Most Famous Topic

Don't You Forget About Me

2011-05-25T07:11:00.001-07:00

Don't You Forget About Me

Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley Split the Charts

2011-05-25T07:10:00.000-07:00

Getty Images

Rascal Flatts' 'I Won't Let Go' jumps three spots to land at the top of the Mediabase/Country Aircheck country chart, while Brad Paisley's 'Old Alabama' climbs to the top of Billboard's country chart. They trade places on the opposing charts with Brad at No. 2 on Mediabase/Country Aircheck and the Flatts in second place on Billboard. Miranda Lambert's recent No. 1, 'Heart Like Mine,' drops to No. 3 on both charts.

Rascal Flatts gravitated toward their latest single mainly because it spoke of their feelings as parents, but the message also applies to many situations. "'I Won't Let Go' is one of the finest songs we've ever cut, and personally, I think it's one of the finest songs written in a long time," says the Flatts' Joe Don Rooney. "Once you have children, like [me and] Gary and Jay, you really feel that in this song -- that unconditional love and support for your children." Lead singer Gary agrees, adding, "It's an unforgettable melody, and the first time we heard it, we just knew it was a monster of a song ... It's what we always look for -- that big universal lyric. It could be anything from God to mother to children to anything. It's however you perceive the song."

Brad is overwhelmed to have the legendary Alabama on one of his songs, especially as he grew up performing their songs in his shows before making the move to Nashville. "It's really an amazing experience to see them back together singing like they are and that sound that the three of their voices have," Brad says. "They're responsible for so many of us in music now that were influenced by them, and getting to hear them on the radio right next to me is a thrill of a lifetime."

Rascal Flatts appear on the first of two farewell episodes for the 'Oprah Winfrey Show.' They perform their No. 1 hit, 'I Won't Let Go.' The guys are also set to kick off their summer tour, Flatts Fest, in Bristow, Va., June 18.

Brad arrives in stores with his latest album, 'This Is Country Music,' featuring his latest No. 1 hit, 'Old Alabama,' today (May 23). He is set perform the tune when appears on ABC's 'Good Morning America,' CBS' 'The Late Show With David Letterman' and 'Hannity' on FOX News on Tuesday (May 24), as well as when he hits the road on his H20 II: Wetter & Wilder World tour June 3 in Virginia Beach, Va.

Beyonce and Jackie Evancho Sing Farewell to Oprah

2011-05-25T07:08:00.001-07:00

Oprah Winfrey concludes 25 years of her talk show tomorrow.
But a slew of huge names gathered in Chicago last week to tape a farewell to this television goddess. For a special that aired yesterday afternoon, Tom Cruise, Katie Holmes, Madonna, Halle Berry and Will Smith, among others, saluted Oprah inside the United Center.
The event also featured a couple touching musical performances: from Beyonce - who sang "Run the World (Girls)" and told Oprah "your persuasion can build a nation" - to Jackie Evancho, the 10-year old sensation from last summer's America's Got Talent.
Watch both below, and try not to get too choked up over the end of Oprah...

Beyonce Performs for Oprah

Jackie Evancho - Somewhere Over the Rainbow (Live)

DWTS' Backstage Q&A: Hines Ward and Kym Johnson on Winning the Mirrorball Trophy

2011-05-25T07:07:00.001-07:00

With the scores among the three finalists in 'Dancing With the Stars' being so close it was going to come down to who had the strongest fan base. In the end, the Steeler Nation, the fan base of the pro football team that Hines Ward plays for in Pittsburgh, turned out to be stronger than all the 'Cheers' and 'Disney' fans.

Ward and his partner Kym Johnson took home the coveted mirrorball trophy. Emmy-winning actress Kirstie Alley and partner Maksim Chmerkovskiy came in second. Disney starChelsea Kane and partner Mark Ballas, who was celebrating his 25th birthday yesterday, came in third.

Immediately after the show, the ballroom dance floor turned into a media frenzy. ABC publicists quickly set up a press line with a white, plastic chain-link fence, separated by poles, with press on one side, stars and dancers on the other, and a flurry of interviews began.

AOL TV was on the scene to talk to the new champions, the runner-ups and other Season 12 participants.

"It's just incredible," Johnson told AOL TV shortly after the finale. "I feel so proud of Hines. We did it! I still can't believe it."

A delighted Ward said that he'll keep the coveted mirrorball next to his Super Bowl MVP trophy, but he was even happier that he helped give Johnson, a previous winner with Donny Osmond, her bookend statue.

"I really wanted Kym to win her second one," he said.

Ward wasn't sure he was going to win even after Kane was announced as the third-place winner and he was standing there with Alley. "I thought, 'Oh, geez. Everybody knows Kirstie!' I didn't know how I'd match up with her [when it came to votes.]"

"The [Pittsburgh] Steeler Nation was behind us," Johnson said with a smile. "Now I can rest and relax. This was worth it. I feel great."

"I don't feel like we won," Alley said, acknowledging her second place finish, but she still feels like a victor. "We did an amazing job. You want to win and I didn't and we didn't. I can't say that I don't have any sadness about it. But that will probably change really fast when I drink a bottle of wine.

"I want to say one thing," the actress added. "Maks had a long way to go with me and he pulled it off. I wish we would have won and I wish he would have won. I really do. But I look at what evolved from the first day. I guess you could look at that as extraordinary."

Kane likewise had no regrets. "I'm so happy with this entire process," she said. "It feels really flattering to be included in the first place from the moment that 'DWTS' called me. To be in the company of a huge movie star and a huge sports star ... I've only been in the game for four years."

Winning for Ballas would have been a nice birthday gift, but Kane said he was doing fine. "If anything Mark and I are just sad that it's over. It's very bittersweet. We've spent a lot of time together and it's hard to say goodbye. It's not like, 'See you next season.' I'll never be able to do anything like this again in my life."

There are tears, she said, but "They're happy tears."

Call her biased if you will, but Shirley Ballas, Mark's mother, a respected dancer and instructor, thought that her son and Kane did amazingly well. "I have my own opinion [as to the outcome] as a dancer. Chelsea was by far the best. I was a bit disappointed in Len [Goodman, judge] that he didn't have his own opinion. The judges' votes go a long way."

At the end of the day, however, Ballas knows that 'DWTS' is a TV show. "It's reality TV," she said. "It's not always about the dancing."

Ballas added, "We have a great winner [in Hines], Kirstie Alley is to be admired for the weight she lost and Chelsea is a great dancer."

Season 12 will be remembered as the installment when the drama returned to where it belongs -- on the dance floor (and not in the personal lives of contestants or in conflicts between dancers and celebrities.) The competition was so fierce that not even the pro dancers could predict who was going to win.

"We were trying to make bets backstage," says pro dancer Chelsie Hightower, who came in fifth place with her star partner, rapper Romeo. "[But] we didn't even know who to put a bet on. They've all had such amazing journeys."

In the end, she said, "We were excited to see Hines win. He's an amazing person."

The Dancing With the Stars Season 12 Winner is Read more celebrity gossip at: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2011/05/the-dancing-with-the-stars-season-12-winner-is/#ixzz1NNBcqesr

2011-05-25T07:06:00.000-07:00

It's been a Dancing with the Stars season to remember.
The injuries. The drama. The personal stories that moved us. The moves on the floor that thrilled us. A cast of stars so engaging and evenly matched that the field was as competitive as it was entertaining from the start.
But there could be only one Season 12 champion.

Somewhat surprisingly, given that she was just one point from perfection Monday and seemed like the dark horse to win, Chelsea Kane finished in third place.
That left Kirstie Alley, who ended up with five points less than the other finalists, but has been a fan favorite all season, up against Hines Ward for the crown.
Talk about anyone's game. Anyone willing to wager on this?
And the Season 12 Dancing With the Stars winner was ...
Hines Ward and his partner, Kym Johnson!
They jumped in the air and hugged as confetti dropped. The Pittsburgh Steelers star lauded Johnson, who fought through a bad neck injury this month, as "an amazing teacher" and thanked the judges "for giving us constructive criticism."
"I also want to thank all the fans," he said.
Kirstie Alley, who finished second along with Maksim Chmerkovskiy, said, "This the most extraordinary adventure I've ever been on in my life."
Still, she couldn't quite overtake Ward, a former Super Bowl MVP who proclaimed that DWTS is his Super Bowl this spring. Here's the MVP ...

Marmite Banned in Denmark

2011-05-25T07:04:00.000-07:00

Marmite, the British spread made from yeast extract with a taste that people will either love or hate (indeed, the company’s marketing slogan is "Love it or hate it"), is definitely not getting any love by the Danish government: it is banning the sticky spread.

The sales ban enforces a law restricting products fortified with added vitamins. Food giant Kellogg’s withdrew some brands of breakfast cereal from Denmark when the legislation passed in 2004, but until now Marmite had escaped the attention of Danish authorities.
"What am I supposed to put on my toast now?" asked British advertising executive Colin Smith, who has lived in the country for six years. "I still have a bit left in the cupboard, but it’s not going to last long."

Link
I say it’s about time! My taste buds still recoil from the horror of trying it once many years ago. What do you think?

Cab driver from Irving arrested after bomb squad removes suspicious materials from home near D/FW Airport

2011-05-25T07:03:00.000-07:00

A cab driver from Irving was arrested Sunday after a bomb squad removed suspicious materials from his

apartment.

Sharif Ahmed Nour, 41, was charged with possession of prohibited weapons after theFBI determined that the unspecified didn't add up to a federal offense.

Irving firefighters found the materials after extinguishing a small fire at Nour's home in the 3600 block of Block Drive, near Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. The FBI and the Joint Terrorism Task Force assisted in the investigation.

The materials were ultimately determined not to be an imminent threat.

Nour is originally from Somalia and has been driving cabs at the airport for years, a friend told WFAA-TV (Channel 8).

Watch Channel 8's full report below:

Ancestry.com launches Web Search

2011-05-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Eric Shoup of Ancestry.com announced the release of Ancestry Web Search at a reception Thursday night of the 2011 NGS Conference. Once burnt by their Internet Biographical Collection, Ancestry.com is not shy about explaining how this time things have changed.

The Internet Biographical Collection

The Internet Biographical Collection (IBC) was a collection Ancestry.com released on 26 August 2007. It consisted of copies of web pages containing genealogically relevant information. The copies were made without warning to or permission from page owners. See Becky Wiseman’s “Is this Fair Use?” and another example from USGenNet for examples showing how the IBC worked.

Hundreds of people blasted Ancestry.com. Dozens of bloggers flogged them. Page owners objected. And Ancestry.com capitulated. Just three days after launch, Ancestry.com pulled the plug on the collection.

My favorite flogging was done visually:

Susan K. Kitches, image composer, “Ancestry.com Scrapes Websites,” Family Oral History Using Digital Tools(http://familyoralhistory.us : dated 28 August 2007, accessed 21 May 2011).

Web Search versus IBC

Ancestry.com says they have addressed the complaints made about the original version of the IBC. Here’s my comparison:

Internet Biographical Collection	Web Search
Made copies of owners’ web pages without their knowledge or approval.	Sites can be added or removed by owner request. I think I asked and Ancestry.com said that they had the permission of the three sites that they have currently indexed.
Required subscriptions. (On the 28th, Ancestry.com opened the collection to registered users.)	Anyone can use it.
Result lists contained links to Ancestry.com’s copies of the pages, not the owners’. This deprived owners of several benefits, including advertisement revenues.	No improvement. Still no links to owners’ pages.
Result pages contained information abstracted from the owners’ pages.	Same. Ancestry.com’s stated intent is to limit the information shown so users are incented to click through to the owners’ pages.
Result pages contained links to Ancestry.com’s copies of the pages, not the owners’. (On the 28th, Ancestry.com supplemented the links to their copies with links to the owners’ originals.)	Result pages contain links to the owners’ websites.
Ancestry.com made nearly complete copies of owners’ web pages, including text and graphic design. Many felt this was a clear violation of the law. I felt that they had, indeed, crossed the line, but that they were playing in a gray area and had not wantonly violated the law.	Does not copy others’ pages. I believe this is the key difference between the IBC and web Search.
Citations did not specify the original sources. Thus, citations did not give credit to the owners.	Citations do not specify the derivative sources. Thus, citations do not disclose Ancestry.com’s involvement. They need to read my series oncitation principles so they understand why a citation needs to specify both the derivative and the original.
Links went directly to the pages with the indexed information.	Links do not go directly. Links go to the search page and users must retype the search parameters. This might be owners’ preferred behavior, but as a user I’d like the links to take me directly to the results.
Indexed the same content as search engines likeGoogle.	According to Ancestry.com’s Brian Edwards, Web Search indexes deep web content, stuff you can’t find doing a Google search.

Ancestry.com seems to have followed the advice of fellow blogger, Randy Seaver.

I wish that Ancestry would carefully consider the reaction to adding a database like this before they do it.

I spoke with Web Search product manager, Brian Edwards. He said, “We’ve spoken with many members within the genealogical community to try to make sure we approach this in the right way.” He said Ancestry.com believes it’s important to respect the wishes of the owners of the content indexed by this new product.

Really? No Caching?

Caching others’ web pages (copying, really) was at the heart of the IBC controversy. If you know where to look, Google.com has links to cached copies of indexed pages. As I wrote this on Saturday, I experienced the downside of Ancestry.com not caching pages. IndyGov.org, the website indexed by “Web: Marion County, Indiana Marriages since 1925,” was down. Ancestry.com's misuse of caching in the IBC may have poisoned the possibility of using it now.

Google caches indexed pages

I think web page owners will be more amenable to Web Search than to the Internet Biographical Collection. And I think Ancestry.com haters and conspiralists will like it in their own way; it gives them more fodder. But I’m not so certain about the rest of you. What do you think?

Private message to Brian Edwards: In our interview I mentioned I wondered if Google.com might be doing deep web searches on some websites. While researching this article, I came across an example of why I think this might be so. I did a Google search for ["internet biographical collection" (source OR citation)]. I clicked on one of the results, Kimberly Powell’s “Cache 22” article. The page came up with my search terms already in the About.com search box. Interesting, huh?

The Biggest Loser Winner is ...

2011-05-25T06:58:00.001-07:00

Olivia Ward is now a living, breathing testament to the benefits of determination and putting one's mind to accomplishing a goal, no matter how substantive.
After an incredible 129-pound weight loss over a span of eight months, the New York City opera singer was crowned Season 11's Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesday.
Here's a before-and-after display of what she achieved:

Ward and sister Hannah Curlee became breakout stars following a sensational run during the trip to New Zealand earlier this year, both making the finals.
Also in the final four ahead of the finale were Irene Alvarado and Jay Jacobs, who vied for America's vote and the right to compete for the ultimate prize.
Joining Hannah and Olivia in an all-female final three was Irene, who became a best buddy to the Purple Team during the season. All four were worthy.
In the end, it was Olivia Ward who edged the competition and was crowned the winner. But obviously, all of these giant losers were winners last night!

Read more: http://www.tvfanatic.com/2011/05/the-biggest-loser-winner-is/#ixzz1NN9tA8YX

Dancing With The Stars' Winner: Hines Ward, Kym Johnson Win Season 12 Mirror Ball Trophy

2011-05-25T06:57:00.000-07:00

LOS ANGELES — It's become a proud athletic tradition: Winning "Dancing With the Stars."

When Hines Ward took home the mirrorball trophy on the hit show Tuesday, he joined its winningest group of alumni: Athletes. Professional athletes have taken the "Dancing" title six times in the past 12 seasons.

Since the show premiered stateside in 2005, three Olympians, two football stars and one race-car driver have been named "Dancing" champs. Three other NFL stars and an Olympic skater finished the popular show in second place.

Ward, a Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver and former Super Bowl most valuable player, credits his professional dance partner, Kym Johnson, with their dance victory. He plans to keep his new mirrorball right next to his Super Bowl trophy.

"It's special," the 35-year-old said, glittery trophy in hand. "With football, it takes all 53 guys. With this mirrorball, it was just Kym and I together in the studio putting in the hours. I'm just glad I didn't let her down."

Ward consistently posted high scores throughout the 10-week competition, and judges praised his showmanship and dedication.

"We've had some great footballers on `Dancing With the Stars,' but I don't think any compare with Hines Ward," head judge Len Goodman said during the season finale.

Ward was up against Kirstie Alley and Chelsea Kane for the season 12 title. The actresses finished second and third respectively.

His commitment was especially evident after Johnson suffered a serious neck injury during rehearsals two weeks ago. The couple triumphantly returned to the dance floor, earning perfect scores for their performance and drawing tears from Ward, Johnson and judge Carrie Ann Inaba.

Haiti candidate to challenge elections results

2010-12-09T00:53:00.001-08:00

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – A popular singer vowed to legally challenge election results that narrowly ousted him from Haiti's presidential race, while his supporters barricaded streets and set fires in violence that threatened the fragile stability that followed a devastating Jan. 12 earthquake.

Michel "Sweet Micky" Martelly urged his backers on Wednesday to nonviolently protest results from Nov. 28 presidential elections that demonstrators say were rigged. His campaign manager later said they would formally challenge the tallies released late Tuesday to Haiti's Provisional Electoral Council.

His supporters carried pink signs with the smiling face and bald head of Martelly, built street barricades, challenged heavily armored foreign soldiers and used government campaign posters to start fires.

"We want Martelly. The whole world wants Martelly," said James Becimus, a 32-year-old protester near the U.S. Embassy. "Today we set fires, tomorrow we bring weapons."

Other protesters said they would continue to mobilize but do so nonviolently.

"Demonstrating without violence is the right of the people," Martelly said. "I will be with you until the bald-head victory."

Outside the electoral council headquarters in the suburb of Petionville, young men wearing their shirts as masks threw rocks at U.N. troops. The soldiers — Indians and Pakistanis working as a single unit — responded with exploding canisters of tear gas that washed over a nearby earthquake-refugee camp, sending mothers running from their tarps with their crying, coughing children in tow.

Protesters set fire to the headquarters of outgoing President Rene Preval's Unity party, traded blows with U.N. peacekeepers and shut down the country's lone international airport.

Preval had earlier urged the candidates to call off the protests. He acknowledged there had been fraud in the election, but said it was typical of elections around the world.

"This is not how the country is supposed to work," he told demonstrators in a live radio speech. "People are suffering because of all this damage."

The fallout from the fraud-riddled shut down cities across impoverished Haiti at a moment when medical aid workers need to tackle a surging cholera epidemic that has claimed more than 2,000 lives.

Haiti's Radio Kiskeya said in an unconfirmed report that at least four demonstrators were killed — three in Les Cayes, about 120 miles (193 kilometers) west of Port-au-Prince in the country's southern peninsula, and one in the northern city of Cap-Haitien.

Martelly, a popular carnival singer, narrowly lost a spot in a runoff election to Jude Celestin, a political unknown viewed by supporters and detractors alike as a continuation of Preval's administration. The U.S. Embassy criticized the preliminary results Tuesday, saying Haitian, U.S. and other international monitors had predicted that Celestin was likely to be eliminated in the first round.

Preval shot back at the U.S. Embassy's reproach, saying, "The American embassy is not the (electoral council)."

State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said the U.S. is not fomenting the unrest.

"The United States is in no way responsible for the actions of any individual. What we are determined to help Haiti achieve is a credible election and a result — not one that the United States will impose — but one that the people of Haiti can participate in fully," he told reporters in Washington.

Preval's administration has been condemned by many Haitians for failing to spearhead reconstruction of the country after the earthquake. More than an estimated 1 million people still live under tarps and tents and little of the promised international aid from the United States and other countries has arrived.

Preliminary election results put Celestin ahead of Martelly by just 6,845 votes for second place. Former first lady and law professor Mirlande Manigat took first place with 31.4 percent of the vote, while Celestin had 22.5 percent and Martelly 21.8 percent.

The top two candidates advance to the Jan. 16 second round.

Manigat also told Haitian radio that she felt her reported vote tally was low. Celestin's managers said before the election that they had expected both a first-round victory and to be accused of fraud.

Thousands were disenfranchised by confusion on the rolls, which were overstuffed with earthquake dead but lacked many living voters. There were reported incidents of ballot-stuffing, violence and intimidation confirmed by international observers, but U.N. peacekeepers and the joint Organization of American States-Caribbean Community observer mission said the problems did not invalidate the vote.

Turnout was low. Just over 1 million people cast accepted ballots out of some 4.7 million registered voters. It is not known how many ballots were thrown out for fraud.

Martelly had joined with 11 other candidates, including Manigat, to accuse Preval of trying to steal the election while polls were still open.

An appeals period is open for the next three days, and election observers said a third candidate might be included in the runoff if the electoral council decides the first-round vote was close enough — though the constitutionality of such a move would be debatable.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern "about allegations of fraud" and "the acts of violence that have taken place in the aftermath of the announcement," U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said at U.N. headquarters in New York.

He said all candidates have a responsibility to encourage their supporters to refrain from violence.

American Airlines canceled all flights in and out of the Haitian capital because airport employees were unable to get to work Wednesday because of demonstrations, spokeswoman Martha Pantin said. Flights will also be canceled on Thursday.

Android activation rate now over 300,000 per day; blazes past iPhone

2010-12-09T00:51:00.001-08:00

Andy Rubin, head of Google’s Android team, doesn’t talk to his 15,000+ twitter followersvery often. In fact, he’s only tweeted once before, and it was little more than a quick retort lobbed in Steve Job’s direction after he questioned Android’s definition of openness.

This evening, he let out but nine more words:

There are over 300,000 Android phones activated each day.

This is mammoth growth over the numbers disclosed just four months ago, when Google head honcho Eric Schmidt proudly proclaimed that they were seeing just (and we use that word in the loosest sense) 200,000 activations per day.

At this point, it’s pretty safe to say that Android is outselling the iPhone by a notable margin. Hell, it’d be ridiculous if it wasn’t; Android’s on a few dozen devices, while the iPhone is just the one. Solely for comparison’s sake: Apple sold 14.1 million iPhones last quarter; day-by-day, that breaks down to around 157,000 units. Now, that’s just the iPhone — it doesn’t include the iPad or iPod Touch. But unless Andy Rubin’s getting a bit fuzzy with his definition of “activations”, their 300,000 is presumably almost entirely phones as well.

Google's big week: Nexus S, Honeycomb tablets, Chrome OS laptops, and eBooks to boot

2010-12-09T00:44:00.001-08:00

We gotta hand it to Google: if its goal was to own the technology news cycle for 48 hours, mission accomplished. The Mountain View-based company spent the first two days this week laying out pretty much every big announcement it possibly could: a new flagship phone coming next week (the Nexus S), a new Android build (2.3 Gingerbread), a preview of the next Android build (Honeycomb) on a never-before-seen Motorola tablet, the debut of its cloud-based laptop platform (Chrome OS) with hardware, and a giant plunge into the growing e-book market -- and that isn't everything. We've done our best to condense all the days' highlights into something easier to digest, so read on for a recap on all things Google!

Nexus S and Android 2.3 Gingerbread

We've been following the Nexus S saga for just under a month now, when we first broke news of its existence (and even published the first pictures of the device). This past Monday, Google officially announced the Nexus S, a 4-inch WVGA "contour display" phone featuring triband HSPA with AWS support (no HSPA+, seemingly), 5 megapixel camera, 16GB of onboard storage, 512MB of RAM, a 1GHz Cortex A8-based Hummingbird processor (similar to the iPhone 4), and Android 2.3 Gingerbread (more on that later). In a rare move, the Nexus S also supports Near Field Communication (NFC), which works to send and / or receive information when within about four inches of the target. There's not a lot of practical use for it in the US right now, but Google's hoping to jumpstart the trend. Check out our full preview here.

The biggest draw of the Nexus S, though, would have to be Android 2.3 Gingerbread (a perfect codename for the season). The latest update improves upon 2.2 Froyo with some subtle UI enhancements, including a keyboard that now supports multitouch and finger-sized markers for highlighting text / better copy-and-paste. There's also tightly-integrated VoIP support, video calling support via a front camera, gyroscope support, NFC integration, and a built-in task manager (finally). Most notably, the new build is being called out as significantly better for game development, tying in nicely with all these Sony Ericsson rumors we've been hearing as of late. Nexus One users, who seem prone to always receiving Android updates before most, should receive Gingerbread soon, and come CES / Mobile World Congress, we'd be surprised if we didn't find dozens of devices running the OS.
The Nexus S is officially rolling out December 16th to Best Buy stores in the US (and December 20th at Best Buy and Carphone Warehouse retailers in the UK), subsidized at $199 with a two-year T-Mobile contract or $529 unlocked.

Google eBooks

Also that morning, Google, always with its finger on the pulse of our ever-evolving digital lifestyles, has decided to take a wild stab at this nascent market, and launch Google eBooks. Formerly known as Google Editions, the Google eBooks ecosystem is actually a pretty grand gesture, and seems to combine most of the positives of the primary e-book contenders (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, andApple, naturally), while skimping on the UI flourishes, in traditional Google fashion. Books you buy are stored in the cloud, with your progress synced Whispersync-style, and can be read on your choice of native Android, iPhone, or iPad apps; from your browser; or on any device that supports the Adobe Digital Editions DRM for PDF and ePub files, which includes the B&N Nook and the Sony Reader (and plenty of other devices). Google is also trading on its vast repository of public domain books, with 3 million free eBooks on offer at its Google eBookstore, in addition to traditional paid fare. It's certainly a crowded market, full of sharp elbows, but it seems Google is having no trouble adjusting.

Honeycomb and the mystery Motorola tablet

Later that evening, it was time for Google's Engineering VP / Android mastermind Andy Rubin to take the stage at the D: Dive Into Mobile conference (check out our liveblog for play-by-play from the event). Surprising to us, Rubin said -- after some prodding from Walt and Kara -- that Android is indeed profitable by itself. He attributed a lot of the platform's success to its openness, so much so that he even seemed to support Verizon's decision to swap out Bing as a "feature" of the open platform. "Well that's consumer choice, they vote with their wallet on one side and their feet on the other" -- we have a hard time pinning the responsibility here on the choice-deprived consumer (as opposed to the overzealous carrier), but that's just us.

But then there was the hardware. Rubin had a Nexus S on hand, but by then our focus was on his second surprise: a prototype Motorola tablet running the next version of Android, codenamed Honeycomb (Stingray, is that you?). The button-less device has video chat, an NVIDIA processor, a "dual core 3D processor," and a more desktop-like UI that better caters to the tablet environment than current Android, including a bottom dock of icons (Gmail, for example, looked a lot more like its iPad counterpart). Rubin used the tablet to show off the latest Google Maps for Mobile update, which has dynamically-rendered vector drawings of cityscapes now, two-finger tilting and rotating, gyroscope support, and caching for offline view of your most-visited areas. You can check out the tablet and Maps in the video above.

Honeycomb won't just be for tablets: Rubin said it'll be coming to phones, too. He didn't much else to say on the build -- after all, Gingerbread isn't even out yet -- but we should expect to see it " sometime next year."

Chrome OS and Cr-48

So, that was all Monday. The next day, Google held a Chrome press event to talk about -- what else -- its browser and browser-based OS of choice (check out our liveblog for the play-by-play). Showcasing integrated Instant Search for the next Chrome was a no-brainer but still very impressive to see, but the first big reveal was the final Chrome Web Store (which launched later that day). Google sees the store as a portal for great web content, with purchases tied to your Google account. And the web apps we saw were pretty good (if not very similar to their iPad counterparts) and will run in any browser that supports the "standard web technologies." There's some gaming, but from what we've seen so far ("you pop it!"), it's nothing you're gonna be focusing a lot of time on.

Then came the Chrome OS laptops. It just takes four steps and less than a minute to set up a brand-new Chrome OS machine -- it pulls all your Chrome themes and settings from the cloud, so it's ready to go almost right away, and changes can propagate in less than a second in some cases. The reference machine demoed was able to come back up from sleep almost instantly -- Google says the limiting factor is actually how fast the user can move their hand. (It wasn't that fast in the demo, but it was still really fast.) The OS also supports multiple accounts with a guest account that runs in Incognito mode, and all user data is encrypted by default. The OS itself is loaded on read-only memory that can't be altered without physical access -- a tech which enables verified booting. (A "jailbreak mode" switch on the developer units lets you install whatever you want, but we'll see what the final machines support.) What's more, the OS will be automatically updated every few weeks -- the goal is for it to get faster over time, not slower.

There's also offline capability -- Google Docs was demoed running offline, with changes synced when the machine reconnects. It seems like that's an app-specific feature though -- apps on the Chrome Web Store have to be built for HTML5 offline to work, obviously. Google also demoed Google Cloud Print, which allows you to print on your home printer from anywhere. Chrome OS devices will also be able to use new Verizon 3G plans for offline access -- you'll get 100MB of free data per month for two years, and then plans start at $9.99 for a day of "unlimited access" with no contracts required. (There will eventually be international options, but those weren't detailed.)

There are still some unfinished bits though -- there's no support for the USB ports on the machines yet, and there are still some performance tweaks and bug fixes to come. (Don't expect ever being able to connect a printer, as the company thinks its Cloud Print service is a better option.) The OS will come on Intel-based machines from Acer and Samsung in mid-2011 -- and "thousands of Googlers" are using Chrome OS devices as their primary machines. An unbranded 12-inch reference machine called Cr-48 will be available for developers -- read more about that here.

Overall, Chrome OS is very much a modern riff on the "thin client" idea from the 90s -- an idea that Eric Schmidt himself pioneered while at Sun. Indeed, Schmidt took the stage at the event to explicitly draw the connection, saying that "our instincts were right 20 years ago, but we didn't have the tools or technology." That's a pretty wild statement -- and now Google has to deliver.

hitman?

2010-12-08T11:02:00.001-08:00

Lethal: Mark Chapman as played by Jonas Ball in The Killing of John Lennon

For many baby-boomers whose formative years coincided with the Swinging Sixties, a mild Monday in early December 1980 will always be remembered as the day the music died.

In New York, the enigmatic, charismatic – and frankly often loony – ex-Beatle John Lennon staggered into the entrance hall of the Dakota, the exclusive parkside mansion block that had been his home for nearly eight years.

The cassettes of a new song the 40-year-old had just recorded, called Walking On Thin Ice, clattered to the floor as he collapsed – blood flowing from four gunshot wounds.

Lennon had been heading home late from work and was hoping to catch his five-year-old son, Sean, before he went to bed.
He and Yoko Ono, his wife and musical collaborator, had been dropped by their white limousine on the pavement outside the building rather than driving through the gates and into the building’s secure courtyard.
Yoko hurried on ahead, nodding blankly at a stranger in the shadows — there were always fans and hangers-on lurking outside the Dakota for a glimpse of their hero.
Her husband trudged behind and had taken three or four strides when a voice called out: ‘Mr Lennon?’
The star slowed and then turned to look. Instantly, he registered that he’d seen this man a few times lately — and, earlier that day, had even autographed an LP cover for him.
But now the stranger had a different purpose. He was down on one knee in a combat stance, a .38 revolver clasped in his hands.
Five shots rang out and four dum-dum bullets, specially adapted to cause maximum physical damage, slammed into Lennon’s back, side and shoulder.
The musician got as far as the lobby before blurting out: ‘I’m shot! I’m shot!’ He was dead on arrival at hospital a quarter of an hour later.

Meanwhile, the killer, pudgy 25-year-old Mark Chapman, stood quietly at the scene. On the ground lay the smoking gun he had let fall from his hands, beside Lennon’s blood-stained glasses.
Leaning nonchalantly against the wall of the Dakota, Chapman then began flicking through a copy of Catcher In The Rye, J.D. Salinger’s famous novel of adolescent alienation, whose central character was apparently the inspiration for what he had just done.
When the cops arrived, he made no attempt to escape. As his hands were cuffed and he was bundled into a squad car, he explained: ‘I acted alone.’ At precinct headquarters, he told detectives: ‘Lennon had to die.’
To a world shocked by Lennon’s violent and seemingly pointless death, it became clear that Chapman was a delusional nerd. He took drugs and was psychologically disturbed.
Bullied at school, he sought refuge in an imaginary world where he exercised power over other people.
A rootless adult who never settled into a proper job, he found solace for his empty life in the music of The Beatles. A loner himself, he identified with the reclusive side of Lennon’s insecure, mixed-up personality.
But revelations of Lennon’s vast wealth and burgeoning business empire turned Chapman’s hero-worship on its head.
He felt betrayed, personally insulted. He stalked and shot his erstwhile hero out of a weird sense of retribution — coupled with a desire to be famous for something.

So the story went. But, with the 30th anniversary of Lennon’s death next week, a theory has resurfaced that challenges this long-held conventional view.
Though seemingly far-fetched, if true it would startle and appal the millions of fans who still idolise Lennon.
In a new book, author Phil Strongman claims that Chapman was a stooge. Lennon’s real assassin was the CIA — at the behest of Right-wing fanatics in the American political establishment.
He gets to this controversial conclusion by contesting many of the so-called ‘facts’ about the case — including the basic assumption that Chapman was a Beatles and Lennon fan.
Strongman writes that, until the weekend before the killing: ‘Chapman, the supposed Lennon “obsessive” and “fan of fans”, did not own one Lennon single, book or album. Not one. Some “fan”, some “obsession”.’
He dismisses the often-made claim that Chapman had 14 hours of tapes of Lennon’s songs in his rucksack on the day of the shooting. ‘They have never been photographed or produced for the simple reason that they do not exist.’
So Chapman wasn’t just a celebrity stalker who went too far. Nor, says Strongman, did he kill Lennon for 15 minutes of fame.
‘If he was an attention-seeker, then why did he turn down the chance of what would have been the trial of the century? By pleading guilty, Chapman missed all of this attention he was supposedly seeking. Why?’

t is the killer’s calmness after the shooting that Strongman sees as the key to what really happened, providing evidence for his theory that Lennon’s death was a state-sponsored conspiracy.
If Chapman looked like a zombie, as he hung around after the killing and waited for the police, it was because that was exactly what he was.
Chapman, he suggests, had been recruited by the CIA and trained by them during his travels round the world, when he mysteriously pitched up in unlikely places for a boy from Georgia.
How strange, for example, that Chapman should visit Beirut at a time when the Lebanese capital was a hive of CIA activity — and was said to be home to one of the agency’s top-secret assassination training camps. Another camp
was supposedly in Hawaii, where Chapman lived for a number of years.
And who funded the penniless young man’s round-the-world trip in 1975, which took in Japan, the UK, India, Nepal, Korea, Vietnam and China?
Money never seemed to be a problem for Chapman, but no one has ever explained where it came from. The distinct possibility remains, in Strongman’s opinion, that the secret service was his paymaster.
And somewhere along the line his mind was infiltrated. With Chapman, the CIA could have drawn on its long experience of using mind-controlling drugs and techniques such as hypnosis to produce assassins who would eliminate trouble-makers, and ‘patsies’, the fall guys on whom such killings could be blamed.
Strongman claims: ‘Catcher In The Rye was part of Chapman’s hypnotic programming, a trigger that could be “fired” at him by a few simple keywords [via] a
cassette tape message, telex or telegram or even a mere telephone call.
’It’s certainly true that conspiracy theorists have long suspected both the Americans and their communist foes of using such techniques to activate ‘sleeper’ assassins — as fictionalised in the film The Manchurian Candidate.
The author is uncertain whether Chapman fell into the category of unwitting killer or unwitting accomplice.
But his deep suspicion is that Chapman did not act alone — any more, he says, than Lee Harvey Oswald did in the murder of JFK in Dallas or Sirhan Sirhan in Bobby Kennedy’s death. He even doubts if Chapman fired the fatal shots.
‘The bullets slapped into Lennon’s body so closely together that pathologists later had trouble marking out the different entry points. If all of these shots came from Chapman, it was a miraculous piece of shooting.

‘In fact, if any of them came from him it was miraculous because Chapman was standing on Lennon’s right and, as the autopsy report and death certificate later made clear, all Lennon’s wounds were in the left side of his body.’
There had to be another shooter involved, Strongman insists. He suggests that a CIA plant who worked at the Dakota building was the real killer.
What increases his suspicion is the cursory nature of the police investigation after Chapman’s arrest.
‘His bizarre post-killing calm was not questioned, his behaviour was not checked with a drugs test, his “programmed” state [a word used about him by more than one police officer] was not investigated, his previous movements were not thoroughly looked into.
‘Put simply, the authorities’ investigation, or lack or it, into the assassination was shockingly slack and beggars belief.’
It had to be, he concludes, that the FBI were conspiring with the CIA to cover up the reality — that shadowy figures in the American establishment ordered Lennon’s assassination.
But why was Lennon on their hit list? He had, it seems, rattled the cages of America’s powerful Right wing, first with his opposition to the Vietnam War and then with his campaign of pacifism.
It is here that those of us who lived through the period must pause for breath. Lennon was a mad and maddening genius, a showman and a show-off. But he was a dreamer, not a doer.
He wrote songs, he played the guitar, he had some funny ideas. He made us laugh. He was irreverent.
But he wasn’t about to bring down capitalism. He was doing much too well out of it himself for that. Grumbling to an aide one day about soaring business expenses, he was reminded: ‘Imagine no possessions, John.’ Lennon shot back: ‘It’s only a bloody song!’
Still, the fact that some of the files relating to secret service investigations into Lennon’s activities remain closed continue to fuel suspicions of a cover-up.
Strongman writes: ‘I am as convinced as any human being can be that elements of both the FBI and CIA were undoubtedly behind a cover-up in December 1980. They were also deeply involved in the killing itself.’
Meanwhile, Chapman — crazy stalker or robot assassin — lives on. Strangely, if Strongman’s theory is true, he has managed to survive three decades in one of America’s most violent prisons despite the dangerous information he must still possess.

He remains in Attica, 30 years into his life sentence and well beyond the 20-year minimum decreed by the judge who sentenced him.
When asked by a parole board in 2006 to explain why he murdered Lennon, Chapman said: ‘The result would be that I would be famous . . . I would receive a tremendous amount of attention, which I did receive.’
Earlier this year, he told another parole board that back in 1980 he had a long list of potential targets, which included Liz Taylor, chat-show host Johnnie Carson and Paul McCartney.
‘They were famous, that was it,’ he said, and by killing them he would achieve ‘instant notoriety’.
He hit on Lennon, he explained, only because the Dakota was easy to get at. ‘I felt that by killing him I would become somebody and, instead of that, I became a murderer, and murderers are not somebodies. Instead of taking my life I took somebody else’s, which was unfortunate.’
In 2006, his fourth application for release — opposed as it has always been by Yoko Ono — was refused, as it was again in 2008 and once more this year. He is eligible to try again in 2012.

Derrick Burts, HIV-Positive Porn Star, Pushes Condoms for Adult Films (PICTURES)

2010-12-08T10:58:00.001-08:00

Derrick Burts is calling for mandatory condom use in adult films after testing positive for HIV. (personal photo)

(CBS/AP) Make condom use mandatory for adult film actors.

That's the urgent recommendation from someone who learned the hard way about the dangers of unprotected sex in the age of HIV/AIDS: A porn star who recently tested positive for HIV.

PICTURES: Derrick Burts Calls for Condom Use

Derrick Burts, 24, who acts in straight films as Cameron Reid and gay films as Derek Chambers, told the Los Angeles Times that he learned last October he was HIV-positive - an infection that sent fears through California's adult film industry.

The staff at the clinic that did the testing told him they wanted to perform a follow-up test and begin notifying performers he had worked with since his last negative test result Sept. 3. He was told those performers would be placed on a quarantine list and also would be tested.

When Burts returned to the clinic Oct. 23 to review the second test results, he said he was told that the clinic had traced his HIV infection to a fellow actor they described as a "known positive." The clinic would not identify the performer because of patient confidentiality.

What do doctors say about the idea of mandating condom use in porn films?

"It's really commonsensical that the actors should be using condoms," said Dr. Shilpa Sayana, an AIDS specialist with the Los Angeles-based AIDS Healthcare Foundation, which has been a strong advocate of condom use in adult films. "The actors are tested every month, but that is insufficient because they could be in a window period."

That's the span of time known to exist between the time of infection and the time when antibodies to HIV become detectible in the blood. The window period can last up to three months, Sayana said.

Burts said he believed he may have contracted the disease during a gay porn shoot in Florida. But clinic officials released a statement last month that said he had acquired the virus through "private, personal activity."

"That's completely false," Burts told the Times. "There is no possible way. The only person I had sex with in my personal life was my girlfriend."

She tested negative, he said.

Derrick Burts, Known On Screen As Cameron Reid and Derek Chambers, Is HIV-Positive Porn Star

2010-12-08T10:54:00.000-08:00

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) The Los Angeles adult film star who tested positive for HIV in October, which subsequently sent California's multi-billion dollar adult industry into panic, identified himself to the Los Angeles Times Wednesday.

Derrick Burts, 24, who tested positive at the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, known as AIM, in Sherman Oaks, says he now wishes he had known more about the risks of contracting sexually transmitted diseases in the industry and is calling for mandatory condom use in porn films.

Burts, also known as "Cameron Reid" in straight films and "Derek Chambers" in gay films, described to the Times the panic call he got from the clinic staff on Oct. 9.

Clinic staff told Burts, who was previously identified as Patient Zeta, they wanted to perform a follow-up test and begin quarantining the performers he had worked with since his last negative test result Sept. 3. All of his co-stars tested negative.

On Oct. 23, the clinic told Burts that his second test results traced his HIV infection to someone he had performed a scene with, someone they described as a "known positive." The clinic would not identify the performer because of patient confidentiality.

Burts said he believed he may have contracted the disease during a gay porn shoot in Florida. According to the Times, the gay porn industry does not require performers to provide negative HIV test results.

"It's very dangerous," he said. "It should be required that you wear a condom on the set."

In November, AIM released a statement that said "Patient Zeta acquired the virus through private, personal activity." Burts dismissed the claim and told the newspaper it was "completely false" and that the only person he slept with in his personal life was his girlfriend, who tested negative for the disease.

Burts, who grew up in Whittier and Hemet, Calif., also took aim at the clinic for how they reportedly did not arrange his follow-up care and told him not to contact the AIDS Healthcare Foundation, the Times said.

In frustration, Burts said he went to an AIDS Healthcare Foundation center in Los Angeles on Nov. 24 and was pleased with the care they provided.

He contacted the head of the organization last week, identifying himself as Patient Zeta, and said he wanted to speak out in favor of enforcing mandatory condom use on adult film sets.

"Making $10,000 or $15,000 for porn isn't worth your life," he told the Times. "Performers need to be educated."

Columbia University Drug Bust Arrests Five Students

2010-12-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

Five students have been arrested in the Columbia University drug bust operation Tuesday morning. The five Columbia University students arrested for selling illegal drugs are Harrison David, Chris Coles, Jose Perez (alias Stephan Vincenzo) and Adam Klein, all 20, along with Michael Wymbs, 22.

Their arrests were the culmination of a five-month undercover sting, during which police purchased $11,000 worth of drugs from the students out of Columbia fraternity houses and dorms.

They're falling apart! Kelly Ripa is on crutches whilst co-host Regis Philbin is in stitches

2010-12-08T10:46:00.000-08:00

It's more like being on the set of the medical drama ER than a chat show these days when you stop by Live with Regis and Kelly.

Co-hosts Kelly Ripa and Regis Philbin have both been in the wars of late and they were on set yesterday displaying the full extent of their injuries.

The 40-year-old former actress seems to come off the worst, hobbling around on crutches - explaining that she has a stress fracture of the fermoral neck in her right hip.

Scroll down to watch video...

Not one to follow orders: Despite being ordered to rest up following a stress fracture in her hip, Kelly Rippa was out and about in New York Tuesday

Dressed down: The usually glamorous Ripa did make one concession though - she finally ditched the four inch heels

In what is bound to drive the hyperactive, workout -crazy Ripa totally insane, she revealed that she has been banned from attending the gym or partaking in any form of exercise for three to six weeks.

More...

And, although she is abiding by the no gym rule, she is refusing to forego glamour - when Ripa hobbled on the show's set Monday morning she was wearing a pair of at least four inch high heels.

'It looks much worse than it is,' Ripa said of her injury, going on to explain that she had been in pain for several weeks and had thought she had torn a muscle.

Hop along: Ripa has been ordered to keep away from the gym and exercise for three to six weeks - no easy task for the workout addict

However, an X-ray showed no injury. 'I was just there for the painkillers, let's face it,' she joked.

A subsequent MRI revealed the fracture though and doctors told the mother of three to lay off the exercise.

Kelly, who loves to run, take classes and work out, said: 'Right away, I was like what? There must be a mistake!'

But, she added: 'I don't need any surgery, I don't need anything special done. I just have to sit down.'

Keeping it stylish Despite hobbling Ripa was still sporting some sky high heels Monday on her New York set as she was helped along by co-host Regis Philbin

Which is easier said than done for the bubbly blonde. And indeed she was spotted out and about earlier today in New York walking around the streets instead of putting her feet up.

Not to be outdone, 79-year-old Regis shared the story of his own painful injury on Monday's show.

Claiming that he had had a 'medical tragedy' he went on to explain that he was opening a package with a box cutter and 'sliced' into his hand.

Regis explained that he's on Plavix and aspirin, both blood thinners, and so the blood was 'pouring out' of the wound.

Ouch! Regis showed off his own war wound - a nasty cut on his hand that required a trip to the hospital on Saturday night and five stitches

He said he wound up at the hospital on Saturday night where he got 'four, maybe five' stitches.

The veteran game show host showed off the large cut in his hand, but if he was hoping to get a little sympathy from his co-host he was sorely disappointed.

Instead, Ripa accused him of trying to one-up her. 'You saw my crutches and you cut yourself backstage, didn't you!?' She quipped.

Taking it easy ain't easy: As a super busy, hyperactive working mother of three it will not be easy for Ripa to follow doctor's orders and rest up

New Video of Spc. Bowe Bergdahl Surfaces

2010-12-08T10:41:00.001-08:00

A new video of Idaho soldier Bowe Bergdahl has surfaced from a production house associated with the Taliban. A family spokesman, Col. Tim Marsano, has confirmed to Today's 6 News the new images are of Bergdahl.

Bergdahl was reported captured in June of 2009. This would be the third tape to surface of the soldier since his capture.

There's no way of knowing when this new 45-minute video was taken. Still images in the press show Bergdahl thinner and with what appears to be a cut or bruise on his left cheek. They also show him standing next to a Taliban commander.

According to CNN, audio on the tape includes a speaker who says the Paktia mujahadeen, a Taliban group, captured the soldier. He is in the custody of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan and has all Islamic rights.

Today's 6 News is staying on top of this developing story and will continue to bring you the very latest as it becomes available.

Sony Dash Gets Hulu Plus

2010-12-08T10:37:00.001-08:00

Good news for Sony Dash owners--the alarm clock turned personal Internet viewer just got access to Hulu Plus content. If you have a Dash and subscribe to Hulu Plus, you can get that content delivered to the device. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, anyone?

Says Sony SVP Brennan Mullin,

The addition of Hulu Plus serves as an ideal example of how Dash continues to evolve and improve over timeWith Hulu on board, the Dash platform has the ability to deliver a huge variety of online entertainment instantly to consumers' homes on top of glanceable, real-time tidbits of information.

Hulu Plus support was also added to Sony's PlayStation 3 two days ago, letting users without a PlayStation Plus subscription stream the content. The premium TV and movie streaming service will run you $9.99 a month. It's also streamable through the iPad, iPhone, iPod touch, and Samsung TVs.

Hulu.com still offers a free version of the service via PCs with a more limited content selection.

Pena, Cubs agree to $10M, 1-year deal

2010-12-08T10:33:00.000-08:00

Pena spent the last four seasons with Tampa Bay. He had a down year in 2010, hitting .196 with 28 homers and 84 RBIs, down from a .227 average with 39 homers and 100 RBIs the previous year, when he was selected for the AL All-Star team. His first season with the club was his best, when he batted .282 with 46 homers and 121 RBIs in 2007. The following season, he helped the Rays reached the World Series for the first time.

Tampa Bay won the AL East this year but lost to Texas in a five-game, first-round series, but the Rays appear to be cutting back on payroll. In addition to Pena's departure, setup man Joaquin Benoit agreed to a $16.5 million, three-year contract with Detroit, and Gold Glove outfielder Carl Crawford and closer Rafael Soriano appear set to sign elsewhere.

The one-year deal allows the 32-year-old Pena to become a free agent again after next season.

He joins a Cubs team coming off a 75-87 record and fifth-place finish in the NL Central despite a $146 million opening-day payroll. Chicago was just tied for ninth in the NL with 149 home runs, with only Aramis Ramirez (25), Alfonso Soriano (24) and Tyler Colvin (20) reaching the 20-mark.

Archive Video: Reporting on John Lennon's Death

2010-12-08T10:28:00.003-08:00

John Lennon's tragic death on Dec. 8, 1980, was the definitive stop-the-presses moment in rock history, overshadowing Elvis Presley's not-all-that-surprising demise three years earlier and, going back further, the plane crash that snuffed out the promising careers of Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens.

Thirty years ago, there was no MSNBC or Fox News (or Fox for that matter), so news coverage of that cold night in New York City came in the form of breaking news alerts from older, veteran newsmen, who delivered the sad news with their trademark gravitas. Ted Koppel for ABC, a crusty BBC anchor and even Bill Kurtis (of 'Cold Case Files') broke the news to viewers of Chicago's CBS affiliate. The most widely seen and enduring announcement of the tragedy came from Howard Cosell in the'Monday Night Football' broadcast booth. Watch that and other vintage news alerts.

ABC's 'Nightline,' Ted Koppel (2 Part Segment With Geraldo Rivera):

'CBS Evening News,' Walter Cronkite:

NBC News Bulletin, Interrupting 'The Tonight Show' (Audio Only)

BBC News:

CBS Los Angeles, Connie Chung and Pat O'Brien:

Keith Fitzhugh turns down one once-in-a-lifetime chance for another

2010-12-08T10:24:00.000-08:00

Keith Fitzhugh has spent much of the last two years trying to break into the NFL. But after being cut by the New York Jets for a third time earlier this year, he found work as a railroad conductor.
This week, the Jets made an offer to the free agent safety to join them as they make a run toward the
playoffs and a possible Super Bowl berth.
He turned them down.
“I've got something now where I know every two weeks I'm getting a paycheck,” Fitzhugh said. “That's what helps out the most right now. I don't knock the Jets at all. I highly appreciate them.”
Fitzhugh works for Northern Southern Railroad outside of Atlanta, where his parents live. His father, Keith Sr., is disabled and unable to work, and his mother, Meltonia, has had a hard time making ends meet.
With injuries to Jim Leonhard and James Ihedigbo, the 7-3 Jets needed help at safety and gave Fitzhugh a call. But he decided to stay near his parents and continue to provide them with a steady paycheck, rather than risk getting cut again and being out of work.
“I know I haven’t won a Super Bowl; it would be a once-in-a-lifetime chance,” Fitzhugh said. “But you only get one mom and one dad. That’s a once-in-a-lifetime chance. I’d rather be there for my mom and dad.”
Fitzhugh's decision was first reported by the Star-Ledger of Newark.
“It's tough because I would love to say, ‘Hey, I'm going to go out there and get it again,' but it's about a risk,” he said. “Is it the end of my NFL career forever? I don't know. This is what I need to do right now.”

UPDATE 7-Fortune Brands to split company, hold onto drinks

2010-12-08T10:21:00.003-08:00

To spin off home unit, sell or spin off golf unit

* To remain pure-play spirits company

* Sees development of plan completed in next few months

* Shares up 1 percent (Adds analyst comment, graphic; updates share movement)

By Martinne Geller

NEW YORK, Dec 8 (Reuters) - Fortune Brands Inc (FO.N) will split off its golf and home products units, raising the odds for a takeover of its most profitable business of alcoholic drinks amid pressure from activist investor William Ackman.

Fortune's portfolio includes Jim Beam bourbon, Titleist golf balls and Moen faucets -- brands with little strategic overlap with a market capitalization of $9.3 billion. In October, Ackman's Pershing Square Capital Management became its largest shareholder after buying an 11 percent stake. [ID:nN08198493]

Fortune Brands said it had been considering a restructuring over the last four years as it weighed whether the businesses would be worth more on their own. It said now was a good time to do so as all of the units have emerged from a U.S. economic downturn in better shape than expected.

"While the breadth and balance of our portfolio have served shareholders very well, we see the potential for even greater value by separating our businesses into focused companies," said Chief Executive Bruce Carbonari in a statement.

Fortune will spin off its home and security unit to shareholders in a tax-free transaction, and either sell or spin off its golf business, the world's biggest. It plans to complete plans for these actions in the coming months. <^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

For a factbox on Fortune's businesses, see [ID:nN08194158]

For a graphic, see: here

For a Reuters Breakingviews story, see [ID:nN08134108] ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^>

What would remain is Fortune's spirits business, the world's fourth-largest, with $2.5 billion in annual revenue and brands like Sauza tequila and Maker's Mark bourbon.

Analysts say it would be an attractive takeover target, especially for top player Diageo PLC (DGE.L), which lacks a large bourbon whiskey.

"It's really only a matter of time before it gets acquired," said Morningstar analyst Philip Gorham, adding that the spirits business is likely to get the biggest premium of the three segments, due to its strong profit margins.

Diet-drug makers soar on FDA nod

2010-12-08T10:19:00.000-08:00

BOSTON (MarketWatch) — Shares of Orexigen Therapeutics Inc. soared Wednesday on news that an advisory panel of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has voted to recommend the agency approve the company’s new diet drug Contrave.
MARKETWATCH 2010 CEO AWARDS

Hail to the chiefs
For leading a triumphant surge to the top of the tech world, developing game-changing computers and devices and unleashing a stellar return for investors, Steve Jobs is MarketWatch's CEO of the Decade. For 2010, Ford CEO Alan Mulally easily beat the competition to win the MarketWatch CEO of the Year award, in a resounding show of support from readers for his resilience in the
Late Tuesday, an FDA panel voted in favor of Contrave for the treatment of obesity. While the FDA is not bound to the recommendation of its advisory panels, it generally follows them.

Earlier this year, FDA panels declined to recommend approval of two rival diet drugs, Vivus Inc.’s(VVUS 8.95, +1.15, +14.74%) Qnexa and Arena Pharmaceuticals’s(ARNA 1.57, +0.16, +11.35%) lorcaserin, citing safety concerns. Read on past FDA votes.

Vivus and Arena investors on Wednesday, however, appeared heartened by the Orexigen vote, pushing up shares of Vivus 15% and Arena shares 16%. Read more on the new diet drugs.

J&J (JNJ 62.41, +0.10, +0.16%) shares were down marginally at $62.23.

The health-care-products giant issued a formal bid for Dutch vaccine developer Crucell N.V. (CRXL 31.52, -0.02, -0.06%) of EUR24.75 a share, or $2.3 billion.

J&J already holds an 18% stake in Crucell. The company added the bid represents a 58% premium over Crucell’s closing price the day before J&J made its first tentative offer in September.

The Crucell offer, which is supported by both boards, will end on Feb. 16.

The NYSE Arca Pharmaceuticals Index(DRG 298.60, +0.40, +0.13%) and the NYSE Arca Biotechnology Index(BTK 1,165, +0.11, +0.01%) were both nominally higher at 298.40 and 1,166.19, respectively.