Stephen King Hit by Vehicle - Hospital officials say author Stephen King is in good spirits after several hours of surgery early Sunday for injuries suffered when he was hit by a car while walking near his Maine home...

Pictures in the digital age - Photography is fast revolutionizing the world of home computers, and PCs are fast becoming a basic staple of amateur photography. People are using the technology to get better pictures faster, and to get them for less money than conventional photography methods...

'Star Trek' Actor Deforest Kelley Dead At 79 - Actor DeForest Kelley, beloved by millions for his portrayal of the crusty deep-space doctor ''Leonard 'Bones' McCoy'' on the original Star Trek TV series, died Friday at age 79...

Bogart, Hepburn Top Stars List - He didn't have the stunning good looks of Clark Gable. He didn't always perform better than his contemporaries, or die an icon-making death like James Dean.   Still, Humphrey Bogart had a beautiful relationship with America...

Armand Assante in Civil War film - Armand Assante said he's always been fascinated by the Civil War. He got a chance to learn even more about the conflict when he starred in a made-for-cable movie about one of its battles. "The Hunley..."

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Jesse Ventura gets more support - In his tell-all autobiography, Gov. Jesse Ventura disclosed that he doesn't much care for underwear. The folks at Fruit of the Loom - saying they wished to show their support for the governor - sent 12,000 items of underwear on Thursday. "We thought, 'Why in the world would a wrestler be intimidated by boxers?'" quipped John Wendler, senior vice president for marketing. Most of the underwear will go to area homeless shelters. "No matter who you are, I don't think anyone cares to inherit underwear secondhand," Ventura said.

TV Makers To Meet V-Chip Deadline - Most television manufacturers have put v-chips in at least half their new sets and should have few problems meeting a year-end deadline to install the blocking technology in all new televisions, federal regulators said Wednesday...

Crime & Punishment - Short excerpt of a video which examines issues of transgression and retribution, guilt and innocence, and takes a close look at the line that supposedly divides the two. Produced by Termite TV...

Charles Kuralt's Secret Life Emerges - For 29 years, until his death in 1997, he kept a mistress and maintained a second family. The celebrated journalist was, in effect, husband and father to them, as well as breadwinner, friend and hero...

Singer Mel Torme Dies - Mel Torme, the man who co-authored the holiday pop classic The Christmas Song, died Saturday from complications of a stroke he suffered three years ago. He was 73 years old...

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FTC Targets Bogus Talent Scouts - Phony talent scouts are using flattery to get them everywhere with consumers, who sometimes shell out big bucks to become ``stars.'' The government has filed a string of charges...

Britain Revives Cheeserolling Race - Runners tore down a steep 300-yard course in pursuit of an 8-pound double Gloucester cheese wheel Monday at a revival of the custom of cheeserolling?...

ODonnells Gun Crusade Off Track - Rosie O'Donnell's intent was to be a strong advocate for gun control. But is she shooting herself in the foot?  Talk television's ``Queen of Nice'' has argued on the air about guns with actor Tom Selleck, become a target...

Mister Rogers Wins Pa. Award - It was a beautiful day in the governor's house as Mister Rogers received the Pennsylvania Founder's Award...

Mister Rogers' beautiful day online - Cyberspace often is painted as a foreboding world with dark alleys and dangerous streets. But to at least one man, it can always be a beautiful day in the neighborhood...

Jar Jar Must Die
"And you thought adults hated Barney. Just listen to what they're saying about Jar Jar Binks, the flop-eared amphibian from the new ``Star Wars'' movie..."

Member of Marley's Group Shot Dead
Junior Braithwaite, one of the three surviving members of Bob Marley's legendary Wailers reggae group, was shot and killed Wednesday night in his Kingston home, relatives said...

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Fans Go 'Loca' for Ricky Martin
Hundreds of screaming, crying, singing fans who aren't ashamed to say they're ``loca'' for Ricky Martin flocked to a mall for a glimpse of the Latin singing sensation...

Dyke TV #185
Dyke TV is a half-hour bi-weekly television program produced by lesbians, for lesbians. Mixing news, political commentary, the arts, health, sports, and much more to present lesbian lives-in all its variety-with intelligence and humor...

New Site for Shockwave Technology
Software maker Macromedia Inc. has formed a new unit to promote its Shockwave technology on a Web site it hopes will become an entertainment hub on the Internet. The unit, called www.shockwave.com, will operate a Web site by the same name...

Member of Marley's Group Shot Dead
Junior Braithwaite, one of the three surviving members of Bob Marley's legendary Wailers reggae group, was shot and killed Wednesday night in his Kingston home...

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Ventura Puts Stern in His Place
Finally, a man big enough to put Howard Stern in his place. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura did it at a New York book signing Wednesday, snubbing one of Stern's long-haired, T-shirt clad reporters by refusing to appear on the shock jock's radio program...

Alternatives to Military Power
The history of the 21st century - the American century - has been written in the blood and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Americans who died in battle. Should the United States continue to assume the role of policing the world? Or as Madline Albright says, should we "continue to be present around the world wherever we have interests to defend"? - (In Real Audio/Video)

Artist Makes Hotel Room Look Cheesy
Cosimo Cavallaro has created a Muenster.  It's a room the Swiss Family Robinson could call home, a place as gouda as it gets...

How To Build An Atom Bomb
Worldwide controversy has been generated recently from several court decisions in the United States which have restricted popular magazines from printing articles which describe how to make an atomic bomb. The reason usually given by the courts is that national security would be compromised if such information were generally available...

New York Times Groups Web Sites
The New York Times Co. is grouping its nearly 50 Web sites under one business unit, the company announced Monday...

(Click Here for the "Entertainment Void" Archives)

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) - Armand Assante said he's always been fascinated by the Civil War. He got a chance to learn even more about the conflict when he starred in a made-for-cable movie about one of its battles. "The Hunley," which premieres next month on TNT, is the story of the hand-cranked Confederate submarine that sank a Union blockade ship before going down with its nine-man crew in 1864. It was the first sub in history to sink an enemy warship. The cast shot scenes in a sometimes-flooded mockup on a sound stage. "The experience was very, very powerful. It's like getting into a double boiler," said the Emmy-winning actor, who plays Confederate Lt. George Dixon. "Those guys were getting into a human coffin."

The only way actors on the sound stage could get air was through an air regulator, he said. "You couldn't get out because the camera crew was literally bolted in," Assante said. "It really brought home the visceral feeling of what those men were willing to put themselves through." The mockup on the lake - really the top half of the sub supported by air bags - had a 145-pound hatch. With that hatch closed and water coming up around the sides, Assante said, "It was horrifying."

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HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - It was a beautiful day in the governor's house as Mister Rogers received the Pennsylvania Founder's Award.  Gov. Tom Ridge removed his suit jacket Tuesday and donned a red cardigan similar to the one Fred Rogers, 71, wears on ``Mister Rogers' Neighborhood,'' which is produced at Pittsburgh's public TV station.

``Today we honor a neighbor who has not only taught us right from wrong, but left from right,'' Ridge said.

The award was created in 1997 to recognize an outstanding citizen who has made significant contributions to the state.  Rogers' show reaches nearly 8 million households every week and, now in its third decade of production, is the longest-running children's program on public television.

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Short excerpt of a video which examines issues of transgression and retribution, guilt and innocence, and takes a close look at the line that supposedly divides the two. Produced by Termite TV.

Watch using: [G2 Player] or [RealPlayer]

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Mel Torme, the man who co-authored the holiday pop classic The Christmas Song, died Saturday from complications of a stroke he suffered three years ago. He was 73 years old. Affectionately called "The Velvet Fog," Torme hated the nickname, which was given to him by a New York disc-jockey. Torme played drums, piano as well as wrote and sang songs. He began performing at age four. The two-time Grammy winner was also known as the "singer's singer" throughout his music and television career. Listen as NPR's Dean Olsher looks back at Mel Torme's life and legend for Weekend All Things Considered. 

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LONDON (AP) - Runners tore down a steep 300-yard course in pursuit of an 8-pound double Gloucester cheese wheel Monday at a revival of the custom of cheeserolling.

The cheese always comes first, but the person who crosses the finish line right behind the fast-rolling wheel gets to keep it.  Stephen Brain, 30, of Gloucester, was the big cheese this year, winning all three men's races at Cooper's Hill near Gloucester, 115 miles west of London.

``The trick is to try and stay on your feet,'' Brain said.  That isn't so easy. The races were canceled in 1998 because 27 racers were injured in the previous year's competition.  This year, only one contestant was taken away in an ambulance, and he was not seriously injured.

Richard Jefferies, a member of the organizing committee, said new safety measures, including crash barriers and a rescue team, paid off. So did a change in time. ``I think the decision to move it to noon stops people having too much to drink before they come,'' he said.

According to ``The Customs and Ceremonies of Britain,'' cheeserolling was once an event at a big spring celebration that included long-forgotten sports including ``grinning for the cake,'' ``jumping in the bag,'' and ``chattering for a bladder of snuff by old women.''  The reference book does not give any further explanation of those games.

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KINGSTON, Jamaica (AP) - Junior Braithwaite, one of the three surviving members of Bob Marley's legendary Wailers reggae group, was shot and killed Wednesday night in his Kingston home, relatives said Thursday. He is the second Wailer to die in this manner. Peter Tosh was shot and killed at his Kingston home in 1987. Marley died of cancer in 1981. Braithwaite, 49, was one of two men shot to death by unidentified gunmen. Police are investigating.

The musician recently returned to his Caribbean homeland from Chicago, where he had lived for more than 20 years. He had been attempting to revive the singing career that he gave up when he left the Wailers in 1966. Along with Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and Beverly Kelso, Braithwaite formed the original Wailers in Kingston in the early 1960s. He sang on the group's 1965 breakthrough hit ``It Hurt To Be Alone.''

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NEW YORK (AP) - Finally, a man big enough to put Howard Stern in his place. Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura did it at a New York book signing Wednesday, snubbing one of Stern's long-haired, T-shirt clad reporters by refusing to appear on the shock jock's radio program, and yanking the guy's chain a little in the process. ``Why don't you come on our show, Governor?'' the reporter asked.

The one-time professional wrestler chastised Stern for once keeping him on hold for 20 minutes, then telling the campaigning candidate there just wasn't enough time left to put him on air. ``What goes around, comes around,'' Ventura said. Stern's public relations agency had no comment on the incident. Ventura was in Manhattan autographing copies of his new book, ``I Ain't Got Time to Bleed.''

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DALLAS (AP) - Hundreds of screaming, crying, singing fans who aren't ashamed to say they're ``loca'' for Ricky Martin flocked to a mall for a glimpse of the Latin singing sensation. Martin appeared at a record store at NorthPark Center for a two-hour autograph session Saturday. Fans arrived in the wee hours of the morning to secure their spots in line. Others - male and female - stood outside all day in 90-degree heat. ``Livin' la Vida Loca,'' the first single from his new English-language album, ``Ricky Martin,'' is at the top of the charts. The 27-year-old former member of Menudo is attracting throngs wherever he goes. Two weeks ago, an enthusiastic crowd that gathered to see him at a Manhattan record store outnumbered the people across the street lined up for an advance screening of the new ``Star Wars'' movie.

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The history of the 21st century - the American century - has been written in the blood and sacrifice of hundreds of thousands of Americans who died in battle. Should the United States continue to assume the role of policing the world? Or as Madline Albright says, should we "continue to be present around the world wherever we have interests to defend"? (In Real Audio/Video)

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Dyke TV is a half-hour bi-weekly television program produced by lesbians, for lesbians. Mixing news, political commentary, the arts, health, sports, and much more to present lesbian lives-in all its variety-with intelligence and humor. (In Real Audio/Video)

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SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - Software maker Macromedia Inc. has formed a new unit to promote its Shockwave technology on a Web site it hopes will become an entertainment hub on the Internet. The unit, called www.shockwave.com, will operate a Web site by the same name.

The site will guide users to games, puzzles and animation created by Macromedia's Shockwave and Flash technology, the company said today in a statement. On the Web site, users will be able to download two pieces of software that play Shockwave files. The free Shockwave Remote allows Internet users to search out and play back music, comics and games, and then save up to five pieces of content for use at anytime - even when their computers are not connected to the Internet. Those who want to save more than five titles can upgrade to Shockmachine, which will be sold for $19.95 and offer unlimited save capacity and exclusive content.

The software also organizes stored titles in customized categories. The San Francisco based Macromedia has lined up several partners for shockwave.com, including Comedy Central, Hasbro Inc. Interactive, Marvel Enterprises Inc., News Corp.'s Fox Interactive and Sega of America. The company says the new Web site and the two Shockwave players will launch early this summer.

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