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August, 2005 Archives | Homepage

Enjoy That Caffeine Buzz in the Morning

Finally, there's some good news from the food police: coffee is loaded with antioxidants. Reuters reports:

Europeans have red wine, Asians have green tea but Americans have their own source of antioxidants -- coffee, researchers reported on Sunday. Americans drink plenty of coffee, which is high in antioxidants, compounds such as vitamins that fight damage to cells and to DNA, the study found.

The study listed all these amazing things that coffee does for you, including cutting your risk of getting Type 2 diabetes or liver cancer. But is that enough? Can they just stop there? Of course not. Here comes the whining.

But Americans are not eating enough fruits and vegetables, the sources of antioxidants as well as fiber and other nutrients that dietitians, scientists and doctors recommend, said Joe Vinson of the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania.

Presenting his findings to a meeting of the American Chemical Society in Washington, Vinson said this did not mean that coffee was necessarily the best source of antioxidants. "Unfortunately, consumers are still not eating enough fruits and vegetables, which are better for you from an overall nutritional point of view due to their higher content of vitamins, minerals and fiber," he said.

Nag, nag, nag. Gosh! Dang! Shut up, already!

Posted on August 30, 2005
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Don't Look Down

Now here's a new tourist attraction for the adrenaline junkie in you: the Grand Canyon is about to get it's first glass-bottomed viewing platform.

An American Indian tribe with land along the Grand Canyon is planning to build a glass-bottomed walkway that will jut out 70 feet from the canyon's edge. The horseshoe-shaped skywalk, expected to open in January, is part of the Hualapai Tribe's $40 million effort to turn 1,000 acres of reservation land into a tourist destination that will also feature an Indian village and Western-themed town.

The tribe's reservation is some 200 miles by road to the west of the section of the Grand Canyon National Park that most tourists visit. The walkway, with a glass bottom and sides, will be supported by steel beams and will accommodate 120 people, though it is designed to hold 72 million pounds, said Sheri Yellowhawk, chief executive officer of the Grand Canyon Resort Corp., the tribal-owned company that is overseeing the project. "You're basically looking 4,000 feet down. It's a whole new way to experience the Grand Canyon," Yellowhawk said.

Admission will be $25. The project is still seeking an insurer, said architect David Jin, who said he came up with the skywalk idea while visiting the canyon in 1996.

Still seeking an insurer? That's so weird...why in the world would any insurer be wary of insuring a glass platform hanging off the side of the Grand Canyon? What could possibly happen?

Posted on August 29, 2005
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Thief Absconds With Mozart's Head

The news from Vienna today is just...odd. Someone stole the wax head of a life-size figure of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart from the "Next to Mozart" museum.

The wax figure of the composer was on display at "Next to Mozart," a multimedia museum that opened last year. The wax head has an estimated value of euro15,000 (US$18,427), but museum employees told Austria Press Agency that the work was truly unique -- and appealed for its return.

"It must have happened between 8 p.m. Friday, when we closed, and today before 9 a.m.," museum employee Elisabeth Stoeckl told APA. "When we opened up again, Mozart's head was gone."

The item was part of a Mozart figure on the museum's fourth floor. "It stands just next to the wax figure of Herbert von Karajan," Stoeckl said.

What in the world are the thieves going to with a life-sized, wax head of Mozart? One shudders to think.

Posted on August 27, 2005
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Russell Crowe Settles With Hotel Clerk

Russell Crowe has settled the civil suitb brought against him by the hotel clerk he clocked with a phone in June.

A statement released by both parties said the Oscar-winning actor and the Mercer Hotel employee, Nestor Estrada, had settled the case but offered few details. "Both sides expressed satisfaction at the resolution," the joint statement said.

Local tabloids said Crowe paid about $100,000 to settle the civil lawsuit. Crowe still faces criminal charges of assault and faces up to 7 years in jail if convicted. The incident took place shortly after 4 a.m. on June 6 when Crowe returned to the trendy SoHo hotel and became irritated when Estrada was unable to put through a call to Crowe's wife in Australia. Upset, Crowe pulled the telephone out of the wall, went to the lobby where he argued with Estrada and threw the phone at him.

Crowe has dodged the civil suit, but still has to show up in criminal court on September 14, 2005 to face criminal charges. Will the hotel clerk now refuse to testify? It's really up to prosecutors as to how far they take the case.

Posted on August 26, 2005
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Stopping the Naughty Cheerleaders

USA Today reports that you can all rest a little easier. Bare midriffs for cheerleading costumes will be banned nationwide, starting in 2006. And there won't be as many sexy moves, either.

Some coaches, school administrators and even state lawmakers are concerned that skimpy skirts, revealing tops and MTV-inspired routines are becoming too hot for the crowds in the stands.

At some school districts in Georgia, policies limit suggestive gestures and outline appropriate attire for cheerleaders, band members, drill teams and pep squads. A national organization that oversees such activities has banned bare midriffs effective next fall. And a Texas legislator stirred up a national debate when he tried to pass a law prohibiting suggestive performances by cheerleaders, drill teams or dance teams. The proposal was referred to by some as the "cheerleader booty bill."

"I can't describe what 'sexy' is to you or somebody else," says the bill's sponsor, Rep. Al Edwards. "But if you're an adult, you know it when you see it."

****

Sexuality entered the cheerleading domain with the 1972 debut of the transformed Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders, dressed in hot pants, white boots and cleavage-revealing tops. Their gyrations were viewed as entertainment, says Natalie Guice Adams, an associate professor in the college of education at the University of Alabama and co-author of Cheerleader! An American Icon.

"The Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders were absolutely instrumental in changing cheerleading from being the All-American girl next door to the idea of a cheerleader as an erotic sex symbol."

We know how traumatized some of you have been by being forced to watch those Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders at halftime. But if things keep going the way they are, soon your helpful legislators will save you from having to watch such blatantly suggestive displays.

Posted on August 25, 2005
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The Jerk-O-Meter is Live

The researchers at MIT are at it again: this time, they've developed a Jerk-O-Meter which measures the attentiveness of whoever you're talking to on the phone.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology are developing software for cell phones that would analyze speech patterns and voice tones to rate people � on a scale of 0 to 100% � on how engaged they are in a conversation.

Anmol Madan, who led the project while he pursued a master's degree at MIT, sees the Jerk-O-Meter as a tool for improving relationships, not ending them. Or it might assist telephone sales and marketing efforts. "Think of a situation where you could actually prevent an argument," he said. "Just having this device can make people more attentive because they know they're being monitored."

The program, which Madan said is nearing completion, uses mathematical algorithms to measure levels of stress and empathy in a person's voice. It also keeps track of how often someone is speaking.

"It's an academically proven thing," Madan said of the math behind those measurements. "There are a bunch of academic papers published about this."

For now, the Jerk-O-Meter is set up to monitor the user's end of the conversation. If his attention is straying, a message pops up on the phone that warns, "Don't be a jerk!" or "Be a little nicer now." A score closer to 100% would prompt, "Wow, you're a smooth talker."

However, the Jerk-O-Meter also could be set up to test the voice on the other end of the line. Then it could send the tester such reports as: "This person is acting like a jerk. Do you want to hang up?"

It would probably be terribly unkind of us to point out that socially adept people don't actually need algorithms to tell them when someone is being a jerk. And besides, we love a good argument.

Posted on August 24, 2005
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Severed Fingers Too Much For MPAA

Zap2it reports on the MPAA's smackdown on the trailer for the upcoming film, Saw II. The MPAA said "no way" to the trailer, which features severed fingers.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the MPAA announced on Friday (Aug. 19) that its Advertising Administration didn't approve the materials that Lions Gate sent out to a number of web sites. The Advertising Administration, entrusted with reviewing all advertising and publicity materials submitted by producers and distributors for a film rating, would apparently have taken issue with the presence of chopped fingers in the ads.

"Saw II" is the sequel, of course, is the sequel to last fall's sleeper hit thriller that made some $55 million domestic. The film earned an R-rating, but theatrical trailers running on some websites for the sequel carry an R-rating that hasn't been approved by the MPAA. Lions Gate has reportedly already contacted all sites running the unauthorized trailer and artwork and will submit the materials through the correct channels.

Lions Gate is not really unhappy that its trailer has been nixed by the ratings board. All the publicity has given fans of films featuring lots of severed fingers the heads up that they need to bookmark October 28th to see Saw II. The new poster (seen above) now merely features someone who is in desperate need of a good manicure.

Posted on August 23, 2005
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The Apprentice Heads to China

How do you say "You're Fired!" in Chinese? We're about to find out, because The Donald and his hit show The Apprentice are heading to China.

Communist mainland China will soon have its own version of "The Apprentice" � Donald Trump's reality TV tribute to capitalism. Trump will be the executive producer of the Chinese show, which will be hosted by Beijing property mogul Pan Shiyi, the South China Morning Post newspaper reported Sunday.

The newspaper said China's version would closely follow the U.S. original, in which contestants compete for a job with Trump. Details of the deal are under negotiation.

The show will run in direct competition with "Wise Man Takes All" � which was inspired by "The Apprentice" and backed by Trump's business partner, Vincent Lo Hong-sui. That show offers a cash prize of about $123,400.

So, Trump will produce but won't actually star in the Chinese version? Now that's disappointing. We want to see Donald navigating the cultural minefield of U.S.-Chinese relations. Let's hope that "Beijing property mogul Pan Shiyi" has some really groovy hair.

Posted on August 22, 2005
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Time For a Dance-Off!

After the ridiculously rigged ending to Dancing With the Stars, John O'Hurley has been granted a do-over. On September 20th John O'Hurley and Kelley Monaco (and their respective dance partners) will face each other in a kind of Sudden Death Overtime of Dance. The results will be aired on September 22nd (both shows are on ABC). But here's the kicker: no judges will vote, only the viewer audience, says People magazine:

General Hospital actress Monaco, 29, and her professional dancing partner beat out O'Hurley (who played catalogue king J. Peterman on Seinfeld) on the hit ballroom dancing competition show on July 6.

The victory was viewed by many as an upset over the popular O'Hurley and prompted skepticism over whether Monaco had been favored because she worked on another ABC program. The network has denied the claims, and Monaco publicly defended her victory.

"That was insulting. I worked my butt off," she told PEOPLE earlier this month. When asked by reporters if she was up for a rematch, Monaco said, "Bring it on. You want a dance-off, come on up here. I'll give you a dance-off."

As the contest unfolded on the show Monaco was often criticized for her performance, yet she managed to avoid being voted out each week � even drawing perfect scores late in the competition. For the rematch, each pairing will perform Latin, ballroom and freestyle dances. Unlike the original series, however, they will be judged by viewer votes only, rather than by a combination of scoring by the public and judges alike.

Oh, please! Like this one won't be rigged, too! Of course that won't keep us from tuning in, of course.

Posted on August 19, 2005
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50 Cent Worried About Nelly's Addiction to Bling

Contact Music reports that uber-hot rapper 50 Cent is worried that Nelly's bling addiction is spiraling out of control. Nelly is well-known for his expensive platinum and diamond jewelry collection. But it appears that Nelly's shopping habits have a bit of a compulsive nature about them.

The Candy Shop star has slammed Nelly as a "fool" for wasting his hard-earned cash on strings of jewels, and insists his entourage should guide him away from diamond emporiums whenever he reaches for his bulging wallet.

50 Cent says, aghast, "I've never seen a chain with ice that big and that clean. "Not to say Nelly doesn't have the dough (money) to do it, but I would hope the people around him are smart enough to tell him not to. "If you gon' spend $5 million on diamonds, you's a damn fool."

Wise words from 50 Cent.

Posted on August 18, 2005
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Gossip Sites Crucial For Human Survival

Those of you who feel guilty as you furtively check the Web to see what Philanderer Extraordinaire Jude Law has been up to or to obsessively check to see if Angelina Jolie has adoped yet another child can relax. Gossip is not only important: it's crucial for human society to function. The New York Times reports in an incredibly long article on a group of investigative researchers who have discovered the benefits of gossip.

Gossip has long been dismissed by researchers as little more than background noise, blather with no useful function. But some investigators now say that gossip should be central to any study of group interaction.

People find it irresistible for good reason: Gossip not only helps clarify and enforce the rules that keep people working well together, studies suggest, but it circulates crucial information about the behavior of others that cannot be published in an office manual. As often as it sullies reputations, psychologists say, gossip offers a foothold for newcomers in a group and a safety net for group members who feel in danger of falling out.

"There has been a tendency to denigrate gossip as sloppy and unreliable" and unworthy of serious study, said David Sloan Wilson, a professor of biology and anthropology at the State University of New York at Binghamton and the author of "Darwin's Cathedral," a book on evolution and group behavior. "But gossip appears to be a very sophisticated, multifunctional interaction which is important in policing behaviors in a group and defining group membership." When two or more people huddle to share inside information about another person who is absent, they are often spreading important news, and enacting a mutually protective ritual that may have evolved from early grooming behaviors, some biologists argue.

We're performing a crucial societal function here, people.

Posted on August 18, 2005
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Don't Call Him "P"

And now, what we've all been waiting for: a name for the first ten years of the new Millenium. "It's the era of Diddy," says Sean Combs, who has morphed from Puff Daddy to P. Diddy to his newest incarnation: just plain Diddy. Diddy made the announcement on that bastion of gangsta rap, The Today Show.

As for what brought about the latest change in moniker, the entertainer admitted that his previous name change left his fans uncertain of how to address him.

"I felt like the 'P' was getting between me and my fans and now we're closer," Diddy said. "During concerts, half the crowd is saying 'P. Diddy'--half the crowd is chanting 'Diddy'--now everybody can just chant 'Diddy.' "

He confessed that his unwieldy name was even starting to befuddle him. "I even started to get confused myself--and when I'd called someone on the telephone it took me a long time to explain who I was. Too long," Diddy told the New York Post. "One word. Five letters. Period," he added.

It's certainly better than the symbol that Prince used for a while. Still, we were just getting used to "P"....

Posted on August 17, 2005
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The New Tinkle-Powered Battery

Now that's what we call thinking outside the box. Those crafty Singapore scientists are at it again with the new inventions. They've now developed a paper battery that is powered by urine. Pee. Tinkle. Yes, tinkle sounds much better, so let's go with that.

Research investment into developing smaller and cheaper chips to process information in disposable health tests has been significant, but they were still reliant on an external power source. The researchers at Singapore�s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) think they have overcome this problem.

The battery is composed of paper, soaked in copper chloride, sandwiched between layers of magnesium and copper. The whole thing, once laminated in plastic, is just a millimetre thick, and 6cm by 3cm in size....

Dr. Ki Bang Lee, lead researcher, sees a big market for the battery. He argues that it could easily be integrated into biochip systems for "healthcare diagnostic applications", making it much easier for people to manage their own healthcare, only going to the doctor when absolutely necessary.

Dr. Ki Bang Lee has not explained how this breakthrough discovery in battery power can be used for recharging something like, say, one's cell phone. In fact, the very concept is mind-boggling.

Posted on August 16, 2005
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Heder Up For Napoleon 2

The Chicago Tribune reports that Napoleon Dynamite star John Heder might be up for a little more tetherball.

Despite having shot down hopes before for a "Napoleon" sequel, Heder expressed a possible shift in the winds.

"I'll never say yes or no to that kind of thing, unless we start shooting it," Heder said. "I think it would be fun to do, but it's just gotta be done right, I guess."

Heder added that he's not afraid of being typecast as a nerd.

"I don't mind. It's fun playing a dorky guy--or someone ugly. It's easy playing someone ugly and eccentric."

We hope the rest of the crew is listening and they really make a sequel because that would be flippn' sweet.

Posted on August 15, 2005
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Paula Abdul Cleared of Dastardly Allegations of Impropriety

Variety reports that Paula Abdul has been absolved of all wrongdoing and will keep her job as a judge on American Idol.

According to a statement issued by Fox and the producers of the reality hit, an outside law firm has concluded that Corey Clark's claims of a sexual relationship with Abdul "have not been substantiated by any corroborating evidence of witnesses."

Abdul admitted she had phone conversations with Clark while he was a contestant, but the independent counsel concluded there was "insufficient evidence that the communications between Mr. Clark and Ms. Abdul in any way aided his performance. Further, we are confident that none of these communications had any impact on the outcome of the competition." Bottom line? "Paula Abdul, therefore, can continue as a judge on 'American Idol,' " the statement by the net and producers 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia said.

Fox and the producers said they will implement "an enhanced non-fraternization policy aimed at preventing any future incidents that could even appear to call into question the relationships between contestants and judges or any other individuals working" on the show.

"I'm grateful this ordeal is over, and I'm so looking forward to getting back to the job I love," Abdul said, in a statement.

At last, our long national nightmare is over.

Posted on August 15, 2005
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Scientists Achieve Breakthrough in Cockroach Wars

Scientists have achieved an amazing breakthrough in the ongoing War on Cockroaches. In a startling new development, scientists announced that they have managed to infiltrate the main base of the enemy. They did this by creating Insbot, a complex robot that fools the cockroaches into following it by mimicking cockroach behaviors and secreting chemicals that attract roaches. The cockroaches even followed the Insbot into the light where humans could easily step on them.

Developed at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Insbot has learned how to mimic cockroaches' behaviour and interact with a colony of the insects. The device was developed to show how artificial systems could interact with animals in future mixed societies, Gilles Caprari and colleagues report in the latest edition of IEEE Robotics and Automation (vol 12, p 58).

In addition to a host of touch sensors that allow it to interact with the roaches, Insbot can secrete chemicals that mimic the pheromones with which they communicate. So accepted has the robot become in roach society that it can even lure the insects from the safe, dark shelters they prefer to a much brighter one.

Cockroaches, considered one of the hardiest creatures on Earth, will now be led to their doom by the devious machinations of our brave scientists on the front lines. We're sure that there is no truth whatsoever to those rumors that the clever cockroaches have secretly reprogrammed the robot to inflitrate our society and destroy us from the inside. After all, there's no need to be paranoid....right? Right?

Posted on August 12, 2005
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Send in the Clonus

Scott Weinberg at Rotten Tomatoes reports that not only was The Island a box office disaster, it is now the target of a copyright infringement lawsuit. Apparently, The Island has quite a few similarities to a prior film, Parts: The Clonus Horror (somehow we must have missed that one).

Scott Weinberg writes: "Sci-fi geeks have been telling about it for weeks, but the similarities between Michael Bay's The Island and Robert Fiveson's Parts: The Clonus Horror are about to be aired in a federal court ... barring a quick settlement, of course.

The producers of the 1979 sci-fi indie flick are suing DreamWorks and WB, stating that The Island is more than just a little similar to their low-budget film. Clonus, produced by Myrl A. Schreibman and Robert S. Fiveson, who also helmed, tells the story of a secret colony of clones who are told they will one day go to a utopian place called "America." They're actually being raised in case their human counterparts need spare organs. One of the clones escapes into Southern California and is chased as he tries to expose the facility.

In The Island, helmed by Michael Bay, the clones are similarly raised as a source of spare parts for humans and two clones escape into the real world, a futuristic Los Angeles, and try to shut down the cloning facility."

....But the Clonus producers reportedly have about 90 specific instances in which they feel the similarities between the films are much more than coincidental. Many might look to The Island's original screenwriter, one Caspian Tredwell-Owen, or the pair of secondary writers, Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci, for a few answers.

An excellent point. Which leads us to ponder star Scarlet Johansson's response to an interviewer's question about the moral implications of growing a clone of oneself. The ever-practical Scarlett replied: "She could definitely go to the gym and the supermarket, fold the laundry and prance around in clothes, so I could see beforehand how I'd look in things."

Posted on August 11, 2005
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Britney Spears and the Baby Shower From Hell

It was the Baby Shower From Hell. Britney Spears attended a baby shower given in her honor on a boat. She drank fruit juice and opened baby presents, while sunning in a tiny bikini. Naturally, all the paparazzi went absolutely nuts and were jockeying for position to catch a photo of La Britney, when suddenly a shot rang out. When the dust cleared, one sad paparazzo had been shot in the leg...with a BB Gun. No suspects have been found and forensic evidence has been indeterminate. Who was the Lone BB Gunman? No one knows.

That shower is living on in infamy. The police have launched an intensive investigation as to who shot the BB Gun at the unlucky photographer, but clues have been hard to come by.

Meanwhile, Christina Aguilera -- apparently furious at all the publicity Britney's receiving during her pregnancy -- launched a vicious attack against her former Mouseketeer in Arms:

Christina Aguilera has warned pop rival Britney Spears not to expect a comeback after her baby is born - because she's "let herself go" too much to reclaim her sex symbol status. The Dirrty singer is horrified by the deterioration in Spears' appearance since she announced she's expecting her husband Kevin Federline's child earlier this year. And Aguilera hopes the Toxic star will be content with motherhood, because she doubts she'll ever be a pop star again. She says, "She's let herself go. I can't see a comeback on the cards."

Hey, she's 23, she's pregnant. She has possibly the worst taste in swimwear on the planet, but she's actually in great shape for a mom-to-be. And you just watch how fast she whips that bod into shape post-baby. So there!

Posted on August 10, 2005
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Jude Law and the Infidelity Bond

E! reports that the nanny-seducing Jude Law has offered to put up a $9 million infidelity bond to prove to fianc�e Sienna Miller that he can ignore temptation the next time it strikes in the form of a buxom domestic assistant.

Pay for Play: Emotional costs aren't even the half of if for Jude Law, as he tries to salvage his relationship with fianc�e Sienna Miller after the nasty nanny-noodling interlude. According to the Enquirer, Jude has promised to be true and is putting his money where his mouth is with a $9 million infidelity bond. We're guessing Sienna may not take up this financial offer of honor. After all, even Law's pals have started referring to him as St. Jude--the patron saint of lost causes.

Meanwhile, Sienna has reportedly consulted New York academic Gilda Carle over Jude's affair. She wants to find out why he scored with the nanny hours after she left him. Well, you can pay $300 and hour to hear that he's a cheataholic, or you could just ask your mom, who'll explain the ways of his cheating heart -- for free. Well, with maybe a few "I told you he was no good" comments thrown in for good measure.

Look for Daisy, the Nanny From Hell, on Good Morning America and The Tyra Banks Show in the very near future, where she is expected to read saucy excerpts from her detailed diary.

Posted on August 9, 2005
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We Celebrate National Sandwich Month

Apparently, we've managed to go an entire week without realizing that it'sNational Sandwich Month. How we could have let this important holiday pass almost unoticed is beyond us. We do love a good sandwich: and who doesn't? Now that the Atkins diet has officially gone bankrupt, let the carbs run free! I Love Sandwiches is a good place to go to celebrate the love of sandwiches. We'd write more about the somewhat mysterious origins of National Sandwich Month, but we have to go whip up a club sandwich on toasted whole wheat with turkey, provolone, avocado, mayo and tomato.

Posted on August 8, 2005
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Gisele Bundchen and the Immaculate House

When she's not jetting around the world, attending movie premieres with Leonardo diCaprio or posing for the latest Victoria's Secret catalogue, supermodel Gisele Bundchen obsessively engages in her favorite past-time: cleaning. She told Jay Leno that she thinks she might have a problem.

"I'm obsessed. I think I have a disease, actually... I always fire housekeepers. I don't even have one because I always have to clean after them because they always move things out of place and I get really like upset about it. I like everything clean. You can actually eat off the floor of my house, that's how clean my floors are. They're so clean because I clean them myself, so I know."

"I've learned in life how to be a bit more patient with cleaning because in the past I used to go to people's houses and start like cleaning their dishes and organising their house."

"People get offended. You arrive in their house and you're like cleaning everything. They're like: 'What's wrong with you?' Now I've learned, with time, age... (that) I should leave people's houses the way they are because that's the way they like it. I'm just gonna clean my own house (now)."

Leonardo diCaprio better not leave his socks on the floor...or there could be trouble. Big Trouble.

Posted on August 6, 2005
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GSN Turns Dodgeball Game Into Hit Show

Remember the hilarious film called Dodgeball starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn? Well the GSN cable network has taken the idea from the film and turned Dodgeball into a real sport. Even more surprising is the fact that people are watching GSN's Extreme Dodgeball -- it's the number one show on the network for ages 18 to 34. The teams, which compete for a championship victory prize of $170,000, have ridiculous names like the Chicago Hitmen, New York Bling, L.A. Armed Response and the Philadelphia Benjamins. An Associated Press article has more about the "new" sport.

"Our version of dodgeball has moved away from the fourth-grade game and moved toward the NBA more than anything else," says executive producer Mark Cronin in the newly designed arena at Hollywood Center Studio. "It's an exciting sport to watch and it's an exciting sport to play."

The schoolyard game, discouraged in some areas for being too violent, has become an all-out sports craze on college campuses and among adults in recent years.

"Dodgeball is the new softball - it's very social," says GSN President Rich Cronin (no relation to the show's producer).

"We came up with the idea a year ago when we noticed it was catching on on college campuses. Then we read about the dodgeball movie (starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn) and we thought, `Great, we will debut our dodgeball series at the same time as the movie. We'll jump on this hot trend of dodgeball as a growing sport (and) help fuel the trend.' That's exactly what happened."

"Extreme Dodgeball" is now the highest-rated show on GSN among 18- to 34-year-olds, according to the network, and in many ways has become key to the channel's programming strategy.

Posted on August 5, 2005
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The Real Story of the Dukes of Hazzard

E! reporters have outdone themselves for their incisive interview with the cast of the upcoming film, The Dukes of Hazzard. The brilliant questions. The searing follow-ups. The insightful commentary. This is what investigative journalism is all about.

E!: [The] Daisy Dukes--how do they fit?

Jessica Simpson: I just didn't want butt cheeks hanging out. That was very important to me, so they had to be a little bit lower-waisted. You know, you gotta meet in the middle. It's like marriage. You've got to compromise with the director.

E!: Ever try moonshine?

Johnny Knoxville: Actually, I had some moonshine shipped down [to the Louisiana set] from Tennessee while we were filming for the cast and crew. And it was delicious.

Seann William Scott: Of course, Knoxville thinks of giving people moonshine as a wrap gift. And like a moron, I take a huge gulp of it. I think I was drunk for a week.

E!: What does it taste like?

Seann William Scott: Like ass. It tastes awful.

E!: What's in moonshine?

Johnny Knoxville: It's made of corn. It's corn squeezings, and it's about 190 proof. Highly flammable. And you gotta drink it out of a glass jar, preferably a Mason jar. Because you put it in a paper cup, it'll eat the bottom right up, which basically is what it does to you.

E!: Ever injure yourself jumping into the car?

Seann William Scott: How'd you hear about that? Did you know it's a small window? Did John Schneider get hurt? I mean, it was really hard. I only jumped in the car once, because I banged my knee up. Johnny was good.

Johnny Knoxville: [I got a] couple of shinners. I remember showing up on set and seeing that for the first time, and the windows are really narrow. But the stunt guys worked with me and showed me how to do it.

We smell Pulitzer....

Posted on August 4, 2005
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David Manning Fake Critic Lawsuit Settled

A settlement has been finalized in the class action lawsuit against Sony motion pictures. The lawsuit was brought by furious fans who felt they were tricked into seeing the Heath Ledger film A Knight's Tale, because of fake quotes from the nonexistent critic named "David Manning." Manning called Heath Ledger "this year's hottest new star."

A US judge has finalised the settlement of a lawsuit brought by disgruntled movie-goers who accused Hollywood's Sony motion picture studio of using a fake critic to trick them into seeing mediocre films, lawyers have said. Sony Pictures Entertainment agreed to pay USD 1.5 million to resolve the class-action suit filed in 2001 claiming the studio invented a bogus critic to heap praise on its movies, the movie-goers' attorney Norman Blumenthal said yesterday.

The suit was filed following a report that Sony's Columbia Tristar unit had used glowing reviews allegedly written by the non-existent David Manning that heaped gushing praise on films including Hollow Man and A Knight's Tale. Angry fans accused the studio of misleading them with quotes from the non-existent critic Manning who, in 2001, proclaimed Australian actor Heath Ledger was 'this year's hottest new star' following his role in A Knight's Tale.

Sony allegedly advertised quotes from 'reviews' written by Manning in publicity blurbs for movies, in which the studio claimed the critic worked for The Ridgefield Press in the Eastern US state of Connecticut. Sony also used endorsements by people who turned out to be Sony employees, the attorneys for the plaintiffs said, in a legal notice concerning the settlement that was agreed in March 2004 and given final approval last month.

So, what ever happened to to the brightest new star of the year, Heath Ledger, anyway? Haven't heard a peep out of him. Of course, when your studio has to pay out $1.5 million to grumpy moviegoers because your film sucked so much that they sued over it...well, that is embarassing. We'd hide, too.

Posted on August 3, 2005
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Bacall Blasts Dr. Cruise

Lauren Bacall is not in the least bit impressed with Tom Cruise's recent behavior. And she's not shy about her feelings, either. People magazine has the scoop:

Seeing the matter in a different light, the 81-year-old Bacall � a star since the 1940s � says of Cruise in the latest issue of Time magazine: "His whole behavior is so shocking. It's inappropriate and vulgar and absolutely unacceptable to use your private life to sell anything commercially, but I think it's kind of a sickness."

Cruise, 43, raised eyebrows over his very public displays of affection with his 26-year-old wife-to-be Katie Holmes. His acts ranged from jumping up and down on Oprah Winfrey's couch, to stopping and kissing her at each and every premiere of War of the Worlds, to announcing their wedding engagement at a Paris press conference for his movie.

But that was off the screen. How does Bacall rate the on-screen performances of the male heartthrob? As she tells Time: "When you talk about a great actor, you're not talking about Tom Cruise."

Ouch.

Posted on August 2, 2005
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She's the Everywhere Girl

TheInquirer.net has been tracking the appearance of Everywhere Girl since 2004 when she first appeared in advertisements for both Dell and Gateaway around the same time period. Since then Everywhere Girl has appeared all over the world in book covers (here and here), and advertisements for universities, museums and banks. Another website tracking Everywhere Girl can be found here. It looks like these savvy advertisers are getting her image from this stock photo website. Where will Everyday Girl appear next?

Posted on August 1, 2005
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