McGill Tribune - If I could do a case study on some of the alarming hypocrisy that characterizes media today, I would centre it on supermodel-turned-media mogul Tyra Banks. She truly embodies the modern rule of television: anyone willing to forego dignity, self-awareness, and all ironic detachments can potentially earn about $30 million a year.

Destin Log and Walton Log - Destin,FL,USA - Javier Medina, chef at Smiling Fish Cafe in Santa Rosa Beach, was named Top Chef during the first annual Southern Breeze Gulf Coast Chef Challenge Finals in Gulf Shores, Ala. This event featured this year's winning chefs from the preliminary challenges in Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi.

Medina wowed the judges with four lamb variations - lamb carpaccio with ginger and horseradish, a mushroom crusted lamb chop, grilled lamb tenderloin, and hickory mesquite smoked lamb loin - served with butternut squash puree, roasted fall vegetables, and baby bock Choy with a lamb jus.

Examiner.com - This seems to be the 'buzz' from the folks in & around the industry, blogosphere and simple folks homes now that Ms. Williams have gotten such rave reviews from her move daytime television. The Radio vixen and veteran of 23 years in the Inner City Broadcast Radio industry have decided to clip her on air wings for the time being and focus upon her blazing arrival into the television talk show hosts scene. There is a rumor mill on the horizon as folks tune in to watch some unconventional, sasy, unleashed, ofttimes unscripted words coming out of the mouth of

Newsweek - USA - American Idol without Paula Abdul is like Christmas without presents, summer without sunshine, Three's Company without Suzanne Somers. Simon Cowell might be the mastermind at the judges' table, but Paula is the show's No. 1 star. When she's at her best—the cleavage, the tears, the dancing—who cares about any of the contestants on stage? When she's at her worst—the slurring, the crazy talk, the bickering with Simon—she's even better.

But it looks like Paula's job might be on the line. In an interview Sunday with the Los Angeles Times, her manager David Sonenberg said: "Very sadly, it does not appear she's

Reality TV World - Mansfield,MA,USA - Gordon Ramsay promises Hell's Kitchen's upcoming sixth season will include all the "tantrums and rollercoasters" viewers are accustomed to, but added the talent of the culinary contestants has "raised the bar.

"It's possibly the most demanding in terms of frustration level, but I think we've got some exceptional chefs, which may turn out to be a bit of a surprise I think," Ramsay told reporters during a Wednesday conference call.

"I think the standard of chefs across the board is far greater... We've been a lot more creative in terms of the challenges and there have been a few twists."

Salt Lake Tribune - United States - Despite being a judge on "American Idol" for every season of the top-rated TV show, Randy Jackson has never been involved in an album by an "Idol" alum.

Jackson is the executive producer of "High Hopes & Heartbreak," to be released July 21 by Brooke White, the blond-tressed 26-year-old singer who finished fifth in the 2008 season. She was commonly known on the show as the Mormon nanny who had never seen an R-rated movie. Perhaps soon she'll be known for her music, with her new album featuring songs rooted in the 1970s California-country style she grew up listening to in

FOXSports.com - USA - I figured out years ago it's a good thing everyone doesn't act like me.

Strip clubs would be overcrowded. You'd literally have to call ahead to reserve a champagne room.

Strip-club hostess: "We can get you in with Mercedes on Tuesday at 5 p.m. or there's a 2 a.m. slot on Sunday with Athena. Mr. Whitlock, what would you prefer?"

Selfishly, I'd prefer things stay exactly as they are. The hypocrites can secretly surf the Internet for porn, shop Craiglist for hookers and pretend their twice-a-year sex life with their spouse of five years is satisfying and a one-way ticket to Heaven's gates.

Jesus

Maryville Daily Times - Maryville,TN,USA - Without a doubt, NBC's "Last Comic Standing" changed Ralphie May's life -- and it may have saved it as well.

In addition from his socio-economic move -- from a four-plex at Crenshaw and Adams in Los Angeles to a house in the Hollywood Hills -- May also obtained the financial stability to tend to his health. He's still a big guy, but he's not the morbidly obese funny man that Americans fell for.

"I got something I'd never had before -- insurance," May told The Daily Times this week. "I went to a specialist at Cedars-Sinai (Medical Center), and I got gastric

Cape Gazette - Lewes,DE,USA - Tears rolled down people’s faces, stomachs and sides hurt, people struggled to stay upright on their chairs, and they were having a great time.

At the Rehoboth Beach Convention Center, Saturday, April 4, comedienne Joan Rivers was a master, showing how just one person with a microphone can entertain hundreds. This was not a person resting on past success, an entertainer going through the motions; no, this was a performer at the peak of her ability.

While Rivers has been in the entertainment business for more than 40 years, she worked, sweated, bounded from one end of the stage to the other

PGA.com - USA - Boo Weekley, a standout performer in the 37th Ryder Cup, made an impact in his first celebrity appearance at the 56th PGA Merchandise Show.

Weekley joined PGA of America officers and CEO Joe Steranka to open the largest golf exhibition on the balcony of the main entrance at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

Weekley first used an air horn to get the attention of thousands of attendees, then hoisted the Ryder Cup trophy to a rousing wave of cheers.

"I'm very honored to have been part of a team that won the Ryder Cup, and I'm going to do all

Examiner.com - USA - Luckily for the box office at Gillette, the Revolution is one of David Beckham’s few remaining away games before he bails out of MLS and flies back to Milan. Under the reported agreement (financial transactions not yet disclosed), Beckham will finish the season with Milan in May then play out the 2009 MLS season after the transfer window opens on July 15. Apparently there’s an escape clause in his contract and he won’t be back.

Beckham (and the Galaxy) will play in New England on August 8. Will he be booed for abandoning ship or cheered as Prince Harry was for

Los Angeles Times - CA,USA - Until someone dialed 911 on Feb. 8 to report a disturbance in Hancock Park, the pop star Rihanna and her R&B-singer boyfriend, Chris Brown, enjoyed relatively wholesome reputations. Attractive and talented, the couple were known as sexy but not oversexed, fun-loving but not reckless. The two seemed unlikely to be involved in anything more shocking than an all-night dance party.

That image opened the door to a host of commercial endorsements. Brown appeared in ads for Doublemint gum and milk while Rihanna hawked more than a dozen products, including Nike sportswear, Totes umbrellas, Venus razors and Fuze beverages.

But then came the

Daily News Tribune - Waltham,MA,USA - A good meal includes good food and good wine, but more importantly it's about joining with family and friends for a meal and conversation, says television chef Sara Moulton.

"The most important thing for a family, the 'glue' that keeps the family together, is sitting down together for dinner," says Moulton, the host of "Sara's Weeknight Meals" on Channel 2.

Moulton will be at the Boston Wine Expo Saturday and Sunday demonstrating simple ways for families to spend less time cooking and more time at the table together. She'll join other public television chefs Ming Tsai of Wellesley's Blue Ginger restaurant and

Beaumont Enterprise - Beaumont,tx,USA - Tavis Smiley admonished people for comparing Barack Obama with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. during the annual Port Arthur brunch held in memory of the slain civil rights leader.

"I want to respectfully pick that thing apart," Smiley said. "Barack Obama is a politician. He's a masterful politician. We celebrate his masterfulness to gain the highest political office in the land.

"Martin Luther King was not a politician. He was a prophet and don't you ever get it twisted."

Smiley was the keynote speaker at the 23rd annual Martin Luther King Support Group of Southeast Texas brunch held in Port Arthur.

He went

Cinema Blend - USA - You won't see me in the audience when Bravo shows the Josh Brolin episode of Inside the Actor's Studio tonight. I was stuck in the back of the smallish theater, far from the floor seats reserved for the fresh-faced students who are well trained to fawn at every word of James Lipton, card-reader, hard-questioner extraordinaire.

But seriously guys, I swear I was there, on a freezing New York night last November, the same week Brolin was hitting the publicity circuit for Milk, which opened a week later. I invited my friend with me, and as the only one of us who

Emediawire (press release) - Ferndale,WA,USA - Children's Lifestyle Expert and Author Lisa Dunn-Dern is profiled in the inaugural edition of 'Who's Who In Black Los Angeles - Celebrating African-American Achievements,' just published by Who's Who Publishing Company of Columbus, Ohio. Dunn-Dern joins such luminaries as Stevie Wonder, Tavis Smiley, Earvin ('Magic') Johnson, Natalie Cole, Speaker Karen Bass, Bernard Parks, Mark Ridley-Thomas and many others from the worlds of business, community, academia, sports and entertainment.

She is the author of two acclaimed children's books, 'Dr. Duncan Dog on Duty,' about a family's therapy dog who visits children in the hospital every week, and 'Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow,' featuring

Los Angeles Times - CA,USA - Jane Fonda, 70, will return to Broadway for the first time in 46 years in Tectonic Theatre Project's production of Moises Kaufman's "33 Variations."  The production, to be directed by Kaufman, also represents his Broadway debut as a playwright.

Fonda first appeared on the Broadway stage in the 1960 play "There Was a Little Girl," for which she earned a Tony nomination.  She also played Broadway in a 1963 revival of "Strange Interlude."

Kaufman's play, which tells the story of musicologist Katherine Brandt (Fonda) and her quest to discover why Ludwig von Beethoven became obsessed with a trivial waltz, was presented --

Ventura County Star - Camarillo,CA,USA - The Veterans Day ceremony on November 11 will feature a special guest speaker, Capt. Dale Dye, USMC (Ret). The sixth annual ceremony will be held at 11:00 A.M. at the Rancho Tapo Community Park Veterans Plaza, 3700 Avenida Simi, Simi Valley.

Keynote speaker, Dye, is well known for not only his military service, but as an actor, author, and film consultant for such well known films as "Platoon," "Casualties of War," "Born on the Fourth of July," "Rules of Engagement," and dozens more films. Dye has also been involved in five novels, more than 30 television shows and TV movies, and

Vanderbilt University News - Nashville,TN,USA - Stephen J. Dubner, co-author of the international best-seller Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side of Everything, will speak at Vanderbilt University Tuesday, Nov. 18.

Dubner’s talk begins at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Student Life Center located at 310 25th Ave. S. on Vanderbilt’s campus. The university’s Speakers Committee, a student-run organization, is sponsoring the event.

Tickets for the lecture are available now. General public tickets may be purchased through Ticketmaster at 615-255-9600 or www.ticketmaster.com. General admission tickets are $10. Tickets are free to Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff and must be picked up in advance at the

Off the Page - Fort Lauderdale,FL,USA - As a critic, it is always rewarding to see an author whose work you’ve admired reach a level they deserve.

As a reader and fan – and yes, I consider myself both – it’s equally rewarding to know that others share your enthusiasm for an author.

For the past couple of years, Charlaine Harris has been getting the attention she’s long deserved. And this year, the HBO series True Blood based on her Sookie Stackhouse series opened a whole new fan base for this author.

Right now, Harris has two hardcovers on the extended New York Times best-sellers list – her novel From

PR-CANADA.net (press release) - Murino,Montenegro - Brian Carroll, a B2B expert and author of LEAD GENERATION FOR THE COMPLEX SALE, will speak at MarketingSherpa’s 5th Annual Business-to-Business Demand Generation Summit to be held October 26–28 in San Francisco. Carroll will present his “‘Playbook’ for Growing More Leads” during the three-day summit.

According to Carroll, the biggest challenge organizations face is bringing focus to their lead generation process. “I’m excited to have the opportunity to share my real-world experience with B-to-B marketers who are trying to optimize their lead gen programs,” said Carroll. “My ‘playbook’ addresses the proverbial black hole between your company’s sales and marketing efforts and

The Flint Journal - MLive.com - Flint,MI,USA - Katee Shean is living proof that dancing your heart out can be profitable.

Shean, a contemporary dancer from San Jose, Calif., recently won $50,000 after being named Top Girl Finalist on the Fox TV hit "So You Think You Can Dance."

"I should probably buy my parents a present," said Shean. "They flew down (from northern California to Los Angeles) every week to watch the taping."

Daily Pennsylvanian - Philadelphia,PA,USA - You may know him best as the Silver Fox. Or as the host of CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. But he prefers to be known simply as Anderson, a non-partisan news anchor who considers himself privileged to have his job - a job he did not know that he would want upon his 1989 graduation from Yale as a political science major.

For most of his life, Anderson had a keen interest in news. During his SPEC fall speaker keynote address on Saturday, he explained to a packed Irvine Auditorium that he decided to begin his career in journalism by "traveling to

The Futon Critic - San Jose,CA,USA - Like the fine-tuning of someone's fashion style, Bravo's "Tim Gunn's Guide To Style" begins season two tonight with a little fine-tuning of its own.  Tim Gunn has a new co-host in Gretta Monahan as well as a show with a quicker pace and efforts to dig deeper into why women dress the way they do.  Talking to our Jim Halterman, Gunn and Monahan discussed the new and improved series with the same camaraderie that is evident onscreen.

After being aided by supermodel Veronica Webb in season one, Gunn is now paired with Monahan, who is a top celebrity stylist and brings