BlackBook

Did you see this insanity about a young, heroin-addicted, ivory-tower-educated, would-be terrorist couple getting busted for a cache of drugs, weapons and explosives in their Greenwich Village apartment? Pretty wild, but not so wild as the fact that one Morgan Glideman, nine months pregnant, went into labor as she was being arrested. But I guess that’s adrenalin for you.

Remember Occupy Wall Street? Of course you don’t! To refresh your memory, let’s consult Wikipedia: OWS is “an ongoing protest movement that began on September 17, 2011 in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Wall Street financial district.”

Once upon a time May Day meant walking around the May pole and the hedonistic jumping through fire to celebrate fertility for both the land and people. In the late 1800s it became International Worker’s Day and after the May Day riots in 1894 the day quickly became a time to speak out against government, capitalism, and what have you. This year the month of May kicked off with branches of the Occupy movement storming the streets of Manhattan marching and videotaping police brutality.

It only took about fifteen minutes tops – five blocks south of Bryant Park – before the “illegal” Occupy Wall Street and “Guitarmy” march to Union Square broke through the tight NYPD formation corralling protestors to the sidewalk along 5th Avenue in New York City. Across the country 135 cities planned similar May Day related action.

Blind Chinese dissident Chen Guangcheng, who escaped house arrest last month and was taken in by the U.S. Embassy, left the safe compound after Chinese officials promised to reunite him with his family, move them someplace safe and allow him to attend university. China’s demanding an apology from the U.S., though, because they don’t like other people playing with their citizen-prisoners without asking. [WaPo] 

The Band's Levon Helm has lost his battle with throat cancer. He was 71 and with music in his bones well into the end. [NYT]

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is planning an Occupy Wall Street-themed episode, and the production crew set up camp in Zuccotti Park last night. Once the Occupy protesters heard that their efforts were going to be the basis of a sex-crime mystery, they did what they do best: got everyone kicked out of the park. 

Socially conscious musicians have treated the protesters at Zuccotti Park to a slew of impromptu concerts. Jeff Mangum, Pete Seeger, David Crosby and Graham Nash, Tom Morello, and Rufus Wainwright and Sean Lennon have all ventured down to Liberty Square to lend their support to the Occupy Wall Street cause. At 12:30pm EST today, Third Eye Blind adds their name to that esteemed list.

● Over the weekend, Justin Bieber took the DNA tests needed to prove he is not yet a father, lit up the Empire State Building, and debuted a grown-and-sexy slicked back new hairdo. We watched an episode of Homeland. [TMZ]

Shepard Fairey has tweaked his iconic 'Hope' poster for the Occupy Wall Street movement, replacing Obama's face with that of Guy Fawkes mask. While it serves to show support for the movement, he also has a message for the President.