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'Witness for the Prosecution' keeps audiences guessing
Actor Gary Coleman pleads guilty in Utah court
Rich Heldenfels: 'Past Life' is unbelievable
Michael Jackson doctor charged with manslaughter
Gary Coleman scheduled for Utah court appearance
'Christmas Story' actor finds challenges behind camera
Most Read Stories
Man robbed at Tallmadge Avenue eatery
Another winter punch heading toward Ohio
Four teens restrain man, take items from his Akron home
Complaints against officer keep coming
Police: Ohio girl dies after fall into snow bank
Cuyahoga Falls residents come home to find burning couch on balcony
Blogs:
First Bell - On Education:
No City of Akron basketball tonight
Pets:
Pet telethon re-airs
The Heldenfiles:
Chipmunks "Squeakquel" on DVD/BD March 30
Akron Zips:
Late surge gives Zips ugly road win
Tribe Matters:
Blogmail response on Hafner
Cleveland Browns:
Stallworth's contract terminated
Balanced Ledger:
QB in Browns future: another mock draft
Kent State Sports:
KSU Notes – February 9
Cleveland Cavaliers:
NBA Power Rankings from Around the Internet
Buckeye Blogging:
Buckeyes grab 18 players on signing day
Varsity Letters:
Garfield at Buchtel basketball
All Da King's Men:
Palin At The Tea Party Convention
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Republican Pre-Conditions
Akron Law Café:
Citizens United v. F.E.C. (Part 4): Kennedy's and O'Connor's Basic Approaches to Constitutional Decisionmaking – Top Down and Bottom Up
Car Chase:
Collector Car Hobby Loses One of the Best—Jim Roll
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Decisions Decisions: Credit Cards or Your Mortgage?
Ohio Travels with Betty:
Loucile is looking for a Lake Erie getaway in June for three kids, ages 1, 3, and 5.
Sound Check:
Talk of the Town – Top entertainment picks for the weekend
HRLite House:
Track HR Research
Akron Gamer:
Makers of 'Castle Crashers' unveil 'BattleBlock Theater'
See Jane Style:
Do IT this week: Layering
By Rich Heldenfels
Beacon Journal popular culture writer
Published on Sunday, Aug 03, 2008
Diddy Succeed? On Monday night, VH1 has a big block of ''celebreality'' shows, including I Want to Work for Diddy, where contestants vie for a job as Sean ''Diddy'' Combs' personal assistant.
Among the contenders is Akron's own Rob Smith, a 1999 graduate of Buchtel High School.
Here's how Smith sums himself up on his blog (http://www.robinthecity.blogspot.com): ''Black, Gay, Veteran, Blogger, Writer, 1st Generation College Graduate, Media Professional, Aspiring On-Air Personality, Harlem Denizen, Horror Film Buff, Food Enthusiast.''
More details: Since graduation, Smith said in a recent e-mail, he has gotten a degree in advertising from Syracuse University and spent 41/2 years in the Army, serving in both Iraq and Kuwait. He is now working as an advertising media buyer in New York City.
The first episode of I Want to Work for Diddy will air on VH1 at noon, 9 and 11 p.m. Monday.
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You Can't Stop the Beatdown. Nikki Blonsky, star of the big-screen version of Hairspray, and former America's Next Top Model contestant Bianca Golden ended up in court after an apparent brawl in a Caribbean airport, People.com reports.
Blonsky and Golden were both charged with assault with actual bodily harm, and Blonsky's father, Carl, was charged with grievous bodily harm, ''meaning the victim was injured so severely they needed immediate medical care.''
''Sgt. Calvin Chase from the Providenciales Police Department in the Turks and Caicos Islands said the fight erupted in the departure lounge of the Providenciales International Airport after everyone had gone through security,'' said People.com.
According to Pagesix.com, ''Blonsky was evidently 'holding' five seats for her family that Golden and her kin wanted to use.'' When the Blonskys would not give up their seats, trouble ensued.
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Everybody Must Get Fouled. Also from Pagesix.com, a new book about comedy duo Cheech and Chong includes Tommy Chong's memory of a basketball confrontation with none other than Bob Dylan.
''Bob had a good jump shot and some pretty good moves,'' says the passage quoted on Pagesix.com, ''but when he tried driving past me for a lay-up, the Canadian ice hockey player in me came out.'' (Yes, Chong was born in Canada.) Chong says he dropped Dylan on his backside ''with a ticky-tack foul.''
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Birthday Notes. Tony Bennett is 82 today. And makes it sound young. At 81, after all, he released the CD Tony Bennett Sings the Ultimate American Songbook, Vol. 1, and was nominated for a Grammy for his Steppin' Out performance with Christina Aguilera.
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More Music. While The Dark Knight has gotten plenty of headlines, the ABBA-inspired Mamma Mia! is quietly bringing people into the cinemas — and to CD retailers. Music-industry magazine Billboard has the soundtrack in third place on its latest album chart.
On the ''pop catalog'' chart of vintage music, ABBA holds four of the top 20 spots, including Gold at No. 1 and the Mamma Mia! soundtrack in fourth.
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Christmas Shopping Done Early. The Tales of Beedle the Bard, author J.K. Rowling's companion to her Harry Potter novels, does not hit stores until Dec. 4. But the recent announcement of the book has people lining up. The ''standard edition'' was No. 1 on Amazon.com on Saturday. The ''collector's edition'' was No. 2.
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Trivia Time. With the latest of the Brendan Fraser Mummy movies in theaters, let's reach back into movie history. Who played the Mummy in the classic, 1932 film?
E-mail your answer to rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com by noon Monday. One correct answer chosen at random will receive a prize from the Archive of Leftover DVDs and Ridiculous Promotional Items. Please do not phone in answers.
Rich Heldenfels writes about popular culture for the Beacon Journal and in the HeldenFiles Online blog at http://www.ohio.com. He can be reached at 330-996-3582 and rheldenfels@thebeaconjournal.com.
Diddy Succeed? On Monday night, VH1 has a big block of ''celebreality'' shows, including I Want to Work for Diddy, where contestants vie for a job as Sean ''Diddy'' Combs' personal assistant.
Get the full article here.
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