Extra, Extra: Oscars, Lesbians, and Airplanes, Oh My!

The 80th Annual Academy Awards are scheduled to take place Feb. 24 at Hollywood & Highland's Kodak Theatre

• Authorities have released the names of the victims in yesterday's deadly airplane collision in the skies above Corona. According to KNBC.com, "one of the victims -- Earl Smiddy, 58, of Moreno Valley -- was on the ground when he was hit by falling debris. The other victims were identified as Anthony Joel Guzman, 20, of Hesperia; Scott Gayle Lawrence, 55, of Cerritos; Brandon William Johnson, 24, of Costa Mesa; and Paul Luther Carlson, 73, of Cerritos." The National Transportation Safety Board are working with the FAA and the FBI to investigate the crash.
  
• 35-year-old Bertha Martinez of Fontana has been charged with three counts of murder in the case of the deaths of her husband, Marcello, and daughters Amy and Yomay, who were found early Sunday morning. Martinez is being held without bail at the West Valley Detention Center.
  
• Two teenaged girls who were kicked out of their Christian high school in Riverside County for having a lesbian relationship have lost their legal battle to have their explusion addressed in a discrimination case. The judge dismissed the case for having no legal basis; representatives from the school are pleased, reportedly saying "the religious school has a right to expel sinners."
  
• A flight that departed from Los Angeles overnight was diverted to Denver at 3:00 a.m. when turbulence caused injury to ten people on board, including some crew members. United's flight 1028 continued on eventually to its orginal destination city of Chicago without any further interruptions.
  
• The clowns are always left crying when the Oscars get handed out. Or so says a UCLA study (seriously, they study these things?) about what kind of performance is more likely to nab the thespian the coveted golden statuette. Dramatic roles tend to get recognized more often than comedic ones.
  
• And speaking of the annual occurence of gratuitous entertainment industry ego stroking, the nominations for the 80th annual Academy Awards are out tomorrow morning. Whether or not there's an actual awards show is up to our friends at the WGA and the AMPTP.
  

Photo by S:U:P:E:R:M:O:D via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr