Did AT&T Rig 'Idol' Voting?

Complaining about voting irregularities in real elections is so last year. The new craze is tracking misconduct in voting for 'American Idol.' Message boards are abuzz with accusations that AT&T may have unfairly influenced voting results by providing phones, free text messaging, and lessons in casting multiple votes at once for parties in support of Kris Allen (pictured), the Arkansas singer who won the singing competition.

According to the New York Times, both AT&T and attendees of the parties confirmed that the company hosted two such voting parties in Allen's home state of Arkansas. The provider, however, did not provide similar support for Adam Lambert, the runner-up to Mr. Allen in the show's finale.

AT&T reps instructed party-goers in how to send so-called "power texts" -- blocks of 10 or more messages sent to the same number.


If the charges are true, AT&T would have broken two rules governing voting in the 'Idol' competition. At the end of every show an on-screen statement is displayed warning that blocks of votes cast using "technical enhancements" which would unfairly influence the outcome can be thrown out. The show also states that voting via text message is open only to AT&T subscribers, and that standard texting rates apply.

While AT&T admits to attending the parties and providing demo phone units, it has not copped to any wrongdoing. Fox has so far declined to comment on the situation

Jonas Brothers are 'Paranoid' in New Video

Does Texting Hurt Teens? Some Say Yes

If you're a parent who frets about how much time your child spends sending and reading text messages, you're in good company.

Doctors and psychologists have begun raising red flags about the effects of incessant texting, The New York Times reported.
American teenagers send and receive dozens, perhaps hundreds, of texts a day. The habit seems to be triggering a variety of problems, including repetitive stress injury, sleep deprivation, anxiety and falling grades, health experts told The Times.

"If you're being deluged by constant communication, the pressure to answer immediately is quite high," psychologist Sherry Turkle told the newspaper. "If you’re in the middle of a thought, forget it."

Texting may also interfere with normal adolescent development, making it tougher for teens to separate from their parents. "Now you have adolescents who are texting their mothers 15 times a day, asking things like, 'Should I get the red shoes or the blue shoes?'" Turkle said.

Teens haven't been texting for that long, so there's no scientifically sound data on the health impact. Check out the Times story for more anecdotes about some harmful side effects of too much texting.

Economists See Recession Ending in '09

More than 90 percent of economists predict the U.S. recession will end this year, although the recovery is likely to be bumpy.
That assessment came from leading forecasters in a survey by the National Association for Business Economics to be released Wednesday. It is generally in line with the outlook from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke and his colleagues.

About 74 percent of the forecasters expect the recession — which started in December 2007 and is the longest since World War II — to end in the third quarter. Another 19 percent predict the turning point will come in the final three months of this year, and the remaining 7 percent believe the recession will end in the first quarter of 2010.

If you ask me I say "Thank God for the Swine Flu" because before then the recession (Crisis on Wall Street) was all we were hearing on the news 24/7 -- which if you ask me only served to dampen the economic outlook in the first place.

Child Wakes From Coma Singing

Mama Mia!

A three-year-old girl defies the odds when she woke up from a five-day coma singing "Mamma Mia."

Layla Towsey was on life support after being revived from a near-fatal heart attack, brought on by meningitis. Doctors had just finished removing her breathing tube when her mother, Katy Towsey, heard her humming tunes from the popular musical and film.
Now back at home and full of energy, Towsey sings "Mama Mia" tunes all around the home. "It was driving me insane before," said her mother. "Now it just reminds me of what happened. It makes me so happy."

Flight Turbulence Paralyzes Grandmother

A Texas woman is paralyzed after breaking her neck during severe turbulence while on board a Continental Airlines flight.

Sylvia Tena talked to NBC's 'Today' show Monday as she lay in her hospital bed.  The 47-year-old grandmother suffered her injuries in April when was traveling on a short flight from Houston to McAllen, Texas, that was already delayed because of thunderstorms. She got up to use the bathroom while the plane was hitting a particularly harsh patch of turbulence. While inside, Tena said, she was suddenly thrown against the ceiling and suffered serious injuries that left her paralyzed her from the chest down.

This gives new meaning to the phrase "keep your seat belt buckled"

Supernatural and Smallville break up

CW splits up its Thursday night block, sending Smallville over to Friday nights.

For the last several years, Thursdays on The CW has been etched in stone:Smallville at 8 p.m., followed by Supernatural at 9 p.m. The two seemed like a match made in heaven, thanks to their science-fiction and paranormal-driven plotlines. But business is business, and the two will now go their separate ways.

The CW is breaking up the couple that's been together since March 2006, with Supernatural getting the time period in the divorce. Smallville will now air on Friday nights, and Supernatural will stay put on Thursdays, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Moving into Smallville's old digs will be the newbie The Vampire Diaries, one of the network's biggest freshman shows. And with Vampire star Ian Somerhalder leading into Supernatural's Jensen Ackles and Jared Padalecki, it could be a teen girl's dream.

The move makes sense for The CW, as Supernatural and Smallville are now strong enough to help other shows. But Thursday is a bloodbath, with The Mentalist, Fringe, and Flash Forward moving into the night that already includesGrey's Anatomy, CSI, and The Office. Total TiVo explosion.

The CW is also expected to pair up Melrose Place with 90210 on Tuesdays, and The Beautiful Life with America's Next Top Model on Wednesdays. 

Prison Break: The Final Break

Ok, so if you are a Prison Break fan like me, this is a straight to DVD movie of what happened between the 4 years they skipped over on the series finale. It will show Sarah and Michael's wedding, what happened to Gretchen and so forth. This will wrap up any questions and/or loose ends they left us with at the finale.  It's available through Amazon.com for preorder out on July 21, 2009.

O.J. Simpson appeals conviction

Attorneys for imprisoned former football great O.J. Simpson on Tuesday appealed his conviction to the Nevada Supreme Court, claiming his trial was "fundamentally unfair."

In the 47-page brief filed Tuesday, Simpson's attorneys accuse Clark County, Nevada, District Judge Jackie Glass of judicial misconduct, saying her behavior constituted "cumulative error that was so egregious and prejudicial that the defense could not get a fair trial."

The judge inflicted herself into the trial proceedings, issued improper jury instructions, improperly admitted hearsay evidence and refused to allow defense attorneys to fully cross-examine witnesses, the filing alleges.

In addition, she would not allow defense counsel to ask prospective jurors about their "known and unknown" biases, the brief said, and allowed prosecutors to strike the only two African-American potential jurors eligible to be on the jury.