Live Coverage of Michael Jackson Memorial in LA

Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service
Date: Tuesday, July 7, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
Location: STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, California

The Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service takes place Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles and simulcast inside to Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE across the street.

Fans are being asked not to go! The LAPD won't be able to handle the massive influx of people into the city center.

FLASH UPDATE: Michael Jackson's body will be taken to the Staples Center memorial in downtown Los Angeles!

LAPD officers have blocked off roads and warned those without tickets to stay away because they will not be able to get near the downtown venue.

Stevie Wonder, Mariah Carey, Usher, Lionel Richie, Kobe Bryant, Jennifer Hudson, John Mayer and Martin Luther King III are among the celebrity guests scheduled to attend Michael Jackson's memorial service on Tuesday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Jackson will be buried WITHOUT HIS BRAIN at Forest Lawn cemetery in Hollywood Hills.

BE PART OF TELEVISION HISTORY!

Many networks are skipping their regular programming and airing the Michael Jackson Memorial Service instead.

The music stations MTV, BET, VH1, MTV.com, VH1.com, VH1 Classics and VH1 Soul are all providing coverage and airing the Memorial at 12:00 p.m. Eastern and 9:00 a.m. Pacific. MSNBC begins covering the Memorial Service at 8:00 a.m. Pacific, 11:00 a.m. Eastern. The anchor is Chris Jansing.

Both CNN and HLN are covering the Memorial service live. Anderson Cooper begins at 9:00 a.m. Pacific, 12:00 p.m. Eastern. CNN International and CNN en Espanol are also airing the service. CNN is streaming the service live on the Internet too.

CBS begins coverage with the Early Show, and ABC’s Good Morning America is also providing special coverage. Martin Bashir, who did the infamous interview with Michael Jackson, co-anchors the ABC coverage. There will be a special 20/20 hosted by both Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer at 9:00 p.m.

NBC is doing a special, ‘split’ coverage on the Today show. Brian Williams begins covering the Staples Center at 10:00 a.m. while Meredith Vieria is running coverage during the Today Show.

Fox’s Great Van Sustern is live in Los Angeles and will have a special feature at 10:00 p.m of “On the Record.” Fox is also be streaming live on the web, beginning at 10:00 a.m. Pacific and 1:00 p.m. Eastern.

About 85 theaters across the country, from Los Angeles to Topeka, Kansas, to Washington, D.C., are broadcasting the memorial live, for free.

TV.com is hosting a live online stream of CBS News' coverage beginning at 9 a.m. PT/Noon ET/5 p.m. GMT. Their servers like those of many other sites providing live streaming of the event are likely to be overloaded.

Live online stream on this Yahoo! page:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20090707/en_ynews/ynews_en429

Tickets for Michael Jackson Memorial at Staples Center

Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service
Tuesday, July 7, 2009, 10:00 a.m.
STAPLES Center, Los Angeles, California

The Michael Jackson Public Memorial Service will take place on Tuesday, July 7, 2009 at 10:00 a.m. at STAPLES Center in downtown Los Angeles, California and simulcast inside to Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE across the street. A limited number of free tickets to both venues will be made available for Michael Jackson's fans to attend.

Due to the expected overwhelming demand, procedures have been set to accommodate registration for the tickets. Note that by registering for tickets to attend the Public Memorial Service, it does NOT guarantee the registrant tickets.

The opportunity to register for tickets begins at 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time on Friday, July 3, 2009 and ends at 6:00 p.m. Pacific Time on Saturday, July 4, 2009.

Register here: http://staplescenter.com/memorial.php

Car Free Day 2009 in Los Angeles

Car Free Day is almost everyday for me!

Super that I live in the part of Los Angeles where you can walk everywhere you need to get the essential stuff from -- even culture. (Spinal Tap at the Wiltern!) Theoretically, I could even walk all the way to the movie theaters and museums, although public transportation is so convenient, might as well take the DASH bus or the subway.

Lots of people making their case for the environment today at the Earth Day celebration. Saw a girl who was convinced the garment bags she was selling would save the planet.

The kids had fun with the face painting, which is where I saw the T-shirt in the video: RETHINK. REDUCE. REUSE (AND THEN RECYCLE).

Results of the 80th National Spelling Bee

Evan O'Dorney won with the word serrefine! I swear, they should ban these geniuses who have photographic memories. It's unfair to the merely mortal kids. I wanted so much for Nate Gartke to win, despite his being Canadian (yech!), because he seemed to be the only socially well-adjusted boy among the 15 finalists.

But there were a lot of well-rounded girls — Tia Thomas of California, Isabel Jacobson of Wisconsin, and Kavya Shivashankar of Kansas (who has a really wicked little sister, and I don't mean that in the negative sense).

I made the same mistake as Nate with coryza. I had seen that word before, but "chalaza" kept interfering with my brain process. I kept saying: the definition provided is not that of a cord inside an egg... but I have no control over where my brain goes.

Words I knew but my mouth misspelled:
pappardelle
abseil

Words I should have gotten:
zacate (Spanish!)
yosenabe (Japanese!)

Words I knew cold:
cilice (Da Vinci Code)
triticale (health food)
videlicet (viz.)

Spellings I guessed and got right:
helodes
rognon
randkluft
vituline

What I would have given to be in a spelling bee as a kid.

2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee

You can watch the Championship Finals of the 2007 Scripps National Spelling Bee on ABC from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. I'm having the DVR take care of it. I'm also having it record the show that airs afterward — Grey's Anatomy (yech!) — because these live events frequently go overtime and the DVR isn't smart enough to figure that out.

Weather's nice. Sunny.

Ashley Judd's husband Dario wins the Indy 500

Aunt Flo came, so I took the "opportunity" to watch my first ever Indy 500 and try to figure out what car racing is about. I actually didn't finish it because the track took too long to dry. I thought Tony Kanaan had it in the bag, but was hoping that if they continued, Danica Patrick would manage something.


I must say I have new-found respect for the race-car drivers. I can't stay seated for more than three hours in front of the TV watching cars go at a terrifying speed. How does Danica sit inside and drive one of those things and still emerge so beautiful? Too bad she's associated with titties-meister Bob Parsons of GoDaddy. All that driving must have jiggled her brain too much. No way there wasn't another sponsor who could pay her better.


Ashley Judd's husband, Dario Franchitti (Italian but not Argento!) of Scotland, is the 2007 winner of the Indy 500. He looked like the most kind-hearted among the competitors. And have you ever seen a celebrity couple appear more genuinely happy than the two of them? She had to undergo treatment for depression last year though. Married since 2001.


Jim Nabors wasn't there to sing Back Home Again in Indiana. Patrick Dempsey drove the pace car, and Peyton Manning waved the green flag. Milka Duno, the Venezuelan chick with 4 master's degrees (three earned simultaneously) didn't crash first. God knows how Sarah Fisher placed.

More Cinco de Mayo videos

I've got a big work load today, but just wanted to let you know that I've uploaded more Cinco de Mayo videos here. Someone asked if what the police had done on May Day kept most people at home. I think it dampened the mood a bit. But the reason things look so sleepy in my videos is because it was so early in the day still.



I was standing behind the stage in this one. So far I've only uploaded three musical performances. I was able to get a six-minute clip of the guy I had a crush on, but it's too big a file to upload.

Yup, we've got a new subdomain. SunnyInLa.com/videos. I haven't promoted it yet because it still needs a lot of work. Most of the rest of the videos will be posted soon.

- - -

La Opinion headline this morning: Oscar La Vista. I didn't get it. Maybe a pun on "Hasta La Vista." Mayweather won the decision over De La Hoya. It had to be the shorts.

Cinco de Mayo en Los Angeles 2007

It's not the Mexican Day of independence! That's on September 16.

Cinco De Mayo commemorates the defeat of French troops at the Battle of Puebla. This happened in 1862 while Americans were busy with the Civil War. What were the French doing in Mexico? Napoleon III wanted to conquer the country.

So you had the better-equipped French army defeated by the much smaller Mexican army. The victory was unexpected, and that's why it's celebrated. It's a big thing in the state of Puebla and even more so here en los Estados Unidos. The rest of Mexico's like, huh?

There are annual celebrations at the Plaza del Pueblo de Los Angeles near Olvera Street. I dropped by this morning when there weren't many people yet. The place will be jumping after dark. Stuff happening until 10 pm. The LAPD's already fully represented there — sans riot gear and rubber bullets, thank god.



I really should learn how to edit videos. I was able to shoot complete musical performances, but they exceeded the allowable 100 MB on most video-sharing sites.

- - -

Street Sense won the Kentucky Derby, and Queen Elizabeth II has fulfilled her lifelong dream of attending the derby. Yawn...

STREET SENSE

• the first Breeders’ Cup Juvenile winner to return in the spring and win on the first Saturday in May
• the first 2-year-old champion to win the Derby since Spectacular Bid in 1979

133rd Running of the Kentucky Derby

"The Most Exciting Two Minutes in Sports"
over one and a quarter miles at Churchill Downs

held annually on the first Saturday of May


Running of the Roses
a blanket of 554 roses is draped over the winning horse

first Derby winner:
colt Aristides with African-American jockey Oliver Lewis

first filly to win the Derby: Regret in 1915
first foreign-bred horse to win: Omar Khayyam (British) in 1015

fastest time: 1 minute and 59 2/5 seconds, Secretariat in 1973

traditional drink: mint julep (bourbon, mint, sugar syrup)
popular dish: burgoo (stew of meat and vegetables)

women with elaborate hats

gambling legal

"Millionaire's Row" - expensive box seats

University of Louisville's marching band plays Stephen Foster's "My Old Kentucky Home"

highlight this year: visit of Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip (it's her "lifelong dream")

- - -

The 2007 Kentucky Derby post time is at 6:04 p.m. EST
may rain, but drainage system good at the tracks

TV schedule
my DVR is set to record 1:30-3:30 pm Pacific on NBC
Kentucky Derby Special on ESPN 12-2 pm (preliminary races)

Curlin the 7-2 morning-line favorite for the $2 million race this year
Street Sense the first Breeders' Cup Juvenile champ to win the Derby?
Others: Nobiz Like Shobiz, Circular Quay, Any Given Saturday

Cinco de Mayhem: de la Hoya vs Mayweather

I couldn't ignore the hype. The fight that could save boxing: "Pretty Boy" Floyd Mayweather vs "Golden Boy" Oscar de la Hoya at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.


Now why would two grown men want to pound each other's handsome face to a pulp? Mayweather stands to make at least $10 million to De La Hoya's $25 million. "It's not about the money. This Superfight is going to resurrect boxing." Okay...

This World Boxing Council super-welterweight title fight sold out 16,200 tickets in less than three hours. Pay-per-view buys are expected to exceed 1.5 million.

'Pretty Boy' Floyd Mayweather (37-0, 24 knockouts)
- bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, as a featherweight
- a win today means major titles in five different divisions
- speed, youth

'Golden Boy' Oscar De La Hoya (38-4, 30 KOs)
- gold medal at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona
- Ring Magazine's "Fighter of the Year" in 1995
- Ring Magazine's best "Pound for Pound" fighter in the world in 1997
- the only fighter to win world titles in six weight classes
- experience, size

There's a cottage industry in Los Angeles of young women flaunting the fact they've been impregnated by La Hoya, like it's some sort of badge or trophy, which it probably is. "I have a baby by de la Hoya. Really, I do!" (proud, excited giggle)

tax deadline this year is April 17

We get two extra days because April 15 is a Sunday and April 16 is Emancipation Day (a legal holiday in the District of Columbia). April 16 also happens to be Patriots Day in Massachusetts, where an IRS processing facility for the eastern states is located.


April 17 deadline applies to:

• 2006 federal individual income tax returns, whether filed electronically or on paper
• requests for an automatic six-month tax-filing extension, whether submitted electronically or on Form 4868
• tax year 2006 balance due payments, whether made electronically (direct debit or credit card) or by check
• tax-year 2006 contributions to a Roth or traditional IRA.
• individual estimated tax payments for the first quarter of 2007, whether made electronically or by check
• individual refund claims for tax year 2003, where the regular three-year statute of limitations is expiring

from our tax agency, the Internal Revenue Service:
Taxpayers Have Until April 17 to File and Pay
Questions and Answers — April 17 Deadline

Emancipation Day
April 16, 1862
signing by Abraham Lincoln of the Compensated Emancipation Act, w/c freed slaves in the District of Columbia

a public holiday in D.C., but not a federal holiday

LA Marathon is March 4 — register!

The 22nd Los Angeles Marathon will be on March 4, 2007. Mostly downhill, from Universal Studios Hollywood to downtown Los Angeles (Flower Street near 7th).

Starts at around 8 AM. Viewing party at USH CityWalk outside the Hard Rock Café.


If you register online before February 28th, the fee is $95.

Pay $105 to register late during the ...

Emerald Nuts Quality of Life EXPO
Los Angeles Convention Center, Kentia Hall
March 2 (Friday, 9 AM to 8 PM)
March 3 (Saturday, 9AM to 5 PM)

The Expo is free. The Convention Center charges $12 for parking.


You cannot register on game day. Bibs, T-shirts and other such items must be picked up at the Expo by March 3, the day before the race.

Those in wheelchairs and with walkers are welcome to participate.


I'd like to volunteer but I'm not sure what my schedule then will be. If I turn out to be free, that day I can do same-day registration for the 5K walk. (6 AM?) Good excuse to buy new shoes to replace my five-year-old pair.

Or we might end up TV-watching the race on NBC4 or Telemundo 52.

2007 Westminster's Best In Show winner: James

131st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
February 13, 2007
Madison Square Garden


The Best in Show trophy was awarded to...


"Ch Felicity's Diamond Jim," a.k.a. "James"
an English Springer Spaniel of the Sporting Group

a dog, not a bitch

AKC: SN 75321403
Date of Birth: June 08, 2000
Breeder: Teresa Patton & Ruth Dehmel
Sire: Ch Telltale Davey Jones
Dam: Ch Rendition Autumn Fire Poppy
Owner: Teresa Patton & Allen Patton & R Dehmel & D Hadsall

Bill Cosby's Dandie Dinmont terrier Harry (named after the prince) did not win... Cosby's non-appearance was for naught after all.


James, or Diamond Jim, got the SILVER BOWL. And tomorrow, after his "interviews" with all the morning shows and television networks, he will enjoy steak tartare on a silver platter at Sardi's during the annual Dog Fanciers Club luncheon.

The USA Network and David Frei of the Westminster Kennel Club will host a live TV satellite media tour during the luncheon.

February 14, 2007
11:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Sardi’s Restaurant (Eugenia Room)
234 West 44th Street
New York City, NY
in the heart of the theater district

sold out already



FAMOUS ENGLISH SPRINGER SPANIELS

Spot Fetcher (1989–2004)
- pet of Dubya Bush

Millie (1985–1997)
- pet of George H. W. Bush
- full name: Mildred Kerr Bush
- mother of Spot Fetcher

Milie's Book: As Dictated to Barbara Bush (1992)

- - -

RECAP of Westminster's Best in Group winners

Monday night: Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting Breeds

Tuesday night: Sporting, Hound and Herding Breeds

Sporting, Hound and Herding Breeds

The 2007 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is being held at the Madison Square Garden. You can catch it on the USA network 8/7 pm Central.

Last night, it was the Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting breeds that were judged. (Harry, a Dandie Dinmont Terrier co-owned by Bill Cosby won in the Terrier Group.)

Tonight, it's the turn of the Sporting, Hound and Herding breeds. And the SILVER BOWL will be presented to the Best in Show.

SPORTING DOGS

Brittany
Pointer
Pointer (German Shorthaired)
Pointer (German Wirehaired)
Retriever (Chesapeake Bay)
Retriever (Curly-Coated)
Retriever (Flat-Coated)
Retriever (Golden)
Retriever (Labrador)
Retriever (Nova Scotia Duck Tolling)
Setter (English)
Setter (Gordon)
Setter (Irish)
Spaniel (American Water)
Spaniel (Clumber)
Spaniel (Cocker) A.S.C.O.B.
Spaniel (Cocker) Black
Spaniel (Cocker) Parti-Color
Spaniel (English Cocker)
Spaniel (English Springer) - winner of the 2007 WKC Sporting Group
Spaniel (Field)
Spaniel (Irish Water)
Spaniel (Sussex)
Spaniel (Welsh Springer)
Spinone Italiano
Vizsla
Weimaraner
Wirehaired Pointing Griffon

* ASCOB stands for "Any Solid Color Other than Black"

HOUND DOGS

Afghan Hound
Basenji
Basset Hound
Beagle, 13 In.
Beagle, 15 In.
Black and Tan Coonhound
Bloodhound
Borzoi
Dachshund (Longhaired)
Dachshund (Smooth)
Dachshund (Wirehaired)
Foxhound (American)
Foxhound (English)
Greyhound
Harrier
Ibizan Hound
Irish Wolfhound
Norwegian Elkhound
Otterhound
Petits Bassets Griffons Vendeen - winner of the 2007 WKC Hound Group
Pharaoh Hound
Rhodesian Ridgeback
Saluki
Scottish Deerhound
Whippet

HERDING DOGS

Australian Cattle Dog
Australian Shepherd
Bearded Collie
Belgian Malinois
Belgian Sheepdog
Belgian Tervuren
Border Collie
Bouviers des Flandres - winner of the 2007 WKC Herding Group
Briard
Canaan Dog
Collie (Rough)
Collie (Smooth)
German Shepherd Dog
Old English Sheepdog
Polish Lowland Sheepdog
Puli
Shetland Sheepdog
Welsh Corgi (Cardigan)
Welsh Corgi (Pembroke)


[UPDATED with winners in each group]

BEST IN SHOW results

Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting Breeds

The 2007 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is being held at the Madison Square Garden today and tomorrow. You can catch it on the USA network 8/7 pm Central.

Tonight, it's the Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting Breeds.

WORKING DOGS

Akita - winner of the 2007 WKC Working Group
Alaskan Malamute
Anatolian Shepherd Dog
Bernese Mountain Dog
Black Russian Terrier
Boxer
Bullmastiff
Doberman Pinscher
German Pinscher
Giant Schnauzer
Great Dane
Great Pyrenees
Greater Swiss Mountain Dog
Komondor
Kuvasz
Mastiff
Neapolitan Mastiff
Newfoundland
Portuguese Water Dog
Rottweiler
Samoyed
Siberian Husky
St Bernard
Standard Schnauzer

TERRIER DOGS

Airedale Terrier
American Staffordshire Terrier
Australian Terrier
Bedlington Terrier
Border Terrier
Bull Terrier (Colored)
Bull Terrier (White)
Cairn Terrier
Dandie Dinmont Terrier - winner of the 2007 WKC Terrier Group
[Harry, co-owned by Bill Cosby]
Fox Terrier (Smooth)
Fox Terrier (Wire)
Glen of Imaal Terrier
Irish Terrier
Kerry Blue Terrier
Lakeland Terrier
Manchester Terrier (Standard)
Miniature Bull Terrier
Miniature Schnauzer
Norfolk Terrier
Norwich Terrier
Parson Russell Terrier
Scottish Terrier
Sealyham Terrier
Skye Terrier
Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier
Staffordshire Bull Terrier
Welsh Terrier
West Highland White Terrier

TOY DOGS

Affenpinscher
Brussels Griffon
Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
Chihuahua (Long Coat)
Chihuahua (Smooth Coat)
Chinese Crested
English Toy Spaniel (B & PC)
English Toy Spaniel (KC & R)
Havanese
Italian Greyhound
Japanese Chin
Maltese
Manchester Terrier (Toy)
Miniature Pinscher
Papillon
Pekingese
Pomeranian
Poodle (Toy) - winner of the 2007 WKC Toy Group
Pug
Shih Tzu
Silky Terrier
Toy Fox Terrier
Yorkshire Terrier


English Toy Spaniels come in four colors:
Blenheim (Red and White)
Prince Charles (Black, White and Tan)
Ruby (red)
King Charles (Black and Tan)

NON-SPORTING DOGS

American Eskimo Dog
Bichons Frise
Boston Terrier
Bulldog
Chinese Shar-Pei
Chow Chow
Dalmatian
Finnish Spitz
French Bulldog
Keeshond
Lhasa Apso
Löwchen
Poodle (Miniature)
Poodle (Standard) - winner of the 2007 WKC Non-Sporting Group
Schipperke
Shiba Inu
Tibetan Spaniel
Tibetan Terrier


[UPDATED: with winners in each group]


Tomorrow, the Sporting, Hound and Herding breeds.
And the SILVER BOWL will be presented to the Best in Show.

BEST IN SHOW results

131st Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show (2007)

2007 Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

TV SCHEDULE

airing Monday, February 12, 8/7 pm Central
airing Tuesday, February 13, 8/7 pm Central

on the USA Network (UHD for high def)


America's First and Only Champions-Only Dog Show
entry limited to 2,500 dogs

165 breeds and varieties will be judged in seven different groups

Working, Terrier, Toy and Non-Sporting on Monday

Sporting, Hound and Herding on Tuesday

Best In Show on Tuesday evening

(Junior Showmanship in the afternoons and on Tuesday evening)

- - -

Madison Square Garden
Pennsylvania Plaza
Seventh to Eighth Avenues and 31st to 33rd Streets
New York City, New York

sponsor: Pedigree

- - -

Westminster Kennel Club (established in 1877)
- America's oldest organization for purebred dogs
- America's second-longest continuously-held sporting event, behind only the Kentucky Derby

2006-2007 AFC-NFC Pro Bowl

the National Football League's all-star game

the final football game of the NFL season



date : February 10, 2007
place : Aloha Stadium in Honolulu on the island of Oahu, Hawaii

every year since 1980

TV schedule

channel        : live on  CBS
kickoff time   : airing at 6 p.m. ET

Brian Urlacher suffered a toe injury in the Super Bowl and will not be playing in the Pro Bowl.

COMPLETE ROSTERS

s=starter
i=injured

asterisk (*) = rookie

AFC 2006-2007 PRO BOWL ROSTER

Player                  Team                Position   
Palmer, Carson          Cincinnati Bengals   QB   
Manning, Peyton-s       Indianapolis Colts   QB   
Rivers, Philip-i        San Diego Chargers   QB   
*Young, Vince           Tennessee Titans     QB   
Neal, Lorenzo-s         San Diego Chargers   FB   
Johnson, Larry          Kansas City Chiefs   RB   
Parker, Willie          Pittsburgh Steelers  RB   
Tomlinson, LaDainian-s  San Diego Chargers   RB   
Johnson, Chad-s         Cincinnati Bengals   WR   
Johnson, Andre-s        Houston Texans       WR   
Harrison, Marvin        Indianapolis Colts   WR   
Wayne, Reggie           Indianapolis Colts   WR    
Gonzalez, Tony          Kansas City Chiefs   TE   
Gates, Antonio-s        San Diego Chargers   TE   
Saturday, Jeff-s        Indianapolis Colts   C   
Hardwick, Nick          San Diego Chargers   C   
Shields, Will-s         Kansas City Chiefs   G   
Waters, Brian           Kansas City Chiefs   G   
Faneca, Alan-s          Pittsburgh Steelers  G   
Ogden, Jonathan-s       Baltimore Ravens     T   
*McNeill, Marcus-i      San Diego Chargers   T    
Glenn, Tarik-i          Indianapolis Colts   T   
Kaeding, Nate           San Diego Chargers  K   
Miller, Justin          New York Jets        KR   
Schobel, Aaron-s        Buffalo Bills       DE    
Taylor, Jason-s         Miami Dolphins      DE   
Burgess, Derrick        Oakland Raiders     DE   
Seymour, Richard-i      New England Patriots  DT   
Henderson, John         Jacksonville Jaguars  DT  
Hampton, Casey          Pittsburgh Steelers   DT   
Williams, Jamal-s       San Diego Chargers    DT   
Scott, Bart             Baltimore Ravens      ILB   
Wilson, Al-i            Denver Broncos        ILB   
Thomas, Zach            Miami Dolphins        ILB   
Suggs, Terrell          Baltimore Ravens      OLB   
Thomas, Adalius-s       Baltimore Ravens      OLB   
Merriman, Shawne-s      San Diego Chargers    OLB   
McAlister, Chris        Baltimore Ravens      CB   
Bailey, Champ-s         Denver Broncos        CB   
Mathis, Rashean-s       Jacksonville Jaguars  CB   
Reed, Ed-s              Baltimore Ravens      FS   
Lynch, John             Denver Broncos        FS   
Polamalu, Troy-s        Pittsburgh Steelers   SS   
Binn, David-s           San Diego Chargers    LS   
Moorman, Brian          Buffalo Bills         P   
Osgood, Kassim          San Diego Chargers    ST

NFC 2006-2007 PRO BOWL ROSTER

Player                 Team                  Position
Romo, Tony             Dallas Cowboys        QB   
Brees, Drew-s          New Orleans Saints    QB 
Bulger, Marc           St. Louis Rams        QB   
Strong, Mack-s         Seattle Seahawks     FB 
Barber, Tiki           New York Giants       RB   
Gore, Frank-s          San Francisco 49ers   RB   
Jackson, Steven        St. Louis Rams        RB   
Boldin, Anquan         Arizona Cardinals  WR   
Smith, Steve-s         Carolina Panthers  WR   
Driver, Donald         Green Bay Packers  WR   
Holt, Torry-i          St. Louis Rams     WR   
Williams, Roy          Detroit Lions      WR   
Crumpler, Alge-s       Atlanta Falcons  TE   
Shockey, Jeremy-i      New York Giants  TE   
Jason Witten           Dallas Cowboys   TE   
Kreutz, Olin-s         Chicago Bears       C   
Birk, Matt             Minnesota Vikings   C 
Hutchinson, Steve-s    Minnesota Vikings    G   
Brown, Ruben           Chicago Bears        G   
Andrews, Shawn-i       Philadelphia Eagles  G  
Allen, Larry           San Francisco 49ers  G   
Brown, Jammal-s        New Orleans Saints   T   
Adams, Flozell         Dallas Cowboys       T   
Jones, Walter-s        Seattle Seahawks     T   
Samuels, Chris         Washington Redskins  T   
Gould, Robbie          Chicago Bears        K   
*Hester, Devin         Chicago Bears        KR   
Peppers, Julius-s      Carolina Panthers  DE    
Kampman, Aaron         Green Bay Packers  DE   
Smith, Will-s          New Orleans Saints DE   
Jenkins, Kris          Carolina Panthers   DT   
Harris, Tommie-i       Chicago Bears       DT   
Williams, Pat          Minnesota Vikings   DT   
Williams, Kevin-s      Minnesota Vikings   DT   
Urlacher, Brian-i      Chicago Bears      ILB   
Pierce, Antonio        N.Y. Giants        MLB    
Tatupu, Lofa           Seattle Seahawks   ILB  
Briggs, Lance-i        Chicago Bears        OLB   
Brooks, Derrick        Tampa Bay Buccaneers OLB   
Ware, DeMarcus-s       Dallas Cowboys       OLB   
Peterson, Julian       Seattle Seahawks     OLB   
Hall, DeAngelo-s       Atlanta Falcons       CB   
Sheppard, Lito         Philadelphia Eagles   CB   
Barber, Ronde-s        Tampa Bay Buccaneers  CB   
Wilson, Adrian-s       Arizona Cardinals    SS   
Williams, Roy          Dallas Cowboys       SS   
Dawkins, Brian-i       Philadelphia Eagles  FS   
Taylor, Sean           Washington Redskins  FS   
McBriar, Mat           Dallas Cowboys       P   
Ayanbadejo, Brendon    Chicago Bears       ST

Football positions abbreviations:
QB = quarterback
FB = fullback
RB = running back
WR = wide receiver
TE = tight end
C = center
G = guard
T = tackle
K = kicker
KR = kick returner (kick return specialist)
DE = defensive end
DT = defensive tackle
ILB = inside linebacker
MLB = middle linebacker
OLB = outside linebacker
CB = cornerback
FS = free safety
SS = strong safety
LS = long snapper
P = punter
ST = special teamer

Catch the Harlem Globetrotters in L.A.

The Harlem Globetrotters are going to be at the Honda Center in Anaheim on February 17 (Saturday) and the Staples Center in Los Angeles on February 18 (Sunday).

Full schedule:

Tue  2/13/2007  San Bernardino, CA  Coussoulis Arena
Wed  2/14/2007  Bakersfield, CA     Rabobank Arena
Thu  2/15/2007  Santa Barbara, CA   UCSB Event Center
Fri  2/16/2007  San Diego, CA       ipayOne Center
Sat  2/17/2007  Anaheim, CA         Honda Center
Sun  2/18/2007  San Diego, CA       ipayOne Center
Mon  2/19/2007  Los Angeles, CA     STAPLES Center

Tickets available on the left sidebar of their homepage.

HARLEM GLOBETROTTERS
- founded in Chicago in the 1920s

theme music is the whistled version of "Sweet Georgia Brown" performed by Brother Bones

famous creator and owner: Abe Saperstein (Basketball Hall of Fame, 1970)

famous players:
Reece "Goose" Tatum, Inman Jackson, Geese Ausbie, Fred "Curly" Neal (the dribbler w/ the shaven head), Mannie Jackson, Paul Gaffney

NBA players
Wilt "The Stilt" Chamberlain
Connie "The Hawk" Hawkins
Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton

Marques Haynes, George "Meadowlark" Lemon, Jerome James, former Temple coach John Chaney

occasionally:
Baseball Hall of Famers Bob Gibson, Ferguson Jenkins, Lou Brock

Bill Cosby had a contract with the Globetrotters when he was younger.

first female Globetrotter in 1985: Olympic gold medalist Lynette Woodard

To learn more, read the book Spinning the Globe: The Rise, Fall, and Return to Greatness of the Harlem Globetrotters.

It's February 2 so it must be...

Groundhog Day

and Punxsutawney Phil has predicted an EARLY SPRING


yup, Phil did NOT see his shadow, and according to German folklore, this means we can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter

he's been predicting an early spring each year since 2000
they've been tracking his prognostications since the 1800s

Phil was not the only one who did not see his shadow. Staten Island Chuck, Long Island's Marmota monax Malverne Mel, Georgia's whistle pig General Beauregard Lee, Ontarios's albino groundhog Wiarton Willie and Nova Scotia's own woodchuck Shubenacadie Sam all predicted an early spring for their respective locales.

One contrarian is land beaver Holtsville Hal, also from Long Island, who did see his shadow. Up north, Manitoba Merv mutely declared that Winnipeg residents would have six more weeks of spring.

While we here in North America were busy consulting rodents about the arrival of the next season, scientists in Paris were discussing how to convince Bush that global warming is not a myth and that it may be caused by people's actions. The French even turned off the lights of the Eiffel Tower to acknowledge the meeting of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) of the United Nations. George Will would be aghast!

On to more important things... The only Bill Murray movie I like is, no kidding, Groundhog Day (1993). That has less to do with him and more to do with the story. Didn't that old geezer Schopenhauer allude to eternal recurrence, w/c is like the central thing that dude Nietzsche ended up talking about? You have to love every aspect of your life that you'd be willing to live it over and over again. And she's like, I've heard about Nietzsche and he's a downer; I'm sure he wouldn't have said anything like that. Whatever!

2008 MLB All-Star game to be hosted by...

Major League Baseball's 2008 All-Star Game will be played at Yankee Stadium. It's the fourth All-Star game at The House that Ruth Built. It was also the site of the All-Star games in 1939, 1960 and 1977.

• at East 161st Street and River Avenue in The Bronx
• opened on April 18, 1923
• renovations during the 1974-1975 seasons (Yankees relocated to Shea Stadium)
• reopened with an entirely new look in April 1976

the first night game was played at Yankee Stadium in 1946

Yankee Stadium will close in 2008 (the New Yankee Stadium will open in a different location in the Bronx)

Shea Stadium will also close in 2008 (Mets moving to Citi Field)


2008 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
July 10 in San Francisco at AT&T Park, home of the Giants

The 2009 game will be played in St. Louis, Missouri.

Sports This Week in Los Angeles

no home games for the Los Angeles Lakers
(on the road v. the Knicks, Celtics, Pacers and Wizards)




Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center
Wednesday, January 31, 7:30 p.m.
Elton Brand to exact revenge on Chicago Bulls for trading him

Los Angeles Kings at Staples Center
Thursday, February 1, 7:30 p.m.
v. Chicago Blackhawks
who takes last place in the Western Conference?

USC Men's Basketball
Galen Center
Thursday, February 1, 7:30 p.m.
v. Oregon State Beavers (near bottom in the Pac-10)

Saturday, February 3, 12:30 p.m.
v. Oregon Ducks (top of the Pac-10)

USC Women's Basketball
- off to Oregon

2007 Miss America pageant tonight

Live from the Aladdin Resort & Casino in Las Vegas
(OK, the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino)
the one at 3667 Las Vegas Boulevard South


2007 Miss America pageant
on Country Music Television (CMT)
airs live at 8 p.m. Eastern, 7 p.m. Central
tape-delayed to air at 8 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Mountain

host: Mario Lopez (will not sing BP's "There She Is, Miss America")

RESULTS

- - -

1921 first Miss America competition

1935 "Talent" is added

1940-2004 Boardwalk Convention Center in Atlantic City

1945 Bess Myerson the first college graduate to serve as Miss America

1954 first nationally televised Miss America telecast

1955 Bert Parks begins his 25-year tenure as Master of Ceremonies

1966 Miss America broadcast for the first time in color

1994 Heather Whitestone (profoundly deaf) the first woman with a disability to become Miss America

1995 the Miss America Organization becomes the world's largest provider of scholarships for young women

2005 CMT and the Miss America Organization reach a multi-year deal for the right to telecast the Pageant

2006 the Pageant moves out of Atlantic City to Las Vegas

13th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards

2007 SAG Awards

The Award Show Where Only Actors Vote for Actors




Tickets are not available to the general public and are by invitation only. (Tickets are $600 each.)

No dues money is spent on the Screen Actors Guild Awards.


TV SCHEDULE

Sunday, January 28 at 8 PM ET/PT on TNT & TBS

second airing at 10 PM ET/PT on TNT

the red carpet pre-show at 6:30PM ET/PT on TBS.com or TNT.TV

E! and TV Guide will also carry live red carpet arrivals


Scheduled to appear:

Alan Arkin
Ed Asner
Alec Baldwin
Annette Bening
Cate Blanchett
Steve Carell
Patrick Dempsey
Georgia Engel
America Ferrera
Marcia Gay Harden
Valerie Harper
Teri Hatcher
Anne Hathaway
Marg Helgenberger
Shirley Jones
Greg Kinnear
Ashton Kutcher
Cloris Leachman
Julia Louis-Dreyfus
Gavin MacLeod
Kevin Nealon
Sandra Oh
Matthew Perry
Jada Pinkett Smith
Brad Pitt
Freddy Rodriguez
Anika Noni Rose
Alan Rosenberg
Kyra Sedgwick
William Shatner
Christian Slater
Sharon Stone
Kiefer Sutherland
Mary Tyler Moore
Dick Van Dyke
Mark Wahlberg
Forest Whitaker
Betty White
Vanessa Williams
Reese Witherspoon

WINNERS

Happy Australia Day!

A bit late, since it's already Saturday morning in Sydney, but January 26 is Australia Day, the most important public holiday in that country down under. It commemorates the landing of the First Fleet in Sydney Cove in 1788. The aborigines have called it "Invasion Day."


January 26, 1788
Captain Arthur Phillip took formal possession of the colony of New South Wales.

First Fleet
- 11 ships that sailed from Great Britain in May 1787 to establish the first European colony in New South Wales (a convict settlement)

Winter X Games 11, January 25-28

The 11th annual Winter X Games begin today and run through Sunday at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colorado.

run by ESPN

250 athletes from all over the world
25 Olympians from nine countries

snowboarder Danny Kass
- silver medals in 2002 and 2006 Winter Olympics

Shaun White, the Flying Tomato
- the halfpipe gold medalist at the 2006 Winter Olympics
- competes in the men's snowboard slope-style final on Saturday
- American Express commercial, cover of Rolling Stone
- 1080 (three full twists) in the SuperPipe

Grete Eliassen
- Norwegian hottie on skis

Heath Frisby
- freestyle snowmobile rider

Janna Meyen
- women's snowboarding slopestyle

Blair Morgan
- snocross, or snowmobile racing
- began the now-standard stand-up style of racing

Hannah Teter
- gold in the women's halfpipe at the 2006 Olympics

Gretchen Bleiler
- silver in the women's halfpipe at the 2006 Olympics

Winter X Games EVENTS

$726,100 in prize money

Skier X Men's
Skier X Women's

Ski Slopestyle
Ski SuperPipe Men's
Ski SuperPipe Women's

Mono-Skier X

Snowboard Slopestyle Men's
Snowboarder X Men's
Snowboard SuperPipe Men's
Snowboard Best Trick Showdown
Snowboard Slopestyle Women's
Snowboarder X Women's
Snowboard SuperPipe Women's

Snowmobile SnoCross
*Snowmobile Freestyle - new event

NO MORE Moto X (freestyle motocross)

Winter X Games TV Schedule
on ESPN starting Thursday night
on ABC on Saturday afternoon
host: Sal Masekela

RESULTS

2007 World Economic Forum in Davos

World Economic Forum (WEF) Annual Meeting 2007

The Shifting Power Equation
January 24-28
Davos, Switzerland


2,400 leaders in business, politics and science
attendees include commentator Arianna Huffington, musician Peter Gabriel and Linden Lab chairman Mitch Kapor

24 heads of state are due to attend including British Prime Minister Tony Blair

German Chancellor Angela Merkel gave the opening address

FROM IRAQ
Iraqi Vice President Adil Abdul-Mahdi, Iraqi Vice President Tariq al-Hashemi and Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Barham Saleh

FROM ISRAEL AND PALESTINE
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat

THE TERRORISM EXPERTS
U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff, Pakistan's prime minister Shaukat Aziz, the Arab League secretary-general Amr Moussa and the European Union's counter-terrorism coordinator

WEB 2.0

blogs, webscasts and Second Life allowed to participate (pose questions)

has its own blog and wiki

the WEF launched a 'bloggregator' to gather Davos-related news stories, blog posts and comments from across the web

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swiss think-tank created in 1971 by business professor Klaus Schwab. Although the annual meeting is held in Davos, the foundation is based in Geneva.

2007 U.S. Figure Skating Championships

The U.S. Figure Skating Championships are underway in Spokane, Washington. They've been having novice and junior events since Sunday, and tonight is the official Opening Ceremony. There are still a few tickets left, but they're quickly selling out at the Spokane 2007 website. You can also call 1-866-USA-2007 for more information.

Tickets for the Women's Finals on Saturday and the Champions' Exhibition on Sunday are now sold out.

SCHEDULE

Thursday
Men's short program, 2 p.m.
Ladies' short program, 5:50 p.m.

Friday
Pairs free skate, 12:50 p.m.
Free dance, 7:50 p.m.

Saturday
Ladies free skate, 10:40 a.m.
Men's free skate, 5:40 p.m.

Sunday
Skaters' exhibition, 2 p.m.

TELEVISION

On TV, you can catch highlights on ESPN2 starting Thursday night and on ABC on Saturday afternoon.

---

Olympic silver medalists Tanith Belbin and Ben Agosto are aiming for their fourth consecutive US title in ice dancing.

With nine-time champion Michelle Kwan and last year's winner Sasha Cohen both absent, Kimmie Meissner is aiming for the Ladies' crown. She trains at the University of Delaware in Newark and goes to a public high school there. Her other famous competitor is Emily Hughes, sister of Sarah, who was the 2002 Olympic champion.

Flamboyant Russophile Johnny Weir is eyeing a fourth straight men's title.

RESULTS

Bocuse d'Or (the Golden Bocuse), January 23 - 24

Now 20 years old, the biennial Bocuse d'Or World Cuisine Contest in Lyons is bringing together the world's top chefs to present their gourmet creations. Called the Super Bowl of cooking contests, the Bocuse d'Or is the most prestigious award for chefs of French cuisine.

It was named after the 80-year-old Paul Bocuse, Emperor of French Cuisine and proponent of nouvelle cuisine. A three-star Michelin chef, he's been awarded the French Legion of Honor.

24 candidates from 24 countries

Among the competitors this year is Californian Gavin Kaysen, head chef at El Bizcocho in San Diego. Though Daniel Boulud (NYC) and Charlie Trotter (Chicago) have high hopes for him, his being a non-European diminishes his chances. Maybe he can get a Silver Bocuse or Bronze Bocuse, w/c an American has never won.

Of the ten chefs who have won the Bocuse since 1987:
five French, three Norwegians, one Luxembourger, one Swede

What the contestants have to prepare:
a fish dish, a meat dish, six garnitures

This year:
the fish - Norwegian white halibut, accompanied by Norwegian Red King Crab
the meat - Bresse chicken PDO

From SIRHA (Le salon international de la restauration, de l'hôtellerie et de l'alimentation):

In Norway, the white halibut is known as the God Fish, because of its association with Balder, the handsome 'White Norwegian God.'

Bresse chicken is the only poultry in the world to carry the 'PDO - Protected Designation of Origin' seal. It's fed 80% corn, 10% wheat (grown only within the Bresse PDO area) and 10% dairy. It's the only chicken that's given milk throughout its growth.

WHO WON?

State of the Union Address tonight

Our eloquent president Dubya Bush will be delivering his sixth State of the Union address tonight.



Article II, Section 3, of the Constitution:

(The President) shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient."

The official Democratic response will be given by freshman senator Jim Webb, the one who kicked George Allen's ass in Virginia and who for so doing was assigned by a very grateful Harry Reid to the committees on Foreign Relations, Veterans' Affairs, and Armed Services.

1790, Washington gave the first state of the union address in New York

1801, Jefferson discontinued the practice of delivering the address in person

The address was written and then sent to Congress to be read by a clerk until 1913.

"State of the Union" did not become widely used until after 1935 when FDR began using the phrase.

1923, Coolidge's speech the first to be broadcast on radio

1947, Truman's address the first to be broadcast on television

1965, LBJ's address the first delivered in the evening

1981, Carter the last President to have sent a written State of the Union address

1997, Clinton the first to broadcast the speech live on the Internet

1986, Reagan the only president to have postponed his address, in deference to the Challenger explosion deaths

most common adjectives to describe the state of our union: strong, sound

saddest statement on the State of the Union, by Ford, after Watergate: "...the state of the Union is not good."

34th annual March for Life

The annual March for Life is currently underway in Washington, DC. It's to protest the Supreme Court's abortion ruling in the cases of Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton. The decisions in both were handed down on January 22, 1973. That makes it 34 years ago!

Jane Roe = Norma McCorvey

Doe v. Bolton was the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the restrictive abortion law of Georgia.

Buxtehude Festival in New York

In 1705, Johann Sebastian Bach walked 250 miles from Arnstadt in central Germany to Lübeck in the north to hear Dietrich Buxtehude (pronounced book-steh-HOO-deh) play the organ. I've heard this story a thousand times and have always thought that that was Buxtehude's place in history — a name in an anecdote to add color to JS Bach's biography.

Turns out he's highly regarded enough even today that a Buxtehude festival is going to be held in New York to commemorate the 300th anniversary of the composer’s death. All of the German-Danish organist's surviving works for the organ will be played at St. Thomas Church on Fifth Avenue. Listen to Baroque music for free in a church!

TEN SATURDAYS WITH BUXTEHUDE
the complete organ works of Buxtehude
performer: John Scott
4 - 4:45 PM

January 20
February 3, 10, 17, 24
March 31
April 28
May 12, 19, 26

Sundance Film Festival, January 18-28

Started in 1978, the Sundance Film Festival is now the largest independent cinema festival in the U.S.

Sundance is the name of a ski resort between Park City and Provo in Utah. It's owned by Robert Redford who says he named it after the way the sun danced over nearby Mount Timpanogos.

Independent filmmakers who got their big break at Sundance:
Kevin Smith
Robert Rodriguez
Quentin Tarantino
Steven Soderbergh
Jim Jarmusch

Famous films to come out of Sundance:
Saw
The Blair Witch Project
El Mariachi
Clerks
Sex, Lies, and Videotape
Napoleon Dynamite

Justin Timberlake concert in Los Angeles tonight

Justin Timberlake brings his "Sexyback" concert tour to the Staples Center here in Los Angeles tonight. That's FutureSex/LoveShow.

Am I watching it? Nope. I can't stand his music. But I do find him very funny. Makes me wonder what Britney Spears and Cameron Diaz had problems with.

Australian Open, January 15-28

Australian Open in Melbourne
January 15-28 (middle of summer)

the only Grand Slam tournament that can feature indoor play

main courts Rod Laver Arena and Vodafone Arena have retractable roofs

last year's winners:
Amélie Mauresmo (French)
Roger Federer (Swiss)

ethnic violence between Serbian and Croatian fans this year

RESULTS

Golden Globes tonight

“The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards”
NBC, 8–11 PM EST
live from The Beverly Hilton

Hollywood Foreign Press Association
for excellence in film and television
first given out in 1944

Tonight's presenters include Tim Allen, David Arquette, Drew Barrymore, Jessica Biel, Steve Carell, George Clooney, Sean Combs, Dane Cook, Courteney Cox, Geena Davis, Cameron Diaz, Tina Fey, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Garner, Hugh Grant, Adrian Grenier, Jake Gyllenhaal, Tom Hanks, Salma Hayek, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Dustin Hoffman, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Djimon Hounsou, Terrence Howard, Felicity Huffman, Jeremy Irons, Eva Longoria, Jennifer Lopez, Sienna Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker, Joaquin Phoenix, Charlie Sheen, David Spade, Steven Spielberg, John Stamos, Ben Stiller, Sharon Stone, Hilary Swank, Justin Timberlake, Naomi Watts, Rachel Weisz, Vanessa Williams, Reese Witherspoon, James Woods, Renee Zellweger and the cast of “Heroes” (Ali Larter, Masi Oka, Greg Grunberg, Adrian Pasdar, Hayden Panettiere, Sendhil Ramamurthy and Milo Ventimiglia).

Warren Beatty will receive this year’s Cecil B. DeMille Award, to be presented by Tom Hanks.

Rubik's Cube Competition at the Exploratorium

The International Rubik's Cube Competition is just about wrapping up (4:30 PM) at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. Presented in conjunction with the Caltech Rubik's Cube Club.



Events:
* 3x3x3 Speed Solve
* 3x3x3 One-Handed Speed Solve
* 3x3x3 Blindfold Solve
* 4x4x4 Speed Solve
* 5x5x5 Speed Solve
* Rubik's Magic

Of the 100 or so participants, 13 can solve the cube in under 16 seconds.

Each competed with his own cube (with preferred tension and grease), mixed by a Caltech competition official.

Toby Mao holds the current world record for a solving a single cube with a mark of 10.48 seconds.

The World Rubik's Cube Championship 2007 will take place October 5-7, 2007, in Budapest.

24th annual AVN awards in Vegas

While the geeks were busy with Tech Week (Macworld in SF and CES in Las Vegas), the adult film industry was having its own annual Entertainment Expo also in LV, at the Sands. And tonight the 24th Adult Video News awards are being held at Mandalay Bay.

Now don't look askance at this entertainment industry. They've always been the early adopters of new film technology. Before the mainstream studios committed themselves to 8mm films, VCRs, streaming video and clips for mobile phones, the adult industry tested those stuff out first. And that's why now everyone, inc. the geeks and their sales people, is waiting to see w/c format for high-definition DVDs we'll be watching skin flicks on — Blu-ray or HD-DVD?

Jessica Drake hosts the awards show. Jenna Jameson, Dave Navarro and Carrot Top are scheduled to appear as well. Needless to say, you must be 18 or older to attend. Tickets: $110 - $240

People's Choice Awards are tonight

You can still vote in two categories! The ballot is a little confusing because all the other categories in "Next Group" are grayed out, but as long as you do the verification at the end, you're a-ok.

Favorite New TV Comedy
30 Rock
The Class
’Til Death

Favorite New TV Drama
Brothers & Sisters
Heroes
Ugly Betty - will win, no doubt

Voting in these categories will stay open until the first hour of the PCA telecast on CBS 9/8C. Queen Latifah hosts.

2007 North American International Auto Show

The auto industry's biggest trade show is being held at the COBO Conference / Exhibition Center on the bank of the Detroit River.

January  7 - 9  : Press Preview
January 10 - 11 : Industry Preview
January 12      : Charity Preview
January 13 - 21 : Public Show

Macworld Expo in SF, January 9-12

Even as everyone seems to be hanging out at the CES in Vegas, Apple is holding the Macworld Conference & Expo 2007 in San Francisco.

CEO Steve Jobs will deliver a keynote address tomorrow. Can't wait to see what new thing he'll unveil... Rumors are that it's an Apple smart phone or an iTV...

2007 International CES, January 8-11, Las Vegas

The Consumer Electronics Show will kick off tomorrow in Las Vegas. Gadgets galore!

It's been forty years since the first CES was held in New York City in 1967, during which the ticket price was $10. This year, buying the Ultimate Pass (Best Value!) will set you back $999 if bought on-site. Not open to the general public, of course...

Keynote speeches by CBS President Leslie Moonves, Dell Chairman Michael Dell, Robert Iger of Disney...

Apple not going to be there but it's holding Macworld at the same time in San Francisco!

Guess who's hosting the Miss America pageant...

Mario Lopez. Yeah, the cutie who revealed the depth (srcsm) of his knowledge on The Weakest Link and whom we now know better as the one Emmitt Smith beat on Dancing with the Stars.

He did host the Miss Teen USA pageant in 2003, so he may do a better job than Desperate's James Denton who had the Miss America gig last year. M-Lo will not be singing the "There She Is, Miss America" theme. Maybe they'll play a recording of Bert Parks again.

Jan. 29
the Aladdin in Vegas


RESULTS

January is Get Organized Month

Get Organized Month^SM is a sales mark filed with the USPTO by the National Association of Professional Organizers (NAPO). It's now a dead trademark, meaning the registration wasn't maintained, so we won't be infringing on anyone's rights if we Get Organized this month!

The NYT last week had this article "Saying Yes to Mess," w/c you can read for free at the OC Register's site. The gist of it is that there's currently an "anti-anticlutter" or "bless this mess" movement that "urges you to embrace your disorder." You know these studies showing that being messy is a sign of creativity and flexibility and coolness...

I suppose... but I hate myself for keeping dozens of boxes of decade-old loose notes and having not-yet-so-dirty articles of clothing hanging over every chair, on open drawers, on the bed... Even my bike's supporting three pairs of pants right now...

Anyway, the professional organizers of NAPO are having some tie-in with NPR for the first two weeks of January. Here are a few organizing tips from them, but I warn you, their site's design is uninspiring! I'd rather have versicolored clutter!