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FOX News..fair and
balanced? Product placement has crossed into local news, with a Las Vegas Fox affiliate prominently displaying McDonald's iced coffee during the morning news. New York Times: In recent weeks, anchors on the Fox affiliate in Las Vegas, KVVU, sit with cups of McDonald's iced coffee on their desks during the news-and-lifestyle portion of their morning show. The anchors rarely touch the cups. Executives at the station, one of 12 owned by Meredith Corporation, say the six-month promotion is meant to shore up advertising revenue and, as they told the news staff, will not influence content. The arrangement does raise questions about potential conflicts between the intended message and news content. The ad agency that arranged the promotion said the coffee cups would most likely be whisked away if KVVU chooses to report a negative story about McDonald's. Yet the station said they would continue to cover McDonald's honestly and truthfully...
Now..a few words from
Roger Ebert Veteran film critic Roger Ebert, who gave his weekly opinions of film with "At the Movies" for 23 years, quit the show July 21 (see separate story below) after Richard Roeper (pictured) could not come to financial terms for his new contract with Disney-ABC Domestic Television, which distributes the syndicated TV show. Roeper's contract had expired after eight seasons, reported Variety. Disney announced that E! critic Ben Lyons and TCM host Ben Mankiewicz have signed on to co-host the new show. Lyons co-hosts "Reel Talk" with his father, WNBC film critic Jeffrey Lyons; Mankiewicz is the son of Frank Mankiewicz, the first president of National Public Radio, and grandson of screenwriter Herman Mankiewicz, reported Variety. Beginning on PBS, Chicago Sun-Times critic Roger Ebert and Chicago Tribune critic Gene Siskel's show "Siskel & Ebert & the Movies" was sold in 1986 to Buena Vista Entertainment. Following the death of Siskel, Chicago Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper joined "Ebert & Roeper" in 2000. Variety published a written statement from Roger Ebert: "After 33 years on the air, 23 of them with Disney, the studio has decided to take the program named 'Siskel & Ebert' and then 'Ebert & Roeper' in a new direction. I will no longer be associated with it. ...Gene and I felt the formula was simplicity itself: Two film critics, sitting across the aisle from each other in a movie balcony, debating the new films of the week. We developed an entirely new concept for TV that has lasted all these years. "Few shows have been on the air so long and remained so popular. We made television history and established the trademarked catchphrase 'two thumbs up.' The trademark still belongs to me and Marlene Iglitzen, Gene's widow, and the thumbs will return. We are discussing possibilities and plan to continue the show's tradition." ...
Batman arrested in
London Batman star Christian Bale was arrested July 22 by detectives investigating claims he assaulted two family members. The Hollywood actor was being questioned by police at a central London police station, sources said. Bale, 34, is alleged to have lashed out at his mother Jenny, 61, and sister Sharon, 40, in his suite at Park Lane's Dorchester Hotel on Sunday. A Metropolitan Police spokeswoman said: 'A 34-year-old man attended a central London police station this morning by appointment. 'He was arrested in connection with an allegation of assault. He currently remains in custody." Bale was arrested just hours after he attended the first European screening of the new Batman blockbuster, "The Dark Knight." The actor joined co-stars Sir Michael Caine, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Aaron Eckhart at the Odeon West End cinema in Leicester Square. The two women, who live in Dorset, went to a Hampshire police station July 21 to make a formal allegation. The complaint about the actor was then passed to the Metropolitan Police for further investigation. It's not the only drama to cast its shadow over the premiere. Peaches Geldof, one of the guests at the screening, was reportedly treated by paramedics after a suspected drugs overdose at her flat in Islington. Bale has been married to Sibi Blazic, a former personal assistant to Winona Ryder, for eight years, and they have a three-year-old daughter Emmaline...
Renters beware! Until last week, Carl Kopsho had no idea that the man who collected 800-dollars from him every month was not legally his landlord. Deputies say a man pretended to own a house in Silver Springs Shores, Florida and rented it to Kopsho, 34, and his girlfriend, Heather Peteck, 23, without the knowledge of the owner, who lives in New York. In January, Kopsho needed a new place to live. Tyrone Grain told him he was in the process of a divorce and wanted to rent out his house. It was close to where Kopsho was already living, so he signed a lease, paid the first and last months' rent and, in early February, moved in. Grain refused to accept checks, saying he had been ripped off in the past, and collected the cash in person at the beginning of each month. According to a sheriff's office report, the deed-holder, Sebastian Wagner, called authorities last week to say he suspected someone was living at his Marion County property, which was supposed to be vacant. Deputies are still investigating the case and have not located the man who called himself Tyrone Grain...
Goodbye Wisteria
Lane The creator of Desperate Housewives will end the hit show after its 7th season. Marc Cherry says the remaining 3 years will let the cast, Teri Hatcher, 43, Eva Longoria, 33, Marcia Cross, 46, Felicity Huffman, 45, and Nicollette Sheridan, 44, wrap up their storylines. 'I love working with these gals, but we're going to get out while people still like us,' the 46-year-old tells the Daily Star. The fifth season of Desperate Housewives starts in September, and is set five years in the future...
Leno exits
05.29.09 Jay Leno is leaving his show, but the late night host has nearly a year to pack. During a Television Critics Association panel in L.A. July 21, Leno announced he would leave The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on May 29, 2009. His successor, as previously announced, will be Conan O'Brien, whose first night as Tonight Show host will be the following Monday, June 1. But if Leno's leaving under less-than-amicable terms, he's not showing it. The talk show host arrived a the panel sporting a bald cap and fake goatee, posing as a reporter to ask questions of NBC co-chairmen Ben Silverman and Marc Graboff. Foremost on his mind? "Will [Leno] be paid for the entire year?" The execs, who seemed to be in on the joke, replied, "yes." ...
At The Movies with
Ebert & Roeper .. no more Richard Roeper has given two thumbs down, and two weeks' notice, to a contract offer for his stalwart movie review show. After being unable to agree to terms to renew his contract with show producers, the Chicago Sun-Times columnist announced plans to leave At the Movies With Ebert & Roeper after eight seasons cohosting with Roger Ebert. Roeper's last flick of the thumb will come the weekend of Aug. 16-17. The following week, At the Movies will be in the unprecedented predicament of being without either of its titular critics. "Several months ago, Disney offered to extend my contract, which expires at the conclusion of the 2007-08 season," Roeper said. "I opted to wait. Much transpired after that behind the scenes, but an agreement was never reached, and we are all moving on." The camera-friendly critic said his days of televised film deconstruction are far from behind him and that he has every intention to "proceed elsewhere...as the cohost of a movie review show that honors the standards established by Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert more than 30 years ago." As for the where and with who, "I will be free to share the details on that program in the near future." Roeper says he harbors no ill will for the At the Movies producers and wishes them "the best of luck with their new show, whatever form it may take." Whatever form indeed. Roeper partnered up with Ebert back in 2000, following the death of original cohost Siskel. But Roeper has been the sole regular host for the better part of the past two years, navigating the program through a series of rotating guest critics, including Kevin Smith and Jay Leno, as Ebert was sidelined. The Pulitzer Prize-winning critic was forced to take an extended leave from the show after being diagnosed with thryoid cancer. Ebert revealed earlier this year that he had lost the use of his voice, but not his pen, and has resumed writing, albeit at a less frantic pace than his original output, movie reviews for the Sun-Times...
The Dark Knight resets
the bar The eagerly awaited new Batman film "The Dark Knight" broke the all-time opening weekend box office record and drove the overall North American marketplace to the largest frame in history with moviegoers dumping over $250M into theater cash registers over three days. The new musical "Mamma Mia!" managed to connect with its non-superhero fan base and posted a strong opening of its own in Knight's shadow while the animated comedy Space Chimps debuted to mild numbers. After back-to-back weekends when ticket sales were softer than last year's, the box office soared to heights never before seen. Records fell this weekend thanks to sky high demand to see the film "The Dark Knight" which hauled in a jaw-dropping $155.3M over the Friday-to-Sunday period to set a new industry benchmark. Averaging a stunning $35,579 from 4,366 theaters, the PG-13 comic book flick edged past the previous opening weekend record of $151.1M held by another superhero sequel "Spider-Man 3" from the first weekend of May last year. Critics piled on praise for the $180M-budgeted Dark Knight which scored some of the best reviews of the year. "The Dark Knight" blew open the bank vault door on Friday and made off with an eye-popping $67.9M (including Thursday night midnight sales) smashing the records for best opening day and best single day gross ever. Also adding excitement to the film's release was the fact that Dark Knight was the first regular movie to use IMAX cameras during filming. Six action sequences were shot with the heavy-duty equipment allowing those who see the film in IMAX theaters a greater entertainment experience. This helped Knight set a new record for biggest IMAX opening with $6.2M from 94 venues this weekend for a scorching $66,000 average. After just three days of release, "The Dark Knight" is already the sixth biggest blockbuster of the summer and is virtually guaranteed to swipe the 2008 box office crown away from Iron Man in the coming weeks. With all students out of school in July, midweek grosses will be much stronger than in early May when the metal man and the last webslinger pic debuted...
Tivo teams up with
YouTube You'll soon be able to watch your favorite YouTube videos on the Tivo digital video recorder. Like the YouTube website, the Tivo interface will allow subscribers to search for videos by keyword or by filtering with options like featured, most recent, top favorites, most viewed and top rated. Tivo says the YouTube functionality will be phased in over the next few weeks. Tivo has more than 3.8 million customers, but only the HD or Series 3 generation of Tivo units will be able to view the Youtube videos since the older units do not have the necessary video codecs. Of course some YouTube clips are mature and you probably don't want your youngest kids to watch them. Tivo thankfully will allow subscribers to restrict YouTube access through parental controls...
Fish taught us
well From Don Knotts' portrayle of "Mr. Limpet" to the children's favorite "Nemo" and the tuna-pitching character in the "Sorry, Charlie" commercials, we all have seen fish that can talk. But that's just fiction, right? Well ...Researchers say real fish can communicate with sound, too. And they say (the researchers, that is) that your speech skills and, in fact, all sound production in vertebrates can be traced back to this ability in fish. (You got your ears from fish, too.) The new study was led by Andrew Bass (we did not make this up) of Cornell University. The scientists mapped developing brain cells in newly hatched midshipman fish larvae and compared them to those of other species. They found that the chirp of a bird, the bark of a dog and all the other sounds that come out of animals' mouths are the products of the neural circuitry likely laid down hundreds of millions of years ago with the hums and grunts of fish. "Fish have all the same parts of the brain that you do," Bass explained. His team traced the development of the connection from the midshipman fish's vocal muscles to a cluster of neurons located in a compartment between the back of its brain and the front of its spinal cord. The same part of the brain in more complex vertebrates, such as humans, has a similar function, indicating that it was highly selected for during the course of evolution. The finding is published in the July 18 issue of the journal Science...
Why the music is so
loud in bars and restaurants..here comes the science If busy bars and blasting music seem to go hand in hand, new research from France suggests that might be because loud music encourages more drinking. The finding is reported in the October issue of Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, and is drawn from research led by Nicolas Gueguen, a professor of behavioral sciences at the Université de Bretagne-Sud in France. "This is an informative and good study that I think a lot of people will identify with, because it makes a lot of sense," said Dr. Marc Galanter, director of the division of alcoholism and drug abuse at the Langone Medical Center at New York University. "Because it seems that loud music throws people off their game and renders them less in control of their capacity to moderate their drinking." Galanter was not a part of the research team, which noted that prior explorations into the effect of music on drinking have already revealed that people spend more time in a bar that plays music than one that doesn't, and that fast music in particular seems to prompt fast drinking. The style of music played in a bar can also affect drinking behavior, although in varying ways, depending on the cultural setting. In the current effort, the authors observed 40 male patrons between the ages of 18 and 25 while they visited one of two bars located in the western region of France. Both establishments were local hangouts for young people. The male participants, unaware that they were being tracked, were chosen for monitoring only if they were sitting at a table in pairs and had initially ordered an 8-ounce glass of draft beer. The observations took place over three Saturday nights, with the consent of the bar owners who allowed the volume of the bar music, primarily top 40 tunes, to be adjusted randomly (from 72 dB, considered normal, up to 88 dB, considered high) throughout each night. Finding that higher volumes appeared to egg the men on to drink more and faster, the researchers theorized that louder background sound might be stimulating higher arousal levels among the patrons. They also considered the possibility that louder music might simply make verbal communication less viable, leading to more drinking as a result of less opportunity to interact socially. Galanter suggested that loud music may be tapping in to, and exacerbating, some of the common social vulnerabilities people bring to a public setting gathering...
Burn out Burned out on your job? Don't sweat it. Apparently, you're not alone. Some 78 percent of American workers say they feel burned out, according to a study conducted by Rochester, N.Y. pollster Harris Interactive on behalf of CareerBuilder.com, the jobs Web site. The survey of more than 7,600 workers also found that 46 percent of workers say their workload has increased over the last six months. About 45 percent described their current workload as heavy or too heavy. About 23 percent say they are dissatisfied with their current work/life balance. But employers have taken notice and are offering more flexible work arrangements to keep employees happy. About 54 percent of workers said their companies offer some sort of flexible work arrangements, and 66 percent indicated they take advantage of at least one of the programs offered. Programs include alternative schedules, compressed work weeks, telecommuting, summer hours and job sharing...
AT&T continues to
find ways to screw with iPhone users Moments after AT&T posted a message on its site saying it would provide free Wi-Fi services to iPhone users, the company took it back. And AT&T spokespeople are keeping their lips sealed as to who or what caused the "error," or whether free AT&T Wi-Fi is ever going to become a reality. At approximately 9 a.m. PDT on July 18, AT&T removed the message from its site, which read, "AT&T knows Wi-Fi is hot, and free Wi-Fi even hotter, which is why we are proud to offer iPhone customers free access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi hotspot network with more than seventeen thousand hotspots." "It was posted in error and was removed shortly thereafter, so it should not have been up," said Seth Bloom, an AT&T spokesperson, in a phone interview. "We know how important Wi-Fi is and we intend to make it available to as many people as we can, but nothing can be announced today." Another AT&T representative said almost the same thing, verbatim. Clearly they were both reading from the same script. This isn't the first time AT&T has teased iPhone users, either. In late April, iPhone users began receiving free AT&T Wi-Fi without any official announcement. Days later, that free access was no more. Unlike in May, Friday's snafu is a bit more embarrassing for AT&T since an announcement, official or not, appeared in writing. It's practically irresponsible (not to mention condescending) for the company to refuse to comment on any prospects of free Wi-Fi: Why else would that message ever have been written? If it were "pushed live erroneously," doesn't that imply it'll be pushed live eventually? And if so, why don't they just tell us that? ...
Yesss! A measure seeking to commemorate President Bush's years in office by slapping his name on a San Francisco sewage plant has qualified for the November ballot. The measure, certified July 17, would rename the Oceanside Water Pollution Control Plant the George W. Bush Sewage Plant. Supporters say the idea is to commemorate the mess they claim Bush has left behind by actions such as the war in Iraq. Local Republicans say the plan stinks and they will oppose it...
Gil Grissom to be
replaced by a serial killer? Actor William Petersen's exit from the CBS hit "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (see related story below) opens the door for a new character to join the show's crime-busting team, only this one just could be a crazed killer. CBS's programming chief, Nina Tassler, on confirmed Petersen's plans to leave the show at the mid-point of the upcoming TV season, after the first 10 episodes. Unlike Petersen's character, Gil Grissom, a brainy investigator who heads a Las Vegas crime unit, the show's new addition will be a scientist with a dark secret , his genetic makeup is similar to that of known killers. "He comes in not immediately as the boss, but he has an interesting genetic profile that in certain sort of medical contexts, they've noticed that many times serial killers have that same genetic profile," Tassler told a gathering of TV critics in Beverly Hills. "This gentleman knows this about himself and is sort of in this journey and to discover who his true character will ultimately become," she said. The role has yet to be cast. Petersen, who also is an executive producer of the show, will return for future guest star appearances but is interested in other creative pursuits, Tassler said. Petersen is due to appear in the play "Dublin Carol" in Chicago later this year. "CSI," the top-rated CBS series last season, premiered in 2000 and spawned popular spin-offs "CSI: Miami" and "CSI: NY." ...
Ed needs money..so of
course, sue everyone and anyone Ed McMahon, the long-time sidekick to talk show host Johnny Carson, sued a Los Angeles hospital on July 18, claiming its doctors failed to diagnose his broken neck after a fall and discharged him without taking an X-ray. McMahon, 85, also accused Cedars-Sinai Medical Center of botching two subsequent spine operations, and the entertainer claims to have suffered months of discomfort and pain. Simi Singer, a spokeswoman for Cedars-Sinai declined to comment because the hospital had not received the lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court. McMahon's lawsuit states that when he visited Cedars-Sinai after a March 2007 fall at the home of investor Robert Day he told a doctor he felt like a "bobble-head" doll because of his spine, but they still failed to perform an X-ray and as a result discharged him with a broken neck. The lawsuit also named Day, accusing him of negligence over the condition of a ramp-like staircase at his property on which McMahon fell. McMahon is most famous for his 30 years of introducing Carson with his trademark "Heeeeeere's Johnny." In the '80s and '90s McMahon hosted the popular TV talent show "Star Search." In recent months McMahon sought to save his multimillion dollar Beverly Hills home from foreclosure, becoming one of the most prominent people to be caught up in the U.S. housing downturn and credit squeeze...
The wasting away of
Barry Manilow Barry Manilow may be a slim man, but he certainly hasn't dropped to 100 pounds, according to his publicist. Pictures of the star looking thin while seen walking with a pal on a Malibu beach July 4, left fans worried and prompted tabloid reports that he was sick. But according to Barry's rep, nothing could be further from the truth. "He's pretty trim," his rep said in a statement to Access Hollywood. "But 100 pounds? Give us a break. Even Mary-Kate and Ashley [Olsen] weigh more than 100 pounds. And no… he's not ill." The rep added that Barry, who underwent hip surgery in August 2006, is gearing up for his ongoing show in Las Vegas at the Hilton. The star is also recording a new album as well as, "putting together a new arena show, starting on his new, original rock album and sometimes even enjoying the beach." ...
Aye-aye ay-yi-yi! A very rare animal with the body of a monkey, the tail of a squirrel and a rodent-like face has arrived at the Denver Zoo. In fact, the Denver Zoo obtained two of the rare, mysterious aye-ayes, and zookeepers hope that someday they'll mate and parent aye-ayes for future generations of zoo visitors. The unusual primates hail from Madagascar, where they are endangered. There are only about two dozen aye-ayes in North American zoos. Some people in Madagascar believe aye-ayes are evil omens and that when one is spotted it is a forewarning that a villager will soon die, says Denver Zoo spokeswoman Amy Bowie. They believe that the only way to prevent the human death is to kill the aye-aye. How unusual are aye-ayes? So much so that they are the only species in their class, Bowie said. They are the world's largest nocturnal primates, weighing about six pounds, and have very large eyes. Their middle fingers are three times longer than their other fingers, but they haven't been known to make rude gestures. Their long fingers are perfectly suited for pulling insects out of holes in trees. The breeding pair, Salem the female and Ozony the male are both 7, came from the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina. They're adjusting well to their new surroundings, Bowie said. Ozony's father, Mephistopheles, was the first aye-aye at the Denver Zoo, a brief, very popular visitor to the Denver zoo a decade ago. To get ready for the arrival of Ozony and Salem, Denver zoo staffers broke down some walls at the nocturnal habitat to make one roomy space for the aye-ayes. The World Conservation Union classifies ayes-ayes as endangered because of illegal hunting and habitat loss...
Maybe Worf should
handle him The man who played Michael J. Fox's brother on "Family Ties" when he was a child is due in Boulder court next week, accused of violating his probation after assaulting his girlfriend. Brian Bonsall, 26, played Andy Keaton on the long-running television show from 1986 to 1989. He also starred as Alexander Rozhenko in "Star Trek: The Next Generation" on seven episodes between 1992 and 1994. Last year, he was charged with assaulting his girlfriend and was sentenced to probation. Now, he's accused of violating his probation by failing to pay for domestic-violence classes, missing daily alcohol checks and testing positive for alcohol, according to published reports. Bonsall is now in a punk rock band called Thruster, where he plays drums. The group has a MySpace page that says "Brian did a little acting tin the eighties." ...
Jo Stafford dead at
90 Jo Stafford, 90, an exceptionally versatile singer who worked with Frank Sinatra, Tommy Dorsey and the Pied Pipers and shared a Grammy Award with her conductor-husband for their parody of a tone-deaf lounge act, died July 16 at her home in Century City, Calif. She had congestive heart failure. Singer Judy Collins once said Ms. Stafford's poignant interpretation of folk ballads was pivotal to her own career in folk music. Although she made several acclaimed folk recordings, Ms. Stafford was mostly known as a pop vocalist with a warm, clean voice that music critic Terry Teachout called "rhythmically fluid without ever sounding self-consciously 'jazzy.' " From 1944 to 1954, Ms. Stafford placed nearly 75 songs on the pop charts as a solo entertainer. She was especially well-regarded for her versions of pop ballads including " You Belong to Me," " Make Love to Me," " Autumn Leaves" and "All the Things You Are." She was a staple of TV variety shows in the 1950s and briefly hosted her own program on CBS-TV with a band conducted by her husband, Paul Weston, music director of Capitol Records. Stafford's family said she happily retired in the mid-1960s when she no longer found the music industry "fun." ...
Zach Braff to leave
"Scrubs" Scrubs is getting quite the royal treatment at ABC, something the show has missed during its seven-year run on NBC. For one thing, the comedy's production will be upgraded to High Definition for its eighth season. Additionally, the network has also commissioned six webisodes to give the program some promotional boost. While the future of Scrubs appears brighter as it arrives on its new home network, some changes are bound to happen that will drastically affect the future of the show. One of those changes is the departure of lead star Zach Braff. The eight season of Scrubs will be Braff's last, according to show creator Bill Lawrence, who revealed the news at the recent Television Critics Association press tour panel. Although there was no announcement if the upcoming season would be the show's last, Braff in particular says he's likely headed for an exit. On the other hand, the 33-year-old actor, who has been playing John "J.D." Dorian on the sitcom since 2001, remains open to the possibility of appearing on the series as a guest star. He also welcomes the option of serving as a director to the show. Braff is current attached to work on an indie movie called Open Hearts, a project he has dropped other roles for. In this film, he will serve as actor, writer and director. Meanwhile, Scrubs is likely to carry on without Braff as there might be a way to keep the comedy going with the new cast members, a la NBC's long running medical drama ER...
Nominees for the 2008
Emmy Awards The following is a list (in the major categories) of this year's honorees from the 60th annual Primetime Emmy Awards. The Emmys are set to air Sept. 21 on ABC from the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles... DRAMA SERIES: "Boston Legal," ABC COMEDY SERIES: "Curb Your Enthusiasm," HBO ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES: Gabriel Byrne, "In Treatment" ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES: Glenn Close, "Damages" ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES: Christina Applegate, "Samantha Who?" ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES: Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock" SUPPORTING ACTOR, COMEDY SERIES: Jon Cryer, "Two and a Half Men" SUPPORTING ACTOR, DRAMA SERIES: Ted Danson, "Damages" SUPPORTING ACTRESS, DRAMA SERIES: Candice Bergen, "Boston Legal" SUPPORTING ACTRESS, COMEDY SERIES: Kristin Chenoweth, "Pushing Daisies" MINISERIES: "The Andromeda Strain," A&E 
Kid patrol Police can't be everywhere, so 11-year-old Landon Wilburn is on patrol in the Stone Lakes subdivision in Louisville. Landon told The Courier-Journal he used to shout at speeders to slow down, then had a better idea. Dressed in a reflective vest, wearing a bicycle helmet and armed with a Hot Wheels brand radar gun, he points and records the speed of passing traffic. The boy also carries a flashlight with a built-in siren. Subdivision resident George Ayers said he has seen drivers lock up their brakes when they saw Landon clocking them. Officials say the city will install speed bumps in the neighborhood if 70 percent of residents agree and are willing to put up half the money...
Nobody move! For a third non-consecutive week, Lil Wayne's "Tha Carter III" tops The Billboard 200. The set moved 125,000 copies during the tracking week, according to Nielsen SoundScan, a 20% drop in sales from the week previous. Coldplay's "Viva La Vida or Death and All His Friends" sits tight at No. 2 for a second week with 113,000 (-25%) while the Jonas Brothers-led soundtrack to Disney's "Camp Rock" keeps the No. 3 spot warm with 88,000 (-23%). Arriving at No. 4, Beck's "Modern Guilt" debuts with 84,000. His previous set, 2006's "The Information," bowed at No. 7 but sold 99,000. The Decca soundtrack to "Mamma Mia!," the film adaptation of the hit theatrical musical based on ABBA's songbook, debuts at No. 7 on The Billboard 200 with 48,000. The film hits theaters in the U.S. on Friday, so there's a good chance the album could see a sizable gain on next week's chart. In its 58th week on the chart, Rihanna's "Good Girl Gone Bad" ascends 9-8 with 47,000, a 17% increase. Meanwhile, Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis' "Two Men with the Blues" opens at No. 20 (22,000) and also becomes Nelson's first No. 1 on the Top Jazz Albums chart. Other debuts include Los Temerarios' "Si Tu Te Vas" at No. 26 and pop-punk act the Maine's "Can't Stop Won't Stop" at No. 40. At 7.33 million units, sales this week are down 3% from last week's sum and off 11.7% from the same week last year...
 
Prodigal dog
returns When her beagle, Rocco, squeezed himself under the backyard gate and disappeared into the streets of Queens, 5-year-old Natalie Villacis refused to believe, as her parents reluctantly told her, that she would never see the puppy again. That was in 2003. Last weekend, Rocco came home, after being found in Georgia. The prodigal pooch turned up in a shelter 850 miles away in Hinesville, and by a combination of chance and chip, the one embedded in his back, was reunited with Natalie, now 11, and her family. "When my mom told me they found Rocco, I cried hysterically, just like I did when they told me he was lost," Natalie told The Post. "I felt like I was in a dream, like my head was spinning." Someone dropped Rocco off as a stray at the Liberty County Animal Control in Hinseville on July 5, supervisor Randy Durrence said. After scanning the pooch's identity microchip, one of thousands routinely implanted in the skin of many pets today, Durrence traced Rocco to Queens. Rocco's disappearance had been traumatic for both Natalie and her parents. In the days after he vanished, the weeping child and her father, Jorge, plastered their neighborhood with signs in search of the dog. But it soon became clear Rocco would not return. Even after the family later brought a poodle mix named Bonita into the home, Natalie said she never stopped wondering "what happened to Rocco, where he went, and if someone good found him. Natalie said she was nervous about Rocco's return, in part because she was unsure how Bonita, the poodle mix the family got in 2004, would react. "I don't think he recognized me, but I told him I loved him as much as always," she said. "Rocco seemed a little confused, but happy. He looked at me like, 'I don't know who you are, but I love you, too.' " One of the first things she did was give Rocco his toy back. Bonita has not decided if there is room for a beagle in the house, she said, "but at least she hasn't tried to bite him. Rocco doesn't mind. He's as calm as pie." Embracing Rocco, Natalie asked her mother, "Where do you think he has been all this time?" "I don't know," her mother told her. "But if he could tell us, I'm sure he has more than enough material for a novel." ...
CSI loses its
leader You know that fancy new CSI contract that William Petersen inked last March? Turns out there was a ticking time bomb buried in the fine print: He'll be gone by midseason! And not "off too do a play" gone like he was back in 2006. No, this season's 10th episode will be his last as a full-time series regular. "Billy is leaving," confirms the show's executive producer, Carol Mendelsohn. "But he will remain throughout the run of the series an executive producer. And he will, whenever CBS asks, come back. I don't think you've seen the last of Gil Grissom." Neither does Petersen. In fact, in an exclusive interview conducted on July 11, the eight-year CSI vet seemed almost reluctant to characterize his departure as, um, a departure. Citing both his ongoing role as an executive producer and his intention to return on occasion as a (very special) guest star, he said, "I'm in a great place in terms of knowing that I'll be more free to make choices. And I'm responsible enough to not do it in a way that would hurt [the show]. "I want it to work for the writers, I want it to work for the cast, and, most importantly, I want it to work for the audience," he added. "I don't want them to abandon the show." CBS has to be concerned about that, too. Although no one expects ratings to nosedive when Petersen leaves, the network's top-rated show is staring down its biggest challenge ever. His sorta swan song, coupled with Jorja Fox and Gary Dourdan's exits last season, brings to three the number of original cast members CSI will have lost in a year's time...
"go placidly amid the
noise and haste" Les Crane, called the "bad boy of late-night television" when he vied for ratings against talk-show king Johnny Carson in the mid-1960s, died of natural causes July 13 at Marin General Hospital in Greenbrae, north of San Francisco. He was 74. Crane was host of a popular radio call-in show in San Francisco when ABC tapped him in 1964 to star in "The Les Crane Show." Attempting to be both serious and witty, the program was touted as combining the approaches of Jack Paar, Mike Wallace and David Susskind, and featured conversations with major news figures, such as civil rights leader Malcolm X and Alabama Gov. George Wallace, as well as lighter chit-chat with movie stars and other celebrities. The show fizzled, but Crane had the last laugh. In 1984 he founded a software company that made him a multimillionaire, largely from the sales of the computer game "Chessmaster" and a widely used typing tutorial called "Mavis Beacon Teaches Typing." Crane helped develop both programs. He also won a Grammy for his 1971 spoken-word recording of the poem "Desiderata." With its New Age-y sentiments ("You are a child of the universe, no less than the trees and the stars..."), it became a counterculture hit and a popular target for parody. The irreverent Crane later professed to prefer the parody...
This should be law in
every city in the U.S. Crank that car stereo too loud in Pasco, Illinois and you might end up picking your car up from the impound lot. That would be the consequence for vehicle noise violations if the city implements a new policy it's exploring. "It was brought up to me by a citizen who called and wanted to talk about the fact that it was so difficult to get people to stop using their boom boxes, in their vehicles," Councilman Mike Garrison said. "I hear that from quite a few citizens." The penalty for vehicle noise violations in Pasco is a $250 fine. This year, Pasco police issued at least 95 citations through May. But city leaders sense a policy with more teeth may be needed to get people to turn down their stereos. The city council recently directed staff to look into whether or not police could impound the cars as a penalty. City Attorney Leland Kerr researched the matter and found that Washington law doesn't specifically authorize impounding cars for vehicle noise violations, nor does it specifically prohibit it. Although Kerr couldn't find another city in the state that impounds cars for noise violations, he found that Illinois state law specifically authorizes it, and Peoria, Ill., has adopted such an ordinance. Peoria's ordinance considers a noise violation a stereo that can be heard more than 75 feet away, the same standard as Pasco's. The Peoria ordinance authorizes the car to be seized and impounded. On the first violation, the owner is liable for the towing and storage of the vehicle. A second offense involving the same vehicle within two years results in a $250 penalty on top of the towing and storage expenses; a third offense draws a $500 penalty. Offenders attend a hearing and pay the penalties to get their cars back. The Peoria Police Department says the ordinance had an immediate impact, according to its website...
Ben Affleck looking
really good to Jimmy Kimmel right about now Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah Silverman have broken up, their publicists said July 14. "Jimmy and Sarah have no further comment," Kimmel's spokesman Lewis Kay told The Associated Press, confirming the split that was first reported on Vanity Fair magazine's Web site. Silverman's publicist, Amy Zvi, confirmed the breakup in an e-mail message to the AP. Zvi didn't immediately respond when asked for further details. The pair dated for five years, and were one of Hollywood's funniest, and seemingly solid, couples. Earlier this year, they took the Internet by storm with a mega-popular video duel. Silverman debuted a clip of her and Matt Damon singing about their fake love affair on Kimmel's ABC late-night show "Jimmy Kimmel Live," and Kimmel later responded with a star-studded video declaring a romance with Damon's best friend, Ben Affleck. Silverman, 37, has made frequent appearances on the 39-year-old Kimmel's talk show. The comedian has starred in a feature-film length version of her one-woman show, "Sarah Silverman: Jesus Is Magic," and fronted her own Comedy Central series, "The Sarah Silverman Program." ...
The New Yorker cover
ruffles feathers Barack Obama's campaign says a satirical New Yorker magazine cover showing the Democratic presidential candidate dressed as a Muslim and his wife as a terrorist is "tasteless and offensive." The illustration on the issue that hit newsstands July 14, titled "The Politics of Fear" and drawn by Barry Blitt, depicts Barack Obama wearing traditional Muslim garb--sandals, robe and turban, and his wife, Michelle, dressed in camouflage, combat boots and an assault rifle strapped over her shoulder, standing in the Oval Office. The couple is doing a fist tap in front of a fireplace in which an American flag is burning. Over the mantel hangs a portrait of Osama bin Laden. "The New Yorker may think, as one of their staff explained to us, that their cover is a satirical lampoon of the caricature Senator Obama's right-wing critics have tried to create," said Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton. "But most readers will see it as tasteless and offensive. And we agree." In a statement, the magazine said the cover "combines a number of fantastical images about the Obamas and shows them for the obvious distortions they are." "The burning flag, the nationalist-radical and Islamic outfits, the fist-bump, the portrait on the wall? All of them echo one attack or another. Satire is part of what we do, and it is meant to bring things out into the open, to hold up a mirror to prejudice, the hateful, and the absurd. And that's the spirit of this cover," the New Yorker statement said. The statement also pointed to the two articles on Obama contained inside the magazine, calling them "very serious." Republican John McCain's campaign spokesman, Tucker Bonds, agreed that the cover was "tasteless and offensive." ...
Be hungry..be
happy Contrary to the moans of many dieters, being hungry may make you happy. Or, at least, it can be a serious motivator whose evolutionary intent was to help you find dinner instead of becoming dinner. When our bodies notice we need more calories, levels of a hormone called ghrelin increase. Ghrelin is known to spur hunger, but new research suggests this may be a side effect of its primary job as a stress-buster. Researchers manipulated ghrelin levels in mice through a variety of methods, including prolonged calorie restriction, ghrelin injection and a genetic modification rendering the mice numb to ghrelin's effect. Mice who had limited ghrelin activity seemed depressed. If pushed into deep water they made no effort to swim. When introduced to a maze, they clung to the entryway. And when placed with other mice, they tended to keep to themselves. (These behaviors were reversed when the mice were given a low-dose antidepressant commonly prescribed to humans.) In contrast, mice with high levels of ghrelin swam energetically in deep water, looking for escape. They eagerly explored new environments. And they were much more social. Mice are thought to be good analogues for humans in tests like these. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health and other organizations, is detailed in the July 2008 issue of the journal Nature Neuroscience...
Now go after
AT&T The head of the Federal Communications Commission said recently he will recommend that Comcast be punished for violating agency principles that guarantee customers open access to the Internet. The potentially precedent-setting move stems from a complaint against Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, that the company had blocked Internet traffic among users of a type of "file sharing" software that allows them to exchange large amounts of data. "The commission has adopted a set of principles that protects consumers' access to the Internet," FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin told The Associated Press. "We found that Comcast's actions in this instance violated our principles." Martin said Comcast has arbitrarily blocked Internet access, regardless of the level of traffic, and failed to disclose to consumers that it was doing so. Company spokeswoman Sena Fitzmaurice denied that it blocks Internet content or services and said that the "carefully limited measures that Comcast takes to manage traffic on its broadband network are a reasonable part" of the company's strategy to ensure all customers receive quality service. Martin will circulate an order recommending enforcement action against the company among his fellow commissioners, who will vote on the measure at an open meeting on Aug. 1. The action was in response to a complaint filed by Free Press, a nonprofit group that advocates for "network neutrality," the idea that all Internet content should be treated equally...
Charles H. Joffe dead
at 78 Charles H. Joffe, a legendary manager of comic talent who helped guide the careers of Dick Cavett, Robin Williams, Billy Crystal and Woody Allen and co-produced nearly all of Allen's films, died July 9 at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles after a long illness. He was 78. Joffe and his business partner, Jack Rollins, were considered the deans of comedy management, who nurtured many young comics through their small New York City agency. According to Allen biographer Eric Lax, Rollins and Joffe were the first to bring Lenny Bruce to New York and helped develop the team of Mike Nichols and Elaine May. They signed Allen when he was writing comedy sketches for others and nudged him into the spotlight to perform his own material, helping him find success as a stand-up comic before he broke into films. It was Joffe who brokered Allen's first movie deal, to write and play a part in the 1965 box-office hit "What's New Pussycat?" He began producing Allen's films in 1969 with "Take the Money and Run," the first movie Allen wrote and directed. Joffe is listed as co-executive producer on Allen's upcoming release, "Vicky Cristina Barcelona," a comedy starring Penelope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson. It was Joffe's 42nd project with the nebbish filmmaker. He picked up the Best Picture Oscar for Allen's "Annie Hall" at the 1978 Academy Awards while Allen, a devoted clarinetist, stayed in New York to play the clarinet with his New Orleans-style jazz band...
True love til the
end Alzheimer's disease had begun to cloud and confuse the mind of a petite little woman named Laverne Hinton Grieser when she was in her 70s. And as the disease took away Laverne's independence, her husband, Delmar, needed help. First a grown daughter moved home. Later they had to move Laverne into an Alzheimer's unit at a nursing home in Clinton, Ind., not far over the state line from Paris. Delmar, ever devoted to the woman he called his beautiful lady, drove the 13 miles from their home in Rockville, Ind., to visit her every day. And even if she didn't recognize him or respond when he talked to her or held her hand, he came back and talked to her the next day. But in February, health problems forced him to join her in the nursing home. They shared a room until she needed more intensive care and they moved him to another floor. Still, at least once a day he got someone to take him to her room and he sat beside her bed, calling her his pretty little lady. His pretty mommy. And then on Tuesday, July 8, this long-ago Fisher farm boy became so ill that his family had his bed moved back into his wife's room. Their beds just a few feet apart, Laverne and Delmar were surrounded by family as he struggled for each breath. And then around noon, he died. Laverne hadn't opened her eyes or talked in over a year. Very rarely would she be lucid enough to nod or shake her head if asked a question. But Tuesday was one of those days. "Do you know what's happening?" her daughter asked. Laverne nodded yes. "Dad's not doing well, do you understand?" Again Laverne nodded. And after Delmar drew his last breath, their oldest daughter leaned in close to her mother. "Dad's not in pain any more," she said. Laverne's children stood by as their mother's respiration began to slow. And when the staff wheeled his bed from the room, a daughter asked Laverne, "Do you understand what's happened?" Yes, Laverne nodded. And miraculously, her children say, three hours and 35 minutes after her husband's death, Laverne died, too. "In so many ways it was such a blessing," said Mary Burkhart, their oldest daughter. "It's pretty special that they went together." ...
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