Henry John Edwards Sr. decorated Army veteran

HILLSBOROUGH — Henry John Edwards Sr., "Hank", age 88, of Hillsborough, formerly of Staten Island, N.Y., died Sunday, (March 30, 2008). Mr. Edwards was born in New York City, the son of the late Theodore and the late Lillian (Cyzowski) Lidoski.
He served in the Army during World War II in the Aleutian Islands, and was a Bronze Star recipient.
Hank was a purchasing director for Pan American Airlines New York, N.Y., retiring in 1983. Mr. Edwards was a member of Hillsborough Seniors Club Chapter B, and a RCIA volunteer at Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church.
He is survived by devoted wife, Brunetta "Netta" of 60 years; three beloved daughters, Maggie Gagliardi and husband, John, Mary Ellen Stahley and husband, Charles, Barbara Byrnes and husband, James; and a dear son, Henry Edwards Jr. and wife, Nancy. Also surviving are seven cherished grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.
Friends may call from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday at the Hillsborough Funeral Home, 796 Route 206, Hillsborough. A Mass will be held 10 a.m. Friday at Mary Mother of God Roman Catholic Church, Hillsborough.
In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Missionary Servants of The Most Holy Trinity, 1292 Long Hill Rd., Stirling, NJ 07980 or the Children's Learning Center, 404 Tenafly Rd., Tenafly, NJ 07670, in his memory.

Teresa Maioriello Perrone great-grandmother of 3

NORTH PLAINFIELD — Teresa Maioriello Perrone, 91, died Sunday (March 30, 2008) at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center in Plainfield. Mrs. Perrone was born in the Province of Castel DiSasso, Italy, and came to the United States in 1955, settling in North Plainfield in 1962.
She worked 25 years as a handbag assembler for Markay Bags, formerly of Plainfield. Teresa was a communicant of St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in North Plainfield.
She was predeceased by her husband, Enrico Perrone, in 1995; and a daughter, Maria Cristina Perrone, in 1968.
Surviving are three sons, Stefano and his wife, Rosa Perrone, Frank and his wife, Elisa Perrone and Domenick Perrone, all of North Plainfield. Also surviving are a brother, Francesco DiRienzo of Italy; eight grandchildren, Maria Cristina, Mark, Teresa Cristina, Claudia, Iolanda, Enrico, Stefano Jr. and Michael; and three great-grandchildren, Francesca, Edward Jr. and Brielle.
Services will start 9 a.m. Thursday from Scarpa Funeral Home, 22 Craig Place, North Plainfield, followed by a 10:30 a.m. Mass at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in North Plainfield. Entombment will take place in Somerset Hills Memorial Park Mausoleum in Basking Ridge. Visiting hours are 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. today.

Amy Winehouse Dominates Grammys From Afar

Posted at February 11th, 2008 7:25 am by Free Britney
Filed under: Amy Winehouse

It was Amy Winehouse’s night.

The British pop singer pulled off a near sweep at the 50th annual Grammy Awards Sunday, scoring five trophies including record of the year, song of the year and best new artist, while performing via satellite.

Amy Winehouse won all the night’s top awards, except for album of the year, which went to Herbie Hancock for River: The Joni Letters.

The 24-year-old recently saw her music success overshadowed by a long, hard battle with substance abuse, and last week, she fought to get a U.S. visa to attend the ceremony. She received it but too late for her to attend.

Sunday night, however, finally brought the focus back onto the R&B / soul singer’s breakthrough album, Back to Black, and her single “Rehab.”

In an emotional acceptance speech via satellite in London after she sang “You Know That I’m No Good” and “Rehab,” Amy Winehouse thanked her producer, Mark Ronson, her mother and father, and her husband Blake Fielder-Civil.

“To my Blake, my Blake incarcerated,” Winehouse said.

Blake Fielder-Civil, 25, is currently awaiting trial in a London jail on charges of assault and witness tampering.

Follow the jump for a list of major Grammy winners …

Amy Winehouse: Visiting Blake Fielder-Civil in Prison, Praised By Mother, Criticized By Natalie Cole

Posted at February 12th, 2008 10:17 am by Free Britney
Filed under: Amy Winehouse

After dominating the Grammys (winning five!) on Sunday, Amy Winehouse is back “on the road to recovery,” says her mom, Janis Winehouse.

“Well, it’s Amy coming back, she’s definitely on the way back,” Janis said in a new interview with Britain’s GMTV.

Winehouse, 24, delivered a polished performance via satellite at Sunday’s show — proof that she has already cleaned up her act a bit.

“As you saw, she looks good and it’s a case of she’s on the road - and that’s what it’s about - she’s on the road to recovery,” Janis said.

A rep for Winehouse said the Back to Black singer “is an outpatient and she is under medical supervision and the treatment continues.”

Amy Winehouse stole the show - even via satellite - at the Grammys.

The troubled R&B / soul sensation went to rehab last month after Britain’s The Sun released a video of her apparently smoking crack out of a pipe.

Her spiral into oblivion can be tied to Blake Fielder-Civil - her husband of about a year, and who she visited in jail yesterday. We hope he’s doin’ well.

While Amy’s mini-comeback and haul of trophies were the talk of the Grammys along with Kanye West’s performance, one past winner wasn’t thrilled.

Natalie Cole, who hasn’t been big since, oh, 1991, blasted the Grammy Awards for honoring the “Rehab” singer, claiming Amy doesn’t deserve her wins as “it sends the wrong message” to award a musician “in the midst of her stupor of drugs.”

First, Amy is at least trying to clean up.

Second, this is music, Natalie. We love Carrie Underwood to pieces, but she might be the only good girl in the entire industry. You want to bar everyone else? An award show in which she wins 87 of them might get a bit tedious.

Amy Winehouse Chillin’ with Blake … Wood

Posted at February 13th, 2008 8:02 am by Free Britney
Filed under: Amy Winehouse, Blake Fielder-Civil

Amy Winehouse has a Blake in her life. Blake Wood.

The singer’s pal, Kelly Osbourne, apparently introduced her to Wood, a U.S. photographer, who’s a tad different than Winehouse’s regular Blake.

Fielder-Civil, that is.

Turns out Blake 2.0 doesn’t drink or do drugs. He’s also a vegetarian.

In other words, this Wood character might have more in common with Blake Lively than he does with Blake Fielder-Civil.

Amy Winehouse and Blake Wood have reportedly been spending a lot of time together while her husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, is in prison and awaiting trial.

A source told the UK’s The Sun, “They’re staying in a hotel together and they might all move into Kelly Osbourne’s place when Amy finishes her recovery. He has met Amy’s family and they all really like him.”

Amy picked up five Grammy Awards the other night but her mind was still on her jailed hubby. If he ever gets out, he may just have to kill Blake 2.0 … only to end up back in prison. The irony would be quite rich.

Brother of Amy Winehouse Says She’s Doing Better

Posted at February 15th, 2008 8:04 am by Free Britney
Filed under: Amy Winehouse

It’s been a rough ride for Amy Winehouse over the past year.

According to The Hollywood Gossip oddsmakers, she recently took the lead over Britney Spears in the Celebrity Most Likely to Die Before 2010 pool.

But according to her brother, Alex Winehouse, she’s on the way back up - which is a relief, as her fans want to enjoy her talent for decades to come.

Alex Winehouse cited the Back to Black singer’s multiple Grammy wins for the turn in her life. The whole family is relieved at her apparent recovery, given the fact that only weeks earlier, she was possibly smoking crack.

Amy Winehouse is supposedly doing much better in rehab.

“It was hard to take in that the barely communicative shell in front of us was my own flesh and blood,” Alex said of Amy Winehouse. “I should mention here that we all knew how bad her condition was. There was never any denial on the part of my parents, whose fears and anxiety over their daughter made them ill.”

But, he says, the “You Know I’m No Good” singer has reportedly turned over a new leaf. “Yes, the very best of weekends. Spurs continue their resurgence, but most importantly of all very definite signs that Amy - the real Amy - is back among us. The hope, of course, is that this time it’s for real.”

We’re sure Blake Wood is happy for Amy as well.

Sports Guy Ponders Spears-Winehouse Death Pool

Posted at February 17th, 2008 10:50 am by Free Britney
Filed under: Amy Winehouse, Bill Simmons, Britney Spears

ESPN’s The Sports Guy, a.k.a. Bill Simmons, was recently asked a by a reader what The Hollywood Gossip itself ponders daily: If you had the No. 1 pick in a death pool draft, would you take Britney Spears over Amy Winehouse?

Indeed, it’s a question for the ages. While we would prefer the musings of his wife, The Sports Gal, Bill Simmons’ response is pretty funny…

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’ll do this in super-intense, face-turning-red, Todd McShay mode …

“Mike, Amy Winehouse has to to be the No. 1 pick. This girl has every tool you’d want: She’s addicted to drugs; she has no concern for her own safety; she hangs out with people who do drugs; and ‘Rehab’ feels like a self-eulogy every time she sings it!”

Which train wreck would you take in an office death pool?

“I judge No. 1 picks in a death pool by one thing: If CNN reports he or she died, would I be remotely surprised? In the case of Amy Winehouse? NO! As for Britney Spears, her stock has been falling with GMs across the league.”

“She’s getting help, she’s on bipolar meds and she jettisoned some of the negative influences in her life. We’re starting to hear whispers that she might drop out of the top five. I’ve had GMs across the league tell me that Mary-Kate Olsen and Dennis Rodman have moved ahead of Britney Spears on their boards …”