| Talks Could Resume Between Hollywood Writers & Studios
In its tentative deal with producers, the Directors Guild resolved new-media compensation issues that are also central to the Writers Guild dispute, including compensation for movie and TV projects delivered over the Internet. In a joint statement Thursday, top executives from eight major companies, including Fox, Paramount Pictures, The Walt Disney Co., CBS Corp., Sony Pictures Entertainment, Warner Bros., MGM and NBC Universal called on the Writers Guild to join in the kind of informal talks that preceded the directors' negotiations. The executives said the deal with directors established a precedent for the industry's creative talent to "participate financially in every emerging area of new media." Officials at the Writers Guild were waiting to receive a copy of the directors' tentative pact and evaluate how it fits in with what writers are seeking.
Directors Union Reaches Tentative Agreement With Studios
WGA members went on strike in November after they were unable to strike a successful deal with the studios over digital royalties. As a result of the new agreement between AMPTP and the DGA, the two organizations said in their joint statement that they hope this will mean good news for the writers too. They also called for new talks in the strike. "Today, we invite the Writers Guild of America to engage with us in a series of informal discussions similar to the productive process that led us to a deal with the DGA to determine whether there is a reasonable basis for returning to formal bargaining. We look forward to these discussions, and to the day when our entire industry gets back to work," the AMPTP and DGA joint statement concluded. Hollywood actor George Clooney chimed in following the announcement, also expressing his desire that the news will help out those currently on strike.
Love's in the lair at Bronx Zoo
Snow leopard Leo, recently arrived from Pakistan, has been rubbin' fur with Shelby, a Bronx-born female, though it's still just puppy love. Another romance is starting to heat up with male lion M'wasi and female Sukari, recently introduced to the zoo's Africa Plains. A typical lion, er, "greeting," is quick, lasting less than a minute and includes touching heads. Hey, where's the romance in that? And many human couples consider the Bronx Zoo one of the city's most romantic places. Take, for example, Eugene Sautner, who proposed there in 1957 to his future wife Mary Jane. They're welcome back any time, since one of their three sons, Stephen, is now working in the Wildlife Conservation Society's press office there. Ah, love! .
February 2006 Archives
Benefits of Winning an Oscar: According to a study of actors and actresses, Oscar winners live longer than nominees who didn't take home the statuette. Does this mean George Clooney is going to live a long life? Hope so... Box Office: Tyler Perry's Madea's Family Reunion got people to come together at theaters over the weekend. It was the number one movie with $30.25 million. .
Celebrate yourself
You do not have to tell him not to stand here or go yonder. He will find his 'proper place' and will stay in it. You do not need to send him to the back door. He will go without being told. In fact, if there is no back door, he will cut one for his special benefit. His education makes it necessary." - excerpt from The Mis-Education of the Negro by Carter G. Woodson Every February, schools, churches and community organizations across the U.S. gather to celebrate the history and achievements of African America. It's a tradition that dates back to 1926 when historian Dr. Carter Godwin Woodson established the first Negro History Week. Woodson, the son of ex-slaves James and Anne Woodson in Canton, Virginia, taught himself to read and write and did not attend school until he was 20.
Couple Alert: Julianne Hough and Kevin Connolly?
ET has the latest... After weeks of romance rumors, "Entourage" star KEVIN CONNOLLY, 33, finally admitted to Page Six that he and "Dancing With The Stars" winner JULIANNE HOUGH, 19, have indeed gone out. "We went on a few dates," Connolly told the publication. "It wasn't anything serious." But Julianne already confirmed to ET earlier this month that it was a casual thing. "No, we're not dating -- we're good friends," she said. "I'm 19 and I'm wanting to date everybody." .
Brady, Hancock hang tough in debuts
In the season opener for the Hancock College women's tennis team, Ashley Brady was playing her first college match. Even though she had to play a little longer than she remembered playing at Cabrillo High, the freshman made a pretty good debut. Reedley College defeated Hancock 7-2 at the AHC courts Tuesday afternoon, but Brady played well, winning her singles match 6-4, 6-4 and with doubles partner Kacie Guggia, took their opponents to a tie breaker before falling, 9-8 (7-3). "At first, I started out really strong, but actually this is my first college match," Brady said. "I didn't know we had to play two sets." In community college, each singles match is best two-out-of-three sets as compared to single sets in high school. "I kind of gave it all in the first set," Brady continued, "and in the second, I was playing backward.
Big Red Shoots for Perfection in Ivy League Campaign
Where the New England Patriots failed, the Cornell men's basketball team hopes to succeed in its bid for an undefeated season. Currently 8-0 in the Ivy League (16-5 overall), Cornell would be the first team to go 14-0 in the Ivies since Penn accomplished that feat during the 2002-2003 campaign. The Big Red has won 10 straight dating back to a Jan. 10 home victory against Alvernia, and has been unstoppable since. The Ivy team that has come closest to dethroning Cornell is Harvard, who eventually fell 72-71 in Cambridge, Mass. The Lions came close as well in a 70-64 loss to open the Ivy season in Ithaca, N.Y. The core of Cornell's consistent winning production has come from the play of forward Ryan Wittman and point guard Louis Dale. Wittman is averaging 16 points per game on 49 percent shooting from the floor, including a stellar 49 percent from downtown.
Ancient letter will be showcased in new City Archives 'Document of the Month' feature
A letter written in 1644 by the Marquis of Montrose to the Burgh of Aberdeen will be the first document to go on display in a new feature on the Aberdeen City Archives website. The Document of the Month feature will showcase different historical documents each month along with a description, background information, and a transcription if necessary. The documents show the wide variety of information that Aberdeen City Archives has to offer and provides an opportunity to learn more about local history. Aberdeen City Archives collects and preserves historical records related to Aberdeen City and Shire and secures significant modern records for future generations. There is a wealth of items to choose from, including a series of council minutes dating from 1398 which represents the finest set of medieval burgh minutes in Scotland.
Your local library: Nolensville branch will be closed on Saturday
Income tax time is here, and forms are available at the library. The staff can also help you find a form on the Internet. The Nolensville Public Library is at 915 Oldham Drive. For more information, call 776-5490 or visit www.lib.williamson-tn.org. Brentwood
A nonfiction book discussion of The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday. No reservations necessary. A genealogy class, for the family historian interested in exploring ancestors on the Internet, will be offered from 9 to 11 a.m. Friday. This course will introduce you to the two major genealogy databases offered by the library. Basic computing skills necessary. To reserve your spot for this free class, call ext. 851. Attend Nutrition 101: Basics for a Healthier You at 10 a.m.
Dick Spotswood: College's IVC progress raises questions
ODDS & ENDS: Ignored on Super Tuesday was Ralph "there's no difference between George Bush and Al Gore" Nader's selection as the presidential nominee of both the left-leaning Green and the Peace and Freedom parties. In Marin, 492 voters marked their ballots for Nader, mostly under the Green Party banner. This means Ralph Nader will be on November's presidential ballot. THIS YEAR'S congressional election in the Marin-Sonoma Sixth District should be cut and dry. Incumbent Democrat Lynn Woolsey will run for reelection and win a ninth term, but she will have opposition. At least one Republican will make a race of it. Mike Halliwell, Republican of Cotati, has thrown his hat into the ring. The retired Long Beach State University educator is a self-described member of the moderate "Peter Behr-Bill Filante Brand of Republicanism." Two years ago, Halliwell gave the same North Bay race a shot but lost in a rare contested GOP primary.
Gunman 'somewhat erratic'
Please leave me alone, Robert Kazmierczak said as he threw his arms up and declined further comment. This is a very hard time for me. Gov. Blagojevich, on the nearly empty NIU campus Friday, called the shootings a terrible act of unthinkable evil. The governor, along with NIU President John Peters and board of trustees Chairwoman Cherilyn Murer, met privately with about 100 friends and siblings of the victims. When you look in the eyes of these young people, all you have are tears, Murer said. We are all much older today than we were yesterday. Contributing: Dan Rozek, Stefano Esposito, Dave McKinney, Lisa Donovan, AP .
Apple's pins are so much cooler than Google's pins
I've been thinking this for some time, and since the iPhone update, the time has come to call it. It's hard to see from the illustrations at right (and please believe me, I tried, but I don't know how to get good images of the iPhone interface from the phone to the computer) but Apple's design for locator map pins is approximately a trillion percent superior to Google's design for locator pins on its own maps. Apple's pins are sleek and absolutely precise — and they thud into the map in the most satisfying manner. Google's pins, on the other hand, are precise-ish, bulky arrowheads which often obscure much of the surrounding map and which send you off to consult a decoding system that's unintuitive and often downright unhelpful. Ok, ok, so this sounds like a really little thing.
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