With Patrick Swayze's death today comes a highly public reminder that the cure rate for pancreatic cancer is abysmal. This year, an estimated 42,470 Americans will be diagnosed with the disease. And an estimated 35,240 will die.
Smoking can increase risk, as can obesity, diabetes, family history and other factors. But there simply aren't obvious signs of the disease in its early stages, and detection can often come too late. (Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg underwent surgery for pancreatic cancer earlier this year; hers was indeed caught fairly early.)
The disease is broken down into two basic types: exocrine tumors and endocrine tumors, as the American Cancer Society explains. Exocrine tumors are the most common and are usually malignant. Endocrine tumors are much more rare and the malignancy rate is more complex. (Steve Jobs was diagnosed with the endocrine type several years ago.)
The National Cancer Institute offers a good overview of the disease. Of special note, it includes a link to clinical trials.
Besides studying genetic factors and trying to improve detection, researchers are trying to improve the effectiveness of the drugs now commonly used to treat cancer of the pancreas -- and to devise new therapies as well.
Here's an overview of new treatment approaches, according to the American Cancer Society. Included targeted therapies that attack only specific types of cells or vessels, immune therapies that bolster the body's ability to fight the disease and more.
Similarly, the Lustgarten Foundation offers descriptions of the Pancreatic Cancer Genome Project and the Pancreatic Cancer Biomarker Initiative specifically. The former identified specific mutations and signaling pathways and is expected to shape research for years to come. The latter aims to find new detection and screening options.
For a truly impressive, or inspiring, database, there's this list of pancreatic cancer researchers and their projects, via the Pancreatic Cancer Research Map. It's searchable by investigator, area of research, state, etc.
And, for a sample of recent research into pancreatic cancer, the Pancreatic Cancer Research Center at Johns Hopkins University offers a selection of presentations.
American actor, dancer, singer, songwriter, three-time Golden Globe nominee and 1991 People's Sexiest Man Alive, Patrick Swayze, has once captivated America's heart with Ghost, jumped into the spotlight as one of the Wolverines from Red Dawn and dazzled with swift sensual moves in Dirty Dancing.
On camera Swayze portrayed "Johnny Castle" and Jennifer Gray portrayed "Baby", a mismatched pair of dancers that end up a steamy team. It all unfolded in North Carolina, even though some of the film was shot outside of the state.
The 6,000 foot North Carolina mountain peaks to choose from was, and still is, a director's dream. Lake Lure in North Carolina is where Dirty Dancing was filmed as some still recall the late night dance-offs and scene stoppers. All the locals did not enjoy it, however, it still remained the hottest ticket in town in the late eighties. Many have been known to say that behind the scenes were twice as entertaining.
Dirty Dancing quotes were favorable but not like "Nobody puts Baby in the corner". With Patrick Swayze Dirty Dancing turned into gold which in return, in it's unfitted way, put North Carolina in the spotlight (moreso than the Catskills themselves).
With over 40 movies and mini-series on record, Patrick Swayze always pushed forward, even after January of 2008.
Upon January of 2008 Patrick Swayze was diagnosed with Stage IV pancreatic cancer. A pancreatic tumor called Intraductal Papillary Mucinous Neoplasm (IPMN) had been identified and Chemotherapy began. Twenty months later, on September 14, 2009, Patrick Swayze died.
Patrick died peacefully with his family by his side in California. Swayze lived for the love of his family, a down-to-earth guy that continues to inspire, even after death.
Thus far during 2009 the world has reached a new level of mourning with the loss of greats such as Michael Jackson, Farrah Fawcett, Ed McMahon and so much more. However, Patrick Swayze touches the heart of Carolina through Lake Lure.
Patrick Swayze was born on August 18, 1952 and died only 57 years later of pancreatic cancer.
Lefteris Pitarakis/Associated PressPatrick Swayze in 2005.
Patrick Swayze, the balletically athletic actor who rose to stardom in the films “Dirty Dancing” and “Ghost” and whose 20-month battle with advanced pancreatic cancer drew wide attention, died Monday. He was 57.
His publicist, Annett Wolf, told The Associated Press in Los Angeles that Mr. Swayze died with family at his side.
Mr. Swayze’s cancer was diagnosed in January 2008. Six months after that, he had already outlived his prognosis and was filmed at an airport, smiling at photographers and calling himself, only half-facetiously, “a miracle dude.” He even went through with plans to star in “The Beast,” a new drama series for A&E, and filmed a complete season while undergoing treatment. Mr. Swayze insisted on continuing with the series.
“How do you nurture a positive attitude when all the statistics say you’re a dead man?” he said to Bill Carter of The New York Times last October. “You go to work.”
The show, on which he plays an undercover F.B.I. agent, had its premiere in January and earned him admiring reviews.
A week before the series began, Mr. Swayze was the subject of a one-hour “Barbara Walters Special” on ABC, talking about his illness. “I keep my heart and my soul and my spirit open to miracles,” he told Ms. Walters. But he said he was not going to pursue every experimental treatment that came along. If he were to “spend so much time chasing staying alive,” he said, he wouldn’t be able to enjoy the time he had left. “I want to live,” he said.
The Yale graduate student presumed to have been killed in her lab building and stuffed into a wall there was probably not the victim of a random act, police said Monday as they sought to ease fears about student safety.
Police found the body around 5 p.m. Sunday, on what was to have been 24-year-old Annie Le's wedding day. She was reported missing Tuesday, and her ID, money, credit cards and purse were found in her third-floor office at the high-security Yale medical school building where the body was found.
An autopsy was under way Monday to verify the identity of the body, found in the wall chase – an recess where utilities and cables are run. Police would not say Monday whether they have a suspect, but said nobody is in custody.
"We're not believing it's a random act," said Officer Joe Avery, a police spokesman. He would not provide further details but said no one else is in danger.
The building where the body was found is part of the university medical school complex about a mile from Yale's main campus and is accessible to Yale personnel with identification cards. Some 75 video surveillance cameras monitor all doorways.
"It's a frightening idea that there's a murderer walking around on campus," said 20-year-old Muneeb Sultan, a chemistry student. "I'm shocked that it happened in a Yale building that had key-card access. It's really sad."
Police have not provided any details on the condition of the body found or how the woman died.
Yale closed the building Monday so police could complete their investigation, according to a message sent to Yale students and staff. Scientists are being allowed in only to conduct essential research projects, and only under the supervision of a police officer.
You know how you can tell this year’s MTV Video Music Awards were extra-crazy/special? Somehow Kanye West vs. Taylor Swift wasn’t even the only unexpected person-leaping-on-stage event last night. No, there was also the odd spectacle of Lil Mama climbing up during Jay-Z and Alicia Keys’ show-closing “Empire State of Mind,” attempting to join the performance (?), then standing there awkwardly beside Jay and Alicia in a B-girl stance when the song ended.
We’ve reached out to Lil Mama and Jay-Z’s camps to see if they can clarify just what happened there. (UPDATE: A representative for Jay-Z tells EW she has “No clue how it happened.”) In the meantime, watch the encounter again below. Lil Mama’s appearance begins around the 5:07 mark. Warning: You may LOL when you see Jay-Z’s understated yet surprised-seeming body language.
What’s your take? Did you appreciate Lil Mama’s unexpected cameo? New Yorkers, would you have done the same to show your city pride if you’d been sitting in the front rows?
It was one of the most awkward moments of the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, when Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech for her Best Female Video award, and declared that he thought Beyonce Knowles should’ve won.
And in the aftermath of the evening’s events, the “Love Lockdown” rapper apparently saw the error of his ways, as he issued an apology to the 17-year-old country singer.
Via his blog, Kanye repented, saying, “I’m sooooo sorry to Taylor Swift and her fans and her mom [Andrea]. I spoke to her mother right after and she said the same thing my mother would’ve said. She is very talented! I like the lyrics about being a cheerleader and she’s in the bleachers! I’m in the wrong for going on stage and taking away from her moment!”
He continued, “Beyonce’s video was the best of this decade!!! I’m sorry to my fans if I let you guys down!!!!! I’m sorry to my friends at MTV. I will apologize to Taylor 2mrw. Welcome to the real world!!!! Everybody wanna booooo me but I’m a fan of real pop culture!!! No disrespect but we watchin’ the show at the cribe right now cause…. Well you know!!!! I’m still happy for Taylor!!!! Boooyaawww!!!! You are very talented!!!!! I gave my awards to Outkast when they deserved it over me… That’s what it is!!!! I’m not crazy yall, I’m just real. Sorry for that!!! I really feel bad for Taylor and I’m sincerely sorry!!! Much Respect!!!!!”
Twilight stars Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner and Kristen Stewart took the VMAs stage tonight to debut an extended trailer for the upcoming The Twilight Saga: New Moon — “a first look at a movie we’ve been working on for months,” said Pattinson.
The trailer offers a look at the darker sequel to last year’s blockbuster, which details what happens when Pattinson’s vampire hunk Edward leaves his girlfriend, the mortal Bella (played by Stewart), who in turn looks to Lautner’s character, the human-turned-werewolf Jacob. Fans also got a first look at the improved CGI in play for Jacob’s mythical transformations, as well as glimpses of Dakota Fanning and Michael Sheen as evil vamps.
The reaction to Kanye West's hijacking of the microphone from Taylor Swift during her acceptance speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards came quickly and unequivocally.
Kanye West took the microphone from Taylor Swift during her speech at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards.
Celebrities and fans alike expressed their disapproval of West interrupting Swift's win for Best Female Music Video to tout his appreciation of nominee Beyonce.
"Taylor, I'm really happy for you," West said after grabbing the microphone from a clearly stunned Swift. "I'll let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time! One of the best videos of all time!"
Elliott Wilson, founder and chief executive officer of Rap Radar, sat in front of members of West's entourage at the live Sunday night awards show and said the mood quickly turned from one of surprised amusement to anger. Watch West grab the microphone from Swift »
"At first, people weren't sure if it was kind of like a gag," Wilson said. "You could feel everybody being nervous and not knowing if it was a prank or something. Then people started booing him really loud."
Wilson said he believes that West -- who he said bounded on stage from his seat in the front row near Beyonce -- intended to have his say before allowing Swift to continue but said the rapper became angered by the crowd response in a moment that wasn't captured by the MTV cameras.
"The reaction to his tantrum was so strong ... and what happened was, he gave everybody the finger," Wilson said.
Stars taking to Twitter returned the sentiment with some harsh words for the sometimes mercurial rap star.
Singer Pink tweeted, "Kanye West is the biggest piece of [expletive] on earth. Quote me," and Joel Madden of the band Good Charlotte tweeted, "All i'm saying is Taylor Swift is a young chic and you just walk up and grab the mic."
Celebrity blogger Perez Hilton said via Twitter that "Taylor Swift deserved that award, damnit. It is what THE PEOPLE voted! My heart broke for her, she looked so sad at the end of that moment."
Singer Katy Perry weighed in with "F--- u Kanye. It's like you stepped on a kitten."
VMA nominee Kelly Clarkson took to her blog to publish an open letter to West. "What happened to you as a child?? Did you not get hugged enough??" she asked.
Wilson, a noted hip-hop journalist, said there was a great deal of tension inside the event Sunday night before West and his girlfriend, model Amber Rose, left the show.
"It was almost like wrestling, when the good guy turns bad and the crowd turns on him," Wilson said. "Every time his name was mentioned, people booed."
Wilson said he believes that alcohol may have played a part in West's actions, given that the rapper appeared both on the red carpet and inside the arena with a bottle of cognac.
Wilson added that West is well known for such behavior. He appeared uninvited onstage at the 2006 MTV Europe Music Awards, walked out of the 2004 American Music Awards after losing in the Best New Artist category and reportedly threw a backstage tantrum at the 2007 VMAs because he did not perform on the main stage.
"I think Kanye came in to be the bad boy, but he obviously had an emotional spaz moment because he is cool" with Beyonce and her husband, Jay-Z, Wilson said. "I think the alcohol blurred his judgment."
Wilson said attendees at the awards show were allowed to have drinks at their seats.
Emil Wilbekin, managing editor of Essence.com, said West may have gone too far with his antics this time.
"I think that it was not Kanye's place to speak for Beyonce or to ruin Taylor Swift's moment," Wilbekin said. "It's OK for Kanye to rattle off about himself, but I think he crossed the line when he decided to speak for other people."
Though West is known for having a healthy ego, Wilbekin said, his actions may be damaging the very legacy the rapper claims to want to leave.
"He's talked wanting to be Elvis; he's talked about wanting to be the new king of pop," Wilbekin said. "It's almost like he's overshadowing himself by getting in his own way with his mouth."
West reportedly apologized to Swift via his blog.
As for Swift, the young singer gave her acceptance speech after Beyonce graciously invited her onstage during her win for Video of the Year.
West's disruption wasn't the only one the evening offered, Wilson said. During a performance by Jay-Z and Alicia Keys, rapper Lil Mama rushed the stage.
Wilson said that from his vantage point in the audience, the female rapper, who also serves as a judge on MTV's "America's Best Dance Crew," was neither expected nor wanted as part of the performance.
The Wall Street Journal recently ran a story on NBC's big gamble on Jay Leno. Leno's new show, debuting Monday, at 10 PM (Eastern-Pacific) and running from Monday through Friday, will have substantially lower ad rates. From $137,000 per 30 second spot, for "Law and Order SVU" last October, to between $55,000 and $75,000 for a 30 second spot on Leno's show (in the same time period). This amounts to a drop of between 45% and 60% in the ad rates. Clearly, advertisers don't expect many people to be watching, and those that do to be older (and therefore set in their brand preferences). The article further notes that collectively, ABC, CBS, and NBC's audience has declined 23% from the numbers three seasons ago (2005). NBC declined 20% in that hour from 2007-2008 (ironically, the year the writer's strike decimated scripted television around October).
But buried in the numbers, is the story of the revenge of the audience. In the 2006-2007 season, the audience started leaving network television at that hour (FOX does not broadcast shows from 10-11 pm). The networks put on generally poor entertainment (with a few notable exceptions) and the audience responded by not watching.
Note this collapse preceded the writer's strike (ill-conceived, and worse managed) that alienated or taught viewers not to watch the networks at 10-11 pm. Some did worse, while others managed a slight rally. ABC is down a full 26% from the 2005-2006 season lineup. In 2005 ABC had the following 10-11 pm shows: Grey's Anatomy, part of Monday Night Football (on the East Coast), What About Brian, Boston Legal, Invasion, Primetime Live, 20/20. In 2008 ABC had Brothers and Sister, Boston Legal, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, Life on Mars, and 20/20.
For ABC, sending Monday Night Football to ESPN was a stupid move. The ostensible reason (ABC wanted to become a "female only" network and promote "Desperate Housewives" without the bother of Monday Night Football interfering with ABC's fall schedule) was a failure to think strategically. Desperate Housewives aged, rapidly, and will end (reportedly) in May 2011. Hardly a match for Monday Night Football's reliable 30 year run at ABC, and continuing attraction to male sports fans, year after year after year.
Also aging in appeal was Grey's Anatomy, Boston Legal, and 20/20, one of many cable and network magazine "news" shows. Brothers and Sisters, Eli Stone, Dirty Sexy Money, and Life on Mars were outright flops. While only What About Brian and Invasion were flops in 2005. ABC has declined steadily, though not much in 2008-2009 from the previous strike year, with Brothers and Sisters, the Bachelor, Boston Legal, Dirty Sexy Money, Big Shots, and 2o/20 in the strike-shortened lineup. Clearly, ABC bet heavily on the female audience, to the exclusion of nearly anything that would appeal to men (at least in that 10-11 pm timeslot) and suffered fairly steady losses from 2005, although the network did about the same the year after the writer's strike as the year of the strike.
CBS, which 29% more viewers 10-11 pm than ABC, and 10% more viewers than NBC at that hour, dropped a whopping 35% from its 2005-2006 audience. Viewers like what CBS had to offer in 2005-2006, and then they did not. CBS, like ABC, did nearly the same the year after the writer's strike as the year before, their two big losses were the 2006-2007 season, and the 2007-2008 season (the writer's strike). It's understandable why CBS would lose nearly 900,000 viewers in the writer's strike season, or about 22% of viewers from the prior season, but what prompted the loss of one million viewers during the 10-11 pm time period from the 2005-2006 season to the the 2006-2007 season? A loss, moreover, of 20%? CBS in 2005-2006 had: part of the CBS Sunday Movie, CSI Miami, Close to Home, CSI NY, Without a Trace, NUMB3RS, 48 Hours Mystery, and mid-season, the Unit. The following season (2006-2007), CBS had: Without a Trace, CSI Miami, Smith, CSI New York, Shark, and NUMB3RS.
CBS had a couple of flops, but CSI Miami did nearly as well in the ratings in the following season as the year before (2005-2006 vs. 2006-2007). Without a Trace lost about 4 million viewers that year (from 2005-2006, to 2006-2007). CSI NY had very little drop-off in terms of viewers. So too, NUMB3RS had little drop-off. The flops, and the poor performance of Without a Trace that year, led viewers to abandon CBS and not come back. While CBS, alone of it's competitors, staged a rally at 10-11 pm last season, after the writer's strike taught audiences not to watch network television, the rally was modest, only a 3% improvement.
NBC's drop has been stunning, and very uneven. From 2005-2006, to 2008-2009, NBC's audience dropped 1.6 million viewers at 10-11 pm. That is a drop of 35%, easily matching CBS's fall. NBC has the reputation of the least-watched network, but a mere four years ago, it was very close to CBS in terms of viewers, only 10% lower in viewers at the 10-11 pm hour. Moreover, NBC, after losing 21% of it's 2005-2006 viewers in the 2006-2007 season, posted a 3% gain in 2007-2008, largely over shows such as Life and Chuck that attracted new (read: Male) viewers to the network. With the strike, however, NBC just could not keep these viewers. NBC in 2005-2006 had Crossing Jordan, Medium, Law and Order SVU, Law and Order, and Inconceivable in the 10-11 pm slots. The following season, NBC had part of Sunday Night Football, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Law and Order SVU, Kidnapped, ER, and Law and Order.
Certainly, something happened between the 2005-2006 season and the season thereafter, to turn substantial amounts of viewers away from network television at the hour (and likely, from network television altogether). ABC had the fewest viewers to start, but lost only 26% of it's viewers from 2005-2006. CBS and NBC had substantially more viewers than ABC, and lost more, both dropping 35% from 2005-2006 to 2008-2009. Both networks experienced their biggest drop in viewers at 10-11 pm the season of 2006-2007. Both had costly flops (though so did ABC), but there the similarities end. NBC actually rallied slightly, unlike CBS, in the strike year of 2007-2008. With various male-oriented action-drama series, particularly Life and Chuck, NBC had a "halo effect" and "Life," "Journeyman," and "Las Vegas" had definite appeal to men. Life did alright the first season, considering the issues of the writers strike and scheduling. Journeyman less well, Las Vegas not particularly well.
It seems striking looking at the graph, however, that something definitely happened between the start of the fall season in 2005, and the end of the 2006-2007 season in August, to drive away millions of viewers who used to watch network TV. Perhaps CBS's "Crimetime" police procedural shows got old and tired, and NBC's Law and Orderen family to repetitive and boring. The danger with franchises is that eventually, and particularly with scripted entertainment, as opposed to sports, viewers want novelty and excitement, and seek it elsewhere. A good deal of the decline of CBS and NBC can be traced to poor shows, and NBC's brief, strike-shortened rally, traced to two shows that generated buzz and excitement ("Chuck" and "Life") and created a halo effect around the network.
But if this article is correct, much of NBC and CBS's problems are structural — younger men are not watching. Certainly the networks have gotten older and noticeably much older than cable networks that have shows to attract younger viewers. CBS has responded by doubling down on its Crimetime with an NCIS spin-off, and targeting women with a pick-up of the canceled NBC show Medium, new shows the Good Wife and Three Rivers. NBC has added new shows Mercy and Trauma, and of course Jay Leno at 10 pm, Monday through Friday.
All this is of course, merely a band-aid over a bleeding wound. Strange as it may seem, once upon a time, all three networks actually ran new, scripted shows on SATURDAY. Yes, Saturday. Once upon a time, highly rated shows such as the Bob Newhart Show, the Love Boat, Fantasy Island, all ran on Saturday. The last network to run new programming on Saturday was CBS in 2003-2004, NBC last running new programming in 1999-2000, and ABC last running new programming in 1998-1999. Of course FOX runs America's Most Wanted and COPS on Saturdays, but neither are scripted shows.
The networks, much like American coffee roasters in the 1960's, using cheap robusta beans instead of costlier (but tastier) arabica beans, have weaned whole sections of the audience off their product. Younger men in particular are the most likely explanation of why both CBS and NBC had such a downturn in viewers after the 2005-2006 season. There may simply have been a tipping point where younger male viewers simply turned away from network television. The easiest thing in the world is simply to not watch, and DVDs, online material (in whatever form), video games, and the like offer ample substitutions for a younger male audience fleeing what rapidly became a gay-female ghetto: network television.
None of this happened overnight. ABC had a few shows (most of their schedule in the 1990's were female-skewing sitcoms) through 1995-96 that appealed to men. This, was, notably, well inside the cable television era. Easy money chasing the "New Girl Order" allowed execs to avoid making hard decisions to keep or woo the male audience, particularly the young male audience. Like the coffee roasters simply "accepting" loss of a generation or three of customers, the networks allowed men and particularly young men to drift away. As late as the early 1990's, network schedules had shows such as "Sledge Hammer!" and "McGyver" and "The Young Riders." Too much easy money in the 1990's, left the networks exposed for a sustained downturn.
Now, further cost-cutting (in the case of NBC for the Jay Leno show) and derivative, mostly female-oriented shows for CBS and NBC, promise even lower ratings and the prospect of serious trouble. All three networks have basically conceded any effort to reverse losses, looking merely to lose viewers more slowly, than regain them back.
First, Saturdays were conceded, after the 2003-2004 season, by the last hold-out, CBS. Then male viewers were deemed un-necessary. Then, male-oriented action left the schedule. Sadly, almost no Fall 2009 shows except NCIS and the NCIS spin off feature any real male-oriented action at all, a sharp contrast from the schedule of 1999-2000 which featured male-action "Angel," "the Pretender," "Martial Law," "Walker, Texas Ranger," "Nash Bridges," "Harsh Realm," and "Seven Days." Seven male skewing action-adventure shows versus only two, both from the same franchise.
This is a recipe for irrelevance. Already, cable networks are growing in audience, and people are viewing online various movies (and current and older TV series) on their own schedule. Cable networks have younger, and more male viewers. Certainly shows like "Burn Notice" and "Psych" have a larger male following than say, "Desperate Housewives."
The current audience of women, a few older folks, and tween girls (the CW network) is not enough to sustain anything more than continued losses. Unlike newer cable networks such as USA or FX, the broadcast networks have large, built-in costs, including news divisions, owned and operated stations, and a pricey affiliate structure. Unlike online sites such as Hulu, networks cannot serve many disparate audiences and viewers at once. The end of the 2005-2006 season may have been an inflection point, a time when younger male audiences felt the networks "jumped the shark" and left for greener pastures.
This doesn't mean they cannot come back, anymore than the failure of Folgers and Maxwell House to make good coffee in the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's meant that America would never drink coffee again. But it is unlikely that the new entertainment "Starbucks" will be named NBC, ABC, CBS, or even FOX. Far more likely is a combination of cable or online ventures breaking through to mass popularity by serving men and boys along with women and girls, relegating the broadcast networks (in a time of recession, when cheap and free is something generally preferred by customers) to Folgers status.
of a crumbling marriage, estranged husband Jon's proclamation he loves his new girlfriend more than he ever loved her and -- oh yeah, eight kids! So it may come as no surprise when Kate, guest hosting The View Monday, admitted she melted down this weekend at her Wernersville, Pennsylvania house.
"It's hard," Kate said. "This is definitely different. But I react to it the only way I can, and I will continue to react that way. For the sake of my children I will continue to take the high road, because it is the only road for me. But to be honest, I had a meltdown over the weekend in the privacy of my own home.
"People in the public eye are held to a higher standard and meltdowns happen; we're all human," she said.
On quitting the show, Kate, 34, said: "The show has really changed. People say just stop and pull out. But I can't. This is a job. I'm a single mom and I need to be out there working on my job. We didn't go into this wanting to be huge celebrities. But it happened. But essentially I'm doing this by myself. I'm responsible now."
Janet Jackson paid tribute to Michael Jackson, performing a “Scream” dance off with her late brother at the 2009 MTV VMAs.
The Michael Jackson tribute began with Madonna honoring the King of Pop in a speech about her relationship with him.
Madonna ended her speech saying, “Yes, Michael Jackson was a human being but he was a king. Long live the king!” eliciting a standing ovation from the audience.
Then live dancers took to the stage, performing in sync with Jackson’s greatest hits videos playing on a giant video screen in the background.
Janet Jackson joined the onstage dancers, shattering through glass to end the tribute with an intense performance.
Watch Janet Jackson’s 2009 MTV Video Music Awards performance video below:
So many of you have been patiently waiting for The Dr. Oz Show to hit the air and today your wait is finally over!
Dr OzAfter spending five years as the health expert on the Oprah Winfrey Show, Dr. Oz is taking the reigns and his first episode is all about YOU (no surprise since he is the co-author of books like You: The Owner’s Manual and You: On a Diet).
I wish I could tell you more about what to expect for the rest of the week but I can’t find too much information about it. His website, www.doctoroz.com, is actually a little disappointing so I’m hoping they will update that soon!
In the meantime, you can find out more about Dr. Oz (including information about how to get tickets to his show) through the following sources:
The body of missing Yale student Annie Le is presumed to be found. Photograph: AP
The grounds around the pharmacology laboratory of Yale university looked as pristine today as might be expected from this pillar of the Ivy League, with freshly cut lawns and a blaze of late summer flowers. Only the yellow crime scene tape that surrounded the complex betrayed a sense of profound unease.
As students and faculty members hurried by, they carried with them the news that a body had hours earlier been found hidden behind a wall in the basement of the laboratory.
Police have yet to confirm the identity, but the body is presumed to be that of Annie Le, a 24-year-old post-graduate student from California who disappeared on Tuesday when she was last seen entering the building.
The body was found on Sunday night - the day on which Le had been planning to marry. The recognition that what began as a missing-person's case had turned into the first murder inquiry at Yale since December 1998 was greeted with fear and consternation around the university's training hospitals and medical research facilities that are concentrated in the vicinity of the pharmacology lab. As one woman student put it: "We're all scared shitless."
"It's put a dampener on the whole beginning of the semester," said Brian Merry, a public health student. "Until we heard the news we'd been hoping she would be found alive."
Melissa Nguyen, a developmental services worker, said she had thought twice before coming into a meeting close to the laboratory. "It preys on your mind. Everybody is a little guarded right now, being cautious about where they go and who they go with, particularly women. Le was a young, vulnerable woman and it's a tragic loss."
Last Tuesday morning Le took a Yale bus from her home, arriving at the laboratory at 10 Amistad Street, about a mile from the core of Yale campus, at about 10am. The building is one of the most high-security premises in the university, by dint of its sensitive research into medical drugs.
One of its 75 video cameras recorded Le entering the building, but to the puzzle of investigators no footage was seen of her ever leaving. Her possessions, including money, credit cards, cell phone and ID, were found in her third-floor office. She also had a desk in the basement where she was carrying out experiments as part of a PhD into the role of proteins in certain metabolic diseases such as diabetes.
A source who worked with Le at the laboratory - describing her as a "clever, beautiful, active and very hard-working girl" - said she had been conducting experiments on mice.
The colleague, who asked not to be named, said that because of the controversy surrounding animal experiments, the basement of the building was particularly securely guarded and Le would have had to use her ID card to gain access to it.
The body is understood to have been found stuffed behind a wall in the basement. Police are also analysing some blood-stained clothes, that may not be Le's, which were found hidden behind ceiling tiles in the lab.
The dean of the school of medicine, Robert Alpern, told the student paper Yale Daily News that the level of security was such that it suggests the murderer was someone with entry permission to the basement. "It certainly would be extremely difficult for someone from outside Yale to get into that space. Not impossible, but extremely difficult."
Further weight was given to the theory of an inside killer by police, who attempted to assuage fears among students by saying the murder was not a random act, adding that no-one on the campus was in danger.
A spokesman for New Haven police would not comment on whether any suspect had been identified, but nobody has yet been taken into custody.
The likelihood that the killer came from within the community of medical students, faculty or support staff in this highly rarified academic environment has merely heightened the apprehensions of people working here. Sumayya Ahmad, a medical student at Yale who is based at the adjacent building to the Le's laboratory, said that she had been unable to sleep after she heard the news. "It's clearly someone who had access to the building and that's very scary - to think that someone you know and work with did it. We're all shaken up about it - it really messes with your idea of what's safe."
The medical school was planning to bring staff and students together last night at a meeting with police in which people could vent their anxieties. A candle-lit vigil was also being planned.
The tragedy of Le's presumed murder was heightened by the fact that the body was found on her wedding day. She had been due to marry Jonathan Widawsky, a physics graduate student at Columbia university, in a ceremony in Long Island.
In the days leading up to her disappearance, Le had been studying Hebrew, as her fiancé is Jewish. She expressed her excitement about the wedding via Facebook. "Lucky I'm in love with my best friend :)", she wrote. "Less than one week til the big day!" Police have said that Widawsky is not a suspect and has been cooperating with the investigation.
Before her disappearance Le expressed concern about security living in Yale and the surrounding town. She wrote an article published in the medical school's internal magazine in February called Crime and Safety in New Haven. The article concluded: "In short, New Haven is a city and all cities have their perils. But with a little street smarts, one can avoid becoming yet another statistic."
It was more than tens of thousands yesterday in Washington D.C. for the 9/12 Project Tea Party march and rally.
Joe from Milwaukee Wisconsin, Sarah from Grand Rapids Michigan, John from Austin Texas, Jan and Michael from Syracuse New York State, the McCafferty family from Palm Beach Florida and hundreds of thousands of people from all over America had one thing in common on Saturday 9/12; they came to their nation’s capital to peacefully protest the direction the nation is taking.
People gathered in Freedom Plaza near the White House to march down Pennsylvania Avenue to the Capitol grounds. The march had been originally been scheduled to start around 11 am but got under way hours early due to the sheer number of people flooding out of buses and metro stations all over D.C.
The mood, despite the protest topics of out of control government spending; health care ‘reform’, loss of freedom and liberty, lower taxes, smaller government and the First, Second and Tenth Amendments was upbeat and cheerful. Complete strangers struck up conversations sparked by remarking on each other’s homemade signs and t-shirts or a simple ‘where are you from?’ Those people who were crammed into the Metro (if they could get on complete a train after purchasing their Metro Day Pass complete with a photo celebrating the inauguration of Barack Obama back in January) were simply forced to get to know the people less than inches from them. They all had one thing in common; a message to deliver in person to the government to ‘Listen’, to tell Congress they ‘will not be ignored’ and that they ‘have had enough’.
Crowd estimates vary as they always do. The media are generally reporting there were tens of thousands, mostly from AP wire reports. This is inaccurate as there were hundreds of thousands in central D.C. as those who attended can attest. Interestingly, officials including the Park Police have declined to give an estimate.
LAKE FOREST, Ill. -- Chicago Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher will miss the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to repair his dislocated right wrist -- a major blow for a team with high expectations.
Urlacher
Team spokesman Jim Christman confirmed a Chicago Tribune report Monday, saying "Brian did have surgery this morning and he is out for the remainder of the season." Urlacher had said in a text message to the newspaper that his "season is over."
Urlacher, a 10-year veteran, apparently was injured in the first quarter of Sunday night's 21-15 loss at Green Bay making a tackle on Packers running back Ryan Grant. He played in the second quarter, but left on the Packers' first drive of the second half.
While the arrival of Pro Bowl quarterback Jay Cutler sent expectations in Chicago soaring, the Bears were also counting on a healthy Urlacher to help them get back to the playoffs after missing the postseason the past two years. The six-time Pro Bowl player appeared to be in better shape after being limited by back and neck problems in recent years, and he was off to a good start on Sunday.
He flattened Green Bay's Aaron Rodgers just after he released a pass in the first quarter and had three tackles.
Now the Bears will have to make do without the longtime face of the franchise -- Urlacher had started 49 consecutive games and has missed a total of seven games -- all in 2004. Chicago could also be short-handed in other areas.
Tight end Desmond Clark took a hard hit after making a catch in the third quarter and left the game with a back injury. Left guard Frank Omiyale also went down for several minutes moments later after spraining his ankle and limping off the field.
Linebacker Pisa Tinoisamoa also left in the first half with a knee injury, but Urlacher's injury creates a big hole on a defense that was trying to regain its dominant form after two mediocre seasons.
With Urlacher out, Hunter Hillenmeyer could see more time after replacing him on Sunday.
The Bears have been in contact with free-agent linebacker Derrick Brooks, a former NFL Defensive Player of the Year, to fill the void left by Urlacher's injury, a league source told ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. It's possible the Bears could sign the 36-year-old Brooks as early as Monday.
Bears coach Lovie Smith was a member of Tampa Bay's coaching staff during Brooks' days with the Buccaneers.
Information from ESPN.com NFC North blogger Kevin Seifert and The Associated Press was used in this report.
Taylor Swift seemed pretty surprised herself to have won the VMA for Best Female Music Video on Sunday evening, but the real shock came when Kanye West suddenly burst onto the stage and rudely stole the microphone from the country crooner during her acceptance speech.
"Yo Taylor, I’m really happy for you, I’ll let you finish, but Beyoncé has one of the best videos of all time," West said. "One of the best videos of all time!"
A clearly embarrassed Swift stood motionless, not knowing what to do as West continued his rant. Eventually, audience members rose to their feet and booed the rapper down as cameras captured a mortified Beyonce. West took his seat (to make matters worse, time was up and Swift didn't even have a chance to fire back) and controversy continued to ensue as a multitude of celebs told him off, prompting security to circle the area.
Pop Tarts learned that Swift was comforted by her friends and family immediately afterwards and was upset by the whole incident. An inside source told Tarts that West was asked by a big-wig at MTV to immediately leave the show.
Diddy later took to the stage to present an award, but the second "Kanye" was uttered again the crowd booed and "Taylor" was chanted through Radio City Hall, the tension reaching a high point when West's nominated video was played.
Beyonce's hit "Single Ladies" eventually got all it deserved by taking on the big one - Video of the Year. The ever-classy Knowles dedicated her time to Swift and had the emotional teen idol return to the stage for the opportunity to give her acceptance without any interruption.
The controversy certainly stole the spotlight from what was anticipated to be the show highlight — Madonna opening for Janet Jackson and her tribute to brother Michael.
The Queen of Pop did let us in a little secret however, she did go on a few "dates" with the late King of Pop and that she felt an overwhelming sense of guilt that she had "abandoned" him after hearing of his sudden passing. But on a (kind of) positive note, her sons aged nine and four are now "obsessed" with MJ.
"There is a lot of crotch grabbing and moon walking going on in my house," Madonna said.
We then spotted Joe Jackson smiling through Janet's intense performance while Jermaine was straight-faced, absorbing the moment.
You know how you can tell this year’s MTV Video Music Awards were extra-crazy/special? Somehow 
