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Thursday, August 31, 2006

Stupid News

SERIOUSLY LOST LUGGAGE: In less than a week, Paralympic athlete Kate Horan is due to line up for the 100 meter dash at the IPC Athletics World Championships in the Netherlands. But there's a problem. British Airways has lost her leg. The $10,000 running leg has been missing for more than a week now and is believed to be sitting somewhere in a London warehouse with 20,000 other pieces of luggage. Kate has been preparing for the championships for two years. Unfortunately, ever since British authorities foiled a terrorist plot to attack flights out of Heathrow Airport, increased security has forced travelers to limit their carry-on luggage. For Kate that meant she had to check in her running leg for the short flight from London to Amsterdam a week ago. Kate's now busy with another race -- a race against time with manufacturer Otto Bock and Ossur, which will attempt to build her another leg in time for the world championships. Kate said, "I'm going straight to the factory. These sort of legs take weeks to fine tune. At the moment that's the only option I've got."

The Vatican's chief exorcist now says that Hitler and Russian leader Joseph Stalin were possessed by the devil.

The New York Post's Page Six reports that despite massive hype, Paris Hilton's CD is flopping, selling only 75,000 copies its first week and less than half that the next. And she can't tour to promote it because she can't sing live, dance or play an instrument.

Wigmaker Ruth Regina of Miami is introducing a line of hairpieces for small dogs. That’s right… wigs for dogs. Selections include wig names like "Yappy Hour" and "Peek a Bow Wow," with prices in the hundreds of dollars.

If you visit the central Asian nation of Uzbekistan, whatever you do don't say "God bless you" or "Praise Allah." Religious talk will soon be a crime in that country, reports UPI. A law that is being drafted by the parliament will make it illegal for anyone to talk about his or her faith outside of registered places of worship. Convicted offenders will be jailed for as long as eight years!

You've got mail -- but no job. That was essentially the E-mail RadioShack sent to 403 employees last week to notify them they had been fired as part of a company downsizing. RadioShack spokesman Charles Hodges said the company had notified employees in the last 10 days that they would learn of their fates through an e-mail. At the designated time,employees were glued to their computer screens at the company's headquarters in Fort Worth. Those who were fired saw a message that read, "The workforce reduction notification is currently in progress. Unfortunately your position is one that has been eliminated."U-S-C business professor Warren Bennis says, "I thought I had stopped being surprised at the callousness of corporate acts."

Hedgehogs in England have humbled burger giant McDonald's, forcing the company to re-design its McFlurry ice-cream containers. Up to now, the opening in the container has been large enough for hedgehogs to get their heads into for a lick of the left-over dessert -- a trap they have then been unable to withdraw from. But starting this week, the wide-mouthed opening in the lid of the McFlurry containers in Great Britain will be reduced in size, making them too small for the sugar-loving animals to get their heads into. "This is excellent -- it is long overdue news," says Fay Vass, chief executive of the British Hedgehog Preservation Society. Spiny Norman was unavailable for comment.

Entertainment News 831

Katie Couric, who is about to take over the C-B-S Evening News, has suddenly dropped about 20 pounds. Diet? Exercise? Nerves? Nope -- Photoshop! An internal C-B-S magazine just published a photo of a slim and trim Couric -- but it's the exact same picture the network sent to the media last month showing a noticeably chunkier anchor. A C-B-S spokesman admits, "The picture was retouched without the knowledge of Ms. Couric or C-B-S News management."

Nicole Kidman's rep has a theory about all those tabloid pics showing a baby bump -- photo doctoring! With the latest baby bump pictures showing up exactly a year after tabloids first reported that Kidman and Keith Urban were expecting, the Oscar-winner's mouthpiece tells M-S-N-B-C, "I'm virtually certain paparazzi are distorting photos to make her look pregnant." Nic's publicist adds that her client wouldn't be "shooting a film, traveling to Rome for another film, then shooting another film if she were" pregnant.

Lindsay Lohan isn't planning to show up at tonight's M-T-V Video Music Awards thanks to the sobering influence of boyfriend Harry Morton. The non-drinking, drug-free Hard Rock Hotel heir has been trying to save everybody's favorite party animal from herself, according to the New York Post. A spy tells the paper, "Harry, [who] has told her not to drink so much and is trying to calm her down...told her not to go" to New York for the festivities. Also helping the 20-year-old chill out is a new pal, deejay Samantha Ronson, who doesn't drink either. Of course, technically, Lindsay isn't supposed to be drinking for another 10 months -- when she turns 21.

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

Entertainment News 830

Jon Voight hasn't met his grandchildren, so perhaps he can be forgiven for thinking that daughter Angelina Jolie is the mother of Shiloh, Maddox and Shakira! The 67-year-old Oscar-winner sent a shout-out to the kids during a T-V interview over the weekend, saying, "Maddox just had a birthday... Five years old, you're getting to be a young man... And I send my love to Shakira." He then asks the interviewer, "Is it Shahira? Shahairah?" before settling on "Shaharah." For the record, that'd be Zahara Jolie-Pitt.

While Owen Wilson is going out of his way to deny he's dating Kate Hudson, Hudson is planning to spend the Labor Day weekend at a NASCAR race with her estranged hubby. According to the New York Post, Kate and The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson are going to zoom over to the California Speedway to take in the Sony H-D 500. A so-called pal of the couple says, "They never really split. They love each other -- Chris can be sarcastic and biting, but not with her."

Beatles Reunion, anyone? Liverpool's Matthew Street Festival, which celebrates the music of The Beatles each year, is talking with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr about performing there in 2008, which would tie in with the city's Capital of Culture celebrations.

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Rock Roundup 829

If you've been to a Rolling Stones concert, you know that Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood smoke quite a number of cigarettes during the show. That was the case over the weekend during a show in Glasgow, Scotland, wich is a city with a very strict smoking ban. The city council was looking into whether to fine Richards, but as it turns out, the stage is not covered by the legislation. The Stones' Bigger Bang tour is in Cardiff, Wales tonight.

The original members of Asia -- drummer Carl Palmer, guitarist Steve Howe, bassist John Wetton and keyboardist Geoff Downes -- begin their first tour together in more than 20 years tonight in Rochester, New York. To mark the band's 25th anniversary, Asia will perform its first album in its entirety as well as selections from the individual members' previous bands -- Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Yes, King Crimson, Roxy Music and The Buggles.
Walter Becker of Steely Dan tells the Boston Globe he's tired with the logistics of touring. "We fly to the town in the little private airplane, and then we have to get in cars and drive to the hotel and then drive to the gig. So, I want to do a tour where the performances will actually be at the small airports. And if possible, I would like to do them at one small airport and have the audiences fly in, which, given the size of the audiences I think I could command, is not really that impractical. That's my dream." Steely Dan and Michael McDonald are in Cincinnati, Ohio tonight.

New DVDs Today: Friends With Money, The Sentinel, Season Two of Desperate Housewives, Season Three of Arrested Development, Season Three of Nip/Tuck, and the new editions of all three Lord Of The Rings films.

New Albums Today: Bob Dytlan "Modern Times", Motorhead "Kiss Of Death", Rockabye Baby: Metallica.

300 Million Served

US POPULATION NEARS 300 MILLION (Posted 3:00 AM, 8/29/2006)

The Census Bureau estimates that the population of the United States will reach 300 million in October. The department keeps track of such things on its website [www.census.gov] and projects that its counter will pass that number in the middle of the month. The nation's population as of last night was 299,592,318, with the world population given as 6,540,555,467.

Click here for more

Entertainment News 829

Conan Bombs In Kentucky

Conan O'Brien's opening Emmys skit -- which began with a plane wreck -- crashed and burned in Lexington, Kentucky, the site Sunday morning of the crash of Comair Flight 5191, which killed 49 people. The local N-B-C affiliate's president and general manager said he was "stunned" by the plane crash routine, which immediately followed his station's recap of the real plane wreck. W-L-E-X's Tim Gilbert tells the Lexington Herald-Leader, "It was a live telecast -- we were completely helpless. By the time we began to react, it was over. At the station, we were as horrified as they were at home." He says he will make a formal complaint to N-B-C, calling the decision to keep the skit in the show "somewhere between ignorance and incompetence."

NBC to Air "The Real Wedding Crashers"

Last year's hit film "Wedding Crashers" will become a reality series as NBC announced its new show, "The Real Wedding Crashers," inspired by the movie. Ashton Kutcher will serve as one of the show's executive producers, ensuring that I never watch it. The show will feature hidden cameras that will record improvisational actors who go undercover at real weddings to bring an added element of surprise to the traditional proceedings. Six episodes have been ordered, with no premiere date set, so perhaps there is hope.

Paris Hilton In Space

The Velvet Hot Tub is reporting this morning that Paris Hilton has reportedly paid $195,000 for a seat on Richard Branson's Virgin Enterprise rocket into outer space... meaning that for roughly 30 minutes, Paris Hilton will cease to exist on earth. On a related note, as there are no bathroom facilities on the plane, all passengers will be required to wear adult diapers during the flight. That's right: Zero Gravity Paris, in a diaper, with no paparazzi to be found.

Katie Lands Bush

Katie Couric is out of the celebrity interview game, but she's landed herself a big fish for her debut as the anchor of the C-B-S Evening News next Tuesday -- President Bush. Couric will interview Dubya at the White House for her primetime 9-11 special, Five Years Later -- How Safe Are We, which airs on Wednesday. Excerpts of the sit-down will debut on Katie's first night as the first solo woman to anchor an evening newscast on a broadcast network.

Monday, August 28, 2006

Stupid News Extras for this week

The Return of the Schoolgirl In A Sewer Story - DUNBAR, Florida. -- School officials are disputing a family's claim that their daughter was not properly cared for after falling into a sewer. Lee Charter Academy Principal Shirley Chapman said the girl fell near a manhole, not in it, and was allowed to wait in air conditioning until her parents arrived. Roto-Rooter spokesman Paul Abrams said last week that one of the company's workers left a grease trap open after working in the area on Tuesday and that is what 10-year-old Dejah Williams fell into it, not a sewer, the News-Press of Fort Myers reported Thursday. "We regret the error, no question. But it's certainly not anything that will cause someone harm," Abrams said. "It's not sewage, feces or anything like that. It's smelly, kind of gross, but it's not hazardous. It's kitchen grease."

Let Jesus Take Your Coat - At a website called Pink Bubble Bath dot com right now you can buy a Hand Of Jesus Coat Hanger. It's a six by five by eight plastic hand with a nine in nail through the center of it, available in three fabulous colors. The ad happily announces that you can "hand a coat or a jacket from the fingers, and a hat or a light jacket from the nail."

Sweet Mary, Mother Of God - In Fountain Valley, California, a chocolate factory worker has grabbed some headlines for discovering a collection of vat drippings that resemble the Virgin Mary. Since its discovery earlier this month, employees of Bodega Chocolates have spent much of their time hovering over the tiny figure, praying and placing rose petals and candles around it. Willy Wonka was unavailable for comment...

Beatles Webcam Helps Foil Robbery. LONDON (Reuters) - An American helped foil a burglary in northern England whilst watching a Beatles-related webcam over the Internet, police said Friday. The man from Dallas was using a live camera link to look at Mathew Street, an area of Liverpool synonymous with the Beatles and home to the Cavern Club where the band regularly played. He saw intruders apparently breaking into a sports store and alerted local police. "We did get a call from someone in Dallas who was watching on a webcam that looks into the tourist areas, of which Mathew Street is one because of all the Beatles stuff," a Merseyside Police spokeswoman said. "He called directly through to police here." Officers were sent to the scene and three suspects were arrested.

Keep your distance. Avoid eye contact. And even if it looks cute, never hug a Swiss cow. Responding to numerous "reports of unpleasant meetings between hikers and cattle" along Switzerland's picture-perfect Alpine trails this summer, the Swiss Hiking Federation has laid down a few ground rules. "Leave the animals in peace and do not touch them. Never caress a calf. Do not scare the animals or look them directly in the eye. Do not wave sticks. And give a precise blow to the muzzle of the cow in the event of absolute need." A spokeswoman says that while there were no precise statistics on incidents involving cows, walkers are reporting more run-ins than a few years ago.

An Indiana woman who invested 800-dollars in a wig-making company during the 1960s but believed it had gone out of business recently learned she was wrong -- to the tune of more than 100-thousand dollars. Carol Lee Woods received a check last week for more than 116-thousand dollars from the state's Unclaimed Property division. Woods was working as a model in the 1960s when she bought 100 shares of Fashion Tress Inc., after reading about its wigs in Vogue magazine. Several years after her stock purchase, Woods lost track of the company and couldn't find it listed on a stock exchange. She assumed it had gone out of business. Instead, Fashion Tress -- now known as Claire's Stores -- had twice changed its name. Woods' shares had been splitting and accumulating dividends for 40 years.

Japanese banks have long had a reputation for poor service, but at least one is trying something new -- wooing customers with an opportunity to try their hand at Lady Luck. A roulette wheel pops onto the screen of automatic teller machines when customers of Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank Limited finish transferring funds. A lucky spin and the customer wins a thousand yen, or about eight-and-a-half dollars. "Using A-T-Ms is impersonal and lacks communication," said a spokesman for the bank. "We wanted to add some fun."

BREVARD COUNTY, Florida. -- Some Brevard County residents are taking issue with a comment made by a county commissioner during a zoning meeting. County Commissioner Ron Pritchard told a resident to "get a gun" to deal with trespassers on his property. Environmental groups had just shown video of trees, which were illegally chopped down, and commissioners were questioning whether they had trespassed to get the video. Pritchard said he was joking. The Republican Merritt Island resident is running for re-election.

O'FALLON, Ill. -- The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post in O'Fallon, Ill., said it didn't mean any harm, but it has agreed to move a "G-Strings For GIs" strip show featuring male dancers. A nightclub in the nearby town of Sauget, Ill., has agreed to host the fundraiser Saturday night. Members of the VFW post said they figure the striptease event would raise more money in a single night than a month of fish fries. More than 150 women have plunked down $18 each for the event. The proceeds will go toward supplies such as sunscreen, books and bug spray. City officials in O'Fallon said the ladies-night show would have violated town decency codes, and they threatened to yank the VFW's liquor license. The city administrator notes the town has been picking up the cost of mailing packages to the troops. He said the VFW crackdown was not about what's patriotic, but what's appropriate.

Technology vs. Florida -- Ocala police arrested a 28-year-old man for lewd and lascivious battery on a teenager after the victim's father grew suspicious and put a GPS tracking device in her backpack. The girl's father told officials he monitors his daughter's activities by keeping an access log of her cellular phone calls, and she is required to carry a global positioning satellite tracking device in her book bag each time she goes to school or leaves the home by herself. The 13-year-old girl told police that Carlos Antonio Montanez picked her up at the bus stop and drove her to his home on August 18. They watched a movie and she was sexually assaulted. Montanez then reportedly took her back to the bus stop. The girl's father gave officials a GPS print out, which showed his daughter was in the vicinity where Montanez lives during that time. Montanez is being held at the Marion County Jail in $50,000 bail.

MELBOURNE, Florida. -- Residents in Melbourne are wrinkling their noses in disgust as no one can figure out what is causing a construction site to smell like manure. Recent laboratory tests failed to pinpoint the source of the stench. Nauseated neighbors griped to city hall earlier this summer about the 38-acre site, which was a former forest that was cleared to make room for a town house complex. An analysis of soil and water samples but the tests revealed nothing and no problems were found with nearby underground sewer lines.

World Cell Phone Throwing Champion Crowned...HELSINKI, Finland -- Ever heard of the Mobile Phone Throwing World Championship? It was held in Finland this past weekend. Old phones were supplied for contestants, who were allowed to pick which kind of phone they wanted to throw. The men's winner threw his phone 292 feet. The women's winner tossed her phone 167 feet, a new world record according to the organizers. She said she has tossed a cell phone a time or two before. Another contestant said three things were needed to compete: technical skills, power and a sense of humor. There were four competition categories: men, women, juniors and freestyle.

Not Much Room Six Feet Under...Residents of Tirana, the capital of Albania, not far from Italy, are trying to put off dying until the government and city officials end their fight over space shortages in the Albanian capital's graveyards. Tirana municipality has shut down one of the city's two cemeteries and said the other has space for only one more week. It blames the government for holding up the expropriation of nearby land that would add space for two years' worth of graves. headlines in the newspapers said "Death rites for a cemetery" and "Now starts the trading of the graves" alongside pictures of new graves dug in the lanes between old ones.

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Entertainment News 825

Survivor: Apartheid:

The hit CBS reality television program will divide its teams or tribes, as they are known on the show along racial lines. For the first half of the series this fall, four teams of five members will be made up of blacks, Asian-Americans, Hispanics and whites. SURVIVOR: COOK ISLANDS, premieres Thursday, September 14 at 8 pm on CBS. Yes...this is a new low for reality TV...but you have to admit, it will get people talking about Survivor again before the premiere, for the first time since the first season.

No Love For Narnia? SNL Job Cuts To Include Parnell, Sanz

An informed tipster reports that Saturday Night Live's Chris Parnell and Horatio Sanz are included among the four job cuts expected as the show enters its 32nd season. Update: Will Forte, too?

Snakes in a theatre

PHOENIX -- The excitement at the AMC Desert Ridge movie theater in Phoenix Friday had to do with snakes, but it wasn't over Samuel L. Jackson's new movie. Two rattlesnakes were found at the theater -- one in the parking lot and the other in a hallway. A theater spokesman said the snakes were released as a prank in response to the movie "Snakes on a Plane," but police said they slithered in on their own. Both snakes were removed from the property and no one was hurt.

In theatres this weekend:
Mel Update
Mel Gibson is apologizing to the Jews of Hollywood one Jew at a time. According to T-M-Z-dot-com, Jesus's favorite drunk driver has been phoning Jewish entertainment bigwigs he's worked with to apologize for that anti-Semitic tirade last month. Two recipients of the phone calls -- who wanted to remain anonymous -- tell the gossip site that "Mad Max" said he was really sorry for the outburst and was working on his anti-Semitic "problem." One recipient said he was polite to Gibson but unconvinced that "Braveheart" is really coming to grips with the cause of his distaste for Jews.

You Can Have My Pluto When You Pry It From My Cold, Dead Education

As you may recall, we had some discussion last week about the possible redefining of what constitutes a planet. Instead of expanding to 12 planets, which was a distinct possibility, they're moving backwards to 8:

News Alert 10:01 a.m. ET Thursday, August 24, 2006
Pluto Loses Its Planetary Status

Astronomers adopt historic new guidelines that downsize solar system from nine "classic" planets to eight.

For more information, visit washingtonpost.com

I believe tomorrow morning we will bid a sad farewell to Pluto.

Monday, August 21, 2006

Rock Roundup 822

Wishing someone would finally release more details about Keith Richards falling out of that tree in Fiji that resulted in brain surgery? A new interview with Ronnie Wood published in London's The Independent newspaper finally gives it up. Wood says, "I was sitting right behind him when it happened. I heard this massive thud and I spun around, and there he was, on the ground. He'd cut his gums up on impact, he was very bloody, and clutching his head. I think it was a kind of wake-up call for him. His attitude is better now, and you can see it in everything he does. It's like he knows he is lucky to be alive, and is well happy about it."

Experience Hendrix, the family trust that maintains the music and legacy of Jimi Hendrix, is denying reports that the late guitarist's entire musical catalog will be sold. The estate of Michael Frank Jeffrey, Hendrix's onetime manager, announced that the catalog would be auctioned on October 26th. Experience Hendrix, however, says, "Experience Hendrix is not party to that auction and has no intention, whatsoever, to dispose of these properties. Experience Hendrix hereby gives notice to any would-be seller or buyer that it will use all measures to honor its mandate to vigorously protect its rights to the Jimi Hendrix catalog."

Last Friday Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett joined Tool on stage to play on "Sober" at Blaisdell Concert Hall in Honolulu.

Dr. Phil, Sting and Jon Bon Jovi. How's that for a combo? Sting and Jon will perform during the J-C-Penney Jam -- The Concert for America's Kids, airing tonight at 8:00 on C-B-S. The show, taped in June at L-A's Shrine Auditorium, is aimed to raise awareness and funding about the need for working families to have access to quality after-school programs. The special, hosted by Doctor Phil McGraw and his wife Robin.

Steven Tyler is ready to hit the road with Aerosmith just months after undergoing experimental throat surgery, which we finally have some details of. Instead of cutting Tyler's vocal cords, doctors at Massachusetts General used a laser to fix the problem. "Quick bursts of green laser light, lasting just 15 milliseconds, zapped Tyler's broken blood vessel, sealing it without touching it." Not only is Tyler preparing for the tour, which starts September 5th in Columbus, Ohio...but he's also been recording tracks for the band's next album that is due out next spring.

New DVDs This Week:

Just My Luck with Lindsay Lohan.

Poseidon

Silent Hill, that movie based on a video game.

New CDs This Week:

The first two David Gilmour solo albums are reissued today, as are the first two albums by Boston.

The Clerks II Soundtrack is out today...and Paris Hilton's Paris

Thursday, August 17, 2006

Entertainment News 081806

Last week when we talked about the new World Trade Center movie, Craig made the point that it wouldn't be long before someone made a movie about the devastation from Hurricane Katrina. Good call. And you won't have to wait for long. Spike Lee is getting ready to premiere When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts will air in two two-hour segments on TV next week. The film will be shown in its entirety on HBO on 29 August, the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Spike has been criticized by some who saw previews of his film for not including more representation from Mississippi Gulf Coast residents, or the New Orleans white population. He says there is diversity in the film "but because of the historical significance, we chose to focus here. That was my vision. I wanted to concentrate on New Orleans". Thousands flocked to the New Orleans Arena for the premiere of the four-hour documentary, which Spike calls "incomplete at the moment".

When Denis Leary isn't playing a firefighter on "Rescue Me," he's doing something to help real-life firefighters. Earlier this week, the actor was in Boston as his Leary Firefighter Foundation donated a $250,000 fire boat to the Boston Fire Dept. In the six years it's been around, Leary's foundation has raised $7 million. The money has bought equipment and training for firefighters in New Orleans, New York, Worcester, Mass., and Boston. In 1999, Leary's cousin, who was a firefighter, was killed with others while fighting a fire in a Worcester warehouse.

Sad news from Morgantown, West Virginia..."Survivor" star Richard Hatch is finding it difficult to adjust to life in prison. The 45-year-old Hatch arrived July 25 at the minimum-security facility in Morgantown to begin serving a 51-month prison sentence for failing to pay his taxes like the rest of us. Hatch said he has secured a job within the prison and will be tutoring inmates, helping them to earn their GEDs and hone their job-hunting skills. Hatch's release date is Oct. 7, 2009.

News broke yesterday that YouTube is in talks with major record labels with the express goal of offering every music video ever created for free. They want to get this done in a mere 18 months.

Yesterday afternoon, Mel Gibson plead no contest to misdemeanor drunken driving and received three years probation, prosecutors say.

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

Entertainment News 081606

Veteran character actor Bruno Kirby has died in Los Angeles aged 57. Kirby, who played Billy Crystal's best friend in When Harry Met Sally and City Slickers, died of complications related to leukaemia on Monday. Born in New York City in 1949, he also appeared in The Godfather Part Two and Good Morning, Vietnam.

Brad Pitt has been schlepping Maddox and Zahara Jolie-Pitt to work with him every day. According to the New York Post, Brad has been parking his two adopted kids with Angelina Jolie at the day care center on the Warner Brothers lot in L-A, where he's filming Oceans 13. Yes...I said Oceans 13. No word on why Angelina is focusing solely on Shiloh, and I really don't care because now I'm too busy shaking my head over Oceans 13.

Sam Jackson thanks the media for broadcasting his desire for New Line Cinema to call his upcoming film by its original title, Snakes on a Plane, and include the sex and violence that was to be cut to avoid its current R-rating. Jackson says, "Without [the media] the movie would still be P-G 13 and without [the media] it would still be called Pacific Flight 121. No matter how much hell I raised or whatever, it would not have happened unless [they] got on the bandwagon and helped me do that. It should have been called Snakes on a Plane from the beginning. That's the honest-to-God reason I took the job -- we know what we're getting here." PLAY DROP 7 The film opens Friday, and my wife has no urge to see it at all. But I can't wait.

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Stupid News items for the week

The Bus Of Shame

PORTAGE, Ind. -- An Indiana judge fed up with teenage traffic violators is kicking them in the seat -- the driver's seat. The Judge is sentencing the ticketed teens to the embarrassment of riding the school bus, if they are found guilty in her courtroom. Judge Jent got the idea after a girl in her court for a moving traffic violation appeared not to take seriously either the offense or the possible fine. The judge, who has teenage grandchildren, said she knew she had reached the teen when she ordered her to park her car and ride the school bus and the girl started crying outside her courtroom. With that, she figured she found the right punishment. Teens not complying will be fined and have their licenses suspended. Jent also warns parents they could be held in contempt of court if they drive their child to school.

Bust Of Hillary At Museum Of Sex

New York, NY -- The Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton: The First Woman President of the United States of America will be officially open for public viewing for a limited six week run at Manhattan's Museum Of Sex. It features very ample cleavage, and a few wrinkles on her face. It was created by the same artist who recently sculpted Britney Spears giving birth.

Yankees Fan May Strike Out

The New York Yankees fan who jumped from the upper deck at Yankee Stadium onto the netting behind home plate has been banned for life from the ballpark and could be sent to jail. 19-year-old Scott Harper pled guilty to reckless endangerment following last season's 40 foot plunge onto the large net that stops foul balls. You may remember he did this during the eighth inning of an Aug. 10, 2005 game against the Chicago White Sox. The game was delayed for four minutes while he was removed. Of course the crowd loved it and District Attorney Robert Johnson recommended probation and restitution to the Yankees, but Scott stupidly rejected the deal. His criminal sentence, to be handed down September 19, will depend on the outcome of another case in Westchester County for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Student Sues University Over Boar Attack

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- A student is suing Florida Gulf Coast University over a boar attack. In her lawsuit, 52-year-old Donna Rodriguez claims the school knew wild boars were a hazard to students and created an unreasonably dangerous condition. The suit said she was chased down by a wild boar on campus in October 2004. She tripped and fell while trying to get away, leaving her with permanent scars and in need of medical attention. Rodriguez is seeking more than $15,000. Her husband declined to comment on the case when contacted by The Fort Myers News-Press. A university spokeswoman said school officials could not comment on pending litigation. No word as to whether or not Arkansas was in town for a game that weekend or not.

NASA Has Lost Original Moon Landing Tapes

WASHINGTON -- NASA wants to find the original videotapes from the first moon landing in 1969 to see if they can be made sharper. Video of Apollo 11 astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walking on the moon were transmitted from the moon to tracking stations in California and Australia. The images were then sent to Houston. By the time the world saw them, they were substantially downgraded. Space program veterans believe the original recordings are stored somewhere at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland. One Australian expert said modern technology would make it possible to recover the original high quality television of the moon landing and make it available to the public for the first time. The Australian said he doesn't believe that the tapes are lost, just that archiving them was not a priority during the Apollo era.

Man Robbed In Crappy Way

BERLIN -- Thieves in Germany stole 7,500 euros ($9,554) from a man by throwing feces at him from behind and then pick-pocketing him while they pretended to help clean up the mess, authorities said Monday. After withdrawing 8,000 euros from a bank for a holiday the man was struck in the back of the neck by what he described as human feces, police in the central town of Giessen said. Two women and a man came up to him from behind and claimed they had seen someone dropping a load down onto the street from above," police said in a statement. The two women then began briskly wiping the filth from the man's clothing with paper towels they had with them. He later discovered the euros had been taken from his back pocket by one of the would-be helpers, police said.

Implant Saves Life

JERUSALEM -- An Israeli woman's breast implants saved her life when she was wounded in a Hizbollah rocket attack during Israel's war with the Lebanese group, a hospital spokesman said Tuesday. Doctors found shrapnel embedded in the silicone implants, just inches from the 24-year-old's heart. "She was saved from death," said a spokesman for Nahariya Hospital in northern Israel. The woman, now somewhat lopsided I would guess, has been released from the hospital.

Unusual Smuggling

New Mexico -- Police in New Mexico arrested a Mexican smuggler with 88 pounds of cheese hidden in a special compartment in his truck. Using an X-ray machine, officers saw the outline of 16 bulky packages stashed in a secret compartment behind the seat, which they initially believed were packets containing illicit drugs. "Generally if you see something you expect it to be narcotics, but this turned out to be cheese," spokesman Roger Maier said. Police arrested the 38-year-old driver, seized the cheese and confiscated the truck because he failed to declare his cargo. In 2003, border police in the area impounded nearly 800 pounds of bologna as it was being smuggled across the border from Mexico.

Tues Rock Rdup 815

The Rolling Stones canceled last night's show in Spain after Mick Jagger developed laryngitis over the weekend. Jagger said in a statement, "I am very sorry to be cancelling this show. I always love playing in Spain, but unfortunately I have no other choice and I apologize to everyone who bought tickets for tonight." The band's A Bigger Bang tour is set to continue tomorrow in El Ejido, Spain. The Stones had to postpone the start of the European leg of the tour after Keith fell out of that tree in Fiji in April.

Aerosmith will regroup next week in the Boston area to start rehearsing for their Route of All Evil Tour with Motley Crue.

Def Leppard and Journey have added a fall leg to their very successful co-headline tour. The fall leg kicks off October 11th in Fresno, California. The two groups start the second leg of the tour tonight in Morrison, Colorado. Sadly, they aren't announcing any new arms, though.

Lynyrd Skynyrd canceled a July 4th show in Maryland because of severe weather. The promoter only offered refunds until July 31st, which did not sit well with the band. Singer Johnny Van Zant says, "When we heard about this, we were all shocked. We have very loyal fans and are also loyal to them." So the band has arranged that all fans received full refunds. They also hope to reschedule a show in the area soon. Skynyrd is Silverton, Oregon tonight.

Alice Cooper will appear on the Late, Late Show With Craig Ferguson tomorrow night on C-B-S and again on Halloween (October 31st). Cooper performs in Anaheim, California tonight.

Peter Frampton releases an instrumental cover of Soundgarden's "Black Hole Sun" today on I-Tunes. The song is on his new album, Fingerprints, due in stores September 12th.

NEW RELEASES TODAY:

Grand Funk Railroad have a new Greatest Hits C-D/D-V-D set in stores today. Along with a 14-track compilation of such classics as "Bad Time," "Some Kind of Wonderful," "I'm Your Captain" and "We're an American Band," comes a video disc spanning the late-'60s to the late '90s of concert performances -- including a rarely seen 1969 set performed for P-B-S plus a film of their 1971 show at Shea Stadium in New York.

David Gilmour's two previous albums -- 1978's David Gilmour and 1984's About Face -- have been remastered and are in stores today. Also out today: the Snakes On A Plane Soundtrack. And do you feel old? If not, this should do it. Today, 21 year-old Alexa Ray Joel...the child of Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley, releases her first record, “Sketches.” Details at Alexa Ray Joel dot com.

New Movies on DVD Today are Hoot, RV, and Scary Movie 4

Thursday, August 10, 2006

entertainment news 811

Justin Timberlake says his trip to Africa was a humbling experience. For example, when he arrived at one village and found the locals cheering, he thought they were cheering for him when, in fact, they were actually celebrating the completion of a new well.

Bob Saget will host NBC's new gameshow 1 Versus 100. It's a trivia contest pitting one player against a group of 100 people for a chance to win big bucks.

Looks like in the next Superman movie, Jude Law will play an old favorite Superman's nemesis, General Zod.

The theories on why J-Lo dropped out of the "Dallas" movie have expanded from a bad script, to her not getting along with John Travolta. Bad script? That's impossible!

Mel Update 810

Disney has a movie it no longer wants.

Mel Gibson's movie "Apocalypto," which Disney was supposed to release on Dec. 8, is "being shopped" to other potential distributors, sources tell me.

One potential distributor for "Apocalypto" is Lions Gate, an independent company with a history of rescuing distressed projects. In the past they've picked up Kevin Smith's "Dogma" and Michael Moore's "Fahrenheit 9/11" when Miramax was prevented from putting them out by their own agreements with Disney.

A spokesperson for Lions Gate declined to comment on whether the company had talked to Disney or Gibson. At the same time, a reliable insider who knew the players in this game assured me that Disney was quietly shopping the film and that Lions Gate was first on its list of hopeful buyers.

ALSO...The Los Angeles County Counsel's office has refused to release to the media video and audio tapes of Mel Gibson's drunken driving arrest, saying the material is "part of the investigatory file," which is exempt from the California Public Records Act.

The Internet celebrity news site TMZ.com, which broke the story of Gibson's arrest, had asked Sheriff Lee Baca to release the tapes.

In a letter to the attorney for TMZ principal deputy county counsel, Gary Gross said the tapes are exempt from the public records act and will remain sealed.

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

upcoming albums

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN: Expanded Sessions Set(Posted 3:00 AM, 8/9/2006)

The expanded edition of Bruce Springsteen's We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions will hit stores October 3rd. The C-D/D-V-D package, now subtitled American Land Edition, contains three new songs ("How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live," "Bring 'Em Home" and "American Land"), and the C-D features two tracks ("Buffalo Gals" and "How Can I Keep From Singing") that had only been available on the D-V-D side of the original dual-disc. The D-V-D includes an extended cut of the documentary about recording the album, videos of "American Land" and "Pay Me My Money Down" and concert footage of Springsteen performing two songs with the Seeger Sessions Band. Springsteen fans who already own the dual-disc and don't want to shell out for the new edition will be able to buy the bonus tracks through I-Tunes. --Steve Reynolds

BOB DYLAN: Time to Pick Times(Posted 3:00 AM, 8/9/2006)

Bob Dylan fans have a couple of options to get extra stuff if they pre-order his new album, Modern Times. I-Tunes customers will get the four videos ("Cold Irons Bound" "Blood in My Eyes," "Things Have Changed" and "Love Sick") featured on the deluxe C-D and D-V-D edition plus a bonus video of "Jokerman" and pre-sale passwords for Dylan's fall tour from Ticketmaster. Fans who pre-order through Sony's own music store will receive a sampler disc of Dylan's X-M radio show. Modern Times is in stores August 29th.

Dylan is also following in the footsteps of U-2 by offering a digital box set through I-Tunes. The Collection includes every song on all of his studio albums and The Bootleg Series releases, plus 42 rarities. All told, the set includes nearly 800 tracks. The Collection will be available for 199 bucks starting August 29th. --Steve Reynolds


RONNIE WOOD: Gets Retrospective(Posted 3:00 AM, 8/9/2006)

Guitarist Ronnie Wood gets the retrospective treatment on The Essential Crossexion, a two-disc compilation covering his four-decade career. The 37-song set contains material from Wood's solo career as well as his work in The Faces, The Jeff Beck Group (as a bassist) and The Rolling Stones. Slated for release on September 26th, the album includes a previously unreleased duet with Rod Stewart, "You Strum and I Sing," which was recorded last year. -- David Sprague


JERRY LEE LEWIS: CD Plans Are Set(Posted 3:00 AM, 8/9/2006)

Jerry Lee Lewis's new C-D arrives in stores on September 26th. Last Man Standing grew out of a planned soundtrack to a movie titled Why Men Shouldn't Marry. Given the Killer's numerous divorces, the theme seemed to be a good fit. And though the film was never made, Lewis had recorded a pair of songs for it by the time it was scrapped. Soon those two songs grew into a 21-track project with such guest stars as Bruce Springsteen, John Fogerty, Eric Clapton, Neil Young, George Jones, Willie Nelson and Rod Stewart. The C-D will be cross-promoted with a P-B-S Great Performances special that will air in December. --Mike McCann

Juice Box Night

Remember the baseball team with "Britney Spears Child Safety Night" we discussed the other day? Now it's...The Fullerton Flyers Juice Box Night...in honor of tomorrow night's visit by Jose Canseco's new team, the Long Beach Armada.

This is the Fullerton California Flyers of the Golden Baseball League. Monday, they announced that August 10th will be "Juice Box Night" at Goodwin Field. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a free box of juice, courtesy of the Flyers.

"While the use of steroids, and other illegal drugs, is obviously a very serious matter", stated Flyers General Manager Ed Hart, "we also recognize that there are ways to have fun with a serious situation. We also see this as a great way to educate our fans, especially children, on the negative repercussions of illegal substances of any kind."

All 500 juice boxes will have an educational flier attached which discusses the ill effects of steroid use.

The Golden Baseball League has adapted the toughest standards in sports on illegal substance abuse.

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Entertainment news 080806

Talladega Nights was tops at the Box Office over the weekend with 47 million in it's debut. I'm not hearing good things about it at all. Oliver Stone's new World Trade Center movie is out tomorrow.

Toyota and Chrysler have been pressured by The Parents Television Council to drop their ads from the controversial FX Drama "Rescue Me." They refuse to buckle. Good for them.

Maggie JILL-in-hall disagrees with the charges brought by relatives of 9-11 victims that it's too soon for her film World Trade Center. (audio) She goes on to say, "It's a painful movie to watch, but it's doing something good and reminds us that the world is in bad shape right now. I don't think whatever your politics are that you can disagree. There's no way to ignore that when you turn on the news and you see hundreds and hundreds of people being killed." World Trade Center, also starring Nicolas Cage and Jay Hernandez, opens tomorrow

Monday, August 07, 2006

Tues Rock Roundup for 080806

Elton John will celebrate his 60th Bithday next March by playing Madison Square Garden for the 60th time. In a previous statement, on an album he put out in 1970, he commented that he had "no wish to be living sixty years on". An Elton show at the Garden in 1974 was the final concert appearance by his friend John Lennon who joined him onstage.

Arthur Lee died last week of leukemia. If you don't know who he was, he was the leader of a band in the 60s called Love. He convinced Elektra Records to sign The Doors back in 1967, and was a big influence on Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant. Plant performed at a benefit concert to help cover Lee's medical bills earlier this summer. He was 61.

The Stuttgart, Germany soccer team is upset with The Rolling Stones for leaving the field in their stadium unplayable. At the Stones' concert there Thursday, fans damaged the surface so badly that it will need to be completely replaced for a soccer match on Saturday.

200 KISS fans gathered outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland over the weekend demanding that the band be inducted.

The Scorpions reunited for a special event last week. No word if they're going to do anything further yet.

Eddie Money is on Live With Regis and Kelly today.

New on DVD today:

Inside Man with Denzel Washington, CLive Owen, and Jodie Foster.

RV with Robin Williams

Scary Movie IV

A special 2-disc edition of Apocolypse Now

And the Oscar shoe-in Larry The Cable Guy: Health Inspector

New CD releases today include the Soundtrack for World Trade Center.

Joe Walsh -- The Definitive Collection, showcasing the non-Eagles material, is in stores today. The 15-track C-D includes his solo hits and James Gang gems like "Funk Number 49," "Walk Away" and "The Bomber." Walsh and the James Gang start a tour this week in Sturgis, South Dakota.

Entertainment News 080706

Britney Spears Baby Safety Night in Newark

NEWARK, N.J. -- The Newark Bears, a minor league baseball team, hosted a "Britney Spears Baby Safety Night" on Friday to spread the word about how to transport infants in vehicles.

The pop singer, 24, was photographed in a car with her baby in her lap, instead of strapped to a car seat in the back.

Another photo showed Spears driving with son Sean Preston in a car seat facing forward rather than facing backward.

Fans attending Friday night's game received information on baby car seat safety and a chance to win a free car seat from the American Automobile Association.

Those who dressed as a baby, brought a baby toy or a child under the age of 4 -- got in free.

Mel Gibson's Israeli Bodyguard

If Jews try to get at Mel Gibson when he finally shows his face on the street again, they'll have to do battle with an Israeli -- Mel's personal bodyguard for the last decade. The drunk-driving anti-Semite may not be crazy about the Jews, but that hasn't kept him from employing 45-year-old Avi Korein to protect him from crazies for all these years, according to FOX News. The former nightclub bouncer spent the '80s guarding the body of Bruce Willis.

A couple of Mel's friends are defending him. Patrick Swayze told GMTV in London that Mel isn't an anti-semite, as does Jodie Foster. Jodie laments that she wasn't out with him that night to keep him from drinking so much.

Friday, August 04, 2006

Entertainment News 080406

Samwise Gamgee headed to court

DES MOINES, Iowa -- The widow of a photographer killed in a helicopter crash while filming "The Final Season" is suing actor Sean Astin, the movie's producers and the pilot, among others. Kathryn Schlotzhauer alleges that the crash on June 30 in eastern Iowa could have been avoided if producers and others involved in the film scouted the scene and noted the power lines that brought the helicopter down.

Elvis' Teddy Bear Dies

LONDON -- Mabel, the teddy bear once cuddled by Elvis, is all chewed up. A Doberman pinscher named Barney ripped Mabel's head off at the Wookey Hole Caves children's museum near Wells, England. Barney was supposed to be guarding hundreds of rare bears, but the museum's general manager Daniel Medley said "he just went berserk." Barney chewed up all the bears, worth nearly $1 million. Medley has spoken to the man who donated Elvis' bear to the collection and he said the man is "not very pleased at all." The bear was made in 1909 by the German manufacturer Steiff. A security guard at the museum, Greg West, said he spent several minutes chasing Barney before wrestling the dog to the ground.

Marie Osmond Didn't Attempt Suicide

SALT LAKE CITY -- Marie Osmond was hospitalized for a bad reaction to medication, a spokeswoman said Wednesday, denying reports that the singer had attempted suicide. "She basically had an adverse reaction to some medication she was taking and she blacked out," spokeswoman Amy Hawkes said.

Jenny Dumps Dallas

Debbie does Dallas, but J-Lo doesn't. Jennifer Lopez has dropped out of the big-screen take on the '70s T-V classic, in which she was going to play "Sue Ellen" opposite John Travolta's "J-R Ewing." Her rep has given no reason for the sudden withdrawal, which will no doubt heat up those semi-annual pregnancy rumors.

New in theatres this weekend...

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Women and Technology

Girls Gone Wired

Is a plasma TV a girl's new best friend?

An Oxygen Network survey released Tuesday found that more than three out of four women said they'd choose the TV over a diamond solitaire necklace. Women preferred a top-of-the-line cellphone to designer shoes by a similar margin. And a little white iPod narrowly trumped a little black dress.

These are among the results of the Girls Gone Wired survey by market researcher TRU for Oxygen. TRU surveyed 1,400 women and 700 men 15 to 49 years old to compare tech attitudes among the sexes.

The findings suggest advertisers need to address a broad audience and not talk down to women. Advertisers are best served communicating lifestyle benefits of tech products by showing what's useful about them, rather than focusing on specifications, Oxygen says.

"There have been some missed opportunities to market consumer electronics to women," says Steve Koenig, senior manager of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association, whose research reveals only subtle differences between the sexes in their attitudes toward technology.

In the Oxygen survey, 59 percent of women agreed with the statement "Women are much more tech savvy than they give themselves credit for." Among the men, just 38 percent agreed.

"Men and women are equally competent in the technology arena," says Oxygen CEO Geraldine Laybourne.

Katie Richardson, 25, a project manager for an elevator company in Chicago, says family members come to her for help setting up iTunes or fixing a digital camera. "I love figuring out all the different functions," she says.

Still, just 35 percent of women agreed that "most of the time people rely on me for technology help," vs. 54 percent of men.

However tech-savvy they are, women are typically the decision makers when it comes to buying.

"From every piece of data we've seen, by and large, household budgets are controlled by women," says Randy Komisar, a partner at Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, a prominent venture-capital investment firm. But they are "far more oriented toward solutions rather than tools."

Kristen McDonnell, CEO of LimeLife, a producer of mobile content for women 15 to 35, agrees. "Women are power users of the Internet now in terms of MySpace pages, e-commerce, and photo sharing."

New York City College of Technology radiology student Shavonn Tatum, 26, is passionate about gadgets. "I love technology and can't wait to graduate so I can buy things I really want," she says.

Science Corner

A series of hidden texts written by the ancient Greek mathematician Archimedes are being revealed by US scientists, revealing new theories.

My hope is that they will discover we aren't supposed to carry the one after all, so I can retroactively get A's in High School Math and get into a better college 17 years ago...

Entertainment News 080306

Jokeback Mountain

Brokeback Mountain star Heath Ledger will play The Joker in the next Batman film, titled The Dark Knight, film studio Warner Brothers has announced. The Australian actor reprises the role memorably played by Jack Nicholson in 1989's Batman film. Ledger earned an Oscar nomination as a gay cowboy in Brokeback Mountain. British actor Christian Bale will play the Caped Crusader for a second time after last year's Batman Begins, with Christopher Nolan again directing.

Kevin Costner built it and they have come

Not Shoeless Joe Jackson and the rest of the Chicago Black Sox, but tourists -- who flood into Dyersville, Iowa to see the baseball diamond carved into a cornfield for Field of Dreams. Now Costner himself is returning, for the first time since he made the 1989 film. He'll be on hand on August 11th, when the Netflix-sponsored Rolling Roadshow tour -- which airs classic movies at the locations where they were filmed -- shows the movie on an inflatable screen in the outfield. There's a catch -- fans who show up for the free screening will have to put up with a set from Costner's rock band first. In the words of Kev, "The movie was significant in my career, and the band is an important part of my future." See, there's ALWAYS a catch...and sometimes it's not pretty. Before the Iowa event, Kevin Smith's original Clerks will be screened at the New Jersey convenience store where he filmed it. No word on whether "Silent Bob" plans to make an appearance.

"He needs to be welcomed into the Jewish community by a public circumcision."
--Joy Behar on Mel Gibson on yesterday's The View.

Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Stupid News 080206

In MINNESOTA, three teenagers in a minivan decided to switch drivers. Unfortunately, they didn't decide to pull over first. They put the van on cruise control and made the switch. The van went out of control and overturned and the driver, whoever it was at the time, and their passengers had to be hospitalized. You just know a warning label is coming out of this. On every car you buy from now on, right there on the steering wheel it’s going to be posted, “Cruise Control is not the same as Auto Pilot.”

MADISON, Wis. -- The latest green tea brew is from a beer bottle, not a teapot. Wisconsin micro brewer BluCreek is coming out with a new beer called Zen. The idea is to give a brewski the supposed health benefits of green tea. The brewery said the English-style India Pale Ale could be the first of its kind and has a subtle green tea flavor. Zen will be available in some markets this month -- including Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Florida and Ohio. It will sell for about $8 a six-pack.

NEW YORK, NY -- Derek Jeter cologne is on the way - and it's called Driven. The scent is designed to capture ambition, courage, passion and confidence, said Avon Products Inc., which partnered with the New York Yankees shortstop to develop the signature men's fragrance. We happen to have the first marketing campaign ready to go. (spot)