Week of January 23, 2008

Sen. Clinton leads the Democrats at 42% with Obama at 33%. . McCain leads

Huckabee 22% to 18% on the Republican side.

House leaders and the Bush administration reach a deal on a package of tax

breaks and mortgage rules designed to put more money in consumer’s hands

and stimulate business investment.

One less GOP hopeful - Actor and former

Sen. Fred Thompson abandons his

presidential campaign.

President Bush delivers his seventh State

of the Union address - and gives

appraisal of the war in Iraq and cited a list

of modest proposals that came from two

barbed veto threats.

Barack Obama wins in South Carolina.

John McCain wins the Florida Republican

primary as does Hillary Clinton on the

Democratic side. Rudolph Giuliani hits he

may drop out.

Starbuck Corp. says it would close 100

under performing U.S. stores and slow

domestic openings in the face of a likely consumer recession and its own

overbuilding.

Real estate developer and fast-food entrepreneur Antoin “Tony” Rezko is

arrested after prosecutors disclosed he had received $3.5 million from an Iraqi

billionaire while claiming to be broke. Rezko had poured thousands of dollars into

the campaigns of Sen. Barack Obama and other politicians.

The Fred cuts rates to 3% - just eight days after making an emergency reduction

of three-quarters of a point.

Sales of new single-family homes plummeted a record 26% last year.

A fire hits the top of the 32-story Monte Carlo resort in Las Vegas.

Shock - the death of Heath Ledger (28). He was found nude and face-down on

the bedroom floor of his Soho (New York) apartment. Foul play is not suspected.

Week of January 23, 2008

Passing - Margaret Truman - President Truman’s only daughter. She was 83.

Passing - Gordon B. Hinckley - Mormon leader. He was 97.

Passing - Christain Brando - troubled son of the legendary actor Marlon Brando.

He was 49.

Passing - Actress Lois Nettleton . She

was 80.

Jay Leno and other comedians reach a

settlement in the lawsuit against author and

comedy teacher Judy Brown, who they

complained had profited by using

unauthorized material from their stand-up

routines in her joke books.

Technology -

Amazon reports that fourth-quarter earnings

more than doubled with strong holiday sales

and it forecast higher revenue this year than

Wall Street had anticipated.

Yahoo says it’s laying off 1,000 workers or 7% of its workforce.

Music news -

Madonna - gets top spot as richest woman in music - earning $72 million

between June 2006 and June 2007.

Miley Cyrus says one of favorite restaurants was

an old haunt - “Cracker Barrel” back in Nashville.

Lil Wayne (Dwayne Michael Carter Jr.) is booked in

Yuma, AZ on three felony drug charges. He faces

charges of possession of dangerous drugs,

narcotics and drug paraphernalia.

The Redwalls perform on David Lettermen this

week.

Week of January 23, 2008

Television news -

On ABC-TV this week - Lost. Don’t miss the 2-hour premier event.

Trend - Soap operas are using new locations and the hand held camera (you

know - the one that keeps shuffling the picture around). Apparently - younger

audiences need more stimulation.

The FCC says it planned to fine ABC $1.4 million for showing a woman’s nude

buttocks on NYPD Blue.

Top TV -

NFC Championship game (Fox) - 53.94 million viewers

NFC Championship Postgame 1 - 40.64

American Idol (Tue.) - 33.41

American Idol (Wed.) - 30.44)

NFC Championship Postgame 2 -

23.10

NCIS - 15.82

Deal or No Deal (Mon) - 15.08

CSI: Miami - 14.80

CSI - 14.15

Without a Trace - 13.29

Comanche Moon 2 12.56

Law & Order: SVU (Tue.) - 12.20

Comanche Moon 3 - 12.13

Deal or No Deal (Wed.) - 11.81

Law & Order (Wed.) 11.59

Are You Smarter Than a 5 th Grader? -

1.58

Two and a Half Men - 11.51

American Gladiators - 10.61

Extreme makeover: Home Edition - 10.50

Dance War - 10.49

At the movies -

Meet the Spartans

Rambo

27 dresses

Cloverfiled

Untraceable

Juno

The Bucket List

There Will Be Blood