TV and Celebrity Newsource

“Well, he talks about New York in his work, and it seemed like New York was such an inspiration to him that I thought, I need to go here. Like, it’s kind of necessary to experience it.”

-”My Life as Liz” star Liz Lee, talking about how late rapper the Notorious B.I.G. inspired her to move from her home in Burleson, Texas to New York City (at least partially). Lee said goodbye to her hometown on Monday night’s season finale episode of “My Life as Liz,” and she happened to be paying tribute to Biggie Smalls on the sad anniversary of his death (her favorite song is “Juicy,” by the way).

It has been quite a transition for Liz, and watching the finale from her new home was an intense experience for her. “To see all of my friends and the look on their faces when I actually left, that was surprising,” she said. “It was almost like their support was tangible and visible, and it made me miss them a lot. seeing the last episode made me kind of sad.”

Though the show was an experience she definitely enjoyed, she has no problem with it being over for the time being. “I was actually kind of relieved after the season finale, ’cause you know, you work so hard for so long to have this final product, you’re kind of relieved,” she said. “Then there’s that feeling of sadness, ’cause it’s over, and it was a really fun ride. It’s an amazing feeling.”

angelesangeles-timesAPappleawardsBreaking NewsBusinesscbsCelebritydailydaily-newsEntertainmentGeneralguardianHealthjournalMusicNewsnews-articlesNFLobamaonlineosmondpatrick-bedellPoliticspresspress-releasereportsalingerSandra BullockSportsSports & Gamestreetstreet-journaltable-borderTechnologyTelevisiontimesTVunionusaUS NewsvideowednesdayWorld

WP Cumulus Flash tag cloud by Roy Tanck requires Flash Player 9 or better.

LOS ANGELES — Willie Davis, a speedy center fielder who collected two World Series rings, three Gold Gloves and was a two-time All-Star during his 14 seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers, has died. He was 69.

“He was beloved by generations of Dodger fans and remains one of the most talented players ever to wear the Dodger uniform. Having spent time with him over the past six years, I know how proud he was to have been a Dodger. He will surely be missed and our sincere thoughts are with his children during this difficult time,” Dodgers owner Frank McCourt said in a statement.

Davis was found dead Tuesday in his Burbank home, police said, adding that they did not believe foul play was involved.

Davis’ teammates included Sandy Koufax, Don Drysdale, Johnny Roseboro, Junior Gilliam and Maury Wills. He won his World Series rings in 1963 and 1965.

“He was the only person I’ve ever seen score on a fly ball from second base when he did it in Vero Beach. Willie running the bases was one of the best. He was exciting. He was a very proud man and a good man. He was a good ballplayer,” Dodgers coach Manny Mota said at spring training in Glendale, Ariz.

The Dodgers lost the 1966 World Series 4-0 to the Baltimore Orioles. In Game 2, in the last game of Koufax’s pitching career, Davis committed a Fall Classic-record three errors in one inning when he lost one fly ball in the sun, dropped the next one, then overthrew third base.

During the 1965 World Series, Davis stole three bases in one inning, including one where he had to crawl into second base after stumbling and falling.

Davis left the Dodgers in 1973 and went on to play for the Montreal Expos, Texas Rangers, St. Louis Cardinals, San Diego Padres and California Angels.

He retired after the 1979 season with a career .279 average and 398 stolen bases.

“Willie was always such a young man in my eyes because of how he was able to move so easily. Time gets away from you quickly. You hope you take advantage of it and you hope you appreciate every day you’re here. You just hope he’s in a better place,” Dodgers manager Joe Torre said.

“When that guy came into the league, he put fear in everybody — outfielders, pitchers, infielders, everybody. With all the fights we had and problems we had with the Dodgers, he was always a guy you’d have a word or two with: ‘How you doing? How you hitting?’” former San Francisco Giants right fielder Felipe Alou said in Scottsdale, Ariz., where the Giants were playing the White Sox in a spring training game.

“I’m surprised,” Alou said. “Wow. He was a great player. He was one of those exciting players with many triples and doubles. I had friends on the Dodgers, which was unusual. He was one of them.”

Alou recalls a game at Dodger Stadium when Davis hit a hard single over first base that Alou chased down and threw to second and threw him out.

“I saw the umpire call him out and I said, ‘I finally got that guy trying to stretch a single into a double.’ The next day I saw the newspaper and it said Willie Davis had a double. I said, ‘I threw him out.’ My teammate said: ‘We tagged him out. He had passed second.’ He was that fast.”

In 1996, Davis was arrested for allegedly threatening his parents with a samurai sword and ninja-style throwing stars, saying he would burn their house down if they didn’t give him $5,000. Prosecutors eventually decided not to file charges.

His mother said it wasn’t the first time he wanted money and she had given it to him in the past. Davis had become a Buddhist more than 30 years earlier, and in the six months before the attack, had started carrying the sword and a dagger that he wore in a holster, his mother said.

The Dodgers wanted to help Davis, former Dodger pitcher Don Newcombe said in 1996, and got permission from then-owner Peter O’Malley to do everything they could.

“But if you perceive that a person has some kind of problem, you can’t give him money to enhance the problem,” Newcombe said. “The Dodgers are too smart for that. We wish it was that easy, but it doesn’t work that way. We would not give him money if we thought that he was going to use it for something other than a good use.”

“If we could define the problem, Willie would go to a doctor of our choosing,” Newcombe said. “Then we could have a medical diagnosis and a medical opinion about what his needs are. Then if that diagnosis was that he had a substance abuse problem, we’d put him in the hospital and we’d treat him for as long as he needed to be treated. The ball is in his court now. Willie’s going to have to make a decision about what he’s going to have to do with the rest of his life.”

Former Dodgers general manager Buzzie Bavasi once said of Davis: “There was nothing more exciting than to watch Willie run out a triple. … He could have been a Hall of Famer, but he had million-dollar legs and a 10-cent head.”

Hall of Famer Willie McCovey of the Giants said Tuesday: “There was a time he kind of went off and I’m not sure what (he did). He was living a weird existence for a while. But he had straightened himself out. This is shocking. A lot of guys from my era are passing on, let’s face it.”

Mota said the trouble Davis had toward the end of his life “was kind of sad to see it happen. But he was a great man. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for Willie.”

Davis was born in Mineral Springs, Ark., in 1940 and moved to Los Angeles with his family when he was still a boy. He attended Roosevelt High School where he was a world class sprinter.

He was recruited by the Dodgers and signed with them when he graduated in 1958, McCourt said. Two years later, he was in the majors. In 1961, he replaced Duke Snider in center field.

Davis still holds six team records. He is the franchise leader in hits (2,091), extra-base hits (585), at-bats (7,495), runs (1,004), triples (110) and total bases (3,094).

He set a team record in 1969 with a 31-game hitting streak. He had more than 20 stolen bases in 11 consecutive seasons.

He appeared in a few television shows, including “The Flying Nun” and “Mister Ed,” usually as himself.

AP Sports Writer Janie McCauley contributed to this report from spring training in Scottsdale, Ariz.

By Movie-Critics.ew.com Back in the mid-’90s, I was having a drink with a prominent filmmaker who had risen up in the indie movement, and we started to talk about Tim Burton, whose career at that point, with the recently released Mars Attacks! (a bomb — though seriously underrated in my book), …

Original post: 
‘Alice in Wonderland’ is a huge hit, but is Tim Burton struggling to hold onto his creepy-cool imagination?

__________________
II Corinthians 1:20 ESV “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. that is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Jude 24-25 ESV “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

NEW YORK – a former television producer pressured by debt and riven by jealousy admitted Tuesday he tried to extract vengeance and money by shaking down David Letterman in a case that bared the late-night icon’s affairs with staffers.

Robert “Joe” Halderman pleaded guilty to attempted grand larceny, acknowledging he tried to chisel $2 million from the TV show host. He threatened to destroy Letterman’s reputation by airing his workplace dalliances — using information authorities have said he mined from a former girlfriend’s diary.

The plea deal by Halderman, a producer for CBS’ “48 Hours Mystery” at the time, spares him a potential 15 years in prison had he been convicted. The 52-year-old is due instead to get a six-month jail sentence and 1,000 hours of community service.

The plea deal also spares Letterman the prospect of a trial that could have put his private life on display, though the comedian masterfully defused much of Halderman’s potential bombshell last fall by revealing that he had slept with women on his staff.

Under the plea agreement, Halderman must give prosecutors all copies of any diary entries, photos, screenplay notes or other materials he has concerning Letterman and must agree never to reveal the contents.

The case at first dealt a blow to Letterman’s nice-guy image; even he described his office affairs as “creepy” as he stunned viewers with an Oct. 1 monologue that disclosed the liaisons and the blackmail plot.

Halderman apologized to the host of the “Late show,” also on CBS, as he spelled out the details of his crime in a Manhattan court, reading a prepared statement at first so quickly that the judge asked him to slow down.

“I attempted to extort $2 million from David Letterman by threatening to disclose personal and private information about him, whether true or false,” he said.

Halderman acknowledged delivering the threat to Letterman’s driver, in the form of a screenplay outline, or treatment.

“This so-called treatment was just a thinly veiled threat to ruin Mr. Letterman if he did not pay me a lot of money,” said Halderman, dressed in a gray suit.

He subsequently met with Letterman’s lawyer, who eventually gave him a phony $2 million check.

“I knew throughout this time that I was not engaged in a legitimate business transaction with Mr. Letterman and that what I was doing was against new York law,” Halderman said, adding that he realized he had violated the privacy of Letterman and his family.

“I feel great remorse for what I have done,” Halderman said, apologizing to Letterman, the comic’s family and his own former girlfriend, Stephanie Birkitt.

Defense attorney Gerald Shargel said later Tuesday his client “was both jealous and enraged” and under financial pressure.

Halderman, who made about $214,000 in 2007, was struggling with money in the wake of a divorce, according to court papers filed by his ex-wife’s lawyers.

Outside court, Halderman repeated his apologies, declined any interviews and said no more. He remains free on bail until his sentencing, set for may 4.

CBS News said Halderman was no longer an employee but declined to give any specifics on whether he had quit or been fired.

Letterman addressed the case during the taping of his Tuesday night show, telling his audience he initially was “concerned and full of anxiety and nervous and worried” when he went to prosecutors months ago. He thanked police and prosecutors for their professional and skillful handling of it.

The wrap-up of the case comes more than four months after Letterman’s TV show disclosure, which stunned viewers and impressed critics, who called his alternately folksy and frank speech a masterful move to seize control of the story.

While he couldn’t entirely keep it in his grasp — the fallout included an online Vanity Fair article in the fall by a writer who claimed sexual favoritism drove her to quit Letterman’s show in 1990 — viewers have more than stuck with him. his show averages 4.14 million viewers today, up 6 percent from 3.91 million a year ago.

But now, after beating rival Conan O’Brien on NBC’s “The Tonight Show,” Letterman is again facing Jay Leno, who returned to host “Tonight” last week after nine months’ absence. in past years, Leno consistently beat Letterman in the ratings.

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance Jr. noted that Letterman had come to authorities knowing the case could push his private life into public view.

“Mr. Letterman is a public figure, but like all new Yorkers he has a right to a certain degree of privacy in his public life,” said Vance, who took over the case from predecessor Robert Morgenthau in January.

Halderman’s lawyer, who had raised free-speech and other issues in his attempt to portray the producer’s behavior as a business deal, said Halderman ultimately decided he needed to end the case.

“We had a novel defense here involving complicated legal issues. I was very excited about the defense,” Shargel said. “But there would be a long road ahead of us, and considering the risks and the rewards and the need for Joe to put this behind him and get on with his life, those needs were paramount.”

Letterman married longtime girlfriend Regina Lasko last year. They began dating in 1986 and have a 6-year-old son.

Letterman also was the victim of a 2005 plot by a former painter on his Montana ranch to kidnap his nanny and son for a $5 million ransom. The former painter, Kelly a. Frank, briefly escaped from prison in 2007 before being recaptured.

Andrew (Randy) Kwasniewski, who was the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, was found dead by his wife in their home in Vegas this morning (March 9). He was 55 years old.

According to TMZ, Andrew was found with an apparent self-inflicted gun wound to the head. The Las Vegas Metro Police Department launched an investigation on Andrew’s death but they are treating it as an suicide.

Movie Trailer-10 Crack Commandments #RIPBIG March 9th, 2010
| by Rando

Presented by Blood Thirsty Entertainment and UrbanMouse Productions LLC
Written by Steven Caballero
Directed by Spike and Steven Caballero
Executive Producer Steven Caballero

ThaDealers caught up with Director Spike Caballero and this is what he had to say about the Movie:

“The movie is about the 10 Crack Commandments Biggie talks about in the song. Its 10 short stories that show the mistakes each dealer makes that brings him or her down. the people that bring them down move up to the next story until they fall. the format is very different than traditional film because we don’t have a main character, we get in and get out of the situation right away. No time for any real back story or character development. Its a chance we are taking but we think it should be good. We also have kept it as real as possible where I had the actors/dealers (some where real dealers and not actors) just ad-lib and be themselves. I just told them the situation they were in and what would they do about it. Its worked flawlessly. We got some really good performances out of them even though there were a ton of cursing but I would rather have a great performance. .if anything, people will say remember that scene in that hood movie? LOL.”

Show love and Become a Fan on Facebook & check out exclusive behind the scene Photos: 10 Crack Commandments

Dealer:@ChaStarChild

It’s only Tuesday and already I’m ready for the weekend Let’s get to the news and dream of warm, sunny Sundays shall we? The filming for season two of Spartacus: Blood and Sand has been pushed back, to accommodate Andy Whitfield’s cancer treatment. He was recently diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin lymphoma and needs to start treatment [...]

PopSugarTV / PopSugar Rush:
PSR 3/9/10: McConaughey Family Trip, Lindsay's Lawsuit, & Heidi's Post-Op Parody  —  Matthew McConaughey travels out of LA with Camila, Levi, and Vida; Lindsay Lohan is suing E-Trade for using her name; and Heidi Montag gets in on the joke about the perils of too much plastic.