69!

Johnny Kats in the Las Vegas Sun:

"I'd had my curiosity about Tom Jones rejuvenated over the holidays, when I was talking with members of Elvis Presley's inner circle for a story... commemorating the anniversary of Presley's 75th birthday. During these interviews, Jones' name kept surfacing as a model for Presley had Presley lived to entertain into his 60s and 70s.

"You can see the similarities. Jones moves well and can still sing anything...

"Even today, women shriek and throw their underwear at Jones, who often acknowledges the act with such deft — a sideways glance, or a smirk — it's difficult to tell if he's honored or bored. Probably the former. When a woman from the back of the room shouted, 'Take OFF the coat!' Jones promised, 'Later, it's all coming off.' It was unclear if he meant later in the show, or later that night. Probably the latter..."

Our autographed Danny Gans photo arrived

The autographed 8x10 photo of Danny Gans arrived along with a certificate of authenticity. Everything in the Tabloid Baby office stopped momentarily as the picture was framed and made its way to a place of honor in the newsroom.

Save the blobfish

Meet the blobfish.

The blobfish inhabits the deep waters off the coasts of the Australian mainland and Tasmania. Scientists warn that over-fishing by trawlers is threatening to make it extinct. The bloated bottom dweller, which can grow up to 12 inches, lives at depths of up to 800m, and is rarely seen by humans.

(Blobfish are found at depths where the pressure is several dozens of times higher than at sea level, which would likely make gas bladders inefficient. To remain buoyant, the flesh of the blobfish is primarily a gelatinous mass with a density slightly less than water; this allows the fish to float above the sea floor without expending energy on swimming. The relative lack of muscle is not a disadvantage as it primarily swallows edible matter that floats by in front of it. It can be caught by bottom trawling with nets.)

Actor wants to play Martin Luther King

While news that DreamWorks is developing a biopic of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King has led to speculation about who'll star as the civil rights hero, there are already stirrings among the Hollywood acting community that a relative unknown would be perfect in the role.

Antonio D. Charity has appeared in television dramas like The Shield, Nip/Tuck, The Wire and the Law & Order franchises, and won raves in theatre showcases in Los Angeles, most notably in performances of The Meeting, Jeff Stetson's imagining of a meeting between King and Malcolm X.

Antonio D. Charity starred as King in the play.

The last time there was serious talk of a King flick, Eddie Murphy was a top contender for the role, but that was before his plans to star in August Wilson's Fences fell through and he resigned himself to family comedies. Placing a relative unknown with such a connection to King would make the film all the more moving.

Antonio D. Charity (right) as the Rev. Dr. King in The Meeting

Charity has exoressed real interest in the role, and is looking for a way to get the attention of producers Steven Spielberg, Suzanne de Passe and Madison Jones.

Already there's a Facebook campaign to give Charity an audition and a chance at the role.

We say there's nothing to lose by getting him in-- and so much to gain!

For the producers' convenience, we include Charity's bio below.

Meanwhile, we'll keep you posted.

Antonio D. Charity is from Surry County, VA. This youngest of twelve children moved to Los Angeles in December 2004 and has been impressing agents, casting directors and filmmakers with his amazing talent.

Antonio was first inspired to pursue acting professionally by the late Wiley Powell, Jr. after he joined the Surry County High School Repertory Club. Under Mr. Powell’s direction, the SCHS Repertory Club’s one-act plays won numerous awards at district, regional and state competitions. For two consecutive summers Antonio was awarded a scholarship from the Surry County School Board to attend “Firespark School For Gifted Students In The Arts” at Brenau College in Gainesville, Ga.

After graduating from Surry High Antonio moved to Washington, D.C. where he enrolled in Howard University’s College of Fine Arts as a theatre major. There he was taught by Al Freeman, Jr., best known for his portrayal of Elijah Muhammad in Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X”. Besides teaching him in class, Mr. Freeman also directed Antonio in Richard Wesley’s The Sirens and in Oak and Ivy, in which Antonio portrayed the famous poet Paul Lawrence Dunbar. The next four years of studying at Howard and working in D.C. and the surrounding areas laid the artistic foundation for the rest of his career.

It laid the business and professional foundation as well because it was during this time that Antonio became a member of the Screen Actors Guild. While still enrolled at Howard Antonio was hired as a guest star on an episode of “Homicide: Life On The Street”, in which he worked with Emmy Award winner Andre Braugher, Clark Johnson and with Daniel Baldwin. He also worked on several industrials, commercials and stage plays.

He transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond for one year and then returned to Howard. While living in Richmond and studying theatre at VCU he met a very well respected theatre director named Ernie McClintock. Ernie was a teacher, coach and friend. Antonio studied and worked with him for twelve years.

Antonio graduated from Howard University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree and moved to New York.

Over the next nine years he worked in a variety of television shows, films, commercials and stage plays. He appeared in “It Runs In The Family” with Michael and Kirk Douglas, “The Salon” with Vivica A. Fox, “Something The Lord Made” with Mos Def, “The Corner” with Charles Dutton and Khandi Alexander, “The Wire” with Wood Harris, “Cry Wolf” with Jon Bon Jovi and Gary Cole, “All My Children” with Kelly Ripa, “As The World Turns”, “Law & Order” and several other television and film productions. But mostly he “cut his teeth” on the New York stage in numerous community theatre, regional theatre, off Broadway, and off-off Broadway productions.

In December of 2004 he relocated to Los Angeles. He has worked on television shows such as “Charmed” with Alyssa Milano, the series “Nip/Tuck”, “House”, True Blood”, Numb3rs”, “The Shield” and several others. He has also performed in a made for television movie starring Florence Henderson of “The Brady Bunch” called “For Heaven’s Sake” and the feature films “Che Guevara” and “Over Her Dead Body”, starring Eva Longoria.

Currently he is performing in the Off Broadway hit “Black Angels Over Tuskegee”. In 2009 “Black Angels Over Tuskegee” won an NAACP Theatre Award for Best Ensemble. He also portrayed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in the play “The Meetng” by Jeff Stetson. The play was performed at various locations in and around Los Angeles. His star is shining bright, and his reputation as an amazing new talent is growing.

Keep your eyes open and you will see him over and over again. The best is yet to come!

Farrah Fawcett's assistant backs Nevius

Farrah Fawcett's former personal assistant is the latest insider to line up against her estate in an ugly legal battle over her legacy that's only intensifying seven months after her death.

Mike Pingel, who worked for Farrah from November 2005 to October 2007 and was said to be at her side when she got her cancer diagnosis in 2006, has come forward to support documentary producer Craig Nevius, who was sued last week by Farrah's estate, for allegedly misusing her funds and botching the cancer documentary that was eventually sold as a special to NBC-- and apparently in retaliation for his own lawsuit against the estate's executor and Farrah's sometime lover Ryan O'Neal.

Pingel, author of The Q Guide To Charlie's Angels, and by one account, an "unsung hero in Farrah's life," goes public on his Charlie's Angels fansite:

"Farrah trusted her friend and producing partner, Craig Nevius with executing her vision for the documentary which was to tell the world of her cancer battle. Farrah was so pleased with how 'A Wing & A Prayer' was coming together she even showed me part of the film. It's sad her vision was stopped and has yet to be seen."

Pingel also posts Friday's statement from Farrah's Charlie's Angel costar Kate Jackson in support of Nevius:

"He had an unflagging devotion to Farrah in every way and he worked with her to help her achieve her vision, not his vision and not anybody else's vision."

Nevius, as readers of this site are well aware, had sued the man who became executor of the estate, Richard B. Francis, along with O'Neal and friend Alana Stewart, for pushing him out of the project, which was originally entitled A Wing & A Prayer and retitled Farrah's Story to bring to mind O'Neal's 1970 film, Love Story.

Nevius and his attorney have said that the latest legal action is an attempt at intimidation. Nevius has promised to use Farrah's own words and writings in his defense.

Selfish basterds

The News of The World reports that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are splitting and our first response is who gives a shit, but our next reaction is to wonder whether anyone will remark on the hypocrisy of this pretty pair who built a very public relationship around adopting and making children, and then go their separate ways after less than six years, leaving six little kids in the lurch. Even though their children have probably been cared for by a collection of child care professionals, their lives are already so far beyond the ordinary that it's beyond our civilian comprehension and that their parents are on the road so often they probably wouldn't know the difference, a split would reveal that the couple who market themselves as world saviours are selfish brats. We already knew that Angie's team has been expert in controlling her image and the media. Now we can at least look forward to the next woman who'll change the malleable Pitt's image, and the Mia Farrow exposé of Angelina's adoption obsession that's bound to follow.

Craig Nevius responds to Farrah lawsuit

"I will be happy to let the work Farrah and I did together
and Farrah's own words speak for me and defend me,
finally removing all doubt and suspicion as to what actually happened
during the final months of her life and who her real exploiters are."

We filled you in earlier this morning on the story behind the lawsuit by Farrah Fawcett's estate against Craig Nevius, the documentary producer who sued Farrah's sometime lover Ryan O'Neal and business manager Richard B. Francis for forcing him off Farrah's cancer project. Francis is the executor of the estate that filed suit against Nevius yesterday.

This morning, Craig Nevius sent us a statement in response, telegraphing his intention to call Farrah herself as a star witness from beyond the grave:

"These accusations are nothing more than a fabricated press release disguised as a lawsuit. As much as I would like to answer the allegations and disprove them right here and right now in the court of public opinion, I will wait to do so in a court of law. Out of respect to Farrah, I limited the focus of my lawsuit against Richard Francis, Ryan O'Neal and Alana Stewart to issues of contract interference. But it now seems that at least one of the defendants wants to widen the scope of litigation to issues of artistic integrity and the personal relationships between parties. If that is the case, I will be happy to let the work Farrah and I did together (over years) speak for itself. And I will be more than happy to let the video tapes, documents, witnesses and Farrah's own words (both written and spoken) speak for me and defend me, finally removing all doubt and suspicion as to what actually happened during the final months of her life and who her real exploiters are. This is a fight Francis, O'Neal and Stewart cannot win."

~Craig J. Nevius,
Executive Producer/Director
"Chasing Farrah" & "Farrah's Story"

Ryan O'Neal strikes back as his business manager countersues Farrah Fawcett's producing partner on behalf of her estate

Don't let the headlines fool you. Word that "Farrah Fawcett's estate" is suing her production partner Craig Nevius is the latest volley in a war that began when Nevius filed suit against Ryan O'Neal, his business manager Richard B. Francis and Alana Stewart for snatching control of the cancer documentary that was turned into a maudlin NBC special.

Nevius had claimed O'Neal and company threatened him in the power grab. In the suit filed yesterday, Farrah's-- and O'Neal's business manager Richard B. Francis filed suit yesterday on behalf of Farrah's estate and her company, Sweetened By Risk LLC.

The lawsuit claims Nevius exploited Farrah and improperly revealed privileged information about her to the media, including news that her cancer had returned. The suit also claims Nevius turned in an unworkable first cut of that documentary on Farrah's cancer fight and may have embezzled money from Sweetened By Risk.

The lawsuit states NBC, which aired the television special Farrah's Story, had to rework the footage with help from Fawcett's longtime, on-again, off-again lover, Ryan O'Neal. The edits were being made until shortly before the special aired, the lawsuit states.

Nevius' attorney, Miles J. Feldman responded:

"These allegations lack merit and are a pathetic attempt to try to intimidate and further injure Mr. Nevius."

We've covered the story extensively in the past year. After Farrah's health took a turn for the worst, Ryan O'Neal took control of Farrah's estate and cancer project, kicking Nevius to the curb and, with the help of producers from NBC's Dateline show, renamed it Farrah's Story (a nod to his star turn in Love Story forty years ago) and turned what was a video journal into a maudlin exploitative television special that featured a scene in which Farrah and O'Neal's shackled drug-addicted son climbs into her deathbed.

Nevius sued Francis, O'Neal and Fawcett's friend Alana Stewart over Farrah's Story last year, claiming that the trio interfered with his role in Farrah's Story. That suit is still pending

According to the lawsuit filed Friday, Nevius knew Farrah for about five years before she died on June 25th, working with her on the Chasing Farrah reality TV series and producing the documentary that eventually aired on NBC before Farrah cut ties to him in early 2009 and he became jealous of O'Neal and Stewart.

The lawsuit contends Nevius turned in a first cut of Farrah's Story that Farrah deemed "wholly unacceptable." She then turned creative control of the film over to O'Neal.

The complaint states Francis believes Nevius "embezzled hundreds of thousands of dollars" from Farrah's company. It states Nevius has refused to allow Sweetened by Risk's financial records.

An interesting footnote: Farrah's Charlie's Angels co-star Kate Jackson is defending Nevius.

Though she'd been critical of him in the past, Kate said last night that her earlier comments were misguided, that as far as she knows Farrah had creative control when she worked with Nevius, and that she's shocked by the allegations:

"He had an unflagging devotion to Farrah in every way and he worked with her to help her achieve her vision, not his vision and not anybody else's vision."

What's with Neil Young's hair last night?

Neil Young with Dave Matthews on the telethon

Neil Young on The Tonight Show

Neil Young made two appearances on television last night. One was supposedly taped yesterday afternoon, one was allegedly live. So why was his hair silver on the Hope for Haiti Now telethon, while sporting an orange rinse on Conan O'Brien's final Tonight Show?

Haiti telethon should be a series

One thing last might's Hope for Haiti Now telethon demonstrated is that these things are great showcases for music on network television. You put the artist in a studio with a piano, a bunch of background singers and a versatile, low-key backing band-- maybe a cello or two-- and let 'em rip. With 9/11 and Katrina, we've had three of these telethons before and we're surprised no one's taken the format and turned it into a variety show. It's all pretty simple. Substitute the celebrity pleas for a comedians, the Anderson Cooper packages for video bits, and live or maybe live from Los Angeles, New York and London, you've got yourself a series.

Not only have these telethons had superior audio compared to 35 years of poorly-mixed messes on Saturday Night Live and shrill late night spots, but in today's manufactured Auto-Tune pop scene, it's a great way to get music stars to prove they really know how to sing. Look at Shakira last night. That's bound to sell some downloads.

Support the Hope for Haiti Now telethon

The big Hope for Haiti Now telethon airs at 8 pm ET on lots of television stations and is being streamed across the web (click below) The money wil go to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, UNICEF, the American Red Cross, Yele Haiti, World Food Program, Oxfam America, and Partners in Health. It all should help those poor people.

CLICK TO WATCH THE TELETHON LIVE BEGINNING 8 PM ET

Exploiting Artie Lange's suicide attempt

Aside from Howard Stern's word that his radio sidekick is still in "bad shape," there's been no word on the condition of comedian Artie Lange since his release from the hospital after he plunged a 13-inch Wolfgang Puck kitchen knife nine times into his corpulent abdomen in a suicide attempt on January 2nd, but the exploitation of the bloated, drug-addicted slovenly clown has moved from the insular world of satellite radio to the national stage.

The Comedy Central network will run Lange's Jack & Coke (as in "cocaine") standup special Saturday night at 10 pm, as it had already been schedule in November, but with the disingenuous statement from a Comedy Central spokesman: "The news about Artie is tragic, but we spoke to his camp and are excited to share with his fans the genius of his stand-up act and this never-seen-before special."

Lange's "camp," of course, are the ones who allowed the sad, disheveled comic to descend to such depths of degradation and self-hatred that he attempted to take his own life. The special, however, shows Lange in May 2009, when he was fresh out of rehab and momentarily sober.

Someone in that "camp" is also keeping Lange's name in the news for reasons other than his own shame with the posting of a clip of Lange's appearance on The Late Show with Conan O'Brien in 2008, in which he predicted O'Brien's demise as host of The Tonight Show.

Meanwhile Stern, who has exploited Lange's condition for years and pushed him in the name of comedy toward the brink of hopelessness and death, told his small band of Sirius radio listeners on Tuesday that he'd spoken with Lange, and revealed how much he cares about the tortured performer when he said:

"Artie and I ran out of shit to talk about in three seconds."

Stern rejected an offer to appear as a guest on Conan O'Brien's final week on The Tonight Show, claiming it would interfere with his private Sirius satellite radio schedule, but which was obvious attempt to avoid questions about his culpability in Lange's suicide attempt as well as his effort to keep the incident covered up.

UPDATE: In a development that took more than 24 hours to get past the satellite radio wall to the general public, it's being reported that Stern told a fellow Sirius deejay that he's been approached for, and considering, a return to mainstream, free, "terrestrial" radio. The move would only confirm what this site has been predicting for some time, as Stern has vanished from public consciousness and lost hundreds of thousands of fans, as evidenced by the lack of response from Stern fans to TabloidBaby's Stern postings compared to the past and despite our boom in site traffic.

Preacher love triangle murder: 65 years

The final scene in a quintessential tabloid murder story was played out when Matt Baker, the Baptist preacher from Waco, Texas, was sentenced to 65 years in prison for murdering his wife by drugging her and smothering her with a pillow while their two daughters slept in a nearby bedroom.

The "murdering minister" was having an affair with the daughter of the choirmaster when he handcuffed with wife Kari to the bed and given her capsules of Ambien he told her were "sex enhancement pills." The death in 2006 was originally ruled as suicide by sleeping pills, but after cops learned of the affair they exhumed the body and took a second look.

The jury returned the sentence yesterday after deliberating about two hours after an eight day trial. The guilty verdict took them about seven hours. Baker is 37. He must serve thirty years before he's considered for parole.

The National Enquirer will enter John Edwards scandal coverage for a Pulitzer Prize: Well-deserved, but good luck getting past Sig Gissler!

The National Enquirer plans to enter its coverage of the John Edwards paternity scandal for a Pulitzer Prize.

"It's clear we should be a contender for this," executive editor and Tabloid Baby pal Barry Levine told the Washington Post today, after the former presidential candidate admitted what the newspaper had been reporting all along: that he fathered a child out of wedlock in an adulterous affair. "The National Enquirer, a supermarket tabloid, was able to publish this reporting."


Levine, and the Enquirer undoubtedly deserve the Pulitzer. They championed the story. They dedicated the resources and moved forward against the lies and brickbats hurled their way, while the lazy, "mainstream" media fed off their scraps and covered the story from a distance until it was safe to go in for the kill and start buying up the players for headlines and morning show interviews.

Ultimately, we predict the Enquirer won't get a Pulitzer, most likely because old Sig Gissler, the Pulitzer prize administrator, probably won't even let the nomination reach the Prize Board.

Readers of this site will recall the uproar when Gissler screwed TabloidBaby.com and its correspondent Elli Wohlgelernter out of a Pulitzer when he rejected our nominations for the groundbreaking coverage of the Israel Baseball League scandals out of hand-- citing some technical clause for refusing to let the Pulitzer boardmembers decide for themselves.

Mr. Pulitzer may have been a tabloid king, but the Pulitzers' Ivy League ivory tower does not admit tabloid journos.

Tabloid Justice: "Murdering minister" guilty

A jury found former Baptist minister Matt Baker found guilty last night of murdering his wife by smothering with a pillow after handcuffing her to the bed and drugging her with what he told her were "sexual enhancement pills" but actually turned to be Ambien.

We told you the other day about the trial playing out in Waco, Texas, and called it "a classic tabloid love triangle murder trial in a classic tabloid town: a preacher is on trial for murdering his wife because he was having an affair with the choir director's daughter."

The local press got on board, dubbing the 38-year-old Baker "the murdering minister" Baker's 27-year-old girlfriend Vanessa Bulls took the stand Tuesday and claimed Baker had talked about killing his wife and making it appear to a suicide (suicide was the original police finding). Bulls denied having anything to do with the plot. Nevertheless, after the stepped down from the witness stand, she was suspended from her teaching job.

The trial lasted six days. Prosecutors called 28 witnesses. The defense called one, an expert who discussed DNA evidence. Matt Baker gave several high-profile media interviews before the trial to proclaim his innocence but did not testify in his own defense. The jury deliberated around seven hours. The penalty phase of the trial is underway right now. Already, several women have testified about aggressive sexual encounters with the convicted man who faces life behind bars.

Justice moves swiftly, if not hastily, in Texas.

So what about the Masturbating Bear?

So NBC is finally wrapping up the Conan O'Brien debacle and, after a break for the Olympics, will head into another three months of critical headlines about the mediocrity of Jay Leno when he gets the timeslot back. Conan and his people played it well-- a lot better than he played as host of The Tonight Show, which we all stopped watching after the first week (he never should have brought back Andy Richter-- it was a retreat to the infantile comedy he did in the early days of The Late Show, not even Letterman does the hip "irony" thing anymore, and Conan didn't click as a full-fledged talent until after he dumped the playacting sidekick and went solo). The only question that matters is whether NBC gets to keep the "intellectual property rights" to his sketches which would mean it's the last anyone will ever see of The Masturbating Bear.

One thing the saga did demonstrate was how the corporate porn-pushing gossip site TMZ.com is consistently wrong in its reporting and how dangerous it is for lazy paid mainstream journos to use it as a source. From its ever-shifting details of the contents and timing of the settlement, the site and its shaved bronzed midget frontman made it clear that, as when they rolled the dice in reporting the death of Michael Jackson prematurely, they make shit up, and as long as they have supporters like Brian Stelter at the New York Times to give them attribution and feature stories whenever they happen to be correct, they're golden.

NY Times to charge for its website

The New York Times made it official this morning with the announcement that it will begin charging for access to its website in 2011. It will be their second try. For the record, TabloidBaby.com plans to remain free of charge!

Press Release

The New York Times Announces Plans for a Metered Model for NYTimes.com in 2011

NEW YORK, Jan 20, 2010 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- The New York Times announced today that it will be introducing a paid model for NYTimes.com at the beginning of 2011.

The new approach, referred to as the metered model, will offer users free access to a set number of articles per month and then charge users once they exceed that number. This will enable NYTimes.com to create a second revenue stream and preserve its robust advertising business. It will also provide the necessary flexibility to keep an appropriate ratio between free and paid content and stay connected to a search-driven Web.

Through 2010, NYTimes.com will be building a new online infrastructure designed to provide consumers with a frictionless experience across multiple platforms. Once the metered model is implemented, New York Times home delivery print subscribers will continue to have free access to NYTimes.com.

"Our new business model is designed to provide additional support for The New York Times' extraordinary, professional journalism," said Arthur Sulzberger, Jr., chairman of The New York Times Company and publisher of The New York Times. "Our audiences are very loyal and we believe that our readers will pay for our award-winning digital content and services."

"This process of rethinking our business model has also been driven by our desire to achieve additional revenue diversity that will make us less susceptible to the inevitable economic cycles," said Janet L. Robinson, president and CEO, The New York Times Company. "We were also guided by the fact that our news and information are being featured in an increasingly broad range of end-user devices and services, and our pricing plans and policies must reflect this vision."

More details regarding the metered model will be available in the coming months.

NYTimes.com is the No. 1 newspaper-owned Web site and a top five current events and global news site according to Nielsen Online.

The New York Times Company, a leading media company with 2008 revenues of $2.9 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, 15 other daily newspapers and more than 50 Web sites, including NYTimes.com, Boston.com and About.com. The Company's core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news, information and entertainment.

Except for the historical information contained herein, the matters discussed in this press release are forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those predicted by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include national and local conditions, as well as competition and the development of our digital businesses. They also include other risks detailed from time to time in the Company's publicly filed documents, including the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 28, 2008. The Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

This press release can be downloaded from www.nytco.com.

SOURCE: The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company

NBC News memo: Chief offers counseling to staffers returning from Haiti coverage

As would be expected, Al Roker wasn't the only NBC News employee to return shaken and upset after visiting Haiti in the horrible aftermath of the deadly earthquake. NBC News boss Steve Capus sent out the following memo to staffers returning home from finding stories of tragedy and inspiration:

From: "Capus, Steve (NBC Universal)
To: "@NBC Uni News Everyone"
Sent: Tuesday, January 19, 2010 7:34 PM
Subject: EAP Counselors Available

In previous notes, I've used words like "powerful, emotion and sensitive," to describe the reporting from NBC News personnel both inside and outside of Haiti. The earthquake coverage put a very strong spotlight on the suffering of the people of Haiti - and in many cases gave a face, voice and name to the individual victims.

Many of you have had a role in our extensive coverage and that means you may have been exposed to searing images and may be struggling in the aftermath. We want to let you know there are Employee Assistance Program (EAP) counselors available to help. They can be reached on the phone 24/7 by calling 1-800-xxx-xxxx.

In-person sessions are also available:

At 30 Rock: 7th floor Medical Center: we will have two counselors available from 6a- 8p Wed, Jan 20th- Fri Jan 22nd. All walk-ins are welcome.

In the Washington Bureau, Wed, Jan 20th 9a-5p. All walk-ins are welcome.

As our teams return from Haiti, we will also arrange to have counselors in our bureaus or available via the telephone for debrief conversations.

Orianthi moves up

On the last day of 2009, we picked "According To You" by Orianthi Panagaris, the Aussie blonde guitarist from Jacko's last rehearsals as a surefire hit for the new year. Coming up on three weeks since our prediction and after six weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, the song continues its steady progression, moving 10 spots, from #36 to #26. She's no Ke$ha or GaGa, but amid the Autoned dance numbers filing most of the charts, her little piece of corporate Vai rock isn't doing too badly. We'll keep you posted on her progress.

The Other Woman testifies in classic tabloid love triangle sex murder trial in Texas

A classic tabloid love triangle murder trial is playing out in a courtroom in a classic tabloid town: in Waco, Texas, a preacher is on trial for murdering his wife because he was having an affair with the choir director's daughter.

Former Baptist minister Matt Baker is charged with killing his wife Kari in 2006 during what he he'd told her was going to be a romantic and frisky evening. He allegedly gave her some "sexual enhancement pills" that were actually capsules filled with Ambien, handcuffed the drugged woman her to the bed on the pretense of "spicing things up," and then smothered her with a pillow until she was lifeless and dead.


The Other Woman was on the witness stand today Twenty-seven year-old Vanessa Bulls said she started seeing the 38-year-old preacher about two months before the death of his wife. She denied any involvement in the killing, but said Baker had talked about offing the missus and making it look like a suicide. Bulls said she never went to police because she was afraid of exposing the affair, afraid of getting in trouble and afraid of him.

She continued dating Baker for several months afterwards, and testified that when she broke up with Baker and urged him to turn himself in, "He became irate... He said, 'I killed my wife for you and now you're leaving?'"

Vanessa Bulls testified with immunity.

The death was originally ruled a suicide. Baker's attorney says it only became a murder when prosecutors learned of the love affair. The former minister faces life in prison.

Love means never having to say Erich Segal is dead

The spirit of Erich Segal hung over our coverage of the events surrounding the final days and cancer death of Farrah Fawcett. After all, he wrote the book and then the film that gave Farrah's on-again, off-again contentious lover Ryan O'Neal his defining role. Along with Love Story, Segal also co-wrote the screenplay to The Beatles' Yellow Submarine animated film, which is getting a remake this year and has figured into our coverage of all the Beatle Fan Fest activity. And of course, he is another, along with novelist Robert B. Parker, person of note who would figure into our Death of The Day category today, were it not so crowded. Erich Segal wqs 72. he suffered from Parkinson's Disease for the past 25 years. Parker, who wrote the Spenser crime novels, was 77. Robert Urich, who played Spenser in the TV series, died of cancer, too. And Tabloid Obits is what we have become...

Taco Bell death: Fast food conspiracy?

Who is killing the great fast food giants of America? That was the question we asked back in 2008, after an astounding eight legends of the fast food industry were taken unexpectedly, one after another, in a succession that was obvious and disturbing to all but the most vehement conspiracy deniers-- and lazy, complacent, fast food-chomping journalists. So it's almost amusing that with the announcement yesterday of the death of Taco Bell founder Glen W. Bell (who knew that there was actually a guy named "Bell" behind Taco Bell?), a Tabloid Baby competitor would float the story that "he's at least the seventh fast food mogul to die at an extraordinarily old age in the past two years."

In fact, Glen W. Bell is at least the tenth fast food legend to die in recent years. And that's ten before we stopped counting.

We stopped counting the mysterious deaths of the ones who clogged our arteries, turned our children into butterballs and made Disneyland even more crowded more than a year ago. See, what we do is lay the groundwork for the paid journos to do their jobs and investigate. Then we move onto the next major story that the mainstream and even new media will pick up on two years later. In the case of Danny Gans, the paid pros of Las Vegas showed how conflict of interest and powerful forces in city can stop newshounds cold, but a story like this? we can take heart that Gawker at least picked up on the story we uncovered-- even though they didn't have the grace to attribute the legwork behind their "at least the seventh fast food mogul" snark (despite the tips our staff send their way each week).


The true body count? We go back to 2008:

Wilbur Hardee
founder of Hardee's (June 20).

Neil Baker
Baker's Drive-Thru and Taco Bell (May 31),

J.R. Simplot
king of the frozen french fries (May 25),

Irvine "Irv" Robbins
co-founder of Baskin-Robbins (May 5),

Herb Peterson
inventor of the Egg McMuffin (March 25),

Al Copeland
founder of Popeye's Famous Fried Chicken (March 23),

Lovie Yancie
founder of Fatburger (January 23),

Carl Karcher
founder of Carl’s Jr. (January 11),

Glen Bell was 86.


Troy Smith, the Oklahoma entrepreneur who built a drive-in in Shawnee, Oklahoma into the Sonic fast-food chain, died at 87 on October 26th.

And though we do not count franchise restaurant chains, Don Callender, credited with building Marie Callender’s into a Southern California pie and restaurant empire, died on January 6th, 2009.

And while you're at it:

A year ago, we were asking, "Who is killing the members of the Buena Vista Social Club?".

In 2006 we asked, "Who Is Killing The Great Blues Artist of America?"

Look it up.

We won this Danny Gans photo on eBay

Danny Gans Signed 8x10 Photo COA Included

"Daniel Davies Gans (October 25, 1956 – May 1, 2009) was an American singer and comedian who found success as a vocal impressionist. Gans was a headliner on the Las Vegas Strip and the surrounding area for many years, where he was billed as "The Man of Many Voices." He had been named Las Vegas Entertainer of the Year and his production had also been awarded Show of the Year. As these awards would indicate, his fame was largely centered in Las Vegas."

It will go in a place of honor on the wall of the Tabloid Baby office.

Idol return puts spotlight on Dunkleman

The debut of the ninth season of American Idol and Simon Cowell's coinciding announcement that he'll bolt when it's through has brought Tabloid Baby pal Brian Dunkleman back to the entertainment spotlight, putting his decision to leave American Idol after its first season in a new, perhaps prescient, light. Dunkleman, who has spent the past seven seasons honing his comedic chops, has developed into a top standup comic and comedy performer, as demonstrated in the proposed series American Dunkleman, produced by our pals at Frozen Pictures, and for some reason in a zucked-up TV world looking for a smart hit, has as yet not gone to pilot.


Dunkleman is showcased in an interview on AOL's Television webpage. Some highlights follow:

Everybody wants to know: What are you up to these days?
What am I up to? Right now I'm on the golf course, so that about sums it up. Doing that and doing standup. Making America laugh is what I'm doing.

What about more recently?
I actually just shot a comedy special for Showtime that should be airing in a few months. I don't have an official air date yet, but that's what I've been working towards for the last few months...

That first season looked fun. Did it seem fun at the time to you?
It was fun sometimes, and sometimes it wasn't so fun. I think that's the same with every job. Some days are good, some days are bad.

That's the reason that you left, right?
It was more than one reason. I mean really, I wanted to have a career as an actor. That's what I had done. This was actually the first time I'd done any kind of hosting. And all my experience was as a standup and as an actor. I hadn't done a ton of stuff, but I'd probably gotten like 12, 15 little guest-star appearances and co-star stuff. [So it was] mainly that reason, and I didn't think ... Here's my poor judgment. I didn't think the whole reality television thing was going to last. And neither did a lot of people, actually...

I saw somewhere that you're pitching a series called 'American Dunkleman.' What is that?
Do you remember a show called 'The Hudson Brothers' many years ago? A guy named Brett Hudson, he's a producer, he was on the show. And he was kind of a teen idol; he and his brothers got very famous, very quickly. So they got approached by McDonald's, who were like, we want you guys to be the McDonald's brothers -- you'd have a big M on your sweaters. And he's like, I'm not gonna sell out, are you crazy? There's no way we're doing that. And obviously they'd be billionaires right now. So he looked me up and had an idea for a show, just kind of like about the situation of my life, kind of a 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'-type, 'Extras'-type show, revolving around me. So we shot a little demo a while ago, and we're in the process of developing it and trying to pitch it.

So why hasn't this gone to pilot? TV genius pals, get in touch with the Frozen boys.

...and a tip of the Tabloid Baby hat to Michael Karp for pointing us to the story...

Johnny Mathis takes Garth Brooks to school

Caught up in the excitement of what was made to appear to be an intimate, off-the-cuff evening with a middlebrow pop star, critics in Las Vegas and from beyond went gaga over the stripped-down, on-the-cheap, might-as-well-be-a-rehearsal show by Garth Brooks in Danny Gans' old showroom at the Encore. Brooks saunters in wearing a hoodie, not evening anteing up for a decent cowboy hat, and wings it solo, taking requests, tuning up, wasting time on Jim Croce songs and leaving the audience in awe, mesmerized into believing the no-budget show was worth more than an extravaganza (of course, much was a kneejerk slap at Gans' all-out showmanship legacy, which too many dismissed and wish to forget in their shame at not investigating his death. Leave it to Johnny Katsilometes of the Las Vegas Sun, the best pop culture critic in Sin City (and the man who got Gans' manager Chip Lightman to trip up and reveal the still-unexplored Danny Gans death timeline scandal) to slap the show business establishment back to its senses with his review of the incomparable Johnny Mathis on stage at 74, in exile forty miles down I-15 at the Buffalo Bill's Star of the Desert arena in Primm on the state line:

"...Sometime after the wild, gear-shifting set by comic Gary Mule Deer, as Mathis re-appeared in a charcoal-colored suit and light-blue shirt, my thoughts turned to Garth Brooks' one-man show at Encore Theater a couple of months ago. It was a uniquely entertaining appearance, for sure, with Brooks in great voice and disposition. He happily sings and strums while clad in baggy jeans, clunky boots, a hooded pullover and ballcap. He continually tunes his guitar and takes requests shouted from the audience. Great fun. But in watching Mathis, I was reminded of how rewarding a formal, polished, symphonic showcase can be. This was one of the great singers of any generation backed by two dozen experienced and highly trained musicians, a presentation at once scaled back and grandiose. There were no requests shouted. You knew Mathis would cover what you wanted to hear, and it probably was first heard through hisses and snaps on a vinyl album."

Zucked up: NBC boss finds hope in Haiti

"Look! Over there! No! Not at late night! At Haiti!"

With his once-winning network crumbling around him, the Jay Leno-Conan O'Brien embarrassment making the prospect of keeping his job at the top once the deal to dump NBC onto Comcast comes through a little less certain, and seeing his name suddenly morphed into a new word that means "bungled" ("zucked up"), Jeff Zucker can at least take comfort knowing he didn't screw up NBC News too badly by, let's say, trying to hold onto Katie Couric by giving her the Nightly News chair. This memo went out to the troops and their leaders this morning:

Sent: Sunday, January 17, 2010 1:01 AM
Subject: HAITI Coverage

A quick note of thanks to everyone at NBC News and MSNBC and MSNBC.com who has played a role in covering the earthquake in Haiti, both here at home and on the ground there.

Your coverage has been comprehensive, compassionate, powerful, sensitive and respectful, often under incredibly difficult circumstances.

Of course, nothing can do real justice to the tragedy that has unfolded in Haiti, the devastating loss of life and the unimaginable aftermath that now exists there.

But you have again reminded us why so many of us got into this business .. to help shine a light on events like this and, in doing so, bring some small measure of hope to those affected.

You have done it superbly, and made the entire company proud.

Thank you again.

JEFF

The Rio, the casino that Gans built, turns 20

The Rio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas celebrates its twentieth anniversary this weekend, and the spirit of Danny Gans hangs heavy over the raucous celebration.

The Rio is the big suite hotel just off the Strip on West Flamingo Road that for years was best known for its very sexy waitresses in their low-cut outfits, later for the residency of New York hipster magicians Penn & Teller and recently the big police raid over the summer for prostitution and drug activity around the swimming pool. But it will go down in Las Vegas and show business history as the place where cleancut, Christian musical impressionist Danny Gans planted his flag and really made his name when he moved there after a residency at the more downmarket Stupak's Stratosphere that began in 1996. It was the place where management raised his ticket prices to a then unheard-of $99, whereupon Gans raised a stink about it and where he itched to move on and find a room in the Big Show, on the Strip.


Danny Gans left for Steve Wynn and the Mirage in 2000, a sequence of events that's recounted in his autobiography, The Voices In My Head, which was published posthumously, months after his untimely death on May 1st due to an overdose of the powerful opiate hydromorphone, at 52, a death-- and life-- that has gone woefully and shamefully unreported by the members of the Las Vegas news media-- print, television, Internet and Twitter-- for reasons they know best, or perhaps because, as one local stringer for national publications who doesn't know one should dress to the nines when offered an aftershow backstage meet-and-greet with the legendary Wayne Newton (though he was probably "making a statement") actually put in print, "in Las Vegas, when left to our own devices, we do things a little differently.”