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19 Sep 2011 01:00

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Culture: Emmy recap: Big winners, big surprises, big last-minute switches

  • Two modern classics win big — again: With the lovably wry Jane Lynch at the helm, the Emmys proved both entertaining and greatly rewarding to TV fans who have been in a bit of a television renaissance in recent years. The Emmys themselves haven’t been doing so great lately, but Lynch’s performance may be just the kick in the pants the show needed, with small touches proving as memorable as the recorded skits (above is one of those, the intro skit). The two biggest awards went to shows with differing routes to the top — both perennial winners, but one bagged way more awards. “Mad Men” won just one award (for Best Drama Series), while “Modern Family” won five (Best Comedy Series, both supporting actor comedy awards, Best Directing and Best Writing). Other highlights:
  • winners Some highlights: “Friday Night Lights,” which ended its run this year, won two awards, and “Masterpiece” miniseries “Downton Abbey” scored four. Meanwhile, “The Daily Show” won for Best Variety Show for a record ninth year. Whoa.
  • surprises The maligned miniseries “The Kennedys” won an award for Barry Pepper’s Bobby Kennedy; it was so unexpected that he skipped the show. And Melissa McCarthy, on a hot streak, won Best Comedy Actress for her “Mike and Molly” role.
  • losers Sadly, Steve Carell goes his entire stint as star of “The Office” without a single Emmy. And critical all-star “Boardwalk Empire” only scored a single award tonight — for Martin Scorsese’s direction — despite many nominations. source
  • » The best highlight? Not even on the show: The opening clip we posted above could’ve been even better if Fox hadn’t put the kibosh on it. See, it originally starred Alec Baldwin, and had a plot that made light of News Corp.’s phone-hacking scandal. They had to ditch it at the last minute, proving one thing: In a pinch, Leonard Nimoy makes a passable Alec Baldwin.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 22:45

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U.S.: Video: Slow-motion sights and scenes from Occupy Wall Street

  • Sent to us via Twitter user Eric Brown, this five minute clip from last night does a good job capturing the mood of the still-budding protests near Wall Street in New York City. “This is a group of passionate, concerned, and intelligent people,” Brown writes. “Their behavior in the park suggested a great appreciation of democracy, and a desire to cut through the clogged media and political channels to communicate a message they feel is incredibly important.” Brown notes a large police presence was there when he shot this last night, but both sides were peaceful. Great clip. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 22:33

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U.S.: “Occupy Wall Street” protesters see first true test tomorrow

  • The method of protest that we’re using, the purpose is to interrupt the flow of Wall Street.
  • Occupy Wall Street protester Joe Sharkey • Revealing that the group’s purpose is to make it difficult for workers to get around the protesters — a method that will see its first real test tomorrow, when an actual work day hits. While the protest has remained largely peaceful, things could start to get thorny in the next day. Starkey says tomorrow is a “crucial period” for the group of roughly 1,500 to 2,000 protesters. “We are going to ride and coordinate and communicate,” he said. “The process takes a long time.” The protests, put together by anti-consumerism magazine AdBusters, have been planned for a number of months. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 22:07

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Culture: Circle of cash: “The Lion King” re-release roars back to life — in 3D

  • 45% of viewers went to see the second “Kung Fu Panda” movie in 3D
  • 58% of viewers saw “Rio” in 3D — a format which has been on the wane of late
  • 92% of viewers saw “The Lion King” re-release in 3D — which is like whoa source
  • » Waaaaaaaaaay above expectations: Disney expected “The Lion King” to make $15 million during its first weekend of a two-week re-release, 17 years after Simba walked his way into our hearts. Instead, the movie made $29.3 million this weekend, which tells us one thing — Disney needs to get on re-releasing movies in 3D format, stat, because it’s a money machine.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 20:50

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World: Dominique Strauss-Kahn admits “moral failing,” denies everything else

  • yeah … Dominique Strauss-Kahn admitted to a “moral failing” in his sexual encounter with a NYC hotel maid, in an interview with a French television station. It was his first public interview since the former IMF leader was arrested in May.
  • … but He claimed the sex was consensual, and that he did nothing that constituted an arrest. He also said an accusation that he attempted to rape French journalist Tristane Banon was “imaginary and slanderous.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 20:30

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U.S.: Surprise: The plane in the Reno Air Races crash had a black box

  • I’m not aware of a lot of aircraft having it, this is the first one I came across.
  • NTSB lead investigator Howard Plagens • Discussing the “significant” finding of recording devices (commonly called a “black box”) on the vintage WWII fighter plane involved in Friday’s Reno Air Races crash. Due to the nature of the aircraft, it was a bit of a surprise to find it. On top of the data-recording device, there was a camera that pointed outside of the plane. This will be significant as the regulatory agency puts together the pieces of the deadly crash, which killed nine — seven on impact (including the pilot) and two at local hospitals. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 11:54

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Politics: Ron Paul wins California straw poll, proving his base is still strong

We’re absolutely positive that the drunk guy in this video put him over the edge. Clearly, it was exactly what Ron needed to ensure his electoral future. source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 

18 Sep 2011 11:09

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Politics: Mitch Daniels, after the fact: Family concerns trump presidential onces

  • I think our family was really concerned about the lack of privacy. And that it’s not just for four years or eight years, but for the rest of your life. Mitch has given 12 years to public service. And, you know, now it was our turn to get him back.
  • Mitch Daniels’ wife, Cheri • Discussing why the Indiana governor’s family vetoed their father’s potential run for president in 2012. When Daniels made the decision back in May, the key tell sign for us was his open dismissal of questions related to foreign policy, a perceived weak point for the governor. But that point isn’t nearly as weak as his love of his family. “I’m not complaining about a thing. I’m the luckiest guy I know of,” he told CBS Sunday Morning. “And, you know, you can’t have everything in life. And sometimes you have to choose.” source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 10:51

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Biz: UBS: Losses from rogue trader much higher than originally reported

  • $2.3 billion estimated trading loss, up by $300 million source
  • » And the CEO won’t resign: Despite the black mark on his company’s record, Oswald Gruebel says he won’t resign due to the actions of rogue trader Kweku Adoboli. “I’m responsible for everything that happens at the bank,” Gruebel said. “if you ask me whether I feel guilty, then I would say no.” So how did Adoboli manage to hide his unauthorized trades? Well, before he became a trader, he worked in the back office, giving him knowledge of both sides of the coin. Authorities charged Adoboli in a London court on Friday.
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink

18 Sep 2011 10:37

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World: Iran: Jailed American hikers hit another snag in attempt to post bail

  • what Shane Bauer and Josh Fattal, the American hikers stuck in Iran, won’t get out on a combined $1 million in bail until Tuesday … due to the process getting held up.
  • why One of the Iranian judges that needs to sign off on the hikers’ bail just so happens to be on vacation. Wait … they couldn’t find someone else to sign? source
Posted by Ernie Smith • 0 Comments • Permalink
 
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