Bowen on the scene

Roses to Russ
Once again, Russ “Beefcake” Bowen scored the big breaking news sweeps winner Monday in covering the verdict in the Michelle Gibson trial, a trial that surprised everyone.

After deliberating about four hours, the jury found Gibson not guilty of second-degree murder in the death last year of her 8-year-old son. The jury also found Gibson not guilty of felony child abuse. The verdict came just before the 6 p.m. broadcast, so Russ gave us the news.

Then later in the broadcast, Russ caught Gibson coming out of the courthouse and interviewed her live. A woman who had been in jail a year, freed on the exact date her son died one year earlier. And Russ was there, asking her what it felt like to breath fresh air. Gibson, emotional as one might expect, wept and thanked God and said she loved her boy Devin.

Russ didn’t ask the greatest questions, but you’ve to give it to him for being on the spot and ready for action. It was a gripping interview. Russ also showed us the courtroom reaction right after the verdict was read, including the spontaneous applause.

Roses to Russ for a sweeps winner!

At 11, Cherub Charu gathered reaction from people who live at Woodcroft Apartments, where Gibson used to live. Charu said “many” at Woodcroft remembered Devin’s death, and the few people she talked to said they didn’t blame Michelle Gibsonn for the boy’s death. “She was just a single mother trying to make it,” everybody kept saying. That, and, “She’s got to live with the death of her son for the rest of her life.”

On other note – Gibson’s attorney, Randy Seago, should be applauded for the way he handled the case. And outside the courtroom, he told the cameras that the state legislature needs to wake up and fund some child care programs.

Child porn charges
Some dude who spent three years working at the Lake Junaluska Assembly (a Methodist retreat) as a housekeepr was charged with having child porn in his house.

Murder rap
Another dude in Henderson County was charged with murder for the Saturday night shooting death of his brother-in-law.

MySpace special report
WLOSers special report was something about a couple of UNCA students being stupid on the Web. That was about it.

No zoning
WLOSers had a story about a television ad running on their channel – an anti-zoning ad targeting Buncombe County commissioners. Ashvegas attorney Albert Sneed said he helped with the ad because any decision about land use planning should only be made “after extended public debate.”

The ad, which looks like it was produced by an eighth-grade yearbook staff, shows some rednecks says commissioners are trying to take away our land. The ad names commissioners it says favor zoning, including David Gantt, though the ad incorrectly spells Gantt, leaving out a “T.”

All this comes as commissioners are preparing to get a land use planning report from the county planning board. Buncombe County is the largest county in the state with no land use rules.

Larry Blunt’s disgusting joke
Larry “Gloryhole” Blunt crossed the lines of decency with a lame attempt at a joke in the story of an exotic bird that had gotten out of its cage and wouldn’t come out of a tree. Finally someone climbed up the tree and, whith gloved hands, retrieved “Booger” the bird. Then Gloryhole said he had it on good authority that the guy “had to shake Booger off his hand.” Then Gloryhold overacted the suppression of a smile, trying to sell the joke.

Look Larry – it was gross and stupid and a was a joke befitting a third-grader.

Movie director to ‘DaVinci Code’: ‘Kiss my grits’
Jon “Punnyman” Le brought us the best story of the day – the story of a colorful moviehouse owner who refused to show the biggest movie in the land currently, the DaVinci Code.

Le said the Smoky Mountain Cinema refused to show the movie because the cinema owner felt it was anti-Christian. “Hollywood, you’ve gone too far,” the guy says on his answering machine, which Le quoted extensively.

“A lot of people have been asking us when we’re going to be playing ‘The Da Vinci Code,’’ the guy says on his message. “The answer to that is never. No way. No how. We feel that this movie mocks God. We feel that this movie calls the Bible a book of lies. To this movie we say ‘kiss my grits.’”

Le said this isn’t the first time the theater owner has taken such a stand. When movies “Hell Boy” and “Jackass” came out, he showed them, but listed them on his marquee as “Hello Boy” and “Jackace.”

All in all, said Le, seeing the DaVinci Code in Waynesville was “mission impossible.” Nice pun, Punnyman. Nice one.

In other news…
Hendersonville city council is looking at loosening up height restrictions in the city. They want bigger developments that will bring in more money, and a proposed condo project may test city regs… Josh Shipman, a boy with leukemia, died at Duke Hospital and there was a visitation for him at East Flat Rock Church… WLOSers said it’s time to prepare for hurricanes – stockpile a can opener, bottled water, batteries and a radio… And state troopers’ Click It or Ticket program to get people to wear seatbelts started with a roadblock on Haywood Road, where police handed out 85 tickets, 55 of those for seat belt violations.