Archive for August 26th, 2008
Air France Plane Skids Off Runway in Montreal
Reports are just emerging that an Air France Boeing 747 has skidded off the runway at Montreal’s Trudeau airport. This is a developing story. More details as they emerge.
An Air France aircraft has skidded off the runway at Montreal’s T[r]udeau airport, according to Canadian TV; no details on injuries.
There appear to be no serious injuries after a Boeing 747 skidded off the runway at a Montrea[l] airport, according to the Canwest News Service
Tags: Canada | Montreal | Airport | Boeing | plane | Air France | World | runway | Trudeau
Mattel Awarded $100 Million In Bratz Doll Case
Toymaker Mattel has been awarded $100 million in damages relating to a lawsuit filed agains MGA Entertainment over rights to the Bratz dolls.
Barbie is vindicated.
Toymaker Mattel Inc. late Tuesday was awarded $100 million in damages by a California jury relating to the designs of Bratz dolls, a Mattel spokeswoman said. Mattel had sued smaller rival MGA Entertainment over the designership rights to the edgy Bratz doll. The world’s largest toy maker had been seeking as much as $1 billion in damages.
Tags: California | Culture | Entertainment | Business | San Francisco | million | Barbie | DOLL | Mattel | culturite | bratz | mga | Tech & Biz | Toymaker
Dave Freeman, ‘100 Things To Do Before You Die’ Co-Author, Dies
Dave Freeman, co-author of the acclaimed adventure and travel guide 100 Things To Do Before You Die, has died at the age of 47 in California. In less than half a decade, Freeman visited “about half the places on his list before he died”.
Dave Freeman, co-author of “100 Things to Do Before You Die,” a travel guide and ode to odd adventures that inspired readers and imitators, died after hitting his head in a fall at his home. He was 47.
Freeman died Aug. 17 after the fall at his Venice home, his father, Roy Freeman, told the Los Angeles Times on Monday.
An advertising agency executive, Freeman co-wrote the 1999 book subtitled “Travel Events You Just Can’t Miss” with Neil Teplica. It was based on the Web site whatsgoingon.com, which the pair ran together from 1996 to 2001.
“This life is a short journey,” the book says. “How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time?”
Freeman’s relatives said he visited about half the places on his list before he died, and either he or Teplica had been to nearly all of them.
“He didn’t have enough days, but he lived them like he should have,” Teplica said.
Tags: Culture | Travel | Los Angeles | author | adventure | GUIDE | dave | freeman | 100 things
Jon Stewart Rips Into Fox News
Is Jon Stewart “out of touch” with America for calling out Fox News on its unfair-and-unbalanced pseudo-journalism?
Remember what happened on Crossfire? Remember what happened to Crossfire?
Jon Stewart ripped the cable news networks Monday as a “brutish, slow-witted beast” and castigated Fox News as “an appendage of the Republican Party.”
Wearing a gray T-shirt and a healthy stubble, the “Daily Show” host told reporters that Fox’s fair-and-balanced slogan is “a (expletive) you to people with brains” and that only “Fox News Sunday” host Chris Wallace “saves that network from slapping on a bumper sticker . . . Barack Obama could cure cancer and they’d figure out a way to frame it as an economic disaster.”
“I’m stunned to see Karl Rove on a news network as an analyst,” he said of the Bush White House aide-turned Fox commentator.
A Fox News spokesman replied that “Jon’s clearly out of touch,” citing a Pew study showing the network has the most balanced audience in cable news, 39 percent Repubicans and 33 percent Democrats. “But being out of touch with mainstream America is nothing new to Jon as evidenced by the crash and burn ratings of this year’s Oscars telecast.”
Tags: Culture | democrat | republican | Media | news | cable | attack | dnc | party | Network | stewart | Fox | reporter | America | daily show | Jon | Denver | crossfire | culturite | Democratic Convention | dnc08
Celebrity Cavalcade Descends On DNC
The celebrities are coming out fast and furious for the Democratic National Convention. With a star-studded line-up of celebs in attendance, from Hollywood’s acting elite to a cornucopia of paparazzi-tailed pop & rock stars, the DNC has more flashbulb bang for its buck than any A-list invite-only celeb event you can think of.
Those already confirmed in attendance include:
Charlize Theron, Sheryl Crow, Dave Matthews, Tim Reynolds, Laurie David, Rachael Leigh Cook, Spike Lee, Matthew Modine, Alan Cumming, Susan Sarandon, Kerry Washington, Ellen Burstyn, Anne Hathaway, Tim Daly, Daryl Hannah, Lawrence Fishburne, Richard Schiff.
But more are expected or on the way:
Melissa Etheridge, Cyndi Lauper, Rufus Wainwright, Kanye West, The Black Eyed Peas,Jennifer Lopez, Annette Bening, Fran Drescher, Quentin Tarantino, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Neil Patrick Harris, Cheryl Hines, Ben Affleck, Josh Brolin, Nick Cannon, Jennifer Hudson.
Every day of the DNC has some form of performance, gala, concert, show, or party that will bring out the stars in record numbers:
MONDAY
At the city’s opera house, Rock The Vote hosts “Ballot Bash,” the big party of the convention’s first night. Performances were expected from Fall Out Boy, Jakob Dylan and Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo’s rap-rock band NERD. Mr. Mariah Carey, Nick Cannon, will be DJing at the afterparty.
TUESDAY
Grammy organizers set up a concert with rockers Everclear, Daughtry and the Denver band Flobots, who also performed at a Saturday night DNC party at the Elitch Gardens amusement park.
Also downtown, the nonprofit Do Something hosts a party at a hotel-lounge with a set by Moby. Among planned attendees: Arianna Huffington, John Kerry and (random star alert!) Chevy Chase.
“Etown,” a long-running Boulder, Colo.-based radio variety show, will host performances from James Taylor, Ani DiFranco and David Crosby and Graham Nash.
Singer Idina Menzel, best known as Elphaba from “Wicked,” performs at another Rock The Vote party in Denver’s LoDo district, with Ashanti in attendance.
WEDNESDAY
By far the busiest day for performances and celebrities features Jennifer Lopez stopping by the Denver Art Museum to honor Marian Wright Edelman, Ben Affleck promoting “America’s Second Harvest” at the Food Bank of the Rockies, and Rage Against the Machine raging against the machine at the Denver Coliseum.
The Creative Coalition, a nonprofit group meant that engages the artist community in issues, sponsors a Black Eyed Peas concert at the Fillmore Auditorium, one of three performances Peas’ frontman will.i.am will be doing in Denver.
West’s concert — sponsored by ONE and the Recording Industry Association of America — is at around the same time, and will attract at least as much attention, if only for the hip-hop star’s unpredictability when it comes to politics.
Also on tap: A Ralph Nader rally with Sean Penn and Val Kilmer set to speak. A separate indie rock lineup in support of Obama features the Silversun Pickups, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Nada Surf and the Cold War Kids.
THURSDAY
The most prominent Obama celebrity backers — from Oprah to Kerry Washington — will be at Invesco Field for the candidate’s big speech. Sideline events are minimal, though there’s an afterparty sponsored by Google and Vanity Fair.
And, to top it all off, widespread rumours have been tossed around indicating that the Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, would be in attendance and performing at Thursday main event at Invesco Field:
The Las Vegas Review-Journal reported Sunday that it was a done deal: “Bruce Springsteen will follow Obama with a solo acoustic performance on Thursday after Obama’s acceptance speech at Invesco Field.” The Telegraph reported same yesterday, as did the Rocky Mountain News, which said that Jon Bon Jovi will open for Obama with Springsteen closing out the night.
But, apparently, those are just rumours, and it isn’t likely to happen:
But a source in Springsteen’s camp tells The Washington Post that The Boss won’t be anywhere near Invesco Field on Thursday.
The biggest challenge associated with this high-profile artistry will likely be actually getting to see it:
For all but the most connected fans, however, getting into the shows will be a challenge. Many are at private parties given by lobbyists and charities; even at the events that do not explicitly bar the general public, any spots not occupied by political insiders will probably be scooped up by the 15,000 expected members of the news media.
Tags: Culture | Politics | Colorado | democrat | Celebrity | United States | rage | Kanye West | dnc | Black Eyed Peas | Denver | Moby | Rock Star | boulder | pop | lopez | spike lee | Springsteen | will.i.am | Democratic Convention
Police Investigate Possible Plot To Kill Obama
The 2008 DNC has barely begun and arrests have already been made regarding a potential “assassination plot” to kill presidential candidate Barack Obama. CBS4Denver has more on this story:
Law enforcement authorities have arrested two men and several law enforcement sources say the investigation is looking into whether the men intended to harm presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama.
According to multiple sources, Aurora police made a routine traffic stop Sunday morning at 2:38 a.m. and arrested 28-year-old Tharin Gartrell. Sources say he was driving a rented pickup truck. The Secret Service says two rifles were found in his truck along with methamphetamine. Another law enforcement source says he was told at least one of the rifles was a “sniper rifle.”
A second source told CBS4 Investigator Brian Maass authorities told officers they are concerned they may have come upon a possible “assassination plot.”
Tags: Politics | United States | World | assassination | Plot | Denver | Obama | AURORA | Democratic Convention | dnc08
