Dennis Hopper

Actor Dennis Hopper has been released from a NYC hospital after receiving treatment for dehydration, which had caused him stomach pains.  In a statement, a rep for Hopper said “Dennis is now back in his hotel room and feeling much better.  He would like to thank everyone for their well wishes and he looks forward to getting back to work.”

The 73 year old Hopper was rushed to a NYC hospital after complaining of symptoms generally associated with the flu.  Hopper, an Oscar winner,  was in New York promoting his new show Crash, an adaptation of a 2006 movie.

Five days after a major earthquake spawned a tsunami that devestated American Samoa, US disaster relief agencies have been rushing to aid those imacted by the disaster.  Reports indicate that about 300 aid workers have been dispatched from various US agencies, including the US military.

The US response is being coordinated by the much maligned Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which is working to restore electricity and water service to affected areas.

The President And First Lady in Coppenhagen

Hopes for a Chicago summer Olympics in 2012 were dashed today, as the IOC eliminated Chicago’s bid to host the summer Olympics in the first round of voting, only to award the games to Rio De Janerio.

A stunning defeat for a President who had campaigned on restoring America’s image in the eyes of the world.  What’s interesting is that many felt that the President was the most popular person in the room in Coppenhagen, which has led many to wonder if the presence of the first couple and celebrities like Oprah Winfrey actually hurt Chicago’s chances by causing IOC members to bristle at what the perceived as too much of a hard sell.

The interesting question now is has the much written about “Obama effect” warn off internationally?

Star Florida Quaterback Tim Tebow has not yet been cleared to play, and will not play against 4th ranked LSU on Saturday night, ESPN reported today.

Tebow suffered a concussion during a game against Kentucky recently, and was hospitalized overnight.  Coach Urban Meyer told ESPN today that Tebow was improving:

“From what I understand, there’s no symptoms and I think he’s cleared to act like Tim Tebow,” Meyer said. “Everything but practice right now. I know he’s allowed to watch TV. Earlier in the week he wasn’t allowed to do anything focused. I guess that’s normal protocol. And then after a week they acclimate.”

ABC’s 20/20 will take a close look at the Clear Lake Murders this Friday, a case which has shocked the Houston suburb.  It is a strange story – prosecutors allege that then 17 year old Christine Paolilla and her then boyfriend, Chris Snider drove to the home of some of Paolilla’s friends to purchase drugs.  Somehow the couple ended up shooting and killing all four people in the house.

The case went cold for a time, until a tipster called police and put them on the trail of Paolilla and Snider in late 2008.  Before he could be arrested, Snider killed himself.  Paolilla was tried and convicted of first degree murder and is now serving a life sentence in a Texas prison.

President Obama

“Those who used to chastise America for acting alone in the world cannot now stand by and wait for America to solve the world’s problems alone,” said Obama in put-up-or-shut-up comments before a packed U.N. General Assembly hall. “Now is the time for all of us to take our share of responsibility for a global response to global challenges.”

Aubrey O’Day from the Las Vegas striptease show, “Peepshow,” posted a video on her blog of herself complaining about nude photos of her taken while she was topless during her stage performance.

As she says during the two and a half minute video message, “I’m making a video for here… because of some nude photos that were illegally obtained at ['Peepshow'] last night,”
O’Day goes on to explain that Tuesday was her debut with “Peepshow” and when the photo leaked on Wednesday she skipped out on a performance to have her lawyers get the photos taken down.
“It made me feel like crap,” the O’Day said, criticizing websites like Perez Hilton for making fun of her body.

“I’m so sad that our society has come to the point where we’re making women feel so bad, and so concerned, about how they look physically,” O’day said.

O’Day is a singer who also posed nude in Playboy’s earlier this year. She defended her appearance by recording the video sans makeup and with uncombed hair. She capped it off by removing her shirt, revealing a see-through pink bra.

That’s right Paul Reubens and his alter ego Pee Wee Herman are set to return to the public forum.

Paul, or Pee Wee got his start in the early 80s at the famous Groundlings Theater in Los Angeles. The revival of the show is set to start in LA again in November at a yet to be determined location. The show has already been in such demand that he’s had to seek another venue.

Pee Wee made an appearance on the Jay Leno show this week and is already gathering a large following on Twitter.

In the 80s Pee Wee’s stage show grew to guest TV appearances and a feature film directed by Tim Burton and his Saturday morning show was a children’s staple. His fame came to abrupt end however when he was caught masturbating in a theater in 1991.

Washington, D.C. – As President Obama prepares to deliver a landmark speech to a Joint Session of Congress this evening, many members of Congress have been quoted as saying that they hope the President will clearly outline his reform proposal.  With charges of fear mongering and misrepresentation coming from both sides of the debate, it is no wonder that healthcare is so mired in controversy.

Probably at the forefront of the clarifications the President must make is the persistant rumor that his plan would seek to have a government committee decide when its time to “pull the plug on grandma.”  White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs has vigorously contested the notion that an Obama plan would seek to use Medicare to attempt to force end of life decisions, but to little end, as the din of conservative talk radio has been hard to overcome.

To be successful, the President must clearly outline his plan, and rally the Congress (or at least the Democrats) behind it.  The clearer he is, the harder it will be for his opponents to sling mud.

Adding to her list of awards a now 60-year-old Jessica Lange was handed her first Emmy on Sunday for her performance in the movie Grey Gardens. Lange played a fictionalized version of the real-life Edith Bouvier Beale for the HBO film. Jessica Lange has been nominated for Emmys twice in the past and has won two Oscars.

Based on Albert and David Maysles’ 1975 documentary, Grey Gardens is about “Big Edie” and her daughter, “Little Edie,” relatives of Jackie Kennedy Onassis who were discovered living in squalor on Long Island in the early 1970s. The documentary chronicles the conditions in which they lived and the heavily codependent relationship between mother and daughter.

The HBO movie further examines the lives of the Beales’, taking from Little Edie’s diaries which follows their earlier lives as a part of Manhattan’s high society to their gradual retreat to their summer home in he Hamptons.

“Grey Gardens” won the Emmy for best made-for-TV movie, and Ken Howard won best supporting actor in a movie or miniseries. Also nominated were Drew Barrymore, who played Little Edie, and Jeanne Tripplehorn, who played Jackie.