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March 2004 - Week 4 [Some Source Links May Unexpectedly Drop] Return to TabloidColumn.com

Wednesday, March 31, 2004

· Women sue Hooters over secret tapes.  In a not-so-surprising move, five women who say they were secretly videotaped naked or undressing while they applied for jobs at a Los Angeles area Hooters sued the restaurant chain Tuesday. 

· JFK Jr. rival called an un-credible lover.  Former "Baywatch" star Michael Bergin is coming under fire for his claim that he had a secret affair with Carolyn Bessette Kennedy after she married John F. Kennedy Jr. 

· How Prince reclaimed center stage.  After years of working on the margins of the entertainment business, pop star Prince is riding a surprise resurgence. But while his comeback seems sudden, it was hardly spontaneous. 

· Calif. Schools Risking Millions in Aid.  Westminster school board trustee Judy Ahrens said the state Education Department policy promotes homosexuality, and she will not give in to what she called blackmail. "I'm calling their bluff," she said.  

· Politics at its best.  Maine's Governor John E. Baldacci has signed into law a bill that not only makes it legal for golfers to drink beer on Maine's legendary snow covered golf courses - it will also make beer legal to be sold from golf carts. 

· Woman challenges Trump 'You're fired' trademark.  Chicago pottery merchant Susan Brenner has a message for real-estate mogul Donald Trump: in the Windy City, she'll do the firing. 

      » Financial Woes Hits Trump's N.J. Casinos.  Shares of Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts fell 11 percent Tuesday on news of auditors' concerns that, barring a bailout, the company might not be able to continue as a "going concern.' 

      » Trump may have violated gambling laws.  The Division of Gaming Enforcement is looking into whether the Trump Taj Mahal, the crown jewel of Trump's casino empire, got all the approvals it needed before the taping of a recent "Apprentice" episode there. 

· Treasury Department Slips on Ladders.  It was the anecdote that politically seemed too good to be true. And it was. Treasury Secretary John Snow was set to say that "frivolous lawsuits" had caused the U.S. ladder industry to fold.  It turns out that 11 U.S. producers sell $850 million worth of ladders every year. 

· Dollar falls on Greenspan heart attack rumor.  The dollar weakened broadly on Wednesday after rumors that Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan had suffered a heart attack roiled the markets, traders said. 

· Missing Madison College Student Found Alive.  Madison police said today that missing college student Audrey Seiler was found alive about 1 p.m. and was alive and healthy, less than two miles from where she disappeared.

''She is fine,'' officer Chris Paulson told a hotel lobby full of Minnesota friends and family. Another officer said she had injuries that were not life threatening, though he wouldn't be more specific.

Paulson said that Madison police are looking for an armed suspect in connection with the disappearance.

Seiler was taken to Saint Mary's Hospital after she was found. No immediate information was available about her condition. 

      » AP coverage of missing Audrey Seiler.  Police said Seiler was found in a marsh near campus. Authorities said they are looking for an armed suspect in connection with the disappearance.  Police with their weapons drawn could be seen walking through the parking lot of a building near the marsh. 

      » CNN coverage of missing student.  A missing University of Wisconsin student was found alive Wednesday, four days after she vanished from her off-campus apartment without a coat or purse, according to a news report. 

· Siegfried & Roy Marquee Comes Down.  The landmark "Siegfried & Roy" marquee on the Las Vegas Strip was being changed Wednesday, almost six months after a tiger mauled star Roy Horn and forced the show to close. 

· Future search efforts will make Google look like 8-tracks.  Ten years from now - maybe five or even less - we will recall Google circa 2004 and wonder how we could have tolerated it. You know, sort of the way we look back on eight-track tapes. 

· Florida Lawmakers Target Ambulance Chasers.  Ambulance-chasing ads have become a tried and true practice for some Florida lawyers trying to scare up business, but now local politicians say the commercials are insulting to the legal profession, and the messages ought to be strictly limited. 

· Hit-and-run bishop's mercy line.  A former Roman Catholic bishop found guilty of a fatal hit-and-run incident has set up a helpline for injured people as part of his probation. 

· Man Sues US Airways After He Drank Alcohol, Fell Down Escalator.  A West Virginia man who fell down an escalator at an airport sued US Airways, alleging the airline didn't warn him about the adverse affects of drinking alcohol on a plane. 

· Murphy on Molestation Charges: 'I Did Not Do This.'  Former Houston Rockets star Calvin Murphy declared Tuesday "I did not do this" regarding charges that he molested five of his daughters. 

· Scientist nabbed for SARS scam.  A Harvard University professor allegedly bilked 35 students, co-workers, friends and Internet pals out of $600,000 he claimed would help launch a SARS research institute in China.  

· Al Gets Gore-TV.  Vice President Al Gore and business partner Joel Hyatt, an entrepreneur and Democratic fund-raiser, will close the deal to pay around $70 million to French-owned Vivendi Universal this week, making them the owners of the tiny digital-cable channel Newsworld International, moving Mr. Gore from politics to mini-media-moguldom. 

· College Tests Laundry Notification E-Mails.  In one of the wackiest uses for the Internet yet, Carnegie Mellon University is testing a Web-based system that sends e-mail to students when their laundry is done and allows them to log on to an Internet site to check the status of machines. 

· Kobe and Vanessa stronger than ever.  Vanessa Bryant had had enough. On Jan. 4, after months of being a virtual prisoner in her own home to avoid the frenzy surrounding her husband's looming sexual assault case, Kobe Bryant's wife came out of her self-imposed seclusion. 

· Source: Jackson grand jury hears from accuser.  The 14-year-old boy accusing Michael Jackson of molestation testified Tuesday before the grand jury hearing evidence in the case, a source close to the case said. 

      » Sources: Shrink Testifies at Jacko Grand Jury.  A grand jury meeting under extraordinary secrecy heard testimony from the psychologist who first reported to authorities a boy's claim that he was molested by Michael Jackson, two sources close to the case said Tuesday. 

· Jeweler pleads guilty in missile sale case.  A New York jeweler and money remitter pleaded guilty Tuesday to his role in the transfer of $30,000 used - without his knowledge - as the down payment on the sale of a shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missile, the U.S. attorney's office said. 

· Sylvester Stallone Predicts `Rocky' Future For `Contender.'  Sylvester Stallone is predicting a "Rocky" future for his new reality series, "The Contender," a nationwide search for the best boxing hopefuls. 

· Arnie ale meets strong arm of law.  It's been a bad morning after for a brewing company that decided to play on the image of California's governor. 

· Purebred Dogs Are Said to Resemble Owners.  When given a choice of two dogs, judges correctly matched 25 purebreds with their owners nearly two out of three times. With mutts, however, the pattern went to the dogs. 

· The largest diesel engine in the world.  This engine was designed primarily for very large container ships, and is 89 feet long, 44 feet high, weighs in at 2300 tons, and delivers an amazing 108,920 horsepower!  [Look at photo at the bottom of the page]. 

      » Comparison:  The Conquest.  Carnival Cruise lines' largest ship, the mammoth, three-football-fields-long Conquest, is powered by two engines delivering "only" 42,466 horsepower each. 

· 'Will & Grace' Star Messing to Miss Finale.  Debra Messing will not appear in the last three episodes of "Will & Grace" because her doctor has asked her to stay off her feet for the remainder of her pregnancy, an NBC spokesman said Tuesday. 

· Blind Water-Skier Hits Back Of Ramp During Practice.  A blind water-skier from Ireland was injured while practicing maneuvers at a ski school, when her electronic whistle system to alert of obstacles apparently didn't work. 

· Nutrition Expert: Low Carb Labels Are A Scam!  When is a low-carb treat not low in carbohydrates? When the label makes a claim like "only 7 net carbs!" 

      » Dr. Gregory Ellis reveals 'all' on his website.  Many companies are manufacturing low-carb food bars; they're all using sugar alcohols as sweeteners and claiming that, since they don't "spike" glucose or insulin, their carbs needn't be counted. As a consequence, the companies omitted the carb counts from the Nutrition Facts Box that's required by the FDA on all food items. 

· Little Red Wagon Outsourced.  Radio Flyer Inc., maker of the little red wagon that has been symbolic of childhood for generations of American children, said it will keep its headquarters and distribution business in Chicago but decided the Chicago plant where the metal wagons are built is too expensive to maintain. With the plant closing later this year, Radio Flyer will lay off nearly half its 90 employees. 

· Man Brings Grenade to Sheriff's Office.  Latah County, Idaho Sheriff's deputies had to cordon off their own parking lot after a man thought he was doing a good deed by bringing in a live grenade he found in an old farmhouse. 

· Michael Jackson visits Capitol Hill.  Embattled pop star Michael Jackson paid a high-profile visit to Capitol Hill on Tuesday, meeting with a congressman to promote the fight against AIDS in Africa. 

      » Jacksons most foolish Americans.  Beleaguered pop star Michael Jackson and his little sister Janet have earned the dubious distinctions of being named the most foolish Americans of 2004, organizers of the annual awards announced. 

· Paul McCartney serenades California diners.  Legendary musician Paul McCartney became a dinner show entertainer when he took the stage at a local restaurant in a California resort town and sang a few songs, the co-owner says. 

· Movie Cameos Keep Laughs Coming.  Cameo appearances — sometimes the brightest spot in a two-hour-plus movie — are becoming increasingly popular, and actors like Will Ferrell, Andy Dick and other funnymen are clocking minimum time to get maximum laughs at theaters. 

Word of The Day by WordThink

Pontificate [pon·tif·i·cate] n.  To express opinions or judgments in an authoritative, arrogant way based on unproven principles. 

· 'Girls Gone Wild' producer accused of rape.  A Texas woman says the producer of the infamous 'Girls Gone Wild' videos raped her on a recent trip to South Beach. 

· Bizarre Hoaxes On Restaurants Trigger Lawsuits.  The restaurant industry is struggling to get in front of a bizarre hoax in which outlet managers across the country have been duped into strip-searching employees or customers 

· Website Gambles On Slots And Strippers.  The folks behind a new website are gambling that combining slots and strippers is the way to cash in on the internet. 

· George Michael: 'I'm not faithful.'  George Michael started out as a heartthrob for millions of teenage girls.  Now the openly gay 40-year-old has clashed with everyone from his record label and male lover - to Tony Blair. 

· Starbucks on every corner?  Starbuck's plan is to have about 25,000 stores worldwide - more than triple the nearly 8,000 stores the coffee retailer has right now. And even that amount seems a little "light," according to Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz. 

· 'Idol' Reject Hung Ready for Album Release.  William Hung, the lovable singer who became a celebrity after his version of Ricky Martin's "She Bangs" got him booted off of "American Idol," is confident he is no longer the worst singer Simon Cowell has ever heard. 

· Net music piracy 'does not harm record sales.'  Internet music piracy is not responsible for declining CD sales, claim the researchers behind a major new statistical study. 

· Man Deserves A Break Today On McDiet.  A California man is telling the health industry "eat you're heart out" as he prepares to go on a 30-day McDonald's diet. 

· NYC Cab Fares Go Up More Than 25 Percent.  The cost of a cab ride in the big city is about go up by more than 25 percent under the first fare increase in eight years. 

· Xbox Price Drop May Be Too Little, Too Late.  Analysts doubt that the latest cut will let the Xbox catch up in a market dominated by Sony's PlayStation 2 console. 

Tuesday, March 30, 2004

· Trump's N.J. Casinos in Financial Trouble.  Donald Trump has become the resident prime-time expert on what it takes to make it in the business world, but his real-life casino empire is in trouble. 

· Potential Peterson juror investigated.  A prospective juror in the Scott Peterson trial will soon appear in a hearing to determine if she said the defendant is "guilty as hell" and she intended to make sure the double murder suspect "got everything he deserves." 

· Phony Rockefeller gets 5 years.  A Frenchman who swindled the rich out of at least $1.5 million by claiming to be a movie producer, a Rockefeller heir and other celebrities was sentenced Monday to five years in prison. 

· Viacom in Talks to Develop Gay Network.  Viacom is in preliminary discussions to launch a gay cable network in the United States, the media giant's chairman and chief executive said. 

· Prime-Time Nielsen Ratings.  Prime-time viewership numbers compiled by Nielsen Media Research for March 22-28. 

· Senior dies in jump from birthday biplane flight.  An elderly man recently diagnosed with a brain tumor leaped to his death from a vintage airplane he rented to celebrate his 88th birthday. 

· Lisa Marie Presley wishes she'd never wed Jacko.  Amid reports that Lisa Marie Presley could be subpoenaed to testify against her ex-husband, Michael Jackson, Star has learned that the singer had second thoughts about their mysterious marriage in 1994. 

· Super Bowl Streaker Appears in Court.  The Brit who stripped to a thong and danced a jig on the field before a stunned Super Bowl crowd intends to plead innocent to trespassing because no one told him he couldn't do it, he said after a court appearance Tuesday. 

· Cleaning Woman Killed In Church.  A 51-year-old cleaning woman was reportedly found stabbed to death Tuesday at the Hispanic Seventh-Day Adventist Church in Orange County. 

· Radio dial is turning left.  Conservatives, plug your ears: Liberal talk radio is finally here.  Al Franken's says "My first priority is to get sued by a right-wing jerk in order to generate interest in my new show." 

· Carmen wants threesome with Depp and Jolie.  Carmen Electra says she would like to have an onscreen threesome with Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie. 

· Hedge dispute might cost couple their home.  When Paul Derwent and his wife Janet cut down 25 feet of laurel hedge on the boundary of their property in May 2000, they set off a legal dispute with their lawyer neighbor that is likely to cost them their $1.1 million home just to pay the $630,000 in legal fees. 

· High Court Permits Foster Photos Withheld.  The Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that the government does not have to release 11-year-old photographs from the suicide of White House lawyer Vincent Foster, and longtime friend of Bill and Hillary Rodham Clinton. 

· Red-Light District For Web Porn.  By organizing themselves and somewhat rationalizing, if not exactly legitimizing, their business practices, porn peddlers would have a financial incentive to climb aboard a new 'xxx' domain being proposed. 

· Nashville Songwriters Fall on Tough Times.  Nashville songwriters don't have far to look for inspiration these days. In a town famous for churning out sad country songs about heartache and despair, radio homogenization, corporate mergers and music piracy have made it tough for songwriters to earn a living. 

· AOL to give away spammer's Porsche Boxster.  America Online is launching a sweepstakes with the grand prize being a sports car AOL received as part of a spam settlement against "a guy who by our estimates made more than a million dollars by spamming AOL customers," according to a spokesman. 

      » Case craves AOL buyback.  Time Warner sees Steve Case in its rear-view mirror. Investors are salivating over word AOL's defrocked godfather is back - working to raise $10 billion to buy back the online giant from Time Warner. 

· Innovative way to deceive police.  Police say a local man who was on house arrest came up with a creative way to get around the system.  Christopher Williams cut-off his ankle monitor and then attached it to his dog's leg with electrical tape.  

· Hockey Player Can't Remember Being Hit.  Wearing a brace from his chin to his chest, Steve Moore walked into a news conference Monday and said he doesn't remember the hit that knocked him out for the season — and might have ended his NHL career. 

· Book Seller Drops Comic With Smoking Hero.  A comic book whose hero is empowered by smoking cigarettes is being filtered out by the Florida company that sells it through school book fairs. 

· Former NBA Star Charged With Sexual Abuse.  Hall of Fame guard Calvin Murphy surrendered to authorities Monday after being charged with sexually abusing his daughters more than a decade ago. 

· Nurse Who Claimed 40 Deaths Is Charged.  A nurse who claims to have killed as many as 40 patients over 16 years was charged Monday in the death of a 78-year-old patient in Pennsylvania. 

· Leno Is NBC's $100 Million Man.  Jay Leno has signed a new deal with NBC that will keep him at the helm of "The Tonight Show" through at least 2009.  Leno, 53, has frequently said he does not touch his "Tonight Show" money, opting instead to live on earnings from his standup gigs. 

· Pearl's Widow Denied 9/11 Funds.  The widow of slain Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is seeking compensation from the Sept. 11 victims' fund, saying her husband, like the victims of the attacks, was a U.S. citizen targeted by Islamic extremists. 

· New J.Lo Just a Regular Girl?  Get ready for a kinder, gentler, more human Jennifer Lopez. The diva demands are giving way to a new, carefully crafted sympathetic image to let everyone know she's really "Jenny from the block." 

· H.J. Heinz Co. Seeks to Disavow Kerry Connection.  H.J. Heinz Co. has launched an election-year campaign of its own, this one to distance the ketchup maker from what is shaping up to be an acrimonious presidential race. 

      » No glad-handing for Kerry after shoulder surgery.  Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry, who is to undergo minor shoulder surgery tomorrow, faces a politician's worst nightmare while recovering - no glad-handing. 

· Porch Collapse Not Criminal, Police Say.  No criminal charges are expected to be filed in a porch collapse that killed 13 people in Chicago least year, authorities said. 

· Only in California:  Male circumcision bill submitted to Congress.  MGMbill.org announced that it submitted its male genital mutilation bill proposals to Congress and the California State Legislature for consideration. Both bills would amend current laws that protect girls from circumcision but not boys – a situation that a growing number of people believe is a violation of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. 

· He has a vision, but does he have the Wright stuff?  In a business world trapped in cycles of short-term thinking, Paul Moller is at once a freak and an object of awe. He is what many hotshot entrepreneurs wish they could be: a genius whose project could change life as fundamentally as the first car - a flying car. 

· Hurt Motorist Spends 36 Hours on Freeway.  A motorist injured in a crash lay paralyzed in the middle of a freeway with a broken neck for 36 hours before he was rescued. 

· 'Crossing Jordan' to Return for 4th Season.  The star of "Crossing Jordan" received notice Monday that NBC was picking up the show about her character as a medical examiner for a fourth season. 

· Cruise, Cruz split by Scientology?  A source who knows the couple, but has not talked with either since they announced that they were no longer an item, says that Cruz was "dragging her feet" when it came to converting to Cruise's controversial religion, reports MSNBC.com. 

· Prince Opens 'Musicology' Tour in L.A.  Prince is billing his "Musicology" tour as a way to educate audiences accustomed to computer-generated hits about the joys of live music. He made good on that promise Monday at the tour's opener at Staples Center. 

· Terror bombs seized.  A major terrorist attack on London has been foiled today when hundreds of officers swooped on suspected al Qaeda terrorists equipped with half a ton of ammonium nitrate - the same bomb-making material used in the Bali nightclub blast. 

· AT&T Ushers in New Era in Communication.  AT&T today launched the first phase of its residential Voice over Internet phone service, called AT&T CallVantage Service, providing the residents of New Jersey a high-tech alternative for their personal communications needs. 

· More Peterson jurors selected.  Three more people qualified Monday as jurors in Scott Peterson's double-murder trial, bringing the total to 13 since jury selection began a week ago. 

      » Scott Peterson News.  Latest news coverage on the Scott Peterson trial of murdered wife Laci Peterson and son Connor. 

· Aloha Airlines Pilot Suspected of Being Drunk Is Arrested.  An Aloha Airlines co-pilot was arrested for allegedly being intoxicated as he was about to board a plane he was scheduled to help fly from California to Hawaii, the carrier said. 

· Whitney's Mom to Lead Prayer Vigil on Drugs.  Cissy Houston, the great R&B and gospel singer, is leading a prayer vigil next Monday night in Harlem. In a simple announcement on New York radio station KISS-FM Houston calls the two-hour event "mothers praying for healing." 

· Patient wins right to fly with pot.  A man who legally smokes marijuana for medicinal purposes should have been allowed to board a Delta Air Lines flight with the drug, federal officials said. 

· Fat teens turning to surgery.  After her weight had climbed to 265 pounds, Korsica Merrell decided the only way to trim down was to get her stomach stapled - even though she is only 14 years old. 

· No more rice at weddings?  In these lawsuit-happy days, many houses of worship are shying away from the slippery grains out of fear that wedding guests will lose their footing, fall and sue. 

· Veteran Broadcaster Alistair Cooke Dies.  Alistair Cooke, the broadcaster who epitomized highbrow television as host of "Masterpiece Theatre" and whose "Letter from America" was a radio fixture in Britain for 58 years, has died, the British Broadcasting Corp. said Tuesday. He was 95. 

· Janet Jackson: Still claims it was 'an accident.'  Unlike the last time she appeared on CBS, Janet Jackson was bleeped by censors while talking to TV talk show host David Letterman -- for saying "Jesus." 

      » More sad than sexy.  Janet Jackson's much-ballyhooed Super Bowl Nipplegate is not the first time a superstar has tried to use sex to help sell a new album at a critical juncture in her career. 

· Mass. Gay Marriage Ban Gets 2004 Approval.  With one chapter closed in Massachusetts' gay marriage debate, several new ones now open, as gay couples look ahead to what may be a short-lived chance to tie the knot and lawmakers prepare for crucial November elections. 

· Jackson grand jury hears testimony.  A grand jury began hearing testimony at a secret location Monday in the child molestation case against pop star Michael Jackson. 

      » Michael Jackson News.  Latest news coverage on the Michael Jackson alleged child molestation case. 

· Prime Minister get daughter job at McDonald's.  The billionaire prime minister of Thailand sent his 17-year-old daughter to the fast food outlet as part of his campaign to encourage greater responsibility in the young. 

Word of The Day by WordThink

Apathetic [ap·a·thet·ic] adj.  1. Feeling or showing little or no emotion; unresponsive.  2. Feeling or showing a lack of interest or concern; indifferent. 

· Jason Patric Arrested for Public Intoxication.  Actor Jason Patric ("The Alamo") was arrested on misdemeanor charges of public intoxication and resisting arrest Monday. 

· Teacher Arrested For Hanging Student In Closet.  A Brooklyn music teacher was arrested after he allegedly hung a 5-year-old student by his belt loop in a classroom closet, police said. 

· AOL Connection Leads to $2,500 Phone Bill.  When Mark Walters received a $2,500 bill in the mail for Qwest long distance, he figured it had to be a mistake.  It turns out that a 'local' AOL phone number's area code was a long distance number. 

· Judge postpones lawsuit to aid anthrax investigators.  U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton said the FBI investigation should be allowed to proceed "in an unfettered way," and he granted the government's request to postpone for six months the defamation lawsuit filed by former Army scientist Steven Hatfill against the department and Attorney General John Ashcroft. 

· Surfing in the Sky.  Time and productivity are integral parts of doing business, and for business travelers the time spent flying from one city to another had always been closed to live, real-time Internet and e-mail access. 

Monday, March 29, 2004

· Slave descendants file $1 billion suit against corporations.  Descendants of black American slaves have filed a $1 billion lawsuit against U.S. and British corporations on Monday, accusing them of profiting by committing genocide against their ancestors. 

      » Should caucasians ask for a handout too?  An American historian says that more than a million whites were enslaved by North African slave traders between 1530 and 1780. 

· Governor on the Run.  Gov. Ed Rendell's state police-chauffeured car has been clocked at speeds of more than 100 mph nine times since November, the Philadelphia Daily News reported Monday. 

· World's Richest Women.  Of 497 billionaires on Forbe's World's Richest People list this year, only 35, or 7%, are women. Among them, only one is self-made. Along with her husband, Doris Fisher opened the first Gap store in San Francisco in the late 1960s. The other women on our list got a hefty head start by inheriting money or companies from their fathers or husbands. 

· Teen who posted own photo charged with child porn.  State police have charged a 15-year-old Latrobe, PA girl with child pornography for taking photos of herself and posting them on the Internet. 

· Father Charged With Shooting 'E.R.' Actor.  An elderly Queens man was charged with attempted murder Monday in the shooting of his son, an actor who has appeared on episodes of "ER" and "The Drew Carey Show," prosecutors said. 

· Get naked with Johnny.  Johnny Depp's new film needs 300 naked extras.  Men and women over 16 are needed as extras in The Libertine being filmed in London. 

· L.A. Police Photographer Arrested For Videotaping Girl.  The Los Angeles Police Department's chief photographer was arrested for allegedly videotaping a 13-year-old girl as she was changing her clothes for a modeling session, police said. 

· Man Burned After Setting Off Firework In Car.  Police said the man had an argument with his girlfriend, then got into his car and apparently lit the explosive with the intention of throwing it at his girlfriend, but the device dropped between his legs. 

· Chicago school principal charged with child porn.  A Chicago public school principal has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornography on his home computer and elsewhere in his residence, officials said Monday. 

· Police order local McDonald's to close.  Lorain, Ohio police ordered a McDonald's restaurant to close after an 18-year-old woman said she found laxatives in her soft drink.  

· Woody Harrelson's dad loses murder appeal.  Charles Harrelson, father of actor Woody Harrelson, lost his Supreme Court appeal on Monday in a 1979 murder.  Charles Harrelson is serving a life sentence in the death of U.S. District Judge John Wood, who was shot outside his San Antonio town house. 

· Man selling lunar plots for $19.99 an acre.  Lunar Embassy, licensed by the state of Nevada, boasts 2.5 million property owners in 80 countries. More than 1,300 corporations have purchased plots, including Safeway supermarkets in Great Britain, which resold 20,000 lots to grocery shoppers. 

· Husband charged with threatening to set wife on fire.  A 33-year-old New York man was charged with dousing his wife with kerosene and threatening to set her on fire after she spurned his romantic advances. 

· No charges in Hawking abuse inquiry.  Police said Monday they have found no evidence that famed astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has been abused, and they were closing their investigation. 

· U.S. Shuts Down Weekly Newspaper In Iraq.  The U.S.-led coalition on Sunday shut down a weekly newspaper run by followers of a hardline Shiite Muslim cleric, saying its articles were increasing the threat of violence against occupation forces. 

· NBC turns into Trump TV.  Dateline NBC plans roughly two hours of stories about The Apprentice surrounding its finale next month, including a profile of star Donald Trump. 

· Winnie the Pooh Case Against Disney Dismissed.  A California Superior Court judge has thrown out a lawsuit against Walt Disney Co. over hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue from Winnie the Pooh, Disney's lawyer Daniel Petrocelli said on Monday. 

      » Disney foes plan appeal in Winnie the Pooh case.  The family firm suing Walt Disney Co. over millions of dollars of merchandising rights to Winnie the Pooh will appeal a ruling in favor on Disney, a lawyer for the family said on Monday. 

· Alicia Keys Concert Sells Out in 16 Minutes.  All of the more than 1,200 tickets for Alicia Keys' concert at Copenhagen's 18th-century Royal Theater were sold in 16 minutes, organizers said Monday. 

· Geragos to use 'OJ' defense in Peterson case?  Prosecutors in the Scott Peterson double-murder trial will rely on circumstantial evidence, and his attorneys will suggest police were incompetent, if recent questions during jury selection are any indication. 

      » Scott Peterson News.  Latest news coverage on the Scott Peterson trial of murdered wife Laci Peterson and son Connor. 

· Man hopes '76 Oprah tape worth thousands on eBay.  Nashville filmmaker Joseph H. Davis may get a huge return on a most unlikely investment: a master tape of a 1976 talk show featuring a twenty-something Oprah Winfrey. 

· Prosecutors Hope To Avoid Media Frenzy In Michael Jackson Case Today.  A Grand Jury convenes in Santa Barbara and prosecutors hope at least 12 of the nineteen jurors believe there's enough evidence to indight Michael Jackson on Child Molestation charges. The alleged 13-year-old victm is expected to testify that he was molested by the pop superstar. 

· Psychosis is blamed in motorist's assault.  A motorist who said Jesus told him to run down a woman because she is black has committed no crime, a St. Louis County judge decided Thursday in blaming a diabetes-induced psychosis. 

· Cadet remained at AFA after rape allegation, crash threat.  An Air Force Academy cadet who had been accused of rape and threatened to crash a glider into a dining hall was allowed to remain at the school for several more months, during which he was accused of sodomizing a woman in a wheelchair and of raping another cadet, according to files obtained by the Associated Press. 

· Concert ticket prices continue to soar.  Last year, the average concert ticket cost $50.35 — a better than 95 percent increase over just seven years ago — with the top tours commanding huge prices.  The average ticket for a Rolling Stones concert last year went for $200, followed by the Eagles at $116. 

· Scooby-Doo tops box office.  Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed ruled the box office this weekend, taking in $30.7-million (U.S.) in its opening, good enough for an easy No. 1 finish, but 43 per cent below the $54.2-million debut the first Scooby-Doo managed in June, 2002. 

· Politics in play at gay awards.  "Boooooooo," "Hissssssss!"  Those were the sounds that reverberated inside the Kodak Theatre Saturday evening each time President Bush's name was mentioned at the 15th annual GLAAD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation) Awards. 

· Actor Peter Ustinov Dies at 82.  Sir Peter Ustinov, an Oscar-winning actor who later earned a reputation for his humanitarian work, has died. 

· Pregnancy Shocker.  Troubled beauty Carolyn Bessette got pregnant while dating JFK Jr. but lost the baby - and then cheated on her famed fiancé with hunky ex Michael Bergin just a week later, Bergin claims in his explosive new tell-all. 

      » 'The Other Man.'  Review and purchase this book. 

· Janet and Justin: Together Again.  It looks like Janet Jackson and Justin Timberlake may have to face the music once more. That's because they've recorded some kind of duet for Quincy Jones' next album, according to my sources, a project that's said to include everything from bebop to hip-hop. 

      » Janet Jackson to appear on CBS' ‘Late Show’ tonight.  Jackson was to give her initial TV interview Monday to David Letterman on CBS’ “Late Show,” the same network that televised — and was infuriated by — her Super Bowl breast-baring. 

· 'oops, I dyed it again.'  Popstar Britney Spears has gone back to her roots.  The 22-year-old singer, who made her name as a dazzling blonde, has gone back to a more natural shade of brunette. 

      » Britney's dive into sleaze.  She kissed Madonna on stage and drunkenly married a childhood friend for 55 hours, but Britney Spears's new live show is her most shocking performance yet. 

· Bob Guccione to sell home for $7 million.  Fallen porn king Bob Guccione made his millions with explicit pictures of naked women. But his estate is not a monument to sex - it's a tribute to love. 

· Class-Action CD Lawsuit Ends in Refunds of $13.86.  The massive class-action lawsuit against the music industry — which named major labels like Universal Music Group, Sony Music, BMG, EMI and Warner Music as defendants — argued that record labels pressured retailers to keep CD costs up by threatening to withhold stores’ advertising and promotions money if they dared charge too little. 

· Smokers barred from Irish pubs today.  Ireland has become the first country in the world to outlaw cigarettes in all its restaurants and pubs, to the delight of non-smokers but the dismay of some publicans who say they will have to police the ban. 

      » New York City bars and restaurants not hurt by smoking ban.  A new report says a smoking ban isn't hurting New York City's bars and restaurants.  New York bar and restaurant business are now said to be "thriving," and tax receipts have jumped almost nine percent in the past ten months. 

· Woman Saves Son, Drowns In Boat Accident.  A woman saved her 5-year-old son from a capsized canoe in chilly lake waters before slipping beneath the surface and drowning Sunday. 

· John Gotti And The Draft.  Newly released FBI documents show that if he'd selected the military over the Mafia, John Gotti might have served as a grunt instead of a godfather, wearing Army fatigues instead of Armani suits. 

· Woman Who Stoned Sons Set For Trial.  Psychiatric experts for both the defense and prosecution agree that Deanna Laney, scheduled to go on trial Monday, was mentally ill last Mother's Day weekend when she stoned two of her sons to death and severely injured a third. 

Word of The Day by WordThink

Systemic [sys·tem·ic] adj.  A systemic problem or change is a basic one, experienced by the whole of an organization or a country and not just particular parts of it: "The recession was the result of a systemic change within the structure of the country's economy." 

· British Queen would have fled if Soviets had attacked.  Queen Elizabeth II would have been spirited out of Britain had the Soviet Union launched a nuclear attack, according to previously top-secret documents which will go on public view later this week. 

· Vendor's toy gun has Grandma up in arms.  Luceene Gee sent her 7-year-old grandson out to a sidewalk ice-cream vendor to buy an ice cream and instead he came back with a toy gun. 

· High-Tech Bait Cars Reel in Arizona Thieves.  Bait vehicles are capturing more than just car thieves. Cars rigged with video and other tracking technology have also caught the attention of the public, warning crooks that no vehicle is safe to steal. 

· Girl's cancer faked 'to keep husband.'  A woman imprisoned for faking her daughter's leukaemia to gain thousands of dollars in donations has told how she first concocted the scheme to keep her husband from leaving. 

· Garlic pills substituted for flu shots.  The New Zealand Education Ministry is offering staff free garlic and echinacea tablets to ward off winter ills - but immunization experts say it's a waste of public money and have called on health officials to intervene. 

· Vermont Probes Man With 70 Goats In House.  State officials are investigating a man whose goats and his religious convictions against killing them have collided in a possibly inhumane and definitely stinky way.  

· Police to offer tea, lime juice to spruce up image.  Bangladeshi police have been told to improve their public image by offering tea and lime juice instead of harsh words. 

· Woman cleaning house shoots baby dead.  A woman who found a shotgun while cleaning her home Sunday accidentally fired the weapon as she tried to determine whether it was loaded, killing a 1-year-old girl, police said. 

· Web Sites Offer Help Beating Drug Tests.  Put 30 drug testing workers in a room together for a few hours and it isn't long before they start trading strange - and somewhat indelicate - tales of urine collection. 

Sunday, March 28, 2004

· Kidnapped Girl's Parents Cut Media Deal.  The parents of a 6-year-old girl who was raised by her alleged kidnapper after she was believed to have died in a fire have sold the rights to their life stories for a movie and book. 

· NASA jet breaks speed record.  NASA has made aeronautics history by launching an experimental jet that reached a record velocity of just over seven times the speed of sound. 

· Reba Says She's a Lot Like 'Reba.'  "Reba Hart is a lot like Reba McEntire," says the country music star about the sitcom character she plays on the WB's "Reba." 

· Witness's pregnancy may complicate Peterson trial.  Amber Frey was Scott Peterson's secret lover. Then she became the Modesto, Calif., Police's secret informant. Now she's the star witness against the young man accused of killing his wife -- and she's eight months pregnant with another man's child. 

· Actor Brosnan's Official Site Launched.  The name is com - PierceBrosnan.com. The official Web site of Pierce Brosnan - Agent 007 - is up and running, and for fans of the actor, it offers a unique peek into his life and passions. 

· Nuclear power, 25 years after Three Mile Island.  Today marks the 25th anniversary of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant accident, and 25 years later the nation’s aging fleet of 103 reactors still face nagging questions about their safety. 

· The oldest bank robber: No regrets.  91 year-old "Red" Roundtree had robbed banks twice before and knew the best way was to pick a bank was within a full gas tank's drive of home, hit it early before there were too many customers and then never, ever return to that city again. 

· College kid says: 'Britney ordered me to strip then used me for sex.'  A college student today reveals how pop queen Britney Spears chatted him up on a blind date — and then allegedly took him to bed. 

· Nelson Wants to Stop Navy Landing Field.  Country singer Willie Nelson has asked President Bush to intervene in a land dispute between farmers and the Navy over a proposed jet practice field in the middle of 33,000 acres of farmland in North Carolina. 

· Disney theme parks boost admission prices - again.  Beginning today, Disneyland and California Adventure will increase the admission price to $49.75 for guests over 10 years old a jump of $2.75, or nearly 6 percent, Disneyland Resort announced. 

· Michelle Kwan Loses World Skate Champ Title.  Michelle Kwan's reign at the world championships ended Saturday, with Japan's Shizuka Arakawa winning the title over Sasha Cohen. 

· Documents on FBI's surveillance of Kerry stolen.  FBI documents detailing government surveillance of John Kerry in the early 1970s have been stolen from the home of a historian in a suburb of San Francisco, California. 

Word of The Day by WordThink

Divisive [di·vi·sive] adj.  Creating dissension or discord; Causing disagreement or hostility within a group. 

· Breaking the Brokers.  As housing prices keep heading through the roof, more sellers are balking at paying full commissions. Some agents are even joining in this homegrown rebellion. 

· Minn. Attorney General's Daughters Charged.  Two daughters of Minnesota Attorney General Mike Hatch were jailed in Chicago, accused of fighting with police after a night of heavy drinking. 

· Architects join fight against flab.  Telecom giant Sprint designed its 200-acre headquarters to make employees lose weight by forcing them to walk everywhere. 

· Five Planets Now Visible In Evening Sky.  The inner planets have come out to play as Mercury, Venus, Mars, Saturn and Jupiter all make appearances in the evening sky through the rest of the month. 

· Beating Drug Tests a 'Major Industry.'  "It's just amazing," says Sherri Vogler, who runs a Houston specimen collection company and led the discussion recently at a training session for testing workers held at a Philadelphia hotel. "Beating a drug test has become a major industry." 

· Bill Gates Joins Reno Bridge Tourney.  Bill Gates may be the nation's richest man, but he admits no amount of money is likely to make him a professional bridge player. Gates, who joined about 5,000 other card players Saturday at a national bridge championship in Reno, concedes his card-playing skills are no match for those of professionals. 

Saturday, March 27, 2004

· Jan & Dean Singer Berry Dies at 62.  Jan Berry, a member of the duo Jan & Dean that had the 1960s surf-music hits "Deadman's Curve" and "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena," has died. 

· Going too far:  Trump's 'You're Fired' banner draws ire.  A giant "You're Fired" sign on the Trump Tower in midtown Manhattan has earned Donald Trump's development firm four $2,500 summonses from the city of New York. 

· Schwarzenegger wants leniency for woman.  California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he backs an effort to excuse a woman from returning to prison, after she's been out of jail for more than two years, to serve more time after a court ruled she had been released too early. 

· Navy wants mechanic to return salvaged WWII plane.  The federal government has filed a lawsuit against a Minnesota mechanic to retrieve the wreckage of a Corsair fighter that the U.S. Navy abandoned after it crashed in a North Carolina swamp in 1944. 

· Van Halen ends feud with Hagar.  One of pop music's messiest feuds has come to an end with the return of vocalist Sammy Hagar to rock band Van Halen after an 8-year absence, the group says. 

· French Lawyer: 'I'll Defend Saddam.'  A French lawyer, known for defending terrorists and a Nazi leader, said Saturday he will defend Saddam Hussein. 

· Troubled Tyco Jury Takes Break.  The judge in the corporate-looting trial of two former Tyco International Ltd. executives sent jurors home for the weekend Friday after the panelists reported their deliberations were "irreparably compromised" by infighting. 

      » 'Holdout' granny handed big help to the defense.  The "OK juror" suspected of stubbornly holding out for an acquittal in the Tyco trial - and sending sly hand signals to the defendant - is a grandmother with a passionate interest in justice and the legal system. 

· Weekend Movies: 'Scooby-Doo' and 3 Others Too.  Hollywood's major movie studios rolled out four new films in theaters on Friday including kids comedy "Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed" to challenge last week's box office champ, "Dawn of the Dead." 

· Two faces of Mark Geragos – talk show pundit, defense crusader.  Mark Geragos was certain the case was solid – Scott Peterson was either guilty of murder, or a complete idiot.

In televised interviews before he took over as Peterson's lead counsel, Geragos described the evidence as overwhelming, and figured Peterson was all but convicted in the deaths of his wife and their unborn son. 

· Microsoft's new blocker may doom the pop-ups.  The software giant is incorporating a new feature in its Internet Explorer browser that will automatically block the pop-up. While other companies have long offered this feature, Microsoft's action is significant because its browser runs on 90 percent or so of the world's PCs. 

· Carloyn's Ex Says She Cheated on JFK Jr.  Carolyn Bessette cheated on new hubby JFK Jr. with "Baywatch" star Michael Bergin, the ex-flame claims in a bombshell new book. Bergin, also a top Calvin Klein underwear model, says Bessette said she was convinced Kennedy was having his own extramarital affair. 

      » Actor: I Slept With JFK Jr.'s Wife.  Former "Baywatch" actor Michael Bergin, who says he had an affair with John F. Kennedy Jr.'s wife less than a year after she was married, discussed their relationship in a new book, "The Other Man." 

· Kobe accuser's mother writes to the judge.  Here is the letter provided to the judge Thursday in the Kobe Bryant rape case. 

· On eve of Ireland's smoking ban, doubts abound in pubs.  Ireland is about to ban tobacco from workplaces, but rebellion hangs heavy in the air — particularly in that smokiest of places, the pub.

"I won't be enforcing it and I won't be telling my staff to enforce it, simple as that," pub owner Danny Healy-Rae said of the ban, which takes effect Monday and applies to any enclosed work space — more than 10,000 pubs, as well as billiard halls, private clubs, home offices, even a lone trucker's cab. 

· FDA warns against prenatal portrait studios.  In the past two years, dozens of unregulated ultrasound centers have opened for business around the United States with cute names like Fetal Fotos, Prenatal Peek and Womb With A View. 

· Jacko's The Joker In Celebrity Mug Shot Playing Cards.  Remember those playing cards with the Iraqi leaders the military was hunting down? Now you can get something similar, only with celebrity mug shots. 

· Got debts? Casino suggests gambling.  Isleta Casino, on the south edge of Albuquerque, has been running television ads suggesting people with debts to head to the casino - an idea criticized by a gambling opponent and a rival casino. 

· Andrew McCarthy discusses his alcoholism.  Andrew McCarthy can admit now that he wasn't exactly in the pink while shooting the movie Pretty in Pink. 

· Kilborn Marks Anniversary With List.  Craig Kilborn asks: What are the top five moments from the last five years? 

· Nurse Arrested For Stealing Patient's Credit Card.  A patient getting an X-ray at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City turned up a missing credit card earlier this month. 

· Fish sticks go off with a bang.  A Texas woman heating fish sticks was shot in the leg on Friday by a gun that had been stashed in her oven, police said. 

· X-rated probate prosperous.  Elvin Lester Boone Sr., the porno king of Blue Summit, Kansas died almost seven years ago. Yet his X-rated empire, Erotic City, prospers still — thanks to a branch of the same Jackson County government that once tried to put Boone out of business. 

· The World Of Google.  "Googling" has become so commonplace that it is now a verb. Google can search 5 billion Web pages in 2/10 of a second, and people do it 200 million times a day, in 100 different languages, from German to pig latin. 

· 'Spider-Man 2' Release Moved Up.  There's good news for fans of the big-screen "Spider-Man" - the release date for this summer's sequel been moved up - and another sequel in the works. 

· Commissioner Accuses City Of Dumping Waste Behind City Hall.  A Sumner County city has ordered its residents to clean up their property, but the order has angered one commissioner who said the city needs to clean up its own 'dump' behind City Hall. 

· War hero pigeon to be honored.  A Royal Air Force pigeon which delivered the first news of Allied success from the Normandy beaches on D-day is to be recognised as the greatest pigeon to have served its country. 

· Internet pop-ups lead to jacked-up phone bill.  Jeff Reikowski is dreading the arrival of his March phone bill.  Over the past two months, he has been charged for more than $1,000 in international calls he didn't make, to a place he'd never heard of. 

Word of The Day by WordThink

Myriad [myr·i·ad] adj.  Constituting a very large, indefinite number; innumerable: "The myriad snowflakes in the winter." 

· How did pizza boss's body get behind oven?  A former floor manager for Panarotti Pizza in Sandton City told the Johannesburg High Court on Friday that he locked the restaurant at 10pm and did not know how the body of the manager ended up behind the pizza oven. 

· Charges are unlikely in nude photo swap.  Officials say it's unlikely a firefighter who allegedly traded cigarettes to female inmates at the Windsor prison for nude photos will face criminal charges. 

· 'The Machine' in Action to X-Ray Suspects.  Scotland Yard tonight deployed its latest weapon in the war on crime – a scanner which sees through suspects’ clothes. 

· Cops ride shotgun as students run riot.  Police boarded a school bus yesterday to escort the driver after children went on a rampage, pelting him with food and other missiles and ripping fittings from the bus. 

· Lottery Lawsuit.  A store owner plans to appeal a jury's decision that he pay $1.3 million to a lottery winner who said the owner failed to warn him about a jackpot cap. 

Friday, March 26, 2004

· Bishop receives probation for felony hit-and-run.  Bishop Thomas J. O'Brien, who was facing up to 45 months in prison and a $150,000 fine, will receive 4-years probation for leaving the scene of a fatal car-pedestrian accident. 

· Former television anchor's naked pictures back on net.  Internet sites can now show naked pictures of a former anchorwoman who bared all in a wet T-shirt contest in Florida, after a judge lifted a temporary restraining order. 

· Court Opens Door To Searches Without Warrants.  It's a groundbreaking court decision that legal experts say will affect everyone: Police officers no longer need a search or arrest warrant to conduct a 'brief' search of your home or business. 

· VH1 Plans to Air Michael Jackson TV Movie.  VHI plans to run a movie that chroncicles Jacko's life from the height of his success to his current legal woes, the music channel said Friday. 

· Carlsbad family seeks apology in fruitless pot raid.  The family home of Beryl and Dina Dagy, and their three kids, were one of 25 raided Friday as part of a six-month investigation into a countywide ring that was growing marijuana inside rental homes.  Homes were targeted largely based on unusually high utility bills, which often result from the 24-hour use of grow lights, according to court records. 

· Orbach may leave 'Law & Order.'  Sources say "Law & Order" veteran Jerry Orbach will depart Dick Wolf's long-running crime drama at the end of the season after 12 years on the beat as wise-cracking Detective Lennie Briscoe. 

· McDonald's to Start Taking Credit Cards.  McDonald's customers will soon be able to use credit and debit cards to pay for their meals at a majority of the chain's U.S. restaurants. 

· Pope Says Sundays for God, Not Sports.  Pope John Paul on Friday said Sunday should be a day for God, not for secular diversions like entertainment and sports. 

· Madonna's Record Label Sues Warner Music.  Madonna's Maverick Records label sued Warner Music Group and Time Warner Inc. for breach of contract on Thursday, accusing the record company and its former parent of mismanagement and improper accounting that cost the singer and her partners millions of dollars. 

· Tom Cruise, Penelope Cruz split after three years.  The couple, who spent long periods apart while filming, "broke up at the end of January and it's amicable," said Lee Anne DeVette, Cruise's sister and publicist. 

· Corrections officer faces DUI charges.  A state corrections officer was finally pulled over and arrested on charges of DUI and possession of marijuana.  When asked why it took so long to stop for the arresting officer, "he stated he did not pull over because his girlfriend was naked and was sitting on top of him." 

· Bank Robber Leaves Behind Pipe Bombs.  A woman robbed a bank before leaving behind four pipe bombs in a briefcase and making her getaway in a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts delivery truck, authorities said. 

· Erin Brockovich Takes On Beverly Hills Oil.  Armed with the notoriety she gained from a certain Julia Roberts film, legal crusader Erin Brockovich has sued the city of Beverly Hills and its school district, claiming that pollution from the oil pumps on campus has caused cancer rates among alumni to soar. 

· Soldiers in Iraq still buying their own body armor.  Soldiers headed for Iraq are still buying their own body armor — and in many cases, their families are buying it for them — despite assurances from the military that the gear will be in hand before they're in harm's way. 

· Kansas Gets Letter From Serial Killer.  After 25 years of silence, police have apparently heard again from the BTK Strangler, a serial killer who terrorized Wichita, Kansas during the 1970s. 

· Company Apologizes for Great White Title.  A record company that released a cover album by the band whose pyrotechnics sparked a deadly nightclub fire apologized Thursday for the title it gave the CD, "Burning House of Love." 

· Costco's Dilemma: Be Kind To Its Workers, or Wall Street?  Costco's kind-hearted philosophy toward its 100,000 cashiers, shelf-stockers and other workers is drawing criticism from Wall Street. Some analysts and investors contend that the Issaquah, Wash., warehouse-club operator actually is too good to employees, with Costco shareholders suffering as a result. 

· Intruder spotted on Web camera.  An out-of-town family alerts police to a burglary at their home, neighbor kid arrested. 

· IRS Rejects 'Theft Loss' on Company Stocks Rocked by Scandal.  Investors holding shares of Enron Corp., WorldCom Inc., and other companies that lost value in accounting scandals can't claim a "theft loss" deduction for the decline on their tax returns, the Internal Revenue Service said today. 

· Kobe's Accuser Urges Judge to Set Trial Date.  The 19-year-old woman accusing Kobe Bryant of rape asked the judge Thursday to set a trial date so she can begin to put the case behind her, and her mother added her own heartfelt plea. 

      » Kobe Bryant News.  Latest news coverage on the Kobe Bryant alleged sexual assault case. 

· Mom: Shame on Hamas!  The mother of a would-be Palestinian boy suicide bomber said yesterday he was too young to die, as the militants found themselves under fire for sending kids on suicide missions. 

· Woman Asks Judge to Return Bribe Money.  When Rebecca Messier asked for her money back, she drew snickers from the courtroom crowd. The cash she requested was $8,500 from a failed bribe to a prosecutor that got her and her husband arrested. 

· Exercising to Music May Make You Smarter.  If music makes you smarter, and exercise helps brain function, can exercising to music really boost brainpower? U.S. researchers say it can. 

· 'Laci and Conner's Law' Passes.  The Senate passed the Unborn Victims of Violence Act on Thursday, following House passage last month of a bill that would make it a crime to harm a fetus during a violent federal crime. 

· Frankie Valli joins HBO show as hit man.  For the better part of two decades, Frankie Valli rode the pop charts as a hitmaker with such songs as "Sherry," "Walk Like a Man," "Rag Doll" and the theme song from "Grease."  Now, he's joining another brand of hitmakers - as a bad guy on "The Sopranos," hanging out with mob types similar to some he grew up with. 

· Suicide fears for Courtney Love.  Courtney Love has been put on “suicide watch” by pals as the tenth anniversary of husband Kurt Cobain’s death looms. 

· Another bus incident stuns school district.  For the second time in 15 months, the Silver Lake, MA school district has been rocked by an incident of two teenagers engaging in a sex act on a school bus. 

· Microsoft admits missteps on search.  Microsoft's failure to invest more in Internet search technology was a significant misstep for the company, but it is working to catch up, said CEO Steve Ballmer. 

· West Point Continues to Battle Topless Maid Business.  A business owner says a northern Utah city is trying to sweep her topless maid business out of town. 

· Jacko Grand Jury Proceedings Begin.  Dozens of prospective grand jurors arrived at an assembly room Thursday so court officials could begin selecting a panel to hear evidence in the child molestation case against Michael Jackson. 

      » Michael Jackson News.  Latest news coverage on the Michael Jackson alleged child molestation case. 

· All Six British Cavers Rescued.  Rescuers on Thursday pulled all six members of a British exploring team from the cave where they became trapped two weeks ago by rising water. 

      » Rescued British Team Faces Mexican Arrest.  Six British explorers surfaced after more than a week trapped in an underground cavern, but they faced captivity by Mexican immigration authorities amid questions about whether they had permission for their expedition. 

· Swank to Model for Calvin Klein Ads.  Hilary Swank will be the exclusive celebrity model of the upcoming global launch of the Calvin Klein Sensual Support intimate apparel collection, the company announced. 

Word of The Day by WordThink

Supercilious [su·per·cil·i·ous] adj.  1. Full of contempt and arrogance. 2. Behaving as if or showing that a person thinks they are better than other people, and that their opinions, beliefs or ideas are not important, condescending: "He spoke in a haughty, supercilious voice." 

· Study: Movies with explicit sex don't sell.  Movies with explicit sex and nudity don't sell, according to an annual study.  Less than 20 percent of the top 10 movies at the domestic box office in 2001, 2002 and 2003 had excessive or very graphic sex in them, according to Movieguide. 

· Sleeping burglary suspect startles victims.  An Oklahoma couple were surprised when they woke up and found a drunk burglary suspect asleep in bed with them, according to police. 

· Teacher bites kid on nose.  A face-to-face confrontation between a Brooklyn science teacher and 15-year-old student turned bloody yesterday when the teacher bit his pupil on the nose, cops and school officials said. 

· 'Missing' golf trophy that ired Hitler turns up in Glasgow.  The Hitler Cup, commissioned by Adolf Hitler for the winners of a golf tournament after the Berlin Olympics and thought missing for decades, has turned up in Glasgow. 

· Woman arrested after driving backwards in front of police station.  There are three rules for driving in front of a police station: Never drive backwards, never show a fake ID to the police sergeant who happens to see you and never have incriminating evidence in your car. 

· Clinton note is highlight of German love-letter exhibition.  A scrawled, amorous message from a certain Billy Clinton, 15, was a highlight of an exhibition of love letters that opened on Wednesday in the German port city of Hamburg. 

· Brother testifies that he deserved stabbing.  A district justice dismissed charges of aggravated assault against a man accused of stabbing his brother last week while passing through Patton Township, PA. 

      » Tuscon man Accused Of Killing Brother Over Dirty Plate.  ANOTHER man has been arrested for allegedly stabbing his younger brother to death over a dirty plate in their kitchen. 

· Jury squabbling at Tyco trial.  Panel calls deliberations 'poisonous,' one juror feels persecuted; judge asks them to soldier on.  Jury deliberations in the Tyco corruption trial erupted in acrimony Thursday, raising the possibility that the panel may fail to reach a verdict in the nearly six-month long trial. 

Thursday, March 25, 2004

· Women Applying at L.A. Hooters Videotaped Naked.  At least 82 women were secretly videotaped naked or partly undressed while applying for jobs at a Los Angeles-area Hooters restaurant and changing into the chain's distinctive uniform, police said. 

· Bobby Brown Released After Day in Prison.  Singer Bobby Brown was released from jail Thursday after spending a night behind bars for failing to pay $63,500 in child support. 

· Max Factor heir got funds before skipping bail.  Convicted rapist and Max Factor heir Andrew Luster shifted nearly $300,000 from his trust fund to a bank account and drew out more than $12,500 in cash several days before skipping bail last year. 

· Player who blamed coach for eating disorder wins $1.5 million award.  A former high school basketball player who claims her eating disorder stemmed from her coach's request that she lose 10 pounds has won a $1.5 million jury award. 

· 'Dateline NBC' Pulls Out Stops for Trump.  "Dateline NBC" plans roughly two hours of stories about "The Apprentice" surrounding its finale next month, including a profile of star Donald Trump. 

· Japanese firm unveils large robot for disaster rescue work.  A Japanese company unveiled an 11 foot tall robot that can forage its way through a heap of debris as a trailblazer for rescue workers following a disaster such as an earthquake. 

· Iceberg painted red.  Off the coast of western Greenland, in an area saturated by slow-moving ice floes and white icebergs, the blood red one stands out by design. 

· Kim Mathers Ordered Back to Jail.  The ex-wife of hip-hop superstar Eminem was back behind bars after Macomb County authorities said she dropped out of a court-ordered drug treatment program. 

· Exercise guru Richard Simmons cited for assault.  Exercise guru Richard Simmons allegedly slapped a man at Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport who made a sarcastic remark about one of his videos, police said. 

      » Phoenix Police Report on 'assault.'   

· Statue of Liberty to reopen soon, officials say.  The Statue of Liberty, which has been closed to visitors since the September 11, 2001, attacks, will be reopened shortly, national park officials told Congress on Thursday. 

· Book alleges Robert De Niro's father was gay.  Robert De Niro's father, the painter Robert De Niro Sr., was the gay lover of poet Robert Duncan and is rumored to have had flings with both painter Jackson Pollock and playwright Tennessee Williams, according to the bombshell book - "De Niro: A Biography." 

· Martha Stewart: Buying Jail Buddies in Advance?  According to Roger Friedman, Martha has apparently sought out and found an inmate who is already incarcerated there and willing to work for her.

This woman, who is serving time for embezzlement, is supposed to be Martha's eyes and ears — sort of a glorified assistant — during what could be a 16-month run in the big house, his sources said. 

      » Martha Stewart News.  Latest news coverage of the Martha Stewart conviction and upcoming sentencing. 

· Man Kills Self; Girlfriend's Head Found in Car.  A man who was suspected of harming his girlfriend killed himself after leading police on a high-speed chase, and his girlfriend's head, knives and a gun were found in the man's car. 

· Antigua claims win over U.S. in gaming dispute.  Tiny Antigua and Barbuda, one of the world’s smallest states, proclaimed victory over the United States in a dispute over Internet gambling that could hurt the multibillion-dollar U.S. gaming industry. 

· Police say C-Section Mom Threatened Doctors.  A woman who repeatedly ignored doctors' advice to undergo a Caesarean section to save her babies threatened hospital employees and warned she would "cut the throat" of one worker if forced to have the procedure, police records show. 

· 'Idol' Judge Simon Cowell Denies Obscene Gesture.  Simon Cowell, the often brutally acerbic judge on the Fox television hit "American Idol," insists it was an innocent posture, not an obscene gesture. 

· Bunless Burgers Old News to Calif. Chain.  As one fast-food behemoth after another jumps on the bunless burger bandwagon, devotees of a small Southern California-based chain of drive-through eateries are taking some pride in saying, "We told you so."  Patrons of In-N-Out Burger have been ordering high-protein, low-carbohydrate hamburgers wrapped in lettuce for more than 30 years - including Arnold Schwarzenegger. 

· Bryant, accuser face each other in courtroom.  The 19-year-old woman who accuses Kobe Bryant of raping her answered questions about her sexual past for 3½ hours Wednesday in a closed-door pretrial hearing in the Eagle County courthouse. 

· The Swingers Club.  Game companies simulate golf so well, accurately mapping real courses to within an inch, that golfers can improve their real-life skills by playing the digital version. But it takes real balls to take virtual golf to the next level. 

· Cyclist slashed 2,000 car tires.  A cyclist who was splashed with water by a car, went on a one-man war against motorists, admitting he slashed the tires of 548 cars. 

· Woman pulled from water in Alviso after driving lesson goes bad.  A Santa Clara County sheriff's deputy jumped into the water at the Alviso Marina today and pulled a woman from a car that plunged down an embankment while the victim's sister was teaching her to drive. 

· Defense Expert in Williams Case Questions Suspect's Claim.  The first defense witness in Jayson Williams' manslaughter case Wednesday cast doubt on the prosecution's claim that the former NBA star tried to put his shotgun in the hands of a chauffeur after fatally shooting the man. 

· When do-gooder ads go bad.  For example, when Budweiser created a spot designed to discourage drunk driving in a way only a beermaker could: by showing the Designated Driver getting all the babes. 

· Online game sales surpass $1 billion in U.S.  Online gaming on video game consoles gathered momentum in 2003, with U.S. retail sales of online games exceeding $1 billion. 

· Bowie: man whose bonds fell to earth.  In 1997 David Bowie