June 24, 2006

ENTERTAINMENT AUTHOR JUDITH MOOSE TO PEN BOOKS ON EIGHTIES HIT TELEVISION SERIES' REMINGTON STEELE AND HART TO HART

LOS ANGELES, CA – June 07, 2006 – Entertainment Industry author, publisher and publicist Judith Moose has announced plans to release her fourth and fifth television series guide books. The fourth is titled Steele Loved After All These Years is a retrospective look at Remington Steele and the fifth, Their Hobby Was Murder – A Look Back At Hart To Hart. Both books are slated for publication by the end of 2006.

Fans of both shows will be treated to walks down memory lane as they lip through the pages of the two books. Each will be filled with background information, behind-the-scenes tidbits, episode guides, trivia and assorted fun facts, a complete reference center, interviews with the cast, crew and creators and as with her others, a large selection of photos.

Judith A. Moose holds degrees in Broadcast Communications, Advertising and Marketing as well as a broadcasting license from the Federal Communications Commission. In 1995, she founded an Entertainment Research and Archive firm that she called Stars In My Eyes. The firm quickly grew and added publicity services for various entertainers, authors, musicians and feature films. In 2003, Stars In My Eyes had substantially grown and the company name was changed to JM Media Group. As well as handling the PR for several celebrities, Judith has assisted in the production of the A&E Network's Biography episode on Joan Collins, the NBC 75th Anniversary Special and seven VH1 Specials. Judith is currently serving as the Director of Media Relations for the feature films Woman's Story, The Hootch and Dark Butterfly. In December 2003, she published her first book, Together: A Sitcom Lover's Guide To Silver Spoons and her second, Another Time, Another Place: Quantum Leap in November 2004 with co-author Richie F. Levine. Her latest book, Glamour, Greed & Glory: Dynasty, was released on August 11, 2005 with co-author Paul Keylock (personal assistant to actress Joan Collins).

Steele Loved After All These Years and Their Hobby Was Murder will be released by Signing Stars Publishing.

Contact: Catherine Ingham, Signing Stars Publishing, signingstars@earthlink.net

June 12, 2006

Ben Roethlisberger Injured in Motorcycle Accident

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger is undergoing surgery at Mercy Hospital after suffering an apparent head injury in a motorcycle accident late this morning on Second Avenue near the Armstrong Tunnels. Larry Jones, Chief of Trauma at Mercy Hospital, says that Roethlisberger is in serious but stable condition.

According to published reports, Ben Roethlisberger was traveling on Second Avenue when a vehicle coming in the opposite direction turned left in front of him. Roethlisberger was unable to stop in time and hit the passenger side door and windshield of the vehicle. According to witnesses at the scene, as reported by local stations WPXI and KDKA, Ben was not wearing a helmet and appeared to have head and facial injuries.

Ben Roethlisberger has often said that he prefers not to wear a helmet when riding his motorcycle, and points out the fact that Pennsylvania doesn't seem to think it is necessary given that they repealed their 35-year-old helmet law in 2003. Former Steelers quarterback Terry Bradshaw has openly criticized him for this decision, saying "ride it when you retire."

Comment #1: Would you play football without a helmet, Ben? Then why would you ride a motorcycle without one? Damn fool.

Comment #2: Hope you get well soon and are OK to play next season.

June 01, 2006

13-year-old N.J. girl wins spelling bee

WASHINGTON - A 13-year-old New Jersey girl making her fifth straight appearance at the Scripps National Spelling Bee rattled off "ursprache" to claim the title of America's best speller on prime-time television Thursday night.

Katharine Close, an eighth-grader at the H.W. Mountz School in Spring Lake, N.J., is the first girl since 1999 to win the national spelling title. She stepped back from the microphone and put her hands to her mouth upon being declared the winner.

"I'm just in shock," Katharine said. Asked what she'll remember most, she said: "Probably just hearing 'ursprache,' which is a parent language." She recognized the word as soon as she heard it.

The winner goes home with more than $42,000 in cash and prizes.

Runner-up was Finola Mei Hwa Hackett, a 14-year-old Canadian, a confident speller during two days of competition who stumbled on "weltschmerz."

Third-place went to Saryn Hooks, a 14-year-old from West Alexander Middle School in Taylorsville, N.C., who was disqualified earlier in the evening, then returned to competition after the judges corrected their mistake. Saryn fumbled on "icteritious," which means of a jaundiced color.

Driven by the popularity of recent movies, books and a Broadway musical on the seemingly improbable theme of spelling hard words, the bee featured prime-time television coverage for the first time in its 79-year history. ABC broadcast the final from 8 p.m. until the winner was crowned just after 10 p.m. EDT.

Spellers took to the stage minutes before the broadcast, huddling and chanting "1-2-3, Spell" before taking their seats. Their parents sat on stage, too, across the aisle.

The broadcast had the flavor and style of a sports program, opening with a montage of the competitors and including a short profile of the first speller before he got his word. Each word or grimace by spellers triggered a blast of camera shutters, and the live TV camera followed the losers into the arms of comforting parents.

Even gamblers got into the act, putting money down on questions including whether the final word would have an "e" in it and whether the winner would wear glasses. Simon Noble, CEO of PinnacleSports.com, said his offshore Internet sports betting company had received about $70,000 in wagers on seven propositions about the bee as of noon Thursday.

The pace of competition, held in the basement ballroom of a Washington hotel, was slowed by the need to accommodate commercial breaks in the TV coverage provided by ABC, as well as earlier by ESPN.

"We're out for another two-minute commercial break," or "We're out for about a minute and a half," bee director Paige Kimble announced frequently, connected by headset to the network directors.

The competition paused for ABC to air commercials pitching credit cards, fast food, cell phones, digital cameras, clothing stores, breath fresheners, allergy medication, storm doors, kids movies, spray-on sunscreen, electric shavers for men and pastel-colored razors for women.

The competition began Wednesday with 274 fourth- through eighth-graders.

The spellers sat below hot lights on the red-and-blue, made-for-TV stage. On Thursday, all wore matching white, short-sleeve polo shirts with the bee logo on the left chest.

Spellers made it to the finals by winning contests in the 50 states, as well as in American Samoa, the Bahamas, Canada, Europe, Guam, Jamaica, New Zealand, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

ESPN has broadcast the second day of the bee since 1994. This year, in a nod to the popularity of "reality TV," the championship rounds were moved to ABC for a live, prime-time event before a larger viewing audience. The Walt Disney Co. owns both networks.

All the attention follows a series of bee-centered developments in the popular culture.

"Akeelah and the Bee," a movie about a Los Angeles girl who overcomes adversity to win the national spelling bee, opened nationwide in late April.

That followed last year's "Bee Season," about a man focused on his daughter's quest to become a spelling bee champ. It was based on the best-selling novel by Myla Goldberg.

Also last year, the Broadway musical, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee," won two Tony awards. And the 2002 documentary "Spellbound" followed eight teenagers during their quest to win the 1999 National Spelling Bee.

The Louisville Courier-Journal started the bee in 1925. The E.W. Scripps Co., a media conglomerate, assumed sponsorship in 1941.
Actor Robert Sterling starred in TV’s ‘Topper’

Robert Sterling — the handsome star of 1940s movies who appeared with his wife, Anne Jeffreys, in the TV series Topper — died Tuesday at his Brentwood, Calif., home. He was 88.

Sterling died of natural causes after a decade-long battle with shingles, said his son, Jeffrey.

Although he appeared in dozens of movies, Sterling was best known for the 1953-56 TV series Topper, based on the Thorne Smith novel and the 1937 film starring Cary Grant and Constance Bennett.

Sterling was born William Hart in 1917 in New Castle, Pa., the son of Chicago Cubs catcher William S. Hart. He attended college in Pennsylvania and worked as a clothing salesman before breaking into movies.

He proved a versatile player and appeared in five films in 1941, including the romantic comedy Two-Faced Woman with Greta Garbo and The Penalty with Lionel Barrymore.

After Topper, Sterling retired from acting to become a businessman.

Sterling was married to actress Ann Sothern from 1943 to 1949 and they had a daughter. He married Jeffreys in 1951 and they had three sons.