Fifty Shades of musical

Shuffle under some Star of David stained glass windows and a rack of prayer shawls in a corner of the off-Broadway Actors Temple Theatre for this high-volume command at the start of its latest show: “Strap in! Strap on! And if it vibrates, put it between your legs!” There may not be enough exclamation points – or groans, depending on your fan status – for Cuff Me: The Fifty Shades of Grey (Unauthorised) Musical Parody, one of a few stage spoofs to take on the naughty books in song, and the first to hit New York.

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How Medicated Was Michael Jackson?

The role of heavy pain-suppressant drugs in Michael Jackson’s life — and possibly in his death — continues to come into focus ahead of Tuesday’s planned memorial service, with new allegations, Friday, that the powerful anesthetic Diprivan had been found in the pop-star’s home. Citing a single, unnamed law-enforcement source, the Associated Press made the Diprivan claim on Friday. Diprivan, also known as Propofol, is typically used in hospital operating theaters as an intravenous anesthetic.

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Abu Ghraib photos provoked shock, then anger, for Arabs

There is hardly anything in U.S.-Arab relations that screams scandal louder than the torture pictures of Abu Ghraib: Naked hooded male bodies in the fetal position, piled up on top of each other in a pyramid shape, next to them U.S. soldiers in uniform smiling and giving two thumbs up

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Name your poison: ‘Snake wine’ seized at airport

Everyone has heard of the worm at the bottom of the bottle, but what customs officials in Miami found kicked that up a few notches. United States Customs and Border Protection officers conducting a routine inspection on Wednesday seized a cobra and other poisonous snakes in a bottle believed to be “snake wine.” Customs officials said the snakes, mixed in a glass container containing some form of alcohol, were inside an express mail package from Thailand. Jose Castellano, a spokesman for U.S

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Obama to introduce tax reforms that target overseas loopholes

The White House will unveil reforms to the nation’s international tax code on Monday intended to close loopholes for overseas tax havens and end incentives for creating jobs overseas. Senior administration officials briefed reporters Sunday evening in a conference call ahead of the announcement that will be made by President Obama and Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner.

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