• He claims he pleaded guilty so his wife wasn’t deported. Oh Larry, we knew you wouldn’t let us down! In an interview to run on CNN Friday, the Balloon Boy’s father, Richard Heene, explains that he isn’t guilty but in fact was trying to protect his wife. Because he’s a douchebag. “Quite honestly,” said Larimer County, Colorado, Sheriff Jim Alderden, “I’m shocked that he would make such statements.” So are we. But he’s a reality TV wannabe. This is how he survives. source

• It’s not often that a single photo kills an entire career. But in the case of Gilbert Arenas, this photo of him joking around about the gun incident last month – after he was already on thin ice with both the NBA and the law for the incident in the first place – led to an epic indefinite suspension and created controversy around the photo itself. That’s a good photo.

How it screws up Gilbert’s career

• Wizards’ magic trick Arenas has been the franchise star of the Wizards for years, and he’s been something of a train wreck for most of them, partly due to his antics and history as a “jokester,” partly because he’s been injured for most of the last few years. Plus, they suck this season. He’s probably gone.
• Promises of pain NBA commissioner David Stern is a guy who doesn’t screw around and will bring pain onto stars he thinks deserve it (just ask Ron Artest). And when he suggests “or worse” in reference to an indefinite suspension, you know he’s freaking screwed. Don’t screw with David Stern.
• Career-ender?It’s too soon to tell whether the incident will completely screw up what had going with the NBA, but with promises of a trial and the fact that he had guns in Washington, D.C. (which has some of the strictest drug laws in the country), it might be. Or he might be Michael Vick. source

The situation with the photo

• snapped The photo was taken last night before a game. He was joking around with his teammates, making gun symbols with his fingers.
• snatched The next day, the NBA had Getty Images remove the photo from the wire for most of the day. The Washington Post nailed them. source

Gil’s tweets

• I know everybody seen the pre game pics..my teammate thought to break the tention we should do that..but this is gettn way to much
• Gilbert Arenas • Regarding the fate of his fingers, and the incredibly stupid reasoning behind them. Whichever teammate suggested that should be slapped, because he just cost Arenas a career. On a side note, does this guy know when not to tweet? Like, say, when you’re being investigated? source

• We feel this is a clear infringement of our intellectual-property rights. … Our legal team is dealing head-on with this.
• Isa Dick Hackett • Daughter of Phillip K. Dick, on Google’s usage of the name “Nexus One” for their phone. The author used “Nexus-6” androids in his book 1968 “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,” which was the basis of 1982’s Harrison Ford cult film “Blade Runner.” Did they reference it? Probably. Does the Dick family have a case? No. And that’s why Joss Whedon isn’t suing Google over “Google Wave,” even though they clearly took inspiration from “Firefly.” Enjoy the exposure, Dicks. source

• Bad advertising idea No. 1: “Stuck in a situation where you’re surrounded by black/West Indian people? Just offer them chicken and everything will be OK!” KFC, as you might guess, is getting a firestorm of controversy for this Australian ad. Ouch. source

• That’s not offensive at all! Students at Edsel Ford High in Dearborn, Mich. (which is largely made of Arab-American students) thought that this shirt portrayed a brave face, a show of strength. Instead, it drew instant scorn from school officials and just about everyone else. We can’t quite pinpoint what it is, but we think it has something to do with the bird. Let’s just put this in the “nice try” bin and go back to the drawing board, OK? source

• When the students on the bus seem to have more control than the driver, you know you probably shouldn’t be a bus driver. In this tense video, a New York bus driver, Martha Thompson, left students at her mercy, believing she was fine. She blew a .15 on the breathalyzer. She’ll now be spending the next 12 weekends in jail after pleading guilty to 37 child endagerment counts. The video alone is worth the wild ride. source

• I’m shocked at the virulence. It’s borderline bigotry against somebody that is on public assistance, against somebody that has more than 2.1 children, against somebody that doesn’t have a college degree.
• Lawyer Max Borten • On the criticism his client, Tessa Savicki, has gotten after an article was released discussing her situation. Savicki, who is on public assistance, had surgery in 2006 to get a reversible form of birth control. Instead, doctors sterilized her without her written consent. Savicki, 35, has nine kids already – including children as old as 21 and as young as 3. source

• His drop-out completely fragments the race. Colorado’s first-term governor, who won on the strength of his own party and the fragmentation of the other guys in 2006, found himself in a different situation in 2010. Among other things, his decisions sometimes ran counter to his party’s, especially the appointment of Michael Bennet to the Senate. And, learning from their mistakes, the Republicans got behind a strong candidate, former Congressman Scott McInnis, early. It’s drop-out day, guys! source

• The way it works is that a senior exec will come in and say, ‘We need to release this specific information. John, do you have a trusted friend at a major outlet? If so, call him/her and have a conversation. Idly mention this information and suggest that if it were published, that would be nice. No e-mails!’
• Former Apple Senior Marketing Manager John Martellaro • Regarding how Apple lets information about its products – like a certain slate-type thing that a bunch of people are freaking about – leak to the press. Essentially, it won’t leak on its own, but the leaks are controlled and totally part of the plan to build hype around the product. And if you haven’t noticed, it largely works like a charm. source