Tabloid Archives...
Monday, January 31, 2005
· Sen. Clinton Collapses During Appearance. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton collapsed Monday during a speech on Social Security, a radio station reported. Colleen DiPirro, president of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce, told WBEN-AM radio that Clinton told the crowd she was feeling weak and had had a stomach virus. Clinton started to speak then collapsed, DiPirro told the radio station. 
· Letterman Pays Special Tribute to Carson. David Letterman paid tribute to Johnny Carson on Monday by telling his jokes. On his first "Late Show" since Carson's death on Jan. 23, Letterman's opening monologue was comprised entirely of jokes that Carson had quietly sent to him over the past few months from retirement in California.
· U.S. students say press freedoms go too far. One in three U.S. high school students say the press ought to be more restricted, and even more say the government should approve newspaper stories before readers see them, according to a survey being released today.
· Teacher Accused Of Biting Student. It was a biting fight between a Taylor County teacher and her special education student. Now the state attorney's office has to decide who to charge.
· Carson's Hometown Turns Out for Memorial. Johnny Carson didn't want a public memorial in Los Angeles, but people from the Nebraska town where the comedian was raised gathered Sunday at the high school auditorium that bears his name for a last chance to say goodbye.
· Rodney Dangerfield still gets no respect. EVEN in death, Rodney Dangerfield gets no respect. The late comedy legend's longtime publicist, Kevin Sasaki, got a call from a booker at CNN last week asking him if "Rodney would be available to share his comments on the passing and legacy of Johnny Carson." Sasaki replied that unless CNN had a new way of linking up to the afterlife via satellite, that would be impossible.
· Ford introduces ugliest SUV yet. In a lame intro, Ford is "Vaulting into the urban future" with a new concept SUV that looks like a cross between an armored car - and a brick on wheels.
· They're Baaaaaack. What do the Easter Bunny and a buck-naked Dennis Rodman have in common? They're both stars in this year's Super Bowl ads.
· 'If you don't take a job as a prostitute, we can stop your benefits.' A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing "sexual services" at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.
· Louisiana Community Finally Gets Telephone Service. There's a fish-fry Monday in this hamlet of 15 households to celebrate big news: phone service. Gov. Kathleen Blanco plans to call 83-year-old Mink resident Alma Louise Bolton from Baton Rouge to mark the occasion, which finally connects one of the nation's last rural areas without access to regular phone service.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Pedantic [pe·dan·tic] adj. 1. Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: "A pedantic attention to details."
· Newspaper claims tsunami was retribution for area's sex trade. A controversy erupted in Morocco yesterday after an Islamic newspaper said the tsunami that devastated southern Asia was a result of divine retribution against the region.
· Utilities Issue Warning Over 'Fear Factor' Episode. An episode of NBC's show "Fear Factor" in which couples stand next to an electric substation and allow themselves to be shocked has prompted a warning from the Kissimmee Utility Authority and other utilities in the United States.
· SBC to buy AT&T for $16 billion. SBC Communications Inc. said it will buy AT&T Corp. for about $16B, aiming to bolster its services for large corporations and end "Ma Bell's" independence.
Sunday, January 30, 2005
· Apple, Al Jazeera among top global brands Arabic media channel Al Jazeera has been voted the world’s fifth-most influential brand in a poll of branding professionals that gave the top slot to the iPod and its manufacturer, computer icon Apple.
· Piazza Weds Former Playboy Playmate. Mets catcher Mike Piazza married former Playboy Playmate and "Baywatch" star Alicia Rickter in a candlelight church ceremony. With baseball superstars including former Mets pitcher Al Leiter and Detroit Tigers catcher Ivan Rodriguez in attendance, Piazza and Rickter took their vows at St. Jude's Catholic Church on Saturday before boarding a yacht to a lavish reception on nearby Fisher Island.
· 'Hide and Seek' finds No. 1 at box office. Robert De Niro returned to the No. 1 slot at the North American box office on Sunday with the thriller "Hide and Seek," six weeks after his comedy "Meet the Fockers" began a three-week reign.
· Iraqis Brave Attacks; Voter Turnout High. Iraqis defied violence and calls for a boycott to cast ballots in Iraq's first free election in a half-century Sunday. Civilians and policemen danced with joy at one of the five polling stations where photographers were allowed, and some streets were packed with voters walking shoulder-to-shoulder to vote. Officials said turnout among the 14 million eligible voters appeared higher than the 57 percent that had been predicted.
» BBC: Iraq election declared 'success.' The first multi-party election in Iraq for 50 years has been declared a success at the end of polling.
· Update: Volkswagen files criminal charges over spoof Internet ad. Volkswagen AG has filed criminal charges over a spoof advertisement for its Polo small car that has been circulating on the Internet, Europe's biggest carmaker said today.
· Auction house taking bids on Klan robes. Gary Gray said he felt more like a teacher than auctioneer Saturday, as visitors looked over the Ku Klux Klan robes he was putting up for bids in a sale that had attracted more interest than he'd seen before.
· Jackson plea on eve of abuse case. Michael Jackson has made an impassioned plea for a fair hearing on the eve of his trial for child abuse. The pop icon said he would be "acquitted and vindicated when the truth is told", in a statement made on his website.
· Class Teaches Appalachian Kids How To Lose Accent. A theater group in eastern Kentucky is teaching middle and high school students how to lose their Appalachian accents. The class has set off an age-old debate - should mountain natives drop their drawl or hold on to their hillbilly twang.
· Jackson’s accuser must testify in open court. Michael Jackson’s young accuser will have to testify against the pop star in open court when he takes the stand in the singer’s child molestation trial.
· De Niro: No longer brilliant? Earlier this year, the Independent Film Channel ran a quiz show in which one of the movie-trivia categories was “Robert De Niro Sells Out.”
· Is lonely Nicole at breaking point? As prisons go, it's not too bad. It overlooks Sydney Harbour, has a private swimming pool, six bedrooms, state of the art gadgets, and is worth £5million.
· Eastwood Wins Directors Guild Honor. Clint Eastwood was declared filmmaker of the year by his peers on Saturday, winning the Directors Guild of America honor for the boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby."
Word of The Day by WordThink
Assiduous [as·sid·u·ous] adj. 1. Constant in application or attention; diligent: "An assiduous worker who strove for perfection." 2. Unceasing; persistent: "Assiduous cancer research."
· Fox News host slams CBC documentary. Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly has lashed out at a CBC documentary featuring guests who were highly critical of his show.
· Germany proposes hefty fines for spammers. People sending junk email, or spam, in Germany will face fines of as much as $65,190 according to a draft law agreed by Germany's ruling coalition of Social Democrats and Greens.
· Lockheed Martin wins presidential helicopter contract. Lockheed Martin will build the new presidential helicopter fleet, the Navy announced Friday, putting an end to a fierce competition that had both political and international overtones. The $6.1 billion contract to buy 23 high-tech, high-security aircraft, is relatively small in the military budget. But it is emblematic of two important issues: the outsourcing of American jobs and the question of how open the U.S. military market is to foreign contractors.
· California gets a coin to flip over. According to the mint, it costs a nickel to manufacture a quarter. Every state quarter removed from circulation and stuck in a coin album, a jar or a sock drawer represents a profit of 20 cents for the U.S. Treasury.
· Britney's Kid Sister Gets Own TV Show. She's been surrounded by celebrity just about all of her life, but Jamie Lynn Spears would have you believe she's just another teenager blown away by the fact she gets to travel to Los Angeles to make TV shows, and they sometimes let her keep the clothes she wears on set. But then Britney Spears' kid sister, still kidlike and disarmingly polite at 13, makes a pretty good case for her innocence when she recounts her reaction to learning she would be starring in her own TV show.
Saturday, January 29, 2005
· Judge tells moms in custody cases to learn English. A Tennessee child-court judge has been ordering foreign-born women to learn English for the good of their children — an action that some regard as unconstitutional. In a case this week, Judge Barry Tatum insisted that an 18-year-old Mexican woman take language classes and consider using birth control.
· Crash Survivor loves Family and Privacy. He thought he was going to die. He was having trouble breathing. As he lay wedged under a train seat and metal debris, with whatever energy he could summon and a heartbreaking economy of words, he scrawled a farewell in blood on the seat. "I love my kids. I love Leslie," he printed. The blood ink seemed to be running out as he got to the second sentence.
· Despite Complaints, 'Crazy' Bear to Stay on Shelf. A straightjacketed "Crazy for You" Vermont Teddy Bear has drawn rebukes from the governor, mental health advocates and human rights groups — but it's a hit among shoppers.
· Book reveals Dean Martin's mob links. A new biography of Dean Martin has revealed the late singer's links to the mafia, through files collected by the FBI.
· ‘Missing’ Los Alamos disks never existed. Two computer disks that supposedly disappeared last summer, prompting a virtual shutdown of the Los Alamos National Laboratory, in fact never existed, according to a report released Friday.
· Susan Lucci Receives Walk of Fame Star. The conniving Erica Kane, who has had a dozen careers and nearly as many marriages, made the trip from Pine Valley to Hollywood Boulevard Friday to see her alter ego, actress Susan Lucci, receive a star on the Walk of Fame. Lucci is celebrating the 35th anniversary of the ABC daytime soap opera "All My Children."
· Families want college to cancel speaker. Families of victims of the World Trade Center attacks want an upstate New York college to cancel the speaking appearance of a controversial professor who has compared the victims to Nazis and said they got what they deserved.
· Billboard Blitz to Blast Hollywood. The billboards feature the faces of liberal Hollywood icons Michael Moore, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Affleck, Martin Sheen, Chevy Chase, Barbara Streisand, and Sean Penn, and offer thanks to Hollywood for their help in getting President Bush reelected. Three of the billboards will be near the Kodak Theatre (home of the Academy Awards) for the month of February, which includes Oscar Night, Sunday, February 27.
· Jackson judge allows 'sexually explicit' evidence. Dozens of adult-oriented books, magazines and DVDs seized at Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch - one with the fingerprints of Jackson and his accuser - can be used as evidence in the singer's upcoming trial, the judge ruled Friday.
· View to a killer. The heartless mugger who gunned down a stunning actress on the lower East Side was caught on tape by a security camera just minutes before the killing, police sources said yesterday.
· Sharon Stone Raises Money for African Aid. Stone raised $1 million in five minutes Friday for mosquito nets in Tanzania, turning a panel on African poverty into an impromptu fund-raiser.
· T-shirt company defends right to 'offend.' Tshirthell.com boasts the motto, “where all the bad shirts go.” And few would disagree after a T-shirt with the slogan, “Arrest Black Babies Before They Become Criminals” went on sale on the site. The shirt is emblazoned with the image of a hand-cuffed Black baby sucking on a pacifier.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Precarious [pre·car·i·ous] adj. 1. Dangerously lacking in security or stability: "The precarious life of an undercover cop." 2. Subject to chance or unknown conditions: "His kingdom was still precarious." 3. Based on uncertain, unwarranted, or unproved premises: "A precarious solution to a difficult problem."
· Woman, 79, left dangling when drawbridge opens beneath her. A 79-year-old woman received only minor injuries after she was left dangling when a drawbridge opened as she walked across it.
· Man Accused Of Threatening Super Bowl With 'Big Bang.' A man accused of leaving voice mail on the City Council president's phone saying "killing 100,000 people would get people's attention," was arrested Thursday, accused of making a bomb threat.
· Lockheed Wins Marine One Contract. The Pentagon today chose the Lockheed Martin Corporation and a group of international partners over an American-only team headed by the Sikorsky Aircraft Company to build the next fleet of presidential helicopters, perhaps the most prestigious aircraft contract in the world.
· Black Actors Gain Record Oscar Esteem. Six years ago, Chris Rock joked that the Academy Awards looked like the "million white man march" for its traditional under-representation of blacks. This time, with Rock taking his maiden voyage as host of Hollywood's biggest party, he will preside over a record Oscar night for black actors, who earned five of the 20 nominations.
· Mechanic Runs Errand, Returns Wrong SUV. An auto mechanic used a customer's sport utility vehicle to run an errand, left it in a parking lot with the motor running, then mistakenly took another running vehicle and returned to the garage, police said.
Friday, January 28, 2005
· Internet Hoax Turns Some People Against Starbucks. An e-mail message making its way through the Internet has prompted many people to pass up their favorite cup of coffee at Starbucks. New York City television station WNBC wondered what it's all about.
· Lawmakers look to tax facelifts. Lawmakers trying to plump up the bottom line are considering a "vanity tax" on cosmetic surgery and Botox injections in Washington, Illinois and other states.
· Gitmo Soldier Details Sexual Tactics. Female interrogators tried to break Muslim detainees at the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay by sexual touching, wearing a miniskirt and thong underwear and in one case smearing a Saudi man's face with fake menstrual blood, according to an insider's written account.
· Actress shot dead outside New York bar. An aspiring actress and playwright whose work explored life's darker sides was shot and killed as she confronted an armed robber during an early-morning street holdup.
· P&G buys Gillette for $57 billion. Procter & Gamble Co. said Friday it would buy Gillette Co., for about $57 billion in stock, uniting two iconic U.S. producers of household goods ranging from Pampers diapers to Duracell batteries.
» Buffett profit no close shave. Legendary investor Warren Buffett had nothing but praise Friday for Procter & Gamble Co.'s $57 billion deal to buy Gillette, which helped him make about $645 million - in one day.
· Arnold Palmer Ties the Knot in Hawaii. At 75, Arnold Palmer feels like a kid again after saying, "I do." Palmer married fiancee Kathleen Gawthrop in an intimate beachside ceremony on Oahu's North Shore. "I feel like a 25-year-old," he said Thursday.
· Michael Moore Fails to Make Cut with Writers Guild. Two days after being snubbed when the Oscar nominations were announced, Michael Moore was left off the list Thursday when the Writers Guild of America unveiled nominees for its first documentary writing award for a feature film.
· Judge Considers if Jackson Should Testify. With jury selection set to begin Monday, the judge in Michael Jackson's child-molestation case is still considering whether the entertainer's accuser should testify in public and whether jurors should see a British documentary about the pop star.
· Man peed way out of avalanche. A Slovak man trapped in his car under an avalanche freed himself by drinking 60 bottles of beer and urinating on the snow to melt it. Rescue teams found Richard Kral drunk and staggering along a mountain path four days after his Audi car was buried in the Slovak Tatra mountains.
· Investigators conclude sexual misconduct against Bill Cosby. Investigators probing the sexual misconduct allegations made against Bill Cosby by a former Temple University employee have concluded there was sexual contact between the entertainer and the woman, but they are trying to determine whether it was consensual, a source close to the investigation said.
· California Train Wreck Spawns Possible Copycat Bid. A suicidal California man could face the death penalty for triggering a rail crash that killed 11 people, authorities said, and they described a possible copycat attempt by another depressed driver.
· Chris Rock Hip-Hops Into Oscar Gig. Chris Rock's eyes darted around the room, studying the chattering group of international print journalists. He licked his lips, clasped his hands ... and only dropped one F-bomb as they questioned him in a variety of accents.
· Daughter of Blake's Slain Wife Testifies. Robert Blake's first wife and the adult daughter of his slain second wife took the witness stand at the actor's murder trial Thursday, testifying about Blake's troubled relationship with Bonny Lee Bakley.
· Security fee on plane tickets may double. A fee charged to airline travelers to help pay for airport security would more than double under President Bush's spending proposal for the Homeland Security Department.
· Shot by police, Robbins charged with attempted murder. Former Oakland Raiders center Barret Robbins was charged Wednesday with three counts of attempted felony murder, less than a week after being shot during a furious struggle with three police officers investigating a burglary call.
· Massive cow manure mound burns for third month. Urban dwellers who enjoy dining on filet mignon at five-star restaurants would probably just as soon not know about David Dickinson's dilemma. But Dickinson, who makes his living in the cattle business, has an environmental problem on his hands that is vexing state officials: a 2,000-ton pile of burning cow manure.
· "Fahrenheit 9/11" is already dated, but "The Passion" will endure. The conventional wisdom concerning Tuesday's Oscar nominations suggests that the entertainment establishment made an appropriately cautious decision to avoid controversy by simultaneously snubbing both polarizing pictures.
· Students Admit To Sneaking Into Classroom To Have Sex. Students at a Lorain, Ohio high school are under closer scrutiny after it was discovered that a student couple was having an inappropriate relationship in a classroom.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Acrimonious [ac·ri·mo·ni·ous] adj. 1. Bitter and sharp in language or tone; rancorous: "An acrimonious debate between the two candidates."
· Officer who arrested Lee Harvey Oswald dies. Nick McDonald, a former policeman who arrested Lee Harvey Oswald at a Dallas movie theater after President Kennedy was assassinated in 1963, died Thursday. He was 76.
· Ford Recalls Nearly 800,000 Pickups, SUVs. Ford Motor Co. is recalling nearly 800,000 pickups and sport utility vehicles because the cruise control switch could short circuit and cause a fire under the hood, the nation's second biggest automaker said Thursday.
· Beyonce Starts Clothing Line. The Destiny's Child singer has signed a licensing agreement with the Tarrant Apparel Group to produce a line of apparel for young women.
· Owner Auctioning Drive-Thru Strip Club. The owner of what's billed as the world's only drive-thru strip club is selling it on the Internet. Bidding for the Climax Gentleman's Club opened at $299,000 this week on the auction site eBay.
· Mistake Means 18-Cent Gas in Omaha. A misplaced decimal point gave drivers a surprisingly good deal on gas, and even inspired some threats of violence at a west Omaha filling station.
· Wife of 'Brady Bunch' Star Seeks Divorce. The wife of former "The Brady Bunch" kid Barry Williams has filed for divorce, according to court papers. Barry, 50, who played Greg Brady on the series, married Ella Mary Matt Williams in 1999.
· Citizens protest proposed name of town's festival. Promoting this town's proud history is one thing. Naming this Minn. town's festival Gilbert "Whorehouse Days" is another thing entirely.
· Man on Morgue Slab Starts Breathing. A medical examiner studying a body in a morgue was startled when the man took a shallow breath. Emergency medical technicians had declared 29-year-old Larry D. Green dead almost two hours earlier, after he was hit by a car.
Thursday, January 27, 2005
· Dick Clark Returns Home From Hospital. "American Bandstand" icon Dick Clark returned to his beachfront home Wednesday, more than seven weeks after what was described as a minor stroke.
· Travel firm's poor-taste ad yanked. It's a new low in advertising: An E-mail offering "Special Tsunami Fares" on Singapore Airlines - complete with a tasteless picture of people fleeing a giant wave.
· Murder Charges for Suspect in Train Crash. The suicidal man who authorities say caused the chain-reaction train derailment that killed 11 people has been charged with multiple counts of murder and could face the death penalty, the DA said Thursday.
· Gunman Kills Ohio Jeep Worker, Himself. An employee of a Jeep production plant who had recently been disciplined shot three co-workers Wednesday, one fatally, before killing himself, police said.
· Carson Felt Guilty About Smoking. Soon after Johnny Carson's death last weekend, NBC announced the 79-year-old entertainer had died of emphysema, a respiratory disease that can be attributed to smoking.
· Turin shroud 'older than thought.' The Shroud of Turin is much older than suggested by radiocarbon dating carried out in the 1980s, according to a new study in a peer-reviewed journal. A research paper published in Thermochimica Acta suggests the shroud is between 1,300 and 3,000 years old.
· Films today are 'crap', Dustin Hoffman complains. Multiple Oscar winner Dustin Hoffman lamented the state of modern filmmaking, using a promotional session for his latest feature to pan a money-hungry marketing-focused industry.
· Bill Haas says he may kill himself. St. Louis School Board member Bill Haas, who also is running for mayor, says in a Web log that loneliness, depression and financial problems have led him to consider suicide.
· Teen Prostitution on Rise in California. Junior high schools and malls filled with young girls are now prime picking grounds for pimps looking to fill a fast-growing network of underage prostitution rings in San Diego.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Precipitous [pre·cip·i·tous] adj. Done rashly: acting too quickly and without sufficient thought. "Excessive spending caused the precipitous demise of the company."
· Blake's Handyman Left Town Before Slaying. Robert Blake's handyman left town before the actor's wife was slain and had his girlfriend get his possessions out of his apartment afterward because he feared police would seize them, the girlfriend testified Wednesday in Blake's murder trial.
· Kim Cattrall cooking up a storm with hot young chef. Actress Kim Cattrall has said that she is nothing like Samantha Jones, the predatory, oversexed alpha-female she played with such delight on six seasons of Sex and the City. But the 48- year-old actress does share one thing in common with her small-screen alter ego: a fondness for younger men.
· Florida judge duct tapes vociferous murderer's mouth. A Florida judge reportedly issued his own version of a gag order when he had officers duct tape the mouth of an angry murderer who had been hurling abuse at him.
· Madam's banking on O.J. lawyer. The alleged Million-Dollar Madam has hired a celebrity lawyer from Los Angeles who is pushing a defense strategy straight out of Sin City. After Jenny Paulino and her sister pleaded not guilty to money-laundering and prostitution charges yesterday, lawyer Robert Shapiro chided prosecutors for trifling with the world's oldest profession.
· Bank Robber Itemizes Cost of Gun. Crime may not pay in the Netherlands, but it is deductible. A bank robber in the southern Dutch town of Chaam was able to subtract the cost of his gun from his fine, the Daily Telegraph of London reported.
Wednesday, January 26, 2005
· Passengers subdue man on Southwest flight. Passengers aboard a Southwest Airlines flight helped wrestle a fellow passenger to the floor Tuesday night after he tried to force his way into the cockpit, law enforcement officials said.
· Kidnappers demand $3 million for MLB player's mom. Kidnappers holding the mother of Detroit Tigers pitcher Ugueth Urbina have demanded a $3 million ransom, but have not contacted the family in several weeks, Venezuelan police said Tuesday.
· 'Deranged' man caused train collision. A suicidal man parked his vehicle on tracks Wednesday, causing a commuter train collision that killed at least 10 people outside Los Angeles, officials said.
· California firefighters suspended in sex case. Four Sacramento, California firefighters who admitted to having sex while on duty have been suspended pending an investigation, says a spokesman for the city's fire department.
· Ed. Sec'y Slams PBS Show With Lesbians. The nation's new education secretary denounced PBS on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles.
· Entire staff of NYC radio show pulled over tsunami slur. The entire staff of the New York radio show "Miss Jones in the Morning" was taken off the air after broadcasting a song that ridiculed victims of the tsunami in South Asia, the radio station said.
· Nicole Kidman Seeks Restraining Order. Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman has asked a court to issue a restraining order against two Sydney photographers, their lawyer said Wednesday. Police officers were called to Kidman's home Sunday after an electronic listening device was found near a security vehicle that was monitoring her mansion from the street.
· Stockard Channing Arrested for DUI. Emmy-winning actress Stockard Channing was arrested for investigation of drunk driving after she tried to drive around a roadblock on the Hollywood Freeway, authorities said Tuesday.
· Country store becomes shootout site. When two men walked into a popular country store outside Atlanta, announced a holdup and fired a shot, owners Bobby and Gloria Doster never hesitated. The pair pulled out their own pistols and opened fire. The armed suspect and his partner were killed. "I just started shooting," said Gloria Doster, 56. "I was trying to blow his brains out!"
· Fallen Porn King Goldstein Rebuilds with Bagels. He spent a lifetime peddling smut and once had an $11 million fortune, but after losing everything and becoming just another homeless New Yorker, Al Goldstein is now happy pushing bagels instead of porn.
· Britney's Kabbalah Tattoo. Britney Spears is taking her Kabbalah lessons seriously - she has had a Hebrew symbol tattooed on the back of her neck. The superstar has dabbled with the mystical offshoot of Judaism after being introduced to it by her friend Madonna.
· Obesity suit may dog McDonald's. A federal appeals court Tuesday revived part of the widely-watched obesity suit against McDonald's Corp. that accuses the world's biggest fast-food company of using misleading advertising to lure children into eating fattening, unhealthy foods.
· Sirius, XM in merger talks? Sirius Satellite Radio and XM Satellite Radio are holding preliminary talks on a possible merger, according to a published report.
· Girl Scout cookies often lead to office stress. "There is pressure, tremendous pressure, on people,'' says Ethan Winning, founder of Winning Associates, a Walnut Creek consulting firm that specializes in writing employee handbooks. "It isn't just Girl Scout cookies, it is any kind of giving campaign. It can become almost like tithing a salary.''
· Sens. Kennedy, Dayton vow to oppose Rice confirmation. A handful of determined Senate Democrats on Tuesday assailed President Bush's decision to invade Iraq and said they would oppose Condoleezza Rice's nomination for secretary of state as a principal architect of a failed policy.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Loquacious [lo·qua·cious] adj. 1. Talkative: tending to talk a great deal. 2. Given to fluent or excessive talk : Garrulous.
· Original 'Survivor' winner arraigned on tax evasion charges. Richard Hatch, who rose to fame as the first winner of the "Survivor" TV series, was arraigned on charges of tax evasion Tuesday for not declaring more than $1 million in earnings.
· Attorney: Bakley Signed Child Custody Pact. Bonny Lee Bakley signed a prenuptial agreement and a child custody pact forfeiting her legal rights to actor Robert Blake's assets and strictly limiting access to the couple's baby, Bakley's former lawyer testified at the actor's murder trial.
· Sticker stuck in cop's craw. A Denver police sergeant is under investigation for allegedly threatening to arrest a woman Monday for displaying on her truck a derogatory bumper sticker about President Bush.
· Hong Kong police arrest mainland men for stealing 'good luck' trees. Hong Kong police intercepted and arrested two Chinese men for shipping allegedly stolen "good luck" trees to the mainland, a police spokesman said Tuesday.
· J.K. Rowling Gives Birth to Girl. "Harry Potter" author J.K. Rowling has given birth to a baby girl, a Scottish hospital said.
Tuesday, January 25, 2005
· Turner Compares Fox's Popularity to Hitler. Ted Turner called Fox a propaganda tool of the Bush administration and compared Fox News Channel's popularity to Adolf Hitler's popular election to run Germany before World War II. FOXNEWS response: "Ted is understandably bitter having lost his ratings, his network, and now his mind," said a Fox News spokesperson. "We wish him well."
· Joke writer tells the inside story on Johnny. Johnny Carson's eye was always on the ball, no matter what was going on in the bleachers.
· Prosecutors Interview Cosby Accuser. Prosecutors say they want to interview Bill Cosby after meeting with a former Temple University employee who alleges the comedian fondled her in his suburban Philadelphia home.
· VW 'outraged' by viral suicide bomber ad. Volkswagen is at the center of a global controversy after a disturbing film featuring a Palestinian suicide bomber in a Volkswagon flew around the world on the internet.
· Man Sells Forehead Ad Space To Company For $37,375. A Web-page designer who auctioned off the use of his forehead for advertising space is letting it go to his head. Andrew Fischer, 20, of Omaha, who put his forehead for sale on eBay as advertising space, received $37,375 on Friday to advertise the snoring remedy, SnoreStop.
· Rolling Stone Will Accept Ad for New Bible. Rolling Stone magazine has reversed itself and agreed to accept an advertisement for a new translation of the Bible, the nation's largest Bible publisher said Tuesday.
· Deb is back - and bare. Debbie Gibson, the Britney Spears of the 1980s, is launching her pop comeback by shedding her togs for Playboy.
· Jury Finds FBI Agents Framed Former Cop. A former policeman who served 14 years in prison was awarded more than $6.5 million in damages Monday after a federal jury found that two FBI agents had framed him for murder and kidnapping.
· 'The Aviator' Gets Leading 11 Oscar Nods. Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" led the Academy Awards nominations Tuesday with 11 nods, including best picture, acting honors for Leonardo DiCaprio, Cate Blanchett and Alan Alda and a directing slot for Scorsese. The boxing saga "Million Dollar Baby" and the J.M. Barrie tale "Finding Neverland" followed with seven nominations each, among best picture and acting nominations for Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Hilary Swank and Johnny Depp.
· 'Tonight Show' Pays Tribute to Johnny Carson. Johnny Carson was remembered Monday on "The Tonight Show" with an affectionate lookback at his nearly 30 years as host, including tributes by comedians and former guests that left many in the audience teary-eyed.
» Sidekick Ed McMahon Remembers Carson. Johnny Carson, so public each night on "The Tonight Show," was intensely private off screen. But former sidekick Ed McMahon knows why Americans still felt close to him.
» Carson kin hide final plans. As visitors flocked to Carson's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame to pay respects, his family said there will be no memorial service and no release of information about his final resting place.
· Texas cops undress to catch prostitution. Some suspects in prostitution investigations are confronting naked justice. A prosecutor says police are now allowed to undress in an effort to persuade suspected prostitutes to negotiate sex acts.
· Prince soars on public tab. Reports that Prince Andrew spent hundreds of thousands on air transportation in a year - including taking a helicopter flight to lunch - have sparked a royal flap. Eyebrows were raised over Andrew - the Duke of York - spending $6,800 for a 80-km helicopter flight for lunch in Oxford. The same trip by train would have cost about $225.
· Snowboarder's change of plans had saved him from tsunami, then dies in avalanche. Bay Area native Daniel Berk had planned to spend the Christmas holiday in Sri Lanka, getting his scuba certificate, but canceled his plans at the last minute. He missed the deadly tsunami, but on Saturday, he was killed in an avalanche while snowboarding off-trail in the Austrian Alps.
· Leak forces Michigan nuclear plant shutdown. A water leak at the Fermi II nuclear power plant outside Monroe, Michigan, forced a shutdown of the facility Monday, but no radioactivity was reported to have escaped and no evacuations have been ordered, authorities said.
· Google partying, but not quite like it's '99. The first company to rent out this entire ski resort, arguably Lake Tahoe's most expensive and exclusive, didn't even exist a decade ago. But such is the fame of its name and the magic of its reported wealth that workers here immediately began dreaming of getting their own tiny shares.
· Authorities Probe Leaks in Jackson Case. Authorities said Monday they are investigating leaks about the child molestation case against Michael Jackson that appeared in news reports.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Obtuse [ob·tuse] adj. 1. Lacking quickness of perception or intellect. 2. Characterized by a lack of intelligence or sensitivity: "An obtuse remark." 3. Not distinctly felt: "An obtuse pain."
· Company Fires All Employees Who Smoke. A Michigan health care company enacted a new policy this month, allowing workers to be fired if they smoke, even if the smoking takes place after-hours, or at home.
· Gates foundation injects 750 million dollars for infant vaccination. The foundation run by American computer software multi-billionaire Bill Gates is to donate $750 million over 10 years for worldwide infant vaccination.
· Man who claims Elvis is father now wants a little less conversation. Is he the son of Elvis Presley? Five months after he hired an attorney to seek the approval of the Presley estate to undergo a DNA test, former Jackson resident Tim Farrell continues to pursue the answer to that question.
· Radio station apologizes for tsunami slur. A New York radio station apologized Monday for repeatedly airing a joke song that ridiculed victims of the recent tsunami in South Asia and used racial slurs, saying the piece was in poor taste.
· Cops use plane to nab apple-eating driver. London police called in a spotter plane, helicopter and video-equipped patrol car to help convict a woman who ate an apple while driving to work.
· Pastor who was pushed from bike in 2002 settles for $650,000. The pastor who was violently shoved off his bicycle and seriously injured by a carload of laughing teenagers nearly three years ago has settled his civil lawsuit against two of the teens and their parents for $650,000.
· Google to Branch Into Television. Google plans to introduce a new video search service Tuesday in an index that will be operated separately from the market-leading search engine offered on its home page. The feature pinpoints content previously aired on a variety of television networks by scanning through the closed caption text that many programmers offer.
Monday, January 24, 2005
· New Krispy Kreme CEO gets $760/hour. Struggling doughnut chain operator Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. said Monday it will pay its new chief executive, Stephen Cooper, the standard hourly rate of $760 charged by his financial consulting group.
· 'Catwoman' leads Razzies for movie litter box. The fur is still flying over Halle Berry’s action flop “Catwoman.” The Razzies, which mock the worst in film, gave “Catwoman” a leading seven nominations Monday, among them worst picture, worst actress for Berry and worst supporting players for Sharon Stone and Lambert Wilson. “Catwoman” also was nominated for worst screen couple for Berry with either Stone or co-star Benjamin Bratt.
· Oprah Winfrey Wants to Return to Acting. Oprah Winfrey's been bitten by the acting bug again - and you can thank the desperate housewives. Marc Cherry, creator of the hit ABC show, wrote a "Desperate Housewives" skit for Winfrey's daytime talk show. She got to play several of the roles.
· Spy bug found in Kidman's home. A sophisticated bug has been found at Nicole Kidman's Darling Point mansion after extensive renovations while she was in the US. Security footage shows a person planting the listening device. Noel McMaster, director of an agency that provides security for Kidman, yesterday said: "We have conclusive evidence that it was planted and this has been captured on video."
· Carson was everyman, with charisma. The day television died was May 22, 1992, when Johnny Carson hustled out of a Burbank studio, leaving tear-soaked cheeks, 30 years of memories and a void that could never be filled.
» Take the Johnny Carson Quiz.
» Never the typical 'star.' You never saw Johnny Carson weep on "Oprah" about being sick, or lonely. Johnny Carson never got accused of fondling somebody. You never saw him on a reality show trying to relive past glory.
» Famous Friends Remember Johnny Carson. Colleagues Remember Him as a Talk-Show Pioneer, Friend and 'One of the Greats of Our Time.'
» Carson remembered as master of his craft. Stars who spent time on Johnny Carson’s “Tonight Show” couch came away with a shared insight: America’s late-night TV buddy was a singular talent and man. “It’s a sad day for his family and his country,” David Letterman said. “All of us who came after are pretenders. We will not see the likes of him again ... He was the best, a star and a gentleman.”
· January 24th depressing day. Today is the most depressing day of the year, says a British psychologist. Cliff Arnall of Cardiff University in Wales is a psychologist of happiness, and his formula covers time since Christmas, debt level, weather and other stresses and picked Jan. 24 as the worst of times.
· Viagra May Aid Treatment of Enlarged Hearts. Viagra may aid in the treatment of enlarged hearts that can result from high blood pressure, tests on animals indicate. Plans are under way for a trial to determine if similar results occur in humans given the drug widely used to treat erectile dysfunction.
· Nixon's secretary, Rose Mary Woods, dies. Rose Mary Woods, the devoted secretary to President Nixon who said she inadvertently erased part of a crucial Watergate tape, has died. She was 87.
· Nevada Judge Throws Out Lap-Dance Law. A Las Vegas law prohibiting strippers from fondling customers during lap dances is unconstitutionally vague, a judge ruled. District Court Judge Sally Loehrer affirmed a lower court ruling that as many as five misdemeanor criminal cases filed against Las Vegas strippers should be dismissed.
· Dennis Hopper Dissed at Presidential Party. Hopper, who organized The Creative Coalition's Ball after the Ball Thursday night as part of the activities surrounding President Bush's inauguration, apparently got a surprise phone call from the Presidential Inaugural Committee Wednesday night — telling him not to come to his own party.
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.
· Tenn. Senator Says He Keeps Two Families. State Sen. John Ford testified in a juvenile court hearing that he keeps two homes, living with two different women whose children he fathered. Ford's testimony was part of his defense in a child support case. The Memphis Democrat heads a Senate committee that guides the state's child welfare policies, and for the past year he's tried to make use of a law he authored that keeps court-ordered support lower when a father is financially responsible for other children.
· Michigan man learns perils of messing with snow removal. Recent snowstorms have blown the lid off a little-known prohibition against pushing snow across streets.
· LeAnn Rimes Back With New Album. A hit country song and a move to Nashville. Could it be that LeAnn Rimes is finished with her foray into pop and ready to return to her country roots?
· Google gears up for a free-phone challenge. Google revolutionised the internet. Now it is hoping to do the same with our phones. The company behind the popular search engine looks set to launch a free telephone service that links users via a broadband internet connection using a headset and home computer.
Sunday, January 23, 2005
· Famed TV Entertainer Johnny Carson Dead. Legendary television entertainer Johnny Carson has died of emphysema at age 79, the NBC television network reported on its Web site on Sunday. Carson hosted NBC's popular "The Tonight Show" for nearly 30 years, long dominating late-night television with an estimated 12 million viewers each night. He did his final show on Friday, May 22, 1992, seen by 55 million, and was replaced the next Monday by the current host, Jay Leno.
· Bush runs out of cash. He may be in charge of the world's richest country - but even George Bush can find himself a little short of cash. The President was left financially embarrassed while attending Friday's National Prayer Service in Washington DC. When the collection plate came round, Mr Bush had nothing to put on it. Vice president Dick Cheney was quick to offer Mr Bush some money.
· A new deal is in the works for NBC's morning star. NBC has begun talks to extend the contract of Today show anchor Katie Couric, which would preclude any chance of her jumping to CBS. NBC president Jeff Zucker said Friday at the Television Critics Association winter press tour that discussions to keep Couric at the network beyond the 18 months left on her contract are under way. The new deal is likely to keep her on the Today show as well.
· After Ups and Downs, Diana Ross Is Back. Ross has had her ups and downs in recent times, both personally and professionally. She spent two days in jail last year following a no-contest plea to driving under the influence in Tucson, Ariz. Her ill-advised effort to reunite the Supremes for a 2000 concert tour without co-founder Mary Wilson or veteran Cindy Birdsong was largely a failure.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Divisive [di·vi·sive] adj. Creating dissension or discord; Causing disagreement or hostility within a group so that it is likely to split.
· Austria Official Chides Schwarzenegger. California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger should be stripped of citizenship in his native Austria for approving the execution of a convicted killer, a leading Austrian politician said Saturday.
· 1892 book of forecasts sold for $2,240. An 1892 book that predicted bullet trains, driverless golf carts, televisions and digital watches sold for $2,240 at auction on Saturday.
· Clapton Rocks Tsunami Benefit Concert. Headline acts including rocker Eric Clapton, pianist Jools Holland and The Manic Street Preachers drew more than 60,000 people to a charity concert raising money for Asian tsunami relief. Paul Sergeant, manager of the Millennium Stadium and organizer of the event, said the concert was on track to raise more than US$1.9 million.
· You're married! Donald Trump weds. Property mogul and reality television star Donald Trump married Slovenian model Melania Knauss on Saturday at a lavish social event in the exclusive Florida resort town of Palm Beach. Trump, star of the NBC television show "The Apprentice" where he pitilessly dismisses contestants with the words "You're fired!" and his bride were married at an evening ceremony at the Episcopal Church of Bethesda-by-the-Sea, set amid waving palm trees and immaculate landscaping.
· Husband Commits Suicide, Then Wife Wakes from Coma. An Italian pensioner committed suicide after his wife fell into a coma, but just hours after he killed himself the woman woke up, Italian media reported on Saturday.
Saturday, January 22, 2005
· Marine held after kidnapping, killing of Wal-Mart cashier. A Marine who served in Iraq was arrested Friday in connection with the kidnapping and killing of a Wal-Mart cashier snatched from a parking lot in Texas while leaving work.
· 'Cool Mom' Threw Sex Parties for Boys. A 40-year-old woman faces charges of sexual assault and contributing to the delinquency of a minor for allegedly supplying drugs and alcohol to high school boys and having sex with some of them. Sylvia Johnson, 40, told police she wanted to be a "cool mom," according to an arrest affidavit.
· Bears' Terrell handcuffed in Traffic Court. Chicago Bears wide receiver David Terrell was handcuffed and taken to jail today after missing a morning Traffic Court date and showing up in court in the afternoon.
· White House cuts Hubble fix-up funds. The White House has eliminated funding for a mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope from its 2006 budget request and directed NASA to focus solely on deorbiting the popular spacecraft at the end of its life, according to government and industry sources.
· Crash Victim Gets $105 Mln from Concessionaire. The family of a girl paralyzed in a car crash caused by a drunken football fan won $105 million in damages from the concessionaire that sold him beer, and the girl's father said on Thursday the case should have far-reaching effects.
· NBC Sticking With 'Joey' As Ratings Slide. NBC is sticking with "Joey" - and several other new series - despite modest ratings. "We knew we were going to be in for a tough year this year in the post-'Friends' era," Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal Television Group president, said Friday. "It turned out to be tougher than we expected."
· Virus strikes cruise ship. Nearly 250 people on a seven-day Caribbean cruise were sickened by a Norwalk-like stomach virus, which officials believe was brought on board by a passenger previously exposed to it, the cruise line said Friday.
· Cosby Lawyer Asks Why Accuser Took So Long. The attorney hired to defend comedian Bill Cosby from allegations he fondled a female acquaintance questioned Friday why the woman took a year to come forward.
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."
· Paris Hilton allegedly steals own sex video. Paris Hilton is being investigated for suspicion of petty theft, authorities said. “There was an incident, and she is alleged to have taken something,” sheriff’s Deputy Steve Suzuki said.
· Miami woman gets 20 years for poisoning boss to cover theft. A woman received a 20-year prison sentence Thursday for putting rat poison in her boss' soda to cover up the fact that she was stealing his money.
· Texas billboards feature Osama, Arafat. A Texas radio station has sparked some controversy by erecting not-so-flattering billboards featuring al Qaida head Osama bin Laden, former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein and late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The signs say "Two down, one to go," an apparent reference to Arafat's death and Saddam's toppling by a U.S.-led invasion last year.
· NBC: Rather's Story Wouldn't Happen Here. Dan Rather's lack of involvement in the discredited story about President Bush's military service was "shocking," NBC's chief said Friday, promising it would never have happened at his network.
· Half-ton man drops nearly 500 pounds. Deuel, 42, was scheduled to leave the hospital as early as Friday, seven months after he checked in in grave condition, at 1,072 pounds. After undergoing stomach-reduction surgery in October, he is down to 610 pounds and is healthier.
Friday, January 21, 2005
· Lottery winner gets lucky — 10 times. Archie Herring of Seattle just missed winning this week’s huge $130 million Mega Millions lottery jackpot, correctly guessing five of the six numbers drawn but missing the all-important Mega Ball number. He is crying all the way to the bank with $1.75 million.
· Meter officer scalded by coffee in 'parking rage' incident. A Boston parking meter attendant is recovering from burns after a man angry over a $55 ticket allegedly threw hot coffee at her.
· Police Nab 'Handshake Man' at Bush Inauguration. The unidentified man who embarrassed police by sneaking past inauguration security four years ago to get a handshake from President Bush was arrested on Thursday before he had a chance to get another presidential grip.
· Clemens to play, sets record salary for pitchers. Roger Clemens is coming back for one more year - and is getting the highest salary for a pitcher in baseball history. The Rocket and the Houston Astros agreed to an $18 million, one-year contract.
· Trump, king of burgers. A burger developed by the winning team in the season premiere of the Donald Trump reality show "The Apprentice" went on sale Friday at Burger King restaurants nationwide.
· Reid Says Wardrobe Malfunction an Accident. Tara Reid says she had no idea she was flashing the paparazzi when the strap of her dress slipped off her left shoulder as she walked the red carpet at Sean "P. Diddy" Combs' 35th birthday party last year.
· Powell leaving FCC. Federal Communications Commission chairman Michael Powell submitted his resignation and will leave in March, the FCC announced Friday.
· oops! Professor's Saturn Experiment Forgotten. David Atkinson spent 18 years designing an experiment for the unmanned space mission to Saturn, but someone forgot to turn on the instrument Atkinson needed to perform his experiment.
· Dave Matthews Driver Charged With Dumping Human Waste. The driver of a Dave Matthews Band tour bus was charged Wednesday with dumping 800 pounds of human waste onto a sightseeing boat on the Chicago River last summer.
· Ex-judge denies bad bench behavior. A former state judge who allegedly used a sex device called a penis pump in court was charged Thursday with three felony counts of indecent exposure by Oklahoma authorities.
· Police Bust Brothel Across Street From Station. Police in Concord, CA have busted four suspected hookers as well as the alleged madam. They were doing business out of a new apartment building near the city's police station. Detective Thomas Parodi said the women are "very, very attractive" and were charging $260 an hour.
· Woman Accuses Bill Cosby of "inappropriate touching." A female acquaintance of comedian Bill Cosby has leveled an allegation against him that has prompted a police investigation in Philadelphia, the entertainer's attorney said Thursday.
· Christians issue gay warning on SpongeBob video. Conservative Christian groups accuse the makers of a video starring SpongeBob SquarePants, Barney and a host of other cartoon characters of promoting homosexuality to children.
· Ex-Policeman: Blake Wanted to 'Whack' Wife. A former police detective who worked for Robert Blake as a private investigator testified Thursday that the actor proposed kidnapping Bonny Lee Bakley, forcing her to have an abortion, and if that did not work, "whack her."
Word of The Day by WordThink
Pervasive [per·va·sive] adj. Having the quality or tendency to pervade or permeate: "the pervasive odor of garlic."
· Jimmy Carter linked to oil-for-food scam. Former President Jimmy Carter has been linked with a key figure in the U.N.'s oil-for-food scandal by the group leading the nationwide effort to evict the United Nations from American soil and halt U.S. funding of the U.N. Move America Forward today will call upon Carter to provide a full accounting of his meetings and conversations with Samir Vincent, who yesterday pleaded guilty to participating in numerous illegal activities as part of the U.N. scandal.
· Limbaugh Seeks Return of Medical Records. Rush Limbaugh asked the Florida Supreme Court on Thursday to return his medical records to his doctors and permanently keep them from prosecutors investigating his use of painkillers.
Thursday, January 20, 2005
· ABC's 'The View' Gets 'Desperate.' The ladies at "The View" are getting pretty desperate. During the week of Feb. 7, the five stars of "Desperate Housewives" will co-host ABC's "The View" while the show broadcasts from Los Angeles. Teri Hatcher, Eva Longoria, Nicollette Sheridan, Felicity Huffman and Marcia Cross will each join the daytime talk show for a day.
· U.S. Teens More Sexually Active Than Parents Think. The survey of 1,000 teenagers aged 13 to 16 showed 27 percent said they had "been with somebody in an intimate or sexual way," while 83 percent of 1,000 parents surveyed said they did not think their teenager had gone beyond kissing.
· Boy, 5, Strikes Pregnant Teacher in Stomach. A Wisconsin kindergartener has been suspended from school for attacking his pregnant teacher.
· Michael Moore's Bodyguard Arrested on Airport Gun Charge. Filmmaker Michael Moore's bodyguard was arrested for carrying an unlicensed weapon in New York's JFK airport Wednesday night.
· The book that’s too hot for Rolling Stone? Rolling Stone magazine declined to run an advertisement for a new translation of the Bible aimed at young people, the nation’s largest Bible publisher said Wednesday.
· Inside Rudy's mansion. Take a sneak peek at Rudy and Judi's new home away from home - in the Hamptons. The selling price for the 6,000-plus-square-foot two-story summer home was a cool $3.95 million.
· Judge: Stan Lee Deserves Cut of Marvel Profits. Stan Lee, co-creator of "Spider-Man" and "The Hulk," could be about to lay a mighty blow on Marvel Enterprises Inc.'s pocket book.
· Farrell tops gay film nominations. Colin Farrell has received two nominations in the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation awards shortlist, for his roles in the films Alexander and A Home at the End of the World.
· Typo Led To Indy Boil-Water Advisory. Indianapolis officials said a typo led the city to advise more than 1 million city residents to boil their tap water.
· Former ambassador: U.N. funds terror. The former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations says the global body, through several of its agencies, is funding terrorist organizations.
· New York perv principal jumps bail. A former Brooklyn principal who had sex with an 8-year-old girl skipped out on $100,000 bail when he failed to show for sentencing yesterday.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Metaphor [met·a·phor] n. A figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate something else. "She was drowning in money."
· Actor Ben Kingsley Splits From Wife. Ben Kingsley and his wife, Alexandra, have separated after 15 months of marriage, the actor's publicist said Wednesday.
· Judge Lets Jackson Respond to Transcripts. The judge in the Michael Jackson molestation case has allowed the singer to make a statement responding to grand jury transcripts leaked to ABC News, according to media reports Wednesday.
· Red October to be sold for scrap. RED October, the Soviet submarine featured in a Tom Clancy book and subsequent movie, is to be decommissioned for good.
· Cancer now top killer of Americans under 85. For the first time, cancer has surpassed heart disease as the top killer of Americans under 85, health officials said Wednesday. The good news is that deaths from both are falling, but improvement has been more dramatic for heart disease.
· Simpson, Lachey Return for 'Newlyweds.' Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey are putting a strain on the term "newlyweds." The couple, who wed two years ago, will return Jan. 26 for the third season of their MTV reality show, featuring the difficulties of being a (relatively) recently married couple.
· Lindsay Lohan's Mother Files for Divorce. The mother of actress-singer Lindsay Lohan has filed for divorce, a spokeswoman confirmed Wednesday.
· Man steals tour van in Hawaii. A man stole a tour van left idling at a beach park with four people inside, but eventually let the four go unharmed, police said.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
· O.J. Simpson's daughter arrested. O.J. Simpson's 19-year-old daughter was arrested after she refused to stop yelling at officers who had been summoned because of a fight outside a basketball game involving her old prep school, police said.
· Boston terror threat probed. Federal and state authorities are investigating a nuclear terrorist threat against Boston after a man calling from Mexico told California police that he smuggled two Iraqis and four Chinese over the border.
· 'Everybody Loves Raymond' Ends Run. Don't look for a supersized, super-stuffed final episode of "Everybody Loves Raymond." Television's most popular sitcom will end its nine-year run on May 16 with - get this - a half-hour show, CBS said Tuesday.
· CDC Report Was Wrong; Obesity Deaths Not Overtaking Smoking. Blaming a computer software error, the government says it overstated the nation's weight problem in a widely reported study last year that said obesity was about to overtake smoking as the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.
· Construction worker changing jobs after nail removed from head. A construction worker who shot himself in the head with a nail gun - an accident he didn't discover until he went to the dentist with a nagging toothache - said he'll change his line of work. "I'll make pizzas," Patrick Lawler, 23, said.
· Online hue & cry to silence Ashlee. It turns out football fans aren't the only ones fed up with Ashlee Simpson's seemingly omnipresent caterwaul. Ever since the detuned diva shrieked her way through the Orange Bowl halftime show Jan. 4, an army of detractors has been assembling on the Internet.
· Carson Feeds Jokes To Letterman. Johnny Carson, the former Tonight Show host who's avoided the public eye since he retired from the show in 1992, still watches late-night television and stays in touch with friends including David Letterman. "Johnny is alright," his friend, Peter Lassally, told reporters Tuesday during a press conference to promote "The Late Late Show" on CBS.
· Wrong Body Cremated, Ashes Scattered In Ocean. A dispute is brewing in Jacksonville, Fla. over a mix-up at the Duval County medical examiner's office in which the wrong person was cremated and the ashes scattered in the Atlantic Ocean.
· Fired police officer awarded $1.6 million. A former Inglewood police officer who was fired for punching a black teenager and slamming him against a patrol car was awarded $1.6 million Tuesday by the jury in a discrimination lawsuit he and his partner brought against the city.
· Singer Curses at Inaugural Youth Concert. Borrowing a word from Motley Crue's Neil, the lead singer of Fuel proclaimed, "Welcome to the greatest ----ing country in the world." Brett Scallions followed with a quick apology of "excuse my language."
· Burglar Took Daughters To Work. Police arrested a woman Monday who they said was caught in the act of burglarizing a Van Buren home while accompanied by her two young children.
· Marla Trumps the Donald With Silence. With Donald Trump's opulent wedding scheduled to take place in three days, his most recent ex-wife, Marla Maples, is not attending. Despite rumors to the contrary, she wasn't even invited.
· Attorney meets the 'jury pool from hell.' The group of prospective jurors was summoned to listen to a case of Tennessee trailer park violence. Right after jury selection began last week, one man got up and left, announcing, "I'm on morphine and I'm higher than a kite."
Word of The Day by WordThink
Synergism [syn·er·gism] n. Interaction of discrete agencies or conditions where the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual parts. "All the stockholders saw considerable synergism in the merger." [also Synergy].
· Surviving WTC restaurant staff starting new eatery. Workers from the Windows on the World restaurant atop the World Trade Center have signed a lease to create the city's first employee-run restaurant - only a short walk from ground zero.
· Blake Trial Focuses on Gunshot Residue. An expert witness at Robert Blake's murder trial said Tuesday he could not be sure whether possible gunshot residue on the actor's hands and clothes came from firing a gun the night his wife was shot to death.
· Clemens proves he's all about money, not winning games. If the Astros are forced to pay Roger Clemens $22 million, they won't have enough money to field a winning team around him, writes columnist Mike Celizic.
· Journalist Fights Request in Jackson Case. A television journalist has asked a judge to deny a request by prosecutors for him to testify at Michael Jackson's child molestation trial.
· Personal Computer Shipments Rise 13.7 Pct. Worldwide shipments of personal computers grew 13.7 percent in the fourth quarter on strong demand from small- and medium-sized businesses and holiday shoppers, IDC reported Tuesday.
· Stars Auction Clothes for Tsunami Relief. Actress Teri Hatcher took off her clothes — but not on the set of ABC's "Desperate Housewives." Hatcher, who won a Golden Globe for her role on the nighttime soap opera, shed the silver Donna Karan dress she wore to Sunday's awards ceremony and handed it over to a fund-raising auction for victims of the Dec. 26 tsunami.
Tuesday, January 18, 2005
· Hatch to Plead Guilty to Tax Evasion. Richard Hatch, a Newport resident who became a millionaire when he won the first-ever "Survivor" series, has agreed to plead guilty to two counts of tax evasion for failing to report income including the $1.01 million he won on the show. Federal prosecutors charged that Hatch, 43, filed false 2000 and 2001 tax returns, omitting his income from the CBS show, as well as another $321,000 he was paid by a radio station.
· Bar Customer Steps On Loaded Gun. Ann Arbor police arrested a convicted felon after he accidentally left his loaded, unregistered handgun in a hotel bar, then returned and demanded it back.
· CBS May Use Multi-Anchor Format. CBS will probably replace Dan Rather on the evening news with a multi-anchor, perhaps multi-city format that changes the "antiquated" way of reporting the day's top stories, CBS chief Leslie Moonves said Tuesday.
· Deer eating away at forests nationwide. Nationally, the white-tailed deer population has increased from about 500,000 in the early 1900s to 25 to 30 million today, according to researchers.
· Man buys nearly 125,000 bottles of wine at auction for $100. Ken Jacques just bought nearly 125,000 bottles of wine for $100. That's less than a penny a dozen. And this isn't cheap wine, either. It sells for $9 to $15 a bottle at your local store. It all started when the 46-year-old San Luis Obispo wine distributor was sued. That led to a countersuit, which led to a six-figure monetary award for him, which led to a bizarre auction that ultimately found Jacques bidding alone.
· First X-Rated Reality Show In Works. You knew this had to happen someday: The world of reality television is getting X-rated. No, don't worry, it's nothing the Federal Communications Commission will have to get all worked up about. It will be on pay-per-view television.
· Woman falls to death attempting balcony handstand. A woman fell to her death while trying to do a handstand on the railing of a second-floor hotel balcony, sheriff's officials said. Just before she fell, she had called out to a friend, "Watch to see what I can still do," a police report said.
· Scorsese Hasn't Spoken to Dylan About Film. Martin Scorsese has been working on a film about Bob Dylan for two years and there's one important person he hasn't spoken to about it: Bob Dylan.
· Take my wife. Kevin Bacon, who has played every imaginable kind of role in his busy, three-decade movie career, faced a challenge with his new film, "Loverboy": directing his real-life wife, Kyra Sedgwick, in sex scenes with several other actors.
· CEO of Struggling Krispy Kreme Retires. Struggling Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. on Tuesday named new top executives, retained a financial adviser and said it is taking other steps to address its current situation.
· Pets to Earn Frequent Flyer Miles. Midwest Airlines is focusing on four-footed customers in hopes of wooing more of the two-footed kind. Midwest announced a program Monday that gives pets a free round-trip ticket for every three domestic round-trip flights they take with their owners.
· Break-up may end in court for Pitt and Aniston. A bitter court battle looks to be on the cards for former Hollywood golden couple Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Friends say a tug-of-war could develop over their fortune because they never made a pre-nuptial agreement.
· Virgin wants casino on its A380 jets. Gyms, beauty parlors, private double beds and an in-flight casino will be featured on Virgin Atlantic's giant Airbus A380 planes when it starts flying them in three years' time, the airline's half-owner Richard Branson said. "Since you have gaming and you have private double beds maybe there are two ways of getting lucky on a Virgin plane," entrepreneur Branson told reporters in France.
· Kidnapped archbishop freed in Iraq. A Catholic archbishop has been released one day after he was kidnapped in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, the Vatican confirmed Tuesday.
· Virginia Mayo, '40s and '50s Film Actress, Dies. Virginia Mayo, the stunning blonde actress who brought beauty and romance to films of the 1940s and 1950s with such co-stars as James Cagney, Bob Hope, Gregory Peck, Danny Kaye and Ronald Reagan, died Monday at a nursing home in Thousand Oaks. She was 84.
· Picture-perfect Mrs. Trump III. At $100,000, the wedding dress for the future Mrs. Donald Trump takes the cake. Slovenian supermodel Melania Knauss has picked a hand-embroidered frock from Christian Dior that carries a price tag that is pure Trump. With its 13-foot train and even longer veil, Knauss' dress is so heavy, she was advised to eat hearty so she has the strength to make it down the aisle Saturday, Vogue magazine reports.
· 'All My Children' Star Ruth Warrick Dies. She played the icy first wife of Orson Welles in "Citizen Kane" and a mysterious housekeeper on "Peyton Place," but one role seemed to resonate the most with Ruth Warrick - that of Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, an inveterate busybody on "All My Children." She was 88.
Word of The Day by WordThink
Prolific [pro·lif·ic] adj. Productive: Producing abundant works or results: "a prolific artist."
· Kirstie Alley Developed 'Fat Actress' Idea. The person who dreamed up a TV series about Kirstie Alley's embarrassing battle with her weight and struggles inside the Hollywood fishbowl might be surprising.
· Study: Colon cancer test nearly 'worthless.' A common screening test failed to detect potentially cancerous colon growths 95 percent of the time, falsely reassuring patients and doctors, according to a new study.
· FCC fears force Fox to pixelate cartoon nudity. Fox says it covered up the naked rear end of a cartoon character recently because of nervousness over what the Federal Communications Commission will find objectionable.
· Verizon, Yahoo team up to woo users. Subscribers to Verizon Communications Inc.’s high-speed Internet services will be able to access customized and premium content from Web giant Yahoo Inc. under a multiyear agreement that combines the companies’ offerings into a single brand.
Monday, January 17, 2005
· Las Vegas weatherman fired after Martin Luther 'Coon' slur. A weekend television weatherman was fired after he made an on-air racial slur about Martin Luther King Jr., station officials said. Rob Blair of KTNV-TV was delivering the extended forecast Saturday morning when he said: "For tomorrow, 60 degrees, Martin Luther Coon King Jr. Day, gonna see some temperatures in the mid-60s."
· Former firefighter accused of arson. A former volunteer Salt Lake City area firefighter is accused of working with a juvenile to set a house on fire so he could put it out.
· Fox Says It Needs to Lay Off on Reality. The sagging Fox network's chief executive admitted Monday it had leaned too heavily on reality programming this TV season, including the disastrous "Who's Your Daddy?"
· Women Lack 'Natural Ability' In Some Fields, Harvard President Says. The president of Harvard University prompted criticism for suggesting that innate differences between the sexes could help explain why fewer women succeed in science and math careers. Lawrence H. Su
Corporation.
