LBN E-Lert

WEDNESDAY • MARCH 24, 2010

TWO MEXICAN STUDENTS KILLED: Jorge Antonio Mercado Alonso and Javier Arredondo Verdugo were scholarship recipients about to graduate with degrees in manufacturing systems. After working late at the school library Thursday night, they got mixed into a violent firefight. Mexican soldiers were chasing criminals who had fled onto the school’s campus and the two students were killed in the crossfire. Initially, authorities had identified the two dead men as drug gang members, but on Sunday authorities at the highest level of the Mexican government admitted their mistake. The deaths of two students caught in Mexico’s drug wars crossfire have sparked more than 4,200 calls for “justice” on Facebook pages devoted to the pair.

TANNING SALONS BURNED BY HEALTH CARE BILL: The Obama administration is turning up the heat on tanning salons across the country with the passage of its new health care bill. To help fund the $940 billion health care overhaul, a 10% tax on individuals receiving indoor tanning services was tacked on, and the initiative is expected to generate $2.7 billion over ten years.

SYNTHETIC MARIJUANA A GROWING TREND: A number of youth are turning to an herb-based product to get high, and unlike marijuana, it’s perfectly legal. It’s known as K2 or Spice, a synthetic substance that, when smoked, gives users a marijuana-like high. Side effects include heart palpitations, respiratory issues, panic attacks, and hallucinations. Kansas has banned K2; many other states are considering similar laws.

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U.S. ARMS PACT WITH RUSSIA: President Obama and his Russian counterpart, President Dmitri A. Medvedev, have broken through a logjam in their arms control negotiations and are expected to sign a new treaty slashing American and Russian nuclear arsenals in Prague next month.

WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT: Prominent literary agent David Dunham along with 317,000 other “influencers”.

BACKSTREET ABORTIONS: The U.S.-based Center for Reproductive Health, which advocates abortions rights, found that women and girls in Kenya use metal wires, knitting needles and other unsafe practices to abort tens of thousands of unwanted pregnancies. Because of the country’s restrictive abortion law, women are being forced into backstreet abortions. And the law could soon get even tougher with church groups urging a ban on almost all abortions.

LBN-BOOK INSIDER: ***Friends of Lulu is a national nonprofit organization whose purpose is to promote and encourage female readership and participation in the comic book industry. ***Get out your 64-crayon box of Crayolas! The Big Coloring Book of Vaginas is available through several Amazon.com sellers. ***The Da Vinci Code is listed as one of the top ten controversial books written in history, along with works from Mark Twain, Maya Angelou and J. D. Salinger.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER:ï¿½ï¿½ ***Itï¿½s estimated that Appleï¿½s iPad business accounts for 4% of the $267 Trefis price estimate for Appleï¿½s stock compared to about 3% for Appleï¿½s Mac desktop business.ï¿½ï¿½ ***A Texas bank is suing one of its customers who was hit by an $800,000 online bank theft that could determine who is to be held responsible for protecting their online accounts from fraud.

KILLER ICICLES: Milana Kashtanova, became the latest victim of falling icicles and ice blocks that have killed five people and injured 147 in Russia. It is their coldest winter in 30 years. Kashtanova, 21, has been in a coma since February when she was hit by the ice which was being cleared from a rooftop. Residents and relatives of victims to demand action against those responsible for what they believe to be careless clearing of ice from rooftops.

ISRAEL’S SURVIVAL AT STAKE, CLINTON WARNS: Hillary Clinton, US Secretary of State, warned Israel on Monday that its survival could be in jeopardy unless it reached a peace deal with the Palestinians. Her warning came in an address to the annual Conference of the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee in Washington, and followed days of tension between the US and the Israeli government of Benjamin Netanyahu.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Jane Krakowski and fiance Robert Goodley on a double-date at Le Caprice with Loews chief Jonathan Tisch and wife Lizzie Rudnick after Krakowski’s performance at the Regency. ***Scarlett Johansson was spotted touching down at LaGuardia Airport in New York City on Tuesday night. ***Christina Applegate stepped out for the Geffen Playhouse Annual Fundraiser in Los Angeles. ***Kate Moss gets out of her car at the Chinawhite private members club with boyfriend Jamie Hince to attend the star-studded party to celebrate the launch of W Doha hotel in London. ***Jennifer Aniston and Adam Sandler film their latest movie “Pretend Wife” in Beverly Hills. ***Michael Bubl and a party of 18 at Patsy’s for a midnight dinner after his concert at Madison Square Garden. ***Knicks rookie Toney Douglas celebrating his 24th birthday at Pink with seven friends. ***”SNL” stars Seth Meyers and Fred Armisen at show writer and stand-up comic John Mulaney’s headlining debut at Carolines on Broadway in New York. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT—Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-SNAP: Jennifer Lopez.

LBN-HEALTH INSIDER: ***Vitamin D deficiency is not only alarmingly widespread, it’s also a root cause of many other serious diseases such as cancer, diabetes, osteoporosis and heart disease. ***In a bid to combat malaria, Intellectual Ventures is developing a method of killing mosquitoes with lasers. ***When exposed to cannabinoids, sperm can’t seem to penetrate the eggs. For whatever reason, sperm with long term exposure to cannabinoids can result in male infertility.

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PIRATE KILLED: A suspected pirate has been shot dead as private guards repelled an attack on a cargo ship off Somalia, in what may have been the first such incident. Six other suspected pirates were detained by a Spanish Naval Force ship after responding to a distress call by a merchant ship.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***The manager for teen pop sensation Justin Bieber has been arrested on New York’s Long Island in connection with a fan frenzy at a mall. ***Debi Nova has toured with Ricky Martin, collaborated with the Black Eyed Peas and has been nominated for six Grammys but has yet to make it big in the U.S. She hopes to change that with the release of her first studio album, Luna Nueva, on May 18th ***Miley Cyrus guided the “American Idol” contestants through a disastrous song set of Hot 100 Number One’s.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***“Twilight” fans flocked to stores to pick up a copy of the “New Moon” DVD, with the title selling 4 million units over the weekend. ***At a time when studios are eliminating development deals to cut cost, Disney’s is moving to keep its most prolific producers on the lot — reupping for two years a first-look deal with David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman’s Mandeville Films and Television. ***”Avatar” director James Cameron lashed out at Glenn Beck at a press conference Tuesday, offering to debate the Fox News personality on environmental and political issues. Cameron said: “Glenn Beck is a fucking asshole. I’ve met him. He called me the anti-Christ and not about ‘Avatar.’ He hadn’t even seen ‘Avatar’ yet. I don’t know if he has seen it.”

SMOKING IN CARS: A British doctors group called Wednesday for a ban on all smoking in cars, saying the secondhand smoke inside a vehicle can cause severe health problems for children and adults. A new report found that, for children, secondhand smoke annually causes more than 20,000 cases of lower respiratory tract infection, 120,000 cases of middle ear disease, at least 22,000 cases of wheezing and asthma, 200 cases of bacterial meningitis, and 40 sudden infant deaths.

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: ***NFL coaches are angered by the new Over Time rule. The new rule, which will be in effect for the NFL’s postseason only, allows the team that loses the coin flip at the start of overtime to have a possession unless a touchdown is scored — either offensively or defensively — on the first possession ***An autistic teen has a perfect NCAA bracket by meticulously studying stats. ***West Virginia point guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant broke his right foot during practice Tuesday and will miss the rest of the NCAA tournament.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***On the eve of trial, Oprah Winfrey has settled a defamation case brought against her by the ex-headmistress of her South Africa-based Leadership Academy of Girls. ***After months of speculation, Katherine Heigl has finally confirmed that she is leaving “Grey’s Anatomy.” “I am done,” Katherine told the mag. “We just finalized our agreement. Everyone had been working really hard to find an amicable and gracious way of letting go and moving on. It’s sad but it’s what I wanted.”

POPE ACCEPTS BISHOP’S RESIGNATION: The Pope has accepted the resignation of an Irish bishop found to have mishandled allegations of clerical sex abuse in his County Cork diocese.

LBN-COMMENTARY By SAMUEL P. JACOBS: The Obama-care provision granting twenty-somethings coverage under their parents’ health-insurance plans closes a major gap in the social safety net. It also might coax a few recent college grads back to Mom’s couch.

LBN-COMMENTARY By PHIL LIBERATORE (Congressional candidate, California 42nd District): I’m not a politician. But I’m running for a congressional seat in California. Why? We need to get long-time politicians out of Washington. In my IRS Problem Solvers business, I challenge big government on behalf of regular people every day. My opponent Gary Miller voted for the TARP Bailout Bills. We need to bring fiscal sanity back to our country. In November dozens of corrupt congressmen who have increased the tax burden on average Americans are going to be swept out of office. I plan to speed up that process by sending one of them home early-on June 8th.

LBN-COMMENTARY By ANNELI RUFUS: In some parts of the country (primarily the Red States), pedal pumping—a fetish in which men watch women trying to start stubborn cars—is an American classic.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MATTHEW YGLESIAS: Monday morning Mitt Romny penned a blistering item for National Review Online condemning Obama as having “betrayed his oath to the nation.” The three paragraphs are full of blistering insults about “raw partisanship”; “the lowest denominator of incumbent power,” “historic usurpation of the legislative process,” and “fraudulent accounting.” What is ironic is the core of Obama’s plan is exactly the same as the core of Romney’s plan. In an ideal world, Romney would just come out and say that.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By SUN TZU: Confront them with annihilation, and they will then survive; plunge them into a deadly situation, and they will then live. When people fall into danger, they are then able to strive for victory.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Sandra Bullock hasn’t kicked horndog hubby Jesse James to the curb just yet. A rep for the blindsided Hollywood cutie yesterday said reports that she’s talking to divorce lawyers are “completely false.” ***Mick Jagger’s model-actress daughter, Lizzie, got a bit carried away during a show by her brother Jimmy Jagger’s band, Turbogeist, at producer Matt Silver’s party in Austin, Texas, the other day. “She was partying pretty hard during the set,” says a spy. “By the time they had finished and Zoe Kravitz started performing, she could barely stand.”

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***A group of kangaroos is called a mob. *** An elephant can be pregnant for up to 2 years. ***Zebras can’t see the color orange. *** More people are killed annually by donkeys than in airplane crashes. *** A rat can go without water longer than a camel can.

LBN-QUOTE: “Nothing is impossible for the man who doesn’t have to do it himself.” - A. H. Weiler.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 24, 2002, Halle Berry became the first African-American performer to win a best actress Oscar, for her work in “Monster’s Ball.”

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LBN E-Lert Edited by Natgeda Remy
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TUESDAY • MARCH 23, 2010

OBAMA SIGNS LANDMARK HEALTH CARE BILL: With the stroke of President Obama’s pen, his health care overhaul — the most sweeping social legislation enacted in decades — became law on Tuesday. Mr. Obama affixed his curlicue signature, almost letter by letter, to the measure, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House, surrounded by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid and a raft of other lawmakers who spent the past year on a legislative roller-coaster ride trying to pass it. Aides said he would pass out the 20 pens he used as mementoes. The $938 billion historic health care bill will entail major changes for Americans.

BILL GATES, TOSHIBA IN EARLY TALKS ON NUCLEAR REACTOR: The companies backed by Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Toshiba are in early talks to jointly develop a small nuclear reactor. The two sides plan to team up to develop a compact next-generation reactor that can operate for up to 100 years without refueling to provide emission-free energy.

MAN FATALLY STABS 8 SCHOOL CHILDREN IN CHINA: A man stabbed eight children to death and wounded five others at an elementary school in eastern China. The school, with more than 2,000 students, is considered one of the best in the city of 3 million people. The suspect in the attack is a 41-year-old man who once worked as a doctor at a community clinic. Some news reports said he recently resigned from the position; others said he had been fired.

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AIR BAGS: A new study shows that newer airbags are less effective in protecting drivers.

JUDGE SENDS ALABAMA PROFESSOR SHOOTING CASE TO GRAND JURY: Amy Bishop, 44, is accused of gunning down colleagues at a faculty meeting on February 12. The former biology professor is charged with murder and three counts of attempted murder in the shootings at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. District Judge Ruth Ann Hall found there is probable cause that Amy Bishop committed the crimes she is accused of and has bound the case over for grand jury.

LBN-SEE IT: Mars as you’ve never seen it before.

LBN-HEALTH INSIDER: ***Almond company Blue Diamond is giving Silk Milk a run for their money with their Almond Breeze Milk, a non-dairy milk substitute. ***Stevia is a sweet herb from South America that is up to 300 times sweeter than sugar found in SoBe LifeWater and some Odwalla drinks. ***Kefir, a creamy probiotic beverage, tames stomach problems and boosts calcium.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Time Warner Inc., Lions Gate, Entertainment Corp. and billionaire Len Blavatnik’s Access Industries put up rival bids of $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion for studio Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, sources familiar with the matter told Reuters. The studio said in a statement on Monday it “received a number of bids” which it will review over the next “several weeks.” The Friday deadline for a second round of bids for MGM was unofficially extended after Time Warner did not immediately put in a bid, the sources said. ***Sony is bringing an all-CGI “Popeye” to the bigscreen, with the iconic sailor man’s muscles set to pop in 3D. Avi Arad, who teamed with Sony to turn Spider-Man into a powerhouse franchise, is producing. Scribe Mike Jones is in negotiations to adapt.

WORLD’S HOTTEST CHILI TO BE USED AS A WEAPON: The Indian military has a new weapon against terrorism: the world’s hottest chili. After conducting tests, the military has decided to use the thumb-sized “bhut jolokia,” or “ghost chili,” to make tear gas-like hand grenades to immobilize suspects. This is definitely going to be an effective nontoxic weapon because its pungent smell can choke terrorists and force them out of their hide-outs,” R. B. Srivastava, the director of the Life Sciences Department at the New Delhi headquarters of the DRDO said.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Jaime Pressly of “My Name Is Earl” has signed to star in CBS’s untitled Bays/Thomas comedy pilot. This marks the TV return for Pressly, who won an Emmy for her role on “Earl.” ***The spring premiere of ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” (23.9 million viewers, 6.3 preliminary adults 18-49 rating) delivered its most-watched opening ever and its second-highest rated premiere among the adult demo. ***Jerry Springer is reinventing himself again, this time as host of a dating game series. “Baggage”, debuting next month on the Game Show Network, gives three contestants the chance to win the eye of a prospective date. The hitch: Contestants have to reveal their faults and foibles.

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SPACESHIP TWO MAKES FIRST (CAPTIVE) FLIGHT: Virgin Galactic’s Spaceship Two made its first captive carry flight early this morning at the Mojave Air and Space Port. Spaceship Two, which was christened the VSS Enterprise at its unveiling in December, is being carried by WhiteKnightTwo on its first test flight.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Brad Pitt attends the European premiere of Kick Ass held at the Empire Leicester Square in London. ***Janet Jackson was in the house for a special screening of her new film Why Did I Get Married Too? in New York City. ***Athina Onassis visiting a local restaurant while in Tuscany, Italy. ***Gerard Butler arrives at the premiere of “How To Train Your Dragon” at Gibson Amphitheater in Universal City, Ca. ***Spike Lee and his son Jackson attend a game between the Houston Rockets and the Knicks at Madison Square Garden. ***Italian fashion designer Donatella Versace poses on the red carpet for the 4th Asian Film Awards ceremony at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Hong Kong. ***American Idol judge Kara DioGuardi was spotted catching a departing flight at LAX International Airport yesterday afternoon. American photographer and documentary film director Louie Psihoyos at the Genesis Awards (Pictured). ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT—Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***The Dow has risen in nine of the past ten trading days and has gained ground in 13 of the 16 trading sessions in March. ***Jones Soda Company announced plans on March 9 to be acquired by Reed’s at a deep discount in a deal worth just shy of $10 million.

LBN-INSIDE HEALTH CARE BILL: ***”To our seniors, I have a message for you: you’re going to die sooner.” says Sen. Tom Coburn (R- Okla.) on the consequences of passing the health care reform. ***Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney blasted the bill as an “unconscionable abuse of power.” ***Election Day is more than seven months away but it may as well be tomorrow, as President Obama’s signing of a sweeping health-reform bill Tuesday shifts a fight that has raged in the halls of the Capitol onto the campaign trail. ***Attorney Generals from 13 states sued the federal government Tuesday, claiming the landmark health care overhaul is unconstitutional just seven minutes after President Barack Obama signed it into law.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***As Michael Jackson lay dying in his bedroom in a rented mansion, his doctor stopped CPR on him and delayed calling paramedics so he could collect drug vials at the scene, according to an employee of the pop star who called 911. ***By nearly all measures, South by Southwest, now in its 24th year, was bigger than ever with a record 13,022 music industry professionals registered. ***Stevie Wonder will headline the Hard Rock Calling Festival in London’s Hyde Park on June 26. The supporting bill for the 50,000-capacity show includes Jamiroquai, James Morrison, and Corinne Bailey Rae.

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: ***Denver Broncos coach Josh McDaniels says there’s “no question” Kyle Orton is the team’s starting quarterback. But he’s leaving room for newly acquired Brady Quinn to compete for the job. ***In soccer, the United States will face Australia in a World Cup warm-up game in Johannesburg on June 5. ***Andrew Bynum’s left Achilles tendon is not torn, and the Los Angeles Lakers are cautiously optimistic their starting center can return from his latest injury in two weeks.

LBN-COMMENTARY By JOHN AVALON: Obama Derangement Syndrome—pathological hatred of the president posing as patriotism—has infected the Republican Party. 67 percent of Republicans believe that Obama is a socialist; 57 percent of Republicans believe that Obama is a Muslim; 45 percent of Republicans agree with the Birthers in their belief that Obama was “not born in the United States and so is not eligible to be president; 38 percent of Republicans say that Obama is “doing many of the things that Hitler did”; Scariest of all, 24 percent of Republicans say that Obama “may be the Antichrist.”

LBN-COMMENTARY By MICHIKO KAKUTANI: It’s clear that technology and the mechanisms of the Web have been accelerating certain trends already percolating through our culture — including the blurring of news and entertainment.

LBN-COMMENTARY By ADAM WINKLER: Health Care opponents’ arguments against the law are without merit. But that doesn’t mean those arguments won’t be successful in the Supreme Court.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By ADOLF HITLER: All great movements are popular movements. They are the volcanic eruptions of human passions and emotions, stirred into activity by the ruthless Goddess of Distress or by the torch of the spoken word cast into the midst of the people.

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LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Kim Kardashian and Reggie Bush could be splitting after he spent the weekend in Manhattan flirting with other girls. While Kim was filming in Miami with sister Kourtney, Reggie hit the city’s hottest clubs. Saturday night at Avenue, “Reggie and his gang made friends with some of the girls who were all dancing on his table around 2 a.m. He offered one of the girls a lemon-drop shot, but she declined. They left Avenue’s VIP upstairs at 4 a.m.,” a spy said. ***Courtenay Semel seems to be turning back to men after the death of her lesbian love, Casey Johnson. The daughter of ex-Yahoo CEO Terry Semel was seen making out with Alex Quinn at the Crown Bar in LA Sunday night. ***Michelle “Bombshell” McGee has been ditched as the tattooed face of the Angry White Girl fashion line in light of her Nazi fetish. Label boss Jimmy Ferrari told us McGee agreed to be his official model a few months ago. He said, “She told me she’d do it for free clothes, although it seems she rarely wears any.”

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: *** Former president Rutherford B Hayes’ wife, Lucy Ware Webb, was known as “Lemonade Lucy” because she refused to serve alcohol in the White House. *** Coca-Cola was originally green. *** Each king in a deck of playing cards represents a great king from history: Spades - King David; Hearts – Charlemagne; Clubs -Alexander, the Great; Diamonds - Julius Caesar *** 111,111,111 x 111,111,111 = 12,345,678,987,654,321 *** The only food that doesn’t spoil is honey.

LBN-QUOTE: “Frisbeetarianism is the belief that when you die, your soul goes up on the roof and gets stuck.”-George Carlin.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 23, 1981, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that states could require, with some exceptions, parental notification when teenage girls seek abortions.

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LBN E-Lert Edited by Natgeda Remy
Contributing Editors: Teju Jyothi, Rachel Yip, Kevin Aquino, Marissa Stone, Delia Ramos, Ben Yano, Anna Alaverdyan.

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MONDAY • MARCH 22, 2010

HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW FACES SENATE CHALLENGE: Now that the House has passed the Senate’s health care reform bill and a package meant to reconcile differences between the House and Senate bills, the next step is for members of the Senate to sign off on those changes. Senate Republicans have indicated they will use any and all legislative tactics in order to slow—even stop—the reconciliation bill from passing.

HEALTH BILL A MILESTONE — OR A MISTAKE?: The House passes a sweeping health care bill that eventually will cover millions of uninsured. Many people have mixed feelings about this. “It’s a victory for President Obama, Democrats but not “unifying win for the nation.” Political columnist John P. Avlon said. While CNN senior political contributor Ed Rollins said, “This Law will make health care more costly for consumers and employers and will raise taxes.” “New law adds a new right of economic security to the rights of citizens.” Said Jennifer Klein a professor at Yale University.

‘BABY KILLER’ SHOUTED AT DEMOCRAT AFTER BILL’S PASSAGE: Someone shouted “baby killer” Sunday as an anti-abortion Democratic congressman was speaking on the House floor shortly after the chamber passed a sweeping health care reform bill with his help. The “baby killer” outburst came about six months after Rep. Joe Wilson, R-South Carolina, yelled “you lie” to Obama during the president’s speech to Congress. The House passed a resolution that month admonishing Wilson.

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MASSIVE SANDSTORMS IN CHINA: Sandstorms whipping across China shrouded cities in an unhealthy cloud of sand and grit Monday, with winds carrying the pollution outside the mainland as far as Hong Kong and Taiwan. The sandstorm that raked across China over the weekend caused the worst “yellow dust” haze in South Korea since 2005, and authorities issued a rare nationwide dust advisory.

TENS OF THOUSANDS RALLY FOR IMMIGRATION REFORM: Frustrated with the lack of action to overhaul the country’s immigration system, tens of thousands of demonstrators rallied on the National Mall and marched through the streets of the capital Sunday. The demonstrators waved American flags and while holding homemade signs in English and Spanish. President Barack Obama, who promised to make overhauling the immigration system a top priority in his first year, sought to reassure those at the rally with a video message presented on giant screens at the National Mall. The president said he was committed to working with Congress this year on a comprehensive bill to fix a “broken immigration system.”

LBN-NOTICED: ***Actors Craig Ferguson, Jay Baruchel and Gerard Butler arrive at the premiere of Dreamworks Animation’s ‘How To Train Your Dragon’ on March 21, 2010 at Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California. ***Jude Law arrives at the Laurence Olivier Awards at Grosvenor House in London. ***Television host Jon Stewart at the Story Pirates After School Special Fundraiser at Dixon Place Theater in New York. ***Will Smith hits the links in Hawaii. ***Kristen Bell poses on the red carpet at the 24th Annual Genesis Awards, presented by the Hollywood office of The Humane Society of the United States. ***Kim Catrall dashes down the arrivals area at the Grosvenor Hotel as she attends the Laurence Oliver Awards 2010 in London. ***Reese Witherspoon and boyfriend Jim Toth spent their Saturday afternoon in Ojai, California. ***Kristen Bell attended the 24th Genesis Awards in Beverly Hills, California on Saturday night. ***Johnny Depp and Tim Burton were spotted at the premiere of Alice in Wonderland in Tokyo, Japan. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT—Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***The long-running drama over the fate of MGM will last a little longer. The studio pushed back the deadline for binding offers until at least today as Friday’s deadline came and went without any comment from MGM or the three most likely bidders — Access Industries, Lionsgate and Time Warner. ***Disney’s 3D juggernaut “Alice in Wonderland” again claiming the top spot in its third weekend, earning an estimated $34.5 million at 3,739 playdates. ***Gotham-based dramatist Katori Hall beat heavyweight play contenders “Jerusalem,” “Enron” and “Red” to the top play prize at the 2010 Laurence Olivier awards in London. The night’s other stand-out winner was U.S. tuner “Spring Awakening,” whose four awards – the most for any single production – included new musical.

NICOLAS SARKOZY’S UNION FOR A POPULAR MOVEMENT THRASHED IN REGIONAL ELECTIONS: A chastened Nicolas Sarkozy will attempt this week to re-launch his presidency after voters yesterday vented their unhappiness by thrashing his centre-right party in elections for regional councils. The Socialist opposition and its Green allies won an estimated 55 percent of the vote compared with about 37 percent for the Union for a Popular Movement. However, they failed to score the clean sweep that they had hoped against Mr Sarkozy’s camp in the voting for the 22 regional councils of mainland France and Corsica. Sarkozy now try to slow his programme of reforms and retreat from the political front and adopt the more distant, paternal role that French presidents traditionally have played.

LBN-BOOK INSIDER: ***Chelsea Handler’s new book, Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang, enters USA TODAY’s Best-Selling Books list at No. 2 and the New York Times Best Seller’s list at No. 1. ***Author of Dear John, Nicholas Sparks, brings another book to life with The Last Song, out in theatres March 31. ***Chip and Dan Heath’s new bestseller, Switch, shows how everyday people—employees and managers, parents and nurses—have united minds and, as a result, achieved dramatic results.

LBN-HEALTH INSIDER: ***The extensive research published in the last decade alone proves that what you eat can have a profound effect on your protection against cancer. ***A square of dark chocolate contains twice as many antioxidants, proanthocyanidins, and polyphenols as a glass of red wine and almost as many as a cup of green tea properly steeped. ***Studies have shown that a child who is obese between the ages of 10 and 13 has an 80 percent chance of becoming an obese adult.

FLOWERS LOSING SCENT DUE TO CLIMATE CHANGE: Many environmentalists are concerned that as flowers are losing their scent due to climate change and air pollution. And their fragrance may be lost forever. Science and Technology Professor Emeritus at University Kebangsaan Malaysia, Dr Abdul Latif Mohamad, said genetically modified flowers might be the only way out.

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LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***After a two-week stall, Fox and Conan O’Brien have resumed talks about a potential late-night talk show fronted by the former “Tonight Show” host. But a wrinkle in the courtship has emerged that involves the biggest show on television: O’Brien has been approached to take part in Fox’s “Idol Gives Back” special April 21. ***Hallmark Channel is looking to “Rock the House,” green lighting an original movie top lined by “Heroes” star Jack Coleman. ***Christian Slater is set as the lead on Fox’s untitled Adam Goldberg comedy pilot. This marks Slater’s first pilot. If it goes to series, it would be his third in three years.

LBN-VIDEO LINK: OK Go - This Too Shall Pass

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***Celebrity blogger, Perez Hilton, is planning to take a piece of Ryan Seacrest’s pie. The blogger revealed that he is launching a weekly music countdown show in the coming months because he wants to offer a “cooler alternative to (On Air with) Ryan Seacrest ***MGMT has put a stream of its new album “Congratulations” (Columbia) on its official website after the sophomore set leaked online ***Protesters outraged at an upcoming concert by R&B singer Akon hurled stones at a Sri Lankan private broadcaster’s headquarters Monday, injuring four workers and damaging the building. Some Sri Lankans accuse Akon of desecrating an image of Buddha in a music video.

LBN-SPORTS NEWS: ***The Golden State Warriors are for sale — and Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison has already said he wants to buy the team ***New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft said the team will continue to talk about a contract extension for quarterback Tom Brady, expressing confidence that the sides will strike a long-term agreement ***After an unbelievable, memorable, one-for-the-ages weekend of college basketball (five upsets in the Sweet Sixteen including the exit of the heavy favorites, Kansas), parity appears to be sweeping NCAA Men’s College Basketball. Great for entertainment value, horrible for brackets across the nation.

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7″ OF SNOW IN DALLAS / FORT WORTH: Seven inches of snow fell overnight Saturday in the northern areas of Dallas / Fort Worth. While only 1.2 inches officially fell at DFW Airport, the northern part of the metroplex experienced its second major snowfall of the season. The area received 12 inches of snow on February 11. The two events make this winter the snowiest on record in Northern Texas.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MARGARET HOOVER: A weak majority brought on the kind of social welfare state law discredited decades ago. The Republicans will find their revenge at the ballot box.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MATTHEW YGLESIAS: Many liberals were ready to compromise during health care’s twisted path to passage. Matthew Yglesias on how the right’s just-say-no game helped bring the left together.

LBN-COMMENTARY By TED WIDMER: Yes, health-care reform is a key win on the merits. But it also shows Obama prevailing over GOP fear-mongering—and generating momentum for the challenges ahead.

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-OVERHEARD: ***Is the world finally tired of Paris Hilton? Sources say the hotel heiress has been making the rounds pitching a new reality show that would cover her engagement and wedding to current boyfriend Doug Reinhardt — but none of the TV honchos is too keen on the idea. “She’s been on TV constantly since 2003, when ‘The Simple Life’ debuted, and the public may be saturated with Paris,” said one source. ***The porn star ex-wife of Sandra Bullock’s hubby has reportedly decided to take him to court to get custody of their daughter. Jesse James’s ex-wife, Janine Lindermulder, will fight for custody after it was revealed last week that he had an affair with tattooed temptress and Hitler-loving hussy Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. ***The Brit singing phenom Susan Boyle will find a $6 million-plus check in her bank account on her 49th birthday, April 1 — her first payday since she wowed the world with her heavenly voice singing “I Dreamed A Dream” on the TV show “Britain’s Got Talent” last year.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***Jonathan Swift wrote “Gulliver’s Travels” in 1726 as a satire on human nature, but today it is a children’s story. ***Humans begin to feel thirsty after losing just 1% of the water in their bodies. ***During the Middle Ages, sugar was considered a luxury and cost nine times as much as milk. ***Hurricanes and tornadoes rotate clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere and rotate counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere. ***By age 65, the average American will have watched the equivalent of 9 uninterrupted years of television.

LBN-QUOTE: “Sometimes I think the surest sign that intelligent life exists elsewhere in the universe is that none of it has tried to contact us.”-Bill Watterson.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 22, 1972 during Prohibition, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed a measure to make wine and beer containing up to 3.2 percent alcohol legal.

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SUNDAY • MARCH 21, 2010

HEALTH CARE VICTORY FOR OBAMA IN HOUSE:

The House delivered Sunday night on President Obama’s top priority, a historic restructuring of the nation’s health care system that has eluded his predecessors for more than a century.

The 219-212 House vote, coming after a tumultuous day of protests and rancorous debate, paves the way for Obama to sign the major portion of his 10-year, $940 billion plan early this week. The House was to vote later Sunday on a package of changes and send it to the Senate for final passage.

The vote assured that about 32 million Americans will gain health insurance coverage and millions more will win protections against losing theirs. The legislation will raise taxes, largely on the wealthy, and reduce future Medicare spending by about $500 billion.

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SATURDAY • MARCH 20, 2010

UN CHIEF DEMANDS ISRAEL SETTLEMENTS HALT: UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has said Israeli settlement building anywhere in occupied territory is illegal and must stop. Mr Ban is in the Middle East to meet Israeli and Palestinian leaders and press them to resume peace talks. Israel’s controversial announcement of plans to build 1,600 more homes in East Jerusalem has inflamed tensions in the region and between Israel and the US.

RUSSIA BOMBARDS HILLARY CLINTON WITH COMPLAINTS ABOUT TRADE: Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin greeted visiting Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton on Friday with of trade complaints, while another top Russian official voiced caution about the Obama administration’s campaign for tough sanctions on Iran. Clinton’s meetings reflected continuing tensions in the U.S.-Russia relationship a year after the Obama administration launched a “reset.” Although the two sides have moved closer on a range of issues such as arms control and Afghanistan, cooperation remains elusive. Putin, whom many consider the real power in Russia, agreed only at the last minute to receive Clinton. He then used what was supposed to be a ceremonial photo opportunity at his ornate dacha outside Moscow to criticize the drop in U.S. trade during the global economic crisis, Russia’s difficulties in joining the World Trade Organization, and U.S. sanctions that have affected Russian companies — an apparent reference to penalties on firms doing business with Iran, Syria and North Korea. Clinton’s agenda in Moscow was dominated by the almost complete agreement on each side to reduce its deployed long-range nuclear weapons and by the U.S.-led drive for tough sanctions on Iran.

CATHOLIC CHURCH SCANDAL GOES GLOBAL: As the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has signed a pastoral letter about Ireland’s abusive priests, it became increasingly clear that the church abuse crisis has entered a new international phase, with allegations spreading across a half dozen countries — including the pope’s native Germany.

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HEALTH CARE BILL UPDATE: Democratic leaders persuaded four more House members Friday to support a landmark health-care bill after initially opposing it, but they still need votes from a pivotal bloc of lawmakers who remain concerned that the proposal would open the door for the federal funding of abortions. The House Rules Committee began meeting Saturday to determine the official rules for the debate and vote on the health care overhaul, a day ahead of an expected House vote. The committee is expected to determine whether the House will vote Sunday on a rule that would simply deem the Senate bill — a sweeping $875 billion reform plan that cleared the Senate in December — passed. The House then would proceed to a separate vote on another $65 billion in compromise changes. If the Senate bill passes the House, Obama will sign it into law. If the package of changes is passed, it will be taken up by the Senate.

ABC NEWS FACING SHARP CRITICISM FOR PAYMENT TO MURDER SUSPECT: ABC News is facing sharp criticism over the disclosure that it paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to a Florida woman who now stands accused of killing her own daughter. The $200,000 payment in August 2008 to Casey Anthony was used for exclusive rights to reproduce family photographs and videotape of her then-missing 2-year-old, Caylee. The pictures and footage were used on Sept. 5, 2008, as the heart of a story on ABC’s Good Morning America and a full-hour treatment later that night on the prime-time newsmagazine 20/20. Casey Anthony was charged with child neglect and endangerment that day. The next month, she was indicted by a grand jury on charges of murder.

PROTESTS CONTINUE IN BANGKOK AS 65,000 JOIN PARADE: Tens of thousands of opposition activists paraded through Thailand’s capital Bangkok to try to win over Bangkok’s middle classes to their anti-government campaign. Bangkok: Police estimated 65,000 protesters took part, although some media and witnesses said as many as 90,000 were in the convoy, The week-long rally, which drew up to 150,000 people last Sunday, has so far been peaceful, boosting investor sentiment and helping to lift Thai stocks to a 20-month high. Prime Minister Abhist has avoided his office, parliament and his home for security reasons and spent another day at a fortified military compound. He has refused to bow to demands for a new election, insisting the country is too divided to go to the polls. Mr Abhisit said he was willing to hold talks with the protesters to end the deadlock, but only if Mr Shinawatra (ousted former premier Thaksin Shinawatra) was off the agenda.

POPE ABUSE LETTER DISAPPOINTS VICTIMS: Irish victims of clerical child sexual abuse are deeply disappointed by Pope Benedict’s letter of apology as it fails to address the role of senior church leaders, a group representing victims said. “My first response was deep disappointment in the letter,” said Maeve Lewis, executive director of victims group One in Four. “We feel the letter falls far short of addressing the concerns of the victims.” She said the Pope’s letter focused too narrowly on lower-rank Irish priests without recognizing the responsibility of the Vatican and senior Irish clerics for protecting offenders and dealing with victims. “There is nothing in this letter to suggest that any new vision of leadership in the Catholic church exists,” she said. The letter also does not refer to the resignation of the head of the church in Ireland, Cardinal Sean Brady, which victims groups have demanded, she said.

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LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Jamie Foxx is wrapping up talks to get locked and loaded to play the rage-prone killer James Lynch in Lionsgate and Millennium Films’ big screen adaptation of the Eidos videogame “Kane and Lynch: Dead Men”. ***For a third week in a row, Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” is tops at the box office. The 3D pic brought in an estimated $9.8 million from 3,739 locations on Friday, besting a trio of new movies. ***Buoyed by five evening games decided by five points are less, CBS had a solid if unspectacular night of NCAA men’s basketball tournament coverage, easily winning Thursday primetime. *** Michael Haneke’s black-and-white drama “The White Ribbon” picked up a record 13 nominations for the Euro 2.855 million ($3.9 million) German Film Prize on Friday.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Rosie O’Donnell, who hosted the syndicated “The Rosie O’Donnell Show” and did a stint on ABC’s “The View,” has teamed with syndication veterans Dick Robertson and Scott Carlin for another syndicated talk show. The show, hosted by O’Donnell, is eyed for fall 2011 launch, which would coincide with the exit of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” *** The planned sale of rights to more than 800 movies that are part of the Capitol, ThinkFilm, Franchise and other film libraries scheduled for Monday has been canceled in the wake of the involuntary bankruptcy filing by a group of creditors against David Bergstein and five of the companies he controls.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Smokey Robinson performs at the Austin Music Hall as part of Day Three of SXSW 2010 in Austin, Texas. ***Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes were spotted at the Los Angeles Lakers game on Friday. ***Heidi Klum was spotted at the Heart Truth Pop-Up Experience in Santa Monica, California. ***Claudia Schiffer walks back home after dropping her kids off at school in Notting Hill, London. ***Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton arrive at CBS Films’ ShoWest presentation to promote their upcoming movie “Faster” in Las Vegas, Nevada. ***Steven Tyler spotted arriving in Hawaii at the airport. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT: ***12 members of the White House staff. ***Over 100 winners of the Academy Award. ***3 Nobel Prize winners. ***Over 300 winners of the Grammy Award. ***More than 500 published authors. ***National syndicated radio talk show host Doug Stephan. ***Mayors of Detroit, San Francisco, Philadelphia and Denver. ***Billionaire Mark Cuban in addition to 317,000 other “influencers” in all 50 of the United States and 24 foreign countries.

LBN-COMMENTARY By DONALD B. MARRON: Everyone should be much more cautious when spinning the cost estimate for the Democrats’ bill. Former CBO acting director Donald B. Marron on the variables and asterisks involved. Plus, Benjamin Sarlin talks to more past CBO chiefs about the agency’s accuracy.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MICHAEL FULLILOVE: The administration’s postponed trip to Australia and Indonesia, in order to focus on U.S. health care, has caused tittering in Asian capitals. Such concerns are misguided. From background to focus to tactics, Michael Fullilove writes from Sydney, Obama has a chance to become the first truly Pacific president.

LBN-COMMENTARY By REBECCA DANA: ABC News’s hiring of Christiane Amanpour is a gamble on an untraditional star. Rebecca Dana on why she left CNN—and why Diane Sawyer backed her for the job.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By PLATO: Music is a moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and charm and gaiety to life and to everything.

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LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Mayor Bloomberg has booked the cast of “Hair” for his rebuttal skit at the Inner Circle gala at the Hilton on March 27 and is calling the act, of course, “Mair”. ***Mary Alice Stephenson will host Angelina Jolie’s Global Action for Children benefit tonight at Milk Gallery. ***Trudie Styler, Amy Sacco, Arden Wohl and Genevieve Jones will celebrate the launch of Olivia Corwin and Kai Ma Wilson’s new fashion line, Porcelain, at Hotel Griffou on Wednesday night. ***Security guards kept Lindsay Lohan from entering LA club Trousdale Thursday night.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***Gabriel Fahrenheit invented the first mercury thermometer in 1724. ***The world’s youngest parents were 8 and 9 and lived in China in 1910. ***13% of Americans actually believe that some parts of the moon are made of cheese. ***The Ramses brand condom is named after the great pharaoh Ramses II who fathered over 160 children. ***”Peter Pan” is the only Disney cartoon movie that features both parent characters alive and present throughout the entire film.

LBN-QUOTE: “There’s no reason that the government should prevent homosexuals from entering civil marriages because some religions object to the concept, any more than the government should ban atheism because some religions object to it.” -Lisa Pampuch.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 20, 1995, in Tokyo, 12 people were killed, more than 5,500 others sickened when packages containing the poisonous gas sarin leaked on five separate subway trains.

LBN FACESPACE:

1. Name:  R. Keith Harris.

2. What Makes You Unique?  My perseverance.

3. If you could sleep with one celebrity, who would it be?  My wife would need to get famous before I could answer this question.

4. If you could have dinner with one dead person, who?  I know it’s a cliché’, but Jesus. Love him, or hate him, he’s had a more dynamic influence on history than any other single leader.

5. If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where and why?  The Isle of Harris, off the coast of Scotland. When my wife and I got married, I had the Harris Tartan (which was hand woven by a lady named Fiona on the Isle of Harris) shipped in and made into ties for myself and my groomsman. My wife’s maiden name is McNeill - and their clan stronghold was on isle of Barra right next door. It would be great to spend a year getting back to our “roots”.

6. Occupation:  Actor.

7. What’s the best thing about your job?  My job is great because it affords me the opportunity to tell stories that speak into the lives of people I will never meet.

8. Who would you want to be in another life?  Someone we don’t have a record of yet.

9. Do you know anyone who’s had sex for money?  Yes. She’s an ex-prostitute that runs a half-way house called Hannah’s Haven for women trying to escape the same life - awesome woman! Check her out at http://www.hannahshaven.net/.

10.  E-mail and website:  keith@rkeithharris.com, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0364931/, http://americansgoverning.com/declaration/.

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FRIDAY • MARCH 19, 2010

WHICH VULNERABLE DEMS WILL PELOSI LET VOTE ‘NO’?: Conventional wisdom among Republicans and Democrats is that health care is likely to pass in the House this weekend, but deciding which votes bring it across the finish line is a tough task for Speaker Nancy Pelosi. The bill is likely to pass by the barest margins and a number of Democrats in conservative districts, like Jason Altmire (D-PA) and Bill Owens (D-NY), could face a backlash in the midterm elections for lending their support to the legislation.

DOCS: JESSE’S NAZI MCGEE: Shocking new developments in the Sandra Bullock - Jesse James- Bombshell McGee love troika - McGee’s Nazi white power ties as revealed in legal docs. The woman who allegedly had an affair with Sandra Bullock’s husband Jesse James supports ‘white power,’ gives the Nazi salute “Heil Hitler” and does pornographic video shoots in her home in the San Diego area, according to charges in court papers obtained exclusively by RadarOnline.com. While Michelle “Bombshell” McGee alleged she carried on an 11-month affair with Jesse James, who apologized to Bullock Thursday thanks to a purported $30K payoff from a fan mag, legal docs paint a much darker picture of the tatted dominatrix stripper.

SENATORS UNVEIL BIPARTISAN IMMIGRATION BILL: With President Obama reassuring Hispanic leaders this week that he’ll tackle immigration after health care is finished, Senators Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) may have handed him the bill he needs to do it. The lawmakers unveiled a rare bipartisan agreement on a major piece of legislation with a plan that would legalize millions of undocumented immigrants, step up border enforcement efforts, and create a biometric identification card.

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U.S. GENERAL: GAYS CAUSED WAR CRIMES: As Congress works on overturning the military’s ban on openly gay soldiers, a retired U.S. general offered up a particularly grotesque argument against integration: gays cause genocide. John Sheehan, a former general and supreme commander of NATO, told a hearing on gays in the military that the presence of gay soldiers among Dutch U.N. peacekeepers was a factor in causing the 1995 Srebrenica massacre in Bosnia. “That led to a force that was ill-equipped to go to war,” and thus failed to stop Bosnian Serbs from killing Muslims, he said.

SANDRA BULLOCK’S HUBBY SAYS HE’S ‘SORRY’ FOR CHEATING: Celebrity mechanic Jesse James yesterday apologized to his Academy Award-winning wife, Sandra Bullock, after a heavily tattooed stripper tattled about their torrid trysts together. “The vast majority of the allegations reported are un true and unfounded,” said James, accused of repeatedly bedding Michelle “Bombshell” McGee while Bullock, 45, filmed her hit movie “The Blind Side” last year. “Beyond that, I will not dignify these pry vate matters with any further public comment,” James, 40, said in the mea culpa released to People magazine yesterday, a day after McGee went public with her tawdry tale. “There is only one person to blame for this whole situation, and that is me. It’s because of my poor judgment that I deserve everything bad that is coming my way. “This has caused my wife and kid’s pain and embarrassment beyond comprehension and I am extremely saddened to have brought this on them. I am truly very sorry for the grief I have caused them. I hope one day they can find it in their hearts to forgive me.”

DOCTOR ASSERTS CHURCH IGNORED ABUSE WARNINGS: The German archdiocese led by the future Pope Benedict XVI ignored repeated warnings in the early 1980s by a psychiatrist treating a priest accused of sexually abusing boys that he should not be allowed to work with children, the psychiatrist said Thursday. “I said, ‘For God’s sake, he desperately has to be kept away from working with children,’ ” the psychiatrist, Dr. Werner Huth, said in a telephone interview from Munich. “I was very unhappy about the entire story.” Dr. Huth said he was concerned enough that he set three conditions for treating the priest, the Rev. Peter Hullermann: that he stay away from young people and alcohol and be supervised by another priest at all times.

HOW OBAMA HANDLES HILLARY: Watching Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in action, it’s easy to forget that just two years ago she was engaged in a no-holds barred brawl with President Obama in the Democratic primary. Now the former senator has been an enthusiastic supporter of Obama’s agenda, according to the New York Times. Her dedication was so strong last month she met with Obama for 45 minutes to work out a planned trip to the Persian Gulf immediately after hearing word that her husband was in the hospital with chest pains. “No one had any idea” that Clinton had a personal crisis going on back home, a White House official said. Obama reportedly has warmed to Hillary, at one point offering the White House for her daughter’s upcoming wedding (she politely declined).

U.S. WOMAN CHARGED IN TERROR PLOT PLEADS NOT GUILTY: The Pennsylvania woman accused of recruiting men on the Internet to wage jihad in southern Asia and Europe pleaded not guilty Thursday to all counts in federal court in Philadelphia. The authorities say the woman, Colleen R. LaRose, is a terrorist sympathizer known by her Internet name, “JihadJane,” and had expressed a desire to become a martyr for an Islamist cause.

F.B.I. COMPUTER SETBACKS: Officials drew Congressional rebuke when they decided to delay work on a decade-long project to develop a modernized information system to combat crime and terrorism.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***After originally backing a European rescue for Greece, Germany signaled that help should come from the I.M.F. ***Some environmentalists said the nuclear industry would be risking its green record if it adapted smaller nuclear reactors, like those once used in submarines, to light a city. ***In his most detailed examination of the causes of the financial crisis, however, the former Fed chairman says the policy of low interest rates was not to blame.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Why would anyone dislike a gory movie about guys who repossess artificial organs? Repo Men apparently makes it easy. Only 18 percent of its reviews have been positive, according to news aggregator RottenTomatoes.com, as the satire adapted from Eric Garcia’s novel The Repossession Mambo fails to impress critics with its all-star cast of Jude Law, Liev Schreiber, and Forest Whitaker. ***Barry Manilow leaves WME to sign with CAA. ***Actor Bill Nighy leaves CAA to sign with WME. ***Paradigm signed actress Taraji P. Henson and screenwriter/producer Bobby Moresco. ***The legendary iconic rock group Guns N’Roses are now being represented to the media by LCO (www.LCOonline.com). ***Roman Polanski’s lawyers have filed a new appeal charging judicial misconduct in his 1970s child sex trial. The appeal cites new evidence - separate from that uncovered by Marina Zenovich’s documentary “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired” - that a prosecutor was aware of misconduct by the judge in the case. Lawyers are asking that a special counsel investigate on an emergency basis.

LBN-INVESTIGATES: On ‘Black Tuesday’, October 29, 1929, the market lost $14 billion, making the loss for that week an astounding $30 billion. This was ten times more than the annual federal budget and far more than the U.S. had spent in WWI. Thirty billion dollars would be equivalent to $377,587,032,770.41 today.

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LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Google is expected to announce Monday that it will shut down its operations in China on April 10, says a report in China Business News. Google is threatening to leave China amid a dispute over censorship. A pullout means “there is no way Google can ever come back.” ***CNN foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour is being named the new host of ABC’s Sunday political talk show “This Week.” Amanpour is expected to “bring the international and the domestic together.” Amanpour says: “I leave CNN with the utmost respect.” ***Two high-ranking editors are leaving Harper’s Magazine: Jennifer Szalai, a senior editor handling reviews, and Paul Ford, an associate editor who oversaw the Web site. Harper’s circulation has been slipping, and it missed rate base in the last six months of 2009. ***Some 48% of social media users check or update Facebook and/or Twitter after they go to bed, and 56% feel compelled to check Facebook at least once a day, according to a survey by Retrevo. “You have to wonder if these people aren’t suffering from some sort of addiction.”

GUERRILLA WAR AGAINST CA COPS: For the past three months, a suspected gang in California has left an array of deadly traps for cops that have only narrowly avoided doing damage. In what has been described as “urban terrorism” by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the gang has set three booby traps since December clearly designed to kill police officers in the Hemet-San Jacinto Gang Task Force. One of the devices included a rigged handgun, designed to fire at an officer as they opened a gate. “It is incredible and even unprecedented for police officers here to be subject to terrorist attack,” Brown said. “We have seen it south of the border, but not here yet.” No suspects have been identified yet, but signs seem to point to the Vagos outlaw motorcycle gang, which is active in Hemet.

LBN-SEE IT: A photograph of French First Lady Carla Bruni pantsless and bending over is set to hit the auction block at Phillips de Pury in London tomorrow. The image, shot by Helmut Newton in 1992, is valued at up to $7,500.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Rachel Roy, the fashion designer who is prettier than her models, toasting her cosmetic dentist, Dr. Michael Apa, at a dinner party he hosted in a private room at Jean-Georges at the Mark in NYC. ***Pulp fiction king James Patterson going unnoticed into a late afternoon showing of “Green Zone” in West Palm Beach. ***Angela Lansbury, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Broadway producer Jeffrey Richards at Le Caprice in NYC. ***Robert Downey Jr. having dinner at Zooma sushi in Malibu with a lady friend on Thursday. ***Recently severed General Manager of the Los Angeles Clippers, Mike Dunleavy seen with UCLA Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel at The Peninsula Hotel having drinks on Tuesday night. ***Jay Leno out driving in a vintage convertible in Studio City last night. ***Eva Longoria and Tony Parker were spotted hitting up Katsuya restaurant in West Hollywood last night. ***Tilda Swinton leaves the Ivy club in London after attending a party. ***Chelsea Handler and Jenny McCarthy smile together at the party for Handler’s new book, “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang,” at The Beverly Hilton hotel. ***Jay Leno poses on his bike outside of Chelsea Handler’s book party. ***Pierce Brosnan and his wife Keely Shaye Smith walk to Malibu Cinemas. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to:LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***Pop diva slammed in $30 million lawsuit by ex-boy friend/producer. Lady Gaga, real name Stefani Germanotta, was named in $30.5 million lawsuit against the Grammy Award-winner by Rob Fusari. Fusarfi’s suit charges his protégé lover gave him the old “heave ho” once she hit the big time.

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: ***Anything can happen in the NCAA Tournament. And it usually does. On a day that saw six lower seeds provide upsets, none was as stunning as the one Ohio delivered against third-seeded Georgetown. In convincing fashion, the Mid American Conference champions humbled the Hoyas, 97-83 to become the first No. 14 seeds to win a game since 2006. ***Playing apathetically on defense and carelessly on offense, Georgetown trailed by as many as 19 in the second half and looked overmatched against a much less talented Ohio team. ***Danero Thomas’s fadeaway 15-footer at the buzzer lifted the 13th-seeded Racers to a victory in a first-round game in the West Region. ***The L.A. Dodgers say that Vin Scully fell getting out of bed at home in Hidden Hills and was admitted Thursday night at West Hills Hospital and Medical Center. The plan was for him to stay overnight as a precaution, and then be released Friday. Dodgers’ vice president of communications Josh Rawitch said that Scully told him he had gotten out of bed too quickly, then fell and hit his head. Rawitch expects Scully will join the team in Arizona to call Sunday’s game with the Cleveland Indians.

LBN-RECOMMENDS By MONICA CROWLEY (Political commentator, blogger and host of The Monica Crowley Show): Karl Rove’s new memoir, Courage and Consequence, is simultaneously a page-turner of a political history and an intensely personal reflection on a life in the arena. Love him (as I do) or not, you won’t be able to put this book down.

LBN-COMMENTARY By DICK MORRIS: From a top level source in the House comes the news that the Democrats are still short of the 216 votes they need to pass Obamacare. They have decided, however, to go for broke on Sunday and attempt to pass it whether or not they have enough support. They feel that only by forcing a vote can the force members off the fence. They hope that by employing all means at their disposal, they can round up enough votes for passage. But, if they don’t have the votes, they will allow the measure to be defeated. One source called it a “suicide run.”

LBN-COMMENTARY By PETER BEINART: Israel’s diplomatic war with the United States will likely end the same way its real war ended last year in Gaza: ambiguously. There will be no white flags or mission accomplished signs, just a slight tilt in the balance of power, a modest moving of the trench lines. Those lines aren’t fully demarcated yet, but in important ways the outcome is already clear: Barack Obama has won.

LBN-COMMENTARY By ALESSANDRA STANLEY: “Kirstie Alley’s Big Life,” a new reality show on A&E, takes its place in a widening spectrum of obesity television.

LBN-FILM REVIEW By A. O. SCOTT: “Greenberg” is the funniest and saddest movie Noah Baumbach has made so far, and also the riskiest.

LBN-FILM REVIEW By MANOHLA DARGIS: “Vincere” is a sustained, alternating exhausting and aesthetically exhilarating howl of a film.

LBN-COMMENTARY By PAUL KRUGMAN: A South Carolina case in which a teenager with H.I.V. had his insurance policy revoked is a reminder of why we need health care reform now, imperfect as it is.

LBN-FILM REVIEW By A. O. SCOTT: “The Runaways” evokes its moment and milieu with affectionate, almost uncanny fidelity.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MICHAEL LEVINE (Media expert and Author): Brilliance or wisdom is born of contemplation. Contemplation is born of time. And not time spent on Facebook or Twitter. The curse of distraction has staggering implications for society that frankly can’t be fully imagined right now.

LBN-COMMENTARY By REBECCA DANA: ABC’s raid on CNN—with Thursday’s hiring of Christiane Amanpour to take over This Week—is a huge bet on a different brand of star power. It is rare for the major networks to raid CNN; more often, CNN has been a refuge for onetime stars out of ABC, NBC and CBS. It is rarer still to elevate an anchor whose specialty is foreign reporting, for which American television viewers historically have had preciously little appetite.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By GEORGIA O’KEEFE: I know now that most people are so closely concerned with themselves that they are not aware of their own individuality, I can see myself, and it has helped me to say what I want to say in paint.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Acceptance speeches usually prompt more yawns than gasps, but Katherine Heigl bucked that trend when she received a Best Actress award in Las Vegas late Thursday - and came within a whisker of exposing her boob. ***Sam Mendes picked a good time to split up with wife Kate Winslet. The director of “American Beauty” and “Road to Perdition” is now casting Bond girls for the 23rd installment of the 007 series. ***Kirstie Alley has attacked the Hollywood Reporter’s Roger Friedman and NBC’s “Today” show for reporting allegations of a link between her Organic Liaison weight-loss system and the Church of Scientology, of which she’s a member.

LBN-QUOTE: “Deep versed in books and shallow in himself.”- John Milton.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 19, 1920, the United States Senate rejected for the second time the Treaty of Versailles by a vote of 49-35, falling short of the two-thirds majority needed for approval.

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THURSDAY • MARCH 18, 2010

HEALTH BILL WILL CUT DEFICIT BY $100 BILLION OVER 10 YEARS, HOUSE MAJORITY LEADER SAYS, CITING REPORT: The proposed final health care legislation would cut the federal deficit by more than $100 billion over the first 10 years, House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer said on Thursday, citing a finding by the Congressional Budget Office that is expected to be released on Thursday. The office found that the overhaul would cut the deficit by more than $1 trillion over the subsequent decade, Mr. Hoyer said.

SOURCE: BULLOCK HAS MOVED OUT: Sandra Bullock has left the house she shares with her husband Jesse James, a source tells People magazine. On Wednesday, In Touch magazine reported James cheated on Bullock while she was filming The Blind Side with tattoo model Michelle “Bombshell” McGee. Earlier this month, the actress won her first Oscar for that role. On Monday, she canceled an appearance at the London premiere for the film. The couple met in 2004 and were married a year later. James is the host of a Discovery Channel show, Monster Garage.

TALIBAN HIT BACK IN MARJA WITH A CAMPAIGN OF INTIMIDATION: The Taliban have begun waging a campaign of intimidation in Marja that some local Afghan leaders worry has jeopardized the success of an American-led offensive there meant as an early test of a revised military approach in Afghanistan. The Taliban tactics have included at least one beheading in a broader effort to terrorize residents and undermine what military officials have said is the most important aim of the offensive: the attempt to establish a strong local government that can restore services. The offensive ousted the Taliban from control of their last population center in southern Helmand Province, but maintaining control over such territory has proved elusive in the past.

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ARM-TWISTING COULD BRING HEALTH-CARE VOTE BY SUNDAY: House Democrats are inching slowly toward the majority they need to pass the health-care bill, but believe they could be ready for a vote by Sunday. Working frantically to court the roughly three dozen Democrats whose votes are still believed to be in play, House Dems locked in two more on Wednesday from Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and Dale Kildee of Michigan—both had expressed serious reservations.

HOLY CRAP: TIGER WOODS’ TEXT MESSAGES — SO GRAPHIC: Joslyn James pulled the trigger on her website, splashing more than 100 text messages Tiger Woods allegedly sent her — and the messages hit topics including slapping, choking, three-ways and golden showers. The site, www.sextingjoslynjames.com, includes texts that say: - OK, I would like to have a threesome with you and another girl you trust. - I want to treat you rough, throw you around, spank and slap you - Have you ever had a golden shower done to you? … just morbid curiosity. - You are my f**king whore. Hold you down while I choke you It’s interesting … Joslyn has omitted the messages she sent to Tiger, so we don’t know what she said that may have egged him on.

‘JIHADJANE’ CONFESSED, REPORT: Colleen LaRose, aka JihadJane, confessed her involvement in a plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist not long after being arrested in October at Philadelphia International Airport, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. She was returning from London, allegedly after meeting coconspirators in Ireland; the FBI wanted to keep her confession quiet until other key arrests were made last week there.

BERNANKE DEFENDS FED’S TURF: Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke told House Financial Services Committee members Wednesday that he would like retain regulatory powers within the Federal Reserve which are under threat by newly proposed reforms. “We are quite concerned by proposals to make the Fed a regulator only of the biggest banks,” Bernanke said. “It makes us essentially the too-big-to-fail regulator.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***As China develops a high-tech economy, U.S. companies like Applied Materials that have factories there are now also building research labs in China.

DETAILS ON MADOFF PRISON BEAT-DOWN: Notorious fraudster Bernard Madoff was sent to a prison hospital in December after receiving a broken nose and other injuries suffered at the hands of a felon serving time for drug conviction. Three sources confirm new details of the assault to The Wall Street Journal, while officials at the Bureau of Prison deny that the assault took place at all. According to the broadsheet, the attacker has a black belt in Judo and believed Madoff owed him money.

WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT? Prominent LA physician Dr. Gary Gitnick along with 317,000 other “influencers” in all 50 of the United States and 24 foreign countries.

CLINTON MAKES MOSCOW MISSION: Forget Israel, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has another foreign-policy challenge to tackle this week as she arrives in Moscow Thursday, hoping to find common ground on Iran sanctions and arms reductions with America’s Cold War foe. Both American and Russian officials praised their improved relationships going into this week’s visit.

THE RETURN: In the Senate, Alan K. Simpson, a Republican, treated serious issues with folksy phrases and stinging humor. He now brings that to the task of reducing the federal debt.

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LBN-NOTICED: ***Evan Lysacek going into Donald Trump’s office wearing his Olympics figure skating gold medal to meet the “Celebrity Apprentice” host. ***Tom Wopat, the bearded, rugged Luke from “The Dukes of Hazzard,” belting out show tunes at the John Barrett Salon in NYC as he was coiffed for “Sondheim on Sondheim”. ***Taylor Hicks, of “American Idol” fame, having a drink with flamboyant Popeater blogger Rob Shuter at The Townhouse on East 58th Street in NYC. ***Zach Braff and Patti Smith at separate tables at Da Silvano in NYC. ***Defending Champion Rafael Nadal taking a break from the BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells to enjoy dinner at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant in nearby Palm Desert. ***Radio talk show host Dennis Prager and his wife, Sue, having dinner at Cafe Med on the Sunset Strip. ***George Clooney was busy filming scenes on the set of “The Descendants” in Oahu, Hawaii on Wednesday. ***Johnny Depp films scenes for his new film, “The Tourist,” in Venice, Italy. ***Jude Law arrives at Heathrow International Airport with a nice set of matching luggage. ***Stella McCartney goes for a walk near her house in London, England. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to:LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

LBN-BOOK NEWS: ***Barnes & Noble is naming William Lynch as the new CEO of the world’s largest book retailer. He succeeds Steve Riggio, who will remain vice chairman. Lynch joined the company in February as head of Barnes & Noble.com. He also helped develop the B&N’s eBook Reader. ***As Apple builds its electronic bookstore, Amazon is trying to use its clout to hold on to its early lead in the market.

EVERY DAY: Every single day, seven days a week, tens of thousands of LBN E-Lert readers forward this LBN E-Lert to ten of thousands of their friends and family. Do you? Do you?

WATCHING MORE CLOSELY: Cruelty toward animals can often be a warning sign for other types of violence and neglect, so more states are keeping closer track.

CALLS FOR CHURCH SEX ABUSE INQUIRY: German Chancellor Angela Merkel joined the chorus of European leaders calling for investigations into sex-abuse allegations against Catholic priests. Merkel called the scandal a “major challenge” Wednesday while the Archbishop of Dublin said more inquiries are needed in Ireland. Merkel’s remarks come just before Pope Benedict XVI is expected to release a pastoral letter addressed to the Irish faithful. The latest sex-abuse allegations stretch across Europe.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***ABC News is close to a deal to name CNN foreign correspondent Christiane Amanpour as the new host of its Sunday political talk show “This Week.” ABC News execs say Amanpour is convinced she could make the switch from international to political reporting. ***Renaissance Furniture Restoration in San Francisco is filing the third class-action complaint against Yelp. The cases all allege that the popular review site extorts companies by manipulating ratings or visibility based on whether or not the businesses pay to advertise. ***Patrick McCarthy, chairman of Conde Nast’s Fairchild Fashion Group and editor of W magazine, is stepping down at the end of the year. His departure is part a shakeup that returns W to Conde Nast’s magazine unit. W has been harder hit than most fashion titles. ***After speaking to a large audience of students at Loyola Marymount University on Wednesday night, media expert and author Michael Levine takes his speaking tour to the campus of USC tonight.

SEE IT: Cosmetic dentist, Dr. Bill Dorfman is sending around a press release pitching himself as a beefcake model for youthful living at age 51.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***Alex Chilton, the mercurial if influential rock musician, whose work spanned an eclectic gamut from the soul songs of the Box Tops to the multiple incarnations of his pop band Big Star, has died, The Commercial Appeal of Memphis reported. He was 59. The cause of death is believed to have been a heart attack.

LBN-VIDEO LINK: WATCH: Warren Buffett Plays Axl Rose In HILARIOUS New Geico Ad

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Ivan Reitman will direct Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher in an untitled romantic comedy for Paramount Pictures, reports Variety. Over at Vulture, meanwhile, there’s separate Reitman news that says Columbia’s plan to reboot the “Ghostbusters” franchise is being haunted by a Mike Ovitz-orchestrated deal made in the early 80s on Reitman’s behalf. ***Columbia Pictures has made a deal to develop “The Pioneer Woman,” a romantic comedy that would be a potential star vehicle for Reese Witherspoon. ***Relativity Media — backed by Elliot Associates — has removed itself from the MGM sale, a person with knowledge of the situation tells TheWrap. Ryan Kavanaugh’s finance firm (backed by the hedge fund Elliot) follows John Malone’s Liberty Media, which also bowed Wednesday, out the door — and just two days before the Friday deadline for final bids. ***Management 360 has hired GQ Senior West Coast Editor Chris Huvane as a manager. He is brothers with publicist Stephen Huvane and CAA partner Kevin Huvane. ***Director Spike Lee has left WME for CAA.

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: ***Seton Hall dismissed Coach Bobby Gonzalez, ending his tumultuous four-year tenure a day after an ignominious loss in the N.I.T. and the arrest of a player.

LBN-COMMENTARY By GEORGE WILL: Doubling down on dubious bets is characteristic of compulsive gamblers and federal education policy. The nation was essentially without such policy for grades K through 12, and better off for that, until 1965.

LBN-COMMENTARY By TINA FEY: What I’ve come to realize is that when people say, ‘The thinking man’s whatever’ — there’s no such thing. The thinking man also wants to fuck Megan Fox.

LBN- HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By JANIS JOPLIN: I got treated very badly in Texas. They don’t treat beatniks too good in Texas. Port Arthur people thought I was a beatnik, though they’d never seen one and neither had I.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW: The late Marvin Gaye.

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Vice President Joe Biden, who is known to keep his foot in close proximity to his mouth, made Washington wince Wednesday night with his wisecrack about Tiger Woods. At the Radio and Television Correspondents Association dinner, Biden said being vice president gave him certainly privileges like getting tips from Tiger Woods. “Hey guys, those were golf tips,” he joked. ***Less than a week after actor Corey Haim died of what appeared to be an accidental overdose, Los Angeles police have charged someone with providing him with illegal prescription drugs. The suspect has not yet been identified, though he or she is believed to be involved in what officials called a “massive” drug ring. Officials added that the investigation into the ring had been under way long before Haim died. So far, investigators have discovered about 5,000 fraudulent prescriptions connected to the drug ring. ***A grief stricken Marie Osmond collapsed after valiantly returning to the stage just one day after burying her 18-year-old son. Choked with emotion, Marie struggled through her March 9 appearance at Las Vegas’ Flamingo hotel. ***Jersey Shore star Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi was criminally charged for selling booze to minors at a party at her house — a party that ended with the tragic drunk driving death of one of her classmates. Snooki was one of three people charged in connection with the 2004 death of teenager Michael Truncali.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***Hair grows faster in the morning than any other time of day. ***Walt Disney, the creator of Mickey Mouse, was afraid of mice. *** Marlboro cigarettes sold in New York contain more nicotine and tar than those sold in other states. ***“Vodka” is the Russian word for “little water.” ***In “Pulp Fiction,” every clock is stuck on 4:20.

LBN-QUOTE: “Why a fine, prestigious web-publications like the LBN E-Lert choose to run the words of this obviously deranged Ericka T. Bass, is well, beyond me.”—-Father Joseph, Cleveland, Ohio.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 18, 1965, the first spacewalk took place as Soviet cosmonaut Aleksei Leonov left his Voskhod 2 capsule and remained outside the spacecraft for 20 minutes, secured by a tether.

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WEDNESDAY • MARCH 17, 2010

AL-QAEDA CRIPPLED AS LEADERS STAY IN HIDING:

Relentless attacks against al-Qaeda in the Pakistan tribal region appear to have driven Osama bin Laden and other top leaders deeper into hiding, leaving the organization rudderless and incapable of planning sophisticated operations, CIA Director Leon Panetta said Wednesday.

So profound is al-Qaeda’s disarray that one of its lieutenants, in a recently intercepted message, pleaded to bin Laden to come to the group’s rescue and provide some leadership, Panetta told The Washington Post in an interview.

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WEDNESDAY • MARCH 17, 2010

BIDEN, BIBI SEEK TO DIFFUSE TENSION WITH ISRAEL: Vice President Joe Biden and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke by phone on Tuesday in a bid to diffuse the tensions that suddenly flared up after Israel announced new construction plans in East Jerusalem during Biden’s visit last week. Things could get frosty again soon, though: Netanyahu is expected to call Secretary of State Hillary Clinton again as early as Wednesday to deliver his formal response to Clinton’s list of demands, which included cancellation of the construction project and goodwill gestures towards the Palestinians.

STATES’ RIGHTS ON THE RISE: Several states, most of them red, have been adopting resolutions emphasizing their own rights or denouncing federal authority. South Dakota and Wyoming have declared federal gun laws invalid if the gun is made and used within the state; the Oklahoma House has passed a resolution saying they should be able to vote on opting out of federal health-care reform; Utah’s legislature has said the federal government cannot enact health-care reform without its permission, and also said the state has the power to seize federal land under eminent domain; and Alabama, Tennessee, and Washington are all considering measure to assert local police’s power over federal authorities.

OBAMA TO DELAY ASIA TRIP AGAIN?: President Obama may have to put his trip to Indonesia, Guam, and Australia on hold again: Several lawmakers tell Politico that Obama’s trip, which he already delayed from Friday to Monday so he could continue to fight for health-care reform, is interfering with their plans again, especially after the Democratic House Whip James Clyburn said the vote might not place until Easter or after.

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THE GAY TERRORIST WHO COULD HAVE FOILED 9/11: A year and a half before September 11, 2001, the C.I.A. tried to recruit an Iraqi terrorist thought to be secretly gay, The New York Observer reports. If the agency had been successful, the terrorist attack perhaps could have been prevented. The C.I.A. hoped Ahmad Hikmat Shakir could be an “access agent”—someone without high-level knowledge but who could arrange contacts with people who do. Short, fat and jolly, he perhaps could have been flipped by threats to reveal his sexuality. In January 2000, al Qaeda was meeting in Kuala Lumpur, and Shakir picked up an eventual 9/11 hijacker, Khalid al-Mihdhar, at the airport. Al Mihdar had a multiple-entry visa to the U.S., but the C.I.A. didn’t inform the F.B.I., who could have put him on a watch list or questioned him.

MALIKI DEMANDS RECOUNT: Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki alleged that the national electoral commission was fixing vote tallies from Iraq’s parliamentary elections March 7 and demanded a recount in Baghdad. Perhaps not coincidentally, Maliki’s lead is slipping. About 79 percent of ballots have been counted, and former Prime Minister Ayad Alawi’s secular Iraqiya coalition is inching ahead, with reports indicating it has captured the popular vote. (It’s still behind in the province-by-province vote, which is how parliamentary seats are apportioned.)

BAD RESULT: About $1.1 billion has been spent on a virtual fence along the Mexican border, with little to show for it.

LBN-SNAP: Actor Mickey Rourke.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***“Avatar,” the world’s highest-grossing film, will be released on Blu-ray and DVD April 22 in the United States and Canada, News Corp. says. The home-video release of “Avatar,” which follows the nature-loving inhabitants of a distant moon, coincides with Earth Day. ***“Talks are under way” for a documentary of Conan O’Brien’s 30-city comedy tour in the wake of his getting the boot from NBC, Deadline New York reports. Media Rights Capital has been in talks to finance the movie, with Rodman Flender to direct. The move wouldn’t violate O’Brien’s agreement with his former bosses. The tour, called The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour, comes to Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden in June, and tickets are already sold out. ***The Los Angeles Times reports that producer Scott Rudin is negotiating to end his production deal with Disney. The move comes following the recent demise of Miramax and its possible sale and sees the prolific producer looking to settle out his contract, which still has three years remaining. ***Sigourney Weaver will play a vampire queen in “Vamps,” a romantic horror-comedy from Amy Heckerling. According to the Heat Vision blog, a late April start is being eyed for the Heckerling-scripted pic which also stars Alicia Silverstone and Krysten Ritter.

SIX SUICIDES IN 6 MONTHS AT CORNELL: Last week, two students at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, jumped from bridges to their deaths. They were the fifth and sixth suicides this academic year at the university, and school officials are worried Cornell will become known as a “suicide school” after years of trying to distance itself from that reputation. Police and security guards have been posted on all the bridges on the campus, known for its gorges, and campus counseling services now have extended hours.

FEDERAL RESERVE HOLDS INTEREST RATES: Don’t bank on much more of an economic recovery in 2011: Unemployment is unlikely to drop below the 9.7 jobless rates achieved in February, according to Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, White House Budget Director Peter Orszag, and Council of Economic Advisers Chairwoman Christina Romer.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Erick Erickson, editor of the conservative political blog RedState, is joining CNN as a contributor. Erickson will appear weeknights on the new “John King, USA” and other CNN programs. “He will add an important voice to CNN’s ideologically diverse group of political contributors.” ***Media expert and author Michael Levine doing commentary on the return of Tiger Woods to the Master on ABC World News Tonight last night. ***The Queen of Talk is taking the stand: Oprah Winfrey is due to spend two weeks defending herself in a Philadelphia court after a federal judge refused to throw out defamation charges stemming from sex-abuse charges at her girls school in South Africa. **The Financial Times’ Matthew Garrahan writes in tomorrow’s paper that Michael Sitrick “has carved out a lucrative niche offering crisis advice for embattled companies and celebrities who have found themselves in the media’s cross-hairs.”

LBN-NOTICED: ***Rufus Wainright’s (pictured) show at the Gramercy Park Hotel’s Rose Bar in NYC was so packed, “Gossip Girl” star Penn Badgley had to stand on an ottoman to catch it. Scarlett Johansson, Lucy Liu and Drew Barrymore could only muster floor seats — as opposed to a table — because they showed up after the performance had started. ***Howard Stern and wife Beth Ostrosky at the Elegant Setting gift shop in Southampton. ***Joel Grey, Michael Feinstein, Parker Posey, Judith Light, Dave Koz and Mario Buatta singing “Happy Birthday” to 64-year-old Liza Minnelli at Jim Caruso’s “Cast Party” at Birdland jazz club in NYC. ***Jude Law putting on his hat and pulling up Sienna Miller’s hood as they were leaving Balthazar in NYC, “trying to be discreet but really just drawing more attention to themselves.” ***Designer, Jimmy Au at Paramount in L.A. personally fitting Breckin Meyer for a TV pilot. ***Actor Dick Van Patten and Megan Blake, host of Animal Attractions TV (PBS), among the celebrities at the Woofstock animal adoption fair at Roxbury Park in Beverly Hills. ***Models Amber Lancaster and Rachel Reynolds, singer Kristy Osmunson, host Drew Carey, singer Kelley Shepard and model Lanisha Cole appear on ‘The Price is Right’ at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California. ***Iqbal Theba of “Glee” at Coffee Bean on Pico and Beverly in Beverly Hills. ***Award-winning director/writer/producer Peter Hankoff at Factor’s Deli in Los Angeles. Celebrity makeup artist and publicist Jennifer Farhood at Melanie Thai on Pico in Los Angeles. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@TimeWire.net

LBN-INVESTIGATES: Kentucky has the highest rate of smokers (28.7%) in the U.S., while Utah (11.5%) has the lowest.

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LBN-THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Rubber Band Patented (1845)
In 1845, Stephen Perry, a British inventor and businessman, patented what is now a staple office supply—the rubber band. While their intended function is to hold items together, rubber bands have been used in a number of other capacities; they can be wrapped around one another to form a bouncy ball or used as “ammunition” in rubber band guns. Though many modern rubber products are commonly made with synthetic rubber, rubber bands are still primarily manufactured using natural rubber.

LBN-TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: Nat King Cole (1919)Originally a jazz pianist, Nat King Cole performed in Los Angeles nightclubs with his trio in the 1930s but did not achieve commercial success until he began singing. His warm, velvety voice brought a personal touch to his ballads, and he became internationally popular for his broodingly romantic hits, such as “Unforgettable.” He went on to become one of the first African-American artists to star in a radio show and to host a network television show.

LBN-BOOK NEWS: ***Best-selling author John Grisham is finally ready to go digital. His publisher, Random House, says that all 23 of his works now can be purchased as e-texts: “This is one of our most exciting e-book initiatives to date and is certain to usher in a new generation of e-book adopters.” ***Ben Stein and Phil DeMuth’s THE LITTLE BOOK OF INVESTING DO’S AND DON’TS, quick, easy-to-follow, and entertaining advice for anyone looking to get back on the right investment track, sold to Deb Englander at Wiley, for publication in Spring 2010, by Bob Diforio (for Phil DeMuth) at D4EO Literary Agency and Lois Wallace (for Ben Stein) at Wallace Literary Agency (World). ***Judi Dench’s memoir AND FURTHERMORE, covering her life, both on-stage and off, in a book that takes the measure of both her astonishing career and her private life, sold to Michael Flamini at St. Martin’s, for publication in October 2010, by Susan Howe at Orion (NA). ***Recently-elected Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown’s memoir, “in hopes to inform, encourage and inspire others,” about “his family background, his early career, and his ascent to office” as well as “the policies and issues he cares about most passionately,” sold to Jonathan Burnham at Harper, with Tim Duggan editing, at auction, for publication in early 2011, by Robert Barnett at Williams & Connolly.Harper notes that his contract is subject to review by the Senate Ethics Committee. ***Leon Hendrix with Adam Mitchell’s JIMI HENDRIX: A BROTHER’S STORY, sharing for the first time the real stories of the origins and meanings of some classic Hendrix songs, his brother’s transition from boy to man, from unknown to international legend, and setting the record straight for fans seeking the final word on Jimi Hendrix, sold to Rob Kirkpatrick at Thomas Dunne Books, by Alan Nevins and Margaret O’Connor at Renaissance. (world).

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Stanley Gold is rejoins the prestigious law firm Gang Tyre Ramer & Brown.

THE MEXICAN DISASTER: The new warning authorizes the dependents of U.S. employees to leave Tijuana and the other border cities of Nogales, Ciudad Juarez, Nuevo Laredo, Monterrey and Matamoros. Americans are also advised to delay unnecessary travel in the states of Durango, Coahuila and Chihuahua.

AMERICAN AIRLINES WANTS PASS ON TARMAC RULE: MAKE SURE TO CHARGE YOUR IPOD BEFORE TRAVELING: American Airlines has filed for a temporary exemption from the new federal rule limiting the time passengers can be made to wait on the tarmac. The airline says the closure of the main runway at New York’s JFK airport would cause delays, thus costing millions in fines. JetBlue and Delta airlines have also asked for exemptions for the same reason. The rule, which takes effect in April, means airlines would incur up to $27,500 per passenger in fines if a plane sits on the tarmac for more than three hours. That could mean almost $4 million for a single Boeing 737, and $8.9 million for a Boeing 777. American Airlines warned that the inevitable traffic jams will cause them to cancel flights rather than rack up huge fines.

LBN-RECOMMENDS By CINDY CRAWFORD (Model, Designer): I have long admired DIFFA’s funding of vital HIV/AIDS education and services. Being from the fashion industry, I know many people whose lives have been affected by HIV/AIDS and it’s important to do what you can to support their fight. Dining by Design brings together creative talent to support awareness and raise funds throughout the U.S. This Sunday, for only $60 at diffa.org, guests can view the amazing dining installations and savor culinary treats from New York’s top restaurant and gourmet food purveyors all while helping a great cause.

LBN-RECOMMENDS By ISABEL GILLIES (Actress and Author of Happens Every ): Last week, my husband surprised me by taking me to Carolines for some good old fashioned, two-drink-minimum comedy (I had never been to a comedy club). The headliner was Louis C.K., who is tear-streaming hysterical. He talked about his kid’s school cafeteria, and honestly, I thought I would have an accident from laughing. The other excellent, smart comedians were Ted Alexandro and Kurt Metzger, who made us howl with their blunt social commentary and sheer hilarity. All these guys had us in stitches for an hour. It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

LBN-COMMENTARY By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN: Underlying the latest U.S.-Israel spat over settlements is the deeper — real — problem: There are five key actors in the Israeli-Palestinian equation today. Two of them — the Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and the alliance of Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah — have clear strategies. These two are actually opposed, but one of them will shape Israeli-Palestinian relations in the coming years; indeed, their showdown is nearing. I hope Fayyad wins. It would be good for Israel, America and the moderate Arabs. But those three need their own strategy to make it happen.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MICHAEL MOORE (Oscar and Emmy-winning director): Wall Street owns “our” Congress lock, stock and big barrel o’ campaign cash. What we call the “democratic process” is mostly a sham, pretty words that get repeated in the hopes we will all still fall for it.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MAUREEN DOWD: So, Barack Obama can lose his temper without a teleprompter. And we have the supremely aggravating Bibi Netanyahu to thank for that. On St. Patrick’s Day, of all days, we wouldn’t want to think that our president did not know how to pick his donnybrooks. The American government did unfortunately apologize to Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, who got mad when a State Department spokesman correctly observed that the Libyan leader doesn’t always make sense. But in the case of a defiant Israel, the White House has not yet retreated into its usual compromising crouch. Obama is so unpopular in Israel that he has nothing to lose by smacking our ally for its egregious treatment of the vice president. Joe Biden, the great champion of Israel, was humiliated when Israel used the occasion of his visit to defy America and announce a plan for 1,600 more homes in the disputed East Jerusalem area.

LBN-COMMENTARY By DANIEL CARPENTER: Given the Federal Reserve’s history of favoring banks over their customers, it is the wrong place to house a consumer financial protection agency.

LBN-COMMENTARY By TUNKU VARADARAJAN: Facebook and Indians have a magnetic connection. Everyone in my family in India except my father—who, at 77, is entitled to his suspicions of the medium—is a Facebook user. Every single friend of mine in India—except for an eccentric Bengali writer who idolizes a 19th-century British viceroy, Lord Curzon, for which reason he cannot be said to have come to terms with the modern world—is a Facebook user.

LBN-COMMENTARY By BRYAN CURTIS: MacGruber is based on a Saturday Night Live sketch that has one very funny recurring joke. MacGruber is told to defuse a ticking bomb. His assistant, Vicki St. Elmo, yells, “Fifteen seconds, MacGruber!” But our hero has a restless mind. As the seconds tick away, he pontificates on issues like his finances, his son’s sexuality, and race in America. Meanwhile, the bomb explodes, blowing him and his pals to smithereens. (In the movie, we learn that MacGruber has been awarded an unprecedented 16 Purple Hearts.) The writers of the film—Forte, John Solomon, and director Jorma Taccone—have taken that punchline and blown it up into a full-length feature.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By PRINCESS DIANA: I think the biggest disease the world suffers from in this day and age is the disease of people feeling unloved. I know that I can give love for a minute, for half an hour, for a day, for a month, but I can give. I am very happy to do that, I want to do that.

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LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Chelsea Clinton has drawn up a prenuptial agreement mom Hillary would love - the former first daughter will get a whopping $10 million from her husband if he cheats. Chelsea never got over her father Bill’s “Zippergate” scandal, sources say, and now she’s making fiancé Marc Mezvinsky pay.

LBN-QUOTE: “In today’s online world, what your mother told you is true, only more so: people really can judge you by your friends.”-HAROLD ABELSON, a computer science professor at M.I.T., on personal information that can be gleaned from social networking sites.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 17, 1942, Gen. Douglas MacArthur arrived in Australia to become supreme commander of Allied forces in the southwest Pacific theater during World War II.

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TUESDAY • MARCH 16, 2010

LBN-INVESTIGATES: The number of possible ways of playing the first four moves per side in a game of chess is 318,979,564,000.

HOUSE WILL ‘DEEM’ HEALTH-CARE PASSED: The House will soon vote on health-care reform, but it won’t be straightforward: Nancy Pelosi plans on using the “self-executing rule” or “deem and pass” to move health-care reform through her caucus—basically, the House will vote to pass a series of reconciliation fixes and this package will “deem” the Senate bill passed.

MILITARY TO REIN IN SPECIAL OPS: Reacting to widespread criticism and far too many civilian casualties, Gen. Stanley McChrystal, the ranking American commander in Afghanistan, is gathering nearly all of the American Special Operations forces under his direct supervision. McChrystal is hoping to increase accountability and organization among those units in the field because even though civilian casualties are falling, he insists the number is still too high—last year, according to the United Nations, most of the 596 civilian deaths in Afghanistan could be chalked up to Special Operations troops.

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U.S. ENVOY DELAYS ISRAEL VISIT: With Israel refusing to budge on its decision to build 1,600 new homes in east Jerusalem, U.S. special envoy George Mitchell is suspending a visit to Israel because the administration believes negotiations could be a waste of time. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has insisted the construction will go ahead, despite last week’s diplomatic faux pas—Israel announced the inflammatory project as Vice President Joe Biden arrived to moderate peace talks with Palestine.

ACROSS THE UNIVERSE: England is just one of the 24 foreign countries with daily LBN E-Lert readers.

IRAQ ELECTION RESULTS HINT OF POLITICAL SHIFT: Partial election results released Monday suggested a sharp and divisive shift in power in Iraq, with a secular candidate challenging Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki and old alliances fracturing against a surge of dissident movements.

WILL WE BE STUCK WITH TEXAS’ TEXTBOOKS?: Coming soon to a classroom near you: History textbooks that stress the “Christian origins” of the United States, play up the historical importance of figures like Phyllis Schlafly and Newt Gingrich, and examine the “unintended consequences” of the civil-rights movements and Title IX. The brouhaha over Texas’s efforts to pass these new conservative history standards—which are expected to be finalized later this spring—could have national repercussions.

JUNK BONDS TO SET OFF NEW CRISIS?: Just in time for President Obama’s reelection campaign: More than $700 billion in risky, high-yield corporate debt will come due in a three-year period starting in 2012. These “junk” bonds will come due in a year when the U.S. will need to borrow $2 trillion to cover its budget deficit—raising fears that businesses will not be able to get new loans, setting off a wave of bankruptcies.

IRISH PRIEST REFUSES TO RESIGN: Another bad week for the Catholic Church and it’s only Tuesday. While Ireland’s senior cardinal Sean Brady refuses to resign for not informing police about a child-molesting priest he had collected evidence against, a German priest was suspended for breaching a ban on working with children that had been in place ever since he was convicted of molesting boys in 1986. Working as a canon lawyer in 1975, Brady had helped investigate claims of sex abuse at the hands the Rev. Brendan Smyth. But they were never reported to the police and Smyth went on to molest and rape scores more children until his arrest in 1994.

WARNING TO MEXICO: A device manufactured by a British firm and used by the Mexican military and police to search for drugs and explosives may be ineffective, British officials said.

WHO READ THE LBN E-LERT? Producer Howard Rosenman along with over 317,000 other “influencers”.

A FOREST OF SECRETS: Chinese archaeologists unearthed a 4,000-year-old cemetery in Xinjiang Province that seemed to be a vanished people’s paean to the pleasures or utility of procreation.

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A NEW SHAKESPEARE PLAY DISCOVERED?: Nearly four centuries after Shakespeare’s death, a new play by the playwright might be entering the canon. Rumors have abounded of the Bard’s “Lost Play” since the early 18th century, when Lewis Theobald claimed that his play Double Falsehood was based on original texts of Shakespeare’s lost Cardenio, which had been performed in 1613. Theobald’s claims were widely dismissed as a hoax, but Nottingham University Professor Brean Hammond has found new evidence supporting them, saying, “I don’t think you can ever be absolutely 100 percent but, yes, I am convinced that it is Shakespeare.”

SMOTHERS BROS FINISHED: The curtain is coming down on the beloved Smothers Brothers comedy act after 52 years, according to documents filed in bankruptcy court. Older brother Tommy, 73, is “contemplating a complete cessation of his entertainment work,” while straight man Dick is battling “to position himself for his impending retirement from show business,” according to the legal papers. The not-so-funny demise of the show business duo was revealed when Dick, 70, filed for bankruptcy in Tampa, Fla., on Feb. 17.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Atak Interactive(www.atakinteractive.com) awarded the prestigious “5 W Report” (www.5WReport.com) award as the best Website designer of 2010.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Facebook passed Google last week as the most visited Web site in the United States, according to Hitwise. Visits to the social-networking site made up 7.07% of all Web visits compared with 7.03% for Google, marking the first time the search giant was bested since 2007. ***ABC News execs are tossing around the idea of creating a midday news and lifestyle program that would be one part “Good Morning America,” one part “The View,” according to multiple sources. Informally, people in the industry are nicknaming the project “Midday America.” ***The Beverly Hills Courier e-edition goes behind a pay wall on April 2. ***KTLA entertainment reporter Sam Rubin will receive this year’s outstanding achievement award from the Los Angeles Press Club during the 2010 National Entertainment Journalism awards on April 22.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***It’s a tale of two comebacks: Former American Idol judge Paula Abdul is close to sealing a deal with ABC to headline a new version of beloved ’80s talent show Star Search, Entertainment Weekly reports. While her exact role with the “great-granddaddy of all televised singing competitions” is still being defined, rumors swirl that she’ll both host and judge. The original Star Search premiered in 1983 with host Ed McMahon; in 2003, CBS launched a revival with host Arsenio Hall, hoping to capitalize on the then-new Idol’s success, but it was canceled in 2004. ***Steven Spielberg and the late Jackie Kennedy Onassis are linked together in a new project. The Los Angeles Times reports that Spielberg is selling “Jackie,” a hot script about the late First Lady that’s making the rounds in Hollywood. Noah Oppenheim, a journalist, author and producer on the “Today” show has written the script.

LBN-SPORTS INSIDER: Tiger Woods just announced he will play at the Masters next month.

World’s Smallest Man Dies: At only 29 inches tall, He Pingping was larger than life. The world’s smallest man died over the weekend. The 21-year-old was in Rome filming a TV spot when he began suffering chest problems. He Pingping was born in China’s Inner Mongolia—which was also, miraculously, home to the world’s tallest man for a period of time.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***Michael Jackson may be gone, but we’ll be hearing more of him than ever: Sony is set to release 10 Jacko albums in seven years after it set a new music-industry record by striking a $250 million deal with Michael Jackson’s estate, says The Wall Street Journal. These albums will include both previously unreleased songs and also remakes of Jackson’s classics. Sony has sold an estimated 31 million Jackson albums since he died on June 25. By the first anniversary of his death, Jackson’s family is expected to have raked in another $250 million from music, merchandise, and ticket sales for the concert film This Is It.

LBN-COMMENTARY By CHARLIE GASPARINO: Here’s how you know the massive amounts of debt compiled by the Bush administration, and the even greater debt loads promised as part of Barack Obama’s agenda, is reaching crisis proportions: Even the Wall Street bond-rating agencies are now sounding the alarm bells. At issue is a report issued by Moody’s Investors Service that says the triple-A rating on U.S. government debt might someday be a thing of the past. The triple-A rating is, of course, an opinion, but one that carries a lot of weight in the bond markets. It is Moody’s belief that the chances the U.S. federal government will default on its debt are zero and that investors who hold U.S. bonds are guaranteed their full interest and principal payments.

LBN-COMMENTARY By THOMAS SOWELL: In a swindle that would make Bernie Madoff look like an amateur, Barack Obama has gotten a substantial segment of the population to believe that he can add millions of people to the government-insured rolls without increasing the already record-breaking federal deficit.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By BUDDHA: All that we are is the result of what we have thought. If a man speaks or acts with an evil thought, pain follows him. If a man speaks or acts with a pure thought, happiness follows him, like a shadow that never leaves him.

Interested contestants are to submit a 100-word essay on the topic of “What matters most” in my life. Email: LBNElert@TimeWire.net

Five winners will be published in an LBN E-Lert.

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LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Actor Charlie Sheen pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges of assaulting his wife, who had previously asked for the case to be dropped. Sheen, 44, the star of America’s most-watched TV comedy “Two and a Half Men”, entered his plea though his lawyer at a brief court hearing in the ski resort of Aspen. ***Carrie Prejean is now engaged to NFL quarterback Kyle Boller — but that wasn’t her first plan. A source close to the disgraced Miss USA 2009 runner-up — who billed herself as a devout Christian until her sex tape surfaced — says that Prejean received repeated advice to try to get pregnant during her fling last year with Olympian swimmer Michael Phelps. ***Ashley Dupre learned that posing for Playboy is more dangerous than meeting strange men in hotel rooms. One of the Stephen Wayda photos in an eight-page spread in the May issue shows her lying on the ground nude surrounded by candles. “A few strands of her hair caught on fire at one point because of all the hairspray,” a source said. “The stylist, Jorge Serrano from the Chris McMillan Salon, was the first one to notice and rushed over to put it out with his hands.” The shoot was at a 1920s mansion in Malibu. ***Friends of the Hilton family are in a tizzy waiting for Nicky Hilton and David Katzenberg to announce their engagement. “Obviously, David would never propose around Oscar time,” says a pal of the movie scion, the son of DreamWorks founder Jeffrey Katzenberg. ***Teen mom Jamie Lynn Spears is leaving her native Louisiana and moving in with her big sister Britney in Los Angeles. ***Anne Hathaway’s jailbird ex-boyfriend is trying to woo her back with love letters from prison - and her new man is fuming! Anne’s former beau Raffaello Follieri - who’s serving time for fraud - is hoping to reunite with the 27-year-old actress. But she’s moved on and moved in with actor Adam Shulman, and he’s not at all pleased that Raffaello is still pining for the brunette beauty. ***Perennial Oscar-nominee and “Titanic” star Kate Winslet has split from her husband, director Sam Mendes.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***The strongest muscle in the human body is the tongue. ***Hot dogs are the most widely consumed form of sausage in the USA. ***At the start of World War I, none of the participating forces issued metal helmets to their troops. ***A toaster uses almost half as much energy as a full-sized oven.

LBN-QUOTE: “What I like in a good author is not what he says, but what he whispers.” - Logan Pearsall Smith.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 16, 1968, during the Vietnam War, the My Lai Massacre was carried out by United States troops under the command of Lt. William L. Calley Jr.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Two former secretaries of state, Henry Kissinger and Condoleezza Rice, in deep conversation over dinner at Le Cirque in NYC. ***Michael Moore and Matthew Broderick dining at Blue Hill in NYC. ***Jeff and Deborah Wald rented the Malibu Movie Theater at Cross Creek to celebrate daughter Sarah’s 12th birthday. Among the guests enjoying Alice in Wonderland in 3D were Kate Beckinsale, Ray Liotta, Sugar Ray Leonard and new Interscope singing sensations Destiny and Paris. The 70 plus people then went to the Pacific Palisades where the house was decorated like the set of Alice’s Tea Party. ***Actor Danny Bergen coming out of Equinox, West Hollywood ***Last night 7:30pm at The Egyptian Theatre(American Cinematheque), Marisa Tomei was in the audience for a screening of the classic Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers starrer Top Hat. ***Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Doug Stephan having lunch yesterday at The Grill in Beverly Hills. ***Internet entrepreneur Claude Dauman having breakfast with Joanna Carson at Nate and Als Deli in The Rant. ***Nationally syndicated radio talk show host Dough Stephan having lunch at The Grill in Beverly Hills. ***Tending to legal matters, Charlie Sheen spotted at the courthouse in Aspen, Colorado on Monday. ***Actor Guy Perry shopping and Jimmy Aus in Beverly Hills. ***ESPN reporter Erin Andrews was spotted arriving at the US District Court in Los Angeles on Monday for the sentencing of her interstate stalker. ***Dolly Parton attends the grand opening of “Dolly Parton’s Trinkets & Treasures” in Nashville, Tennessee. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

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MONDAY • MARCH 15, 2010

RIELLE HUNTER: I STILL LOVE JOHN: The day has come at last: Accompanied by sexy, pantless photos, John Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter, has given a 10,000-word interview to GQ magazine. She says she’s still in love with “Johnny,” his marriage was “toxic,” and he feared “the wrath of Elizabeth.” Hunter also says that they slept together the night they met. (On meeting in his hotel room, she says, “I. Was. Terrified. You know, it was just this, this magnetic force field like I had never experienced.”) She denies knowing how much money was being spent on her, or that it came from donors. And though she disputes certain New Agey details that others have alleged—that her business card said “Truth Seeker” or that she dressed like a Dead Head—those anecdotes appear to be right at least in spirit. Hunter blames astrology for Edwards’s loss, and says things like that he hasn’t “fallen from grace, he’s fallen to grace.” Hunter also says Young loved Edwards more than his own wife, and he was the one who volunteered to claim paternity of her baby.

ISRAEL APOLOGIZES FOR EMBARRASSING BIDEN: For once, someone other than Joe Biden is apologizing. Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has expressed regret for the unfortunate timing of an announcement of new construction in East Jerusalem right as Biden was arriving in the country to moderate peace talks. But Netanyahu not given any indication he will scrap the controversial plan, which Biden immediately condemned. “We will act according to the vital interests of the state of Israel,” Netanyahu said. Several American officials were left less than satisfied with the apology and called on Israel to make a sweeping effort to repair the damage to the peace talks—Israel and Palestine had only just agreed to reopen contact after 14 months of radio silence.

DEMS LACK HEALTH-CARE VOTES: House Democrats don’t appear to have the vote for health-care reform—”We don’t have them as of this morning,” House Whip James Clyburn said on Sunday—but they plan on pushing forward anyway. President Obama is heading to Ohio on Monday amid predictions from David Axelrod and Robert Gibbs that health-care reform will pass this week.

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CHINA IS TAKING ADVANTAGE: Evidence is mounting that Beijing uses inconsistencies in international trade rules to spur its own economy at the expense of others.

MEXICAN DRUG WAR: The White House responded angrily to deadly attacks that appeared to be the first on U.S. officials and their families by Mexico’s drug cartels.

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U.S., U.K. MOVE CLOSER TO LOSING RATING, MOODY’S SAYS: The U.S. and the U.K. have moved “substantially” closer to losing their AAA credit ratings as the cost of servicing their debt rose, according to Moody’s Investors Service.

PRIVATE CONTRACTORS HIRED AS SPIES?: At least it wasn’t Blackwater? A Defense Department official hired private contractors in Afghanistan and Pakistan to serve, essentially, as spies, says The New York Times. Michael D. Furlong paid former CIA agents and Special Force operatives who worked for private companies to gather intelligence on suspected militants; the information was then sent to military units and intelligence operatives—sometimes for lethal action.

DODD DELIVERS REFORM BILL MONDAY: Facing opposition from both sides, Senate Banking Chairman Chris Dodd will unveil his financial-reform bill Monday. And with Republicans asking for more time to consider it, Dodd is making a case for immediacy—he estimates there are only about 60 legislative days left on the calendar.

LBN-INVESTIGATES: The 1637 collapse of the Dutch tulip market is considered history’s first economic bubble.

WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT? Prominent L.A. attorney Deborah Drooz along with over 317,000 other “influencers”.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Ruptures in aging water systems cause pollutants to seep into water supplies, but in many cities residents have protested rate increases to fix pipes. ***Discovery Communications is well positioned in cable TV, analysts say, because it owns most of its shows and can cheaply replay them in dozens of countries. ***ATAK Interactive, the Los Angeles based website design firm for e-commerce solutions, announced that their PageRank has increased from four to five.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE PETER GRAVES DIES: BEST KNOWN FOR HIS ROLE AS THE SPYMASTER IN TELEVISION’S MISSION: Impossible and the host of Biography, Peter Graves died of a heart attack Sunday at the age of 83. But perhaps the performance that brought him the biggest cult following was as Captain Oveur in the movie Airplane! where he delivered deadpan lines like, “Joey, have you ever been in a Turkish prison?” Graves was born Peter Aurness in Minneapolis and studied drama under the G.I. Bill at the University of Minnesota. He appeared in several classics such as Billy Wilder’s Stalag 17 and Otto Preminger’s Court-Martial of Billy Mitchell, before turning to television. His most famous character was Mission: Impossible’s Jim Phelps, the serious leader of the Impossible Missions Force.

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LBN-SEE IT: Todd McCarthy, chief film critic at Variety, was laid off last week after 31 years at the paper.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Go ask Alice how it feels to be number one for two straight weeks as Tim Burton’s “Alice in Wonderland” becomes his highest grossing film to date. In the wake of massive mid-week grosses, Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” posted a $62 million sophomore weekend against a minimal 47% drop. ***Rosario Dawson has left ICM and signed with CAA. ***WME is now representing the TV part of Steven Spielberg’s empire. He remains at CAA for movie representation.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Traditional news gathering suffered severe losses in 2009, according to the new “State of the Media” report by the Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism. Advertising revenues from newspapers fell 26%, local television 22%, magazines 17%, network TV 8%. ***Waning ad revenue and increasing competition on the Web raise the question if entertainment trade papers like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter can survive.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Cecilia Attias, the former wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, with her new husband, Richard Attias, at the dinner party at Angela and Steven (Corinthian Capital) Kumble’s townhouse in NYC. ***Kanye West’s girlfriend Amber Rose getting her signature buzz cut, and convincing her sister to do the same at the Hall of Fame Barbershop at Miami’s Clinton Hotel. ***Julianne Moore at Coffee Shop in NYC devouring a California breakfast wrap (no bacon) at the table next to Kevin Spacey. *** David Beckham sustained a major injury while playing for AC Milan against Chievo yesterday. *** Living it up in South Africa, Chelsy Davy was spotted goofing around on a balcony this past Friday afternoon. ***Simon Cowell and his fiance Mezhgan Hussainy were spotted at Creek Malibu for a stroll. ***Anne Hathaway was spotted grabbing lunch in Santa Monica at La Grande Orange. ***Kate Walsh was spotted dropping by a friend’s house in Hollywood, California on Sunday. *** Halle Berry was spotted making a stop to grab a red Radio Flyer tricycle out of her garage for her little girl Nahla on Sunday. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

LBN-HEALTH WATCH: ***Most doctors agree that smoking cigarettes poses a significant health danger and should be avoided, however, new data suggest that the habit may have a least one health benefit–it may lower the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease. In a study of over 300,000 adults, researchers found that the more years people smoked, the lower their risk of Parkinson’s disease. Among smokers who used at least a pack a day for less than 10 years, there was a 4 percent reduction in the risk of developing Parkinson’s. Those who smoked for 30 years or more, meanwhile, were 41 percent less likely to develop the disease than non-smokers.

LBN-TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: Ruth Bader Ginsburg (1933)Considered one of the most powerful women in the world, Ruth Bader Ginsburg graduated at the top of her class at Columbia Law School in 1959. During the 1970s, she became the first tenured female professor at Columbia, led the Women’s Rights Project, and won several important Supreme Court cases before she was appointed to the US Court of Appeals in 1980. Confirmed as a justice of the Supreme Court in 1993, she was the second woman to sit on the nation’s highest bench.

LBN-COMMENTARY By SHANNON DONNELLY: Tomorrow, Stephen King and Scott Snyder will turn loose American Vampire, a new DC Comics series about a Wild West outlaw who’s a sociopath even before he gets vamped. This fresh, rough-and-tumble breed of vampire will rip out throats and hearts, but they most assuredly won’t sparkle—sorry Twilight fans.

LBN-COMMENTARY By PAUL KRUGMAN: It’s time for America to confront China about the undervaluation of its currency, which is adding to the world’s economic problems at a time when those problems are already severe.

LBN-COMMENTARY By RAND RICHARDS COOPER: Here’s an etiquette experiment for you: E-mail an invitation for a party, one month out, to 45 friends. Request an R.S.V.P. Provide a follow-up e-mail message, two weeks later, politely reminding them to get back to you. How many will? My experiment arose from plans for an evening of food, drink and literature, with readings by myself and two other writers, at a restaurant. Not exactly a drop-in-if-you’re-around kind of thing, so I asked friends to R.S.V.P. My initial message brought in a dozen responses, and the follow-up a few more, but days before the event I had a paltry 23. Not 23 who planned to come, but 23 who had bothered to respond. Half my invitees had blown me off. Why? I wasn’t peddling life insurance, after all.

LBN-BOOK REVIEW: By MICHIKO KAKUTANI: Michael Lewis’s book does not attempt a macro view of the financial crisis, but instead proposes to open a small window on the calamities.

THE RANT LIST By ERICKA T. BASS: 1. Health insurance companies suck. 2. I love pro wrestling shows. 3. The world has to adjust to the fact that not every problem is solvable. 4. My friends claim I have a direct gaze. 5. If I came home to Claire Danes in my bed, I’d be a happy gal. 6. My list of enemies is long and broad. 7. The most egregious fouls committed during the Super Bowl involve tortilla chips and melted cheese. 8. The Oscars were about 2 hours too long. 9. Pastor Bob is a fat-ass bigot. 10. I hope restaurants keep their kitchens cleaner than their bathrooms. 11. Bluegrass music gives me the creeps. 12. Men I would have sex with - Brad Pitt, Woody Allen, George W. Bush, Anderson Cooper, Fareed Zakaria, Bruce Springsteen and Roger Daltry. ***Shout back at Ericka T. Bass- Email: LBNElert@TimeWire.net. (Please Note: The opinions expressed by Erika T. Bass are those of her alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the LBN E-Lert or its staff.

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LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Kate Gosselin is being a “total diva” on the set of “Dancing With the Stars” — snubbing other contestants and behaving frostily to crew members, sources say. ***Legal powerhouse Gloria Allred would not answer questions about Tiger Woods at a recent party for RadarOnline.com. ***Martha Stewart was so desperate for a new husband, she resorted to “stalking” a wealthy man in the Hamptons — only to be confronted by his girlfriend, her ex-best friend claims in a new book. ***Frail Burt Reynolds is locked in a battle for his life as he struggles to recover from open-heart surgery — but friends fear he’s lost his will to live and is facing his final days.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***A snail can sleep for three years. ***A species of earthworm in Australia grows up to 10 feet in length. ***A woodpecker can peck twenty times a second. ***About 1 in 30 people in the U.S. are in jail, on probation, or on parole. ***According to Gaming Law, casinos have to stock enough cash to cover all the chips on the ‘’floor.'’

LBN-QUOTE: “You can avoid reality, but you cannot avoid the consequences of avoiding reality.”- Ayn Rand.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 15, 1965, addressing a joint session of Congress, President Johnson called for new legislation to guarantee every American’s right to vote.

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SUNDAY • MARCH 14, 2010

BECKHAM IN TEARS: David Beckham will miss the World Cup and most if not all the Los Angeles Galaxy season after tearing his left Achilles’ tendon Sunday while playing for AC Milan. His international career for England is all but over. It remains to be seen how much he’ll have left for the Galaxy and Major League Soccer. “He will miss the World Cup for sure,” a person familiar with the injury told The Associated Press. Veteran England midfielder Beckham hobbled off the pitch in tears, reaching down to nurse his left heel, with TV network Sky Sports Italia reporting that he had suffered a suspected ruptured Achilles tendon injury. If that proves to be the prognosis, it would leave Beckham’s hopes of appearing for England at this summer’s World Cup finals in tatters.

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SUNDAY • MARCH 14, 2010

REPORTERS FLEE MEXICAN VIOLENCE: Violence between warring drug cartels along the Mexico border has spooked reporters, leaving daylight shoot-outs and vicious murders unreported. “You begin to wonder what the truth is,” one resident of the embattled town of Reynosa told The New York Times. “Is it what you saw, or what the media and the officials say? You even wonder if you were imagining it.” According to the paper, attacks on reporters in the area have never been worse. Newsrooms have been shot up, and reporters have been told to keep quiet—or else. “They mean what they say,” one local reporter said. “I’m censoring myself. There’s no other way to put it. But so is everybody else.”

IS YOUR PANTRY MAKING YOU SICK? : The American government is trying to insure the safety of spices following 16 different recalls in the last decade. Sage and basil and other kitchen pantry staples have been responsible for various salmonella outbreaks. The F.D.A. says the spice industry must do a better job keeping its products safe. Legislation tightening inspection has been passed by the House but held up by the Senate. A recent outbreak of salmonella was traced to contaminated black and crushed red pepper, sickening more than 200 people across the country.

BIG CHANGES: The Obama administration is seeking changes to the Bush-era No Child Left Behind law and proposing to eliminate provisions that have labeled one in three schools as failing.

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‘JIHAD JAMIE’ RELEASED FROM JAIL: A 31-year-old American woman, Jamie Paulin-Ramirez, who was arrested by Irish police in connection to an apparent plot to kill a Swedish cartoonist, has been released from jail along with two other women thought tied to the plot. Police said there were no charges against the women or against four other suspects. In a teary interview with The New York Times, Paulin-Ramirez’s mother said her daughter declared her conversion to Islam last Easter.

HOLD OUT HOPE FOR FINANCIAL REFORM: There’s still hope for a bipartisan bill on financial regulation, which hit a snag this week after negotiations broke down in the Senate. All Republican members of the Senate Banking Committee signed a letter to Sen. Chris Dodd (D-CT), the committee’s chairman, saying they could get on board with legislation if given more time, according to a copy of the note obtained by Reuters.

AFGHAN GOV WANTS MORE TROOPS: The governor of Kandahar, in the center of the Taliban’s hold on Afghanistan, is asking for more troops after dozens of explosions rocked the city Saturday night—killing at least 35 people, wounding 57, and damaging 42 homes. NATO is planning a major assault on the area, timed for later this year. ‘’Last night was like doomsday for all of Kandahar’s people,'’ one resident said.

SMART WOMEN READ THE LBN E-LERT: ***Attorney and political commentator Susan Estrich. ***Feminist attorney Gloria Allred. ***Author Hara Marano. ***Radio talk show host Judith Regan. ***Former head of Paramount Studios Sherry Lansing. ***TV hostess Leeza Gibbons. Along with over 317,000 other “influencers”.

UNFAIR ATTACK: The Vatican decried what it said was an aggressive campaign against Pope Benedict XVI in his native Germany over a sexual abuse scandal.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***The massive loans that a London financier used to acquire the music company EMI are endangering the giant’s future. One exec Elio Leoni-Sceti bailed on the company last week as EMI was trying to put together a rescue package. Private equity group KKR is tag teaming with Warner Music, hoping to create a plan which could break up the music rival. EMI’s talent over the years has included The Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Queen.

LBN-SNAP: White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Legendary producer Robert Evans and media expert and author Michael Levine sharing a leisurely lunch at Evans‘ home talking equally about old times and the future plans. Evans also spoke about the increasing power of the LBN E-Lert. ***Joey Fatone jumping on stage, as former “American Idol” contestant Sarah Mather was performing with her band, to sing “Jessie’s Girl” to a packed house, including Nick Lachey and “30 Rock” star Katrina Bowden, at the opening of Brother Jimmy’s in Union Square in NYC. ***Irish actor Stephen Rea at the Singe Vert bistro on Seventh Avenue in Chelsea in NYC. ***Emma Thompson at Nello in NYC with her mother and daughter; nearby Woody Allen and Soon-Yi were lunching with art collector Thomas Kaplan. ***Veteran Entertainment licensing executive, Rand Marlis having lunch at “Joan’s On Third” in L.A. with family. ***Motown Records founder Berry Gordy dining at Pacifica Seafood Restaurant on posh El Paseo in Palm Desert. ***Halle Berry with her boyfriend and kid having dinner at Taste the Palisades. ***Sandra Bullock and Jesse James eating dinner at Bonefish recently. ***Kelly Clarkson attends a press conference at the Westcliff hotel during her first tour in South Africa on March 11, 2010 in Johannesburg, South Africa. ***Natalie Portman eating next to Tanger in Los Feliz. ***Jennifer Garner ”working the photo booth” and Tobey Maguire playing with reptiles at First Pres. school fair in Santa Monica. ***Oscar nominee Gabby Sidibe sitting in the Delta Crown Room at LAX. ***BE AN LBN CORRESSPONDENT. Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

LBN-INVESTIGATES: In 2007, the busiest U.S. airport by passenger traffic, with 89.4 million passengers, was Hartfield-Jackson Airport, in Atlanta, Georgia. The busiest airport outside the U.S., with 68.1 million passengers, was Heathrow Airport, in London, UK.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***A “Secrets of Success” workshop moderated by media expert and author Michael Levine drew a sold-out crowd yesterday to the Crowne Plaze Hotel in Beverly Hills. ***Steve Jobs of Apple and Eric Schmidt of Google, once friends and allies, are now engaged in a gritty fight over the future of mobile computing and cell phones.

LBN-THIS DAY IN HISTORY: First Patient Successfully Treated with Penicillin (1942). Penicillin was the first antibiotic agent successfully used to treat bacterial infections in humans. Penicillin’s effect on bacteria was first observed by biologist Alexander Fleming in 1928, but it was not until 1941 that scientists purified the substance and established that it was both effective in fighting infectious organisms and not toxic to humans. The first successful treatment occurred the next year.

LBN-TODAY’S BIRTHDAY: Albert Einstein (1879). Einstein was an intellectual giant of the 20th century whose name has become synonymous with genius. Recognized as one of the greatest physicists of all time, Einstein made countless important contributions to physics, including his theories of relativity, which profoundly revolutionized scientific and philosophical inquiry. In 1921, he received the Nobel Prize for his work on theoretical physics.

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LBN-HEALTH WATCH: ***Through a controversial practice called vision therapy, some optometrists say they can treat learning disabilities.

LBN-THE “INSIDE” STORY: UK bank worker Toby Elles fell asleep earlier this week while cooking a late-night snack – and apparently it really was a case of divine intervention that saved his bacon. The 22-year-old was “miraculously woken” after an hour as his lounge filled with smoke – and he quickly had the realization that he had left a frying pan cooking on a hob. While saying his prayers, Mr. Elles reportedly scraped the remains of burnt crispy bacon rashers from the pan, but could not believe the vision (pictured above) that appeared before him – Jesus Christ staring back at him.

CLARENCE THOMAS’ WIFE JOINS TEA PARTY: Virginia Thomas is no ordinary activist. In fact, she’s the wife of Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and she has founded a tea-party-linked group, which could stretch the court’s traditional sense of impartiality. Thomas’ new group is called Liberty Central Inc. It’s a nonprofit lobbying group set to issue score cards for Congress members during the November election. The group and work doesn’t violate ethical rules for judges, but it could potentially be grounds for conflict of interest for her husband. Liberty Central may be a nonpartisan group, but it leans towards conservative principles and its non-profit title allows it to raise unlimited amounts of corporate money without disclosing its donors. The group is set to launch fully in May.

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LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Renee Zellweger has re-signed with CAA after being with WME for nine months.

LBN-SEE IT: Actor Andy Garcia, today and yesterday.

LBN-COMMENTARY By BRYAN CURTIS: Last December, a select group of 200 film geeks gathered in a movie theater in Austin, Texas. They were there at the invitation of Harry Knowles, the founder of the Web site Ain’t It Cool News. Every year, Knowles celebrates his birthday by screening 24 consecutive hours of movies, an exercise he calls the Butt-Numb-A-Thon. Knowles had plied his Hollywood connections to get big-name, as-yet-unreleased blockbusters like Shutter Island, The Lovely Bones, and, the geek Holy Grail, Avatar. As an additional course, Knowles got a print of a comic-book movie called Kick-Ass.

LBN-COMMENTARY By FRANK RICH: The revisionist history peddled by Liz Cheney and Karl Rove must be aggressively refuted, and we must remember who really failed to keep America safe.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MAUREEN DOWD: In other capitals of the world, it would not have been an extraordinary scene. An opening at a hot new art gallery with men and women mingling and enjoying themselves. But in this case, part of the frisson was nerves. Would the marauding religious police see unmarried — and some uncovered — women talking freely with men in the merry crowd of 600 and stage a raid? It was an unlikely moment, SoHo comes to Saudi Arabia — the first mixed exhibition anyone can remember in Riyadh, the stultifying capital of a country that bans any exhibition of skin, fun or romance.

LBN-COMMENTARY By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN: I am a big Joe Biden fan. The vice president is an indefatigable defender of U.S. interests abroad. So it pains me to say that on his recent trip to Israel, when Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu’s government rubbed his nose in some new housing plans for contested East Jerusalem, the vice president missed a chance to send a powerful public signal: He should have snapped his notebook shut, gotten right back on Air Force Two, flown home and left the following scribbled note behind: “Message from America to the Israeli government: Friends don’t let friends drive drunk. And right now, you’re driving drunk. You think you can embarrass your only true ally in the world, to satisfy some domestic political need, with no consequences? You have lost total contact with reality. Call us when you’re serious. We need to focus on building our country.”

LBN-COMMENTARY By MIKHAIL GORBACHEV: Russia must regain the freedoms lost over the last 25 years to “shock therapy” and the iron grip of Russian leaders who opted for a more radical version of reform.

LBN-COMMENTARY By MANOHLA DARGIS: Kathryn Bigelow’s two-fisted win at the Academy Awards for best director and best film for “The Hurt Locker” didn’t just punch through the American movie industry’s seemingly shatterproof glass ceiling; it has also helped dismantle stereotypes about what types of films women can and should direct. It was historic, exhilarating, especially for women who make movies and women who watch movies, two groups that have been routinely ignored and underserved by an industry in which most films star men and are made for and by men. It’s too early to know if this moment will be transformative — but damn, it feels so good.

LBN-FILM REVIEW By SIA MICHEL: The most striking thing about “The Runaways,” a new film about the trailblazing bad-girl rock band from the 1970s, is how authentic it feels.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Sonny with a Chance and Disney channel star Demi Lovato confirmed she’s dating Jonas Brothers member Joe Jonas, 20. Lovato, 17, coyly made the confession during an interview with Access Hollywood. “He is my best friend and he is incredible; he’s perfect,” she said. The pair had long been rumored to be dating, but denied it. The two first met in 2007 on the set of Camp Rock, and Lovato subsequently toured with the boy band the next year. The young couple even have a duet together, called “Make a Wave.” ***Just when you thought you had read everything about Brangelina, along comes a new book, “Brad Pitt & Angelina Jolie: The True Story” by Jenny Paul. According to Life & Style Magazine, the book, due out this month, claims that Angie’s puffy lips are real, but she had a nose job when she was younger and some laser eye surgery. The couple has five nannies for their six kids, and part of their duties is to home-school the children. In 2005, when cops burst into the celebs’ hotel room in Kenya, it wasn’t because they were too loud having sex, it was because someone thought they smelled pot and called police, who raided the room and found nothing, the book says. ***Charlie’s Angels star Farrah Fawcett took a secret to her grave. She had planned to reunite with ex-husband Lee Majors on stage in Las Vegas in the final years before her death.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***Rubber bands last longer when they are refrigerated. ***The Hawaiian alphabet has 12 letters. ***The names of all the continents start and end with the same letter. ***Eskimos use refrigerators to keep food from freezing. ***It is impossible for a person to sneeze and keep his or her eyes open at the same time.

LBN-QUOTE: “I want laser treatment because I’m not a fan of my wrinkles, but I have to find someone with a light touch. I’m scared I’ll end up looking like The Joker” — Brooke Shields.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 14, 1900, Congress ratified the Gold Standard Act.

LBN-FACESPACE:

1.      Name: Judith Orloff, MD, author of the new book “Second Sight”.

2.      What Makes You Unique? I am a UCLA psychiatrist and an intuitive with a new book, “Second Sight” about how to awaken the power of intuition. I integrate traditional medicine with intuition, spirituality and energy medicine. I come from a family of 25 physicians and I was a little girl who had premonitions. More about this in Second Sight.

3.      If you could sleep with one celebrity, who would it be?  Anthony Hopkins, he is so sexy and smart and spiritual.

4.      If you could have dinner with one dead person, who?   William Blake, The Mystical Poet—I would love to know about his intuitions when he wrote About Heaven and Hell.

5.      If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where and why? Venice, CA. I travel so much with my book tours for Second Sight and others. I am so happy to be in the amazing heaven I call home by the beach in Southern California.

6.      Occupation: I am a psychiatrist and intuitive and author of the new book, “Second Sight.” Blending the worlds of traditional medicine with intuition, spirituality and energy medicine.

7. What’s the best thing about your job?: Intuition helps me be in the moment to lead a passionate life whether I’m tuning into patients, being with friends or spontaneously living in the moment.

8.      Who would you want to be in another life?  A woman who lives on acres and acres of flowers by the sea.

9.      Do you know anyone who’s had sex for money?  Yes, as a physician I used to treat a stable of prostitutes who I got to know very well and learn about their struggles and changes. I would use my second sight to tune into their issues too.

10. E-mail and website:  For more inspiration visit http://www.drjudithorloff.com, judith@judithorloff.com

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LBN E-Lert Edited by Anna Alaverdyan
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SATURDAY • MARCH 13, 2010

THOUSANDS OF PROTESTERS ARRIVE IN BANGKOK: Thousands of protesters from rural northern Thailand have begun arriving in Bangkok for a rally aimed at toppling the government of Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajhiva. Trucks and other vehicles filled highways into the capital city Saturday as security forces searched them, ahead of a protest scheduled for Sunday to restore ousted Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra to power. Protest organizers say between 600,000 and 700,000 supporters of the United Front for Democracy Against Dictatorship (UDD) will march in Bangkok.The government has enacted an internal security law that allows the military to impose curfews and restrict freedom of movement. The demonstrators, distinguished by their red shirts, are seeking to force Mr. Abhisit to resign from power and call new elections.

13 PEOPLE DEAD IN ANOTHER SUICIDE BOMBING IN PAKISTAN: Top military officials in a northwestern Pakistani district say a suicide bomber has killed at least 13 people, including security personnel, and wounded more than 50 others. Taliban militants have claimed responsibility for the bombing, the third deadly strike in Pakistan this week. Witnesses say the powerful explosion in Saidu Sharif, the administrative center of the mountainous district, caused almost all the deaths on the spot and several people were critically wounded.

VATICAN DEFENDS POPE ON ABUSE SCANDAL: The Vatican on Saturday denounced what it called aggressive attempts to drag Pope Benedict XVI into the spreading scandals of pedophile priests in his German homeland and stated that church confidentiality doesn’t prevent bishops from reporting abuse to police. The Vatican’s campaign to defend the pope’s reputation and resolve in combating clergy abuse of minors followed acknowledgment by the Munich archdiocese that it had transferred a suspected pedophile priest to community work while Benedict was archbishop there. Benedict is also under fire for a 2001 church directive he wrote while a Vatican cardinal, instructing bishops to keep abuse cases confidential. Germany’s justice minister has blamed the directive for what she called a “wall of silence” preventing prosecution.

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OBAMA PROPOSES RESTRUCTURING ‘NO CHILD’: President Obama proposed Saturday to overhaul the No Child Left Behind law, saying he wanted to help all students get on track for college and careers, through a new school accountability system that he hoped could be in place within four years.”Under these guidelines, schools that achieve excellence or show real progress will be rewarded,” Obama said in his weekly radio and Internet address, “and local districts will be encouraged to commit to change in schools that are clearly letting their students down.” Obama wants to drop the No Child label and reshape the law without scraping it entirely. But that approach drew immediate fire from teachers unions, which have been among the foremost critics of the testing program begun under President George W. Bush.

SETTLEMENT OFFER WORTH MILLIONS IN 9/11 CASE TO GO BEFORE JUDGE: A New York judge Friday postponed a decision on a proposed $657 million settlement for people who became ill after working on the World Trade Center site after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The settlement, announced Thursday, would cover about 10,000 plaintiffs, said Marc Bern, one of the lawyers representing the workers. The postponement appeared to take attorneys — and Mayor Michael Bloomberg — by surprise. Attorneys for both sides and the mayor earlier made statements assuming the proposal would be approved by U.S. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein. The judge is particularly interested in making sure the attorneys’ cut of the settlement is equitable for all parties.”This will not be a giveaway,” Hellerstein said Friday. “This will be a fair and just settlement.”

FBI, NUCLEAR AGENCY INVESTIGATE TERRORISM SUSPECT: The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is working with the FBI to determine whether a New Jersey man suspected of being an al Qaeda member had access to any sensitive areas of the nuclear plants where he once worked, a commission spokeswoman said Friday. The FBI is investigating Sharif Mobley, a 26-year-old from Buena, New Jersey, said Rich Wolf, a spokesman at the agency’s Baltimore, Maryland, office. He wouldn’t comment further. Mobley worked at nuclear plants operated by PSEG Nuclear for different contractors from 2002 to 2008, doing routine labor such as carrying supplies and assisting with maintenance activities, company spokesman Joe Delmar said Thursday.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Disney’s “Alice in Wonderland” topped all comers on Friday, ringing up an estimated $17.4 million in domestic coin. For the second week in a row, “Alice in Wonderland” crushed the competition, despite a numb.

CLINTON: ISRAELI SETTLEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT INSULTING: The U.S. has recently expressed frustration over Israel’s announcement on Tuesday of new settlement construction, a move that deeply embarrassed visiting U.S. Vice President Joe Biden and imperiled U.S. plans to launch indirect negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians. Clinton said that Israel’s announcement of new settlement construction in disputed territory in East Jerusalem was “insulting” to the United States. Clinton said the United States’ relationship with Israel is not at risk: “Our relationship is durable. It’s strong. It’s rooted in common values.” “But we have to make clear to our Israeli friends and partners that the two-state solution — which we support, which the prime minister himself says he supports — requires confidence-building measures on both sides,” Clinton told CNN’s Jill Dougherty. “And the announcement of the settlements the very day that the vice president was there was insulting.”

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LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Steven Spielberg is splitting his representation, tapping William Morris Endeavorto rep him on the TV side, primarily through his DreamWorks Television, which had been at CAA for the past couple of years. ***Chef Bobby Flay has joined NBC’s upcoming cooking competition series “America’s Next Great Restaurant.” ***Hollywood writers are forced to clean up the scripts when it comes to big budget pictures. ***ShoWest to honor Seyfried Amanda. Seyfried will receive the 2010 Sho-West Breakthrough Female Star of the Year Award.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Riley Keough attends the premiere of “The Runaways” at ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood, California. ***Daryl Hannah attends the Painted Turtle 7th Annual Bingo Night at the Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California. ***Annie Lennox attends the photo call for “A Minute for Mothers” in London, England. ***William H. Macy attends the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts groundbreaking ceremony on the site of the historic Beverly Hills Post Office in California. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@TimeWire.net.

LBN-COMMENTARY By KRISTEN BELL(Actress): I don’t like staying in hotels. I like to be in my own bed. San Diego as a city is really awesome. The only hard part of it for me is that I’m away from my family and my house. But as far as shooting down there, we get amazing locations, and the crew is really, really stellar down there. They are really fun.

LBN-COMMENTARY By STUART APPLEBY (Australian professional Golfer): I had to do something special coming in. I didn’t do it, so I had to do it in the playoff. Winning the Mercedes is awesome. Winning three times is a dream come true.

LBN-COMMENTARY By TONY ROBBINS: Beliefs have the power to create and the power to destroy. Human beings have the awesome ability to take any experience of their lives and create a meaning that disembowels them or one that can literally save their lives.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Model/actress Cindy Guyer says dope made Corey Haim a monster. ”The sober side to him, he was such a sweetheart,” But once Haim moved to LA to stay with her, things turned ugly. “He was snorting cocaine. He went off with people and wouldn’t come back for a couple of days. He stole about $4,000 worth of jewelry,” ***An A-list crowd of Brazilian billionaires and supermodels rioted at 3 a.m. yesterday after waiting hours for Guns N’ Roses to perform, and then learning Axl Rose and his band wouldn’t play. ***Bruce Springsteen’s daughter, Jessica proved to be one of the best young equestrians in the country by winning the $25,000 G&C Farm Young Riders Grand Prix.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***One gallon of gasoline produces 8.8 kg of carbon dioxide. ***Of the 160 billion emails that are sent each day, 97% are spam. *** About 27% of the food in developed countries is wasted. *** Alexander Graham Bell never phoned his wife or his mother because they were both deaf. ***The harmonica is the world’s best-selling music instrument.

LBN-QUOTE: “A woodland in full color is awesome as a forest fire, in magnitude at least, but a single tree is like a dancing tongue of flame to warm the heart.”-Hal Borland.

LBN-HISTORY: ON March 13, 1781 The planet Uranus was discovered by Sir William Herschel.

LBN-FACESPACE:

1.      Name:  Drew Davidsen.

2.      What Makes You Unique?  I was born with six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot! My first pair of shoes was a pair of handmade sandals made by hippies in Berkeley, CA.

3.      If you could sleep with one celebrity, who would it be?  Did you know Jimi Hendrix used to sleep with his guitars? Right now I am married to my music.

4.      If you could have dinner with one dead person, who?  Les Paul!

5.      If you could live anywhere in the world for a year, where and why?  I have been to a lot of wonderful places! Today, I would choose Catalina Island, CA with all the amenities including luxury ocean view, golf cart, small plane with pilot, and sailboat.

6.      Occupation:  Contemporary Jazz guitarist and composer.

7.      What’s the best thing about your job?  Creating something new! I also love traveling and meeting new people. More than once I have heard my song on a cross country plane flight!

8.      Who would you want to be in another life?  Bruce Lee, karate master.

9.      Do you know anyone who’s had sex for money?  No; not my thing.

10.       E-mail and website:  Drew@DrewDavidsen.com , www.DrewDavidsen.com .

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LBN E-Lert Edited by Anna Alaverdyan.
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FRIDAY • MARCH 12, 2010

OBAMA DELAYS PACIFIC TRIP TO KEEP PRESSING HEALTH CARE OVERHAUL: President Obama is delaying his trip to Asia and Australia next week, an administration official said Friday, so the White House can focus on passing health care legislation in the House. The president’s international trip had grown into a source of frustration among many House Democrats, who complained privately to the White House that they were being forced to take a quick vote on health care so Mr. Obama and his family could leave on a trip to Indonesia next week.

ANOTHER AMERICAN AL QAEDA CAPTURED: Another American has turned up in the middle of a terrorism investigation, this time New Jersey native Sharif Mobley, arrested in Yemen by the country’s intelligence services in a sweep of suspected al Qaeda members. Over the weekend, he allegedly stole a gun and shot two guards in an escape attempt, killing one. News of his capture comes days after terror-related charges were leveled against Colleen LaRose in Pennsylvania, dubbed “Jihad Jane” in the press, and false reports suggested al Qaeda spokesman Adam Gadahn from Southern California had been captured in Pakistan.

TIGHT ELECTION: Fraud charges heightened concerns over whether Iraq’s fledgling institutions were strong enough to support a peaceful transfer of power.

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ROVE: I’M ‘PROUD’ OF WATER BOARDING: In an interview with the BBC, Karl Rove declared he is ‘proud’ of the US’s use of harsh interrogation techniques such as water boarding. The former Bush adviser argued that the techniques helped keep America safe from further terrorist attacks and that they should not ultimately be considered torture. Rove told the BBC: “I’m proud that we used techniques that broke the will of these terrorists and gave us valuable information that allowed us to foil plots such as flying aero-planes into Heathrow and into London, bringing down aircraft over the Pacific, flying an aero-plane into the tallest building in Los Angeles and other plots.”

TWO SUICIDE BOMBERS ROCK LAHORE: A pair of suicide bombers blew themselves up in a market and a busy residential area of Lahore, Pakistan Friday, killing at least 39 people and injuring nearly 100. Authorities say the attackers were targeting military vehicles—they killed six army personnel. Lahore has seemingly been under the constant threat of attack for a year now, ever since six people were killed in an ambush of the Sri Lankan cricket team.

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REID’S WIFE BREAKS NECK, BACK: As though Harry Reid doesn’t have enough on his mind: The Senate Majority Leader’s wife and daughter were both seriously injured Thursday afternoon in a highway accident outside Washington, D.C., when their car was rear-ended by a semi-truck. Reid’s wife Landra, to whom he has been married for 50 years, suffered a broken neck, back, and nose, while his daughter Lana sustained injuries to her neck and face; both are conscious and can feel their extremities, an indication that they aren’t paralyzed. Upon receiving word of the accident around 4:15 p.m., Reid left a closed-door health-care meeting for the hospital, returning to the Capitol later to continue.

REPORT DETAILS HOW LEHMAN HID ITS WOES: It is the Wall Street equivalent of a coroner’s report — a 2,200-page document that lays out, in new and startling detail, how Lehman Brothers used accounting sleight of hand to conceal the bad investments that led to its undoing. The report, compiled by an examiner for the bank, now bankrupt, hit Wall Street with a thud late Thursday. The 158-year-old company, it concluded, died from multiple causes. Among them were bad mortgage holdings and, less directly, demands by rivals like JPMorgan Chase and Citigroup that the foundering bank post collateral against loans it desperately needed.

LBN-INVESTIGATES: About 19 percent of the total net electricity generated in the United States comes from nuclear power. That’s about equal to the amount of electricity used in California, Texas and New York, the three most populous states.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***A new report offers new insight into how Lehman Brothers fell into mortal peril at the start of the financial crisis, and the details aren’t pretty. The 2,200 page report by a court-appointed examiner describes an accounting trick known as “Repo 105″ that the company used to hide some $50 billion in assets from its balance sheet for two quarters.

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WHO READS THE LBN E-LERT? Singer Placido Domingo along with over 317,000 other “influencers” in all 50 of the United States and 24 foreign countries.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Time magazine is reshuffling its masthead after the exit of top staffer Romesh Ratnesar, who is leaving to pursue writing projects. Ratnesar is departing on the heels of Josh Tyrangiel. “They were both groomed to be future editors of Time magazine. It’s a tremendous loss.” ***Gustavo Turner was introduced today as the music editor of the LA Weekly, replacing Randall Roberts, who moved to the Los Angeles Times. ***The Huffington Post is reporting that Adam Nagourney, the chief national political correspondent for the New York Times, is leaving Washington to be the paper’s Los Angeles bureau chief. Current bureau chief Jennifer Steinhauer is heading the other way, to cover Congress in the Washington bureau.

EDWARDS AIDE ORDERED JAILED: A North Carolina judge has ordered former John Edwards’s loyalist Andrew Young to jail for failing to hand over the Edwards- Hunter sex tape. The Raleigh News & Observer reports Chatham County Superior Court Judge Abraham Penn Jones has held Young and his wife, Cheri, in contempt and ordered them jailed up to 75 days.

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***CAA has signed Aline Brosh McKenna, screenwriter of The Devil Wear Prada.

AUTHORITIES SEEK HELP IDENTIFYING PEOPLE IN SERIAL KILLER’S PHOTOS: Hoping to solve numerous cold cases, authorities released more than a hundred photos of unidentified women and children found in a storage unit that belonged to a serial killer who appeared on “The Dating Game.” Investigators are trying to determine if some of the people in the pictures were victims of Rodney Alcala, 66, who was convicted in February of murdering a child and four women between November 1977 and June 1979.

LBN-NOTICED: ***Kate Gosselin with a new hairdo and spiky heels dining with four men at Nobu in NYC. ***Rosario Dawson at Bocca di Bacco in NYC negotiating the price to buy one of the oil paintings created by her waiter, Giogio Casu. ***Leonardo DiCaprio and Bar Refaeli looking “very much in love” as they shopped at the Armani Exchange store on Robertson Boulevard in LA. ***Rant columnist Ericka T. Bass wearing a, ”I f–ked Pastor Bob!” T-shirt while shopping in Ralph’s in Hollywood at midnight. ***Prominent Catholic priest Father Michael Manning having dinner last night at Anna’s Italian Restaurant on Pico Blvd. in West L.A. ***Jennifer Aniston was spotted catching a flight at Heathrow International Airport in London, England today. ***Leonardo DiCaprio attends a press conference for “Shutter Island” at Tokyo Midtown in Japan. ***Alicia Keys performs onstage during her “Freedom” tour at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. ***Elizabeth Hurley was spotted at the grand opening of the Elizabeth Hurley Beach Boutique in Kildare Village, Ireland. ***Charlize Theron was spotted catching a flight at LAX Airport in Los Angeles on Wednesday afternoon heading to Paris, France. ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT- Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-HEALTH WATCH: ***Two children in Oklahoma have died from bacterial meningitis.

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

LBN-RECOMMENDS By PAUL BEGALA (Author, political consultant, commentator, and former adviser to President Bill Clinton): Just finished John Cassidy’s How Markets Fail. It is a careful but readable journey through the philosophical and theoretical framework that caused the economic collapse. Its essential reading for those of us who are already sick of right-wing hacks claiming sensible regulation of the casino economy is an infringement on liberty. Conservative economists, theoreticians, and politicians ruined the economy, period. Cassidy explains the failed theory they used to do so.

LBN-RECOMMENDS By SIR ELTON JOHN (Singer - Songwriter): I love the new Hot Chip record. It’s called One Life Stand. It’s just a great album by a British band. I really love it. It’s my favorite album of the moment.

LBN-COMMENTARY By ALESSANDRA STANLEY: “The Pacific,” a 10-part World War II mini-series that begins on Sunday on HBO, follows a Marine division through tropical battlegrounds that have since faded from the collective memory.

LBN-FILM REVIEW: By MANOHLA DARGIS: A son’s arrest for murder leads to a parent’s crusade in “Mother.”

LBN-COMMENTARY By PAUL KRUGMAN: Well-informed people are buying into three big myths about Obama-care. The plan may not be perfect, but it is reasonable and responsible.

LBN-COMMENTARY By KIM MASTERS: Tom Cruise does not want to be No. 2. A week ago, Fox moved Cruise’s upcoming action-romance, Knight and Day, from its July 2 release date to the previous weekend. And so Cruise dodged a bullet: The comeback movie pairing him with Cameron Diaz got out of the way of a behemoth known as The Twilight Saga: Eclipse. In the middle of a carefully orchestrated comeback, Cruise did not want his film to open at anything but No. 1. He did not want to look like the older alternative to the wan youths of Twilight. “Let’s face it, he is resurrecting his career,” says an executive working on the project. “This is an incredibly important movie for him.”

LBN-COMMENTARY By PATRICK GOLDSTEIN: Variety’s decision to dump Todd McCarthy, the trade paper’s film critic for the last 31 years, has not gone without notice. In the last 36 hours, I’ve been deluged with phone calls and e-mails from industry insiders, who — with the exception of one director who’s still ticked off at McCarthy for giving his film a crummy review — have all been amazed and bewildered by the move, which now leaves Variety without a full-time film critic. I even had an industry mom take time out from heckling the umpires at our Little League game to register her astonishment. As one producer who called me Tuesday put it: “What were they thinking? Does the publisher really think we’re all reading the paper just to see our Oscar ads?” It’s a good point. The craziest thing about the decision, which has been defended over and over by Variety President Neil Stiles, isn’t that Variety has fired its leading film critic. After all, as Stiles told me Monday, the paper will probably review just as many movies as ever, simply with freelance talent. No, the boneheaded part of the move is that, with Army Archerd dead, Michael Fleming gone and Peter Bart no longer in power, McCarthy was Variety’s best-known asset. And now they’ve tossed that asset into the trash.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By ISAAC NEWTON: I was like a boy playing on the seashore, and diverting myself now and then finding a smoother pebble or a prettier shell than ordinary, whilst the great ocean of truth lay all undiscovered before me.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW: September 11, 2001.

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Though no official cause of death has been declared, and final autopsy results have not been publicly released, Corey Haim is said to have suffered from pulmonary congestion, an enlarged heart, and water in his lungs, according to his mother, who said the coroner had discussed those findings with her. According to Tiffany Shepis, his former fiancée, Haim had struggled with heart disease for a while, including arrhythmia. ***While Kristen Stewart has long remained tight-lipped about her alleged relationship with Twilight costar Robert Pattinson, the actress had no problem discussing an intimate on-screen moment with Dakota Fanning, her costar in the upcoming film The Runaways. “Working this closely with someone, you can’t help but really become bonded with them and it really helps when you actually like them and can become really good friends,” the 19-year-old actress told People magazine while promoting the film, which focuses on the ’70s female-powered rock band. ***Grateful Renée Zellweger bought a $100 gift card for a photographer after he fed her meter while she was stuck in Starbucks. The actress stopped in the coffee bar to use her laptop while shopping in Santa Monica on Wednesday — but had to wait on a line as a growing pack of paparazzi gathered at the window. An onlooker said: “One snapper noticed the meter maid was coming and her meter had expired, so he put in a coin.”

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***If Los Angeles County were a country, it would be the world’s 19th largest economy. ***The Sahara Desert is growing at a rate of about 1 square kilometer per month. ***The average case of the hiccups lasts 5 minutes. ***More people admit to fearing spiders than fearing death. ***Michael Jordan was cut from his high school basketball team his sophomore year.

LBN-QUOTE: “Depend not on fortune, but on conduct.” - Publilius Syrus.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 12, 1947, President Truman established what became known as the Truman Doctrine to help Greece and Turkey resist Communism.

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THURSDAY • MARCH 11, 2010

MERLIN OLSEN DIES:
Hall of Fame football player and actor Merlin Olsen, a giant man who friends say had an even larger heart, died Thursday after a long battle with cancer, he was 69.

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THURSDAY • MARCH 11, 2010

LBN-THE “INSIDE” QUESTION?: An American woman who called herself Jihad Jane (various photos above) has been charged over an alleged plot to murder a Swedish man. Colleen Renee LaRose, from Philadelphia, is also accused of conspiracy to provide support to terrorists, making false statements and attempted identity theft. Irish police yesterday arrested 7 people over an alleged plot to kill Lars Vilks, a Swedish cartoonist who had a bounty put on his head after depicting the prophet Mohammed with the body of a dog – and Jihad Jane is reportedly a suspect. This is a woman who apparently decided on this alleged course of murderous action just TWO MONTHS after converting to Islam. ***LBN-READER QUESTION- Does this make any meaningful statement about the calming, peaceful effect of the “Religion of Peace”? Please send your reply to: LBNElert@TimeWire.net (Please put “LBN-Question” in the subject line).

PALESTINIAN PRESIDENT PULLS OUT OF PEACE TALKS: Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas announced Thursday that he will not participate in peace talks with Israel following Israel’s decision to expand Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. Earlier this week, in what observers saw as a rebuke to Vice President Joe Biden’s visit, the Israeli government announced it would build 1,600 new homes in the West Bank.

HOUSE MOVES AGAINST EARMARKS: With midterm elections on the horizon, Democrats and Republicans are competing over which party can take the toughest stand against earmarks, which send federal money to particular projects. On Wednesday, Democrats proposed ending the practice of giving earmarks to for-profit corporations. The hope would be this could diminish the influence of lobbyists.

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LBN-INVESTIGATES: About 92 percent of the coal used in the United States is used for generating electricity.

CLOSE RACE MAKES CHALLENGES LIKELY: Early vote tallies indicate the coalition of Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki will likely win a plurality in the country’s incredibly close election. The narrow margins expected will set the stage for challenges to the results for weeks to come; a Shia coalition is already questioning voting machines and the transparency of the vote counting.

SMART PEOPLE READ THE LBN E-LERT: They understand that information is power and the LBN E-Lert is a power-tool. Losers, morons, stoners, idiots, dopes don’t get it and never will. We would wish them good luck but they wouldn’t know what to do with it - because a loser is a loser.

CARLOS SLIM HELU IS WORLD’S RICHEST MAN: Bill Gates’ reign as the world’s richest man was interrupted this year as the world’s plutocrats cashed in at a startling rate. Though the Microsoft tycoon has held the title for 14 of the last 15 years, he was overtaken by Mexican telecommunications mogul Carlos Slim Helu, according to Forbes’ annual list. Slim, whose $18.5 billion in earnings over the last 12 months catapulted him into first, has reportedly amassed a fortune of $53.5 billion. The growth was due largely to shares of America Movil shooting up 35 percent. Gates, whose fortune is at approximately $53 billion, is a close second after earning $13 billion this year. Warren Buffett is third with $47 billion, $10 billion of which came from a pair of shrewd investments in Goldman Sachs and General Electric during the economic turmoil. “We’ve put a lot of money to work during the chaos of the last two years,” Buffett wrote. “When it’s raining gold, reach for a bucket, not a thimble.”

LBN-HOLLYWOOD INSIDER: ***Conan O’Brien will begin his “Legally Prohibited From Being Funny on Television Tour” April 12 in Eugene, Oregon, working his way across North America over two months. ***Fox is holding Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, the sequel to Oliver Stone’s 1987 film about finance titan Gordon Gekko, till September 24. The movie’s original release date was April 23, but Fox thinks the film has a good chance of being included in the Cannes Film Festival, which his begins May 12. Money Never Sleeps picks up 23 years after we last saw Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, who in has just been released from prison. Gekko tries to warn Wall Street of pending economic doom, but no one listens. According to Variety, Fox thinks the film works better in the fall than summer. ***Clint Eastwood is teaming with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine to line up his next directing project, a biopic of controversial FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. According to the trades, the film was originally set up at Universal, where Imagine has been developing it. Oscar winner Dustin Lance Black wrote the script. ***Live from New York, it’s Betty White! The 88-year-old comedian will host Saturday Night Live on May 8. ***Ellen Rakieten has signed an exclusive deal with Relativity Real for unscripted television.

LBN-THIS DAY IN HISTORY: The Madrid Train Bombings. On the morning of March 11, 2004, 10 explosions occurred aboard four commuter trains in Madrid. The series of coordinated bombings killed 191 people and wounded 2,050, making it the deadliest terrorist attack in Spain’s history. Although a Basque militant group was originally suspected of the attack, an investigation revealed that it was carried out by an al-Qaeda-inspired terrorist cell.

LBN-MEDIA INSIDER: ***Amy Wallace was served two days before Christmas with the suit seeking $1 million in damages from a woman mentioned in her November cover story in Wired on the anti-vaccine movement. Today, case dismissed.

LBN-BUSINESS INSIDER: ***Citigroup CEO Vikram Pandit will tell investors Thursday that he expects Citi to earn as much as $20 billion within the next few years, The Washington Post quoted sources as saying. Those kinds of gains would mark a serious turnaround for the company. ***Looks like the Free Willy hand roll will no longer be on the menu. A sushi restaurant in Santa Monica, California, and one of its chefs were charged Wednesday with selling endangered-whale meat. Illegal sale of a marine mammal product is a misdemeanor that comes with a maximum penalty of one year in prison and a fine of $100,000 for an individual, or $200,000 for an organization.

LBN-HEALTH WATCH: ***In a finding that would have been impossible before the completion of the human genome map, scientists have found the bit of DNA that causes inherited diseases in families. A Houston researcher, who himself suffers from a recessive genetic disease, conducted one study.

LBN-SEE IT: After a night out at an after-party for a fashion show in Paris on Wednesday, Christina Ricci got carried away literally.

LBN-MUSIC INSIDER: ***Got any eight-tracks in your basement? James “Bucks” Burnett, the former manager of Tiny Tim, might like to them for a museum. Burnett used to own a record store and after two successful temporary exhibits thinks it’s time that the much-maligned cartridges return to a place of glory. “There are certainly lesser topics that have museums,” Burnett tells The Wall Street Journal.

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LBN-NOTICED: ***Former co-anchors Katie Couric of CBS and Matt Lauer of NBC lunching at Le Caprice in NYC with Bloomberg LP boss Andy Lack. ***Sam Mendes playing with Anna Wintour’s favorite pro, Byron Spence, at Midtown Tennis Club in NYC. ***Michael Imperioli on the No. 1 train in NYC with his son and wife listening intently to a rendition of “Lean On Me” by a busker. ***Vince Curatola (Johnny Sack from “The Sopranos”) reading a stack of scripts at Palm West. ***Bette Midler backstage to see Fran Drescher after Fran’s turn in “Love, Loss, and What I Wore.” ***Prominent Los Angeles dentist Dr. Jay Grossman having dinner at Vincenti Ristorante in Los Angeles. *** Bob Barker posing with PETA models at the dedication ceremony for PETA’s Los Angeles office ‘The Bob Barker Building. *** Mary J Blige arrives at the Radio2 studios in London. *** Renee Zellweger stops for coffee at Starbucks in Santa Monica. ***Gerard Butler arrives at the BBC Radio One studios in London to promote his latest movie, “The Bounty Hunter.” ***BE AN LBN-CORRESPONDENT- Send your celebrity sightings to: LBNElert@Timewire.net.

LBN-RECOMMENDS By CHRISTOPHER BUCKLEY (Author and former speechwriter for George H.W. Bush): Pick up Mark Twain: Man in White—the Grand Adventure of His Final Years by Michael Shelden. Shelden’s account of Twain’s Gö tterdä mmerung gives us the man who put on a white suit long before Tom Wolfe, in all his twilight glory. Good stuff.

LBN-COMMENTARY By PETER DEKOM: The odds of Obama getting re-elected depend on: (1) Whom the Republicans nominate. Sarah Palin is an easy loss for the Republicans. Mitt Romney isn’t so easy to beat. and (2) What the president can pull off between then and now. The block vote, lock-step, on the part of the Republican senators is a gift to Obama. If they keep it up, it makes it easier if they get smart and create appealing alternatives, it’s anybody’s guess.

LBN-COMMMENTARY By JASON REITMAN: My first real kiss. It happened at the AMC Century City 15 while watching Don’t Tell Mommy the Babysitter Is Dead. They recently moved the cinema to the other end of the mall. The site of my kiss is now The Container Store.

LBN-HISTORICAL COMMENTARY By JOHN ADAMS: A desire to be observed, considered, esteemed, praised, beloved, and admired by his fellows is one of the earliest as well as the keenest dispositions discovered in the heart of man.

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LBN-A DIFFERENT VIEW:

LBN-OVERHEARD: ***Life after death for the buxom beauty as ANNA NICOLE, the world premiere opera by Mark-Anthony Turnage will be offered by the Royal Opera in London next Feb. 17. Dutch soprano Eva-Maria Westbroek toplines as the late model and Playboy playmate. ***Tiger Woods is reaching into George W. Bush’s cabinet for help with his comeback — the golfer has reportedly hired Dubya’s former press secretary Ari Fleischer to help plan his return to golf. According to the New York Post, Woods has been using Fleischer in strategy sessions in Tiger’s Florida home — with one meeting taking place earlier this week. Fleischer has famously transitioned into a high-profile sports image consultant — and has worked with icons like Mark McGwire and the Green Bay Packers.

LBN-DID YOU KNOW: ***According to U.S. laws, a beer commercial can never show a person actually drinking beer. ***Actor John Wayne made more than 200 movies. ***Actor Mark Wahlberg has a third nipple! ***Adult movie star, Ron Jeremy, has a master’s degree in Special Education. ***Alfred Hitchcock didn’t have a belly button.

LBN-QUOTE: “Conscience is a mother-in-law whose visit never ends.” - H. L. Mencken.

LBN-HISTORY: On March 11, 1941, President Roosevelt signed into law the Lend-Lease Bill, providing war supplies to countries fighting the Axis.

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WEDNESDAY • MARCH 10, 2010

ROBERTS ‘TROUBLED’ BY STATE OF THE UNION: Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts can tell when he’s unwelcome: Roberts criticized the atmosphere of the president’s annual State of the Union address to Congress, calling it a “political pep rally.” Speaking to University of Alabama law students, Roberts said Obama’s speech in January was “very troubling” because the president knocked the court for its overturning of limits on corporate spending on campaign ads. “To the extent the State of the Union has degenerated into a political pep rally, I’m not sure why we’re there,” Roberts said. Though anyone is free to criticize the Court, “there is the issue of the setting, the circumstances and the decorum. The image of having the members of one branch of government standing up, literally surrounding the Supreme Court, cheering and hollering while the court—according the requirements of protocol—has to sit there expressionless, I think is very troubling.” He also said senators ask inappropriately political questions, which they know nominees can’t answer, at confirmation hearings. Obama’s press secretary defended the speech by further criticizing the decision in question.

SOMALIA FOOD AID BYPASSES NEEDY, U.N. STUDY SAYS: As much as half the food aid sent to Somalia is diverted from needy people to a web of corrupt contractors, radical Islamist militants and local United Nations staff members, according to a new Security Council report. The report, which has not yet been made public but was shown to The New York Times by diplomats, outlines a host of problems so grave that it recommends that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon open an independent investigation into the World Food Program’s Somalia operations. It suggests that the program rebuild the food distribution system — which serves at least 2.5 million people and whose aid was worth about $485 million in 2009 — from scratch to break what it describes as a corrupt cartel of Somali distributors.

ISRAEL APOLOGIZES TO BIDEN: Israel apologized for embarrassing Vice President Joe Biden by announcing it had approved 1,600 new homes in disputed east Jerusalem while Biden was engaged in talks with Palestinian leaders. Israel is not going to rescind the decision, however. The announcement was sharply criticized by Biden and Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad. “The substance and timing of the announcement, particularly with the launching of proximity talks, is precisely the kind of step that undermines the trust we need right now,” Biden said.

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COREY HAIM DRUG O.D. DEATH: Eighties teen idol Corey Haim dead at 38 as result of an accidental drug overdose at his Hollywood home. According to KTLA-TV, Haim was found unresponsive at his Oakwood apartment. His mother was at the apartment at the time of his death. When First Responders arrived, Haim was still alive, new reports say, but weak with flu-like symptoms. Los Angeles Police Department spokesperson said Haim was pronounced dead on arrival at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Burbank, California early Wednesday morning. The coroner’s office said TOD (time of death) was 2:15 AM.

LBN-THE “INSIDE” STORY: The Roman Catholic Church is being plunged into a renewed crisis over how it has dealt with the sexual abuse of children by its clergy after it emerged that the brother of Pope Benedict XVI, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger (pair pictured above), ran a renowned choir at the centre of child abuse claims. Reports of systematic historical abuse by pedophile Roman Catholic clergy have surfaced at 3 schools in the Regensburg diocese in Bavaria. One of them is the much-heralded Regensburger Domspatzen, a 1000 year-old male choir and boarding school, whose choral master for 30 years was the Pope’s older brother, Georg Ratzinger. Monsignor Ratzinger has agreed to testify in any eventual prosecutions – but says that he knew of no abuse. The German Justice Minister, Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger, has joined a growing chorus of politicians in Berlin to criticize the church over its attitude to the investigation, accusing Roman Catholic institutions of a policy of secrecy.

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