David Letterman and Stephanie Birkitt's "steamy" letters

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This whole deal between David Letterman and his long-time assistant Stephanie Birkitt is getting even more interesting with the NY Daily News' revelation that Stephanie wrote Dave "steamy" love letters.

As I've stated this has less to do with any "boss - aide" relationship, as those who point such fingers seem bent on painting the woman as not having a mind of her own. There was obviously no hint of coercion in Letterman's actions, and evidence that she wanted Letterman perhaps more than he wanted her. The letters are called "steamy" more than "kinky" in the NY Daily News:

"It's her musings about them," a source who perused Birkitt's purple prose told the Daily News. "It's trash...It's clear she's having a sexual relationship with Letterman."

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/10/07/2009-10-07_david_letterman_.html#ixzz0TKBbPbWC
"
Stephanie Birkitt moved in with Robert "Joe" Haldeman in 2005 after Haldeman divorced his wife in 2004. While it's not clear when Letterman and Birkitt started their affair, Birkitt has worked for Letterman since (at least) 2004.

Birkitt left Haldeman this year after. Haldeman discovered the news of the affair between Letterman and Birkitt after reading her diary. Haldeman then allegedly developed the $2 million extortion plot against Letterman, even attempting to deposit what was a phony check he got from the talk show host. That led to his arrest for extortion.

Wanda Sykes hits the late show circuit with "The Wanda Sykes Show"

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Comedian Wanda Sykes - who wowed America with her monologue at the Washington Correspondent's Dinner earlier this year - has a new talk show. "The Wanda Sykes Show" will be on Fox starting November 7th.

Her website carried this statement:

I’m married, so this was a great excuse to get out of the house on a Saturday night,” said Sykes. When asked about returning to FOX, she added, “Yes, my relationship with FOX hasn’t been the best, but if Rihanna can go back to Chris Brown, I can go back to FOX. Oprah tried to talk me out of it, but I think FOX has changed.”

Wanda Sykes and her wife, Alex

Fox's show website explains...

A new weekly late-night series, THE WANDA SYKES SHOW will feature Sykes' personal take on the events of the week punctuated by field pieces and produced comedy segments. Everything from news, politics, sports and pop culture will get examined from a point of view not currently offered on television.

Oh, boy. This is gonna be interesting.

Wanda's last show, called "Wanda at Large" was canceled after it was moved to the "death time" of Friday nights. Sykes charges that Fox lied to her, stating that another time slot would be found if Friday didn't work. But apparently all that's in the past as Sykes' "Q-rating is apparently on the rise over the last two years, even if it has come from pissing off certain segments of the political landscape.

What got Sykes into trouble with conservatives at the Correspondent's Dinner was this series of statements about Rush Limbaugh:

"Rush Limbaugh said he hopes this administration fails, so you're saying, 'I hope America fails,' you're like, 'I don't care about people losing their homes, their jobs, our soldiers in Iraq.' He just wants the country to fail. To me, that's treason,"

Frankly,I agree with her. We let a guy like Rush Limbaugh collect a contract valued at around $400 million for making statements that are against any American success that President Obama has something to do with, which is essentially rooting against one's own country!

More of Sykes from the Washington Correspondent's Dinner, where she's cracking on Rush:

"He's not saying anything differently than what Usama bin Laden is saying," she continued, before addressing the guest of honor, President Obama. "You know, you might want to look into this, sir, because I think maybe Rush Limbaugh was the 20th hijacker. But he was just so strung out on OxyContin he missed his flight...Rush Limbaugh, 'I hope the country fails' -- I hope his kidneys fail, how about that? ... He needs a good waterboarding, that's what he needs."

If you missed her performance, here it is, courtesy of C-SPAN and YouTube.com:

Irving Penn more popular than Michael Crabtree; who's Penn?

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Today, the San Francisco 49ers signed now-former Texas Tech wide receiver Michael Crabtree. Frankly, I expected he and agent Eugene Parker to avoid the purgatory to come if Crabtree skipped out on the Niners and sign what turned out to be a nice six-year, $32 million deal with a $17 million signing bonus.

What I didn't expect was that Crabtree's signing would be overshadowed by Irving Penn on Twitter's "Trending Topics". But who's Irving Penn?

Irving Penn's a fashion photographer who's work you've seen, even if you didn't know who did it. My favorite, which is the way I became just remotely familar with Penn, is this one of Truman Capote:

Truman Capote

But other than that, I'm a bit less than informed of all of Penn's work.  Since Penn passed away at 92 years old, let's take a brief look at some of his work and life.

Penn  who was born June 18, 1917, passed away in his apartment in New York City today from unknown causes, according to the LA Times.  But what he leaves behind is a legacy of achievement in capturing life through the lens in an unforgettable way and presenting his view through Vogue.   He was with the magazine since 1943. 

Penn got his start in the public eye when Harper's Bazaar published his sketches after he graduated from the Philadelphia Museum School after 1938, then joined Vogue in '43. From there, he launched a career that saw him photograph celebrities like W. H. Auden and Marlene Dietrich.

 Marlene Dietrich

Penn's style has been described as "minimalist" and "classical" but I would just use the word "cool" because it seems to capture all of the other adjectives in one fell swoop. Always in black and white, his images captured the attention of modern industrial culture and defined the World around him.

Since Penn passed away on the same day Michael Crabtree was signed, it's fair to ask if Crabtree will be the kind of artist on the football field that Penn was away from it.

Only time will tell.

FRO's NFL Performance Rankings week 4

FRO's Performance Rankings week4
2009 NFL Season
By Jon Wagner, Sr. Writer At-Large Football Reporters Online

While there are many power rankings out there based as much on hype, expectations, and too often, unrealized and inaccurate projections, at Football Reporters Online, we prefer to rank NFL teams on what's actually happened, taking into account only how teams have performed on the field and who they’ve played. At F.R.O., you won’t find yet another power ranking that doesn’t tell you much. Instead, here are the F.R.O. NFL Performance Rankings:

Week 4

CONTENDERS:

#1 NEW ORLEANS SAINTS 4-0 Wk: #1 Wk 4: Beat NY Jets, 24-10
The Saints remain at #1 for the third straight week, and they’re starting to become more of a complete team each week. We knew they could pass, but they’ve shown a strong running game and a great defense, too.

#2 NEW YORK GIANTS 4-0 Wk 3: #2 Wk 4: Won at Kansas City, 27-16
Steve Smith has emerged as the go-to receiver the Giants were seeking. Hakeem Nicks showed why the Giants used a 2009 number one pick on him, burning the Chiefs for his first career touchdown on Sunday. And, the D has been strong.

#3 INDIANAPOLIS COLTS 4-0 Wk 3: #5 Wk 4: Beat Seattle, 34-17
Like a fine wine, Peyton Manning is getting better with age. Four 300-yards games in four games, all Colts’ wins, 9 TD’s and only 3 picks. Very impressive, even by Manning’s standards. Indy can all but end the Titans’ season on Sunday.

#4 MINNESOTA VIKINGS 4-0 Wk 3: #7 Wk 4: Beat Green Bay, 30-23
Speaking of getting better with age, in his final game in his 30’s, Brett Favre had a terrific game against the franchise that he’ll represent in the Hall Of Fame. As expected, Jared Allen has been a force with 18 tackles and 6½ sacks.

#5 DENVER BRONCOS 4-0 Wk 3: #6 Wk 4: Beat Dallas, 17-10
Dallas may end up a .500 team this year, but by beating them, the Broncos eased some questions about the legitimacy of their staying power in the AFC, at least for now. And, their defense has allowed a league-low 26 points (6.5 ppg).

#6 NEW YORK JETS 3-1 Wk 3: #4 Wk 4: Lost at New Orleans, 24-10
After three impressive weeks, Mark Sanchez and the Jets were dealt a huge case of reality down in the Bayou, but they only fall two spots after losing to #1 on the road, and because the defense for the most part, remains solid.

#7 NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS 3-1 Wk 3: #16 Wk 4: Beat Baltimore, 27-21
A big jump of 10 spots after beating last week’s #3 team. New England has righted the ship with a pair of solid home wins over Atlanta and Baltimore after raising a lot of early questions with poor showings against the Bills and Jets.

#8 BALTIMORE RAVENS 3-1 Wk 3: #3 Wk 4: Lost at New England, 27-21
The Ravens have still been pretty good overall, and thus, they’re still in the top 8, but losing a competitive game at New England, Baltimore falls from one of the elite teams down to one notch below the Patriots, for now.

#9 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS 3-1 Wk 3: #8 Wk 4: Beat St. Louis
The Niners are still that one late Favre-to-Lewis Week 3 Minnesota Miracle pass from being a perfect 4-0. With everyone else in the NFC West under .500, San Francisco clearly looks like the best out west in the NFC.

#10 CHICAGO BEARS 3-1 Wk 3: #15 Wk 4: Beat Detroit, 48-24
The Bears have shown some mettle, rebounding from a tough season-opening loss in Green Bay, to win three straight. With 11 fewer first downs, 122 fewer yards, and 13 fewer minutes holding the ball, the Bears beat Detroit 48-24 (?!).

#11 ATLANTA FALCONS 2-1 Wk 3: #12 Wk 4: Bye
Matt Ryan looked sharp in a couple of home wins against poor competition (Miami and Carolina) but a trip to New England exposed some Falcon flaws. Coming off a bye, Atlanta will be tested again going to San Francisco next.

#12 CINCINNATI BENGALS 3-1 Wk 3: #10 Wk 4: Beat Cleveland, 23-20 (OT)
The Bengals are one of the league’s biggest enigmas thus far. The blow a game to Denver at home and struggle to beat the lowly Browns, yet they win at Green Bay and beat Pittsburgh. It all adds up to a good 3-1 start at the quarter mark.

#13 PITTSBURGH STEELERS 2-2 Wk 3: #17 Wk 4: Beat San Diego, 38-28
If the Steelers could maintain their focus for a full 60 minutes each week, they’d rank in the top five. But, that problem let two road games Pittsburgh should have won get away, and instead of a perfect 4-0, their only at .500

#14 PHILADELPHIA EAGLES 2-1 Wk 3: #13 Wk 4: Bye
The Eagles’ bye bought Donovan McNabb the final week of time he needed to recuperate and return to the lineup on Sunday. Games against three bad teams (Tampa Bay, Oakland, and Washington) ease McNabb back into things.

MIRED IN MEDIOCRITY:

#15 DALLAS COWBOYS 2-2 Wk 3: #9 Wk 4: Lost at Denver, 17-10
At 2-2, Dallas looks to be on the path to 8-8. What they do well one week, they may not do the next, particularly with an inconsistent Tony Romo missing Terrell Owens. Dallas gets an easy one in Kansas City next, before the bye comes.

#16 JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS 2-2 Wk 3: #20 Wk 4: Beat Tennessee, 37-17
From 0-2 to 2-2. Is Jacksonville better than expected or did Tennessee already quit on the season after three tough losses? Maybe both. David Garrard has played well enough for the Jags to open it up more with the passing game.

#17 SAN DIEGO CHARGERS 2-2 Wk 3: #11 Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17
The Chargers reach the bye and will remain in this area of the rankings until they can raise their game to match that of better opponents. So far, wins over the bad Raiders and Dolphins, but missed chances against Baltimore and Pittsburgh.

#18 GREEN BAY PACKERS 2-2 Wk 3: #14 Wk 4: Lost at Minnesota, 30-23
Sure, Favre won the big showdown, but bigger picture, Jarred Allen has 4½ sacks, and Cincinnati’s Antwan Odom had five sacks in Green Bay’s other loss. Until they can fix their offensive line woes, the Pack won’t challenge in the NFC.

#19 HOUSTON TEXANS 2-2 Wk 3: #21 Wk 4: Beat Oakland, 29-6
The Texans have been inconsistent week to week, as shown by the L, W, L, W result. The Raiders at home were the perfect medicine for what was a very shaky defense that allowed a bunch of yardage over the first three weeks.

#20 ARIZONA CARDINALS 1-2 Wk 3: #19 Wk 4: Bye
The Cards would have been wise to use the bye week to work on their defense after Peyton Manning torched them in the desert. Warner and Arizona were great in Jacksonville but they’ve yet to play well at home in two losses.

LOOKING TOWARD THE 2010 DRAFT:

#21 WASHINGTON REDSKINS 2-2 Wk 3: #25 Wk 4: Beat Tampa Bay, 16-13
With Redskin-of-the-teeth wins over awful St. Louis and Tampa Bay, and a loss in Detroit, Washington is about as unimpressive a 2-2 as a team can be. The defense has been okay, but the Skins are still waiting on Jason Campbell.

#22 MIAMI DOLPHINS 1-3 Wk 3: #27 Wk 4: Beat Buffalo, 38-10
Starting 0-3, looking pretty bad, and losing their starting quarterback to his latest season-ending injury, the Dolphins seemed to be going nowhere. Then, a 38-10 thrashing of Buffalo. That’s the unpredictability of the NFL at its best.

#23 BUFFALO BILLS 1-3 Wk 3: #18 Wk 4: Lost at Miami, 38-10
Now the flip side of that unpredictability. The Bills play well enough to win in New England, lose to the #1 Saints (understandable), and beat Tampa Bay easily. So, 0-3 Miami without Chad Pennington? Naturally, a 38-10 loss. Huh?!

#24 SEATTLE SEAHAWKS 1-3 Wk 3: #22 Wk 4: Lost at Indianapolis, 34-17
Now that we’ve got the NFL’s unpredictability down, here lesson 2: how quickly fortunes can change. After crushing St. Louis, the Seahawks lose three straight and go from #3 on this list all the way down to #24.

#25 DETROIT LIONS 1-3 Wk 3: #24 Wk 4: Lost at Chicago, 48-24
Could it be? Two wins in a row after 19 straight losses? Trading touchdowns in a 21-21 half in Chicago, the Lions made that thought possible. But, then that pesky 27-3 second half came and Detroit became the Lions we’re used to seeing.

#26 TENNESSEE TITANS 0-4 Wk 3: #23 Wk 4: Lost at Jacksonville, 37-17
What is going on down in Tennessee? From the only 13-3 team and a number one see a year ago, to an 0-4 start this season. So, no more Haynesworth, but way too much talent on the field and on the coaching staff to be winless.

#27 CAROLINA PANTHERS 0-3 Wk 3: #29 Wk 4: Bye
Good news for Panthers fans! Jake Delhomme didn’t turn it over last week. Oh right, Carolina was off. Ever since last year’s regular season ended, Delhomme has not been the same quarterback. At 0-3, he’d better find it again soon.

#28 OAKLAND RAIDERS 1-3 Wk 3: #26 Wk 4: Lost at Houston, 29-6
Jamarcus Russell has completed a shade under 40 percent of his passes and there’s talk of head coach Tom Cable being arrested for breaking the jaw of one of his assistants. The Raiders are a mess right now, but at least they have a win…

#29 TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS 0-4 Wk 3: #31 Wk 4: Lost at Washington, 16-13
Which bring us to the winless bottom four, and we start with the Bucs, who early on, couldn’t stop anyone while moving the ball some. Now that the defense has improved a little, the offense has disappeared. Long season in Tampa.

#30 CLEVELAND BROWNS 0-4 Wk 3: #32 Wk 4: Lost to Cincinnati, 23-20 OT
The Browns nearly got a… well, not a win, but almost a tie. Hey, gotta set you sights somewhere before you get better.
Cleveland did play Cincinnati tough after three bad games, so maybe there’s a some hope for a little improvement.

#31 KANSAS CITY CHIEFS 0-4 Wk 3: #30 Wk 4: Lost to NY Giants, 27-16
All you need to know about the Chiefs so far this season, besides losing to three good teams each by double digits, is that when they statistically dominated the bad Raiders at home, they still managed to lose that one as well.

#32 ST.LOUS RAMS 0-4 Wk 3: #28 Wk 4: Lost at San Francisco, 35-0
And, bringing up the rear this week, falling four spots to get here after a horrid performance in Frisco, are the Rams. Two shutouts already? Just 24 points in four games? St. Louis is the NFL’s version of minor-league football right now.

NFC South Week 4 Wrap Up

                                                     NFC South Week 4 Wrap Up
 
By Rafael Garcia
Sr. Contributing Writer Football Reporters Online
Southeast Region
 
 New Orleans 24 New York Jets 10
When rookie QB Mark Sanchez took the field he was looking to keep his team undefeated. Well reality set in as well as mistakes and the kid turned out to be human after all. Darren Sharper picked off two Sanchez passes, returning one 99-yards for a touchdown, to help keep the Saints unbeaten. Just two weeks ago he set the team record when he ran one back 97-yards against Philadelphia. He now has 10 career touchdowns and that ranks him second all time behind Rod Woodson’s 12. Sanchez was harassed all day and finished 14-27 for just 138 yards and three picks. Remi Ayodele also had a touchdown when he recovered a Sanchez fumble after he was sacked by Saints end Will Smith. Pierre Thomas had another strong showing with 86 yards to lead the running game. For the second consecutive game Drew Brees did not throw a touchdown pass and he had only 190 yards passing. So Brees has a sub par day and the running game does not have a 100-yards runner but they win by 14. The Saints still showed that they are capable of playing a complete game on both sides of the ball. They have the Giants in two weeks after a bye.  After the G-Men take care of the Raiders next week it will be another clash of the unbeaten.
 
Washington 16 Tampa Bay 13
The young Bucs came into this game believing they could win it. After all, the Redskins had just come of a loss to the Lions, ending their 19-game winless streak. Things started well for them in the first few minutes of the game. At the 13:00 mark quarterback Josh Johnson put the Bucs up when he hit Antonio Bryant for an 8-yard touchdown on his first pass of the game. By halftime it was 10-0 and Washington QB Jason Campbell was wondering if he should come out for the second half. Whatever was said in the locker room worked. The Skins came out in the third quarter and scored 16 points to put the game away. Campbell was 7 of 9 for 110 yards and two touchdowns in the quarter. Johnson showed his inexperience and finished up 13-22 for 106 yards one touchdown and one pick. The ground game could never get started and the offense could not mount a drive in the second half. They are now 0-4 and head coach Raheem Morris is still looking for his first NFL win.
 
The Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers were idle this week. Next week the Falcons go to San Francisco and try to beat a 49er team that is 3-1 and looking better every week. Carolina looks to get into the win column when they host the Redskins next week. They need quarterback Jake Delhomme to get on track as he has had a shaky start to 2009.

Braylon Edwards to the Big Apple

Braylon Edwards to the Big Apple
John Kelly
Football Reporters Online
Senior Writer
Midwest/Northeast Correspondent

Braylon Edwards was one apple that fell way off the tree in Cleveland. Early Wednesday morning he changed addresses for a city whose fruit happens to be bigger than his attitude.

The New York Jets agreed to acquire Braylon Edwards from the Cleveland Browns to bolstering an anemic passing attack.
New York dealt special-teams player Jason Trusnik, wide receiver Chansi Stuckey and undisclosed draft picks to Cleveland for the pro bowl receiver.

There have been many New York sports acquisitions that have carried more baggage than Edwards. Still, that doesn’t mean Braylon’s bags aren’t loaded.

Edwards has been involved in several off-field incidents in recent months. Recently, he was accused of assaulting a friend of Lebron James, the NBA’s most valuable player, outside a Cleveland nightclub two days ago. The case is still under investigation by the National Football league. He also was out with former Brown receiver Dante Stallworth in Miami the night of his drunk driving incident that killed a pedestrian.

Edwards also received a fine for driving at 120 miles per hour. He was assigned 30 hours community service last November.
Edwards on the year has 10 catches for 139 yards and no touchdowns in four games for the winless Browns.

He has 238 receptions for 3,697 yards and 28 scores in five seasons with Cleveland. He made the Pro Bowl in 2007 but has failed to return to form since then. The Jets certainly hope he can be a deal breaker for their offense and the outlet Mark Sanchez needs to get the job done.

Kanye West | Kanye West "I want chicken because I'm black" an insult to blacks

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Kanye West has done it again. Proving that President Obama was right and he indeed is a jackass just weeks after his celebrated break in on Taylor Swift as she was accepting the award for "Best Female Video of The Year" at the MTV Video Music Awards...



Kanye West opened his mouth and told a TMZ.com reporter that he wanted chicken because "I'm black."

You know, there's an old saying that if you forget the past you're doomed to repeat it. In this case, younger African Americans like Kayne obviously weren't instructed that being black does not come with a set of instructions or limitations, as we were told in the past, as much by ourselves as by others.

This - his comment - strikes a heavy nerve with me (and I don't care if he was kidding) because when I was little, specifically between the ages of 4 and 13 while growing up on the mostly black South Side of Chicago, I was told repeatedly by others who were black like me that I wasn't black.

"You talk white", was all I was told again and again. And if it wasn't that, it was this by the African American adults: "Well, you talk 'proper'. (Thank God for my Mom and Dad, who never, ever, pushed that idea in my head.)

The point is I was bombarded with constant signals telling me how I was supposed to act and be as an African American person. And signals telling me that I should not expect to achieve because I'm black.

Those signals that I ignored at and pushed against, at times deliberately, and eventually I created something I called "My Iron Man Suit", in a Chronicle column two years ago. It wasn't until we moved to Oakland in the early 70s that I stopped hearing that because I wasn't in an entirely black environment. Sorry, but was my experience.

Yeah, I'd evolved to the point where most of my friends were not only black but white, Latino, and Asian, and not the kind of people who would tell me that, "Star Trek's for white people", for example.

Are you anti-diversity folks paying attention here?

To me freedom is the ability to be who you are, free from the chains others try to confine you with, and chains crafted from their own insecurities. Heck, I got those messages constantly when I worked at the City of Oakland between 1987 and 1989 and then again from 1995 to 2001.

When I was an intern in 1987, a person, black, who I know to this day and respect told me something that still makes my blood boil, even if I knew what he meant. He said "Man, you've got three problems: you're young, gifted, and black."

In other words, society can't stand an intelligent African American man. That's what he was saying to me.

Someone else said that my problem with trying to bring the Super Bowl to Oakland was that some thought a high-profile white person should do it (and the Oakland Chamber of Commerce certainly sent that message to me at the time).

I'm not kidding.

Another Oakland employee in economic development said "I guess you can tell we don't like smart people around here."

But those were the 80s and now in 2009 I can say the are a lot of blacks like me who've risen to public view, which makes me smile. One of those people is in the White House. I know, without knowing all of them personally, what kind of struggle they endured just to be themselves.

Kanye is channeling those messages all over again here in 2009, and there's a part of me that just wants to grab him by the collar and yell "Knock it off, will ya?!!" Thanks to Kanye West, we can see that regardless of how much one talks about progress, integration, and President Obama as the first black president, we still have people who talk as if being black is a kind of confinement of personality and extinguishing of ambition.

That's why when Barack won the Presidency last year, I cried. I just cried.

Kanye, hear me on this: try sending a signal to your followers that one can be anything they want to regardless of color, but especially young black men. I think a large part of black-on-black crime is self-hatred. We've got to stop that, and you can help, big time. Do that for me. Heck, do it for society because you have a big voice. But lately, your voice been an irresponsible one. Please step up and help advance us, not knock us back. Yes, I like Chicken, but it's not because I'm black.

Thanks!

David Letterman show has Stephanie Birkitt in end credits

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Not that she should or should not be there, but TVTattle.com took note of the fact that Stephanie Birkitt - David Letterman's aide and girlfriend who was the focus of ex-lover Robert "Joe" Halderman's alledged $2 million extortion attempt on Lettterman - still has her name on the show credits.

But then I realized why should it be removed? I don't recall anyone saying Stephanie Birkitt stopped working, only that she went into hiding.

Stephanie Birkitt's on the credits with Susan Kolenovic and Joanna DeMartin.   Kolenovic has been the person to call when  one needed a free picture of Dave Letterman. Joanna DeMartin is also a "Personal Assistant at Worldwide Pants" according to her Linkedin profile.  Kolenovic, DeMartin, and Birkitt have been with Dave Letterman as assistants as a group since 2004.  That means Dave had a lot of time - five years - to have fun with his assistants, if the idea that Birkitt was not the only assistant he slept with is really the case, and I've got no intel to the contrary.