IN THE NEWS...

[muthagoose]

Dear Carrot Top...

What is your deal?

Have a great day! -

Muthagoose Escobar

[muthagoose]

Sizemore's Homebrewed Porn

Tom Sizemore has gone from roles in "Black Hawk Down," and "Saving Private Ryan," to homemade porn.

The 43-year-old actor is now starring in a number of hardcore sex videos, online at xxxtom.com.

The videos show Sizemore engaging in sex acts with various women, and also acting very strangely while throwing around a football with naked women, cursing the L.A.P.D., and discussing his financial woes, saying he's "down to a million and change."[/i]

A company called XPays, which also put the Paris Hilton sex tape online, released the footage.

Sizemore will likely get a cut of the profits, says AVNOnline.com.

Sizemore's manager, Bob DeBrino, told reporters recently that the actor secretly taped his sexual liasons because he suffers from a disease called priapism, which enables him to have sex up to nine times without stopping, by causing a persistent erection.

Sizemore is currently in a California rehab facility after pleading guilty to using drugs while on probation for beating his ex-girlfriend, Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss.

[muthagoose]

Action star Steven Seagal creates energy drink called "Lightning Bolt".

Official Site: www.lightningdrink.com/

The 54-year-old action star has created Lightning Bolt energy drink, a vigorous concoction he claims to have discovered while traveling the globe in search of disease-killing botanicals. Seagal's boredom-bashing beverage is a healthier alternative, he says, to the so-called "nutraceutical" market, where drinks like Rock Star and Full Throttle kick butt much like he did in the early '90s.



Powered by Tibetan goji berries, Seagal's elixir comes in multiple flavors, including Root Beer Rush, Cherry Charge and Asian Experience. The star of such films as "Under Siege" and "Hard to Kill" says he discovered the power of the Tibetan berries and other exotic ingredients while researching immune builders in Asia.

"I have traveled the world creating this drink; there is none better that I know," the self-described actor, singer/songwriter, guitarist, Aikido black belt and master herbalogist boasted. "I have included in this drink everything I could to strengthen the body."

The kimono-wearing former "Mountain Dew" pitchman is sweetening the taste of his drinks with a limited-time offer for fans who purchase a four-pack. "The Path Beyond Thought," a 2001 documentary that shows Seagal in his early training days in Japan, can now find its way into the over-energized fingers of Seagal's fans who possess a proof of purchase and are willing to pay the $4.95 shipping and handling.

Seagal, who recently completed the film "Into the Sun," released Songs From the Crystal Cave earlier this year, an album his press release claims "has already hit the pop charts in Europe."

[muthagoose]

The Tom Sizemore Sex Tape Review

www.somethingawful.com/articles.php?a=3156

Follow the above link for a very funny read.

At a Glance: Not since Limp Bizkit auteur Fred Durst's camera phone puked onto the Internet has a celebrity sex tape been less welcome.



Tom Sizemore famously dated and famously beat the shit out of celebrity madam Heidi Fleiss - an act I think anyone who has ever seen an interview with Fleiss can easily forgive - so the fact that he fucks hookers and films it really doesn't come as a huge surprise. Expected or not, this elaborate and expensive (in more ways than one) collection of homegrown porn is redolent with the intertwining stenches of failure and humiliation. Sizemore explains he is a "grower not a shower" and then spends minutes complaining about how he can't achieve an erection because of a looming court case. His drug-fueled soliloquies about how he is "not smart, but not really stupid" or his explanation of a squirt gun containing his semen will loom like storm clouds in the mind of any casting director. The proverbial truth is out there: Tom Sizemore is a giant fucking idiot.

[muthagoose]

Dorothy's Ruby Slippers Stolen From Museum

Monday, August 29, 2005

GRAND RAPIDS, Minn. — A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz" and insured for $1 million is missing from a Grand Rapids museum.

Police Chief Leigh Serfling said the slippers were stolen late Saturday or early Sunday. Someone entered the museum through a window and broke into the small display case holding the slippers.

"There's not a whole lot of evidence," Serfling said. "We're hoping that someone in the community has seen something."

Children's Discovery Museum director John Kelsch said the slippers belong to a Los Angeles man who loaned them to the museum for several weeks this summer.

The children's museum houses the Judy Garland museum, which displayed the same pair of slippers last year. Garland was born in Grand Rapids in 1922.

"The slippers are a major attraction at our museum," Kelsch said in a news release Monday. "It is our hope that the slippers can be recovered immediately."

Four pairs of ruby slippers worn by Garland in the movie are known to exist, including one pair on display at the Smithsonian Institution. Another pair sold at Christie's auction house in 2000 for $666,000.

[muthagoose]

Where the Rumsfelds Retreat, The Cheneys Soon Could Follow

ST. MICHAELS, Md. -- They've grown used to having a secretary of defense in their midst -- the way his weekend estate is tucked behind a bend in the road, how he takes casual walks tailed by dark SUVs. Now, residents of this Eastern Shore retreat are preparing for someone even bigger to buy a house down the road: the vice president.

"I'd heard it was going to close either Tuesday or Wednesday of this week," Carroll Hurley, a funeral home owner, said Saturday, seated with his breakfast gang at the Carpenter Street saloon and restaurant.

Whether it's true -- that Dick and Lynne Cheney are buying an estate here -- could not be confirmed. Those closest to the deal -- Cheney's office, the purported sellers, the listing agent -- aren't talking. Hurley admits he's not certain: "All I have is hearsay. It wouldn't stand up in court."

Still, a nosy visit here leaves a person with one of two possibilities: Either the Cheneys are coming or a lot of people have bad information. Police Chief Ed Henry -- who breakfasted along with Hurley -- even referred to the lot in question as "Cheney's house."

The house, listed at $2.9 million, backs up in spectacular fashion to an inlet of the Chesapeake Bay. "Right out by [Defense Secretary Donald H.] Rumsfeld's," said Charles Mangold Sr., whose Benson & Mangold agency brokers high-end estates in the area. "It's under contract, but he hasn't settled yet."

Reaction to the two men's presence is embedded into everyday conversation -- even as residents take pride in taking it all in stride. They tick off celebrities who have lived in or visited the area: Margaret Thatcher, Walter Cronkite, James Michener, Yasser Arafat and Vince Vaughan -- the latest during nearby filming of "Wedding Crashers."

Residents joke about the occasional helicopter overhead and what flavor Rumsfeld gets at Justine's Ice Cream parlor. One woman even drew a clear distinction -- pro-Rumsfeld, anti-Cheney.

"Cheney's a politician. He's connected with Bush," said Rhonda Lewis, 58, a bookkeeper at a bike shop in nearby Easton. She has always had a crush on Rumsfeld. "He is just adorable."

She thinks the defense secretary often looks stressed out on TV, and seeing him walk casually through St. Michaels in khakis is comforting. "Bush just dumped all the hard stuff on him," Lewis said.

At Albright's Gun Shop, a highly regarded draw for goose and duck hunters, a photo of the vice president hangs near the counter. "Best Wishes. Dick Cheney," says the autograph.

Near the photo, behind the counter, Jim Kohlhaus remembered a recent day when several security people walked into the store, followed by the vice president. "I'll be . . . ," Kohlhaus said. He recalled telling Cheney he voted for him twice, "and I finally get to shake your hand."

Cheney extended his hand, Kohlhaus said, and bought some shotgun shells.

Rumsfeld bought a weekend house in St. Michaels two years ago, reportedly for about $1.5 million. He gets generally good reviews here for his desire to blend in -- even if that means taking a walk with his wife, Joyce, down a rural stretch of road tailed by SUVs. Residents say he doesn't like to pose for pictures alone, preferring to ask people to stand next to him and have a brief chat.

Lori Cuthbert, who lives nearby, said she met the defense secretary at a neighborhood St. Patrick's Day party. She intends to invite the Rumsfelds to an upcoming barbecue -- despite the Kerry-Edwards bumper sticker on her Honda.

Sue Stockman, an artist who sells jewelry and mosaics, bears witness that different types of people blend together here. Her Volkswagen van parked in her driveway is painted with flowers and sports "Think Peace" and "It Takes a Village to Raise a Child" bumper stickers. She protested the war in Iraq before it started and describes herself as an "environmentalist, holistic thinker and a pacifist."

Stockman reported having a run-in with someone she suspects was part of Rumsfeld's security detail. They argued over the film "Fahrenheit 9/11" at the Blue Crab Coffee shop -- ending with her putting a hand on his shoulder, sending him Reiki energy healing and telling him she had to get going.

A short time later, the man showed up at her house and gave her a small book, Stockman said. She fetched it from inside her house. "The Meaning of Life" is filled with photographs of animals, bits of wisdom and an inscription from the former Marine asking Stockman to accept his apologies and the book "as a token of friendship."

Cheney seemingly has spent far less time here. He, his wife and the Rumsfelds did dine on April 16 at 208 Talbot, a high-end restaurant in central St. Michaels.

"Cheney had the lamb," said Deborah Miller, seated behind the hostess stand.

She knew something was up that day when security agents showed up in the afternoon to scout out the place. An attache of Cheney's then arrived, saying he'd prefer a table among the regular diners -- rather than in a back room. No one bothered their table, and the foursome couldn't have been more pleasant, Miller recalled. But she didn't know whether Cheney was buying a place.

And the owner of the house in question declined to comment, saying politely from the end of its long driveway that he didn't want to talk about anything.

The estate goes back to 1930 and was said to be built by one of Thomas Edison's daughters, according to Robert Snyder, the Coldwell Banker agent who is listing the property.

The nine-acre lot includes extensive gardens, ornamental pools and spectacular views of the water behind it. Deer and osprey can be seen.

Snyder, who is vice president of the St. Michaels town commission, declined to say when any deal might close and whether the Cheneys were going to move in. "It truly is a magnificent piece of property," he added.

[muthagoose]

Charges against Christian Slater of groping a woman’s rear end have been dropped… Copy: Christian Slater may have Very Bad Things on his résumé, but that doesn't make him a wanton butt groper.

A New York judge on Monday dismissed charges that Slater improperly touched a woman's tuchus at an Upper East Side bodega in May following an argument with his girlfriend.

The two misdemeanor harassment counts were tossed by Manhattan Criminal Courts Judge Shawndya Simpson at a pretrial hearing. The charges carried a maximum penalty of a year in prison.

"The case is over," Slater told People upon exiting the courthouse. "I'm thrilled.

"This is the process. It just shows that someone can accuse you of anything."



Asked by reporters if he actually grabbed his accuser's gluteus maximus, Slater laughed off the query. But his lawyer, Eric Franz, said, "I think the fact that this case was dismissed speaks for itself. I think it suffices to say we are relieved."

The dismissal comes two months after Slater refused a plea bargain. Prosecutors wanted Slater, 36, to plead guilty to second-degree harassment--instead of third-degree sexual abuse--and perform three days of community service.

However Franz told Criminal Court Judge Richard Weinberg that the actor was not in a deal-making mood because he hadn't committed any crime.

"We believe this case warrants dismissal," the attorney told the court.

Authorities had claimed that he committed the posterior-pinching of an unidentified 52-year-old woman in the wee hours of May 31. A handcuffed Slater was subsequently shown in local news video declaring "I didn't do anything" as he was ushered into a police cruiser.

Slater's rap sheet rivals his filmography, and includes a conviction for a high-speed police chase way back in 1989 and a 1994 arrest for trying to bringing a loaded pistol into a terminal at New York's JFK Airport.

In 1997, the Untamed Heart actor was busted for drug-fueled rampage at a Los Angeles party, during which he allegedly slugged his girlfriend in the face, bit a man in the stomach, and got into a shoving match with a police officer. Slater later blamed the meltdown on a cocaine and heroin binge and wound up sentenced to rehab and jail, where he served 59 days of a 90-day sentence.

Earlier this year, Slater filed for divorce from his wife of five years, TV producer Ryan Haddon, citing irreconcilable differences.

The ex-couple had their share of problems, most notably when Haddon was taken into custody in Las Vegas in 2003 after hurling a glass at Slater, who required nine stitches to close a gash in his head. No charges were filed against Haddon after the couple agreed to work out the dispute privately.

When not engaged in real-life drama, Slater prefers the make-believe kind. He headlined this year's horror stinker Alone in the Dark and had a lead role in the Broadway revival of The Glass Menagerie. Next up is a live reading of Casablanca in Los Angeles (he'll play Rick to Anne Heche's Ilsa at the Actor's Fund of America benefit), set for Oct. 2, and then he's off to London to begin rehearsals for the play Sweet Bird of Youth. (As reported by E! Online)

[LotB]

There's always something amusing in this thread. And what is up with Cheney? We don't need anymore damn rich outsiders.

Save the Shore!

[Ponyone]

O'Malley Kicks Off Campaign for Governor

Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley (D) kicked off his campaign for governor today with a nod to the Washington suburbs, touting his upbringing in Rockville during a speech in which he was surrounded by family and friends.

"Every day I draw on the lessons that I learned here," O'Malley said during an appearance where he was introduced by his mother, who still lives in Montgomery County.

O'Malley is reserving his official declaration of his candidacy for tonight, when he is scheduled to appear in Baltimore.

But he walked right up to the line in this morning's remarks, saying that "Maryland has gone adrift, and it is time to get our state moving forward again.

"We need a governor that will make our state stronger, that will join with people to make our state better," O'Malley told several dozen supporters in a park ringed by neatly manicured trees.

The morning speech was the first in a day of events that will culminate with the announcement in Baltimore's Patterson Park, aides said. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (D-Md.) has been enlisted to serve as master of ceremonies. The mayor also plans to have lunch today with Prince George's County supporters at a chicken and waffles restaurant in Largo.

Aides telegraphed the timing of O'Malley's announcement a week ago, and his decision to enter the Democratic race hardly comes as a surprise. The mayor flirted with running for governor in 2002 and has done little to hide his ambitions for higher office since.

O'Malley's Democratic rival, Montgomery County Executive Douglas M. Duncan, plans to make his bid for governor official in coming weeks, aides say, setting the stage for a rough-and-tumble primary. Duncan sent an e-mail to Democrats yesterday asking them to "think bigger."

"Debate is good for democracy and competitive elections have always brought out the best in our people," Duncan wrote. "Over the course of the next year, I look forward to an open, honest discussion about Maryland, about our future."

O'Malley, who was reelected to a second term as mayor last year with 87 percent of the vote, has touted Baltimore's "comeback" during recent appearances throughout the state. He points to a drop in the city's overall crime rate, rising test scores among younger children and renewed business and residential investments in Baltimore. In April, Time magazine named O'Malley of one of the country's five best big-city mayors.

But stewardship of a big city also provides O'Malley with some baggage as he ramps up for higher office. The city's homicide rate, although down since O'Malley took office in 1999, has not dropped as rapidly as he promised and remains higher than many municipalities of comparable size. Duncan has hammered O'Malley in recent days, arguing that Baltimore remains the state's most troubled jurisdiction and that the mayor has overstated the city's advances during his tenure.

Other big-city mayors who have sought higher office across the country have often struggled to connect with rural and suburban voters. Aides argue that O'Malley, a constant presence in the Baltimore media market that reaches much of the state, enters the race far better positioned than most. The latest independent polling on the race, conducted in April for the Baltimore Sun, showed O'Malley beating Duncan by double digits in a primary contest and with a slight lead over Ehrlich in a general election match up. Duncan's campaign produced a recent survey showing a somewhat tighter race.

Although the Democratic primary is nearly a year away, O'Malley has a flurry of campaign stops planned in coming days. An e-mail sent to supporters by his campaign last night said he would make stops in Baltimore and 10 counties within the coming week.

For what Muthagoose Escobar's sources tell him... O'Malley will be giving a speech at The Courthouse in Easton, MD on Friday at 1:45 PM.

[Üncle Snake]

admin said:

For what Muthagoose Escobar's sources tell him... O'Malley will be giving a speech at The Courthouse in Easton, MD on Friday at 1:45 PM.

I will be covering this event for the paper.

[muthagoose]

I will be covering it for the hell of it.

[muthagoose]

Martin O'Malley pics up at:

muthagoose.textamerica.com

O'Malley has dubbed The Suburban Legends as "America's Team"

[mavhimself]

here's a good old fashioned welcome to L.A. here. i must say, while i was breathing in smoke and ash was falling from the sky, my only thought was of howie long in that movie "firestorm" saying, "YOU ARE HEADING INTO A BACKFIRE!!!"

news.yahoo.com/fc/us/wildfires_and_forest_fires

mav himself.

[muthagoose]

Oscar Winner Nicolas Cage's Wife, Alice, Gives Birth to Baby Boy Named Kal-El (as in Superman) Coppola Cage

LOS ANGELES Oct 3, 2005 — Oscar-winning actor Nicolas Cage is a new father.

It's a bird, it's a plane, it's another strange celebrity baby name.
Nicolas Cage is a big fan of "Superman" and has now named his new son Kal-el, which is the name Superman was given when he was born on Krypton.

Muthagoose says: That is kinda cool.... but what an asshole!

His wife, Alice Kim Cage, gave birth Monday to a boy, Kal-el Coppola Cage, in New York City, said Cage's Los Angeles-based publicist, Annett Wolf. No other details were available.

"They are healthy and happy and it's quite lovely," Wolf said by phone from New York.

The couple married in July 2004. It was the third marriage for Cage and the first for his new wife, who was 20 when they were wed. They met when Cage visited a Los Angeles restaurant where she was working as a waitress.

Cage, 41, who won an Oscar for his role in "Leaving Las Vegas," has a son from a previous relationship.

His screen credits also include "Lord of War," now in theaters, "Adaptation," "Honeymoon in Vegas" and "Moonstruck."

He was previously married to Lisa Marie Presley and actress Patricia Arquette.

[muthagoose]

Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes expecting



Cruise's sister and publicist Lee Anne Devette confirmed the great expectation to People magazine Wednesday, saying both the couple and "the entire family is very excited." She declined to reveal any details about the due date or the sex of the child but said Holmes, 26, "has never felt better."

Cruise, 43, hasn't hidden his desire to have kids with Holmes. The superstar already has two adopted children, Connor, 10, and Isabella, 12, from his second marriage to Nicole Kidman. His first union, to actress Mimi Rogers, did not produce any children.

After several months out of the spotlight, photos recently surfaced of Holmes and Cruise at Isabella's soccer game.

The two first unveiled their PDA-heavy relationship to the world back in April, when Holmes joined Cruise in Rome for the David di Donatello awards. But their whirlwind romance was met with some skepticism, as media outlets questioned whether it was a publicity stunt to promote their two respective summer films, Holmes' Batman Begins and Cruise's War of the Worlds.

After barely two months of very public dating, Cruise proposed to the previously reserved Holmes June 17 atop the Eiffel Tower over a candlelit dinner at the Jules Verne restaurant. He announced the engagement at a press conference the same day: "Today is a magnificent day for me. I'm engaged to a magnificent woman," Cruise told reporters.

The two were largely inseparable at the June 23 Manhattan premiere of Cruise's War of the Worlds, holding hands as they chatted with fans and kissing for the cheering crowds. He mouthed "I love you" to Holmes after leaving her side to work the red carpet and told USA TODAY that although a wedding date had not been set, "I know it's going to happen."

Devette told People that there's no wedding date yet and did not provide any details about the nuptials. It's an open question whether the ceremony would be conducted within the controversial Church of Scientology, of which Cruise is a prominent member. A Scientology minister officiates at a Scientology wedding and friends and family are asked to give their consent to the union.

Cruise is shooting Mission: Impossible 3

[muthagoose]

Hundreds Of Snakeheads Found In Tributary
Anglers Say They Found Non-Native Snakeheads In Potomac

WASHINGTON -- There's more evidence that that the northern snakehead fish is thriving in area waters.

Anglers on Dogue Creek, near Fort Belvoir, Va., say they found hundreds of the non-native fish on Sunday, when the creek was swollen with rain. They caught at least 80, using nets and three-pronged fishhooks. But the anglers said hundreds more remained in the creek.

Snakeheads are native to China and Korea. They were found in the Potomac and its tributaries last year, two years after their first appearance in the area, in a Crofton, Md., pond.



In the first half of this year, about 15 snakeheads were caught in area waters. Scientists are concerned that the breeding population will compete with native fish, throwing the ecosystem out of balance.

The northern snakehead is a native of China and Korea that can grow to several feet long. It has large teeth, a voracious appetite for other fish and the ability to wriggle short distances over land.

Anglers are asked not to release a snakehead fish, but to kill it humanely with a blow to the head and to get it on ice as quickly as possible. Anglers should report their catches to authorities immediately.

[muthagoose]

Snakeheads Return With a Vengeance: Mason hopes for career resurgence

WASHINGTON - The Northern snakehead breeds prolifically. And, it can survive for days out of the water wriggling around in the mud, breathing air.

And, yes, the Asian import that preys on other species does have folks in the fisheries arena concerned.

"The snakehead is really the poster child of non-native, exotic species," says Julia Dixon, spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries.

"The country is dealing with invasive species from kudzu to snakeheads. They are a reality in wildlife management and fisheries management today. We need people to be aware of the impact."

Anglers say they caught 80 snakeheads in Dogue Creek, a Potomac River tributary near Fort Belvoir, Va. They say hundreds more were in the waters after the weekend's heavy rains.

"I wouldn't be surprised if there was a large number of snakehead fish in that creek. We've had several caught in that area," Dixon says.

"We have no way of knowing how those fish were put in there."

Scientists are concerned the snakeheads will compete with native bass and other fish for food, throwing the ecosystem out of balance, especially since they have no native predators in the area's fresh waters.

"There are lessons to be learned from this fish. We're going to watch their impact on the waters and trying to manage them," Dixon says.

Before Sunday's massive haul, fishermen had already caught 70 of the predators in the Potomac and its tributaries this year. Fisheries biologist John Odenkirk says there's a strong indication the fish are migrating.



Anglers are asked to remove any of the fish they find and not to release them in other waterways so that the state can better track them.

"We do want to monitor their growth in Virginia waters," Dixon says. "We want to know if they're expanding into other waters."

Virginia officials do know that the snakeheads found in the Potomac and its tributaries are not related to the ones found two years ago in a Crofton, Md. pond. In Maryland, a man admitted to the Department of Natural Resources that he dumped two snakeheads - one male and one female - into the pond they outgrew his aquarium.

In Related News...
"Swarm of The Snakehead" has yet to be released. But if you have a hankering for some Snakehead... check out "Night of The Snakehead Fish", "Snakehead Terror", "Nettle vs. Python" and "Frankenfish"

[LotB]

www.wchstv.com/newsroom/eyewitness/0510/051021-1.shtml

LOGAN TEACHER INVESTIGATED
Charge Brought By Middle Schooler

Reported by: Jake Glance
Videographer: Unknown
Web Producer: Dick Canter
October 21, 2005

A student at Logan Middle School says she was asked by her teacher to go in front of a class and demonstrate how to perform oral sex on a female.

The teacher's name is not being released, pending the results of the investigation.

Published reports indicate students who were in the class were told to write down what they saw.

Gary Workman/Parent: "Kinda crazy, isn't it?"

Todd Forester: "You wouldn't expect to hear something like that, especially in Logan."

We contacted the accused teacher, whose name is not being released, by phone Friday. He called the report outlandish and claims to be guilty of nothing.

Superintendent David Godby will not confirm or deny any details of the report, but says a full-scale internal investigation is now underway. Godby says the aim right now is to determine the accuracy of the report and, if necessary, discuss disciplinary action.

Cecilia Tomblin/Parent: "It's bad enough they learn it on their own."

Both the Logan Police Department and the State Police say, right now, they have no part in the investigation.

The accused teacher says there is a meeting Monday morning to discuss what should be done next.

Jake Glance reporting.

[muthagoose]

HE’S GAY, JIM

George Takei has boldly gone where no Star Trek star has gone before: He's come out.

In so many words.

"You know, it's not really coming out," Takei says in the Nov. 22 issue of the Los Angeles-based gay and lesbian magazine Frontiers (www.FrontiersPublishing.com). "It's more like a long, long walk through what began as a narrow corridor that starts to widen."



In the interview, Takei, forever Mr. Sulu of the U.S.S. Enterprise, notes that he has been "open" about his homosexuality for years--to family, and to friends. "But I have not talked to the press," he says. "In that sense, maybe that's another opening of the corridor there."

Frontiers editor Alexander Cho says Takei's camp initiated the interview with a phone call from a close friend who said the Trek icon, at 68, was ready to talk publicly about his private life.

"I think it's very important," Cho says of Takei's disclosure. "We know his influence far beyond Star Trek."


Key to the story, says Cho, who conducted the interview, is that, in the age of the gay marriage debate, Takei offers "positive images of gay couples." The actor has been in a relationship with Brad Altman, heretofore identified as "my manager" on Takei's Website, for 18 years.

When the time came for Takei to do the interview, Cho says, the sci-fi legend was "most definitely comfortable."

In the magazine, Takei likens going public with his sexuality to overcoming the "shame" he felt for having lived in Japanese-American internment camps during World War II.

"I didn't want to talk about being in an internment camp," Takei says. "They would ask me, where was I? I would say I was far away...But I never went into details."

According to Takei, his attitude changed when he learned what normal was.

"The large popular normality is that rigid, constrained normality," Takei says in Frontiers. "But there's another natural normality. And you come to realize, 'This is who I am. And by gum, I'm not going to let it be a constraint!'"

In the interview, Takei takes a swipe at fellow Hollywood denizen turned California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. Takei calls the Terminator a "dangerous politician" for his recent veto of a state gay marriage bill.

Takei faced challenges of the intergalactic variety as the Enterprise's navigator on the original 1966-69 TV series. He went on to appear in the first six big-screen Trek movies.

Last seen in a Starfleet uniform on a 1996 episode of Star Trek: Voyager, Takei currently is starring on the Los Angeles stage in Equus.

[Count Grande]

I cant believe it... I always wondered why Chekov walked like he had something stuck up his ass...

I still dont know what to say.

[Count Grande]

Michael Piller, best known to television viewers around the world as the executive producer/co-creator of more than 500 hours of Star Trek, lost his long battle with an aggressive form of head & neck cancer on Tuesday, November 1, 2005 at 4:51 a.m. at his home in Los Angeles. He was 57. He is survived by his wife Sandra, daughter Brent and son Shawn.

Michael served as creative consultant for Star Trek: Voyager, which he co-created, until the series concluded in May 2001. He also co-created Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and served as executive producer on Star Trek: The Next Generation (1989-1994), Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1992-1995) and Star Trek: Voyager (1994-1996). During the 1994-95 television season, Michael also co-created and executive produced the UPN network series Legend.

In 1998, he wrote and co-produced "Star Trek: Insurrection," the ninth installment in the enormously successful Star Trek feature film franchise for Paramount Pictures.

In 1999, Michael partnered with his son Shawn Piller to form Piller2, Inc., a Hollywood-based production company where they developed and produced new television and motion picture properties. The father/son duo are also the co-creators of USA Network's top-rated cable drama series The Dead Zone, and the ABC Family Channel's Wildfire.

Michael, in addition to serving on the Advisory Board for the Department of Communications Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, gave a major grant to his alma mater to help launch a nationally distinctive screenwriting program.

With Michael Piller at the helm of Star Trek: The Next Generation, the show became the first syndicated series in the 90's to receive an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Drama. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine continued the success of the franchise during its seven seasons on the air. Star Trek: Voyager also ran for seven seasons.

An Emmy Award-winning journalist, Michael began his broadcasting career with CBS News in New York. He subsequently served as managing editor of the WBTV-TV News in Charlotte, North Carolina, and assistant news director at WBBM-TV, the CBS affiliate in Chicago.

His first position in entertainment television was as a censor in the CBS docudrama unit. Piller then spent two years as a programming executive before leaving CBS to write full-time.

Michael's credits as a writer-producer include the series Simon & Simon, Cagney & Lacey, Miami Vice, Probe, and Hard Time on Planet Earth. In addition, he co-created and executive produced the syndicated series Group One Medical.

Mr Grande note: "Michael Piller was a great producer and journalist. He was an intergral part of the Star Trek Universe and Family and will be missed.

[muthagoose]

Is driving easier when Mr. T’s riding shotgun?

Centuries ago, navigators looked to the stars to work out their location on Earth and plot their courses. Today, stars are again set to guide lost travelers to their destinations, but they won’t be the celestial bodies seen in the heavens each night.

Instead, think Mr. T, Burt Reynolds and Dennis Hopper — they’ve all signed up to deliver celebrity voice content for turn-by-turn driving directions in the Navtones car navigation system produced by Los Angeles-based Wanderlust Media and digital map and location content provider Tele Atlas.

If you already have an expensive navigation system in your car, you’re already familiar with the generic woman’s voice telling you to turn left at the next light. The idea behind Wanderlust’s new offering is to give drivers something a little different, explains CEO Will Andre. Mr. T not only guides, he also threatens: “Pay attention to what I’m saying,” he bawls. “Mr. T gonna get you there in one piece … you gonna be there safely, or else!”



“The idea behind this came when we heard anecdotally that a lot of people were frustrated with the voices on their navigation systems and talked back to them,” Andre said. “That led to some research and we found that a lot of users referred to their navigation systems by a specific name, like Jane, so we decided to capitalize on that relationship.”

Andre says the celebrity navigation idea is part of the “the personalization of consumer electronics,” and he hopes the venture will be as popular as the craze for personalized ring tones for cell phones.

Directions from celebrities like Mr. T will be available for download on to stand-alone, portable navigation devices by the end of the year, while celebrity voices will be available in embedded car navigation devices in the first quarter of 2006, according to Andre.

A single celebrity voice will cost about $10 to download online, while unique character-themed voices — think of a generic surfer dude, or a cowboy — will cost about $5 each, Andre said. More celebrity voices are planned for later this year he notes, although he declined to disclose any specific names.

Wanderlust is also exploring other celebrity navigation projects, such as the development of culturally-relevant voices in other languages and the use of Dennis Hopper’s voice in Dutch navigation systems firm TomTom’s “TomTom Rider,” a GPS navigation system for motorbike riders. “We thought an Easy Rider voice would be of interest,” he said. In August, TomTom launched a navigation system for European drivers using the voice of Monty Python star John Cleese.

Whether a portable unit or built into an automobile’s dashboard, car navigation systems that use radio signals from global positioning satellites to pinpoint an exact location, or plot travel directions are becoming popular items for drivers who loathe losing their way. They come as standard in high-end cars from manufacturers like BMW, or Mercedes, and can be bought as optional extras in many other makes of car sold in the United States.

But GPS car navigation has not seen the same popularity in the United States as it has in Europe or in Japan, where cities and towns are rarely laid out in an uncomplicated grid pattern as they are the United States, notes Will Strauss, a principal analyst with Forward Concepts, an electronics market research firm in Tempe, Az.

[mavhimself]

dennis hopper? whats he gonna say? "pop quiz hotshot! you need to turn left man! if you dip below 55 miles an hour, the bomb goes off! you know man, you're part eggplant! turn right, right, man!!!!!!!!"

mav himself.

[muthagoose]

Some rappers slow down after scoring platinum plaques, major movie roles and their own fashion line.

Not Snoop Dogg.

Snoop has proven he can spread himself thin and still win. But like comic book superheroes, super rapper Snoop has a sidekick to help him out: his entrepreneurial 26-year-old brother, Bing Worthington. Together, their endeavors include Snoop Dogg Clothing, Cadillac Snoop DeVilles, Snoop Dogg skateboards and now, foot-long frankfurters.

You guessed it: Snoop Doggs.

Worthington came to Beantown on Wednesday to seal the hot dog deal with Boston-based Platinum One Media. His partners, Jeff Earp and Franco Petrucci, said they plan to have the made-in-Massaschusetts product in stores by January. And, yes, they hope to push Snoop Doggs at Fenway next season.



Lounging downstairs at the Wyndham Hotel, still on what he calls “L.A. time,” Worthington explained the attraction of a fast-food venture.

“There aren’t any celebrity hot dogs out there,” he said. “Who’s the competition? Ball Park?”

Even though Snoop Doggs will be little more than juicy franks dressed in hip-hop marketing, Worthington promises they’ll have his brother’s flavor.

“Everyone I’ve said it to has laughed,” he said. “Imagine a long, skinny hot dog just like Snoop.”

All of Worthington’s business decisions reflect the Big Dogg’s style. Case in point is the Snoop Dogg Board Co., which Worthington came up with after hearing Snoop tracks played repeatedly at last year’s X Games.

“I knew there had to be a skateboarding market for Snoop,” Worthington said. “But when you ride the board we want you to feel the Snoop in it, so we’re gonna have spinners on there.”

Worthington has no end of schemes he wants to pitch. Among them are hip-hop trading cards, model replicas of pimped-out celebrity rides, and his newest as of yesterday: a much-needed player’s club in downtown Boston.

Worthington earned the right to expand Snoop’s empire after proving himself to his brother. Even after Snoop went platinum with “Doggystyle” in 1993, Worthington insisted he buy his own car and pay his own dues. After what he describes as “a lot of falls,” Worthington finally learned to develop and carry out ideas that impress Big Snoop.

“Being a little brother I had to prove that I’m not just a little brother,” he said. “I had to get out there and hustle and bring Snoop the whole package wrapped up.”

High-profile contacts came in handy. For researching skateboards, Worthington went straight to Tony Hawk. For hot dogs, he linked with Platinum One’s Jeff Earp, the former owner of Joe & Nemo’s in Downtown Crossing.

Still, even with hot dogs, extreme sports and merchandising on the brain, Worthington makes time for the original family business. Along with partner-in-rhyme H.I.T., he’s a member of the hip-hop duo Lifestyle. Their debut album, “Lubrication,” drops in January, right around the time Snoop Doggs will arrive on grocery store shelves.

Like his big brother, Worthington pledges to leave no opportunities untapped.

“Snoop takes advantage of everything,” Bing said. “This rap money isn’t long. Just ask MC Hammer.”

[Chick-O-Stick]

Ewww, Snoop Doggs. I told you I've always thought he'd smell like some sort of lunch meat, but I always figured salami...who would've thought hot dogs? Ewwww...