Big Leather Couch

BOB MARLEY
February 6, 1945 – May 11, 1981

I have to tell you, it boggles my mind that Mr. Marley has been gone for almost 20 years, yet his music lives on like he was still around and recording.

The music he made was all based upon love and freedom. He converted from Catholicism to Rastafari in the 60's.

Under the name Bob Marley and the Wailers eleven albums were released, four live albums and seven studio albums.

In July 1977, Marley was diagnosed with acral lentiginous melanoma, a form of malignant melanoma. He continued to tour for a short while and the n tried some controversial cancer treatments in Bavaria.

After 8-months, knowing he was going to die, he decided to fly home to Jamaica. When the plane landed in Miami, Marley was so sick he was transferred to Cedars of Lebanon Hospital where he died the morning of May 11, 1981, at the age of 36. The spread of melanoma to his lungs and brain caused his death. His final words to his son Ziggy were "Money can't buy life."

Here are some of the awards and honors bestowed upon Mr. Marley:

• 1976: Band of the Year (Rolling Stone)
• June 1978: Awarded the Peace Medal of the Third World from the United Nations
• February 1981: Awarded Jamaica's third highest honor, the Jamaican Order of Merit
• March 1994: Inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• 1999: Album of the Century for Exodus (Time)
• February 2001: A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
• February 2001: Awarded Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2004: Rolling Stone ranked him #11 on their list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time
• "One Love" named song of the millennium by BBC
• Voted as one of the greatest lyricists of all time by a BBC poll.
• 2010 "Catch a Fire" inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame (Reggae Album).

I selected five of my favorites from Mr. Marley...

ENJOY and HAVE A GRAND WEEKEND!

Loving the story about RICHARD GERE and the warrant out for his arrest in India. Seems the "American Gigolo" was at an AIDS/HIV summit in New Delhi when he grabbed Shilpa Shetty, the Bollywood star and dipped her while planting kisses on he cheeks.

This PDA has resulted in the Indian Courts issued the warrant after complaints the actor committed an "obscene act."

Shetty defended Gere by saying was enacting a scene from "The Last Dance" since he does not speak Hindi.

Meanwhile posters of Gere and Shetty were burned around the city.

At least three citizens took it one step further by filing legal complaints against the pair. After viewing video footage of the incident, Judge Dinesh Gupta agreed that the "highly sexually erotic" behavior exhibited by the twosome "transgressed all limits of vulgarity."

In addition to issuing the warrant for Gere's arrest, the judge ordered Shetty to appear in his Jaipur court on May 5 to explain why she did not resist the actor's advances.

OK folks, who wants to start a collection to send Paris Hilton, Lindsey Lohan and K-Fed over to India...maybe we can be done with them once and for all...


HUGH GRANT, Divine Brown's best customer, has obviously decided that paparazzi are more fun to play with then prostitutes.

Our boy Hugh got all upset at Ian Whittaker, a photog for the Daily Star and attacked him by kicking at him three times. Then in a totally classy move, Hugh threw a tupperware container containing baked beans at the shutterbug, totally bumming out those at the bar-b-que waiting for the side dish.

Hugh-boy was arrested and questioned on suspicion of assault.

Whittaker was waiting outside Grant's apartment and, after asking Grant to smile, got chased down the street. He said he left "battered and bruised", and looking like a side dish to hot dogs!

According to Whittaker, Grant then went all Alec Baldwin on him and asked if he had any children. When Whittaker replied yes, supposedly Mickey Blue Eyes responded that he hoped they all "die of f***ing cancer."

Now, Robbie the Reindeer only used tupperwear and beans and didn't pull out an umbrella and go all Mary Poppins like Ms. Britney did against her paparazzi stalkers, so he should skate on this one...

Speaking of the parent of the year nominee, ALEC BALDWIN, you just have to wonder how that tape ever got out.

Was it Kim "Horni Honee" Bassinger?

Was it some clod in the court system?

We may never know, but Alec has to learn that "sticks and stones may break my bones but words left on an answering machine will last forever."

Upset that his daughter was not available to take his "visitation phone call", the eldest of the Brothers Baldwin went on a tirade on his 11-year old daughter, in part calling her a "thoughtless little pig."

Mr. "30 Rock" then continued...."I don't give a damn that you're 12-years-old or 11-years-old, or a child, or that your mother is a thoughtless pain in the ass who doesn't care about what you do. You've made me feel like s**t" and threatened to "straighten your ass out."

"This crap you pull on me with this goddamn phone situation that you would never dream of doing to your mother, and you do it to me constantly over and over again."

Before hanging up, Baldwin warned the child, "You better be ready Friday the 20th to meet with me."

On his website, Caleb Thorn left a statement including the following:

"Naturally, it is not best for a parent to lose their temper with their child," Baldwin said. "Everyone who knows me privately knows that I have endured a great deal over the last several years in my custody litigation."

"Everyone who knows me privately knows that certain people will go to any lengths to embarrass me and to disrupt my relationship with my daughter."

"I'm sorry, as everyone who knows me is aware, for losing my temper with my child. I have been driven to the edge by parental alienation for many years now."

We guess it is just everyone who doesn't know "chuckles" thinks he is a total clod.

Rumours that the family is up for an episode of "Nanny 911" are unfounded at this time.