Not a good ending for the Mariners' pre-season as the Dodgers scored 5 off Eric Bedard in an 8-1 rout of Seattle last night in Los Angeles. It was the final exhibition game for both teams. Bedard gave up five runs and six hits over four innings, finishing his spring slate 3-1 in six starts with a 3.15 ERA. The No. 4 starter in the rotation is scheduled to make his season debut Monday night at Texas -- his first appearance in a regular-season game since July 25th of 2009. Meanwhile, Felix Hernandez takes the mound tomorrow night when the Ms open their regular season on the road in Oakland facing the Athletics.

Today is Major League Baseball's official Opening Day and on ESPN the Detroit Tigers visit the New York Yankees, followed by the Padres and the St. Louis Cardinals. Then the defending World Series champs, the San Francisco Giants, take on the Dodgers.

Former Mariner Jamie Moyer debuted this week as an ESPN analyst. He sees the gig as a hiatus from pitching -- not the white flag of retirement. Jamie spent the last two years with the Philadelphia Phillies and had Tommy John surgery on his left elbow in late last year. The 48-year-old said in a statement yesterday that he's still planning a comeback. He said, "I'm excited about the opportunity to work at ESPN. It's a new challenge and I look forward to this forum as a chance to elaborate on the art of pitching as I rehab. I hope to get back on the diamond in the future."

A Georgia fourth-grader has correctly predicted the Final Four in this year's NCAA basketball tournament. Patrick Lindsey picked the teams as part of a project in class.

Jesus saves ... and so should you. Especially since today is World Backup Day.

Chas McFeely from San Francisco has a website, Hook Chas Up, to find the love of his life. And he's giving $10,000 to the person who finds her for him. Chas says: "If this helps me find a soulmate, it'll be worth bazillions. But I don't have bazillions. $10K seemed to say, 'I'm serious but not insane.'"

Liv Tyler says she and her dad, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler, "sing all the time" and "always talk about doing something together." Liv revealed that there are even times when her dad asks her to come to the studio and sing backup. As yet, she hasn't been able to because of her busy schedule but if it clears up and she's asked, she might be able to help out with the new record Aerosmith is working on.

On American Idol, since no one went home last week, two finalists get the boot on tonight's results show. Fantasia performs, as well as will.i.am of The Black Eyed Peas and Jamie Foxx.

When Charlie Sheen's My Violent Torpedo of Truth show tickets went on sale, there were reports that shows were selling out in record time. Well, it looks like actually fans weren’t buying the tickets, it was just secondary sellers snapping up the seats. Thousands of tickets for Sheen's Detroit show opener this weekend are still on sale over at sites like StubHub.com and NoFeesTickets.com. They're even going for less than face value.

The release date for The Smurfs movie has been moved up. The film, which stars Katy Perry as Smurfette, was supposed to be released on August 3rd, but will now hit theaters on July 29th. Along with Perry, the film also stars Neil Patrick Harris and Hank Azaria.

Rolling Stone polled their readers about the best album of the '80s and U2's The Joshua Tree scored the most votes, edging out Guns N' Roses' Appetite for Destruction and Michael Jackson's Thriller. Bruce Springsteen's Born in the USA came in fourth, AC/DC's Back in Black took the six spot and Metallica's Master of Puppets wound up in tenth. The top-selling albums of the '80s -- in order -- are Thriller, Back in Black, Born in the USA, and Appetite for Destruction.

Trivia Answer: Albert Arnold Gore, Jr. -- Al Gore -- who is 63 today. He, of course, served as the 45th Vice President of the United States, under President Bill Clinton. He was the Democratic Party nominee for President in the 2000 U.S. presidential election. He was an elected official for 24 years, representing Tennessee in the U.S. House of Representatives, and later in the U.S. Senate, and finally becoming Vice President in 1993. In the 2000 presidential election, Gore won the popular vote by more than 500,000 votes. However, he ultimately lost the Electoral College, and the election, to Republican George W. Bush when the U.S. Supreme Court settled the legal controversy over the Florida vote recount by ruling 5-4 in favor of Bush. It was the only time in history that the Supreme Court may have determined the outcome of a presidential election. He received the Nobel Peace Prize -- a joint award with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change -- in 2007. He won his Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album in 20098 for his book An Inconvenient Truth. He won his Primetime Emmy Award for Current TV in 2007. Gore was also the subject of the Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth in 2006.

Mariner pitcher Doug Fister bounced back from last week's miserable outing to pitch four scoreless innings yesterday -- and designated hitter Jack Cust hit his fourth homer of the spring -- as the Mariners beat the Colorado Rockies 7-2 in Scottsdale. One more pre-season game for the Ms. They're in Los Angeles at Dodger Stadium to meet the Dodgers tonight at 7:10. Tomorrow's an off day, then they open the regular season Friday night against the As in Oakland.

This weekend, the Sounders try again to come up with their first win of the season. They're 0-2-and-1 as they head to San Jose to face the Earthquakes Saturday night at 7:30.

The great Chad Ochocinco soccer experiment is over, and it even had a happy ending. According to the Associated Press, the NFL wide-receiver won't be playing for Major League Soccer's Sporting Kansas City, but he was made a reserve member of the team and is now free to train with the squad whenever he pleases. In a tweet, Chad called being an honorary member of Sporting KC "awesome."

American Idol is back tonight, After last week's Judges' Save, the Top 11 finalists perform the songs of Elton John for America's votes. Two contestants get the hook tomorrow night.

David Letterman made reference to this on the Top Ten List on a recent morning. New York's Bronx Zoo was forced to close its reptile house over the weekend after a venomous Egyptian cobra went missing. The 20-inch long reptile was being kept in an area not open to visitors when workers noticed the empty cage. Zoo officials aren't sure how the serpent got loose but are confident that it is not in a public area. The Associated Press reports that workers are still on the lookout for the creepy crawler.

Authorities in Santa Cruz, California, are putting the police in the palm of your hand with a new iPhone app. The fine citizens of Santa Cruz are able to submit crime tips right from their iPhones and have instant access to a load of crime-related features such as police scanners, crime maps, photos and video.

Shortages of auto parts from Japan are hitting North American operations at Honda and Toyota. Toyota yesterday said it wants its US car dealers to stop ordering more than 200 replacement parts made in Japan because it's worried about running out of them. And Honda said it will temporarily cut production at its North American auto factories starting today due to shortages. It's all because of the earthquake and tsunami that devastated Japan and its huge auto industry. The quake damaged many parts supply companies that make key components for cars and trucks in the US and other countries. Industry analysts expect many automakers to run into shortages until production returns to normal. No one's certain when that will be. Already several automakers have been forced to cut production. In addition, Chrysler, Ford, and others have stopped taking orders for certain paint colors because a specialized pigment factory hasn't been able to come back on line.

A Seattle oceanographer says some debris from Japan's tsunami and earthquake may wash up on the West Coast in about one to three years. Curt Ebbesmeyer says how fast the flotsam arrives depends on the material. A derelict vessel could take 12 months, while a rubber ducky may take two to three years. He says the floating debris will likely flow in a big circle, carried by currents from Japan to Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia before turning toward Hawaii and back toward Asia. He says most of the debris will be plastic items. Heavier items like cars will sink. Ebbesmeyer and another scientist have been mapping the path of ocean debris for years, and wrote a book about the research.

Shoe company Crocs said yesterday that it has donated 100,000 pairs of shoes to Feed The Children and other organizations, which are working to distribute to those hardest hit by the recent earthquake and resulting tsunami.

The recent tsunami in Japan left one baby dolphin for dead in the middle of a flooded rice field. But this dolphin has a new lease on life after rescuers found the animal struggling in a pond of shallow sea water. According to Reuters, the dolphin was wrapped in wet towels and driven back to the sea where it was released into the Pacific -- a happy ending amongst all of the devastation.

Sheryl Crow is releasing her brand new cookbook, If It Makes You Healthy. She's making in-store appearances in New York, LA and Nashville to greet fans and sign her book. Learn more at SherylCrow.com.

It was a rumor, then it was confirmed, and now, apparently it's not happening. The Britney Spears/Enrique Iglesias tour is what we're talking about. It was announced yesterday morning, but according to Billboard.biz, has already been scrapped, as Enrique has supposedly "pulled out" of the trek. According to Britney's website, she's still heading out starting in Sacramento on June 17th. She hits the Tacoma Dome on June 29th.

There's been much talk from the matchbox twenty guys about the new album that they're currently working on, and apparently, they have very high expectations for the effort. The band wrote on their official Twitter page that it will be "the best album" that they have "ever made." But then, what are they gonna say?

Add "Facebook depression" to potential harms linked with social media, an influential doctors' group warns, referring to a condition it says may affect troubled teens who obsess over the online site. Researchers disagree on whether it's simply an extension of depression some kids feel in other circumstances, or a distinct condition linked with using the online site. But there are unique aspects of Facebook that can make it a particularly tough social landscape to navigate for kids already dealing with poor self-esteem, said Dr. Gwenn O'Keeffe, a Boston-area pediatrician and lead author of new American Academy of Pediatrics social media guidelines. With in-your-face friends' tallies, status updates and photos of happy-looking people having great times, Facebook pages can make some kids feel even worse if they think they don't measure up. It can be more painful than sitting alone in a crowded school cafeteria or other real-life encounters that can make kids feel down, O'Keeffe said, because Facebook provides a skewed view of what's really going on. Online, there's no way to see facial expressions or read body language that provide context. The guidelines urge pediatricians to encourage parents to talk with their kids about online use and to be aware of Facebook depression, cyberbullying, sexting and other online risks. They were published online Monday in Pediatrics.

An 11-month-old Tibetan mastiff broke the record for dog prices, going to a new home in China for $1.5 million.

A customer at one Orlando, Florida Denny's was very unhappy with the slow service but went further than just not leaving a tip. The man fired a .22 caliber pistol three times to show his dissatisfaction. United Press International reports that police arrested the man on charges that include possession of marijuana and discharging a firearm in a public.

Trivia Answer: Eric Clapton who turns 66 today. He's a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame member as a solo artist and also as a member of The Yardbirds and as a member of Cream. Rolling Stone and Gibson both place him 4th on their lists so I wondered who were the Top Three. Rolling Stone had B.B. King in third, Duane Allman in second, and Jimi Hendrix at the top. Gibson had Keith Richards third, Jimmy Page second, and Jimi Hendrix at number one. Clapton is also a 17-time Grammy Award winner.

The Mariners rallied for a 7-6 win over the Colorado Rockies yesterday in Peoria. The Mariners and Rockies do it again today except at Scottsdale rather than Peoria. Tomorrow the Ms face the Dodgers in Los Angeles. Thursday is an off day then Friday they start playing for real. But first there are roster adjustments to be made and yesterday, the Ms released infielder Josh Wilson as they pared down toward their opening day roster of 25 players. Wilson played 108 games for the club last year and was signed through this season. He batted .227 last year and .239 in 20 spring training games this year. Additionally, the Mariners rounded out their 40-man roster with the selection of veteran utility infielder Adam Kennedy's contract. The regular season opener for the Ms is on Friday as they face the As in Oakland.

Gilbert Gottfried got fired from his job as the voice of the Aflac duck over jokes he made about the recent tsunami and earthquake in Japan. Now, you have a chance to audition to be the next voice of the Aflac insurance mascot. Head over to QuackAflac.com to submit your application online.

The French daredevil who calls himself Spiderman climbed the world's tallest building yesterday -- the half-mile-high Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

Then there's the Chicago guy that got a lot more than he bargained for when he went to pay his taxes -- nine-million dollars more. Last week, Irving Przyborski found a forgotten winning lottery ticket tucked away in his tax folder just days before it was dated to expire. Przyborski cashed in his winning ticket just in time. A lottery spokesman said that Przyborski is a quiet, laidback man who didn't get too excited about his life-changing win.

Lady Gaga has made social networking history. Gaga has become the first person to surpass nine-million followers on Twitter, hitting the mark on Sunday. Gaga also happens to be the second most "Liked" person on Facebook, just behind Eminem. According to the Hollywood Reporter, Justin Bieber is next in line to reach nine-million followers. He should hit the mark in the "coming weeks." Right now, he has 8.4-million followers.

Until further notice, the Ford Motor Company is not making vehicles in "tuxedo black" or any other shade of black. The natural disasters in Japan have significantly decreased the supply of pigments necessary to make black paint. Reports are that the shortage won't halt production indefinitely, only for a few weeks.

The NFL's oldest cheerleader is having a movie made of her life story. Laura Vikmanis is 42.  She's with Cincinnatti and the mother of two teenagers. No movie title or release date announced yet.

Out on DVD today: Black Swan with Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis; and Tangled featuring Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi.

A week ago today, a Mississippi woman awoke to a loud noise and found that a naked man had fallen through her ceiling. Kaliegh Townsend demanded that the man leave but he refused to do so until she gave him a pair of shorts. She refused and eventually the man stole her jacket, wrapped it around his waist, and took off. According to news reports, he was wanted for not reporting to his probation officer. To avoid the police, he climbed into the woman's attic. Police caught the perpetrator and recovered the stolen jacket but Townsend declined take it back.

Last week, a Seattle woman called police to report that she had been assaulted ... with a Frisbee! The woman alleges that she was out jogging when she came across three men in their 20s playing with the toy. After making eye-contact with one of them, the victim says that he threw the Frisbee directly at her, hitting her in the thigh. Later that day, the three men drove by her home, which prompted her to call police. Reports are that police looked into the incident but have since stopped investigating.

Trivia Answer: Johnnie Cochran who died on this date in 2005. Johnnie Cochran's well-honed rhetoric and flamboyance in the courtroom has been described as theatrical. His practice as a lawyer earned him great wealth. He was said to have earned $40 million ($1 million a year) in trying cases. With his earnings, he bought and drove cars such as a Jaguar and a Rolls-Royce, and he wore expensive suits. Cochran owned homes in Los Angeles, two apartments in West Hollywood, and a condo in Manhattan. Even before the Simpson case, Cochran had achieved a reputation as a "go-to" lawyer for the rich as well as a successful proponent of police brutality and civil rights cases. However, the controversial and dramatic Simpson trial made Cochran widely known, with opinions of him ranging widely. Cochran often liked to say that he worked "not only for the OJs, but also the No Js". Johnnie Cochran died at his home in Los Angeles on six years ago today from a brain tumor.

Texas Ranger Michael Young had three hits and three RBIs, including a broken bat single in the 10th inning to lift the Rangers to a 5-4 victory over the Mariners yesterday in Peoria. The Ms host Colorado at Peoria today. Friday is the regular season opener with the Ms in Oakland against the As.

Lots of former Mariners in the news as the season opener nears. In Tampa Bay, the Rays trimmed their roster, and first baseman -- former Mariner Casey Kotchman was reassigned to minor league camp. Mike Sweeney, the former Mariner designated hitter and first baseman signed a one-day contract with the Kansas City Royals on Friday and then retired. Sweeney played for the Royals from 1995-2007 and was a five-time All-Star during that stretch. Former Mariner pitcher Carlos Silva was told he won't be on the Chicago Cubs 25-man roster when the season starts on Friday. The Cubs general manager said Silva would be offered a minor league assignment, but Silva said there was "no chance" he would report to Triple-A Iowa. If Silva opts to be released, the Cubs are on the hook for his $11.5 million salary this season. A better outcome for former Mariner pitcher Freddy Garcia. He was with the Chicago White Sox last year. Friday came word that The Chief has made the starting rotation for the New York Yankees.

Even in the unpredictable, anything-goes world of March Madness, this is a Final Four nobody saw coming. Kentucky, Connecticut, Butler, and Virginia Commonwealth -- the improbable, the implausible, the unthinkable and the downright unimaginable. In one game in Houston next Saturday, No. 4 seed Kentucky will play No. 3 Connecticut -- not a completely absurd thought as a Final Four matchup, though hardly a popular pick given their up-and-down regular seasons. In the other game, it will be No. 11 Virginia Commonwealth against No. 8 Butler -- the team that was almost universally panned when its name was called on Selection Sunday. But it's March Madness and anything goes. Anyone can win. And never has that been more true than this year. Four teams with a combined 37 losses. Four teams whose combined seeding equals 26, breaking the record of 22 in 2000. Not a single No. 1 seed for only the second time since seeding began in 1979 and, according to STATS LLC., the first time that no 1 or 2 seed will be there. ESPN, which sponsors one of the country's biggest bracket tournaments, said that out of 5.9 million entries, only two had this foursome making its way to Houston.

The Seattle Sounders scored their first goal of the season Friday night. Seattle failed to score through the first 260 minutes of the season, dropping 1-0 decisions at home to Los Angeles and on the road to New York. Steve Zakuani tapped in a shot at the left post early in the 80th minute Friday night giving the Sounders a 1-1 tie with the Houston Dynamo. Saturday, Sounders are at San Jose.

It's a nightmare scenario for NFL fans and Seattle Seahawks fans in particular -- a cancelled football season. As the NFL owners and players squabble over how to divvy up $9 billion in revenue, the football faithful wonder: what about us? Some of those faithful gathered yesterday at Qwest Field to stage a protest and vent their feelings over the lockout. The NFL season isn't set to kick off for another five months, so there's still time for a new agreement to be worked out. The vibes, however, from both sides have not been promising. Fans are just now starting to pay for their 2011 season tickets, wondering what happens if games are scrapped. The Seahawk faithful even signed a petition, pledging not to buy anymore NFL licensed products until things get settled. The 12th man is a big spender on the hometown team -- which is something they'd like the NFL and its players to fully appreciate as talk of a shutdown grows louder. The last time the NFL lost games to a work stoppage was 1987.

With the potential lack of a football season, Chad Ochocinco is pursuing his dream of playing soccer. Today he gets his chance at becoming a professional soccer player. ESPN reports the NFL wide-receiver is playing for Sporting Kansas City's reserve team against a local squad today.

The New York Times is writing about Lacey. Sunday's Times goes into great depth to examine a case of sexting from Lacey. The incident was reported back in January 2010. Three teens were arrested after they transmitted a photo of a naked, 14-year-old girl who was their schoolmate. The charge: Disseminating child pornography, a felony. Read the Times' story here.

Reports are still drifting in, but it seems likely that most of the 25 countries where Apple launched the iPad 2 on Friday had run out of product by Saturday afternoon. It looks like Apple moved nearly its entire stockpile of iPad 2s by midnight Saturday, which happened to mark the last day of its second fiscal quarter. We'll learn exactly how many iPads Apple sold between December 26th and March 26th when the company reports its Second Quarter 2011 earnings a few weeks from now.

Sources say a big chunk of Elizabeth Taylor's $600 million estate will go to two AIDS charities.

It seems that the girls' school that Madonna intended to build in Malawi isn't going to ever get underway. According to the New York Times, the Queen of Pop gave 11-million dollars to build the academy, but the project has been scrapped due to financial mismanagement. A statement from her Raising Malawi charity said that she is still going to do everything she can to help bring education to the girls of the African country.

Taking a page from Sean Combs, Puff Daddy, P. Diddy, Diddy -- and of course his band Diddy-Dirty Money. Lindsay Lohan is playing the name-change game. Lindsay Lohan is dropping her last name and will just be known as Lindsay from now on. Meanwhile, Lindsay's mother, Dina Lohan, says that she and her daughter Ali are changing their last names from Lohan back to her maiden name of Sullivan.

The major record companies have joined forces to create a new digital-only compilation CD to benefit the victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It's called Songs for Japan and includes John Lennon's Imagine, U2's Walk On, Bob Dylan's Shelter from the Storm, Bruce Springsteen's Human Touch, Bon Jovi's What Do You Got?, Elton John's Don't Let the Sun Go Down on Me, Sting's Fragile and many other songs from classic and newer artists. You can get the album now at iTunes and 100 percent of sales will benefit the Japanese Red Cross.

Lady Gaga turns 25 today. Gaga is ringing in her birthday with a show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Meanwhile, she's released a country version of her song Born This Way. According to NME.com, "The track strips the single of its electronics and disco beats and replaces them with slide guitar and mouth organ." It was produced by Gaga and Fernando Garibay. Check it out:

According to a new survey, 85% of women say they flirt to get a discount.

Happy Birthday, Starbucks.  The coffee outfit  turns 40 Wednesday.

Trivia Answer: Lady Gaga who was born in New York City 25 years ago today. How did Stefani become Gaga? One story has it that music producer Rob Fusari, who helped her write some of her earlier songs, compared some of her vocal harmonies to that of Freddie Mercury. Fusari explained that every day when Stef came to the studio, instead of saying hello, he would start singing the Queen song 'Radio Ga Ga'. He says, "That was her entrance song. Lady Gaga was actually a glitch. I typed 'Radio Ga Ga' in a text and it did an autocorrect so somehow 'Radio' got changed to 'Lady'. She texted me back, 'That's it.' After that day, she was Lady Gaga." The New York Post, however, has reported that this story is incorrect, and that the name resulted from a marketing meeting. Not sure if it's relevent or not but Ga-ga is a sport in Israel.  Lady Gaga performed in Israel in 2009.

Doug Fister cruised through four innings before getting rocked in the fifth and sixth and the Mariners lost 9-8 to the Kansas City Royals at Peoria yesterday. Fister gave up one hit and faced one more than the minimum number of batters through four innings, but things started to unravel in the fifth when he gave up an RBI double to Pedro Feliz. In the sixth inning, the wheels fell off for Fister. Jarrod Dyson walked to lead off the inning and Lance Zawadzki followed with a two-run homer. Billy Butler singled and advanced on Melky Cabrera's fly out to left. Alex Gordon then hit a two-run homer and so on and so on. Fister gave up six runs on seven hits and three walks and struck out one. He threw 96 pitches, 55 for strikes, and inflated his spring ERA to 6.05. Split squad action for the Ms today as they face the Cubs at Mesa and the Dodgers at Peoria. The Ms start the regular season one week from today. They open the campaign in Oakland facing the Athletics. I must say, it's going to be strange with no Dave.

The Sounders -- looking for their first win this season -- host the Houston Dynamo tonight at 7 at Qwest Field … or is that CenturyLink Field? Doesn't have much of a ring to it but according to a story in the Omaha World-Herald, all Qwest properties are switching to the CenturyLink name following an expected $22 billion merger with Qwest on April 1st -- including Seattle's Qwest Field. The pertinent facts from the article: All Qwest properties - including Qwest Field in Seattle, home to the National Football League's Seattle Seahawks and Major League Soccer's Seattle Sounders, and Qwest Arena in Boise, Idaho - will transition to the CenturyLink name and brand, said Danny Pate, who will serve as vice president and general manager for Nebraska operations. Meanwhile, Eric Williams of the News Tribune reports that the team's contract with Qwest runs through the 2014 season, and nobody has notified the Seahawks yet of any name change.

Broadway's lights darken tonight in tribute to Elizabeth Taylor. In a statement, the Broadway League said, "The Broadway community mourns the loss of Elizabeth Taylor, legendary stage and screen star." In Taylor's honor, Broadway's theater marquees are being dimmed at exactly 8 tonight in New York, the traditional curtain time for shows, for one minute.

In what was the best results show in recent memory -- msnbc.com called it an "epic episode" -- American Idol had a little bit of everything last night. It went from a Motown legend to a wrestling icon to a surprising and dramatic finish. Steven Tyler probably thought he had seen it all in his hundred years of touring, but he was mistaken. Having Stevie Wonder call you up onstage to sing you a birthday song is pretty darned awesome, and Tyler seemed to be genuinely surprised and touched by the gesture. Hulk Hogan made an appearance -- he knocked Ryan Seacrest into the crowd … or pretended to. Then frontrunner Casey Abrams came within seconds of not only being kicked off the show, but also denied his place on the American Idol summer tour. After Wednesday's show he received the lowest number of votes. That forced him to sing for his life, but the judges didn't even let him get through the first verse before deciding to use their save. So he dodged a huge bullet and will live to entertain another day … and go on the American Idols Tour. Traditionally, just the top 10 singers get to participate in the cross-country extravaganza, but because of the timing of the judges' save, there will be 11 on this year's event.

It's Capital Food and Wine Festival weekend. Everyone is welcome but no one under 21 is allowed to consume alcoholic beverages. Everyone under 30 will have ID checked at the door. If you are 40 and up and have your ID checked, be sure to thank somebody. The Capital Food and Wine Festival is tomorrow from noon to 9:00 in the Marcus Pavilion and Norman Worthington Conference Center at Saint Martins University in Lacey.

Another noteworthy happening here in the South Sound this weekend is the Grand Opening of Olympia's new City Hall. City offices from nine different buildings have moved to the new City Hall on 4th Avenue. The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony is at 1:00 tomorrow afternoon. Tours are then being offered until 4:00.

Los Angeles prosecutors have confirmed that Lindsay Lohan has rejected their most recent plea deal, which would involve jail time, and as of now, the actress is planning to take her chances on a trail. Lohan will next appear in court on April 22nd to determine whether there is enough evidence in the case for her to stand trial. If convicted, Lindsay could get up to three years in jail.

Mel Gibson is selling his Malibu mansion. The actor is putting the huge estate up for sale for 14.5-million dollars.

Kevin Costner has just signed on to appear in the new Superman reboot that Zack Snyder's taking on. Kevin is playing Jonathan Kent.

It seems Bono and his wife made some time for a romantic meal this week. The U2 singer took his bride of 29 years, Ali Hewson, to Blue Hill at Stone Barns just north of New York City on Wednesday night. The restaurant is also one of President Barack Obama's favorites.

Not long ago, Lady Gaga said that if anyone were to play her in a movie, she's want it to be Marisa Tomei. In a recent appearance on The View, Marisa responded to Gaga's statement. The actress said that she was "pretty surprised" to hear that, but that she's "flattered" because she "adores" the pop star. By the way, Gaga holds on to the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for her sixth straight week this week with Born This Way.

Charlie Sheen apparently reminds Sammy Hagar of someone -- Eddie Van Halen. The Red Rocker told Good Morning America that he doesn't know what's going on with the troubled actor but "boy, there's a similarity in the way [Charlie and Eddie] look and everything." Hagar added, "I don't know how you get like that." Learn more of what Hagar thinks of his former Van Halen bandmate in his new book, Red: My Uncensored Life in Rock, which is out now.

Lifeguards were called to a San Diego beach earlier this week to rescue a sunbather who found herself in a tight spot. You see, the woman was stuck on part of the beachside cliff without any clothes on. With the help of rescuers, she was returned safely to her pile of clothes at the bottom of the cliff. Since Black's Beach is known for its naked sunbathers, the woman wasn't ticketed for public nudity but she did receive a citation for violating a sign which restricted anyone from climbing on the cliff.

When Paula Santala went into labor, her husband Marc tried to waste no time getting the mom-to-be to the hospital but ran into some trouble on the way. While en route, Mr. Santala was pulled over for reaching speeds up to 101 miles-per-hour. After assessing the situation, officers called for medical assistance. According to KUSA-TV, the expectant mother was put in the back of an ambulance and her husband was put in the back of a cop car. Mr. Santala was placed under arrest for reckless endangerment and missed the birth of his child.

A woman in Missoula has come up with an interesting, not to mention illegal, way to pay her teenage neighbor for babysitting her kids. Michayla Brilz told her probation officer that she had recently given the minor close to 50 anti-anxiety and sleeping pills. According to the Billings Gazette, this wasn't the first time an exchange like this has been made. Brilz is charged with criminal distribution of dangerous drugs and is currently being held on a 10-thousand dollar bond.

The world has a new noodle record. A 5,590-foot noodle took 25 minutes to make in China, with thousands of chefs helping to make the noodle that set the record. The old record was held by chefs in Italy.

Trivia Answer: Hoyt Axton who was born on this date in 1938. His most lasting contributions were songs made famous by others: Joy to the World and Never Been to Spain (Three Dog Night), Greenback Dollar (Kingston Trio), The Pusher and Snowblind Friend (Steppenwolf), No-No Song (Ringo Starr), and an array of others, covered by singers such as Joan Baez, John Denver, Waylon Jennings, and Anne Murray. His most popular and signature song, Joy to the World, as performed by Three Dog Night, was number 1 on the charts for six straight weeks in 1971, making it the top hit of the year. In 1995, Axton suffered a stroke. He never fully recovered and had to use a wheelchair much of the time. He died of a heart attack in October of 1999 at the age of 61.

The Colorado Rockies edged the Seattle Mariners in Scottsdale last night, 6-5. The Mariners had a three-game winning streak snapped. Luke French, who allowed one earned run in his previous 10 innings, gave up five runs on five hits, all in the third inning. He walked one and struck out one. This afternoon, the Ms face off with the Kansas City Royals at Peoria.

The NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament restarts tonight with the first Sweet Sixteen games.

Chad Ochocinco has officially started his tryout with the Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City. The football star decided that with an NFL lockout looming, he would pursue a career in a sport that he played growing up. According to the Associated Press, Ochocinco said that he was "a little winded" after his first practice, but that "it was fun." He also added that he would "play for free" if he made the team.

Elizabeth Taylor passed away yesterday, 53 years and one day after she could have died in a plane crash. People magazine reports the actress was set to fly from California to New York on March 22nd, 1958 with her then husband, movie producer Mike Todd. Taylor missed the flight at the last minute because she was feeling ill and Todd's plane ended up crashing, killing him and three others on board. Word is that the same churchgoers who protest the funerals of American soldiers are going to be protesting at Elizabeth Taylor's funeral. The daughter of the head pastor of Westboro Baptist Church -- the folks that understand the right of free speech but not how to use it responsibly -- said they'll be picketing the ceremony because Liz was an AIDS activist, helping to raise funds to cure the disease. It turns out, though, that Taylor was given a small private funeral service in the Los Angeles area today. The Oscar-winning actress was laid to rest at the Forest Lawn cemetery in Glendale, outside Los Angeles -- the same place where her close friend Michael Jackson was buried in 2009. A Glendale police spokesman told media and others waiting outside the cemetery that the service was for family only, with about three dozen people attending.

Kate and William's Royal Wedding will be sold on iTunes just hours after its conclusion. The following week they're also offering an audio recording on CD. It's estimated that 2.4 billion people around the world will see or hear at least some of the royal wedding next month. Here in the US, however, a new poll shows that 65 percent of Americans have no interest in William and Katherine's impending nuptials.

Speaking of nuptials, with June weddings on the way, a note of caution. This UK couple believed their wedding video would be a keepsake after hiring "professional" cameraman Clayton Bennett to capture their big day on film. It turned out that wasn't the case. The trouble began when Bennett disappeared for a significant amount of time and had to be tracked down by the wedding coordinator. According to the Mail Online, she found him at another ceremony -- the wrong ceremony. To add insult to injury, what little footage Bennett got of the correct wedding was only that of feet, grass and the back of guests' heads. The couple got their happy ending -- or at least something -- after seeking legal action and prevailing in small claims court.

A 92-year-old Florida woman was arrested after firing shots into a neighbor's house because he wouldn't give her a kiss. Reportedly, Dwight Bettner asked elderly Helen Staudinger to leave his house but she refused to do so without a smooch first. Bettner explained that he was in a relationship which left Staudinger very angry. She stormed out then proceeded to fire a handgun at the man's home. Staudinger was arrested.  She still insists, however, that Bettner is "supposed to be her man."

NBC has announced that Mad About You's Paul Reiser is heading back to the small screen this spring with The Paul Reiser Show. The show starts April 14th. Meanwhile, you can check Paul's Made About You co-star, Helen Hunt, in the new family movie Soul Surfer, which hits theaters April 8th.

More than a year into their Circle tour, Bon Jovi is still packing houses. Billboard reports the band has already grossed nearly 30-million dollars since their trek resumed on February 9th. The guys sold over 250-thousand tickets to the 15 shows they've played so far this year. The tour had already raked in 197-million bucks, making it the top trek of 2010. The Circle tour is now the highest-grossing and highest-attended jaunt of the band's career and among the top ten highest-grossing tours ever.

Gwen Stefani donated one-million dollars to Save the Children's Japan Earthquake-Tsunami Children in Emergency Fund to help in the relief and recovery efforts in Japan. Stefani released the following statement: "I've been inspired by Japan for many years and have a true love, appreciation and respect for the Japanese people and their culture. The disaster in Japan is beyond heartbreaking and I want to do anything I can to help. I would never be able to make a gesture like this without the love and support of all the fans over all these years." To donate head to SaveTheChildren.org.  Again a reminder that you can also text REDCROSS to 90999. That'll make a $10 donation to Japan's Emergencey Relief.

The guys from matchbox twenty are back together in the studio, working on their next album.

She took a one week break, but Adele's latest album 21 is back in the top spot on the Billboard 200 chart. The singer-songwriter sold almost another 100-thousand copies of the effort, taking her over the 750-thousand mark. This is Adele's third non-consecutive week at the summit of the chart with 21.

What's next for Bruce Springsteen? Well according to his E Street Bandmate Steven Van Zandt, The Boss might do a solo album. The rocker told a Philadelphia radio station, "You know Bruce -- he's always got an album in his pocket, he's always writing something."  Steven admitted to not knowing it for a fact but expects Springsteen to do something "that's more of a solo nature" next.

Season 3 finalist Jennifer Hudson and country music duo Sugarland perform on tonight's American Idol results show.

Fargo, North Dakota tops Forbes magazine's new list of best places to retire in the United States.

A 70-year-old Swedish man was busted for driving 105 mph in a 55 zone. The man told authorities he was speeding because he was trying to get to a recreational vehicle dealership before closing time.

Trivia Answer: Steve Ballmer who turns 55 today. In 1977, he graduated magna cum laude from Harvard University with a B.A. in mathematics and economics. Ballmer joined Microsoft on June 11th of 1980, He was Microsoft's 30th employee.

Felix pitched five solid innings -- he gave up two runs on three hits and struck out five in his five innings -- and the Mariners cruised to a 9-5 victory over the Chicago White Sox yesterday at Peoria. The Mariners had 11 hits in the game. The White Sox committed four errors. Tonight, the Ms face the Colorado Rockies at Scottsdale.

By the way, word is that former Gold Glove shortstop Jack Wilson is starting the season as the Mariners‘ primary second baseman, and offseason acquisition Brendan Ryan is set to open at shortstop.

The next time the NFL plays there will be some new rules. The owners voted to alter rules for kickoffs and instant replay next season. The rule that moves kickoffs from the 30 to the 35-yard line passed 26-6, while the rule to have the booth replay official review all scoring plays passed 30-2. One more change in the kickoff rule adjusted the running starts for the coverage teams before the kickoff. Before, coverage players could get a 10- to 15-yard start before the kicker made contact with the ball. Under the new rule, coverage players get only a 5-yard running start.

Former Sonics owner Barry Ackerley has died. Ackerley purchased the Sonics in 1983 from Sam Schulman and sold the club and the Storm of the WNBA to Starbucks chairman Howard Schultz in 2001. During Ackerley's ownership, the Sonics made 13 postseason appearances. Schultz eventually sold the team to a group led by Clay Bennett, which moved the franchise to Oklahoma City. Ackerley built his fortune in the media world. He purchased Obie Media in Seattle in 1975, which he later renamed The Ackerley Group Inc., and presided over an empire of billboard advertising, holding monopolies in Boston, Miami, Portland and Seattle. He also owned several television and radio stations and was one of the first sports franchise owners to broadcast games on his own stations. The Des Moines, Iowa, native die Monday morning in Rancho Mirage, Calif., after suffering a stroke Saturday. He was 76.

Elizabeth Taylor, the legendary actress famed for her beauty, her jet-set lifestyle, her charitable endeavors and her many marriages, has died. Taylor died "peacefully today in Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles," said a statement from her publicist. She was hospitalized six weeks ago with congestive heart failure, "a condition with which she had struggled for many years. Though she had recently suffered a number of complications, her condition had stabilized and it was hoped that she would be able to return home. Sadly, this was not to be." Though a two-time Oscar winner -- for Butterfield 8 in 1960 and Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf in 1966 -- Taylor was more celebrated for simply being Elizabeth Taylor: sexy, glamorous, tempestuous, fragile, always trailing courtiers, media, and fans. She wasn't above playing to that image -- she had a fragrance called White Diamonds -- or mocking it. With all of her married names, she would be Elizabeth Rosemond Taylor Hilton Wilding Todd Fisher Burton Burton Warner Fortensky. She once said, "I am a very committed wife, and I should be committed too -- for being married so many times." Elizabeth Taylor was 79.

According to the US Census Bureau, Detroit saw its population drop like 25% in the past decade. It dropped from 951,270 in 2000 to 713,777 last year -- its lowest since the 1910 census. Interestingly, Men's Health magazine recently named Detroit as the Angriest City in America. Analysts compared aggravated assaults per capita, time spent in rush hour traffic, the number of people with high blood pressure, and anger management specialists per capita. Baltimore, Maryland and St. Petersburg, Florida come in right behind the "Motor City." Detroit has also ranked high on lists such as Most Illiterate City, Most Violent City, and Fattest City.

US life expectancy is at an all-time high. The estimate of 78 years and 2 months is for a baby born in 2009.

A man interested in opening an account at a Pennsylvania bank got halfway through the application process before admitting to the teller he made a mistake and was actually there to rob the place. Unfortunately for the man, he had already handed over his ID as part of the application process. With his identification in hand, local officers had no problem nabbing the suspect.

The Grand Opening of Olympia's new City Hall is coming up this weekend. Saturday afternoon from 1 til 4, you're invited for live entertainment, an open house, and tours. All four floors, including the Police Department, are to be open for viewing and tours. The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony takes place at 1:00. Musical entertainment is scheduled throughout the afternoon. City offices from nine different buildings have moved to the new City Hall on 4th Avenue. Are you like me that when you go to the old City Hall on Plum, you really wouldn't be surprised to see George Jetson and his boy Elroy running around there?

It's National Chip and Dip Day.

Cee-Lo is being featured in Playboy. Cee-Lo appears in the April issue as part of the magazine's Rock the Rabbit program, which benefits music education in America.

What is P!nk most looking forward to when she has her baby? Her pregnant Pinkness wrote on her Twitter page that she can't wait for "family skateboard outings" once her baby is old enough. P!nk's first child is due soon. If it's a boy, P!nk has talked about naming him Jameson.

Cyndi Lauper is on the front lines in Japan, doing everything she can to help the people of the disaster stricken country. Cyndi was in Japan when the 8.9-magnitude earthquake hit. Even though she was advised to leave, she felt she was in no immediate danger so decided to stay around and play charity concerts and events as a way to raise funds. All royalties from her Memphis Blues tour in the country are being donated and she also recorded a ringtone and the proceeds from that are also going to Japan.

In Boston, this guy walked into a Starbucks, yelled, "I'm rich, I'm rich, I'm rich!" then threw about 100-one dollar bills into the air and left. An employee collected the money. They plan to donate it to relief efforts in Japan.

You can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to Japan's Emergencey Relief

Bruno Mars sat down for a short interview with GQ magazine, and in it, he spoke a little about his September drug arrest for cocaine possession in Las Vegas. It seems that he's learned from the experience, as he told the mag that he's "not gonna preach" that he's a role model, but he does understand now that "people are watching" so he shouldn't do anything "stupid."

Bryan Adams has been honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. According to the Los Angeles Daily News, he received the 2,435th star. He said the honor is "fantastic" and that he's "humbled" by it all. The star is in front of the Musicians Institute on Hollywood Boulevard.

Coming up May 3rd, Aerosmith's Steven Tyler releases his autobiography. It's titled Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? Now, he's explaining it more, in a way only Steven can. Tyler says the book features "all the unexpurgated, brain-jangling tales of debauchery, sex and drugs and transcendence you will ever want to hear." He goes on to say, "I've been mythicized, Mick-icized, eulogized and fooligized, I've been Cole-Portered and farmer's-daughtered, I've been Led Zepped and 12-stepped."  Steven is back on Idol tonight. The Top 11 perform. It's Motown night.

The perjury trial of Barry Bonds is underway and someone is already headed to jail. It's the former San Francisco Giants star's trainer, Greg Anderson, who again refused to testify in federal court, and is now heading to prison for the fifth time because of his failure to cooperate.

A source says the next Xbox will be out in 2015 -- ten years after the Xbox 360 first appeared.

A jeweler in the UK has given an iPad 2 the bling treatment, upping the cost of the $500 gadget to $7.5 million. Lots of gold, lots of diamonds.

Gwyneth Paltrow isn't finished with her singing career. She's supposed to be back on Glee next season.  Then in a recent interview, she said that her recently learned musical skills have been great when entertaining the kids. She said the guitar "comes in very handy at kids' birthday parties and stuff like that." She says she's continuing to practice, saying that she recently learned Wonderwall by Oasis. But, when it comes to performing side-by-side with her husband --Coldplay's Chris Martin -- she said "hell would freeze over first."

Kelly Gneiting is the heaviest person ever to complete the Los Angeles Marathon. Gneiting tipped the scales at 400 pounds when he began Sunday's marathon. Nine hours, 48 minutes, 52 seconds later he crossed the finish line and set the Guinness World Record for being the heaviest person to ever complete the 26.2-mile race.

Ryan Dein didn't think twice about chasing down and tackling a thief -- in the nude. The Australian man chased the robber down the street early Saturday after the man took off from his home with a wallet, laptop and camera. After Dein tackled the thief and got his stuff back he let him go. Too bad for the thief he dropped his wallet.

Graham Stookey is making waves on the Internet right now with a homegrown YouTube success story. Stookey, a high school senior from Littleton, Colorado, posted a video featured him playing guitar and singing an original song called Jonah. He and his friend who shot the video titled the clip If Justin Bieber Can Be Famous… Why Can't I? and it blew up.  It has over 338-thosuand views.

Graham performed on Oprah Winfrey's World's Most Talented Kids episode on March 1st, where Lenny Kravitz showed up to jam with him. You can check that video here: http://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/Rockstar-Lenny-Kravitz-Surprises-Fan-Video  Stookey's EP, The Basement Tracks, features his song Jonah and is available at iTunes now.

Trivia Answer: The United States. The Federal Convention convened in the State House (Independence Hall) in Philadelphia on May 14th of 1787, to revise the Articles of Confederation. Because the delegations from only two states were at first present, the members adjourned from day to day until a quorum of seven states was obtained on May 25th. Through discussion and debate it became clear by mid-June that, rather than amend the existing Articles, the Convention would draft an entirely new frame of government. The work of many minds, the Constitution stands as a model of cooperative statesmanship and the art of compromise. The Constitution was adopted on September 17, 1787

The Mariners' game against the Cincinnati Reds yesterday was rained out. Right-hander Michael Pineda, who was originally scheduled to pitch, instead faced the Kansas City Royals Triple-A team in Peoria. He gave up two hits and one run in five innings, walking one and striking out four. He threw 72 pitches, 48 for strikes. Today, Felix Hernandez is scheduled to start as the Ms -- weather permitting -- meet the White Sox at Peoria.

Charlie Sheen may be off TV for now. Rumors flying around yesterday, however, have Charlie back on television sooner rather than later. NBC News quoted sources close to Sheen as saying that CBS had offered him his job back on Two and A Half Men, but no deal had been struck and discussions were ongoing. Elsewhere, The Hollywood Reporter said Sheen met with senior executives at rival network Fox last week for talks. The actor sent a cryptic Tweet over the weekend reading "perhaps a new lair...? A Fox and a Warlock? epic" accompanied by a picture of a Fox television logo. Celebrity website Radaronline.com yesterday also reported unnamed sources as saying that CBS chief executive Les Moonves wanted to get Sheen and Two and A Half Men back on the air, and had spoken with the producer and co-creator Chuck Lorre -- the target of much of Sheen's ire. Sheen's spokesman said he had no comment on the various reports. CBS and Warner Bros. Television also declined to comment. CBS and Warner Bros Television have about six weeks to decide whether to bring back Two and A Half Men for a ninth season, with or without Sheen. The TV network presents its annual fall TV schedule to advertisers in New York on May 18th at the so-called "upfronts", where broadcasters hope to sell the majority of the upcoming TV season's commercial slots.

Meanwhile, Charlie may be taking his tour to Haiti. TMZ reports that Sheen's friend, actor Sean Penn, is working with Charlie to set up a date in the embattled country. All proceeds from the show would go to helping the country recover from last year's devastating 7.0 earthquake.

Charlie's father, Martin Sheen says he understands that his son is going through "hell" right now. He also says that he thinks his son is acting the way he is because Charlie has been "emotionally crippled" by his addictions in the past. Basically, Martin says Sheen is living out an adolescence of sorts because his prior drug habits stunted Charlie's emotional growth.

Here's the excuse to end all excuses. Whatever you get caught doing today, you can claim that it's National Goof Off Day.

The Grand Opening of Olympia's new City Hall is coming up this weekend. Saturday afternoon from 1 til 4, you're invited for live entertainment, an open house, and tours. All four floors, including the Police Department, are to be open for viewing and tours. The ribbon cutting and dedication ceremony takes place at 1:00. Musical entertainment is scheduled throughout the afternoon. City offices from nine different buildings have moved to the new City Hall on 4th Avenue. Tonight's City Council meeting is in the current Council Chambers at 900 Plum Street. The Council won't meet on March 29th or April 5th to accommodate the move of television and audio visual equipment. The first Council meeting in the new City Hall is Tuesday, April 12th.

Tiger Woods is reportedly dating a 22-year-old named Alyse Lahti Johnston. Is it just me or is this a little creepy: New York Magazine is reporting that Woods and Alyse actually met back when she was seven years old. Her stepfather used to work for IMG and helped Tiger get his record-breaking 60-million dollar deal with Nike back in 1996. The golfer and the girl have been seen out on Tiger's boat. Neither has commented on the relationship. You gotta wonder if this is a good way to help his public image.

Meanwhile, Tiger's ex-wife, Elin, is moving on with her life. She has purchased a 12.2-million dollar mansion in Florida. It has 17-thousand square-feet and is located in North Palm Beach.

A Las Vegas district attorney who's helped prosecute Paris Hilton and Bruno Mars on drug charges was arrested on his own drug charges over the weekend. David Charles Schubert was booked on a charge of possession of cocaine. People magazine reports David tried to buy crack cocaine from a street dealer, and was caught by a police officer. Besides prosecuting people on drug charges, Schubert is a member of a federal drug task force

Twenty-two middle school students in Chicago got a crash course in chemistry when a mixture of bleach and another chemical caused caustic fumes to spread all over their building. Someone with access to the janitor's closet accidentally mixed bleach and a type of Drano, causing the evacuation of the entire school. According to the Chicago Tribune, 15 fire departments responded to the scene and students were transported to nearby hospitals for treatment.

Arnold Schwarzenegger will announce the first details of his new TV series at this year's MIPTV -- Marche International des Programmes de Television -- in Cannes next month. Details of the project, which is being kept under wraps, are being revealed April 4rh at a news conference at the Majestic Hotel. Representatives for the former California Governor -- who recently announced he planned a return to movies -- said only that Schwarzenegger was involved in an "international TV series."

Oh for the days when the Beefy Crunch Burrito went for a mere 99 cents. That, it turns out, was a promotional price at a San Antonio Taco Bell. And when a 37-year-old man ordered seven of them - he must like them - he was outraged to learn that the price had become $1.49 each. So his anger over having to pay an additional $3.50 boiled over in a big way on Sunday, the San Antonio Express-News reports. He fired an air gun at the restaurant manager, displayed an assault rifle and pistol and barricaded himself in a hotel room. Police arrested him after a three-hour standoff. It took tear gas to get the guy out.

Then there's the Ohio man that called 9-1-1 and reported that he was being held against his will. Apparently, no one explained to him that is usually what happens when you have been arrested. The Associated Press reports that the man, who was calling from jail, had been arrested earlier that day on a disorderly conduct charge.

Trivia Answer: James Patterson who turns 64 today. Patterson retired from advertising in 1985, and then devoted his time to writing. His novels featuring his character Alex Cross, are his most popular and the top-selling U.S. detective series in the past ten years. Patterson has written 71 novels in 33 years. He has had 19 consecutive #1 New York Times bestselling novels, and holds The New York Times record for most bestselling hardcover fiction titles by a single author, a total of 63, which is also a Guinness World Record. The world's best-selling author, his novels account for one in 17 of all hardcover novels sold in the United States; in recent years his novels have sold more copies than those of Stephen King, John Grisham, and Dan Brown combined. Stephen King has dismissed Patterson's bibliography as made up of dopey thrillers, and in one interview called him a terrible writer. In 2010 interview in Time magazine, Patterson was asked, "What do you say to critics like author Stephen King who say you're not a great prose stylist?" Patterson responded, "I am not a great prose stylist. I'm a storyteller. There are thousands of people who don't like what I do. Fortunately, there are millions who do."

Not the best of weekends for Northwest NCAA fans. Sure, the Huskies got past Georgia Friday night but No. 2 seeded North Carolina was waiting next. Yesterday, the Tar Heels survived a closing minute that included numerous questionable calls to beat Washington 86-83 in the East region. The Tar Heels are into the second weekend for a record 24th time. Washington, which went in with as many NCAA tournament wins (18) as North Carolina has Final Four appearances, nearly pulled off a dramatic comeback in a virtual road game 2,800 miles from home. Washington got within 86-83 with 5.4 seconds to play. Moments later, Washington launched a premature half court shot with about 3 seconds remaining that fell well short. That wasn't the end of it, though. Instead of letting the errant shot go harmlessly out of bounds, one of the Tar Heels touched the ball on the way down to give the Huskies yet another chance. But how much time was left? Replays with the official game clock superimposed on the screen showed there should have been 1.1 or 1.2 seconds to go, giving Washington more time for a final shot. The Huskies asked the referees to review how much time should have been left, but the officials stuck with half a second. A spokesman said, "There's always a lag time between the time the play occurs and the whistle is blown and the clock stops. By rule, the clock stops when the whistle blows. We were asked to check the time and we verified that it was accurate with the standby official and the clock operator." Needing to hurry, the Huskies then in bounded the ball to Isaiah Thomas. Thomas unloaded a shot from the corner. The Tar Heels inexplicably touched the ball just before it would have hit the rim and the Washington bench erupted for a goaltending call -- not that it would have mattered. It turned out Thomas had his foot on the 3-point line. So the Dawgs are done.

The Zags are also done. No. 3 seed Brigham Young knocked off No. 11 Gonzaga 89-67 on Saturday.

An auspicious beginning to the Sounders season. After losing the opener to the LA Galaxy last weekend, the Sounders fell to the New York Red Bulls Saturday night, 1-0. Coming up Friday, the Sounders host Houston.

Yesterday, Erik Bedard pitched five effective innings, Milton Bradley hit a two-run single, and the Seattle Mariners beat the San Diego Padres 4-1. Bedard allowed one run -- a solo-shot homer in the second -- and five hits in his longest outing of spring training. He struck out two and walked one. Today, the Ms face the Cincinnati Reds at Goodyear, Arizona

Ichiro is donating about $1.25 million to the Japanese Red Cross for earthquake and tsunami relief efforts. The Mariners also said they will match all donations made at Safeco Field during the Ms season-opening home stand. Red Cross volunteers are being stationed outside ballpark gates during the April 8th to 13th stretch. Also, Nintendo of Japan, the parent company of Nintendo of America and the majority owner of the Mariners, is donating $3.7 million to disaster relief.

A reminder that you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan's emergency relief.

Ahh, Spring. The beginning of the season is officially known as the vernal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere, and it occurred yesterday afternoon 4:21. That's when the sun crossed directly over the earth's equator. In other words, day and night are nearly equal, about 12 hours each.

Today is Single Parents' Day.

A business note: AT&T announced yesterday that it's buying T-Mobile USA in a cash-and-stock deal valued at $39 billion that would make it the largest cellphone company in the U.S. The deal would reduce the number of wireless carriers with national coverage from four to three, and is sure to face close regulatory scrutiny. It also removes a potential partner for Sprint Nextel, the struggling No. 3 carrier, which had been in talks to combine with T-Mobile, according to Wall Street Journal reports. AT&T is now the country's second-largest wireless carrier and T-Mobile USA is the fourth largest. The acquisition would give AT&T 129 million subscribers, vaulting it past Verizon Wireless to make it the largest U.S. cellphone company. The combined company would serve about 43 percent of U.S. cellphones. Will they call it AT&T-Mobile?

When Barry Bonds walked into the federal courthouse in San Francisco on December 4th of 2003, his career total stood at 658 home runs, baseball had yet to institute drug testing with penalties and the Giants were nearly a half-century removed from their last World Series title. Much has changed since the brawny, contentious slugger spent 2 hours, 53 minutes answering questions from a pair of assistant U.S. attorneys and grand jurors examining drug use in sports. Baseball's Steroids Era receded somewhat as players and owners started mandatory testing and then toughened the rules three times. Bonds won his seventh MVP award in 2004 and broke Hank Aaron's career home run record in 2007. And then on November 15th of 2007, exactly 50 days from the time he took his final big league swing and 100 days after topping Aaron, Bonds was indicted on charges he lied to the grand jury when he denied knowingly using performance-enhancing drugs. Even though he wanted to continue playing, all 30 major league teams shunned him. And without Bonds, the Giants last year won their first title since 1954. Starting today, a jury is being selected in the very same court house where Bonds testified all those years ago to determine whether he broke the law with four short answers totaling nine words: "Not that I know of," "No, no," "No," and "Right." Each of the charges -- four counts of making false statements to the grand jury and one count of obstruction -- carry a possible sentence of up to 10 years, although federal guidelines make a total of 15 to 21 months more probable if Bonds is convicted.

A new survey reports young American adults are drinking more coffee.

Newsweek asked 1,000 U.S. citizens to take America's official citizenship test and 29 percent couldn't name the vice president. Overall, 38 percent failed the test.

In Michigan some Girl Scouts were selling cookies outside of a grocery store when a man came up to them and took the cash box and fled. The mother of one of the Scouts took off after the man. She helped track down the man to a nearby apartment complex where he was arrested by police.

Dancing with the Stars is back tonight.

Donald Trump boots contestants off his TV show with a famous two-word catch phrase: "You're fired." He may want the chance to say the same to President Barack Obama. Trump -- the real estate tycoon with the comb-over hairdo and in-your-face attitude plans to decide by June whether to join the field of GOP contenders competing in 2012. Trump insists he's serious. He rejects skeptics' claims that he's using the publicity to draw viewers to Celebrity Apprentice, the NBC reality program he co-produces and hosts. If he runs, Trump would follow a well-worn path of wealthy businessmen who have sought the White House before. Recent examples include Christian Broadcasting Network founder Pat Robertson in 1988, tech mogul Ross Perot in 1992 and publishing executive Steve Forbes in 1996. Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire New York City mayor, also has hinted at national political ambitions even as he says he won't enter the race. Trump is prepared to spend as much as $600 million of his personal fortune on the race. On Good Morning America, he said, "Part of the beauty of me is that I'm very rich."

He went full-tilt Busey way before Charlie Sheen did. Remember when he ran from the star whackers? Now Randy Quaid has taken to a Vancouver concert stage to blast the star whackers in song with his backup band, The Fugitives. Quaid performed two songs at the Commodore Ballroom on Friday night, telling the audience they were about "experiences that my wife and I have gone through for the last few months, and we hope you enjoy them." The first song had Quaid croon a romantic tune entitled Will We Be Together Then? Then came the much-heralded Star Whackers song which, according to Vanity Fair (which obviously has much better ears in its newsroom than we have here at the station) references TMZ, murder, and organs being sold on eBay. The song ended with Quaid on his knees and finally his back, under a lone spotlight and surrounded by wild applause. The performance was Quaid's first public gig since being granted permanent residency status in Canada by local authorities. He was allowed to stay in Canada because his wife, Evi Quaid, received her Canadian citizenship card in February because her father was born here. Quaid was asked by the rock band The Town Pants to open their Vancouver gig Friday night during their West Coast concert swing. See how much of it you can understand:

Trivia Answer: He was born Edward Joseph Mahoney but we know him as Eddie Money. He's 62 today. It was in the 1970s, that he charted with singles such as Baby Hold On and Two Tickets to Paradise. His career began to fail him after several unsuccessful releases in the mid-1980s, accompanied by his struggles with drug addiction. However, he made a comeback two years later in 1986 and returned to the mainstream rock spotlight with the album Can't Hold Back, which featured the Ronnie Spector duet Take Me Home Tonight, which reached the Top 10, along with the hit I Wanna Go Back. Money followed the album with another Top 10 hit, late 1988's Walk on Water. Money is married to his wife Laurie, and has five children. Money's daughter Jesse Money toured with Eddie in 2008 and 2009 -- including a stop at the Emerald Queen in Tacoma. She performed as his opening act, as well as singing backing vocals throughout his show, including the Ronnie Spector part on Take Me Home Tonight.

The Washington Huskies are in Charlotte, North Carolina, this afternoon to face Georgia in the East Regional of the NCAA tournament.

A rough night for King Felix last night. Felix Hernandez gave up six runs in four innings, hurt by some bad luck, and the Seattle Mariners lost 9-1 to the Kansas City Royals. Felix gave up nine hits, but four never left the infield, and three runs were unearned after two errors. The reigning AL Cy Young Award winner struck out seven. They face the Diamondbacks at Peoria today.

Coming up tomorrow afternoon at 4:30, the Sounders are in New York/New Jersey to face the Red Bulls.

It's Oatmeal Cookie Day.

Are you ready? My Violent Torpedo of Truth Defeat is Not an Option -- The Charlie Sheen LIVE show -- comes to the Northwest. He's at the Comcast Arena in Everett on Tuesday, May 3rd. Tickets are ... this is what we were asking if your were ready for ... $575 for VIP - Rows 2 to 6; $250 for Platinum; $89.50 for Floor Rows 7 to 23 on the Lower Level; $69.50 for the Upper Level Sides; and -- the cheap seats -- Upper Level Ends are $49.50. Tickets go on sale tomorrow morning at 10.

TMZ caught up with actor Dennis Haysbert to get his reaction on the possibility of a third installment in the Major League franchise with Charlie Sheen. When asked if he'd be interested in the rumored project, Haysbert said, "Now you've seen Charlie on television, how can he bring anything back?" Dennis Haysbert, by the way,  is the official spokesman in the Allstate Insurance commercials.

We're loving Sandra Bullock that much more. Sandra has donated a million dollars to the Red Cross for the victims affected by the earthquake and tsunami that struck Japan. The Oscar-winning actress joins other celebrities, including Lady Gaga, Yoko Ono and Charlie Sheen, who have all made significant donations.

Be sure to read the fine print before sliding your card at the ATM. Some banks are beginning to test $5 ATM fees.

American Idol executive producer Nigel Lythgoe recently revealed that Aerosmith is on tap to perform on the show. Guitarist Joe Perry says he hasn't heard anything about it. Joe telling the Boston Herald, "No one's said a word to me." Joe added that all he knows is that the band is recording this summer then touring in South America and possibly Japan, though the latter may be up in the air due to the tragedy in that country.

In 1983, Freddie Mercury and Michael Jackson recorded a trio of tracks and according to NME.com, those songs will soon be released for the first time. One tune is a demo for State of Shock, the 1984 song featuring The Jacksons and Mick Jagger. The other two are called Victory and Must Be More to Life than This. No word yet on when the tracks will be out but Queen drummer Roger Taylor promises it'll be "soon."

While rumors of a possible solo album deal for Gwyneth Paltrow remain up in the air, Glee creator Ryan Murphy confirms that she'll be back for more guest appearances on the third season of the show. Murphy told TVLine.com that he and Gwyneth have become friends and that he occasionally will ask her for her opinion on an episode, even if she's not in it. Most recently on Glee, Gwyneth sang Joan Jett's Do You Wanna Touch Me and Stevie Nicks' Landslide.

Billy Ray Cyrus' divorce from his wife Tish has been shelved, according to an interview he gave to The View yesterday. The segment was scheduled to air this morning.  In it, Billy says, "I've dropped the divorce. I want to put my family back together. Things are the best they've ever been." He added, "I feel like I got my Miley back. I feel like we're the daddy and daughter we were before Hannah Montana." In addition, he said fame was to blame for his family's troubles, not the kid-friendly series as he had previously charged in a recent GQ story. Billy Ray Cyrus and Tish Cyrus have been married for 17 years.

A dress worn by Prince William's fiance Kate Middleton at a university fashion show in 2002 brought in $105,000 yesterday at auction.

In Australia, a teenage girl had to cancel her party after her Facebook invitation went viral and 20,000 people RSVP'd.

While using a pair of Little Hotties (isn't that a great name?) Hand Warmers, a Huntsville, Alabama woman got more than she bargained for. The athletic trainer claims she was using the product as instructed when she reached into her back pocket and the hand warmers caught fire. She burned her lower back and legs. The woman was hospitalized for a week due to burn injuries she suffered from the product.

Trivia Answer: Irene Cara who turns 52 today. The song was Flashdance … What a Feeling. She also had a bit of success with the song Fame. In fact, it was the 1980 box office smash Fame catapulted Irene to stardom. As Coco Hernandez, she sang both the title song Fame and the film's second hit single Out Here on My Own. These songs helped make the movie soundtrack a chart-topping, multi-platinum album. Further history was made when at the Academy Awards that year; for the first time two songs from one film were nominated in the same category: Fame and Out Here on My Own. Cara had the opportunity to be one of the few singers to perform more than one song at the Oscar ceremony. Asked by the Fame TV series' producers to reprise her role as Coco Hernandez, she declined so she she could focus her attention on her recording career.

Well, those anger management sessions seem to be doing a fine job for the Seattle Mariners' Milton Bradley. Milton got ejected in a Spring Training game last night. The Brewers went on to beat the Mariners 5-4. Bradley was tossed by the plate umpire in the bottom of the third inning after barking about a called third strike. Today, the Mariners meet Kansas City @ Surprise, Arizona.

Hopefully you've completed your bracket. March Madness goes full tilt today. President Obama picks Kansas to the NCAA Championship. The Huskies are in the East Regional and face Georgia tomorrow in Charlotte, N.C., in the NCAA tournament.

Coming up Saturday, the Sounders are in New York/New Jersey to face the Red Bulls.

There may not be football for a while, but that doesn't mean that Chad Ochocinco is going to be staying out of the limelight. According to ESPN, the wide receiver is planning on trying out for the Major League Soccer team Sporting Kansas City. Chad said, "Due to the NFL lockout, I'm excited to be able to follow my childhood dream of playing for a Major League Soccer team."

With the unrest in the NFL, two brothers in Ohio have decided not only to not renew their Cincinnati Bengals season tickets but to invoice the team's owners for past games and related expenses of $17,347.98.

While we're in Ohio, Dayton police captured a bank robbery suspect ... after he fled riding a city bus.

Traffic tickets are being dismissed for about 300 people who were caught on camera running red lights or speeding through school zones in Longview. According to The Oregonian newspaper, an employee for the company that runs the system punched in the wrong city code -- Lynnwood, instead of Longview. Longview Police Chief Alex Perez says all notices issued from February 14th through March 9th are being dismissed. At $124 a ticket, that's more than $37,000. Anyone who already paid the fine will receive a refund. The company that runs the system, American Traffic Solutions, say they aren't charging the city for operating the system during that time period. Pretty big of them, eh?

Reports were circulating last week that James Blunt had said on an Italian TV station that he would be playing the church organ at April's Royal Wedding between Prince William and Kate Middleton. Well apparently, he was "simply joking." He now tells E! News that it's "just his humor," and that he has not been asked to perform.

Christina Aguilera is one of the mentors on the new NBC singing competition, The Voice. She said that the mentors and judges are nice and won't be "tearing people down." Cee-Lo Green and Maroon 5's Adam Levine are also mentors on The Voice, which is being hosted by Carson Daly. The Voice premieres on NBC on April 26th.

Kelly Clarkson's highly anticipated next album has been delayed. It was thought to be released in the next few months, but the original American Idol took to her Facebook account to write that she had just found out that the effort "won't be coming out until September." As for why, she wrote, "That's the best time to release it apparently."

Clint Eastwood's film Hereafter was pulled from Japanese theaters after the recent events there, as it was deemed inappropriate since it tells the story of a man who survived the 2004 tsunami that hit the Indian Ocean. Clint, however, is making nice. According to the LA Times, a percentage of DVD and Blu-ray sales are going to the Japanese Red Cross Society.

Today is St. Patrick's Day. Just a hunch, but I'm thinking they celebrate nicely in Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; and Shamrock, Texas.

St. Patrick's Day, of course, means a lot of Guinness is going to be had by people all over the world. The Script guitarist Mark Sheehan actually grew up right outside of the Guinness Brewery, and he says he is one the few Irish people who doesn't like that particular beer, although the rest of his band sure does.

By the way, in Ireland, drinking a pint of Guinness before it settles might as well be a sin.

It was in 1903 in Ireland that James O'Mara made it the law for St. Patty's Day to be a religious observation. All pubs were closed meaning no beer.

On St. Patrick's Day, the Chicago River is dyed green using 40 lbs of green vegetable dye.

Hallmark usually sells eight to 15-million St. Patrick's Day cards each year.

New York has the most celebrations for St. Patrick's Day. In 1762, NYC showed its Irish pride by having the very first parade for the holiday.

McDonald's has a Shamrock Shake that has been around since 1970 but is most popular in the U.S. The milkshake is a green color and tastes like mint.

According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14.

More Irish stuff:

• The members of U2 don't get bothered much on the street in Ireland.
• U2 owns a hotel in Dublin called The Clarence Hotel. Bono can often be seen drinking inside at the Octagon Bar.
• Ireland has a President and a Prime Minister (known as the Taoiseach. The President of Ireland is Mary MacAleese and the Taoiseach is Enda Kenny.
• The late Phil Lynott, singer of the band Thin Lizzy, was from Dublin.
• Famous writers from Ireland include Samuel Beckett, James Joyce and William Butler Yeats.
• There is no Happy Hour in Ireland. It was made illegal in 2003.

Trivia Answer: Mariel Margaret Hamm, best known as Mia Hamm, who turns 39 today. She was was named the women's (fee-fah) FIFA World Player of the Year the first two times that award was given, in 2001 and 2002, and is listed as one of FIFA's 125 best living players as chosen by Pelé. Mia and former teammate Michelle Akers were the only two women -- and the only two Americans -- on that list. Washington Post columnist Michael Wilbon called Hamm, "Perhaps the most important athlete of the last 15 years." She retired from the sport in 2004. She played her last game in the 2004 Fan Celebration Tour to commemorate the U.S. women's national team's victory in the 2004 Olympics. In 2004, when she announced her retirement, she expressed an interest in starting a family with her husband, Nomar Garciaparra. She had married the then-Boston Red Sox shortstop in November of 2003, in a private ceremony, attended by three hundred guests. On March 27th of 2007, Hamm gave birth to twin girls, Grace Isabella and Ava Caroline. Though born five weeks early, each girl weighed over 5 pounds at birth. Twins run in both Hamm's and Garciaparra's families.

Major League Soccer returned to the Northwest last night and the Sounders still can't solve the Galaxy. A blistering shot from outside the box in the 57th minute scored the only goal and the Sounders fell to the Los Angeles Galaxy 1-0 in the Major League Soccer season opener at Qwest Field. The Galaxy has beaten the Sounders in five consecutive matches going back to last season, including in the playoffs. The Galaxy has outscored the Sounders 11-2 in that span. The Sounders are back in action Saturday at New York.

An off day for the Mariners yesterday. They're back in action today as they face the Milwaukee Brewers at Peoria.

In what often turns out to be the highlight of the Mariners season, the team released its commercials for 2011 yesterday. This year's crop includes Ichiro hitting everything from a can of corn to a Tic Tac, Felix Hernandez donning disguises in an attempt to pitch every day, Doug Fister and Jason Vargas discussing pitchers' superstitions, general manager Jack Zduriencik acknowledging the pain of dedicated fans, and Franklin Gutierrez trying to teach beat writers how to play center field. Check them all out here.

American Idol is back tonight. The Top 12 are performing songs from the years of their birth as they seek America's votes.

So will a new Aerosmith album really happen even though singer Steven Tyler is busy being a judge on Idol? In an interview, bassist Tom Hamilton says that Steven continually reminds everyone that "the way his time is arranged on the show leaves room to work on a record." But Tom isn't totally convinced, adding, "There's a lot of not knowing what's going to happen, but that's how it's always been for us… Steven's taken a big bite, and I'm looking forward to seeing him chew it."  If it happens, the new album would be the band's first record of original material since 2001's Just Push Play.

Just about a week before the earthquake and tsunami struck Japan, the Black Eyed Peas were in Tokyo to shoot the video for their new single, Just Can't Get Enough. The group has now dedicated the clip to the people of the country. The Peas have included a special message at the beginning of the video to show their support for those afflicted. The video is set to debut this week. Word is the Peas are performing Just Can't Get Enough tomorrow night on American Idol.

Mentioned earlier this week that Lady Gaga helped design a five-dollar wristband to be sold to help raise money for relief in Japan. So far, so good. Gaga wrote on her Twitter that the We Pray For Japan bracelets have already raised 250-thousand dollars in just 48 hours. The bracelets have the words We Pray For Japan written in both English and Japanese. You can order yours at LadyGaga.com.

Charlie Sheen is taking his live show to more cities. Tickets go on sale tomorrow for performances in Ohio, Connecticut, Boston and New York City. Sheen's shows in Detroit and Chicago on April 2nd and 3rd sold out quickly.

A giant clock counting down to the 2012 London Olympics stopped for several hours Tuesday -- less than a day after it went on display in Trafalgar Square. The digital clock, made by Olympic sponsor Omega, was stuck at 500 days, 7 hours, 6 minutes, 56 seconds, before workers fixed it. Omega has also flown their chief engineer in from Switzerland to make a full diagnostic investigation into what created the problem. "The clock's failure wasn't the only Olympic glitch on Tuesday, when 6.6 million tickets went on sale. A few hours into the ticket launch, fans with Visa credit cards which expire before the end of August found that organizers were unable to process their orders. Visa is an Olympic sponsor and the only card that can be used to purchase tickets.

Today is National Artichoke Hearts Day.

This guy in Georgia is accused of possessing marijuana with the intent to distribute it. Allegedly when he was arrested, he told police the drug was "how I make my money."

A Sacramento Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals office is about to get a strange, new neighbor -- a poultry slaughterhouse. The Sacramento Bee reports the slaughterhouse purchased a piece of property just steps away from the well-known organization, whose purpose is to advance the well-being and safety of animals everywhere. Animal advocates say that the hen house's relocation is "just bad karma."

When Robert Driscoll gave his girlfriend a three-carat engagement ring, the first thing she did was to post pictures for all of her Facebook friends to admire. This became a problem for Driscoll since he hadn't purchased the ring. It was stolen. It was hot property. After the pictures hit the Internet, police were alerted and were immediately led to Driscoll and his girlfriend. When their stories didn't add up, the couple was arrested and both are currently being held on bond.

Who's the Boss star Alyssa Milano is having a boy. The 38-year-old actress and her Hollywood agent husband, David Bugliari, have been married for two years and announced she was pregnant in late February and now they know it's gonna be a little fella.

Katy Perry and Russell Brand want to go on a second honeymoon. The couple went on their first in the Maldives in the Indian Ocean, but according to British paper The Sun, the comedian wants to go on a month-long excursion with his wife to the Far East, and that "even if a great film role" were to come up, he would turn it down so they could spend some quality time together. A source told the paper that Katy also has said she wants some time off after she finishes her Teenage Dream tour.

In a little over a month, Kate Middleton and Prince William tie-the-knot and Kate's parents have contributed a six-figure sum to help the royal family pay for the wedding. Us Weekly magazine estimates the April 29th nuptials could cost upwards of ten-million dollars. Normal wedding tradition sees the bride's family covering most of the wedding costs, but in the past, when the British Royal Family is involved, they usually cover all costs. Are things a little tight at Buckingham Palace?

Trivia Answer: It officially abolished and continues to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for a crime. It was passed by the Senate on April 8th of 1864, passed by the House on January 31st of 1865, and adopted on December 6th of 1865. It was the first of the Reconstruction Amendments. The amendment completed the abolition of slavery, which had begun with the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. When Mississippi formally ratified the amendment, it become the last state to do so. While Mississippi ratified the amendment in 1995, because the state never officially notified the US Archivist, the ratification is not official. It should be noted that Washington didn't become a state until November of 1889 so the amendment was already the law of the land by the time we joined the party.

It must seem like it will never end for the folks in Japan. First the earthquake, then the tsunami, and the ongoing battle with the nuclear power plants. After three explosions and a fire in four days, the situation at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant grew more serious today, chasing all but a handful of workers from the site and raising fears of a far more dangerous radiation threat.

Then you hear stories like this one: For several hours, Ashley Russell thought his daughter was dead. A missing persons website set up to track Japan's tsunami said so. The Australian father eventually discovered that the post was a hoax and his daughter, Alice Byron, is safe. Sydney-based Russell told of his distress today after finding a message on the Google site Saturday afternoon saying the 21-year-old woman had been confirmed dead at a hospital in the devastated coastal town of Ofunato, where she had been teaching English for nine months. It cited the name and telephone number of a real hospital, but gave a fake doctor's name. Her father said frantic friends in Japan were able to telephone the hospital and confirm the deception. "There are some evil people out there," said Russell. "Her employer told me other people had suffered the same hoax as well."

Reports of donation-seeking scams related to the earthquake and tsunami in Japan have already begun to surface. Authorities say we need to beware of unsolicited emails and calls, which may come from scammers trying to sound like a well-known charity.

A reminder that you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan's emergency relief.

Aflac said yesterday that it has fired Gilbert Gottfried, the abrasive voice of the insurer's quacking duck after the comedian posted a string of mocking jokes about the earthquake and tsunami in Japan on Twitter over the weekend. The tasteless tweets are particularly problematic for Aflac because it does 75 percent of its business in Japan. One in four homes in Japan buys health insurance from Aflac. The insurer's CEO, Daniel Amos, flew to Japan on Sunday to show support for the company's employees and agents. The company said in a statement Monday that Gottfried's jokes do not represent the feelings of the company, which previously announced it would donate 100 million yen ($1.2 million) to the International Red Cross to help with disaster assistance. Gottfried has voiced the duck in numerous Aflac commercials since 2000. The insurer said it will start a casting search for his replacement. The company also noted that Gottfried is not the voice of the duck in Japan. Aflac's mascot there has a softer, sweeter voice.

Chalk up another win for the Mariners. Seattle got by the Chicago Cubs yesterday 5-3 in Peoria. Adam Kennedy drove in two runs with a sixth-inning single for the Ms, an inning after Chone Figgins doubled in the go-ahead run. Figgins and Justin Smoak, a pair of projected starters, had two hits each. Josh Wilson was 2 for 2 and scored twice. The Mariners are unbeaten in eight straight spring games, including a tie. Today is an off day for the Mariners. Tomorrow they meet up with the Milwaukee Brewers in Peoria.

MLS action returns to the Northwest tonight at the Seattle Sounders host the Los Angeles Galaxy at 6:30.

The Huskies are in the East Regional and face Georgia on Friday in Charlotte, N.C., in the NCAA tournament.

Singer and songwriter Neil Diamond was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last night, crooning his signature mellow rock songs in a stark contrast to fellow inductee heavy metal band Alice Cooper. Diamond and Alice Cooper were honored alongside Tom Waits, Darlene Love and Dr. John at a black tie event at New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel, with Cooper performing in a typically theatrical fake blood-spattered shirt and eye makeup while thanking the crowd with a live snake writhing around his neck. Neil sang Sweet Caroline.

The Walt Disney Co. has scuttled a planned remake of the Beatles' Yellow Submarine being developed by the producer of its costly bomb Mars Needs Moms. Submarine was already facing a few rocky reefs before this past weekend, when Robert Zemeckis' $150 million-budgeted Mars Needs Moms opened to just $6.9 million. There were budget issues, and a key presentation Zemeckis was to have made to the surviving members and heirs of the Beatles kept being pushed back. A December date for the confab was scrapped and never rescheduled. Sources say the disastrous opening for Mars guarantees that Submarine will never set sail at Disney. According to sources, Zemeckis left town over the weekend, flying to Montana to regroup. He is said to be eyeing a live-action project to direct. But part of the regrouping process could include finding a new port for Submarine.

In the meantime, a Sam Cooke biopic has taken a significant step toward becoming a reality. The screenwriters behind the all-Beatles musical Across the Universe have finished their adaptation of the definitive biography of Sam Cooke. The script reportedly covers Cooke's entire life -- 1931 to 1964 -- from childhood through his years as a gospel singer, a pop star, civil rights activist and eventually a label owner and music publisher. His music ushered the transition of R&B into soul music. Cooke is known for songs such as You Send Me, Twistin' the Night Away, and Only Sixteen. Shortly before he was shot dead in 1964, Cooke penned and recorded A Change Is Gonna Come, a tune often listed as the most significant musical piece to emerge from the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and '60s.

Bruno Mars talking about Cee-Lo Green's song Forget You. He says the two wrote the track in just "an hour or two." He says they were "just jamming" and they quickly made the whole song by "going back and forth" with each other. He also joked that he "should have kept the damn song" for himself.

Sad news for Lilith Fair fans. It seems the tour is no more. Founder Sarah McLachlan told a couple of different British papers that the iconic trek is finished, and that her idea to bring it back last year didn't take in to account "how women have changed" since she started the tour in 1997. She added that in the future she may do something "new and different" that carries forth "the ideas from Lilith."

It seems that James Blunt has gotten himself invited to the forthcoming Royal Wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton. Thing is, he has to work. The singer-songwriter told an Italian news channel that he's "playing the church organ" during the ceremony, and added that he's not singing. The Royal Wedding is set for April 29th.

The Black Eyed Peas are performing at the 2011 Kids' Choice Awards next month. Fergie tells UsMagazine.com that she's excited about appearing at the event, but she hopes they don't get slimed. Jack Black is hosting the show for the third time. Kristen Stewart, Taylor Swift, Nick Jonas, and Justin Bieber are all up for awards. The 2011 Kids' Choice Awards airs live on Nickelodeon on April 2nd.

At the age of 51, Bryan Adams is set to become a father for the first time. People magazine reports the singer confirmed on his Twitter page that he has been in a relationship with his personal assistant Alicia and that she is "expecting a baby" in May.

Some members of the NAACP are boycotting the organization's annual fundraiser in Detroit after it was announced that Kid Rock would be receiving the branch's Great Expectations award. Many NAACP supporters have an issue with Kid Rock because he flies the Confederate flag during his concerts. In an interview in 2008, Kid Rock said this about the flag: "It's definitely got some scars, but I've never had an issue with it. To me it just represents pride in southern Rock ‘n Roll music, plus it just looks cool."

Trivia Answer: The frontman for the band Twisted Sister, Daniel Sninder -- Dee Snider -- who turns 56 today. In early 1976, Snider joined Twisted Sister and became the sole songwriter of the band thereafter. The group released their first studio album, Under the Blade, in September 1982 and developed a following in the UK. Less than a year later, Twisted Sister released their sophomore effort, You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll. Their third album, Stay Hungry, hit shelves on May 10th of 1984. It would become the band's most successful record with the hits We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock. To emphasize the "twisted sister" image, Snider adopted a trademark persona of metal-inspired drag with long blond hair, an excessive amount of eye shadow and rouge, and bright red lipstick. In 1998, Snider had penned a song entitled The Magic of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone) which was recorded by Celine Dion for her album These Are Special Times. According to Snider, Dion at the time had no clue as to who wrote the song. Snider has been married to his wife Suzette, a costume designer, since October 21st of 1981. They have four children ranging in age from 29 to 14. Snider is a registered Republican, but does not always vote for his party. In 2008, he stated in an interview that he would be voting for Barack Obama because John McCain (whom he liked and supported for many years) wouldn't acknowledge George W. Bush's mistakes that he made while in office. Snider has also been quoted saying, "I was born and raised a Christian and I still adhere to those principles."

Katy Perry is among the roster of artists who have taken to Twitter to urge fans to donate to earthquake and tsunami relief efforts in Japan following the natural disasters from last week. Perry posted on her Twitter page, "Remember as you go about your day please #prayforjapan & if you are able, text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10 to Japan's emergency relief." Lady Gaga has announced that her We Pray For Japan wristband that she designed goes on sale next week.

The Japanese tsunami video set a new record for CNN.com video watching, with more than 60 million worldwide viewers tuning into the dramatic footage on the website.

Fresh off a second straight conference tournament title, capped by an overtime win to stun Arizona, the Huskies received the No. 7 seed in the East Regional and a matchup with Georgia on Friday in Charlotte, N.C., in the NCAA tournament. The Dawgs are getting shipped a six-hour flight away from home after playing the last two years in the tournament on the West Coast -- just down the road in Portland two years ago and last year as a No. 11 seed in San Jose, California. And, if Washington (23-10) can get past Georgia (21-11) in its opener, it will likely be No. 2 seed North Carolina awaiting in the next round a mere 140 miles from its campus in Chapel Hill.

Ohio State -- the nation's top team -- is the No. 1 seed in the East region for the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament. Kansas is a No. 1 seed in the Southwest. Pittsburgh is the No. 1 seed in the Southeast. Duke is the No. 1 seed in the West.

The Seattle Mariners shut out the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim yesterday, 2-0. Feeling good, Jason Vargas decided to mix in a few curveballs. Vargas pitched four innings of three-hit ball, extending his spring scoreless string to seven innings. Today, the Ms meet up with the Chicago Cubs at Peoria.

Charlie Sheen is taking his show on the road. Tickets went on sale over the weekend for shows in Detroit and Chicago next month. The show is called Charlie Sheen Live: My Violent Torpedo of Truth. Publicist Larry Solters said Sheen is promoting the show himself and has already begun rehearsals. Solters said he does not know the nature of the show or whether additional performances will be scheduled. Sheen announced the show Thursday and Friday to his more than 2 million Twitter followers, calling it "the REAL story." Solters confirmed yesterday that the April 2 and 3 appearances are sold out. Solters is apparently replacing the actor's longtime publicist, Stan Rosenfield, who abruptly resigned two weeks ago when Sheen began giving interviews to various news outlets and radio programs. Solters described himself Friday as "a warlock in training."

John Stamos, by the way, doesn't want to replace Charlie Sheen or anyone else. He says that he hasn't even been officially offered a part on Two and a Half Men, even though rumor had it he was a favorite to replace Sheen. Rob Lowe, another rumored replacement, is contractually forbidden from going to Two and a Half Men. So now what?

Today is National Potato Chip Day.

The iPad 2 -- which went on sale Friday afternoon at 5 o'clock local time -- has sold out with a 2 to 3 week backlog. One analyst projects opening weekend sales of around 500,000 of the new iPad.

On Saturday in Burbank, California, a group of car lovers attempted the Guinness World Record for the World's Largest Hearse Parade. No final word yet on the total number of hearses.

Gallagher was taken to the hospital Thursday night after collapsing on stage. Gallagher was performing in Minnesota. His manager says the comedian has been released from a Minnesota hospital where he was treated for a minor heart attack. The manager says Gallagher was released yesterday morning. He says the comedian was heading home to Los Angeles to see his own doctors. The manager says Gallagher suffered another heart attack about 10 years ago. He says Gallagher should be able to resume performing as soon as he feels up to it. Gallagher, whose real name is Leo Anthony Gallagher, is best known for smashing watermelons with a sledgehammer.

It seems Lady Gaga just can't help making history. According to GagaDaily.com, her song Poker Face just became the third song to sell more than six-million downloads, joining her first ever single, Just Dance, and the Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling. Her next tune on its way to six-million is Bad Romance, which currently has almost 4.7-million downloads. The Black Eyed Peas' I Gotta Feeling is the most downloaded song ever with 6.9-million downloads.

Tomorrow sees the release of a brand new compilation album, American Idol: 10th Anniversary - The Hits Volume 1. It features the biggest songs by some of the shows most famous alumni, including Kelly Clarkson's Since U Been Gone, Adam Lambert's Whataya Want From Me, Daughtry's Home. Other artists on the album include Carrie Underwood, Kris Allen, Clay Aiken and Jordin Sparks. It's out tomorrow.

It seems Billy Joe Armstrong has the acting bug. The Green Day frontman is reprising his role as St. Jimmy in the American Idiot production on Broadway beginning April 5th. He's set to be in the show until the final performance on April 24th.

It's not really a surprise, but Maroon 5 has officially cancelled their show in Cairo, Egypt set for next month. In a post on the band's official website, the group cites "logistical issues" and frontman Adam Levine wrote that they hope to make it there at some point later on their world tour.

A car completely made of aqua-marine colored Play-Doh made its debut on the streets of London last week, startling commuters. The company-sponsored stunt, which promotes a new Chevrolet, aims to appeal to the "inner-child" of car buyers everywhere. According to the Mail Online, a team of eight modelers spent two weeks on the life-sized replica and used one and a half tons of Play-Doh.

Tony Danza has filed for divorce from his wife of 24 years. The actor cites "irreconcilable difference" as the reason for the split. The couple has two daughters and while their split may be a surprise to some, they've actually been separated since 2006.

Trivia Answer: William Edward Crystal -- Billy Crystal -- who turns 63 today. Crystal's earliest prominent role was as Jodie Dallas on Soap, one of the first gay characters portrayed on American television. He continued in the role the series' entire 1977 through 1981 run. After hosting Saturday Night Live in 1984, he joined the regular cast. His most famous recurring sketch was his parody of Fernando Lamas -- Fernando, a smarmy talk show host whose catch phrase, "You look... mahvelous!" became a media sensation. Crystal's first film role was in Joan Rivers's 1978 film Rabbit Test. Crystal also made game show appearances such as The Hollywood Squares, All Star Secrets and The $20,000 Pyramid. He holds the record for getting his contestant partner to the top of the pyramid in the bonus round in the fastest time, 26 seconds. Crystal appeared briefly in Rob Reiner's 1984 "rockumentary" This Is Spinal Tap as Morty The Mime, a waiter dressed as a mime at one of Spinal Tap's parties. He shared the scene with a then-unknown, non-speaking Dana Carvey. Crystal's line in the film was "Mime is money." Reiner directed Crystal again in The Princess Bride in 1987. Reiner directed Crystal for a third time in the classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally in 1989, for which Crystal was nominated for a Golden Globe. Crystal then starred in the buddy comedy City Slickers in 1991, which proved very successful both commercially and critically and for which Crystal was nominated for his second Golden Globe. Billy is a huge baseball fan. In partucular, a New York Yankee fan. He directed the made-for-television movie 61* in 2001 based on Roger Maris's and Mickey Mantle's race to break Babe Ruth's single-season home run record in 1961. This earned Crystal an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Directing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Special. Crystal has continued working in film, including Analyze This (1999) and Analyze That (2002) with Robert De Niro. Pixar originally approached him to provide the voice of Buzz Lightyear in Toy Story in 1995. He turned down that offer, but regretted it after the film became one of the most popular releases of the year. Crystal later went on to provide the voice of Mike Wazowski in the Pixar film, Monsters, Inc. in 2001. On March 12th of 2008, Crystal signed a minor league contract, for a single day, to play with the New York Yankees, and was invited to the team's major league spring training. He wore uniform number 60, in honor of his then upcoming 60th birthday. On March 13th, in a spring training game against the Pittsburgh Pirates, Crystal led off as the designated hitter. He managed to make contact, fouling a fastball up the first base line, but was eventually struck out by Pirates pitcher Paul Maholm on six pitches and was later replaced in the batting order by Johnny Damon. He was released on March 14th, his 60th birthday. Although a life-long Yankee fan, he is a part-owner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, even earning a World Series ring in 2001 when the Diamondbacks beat his beloved Yankees. Interesting to note that In the movie City Slickers, Crystal wears a New York Mets baseball cap.

For the first time in my radio career, this morning I announced school delays and closures ... because of a tsunami. It began about 9:45 last night our time -- 2:45 in the afternoon in Japan. For more than two terrifying, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded in that country shook apart homes and buildings, cracked open highways, and unnerved even those who have learned to live with swaying skyscrapers. Then came the devastating tsunami that slammed into northeastern Japan and killed hundreds of people. The violent wall of water swept away houses, cars and ships. Fires burned out of control. Power to cooling systems at two nuclear power plants was knocked out, forcing thousands of nearby residents to be evacuated. A boat was caught in the vortex of a whirlpool at sea. The death toll rose steadily throughout the day, but the true extent of the disaster was not known because roads to the worst-hit areas were washed away or blocked by debris and airports were closed. After dawn Saturday, the scale of destruction became clearer. Chief Cabinet Secretary Yukio Edano said an initial assessment found "enormous damage," and the Defense Ministry was sending troops to the hardest-hit region. President Obama pledged U.S. help following what he called a potentially "catastrophic" disaster. One U.S. aircraft carrier is already in Japan and a second was on its way. The entire Pacific had been put on alert -- including coastal areas of South America, Canada and Alaska -- but waves were not as bad as expected. The magnitude-8.9 offshore quake struck at 2:46 pm local time and was the biggest to hit Japan since record-keeping began in the late 1800s. It ranked as the fifth-largest earthquake in the world since 1900 and was nearly 8,000 times stronger than one that devastated Christchurch, New Zealand, last month. The quake shook dozens of cities and villages along a 1,300-mile stretch of coast and tall buildings swayed in Tokyo, hundreds of miles from the epicenter. Japan declared its first-ever states of emergency for five nuclear reactors at two power plants after the units lost cooling ability in the aftermath of the earthquake, and workers struggled to prevent meltdowns. On the U.S. mainland, marinas and harbors in California and Oregon bore the brunt of the damage, estimated by authorities to be in the millions of dollars. Boats crashed into each other in marines and some vessels were washed out to sea. Rescue crews were searching for a man who was swept away in northern California while taking pictures. Officials in two coastal Washington counties -- Pacific and Grays Harbor -- used an automated phone alert system, phoning residents on the coast and in low-lying areas and asking them to move to higher ground. The National Weather Service said the first wave of the tsunami to hit the Washington Coast just after 7 this morning measured 1.7 feet at La Push, about half a foot at Neah Bay and Port Angeles, and 1.3 feet at Westport. About 60 people had evacuated to Grays Harbor Fire District No. 8 in Moclips.

Alex Liddi will likely not make Seattle's major-league roster. That doesn't mean he hasn't gotten the attention of the Mariners' brass. The 22-year-old from Italy who played in the 2009 World Baseball Classic hit his second grand slam in as many days yesterday, leading a seven-run rally as the Mariners beat a Los Angeles Angels split squad 10-5. Liddi also hit a solo shot in a six-inning exhibition game Tuesday -- giving him three homers in three days. Liddi was the Mariners' minor league player of the year in 2009, and spent last season at Double-A West Tennessee. The Ms match up with the Cleveland Indians today.

Today's the day the next iPad goes on sale at 5 o'clock this afternoon local time.

Let the litigation hijinks begin. Charlie Sheen took his verbal war against Warner Bros. and the executive producer of Two and a Half Men to the courtroom yesterday, filing a $100 million lawsuit seeking to recoup his salary and wages for the show's cast and crew. The breach of contract lawsuit alleges production was halted on the CBS sitcom in part to punish Sheen for recent behavior that has included two hospitalizations and, in recent weeks, a series of interviews in which he has attacked executive producer Chuck Lorre. But the suit and Sheen's attorney say most of the incidents cited by Warner Bros. for firing Sheen occurred before his tirades against Lorre began. The filing came four days after Sheen was terminated from "Two and a Half Men," leaving the top-rated sitcom's future in doubt. Sheen's lawsuit alleges that Warner Bros. bowed to Lorre's desire to punish Sheen, and that the producer and studio conspired to blame the actor for causing production to stop. On top of Sheen's $100 million request for damages, the 45-year-old actor is seeking punitive damages.

According to SanDiego.com, Devo would like Charlie Sheen to join their band. The group says they'd be honored to have the now out-of-work actor sing for them, saying he could take on "any of our songs that he wanted to sing."  Devo even went on to call Sheen "brilliant" and "a philosopher of our devoted culture."

It turns out Rob Lowe can't replace Charlie Sheen on Two and a Half Men because of his contract with the NBC show Parks and Recreation. Lowe seemed to be the fan-favorite to assume the role left vacant when Sheen was fired.

Have you un-followed Charlie Sheen on Twitter yet? Today is Worldwide Global Unfollow Charlie Sheen on Twitter Day.

This week, Eric Clapton auctioned off 75 guitars and 55 amplifiers to raise money for his Crossroads Center drug and alcohol treatment facility. According to Reuters, the items sold for more than three times what was expected and raised, 2.15-million dollars. The highest-ticket item was a 1948 Gibson L-5P which sold for nearly 83-thousand dollars.

Lady Gaga's Born This Way scores its fourth straight week atop the Billboard Hot 100 chart. It marks the first song to debut at the summit and remain there for at least four straight weeks since Aerosmith did it back in 1998 with I Don't Want To Miss a Thing.

Lindsay Lohan was in court yesterday, where a judge partially accepted a plea deal for the actress. He then set an interim court date for Linds. She next appears in court on March 25th, where she will plead guilty or not guilty to felony theft. However, if she strikes a deal with prosecutors before then that Judge Keith Schwartz fully accepts, she won't have to appear in court in March and her next court date would be April 22nd.

A 19-year-old Brooklyn girl faces felony charges and a possible two-year sentence for killing the family hamster.

After a Miami-area mother complained to her son's school that progress reports were not actually making it home, the teacher took drastic measures to make sure it finally did. She allegedly stapled it to seven-year-old Joshua's t-shirt. The boy told a local television station that he was laughed at by other kids over the incident. While the school released a statement saying that the teacher took measures to hide the note by placing the child's sweatshirt over it, she was still verbally warned by the principal.

A college professor was thrown out of a school basketball game after heckling the referee. George Washington University professor Robert Kasmir apparently confronted a ref from his courtside seat over what he thought was a bad call. Best of all, just before the ejection, Kasmir was honored for his donations to the college in a special halftime ceremony. The school newspaper, The Hatchet, reports that Kasmir received a bigger standing ovation after being ejected than he did during the halftime honor, even getting high fives from fans on his way out the door. Kasmir says the incident won't stop him from making donations to the school in the future.

That Portland man who made headlines when he called 911 Monday to report he had broken into a home is in trouble again, this time in southwest Washington. Reports from Portland say 24-year-old Timothy James Chapek was released from jail but failed to show up at his arraignment Tuesday on a trespass charge. Beaverton police say he stole a car from a BMW dealership. He was arrested at 12:30 Wednesday morning in Chehalis, where police say he was loading unpaid items into the stolen car. Chapek is held in the Lewis County Jail for investigation of burglary and possessing a stolen car. His brother, says Chapek has been showing signs of deteriorating mental health.

Trivia Answer: Robert McFerrin, Jr. -- Bobby McFerrin -- who turns 61 today. That hit song was Don't Worry, Be Happy. The song was a No. 1  hit in 1988 and won Song of the Year and Record of the Year honors. As a vocalist, McFerrin often switches rapidly between modal and falsetto registers to create polyphonic effects, performing both the main melody and the accompanying parts of songs. He makes use of percussive effects created both with his mouth and by tapping on his chest. McFerrin has also worked in collaboration with instrumental performers including pianists Chick Corea, Herbie Hancock, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. 

The Seattle Mariners broke out the long ball yesterday. Third baseman Alex Liddi hit a grand slam and Jack Wilson and Jack Cust also homered as the Ms beat the Los Angeles Dodgers 9-4 in Glendale. Liddi replaced Chone Figgins in the bottom of the fifth inning. He connected off Jon Huber in the seventh inning after Josh Bard and Josh Wilson walked and Ryan Langerhans singled. The Mariners sent 10 men to the plate in the five-run inning. Figgins went 2-for-3 before leaving the game. Liddi was the Mariners' minor league player of the year in 2009. He spent last season at Double-A West Tennessee. Today the Mariners are facing the Los Angeles Angels in Peoria.

Phil Collins has set the record straight about his upcoming break from music. The singer wrote on his website that even though his rep has said otherwise, he is indeed retiring, but it is not because of bad reviews or because he doesn't feel loved by fans or the music industry. Rather, Phil says he is stopping so he "can be a full-time father" to his two young sons on a daily basis.

Today is Pack Your Lunch Day.

A 21-year-old man sitting down for a haircut allegedly grabbed scissors and slashed another man in the back Tuesday, police tell the Stamford, Connecticut Advocate. That led to his arrest and a bizarre booking photo taken before his haircut could be finished. David Davis was arrested shortly after the incident when Stamford patrol officers and a police dog found him in a nearby apartment.

American Idol is back again tonight. One of the finalists hits the end tonight and will be sent home. Also tonight, Season 8 runner-up Adam Lambert is performing.

With just one tweet, Charlie Sheen made thousands of dollars from a job website -- and received thousands of applications for a social media intern. How many people applied? Over 74,000.

Kobe Bryant recently surpassed basketball legend Moses Malone on the NBA All-Time Scoring list. During Tuesday's night game against the Atlanta Hawks, the Lakers star only needed 12 points to beat Malone's record of 27,409 points. Kobe put 26 points on the board.

Walter and Rose Martin, an elderly couple in Brooklyn, New York, were visited by the NYPD over 50 times in eight years. According to the New York Daily News, the couple's address was used to test a police department computer system in 2002. In the years that followed, cops showed up at their door looking for criminals as often as three times a week. Just this past year, police officials finally removed their address completely from their system. No word as to why their address was used as a "test address" in the first place.

A man living near Tampa, Florida was arrested after police found a plastic bag with cocaine stuffed inside a Girl Scout cookie box in the car he was driving. Stevenson Papin was pulled over for driving with one headlight. That's when police discovered the drugs. According to ABC, Papin told the cops, "I ain't going to say it's mine, but I ain't gonna make your jobs harder. Take me to jail." He was charged with possession of cocaine.

It was predicted to happen and now it's official -- Adele's album, 21, is at the top of the Billboard chart for the second week in a row.

Mel Gibson has struck a deal with prosecutors and will avoid jail time for his misdemeanor battery charge. Gibson, who is accused of hitting his ex-girlfriend, Oksana Grigorieva, had previously pled no contest in court on Friday. As part of the plea deal, Gibson has to undergo counseling and is on probation.

Journey is set to release their latest album, Eclipse, on May 24th, and soon after it hits shelves, the guys hit the road with Foreigner and Night Ranger. The joint trek, called the Eclipse Tour, kicks off on July 21st in Salt Lake City and runs through October 21st. That last show, by the way, is at Key Arena.

Some details have become available about the Dave Matthews Band's Caravan tour stops, the only times that you can see DMB perform live this year. According to a press release, there are a series of four, three-day festivals, and the guys will be headlining and playing a full set every night. The first stop on the Caravan trek takes place in Atlantic City in late June. Then July 8th through the 10th in the Midwest. TBAs are coming in August and September. You just feel there's a Gorge stop in there somewhere.

Some college students in England are aiming to help set up a new world record in knitting. Organizers hope at least 1,000 turn up next Thursday to help beat the current record set in Oregon, when 937 people gathered together to knit for 15 minutes.

An Allentown, Pennsylvania, resident phoned 911 to report an injury. Operators didn't think it was serious but the injured woman demanded to have an ambulance dispatched to take her to the hospital … for a stubbed toe.

A wrong-number text message to a Montesano family led to a drug bust in Aberdeen. The Grays Harbor County sheriff's office says the family received a message Tuesday night asking if they would like to buy some pills. Police reportedly took over the texting and set up a drug buy for 20 OxyContin pills at an Aberdeen parking lot where officers arrested an 18-year-old from Hoquiam and a 17-year-old from Aberdeen.

Trivia Answer: Sharon Stone who turns 53 today. Stone was born in Meadville, Pennsylvania. She won the title of Miss Crawford County in Meadville. One of the pageant judges said she should quit school and move to New York City to become a fashion model. When her mother heard this, she agreed, and, in 1977 Stone left Meadville, moving in with an aunt in New Jersey. Within four days of her arrival in New Jersey, she was signed by Ford Modeling Agency in New York. After starring on the short-lived TV series Bay City Blues in 1983, her next film role was in Irreconcilable Differences (1984), starring Ryan O'Neal, Shelley Long, and a young Drew Barrymore. Stone played a starlet who breaks up the marriage of a successful director and his screenwriter wife. The plot was based on the real-life experience of director Peter Bogdanovich, his set designer wife Polly Platt, and Cybill Shepherd. In 1984, she appeared in a two-part episode of Magnum, P.I., titled Echoes of the Mind, where she played identical twins, one a love interest of Tom Selleck's character. Through the rest of the 1980s she appeared in King Solomon's Mines (1985), Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol (1987), Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold (1987), Action Jackson (1988), and Above the Law (1988). Stone was nominated for a Razzie Award for Worst Actress for her performance in Allan Quatermain and the Lost City of Gold. Also in 1988, Stone took over the role of Janice Henry for the filming of the miniseries War and Remembrance. Her appearance in Total Recall (1990) with Arnold Schwarzenegger gave Stone's career a jolt. To coincide with the movie's release, she posed nude for Playboy, showing off the muscles she developed in preparation for the movie (she lifted weights and learned taekwondo). In 1999, she was rated among the 25 sexiest stars of the century by Playboy. The role that made her a star was that of Catherine Tramell, a brilliant, bisexual serial killer, in Basic Instinct (1992). Stone had to wait and actually turned down other offers for the mere prospect to play Tramell (the part was offered to 13 other actresses and considered to 150 women before being offered to Stone). Several better known actresses of the time turned down the part mostly because of the nudity required. In the movie's most notorious scene, Tramell is being questioned by the police and she crosses and uncrosses her legs, revealing the fact she is not wearing any underwear. According to Stone, upon seeing what was revealed in the leg-crossing scene during a screening of the film, she went into the projection booth and slapped the director.

Jason Vargas gave up two hits and a walk in three scoreless innings and the Mariners bullpen held the San Francisco Giants to only two more hits in a 1-0 win yesterday at Peoria. The Mariners got their lone run in the fourth inning on an RBI triple by Ryan Langerhans. Justin Smoak walked to lead off the inning, and after a Jack Cust strikeout, Langerhans tripled to right field, scoring Smoak from first. Today, the Mariners meet the Dodgers at Glendale.

Today is National Crabmeat Day.

American Idol's back tonight. The Top 13 finalists perform for America's votes in this 2-hour edition.

On May 10th, Steven Tyler releases his long-awaited autobiography, Does the Noise in My Head Bother You? Now, Steven has put out a video talking about the book. Head to StevenTyler.com to hear him describe what it was like for him writing it and what it's gonna be like to read.

By the way, Aerosmith fans can rest easy as all is well with the band. Steven wrote on Twitter that he and guitarist Joe Perry "just smoked the peace pipe for an hour."  There were rumors things were bumpy between the two but according to the singer, everything seems to have been smoothed over and the guys are planning to get back in the studio soon to work on their latest album.

As if our lives didn't already revolve way far too much around Facebook, now we can enjoy date night with it, too. Warner Bros. is soon starting to offer movies through the social networking site.

Charlie Sheen had a meeting with Live Nation Entertainment and is talking about a possible nationwide tour. Sheen, who was fired from Two and a Half Men this week, is rumored to be considering a live theatrical show to take his current "winning" and "tiger blood" act on the road.

Meantime, Two and a Half Men creator Chuck Lorre has a spot to fill on the hit show after firing Charlie this week. John Stamos' name was being tossed around last week. Now the rumor is that Rob Lowe is the current frontrunner to fill Sheen's shoes.

George Michael doesn't have any kids, and he's thrilled about it. On an English radio station, the former Wham! singer was asked about Elton John becoming a father, and he said that he's "very happy" for him, but that it's not something that he sees for himself in his future. He added, "I don't think having Elton as your dad would be as embarrassing as having George Michael as your father."

Adele has the number one album in the country with her latest effort 21, and she took to her blog to write about how it all feels. She wrote about her first time ever coming to America, saying that she was 15 and she went to New York City, and the fact that she now is at the top of the charts here is too difficult to "put into specific words." She then thanked her fans for all of their support.

KT Tunstall has just announced a new tour. It's called The Solo Show and is in support of her most recent album, Tiger Suit. It kicks off on April 9th in Boston and wraps up on the 26th in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Dido is going to have a very busy 2011. Not only is the White Flag singer getting ready to put out new music very soon, but she's expecting her first child this summer. She says she still doesn't know the sex of her baby, but that she's not one to wait until the end and be surprised because she's just "too curious."

The FBI has begun using a new computer system that takes just seven minutes to search a database of 70 million sets of fingerprints for a possible match. The old system took 17minutes.

One Kentucky town has taken their anti-smoking campaign to a completely different level. The county's Board of Health has proposed a bill to ban electronic cigarettes. Local news outlets report that there has been no evidence that proves the e-cigarettes are safe.

One family in India has to cook hundreds of pounds of rice and potatoes to feed everyone. The head of the four-story house is an Indian man with 39 wives, 94 children, and 33 grandchildren. And they all live together. The man, who is the head of a Christian sect that allows polygamy, considers himself very lucky to be surrounded by family. Reuters reports that the building they live in has one-hundred rooms and one kitchen. However, there is no word on how many bathrooms, if any, there are to fight over.

A Virgin Airlines flight attendant is out of a job after locking a toddler in the plane's overhead storage compartment. The airline admitted that the incident took place but was a peek-a-boo game that got out of hand. The company offered the distraught mother three free flights but she claimed she was too shaken to redeem them. The Herald Sun reports that the toddler now suffers from anxiety and withdrawal.

Trivia Answer: Bradley E. Delp -- Brad Delp -- who was the lead vocalist for the band Boston. Though well known for his golden voice with soaring vocals and range, Delp was also a multi-instrumentalist, playing guitar, harmonica and keyboards. Additionally he wrote or co-wrote several songs for Boston and many other artists. Boston's debut release produced rock standards such as More Than a Feeling, Foreplay/Long Time and Peace of Mind. Delp co-wrote Smokin' along with Tom Scholz, and wrote the album's closing track, Let Me Take You Home Tonight.  It was on this date in 2007, that Delp was found dead in his home in Atkinson, New Hampshire. He died from the smoke of two charcoal grills he lit inside his sealed bathroom. He was 55. He was found by his fiancée Pamela Sullivan, lying on a pillow on his bathroom floor with a suicide note pinned to his shirt stating that he was a "lonely soul." The official cause of death was listed as carbon monoxide poisoning. Delp was known for his considerate nature; he had left a note on the front door of his house warning that there would be carbon monoxide present.

Felix Hernandez was a bit rusty in his Cactus League debut. Felix gave up a run on five hits and a walk in 2.2 innings yesterday but the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 6-3 in Phoenix. Hernandez struck out three, but he left the game with two outs in the third inning after giving up a hit to Kevin Kouzmanoff and walking Chris Carter. Justin Miller came in to finish the inning, and then it was Michael Pineda's turn. Pineda, the Mariners' top pitching prospect, gave up a hit and two walks in two scoreless innings. He struck out two. The Ms and As open the regular season in Oakland on April 1st. Today, the Ms meet the San Francisco Giants again, this time in Peoria.

Wow! Didn't see this one coming! Charlie Sheen was fired yesterday from his top-rated comedy Two and A Half Men. (You have to wonder what took so long.) CBS said the firing was because of Sheen's "dangerously self-destructive conduct," difficulty at work, and inflammatory comments to producers. Sheen was the highest-paid actor on U.S. television and Two and A Half Men, the most popular comedy for CBS. But the remainder of the current season was canceled 10 days ago after Sheen called producer and co-creator Chuck Lorre a "clown" and a "stupid, stupid little man." The actor followed up with a week of rambling, sometimes manic, TV and radio interviews boasting that he is "winning" and has "tiger blood", while insisting he is drug-free and sober after a period of rehabilitation in January. Sheen, who had a contract through May 2012, shrugged off the firing with a mixture of nonchalance and jibes. In a statement, he said, "It is a big day of gladness at the Sober Valley Lodge because now I can take all of the bazillions, never have to look at whatshiscock again and I never have to put on those silly shirts for as long as this warlock exists in the terrestrial dimension." Sheen's lawyers say they plan to sue Warner Bros. Television which produces the program.

Could Charlie Sheen and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban be thinking about teaming up? According to ESPN, the two have been in talks about possibly developing some programming for HDNet, a TV channel owned by Cuban. About the potential partnership, Cuban said, "You've got somebody that everybody has a whole lot of interest in who's doing some interesting things, to say the least, and we always look for interesting programming by featuring interesting people doing interesting things."

Today is Working Women's Day.

The UN issued a report saying there's not enough women in the world for each man to have a girlfriend or wife.

The Subway sandwich chain has surpassed McDonald's Corp. as the world's largest restaurant chain, in terms of units. At the end of last year, Subway had 33,749 restaurants worldwide, compared to McDonald's 32,737.

Now that Arnold Schwarzenegger has stopped running California as the Governator, the aging actor is looking around Hollywood for his next big film. Schwarzenegger says he's considering around 15 film offers.

Jennifer Aniston has released a "sex tape." The tape is a video she recorded for Smart Water -- she's a spokesperson for them -- that pokes fun at viral videos. At the end of the video Jen agrees the video will get more views if it's called a sex tape.

Harry Potter actress Emma Watson has announced she's temporarily dropping out of college. The 20-year-old says she has to focus on doing press for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, as well as other acting commitments, and will then head back to Brown University to finish her degree.

The New York Post reports Gwyneth Paltrow is in the middle of negotiating a country music record deal with Atlantic Records. Gwyneth has shown off her singing skills in the film Country Strong, on an episode of Glee, and with performances during the Grammys and the Country Music Association Awards. Singing has been a passion of Gwyneth's from a young age and she says she feels she would have pursued a music career if she hadn't of felt pressure to be an actress because of her parent's success in the film industry. Tonight, Gwyneth reprises her role as Holly Holiday on Glee. Glee is on FOX tonight.

Madonna's ex-husband, director Guy Richie, is going to be a father again. The 42-year-old confirmed to People magazine that he and his girlfriend are expecting their first child together. Richie has two children from his marriage to Madonna, ten-year-old Rocco and five-year-old David. Guy is currently filming the sequel to Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Junior and Jude Law.

George Michael is opening up a bit about his stint in jail. The former Wham! singer told BBC Radio that he signed autographs for "every single one" of his fellow inmates on "prison paper," so that they could sell it "years down the line" and get a little money. Michael also noted that while on the inside, he received e-mails from Elton John, Boy George and Paul McCartney.

Since the release of California Gurls in May of last year, the first single off of her most recent album Teenage Dream, Katy Perry has had a song in the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100 chart. California Gurls, along with Teenage Dream, and Firework, have ensured that Katy has kept a top-ten spot for 42 consecutive weeks. According to PerezHilton.com, Perry is now tied with Mariah Carey and Santana for the second longest streak ever. The record is 48 weeks, set by Ace of Base in 1993 and 1994. The Ace of Base songs that kept the group in the top-ten were All The She Wants, Don't Turn Around, and The Sign.

Last Tuesday, after jailers refused to let gangster Vinny 'Gorgeous' Basciano wear a tie to court, the judge on the case lent Basciano his. Reuters reports that Basciano, who is known for his style, looked uncomfortable when he appeared for jury selection without his tie. Judge Nicholas Garaufis saw the defendant's discomfort and lent him his tie, even suggesting that Basciano hold onto it until the end of the trial.

Like a scene from a slap-stick comedy, a California woman slipped on banana peel while shopping at a 99 Cents Only store. Unfortunately, this shopping excursion cost a little more than the establishment's advertised price -- a lot more actually. The injured shopper spent nine-thousand dollars on medical bills alone after suffering a herniated disk and tissue damage. According to Reuters, the woman is suing the 99 Cents Only store for an undisclosed amount, but you can bet it's for more than 99 cents..

Police say both an intruder and a homeowner phoned 911 last night to report the same thing -- a strange man in a Portland home. The intruder told police he had just broken into a home when the owner arrived -- and now the caller was worried the homeowner might have a gun. Accompanied by his two German Shepherds, the homeowner found the intruder and asked what he was doing in the house. That's when the stranger locked himself in a bathroom and called the cops. The homeowner called police and gave them his account. Officers responded with their own K-9 and made an arrest. Police say 24-year-old Timothy James Chapek of Portland was booked into jail for investigation of first-degree criminal trespass.

Trivia Answer: Micky Dolenz of The Monkees who turns 66 today. Talking about being cast in The Monkees, Micky said later that someone at Screen Gems forgot to contact his agent to inform him the series was picked up by NBC. He says he wound up learning about his new job by reading the announcement in Variety. At the time, he wasn't a drummer, and needed lessons just to be able to mime credibly. By the way, The Monkees are celebrating their 45th anniversary by hitting the road for their first live performances in a decade. Original members: Micky Dolenz, Davy Jones, and Peter Tork are at the Pantages Theater in Tacoma on July 8th. Tickets are on sale now. They're $69, $79, $89 and $175. The $175 tickets include a pre-show Meet & Greet for 100 VIP guests and includes appetizers and one free beverage coupon. What about the Missing Monkee Mike Nesmith? One report is the he isn't participating because he doesn't like to tour. And with a net worth of nearly 50 million dollars, he doesn't have to. However, speculation is that Nesmith may join his bandmates at the May 19th show at London's Royal Albert Hall.

Tim Lincecum struck out seven and worked out of a one-out, bases-loaded jam in the third inning to lead the San Francisco Giants to a 6-1 win over the Seattle Mariners yesterday. The two-time NL Cy Young Award-winner was one strike away from a rare four-strikeout inning in the fourth after allowing leadoff hitter Jack Cust to reach base on a wild pitch on the third strike. It was the Giants eighth spring training win. That's the most in the majors. Today, the Ms meet the Oakland As in Phoenix.

Work begins today on a project to install a suicide-prevention fence on the Capitol Boulevard Bridge over I-5. The project is expected to last for two months. Drivers and pedestrians can expect lane and sidewalk closures on the south side of the bridge while crews replace the existing fence and railing with a taller fence. Work is expected to move to the north side of the overpass on April 7th. Transportation officials expect the work to be complete May 7th. Crews are working on the project from 7:00 to 3:00 Monday through Friday.

At the intersection of science fiction and science fact was William Shatner. As James T. Kirk, the fictional captain of the Starship Enterprise, Shatner voiced the opening credits of the original Star Trek TV series and several movies since 1966. The 79-year-old actor reprised his role to wake up the crew of the space shuttle Discovery this morning. Over the Theme from Star Trek, Shatner said "Space, the final frontier. These have been the voyages of the space shuttle Discovery. Her 30 year mission: To seek out new science. To build new outposts. To bring nations together on the final frontier. To boldly go, and do, what no spacecraft has done before." This is the spacecraft's final scheduled mission. It has made 39 flights and 13 journeys to the International Space Station. Shatner, by the way, spent the weekend at the Emerald City Comicon in Seattle over the weekend.

Ken, Barbie's boyfriend for decades, turns 50 on Friday. In February, 2004, Mattel announced a split for Ken and Barbie but they're now back together.

Today is National Cereal Day.

Kate Middleton is wearing flats underneath her wedding gown. A source says her shoes are more like slippers that are covered with multiple layers of silk, and heavily embroidered.

A 6'10" Croatian named Ivo Karlovic broke Andy Roddick's fastest-serve record in the fourth set of a Davis Cup doubles match Saturday. In 2004, Roddick's yellow ball traveled 155 mph; Karlovic's went 155.96 mph.

American Idol season eight runner-up Adam Lambert returns to the Idol stage on Thursday to perform an acoustic version of Aftermath.

Chris Daughtry recently revealed via his Twitter page that he was working on some new music, which led people to ask the former American Idol contestant when they'll get to hear some of it. Chris responded, saying that his band's third album should be "out this year."

Simon Cowell has narrowed down the list of who might be judges on the forthcoming American version of The X-Factor. The former American Idol man told Access Hollywood that Mariah Carey, George Michael and even Paula Abdul are all getting serious consideration. He also noted that Katy Perry and Elton John are officially out of the running.

Mike Myers secretly married his longtime girlfriend, Kelly Tisdale. A rep for the Austin Powers comedian confirmed that Myers tied the knot with his 30-something bride about five months ago in New York City.

Adele had a great first week of album sales for her latest effort, 21, which sold over 350-thousand copies and debuted at the top of the Billboard 200 chart. According to HitsDailyDouble.com, it seems that the singer-songwriter will most likely be at the summit yet again this week as well. We find out for sure on Wednesday.

Paul Simon has announced a spring tour to promote So Beautiful or So What, his first album in five years. The record comes out on April 12th and the trek kicks off three days later in Seattle. During the jaunt, which runs through June 1st, Paul is playing new songs and some classics, as well as tunes that haven't been performed live in many years. Get all the dates at PaulSimon.com.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers is honoring Rod Stewart at the 28th annual Pop Music Awards. At the event, which takes place in L.A. on April 27th, Rod is being given the prestigious ASCAP Founders Award, given to songwriters and composers who have made pioneering contributions to music by inspiring and influencing fellow musicians. Previous recipients of the award include Billy Joel, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, and Jackson Browne.

A guy from Britain plans to row naked across the Atlantic Ocean. He's raising money for Help for Heroes, a charity that helps wounded British soldiers.

A Hollywood businessman is paying $310,000 to clone his two dogs, Wolfie and Bubble. Both have passed away, but their DNA was preserved.

Trivia Answer: Franco Harris who is 61 today. Franco was a key player in one of professional football's most famous plays, dubbed The Immaculate Reception by Pittsburgh sportscaster Myron Cope. In a 1972 playoff game, the Oakland Raiders were leading the Steelers 7-6 with 22 seconds to play when a Terry Bradshaw pass was deflected away from intended receiver John Frenchy Fuqua right as defender Jack Tatum arrived to tackle Fuqua. Harris snatched the ball just before it hit the ground and ran it in to win the game. The Raiders challenged the touchdown, claiming that Fuqua had handled the ball before Harris, which would invalidate the score because at that time it was against the rules for two offensive receivers to touch the ball. The Steelers maintained that the ball had touched Tatum instead. According to a recounting by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the film of the play is inconclusive. Raiders linebacker Phil Villapiano attempted to criticise Harris' achievement by stating that he was only in position to catch the ball because he was lazy, but replays show that Harris headed downfield when the Raiders forced Bradshaw out of the pocket, and can be clearly seen running before catching the deflected ball.

High school basketball playoffs got under way yesterday. It was not a good start for South Sound boys teams in the Quarter Finals. Curtis downed Olympia, 64-49. The Bears bounced back and destroyed Jackson this morning, 70-42. The Bears play for 4th or 6th place tomorrow morning. Yesterday in Yakima, Clover Park got past River Ridge, 52-49 and Squalicum knocked off Tumwater, 47-43. River Ridge fell to Grandview 54-51 this morning in a loser-out game. Tumwater was also on the losing end in a loser-out contest as they fell to West Valley of Spokane 60-52.

The ladies played late yesterday and River Ridge downed Tumwater, 53-45. The River Ridge ladies face Burlington-Edison tonight at 7:15. The Tumwater ladies, meanwhile, got by East Valley of Yakima today, 46-35. The Lady T-Birds play for 4th or 6th place tomorrow morning.

The Chicago White Sox used a four-run eighth inning to blow open a close game and cruise to a 6-1 win over the Mariners yesterday in Glendale. Mariners starter Luke French pitched a scoreless three innings, giving up two hits and striking out two. Brandon League, who took the loss, surrendered two runs on three hits in the fourth inning, including a two-run homer by Alex Rios. The Mariners are now 2-2-and-1 and meet the Cincinnati Reds today in Peoria.

On Saturday Night Live tomorrow night, Miley Cyrus is the host and The Strokes perform

Lady Gaga's latest, Born This Way, is atop of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for the third week in a row. Also, with 1.2-million downloads already, it's the fastest-selling track of 2011 thus far.

Speaking of Ms. Gaga, ten-year-old Internet star Maria Aragon had the opportunity of a lifetime last night. Maria, who shot to fame after posting her cover of Born This Way on the Internet and performing it on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, got to join the Lady Gaga onstage at her show in Toronto. Maria lives in Winnipeg.

Loverboy is apparently still Working for the Weekend. Thirty years after forming, singer Mike Reno and guitarist Paul Dean are still creating new music, in fact, the pair reunited with their original engineer, producer Bob Rock, to create two new songs. Those tracks, Heartbreaker and No Tomorrow, could mean a new album is in the band's future.

A Dubai jeweler has unveiled the world's most expensive purse. Covered in pink, yellow and natural diamonds, the heart shaped clutch is worth around 3.8-million dollars. Reuters reports that the piece was inspired by fairy tales and a love of art. Let's not let Lindsay or Paris know about this.

Charlie Sheen has been all over the news lately, but what's going on with his Two and a Half Men co-star, Jon Cryer? Well, in a video that ran on The Ellen DeGeneres Show this week, we find out. In the clip, Ellen walks through her office saying hi to people and one of those folks is Jon, who is now working as a receptionist for the host. He thanks her for giving him work, saying he needed it, and she tells him he does the work of "two and a half men."

The Songwriters Hall of Fame has announced their 2011 inductees. Being honored this June in New York are Allen Toussaint, who has written and produced for the likes of Paul McCartney, Paul Simon, Joe Cocker and more; Billy Steinberg & Tom Kelly who's songs have been sung by Chrissie Hynde, Madonna, Heart, Roy Orbison, Pat Benatar, and Rod Stewart, among others; Human Nature, Crazy For You, and 1988 Olympics theme song One Moment in Time scribe John Bettis; the number one selling solo artist in U.S. history Garth Brooks; and recent Elton John collaborator Leon Russell. Learn more at SongwritersHallOfFame.com.

In 2000, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority spent close to 400-million dollars to update New York's subway communications network. However, the slated end-date has now become an issue as technology has improved over time. Over a decade later, it can't be surprising to find that most of equipment for the update has become obsolete. The New York Daily News reports that the original, still unfinished project should be completed by the end of this year.

Tonight on Vh1 is the premiere of Friday Night Alright: Adele Unplugged. During the set, the singer-songwriter performs a number of her most popular songs, including her first ever hit, Chasing Pavements, and her two new singles from her album 21, Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You. She also sings a cover of Aretha Franklin's version of Carole King's Natural Woman.

A new study says Canadians are significantly less obese than Americans -- but researchers don't know why. The study says 34% of Americans are obese versus 24% of Canadians.

Star Wars is beaming into theaters in 3-D next year. The films are being released in numerical order with Star Wars: Episode 1: The Phantom Menace arriving in theaters February 10th, 2012. The other five films follow.

This month is going to be a big one for Neil Diamond. Not only is the legendary singer getting inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the 14th , but a compilation album of his songs is coming out. It's called Neil Diamond The Bang Years 1966 - 1968 and includes 23 tracks from Neil's early years as he was just becoming a rock star. The package includes tunes like Cherry, Cherry, Solitary Man, and Red, Red Wine. It hits shelves Tuesday.

An inmate working on a Canada prison farm is suing the country's Attorney General after being injured by an "aggressive and dangerous" cow. The Toronto Sun reports that officials believed Leslie Johnson was faking the injuries. It wasn't until two months later that x-rays showed Johnson had broken his shoulder. The inmate is suing for 500-thousand dollars.

An Ohio man called police last week to report 30 intruders in his home. When asked, the caller told police that the burglars were blending into their surroundings, like chairs and trees. When officers arrived, the man was frantically running around in circles. He was tasered and hand-cuffed before admitting to snorting bath salts.

Vanessa Carlton has gotten a release date for her fourth album. It's called Rabbits on the Run and is out June 21st.

Sunday morning should be a fun one for fans of Hall & Oates. The legendary duo is appearing on A&E's Private Sessions, performing a bunch of their hit songs including Maneater and Sara Smile, and also talking to host Lynn Hoffman about a little bit of everything. Private Sessions airs Sunday morning on A&E.

The Nutmobile, the peanut-shaped traveling ambassador for the Planters brand, is going green. Its newest model runs on biodiesel and has a wind turbine, solar panels, LED interior lighting, recycled parts and wood floors reclaimed from a 19th century Pennsylvania barn.

Trivia Answer: Paula Ragusa -- better know by her stage name Paula Prentiss -- who turns 73 today. For one season (1967-1968), she starred with her husband, Richard Benjamin, in the CBS sitcom He & She. Although not a big ratings success, the stylish series was considered ahead of its time in humor and sophistication. It is viewed as a landmark sitcom and a thematic precursor to the crop of MTM-style sitcoms to emerge a couple of seasons later. Paula and her husband have two adult children, Ross and Prentiss, and live in the Hollywood Hills.

High school basketball playoffs got underway today. Not a good start for South Sound boys teams in the Quarter Finals.  Curtis downed Olympia, 64-49. Clover Park got past River Ridge, 52-49. Squalicum knocked off Tumwater, 47-43. The girls are playing this evening.

Right-hander Michael Pineda threw two perfect innings in his spring training debut, but the Mariners managed just four hits in a 5-3 loss to the Arizona Diamondbacks in Scottsdale yesterday. Pineda is the team's top pitching prospect. He struck out one. He threw 22 pitches and 14 strikes before giving way to Jamey Wright for the third inning. The Mariners are now 2-1-and-1. The Ms meet the Chicago White Sox at Glendale today.

Adele has the number one album in the country. Since last week, people had been projecting that the singer-songwriter's latest effort, 21, would bow at the top spot of the Billboard 200 and they were correct, as she sold over 350-thousand copies in the album's first week of release. 21 is also at the top of the charts in the United Kingdom.

American Idol is back tonight. The top five guys and the top five girls -- as chosen by America's votes over the past two nights -- are being revealed.

At least one former Idol contestant is a fan of the new judges of the show. Season Five competitor Chris Daughtry wrote on his Twitter account that the he's "really diggin' the dynamic" on the program, and that he's "seeing some real honesty and sensible criticism from the judges."

Today is National Anthem Day. The Star Spangled Banner was adopted by Congress as the national anthem in on this date 1931.

Interesting that a Christina Aguilera story would follow a mention of the National Anthem. Hmm. Christina has been named as a musician coach on NBC's new musical competition series, The Voice. Aguilera joins previously announced musician coaches Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine. The Voice is being hosted by Carson Daly and the winner of the show receives a recording contract and 100-thousand dollars. It premieres on NBC next month. Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine's role on the show has forced his band to postpone a big part of their European tour. In a post on their official website, the guys apologize for having to reschedule, saying that it's a "sad thing" but that they'll "make it up" to their fans.

In a little over a day, Charlie Sheen went from zero to over a million Twitter followers.

Meanwhile, Jimmy Fallon has jumped in with this piece featuring the new fragrance 'Winning' by Charlie Sheen.

World War One's last surviving male, Claude Choules, is celebrating his 110th birthday today. The British-born Choules now lives in an Australian nursing home.

Tennis star Serena Williams is recovering in a Los Angeles hospital after undergoing emergency treatment for a blood clot in her lungs. According to People.com, doctors are monitoring "her situation closely to avoid additional complications." Because of this, the Miami Herald reports that Williams will most likely not play in the next big tennis tournament, the Sony Ericsson Open, on March 22nd.

The Beatles could be back in the U.S.S.R. According to Russia's RiaNovosti news agency, a bronze monument memorializing the band is being built in the western Siberian city of Tomsk. The life-size statue is featuring the Fab Four as they're seen on the cover of Abbey Road.

Legendary soap actress Joan Collins was rushed to a hospital during the Vanity Fair Oscar party in L-A on Sunday. Apparently, the Dynasty star got dizzy and felt faint so an ambulance took her away. It turns out the cause of the issue was that her dress was a little too tight. The 77-year-old later told reporters she made "the wrong decision" to wear that dress but she is feeling better now.

Trivia Answer: Danny Kaye who died on this date in 1987. From its founding in the late 1940s until 1969, radio station KISW in Seattle played classical music. In 1969 the station was purchased by Kaye-Smith, a partnership of Danny Kaye and Lester Smith. At that time Kaye-Smith were also the owners of the number one pop music station in Seattle, KJR-AM. They also owned Seattle's Kaye-Smith studios (where records by Heart, Steve Miller, and BTO were recorded). They owned Concerts West (with Pat O'Day, a booking and promotion company that handled Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Bad Company, The Eagles, Paul McCartney, and others). And, as mentioned, they were the original owners of the Seattle Mariners baseball team.

Whodathunk? Designated hitter Milton Bradley went 3-for-3 with two RBIs as the Mariners beat the Texas Rangers 5-4 yesterday in Peoria. The Ms came up with 11 hits total but only Bradley had more than one. Bradley had an RBI double and two singles. He also stole a base and scored a run. Mariners manager Eric Wedge said, "He's really working hard, he just needs to stay patient and let the game come to him. I think he's having a good time. He's enjoying himself, he's enjoying his teammates, I love his work ethic. Just want to see him sustain that." The Mariners meet the Arizona Diamondbacks today in Scottsdale.

High school basketball playoffs get rolling tomorrow. The Olympia guys take on Curtis at 10:30 in the morning. Meanwhile, in Yakima, on the boys side, the Tumwater T-Birds face Squalicum at 12:15 while the Tumwater women meet River Ridge tomorrow afternoon at 5:30 in the SunDome.

American Idol is 90 minutes again tonight. The top 12 girls are performing for America's votes.

Charlie Sheen claims he's done with interviews. Lucky for us he found Twitter yesterday. In the meantime, rumors are flying that John Stamos is being wooed to replace Sheen on Two And a Half Men. On top of all that, word this morning that authorities removed Sheen's 2-year-old twin boys from his home last night after his estranged wife filed a restraining order. Brooke Mueller alleges Sheen was abusive to her and filed for a temporary restraining order and a custody order. Sheen says he plans legal action to regain joint custody. "You're in my heart. Bob, Max, it's your dada," he said to his sons on TV station KTLA. "I have never lied to you, and this is another example of that. I will see you soon. You're in my heart and I love you." Sheen said authorities arrived at his home last night. He said he remained calm and videotaped the entire episode. Mueller's family members say the sons are with Brooke Mueller, her mother, and the children's nanny.

Today is Read Across America Day.

Everyone has something to say about Christina Aguilera's recent arrest, and P!nk is no different. She took to her Twitter account and wrote, "Didn't everyone think I was gonna be the troublemaker? LOOK MA!!! No CUFFS!!!"

With a surprise appearance by CEO Steve Jobs, Apple today debuted its iPad 2, updating the gadget that's become nearly synonymous with tablet computing. Jobs said the new tablet is "dramatically faster" than its predecessor. Apple got a huge head start in the touch screen tablet race with its iPad, but in recent months its rivals have begun catching up. Now Apple is hoping to widen its lead again.

• The new version of the device is thinner and lighter than its predecessor, down to 1.3 pounds from 1.5.
• It has front and rear-facing cameras designed for video chatting.
• Unlike the iPhone 4, it will be available in white

The launch of a next-generation iPad comes as a new wave of competing gadgets threatens Apple's dominance in the tablet market. Motorola Mobility's Xoom went on sale last month and was greeted with rave reviews for its fast, feature-rich hardware and attractive Android software from Google. Samsung unveiled its Galaxy Tab late last year, and BlackBerry is expected to launch a tablet, the Playbook, this spring. One consulting firm counts a whopping 102 tablets that are either on sale or in progress from 64 different manufacturers.

Elton John is both the host and the musical guest on the April 2nd episode of Saturday Night Live. Elton is performing alongside Leon Russell, with whom he collaborated on his recent album, The Union. The last time Elton hosted SNL was in 1982.

Little House on the Prairie star Melissa Gilbert is getting a divorce. The 46-year-old actress and her husband of 16 years Bruce Boxleitner have separated. The pair has a 16-year-old son together named Michael.

"Baby Gaga," the breast milk ice cream created by a UK ice cream parlor, has been pulled from the menu. After several complaints, concerns escalated regarding whether or not it is safe to consume the ice cream. The London Associated Press reported that until results of tests prove otherwise, the ice cream won't be sold. Viruses, such as hepatitis, can be transferred through breast milk.

Katy Perry made a surprise appearance at Oprah Winfrey's Ultimate After Oscars Party earlier in the week, flying across the Atlantic from Austria to Los Angeles to perform her song Firework with the kids' chorus of Staten Island school P.S. 22. According to British paper the Daily Mail, she then had to hop right back on a plane to continue her European tour.

Colbie Caillat has finally revealed the title and cover to her new forthcoming third album. All of You is due out on May 3rd features 14 tracks.

Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, Maroon 5 and more have donated songs to help the environment. Rolling Stone reports that the artists have teamed up with Patagonia to sell the music for 99 cents a track at Patagonia.com/Music. Each band got to choose what charity they wanted their song to aid. Pearl Jam's version of Oceans benefits Conservation International Marine Programs while Jack Johnson's track aids the Kokua Hawai'I Foundation.

Stay positive, friend. A new study shows that optimists live longer after major surgery.

Want happier kids? Eat dinner with them. Research indicates that children who grow up in a traditional two-parent family and regularly eat an evening meal with their parents are more likely to be happy with their lives.

Heather Mills is in the news again. According to TMZ, her former publicity firm is suing her, accusing her of lying and not paying them 168-thousand dollars in fees that she owes. In the suit, the firm claims Mills made up stories that her ex, Paul McCartney, abused her; stated she would only do Celebrity Apprentice if Donald Trump guaranteed she'd win; and only gave a portion of her Dancing with the Stars earnings to charity when she claimed she donated it all.

Madonna and Demi Moore hosted an Oscars after-party for the second year in a row, and apparently, it was the place to be, especially if you wanted to see an unusual celebrity sighting. A source says Madonna and Sean Penn, who were married back in the late '80s, were seen dancing together at the shindig.

After being engaged for ten years, one British woman has had enough. When she finally approached her fiancé about setting a date to exchange vows, he was less than enthusiastic about the idea, saying he would need one-million people to convince him. So Kelly Coxhead set up a Facebook page explaining her predicament. She is shooting for having the wedding on November 11th of this year but that might not happen seeing as she currently only has around 12-thousand supporters. Reports are that not even her dad has joined the page.

A driver told Quincy, Illinois, police he passed out at the wheel of his truck before he hit a traffic sign, a bush, and finally a house. The guy had just had his tongue pierced. You'd think someone would drive a guy home after that.

If your dog is longing for a soothing massage or a brisk run on the treadmill, a luxury hotel on the outskirts of Paris, France can meet those needs. Actuel Dogs only caters to man's best friend. According to Reuters, the main difference between this doggie day care and others is that the animals are never put in cages. The dogs can play with one another or watch television while lounging on one of the numerous cushions available for their relaxation.

Trivia Answer: Theodor Seuss Geisel who wrote under the pen name, Dr. Seuss. He was born on this date in 1904. He passed away in 1991. The story he wrote using the list of 236 words was The Cat in the Hat. Other notable titles from Dr. Seuss include One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, and Green Eggs and Ham. Green Eggs and Ham was written in response to another challenge from Geisel's publisher. The challenge? Write a story using a list of only 50 words.

The ners tied the San Diego Padres 6-6 yesterday in Peoria. It's Sprint Training. They do ties in the preseason. The Ms are now 1-0-and-1 so far. The Mariners meet the Texas Rangers today.

High school basketball playoffs are upon us. The Elite Eight rounds of the state tournaments get underway Thursday at three different venues -- 4A and 3A at the Tacoma Dome, 2A and 1A at the Yakima Sundome, and 2B and 1B at Spokane Arena. The 4A boys and girls tournaments are happening with eight games on Thursday and Friday and six games on Saturday. It's a different format this year, with only eight teams at the dome rather than 16, and fewer trophies are being handed out, as only the top six get a trophy -- rather than the top eight as in the past. Thursday's T-Dome schedule has the boys playing the first four games and the girls playing the next four. Among Thursday's boys games, Olympia takes on Curtis at 10:30 in the morning. Meanwhile, in Yakima, on the boys side, the Tumwater T-Birds face Squalicum at 12:15. The Tumwater women meet River Ridge Thursday afternoon at 5:30 in the SunDome.

Gentlemen Prefer Blondes movie star Jane Russell, who became a controversial Hollywood sex symbol, died yesterday. Russell, best known as the buxom star of 1940s and 1950s movie, died of respiratory failure at her home in Santa Maria, California. Russell was at her best in comedies that, subtly or not, spoofed her sexpot image and focused on her figure. Multimillionaire producer-industrialist Howard Hughes discovered Russell and put her in her first movie, The Outlaw, which stuck her with the sexpot image based on her bosom, the bra for which reportedly was size 38-D. In publicity photos, the sultry Russell languished on a bed of straw, looking petulant as her tight-fitting peasant blouse slipped off one shoulder. Censors held up The Outlaw for almost three years before a limited release in 1943. In 1978, Russll made headlines by being jailed for four days for drunken driving and began her successful battle against alcoholism. At the age of 60, her figure once again gained the attention of millions -- this time on television screens advertising a brand of bras for "full-figured" women. Jane Russell was 89.

It's National Peanut Butter Lover's Day.

Despite almost unanimously horrible reviews, the 83rd Academy Awards didn't dive in the ratings, but they did dip about 7% from last year.

American Idol's back tonight. It's three nights of Idol this week. Tonight the top 12 guys take the stage for America's votes.

Some big news has come out about the American Idol season finale. According to RumorFix.com, Lady Gaga has a "special performance" during the show. The finale is still months away and the website reports that it's the first time Idol has booked someone so far in advance.

Former American Idol contestant Chris Daughtry has been working on new music. He wrote on Twitter that he's been working at his home studio on a new song tentatively titled Breaking My Fall. No official word from Chris on when we'll get to hear any new music from him or his band.

Simon Cowell is talking about his upcoming show, The X-Factor. Unlike American Idol, Cowell says his show is literally for everyone. Auditions for the singing competition begin on Sunday, March 27th, at the L.A.Sports Arena. The search then resumes in Miami on Thursday, April 7th, followed by a visit to Newark, New Jersey on Thursday, April 14th, and then in Seattle, on Wednesday, April 20th. A week later, on the 27th, Chicago hopefuls get to try out.

According to the L.A. Times, Christina Aguilera and her boyfriend, Matthew Rutler, were arrested in West Hollywood early this morning. About 2:45, the singer was reportedly booked on a misdemeanor charge for public intoxication, while her beau was handcuffed for driving under the influence. Sources tell TMZ that Christina was a passenger in the car and seemed "extremely intoxicated" and "unable to take care of herself" at the time of the arrest. The news comes just weeks after her favorable comeback performance during the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards. Christina was released on 250 dollars bail while Rutler's bail was set at 30-thousand dollars.

Is a record deal for Gwyneth Paltrow in the works? She's already shown off her vocal abilities in Glee, in the movie Country Strong, and with performances on the Country Music Awards, the Grammys and the Oscars. On the Oscars red carpet Sunday night, Access Hollywood asked Gwyneth if there was an album in her future and she said, "We're talking about it now. So, we'll see." At the awards show, Gwyneth performed the song Coming Home from the soundtrack to Country Strong, a movie in which she portrays a country singer.

Kate Middleton surprised her local shopkeepers with invitations to her royal wedding to Prince William. Kate's hometown postman, local tavern owner and grocers all got coveted invites to her big day on April 29th.

There is a biopic about Zsa Zsa Gabor in pre-production and the ailing actress has an Oscar-winner in mind to play her in her life story. Zsa Zsa's husband, Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, told E! that she's asked him to talk to Nicole Kidman for her about taking the role. Zsa Zsa reportedly wants Nicole in the movie because she was impressed with her work in the movie Moulin Rouge, which Zsa Zsa can relate to since she starred in the original version of the film. No word yet on whether or not Kidman will accept the role.

Adele is on track to have the number one album here in the States with her latest effort, 21. Even if that turns out to be true, it will still be hard to match what's happening to her in the United Kingdom. According to NME.com, Adele is holding down the top two spots on the U.K. album chart, as 21 is at the summit, and her previous album, 2008's 19, is at number two. Her song Someone Like You is the top single in the U.K. as well. Rolling in the Deep is No. 4.

Former Journey singer Steve Perry has been busy. Perry tells Classic Rock magazine he has written 50 songs for his upcoming solo album. No word on how many will make the cut but the record will be his first since 1994's For the Love of a Strange Medicine.

Nelly Furtado says she will give away $1 million she received to perform in Italy for the family of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. Furtado used the website Twitter to disclose her plans for the $1 million. She tweets, "In 2007, I received 1 million$ from the Qaddafi clan to perform a 45 min. Show for guests at a hotel in Italy. I am going to donate the $" A spokeswoman for Furtado could not be reached to say which group Furtado plans to designate for her donation.

In a study, Athens, Greece, was named the "most flirtatious city" of the modern world.

Here's your Random Fact of the Day. Most American-made car horns beep in the key of F.

Trivia Answer: Ronald William Howard -- Ron Howard -- who turns 57 today. He started out as Opie Taylor on The Andy Griffith Show. He was there for eight years. Later he was the teenaged Richie Cunningham on Happy Days for six years. He left Happy Days in 1980 to focus on directing, and has since gone on to direct several films, including the Oscar winning Cocoon, Apollo 13 (nominated for nine Academy Awards and winning two), A Beautiful Mind (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Director), Splash, Parenthood, Backdraft, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Cinderella Man, The Da Vinci Code, and Angels & Demons. In 2003, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. Ron' younger brother, Clint, has minor roles in most of his movies. Howard has signed on to direct the upcoming first film adaptation of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series, as well as the first season of the TV series.