Week of November 15, 2008

Iran - Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Mailik agrees to support a contentious security

agreement with the U.S. He plans to urge his Cabinet to back the recently

revised pact.

Brush fires in S. California force 30,000 to flee. Areas hardest hit - Yorba Linda

and Sylmar.

Begging - Chief executives of the “big three” U.S. automakers come to Capitol

Hill to plead for $25 billion in federal aid.

President-elect Barack Obama selects

Federal Reserve Bank of New York as his

nominee for Treasury Secretary.

A federal judge rules that the Bush

administration had no basis for holding

several of its long-term prisoners at

Guantanamo Bay and ordered that five of

the Algerian natives go free.

Al Qaeda’s No. 2 leader - Ayman

Zawaahiri said in a message that appeared

on militant websites that Barack Obama

was “the direct opposite of honorable black

Americans” like Malcolm X and also called

the president-elect, along with Colin Powell

and Condoleezza Rice - “house Negroes.”

Somali pirates operating deep in open waters seize an oil tanker as long as an

aircraft carrier. The Saudi-owned vessel was headed to North America.

President-elect Barack Obama said in a “60 Minutes” interview that he was

assembling his national security team as quickly as possible and said that

capturing or killing Osama bin Laden remained a “critical aspect” of the war on

terrorism.

An Indian warship patrolling the treacherous waters off the Horn of Africa blows

up a suspected pirate ship, allegedly after bandits threatened to destroy the

naval ship and opened fire.

Week of November 15, 2008

Space shuttle Endeavour links with the International Space station kicking off a

huge home makeover that will allow twice as many astronauts to live there

beginning next year.

Business - The Dow loses almost another 450 points in what is being described

as a panic sell-off. The Dow this week closed below the 8,000 mark - the first

time since early 2003.

Citigroup, hit by losses, will slash 52,000 more jobs.

Technology -

Goggle is shutting its virtual world - “Lively” which it launched less than five

months ago.

TiVo and Dominoes Pizza launch a service that

allows consumers to order food delivery from their

TV set-top boxes. TiVo has 3.6 million subs who

have a broadband-ready box. This is the first of its

kind and will probably expand.

Yahoo Chief Executive Jerry Yang says that he

plans to step down as soon as he could find a

successor.

Some best-selling books -

The Brass Verdict - Michael Connelly

Breaking Dawn - Stephanie Meyer

The Gate House - Nelson DeMille

Eclipse - Stephenie Meyer

Goodnight Bush - Erich Origen

The Last Lecture - Randy Pausch

Hot, Flat and Crowded - Thomas L. Friedman

Tried by War - James M. McPherson

Passing -

Dr. Adrian Kantrowitz - pioneering cardiovascular surgeon who performed the

first U.s. heart transplant and developed a balloon-pumping device that has

saved lives. He was 90.

Sports -

St Louis Cardinals slugger Albert Pujols wins his second National League MVP.

Pujols hit .357 with 37 homer runs and 116 runs batted in.

Week of November 15, 2008

Mr. Pop Gossip -

Madonna (50) and Guy Ritchie’s (40) eight-year marriage ends. There was no

legal obligation for Madonna or Ritchie to attend the hearing.

Ashlee Simpson gives birth to a baby boy as she and Pete Wentz are proud

parents.

Looks like dog “Slumdog Millionaire” which opened last week - is building an

audience and positive word of mouth. Same theater takes have risen from

$33,000 to over $50,000. Lets see.

Music news -

“Total Request Live” leaves the

MTV airwaves this week. Its long-

was the network’s longest running

show to date.

American Idol runner-up David

Archuleta debuts near the top of the

pop album charts this week, but

Taylor Swift tops the charts with

“Fearless.”

In her first statement since burying

her slain mother, brother and

nephew, Jennifer Hudson thanks

her fans for their encouragement

during her ordeal.

Bahrain Prince Abdulla ibn Hamed

ibn Isa Khalifa sues Michael Jackson in London claiming the pop star reneged on

a deal to use Bahrain as a recording venue and kept a $7 million advance.

Television news -

ESPN and its international X Games logo is in trouble with clothing maker

Quicksilver - who uses a strikingly similar stylized X - and was the first in

commerce to use it.

Looks like the “60 Minute” interview with Barack Obama, helped the show hit #1

with 25.10 million watching. CBS won the ratings week. Here are the rest of the

rankings - in millions of viewers:

Week of November

15,

2008

NFL Football on NBC - 19.27

CSI - 19.05

NCIS - 18.74

Dancing with the Stars - 18.69

Desperate Housewives - 16.84

Dancing with the Stars results -

16.52

The Mentalist - 16.52

CMA Awards - 15.90

Grey’s Anatomy (Thursday) -

14.90

Criminal Minds - 14.83

Two and a Half Men - 14.50

CSI: Miami - 13.91

House - 13.06

Cold Case - 12.28

Without a Trace - 12.23

Amazing Race 13. - 12.13

NFL Pre-Game (Sunday on

NBC) - 11.92

Eleventh Hour - 11.63

CSI: NY - 11.62

Ghost Whisperer - 11.57

Bones - 10.87

Sunday night television -

CBS - 60 Minutes, The Amazing Race, Cold Case, The Unit

NBC - The Challenge, Monk, Dateline NBC

Fox - The Simpsons, King of the Hill, Family Guy, American Dad

ABC - America’s Funniest Home Videos, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,

Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters

CW - In Harm’s Way, Valentine, Easy Money

MTV - America’s Next Top Model, TRL Finale, The Britney Collection

Week of November 15, 2008

Hot hits this week in 2008 -

LIVE YOUR LIFE- T.I. feat. Rihanna

RIGHT NOW (NA NA NA)- Akon

IF I WERE A BOY- Beyonce

MISS INDEPENDENT- Ne Yo

DEAR GOD- Avenged Sevenfold

COME ON GET HIGHER- Matt

Nathanson

HOT N' COLD- Katy Perry

WHATEVER YOU LIKE- T.I.

LOVE LOCKDOWN- Kanye West

CAN'T BELIEVE IT- T'Pain feat. Lil'

Wayne

GOTTA BE SOMEBODY- Nickelback

LIGHT ON- David Cook

LOVEBUG- Jonas Brothers

REVOLUTION- Verona Grove