WE THOUGHT that public school teachers only needed to concern themselves
with reading, writing, arithmetic, and lately, a battery of academic
performance tests. Apparently, though, some schoolteachers -- at least in
I was a Girl Scout for two years, after paying my dues as a Brownie in that ugly brown jumper. From being lost in the woods to selling cookies, I know how to prepare for any situation.
Before our den mother was let go amid a scandal involving misappropriation of arts and crafts monies, I learned many valuable lessons.
Unfortunately, I never learned how to pack a suitcase. I believe in preparation, but my luggage has its limits.
Article Last Updated: 03/21/2007 03:15:50 PM PDT
John Legend reports he and Aretha Franklin have been in the studio of late, recording a tune for her forthcoming J Records album that he wrote especially for the legendary songstress. "It's different for her - a party song called `Turn It Up.' It's kind of soulful and funky," he says. "I do a little cameo in there, but it's really her song."
And it's just one activity on the jam-packed agenda of the five-time Grammy-winning singer/songwriter/producer.
Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, formerly of '90s alt-pop legends Luna, recently brought influences bubbling just below their old band's surface to light with Back Numbers, a shimmering tribute to late '60s and early '70s pop of the orchestral, hazy and often French variety.This retro template works well for the just-married couple you realize just how much Dean sounds like a warbly Lee Hazlewood, while Britta's breathless vocal seems fit for a duet with Serge Gainsbourg. In fact it's hard to ...
Back Numbers' production ends up evoking similarly influenced contemporaries like Air and Jon Brion more than their shared retro reference points. Dean and Britta might not be able to match those artists' visionary soundscapes, but as purveyors of the pure pop song, they're a force to be reckoned with.Dean & Britta perform tonight at the Mercy Lounge (1 Cannery Row. 251-3020) with Swan Dive, starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $15.DAVE PAULSON, STAFF WRITER
SEATTLE (AP) - Paul McCartney was introduced Wednesday as the first artist signed to Starbucks Corp.'s new record label, lending a famous nameplate to the coffeehouse giant's latest entertainment venture.
The former Beatle, who made an appearance over a video feed from London at the company's annual meeting, said he expects to release his next album on Starbucks' new Hear Music label in early June.
McCartney said he was impressed with Hear Music's push to use Starbucks' 13,500 retail outlets as part of its sales plan. He also praised the company's dedication.
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) - Justin Timberlake won't be bringing sexy back to the Tennessee Legislature.
State Sen. Ophelia Ford had introduced the resolution to honor Timberlake, a Tennessee native, "for his highly successful music career and for his meritorious service to the State of Tennessee."
But Sen. Raymond Finney, R-Maryville, removed it from a list of resolutions that is expected to get unanimous support in the Senate.
McMINNVILLE, Ore. (AP) -- A man dressed in a World War II military uniform attacked two employees at the Evergreen Aviation Museum this week, police said. McMinnville Police Capt. Dennis Marks said Gerald Lahey, a transient, broke into the rear of the building and smashed the glass panel of a display case. He then removed the coat, hat and pants from a World War II uniform and put them on.
Lahey was inside when operations director Phillip Jeager, 33, of McMinnville and cafe manager Cheryl McKay, 62, of Sheridan arrived for work Monday morning. Marks said Lahey punched Jeager several times and bit McKay.
Neither employee required hospitalization.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- On an episode of "30 Rock," comedian Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) informs co-workers he's on a religious quest. "My attorney told me to join a church preemptively, 'cause juries are suspicious of celebrities who find religion after getting into trouble," he explains.
There could be an alternate approach to legal or public-relations damage control - and it took Jerry Springer, of all people, to light the way for needy celebrities like Heather Mills.
That's Mills as in Paul McCartney's marital sparring partner, tabloid target and, sagely, among the latest "Dancing with the Stars" contestants.
On-again friends Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie are taking "The Simple Life" which shows the tabloid-ready celebutantes thrown into everyday situations with real people to camp. After last season's format allowed the then-feuding friends to have little to do with each other, this year's edition brings them together again.
"The Simple Life Goes to Camp," set to debut in May, has Hilton and Richie working as counselors at Camp Shawnee in the mountains near Los Angeles, E! Entertainment Television Inc. announced Wednesday. The camp will be host to five different specialty groups: Wellness Camp, Pageant Camp, Couples Camp, Survival Camp and Drama Camp.
Hilton, 26, and Richie, 25, will be expected to eat, sleep and keep the same schedule as the campers. They will be working under the direction of various experts, the network said.
The condition means the socialite's blood sugar levels are often too low to provide an adequate amount of energy for her body. The diagnosis comes less than a month after she was hospitalized for dehydration. Thursday, March 22, 2007
Daily Entertainment Photos - "Get all the fashion, glamour and scandal here in pictures!"
The Simple Life star Nicole Richie has been diagnosed with the blood disorder hypoglycemia.
SEATTLE - Paul McCartney was introduced Wednesday as the first artist signed to Starbucks Corp.'s new record label.
The former Beatle made an appearance via a video feed from London at the company's annual meeting.
The world's largest specialty coffee retailer announced earlier this month that it was partnering with Concord Music Group to launch the Los Angeles-based Hear Music label.
Dogged by a dull marriage and office politics, dentist Alan Johnson feels pretty sorry for himself until he crosses paths with a man most would dismiss as a bum on a scooter.
To Alan (Don Cheadle), the guy with disheveled, stringy hair and ragged clothes is salvation. His name is Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), Alan's estranged dental-school roommate, whose life imploded when his wife and daughters died on a 9/11 flight hijacked by terrorists.
"Reign Over Me" is about the rejoining of two friends who are funhouse reflections of each other. The upstanding, well-off Alan seeks to heal his fallen friend, also finding peace for himself in the process. Charlie needs closure as well as psychiatric help, and Alan needs a stress outlet and a way to snap out of a daze.
Angelina Jolie says that her newly adopted son Pax is adjusting to his new life.
"You can imagine what courage it takes to be in all new surroundings with new people and a new language. He is very strong," Jolie says in the new issue of Hello magazine, on stands Thursday. "He is a very serious, very sweet little boy."
The magazine met with Jolie as she arrived in Vietnam to pick up her adopted son, Pax Thien, last week. A photo spread in the issue features Pax playing and napping with his new siblings.
NIBLEY, Utah - A chart in the faculty lounge keeps track of new babies at a northern Utah school. Someone added paper just to keep up. When teacher Trisha Hunt gives birth in June, it will be the 11th baby since January for staff at Thomas Edison Charter School South in Cache County."We are running out of substitute teachers," principal Eldon Budge said with a laugh.Teachers said Budge has been supportive, never showing signs of stress when yet another employee would say, "I have something to te...
Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of March 12-18. Day and start time (EDT) are in parentheses.
1. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 10 p.m.), USA, 4.1 million homes, 6.32 million viewers.
2. "WWE Raw" (Monday, 9 p.m.), USA, 3.52 million homes, 5.2 million viewers.
SEATTLE -- Starbucks has picked up a music legend to kick off its new venture into music.
Paul McCartney is the first major artist signed to Starbucks' new Hear Music label, which is partners with Concord Music.
McCartney made an appearance via video feed from London at Starbucks' annual meeting in Seattle Wednesday.
DANVILLE, Calif. (AP) -- Terry McMillan is suing her former husband for $40 million, alleging that he tried to smear her reputation during their highly publicized 2005 divorce. McMillan, 55, filed the complaint Wednesday in Contra Costa County Superior Court against Jonathan Plummer, 32, who inspired her best-selling 1996 novel, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." The book, later adapted into a movie starring Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs, chronicled the adventures of a 40-something woman who ...
Nicole's blood sugar levels are too low to provide an adequate amount of energy for her body.Thursday, March 22, 2007
Click here to watch Lionel Richie's video "I Call It Love"
The Simple Life star Nicole Richie has been diagnosed with the blood disorder hypoglycemia.
His as-yet-untitled new album will be released on the new label, Hear Music, in June.Thursday, March 22, 2007
Click here to watch Paul McCartney's video "Fine Line"
Paul McCartney has confirmed he'll be the first artist to sign to a new joint record label formed by coffee chain Starbucks and the Concord Music Group.
NEW YORK — Getting a jump in planning for next season, ABC announced on Wednesday that it had ordered new episodes for 14 programs that will return in the fall.
They include three series that debuted this season: the surprise hit "Ugly Betty," the drama "Brothers & Sisters" and Anne Heche's Alaskan sojourn "Men in Trees."
Most of the other returnees are no surprises. "Grey's Anatomy," "Desperate Housewives," "Lost" and "Boston Legal" will all be back.
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Lucky and Flo, the two Labradors who helped sniff out nearly 1 million illegal discs last week within days of joining Malaysia's anti-piracy effort, have been moved to a safe house, a news report said Thursday.
The New Straits Times reported that a source had tipped off officials about a bounty offered for killing the sniffer dogs, who are on loan for a month from the Motion Picture Association of America. The amount was not disclosed.
"The dogs are a genuine threat to the pirated disc syndicates, thus the instruction to eliminate them," Firdaus Zakaria, the enforcement director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, was quoted as saying.
Given the unlikely, phenomenal success of Modest Mouse’s 2004 disc, "Good News for People Who Love Bad News," the story line on their new album seemed sure to focus on the long-indie band’s response to their sudden popularity.
Then Johnny Marr joined the band.
Music fans could hardly believe the odd pairing of legend and contemporary, British and American, subdued and raucous. But it was true: the 43-year-old former Smiths guitarist not only collaborated extensively on the band’s fifth album, "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank," but was now a full-fledged member of Isaac Brock’s group.
Georgia native Stephanie Edwards was the latest contestant cut from the FOX hit show.Wednesday, March 21, 2007
AMERICAN IDOL FULL COVERAGE
Georgia native Stephanie Edwards was the latest contestant cut from American Idol season six after viewers cast some 30 million votes.
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Vivica A. Fox was released from jail early Wednesday after she was arrested for investigation of driving under the influence, authorities said. The 42-year-old actress was pulled over about 11 p.m. Tuesday after her Cadillac SRX passed a patrol car on the Hollywood Freeway at 80 mph - 15 miles above the speed limit, California Highway Patrol Officer Leland Tang said. Fox was arrested after failing a field sobriety test, he said. She was taken to Van Nuys jail and submitte...
DANVILLE, Calif. - Author Terry McMillan is suing her former husband for $40 million, alleging that he tried to smear her reputation during their highly publicized 2005 divorce.
McMillan, 55, filed the complaint Wednesday in Contra Costa County Superior Court against Jonathan Plummer, 32, who inspired her best-selling 1996 novel, "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." The book, later adapted into a movie starring Angela Bassett and Taye Diggs, chronicled the adventures of a 40-something woman who falls for a guy half her age.
The lawsuit claims Plummer, a Jamaica native, married McMillan in 1998 only to become a U.S. citizen. He later announced that he's gay.
LOS ANGELES - The curtain has closed on a Hollywood tradition.
Officials announced Wednesday that after 75 years, the Hollywood Christmas Parade has been canceled due to rising costs and loss in revenue.
"This is a very difficult thing for us to have to do," said Jeff Briggs, chairman of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce's board of directors. "We're disappointed and sad. But we're out of the parade business."
(3/21/07 - NEW YORK) - The balding, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows has died after a long illness. The Brooklyn-born Calvert DeForest, who was 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island, the Letterman show announced Wednesday. He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of twisted duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyle...
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NEW YORK - When David Letterman went home sick with the stomach flu, Adam Sandler was recruited as a last-minute fill-in for the CBS "Late Show" host.
"I've never interviewed anybody in my life, and I'm kinda tense about that and I don't want to screw it up, so I figured I'd have a little practice," the 40-year-old actor-comedian said on Tuesday night's show.
So he brought a good friend: his bulldog, Matzoball, who strutted confidently on stage and plopped down comfortably in the guest chair.
DENVER (AP) -- Actor Woody Harrelson's father, Charles Harrelson, died of a heart attack in the Supermax federal prison where he was serving two life sentences for the murder of a federal judge, officials said Wednesday. Charles Harrelson, 69, was found unresponsive in his cell on the morning of March 15, said Felicia Ponce, a Bureau of Prisons spokeswoman in Washington.
Fremont County Coroner Dorothy Twellman said an autopsy showed Harrelson had severe coronary artery disease. She said he probably died in his sleep. "It appears it was very sudden."
Charles Harrelson was convicted of murder in the May 29, 1979, slaying of U.S. District Judge John Wood Jr. outside his San Antonio home. Prosecutors said a drug dealer hired him to kill Wood because he did not want the judge to preside at his upcoming trial.
NEW YORK Adam Sandler is giving himself a bad review for his last-minute fill-in for David Letterman on the "Late Show."Sandler was scheduled to be a guest, but ended up as the host when Letterman had to go home sick with a stomach bug, or as Sandler put it, "a common side effect from Botox injections."This morning on "Live With Regis and Kelly," Sandler said, "I stink at it." He says he's more comfortable answering questions than asking them.He says one of his guests last night, race car driver...
(AP) ? Firefighters face a far greater risk of dying of heart problems while battling a blaze than was thought, suggests a large U.S. study that offers more evidence of their need to stay in shape. The risk of a heart-related death while putting out a fire was up to 100 times higher than the risk during down time, Harvard researchers found, even though fighting fires accounts for only a small percentage of these workers' time.
About 100 firefighters die in the line of duty each year and previous research has shown that nearly half of the deaths are due to heart disease. The vast majority ? about 70 percent ? of the nation's roughly 1 million firefighters are volunteers.
Experts say diet and exercise should be priorities at the firehouse.
NEW YORK Regis Philbin is back home after his triple bypass heart surgery.Kelly Ripa made the announcement today on "Live With Regis and Kelly." She revealed that Philbin was actually released two days ago, but she had been "sworn to secrecy" not to say so at that time. That would mean Philbin spent five days in the hospital.Ripa says Philbin may call in to the show Friday to say how he's doing.
SEATTLE Starbucks has picked up a major artist to kick off its new venture into music.Paul McCartney is the first artist signed to Starbucks' new Hear Music label, which is partners with Concord Music.McCartney made an appearance via video feed from London at Starbucks' annual meeting in Seattle.Starbucks has already produced and sold some albums, as well as marketed books and helped develop a movie. It also sells music via a page on iTunes and has created music-and-coffee stores that allow cust...
It praises them for getting crooks off the streets. As a sponsor puts it, "they continue to spread justice and aloha around the world."
The Chapmans star in the TV reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter" on the A&E channel.
Chapman and two of his colleagues are also wanted in Mexico on charges of making an illegal arrest there. Hawaiian lawmakers want Mexico to drop the case.
After her performance of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have To Say You Love Me," judge Simon Cowell said she lost the edge that got her into the competition. Wednesday, March 21, 2007
AMERICAN IDOL FULL COVERAGE
Georgia native Stephanie Edwards was the latest contestant cut from American Idol season six after viewers cast some 30 million votes.
NASSAU, Bahamas (AP) ? Anna Nicole Smith's 6-month-old daughter, who could inherit millions after the former reality TV star's death last month, will undergo a DNA test to identify her father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said.
A Bahamian judge ordered the DNA test Tuesday in the latest chapter in a bitter custody feud.
Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the former Playboy playmate who asked the judge to order the test on 6-month-old Dannielynn, pumped his fists in the air and jumped up and down as he emerged from the private court hearing.
In a surprise, Stephanie Edwards - one of this season's best singers - was voted off the top-rated talent contest on Wednesday, while weak and sometimes unwatchable performers Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato were allowed to stay. The untimely departure of Edwards, 19, of Savannah, Ga., narrowed the number of "Idol" contestants to 10. The winner will be chosen in May.
Simon Cowell said on Tuesday's show that Edwards' rendition of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" lacked the edginess and youthful energy that she brought to her previous performances.
Paula Abdul echoed that sentiment, telling Edwards she should have "more fun" onstage.
Calvert DeForest, the white-haired, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud" Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows, has died after a long illness.
The Brooklyn-born DeForest, who was 85, died Monday at a hospital on Long Island, Letterman's "Late Show" announced Wednesday.
He made dozens of appearances on Letterman's shows from 1982 through 2002, handling a variety of twisted duties: dueting with Sonny Bono on "I Got You, Babe," doing a Mary Tyler Moore impression during a visit to Minneapolis, handing out hot towels to arrivals at the Port Authority Bus Terminal.
LONDON - Elton John says he will make his back catalog of more than 30 albums available for digital download later this month.
The tracks, more than 400 in all, will be available through Apple Inc.'s iTunes service from March 26 through April 30, and then will be made available on other download services.
The newly digitized albums include John's 1969 debut, "Empty Sky," and perennial favorites such as "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" and "Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy."
Sisterz of the Underground is celebrating their six-year anniversary and the release of their first collaborative CD titled "Queendom Vol. 1" with a multi-feature event at CellSpace in San Francisco on Thursday evening. The event embraces an all female lineup of djs, singers, emcees, break-dancers or b-girls and artists.
"I'm very excited," says Sarah Smalls, the founder of the Sisterz. "To look at something grow into such a wonderful collective/organization, that came from nothing, is amazing."
Members of Sisterz have traveled to Canada, New York, Seattle and the Midwest to compete in break-dance competitions or battles. Other members have done musical performances with Snoop Dog, shared tours with hip-hop legend KRS-One and produced their own albums. This year Crykit was invited to the Mighty 4 invitation-only battle that showcases eight of the best b-girls in the world. However, there are different levels of involvement.
Celebrate Easter, Passover and spring's arrival with these great new children's books:
- Since he first burst on the children's-book scene a quarter-century ago, Spot the little brown dog has been hugely popular with young readers. Now Spot's out for a new adventure in "Spot's Easter Surprise" (Putnam, $5.99), written and illustrated by Eric Hill. Unlike many of the Spot books, this board book doesn't have flaps that young readers can lift. But there's no doubt they'll want to keep turning the pages as they help Spot and his friends search for Easter eggs. All in all, "Spot's East...
- When a chick hatches from its egg on the edge of a pond one spring day, no one is sure just where it belongs. The gray chick doesn't look anything like the ducklings, goslings or chicks who come to gawk at it. But observant youngsters will know exactly whose chick it is as they turn the pages of "Whose Chick Are You?" (Greenwillow, $16.99). Author-illustrator Nancy Tafuri presents a satisfying story in her trademark style of simple watercolors. (Ages 2-5.)
Maddalena McDonnell stood outside of the Kiva Han coffee shop in Oakland, Pa., last week, frowning at the title of a book called "Unhooked: How Young Women Pursue Sex, Delay Love and Lose at Both," by Laura Sessions Stepp.
"Nothing she's saying is new," said Ms. McDonnell, 19, a freshman at the University of Pittsburgh. "This sort of thing has been going on for decades. And why didn't she write about men? By focusing on women, she's just perpetuating a double standard."
Stepp's controversial new book on the "hookup culture" of casual sex among young people - not to be confused with the 40-something version of meeting for lunch or a movie - has attracted its share of criticism. Some, like McDonnell, say it overstates the emotional damage done to young, ambitious college women who decide they want sex but are too busy and achievement-oriented for committed relationships.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Richard Nixon invoked it during Watergate, President Bill Clinton briefly asserted it during the Monica Lewinsky sex scandal, and President George W. Bush might next claim executive privilege in his battle with Congress.
A possible confrontation moved a step closer on Wednesday when a Democratic-led congressional subcommittee approved subpoenas to be used if White House aides refuse to testify under oath about the firing of eight U.S. prosecutors.
The action came the day after a defiant Bush vowed to oppose in court, if necessary, any subpoenas for his close political aide Karl Rove or other White House advisors.
MINNEAPOLIS - Minneapolis police are trying to find out how a 2-year-old boy allegedly ended up with a gun and shot his father. The 24-year-old man walked into Abbott Northwestern Hospital last Saturday with a gunshot wound to his arm. The man told police that his 2-year-old son had taken the gun from his mother's purse and fired it at him."I cannot think of the last time a 2-year-old was involved in a shooting," Lt. Amelia Huffman, a police spokeswoman, said Tuesday. "It's a pretty rare thing, ...
LOS ANGELES - Terrence Howard is more than a leading man.
He cemented that status with an Academy Award nomination last year for his performance as a pimp-turned-rapper in "Hustle & Flow." He takes the lead again in "Pride," opening Friday.
But his big-screen work represents only one of his passions. Howard, 38, is also a producer, honing his skills behind the camera with a credit on "Pride." He's a musician, currently at work on his debut album. He studies physics for fun, and he's a father of three trying to reunite with his wife (whom he has married twice). He also has a newfound community awareness, thanks to Jim Ellis, the real-life schoolteacher he portrays in "Pride." Ellis founded the first all-black swi...
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia - Lucky and Flo, the two Labradors who helped sniff out nearly 1 million illegal discs last week within days of joining Malaysia's anti-piracy effort, have been moved to a safe house, a news report said Thursday.
The New Straits Times reported that a source had tipped off officials about a bounty offered for killing the sniffer dogs, who are on loan for a month from the Motion Picture Association of America. The amount was not disclosed.
"The dogs are a genuine threat to the pirated disc syndicates, thus the instruction to eliminate them," Firdaus Zakaria, the enforcement director of the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs, was quoted as saying.
In a surprise, Stephanie Edwards -- one of this season's best singers -- was voted off the top-rated talent contest on Wednesday, while weak and sometimes unwatchable performers Sanjaya Malakar and Haley Scarnato were allowed to stay.
The untimely departure of Edwards, 19, of Savannah, Ga., narrowed the number of "Idol" contestants to 10. The winner will be chosen in May.
Simon Cowell said on Tuesday's show that Edwards' rendition of Dusty Springfield's "You Don't Have to Say You Love Me" lacked the edginess and youthful energy that she brought to her previous performances.
LOS ANGELES -- Actress Vivica Fox is out of jail after being arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence.
The California Highway Patrol said Fox was pulled over late Tuesday after her vehicle passed a patrol car on the Hollywood Freeway at 80 mph.
An officer said Fox was arrested after failing a field sobriety test and a breathalyzer test.
In an e-mail sent after the death of her son, Daniel, Anna Nicole Smith said that she wanted to die.
According to a report from "Entertainment Tonight," Smith's friends say they received an e-mail dated Oct. 8, 2006, that said, "I just wish I could be going thru good times now. I miss him. I want to die!"
Sources tell the entertainment show that Smith's companion, Howard K Stern, has cooperated with authorities and has given them permission to look at a computer, which they are examining.
TMNT's prospective viewers will be that of two very different generations: Twenty-somethings who have far surpassed their Donatello action figure days, and the much younger age group that enjoys the 2003's revived version of the turtles' cartoons on the Fox Network Saturday mornings.
For the older and more educated "turtl