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Anne Dilenschneider: "Flight to Crisis" Volunteers Need Sponsors for Haiti

2010-02-10T05:51:20Z

Medical professionals, engineers, security persons, clergy, social workers and therapists are responding to the call to serve two-week rotations on Flight to Crisis teams working with the Community Coalition for Haiti in Jacmel. These volunteers are finding Flight to Crisis through the Red Cross and USAID, through The Huffington Post, and through social networking sites. This is an international effort -- the first team members are coming from Canada, China, the European Union, and the United States. A second team is now forming. While some volunteers are able to pay their way, others need financial support. Financial assistance is also needed to ship donated medical supplies and equipment to Haiti.

One of the volunteers needing sponsorship is Jennifer Ruid. Jennifer lives in Tomahawk, a rural community of 3,770 in the northeastern part of Wisconsin. Jennifer is trained as an RN, and she has organizational skills in addition to her nursing skills. She has worked as a director of nursing, and she developed and managed a geriatric clinic. She speaks French, and she worked with Creole-speaking patients when she lived in Louisiana. She has seen and experienced the difficulties people face when they are dislocated by natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina. When she called the Wausau Red Cross to find out if she could volunteer in Haiti, she was told that the Red Cross was not sending volunteers at this time. The Red Cross recommended that she try the USAID website. There she found and connected with Flight to Crisis.

Jennifer wants to go to Haiti in order to contribute her organizational and nursing skills. She also wants to go on behalf of the community of Tomahawk, because her small community is one that cares deeply about what is happening in Haiti. As she said, "I would not be traveling alone. Any and all who support my presence in Haiti would be going with me. When I take my first step in Haiti, so will they."

Daphna Lewinshtein is another Flight to Crisis volunteer who needs sponsorship. She lives in MontrÃ©al, the home of the largest Haitian community in Canada. This artist works with adolescents and adults who have special needs. She is also an organizer who is committed to making a difference in the world. She has volunteered at orphanages in India, Korea and Nepal, taught English to Tibetan exiles in India, and worked in at a woman's vocational center in Ghana. Last December, Daphna collaborated with artists, art students, and The Afghan Women's Centre of MontrÃ©al to organize a craft show and cafÃ© to raise funds for the Rift Valley Children's Village in Oldeani Village, Tanzania and the Flying Kites orphanage in Uttarakhand, India.

Daphna is hoping to create a cultural collaboration between Canadian children in MontrÃ©al and Haitian children in Jacmel as a way to create a long-term global connection that will help keep relief efforts alive for the long haul.

If you'd like to sponsor Jennifer, Daphna, or any Flight to Crisis volunteer, or if you are able to assist Flight to Crisis in covering the cost of shipping medical supplies to Haiti, go to the Community Coalition for Haiti website at: www.cchaiti.org On the website, choose "Donate for Earthquake Relief." When you are routed to the secure server, choose "on behalf of" and then type in "Jennifer Ruid," "Daphna Lewinshtein" or simply "Flight to Crisis" to benefit other volunteers or to provide transportation costs for medical supplies. Donations of any amount are most welcome, and 100% of all donations is tax-deductible.

To donate frequent flyer miles to get volunteers to Miami, contact: relief@flighttocrisis.org

Note: For over 20 years, Community Coalition for Haiti (CCH) has been partnering with Haitian community groups who determine the priorities for their development and support needs. CCH then facilitates connections with international groups such as Rotary International. CCH's major emphases are medical care, education, economic development and agricultural training.

Christopher Sabatini: Moving U.S. Policy Beyond Hemispheric Crises

2010-02-10T05:48:40Z

Two recent crises have overtaken the U.S.'s broader policy framework and agenda for the region. First, there was the coup in Honduras, now the tragedy in Haiti. The first was a potentially avoidable political train wreck that ended up dividing the hemisphere, the latter, one of worst humanitarian disasters in the hemisphere's history and an opportunity to unite the hemisphere.

Together the two countries, whose populations total just under 17 million people, have dominated the U.S. policy agenda in a region with close to 600 million people. In other words, we risk having lost our focus on genuine regional powers such as Brazil and looming political problems such as Venezuela by focusing on the immediate crises of just under 3 percent of the region's population.

But there is hope. For all its heart-wrenching tragedy, Haiti is an opportunity to forge a broader hemispheric coalition and agenda in a way we failed in Honduras. Creating this historical partnership requires establishing a broad regional framework for monetary pledges, coordination, modalities, and goals of a comprehensive, long-term relief plan for Haiti that builds off Brazil and Chile's long-standing commitment and the U.S.'s deep pockets and military, humanitarian presence.

Time, though, is running out.

For one, countries, such as Brazil and France, have already begun to chafe at the overwhelming U.S. military presence in Haiti. For another, the South American military alliance, UNASUR, concluded a meeting on Tuesday, February 9 in which its bloc of Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, Brazil, and Argentina pledged $100 million dollars and to request a loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) of $200 million to assist Haiti's reconstruction. OK, there are questions here about why a South American military association would be convening a meeting on humanitarian assistance and the wisdom of an IDB loan to a loose, uneasy military association.

But the real question is why this needs to be sub-regionalized.

The amount pledged by UNASUR pales in comparison to the $600 million the U.S. government has already committed for emergency assistance--an amount that only includes bilateral government assistance and will increase in the next few years. This doesn't include the amount spent by our neighbor to the north, Canada, which is heavily engaged in Haiti with over a $130 million pledged or the $1.7 billion worth of debt forgiven by the G-7 countries.

In short, efforts such as UNASUR's--whether for political reasons or even for the best intentions--risk Balkanizing an effort that deeply needs coordinated responses in collective commitments, delivery mechanisms, management, and long-term planning. And, like it or not, the U.S. and the global north are going to remain major players in this--as are Brazil and Chile.

There's one other reason why the time for setting a multilateral framework is running out: the longer the U.S. goes it alone, the longer it does it unilaterally and the longer it allows the hard cases to set our agenda in the region. Just one example: Secretary of State Clinton has already visited Haiti twice.

Brazil zero.

So, here's an idea: let's convene a hemispheric meeting to discuss commitments, areas of focus, collaboration, and management for our reconstruction effort. Forget the Organization of American State (OAS) which has been completely absent in this whole effort--further sealing its irrelevance after Honduras. Imagine a scenario similar to the NATO effort in Afghanistan in which troops and development efforts are coordinated among allies with mutual commitments and joint command structures including (heaven forefend!) U.S. troop activities. In this, the U.S. may remain the main bilateral donor, and others may very well pony up more funds, but all would go into a general pool. Such an arrangement can also provide an effective mechanism to oversee and help channel money and people on the ground coming from other sources such as multilateral donors and private donations.

This could provide the much-needed fulcrum for broader cooperation in the region with governments that truly want to cooperate for a greater regional good. If handled properly--and quickly--we can move beyond the recent tensions and the lack of attention to many of these countries to a truly unprecedented regional effort. It would recognize and build off the successful and unprecedented efforts that followed the flight of former President Aristide.

But perhaps most important: it would move regional policy from the immediate crises that has dominated headlines and U.S. policymaking toward the region in the last year. After all, we are looking for a way to engage our regional partners--having lost a number of them in the last crisis (Honduras). Now we can pitch in and lay the groundwork for future efforts.

Aaron Zelinsky: WWJD: What Would Johnson Do?

2010-02-10T05:42:36Z

The Senate is strangling the Obama administration. Everything from high profile legislation to mid-level appointees is held up, often because of little more than pet peeves. Many members of the GOP now practice obstructionism for the sake of obstructionism: They are, therefore they filibuster. In Washington, the Senate hold has become as commonplace as lobbyists and monuments.

It's time President Obama looked hard in the mirror and asked himself the question so many have asked before him: What would Johnson do?

At first blush, Lyndon Johnson may not seem like the best political guide for the present moment. The last thing Obama wants is for Afghanistan to become his Vietnam. But no chief executive knew the Senate better than Johnson, himself a legendary Senate Majority Leader. And Vietnam notwithstanding, LBJ produced domestic policy accomplishments that were lasting and substantial - exactly what President Obama aspires to.

Here are LBJ's lessons for Obama:

To Make an Omelet, You've Got To Break Some Eggs. LBJ understood that legislative majorities were fundamentally impermanent, and that political capital should be spent rather than dissipated. When he signed the Civil Rights Act, LBJ supposedly remarked that "we have lost the South for a generation." Regardless of whether he actually uttered these words, LBJ knew full well what he was doing. He decided that passing the Civil Rights Act was worth the future political hit.

Thus far, the Obama Administration has been reticent to spend political capital. The Democrats are like the car-enthusiast who spends all of his time working on his sports coup without ever taking it for a spin. No one cares how fast you can go from zero to sixty if you never leave the driveway.

Determine Who Will Play Ball. When Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act, he did so in the face of a fierce filibuster led by Democrats. In order to break the filibuster, Johnson turned to moderate Republicans. President Obama should recognize that, unless Harry Reid is willing to drastically change course, there isn't much this Administration can accomplish without at least a few Republicans.

In terms of appointments, there are many senators who believe in allowing executive branch nominees to receive an up-or-down vote. President Obama should talk personally with Senators Orrin Hatch, Olympia Snow, Judd Gregg, Lamar Alexander, Lindsey Graham, Richard Lugar, George Voinovich, and Susan Collins. Together, they can likely negotiate an end to filibusters on many of his appointments, most of whom are noncontroversial nominees whose confirmation is essential to effective government function.

Allow Your Opponents to Save Face. LBJ realized that those whom he courted needed political cover when they supported him. Johnson couldn't pass the Civil Rights Act without the Senate Minority Leader, Everett Dirksen. Rather than buy off Dirksen with pork, Johnson sought to co-opt him, instructing Hubert Humphrey to "let him have a piece of the action," and be sure to let him "look good all the time." When Dirksen introduced a substitute bill in the Senate to end the filibuster, LBJ let Dirksen take the credit for being a statesman, while he pocketed the legislative victory.

In Obama's case, the Louisiana Purchase and Cornhusker Kickback allowed Senators Landrieu and Nelson to "have a piece of the action," but these buyoffs didn't let them "look good all the time." The White House has to give fence-sitters plausible policy-based cover for changing positions. The easiest way to accomplish this is by negotiating pragmatic changes to pending legislation for which the fence-sitters can take credit.

Be the Head of Government, Not Just the Head of State. In the United States, the President is both the head of state and the head of government. LBJ recognized this fact, and he wasn't afraid to get down and dirty with the legislative branch, arm twisting, cajoling, and sometimes bullying senators to vote his way.

So far, President Obama has been a good head of state, speaking eloquently at home and rebuilding U.S. credibility overseas. However, Obama has not been willing to do the heavy-lifting of domestic legislative governance, the nitty-gritty of meeting with legislators to gain their support. Recent sessions with members of Congress regarding the jobs bill are a good start, but Obama needs to do more politicking, as personally distasteful as it may be.

At the end of the day, LBJ acknowledged how hard it was to be constructive, colorfully summarizing: "Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a good carpenter to build one." If President Obama wants to be an good carpenter, he must ask himself: What would Johnson do?

Michael Giltz: Idol Season 9: Hollywood Week Day One

2010-02-10T05:33:34Z

Ellen. That was the big event of the day for me. How would Ellen Degeneres fit in? Would she get along with the other judges? As Ellen herself says, she may not be a music industry professional but she certainly knows a thing or two about entertainment. To me, she's the stand-in for the fan who watches at home and thinks they could pick a winner too. Though in interviews Ellen suggested she found Simon a bit abrasive (to the contestants), none of that was visible tonight. She joined the panel very smoothly, offering up criticisms and comments with the wry humor that comes so easily to her. We'll have to wait for some fireworks or head-butting to see how she does down the road. But so far, Ellen was a perfect fit.

Otherwise, we watched singers step up in groups of eight and perform a number. I won't say I took pleasure in seeing people go home when I questioned them getting a ticket to Hollywood in the first place. That would be mean. But having my initial impression reinforced by seeing them sent packing certainly made me say, "See, I knew it." But it must be painful for folks like the Italian dude with a big family or the beatboxer or the two sisters from Jersey who all got plentiful airtime for their auditions but are now at home watching just like us.

So to flip it, let me focus on three people who didn't wow me in their auditions (or didn't get a chance to) but did much better here.

CASEY JAMES -- This is the guy who sang for about two seconds in his audition but spent most of his airtime taking off his shirt. Simon said it was embarrassing. Why? Here he sang "I Don't Need No Doctor," a modest hit for Ray Charles and covered recently by John Mayer (and co-written by Ashford and Simpson; who knew?). Casey played some serious blues guitar and was a lot more winning than I expected. He definitely made the most of his Hollywood shot.

MARY POWERS -- This 28 year old mom looked too much like a Pat Benatar wannabe in her audition (and copycatted Benatar in her vocals too much) for my taste. Well, there's something to be said for maturity. Unlike so many of the kids (who looked like deers staring at headlights), she came on stage with quiet confidence and belted out Pink's "Sober" with aplomb. Still needs work on her look but she won me over.

CRYSTAL BOWERSOX -- Another audition that went by so quickly I wasn't sure what to think (though I did enjoy her laid-back spin on "Piece Of My Heart"). Here she strummed acoustic guitar and sang Carole King's "(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman" with such winning charm that the kids in the audience spontaneously sang backup. Very very winning.

The rest who got through were either new to me or reconfirmed the impression they made in their auditions.

KATIE STEVENS -- Very confident, no frills rendition of Stevie Wonder's "For Once In My Life."

ANDREW GARCIA -- A very cool, Raul Midon-like spin on Paula Abdul's "Straight Up." We'll be hearing this arrangement again, trust me. Playing an instrument is definitely a help, if you're good. Two skills are always more impressive than one.

JANELL WHEELER -- Sang Estelle's "American Boy," also accompanying herself on guitar. Very good.

HAELEY VAUGHN -- This was a bit iffy for me. She played the guitar ok and was quite sharp on her vocals. Very rough performance and yet I still kept thinking she was pretty darn cute and winning. (The giggle at the end helped.) Torn between putting her through another day on personality. Cute but not great. The judges probably felt the same thing but she'll have to get over her nerves and deliver or this is as far as she'll go.

LILLY SCOTT -- Sang "Lullaby Of Birdland" and played the guitar. Very Madeleine Peyroux and quite charming. (Lose the earrings, though.) Pegged the tune as by Ella Fitzgerald, which of course prompted me to look up authorship. I didn't know the music was by George Shearing! (Lyrics by George David Weiss, who also co-wrote "What A Wonderful World") Blossom Dearie had the biggest chart hit with it. And Lily did great by the tune. She's comer.

MICHAEL LYNCHE -- The personal trainer, Michael performed while his wife was potentially in labor with their first child. One assumes and hopes the birth went as smoothly, for Michael sailed through with a rendition of John Mayer's "Waiting On The World To Change." Not quite sure why Simon found it inventive since it sounded just like the original to me. I'm not quite won over yet, but he was fine.

TIM URBAN -- Cute kid who did not do a good job with David Cook's "Come Back To Me" but got through anyway.

So that's it. Wednesday is the dreaded group night, my least favorite section since someone can get torpedoed by the shenanigans of some loony in their group. Did anyone catch your eye tonight or convince you they had more than you first expected? And what did you think of Ellen?

--30--

Thanks for reading. Visit Michael Giltz at his website and his daily blog. Download his podcast of celebrity interviews and his weekly music radio show at Popsurfing and enjoy the weekly pop culture podcast he co-hosts at Showbiz Sandbox. Both available for free on iTunes. Link to him on Netflix and gain access to thousands of ratings and reviews.

Brooklyn Decker Mocks Husband Andy Roddick's Chivalry On 'Letterman' (VIDEO)

2010-02-10T05:20:21Z

Before taping Letterman on Tuesday afternoon, Sports Ilustrated Swimsuit cover girl Brooklyn Decker tweeted "Oh my Gosh, oh my gosh, I'm at letterman.. Oh my gosh.. I'm shaking. Seriously... This isn't real."

Once there, Brooklyn seemed cool as a cucumber. When Dave asked her how she met her husband Andy Roddick she said "It's a very chivalrous story actually. He got his agent to call my agent," she explained to laughs. "I said this guy, he's a catch, and his chivalry...he wooed me. I said this is the man I'm gonna marry and a year later we're married."

She told Dave why she doesn't play tennis with her husband: "I'm pretty competitive, and if it's something I can't beat him at, I don't do it. Which is why I model."

WATCH:

Super Bowl Gambling: Las Vegas Casinos Cash In

2010-02-10T05:17:33Z

LAS VEGAS — Nevada casinos won almost $6.9 million on this year's Super Bowl as bettors wagered $82.7 million on the NFL title game, gambling regulators said Tuesday.

The Nevada Gaming Control Board said the win was $179,000 more than sports books won last year, on $1.21 million more in bets.

The underdog New Orleans Saints beat the favored Indianapolis Colts 31-17 in the Sunday game.

Indianapolis started as a four-point favorite when the matchup was set, according to Las Vegas Sports Consultants, a firm that provides betting lines to about 90 percent of the state's 182 sports books. The Colts were a 4 1/2-point favorite in the Glantz-Culver line, with the over-under at 55 1/2 points.

Jay Kornegay, executive director of the race and sports book at the Las Vegas Hilton, said results were hurt by bad weather in the northeastern United States, which prevented some gamblers from making planned trips to bet on the game in Sin City. But he said the bets taken on the game were indicative of today's struggles for casinos in Las Vegas.

"We thought the Super Bowl was a great measuring stick of the economy and we think the economy is just a little better than what it was last year," Kornegay said.

Kornegay said his sports book accepted 14 percent more wagers than it did last year, but average bets were lower.

Nevada's biggest Super Bowl win in the last 10 years was in 2005, when the New England Patriots topped the Philadelphia Eagles and casinos won $15.4 million. Bettors wagered the most in 2006, when $94.5 million was bet on the Pittsburgh Steelers victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

Nevada casinos lost almost $2.6 million in 2008, when the New York Giants beat the favored Patriots.

Kornegay said the Hilton lost money on the game in part because it lost money on normally lucrative proposition wagers. Casinos usually profit by offering long odds on unusual circumstances players like to bet on – a successful 2-point conversion, for example.

Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a 2-point conversion pass to Lance Moore in the fourth quarter that was initially called incomplete, but was overturned by referees following a Saints challenge.

Other unsuccessful proposition bets for the Hilton included an interception returned for a touchdown, which bettors won when the Saints' Tracy Porter intercepted a pass from Colts quarterback Peyton Manning and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown to clinch the game.

"A lot of things happened in this game that normally don't happen," Kornegay said. "Those are all props that normally go the other way."

Obamas, Bidens Celebrate Civil Rights Music (PHOTOS)

2010-02-10T05:00:11Z

*Scroll down for photos*

ASSOCIATED PRESS:
WASHINGTON — Crediting civil rights-era protest songs and their spiritual predecessors for his election, President Barack Obama on Tuesday sat in the East Room of his White House and listened to an all-star lineup of performers pay tribute to the music that he said fueled freedom marches and civil disobedience.

The nation's first black president transformed the grand ballroom into a concert hall packed with members of his Cabinet, Congress, civil rights leaders and students for a program that will air on public television later this week for Black History Month. Queen Latifah's rendition of the Marvin Gaye classic "What's Going On" and Yolanda Adams' spirited rendition of Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" were early highlights of a night that continued the Obamas' effort to open the White House to America's soundtrack.

"The civil rights movement was a movement sustained by music," Obama said as he welcomed his audience.

He said activists from coast to coast were inspired by spirituals, felt their will sharpened by protest songs and base broadened by artists of hope. He said their work paved the way toward a more just America that allowed him to make history in 2008 with his election.

"Tonight, we celebrate the music of the movement," Obama said.

That celebration was supposed to come on Wednesday, but faced with another major winter storm the White House decided to move the concert ahead by a day to beat what could be a second crippling snowfall in a week. As guests packed the first floor of the executive mansion, heavy snow landed on the South Lawn and blanketed the rest of Washington.

Smokey Robinson, Bob Dylan and Joan Baez were on the schedule of performers, along with Natalie Cole, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Seal and the Blind Boys of Alabama.

The Howard University Choir and The Freedom Singers performed at a mansion that in its history was maintained by slaves.

Morgan Freeman, who read excerpts from historical works throughout the night, harkened back to the song lyrics Obama invoked during his election-night victory speech in Chicago's Grant Park.

"A long time coming," Freeman said.

He later deadpanned: "I wish I could sing."

Obama said the music helped the movement's faith as their leaders were jailed and their churches bombed.

"It's hard to sing when times are rough," Obama said. "The hymns helped ... advance the cause of the nation."

Tuesday night's concert is just the latest imprint first lady Michelle Obama has left on Washington's social scene. There was a conga line to Earth, Wind and Fire's performance when the Obamas hosted the nation's governors a year ago. Stevie Wonder played a concert in the East Room last year. Marc Anthony took to the South Lawn for an evening of Latin music, and Foo Fighters played the Fourth of July party there.

Mrs. Obama also brought top classical music performers such as Joshua Bell to the White House to work with high school students. That model repeated itself in a pre-concert workshop Tuesday when they heard from Robinson and Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon, one of the original Freedom Singers in the 1960s who traveled around the country sharing stories from the civil rights movement. Adams and Toshi Reagon also took up microphones and performed songs from that era.

Obama election should be a point of pride for the students in the regal dining room, Robinson told students.

"We've come a long, long way," said Robinson, who also performed.

The concert was to be televised at 8 p.m. Thursday on public broadcasting stations nationwide as part of the "In Performance at the White House" series. National Public Radio also planned a one-hour concert special from the event to be broadcast nationwide on NPR stations beginning Friday.

Washington has been buried in snow since winter weather began piling onto the region Friday. Some places were already under nearly 3 feet, and another round could dump as much of 20 inches in the Washington region by Wednesday night.

David A. Singer: NYS Assembly Special Election Results Bode Ill for Paterson Staying in Gubernatorial Race and for Democrats Holding the NYS Senate in November

2010-02-10T04:50:46Z

In Tuesday's 4 special elections to fill vacant NYS Assembly seats, Republicans won 3 of the 4 races - and garnered a net gain of 2 seats. While this is not enough to affect the overwhelming Democratic majority in the Assembly, this will have an impact on the political landscape immediately ahead - particularly in the race for Governor and for control of the NYS Senate.

Suffolk County -- Assembly District 3: Republican Dean Murray eeked a win over Lauren Thoden with a margin of less than 200 votes. This seat had previously been held by a Democrat, current Brookhaven Town Clerk, Patricia Eddington.

Nassau County -- Assembly District 15: Michael Montesano easily held the seat for the GOP by defeating Matt Meng.

Queens County -- Assembly District 24>: David Weprin held the seat for the Democrats, keeping the Weprin seat in the Weprin family by fending off Robert Friedrich, a registered Democrat running as a Republican.

Westchester County -- Assembly District 89: Republican Bob Castelli easily defeated Democratic County Legislator Peter Harckham, transferring this seat to the Republicans, who haven't held this seat for 17 years.

What do the results portend? With the GOP net gain of two seats if there wasn't enough movement by Democrats to pressure David Paterson to opt out of the gubernatorial race, this sentiment will now accelerate (notwithstanding whatever mysterious story The New York Times is working on). Democrats are petrified of running with Paterson at the top of the ticket -- and the move to Andrew Cuomo will soon become a stampede. The Democrats have a fragile, tenuous majority in the State Senate. The betting here is that Paterson will be persuaded that it's in the best interest of the Democratic party and New York State to not engage in a campaign for election -- and instead focus on the horrific economic and budgetary dilemmas facing the state, paving the way for Cuomo to head the ticket in November.

'Celebrity Fit Club' In Their Underwear: K-Fed, Bobby Brown, Nicole Eggert & More (PHOTOS)

2010-02-10T04:00:51Z

VH-1's new season of "Celebrity Fit Club" has premiered with a hodgepodge of C- and D-list celebs fighting the battle of the bulge.

Below are all 8 at the time of their weigh-in, dressed in camouflage undergarments with their vital stats listed. From Britney Spears' ex Kevin Federline, to his ex Shar Jackson, to Whitney Houston's ex Bobby Brown, who do you hope drops their extra pounds?

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Lindsay Lohan Poses As Jesus For Purple Magazine (PHOTO)

2010-02-10T03:59:15Z

Lindsay Lohan covers French fashion magazine Purple as Jesus Christ, complete with outstretched arms, crown of thorns and low-cut robe. Lindsay is not the first Lohan to pose as the son of God--Michael Lohan channeled baby Jesus in a Times Square nativity scene a couple of years ago.

PHOTO:

Here is behind the scenes video from her holy shoot:

Lindsay Lohan by Terry Richardson from Purple Magazine on Vimeo.
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Tom Cruise Set For 'Mission: Impossible IV'

2010-02-10T03:57:11Z

LOS ANGELES — Tom Cruise is starring in another impossible mission.

Paramount Pictures announced Tuesday that Cruise will be back in front of the camera for "Mission: Impossible IV," due in theaters over Memorial Day weekend in 2011.

Cruise and "Mission: Impossible III" director J.J. Abrams previously agreed to produce a fourth movie in the action franchise. But it had not been known if Cruise would star again.

Abrams will stick to producing this time, with the search on for a director to shoot the new installment. Josh Applebaum and Andre Nemec are writing the script, based on a story idea from Cruise and Abrams.

The movie reunites Cruise and Paramount, which cut the actor loose from a long-term development deal in 2006.
More on Tom Cruise

Noah Mallin: Social Media: Is Google Buzz More Than Just Hype?

2010-02-10T03:51:10Z

Google has been known to launch products (hello Wave) that get a lot of initial hype but end up being curiosities at best in the hands of users. This is not to diminish the areas in which Google still holds strong - search and e-mail. So the unveiling of their new Buzz tool for Gmail users is being met with skepticism in some quarters even as it seems to hold out several promising features. Here's the YouTube video from Google that discusses the product's features.

Buzz is designed to allow Gmail users to tap into social media activity and updates from their existing social contacts, without leaving the popular e-mail platform.

What struck me about Buzz is that it is the connective membrane between several Google initiatives. It's geolocation feature which allows users to tag updates with their location ties together Google's push into mobile with mail, and the Buzz overlay brings in Google Maps functionality so you can see, for instance, folks posting about bad traffic ahead. It even ties into Google voice by allowing users to speak updates into their phones rather than typing them (soon to be a menace to drunk updaters and their contacts everywhere if it takes off.)

Whether or not you use a mobile device, Buzz also ties in Google's profiles since so far you need to have one to use Buzz. Here is Google's YouTube video that talks about Buzz and mobile platforms.

Google's photo sharing site Picasa and the Google Reader news feed are tied in with easy sharing functionality, as is their YouTube service and all of this benefits from the design and tools first shown in their wave product.

So how does the core Google search product factor in?

Buzz will recommend posts based on your interests or on what's been popular with your friends whether or not the post is from someone you are connected with. The ability to do this is clearly developed from both the algorithms used to match relevant search advertising with user queries on the engine as well as to display ads contextually in the Gmail platform based on the content of mail.

Even though Google Buzz allows users to share updates privately with friends, it also allows these updates to be public and presumably, available to be read and displayed by anyone using Google search provided they are relevant. This ties in nicely to Google's recent launch of their Google Social Search tool.

It will be interesting to see how Google aggregates all of their data on an individual user once they are signed into the system, and whether this will have a further effect on the results they see in search as well as Buzz.

It's too early to know yet whether the possibilities inherent in Buzz will come to full fruition. Right now your Twitter updates can be shared with your Buzz followers. Oddly, as Mashable points out, you can't share Buzz updates (yet) through Twitter so functionality is somewhat hobbled. More importantly, Facebook isn't integrated at all and for most Americans there isn't really another comparable social network.

While I expect Twitter to become more fully integrated Facebook has shown a traditional reluctance to open up access to their platform on a similar level. As Mashable also points out, the existence of Facebook's own under-development e-mail platform complicates things further.

Whether or not this means that a showdown with Facebook is in the cards, if Google can deliver fully on what this product taps into - namely almost every other Google product - it could have a value beyond even the sum of it's parts.

More on Google

Tony Blankley: Palin Delivers Sparkle, Warmth

2010-02-10T03:44:01Z

"No new ideas." That was the most prominent of the criticisms of Sarah Palin's speech at MSNBC's too-cool-for-school Morning Joe on Monday. The more general critique of former Gov. Palin's future was that while she certainly had star power, she could never speak to more than a fraction of even Republicans. The proof of the latter point was made with the evidence that many important Washington Republicans could never support her for more than cheerleader to her marginal people.

They also pointed out that she had kept out of races in Massachusetts and Virginia, where it was thought she might not help. Gosh, a lack of ego paired with shrewd political judgment - that is surely not wanted in a leader. (In both those incidents, the president himself couldn't resist going in and contributing to his candidates' losses.)

If I hadn't still been lying in bed, I would have fallen over laughing at this summary rejection by the guardians of the existing order of the only national figure who both: (1) unabashedly but politely criticizes President Obama where it hurts him most; and, (2) eye-catchingly articulates the central values and objectives of the about 60 percent of the public that views the current administration's actions with slack-jawed horror and fear.

The American people have had a belly full of new ideas in the last year. The next winning politician and party will only have to offer two "new ideas": Stop it now! (and) Start rolling it back immediately! It may take decades just to execute those two new ideas.

Almost everything that is disturbing Americans about the current administration, domestically, can be found in one of the most shocking documents ever issued by the U.S. government - last week's 2011 federal budget. It not only shocked America, it even shocked the New York Times, which led, top right above the fold with David Sanger's spot-on analysis piece headlined: "Deficits May Alter U.S. Politics and Global Power."

"In a federal budget filled with mind-boggling statistics, two numbers stand out as particularly stunning, for the way they may change American politics and American power.

"The first is the projected deficit in the coming year, nearly 11 percent of the country's entire economic output. ...

"But the second number, buried deeper in the budget's projections, is the one that really commands attention: By President Obama's own optimistic projections, American deficits will not return to what are widely considered sustainable levels over the next 10 years. In fact, in 2019 and 2020 - years after Mr. Obama has left the political scene, even if he serves two terms - they start rising again sharply, to more than 5 percent of gross domestic product. His budget draws a picture of a nation that like many American homeowners simply cannot get above water."

The truly shocking part of the budget is what was left out: a road map out of the economic calamity.

We have faced hard times before, but, with the possible exception of Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech, never before has a president, essentially, thrown up his hands and not even offered a plan for how to fix a problem.

And yet, the 2011 budget proposes a budget that if carried out to the letter would assure "unsustainable deficits" (above 3 percent of GDP) forever. By unsustainable, economists mean that we would get steadily poorer as a country. Think of Spain in the 1700s - the richest country in the world then has steadily gotten poorer for the last 300 years - and counting.

Americans rightly believe that we can build anything that needs building and fix anything that is broken. And, that we can do that by living out our nation's founding principles and values: constitutional government, respect for private property and life, a free market - and the gumption of hard-working, inventive Americans.

Those are the principles and spirit that Sarah Palin articulated with sparkle and sincerity last weekend. Those are the principles that have brought the Tea Party movement into being. They are the same principles that inspired the conservative movement that arose in the 1950s-60s.

As an early foot soldier for Ronald Reagan (starting in his 1966 California primary campaign for governor against San Francisco Mayor George Christopher), I well remember with what bemused scorn the political establishment of both parties held for Mr. Reagan. Then moderate state Assemblyman Caspar Weinberger told the New York Times that "Christopher will do much better than Rockefeller did. Reagan will get the great bulk of the Goldwater support, but it does not represent much more than one-third of the party."

In the general election in which Reagan overwhelmed incumbent Democrat Pat Brown, years later Mr. Brown reminisced: "We thought the notion was absurd and rubbed our hands in gleeful anticipation of beating this politically inexperienced, right-wing extremist and aging actor."

Reagan was the Palin of his time. I am not equating the two yet. She still has much to prove to the public (as Reagan did in 1966).

But the smarty pants who have driven America into the ditch by discarding traditional American values and principles should be cautious in writing off the most effective national advocate for such values precisely at the time that leftist programs have so conspicuously failed and outraged the public.
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Amanda McCall: Cloudy with A Chance of Bullsh*t

2010-02-10T03:34:33Z

It is being reported that a major snow storm is threatening to ravage New York City tonight, and it very well might. The weather reports might be right. But what we seem to be able to erase from our communal memory every time a new big, scary snow storm approaches, is that, most of the time, the weather reports are wrong. Really, really wrong.

This past weekend, for example, the big snow storm that hit D.C. was also supposed to hit New York City. In the days leading up to the storm, every local news channel's lead story was the same hysteria-inducing weather reports, which all had titles like Accu-Tracker's StormWatch Report, or Doppler Weatherscan: Eye of the Storm. Not only do these titles sound more like excessively violent video games than simple weather forecasts, these logos were always presented in large, intimidating fonts and enhanced by scary graphics of lasers, lightning bolts and surrounded by aggressive-looking high-def clouds. If these logos alone weren't enough to convince you to drop everything, buy up all the water, flashlights and duct tape left in the city and go hide in your basement for the next three days, then maybe the weatherman's snowpocolyptic weather report will: "New York Snow Slam: Are you Ready?" "Weekend Strom Warning in NYC: Is this weekend's storm putting your children at risk?", "Up next...Blizzard Dangers: What you can do to be prepared", "Weather Safety Report: What you'll need to survive the storm". Every weather forecaster on every network was preaching about a Snowmageddon like some public access televangelist. However, unlike televangelists, TV weather people have a lot of high-tech-looking and scientific-sounding gear to back them up... Or, at least they seem to. Despite the fact that, with the exception of Al Roker, almost all weather forecasters look like they majored in Gym and minored in spray-tanning at whatever weather college they may claim to have attended, we're meant to believe that they are "scientists" with meteorological knowledge far too complicated for us weather-novices to understand. Their StormTracker forecasting system is presented as a complex scientific method so high-speed, high-res, high-def, and high-tech that it would be a waste of time to even try to explain it to the average viewer, so instead they just break it down into simpler, more straight-forward statements like, "The snow is coming, run for your lives!" And we do.

What was even more shocking than the pre-snowpocolyptic frenzy was the aftermath of The Storm. Not only was there no snow storm, but there wasn't even any snow. Not one freakin' flake. Upon realizing this, I immediately turned tuned in to my local news station, expecting some sort of explanation, some sort of recognition from my local Accu-weather forecaster that his forecast had been In-Accu, and that maybe he was sorry. But there was nothing. No apologies, no indication of embarrassment, nothing. And it was the same on every channel. The very meteorologists who, just twelve short hours ago, had been prophesizing a full-blown Snowmageddon were now just smiling and continuing on as if nothing had happened. They even had the gall to start warning me about another storm that would undoubtedly ravage the entire city sometime in the near future. I sat there in my apartment for the rest of the day, surrounded by jugs of water, flashlights, snow shovels, and duct tape, waiting for the apology that I knew deep down would never come.

Until now...

I want to believe that TV weather people are not just evil, that they are just "following orders", and that, if given the opportunity, they would turn off all those accu-storm-trackers, step away from that digital weather map green screen for a moment, relax their twinkling smile, look humbly and directly into the camera and say, "I'm sorry." Well, until then, I am offering all of America's TV weathermen and women the next best thing: a TV Weatherperson Official Letter of Apology. Weather people: here is your quick n' easy chance to make things right! Just fill out the form below with your appropriate information and either e-mail it or print up and send it to anyone you feel you've harmed over the years with your careless and shamefully false predictions. Relieve yourself of all that pent-up guilt. Lift off the heavy shame of knowing that you have single-handedly ruined millions of family trips to the lake, ski weekends, outdoor birthday parties, weekend getaways, sports activities, weddings, festivals, dates, graduations, boat rides, car rides, and picnics, just to name a few. One TV Weatherperson Official Letter of Apology is not going to bring back the sunny day you promised little Billy for his 9th birthday party in the park, or young Jane's beautiful wedding, which was cancelled due to the thunderstorms you warned her about, but which never arrived. Give little Billy and poor young Jane the satisfaction of knowing that you, at the very least, admit your mistake and are sorry for what you did. Let the healing begin:

TV Weatherperson Official Letter of Apology

(Form to be completed by TV weatherperson only)

Dear _______________ (forecast victim(s)),

Words cannot express how deeply sorry I, _____________________ (your name), your local TV weatherman/woman, am for any anxiety, frustration and inconvenience I have caused you.

On __/___/____ (mm/dd/yy of false weather report), I inaccurately reported that the weather would be __________ (rainy, sunny, snowy, windy, balmy, mild), when it was actually__________ (rainy, sunny, snowy, windy, balmy, mild). Due to my inaccurate forecasting, your _______________ (wedding, birthday, funeral, weekend, vacation, picnic, graduation, party, car ride, general mood) was ruined, and I accept full responsibility for my careless actions.

I, _____________________, (your name), the weather____ (man, woman, person) at Channel ___ News in ____________, ___ (City, State) admit that meteorology is almost 100% bullsh*t. A bunch of monkeys throwing their own shit at a weather map would make more accurate predictions than my weather team. The high-tech weather simulations and flashy graphics are merely an effort to hide the fact that we have absolutely no idea what we're talking about. I'm not even really sure what a "meteorologist" is. I got my meteorology certification card free with my gym membership. To be honest, I just really, really like being on TV.

I, ______________________ (your name) cannot promise you that I will my weather forecasts will be more honest or accurate from now on. But as long as there are elevators and awkward silences, people will need to talk about the weather and, as long as they do, I will keep on giving them things to talk about, even if everything I say is complete bullsh*t, which, I, ______________________ (your name), hereby admit that it is.

Sincerely,

Your local weatherman, _________________________ (signature) Date:____

Dan Persons: Mighty Movie Podcast: Shutter Island Press Conference

2010-02-10T03:29:50Z

The embargo on the Shutter Island press conference has lifted, so I'm putting it out for your entertainment and enrichment. However, I believe the embargo on criticism is still in place, so I can't really set this up in the way that I'd like. You're just going to have to wait for the BRAND NEW Cinefantastique Podcast to get my opinion (as well as that of editor Steve Biodrowski) on the film.

Suffice it to say that Shutter Island is Martin Scorsese's latest work, a dark exploration of the human psyche that has Leonardo DiCaprio's U.S. Marshal going to the titular island to investigate the disappearance of an inmate from a hospital for the criminally insane. There, he discovers more than a smattering of sinister doings, and a couple of doctors -- played by Ben Kingsley and Max von Sydow -- whose ministrations may or may not figure in the conspiracy. Curiosity piqued? The film opens on February 19th.

Click on the player below to hear the New York press conference that featured Martin Scorsese, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Ben Kingsley.

More MMP on HuffPost:
Nicole Opper on Off and Running
Michael Hoffman on The Last Station
Davis and Heilbroner on Waiting for Armageddon

Check out the Mighty Movie Podcast homepage.
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