Connecticut kid immolates self, ‘Jackass’ blamed Former Vice Presidential candidate and Hollywood player hater Senator Joseph Lieberman is on the warpath after a 13-year-old constituent in his home state of Connecticut set himself on fire after seeing a similar stunt on MTV’s “Jackass.”According to E! Online, Jason Lind received second- and third-degree burns when two friends soaked his legs in gasoline and set him on fire. He is currently in critical but stable condition at Shriner Hospital in Boston.Lind was reportedly imitating “Jackass” host Johnny Knoxville who covered himself in steak and grilled himself in a human barbecue. Knoxville was wearing a flame retardant suit for the stunt, but Lind was not.”Jackass” is MTV’s latest teen favorite in which the show’s cast hurl themselves down hills in shopping carts, wrestle in elephant dung and perform a variety of senseless, sensationalistic acts.Lieberman said MTV needs to cancel the show, change its time slot or modify itself to keep kids from watching and being unduly influenced. “It is irresponsible for MTV to air these kinds of stunts on a program clearly popular with young teens, to air it at a time when many of them are likely to be watching and to do so without adequate warnings,” Lieberman said. “I recognize the program is rated for adults and comes with general disclaimers, but there are some things that are so potentially dangerous and inciting, particularly to vulnerable children, that they simply should not be put on TV.”MTV responded by saying it does take adequate precautions to prevent imitation. “It is made extremely clear through the show, through the use of written and verbal warnings, that none of the stunts featured should be tried at home. Our thoughts are with the young man and his family, and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.””Jackass” is rated TV-MA, airs at 10 p.m. EST and carries a disclaimer that says, “The following show features stunts performed by professionals and/or total idiots under very strict control and supervision. MTV and the producers insist that neither you or anyone else attempt to recreate or perform anything you have seen on this show.”Lind’s father alerted Senator Lieberman about the incident and has not ruled out a lawsuit against MTV.Lieberman said Monday that MTV should be more careful because of its powerful influence over its younger viewers.”MTV is an enormously influential force in the world our children inhabit, and with that power and the right to exercise it comes a certain level of responsibility,” he said. “I intend to make clear to the network’s owners that we expect more from them.”Police have since charged one of Lind’s friends with reckless endangerment. The Lind family attorney Mike Magistrali said, “Right now, the thing on my clients’ minds is the health of their son.”Spielberg receives honorary knighthood

As if all those Oscars were not enough, Stephen Spielberg has now tangentially joined the ranks of Paul McCarney, Laurence Olivier and Walter Scott. Spielberg received the highest honor given by Queen Elizabeth II to anyone born outside the United Kingdom Monday by becoming an honorary knight of the British Empire at the British embassy in Washington, according to an Associated Press report.In attendance at the ceremony was Spielberg’s wife, Kate Capshaw, friends, family and dignitaries from the United States and Great Britain including retired Gen. Wesley Clark, a former NATO commander, Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., and Arlen Specter, R-Pa., and actress Holly Hunter..When receiving the award from Sir Christopher Meyer, the British ambassador, Spielberg asked, “Why me?”Spielberg received a cross-shaped medallion placed around his neck by Meyer who said during the ceremony: “Mr. Spielberg’s career has had a global impact,” Meyer said, “but the impact in the United Kingdom stands out. His films helped significantly in the doubling of cinema admission in the UK since the early 1980s.”As an American, Spielberg will not be addressed as “Sir,” but he does join the ranks of other honored Americans such as former Presidents Bush and Reagan, Secretary of State Colin Powell, retired Gen. Norman Schwarztkopf, comedian Bob Hope and conductor Andre Previn. Funkmaster George Clinton loses copyright battle

He may have defined funk for an entire generation, but Parliament Funkadelic founder and frontman, George Clinton will not retain the rights to music he wrote in the 1970s and early 1980s. According to an Associated Press report, U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled Monday that Clinton signed away the rights to music worth more than $100 million. A Michigan-based music publisher, Bridgeport Music, gained the rights in a 1983 contract. Hinkle barred Clinton from gaining future profits from music Clinton wrote between 1976 and 1983 because he did not disclose them in a 1984 bankruptcy filing as possible future income.