Travis Barker and DJ AM critically injured in plane crash

WASHINGTON (AFP) — Former Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker and Hollywood music spinner D.J. AM were critically injured in a South Carolina plane crash that left four others dead, authorities said Saturday.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Les Dorr told AFP they and four others were on a Learjet 60 that crashed after takeoff from Columbia, South Carolina. The four people killed included two crew but Dorr did not immediately identify the four dead.

"Our understanding was that the two injured were Travis Barker and DJ AM" Dorr said, noting that the small jet had crashed onto a highway and burst into flames, apparently after a concert in Columbia.

Barker's marriage to former Miss USA, Shanna Moakler, was the focus of MTV's Meet the Barkers reality show (2005-2006). And after filing for divorce in 2006 his brief relationship with socialite-reality TV star Paris Hilton was tabloid fodder.

DJ AM was formerly engaged to Nicole Ritchie, who was Hilton's reality TV sidekick in "The Simple Life."

The National News Briefs

FDA hires 1,300 new doctors, scientists

WASHINGTON -- The Food and Drug Administration said Thursday it has hired more than 1,300 professional staffers in a move that officials hope will help the beleaguered agency better protect the public health amid rapid technological and scientific change.

"Every pay period, we have had more than 100 people walking through our doors," said Kimberly Holden, the senior manager directing the special recruitment initiative. "We have had some people who left to go into industry and ended up wanting to come back. The revolving door swings this way every once in a while."

The staffing drive, launched just five months ago, will result in an estimated 10 percent increase in the FDA's work force. Holden said the new hires will provide critical expertise after years of losing valuable medical and scientific people who took industry jobs or went into retirement.

Rosenberg transcripts raise possibility of perjury
WASHINGTON -- Grand jury transcripts released Thursday from the biggest espionage case of the Cold War raise questions about whether Ethel Rosenberg was convicted and executed based on perjured prosecution testimony.

The Rosenbergs were convicted of passing nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union and were executed in 1953. Since then, decrypted Soviet cables have appeared to confirm that Julius Rosenberg was a spy, but doubts have remained about Ethel Rosenberg's role.

At the Rosenbergs' trial, the key testimony against Ethel Rosenberg came from her brother and sister-in-law, David and Ruth Greenglass.

They testified that Ethel Rosenberg had typed stolen atomic secrets from notes provided by David Greenglass.

In recent years, David Greenglass recanted his testimony about the typing.

On Thursday, historians spotted a major omission in Ruth Greenglass's newly released grand jury testimony preceding the trial. Nowhere in the grand jury testimony does Ruth Greenglass tell the story about seeing Ethel Rosenberg type up the secrets.

Navajo Nation seeks control of national monument
FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Navajo Nation is seeking full control of one of the only national monuments entirely on reservation land, the majestic Canyon de Chelly and its hundreds of ancient rock carvings and paintings.

Since 1931, the National Park Service has been charged with preserving thousands of artifacts and ruins within the monument's towering red sandstone walls, while the land revered by the Navajos as sacred remained tribally owned.

Now the Tribal Council wants full control of the 131-square-mile monument in northeastern Arizona and the more than $1.8 million in federal funding that goes with it. Doing so would strengthen the tribe's sovereignty and demonstrate its expertise and competence in administering tribal land and resources to benefit Navajo people, supporters say.

Fire injures 16 at complex for elderly, disabled
WATERBURY, Conn. -- A fire broke out early Thursday at an apartment building for the elderly and disabled, forcing firefighters to use a ladder truck to rescue residents from upper floors and leaving 16 people injured, authorities said.

The fire in the Eastgate complex was reported shortly before 4 a.m. in a first-floor apartment and sent smoke throughout the four-story building. Four apartments were declared uninhabitable.

"The smoke was heavy in the halls. It was hard to breathe," resident Harriet Brown told WTNH-TV.

Two female residents were in critical condition at Bridgeport Hospital, and a man was in fair condition, hospital spokesman John Cappiello said.

Florida man charged in wife's 1999 killing
TAMPA, Fla. -- Florida authorities have arrested a man in the nearly decade-old slaying of his wife after his girlfriend recently came forward and admitted she helped bury the body.

Lesley Stewart, 31, this week led Pinellas County detectives to the woods in North Florida, where she said she and Robert Temple buried his 43-year-old wife in a plastic container. The container was still there, about two feet deep in the soil, and the remains were positively identified as Temple's wife, Rosemary Anne Christensen, who disappeared in 1999.

Stewart's attorney said she hadn't come forward sooner out of fear.

"Mr. Temple had said he could have her killed from prison," said Jay Hebert, Stewart's attorney. "I think she also was extremely scared for what her limited involvement was at the time."

Temple, 58, was arrested in California on Wednesday, where he and Stewart were living with their three-year-old daughter. He was charged with first-degree murder in the Christensen's slaying.

Attorneys representing Temple on alleged threats toward Stewart in California did not immediately return a telephone message seeking comment. It was unclear whether he had an attorney to represent him on the Florida charge.

Tenn. teacher's husband convicted in student death
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- A Tennessee teacher's husband charged with first-degree murder in the death of her student lover was convicted Thursday on a lesser charge of reckless homicide.

Eric McLean, 33, faces a maximum of two to four years in prison in the shooting death of 18-year-old lover Sean Powell outside the McLeans' home in Knoxville.

McLean testified he only wanted to scare Powell away on March 10, 2007, when he approached him with a high-powered rifle. He said the teen grabbed the barrel, and as McLean pulled back with his finger on the trigger, the gun accidentally went off.

When the jury's verdict was read, McLean was shaking as he hugged his lawyer. He appeared relieved to have avoided a first-degree murder conviction, which carries a mandatory 51 years in prison.

The jury deliberated for about 11 hours over two days after hearing six days testimony on the disintegrating 10-year marriage of Eric and Erin McLean, and the three-month affair she had with Powell.

US Rapper Kanye West arrest at LAX for smashing paparazzo's camera

US rapper Kanye West has been arrested after grabbing a photographer's camera and smashing it on the ground at Los Angeles Airport.

LAPD police say the nine-time Grammy Award winner was arrested on suspicion of vandalism after the commercial photographer's camera valued at over $12,500 was broken.

Associated Press reports an airport spokesman, Marshall Lowe, as saying West and his bodyguard, Don Crowley, were arrested shortly before 8am yesterday local time.

After the incident, West, 31, tried to board his American Airlines flight at terminal four but was stopped by police before reaching security, reports entertainment website TMZ.com.

"A photographer was taking several pictures of Kanye West. West rushed the photographer and grabbed his camera. A struggle ensued and the guy was screaming, 'Police, help'," TMZ.com's cameraman, Erik, who witnessed the scuffle, said on their website.

"Kanye then took the still camera and threw it on the ground, breaking it into pieces," he said.

The TMZ cameraman, who recorded the altercation, claims that once West saw him filming he told him to hand over the video camera.

The video shows West wearing a grey hooded jumper throwing the flash part of the photographer's camera on the ground and it breaking into pieces.

It also shows his bodyguard, Crowley, throwing the body of the photographer's camera at the ground before surging at the TMZ cameraman.

In the video, airport officials ask West and his bodyguard to stop the scuffle, while others are heard calling for police, to which West's bodyguard replies, "there ain't no police man".

After explaining he had a press pass and a right to film inside the airport, West's bodyguard allegedly grabbed his camera, ripped off the microphone and viewfinder and smashed it to the ground also.

The airport spokesman said police are continuing to interview witnesses and West may be booked later this morning.

West and his bodyguard were held in police custody until posting $25,000 bail.

Barack Obama's '57 States' Controversy Is Back

Barack Obama needs to just shut up. This is his election lose, and it looks like the Illinois Senator is set on losing.

Remember the '57 states' controversy from the Democratic primary? In case you need to be refreshed, Obama thought he needed to visit 57 states to win the election. The problem is that the United States only has 50 states. Here's the video:

Obama actually said he had already visited 57 states but couldn't go to Alaska and Hawaii. That would make 59 states, not 57 - and certainly not 50!

Now why is this coming up again? Conservative critics are evidently wondering again if Obama might be a closet Muslim. You see, there are 57 Muslim states.

"The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) is the second largest inter-governmental organization after the United Nations which has membership of 57 states spread over four continents," according to the Organization of the Islamic Conference.

Who cares if Obama is Muslim, but why would he hide it? Maybe you're one of those people who thinks the Democratic nominee will turn over to the Taliban if he wins.

Does Obama's religion have anything to do with the way you vote?

Posted by Charles Winters

Evan Tanner Dead

Former UFC middleweight champion Evan Tanner has been found dead in the Palo Verde mountain region of Southern California, according to reports from several sources on Monday evening.

Tanner's manager John Hayner confirmed the death in separate reports on UFC.com and CagePotato.com. MMAJunkie.com cited Tanner friend Kyria McBrayer in confirming the death, which was first reported by the Imperial Valley News on Monday.

Tanner, 37, had reportedly been missing since last weekend. He staged a UFC comeback in 2008 after a two year absence to battle personal issues and alcohol addiction. Tanner last fought on the season finale of Spike TV's The Ultimate Fighter 7 on June 21, losing to Kendall Grove via split decision.

Known for his adventurous spirit and painfully honest blogs about his struggles, Tanner posted a blog entry on the Spike TV website, dated Aug. 16, 2008, about his latest upcoming adventure.

"I'm hoping that very soon I'll be sitting out in the quiet of the desert beneath a deep blue midnight sky, listening to the calm desert breeze," Tanner wrote.

"I plan on going so deep into the desert, that any failure of my equipment, could cost me my life."

The Imperial Valley News reported that Tanner's friends had been text messaging him and getting no response since last Wednesday, and contacted authorities on Friday to report him missing. A search turned up Tanner's motorcycle at a camp site in Clapp Springs, in the Palo Verde mountains. Later, a sheriff's deputy reportedly discovered an unidentified body while flying in the vicinity of the camp site.

Authorities had yet to confirm the body as Tanner when the MMA Junkie report cited McBrayer and Cage Potato cited Hayner as confirming that Tanner had died. According to Cage Potato, Hayner said Tanner went into the desert on his motorcycle and ran out of gas, and then attempted to walk out of the desert in the intense heat.

Tanner was one of the UFC's most unique and eccentric fighters. He began fighting in 1997 as a one-time thing, searching for an exciting experience he could tell stories about later. When he realized he had a talent for it, he kept on going, using his fight income to support his never-ending thirst for adventure. In recent years, Tanner blogged frequently -- and very openly -- about his adventures, such as escaping his fixer-upper 1939 Tahiti Ketch sailboat as it sunk in the Pacific Ocean and suffering through a painful detoxification period as he quit drinking.

Tanner is tied for fifth on the list of all-time UFC wins with 11. His overall MMA record was 32-8-0 (11-6-0 UFC). He made his UFC debut on Jan. 8, 1999, defeating Darrel Gholar at UFC 18. He won his first and only UFC middleweight title at UFC 51 on Feb. 5, 2005, with a first-round TKO of David Terrell, and lost the title to Rich Franklin at UFC 53 on June 4, 2005.

Upon making his return to the UFC earlier this year, Tanner told CBSSports.com that despite all he had been through, his hunger for a new adventure, a higher plateau, and another great story to tell was still there.

"I'm just a little older, a little wiser," he said. "Same adventurous spirit. Same guy."

Kanye West Debuts New Song

Kanye West debuted a new song at the MTV Video Music Awards in Los Angeles on Sunday night (September 7), when he closed the show. Watch a clip of the performance here.

Despite saying last year that he wouldn’t support the music network after he failed to win an award, West performed a new song ‘Love Lockdown’ which he says he “wrote a week and a half ago. It’s my favorite song to date.”

Watch his MTV performance below.

Photo courtesy of Universal.

Favre wins, Brady hurt on NFL's

Brett Favre came up with a win and Tom Brady did not return to the game after being injured as the National Football League kicked off its Week 1 Sunday action.

Favre — whose soap-opera exit from Green Bay (he retired, then un-retired, then was traded) dominated the headlines this summer — threw for two touchdowns as his just-adopted New York Jets beat a scrappy Miami Dolphins club 20-14 in Florida.

It was the 161st victory of Favre's career —160 of them with Green Bay — who went 15-of-22 for 194 yards.

But the Jets had to hold on after Dolphins' quarterback Chad Pennington, released by the Jets a month ago when Favre moved in, hit for an 11-yard touchdown pass to David Martin with 3:27 left.

Pennington brought the Dolphins (1-15 last season and now under the command of Bill Parcells in the office and Tony Sparano on the field) down to the 20 before tossing an interception into the end zone on the final play.

Elsewhere, Brady, New England's already legendary quarterback, went down with a knee injury in the first half of the Patriots' 17-10 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at Foxborough, Mass.

The two-time Super Bowl MVP was tackled by safety Bernard Pollard after tossing a pass downfield. Brady was taken to the dressing room and did not return.

Backup Matt Cassell, who has thrown just 39 passes in the last three years, took over and came up with the victory.

There was no word on Brady's condition.

In other games:

Bills 34 Seahawks 10

Buffalo's special teams came up with two touchdowns to lead an impressive looking Bills' squad to a 34-10 win over the visiting Seattle Seahawks.

The win sent a message to NFC East favourites New England and New York Jets that there's going to be a brawl for the division.

Roscoe Parrish scored on a 63-yard punt return and punter Brian Moorman threw for a 19-yard touchdown to defensive end Ryan Denney on a fake field goal to key the victory.

Kicker Rian Lindell also recovered a fumbled kickoff that set up another touchdown.

Saints 24 Buccaneers 20

In New Orleans, Drew Brees passed for 343 yards and three touchdowns as the Saints downed Tampa Bay 24-20.

Brees had promised the fans, who had to deal with Hurricane Gustav earlier in the week, a win in the opener and he came through with scoring passes of 39 yards to David Patten, 84 to Devery Henderson and 42 to Reggie Bush.

Former CFL star Jeff Garcia was 24-of-41 for 221 yards at the Bucs' helm.

Falcons 34 Lions 21

The Detroit Lions may have been picked by a number of prognosticators to win the NFC North this year, but on Sunday they looked like the same old clawless cats.

Rookie Matt Ryan (third overall pick in 2008) threw for a touchdown on his first NFL pass and set a team rushing record by rumbling for 220 yards to give the hometown Atlanta Falcons a 34-21 win.

Detroit had gone 4-0 in the pre-season.

Titans 17 Jaguars 10

Jacksonville quarterback David Garrard was sacked seven times and intercepted twice at Nashville as the Tennesee Titans took a 17-10 victory.

Jaguars, coming off an emotional week after offensive lineman Richard Collier was shot in an overnight incident (he's in critical condition), had three more O-linemen hurt on Sunday.

They could generate just 187 yards in offence, while Tennessee did just enough to win.

The Titans got 93 yards rushing and 34 yards in receptions plus a touchdown from rookie runner Chris Johnson.

Ravens 17 Bengals 10

Baltimore rode an excellent defensive performance to a victory over the visiting Cincinnati Bengals.

Carson Palmer was limited to 10-for-25 and 99 yards by Ravens, who only allowed a 65-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Johnathan Joseph and a field goal on the day.

Ravens' rookie quarterback Joe Flacco, playing because Kyle Boller is out for the year with a bad shoulder and Troy Smith has bad tonsils, ran for a touchdown and went 15-of-29 passing for 129 yards and no interceptions.

Eagles 38 Rams 3

The St. Louis Rams are really terrible — again.

Only 3-13 last year, the blue-and-gold were pounded black and blue by the hometown Philadelphia Eagles in a 38-3 drubbing.

Quarterback Donovan McNabb, hoping to reestablish himself as a premier passer, went 21-for-33 including a 90 yard TD pass to Hank Baskett as his offence came up with 522 total yards.

Steelers 38 Texans 17

Willie Parker ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns and Ben Roethlisberger threw two touchdowns to Hines Ward in an easy Pittsburgh 38-17 win over Houston.

It was the Steelers' sixth consecutive season-opening victory.

The Texans had gone 8-8 last season for the first time since coming into the league in 2002 and are hoping for more this time around.

Michael Fuccile, Killed At Rail Station

A man died after being attacked by a crazy person this morning at the Liberty State Park light rail station in New Jersey.

Cops say they believe the killing was a senseless, random act of violence by a man with a possible history of mental illness.

Elgin Louis Taylor Jr., 24, evidently murdered 36-year-old Michael J. Fuccile. Media originally reported Taylor murdered Fuccile after a robbery attempt gone bad. Cops say they don't think that is the case.

Fuccile is being described as a family man and said he was headed to work at Merrill Lynch on the Jersey City waterfront when he was attacked at 8:30 a.m.

Witnesses chased down and held Taylor for police. He will be charged with murder.

Posted by Charles Winters on September 4, 2008 4:56 PM | Permalink

Jerry Reed dies at the age of 71

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Jerry Reed, a singer who became a good ol' boy actor in car chase movies like "Smokey and the Bandit," has died of complications from emphysema at 71.

His longtime booking agent, Carrie Moore-Reed, no relation to the star, said Reed died early Monday.

"He's one of the greatest entertainers in the world. That's the way I feel about him," Moore-Reed said.

Sony BMG Nashville Chairman Joe Galante called Reed a larger-than-life personality.

"Everything about Jerry was distinctive: his guitar playing, writing, voice and especially his sense of humor," Galante said. "I was honored to have worked with him."

Reed's catalog of country chart hits, from 1967 through 1983, were released under the label group's RCA imprint.

As a singer in the 1970s and early 1980s, Reed had a string of hits that included "Amos Moses," "When You're Hot, You're Hot," "East Bound and Down," "She Got the Goldmine (I Got the Shaft)" and "The Bird."

In the mid-1970s, he began acting in movies such as "Smokey and the Bandit" with Burt Reynolds, usually as a good ol' boy. But he was an ornery heavy in "Gator," directed by Reynolds, and a hateful coach in 1998's "The Waterboy," starring Adam Sandler.

Reynolds gave him a shiny black 1980 Trans Am like the one they used in "Smokey and the Bandit."

Reed and Kris Kristofferson paved the way for Nashville music personalities to make inroads into films. Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and Kenny Rogers (TV movies) followed their lead.

"I went around the corner to motion pictures," he said in a 1992 AP interview.

Reed had quadruple bypass surgery in June 1999.

Born in Atlanta, Reed learned to play guitar at age 8 when his mother bought him a $2 guitar and showed him how to play a G-chord.

He dropped out of high school to tour with Ernest Tubb and Faron Young.

At 17, he signed his first recording contract, with Capitol Records.

He moved to Nashville in the mid-1960s where he caught the eye of Chet Atkins.

He first established himself as a songwriter. Elvis Presley recorded two of his songs, "U.S. Male" and "Guitar Man" (both in 1968). He also wrote the hit "A Thing Called Love," which was recorded in 1972 by Johnny Cash. He also wrote songs for Brenda Lee, Tom Jones, Dean Martin, Nat King Cole and the Oak Ridge Boys.

Reed was voted instrumentalist of the year in 1970 by the Country Music Association.

He won a Grammy Award for "When You're Hot, You're Hot" in 1971. A year earlier, he shared a Grammy with Chet Atkins for their collaboration, "Me and Jerry." In 1992, Atkins and Reed won a Grammy for "Sneakin' Around."

Reed continued performing on the road into the late 1990s, doing about 80 shows a year.

"I'm proud of the songs, I'm proud of things that I did with Chet (Atkins), I'm proud that I played guitar and was accepted by musicians and guitar players," he told the AP in 1992.

In a 1998 interview with The Tennessean, he admitted that his acting ability was questionable.

"I used to watch people like Richard Burton and Mel Gibson and think, `I could never do that.'

"When people ask me what my motivation is, I have a simple answer: Money."

Associated Press Writer Joe Edwards contributed to this story.

The NFL Jaguars' Richard Collier shot, in critical condition in Jacksonsville

Jacksonville Jaguars offensive tackle Richard Collier was shot early Tuesday morning in Jacksonville, Florida.

What on earth is going on? He’s the third NFL player to be shot in the past 18 months.

Washington Redskins player Sean Taylor was killed during a burglary of his home in Miami in November last year.

Broncos player Darrent Williams was killed when he was shot in a rented limo after a New Year’s Eve part at a Denver nightclub at the beginning of 2007.

Collier, 26, who stands 6-7 and weighs 345 pounds, was shot multiple times and is now said to be in critical condition at Shands Jacksonville Medical Center.

The shooting took place at approximately 2:45 a.m. in a middle class neighborhood west of downtown Jacksonville.

Collier and a pal, former Jaguars player Kenneth Pettway, were in a car outside an apartment building, waiting for a woman (or women) to meet them, when gunfire broke out.

Sheriffs are investigating.

Photo: WireImage

Big Ten Network to air

Big Ten sports fans in Dubuque, flip to Channel 61.

Yes, it's true. The Big Network and Mediacom reached a deal Wednesday and just in time for Saturday's college football openers.

"We're very thrilled and pleased that we were able to come together, and it showed a commitment on both sides to get a deal done in time," said Elizabeth Conlisk, of the Big Ten Network.

The network has been busy all week making deals that also include Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable. Mediacom, which serves about 400,000 households in Iowa, has been negotiating with the Big Ten Network to televise games for more than a year. Terms of the deal have not been released, but local subscribers will not immediately see a rate increase, said Craig Nowack, cable TV franchise administrator for the city of Dubuque.

Mediacom will phase the network into its local cable station lineups, but already it is available in Dubuque. Where it is not currently available, Mediacom will air Saturday's games on its Mediacom Connections stations. It could take up to 30 days before

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the network is completely integrated into Mediacom's lineup.

"It may be added more quickly in some areas where we have open channels, but we may have to do some moving of channels in other areas," said Mediacom spokeswoman Phyllis Peters. "The areas where it's 30 days is not because of technology but because of regulatory requirements that we give 30 days' notification."

Nowack has waived the notification requirement in Dubuque, and Channel 61 was available.

"It has been vacant for some time and last carried the Asian Network," Nowack said. "Channel 61 will be its home, and we won't be moving any channels around."

The network televised four Iowa home football games and 24 men's basketball games last year. At least four Iowa football games will be televised this fall, including the intrastate rivalry against Iowa State on Sept. 13. Iowa hosts Maine in its opener at 11 a.m. Saturday, while at the same time, Wisconsin residents will see the Badgers opener against Akron. The Big Ten Football Saturday pregame show begins at 10 a.m.

Conlisk said demand for the network has steadily grown and Saturday's football openers were a motivating factor to get deals done with cable companies not yet on board.

"I would say that every day this week, with every subsequent deal we announced, we got more than 1,000 e-mails each day," Conlisk said. "There has been incredible interest. People who have had the network have received it well and told their friends about it, and certainly the network has been gaining popularity."

Previously, the Big Ten Network's primary providers in Iowa were DirecTV and the Dish Network. The network features live coverage of Big Ten athletics and in-depth features and previews of Big Ten teams.

Mackenzie Phillips Busted With Drugs

Mackenzie Phillips is seriously going to need to take it One Day at a Time after her latest run-in with the law.

The 48-year-old former TV star, whose role on the hit CBS sitcom was derailed in the early '80s due to a nasty drug habit, was collared this morning at Los Angeles International Airport after allegedly trying to bring heroin and cocaine aboard an airliner.

Phillips was going through security at LAX's Terminal 4 at approximately 10 a.m., when her bag was checked by a TSA officer, according to Sgt. Jim Holcomb, spokesman for Los Angeles Airport Police.

"During a second screening process, a small amount of what was believed to be heroin and cocaine was discovered on her person," Holcomb tells E! News.

Airport police were called to the scene and arrested Phillips on suspicion of possession of a controlled substance.

“She is being booked at Pacific Division and then transferred to Van Nuys,” adds Holcomb. Bail was set at $10,000.

Phillips, who played sister to Valerie Bertinelli on the long-running CBS show, is well acquainted with the booking process.

During One Day at a Time's 1979-80 season, she was collared for cocaine possession.

After turning up late for rehearsals on multiple occasions, producers gave her a six-week leave of absence. But her behavior continued to worsen until producers gave up and fired her.

Following a stint in rehab, Phillips rejoined the show, only to quit two years later when her drug problems persisted.

The daughter of Mamas & the Papas founder John Phillips (whom she blames for her drug habit) and socialite Suzy Adams, Phillips is the product of a showbiz family. Her stepmother is singer-actress Michelle Phillips and half-sisters include Bijou Phillips and Chynna Phillips.

Mackenzie Phillips, who performed as part of the revived Mamas & the Papas until her father's death in 2001, got her start in the industry at the age of 13 in the 1973 TV movie Go Ask Alice, about a 14-year-old girl pulled into a world of sex and drugs. Other credits include roles in American Graffiti, Baretta, ER, NYPD Blue and, most recently, CBS' Cold Case .

Communications disruption delays flights nationwide

August 26, 2008 1:47 PM PDT -- A communications failure at a Georgia facility that processes flight plans for the eastern United States was causing flight delays this afternoon around the country, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

FAA officials said the problem could trigger substantial delays for some flights at more than two dozen major airports. While there was little immediate effect on service at Los Angeles International Airport and John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, FAA officials advised travelers to check with airlines at their points of departure.

Kathleen Bergen, an FAA spokeswoman, said there were no safety concerns at this time and officials were still able to speak to pilots on planes on the ground and in the air. She said she did not know how many flights are being affected.

Bergen said the problem occurred at a facility in Hampton, Ga., south of Atlanta, that processes flight plans -- information that is used by air traffic controllers. She said there also has been a failure in a communication link that transmits the data to a similar facility in Salt Lake City.

Tim Smith, a spokesman for American Airlines at LAX, said some American planes are experiencing delays at airports in the northeastern United States, but nothing major.

Barack Obama Chooses Joseph Biden

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama has chosen Delaware Senator Joseph Biden as his running mate, according to a text message sent to supporters at 3 a.m. on Saturday (August 23) morning and a message posted on Obama's campaign Web site. "Joe Biden brings extensive foreign policy experience, an impressive record of collaborating across party lines and a direct approach to getting the job done," read the message about one of the best kept secrets in Washington until the news leaked out unexpectedly two hours before the text went out. "We have our team, but we also have our work cut out for us. Barack Obama and Joe Biden are the leaders who will bring the change our country needs."

Most expected to receive the news sometime later Saturday morning, before the two running mates' scheduled appearance at a rally in Springfield, Illinois, the site where Obama kicked off his bid for the presidency more than 19 months ago. Biden will be taking the stage at the Democratic National Convention next week as part of a history-making ticket looking to take on Republican Senator John McCain and his soon-to-be-announced running mate in November.

The 65-year-old Biden has long been considered a top contender for a job. As chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, with close to six terms in the Senate under his belt, Biden has experience Obama lacks in foreign policy and defense issues. He's also a Catholic with a blue-collar background, which could help Obama with that demographic.

On the other hand, the Washington veteran (who ran for president himself in 1988 and 2008) represents a state that is already in Obama's column, and he has a history of putting his foot in his mouth. On the campaign trail earlier this year, Biden received flak for calling Obama "the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy." He quickly apologized for the statement.

In the days leading up to the announcement the speculation ramped up, with every media outlet digging for every kernel of information that might suggest who Obama was going to choose, staking out those on the short list and practically begging them for any hints. As of earlier this week, the New York Times reported that the short list had gotten down to a trio of potential VPs that included Biden, Indiana's Senator Evan Bayh and Virginia Governor Tim Kaine.

As the time ticked down on Obama's announcement, supporters of the senator's one-time rival for the Democratic nomination, Senator Hillary Clinton, began to lose hope that Obama would choose the former first lady, even as the buzz about her joining the ticket picked up again. Fox News even reported on Friday that there was a move afoot by some delegates to force Clinton onto the ticket. Another long-shot candidate, Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, was also said to be in the running. On Friday, a true dark-horse candidate emerged in Texas Representative Chet Edwards, a big supporter of veterans' issues who confirmed to CNN that he had been vetted by the campaign.

For a time, former Senator John Edwards was also rumored to be on the list, but the 2004 Democratic VP nominee's second chance at the #2 slot, or a potential spot in an Obama cabinet, imploded when he recently admitted to an extramarital affair.

The Times had predicted that Obama would likely choose a "relatively safe" running mate to avoid taking any chances with a selection that might change voters' minds on the candidate or alienate a significant portion of his base. Then again, with his lead over McCain slipping away over the past few weeks, Obama was in need of a buzz-worthy pick that could re-energize the campaign.

Obama reached his final decision while on his recent vacation in Hawaii in what was an "unexpectedly intense process" that the paper said was squeezed into a shorter period to avoid actively vetting potential running mates' backgrounds before Clinton quit the race in June. The candidate confirmed on Thursday that he had made his decision but wasn't ready to reveal it yet.

Obama was faced with the decision of filling out the ticket with someone who could make up for his perceived lack of experience, someone who would reinforce his message of change, a running mate who could help him win an important toss-up state or a candidate who could boost his appeal to white, working class voters, whom he had trouble reaching in some states during the primaries.

Biden fits some of those categories, though his long tenure in the Senate and some harsh criticism of Obama earlier in the campaign quickly turned into fodder for the McCain camp shortly after the pick was announced.

"There has been no harsher critic of Barack Obama's lack of experience than Joe Biden," McCain spokesman Ben Porritt said in a written statement, according to CNN. "Biden has denounced Barack Obama's poor foreign policy judgment and has strongly argued in his own words what Americans are quickly realizing — that Barack Obama is not ready to be president."

Biden frequently raised questions about Obama's lack of foreign policy experience during the primaries. "I think he can be ready, but right now, I don't believe he is," Biden said during one debate. "The presidency is not something that lends itself to on-the-job training."

McCain will also more than likely bring up the fact that Biden dropped out of the 1988 Democratic presidential race after charges that he plagiarized a stump speech.

Despite all the attention, there's one thing political pundits typically agree on: While the hoopla surrounding the VP pick always provide a momentary bump in the polls, it rarely has much of an impact on winning states or regions of the country come November.

Michael Phelps wins eighth gold at Beijing Olympics

MICHAEL Phelps today swept to an astonishing eighth gold medal at the Beijing Games with victory for the US in the 4x100m medley relay.

The American cemented his place as the greatest swimmer - and perhaps sportsman - in history by completing a perfect record of eight victories from eight swims, seven of them in world-record time.

Click to see Michael Phelps win eight gold at the Beijing Olympics.

The Americans won in world-record time of 3:29.34, taking 1.34sec from the previous mark.

Australia finished second in 3:30.04 and Japan took the bronze in 3:31.18.

"I don't know what to feel right now, there are so many emotions going through my head and so much excitement, I guess I just want to see my mom," Phelps said.

"It's a beautiful thing, I am so proud to be a part of this relay team," teammate Aaron Peirsol said.

"It wasn't like we were doing this for Michael, but it's an honour to be part of it. It would have been something if we hadn't done it.

"(Eamon)Sullivan came back at the end, but I think at the end of a long competition we are all a little tired right now."

The Americans took an early lead courtesy of Olympic 100m backstroke champion Peirsol, and they went into the breaststroke leg almost one second in front of the Russians and the Japanese, with Australia fourth.

Brendan Hansen bolstered that edge although Brenton Rickard swam brilliantly to keep Australia in touch.

Australia’s Andrew Lauterstein had a massive challenge to keep up with Phelps on the butterfly leg, but he fought magnificently to give Sullivan an outside shot at hauling in America’s Jason Lezak on the freestyle leg.

The 100m silver medallist responded with a lightning quick 46.65sec, but his effort was not enough to catch Lezak.

Sullivan said the Australians had thrown everything they had at their arch rivals.

“It’s something we have been working towards for four or five years now,’’ he said.

“The (men of the Australian team) have really lifted.’’

Lauterstein said the silver medal-winning performance was a sign of better things to come for the Aussies.

“We said we were going to give these guys a shake and we certainly did,’’ he said.

“There are good things to come for us four. We are four young guys, they have Jason Lezak and Aaron Peirsol, who are a bit older.’’

Cloris Leachman Dancing with the Stars

TMZ is reporting that 82 year-old actress Cloris Leachman was going to do Dancing With The Stars show, but they said no in favor of Toni Braxton instead.

Seems like the Dancing with the Stars news is coming fast and furious these days (it must be August). Yesterday Allison told you about Dan Marino not doing the show, and the day before that I told you that Dan Marino was going to do the show. Football players... can't make up their minds.

Now comes another name thrown into the mix: Tom Selleck! That's the latest rumor for the show. In fact, it's gone beyond the rumor stage and supposedly (emphasis on "supposedly") Selleck has already accepted the gig. Part of me wants to say "don't do it Tom!" but the show really does need an injection of real star power (if the names leaked this week really are accurate, though we know that they got Marino wrong). In other DWTS news, TMZ is reporting that 82 year-old actress Cloris Leachman was going to do the show, but they said no in favor of Toni Braxton instead.

Cloris Leachman has wanted to be on the show for a couple of seasons. That's too bad. She seems like an in-shape, feisty lady. I bet she would have done well.