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In This Section
Review: You've never seen 'Sound of Music' like this
Cleveland R&B vocalist to make Akron debut
Actor Bernsen enjoying ride of derby movie project
End of an era: Oprah ending show after 25 years
Ohio native takes second place on 'Project Runway'
'New Moon' casts spell on fans
'The Blind Side' scores as feel-good crowd-pleaser
'Planet 51' is sci-fi animation lite
Most Read Stories
Police accuse bank robbery suspect of gobbling up note (with dashcam video)
Man found dead in North Akron home is identified
Dad accused of forcing son into field, killing him
NFL star Chris Spielman's wife loses cancer battle
Coventry man killed in crash at I-77 ramp
College student mistaken for deer, shot to death
Angel Food Ministries helps stretch grocery dollars
Man allegedly paid teens to spit in his face
Blogs:
Pets:
Cat-loving chihuahua suckles seven abandoned kittens
The Heldenfiles:
Friday Night Notebook
Patrick McManamon:
For your Saturday entertainment …
Akron Zips:
Hitchens leads Zips in second-half comeback
Tribe Matters:
Seven players added to Tribe’s 40-man roster
Cleveland Browns:
Holmgren expresses interest in Browns position
Kent State Sports:
Kent State blown out in second half, loses to Temple 13-47
Cleveland Cavaliers:
Gameblog: Cavs at Indiana Pacers – Here’s to LBJ and Free Throws
Buckeye Blogging:
OSU – Michigan college football rivals meet in Baghdad
Varsity Letters:
Four area football teams play tonight
All Da King's Men:
Headed For Disaster
Blog of Mass Destruction:
Will Health Care Reform Pass?
Akron Law Café:
Federal Judge Declares DOMA Unconstitutional
See Jane Style:
Vintage Chic
Car Chase:
TIME TO GET YOUR COLLECTOR CARS WINTERIZED
Let's Talk Real Estate:
Silverdome Potentially SOLD!
Ohio Travels with Betty:
George is looking for a Thanksgiving buffet in Akron.
Sound Check:
Steely Dan Plays "The Royal Scam" at E.J. Thomas Hall
HRLite House:
Colloquium at University of Akron
Akron Gamer:
Nintendo's Mario endures even as games come and go
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.
