Playboy News Blog @newzblogz.com

NEW YORK - Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. is promising more programming choices and lower pricing options as part of an effort to convince federal regulators to approve its proposed acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

The deal still faces opposition from several consumer groups, however, and what's certain to be a tough regulatory review in Washington by antitrust authorities and the Federal Communications Commission.

In an application submitted to the FCC on Tuesday and disclosed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, Sirius said that the combined company would allow subscribers greater flexibility in choosing programming options, including a lower price if they elect to receive fewer channels.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates will deliver Harvard University's main commencement speech June 7.

Gates dropped out of Harvard College, the school's primary undergraduate program, in 1975 to build Microsoft. He would have been a member of the class of 1977, the school in Cambridge, Mass., said in announcing the choice of Gates in an e-mail Wednesday.

"His contributions to the world of business and technology, and the great example he has set through his far-reaching philanthropy, will rightfully put him center stage in Harvard Yard," said Paul Finnegan, the president of the Harvard Alumni Association.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Well, it's pretty much left to Butler in the Midwest and Southern Illinois out here in the West, and from any angle you want to look, the best and most intriguing remaining relative unknown will be taking the court today at HP Pavilion against high-powered Kansas.

It's tough to quantify the Salukis as a true Cinderella. They're a No.4 seed, albeit in a region that also advanced its top three. They're 29-6. They drew an RPI ranking of No.6 heading into their sixth consecutive year in the NCAA Tournament, and are now in their second Sweet 16 in five years.

But c'mon, honestly, who expects a Missouri Valley Conference team from tiny Carbondale, Ill., with no prospective NBA players and very few recognizable faces, to make noise in this fabulous field that also includes UCLA and Pitt?

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

It's the news that Takeru Kobayashi - the world's top-ranked professional eater - won't compete Friday at the 15th annual Wing Bowl, sponsored by WIP.

So Simmons, the five-time Wing Bowl winner whose nom de guerre is El Wingador, will stay retired from wing-eating. Or so it seems now. Simmons says there's a small chance - maybe one in five - that WIP host Angelo Cataldi can persuade him to get on stage at the Wachovia Center.

The Wing Bowl field will be stocked with some of the best: The International Federation of Competitive Eating is sending contestants ranked second (Joey Chestnut, who won last year), third (Patrick Bertoletti), fourth (Sonya Thomas, who won in 2004), sixth (ChipBurger Simpson), and eighth (Richard LeFevre).

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

What I wanted to see from Rex Grossman was a new layer of skin -- thick, crusty and media-proof. He had spent weeks drying out from the Miami monsoon, escaping to the Playboy Club in Vegas (didn't Cade McNown do those things?) and finding solace in family and friends. Now, as Halas Hall tries to survive a chaotic offseason, it would have been refreshing to see him assume direct accountability for the Super Bowl XLI debacle and exhibit a more mature approach to everyday occupational pressures.

Sorry to say, Grossman hasn't learned a thing. He's still fixating on the damn media.

Tuesday evening, in his first public appearance since throwing his aimless quails in the Florida night, Rex continued to dwell on what his critics say and write. This is not a recipe for future quarterbacking growth or professional equilibrium, nor is it a reason to think he can become a swashbuckling leader of the Bears anytime soon. In Baltimore to accept the Ed Block Courage Award, as voted by teammates who rightfully admire Grossman's guts in overcoming injuries, he was asked by a local news...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

(AP) ? There have been only a few truly scary video games, most notably the "Silent Hill" and "Resident Evil" series. Nonetheless, characters we're used to seeing in horror movies ? vampires, werewolves and the like ? pop up in games all the time.

The "Castlevania" series, for example, revolves around Dracula's castle, but the games have always emphasized action over suspense. The ghosts in "Pac-Man" or "Super Mario Bros." are more annoying than frightening. And in "The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess," the hero doesn't run from werewolves ? he is one.

None of the games reviewed here will give you nightmares. A couple of them may put you to sleep, however.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NEW YORK -- Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. is promising more programming choices and lower pricing options as part of an effort to convince federal regulators to approve its proposed acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

The deal still faces opposition from several consumer groups, however, and what's certain to be a tough regulatory review in Washington by antitrust authorities and the Federal Communications Commission.

In an application submitted to the FCC on Tuesday and disclosed in a regulatory filing Wednesday, Sirius said the combined company would allow subscribers greater flexibility in choosing programming options, including a lower price if they elect to receive fewer channels.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Former Lackland AFB training instructor Michelle Manhart is known for her six-page Playboy photo spread and for her struggles with the Air Force, which pushed her out of the service after the February edition hit the streets.

Now she's going to be known for taking off her clothes for a different cause: as an animal-rights activist.

On Wednesday, she disrobed again, this time posing for a national ad campaign, "I'd Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur" by People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

If you’re married or in a serious relationship, listen up.Tony DeLorenzo said he knows how to tell if a person is cheating and how to catch him or her in the act.A private investigator for more than 25 years, DeLorenzo runs the Freehold, N.J.-based firm All State Investigations and the site www.infidelity.com.DeLorenzo, whose company handles infidelity investigations nationwide, teamed up with his wife, Dawn M. Ricci, to write the workbook “28 Tell-Tale Signs of a Cheating Spouse.&rd...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Local DNA expert to test Anna Nicole Smith's child

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

FAIRFIELD — Fairfield-based DNA Diagnostic Center has a hand in a paternity case that is drawing international interest.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

A federal bankruptcy judge delayed ruling on requests by Northwest Airlines flight attendants to reduce the severity of company-imposed pay cuts and to be paid a claim of more than $1.1 billion.

The Association of Flight Attendants argued that its more than 8,000 members were owed a claim that consists of $1.08 billion for five years of future wages and benefits lost when the company rejected its contract in July, another $83.25 million interim wages lost since the rejection, $30.6 million from individual grievances and unspecified damages for pension contributions.

The company said AFA had no right to their claim.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

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.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NEW YORK (AP) ? Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. is promising more programming choices and lower pricing options as part of an effort to convince federal regulators to approve its proposed acquisition of rival XM Satellite Radio Holdings Inc.

The deal still faces opposition from several consumer groups, however, and what's certain to be a tough regulatory review in Washington by antitrust authorities and the Federal Communications Commission.

In an application submitted to the FCC on Tuesday and disclosed in a regulatory filing on Wednesday, Sirius said that the combined company would allow subscribers greater flexibility in choosing programming options, including a lower price if they elect to receive fewer channels.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

SACRAMENTO, Calif. - An eight-month investigation of underage prostitution advertised on Craigslist, a popular Internet classified site, led FBI agents to raid the home and photo studio of a south Sacramento man, court documents say.

In an affidavit unsealed this week, an FBI agent alleges that Paul Yoshi Moore, 46, took racy photographs of three Sacramento-based girls, one 14 and two 17, and posted them in the Web site's "erotic services" section.

No charges have been filed in the case. FBI officials declined comment, saying the case is under investigation.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Living with rheumatoid arthritis has become a laughing matter for Carolan Quenneville.

Her numerous encounters with orthopedic surgeons are fodder for a comedy routine the Chandler resident performs as part of the 2007 Chandler Senior Variety Show today and Friday.

Quenneville was struck with the disease at age 11. In her seven-minute act, she questions whether documentary films about such operations "start by saying, 'cut!' " and how her being stitched and stapled gives her something in common with a Playboy centerfold.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Lawyer: Paternity test ordered for Anna Nicole Smith's daughter

Associated Press Writer

NASSAU, Bahamas

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NASSAU, Bahamas -- A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the girl's father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said, the latest chapter in a bitter custody feud sparked by the pinup's death last month.

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.

"It's been a good day in court for me," he told reporters. Asked if he thought he would see the girl soon, he only smiled and winked.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

The hunger comes from years of rejection in all aspects of his life as a student, father, businessman and candidate.

Classmates rejected Redner, a slow learner who finally gave up and dropped out of high school. The parents of his daughters' friends rejected him, refusing to allow their children to sleep over at his house. City leaders rejected him, trying to shut down his adult businesses.

And voters rejected him six times, always choosing the more mainstream candidate over the nude club king.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Nov. 28, 1967: Born Vickie Lee Hogan in Houston. One of six children of Donald Eugene and Virgie Hart Hogan.

1985: Smith, 17, marries Billy Wayne Smith, 16.

1986: Daniel Wayne Smith is born.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the girl's father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said, the latest chapter in a bitter custody feud sparked by the pinup's death last month.

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.

"It's been a good day in court for me," he told reporters. Asked if he thought he would see the girl soon, he only smiled and winked.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

An advocacy group is calling for Broward Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda to be removed from the bench because he was charged with misdemeanor possession of marijuana after Hollywood police said they caught him smoking pot Sunday afternoon in a city park.

The Fort Lauderdale chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People filed a complaint Tuesday with the state judicial watchdog agency, the Judicial Qualifications Commission.

The commission does not comment on complaints, which are confidential until the agency decides whether to file formal charges of misconduct. Penalties for a sustained complaint range from a reprimand, to counseling, to removal from the bench.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

(3/20/07 - NASSAU, Bahamas) - A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the girl's father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said, in what could signal an end to a bitter custody feud sparked by the death of the former reality TV star last month.

-------------------

-------------------

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NASSAU, Bahamas -- A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the girl's father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said, in what could signal an end to a bitter custody feud sparked by the death of the former reality TV star last month.

Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the 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.

"It's been a good day in court for me," he told reporters.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Rescuers pulled more bodies from a Siberian coal mine Tuesday as investigators tried to pinpoint what sparked a methane gas explosion that killed 107 miners, Russia's deadliest mining disaster in a decade. Among those killed were 20 top mine staff, including its chief engineer, who had been inside checking a British-made hazard monitoring system, said regional Gov. Aman Tuleyev. A British citizen, identified as Ian Robertson, and his interpreter were also killed. About 200 workers were in th...

CONAKRY, GUINEA

65 are killed as truck overturns

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test yesterday on Anna Nicole Smiths infant daughter to identify the girls father, in what could signal an end to a bitter custody feud sparked by Smiths death last month.

Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the 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.

Its been a good day in court for me, he told reporters.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

A judge has ordered DNA tests on the daughter of former model Anna Nicole Smith to identify the girl's father, according to lawyers.

Larry Birkhead, an ex-boyfriend of the Playboy playmate, pumped his fists in the air and jumped up and down as he emerged from the private hearing.

"I feel great," he said. "It's been a good day in court for me."

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Any story about Paula Grecco must begin with a deep breath, so here goes: Paula Grecco is a former Playboy bunny who for the last 20 years has been a flight attendant with Continental Airlines. She is a cancer survivor and she runs marathons. She met her husband when he was bachelor of the month in Cosmopolitan magazine and she wrote him a letter. When she's not working, they travel around the world together making documentaries.

And she's written two books.

That, actually, is the reason for writing about her today. She has written two children's books and she plans to write more. The two already written are called My Flying Grandma and From Zero to Hero, and they are illustrated by her friend Sherry Wilce, also a long-time flight attendant.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

In life, beloved area philanthropists Barry and Beverly Crown were as close as a Playboy bunny and her rabbit ears, and got along in the kind of genuine way that is often foreign in the beautiful-people circles they inhabited.

In death, however, the couple's harmony has been broken by the reps of the respective ready-made families they brought into the marriage.

Barry's estate - which includes millions from his family's General Dynamics fortune - wants Beverly's estate to reimburse nearly $2'million, accusing her of mismanaging the money he left behind.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NASSAU, Bahamas - A Bahamian judge ordered a DNA test Tuesday on Anna Nicole Smith's infant daughter to identify the girl's father, an attorney for the baby's grandmother said, the latest chapter in a bitter custody feud sparked by the pinup's death last month.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."It's been a go...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Speaking on Ryan Seacrest's Radio Show Monday morning, Conner discussed her time in rehab. She admitted that during her reign she was "partying" including the use of alcohol and "other stuff."Monday, March 19, 2007

AUDIO: Ryan Seacrest interviews Tara Conner

Daily Entertainment Photos - "Get all the fashion, glamour and scandal here in pictures!"

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Female politicians play the mommy card like a Playboy bunny works the cottontail. It's all about getting ahead by pandering to sexist stereotypes. Parenting isn't a seamlessly transferable skill to the running of a country, and it can never replace years of political experience. Most everyone can have children. Far fewer actually parent well -- and only a few can lead a nation.

Nancy Pelosi touts her brood of five as her political curriculum vitae. Hillary Clinton's subzero demeanor is softened with photo opportunities with hubby Bill and daughter Chelsea. Clinton and Pelosi are political forces to be reckoned with, so why do they play the mommy card to curry political favor?

It's not because motherhood is a realistic comparison to the running of a country. It's because the "mommy card" in politics isn't about being a mother at all; it's about catering to our public neurosis about women in power. Being a mother affords female candidates the approachability factor. Child-free apostates are viewed with suspicion. This notion of what a "real woman" is seems rather limiting. The evolving nature of what it means to be a happy and productive citizen includes family structures reflecting a broad range of personal choices today.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

It doesn't matter because "Entertainment Tonight," "Extra" and E! cable, not to mention a rack full of celebrity magazines in the supermarket checkout lane, will find some way to smack her picture somewhere on their covers.

Hilton is the media enigma of our times. If the answer on "Jeopardy!" were Paris Hilton, what would the question be? Perhaps what non-person is the media so obsessed with?

Of course, Hilton isn't a nobody because the media has elevated her to a cultural icon. She is somebody because reporters and editors made her that way.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

(3/20/07 - HOLLYWOOD, FL) - A judge who had a secondary role in the recent Anna Nicole Smith proceedings was charged with smoking marijuana in a city park, police said Monday.

-------------------

-------------------

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Broward Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda is facing a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession after city police officers said they busted him for allegedly smoking pot in a Hollywood park Sunday afternoon.

The judge played a role in the Anna Nicole Smith case when he briefly handled a small part of the paternity battle over the former Playboy centerfold's infant daughter. Korda, 59, was not arrested but was issued a notice to appear on April 26 in the satellite courthouse in Hollywood.

Court and state law enforcement records show no prior legal problems for the judge so he could qualify for a first-time offender pre-trial drug diversion program. But the allegation he used an illegal drug could result in a complaint to the Judicial Qualification Commission and possible discipline, several legal experts said. If the judicial watchdog agency found his conduct violated judicial rules, he could face a reprimand or removal from the bench. Anyone can file a complaint with the commiss...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Broward Circuit Judge Lawrence Korda is facing a misdemeanor charge of marijuana possession after city police officers said they busted him for allegedly smoking pot in a Hollywood park Sunday afternoon.

The judge played a role in the Anna Nicole Smith case when he briefly handled a small part of the paternity battle over the former Playboy centerfold's infant daughter. Korda, 59, was not arrested but was issued a notice to appear on April 26 in the satellite courthouse in Hollywood.

Court and state law enforcement records show no prior legal problems for the judge so he could qualify for a first-time offender pre-trial drug diversion program. But the allegation he used an illegal drug could result in a complaint to the Judicial Qualification Commission and possible discipline, several legal experts said. If the judicial watchdog agency found his conduct violated judicial rules, he could face a reprimand or removal from the bench. Anyone can file a complaint with the commiss...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Estimated ticket sales for Friday through

Sunday at U-S and Canadian theaters, according to Media By Numbers

LLC. Final figures will be released Monday.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Chris Rock directs, Genesis and Cyndi Lauper plan tours, Michael Jackson greets troops and more.

The fight over control of the former Playboy Playmate and reality TV star's body began in Korda's courtroom. It ended up being heard by Circuit Judge Larry Seidlin, who carved his own slice of celebrity from the televised hearings with his relentless one-liners and blubbering announcement of his decision.

Seidlin allowed a court-appointed advocate for Smith's infant daughter to decide where Smith should be buried, and the lawyer decided it would be in the Bahamas.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

The Grand Prairie nurse's assistant is not only an animal lover, but she also goes undercover in her quest to learn how horses are bought, traded, then shipped to the now-declining equine-meat industry.

Although an extensive December article in Texas Monthly didn't quote her by name, on her insistence, it did describe the Hamburg-born Uta Sondergeld-Queen as a "lone anti-slaughter activist from Germany" observing a Stephenville horse auction. (She did agree to be identified for this column.)

Up until then, Sondergeld-Queen said she had been pretty much tolerated in horse-trading circles by men -- because of her blond, blue-eyed resemblance, she said, to the late Anna Nicole Smith. An aspiring actress who seeks work under the name of Uta Sander, and a former model whose likeness she reported graced 10 glossy pages of Playboy's German-language edition in 1988, Sondergeld-Queen said her reception from women in the horse bidness has been less cordial.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

We're taking our cues from our past and giving this year's holiday entertaining season a vintage twist with '40s cocktails, '50s canapes and '60s fondue.

To get the party started, Ryan Sciarra, general manager of 40 Sardines in Overland Park, Kan., dons a fedora and shows us how to shake and stir classic 1940s-era cocktails. The `40s was a decade that brought cocktails out of rough-and-tumble saloons and into our living rooms.

The etymology of cocktail is up for interpretation but may well include tavern keeper Betsy Flanagan, who in 1779 served French soldiers drinks garnished with rooster feathers.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

TEGUCIGALPA --La venezolana Alicia Machado, Miss Universo 1996, llegó el lunes a Honduras para promocionar un producto para adelgazar.

"Estoy feliz de estar en este país", dijo Machado al programa de noticias Hoy Mismo del Canal 3 de televisión tras visitar un concurrido centro comercial de Tegucigalpa donde firmó autógrafos.

La también actriz viajará el martes a San Pedro Sula, unos 180 kilómetros al norte de Tegucigalpa.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

I know, I know. It’s spring. Go outside and play.But until I can sunbathe without mittens, you will find me inside mesmerized by the glow of the tube.Reality TV will have to do until reality springtime sets in. Here are a few of my favorites.“Gene Simmons: Family Jewels,” new episodes start at 8 p.m. Sunday on A&E. Yesssssss. We follow long-tongued KISS guy Gene Simmons and former Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed as they raise their two teenagers, Nick and Sophie. I was afrai...

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

A judge who had a secondary role in the recent Anna Nicole Smith proceedings was charged with smoking marijuana in a city park, police said Monday.

Lawrence Korda was smoking marijuana while sitting under a tree Sunday, police said. Three officers who were training there saw Korda and field-tested the cigarette, said Capt. Tony Rode, a police spokesman.

The judge was not arrested. He was given a misdemeanor citation to appear in court.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter, ESQ.) - Actor/filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and his business manager have been sued for allegedly shaking down a man trying to get his son into the film industry.

In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New York, Iaroslav Jikov alleges the Oscar-nominated director of ``The Last Picture Show'' and William Peiffer demanded $100,000 to hire Jikov's son as a director's assistant on Bogdanovich's next film.

According to the complaint, the parties met twice in 2005 to discuss employment opportunities for Matt Jikov. After the second meeting at a Manhattan restaurant, it was agreed that Iaroslav would wire the money to an account identified by Peiffer. Iaroslav says he made the payment on February 7, 2005.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

The two men, who treated Flessel to a sumptuous Mexican lunch, bid Flessel and his wife, Marie, goodbye and quietly leave their modest apartment.

"He's the Elvis Presley of the Golden Age of comics," says collector Scott Bonagofsky, a San Francisco attorney who with collector friend Kris Moore took Flessel to lunch. "He was there at the beginning of the industry. Everything he's done has become a classic."

"He's my favorite Golden Age artist," says Moore of Dallas. This is the happiest day of my life."

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter, ESQ.) - Actor/filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and his business manager have been sued for allegedly shaking down a man trying to get his son into the film industry.

In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New York, Iaroslav Jikov alleges the Oscar-nominated director of "The Last Picture Show" and William Peiffer demanded $100,000 to hire Jikov's son as a director's assistant on Bogdanovich's next film.

According to the complaint, the parties met twice in 2005 to discuss employment opportunities for Matt Jikov. After the second meeting at a Manhattan restaurant, it was agreed that Iaroslav would wire the money to an account identified by Peiffer. Iaroslav says he made the payment on February 7, 2005.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

NEW YORK (Hollywood Reporter, ESQ.) - Actor/filmmaker Peter Bogdanovich and his business manager have been sued for allegedly shaking down a man trying to get his son into the film industry.

In a lawsuit filed last Tuesday in U.S. District Court in New York, Iaroslav Jikov alleges the Oscar-nominated director of "The Last Picture Show" and William Peiffer demanded $100,000 to hire Jikov's son as a director's assistant on Bogdanovich's next film.

According to the complaint, the parties met twice in 2005 to discuss employment opportunities for Matt Jikov. After the second meeting at a Manhattan restaurant, it was agreed that Iaroslav would wire the money to an account identified by Peiffer. Iaroslav says he made the payment on February 7, 2005.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

The phrase "getting the talk right" has become almost a mantra for Gov. Phil Bredesen and his administration when the conversation turns to recruiting business investment in Tennessee.

Of course, the word "spin" would work, too, but that's probably not getting the talk right. And sometimes it seems the talk just spins out of control, with or without administration input.

Consider a tale told by Matt Kisber, commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development - the state's chief talker in such matters - about a recent visit to Ottawa to promote investment in the state to Canadian business representatives and governmental types, including that nation's equivalent of secretary of state.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

It is shorter than “American Idol” and easier than “Jeopardy!,” but if it disappeared from television, “Wheel of Fortune” would leave a pretty huge blank in the entire pop-culture puzzle.

Now in its 24th season in syndication, “Wheel of Fortune” is the longest running series in syndicated-TV history. It has made its mark in multiple rap songs, inspired the creation of one indelible sketch-comedy character (the Pat Sajak-obsessed Ed Grimley, played by Martin Short), and turned co-host Vanna White into the quietest entertainment icon since Charlie Chaplin's Little Tramp.

This record-breaking game show is seen by 46 million viewers a week, and this week, the TV giant will be seeing a lot of San Diego.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Until recently, Edgar Ray Killen, a retired Baptist preacher, sat each day in a cafe in the center of Philadelphia, Miss. None of the young folk paid him much heed, but the older ones knew who he was. Back in 1964, as head of the local Ku Klux Klan, Killen orchestrated the murder of three young civil-rights workers.

The three - one black Mississippian and two Jews from New York - were on their way to investigate a church burning. They were stopped for speeding, then released. A mob of Klansmen followed them, forced them off the road and shot them dead. James Chaney, the only black, was beaten before he was murdered.

The crime provoked outrage and at least three movies. Seven men were found guilty of "civil-rights violations" in 1967, but none served more than a few years in jail. Killen was acquitted because one juror said she could not convict a preacher. But then, in 2005, he was re-arrested, returned to court and found guilty of manslaughter. He probably will die in jail.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

A teen complains on MySpace that her parents don't understand her. School is tough. She's been abandoned by all her friends, and her only refuge is her music or online community.

A new cyber-friend responds that he knows exactly what she is talking about. His parents didn't understand him either and he grew up a loner.

"It seems like we have a lot in common," he writes in an e-mail.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

March 19, 2007 -- Ex-Jefferies salesman Kevin Quinn, whose idea of client entertainment got him in big trouble with securities regulators, is in the process of opening up a hedge fund in Boston.

Quinn's venture will be called Cottage Capital and will extend secured loans to smaller corporations, according to Hedge Fund Alert. It is said to be starting with $50 million in capital, and Quinn will reportedly limit himself to running the fund's business side.

Attempts to contact him were unsuccessful.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit

Sales in its U.S. television biz decline as on-demand porn opens door for rivals

Bob Meyers is learning fast that technology and libido can be a treacherous mix.

As Playboy Enterprises Inc.'s president of media, Mr. Meyers is scrambling to sustain the profitability of the company's U.S. television business. Leading the assault on the business is video-on-demand technology, which threatens to make obsolete the pay-per-view networks that Playboy has dominated for a decade, largely thanks to several big acquisitions orchestrated by CEO Christie Hefner.

Link to full article

Add to Del.icio.us | Digg This | Post to Reddit