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‘Glee’ New York Spinoff for Lea Michele, Chris Colfer

Spinoff for Lea Michele

Just as “Glee” fans began to consider a life without Kurt Hummel and Rachel Berry, they may not end up having to say goodbye after all.

Yesterday, The Hollywood Reporter broke news that the stars Lea Michele (who plays Rachel), Chris Colfer (who plays Kurt) and Corey Monteith (playing Finn) will be graduating from the hit musical show at the end of the third season.  And while that news has some fans bummed, a new report states that creator Ryan Murphy has bigger plans for the first two stars.

RumorFix.com says that Michele and Colfer are geared to star in a spinoff show which places their characters in New York, a thread that began pulling near the end of last season. In New York for Nationals, their characters snuck on the stage of “Wicked” and sang one of the musical’s songs. The characters decide that, after their graduation, they’ll move out to the city.

While he did not announce the news himself, Murphy said in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter  that he has been planning to focus on that storyline during the upcoming third season.

“I’m much more interested in Lea’s character — not so much on her relationship with Finn, but more on what her dreams are beyond high school and how she plans on getting them,” Murphy said.

Back in June, Murphy started the ball rolling on breaking the news of the upcoming graduation by telling Ryan Seacrest, “The thing that I wanted to do and the cast wanted to do, we didn’t want to have a show where they were in high school for 8 years. We eally wanted it to be true to that experience. We thought it would be really cool if we were true to the timeline.”

Monteith is looking at other opportunities.

Daniel Baldwin Granted Restraining Order Against Wife As He Files For Divorce

Baldwin Granted Restraining Order

Daniel Baldwin filed for divorce and was also granted a restraining order against his wife Joanne, claiming that she punched him then threatened him with a knife in front of their children on Sunday evening.

The 50-year-old actor said Joanne Clare Baldwin, his wife, made threats of violence and death “too numerous to list.” Baldwin filed for divorce on Tuesday.  Joanne, 41, was arrested Wednesday night for violating her probation on a previous drunk driving conviction. She was placed in a jail near the couple’s Oregon home and will be held there until a hearing on July 20, reports the Associated Press.

The couple were married in July 2007 and have two daughters together, Avis Ann, 3, and Finley Rae Martineau, who will turn 2 years old soon.

“There are so many instances of violence and death threats, they are too numerous to list,” Baldwin stated in his request for the restraining order. “Sadly, all of them seem to occur in front of our children.”

The actor claimed in his statement that his wife violated her probation “hundreds of times” since she was convicted of the second DUI in June 2010. Baldwin said his wife becomes “violent and dangerous” when she drinks alcohol.

Baldwin said he grew fearful of his wife after they watched a documentary about women who killed their husbands and he quoted Joanne as saying, “Now I know how to do it, I understand why they did it. You have been warned. Move out of this house or I am going to kill you.”

Baldwin appeared in several TV series in the 90s, including the lead role on NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He has also appeared in films like “Vampires”, “Mulholland Falls,” “Stealing Candy,” and “Grey Gardens.”

The actor has three brothers who also act – William, Stephen and Alec, who received an Emmy nomination on Thursday for his role as Jack Donaghy on “30 Rock.” Daniel has dealt with his own drug addiction and was ordered to enter a treatment program in 2007 when police found him in a Santa Monica hotel with cocaine and other drug paraphernalia. His publicist reported on Thursday that Daniel Baldwin has been sober for four years and was very lenient with his wife due to his own problems in the past.

Americans Are Stiffing Preventative Care For Picking Botox

Care For Picking Botox

Americans are starting to see their doctor again, but more often than not it is for cosmetic procedures, such as Botox treatments, rather than cancer screening and other life-saving preventive care.

Healthcare company executives who were attending the Reuters Health Summit this week painted a sobering picture of healthcare use among patients who are struggling to afford medical care.

While the jobless rate remains high, still many Americans are postponing treatment, and that is not likely to vary in the short term, they said.

But when it comes to smoothing out wrinkled brows, the market is rebounding, according to chief executive of Botox maker Allergan Inc. (AGN.N) David Pyott.

“Happily, for all of the facial aesthetics and even breast aesthetics markets, we are now at a place that we are beyond the peak pre-recession,” Pyott tells the Reuters Summit.

Pyott said demand for cosmetic procedures hit bottom in the spring of 2009 in the wake of the U.S. global financial crisis. Now sales of Allergan’s dermal fillers are 20 percent above where they were at when they peaked before the recession.

NHNHeHe said the Botox revival is being fueled not just by the super-rich, but by consumers with annual household incomes of around $50,000.

“It’s correlated with people’s confidence about the future, maybe how much money they have got on their credit card at the time,” Pyott continued.

“Of course, when you think about it we all want to look better, right?

Pyott compared a $400 Botox injection or an $800 wrinkle filler to treating the entire family to a baseball game or really fancy dinner, calling them “one of life’s little luxuries”.

Creator Develops Ultrafast Wireless Which Seemingly Violates The Law Of Physics

Gaming On Demand

The founder of the cloud-based gaming on demand service OnLive, Steve Perlman is now claiming to have discovered a new technique of wireless communications that would drastically outpace what we now have and would actually disprove many of the accepted regulations of how wireless communications work.

First the theory popped up in a presentation which Perlman gave at the NExTWORK conference and was only a small mention at that.  There was no demonstration or real proof given.  His proposal flies directly in the face of the Shannon-Hartley Theorem, which is a guideline for wireless technologies.  So we are not inclined to believe his claims.  But occasionally someone will say something so crazy and with such confidence that you have to take notice.  This particular idea would have such huge effects on communications technology that we must encourage discussion about it.  This is not to be taken as an endorsement though by any means.

Perlman briefly proposed DISO as an entirely new radio system with different chips that work in an entirely different way and on different towers.  He claims that DIDO can broadcast through solid objects which usually block cell signals.  He says it needs something about the size of a router and the signal broadcasts much farther than usual towers, in fact up to 30 miles.

Perlman says that DIDO (distributed-input-distribution-output) system overcomes the traditional broadband system where each user gets a small piece of the overall bandwidth of the tower they’re connected to.  Instead DIDO, each user can access the full speed of the tower.

Wired interviewed an electrical engineering professor who notes that elements of the Shannon-Hartley Theorem have been disproved or altered.  But no one has seen Perlman’s DIDO in action though it is patented and he is as confident about DIDO as anything else he’s ever designed.

Thousands Of People Threaten To Quit Netflix

Threaten To Quit Netflix

Is Redbox in the game to pick up lots of frustrated Netflix customers?  The reason for the frustration is that Netflix recently announced that it would no longer be offering the combined DVD and streaming video plan, instead separating the services into two different offers.  The costs for both would be $16 a month if you want both services.

One frustrated customer says they have been a Netflix customer since 200 and just recently downgraded from three DVDs per month to one with unlimited streaming to only be hit in the face with this news.

Netflix customers are used to only paying $9.99 a month for both unlimited DVDs and unlimited streaming.  Now they will be two distinct plans with unlimited streaming and no DVDs for $7.99 per month and unlimited DVDs with just one out at a time and no streaming for only $7.99 per month.

If you add the two prices together you will get $15.98 so round it up and you have your new price.  You don’t have to do anything if you want to keep both streaming and unlimited DVD services.  The new pricing structure begins 9/1/2011.

Many former Netflix fans raised cane on Facebook about the new proposal with approximately 9,000 going on their page to voice their heated disapproval.  Some of them complained of Netflix’s greed and threatened to leave Netflix for Redbox.  Some other users suggested using services such as Hulu Plus, Crackle and even Blockbuster.

More than 4,300 have commented on the Netflix blog, and again, reaction seems to be against Netflix, for the most part.

We’ve reached to Redbox to see if they’ve gotten any boost from the Netflix move, and Netflix to see if they’ve received cancellations and if they have any intention to restore the plans in light of such a negative reaction. Subscribers also complained about not being able to reach customer service. We tried too, and weren’t able to get through, due to technical problems on their end.

Oklahoma Sooners Linebacker Death Is An Accident

Oklahoma Sooners Death

The Oklahoma Sooner’s linebacker Austin Box had several prescription painkillers as well as an anti-anxiety drug in his system when he suddenly died, according to a report released Tuesday by the medical examiner’s office.

The 22-year old’s death two months ago was ruled accidental.  The report says the combination of drugs caused likely pulmonary edema or fluid in his lungs along with aspiration pneumonia which is an inflammation of the lungs which comes from inhaling foreign substances.

The sports world has lost too many athletes way too soon. Here are a few:

”There is no greater pain than the loss of a child,” Box’s parents, Gail and Craig Box, said in a statement. ”The pain is intensified by knowing that the death of your child could have been prevented.

”Anyone that knew Austin would give testament to his pure heart. The love and pride we feel for our son cannot be diminished by the cause of his death. He gave us so much joy and so many wonderful memories. He will forever be `Mommy’s baby’ and `Daddy’s little boy.”’

It was a friend of Box’s that found him unresponsive in his El Reno home.  He called authorities the morning of May 19.  He told a dispatcher that Box was not breathing and that Box had taken some pain pills.  He later told police officers that he thought Box had overdosed.

An autopsy of Box’s body shows the painkillers morphine, oxymorphone, hydrocodone, oxycodone and hydromorphone in his system.  The anti-anxiety drug Alprazolam was also found in Box’s body.  The report says Box’s medical conditions included cardiomegaly or an enlarged heart and a chronic pain history.

Is The Federal Health Care Law Unconstitutional?

Federal Health Care Law

A federal appeals court just heard the first appeals from lower court decisions who are dealing with the constitutionality of the federal health care law (alternately called “Obama care” and the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act”). A Florida judge and a Virginia judge (both appointed by Republican Presidents) decided that Congress lacks power under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution to pass the federal health care law. Three other federal trial judges (appointed by Democratic Presidents) upheld the law. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals that heard the case has three appellate judges appointed by Democratic Presidents. The judges asked several questions in general supporting the government’s position to uphold the law. The Supreme Court will have to settle the issue.

One immediate question rose about these cases: why can Massachusetts require all of its citizens to enroll in a health care plan, yet there is doubt whether the federal government can do the same thing? The simple answer is that the states have unlimited power to pass legislation (subject to the restrictions of the Bill of Rights and their own constitutions). In holding the Obama health care law was unconstitutional, the two judges from Virginia and Florida who struck down the law held that the Constitution grants Congress, not all power to legislate (like the States have), but only limited powers specifically mentioned in the Constitution.

Why should this distinction exist: states can pass any law they want, yet Congress must
rely on specific language in the Constitution which, according to those judges, must be as narrowly defined as possible? Why should there be unrealistic limits on Congress’ power to “regulate Commerce… among the several States,” the broad language of the Constitutional provision? Isn’t it important for Congress to be able to solve national problems that the States are unable to adequately deal with?

Roseanne’s Nuts Appears On Lifetime Channel

Roseanne’s Nuts

Roseanne Barr’s new show is based on reality, but it is still funny.

On coming Wednesday night’s viewers will be able to tune into the reality show of an outspoken and often controversial yet influential mother who lives in a noncontiguous state in the country.  She has a complicated relationship with the media and quite regularly brandishes firearms.

This time it is not a former vice presidential nominee we are focusing on, it’s Roseanne Barr.  She returns to television on the Lifetime Channel’s “Roseanne’s Nuts.”  But starting with the opening scene where Barr and partner Johnny Argent go hunting for wild pigs which plague the comedian’s macadamia farm on a Big Island in Hawaii.  The show often plays like a satire of “Sarah Palin’s Alaska.”
“Oh, that’s not a pig after all,” says Argent after Barr has fired off a few rounds at one of the destructive but fast-moving critters. “It’s a small child gathering wild flowers.”

Even Barr admits that the show is “based in reality,” because it is supposed to be funny and it certainly meets that goal. In a welcomed contract to Sarah Palin and other reality stars, Roseanne remains practically unkempt through much of the action (she wears a polka dot apron over a T-shirt with jeans while hunting pigs, both an alarming and baffling effect.  Roseanne also sweats and swears, showing her gray hair and flabby upper arms and though she owns a farm in Hawaii her house is not a mansion.

There are not overproduced glamorous outings and no sound-track manipulated showdowns.  There are also no manufactured feuds.  Everyone in the pilot has the genial mien of friends who are helping an odd yet beloved neighbor.  You’ll even find a trio of local musicians who provide a transitional tune.

Hamilton Bar Room “Punch” Man Leaves Bermuda

Bar Room “Punch”

The 36 year old man who continually punched another man until he was unconscious in a Hamilton bar recently has been given permission to go back home to the United Kingdom.

Mr. Richard Brown has finished his work in Bermuda as of yesterday and the permit he holds is expiring at the end of July according to his lawyer Allan Doughty who told the Magistrates’ Court.

Mr. Brown punched Matthew Claridge in the face continually while drinking in Hamilton with a group of friends at a bar named Docksiders in December 2010.  The entire incident was caught on Closed Caption Television.

Mr. Brown has plead not guilty to causing grievous bodily hard to Mr. Claridge when he appeared in court in January.

The court heard that he later confessed to his crime because he had lost control when a disparaging remark was made about his wife.

The victim, Mr. Claridge lost two teeth due to one of the punches and his mouth required several stitches inside.  Mr. Claridge also had a gash in his head.

Mr. Brown has paid Mr. Claridge $17,000 to go toward his medical expenses and then gave him another $10,000 as a “gesture of goodwill.”

Magistrate Khamisi Tokunbo handed Mr. Brown a six-month conditional discharge for his offense in June 2011.

Part of the sentencing for Mr. Brown was that he had to ask permission from the courts before he could leave the Island.

Mr. Tokunbo commented that when he sentenced Mr. Brown that he was aware that the punch was “a one-off occurrence.”

The sentence Mr. Brown received caused some public controversy.

Michael Dunkley, Shadow National Security Minister, said the sentence Mr. Brown received was because he is “a white guy who paid out a lot of money and got off”.

Dunkley said the sentencing sent “the wrong message” to the public, and people are questioning if “a 23-year-old black guy” would receive the same sentencing.

Arnie’ to Star In His First Film Since His Personal Life Unfolded, Called “The Last Stand”

Arnies “The Last Stand”

Would you agree to go see an Arnold Schwarzenegger film after he admitted to fathering his love child?… Schwarzenegger is back.

Just barely two months after the former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger admits he fathered a love child with his famous family’s housekeeper.  Now the actor is jumping back into movies by joining the cast of a western entitled “The Last Stand.”  Mr. Schwarzenegger will play a small town border sheriff that battles with Mexican drug cartel reports the Deadline.

Based on the project’s description by Lionsgate which is the English-language debut for Kim Ji Woon the director and the role is perfect for Schwarzenegger.

The movie plot is about  “an old-fashioned Western specifically designed for a 63-year-old broken-down guy with a moral decision whether Arnold decides to stand up for his town.”

Origianlly Liam Neeson was slated for the part, but Lionsgate believes that Schwarzenegger is the man for this job.

“We always needed an iconic figure for it,” said an executive from the studio.

The announcement of Schwarzenegger’s role comes a few months following the former governor announced that he was taking a break from acting partly due to his unfaithfulness with his soon-to-be ex-wife Maria Shriver.