R.I.P. Uncle Leo

Veteran actor Len Lesser, who's best known as Jerry Seinfeld's Uncle Leo on "Seinfeld," passed away today of complications from pneumonia. He was 88.

Life Imitating Seinfeld - Recycling Scam

Apart from ketchup and mustard in the same bottle, the best idea to ever come out of ‘Seinfeld’ was Kramer and Newman’s Inter-State Bottle Redemption Plan to run bottles and cans to Michigan to capitalize on their generous 10-cent refund policy. Except maybe the idea isn’t so great after all, since it didn’t end up working for them (mainly due to stumbling upon Jerry’s stolen car, but still) or for three real-life individuals now facing criminal charges for a similar scam in the state of Maine. They must have blown all their margins on gasoline.

A couple that runs a Maine redemption center and a Massachusetts man were indicted this week for allegedly redeeming beverage containers in Maine that were bought in other states.

Thomas and Megan Woodard, who run Green Bee Redemption in Kittery, face the more serious charge of allegedly passing off more than 100,000 out-of-state containers – with a value of more than $10,000 – as if they had been purchased in Maine.

Apparently can refund scams are a serious issue in some places, as approximately 90 million out-of-state bottles are said to be redeemed illegally in Maine every year.

Rock Star Rummage Sales

KISS singer-guitarist Paul Stanley and former Guns n' Roses guitarist Slash are cleaning out their garages, selling some of their cars
Stanley is unloading a black 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL-Class SL 500 on eBay.(see RIGHT) It has 55,000 miles, an automatic transmission, black leather interior, AMG sports package with a 5.0-liter V8 engine, power hard top and Bose sound system with a six-CD changer.
The starting bid is $30,000 and the auction ends on Saturday afternoon.

Slash, who tells Billboard, "I have a bad habit of collecting stuff that I don't necessarily use," is selling a 1966 Corvette Stingray, along with guitars, clothing and furniture. Beverly Hills auction house Julien's will sell the items on March 26th, with a portion of the proceeds going to an L.A. charity for abused and homeless adolescents. The 'Vette is expected to bring between 90 and 100 grand. The 14 guitars for sale include the Guild acoustic he used to record Guns n' Roses' "Patience." He's also selling two of his trademark top hats.

Taking The Law Into You Own Mamms..er...Hands

A Florida woman upset that a visitor to her child’s school was showing too much cleavage was arrested yesterday morning after she allegedly took matters into her own hands, literally.

Laura Campanello, 43, was leaving a meeting with her 17-year-old son’s guidance counselor at Bayshore High School when she passed a woman whom she believes was too scantily clad. After Campanello asked the woman--who was visiting the Bradenton school with an enrolling student--to cover up her chest area, an argument broke out.

According to a Manatee County Sheriff Office affidavit, Deputy Greg Jenkins, the school’s resource officer, arrived on the scene and advised Campanello that the other woman “was an adult and that I could not tell this lady how to dress.”

“Oh then I can…just do this,” Campanello responded. As detailed by Jenkins, Campanello then allegedly “pulled the front of her blouse down reached in with both hands and pulled both breasts out and squeezed them together.” The impromptu display in front of several onlookers resulted in Campanello’s arrest for disorderly conduct.

Campanello, pictured in the above mug shot, was booked into the county jail on the misdemeanor rap.

In an interview, Campanello, a former Spanish teacher from Ohio whose various medical conditions forced a recent move to Florida, denied exposing her breasts. “I am a proper person,” she said, adding that Deputy Jenkins was a “chubby, rude, lewd, and lascivious” man who “had it out for her.”

WTF Is Steven Tyler Tweeting About???

Steven Tyler has always had a unique way with words, and he's been in rare form on Twitter, where you're limited to 140 characters. Here's a sample of some of his Tweets from the past few days while on vacation in Maui:

• "Another day in paradise. Ah, to meditate in the morn, it's an inside job, wherever you go, there you are -- then took boat to Molakini and dove"
• "I'm gonna hire my own papa shmotzy to get the good stuff, and if I don't know what the F it is, that is no one knows. It's the devil you know"
• "So I dove over the side, the height of whale season, and along comes a mom and her baby viz 100 feet. Up comes baby for air 10 feet away"
• "70 feet mom followed. They were this close and singing to me (God shot) and me singing, too. Paul, shut the front door and pinch me to wake up -- no, don't."
• "Sometimes methinks, "Am I dreamin'? Or am I being dreamt?' Methinks both. What fantastic cosmic goop is in all of this interplay. Yum and soy drink."
• "Sometimes I can't wait the tick for the tock. Love you, Bill. Come on, Joe, let's rock. We don't need hits, but you know that we got 'em, so get your ass here and let's dive to the bottom"
• "So twinkle on my little star, I know exactly where you are. And listen not to rumors bled that woe is me, my Paul is dead. With Idol minds let's all take stock, I beg of thee, let's f-ing rock."
• "Who's in lyric mode? Chingochcook. Good morning to youze on the East Coast. I'm goin' to bed. Sometimes you have to travel far to find what is near."