Al Trautwig is mad Simone Biles. Photo: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
NBC"s rough first week of 2016 Rio Olympics coverage continues: After one commentator had to apologize for giving undue credit to Hungarian swimmer Katinka Hossz"s husband for her gold-medal performance, another is expressing his regret after offending those who are adopted. In his Sunday coverage of the U.S. women"s gymnastics team qualifier, NBC"s Al Trautwig described gold-medal favorite Simone Biles"s parents as "her grandfather and his wife." The problem with that phrasing? Biles"s maternal grandfather, Ron Biles, and his wife, Nellie Biles, legally adopted Simone and her sister Adria in 2000 after they"d been in foster care meaning they are her parents, full stop.
The profile NBC aired of Biles that same night referred to Ron and Nellie as her "mother and father," while Trautwig noted that Biles calls them "mom and dad." When the adoption community called Trautwig out on Twitter for the error some wondering whether or not he simply misspoke Trautwig responded that his refusal to acknowledge Biles"s adoptive parents as her parents was intentional.
The AP reports that NBC ordered Trautwig to delete his tweet. And in a new statement, Trautwig has now expressed his "regret" over his poor choice of words, both on-air and online. I regret that I wasnt more clear in my wording on the air. I compounded the error on Twitter, which I quickly corrected. To set the record straight, Ron and Nellie are Simones parents. So, how many more days untilLeslie Jones gets to Rio?
Authorities: Vanessa Marcotte, 27, was murdered in Princeton, Massachusetts
Vanessa Marcotte, of New York (Worcester County District Attorney"s Office)
PRINCETON, Mass. (AP) -- Residents of a small Massachusetts town are being urged to take caution after a woman visiting her mother was found slain in the woods.
Police found the body of Vanessa Marcotte on Sunday night about a half-mile from her mother"s home in the town of Princeton, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said. She was visiting from New York City, where she worked at Google. She had gone out Sunday for a walk or run in the woods and was reported missing after she didn"t return home.
The 27-year-old"s death appears to be a homicide, and an autopsy was set to determine the exact cause, Early said.
"We have a horrible set of facts; a horrible set of circumstances right now," he said.
Police say they don"t know if the attack was random. At a Monday news conference, authorities repeatedly urged the public to use caution and report any suspicious activity.
"We are concerned about the safety of our town residents and visitors that enter our town," Princeton Police Chief Michele Powers said. "We would ask people to pay attention to their surroundings."
Princeton is a town of about 3,500 residents 40 miles west of Boston. There hasn"t been a homicide in the town in the 27 years Powers has worked there, she said.
Marcotte worked as an account manager in New York for Google. In a statement Monday, Google said it is "deeply shocked and saddened."
"Vanessa Marcotte was a much loved member of the Google team, working in our New York office for the last year and a half, and known for her ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work and love of Boston sports," the company said.
Marcotte was a 2011 graduate of Boston University, which also mourned her death.
"We"re so terribly sad for her family and friends," Colin Riley, the executive director of media relations at Boston University, told ABC News. "They"re in our thoughts and prayers."
Marcotte"s death is similar to that of a New York City woman killed while on a run through a Queens park last week. Like Marcotte, 30-year-ol Katrina Vetrano was killed while running alone during daylight hours in a secluded area. There is no indication the deaths are connected.
International Cat Day 2015 - 8 August #InternationalCatDay - SISSI THE RED CAT
Don"t fret or stew over this one: There are actually multiple occasions on the annual calendar spotlighting felines in all of their whiskery and wondrous ways, including National Cat Day, which falls a couple of days ahead of Halloween.
But International Cat Day is its own entity, and has a distinct vibe and reason for being. Begun by the International Fund for Animal Welfare, International Cat Day invites we humans to not simply coo over our cats (though, of course, that"s always encouraged) but to ponder how we can work to make their catly worlds better, safer, healthier, and loved.
Think of it as quite proactive, if you like, and pause to ponder how you can help cat rescue, animal organizations, or even your own at-home cuddler on Aug. 8 and every day of the year.
One such day is on the horizon, and tickets are available now. It"s Kitten Rescue"s 8th annual Furball at the Skirball, an eveningtime event with a plant-based dinner at its center.
Black Sabbath"s Geezer Butler is an honoree, as is Mr. Butler"s wife Gloria. Both are devoted cat aficionados, and both Butlers gladly lend a helpful hand to groups who assist felines in a multitude of ways, from health concerns to home placement.
Furball at the Skirball is on Saturday, Sept. 10 and tickets? They"re here.
Perhaps securing your seat at the sweet soiree is how you approach World Cat Day, or perhaps a play session, on the floor, with your own kitty is how you mark the occasion.
However you celebrate our constant, tumbling, meowing, snoozing, kneading, loving companions is your choice. But, of course, if your choice arrives with a bit of yarn, and a toy, or a check for a rescue, well... that is meow-worthy, too.
The Bachelorette Premiere | Andi Dorfman Dishes on New Season
Andi Dorfmans tell-all has yet to hitshelves, but some of the books juiciest passages have already been released. Ahead of the debut of Its Not Okay: Turning Heartbreak Into Happily Never After on May 17, read up on some of Andis shocking claims about her co-stars on The Bachelorette and her failed engagement.
Andi and Josh Murrays love story played out on Season 10 of ABCs The Bachelorette, but Andi tellsUs Weekly their relationship was volatile, a far from a fairy tale portrayed on TV. Andi, 29, released passages from her book to the magazine, a few of the most noteworthywhich have beenoutline below.
Back To Work
When Andi starred on Juan Pablos season of The Bachelor she was introduced as a district attorney. While her stint asThe Bachelorete had her put her career on the backburner, Andi saidshe was interested in returning to thelegal fieldonce her TV projectended. She claims, however, that Josh wasnt a fan of the idea and called her plans selfish. Their issues escalated during a trip to New York in September 2014 where Andi handed back her engagement ring.
For the first time, I thought I dont think were going to make it. But the thought scared me if I wasnt a happy fiance,who was I?
Andi said Josh apologized the following morning on an airplane and she witnessed him cry for the first time. Andi writes at that moment she wasnt ready to lose him.
Nick Vialls Preferences
Lets file this one under something we never wantedto know. Andi talks about her ex-lover and former contestant Nick Vialls sexual preferences in her book.She dished about their one-on-one time in the Dominican Republic during her season, explaining that he once told her in bed:
If I had four times, Id like to f---the first three times and make love the fourth.
The Bachelorette stars Josh Murray and Andi Dorfman attended Mark Zuninos bridal runway show for Kleinfeld on Oct. 14, 2014 in New York City but the couple never made it down the aisle. Photo: Getty Images
Trust Issues
After Josh found out that Andi had slept with Nick during The Bachelorette, Andi says her fianc used her past to taunt her.
That one sexual escapade would become a power play used by my fianc to justify his mistrust in me. It would be an excuse to call me a w***e. And it would eventually lead to the demise of my engagement.
Juan Pablo, pictured throwing out the first pitch at Minute Maid Park in Houston on Sept. 20, 2014, spent his overnight date with Andi Dorman on The Bachelor talking about sports, this according to the ABC starlets new tell-all. Photo: Getty Images
Juan Pablo
Andi famously dumped the Season 18 The Bachelor lead after their overnight date and in her book, she reveals their private affair was anything but OK. When Juan wasnt talking about the other women on the show hed slept with, she saidhe made her relive his past accomplishments during the date.
The entire night consisted of watching dozens of videos of his old soccer highlights on YouTube.
Infamous Breakup
Andi and Josh shocked fans when they announced their breakup onJan. 8, 2015, just three days after they happily appeared side-by-side during a The Bachelor live special. Andi details their return home from the press trip and the breakup that followed.
When we arrived at our place I beelined it up the stairs. I walked straight into the closet and dropped my bag on the floor. I wasnt in the closet to unpack.
Andi writes that Josh found her packing her things with tears in her eyes and asked if the relationship was over. She responded: Yes, I think so.
Vanessa Marcotte Google account manager from New York City was found murdered in the Woods
A woman out for an afternoon jog was found dead in Princeton on Sunday night after her family reported her missing. A state police source told NewsCenter 5 that the woman"s body was found n***d and burned.
Vanessa Marcotte, 27, who lived in New York, was found dead in a wooded area near Brooks Station Road, about a half-mile from her mother"s Princeton home.
A preliminary review of the body has led detectives to believe this is a homicide investigation, District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said. "We do not know if this is a random act.
A state police source at the scene told NewsCenter 5 that it was not immediately clear if Marcotte was assaulted, but she was n***d. The woman"s hands, feet and part of head were burned, the source said.
Early said Marcotte went out for a walk at about 1 p.m., and when she did not return, her family reported her missing. Her body was found about seven hours later.
"We are asking (residents) to be very careful. Right now we have an active homicide investigation going on. You can"t be too careful," Early said.
Marcotte, who grew up in Leominster, was working as an account manager for Google, Early said.
Vanessa Marcotte was a much loved member of the Google team, working in our New York office for the last year and a half, and known for her ubiquitous smile, passion for volunteer work, and love of Boston sports," a Google spokesperson said. "We are deeply shocked and saddened, and our thoughts are with her family and friends.
Anyone with information is urged to call Massachusetts State Police at 508-453-7589.
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Andi Dorfman: From The ‘Bachelorette’ To Modeling (TMZ TV)
Photo: Michael Stewart/Getty Images.
When you think about The Bachelor, feminism may not be the first topic that comes to mind. But former Bachelor contestant and Bachelorette star Andi Dorfman is a proud, unapologetic feminist, and she has no time for men who won"t embrace that.
"Being a feminist has weeded out a lot of guys that I don"t want to be with," she told us at a Bachelorette finale viewing party hosted by Wedding Paper Divas Monday night. "I am a self-described feminist. I will not back down from that. I think feminism is a great thing and I look for someone that appreciates and respects that. I think every man, if they"re worth anything, should respect and appreciate a feminist."
Growing up in the South, she"s run into men who believe in traditional gender roles, but times are changing. "Women can do what men do and probably even better. It"s something that no guy can turn a blind eye to. We"re not in the "50s anymore," said the It"s Not Okay author and former prosecutor. "I can sense very quickly what a guy expects. If he expects someone who will cater down to him every day of the week, I might not be seeing him again. That"s a nice way of putting it."
Dorfman is known for leaving Bachelor Juan Pablo Galavis (due to him talking about himself incessantly in the Fantasy Suite and not listening to her). And it paid off, since she went on to appear on The Bachelorette.
As someone whose Bachelorette relationship ultimately didn"t last, Dorfman also offered some advice for JoJo and Jordan as they embark on their off-screen romance. "Try not to put too much pressure on yourself and your relationship, and try to focus on your relationship, not everything else that"s going on around you," she said. "There will be a lot of stuff that happens around you, and it"s easy to lose sight of your relationship, whether it"s good or not."
Photo: Dennis Kwan Photography/ Wedding Paper Divas.
Ultimately, though, she said someone"s success on the show comes down to luck. "If [he"s] not the right guy for you, it"s not going to last."
Whether you"re on The Bachelorette or not, Dorfman is a firm believer in finding happiness alone before you can be happy in a relationship.
"At the end of the day, your happiness spreads to all your other relationships, so you"ve got to make that a priority in order to have successful relationships, whether with a man or a friend or a family member," she said. "Take the social media out, take the family and friends out. At the end of the day, you have to lay down your head at night and wake up to yourself every single morning. You"re the number one constant in your life."
