A LISTENER CALLED A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO ABOUT THIS BREAKFAST PLATE I USED TO AWARD FOR THE MORNING WAKE-UP STORY EACH DAY! HARD TO BELIEVE, BUT IT’S A QUARTER OF A CENTURY AGO WHEN THIS WAS AROUND!
“SIMPSON’S” MAKES HISTORY AS LONGEST RUNNING PRIME TIME SERIES!
Fox has renewed The Simpsons for two more historic and satiric seasons, bringing its overall total to a record-breaking 22. Sorry, Gunsmoke.
The network has requested 44 more episodes, bringing the four-fingered family’s total to a whopping 493. However, while the renewal means The Simpsons has topped Gunsmoke’s 20-year run as the longest-running prime-time entertainment series, Springfield’s finest have a way to go before besting the western’s episode count. Gunsmoke played for an astonishing 635 episodes.
To mark their longevity, Matt Groening & Co. last month launched “Best. 20 Years. Ever.,” a yearlong celebration leading up to Jan. 14, 2010, the two-decade anniversary of the ‘toon’s debut. Woo-hoo!
STEVIE WONDER ROCKING AT THE WHITE HOUSE THIS PAST WEEK!
President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama presented the 26-time Grammy winner with the Library of Congress’ second-ever Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. The award was established to recognize “lifetime achievement in promoting song as a vehicle of musical expression and cultural understanding.”
DR. PHIL ASKS NADYA SULEMAN ABOUT THE REASON FOR HER OCTUPLETS!
THE FAMOUS NADYA SULEMAN RADAR ONLINE DEBATE WITH HER MOM!
CHRIS BROWN AND RHIANNA BACK TOGETHER AGAIN? TAKE A LOOK!
The R&B-star duo are spending one-on-one time at Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Star Island mansion in Miami Beach. “It’s very private, you can’t see onto the property,” a source said of Combs’ nearly 13,000-square-foot beachfront home.
Earlier this week, sources said that the pair had been in touch, with Brown contacting Rihanna on her 21st birthday on February 20. A rep for the “Disturbia” singer denied that she had talked to him on the phone but… They apparently reconnected somehow.
“While Chris is reflective and saddened about what happened, he is really happy to be with the woman he loves,” a source told People, which first reported the apparent reconciliation.
This looks to be the pair’s first in-person reunion since Brown was arrested February 8 for allegedly assaulting Rihanna and leaving her with visible injuries. Except for flashes of them in transit (separately) from here to there, and some pics of Rihanna that just surfaced from her sojourn to Mexico last weekend, both have lain incredibly low since.
Brown, who was booked on Grammy night on suspicion of making criminal threats, is due to be arraigned in Los Angeles Superior Court on March 5 but, according to the L.A. District Attorney’s Office, that might not happen. “We don’t have the evidence yet. LAPD detectives are still investigating,” D.A. spokeswoman Jane Robison said Wednesday.
“The D.A. is being even more thorough than usual with this case. They don’t want to mess it up,” said a source close to the investigation. At this point, it’s unclear what Rihanna and Brown’s reported reunion could mean for the D.A.’s case.
“Words cannot begin to express how sorry and saddened I am over what transpired,” Brown said in a statement released February 15. “I am seeking the counseling of my pastor, my mother and other loved ones and I am committed, with God’s help, to emerging a better person.”
ED McMAHON IS IN INTENSIVE CARE AT A LOS ANGELES HOSPITAL!
The 85-year-old former Johnny Carson sidekick has been hospitalized for several weeks with pneumonia, as well as other unspecified ailments, rep Howard Bragman said.
Bragman declined to comment on reports that McMahon has also been diagnosed with bone cancer, but did say the TV icon’s condition is “serious” and his family is at his side. “We’re going to hope for the best right now,” he said, adding that eveyone is “very optimistic” and McMahon is “gathering his strength.”
McMahon has had his share of troubles in recent months, including bank debts, a home foreclosure, a process server-biting dog and a broken neck, which he blames for his financial woes.
TOM BRADY & GISELE BUNDCHEN SECRETLY WED THURSDAY IN SANTA MONICA!
Despite repeated denials that they were even engaged, Gisele Bündchen and her Super Bowl-winning beau, Tom Brady, have sealed the deal.
The pair swapped vows Thursday in a Catholic ceremony in Santa Monica, with Bündchen donning an ivory strapless gown with a trumpet skirt and long train by Dolce & Gabbana. The Italian design duo also outfitted the supermodel’s three beloved dogs in floral lace collars.
Brady’s 1-year-old son, John Edward Thomas Moynahan, his child from a previous relationship with Bridget Moynahan, was among those in attendance at the intimate ceremony. Curiously, Bridget Moynahan is a member of the parish where the wedding took place, St. Monica’s Catholic Church.
News of the wedding was first reported by Us Weekly. Bündchen’s last dodge of the whole “I do” question came just last month, when a Brazilian magazine asked her to confirm a report that Brady had popped the question in L.A.
“I wasn’t even there. How can that be true?” replied the 28-year-old model, who before her New England Patriot came along was prominently linked to Leonardo DiCaprio. The Boston Globe reported yesterday that Bündchen was spotted over the weekend with a gold ring on that finger while celebrating Carnival in her native Brazil.
JIMMY KIMMEL TEACHES HIS UNCLE FRANK HOW TO DRIVE AGAIN!
JONAS BROTHERS MAY SHOW UP THIS WEEKEND AT A THEATRE NEAR YOU!
WHEN A BUNNY WANTS HIS BED BACK, CATS BETTER BEWARE!
WHAT’S NEW WITH GOOGLE EARTH? HERE’S A LOOK & SOME SEARCH TIPS!
If you are like most people, Google.com is your constant companion in the search for relevant information. Surprisingly, most people have never really taken the time to learn to use this powerful tool effectively. Implementing a few simple tricks can hone your searches, revealing the right information more quickly.
Going to the Second Page is Wasted Time.
A lot of people put one or two general words in the search box, then press return.
They are then presented with a long list of results, most of which do not match. This is a bad use of your time. The best Google searches do not require scanning page after page of results. You will find what you need faster if you get very specific in your search description, then scan the results to see if you were successful. If what you need is not on the first page, don’t go to the second page. Instead, narrow your parameters in the search box and do another query.
Use Quotes
Quotes are one of the most powerful tools in Google search. Google starts looking for web pages that contain all the words put in the search box. The terms can be in any order or at any place on the web page. For example, let’s say you were looking for the famous Churchill quote, “Success is going from failure to failure without a loss of enthusiasm.” Unfortunately, all you remember is the end, …loss of enthusiasm. If you put this term in the Google search box with no quotes around it, Google looks at all pages that have these three words. This search will yield articles about workplace feminism, a charm blog, and opposition during World War One. If you put “loss of enthusiasm” in quotes, Google looks for instances where those three words appear one after the other, in this precise order. Churchill’s quote jumps to the top of the list. Whenever you’re searching for a phrase that contains common words, using quotes can increase your chances of success.
Use the Minus Sign
If you want Google to skip over pages that contain specific words, put the minus sign in front of those words. For example, if you are searching for the hottest news on Britney Spears, an optimal search would look like this: “Britney Spears” -pickle -weapon-aboriginal. This would eliminate all pages that contain the word spears that discuss the latest trends in dill pickle recipes, medieval weaponry, and native Australian hunting techniques. Remember to avoid excluding common words when using the minus sign. For example, “-the” would exclude most of the web pages in the world.
Use the Plus Sign
Just as the minus sign eliminates words from a search, the plus sign accentuates words in the search, giving extra weight to pages that have this word. If you were looking for pictures of the planet Neptune, your search might look like this: Neptune planet +photo -god -roman -horse. This would weight the search towards astronomy sites with photos, and away from horse racing and Roman mythology.
Use Or
There are times you don’t want Google looking for all the terms in the search, but for any of the terms in the search. For example, let’s say you are looking for the latest information on crime in metro Boston. Naturally, you would include Boston in your search, but you would also want to include the names of the other neighboring communities. You might enter the search as: “Crime Statistics” Boston Brookline Somerville. But this would only find pages that contain the names of all three communities. By using the or command, your search would be more accurate because it would bring up pages that contain crime statistics on Somerville, where Boston and Brookline are not mentioned. So the more successful search would look like this: “Crime Statistics” Boston or Brookline or Somerville. This would bring up all pages that contain information on each of these individual communities.
Use the Tilden Sign
This is the little squiggly (~) character right beside the “1″ key. There are times when you are looking for something, but don’t know quite what to call it. Let’s say you’re looking for information on corruption in Congress. Where do you start? You don’t know whether to search Senate, House, Congress or committee. Putting the tilden in front of the word signifies that you’re looking for “words similar to this.” Google will include synonyms to those words, expanding your search.
These are just a few of the simple ways you can optimize your searches. That little Google search box has many more tricks in store for you. Next week, I’ll show you how to quickly get everything from weather, to sports scores, to stock quotes from that little magic box.
HERE’S ONE WAY TO SAVE MONEY ON YOUR GASOLINE BILL EACH WEEK!
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA’S ECONOMIC PEP TALK TO THE NATION!
STEVIE WONDER RECEIVES LIFETIME ACHIEVMENT AWARD AT WHITE HOUSE!
THE MINATURE BULL TERRIER FROM GERMANY THAT SAYS “MAMA”!
HERE’S A LOOK BACK AT THE GOOD OLD DAYS FOR BABY BOOMERS!
Long ago and far away, in a land that time forgot,
Before the days of Dylan, or the dawn of Camelot.
There lived a race of innocents, and they were you and me,
Ike was in the White House in that land where we were born,
Where navels were for oranges, and Peyton Place was light porn.
We longed for love and romance, and waited for our Prince,
And Eddie Fisher married Liz, and no one’s seen him since.
We danced to ‘Little Darlin,’ and sang to ‘Stagger Lee’
And cried for Buddy Holly in the Land That Made Me, Me.
And only in our wildest dreams did we expect to see
A boy named George with Lipstick, in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We didn’t have a Star Trek 5, or Psycho 2 and 3,
Or Rocky/Rambo 20 in the Land That Made Me, Me.
Miss Kitty had a heart of gold, and Chester had a limp,
And Reagan was a Democrat whose co-star was a chimp.
We had a Mr. Wizard, but not a Mr. T,
And Oprah wasn’t a billionaire in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We had our share of heroes, we never thought they’d go,
At least not Bobby Darin, or Marilyn Monroe.
For youth was still eternal, and life was yet to be,
And Elvis was forever in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We’d never seen the rock band that was Grateful to be Dead,
And Airplanes weren’t named Jefferson , and Zeppelins were not Led.
Beatles lived in gardens then, and Monkees lived in trees,
Madonna was a virgin in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We’d never heard of microwaves, or telephones in cars,
And babies might be bottle-fed, but they weren’t grown in jars.
And pumping iron got shirts smooth, and ‘gay’ meant fancy-free,
And dorms were never coed in the Land That Made Me, Me.
We hadn’t seen enough of jets to talk about the lag,
And microchips were what was left at the bottom of the bag.
And Hardware was a box of nails, and bytes came from a flea,
And rocket ships were fiction in the Land That Made Me, Me.
Buicks came with portholes, and side shows came with freaks,
And bathing suits came big enough to cover both your cheeks.
And Coke came just in bottles, skirts were below the knee,
And Castro came to power near the Land That Made Me, Me.
We had no patterned pantyhose or Lipton herbal tea
Or prime-time ads for Viagara in the Land That Made Me, Me.
And middle-aged was 35 and old was fifty-three,
And ancient were our parents in the Land That Made Me, Me.
But all things have a season, or so we’ve heard them say,
And now instead of Ovaltine we swear by Retin-A.
They send us invitations to join AARP,
We’ve come a long way, baby, from the Land That Made Me, Me.
So now we face an uncertain world in much much larger jeans,
And wonder why they’re using smaller print in all those magazines.
And we tell our children’s children of the way it used to be,
Long ago and far away in the Land That Made Me, Me
DANCING BIRD MAKES NATIONAL DEBUT ON “GOOD MORNING AMERICA”!
SO HOW GOOD ARE YOU WHEN IT COMES TO PARKING? WATCH THIS!
IS THIS MAN THE FATHER OF THE OCTUPLET MOM’S EIGHT CHILDREN?
HOW OUT OF TOUCH IS THE L.A. TIMES LATELY? THEY PANNED THE OSCARS!
THE “ROOM” LOVED IT, AND SO DID THE TV AUDIENCE, RATINGS WERE UP, AND THE COMMENTS FROM THE PUBLIC WERE RAVES IN MOST CASES! TAKE A LOOK AT THE OPENING WITH HUGH JACKMAN!
BEYONCE TEAMED UP WITH HUGH JACKMAN FOR A GREAT DANCE NUMBER!
HERE ARE THE 2009 ACADEMY AWARD WINNERS AND THEIR REACTIONS!
JIMMY KIMMEL’S AFTER ACADEMY AWARDS SHOW WAS HILARIOUS!
JIMMY KIMMEL-TOM CRUISE PROMO FOR AWARDS SPECIAL-FALL DOWN FUNNY!
MEL GIBSON’S PARODY OF COLONEL SANDERS KFC! WHAT A PRODUCTION!
NEWSPAPERS FILING FOR BANKRUPTCY! MAYBE IT’S LACK OF PROOFREADING!
CAN YOU SUM UP YOUR WEEK IN JUST THREE WORDS? TAKE A LOOK!
THE LATEST SLEAZEBAG TO SWINDLE PEOPLE & CHARITIES: ALLEN STANFORD!
People scrambled on Wednesday to get back their money from firms linked to Texas billionaire Allen Stanford, as fallout from U. S. fraud charges against him spread from the United States and the Caribbean to Latin America and Europe.
The U. S. Securities and Exchange Commission, which charged Stanford and two Stan-ford Group Co. executives on Tuesday with an $8 billion fraud, said it did not know where the flamboyant 58-year-old financier and sports entrepreneur was.
In Miami, the local NBC television station reported that Stan-ford Group offices there had been raided by federal authorities, a day after a similar raid at Stanford’s U. S. headquarters in Houston. The U.S. Attorney’s Office and an FBI spokeswoman in Miami said their agencies had not been involved in the latest raid and referred calls to the SEC. Stanford’s operations in Mi-ami and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, were being shut down by a court-appointed receiver, a source briefed on the matter said.
ABC News, citing federal authorities, reported the Federal Bureau of Investigation and others have been investigating whether Stanford was involved in laundering drug money for Mexico Gulf cartel. Citing unnamed officials, ABC reported Mexican authorities had detained one of Stanford’s private planes as part of the investigation, which has been going on since last year.
Officials said checks found inside the plane were believed to be connected to the Gulf cartel, one of Mexico’s most violent gangs, ABC reported. ABC cited authorities as saying Stanford could potentially face criminal charges of money laundering and bribery of foreign officials. Authorities said the SEC’s action against Stanford on Tuesday may have complicated the federal drug investigation.
From the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua, a key outpost in Stanford’s business empire, to Andean nations Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, investors and depositors, most angry, some in tears, besieged his banks and companies to try to redeem funds or seek information about their savings.
After the shock generated by the alleged $50 billion Ponzi scheme fraud blamed on Wall Street veteran Bernard Madoff, regulators sought to calm public fears about another major financial scandal at a time of global recession and banking failures.
In Colombia, a local affiliate of Stanford halted its activities on that country’s stock exchange. In Ecuador, the local Stanford affiliate was suspended for 30 days from operating in the Quito stock exchange.
While mystery surrounded Stanford’s whereabouts, CNBC television reported that he tried to hire a private jet to fly from Houston to Antigua, but the jet lessor refused to accept his credit card. The SEC accused Stanford in a civil complaint of fraudulently selling high-yield certificates of deposit from his Antiguan affiliate, Stanford International Bank Ltd (SIB).
Asked by reporters whether there would be more fraud cases of the scale and scope of Madoff and Stanford, U. S. Attorney General Eric Holder told reporters: “It’s hard to say. I’d like to think that those are going to be the largest.”
PRESENTING THE WEASEL HIMSELF, HERE’S “THE BALLAD OF BERNIE MADOFF”!
CNBC FINANCIAL REPORTER RICK SANTELLI’S RANT ON GOVERNMENT PLAN!
HERE’S THE REACTION A BIT LATER TO RICK’S RANT FROM THE MAN HIMSELF!
WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY ROBERT GIBBS RESPONDS TO SANTELLI RANT!
LOOKING FOR A JOB THESE DAYS, LIKE A LOTTA PEOPLE. CHECK OUT THIS LIST!
MOST STRESSFUL
1) Surgeon
2) Commercial Airline Pilot
3) Photojournalist
4) Advertising Account Executive
5) Real Estate Agent
6) General Practice Physician
7) Newspaper Reporter
Physician Assistant
LEAST STRESSFUL
1) Actuary
2) Dietician
3) Computer Systems Analyst
4) Statistician
5) Astronomer
6) Mathematician
7) Historian
Software Engineer
HERE’S SUZE ORMAN’S ADVICE ON BUYING AND SELLING HOMES NOW!
HERE’S A GREAT PUZZLE IF YOU’VE GOT TIME FOR THE CHALLENGE TODAY!
CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO START WORKING ON YOUR USA PUZZLE!
Los Angeles police have opened an internal investigation into who illicitly leaked a close-up photograph of Rihanna’s brutalized face purportedly taken after her February 8 altercation with Chris Brown.
“The Los Angeles Police Department takes seriously its duty to maintain the confidentiality of victims of domestic violence,” the LAPD said in a statement Thursday. The department has yet to publicly identify Rihanna as the alleged victim in Brown’s case. “A violation of this type is considered serious misconduct, with penalties up to and including termination.”
The LAPD says it immediately launched an investigation after its media relations department was inundated with press inquiries about the picture, which first surfaced on TMZ.com and appeared to the cops to be a photo taken “during an official domestic violence investigation.”
The police encourage anyone with information about how the photo got out in the first place to contact the department. The photograph making the rounds is a close-up of a young woman’s face. Her eyes are closed and she looks to have sustained various cuts and bruises to her forehead, lips and cheeks.
A law-enforcement source close to the Brown investigation said the leaked photo was one taken by a detective when officers first arrived at the Hancock Park scene of the alleged attack. “There was another set taken at the hospital, where the swelling is even worse,” the source said.
Per the source, the fight began when Rihanna intercepted an incoming text message to Brown’s cell phone from another woman. She later told police this wasn’t the first time Brown had been physically abusive. But this time, the source said, “she may have thrown the first punch.”
The insider also tells us that, within 48 hours of Brown’s arrest, “a tabloid” offered “over 100 grand” for a police photo of Rihanna. “Internal Affairs is up in their butts over the leaks,” the source said, adding that, even earlier today, LAPD staffers were being warned about leaking info. “They’re threatening to administer polygraphs.”
The D.A.’s office, which is trying to pin a felony charge on Brown, is still mulling over the best avenue to take if it opts to prosecute. The consensus among police is that the D.A. will only file charges for crimes for which they have “solid” evidence.
“AMERICAN IDOL’S FIRST 3 OF THE FINAL 12 PICKED WEDNESDAY NIGHT!
When Fox President Mike Darnell promised reporters in December that the new season of American Idol would be more “raw,” “intimate” and “emotional,” he wasn’t kidding.
The first three finalists to make it into the coveted Top 12, Danny Gokey, Alexis Grace and Michael Sarver, had their emotions running high.
For 28-year-old Danny Gokey of Milwaukee, who wowed the audience with his rendition of Mariah Carey’s “Hero,” the feeling is most certainly bittersweet. His wife passed away just seven months ago. “She was a huge fan of American Idol, and it’s bittersweet. I think people need to know it’s OK to move on, because you know you can really dig yourself into a pit of despair…So coming to American Idol has been very, very sweet, because it’s brought hope. When there’s hope on the horizon, you’re ready to live again. I’m still healing, but I feel like this process is bringing healing to my life.”
On a happier note, 21-year-old Memphis native Alexis Grace is still reeling after Simon Cowell told her: “You remind me of Kelly Clarkson, same point, eight years ago. We suddenly went, ‘Wow. This girl is one to watch.’ And I think you’re the same.”
Grace told us she was floored by Simon’s comment. “It just motivates me to do better in the competition and be myself and really connect with songs that I choose.”
Meanwhile, fellow Top 12-er Michael Sarver, the 27-year-old oil rigger from Jasper, Texas, admitted he’s digging the limelight already. “I have been in public places and been noticed. They either know my name or call me the roughneck guy, so whatever works! I love it,” he told us. Added Grace, “I really think we are living the dream right now.”
The next three Top 12 contenders will be revealed this coming Wednesday.
ACADEMY AWARDS THIS SUNDAY NIGHT! “SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE” THE FAVORITE!
ACADEMY AWARD QUOTES:
BILLY CRYSTAL
Despite what the Wall Street Journal says, our awards are the best-kept secret in America, with the possible exception of what George W. Bush did in the Seventies.
KATHY BATES: 2003 ACADEMY AWARDS
Every time an Oscar is given out, an agent gets his wings.
DUSTIN HOFFMAN: 1968 OSCAR NOMINEE
I hope to God I don’t win an Oscar tomorrow night. It would really depress me if I did. I really don’t deserve it. It wasn’t that important a part anyhow.
KEVIN SPACEY: BEST ACTOR, “AMERICAN BEAUTY”
This is the highlight of my day. I hope it’s not all downhill from here.
JOHN WAYNE: BEST PICTURE, 1979 ACADEMY AWARDS
Oscar and I have something in common. Oscar first came to Hollywood scene in 1928. So did I. We’re both a little weather-beaten, but we’re still here and plan to be around for a whole lot longer.
HUMPHREY BOGART: 1951 ACADEMY AWARDS
The only way to find the best actor would be to let everybody play Hamlet and let the best man win.
FRANK CAPRA: 1936 ACADEMY AWARDS
The Oscar is the most valuable, but least expensive, item of world-wide public relations ever invented by any industry.
ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER: 1998 ACADEMY AWARDS
My friend James Cameron and I made three films together – True Lies, The Terminator and Terminator 2. Of course, that was during his early, low-budget, art-house period.
WOODY ALLEN: 2002 ACADEMY AWARDS
When the Academy called, I panicked. I thought they might want their Oscars back and the pawn shop has been out of business for awhile.
SALLY FIELD: 1980 ACADEMY AWARDS
What does the Academy Award mean? I don’t think it means much of anything.
MICKEY ROONEY: 1982 ACADEMY AWARDS
When I was 19 years old, I was the number one star of the world for two years; when I was 40, nobody wanted me; I couldn’t get a job.
JANE WYMAN: 1949 ACADEMY AWARDS
[on winning for playing a mute character] I accept this very gratefully for keeping my mouth shut for once, in Johnny Belinda. I think I’ll do it again.
SHIRLEY MACLAINE: 1983 ACADEMY AWARDS
Films and life are like clay, waiting for us to mold it. And when you trust your own insides and that becomes achievement, it’s a kind of principle that seems to me is at work with everyone. God bless that principle. God bless that potential that we all have for making anything possible if we think we deserve it.
BOB DYLAN: BEST ORIGINAL SONG “THINGS HAVE CHANGED”, WONDER BOYS
I want to thank the members of the Academy who were bold enough to give me this award for this song which, obviously, is a song that doesn’t pussyfoot around or turn a blind eye to human nature. God bless you all with peace, tranquility and good will. Thanks.
BILLY CRYSTAL: 76TH ACADEMY AWARDS
Good news, they found Nemo. The bad news is, they found him in one of Wolfgang Puck’s puff pastries.
LATEST OCTUPLET MOM NEWS: HOME FORECLOSURE AND TV INTERVIEWS!
OCTUPLET’S GRANDMOTHER SPEAKS OUT ON DAUGHTER’S 14 CHILDREN!
WANT TO SEE A CAT IN A TRANCE? TAKE A LOOK AT THIS VIDEO!
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ONE OF MY FAVORITE TV SHOWS, “THE SIMPSONS” NEW OPENING TITLE SEQUENCE!
JIMMY FALLON’S SPECIAL PRESIDENT’S DAY TRIBUTE SONG ON LETTERMAN!
SOMETIMES VALENTINE’S DAY PLANS DON’T GO EXACTLY AS YOU WANT!
CUPID ISN’T ALWAYS THE BEST MATCHMAKER WHEN IT COMES TO COUPLES!
JOAQUIN PHOENIX BIZARRE APPEARANCE ON LETTERMAN LATE SHOW!
Joaquin Phoenix’s appearance on Wednesday night’s Late Show with David Letterman was as bizarre as it gets. Phoenix mumbled, fidgeted and, at times, insulted his way through what can only be described as a contractually obligated appearance in support of his new indie flick—and acting swan song—Two Lovers.
In his opening, Letterman inquired as to the appearance and behavior of his silent guest. “I’m OK with it, but now you’re making me feel weird about it,” Phoenix said before beginning one of the interview’s longest pauses.
Letterman’s next question: “What can you tell us about your days with the Unabomber?” When the topic turned to his music career, Phoenix confirmed that hip-hop was his genre of choice, a revelation that sparked laughter from the audience and ire from the actor. “That’s a joke? What do you have them on? What do you gas them up with? Is this nitrous?”
He went on to tell his increasingly annoyed host that he’d “love to come on the show and perform” when his music career gets off the ground, a sentiment that Letterman, who presumably could deal with his uncooperation no more, quickly shot down.
“You know, that seems unlikely,” Letterman said, before telling his clearly put-out guest, “We’ll certainly keep you in our Rolodex.” When not appearing to marvel at the audience’s reaction to his bizarre interview—laughter, for the most part—he was lashing out at Letterman and Paul Shaffer, who apparently couldn’t contain a guffaw in the lead-up to Phoenix’s setup of his movie clip.
Letterman chided his belligerent guest’s manners. “We’re having fun, relax, seriously,” he said. “I’ll come to your house and chew gum.”
“I don’t have to chew gum, I won’t chew gum,” Phoenix said, before taking out the offending piece and sticking it under Dave’s desk. At the end of the seemingly interminable interview, relations between the two men thawed slightly…but only slightly.
“Well, Joaquin, I’m sorry you couldn’t be here tonight,” Letterman said, adding, “We owe an apology to Farrah Fawcett.” “He’s funny, you’re funny,” Phoenix said. “He’s a funny dude.”
HERE’S THE 1997 FARRAH FAWCETT INTERVIEW DAVE REFERENCED!
HERE’S THE POPULAR VIDEO OF THE AUSTRALIAN FIREFIGHTER GIVING THIS LITTLE KOALA BEAR VICTIM OF THE RAGING FIRES DOWN UNDER A DRINK OF WATER!
NEARLY 9 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE VIEWED “DAVID AFTER THE DENTIST”!
MEANWHILE, EVEN FRED IS CELEBRATING VALENTINE’S DAY!
Joanna Pacitti after making it through Wednesday night to American Idol’s round of 36, the 23-year-old aspiring popster was sent packing Thursday morning, disqualified because of her previous professional experience—and an apparently close relationship with 19 Television, the company that produces the hit Fox reality competition.
“It has been determined that Joanna Pacitti is ineligible to continue in the competition. American Idol contestant Felicia Barton has replaced Ms. Pacitti as part of the top 36,” reads an editor’s note in a Fox press release from early this morning.
Barton was shown getting the boot during last night’s “green-mile episode” in which contestants participated in a “sing-off” in the hopes of being a semifinalist.
Pacitti made the cut. However a number of tabloid reports surfaced in recent days that the singer wasn’t exactly the amateur she claimed to be, in violation of Idol’s rules.
Here’s the complete list of American Idol’s Top 36
• Arianna Afsar, 16, San Diego, Calif.
• Kris Allen, 23, Conway, Ark.
• Kendall Beard, 23, Austin, Texas
• Anne Marie Boskovich, 22, Nashville, Tenn.
• Ricky Braddy, 25, Nashville, Tenn.
• Matt Breitzke, 27, Bixby, Okla.
• Casey Carlson, 20, Minneapolis
• Megan Corkrey, 22, Sandy, Utah
• Tatiana Del Toro, 23, Los Angeles
• Anoop Desai, 21, Chapel Hill, N.C.
• Stephen Fowler, 26, Beachwood, Ohio
• Matt Giraud, 23, Kalamazoo, Mich.
• Danny Gokey, 28, Milwaukee
• Alexis Grace, 20, Memphis, Tenn.
• Mishavonna Henson, 18, Irvine, Calif.
• Allison Iraheta, 16, Los Angeles
• Ju’Not Joyner, 26, Bowie, Md.
• Kai Kalama, 26, San Clemente, Calif.
• Brent Keith, 28, Blanchester, Ohio
• Adam Lambert, 26, Los Angeles
• Jesse Langseth, 25, Minneapolis
• Scott MacIntyre, 23, Scottsdale, Ariz.
• Nathaniel Marshall, 18, Malone, N.Y.
• Kristen McNamara, 22, Napa, Calif.
• Nick Mitchell, 27, Brookfield, Conn.
• Jasmine Murray, 16, Starkville, Miss.
• Jorge Nuñez, 20, Carolina, Puerto Rico
• Joanna Pacitti, 23, Philadelphia
• Lil Rounds, 23, Memphis, Tenn.
• Michael Sarver, 27, Jasper, Texas
• Von Smith, 22, Kansas City, Mo.
• Jackie Tohn, 27, Los Angeles
• Taylor Vaifanua, 16, Hurricane, Utah
• Jeanine Vailes, 27, Sherman Oaks, Calif.
• Alex Wagner-Trugman, 19, Los Angeles
• Stevie Wright, 16, Phelan, Calif.
ERIC DANE’S EYES SAY THAT T.R. KNIGHT AND KATHERINE HEIGL ARE OUT!
First James Pickens said it, and now Eric Dane’s eyes are saying it, too. That’s the latest coming out of Heigl-Knightgate over on Grey’s Anatomy, as McSteamy himself sat down with Ellen DeGeneres for her show Wednesday.
In the clip above, you can see how Dane shies away from commenting on the rumors Katherine Heigl and T.R. Knight are leaving the show, leaving that question to big boss Shonda Rhimes.
Still, according to Ellen: “I see your eyes say they’re leaving.” As for Dane’s personal life, he admits he and wife Rebecca Gayheart are actively trying to make some McBabies.
VALENTINE’S DAY IS COMING UP! ARE YOU WITH THE RIGHT PERSON?
Here are 10 signs that you tied the knot with Mr. or Mrs. Wrong, according to psychologist Lori Kuriman.
1. You sometimes find yourself looking back wistfully at past sweethearts. Even old partners you weren’t that crazy about at the time suddenly seem wonderful.
2. You fantasize about other people during lovemaking. It’s one thing to have occasional sexual thoughts about members of the opposite sex, but when you can’t become aroused without conjuring up the face of someone other than your mate, the marriage is headed for the rocks.
3. You frequently think back to the time you were single and remember that period of your life as “the good old days.”
4. You sometimes find yourself “tuning out” your spouse, not hearing what it is they’ve said – as if part of you is denying that the person even exists.
5. You argue mostly about minor matters instead of big issues regarding your future together.
6. When a member of the opposite sex flirts with your mate, you don’t really feel jealous.
7. You prize time alone and actually look forward to your partner’s trips away from home.
8. You often cast your mind back to the moment you decided to marry and wonder what would have happened if you had chosen otherwise. This is a common form of marriage-denial.
9. You sometimes think about what you would do if your partner were dead.
10. You often find yourself asking the question, “Did I marry the wrong person?” If you have to ask, of course, the answer probably is yes.
HERE’S THE PERFECT VALENTINE SONG FOR THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE!
THE ENGLISH OSCARS, THE BAFTA AWARDS, HELD THIS PAST WEEKEND!
STEVIE WONDER & THE JONAS BROTHERS SCORE GRAMMY’S BEST RATINGS!
Weekend TV’s Big Winner, Besides Alison Krause and Robert Plant & Coldplay: The Grammys. From 8-11:30 p.m., the show averaged an estimated 19.1 million, CBS said. If the number holds, the show will have grown by nearly 2 million viewers from last year, and will have scored its second-biggest audience of the past five telecasts.
Guess You Had to See It to Believe It: The Jonas Brothers-Stevie Wonder jam aired during the Grammys’ most-watched prime-time half-hour, averaging 21.3 million from 9-9:30 p.m., Nielsen estimates showed.
Like many shows, the Grammys petered out as the night wore on. The show’s 10:30 p.m. half-hour, featuring performances by Diamond and a John Mayer-assisted Bo Diddley tribute, was its least-watched in prime time, with 17.6 million viewers.
Even in the Grammys’ biggest prime-time hour, featuring Jonas Brothers, Wonder, Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Kenny Chesney, Katy Perry and the kitchen sink, the show didn’t come within 6 million viewers of, say, last Wednesday’s American Idol, featuring Bikini Girl and a bunch of bickering teenagers.
In the 18-49 demo, Wednesday’s Idol outrated the Grammys’ 9 p.m. hour by nearly 20 percent. Desperate Housewives (13.7 million) and Brothers & Sisters (9.3 million) had better luck against the Grammys than the NFL playoffs; 60 Minutes (16.8 million) cashed in on an interview with the hero pilot behind the Hudson River landing; NBC continued to repel 18- to 49-year-olds with TV movies and miniseries (the latest being Sunday’s XIII).
THE GRAMMY WINNERS FOR 2009!
Album of the Year: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand
Best Rap Album: Lil Wayne, Tha Carter III
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance: John Mayer, “Say”
Record of the Year: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Please Read the Letter”
Best New Artist: Adele
Best Rock Album: Coldplay, Viva la Vida
Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Rich Woman”
Song of the Year: Coldplay, “Viva la Vida”
Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group: Sugarland, “Stay”
Best R&B Album: Jennifer Hudson, Jennifer Hudson
Industry Icon Award: Clive Davis
Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Rick Rubin (Death Magnetic, Home Before Dark, Mercy, Seeing Things, Weezer)
Best Rock Song: Bruce Springsteen, “Girls in Their Summer Clothes”
Best Rock Instrumental Performance: “Peaches En Regalia,” Zappa Plays Zappa, Featuring Steve Vai & Napoleon Murphy Brock
Best Metal Performance: Metallica, “My Apocalypse”
Best Hard Rock Performance: The Mars Volta, “Wax Simulacra”
Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Kings of Leon, “Sex on Fire”
Best Solo Rock Vocal Performance: John Mayer, “Gravity”
Best Alternative Music Album: Radiohead, In Rainbows
Best Pop Vocal Album: Duffy, Rockferry
Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Coldplay, “Viva la Vida”
Best Female Pop Vocal Performance: Adele, “Chasing Pavements”
Best Pop Instrumental Album: Béla Fleck and the Flecktones, Jingle All The Way
Best Pop Instrumental Performance: Eagles, “I Dreamed There Was No War”
Best Spoken Word Album (Includes Poetry, Audio Books): Al Gore, An Inconvenient Truth (Beau Bridges, Cynthia Nixon and Blair Underwood)
Best Contemporary R&B Album: Mary J. Blige, Growing Pains
Best R&B Song: Ne-Yo, “Miss Independent” (Mikkel S. Eriksen, T.E. Hermansen and S. Smith, songwriters)
Best Urban/Alternative Performance: Chrisette Michele Featuring will.i.am, “Be OK”
Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: Al Green Featuring Anthony Hamilton, “You’ve Got the Love I Need”
Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals: Al Green Featuring John Legend, “Stay With Me (by the Sea)”
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance: Alicia Keys; ” Superwoman”
Best Male R&B Vocal Performance: Ne-Yo, “Miss Independent”
Lil’ Wayne Frank Micelotta/Getty Images for MTV
Best Rap Song: Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major, “Lollipop” (D. Carter, S. Garrett, D. Harrison, J. Scheffer and R. Zamor, songwriters)
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration: Estelle Featuring Kanye West, “American Boy”
Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: Jay-Z and T.I. Featuring Kanye West and Lil Wayne, “Swagga Like Us”
Best Rap Solo Performance: Lil Wayne, “A Milli”
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album: Natalie Cole, Still Unforgettable
Best Country Album: George Strait, Troubadour
Best Country Song: Sugarland, “Stay” (Jennifer Nettles, songwriter)
Best Bluegrass Album: Ricky Skaggs and Kentucky Thunder, Honoring the Fathers of Bluegrass: Tribute to 1946 and 1947
Best Country Instrumental Performance: Brad Paisley, James Burton, Vince Gill, John Jorgenson, Albert Lee, Brent Mason, Redd Volkaert and Steve Wariner, “Cluster Pluck”
Best Country Collaboration With Vocals: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, “Killing the Blues”
Best Male Country Vocal Performance: Brad Paisley, “Letter to Me”
Carrie Underwood John Shearer/Getty Images
Best Female Country Vocal Performance: Carrie Underwood, “Last Name”
Best Reggae Album: Burning Spear, Jah Is Real
Best Hawaiian Music Album: Tia Carrere and Daniel Ho, Ikena
Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, Raising Sand
Best Traditional Folk Album: Pete Seeger, At 89
Best Traditional Blues Album: B.B. King, One Kind Favor
Best Contemporary Blues Album: Dr. John and the Lower 911, City That Care Forgot
Best Long Form Music Video: Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, “Runnin’ Down a Dream”
Best Short Form Music Video: Weezer, “Pork and Beans”
Best Classical Album: Weill, Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny
Producer of the Year, Classical: David Frost
Best Classical Crossover Album: The King’s Singers, Simple Gifts
Best Classical Contemporary Composition: John Corigliano, composer, Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan (JoAnn Falletta, conductor)
Best Classical Vocal Performance: John Corigliano, Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems of Bob Dylan
Best Small Ensemble Performance: Spotless Rose, Hymns to the Virgin Mary
Best Chamber Music Performance: Elliott Carter, Pacifica Quartet, String Quartets Nos. 1 and 5
Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (Without Orchestra): Gloria Cheng, Piano Music of Salonen, Stucky, and Lutoslawski
I’VE BEEN DOING THIS RADIO BUSINESS FOR A LONG TIME….SINCE I WAS 16, AND A COUPLE OF YEARS BEFORE THAT EMCEEING TEEN HOPS TWICE A WEEK AT MY HOMETOWN YOUTH CENTER. THE ONE REASON I LOVE RADIO IS THE SPECIAL BOND BETWEEN A RADIO LISTENER AND THE RADIO PERSONALITY.
I CAN’T EVEN DESCRIBE IT, EXCEPT TO SAY IT’S ALMOST LIKE FAMILY. YOU KNOW A LOT ABOUT ME, AND OVER THE YEARS I START TO FIND OUT A LOT ABOUT YOU.
I RECEIVED AN EMAIL LAST NIGHT THAT I HAD LOST ANOTHER “FAMILY” MEMBER IN TENNESSEE. HIS NAME WAS DOUG HOOKER. HE HAD SENT COUNTLESS EMAILS TO ME THIS PAST YEAR, SOMETIMES JUST COMMENTS, OTHER TIMES INFORMATION, AND STILL OTHERS WITH SOME OF THE FUNNY JOKES, PICTURES OR VIDEOS MAKING THE ROUNDS ON THE INTERNET. YOU CAN FIND THEM IN THE “TALKBACK” SECTION OF THIS WEBSITE.
IT HIT ME LIKE A TON OF BRICKS WHEN I READ HIS DAUGHTER’S EMAIL BELOW.
Charlie:
I wanted to let you know that my dad passed away on Monday, Feb 2nd from what we think to be a pulmonary embolism. Dad was diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension about 2 years ago and a combination of a weak heart and it, finally got him. But, I know that dad is in Heaven… that is my comfort. He doesn’t have to suffer any more. My dad was a great man and I loved him dearly and as I told him many times throughout his life, “My life will not be the same without you.” Doug Hooker, my dad, was a very special man who defined what love was to me.
You may not have known this, but you made his last days on earth better. I would go and visit him and he’d have KEARTH on in the office on the internet. Listening to you and the station gave him great comfort.
I was actually in LA back in July on a business trip and later discovered that I was only about 5 miles from KEARTH. But, while I was out there, I called dad on the telephone and let him listen to you on the radio (direct feed). He thought that was great!
Thank you very much for always being so attentive to Dad’s emails, etc. in the last few months. He talked about you often and he considered you a friend even though he never met you face-to-face.
If you would like to leave a message on the message board, please go to the funeral home’s website at http://www.ralphbuckner.com/serviceinfo.php. Also, there are some great photos of my dad so that you can put a face to a name. (There’s also one of him in his DJ days)!
Thank you for your time. I know you are a busy person, but I wanted to let you know.
Sincerely,
Julie Hooker Moses
LIKE I SAID ABOVE: “FAMILY”……
ENJOY HEAVEN DOUG! YOU EARNED IT!
EVERYONE IS SUFFERING IN THIS CURRENT ECONOMY, AND WORRIED MORE THAN THEY HAVE EVER BEEN ABOUT THE FUTURE! BUT TAKE A FEW MINUTES AND WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW, AND BE INSPIRED BY NICK VUJICIC! I PROMISE YOU THE NEXT TIME YOU’RE FEELING SORRY FOR YOURSELF OR GETTING DOWN ABOUT YOUR STATION IN LIFE, IT WILL ALL BE PUT IN PERSPECTIVE IF YOU’VE SEEN THIS!
DRAMATIC FAA TAPE AND ANIMATION OF THE U.S. AIRWAYS CAPTAIN TALKING TO THE CONTROL TOWER BEFORE DITCHING IN THE HUDSON RIVER A MONTH AGO!
MICHAEL PHELPS SUSPENDED AND LOSES KELLOGG’S ENDORSEMENT DEAL!
A couple days after Michael Phelps apologized for being photographed with a marijuana pipe, Kellogg’s says it has dropped the 14-time Olympic gold medalist as a spokesman. “We originally built the relationship with Michael, as well as the other Olympic athletes, to support our association with the U.S. Olympic team,” a rep for the Battle Creek, Michigan based company said Thursday, and the swimmer’s recent behavior is “not consistent with the image of Kellogg.” Their contract with Phelps is set to expire at the end of this month. At press time, the 23-year-old also has a sponsorship deal with Subway, which has declined comment.
Also Thursday, USA Swimming, the sport’s governing body in the U.S., suspended Phelps from competition for three months. “This is not a situation where any anti-doping rule was violated, but we decided to send a strong message to Michael because he disappointed so many people, particularly the hundreds of thousands of USA Swimming member kids who look up to him as a role model and a hero,” the federation said in a statement. “Michael has voluntarily accepted this reprimand and has committed to earn back our trust.”
ETTA JAMES LASHES OUT AT BEYONCE AND PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA!
BREAKING UP ISN’T THAT HARD TO DO….SO SAYS DREW BARRYMORE ON ELLEN!
AND ONE FINAL LAUGH FOR TODAY
An older lady gets pulled over for speeding…
Older Woman: Is there a problem, Officer?
Officer: Ma’am, you were speeding.
Older Woman: Oh, I see.
Officer: Can I see your license please?
Older Woman: I’d give it to you but I don’t have one.
Officer: Don’t have one?
Older Woman: Lost it, 4 years ago for drunk driving.
Officer: I see..Can I see your vehicle registration papers please.
Older Woman: I can’t do that.
Officer: Why not?
Older Woman: I stole this car
Officer: Stole it?
Older Woman: Yes, and I killed and hacked up the owner.
Officer: You what?
Older Woman: His body parts are in plastic bags in the trunk if you want to see
The Officer looks at the woman and slowly backs away to his car and calls for back up.
Within minutes 5 police cars circle the car. A senior officer slowly approaches the car, clasping his half drawn gun.
Officer 2: Ma’am, could you step out of your vehicle please! The woman steps out of her vehicle.
Older woman: Is there a problem sir?
Officer 2: One of my officers told me that you have stolen this car and murdered the owner.
Older Woman: Murdered the owner?
Officer 2: Yes, could you please open the trunk of your car, please.
The woman opens the trunk, revealing nothing but an empty trunk.
Officer 2: Is this your car, ma’am?
Older Woman: Yes, here are the registration papers.
The officer is quite stunned.
Officer 2: One of my officers claims that you do not have a driving license.
The woman digs into her handbag and pulls out a clutch purse and hands it to the officer.
The officer examines the license. He looks quite puzzled.
Officer 2: Thank you ma’am, one of my officers told me you didn’t have a license, that you stole this car, and that you murdered and hacked up the owner.
Older Woman: Bet the liar told you I was speeding, too!!!!