Jane Wyman was a beauty as a young woman. As she aged, she remained a marvelously talented, dignified woman whose grace exuded an inner beauty.

Many forget that, had the circumstances been different, she could have become the First Lady.

Jane Wyman, an Academy Award winner for her performance as the deaf rape victim in "Johnny Belinda," star of the long-running TV series "Falcon Crest" and Ronald Reagan's first wife, died Monday morning at 93.
Wyman died at her Palm Springs home, said Richard Adney of Forest Lawn Memorial Park and Mortuary in Cathedral City. No other details were immediately available.

Wyman's film career spanned from the 1930s, including "Gold Diggers of 1937” to 1969's "How to Commit Marriage," co-starring Bob Hope and Jackie Gleason. From 1981 to 1990 she played Angela Channing, a Napa Valley winery owner who maintained her power with a steely will on "Falcon Crest."

Her marriage in 1940 to fellow Warner Bros. contract player Reagan was celebrated in the fan magazines as one of Hollywood's ideal unions. While he was in uniform during World War II, her career ascended, signaled by her 1946 Oscar nomination for "The Yearling."

The couple divorced in 1948, the year she won the Oscar for "Johnny Belinda." Reagan reportedly cracked to a friend: "Maybe I should name Johnny Belinda as co-respondent."

My personal favorite movie starring Jane Wyman was “Brother Rat”, in which her co-star was none other than her future husband, Ronald Reagan.
Years later, after Reagan had entered politics, Jane Wyman kept silent about her ex-husband and their marriage. She said it was wrong to gossip about ex-husbands and ex-wives. But after his death in 2004, she released a statement that spoke volumes about him in its brevity and sincerity.

"America has lost a great president and a great, kind and gentle man."

And today Hollywood has lost a great actress, but America has gained a beautiful angel in heaven.

And to Michael Reagan and his family, I offer my condolences on the loss of his mother.

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And hopefully both will soon recognize that their fifteen minutes are up.

First Britney Spears.

Kicking off the show Sunday night with her new single, "Gimme More," Spears looked bleary and unprepared, much like her recent tabloid exploits on the streets of Los Angeles. She walked through her dance moves with little enthusiasm. She appeared to have forgotten the art of lip-synching. And, perhaps most unforgivable given her once-taut frame, she looked embarrassingly out of shape.

Even the celebrity-studded audience seemed bewildered. 50 Cent looked at Spears with a confused look on his face; Diddy, her new best friend, was expressionless.

No-talent drug-addled slutty white-trash is as no-talent drug-addled slutty white-trash does.

And then there was this from race-baiting rapper Kanye West.

"That's two years in a row, man ... give a black man a chance," West said, stomping around his entourage and directing his comments at a reporter. "I'm trying hard man, I have the ... number one record, man."

West said he never will return to MTV.

And MTV will be a better place for your absence, Kanye. The problem is not your race -- it is your talent.

After all, you can't spell "CRAP" without "RAP".

Posted by: Greg at 10:22 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I know I am -- I'm signing off for the next few hours to go watch the Houston Texans begin their first playoff run!

We will beat the Chiefs.

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I hate the University of Michigan -- so this story makes me very happy.

What was supposed to be a tuneup turned into a stunner: Appalachian State 34, No. 5 Michigan 32. Julian Rauch's 24-yard field goal with 26 seconds left put the Mountaineers ahead of the Wolverines and Corey Lynch's blocked field goal in the final seconds sealed one of college football's biggest upsets.

The two-time defending champions from former Division I-AA were ahead of the nation's winningest program 28-14 late in the second quarter, then their storybook afternoon seemed to unravel late in the fourth quarter.

Mike Hart's 54-yard run put the Wolverines ahead—for the first time since early in the second quarter—with 4:36 left.

One snap after the go-ahead touchdown, Brandent Englemon intercepted an errant pass, but the Wolverines couldn't capitalize and had their first of two field goals blocked.

Appalachian State drove 69 yards without a timeout in 1:11 to set up the go-ahead kick, but it still wasn't over.

Chad Henne threw a 46-yard pass to Mario Manningham, giving Michigan the ball at Appalachian State's 20 with 6 seconds left.

Lynch blocked the kick and returned it to the other end of the field as the final seconds ticked off, and his teammates rushed across the field to pile on Lynch as the coaching staff and cheerleaders jumped with joy.

Appalachian State has won 15 straight games, the longest streak in the nation.

Hurrah for the Mountaineers!

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This would be really goofy if it didn't have a serious cool factor to it -- at least for science fiction and space geeks like me.

May the force be with shuttle Discovery and seven astronauts on an October mission to the International Space Station.

Coming from a galaxy far, far away, the lightsaber wielded by Luke Skywalker in Star Wars will fly aboard the orbiter three decades after the classic movie opened.

"What better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary than to send the original lightsaber into space with the shuttle?" Julie Kuenstle, a spokeswoman for Space Center Houston, said Tuesday.

The lightsaber will be on display at the visitor complex at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston through Labor Day. Then it will be shipped to Kennedy Space Center and packed into Discovery's mid-deck.

NASA spokesman James Hartsfield said the sci-fi sword would remain stowed throughout the shuttle's 13-day mission.

Yeah -- I guess a lightsaber wouldn't be much good if the Shuttle were to encounter the Death Star.

I guess I'll have to drive down the road this week to see the movie relic before it gets shipped to Florida.

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Is this the wave of the future for entertainment?

Now, however, Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker and their bosses at Comedy Central, a unit of Viacom’s MTV Networks, are attempting to leapfrog to the vanguard of Hollywood’s transition into Web. In a joint venture that involves millions in up-front cash and a 50-50 split of ad revenues, the network and the two creative partners have agreed to create a hub to spread “South Park”-related material across the Net, mobile platforms, and video games.

The deal, signed Friday, begins with a three-year extension of the show and its creatorsÂ’ contracts through a 15th season, in the year 2011, and gives Mr. Stone and Mr. Parker sizable raises, both in their salaries and in their guaranteed advances against back-end profits from DVDs, merchandising, syndication and international sales.

It also creates an entity called SouthParkStudios.com, to be housed in the showÂ’s animation studio in Culver City, Calif., that is intended to be an incubator not only for new applications for characters the likes of Cartman, Kyle, Stan and Kenny, but for new comedy concepts that could one day mature into TV series of their own.

All told, people involved in the deal confirm that it is worth some $75 million to Mr. Parker and Mr. Stone over the next four years. But what is likely to draw the most attention in Hollywood is not the richness of the pact, but the networkÂ’s willingness to share its advertising revenue.

In an age when you don't need a network to be successful in reaching viewers, it seems to me that there will have to be a new paradigm for splitting the revenue generated by network shows. I just wonder if this will give the creators of South Park greater freedom from PC cenosrship like that involving the depiction of Muhammad this spring.

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Michael Vick refuses to admit to his crimes.

Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Vick will not admit to killing dogs or gambling on dog fights, as detailed in his indictment, when he enters a guilty plea in a Richmond, Va., federal court Monday, a source close to the case has told ESPN. Instead, the one count of conspiracy that Vick will plead to will admit guilt to the charge of interstate commerce for the purpose of dogfighting.

The source told ESPN that Vick's defense team met with federal attorneys Thursday afternoon to determine the "summary of facts" to which Vick will plead, and that his attorneys believed they had a deal. The source said Vick maintains he never killed dogs and never gambled on a dog fight.

He will admit he was present when dogs were killed, but that he did not personally kill any of the dogs.

The allegations of killing dogs and gambling were part of the picture painted by Vick's three co-defendants, all of whom have pleaded guilty.

Vick, 27, is scheduled to enter his plea agreement Monday and could face up to five years in prison.

Vick's co-defendants said Vick provided virtually all the gambling and operating funds for the Bad Newz Kennels enterprise. Two of them also said Vick participated in executing at least eight dogs seen as underperforming by various means, including drowning and hanging.

His failure to come clean is clear proof of a lack of contrition. And his involvement in this ongoing gambling enterprise is a strong basis for keeping him out of the NFL in any event.

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I’ll admit it – I’m not a fan of Hillary or Obama.

That said, this sort of rhetoric and display are beyond the pale.

I hope my fellow conservatives will join me in denouncing Ted Nugent over this.

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Unbelievable! Looks to me like Vick's father has even less sense than Vick himself.

My son has a fascination with animals anyway. He's a natural dog lover.

Yeah -- and they say OJ never stopped loving Nicole.

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30-3

But it isn't a football score.

It is a baseball score.

Damn.

The Texas Rangers rounded the bases at a dizzying pace and became the first team in 110 years to score 30 runs in a game, setting an American League record Wednesday in a 30-3 rout of the Baltimore Orioles.

"This is something freaky. You won't see anything like this again for a long, long time. I am glad I was on this end of it," said Marlon Byrd, who hit one of two Texas grand slams in the first game of a doubleheader.

* * *

Texas kept right on hitting in the second game, too, although at a decidedly tamer pace. Travis Metcalf drove in four runs and the Rangers used a three-run eighth for a 9-7 victory and a sweep.

Texas set an AL record for runs in a doubleheader, surpassing the 36 scored by Detroit in 1937.

The second game, however, will forever be regarded as a postscript to the incredible opener.

It was the ninth time a major league team scored 30 runs, the first since the Chicago Colts set the major league mark in a 36-7 rout of Louisville in a National League game on June 28, 1897, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

That's 110 years, folks.

Some random reflections.

1) What did this do to the ERAs of the various Orioles pitchers?

2) How do you go out and play the second game of a double header after such a loss?

3) I wonder if we should blame this on global warming?

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Vick is accepting a plea deal that will net him prison time. I can't wait to see him behind bars. His actions are sub-human.

Michael Vick agreed Monday to plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, a deal that leaves the Atlanta Falcons quarterback facing up to 18 months in prison and puts his NFL career in jeopardy.

Under the plea agreement, prosecutors will recommend Vick be sentenced to between a year and 18 months in prison, according to a government official who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the terms have not yet been made final.

That would be a higher penalty than is usually recommended for first-time convicts, and reflects an attempt by the government to show that animal abusers will receive more than a slap on the wrist for their crimes, the official said.

Speaking as a fan with season tickets, I can tell you that I will be most unhappy if the NFL does not ban this cretin for life.

And I'd like to note that Lucianne.com has the best comment on the subject of any I've seen.

Now, let's see how Michael Vick likes it

Indeed -- and let's hope he spends every day in prison experiencing the same sort of fear that the poor animals he and his fellow conspirators tortured and killed did in their sad,a bused lives.

H/T Tammy Bruce, Captain Ed,

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So the dog-fighting barbarian had better get used to the notion of having the same experience of some of his dogs -- locked in a cage as somebody else's bitch.

Two of Michael VickÂ’s co-defendants pleaded guilty Friday to charges stemming from a dog fighting ring, leaving the Atlanta Falcons quarterback to face federal charges alone unless he to can strike a deal with prosecutors.

At the same federal courthouse where they pleaded not guilty last month, Purnell A. Peace, 35, of Virginia Beach, and Quanis L. Phillips, 28, of Atlanta, accepted one felony count each related to a dog fighting ring the government says was run from VickÂ’s property in Surry, Va.

Both defendants pledged to help the governmentÂ’s case, signing statements that would be included at a possible trial of Vick, who faces three felony charges related to dog fighting. The charges could carry up to five years in prison and as much as a $250,000 fine if he is found guilty.

* * *

According to an individual with direct knowledge of the case, Vick had until 9 a.m. today to verbally accept the governmentÂ’s plea agreement. If he does not take the offer, the government will likely bring superseding charges against him which will subject him to more jail time.

My guess is that there won't be enough of Vick left following his prison stay to resume his NFL career.

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Sorry, Matt -- Bond is just more fun than Bourne.

Hollywood star Matt Damon has dismissed James Bond as being stuck in the past.

The actor, who appears in the Bourne thrillers, said: "The Bond character will always be anchored in the 1960s and in the values of the 1960s."

The suave spy was "so anachronistic when you put it in the world we live in today", he said, but added that Bourne was no better or worse than Bond.

* * *

"Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it, and drinks Martinis and cracks jokes," Damon told reporters.

"Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her."

He added that Bourne "doesn't have the support of gadgets, and he feels guilty for what he's done".

Well, Matt -- now you've identified why Bond has been a successful franchise since before I was born. He believes in what he is doing, he is unambiguously on the side of right, he's got cool stuff, and he gets the girl in the end (among other places). I'll take a weak James Bond film (such as Casino Royale, which I watched in Damon's honor last night) over Damon's Bourne flicks any day.

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I know they give away all sorts of crap to fans attending ball games on special days/nights. And i certainly will be out to get my swag at every football game this year.

But I think that the folks in the San Francisco Giants marketing department may have gone a bit too far with this item.

As pointed out by my dear friend at Bookworm Room, it is already on sale on eBay.

Someone does seem culturally challenged here -- that looks suspiciously like a cowboy hat, and since when is a ram's horn square?

UPDATE: Well, now I understand the origin of the thing.

Still...

Posted by: Greg at 03:31 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Now let's all ignore him until it is time for a fan campaign against his inclusion in the Hall of Fame.

For one spectacular moment, Barry Bonds and everybody cheering him could forget about the controversy surrounding his chase and appreciate the phenomenal feat: 756.

Nobody in the majors — not Hank Aaron, not Babe Ruth — has ever hit more home runs than the San Francisco star.

On Tuesday night, in his home ballpark, it didn't matter how many of them might have been fueled by steroids or performance-enhancers. Bonds has the title of home run king all to himself, ending Aaron's 33-year reign.

"This record is not tainted at all. At all. Period," Bonds said.

Here's hoping that enough evidence of illegal steroid abuse does emerge to result in banning Bonds from the game, the Hall, and any connection with baseball.

Posted by: Greg at 02:37 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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When a coach believes that his athletic program should set admissions standards for a university, he either does not belong at the institution or the institution has no academic credibility.

An embarrassed and angry Steve Spurrier blasted South Carolina's admissions process Sunday, apologizing to two recruits who signed with the Gamecocks last winter and were denied academic entry this summer.

"In my opinion, I still believe we made a mistake in doing this," Spurrier said Sunday.

Spurrier had spoken with university president Andrew Sorensen and the two agreed, the coach said, that things needed to change.

Spurrier was angered that receiver Michael Bowman of Wadesboro, N.C., and Arkee Smith of Jacksonville, Fla., were cleared by the NCAA to enroll, yet were turned down by the university. The rest of the Gamecocks football team officially reported Friday for preseason camp.

"Hopefully, I truly believe this is the last year this is going to happen, because I can't operate like that," Spurrier said. "I can't operate misleading young men."

Spurrier signed a contract extension, which included a raise of nearly a half-million dollars, that ties him to South Carolina through 2012. However, he said if things didn't change on admissions "then I have to go somewhere else, because I can't tell the young man that he's coming to school here," then not have him admitted.

University spokesman Russ McKinney said Spurrier has been involved in talks with Sorensen and other administrators about refining the process of athletic admissions.

"I think the university administration understands his frustration," McKinney said.

McKinney said the goal would be to let all South Carolina coaches know as early as possible whether a prospect would meet the university's admission standards.

The problem is not th school's standards. the problem is that Spurrier is recruiting academically sub-par athletes for his teams. He does both the University of South Carolina and the young men no favors with that practice, for the students will ultimately be unable to perform academically and leave the school without a degree. In the mean time, South Carolina will have degraded its standards, for meeting Spurrier's requirements will ultimately lead to the degradation of admission requirements for all students.

Spurrier was a failure as an NFL coach. It seems to me that he is a failure as an educator as well -- after all, a college coach is, first and foremost, a teacher. Indeed, his arrogant effort to blackmail the administration leads me to conclude that he is a failure as a man. He needs to go.

Posted by: Greg at 06:09 AM | Comments (26) | Add Comment
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No, I'm not making it up or being disrespectful of victims of terrorism -- and screw the jihadis (may pigs piss upon them).

That is the name of a new production going on this year at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.

Here's a sample.

This is surely a five fatwa production!

Hopefully I'll be able to see it when a touring company comes to Houston.

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Incredible!

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb expressed support for Michael Vick during an interview here Tuesday.

"I'm a supporter of Vick," McNabb said. "That's because I'm a good friend of his and also we're guys that obviously compete to win the Super Bowl. We push each other. Now, I don't know exactly what happened in that situation, and I think for all of us that have read over the stuff that was over the Internet, the report, you look at it as kind of like, 'Wow, you've got your so-called friends and family members turning their back on you now to make their situation better.' They're throwing you under the bus so that they can clean their name. That's unfortunate. That goes to show, I always have a saying that I've always lived by: If you can't trust family, who can you trust? It's an unfortunate situation, and I just hope everything works out well for him where he can get back out on the field."

Actually, trusting family is a big part of why Vick is in trouble in the first place.

McNabb also advocates lighter punishments for NFL criminals

"As a football fraternity member, you just want those guys to have that opportunity to get back out there and maybe put that stuff behind them and change their life," McNabb said. "I think for some of the guys that have made the mistake and now that their season is taken away from them, the question goes out of what happens next? Because when some people get things like that taken away from them, they just continue to go down. You hope nothing but the best, that they've learned from their mistakes to move on where they can get back out on the field and play. Being suspended for a year? That's tough. That's tough.... You just want everything to kind of work out well for everybody, work out well for us as well as work out well for those guys."

Never thought he had any class, and this pretty well confirms it.

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Just finished Deathly Hallows last night. I enjoyed the book, but was disappointed by the loose ends left hanging. Now I know why -- J.K. Rowling admits that she left out a lot of details about the years between the climax and the epilogue that seem to cry out for answers.

She has now revealed some of them.

We know that Harry marries Ginny and has three kids, essentially, as Rowling explains, creating the family and the peace and calm he never had as a child.

As for his occupation, Harry, along with Ron, is working at the Auror Department at the Ministry of Magic. After all these years, Harry is now the department head.

“Harry and Ron utterly revolutionized the Auror Department,” Rowling said. “They are now the experts. It doesn’t matter how old they are or what else they’ve done.”

Meanwhile, Hermione, Ron’s wife, is “pretty high up” in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, despite laughing at the idea of becoming a lawyer in “Deathly Hallows.”

“I would imagine that her brainpower and her knowledge of how the Dark Arts operate would really give her a sound grounding,” Rowling said.

Harry, Ron and Hermione don’t join the same Ministry of Magic they had been at odds with for years; they revolutionize it and the ministry evolves into a “really good place to be.”

“They made a new world,” Rowling said.

But not to worry -- it is very likely that there will be a Harry Potter encyclopedia, containing all that information and the back-stories about many of the characters and events. After all, Rowling has pages of material that she editted out that fans are dying for.

Posted by: Greg at 02:09 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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Will the NFL treat him as it has several other players in recent months? Or will quarterback Michael Vick's high profile get him special treatment?

Michael Vick was ordered by commissioner Roger Goodell on Monday to stay away from the Atlanta Falcons' training camp until the league reviews the dog fighting charges against him.

"While it is for the criminal justice system to determine your guilt or innocence, it is my responsibility as commissioner of the National Football League to determine whether your conduct, even if not criminal, nonetheless violated league policies, including the Personal Conduct Policy," Goodell said in a letter to the quarterback.

The NFL said Vick would still get his preseason pay and Goodell told the Falcons to withhold any disciplinary action of their own until the league's review was completed.

Goodell told Vick the league would complete its review as quickly as possible and that he expected full cooperation. The review is expected to involve conversations with federal law enforcement officials so the NFL can determine the strength of the case against Vick.

These are serious charges -- and Vick has been less than forthright throughout this case. If only for the sake of the league's image, Michael Vick needs to be off the field this season. And, as Captain Ed notes, the nexus between dogfighting and illegal gambling raises a troubling issue about Michael Vick's on-field integrity.

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My favorite pic from the Houston Chronicle's World Series of Dog Shows coverage.

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I know -- as we found with LiveEarth, left-wing celebrities believe that the rules should apply only to the little people.

An employment tribunal ordered Sting and his wife, Trudie Styler, on Tuesday to pay a former chef $51,000 in compensation after she won a sexual-discrimination claim against them.

Jane Martin, 41, won her claim in May. She said she was fired after she became pregnant.

At a hearing earlier this year, Martin said she had worked for the 55-year-old pop star and his wife for eight years, cooking meals for them and guests including Madonna and Elton John.

She said Styler grew unhappy with her after she became pregnant in 2005, making her work long hours and growing angry when she took time off work because of illness.

No doubt Sting and Trudie would consider themselves to be "pro-choice" and "pro-woman". But heaven forbid that a woman in their employ should exercise that choice.

Posted by: Greg at 12:14 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Or, as I suggested, soft core.

When it comes to being bootyful, Jessica Simpson knows just how to make a splash.

The pop princess/designer debuted her hot new swimwear line over the weekend at Miami Fashion Week, featuring both barely there bikinis and fuller-figured one-pieces.

But despite the cuts and colors of all her creations, Jess had one goal in mind: boosting the butt.

“I’ve always done a certain thing with the string bikini … I take a safety pin and do a ruching on the butt,” she revealed to "Extra."

“'Cause I don’t really have a, like I want more of a butt! We actually put that into the line for the girls who want more butt!”

Now i like big butts and I cannot lie. . . but what is it with FOXNews and Jessica Simpson? Did they purchase her along with the Wall Street Journal?

Posted by: Greg at 11:54 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Or just soft-core?

Pop Tarts: Jessica SimpsonÂ’s Breasts ArenÂ’t Bogus

She may not be a natural-born blonde, but “Blonde Ambition” babe Jessica Simpson swears her bountiful bust isn't bogus.

"Maybe after having kids, if my boobs dropped down to my bellybutton, I would get them lifted," Simpson told her fashion designer friend Michael Kors for the August edition of HarperÂ’s Bazaar. "But you know, my boobs are real."

Don't you feel better knowing that they are real? I thought you would.

Posted by: Greg at 08:16 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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The New York Times offers five possibilities.

So here we are: at the end of the “Harry Potter” decade. The books have been printed and are under lock and key. (Presumably.) J. K. Rowling has made her choices. Harry is either going to live or die. Severus Snape is either evil or good — or maybe a little bit of both. Ginny will stick with Harry, and Ron will hook up with Hermione. Or not. Eager readers still have to wait a fortnight or so for answers to these questions.

Which is why the Op-Ed page asked four writers and one artist to fill the void and draft “Harry Potter” endings of their own.

In some he lives. In some he dies. One is unclear. And one is downright cynical.

And then there is this piece of graphic madness.

I envisioned scenes from an apocalyptic battle. Strung together in a nonlinear visual narrative, they are meant to set a certain mood. I intended to offer points of departure for the imagination rather than provide a concrete answer to the question of how it will all end.

— ANDREA DEZSÖ, an artist and a professor at Parsons the New School for Design

Uh. . . in other words, he doesn't have the faintest idea. Call it post-modern story-telling.

Posted by: Greg at 01:32 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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And now a few pearls of wisdom from that great sage, Roseanne Barr.

IMPEACH THE PRESIDENT AND THE VICE PRESIDENT, THEY ARE TRAITORS TO AMERICA, AND SO ARE ALL OF THEIR SUPPORTERS. IMPEACH! ANYONE IN CONGRESS WHO REFUSES TO SAVE OUR UNION FROM THESE TRAITORS BY DOING NOTHING NEEDS TO BE RECALLED. SAVE OUR TROOPS!!! SAVE OUR SCHOOLS AND HOSPITALS AND JOBS. FEED OUR HUNGRY AND POOR! SAVE THE DROWNING PEOPLE IN NEW ORLEANS! ANYONE WHO MENTIONS PARIS HILTON ONE MORE TIME MUST DIE!

No word as to whether she spit and scratched her crotch following the completion of this magnum opus.

And to think that she couldn't make it on talk radio.

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So much for Paris Hilton taking responsibility for her actions and acknowledging responsibility for her own decisions.

Paris Hilton may have a feud going with someone who isnÂ’t best-known for nightclubbing: her former lawyer.

The ex-jailbird heiress is “furious” with Richard Hutton, the lawyer who represented her in her DUI case, says a source close to the Hilton family, who claims that her camp is looking into possible legal action against him.

“The way this case was handled was a disaster,” the insider says. “Nobody goes to jail for DUI that long. It was all the lawyer’s fault and we’re looking into what recourse we have.” The source says legal action may be in the future.

Because we know, of course, that Hutton made her drive drunk, violate the terms of her probation, and behave like an arrogant little bimbo throughout the entire fiasco.

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Well, like we didn’t already know that Rosie was “with the terrorists.” Now she is posting pictures of her daughter dressed as a little terrorist.

Unemployed gabfest queen Rosie O'Donnell, who last went to war with Elisabeth Hasselbeck only to retreat from her position on "The View," has drafted a reinforcement in the form of her waif-like 4-year-old daughter Vivienne Rose, better known as "Vivi."

O'Donnell posted a video and photo of her little soldier on her Web site Rosie.com on Tuesday, which drew immediate reaction — some not so kind — about the media transformation of her daughter from little princess to bullet-toting guerrilla fighter.

I'm surprised that Vivi isn't wearing a little suicide vest -- you know, like the one the Taliban tried to get a six-year-old to detonate recently.

I wonder if this will secure her Joe Scarborough’s slot on MSNBC – making that cable network “fair and balanced” in the eyes of America’s Left.

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Well, like we didn’t already know that Rosie was “with the terrorists.” Now she is posting pictures of her daughter dressed as a little terrorist.

Unemployed gabfest queen Rosie O'Donnell, who last went to war with Elisabeth Hasselbeck only to retreat from her position on "The View," has drafted a reinforcement in the form of her waif-like 4-year-old daughter Vivienne Rose, better known as "Vivi."

O'Donnell posted a video and photo of her little soldier on her Web site Rosie.com on Tuesday, which drew immediate reaction — some not so kind — about the media transformation of her daughter from little princess to bullet-toting guerrilla fighter.

I'm surprised that Vivi isn't wearing a little suicide vest -- you know, like the one the Taliban tried to get a six-year-old to detonate recently.

I wonder if this will secure her Joe Scarborough’s slot on MSNBC – making that cable network “fair and balanced” in the eyes of America’s Left.

Posted by: Greg at 03:47 AM | Comments (66) | Add Comment
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There is really little to add to this story.

Sam Anderson never hesitated. Not for a moment.

The walk-on forward for the University of Houston knew the decision most likely would end his basketball career, but Anderson knew the man at the other end of the phone — his cousin, Steven Anderson, 46 — was desperate for help, and that's all that mattered.

Steven Anderson's health was rapidly deteriorating because of renal failure, so one day he thought of Sam and picked up the phone. It was his only option, and Steven had put off this phone call as long as possible.

After all, everyone in the Anderson family knew how much Sam loved basketball. It had been Sam's haven as a child back home in Detroit, a refuge from the cold realities of the streets, where friends were devoured by drugs and violence.

But Sam Anderson didn't hesitate -- he said yes to his cousin almost before the question was out of his mouth. It may (but may not) be the end of his basketball career -- but the beginning of something much more important, a healthy life for his cousin.

And by way of explanation, I put that "may not" up there for a reason. During my first year of teaching, one of our students gave a kidney to her sister, and then returned to be a starter on the basketball team the following year, and even received a college scholarship to play basketball. I hope that Sam Anderson can do the same. But even if he can't, the UH program offers him support.

Cougars coach Tom Penders said that the door always will be open for Sam Anderson, as a player or even if he wants to start coaching.

Anything to help "one of the most remarkable" people Penders has met.

"This is one of the greatest stories I've ever seen," Penders said. "All I can say is that Sam is going to heaven before I do."

Now there is a coach with his priorities in order.

Posted by: Greg at 01:12 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In case you haven't noticed, celebrities have become little demi-gods who are treated with fawning deference by the press. Why is that?

When was the last time you read a celebrity profile that was "disparaging, demeaning or derogatory"?

The rules of the game, as established by the glossy magazines and the stars' PR reps, ensure that "access" (well, a half-hour chat in a restaurant that enables the magazine to proclaim it has an "exclusive" interview) and the all-important exclusive cover shot are granted only to those magazines and journalists who will refrain from anything but fawning prose. It works out well for everybody. Celebrity journalists who play along get a good payday, magazines get newsstand sales bumps, and the rest of us are inculcated into the received myths of Celebland, the legends that sustain the illusion that it is somehow truly important.

Sure, it's possible to publish a rant on the Web (as U.K. journalist Brendan O'Neill did in a devastating piece calling Brad and Angelina "celebrity colonialists"), but such critiques are largely irrelevant to the vast, well-oiled, pap-dispensing Publicity-Industrial Complex (a phrase I believe I was the first to use, in an essay arguing that J.D. Salinger's rejection of this apparatus is a reticence to be admired rather than ridiculed).

The fact is, celebrities don't need a signed contract—celebrity profilers know that the power lies in the hands of PR people, who in many cases demand writer approval before committing one of their stars to a cover story. And no profiler who makes a lucrative living off elaborate fawning wants to do anything that might jeopardize his pre-approval status.

So when Angelina Jolie is proclaiemd "the best woman in the world" by Esquire, don't be surprised. And when celebrity activism gets trumpeted as proof of the heightened caring and moral superiority of the over-privileged entertainment class, don't be shocked. After all, questioning the validity of the cause or the contentions of the star can end your career.

Posted by: Greg at 11:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In jail, that is.

It didn't take long for the judge in this case to order Paris Hilton taken back into custody and returned to jail following her release contrary to his stipulated conditions.

A sobbing, shouting Paris Hilton was led from the courtroom Friday and ordered by a judge to return to jail to serve out the remainder of her 45-day sentence.

"It's not right," yelled Hilton, rising from her seat at the defendant's table.

"Mom! Mom! Mom!" she cried out to her mother, Kathy, who collapsed in tears in the front row of the courtroom.

Hilton, who was brought from her home to the court in handcuffs in a sheriff's car, entered the courtroom red-eyed and trembling, and she cried throughout the hour-long hearing, dabbing her face with tissues, biting her knuckles, and shaking her head. She sat slumped at the table throughout the proceeding, wearing a gray sweater, her blond hair pinned up.

Guess what. Paris -- welcome to how the other 99.9% of Americans live! The only thing not right about the situation here is that you were ever released in the first place, and that you were not sent to the jail medical facility for treatment, just like any other jailed criminal would have been in the same situation. Funny, isn't it, that the sheriff's department was able to find just such a facility for you once he was righteously slapped down by the judge in this case.

Personally, I believe your effort to dodge your earlier sentence should be a basis for making you serve the full time in jail, with no time off for good behavior. Hell, you would not know good behavior if it came up and bit you on the ass! Too bad it is unlikely that you will have to spend the full 45 days without personally prepared gourmet meals, sleeping on low-thread count sheets.

I hope that at every future appearance there are folks who should "Mom! Mom! Mom!" at you, mocking your wimpy inability to do the time for your crime.

By the way -- has the sheriff been held in contempt by the judge? And what penalty has been imposed for his flouting of the court order to keep her in jail and the court order to bring Paris to court for a 9:00 hearing?

Regardless, I guess this means that the Jailhouse Rock Party at Paris' house scheduled for tonight has been canceled.

Posted by: Greg at 12:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Please come out of retirement for Indiana Jones 4 -- you cannot let League of Extraordinary Gentlemen be your final screen performance.

There are some official casting announcements for the fourth Indiana Jones, but the biggest news is who will NOT be in the movie.

Sean Connery says he has decided to pass on reprising his role as the archaeologist adventurer's antiquities-obsessed father, a role he played only once, in 1989's Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

The 76-year-old Scottish star, best known for launching the James Bond franchise, says he decided to retire in 2005 and he's sticking to it.

"I get asked the question so often, I thought it best to make an announcement. I thought long and hard about it, and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement, it would have been an Indiana Jones film," Connery said in a statement Thursday.

The actor praised director Steven Spielberg and producer George Lucas and said it was an "honor" to have star Harrison Ford play his son: "But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun."

Your fans really want to see you light up the silver screen one last time, Sean. And for this film, nothing but the best will do. And you, sir, are the best.

Posted by: Greg at 03:33 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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May I offer a hearty "who cares?"

Jordin Sparks says that she can’t take credit for her fabulous voice because it’s a gift from God. Apparently, the “American Idol” winner also had a little more earthly help: she reportedly had a vocal coach. That may come as a surprise to Sparks’ fans because on her official bio on the “Idol” Web site, when asked if she ever had formal training, Sparks answered, “No.”

I guess it is all in how you define "formal training" -- and whether you think it matters, given that Melinda was a professional back-up singer and others have been working in the music field for years.

Posted by: Greg at 12:53 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Some quotes reveal everything about someone's character.

As Barry Bonds nears his record 756th home run, he's stockpiling quite a collection of souvenirs -- bats, balls, helmets and spikes, pieces of baseball history perfectly suited for the Hall of Fame.

Whether he'll donate any of them to Cooperstown, however, is in doubt.

"I'm not worried about the Hall," the San Francisco slugger said during a recent homer drought. "I take care of me."

It still isn't too late do ban this steroid-enhanced cheater from the game. No one will miss him.

Posted by: Greg at 10:46 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The initial reports give signs of hope that Ryan Freel will be OK.

Reds center fielder Ryan Freel had feeling in all of his extremities and was coherent after colliding with right fielder Norris Hopper on Monday.

Freel, known for his all-out play, was down for 13 minutes while being examined and was taken off the field on stretcher.

The frightening scene took place in the third inning of a game against the Pittsburgh Pirates. Freel and Hopper chased a ball hit by Humberto Cota leading off the inning. Freel caught the ball on the warning track and his left arm was run into by Hopper. Freel was twirled around to his left and fell at the base of the wall.

After being examined by Reds trainers and physicians, Freel was turned over on his back, strapped to a stretcher, loaded into an ambulance and taken to Good Samaritan Hospital.

The Reds announced Freel's condition in the fourth inning. He was scheduled for further exams.

Hopper remained in the game.

Freel, hitting .253 entering the game, was replaced by Ken Griffey Jr.

The initial fears of a catastrophic injury involving paralysis seem to have been unfounded. Still, everybody keep Ryan Freel in prayer during his recovery from what still appears to be a serious injury.

Posted by: Greg at 07:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Let's be honest, folks -- this story about Marquise Hill does not look good.

U.S. Coast Guard rescue crews continued searching Lake Pontchartrain on Monday for New England Patriots defensive end Marquise Hill, who was reported missing following a jetski accident.

"We searched throughout the night," said Petty Officer Tom Atkeson.

According to WDSU-TV, the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said they are no longer on a search and rescue mission. Now their mission is one of search and recovery and Hill is presumed drowned.

Hill's agent, Albert Elias, said he had been told Hill and a young woman were jetskiing Sunday in the lake when both of them went into the water, which had a strong current. Elias said the woman was able to make it to a pylon and hang on until she was rescued, while Hill was last scene floating away from the scene.

"I'm an optimistic guy," Elias told WWL television in New Orleans. "He's a strong kid and a fighter."

By all accounts, Hill is a decent guy, who has regularly returned home to help family members recover from the devastation left by hurricane Katrina.

Unfortunately, at least one media outlet has begun using the words "presumed dead" in their coverage -- let's hope and pray that this is a case of leaping to an unwarranted conclusion, and that Marquise Hill is found alive.

UPDATE -- 5/28/07 15:18 Central Time: The body of Marquise Hill has been found.

Officials told New Orleans television station WDSU on Monday that they recovered the body of Marquise Hill of the NFL's New England Patriots.

The news report came about 17 hours after the Coast Guard received word that Hill was missing following an apparent water scooter accident on Lake Ponchartrain.

The former Louisiana State University, a defensive tackle in the NFL since 2004, was reported missing Sunday night. the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries said at about 10:45 a.m. Monday that they were no longer on a search and rescue mission.

Tragic.

May his family and teammates be comforted in the face of the loss of this gentleman at much too young an age.

Posted by: Greg at 07:18 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Hurrah! Provided, of course, it is better than Episodes I-III.

STAR WARS fans will sense a disturbance in the force amid rampant rumours that a new movie set before the prequels is to be announced in LA tomorrow.

The news of the "huge" announcement by Star Wars creator George Lucas comes on the 30th anniversary of the first film.

Chris Brennan, a member of Star Walking Inc - the Australian Star Wars appreciation society, is in LA for the offcial convention Celebration IV at the Los Angeles Covention Centre.

He said the rumours sweeping the venue is that Lucas will announce a new Star Wars movie is in the works.

Reports have been circling among fans and on the internet of a new Star Wars movie or movies set before the recent prequels at the time of Old Republic when the Jedi regained control of the galaxy from the Dark Lords of the Sith.

"He did make a slip in an interview a couple of weeks ago and say something about a forthcoming movie,'' Brennan said.

"The reporter went back to him and said `did you say movie?'

"George said no he didn't say that and tried to cover it up.''

This would be in addition to the live-action television series that has already been announced.

I like the premise of an early history of the Galaxy. However, I wish he would reconsider his earlier decision not to do Episodes VII-IX, set after Return of the Jedi. Given the years that have passed, the original actors might just be old enough to return for their original roles.

Posted by: Greg at 12:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Yeah, she's a cute little thing with an infectious grin. And yes, she has a powerful voice. So congratulations to this year's winner.

Jordin Sparks, the perky 17-year-old high school student from Glendale, Ariz., won the sixth round of "American Idol" last night, beating out 11 other finalists, including several who were better singers, but none with her winning package of big voice, big smile and teetering-on-womanhood.

Did we mention she's only 17, as the show's three judges reminded viewers at every possible moment in the four-month-long competition? That makes her the youngest "Idol" winner ever.

My problem with the outcome? First, she seems more like a host on the Disney Channel than a real American idol. Second -- does anyone really believe that either of the two finalists was better than Melinda Doolittle, who was eliminated last week? It all feels like the outcome has been scripted for the last few weeks, even up to the surprise elimination of the odds-on favorite to set up a final taht was designed to produce a run-away result.

But regardless, I think we will see at least three hit-makers come out of this season -- and can't help but remind folks that the only winner previous winner who has really left a mark as a successful artist has been Kelly Clarkson, while any number of runners up have seen more success. I do hope that changes.

Posted by: Greg at 10:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Bet he wouldn’t have dared make such comments about Islam – out of fear for his life.

“And it’s easy to start a religion! Watch, I'll do it for you: I had a vision last night! A vision! The Blessed Virgin Mary came to me—I don’t know how she got past the guards—and she told me it’s high time to take the high ground from the Seventh Day Adventists and give it to the 24-hour party people. And what happens in the confessional stays in the confessional. Gay men, don’t say you’re life partners, say you’re a nunnery of two. ‘We weren’t having sex, officer, I was performing a very private Mass, here in my car. I was letting my rod and staff comfort him. Take this and eat of it, [our emphasis] for this is my roommate Barry. And for all those who believe there is a special place for you in Kevin.”

The Catholic League is starting a campaign to protest this blasphemous treatment of those things that Catholics hold sacred. Somehow, though, I doubt the Imus rules will be applied here – and I further doubt that we will see a single act of terrorism committed by Catholics in protest.

Posted by: Greg at 01:23 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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