Dolphins' First Pick in 2008 NFL Draft? Chris Long Looks Like a Bill Parcells Player
Posted Dec 28th 2007 9:17AM by Michael David Smith
Filed under: Dolphins, NFL Draft, Miami
With Bill Parcells running the Dolphins and the Dolphins owning the first pick in the 2008 NFL draft, we're going to hear a lot of speculation about which of the top prospects most fits the mold of a Parcells-type player.
A lot can change between now and the draft on April 26, but right now, I think the player who looks the most like the kind of guy Parcells would want to build his team around is Virginia defensive end Chris Long.
The most obvious connection is that Long's coach at Virginia is Al Groh, who was an assistant to Parcells with the Giants, Patriots and Jets. Parcells will spend a lot of time talking to Groh about Long, and all indications are that Groh will give a glowing recommendation.
But there are other reasons to think Parcells would like Long. In every coaching stop, Parcells has stressed the importance of having size and run-stuffing ability from his defensive ends, and the 285-pound Long definitely qualifies there.
And Parcells has said he likes guys whose lives are totally immersed in the game of football. That was one of his justifications for selecting linebacker Bobby Carpenter, the son of Parcells' former Giants fullback Rob Carpenter, with the Cowboys' first-round pick in 2006. Long is the son of Howie Long, the Hall of Fame defensive lineman, so he definitely qualifies there.
A lot can change between now and late April, but right now, Long looks like the best bet for the player Parcells would want to take.
Sunday, December 30, 2007
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Rick Neuheisel is returning to college coaching
UCLA Hires Rick Neuheisel
By KEN PETERS – 57 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rick Neuheisel is returning to college coaching at the school where he first found fame and success.
Neuheisel, a quarterback who was the MVP in UCLA's 1984 Rose Bowl victory and later served as a Bruins assistant under Terry Donahue, was hired Saturday as his alma mater's 16th coach.
His five-year contract is for $1.25 million annually, plus incentives.
The 46-year-old Neuheisel succeeds Karl Dorrell, who was fired Dec. 3 after five seasons on the job. Dorrell, who caught two of Neuheisel's scoring passes in UCLA's 45-9 victory over Illinois in the 1984 Rose Bowl, had no head coaching experience before taking the Bruins' job.
Athletic director Dan Guerrero said Neuheisel's experience and success as a head coach were significant.
"In the end it was all about 66 collegiate wins, a percentage that places him among the top active coaches in the country, and an opportunity for Rick to start anew with a clean slate at his alma mater," Guerrero said in a conference call.
"He brings an energy, enthusiasm and a swagger that we needed."
Neuheisel spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, and will conclude his duties with them when they face Pittsburgh on Sunday. He served as quarterbacks coach in 2005-06, and was promoted to offensive coordinator last January.
"This is something that has been my blood," Neuheisel said of the college game. "I've missed it the last five years.
"It's a thrill for me to return to my alma mater and take over a program that I think can and should be one of the best in the country."
He had a 66-30 record as a head coach at Colorado from 1995-98 and Washington from 1999-2002. He hasn't been in the college game since Washington fired him in 2003 for participating in a betting pool on the NCAA basketball tournament. He sued for wrongful termination from Washington and settled in March 2005 with UW and the NCAA for $4.5 million.
Colorado was placed on two years' probation by the NCAA for infractions committed while he was the Buffaloes' coach. All were deemed secondary violations and most involved improper contact with recruits.
Neuheisel said he took full responsibility for his past errors in judgment, and assured Guerrero and other UCLA officials that he'd learned from his mistakes.
"They have my complete, unequivocal promise that this will never happen again," he said.
Guerrero said Neuheisel's problems at Washington and Colorado were a concern during interviewing process, but added, "They happened 5-10 years ago. I think he's much wiser and more mature. I don't think it's going to be an issue at all at UCLA."
After leaving Washington, Neuheisel began his road back to coaching that fall as a volunteer assistant coaching quarterbacks at Seattle's Rainier Beach High School.
He said he gained valuable experience both as a high school coach in the inner-city, and as an assistant with the Ravens.
"That (high school) was a grass roots reminder of what football is all about," he said, explaining that it wasn't just x's and o's, "but making sure kids had bus tokens to get home.
"In the last three years, I have gotten a chance to learn in the NFL and be around the best in the game. It's like the grad school of football."
The Bruins were 35-27 under Dorrell, including 6-6 this season. They lost to BYU 17-16 in the Las Vegas Bowl under defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, who was also a candidate for the head coaching job.
Neuheisel wants to keep Walker on the staff.
"I have told Dan that DeWayne Walker is my No. 1 recruit," Neuheisel said. "I know he's a coveted, sought-after guy because of the way he's performed and the person he is."
Others interviewed for the head coaching job were Temple coach Al Golden, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow and Philadelphia Eagles assistant John Harbaugh.
Golden, Bellotti and Chow all took themselves out of consideration.
Ravens coach Brian Billick had been supportive of Neuheisel's bid to move back into the college ranks.
"Rick Neuheisel has been, and will make, an outstanding college coach," Billick said earlier this season. "The college game needs coaches like Rick Neuheisel."
Donahue said UCLA made a "great hire."
"Rick is a proven head coach with a very successful record in the Pac-10 and he will be able to compete with any team in the conference," Donahue said. "He will do a great job in attracting some of the best football players in the country to Westwood.
"It's great that they have kept it in the Bruin Family. A lot of the former players and alumni will be excited about this hire."
Neuheisel began his playing career at UCLA in 1979 as a non-scholarship player on special teams.
By KEN PETERS – 57 minutes ago
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Rick Neuheisel is returning to college coaching at the school where he first found fame and success.
Neuheisel, a quarterback who was the MVP in UCLA's 1984 Rose Bowl victory and later served as a Bruins assistant under Terry Donahue, was hired Saturday as his alma mater's 16th coach.
His five-year contract is for $1.25 million annually, plus incentives.
The 46-year-old Neuheisel succeeds Karl Dorrell, who was fired Dec. 3 after five seasons on the job. Dorrell, who caught two of Neuheisel's scoring passes in UCLA's 45-9 victory over Illinois in the 1984 Rose Bowl, had no head coaching experience before taking the Bruins' job.
Athletic director Dan Guerrero said Neuheisel's experience and success as a head coach were significant.
"In the end it was all about 66 collegiate wins, a percentage that places him among the top active coaches in the country, and an opportunity for Rick to start anew with a clean slate at his alma mater," Guerrero said in a conference call.
"He brings an energy, enthusiasm and a swagger that we needed."
Neuheisel spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach for the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, and will conclude his duties with them when they face Pittsburgh on Sunday. He served as quarterbacks coach in 2005-06, and was promoted to offensive coordinator last January.
"This is something that has been my blood," Neuheisel said of the college game. "I've missed it the last five years.
"It's a thrill for me to return to my alma mater and take over a program that I think can and should be one of the best in the country."
He had a 66-30 record as a head coach at Colorado from 1995-98 and Washington from 1999-2002. He hasn't been in the college game since Washington fired him in 2003 for participating in a betting pool on the NCAA basketball tournament. He sued for wrongful termination from Washington and settled in March 2005 with UW and the NCAA for $4.5 million.
Colorado was placed on two years' probation by the NCAA for infractions committed while he was the Buffaloes' coach. All were deemed secondary violations and most involved improper contact with recruits.
Neuheisel said he took full responsibility for his past errors in judgment, and assured Guerrero and other UCLA officials that he'd learned from his mistakes.
"They have my complete, unequivocal promise that this will never happen again," he said.
Guerrero said Neuheisel's problems at Washington and Colorado were a concern during interviewing process, but added, "They happened 5-10 years ago. I think he's much wiser and more mature. I don't think it's going to be an issue at all at UCLA."
After leaving Washington, Neuheisel began his road back to coaching that fall as a volunteer assistant coaching quarterbacks at Seattle's Rainier Beach High School.
He said he gained valuable experience both as a high school coach in the inner-city, and as an assistant with the Ravens.
"That (high school) was a grass roots reminder of what football is all about," he said, explaining that it wasn't just x's and o's, "but making sure kids had bus tokens to get home.
"In the last three years, I have gotten a chance to learn in the NFL and be around the best in the game. It's like the grad school of football."
The Bruins were 35-27 under Dorrell, including 6-6 this season. They lost to BYU 17-16 in the Las Vegas Bowl under defensive coordinator DeWayne Walker, who was also a candidate for the head coaching job.
Neuheisel wants to keep Walker on the staff.
"I have told Dan that DeWayne Walker is my No. 1 recruit," Neuheisel said. "I know he's a coveted, sought-after guy because of the way he's performed and the person he is."
Others interviewed for the head coaching job were Temple coach Al Golden, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow and Philadelphia Eagles assistant John Harbaugh.
Golden, Bellotti and Chow all took themselves out of consideration.
Ravens coach Brian Billick had been supportive of Neuheisel's bid to move back into the college ranks.
"Rick Neuheisel has been, and will make, an outstanding college coach," Billick said earlier this season. "The college game needs coaches like Rick Neuheisel."
Donahue said UCLA made a "great hire."
"Rick is a proven head coach with a very successful record in the Pac-10 and he will be able to compete with any team in the conference," Donahue said. "He will do a great job in attracting some of the best football players in the country to Westwood.
"It's great that they have kept it in the Bruin Family. A lot of the former players and alumni will be excited about this hire."
Neuheisel began his playing career at UCLA in 1979 as a non-scholarship player on special teams.
Hannah Montana Tickets Received By Deception
Mother Accused of Lying to Win Hannah Montana Tickets
Posted December 29th, 2007 by wildouble in News
And again you people accuse us of being sleazy...At least I don't make up stories that my husband died in Iraq to win Hannah Montana tickets. Maybe I would do it for Madonna tickets, but that is a different story and totally acceptable.
NBC 5 reports that Priscilla Ceballos' daughter received a makeover, Montana concert tickets and a gift bag after she won "Hannah Montana Rock Your Holidays Essay Contest, claiming her father died in Iraq.
The essay started with the line "My daddy died in Iraq this year."
Her mother is accused of making up the story, beating out 1,000 other fans, NBC 5 realized that only one solider died on April 17th (the supposed day) and it was not her father.
When asked about the essay her mother responded by saying: "We don't really want to talk about that ... OK?," and hustled out of the store.
Posted December 29th, 2007 by wildouble in News
And again you people accuse us of being sleazy...At least I don't make up stories that my husband died in Iraq to win Hannah Montana tickets. Maybe I would do it for Madonna tickets, but that is a different story and totally acceptable.
NBC 5 reports that Priscilla Ceballos' daughter received a makeover, Montana concert tickets and a gift bag after she won "Hannah Montana Rock Your Holidays Essay Contest, claiming her father died in Iraq.
The essay started with the line "My daddy died in Iraq this year."
Her mother is accused of making up the story, beating out 1,000 other fans, NBC 5 realized that only one solider died on April 17th (the supposed day) and it was not her father.
When asked about the essay her mother responded by saying: "We don't really want to talk about that ... OK?," and hustled out of the store.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Jim Leyritz, Former Major Leaguer, Arrested
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) -Former Major League Baseball player Jim Leyritz was arrested Friday on charges of driving under the influence and killing another driver after his vehicle crashed into hers.
Leyritz, who turned 44 on Thursday, faces charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage, said Detective Kathy Collins, Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman.
He posted the $11,000 bond and was released from the Broward County jail. It could not be determined whether Leyritz had an attorney.
Fort Lauderdale authorities got a call at 3:20 a.m. that a crash had occurred in the city's entertainment district, Collins said.
She said Leyritz was driving a 2006 Ford Expedition when he collided at an intersection with a 30-year-old woman driving a 2000 Mitsubishi. The woman was ejected from the car. She was critically injured and transported to the Broward General Medical Center, where she died, Collins said. Her identity was not immediately released.
Witnesses told police Leyritz, who lives in Plantation, Fla., had a red light.
Police believe alcohol was involved in the crash, though investigators are waiting for the results of blood alcohol tests, Collins said.
In 1996, Leyritz hit a clutch home run for the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series against Atlanta. The blast tied the game at 6, and the Yankees went on to win in 10 innings. New York eventually won the Series in six games, giving the team its first title in 18 years.
Leyritz last played in the majors in 2000, when he hit .209 in 115 at-bats with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 11 seasons, he played for six teams, including the Yankees, Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, Padres and Dodgers. A career .264 hitter, Leyritz had 90 homers and 387 RBIs in 903 games.
Leyritz, who turned 44 on Thursday, faces charges of DUI manslaughter and DUI property damage, said Detective Kathy Collins, Fort Lauderdale police spokeswoman.
He posted the $11,000 bond and was released from the Broward County jail. It could not be determined whether Leyritz had an attorney.
Fort Lauderdale authorities got a call at 3:20 a.m. that a crash had occurred in the city's entertainment district, Collins said.
She said Leyritz was driving a 2006 Ford Expedition when he collided at an intersection with a 30-year-old woman driving a 2000 Mitsubishi. The woman was ejected from the car. She was critically injured and transported to the Broward General Medical Center, where she died, Collins said. Her identity was not immediately released.
Witnesses told police Leyritz, who lives in Plantation, Fla., had a red light.
Police believe alcohol was involved in the crash, though investigators are waiting for the results of blood alcohol tests, Collins said.
In 1996, Leyritz hit a clutch home run for the New York Yankees in Game 4 of the World Series against Atlanta. The blast tied the game at 6, and the Yankees went on to win in 10 innings. New York eventually won the Series in six games, giving the team its first title in 18 years.
Leyritz last played in the majors in 2000, when he hit .209 in 115 at-bats with the New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers. In 11 seasons, he played for six teams, including the Yankees, Angels, Rangers, Red Sox, Padres and Dodgers. A career .264 hitter, Leyritz had 90 homers and 387 RBIs in 903 games.
Robin Wright Calls It Quits with Partner
After 11 years, Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn divorcing
December 27, 2007
BY JENNIFER NEWMAN Staff Reporter
Hollywood couple Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn are divorcing, according to People.com.
The actors have been married for 11 years and have two children, daughter, Dylan Frances, 16, and son, Hopper Jack, 14.
Penn, 47, and Wright Penn, 41, first met in 1990 on the set of the movie, “State of Grace.” They later married in 1996.
Wright Penn starred in “Beowulf” this year. Penn directed the movie “Into the Wild,” which received four SAG Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.
December 27, 2007
BY JENNIFER NEWMAN Staff Reporter
Hollywood couple Sean Penn and Robin Wright Penn are divorcing, according to People.com.
The actors have been married for 11 years and have two children, daughter, Dylan Frances, 16, and son, Hopper Jack, 14.
Penn, 47, and Wright Penn, 41, first met in 1990 on the set of the movie, “State of Grace.” They later married in 1996.
Wright Penn starred in “Beowulf” this year. Penn directed the movie “Into the Wild,” which received four SAG Award nominations and two Golden Globe nominations.
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Introducing the Ivanka
Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Spotted in St. Bart's
Atlanta, GA 12/27/2007 04:20 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Ivanka Trump and boyfriend Jared Kushner were spotted in St. Bart's Saturday. The real estate couple has been private with their relationship as far as speaking about it publicly.
Both are the children of real estate magnates. Ivanka is the daughter of Donald Trump and Jared is the son of New Jersey developer Charles Kushner.
Jared, the owner of the New York Observer, is a Harvard graduate and currently attends both the New York University Stern School of Business and the New York University School of Law.
Trump spent two years at Georgetown University before transferring and graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, the alma mater of her father.
Trump is currently vice president of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at the Trump Organization. She has also been a fashion model, gracing the covers of Bazaar, Stuff and Arena, to name a few. Trump was named to Maxim Magazine's Maxim Hot 100.
For more from Finditt People, please check out http://news.finditt.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=14&wcat=16
befound@finditt.com
Atlanta, GA 12/27/2007 04:20 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Ivanka Trump and boyfriend Jared Kushner were spotted in St. Bart's Saturday. The real estate couple has been private with their relationship as far as speaking about it publicly.
Both are the children of real estate magnates. Ivanka is the daughter of Donald Trump and Jared is the son of New Jersey developer Charles Kushner.
Jared, the owner of the New York Observer, is a Harvard graduate and currently attends both the New York University Stern School of Business and the New York University School of Law.
Trump spent two years at Georgetown University before transferring and graduating from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business, the alma mater of her father.
Trump is currently vice president of Real Estate Development and Acquisitions at the Trump Organization. She has also been a fashion model, gracing the covers of Bazaar, Stuff and Arena, to name a few. Trump was named to Maxim Magazine's Maxim Hot 100.
For more from Finditt People, please check out http://news.finditt.com/NewsList.aspx?cat=14&wcat=16
befound@finditt.com
Alexander Graham Bell - Patent Thief?
Elisha Gray the True Inventor of the Telephone?
Atlanta,GA 12/27/2007 04:11 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Elisha Gray was an electrical engineer known for his telephone prototype in 1876. Alexander Graham Bell is widely known as the genius who invented the telephone, but did he really? Seth Shulman doesn’t think so. In his new book, “The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell’s Secrete,” Shulman makes the claim that Bell stole the idea of the telephone from Elisha Gray.
Shulman says that the proof is inn the lab notebook of Bell which was released in 1976. In the notebook several false starts can be found but then after 12 days of nothing and a trip to the U.S. Patent office a new design is suddenly revealed with noticeable similarities to Gray’s design for multiplexing Morse code signals.
Shulman writes that Bell’s fear of being revealed was his reason to distance himself from phone companies. He also notes that Gray and Bell were not the true inventors of the telephone in the first place. Shulman writes that Johann Philipp Reis, a German inventor, developed the first phone nearly two decades before.
befound@finditt.com
www.finditt.com
Atlanta,GA 12/27/2007 04:11 PM GMT (FINDITT)
Elisha Gray was an electrical engineer known for his telephone prototype in 1876. Alexander Graham Bell is widely known as the genius who invented the telephone, but did he really? Seth Shulman doesn’t think so. In his new book, “The Telephone Gambit: Chasing Alexander Graham Bell’s Secrete,” Shulman makes the claim that Bell stole the idea of the telephone from Elisha Gray.
Shulman says that the proof is inn the lab notebook of Bell which was released in 1976. In the notebook several false starts can be found but then after 12 days of nothing and a trip to the U.S. Patent office a new design is suddenly revealed with noticeable similarities to Gray’s design for multiplexing Morse code signals.
Shulman writes that Bell’s fear of being revealed was his reason to distance himself from phone companies. He also notes that Gray and Bell were not the true inventors of the telephone in the first place. Shulman writes that Johann Philipp Reis, a German inventor, developed the first phone nearly two decades before.
befound@finditt.com
www.finditt.com
Paris Hilton to be devoid of fortune
James Bone | December 28, 2007
SOCIALITES Paris and Nicky Hilton stand to lose the bulk of their inheritance after their billionaire grandfather said he would leave 97 per cent of his fortune tocharity.
Barron Hilton, 80, who is reported to be unhappy with Paris's lifestyle, said he would bequeath most of his $US2.3billion ($2.6billion) wealth to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, named after his father, who founded the Hilton hotel chain in 1919.
Matthew Miller, an editor of Forbes magazine's rich list, said the change was unlikely to crimp Paris's style.
"She is a celebrity in her own right," he said.
Forbes estimated she earned $US7million last year from The Simple Life television show, her perfume line, mobile phone games and appearances.
The Conrad N.Hilton Foundation said yesterday its chairman would place $US1.2 billion from the sale of Hilton Hotels Corporation and the pending sale of Harrah's Entertainment into a charitable trust to benefit the foundation.
Mr Hilton indicated at a meeting of the foundation's board of directors that he intended to leave 97 per cent of his net worth to the foundation.
"Speaking for the family as well as the foundation, we are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment," said Steven Hilton, president and chief executive of the foundation.
The foundation was set up by Conrad Hilton in 1944 and funds humanitarian initiatives such asproviding water and sanitation systems in developing countries, housing for mentally ill homeless people in the US and blindness prevention and treatment worldwide.
Jerry Oppenheimer, who profiled the Hilton family in his 2006 book House of Hilton, has said Barron Hilton is embarrassed by the behaviour of his socialite granddaughter Paris and believes it has sullied the family name.
Mr Hilton has not commented on Oppenheimer's remarks.
The Times
Additional reporting: Agencies
SOCIALITES Paris and Nicky Hilton stand to lose the bulk of their inheritance after their billionaire grandfather said he would leave 97 per cent of his fortune tocharity.
Barron Hilton, 80, who is reported to be unhappy with Paris's lifestyle, said he would bequeath most of his $US2.3billion ($2.6billion) wealth to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, named after his father, who founded the Hilton hotel chain in 1919.
Matthew Miller, an editor of Forbes magazine's rich list, said the change was unlikely to crimp Paris's style.
"She is a celebrity in her own right," he said.
Forbes estimated she earned $US7million last year from The Simple Life television show, her perfume line, mobile phone games and appearances.
The Conrad N.Hilton Foundation said yesterday its chairman would place $US1.2 billion from the sale of Hilton Hotels Corporation and the pending sale of Harrah's Entertainment into a charitable trust to benefit the foundation.
Mr Hilton indicated at a meeting of the foundation's board of directors that he intended to leave 97 per cent of his net worth to the foundation.
"Speaking for the family as well as the foundation, we are all exceedingly proud and grateful for this extraordinary commitment," said Steven Hilton, president and chief executive of the foundation.
The foundation was set up by Conrad Hilton in 1944 and funds humanitarian initiatives such asproviding water and sanitation systems in developing countries, housing for mentally ill homeless people in the US and blindness prevention and treatment worldwide.
Jerry Oppenheimer, who profiled the Hilton family in his 2006 book House of Hilton, has said Barron Hilton is embarrassed by the behaviour of his socialite granddaughter Paris and believes it has sullied the family name.
Mr Hilton has not commented on Oppenheimer's remarks.
The Times
Additional reporting: Agencies
Sunday, December 23, 2007
How Starbucks Saved My Life
(CBS) Millions of us wake up every morning to a good strong cup of coffee. And, as it happens, coffee figures in the story of the wake-up call one man received after hitting a low point reminiscent of George Bailey's in the film "It's a Wonderful Life." Anthony Mason tells the tale:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By his own admission, Michael Gill was a child of privilege.
"I was born with just about every advantage you could imagine, or even wish for," he told Mason.
He went to an Ivy League college, was a top executive at a world renowned ad agency, and had a six-figure salary. But now at age 67, he's trudging through the dark just before 5 o'clock in the morning, to make the early shift for his new job.
He's a barista at Starbucks.
"This was not on my goal list when I went to Yale."
This is the story of an affluent man's fall from grace, and how he found redemption in an unexpected place, a story Michael Gates Gill tells in his book, "How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else."
He describes it with almost a religious connotation.
"Oh, I think there's definitely a sense of, I would have to say, divine grace about my life. Because I definitely didn't deserve this kindness."
He was born the first son in a prominent family. His father, Brendan Gill, was a writer for the New Yorker for more than 60 years, author of a bestselling history of the magazine, and friend to many of the city's most famous faces.
"My father was a very well-recognized figure," Gill said.
When Mike was still a boy, the Gills moved to a prosperous New York suburb called Bronxville. Their house had 25 rooms, a gymnasium, and a two-story library.
It was desperation or courage, but I think I just realized this is the moment I can't afford to miss.
Michael Gates GillFollowing in his father's footsteps, Michael went to Yale, and was hired out of college to work at J. Walter Thompson, then the world's biggest ad agency.
"I was what was called a creative director, and that means my job was to encourage other people to have ideas, like an orchestra leader," Gill laughed.
He presided over ad campaigns for the Marines, Christian Dior and Ford. For 26 years he climbed the corporate ladder. But he didn’t see the end coming.
"No, I was really shocked by it, which I shouldn't have been."
He was 53 when a fellow executive invited him out to breakfast:
"And she said, you know, those classic words: 'Michael, we have to - we have to let you go.'"
"How did you feel at that moment?" Mason asked.
"I felt stunned. To be 53 and fired in advertising is really a death notice."
Gill tried to start his own consulting business, but couldn't make it. Then money began to get tight.
"I was dressing up everyday with a tie. It's sad now to think about it, but I was dressing up like I was an executive when I didn't have any work."
"Were you surprised at how fragile it all turned out to be?"
"I was surprised at my inability to cope."
Things quickly went from bad to worse. First Gill lost his job, then an affair ended his twenty-year marriage, when his girlfriend gave birth to a son. The final blow came four years ago, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
He was at rock-bottom.
In a desperate attempt to find comfort, Gill found himself going back to his first home in New York City.
"You know, I didn't do it consciously, but I found myself back in the neighborhood I'd been at least appreciated and loved in, [where] I was a fortunate son in a fortunate world, and I was trying to, I think, recapture that sense of, 'I have a place in the universe,' because I felt like I'd fallen out.
"But then I looked over there. And there was a brightly lighted Starbucks store."
He walked over. What he didn't know was Starbucks was hiring that day. And when Gill sat down to brood over his latte, a woman approached him.
"She said, 'Would you like a job?'"
Gill's answer would literally change his life.
"And when she asked me that, I just didn't have the energy to lie or even be polite. I just said, 'Yes, I need a job.'"
"Why did you say, 'yes'?" Mason asked.
"I don't know. It was desperation or courage, but I think I just realized this is the moment I can't afford to miss."
He said the idea of putting on a barista's uniform was humiliating, and scary.
"I mean, it's one thing to get fired from J. Walter Thompson. It's another thing to be fired from Starbucks because you can't even do the basic job."
Those fears proved unfounded. In fact, he had found his calling.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
By his own admission, Michael Gill was a child of privilege.
"I was born with just about every advantage you could imagine, or even wish for," he told Mason.
He went to an Ivy League college, was a top executive at a world renowned ad agency, and had a six-figure salary. But now at age 67, he's trudging through the dark just before 5 o'clock in the morning, to make the early shift for his new job.
He's a barista at Starbucks.
"This was not on my goal list when I went to Yale."
This is the story of an affluent man's fall from grace, and how he found redemption in an unexpected place, a story Michael Gates Gill tells in his book, "How Starbucks Saved My Life: A Son of Privilege Learns to Live Like Everyone Else."
He describes it with almost a religious connotation.
"Oh, I think there's definitely a sense of, I would have to say, divine grace about my life. Because I definitely didn't deserve this kindness."
He was born the first son in a prominent family. His father, Brendan Gill, was a writer for the New Yorker for more than 60 years, author of a bestselling history of the magazine, and friend to many of the city's most famous faces.
"My father was a very well-recognized figure," Gill said.
When Mike was still a boy, the Gills moved to a prosperous New York suburb called Bronxville. Their house had 25 rooms, a gymnasium, and a two-story library.
It was desperation or courage, but I think I just realized this is the moment I can't afford to miss.
Michael Gates GillFollowing in his father's footsteps, Michael went to Yale, and was hired out of college to work at J. Walter Thompson, then the world's biggest ad agency.
"I was what was called a creative director, and that means my job was to encourage other people to have ideas, like an orchestra leader," Gill laughed.
He presided over ad campaigns for the Marines, Christian Dior and Ford. For 26 years he climbed the corporate ladder. But he didn’t see the end coming.
"No, I was really shocked by it, which I shouldn't have been."
He was 53 when a fellow executive invited him out to breakfast:
"And she said, you know, those classic words: 'Michael, we have to - we have to let you go.'"
"How did you feel at that moment?" Mason asked.
"I felt stunned. To be 53 and fired in advertising is really a death notice."
Gill tried to start his own consulting business, but couldn't make it. Then money began to get tight.
"I was dressing up everyday with a tie. It's sad now to think about it, but I was dressing up like I was an executive when I didn't have any work."
"Were you surprised at how fragile it all turned out to be?"
"I was surprised at my inability to cope."
Things quickly went from bad to worse. First Gill lost his job, then an affair ended his twenty-year marriage, when his girlfriend gave birth to a son. The final blow came four years ago, when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor.
He was at rock-bottom.
In a desperate attempt to find comfort, Gill found himself going back to his first home in New York City.
"You know, I didn't do it consciously, but I found myself back in the neighborhood I'd been at least appreciated and loved in, [where] I was a fortunate son in a fortunate world, and I was trying to, I think, recapture that sense of, 'I have a place in the universe,' because I felt like I'd fallen out.
"But then I looked over there. And there was a brightly lighted Starbucks store."
He walked over. What he didn't know was Starbucks was hiring that day. And when Gill sat down to brood over his latte, a woman approached him.
"She said, 'Would you like a job?'"
Gill's answer would literally change his life.
"And when she asked me that, I just didn't have the energy to lie or even be polite. I just said, 'Yes, I need a job.'"
"Why did you say, 'yes'?" Mason asked.
"I don't know. It was desperation or courage, but I think I just realized this is the moment I can't afford to miss."
He said the idea of putting on a barista's uniform was humiliating, and scary.
"I mean, it's one thing to get fired from J. Walter Thompson. It's another thing to be fired from Starbucks because you can't even do the basic job."
Those fears proved unfounded. In fact, he had found his calling.
Saturday, December 22, 2007
"Borat" Is Dead
British actor-comedian Sacha Baron Cohen says the time has come to shed forever his persona as Borat, the boorish, oversexed, TV journalist from Kazakhstan who became a surprise box office sensation last year.
In a rare interview as himself, Cohen told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper he found it painful to abandon his Borat character, and another of his oddball alter egos, Ali G, but felt both had become too familiar to the public.
Cohen created both personae as devices for improvised social satire, in which people he interacted with in interviews or casual encounters became his unsuspecting comic foils.
His act was most famously showcased in last year's movie phenomenon Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a faux documentary of the Central Asian reporter on a cross-country US road trip.
"When I was being Ali G and Borat, I was in character sometimes 14 hours a day and I came to love them. So admitting I am never going to play them again is quite a sad thing," he told the newspaper.
"It is like saying goodbye to a loved one. It is hard, and the problem with success, although it's fantastic, is that every new person who sees the Borat movie is one less person I 'get' with Borat again, so it's a kind of self-defeating form, really."
The Borat film was a box office smash that turned Cohen's cluelessly offensive Central Asian character - complete with thick moustache, wild-eyed grin and boisterous catch phrases like "Very nice!" and "Sexytime!" - into a household name.
The film benefited in part from publicity sparked by Kazakh officials protesting the unflattering portrait of their country as a backward nation of misogynists and anti-Semites.
Speaking from a hotel in Los Angeles where he now lives with his Australian actress girlfriend Isla Fisher and newborn daughter Olive, Cohen said he was sorry to leave Borat behind.
"But the success has been great and better than anything I could have dreamed of," said Cohen, who is currently starring with Johnny Depp in the musical Sweeney Todd, playing Pirelli, a rival singing barber who meets a bloody end at Todd's hands.
Since creating Ali G and Borat, Cohan has rarely given interviews out of character. He said it was much easier for him like that - and more entertaining.
"I think it can get a little (bit) tiresome if you're having to be the real person and talking about how important and interesting the role was," he said.
Cohen is now finishing work on his next project in which he plays Bruno, a gay, Austrian fashion reporter who like Borat was introduced on his TV program Da Ali G Show.
Reuters
In a rare interview as himself, Cohen told Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper he found it painful to abandon his Borat character, and another of his oddball alter egos, Ali G, but felt both had become too familiar to the public.
Cohen created both personae as devices for improvised social satire, in which people he interacted with in interviews or casual encounters became his unsuspecting comic foils.
His act was most famously showcased in last year's movie phenomenon Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan, a faux documentary of the Central Asian reporter on a cross-country US road trip.
"When I was being Ali G and Borat, I was in character sometimes 14 hours a day and I came to love them. So admitting I am never going to play them again is quite a sad thing," he told the newspaper.
"It is like saying goodbye to a loved one. It is hard, and the problem with success, although it's fantastic, is that every new person who sees the Borat movie is one less person I 'get' with Borat again, so it's a kind of self-defeating form, really."
The Borat film was a box office smash that turned Cohen's cluelessly offensive Central Asian character - complete with thick moustache, wild-eyed grin and boisterous catch phrases like "Very nice!" and "Sexytime!" - into a household name.
The film benefited in part from publicity sparked by Kazakh officials protesting the unflattering portrait of their country as a backward nation of misogynists and anti-Semites.
Speaking from a hotel in Los Angeles where he now lives with his Australian actress girlfriend Isla Fisher and newborn daughter Olive, Cohen said he was sorry to leave Borat behind.
"But the success has been great and better than anything I could have dreamed of," said Cohen, who is currently starring with Johnny Depp in the musical Sweeney Todd, playing Pirelli, a rival singing barber who meets a bloody end at Todd's hands.
Since creating Ali G and Borat, Cohan has rarely given interviews out of character. He said it was much easier for him like that - and more entertaining.
"I think it can get a little (bit) tiresome if you're having to be the real person and talking about how important and interesting the role was," he said.
Cohen is now finishing work on his next project in which he plays Bruno, a gay, Austrian fashion reporter who like Borat was introduced on his TV program Da Ali G Show.
Reuters
Friday, December 21, 2007
Sam Raimi Returns To His Roots
Sam Raimi is to return to his low budget roots with Drag Me To Hell, a supernatural thriller that he wrote with his brother.
Variety is reporting that the script was written after Army of Darkness in 1992. The film was originally known by the very generic title: The Curse.
Raimi's Ghosthouse producing partner Rob Tapert says that "Sam calls it a 'spook-a-blast,' a wild ride with all the chills and spills that 'Evil Dead' delivered, without relying on the excessive violence of that film,"
Obviously then it's going to be PG-13.
This should be a return to form for Raimi, who I feel has lost his way with the Spider-Man films. The films are a a bit on the lame side, and they lack any real thrills and spills. Spider-Man 2 does have a few good Raimi-ian moments during it's running time, although very few. Generally though, I'm of the opinion that the films are just soul-less CGI.
The script must be outstanding if it sat on a shelf for fifteen years and now can go into production without a rewrite (that was sarcasm, in case you missed it).
Do you guys agree or disagree?
The film goes into production early next year.
Source: Variety
Variety is reporting that the script was written after Army of Darkness in 1992. The film was originally known by the very generic title: The Curse.
Raimi's Ghosthouse producing partner Rob Tapert says that "Sam calls it a 'spook-a-blast,' a wild ride with all the chills and spills that 'Evil Dead' delivered, without relying on the excessive violence of that film,"
Obviously then it's going to be PG-13.
This should be a return to form for Raimi, who I feel has lost his way with the Spider-Man films. The films are a a bit on the lame side, and they lack any real thrills and spills. Spider-Man 2 does have a few good Raimi-ian moments during it's running time, although very few. Generally though, I'm of the opinion that the films are just soul-less CGI.
The script must be outstanding if it sat on a shelf for fifteen years and now can go into production without a rewrite (that was sarcasm, in case you missed it).
Do you guys agree or disagree?
The film goes into production early next year.
Source: Variety
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" Actors Inspired
Film's cast say Hills 'inspired' performers
By Journal staff Friday, December 21, 2007
3 comment(s) Normal Size Increase font Size
Although they only spent two weeks filming in the Black Hills, the actors and filmmakers of "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," say they were deeply affected by their experiences in South Dakota.
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"The Black Hills are very unique," Nicolas Cage said in a news release authored by Disney Studios. "They were very, very special because it's Native American sacred ground. I found it uniquely beautiful and still something of a secret. I don't think people realize how beautiful that is in our own backyard."
Cage said it was awe inspiring.
"It definitely inspired the performances, being in those places. It gave us all a little boost," he said.
Just as the movie's filming in Washington, D.C., was a plunge into the nation's past, South Dakota took the company back even further, to its pre-contact, Native American roots, which figure prominently in the story of the film, director Jon Turteltaub said.
"With all of the amazing places we went to, the least likely suspect became our favorite," he said. "We all fell in love with South Dakota. It's spectacularly beautiful, the people were gentle and embracing, and there's an enormous amount of culture there."
Turteltaub said the past is very present in South Dakota, and by going to and shooting at Mount Rushmore, the filmmakers and actors started to feel much more about what the stone was before it was carved into American faces and what meaning the landscape had for Native people.
"We tried, as best we could in small ways, to start letting that seep into the storytelling and the moviemaking," he said.
Gerard Baker, the first Native American superintendent at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, along with the late Darrell Martin, assistant chief of interpretation at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, performed a traditional Indian blessing ceremony for the film crew -- including stars Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha -- before the camera first rolled at Mount Rushmore on the morning of April 20.
Martin, a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe of Montana was noted for his kindness and vast historical knowledge. He died unexpectedly the following week.
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" was to be the first major feature film to shoot an important sequence at Mount Rushmore since Alfred Hitchcock brought Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and the "North By Northwest" production crew to the Black Hills for just two days in September 1958.
The film crew used Rapid City as a base of operations and filmed on a wide range of locations, with a full week's work not only at Mount Rushmore, but also at nearby Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.
"I loved South Dakota," Helen Mirren said. "I loved the people, the landscape and the wildlife. It's a really extraordinary part of the world. When we were there, we were looking at each other saying: 'Do you realize how lucky we are? Isn't this the best job in the world, to be here in this incredible landscape shooting a fun film
By Journal staff Friday, December 21, 2007
3 comment(s) Normal Size Increase font Size
Although they only spent two weeks filming in the Black Hills, the actors and filmmakers of "National Treasure: Book of Secrets," say they were deeply affected by their experiences in South Dakota.
Related Articles
Most Commented
School of Mines commencement Saturday
New Underwood resident celebrates 104th birthday
Sobriety checkpoints planned for January
Sanford to donate up to $5 million to Crazy Horse
Man pleads guilty in debit-card scam
Lakota group secedes from U.S. (252)
Petition effort seeks to ban most abortions (213)
State ranks 51st in teacher salaries again (165)
Garnier resigns from tribal council (124)
"The Black Hills are very unique," Nicolas Cage said in a news release authored by Disney Studios. "They were very, very special because it's Native American sacred ground. I found it uniquely beautiful and still something of a secret. I don't think people realize how beautiful that is in our own backyard."
Cage said it was awe inspiring.
"It definitely inspired the performances, being in those places. It gave us all a little boost," he said.
Just as the movie's filming in Washington, D.C., was a plunge into the nation's past, South Dakota took the company back even further, to its pre-contact, Native American roots, which figure prominently in the story of the film, director Jon Turteltaub said.
"With all of the amazing places we went to, the least likely suspect became our favorite," he said. "We all fell in love with South Dakota. It's spectacularly beautiful, the people were gentle and embracing, and there's an enormous amount of culture there."
Turteltaub said the past is very present in South Dakota, and by going to and shooting at Mount Rushmore, the filmmakers and actors started to feel much more about what the stone was before it was carved into American faces and what meaning the landscape had for Native people.
"We tried, as best we could in small ways, to start letting that seep into the storytelling and the moviemaking," he said.
Gerard Baker, the first Native American superintendent at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, along with the late Darrell Martin, assistant chief of interpretation at Mount Rushmore National Memorial, performed a traditional Indian blessing ceremony for the film crew -- including stars Nicolas Cage, Jon Voight, Diane Kruger and Justin Bartha -- before the camera first rolled at Mount Rushmore on the morning of April 20.
Martin, a member of the Gros Ventre Tribe of Montana was noted for his kindness and vast historical knowledge. He died unexpectedly the following week.
"National Treasure: Book of Secrets" was to be the first major feature film to shoot an important sequence at Mount Rushmore since Alfred Hitchcock brought Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint and the "North By Northwest" production crew to the Black Hills for just two days in September 1958.
The film crew used Rapid City as a base of operations and filmed on a wide range of locations, with a full week's work not only at Mount Rushmore, but also at nearby Sylvan Lake in Custer State Park.
"I loved South Dakota," Helen Mirren said. "I loved the people, the landscape and the wildlife. It's a really extraordinary part of the world. When we were there, we were looking at each other saying: 'Do you realize how lucky we are? Isn't this the best job in the world, to be here in this incredible landscape shooting a fun film
Secret Santa returns to hand out money, kindness
SUSAN Dahl was homeless, hungry, tired and broke when a tall man in a red coat and red hat sat down next to her in Kansas City's downtown bus station.
Dahl, 56, who had just completed a harrowing 10-hour bus trip through sleet and snow, said the man prodded her quietly, asking where she was going and "if everything was all right".
"Actually, I was rather crabby, and I told him, 'No. I need an ice pack for my back and I can't get one'," she said between sobs.
"He wanted to know why I couldn't buy food, and I told him I don't have any money. I'm homeless.
"He said, 'Here's a $100 bill . . . and this is in the memory of Larry Stewart.' "
Secret Santa is back.
Larry Stewart, Kansas City's original Secret Santa who anonymously walked city streets each December doling out $100 notes to anyone who looked like they might need a lift, died of cancer at age 58 this year.
But his legacy lives on.
Over about a quarter of a century, Stewart quietly gave out more than $1.5 million to people in laundromats, diners, bus stations, shelters and thrift stores.
He said it was his way of giving back at Christmas for all the wealth he'd had and the generosity he'd known.
He did not want his name known, he did not want thanks or applause.
He just wanted the fun of getting some of his raucous friends together, telling some bad jokes and creating that special alchemy that comes when need, generosity and Christmas collide.
Last December, though, Stewart acknowledged who he was, and used his last few months while he battled cancer to press his message of kindness.
He also trained some friends in the ways of Secret Santa.
This Christmas, a friend who told Stewart in the hospital that he would carry on for him, and who like Stewart prefers to remain anonymous, is out on the streets handing out notes, each one stamped "Larry Stewart, Secret Santa".
Between Kansas City and several other cities this Christmas, the new Secret Santa will give away $88,000 of his own money.
"I didn't want to be a Secret Santa," says the new Secret Santa, a business consultant who lives in the Kansas City area.
"I wanted to give Larry money. But last year, he said I had to hand it out myself. So I did, and I got hooked."
This new Secret Santa talks about Larry Stewart to just about everyone he encounters.
"Have you ever heard of a man named Larry Stewart?" he asks before handing out $100.
Depending on who he's talking to, the new Secret Santa might launch into Stewart's story of needing money for food, and a man giving him $20 and telling him, "You must have dropped this".
Or he might just say Stewart was a man who believed in making people happy by giving them money they did not have to ask for, apply for, or wait in line for.
"There was this fella named Larry Stewart," he tells a man in the bus station.
"He was an old friend of mine. He was called Secret Santa, and every year he would find a few people who might need a little money and he would ask that you pass on the kindness."
People respond differently to the gesture. Some cry. Some scream. A rare few even say, "No thanks."
Others take the money and offer their own gifts - like Robert Young, who was homeless, and had only 20c in his pocket.
When Secret Santa gave him $200, Young, 50, took out an old notebook and ripped out a song he had written.
"It's yours, now," he told Secret Santa, who thanked Young, and tucked the pages into his pocket.
"Thank you very much," Secret Santa said.
"You're a good man."
The new Secret Santa has also started a website, and is trying to recruit others across the country.
"Larry's dream was for a Secret Santa in every city," he says.
There are now a couple of apprentices and more candidates turning up all the time.
But, he says, you don't have to hand out money to be a Secret Santa.
"Anyone can be a Secret Santa," he says.
"You don't have to give away $100. You can give away kindness. Help someone."
- AP
Dahl, 56, who had just completed a harrowing 10-hour bus trip through sleet and snow, said the man prodded her quietly, asking where she was going and "if everything was all right".
"Actually, I was rather crabby, and I told him, 'No. I need an ice pack for my back and I can't get one'," she said between sobs.
"He wanted to know why I couldn't buy food, and I told him I don't have any money. I'm homeless.
"He said, 'Here's a $100 bill . . . and this is in the memory of Larry Stewart.' "
Secret Santa is back.
Larry Stewart, Kansas City's original Secret Santa who anonymously walked city streets each December doling out $100 notes to anyone who looked like they might need a lift, died of cancer at age 58 this year.
But his legacy lives on.
Over about a quarter of a century, Stewart quietly gave out more than $1.5 million to people in laundromats, diners, bus stations, shelters and thrift stores.
He said it was his way of giving back at Christmas for all the wealth he'd had and the generosity he'd known.
He did not want his name known, he did not want thanks or applause.
He just wanted the fun of getting some of his raucous friends together, telling some bad jokes and creating that special alchemy that comes when need, generosity and Christmas collide.
Last December, though, Stewart acknowledged who he was, and used his last few months while he battled cancer to press his message of kindness.
He also trained some friends in the ways of Secret Santa.
This Christmas, a friend who told Stewart in the hospital that he would carry on for him, and who like Stewart prefers to remain anonymous, is out on the streets handing out notes, each one stamped "Larry Stewart, Secret Santa".
Between Kansas City and several other cities this Christmas, the new Secret Santa will give away $88,000 of his own money.
"I didn't want to be a Secret Santa," says the new Secret Santa, a business consultant who lives in the Kansas City area.
"I wanted to give Larry money. But last year, he said I had to hand it out myself. So I did, and I got hooked."
This new Secret Santa talks about Larry Stewart to just about everyone he encounters.
"Have you ever heard of a man named Larry Stewart?" he asks before handing out $100.
Depending on who he's talking to, the new Secret Santa might launch into Stewart's story of needing money for food, and a man giving him $20 and telling him, "You must have dropped this".
Or he might just say Stewart was a man who believed in making people happy by giving them money they did not have to ask for, apply for, or wait in line for.
"There was this fella named Larry Stewart," he tells a man in the bus station.
"He was an old friend of mine. He was called Secret Santa, and every year he would find a few people who might need a little money and he would ask that you pass on the kindness."
People respond differently to the gesture. Some cry. Some scream. A rare few even say, "No thanks."
Others take the money and offer their own gifts - like Robert Young, who was homeless, and had only 20c in his pocket.
When Secret Santa gave him $200, Young, 50, took out an old notebook and ripped out a song he had written.
"It's yours, now," he told Secret Santa, who thanked Young, and tucked the pages into his pocket.
"Thank you very much," Secret Santa said.
"You're a good man."
The new Secret Santa has also started a website, and is trying to recruit others across the country.
"Larry's dream was for a Secret Santa in every city," he says.
There are now a couple of apprentices and more candidates turning up all the time.
But, he says, you don't have to hand out money to be a Secret Santa.
"Anyone can be a Secret Santa," he says.
"You don't have to give away $100. You can give away kindness. Help someone."
- AP
Thursday, December 20, 2007
Corvette moves into new era of high performance
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GAUGE TOPS OUT AT 220 M.P.H.
Corvette moves into new era of high performance
Supercar to come with $100,000 price tag
December 20, 2007
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS AUTO CRITIC
The fastest, most powerful and most expensive Chevrolet Corvette ever will roar to life at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.
Boasting a 620-plus horsepower V8 and a price expected around $100,000, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is the result of General Motors Corp. chairman Rick Wagoner's challenge to build the ultimate Corvette.
Advertisement
The ZR1 aims to match the performance of supercars like the 612-horsepower $273,845 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1 coupe, which accelerates to 62 m.p.h. in 3.7 seconds.
"Our goal with the ZR1 is to show that an American supercar can deliver performance that beats exotics that cost two, three or four times as much," Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper said.
Chevrolet hasn't announced the exact price for the 2009 ZR1, but the supercar was born when Wagoner asked the Corvette team to show him what it could accomplish with a $100,000 Corvette.
Within GM, the secret project was referred to as the Blue Devil, a reference to the mascot for athletic teams at Wagoner's alma mater, Duke University. The super-Vette features a supercharged 6.2-liter version of GM's legendary small-block V8 engine, extensive use of lightweight carbon-fiber body panels and a host of other performance upgrades.
Chevrolet hasn't revealed performance figures yet, but the ZR1 will have a top speed in excess of 200 m.p.h. and will be able to race from zero to 60 m.p.h. in first gear.
"The Corvette is really a brand unto itself," said Michelle Krebs, editor of AutoObserver.com. "The ZR1 is a logical extension of that."
The hand-built engines will come from GM's performance-build center in Wixom. The Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Ky., will build the car.
The ZR1 will be recognizable on the street thanks to a clear panel in the hood that provides a view of the engine, a unique, clear-coated carbon-fiber roof and other changes that include massive disc brakes with a unique shade of blue used only on the ZR1.
It took years to develop the clearcoat for the carbon-fiber because sunlight degrades the material over time. The coating, which only the ZR1 has, uses a special additive to prevent that. The additive alone costs $60,000 a gallon, while the mixture of clearcoat and additive applied to the roof costs $2,200 a gallon.
Contact MARK PHELAN at 313-222-6731 or phelan@freepress.com.
.
Forums
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Printable Format
2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
PHOTOS
Click thumbnails to zoom
2009 Chevrolet Corvette ZR1
REAL ESTATE - sponsored by Centex Homes
HOMES FOR SALE
• Search New Construction and Existing Homes across metro Detroit and Michigan.
• Mortgage rates from lenders nationwide.
RENTAL PROPERTIES
• Find apartment communities, corporate housing, and senior living developments.
BUSINESS DIRECTORIES
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WEST VIRGINIA ANALYST: On new U-M coach Rich Rodriguez's recruiting prowess, weakness and whether his offense will work in Big Ten
Jamie Lynn Spears' pregnancy has folks talking
DETROIT 87, BOSTON 85: BOSTON BAKED: Billups draws last-second foul, wins it at line
Romney fields questions on King
GAUGE TOPS OUT AT 220 M.P.H.: Corvette moves into new era of high performance
Latest Updates:
Mom backs Jamie Lynn - 9:15 am
Jury begins day asking to see evidence - 9:12 am
Read all the stories from the series - 8:56 am
How to use the Web to track Santa Christmas Eve - 8:52 am
Building blocks: Grit and spirit - 8:46 am
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Freep.com » Business » Auto News
GAUGE TOPS OUT AT 220 M.P.H.
Corvette moves into new era of high performance
Supercar to come with $100,000 price tag
December 20, 2007
BY MARK PHELAN
FREE PRESS AUTO CRITIC
The fastest, most powerful and most expensive Chevrolet Corvette ever will roar to life at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit next month.
Boasting a 620-plus horsepower V8 and a price expected around $100,000, the 2009 Corvette ZR1 is the result of General Motors Corp. chairman Rick Wagoner's challenge to build the ultimate Corvette.
Advertisement
The ZR1 aims to match the performance of supercars like the 612-horsepower $273,845 Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano F1 coupe, which accelerates to 62 m.p.h. in 3.7 seconds.
"Our goal with the ZR1 is to show that an American supercar can deliver performance that beats exotics that cost two, three or four times as much," Chevrolet general manager Ed Peper said.
Chevrolet hasn't announced the exact price for the 2009 ZR1, but the supercar was born when Wagoner asked the Corvette team to show him what it could accomplish with a $100,000 Corvette.
Within GM, the secret project was referred to as the Blue Devil, a reference to the mascot for athletic teams at Wagoner's alma mater, Duke University. The super-Vette features a supercharged 6.2-liter version of GM's legendary small-block V8 engine, extensive use of lightweight carbon-fiber body panels and a host of other performance upgrades.
Chevrolet hasn't revealed performance figures yet, but the ZR1 will have a top speed in excess of 200 m.p.h. and will be able to race from zero to 60 m.p.h. in first gear.
"The Corvette is really a brand unto itself," said Michelle Krebs, editor of AutoObserver.com. "The ZR1 is a logical extension of that."
The hand-built engines will come from GM's performance-build center in Wixom. The Corvette plant in Bowling Green, Ky., will build the car.
The ZR1 will be recognizable on the street thanks to a clear panel in the hood that provides a view of the engine, a unique, clear-coated carbon-fiber roof and other changes that include massive disc brakes with a unique shade of blue used only on the ZR1.
It took years to develop the clearcoat for the carbon-fiber because sunlight degrades the material over time. The coating, which only the ZR1 has, uses a special additive to prevent that. The additive alone costs $60,000 a gallon, while the mixture of clearcoat and additive applied to the roof costs $2,200 a gallon.
Contact MARK PHELAN at 313-222-6731 or phelan@freepress.com.
.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
College Student Loans Should End
Colleges should look to end the burden of student loans
ADVERTISEMENT
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Non-Ivy League universities should follow the lead of Penn and Princeton in awarding grants to middle-class students.
The Ivy League colleges and universities have produced some of the greatest minds in the world for hundreds of years. These prestigious institutions have set trends that have changed all of academia.
Now, as these schools seek to ensure middle-class students won't leave college saddled with crushing student-loan debt, we urge other universities to follow suit.
Monday, the University of Pennsylvania announced that, beginning in 2009, financially eligible students, those whose families earn less than $100,000 per year, will no longer be offered student loans. They'll be awarded grants to cover Penn's $46,000 annual cost for tuition, room and board. Students from families earning up to $150,000 would only be charged between $10,000 and $15,000, depending on their need.
Penn already gives full grants to students from poor families, as other universities do.
Earlier this month, Harvard University announced a similar move to do away with student loans. Princeton University became the first Ivy League school to ax loans in favor of grants in 2001. And Swarthmore College outside Philadelphia recently announced its plans to nix student loans, as well. We hope other non-Ivy League schools join the bandwagon.
College is supposed to be a financial win for kids, giving them a chance at a better job and financial stability in life. But tuition prices and interest rates on student loans have climbed to the point where many families are making tough choices about what college to send their children to and graduates are finding themselves hampered by debt through their 20s and early 30s. That makes it hard for them to move into adulthood by doing things such as buying a house or saving for their own children's college funds.
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Wednesday, December 19, 2007
Non-Ivy League universities should follow the lead of Penn and Princeton in awarding grants to middle-class students.
The Ivy League colleges and universities have produced some of the greatest minds in the world for hundreds of years. These prestigious institutions have set trends that have changed all of academia.
Now, as these schools seek to ensure middle-class students won't leave college saddled with crushing student-loan debt, we urge other universities to follow suit.
Monday, the University of Pennsylvania announced that, beginning in 2009, financially eligible students, those whose families earn less than $100,000 per year, will no longer be offered student loans. They'll be awarded grants to cover Penn's $46,000 annual cost for tuition, room and board. Students from families earning up to $150,000 would only be charged between $10,000 and $15,000, depending on their need.
Penn already gives full grants to students from poor families, as other universities do.
Earlier this month, Harvard University announced a similar move to do away with student loans. Princeton University became the first Ivy League school to ax loans in favor of grants in 2001. And Swarthmore College outside Philadelphia recently announced its plans to nix student loans, as well. We hope other non-Ivy League schools join the bandwagon.
College is supposed to be a financial win for kids, giving them a chance at a better job and financial stability in life. But tuition prices and interest rates on student loans have climbed to the point where many families are making tough choices about what college to send their children to and graduates are finding themselves hampered by debt through their 20s and early 30s. That makes it hard for them to move into adulthood by doing things such as buying a house or saving for their own children's college funds.
Year's Top Quotes:
Year's Top Quotes: 'Don't Tase Me, Bro'
By SUSAN HAIGH – 1 hour ago
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — It was the plea heard round the world.
"Don't tase me, bro" — shouted by a Florida college student as officers removed him from a speech by Sen. John Kerry — tops this year's list of most memorable quotes, compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.
Second on the list is a quote from Lauren Upton, the Miss Teen America contestant who gave a confused and mangled response to a question about why one-fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a map.
"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us," Upton said.
The words of both young people were immortalized in videos posted on YouTube, the video-sharing Web site.
"These new media are spreading these things," said editor Fred R. Shapiro, 53, associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at the Yale Law School. "I'm not listing the most admirable quotes, the most eloquent quotes. It's the most memorable quotes."
President Bush dominated last year's list with quotes about the Iraq war, but this year he didn't break into the top 10.
That doesn't mean politicians didn't say anything memorable this year.
Third on the list is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comment at Columbia University in New York: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, took eighth place with "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom," his explanation for his foot touching the foot of an undercover police officer in an airport men's room.
Shapiro released his Yale Book of Quotations last year after six years of research. It contains about 13,000 quotes, each extensively researched to verify its origin.
He expects to add roughly 1,000 more quotes — mostly modern — for the next edition in about five years, and in the meantime he plans to keep issuing annual top 10 lists.
He relies on suggestions from quote-watchers throughout the world, plus his own choices from songs, the news and movies, and then searches dababases and the Internet to determine the popularity of the quotes.
In the case of "Don't tase me, bro" — uttered shortly before the student was shocked with a Taser — he discovered the phrase was even printed on T-shirts and used as a cell phone ring tone.
"It's not Shakespeare, but there is a kind of folk eloquence in that. It wouldn't be a quote if he didn't say 'bro,'" Shapiro said. "That had just the right rhythm to make it memorable."
Shapiro said he struggled before deciding to include radio personality Don Imus' "nappy-headed hos" comment about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The quote ended up fourth on his list.
"My book does mix the most eloquent and magnificent quotes with the sordid and sleazy materials from recent times. There are some real jarring juxtapositions there," he said. "I wanted to include the whole culture — the high and the low, the old and the new."
Hosted by Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
By SUSAN HAIGH – 1 hour ago
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — It was the plea heard round the world.
"Don't tase me, bro" — shouted by a Florida college student as officers removed him from a speech by Sen. John Kerry — tops this year's list of most memorable quotes, compiled by the editor of the Yale Book of Quotations.
Second on the list is a quote from Lauren Upton, the Miss Teen America contestant who gave a confused and mangled response to a question about why one-fifth of Americans can't locate the U.S. on a map.
"I personally believe that U.S. Americans are unable to do so because some people out there in our nation don't have maps and I believe that our education like such as in South Africa and Iraq and everywhere like such as and I believe that they should our education over here in the U.S. should help the U.S. or should help South Africa and should help Iraq and the Asian countries so we will be able to build up our future for us," Upton said.
The words of both young people were immortalized in videos posted on YouTube, the video-sharing Web site.
"These new media are spreading these things," said editor Fred R. Shapiro, 53, associate librarian and lecturer in legal research at the Yale Law School. "I'm not listing the most admirable quotes, the most eloquent quotes. It's the most memorable quotes."
President Bush dominated last year's list with quotes about the Iraq war, but this year he didn't break into the top 10.
That doesn't mean politicians didn't say anything memorable this year.
Third on the list is Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's comment at Columbia University in New York: "In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country."
Sen. Larry Craig, R-Idaho, took eighth place with "(I have) a wide stance when going to the bathroom," his explanation for his foot touching the foot of an undercover police officer in an airport men's room.
Shapiro released his Yale Book of Quotations last year after six years of research. It contains about 13,000 quotes, each extensively researched to verify its origin.
He expects to add roughly 1,000 more quotes — mostly modern — for the next edition in about five years, and in the meantime he plans to keep issuing annual top 10 lists.
He relies on suggestions from quote-watchers throughout the world, plus his own choices from songs, the news and movies, and then searches dababases and the Internet to determine the popularity of the quotes.
In the case of "Don't tase me, bro" — uttered shortly before the student was shocked with a Taser — he discovered the phrase was even printed on T-shirts and used as a cell phone ring tone.
"It's not Shakespeare, but there is a kind of folk eloquence in that. It wouldn't be a quote if he didn't say 'bro,'" Shapiro said. "That had just the right rhythm to make it memorable."
Shapiro said he struggled before deciding to include radio personality Don Imus' "nappy-headed hos" comment about the Rutgers University women's basketball team. The quote ended up fourth on his list.
"My book does mix the most eloquent and magnificent quotes with the sordid and sleazy materials from recent times. There are some real jarring juxtapositions there," he said. "I wanted to include the whole culture — the high and the low, the old and the new."
Hosted by Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
"The Biggest Loser” was the big winner last night
Big fat finale for
NBC's 'Biggest Loser'
Steady reality series pulls a 4.6 rating in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald
Dec 19, 2007
“The Biggest Loser” was the big winner last night against a slew of repeats on the other Big Five networks. The two-hour episode dominated its timeslot and lifted NBC to No. 1 for the evening.
“Loser” averaged a season-high 4.6 rating among adults 18-49 from 9 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, about even to a 4.8 for last year’s season finale.
The veteran weight loss reality show handily won its 9 p.m. slot against minimal competition. Fox and the CW had repeats, while a new “The Unit” on CBS was down slightly from its season average. ABC had the last half of an original “Duel” and then a repeat of “According to Jim.”
At 10 p.m. “Loser” built an even bigger lead despite seeing its average rise only 0.2 over its first hour, with ABC’s “Boston Legal” hitting a season and CBS’s “Cane” falling below a 2.0.
As aforementioned, NBC was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 3.9 average overnight rating and an 11 share. Fox was second at 2.7/8, CBS third at 2.5/7, ABC fourth at 2.2/6, Univision fifth at 1.4/4 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
CBS began the night in the lead with a 2.8 rating at 8 p.m. for a repeat of “NCIS,” while ABC and NBC tied for second at 2.4, ABC for the first hour of “Duel” and NBC for “Clash of the Choirs.” Fox was fourth with a 2.0 for a repeat of “Bones,” Univision fifth with a 1.5 for “Amar sin Limites” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Crowned.”
NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 4.6 for the first half of the “Loser” finale, followed Fox with a 3.3 for a repeat of “House.” CBS was third with a 2.8 for “Unit,” ABC fourth with a 1.9 for the last half hour of “Duel” (2.3) and a repeat of “According to Jim,” Univision fourth with a 1.6 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a “Reaper” rerun.
At 10 p.m. NBC led with a 4.8 for another hour of “Loser,” with ABC second with a 2.2 for “Legal.” CBS was third with a 1.8 for “Cane” and Univision fourth with a 1.0 for “Ver para Creer.”
Among households, CBS finished the night on top with a 6.8 average overnight rating and an 11 share. NBC was second at 6.6/11, Fox third at 5.1/8, ABC fourth at 4.4/7, Univision fifth at 1.8/3 and CW sixth at 1.0/2.
NBC's 'Biggest Loser'
Steady reality series pulls a 4.6 rating in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald
Dec 19, 2007
“The Biggest Loser” was the big winner last night against a slew of repeats on the other Big Five networks. The two-hour episode dominated its timeslot and lifted NBC to No. 1 for the evening.
“Loser” averaged a season-high 4.6 rating among adults 18-49 from 9 to 11 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, about even to a 4.8 for last year’s season finale.
The veteran weight loss reality show handily won its 9 p.m. slot against minimal competition. Fox and the CW had repeats, while a new “The Unit” on CBS was down slightly from its season average. ABC had the last half of an original “Duel” and then a repeat of “According to Jim.”
At 10 p.m. “Loser” built an even bigger lead despite seeing its average rise only 0.2 over its first hour, with ABC’s “Boston Legal” hitting a season and CBS’s “Cane” falling below a 2.0.
As aforementioned, NBC was first for the night among viewers 18-49 with a 3.9 average overnight rating and an 11 share. Fox was second at 2.7/8, CBS third at 2.5/7, ABC fourth at 2.2/6, Univision fifth at 1.4/4 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
CBS began the night in the lead with a 2.8 rating at 8 p.m. for a repeat of “NCIS,” while ABC and NBC tied for second at 2.4, ABC for the first hour of “Duel” and NBC for “Clash of the Choirs.” Fox was fourth with a 2.0 for a repeat of “Bones,” Univision fifth with a 1.5 for “Amar sin Limites” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Crowned.”
NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 4.6 for the first half of the “Loser” finale, followed Fox with a 3.3 for a repeat of “House.” CBS was third with a 2.8 for “Unit,” ABC fourth with a 1.9 for the last half hour of “Duel” (2.3) and a repeat of “According to Jim,” Univision fourth with a 1.6 for “Pasion” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a “Reaper” rerun.
At 10 p.m. NBC led with a 4.8 for another hour of “Loser,” with ABC second with a 2.2 for “Legal.” CBS was third with a 1.8 for “Cane” and Univision fourth with a 1.0 for “Ver para Creer.”
Among households, CBS finished the night on top with a 6.8 average overnight rating and an 11 share. NBC was second at 6.6/11, Fox third at 5.1/8, ABC fourth at 4.4/7, Univision fifth at 1.8/3 and CW sixth at 1.0/2.
jamie lynn spears pregnant
NEW YORK - Another Spears baby is reportedly on the way — and it's not Britney's. Jamie Lynn Spears, the 16-year-old "Zoey 101" star and sister of Britney, told OK! magazine that she's pregnant and that the father is her boyfriend, Casey Aldridge.
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"It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," she said. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he."
Spears is 12 weeks along and initially kept the news to herself when she learned of the pregnancy from an at-home test and subsequent doctor visit, she told the celebrity magazine, which hits stands in New York on Wednesday and the rest of the country by Friday.
What message does she want to send to other teens about premarital sex? "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait," she told the magazine. "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
After she found out from a doctor that she was pregnant, she said, "I took two weeks to myself where I didn't tell anybody."
"Only one of my friends knew because I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision. Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me," she said.
Spears broke the news to her mother, Lynne, just before Thanksgiving, the magazine reported.
"She was very upset because it wasn't what she expected at all," Spears said. "A week after, she had time to cope with it and became very supportive."
Lynne Spears, already grandmother to Britney's young sons, told the magazine: "I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby."
She said her actress daughter, the telegenic heroine of her popular Nickelodeon series, has known Aldridge for years and began dating him in high school.
But in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Spears said she had no steady boyfriend. "I kind of just keep my options open," she said. "I have a bunch of friends that I always hang out with, a bunch of guy friends." She declined to talk about her older sister.
Spears spoke to the AP shortly before Thanksgiving, the day she told OK! she informed her mother about the pregnancy.
Jamie Lynn plans to raise the baby in her home state of Louisiana — "so it can have a normal family life."
Nickelodeon released a statement: "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
A publicist for the network did not immediately respond to phone and e-mail requests for additional comment.
"Zoey 101" is scheduled to conclude its third season Jan. 4 with a cliffhanger episode in which Spears' character must decide whether to leave her fictional Pacific Coast Academy boarding school in California to join her parents in London.
The show is scheduled to resume in February, and its producer, Dan Schneider, has said filming on the fourth season has already been completed.
___
On the Net:
OK! magazine: http://www.ok-magazine.com/
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"It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," she said. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he."
Spears is 12 weeks along and initially kept the news to herself when she learned of the pregnancy from an at-home test and subsequent doctor visit, she told the celebrity magazine, which hits stands in New York on Wednesday and the rest of the country by Friday.
What message does she want to send to other teens about premarital sex? "I definitely don't think it's something you should do; it's better to wait," she told the magazine. "But I can't be judgmental because it's a position I put myself in."
After she found out from a doctor that she was pregnant, she said, "I took two weeks to myself where I didn't tell anybody."
"Only one of my friends knew because I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision. Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me," she said.
Spears broke the news to her mother, Lynne, just before Thanksgiving, the magazine reported.
"She was very upset because it wasn't what she expected at all," Spears said. "A week after, she had time to cope with it and became very supportive."
Lynne Spears, already grandmother to Britney's young sons, told the magazine: "I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious. She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby."
She said her actress daughter, the telegenic heroine of her popular Nickelodeon series, has known Aldridge for years and began dating him in high school.
But in a recent interview with The Associated Press, Spears said she had no steady boyfriend. "I kind of just keep my options open," she said. "I have a bunch of friends that I always hang out with, a bunch of guy friends." She declined to talk about her older sister.
Spears spoke to the AP shortly before Thanksgiving, the day she told OK! she informed her mother about the pregnancy.
Jamie Lynn plans to raise the baby in her home state of Louisiana — "so it can have a normal family life."
Nickelodeon released a statement: "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
A publicist for the network did not immediately respond to phone and e-mail requests for additional comment.
"Zoey 101" is scheduled to conclude its third season Jan. 4 with a cliffhanger episode in which Spears' character must decide whether to leave her fictional Pacific Coast Academy boarding school in California to join her parents in London.
The show is scheduled to resume in February, and its producer, Dan Schneider, has said filming on the fourth season has already been completed.
___
On the Net:
OK! magazine: http://www.ok-magazine.com/
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Judge in LA Orders $11M for Flatley
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A woman who accused Michael Flatley of sexual assault has been ordered to pay him more than $11 million for making false allegations to extort money from him, according to documents obtained Monday.
Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern found that real estate agent Tyna Marie Robertson had defamed and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Flatley, 49, who appeared in "Riverdance," "Lord of the Dance," "Feet of Flames" and "Celtic Tiger."
Robertson had alleged Flatley raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2002 and threatened to sue unless he agreed to pay a "seven figures" settlement, according to court papers.
Police declined to press criminal charges, and Flatley said the sex was consensual.
Robertson then filed a $33 million lawsuit in Illinois alleging sexual assault, but it was dismissed.
Flatley countered with a lawsuit against Robertson and her lawyer D. Dean Mauro claiming extortion, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.
The California Supreme Court held in July 2006 that Mauro had committed extortion, and he settled the case by making "a substantial payment" to Flatley, according to a statement from the dancer's lawyer, Ricardo P. Cestero.
The judgment order against Robertson formalized a ruling made by Stern during a hearing this month.
Flatley plans to donate any recovery on the settlement to charity, Cestero said.
Telephone numbers for Robertson and Mauro were not listed.
Robertson is the ex-girlfriend of Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, and the two have battled in court themselves over their young son, Kennedy.
Hosted by Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Superior Court Judge Michael L. Stern found that real estate agent Tyna Marie Robertson had defamed and intentionally inflicted emotional distress upon Flatley, 49, who appeared in "Riverdance," "Lord of the Dance," "Feet of Flames" and "Celtic Tiger."
Robertson had alleged Flatley raped her in a Las Vegas hotel in 2002 and threatened to sue unless he agreed to pay a "seven figures" settlement, according to court papers.
Police declined to press criminal charges, and Flatley said the sex was consensual.
Robertson then filed a $33 million lawsuit in Illinois alleging sexual assault, but it was dismissed.
Flatley countered with a lawsuit against Robertson and her lawyer D. Dean Mauro claiming extortion, intentional infliction of emotional distress and defamation.
The California Supreme Court held in July 2006 that Mauro had committed extortion, and he settled the case by making "a substantial payment" to Flatley, according to a statement from the dancer's lawyer, Ricardo P. Cestero.
The judgment order against Robertson formalized a ruling made by Stern during a hearing this month.
Flatley plans to donate any recovery on the settlement to charity, Cestero said.
Telephone numbers for Robertson and Mauro were not listed.
Robertson is the ex-girlfriend of Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher, and the two have battled in court themselves over their young son, Kennedy.
Hosted by Copyright © 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Monday, December 17, 2007
Alycia Lane in Hot Water Again
A US television newsreader who has already made headlines for sending revealing photos of herself to a married man has been arrested after allegedly punching a police officer in the face.
Alycia Lane, a newsreader on a CBS affiliate station, allegedly hit the female officer in Manhattan early yesterday (last night AEDT), the Associated Press reported.
It was not known what caused the fracas, which left the officer with a cut.
Lane, 35, appeared in court where she pleaded not guilty to assault, her lawyer David Smith said.
Lane co-anchors evening newscasts at KYW-TV, a CBS affiliate in Philadelphia.
Station spokeswoman Joanne Calabria said management was "very concerned for Alycia".
"We are still trying to sort out exactly what happened," Ms Calabria said.
Lane, who will reappear in court in April, "denies striking anyone", Mr Smith said.
"We're confident that after a full investigation of the facts she'll be cleared of these charges," he said.
Lane made national headlines in May after she emailed holiday pictures of herself and friends wearing bikinis to NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen.
The shots were intercepted by Eisen's wife, who sent a snarky message to Lane.
Lane said the pictures were meant to be good fun between old friends.
Alycia Lane, a newsreader on a CBS affiliate station, allegedly hit the female officer in Manhattan early yesterday (last night AEDT), the Associated Press reported.
It was not known what caused the fracas, which left the officer with a cut.
Lane, 35, appeared in court where she pleaded not guilty to assault, her lawyer David Smith said.
Lane co-anchors evening newscasts at KYW-TV, a CBS affiliate in Philadelphia.
Station spokeswoman Joanne Calabria said management was "very concerned for Alycia".
"We are still trying to sort out exactly what happened," Ms Calabria said.
Lane, who will reappear in court in April, "denies striking anyone", Mr Smith said.
"We're confident that after a full investigation of the facts she'll be cleared of these charges," he said.
Lane made national headlines in May after she emailed holiday pictures of herself and friends wearing bikinis to NFL Network anchor Rich Eisen.
The shots were intercepted by Eisen's wife, who sent a snarky message to Lane.
Lane said the pictures were meant to be good fun between old friends.
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Cash Warren is New Father
Bombshell actress Jessica Alba didn't even let the tabloids work themselves into a feeding frenzy over whether she was hiding a baby bump. Instead, Alba's rep came right out and told the world on Wednesday she is pregnant with her boyfriend Cash Warren's child.
Brad Cafarelli, Alba's representative, spilled the dish to People.com on Wednesday. "I can confirm that Jessica and Cash are expecting a baby in late spring, early summer," Cafarelli said.
Alba met Cash while he was working as a director's assistant on the set of The Fantastic Four. The two have been dating for three years. Rumors flew this summer that Alba had broken up with Cash by phone, according to Showbiz.sky.com, but the temporary split was never officially confirmed.
TMZ.com notes Alba has seemed to be avoiding paparazzi cameras more aggressively of late and the announcement was likely planned to avoid tabloid speculation over Alba's inevitable pregnancy weight gain. Stars like Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera were endlessly plagued by tabloid stories speculating about their reproductive state before they finally confessed to being knocked up.
A source close to Alba reportedly said "Jessica was really jealous that all her friends were settling down and getting pregnant, so she is thrilled she has joined the club now… She feels like she is ready to be a mom, and knows she and Cash will make great parents," according to AllHeadlineNews.com.
Brad Cafarelli, Alba's representative, spilled the dish to People.com on Wednesday. "I can confirm that Jessica and Cash are expecting a baby in late spring, early summer," Cafarelli said.
Alba met Cash while he was working as a director's assistant on the set of The Fantastic Four. The two have been dating for three years. Rumors flew this summer that Alba had broken up with Cash by phone, according to Showbiz.sky.com, but the temporary split was never officially confirmed.
TMZ.com notes Alba has seemed to be avoiding paparazzi cameras more aggressively of late and the announcement was likely planned to avoid tabloid speculation over Alba's inevitable pregnancy weight gain. Stars like Jennifer Lopez and Christina Aguilera were endlessly plagued by tabloid stories speculating about their reproductive state before they finally confessed to being knocked up.
A source close to Alba reportedly said "Jessica was really jealous that all her friends were settling down and getting pregnant, so she is thrilled she has joined the club now… She feels like she is ready to be a mom, and knows she and Cash will make great parents," according to AllHeadlineNews.com.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Hannah Storm Replaced!
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - Maggie Rodriguez has been named co-anchor of "The Early Show." She replaces Hannah Storm, who said last week that she plans to leave the CBS breakfastcast.
Rodriguez, who has been an anchor and reporter in Los Angeles and Miami, joined CBS this year as co-anchor of "The Saturday Early Show." She will take over January 7 on "The Early Show."
CBS News said that negotiations with Storm are continuing to find her a new spot at the network.
Rodriguez will join Harry Smith and Julie Chen. Since joining CBS in June, she also has done stories for the "CBS Evening News" and "Sunday Morning" and has been a substitute anchor for the weekend evening newscast.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Rodriguez, who has been an anchor and reporter in Los Angeles and Miami, joined CBS this year as co-anchor of "The Saturday Early Show." She will take over January 7 on "The Early Show."
CBS News said that negotiations with Storm are continuing to find her a new spot at the network.
Rodriguez will join Harry Smith and Julie Chen. Since joining CBS in June, she also has done stories for the "CBS Evening News" and "Sunday Morning" and has been a substitute anchor for the weekend evening newscast.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Australian Anna Rawson Earnes LPGA Card
LOS ANGELES -- The only athlete that is both a professional golfer and model, Australian Anna Rawson enters the highest platform of professional female golfers, the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA).
Rawson ended the Final Round of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament this past Sunday, carding three birdies, which made her first on the conditional status list of the LPGA.
"I am very excited to be apart of this elite and diverse group of athletes," said Rawson, "My continuous goal is to raise the profile of women's golf, and this new phase in my career will allow me to make more strides to do so."
Having already made a global impact on golf followers and drawn in many new fans to the sport, Rawson's experienced a flood of attention throughout the year due to her fashionable style on the course, from her signature wide-brim hats to Tom Ford Sunglasses.
The multi-talented 26 year-old had a very fruitful year from placing second at the Swiss Open on the Ladies European Tour to participating in major fashion photoshoots in a myriad of magazines all over the world, such as GQ Spain, Vogue Japan, Cosmopolitan Finland, and GQ UK.
She was also named "The Most Popular Golfer" on the Ladies European Tour by GOLF Weekly readers and earned the "Golf Babe of the Year 2007" award at Eindhovensche Golf in the Netherlands, before playing in the KLM Ladies Open.
As GQ writer Benjie Goodhart said about Rawson, "They say Tiger Woods made golf popular with people who previously felt excluded from the game. This player could make golf popular with people who hate golf."
ABOUT ANNA RAWSON
Anna has been a stellar golf talent since she was 13, as well as a much sought-after model. After winning the National Dolly Magazine Cover Girl Contest, Anna began her modeling career, making her a rarity in sports, with an impactful mix of femininity, raw athletic talent, and intelligence . Anna graduated from USC before turning pro in golf and is noted for her fashion on the golf course. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.
For more info visit www.annarawson.com.
Contact: Jane Yin
JSY Public Relations
Phone: (310) 948-3609
E-Mail: jane@jsypr.com
Rawson ended the Final Round of the LPGA Qualifying Tournament this past Sunday, carding three birdies, which made her first on the conditional status list of the LPGA.
"I am very excited to be apart of this elite and diverse group of athletes," said Rawson, "My continuous goal is to raise the profile of women's golf, and this new phase in my career will allow me to make more strides to do so."
Having already made a global impact on golf followers and drawn in many new fans to the sport, Rawson's experienced a flood of attention throughout the year due to her fashionable style on the course, from her signature wide-brim hats to Tom Ford Sunglasses.
The multi-talented 26 year-old had a very fruitful year from placing second at the Swiss Open on the Ladies European Tour to participating in major fashion photoshoots in a myriad of magazines all over the world, such as GQ Spain, Vogue Japan, Cosmopolitan Finland, and GQ UK.
She was also named "The Most Popular Golfer" on the Ladies European Tour by GOLF Weekly readers and earned the "Golf Babe of the Year 2007" award at Eindhovensche Golf in the Netherlands, before playing in the KLM Ladies Open.
As GQ writer Benjie Goodhart said about Rawson, "They say Tiger Woods made golf popular with people who previously felt excluded from the game. This player could make golf popular with people who hate golf."
ABOUT ANNA RAWSON
Anna has been a stellar golf talent since she was 13, as well as a much sought-after model. After winning the National Dolly Magazine Cover Girl Contest, Anna began her modeling career, making her a rarity in sports, with an impactful mix of femininity, raw athletic talent, and intelligence . Anna graduated from USC before turning pro in golf and is noted for her fashion on the golf course. She lives in Los Angeles, CA.
For more info visit www.annarawson.com.
Contact: Jane Yin
JSY Public Relations
Phone: (310) 948-3609
E-Mail: jane@jsypr.com
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