I wish my office would have this on Fridays...
http://view.break.com/521743 - Watch more free videos
Friday, June 20, 2008
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Suhweeet Sighting: Kelly Preston
Another addition to the new series, Suhweeet Sighting. Caught her coming out of our building on Columbus Ave. Can't say there were a ton of fans waiting, but who knows - maybe she's in a new movie or something...Anyone know?
Last thing I remember her in was Jerry Maguire and that was a really long time ago.
Monday, June 16, 2008
Princeton - racist?
check this out...can't let all the Asians in though. We'd have some serious issues...
Princeton University said the Education Department broadened its investigation of possible discrimination against Asian-American applicants.
In 2006, federal officials began investigating a claim from a student that Princeton rejected him because of his race and national origin. The student, 19-year-old Jian Li, initially enrolled at Yale University and is now at Harvard. Princeton says it didn't discriminate against Mr. Li.
Jim Bradshaw, an Education Department spokesman, said the agency closed its investigation of Mr. Li's complaint in January "after reviewing preliminary data and statistics from the university" and instead initiated a broader "compliance review" to determine whether Princeton discriminates against Asian-Americans. Mr. Bradshaw said the review "covers the original complaint" and "in no way implies" that the agency "has made a determination on the merits of the complaint."
Princeton said the inquiry would focus on the class of 2010, to which Mr. Li had applied. The university disclosed information about the new inquiry late Tuesday and said it welcomed the chance to explain its admissions process to officials.
The inquiry comes as many Asian-Americans families complain that the nation's elite universities set a higher bar for their children than for other students, effectively setting caps on the number of admissions granted to a high-achieving minority group.
The treatment of Asian-American applicants by top universities has a long and bitter history. In 1992, the law school at the University of California at Berkeley agreed under federal pressure to drop a policy that limited Asian enrollment by comparing Asian applicants against each other rather than the entire applicant pool. Two years earlier, a federal government investigation found inequities at Harvard but didn't bring charges.
Mr. Li called the expanded inquiry "great news for those opposed to the use of racial preferences in college admissions" and said he "had hoped from the start that the scope of the complaint would be much wider than my individual case."
Mr. Li, who immigrated to the U.S. from China as a 4-year-old, scored the maximum 2,400 on the SAT college admissions test, and registered a combined 2,390 -- 10 points below the maximum -- on three SAT2 subject tests, in physics, chemistry and calculus. He was spurned by three Ivy League universities, as well as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Education Department's civil-rights office initially rejected Mr. Li's complaint, saying the evidence was insufficient. Mr. Li successfully appealed, citing a white classmate from his public high school in Livingston, N.J., who was admitted to Princeton despite lower test scores and grades. Mr. Li's complaint was covered in a 2006 page-one Wall Street Journal article.
Princeton said 17,564 students applied to the class of 2010 and 1,231 enrolled. The university said 14% of its freshmen were Asian-American that year and in the most recent one. The school said it admitted only half of applicants with maximum SAT scores. About 5% of the U.S. population is Asian-American.
"We treat each applicant individually," said Princeton spokeswoman Cass Cliatt. "We don't discriminate on the basis of race and to the contrary, we seek to enroll classes that are diverse by a wide variety of measures."
Princeton University said the Education Department broadened its investigation of possible discrimination against Asian-American applicants.
In 2006, federal officials began investigating a claim from a student that Princeton rejected him because of his race and national origin. The student, 19-year-old Jian Li, initially enrolled at Yale University and is now at Harvard. Princeton says it didn't discriminate against Mr. Li.
Jim Bradshaw, an Education Department spokesman, said the agency closed its investigation of Mr. Li's complaint in January "after reviewing preliminary data and statistics from the university" and instead initiated a broader "compliance review" to determine whether Princeton discriminates against Asian-Americans. Mr. Bradshaw said the review "covers the original complaint" and "in no way implies" that the agency "has made a determination on the merits of the complaint."
Princeton said the inquiry would focus on the class of 2010, to which Mr. Li had applied. The university disclosed information about the new inquiry late Tuesday and said it welcomed the chance to explain its admissions process to officials.
The inquiry comes as many Asian-Americans families complain that the nation's elite universities set a higher bar for their children than for other students, effectively setting caps on the number of admissions granted to a high-achieving minority group.
The treatment of Asian-American applicants by top universities has a long and bitter history. In 1992, the law school at the University of California at Berkeley agreed under federal pressure to drop a policy that limited Asian enrollment by comparing Asian applicants against each other rather than the entire applicant pool. Two years earlier, a federal government investigation found inequities at Harvard but didn't bring charges.
Mr. Li called the expanded inquiry "great news for those opposed to the use of racial preferences in college admissions" and said he "had hoped from the start that the scope of the complaint would be much wider than my individual case."
Mr. Li, who immigrated to the U.S. from China as a 4-year-old, scored the maximum 2,400 on the SAT college admissions test, and registered a combined 2,390 -- 10 points below the maximum -- on three SAT2 subject tests, in physics, chemistry and calculus. He was spurned by three Ivy League universities, as well as Stanford University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The Education Department's civil-rights office initially rejected Mr. Li's complaint, saying the evidence was insufficient. Mr. Li successfully appealed, citing a white classmate from his public high school in Livingston, N.J., who was admitted to Princeton despite lower test scores and grades. Mr. Li's complaint was covered in a 2006 page-one Wall Street Journal article.
Princeton said 17,564 students applied to the class of 2010 and 1,231 enrolled. The university said 14% of its freshmen were Asian-American that year and in the most recent one. The school said it admitted only half of applicants with maximum SAT scores. About 5% of the U.S. population is Asian-American.
"We treat each applicant individually," said Princeton spokeswoman Cass Cliatt. "We don't discriminate on the basis of race and to the contrary, we seek to enroll classes that are diverse by a wide variety of measures."
Friday, June 13, 2008
Michael Jackson the new Celine Dion?
I would go watch him in Vegas...and you would too.
Michael Jackson: The Next Elvis?
A private-equity group is hoping to do for Michael Jackson something a long parade of music-industry veterans, lawyers and billionaire friends have failed to accomplish: Revive the pop star's dormant career after a 2005 child-molestation trial and a financial meltdown.
Colony Capital, which owns the Las Vegas Hilton and is a major shareholder in closely held Station Casinos, is in discussions with Mr. Jackson to get him back onstage and in the spotlight via a long-term stand in Las Vegas. It also wants the singer to sell his Neverland Ranch, the home of his private amusement park and menagerie and site of his controversial sleepovers with young children.
Colony and its executives aren't working with Mr. Jackson as managers or personal advisers. But they may nonetheless have a better chance of succeeding with Mr. Jackson than the many figures who have served in those capacities, thanks to Colony's major leverage with the pop star. The private-equity group in May bought from hedge fund Fortress Investment Group a $23 million loan backed by Neverland, in Los Olivos, Calif. Mr. Jackson, 49 years old, was in default on the loan and Fortress had initiated foreclosure proceedings. After buying the loan, Colony negotiated some short-term breathing room for Mr. Jackson. Under discussion is a scenario in which he would be allowed to put off making payments for a while, in exchange for more money further down the road.
"We bought the note and we've been having discussions with Mr. Jackson about a recapitalization and refinancing of Neverland in addition to various other business opportunities and mutual interests," says Colony CEO Tom Barrack.
Now Colony is urging the singer to emerge from the rural Nevada compound where he has recently been holed up with his family, to stage a residency performance -- either at one of its gambling and entertainment properties or elsewhere in Sin City.
Michael Amir, a spokesman for Mr. Jackson, confirms that the singer is in talks with Colony: "We're moving forward and looking to do some positive things in the future."
Since Mr. Jackson's 2005 acquittal on child-molestation charges, various entertainment-industry executives have pursued some kind of splashy comeback for him. For the most part, the singer hasn't played along. In February he backed out of a planned performance during the Grammy Awards telecast. Around the same time, he also declined a proposal to perform for 10 nights at a London arena. People who have spoken to Mr. Jackson say he has simply not felt up to the rigors of performing after his lengthy legal ordeal.
Recently the singer has been living in Pahrump, Nev., an unincorporated town 60 miles west of Las Vegas, where he has been writing new songs in a home studio and having his three children (ages 11, 10 and 6) home-schooled.
He did cooperate with Sony BMG Music Entertainment in the creation of a 25th-anniversary edition of his "Thriller" album, which posted unexpectedly strong sales in the U.S. and around the world. But even that undertaking -- which included one new song and remixes of several old hits -- may have contributed to Mr. Jackson's problems getting back to real work.
One person close to the famously distractible singer says that for a time he became preoccupied with making a feature-length movie based on the music video for the album's title track.
The current situation is the latest twist in a long-running saga that peaked three years ago. Funding his high-flying lifestyle with loans like the one backed by Neverland, he simultaneously stopped working and racked up millions of dollars in lawyers' bills to fight child-molestation charges.
The singer was acquitted in 2005 by a jury in Santa Maria, Calif. But he is still carrying almost $400 million in debt secured by his extensive music-publishing holdings, in addition to the smaller loan backed by Neverland.
Since then, according to people close to Mr. Jackson, he has cut back his personal spending somewhat. The biggest of Mr. Jackson's loans is backed by his share of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a joint venture he owns with the Japanese media and electronics giant. Mr. Jackson's stake is likely worth $500 million or more. But the partnership agreement is set to expire in two years, at which point provisions kick in allowing one side to buy out the other.
People familiar with the situation say Sony has always presumed that it would exercise that right -- and has even worked to prevent creditors from seizing Mr. Jackson's half of the company partly with the aim of buying it later. But if Mr. Jackson had a deep-pocketed partner like Colony, it could complicate such a transaction.
Adding to the chaos until now: Throughout much of that time, Mr. Jackson has put his business affairs in the hands of a rotating cast of advisers. Some of these have dealt honestly with the singer, but others have had previously-reported conflicts of interest.
Mr. Jackson has run into trouble making payments on his loans, which have been passed around among banks and other Wall Street players who have balanced the risk of default against the possibility of acquiring the valuable assets backing them.
Colony in recent weeks has presented Mr. Jackson with a range of possible Las Vegas comeback scenarios -- each of which borrows elements of other pop stars' highly successful long-term Las Vegas runs.
One option would be for Colony to create for Mr. Jackson a purpose-built theater at one of its hotel-casinos, where he would need to perform up to 180 nights a year. Céline Dion's four-year run at Caesars Palace grossed more than $400 million, while Barry Manilow earned $23.7 million for 88 shows at the Vegas Hilton in 2007. But the rigors of any such commitment would likely be too taxing for Mr. Jackson.
The most likely option would be to create something like "Love," the Cirque du Soleil show built around Beatles tunes. Mr. Jackson wouldn't be a regular part of the performance but would appear for 20 to 30 performances a year, possibly with his brothers.
Any of these scenarios would be paired with a plan to restore his image.
The first step in that plan is to distance the singer from Neverland, which, as a focal point for the trial, is indelibly linked with those charges in the eyes of the public. Mr. Jackson has vowed never to live at the ranch again, given its associations. But he nonetheless has entertained visions of turning it into a family-oriented theme park, with rides for children. Colony executives consider the residence completely toxic to Mr. Jackson's image, and are urging him to restore the property's original name, Sycamore Canyon Ranch, and to sell it as quickly as possible.
Colony is also urging him to make a public statement further distancing himself from the controversy, in a venue like Oprah Winfrey's talk show. A person familiar with the discussions says the general idea of such remarks would be for Mr. Jackson, who moved temporarily to Dubai following his acquittal, to say that the American legal system exonerated him, and that he now hopes to move on.
The final step would be for him to stage some kind of televised performance -- ideally in the context of a high-profile charity concert -- to prove to the world that he can still sing and dance.
If all goes according to plan -- a long shot, to be sure -- in three to five years, Colony would like to develop a Thriller Casino with Mr. Jackson. That is something Mr. Jackson has kicked around for more than 10 years.
Michael Jackson: The Next Elvis?
A private-equity group is hoping to do for Michael Jackson something a long parade of music-industry veterans, lawyers and billionaire friends have failed to accomplish: Revive the pop star's dormant career after a 2005 child-molestation trial and a financial meltdown.
Colony Capital, which owns the Las Vegas Hilton and is a major shareholder in closely held Station Casinos, is in discussions with Mr. Jackson to get him back onstage and in the spotlight via a long-term stand in Las Vegas. It also wants the singer to sell his Neverland Ranch, the home of his private amusement park and menagerie and site of his controversial sleepovers with young children.
Colony and its executives aren't working with Mr. Jackson as managers or personal advisers. But they may nonetheless have a better chance of succeeding with Mr. Jackson than the many figures who have served in those capacities, thanks to Colony's major leverage with the pop star. The private-equity group in May bought from hedge fund Fortress Investment Group a $23 million loan backed by Neverland, in Los Olivos, Calif. Mr. Jackson, 49 years old, was in default on the loan and Fortress had initiated foreclosure proceedings. After buying the loan, Colony negotiated some short-term breathing room for Mr. Jackson. Under discussion is a scenario in which he would be allowed to put off making payments for a while, in exchange for more money further down the road.
"We bought the note and we've been having discussions with Mr. Jackson about a recapitalization and refinancing of Neverland in addition to various other business opportunities and mutual interests," says Colony CEO Tom Barrack.
Now Colony is urging the singer to emerge from the rural Nevada compound where he has recently been holed up with his family, to stage a residency performance -- either at one of its gambling and entertainment properties or elsewhere in Sin City.
Michael Amir, a spokesman for Mr. Jackson, confirms that the singer is in talks with Colony: "We're moving forward and looking to do some positive things in the future."
Since Mr. Jackson's 2005 acquittal on child-molestation charges, various entertainment-industry executives have pursued some kind of splashy comeback for him. For the most part, the singer hasn't played along. In February he backed out of a planned performance during the Grammy Awards telecast. Around the same time, he also declined a proposal to perform for 10 nights at a London arena. People who have spoken to Mr. Jackson say he has simply not felt up to the rigors of performing after his lengthy legal ordeal.
Recently the singer has been living in Pahrump, Nev., an unincorporated town 60 miles west of Las Vegas, where he has been writing new songs in a home studio and having his three children (ages 11, 10 and 6) home-schooled.
He did cooperate with Sony BMG Music Entertainment in the creation of a 25th-anniversary edition of his "Thriller" album, which posted unexpectedly strong sales in the U.S. and around the world. But even that undertaking -- which included one new song and remixes of several old hits -- may have contributed to Mr. Jackson's problems getting back to real work.
One person close to the famously distractible singer says that for a time he became preoccupied with making a feature-length movie based on the music video for the album's title track.
The current situation is the latest twist in a long-running saga that peaked three years ago. Funding his high-flying lifestyle with loans like the one backed by Neverland, he simultaneously stopped working and racked up millions of dollars in lawyers' bills to fight child-molestation charges.
The singer was acquitted in 2005 by a jury in Santa Maria, Calif. But he is still carrying almost $400 million in debt secured by his extensive music-publishing holdings, in addition to the smaller loan backed by Neverland.
Since then, according to people close to Mr. Jackson, he has cut back his personal spending somewhat. The biggest of Mr. Jackson's loans is backed by his share of Sony/ATV Music Publishing, a joint venture he owns with the Japanese media and electronics giant. Mr. Jackson's stake is likely worth $500 million or more. But the partnership agreement is set to expire in two years, at which point provisions kick in allowing one side to buy out the other.
People familiar with the situation say Sony has always presumed that it would exercise that right -- and has even worked to prevent creditors from seizing Mr. Jackson's half of the company partly with the aim of buying it later. But if Mr. Jackson had a deep-pocketed partner like Colony, it could complicate such a transaction.
Adding to the chaos until now: Throughout much of that time, Mr. Jackson has put his business affairs in the hands of a rotating cast of advisers. Some of these have dealt honestly with the singer, but others have had previously-reported conflicts of interest.
Mr. Jackson has run into trouble making payments on his loans, which have been passed around among banks and other Wall Street players who have balanced the risk of default against the possibility of acquiring the valuable assets backing them.
Colony in recent weeks has presented Mr. Jackson with a range of possible Las Vegas comeback scenarios -- each of which borrows elements of other pop stars' highly successful long-term Las Vegas runs.
One option would be for Colony to create for Mr. Jackson a purpose-built theater at one of its hotel-casinos, where he would need to perform up to 180 nights a year. Céline Dion's four-year run at Caesars Palace grossed more than $400 million, while Barry Manilow earned $23.7 million for 88 shows at the Vegas Hilton in 2007. But the rigors of any such commitment would likely be too taxing for Mr. Jackson.
The most likely option would be to create something like "Love," the Cirque du Soleil show built around Beatles tunes. Mr. Jackson wouldn't be a regular part of the performance but would appear for 20 to 30 performances a year, possibly with his brothers.
Any of these scenarios would be paired with a plan to restore his image.
The first step in that plan is to distance the singer from Neverland, which, as a focal point for the trial, is indelibly linked with those charges in the eyes of the public. Mr. Jackson has vowed never to live at the ranch again, given its associations. But he nonetheless has entertained visions of turning it into a family-oriented theme park, with rides for children. Colony executives consider the residence completely toxic to Mr. Jackson's image, and are urging him to restore the property's original name, Sycamore Canyon Ranch, and to sell it as quickly as possible.
Colony is also urging him to make a public statement further distancing himself from the controversy, in a venue like Oprah Winfrey's talk show. A person familiar with the discussions says the general idea of such remarks would be for Mr. Jackson, who moved temporarily to Dubai following his acquittal, to say that the American legal system exonerated him, and that he now hopes to move on.
The final step would be for him to stage some kind of televised performance -- ideally in the context of a high-profile charity concert -- to prove to the world that he can still sing and dance.
If all goes according to plan -- a long shot, to be sure -- in three to five years, Colony would like to develop a Thriller Casino with Mr. Jackson. That is something Mr. Jackson has kicked around for more than 10 years.
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
Ok, America's Best Dance Crew 2...get ready!
To prep for the next season, take a look at this clip. It's from the 2007 World Championships and pits Korea vs. Japan. This is real breakin!
Saturday, June 7, 2008
Chris Breezy and David Gregory
Something really funny about seeing big goofy David Gregory bust a smooth move with Chris Brown...again. If you recall, this happened the last few times The Today Show had Chris Brown on.
Here's the latest installment. And I would argue David Gregory is better than Chris Brown on this move!
Here's the latest installment. And I would argue David Gregory is better than Chris Brown on this move!
Monday, June 2, 2008
your baby or your dog?
great article in WSJ today about new parents demoting their "baby" dog to what they really are...their pet, not their kid.
Thailand pipin' up again...unrest inevitable?
Settle it and move on - that's what I say...
Tension Mounts in Thailand
Some Fear a Threat Of Another Coup Amid an Impasse
By JAMES HOOKWAYJune 2, 2008;
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A standoff between riot police and thousands of Thais protesting what they say is the behind-the-scenes influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is entering its second week.
The protests, organized by a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy, are increasing political tensions as they revive memories of large demonstrations that preceded Mr. Thaksin's ouster in a military coup in September 2006.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej -- who described himself as a proxy for Mr. Thaksin when campaigning in December's parliamentary election -- warned on television Saturday that protesters would be forcibly dispersed. But officials later said Mr. Samak had backed off his threat.
"We will not be using force as long as the protesters remain peaceful and conduct themselves within the law," Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said.
The confrontation is unnerving investors and business leaders who fear the army could again stage a coup to resolve the impasse.
The threat of a second coup in less than two years in one of Southeast Asia's major economies is also worrying Washington. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into Thailand on a visit Sunday after declaring that the U.S. opposes any attempt by Thai military leaders to seize power again.
"Our position is pretty consistent. We want to see democratically elected governments and we will convey that," Mr. Gates told reporters in Singapore before heading for Bangkok, according to Reuters.
In the past week, the number of participants in the protests has been as high as 10,000 at various points. The protesters accuse the Samak-led government of being a puppet of Mr. Thaksin and demand that it resign.
At Saturday's gathering, many protesters wore motorcycle helmets and improvised masks to protect them from tear gas. Others chanted "We love Thailand, we love our king" in English, aware that international news organizations were covering the standoff. Periodically, loud chants of "Thaksin, get out!" broke out.
Mr. Thaksin says he has washed his hands of politics since the 2006 coup that removed him. Back home after a period of self-imposed exile, he is preparing his legal defense against a series of corruption cases filed against him and his family shortly after the coup.
Still, the populist telecommunications tycoon has been unable to shake off belief among some that he is quietly directing Mr. Samak and his government -- especially as Mr. Samak openly campaigned for election by telling voters he was serving as Mr. Thaksin's proxy.
Thai media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, who had campaigned against Mr. Thaksin before the 2006 coup, is one of the leading figures behind the People's Alliance for Democracy. His satellite-television company has been showing extensive footage of the protests.
Tensions were further heightened last week after police recommended that a cabinet minister be prosecuted for insulting Thailand's long-serving, 80-year-old monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Jakrapob Penkair, a minister in the prime minister's office, resigned Friday in an effort to defuse the situation and protect the government from any suggestions that it reveres the monarchy any less than the protesters gathered on the streets of Bangkok.
Sunday, Mr. Samak accused protesters of inconveniencing the royal family by blocking important roads near Bangkok's royal palace
Tension Mounts in Thailand
Some Fear a Threat Of Another Coup Amid an Impasse
By JAMES HOOKWAYJune 2, 2008;
BANGKOK, Thailand -- A standoff between riot police and thousands of Thais protesting what they say is the behind-the-scenes influence of former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra is entering its second week.
The protests, organized by a group called the People's Alliance for Democracy, are increasing political tensions as they revive memories of large demonstrations that preceded Mr. Thaksin's ouster in a military coup in September 2006.
Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej -- who described himself as a proxy for Mr. Thaksin when campaigning in December's parliamentary election -- warned on television Saturday that protesters would be forcibly dispersed. But officials later said Mr. Samak had backed off his threat.
"We will not be using force as long as the protesters remain peaceful and conduct themselves within the law," Interior Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung said.
The confrontation is unnerving investors and business leaders who fear the army could again stage a coup to resolve the impasse.
The threat of a second coup in less than two years in one of Southeast Asia's major economies is also worrying Washington. U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates flew into Thailand on a visit Sunday after declaring that the U.S. opposes any attempt by Thai military leaders to seize power again.
"Our position is pretty consistent. We want to see democratically elected governments and we will convey that," Mr. Gates told reporters in Singapore before heading for Bangkok, according to Reuters.
In the past week, the number of participants in the protests has been as high as 10,000 at various points. The protesters accuse the Samak-led government of being a puppet of Mr. Thaksin and demand that it resign.
At Saturday's gathering, many protesters wore motorcycle helmets and improvised masks to protect them from tear gas. Others chanted "We love Thailand, we love our king" in English, aware that international news organizations were covering the standoff. Periodically, loud chants of "Thaksin, get out!" broke out.
Mr. Thaksin says he has washed his hands of politics since the 2006 coup that removed him. Back home after a period of self-imposed exile, he is preparing his legal defense against a series of corruption cases filed against him and his family shortly after the coup.
Still, the populist telecommunications tycoon has been unable to shake off belief among some that he is quietly directing Mr. Samak and his government -- especially as Mr. Samak openly campaigned for election by telling voters he was serving as Mr. Thaksin's proxy.
Thai media mogul Sondhi Limthongkul, who had campaigned against Mr. Thaksin before the 2006 coup, is one of the leading figures behind the People's Alliance for Democracy. His satellite-television company has been showing extensive footage of the protests.
Tensions were further heightened last week after police recommended that a cabinet minister be prosecuted for insulting Thailand's long-serving, 80-year-old monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej.
Jakrapob Penkair, a minister in the prime minister's office, resigned Friday in an effort to defuse the situation and protect the government from any suggestions that it reveres the monarchy any less than the protesters gathered on the streets of Bangkok.
Sunday, Mr. Samak accused protesters of inconveniencing the royal family by blocking important roads near Bangkok's royal palace
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Lil Wayne - Overdose!
I am getting pretty sick of Lil Wayne being all over the airwaves. He's the new ODB, but with less talent. Thoughts?
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