"ER" Final Season Extended by Three Episodes

It will be a longer goodbye for NBC's veteran medical drama "ER," whose 15th and final season has been extended by three episodes.

As part of NBC's deal with producer Warner Bros. TV and "ER" executive producer John Wells, the network also has ordered six episodes of Wells' new cop drama "Police."

NBC and WBTV have been in intense negotiations during the past few weeks for a "Police" series pickup. The network had been asking for a 12-episode midseason order, while WBTV had been reluctant to commit to such a large order in light of NBC's recent decision to launch a Jay Leno-fronted talk show in the 10 p.m. hour in the fall, which would limit the network's needs for drama series.

Meanwhile, NBC, WBTV and Wells also had been talking about adding three hours to the 19-episode final season of "ER," which has been regularly winning its 10 p.m. Thursday slot.

It is not clear how the extended season of "ER" will affect NBC's new drama "Kings," which was slated to air in the slot following the "ER" series finale March 12.

One possible scenario would have "Police" succeed "ER" in the slot as it was originally envisioned and see "Kings" move to another night.

Ordered to pilot in June, "Police" is an ensemble show starring Tom Everett Scott, Regina King, Benjamin McKenzie and Kevin Alejandro as a group of police officers in Los Angeles.

Source: Reuters

Private Memorial Service Held for Jett Travolta

Friends and family of John Travolta held a private memorial service on Thursday for the actor's son, Jett, whose sudden death last week brought an outpouring of grief from fans.

The service took place at the Ocala, Florida home of Travolta and his actress wife, Kelly Preston. Security staff outside the residence kept the media at bay and details were scarce.

The sudden death of Jett Travolta, 16, who passed away after a seizure six days ago while on vacation in the Bahamas, triggered a wave of condolences from fans of John Travolta, the popular star of "Saturday Night Fever" and "Pulp Fiction."

On Thursday, actor Tom Cruise discussed the family's loss. Like Travolta and Preston, Cruise is a member of the Church of Scientology.

"It's horrific," Cruise said in an interview for "The View" television show, which taped on Thursday. "It's just horrific. Here you have a man, both of them doting parents, they're wonderful people and..." His voice trailed off before finishing the sentence.

At the time of his death, a statement issued by the family said Jett had a history of seizures, but prior to that Travolta and Preston had said that their son suffered from the little-known Kawasaki syndrome when he was a toddler.
Friends said he had developmental disabilities that meant he was not heard speaking.

"I observed that (Jett) was significantly mentally handicapped," actress Anne Archer, a friend of Travolta, was quoted as telling People magazine in its Friday edition.

"But it was very apparent with the two of them that they treated him as if he was a completely normal child. ... It was a kind of sweet exchange where (John) was just happy with anything that Jett offered," Archer said.

Jett's remains were cremated in the Bahamas and his memorial was expected to follow guidelines of Scientology. Believers think that, while there is no heaven or hell, individuals live on as immortal spiritual beings.

The death has sparked controversy over whether the couple's Scientology beliefs affected the management of their son's condition. But on "The View," Cruise denied Scientology discouraged the seeking of medical care.

"That's just not true. It's actually false. They say 'Get your physical, get your medication, get your physical illnesses handled,'" Cruise said.

Source: Reuters

Ugly Betty's Ana Ortiz Is Pregnant

Ugly Betty star Ana Ortiz is pregnant with her first child, People has learned.

Ortiz, 37, and her husband Noah Lebenzon, the guitarist for the band Half Life, are expecting the baby at the end of July.

"They are thrilled and ecstatic," says a friend of the New York City-based couple. "They can't wait to be parents.

"In September, the actress told People she was feeling the itch to have children partly because of the baby boom on the set of her hit show. (Earlier this week ex-costar Rebecca Romijn welcomed twins.)

"It's definitely something that my husband and I talk about all the time," Ortiz told People.

Source: People.com

Macy's to Close 11 Stores & Cuts Forecast

Macy's Inc said on Thursday it will close 11 stores that are performing badly in the recession as it also cut its quarterly profit and sales forecasts due to steep markdowns during the holiday season.

On Nov. 28, Chief Executive Terry Lundgren told Reuters that Macy's typically closes as many as 10 underperforming stores a year and expected to do the same in 2009.

"These closings are part of our normal-course process to prune underperforming locations each year in order to maintain a healthy portfolio of stores," Lundgren said in a statement on Thursday.

Macy's is shutting stores in nine states, including two each in Colorado and Pennsylvania.

Stores to be closed are located in:
- Ernst & Young Plaza (Citicorp Plaza), Los Angeles, CA
- The Citadel, Colorado Springs, CO
- Westminster Mall, Westminster, CO
- Palm Beach Mall, West Palm Beach, FL
- Mauna Lani Bay Hotel, Island of Hawaii, HI
- Lafayette Square, Indianapolis, IN
- Brookdale Center, Brooklyn Center, MN
- Crestwood Mall, St. Louis, MO
- Natrona Heights Plaza, Natrona Heights, PA
- Century III Furniture and Clearance, West Mifflin, PA
- Bellevue Center, Nashville, TN

Shares of Macy's, which also owns the Bloomingdale's chain, were down 0.4 percent at $11.26 after falling as low as $10.75.

Macy's sales at stores open at least a year fell 4 percent in December, better than the analysts' average forecast for a 5.3 percent decline, according to Thomson Reuters Estimates.

Macy's expects such sales to fall about 7.5 percent in the quarter, which runs from November through January, versus prior expectations for a 1 percent to 6 percent decline.

The company plans to record about $65 million in costs due to the store closings, including about $12 million in cash costs. Most of the costs will be booked in the fourth quarter.

Macy's expects to earn 90 cents to $1.00 per share in the fourth quarter, excluding certain items, down from its earlier target of $1.10 to $1.30 per share.

For the year it forecast earnings of $1.10 to $1.20 per share, excluding items, down from an earlier target of $1.30 to $1.50 per share.

Macy's expects to end the fourth quarter with more than $1 billion in cash on hand and no borrowings against its $2 billion bank credit agreement.

Source: Reuters

"Dark Knight" Soars at People's Choice Awards

Batman movie "The Dark Knight" soared away with five People's Choice Awards on Wednesday including favorite movie and on-screen pairing for stars Christian Bale and the late Heath Ledger to kick off Hollywood's annual awards season.

Country singer Carrie Underwood, who rose to fame on television talent show "American Idol," was another big winner, hauling in three People's Choice Awards for favorite female singer, country song "Last Name," and star under 35 years-old.

"Fans and people voting for me are what gave me a career in the first place," Underwood said, acknowledging the voting by music lovers. "This is an amazing night."

The People's Choice Awards, in its 35th edition this year, are a widely watched measure of popular appeal for Hollywood stars and they mark a starting point for the industry's annual awards season which runs through the Oscars, the world's top film awards, that take place in February.

Adam Sandler was named funniest male star, Reese Witherspoon favorite female movie star, and Kate Hudson top leading lady among winners in more than 40 categories covering film, television, music and even online entertainment.
Sandler, Witherspoon and Hudson all echoed a familiar theme of the night by saying People's Choice honors were special because they were voted on by fans, as opposed to critics or members of industry groups.

The ceremony also has a more casual atmosphere compared to TV's Emmy's or the film industry's Oscars, where black ties and ball gowns are mandatory.

Noting that difference, Katherine Heigl, who accepted the trophy for best comedy movie for her "27 Dresses," told reporters backstage that she wore a pants suit because "it was after the holidays, so I didn't want to wear anything strapless or anything I had to suck in my stomach for."

Among film honors, "Dark Knight," which was 2008's top film at box offices with global ticket sales of nearly $1 billion, also proved to be the No. 1 movie of the night. Along with best film and on-screen match-up, it hauled in awards for favorite action movie, superhero for Bale as Batman, and for its cast.

"The Secret Life of Bees" was the winner of best film drama and favorite independent film, and animated "Wall-E" was the No. 1 family film for People's Choice voters.

In the TV arena, medical show "House" was named favorite TV drama, and "Two and a Half Men" was best TV comedy.

"The Mentalist" was top new TV drama while "Gary Unmarried" was the No. 1 new TV comedy.

"House" star Hugh Laurie took home the trophy for favorite male TV star, and Christina Applegate took the honor of top female TV star for "Samantha Who?"
Applegate, who revealed earlier this year that she underwent surgery for breast cancer, said the award meant a lot to her after a difficult year."

"I feel great. I really do," she told reporters backstage. "Each week gets easier and each week gets better."

Ellen DeGeneres was named best TV talk show host and "Dancing With the Stars" was the people's pick for No. 1 competition or reality TV show.

Along with Underwood, top winners in music included Kid Rock for favorite rock song "All Summer Long," Rascal Flatts for favorite group, Chris Brown best male singer and Katy Perry with best pop tune "I Kissed a Girl."

A complete list of winners can be found at www.pcavote.com.

Source: Reuters.com

Porn industry seeks federal bailout

Editor's Note: You won't believe this story. Who is else is going to ask for a bailout? Read on...

Another major American industry is asking for assistance as the global financial crisis continues: Hustler publisher Larry Flynt and Girls Gone Wild CEO Joe Francis said Wednesday they will request that Congress allocate $5 billion for a bailout of the adult entertainment industry.

“The take here is that everyone and their mother want to be bailed out from the banks to the big three,” said Owen Moogan, spokesman for Larry Flynt. “The porn industry has been hurt by the downturn like everyone else and they are going to ask for the $5 billion. Is it the most serious thing in the world? Is it going to make the lives of Americans better if it happens? It is not for them to determine.”

Francis said in a statement that “the US government should actively support the adult industry's survival and growth, just as it feels the need to support any other industry cherished by the American people."

“We should be delivering [the request] by the end of today to our congressmen and [Secretary of the Treasury Henry] Paulson asking for this $5 billion dollar bailout,” he told CNN Wednesday.

Flynt and Francis concede the industry itself is in no financial danger — DVD sales have slipped over the past year, but Web traffic has continued to grow.

But the industry leaders said the issue is a nation in need. "People are too depressed to be sexually active," Flynt said in the statement. "This is very unhealthy as a nation. Americans can do without cars and such but they cannot do without sex."

"With all this economic misery and people losing all that money, sex is the farthest thing from their mind. It's time for congress to rejuvenate the sexual appetite of America. The only way they can do this is by supporting the adult industry and doing it quickly."

So far, there has been no congressional reaction to the request.

Source: CNN

Scared Swayze Says He May Have Only 2 Years to Live

Actor Patrick Swayze, in his first television interview since being diagnosed with pancreatic cancer last year, said he was scared, angry and "going through hell" and may only have two years to live.

A year after his diagnosis with one of the most deadly forms of cancer, the "Dirty Dancing" star told TV interviewer Barbara Walters that he already has defied survival rates and reports predicting he should have "been dead a long time."

But he acknowledged his time may be short. "I'd say five years is pretty wishful thinking. Two years seems likely if you're going to believe statistics. I want to last until they find a cure, which means I'd better get a fire under it."

The American Cancer Society says pancreatic cancer has only a five percent, five-year survival rate. The majority of patients die within six months.

"You can bet I'm going through hell," Swayze told Walters in the interview to be broadcast on ABC on Wednesday.

"There's a lot of fear here ... Yeah, I'm scared. Yeah, I'm angry. Yeah, I'm (asking) why me?" Swayze, 56, told Walters.

But he denied reports he was near death. "Am I dying? Am I giving up? Am I on my death bed? Am I saying goodbye to people? No way."

Swayze said doctors diagnosed stage 4 pancreatic cancer last January, with the cancer already having spread to his liver.

DREAMING OF A FUTURE

The actor and dancer underwent an aggressive course of chemotherapy and treatment with an experimental drug. He then stunned the industry by starting to film a new TV detective series "The Beast" while undergoing treatment and without taking pain-killers.

"I think everybody thought I was out of my mind, you know, thinking I'm gonna pull off a TV show," he said of the 12-hour work days, mostly in cold, Chicago night conditions.

"When you're shooting you can't do drugs," Swayze said of his decision not to take pain-killers. "I can't do Hydrocodone or Vicodin or these kinds of things that take the edge off of it, 'cause it takes the edge off of your brain."

In five months of filming, Swayze missed a day and a half of work. "The Beast" starts airing on the A&E cable TV network on January 15.

Swayze is known around the world for his role as the dance instructor in the 1987 coming of age movie "Dirty Dancing" which inspired hit stage shows in London, Australia and Canada. He went on to star with Demi Moore in 1990 film romance "Ghost."

Married to wife Niemi for 33 years, Swayze said he was stunned by the outpouring of love from fans since his diagnosis, although he does not want to be a poster-boy for living with cancer.

"I keep dreaming of a future, a future with a long and healthy life, not lived in the shadow of cancer but in the light," Swayze told Walters.

"What winning is to me, is not giving up, is no matter what's thrown at me, I can take it. And I can keep going," he said.

Source: Reuters

It's a Girl for Jennifer Garner & Ben Affleck!

Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck have welcomed their second daughter, People.com confirms exclusively.

The actress's rep says: "Jennifer Garner and Ben Affleck gave birth to a healthy baby girl." The baby was born Tuesday in Los Angeles. No other details were immediately available.

Garner and Affleck, both 36, are also parents to daughter Violet, 3.

In the weeks leading up to the birth, Garner, stayed close to home, picking up Violet from preschool and even treating herself to a mani-pedi. Just days before giving birth, Garner was spotted with Violet at the Farmer's Market in Pacific Palisades and grabbing a decaf coffee at Caffe Luxxe in Santa Monica with a girlfriend.

Former Alias costar and close friend Victor Garber says the actress needs no help in the mommy department. "It's her second child," Garber told People. "She knows what to do. She's probably the best mother I've ever witnessed."

Source: People.com

Matthew Rush leaves Falcon Entertainment

Falcon Exclusive Matthew Rush's "lifetime" deal with the company has come to an end.

The muscle-y model told Unzipped that he wishes to "leave the nest to grow and experience other options," including working with other studios.

His exit from Falcon caps eight years of working with the company; six of those years were as a "lifetime exclusive" model. But Rush said that he would like to work more than his contract with Falcon allowed. "For the past few years I've only made one or two movies a year, so I'm hoping to get more work," he said. "I would really like to work with Hot House, Raging Stallion or Colt, and I would love to work with Chi Chi LaRue again, as well as with more muscular daddy types and African-American guys."

For the complete story, pick up the February issue of Unzipped, on sale January 13, 2009.

Editor's Note: The links provided about will direct you to websites which are NSFW and appeal to the gay porn community. Now I warned you. Click at your own risk and enjoy.

Madonna's Sticky & Sweet DVD...Coming Soon!

News about the Sticky & Sweet DVD are starting to come in.

Our friends from MadonnaOnline Brazil informs us that Universal Music will be distributing the dvd, produced by Live Nation.

A tentative release date has been set approximately for March 2009.

MadonnaTribe has also heard from its sources that at the moment the dvd for the Sticky & Sweet Tour Live is being prepared as a Double Disc Release.

Previous reports also suggested Madonna's last Greatest Hits compilation owed to Warner Music is also scheduled for a release in the first quarter of 2009.

Source:M-Tribe

Happy New Year from the US Government

As Bush prepares to vacate the White House (it's about time!), he leaves us with this New Years present...

Madonna & Britney...Reunited!

Madonna and Britney Spears are planning an explosive dance routine to ensure her forthcoming comeback world tour kicks off with a bang.

The Queen of Pop is expected to appear as a surprise guest on Spears' upcoming Circus tour later this year.

The Toxic hit maker joined her mentor Madonna on-stage in Los Angeles in November during the U.S. leg of her Sticky & Sweet tour, and the Material Girl is reportedly desperate to return the favor.

Spears has reportedly hired Jamie King, the choreographer of Madonna's last three tours, to create a high-energy routine the duo can perform together.

A source tells Britain's Daily Mail, "When Britney joined Madonna on stage for her Sticky & Sweet tour it was very sedate.
"This is going to be a high-energy dance routine - getting back to what they are both good at: Performing."

Madonna and Spears shocked fans when they puckered up for an on-stage kiss during their performance at the MTV VMAs in 2003. They also teamed up on a track, Me Against the Music, the same year.

What Ever Lola Wants...Lola Gets!

London, Jan 4 : Pop diva Madonna's daughter Lourdes is reportedly pursuing a career in acting.

The 12-year-old has enrolled at a drama school, which has produced actors like child prodigy Macaulay Culkin, Scarlett Johansson and Sarah Jessica Parker, reports contactmusic.com.

"Lourdes is desperate to become an actress and has joined Manhattan's Professional Children's School. She is determined to prove herself and plans to throw herself into studying the technique," said a source.

Madonna had earlier refused to let her daughter take part in acting so soon on the grounds that early stardom might spoil her.

New Release Tuesday!

We start the year with great new releases.

Here are this week's new CDs, Blu-Rays, and DVDs available at your local entertainment store or online:

CDs - Music
Glasvegas - Glasvegas (shown above)
The Gourds - Haymakers!
Erin McCarley - Love, Save the Empty
Soundtrack Of Our Lives - Communion

DVDs (& Blu-Rays) - Motion Pictures
ABBA: The Movie (B) (shown above)
Babylon A.D. (B/D)
Bangkok Dangerous (B/D)
Caligula (B)
Disaster Movie (B/D)
Eden Lake (D)
Friday Night Lights (B)
Pineapple Express (B/D)

DVDs (& Blu-Rays) - TV Shows
Battlestar Galactica - Season 4.0 (D)
Dexter - Season 1 (B)
Duckman - Seasons 3 & 4 (D)
Mannix - Season 2 (D)
Transformers: Animated - Season 2 (D)
The Tudors - Season 2 (B/D) (shown above)
The Waltons - Season 8 (D)

(B) = Blu-Ray - only available
(D) = DVD - only available
(B/D) = Blue-Ray & DVD - both available

Dancing Pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy & Karina Smirnoff Are Engaged

Dancing with the Stars pros Maksim Chmerkovskiy and Karina Smirnoff are engaged.

Maksim proposed to Karina just before the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve with a Harry Winston rock for his Dancing costar, a source confirms to E! News.

The news of the engagement comes in the middle of the Dancing tour, and only six months after Karina announced her split with former contestant and dance partner Mario Lopez. Karina, 30, and Maksim, 28, began dating shortly thereafter.

No word from either camp on a possible wedding date. But, you'll have a chance to check out Karina's bling when Dancing with the Stars returns for Season 8 on March 6th.

Best Songs of 2008

According to Billboard.com, here are the top 10 hits of 2008.

10. Forever - Chris Brown
09. With You - Chris Brown

08. Love In This Club - Usher Featuring Young Jeezy

07. Love Song - Sara Bareilles

06. No Air - Jordin Sparks Duet With Chris Brown

05. Apologize - Timbaland Featuring OneRepublic

04. Lollipop - Lil Wayne Featuring Static Major

03. No One - Alicia Keys

02. Bleeding Love - Leona Lewis

01. Low - Flo Rida Featuring T-Pain

For a complete listing of the Top 200, plus other charts, go to http://www.billboard.com/.

Windows of the World - Miami & Sunny SoFLa

For the first 2009 "Windows of the World" posting I share with you a very special place in my heart, my hometown, Miami and the SoFLa (South Florida) surroundings.

Here are beautiful hometown pictures from my personal photo collection, except for a couple that I borrowed from the net.

Kelly Clarkson "My Life Would Suck Without You"

Kelly Clarkson's new single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," will hit U.S. radio outlets January 19th. The track will introduce her fourth, as-yet-untitled studio album, due March 17th from RCA.

Although a track list has yet to be announced, Clarkson has worked with producer/songwriter Dr. Luke and OneRepublic leader Ryan Tedder on new material.

The album will be the follow-up to 2007's "My December," which has sold 780,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Clarkson feuded with RCA exec Clive Davis over her desire to write her own material for the album, on the heels of her smash 2004 album "Breakaway," which featured a number of co-writes with experienced songwriters.

A planned arena tour was scrapped just before "My December" came out due to lower-than-expected ticket sales, and was reconfigured for smaller venues a few months later.

Last fall, Clarkson signed with manager Narvel Blackstock, who paired her with his wife, Reba McEntire, for a successful co-headlining tour in early 2008.

John Travolta's Teenage Son Dies

John Travolta's 16-year-old son Jett has died while vacationing with his parents in the Bahamas. Reuters reports that Jett suffered a seizure at the Old Bahama Bay Hotel on Grand Bahama Island. A spokeswoman for the local police said Jett banged his head on a bathtub Friday morning, January 2nd. TMZ broke the story this afternoon and Rand Memorial Hospital confirmed the death.

"At this point, we know that John Travolta and Kelly Preston's only son, Jett, had a seizure at around 10 AM this morning," the family's attorney Michael Ossi told CNN. "All attempts to revive him were unsuccessful."

The Travolta family has long denied rumors that Jett suffered from autism, claiming that the boy instead had Kawasaki Syndrome, an inflammatory disorder of the artery walls which often leads to heart disease. Jett, who had a history of seizures, was the eldest child of Travolta and Preston. The couple also have a daughter, Ella Blue, who is 8.

On Vacation...

Dear Fans of CharlieCruiser's World!

As you may have noticed, these last couple of weeks I have not been posting much on my blog. I have taken a well deserved vacation and will be back in the not so distant future.

Look for new features coming real soon to MyWorld.

I look forward to hearing your feedback on what you think about my blog. Write them in the comments section below.

Thanks again.

...and Happy 2009!

Carlos (aka CharlieCruiser)