Phelps drives Olympics to staggering ratings

NEW YORK (AP) -- Can't Michael Phelps stay? Please?

Michael Phelps holds up one of his eight gold medals. Phelps' prowess has led to high ratings for NBC.

No amount of begging by NBC will make it happen. The Olympics swim meet ends soon after Phelps' bid for his eighth gold medal on NBC Saturday night, with another week of competition remaining.

Interest in the Olympics is nearly certain to wane, but NBC can already claim its own medal. The games averaged 30 million prime-time viewers over its first eight nights -- "American Idol" numbers -- and NBC Universal said it has earned more than $10 million since the games began from new advertisers eager to climb on board.

It's also the first real sign of that broadcast television can recover from its debilitating strike of last winter and produce an event that draws the nation together.

"Broadcast is not dead, despite reports to the contrary," said Brian Hughes, researcher for the ad buying firm Magna.

All because of one super swimmer.

Maybe not entirely, but NBC convinced Olympics officials to start races early so they could be aired live in prime-time in the eastern time zone, and built the network's battle plan around Phelps' bid for history. It worked out even better than expected, with two of Phelps' races having heart-stopping finishes.

Could Friday night have worked any better? NBC moved directly from showing a come-from-behind win by the leading U.S. beach volleyball team to Phelps' race. The live telecast heightened the suspense for East Coast viewers.

NBC was also able to show gymnastics, another marquee event, live. The one drawback to the one-two finish by Americans Nastia Liukin and Shawn Johnson was its 1 a.m. ending.

After a desultory summer of trumped-up dancing, singing and weight-loss competitions -- maybe broadcast television's worst ever -- the Olympics are like a feast to starving families, heightening its impact.

"This event shows the pipes work and that if you put on great programming that people want to watch, then they'll show up," Jeff Zucker, NBC Universal president & CEO, told CNBC Friday.

NBC says the Beijing games are on pace to be the most-watched Olympics ever. Between NBC and company-owned networks USA, MSNBC, CNBC, Oxygen and Telemundo, the airwaves are flooded with competition. NBCOlympics.com is streaming thousands more hours, too.

All of the activity has fueled interest, helping NBC in prime-time, said Gary Zenkel, president of NBC Olympics. Ironically, NBC's failure to keep video of the opening ceremony off the Web before it could be televised on 12-hour tape delay seemed to build excitement, resulting in a startling audience of 34 million people.

That theory won't be tested for competition, however. NBC doesn't stream events on the Web before they are shown on television. The second week is dominated by track and field, already likely to send many casual women viewers away. NBC's prime-time will also have few events live during the coming week, removing that element of suspense.

There's still a good chance NBC will be able to beat the 24.6 million average prime-time viewership of the Athens Games, and the 21.5 million in Sydney in 2000. That would be a real achievement when viewers have more alternatives every year.

During the first week, NBC has done little to upset its hosts.

Two of the biggest off-field stories -- the stabbing of two Americans by a suicidal man and revelation that a cute girl singing during the opening ceremony was a lip-syncher -- were covered during the daytime. But the stabbings were only briefly mentioned during prime-time and the lip-synching wasn't mentioned at all. Attendance problems at venues also hasn't drawn notice.

Except for a Tom Brokaw retrospective on opening night and Bob Costas' thorough interview with President Bush, the focus has been almost entirely on sport. Mary Carillo has kept her travelogues light. Mark Mullen's hard look at China's effort to groom Olympic stars was shown on the "Nightly News."

Costas has been respectful.

"Everyone of us who has visited here comes away with a deep admiration for the Chinese people -- so much to admire here and so much to learn," he said one night.

NBC's meticulous pre-Olympic planning can actually have its weak points. There's little room for flexibility in prime-time, and NBC's view that only a small number of sports deserve that special platform sometimes makes the broadcasts repetitive.

Phelps' trips to the medal stand were also repetitive, but NBC will take them any day. Barring a major catastrophe during the final week, his success in Beijing will send NBC Universal executives home smiling.

DeGeneres and De Rossi wed in LA

US talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has married her long-time partner, actress Portia de Rossi, according to the Associated Press news agency.

DeGeneres' publicist confirmed reports that the couple tied the knot at their Beverly Hills home on Saturday.

The presenter, 50, and De Rossi, 35, exchanged handwritten vows in a private ceremony attended by 19 guests, reported People and US magazine.

The couple have been dating since December 2004.

DeGeneres announced plans to wed on her talk show in May after the California Supreme Court overturned a state ban on same-sex marriage.

A month later, while picking up her fourth consecutive Daytime Emmy, she said she would show "a tiny bit" of the ceremony on her daytime show.

'Ecstatic'

The pair both wore clothes by designer Zac Posen and exchanged rings by Neil Lane, People reported.

US Magazine said De Rossi wore a backless, light pink dress, while DeGeneres dressed in trousers, button-up shirt and vest - all in white.

"They were hugging and kissing, and looked ecstatic," a witness told the magazine.

Both DeGeneres' mother and De Rossi's mother, who flew in from Australia, attended the ceremony.

DeGeneres made broadcast history in 1997 when her TV alter ego came out of the closet on her self-titled sitcom Ellen, becoming the first openly gay lead character on US prime-time network television.

The presenter came out herself in the same year, and was in a relationship with actress Anne Heche until 2000.

BY-BBC NEWS

John on Breakup with Jen: There Was No Lying, No Cheating

By Laura Hahn

Originally posted Saturday August 16, 2008 08:15 PM EDT

John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston Photo by: Tzirel Kaminetzky; Lester Cohen / WireImage

Though John Mayer and Jennifer Aniston were decidedly mum about their romance, the singer is opening up about their breakup.

"There's no lying, there's no cheating, there's no nothing," Mayer told reporters Saturday about his split with Aniston after working out at an Equinox Gym in New York's SoHo neighborhood.

If anything Mayer had only praise for his ex, saying: "Jennifer Aniston is the smartest, most sophisticated person I think I have ever met."

So what went wrong? "People are different, people have different chemistry," said Mayer, who appeared emotional, nervous and sad. "I ended a relationship to be alone, because I don't want to waste somebody's time if something's not right."

Sources confirmed that the duo, whose whirlwind romance began in April, mutually decided to split earlier this week.

Since the breakup, Aniston and Mayer have settled into their separate lives on different sides of the country.

Tropic film dethrones Dark Knight

Ben Stiller comedy Tropic Thunder has dethroned Batman sequel The Dark Knight at the US and Canadian box office.

The spoof, about a group of actors who end up fighting in a real war, took $26m (£14m) in its first weekend.

The Dark Knight, starring Christian Bale as Batman and Heath Ledger as his arch-enemy The Joker, had held the top spot for four weeks.

It earned another $16.8m (£9m) to overtake Star Wars as America's second highest-grossing film of all time.

James Cameron's 1997 epic Titanic remains the highest-grossing film in the US with takings of $601m (£322m).

Musical

The animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars opened in third place with $15.5m (£8.3m), while the latest Hollywood remake of a cult Asian horror film, Mirrors, starring Kiefer Sutherland, was in fourth spot with $11.1m (£6m).

Cannabis comedy Pineapple Express, from the makers of Knocked Up, was in fifth place with earnings of $10m (£5.36m).

Action-adventure The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor was sixth with $8.6m (£4.6m), ahead of Abba musical Mamma Mia!, with $6.5m (£3.5m).

Rounding out the top 10 were The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, with $5.93m (£3.2m), ahead of comedy Step Brothers with $5m (£2.7m).

Woody Allen's latest film, romantic comedy Vicky Cristina Barcelona, was 10th with $3.7m (£2m).

BY-BBC NEWS

Iran denies De Burgh live concert

Authorities in Iran have denied that singer Chris de Burgh is to play a live concert in Tehran, according to an Iranian news agency.

It had been reported in December that the Irish singer would perform with Iranian pop group Arian.

But IRNA reported that the Music Office of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance had not received a request for the show, nor issued a permit.

In Iran, official permission is required to stage a concert.

Arian's manager told Reuters news agency in December that Iranian authorities had approved a plan for De Burgh to play with the pop group.

At the time, he said the concert would be scheduled for either June or July.

If the concert went ahead, De Burgh would be the first Western artist to play a concert in Iran since the country's 1979 revolution.

De Burgh recently recorded a song, The Words I Love You, with Arian and visited Tehran in May.

A spokesperson for the singer-songwriter was not immediately available for comment.

BY-BBC NEWS

Ellen DeGeneres reportedly weds in California

BEVERLY HILLS, California (AP) -- There was much dancing: Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi are married, according to reports.

Ellen DeGeneres announced on her talk show that she would marry her girlfriend Portia de Rossi.

In the biggest celebrity union since California legalized same-sex marriage, DeGeneres, 50, and de Rossi, 35, wed Saturday night in an intimate ceremony at their Beverly Hills home, People and US Magazine reported.

A publicist for DeGeneres confirmed People's report and gave no further comment.

After the California Supreme Court's ruling in May, the talk-show host announced that she and de Rossi would wed after four years together.

The ceremony was attended by 19 guests, including DeGeneres' mom, Betty, and de Rossi's mother, Margaret Rogers, who had flown in from Australia, People.com reported Saturday night.

DeGeneres said after winning her fourth consecutive Daytime Emmy for talk show host in June that a date had not been set, and that she would show "a tiny bit" of the nuptials on her show.

While opponents in California have gathered signatures to put a measure on the November ballot for a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage, Hollywood was throwing its support behind the newlyweds.

"One of my favorite people of all time is Ms. Ellen DeGeneres," Katherine Heigl, star of "Grey's Anatomy," told Associated Press Television News at a Hollywood charity event on Saturday night. "So I wish all the best, all the happiness, all the joy that comes with that certificate ... just the joy of being able to stand up and say that. In front of everyone you love and care about in front of each other and to walk away legal is huge."

Tila Tequila, whose dating reality show fame is built somewhat on her affinity for both men and women, passed along her good wishes -- with only one small complaint.

"I love Ellen (DeGeneres); I watch her show all the time," Tequila told APTN. "I just want to say congratulations, and I am really sorry you didn't invite me to your wedding."

An ailing brain with imagination undimmed

Last year Terry Pratchett, the bestselling author of the Discworld fantasies, was diagnosed with Alzheimer's. How does the writer cope with a disease that whittles away at his brain?

When writer Terry Pratchett was told he had Alzheimer's disease, his first thought was "that's a bit of a bugger". That, and "I hope they hurry up and find a cure quick."

In December 2007, at the age of 59, the Discworld author was diagnosed with a rare early-onset form of the disease called Posterior Cortical Atrophy, or PCA.

It was last summer when he first started to suspect all was not well, and went to see his doctor. Given a brain scan and a Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE), a brief 30-point questionnaire commonly used by medics to screen for dementia, he was told that all was well. "I passed the test - it's actually quite hard to fail I think."

But as time wore on, he remained convinced that all was not well.

"We had what I called a Clapham Junction day, when you know the phones were ringing. There were lots of things to do and I was just kind of flat-lining almost. I just couldn't deal with it and I thought 'there's more, there's more'."

He was referred to Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, where the diagnosis was finally made.

BY-BBC NEWS

Madonna turns 50: Highs and lows

Madonna - one of the most successful stars in pop history - celebrates her 50th birthday on Saturday.

Use our interactive timeline to find out more about the ups and downs of her career.

Full name: Madonna Louise Veronica Ciccone

Born: August 16, 1958, Bay City, Michigan, USA

Also known as: The Queen of Pop, Material Girl, Madge, Esther, Mrs Ritchie.

Biggest hits: Holiday, Into The Groove, Like A Prayer, Vogue, Ray of Light, Music.

Quote: "A woman who pulled herself up by her bra straps and has been known to let them down occasionally" (Bette Midler, introducing Madonna at Live Aid in 1985).

1963 - MOTHER DIES

Madonna's mother, also called Madonna, dies of breast cancer. The tragic event has a lifelong impact on the singer. "You walk around with a big hole inside you, a feeling of emptiness and longing," the star later says.

1982-1985 - INITIAL CHART SUCCESS

Madonna moves to New York in 1977, where she studies with choreographer Alvin Ailey and works as a model.

Madonna turns 50: Your views

Early music demos recorded with her boyfriend Stephen Bray make their way to Sire Records boss Seymour Stein, who demands to meet her, even though he is in hospital with a heart condition. Impressed with "the drive, the zeal, the ruthlessness" of a young Madonna, he signs her on the spot. But her first few releases only make an impact in clubs.

Holiday becomes Madonna's first breakthrough hit in the US, reaching number 16 in late 1983. Her first top 10 hit comes a year later with Borderline, a song she later disowns. She is more proud of the subsequent, career-defining hits Like A Virgin and Material Girl. The sell-out Virgin Tour begins in 1985 with support from the Beastie Boys.

1985 - MARRIAGE

Madonna receives rave reviews for her role in mainstream film Desperately Seeking Susan (she previously made low-budget sexploitation movie A Certain Sacrifice in 1979).

She also hits number one with Into The Groove, plays Live Aid, and marries actor Sean Penn on a Californian clifftop, their vows drowned out by the roar of press helicopters circling overhead.

1986 - TRUE BLUE

True Blue was the first time Madonna had a writing credit on every song.

The album True Blue, with its iconic Herb Ritts cover, cements Madonna's reputation as the first lady of pop, reaching number one in 12 countries and spawning five hit singles.

Papa Don't Preach, which deals with teenage pregnancy, confirms the star's willingness to tackle controversial issues, while Live To Tell's raw vocals (recorded on the first take) show new emotional depth.

Her first world tour, Who's That Girl, sees the singer mobbed by adoring fans in cities across the globe.

But Madonna's film career takes the first of many serious beatings with the release of Shanghai Surprise.

A year later, she separates from Sean Penn, and the couple are granted a divorce in 1989.

1989 - LIKE A PRAYER

The video for Like A Prayer caused storms of protest

The release of Like A Prayer marks the moment when critics first begin to describe Madonna as an artist, rather than a mere pop singer. The title track's video, which shows the star kissing a black saint, causes storms of protest – but sends her straight to number one.

She follows up the album with the hit single Vogue and the lavish Blond Ambition tour. At the end of 1990, Madonna seals her reputation with a Greatest Hits album – The Immaculate Collection.

1992 - SEX

The sex book was shot by noted fashion photographer Steven Meisel

A coffee table photo book, Sex, finds Madonna in a number of sexually explicit poses with the likes of Naomi Campbell and Vanilla Ice. The book is derided in the press, and the dark and seedy Erotica album suffers as a result.

Two years later, she makes a bizarre, expletive-filled appearance on David Letterman's talk show. Madonna asks the host to smell her underwear, smokes a cigar and quizzes Letterman on whether he urinates in the shower. When she refuses to leave the stage, several audience members shout "get off".

The show marks a low point in public perception of the star.

1996 - EVITA

Madonna's casting in Evita helps to rehabilitate her image - and her film career. Meanwhile, she falls pregnant to fitness trainer Carlos Leon, giving birth to her first daughter, Lourdes, in October.

1998 - RAY OF LIGHT

Ray of Light was produced by British musician William Orbit

Ray Of Light marks a musical return to form. Its laid-back blend of dance and electronica catches the pop superstar in a reflective mood, musing on fame and parenthood. She continues to mine this rich seam of futuristic pop with Beautiful Stranger in 1999 and Music in 2000, albeit with diminishing returns.

In the meantime, she meets Guy Ritchie at a party thrown by Sting's wife Trudi Styler. The couple have a son, Rocco, before tying the knot in Scotland days before the new Millennium.

2004 - RE-INVENTION

The Re-Invention tour took more than $125m (£62.5m) in ticket sales

After the lacklustre American Life album, Madonna looks to the past for her Re-invention World Tour. Highlights including the yoga-inspired dance routines of Vogue, and a bagpipe version of Papa Don't Preach.

She follows it up with a love letter to disco, Confessions on a Dancefloor, produced by the tour's musical director Stuart Price. Based around European dance music - including a prominent Abba sample on Hung Up - sells 8 million copies, but its singles perform badly in the US.

The accompanying tour draws flack when Madonna performs Live To Tell while strapped to a mirrored cross, wearing a crown of thorns.

2006 - ADOPTION

Madonna 's adoption was challenged by Malawian civil rights groups

Madonna visits Malawi, arriving by private jet in the capital, Lilongwe. She says she is in the country on a humanitarian mission to visit Aids orphans, but government officials say she plans to adopt a child.

A week later, Yohane Banda tells the Associated Press news agency the star has adopted his 13-month-old son, David. "I know he will be very happy in America," he says.

Madonna denies she has used her status to "fast-track" the process, and the adoption does not receive final approval until 2008.

2008 - KEEPING BUSY

Hard Candy features collaborations with Justin Timberlake and Kanye West

Showing no signs of letting up the pace as she approaches 50, Madonna parts company with record label Warner Brothers to sign a ground-breaking contract with concert promoters Live Nation.

She is also inducted to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; releases an album, Hard Candy; directs her first film, Filth and Wisdom, and produces I Am Because We Are, a documentary about Aids orphans in Malawi - all while fending off rumours about trouble in her marriage.

After celebrating her 50th birthday, the megastar sets off on her Sticky and Sweet world tour next week.

Compiled by BBC Entertainment reporter Mark Savage

When Wacky Packages ruled

By Todd Leopold
CNN

(CNN) -- I blame Wacky Packages for making me the man I am today.

Though there have been attempts to bring them back, Wacky Packages' heyday was in the early '70s.

At 9 years old, I became hooked on the Topps-brand sticker series of product parodies, which recast Cap'n Crunch as "Cap'n Crud" and Nestle's Quik as "Nutlee's Quit" ("Explodes Instantly with Milk").

From there, it was a short trip to Mad magazine, "Saturday Night Live," National Lampoon, punk rock, trolling used-book stores and record stores, and indulging in other mind-rotting activities (memorizing trivia, creating puns) until I became the skeptical, disillusioned writer you have before you.

So, to Wacky Packages, I can only say: Thank you.

Not that Topps, or more specifically illustrator Art Spiegelman and writer Jay Lynch -- goaded by Topps' Woody Gelman and Len Brown -- knew the import of the work. In the preface to the new book "Wacky Packages" (Abrams), a collection of the first seven series of the Topps cards, Spiegelman -- yes, the same Art Spiegelman who won a Pulitzer Prize for "Maus" -- remembers the creation of Wackies as being "a dream job," but something that would probably be forgotten.

"It was all done as Part of a Day's Work, much like the way early comic books were made: they certainly weren't made as art, they weren't sold as art, and they weren't thought of as art," he says in the book's introduction. "Wacky Packages just formed an island of subversive underground culture in the surrounding sea of junk."

Lynch, a childhood friend of Spiegelman's who worked on Wacky Packages, Garbage Pail Kids and other Topps series, agrees.

"I didn't know they were that memorable until about 12 years ago, with the Internet," he says in an interview. (Several Web sites have been devoted to the cards, notably Greg Grant's Wacky Packages pages.) "Before that, I didn't think of it as any more important than the other series."

an the LA paparazzi be tamed?

By Peter Bowes
BBC News, Los Angeles

The Los Angeles paparazzi are as much as part of Hollywood life as the studios, celebrities and publicists.

Snapping stars is big business for the legions of photographers who stake out the clubs, restaurants and shopping malls of Beverly Hills.

But all that could change if new laws are brought in to curb the activities of the paparazzi.

In recent months there have been some ugly incidents in which photographers are widely believed to have overstepped the mark.

The day Britney Spears was taken from her home on a stretcher and ferried to a local hospital, scores of tabloid photographers swarmed around her ambulance.

Flagrant flouting

A police helicopter and a dozen officers on motorbikes were drafted in to escort the singer, at a reported cost to the local authority of $25,000 (£13,000).

"We can't afford to drain that type of resource from the police department," says Dennis Zine, a member of the Los Angeles City Council.

Photographer Nick Stern thinks new laws would curb press freedom

"We need to come up with something to control the situation. Normally somebody is in an ambulance and it gets to the hospital without any kind of impediment.

"In this particular case it was impeded because of the paparazzi."

Tabloid photographers have also developed a reputation for flagrantly flouting traffic laws. Many will think nothing of rushing into a busy street with a camera at the ready if it means they can get a shot of a celebrity in their car.

"Everyone thinks they're going to get the photograph of the century," says Mr Zine.

"It becomes a mob mentality. It's like a pack of wolves, a swarm of bees going after their prey. That's the issue that we really need to contend with and we need to come up with a solution."

Another widely-reported skirmish involving the paparazzi occurred when actor Matthew McConaughey went surfing in Malibu.

'Tropic Thunder' pushes envelope and then some

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- There's no question "Tropic Thunder" takes chances.

Ben Stiller, left, and Robert Downey Jr. are among the stars of "Tropic Thunder," a Hollywood satire.

Tom Cruise almost unrecognizable as a foulmouthed, foul-mannered movie executive? Check. Mockery of action heroes, Method actors and gross-out comedians? Check. Challenging stereotypes at every opportunity? Absolutely.

But casting Robert Downey Jr. as a black man? Well, that might be a bit much.

Or maybe not.

In "Tropic Thunder," a comedy about self-absorbed Hollywood types making a "Platoon"-style war movie, Downey plays Australian actor Kirk Lazarus, a multiple Oscar-winning performer who gets so involved in his roles that he forgets to come out of them. He's a man constantly looking for ways to transform himself for his art.

So, cast as a black man in the war movie, Lazarus decides to dye his skin surgically.

Downey -- no slouch as an actor himself -- has often been seen as one who immerses himself fully in his roles. That kind of dedication prevented the character from coming off as offensive, said Ben Stiller, who directed, co-wrote and stars in "Tropic Thunder."

"I give all the credit to Robert," Stiller told CNN. "I felt he really was so committed to that character, the guy that was playing that guy, that as an audience you bought his sincerity. Very few people, I think, could pull that off."

Brandon Jackson, who plays hip-hop star turned actor Alpa Chino (say it fast), agreed.

"Robert was black the whole time. My mom came on the set and she thought it was Don Cheadle," he told CNN. "I'm serious. That's how black he was."

'Tropic Thunder' pushes envelope and then some

LOS ANGELES, California (CNN) -- There's no question "Tropic Thunder" takes chances.

Ben Stiller, left, and Robert Downey Jr. are among the stars of "Tropic Thunder," a Hollywood satire.

Tom Cruise almost unrecognizable as a foulmouthed, foul-mannered movie executive? Check. Mockery of action heroes, Method actors and gross-out comedians? Check. Challenging stereotypes at every opportunity? Absolutely.

But casting Robert Downey Jr. as a black man? Well, that might be a bit much.

Or maybe not.

In "Tropic Thunder," a comedy about self-absorbed Hollywood types making a "Platoon"-style war movie, Downey plays Australian actor Kirk Lazarus, a multiple Oscar-winning performer who gets so involved in his roles that he forgets to come out of them. He's a man constantly looking for ways to transform himself for his art.

So, cast as a black man in the war movie, Lazarus decides to dye his skin surgically.

Downey -- no slouch as an actor himself -- has often been seen as one who immerses himself fully in his roles. That kind of dedication prevented the character from coming off as offensive, said Ben Stiller, who directed, co-wrote and stars in "Tropic Thunder."

"I give all the credit to Robert," Stiller told CNN. "I felt he really was so committed to that character, the guy that was playing that guy, that as an audience you bought his sincerity. Very few people, I think, could pull that off."

Brandon Jackson, who plays hip-hop star turned actor Alpa Chino (say it fast), agreed.

"Robert was black the whole time. My mom came on the set and she thought it was Don Cheadle," he told CNN. "I'm serious. That's how black he was."

Allman Brothers Band sues record group for $13 million

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Allman Brothers Band has sued a record company to demand a bigger cut of recordings sold through third parties such as Apple's iTunes music service.

The rock band claims it's the victim of "digital exploitation," and demands more royalties from sales.

The Southern rock band filed its lawsuit against UMG Recordings Inc. in federal court in Manhattan on Monday, saying it was the victim of "digital exploitation."

The band behind such hits as "Melissa" and "Ramblin' Man" demands at least $13 million and additional royalties from the sales of newly configured compact discs and digital downloads for use on telephone ring tones.

The Allman Brothers Band was formed in the late 1960s and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995.

A telephone message left with a lawyer for UMG hasn't been returned.

Soul star Hayes was 'cool as ice'

Soul II Soul star and British music pioneer Jazzie B became friends with US soul icon Isaac Hayes after they performed together in the 1990s.

Jazzie B says the iconic singer-songwriter, who has died at the age of 65, has left a big impression on him - and on modern music.

---

I first heard Isaac as a kid. He was Black Moses at that time. He'd done that album - that would have been the early '70s.

We had a lot of laughs, a lot of chuckles

One of the things I remember most was the album cover, him as Black Moses, with the chain waistcoat and the cloak, and the album sleeve opened out into a cross. A very outstanding piece of material.

My biggest memory of Isaac is singing with him in Paris, I think it was either '95 or '97, singing Papa Was a Rolling Stone. That duet was just so bizarre. That's one of my fondest memories. We became friends after that.

When Isaac came over [to the UK], I'd often hang out with him and we had a lot of mutual friends. He was just a really nice man, a really cool guy. He was quite funny, quite comedic. Always had interesting things to say.

I probably remember him more from a humorous point of view, we had a lot of laughs, a lot of chuckles. Isaac definitely had an impression on people.

BY-BBC NEWS

'The Daily Show' goes to China

NEW YORK (AP) -- Foreign correspondence on the fake news of "The Daily Show" usually amounts to someone standing in front of a video screen on the New York set, a few steps away from Jon Stewart's desk.

That's the real Great Wall of China behind Rob Riggle, not a fake background.

But to coincide with the Olympics, the show's Rob Riggle went to China. Really. His skewed travelogue unfolds this week on the Comedy Central hit.

That's when they find out whether they've created any international incidents.

"It was an opportunity to go over to China and do something that has probably not been done in the past -- go to China and do some comedy," said Riggle, a former U.S. Marine who served in Afghanistan and is still on reserve.

Riggle, who last year traveled to Iraq for "Operation Silent Thunder," started planning by applying in January for journalists' visa. With the intercession of MTV executives in China, they got the go-ahead less than 24 hours before their plane was due to leave on July 29.

"There were days when we got promising news and days when we got not-so-encouraging news," said Glenn Clements, field producer and Riggles' traveling partner. "But we decided to stick it out until the end, and it paid off."

Trying to explain what "The Daily Show" did would have been difficult. They essentially delivered a list of places where they planned to do filming.

They were able to film segments on the Great Wall of China and within Tiananmen Square, the latter historic site the focus of debates with Chinese authorities over access.

"Our motto was 'Let's just go until they tell us to stop,' " Riggle said.

Riggle and his crew were followed almost everywhere by Chinese police, although only once was a hand placed over a camera lens cap and they were told to go away. It was a moment the comedy writers probably couldn't have made up: They were filming the outside of a 7-Eleven convenience store.

Other times when police expressed concern about what the crew was doing Clements essentially hid behind the language barrier.

When they stopped on the street to do some filming, crowds would immediately form around them, attracting more police.

But anytime Clements' crew tried turning the camera around and speaking to Chinese citizens, the crowds would scatter. They would literally turn and run away, Riggle said. As a result, only a foreign journalist and Chinese newscaster were interviewed for the series.

Even for an ex-Marine, the police state atmosphere was intimidating.

"There were moments where you were just being watched very closely," he said. "We still did what we wanted to do, but I was hurrying it up, saying 'Come on, come on, let's go.' It was a subconscious thing."

Riggle also had the somewhat unexpected experience of being recognized on the street. Twice. One young Asian couple came up and said how much they enjoyed watching him on Stewart's show, leading him to wonder where they had seen it.

His first segment, on Monday, will be a mock "up close and personal" look at Riggle and his journey to the Olympics. They also plan a tongue-in-cheek look at the exotic and mysterious places in China, hence the trips to 7-Eleven and Western-style shopping malls.

The team will also take some shots at the Chinese authoritarian government and a critical look at history, much the same way as "The Daily Show" satirizes the U.S. government, Clements said. The four segments, prepared over the weekend between bouts of jet lag, are called "Rob Riggle: Chasing the Dragon."

"Jon always has a very good sense of what's in good taste and bad," he said, "and we'll try to stay within the bounds of what we think is good taste. We didn't go in there to make fun of the Chinese people at all."

Admiring Michael Phelps (and feeling a little dirty about it)

The Olympics have already produced some amazing images — and last night might have been the finest yet.

Jason Lezak’s incredible finish in the 4 x 100 freestyle relay swimming event, which enabled Michael Phelps to continue his quest for a record amount of Olympic gold, was phenomenal. Lezak, swimming the final lap for the U.S. team, finished the race a slim eight-hundredths of a second ahead of Alain Bernard and the French team. The U.S. quartet — Lezak, Phelps, Garrett Weber-Gale and Cullen Jones — set a new world record in the process.

But, for us, that spectacular finish wasn’t the image that lingered. It was Phelps’ victory dance, arms thrust in the air, showing his chiseled body to perfection. Instead of wondering just how Lezak saved the day, many women (us, for example) were left wondering just how Phelps could have molded himself into such an incredible physical specimen in his skintight Speedo.

And we realized how young the athletes are, and how old we have become.

Now, is it so terrible to admire the athletes for their bodies as well as for their skills? After all, our partner publication, Sports Illustrated, has showcased female athletes in swimsuits for years — even if the swimsuit isn’t their usual uniform (or, for that matter, isn’t made for swimming).

And yet … can you feel exhilarated and dirty at the same time? Exactly how old is too old to appreciate the physical gifts that athletes have been blessed with?

– Audrey Irvine and Jo Parker, CNN

Heard the one about the 12-year-old?

Lisa Summers
BBC Scotland news

Eros said comedy was a hobby for him

Eros Vlahos thinks he is funny.

But he would. He has been doing stand-up for four years with stints at the Comedy Store in London, Comic Relief and, here is the clue, Blue Peter.

That is because Eros Vlahos is only 12.

He is the youngest stand-up at this year's Edinburgh Fringe and he is hoping his show, Problem Child, will cause a stir.

But it is not going to be easy.

A third of the shows at this year's event are billed as comedy and with a reputation as one of the most prominent "comedy" festivals in the world, it also attracts harsh critics.

Somebody who has seen it all is artistic director of the Assembly Rooms, William Burdett-Coutts, who said: "I think probably 12 is pushing it slightly.

"It's a tough career if you go for it because you are solo, you are on your own, you have to keep your profile up."

Eros though is philosophical.

He said: "I just enjoy it, it's kind of a hobby for me really. It's hard competition because there are thousands of stand-ups out there.

"I've chosen a small venue because if you only have one person, it's still a nice place to do it in."

Roy Walker said he still gets nervous

At the other end of the experience spectrum, former Catchphrase host, Roy Walker is making his debut at the Fringe at the age of 68.

He is enjoying a career revival, but thinks Eros will use youth as an advantage.

"I think you can't start young enough, he won't have any fear at that age".

Walker though, admits even a veteran such as himself can be afraid of his first time at the fringe.

"I've worked in front of 20,000. Yes, there's always nerves but not as bad as here."

The fringe's youngest comedian though said, no matter what happens to him at this year's festival he will still make sure he has a laugh.

BY-BBC NEWS

'Pineapple Express' the latest stoner hit

LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- Stoners are riding high nowadays. Fans are buzzing about the reunion of Cheech and Chong after a long feud, and a couple of tokers are lighting up the box office with "Pineapple Express."

James Franco, left, and Seth Rogen star in the action comedy "Pineapple Express."

From the pot partakers and dealers of "Weeds" to Harold and Kumar to Sean Penn's dude in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," stoners have been a beloved subset among Hollywood fringe players.

Some win Academy Awards (Kevin Spacey for his suburban sad-sack in "American Beauty"). Some lose their wheels (Ashton Kutcher in "Dude, Where's My Car?"). Some merely abide (Jeff Bridges' "The Dude" in "The Big Lebowski").

The canon of stoner flicks is almost as old as Hollywood itself, with the 1936 propaganda film "Reefer Madness" high on fans' must-see list. Other favorites include the '70s high-school flashback "Dazed and Confused," the demented Hunter S. Thompson tale "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" and the inner-city romp "Friday."

"Pineapple Express" upholds a truism known to just about anyone who has lit up: That it's more fun to party in pairs than it is on your own.

The movie casts Seth Rogen as a pot smoker hunted by druglords and crooked cops after he witnesses a murder. He leaves a smoking gun -- or rather, a smoking roach -- at the scene, a strain of pot called Pineapple Express that's so potent and rare, the bad guys can track it back to its source: Rogen's dealer, played by James Franco.

So the duo ends up as an odd couple on the run. Rogen's pot-hound is a fairly responsible guy with a day job as a process server, while Franco's peddler is so lovably fuzzy-headed from the weed that it's a wonder he can tell a nickel bag from a potted fern.

Chuck Berry's house to be historic place

ST. LOUIS, Missouri (AP) -- A modest, one-story red-brick house that rock and roll legend Chuck Berry bought in 1950 will be considered for listing in the National Register of Historic Places.

In this undated photo, Chuck Berry does his famous duck walk routine.

Experts on St. Louis landmarks say Berry and his family lived in the home in the city's Ville neighborhood during his most productive early songwriting period.

It was in the house that Berry developed his distinctive guitar style, rehearsed, wrote and recorded many of his classic songs including "Maybelline," "Johnny B. Goode," and "Roll Over Beethoven."

Berry sold the house in 1958.

On Friday, the Missouri Advisory Council on Historic Preservation recommended the house for inclusion on the National Register.

The secrets of the 'Sisterhood'

By Stacy Curtin
CNN

NEW YORK (CNN) -- CNN came to the junket for "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2" to ask questions of stars Amber Tamblyn, America Ferrera, Alexis Bledel and Blake Lively.

From left to right, Blake Lively, Alexis Bledel, America Ferrera and Amber Tamblyn are bonded by "Sisterhood."

Tamblyn decided to turn the tables.

"What's it like to work with Sanjay Gupta?" she asked. "What's it like to work with Anderson Cooper?"

Well, the thing is, not everyone at CNN gets to work with Cooper and Dr. Gupta, so we couldn't give her colorful answers. But Tamblyn didn't mind. She just wanted to show she's a fan.

"CNN is my MTV," she said.

We appreciate the enthusiasm.

The four actresses are justifiably enthusiastic about their own careers. All four have starred in past or current TV shows: Tamblyn in "Joan of Arcadia," Ferrera in "Ugly Betty," Bledel in "Gilmore Girls" and Lively in "Gossip Girl." It's another bond between the women, who characterize each other as friends.

In two separate interviews -- one with Tamblyn and Ferrera, the other with Bledel and Lively -- the four answered questions about stardom at a young age, what they admire about "Traveling Pants" and each other's secrets. The following is a combined and edited version of the interviews.

Mother of five wins 'Nashville Star'

NASHVILLE, Tennessee (AP) -- A Texas mother of five is the new "Nashville Star."

Melissa Lawson reacts to being named winner of "Nashville Star."

Melissa Lawson beat fellow finalist Gabe Garcia on Monday night for the title on the country music reality series. Shawn Mayer came in third.

The 32-year-old Lawson was overjoyed at winning, shouting "Oh my God!" She then performed her new single "What If It All Goes Right." The song is scheduled to be played on country radio Tuesday morning.

Lawson wins a record contract after performing in Nashville for 11 weeks.

The series has launched the careers of Miranda Lambert, Buddy Jewel and Chris Young. It switched to NBC this year after five seasons on cable's USA Network.