'100 Things' Co-Author Dave Freeman Dies in L.A.

100 Things to Do Before You Die co-author Dave Freeman died in Los Angeles on August 17th after hitting his head in a fall that occurred in his Venice home. He was only 47.

100 Things is a travel guide devoted to odd adventures for readers and imitators. Its recommendations ranged from attending the Academy Awards and running with bulls in Pamplona, Spain, to taking a voodoo pilgrimage through Haiti and land-diving on the island of Vanuatu, to which Freeman referred as "the original bungee jumping." The book also included the following statement:

"This life is a short journey. How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time?"

100 Things also featured funny graphics with each entry and inspired such titles as 100 Things Project Managers Should Do Before They Die and 100 Things Cowboys Fans Should Know Before They Die.

Freeman, an advertising agency executive, co-wrote the 1999 book subtitled Travel Events You Just Can't Miss with partner Neil Teplica, based on the website whatsgoingon.com, which the two men ran together from 1996 to 2001.

Freeman will be greatly missed.

Britney Spears Not to Perform at VMAs

According to her manager, Britney Spears will not be performing at this year's Video Music Awards, which will air September 7th at Los Angeles's Paramount Pictures Studio. Larry Randolph, her Jive Records manager, stated that Britney's focus will be in the studio as she works on recording her next album.

However, MTV Networks Music Group president Van Toffler stated that the network wouldn't entirely rule out a Britney appearance in some form, as there have been confirmed talks about a Britney appearance. In fact, her video for "Piece of Me" has been nominated for the prestigious Video of the Year award.

American Idol Gets Another Judge

Move over, Simon! This season, American Idol is adding a fourth judge into the mix.

Kara DioGuardi, American Idol's newest addition, is the co-owner of Los Angeles-based record company Arthouse Entertainment, now producing music for Season 7's runner-up David Archetula. She is also American Idol's youngest judge at 37 and a Grammy-nominated songwriter. Her songs have been recorded by such artists as Kelly Clarkson, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani. Recent Top 40 hits include Stefani's "Rich Girl," Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man," and Clarkson's "Walk Away."

DioGuardi has many hopes for her role as judge, including bringing many ideas to the table and finding the next big star, but she is confident that she will fit in with the other judges. What may help her in the fitting-in quest, however, is her longtime friendship with fellow judge Paula Abdul.

American Idol's eighth season premieres in January on Fox. Let the music and drama begin.

Super Cr3w is America's Best Dance Crew!

On last night's finale of America's Best Dance Crew, Sup3r Crew took home the grand prize of $100,000, a spot on the America's Best Dance Crew tour, a rare meeting with Randy Jackson, and the title of America's Best Dance Crew, defeating So Real Cru, who had never been in the bottom two. For a crew who has been in the bottom two a record of three times, the grand prize is quite a feat. However, seeing their dance style and abilities and hearing their stories, Sup3r Crew really deserves it. (Besides, I rooted for them — and Fanny Pak — pretty much the whole season and tried pretty much all season to figure out their hand-gesture thing.)

I would like to extend a warm, heartfelt congratulations to both crews.

Tinseltown Reports Two New Residents & Another on the Way

Tinseltown has a reason to celebrate.

First, Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale welcomed their second child into the world Thursday at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Zuma Nesta Rock Rossdale, a boy, came into this world at 12:46 p.m. and weighed 8.5 pounds. Congrats, Gwen and Gavin!

Matt Damon and his wife Luciana welcomed a baby sister for their first daughter Isabella on Wednesday, naming her Gia Zavala Damon. Perhaps the two might date when they're older, but nobody knows what the future will hold. Congrats to Matt and Luciana as well!

Another Spice will be coming into this world in the near future. Melanie Chisholm, a.k.a. Sporty Spice, will be joining her fellow Spice Girls/Spice Mums, as she is pregnant with her first child, apparently by property developer Thomas Starr, her boyfriend of six years. Best of luck to this budding family.

Avril Lavigne Show Canceled in Malaysia

Thanks to a youth wing of the fundamentalist Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party, Avril Lavigne will not be able to perform in Malaysia on August 29, two days before the country's independence day. Kamarulzaman Mohamed, a youth party official, stated that Avril Lavigne's act is too sexy and that it would wrongly influence teenagers and other people. The Arts, Culture, and Heritage Ministry organization supported this decision.

However, Galaxy Group, the show's promoter, can reschedule the concert and have it approved by the ministry. Like Avril would need anyone's approval...

Madonna Turns 50!

Yes, I'm a little late in posting, but oh well. Happy belated big 5-0 to pop legend Madonna, who turned 50 on August 16.

In honor of Madonna's milestone birthday, music blog Video Ga Ga wrote the special Top 50 Madonna moments. Here is a list of Madonna's Top 50 Special Moments in descending order.

50. Duet with Gogol Bordello.
49. Adoption of the mysterious British accent.
48. Shaking her "bon-bon" with Ricky Martin.
47. Bond girl.
46. "Make my video" contest courtesy of Madonna and MTV.
45. Monkeying around at the Oscars.
44. Weird Al Yankovic's release of "Like a Surgeon," parody to "Like a Virgin."
43. Madonna launches fashion line for H&M.
42. Estranged brother Christopher writes a memoir.
41. Madonna & Missy Elliot Gap commercial.
40. 1982 "Everybody" debut.
39. Madonna & Ali G brought together courtesy of "Music" music video.
38. Meeting with the queen of England.
37. "Me Against the Music" duet with Britney Spears.
36. Plays blonde bombshell Breathless Maloney in Dick Tracy.
35. Undergoing multiple makeovers for subsequent music videos.
34. "Substitute for Love" video controversy.
33. Madonna experiments with electronica.
32. Departure from Warner Bros., record label of 25 years, to sign with LiveNation.
31. Madonna keeps her Malawian baby.
30. Live 8 performance.
29. Another Live 8 performance.
28. Discovery and popularity of Kabbalah.
27. Founding of record label Maverick Records.
26. Marriage to Sean Penn.
25. Madonna's fashionable Video Music Awards tribute.
24. Popularity of the "Vogue" dance craze courtesy of the "Vogue" music video.
23. Another makeover, courtesy of "Papa Don't Preach."
22. "Sooner or Later" wins Best Song at 1991 Academy Awards.
21. "Ray of Light" sweeps the VMA s.
20. Madonna "rocks the vote."
19. Coachella Festival performance.
18. Madonna on Wayne's World.
17. Plays herself in 1991 film Truth or Dare.
16. Golden Globe for role of Eva Peron in Evita.
15. Make-up with David Letterman after disastrous appearance on The David Letterman Show.
14. Use of four-letter words on David Letterman.
13. Marriage to Guy Ritchie.
12. Conversation with Kurt Loder gets interrupted, thanks to Courtney Love.
11. Performance collaboration with the Gorillaz at the Grammys.
10. Attempts to find a good post-Desperately Seeking Susan movie role.
9. Centerfolds in Playboy and Penthouse magazines.
8. "American Life" video deemed unpatriotic.
7. Hospital visit with Seymour Stein.
6. Induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
5. Pepsi challenge.
4. Negative publicity and accusations of sex-centered career after publication of Sex book.
3. "Justify my Love" video banned from MTV.
2. French-kiss session with Britney Spears at 2003 VMAs.

And the number 1 Madonna moment:

1. Kick-off performance at the first annual VMAs in 1984.

Happy birthday, Madonna.

America's Next Top Model Cycle 11 Contestants Revealed!

CW has finally announced the 14 contestants selected to compete on the 11th cycle of America's Next Top Model.

• Sheena, 21, a hostess/go-go dancer from Honolulu, HI (currently in Harlem, NY)
• Samantha, 18, a student athlete from Woodland Hills, CA
• Nikeyshia, 19, a student from Bronx, NY
• Analeigh, 19, a student from Sacramento, CA (currently Los Angeles, CA)
• Clark, 19, a student from Pawleys Island, SC (currently Columbia, SC)
• Hannah, 19, a student from Fairbanks, AK
• Brittany, 19, a customer service worker from Henderson, NV
• Elina, 19, unemployed from Berdichieve, Ukraine (currently Seattle, WA)
• McKey, 19, a student from Lake Forest, IL
• Joslyn, 23, a student from Lucky, LA (currently Shreveport, LA)
• Marjorie, 19, a student from Marseilles, France (currently San Francisco, CA)
• Isis, 22, a transgendered nonprofit organization program assistant in Prince George's County, MD (currently New York, NY)
• Lauren Brie, 20, a student from Charlottesville, VA (currently Radford, VA)
• Sharaun, 18, a student from Chicago, IL

America's Next Top Model Cycle 11 premieres Sept. 3 at 8 pm on the CW! A picture will come as soon as I find one.

Harry Potter and Friends Go to Summer School

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the sixth installment in the famous Harry Potter franchise, which will be directed by David Yates, will be released in July 17, 2009 rather than its original November 21, 2008 release, according to Warner Brothers. Half-Blood Prince takes Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) back to his wizard classes to master the assignment of rooting out dark secrets concerning Lord Voldemort's early years.

Why the delay? Apparently it was to take advantage of an open weekend during Hollywood's summer season, said Alan Horn, president and chief operating officer of Warner Brothers. But Horn isn't too happy with the move, saying the film was completely on schedule, and that it could have been released in November, though the Writers Guild of America strike affected next summer's Hollywood lineup.

However, while the switch in release dates will mean a two-year wait between the film adaptations of books five and six of the fantasy series by J.K. Rowling, fans won't have to wait so long between Half-Blood Prince and the final two installments, which will be filmed simultaneously next year.

Miley & Jesse = Romeo & Juliet?

Star magazine has reported a possible Romeo & Juliet-esque love story in the wonderful world of Tinseltown.

15-year-old Miley Cyrus has been secretly texting and calling her longtime celebrity crush, 21-year-old Jesse McCartney. The two first met when Jesse guest-starred as himself on Miley's ever-popular tween show Hannah Montana and have been communicating behind Daddy Billy Ray's back ever since. And, from recent reports, there's a suspected romance going on between the two tween sensations.

So what did Jesse do to make Billy Ray not like him and let him date his daughter despite offering to bring along a chaperone to the beginning stages of the romance? A friend of Jesse's says perhaps it's the fact that he's been linked with many younger girls in Hollywood. But he has been linked with girls closer to his age, including fellow tween sensation Hilary Duff.

Best of luck to them as these would-be lovebirds attempt to hide their romance from Billy Ray.

Beyoncé Pale?

Accusations have rolled around L'Oreal, the world's largest cosmetic maker, of lightening Beyoncé's skin for a recent ad. But L'Oreal denies the accusations, stating the value of the relationship the company has with its celebrity client, who has been a celebrity spokeswoman for the company since 2001.

But, perhaps it isn't L'Oreal who lightened her skin for its Feria hair color campaign. It could be the caramel hair color she's sporting in the ad, featured in a current issue of Elle magazine, that's making her skin look lighter. After all, the caramel hair color does wash her out. Or she could have been sick when the pictures were taken.

A Case of Life and Death

The past two days brought about life and death in the world of Hollywood.

Yesterday was a case of life. American Idol Season 2 runner-up Clay Aiken became a father and welcomed a son, Parker Foster Aiken, at 8:08 a.m. with friend and record producer Jaymes Foster. He weighed 6 lbs. 2 oz. and was 19 inches long. "No hyphens. One first name. One middle name. One last name," Aiken wrote on his blog (OMG! Yahoo).

Today was a sad case of death. Actor and comedian Bernie Mac, whose roles included a recurring role in Moesha, his sitcom The Bernie Mac Show, and movies Ocean's 11 and Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, died from complications of pneumonia at age 50. Fortunately, the pneumonia had nothing to do with a lung condition called sarcoidosis that he had, which had been in remission since 2005, but it's sad to see a respected actor and comedian go so young.

While one person is given life, the other has life taken from them. After all, from dust you came, to dust you shall return.

"I Kissed a Girl" Kissed the #1 Spot Goodbye...

...and probably didn't like it.

That's right. Rihanna's hit "Disturbia" takes the #1 spot, beating out Katy Perry's tongue-in-cheek experimentation hit "I Kissed a Girl." I imagine "I Kissed a Girl" enjoyed those six weeks it was #1 on the Digital Songs chart while they lasted. I also imagine it had a summer fling with the Jonas Brothers' song "Pushing Me Away" and a brief coffee date with "Burnin' Up," also by the Jonas Brothers. Next up will be a girlfight with "Disturbia," as it and "I Kissed a Girl" vie for the attention of digital music downloaders/listeners worldwide. Stay tuned, folks.

While "I Kissed a Girl" is a catchy tune, I figure the reason why it was #1 for six straight weeks was because so many people wanted to write parodies to it. One parody I saw (and watched) was "I Kissed a Dude" on Ebaumsworld. (I imagine it will be available on YouTube as well.) Another was the hilarious "I Kissed a Squirrel," courtesy of cabaret artist Jackie Beat and popular celebrity blogger Perez Hilton, who was kind enough to provide the laugh. (I have yet to join the entourage so I can post a comment.)

Perhaps I will give "Disturbia" a listen so I can post my vote within the coming days.

Heath Ledger Case Closed

Reporters decided to no longer look into the Heath Ledger case, which brought about concern on how the drugs that contributed to Ledger's drug overdose death were obtained. Apparently, the decision to close the case came after former child star Mary Kate Olsen requested immunity toward questions about the death of her "close friend and his drug use" (OMG! Yahoo). According to authorities, she was the first to discover his lifeless body lying in his Manhattan apartment.

One theory that seems to be running about is that Mary Kate could have helped to obtain the drugs that contributed to his overdose, but that has yet to be proven. After all, didn't Mary Kate use drugs at one point? Or at least experiment with them? Not saying she did. Just a possibility/rumor I heard.

Closing the case has its advantages and disadvantages. The advantages: Heath can rest in peace, and Mary Kate can go about her own business. Disadvantages: Slim to zero chance of closure for the Ledger family and friends unless they find another way to obtain it or move on (both of which could be difficult to do), not to mention the impact the news of Daddy's drug use could have on little Matilda's life and the fact that the only tangible memories she will have of her daddy would be photographs, news stories, and films. I feel bad for the little tyke.

Club 144

Once upon a time, there was a club called the Mad Bull on the corner of downtown Bucyrus by the Crazy Fox Hotel. Then the Mad Bull caught on fire, and it was never restored — until the summer of 2008, when it became Club 144.

Club 144 had a beautiful interior that appeared to have a classic (50s probably) rock theme. The entrance where you were checked in was a maze to get through, but once inside the club, it was fairly easy to navigate. The bar and pool area was the first area you came to. Restrooms were along the wall of the bar/pool area, and they were really clean, despite there only being one sink and hand dryer. Tables sit between the bar and the restaurant portion of the club. The bar was easy to see, as it had a big WAITRESS ONLY sign on top. The DJ stand had a large booth underneath in an attempt to create a cubby. (VIP perhaps?) The dance floor had two levels, which was pretty cool, especially in the case the lower level got packed.

Since I heard rock music coming through the club, I was under the impression that Club 144 was a rock club. Boy, was I wrong. Not only did they play rock, they also played hiphop, rap, pop, and some R&B, typical Crawford County-area club music. There was a request list by the stairs of the DJ stand to make a request if you wished to make one.

The bar offered a reasonable variety of drinks, and water was free. But mixed drinks were expensive. A mixed drink in a small glass came to about four dollars, but the daiquiri I ordered was a good value for my money (albeit small). Next time, if I come early enough, I may just try the restaurant. (Hopefully there will be something vegetarian on the menu.)

If you're looking for a good time on Friday or Saturday night (or any night), whether you want to dance, get some drinks, play pool, or eat at the restaurant, come to Club 144. If you're looking for a club that offers no cover charge (whether you're short on funds or just plain don't want to pay a cover charge), come to Club 144. However, you have to be 21 or older to get in, at least on weekends.

Godspell (May Contain Spoilers)

Bucyrus Little Theatre put on Godspell this weekend (August 1,2, and 3) and this coming weekend (8,9, and 10). Godspell was originally produced in 1971 on the New York Stage by Edgar Lansbury, Stuart Duncan, and Joseph Beruh, and it was a graduate thesis for creator and director John-Michael Tebelak. Music and new lyrics except for "By My Side," which was written by Jay Hamburger with music courtesy of Peggy Gordon, were written by Stephen Schwartz. It tells the story of the Gospel of Matthew.

Dann Johns's interpretation of Godspell was simple but creative and street-smart. The costumes the actors wore were bold, bright, mismatched, and colorful. Even though the time in the program was stated as "Now," and the setting "Anywhere," I would have interpreted it as having taken place in the 1980s on a street corner, as the setting consisted of a bench, several platforms, and a fence. It could have also taken place at a basketball court, a campground (plus or minus the campfire), or a playground. The style of the costumes solidified my impression of this show having taken place in the 1980s on a street corner. Perhaps "Now" and "Anywhere" were intended to invite the viewer's interpretation of the time and setting. I certainly took advantage of the invitation, and I sure think a campfire on a street corner would be a great yet unconventional way to pass the time, particularly if you're looking to go camping.

Another interesting quality I noticed in the production is that the cast members were referred to as their real names, rather than their respective characters' names. Jesus (Sheldon White), however, was generally referred to as "Jesus" or "Master." But this didn't make a difference in the overall production, which I enjoyed, though the second act starting with "By My Side" brought me to tears (though I could have easily started crying during Lamar's (Joel McDaniel) beautiful rendition of "All Good Gifts"). Another song that brought me to tears, mostly due to the harmonies, was "On the Willows," sung by band members Mark Heydinger (who also lent his talents as the music director of the show) and Paul Myers.

One problem I had with the production, however, was with the number "All for the Best." While this was one of my favorite numbers on the show, as it was one of the most fun (I was dancing in my seat during this number), I could barely hear Judas/John the Baptist (Aaron McNulty) as he sang his part, especially when Jesus sang over him. This was especially sad because I heard Judas/John the Baptist really well when he sang the beginning number "Prepare Ye, The Way of the Lord." Another problem (and I would probably consider this more nerves than a problem) was during "Turn Back, O Man" when Sonia (Carissa Cantrell) forgot the words to part of the second verse. But I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, as it could have been the nerves and the frustration that can come with remembering lines and lyrics talking, she didn't show any obvious (or subtle, for that matter) signs of stumbling, and she performed the song really well and did a good job engaging the men in the audience. (Did you know that Madonna also played this role?) I guess I could also give Gilmer (Kristie Corney) the benefit of the doubt for singing her number "Learn Your Lessons Well" off-key, as it could have been the nerves talking, though she didn't forget the words.

The strobe light during the latter part of the second act was really cool during the finale of the show. It helped to offer the effect of a turn of events as Jesus lay on the cross dying. I could, however, hear one or two of the actors besides myself crying.

The verdict? A light-hearted yet moving show with catchy songs, a musically talented band, and a talented yet half under-18 cast. If I had the money and some friends, I would gladly see this show again, even though I will again secretly wish I had gotten cast in it.