Wednesday, January 2, 2008

Zoey 101 to remain on air.

'ZOEY' FACES FINALS
BETTING YOU'LL FORGET HER DELICATE CONDITION
By DON KAPLAN
Jamie Lynn Spears

January 2, 2008 -- FRIDAY is judgment day for Nickelodeon when "Zoey 101" and its knocked-up teen star, Jamie Lynn Spears, return to the air.

But even with Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister pregnant with her on-again, off-again boyfriend's baby - the network has no plans to yank "Zoey" from its schedule, nor are officials there expecting trouble.

"If there hasn't been an outcry from advertisers and viewers yet, there probably won't be," an industry source said yesterday.

It is a strategy that might actually be sound, says Dr. Robert Thompson, founding director of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University.

He says that canceling "Zoey 101" would actually draw more attention to Spears' situation, especially with young children who are fans of the show and aren't aware of its star's personal life.

"They [Nickelodeon] have two options, they could keep it on the front burner and make people - who otherwise would not have noticed - pay attention," Thompson says.

"Or they could just make the assumption that some kids might of heard a little bit about it, but a lot of little kids don't read People magazine," he says.

Since Spears announced she was pregnant last month, Nickelodeon executives believe that the situation doesn't pose much of a threat to the network's "Zoey" franchise, which includes millions of dollars in merchandising and DVD sales.

The fourth season of the series is already filmed, so there will be no need to deal with Spears' pregnancy on the show.

"For the kids that are old enough to be following this thing and reading the tabloids, there is nothing that Nickelodeon is going to be able to do to stop that," Thompson says.

"There are other things besides Nickelodeon that are going to be teaching these kids about the birds and the bees, and if we're depending upon Jamie Lynn Spears' mistake to be the way we teach that to kids via Nickelodeon, then we've got some serious problems," he says.

Thompson points to the 2004 Janet Jackson Super Bowl halftime show as an example of how many more people became aware of the story because of how it was handled: "It was unfortunate that it happened, but more kids got exposed to it as a result of the huge controversy that happened afterwards."

He says that while Spears may be a poor role model and the situation is "troublesome, it's not like she killed her boyfriend.

"This is, after all, a child," he says. "Not a brain tumor."

On Friday's double episode, "Goodbye Zoey," Zoey (Spears) finds herself wrestling the decision to relocate to London with her parents, or remain with her friends at the fictional school she attends, Pacific Coast Academy.

"Friendships are put to the test in this exciting TV movie, where the kids face the real-life challenges of making tough decisions and moving to new places," a Nickelodeon press release said last month when the program was added to the network's schedule. "We think the surprise ending will leave viewers riveted and looking forward to the new season of the show."

"Zoey 101" is a tween series that premiered in January 2005. It quickly became a hit among the tween demo and has been the most-watched show on television among kids aged 9-14.


http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,319446,00.html

MC Hammer's Next Act: Tech Entrepreneur


MC Hammer, Chief Strategy Officer for DanceJam.com, poses for a photograph as a dancer per...
By MICHAEL LIEDTKE, AP
Wed Jan 2, 8:27 AM EST
MC Hammer hasn't topped the music charts since the early 1990s, but the former rap star says he has another hit in him — only this time around he'll produce it as a Silicon Valley entrepreneur.

Hammer, whose real name is Stanley Burrell, is choreographing a new career as co-founder and chief strategy officer of Menlo Park-based DanceJam.com.

The Web site, scheduled to debut in mid-January, will try to upstage YouTube and become the Internet's hub for sharing and watching dance videos. DanceJam then hopes to make money by grabbing a piece of the rapidly growing Internet advertising market, which is expected to rake in $27.5 billion in 2008, according to eMarketer.

If the business pans out, DanceJam could help Hammer compensate for losing his fortune when he went bankrupt in 1996 with nearly $14 million in debts.

The bankruptcy was a sobering comedown for Hammer, who parlayed the popularity of his once-ubiquitous song, "U Can't Touch This," to become a pop icon in the early 1990s. Besides becoming a fixture on MTV, Hammer appeared on kids' lunch boxes and even had his own action figure.

Although Hammer isn't churning out best-selling records any longer, everyone still seems to know his name. Even children born after his downfall are familiar with his music because "U Can't Touch This" still gets played in TV shows and movies.

But Hammer's involvement in DanceJam has more to do with his technological savvy than his celebrity, said Ron Conway, a longtime Silicon Valley investor who is part of a small group that provided DanceJam with $1 million in startup funds.

"I expect him to integrate all his knowledge into this Web site," said Conway, who befriended Hammer at a baseball game seven years ago and has been tutoring him in the ways of technology ever since. "He is the lightning rod for this whole thing."

Hammer, 45, started poking around Silicon Valley while he was still selling millions of records. He often hung out at computer makers like Silicon Graphics Inc. and Apple Inc., hoping to learn more about how technology might help his music career.

"There is no high-tech lingo or business strategy that you can talk that is above my head," Hammer boasted during an interview. "I breathe this stuff."

Hammer's entrepreneurial roots date back to the 1980s when he began recording songs with financial help from a few Oakland Athletics, where he once worked as a ball boy. His nickname came from his resemblance to the former home run king, Hammerin' Hank Aaron.

Without the support of a major music label, Hammer built a loyal fan base by hitting the streets and selling his early recordings out of a car.

His success in grass roots marketing prompted Salesforce.com Inc. to call on Hammer for advice in its early days. The company wanted to raise awareness about its online software service without paying a lot for traditional advertising, said Marc Benioff, Salesforce.com's chief executive officer.

"We really learned a lot from Hammer. He is the most entrepreneurial individual I have ever met," said Benioff, whose San Francisco-based company is now worth $7 billion.

Hammer and his DanceJam partners — Geoffrey Arone, the chief executive, and Anthony Young, the chief technology officer — are wading into a market already saturated with dozens of Web sites that have built huge video libraries.

Arone became convinced the Web needed a site devoted exclusively to dance shortly after he left Web browsing startup Flock, which he had co-founded. Hammer had been feeling the same way about dance for years so they quickly hit it off when they first met and hammered out the concept for DanceJam.

Drawing upon the popularity of reality shows like "Dancing With The Stars," DanceJam will stage head-to-head competitions where contestants submit videos that will be judged by viewers. The site also will provide demonstrations and information about a wide variety of dances, ranging from the Boogaloo to the Krump.

Arone, Hammer and Young have spent several months videotaping people around the country dancing. They say they have stockpiled about 100 gigabytes of video to help launch DanceJam.

James McQuivey, a media analyst with Forrester Research, doubts that will be enough to lure people away from Google Inc.'s YouTube, which listed 1.7 million dance videos in its index as of late December.

"When people are looking for any video, whether it be about skateboarding, dancing or a science project, they don't stop to think about where's the best place to find it. They just start off by going to YouTube," McQuivey said.

The most watched video in YouTube's 2 1/2-year history happens to be about dancing. The 6-minute clip, a facetious tribute called "Evolution of Dance," includes about 25 seconds alluding to some of the moves that Hammer made famous back when he was still wearing colorful parachute pants as he sang "U Can't Touch This."

Hammer recognized YouTube's potential before most people he did. Besides putting some of his own clips on the site, Hammer visited YouTube's offices in February 2006 when there were still just a handful of people running the site above a pizza parlor. (A clip of that visit is at http://www.youtube.com/blog?month2&year2006.)

Until he saw what YouTube was doing, Hammer had doubts about the Web's entertainment value. "When everybody started raving about the Internet, I always wondered, 'If it's so great, why can't you see my videos on the Internet?'" Hammer said. "It looks like technology has finally caught up with my vision."

___

On the 'Net:

http://www.dancejam.com

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

PICS: NEW YORK GETS DRUNK AND ACTS UP - SHE'S CRYING IN THE STREETS OF MIAMI






FALL FROM GRACE!! SHOCKING PHOTOS OF LEILENE FROM CHARM SCHOOL - SHE HAS TRACKS ON HER ARMS!!!










January 02, 2008. MediaTakeOut.com got its hands of some startling photos of Leilene from the VH1 hit show Charm School. On her arms, there appear to be track marks.We really hope she's alright...

This pic of New York and Taylormade!! Yuck


He kisses like a 7 month old!!!!!

New York prep school students wanted for Gossip Girl reality show

network is casting for a reality show that will be modeled after The CW’s drama Gossip Girl. TV Guide reports that, “on the Upper West Side of Manhattan,” a reporter found “a flier announcing a casting call” for a new reality series. It read:
“Are you the real Gossip Girl? Maybe an adorable Seth Cohen prepster who hates TV? Either way, we’d love to chat with you. We’re looking for NYC prep-schoolers for a reality show [to air on] a major youth-oriented network.”
That network isn’t named, but TV Guide names the obvious suspects, such as MTV and The CW. Producers will start interviewing on Thursday, according to the magazine.
A casting notice posted on craigslist seems like it could be for the same series, as it seeks “intelligent and articulate NYC students.” It says:
We are casting NYC STUDENTS on a new REALITY show for a MAJOR YOUTH ORIENTED NETWORK. After the success of “Laguna Beach” and “The Hills”, people are starting to wonder .. is NEW YORK still where it’s at?
Help us show that New York remains the most dynamic, exciting and vibrant city in the world. As New York natives, the producers are looking for intelligent and articulate NYC students to show why this city remains THE PLACE to be. Whether it’s a late night cram session at STARBUCKS or a hot, new band playing in WILLIAMSBURG, it’s time that NYC put it’s best foot forward. GROUPS of FRIENDS a BIG PLUS ++++!
Interested students can e-mail ideahatch@gmail.com for a casting application. Interview begin the week of 12/31.

Tila Tequila will return for a second season of Shot of Love



MTV has ordered a second season of A Shot of Love with Tila Tequila, and the series won’t need to change its name, as it will once again star the bisexual entertainer. (The network has already greenlit a spin-off, That’s Amore, which will star first-season contestant Domenico Nesci.)
The second season’s 10 episodes are “slated to premiere in the spring. Format will once again have straight men and lesbians vying for the heart of Tila Tequila,” Variety reports. MTV is now casting men and women who want to date Tila Nguyen.
Tila is available, as she revealed on New Year’s Eve, because she and Bobby Banhart, who she selected on the first-season finale, broke up and conveniently made another season possible.
Why would anyone want another round? As Variety notes, the first season was “MTV’s highest-rated series” among viewers 12 to 34 “since August 2005,” and the “finale drew more than 6 million [viewers], making it the most-watched series on the network since November 2002. Overall, ‘Shot’ was MTV’s top-rated new series among viewers 12-34 in 2007.”

Father Sought in Slaying of 2 Teen Girls


Two teenage sisters were found shot to death in Irving Tuesday night, and police are seeking their father as a suspect in the slayings.Yaser Abdel Said, 50, of the Dallas suburb of Lewisville, is accused of shooting Sarah Yaser Said, 17, and Amina Yaser Said, 18, in his taxi Tuesday night and abandoning it in a parking lot, leaving them to die.One of the teens called emergency crews at approximately 7:30 p.m. saying she had been shot, but she could not identify her location. Officers tracked the call to a general area but could not find anyone with additional information. At 8:30 p.m. police received another call reporting a suspicious vehicle in a parking lot at a nearby location. Two dead females were found in the car. It was determined that one of the women had made the earlier call to 911.Said is described as being 6 feet two inches tall with black hair and brown eyes, weighing approximately 180 pounds.He was last seen wearing a black turtleneck shirt/sweater, a brown coat and tan pants. He is believed to be armed with a handgun.Anyone with information is asked to contact Irving police. People are warned not to approach or try to apprehend the suspect.

ARE EDDIE MURPHY AND TRACEY EDMONDS MARRIED YET?: Yes, according to People magazine they tied the knot.


*According to People Magazine, Eddie Murphy and Tracey Edmonds were married on New Year's Day on a private island off Bora Bora in French Polynesia in front of 25 friends and family.
In a sunset ceremony on the beach Tuesday, Edmonds walked barefoot down the aisle to Gladys Knight's "Makings of You" says people. The bride wore a custom-designed form-fitting dress by stylist and designer Sugia Nazel and Jill Baracci, designer and owner of Baracci boutique.
Murphy wore a cream suit and vest with an off-white handkerchief.
Among the guests were best man Johnny Gill, maid of honor Nicole Avant, matron of honor Julie Lev, as well as Edmonds's parents Jacqueline and George McQuarn, her brother Michael, Murphy's mother Lillian Lynch and his brother Vernon.
The marriage is the second for both the bride and groom. Edmonds and music producer Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds divorced after 13 years of marriage. They have two sons. Murphy has five children with his ex-wife, Nicole, and one with former girlfriend Melanie "Scary Spice" Brown.

TYLER PERRY GOES WHERE HE'S NEVER GONE BEFORE: Filmmaker reported to have a role in next 'Star Trek' film.


*Word in the Trekkie blogosphere is that filmmaker Tyler Perry has a plum part in director J.J. Abrams' upcoming remake of the film "Star Trek," marking the first time he has participated in a movie outside of his own written and produced projects.
Movie blog UGO broke the news that Perry filmed a scene several weeks ago as the head of Starfleet Academy who will oversee an academic hearing regarding Cadet James T. Kirk (Chris Pine) and his cheating in the Kobiyashi Maru simulation (an event referenced previously in "Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan").
Kirk, facing expulsion from the Academy, apparently demands to know who accused him of cheating. That person is Spock (Zachary Quinto) and this is where they apparently meet for the first time.
UGO blogger Patrick explains: "In the Kobayashi Maru simulation, Starfleet cadets are placed inside a starship simulator and given a no-win scenario - either try and rescue the survivors of a stranded space freighter trapped behind the Klingon Neutral Zone and thus in enemy space or listen to them die when they are found by the Klingons. The test is designed that there is no possible outcome where you save the Maru survivors and beat the Klingons; it’s supposed to give cadets a taste of what it’s like to be working under pressure as you face probably death. Kirk won the Kobayashi Maru test by reprogramming the scenario so he could actually win it because, as the dude himself said, “I don’t like to lose.")
So young Kirk is standing in front of his peers (human and alien Starfleet cadets and officers) and facing immediate expulsion from the Academy. After hearing the charge from Perry’s character, Chris Pine-as-Kirk delivers a speech in the same vein as some of the classic Kirk speeches from the TV series. He wants to know how his cheating was found out, and it’s revealed that there was a witness to Kirk’s act. Kirk immediately demands to know who the witness was so he can face his accuser.
And that’s when Zachary Quinto-as-Spock stands up. Yup, he’s the one that ratted on Kirk reprogramming the Kobayashi Maru test and he’s the reason why Kirk is about to be expelled from Starfleet.
At the start of that day’s filming J.J. addressed the assembled cast and told them that he was extremely happy to have Tyler Perry being a part of his Star Trek movie for many reasons, but one of the biggest was that this would mark the first time that Perry has appeared in a movie outside of his own projects.
The updated "Star Trek," due in theaters on Dec. 25, 2008, will focus on the earliest adventures of Capt. Kirk and Dr. Spock and will also feature appearances by the main characters from the original television series.

Using Time Wisely in 08 - Words of Wisdom - January 2, 2008



Good morning. Spend quality time with your loved ones this year.. The one thing that can't be replaced on this earth is time.. (Remember this..) Nobody laying on their death bed ever wished they had more time to spend at the office.

God is LoveRev Run

On Operating in Love - Words of Wisdom - January 1, 2008


Good morning. The scripture says... Love endures long and is patient and kind; love never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, is not boastful or vainglorious, does not display itself haughtily. It is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride) it is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act unbecomingly. Love (Gods love in us) does not insist on its own rights or its own way, for it is not self seeking; it is not touchy or fretful or resentful; it takes no account of the evil done to it ( it pays no attention to a suffered wrong). Practice Love in 08! Happy new year!

God is LoveRev Run

On Responsibility - Words of Wisdom - December 31, 2007



Good morning. You can delegate responsibilities to others.. BUT ALWAYS check in and check up! (Remember) People never do what you expect, they only do what you inspect!!

God is LoveRev Run

NEW PICS: KIM K. & REGIE BUSH CELEBRATE NEW YEAR'S IN MIAMI





























Injure Me, Elmo: Popular Toy Slices Boy's Finger

OGDEN, Utah -- Stewart Ells, a 7-year-old Ogden boy, was injured Friday by a Hokey Pokey Elmo toy his 2-year-old sister Bailey received for Christmas. Stewart snagged his finger on a sharp bolt built into one of the feet on the toy. The injury resulted in several pain-killing injections and stitches for Stewart. His mother, Becky Ells, is not planning to sue toymaker Mattel. Instead, she wants to get the word out about the potential dangers of this toy. FOX 13's Scott McKane reports