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.