a fight … at least in his pose. Usher, thanks to his music, strikes us as a lover, not a fighter.

The R&B superstar, who just unveiled the standard and deluxe edition covers of ‘Looking 4 Myself,’ which drops June 12, looks like a dashing gentleman on his latest Billboard cover, even though he’s assuming a boxer’s pose. Then again, Usher is known for creating hit after hit, and mentoring hit after hitmaker Justin Bieber, so perhaps that’s why he has adopted a hitter’s stance. The cover tag is ‘Dirty Dancing With the Hitman,’ referencing everything we just mentioned in a subtle way.

He’s also looking infinitely stylish in his blue blazer, too. The stare is also enough to make the ladies weak in the knees.

Yeah, it’s safe to say that it’s good to be Usher.

Source: PopCrush.com

Kevin Winter / Kristian Dowling / Kevin Winter, Getty Images

The death of Beastie Boys rapper Adam Yauch, affectionately and widely known as MCA, shocked and saddened the world yesterday (May 4). While much of the music community was disheartened by the loss, two rappers in particular, Eminem and Nas, were especially affected.

Yauch passed away yesterday after a nearly three-year cancer battle. Yauch fought the disease in the parotid gland, which is the largest of the salivary glands, as a lymph nod, undergoing both surgery and radiation as part of his continued and long-term therapy.

Eminem was widely influenced by the Beastie Boys, who opened the door for skinny white guys like Marshall Mathers to rap. “Adam Yauch brought a lot of positivity into the world and I think it’s obvious to anyone how big of an influence the Beastie Boys were on me and so many others,” Eminem told MTV News. “They are trailblazers and pioneers and Adam will be sorely missed. My thoughts and prayers are with his family, Mike D., and Ad-Rock.”

Fellow Brooklyn-born rap legend Jay-Z expressed his mourning of MCA briefly on his Life and Times site, writing, “May a great musical pioneer rest in peace. Our prayers go out to his family, as his hip hop family mourns our loss and celebrates his life.”

Nas was reflective and heartbroken by the news. The legendary New York MC collaborated with the Beastie Boys on ‘Too Many Rappers’ off of the band’s last album, ‘Hot Sauce Committee Part Two.’ “One of my greatest moments in music was when I worked with the Beastie Boys,” Nas said. “Now today I’m hearing our brother is gone. I prayed this would not happen. MCA was so cool, man,” he added. “We had great talks about what it was like for them in the beginning, getting into the rap game. I’ll never forget that experience for the rest of my life. MCA is a true legend who influenced me,” Nas reflected. “God bless his soul and his loved ones.”

Nas and a slew of other stars expressed their grief and condolences via Twitter. A full obituary for Yauch, originally posted on the Beastie Boys website, can be found here. RIP MCA. No sleep til nirvana.

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Source: PopCrush.com

Billboard

British songbird Rita Ora continues to make a waves for herself here in the United States with her latest single, ‘R.I.P.’ (featuring Tinie Tempah). It’s hard to imagine that three years ago, the 21-year-old singer was plucked out of a London club and had to audition for the Roc Nation honcho Jay-Z.

Ora tells Billboard that Hov has been a great mentor throughout the recording process of her new album. “When I signed to Roc Nation, I was 18,” she recalls. “At 18, I was basically singing anything [and] talking about something that I didn’t really know.”

“The good thing about having a musician who is also your boss, is [having him] say, ‘Are you happy with it?’” she continues. “I was like, ‘I don’t know.’ He taught me about patience and they [Roc Nation] taught me how to find myself. I came back one day, and I swear, and I was like, ‘You know what? We need to do something else. And we flipped it and now we have this album.”

Her debut album is nearly complete and features contributions from The-Dream, Ester Dean and Drake, who penned ‘R.I.P.’

Originally, the song was intended for Drizzy’s album, but Ora was able to convince him to give her the track. “I heard it in the studio with Drake and I just said ‘I need this song,’” she recalls. “[When] I heard it I was like, ‘This is me so I need to have it.’”

Ora is also looking forward to a busy summer on the road. She will open up for the biggest band in the land, Coldplay, on their European trek. Going on the tour with a veteran group like Coldplay will be an invaluable experience for the London-based singer.

Ora always dreamed of becoming a performer and is pinching herself that her dreams are now being fulfilled. “It’s been a while of me finding myself, being honest with myself and then writing about it,” she says. “It’s great to finally realize it. When your time comes you need to grab it with both hands.”

Watch Rita Ora’s Interview with Billboard

Watch Rita Ora Perform ‘How We Do (Party)’

Watch Rita Ora Perform ‘R.I.P.’

Source: PopCrush.com

Skip Bolen, Getty Images

Commercials may not be her thing, but perhaps television is. Mary J. Blige has signed on to be a judge on ‘Opening Act,’ a talent search-style reality TV show set to air on the E! network.

According to Deadline.com, the show will pair Blige with another judge, Antonina Armato— a songwriter/producer behind hits for the likes of Miley Cyrus (‘See You Again’) and Selena Gomez and the Scene (‘Naturally’), among others — who will scour the web looking for the most talented unsigned artists.

The selected acts will be put through a series of challenges and mentoring sessions on their quest to become the opener for a major artist. Nicki Minaj, Brad Paisley, Jason Mraz, Rod Stewart, LMFAO, Jason Aldean and Gym Class Heroes have all signed on to allow the winner to potentially open for them.

‘Opening Act’ will air July 9th, and is executive produced by ‘American Idol’ executive producer Nigel Lythgoe.

Source: PopCrush.com

Chris Hyde, Getty Images

Kanye West is keeping his G.O.O.D. Music spree going. Yeezy, Big Sean, Pusha T and Jadakiss all joined forces to remix Chicago MC Chief Keef’s track ‘I Don’t Like.’

The song premiered on West’s hometown Chicago radio station, Power 92. While all the rappers go pretty hard on the song, West seems to have the most to address. “Media crucify me like they did Christ / Wanna find me not breathing / Like they did Mike.” Sounds a bit extreme, Ye!

West has been keeping himself mighty busy making G.O.O.D. Music. In addition to his much hyped and slightly controversial ‘Way Too Cold‘ track, West also dropped ‘Mercy‘ on Good Friday and recently signed Q-Tip to his label. Ye is also hard at work on a collaboration with none other than Justin Bieber. Ye has also been working on impressing his famous new girlfriend’s family.

While Yeezy revealed previously that his G.O.O.D. Music compilation album was close to completion, no release date has been set just yet. Maybe he was waiting til he could document the process on ‘Keeping Up With the Kardashians.’

Listen to Chief Keef, ‘I Don’t Like (G.O.O.D. Music Remix)’

Source: PopCrush.com

Facebook

It’s been 20 years in the making and it’s growing exponentially! The 2012 Stamp Out Hunger Campaign is feeding families across our east Texas community. Want learn how you can help? Read on to find out.With 1 in 6 families going hungry everyday, it’s a sad thing in our community. The National Association of Letter Carriers is feeding the cause. May 12 Is National Stamp Out Hunger Day in East Texas, and you can help hungry families by following these simple steps:

• Gather non-perishable food items
• Place by local mailbox for mail carriers to deliver to the East Texas Food Bank

Feel good knowing that another family is eating nutritious food, and YOU helped make it happen! With all of the food that goes to waste in our country, no family should go hungry. Please help the East Texas Food Bank Stamp Out Hunger on May 12.

Click here for more ways to get involved feeding hungry East Texans!

Christopher Polk, Getty Images

Not only was the Tupac Shakur Hologram a hit at the Coachella Music Festival, it also boosted sales of the late rapper’s posthumous albums. Buoyed by his virtual performance, Tupac’s 1998 album Greatest Hits returned to the Billboard 200 album chart for the first time since 2000.

The collection entered at No. 129 with 4,000 copies sold. Other albums by Tupac that saw a sales bump included his 1996 effort ‘All Eyez on Me’ (2,000 copies) and his 1995 LP ‘Me Against the World’ (1,000 units).

Elsewhere, the two songs from the virtual Tupac’s Coachella performance, ‘Hail Mary’ and ’2 of Amerikaz Most Wanted’ (featuring Snoop Dogg), netted 13,000 and 9,000 downloads, respectively, last week. Meanwhile, his 1995 chart-topping hit ‘California Love’ (featuring Dr. Dre) garnered 11,000 downloads.

While the resurgence in Tupac’s music is benefiting the late rapper’s estate, some may look at it as exploiting the dead. Atlanta rapper Waka Flocka Flame is among many critics who wasn’t feeling the Tupac hologram.

“I hated it,” he said. “That s— wack. I don’t think they should be doing that [because] they getting paid off a dead man’s body. You gotta let that man rest in peace. He’s a great.”

Hopefully, Tupac’s sales bump was sparked by a new generation of music fans interested in learning more about the late rap icon. If that’s the case, then it’s a win-win situation for the listeners and Tupac’s enduring legacy.

Source: PopCrush.com

YouTube

Rapper B.o.B showed the ladies of ABC’s ‘The View‘ how to live the high life with a performance of his new single ‘So Good.’ The song is from his new album ‘Strange Clouds,’ which arrives in stores on Tuesday (May 1).

Dressed in blue-colored Ray Ban sunglasses, matching suede jacket, khaki pants and sneakers, the Atlanta rhyme-slinger entertained the crowd with his sing-a-long anthem. At the end of his performance, Bobby Ray received bear hugs from all the women of ‘The View.’ Now that’s what we call motherly love.

B.o.B’s album ‘Strange Clouds’ is stacked with guest appearances from such artists as Taylor Swift, Ryan Tedder, Chris Brown, Morgan Freeman and Nicki Minaj (on the maniacal track ‘Out of My Mind‘).

“This is how I’ll explain the whole project: It’s not about having a good song or a hit song, it’s about having songs that are organic,” he told XXL about his second album. “At least for me, that’s what it’s like. For me, this album is a lot more organic but just as good [as 'The Adventures of Bobby Ray']. Do you like burgers? Well, these burgers are organic and they taste better.”

Yum!

Watch B.o.B Perform ‘So Good’ on ‘The View’

Source: PopCrush.com