MBN: The Monte Bubbles Network: Your news source on the web

ANNOUNCEMENT: We will be giving same hour coverage of Academy Awards March 5

The Oscars are showing that it is becoming increasingly, immensely difficult to create new, sustainable stars.

Singer Jennifer Lopez will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony.

Product Placement

News Corp. and CBS Corp. today announced plans to provide new content for mobile devices including cellphones

DoD Identifies Casualties

The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to abortion clinics

This year’s Academy Awards wouldn’t seem to hold great meaning for the producers of consumer products and services.

The Oscars are showing that it is becoming increasingly, immensely difficult to create new, sustainable stars.

Just look at the nominees for best actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Terrence Howard, Heath Ledger, Joaquin Phoenix and David Straithairn. , few will ever emerge from this bunch, able to “open” a film by virtue of marquee attraction alone.

Sit is this way also with the best actress nominees. Judi Dench, Felicity Huffman, Keira Knightley, Charlize Theron and Reese Witherspoon, hard to imagine that any one will ever become a bankable name, to the same degree that Katharine Hepburn (or, in the last decade, Julia Roberts) did.

This year’s Oscar process is being dismissed as an anomaly, the selections of an Academy out of touch with popular taste. Hits are now the exception, not the rule. Stardom is not an enduring, phenomenon. And brands are growing smaller in scale and transferability.

We are now in a world where your average teenager can manipulate video, images, sound and text with the mastery of an old Hollywood studio technician, and where each computer with broadband access is becoming its own personalized multimedia network,

To establish a brand, you need to be able to attract a crowd, and to attract a crowd, you have to fill an unmet need -- respectively, in their cases, for unlimited information, infinite product choice, unrestricted community and really fast cleaning. And -- vitally important -- you have to innovate continually, to anticipate the fresh demands that will creep up and around those consumer needs.

Singer Jennifer Lopez will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Lopez was recently seen in "Monster-in-Law" and "An Unfinished Life. " She recently completed "Bordertown" and will be seen next in "El Cantante." Her other film credits include "Maid in Manhattan," "Enough," "Money Train," "Out of Sight," "The Cell," "The Wedding Planner" and "Angel Eyes."

Lopez will join fellow presenters Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Alba, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah, Clint Eastwood, Terrence Howard, Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Steve Carell, Nicole Kidman, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Uma Thurman, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Lily Tomlin, Reese Witherspoon and George Clooney.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. ©A.M.P.A.S.®

PRODUCT PLACEMENT IS STILL AN Nearly 11 percent of all programming minutes now include some sort of brand reference, and some shows now have more minutes of product placement time than they do TV commercial time. Those are some of the findings of an analysis of brand appearances on network prime-time TV during the fourth quarter of 2005, released late Monday by TNS Media Intelligence. The study found the average prime-time network TV show contained four minutes and 25 seconds of branded appearances vs. 17 minutes and 35 seconds of national and local commercial TV times. At that rate, branded references now represent about 20 percent of all brand mentions on network prime-time TV. That's a much higher rate than Nielsen Media Research found when it introduced its product placement measurement service in August. At that time, Nielsen estimated that about 15 percent of all brand mentions on network TV were product placement, the balance being conventional commercials.

Neither Nielsen nor TNS can determine whether product placements are paid for, or whether they occur organically within programming, but the trend line suggests they are growing, they are growing more in some types of TV programming than others - especially reality shows, which had an average of 11 minutes and five seconds of in-program brand exposure per hour vs. 17 minutes and 4 seconds of commercial time. Scripted series had the least amount of brand exposure - only an average of three minutes and seven seconds of product placement time.

However, some scripted series had pervasive amounts of branded content. CBS' "King of Queens" was the champ with an average of 18 minutes and 13 seconds of branded content per hour equivalent vs. only 16 minutes and 49 seconds of commercial time.

But the most egregious example of branded content was NBC's "The Apprentice: Martha Stewart," which had an average of 33 minutes and 51 seconds of branded content per hour vs. only 16 minutes and 32 seconds of commercial time.

News Corp. and CBS Corp. today announced separate plans to provide a multitude of new content for mobile devices including cellphones.News Corp. unit Fox Mobile Entertainment today rolled out a new cellphone content company, Mobizzo (cellphones in the U.K. are often referred to as "mobbies"). Mobizzo, which is intended to operate on a global basis, is offering games, ring tones, screen savers and video clips, which can be accessed either online or by using a cellphone's key pad, for between $1.99 and $2.49 with monthly subscription plans averaging $5.99.

Consumers whose wireless plans are with Cingular or T-Mobile can access Mobizzo, though Fox Mobile intends to hook up with other wireless providers. A multimillion-dollar ad campaign backs Mobizzo's launch. Rather than simply raiding its vault for clips from Fox movies and TV shows, Fox Mobile is tapping the street for content, too: Mobizzo will offer street art and tattoo designs.

Next week CBS Corp., aiming to better exploit its news and entertainment programming, will launch “CBS News to Go” and “ET to Go” as daily alerts with accompanying video. "News to Go" will sell for 99 cents a month and and “ET to Go” for $3.99 a month.

The moves by the two entertainment giants appear to cement a pricing model that has consumers, rather than advertisers, at its heart. CBS said its twin offerings do not carry advertising at present but may seek ad support down the line.

The emergence of cellphones as an advertising-free medium could raise the stakes for media buyers, as anything that pulls consumers away from advertising is a concernAs video-equipped cellphones become more widespread, only a couple of million subscribers can currently receive video content, and consumers may be willing to see advertisers support that content.

The nation's No. 2 carrier is experimenting with a two-tier content service for subscribers, one supported by ads and a more expensive service without ads.

The bigger issue is what sort of advertising will work in the mobile marketplace. . How do you do it in a way that doesn’t piss off the consumer?

There’s definitely a breaking point coming very soon.

DoD Identifies Army Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of three soldiers who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. They died near Balad, Iraq, on Feb. 22, when an improvised explosive device detonated near their Bradley Fighting Vehicle. All three soldiers were assigned to the 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry Regiment, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Carson, Colo. Killed were: Staff Sgt. Curtis T. Howard II, 32, of Ann Arbor, Mich. Sgt. Gordon F. Misner II, 23, of Sparks, Nev. Spc. Thomas J. Wilwerth, 21, of Mastic, N.Y.

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Lance Cpl. Adam J. Vanalstine, 21, of Superior, Wis., died Feb. 25, from an improvised explosive device in Ar Ramadi, Iraq. He was assigned to 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force

The Supreme Court dealt a setback Tuesday to abortion clinics in a two-decade-old legal fight over abortion protests, ruling that federal extortion and racketeering laws cannot be used to ban demonstrations.

The 8-0 decision ends a case that the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals had kept alive despite a 2003 ruling by the high court that lifted a nationwide injunction on anti-abortion groups led by Joseph Scheidler and others.

Anti-abortion groups brought the appeal after the appellate court sought to determine whether the injunction could be supported by charges that protesters had made threats of violence.

In Tuesday's ruling, Justice Stephen Breyer said Congress did not intend to create "a freestanding physical violence offense" in the federal extortion law known as the Hobbs Act. Congress chose to address violence outside abortion clinics in 1994 by passing the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, which set parameters for such protests.

Social activists and the AFL-CIO had sided with abortion demonstrators in arguing that lawsuits and injunctions based on the federal extortion law could be used to thwart their efforts to change public policy or agitate for better wages and working conditions.

The legal battle began in 1986, A federal judge issued a nationwide injunction against the abortion protesters after a Chicago jury found in 1998 that demonstrators had engaged in a pattern of racketeering by interfering with clinic operations, menacing doctors, assaulting patients and damaging clinic property.

But the Supreme Court voided the injunction in 2003, ruling that the extortion law could not be used against the protesters because they had not illegally "obtained property" from women seeking to enter clinics to receive abortions.

Justice

Samuel Alito did not participate in the decision

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This week in I observed a dog show in which a sick dog was given a ribbon not once but twice.

I observed a judge not even looking at the dogs in a line and pointing to the winners before the dogs had all lined up and one of the dogs was standing up holding onto its handlers.

I saw a judge place two dogs in first and second position then give the ribbons to two dogs down the line in the next move.

It seems that not even dog shows are immune from the appearance of impoprity.

Academy Award®-nominated actor George Clooney will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Clooney received his first three Oscar® nominations this year, for directing and co-writing "Good Night, and Good Luck." and for his supporting role in "Syriana." He will next be seen in "The Good German" and is currently filming "Michael Clayton." His other film credits include "Ocean's Twelve," "Three Kings," "Intolerable Cruelty," "Confessions of a Dangerous Mind," "The Perfect Storm" and "O Brother, Where Art Thou?"

Clooney will join fellow presenters Hilary Swank, Jamie Foxx, Morgan Freeman, Jessica Alba, Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson, Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks, Sandra Bullock, Keanu Reeves, Will Ferrell, Queen Latifah, Terrence Howard, Meryl Streep, Will Smith, Steve Carell, Nicole Kidman, Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Uma Thurman, Charlize Theron, Naomi Watts, Lily Tomlin and Reese Witherspoon.

©A.M.P.A.S.®

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Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the introduction of the new ZEST minicar

Lily Tomlin to Make Oscar® Show Appearance

Medal Count

WASHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2006 - Four U.S. soldiers from 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division, were killed near Hawijah, Iraq, yesterday when their vehicle struck a roadside bomb, military officials reported today. The soldiers were on a combat patrol at the time of the incident. Names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin.

 DoD Identifies Marine Casualty  

The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

2nd Lt. Almar L. Fitzgerald, 23, of Lexington, S.C., died Feb. 21 at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, Germany from wounds received Feb. 18 as a result of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces in Al Anbar Province, Iraq.  He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Twentynine Palms, Calif.  During Operation Iraqi Freedom, his unit was attached to the 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force

Patti Austin to Set Jazz Mood at Governors Ball

Grammy®-nominated jazz performer Patti Austin will be the featured artist at the Governors Ball, the celebration immediately following the 78th Academy Awards® telecast on Sunday, March 5, Governors Ball Chair Cheryl Boone Isaacs has announced.

“Patti’s renditions of songs by jazz greats are the perfect accompaniment to a night of celebration at the Governors Ball,” said Boone Isaacs.

With sixteen solo albums to her credit including the 2002 Grammy-nominated “For Ella,” a tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, Austin will perform for the Ball’s 1,650 guests, who include Academy Award winners and nominees, show presenters and telecast participants.

The Ball will celebrate the film achievements of 2005 in the Governors Ballroom on the top level of the Hollywood & Highland Center® following the Awards Presentation.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements for 2005 will be presented on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m. PST.

©A.M.P.A.S.®

ShoWest has named Jennifer Hudson ShoWest “Female Star of Tomorrow,” it was announced today by Mitch Neuhauser, co-managing director of the event that will be held March 13-16, 2006, in Las Vegas. Hudson will be presented with the ShoWest Female Star of Tomorrow award at ShoWest’s closing night ceremony on Thursday, March 16 at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas.

"We are thrilled to honor the multi-talented Jennifer Hudson as ShoWest’s Female Star of Tomorrow," said Neuhauser. "In her motion picture debut, Hudson is sure to delight audiences with her portrayal of Effie in the upcoming big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical Dreamgirls. With her combination of acting and singing talent, Jennifer has the star qualities that promise her a bright future in Hollywood.”

Hudson will make her feature film debut in the DreamWorks Pictures’ and Paramount Pictures’ Dreamgirls. Twenty-five years after first bringing Broadway audiences to their feet, the Tony Award-winning musical sensation opens in theatres nationwide on Dec. 22, 2006. Set in the turbulent early 1960s to mid-70s Dreamgirls follows the rise of a trio of women -- Effie (Jennifer Hudson), Deena (Beyoncé Knowles) and Lorrell (Anika Noni Rose) -- who have formed a girl group called The Dreamettes. At a talent competition, they are discovered by an ambitious manager named Curtis Taylor Jr. (Jamie Foxx) who offers them the opportunity of a lifetime to become the back-up singers for headliner James “Thunder” Early (Eddie Murphy). The girls eventually get their own shot in the spotlight and although they become a crossover phenomenon, they soon realize that the cost of fame and fortune may be higher than they ever imagined.

Best known for her stand-out performances as a top-12 competitor on the television hit “American Idol,” Hudson is also currently writing and recording her much-anticipated debut album, which is expected to hit the airwaves in the spring of 2006.

ShoWest is the largest annual convention for the motion picture industry. It is the only international gathering devoted exclusively to the movie business and the single largest international gathering of motion picture professionals and theatre owners in the world. The 2006 edition of ShoWest will be held March 13 –16, 2006 at Bally’s and Paris Las Vegas and is expected to draw more than 5,000 members of the motion picture industry. Each year, ShoWest attracts delegates from more than 50 countries in North and South America, Europe, Asia and Australia. ShoWest is managed by the VNU Expositions Film Group, a division of VNU Business Media.

Sorry this is so very last-minute,I've been accepted in a group art showing at the Arena 1 Gallery, located in the Santa Monica Art Studios, located at the south border of the Santa Monica Airport. the show starts this Saturday Feb. 25th with an artists' reception from 6 to 8 pm. My art will be adjacent to the "Leaving Aztlan" exhibit, in the "north hangar." They're serving wine and probably cheese. the art will be there for about a month if you can't make it by the reception. Would really love to have your support if you could come by.. address is 3026 Airport Ave., Santa Monica. Web site is www.santamonicaartstudios.com. Please pass this along to anyone else you think might be interested

JOHNSON & JOHNSON ANNOUNCED AS WORLDWIDE OLYMPIC PARTNER

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) announced today that Johnson & Johnson will join The Olympic Partners (TOP) Programme as the first broad health care products sponsor.

The agreement, with global marketing rights beginning at the close of the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games, involves Johnson & Johnson’s consumer products, over-the-counter pharmaceuticals and medical devices and diagnostics. This partnership is up to and including the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.

In July 2005, Johnson & Johnson became a domestic partner of the Torino 2006 and Beijing 2008 Games. Today’s announcement allows Johnson & Johnson to activate their marketing rights globally.

IOC President, Jacques Rogge, welcomed the partnership with Johnson & Johnson, stating that the agreement will be positive for both the Olympic Movement and the athletes.

“We are proud to welcome Johnson & Johnson to the Olympic family of worldwide partners. Johnson & Johnson’s contribution to the Olympic Games, National Olympic Committees and of course the athletes will be invaluable.”

Johnson & Johnson Corporate Vice President, Corporate Affairs, Brian Perkins sees a great synergy between the two organisations. “This partnership reflects a shared philosophy in caring for people, whether they are athletes or, in the case of Johnson & Johnson, people around the world,” Perkins said. “This global opportunity will enable Johnson & Johnson to provide enhanced health education, services and care to people around the world while expanding our reach in emerging markets and strengthening our businesses in developed areas.”

Chairman of the IOC Marketing Commission, Gerhard Heiberg commented that Johnson & Johnson will make a significant contribution to the Olympic Movement. “The support that Johnson & Johnson will bring to the athletes and the Olympic Movement is greatly welcomed,” Heiberg said. “This partnership brings to 12 the number of worldwide sponsors of the Olympic Games and clearly shows the success and strength of our marketing programme. I look forward to our association with this company,” Heiberg said.

Chief News

Chief is excited to announce their newest design innovation, the In-Wall Accessories for swing arm mounts! The PAC-500 and MAC-500 can be used with Chief's large and medium flat panel swing arm mounts to convert a low-profile mounting solution to no profile and flush with the wall!

Not your ordinary wall mount, the PLP Universal Pull-N-Tilt mount from Chief Manufacturing is a breakthrough solution for 37"-65" flat panel TVs. The PLP offers innovative features like fingertip tilt and a low-profile design, plus it fits up to 90% of plasma screens on the market!

Delivered with Chief's proven quality and superior service, the new CYNERGY Series JWD Dual Arm Swing Arm Mount is the latest product designed with innovative features for easy installation and increased functionality. The JWD is part of Chief's new line of mounts for medium flat panel displays.

Servicemembers throughout the world are getting handmade "cool ties

WaSHINGTON, Feb. 23, 2006 - Karen Stark never liked to sew. But thanks to her efforts, deployed servicemembers throughout the world are getting handmade "cool ties." The Oklahoma woman has found her mission organizing groups through "The Hugs Project," a nonprofit organization manufacturing reusable neck scarves and helmet liners with polymer gel inserts that keep cold for hours at a time. For years Stark wrote to deployed troops and sent occasional care packages overseas to show her support, but she was looking for a way to help more, she said. One day she opened an e-mail illustrating how to make cooling ties for golfers, hikers and vacationers. "I knew this was something that could help our military, that they were fighting really hot conditions," she said. "I got goose bumps, and I knew this was what my mission was, that I was supposed to make cool ties."

Stark said she hadn't sewn in 40 years and asked friends with sewing experience to teach her. But instead of teaching her, they took the patterns and started making and sending cooling ties on their own. That, Stark said, is when her husband gave her some helpful advice. "My husband said, 'Maybe your job isn't sewing; maybe your job is telling other people what they can do.'" After she learned how to make the cool ties, Stark went on the Internet, telling people about her project. She met hundreds of people willing to help make cooling ties, or "hugs" as Stark began to call them. "People would say, 'I pray for the military every day, but I'm a hands-on person. I want to do something to help,'" Stark said. "This is what they can do."

The project works in a decentralized way, sharing information on the Internet and encouraging most members to manufacture, pack and send goods on their own. With 1,500 formal members and thousands working independently, The Hugs Project works with individuals in nearly every state and 10 foreign countries. Stark said her particular group meets about twice a week in and around Oklahoma City, where she lives. They also travel to outlying towns and sometimes go on longer trips to spread the word, setting up formal groups (called "group hugs") in Colorado, Texas, Missouri, California and Arizona.

The project also gets help coordinating through America Supports You, a Defense Department program facilitating grassroots and corporate support for the nation's servicemembers. The project's members continue perfecting their designs thanks to feedback from deployed troops, Stark said. "We make a helmet cooler that cushions their helmet," she said, referring to the helmet coolers as "kisses." "It's got the same polymer gel in it -- we don't put very much in there because if you put too much, their helmet gets bouncy, which is a bad thing the way I hear it."

The project doesn't just keep troops cool, Stark said. In the winter, the polymer gel inserts can retain heat just as well as they keep cold, and they can be reused many times over. Each "hug" or "kiss" comes with instructions on how to make it a cooler or a heater. When cold weather comes on, the project switches to winter mode, adding other cold weather items-- such as hats, neck warmers, fingerless mittens, blankets and colorful hats to pass out to Iraqi and Afghan children -- to their care packages. In all, the group has sent an estimated 150,000 polymer gel items to troops serving abroad. Stark said she is happy to hear from new members on the project's Web site, but she suggests that people she hasn't met personally go to their local VFW to find addresses for troops overseas.

"When we go out and meet the people personally and we know in our hearts that they're not terrorists, then we share addresses that we have with them," she said. "But we're very protective of military addresses -- in fact, to the point that I've been called paranoid by more than one military mother who wants me to put their son's address on the Internet." Helping the troops in this way feels best when she gets feedback from them, she said. "That a stranger actually wants to do something for them, they think that's wonderful."

Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the introduction of the new ZEST minicar

TOKYO, Japan, February 23, 2006 - Honda Motor Co., Ltd. announced the introduction of the new ZEST minicar, created to enhance the active lifestyles of today’s consumers and provide comfort and utility for the entire family. The ZEST delivers superior power and performance, while its efficient low-floor design and generous storage area with a convenient access bay help give it class leading spacious cabin¹. The new ZEST will be available for sale through Honda’s automobile dealer network in Japan starting March 1. Further, a ZEST equipped with a tilt-up sliding front passenger seat and wheelchair-accessible models will be available starting March 17.

The ZEST was developed as a minicar that can satisfy both individual and family users in a variety of occasions including daily shopping and weekend leisure activities. The key to the design of the ZEST is Honda’s unique low-floor platform technology, which results in a high-capacity storage area with a maximum of 739 liters² of space accessed via one of the lowest tailgates in its class¹. In addition, ZEST achieves a spacious cabin with a height equivalent to StepWGN. The ZEST features Honda’s i-DSI engine or i-DSI turbocharged engine, combined with a 4-speed electronically controlled automatic transmission to deliver strong and smooth performance in accelerating from low and medium speeds to higher speed ranges.

The ZEST also offers a full range of advanced safety features. In addition to being the first minicar¹ to be equipped with a front and rear side curtain airbag system, the ZEST also features Honda’s Advanced Compatibility Engineering (ACE) body for significantly enhanced self-protection and damage mitigation in vehicle-to-vehicle collisions. Regarding environmental performance, all FWD models have earned Japanese Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport certification as Low-Emissions Vehicles, with emission levels 75% lower than those required by 2005 standards, while some models meet or exceed Japanese government fuel economy standards for 2010 by 5%.

The ZEST also comes fully equipped with a range of advanced features for enhanced passenger comfort and peace of mind, including Honda’s HDD InterNavi system; newly-developed high-performance deodorizing air cleaning filters treated with anti-allergenic materials to control pollen and other allergens; and a security alarm and immobilizer for effective anti-theft protection.

Lily Tomlin to Make Oscar® Show Appearance

Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award-nominated actress Lily Tomlin will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Tomlin was nominated for her supporting role in 1975's "Nashville." She will be seen next in "A Prairie Home Companion" with Meryl Streep and "The Last Guy on Earth." Her film credits include "I Heart Huckabees," "Tea with Mussolini," "Flirting with Disaster" and "Short Cuts."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m. Information about the 78th Annual Academy Awards can be accessed on line at www.oscar.com.

©A.M.P.A.S.®

Germany Nine Gold Ten Silver Five Bronze

United States Seven Gold Eight Silver Five Bronze

Austria Eight Gold Six Silver Five Bronze

Russia Eight Gold Three Silver Eight Bronze

Canada Five Gold Eight Silver Six Bronze

Norway Two Gold Eight Silver Eight Bronze

Switzerland Five Gold Four Silver Four Bronze

Sweden Five Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Italy Four Gold Six Bronze

France Three Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

China Two Gold Three Silver Four Bronze

South Korea Four Gold Three Silver One Silver

Netherlands Two Gold Two Silver ThreeBronze

Finland Three Silver Three Bronze

Estonia Three Gold

Croatia One Gold Two Silver

Australia One Gold

Czech Republic Two Silver

Ukraine Two Bronze

Japan One Gold

Belarus One Silver

Bulgaria One Silver

Great Britain One Silver

Slovakia One Silver

Latvia One Bronze

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DOD Identifies

French & French A Katerina Success Story at Magic in Las Vegas

Stingray Info

Naomi Watts to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

Universities Selected for DOD Research Funding

HENKEL BUYS RIGHT GUARD FROM P&G FOR $420 MILLION

Metal Count

DOD Identifies

DoD Identifies Air Force Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Department of the Air Force civilian who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Daniel J. Kuhlmeier, 30, of Omaha, Neb., died Feb. 20 in Baghdad, Iraq when the convoy he was traveling in was struck by an improvised explosive device. He was assigned to Detachment 204, 2nd Field Investigations Region, Offutt Air Force Base, Neb.

DoD Identifies Marine Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a Marine who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Staff Sgt. Jay T. Collado, 31, of Columbia, S.C., died Feb. 20 from an improvised explosive device near Baghdad, Iraq. He was assigned to Marine Light/Attack Helicopter Squadron-267, Marine Aircraft Group-39, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, he was attached to the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division.

DoD Identifies Army Casualty The Department of Defense announced today the death of a soldier who was supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Sgt. Charles E. Matheny, IV, 23 of Stanwood, Wash., died in Baghdad, Iraq, on Feb. 18, when an improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Matheny was assigned to the Army's 704th Support Battalion, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, Fort Hood, Texas.

French & French A Katerina Success Story

Two young and very intelligent young women, E Thane French and Amey French decide they needed a change from their grueling careers as a doctor and nurse. French & French founded by these two energetic and fashion savvy women, introduces affordable chic couture designs to the marketplace. French & French desires to create designs with a contemporary, classic style that will endure each season's trends.

They took hidden talents and started to design Stingray wallets, handbags, backpacks and belts and shoes.

That’s right, I said stingray.

Stingray leather has become a new fashion statement trend in the world leather market. It brings a touch of class and peerless style to your accessories. Stingray skin creates a wide new range of possibilities for your original designs for wallets, belts, shoes, garments and other leather accessories.

Stingray leather will endure a much longer life than you may have come to expect from ordinary leather products. You need not worry about moisture damage to this handsome marine leather portion of your accessory, and no special cleaning is required. Rather than taking volatile solvents to clean your leather, simply huff occasionally with a damp cotton cloth to maintain its natural radiance.

Stingray is neither an endangered nor threatened species.

Stingray is unique with its texture of luxurious pearls and its renowned durability. Once used only to accent the finest and rarest accessories, stingray is the signature leather of French & French.

French & French, synonymous with timeless style and impeccable quality, desires to reward every person of taste with its couture stingray handbag.

What makes these young ladies stand out more then anyone else marketing their products at Magic in Las Vegas this week is where the business is located, New Orleans Louisiana.

During the flood of the city Dr. French and family were forced to leave the city.

While watching television they were horrified to see their house being looted.

The husband was allowed to back to the home to get one thing and one thing only . Would it be personal positions, clothes.

Dodging snipers and even afraid to go upstairs one box in plain sight was chosen.

It was the box of samples. Samples needed to show, samples needed to see, samples needed to keep the business in operation.

While others have given up due to losses from the Katernia flooding French & French should stand as a beacon for others.

They could have given up. They could have walked away and simply went back to careers they had grown weary in.

Instead they followed their hearts and being at Magic in Las Vegas was the result.

www.frenchandfrench.net

Some info on the stingray

Common Names: Blue spotted stingray, Kuhl’s stingray

Latin Name: Dasyatis Kuhlii

Family: Dasyatidae

Identification: Rhomboid disc, Anterior and posterior margins of disc mildly convex. Rostrum grey or tan with blue (occasionally white) spots about eye size and smaller black spots. Tail about 2 times body length. End of tail banded with black and white.

Size: Max disc width 50cm

Habitat: Sandy bottoms often adjacent to reefs. Prefers deeper areas but may be seen in shallow lagoons.

Abundance and distribution: Common in sandy bays in South East Asia . Widespread throughout the Indo Pacific from the Red Sea to Japan and south to Australia .

Behavior: Buries in sand or cruises over reef flats looking for crabs and shrimps.

Reproduction: Ovoviviparous

Similar species: Blue stingray (Dasyatis marmorata), Blue spotted ribbontail ray (Taeniura lymma

 Naomi Watts to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA —Naomi Watts will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Watts was nominated for a Best Actress Oscar in 2003 for her role in "21 Grams." She stars in "King Kong" and will be seen next in "The Painted Veil." Her film credits include "Stay," The Ring", "I Heart Huckabees" and "Mulholland Drive."

Seventy-Eighth Academy Awards® Telecast producer Gil Cates and production designer Roy Christopher today revealed the set design of the March 5 Oscar telecast.

"When designing the Oscars, I try to make the current show as different from the year before as possible," said Christopher. "Last year's show was distinguished by a hi-tech, 'cutting-edge' style. So this year, there's nothing hi-tech — it's a no-holds-barred return to classic Hollywood glamour, paying homage to old movie theaters." "I wanted to celebrate the movies and to include great movie houses and screens," said Cates. "So Roy went back to the classic ornate movie houses for his inspiration, which, I think, is superbly reflected in the final design."

"I have always loved the movie theaters of the '30s, '40s and '50s," Christopher said. "The man who designed many of them was S. Charles Lee, who was remarkably imaginative and architecturally daring, making movie theaters in styles ranging from the ornate Hollywood baroque to the sleek art-moderne. His spaces were exciting places that upon entering made you feel that something extraordinary was going to happen."

That anticipation of what is about to happen is exactly what Christopher hopes the Academy Awards audience and the millions watching at home will experience on Oscar night. His homage to the world of movie theater design comes complete with a 65-foot-long giant "Oscar" marquee, a pair of 20-foot-tall frosted glass Oscars, an art deco box-office and several movie screens ranging from the elegant movie palace traditional to the gigantic wide-screen deco.

This is the 17th time that Christopher has designed the Oscar set, 11 with telecast producer Gil Cates. Christopher has received 35 Emmy nominations, 16 of them for his work on the Oscar telecast, for which he has won six Emmy Awards.

Academy Award®-winning actress Charlize Theron will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Theron just received her second Oscar nomination for her leading role in "North Country." Two years ago, at the 76th Academy Awards, she took home the Best Actress Oscar for her leading role in "Monster."

©A.M.P.A.S.®

Universities Selected for Research Funding  

The Department of Defense (DoD) announced today plans to award 30basic research grants to 20 universities totaling about $13.5 million in
fiscal year 2006 and about $30.2 million per year starting in fiscal year 2007for a total of $150.6 million over five years.


These academic institutions will receive the grants to conductmultidisciplinary research in 26 topic areas of basic science and engineering under the DoD Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) program. All awards are subject to the successful completion of negotiations
between DoD research offices and the academic institutions.


The MURI program is designed to address large multidisciplinary topic areas representing exceptional opportunities for future DoD applications and technology options.  The awards will provide long-term support for research, graduate students and laboratory instrumentation development that supports specific science and engineering research themes vital to
national defense.


The average award will be $1 million per year over a three-year period.  Two additional years of funding will be possible as options to bringthe total award to five years.  Out-year funding is subject to satisfactory progress in the research and the availability of funding appropriations.

Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award®-winning actress Charlize Theron will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Theron just received her second Oscar nomination for her leading role in "North Country." Two years ago, at the 76th Academy Awards, she took home the Best Actress Oscar for her leading role in "Monster."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m.

HENKEL BUYS RIGHT GUARD FROM P&G FOR $420 MILLION

Henkel has agreed to buy Right Guard and two other deodorant brands from Procter & Gamble Co. The move makes Henkel's Dial unit a major player in the U.S. category.

It paid $420 million for Right Guard, Soft & Dri and Dry Idea brands, which had global sales of $275 million last year. Right Guard, has declined in recent years as it has been passed by P&G’s Old Spice and Unilever’s Axe in men’s deodorants, remains the No. 3 brand in the segment.

P&G was required to sell the brands as part of its deal with the Federal Trade Commission to approve its $57 billion acquisition of Gillette in October.

Henkel’s entry into deodorants comes amid some major marketing changes in the category. Dial’s purchase also leaves other smaller players in deodorant facing some big choices. Industry analysts and others familiar with the matter said Church & Dwight Co. and Japan’s Kao Brands were also interested in the Gillette brands.

Acquiring the brands was a make-or-break factor for the Church & Dwight deodorant business, which has been declining amid major marketing inroads by Unilever and P&G. Having failed to buy the Gillette brands, Church & Dwight may sell or license its own, which include Arrid and Arm & Hammer.

Acquiring the brands was a make-or-break factor for the Church & Dwight deodorant business, which has been declining amid major marketing inroads by Unilever and P&G. Having failed to buy the Gillette brands, Church & Dwight may sell or license its own, which include Arrid and Arm & Hammer.

Germany Nine Gold Eight Silver FiveBronze

Austria Eight Gold Six Silver Five Bronze

United States Seven Gold Seven Silver Four Bronze

Canada Five Gold Eight Silver Five Bronze

Norway Two Gold Eight Silver Eight Bronze

Russia Seven Gold Three Silver Six Bronze

Switzerland Four Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Sweden Four Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Italy Four Gold Six Bronze

South Korea Four Gold Three Silver One Silver

France Three Gold One Silver Two Bronze

China One Gold Three Silver Four Bronze

Netherlands Two Gold Two Silver ThreeBronze

Finland Three Silver Three Bronze

Estonia Three Gold

Croatia One Gold Two Silver

Australia One Gold

Czech Republic Two Silver

Ukraine Two Bronze

Bulgaria One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Slovakia One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Latvia One Bronze

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Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award®-nominated actress Uma Thurman will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony on March 5, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Thurman received an Oscar® nomination in 1994 for her supporting role in "Pulp Fiction." She currently can be seen in "The Producers" and will be seen next in "Super Ex-Girlfriend." Thurman's other film credits include "Be Cool," "Paycheck," "Vatel," "The Truth about Cats and Dogs" and the "Kill Bill" films.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m.

Beverly Hills, CA —Academy Award nominees Dolly Parton and Kathleen "Bird" York will perform at the 78th Academy Awards, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Grammy Award-winning artist Parton will perform her nominated original song, "Travelin' Thru" from "Transamerica" (music and lyric by Dolly Parton).

York will perform "In the Deep," from the film "Crash," for which she is nominated for writing the music and lyric. (Her co-composer Michael Becker also is nominated for the music.) York's debut CD on EMI "Wicked Little High," which features "In the Deep," will be released February 21.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m. Information about the 78th Annual Academy Awards can be accessed on line at www.oscar.com.

©A.M.P.A.S.®

An Austrian ski coach who bolted the Winter Games following a surprise anti-doping raid wound up in a psychiatric ward. Authorities were still analyzing 100 syringes and other material seized from athletes' housing.

Authorities took Walter Mayer into custody Sunday after he crashed his car into a police blockade . Police later took him to a psychiatric facility

Mayer was banished from the Olympics over allegations of blood doping at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. He resurfaced with the team in Turin, triggering police raids late Saturday. The first-ever doping sweep by police on athletes competing at the games.

Mayer left the Austrian biathlon and cross country team base in the Italian Alps sometime before or during the overnight raids. He made it back to his native Austria, driving at least 250 miles before he stopped on the side of the road, reportedly to take a nap.

Mayer seeing the police sped away, striking and slightly injuring an officer

Austria's cross country relay team came in last out of 16 teams the morning after the raids, which kept some of the athletes up all night.

Austrian ski officials said they had severed all ties with Mayer.

Mayer could be charged with evading arrest and causing bodily harm to a police officer.

During the raids, six skiers and four biathletes were taken for tests by the International Olympic Committee, hours before some were due to compete. The tests were still being analyzed.

Two biathletes Wolfgang Perner and Wolfgang Rottmann were suspended from the team for leaving Turin before the conclusion of the games.

Germany Seven Gold Seven Silver FourBronze

Norway Two Gold Seven Silver Eight Bronze

United States Seven Gold Five Silver Three Bronze

Austria Seven Gold Five Silver Three Bronze

Russia Six Gold Two Silver Five Bronze

Canada Three Gold Six Silver Five Bronze

Switzerland Two Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

South Korea Three Gold Three Silver One Silver

Italy Three Gold Four Bronze

Sweden Two Gold Two Silver Three Bronze

China One Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

France Three Gold One Silver Two Bronze

Netherlands Two Gold Two Silver Two Bronze

Finland Three Silver Three Bronze

Estonia Three Gold

Croatia One Gold Two Silver

Czech Republic Two Silver

Ukraine Two Bronze

Australia One Gold

Slovakia One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Bulgaria One Silver

Latvia One Bronze

SIRIUS SATELLITE'S SUBSCRIBER BASE INCREASED

SIRIUS SATELLITE'S SUBSCRIBER BASE INCREASED by almost 200 percent in 2005, ending the year with 3.3 million subscribers--about half of which came in the fourth quarter in anticipation of Howard Stern's high-profile move to Sirius on Jan. 6.

Sirius' fourth-quarter surge was bad news for its main competitor XM. Although XM remains the larger of the two--with 5.9 million net subscribers by the end of 2005--last week it disclosed serious losses in 2005, including big increases in the average amount of money spent to lure new subscribers. XM's expenses included a $196.5 million marketing blitz to counter Sirius' massive campaign for Stern.

Sirius reported a substantial decrease in average spending for subscription recruiting for 2005, although it was still higher than XM. Sirius also boasted a 262 percent increase in revenue over 2005, with a year-end total of $242 million. Meanwhile, XM reported net revenue growth of only 128 percent over 2004, taking in $558.3 million in 2005.

Both companies reported net losses as they invested heavily in acquiring new subscribers and fending off each other's sallies, with Sirius posting an $863 million net loss for 2005 versus XM's net loss of $666.7 million.

XM pioneered satellite radio broadcasting in 2001, but has been steadily overtaken in the last five years by Sirius, which opened up shop in late 2002.

One key question for media planners and buyers is whether either of the satellite radio broadcasters, which are jockeying for position, will begin accepting more advertising in a bid to lower subscription fees or offset costs.

Currently, Sirius doesn't carry advertising on any of its 68 music channels--but it does sell limited ad time on its entertainment, news, and sports channels.

XM has indicated it plans to significantly increase ad revenue in 2006.

NEW PROPOSALS TO ESTABLISH CONTROVERSIAL "do not e-mail" child protection registries advanced this month in three states, bringing to five the total number of states now considering such legislation--Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, and Iowa. Michigan and Utah remain the only states to have established do not e-mail registries, although Utah's law currently faces a court challenge.

The laws generally prohibit marketers from sending material considered harmful to minors to children's e-mail addresses. In Michigan and Utah, parents can submit their children's e-mail addresses to a registry, and then marketers of potentially inappropriate messages pay a fee to ensure that their e-mail lists don't contain any addresses on the registry.

Proponents of do not e-mail registries say they will prevent purveyors of pornography, alcohol, and cigarettes, among other material, from marketing to children.

COLDWELL BANKER LAUNCHED ITS NEW ad campaign Sunday night on prime-time television, but rather than simply plug its brand, the 15-second spots are expressly designed to drive consumers online.

The campaign includes a significant online ad buy, advertising will appear through the year across major portals like MSN and Yahoo, as well as more targeting buys such as MarthaStuart.com and HGTV.com.

Commercials will run during prime-time airings of "Law & Order," "Crossing Jordan," and "Grey's Anatomy"--the spots interspersed "60 Minutes" on Sunday night. They will also run on cable.

AMERICAN IDOL" MIGHT BE TROUNCING the Olympics on TV, but NBCOlympics.com is poised to win the online competition for viewers.

For the week ending Feb. 12, NBCOlympics.com drew 2.3 million unique users at home and work--nearly five times as many visitors as the site of "American Idol," IdolonFox.com, which attracted just 509,000 uniques, according to new data from Nielsen//NetRatings.

In a testament to the growing use of home broadband, NBCOlympics.com overall has garnered 55 percent more visitors from home than the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah. On TV, however, ratings have plummeted compared to the 2002 Olympics.

Two other Olympics sites, Torino2006 and Olympic.org, also lured large numbers of Web surfers. Torino2006 drew 748,000 visitors, while Olympic.org received 433,000 visitors.

THE DISH NETWORK IS GOING live with a CNN Enhanced TV channel, featuring a new interactive system that allows viewers to explore background on stories of interest through a simple TV and remote interface.

The Dish Network's parent company, satellite service provider EchoStar, employed technology provided by digital TV programming and equipment maker OpenTV to create the interactive TV news program. CNN Enhanced TV will allow viewers to continue watching CNN's live broadcast while navigating through up to five different CNN news reports in text format. The text journalism will in most cases be the same content featured on CNN's Web site.

The joint military response to a devastating Feb. 17 mudslide in southern Leyte in the Philippines continues today, much of it being provided by sailors, Marines and airmen who were already in the region for a joint multinational training exercise, Balikatan, officials reported.

Continuous ship-to-shore movements of relief supplies, including food, water and blankets, continues today off the southern Leyte coast. Sailors and Marines from the Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group, 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, Joint Task Force Balikatan and USS Curtis Wilbur arrived off the coast Feb. 19 to provide humanitarian assistance and disaster relief to the victims. An initial group of 96 Marines from the 31st MEU went ashore by CH-53E Super Stallion helicopters with digging equipment to immediately assist with rescue efforts, officials reported.

A complement of 22 helicopters, landing craft air cushions, and more than 4,000 Marines and sailors will conduct the disaster relief mission, officials reported. "We plan to utilize Forward Deployed ARG assets to effectively provide maximum amount of aid to victims in order to mitigate suffering and prevent further loss of life in the wake of this tragic event," said Capt. Mark E. Donahue, commodore of Amphibious Squadron 11, the ARG's task group commander. "The sailors and Marines here are extremely dedicated individuals, ready to rise to the challenge ahead.

" USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry, USS Curtis Wilbur and the 31st MEU arrived in Subic Bay Feb. 17 for Balikatan 06, but were immediately called to assist in the relief efforts in Leyte. USS Juneau, an amphibious transport dock known as "Mighty J," is also participating. Meanwhile, airmen from the 36th Contingency Response Group based at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, are working alongside the Filipino government to assess requirements for support of mudslide relief efforts. "Opening and securing airfields are the areas of expertise for the 36th CRG," said Capt. Kevin Walker, 736th Security Forces Squadron commander.

"Members of the 36th CRG leadership have gone forward to the affected area to assess the situation and find the best ways to bring in support." The Pacific Air Forces first C-17 Globemaster III from Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii, is scheduled to land in the region on its first strategic airlift mission. In addition to support personnel, this aircraft will carry water, meals ready to eat, tents, cots and heavy equipment. Airmen of the 36th CRG were already deployed to the Philippines for the Balikatan '06 exercise when mudslides engulfed a village and 1,800 people Feb. 17.

Days of continuous heavy rain and flooding hit Leyte Island, about 420 miles southeast of Manila, and led to the landslide, which has virtually washed away the farming village of Guinsahugon, as well as two other villages. Many of the military responders have previous disaster relief experience under their belts. Many 36th CRG airmen supported tsunami relief efforts of Operation Unified Assistance in early 2005. Forward-deployed ARG assets, Essex and Fort McHenry previously participated in Operation Unified Assistance, providing aid to victims of the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia. The ships delivered approximately 6 million pounds of relief supplies during the operation. Fort McHenry also provided humanitarian assistance after a series of early December 2004 typhoons and tropical storms caused massive flooding and landslides on the Philippine island of Luzon.

During that humanitarian assistance effort, Fort McHenry delivered 30,000 pounds of supplies and helped treat 100 patients, according to U.S. Embassy officials in the Philippines. "The sailors and Marines of the Forward Deployed ARG have a strong history of providing much-needed assistance during difficult times.

That legacy, that we do not take lightly, and our long enduring friendship that we have established with the people of the Philippines, gives me confidence that we will together get through this crisis," said Donahue. The Forward Deployed ARG is part of Task Force 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force. It is headquartered at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan. The U.S. Agency for International Development has authorized immediate dispersal of $100,000 to the Philippine Red Cross and is airlifting additional emergency supplies to the area.

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Deaths of two soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom

Shirts Of Their Backs

The Defense Department announced today the deaths of two soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.

Army Capt. Anthony R. Garcia, 48, of Fort Worth, Texas, died in Tikrit, Iraq, Feb. 17, from a gunshot wound. Garcia was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 101st Aviation Regiment, 101st Aviation Brigade, 101st Airborne Division, out of Fort Campbell, Ky.

Army Sgt. 1st Class Amos C. Edwards, Jr., 41, of Savannah, Ga., died in Ar Rutbah, Iraq, Feb. 17, from a non-combat related cause. Edwards was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 118th Field Artillery Regiment, 48th Brigade Combat Team, Savannah, Ga.

The incidents are under investigation.

Brokeback Shirts

 It's midnight and just over 16 hours to go until the Ebay auction ends, and Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger's shirts worn early in the Brokeback Mountain movie will find a new home. The current bid is $59,388.88 with 154 bids. 

The shirts are original and authentic and blood-stained, however they've been studio cleaned, so those wanting to get a true wiff will have to leave it to their imagination, and watch their own personal dvd copy of Brokeback Mountain.  Do you think they might autograph a copy of the dvd or a movie poster for the price, oops, I mean generous contribution to a charity to own a piece of movie history?

Brokeback Mountain is the most Academy Award nominated film this year, and definitely the most talked about. 

Before you think, it might be fun to bid just because, remember that all bids are binding contracts and you could get a Porsche Boxster or these shirts.  So you wonder, who would? A company such as Golden Palace?  Or that company that bought advertising space on some guy's head for a month?

The proceeds from the sale of Jake and Heath's worn Brokeback Mountain shirts is Variety - the Children's Charity's Mission.  Variety assists addicted, abused, neglected and physically-challenged children with 90 % of proceeds raised going to the special needs children. 

Checking one last time, before posting.  The current bid is now $59.588.88 with 155 bids. 

 deaths of two soldiers supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom

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Amphibious Ready Group To Philippines

US Team and NBC both Tanking

Walter Mayer crashes following police chase

BREAKING NEWS: TEN DEAD IN HELO CRASH

Metal Count

Nissan Open

Editorial on American Sports

Team To Philippines

Sailors and Marines from the Forward Deployed Amphibious Ready Group and elements of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade were called upon yesterday to help the victims of a mudslide on southern Leyte Island in the Philippines, U.S. 7th Fleet officials reported. USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and elements of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade immediately left port Subic Bay en route to the disaster zone area."Our primary mission is to provide as much assistance as possible to the victims of this tragic event," said Capt. Mark E. Donahue, commodore, Amphibious Squadron 11, the task group commander of the Forward Deployed ARG. "We are here to prevent the further loss of life and to mitigate any further suffering." Continuous days of heavy rain and flooding hit Leyte Island, about 420 miles southeast of Manila, and led to the landslide, which has washed away the farming village of Guinsahugon as well as two other villages.

The United States has authorized the Philippine Red Cross to use about $50,000 of emergency relief funds already granted to the Red Cross from an earlier disaster to aid in this disaster. The Philippine Red Cross has asked the United States for helicopter support to assist with rescue and relief operations in the area. Just as in Operation Unified Assistance, a multi-nation effort to help victims of the Indian Ocean tsunami, the ships of the Forward Deployed ARG will use various ship-to-shore assets to get landslide victims the assistance they need in the form of food, water and medical supplies, officials said.

During the tsunami operation, USS Essex and USS Fort McHenry delivered about 6 million pounds of relief supplies. Fort McHenry also provided humanitarian assistance after a series of early December 2004 typhoons and tropical storms caused massive flooding and landslides on the island of Luzon. During that humanitarian assistance effort, Fort McHenry delivered 30,000 pounds of supplies and helped treat 100 patients, according to U.S. Embassy officials in the Philippines. USS Essex, USS Harpers Ferry and elements of the 3rd Marine Expeditionary Brigade arrived in the Philippines yesterday to conduct Exercise Balikatan 2006, an annual Philippines-U.S. bilateral combined exercise, which was scheduled Feb. 20 through March 5. The purpose of the exercise is to further develop the Philippines military's crisis action planning, enhancing its ability to effectively conduct counterterrorism operations, and promote interoperability.

Also emphasized in the training events will be cooperation and execution of humanitarian and civic assistance, officials said. "The strong partnership and professional ties between the Philippines and U. S. military will be instrumental in providing rapid and valuable relief assistance," said Donahue. "We are fortunate to be at the right place to help our friends and their families in their time of need." The Forward Deployed ARG is part of Task Force 76, the Navy's only forward-deployed amphibious force, which has its headquarters at White Beach Naval Facility, Okinawa, Japan, with an operating detachment in Sasebo, Japan.

 US Team and NBC both Tanking

Shani Davis would have been a feel-good story about the first black athlete to win an individual gold in the Winter Olympics, but his painful NBC interview to feel much kinship with him.

Those who were still watching, that is. Ratings on NBC have been dropping fast,and, without Kwan not around to anchor women's figure skating the worst seems yet to come.

America loves its stars, but so far the country's biggest names have been its biggest busts. Kwan made a graceful exit even before she could make a graceful appearance. Hedrick began with one gold medal and talk of matching Eric Heiden's record of five, but is 0-for-2 since and may end up being remembered more for his sniping at Davis for being unpatriotic.

Hard to get mad at the snowboarders even though they don't understand that a gold medal means more to most Americans than style points and partying.

Almost half the American medals so far -- six of 13 -- have been won in a sport that wasn't even part of the Olympics until 1998. Take them away and this team more resembles the American teams that won a total of 13 medals in 1994 and 1998 than the team that rocked Salt Lake City with a record 34 medals in 2002.

As an Olympics, Turin has been so-so for the United States.

 Walter Mayer crashes following police chase

Walter Mayer, the banned Austrian ski coach whose presence at the Olympics touched off anti-doping raids and an IOC investigation, was taken into protective custody after crashing his car into a police barrier Sunday evening to end a bizarre chase.

Mayer was not injured in the accident, in which he struck a police car at an impromptu roadblock set up in the town of Paternion in the southwestern province of Carinthia, about 15 miles from the Italian border, police said.

The unusual chain of events began when Mayer -- returning to his native Austria just hours after Italian authorities raided Austria's biathlon and cross country team quarters for banned substances -- pulled over to the side of the road and took a nap in his car, a police statement said.

A suspicious local resident alerted police that a man was sleeping in a car with the engine turned off, and when officers arrived on the scene to wake him up, Mayer sped away, striking and slightly injuring an officer, the statement said.

The officers on the scene then called for backup, and authorities parked an empty police vehicle across the highway as a roadblock. Mayer then slammed into the squad car, totaling both vehicles.

Police said Mayer was taken into protective custody. It was unclear whether he would face criminal charges, and authorities declined to say whether they searched his vehicle for doping substances or equipment.

Mayer, the nation's former Nordic team coach who was banned from the Olympics under suspicion of performing blood transfusions at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games, triggered the latest investigation after he showed up in Turin, arousing suspicion among officials of the World Anti-Doping Agency.

The Austrian Ski Federation said Sunday night it had ended its relationship with Mayer effective immediately. In a brief statement, federation president Peter Schroecksnadel cited the accident as the reason. He did not elaborate.

Ten Dead in Crash

DOD Identifies Marine and Air Force Casualties The Department of Defense announced today the death of eight Marines and two airmen who were supporting Operation Enduring Freedom.

All 10 died Feb. 17, when two CH-53 helicopters crashed into the Gulf of Aden in the vicinity of Ras Siyyan, northern Djibouti, while flying a training mission in the Godoria Range area.

The Marines and airmen were deployed to Djibouti as part of the Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa.

The Marines were assigned to Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 464, Marine Air Group 29, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, II Marine Expeditionary Force, New River, N.C.

1st Lt. Brandon R. Dronet, 33, of Erath, La.

Sgt. James F. Fordyce, 22, of Newton Square, Pa.

Lance Cpl. Samuel W. Large, Jr., 21, of Villa Rica, Ga.

Sgt. Donnie Leo F. Levens, 25, of Long Beach, Miss.

Cpl. Matthieu Marcellus, 31, of Gainesville, Fla.

Sgt. Jonathan E. McColley, 23, of Gettysburg, Pa.

Lance Cpl. Nicholas J. Sovie, 20, of Ogdensburg, N.Y.

Capt. Bryan D. Willard, 33, of Hummelstown, Pa.

The airmen were: SrA. Alecia S. Good, 23, of Broadview Heights, Ohio. Good was assigned to the 92nd Communications Squadron, Fairchild Air Force Base,Wash.

Staff Sgt. Luis M. Melendez Sanchez, 33, of Bayamon, Puerto Rico. Sanchez was assigned to the 1st Communications Squadron, Langley Air Force Base, Va.

The cause of the incident is under investigation.

Germany Seven Gold Seven Silver Four Bronze

Norway Two Gold Seven Silver Seven Bronze

United States Seven Gold Four Silver Two Bronze

Russia Six Gold Two Silver Five Bronze

Canada Two Gold Six Silver Five Bronze

Austria Four Gold Five Silver One Bronze

Switzerland Two Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

South Korea Three Gold Three Silver One Silver

Italy Three Gold Four Bronze

China One Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Netherlands Two Gold Two Silver Two Bronze

Sweden Two Gold One Silver Three Bronze

France Three Gold Two Bronze

Finland Two Silver Three Bronze

Czech Republic Two Silver

Australia One Gold

Slovakia One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Bulgaria One Silver

Ukraine One Bronze

Latvia One Bronze

Nissan Open

Rory Sabbatini -13

Adam Scott -12

Craig Barlow -11

Fred Couples -10

Lee Westwood -9

John Rollins -9

Carl Pettersson -8

Tom Lehman -8

Dean Wilson -8

Trevor Immelman -8

Editorial on American Sports

What do Bodie Miller, Tiger Woods, Shani Davis and Michelle Kwan have in common? The same thing all athletes in our country seem to have in common today.

It is all about them and not the team or country. Tiger Woods could be the greatest golfer that ever lived but he is more concerned with making money playing in tournaments outside of this country then playing ones in this country.

Bodie Miller blames everyone but himself about losing.

Shani Davis only plays for himself even though the Olympics is about team and country.

Kwan simply quits when the going gets hard.

Basically they represent the professional athlete in this nation.

To condemn them for simply being what others are is wrong.

Instead condemn a system where you is more important then us.

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In this instance, the IOC has acted on information it received in a report given to it by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) which indicates the possible presence of Mr Walther Mayer in the private accommodation of the Austrian biathlon and cross country teams. Given that Mr Mayer has been declared ineligible to participate in all Olympic Games up to and including Vancouver 2010, based on his involvement in blood manipulation offences committed in Salt Lake City 2002, the IOC is fulfilling its responsibility to conduct anti-doping controls on athletes who might have been under his influence.

The IOC can also confirm that it transmitted the WADA report to the Italian authorities for their information and subsequent follow up as they deem appropriate.

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U.S.-based airlines last year lost about 10,000 bags a day on average, the worst performance since 1990.

The rate of lost suitcase reports per 1,000 passengers on flights soared 23% from a year earlier, according to recent numbers from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Among the reasons: a surge in the number of passengers, airline budget cuts, backed-up flights and tighter inspections of luggage.

In all, passengers filed with airlines more than 3.5 million reports of lost bags, most of which eventually find their way back to owners. Inside the 2005 numbers.

US Airways, which exited Chapter 11 bankruptcy last year, had the highest lost-bag rate of major carriers.

Southwest Airlines' rate of lost bags jumped nearly 27%. Southwest blames the airline's cranky new bag systems in Baltimore, Las Vegas and Phoenix.

Delta Air Lines, third-biggest airline, lost more bags than any other carrier. Its customers filed 573,419 lost bags.

Norway Two Gold Seven Silver Seven Bronze

Germany Six Gold Six Silver Two Bronze

United States Seven Gold Four Silver One Bronze

Russia Six Gold Two Silver Five Bronze

Canada Two Gold Four Silver Five Bronze

Austria Four Gold Five Silver One Bronze

South Korea Three Gold Three Silver One Silver

Switzerland Two Gold Two Silver Three Bronze

China One Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Italy Two Gold Four Bronze

France Three Gold Two Bronze

Sweden Two Gold One Silver One Bronze

Czech Republic Two Silver

Australia One Gold

Slovakia One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Bulgaria One Silver

Ukraine One Bronze

Latvia One Bronze

Has anyone bothered to tell those that design and sale clothes in this nation that not all women are a size 14.

I went out for the umpteenth time with Joyce looking for clothes today and once again we came back empty handed.

In this weight conscious world Joyce is 5 foot five, 121 pounds, 34-24-34 and 42 years old.

She is by no means tiny but try as hard as we can we are unable to find clothes that fit.

Size small is too large in skirts, shorts and pants. It looks like they will fall off of her when she puts them on.

Small shirts are too tight and medium is too small.

Try and find athletic wear, can’t be done.

Swimsuits are a joke.

Why can’t she find anything that fits, because the industry raised the size of all clothes to fit larger women. They either forgot or simply didn’t care there are a great many women like Joyce in this country that are shapely and very proud of the fact that they take care of themselves.

Are nation is becoming more and more conscious of their health as it grows older.

Wouldn’t it be nice is those that design and sale clothing realized this also.

Rory Sabbatini -14

Fred Couples - 10

Craig Barlow -10

Tim Clark -9

Trevor Immelman -9

John Rollins -8

Jim Furyk -7

Mark Brooks -7

Dean Wilson -7

Bob Estes -7

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BREAKING NEWS: MUCH SEC FILINGS ON PROCTOR & GAMBLE STOCK TODAY. SOMETHING IS UP AT P&G.

New Razrs

Motorola's plans for Oscar night.  I wonder what they'll have for the press?

IOC SANCTIONS BIATHLETE OLGA PYLEVA

Army Casualties

Navy to help out in Philippines 

Russian biathlon star Olga Pyleva in more trouble

(Compiled from Defense Department news releases.)

Medal Count

Two U.S. H-53 military helicopters crashed

Each night worst then last for NBC

Motorola chooses to create a sophisticated image for the higher end of the market vs. the most sophisticated technology. The latest Samsung phone has the same shape as a RAZR but is a 3G phone while the RAZR is not. Ron Garriques, President Motorola Mobile Devices, doesn’t believe it makes good business sense to introduce the RAZR as a 3G phone for a second-generation network, because the faster 3G networks do not offer compelling services consumers want.

Motorola is the world’s second biggest phone maker with almost 19 percent of the global market, expects to ride the popularity of the RAZR three years, one year longer than the average lifespan of a mobile phone model. Analysts from market research group iSuppli estimated the RAZR generated at least one third of Motorola's fourth-quarter shipments of close to 45 million mobile phones.

I realize the Motorola RAZR continues its popularity, I’ve been trying to get a limited edition version for the past 3 weeks. Motorola, can you make more available?

Motorola’s RAZR V3x Wins Coveted “Best 3GSM Handset 2006” Award at 3GSM World Congress

By Joyce Chow

2006 in Barcelona, the world’s biggest wireless communications trade show.

“The RAZR V3x epitomises everything we hope for...wickedly compelling design and a wickedly compelling consumer experience, it truly is a great day for the brand.” Said Ron Garriques, President Motorola Mobile Devices.

With it’s ultra-slim clamshell form and clever integration of the design features that made the RAZR the company’s most globally acclaimed product, the Motorola RAZR V3x is the ultimate in mobile entertainment devices. Delivering an impressive range of multimedia tools, including a 2-megapixel camera, real-time two-way video calling, still and moving image capture, progressive downloading and 3D graphics this UMTS/3G handset has it all.

“The RAZR V3x epitomises everything we hope for...wickedly compelling design and a wickedly compelling consumer experience, it truly is a great day for the brand.” Said Ron Garriques, President Motorola Mobile Devices. With it’s ultra-slim clamshell form and clever integration of the design features that made the RAZR the company’s most globally acclaimed product, the Motorola RAZR V3x is the ultimate in mobile entertainment devices. Delivering an impressive range of multimedia tools, including a 2-megapixel camera, real-time two-way video calling, still and moving image capture, progressive downloading and 3D graphics this UMTS/3G handset has it all.

Motorola Gets Red Carpet Ready With Special Edition PEBL Phone For Top Directing and Acting Nominees 

By Joyce Chow

Motorola makes its annual walk down the red carpet on Hollywood’s biggest night by continuing its tradition of providing a not-yet-available, state-of-the-art mobile phone to the Academy Award nominees in the top directing and four acting categories. In honor of their nominations, the 78th Annual Academy Award nominees will receive a special-edition PEBL phone in a gunmetal color finish - the only consumers to have this edition of the just-available phone. Combining sophisticated technology with innovative design, the special edition Motorola PEBL is sure to help the nominees stand out and shine on their big night. Recipients will also receive Motorola’s new H700 Bluetooth® headset and three (3) months of T-Mobile wireless service. T-Mobile USA is the exclusive carrier of the PEBL phone.

In keeping with Motorola’s traditional Oscar phone efforts, the Academy Award’s directing and acting nominees’ phones are packaged in a custom made, keepsake box. This year’s package is reminiscent of a classic movie theatre ticket and is personalized with the category and name of each nominee in acknowledgement of their recognition by the Academy.

Inspired by the feel of a stone worn smooth by water, the Motorola PEBL captures attention for its innovative form with rounded edges, a vertical external display and unique dual-hinge mechanism for effortless, one-handed opening. Its smooth and sophisticated feel presents a timeless elegance with a unique finish sure to garner notice. In addition to the eye-catching shape, the feature-forward PEBL is fully functional allowing users to browse the World Wide Web*, share multimedia files* and includes integrated Bluetooth technology. The Bluetooth headset H700 provides Motorola’s most advanced features in its most discreet headset. It boasts unsurpassed call clarity from noise reduction technology to Motorola's exclusive RapidConnect® technology, and it’s an amazing 30% smaller than its predecessor. Additional features include video capture and playback, integrated VGA digital camera for quality still photography, speech activated and digit dial, a color display, picture caller-ID* and downloadable games.

IOC SANCTIONS BIATHLETE OLGA PYLEVA FOR FAILING ANTI-DOPING TEST

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Talk to our sales people about inclusion

Russian biathlon star Olga Pyleva was thrown out of the Turin Games and stripped of her silver medal Thursday for doping.

New York Bill Bans Call Records Sale

Never Hear of modern earth movers (Picture)

Two Marines Die

Editorial on Brokeback Mountain.

Dancing with the Stars

Medal Count

NBC Losing sweeps

Digital Photographers Would Rather Capture Family Moments Over Celebrity Sightings

Nicole Kidman to Present at 78th Academy Awards

Bond girl and villian finally cast

First Doping removal

Russian biathlon star Olga Pyleva was thrown out of the Turin Games and stripped of her silver medal Thursday for doping, the first athlete caught in the tightest drug net in Winter Olympics history.

Pyleva was favored heading into Thursday's 7.5km sprint to win her second medal of the games. As athletes were walking up to the starting line, an announcer told the crowd that Pyleva was scratched because she had fallen ill.

But it didn't take long for news of the real reason to spread. A urine sample Pyleva submitted after the 15km event on Monday tested positive for the stimulant carphedon, which she said was in an over-the-counter medication she'd taken.

An IOC panel was hastily convened to hear Pyleva's case. Less than two hours after the race went on without her, she was kicked out of the Turin Games.

The 30-year-old Pyleva is one of the biggest stars in biathlon, which typically draws more than 30,000 spectators to World Cup events and is Europe's most popular televised winter sport. She also won gold and bronze medals at the 2002 Salt Lake City Games

New York Bill Bans Call Records Sale

In the latest wrinkle surrounding online brokers of user call data legislation to ban the access and sale of telephone customer calling records and also hold carriers accountable has been introduced into the New York State Assembly.

The proposed bill – introduced by Democratic Assemblyman Jeffrey Dinowitz and Republican state Senator Martin Golden imposes civil penalties on persons convicted of stealing and selling phone records and allow those whose information was sold to sue for damages.

The measure already has more than 20 co-sponsors ad its passage is being given a good chance at the state capitol in Albany; there is also support for the measure from consumer and public interests groups as well as Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile.

The measure would prohibit carriers from releasing personal telephone account records to anyone except account holders in order to prevent third parties from selling the records, with the exception of authorization by court order .The law would apply to mobile wireless cellular, land line, satellite and Internet Protocol telephony activities.

Shock over the Internet call details business has prompted other state legislators to look into possible bills, state attorneys general and carriers to file suits, drafting of bills in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives to make such transactions illegal and deepening investigations and of regulatory proceedings by the Federal Communications Commission, the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Meanwhile, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce said federal investigators have identified individuals behind 22 Web pages that may offer criminals, stalkers and any other paying customer the detailed records of private telephone calls. Its Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee is sending out additional letters to the individuals demanding that the companies provide information about business. William Hoehne

 Never heard of equipment to move dirt

Two Marines Die

DOD Identifies Marine Casualties  The Department of Defense announced today the death of two
Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom.


            Killed were:


            Lance Cpl. Matthew R. Barnes, 20, of West Monroe, La.



            Cpl. Rusty L. Washam, 21, of Huntsville, Tenn.



Both Marines died Feb. 14, when a suicide car bomber attacked their vehicle near Al Qa'im, Iraq.  They were assigned to 3rd Battalion, 6th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division; II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, N.C.


BrokeBack Mountain 

This is movie of two young men, a Wyoming ranch hand and a rodeo cowboy, who meet in the summer of 1963 shepherding in the harsh, high grasslands of contemporary Wyoming.

The word that counts most in the movies bio is SHEPHERDING. That made them SHEEP HERDERS not cowboys.

A COWBOY is a hired man, especially in the western United States, who tends cattle and performs many of his duties on horseback. Also called cowman, cowpoke; Also called cowpuncher; also called regionally buckaroo.

A SHEEP HERDER is  a person who herds sheep, especially on an open range; a shepherd.

Cow, Sheep, Cowboy, Shepard.

It is not the story of two cowboys that fell in love but the story of two shepherds that fell in love.

What their jobs were before and after their eventful meeting is really irrelevant to the plot. It is what they were when they first met that counts.

Dancing with the Stars rigged?

Figure it out for yourself with the bio on the celebrity amateur dancer Stacy Keibler.

She was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She began dancing when she was three years old and has a background in ballet, tap and jazz. Stacy went to school in Baltimore and was also one of Baltimore's first "Raven Cheerleaders". She stayed with the Ravens for a period of three years before signing with WCW.

She looks as good as she does on the dance floor because she should look that good. Only if a viewer induced miracle like that forced ABC to have a dance off in the first Dancing with the Stars will Drew Lachey have any chance to win.

A shame to in that day in day out he is the best dancer out there. His feet work is exceptional and he takes it seriously plus he has the strain of his wife getting ready to give birth upon him each time he steps out to dance.

But he is short, not blond haired with long legs. Odd are very much against him.

Olympic Medal Count

Norway One Gold Six Silver Six Bronze

Russia Five Gold Two Silver Four Bronze

Germany Five Gold Four Silver One Bronze

United States Six Gold Two Silver One Bronze

Canada One Gold Three Silver Four Bronze

Austria Three Gold Two Silver One Bronze

China One Gold Two Silver Three Bronze

Italy Two Gold Three Bronze

Finland Two Silver Three Bronze

Sweden Two Gold One Silver One Bronze

France Two Gold Two Bronze

Netherlands One Gold Two Silver One Bronze

Switzerland One Gold Two Silver One Bronze

South Korea One Gold One Silver One Silver

Estonia Two Gold

Australia One Gold

Slovakia One Silver

Croatia One Silver

United Kingdom One Silver

Czech Republic One Silver

Bulgaria One Silver

Ukraine One Bronze

Latvia One Bronze

NBC Losing sweeps

Nearly halfway through, it trails behind ABC

February should be NBC’s month but disappointing ratings for its Olympics coverage, compounded by solid performances by its competitors, has the network in a slump.

Indeed, many media buyers had predicted before the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies last Friday that NBC’s ratings would fall short of past Games.

Buyers sensed there were no breakout Olympics stories to capture the attention of viewers.

NBC's struggles are not all that surprising, say media researchers.

“The Olympics rarely go up against original programming, and the other networks decided to put their best products forward,” explains Jordan Breslow, director of broadcast research at MediaCom. “It has never gone up against ‘American Idol,’ and I don’t think anyone should be surprised that the older-skewing Olympics should not have any impact on ‘Idol.’

"I look at the Olympics as fallback programming" says Breslow. "It’s like, take your pick of first-run product and if there isn’t anything there, then, great, tune into NBC.”

Says John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest: “The problem for NBC is that they are still struggling, putting the Olympics aside. The network has not yet shown that they have hit bottom, although they said they have.”

Indeed, many media buyers had predicted before the Olympics' Opening Ceremonies last Friday that NBC’s ratings would fall short of past Games.

One reason, as Spiropoulos suggests, is that NBC’s faltering ratings weakened its ability to promote the Games.

But also, and beyond the network's control, going into the Games, buyers sensed there were no breakout Olympics stories to capture the attention of viewers. That's turned out to be the case.

“You look at the Winter Games and the biggest superstar that we had has withdrawn, Michelle Kwan, and the outspoken [skier] Bode Miller can’t get his act together," says Breslow. "There’s no real draw, there’s nothing really pulling you in.”

What is surprising is how soundly NBC’s competitors are beating the Olympics in head-to-head competition.


The big question for NBC is whether or not it can bounce back in the next 11 nights of Olympics coverage.

that's unlikely with the Olympics will facing tougher competition in original programs such as the “Dancing with the Stars” finale, “American Idol,” and programs like CBS’s “Survivor.”

Survey Finds Amateur Digital Photographers Would Rather Capture Family Moments Over Celebrity Sightings

A recent survey commissioned by Duracell(R) PowerPix(TM) shows that an overwhelming majority of Americans would be more upset at missing a photo of a family event(1) than one of a celebrity sighting.

Respondents ranked images of a baby's first step (47 percent) or a child's graduation (38 percent) as the most important moments to capture on camera. By contrast, celebrity sightings like Johnny Damon's first at-bat as a New York Yankee (two percent) or the first photo of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie's baby (one percent) landed at the bottom of the list. Family moments also scored significantly higher than ego-driven ones: fewer than 10 percent of respondents said that their top priority would be an image of themselves snagging the largest catch on an annual fishing trip.

While the increasing popularity of digital photography has resulted in more snap-shooting to capture spontaneous or "once-in-a-lifetime" moments, battery power remains crucial to the equation. Roughly one-third of respondents indicated that they've missed a memorable moment because their digital camera wasn't powered properly.

In an effort to better meet the needs of today's digital camera users, Duracell has introduced a disposable battery called PowerPix. This new digital camera battery uses advanced NiOx(TM) Technology to deliver up to twice as many pictures as an ordinary alkaline battery in digital cameras. Available in AA and AAA sizes, Duracell PowerPix is sold at mass market, drug, grocery and electronics stores throughout North America. (The suggested retail price of a four-pack is $5.99).

Nicole Kidman to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award®-winning actress Nicole Kidman will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Kidman, who has been nominated twice for an Academy Award, took home a Best Actress Oscar in 2002 for portraying Virginia Woolf in "The Hours." She also received a nomination in 2001 for her leading role in "Moulin Rouge."

Kidman will be next seen in "The Visiting" and "Fur." Her other film credits include "Cold Mountain," "Dogville," "The Others," "The Portrait of a Lady," "To Die For" and "Dead Calm."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m.

Nissan Open

They were two shots clear of a group that included Fred Couples who was so sick upon returning from Australia that he stayed in bed Monday and Tuesday, skipped the pro-am Wednesday. He wound up with a 66, then went back to bed.

Also ill was Tiger Woods and it had nothing to do with being allergic to Riviera. Woods, 2-0 for the year but 0-10 at his hometown tournament, recovered from an early double bogey by making four birdies in a five-hole stretch and finished with a 69.

Rounding out the trio of big names under the weather was Ernie Els, who sniffled his way to a 70. The Big Easy made two careless mistakes at the end of his round, missing the green to the right at No. 18 and pulling his approach left of the green, leaving himself little room to get it close.

Justin Rose -7

Dean Wilson -7

Fred Couples -5

Billy Mayfair -5

Jesper Parnevik -5

Bob Estes -5

Rod Pampling -4

Harrison Frazar -4

Rory Sabbatini -4

Chad Campbell -4

Bond Film finally cast 

After months of searching, and with filming on Casino Royale already underway in Prague, the  love interest and a nemesis for Daniel Craig's super spy have ben cast. French actress Eva Green will essay the role of vixen Vesper Lynd.  Danish actor Mads Mikkelsen will play the villainous Le Chiffre.

Martin Campbell, who helmed GoldenEye, announced the Mikkelsen news  at a Wednesday night press conference at the Czech Republic's Brandov Studios flanked by Craig, Judi Dench (who's returning as M) and the film's producers, Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson.

"Vesper is a pivotal role in Casino Royale and it takes much more than beauty to make this role work," says Columbia Pictures studio boss Amy Pascal, whose studio is distributing Royale.

"When you think about the great James Bond adventures, of course you think about action and espionage, but you need to have palpable sexual tension in the movie and in casting Vesper, we really needed to up the ante, because this character is very much an equal to Bond and central to our story.

Mikkelsen, 40, is best known for his role as Tristan opposite Clive Owen and Keira Knightley in the 2004 version of King Arthur. After an eight-year stint as a professional dancer, he became one of Denmark's biggest stars with his breakthrough role as a junkie in 1996's Pusher. Other credits include 2000's Flickering Lights, 2001's Shake Your Heart, the 2003 Dogma film Open Hearts and 2004's Pusher II: With Blood On My Hands.

He will play Le Chiffre, the character Ian Fleming variously called "the Number" and "the Cipher" in his franchise-launching novel, Casino Royale. Le Chiffre is a banker for terrorists and criminals who enjoys torture and gives Bond a run for his money at the baccarat tables.

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Procter & Gamble Files Lawsuit Against Vi-Jon Laboratories

Adam Scott defeated Chad Campbell on the first hole of sudden death for the 2005 victory.

We saw Mr. Scott doing a photo-shoot near the right hand side of the 18^th hole as the sun was going down.

The victory was unofficial since the tournament was shortened to 36 holes by record heavy rains.

Should not have this problem this week but going to be cold. Today felt like a ice cube as it got later in the day.

People were talking at the course today about Tiger Woods who has played the Nissan Open at Riviera Country Club 10 times without winning, and even though that represents the biggest shutout of his career. According to PGA Stats it's not even close to the measure of futility some players have experienced. Arnold Palmer went 0 for 37 at the PGA Championship while Tom Watson went 0 for 31. Greg Norman went winless in 22 Masters.

Woods is in good company at Riviera, sharing yet another golf experience with Jack Nicklaus who was 0 for 25 at the Bell Canadian Open, won his paycheck at the 1962 Los Angeles Open, but he never won the event in 14 appearances. He also finished second to Hal Sutton in the 1983 PGA at Riviera.

Procter & Gamble Files Lawsuit Against Vi-Jon Laboratories -- Private Label Oral Mouthrinse Manufacturer

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Eat your heart out.

Early numbers for Monday night are lowest yet.

Kwan out in more then one way.

Medal Count

Will Smith to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

Democrat Hackett drops out of race.

Moonbeam VOD

In a violent display of competitive eating, Chicago native Patrick Bertoletti, was victorious, eating nearly 2 pounds of chocolate at the GoldenPalace.com Valentine's Day Chocolate Massacre to win $5000. 

The challenge? Eat the most milk chocolate hearts in 7 minutes, one minute to honor each of the men killed in Capone's 1929 mob hit.   

Held on Valentine's Day Eve in Chicago, the chocolate and candy capital of America for the past century, at the Chicago Chocolate Company.   Each of the competitors were presented with a bottomless supply of custom milk chocolate hearts weighing 3.5 oz each.  This was a sanctioned event for the International Federation of Competitive Eating (IFOCE). 

If you're a fan of eating contests, you'll notice a buzz around Patrick Bertoletti. He has "earned a place in the hearts of women all over America", says Kate Westfall of the IFOCE. 

Goldenpalace.com has devised some of the more memorable and outrageous advertising campaigns in the past few years.  Recent worldwide media attention has been for the Virgin Mary grilled cheese sandwich, Britney Spear's pregnancy test, William Shatner's kidney stone, and even at Prince Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles audience in waiting.

Companies turning o web to advertise

Not even , figure skating, could provide relief for the ailing Winter Olympics.

The first figure skating medals were awarded last night, but instead of bumping up ratings for the Games, they hit their lowest level yet.

The primetime portion of the Olympics, from 8 to 11 p.m., averaged a 6.5 Nielsen overnight rating among adults 18-49, the lowest through four nights of Games and Opening Ceremonies coverage.

What’s perhaps more surprising is that the coverage also hit a low among total viewers, averaging 20.96 million. That compares to overnight totals of 22.8 million for the Opening Ceremonies, 23.6 million for Saturday, and 23.2 million for Sunday. Figure skating usually skews older, with the median age of the audience jumping on nights when it airs, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Magna Global.

For the night, NBC averaged a 12.8 household rating, down 35 percent from the 19.6 average for the pairs finals during the 2002 Olympics. It was down even more from the 20.2 average for the pairs skating during the 1998 Nagano Games, though that aired on Sunday, not Monday, night.

Other networks continue to program aggressively against the Games. Fox’s “24” averaged a 5.4 rating at 9 p.m., and ABC’s “Bachelor” turned in a 4.6, up week to week. But NBC will see far tougher competition tonight, when Fox’s “American Idol” airs.

NBC still took the night among 18-49s with a 6.5 average rating and a 16 share. Fox was second at 4.0/10, ABC third at 3.9/10, CBS fourth at 3.7/9, WB fifth at 1.6/4, Univision sixth at 1.5/4 and UPN seventh at 1.3/3.

NBC finished first during each hour of the night, beginning with a 5.7 rating at 8 p.m. for its first hour of Olympics. ABC was second with a 3.5 for a repeat of “Wife Swap,” CBS third with a 3.0 for repeats of “The King of Queens” and “How I Met Your Mother,” and Fox fourth with a 2.6 for “Skating with Celebrities.” WB came in fifth during the hour with a 2.2 for “7th Heaven,” Univision sixth with a 1.8 for “Contra Viento y Marea” and UPN seventh with a 1.1 for “One on One” (1.0) and “All of Us” (1.2).

During the 9 p.m. hour, NBC led once again with a 6.9 average for Olympics. Fox moved to second that hour with a 5.4 average for “24,” with CBS third with a 4.0 for a repeat of “Two and a Half Men” (4.4) and a new “Courting Alex” (3.7), ABC fourth with a 3.7 for the first of two hours of “The Bachelor” and Univision fifth with a 1.7 for “Alborada.” UPN was sixth that hour with a 1.4 for “Girlfriends” (1.5) and “Half and Half” (1.4), and WB seventh with a 1.0 for “Related.”

NBC continued to grow into the 10 p.m. hour, leading with a 7.1 rating for the Olympics. ABC was second with a 4.6 for “The Bachelor,” CBS third with a 4.2 for a repeat of “CSI: Miami” and Univision fourth with a 1.1 for “Vecinos.”

Among households, NBC led the night with a 12.8 average rating and a 19 share. CBS was second at 7.5/11, ABC and Fox tied for third at 6.2/9, WB fifth at 3.0/4 and Univision and UPN tied for sixth at 2.1/3.

Day three was the real killer

NBC was already struggling on Sunday when Michelle Kwan dropped out, bad boy skier Bode Miller failed to medal in the first of his five events, and Apolo Anton Ohno, a 2002 Salt Lake favorite, fell during his first event, not even making the final.

NBC went into the 2006 Winter Olympics with three good storylines, only to see all three evaporate on the third day. NBC immediately felt the defeats in the ratings, and going forward there seems little chance of recovery.

There’s nothing NBC can do about this, of course. The network can’t control what the athletes do on the slopes or the skating rink, but it makes it much harder to build momentum when there is no reason for viewers to stick around.

Kwan is gone and with her the seemingly hourly updates and speculation about her health. Miller, who was attempting to become the first athlete to medal in five alpine ski events, can now only medal in four, making the hype surrounding him seem overblown. While Kwan provided a great resurrection story, Miller does not have enough history to do the same, and viewers will care much less if he gets four medals after he failed to pocket his first.

As for Ohno, he too was a disappointment. Though he was a star at the last Games, his name recognition has faded since then. He needed a good showing to get people interested in him again. Failure to even make the medal round will kill some of the buzz around him.

It does not look good for NBC.

Kwan really out

Michelle Kwan is definitely out of the Winter Games. But what about commercials featuring her image? Yesterday several advertisers who had built campaigns around the figure skating star were pondering what to do: scrap them or air them. It seems they’ve decided on different solutions. While Visa will run its Kwan-themed ad, Coca-Cola has decided to edit out references to Kwan in a series of spots that show fans supporting their favorite Olympic athletes. The five-time world champion was pulled from the ad, with other athletes subbed in. But Coke will keep a reference to Kwan in a separate ad, one that also features speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno. Meanwhile, Visa decided to keep an ad that heralds Kwan’s grace as a skater. The 15-second commercial began running during last night’s figure skating pairs competition. Visa said it kept the spot because it was not tied to a specific event and served as a sort of tribute to Kwan, who pulled out of ladies’ figure skating Sunday with a groin injury.

Eighty percent of companies now use the web

Norway One Gold Five Silver Five Bronze

Russia Four Gold Three Silver Two Bronze

United States Five Gold Two Silver

Germany Four Gold One Silver Two Bronze

China Two Silver Three Bronze

Netherlands One Gold Two Silver

South Korea One Gold One Silver One Silver

Canada One Gold One Silver One Bronze

Italy One Gold Two Bronze

France One Gold One Bronze

Austria Two Silver One Bronze

Sweden Two Gold

France One Gold One Bronze

Finland One Silver One Bronze

Estonia One Gold

Croatia One Silver

Czech Republic One Silver

Latvia One Bronze

Switzerland One Bronze

Will Smith to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA — Academy Award®-nominated actor Will Smith will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Smith received an Academy Award nomination in 2001 for his leading role in "Ali." He will be seen next in "Pursuit of Happyness." Smith's film credits include "Hitch," "I, Robot," the two "Bad Boys" films, the "Men in Black" franchise, "Enemy of the State," "The Legend of Bagger Vance," "Independence Day" and "Six Degrees of Separation."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m.

Eighty percent of companies now use the web

Eightly percent of advertisers now use some form of web advertising, according to Outsell, a Burlingame, Calif., research firm. In its annual ad spending study, released yesterday, Outsell found that among 1,200 advertisers surveyed with a collective ad budget of $2.4 billion, four fifths are using or will use online advertising this year, and it forecasts that will jump to 90 percent by 2008. Those adoption rates are much higher than the 40 to 70 percent various studies over the past three years have suggested. Outsell predicts that online ad spending will grow another 19 percent this year, which it says is eight times the pace of TV and radio and six times that for print. Chuck Richard, Outsell’s vice president and lead analyst, talks about how widespread web advertising will get, why buyers now find it so attractive, and how much blog advertising will grow in the next year.

We look at advertisers who serve the consumer, business and healthcare markets. We have a large sample that represents $2.4 billion of advertising. The figure may be a little bit lower, but not significantly.

We’re now doing the next round of this work, and we’re looking at those three segments separately. Advertisers targeting businesses turn out to be a little bit lower, but the overall numbers hold up.

The growth is very healthy. It was not too long ago that people were asking, "Should we advertise online?" Now they are saying, "Let me get into that."

The tracking is a huge plus, the ability to know what you’re getting for the money you’re spending. You don’t have to run a campaign and wonder if you’re getting what you want. You can count clicks and impressions.

The other thing I would say is the extreme of the reach, especially with search engines. You reach people that other methods like direct mail or outdoor just don’t reach because the audience is global.

The small companies are the last to embrace it. We actually anticipate that by 2008 it will be 90 percent.

Then you’ll basically be left with those who’re trying to reach a niche audience that for whatever reason just isn’t online. There are just some markets where you’re just going to say, my clients aren’t online.

The people who find Google the most effective are the smaller advertisers. That's from the ease of use. You don’t have to call somebody, you can arrange for search ads yourself. It’s low-cost and you can control it. The risk is totally controlled.

For $50 you can run a campaign and see if you like it or not. If you’re having a slow month, you can stop it for a while. The impact of Google, Yahoo and MSN have made smaller companies comfortable with online advertising.

There’s never been a company that was in the press as much as Google. Ten stories a day is a slow day for them. The beauty of it for Google is that they themselves don’t advertise.

This rating is for effectiveness, as perceived by online advertisers. They’re spending money on Google and they know what they’re getting back. It’s a pretty hard, results-oriented rating.

Google has a good formula for ad positioning on a page and pricing. Yahoo and MSN only go by bid price, meaning the highest bidder will get the priority position. Google goes by both price and traffic. If you’re an advertiser and you're offering $10 per click for a keyword, and no one clicks on it, Google's not making any money. That ad will get a lesser position than the $8 ad that does get traffic. The effect is to favor ads that are the most effective for advertisers and Google.


There are areas of media, not just online, that are saturated with advertising. What’s happened with blogs, and wireless too, is that there’s a lot of eyeballs looking at them without much advertising. It’s just a rule: Where there’s traffic, advertising will follow. It’s just not saturated yet, so there’s a lot of unclaimed inventory there.

Categories vary by types of blogs. On the business sites you see the standard range, but it’s all very targeted, following the subject of the blog. It’s a broad range, there’s no one category that dominates blog advertising.

Wireless is also projected to grow by 19 percent. It’s becoming a fast-growing medium, and same thing, it’s under-saturated with ads.

The other interesting thing is that wireless, by accident of history, has grown up with people expecting to pay. You expect to pay for your monthly service, extra feeds, etc. You expect to pay for ringtones.

Growth is a little slower there because the providers aren’t relying exclusively on advertising. So I’m not surprised that the growth rate is a little slower than blogs.

What advertisers are realizing is that the user is in control of what they want to receive. The same way they watch only the cable channels they want, they pick what they want online. People design their own pages on Yahoo, MySpace, etc.

So as an advertiser you have to realize just one method isn’t going to get you where you want to go.

But all that said, trade magazines, trade shows and direct mail marketing were rated the top three methods in effectiveness.

The highest-rated online method was actually email. Next was search. For branding, search engines didn’t rank so highly. No. 5 for branding was general print magazines and newspapers.

The trends look pretty clear that it’s somewhat of a race between TV and print. Print and TV and radio are losing the most share right now. They still get the largest share, but in terms of growth rates they are slowing the most.

But in the coming years I think TV and radio will be the hardest hit. They all will survive, but online will become more of an equal partner.

Iraq war veteran Paul Hackett, a Bush administration critic who had been recruited by top Democrats to run for U.S. Senate, said Tuesday he was dropping his campaign and declared his political career over.

Hackett said he was pressured by party leaders to drop out of the Senate primary and run for the House against Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt instead.

National Democratic leaders, especially Sen. Charles Schumer, added to that pressure by telling his top fundraisers to stop sending money, Hackett said.

"For me, this is a second betrayal," Hackett told The New York Times. "First, my government misused and mismanaged the military in Iraq, and now my own party is afraid to support candidates like me."

The deadline for candidates to file for the May 2 primary is Thursday.

Hackett, a Cincinnati attorney and Marine Reservist, captured national attention last summer by blasting Bush's war policies, raising huge sums on the Internet and capturing 48 percent of the vote in one of the country's most conservative House districts. Republican Jean Schmidt won the special election in a tight race.

MovieBeam, a service being introduced in 29 major markets today. The service was originally developed and tested in three cities in 2004 by the Walt Disney Company. Disney has brought in new investors and streamlined the service's pricing to offer it on a broader scale.

MovieBeam is built around a technology that broadcasts movies slowly over unused portions of the television signals to set-top boxes that store them on a hard disk. Users will have a choice of 100 movies — mainly those that have been recently released on DVD's — with 10 new titles replacing old ones each week.

Consumers will buy the MovieBeam box for $250 from electronics stores. They can send for a $50 rebate, but must also pay a $30 activation fee, making the effective upfront cost $230. The service does not charge a monthly fee, but movies cost $3.99 each for current titles and $1.99 for older ones. (The company will also offer some movies in a high-definition format for an additional $1.) The customers will be able to watch the movie for a 24-hour period.

The service was meant to appeal to the 30 million people who rent at least four movies a month. Four-fifths of those rentals, he said, are releases of the sort that will be in the MovieBeam service.

The major studios have agreed to provide movies to the service, except ,Sony, with which negotiations are continuing. Disney's studios will make movies available on the service on the same day they are released on DVD. The other studios will make them available several weeks later when they are released to video-on-demand services offered by cable systems and Internet rental services like Movielink.

As with other video-on-demand services, most of the rental fee is paid to the studios. Still, studios have been wary about the expansion of video-on-demand services because they could eat into DVD sales, the most-profitable form of movie distribution.

MovieBeam's broadcast system, the cost of delivering a movie was negligible. In contrast, industry executives say sending a movie over the Internet typically costs 50 to 75 cents for a transmission

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BREAKING NEWS: MBN to be on the air this week with our first broadcast.

NBC In deep Do Do

NBC would be happy just to have the team they spent so many hours promoting. By the second day of the Olympics their biggest star was gone, their biggest mouth was muted and there were still nearly 400 hours of television time left to be filled.

Hour after hour of material on the air so far with litlle or no excitement for America unless you count the working on pure guts performance by the Chinese pair silver metal winners.

Michelle Kwan left us tearfully with an injury, then rejected NBC's pleas to stay on as a commentator. Bode Miller finished failed in the downhill, and Apolo Anton Ohno fell over his own hand. Miller and Ohno will have more chances, while the 17-year-old sister of 2002 gold medalist Sarah Hughes will fly to Italy to take Kwan's place. Some good lineage can't hurt, but there was a reason Emily Hughes wasn't brought to the games in the first place.

Outside of dressing Chad Hedrick in a Elvis suit and teaching him a quick two step though, options were limited.

Things got worse Monday when America's gold medal hope in the women's downhill, Lindsey Kildow, crashed horribly at high speed and had to be airlifted to a hospital. Later in the day, American luger Samantha Retrosi suffered a concussion and short-term memory loss when she crashed on the ice.

Hedrick may turn into the star that saves this team. He won the first gold for the United States in speedskating, will be favored in two other races and has a chance to medal in yet two more.

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According to the results of a recent survey conducted by Roper Public Affairs and Media for the InFocus Corporation, traditional methods of advertising are lost on today’s average 18-24 year old because of (DVRs) and the Internet.

Candace Petersen, Vice President and General Manager, The University Network, said “(The) results confirm TUN’s success in engaging campus viewers… who don’t consume as much traditional media sources as previous generation.”

The University Network, in over 125 of the largest U.S. university in student unions and recreation centers, conducted the study to measure student engagement and advertising recall. Some of the key findings revealed:

Seventy-eight percent of the students recalled one or more of the TUN-placed ads

26-59 percent of the students who saw the ads claimed the only recent TV advertising they saw for a given ad was from TUN.

Nearly four out of ten ad aware students found the advertising for specific brands on TUN more effective than on regular television, vs. only one in six who said less effective.

If interested in purchasing a product, more than twice as many students chose TUN over campus newspapers as having the greatest impact on their purchasing decision.

One-third of the ad aware students were more likely to purchase a specific brand after seeing an ad on TUN.

NBC not fooling the viewers

There are few stories to tell so far: U.S. skier Bode Miller came up empty in the downhill event and U.S. figure skater Michelle Kwan bowed out because of an injury--more or less the same one that kept her out of last month's U.S. Championships. As far as the TV controversy was concerned, Miller wasn't holding a can of Miller Beer at the top of the mountain; Kwan wasn't found hissing other skaters.

NBC doesn't count on such drama--that's only a bonus. Advertisers also take the conservative approach. That said, NBC's marksmanship on ratings guarantees has been pretty much on the money so far. It promised between a 12 and 14 prime-time household rating. On Friday, the opening ceremonies, NBC pulledi n a 12.8 rating / 21 share.

No. These aren't the big numbers of the last Winter Olympics in 2002 in Salt Lake City. But how could they be? First off, those games were in the U.S., viewed in easily watchable time zones, which gave the ratings a boost. In addition, the U.S. was only a few months removed from 9/11. All eyes focused back then on something dramatic or, perhaps, tragic to happen. Neither occurred. Ratings still soared for the 2002 first-night ceremonies to a 25.5 household rating/42 share.

For NBC, that's the good news. Now comes the bad.

These Olympics are up against some competition--major original episodes from the likes of "American Idol," "Desperate Housewives," big-rated network heavyweight shows. Considering the lower urgency of watching these games, since most of the coverage will be on a taped delay basis thanks to the European time zone differences, NBC could be in for a tough bobsled ride over the last two weeks of February.

NBC will take heart in the fact it pulled in a still-strong 6.6 rating/19 share in adults 18-49 on that first night, strong numbers that are always welcomed in this ratings-challenged world. NBC will at least make a dent in the February sweep, as well as look to boost its still struggling prime-time lineup with scores of promos spots for its shows.

Either way, it's all downhill from here.

Fox Television stations have begun to outline its plans to replace

UPN station programming with its own nationally distributed shows, most likely from syndication unit Twentieth Television and other outside producers.

The Fox Station Group’s UPN affiliation in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Washington will be lost as a result of the Viacom weblet’s merger with Time Warner's WB to form CW. 'No sense' to sign with CW

Station Group President Jack Abernethy sent a memo Feb. 8, obtained by Advertising Age, to station general managers. Mr. Abernethy wrote: “It makes no sense for our four UPN stations to sign with the CW. Handing over 30 hours of valuable time, receiving little inventory to sell and being asked to pay compensation, makes no sense for our TV stations. This would ensure continuing losses, less growth opportunities and continue station brand confusion in this competitive media landscape.”

Mr. Abernethy said News Corp. would firm up its plans over the next few weeks. His intention seems to be to draw shows from syndication companies to produce first-run series during broadcast's prime time.

“We will be providing an alternative national program service this fall which will be more flexible, offer better marketing and branding opportunities and be more station friendly.” He said the company is "looking at production models and show concepts that are consistent with the digital challenges we face. Rather than the $2 million an episode model which hasn’t worked after ten years.”

Telenovela 'Desire'

A spokesman for the Syndicated Network Television Association said the group did not have a comment until it had digested the news. Twentieth Television's upcoming English-language "telenovela" (or soap opera) "Desire" is under consideration, according to one executive close to the company. Local Fox stations will get some time to sell, as they usually do, but the ad sales into syndicated shows will be handled by the companies behind them.

Twentieth Television executives had no comment.

Separately, media buyers said they are interested to hear about programming plans for the CW at the network development meetings, which begin March 13. CBS Corp. and Time Warner each own half of the CW.

Beverly Hills, CA — Billy Bush, Chris Connelly, Cynthia Garrett and Vanessa Minnillo have been set to co-host the Academy's hour-long red carpet arrivals show "Oscar Countdown 2006" preceding the 78th Academy Awards® on Sunday, March 5. This is the seventh Oscar Night® association for Connelly, the third for Bush, and the first for Garrett and Minnillo. Each correspondent will be trying to capture the thoughts,

nervousness and excitement of the nominees as they proceed down the red carpet to what may be one of the most exciting nights of their lives.

Bush is co-anchor of "Access Hollywood." He joined the program in December 2001 as the east coast correspondent and became the co-anchor in June of 2004.

Connelly is a correspondent for ESPN and a contributing correspondent for "20/20." Prior to ESPN, he was an on-air correspondent and editorial director of MTV News.

Garrett was most recently seen as co-host of "Life & Style" and can be seen regularly on HBO. Prior to joining "Life & Style," she spent four years with VH1, where she began her on camera career.

Minnillo is a recent addition to the Entertainment Tonight family as a New York-based correspondent. She also serves as a co-host for MTV's "Total Request Live" and has hosted several MTV specials.

The pre-show will be produced by Dennis Doty and executive produced by Gil Cates. It will air at 4 p.m. PST/ 7 p.m. EST and will segue directly into the 78th Academy Awards presentation at 5 p.m.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABCTelevision Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST

The magazine's Web site, Playboy.com, is tapping into the Internet for a "Girls of MySpace" photo spread, featuring women from the social and blogging site.

Playboy.com Editor John Thomas , "MySpace is a very hot piece of pop culture," he said. "Be it Enron, or Starbucks, or 7-11, or whatever--what they've always done is focus on cultural flashpoints."

The upcoming Playboy.com spread could now pose additional challenges for the site, . "Because MySpace is so popular with teens, you might have a higher degree of sensitivity."

MySpace is not participating in the pictorial, but Playboy.com has established its own MySpace page, which is promoting the search for women to pose; Playboy.com also has purchased ad space on MySpace.

Thomas said that the response thus far has been good. "This ranks up there with the best searches we've done," he said. "We'll probably shoot more than we usually do. We've been overwhelmed with the number and quality of submissions that we've gotten." He estimated that the site could have up to 30 different young women in the feature.

According to some industry-watchers, the question of sexual predators on a site is a major impediment to ad dollars. "'How do you intend to deal with sexual predators?' wrote entrepreneur Robert Young, on the media blog GigaOm.com. "Put simply, if that question is on the table, you can pretty much kiss major ad buys goodbye; and even if you're lucky enough to persuade a few of them with a well-thought-out containment plan, good luck securing high ad rates."

In a comments section of Young's blog entry, Shawn Gold, senior vice president of marketing for MySpace, said that the site was devoting significant resources to combating the problem of Internet predators. "We have been innovating in the area of child safety since the inception of the company," he wrote. "As most of the news has pointed out, we have 1/3 of our staff working on these issues

DoD Identifies Marine Casualties

The Department of Defense announced today the death of two Marines who were supporting Operation Iraqi Freedom. Pfc. Javier Chavez Jr., 19, of Cutler, Calif., died Feb. 9 from wounds received as a result of an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations near Fallujah, Iraq. Cpl. Ross A. Smith, 21, of Wyoming, Mich., died Feb. 9 from an improvised explosive device while conducting combat operations against enemy forces near Fallujah, Iraq. Both Marines were assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, Calif. During OIF their unit is attached to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward).

First record broken at the 2006 Olympic Winter Games in Turin: the age of the oldest competitor has risen from 53 to 54. Scott Baird, a member of the US curling team at the Turin Games, has dethroned James Coates. Coates took part in the skeleton competitions at the St Moritz Games in 1948 when he was 53.

The oldest woman is still Anne Abernathy, also American, who already held the women’s record in Salt Lake City, aged 48. Today she is competing in the Games at the age of 52.

The youngest female competitor at the Turin Games is a snowboarder: China’s Sun Zhifeng aged 14, ranked 103rd in the world. Her objective is clear: she is in Turin to learn. Although very young, she has not beaten the absolute record for youngest athlete at the Winter Games, which is held by Britain’s Cecilia Colledge, who skated at the Lace Placid Games in 1932 at just 11 years old. Youngest male athlete Italian

The youngest male athlete is Italian: snowboarder Manuel Pietropoli is only just 15. He was preceded by Jan Hoffmann (Germany), who took part in the 1988 Calgary Games in figure skating. This would not be possible today owing to the age limit fixed in all the sports by the federations concerned.

Medal Count

Norway One Gold Three Silver Four Bronze

Russia Three Gold Three Silver One Bronze

United States Four Gold Two Silver

Germany Two Gold One Silver

Netherlands One Gold Two Silver

South Korea One Gold One Silver One Silver

Italy One Gold Two Bronze

China One Silver Two Bronze

France One Gold One Bronze

Canada One Gold One Bronze

Austria Two Silver

Finland One Silver One Bronze

Estonia One Gold

Czech Republic One Silver

Latvia One Bronze

Switzerland One Bronze

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Breaking News

Michelle Kwan withdraws from 2006 Torino Winter Olympic Games.  Fives hours from now at 5:30 am Eastern Standard Time, Michelle Kwan will have statements for the media on MSNBC.

AT&T

Kwan out

Weir, tied for the lead with Oberholser at the start of the day, was five shots behind after three holes. He went out of bounds at the par-5 second to make double bogey, then hit over the green at No. 3 to drop another shot.

Oberholser built his lead to six shots with six holes, then began to limp home.

He took bogey from the fairway bunker on the 13th, and was made another bogey on the par-5 14th when he hit under a tree and had to punch out into the fairway. Then came the tee shot on the 15th, even farther to the right.

"Hits the path not once, but twice"

Weir stumbled to a 78, his worst score in the final round with a share of the lead since he shot 80 in the 1999 PGA Championship at Medinah

Oberholser made a safe bogey on the par-3 17th and closed with a two-putt par to finish at 17-under 271, five shots ahead of Rory Sabbatini (72), who was never within four shots of the lead all day. Weir and Jonathan Byrd (69) were another stroke behind.

Oberholser won in his 76th start on the PGA Tour, and became the first player since Matt Gogel in 2002 to make the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am his first tour win.

Kwan Withdraws

Dressed in black Michelle Kwan flashed none of the spark and charisma the world has come to admire. Her smile did little to hide her misery.

No one owned the spotlight at these games like Kwan -- even if she was here only four days. She was heavily promoted on television previews by NBC and in ads for several major sponsors.

According to sources she looked sharp during a Jan. 27 monitoring session that solidified her spot on the team, doing back-to-back run-throughs of her long and short programs. She also was examined several times by doctors, who said the injury had healed.

She took the ice but didn't look quite like herself. She didn't do her first jump, a smooth triple toe loop, until almost 14 minutes into the workout. When she tried a triple flip, she landed on two feet and according to her felt a pull in her right groin muscle

She tried the jump again and crashed hard, sprawling on the ice.

End of Olympics for her.

Medal Count

Norway Two Gold Three Silver Three Bronze

United States Two Gold One Silver

Netherlands One Gold Two Silver

Russia One Gold One Silver One Bronze

Italy One Gold Two Bronze

Germany Two Gold

South Korea One Gold One Silver

France One Gold One Bronze

Canada One Gold One Bronze

Austria Two Silver

Findland One Silver One Bronze

Estonia

Czech Republic One Silver

Latvia One Bronze

China One Bronze

Switzerland One Bronze

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BREAKING NEWS: KWAN PULLS OUT. MORE ON SUNDAY

Starbucks

Olympic Medal Count

AT&T Leaderboard

Americans in sixth after short program

Starbucks Digital Network

In its attempts to extend the brand beyond its four walls into entertainment and the community called “the Starbucks effect,” the company has the largest Wi-Fi footprint of Internet hotspots, but it has yet to adequately leverage the service. Hopes to soon use that footprint to tap into the digital downloading craze by providing content for consumers.

Wi-Fi gives Starbucks a "unique proprietary competitive advantage.” “They understand the cultural relevancy of digital fill-up. I can’t say when, but it’s in our future.” He wouldn't provide many specifics but said the company may partner with entertainment or Internet providers to create a proprietary network. “Starbucks is a network, five years ago Starbucks couldn’t get record companies to return calls but now the coffee chain is “bombarded” with offers ever day.”

 Credit: ©Kodak/Rolf Kosecki, Sportbildagenture

Was there ever any intention for Kwan to skate ?

She looked tired, she said she was stiff. She appeared to lack confidence, she admitted as much. She said she had no regrets about the controversial, circuitous way she made the Olympic team, but she didn't rule out dropping out, either.

Anyone with any knowledge of the sport knows that if she is in this kind of shape today then she was worst off during her appearance before the judges.

Did the Judges ignore what they saw or was something else behind her being granted a final Olympic appearance other then reputation?

Could the fact she was featured in NBC promo’s and ads sold based on her being at the games have anything to do with her being there?

People like to believe in the last pure sporting event left but if catering to sponsors can get you into the games what else might the sponsors might be given to keep them happy

Medal Count     

Norway                 Two Gold       Two Silver 

Germany              Two Silver

United States        One Gold

Canada                One Gold

Netherlands          One Silver

Austria                 One Silver     

Italy                    One Bronze       

France                 One Bronze       

AT&T Leaderboard

Despite a breeze that came in from the ocean, the biggest breath of wind on the Monterey Peninsula Saturday was the sigh of relief exhaled by Mike Weir after his round at Spyglass Hill.

Weir, who has struggled at the course, shot a 3-under-par 69 to tie Arron Oberholser for the third-round lead at the $5.4 million AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am.

Both golfers are at 17-under 199 and lead Luke Donald by six strokes.

There are three golf courses used in the first three days of the tournament, that has amateurs and celebrities paired with professionals. Weir shot 63 at Pebble Beach and a 67 at Poppy Hills and had a three-stroke lead entering the third round.

Americans in trouble in Pairs skating

Americans Rena Inoue and John Baldwin are almost out of metal range after placing sixth following the short program in pairs figure skating on Saturday.

Inoue and Baldwin posted a career-best score of 61.27 after landing the first throw triple axel in Olympic history. The duo had become the first team in history to accomplish the maneuver at the 2006 U.S. Championships last month in St. Louis.

Russians Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin, the 2005 World Champions, received a score of 68.64 to lead after the short program.

Since 1964, Russian skaters have dominated the event, claiming 11 consecutive gold medals.

The Chinese duo of Dan Zhang and Hao Zhang was second (64.72), followed by Russians Maria Petrova and Alexei Tikhonov (64.27), who earned silver at the World Championships last year.

"Americans Marcy Hinzmann and Aaron Parchem were 13th (49.58).

Parchem fell on the side-by-side triple toes, but it was the duo's only major mistake.

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Olympics Open

Breaking News

 For the first time, eight women carried the Olympic flag: Italian actress Sophia Loren, Chilean writer Isabel Allende, American actress Susan Sarandon, Nobel Peace-prize winner Wangari Maathai of Kenya, and three Olympic medal winners. They were Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco, Manuela Di Centa of Italy, and Maria Mutola of Mozambique. The eighth was Cambodian human rights activist Somaly Mam.

BRIAN WILLIAMS OF NBC MAKES INSULTING AND SELF RIGHTEOUS SMEAR OF OLYMPIC ATHLETICS

Monte Bubblism

AT&T leaders

BACK TO THE FUTURE:TIME FOR MBN?

EDITORIAL:Opening Ceremony

Brian Williams

During coverage of the  opening ceremonies while the athletics walking into the stadium Mr. Williams showing his world renown knowledge of sports pronounced all but a few of the athletics there as losers.

That they had no realistic chance of winning a metal and that they were there to test themselves against the best and that their only moment was during the parade of nations.

For the information of this learned sports expert any athletic can be beaten or win on any given day.

They are there to walk away with a metal for themselves and their country Mr Williams. 

20 Olympics of American Flag Bearers1924 Clarence John Abel (Ice Hockey)

1928 Godfrey Dewey (President, Lake Placid Organizing Committee)

1932 William Mead Fiske III (Bobsled)

1936 Rolf B. Monsen (Nordic Skiing)

1948 John R. Heaton (Bobsled)

1952 James John Bickford (Bobsled)

1956 James John Bickford (Bobsled)

1960 Donald J. McDermott (Speedskating)

1964 William D. Disney (Speedskating)

1968 Richard T. McDermott (Speedskating)

1972 Dianne Holum (Speedskating)

1976 Cynthia Nelson (Alpine Skiing)

1980 Scott Hamilton (Figure Skating)

1984 Frank Masley (Luge)

1988 Lyle Nelson (Biathlon)

1992 Bill Koch (Nordic Skiing)

1994 Cammy Myler (Luge)

1998 Eric Flaim (Short Track Speedskating)

2002 Amy Peterson (Short Track Speedskating)

2006 Chris Witty  (Speed skating)

Monte Bubblism

It is said you can never go home again but it sure worth the try.

AT&T leaderboard

BACK TO THE FUTURE

For Many Fox-owned stations and other UPN and WB affiliates, it's like Michael J. Fox in "Back to the future."

Fox wants to start a new national program service focusing on daily Monday to Friday strip programming rather than use pricey up to $2 million an episode weekly dramas and expensive sitcoms.

The message sent is this: It's 1986 all over again,thats when  the new Fox network began.

The back-to-syndication movement was what every TV executive was mumbling while on the NATPE floor in Las Vegas when the news broke in late January that UPN and WB would go away, to be replaced by a new jointly owned CBS/Time Warner network, The CW.

Handing over 30 hours of valuable time, receiving little inventory to sell and being asked to pay comp makes no sense . They are looking at production models and show concepts that are consistent with the digital challenges we face, rather than the $2 million an episode model which hasn't worked after 10 years"

For the most part, this is how Fox-owned UPN affiliates in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, have lived under UPN network rule. If it wasn't good before, why didn't Fox do something about it then?

The history of News Corp. is that of a bully,but you have to feel a little sorry for stations left out in the rain including Fox outlets, in having the rug suddenly pulled out from under them. It seemed a little unfair to ask stations with only an eight-and-a-half month lead time to put together a brand new prime-time programming lineup from scratch.

Quick medicine will come from programming time-slot filling Monday through Friday or strip programming.

We need to see if, as in 1986, when News Corp. revolutionized the concept of a new type of broadcast network, the company can morph another TV programming business in the age of the iPod, TiVo and mobile phones. If so will the FCC allow it.

EDITORIAL:What the hell was that!!!

Fiery skaters, alps horns,  waltzers , women in lumpy outfits that we are told represents the ALPs and protocol segments.

Those words more important then any other describe the opening, we are told.

I remember watching the late great Milton Berle when television was an infant telling the audience that if you have to explain what you did it was really bad.

Really bad is how to explain the opening ceremonies of the games. Not just this games but each preceding ceremony seems to try and to outdo the last in gregarious and overblown content.

The planners of these monstrous events have never heard that less is better.

By now it has became quite obvious that those that create the opening ceremonies must have went to the same schools at those that each year try and make each Tony award and Grammy award event worst then the last.

You have to feel sorry for all those that work their hearts out in the ceremonies and have but one thought when finished. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT!!!"

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Olympic Games open Feb 10

PROUDLY ANNOUNCING COVERING THE AT&T AT PEBBLE BEACH

Games open Feb 10

Monte Bubblism about the Grammies low ratings

On 10 February, as the world celebrates the XX Olympic Winter Games, www.olympic.org will launch the “virtual village” with facts, figures, interviews, background information on the Torino 2006 Olympic Winter Games and much more.

On the evening of 9 February 2006, IOC President Jacques Rogge attended the opening ceremony for the Visa Olympians Reunion Center at the Armida Rowing Club in Valentino Park on the River Po. Located a short distance from the Olympic Medals Plaza, the Center offers Olympians a place to socialise while enjoying the Olympic events through live television feeds.

Visa founded the Visa Olympians Reunion Center at the 1996 Olympic Games. At each Olympic Games since then, the Center has been operated by the World Olympians Association (WOA), the host Olympic alumni association, and Visa. Visa sponsors the Center to thank all Olympians for their undaunted spirit, their devotion to teamwork, and their dedication to the Olympic ideals.

Visa has provided more than US$100 million worldwide in direct support to Olympic athletes through their Olympic organisations since the company became a Worldwide Olympic Partner more than 20 years ago. Visa is committed to supporting numerous Olympic teams as well as individual athletes for the Olympic Winter Games.

IOC President Jacques Rogge said, “We are all grateful that Visa provides us with an exciting place to gather at the Olympic Games. Our partners at Visa have said that the Olympians Reunion Center is Visa’s way of recognising the Olympians’ spirit and devotion to the Olympic ideals. As an Olympian, I would like to express my appreciation for Visa’s dedication to the Olympic athletes.”

 First day scores AT&T

Monte Bubblism on the Grammies.

The audience you seek watches little television so why not go after those that do.

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Written by Joyce L Chow & William Hoehne February 8,2006 MBN www.montebubbles.com for more MBN news Got a news tip: tips@montebubbles.net for more MBN news  By Joyce Chow Oscar® Nominee Thomas Haden Church to play Flint Marko. Latest Adventure set to debut worldwide on May 4, 2007

Thomas Haden Church, who was most recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Sideways, will portray Flint Marko in the next chapter of the Spider-Man® adventure. Spider-Man® 3, which is scheduled for release on May 4, 2007, will reunite the successful team that was responsible for the first two blockbuster films. The franchise has grossed more than $1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales and the new film will again re-team actors Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Kirsten Dunst as M.J with director Raimi and producers Ziskin and Avi Arad. "In addition to the on-going relationship between Peter Parker and M.J., these films are driven by the great actors who have brought our villains to life," said Raimi. Since his star-making role in Sideways, Church has been in demand. The actor is voicing one of the characters in the upcoming animated film Charlotte's Web, and he recently appeared in Columbia Pictures' Spanglish. Church previously appeared in such other films as George of the Jungle, 330 Miles to Graceland, and Tombstone. In 2003, he also starred in, co-wrote and directed the comedy Rolling Kansas. From 1990 to 1995, Church played Lowell Mather in the TV series "Wings."

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Grammy Award winners

February 08 2006 XX Olympic Games

2006 GRAMMY Celebration

Grammy Award winners

Album of the Year: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.

Record of the Year: "Boulevard of Broken Dreams," Green Day.

New Artist: John Legend

Male R&B Vocal Performance: "Ordinary People," John Legend.

Pop Vocal Album: "Breakaway," Kelly Clarkson

Rap/Sung Collaboration: "Numb/Encore," Jay-Z featuring Linkin Park.

Song of the Year: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," U2.

Female Pop Vocal Performance: "Since U Been Gone," Kelly Clarkson.

Country Album: "Lonely Runs Both Ways," Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Rap Album: "Late Registration," Kanye West.

Rock Album: "How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb," U2.

Rap Solo Performance: "Gold Digger," Kanye West.

Rap Performance by a Duo or Group: "Don't Phunk With My Heart," The Black Eyed Peas.

Rap Song: "Diamonds From Sierra Leone," D. Harris and Kanye West.

Solo Rock Vocal Performance: "Devils & Dust,. Bruce Springsteen

Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Sometimes You Can't Make It on Your Own," U2.

Hard Rock Performance: "B.Y.O.B.," System of a Down.

Metal Performance: "Before I Forget," Slipknot.

Rock Instrumental Performance: "69 Freedom Special," Les Paul and Friends.

Rock Song: "City of Blinding Lights, U2, (U2).

Alternative Music Album: "Get Behind Me Satan," The White Stripes.

Traditional R&B Vocal Performance: "A House Is Not a Home,"Arethea Franklin

Urban/Alternative Performance: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.

R&B Song: "We Belong Together," J. Austin, M. Carey, J. Dupri & M. Seal, (D. Bristol, K. Edmonds, S. Johnson, P. Moten, S. Sully & B. Womack, (Mariah Carey).

R&B Album: "Get Lifted," John Legend.

Contemporary R&B Album: "The Emancipation of Mimi," Mariah Carey.

Male Pop Vocal Performance: "From the Bottom of My Heart," Stevie Wonder.

Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "This Love," Maroon 5.

Pop Collaboration With Vocals: "Feel Good Inc.," Gorillaz Featuring De La Soul.

Pop Instrumental Performance: "Caravan," Les Paul.

Pop Instrumental Album: "At This Time," Burt Bacharach

Traditional Pop Vocal Album: "The Art of Romance," Tony Bennett

Female Country Vocal Performance: "The Connection," Emmylou Harris

Male Country Vocal Performance: "You'll Think of Me," Keith Urban

Country Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal: "Restless," Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Country Collaboration With Vocals: "Like We Never Loved at All," Faith Hill & Tim McGraw

Country Instrumental Performance: "Unionhouse Branch," Alison Krauss and Union Station.

Country Song: "Bless the Broken Road," Bobby Boyd, Jeff Hanna and Marcus Hummon, (Rascal Flatts).

Latin Pop Album: "Escucha," Laura Pausini

Latin Rock/Alternative Album: "Fijacion Oral Vol. 1," Shakira.

Traditional Tropical Latin Album: "Bebo De Cuba," Bebo Valdes.

Salsa/Merengue Album: "Son Del Alma," Willy Chirino.

Mexican/Mexican-American Album: "Mexico En La Piel," Luis Miguel.

Tejano Album: "Chicanisimo," Little Joe Y La Familia.

Engineered Album, Classical: "Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets," Da-Hong Seetoo, engineer (Emerson String Quartet).

Producer of the Year, Classical: Tim Handley.

Classical Album: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer and Joan Morris, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).

Orchestral Performance: "Shostakovich: Symphony No. 13," Mariss Jansons, conductor (Sergei Aleksashkin, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra and Chorus).

Opera Recording: "Verdi: Falstaff," Sir Colin Davis, conductor (London Symphony Chorus, London Symphony Orchestra).

Choral Performance: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," Leonard Slatkin, conductor (Christine Brewer, Measha Brueggergosman, Ilana Davidson, Nmon Ford, Linda Hohenfeld, Joan Morris, Carmen Pelton, Marietta Simpson and Thomas Young, Michigan State University Children's Choir, University of Michigan Chamber Choir, University of Michigan Orpheus Singers, University of Michigan University Choir and University Musical Society Choral Union, University of Michigan School of Music Symphony Orchestra).

Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra): "Beethoven: Piano Cons. Nos. 2 & 3," Claudio Abbado, conductor; Martha Argerich (Mahler Chamber Orchestra).

Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra): "Scriabin, Medtner, Stravinsky," Evgeny Kissin.

Chamber Music Performance: "Mendelssohn: The Complete String Quartets," Emerson String Quartet.

Small Ensemble Performance: "Boulez: Le Marteau Sans Maitre, Derive 1 & 2," Pierre Boulez, conductor, Hilary Summers, Ensemble Intercontemporain.

Classical Vocal Performance: "Bach: Cantatas," Thomas Quasthoff (Rainer Kussmaul, Members of the RIAS Chamber Choir, Berlin Baroque Soloists).

Classical Contemporary Composition: "Bolcom: Songs of Innocence and of Experience," William Bolcom (Leonard Slatkin).

Classical Crossover Album: "4 plus Four," Turtle Island String Quartet and Ying Quartet.

Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Ray," Ray Charles.

Score Soundtrack Album for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Ray," Craig Armstrong, composer.

Song Written for Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media: "Believe," Glen Ballard and Alan Silvestri, songwriters, from "The Polar Express."

Instrumental Composition: "Into the Light," Billy Childs, composer.

Instrumental Arrangement: "The Incredits," Gordon Goodwin, arranger (Various Artists).

Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s): "What Are You Doing for the Rest of Your Life?" Billy Childs, Gil Goldstein and Heitor Pereira, arrangers (Chris Botti and Sting).

Traditional Blues Album: "80," B.B. King and Friends.

Traditional Folk Album: "Fiddler's Green," Tim O'Brien.

Contemporary Folk Album: "Fair & Square," John Prine

Native American Music Album: "Sacred Ground — A Tribute to Mother Earth," Various Artists.

Hawaiian Music Album: "Masters of Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar — Vol. 1," Various Artists.

Reggae Album: "Welcome to Jamrock," Damian Marley.

Traditional World Music Album: "In the Heart of the Moon," Ali Farka Toure and Toumani Diabate.

Contemporary World Music Album: "Eletracustico," Gilberto Gil.

Polka Album: "Shake, Rattle and Polka!" Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra.

Musical Album for Children: "Songs From the Neighborhood — The Music of Mister Rogers," Various Artists.

Spoken Word Album for Children: " Marlo Thomas & & Friends: Thanks & Giving All Year Long," Various Artists.

Spoken Word Album: "Dreams From My Father," Sen. Barack Obama.

Comedy Album: "Never Scared," Chris Rock

Musical Show Album: "Monty Python's Spamalot."

Gospel Performance: "Pray," CeCe Winans

Rock Gospel Song: "Be Blessed," Yolanda Adams James Harris III, Terry Lewis and James Q. Wright, (Yolanda Adams).

Rock Gospel Album: "Until My Heart Caves In," Audio Adrenaline.

Pop/Contemporary Gospel Album: "Lifesong," Casting Crowns.

Southern, Country, or Bluegrass Album: "Rock of Ages ... Hymns & Faith," Amy Grant.

Contemporary Soul Gospel Album: "Purified," CeCe Winans.

Gospel Choir or Gospel Chorus: "One Voice," Gladys Knight, choir director.

New Age Album: "Silver Solstice," Paul Winter Consort.

Jazz Vocal Album: "Good Night, and Good Luck," Dianne Reeves

Jazz Instrumental Solo: "Why Was I Born?" Sonny Rollins. Jazz Instrumental Album, Individual or Group: "Beyond the Sound Barrier," Wayne Shorter Quartet.

Contemporary Jazz Album: "The Way Up," Pat Metheny Group.

Large Jazz Ensemble Album: "Overtime," Dave Holland Big Band.

Latin Jazz Album: "Listen Here!" Eddie Palmieri.

Traditional Soul Gospel Album: "Psalms, Hymns & Spiritual Songs," Donnie McClurkin.

Dance Recording: "Galvanize," The Chemical Brothers featuring Q-Tip.

Electronic/Dance Album: "Push the Button," The Chemical Brothers.

Bluegrass Album: "The Company We Keep," The Del McCoury Band.

Contemporary Blues Album: "Cost of Living," Delbert McClinton.

Producer of the Year, Non-Classical: Steve Lillywhite.

Short Form Music Video: "Control," Missy Elliott Featuring Ciara and Fat Man Scoop.

Best Long Form Music Video: "No Direction Home" Bob Dylan

Recording Package: "The Forgotten Arm," Aimee Mann and Gail Marowitz, art directors (Aimee Mann).

Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package: "The Legend," Ian Cuttler, art director (Johnny Cash).

Album Notes: "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax," John Szwed, album notes writer (Jelly Roll Morton).

Historical Album: "The Complete Library of Congress Recordings by Alan Lomax," Jeffrey Greenberg and Anna Lomax Wood, compilation producers (Jelly Roll Morton).

Engineered Album, Non-Classical: "Back Home," Alan Douglas and Mick Guzauski, engineers Eric Clapton

Remixed Recording, Non-Classical: "Superfly (Louie Vega EOL Mix)," Louie Vega, remixer (Curtis Mayfield).

Surround Sound Album: "Brothers in Arms — 20th Anniversary Edition," Chuck Ainlay, Bob Ludwig, Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits)

February 08 2006 XX Olympic Games

 Out of the 84 events and 252 medals at stake during the XX Olympic Winter Games – Torino 2006, the six International Skiing Federation (FIS) disciplines will be responsible for 38 of the events and 114 of the medals. This is two golds and a total of six medals more than four years ago in Salt Lake City, USA. Cross-Country Skiing

Since 2002, the most changes for any FIS discipline have taken place in cross-country skiing. While the total number of events has remained at 12, six for both women and men, one of the individual competitions has been replaced by a new team event: the team sprint, in which nations are represented by two-member teams. In Turin, the team sprint will use the classical skiing technique with each team member skiing a 1.5-km loop three times. Another big change within cross-country has been the continuing development of the pursuit race. In Salt Lake City, the pursuit was staged as two separate competitions on a single day, with a several-hour-long break in between and with the starting order for the second, the freestyle race, being determined by the time differences in the first one. In Turin, there will be no break but rather the skiers will switch their equipment during a “pit stop” with the clock running. As in 2002, the combined time is what counts, only now the entire race is staged as a single, mass start event. Similarly, the long distance races, 30km for women and 50km for men, are also staged as mass start races rather than using the traditional individual start method still in use in Salt Lake City.

Ski Jumping
In ski jumping, there have been three main changes since the last Olympic Games: first, the athletes are now required to have a minimum Body Mass Index (BMI) of 18.5, though the measurement takes into consideration that the athletes are wearing their jumping boots and suit. They need to fulfil minimum weight requirements to be allowed to jump with the maximum length of skis (146% of the athlete’s height). Second, to provide all athletes with more equal weather conditions, the permissible starting time, the so-called “Green Period” during which the jumper must leave the start bar, has been increased from five to ten seconds. Finally, in the team event, only the best eight teams will continue to the second round. To keep the excitement high until the end, the starting order of the last jumper group is reversed so that the representative of the leading team will perform the very last jump of the competition.

Nordic Combined
In Nordic combined, the same BMI and equipment control rules apply as for ski jumping. The only other changes include a change in the point/time equivalent in the team event, with 60 points on the jumping hill now equalling 1min on the cross-country course. To make the competitions more spectator-friendly, the course length has also been reduced from 5km to 3.75km, ensuring that the athletes pass more regularly in front of the grandstands.

Alpine Skiing
In Alpine skiing, the only critical change has been the increase in the required minimum length of the racing skis. Contrary to 2002, when the minimum length for all events was 150cm/155cm for women/men, there are now specific minimum length requirements for each event and sex in order to protect the athletes’ health and safety.

Snowboard
The additional six Olympic medals for the FIS disciplines are awarded in snowboarding where snowboard cross is now an Olympic event, in addition to half pipe and parallel giant slalom. As opposed to the races in Salt Lake City, delayed start gates will be in use in the parallel giant slalom in Turin. This means that during the second run, competitors will start based on the time differences gained in the first run and the athlete crossing the finishing line first will be the winner!

Freestyle Skiing
Last but not least, in freestyle skiing the greatest change is that inverted jumps, i.e. off-axis jumps and flips, are now allowed in the moguls competitions. Before, only upright and straight jumps were allowed. As a result, the audience in Turin will see jumps with a higher degree of difficulty and up to 720° rotations.

TORINO 2006
The Olympic Winter Games will run from 10 to 26 February 2006 in Turin. The Winter Games comprise seven different sports and 15 different disciplines, which will be played out in eight different competition sites. Around 2,500 athletes, 650 judges and umpires and one million spectators are expected to participate in this 20th edition of the Winter Games.

 2006 GRAMMY Celebration

The Recording Academy once again will partner with highly regarded event producers Along Came Mary (ACM) to produce the post-telecast GRAMMY Celebration Party, overseeing all of the event entertainment, décor, menu, and other logistics. ACM and its design and lighting team will take the vast convention space and transform it into a modernist Midsummer Night's Dream theme, complete with an eclectic mix of live exotic flora and performance art. A mainstay in the entertainment industry, ACM has masterfully orchestrated many of Hollywood's most distinguished events and has been named top caterer in the nation by numerous publications. The Recording Academy has hired ACM to co-produce the GRAMMY Celebration Party seven times, as well as both the 1st, 3rd and 5th Annual Latin GRAMMY post-parties.

The event's menu will feature more than 70 buffets with fare that includes American bistro (with roasted sirloin, onion rings, and a steakhouse chopped salad), Caribbean (Jamaican jerk chicken ceviche shooters, and cornbread-yam pudding), Asian (mirin-lacquered salmon, potstickers and spring rolls), French (lamb bourguignon, mascarpone polenta cakes, and a roasted Provencal ratatouille) and Italian (Tuscan vegetable lasagna and an assortment of antipasti). And desserts will feature ACM's signature miniatures including turtle bars, mini-banana cream pies, apple galette, winter sundaes, crispy rice pudding, and an assortment of ACM's famous cookies.

The 2006 GRAMMY Celebration Party, presented by Heineken, also will feature wines and spirits provided by Patrón Tequila, Belvedere Vodka, Pyrat Rum, Forest Glen Wines and Domaine Laurier Champagne.

This year's GRAMMY Celebration will again approach the traditional "gifting" of party guests in a whole new way. The Recording Academy has partnered once again with gifting company Distinctive Assets to create a specially designed area where guests will be able to preview luxury products such as a Privia digital piano package provided by Casio; his and her Oceanus and G-Shock watches; a nine.com gift certificate; a his and her set of Lancel luggage; free Lasik surgery from Dr. Kerry Assil; a spring purse collection from Elliott Lucca; two tickets to the PAC 10 basketball finals in March, courtesy of Dr Pepper; Hilton "Competitive Advantage" (including a bed, a hotel stay, an alarm clock and other items); a House of Blues Gold Membership; a U.S. Racing School package; Lukie jewelry; ski accessories featuring Fendi goggles, a Samora cashmere scarf and hat, a women's Escada ski jacket and a men's Napapijiri jacket; and a Verizon package including a Gateway laptop computer and an Olympus Stylus 800 digital camera and P-11 photo printer pack. These companies will be showcasing special surprises that will delight party guests while redefining the traditional party gift bag. Additionally, every guest in attendance will receive a parting gift courtesy of S Factor.

Established in 1957, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc., also known as The Recording Academy, is an organization of musicians, producers, engineers and recording professionals that is dedicated to improving the cultural condition and quality of life for music and its makers. Internationally known for the GRAMMY Awards, The Recording Academy is responsible for groundbreaking professional development, cultural enrichment, advocacy, education and human services programs — including the creation of the national public education campaign What's The Download^® (www.WhatsTheDownload.com). For more information about the Academy, please visit www.grammy.com.

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Clint Eastwood to Present at 78th Academy Awards®

MEET THE OSCARS®

CELLPHONE Crackdown

Editorial on the war in Iraq

Bulletin: Olympic Coverage from beginning to end coming

.

Clint Eastwood
to Present
at 78th Academy Awards®

Beverly Hills, CA — Four-time Academy Award®-winning actor-director-producer Clint Eastwood will be a presenter at the 78th Academy Awards ceremony, telecast producer Gil Cates announced today.

Eastwood earned four Oscars® and an Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, which is awarded to a producer whose body of work consistently reflects a high quality of motion picture production. He received both Directing and Best Picture Oscars for 1992's "Unforgiven" and 2004's "Million Dollar Baby;" he also received leading actor nominations for those films. Eastwood was also nominated for Best Picture and Directing Oscars in 2003 for "Mystic River."

His next directing stint will be for "Flags of Our Fathers," which he is also producing. Eastwood's other film credits include "Space Cowboys," "Dirty Harry," "The Outlaw Josey Wales," "Every Which Way But Loose," "In the Line of Fire" and "The Bridges of Madison County."

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2005 will be presented on Sunday, March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at the Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m.

MEET THE OSCARS®

Oscar Statuettes for the 78th Academy Awards®

to be Displayed in HollywoodBeverly Hills, CA —

After a cross country flight on United Airlines' "Oscar 1," the statuettes of the 78th Academy Awards have arrived in Hollywood where they will be on display in a public exhibition, “Meet the Oscars: The 50 Golden Statuettes,” beginning on Friday, February 10 at the Hollywood & Highland Center® in Hollywood, California.

The exhibition is free and open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday through Thursday on the third level of Hollywood & Highland.

Featuring 50 statuettes as well as other Academy Award-related displays, guests will have the opportunity to hold an Oscar as well as visit a gallery of photographs featuring winners from previous ceremonies. This year's limited edition, vintage commemorative posters, "Black Tuxedo," and "White Gloves," also will be available for purchase.

After the close of the exhibition on March 3, the Oscars, under heavy security, will march down the red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard to the Kodak Theatre where they will be handed out during the Awards Presentation on Sunday, March 5.

The Academy will not know how many statuettes will be awarded until the envelopes are opened on Oscar Night® because there can be ties as well as variable numbers of winners in some categories.

Weighing in at eight-and-a-half pounds, each statuette is thirteen-and-a-half inches tall and is made of gold-plated britannium, a metal alloy. Each year a new crop is handmade by R.S. Owens and Company in Chicago.

 "Meet the Oscars," will be presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, in cooperation with Hollywood & Highland Center, home of the Kodak Theatre. For more information about the exhibition, call 310-247-3600.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements for 2005 will be presented on March 5, 2006, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PST. A one-hour red carpet arrivals show will precede the telecast at 4 p.m. PST.

©A.M.P.A.S.®

In a crackdown reminiscent of the campaign against nicotine addicts, a widening array of states and businesses are restricting cellphone use. There are limits not just on planes, trains and automobiles but also in restaurants, gyms, golf courses, churches, banks and post offices. Some restaurants are creating cellphone areas, akin to smoking sections, where people can talk without bothering other diners.

"As the number of cellphone subscribers grows nationwide, from 28 million in June 1995 to 202 million last month, states are accelerating efforts to address the hazards of talking while driving.

Already this year, at least 24 states have introduced legislation to restrict cellphone use.

Some bills were held over from last year, he says, but many of the initiatives are new and focus on either hand-held phones or cellphone use by young drivers.

Last year, 39 states considered some kind of restriction, and 10 passed legislation. No state bans all cellphone use in cars, although New Jersey, Connecticut, New York and the District of Columbia ban use of hand-held phones while driving. Ten other states ban any cellphone use by teen drivers who have only a permit, not a license.

"There's a reluctance to outright ban them, because kids have them, and parents want to know where they are," says Dan Walters, president of the Public Library Association. "There's a recognition that the cellphone - love it or hate it - is an aspect of contemporary life." He says many libraries ask patrons to talk in the lobby.

This device has changed the way we live for the better still many businesses say customers often speak louder on cellphones than on land lines.

Some businesses adopted restrictions, then gradually softened their approach.

With proliferation of cellphones we're seeing more people being rude on them.

You should be aware of your surroundings.

The problem in Iraq is not now and never has been not enough troops in Iraq.

The Military will tell you they need more troops to control the insurgents and members of the Democratic party will tell you to remove all the troops.

In the history of mankind military force has never been able control insurgents. They simply wait you out.

They hit, they run and hide. People protect them because they feel they should be in charge of the country and not those in power and insurgents are used by them.

The more troops you have in the country the easier it is to be hit. Troops have to be set aside to protect the troops and more time is spent in the simple duties of trying to survive then can be spent in reconstruction.

Those that say reconstruction should be the role of the country itself are right.

But this can only be accomplished with support from our troops.

This is not a contradiction in terms. The government needs to know that we are there standing behind them and behind them is where we should be.

Training, supplying equipment knowledge and acting as a reserve unit to fill in the gaps if needed during emergencies.

In others words, teachers, supply personnel and a mike force.

What is a mike force? It is a mobile unit composed of a division. A division is composed of brigades.

Armored Cavalry units of this size are referred to as Regiments (Armored Cavalry Regiment). Ranger and Special Forces units are referred to as Groups.

The division would be used to fill in behind Iraq forces when under attack. The Calvary coming to the rescue.

They would only be used in this manner and none others.

It has to be understood that the security forces are to take the forefront ready or not.

It makes our forces less attractive targets and means time can be spent in reconstruction rather then defending oneself.

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Spider man drives thousands to Monte.

It may take a day and a half....but MB received this for much less than
$2.5 million. Bulletin By Joyce Chow

From Palankford on the Super Bowl and Superbowl halftime show

Lingerie Bowl 3

Superbowl spots review

Spider man drives thousands to Monte.

Simply mentioning that we came upon a location shoot for Spider man 3 drove over 10,000 to visit www.montebubbles.com

Sony looks to have a major winner on its hand.

Bulletin By Joyce Chow

It may take a day and a half....but MB received this for much less than
$2.5 million. Very much less.

Within 10 minutes of the ad for Dove airing, 7,000 people logged onto the
related website, www.campaignforrealbeauty.com, said Dove marketing head
Philippe Harousseau.

www.Montebubbles.com hits more then 10,000 in the same time period.

'Magic fridge' of Bud Light ices an advertising win - Yahoo! News

PALANKFORD

PITTSBURGH STEELERS INVADE THE MOTOR CITY IN 21-10 VICTORY OVER THE SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

With all of the pre-game hype, you would have thought the Pittsburgh Steelers win 21-10 over the Seattle Seahawks in Superbowl XL would have been full of excitement and eye-popping advertisements. Instead it ended up being a bit bland with Ben Roethlisberger racking up a 22.6 quarterback rating (the lowest ever for a winning Superbowl quarterback) but also being the youngest ever quarterback to win at the ripe old age of 23.

The Motor City was full of Steel City fans as many of Seattle's loyal fans were unable to make the trip East nor get tickets

Possibly due to fact that Pittsburgh has always considered Detroit games to be home games because of the large number of fans able to travel to Detroit for the games. (FANS PLAYED A MAJOR ROLE IN VICTORY.)

 Pittsburgh fans had waited 26 years to add their fifth Lombardi trophy and to many it was a trip that they would have given up anything for. Besides, what else is there to do in Pittsburgh in the dead of winter except watch sports.

The game should have been a battle between Pittsburgh's Jerome Bettis, "The Bus" and the league's MVP Shaun Alexander from Seattle. Unfortunately, neither were the big playmakers for the game. Many expected it to be a battle between the defenses and it really did turn out that way, especially with the somewhat inconsistent officiating. In reality the game really boiled down to a few plays.

The first quarter had Seattle scoring a field goal, but Josh Brown missed two other long attempts that may have changed the complexion of the game.

The second quarter finally saw Roethlisberger make a dive toward the end zone for Pittsburgh's first touchdown of the day to make the score 7-3.

On the second play of the third quarter, Willie Parker ran the ball 76 yards for a touchdown which put the Steelers up 14-3, which ended up being enough to clinch the win.

Seattle's only score in the third quarter was really the result of an interception by cornerback Kelly Herndon who ended up finally being caught on Pittsburgh's 20 yard line. After that, Matt Hasselback was able to finally lead his team to their one and only touchdown by completing a 16 yard pass to tight end Jeremy Stevens.

Hines Ward, the game's MVP, cemented his race for the award midway through the fourth quarter when he caught a 43-yard touchdown pass from fellow wide receiver Antwaan Randle El.

But, for many, watching the game was not the primary goal of the day. It was really to see what would normally be the most creative commercials to be offered by the most talented agencies. At $2.5 million per 30 second spot, the overall contributions this year were in one word boring. Most creative would go to the Fed Ex Cavemen commercial with the reference that no matter what we do, in our boss's minds we better make it all work. Other cute ones were the Budweiser Man Kitchen which involves the rotating refrigerator, Bud Light with the rather creative camping encounter with a bear and the Michelob Tackle spot which demonstrated that a woman can possess a heck of a wallop.  The funniest though may have been when Shaq appears with a tear in his eye showing his devotion for "Desperate Housewives."

As for the bottom tier of rather boring and rather confusing commercials, Diet Pepsi may have come up with the winners. Unfortunately, the spots were stupid for lack of another word.  When Jay Mohr appeared promoting a Pepsi can you somehow had visions of "Jerry Maguire." And Nationwide tried to appeal to the female audience with Fabio who after going under a bridge on a gondola comes out as something from a really nasty Charles Dickens novel. I asked those around me if they got it and we all just looked at each other. And one word to Budweiser...the Clydesdales have lost their charm even though they like streakers.

Strange but creative awards would go to Burger King with the Whopperet spot where pseudo-Rockettes form a Whopper. Flying female burger patty topped with lettuce pickle and onion with a splash of ketchup. It was different and worthy of remembering. Then there was the Hummer H3 Li'l monster spot where a robot and monster meet and the monster then gives birth to an Hummer H3. To be honest, the group of individuals that I watched the game with were a bit perplexed by the whole concept.  And then last, but not least, was the Godaddy.com ad which was a continuation of last year's bra strap popping event. I think I may have needed an oxygen mask as well if I have to watch one more of their commercials. What does that have to do with web hosting?

So after all of this you ask did we all have a good time? Why of course we did. Superbowl is still tradition and then you always have all of your squares in your local pools that seem to keep everyone on their toes on what scoring combinations can get them extra cash to make the day even more fun. Congrats to the Pittsburgh Steeler fans, and the the retiring Jerome Bettis who finally got his Superbowl ring in his hometown, and to Seattle, better luck next time. Both teams were good and the end result showed that Cowher's team made less costly errors than Holmgren's team. Next year it will be on to Miami for Superbowl XL.

The Rolling Stones preformed three songs during halftime in a 12 minute span. Watching the 62-year-old Mick Jagger jump around on stage like a 20-something. Due to past snafus during half-time, ABC incorporated a 5-second time delay that did come into play when Mick Jagger looked like he tried to slip some verbiage that was not acceptable by television standards but in reality a agreement had been reached with the stones to censor the lyrics.  The half-time show was good, but I still don't get it with all of the Motown talent in Detroit, why did we go to England for our half-time presentation. I guess we should have Aretha Franklin perform at the next big soccer match in London. Somehow, I do not think that will happen

By Palankford           

Yesterday, was a very long day for the two of us. We attended our first red carpet event for Monte, the Lingerie Bowl 3.

Over 2,500 pictures were taken during the day that started out early in the morning and ended at the post party at the Hollywood Roosevelt late that night.

It was a experience seeing our MBN alongside the BBC, Getty Images, Entertainment Tonight, The National Enquirer and others covering the event.

Arriving we parked in a lot where there was tail gaiting going on as if it were a normal football game.

Having first entered the Coliseum as a teenage athletic I marveled at how small the field seemed when I walked out onto it then looked down on it from high in the seating area while talking pictures.

I had always remembered how big the field was when I was running on it. Never seemed to be able to get to the end zones.

At 50 yards for the Lingerie bowl it became even smaller.

There have been those in the media that took the event to task that it was as titillating as tossing a football through a tire hanging from a backyard tree. Objectionable because they were wearing what was obviously custom made outfits that resembles more swimsuit’s then lingerie.

I realize the whole idea behind this Pay Per View was to be dressed in lingerie with the hope that something would come off.

The event took place in the Coliseum, a public facility not a private one. The rules had to be obeyed. Everyone got all that could be seen.

As far as the game itself quarterbacks both stunk. Neither had a arm and all but a few plays were ran either to the fans or to the press covering the event.

You have to give the ladies that were playing credit for taking it seriously. They hit an took hits. Some ending up scrapped and bloody off the field.

All considered it was what it was. Just something to have fun with.

Tomorrow. The post game party

 Superbowl spots review

We were delighted to see that the Rolling Stones at halftime.  Now to the commercial spots which may or may not help sales of the products they were made to pitch.

Used kids to pander to your feelings to sell its products.
FedEx
A prehistoric air express delivery—of a stick, via pterodactyl—is stymied by a hungry tyrannosaurus, leading to the first-ever mailroom firing.

A guy walks down the street in a city populated only with athletes in competition total sports immersion, according to the ad, “Heaven.

Clydesdale colt sneaks into barn and harnesses himself to the Bud beer wagon, as the adults (equine and human) look on. .

Degree
Revisiting Stunt City, where nothing is done the easy way and commuting to work is a hair-raising thrill ride. This is cool and funny and way fun

Michelob

The clever introduction of a darker light beer uses the metaphor of a co-ed touch-football game suddenly getting very serious: a cute babe being body slammed by her male opponent.

The story itself is St. George and the Dragon through the eyes of the modern, travel-afflicted road warrior. The slain monster winds up being a toy for the kid. For the cities in this limited spot buy, a lovely interlude designed to assure that United understands and cares.

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Editorial: VOD & Other Downloads.

The Bloom is Coming Off The Rose, they Just Don’t Know It Yet.

The history of the 20th century teaches us that technology is its worst enemy.

Each advancement in the field hurries the destruction of the very area the advancement was meant to save.

Silent film brought about sound which took out most of the great actors of the day because they could not speak well.

They were replaced by Broadway actors which drained the best and brightest from the Great White Way.

Black and White film was replaced by Color which was replaced by Technicolor which was replaced by Cinemascope to stave off the advent of the new medium of television.

Television took the best and brightest from the feature film industry and viewers from the theatrical box office.

Black and White television was replaced by color that then became so cheap to manufacture that it drove all the American manufactures out of business

Television was replaced by cable and satellite with the internet now coming on strong.

To combat the flight to the internet we have VOD from cable and satellite companies. We have television networks now downloading their programming to I pods which were created to download music of whom sales have been on the decline since the very equipment used to record the music became affordable to buy by consumers.

The consumers bought one record then CD’s and passed it on to others thru recordings they made.

Destroyed CD sales and companies that ran record store.

Then downloads from the internet bypassed the purchasing of the lone CD.

The telegraph was created to speed messages which was replaced by the telephone then by cell phones and once again the internet.

To keep the sales of cell phones moving cameras where added then the ability to shoot video then the ability to download music and now VOD and they now can connect to the internet.

Now companies are competing for the ability to download to I Pods, cell phones and other recording devices.

The download price is now as low as 99 cents which does not bowed well for making money off of downloads.

As was the case of radios, then televisions and cell phones there is a limit that is being reached with I Pods, and equipment for VOD and other equipment meant to download.

As was seen in the flat Video store business and sales of DVD’s there is a limit to what customers are willing to rent or purchase.

The more equipment produced to download hastens the collapse of downloading by overloading the VOD and download market. The more downloaded material the more it will be passed around for free the less material purchased.

Each time a advancement has been made it resulted changes that resulted in industries being destroyed and unemployment.

Each day even while VOD and downloading is still in its infancy it comes one step closer to its demise.

There is a answer to saving VOD and downloading and jobs but it takes some one very smart to know it.

I know one that has the answer.

Do you know the answer?

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Pineapples have long been a proud symbol of Hawaii, along with hula dancers, palm trees, Diamond Head, surfers and the spirit of aloha.

The future of Hawaii's top agricultural product is now in question as Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc. announced it will cease pineapple operations here in a little more than two years.

It is all about money, it is no longer economically feasible to grow pineapple in Hawaii because it can be produced for less elsewhere. Today it would be cheaper for Del Monte to buy pineapples on the open market than for the company to grow, market and distribute Hawaiian pineapple.

Add to the mix difficulty in obtaining a long-term lease extension with landowner Campbell Estate.

Planting at Del Monte's Kunia plantation on Oahu was set to end Feb. 19 and the current crop will produce fruit through mid-2008.

Worldwide, the top pineapple producers are Thailand, the Philippines, Brazil, China, India and Costa Rica, according to a USDA report.

American workers everywhere, literally from Hawaii to Maine to Texas to Michigan, are vulnerable to outsourcing and that's what this is about.

Super Bows XL sponsors

Ameriquest Mortgage Co. Two 30-second spots

Anheuser-Busch 10 spots throughout the game

Burger King One 60-second spot after kickoff Marketer is hoping to grab viewers attention with an old Hollywood-style ad featuring a cast of 'Whopperettes," 92 dancers dressed as burgers, flames, pickles, lettuce and tomatoes who will sing and dance to a new "Have it Your Way" jingle.

Cadillac One 60-second spot, 2nd Quarter  Features the redone Escalade SUV making an appearance on a fashion-model runway. One 60-second spot, 2nd Quarter The creative features the redone Escalade SUV making an appearance on a fashion-model runway.

Career Builder.com Two 30-second spots Expect another humorous spot as the monkeys are back for another year. Two 30-second spots Expect another humorous spot as the monkeys are back for another year.

Dove One 45-second spot The spot is a continuation of the marketer's series of 'Real Beauty' ads that emphasize the importance of female self-esteem.

Degree One 30-second spot Entitled 'Stunt City,' the spot shows men involved in a series of unlikely stunts as they go about their work-a-day lives.

Emerald One 30-second spot in fourth quarter The humorous spot builds on the word-game approach Emerald took last year using the letters 'e' and 'n'. It focuses on a druid and a machete enthusiast.

Ford Motor Co. One 30-second spot, second quarter A backpacking Kermit the Frog shows off the fuel-efficient Escape Hybrid SUV. JWT, Detroit

Gillette/Procter & Gamble Co. One 30- and one 60-second spot Uses computer animation and photography shot on location in the Mojave Desert reprising Gillette's long-running 'The Best a Man Can Get' theme. Related teaser ads are running in the days before the Bowl.

GoDaddy.com Two 30-second spot The marketer produced 14 versions of a spot before it received approval from ABC. Creative details are unknown.

Magnolia Films Length unknown, third quarter Promotion of 'The World's Fastest Indian,' a movie about a New Zealander who seeks to set the world motorcycle speed record at the Bonneville Salt Flats.

Sprint Two 30-second spots, one in second quarter and one in the third, plus sponsorship of the halftime show featuring the Rolling Stones Agency is testing four humorous spots; one was created by a special effects master that worked on 'The Lion, Witch & the Wardrobe.'

2006 Infiniti QX56

The Infiniti QX56 meets and exceeds the expectations of full-size luxury SUV owners with ample power from the 315-horsepower* V8 engine, interior roominess with seating for up to eight and maximum utility with generous cargo, excellent towing capacity and rugged off-road capability.

The QX56 enters the 2006 model year with minor enhancements – most notably the addition of power folding outside mirrors with heat, electrochromic auto-dimming, power adjust and integrated turn signal, Bluetooth^® Hands-Free Phone System, mp3 playback capability and added 60/40 split for the 3^rd row seat to the vehicle’s extensive list of standard technology and convenience features.

“The QX56 offers the power, roominess, innovation and utility that SUV owners demand in their vehicles,” said Mark Igo, vice president and general manager, Infiniti Division. “The QX56 addresses the unmet needs in the SUV class admirably from a hardware standpoint. But it also asserts itself with tremendous luxury and style, more than with just its physical scale and capabilities.”

Infiniti QX56 is designed for luxury SUV buyers who are looking for something new and different, providing a combination of practical elegance and ergonomic thoughtfulness with a rewarding level of comfort and indulgence.

The exterior styling of the QX56 projects a very powerful presence, beginning with its large hood, Infiniti-style chrome "waterfall" grille and taut, barrel-shaped sides. The jewel-like xenon headlights are located low in the fenders, which, combined with the integrated halogen fog lamps, help give the QX56 a strong resemblance to the elegant front end design established by the original Infiniti QX4. The large 18-inch tires are placed close to the edge of the wheelwells, enhancing the athletic stance, while the standard 7-spoke chromed aluminum-alloy wheels and chrome wheel lip moldings – connected visually by the standard body side cladding and running boards – complement the QX56's sophisticated luxury imagery.

In the rear, Infiniti-style LED tail and brake lights provide additional visual distinction. A power-operated liftgate with opening rear glass and a large bumper with integrated towing hardware complete the rear exterior appearance.

The exterior design also offers a long list of additional features, including chrome front door handles, dual power-adjustable heated chrome side mirrors with puddle lamps, privacy glass for the 2^nd and 3^rd rows and power-operated flip-out rear quarter windows. Also offered as standard equipment is a Rear Proximity Sensor (back-up obstacle warning system) in the rear bumper.

The Infiniti RearView Monitor system, like that offered with the flagship Q45 sedan, utilizes a small CCD camera discretely located in the rear license plate finisher to provide a picture of what is behind the vehicle (projected on the QX56's standard navigation system LCD monitor) to help assist in backing up.

Standard power folding exterior mirrors with heat, electrochromic auto-dimming power adjust and integrated turn signal have been added for 2006.

Material supplied by Infinity

President Bush next week will request a $439.3 billion Defense Department budget for 2007.

The spending plan would include $84.2 billion for weapons programs, a nearly 8 percent increase, including billions of dollars for fighter jets, Navy ships, helicopters and unmanned aircraft. The total includes a substantial increase in weapons spending for the Army, which will get $16.8 billion in the 2007 budget, compared with $11 billion this year but does not about $50 billion that they would request as a down payment for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan in 2007.

The budget proposal represents the fifth year in a row that spending on weapons has increased, after years of cutbacks during the 1990s.It also provides funding for 42 Army Brigade Combat Teams as part of the ongoing effort to increase the number of combat units from 33. The expansion would allow soldiers to spend two years at their home station for every year they are deployed to a war front.

Overall, the Army would receive $111.8 billion, including $42.6 billion for personnel. The Army National Guard would receive about $5.25 billion for personnel, and the Army Reserves would receive $3.4 billion

The Air Force will receive about $2.2 billion for the F-22 fighter — slashing the 2006 total nearly in half. The drop in funding, however, is actually a contract restructuring that would return that money — and more — over the long run by stretching out the program for an additional two years and buying four more planes. The new plan calls for buying 20 of the aircraft, built by Maryland-based Lockheed Martin, each year in 2008, 2009 and 2010, rather than 56 in the next two years.

The Navy will receive about $2.5 billion for the next Virginia Class submarine, built by Electric Boat in Connecticut and Newport News Shipbuilding in Virginia, and there is $360 million in the budget for development of the new CH53K heavy lift helicopter, built by Connecticut-based Sikorsky Aircraft for the Marine Corps.

$5.6 billion to support a wide variety of programs to address the multiple needs of military families, including child care, family counseling, tuition assistance and family centers.

About $1.8 billion for 81 Army Black Hawk and Navy Hawk helicopters.

$1.3 billion for five of the new Joint Strike Fighters.

Tiger Wood playing in the Dubai Desert Classic.

His 5-under 67 in Thursday's first round in Dubai put him three strokes off the lead.

This is Woods' third attempt to win at the Emirates Golf Club, a palm-lined oasis surrounded by one of the world's fastest growing cities. Dubai is the Middle East's economic boomtown, and the most westernized city in the region.

Although the prize money is $2.4 million, Woods is reportedly being paid about $3 million just to appear. His superstar status is evident, with attendance expected to top the record 43,000 for four days.

JetBlue Airways in trouble.

The No. 2 U.S. discount airline shocked investors and analysts on Wednesday by disclosing that not only had it posted its first quarterly loss since going public in April 2002 but that it expected to stay mired in the red for the rest of 2006

JetBlue, analysts said, has lost altitude through a combination of bad luck and its own missteps.

"They' have simply grown to fast."

The airline faces several headwinds: the soaring cost of fuel, a breakneck expansion that includes the addition of a second aircraft type, and tough competition that has loomed as an obstacle to fare hikes in key markets.

Analysts are questioning the airline's failure to buy contracts that could have softened the blow of soaring oil prices.

Ordering 100 regional jets from Brazilian planemaker Embraer bringing a second fleet type alongside its larger Airbus A320s in a move that adds potential opportunity -- but also increases problems.

The Embraer's introduction in November, flying between New York and Boston, has been marred by technical glitches as well as slower-than-expected aircraft deliveries.

Those mistakes, which JetBlue insists are typical with the introduction of a plane, may be a sign that managers adept at starting up an airline struggle to run a maturing one.

JetBlue last week said it was relocating its yield management department -- which aims to fill seats with the highest possible fares -- to its New York City headquarters from Salt Lake City.

People were expecting a lot from them and they stumbled.

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Featured stories

Product Preview: OTTER

Bloom off DVD Market

Last Western union telegram delivered.

Soon to be your meeting place for fine entertainment.

Jumping The Shark: The New James Bond 

Rep. Boehner Elected House Majority Leader

World Baseball Classic announces rules and rule modifications

Otter Products, LLC. releases the OtterBox for iPod video, another rugged addition to the interactive, virtually indestructible line of iPod cases. Waterproof and drop-resistant, this case is ready for any adventure!

Now iPod video users can take their iPods hiking, biking, to the gym, beach, on vacation and more! Suggested retail is $49.95

”The OtterBox for iPod video allows iPod users to take their music, photos and movies anywhere without fear of damaging their iPod,” said Curt Richardson, CEO of Otter Products, LLC. “The case completely transforms the delicate iPod video into a rugged device.”

Similar to others in the OtterBox for iPod line, the video case offers an interactive membrane that provides Click Wheel access and a hard screen cover to shield the display. Rubber lining inside the case cradles the video and a secure-close latch adds protection.

Bloom off DVD Market

Boom in DVD sales is coming to an end in Europe and the U.S., markets, as well as Japan.

A huge uncertainty for the media that has profited well from movie-related advertising in recent years, from television to newspapers and magazines to the internet. Movie advertising in the U.S. was $1.744 billion during the first half of 2005.

Forecasters anticipate slow growth in the U.S. and Japan, with American spending up only 2.2 percent last year and Japan's rising only 4.4 percent.

Declines in VHS sales, falling DVD prices, and flat rental spending in Europe mean that in 2005 spending on video fell for the first time since 1999

New technology will come along, as was reported at the 2006 CES that will revive sales, such as high-definition DVDs, and video on demand will gain wider acceptance. This is not going to plug the revenue gap anytime soon. In the U.S., industry watchers believe traditional DVDs will continue to make up some 80 percent of the market through the end of the decade.

What will Hollywood do, is the next question.

DVD sales have have been a hedge against the increasing uncertainty at the box office and the rise of other media, such as the internet, competing for consumers' attention. That and other factors have led to greater ad spending by the movie studios over the last two years.

Will studios continue to put out the same number of movies while spending even more to promote them and the DVDs that follow, not likely with cost conscious board of directors seein how well smaller films have done this year.

The first half of 2005 saw a slowdown in movie studios' ad spending, down 3 percent to $1.74 billion, according to Nielsen Monitor-Plus.

One thing that could be affected is the time between a movie’s theatrical release and its appearance on DVD. Already the trend is to shorten the window, so the DVD is released when the original advertising campaign is still fresh in people’s minds.

The movie “BUBBLES” has already set into motion a plan that may well be the future of the business, simultaneous release of a feature film in the theatres and on other media.

One can only guess what will happen but having been in the business for nearly eight decades and my family since 1904 you know the industry always follows the money.

Soon to be your meeting place for fine entertainment.

The Chosen One

REO

The Adventures of Monte Bubbles

Battle of the Bands

Azn news magazine.

Stephanie Le Gee’s Import Car Shows

Circle of Confusion

MBN Night at the Movies

MBN World of Sports

More shows to be added.

Last Western Union telegram delivered.

For more than 150 years, messages of happiness, sadness and success came in yellow envelopes hand delivered by a courier. Now the Western Union telegram is officially a thing of the past, Western Union sent its last telegram Jan. 27.

The company formed in April 1856 to exploit the hot technology of the telegraph to send cross-country messages in less than a day. It is now focusing its attention on money transfers and other financial services.

Western Union was created by several telegraph companies that combined to become Western Union in 1851. Western Union built its first transcontinental telegraph line in 1861.

Telegrams reached their peak popularity in the 1920s and 1930s when it was cheaper to send a telegram than to place a long-distance telephone call. People would save money by using the word "stop" instead of periods to end sentences because punctuation was extra while the four character word was free.

Telegrams were used to announce the first flight in 1903 and the start of World War I. During World War II, the sight of a Western Union courier was feared because the War Department, the precursor to the Department of Defense, used the company to notify families of the death of their loved ones serving in the military.

With long distance rates dropping and different technologies for communicating evolving Western Union phased out couriers in the late 1960s 1970s.

By last year, only 20,000 telegrams were sent at about $10 a message, mostly from companies using the service for formal notifications.

Last week, the last 10 telegrams included birthday wishes, condolences on the death of a loved one, notification of an emergency, and several people trying to be the last to send a telegram.

Western Union Financial Services was acquired by First Financial Management Corp. in 1994 which First Data Corp. bought for $7 billion the following year. Last week, First Data said it would spin Western Union off as a separate company.

Jumping The Shark: The New James Bond

Filming on the new 007 adventure, Casino Royale, kicked off last Friday in the Czech capital of Prague with newcomer Daniel Craig taking over for Pierce Brosnan as the suave secret agent but without babe and baddie.

There are reports that Thandie Newton (Mission: Impossible 2) and Rachel McAdams (The Wedding Crashers) are some of the high-profile actresses currently in the running to join the pantheon of Bond babes.

As for the next bad guy, the Casino brain trust is reportedly much closer to cast that role than the love interest, but no names have been specifically mentioned. (Meaning they have no one.)

Sony, the film's distributor, will probably have to cough up a lot of money to get the actors given the fact that shooting has already begun. The actor or actress chosen can have them over a barrel. Not to have your two principal leads cast now is not a good sign.

The ill conceived and planned film. will show 007 at age 28, when he's just starting out on Her Majesty's Secret Service, the 21st installment in cinema's longest running and most successful series, would take the iconic character back to his roots. The film is said to feature a character-driven script exploring Bond's past and eschewing the special effects and gadgets that have come to define the later Bond flicks, particularly the ones starring Brosnan and Roger Moore and is said to explain such mysteries as to why he likes his vodka martinis prepared incorrectly. It will also be the first Bond mission since Live and Let Die not to feature the character of Q.

In other words they are jumping the shark

Rep. Boehner Elected House Majority Leader

House Republicans elected Rep. John Boehner of Ohio as their new majority leader Thursday, choosing a self-proclaimed reform candidate to replace indicted Rep. Tom DeLay as the party struggles with an ethics scandal. "I'm humbled by the support of my colleagues to be new majority leader of the house," Boehner said. "I never came here to be a congressman," he said. "I came here to solve the problems that the American people face everyday."

World Baseball Classic announces rules and rule modifications

The World Baseball Classic, Inc. (WBCI) announced today the rules for play for the inaugural World Baseball Classic. The tournament, which will be played under the Official Rules of Major League Baseball and will include the use of a designated hitter, will feature the following rules:

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