Musician Vic Chesnutt dead at 45
ATHENS, Ga., Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Singer-songwriter Vic Chesnutt has died in an Athens, Ga. hospital after taking an overdose of muscle relaxants, said a family spokesman. He was 45.
Chesnutt, who had been in a coma since he overdosed on the medication last week, died Dec. 25, The New York Times said Monday.
The Florida native was left partially paralyzed after a drunken driving accident when he was 18. Performing in a wheelchair, he recorded more than 15 albums. Among his songs are "Speed Racer" and "Flirted with You All My Life."
Chesnutt was the focus of the PBS documentary "Speed Racer" and Madonna, R.E.M. and Live performed cover versions of some of his songs for the album "Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation," which raised money for the Sweet Relief Fund, which helps pay for medical care for musicians in need.
The Times noted Chesnutt frequently wrote, spoke and sang about suicide, which he has attempted several times throughout the years. The musician also said in a recent interview that expensive surgical procedures have left him deep in debt.
Chesnutt is survived by his wife, Tina Whatley Chesnutt; a sister, Lorinda Crane; and nine nieces and nephews, the newspaper said.
Some teens backing away from Facebook
NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- Some U.S. teens are surprised by how much time they spend on Facebook and are imposing limits on themselves, two experts say.
Sherry Turkle, a professor of psychology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, told TV's "Good Morning America" people generally are working to find a way to integrate the social networking Web site -- which has more than 350 million active users worldwide -- into their lives without letting it take them over.
"We're not going to be taking away the Internet," Turkle said. "It's more a question of living with these devices that so compel us, in a way that serves our human purposes."
Michigan high-school sophomore Neeka Salmasi told "GMA" she found her grades slipping because she was spending so much time on Facebook.
"It's like an addiction," Salmasi said. "You look up one moment and it's day and you look up another moment and it's night."
The teen said her solution is to have her sister change her Facebook password at the beginning of
every week and hide it from her until weekends.
Monica Reed and Halley Lamberson, teens who are best friends in California, also told the program they decided to limit their Facebook use to one Saturday a month because they were spending too much time online.
Internet safety expert Parry Aftab agreed some teens use the Internet so much "things are out of balance."
"They aren't doing things offline," she said. "They're all-consumed."
Jolie, Pitt donate $100K to kids' charity
WASHINGTON, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- SOS Children's Villages-USA said it received a gift of $100,000 from Hollywood couple Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt.
Their donation went to support SOS-Florida and SOS-Illinois, which were founded more than 15 years ago to provide an alternative form of foster care in the United States "that puts an end to multiple placements, separation from siblings, physical and sexual abuse or neglect and abandonment," the charity said.
"We have seen first-hand the remarkable job SOS does to raise orphaned and abandoned children and keep families together. No one 'ages out' of an SOS Village: Vocational training, advanced education, living assistance and moral support are there forever," Jolie said in a statement.
"In this holiday season, many of us take for granted that we are surrounded by loving family members. The poor outcomes for foster children indicate that we must do a much better job of supporting them," added Pitt.
"The Jolie-Pitt Foundation has been a strong and loyal supporter of SOS Children's Villages around the world," remarked SOS Children's Villages-USA Chief Executive Officer Heather Paul. "We are deeply grateful that this year this couple has included in their generosity our villages in Illinois and Florida and our 300 children who call SOS 'home.'"
Banks says show to end in 2010
NEW YORK, Dec. 28 (UPI) -- U.S. talk-show host Tyra Banks says the fifth season of "The Tyra Show" will be its last.
"This will be the last season of 'The Tyra Show,'" Banks told People magazine Monday. "I've been loving having fun, coming into your living rooms, bedrooms, hair salons for the past five years."
The former supermodel said she is wrapping up the show this spring, so she can focus on starting up a New York-based film production company called Bankable Studios.
"My next huge steps will allow me to reach more women and young girls to help us all feel as fierce as we truly are," Banks told the magazine.
