Food Network canceling `Emeril Live'

NEW YORK - Food Network is kicking Emeril Lagasse down a notch.

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The celebrity chef's "Emeril Live," which has been on the air for 10 years, will cease production Dec. 11, Food Network publicist Carrie Welch told The Associated Press.

"However, Emeril is under contract with Food Network," Welch said Tuesday. "We love him, we support him and look forward to a long partnership with him."

Welch wouldn't comment on Lagasse's contract.

Asked why the show was canceled, she told the AP: "The only reason would be that it hit a ton of television milestones and, you know, all good things come to an end."

The Food Network will continue producing Lagasse's "The Essence of Emeril," and he will take part in "specials and other development opportunities in the future," Welch said.

The network will also air reruns of "Emeril Live."

"I am deeply appreciative to all the unbelievable staff ― many who have been with the show since the beginning ― and all the loyal viewers, and the many talented guests who have appeared on the show through the years," Lagasse, 48, said in a statement provided by Welch.

"I look forward to continuing my association with the Food Network with `The Essence of Emeril,' and I have lots of new ideas cooking," he said.

___

Food Network is owned by Scripps Networks, a division of The E.W. Scripps Com

Reindeer' singer is sued

LOS ANGELES - A feud involving the man who sang "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer" could wind up in court, just in time for Christmas.

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Elmo Shropshire was sued for breach of contract Monday by a company that claims he interfered in a $1 million-plus deal to sell musical trucks, bobblehead dolls, snow globes and cookie jars featuring characters from an animated show based on the novelty song.

The tale about Santa mowing down a tipsy grandma with his sleigh was first heard in 1979 and has become a holiday favorite. It inspired a 2000 animated TV program that continues to run seasonally around the world.

The Fred Rappoport Co. of California contends it has the rights to use the song for products featuring characters from that program. Rappoport claims it got those specific rights under a 2004 settlement of a lawsuit filed by Shropshire.

The new lawsuit, which seeks at least $2 million in damages, was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court. It contends that Shropshire this month improperly sent cease-and-desist letters to two companies that made a deal with Rappoport to market products featuring characters from the animated show.

Shropshire, who lives north of San Francisco in Novato, contended Tuesday that he was legally enforcing his rights to the song.

Rappoport "can sell any characters he wants from the movie," Shropshire said. "But I own the copyright from the song. He can't use the song without my permission."

Shropshire continued: "The song preceded the (animated) show by 20 years. There are a number of companies that license that song from us to make toys and to make CDs and to make a number of things. They're not going to feel so good if we allow someone else to use it for free."

Wine may calm inflammation in blood vessels

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Adding to evidence that a little wine can do a heart good, a new study suggests that women who drink moderate amounts may have less inflammation in their blood vessels.

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Spanish researchers found that after four weeks of drinking two glasses of wine per day, women showed lower levels of certain inflammatory substances in their blood. The findings, reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, suggest a mechanism by which wine -- particularly red wine -- may protect the heart.

Numerous studies have found that wine drinkers tend to have lower rates of heart disease than teetotalers do. Research also suggests that higher levels of "good" HDL cholesterol may be one reason, though not a full explanation of the benefit.

Figuring out exactly how wine may protect the heart is important in order to prove that the link between wine and heart health is, in fact, a direct one, according to Dr. Emilio Sacanella, the lead researcher on the new study.

Studies that show wine drinkers to have better heart health do not prove that wine is the reason, explained Sacanella, of the University of Barcelona. Wine lovers may, for example, have generally better diets, higher exercise levels or other heart-healthy habits, he told Reuters Health.

For their study, Sacanella and his colleagues focused on the potential effects of wine on inflammation. Inflammation is part of the body's response to injury. It's thought that chronic, low-level inflammation -- in response to stresses like smoking, high cholesterol and obesity -- contributes to the buildup of fatty deposits called plaques in the inner lining of the arteries.

Inflammation may also make these plaques more likely to rupture and create a blood clot that could then trigger a heart attack.

Sacanella's team recruited 35 healthy women who regularly drank amounts of wine. Each woman spent four weeks on a heart-healthy, but wine-free, diet, followed by four weeks in which they had a glass of red wine with lunch and dinner. They followed the same pattern with white wine.

Overall, the study found, the women's HDL levels climbed after four weeks of drinking, while their blood levels of a number of inflammatory substances, such as C-reactive protein, declined. Red wine had a more pronounced effect than white wine.

The greater benefit of red wine may be related to its higher concentration of polyphenols, according to the researchers. Polyphenols are plant compounds that act as antioxidants and may help reduce inflammation.

According to Sacanella, population studies have suggested that people who drink moderate amounts of wine -- about a glass or two per day -- may lower their risk of dying from heart disease by nearly one-third compared with non-drinkers.

"So a person who usually drinks up to this quantity of alcohol should maintain this healthy habit," he said.

However, he added, doctors cannot recommend that non-drinkers take up the habit, as some people are vulnerable to drinking problems and the health consequences that come with that.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2007.

craig kilborn

Craig Kilborn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Craig Kilborn
Born August 24, 1962 (1962-08-24) (age 45)
Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
Medium stand-up, television
Nationality American
Genres Comedy
Craig Kilborn (born August 24, 1962) is an American comedian and former talk show host. He was the original host of The Daily Show and Tom Snyder's successor on CBS's The Late Late Show.

Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Career
2 Broadcast career highlights
3 References
4 External links



[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life
Kilborn was born in Kansas City, Missouri, the son of Shirley, a homemaker, and Hiram Kilborn, an insurance executive.[1] He was raised in Hastings, Minnesota, located thirty minutes from Minneapolis-St. Paul. He played basketball at Hastings High School, earning All-State & All-Conference honors and a basketball scholarship to Montana State University.


[edit] Career
After working in several smaller jobs following college, Kilborn was an ESPN SportsCenter anchor from 1993 to 1996. Kilborn was primarily the anchor of the late broadcast of SportsCenter, gaining a large fan following. He made a return appearance to SportsCenter on August 8, 2004 when he co-hosted SportsCenter with Dan Patrick during ESPN's 25th Anniversary Celebration. The character of Casey McCall on ABC's Sports Night was said to be modeled on Kilborn's SportsCenter career.

In 1996, Kilborn became host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central. In a 1997 interview with Esquire, Kilborn described Daily Show creator and executive producer Lizz Winstead as an "emotional bitch" who over-reacts to him.[2] Kilborn apologized publicly and insisted that the remarks were "said in jest," but was suspended for a week. A source suggested to the New York Post that there might've been more to the suspension than the comment in Esquire, saying, "the network has been angry because of inappropriate sexual comments he makes to female staff members, especially junior staffers. There's a real problem." Winstead later quit the show.[3]

Kilborn hosted The Daily Show for two seasons before leaving the show to host a new CBS talk show The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn, produced by David Letterman's production company WorldWide Pants, to run after The Late Show with David Letterman. His last Daily Show episode aired on December 17, 1998. On January 11, 1999 Jon Stewart replaced Kilborn as host.

Kilborn hosted The Late Late Show for five years, changing the format to appeal to a younger audience. In August 2004 he elected not to extend his contract, stating "I simply want to try something new. I can now focus on writing and producing different television projects I haven't had time for."[4] Kilborn made his motion picture acting debut with a small role in Old School and has since appeared in four other motion pictures: The Shaggy Dog, The Benchwarmers, Full of It, and Cursed.


[edit] Broadcast career highlights
1986 - 1988: Play-by-play commentator for the Savannah, Georgia, Spirits of the Continental Basketball Association.
1990 - 1993: Sports Director at KCBA television in the Salinas/Monterey/Santa Cruz market of California.
1993 - 1996: Anchor of SportsCenter for ESPN
1996 - 1998: Host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central
1999 - 2004: Host of The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn
Some of Kilborn's more popular segments on the Late Late Show included Five Questions (a bit he originally used to end interviews on The Daily Show), To Blank with Love, Recreation of a Press photo and Yambo the brain teasing game of skill and intelligence.

One of his most popular recurring characters include Sebastian the Asexual Icon, an androgynous character loosely based on Morrissey, the former lead singer of The Smiths.

He also provided the voice of Captain Kirk for various commercials on G4TV.

BRISTOL, CT―Craig Kilborn, the former host of The Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn, actor from the film The Benchwarmers, and SportsCenter anchor from 1993 to 1997, was spotted at 5:30 a.m. this morning broke, homeless, and passed out in front of ESPN's SportsCenter studios.

According to ESPN sources, Kilborn appeared even thinner and more frail than usual, reeked of cigarette smoke and gin, and his clothes―a moth-eaten dark suit that may have been the same one he wore in his last-ever SportsCenter appearance―were in tatters. Kilborn was reportedly only wearing one shoe at the time of his discovery.

Onlookers stated that, upon being woken up from his drunken stupor, the still-inebriated Kilborn asked to be shown to his "regular dressing room." The gangly, 6'5" former anchor then eluded security for long enough to stumble down the studio halls and blurt out random catchphrases from his broadcasting days at SportsCenter, including but not limited to "Gettin' giddy in the zone," "If it feels good, do it," and "The low angle spank!"

"Craiggers is back, people," said Kilborn, whose signature gelled blond hair was described in a later police report as dank and lice-ridden. "Nothing to be afraid of, folks. This is just Kilby simply being Kilby. Release. Rotation. Splash."

Kilborn then regurgitated in a nearby garbage can.

"Da da da―Da da da," an increasingly aggressive Kilborn audibly hummed in a mocking tone, mimicking the final six notes of SportsCenter's theme song while still hovering over the trash receptacle. "I'm Craig Kilborn. He's Dan Patrick. Welcome to the feel-good edition of SportsCenter. Unless you're me, and you feel like complete shit because your whole life is nothing but a goddamn joke."

"Jumanji!" he added, scaring a nearby production assistant.

Kilborn, who had moved to Los Angeles before apparently going bankrupt, losing his home, and becoming a vagrant, would not comment as to how he ended up in Bristol, CT, but police sources said they later found a Mercedes registered to Kilborn's older sister broken down on the side of nearby I-95. The vehicle had clearly been lived in for weeks, possibly even months.

"Craig looked, sounded, and smelled awful," said former colleague Kenny Mayne, who spent half an hour attempting to talk Kilborn out of his makeup chair. "But then again, as a broke, homeless man, that's his job."

Though Kilborn did not harm anyone and was treated with respect by current employees during his unannounced visit to his former employer, his mood shifted noticeably when he saw a framed picture of former ESPN anchor Keith Olbermann.

"Keith!" Kilborn said as he opened doors to the sound, graphics, and editing bays. "Come out, you son-of-a-bitch. I know you're in here somewhere. I just want to talk to you for a second. I got your daily dose of Did You Know right here!"

Olbermann was at MSNBC studios in Secaucus, NJ at the time.

After ransacking sportscaster Stuart Scott's dressing room, urinating on his own shoes, and emerging with a tie knotted around his bare, sweaty neck, Kilborn proceeded to interrupt the 6 a.m. broadcast of SportsCenter by forcibly removing anchor Scott Van Pelt, whom Kilborn referred to as a "wannabe," from his chair.

Kilborn then repeatedly attempted to kiss former colleague Linda Cohn.

"Miss me, baby?" Kilborn said while unsuccessfully trying to suppress a fit of belching. "I gotta say, I'm―I'm―I'm proud of ya, Linda. Longevity, people. This woman just drips longevity. Drips. Linda Cohn, everyone!"

Added Kilborn: "Stick around, folks. I've got five questions with Linda coming up right after the break. Maybe this time she'll say 'yes.'"

Kilborn then burst into tears, collapsed, and was eventually escorted out of ESPN headquarters. According to employees, Kilborn mumbled underneath his breath that he was starving and would be "dropping by" The Daily Show studios, hopefully before they took down the staff's free lunch buffet.

you don t mess with the zohan

action at one of filmdom's most famous backlots became all too real for a while.

Two stuntmen were hospitalized Monday, after an accident on the Universal Studios set of Adam Sandler's new comedy left them with first- and third-degree burns, according to Los Angeles County fire officials.

One man suffered burns to his hands and legs, while the other sustained injuries to his back. Both were taken to the nearby Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks, where one is listed in serious yet stable condition and the other is listed as stable.

Neither man was identified by the studio or hospital.

"Our thoughts right now are with the stuntmen and their families, and we hope that each recovers swiftly from their injuries," Columbia Tristar Motion Picture Group spokesman Steve Elzer said in a statement.

According to Los Angeles' KCAL-TV, Sandler visited the stuntmen in the hospital Monday evening.

L.A. County fire inspector Sam Padilla said no fire was reported at the scene and that the incident is being investigated.

While it's unclear whether the stuntmen were injured while working or because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time, it is known that the crew was at Universal filming scenes for You Don't Mess with the Zohan.

The comedy, due in theaters June 6, stars Sandler as an Israeli secret agent who fakes his own death so he can start anew as a hairdresser in New York. Henry Winkler and Rob Schneider costar.

Sandler, Judd Apatow and Robert Smigel all collaborated on the script, which apparently was ready to roll before the current writers' strike kicked off Nov. 5. Columbia has included You Don't Mess with the Zohan on its list of 2008 films for which

augusta maine

Augusta, Maine
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Augusta, Maine

Augusta, Maine, taken from the bridge

Flag
Seal


Location in Kennebec County, Maine
Coordinates: 44°18′38″N 69°46′48″W / 44.31056, -69.78
Country United States
State Maine
County Kennebec
Established 1754
Government
- Mayor Roger J. Katz
Area
- Total 58.3 sq mi (150.9 km²)
- Land 55.4 sq mi (143.4 km²)
- Water 2.9 sq mi (7.5 km²) 4.98%
Elevation 68 ft (20 m)
Population (2000)
- Total 24,260
- Density 335.1/sq mi (129.4/km²)
Time zone Eastern (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST) Eastern (UTC-4)
Area code(s) 207
FIPS code 23-02100
GNIS feature ID 0581636
Website: www.ci.augusta.me.us

Augusta is the capital of the U.S. state of Maine, county seat of Kennebec County, and center of population for Maine [1]. The city's population is 18,560 (July 2006 est.). Located on the Kennebec River at the head of tide, it is home to the University of Maine at Augusta.

Contents
1 History
2 Notable residents
3 Geography
4 Demographics
5 Sites of interest
6 References
7 External links



[edit] History

State House in 1905, showing the original Charles Bulfinch designThe area was first explored by members of the ill-fated Popham Colony in September 1607. It was first inhabited by English settlers from the Plymouth Colony in 1629 as a trading post on the Kennebec River. The settlement was known by its Indian name -- Cushnoc (or Coussinoc or Koussinoc), meaning "head of tide." Fur trading was at first profitable, but with Indian uprisings and declining revenues, the Plymouth Colony sold the Kennebec Patent in 1661. Cushnoc would remain empty for the next 75 years into the French and Indian Wars.

A hotbed of Abenaki hostility toward British settlements was located further up the Kennebec at Norridgewock. In 1722, the tribe and its allies attacked Fort Richmond (now Richmond) and destroyed Brunswick. In response, Norridgewock was sacked in 1724 during Dummer's War, when English forces gained tentative control of the Kennebec. In 1754, a blockhouse named Fort Western (now the oldest wooden fort in America), was built at Cushnoc on the eastern bank. It was intended as a supply depot for Fort Halifax upriver, as well as to protect its own region.[1] In 1775, Benedict Arnold and his 1100 troops would use Fort Western as a staging area before continuing their journey up the Kennebec to the Battle of Quebec.

Cushnoc was incorporated as part of Hallowell in 1771. Known as "the Fort," it was set off and incorporated by the Massachusetts General Court in February 1797 as Harrington. In August, however, the name changed to Augusta after Augusta Dearborn, daughter of Henry Dearborn. In 1799, it became county seat for newly created Kennebec County.[1] Maine became a state in 1820, and Augusta was designated its capital in 1827. The Maine State Legislature continued meeting in Portland, however, until completion in 1832 of the new Maine State House designed by Charles Bulfinch. Augusta was chartered as a city in 1849.

Excellent soil provided for agriculture, and water power from streams provided for industry. In 1837, a dam was built across the Kennebec where the falls drop 15 feet at the head of tide, and by 1838 10 sawmills were contracted. With the arrival of the Kennebec & Portland Railroad in 1851, Augusta became a mill town. In 1883, the property of A. & W. Spague Company was purchased by the Edwards Manufacturing Company, which erected extensive brick mills for manufacturing cotton textiles. Other Augusta firms produced lumber, sash, doors, shutters, broom handles, stone cutters' tools, shoes, cemetery monuments, ice and furniture. The city developed as a publishing and shipping center. Today, government and post-secondary education are important businesses.

AUGUSTA, Maine --- Despite a team-high 12 points from Julianne Kowalski (Montville, N.J.), the Colby College women's basketball team fell 74-52 to University of New England on Monday night at the Augusta Civic Center.


The Mules (1-2) will play at Maine Maritime Academy at 7 p.m. Wednesday.

Carrie Bunnell (Barnet, Vt.) scored 20 points and had six rebounds to pace UNE (1-3).

Alison Cappelloni (Sudbury, Mass.) finished with 11 points and seven rebounds, while Meredith Aronson (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) had 10 points and five assists for Colby.

U. NEW ENGLAND 74, COLBY 52

U. NEW ENGLAND (1-3)

Carrie Bunnell 8-15 0-0 20; Sara Pelkey 6-12 4-7 16; Katie Diggins 7-12 0-1 14; Marissa Hesketh 4-7 2-2 10; Alli Gamache 3-7 0-0 8; Chelsey Meszaros 1-1 0-0 2; Sam Robbins 1-1 0-0 2; April Mroz 0-1 0-0 0; Kylie Bragdon 0-1 0-0 0; Annie Foster 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 30-59 8-12 74.

COLBY (1-2)

Julianne Kowalski 6-9 0-0 12; Alison Cappelloni 4-16 2-2 11; Meredith Aronson 3-8 4-4 10; Katie McCabe 4-10 1-1 9; Karlyn Adler 1-7 0-0 3; Mary Cummings 1-4 0-0 3; Heather Quadir 1-6 0-0 2; Abby Harris 0-1 2-2 2; Heather Pratt 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-62 9-9 52.

U. New England................ 43 31 - 74

Colby......................... 21 31 - 52

3-point goals-U. New England 6-13 (Carrie Bunnell 4-9; Alli Gamache 2-3; Annie Foster 0-1), Colby 3-16 (Karlyn Adler 1-2; Mary Cummings 1-3; Alison Cappelloni 1-7; Heather Quadir 0-2; Meredith Aronson 0-2). Fouled out--U. New England-None, Colby-None. Rebounds-U. New England 42 (Katie Diggins 9), Colby 31 (Alison Cappelloni 7). Assists-U. New England 25 (Alli Gamache 6), Colby 12 (Meredith Aronson 5). Total fouls-U. New England 8, Colby 14. A-200

ricky williams injury

Ricky Williams
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For the former Indianapolis Colts running back, see Ricky Antwan Williams.
Ricky Williams
Williams before the 2005 Pro Football Hall of Fame Game
Miami Dolphins ― No. 34
Running back
Date of Birth: May 21, 1977 (1977-05-21) (age 30)
Place of Birth: San Diego, California
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Weight: 226 lb (103 kg)
National Football League Debut
1999 for the New Orleans Saints
Career Highlights and Awards
2x Doak Walker Award (1997, 1998)
Walter Camp Award (1998)
Maxwell Award (1998)
Heisman Trophy (1998)
Pro Bowl selection (2002)
Pro Bowl MVP (2002)

Career History
College: Texas
NFL Draft: 1999 / Round: 1 / Pick: 5
Teams:

New Orleans Saints (1999-2001)
Miami Dolphins (2002-2003, 2005)
Toronto Argonauts (2006)
Miami Dolphins (2007-present)

Stats at NFL.com
Errick Lynne Williams, Jr. (born May 21, 1977 in San Diego, California) is an American football running back for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints fifth overall in the 1999 NFL Draft. He played college football at Texas.

Contents
1 Early life
2 College career
3 Professional career
3.1 Early NFL career
3.2 Early retirement from football
3.3 Return to football
3.4 Canadian Football League
3.5 Second return
3.5.1 Timeline and rumors
4 Trivia
5 References
6 Further reading
7 External links



[edit] Early life
Williams was born, along with his twin sister Cassandra, in San Diego, California. Williams was born to relatively young parents, who ultimately separated when Williams was six years old. Although the mother was awarded custody of Williams and his siblings, Williams still has a close bond with his father.[1] In San Diego's Patrick Henry High School, Williams primarily played baseball and football, but also ran track and wrestled. On the football field, Williams gained 2,099 yards and scored 25 touchdowns. He was named "Offensive Player of the Year" by the San Diego Union-Tribune.[2]


[edit] College career
Williams was selected out of Patrick Henry High School in the 8th round of the 1995 baseball amateur draft by the Philadelphia Phillies, and played four years at the Class 'A' level with the Batavia Muckdogs of Batavia, New York. He was then taken in the 1998 Rule 5 draft by the Montreal Expos, who sold his rights to the Texas Rangers. He played college football for the University of Texas at Austin and backed up future-Chiefs running back, Priest Holmes. Williams took over the starting job at UT when Holmes graduated. Williams holds or shares 20 NCAA records, and became the NCAA Division I-A career rushing leader in 1998 with 6,279 yards (broken one year later by University of Wisconsin-Madison's Ron Dayne). He also broke the NCAA Division I-A career rushing touchdowns and career scoring records in 1998 with 73 and 452 respectively (topped one year later by Miami University's Travis Prentice), and rushed for 200 or more yards in twelve different games (an NCAA record he shares with Dayne and USC's Marcus Allen). Williams won the 64th Heisman Trophy, becoming the second Texas Longhorn to win this honor, joining Earl Campbell. Williams was sometimes known as the "Texas Tornado."[3]


[edit] Professional career

[edit] Early NFL career
Williams was selected as the fifth pick of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Head coach Mike Ditka traded all of the Saints' 1999 draft picks to get Williams, as well as a 1st and 3rd pick the following year. This was the first time one player was the only draft pick of an NFL team. Williams and Ditka posed for the cover of ESPN The Magazine as a bride and a groom with the heading "For Better or for Worse." Rapper Master P's (a.k.a. Percy Miller's) organization No Limit Sports negotiated his contract, which was largely incentive-laden in exchange for an $8M-plus signing bonus with salary incentives worth a range of $11 million to $68 million should he hit all of his incentives, with most of them requiring higher than top-level production to attain. Williams later made Leigh Steinberg his agent. Ditka was later fired for the team's poor performance, and Williams was traded after 3 seasons to the Miami Dolphins on March 8, 2002 for two first-round picks. In his first season with the Dolphins, he was the NFL's leading rusher and a Pro Bowler with 1,853 yards.

Williams was noted for his dreadlocks, but shaved them off during a solo trip to Australia. His shyness also makes Williams somewhat of an odd ball. "Ricky's just a different guy," former Saints receiver Joe Horn explained. "People he wanted to deal with, he did. And people he wanted to have nothing to do with, he didn't. No one could understand that. I don't think guys in the locker room could grasp that he wanted to be to himself, you know, quiet. If you didn't understand him and didn't know what he was about, it always kept people in suspense." Besides keeping to himself, Williams was also known for conducting post-game interviews with his helmet (which included a tinted visor) on and avoiding eye contact. Williams was later diagnosed with depression and social anxiety disorder.[citation needed]


[edit] Early retirement from football
It was announced on May 14, 2004 that he tested positive for marijuana in December 2003 and faced a $650,000 fine and a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy. He previously tested positive for marijuana shortly after he joined the Dolphins, along with former punter Andrew Tomasjewski. Shortly before training camp was to begin in July 2004, Williams publicly disclosed his intent to retire from professional football.

Rumored to have failed a third drug test before announcing his retirement, Williams made his retirement official on August 2, 2004, was ineligible to play for the 2004 season, and studied Ayurveda, the ancient Indian system of holistic medicine at the California College of Ayurveda that autumn in Grass Valley, California.

During that year he retired, the Miami Dolphins finished the season in second to last place with a 4-12 record and the second pick of the 2005 NFL Draft, in which they would select Williams' successor Ronnie Brown. This was one of the events of the final year of Dave Wannstedt's coaching tenure before his resignation.

Williams maintains that he doesn't regret the retirement decision. He feels that it was the "most positive thing" he has ever done in his life, allowing him time to find himself.[4]


[edit] Return to football
Williams officially returned to the Dolphins on July 24, 2005, paid back a percentage of his signing bonus and completed his four game suspension for substance abuse. At his return press conference, Williams expressed his apologies for leaving the team two days before the start of training camp, which had contributed to the Dolphins' having their worst season in years, only winning 4 games in the 2004 season. Williams finished with six touchdowns and a 4.4 yards per carry average on 168 carries and 743 yards during 2005. While he shared time with Brown, he did have 172 yards in week 16, and 108 yards in week 17.

On February 20, 2006, it was announced that Williams had violated the NFL drug policy for the fourth time. His mother reportedly said she doesn't think it was another marijuana violation and that he may have been in India when he was supposed to be tested. Nevertheless, on April 25, 2006, Williams was suspended for the entire 2006 season for testing positive for a drug other than marijuana. It has been suggested that the substance may have been an herb related to his interest in holistic medicine.[5]

He returned again on November 26, 2007 on Monday Night Football for the Dolphins eleventh game of the year against the Pittsbergh Steelers where he had 6 carries for 15 yards before suffering a chest injury and leaving the 3-0 loss to the Steelers. The injury ended his season after just the one game.


[edit] Canadian Football League

Williams shared the backfield with incumbent starting running back for the Toronto Argonauts John Avery during the 2006 CFL season.With Williams suspended for the entire 2006 NFL season, the CFL's Toronto Argonauts decided to put Williams on the negotiation list for the 2006 season.[6] This guaranteed that the team would become the rightful CFL organization to negotiate with Williams if his NFL contract be terminated at any point in time.[7] The Dolphins allowed Williams to play for the Argonauts on the condition that he would return to them in 2007.[8]

On May 28, 2006 Williams became the highest paid running back in the CFL when he signed a one-year C$240,000 contract with the Argonauts. He chose to wear the number 27 on his jersey.[9]

The signing drew the fire of former Argonauts quarterback Joe Theismann. On May 30, 2006, Theismann was interviewed by Toronto radio station The Fan 590 whereupon he criticized the Argonauts for signing the suspended Williams. Theismann claimed he was disgraced to be associated with a team that would knowingly sign "an addict" such as Williams. The CFL has no substance-abuse policy currently in place, nor did it prohibit its teams from signing players suspended from other leagues, despite Williams being under contract with the Dolphins for the 2006 season[10].

Argo ownership responded to Theismann's criticism, noting Theismann's son, Joe, pleaded guilty in 2002 to a felony charge of possessing drug paraphernalia. He received a 10-year suspended prison term, was placed on five years of probation and fined. "It's really a delicate subject for him to attack someone if he has that in his own family," Argo co-owner Cynamon said. "If I was his son and he's calling (Williams) a drug addict and he should quit and he's a loser, I'd be shattered. This thing is really bothersome."[11]

Williams made his official CFL debut on June 17, 2006 in a home game against the Tiger-Cats at the Rogers Centre. In that game, he rushed for 97 yards on 18 carries, with his longest carry for 35 yards in the fourth quarter. Williams also caught two passes for 24 yards as the Argonauts defeated the Tiger-Cats by a score of 27-17.

On July 22, 2006, Williams suffered a broken bone in his left arm during a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina, Saskatchewan.[12] He underwent surgery on July 23, 2006 to repair the broken bone.[13] Shortly after injuring his arm, Williams' suffered yet another injury after a door at the Argonauts' practice facility swung behind him and clipped the running back on his left achilles tendon requiring 16 stitches to close the gash.[14] During his recovery, Williams received hyperbaric oxygen therapy in St. Catharines, Ontario to expedite his return from injury.[15] In all, Williams missed two months of game action because of the injuries, returning on September 23, 2006 against the Calgary Stampeders.

In the 11 games that he played during 2006 CFL regular season, Williams rushed 109 times for 526 yards, scoring 2 TDs and his longest run was 35 yards. He also caught 19 passes for 127 yards.[16]

Williams stated his love for Toronto and mentioned the possibility of returning to the Canadian game during his professional career. "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as Pinner -- play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here," Williams said. "Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life. I come to work, I go home, play with my kid, walk to the store. It's really nice. I get to teach. It's wonderful here."[17] In another interview, he expressed further desire to remain in the CFL, "If I came back here, you can put me anywhere," he says. "Up here, I can play offense, defense, special teams. I can do everything. I can block, play tight end, running back, receiver ― even play the line. The NFL is so structured ― 'You do this.' Here I can do so much."[18]

The controversy over the Argonauts signing Williams prompted outgoing CFL commissioner Tom Wright, in his final state of the league address, to introduce a new rule that would come in effect before the start of the 2007 CFL season that would prevent a player under suspension in the NFL from signing with a CFL club. This rule has been informally known as "The Ricky Williams Rule."

The new rule, however, will be grandfathered so that players still playing in the league, such as Argonaut tackle Bernard Williams, who was also suspended by the NFL for drug abuse and did not seek reinstatement when the ban ended, can continue playing.[19][20]


[edit] Second return
Williams adhered to a strict regimen of multiple drug tests per week in 2007 as part of his attempt to be reinstated by the NFL. He also practiced yoga, which, he claimed, helped him to stop using marijuana[21]. In October 2007, Roger Goodell granted his request for reinstatement. Williams returned for a Monday Night Football Game on November 26, 2007. He rushed 6 times for 15 yards before injuring his right shoulder. The next day it was reported that he would miss the rest of the season, although he expects to be ready for the 2008 season.[22]


[edit] Timeline and rumors
On April 19, 2007, St. Louis Rams coach Scott Linehan said that he would consider acquiring Williams as a backup to Steven Jackson. "He's proven himself with me" said Linehan, who coached him as an offensive coordinator in 2005 with the Dolphins. There is no word on whether the Dolphins will pursue tampering charges against the Rams, as it is against NFL rules to discuss players under contract with another team.[23]

On May 11, 2007, an anonymous source reported that Williams had failed a drug test again. The source indicated that NFL medical advisors have recommended to the commissioner that Williams not be allowed to apply for reinstatement in September.[24]

The NFL has made no comment, nor have the Miami Dolphins. Williams did make a comment: "Due to the recent reports about me failing a drug test, I feel it is appropriate for me to issue this statement," Williams said. "Last month, following a psychological evaluation requested by the NFL, we ― the psychiatrist and I ― came to the realization that there were a few things I needed to iron out about myself in order to make my return to the NFL as successful as possible.

"I am an honest, God-fearing man who is intensely dedicated to being the best person I can be on and off the football field. There is no need to smear my name or to defame my character for the sake of news. When the time is right, God willing, I will be back on the field scoring touchdowns for whatever team is fortunate enough to believe in me.

"I appreciate all the support I have received from my fans," Williams said, "and I assure all others that I am strong, clean, and happily preparing myself for a triumphant return to the NFL."[24]

Williams applied for reinstatement in the NFL on October 1, 2007. [25] ESPN News announced on Wednesday, November 14, 2007 that Ricky Williams will be reinstated into the NFL. Williams is allowed to practice with his team, but he will not be eligible to play in a game until Week 12 of the 2007 NFL season.

On November 26, 2007, the Miami Dolphins activated Ricky Williams to their active roster. He played in Miami's Week 12 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Monday Night Football. Williams split time with RB Jesse Chatman in his first game back, and did not receive the start. [26] Due to the wet conditions and a well placed hit by James Harrison (football player), Williams fumbled on a third down attempt. Williams returned to the locker room during the 2nd Quarter with a shoulder injury incurred after Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons stepped on his shoulder in pursuit of the Williams fumble. He did not return to the game which the Dolphins lost 0-3 in the lowest scoring game in Monday Night Football History. [27] Williams later quit Paxil saying the drug didn't agree with his diet.

Williams said marijuana had been a better treatment since it produced fewer side effects (than Paxil).[28] In an interview with ESPN, Williams stated, "Marijuana is 10 times better for me than Paxil."

Williams admitted in a 60 Minutes interview that one of the main reasons for his retirement was to avoid the humiliation of his marijuana use being made public (with his third failed drug test).[29] After his retirement he quickly went to California to get a prescription for medical marijuana (which he had no problem securing). In 2006 he claimed he no longer needs marijuana but doesn't criticize others' choices on the matter.[30] In April 2007, however, he reportedly tested positive for marijuana.[24]

Williams is a qualified yoga instructor. He has stated that one of his main reasons for joining the Canadian Football League's Toronto Argonauts was for the opportunity to teach free yoga lessons at a local Toronto yoga facility.

Williams has five children. Williams is a vegan, and a supporter of PETA[31]

So much for Ricky Williams making an impact upon his return to the NFL. The only splash the beleaguered running back made on his newest stint in the NFL was crashing into a few puddles on the Heinz Field quagmire Monday night in Pittsburgh. Williams, reinstated by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell earlier this month, carried the ball six times in his first action since 2005. Apparently, those are all the carries Williams will see this season after Williams reportedly suffered a torn chest muscle after getting stepped on by Steelers LB Lawrence Timmons.

The PFW spin

The Dolphins just can't seem to catch a break. First, star RB Ronnie Brown goes does with a torn ACL in Week Seven vs. the Patriots. Then, Williams is granted another chance by Goodell only to see his season end in his first game back.

Seeing as how the Dolphins are mired in an 0-11 tailspin and well are on their way to one of the worst seasons in NFL history, Williams initially gave them some much-needed hope that he could help them win a game. He was supposedly in top shape, and was being looked on as the potential missing ingredient to earn them a victory. Making matters even worse is that starter Jesse Chatman went down with what initially appeared to be a significant neck injury in the game. If he proves unable to play, the Dolphins' offensive backfield will be comprised of rookie John Beck at quarterback, and second-year pro Patrick Cobbs and rookie Lorenzo Booker at running back. Cobbs and Booker have combined for 15 carries in their NFL careers.

But for as much as this latest setback hurts the Dolphins in '07, Williams really didn't seem to factor much into the team's long term plans. His checkered past stands in opposition to head coach Cam Cameron's insistence on having high-character players, and he was viewed as nothing more than a temporary fix for their woes. Even though he may very well have to sit out the first few weeks of the '08 season, Brown should be back for the majority of the season, and Williams was a long shot to remain on Miami's roster anyway.

What Miami was ideally hoping for was to showcase enough of Williams' skills in the last few games to render him an attractive piece of trade bait to another team this offseason. The Dolphins' already have San Diego's second-round pick in April's draft courtesy of the Chris Chambers trade, and they were hoping to secure another third- or fourth-rounder for Williams. Now that Williams is gone, his character and durability concerns make it highly unlikely another team will part with even a mid-level draft pick for the rights to him. The most likely scenario at this point is that the Dolphins will cut him at season's end.

Our fantasy take

Williams' injury coupled with Chatman's means that Cobbs, amazingly, is a viable fantasy option. The Dolphins' O-line has done a nice job opening holes in the running game this season, and Cobbs is a very legitimate option against middling defenses like the Jets, who rank 30th in run defense. Much like Kolby Smith in Kansas City, Cobbs is an average talent who could prosper based on circumstance

mitch mustain

Mitch Mustain
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Mitch Mustain
Mustain signing an autograph in the East vs. West Army game January 5, 2006.
College Southern California
Conference Pac-10
Sport Football
Position Quarterback
Jersey # 16
Class Sophomore
Career 2006 � present
Height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Weight 205 lb (93 kg)
Nationality United States
Born February 27, 1988 (1988-02-27) (age 19)
Springdale, Arkansas
High school Springdale High School,
Springdale, Arkansas
Former school(s) Arkansas
Career highlights
Awards
2006 Hall Trophy National High School Player of the Year
2006 Parade High School Player of the Year
2005-06 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year
2005 USA Today National Player of the Year
Mitchell Mustain (born February 27, 1988 in Springdale, Arkansas, U.S.) is an American college football quarterback at the University of Southern California (USC). Mustain played his freshman year of college at the University of Arkansas in 2006 before transferring to USC in 2007. Under NCAA transfer rules, he will sit out the 2007 season and will be eligible to begin playing in the 2008 season.

Mustain was one of the most highly decorated high school players in history, winning every national player of the year award, and was recruited by nearly every college football program in the United States during the 2005-2006 school year. He played sparingly in his first game at Arkansas, but was named the starting quarterback by the second game of the season and achieved a record of 8-0 as a true freshman starter.

Since junior high school, Mustain has accumulated a record of 61-2 (.968) as a starting quarterback (9-1 in eighth grade in 2001, 9-0 in both ninth grade in 2002 and 10th grade in 2003, 12-1 in 11th grade in 2004, 14-0 in 12th grade in 2005 and 8-0 as a freshman at Arkansas in 2006).

Contents
1 High school career
2 College career
2.1 University of Arkansas (2006-2007)
2.1.1 True freshman starter
2.1.2 Change in status
2.1.3 Transfer from Arkansas
2.2 University of Southern California (2007-present)
3 References
4 Further reading
5 External links



High school career
By the time he left Southwest Junior High School, Mustain was already the object of high expectations; however he did not start for the Springdale High School varsity team until late in his sophomore season.[1]

In 2004 as a junior, Mustain was 139-of-222 for 2,169 yards and 20 touchdowns as Springdale posted a 12-1 record and reached the Arkansas Class 5A semifinals. He threw only five interceptions in 222 attempts and rushed for 350 yards and 14 touchdowns.

In 2005 as a senior, Mustain threw for 3,817 yards (an Arkansas Class 5A single season record) and 47 touchdowns and completed 69.3 percent of his pass attempts. Springdale went undefeated with a record of 14-0 and won the Arkansas Class 5A state title, including three wins over nationally-ranked opponents and a No. 2 ranking in one national poll.

On January 7, 2006, Mustain was the starting quarterback for the West team in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, where he was awarded the Hall Trophy National High School Player of the Year.

Parade magazine named him High School Player of the Year in its January 1, 2006 issue. He was then named Mr. Football in Arkansas by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He was also named the 2005-06 Gatorade National Football Player of the Year and the 2005 USA Today National Player of the Year, the first-ever from the state of Arkansas. Scout.com ranked him as the top high school recruit for the class of 2006.[2] Mustain had told reporters he planned to play for either Notre Dame, Tennessee, Alabama or his home-state Arkansas Razorbacks.

In recognition of being presented the Gatorade National Football Player of the Year award, Springdale Mayor Jerre Van Hoose presided over a ceremony declaring December 6, 2005 to be "Mitch Mustain Day" in the city of Springdale.[3]

In December 2005, Gus Malzahn, Mustain's coach at Springdale, was hired to be the new offensive coordinator at the University of Arkansas; this was widely taken to signal the Razorbacks willingness to shift their offense to adapt to Mustain's style of play.[4] The hiring enabled the Razorbacks to recruit the highly-touted quarterback.[5] On January 16, 2006, Mustain informed Malzahn of his decision to commit to Arkansas.[6]


College career

University of Arkansas (2006-2007)

True freshman starter
Mustain enrolled at the University of Arkansas on July 10, 2006 and, in his first game on September 2, 2006, replaced starting quarterback Robert Johnson in the fourth quarter of an eventual 50-14 loss to the USC Trojans. He immediately put together an 80 yard touchdown drive against the Trojan defense. The following day, Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt named Mustain as the starting quarterback for the next game against Utah State, moving Johnson to wide receiver.

Mustain accumulated a record of 8-0 as a true freshman starter, including a 27-10 win on the road over the No. 2 ranked Auburn Tigers on October 7, 2006[7], helping guide the Razorbacks to 11th in the college football rankings.[8] The offense was oriented around what was considered among the nation's best running back tandems, Darren McFadden (who would be the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy) and Felix Jones; as a result, Mustain's statistics did not match his high school numbers in a more pass-oriented offense.[1]


Change in status
A turning point occurred on November 4, 2006 in No. 11 Arkansas' 26-20 win over South Carolina, when Mustain was relieved after one series by sophomore Casey Dick, who led the Razorbacks for 228 yards and a touchdown.[8] The day after the game, Dick was named the starting quarterback for an upcoming game against No. 13 Tennessee, with Coach Nutt citing "experience" as the primary reason for the change.[8]

Mustain did not play in the next three games and entered for one series in the final game of the regular season, the SEC Championship game, on December 2, 2006, against the Florida Gators.[9]

On December 20, 2006, Nutt announced that Dick would start for the Razorbacks in the January 1, 2007 Capital One Bowl against the Wisconsin Badgers; however, he stated that Mustain would also enter the game in the third series.[10][11] The game resulted in a 17-14 defeat for Arkansas.

Mustain finished the season with 894 yards passing, completing 69 out of 132 passes with 10 touchdowns and nine interceptions.[12]


Transfer from Arkansas
On January 15, 2007, Gus Malzahn, the offensive coordinator and Mustain's former high school coach, announced he was leaving the Razorbacks to join the University of Tulsa.[13] The day after Malzahn's announcement, January 16, 2007, Mustain requested permission to transfer to another university and it was, subsequently, granted by Coach Nutt.[14] The announcement was a year to the day after Mustain had initially announced his decision to sign with the Razorbacks out of high school.[5]


University of Southern California (2007-present)
Mustain enrolled at the University of Southern California (USC) on May 21, 2007.[15] He joined his former Springdale High School and Arkansas teammate, Damian Williams, who had transferred to USC the previous January.

Under NCAA transfer rules, Mustain will sit out the 2007 season and will be eligible to begin playing in the 2008 season, when he will have three years of eligibility remaining.


References
Final game summed up coach in a Nutt-shell
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Posted: November 27, 2007
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) -- An unranked Arkansas team that struggled to meet expectations upset top-ranked LSU in triple overtime.

For Houston Nutt, this was par for the course.


During a 10-year run as Arkansas' coach, Nutt helped the Razorbacks become respectable in the Southeastern Conference, but his program could never settle in among the nation's elite. Instead, the Hogs were something of a curiosity. They were never all that consistent, but they could beat anyone on a given day -- often in unusual fashion.

Life was seldom dull in Fayetteville with Nutt around. He approached the job with enthusiasm, and his 8-0 start his first season raised expectations immediately.

"Houston is a great teacher, and he's a great motivator," Frank Broyles said Monday night. "That's all coaching is -- is teaching and motivating."

Nutt's ability to motivate was apparent this season, when the Razorbacks rallied from an 0-3 SEC start to finish 4-4 in conference play. The win over LSU was indicative of Arkansas' ability to play as hard -- and as long -- as need be against a top opponent.

During Nutt's tenure, Arkansas played some of college football's longest games. The Razorbacks won in seven overtimes against Ole Miss in 2001 and Kentucky in 2003. They lost to Tennessee in six overtimes in 2002 -- and of course, beat LSU in three OTs last week.

Nutt was hired by Ole Miss almost immediately after leaving Arkansas. He'll stay in the SEC, which may surprise some Arkansas fans who felt him unworthy of the Razorbacks' job.

Nutt still has a lot to prove, however. His Arkansas teams were known for running the ball, especially recently with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones in the backfield. Passing hasn't been the Razorbacks' strong suit -- ironic since Nutt himself was once a quarterback for the Hogs.

When Nutt took over, he inherited Clint Stoerner at quarterback for 1998 and 1999. Since Stoerner left, Arkansas has had only one 2,000-yard passer.

Although Broyles says coaching is about teaching and motivating, Nutt's game management came under scrutiny. Gus Malzahn was hired as offensive coordinator in December 2005 to take over play calling. That partnership lasted one year before Malzahn left for Tulsa. David Lee is now the Razorbacks' current offensive coordinator.

Nutt also signed Mitch Mustain, a star high school quarterback from Arkansas. Mustain played in 2006, then transferred. A friend of Nutt's family sent a harsh e-mail to Mustain shortly before he transferred.

Whether Nutt was at fault for some, all or none of the recent drama, it happened on his watch.

"If I offended anyone, if I hurt anyone, I'm sorry for that," Nutt said during his farewell news conference.

Nutt was under pressure even before the 2006 season. Arkansas had posted losing records in '04 and '05. The Razorbacks went 10-4 in '06, but the departures of Malzahn and Mustain and the accompanying controversy fractured the fan base. About the only chance Nutt had for vindication was to win big this year with McFadden, a Heisman trophy candidate.

Instead, the Razorbacks stumbled early, and by the time they recovered, Nutt had reached a point of no return.

"This is why this change, as much as I hate a lot of it, this is why it's right," Nutt said. "It's the right thing to do."

On the field, the 2007 season wasn't much different then the rest of Nutt's tenure. The Razorbacks will go to a bowl, perhaps even a New Year's Day bowl, but they were unranked for most of the season. They ran the ball a lot better than they threw it.

They weren't good enough to contend for the SEC title, but on that one remarkable day against LSU ...

During Nutt's last Sunday news conference, he said he'd spoken with former Arkansas player Jimmy Johnson after the LSU game.

"Boy once a Razorback, always a Razorback. He was so proud," Nutt said. "And by the way, Jimmy Johnson says he's not coming to take this job -- it's too tough!"

As usual, Nutt's words will be interpreted different ways by different people. There wasn't any animosity in his tone -- but playfully or not, he was practically daring the state of Arkansas to find a coach better than him.

Whether the Razorbacks do will go a long way toward determining Nutt's legacy. Arkansas hosts Ole Miss on Oct. 25 next year.

long beach arena

Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center
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Long Beach Convention Center showing a portion of the Wyland Whaling Wall.The Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center is a convention center located in Long Beach, California. It was built on the site of the Long Beach Municipal Auditorium beginning in 1962. The primary venues of the complex include:

Contents
1 Long Beach Arena
2 Exhibition Halls
3 Theaters
4 Meeting Rooms
5 Live concert albums and videos
6 External links

[edit] Long Beach Arena
The Long Beach Arena was the first building to be completed in the complex. Capacities are as follows: 11,200 for hockey, 13,609 for basketball, and either 4,550, 9,200 or 13,500 for concerts depending on the setup.

It was home to the former Long Beach Ice Dogs team, which played professional ice hockey in the ECHL. The Ice Dogs ceased operations of the team in 2007.

The Arena has hosted various entertainment and professional and college sporting events, most notably the volleyball events of the 1984 Summer Olympic Games. It is also noted as a top venue for hip-hop music concerts, although entertainers such as Frank Sinatra, Slayer, Iron Maiden and Led Zeppelin have also headlined here.

For trade shows, the arena features 46,000 square feet (4300 m2) of space, with an additional 19,000 square feet (1800 m2) of space in the lobby and 29,000 square feet (2700 m2) in the concourse. Hanging from the arena's 77 foot (23 m) high ceiling is a center-hung scoreboard with four White Way "Mega Color" Animation Screens. There is an 11 by 15 foot SACO Smartvision LED Wall located on the South end of the arena.

Along the exterior wall of the drum-shaped Arena is "Planet Ocean", one of environmental artist Wyland's Whaling Walls, which was dedicated on July 9, 1992. At 116,000 square feet (11,000 m2), it is the world's largest mural (according to the Guinness Book of Records). The mural depicts migratory gray whales and other aquatic life that can be found in the waters off Long Beach.

Long Beach Arena was the site of the first National Hockey League game involving an expansion team, as the Los Angeles Kings and the Philadelphia Flyers, both expansion teams, played on October 14, 1967. The Kings won, 4-2. The Kings played in Long Beach for the first half of their expansion season while the Forum was being completed.

The arena was also one of the sites of the 1986 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship Rounds of 64 and 32. The teams which played at Long Beach Arena included Maryland, Pepperdine & UNLV. Maryland's Len Bias played his final collegiate game at the Long Beach Arena on March 14, 1986 in a loss to UNLV in the Round of 32. The Arena was also the site of the Big West Conference men's basketball tournament from 1989 to 1993.

[edit] Exhibition Halls
Three exhibition halls feature a total 224,000 square feet (21,000 m2) of space. Separately or combined, the exhibition halls can seat up to 14,899 for events.

[edit] Theaters
There are two theaters: the 3,051 seat Terrace Theater and the adjoining 825 seat Center Theater

[edit] Meeting Rooms
There are two ballrooms: the 20,456 square foot (1900 m2) Grand Ballroom (seating up to 2,100) and the 13,200 square foot (1300 m2) Promenade Ballroom (seating up to 1,400) plus 34 meeting rooms totalling 82,823 square feet (7695 m2).

[edit] Live concert albums and videos
The Long Beach Arena has been used to record part or all of several live concert albums and videos, including:

How the West Was Won album, Led Zeppelin, June 27, 1972
Crossroads 2: Live in the Seventies album, Eric Clapton, July 19, 1974 & July 20, 1974
King Biscuit Flower Hour Presents: Deep Purple in Concert album, Deep Purple, February 1976
Live After Death album & Live After Death (video), Iron Maiden, October 14, 1985
Singer Bruce Dickinson orders the crowd, "SCREAM FOR ME LONG BEACH"
Psychedelic Sexfunk Live from Heaven video, Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1990
I Heard a Voice DVD by AFI (release date 2006-12-12)
Rock Steady Live DVD by No Doubt 2002
SEATTLE (AP) - The Washington Huskies got 22 points from Justin Dentmon and beat Long Beach State 84-69 tonight at their campus Bank of America Arena in Seattle.

Bouncing back from losses last week to ninth-ranked Texas A&M and Syracuse in the NIT Season Tipoff tournament in New York, the Huskies improved their record to 4-2.

Washington won easily despite made only 9 of 26 free throws and was outrebounded for only the second time this season.

Washington's Jon Brockman had 13 points and nine rebounds. Joel Smith scored 13 points, Matt Bryan-Amaning 11 and Quincy Pondexter 10 for the Huskies.

The Huskies led 41-33 at halftime.

Long Beach State's record went to 1-4. The 49ers are under the guidance of first-year coach Dan Monson, former coach at Gonzaga.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

daniel snyder

death of Pro Bowl safety Sean Taylor "the worst imaginable tragedy."

In a brief statement today, Snyder said the team's thoughts and prayers are with Taylor's family.

Redskins teammate Clinton Portis played with Taylor at the University of Miami. He says he had sensed a new maturity in his close friend.

Portis says that since the birth of Taylor's one-year-old daughter, he was like a new man -- always happy and always smiling. Taylor died early Tuesday at Miami's Jackson Memorial Hospital, where he had been airlifted after a shooting in his home early Monday. He was 24.

Daniel Snyder
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This article is about the Washington Redskins owner. For the late ice hockey player, see Dan Snyder.
Daniel M. "Dan" Snyder (born 1964 or 1965) is the current owner of the Washington Redskins football team, Chairman of the Board of Six Flags Inc.[3], the world's largest amusement park and theme park operator, and owner of the Johnny Rockets restaurant chain.

He is married to Tanya, with whom he has two daughters and a son.

Contents
1 Formative years
2 Marketing magnet
3 Football
4 Criticism
5 Six Flags
6 Other ventures
7 See also
8 References
9 External links



[edit] Formative years
Snyder's father, Gerry, was a free-lance writer who wrote for United Press International and National Geographic, and he was raised and schooled mostly in nearby Maryland. Finding school uninteresting, he took his first job at B. Dalton bookstore at the age of 14.

At 17, Snyder experienced his first business failure when he partnered with his father to sell bus-trip packages to Washington Capitals fans to see their hockey team play in Philadelphia. The weather was awful, and father and son then saw all their fliers scattered on the pavement after the Caps lost the game badly that night.

By age 20, he had dropped out of the University of Maryland, College Park and was running his own business, leasing jets to fly college students to spring break in Fort Lauderdale and Caribbean. Snyder claims to have cleared US$1 million running business out of his parents' bedroom with a friend and couple of telephone lines[1].

Snyder courted real estate entrepreneur Mortimer Zuckerman, whose US News & World Report was also interested in college market, and who agreed to finance his push to publish Campus USA, a magazine for college students. Zuckerman and Fred Drasner, co-publisher of Zuckerman's New York Daily News, invested nearly $3 million behind Campus USA. That venture could never generate enough paid advertising and was forced to close after three years, but Snyder's charm and persistence captivated Zuckerman.

Despite the collapse of CampusUSA, Snyder was already focused on his next big idea: WallBoards. Barely 25, Snyder realized early on that the era of mass marketing was waning in a segmented world with hundreds of cable TV channels; advertisers were more eager than ever to directly reach "targeted" populations. Drasner, Zuckerman and a growing number of investors saw potential profit in Snyder's next business venture of marketing products of Fortune 500 companies.


[edit] Marketing magnet
In 1988, Snyder and his sister Michelle founded a marketing company, Snyder Communications Inc. (SNC). Their activities were mainly outsourced marketing services, such as Direct marketing, database marketing, proprietary product sampling, sponsored information display in prime locations, call centres, field sales.

In an Initial Public Offering for SNC in September 1996, Daniel Snyder became the youngest ever CEO of a New York Stock Exchange listed company at the age of 32[2].

He expanded the company aggressively through a string of acquisitions, and in April 2000, Snyder Communications was sold to the French advertising and marketing services group Havas in an all-stock transaction valued at in excess of US$2 billion, the largest transaction in the history of the advertising/market industry. Snyder's personal share of the proceeds was estimated to be US$300 million[3].


[edit] Football
As a youngster, his first love had always been football, and the Redskins were his team. This love for the Washington Redskins came from his father. Every fall they would spend Sunday afternoons at RFK Stadium, where the Redskins used to play.

In May 1999, he purchased the team and their then two-year old stadium for $800 million following the death of the previous owner Jack Kent Cooke. At the time, it was the most expensive transaction in sporting history. The deal was financed largely through borrowed money, including a $340 million borrowed from Société Générale and $155 million debt assumed on the stadium. Annual loan servicing costs are an estimated $50 million.

While Snyder has been owner, the Redskins' annual profit has increased nearly $100 million. When he purchased the Redskins in 1999, the team's annual revenue was $10 million lower than the highest grossing team at the time, the Dallas Cowboys. As of 2007, the Redskins are the second-highest grossing team in the National Football League behind the Dallas Cowboys.[4] This is in part due to sponsorship arrangements with Anheuser-Busch, Pepsi, and Nextel, but mainly due to a $207 million deal with FedEx to gain naming rights to the Redskins' stadium, now named FedExField. Snyder paid attention to revenue generation by adding more suites and club seats, enlarging capacity to a league-high 84,000-plus, and he sold the club seats that had gone empty under the Cooke family reign. Traffic and parking around the stadium have been improved, and there are now two escalators to the upper levels of the stadium. Ticket prices and parking prices have been raised. The model set by Snyder is currently being imitated by other sports franchises.


[edit] Criticism
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Snyder uses the same bold, often impulsive approach that made him wealthy in business in running an NFL team. Not realizing that a NFL owner would be so scrutinized[citation needed], he was stung by media criticism of him, which began when he fired 25 or so Redskins employees within days of buying the team, some with 20 years-plus of service.

Criticism has also followed many of Snyder's team personnel moves, and the mediocre results of his management.[citation needed] Snyder often directly involves himself in Redskins' football operations and player acquisition. He has served as the de facto general manager for the team over the years[citation needed], rather than let a professional do the job[citation needed]. Throughout his tenure, he has invested a great amount of money into high-profile players, including Deion Sanders, Bruce Smith, Jeremiah Trotter, Jeff George, Clinton Portis, Antwaan Randle El, Brandon Lloyd, Andre Carter, and Adam Archuleta. His impatient style and lack of football experience[citation needed] has led to the team's philosophy of relying almost strictly on free agency and trades instead of the draft[citation needed]. Since Snyder assumed control, these investments have not translated into much success[citation needed] on the football field as the Redskins have only managed a 54-58 overall record and have made the playoffs twice. [citation needed]

In 2004, following the resignation of Steve Spurrier as coach, Snyder successfully lured former Hall of Fame coach Joe Gibbs out of retirement. In doing so, Snyder promised to leave personnel decisions to Gibbs, who also was given the title of "Team President."[citation needed] However, Snyder still has final word on all transactions.

Snyder has been a target for fan frustration[citation needed], both because of the team's record and for his actions[citation needed], such as attempting to stop fans from using free parking near FedEx Field, instead making them park at team-owned lots. [5]

Except for family and very close friends, he prefers to be called Mr. Snyder[citation needed] rather than Daniel. Seeing this as pompous, Washington Post columnist and Pardon the Interruption co-host Tony Kornheiser nicknamed Snyder "The Danny."[citation needed]


[edit] Six Flags
In August 17, 2005, Snyder's investment vehicle, Red Zone, began a proxy battle to gain control of Six Flags Inc.'s board of directors. On November 22, 2005, Red Zone announced victory in the battle for control over the loss-making amusement park operator which provided for the removal of three board members and replacement by three new directors, including the CEO, chosen by Snyder. As of year end 2005, Snyder owned 11.7% of Six Flags Inc. Snyder is the Chairman of the Six Flags board. Snyder eliminated the popular Mr. Six character from Six Flags commercials.


[edit] Other ventures
In December 2004, the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission fined Snyder $100 for cutting down more than 130 mature trees near his $10 million Maryland residence above the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal National Historical Park and the Potomac River without first obtaining permission from the Commission, although the National Park Service had signed off on the project. Lenn Harley, a real estate broker who was not involved in Snyder's purchase of the estate but was familiar with the area, estimated that the relatively unobstructed view of the river and its surroundings that resulted from Snyder's clearing could add $500,000 to $1 million to the home's value. [6]

In July 2006, Snyder's Red Zebra Broadcasting launched a trio of sports radio stations in his home market of Washington, D.C. known as Triple X ESPN Radio. He also purchased other radio stations in the mid-Atlantic region, and intends on airing his Washington Redskins on all of his stations.

In February 2007, it was announced that Snyder's RedZone Capital would purchase Johnny Rockets, the 1950s-themed diner chain.

On June 19, 2007, Daniel Snyder purchased Dick Clark Productions for $175 Million.

He is also currently the Chairman of the Board of Ventiv Health, and a board member of McLeod USA.

In October 2007, Snyder confirmed in London that he is "actively looking for the right opportunity" to enter into business in the English Premier League, most likely through the outright purchase of a Football (soccer)team. Tottenham F.C. of North London is reported to be the most likely team to be bought by Snyder, which is currently on the market for about $900 million (￡450 million) [4].

joseph gordon levitt

Joseph Gordon-Levitt
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Joseph Gordon-Levitt
Birth name Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt
Born February 17, 1981 (1981-02-17) (age 26)
Los Angeles, California
Joseph Leonard Gordon-Levitt (born February 17, 1981) is an American actor.

Gordon-Levitt began as a child actor, becoming known for his role on the series 3rd Rock from the Sun,[1] and subsequently developing into adult roles, having strongly concentrated on independent films (including Brick and The Lookout) and receiving positive reviews for his performances.[2] Jam! Showbiz has noted that Gordon-Levitt has "defied the cliched fates that befall most underage actors when they grow up",[2] while The New York Times has described him as "one of the hottest young stars in the indie firmament".[3]

Contents
1 Biography
1.1 Early life
1.2 Early career (1988-2002)
1.3 Later career (2003-present)
2 Filmography
3 Footnotes
4 External links



[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life
Gordon-Levitt, the younger of two sons, was born in Los Angeles, California. He is Jewish.[4][5] His father, Dennis Levitt, was once the news director for the liberal radio station KPFK-FM.[3] His mother, Jane Gordon (daughter of director Michael Gordon[3]), ran for the United States Congress in California during the 1970s for the Peace and Freedom Party and met Dennis Levitt while she was working as the program guide editor for KPFK-FM.[3]

Gordon-Levitt joined a musical theater group at the age of four, and played the scarecrow in a production of The Wizard of Oz.[3] He was subsequently approached by an agent and began appearing on television and in commercials for Sunny Jim peanut butter, Cocoa Puffs, Pop-Tarts, and Kinney Shoes.[3]


[edit] Early career (1988-2002)

Gordon-Levitt in 10 Things I Hate About You, 1999Gordon-Levitt began his acting career at the age of six, appearing in several late 1980s made-for-television films and two episodes of the series Family Ties. After having a lead role on the short-lived 1991 revival of the television series Dark Shadows as David Collins, he made his feature-film debut with a background role in 1992's Beethoven. Later that same year, he played a young version of Craig Sheffer's character in A River Runs Through It. At the age of twelve, Gordon-Levitt took the lead role of Gregory in the film Switching Parents, which was based on the true story of Gregory Kingsley, a boy who won the right to legally divorce his parents. In 1994, he played a Hutterite boy in the comedy, Holy Matrimony, and appeared in the lead role of the successful Disney film, Angels in the Outfield.

In 1996, he began playing Tommy Solomon on the sitcom 3rd Rock from the Sun, a role which made him well known.[3] The San Francisco Chronicle noted the irony that Gordon-Levitt was a "Jewish kid playing an extraterrestrial pretending to be a Jewish kid".[4] During the late 1990s, he also appeared in several films, including The Juror (1996), as Demi Moore's character's son, the horror film Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, as a pre-credit victim, and the Shakespeare-based teen comedy 10 Things I Hate About You, in which he had a leading role. He was also a guest star in the first season of That '70s Show, appearing in the episode "Eric's Buddy" as a gay schoolmate of Eric Forman's, and performed the voice of the main character Jim Hawkins in the Disney animated feature, Treasure Planet (2002).

During the 1990s, he was frequently featured in teenage magazines, something he resented.[3] He has also said that during this time period, he did not enjoy being recognized in public, specifying that he "hates celebrity".[4] Gordon-Levitt left 3rd Rock from the Sun during its final season, asking to be released from his contract.[3] For the two years following, he quit acting[1] and attended Columbia University (the only university he had applied to),[3] taking French poetry, history and literature.[3] Since his study at Columbia, he has become an avid and self-confirmed Francophile.[3] He has said that moving to New York City from his hometown "forced" him to grow as a person.[4] Gordon-Levitt dropped out of the university in 2004 to concentrate on acting again.[3]


[edit] Later career (2003-present)
Gordon-Levitt has said that he made a conscious decision to "be in good movies" after returning to acting.[1] Since the early 2000s, he has appeared in what has been described by the Boston Herald as a series "of acclaimed and underseen indies"[6] that "pegged him as a rising star on the indie film circuit".[4] These include 2001's drama Manic, which was set in a mental institution, 2004's Mysterious Skin, in which he played a gay prostitute and child sexual abuse victim, and 2005's Brick, a modern-day film noir set at a high school (San Clemente High School), in which he had the lead role of Brendan Frye, a teen who becomes involved in an underground drug ring while investigating a murder. Brick received positive reviews,[1] with The Minnesota Daily's review commenting that Gordon-Levitt played the character "beautifully", "true to film's style", "unfeeling but not disenchanted" and "sexy in the most ambiguous way",[7] and another review describing the performance as "astounding".[8]


Gordon-Levitt on the poster of Mysterious Skin, 2004Gordon-Levitt's next role was in The Lookout, playing Chris Pratt, a janitor involved in a bank heist. The film was released on March 30, 2007. In reviewing the film, The Philadelphia Inquirer described Gordon-Levitt as a "surprisingly formidable, and formidably surprising, leading man",[9] while New York magazine stated that he is a "major tabula rasa actor... a minimalist" and that his character works because he "doesn't seize the space... by what he takes away from the character";[10] the San Francisco Chronicle specified that he "embodies, more than performs, a character's inner life".[4] Several critics have suggested that his role in The Lookout will turn Gordon-Levitt to a mainstream actor.[4] His upcoming films also include Killshot, playing an assassin opposite Diane Lane and Mickey Rourke, and Stop-Loss, directed by Kimberly Peirce and revolving around American soldiers returning from the Iraq War.[1]


Gordon-Levitt has an apartment on the Lower East Side of New York City. He manages the website, "Hit Record", which features Escargots, a short feature that he created, and other works.[3] He is currently dating Disturbia star, Sarah Roemer.


[edit] Filmography
The Lookout
Wednesday, 31 Oct 2007 15:17
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Directed by Scott Frank, out November 2nd, in cinemas, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jeff Daniels, Matthew Goode, Isla Fisher, running time 99 minutes.

In a nutshell...

Bank robbery, Dark, Amnesia, Depressive.

What's it all about?

Chris Pratt (Gordon-Levitt) was the high school hero. A brilliant ice hockey player, he had everything going for him, a beautiful girlfriend, a rich family and the envy of all his peers. Then an act of immature stupidity leads to him causing a car crash, killing his friends and causing permanent injury to his girlfriend. Chris himself is left with lasting brain damage, struggling to form any new memories and having to rely on his flatmate and mentor Lewis (Jeff Daniels) to set out instructions to enable him to complete even the most basic of tasks such as cooking diner. Chris and the blind Lewis form an odd-ball double team, protecting and helping each other through their tough lives.

Chris though becomes disillusioned with his new life and frustrated with his dead-end job as the night janitor of a local bank. He quickly finds himself mixing with a bad crowd after a chance meeting in a bar with an old pupil from his school, Gary Spargo (Mathew Goode). Gary introduces him to stripper Luvlee Lemons (Isla Fisher) and they soon hit it off, however Gary has bigger plans for Chris and soon recruits him into his plans to rob the bank. Things inevitably take a turn for the worst and Chris has to fight against all the elements, including his damaged mind, to save himself and Lewis.

Who's in it?

Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Brick, 3rd Rock from the Sun) puts in an impressive performance depicting the brain-damaged Chris. His brooding, struggling and depressed portrayal will remind many of his acclaimed turn in Brick. Jeff Daniels (Dumb and Dumber, Squid and Whale) is superb as the blind and fiercely independent Lewis. With his quick wit and determination to overcome life's challenges he is the perfect side kick to Gordon-Levitt's disheartened Chris. Matthew Goode (Match Point) plays the dangerous and calculating Gary and Isla Fisher's (Wedding Crashers) naïve stripper is also more than convincing.

The film is Scott Frank's directing debut, following on from a successful career as a screenwriter. Frank is best known for adapting the Elmore Leonard novels, Out of Sight and Get Shorty.

As an example...

"My old man used to say to me, probably the only thing we really agreed on, was that whoever has the money has the power. You might wanna jot that down in your book. It's something you're gonna need to remember." - Gary seducing Chris into joining the bank heist.

Likelihood of a trip to the Oscars?

Gordon-Levitt will once again receive praise for his performance and will no doubt pick up more fans of his work. Jess Daniels should also be commended for an uncharacteristic outing. Box office success may invariably be slightly limited due to the subject matter but fans of the actors and this genre of quirky and dark crime movies will all be impressed.

What the others say

"Although the characters are intriguingly off-centre, the film would do better if it concentrated on pulp atmosphere rather than indie credibility. There are plot-holes but Gordon-Levitt covers up with a typically edgy turn. On top of Manic and Brick, this proves he's the Keanu who can act." – Empire

"The Lookout is Frank's show. He's crafted a haunting and hypnotic film that transcends pulp by creating characters that get under your skin. Frank is a director to watch. More, please, and soon." - Rolling Stone

So is it any good?

A simple yet effective story, The Lookout delivers on all the right levels. A dark, bleak and narrow narrative is played out flawlessly by its two leading characters with adequate help from the supporting cast. Joseph Gordon-Levitt yet again shines, following his star turn in Brick, with another deeply troubled performance. He is developing into an extremely impressive actor and there are few in the business that can brood and seethe under the surface quite as well. Jeff Daniels is fantastic as the sarcastic Lewis and leaves you wishing there had been more roles in the past for him to be stretched to this degree.

There has been some unfounded criticism levelled at the film, such as suggesting that Chris would never have secured his role in the bank heist with his disability, but these are irrelevant points and at no point do you catch yourself questioning any of the action. The only problems that may exist involve the supporting characters. There is a lack of depth for Fisher's stripper and Goode doesn't utterly convince as the manipulative master mind of the robbery.

The comparisons to Christopher Nolan's Memento are impossible to ignore and whilst this doesn't have as complex a narration, it does pitch itself in a much darker landscape with a considerably more sinister population. Another success for Gordon-Levitt and an intriguing twist on the bank robbery genre.

trantasia

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Trantasia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Trantasia
Directed by Jeremy Stanford
Produced by Jeremy Stanford
Starring Cassandra Cass
Mimi Marks
Maria Roman
Jahna Steele
Tamalah Taylor
Music by Joey Newman
Editing by Jeremy Stanford
Release date(s) 2007
Country USA
Language English
IMDb profile
Trantasia is a feature film documentary chronicling 6 contestants in the first ever 'World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Pageant'. The pageant was created by Las Vegas producer Norbert Aleman and hosted by former Las Vegas showgirl Jahna Steele, who created quite a stir in the 90s when she was outed as having been born a man. Trantasia features personal profiles of the pageant contestants including Mimi Marks [1],Cassandra Cass, Maria Roman, Erica Andrews, Tiara Russell and Dorae Saunders. The film has been featured on the nationally syndicated television programs "The Tyra Banks Show" & "Entertainment Tonight".


[edit] Credits
Norbert Aleman is the executive producer. He has produced numerous stage shows in Asia, Australia, Europe, and the United States. Born in poverty in Paris, Aleman immigrated to the U. S. in the late 1970's, where he created two long-running Las Vegas stage shows: An Evening at La Cage and Crazy Girls.

Jeremy Stanford is Trantasia's director, producer, and editor. A graduate of Stanford University, Jeremy Stanford earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree from the USC School of Film and Television. He directed his first feature, Stepmonster, starring Alan Thicke, Ami Dolenz, Corey Feldman, Edie McClurg and John Astin for Roger Corman. Stanford's directing credits also include Watchers 3 starring Wings Hauser, the Fox TV television series, Fashion House, starring Bo Derek, Tippi Hedren, and Morgan Fairchild and Wicked Wicked Games starring Tatum O'Neal. He has also written, directed and produced numerous live events including The Los Angeles Music Center's Distinguished Artists Awards starring Dustin Hoffman, Carol Burnett, Herbie Hancock, Mark Morris, Joey Grey, and Tommy Tune.

Executive producer Ted Smith is an Emmy-award winning Emmy-award winning TV producer who developed The Apprentice for Mark Burnett and is an executive producer for the AOL/Mark Burnett Production Gold Rush.

Chris Smith is Ted Smith's brother and a film and television distribution executive who started his TV sales career at Lorimar-Telepictures and has since worked with Warner Bros., Universal TV and NBC, distributing Will & Grace, The Rosie O'Donnell Show, and Big Eden [2].

Other crew members include:

Stephen Brown, producer
Thomas Ethan Harris, co-producer
Joey Newman, original score
Sam Hamann, animated titles and graphics
David Woods, post-production supervisor [3]
Elizabeth Wendell, music supervisor

[edit] History
Trantasia is a behind-the-scenes documentary chronicling The World's Most Beautiful Transsexual Contest [4] which was created by legendary Las Vegas producer Norbert Aleman.

Ted Smith suggested to Norbert Aleman that the pageant would make great subject matter for a documentary. After filming the three-day pageant, director Jeremy Stanford travelled across the US interviewing six of the contestants and their families. These personal profiles create the heart of the documentary which was also edited by Stanford.

Entertainment Tonight and The Insider "have featured the making of the documentary and profiled the film's transgendered stars in several separate stories" [5].]. Several other media outlets have covered the movie and pageant, including Maxim Magazine-Europe. The San Francisco Chronicle also featured an article, "Pretty Women" concerning the documentary [6] Daily Variety and the San Francisco Observer favorably reviewed the documentary [7]. The documentary has screened at several film festivals including Frameline in San Francisco, Outfest in Los Angeles, Neonfest in Las Vegas and the Palm Springs International Film Festival.

jonas brothers on regis and kelly

Kelly Ripa left the set of Live with Regis & Kelly halfway through Tuesday morning's telecast, and Regis Philbin explained later in the show that she had not been feeling well.

The program was being broadcast outdoors from the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas. Early on, Ripa seemed uncharacteristically low-energy and sipped frequently from a drink on the cohosts' table. She made it through the opening segment and an interview with Project Runway judge Tim Gunn, but did not return after the halfway mark of the show.

Philbin interviewed the Jonas brothers by himself, and with about 10 minutes left in the program, he told viewers, "Kelly [is] a little bit under the weather right now. We hope she'll be back before the show is over."

She did not return.

Ripa's rep, Stan Rosenfield, said in a statement, "It's a little case of the flu and she didn't do the second show. That's all. It's holiday season and it's flu season, even in the Bahamas."

Live is broadcasting all this week from the Paradise Island resort.

Later, Philbin told Extra, "I thought she was pretty brave to come out and try to finish the whole show, but under the sun and everything, I guess she got a little warm."

Ripa is expected back on the show Wednesday.
Tuesday on the talk shows

WHAT'S ON TODAY

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"Montel Williams" 10 a.m. WFXR/WWCW (Channel 21/27) Women who are not setting good examples for their children.

"Today" 11 a.m. WSLS (Channel 10) Jason Lee; Paula Deen; the Brian Setzer Orchestra.

"The View" 11 a.m. WSET (Channel 13) Guest host Mario Cantone.

"The Tyra Banks Show" 3 p.m. WSLS (Channel 10) Inside the documentary covering transsexual beauty pageants.

"Dr. Phil" 4 p.m. WSLS (Channel 10) Bride won't let her future mother-in-law attend her wedding.

"Rachael Ray" 4 p.m. WSET (Channel 13) Rachael helps a 24-year-old man who adopted his nephews.

"The Ellen DeGeneres Show" 4 p.m. WDBJ (Channel 7) Howie Mandel; Anderson Cooper.

"The Oprah Winfrey Show" 5 p.m. WSET (Channel 13) Oprah
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Live With Regis and Kelly At the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas; fashion guru Tim Gunn ("Project Runway"); Jonas Brothers perform. 9 a.m. KABC 97737

The View The cast of Broadway's "The Lion King" performs; guest co-host Mario Cantone; Joan Rivers. 10 a.m. KABC 77350

The Morning Show With Mike & Juliet Chandra Wilson ("Grey's Anatomy"). 10 a.m. KTTV 80242

The Tyra Banks Show Tyra and six women undergo physical transformations for a social experiment. 11 a.m. KTTV 20466

Oprah Winfrey Favorite Things 2007; Paula Deen. 3 p.m. KABC 75805

Dr. Phil The doctor checks back with a family torn apart after the mother was banned from her only son's wedding. 4 p.m. KCBS 5981 and 7 p.m. KCAL 49992



The Ellen DeGeneres Show Howie Mandel; Anderson Cooper; a 10-year-old boy tests toys. 4 p.m. KNBC 2379

The Tyra Banks Show Transsexual beauty pageants; the documentary "Trantasia." 5 p.m. KCOP 9263



Tavis Smiley Author Gina Nahai; Laura Linney. 11 p.m. KCET 91447

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Most late-night talk shows will air repeats for the duration of the Writers Guild

carson daly

Last Call with Carson Daly
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Last Call with Carson Daly

Format Talk show, Variety show
Starring Carson Daly
Country of origin United States
No. of episodes 825 (as of October 10, 2007)
Production
Running time 29 minutes per episode with commercials
Broadcast
Original channel NBC
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Original run January 7, 2002 – present
External links
Official website
IMDb profile
Last Call with Carson Daly is a late night NBC talk show, hosted by former MTV VJ Carson Daly.

Last Call, occupying the time slot previously held by Later, debuted in January 2002, and transitioned from four nights per week to its current five nights per week schedule (after the cancellation of previous Friday night timeslot holder Late Friday) in the summer of that year. In both 2003 and 2004 it was nominated for a Teen Choice Award for "Choice TV Show - Late Night".

Previously, the time-slot was filled by Later with Bob Costas (1988-1994), Later with Greg Kinnear (1994-1996), Later (1996-2000), and SCTV reruns (2000-2002). The 1996-2000 run featured a 'guest host of the week' format for two years before Cynthia Garrett became the permanent host from 1998-2000. The show aired Monday-Thursday through these years due to Friday Night Videos/Friday Night holding the after-Late Night slot on Friday nights.

Last Call was originally taped in Studio 8H of NBC's headquarters. This required the producers to work around the schedule of the facility's main tenant, Saturday Night Live. During this era, Last Call had a markedly different appearance from other late night shows: it had no house band (The Late Late Show is the only other late night show without one) and, quite literally, no jokes or monologue, going straight to the first guest.

The show relocated from New York City to Los Angeles in September 2005 and with the move, the show has begun to resemble its counterparts, with the addition of the Joe Firstman as the house band and a short monologue.

Like Conan O'Brien's ending phrase "Stay tuned for Last Call with Carson Daly," Carson Daly's ending phrase is "Go get some sleep" (Due to the fact that the show ends at 2:05 a.m Eastern Time).

Last Call with Carson Daly is a half-hour show, unlike the other late night talk shows (Leno, Letterman, O'Brien, Kimmel, and Ferguson) which are all one hour. As a result of Last Call 's shortened time, Daly dispenses a significantly shorter monologue and very few jokes and sketches.

Last Call has a house band, led by Joe Firstman. Firstman plays the role of a typical talk show house band leader (like Max Weinberg and The Max Weinberg 7 of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, Kevin Eubanks and the Tonight Show Band of the The Tonight Show with Jay Leno or Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra of Late Show with David Letterman), intermittently conversing with Carson and even occasionally bouncing back some jokes. The house band has featured such L.A. jazzmen as trumpeter Will Artope and sax player Zane Musa.

Contents
1 Cultural References
2 Controversy
3 See also
4 External links



[edit] Cultural References
Within the storyline of NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl, Carson Daly provided the impetus for the show's ongoing plotline.

[edit] Controversy
Last Call with Carson Daly is reportedly the first late night television show to resume production during the television writer's strike of November 2007.

LCWCD has the distinction of being the Worst Television Show in the World as certified by How Did He Get Famous, Inc.


[edit] See alsoNEW YORK - NBC's "Last Call with Carson Daly" is about to become the first late-night talk show to defy the writers strike and resume production.

Daly, who is not a member of the Writers Guild, will begin taping new episodes of his Burbank-based show this week for airing next week, an NBC spokesperson confirmed Tuesday.

The half-hour "Last Call" airs at 1:35 a.m. EST weeknights, but whether Daly's first new episode would air next Monday or Tuesday was initially unclear. No guests were disclosed.

Story continues below ↓
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Writers Guild spokesman Gregg Mitchell declined to comment.

Daly is not the first talk-show host to go back into production. Ellen DeGeneres, who is a member of the union, has continued taping her daytime syndicated talk show after shutting down the first day of the strike. But "Last Call" becomes the first to break ranks among the late-night shows, which all had chosen to air repeats rather than tape new shows without their striking writers.

It was unclear what effect, if any, the return of "Last Call" would have on other late-night talk shows, which include NBC's "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" and "Late Night with Conan O'Brien," CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" and "Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson," and ABC's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Comedy Central's late-night news-and-commentary spoofs, "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart" and "The Colbert Report" with Stephen Colbert, have also been in reruns.


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There was no immediate word on when any of those shows might follow suit and return with new episodes.

On Monday, contract talks with the studios resumed for the first time since movie and TV writers went on strike Nov. 5. The Writers Guild is seeking more money for material distributed over the Internet and cell phones.

© 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.