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Showing posts from March 11, 2013

Clone Wars canceled

Clone Wars canceled "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" has been canceled ... at least, on Cartoon Network. Though Lucasfilm announced the series will no longer air on the channel, the company said new "Clone Wars" content will be produced ... and distributed elsewhere. "After five highly successful and critically acclaimed seasons of 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars,' we feel the time has come to wind down the series," Lucasfilm said on its website. The company is also delaying the launch of "Star Wars: Detours," a comedy series that was in the works before Disney purchased Lucasfilm and announced plans to launch a new trilogy. It's not all bad news for "Star Wars" fans. "We are exploring a whole new 'Star Wars' series set in a time period previously untouched in 'Star Wars' films or television programming," Lucasfilm said. "You can expect more details in the months to come." Talk of a live-acti

Ellen DeGeneres Show renewed

Ellen DeGeneres Show UPDATED: The daytime talker has been picked up on all ten NBC owned and operated stations and 179 additional stations. The Ellen DeGeneres Show has been renewed through the 2016-17 season in 96 percent of the country. The renewal includes all ten NBC owned and operated stations and 179 additional stations. Nationally, Ellen is tied with Dr. Phil for the No. 1 syndicated talk show this season among the key women 25-54 demographic. And Ellen is No. 1 in the time period with that demo in seven of NBC’s key markets including New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. The show is up 13 percent year-over-year among women 25-54 and is pulling in 3.2 million viewers on average, its most-watched season since 2005-06. It’s been a rocky year for daytime. Freshman talkers hosted by Ricki Lake and Jeff Probst have been canceled. Anderson Cooper’s revamped Anderson Live will not make it past its second season. And there is a major overhaul in store for The View next season wi

Africa ready for African Pope

Africans were asked what an African pope would mean for the continent and for them personally What are your thoughts on who the next Pope could, or should be? Tell us Thousands of Africans have expressed their hopes that the next pope will be the first from their continent -- with a majority believing it would mean the Catholic Church becoming more conservative. The survey of 20,000 people, conducted on mobile phones across 11 nations, also exposed big divisions among Africans about the future direction of the church, including faith, homosexuality and race. "An African pope will bring about more unity on the continent and confidence in Africans," said one woman from Zimbabwe, while a young Nigerian man polled said an African pope "will eradicate immoralities, such as same-sex marriage." Mobile phone use has skyrocketed in Africa, climbing from 9.2 million subscribers in 2000 to more than 648 million subscribers in 2011 -- more users than the U.S. or

Longest female legs

Longest female legs Northern Virginia is, it increasingly appears, rich in genetically-gifted world record-holders. Arlingtonian Annie Hawkins-Turner -- her stage name is Norma Stitz -- has the Guinness Book of World Records' record for world's largest natural breasts. A few miles away lives the woman with the world's longest legs. As the Washington Post noted on Monday, the Guinness record-holder for women's longest legs is a Falls Church basketball coach. Svetlana Pankratova's legs are, according to Guinness, almost 4 feet, 4 inches long. (At 6 feet, 5 inches tall, she's not the world's tallest woman, however; the woman certified as Guinness' tallest living woman, 7-feet-7-inch tall Yao Defen, died in November.) In her Guinness photo, Pankratova's shown sitting on the steps of the National Gallery of Art in London, wearing a blue mini-dress and heels. In other photos from that same shoot, the world's smallest man -- He Pingping,

F-35 forced to land: in texas

The second production model F-35A Lightning II aircraft flies above the compass rose of Rogers Dry Lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California in this image distributed by the U.S. Air Force dated May 13, 2011. One of two F-35 fighter jets headed to a Nevada air base made an unscheduled landing in Lubbock, Texas on Monday after a caution light came on in the cockpit, according to a Pentagon spokesman and the plane's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corp. The next-generation stealth fighter was flying from the Lockheed plant in Fort Worth, Texas to Nellis Air Force Base near Las Vegas on Monday afternoon, when a caution warning light came on, requiring the pilot to land at the nearest airport, said Lockheed spokesman Michael Rein. He said the pilot landed safely. The second plane landed as planned at the Nevada air base, joining two other aircraft that arrived there last week, where they will be used for operational testing and evaluation of the new warplane. A team of Loc

Yankees Brokeback Mountain

Yankees Brokeback-Mountain, During today's Yankees-Cardinals spring training game, play-by-play announcer Jon Sciambi attempted to start a conversation about how old and bad the Yankees are with his broadcast partner, Doug Glanville. Things got weird in a hurry, because Doug Glanville has either never seen Brokeback Mountain, or he has no idea how analogies work. Reported Yahoo! NEWS... There are many things you can say about the 2013 New York Yankees. They're injured, beat-up, aging, not the favorites in the AL East anymore, etc. But here's one thing that nobody said about them until now: They're like "Brokeback Mountain." That's the expert analysis of ESPN's Doug Glanville, who was calling the Yankees/Cardinals game on Monday. His full quote: "They have basically Brokeback Mountain going over here. I mean everybody's on the disabled list or hurt in some form or fashion." Brokeback Mountain, of course, is the 2005 Oscar-nominated film

Willy Switkes dies: Tootsie, Taxi Driver Actor Died

This undated publicity photo provided by the Switkes Family shows character actor, Willy Switkes, who had minor roles in “Tootsie,” “Taxi Driver,” and dozens of other films. His niece Ellen Switkes says he died of colon cancer on Thursday, March 7, 2013, at a hospice in Rockville, Md. He was 83. A character actor who had minor roles in “Tootsie,” ‘’Taxi Driver” and dozens of other films has died. Willy Switkes (SWIT’-kehs) was 83. His niece Ellen Switkes says he died of colon cancer on Thursday at a hospice in Rockville, Md. Willy Switkes was a native of Washington, D.C., and a longtime New York City resident. He appeared in Broadway productions of “The Cherry Orchard” and “A Thousand Clowns” and was an understudy to Buster Keaton during a 1960 tour of “Once Upon a Mattress.” His other films include “The French Connection” and “Bananas.” His characters often were unidentified, such as his “man at cab” credit for “Tootsie,” in which he’s thrown from a taxi after trying

‘I’m not dying until I do’: says Valerie Harper

In this undated photo provided by NBC, Valerie Harper, right, poses with Savannah Guthrie of NBC's "Today" at Harper's home in Los Angele Valerie Harper had announced recent week that she is having incurable brain cancer, but she wants everyone to know she's feeling great. "I'm alive. I'm feeling good. I'm trying to live every moment as much as I can." Since her announcement last week, Harper tells USA TODAY, "the phone has not stopped, or the texts, or the e-mails. It's incredible." But she worries that people "have a picture of me in a bed or a wheelchair or in trouble. Three months may be accurate (for her life expectancy), but it is not the whole truth. I could have a seizure within a week because of the nature of this cancer," or, she says, she could live much longer. "I can't say it's terminal. I'm saying it's incurable so far, but we're all terminal. No one is getting out of this

Pub can't fly Irish flag: Only Ameican Flags

Irish flag and Ameican Flag Well-Known pub from Florida had been forced to remove Irish country flag after officials said it’s against the law to fly nothing other than an American flag. The owners of Culhane’s Irish Pub in northeast Florida said they were shocked to receive a citation for flying the Irish flag but have removed it to comply with a local ordinance banning commercial display of non-U.S. flags. The four sisters who own Culhane's Irish Pub in Atlantic Beach said Friday they would apply for a temporary permit allowing them to at least fly the green, white and orange Irish flag on St. Patrick's Day, March 17. "St. Patrick's Day is huge for us," said Aine Culhane, who owns the pub with sisters Mary Jane, Michelle and Lynda. They showed Reuters a copy of a citation issued by code enforcement officers for the City of Atlantic Beach on February 20, giving them 24 hours to "cease display of flags other than American flag." The Culhanes said th

Teen Boy admits Kutcher prank: Ashton Kutcher hoaxes

Ashton Kutcher A 12-year-young teen boy was admitted to targeting Ashton Kutcher's home in a burglary prank. Law enforcement rushed to the star's Arrowhead Drive mansion after receiving a distress call from a person who claimed they were the victim of a violent home invasion robbery. The 'swatting' prank last October cost Los Angeles taxpayers more than $US10,000 ($12,000) in wasted police manpower and other resources. According to TMZ, the youngster "confessed to two felony counts in connection with swatting pranks [a deliberate attempt to trick an emergency service into dispatching a response team] against Ashton and a bank, including making a false report in an emergency and computer intrusion". The un-named boy was also charged with targeting pop superstar Justin Bieber, but did not admit to that count. A representative for the district attorney told TMZ the charge will likely be dismissed when he is sentenced. It was previously claimed that the boy

Matt Lauer on Ann Curry: Handled Crisis Badly

Matt Lauer on Ann Curry Matt Lauer on Ann Curry, Popular TV network NBC's $25-million dollar person and gazer of Anne Hathaway crotch shots, Matt Lauer, is finally speaking up about Ann Curry's Today show ouster, conveniently telling Howard Kurtz at The Daily Beast that he really didn't want to see Curry pushed out so unceremoniously by NBC executives. What, did you really think Lauer and NBC were going to take this rare interview opportunity with their most useful mouthpiece to look inside the world of the second-highest rated morning show and tell you that he hated his longtime co-host's guts and that everything was doomed? Kurtz's story opens up with a scene of faux sword-falling, that amounts to Lauer, who had apparently been feeling bad about being cast as the bad guy (again and again) amidst Curry's ouster, doing his best Charlie Brown impersonation:     Lauer was feeling down. Week after week, he was getting pummeled by the press for the sinking

Aspirin and skin cancer

Wonder drug: Aspirin can also now reportedly help to protect against skin cancer, as well as cutting the risk of stomach and bowel cancers for regular users Medical Attention and the medicine Aspirin could help protect women from skin cancer, a study claims. Researchers had researched and found that the longer the painkiller is taken, the lower the risk of developing melanoma. The study of data from almost 60,000 women over 12 years found that regular aspirin users were 21 per cent less likely to develop skin cancer than non-users. But those who had taken it for five or more years were 30 per cent less likely to develop melanoma. Data for men was not part of the study. Every year, around 13,000 people in the UK are diagnosed with malignant melanoma, and 2,200 die from the disease, which is thought to be caused primarily by intense sunbathing or frequent use of sunbeds. Aspirin has been dubbed the wonder drug, with a recent study claiming that it cut the risk of

Military plane crash: All 3 Crew Members Dead

A handout photo courtesy of Stan Dammel shows an aerial view of the crash site in Lincoln County, Washington where a Northrop Grumman EA-6B Prowler, a twin engine electronic warfare aircraft went down in a field in eastern Washington March 11, 2013. The Military plane from Naval Air Station Whidbey Island Crashed badly into the Eastern Washington on Monday morning, and all three crew members on board died in the deadly incident took place, Navy authorities said. The E/A-6B Prowler was reported to have crashed at about 8:45 a.m. Monday, Whidbey Island officials said. The Navy informed Congress that the wingman of the crashed plane reported that no parachutes were deployed. "First responders are on the scene and have reported finding partial remains of the mishap aircrew," the Navy informed Congress. "All three onboard are presumed dead." The identities of the crew were not immediately available. The Prowler was "engaged in a low-level navigation train

Punisher targets drivers: Rams Bad Drivers

A bus driver dubbed "The Punisher" is ramming bad drivers to teach them a lesson on the roads of Russia. A Russian man called the “The Punisher”. The Punisher targets drivers, So, Punisher has taken the law into his own hands. And, as a result, he has become a folk hero in Russia. He is known as "the Punisher" after the ruthless comic vigilante who dispenses brutal justice. Volkov has been in more than 100 traffic accidents, though "accidents" may be a misnomer........heraldsun.com.au He's caused most of them with his in your face - or in your rear-end - driving style. If someone cuts him off, Volkov just smashes into them.To ram home his point, he then posts the dashcam video of his exploits online. Wham! Volkov runs his bus right into the car's rear-end. Picture: Alexei Volkov, via YouTube. His YouTube channel has had hundreds of thousands of hits - and we mean hits. In an inteview, Volkov boasted that the courts have taken his sid

Chipper Jones Yankees: Enough with the rumors

Chipper Jones and girlfriend Taylor Higgins at the state capitol building in Atlanta on Tuesday. He received accolades from legislators. Has anybody got the Contact number of the Chipper Jones?? Because The New York Yankees are looking for him. It's no secret that with Alex Rodriguez sidelined until at least the All-Star break because of hip surgery, the Yankees are in need of some help on offense. General Manager Brian Cashman on Monday said there is one guy he wouldn't mind bringing aboard to help: Chipper Jones, who retired after last season after a 19-season career with the Atlanta Braves. But Cashman said he did not have a working telephone number for Jones’ agent, B.B. Abbott, so he told the reporters they could report his interest through Twitter as a way of letting Jones know. “Get it out there,” Cashman said. “I would sign him in a heartbeat. He can play third base, first base, DH. He would be perfect.” It didn't take long for Jones to respond via Twitter:

SUV in fatal Ohio crash was stolen says Owner

SUV in fatal Ohio crash was stolen Investigation team on Monday tried to piece together what eight teenagers crammed into an allegedly stolen SUV were up to before the vehicle flipped over into a pond, killing six of them. Authorities gave few details on where the group of friends had been and why they were out around daybreak Sunday, speeding down a two-lane road. On Monday, the SUV's owner met with police and filed a stolen-car report; police said none of the teens were related to the owner or had asked to use the vehicle. While the father of one of the dead said the teenagers were coming home from a sleepover at a friend's house, the mother of another boy killed said that her son and his best friend had lied about staying over at each other's homes that evening. She said she thinks they went to a party. "If only he had listened," said Lisa Williamson, mother of 14-year-old Brandon Murray. "I told him, 'Don't you go nowhere.' But they'r

13 hurt in D.C. shooting: Another deadly shooting

Surveillance footage shows people outside of the Tyler House Apartments in Washington, D.C., on the ground and taking cover as shots ring out early Monday. There has been another deadly shooting incident took place outside DC Apartment Building Injuring atleast 13 people including one highly critical Thirteen people were injured, including one critically, when gunmen in a speeding car opened fire on a crowd standing outside an apartment building in northwest Washington early Monday, police said. The shooting occurred around 2:10 a.m. in the area of New York Avenue and North Capitol Street, police Chief Cathy Lanier said. Detectives were reviewing surveillance video showing gunshots being fired as two cars sped down the street in rapid succession, while a group of people on the sidewalk scattered and scrambled for cover. The police released the surveillance video to the public in hopes of gathering information on the gunmen. Police said shots came from at least one of the two

Scott Disick Makes Kourtney Kardashian Cry With Comments on Her Post-Baby Weight

Scott Disick and Kourtney Kardashian arrive to celebrate Kourtney's birthday at Gallery Nightclub at Planet Hollywood on April 15, 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kourtney Kardashian 's post-baby body seems to have bounced back in record time. But as the March 10 episode of Kourtney & Kim Take Miami revealed, getting into bikini-ready shape after the July birth of her daughter Penelope was anything but easy for the 33-year-old mother of two -- especially with boyfriend Scott Disick (dad to Penelope and 3-year-old Mason ) pressuring her to speed up the process. The drama started when Kourtney stepped onto the bathroom scale while chatting with Disick and sister Kim Kardashian . Upon seeing that his 5-foot-tall girlfriend weighed 115 pounds, Disick asked, "Do you know what you're supposed to weigh for your average weight for your height?" Kourtney estimated that she should be around 105 pounds, and then revealed that she was probably around 95

4.7 California quake rattled Calif but no fatalities

A magnitude 4.7 earthquake struck near Anza, Calif. on Monday. Magnitude 4.7 earthquake shakes wide area of Southern California late Monday morning but there are no reports of damage or fatalities so far. The 9:55 a.m. quake had an estimated magnitude of 4.7, said Nick Scheckel, seismic analyst at the California Institute of Technology’s seismological laboratory in Pasadena. He said a number of aftershocks were occurring.    The epicenter was about a dozen miles from the Riverside County desert community of Anza, about 100 miles southeast of Los Angeles. The temblor, which occurred at a depth of eight miles, was felt sharply in the local area and caused a swaying or rolling motion in Los Angeles and San Diego as well as in Orange and San Bernardino counties. Susie Bride, a cashier at Cahuilla Mountain Market and Cafe in Anza, said the quake seemed to last awhile but didn’t do any damage to the business. “It kind of shook and then I thought, ‘God, is that an earthquake?’ It kin

Ex-NBA player banned: post Choking Teammate

Ex-NBA Player Banned: Renaldo Balkman Choked Teammate Renaldo Balkman, a former player for the NBA‘s New York Knicks and Denver Nuggets, has been banned from the Philippine Basketball Association following an on-court incident. According to a Reuters report, Balkman placed his hands around his teammate Arwind Santos’ neck as Santos tried to restrain Balkman’s anger over a disputed call. In addition to the lifetime ban, the report states that Balkman was fined the equivalent of $6,100 over the choking. As seen in the video of the incident below, Balkman also shoved teammates and coaches during his outburst: Balkman and Santos were both playing for the Petron Blaze Boosters against the Alaska Aces. The Aces went on to win the game, 83 to 73. Balkman has apologized for his actions via his Twitter account. He apologized specifically to Santos and said that he respects the Philippine Basketball Association’s decision: Renaldo Balkman tweets the following on his Twitter:  "I

Valerie Harper on Terminal Cancer Diagnosis: Im Not Dying Until I Do

Valerie Harper attends a signing for her book "I, Rhoda" at Barnes & Noble bookstore on February 13, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Valerie Harper is always determined to enjoy her last days no matter what. In her first TV interview about her recent terminal brain cancer diagnosis, the 73-year-old Emmy-winning actress opens up to the TODAY show's Savannah Guthrie that she remains optimistic. Diagnosed with leptomeningeal carcinomatosis -- in which cancer cells metastasize into the fluid-filled membrane enveloping the brain -- the Mary Tyler Moore star has reportedly been given three to six months to live. But Harper told Guthrie, "'Incurable' is a tough word . . . I'm not dying until I do. I promise I won't." Harper, who played Rhoda Morganstern on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and its spinoff, Rhoda, explained she's "more than hopeful . . . I have an intention to live each moment fully." Still, the

We Didn't Handle That Well: Matt Lauer on Ann Curry's show

Ann Curry and Matt Lauer appear on NBC News' "Today" show Matt Lauer and the gang at NBC's TODAY have seen better times. Lauer, 55, gets frank with the Daily Beast about his morning show's flagging ratings -- and the much-discussed (many say botched) departure last June of co-anchor Ann Curry. "It was a hard time for everybody," says Lauer of the negative attention on the show. "We were getting kicked around a lot. Some of it was self-inflicted and perhaps deserved." Curry, 56, was quickly jettisoned from the show and replaced by Savannah Guthrie , and made a memorably tearful goodbye -- in which she noticeably declined a hug from Lauer. In the aftermath of her exit, the show's ratings continued to declne. "I don't think the show and the network handled the transition well. You don't have to be Einstein to know that," Lauer admits. "It clearly did not help us. We were seen as a family, and we didn&#

Judge stop New York City ban on large sugary drinks

Judge halts New York City ban on large sugary drinks New York City's planned ban on the sale of large sugary drinks won't go into effect Tuesday after a state judge blocked the restrictions, calling them "arbitrary and capricious." "The court finds that the regulation ... is laden with exceptions based on economic and political concerns," Justice Milton Tingling wrote. Scheduled to begin at midnight, the law would have restricted the sale of sugary drinks to no more than 16 ounces. The law would have exempted a variety of retailers -- including 7-Eleven, seller of the iconic "Big Gulp" drinks, because it is regulated by the state, not the city. "The effect would be a person is unable to buy a drink larger than 16 ounces at one establishment but may be able to buy it at another establishment that may be located right next door," Tingling wrote. The lawsuit was brought by a group of business associations -- including the American Bever

There will be smoke: Papal election

Pope vote: cardinals approach the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican before the start of the conclave in 2005. This time there will be 115 cardinals casting votes twice in the morning and twice in the afternoon, trying to achieve a two thirds majority plus one  The first smoke signal from the locked‑in cardinals is due at about 6pm GMT today. I forecast black – no pope. While the cardinals are locked into their conclave, an umbrella is, perhaps surprisingly, in charge of the Catholic Church. On his coat of arms, Pope Benedict XVI sported a mitre above the cross keys. The keys stand for the authority of St Peter, whom Jesus told: “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.” Now that the Church is in the popeless condition of sede vacante, the mitre has been replaced by an umbrella (red and gold striped), the umbraculum. The umbraculum is not in use these days, but if it were it would open out, not like the curly umbrellas in a Renoir paint

Steven Tyler car: Buys world fastest street-legal car

Steven Tyler has been famous for his fast living ways. And it appears Tyler has taken his reputation literally. The 64-year-old rocker is showing driving off in the powerful, limited edition $1.1 million Hennessey Venom GT Spyder after a charity event on Sunday in Los Angeles Fast and furious: Steven Tyler was snapped driving off in his $1.1 million dollar Hennessey Venom GT Spyder convertible after performing at a charity event on Sunday in Los Angeles Steven Tyler has famous for his fast living ways. And it appears Steven Tyler has taken his reputation literally. The 64-year-old rocker was seen proudly driving off in the powerful, limited edition $1.1 million Hennessey Venom GT Spyder after a charity event on Sunday in Los Angeles The Aerosmith frontman waved to fans as he sped off in the black vehicle, which is said to be the fastest convertible in the world, reaching close to 275 miles per hour at top speed. The singer was leaving the John Varvatos 10th Annua

shark protection Historic Day

The Oceanic whitetip is found in tropical and warm temperate seas Three types of critically endangered but commercially valuable shark have been given added protection at the Cites meeting in Bangkok. The body, which regulates trade in flora and fauna, voted by a two thirds majority to upgrade the status of these sharks. Campaigners hailed the move as historic and said that the vote represented a major breakthrough for marine conservation. The decisions can still be overturned by a vote on the final day of this meeting later this week. The oceanic whitetip, three varieties of hammerheads and the porbeagle are all said to be seriously threatened by overfishing. “Start Quote     Cites is ready to come of age for marine species” Dr Colman O'Criodain WWF International Their numbers have declined dramatically in recent years, as the trade in shark fins for soup has grown. Manta rays are killed for their gill plates which are used in Chinese medicine. S

Rihanna cancels concert after contracting laryngitis

With her chiseled features, the singer is able to pull off shorter hairstyles. And when she adds in her signature red lip, the look is a major hit. Rihanna had been canceled her concert in Boston after contracting laryngitis The 'Stay' singer - who kicked off her new 'Diamond' world tour - has come down with a severe case of laryngitis but is hoping a two day break from performing will cure her in time for her next concert in Baltimore. Live Nation shared the 25-year-old star's disappointment with gossip website TMZ.com earlier, saying: "Unfortunately, following her sold out concert on Friday, Rihanna has contracted laryngitis and per doctor's instruction is unable to perform this evening." But they said she is still scheduled to play a show in Baltimore on Tuesday, and her Boston show will be rescheduled. A source previously claimed that Rihanna couldn't wait to get out on tour and took it easy in rehearsals so she could save her