Petition seeks to cancel Duggar show

More than 80,000 people have signed a petition to cancel the TLC reality show "19 Kinds and Counting" for what the petition says is an anti-LGBT stance. According to the petition, Michelle Duggar's voice can be heard on a recorded call from this past summer urging the citizens of Fayetteville, Arkansas, to vote to repeal a law that forbids business owners and landlords from evicting and firing people based on gender identity.

Charles Barkley's commentary has again landed the former NBA star in the middle of a controversial discussion. During a radio interview, the media personality said that he believed successful African-Americans are targeted by "brainwashed" and "uneducated" members of their community. "For some reason, we're brainwashed to think if you're not a thug or an idiot, you're not black enough," he said. "If you go to school, make good grades, speak intelligent and don't break the law, you're not a good black person. ... As a black person, we all go through it when you're successful." This isn't the first time Barkley's fired off some brow-raising remarks.

Barkley, while covering a basketball game for TNT, got caught on a hot mic saying that his Weight Watchers endorsement deal was a "scam." The company saw the humor in it and released a statement saying: "We love Charles for the same reason everyone loves Charles. He's unfiltered."

Chris Noth turned off "Sex and the City" fans with an observation about his on-screen love, Sarah Jessica Parker's Carrie Bradshaw. "How many boyfriends did she have?" the actor, who played Mr. Big, told Australian press. "She was such a whore!" The paper notes that Noth laughed when he said it, so apparently he was trying to make a joke.

In the August 2014 issue of GQ magazine, Kanye West gave more than a few head-scratching quotes. One of the most perplexing was his stance on what you could call celebrity civil rights: "I talked about the idea of celebrity, and celebrities being treated like blacks were in the '60s, having no rights, and the fact that people can slander your name," he recalled of his wedding toast. Last we checked, celebrities are able to vote and are not barred from using the same public facilities as everyone else, but OK, Kanye.

Actor Jason Biggs came under fire after making what some found to be an insensitive joke after Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 crashed in eastern Ukraine in July. "Anyone wanna buy my Malaysian Airlines frequent flier miles?" he tweeted. When the Twitter backlash followed, Biggs didn't back down. "Hey all you 'too soon' a--holes-," he wrote, "it's a f--king joke. You don't have to think it's funny, or even be on my twitter page at all."

Kim Kardashian was criticized heavily when she was expecting her first child, North, in 2013, and perhaps a part of her wishes she could've just stayed home. When asked to give style advice to pregnant women, Kardashian told Elle magazine that expectant moms should be "hiding for a good year and having no pregnancy style. That's what I recommend. If you can do it, hide. Never leave the house." Kardashian caught so much blowback from that quote that she later had to tweet that she was joking and that she's learned a new lesson: "I guess you can't be sarcastic when doing interviews!"

"Opie and Anthony" radio host Anthony Cumia found himself fired by his program's carrier, SiriusXM, because of a series of inflammatory tweets he posted in early July. Cumia says that his profane and racially insensitive Twitter rant was caused by an attack on him by an African-American woman, who, according to Cumia, was upset because he was taking photos of her. After the alleged assault, Cumia turned to Twitter to air his grievances, calling her a "lucky savage" and a "lying c---," among other defamatory phrases.

Tom Cruise -- aka the man still trying to live down the infamy of calling Matt Lauer "glib" during a tense 2005 interview -- has claimed that he invented the global movie press tour. On Jimmy Kimmel's talk show, Cruise said that around the time of 1986's "Top Gun," "I came up with the idea of, let's have premieres in different countries and do it that way." When Kimmel responded with a surprised, "You started that?" Cruise affirmed, "Yeah, I came up with that. It took me a few years to get it going."

Gwyneth Paltrow is known for having alternative views, but her latest observation has raised more eyebrows than usual. In a post on her website GOOP, Paltrow said she's "fascinated" by a study on how "negativity changes the structure of water, and how the molecules behave differently depending on the words or music being expressed around it." So does that mean Paltrow believes water has feelings? Some think so.

Justin Bieber is taking responsibility for using racial slurs as a teen. In two videos that surfaced in June, a younger Bieber can be seen using the "N" word on two separate occasions -- instances that he says were the result of his own ignorance. "As a young man, I didn't understand the power of certain words and how they can hurt. I thought it was OK to repeat hurtful words and jokes, but didn't realize at the time that it wasn't funny," the star said in a statement.

Jonah Hill has also owned up to yelling a homophobic slur at a paparazzo, which was seen on a video released by TMZ on Tuesday, June 3. The actor said to the photographer, "Suck my d---, you f-----." He later told radio host Howard Stern that he was frustrated by his own words: "From the day I was born and publicly I've been a gay rights activist. ... I played into exactly what (the paparazzo) wanted and lost my cool. And in that moment, I said a disgusting word that does not at all reflect how I feel about any group of people."

Actor James Franco criticized The New York Times' theater critic, Ben Brantley, over a lukewarm review of the Broadway revival "Of Mice and Men." "Brantley is such a little b----," the actor said in an April Instagram takedown that he later removed -- but not before it was screengrabbed for posterity.

Reese Witherspoon might seem prim on the red carpet, but the actress has been caught making more than one slip of the tongue. When the actress was arrested in April 2013 after having "one drink too many," she chastised the arresting officer for not recognizing he was arresting a celebrity. "Do you know my name?" she asked. When the officer replied that he didn't, Witherspoon shot back, "You're about to find out who I am."

And then there was the time Witherspoon was caught giving advice to Cara Delevingne, Kate Upton and Zooey Deschanel, reportedly after the 2014 Met Gala. The Southern actress was taped saying, "The most important thing in a name for a girl is that a man can whisper it in his pillow."

Adam Levine learned the hard way that you have to watch it before you speak. "The Voice" judge found himself facing some serious backlash in May 2013 after his disappointment over voting results led to him uttering, "I hate this country." He released a statement trying to clarify what he meant, saying that he was frustrated.

Madonna was on her best behavior at the "W.E." news conference, seen here during the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival. But at the Venice Film Festival that same year, she was caught saying "I absolutely loathe hydrangeas" after a fan gave her the flowers.

Almost everything that Kanye West says can be met with a debate, and that includes his comment in November about his use of the Confederate flag on some of his new merchandise. The rapper told Los Angeles radio station 97.1 AMP that observers can "react how you want. Any energy is good energy. You know the Confederate flag represented slavery in a way -- that's my abstract take on what I know about it. So I made the song 'New Slaves.' So I took the Confederate flag and made it my flag. It's my flag. Now what are you going to do?"

Like Kanye West, Alec Baldwin's commentary is a magnet for controversy. From once calling his daughter a "rude, thoughtless little pig" to using anti-gay slurs, it's no wonder that the actor is trying to keep quiet these days. There are times when he can't help himself, though, and his May arrest for riding his bike the wrong way was one of them. "New York City is a mismanaged carnival of stupidity," Baldwin tweeted upon his release.

Politicians have to deal with this type of thing all of the time, and U.S. President Barack Obama is no exception. After Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift at the MTV Awards in 2009, the commander-in-chief called the rapper a "jackass" while waiting for an interview to start. West was reportedly not amused.

In January 2013, director Quentin Tarantino was doing press for his film "Django Unchained" when Britain's Channel 4 reporter Krishnan Guru-Murthy asked him whether he thinks movie violence can lead to actual violence. Tarantino shot back, saying: "You can't make me dance to your tune. I'm not a monkey," and "I'm shutting your butt down!"

When you're as famous as Britney Spears, it pays to first ask for someone to repeat the question. When she was asked for her thoughts on the passing of fellow former Mouseketeer Annette Funicello, the star accidentally responded, "I think that's great."

Mel Gibson's mouth has been a famous source of trouble for the movie star, and in 2010 it happened again. The actor was being interviewed about his film "Edge of Darkness" by WGN reporter Dean Richards when Gibson was asked about various scandals, including an anti-Semitic rant. "That's almost four years ago, dude," Gibson said. "I've moved on. I guess you haven't." The actor could be heard calling Richards an a**hole at the end.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson is not Laurence Fishburne, and he's been very clear about that. In February, Jackson scolded KTLA's Sam Rubin for misidentifying him. "You're as crazy as the people on Twitter," Jackson said during a live TV interview. "We may be all black and famous, but we all don't look alike. You're busted."

In March, late-night host Chelsea Handler challenged CNN's Piers Morgan, calling him unfocused. "You can't even pay attention for 60 seconds," she said. "You're a terrible interviewer."

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• As of Thursday the petition had more than 80,000 signatures


• The Duggars are known as devout Christians


• The petition also mentions their son's new job

(CNN) -- TLC's reality show "19 Kids and Counting" has tons of fans, but more than 80,000 can't be counted in that number.

That's the amount who have signed a Change.org petition to have the show canceled in light of what the petition calls the Duggar family's anti-LGBT stance.

According to the petition, Michelle Duggar's voice can be heard on a recorded call from this past summer urging the citizens of Fayetteville, Arkansas, to vote to repeal a law that forbids business owners and landlords from evicting and firing people based on gender identity.

Duggars expecting 20th child

"The Fayetteville City Council is voting on an ordinance this Tuesday night that would allow men -- yes I said men -- to use women's and girls' restrooms, locker rooms, showers, sleeping areas and other areas that are designated for females only," the petition reports Duggar as saying on the robocall. "I don't believe the citizens of Fayetteville would want males with past child predator convictions that claim they are female to have a legal right to enter private areas that are reserved for women and girls."

The petition says Duggar's words "reek of ignorance and fear mongering."

"Just because someone is transgendered doesn't mean they are a child predator or a rapist," the petition says. "The claim that this ordinance would provide predators with access to women's restrooms in order to assault or leer at girls or women is nothing more than fear-mongering and spreading ignorance and hatred."

The Duggars are known for being devout Christians who don't believe in practicing birth control and whose children follow courtship rules that include no kissing until their wedding day.

The petition also says that the Duggars' oldest son, Josh, has taken a job with the Family Research Center, which the petition says "is such a hate-filled, anti-gay organization that the Southern Poverty Law Center in 2010 labeled it a 'hate group' for its 'dissemination of false and demonizing propaganda about gays and lesbians.' "

The movement comes on the heels of controversy about a recent posting on the Duggars' "official" Facebook page.

After their newly married daughter Jessa was criticized for sharing an Instagram photo of herself kissing her husband Ben Seewald, Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar posted an image of themselves kissing and challenging others to do the same.

John Becker, who blogs about LGBT issues at The Bilerico Project, wrote that pictures of same-sex couples were deleted.

Amputations get strollers recalled

One of the stroller models being recalled by Graco Children's Products.

• Graco Children's Products receives 11 reports of fingertip amputations, other injuries


• The strollers have a folding hinge that can pinch a child's finger and even sever tip


• "Safety has been and will continue to be the priority at Graco," firm says

(CNN) -- About 4.7 million Graco and Century-branded strollers are being recalled after its maker received reports of 10 full or partial fingertip amputations and one laceration, federal officials said Thursday.

Eleven models of strollers have a folding hinge on the side that "can pinch a child's finger, posing a laceration or amputation hazard," officials said.

Caregivers are being advised to show "extreme care when unfolding the stroller to be certain that the hinges are firmly locked before placing a child in the stroller," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.

"Caregivers are advised to immediately remove the child from a stroller that begins to fold to keep their fingers from the side hinge area," the agency said.

Atlanta-based Graco Children's Products received six reports of fingertip amputation, four reports of partial-fingertip amputation and one finger laceration, the product safety agency said.

The firm manufactured the strollers in China and will be providing a free repair kit beginning in December.

About 202,000 strollers were also sold in Canada, and about 10,300 more were sold in Mexico, the federal agency said.

Graco said its recall is voluntary.

"Over the past 60 years, safety has been and will continue to be the priority at Graco," the firm said on its website. "As part of our continuous effort to provide quality and safe products, Graco identified that select stroller models, including some of our LiteRider models that were sold before the updated hinge was available, have folding hinges that could in rare circumstances have the potential to pinch a child's finger, posing a laceration or amputation hazard."

The recalled models are Aspen, Breeze, Capri, Cirrus, Glider, Kite, LiteRider, Sierra, Solara, Sterling and TravelMate model strollers and travel systems.

The models bear a manufacture date from August 1, 2000, to September 25, 2014, and were sold at Target, Toys R Us, Walmart and other retail stores nationwide and online. The prices were $40 to $70 for the strollers and $140 to $170 for the travel systems.

U2's Bono has extensive injuries

• The singer had a "high-energy bicycle accident" at Central Park on Sunday


• His injuries include a broken arm and a fractured eye socket


• Doctors operated on him for hours Sunday and Monday

(CNN) -- U2 lead singer Bono is not having a good month. Days after a rear hatch flew off his aircraft midair, a bicycle accident in New York landed him in an operating room this week.

It turns out his injuries were not minor.

The singer had a "high-energy bicycle accident" when he tried to avoid another rider Sunday at Central Park, according to New York Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he was treated. The hospital released details on his injuries for the first time Wednesday night.

Bono underwent hours of multiple surgeries after the accident, it said.

He broke his arm in six spots, fractured his eye socket and also his shoulder blade -- the latter in three places, according to Dr. Dean Lorich, a trauma surgeon at the hospital.

Doctors operated on him for five hours Sunday, which included repairing his bone with three metal plates and 18 screws, Lorich said in a statement.

A day later, he had surgery on his left hand to repair a fracture.

"He will require intensive and progressive therapy. However, a full recovery is expected," the doctor said.

Bono's mishaps this month could have been much worse.

The rear hatch of his aircraft dropped off midflight on his way from Dublin to Berlin on November 13.

The ground crew discovered the hatch was missing shortly after the plane landed. Two suitcases flew out, but all six people aboard were fine.

Flip phones are hip again

Is it hip to be flip? The flip phone, an icon of the late '90s and early 2000s, appears to be making a comeback among celebrities, hipsters and millennials. Here's a look at the piece of throwback mobile tech during its heyday.

NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace talks on a cellular phone during practice for the Daytona 500 in February 1996.

The Motorola MicroTAC Classic was released in 1991 and modeled after the MicroTAC 9800x, which came out in 1989. It was a precursor of the flip phones that would come later.

In this 1995 image, a shepherd chats on a flip phone while looking after his flock.

Actress Hilary Swank uses a flip phone in 2000.

Aside from flip phones, few things say "early 2000s" like the XFL. In this 2001 image, football legend Dick Butkus, the short-lived league's Director of Football Competition, growls (we're guessing) into his flip phone.

OK, never mind. "Friends" says "early 2000s" better than just about anything. Here's star Matthew Perry in 2002 flipping.

Japanese mobile operator DoCoMo introduced a new mobile phone named Freedom of Mobile Multimedia Access (FOMA) in October, 2001.

"The Tonight Show" host Jay Leno shows, in 2005, that photos don't require a touch screen. Here, he takes a snap of actor Tom Hanks.

Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, was spotted recently with an old school flip phone. Cork Gaines, a writer for Business Insider, posted this screen grab on Twitter.

• Among the young and hip, flip phones are making a comeback


• Motorola popularized flip phones in 1996 with the StarTAC


• Vogue editor, NFL quarterback among those seen with flip phones


• Some say it's about simplifying their lives

(CNN) -- Hipsters, rejoice. Next time you ride your fixed-gear bicycle to the the thrift store, where you find a vintage, grease-stained mechanic's shirt that matches your Rollie Fingers mustache and Grizzly Adams beard, there's an edgy, if technologically sub-optimal, way to tell your friends about it.

Use a flip phone.

In an age of the iPhone 6 Plus and massive Android phablets, flip phones are inexplicably making a comeback.

No less an arbiter of cool than Vogue magazine editor Anna Wintour has apparently dumped her iPhone in favor of a flipper. Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, actress Kate Beckinsale and even Rihanna are just a few of the celebrities spotted proudly brandishing the famous piece of paleo-technology.

And, believe it or not, "dumb phones" aren't exactly the elusive unicorn that some of us think they are.

As of January, 56% of American adults owned smartphones, compared to a total of 90% who had a cellphone of some kind, according to the Pew Research Internet Project. Among millennials age 18-29, an overwhelming 83% of those who owned cellphones had a smartphone, but that leaves the other 17% who keep their mobile life more basic.

The hinged, snap-shut "flipper" form factor was originally introduced to the public in 1982 by laptop manufacturer GriD with its Compass computer.

Motorola, perhaps the king of flip phones with its Razr line, introduced the clamshell style in 1996 with its StarTAC phone (which, appropriately enough, was re-released for nostalgic techies in 2010).

Is this really all about going for retro, hipster street cred? There is, at times, a mystifying aspect of "cool" that centers around eschewing modern convenience for vintage ... well ... inconvenience.

Writing on typewriters? Check. Racing high-wheel bicycles from the 1880s? Yes. Playing baseball with the rules and equipment of the 1860s? Absolutely.

But there are obviously some more practical reasons some people, including millennials, go flip.

For some, it's about simplifying and uncluttering in a 24/7 plugged-in society.

"It just seemed like it would be better for my addled brain than a smartphone," 26-year-old Angelica Baker, a tutor and writer, told TIME. "Personally I'm too scattered and unfocused to handle email and Facebook on my phone."

Baker swapped out her Droid for her mom's retired flip phone, a pink Motorola Razr.

No one has to worry about the iCloud being hacked when they use a flip phone. There's little to no eye and neck strain. No fear of Flappy Bird addiction.

And, let's be honest ... there's something satisfying about a switchblade-like phone flip after an annoying phone conversation that even the most emphatic tap of a touchscreen will never approach.

Maybe the hipsters are onto something after all. Though we'll still pass on the bushy beards.