Academy boots The Hurt Locker's Nicolas Chartier from Sunday's Oscars

Related searches: LA Times Peter Hammond Hurt Locker, anti-Avatar email, Avatar and Hurt Locker, Oscar buzz hurt locker, Nicolas Chartier email, Nicolas Chartier hurt locker

In the end game to an email Nicolas Chartier (pictured with Stephanie Swedlove of Brightlight Pictures) wish he'd not written, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) just announced that they are denying him from attending the Oscars on Sunday. Here's the AMPAS press release:

Academy Penalizes Aggressive Campaigner

Beverly Hills, CA — The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced today that, should “The Hurt Locker” be announced as the recipient of the Best Picture award at Sunday’s ceremonies, only three of the picture’s producers will be present for the celebration. The fourth of the film’s credited producers, Nicolas Chartier, has been denied attendance at the 82nd Academy Awards® as a penalty for violating Academy campaigning standards.

Chartier had recently disseminated an email to certain Academy voters and other film industry figures in which he solicited votes for his own picture and disparaged one of the other contending films. Academy rules prohibit “casting a negative or derogatory light on a competing film.” The executive committee of the Academy’s Producers Branch, at a special session late Monday, ruled that the ethical lapse merited the revocation of Chartier’s invitation to the Awards.

The group stopped short of recommending that the Academy governors rescind Chartier’s nomination. If “The Hurt Locker” were to be selected as Best Picture, Chartier would receive his Oscar® statuette at some point subsequent to the March 7 ceremonies.

Academy Awards for outstanding film achievements of 2009 will be presented on Sunday, March 7, 2010, at the Kodak Theatre at Hollywood & Highland Center®, and televised live by the ABC Television Network beginning at 5 p.m. PT/ 8 p.m. ET. The Oscar presentation also will be televised live in more than 200 countries worldwide.

More on reactions from around the web soon.

Admiral Ackbar "backlash" a joke: evidence of anti-Ackbar effort scant

Related searches: Star Wars, George Lucas, Lucasfilm Admiral Ackbar, The Return of The Jedi, science fiction, ole miss mascot

On February 24th, this space reported that Admiral Ackbar, The Supreme Commander of the Rebel Alliance and designer of the B-Wing Star Fighter in Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi was the front-runner in the race for a new mascot for the Ole Miss Rebels.

The reason for the desire for a new mascot is simple: Colonel Reb reminds many of the Old South. The Empire. Slavery. And many other unpleasant things.

The idea of Admiral Ackbar as mascot is more than just a nod to popular culture, it's a subversive attempt to actually place a real rebel symbol as representing the university.

Admiral Ackbar by his very face and name is unconventional and his election as mascot for Ole Miss would speak volumes for how far "The South" has really come. Indeed, Admiral Ackbar's possible rise to mascot power has upset some, even those in the media it seems. A story's flying around the there's a "backlash" against the Admiral Ackbar mascot campaign.

The source is supposed to be the Atlanta Journal Constitution. But as of this writing, the AJC article points to TMZ for its information; the TMZ blog reads the heads of the Admiral Ackbar campaign reported angry calls but provide no quote or name of anyone connected with the effort . And both TMZ and AJC report no other credible information to prove the claim that a "backlash" exists. They just say it does.

But the reality is a real, credible "backlash" has bite and followers and that's not here. There's no Internet footprint of any size that's challenging the Admiral Ackbar Mascot Movement.

 And this blogger hopes it succeeds right smack in the face of Ole Miss alumns who need to be shaken out of their cultural comfort zone. It's said all too often that some people in The South are still "living the Civil War"; Admiral Ackbar - and only Admiral Ackbar - can bring them into the 21st Century.

Stay tuned.

John Mayer back in the Twitter media swing after N-word issue

After literally checking out for a while, singer John Mayer, known for many multiple tweets in a single day, is back in the Twitter swing after the N-word issue.

 As you may recall, John Mayer knocked back scotch during a Playboy Interview and let loose with a blast that included use of the N-word as well as how John Meyer wasn't attracted to black women, and in graphic terms how he felt about sex with Jessica Simpson.

The resulting negative public reaction was so hard for John Mayer to take he issued an apology on Twitter, then stopped tweeting. He sent exactly two tweets in eight days between February 14th and February 21st. But by February 27th, John Mayer started tweeting many times a day again. Here are some of his most recent tweets:

Grand Rapids, MI and Throbbing Springs, PA are the two cities in the US that sound the most like water parks.
about 21 hours ago via Twittelator
Two Krispy Kreme doughnuts, good. Three Krispy Kreme doughnuts, bad.
about 21 hours ago via Twittelator
If you want to look real smart on a plane, take out the day's crossword puzzle and fill it in as fast as you can with gibberish...
about 22 hours ago via Twittelator
How can you watch Jersey Shore for 9 hours and then act like you only listen to Beethoven's fifth? Okay. Point made. Night.
9:52 PM Feb 27th via Twittelator
Stop telling your friends you detest the ke$ha song and then dancing to it at home. How about some accountability, people?
8:56 PM Feb 27th via Twittelator
Though I must add I tried brushing with a bottle of Jack and I chipped a tooth on the glass. Where might I remit an invoice?
8:48 PM Feb 27th via Twittelator
Dear Ke$ha, you have won me over with your tricks and charms and I must tell you I really like your song.
8:46 PM Feb 27th via Twittelator

Who's Ke$ha? Ke$ha's a newcoming female singer - not African American, alas - behind the hit album Animal, that's apparently got the attention of John Mayer and perhaps his animal side. He tried brushing his teeth with "a bottle of Jack" - one wonders what he said after that episode?

Yep. John Mayer's back. This after he said he was going to basically stay out of the media just weeks ago. Remember that? Remember how sorry Mayer was and how he didn't mean to hurt anyone? I believe him, but man, that whole bottle of Jack thing makes me wonder.

Maybe he was kidding or just referring to a line in one of her songs. Or maybe he wasn't kidding, and referring to a line in one of Ke$ha's songs?

Stay tuned.

Oscar Buzz - 20th Annual Night of 100 Stars Gala Oscar Party

If you've wondered where the rest of Hollywood goes to watch the Oscars it's Norby Walters' annual formal viewing party called at The Night of 100 Stars Gala. It's held Sunday, March 7th at 4 PM at the legendary Beverly Hills Hotel Crystal Ballroom. And yes, this blogger will be in attendance providing coverage. You can follow along at Zennie62.com and at SFGate.com as photo video, and blog updates will be posted.

Here's a video from the 2009 party:



The Night of 100 Stars Gala Oscar Party started 20 years ago as an out growth of Norby Walters's private poker parties and grew from there. Now, Sunday's big event attracts celebrities and media like ABC's Good Morning America and The Jimmy Kimmel Show, which has taped segments there. Kimmel called it "...a wild party with mostly celebrities and they are everywhere you look".

This is one of David Carradine's last interviews:



Oh, and who's Norby Walters?

Norby Waters with Lanie Kazan and Dennis Haysbert

Norby Walters is a former Hollywood music agent and now event host who describes himself as "old school" and " one of the most dapper, snappiest characters in a town grown unfortunately and increasingly gray and corporate". Walters says he had all the jazz greats and signed Miles Davis to his first solo gig.

The Night of 100 Stars Gala has a huge list of celebrities who are set to attend. The press release reports the following confirmed list:

Sean Astin, Krista Allen, Ed Asner, Jason Alexander, Powers Boothe, Daniel Baldwin, Timothy Busfield, Joe Bologna, Susan Blakely, John Corbet, Tia Carrere, Keith Carradine, James Cromwell, Stephen Collins, Michael Chiklis, David Carradine, Joanna Cassidy, Richard Dreyfuss, Kevin Dillon, Lolita Davidovich, Robert Davi, Bruce Davison, Lou & Carla Ferrigno, Frances Fisher, Dave Foley, Peter Fonda, Jon Favreau, Joley Fisher, Robert Forster, Jeff Garlin, James Darren, Carla Cugino, Dominick Dunne, Lou Gossett Jr., Dennis Haysbert, Dennis Hopper, Dule Hill, Cheryl Hines, Monty Hall, Harry Hamlin, Marilu Henner, Ken Howard, Jack Klugman, Richard Karn, Martin Landau, Ron Livingston, Hal Linden, Richard Lewis, Sharon Lawrence, Michael Lerner, Matthew Modine, Chris McDonald, Camryn Manheim, Dylan McDermott, Jesse Metcalf, Ming Na, Judd Nelson, Kevin Nealon, Danielle Panabaker, Kevin Pollak, Stephanie Powers, Michelle Phillips, Lou Diamond Phillips, Freddie Rodriguez, Jason Ritter, Brande Roderick, Adam Rodriguez, Pat Richardson, George Segal, Fred Savage, John Schneider, Tony Shaloub, Kevin Sorbo, Rob Schneider, Amber Tamblyn, Jennifer Tilly, the GEICO Caveman, Bo Derek and over 100 more reportedly expected...

And in the past, many Academy Award Winners and Nominees have attended:

Jamie Foxx, Peter Fonda, Dennis Hopper, Danny Aiello, Jennifer Tilly, Linda Blair, Michael Lerner, Sally Kirkland, Gary Busey, Bruce Davison, , Richard Dreyfuss, Cathy Moriarty, Kathleen Quinlan, Eric Roberts, Lynn Redgrave, Robert Forster, Diane Ladd, Caroll Baker, Rip Torn, Charles Durning, Dean Stockwell, Robert Stack, Theodore Bikel, Don Murray, Cliff Robertson, William H. Macy, Samantha Eggar, Kevin McCarthy, Glynis Johns, Terry Moore, Burt Young, Karen Black, Eddie Albert, George Chakiris, James Cromwell, Red Buttons, Ernest Borgnine, Anthony Franciosa, Shirley Jones, Elliott Gould, Tony Curtis, Martin Landau, David Paymer, Robert Loggia, Renee Taylor, Joe Bologna, Rod Steiger, Brenda Vaccaro, Shirley Knight, James Whitmore, Shelley Winters, Pat Morita, Patricia Neal, Stuart Whitman, Carrie Snodgrass, Seymour Cassel, Lesley Ann Warren, Russ Tamblyn, Maximillian Schell, Sally Kellerman and Mickey Rooney.

The bottom line is, it's going to be a fun time, wild Oscar party, and a great event.

Stay tuned.

The View's Sherri Shepherd with Jess Cagle on Oscar Red Carpet

More Oscar Buzz just six days from The Academy Awards. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has annouced that The View's Sherri Shepherd (pictured) will join Jess Cagle and the legendary Kathy Ireland on Oscar's Red Carpet Sunday, March 7th.

According to AMPAS, it's Sherri Shepherd's first time as a Red Carpet hostess, while Jeff Cagle, the managing editor of Entertainment Weekly will turn in his second consecutive year as a Red Carpet host. Cagle's interviewed some of Hollywood's biggest stars.

Meanwhile Kathy Ireland is indeed, legendary. The model-turned-businesswoman has built kathy ireland Worldwide, based on a line of clothing Kmart gave her. Now, the home and fashion design firm has annual sales of $1.4 billion.

The Oscar Red Carpet program will start at 8 PM EST, 5 PM PST.

Tyler Perry a presenter at Oscars; needs to use Twitter!

Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) secured Tyler Perry, a man much admired by this blogger and who went from homelessness to creating his own film organization and brand, to be a presenter at the Oscars, the 82nd Annual Academy Awards.

So we were waiting for Tyler Perry to tweet the news to his over 98,000 followers. And waiting. And waiting. And still waiting. Tyler Perry hasn't used Twitter to tweet anything since February 11th.

And on that day, he tweeted this:

This Sunday night, I’m going to be on Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC! This is a two-hour special episode! Check it out!
11:11 AM Feb 11th via web

So Tyler Perry can tell the World he's on Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC, but not on the 82nd Annual Academy Awards...on ABC?

With all of the awards and praise Precious, a movie Tyler Perry executive produced, has received, you'd think he would work Twitter to tell the World? Nope. AMPAS gives him the biggest stage in the entertainment world, so we get a tweet. None. But we get Extreme Makeover Home Edition on ABC.

Horrible. Tyler Perry, we want to know how you feel about AMPAS selecting you as a presenter at Sunday's Academy Awards! Just tweet it!

A Nightmare on Elm Street remake movie trailer 2010 - the next Megan Fox?

Related searches: robert englund, rooney mara, horror movies, Nightmare on Elm Street, michael bay, megan fox, transformers, Nightmare on Elm Street review, Jackie Earle Haley Human Target

A Nightmare on Elm Street has been remade by Michael Bay. The remake of this horror classic and one of this blogger's college favorites is to be released not far after IRS Tax Day April 15th, specifically April 30th 2010.

This A Nightmare on Elm Street remake movie trailer gives a look at the new movie. The reported idea is this is a "reboot" much as J.J. Abrams 2009 Star Trek was a successful reboot of the classic television show and movie franchise.

But two questions. First, does this new Freddy Krueger out do the original, played by Robert Englund. And is Rooney Mara the next Megan Fox?

First, many agree that Robert Englund gave Freddy Krueger a timelessly hateful character that was also very funny. Englund played Freddy Krueger with such maniacal energy that no one could see another actor playing the steel-handed dream-state psychotic. Enter Jackie Earle Haley from Fox's TV series Human Target.

Jackie Earle Haley has Englund's blessing: "I'm real happy with Jackie", said Englund in a recent interview at FearNet. "I'm a fan". But are you happy with Jackie Earle Haley? Is he scary enough? Look at the trailer and then take the poll below this blog post.

Second, is Rooney Mara, who plays the role of Nancy Thompson in the new A Nightmare on Elm Street, the next Megan Fox? It was Michael Bay who gave Megan Fox the platform that made her a star when he cast her for the Transformers series. Does Rooney Mara have the same star quality?

It's hard to tell how much of Rooney Mara we will see in A Nightmare on Elm Street, so it's best to hold off a final verdict here. (Moreover, as Rooney Mara overseas the nonprofit Faces of Kibera, an organization that provides resources for orphans in Kibera, a slum in Nairobi, Kenya, any comparison with Megan Fox, who has no such organization as of this writing, would stop there.)

But we do see a lot of Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger. Let us know what you think; first impressions are everything. Does Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger live up to Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger? This poll will run through the year and beyond!

Vote!

More celebrity quizzes on pollsb.com

Recent large earthquakes in first two months of 2010 indicate trend

Related searches: Chile earthquake, Haiti earthquake, Argentina earthquake, Venezuela earthquake, Japan earthquake, Bay Area earthquake.

Recent large earthquakes in the first two months of 2010 and in Haiti, Argentina, Venezuela, Eureka, California, north of Chicago, Japan, and Chile, would seem to indicate a trend, and not a good one.

First, the rate comes to about one major earthquake every two weeks. Second, the US Geological Survey reports that earthquakes of over 7 on the Richter Scale are still constant in number, not increasing or decreasing.

The USGS also claims that we should expect to learn of 17 major quakes in one year and one great earthquake in any one year.

Chile was the great earthquake at 8.8 on the Richter Scale,

But while the USGS claims the earthquake frequency is not off the norm compared with years 2000 through 2009, no one has made a comparison of time frames.

In other words, was there a moment in World history where we had so many large earthquakes within such a short period of time? As of this writing, there's no documentation of such a frequency of quakes as the one the World has seen this year, with so many large quakes in a two month period.

Stay tuned for more updates on this topic.

Hockey Overtime Rules aside, USA v. Canada a classic hockey game

Related searches: olympic hockey overtime rules, hockey icing explained, hockey offsides, hockey overtime, hockey penalties, winter olympics, canada hockey, team usa

For some reason undoubtedly connected to (our) America's loss to Canada "Hockey Overtime Rules" are being searched for often this Sunday evening. But aside from that and whatever rules questions their may be, USA v. Canada was a classic hockey game.

USA v. Canada ended tragically; Canada won 3 to 2 in overtime and with Sidney Crosby, or "Sid the Kid" as he's called, delivering the puck shot heard 'round the sports World. He somehow got a shot pass Team USA goalie Ryan Miller and into the USA goal for a win that stunned Team USA as much as it sent the Canadian home crowd into a frenzy. This meant a lot to Canada.



Rebecca Bollwitt, who's done a great job covering the Winter Olympics and its impact on Vancouver's culture at her blog Miss604.com, wrote

This was arguably the biggest game in our nation’s history. It wasn’t the Summit Series, but it was the Olympic gold medal game on our home turf, against our continental brothers. The USA played hard, Miller stood on his head to stop us, and they even made us sweat… a lot. You couldn’t have imagined this match up and you couldn’t have fathomed that this game would go into overtime with Crosby scoring the winning goal.

Indeed, it was hard to fathom as for the first half it looked as if Canada was going to run away with the Gold Medal contest with at one point a 2-0 lead. But then Canada lost the lead as Team USA tied the game with 24.4 seconds remaining, according to ESPN.

What happened in overtime is still a nightmare for anyone rooting for the USA. Why Ryan Miller pushed the puck to the right, rather than fired it as far away from the goal as he could is a question still fresh in the mind of this blogger. Because of that, Canada played a good portion of the overtime in USA territory before the score that ended the game.

It would have been nice to see Canada lose to America. Someone has to say it. Cue up Blame Canada and all their "hockey hullabaloo". They were so wanting this Winter Olympics win because, by God, they invented Hockey!

The Hockey Overtime Rules where each team loses a player would not be an issue if Team USA beat Canada. The bottom line is America had its chance and almost pulled out a Herculean win.

It was not to be.

Well, Canada, you've got it. But only for four years.

Congratulations.

President Barack Obama offers his condolences to Chile

From the AP -

President Barack Obama offered his condolences to Chile and says the U.S. stands ready to assist. He also urges residents in California and Hawaii to heed all tsunami warnings. (Feb. 27)

Mariah Carey thanks Oakland on Twitter

Mariah Carey, the sultry-voiced singer and actress who performed so well in Precious, in town for a concert at the Oracle Arena Friday night, took time to thank Oakland on Twitter. This is Mariah Carey's tweet:

I had so much fun last night! Thank you again Oakland! In Vegas now Baby! Come see me @ Haze @ Aria later..its
about 13 hours ago via web

The Oakland Tribune called the concert "flawless" and "diva-licious". That's a new one: Diva-licious.

A YouTuber at the concert captured this video of Mariah Carey performing H.A.T.E.U and Hero:



Stay tuned.

USA vs Canada gold medal game time 12 noon PST, 3 PM EST

Unbelievably, the USA vs Canada gold medal hockey game is really and happening today, and the game time 12 noon PST, 3 PM EST.

If the USA can beat the Canadians twice it will be a severe blow to Canadian national pride. This blogger predicts a massive flow of Canadians relocating to the United States in the weeks after this contest, should Canada lose.

According to VegasSports and other sites, Canada's favored to win this second game. Canada has seven Olympic gold medals in the sport; the USA two. America's trying to become the second team to sweep the Olympics hockey tournament. The 1988 Soviet Union squad was the other team to do it.

If Canada wins, Americans will just carry on with the typical Sunday habits of going to church and watching 60 minutes.

Stay tuned. GO USA!

2010 Chile Earthquake - building Chile donations list

Related searches: chile earthquake 2010, chile earthquake pictures, chile earthquake 1960 pictures, chile earthquake 2010 epicenter, chile earthquake death toll

Take one day off, and Chile has an earthquake! As you know the 8.8 2010 Chile Earthquake is the largest recorded this year and in some time. but it seems the level of interest in donating is not as great as that for Haiti as of this writing. Still, getting the word out about where to donate is vitally important. Some of the organizations for Haiti-relief may have Chile-related programs or pages; it's worth a check below. There are two sections: the first for known Chile-specific programs, and the second a repost of donation organizations for Haiti that may have programs for Chile.

Chile-specific programs known as of this writing:

AmeriCares - AmeriCares is "mobilizing our emergency response teams and the medicines, medical supplies and other humanitarian aid people in crisis will need" and asks for your help. The donations page is here: AmeriCares Chile

The American Red Cross - has committed 50,000 to the Chile effort; you can read about that and donate here: American Red Cross Chile

The Salvation Army - has a page on the Chile disaster here: Salvation Army Chile

T-Moble "Text for Chile" - If, like this blogger, you're a T-Mobile user, you can donate to Chile via text message. T-Mobile reports that 100 percent of your donation will go to the nonprofit organizations that they say are providing Chilean aide:

Text the word “CHILE” to 25383 to donate $10 on behalf of Habitat for Humanity
Text the word “CHILE” to 20222 to donate $10 on behalf of World Vision
Text the word “CHILE” to 52000 to donate $10 on behalf of the Salvation Army

I will add more organizations as time and information progresses. If there is a specific program that should be listed here, please email us at zennie@zennie62.com and I will post it. I also apologize if the response is late, as in the Haiti case, it was due to the number of emails that came in.

Haiti-specific donation organizations; check to determine Chile-related aide efforts. (Note, some of the organizations are obviously Haiti-only.)

American Jewish World Service - Has a special Haiti-relief effort underway. From the press release:

"We are assessing where the gaps in service are and putting a process in place to help specific communities that might not be immediately served otherwise," said AJWS's vice president for programs, Aaron Dorfman. "Because of the economic and political situation in Haiti, disasters like this have devastating consequences throughout the country. Our long-standing partnerships with grassroots organizations in Haiti allow us to reach the poorest and most remote populations with the speed necessary to save lives."

American Red Cross (Reportedly has contributed $200,000 to Haiti relief.)

AmeriCares Help For Haiti. Goes to their International Disaster Relief Fund.

American Friends Service Committee - From the email:

American Friends Service Committee is seeking donations for immediate Haiti relief. This (Nobel Peace Prize winning) organization has a strong track record for efficient delivery of aid that actually goes to those in need.

AMURT is Ananda Marga Universal Relief Team - From the website:

AMURT & AMURTEL staff and volunteers are already on the ground and support teams are flying there in the coming days to assist in the operation. We have a decade of experience with relief work in Haiti and facilitate many ongoing development projects there. We are going to respond to this calamity fast and effectively and we are committed to stay as long as it takes to alleviate the suffering this natural disaster has brought about.

CARE - Reportedly has an ongoing program that focuses on food, water, and health security in Haiti  For program info: http://www.care.org/careswork/countryprofiles/61.asp (donation link is in the name itself.)

Catholic Relieft Services - From an email:

Please add Catholic Relief Services to the list of organizations responding in Haiti. CRS has already committed to a $5 million emergency response, and its 300 staff in Haiti are well-positioned to commence immediate relief activities. CRS works with many local partner organizations in Haiti. Website: www.crs.org

Caritas Internationalis - From the email and website:

Caritas Internationalis always gets primary aid and medical workers on the ground very rapidly as it has a large network of charities and sister organizations. Caritas has been unable to contact its staff in the capital, although CRS has report the CRS office is intact and the staff present there at the time of the quake are safe. Please pray for the safety of all our staff and all the people of Haiti. An international emergency response team is deploying in Haiti, including Caritas Internationalis Communications Officer Michelle Hough.

Chuck Simmins also has this blog - http://northshorejournal.org/haiti-earthquake-aid - of coverage of the Haiti Earthquake Disaster and where to donate, including any organizations that may not be listed here.

Compassion International - From email:

Compassion International is already established in the Haiti, with Nationals in position to distribute aid. Take a look at their web site at Compassion.com They are a highly rated child advocacy ministry. They would be a good addition to your list.

Direct Relief International - From email:

Direct Relief International is aiding Haiti. They have a fantastic record of supplying medical supplies and aid.  (Based in Santa Barbara.)  

Doctors without Borders - Updated web page to reflect their Haiti assistance efforts.

Faith In Action International  - Founded in 1997 by Tom Braak, Faith in Action International is a Christian, grass-roots organization whose goal is to tangibly express God's love to people living in impoverished communities.

Famine Relief Foundation - From email:

My Name is Pastor Mark Dreibelbis.

My Orphanage is in Citi Soleil, Haiti We are located down by the loading docks in Port Au Prince.

We are 7 miles from the epicenter of the quake.
We need donations badly!

Our organization is Famine Relief Foundation
The website is:
Faminerelieffoundation.com

Our orphanage is called Mission Ranch Orphanage
We are 501c3 here in the states and a registered NGO in Haiti.

Please get us on the donation list we need immediate help.

In His service

Pastor Mark Dreibelbis
President
Famine Relief Foundation
Mission Ranch Orphanage

Habitat for Humanity - HFH has a special Haiti page. They're seeking financial support.

HaitiArise - HaitiArise has provided education and relief for the past six years. It's a registered Canadian charity and reports that 100 percent of donated funds go directly to Haiti.

Haiti Emergency Relief Fund - by Vanguard Public Foundation in San Francisco. Established for Haiti before the Earthquake.

International Medical Corps - From their website:

International Medical Corps’ Emergency Response Team is on the way to Haiti, focusing on providing lifesaving medical care and relief to survivors of this devastating earthquake.

Islamic Relief - Islamic Relief has launched an appeal for £1 million to respond to the disaster.

Life In Haiti - Founded in 2007 by R.J. (Bob) Davisson. They have a school in Chabin and report they're providing education to 400 children.

Life For The World - From an email:

My friends and my chldren at my orphanage and school are in deep trouble in Haiti. Eight years ago I built an orphanage and school in Source Matelas, Haiti called Maranatha Orphanage and School. We have 150+ children. We also feed thousands of the poor and befriend Haitians in Bon Repo and Port Au Prince. I personally know thousands of people that have been devastated by this disaster.

I am an American and you can go to our website at www.lifefortheworld.com and click on the lower right hand side to see the 50+ videos I have posted of our work and you will see me in at least half of them doing the work of feeding the poor in Port au prince and at our orphanage. We are seeking donations on our website to help the displaced with food, shelter and other necessities in the distressed areas of Port au Prince. You can also check out our facebook by searching facebook at "lifefortheworld".

Thank you for your support of our distressed brothers and sisters in Haiti!

Lutheran World Relief - From the website:

Lutheran World Relief is responding to the affected communities through its partners on the ground in Haiti. The coming days are critical as teams dispatch to Haiti to conduct search and rescue efforts. LWR anticipates a large response. Every dollar donated to this life-saving effort is critical to providing the necessary emergency support to the people of Haiti.

Merlin-USA - From an email:

In the aftermath of a massive earthquake that hit Haiti last night, Merlin has launched an emergency appeal to bring urgent humanitarian aid and assistance to those affected. Early reports suggest many buildings have sustained massive damage, including hospitals. Port-au-Prince and the surrounding area is very densely populated and millions of people have been affected. Merlin is assembling a team to assess the damage and health needs in the disaster zone. The team will arrive in Haiti on tomorrow, January 14th. Their first task will be to assess the most urgent medical needs, likely to be water, sanitation, shelter and disease prevention...Our initial fundraising target is $500,000 which will cover one month of the emergency response.

Mercy Corps - Mercy Corps' website is devoted to the Haiti Earthquake Disaster; they're deploying a team bound for Haiti now.

Mountain Top Ministries - Based in Chicago, they're organizing a medical team to go to Haiti.

Operation Blessing International - Operation Blessing International, the 7th largest international charity, has disaster relief teams on the ground and more en route. They are currently assessing the damage and beginning relief efforts.

Oxfam-America - From an email:

Has a Haiti Earthquake Response Fund. I choose them because they already had people in Haiti working on programs and created the donation link on their website within 2 hours.

Partners in Health - You can use the drop-down menu to specify donations to Haiti.

Real Help for Haiti - From the website:

The missionaries of RHFH count it an honor and a priviledge to serve the Haitian people. We trust as you prayerfully consider how to support what God is doing among the Haitian people, you too will see the beauty of the Haitians and be challanged and changed as well.

Sirona Cares - Has a trip scheduled for next Tuesday.  Michelle Lacourciere's the Director. You can contact her at the link to the blog.  The blog itself features posts on Haiti efforts and stories before the Earthquake struck.

The Salvation Army - The Salvation Army is active and on the ground in Haiti.  A representative was just on CNN's Larry King tonight.


Three Angels Children's Relief - Reportedly has a school and medical clinic in Petionville. 

Touch Ministries -  Recommended but no Haiti-specific page or announcement as of this writing.  




Yele Haiti - Wyclef Jean's Haiti initiative to assist his native Haiti.

UNICEF - UNICEF has set up a special page for donations for the children of Haiti. In an email, UNICEF's Alissa Pinck reports: "UNICEF’s country office in Haiti and the regional office located in Panama is on the ground and have already deployed emergency teams to assess the situation and determine what the additional emergency needs are for the people of Haiti."

What If Foundation - From the email:

I read your entry regarding Haitian aid donations; the What If? foundation is heavily involved with a feeding and education program for children in St Clare parish. As of the last report they have not been able to reach their contacts but continue to try, and will doubtless be active in assisting the people affected by this disaster. Please view their website at www.whatiffoundation.org and consider including them on your list.

William J. Clinton Foundation - From an email and the website:

My UN office and the rest of the UN system are monitoring the situation. While we don't yet know the full impact of this 7.0-magnitude earthquake, we do know that the survivors need immediate help. There's a way you can help Haiti recover and rebuild right now. (The link takes you to a special page for Haiti relief.)

World Vision - Has a Haiti-specific page with a range of donation levels.  The organization says they're on the ground in Haiti already.

If there are any Haiti-specific efforts not listed here, please send an email to zennie@zennie62.com and this entry will be updated.

Desiree Rogers resigns from White House, gives in to Black Haters Group

White House Social Secretary Desiree Rogers resigned Friday, telling the New York Times that she did so after talking with herself about the idea. The NY Times reports Desiree Rogers said "It's a conversation with oneself, is that what I want to do, what is going to make me the happiest?"

But what Desiree Rogers did by leaving the White House she will come to regret by the end of the year. Rogers caved in to the black haters group or "BHG"; a set of African Americans in and around Washingon D.C. who acted as if they were jealous of Rogers' role as the first African American White House Social Secretary.

Rather than give Desiree Rogers behind the scenes advice, these members of what this blogger calls the BHG embarked on a whispered smear campaign that turned into a yell when Rogers bacame the fall person in the White House Partygate Scandal.

The person this blogger places in the BHG is long-time Washington journalist April Ryan of Urban Radio. If you remember, it was Ryan who appeared at the White House Press Briefing twice and to specifically, loudly, and revealingly complain about Desiree Rogers.

In short, Ryan's questioning came off more as a massive rant, peppered with the necessary cues to let the World know that Ryan was a defiant black woman that should not be messed with. Something this blogger applauds, but not when it's done in the process of smearing another black woman.

White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs did not handle himself well here, but in fairness, Ryan's behavior would have tested the very best press secretary in history.

Fine. Get upset over health care reform's slow progress or the high unemployment rate, but The White House Social Secretary? Come on? April Ryan's rants - she appeared twice - were so over the top, CNN's Don Lemon had a graphic that read "April...Calm down."



Ryan's behavior was so terrible that the question "Is April Ryan out to get Desiree Rogers" was on the minds of many observers, like Joni Reynolds of The Daily Voice. This blogger wondered if Ryan was really upset for not, herself, being invited to the State Dinner.

My suspicion was confirmed when April Ryan was interviewed by Lemon on CNN:

RYAN: And, typically, I've been at the White House for 13 years in January. Thirteen years. And during that time, I have been able to cover many events and, also, I have been an invited guest by two presidents to two State Dinners, myself, and other events at the White House I've been invited to by presidents. So I know how a lot of it happens at the gate.

Now this is where CNN's Don Lemon really buried the lead. Ryan all but admitted to Lemon that she was upset for not getting an invitation to the Obama's version of The State Dinner. After, all, Ryan was the guest of "two presidents to two State Dinners" so it's a safe bet she expected an invite to the State Dinner of America's first black President. Ryan did't get one, and it set her off big time.

Gina over at Michelle Obama Watch also points to not just Ryan's behavior but that of Washington Post Staff Writer and Fashion Editor Robin Givhan, who is seen as another member of the BHG (who, like April Ryan is African American, though not every member of the BHG is black) and spends much of her column essentially trashing Rogers for being confident, extroverted, and attractive.

Uh, did Robin Givhan miss out on the State Dinner, too? While Givhan's too clever to admit what Ryan did to Lemon, it's a fair bet she wasn't there either.

Witness:

But Rogers has never been an introvert. The New Orleans native has waved to the crowds from a perch atop a Mardi Gras float. In Chicago, she was known for her eclectic mix of guests at her dazzling parties. She has stood up to dance by herself in cocktail bars, as friends sat by and watched in amusement. She is a coquettish life-of-the-party.

Note that Robin Givhan doesn't accuse Rogers of such behavior while Rogers was in The White House, making Givhan's piece nothing more than character assassination.

Indeed, attacking Rogers has been a sports or sorts, sloppily done. Even The Huffington Post got into the act, reporting that Rogers attended New York's Fashion Week, but failing to explain that she did so in 2009, not in 2010.

But the biggest, most powerful member of the BHG is Desiree Rogers herself, and with respect to her decision to listen to that crowd. By doing so, Rogers robs herself of the chance to grow in the position and fails to leave a positive legacy of work as White House Social Secretary. Every time Rogers name comes up, and her accomplishments are discussed, the conversation will always be followed by "yeah, but" and that's too bad.

Meanwhile, the next White House Social Secretary is reportedly a white woman, thus calming the fears of the BHG, who can't stand to see someone black, female, confident, and extroverted in a role they  think should be filled by a  white female who remembered to invite them to the next State Dinner.  

Precious leads winners at NAACP Image Awards

Related searches: image awards, naacp, naacp awards, naacp wiki, naacp image awards 2010, Precious NAACP Image Awards, naacp precious

As reported, the gripping Lee Daniels modern classic that is Precious got well-deserved respect at the 41st NAACP Image Awards, Friday night. Precious beat The Blind Side, Invictus, Michael Jackson's: This Is It", and
"The Princess and the Frog" for the NAACP Image Awards Best Picture nod.

Precious not only won Best Picture, but it scored outstanding independent film, outstanding actress in a motion picture (Gabourey Sidibe who's photo is to the left), and best supporting actress (Mo'Nique). But most of all, Precious wins made a statement that African Americans had in full force embraced a very real movie about very real problems in American Society, and not just in the black community.

Moreover, because the winners were chosen by online vote, the results do reflect a broad cross-section of America and the World, and not just African Americans. Precious' victory marks a first turning point in a maturation of how the World looks at people of color and how people of color look at themselves.

While it's not a front running pick in any awards category, it will be interesting to see how Precious does at the Oscars.

Stay tuned.

If government-run health care is an evil, socialist plot, why do 55 Republican Congress members participate?

As of October, 151 Congressmen had "government-controlled" health care insurance plans. That's close to 30% of our elected officials. 55 Republicans on that list have steadfastly opposed other Americans getting the public option, like the one they have chosen.

Here's the list.

If they think government controlled health-care is a problem, why do they continue to trust it for themselves and their families?

Thomas Hayes is an entrepreneur, journalist, and political analyst who contributes regularly to a host of web sites on topics ranging from economics and politics to culture and community.

Berkeley Riot: students battle police on Telegraph Av, Thursday

Related searches: UC Berkeley, student day of action, UC Regents, Cal Berkeley, Berkeley riots

Very late on a Thursday night that saw Cal Basketball get to one win from the Pac-10 Title, Berkeley saw a riot: people - some students, others not - battled Berkeley police on Telegraph Avenue, not far from Haas Pavilion.

According to The Daily Californian, the late night melee started as an occupation of Durant Hall as prelude to the March 4th statewide "Day of Action" and it became a fight with Berkeley and BART Police that included an estimated 200 people, burning trash cans, throwing glass jugs of wine, and damaging a retail establishment.

The video below captures the scene at the point where the police formed a wall along Telegraph Avenue blocking access to the intersection of Bancroft and Telegraph Avenue. In the video, the woman was talking about how police punched her in the nose, when they just quickly arrested her as she was talking:



UPDATE: ABC News video:



The Daily Cal reports:

Several protesters occupied Durant Hall in support of the statewide day of action on March 4, according to a statement given by Asaf Shalev, a spokesperson for the occupiers. Shalev is a former employee of The Daily Californian.

About 15 occupiers occupied the hall since around 11:15 p.m, according to Callie Maidhof, a student organizer and UC Berkeley graduate student. People appeared to be moving in and out of the building and some were on the roof.

Around 1:30 a.m., people appeared to be leaving the hall and marching to Upper Sproul Plaza. Protesters marched onto the intersection of Telegraph Ave. and Bancroft Way throwing over trash cans. One individual broke the window to Subway.

The blog UC Regents (Live) reports that Durant Hall was selected as the place to occupy because the protesters say increased student fees were used to finance a construction bond of $1.3 billion to re-start a once-stalled renovation process. This is a reprint of the organizer's manifesto:

Why Durant Hall?

This communique was issued by organizers of the event….

Architecture has, like other growing phenomena, to go to school before it can wisely be emancipated. It is a distinctly promising sign of future power, for a young people . . . to forget self for the time being in the quiet, assiduous acquisition of knowledge already established by others. The time for fresh personal expression will come later.

–John Galen Howard, 1913
Accelerate: we are here to help architecture make the leap to emancipation. The architect John Galen Howard, who designed and oversaw the construction of what is now called Durant Hall at the beginning of the last century, was a hesitant man. We say: the time for fresh personal expression is now! There is no question that we are already the product of other people’s assiduously accumulated knowledges, so many that they become impossible to catalog exhaustively. The accumulation of knowledge is a library, perhaps, but it is also a struggle, a movement, a tactic. Likewise, the acquisition of knowledge does not have to be quiet — next to the sound system, self is forgotten and the commune emerges. The dance party: a distinctly promising sign of present power.

Future power too. On March 4, UC Berkeley students, workers, and faculty will march in solidarity with those from other UCs, CSUs, community colleges, and K-12 schools across California and the country as a whole. Like this building, reclaimed from the graveyard of financial speculation, we will reclaim the streets of Oakland in conjunction with an international day of action for public education to be free and democratic.

For the last two years, Durant Hall has been little more than a shell, surrounded by piles of rubble and heavy machinery, themselves surrounded by uneven rows of chain-link fencing. No longer is there any trace of the library it once was — the East Asian Library, now moved across campus to a new building named after an insurance mogul who founded the notorious AIG. Language has been uprooted, pruned, and replanted as well. The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures went with the library, and in the process lost half its Japanese, Korean, and Chinese classes as well as the faculty that taught them — over 1,500 curious students will be turned away this year. Subtracted from the flow of campus life, Durant Hall has existed only as a barrier, an inconvenience, a silent witness to the frustration of the thousands of students, workers, and faculty protesters who surrounded the neighboring Wheeler Hall and clashed with police last November.
But apparent emptiness conceals the movement beneath the surface, behind its fenced-off walls: capital flows through its veins. “Capital Projects,” the administration of the University of California calls them. As we now know, the UC administration has used not only students’ tuition, but also the promise of future tuition increases, to secure the bonds and bond ratings necessary to channel ever increasing resources into construction projects. They will always need more money, and it will always be our money. A general concern that changes the way we see the campus that surrounds us. But if there is one building in particular that exemplifies this process, it is Durant Hall: its renovation was halted in 2008 for lack of funds, and only started up again after the administration sold $1.3 billion in construction bonds last May backed by our fee hike as collateral. Its melancholy fate is to become yet another administration building. Durant Hall will be inhabited by deans and staff of the College of Letters and Science, but it has already been occupied by a bloated administration with private capital on its mind.

Capital, like architecture, is a growing phenomenon, but one that never matures. It pushes outward continuously in all directions, always presupposing an endless, spiraling expansion. New endpoints replace old ones in smooth succession, projecting themselves onto the grid of the future, erasing languages, knowledges, and histories that do not fit easily into the right angles of its blueprints. But we will not let their future bulldoze our present. We have our own bulldozers: dance parties to reclaim dead buildings, marches to reclaim the streets. On March 4, fight back!
ESCALATE-OCCUPY-RECLAIM
Signed,

The College of Debtors in Defiance.

Stay tuned.

For DISH Network Charles W. Ergen: DISH equipment scam must stop

DISH Network is a company I use for cable access. The programming availability is competitive, but I really have DISH so that I can look at my TV show, The Blog Report with Zennie62 as it comes on The DISH Network.

But this is what's very bothersome about DISH Network: they sent a receiver that malfunctioned, but then and contrary to what they promised, didn't send a shipping box to return the equipment with a paid waybill.

The end result is a system where you the consumer ends up paying for the cost - $300 - of equipment they made just because it failed to work. And that's the other issue - the receivers apparently stop working for unknown reasons because the matter of having to return it is all too common.

On top of that, DISH Network representatives are really awful. They argued with this blogger at length and tried to turn a phone conversation into a high school debate.   They explained that I was to place the receiver in the box that the new receiver came in, but that was after another DISH Network rep told me that they were going to send a box!

I told the person, a DISH Network rep called Tom and his supervisor Rodriguez, that I would take the matter up with Charles W. Ergen the CEO of DISH and the appropriate DISH staffers (Like Tom Cullen, Dish Network's executive vice president of sales).

They didn't believe me.

DISH Network should really stop its practice of charging consumers for defective receiver products. What DISH is trying to do is eliminate what in business is called the "cost of goods sold" by creating a scenario where a defective product (the cost of goods sold that are bad) is actually paid for by the customer. That's not right. Moreover, it may be illegal to do in California.

Stay tuned.

Growing Pains actor found dead; friends Facebook page for Andrew Koenig gone

Related searches: andrew koenig, walter koenig, growing pains, andrew koenig growing pains, andrew koenig actor

As announced here earlier, Andrew Koenig, the son of Star Trek TOS star Walter Koenig, was found dead Thursday of an apparent suicide. Friends and Family of Andrew went to 1,000 acre Stanley Park on Thursday and made the discovery of Andrew's body themselves, according to the Boston Globe. They found Koenig's body in a heavily wooded area 100 feet of what is called The Bridal Path. It could not be seen from walking along a path.

Walter Koenig was nearby when his son's body was discovered.

Over last weekend, and the week before, friends and family of Andrew Koenig used the Facebook page of burlesque artist Jenny Magenta, with whom Andrew stayed with. For reasons not known to this blogger, Jenny's entire Facebook page is down, gone.

The observation that Andrew Koenig committed suicide has not yet been officially confirmed as of this writing.

If anyone has information on why Jenny Magenta removed the Facebook page, please email this blogger at zennie@zennie62.com. Of all the Facebook pages on Andrew, hers was the most important since she was one of the people who saw him just before he passed away.

Health Care Summit: John Boehner panned on Twitter

Related searches: Twitter, John Boehner, Barack Obama, John McCain, Republicans and Democrats, Health Care Reform, Health Care politics, Nancy Pelosi, Harry Reid, Boehner tanning color, GOP and health care

The 7.5-hour-long Health Care Summit of Thursday is history and one clear message has been sent: Republican House Minority leader John Boehner (R- Ohio) does not play well on Twitter. While Democrats view the Health Care Summit as proof that it's almost impossible to close ranks with the GOP on Health Care Reform, they may get some Republican cross-over once the GOP gets the news of how the public responded to their performance at the Summit, especially that of Boehner.

At one point in the day, Boehner was the fourth-largest trending topic on Twitter, and that status only started to fade after the news of the death of actor Andrew Koenig propagated through the Internet.

Twitter is a valuable resource for determining unvarnished public opinion. In this case, John Boehner needs a makeover.

While Boehner the topic was hot on Twitter, and even when it was not, Representative Boehner the elected official was taking a beating on the Health Care Summit. When the tweets didn't focus on his "orange" tan, they zeroed in on his performance.

Many of the tweets also praised President Barack Obama, even many tweets from Republican supporters expressed displeasure with Boehner against the President; others read that Obama "schooled" Boehner.

myrnatheminx @QueenofSpain Boehner is still tan
26 minutes ago from TweetDeck

justmelidia “The American people want us to scrap this bill,” said House GOP Leader John Boehner of Ohio. Hmmm - Which... http://tumblr.com/xtv6todgy
26 minutes ago from Tumblr

mistymaiden RT @shannynmoore: RT @Greytdog: Boehner keeps talking about a "clean sheet of paper". . . someone hand that man some toilet paper to wipe up all his bullshit
27 minutes ago from TweetDeck

T1theinfamous @QueenofSpain Boehner got pwned by the president,republicans had a hissy fit and nothing got accomplished
30 minutes ago from web

mwk4HCR @sfgeek Boehner strikes me as a slimy character.Pure eviil works too. I think of him as Bonehead-which is nicer than what I used to call him
30 minutes ago from web

QueenofSpain Now while I monitor the child laying in bed... someone please tell me what happened as I fled the summit for the ER somewhere around Boehner

genjunky @RepDaveCamp The republicans did'nt do enough. Where was the anger when Obama said to McCain we are not Campaiging anymore, Boehner weak!
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck

sfgeek @mwk4HCR It's like watching Einstein argue with apes. And is it me or Does Boehner strike the same 'Pure evil' chord that Cheney did?
about 1 hour ago from TweetDeck

Balkingpoints #failedGOP #hcr #hc10 #p2 #obama - #hcrsummit exposed McConnel and Boehner as transparent liars
about 1 hour ago from web

adamisacson Did you know that too much Vitamin A makes your skin turn orange? I bet John Boehner can read 4-point type in the dark.
about 1 hour ago from Brizzly

mytngenes RT @bccohan: RT @GOPLeader: NBC Nightly News: Boehner Holds White House Accountable on Taxpayer Funding of Abortion http://bit.ly/bxsapc
about 1 hour ago from UberTwitter

shmoove I'm only just watching the #HCS now. Is Boehner afraid to talk? He keeps yeilding.
about 1 hour ago from web

SteelSun1 RT @GOPLeader: Boehner: Democrats Shameful for Targeting U.S. Intelligence Professionals for Criminal Prosecution http://bit.ly/bqCl5j
about 1 hour ago from HootSuite

omaha_ Obama Does Play Professor To Boehner's Petulant School Kid: http://bit.ly/buqR2g via @addthis
about 2 hours ago from web

Those tweets capture the flavor - both in percentage and in tone - of what was tweeted during and after the Health Care Summit. If Representative Boehner and Republicans think they scored points with the American public, Twitter shows they failed miserably.

City of Oakland Parking Issue: Oakland policy harms poor? Told you so!

Related searches: City of Oakland, Oakland, parking enforcement, car traffic, bay area parking laws, parking and racism, classism, oakland budget, california politics, oakland blogs, east oakland

The latest news in the City of Oakland Parking Issue comes from an San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate report that the City of Oakland deliberately avoided issuing tickets in the Broadway Terrace and Montclair areas of Oakland, after the discovery of a July 24th memo written by City of Oakland Parking Supervisor Ronald Abernathy,

Why some are surprised is a laugher to this blogger, especially since this space has been devoted to explaining that the City of Oakland was working to balance its budget on the backs of Oakland's poor, and that tickets have been issued at odd hours of the early morning. Moreover, Oakland has also worked to order new parking meters, even though the cost to obtain them is greater than the revenue return.

Wake up! When will some learn that classism and racism are still alive and well in Oakland? Oakland is a city where the poor of color not only don't have as many advocates but Oakland's poorest sections don't have blogs that represent them.

The point here is information and discussion about Oakland is heavily biased toward a young, white set of bloggers that represents North Oakland and Downtown and seem interested in maintaining the parking strategy that's harming Oakland's poor people, mostly of color. It's just to point out a fact that any study of Oakland media patterns would reveal. The poor in Oakland - especially East Oakland - don't have a media voice; thus policies which harm them remain in place.

But that's a necessary digression.

The Oakland parking cat was always "out of the bag" and to the point that the discovery of a "July 24th memo" confirming what parking observers have always known should come as no surprise. The question is, what is the Oakland City Council going to do about it? But that was the question last year and we saw what happened: nothing at all other than more tickets, more cars towed, and more people put in a terrible position, forced to ride the AC Transit Bus and risk being in the middle of fist-fights between drunks and angry guys with names like "Epic Beard Man."

At least one Oakland Councilmember has vocally supported Oakland's parking policies, yelling in the ear of this blogger that it's necessary to, in effect, squeeze Oakland's poor to balance the city's budget because that politico sees no other way. Seriously.

Where's Councilmember Larry Reid, Desley Brooks, and Ignacio De La Fuente on this issue? And what about the City of Oakland's whistle blower law? If it has any real enforcement teeth, those parking staffers who did come forward and tell the truth should have their jobs next week. The law covers all employees and not a select few. And what about Ronald Abernathy? Does he live in the same Oakland areas his memo protected?

Stay tuned.

Andrew Koenig found dead in Vancouver, Canada

Related searches: Walter Koenig, Growing Pains, AK-47, koenig missing, actor missing in Vancouver, Canada, Koenig son missing

CNN just sent an email that Andrew Koenig, the former star of Growing Pains and the son of Walter Koenig, was found dead in Vancouver, Canada. First, this blogger sends his heartfelt condolences to the Koenig family and to all of his friends and fans, especially those who have taken time to send e-mails with information or just to connect after blog posts on Andrew Koenig were posted.

Andrew Koenig's passing in the middle of the joy that Vancouver should gain from the Winter Olympics is nothing short of sad. This is what CNN's reporting:

(CNN) -- Actor Andrew Koenig, missing since February 14, was found dead in Vancouver, British Colombia, Thursday, a source close to the family told CNN.
The body of the former "Growing Pains" star was found in a park, according to the source, who spoke to Koenig's father after Koenig was informed of the discovery.
The source asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the matter.
Koenig, 41, was reported missing by his parents after he missed a flight to Los Angeles from Vancouver last week.
Vancouver police confirmed a body was found in Stanley Park around noon Thursday, but they would say only that it was "believed to be that of Andrew Koenig."
A police news conference was set for 5 p.m. PT (8 p.m. ET).

This news ends a search that started February 16th after Andrew Koenig was reported missing after staying with friends in Vancouver. Walter Koenig reported that Andrew Koenig was despondent and suffered from depression.   But the news also opens a new set of disturbing questions.

More after the press conference.

Angelina Jolie Salt Movie Trailer - Summer 2010

Related searches: movie trailers, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, Columbia, Sony Pictures, Iron Man 2

Look out. Angelina Jolie is back on film, this time without Brad Pitt, and in a kick-ass movie called Salt. Here's the Salt movie trailer for the Summer 2010 Columbia Pictures movie.

>

Salt has Angelina Jolie playing the role of a spy accused of working to get the President of The United States, only she swears she's innocent!

 The result is a dramatic chase, with Angelina Jolie performing amazing stunts and fights. The real female version of James Bond.

(In fact, the movie does have the feel of the rough, modern Bond in it.)

Stay tuned for more about Angelina Jolie in Salt.

Shamu whale kills trainer: eyewitness account of SeaWorld death

Related: searches: shamu, shamu attack, shamu the killer whale, shamu trainer, shamu attacks trainer

Shamu whale kills trainer Wednesday; videos show eyewitness account of SeaWorld death and give clues to the past of the killer whale named Tilikum.

The Orlando, Florida SeaWorld park was the unfortunate scene of a murder. As reported by the Associated Press, the giant killer whale called Tilikum suddenly attacked and killed its trainer, 40-year-old Dawn Brancheau. Reportedly it's the third time Tilikum has killed a human being, yet this 12,000 pound killer whale was still performing.

SeaWorld trainer Brancheau, had the most experience with Tilikum, though it's said that trainers were forbidden to swim with him.

Videos related to Wednesday's incident are now appearing on YouTube. The first video is an eyewitness account of exactly what happened. A word of warning: the explanation is graphic:



In the video, the woman, Eldon Skaggs, said the "trainer was massaging the whale on his belly, then the whale took off really fast, came around, right up to the glass, popped up and started thrashing, grabbed the trainer by the waist, started thrashing, and her shoe came off. The sirens went off."

Skaggs said that people, including kids, were covering their mouths in disbelief over what they had seen. The park staff yelled and forced people to leave the stadium; eventually the park was closed.

This is the video account by MSNBC:



In this video a "killer whale expert", Jr. Janet Mann of Georgetown, says it's impossible to tell if a killer whale is in an aggressive mood:



In the video below, the Orange County Sheriff's Department said they're conducting a death investigation. It appeared to be an accident, with no sense of fowl play. Then Dan Brown, of Sea World Orlando explained that they too had initiated an investigation. "We have never in the history of our parks experienced an incident like this and all of our standard operating procedures will come under review."



This video below, made by Tilikumtrainer on YouTube (who's name is Rose) in 2007 is one to watch twice. It tells the "life story" of Tilikum. The video reports that Tilikum was born a male Orca calf in 1981 in an Icelandic Pod and spent two years with his mother and and her family until it was taken from them in 1983.

That year, Tilikum was flown to Sealand of the Pacific in Canada, where he performed and lived with two female Orcas that "constantly picked on him", according to the video.

After an incident at Sealand (which must have been the 1991 death of trainer Kelly Byrne), and the birth of his first calf, Tilikum was sold to Sea World Florida in Orlando. He enjoyed a larger pool and was the largest known male at Sea World. While at SeaWorld, Tilikum has sired 15 calves between 1993 and 2007.

The video ends with "Though he was brought in from the wild, we have learned so much with having him and the others around. But one thing's for sure: Tilikum is the wild guy you gotta love...I know I did.

What that means, as of this writing, I do not know. Rose's YouTube channel has a link to a MySpace profile that was deleted. Here's the video:



Stay tuned.

Conan O'Brien on Twitter, for real - @conanobrien

After a hoax Fox Twitter account, Conan O'Brien is really on Twitter, for real. According to Mediaite, On Wednesday, the new, Twitter-verified account called @ConanOBrien was launched, and Conan issued this tweet:

Today I interviewed a squirrel in my backyard and then threw to commercial. Somebody help me.
about 2 hours ago via web

As of this writing, Conan O'Brien has 55,652 followers on Twitter, one of them this blogger. Considering Conan's last tweet was two hours ago, he's got to step up his tweet count.

Come to think of it, so do I.

San Francisco's Haight Ashbury to get surveillance cameras?

The Haight Ashbury, a place in San Francisco known historically for freedom and "free love" is to get surveillance cameras because of an increase in crime, if the Haight Ashbury Improvement Association (HAIA) gets its way.

According to a discussion on "The Wall", a place where San Francisco political news is regularly posted, HAIA President Ted Loewenberg made that announcement this month (February) and posted it on the organization's website. The basic message on the page reads as follows:

On Wednesday, 17 February, 2010, HAIA announced the Street Safety Program, designed to help increase the public safety by increasing the presence of security systems cameras at Upper Haight merchant's storefronts. To reduce the cost to our merchants, HAIA will pay each of the first 10 merchants in the Upper Haight who respond, $100 toward the cost of a security camera / Digital Video Recorder (DVR) system. Having as many as 20 surveillance cameras watching day and night in our commercial areas will give the police the ability to catch criminal behavior in the act, and hopefully increase the successful prosecution of the perpetrators.

Whether it is recording graffiti vandals tagging private property or street thugs intimidating residents on the sidewalks, the cameras should act as a deterrent to illicit behaviors. HAIA recognizes both the problems seen on Haight Street recently, and the weakened economy causing local merchants to struggle to make ends meet. The HAIA Board feels this program is a good use of our resources to help in a substantive way. The technology of such DVRs and cameras have become reasonably priced, and can be applied on a large scale to help our community deal with the challenges of crime through deterrence and prosecution.

The discussion on the proposal over at Able Dart's Forum at SFWall.Net is starting to heat up. One question, not answered as of this writing, is who will pay for the smashed cameras?

Stay tuned.

Oakland Raiders' Richard Seymour gets franchise tag

The Boston Herald reports that the Oakland Raiders Defensive End Richard Seymour, acquired via trade from the New England Patriots just before the start of the 2009 NFL Season, has been given a "franchise tag" by the Raiders.

Ron Borges reports that the Oakland Raiders have been trying to work out a long term deal with Richard Seymour, and the two are still talking.

Borges writes that Seymour says he's happy to remain an Oakland Raider. The cost of his tag is $12.398 million for 2010.

Richard Seymour had 47 tackles and 1 forced fumble in 2009 according to ESPN.

Mosi Tatupu, father of Seattle Seahawks LB Lofa Tatupu, passes at 54

In the NFL news that New England Patriots Running Back Mosi Tatupu, father of Seattle Seahawks LB Lofa Tatupu, has passed at 54 has shocked the league.

No one know why Mosi Tatupu died, only that he did so Tuesday in Sturdy Memorial Hospital Attleboro, Mass, according to WGN, Chicago.

New England Patriots team owner Robert Craft issued this statement:

"I know that I share a heavy heart today with Patriots fans everywhere who have learned of Mosi Tatupu's passing. He was a dominant special teams player and a punishing rusher who loved the Patriots as much as the fans did."

Mosi Tatupu played from 1978 to 1991 and was one of the first successful NFL players of Samoan decent. Tatupu was a standout running back at USC from 1974 to 1977, rushing for 2,415 yards and scoring 18 touchdowns in his NFL career with the Patriots and the LA Rams according to ESPN.

Admiral Ackbar of Star Wars to be Ole Miss Mascot?

Today, Admiral Ackbar shared the gossip stage with The Jersey Shore's The Situation, and Jenny J-WOWW at Access Hollywood. But who's Admiral Ackbar?

This is Admiral Ackbar:



In Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Admiral Ackbar, a Mon Calamari, was Supreme Commander of the Rebel Alliance and designer of the B-Wing Star Fighter (pictured at right below).

Admiral Ackbar led a group of starships into what turned out to be a trap set by the Darth Vader and The Empire at The Battle of Endor.

 Now, Ole Miss students reportedly want Admiral Ackbar to lead them in cheers for their sports teams.

TMZ reports that students voted for Ackbar to replace their old mascot Colonel Reb Tuesday, after the school wanted to change its image.

 The decision is up to the student mascot committee. Here's hoping they do something different and give Commander Ackbar his due.