LBN E-Lert

SUNDAY • JUNE 27, 2010

LBN-INVESTIGATES: The oldest living things on Earth are believed to be single-cell prokaryotes, more commonly known as bacteria. Scientists have discovered fossils of such prokaryotes from roughly 3.5 billion years ago.

SLOW PROGRESS: In an interview on “This Week,” CIA Director Leon Panetta said that making progress in Afghanistan is both “harder” and going more slowly than anticipated. “There are some serious problems” in Afghanistan, Panetta said. “We’re dealing with tribal societies. We’re dealing with a country that has problems with governance, problems with corruption, problems with narcotics trafficking, problems with a Taliban insurgency,” he said.

TROPICAL STORM SET TO MISS GULF COAST: For the time being at least, it looks like Tropical Storm Alex will not be getting in the way of the Gulf Coast cleanup. It is expected to weaken early on Sunday over Central America before regaining strength during the evening over the Gulf of Mexico—where it could turn into a hurricane—but will pass far south and west of the blown-out oil well and the shores where oil has been washing up for several weeks. Meteorologists believe Alex will make landfall somewhere on the Mexican Gulf coast in the middle of the week, but warn that its path could yet change.

ADM. MULLEN MEETS WITH KARZAI: During a 45-minute meeting with President Karzai, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Admiral Mike Mullen assured the Afghan leader that newly installed Gen. David Petraeus will stick to the game plan established by ousted Gen. Stanley McChrystal. Mullen emphasized Petraeus’ early involvement in Afghan military issues and policies. McChrystal’s restrictions on fighting, imposed on NATO troops a year ago, have been credited with saving civilian lives, but some troops believe the rules cost American lives. All rules will remain in effect for now, but the spokesman pointed out that it remains to be seen what Petraeus will do. “Gen. Petraeus, as any new commander, has the right when he comes in to review those rules of engagement and may recommend changes to them as he sees fit. But we have no indication right now that he has any intention of changing anything.”

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N. KOREA POWER TRANSFER IMMINENT?: North Korea’s state news media announced that in September a rare meeting will be held to determine government leadership. The transfer of power has been a source of speculation since current leader Kim Jong Il, 68, reportedly suffered a stroke two years ago. It’s expected that Pyongyang will name Kim Jong Il’s third son, Kim Jong Un, as successor. Not much is known about him; even his age is uncertain, although he’s thought to be 27 years old. As North Korea struggles with a failing economy, a famine, and the international upset caused by their sinking of a South Korean warship, in addition to Jong Un’s lack of credentials, some are concerned for the region’s stability.

BABY KILLED BY FALLING TREE BRANCH: A 6-month-old child was killed today at New York City’s Central Park Zoo, the victim of a falling tree branch. The baby’s mother was also severely injured in the accident, and is currently in serious condition at Weill Cornell Medical Center on the Upper East Side. This is the second death from a falling tree branch at the zoo this year. A snow-laden branch in the park fell on a man in February, and last July another man was hit and critically injured by a branch.

LBN-VIDEO LINK: Marlon Brando says “No”

LBN-SEE IT: Bruce Willis, Yesterday and Today.

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: ***Few teams hate each other quite as much as the English and German national sides. Then again, few teams have two world wars to bring up every time they meet. For the past several days, ever since the pair realized they were going to play each other in the second round of the World Cup, the countries’ respective tabloids have taken shots across the North Sea, bringing up everything from previous meetings to the outcome of World War II—always with a wry sense of humor. ***Germany played a masterful second half to dismantle England’s shoddy defense. England, outclassed and outplayed, will now go home, while the Germans now await the winner of this afternoon’s Argentina-Mexico game in the quarterfinal.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Tom Cruise’s latest film, Knight & Day with Cameron Diaz, is drawing weak reviews and low ticket sales at the box office this weekend, leading many in Hollywood to wonder if the film signals the definitive end of the former superstar’s bankability. But while it’s true that Cruise has certainly lost much of the wattage that previously carried him through hit after hit, he’s still one of the best stars we’ve got, according to a spirited defense by The Chicago Tribune’s Christopher Borrelli. ***Pernille Fischer Christensen’s “A Family” (En Familie), about a Danish family facing the death of its patriarch, was awarded the narrative award at the Los Angeles Film Festival, which handed out its jury prizes Saturday at a brunch at Chaya Downtown. ***Judy Greer has joined the cast of “Mad Love,” finalizing CBS’ pickup of the midseason comedy.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Kimora Lee Simmons searching in the sand for the designer heels she kicked off while vacationing with actor hubby Djimon Hounsou at resort One&Only in Cape Town during World Cup week. ***Pregnant-again Amy Poehler and Will Arnett celebrating her parents’ 46th wedding anniversary at Strip House in NYC. Their second baby is due this summer or early fall. ***L.A. actress/publicist Gail Silver and acclaimed Jazz Vocalist, Kurt Reichenbach seen chatting at the Saturn Awards with Guillermo del Toro: Gail congratulating Sam Raimi on his Saturn Award that night. ***Attorney Fred Goldring having lunch at Barney Greengrass in Beverly Hills. ***Political activist Joel Fox, author Florie Brizel and producer Mark Joseph taping a radio pilot for KFWB on Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles under the direction of executive producer Emiliano Limon. ***Producer Mike Flint celebrating his mother Joyce’s 75th birthday at Maestro’s in Beverly Hills. ***Prominent LA realtor Joyce Rey having lunch at Barney Greengrass in Beverly Hills. ***Ellen Pompeo was spotted leaving Starbucks after getting a coffee in Hollywood. ***Model Irina Sheik was spotted at Lavo at the Palazzo in Las Vegas. ***Kristen Stewart was spotted at the “Welcome To The Rileys” movie debut at the Los Angeles Film Festival. ***LeAnn Rimes and Eddie Cibrian were spotted strolling down Montana Avenue in Santa Monica. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT – Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Latter-Day Saints Founder Joseph Smith Murdered (1844) Smith was the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. He established his first church in New York but was forced to move his headquarters to Ohio, Missouri, and then Illinois. In 1844, he announced his candidacy for the presidency of the US, but he was imprisoned for treason after his efforts to silence Mormon dissenters led to mob violence.

LBN-TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: Vera Wang (1949) As a girl, Wang trained as a figure skater. However, after failing to make the US Olympic team, she turned to fashion. She served as senior fashion editor for Vogue for 16 years and as a design director for Ralph Lauren for two before opening her own design salon in 1990. Now a successful fashion designer, Wang has created wedding gowns for the rich and famous as well as costumes for Olympic figure skaters

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LBN-SEE IT: On the one year anniversary of her death, Ryan O’Neal and son Redmond visited the grave of Farrah Fawcett at Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery.

MORE PROTEST IN TORONTO: Despite already making 180 arrests, Toronto police are preparing for even more protests Sunday outside the G-20 summit talks. The city’s chief of police noted that much of the violence—including four burned police cars—is coming from a small group of disruptors infiltrating a largely peaceful crowd. Still, the police dispatched pepper spray, tear gas, and bean bag pellets in attempts to diffuse the protesters. Meanwhile, inside the meetings, leaders plan to address the competing needs to nurse recovering economies and reduce large budget gaps.

PORN SITES COULD SOON GET THEIR “.XXX”: Porn sites could soon be swapping their .com for the sexier .xxx. On Friday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers board of directors approved the new top-level domain — that’s the technical name for the .com, .xxx or .net part of a URL — and sent it on to the next committee. Porn sites could soon get their “.xxx”. The final approval is still months away, the board approved the movement forward on .xxx. and now the ICANN Governmental Advisory Committee, an organization of 100 governments, must take up the issue and offer public policy advice on .xxx. The committee predicts this could become a reality by 2011.

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LBN-RECOMMENDS: The Editors of the LBN-E-Lert Recommend: www.Paintlab.net

LBN-COMMENTARY By MAUREEN DOWD: The great cosmic joke would be to find out definitively that the advances we thought were blessings — from the hormones women pump into their bodies all their lives to the fancy phones people wait in line for all night — are really time bombs. Just as parents now tell their kids that, believe it or not, there was a time when nobody knew that cigarettes and tanning were bad for you, those kids may grow up to tell their kids that, believe it or not, there was a time when nobody knew how dangerous it was to hold your phone right next to your head and chat away for hours.

LBN-COMMENTARY By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN: Throughout most of their conflict, Arab and Israeli leaders have tended to oscillate between two, and only two, worldviews: I am weak; how can I compromise? I am strong; why should I compromise? Israel today is very much in the second mode. For Israel, these are the best of times and the worst of times. Globally, the campaign to de-legitimize Israel has never been more virulent, while locally the beaches and restaurants of Tel Aviv have never been more crowded — as suicide-bombing and rockets from Gaza and Lebanon seem like a distant memory.

LBN-COMMENTARY By CAMILLE PAGLIA: Will women soon have a Viagra of their own? Although a Food and Drug Administration advisory panel recently rejected an application to market the drug flibanserin in the United States for women with low libido, it endorsed the potential benefits and urged further research. Several pharmaceutical companies are reported to be well along in the search for such a drug. The implication is that a new pill, despite its unforeseen side effects, is necessary to cure the sexual malaise that appears to have sunk over the country. But to what extent do these complaints about sexual apathy reflect a medical reality, and how much do they actually emanate from the anxious, overachieving, white upper middle class?

LBN-COMMENTARY By DOUG GILES: Obama fired General Stanley McChrystal for committing the unpardonable sin: He told the ugly truth about Obama.

LBN-COMMENTARY By KHOSHAL SADAT: I serve my country, Afghanistan, in uniform, as did my father and his father before him. I have known many military officers, but not one who better represents what soldiers stand for — honor, sacrifice and courage — than Gen. Stanley McChrystal, who until last week was the commander of American and NATO forces here. During my time as the general’s aide-de-camp, what struck me was how much he cared about what others thought and what they felt, even the most junior person in the room — which was, more often than not, me. We were frequently visited by some of the most important American and international leaders, and whenever they questioned the general about Afghanistan, he would always turn to me and say, “Let’s ask an Afghan.” I was so proud, as an Afghan, to serve under this General McChrystal.

LBN-COMMENTARY By SUSAN ESTRICH: Not long ago, a close friend called me with an unusual request. She and her husband were looking for a new doctor to take care of them. What made it unusual was that they’d had the same doctor for years — decades, actually. What happened to “J,” I asked. Did I miss something in my otherwise careful reading of the obits? Had he hung up his stethoscope? None of the above. Her husband had turned 65 and was now eligible for Medicare. Good news — except “J” is one of the increasing number of doctors who aren’t taking “n w” Medicare patients, or even old ones.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By RONALD REAGAN: I have wondered at times what the Ten Commandments would have looked like if Moses had run them through the US Congress.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart continued to play coy to the public about their relationship at the after-party for “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” at the Thompson Beverly Hills Hotel. The rumored couple “were holding hands but weren’t being overly affectionate — they were very social with everyone,” said a spy. ***“Mad Men” actress Christina Hendricks loves a man who knows his liquor. “My husband loves scotch,” she said, referring to her mate, Geoffrey Arend. “And I love it when he orders it. It’s such a classic, masculine drink,” she told partygoers at a private tasting for Johnnie Walker Black.

LBN-QUOTE: “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” - Henry Ford.

LBN-HISTORY: On June 27, 1995, Actor Hugh Grant was arrested in Los Angeles for engaging in “lewd behavior” with a prostitute in a rented BMW.

LBN-FACESPACE:
1.  Name: Tom Leykis

2.  What Makes You Unique?  I am one of the few radio talk show hosts who is not a right-winger, or worse, a fake right-winger.

3.  If you could sleep with one celebrity, who would it be? Selma Hayek, of course.

4.  If you could have dinner with one dead person, who?  The author of “Brave New World” Aldous Huxley. Here was a man who was fearless. He understood the future and he was also a lover of Los Angeles, as I am.

5.  If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where and why? France, for two reasons: because I completely love France and, secondarily, because it pisses off so many people.

6.  Occupation: Radio talk show host and entrepreneur.

7.  What’s the best thing about your job? I break all the rules of my profession.

8.  Who would you want to be in another life? No one else. I have had and I continue to have such a great life.

9. Do you know anyone who’s had sex for money? Believe it or not, I did. When I was leaving New York for my first radio job, my father objected, so he refused to lend me $150 for five weeks until I got set up so, days before I was scheduled to leave, I got with a previous lover who had never wanted it to end and told her of my plight. She gave it to me in small bills in a motel room in Rego Park, Queens, New York. And then I spent the night with her. I really did NOT want to be there, but I needed the 150. My mom, who never knew this, said before she died that her biggest regret in life was not giving me the money. Only I knew the full story.

10. E-mail and website: tastingradio@aol.com,
www.blowmeuptom.com, www.tastingwithtom.com, and facebook.com/tomleykis.

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LBN E-Lert Edited by Natgeda Remy
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SATURDAY • JUNE 26, 2010

G-8 TO TAKE ON IRAN, NORTH KOREA: The G-8 will discuss what to do about North Korea and Iran in meetings this weekend in Toronto. Canada is seeking condemnation of North Korea for torpedoing a South Korean ship, killing 46 sailors. American officials will meet with leaders from South Korea Saturday, then Japan and China the following day, to talk about security in the region. Meanwhile, the G-20 met to discuss financial reform and the global economy. Leaders discussed the potentially conflicting goals of stimulating the economy and reducing debt. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said common ground could be found between sustainable growth and smart austerity measures. On Friday, the G-8 pledged $5 billion to improve maternal and child health in developing countries.

OBAMA PRAISES WALL STREET BILL: President Obama touted the new Wall Street reform bill as the “the toughest financial reforms since the Great Depression” in his weekly radio address Saturday. The address, promising new consumer protections that would guard against a crisis like the one that rocked the global economy in 2008, was recorded just hours after the House and Senate crafted the final version of the legislation. But ahead of the final vote on the bill, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican from Kentucky , said the reforms could stifle growth and does not address problems with “government-sponsored enterprises that were the root cause of the problem.” The House and Senate are due to vote next week and administration officials are hoping it will reach Obama’s desk by July 4. Will the president’s bill save us from another Wall Street meltdown? Unlikely, says The Daily Beast’s Charlie Gasparino—there are still plenty of loopholes in it for bankers to exploit.

379 KILLED IN CHINA: Floods in China have killed 379 people this year as of Saturday, and left 141 missing, the flood control authority said Saturday and the downpour is expected to continue for at least two more days. Officials are bracing for landslides as the heaviest rain is expected in provinces including Zhejiang , Jiangxi , Fujian , Guangdong , and Guangxi. The Chinese government is estimating the disaster will cost it $12.1 billion and force 4.5 million people out of their homes. This year, floods have affected 68.7 million people and soaked 11.9 million acres of fields growing crops.

DICK CHENEY ADMITTED TO HOSPITAL: Former Vice President Dick Cheney has been admitted to George Washington University Hospital due to unspecified discomfort. The 69-year-old conservative has a history of heart disease and surgery, including a bypass 22 years ago, which didn’t end the problem; Cheney suffered his fifth heart attack six months ago. Nine years ago, doctors installed a pacemaker, and just two years ago, he received an electric shock treatment to restore a normal rhythm to his heart. This time, Cheney simply reported some discomfort and has been admitted for the weekend to undergo testing.

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ARIZONA’S IMMIGRATION LAW SPREADS: The sweeping and controversial policy has already inspired lawmakers and candidates in at least 18 other states to push similar bills. Gubernatorial candidates in Florida and Minnesota and some lawmakers in Idaho and Nebraska are especially keen on it, with plans to draft similar policies when legislative sessions resume next year. “If the feds won’t do it, states are saying, ‘We’re going to have to do it,’” said Idaho state Sen. Monty Pearce, whose second cousin, Sen. Russell Pearce, is the author of the Arizona law. Similar bills have been introduced in Pennsylvania , Rhode Island , Minnesota , South Carolina , and Michigan.

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TROPICAL STORM THREATENS CLEANUP: Just when things were looking promising for the oil-spill cleanup, weather forecasters warn that the summer’s first tropical storm—which will be named Alex and could hit as early as Monday—may rip through the Deepwater Horizon site. Concern for the safety of the flotilla working at the site is a priority, BP spokesman David Nicholas said. Ships pumping oil from the now-capped well will be forced to evacuate, leaving the well to spew oil once again. “Of course we are watching that very closely right now,” said Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the point man for the response to the oil spill, saying that spill responders will act “out of an abundance of caution.” The storm’s size, strength, and path are still uncertain, and, to be sure, may avoid the rescue efforts entirely. To weather summer storms, BP is expecting it’s much more rugged containment vessel, the Helix Producer, to arrive at the scene from the Gulf’s Green Canyon area on Tuesday.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Regis Philbin, Barry Manilow, Cher, Simon Cowell and Ryan Seacrest are converging in Sin City for Sunday’s Daytime Emmy Awards. ***Ryan Reynolds is one of 135 on-camera and behind the scenes players invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. ***David O. Russell’s Mark Wahlberg-Christian Bale starrer “The Fighter” will step into the ring and open in theaters on Dec. 10, in the heart of awards season.

GITMO UNLIKELY TO CLOSE BY 2013: President Obama made several big promises on the campaign trail—foremost among them, to close Guantanamo Bay. After missing his initial deadline of January 2010, amid political opposition and shifting priorities, it’s now looking increasingly unlikely that the White House will successfully shut it down by 2013. Earlier this year, the administration vowed to move detainees to a prison in Illinois, but obstacles to that plan have arisen in Congress, and Obama’s done little to vanquish them. “There is a lot of inertia” against closing Gitmo, “and the administration is not putting a lot of energy behind their position that I can see,” Senator Carl Levin, who supports the Illinois plan, told The New York Times. Senator Lindsey Graham, who also supports closing it, said the effort is “on life support and it’s unlikely to close any time soon.”

WELCOME TO THE LBN E-LERT DINNER CLUB! This is a new and exciting occasion for the readers of the LBN E-Lert to experience fine dining restaurants. The inauguration of the Dinner club will take place at The Regency Club located in the heart of the Westside, on Wednesday July 7 at 7:30PM. The Regency Club is located at Murdock Plaza, 10900 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024. The dinner requires a payment of $35 that includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and a non-alcoholic beverage. The Regency Club is a private club with plates starting at over $100 per person and offers a spectacular view of South Los Angeles. Seating is limited. Click Here to take advantage of this incredible deal. Please send all questions to: http://us.mc331.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=lbndinnerclub@gmail.com

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***“Toy Story 3″ was b.o. champ again Friday but “Grown Ups” opened decently with $14.5 million and “Knight and Day” rallied. ***News Corp. said Friday it has sold Beliefnet, a website it purchased three years ago that caters to a community seeking spiritual content based on a large number of religions and even atheism. ***Peter Jackson is in negotiations to direct two “Hobbit” movies, which were left without a captain after Guillermo del Toro left the director’s chair.

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LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***The effect of American success in South Africa is rippling through sporting goods stores over 4,000 miles away, as sales of World Cup merchandise in the U.S. have skyrocketed. ***Kellogg recalled 28million boxes of cereal, after roughly 20 complaints of foul flavors and odors coming from Kellogg products, the manufacturer voluntarily recalled 28 million boxes of breakfast cereals on Friday. Kellogg admitted there was “an uncharacteristic off-flavor and smell” caused by the box liners of Apple Jacks, Corn Pops, Froot Loops, and Honey Smacks products. Though it is unlikely to cause serious illness, the company took the measure because the tainted products could lead to nausea and diarrhea among sensitive customers. The affected boxes are those with the letters “KN” following the “better if used before.” Many products geared toward children have come under intense scrutiny in recent months after a slew of them were recalled, including 40 non-prescription products manufactured by Johnson & Johnson.

WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT: Journalist and media consultant Karen Feld, along with over 320,000 other “influencers” understands that information is power and the LBN E-Lert is a power-tool.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Kristen Stewart, Ashley Greene, Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Dakota Fanning, Nikki Reed, Marisa Miller, and Amber Rose attend the Los Angeles Film Festival premiere of “Twilight: Eclipse” at The Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. ***Kara DioGuardi goes for a jog near the Hollywood Sign in Los Angeles. ***Marcia Cross shops at By Sun Creations in Los Angeles. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT – Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-RECOMMENDS: The Editors of the LBN-E-Lert Recommend: www.theremedyonline.com

LBN-COMMENTARY By FRANK KING: Megan Fox has a new tattoo on her ribs in honor of Mickey Rourke. Sorry, but I’m one of those people who believes skin art is ugly, and disgusting. So I think ALL tattoos honor Mickey Rourke.

LBN-ANNIVERSARY By MARK A. THOMAS: Congratulations to LBN E-LERT as it celebrates its 8th anniversary. Quite an accomplishment at a time when there are so many options on the web for keeping up to date on new breaking stories. Keep up the good work!

LBN-COMMENTARY By JAKE NOVAK: The new Apple iPhone4 is getting universally good reviews. The best part of the phone is it gets the geeks out of your office while they wait on line for five days to buy it.

LBN-COMMENTARY By JIM PETERIK: An anthem is a song that touches something deep in the heart of the listener. It’s not a thought-out response- it’s an emotional, unrehearsed feeling. There is generally a “rise to action” type of message that invites people to join hands and voices. It’s the universal feeling that we are all in this crazy world together. Whether it is John Lennon’s Give Peace a Chance, Queen’s We Will Rock You-or my own bid at immortality- Eye of The Tiger, which I co-wrote for a huge boxing movie, it holds significance for anyone who needs to overcome an obstacle in life.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By DENNIS HOPPER: There are moments that I’ve had some real brilliance, you know. But I think they are moments. And sometimes, in a career, moments are enough. I never felt I played the great part. I never felt that I directed the great movie.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Beyonce Knowles is still refusing to speak to her dad and manager, Matthew Knowles, after he fathered a love child with a woman 20 years his junior — and suits at her record label fear the rift could damage her career. ***Mel Gibson’s ex, Oksana Grigorieva, has obtained a domestic violence restraining order against the star — while he got his own order stopping her from talking about their relationship. ***Kate Beckinsale and husband Len Wiseman looked romantic during Elton John’s White Tie and Tiara Ball. ***LeBron James set off a rousing bidding war between Jeremy Piven and Mary J. Blige at Avenue on Thursday night. The NBA superstar is being wooed by cities across the country via parties, ad campaigns and even testimonials from mayors to join their teams. ***Mischa Barton’s latest casting didn’t go well. The former “O.C.” star was spotted leaving a model-casting call at the old ICM building on Beverly Boulevard in LA muttering into her phone the other day. ***The landmark Hotel Syracuse in upstate New York is certainly making celluloid history. Supermodel Bar Refaeli filmed her new thriller, “Session,” at the 1920s inn.

LBN-QUOTE: “What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” -Walt Emerson.

LBN-HISTORY: On June 26, 1925, Charlie Chaplin’s comedy, “The Gold Rush,” premiered in Hollywood.

LBN-FACESPACE:

1. Name: Valerie Cooper

2. Which living person do you most despise? Life is too short to hate.If a person causesme unnecessary stress, I correct the situation or avoid the person.

3. When and where were you happiest? While I generally prefer to enjoynow rather than think of the past, I was probably happiest when I was poorest: NoTV, no phone- just my husband andme and our dreams- living them.

4. What is your profession? I work in the hospitality industry,managing a customer service call center that is actually located in the US!

5. Which talent would you most like to have? I want to learn to blow glass and ballroom dance.

6. If you could be any fictional character, which one would you be and why? I could see myself as Heidi. I often wish for simpler times.

7. What is your greatest regret? I don’t have time for regrets, but I do wish I hadn’t caused my parents such pain in my young adulthood.

8. What are your favorite names? For females, I like names that are flowers or gemstones: Daisy, Jasmine, Lilly, Rose, etc. and Ruby, Crystal, Amber, etc. For males, I like first names that sound like last names: Cooper, Connor, Jackson, etc.

9. What one occasion do you lie? If I am not doing well and I am asked how I am, I will usually say, “Fine, thanks” anyway.

10. Email and Website: mrsdaffodyl@msn.com www.twitter.com/mrsdaffodyl

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FRIDAY • JUNE 25, 2010

TOP TALIBAN COMMANDER CHEERS MCCHRYSTAL SACKING: The Afghan Taliban has a saying: “Americans may own the watches. But we’ve got the time.” As President Obama sacked Gen. Stanley McChrystal this week, replacing him with Gen. David Petraeus, Taliban commanders watched events unfold from afar, and then declared this was yet another victory. The change of leadership, was said to give them even more time in their fight against U.S. forces. Ahmadullah Ahmadi, a Taliban spokesman, said that sending Gen. McChrystal home in the middle of the war, in such a inglorious way, was good news as it proved how troubled and divided the U.S. political and military leadership had become. “Before Gen. McChrystal, many strong military generals suffered defeat,” in Afghanistan, Ahmadi said. “The Americans know that Afghanistan is the ‘graveyard of empires.’ But even so, they invaded this country.”

HOUSE AND SENATE REACH DEAL ON FINANCIAL SYSTEM REFORM: Nearly two years after the American financial system teetered on the verge of collapse, congressional negotiators reached agreement early Friday morning to reconcile competing versions of the biggest overhaul of fiscal regulations since the Great Depression. A 20-hour marathon by members of a House-Senate conference committee culminated at 5:39 a.m. Friday with the approval of proposals to restrict trading by banks for their own benefit. Moreover, requiring banks and their parent companies to segregate much of their derivatives activities.

BP BILL TOPS $2.35 BILLION: BP said Friday that it had already spent $2.35 billion dealing with the fallout from the oil spill, from cleanup operations, to containment of the well, and paying out many of the early claims. And the company’s spending is far from over. A spokesman added that it was still “too early to quantify other potential costs and liabilities associated with the incident.” In the short term, however, BP is hoping to spend its money much more efficiently. Alhough, it collected 16,830 barrels of oil on Wednesday, it says that it may be able to capture up to 53,000 barrels a day by next week, thanks to the successful reinstallation of a cap on the well. But in the meantime, oil continues to wash up on the Gulf Coast. On Thursday, Florida officials closed a beach for the first time due to the spill—a quarter-mile stretch of Pensacola Beach near Alabama—as thick pools of brown oil formed on the shore.

PETRAEUS VS. THE AFGHAN MAFIA: After General McChrystal’s hasty departure this week, President Obama was pressed about the anticipated July 2011 pullout date from Afghanistan. “We didn’t say we’d be switching off the lights and closing the door behind us,” he said. “What we said is we’d begin a transition phase in which the Afghan government is taking on more and more responsibility.” What had generally been referred to as a “pullout” is now being carefully characterized as a “draw down” by Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Meanwhile, General David Petraeus has stated that he backs Obama’s plan to begin pulling out of Afghanistan by 2011. “I support the president’s policy, and I will also provide the best professional military advice as we conduct assessments,” he said on CNN, in his first public comments since taking over from McChrystal.

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LBN-NOTICED: ***Private fitness gym owner, Brian Gorski, having drinks in Chaya-Venice. ***Joshua Jackson grabbing coffee at the Coffee Bean on Pico Boulevard in Beverly Hills. ***Ashley Greene heads to “Jimmy Kimmel Live” in Hollywood. ***Singer Alexandra Burke strutts her stuff while filming the new music video for her latest single, “Start Without You” on the set in downtown Los Angeles. ***Marcia Cross walks on the beach in Santa Monica. ***Kristen Stewart, Scout Taylor-Compton and Bai Ling attend the after party for the Los Angeles premiere “Love Ranch” at The Green Door in Hollywood. ***Jennifer Garner poses for photos with kids from the Boys & Girls Club of Annapolis during a call for increased investment in early childhood education at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, DC. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT – Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

IRAN WON’T SEND AID SHIP TO GAZA: Three weeks after Israeli troops killed nine activists on a ship bound for Gaza, Iran has decided not to send its own aid ship. Hossein Sheikholeslam, secretary-general of the International Conference for the Support of the Palestinian Intifada, explained that Iran would use other means to deliver goods. “The Zionist regime has made helping the people of Gaza, who are under siege, a political issue and we do not wish to politicize this kind of humanitarian aid because first and foremost we want the siege of Gaza to be broken,” he said.

HOW A DRUG LORD ELUDED 2,000 COPS: As 2,000 police officers sparked deadly riots in Kingston, Jamaica last month looking for the drug lord Christopher Coke, theories about his whereabouts abounded. Authorities began to think he was hiding out on the other side of the island, then that he had left the island altogether. In the end, it turned out that Coke, who is wanted in the U.S. on gun and drug charges, was running all over Jamaica in a bushy black wig and a baseball cap. A pink wig and women’s sunglasses were also found in his car when he was finally arrested Tuesday afternoon. It had taken police over a month to track him down, but when they finally did, he went peacefully and was taken to the U.S. Embassy to surrender.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Pleasantville, N.Y.-based Reader’s Digest says its headquarters is moving to New York City in August. The company plans to move only the flagship, Reader’s Digest magazine, editorial and corporate offices into Manhattan, in a space being subleased by Conde Nast. ***The New York Times is expected to announce that Gerry Marzorati will exit his post as editor of the New York Times Magazine. Atlantic editor James Bennet is rumored to replace him. Insiders suspect Marzorati will be drafted to work on the Times’s coming online paywall. ***Barry Levine, executive editor of the National Enquirer, says that the Oregon masseuse who made a sexual assault allegation against Al Gore asked the tabloid for $1 million but that the Enquirer did not pay her or anyone else in reporting the story. “No money exchanged hands.” ***Jaws dropped when Eliot Spitzer was tapped to co-host a prime-time CNN show, but Jerry Springer — the original hooker-loving ex-pol turned TV star — thinks it’s a great idea. “He’s used to being in front of people. Its not like you’re taking a guy who used to be an accountant,” Springer said. ***Elizabeth Edwards is ready to talk. Matt Lauer has scored the first interview with Edwards since she separated from her husband, former Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards. The show is set to air June 30 on the “Today” show. Edwards will discuss her 30-year marriage and the paperback release of her national bestselling book “Resilience,” which contains an epilogue of updated developments in her life. ***The daily readership of this LBN E-Lert has now passed 320,000 and is read daily in all 50 of the United States and 24 foreign countries including China, India, Japan, Germany, England, France, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Canada, Greece, Iraq, Brazil, Korea, Sweden, Norway, South Africa among others.

CYBILL’S ‘TERRIBLE’ TWOS: They may be all grown up, but Cybill Shepherd’s twins are still keeping her on her toes! The star’s 22-year-old daughter Ariel Shepherd-Oppenheim just came out publicly as a lesbian, and her twin brother Zack was recently ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous after being caught stealing from fellow passengers aboard a United Airlines flight. Zack was arrested at Philadelphia International Airport on Jan. 12 when cops caught him with a Canon digital camera and cash he had swiped from carry-on luggage during a flight from San Francisco.

ADULT DRIVERS GUILTY OF TALKING AND TEXTING TOO: Many campaigns emphasizing the dangers of distracted driving target teens, but a new survey suggests that adult drivers are also texting and talking behind the wheel at an alarming rate. A recent report found that American adults were just as likely as teens to text while driving, with nearly half of adult texters admitting to either sending or receiving text messages behind the wheel. Adults were also substantially more likely than teens to have talked on their cell phones while driving.

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LBN-TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: George Orwell (1903) - Best known by his pseudonym George Orwell, Eric Arthur Blair was a British novelist and essayist famed for his satirical and political novels, the anti-Soviet fable Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four, a prophetic novel that portrays the catastrophic excesses of state control over the individual. Orwell was distrustful of all political parties and ideologies, and this sentiment is reflected in much of his work.

LBN-VIDEO LINK: Janeane Garofalo On Obama vs. McChrystal, Glenn Beck’s Douchiness & Justin Bieber’s Hair

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Showtime president Bob Greenblatt plans to step down after seven years, after informing his bosses at owner CBS that he was prepared “for a new challenge.” Greenblatt is said to be on the short list to run NBC Entertainment after Comcast takes over NBC Universal. ***Al Gore’s Current TV is bringing in MTV veterans to help overhaul the struggling cable channel, jettisoning its user-generated video clips in favor of more traditional full-length fare. The shakeup comes after Gore and his partners tried to sell the channel to Google. ***Rob Pattinson, Kristen Stewart, Taylor Lautner, and the rest of the Twilight cast flocked to the Hollywood premiere of Eclipse on Thursday night. Diehard fans have stood in line outside the Nokia Theater since Monday, eagerly awaiting the red-carpet procession. Meanwhile, Eclipse is both Fandango and Movietickets.com’s top advance ticket-seller of the year, according to Deadline Hollywood. Estimates also put Eclipse’s six-day opening gross at anywhere from $150 million to $179 million, making it a contender for the July 4th holiday record set by Spider-Man 2 at $180 million. ***Screenwriter Sergio Sanchez and writer/director Juan Diego Solanas have both signed with UTA. Sanchez had been represented by WME. ***24 year-old Jairo Alvarado is leaving Warner Bros. as a creative executive to become a manager at 3 Arts.

WHALEWATCHING REAPS $2.1 BILLION: Maybe money will convince people the whales are worth saving. According to a new study, the whalewatching industry took in over two billion dollars in 2009—and that number has expected to grow by ten percent annually. The study, published in the Marine Policy journal, says in 2009 a whopping 13 million wildlife enthusiasts paid to stare at bodies of water in the hopes of catching the mammals in their natural habitats, generating $2.1 billion in revenue. Whale tourism could contribute 5,700 jobs to the global economy each year. “There is a tremendous economic future—a sustainable future—in whale watching, not whale killing,” said Peter Garett, Australia’s minister for environment.

MEL GIBSON FILES RESTRAINING ORDER AGAINST OKSANA GRIGORIEVA, MOTHER OF HIS CHILD: Mel Gibson has filed a restraining order against Oksana Grigorieva, the mother of his seven-month-old daughter, Lucia, Radaronline.com reports. The documents are not public, but according to Radar, the complaint centers around three issues and Gibson’s access to Lucia. Grigorieva was served the documents Wednesday evening at her home in LA.

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LBN-INVESTIGATES: During the past 400 years, nearly a quarter of a million people have been killed as a direct result of volcanic eruptions. Indirect aftereffects such as famine, climate change, and disease most likely have tripled that number. More than 80% of the Earth’s surface is volcanic.

LBN-VIDEO LINK: WATCH: Betty White Explains How To Score With Older Women

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Tomorrow (Saturday, June 26,2010) a “Secret’s of Success” seminar will be held in Beverly Hills from 2 - 5 pm. For additional information Click Here. ***Hundreds of thousands of customers lined up Thursday at Apple Stores, hoping to nab the new iPhone 4. By the end of the day, the device was all but sold out across the U.S. Analyst Gene Munster calls the launch the “biggest” he has seen for a consumer tech device.

WELCOME TO THE LBN E-LERT DINNER CLUB! This is a new and exciting occasion for the readers of the LBN E-Lert to experience fine dining restaurants. The inauguration of the Dinner club will take place at The Regency Club located in the heart of the Westside, on Wednesday July 7 at 7:30PM. The Regency Club is located at Murdock Plaza, 10900 Wilshire Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90024. The dinner requires a payment of $35 that includes an appetizer, entrée, dessert, and a non-alcoholic beverage. The Regency Club is a private club with plates starting at over $100 per person and offers a spectacular view of South Los Angeles, Seating is limited. Click Here to take advantage of this incredible deal. Please send all questions to: lbndinnerclub@gmail.com

WE, LBN:Gora and Tina - two LBN readers from Berlin, Germany.

LBN-RECOMMENDS By LISA BLOOM (Journalist, attorney and host of Lisa Bloom: Open Court on truTV ): Half a million people per day, seven days per week for six months, are rushing to the $58 billion World Expo that’s dazzling Shanghai. My family was there last week and we saw very few Americans. We should be flocking to the world’s most magnificent display of architecture, design, urban planning, and über-cool techno-gadgetry. The money China spent on this city of futuristic creativity shows in this well-run, highly organized super-fair: the friendly, English-speaking staff everywhere, clean, convenient eateries throughout (even vegan food for me, hooray!).

LBN-COMMENTARY By PAUL KRUGMAN: China is playing games with its foreign-exchange policy at the world’s expense.

LBN-COMMENTARY BY PEGGY NOONAN: Gen. Stanley McChrystal’s greatest contribution to the war in Afghanistan may turn out to be forcing everyone to focus on it. The real news there this week was not Gen. McChrystal’s epic faux pas and dismissal but that 12 soldiers were killed on June 7-8, including five Americans by a roadside bomb, making that “the deadliest 24 hour period this year,” as The Economist noted. Insurgency-related violence was up by 87% in the six months prior to March. Agence France-Presse reported Thursday that NATO forces are experiencing their deadliest month ever.

THE FINAL WORD FROM PASTOR BOB (Pastor Bob is the Founder of the First Fundamental Church of the Bible): ***10 out of 10 dead people believe in God. ***The gulf oil spill is a real tragedy. But I know a worse one. Spending eternity in the Lake of Fire. Put your trust in the Lord now so that you can live in Heaven with Him forever! ***Questioning God? He made the very brain cells you think with. ***The Atheists deserve a National Holiday. How about April 1st? ***You can pray all summer long. God never goes on vacation. ***Worshipping sports stars is modern day idolatry. ***Basketball? Baseball? Soccer? Stop being a sports “fan” and start being a fanatic for the Lord! He is the one true champion. ***I’m praying for sports nuts today and I’m praying for you.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW: Sally Quinn in the living room of her historic Georgetown home, which once belonged to Abraham Lincoln’s son.

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Rocker Meat Loaf is in advanced talks to appear on the next season of “Celebrity Apprentice.” Sources said the “Bat Out of Hell” legend is preparing to move to New York to face Donald Trump before filming starts before the end of the summer, and he’s hoping he’s as successful as fellow rocker and “Apprentice” winner Bret Michaels. ***Courtney Love charmed a small group with an impromptu performance at the Woodward tavern in Boston’s Ames Hotel. During her acoustic set of five songs the other day, she drank Voss water, wore a large floppy black hat and kept asking her assistant for cigarettes. Love told the 20-odd lucky guests that she wanted to do more acting and spoke highly of Boston, calling it a “very intellectual town” and mentioning she had a good friend at Harvard — which she also referred to as “H-Bomb.” ***The tragedy that’s tearing the country superstar apart. Garth Brooks’ ex-wife Sandy is losing her battle with cancer, sources say, and the bighearted country superstar is spending as much time as possible with her.

LBN-QUOTE: “F*** my victims. I carried them for 20 years and now I’m doing 150.” - Bernie Madoff, jailed Ponzie king.

LBN-HISTORY: On June 25, 1959, Eamon De Valera became president of Ireland at the age of 76.

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The LBN E-Lert is not associated with any commercial or political organization and is transmitted via the web for the sole benefit of its subscribers. 2.) Unfortunately, computer viruses can be transmitted via email. The recipient should check this mail and any attachments for the presence of viruses.

THURSDAY • JUNE 24, 2010

OBAMA’S ‘STERN’ WARNING TO NATIONAL SECURITY TEAM: GEN. DAVID PETRAEUS HAS BEEN HERE BEFORE: Petraeus steps up in Afghanistan where his counterinsurgency strategy is already in place. Iraq required a strategic turn-around. But while Petraeus’ approach to Iraq has been exported to Afghanistan, the two countries face very different sets of challenges. Afghanistan’s society has been shattered; its insurgency isn’t concentrated in cities but spread throughout the country. One more difference? Petraeus must try to heal the wounds of an American foreign policy team turn asunder by the comments of Gen. Stanley McChrystal and his staff. Sources close to Wednesday’s meeting tell The Daily Beast’s Lloyd Grove about Obama’s “stern” warning to his bickering national security and foreign policy team after accepting McChrystal’s resignation. His message? Cut the crap. Plus, Retired Gen. Ken Allard on what the military can learn from McChrystal, Iraq Vet Anthony Woods on what it means for the troops, Reihan Salam on whether Obama’s “team of rivals” can survive, and more Daily Beast contributors weigh in on Obama’s selection of Petraeus.

BP IS PURSUING ALASKA DRILLING SOME CALL RISKY: BP is moving ahead with a controversial and potentially record-setting project to drill two miles under the sea and then six to eight miles horizontally to reach what is believed to be a 100-million-barrel reservoir of oil under federal waters. All other new projects in the Arctic have been halted by the Obama administration’s moratorium on offshore drilling, including more traditional projects like Shell Oil’s plans to drill three wells in the Chukchi Sea and two in the Beaufort. But BP’s project, called Liberty, has been exempted as regulators have granted it status as an “onshore” project even though it is about three miles off the coast in the Beaufort Sea. The reason: it sits on an artificial island — a 31-acre pile of gravel in about 22 feet of water — built by BP.

HIGH COURT SIDES WITH EX-ENRON CEO SKILLING; RULING DOESN’T NECESSARILY OVERTURN CONVICTION: The Supreme Court has sided with Jeffrey Skilling, the former Enron chief executive, in limiting the use of a federal fraud law that has been a favorite of white-collar crime prosecutors. The court said Thursday that the “honest services” law could not be used in convicting Mr. Skilling for his role in the collapse of Enron. But Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said in her majority opinion that the ruling does not necessarily require Mr. Skilling’s conviction to be overturned. The court in this ruling also sided with the former newspaper magnate Conrad Black, setting aside a federal appeals court decision that had upheld Mr. Black’s honest services fraud conviction. But as in Mr. Skilling’s case, the justices left the ultimate resolution of the case to the appeals court.

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CIA HIRES BLACKWATER: The CIA has hired Xe, the scandal-plagued private contractor formerly known as Blackwater, to guard its facilities in Afghanistan and other locations in a $100 million contract, The Washington Post reports. The company, which has changed its name to Xe to ease bad PR in the wake of various controversies, beat out two other contractors, Triple Canopy and DynCorp International. Only one day earlier, a federal commission sharply criticized the State Department for its new $120 million contract with Xe to guard consulates in Afghanistan. An anonymous U.S. official insisted the former Blackwater has reformed itself. The company is still battling investigations into a 2007 incident when its guards fired into a Baghdad square, killing 17 civilians. Its owner, Erik Prince, has put the firm up for sale.

GOOGLE’S YOUTUBE WINS BITTER VIACOM BATTLE: Google triumphed in a nasty, three-year war with Viacom on Wednesday as a federal court ruled that Google’s YouTube subsidiary is not liable for its users’ copyright infringements. A U.S. district court in New York ruled YouTube is covered by a “safe harbor” clause in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act that protects service providers from penalties for their users’ copyright violations, as long as they address those violations once they’re made aware of them.

JACKO ESTATE KEEPS BEATLES TUNES: Michael Jackson’s estate will hold onto the King of Pop’s stake in 250 songs written by the Beatles, Bloomberg reports. Previously, it had been expected that executors might unload Jackson’s share of the archive, valued at least $750 million. Currently, the late pop singer’s estate faces $500 million in debt. Keeping the Beatles songs will allow the Jackson executors to refinance a $300 million loan due later this year. Death has been good to the pop star’s wallet. His estate has made an estimated $250 million since last year.

CHINA FLOOD DEATH TOLL RISES TO 211: The death toll has risen to 211 as a result of flooding in China, state-run news outlets reported Wednesday. A fresh breach of a beleaguered dike on a river in eastern China caused fresh flooding in an area already battered by floods, state-media reported. About 100,000 people had already fled earlier flooding from the Fu River in Jiangxi province this week, the state-run China Daily newspaper reported a new breach on the river intensified the flooding, state news reports said.

VAN DER SLOOT FILES COMPLAINT AGAINST POLICE: Joran van der Sloot has filed a complaint with Peruvian police claiming that his constitutional rights and his right to a defense were violated after his arrest in connection with the killing of a Peruvian woman. According to a copy of the complaint, obtained by CNN, van der Sloot alleges that his right to due process was denied. The complaint, given to the Peruvian National Police’s internal investigation unit, singles out the department’s homicide director, Col. Miguel Angel Canlla Ore, and those who work for him. Van der Sloot said he has been detained without a judicial order.

AUSTRALIA WELCOMES FIRST FEMALE PM: Julia Gillard became the first female Australian Prime Minister Thursday after former Labor leader Kevin Rudd stepped down. Rudd, faced with rising unpopularity after he abandoned a carbon-reduction plan and imposed a new mining tax, has now become the shortest-serving Australian Prime Minister since 1972. Gillard is considered more left-wing than Rudd, but lawmakers believe she has a better chance of gaining more voters for the embattled Labor Party since she has a warmer personality than her predecessor. Gillard will have a tough challenge in the next general election, however: Several mining companies are expected to pump money and energy into the Conservative Party to have the mining tax repealed.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Sales of newly built homes plunged in May to their lowest level in more than four decades after a lucrative tax credit expired, draining demand for home purchases in all four regions of the country. The Commerce Department reported Wednesday that sales of new single-family homes dropped 32.7 percent in May from the previous month, to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 300,000. The percentage drop was the largest monthly decline since the government started tracking the numbers in 1963. ***More than 1,200 prison inmates, including 241 serving life sentences, defrauded the government of $9.1 million in tax credits reserved for first-time homebuyers, according to a Treasury Department report released Wednesday. Treasury’s inspector general also found that thousands of people filed multiple claims or made claims outside the allotted time period. In all, more than $28 million was improperly doled out. The Internal Revenue Service program at issue is meant to stimulate the housing market by giving tax credits of as much as $8,000 to qualifying first-time home buyers.

AMERICANS CONVICTED IN PAKISTAN: Five Americans have been convicted of terrorism charges in Pakistan, a prosecutor in Sargodha, Pakistan says. The D.C. area residents will get at least 10 years in prison each. Pakistan has identified the men as Ramy Zamzam, Waqar Khan, Umar Farooq, Aman Hassan Yemer, and Ahmed Minni; two are of Pakistani descent, the others Egyptian or Ethiopian. The men were arrested after their families reported them missing in December, and they have the right to an appeal. American officials have not offered much comment on the case.

WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT: Humanitarian activist and film producer Greg Bennick, along with over 320,000 other “influencers” understands that information is power and the LBN E-Lert is a power-tool.

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PASSENGERS ROAST ON GROUNDED PLANE: Passengers were trapped in a scorching hot airplane when the London-to-Newark flight was diverted in Connecticut because of bad weather, and regulations grounded it there. The plane’s generator cut out, leaving the 300 people on board without air conditioning on a 100 degree summer day. Some people on the Virgin Atlantic flight fainted. Eventually, “people were yelling and screaming,” one passenger said. After a two hour delay in London thanks to generator problems and then New York City-area thunderstorms forcing a diversion, once the plane reached Connecticut’s Bradley Airport, the pilots had exceeded their maximum flight time and couldn’t take the passengers home. Bradley Airport is unequipped for international arrivals, so passengers had to wait for Immigration and Customs officials to arrive—two more hours of waiting. Worse, local hotels were booked because of a golf tournament. Passengers boarded a bus to Newark at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday, almost 12 hours after they had been scheduled to arrive there.

LBN-HEALTH NEWS: ***Government safety inspectors pushed for a recall of popular children’s medicines at least three months before a Johnson & Johnson drug making unit removed the products from store shelves. In fact, Food and Drug Administration inspection reports going back to 2003 chronicle a build up of problems at the now-shuttered plant in Fort Washington, Pa., at the center of the widespread recall of Tylenol, Motrin, Benadryl and other over-the-counter drugs. ***A public health group is calling on McDonald’s to get rid of its Happy Meal toys, saying the fast food behemoth’s playthings encourage childhood obesity. Recently a California county became the first in the nation to enforce such a ban. “McDonald’s is the stranger in the playground handing out candy to children,” said a representative for the Center for Science in the Public Interest. “McDonald’s use of toys undercuts parental authority and exploits young children’s developmental immaturity.” McDonald’s officials say the toys are “just one part of a fun, family experience” and that Happy Meals are the appropriate size for children.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Hot Flash Havoc (www.HotFlashHavoc.com), the most provocative and revealing film ever made about menopause, has been selected to screen at The Film Festival of Colorado. The award-winning documentary by Executive Producer and Colorado resident Heidi Houston is slated to screen at The Oriental Theater in Denver. ***But an ever-swelling coterie of vampire lovers, most of them female, have been braving the California sun for days now to get the best chance of seeing the stars of “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse” grace the red carpet at the Nokia Theatre on Thursday night. ***Syfy has cast 1980s pop-star rivals Debbie Gibson and Tiffany in one of the network’s signature Saturday night original movies. The network promises an epic battle between the former teen pop stars, who will co-star in “Mega Python vs. Gatoroid.” ***Channing Tatum is attached to star in “Ion,” a spec script Fox 2000 is eyeing because its sci-fi angle and scale are reminiscent of a certain James Cameron film.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Zoe Saldana attends Bing’s Celebration of Creative Minds at BOA Steakhouse in West Hollywood. ***Writer/Producer Gary Kessler having dinner at Anna’s Italian restaurant in West LA during their closing week. ***Ozzy and Sharon Osborne at an orthopedic surgeon Andrew Weiss’ office today in Beverly Hills. ***Producer Michael Menchel having lunch at Kate Mantalini’s in Beverly Hills. ***The Bachelorette’s Ali Fedotowsky got a dye job at Gavert Atelier and afterwards shopped at H&M in Los Angeles. ***Jeremy Piven frantically runs around in a ripped suit yelling into a cell phone while filming “Entourage” in Los Angeles. ***Kevin Costner leaves the CNN building in Hollywood after taping an episode of “Larry King Live”. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT – Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Advertising and marketing services provider Alloy Inc (ALOY.O) said it agreed to be bought by an investor group led by ZelnickMedia in a cash deal valued at $126.5 million. The purchase price of $9.80 a share is at a 14 percent premium to the stock’s Wednesday close, said the company that co-produced ‘Gossip Girl’ and ‘Vampire Diaries’. ***AMC is near a deal to acquire the drama, “The Wreck”, from “The Blind Side” director John Lee Hancock. ***Lifetime is diving heavily into the crime drama genre, ordering three police procedural pilots from notable showrunners. The network has picked up shows from Josh Berman (”CSI,” “Bones”), Annie Brunner (”Huff”) and Jeffrey Bell (”V”).

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: ***John Isner won the fifth set, 70-68, over Nicholas Mahut, ending the longest recorded tennis match in history. The first-round Wimbledon match lasted 11 hours 5 minutes. ***Defending champion Italy was eliminated Thursday from the World Cup with a humbling 3-2 loss to Slovakia, which advanced. Slovakia finished second in Group F to Paraguay. ***Pro Football Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor was indicted Wednesday by a suburban New York grand jury on charges of third-degree rape and patronizing a prostitute. The indictment follows his May 6 arrest at a Holiday Inn in Ramapo, N.Y., where prosecutors say he paid a 16-year-old girl $300 to have sex with him. The former New York Giants linebacker also was indicted on charges of endangering the welfare of a child, and sexual abuse and criminal sexual act in the third degree. He faces up to four years in prison if convicted. He has denied the charges. ***Los Angeles Lakers coach Phil Jackson says, “I’m leaning towards retiring but I have not made up my mind,” The 64-year-old coach told Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss that he planned on completing a series of medical tests and evaluations by Thursday. He then plans to drive out to his summer home in Flathead Lake, Mont., on Friday, spend a week checking in on the results of those tests and make his final decision a week from Friday.

LBN-COMMENTARY By RACHEL SKLAR: Thought a black president would lead to more diversity on cable news? Wrong. Since November 2008, the TV landscape has only gotten whiter. Rachel Sklar on what changed between Obama’s election and the hiring of Eliot Spitzer.

LBN-COMMENTARY By ANTHONY WOODS: Gen. McChrystal forgot the military’s cardinal rule: no general is too big to fail. Iraq vet Anthony Woods on how the troops will cope with the shakeup in the chain of command.

LBN-COMMENTARY By PETER LAURIA: Viacom’s decision to sue Google’s YouTube over copyright infringement makes the once-hip media giant seem as though it’s lost its way. But the real winner will be decided at the appeal.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By THOMAS PAINE: I love the man that can smile in trouble, that can gather strength from distress, and grow brave by reflection. ‘Tis the business of little minds to shrink, but he whose heart is firm, and whose conscience approves his conduct, will pursue his principles unto death.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Lindsay Lohan’s assistant, who quit earlier this month, has been offered a series of huge, five-figure deals to dish on her famous ex-boss. ***An Oregon masseuse filed a police statement accusing Al Gore of sexual “abuse” that left her traumatized after a nearly three-hour, $540 massage session, according to a bombshell new report. ***The bachelor party for Carrie Underwood’s fiancé, Mike Fisher, sounds like a scene from “The Hangover.” The NHL star and 15 guy pals hit Miami club Mansion the other night, and things got pretty wild. ***Joseph Gordon-Levitt, who gets painfully dumped in “(500) Days of Summer,” has landed on his feet in real-life love. The actor is dating stunning model and actress Devon Aoki.

LBN-QUOTE: “I was sucked in by something I thought was real and I have realized it isn’t, and it is not necessarily something I want to be a part of.” - Lily Allen, singer, on the lure of fame.

LBN-HISTORY: On June 24, 1964, the Federal Trade Commission announced that starting in 1965, cigarette manufactures would be required to include warnings on their packaging about the harmful effects of smoking.

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