Week of July 15, 2008

Sen. Obama criticizes the Bush administration for failing to protect the American

people from weapons of mass destruction and said he would take aggressive

measures to do so.

Barack Obama delivers a foreign policy address in Washington in which he

sought to reassure his supporters that he remains committed to ending the war in

Iraq.

Raising money - Barack and the Democrats rack up an impressive $25 million

lead over Republicans in June.

Afghanistan - Barack Obama meets with U.S. troops and receives a military

briefing in conditions in Afghanistan.

Headed to Iraq for his first visit as a presidential candidate, Barack Obama said

now is the time to re-deploy Iraq troops.

President Bush agrees to a general time horizon for withdrawals of U.S. combat

troops from Iraq.

Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah warmly welcomes the five Lebanese

men who were released from Israeli custody in exchange for the bodies of two

Israeli soldiers.

Alaska - British energy giant BP has begun drilling the world’s longest wells to a

hard-to-reach offshore reservoir in the Beaufort Sea. The project is to yield 100

million barrels of oil. The reservoir is six miles of Alaska’s northern coast and is

expected to start pumping in 2011.

wants to keep working. “Rogue” is now out in

bookstores.

Crude oil prices slip back to $135 a barrel.

Budweiser agrees to be purchased by InBev of

Belgium in a $52 billion merger that will create

the world’s largest brewer to be called

Anheuser-Busch InBev.

Week of July 15, 2008

Technology -

Intel profits jumped 25% in the second quarter - benefiting from the surging

global demand for laptops and the processors that power them.

EBay Inc scores a victory in court as a federal judge said companies such as

Tiffany & Co. - not auction platforms like EBay, are responsible for policing their

trademarks online. Tiffany had sued EBay - arguing that most items listed for

sale as genuine Tiffany products on EBay’s sites were fake.

Some best-selling books -

Chasing Darkness - Robert Crais

The Brief Wondrous Life of Ascar Wao - Junot

Diaz

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle - David

Wroblewski

The Last Lecture -Rrandy Pausch

What Happened - Scott McClellan

When You Are Engulfed In Flames - David

Sedaris

Are You There, Vodka, It’s Me Chelsea -

Chelsea Handler

Kay Rayan - award-winning poet is named

poet laureate.

The Federal Reserve clamps down hard on

mortgage lenders issuing rules designed to

curb the sorts of risky and deceptive lending

practices that helped trigger the current

financial mess. Meanwhile - banks are being

hit harder from the fallout of IndyMac Bank as

investors dump it and other bank stocks.

Sports -

Top scorer Abby Wambach of the U.S. women’s soccer team breaks her left leg

after a violent collision in the first half of a 1-0 win over Brazil. She’ll be out for 12

weeks.

The final All-Star game is played at Yankee Stadium as the America League beat

the National League (4-3).

Week of July 15, 2008

Entertainment news -

Comedian and actor Andy Dick is arrested is arrested in Murrieta, CA. he was

intoxicated and grabbed and fondled the breast of a 17-year-old girl before

pulling her top down in a parking lot of a bar.

Whoppie Goldberg, co-host on “The View,” announces she will appear in the

musical “Xanadu” on Broadway.

Music news -

Amy Winehouse’s husband - Blake Fielder-Civil is sentenced in London to 27

months in jail for assault and obstructing justice.

Rapper DMX (Earl Simmons) is arrested in Phoenix on suspicion of giving a false

name and Social Security number to a hospital to get of paying for medical

expenses.

Jakob Dylan is on the Tonight show this week.

Cat Stevens wins a substantial compensation for libel claims in a London Court

over stories suggesting he wouldn’t speak to women without veils during an

award ceremony last year.

Billy Joel plays the last concert-ever at Shea Stadium. The stadium is being

raised later this year.

Passing - Jo Stafford - pop singer of the late 1940’s and 1950’s.

Television news -

Passing - Les Crane (74) -

One time ABC TV talkshow

host who competed with

Johnny Carson’s “Tonight

Show.”

Don’t miss ‘Heidi Fleiss: the

Would-Be Madam of

Crystal,” debuting on HBO.

Shannon Doherty will have a

role on the new “90210”

which debuts Sept. 2.

Amy Poehler is nominated

Week of July 15, 2008

for outstanding supporting actress in a comedy series - Saturday Night Live -

the first SNL cast member (ever) to score a nomination in an acting category.

That’s because the rules have changed - to include members of the sketch

comedy show.

misdemeanor gun charge stemming from

his May arrest at Los Angeles International

Airport where screeners discovered a

handgun in his briefcase.

Talkshow host Jimmy Kimmel and Sarah

Silverman have broken up. There is no

comment.

Top TV -

America’s Got Talent - 12.73

million

viewers

Wipeout - 10.60

The Bachelorette - 9.99

CSI - 9.86

The Bachelorette - 9.53

Greatest American Dog - 9.53

Two and a Half Men - 9.14

So You Think You can dance (Wed.) - 8.93

Hell’s Kitchen - 8.91

CSI: NY - 8.89

So You Think You Can Dance (Thu.) - 8.85

NCIS - 8.62

CSI: Miami - 89.41

60 Minutes - 8.20

Flashpoint (Fri.) - 8.13

House - 7.93

Criminal Minds - 7.93.

Bottom of ratings list -

The American Dream W/Jim Kramer - 1.67 (NBC)

Reaper - 1.19 (CW)

Gossip Girl - 1.17 (CW)

America’s Top Model 3 (CW) - 1.13

One Tree Hill (Mon.) (CW) - 1.11.

Week of July

15,

2008

At the movies -

The Dark Night

Mamma Mia!

Hancock

Journey to the Center of the Earth

Hellboy 2: The Golden Army

Wall-e

Space Chimps

Wanted

Get Smart

King Fu Panda

Hot hits this week -

BURNIN' UP- Jonas Brothers

DISTURBIA- Rihanna

VIVA LA VIDA- Coldplay

HANDLEBARS- Flobots

GET SILLY- V.I.C.

BUST IT BABY- Plies fea. Ne-Yo

KISSED A GIRL- Katy Perry

LOLLI LOLLI (POP THAT BODY)- Three

6 Mafia

AIN'T GOT YOU- Kevin Michael

SEVEN THINGS- Miley Cyrus

GIVE IT TO ME- Madonna

FOREVER- Chris Brown

THUNDER- Boys Like Girls

Week of July 15, 2008