Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels is the youngest player in the majors -- he’s 20 years and 23 days old. The youngster homered twice and drove in five runs at Safeco last night to lead the Angels to a 13-6 rout of the Seattle Mariners. Ms and Angels again tonight at 7:10.

The Tucson Padres shut out the Tacoma Rainiers at Cheney Stadium last night, 2-0. The Rainiers and Padres meet again tonight at 7:05.

They beat 'em Sunday but couldn’t do it again last night. Lauren Jackson finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Sue Bird nailed four 3-pointers en route to a team-high 15 points in the Storm's 68-62 loss to the Sparks in L.A. Seattle gets another chance to clinch a playoff spot Friday night in Tulsa.

The Seattle Sounders got past FC Dallas 1-0 in a US Open Cup Semi-final at Tukwila last night. Seattle now advances to their third straight Open Cup final. The Sounders face the Chicago Fire for the Open Cup Championship October 4th at the Clink. The Sounders return to MLS play on Saturday the 10th when they host Real Salt Lake.

John Carlson was already being challenged to earn his spot back in the Seahawk's plans when Seattle signed Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller. Now Carlson won't even get the chance. Coach Pete Carroll announced yesterday that Carlson would need shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum and will miss the entire 2011 season. Friday, the Seahawks wrap up the preseason when they host the Oakland Raiders.

Saturday, the Huskies host Eastern Washington while the Cougars host Idaho State.

Today is Invent A New Sandwich Day. It's also National Trail Mix Day. Today is also Love Litigating Lawyers Day, a time to appreciate the folks we want on our side when push comes to shove.

With the 9/11 anniversary falling on a Sunday, more than 90 cartoonists with five different syndicates have banded together to dedicate their strips on September 11th to those whose lives were lost in the attacks.

Desperate Housewives ends in May. ABC has announced that the upcoming eighth season of the show will be the last. Desperate Housewives premiered back in October of 2004.

Angelina Jolie has cleared up a bunch of rumors concerning her personal life. The actress sat down with Vanity Fair recently and said that she is not pregnant, not planning a secret wedding and is not adopting at the moment.

A South Carolina woman was approached by two men in a McDonald's parking lot where they offered to sell her an iPad. She had $180 on her and the men agreed to that price. When she got home, she found out it was really just a block of wood with an Apple logo painted on the back.

Our tweet du jour today again comes from Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine who writes: Why do all of these vicious hurricanes have such sweet, harmless names? Irene? How could Irene ever hurt anyone?

How do you like to spend your Sundays? Shopping? BBQ-ing with family? Golfing? Apparently, one clown prefers the latter. And by clown, of course, we’re referring to a gentleman in a clown suit – it’s not clear whether or not he actually graduated from Clown College. James R. Straub was arrested for driving while intoxicated Sunday. This in itself wouldn’t be news, but the fact that he was driving a stolen golf cart and dressed in a clown suit does raise an eyebrow or two.

Here's one from the file marked "Really?" Beyonce announcing her pregnancy during the MTV Video Music Awards was a Twitter record breaker. According to AdAge.com, there were over 8,868 tweets per second regarding Beyonce's bun in the oven. That breaks Twitter's previous record of 7,196 tweets per second for the US women's soccer team competing against Japan a few months ago. I repeat, "Really?"

We all know the advice given to those who are anxious about speaking in public: picture everyone in the audience in their underwear. The Bozeman Daily Chronicle may be giving people other ideas with a headline that reads "Climber who cut off arm to escape speaking at MSU." However, this may be misleading, since the story is actually about a climber who cut off his own arm to escape a remote Utah canyon, and how he’s going to be speaking at Montana State University. That being said, those anticipating an upcoming public speaking event, you have other options.

And with that, we bid August a fond adieu...

Trivia Answer: Richard Tiffany Gere -- yes, his middle name is Tiffany -- who turns 62 today. His America Gigolo role established him as a leading man and a sex symbol. Gere remains one of the few actors, if not the only actor, to be nominated multiple times for the Golden Globe Award without ever being nominated for an Academy Award. Gere was married to supermodel Cindy Crawford from 1991 to 1995. In 2002, he married model and actress Carey Lowell. They have a son who was born in 2000. Because he strongly supports the Tibetan Independence Movement, he is permanently banned from entering the People's Republic of China. Gere was banned as an Academy Award presenter in 1993 after he denounced the Chinese government in his capacity as presenter. In September 2007, Gere called for the boycott of the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games to put pressure on China to make Tibet independent.

Mike Carp hit a two-run homer in the eighth inning, lifting the Seattle Mariners to a 5-3 victory over the Los Angeles Angels last night. The drive gave Carp 22 RBIs in August. Danny Tartabull holds the club record with 25 RBIs in a month, in July 1986. Ms and Angels again tonight at 7:10.

By the way, it was on this date in 1990, Ken Griffey, Sr. and Ken Griffey, Jr. became the first father and son to play on the same major-league baseball team. They both singled in the first inning for the Mariners.

Former Mariner left-hander Jamie Moyer had Tommy John surgery in December, but he's not letting a little injury keep him from returning to the mound in 2012. He also doesn't seem concerned about his age – he'll be 49 at the start of next season. Moyer is continuing his recovery at the Philadelphia Phillies' facility in Clearwater, Florida. He's not under contract with the team. If Moyer pitches in 2012, he would tie Hoyt Wilhelm in 1972 and Jack Quinn in 1933 as the second-oldest pitchers in a major league game. Moyer would have to pitch another 10 years to set the all-time mark, set by Satchel Paige in 1965. Moyer and his family still live in Seattle.

Justin Smoak is in Tacoma on a rehab assignment. His nose may have been the marquee body part going into the Rainiers game against Tucson last night, but it was Greg Halman's arm that stimulated most of the post-game talk. Halman had already made two nice defensive plays in right field before he rocked a two-out single in the bottom of the ninth to set up Michael Saunders' dramatic two-run game-winning homer to give the Rainiers a 4-2 victory at Cheney Stadium. The win, however, was not enough to keep the Rainiers' post-season hopes off life-support as a Reno win over Fresno meant that Tacoma is all but eliminated in the race to defend its 2010 Pacific Coast League title. The Rainiers are now seven games behind the Aces with seven games left to play for each team. Tacoma and Tucson again tonight.

They beat 'em at the Key Sunday night, now they try to do it at their place. The Seattle Storm in in Los Angeles to face the Sparks tonight at 7:30.

The Seattle Sounders face FC Dallas at Tukwila in a US Open Cup match tonight at 7.

The Seattle Seahawks conclude their preseason as they host the Oakland Raiders Friday night.

Today is Talk Intelligently Day. For those who normally talk intelligently, it's Talk Brilliantly Day. Today is National Holistic Pet Day, A green dog is a happy dog. Today is National Toasted Marshmallow Day. Today is Courtesy Appreciation Day, a time to thank those who are courteous.

Can National Guard trucks drive under water? Apparently, the answer is ... yes ... for a little while.  

Recently, Toledo police had noticed that small flags were disappearing from the Toledo Police Memorial Garden, but they had no clue as who was taking the items. However, according to the Toledo Blade, last Wednesday, a pair of lieutenants stumbled upon the culprit. An unidentified squirrel took another flag before making a run for it. One of the cops said, "He was too fast, I couldn't catch him." Later that day, the suspect was seen lounging in a tree near a nest that was made of the stolen property. According to police, they have no evidence connecting this squirrel to the other thefts, and therefore have filed no charges.

Washington prison officials have asked social media giant Facebook to disable inmate accounts. Department spokesman Chad Lewis says inmates are not allowed to have Internet access. He says Facebook accounts are sometimes set up by relatives or by inmates with contraband cell phones.

A community festival in Hoquiam is attracting attention with a T-shirt mocking Osama bin Laden. Logging remains an important part of Grays Harbor County, and the loggers' Playday festival celebrates that heritage every September. And every year, a special shirt is made. Known for being edgy, previous designs have mocked environmentalists and hippies. Don Bell is the festival T-Shirt creator. About this year's shirt, he said, "The shirt in no way, shape or form was intended to be racist, or bigotry and anything along those lines." But this year, a brouhaha erupted when Osama bin Laden made the cut on the front of the 2011 T-shirt, strapped to a log, with the caption -- "Osama bin Loggin." Organizers say they got the idea because their Sept. 10 event is so close to the tenth anniversary of 9/11 and because bin Laden was killed by US military forces in May. T-shirt designer Christian Burgess, who helped design the logo, says "Bin laden was buried in a wood product, and that's what sparked the idea for the shirt, and that's what we have him doing."

A Michigan man surely is asking himself why he ever dated this woman. He awoke one recent morning to find that his car was covered in peanut butter, dog food and maple syrup. The man's ex-girlfriend is suspected to be responsible.

The Dave Matthews Band Caravan hits the Gorge at George this weekend. Of course, they do. It's Labor Day Weekend.

The 2011 Video Music Awards scored MTV's biggest audience in the network's history with a record-breaking 12.4-million total viewers.

If you're a Beatles fan with a ton of money to blow, listen up. An Aston Martin DB5 that Paul McCartney bought in 1964 is going up for bids in a few weeks. According to London's Daily Mail, Paul had ordered the car directly from the factory, asking that it be made with a Philips record player in it. He sold the car in 1970 and it's now expected to go for around 650-thousand dollars.

Everyone claims to be old – kids who are just starting kindergarten, college graduates, parents – but there's only one person in the world who can take the title. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that last week, Besse Copper celebrated her 115th birthday, making her the oldest person in the world, according to Guinness World Records. However, her son Sidney notes that she may not be aware of the distinction, and if she is, she may not retain that information. Granted, if someone called you old, you'd probably ignore them as well. The 76-year-old also admits that his mom sleeps about 80-percent of the time. After 115 years, though, who can blame her?

A full-sized refrigerator is a pretty sizable appliance, usually requiring at least a van or pickup truck to haul to its destination. This is something the police in Richmond, BC, had to remind a shopper who thought a few ropes and a prayer would get his fridge home ... in the trunk of a Honda Accord.

An English man has named his son after Will.i.am. According to the British paper the Daily Mirror, Ian Clark let his four-year-old daughter Maddie pick out the name Tommy Will.i.am for her little brother. Apparently, Maddie has already made her mark on the family before, naming her little sister Maggie Maisie Lady Gaga. So why does Ian keep letting his daughter name her siblings? His wife Melanie said that she's "tried to convince him not to," but that it's not that easy.

Would The Script ever put out their their own line of condoms? Probably not, but drummer Glen Power says if they ever did, he'd make sure there were three sizes.  He says they'd be "small, medium and liar."

Trivia Answer: Cameron Michelle Diaz who turns 39 today. Cameron received Golden Globe award nominations for her performances in the movies There's Something About Mary, Being John Malkovich, Vanilla Sky, and Gangs of New York. Diaz has been involved with the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), the first and largest nonprofit organization for veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has spoken as an advocate for military families. During 1995, she began a relationship with actor Matt Dillon, with whom she co-starred in There's Something About Mary; the relationship ended during 1998. Diaz dated singer Justin Timberlake from 2003 to 2006. Cameron received "substantial" defamation damages from suing American Media Incorporated, after The National Enquirer had claimed she was cheating on Justin Timberlake. Starting in July of 2010, Diaz was in a romantic relationship with New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez. Remember the pictures of her feeding him popcorn at the Super Bowl? Word is that relationship ended about two months ago. 

Irene lashed some of the biggest cities in the Northeast with wind gusts and torrential rains over the weekend. Officials said the storm knocked out power to more than 4 million people and was responsible for at least 21 deaths in six states. Stripped of hurricane rank, Tropical Storm Irene spent the last of its fury yesterday, leaving relief that it was nothing like the nightmare authorities feared. It was bad, just not as bad as it could have been. Slowly, the East Coast is surveying the damage, up to $7 billion by one private estimate. For many the danger has not passed: Rivers and creeks turned into raging torrents tumbling with limbs and parts of buildings in northern New England and upstate New York. Said President Barack Obama from the Rose Garden, "This is not over." The highest rainfall and wind totals according to Accuweather: Rainfall - Bunyan, N.C. 14.00 inches, Wind Gusts - Cedar Island, N.C. 115 mph.

The hard-working maids of The Help hung on to the top of a storm-battered box office over the weekend and beat a trio of new releases. Hurricane Irene forced the closure of theaters in big markets such as New York and kept moviegoers home along a broad stretch of the East Coast. Domestic ticket sales came in 23 percent lower than the same weekend a year earlier, according to figures from Hollywood.com. The Help took the top spot in the North American market for the second straight weekend. Action movie Columbiana debuted in second place. Horror movie Don't Be Afraid of the Dark, finished third. Rise of the Planet of the Apes finished fourth. A new comedy, Our Idiot Brother, rounded out the top five.

The Chicago White Sox beat the Seattle Mariners 9-3 yesterday to complete the 3-game weekend sweep. The Mariners now host the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for four starting tonight

The Tacoma Rainiers managed to contain Colorado Springs' late-inning rally and beat the Sky Sox 6-5 in Colorado Springs. The Rainiers watched a 6-2 advantage drop to just one run after the Sky Sox scored three runs in the eighth and ninth innings. Tacoma, however, retired three of Colorado's next four batters to clinch a series win in the club's final road game of the season. The Rainiers wrap up the season at home hosting Tucson for four, and then Fresno for four.

The boys from Huntington Beach, California are headed home from Williamsport, PA with a Little League World Series championship. The Californians scored a 2-1 victory yesterday over Hamamatsu City, Japan, and won tournament title. A US team has now won six out of the last seven World Series, with Japan's win last year the exception.

Kyle Orton led Denver back from a shaky start with two touchdown drives and the Broncos' defense throttled Tarvaris Jackson in a 23-20 win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night. The Broncos sacked Jackson five times. The highlight of the night for Seattle was Doug Baldwin's 105-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. All 16 of the previous kickoffs in Denver this preseason were touchbacks. The Seahawks wrap up the preseason Friday night when they host the Oakland Raiders.

Sue Bird hit two free throws with 1.6 seconds left in the game to snap a tie, and the Seattle Storm hung on to beat the Los Angeles Sparks, 65-63, last night. Bird finished with 12 points. Lauren Jackson and Tanisha Wright led Seattle with 14 each. It was Seattle's fourth straight victory. The Storm has beaten the Sparks in nine of their last 10 meetings. They meet again, this time in Los Angeles, tomorrow night.

Lamar Neagle scored his first hat trick as the Seattle Sounders beat the Columbus Crew 6-2 in Major League Soccer play on Saturday. Neagle scored twice during a four-goal first-half for the Sounders and completed the hat trick in the 70th minute. Tomorrow night at 7, the Sounders take on FC Dallas at Tukwila in US Open Cup play. They return to MLS action on Saturday, the 10th, when they host Real Salt Lake.

On this date in 2005, the average US pump price for a gallon of regular gasoline rose to a record $2.60.

Today is More Herbs Less Salt Day, because it's healthier and zestier. In the movie The Terminator, today is Judgment Day. Today is Mary Poppins Day. Marking the day in 1964 that the movie premiered. Today is National Cornbread and Milk Day.

A woman won the 16th Air Guitar World Championships. This once again proves that a woman can do anything that a man can do ... no matter how pathetic.

A photo of a shark swimming down a Puerto Rico street flooded by Hurricane Irene has been making the rounds online. It was posted and picked up by web sites and broadcast on a TV station in Miami. Turns out the image is a fake.

Jeff Ashton, the assistant state attorney in the trial that failed to convict a woman who was already convicted by cable television viewers, is writing a book to be published in November titled Imperfect Justice: Prosecuting Casey Anthony.

Def Leppard may be an English band with talent, but next week, they appear on America's Got Talent. The guys are performing Rock of Ages and Pour Some Sugar on Me on the competition show on September 7th on NBC.

Keith Richards is used to having his records with The Rolling Stones go platinum, but he's just gone platinum in a very impressive way – he's now sold more than one-million copies of his autobiography, Life. That makes the book, which came out last year, one of the best-selling rock memoirs of all time.

With extravagant weddings all over TV – from the Royal Wedding to Kim Kardashian's nuptials – there's a lot of pressure on couples to keep up. One couple in Pennsylvania thought they'd found the perfect way to circumvent some of the usual wedding expenses, while still treating their guests. 32-year-old Arthur Phillips III and his bride, 22-year-old Brittany Lurch, were caught shoplifting more than one-thousand dollars worth of food from a supermarket. The couple, who were married just a few days before, claim the food was for their wedding reception. Guess they should have just forked over the dough for the food since now they're being held on 25-hundred dollars bail.

According to TMZ, Denise Richards is moving into a home that's very close to her ex-husband, Charlie Sheen. And get this, it's at his request. Sheen bought a house in California that is six homes down from his own mansion and he's convinced Denise to move in.

Melissa Gilbert has filed for divorce from her husband, actor Bruce Boxleitner. The Little House on the Prairie star was married to her husband for 16 years and announced they were separating in March. Also last week, Melissa's half-sister Sara Gilbert ended her ten-year relationship.

If you deem someone the Naked Rambler, how can you be surprised when he shows up for court undressed? Stephen Gough is back behind bars in Perth, Australia for 21 months after arriving for court naked. Oh, but it gets better. He was scheduled to appear in court after being arrested for stripping less than a minute after being released from his last stint in the joint. He ended up in there after quitting his job and taking a nude walk down street. The 52-year-old says that by arresting him, police are violating his human rights and his freedom of expression. In response, cops in Perth have decided to get their kicks by standing outside the prison waiting for Gough to be released from his latest sentence, so they can pick him up again.

Our tweet du jour comes from Adam Levine of Maroon 5 who writes: The VMAs. One day a year when MTV pretends to still care about music. I'm drawing a line in the sand. F--- you, VMAs.

Well, the VMAs were handed out last night and the winners are ...

VIDEO OF THE YEAR Katy Perry -- Firework

BEST FEMALE VIDEO Lady Gaga -- Born This Way

BEST MALE VIDEO Justin Bieber -- U Smile

BEST COLLABORATION Katy Perry featuring Kanye West -- E.T.

BEST NEW ARTIST Tyler, The Creator -- Yonkers

BEST HIP HOP VIDEO Nicki Minaj -- Super Bass

BEST POP VIDEO Britney Spears -- Till The World Ends

BEST ROCK VIDEO Foo Fighters -- Walk

BEST VIDEO WITH A MESSAGE Lady Gaga -- Born This Way

BEST ART DIRECTION Adele -- Rolling In The Deep

BEST CHOREOGRAPHY Beyonce -- Run The World (Girls)

BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Adele -- Rolling In The Deep

BEST EDITING Adele -- Rolling In The Deep

BEST SFX (SPECIAL EFFECTS) -- Katy Perry featuring Kanye West -- E.T.

Trivia Answer: Bill Daily who turns 84 tomorrow. "Hi, Bob. Hi, Emily." That's the guy. He was born in Des Moines, Iowa. His most notable post-Newhart role was that of Larry the Psychiatrist on the show ALF in 1986. He currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Though retired, he still does some comedy and the occasional TV guest appearances.

Hurricane Irene continues its churn toward the East Coast, and all indications are this storm will be, as President Obama said, "historic." Some events that weather experts say could develop over the next 48 hours:

• Irene is bringing gusty winds, heavy rain and dangerous surf to the South Carolina coast today.
• North Carolina to be pounded by Irene's forces tonight and tomorrow.
• Irene will head north Sunday, hitting a large swath from Virginia to Maine.
• Major metro areas of Philadelphia, New York, and Boston should brace for possible widespread damage, including major flooding, Sunday.
• The strongest of Irene's power will be to the east of its center.
• Widespread power outages are expected over a large section of the Northeast.
• New York's metro transit system is being shut down at noon tomorrow.
• East Coast travel severely disrupted starting tonight. Hundreds of flights and Amtrak train lines have been canceled.

Another sign the we all have our own worlds, film distribution executives in Hollywood and New York are closely tracking Irene and are concerned that the storm will likely have an affect on this weekend's box office cash registers.

Well, they don't call 'em the Bronx Bombers for nothin'. The New York Yankees yesterday became the first team in major league history to hit three grand slams in a game, with Robinson Cano, Russell Martin and Curtis Granderson connecting. It was a romp for the Yanks over the Oakland Athletics. You ready? The final score was 22-to-9.

The Mariners open a seven-game home-stand tonight. First up, the Chicago White Sox for three, then the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for four starting Monday. Tomorrow night, by the way, is Larry Bernandez bobblehead night at Safeco.

The Tacoma Rainiers fell behind Colorado Springs 9-0 after five innings and nearly staged a comeback. However, the Sky Sox hold on for an 11-7 win. That series continues through Sunday.

The Seattle Storm rolled by the Tulsa Shock 74-57 last night. Seattle hosts Los Angeles Sunday night at 6.

Tomorrow afternoon at 1, the Seattle Sounders are hosting the Columbus Crew in MLS action at the Clink.

If it were a regular season game, Pete Carroll said, running back Marshawn Lynch would probably make a strong case for himself to start. But the Seahawks coach said Lynch's sore ankle is enough to keep him out of tomorrow's preseason game. Lynch didn't practice Wednesday or yesterday. Tomorrow night at 6, the Seattle Seahawks meet the Denver Broncos in preseason action at Mile High Stadium in Colorado

Lady Gaga has taken the VMAs by storm the past two years with her bloody Paparazzi performance in 2009 and her infamous meat dress last year, all while winning 11 Moon Men. On Sunday, Gaga opens the show with what is sure to be a memorable performance. She says it will be a continuation of everything she has been doing. Sunday night, the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards.

Red Hot Chili Peppers' new album, I'm With You, comes out on Monday and it's no ordinary release. The effort is the first rock record specifically mastered to optimize digital sound quality for iTunes. Producer Rick Rubin mastered the album for the digital retailer to provide fans with the best listening experience. Rubin said, "We can't wait for everyone to hear it."

Betty Ann Murphy, the mother of Caleb, Nathan and Jared Followill of the Kings of Leon, says her sons are not breaking up. She added that the group will return "better than ever" and stated that their recent tour cancellation does not mean an end for the band. As for speculation that singer Caleb Followill belongs in rehab, she allegedly said, "Sometimes they all drink more than they should- they're young men and go on a binge. None of them need rehab."

The Hollywood Walk of Fame has banned reality show celebrities from ever getting a star. A spokesperson for the Walk told The Hollywood Reporter that giving reality stars that honor is, "just not on their radar right now." So it looks like Snooki and Kim Kardashian may have to wait a long time before they get a star.

Violence in films and music is a very touchy subject. Should children be exposed to it? Are parents responsible for what their kids are exposed to? As the debate rages, one small town educational institution has decided to take matters into its own hands. According to the Chicago Tribune, Goshen College in Northern Indiana has decided to stop playing one song that promotes violence at their sporting events. The school has ceased playing The Star Spangled Banner and has replaced it with America the Beautiful, which they've deemed "more fitting with the Mennonite Church-affiliated school's pacifist traditions while also honoring the country." It's worth noting that for the past year, the school's only been playing the instrumental version of the National Anthem, but that apparently is too violent, as well.

Trivia Answer: Macaulay Culkin who turns 31 today. Culkin began acting at the age of four. In 1989 -- at the age of 9 -- he starred in Uncle Buck with John Candy. Culkin rose to international fame with his lead role as Kevin McCallister in the blockbuster film Home Alone in 1990, where he was reunited with Uncle Buck writer and director John Hughes and Uncle Buck co-star John Candy. He reprised the role of Kevin in the 1992 sequel Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. Despite the huge success of Uncle Buck, Home Alone, and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, other films Culkin acted in only did reasonably well. Around the time of the first Home Alone movie, Culkin became close friends with Michael Jackson, making an appearance in Jackson's Black or White music video. Culkin and Jackson went on vacations together to such places as Bermuda and Disney World, and Culkin often stayed at Jackson's Neverland Ranch home. Jackson later asked Culkin to be godfather of his children Prince. and Paris. During the trial against Jackson, Culkin reported he had slept in Jackson's bed on countless occasions, but that Jackson never sexually molested him or touched him in improper ways, and referred to the allegations as "absolutely ridiculous." Culkin attended Jackson's funeral.

The Seattle Mariners dispatched the Cleveland Indians yesterday in their series finale. Felix Hernandez struck out 10, Wily Mo Pena drove in four runs, rookie Kyle Seager went 4 for 4 with three doubles, and the Mariners scored a 9-2 rout that left the Indians' playoff hopes flickering. An off day for Seattle today. They're back at Safeco with the Chicago White Sox tomorrow night.

The Tacoma Rainiers' record-setting offense was unusually quiet during an eight-game losing streak -- but that ended last night. Tacoma scored four runs in the top of the first inning and cruised to a 9-3 victory over the Colorado Springs Sky Sox in the opening game of a five-game series. Game two tonight at 5:05.

On this date in 1985, 19-year-old Dwight Gooden became the youngest major league pitcher ever to win 20 games in a season.

The magic number for the Seattle Storm to clinch a playoff berth is down to five. They can move one step closer tonight as they host the Tulsa Shock. Tip-off at the Key at 7.

Saturday, the Seattle Sounders host the Columbus Crew.

Also Saturday, the Seahawks pre-season continues. They're at Denver to face the Broncos.

The fences surrounding the reconstructed Percival Landing boardwalk are coming down. You're invited to walk the boardwalk this afternoon at 5:30. A dedication ceremony starts at 6. Construction on the $14 million first phase of the project started in August of last year.

Apple says Steve Jobs has resigned as CEO. The company said yesterday that Jobs is being replaced by Tim Cook, who was the company's chief operating officer. Jobs has been elected Apple's chairman. The company did not give a reason for Jobs' resignation, but Jobs himself penned a letter announcing his resignation to the company's board of directors and the Apple community. Steve writes: "I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come." The 56-year-old Jobs has had numerous health problems and announced in January that he would take his third leave of absence in seven years. During that time, he has survived a rare but curable form of pancreatic cancer and undergone a liver transplant.

British paper The Sun caught up with the guy who registered the name Amy Winehouse Foundation before the fallen singer's dad, Mitch, could. His name is Martin McCann, and the West Londoner is demanding an apology from Mitch for putting "pressure" on him to sell before he even considers making a deal. He also added that Amy's family needs to "detach" themselves from emotion and begin to "think business." Mitch said recently that he's had to return donations for the foundation as he has nowhere to put the money since the name is taken.

Aerosmith is working on a new album. If you like their old material, however, here's good news for you too. Apple's iTunes has signed a deal with the band to add never-before-released digital versions of their classic music to the service. Recordings from 1973 to 1987 are available at the site starting September 6th. Just a side note: Aerosmith's album sales rose 260 percent in the weeks after Steven Tyler became a judge on American Idol.

Today is Kiss and Make Up Day. It's also Wizard of Oz Day, marking this date in 1939 when the movie was first released. Be Kind to Humankind Week begins today. Shouldn't every week be Be Kind to Humankind Week? Today is National Secondhand Wardrobe Day. And it's Achy Breaky Day, a day to work on your dancing, always on Billy Ray Cyrus' birthday

Paris Hilton's reality show, The World According to Paris, has been canceled. I think we'll all remember where we were when he heard the news.

Redbox is offering an incentive to LIKE them on Facebook: a free movie. The movie rental brand is using its Facebook Page to give out a code, redeemable today, for a free rental. And existing or new fans can also send out free one-night DVD rentals to friends and family members with the "send movie to a friend" button.

Forbes magazine has unveiled its annual list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World. Michelle Obama, last year's No. 1, has dropped to No. 8. At the top is Germany's Chancellor, Angela Merkel. No. 2 is Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Melinda Gates is No. 6. The top ranking non-business, non-politician is Lady Gaga, who comes it at No. 11. Oprah is all the way down at No. 14.

Adele's 21 has hit triple platinum. The best-selling album of the year thus far sold another 80-thousand copies last week, good enough for number two on the Billboard 200 chart, and it has now crossed the three-million mark, and that's just in the US.

After having to go to jail last year because he crashed his car under the influence of marijuana, George Michael has been doing his best to stay clean and sober. Speaking on stage while performing in Prague earlier in the week, the former Wham! singer revealed that he's been going to "counseling for substance abuse" for the past "ten months," and that one of the advantages of being off drugs is that he's lost nearly 15-pounds, and that all of his old clothes fit him again.

We've all done it. You're on the freeway and you're annoyed by the person next to you in traffic so, even though you know you shouldn't, you succumb to road rage and flip them "the bird." Harmless, right? Not for a woman in Tacoma. A 23-year-old woman in a Ford Taurus gave the driver next to her the old one-finger salute, then she lost control of her vehicle. That's when she hit the back end of the car of the person she just flipped off, running it off the road before ending up in a ditch herself. WSP says the aggressive driver is now facing charges of reckless driving.

Some folks like to wrap up the workday or workweek with a delicious martini. So what if someone mixed the incredible taste of a grilled-cheese sandwich and turned it into a martini? Sound like heaven? Maybe not. But it's a reality. Beechers Handmade Cheese is pioneering a grilled cheese martini at its newly-opened New York restaurant. The company, a long-time Seattle icon, recently expanded to open a store, restaurant and bar in the Big Apple. The company has generated buzz on New York foodie blogs about the bright orange martini made with actual grilled cheese sandwiches.

Trivia Answer: Monte Halperin -- better known his stage name Monty Hall -- who turns 90 today. Monty was the host Let's Make a Deal, which he developed and produced with a partner. Let's Make a Deal aired on NBC daytime from December 30th of 1963 to December 27th of 1968, and then on ABC daytime from December 30th of 1968 to July 9th of 1976, along with two primetime runs. It also aired in syndication from 1971 to 1977, from 1980 to 1981, from 1984 to 1986, and again on NBC briefly from 1990 to 1991. Though he retired in the early 1990s, Hall still makes occasional television appearances. He appeared as himself on an episode of That '70s Show in 2001. He played the host of a beauty pageant who schemed to become "the world's most powerful game show host" in the Disney animated series American Dragon: Jake Long. Monty hosted a game of Let's Make a Deal for Good Morning America on August 18th of 2008, as part of Game Show Reunion week. He appeared with his wife on The Newlywed Game hosted by Bob Eubanks on May 18th of 2010.

The Mariners ended up splitting yesterday's double-header with the Cleveland Indians. They dropped the early game, 7-5, but came back with a vengeance in the nightcap winning it 12-7. By the way, the Indians hosted their second annual Puppypalooza last night allowing fans to bring their dogs into the ballpark. More than 600 mutts and purebreds paraded around the field before the game without incident. The roll the Ms began with last night's game continued in the series finale today. Felix Hernandez struck out 10, Wily Mo Pena drove in four runs, Ms rookie Kyle Seager went 4 for 4 with three doubles, and the Mariners scored 9-2 rout that left the Indians' playoff hopes flickering. An off day for Seattle tomorrow. They're back at Safeco with the Chicago White Sox Friday night.

The Reno Aces got by the Tacoma Rainiers again last night. Final score 5-4. The Rainiers are happy to put Reno in their rear view mirror. They're now in Colorado Springs to face the Sky Sox for a five game series. Game one tonight at 5:05.

Tanisha Wright had 16 points and Lauren Jackson scored six of her 13 in the fourth quarter to help the Seattle Storm beat the San Antonio Silver Stars 63-55 last night. Sue Bird and Camille Little each had 12 points and Bird had five assists. With the win, the Storm is now a game and a half better than the San Antonio Silver Stars for third place in the Western Conference. The Storm also holds the head-to-head tie-breaker by virtue of winning the season series, which could loom large at the end of the season. The magic number is down to five to clinch a playoff berth. The Storm can move one step closer tomorrow night when they host the Tulsa Shock.

The Seattle Sounders extended Major League Soccer's winning streak in Mexico to two games, beating FC Monterrey in s CONCACAF match and handed Monterrey their first home loss in Champions League play. Major League Soccer teams had been winless in 24 previous trips to Mexico before FC Dallas's 1-0 win last Wednesday. By the same score, Seattle showed Monterrey and Mexico that MLS's breakthrough was no fluke. With the victory, Seattle sits top of Group D with six points through two rounds. The Sounders return to MLS play on Saturday when they host the Columbus Crew.

From the Seahawks Twitter page: Pete Carroll says the starters are expected to play 3 quarters in Saturday's preseason game at Denver. He also says left tackle Russel Okung remains on track to return from his ankle injury in time for the season opener.

Adele is up for a slew of Video Music Awards. The VMA's are Sunday night on MTV.

Amy Winehouse had "no illegal substances" in her system when she passed away last month. According to the Associated Press, a spokesperson for the Winehouse family said that toxicology also revealed "alcohol was present," but that it "cannot be determined as yet if it played a role in her death."

Tonight, Gavin DeGraw rejoins Train and Maroon 5's summer co-headlining tour, just weeks after being severely beaten in New York City. Gavin told People.com that it's going to be a "combination of excitement and nerves" to get back on stage because his "breathing isn't exactly the same" as it was before. He added that "there's almost nothing visibly wrong" with him anymore besides a mark on his nose from having to get stitches. The trek hits Columbia, Maryland tonight. About the attack Gavin said, "I had a night off, and I met up with some friends at the bar I own with my brother. We had a few drinks. I put my friends in a cab and I walked home because I live pretty close. I remember maybe three guys said something to me and I didn't appreciate it, and I guess I let them know I didn't appreciate it. They weren't exactly on the debate team, so I ended up with a tube down my throat."

The last concert of Olympia's Music in the Park series is coming up tonight. Locust Street Taxi plays their swing and pop music at Sylvester Park starting at 7.

Researchers have developed a Bite Counter to counteract obesity. According to USA Today, the wristwatch-shaped device was developed by Clemson University and is expected to be on the market next year for about a 100-dollars a pop. In case you're wondering, an average person should be taking 80 bites a day: 20 at both breakfast and lunch, and 40 at dinner.

The Air Guitar World Championships begin in Finland today. What started as a joke in 1996 has grown into seriously fun, semi-absurd performance art. The 'World Final' takes place Friday.

With the success of The Social Network it's no surprise that a movie about Napster is in the works. But this one's going to be a documentary.

Pearl Jam is set to play Late Night With Jimmy Fallon September 8th and 9th. The appearance is part of the band's 20th anniversary celebrations and Cameron Crowe, who directed their upcoming documentary, Pearl Jam Twenty, is also appearing on the September 8th show.

A company founded by comic book legend Stan Lee, has filed a lawsuit against Nu Image/Millennium Films, the production company behind the new film, Conan the Barbarian. Stan's company claims they still own the rights to the Conan character and are demanding 100 percent of the profits to the film. Entertainment Weekly has more.

The team from the Dark Knight Rises movie has paid $20,000 to replace trees taken down in Pittsburgh for the filming of the third Batman film. Two dozen leafy trees were chopped down for filming in order to make the scenes look like they had been filmed in winter.

Lady Gaga is guest starring on The Simpsons. According to EW.com, Gaga is voicing herself in an episode titled Lisa Goes Gaga. Apparently, Gaga makes a pit stop in Springfield after learning the town is low in self-esteem, and tries to help Lisa cheer up. Gags told the website that it was "a little nerve-wrecking" lending her voice to the legendary series, but that it's "one of the coolest things" that she's ever done. Lisa Goes Gaga airs next spring.

Olympia officials are taking down the fences surrounding the reconstructed Percival Landing boardwalk tomorrow. You're invited to walk the boardwalk tomorrow afternoon at 5:30. A dedication ceremony starts at 6. Construction on the $14 million first phase of the project started in August of last year. Crews removed more than 200 creosote pilings and removed wood treated with copper and arsenic. A new bathhouse and community rental space was built. Two new pavilions will eventually house cultural, historical and environmental education features. The second phase of reconstruction is expected to be complete by 2015.

Trivia Answer: Marlee Beth Matlin who turns 46 today. She lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of the hearing in her left ear at the age of eighteen months. Matlin made her stage debut at the age of seven, as Dorothy in a children's theatre version of The Wizard of Oz, and continued to appear with the children's theatre group throughout her childhood. Her discovery by Henry Winkler during one of these performances ultimately led to her film debut in Children of a Lesser God. That movie in 1986 marked her film debut. It brought her a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and an Academy Award for Best Actress. She is one of the few actors to win an Oscar for their debut performance, and as of this year, still holds the record for youngest winner in the Best Actress Oscar category. Matlin was nominated for a Golden Globe award for her work as the lead female role in the television series Reasonable Doubts (1991–1993) and was nominated for an Emmy Award for a guest appearance in Picket Fences. She became a regular on the series during its final season. In 2006, Matlin was cast in season 4 of The L Word as Jodi Lerner, a gay Deaf sculptor. She appeared in seasons 4, 5 and 6 as the girlfriend of one of the show's protagonists Bette Porter (played by Jennifer Beals). In 2008, she was a competitor in the sixth season of ABC's Dancing with the Stars. She was a finalist on the NBC show The Celebrity Apprentice, competing to win money for her charity, The Starkey Hearing Foundation. She lost the finale to John Rich, finishing in second place. However, on one episode -- The Art of the Deal that aired on April 3rd of 2011 -- Matlin raised more funds than had ever been raised for charity in a single event on any television show before ($986,000). Donald Trump then donated an additional $14,000 to make the contribution an even million. Matlin married Burbank police officer Kevin Grandalski on August 29th of 1993 in Henry Winkler's back yard. They have four children. She lives outside Los Angeles with her family. Matlin met her future husband while she was filming a scene from Reasonable Doubts outside of the studio grounds, and the police department had assigned him to provide security and traffic control.

It was a shake, rattle, and roll kind of day. First, a moderate 5.3-magnitude earthquake rattled southern Colorado early this morning. According to the US Geological Survey, it was the largest to hit the state in more than 40 years. The quake's epicenter was seven miles southwest of Cokedale, and 180 miles south of Denver. There were no immediate reports of casualties. A dispatcher at the sheriff's office in Las Animas County, which includes Cokedale, said the quake lasted almost 30 seconds. The office received reports of rocks falling on a highway and of some structure damage. It was the largest in a series of earthquakes that struck the area. As of 5 this morning local time the USGS reported seven quakes centered just south of Cokedale since midnight. Amy Vaughan of the USGS said the 5.3 magnitude ties that of an earthquake Colorado suffered on August 9th of 1967. Then later in the day, the most powerful earthquake to strike the East Coast in 67 years shook buildings and rattled nerves from South Carolina to Maine. Frightened office workers spilled into the streets in New York, and parts of the White House, Capitol and Pentagon were evacuated. Shaking was felt as far south as Charleston, S.C., and as far north as Maine. It was also felt on Martha's Vineyard, off the coast of Massachusetts, where President Obama is taking summer vacation and was starting a round of golf when the quake struck at 1:51 Eastern time. There were no immediate reports of deaths, but fire officials in Washington said there were at least some injuries. The U.S. Geological Survey said the quake registered magnitude 5.8 and was centered 40 miles northwest of Richmond, Va. The earthquake came less than three weeks before the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, and in both Washington and New York it immediately triggered fears of something more sinister than a natural disaster.

Hours after shock waves from that earthquake quivered Progressive Field's upper deck, Shin-Soo Choo rocked the ballpark by himself. Choo's three-run homer in the ninth inning today gave the Cleveland Indians yet another dramatic win, a 7-5 victory over the Seattle Mariners in the first game of a day-night doubleheader. Choo, who nearly missed the game following the birth of his daughter, hit the first pitch from Mariners closer Brandon League over the wall in left, helping the Indians end a four-game losing streak and avoid falling further behind first-place Detroit in the AL Central. It was a different story last night when Franklin Gutierrez lifted a bases-loaded sacrifice fly in the ninth inning and the Mariners scored the go-ahead run without getting a hit to beat the Cleveland Indians 3-2. Cleveland closer Chris Perez hit both Miguel Olivo and Brendan Ryan with pitches to start the ninth. Perez then compounded his problems by dropping a sacrifice bunt by Trayvon Robinson, loading the bases with no outs. Ichiro Suzuki, who already had three hits, struck out. But Gutierrez -- once a Cleveland Indian -- hit a fly to center field and Olivo made it home.

The Tacoma Rainiers fall to the Reno Aces in 12 innings last night, 7-6. The Rainiers wrap up their stay in Reno tonight and then move on to Colorado Springs.

The Seattle Storm is hosting San Antonio tonight at 7.

The Seattle Sounders are on the road to face Monterrey, Mexico in a CONCACAF match tonight at 5. They return to MLS action Saturday afternoon when they host Columbus Crew.

Pre-season continues with the Seahawks at Denver Saturday night.

Stocks posted major advances today, following a report from the FDIC that showed the number of failing banks shrank for the first time in nearly five years. Stocks were also lifted by a surge in the price of oil, which rose more than 2% -- helping to boost the energy sector, most notably Exxon Mobil and Chevron. The Dow Jones industrial average advanced 322 points, or 3%, to close at 11,177. The S&P 500 added 38 points, or 3.4%, to 1,162; and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite gained 101 points, or 4.3%, to 2,446.

Jerry Leiber, who partnered with Mike Stoller to write such iconic rock hits as Elvis Presley's Hound Dog and Jailhouse Rock has died. Family members of the legendary songwriter were with him when he died. Leiber died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles of cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78.

Nick Ashford, half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson, has also died. He died in a New York City hospital yesterday. He'd been suffering from throat cancer and had undergone radiation treatment. With his wife, Valerie Simpson, he wrote some of Motown's biggest hits -- Ain't No Mountain High Enough, You're All I Need To Get By, and Reach Out And Touch Somebody's Hand. Nick Ashford was 70.

Today is Permanent Press Day, a day to proudly wear polyester and keep the iron unplugged. Today is Hug Your Sweetheart Day. Today is National Sponge Cake Day. Today is National Sneak Off to the Beach Day.

Coldplay's finally has an album name and a release date. The new disc is Mylo Xyloto -- pronounced my-lo zy-letoe -- is coming out October 25th. You'll be able to purchase the new effort in digital, CD, and vinyl formats. Mylo features Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall and is the follow-up to 2008's Viva La Vida.

Denise Richards is not appearing on the premiere episode of Two and a Half Men this season. Yesterday, reports surfaced that CBS was after Denise for a cameo but apparently, Denise turned down the opportunity because she's worried about what Sheen would do if she appeared on his old show. TMZ reports Denise thinks he would make her life miserable.

Our tweet du jour is from matchbox twenty guitarist Paul Doucette. Actually, he posted a series of tweets in honor of his 39th birthday yesterday. The list is a bunch of things that he's learned throughout the years. Check out the bands twitter page for the whole list but here's #25 -- Really there was no other way to end LOST.

Kate Winslet was among 20 guests who fled unscathed from a fire that broke out yesterday at Richard Branson's home on Neckar, one of the British Virgin Islands. Prompted by a tropical storm, a lightning strike at 4 in the morning set fire to the Great House where Winslet and her children were staying.

If the presidential election were held today and it were Obama vs. Palin, a new survey -- Rasmussen Reports -- shows Obama would trounce Palin 50% to 33%.

The last concert of Olympia's Music in the Park series is tomorrow night. Locust Street Taxi plays their swing and pop music at Sylvester Park starting at 7.

For the first time ever, Janet Jackson is scheduled to perform in South Africa during her Up Close And Personal World Tour. Janet has never performed in Johannesburg before and is looking forward to showcasing new and old songs.

Actor Ryan Gosling was walking on the New York City streets when he saw some men fist fighting. Gosling got in between the men, dropped his bags, and calmly stopped the fight. A bystander caught it on video.

Mikes Myers has signed on to star in a fourth installment of his Austin Powers movies. The last of the Powers movies came out back in 2002.

We saw Josh Groban as Emma Stone's boyfriend in Crazy, Stupid, Love and now, the singer is heading to TV. People magazine is reporting that the crooner is playing Ed Helms' character's brother on The Office during the upcoming eighth season.

A new study lends credence to the old adage that nice guys finish last. The Wall Street Journal reports that according to the research, less agreeable men and women take home more than their pleasant counterparts. The study found that assertive men make 18-percent, or nearly 10-thousand dollars, more a year than nice guys. However, rudeness doesn't pay off nearly as much for women. Saucy females only earn about five-percent, or almost two-thousand dollars, more annually than their sweeter colleagues.

Analysis of a piece of lunar rock brought back to Earth by the Apollo 16 mission in 1972 has shown that the Moon may be much younger than previously believed -- maybe by 200 million years.

A new list ranking the worst celebrity restaurant tippers puts Tiger Woods at the top. He once said he never carries cash, so that could be part of the reason he's No. 1. Madonna and Barbra Streisand came in second and third.

What percentage of drivers sing in the car? Surveys says ... 80%.

Trivia Answer: Rick Springfield -- who was born Richard Lewis Springthorpe -- in Sydney, Australia. He's 62 today. His 1981 blockbuster single was Jessie's Girl. On TV, he played Doctor Noah Drake on General Hospital. He originated the character from 1981 to 1983 and then returned to play him again from 2005 until 2008. Rick continues touring to this day. In fact, he played the Little Creek Casino Resort back in February.

What a gorgeous weekend in the South Sound. We made it to 87 here in Olympia on Saturday. Yesterday, it was 86. Shelton hit 90 yesterday.

New Seattle quarterback Tarvaris Jackson finished 11 of 21 for 75 yards with an interception. Seattle's first-team offense managed only 139 total yards despite running 39 plays in the first half and the Vikings beat the Seahawks 20-7 last Saturday night. Pre-season continues with the Seahawks at Denver Saturday night.

Lauren Jackson is back. She scored 20 points in 21 minutes to help the Storm rally for a 63-62 win over the New York Liberty at KeyArena on Saturday. Sue Bird had 14 points and Camille Little 11 for Seattle. The Storm hosts San Antonio tomorrow night at 7.

The Tampa Bay Rays edged the Seattle Mariners 8-7 yesterday. The Mariners have lost five in a row. Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 20 games with a third-inning double. Seattle SS Brendan Ryan, who returned from a sprained left shoulder joint this weekend, is expected to be in the starting lineup this afternoon against Cleveland. Game time 4:05.

The Tacoma Rainiers fell to the Aces in Reno yesterday, 4-2. That series continues in Nevada tonight at 7:05.

Mauro Rosales scored in the 16th minute to give the Seattle Sounders a 1-0 victory over FC Dallas on Saturday night. The Sounders are on the road to face Monterry, Mexico in a CONCACAF match tomorrow night at 5, They return to MLS action Saturday afternoon when they host Columbus Crew.

94.5 Roxy supports the Cuffs and Trucks Golf Tournament and hopes everyone has a fun and exciting time today The tournament is at The Indian Summer Golf and Country Club. Roxy's Ron Harris is your MC for the day and for the awards later. It's all to benefit the Sgt. Justin Norton Scholarship Fund.

Four new films weren't enough to beat out a surprise summer hit as The Help defeated a barbarian, a vampire and some spy kids. Despite being in its second week, the best-seller adaptation, Te Help, earned $20.5 million, according to studio estimates. The haul lifted the $25 million drama to $71.8 million, a rare success story for a modestly budgeted drama in summer. Rise of the Planet of the Apes, in its third week, took second place. The 3-D Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, the fourth film in the franchise, grabbed the third spot. Conan the Barbarian finished fourth. Fright Night, another 3-D reboot, took fifth place.

If you think waxing your eyebrows is torture, checkk this. The latest craze in Hong Kong: the Microneedle Therapy System. What is it? A needle-studded roller that you put on your face. But apparently, people are using it because the Hong Kong Consumer Council had to issue a warning stating that "there is no scientific evidence to prove its effectiveness" and it's "potentially lethal." However, proponents of the tiny stabbing machine say that it is effective in healing acne, scarring, cellulite and wrinkles. Users can decide if that pain is worth the gain.

A 23-year-old man in Tennessee managed to shoot himself in both legs while driving last week. Apparently this Mensa candidate jarred the handgun that lives under the seat when he slammed the brakes on his Nissan Altima. As he went to retrieve it, he grabbed the trigger, sending a bullet through both legs right above the ankles. He, of course, called 911. But, to add insult to serious injury, when police arrived, they arrested the gentleman because they found marijuana and drug paraphernalia in the car.

Keyona Davis of Florida isn't going to be winning any babysitter of the year awards. Daytona Beach Police have charged the 23-year-old with child neglect after she allowed the infant she was watching to ride in a stroller that stood in the bed of a pickup truck. Stunned motorists saw the spectacle and called 911. Once the truck was apprehended, Keyona told police that she didn't understand what she'd done wrong. Her defense got even better when she told the judge, "It's not like they give you a handbook or anything on ... what's neglect and what's not neglect."

Today is Pocketphone Day. British Telecom introduced the first pocketphones on this date in 1989.Today is National Tooth Fairy Day. Today is Southern Hemisphere Hoodie-Hoo Day, a time for everyone in the southern hemisphere to go outdoors at noon at yell, "Hoodie-Hoo!" to chase away winter and make ready for spring. Yep, it is winter down south. And National Safe at Home Week begins today.We need to be reminded that our homes aren't as safe as we think. The leading cause of injuries around the house? Tripping while walking.

Time flies when you're having fun.  The end of summer is rapidly approaching.  The first day of school in the Olympia School District is Wednesday, September 7th. The same for North Thurston and Shelton. In Tumwater, the school year begins September 7th for grades 1-12. Kindergartners and Preschoolers start September 12th.

Kim Kardashian married Kris Humphries on Saturday. There were 440 guests. In addition to the huge Kardashian/Jenner clan, including Brody Jenner who came with girlfriend Avril Lavigne, others in attendance reportedly included: Ryan Seacrest, Julianne Hough, Demi Lovato, Lindsay Lohan, Dina Lohan, George Lopez, Brittny Gastineau, Carmelo Anthony, Eva Longoria, Mario Lopez and Sugar Ray Leonard.

U2 lead singer Bono denies reports he was taken to a hospital after complaining of chest pains. The 51-year-old did attend the Princess Grace hospital in Monaco, but a spokeswoman said it was for a routine checkup. The statement said, "Despite press stories to the contrary, Bono has not suffered a recent health scare. Reports of his being rushed to hospital for emergency treatment are untrue. Bono is in good health and enjoying a family holiday in the south of France." The health scare was reported by the Irish Independent newspaper and picked up by online music news outlets.

In preparation for a new triple-x Internet domain that will launch in December, lawyers for the most famous brands in the U.S. are scrambling to prevent an x-rated rip-off of an invaluable asset: corporate web addresses. Thousands of companies have expressed interest in pre-registering their trademarks and blocking others from snapping them up to create, say, a Barbie.xxx or Coke.xxx.

Trivia Answer: Sebastian Cabot who played Giles French in the CBS series Family Affair. He died on this date in 1977. He lived his final years in British Columbia. Sebastian Cabot is interred in the urn garden in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Los Angeles, near Brian Keith. Brian Keith, of course, played Uncle Bill on Family Affair.

I'm thinking it could have been worse. Mind you, it was bad, but it could have been worse. Stocks were slammed with another wave of late-day selling today as investors were faced with disappointing news from Hewlett-Packard as well lingering issues with Europe's debt crisis and the future of the US economy. Today's drop came after the Dow plunged more than 400 points yesterday and added to what had already been steep declines for US markets. In all, it was another nasty week for investors, with the Dow, S&P and Nasdaq falling between 4% and 6% over the past five days. Today, the Dow Jones industrial average dropped 173 points, or 1.6%, to end at 10,818. The S&P 500 lost 17 points, or 1.5%, and the Nasdaq Composite fell 39 points, or 1.6%.

An off day for the Mariners yesterday. They are in Florida to face the Tampa Bay Rays. They open that three game series this this afternoon at 4.

The Tacoma Rainiers were unable to gain ground in their division again last night, after falling, 7-4, to the Omaha Storm Chasers. The Rainiers remain 41/2 games behind Pacific North-leading Reno which also lost last night. The Rainiers wrap up the Omaha series tonight at Cheney Stadium. A Friday night home game means post-game fireworks.

Tomorrow is a busy day. The Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings in pre-season action tomorrow night at 7.Also tomorrow night at 7, the Seattle Storm is hosting the New York Liberty. And the Seattle Sounders are in Texas to face FC Dallas tomorrow night at 6.

Today is National Hot and Spicy Food Day. 

Today is National Aviation Day, always on Orville Wright's birthday. He was born in Dayton, Ohio, August 19th of 1871. 

Today is Snuffleupagus's birthday. The big hairy thing on Sesame Street. His first name is Aloysius, but most call him Mr. Snuffleupagus. He has a sister named Alice and his grandmother lives in Cincinnati. His friends call him Snuffy. His best friend is Big Bird, but he also has a friend named Rosalyn. Snuffy's favorite foods are cabbage and spaghetti. 

Today is Zella Day, honoring all ladies, past and present, named Zella. 

Today is National Soft Ice Cream Day. 

Today is Black Cow Day, marking creation of the first "black cow" root beer float on this day in 1893 in Cripple Creek, Colorado. Frank Wisner, owner of Cripple Creek Brewing, was the creator. 

Today is Hawaii Day. Hawaii became the 50th U.S. state on August 21st of 1959. But they always celebrate on the third Friday.

A woman in Minnesota got up early Saturday morning to answer the call of nature. She happened to be standing next to her fridge when a gas leak blew up her house and dropped her roof. The fridge kept her from getting flattened. Sheltered by the appliance, the woman, the only person in the house at the time, was found in a small gap beneath the rubble.

A New Zealand woman took matters into her own hands when she found out that her husband was having an affair. Her revenge? Driving her vehicle through his mistress' garage. Her plan went off smoothly except ... she got the address wrong and hit the wrong house. The 25-year-old then backed out of the garage, nearly hitting a pedestrian. A judge has now ordered the woman to pay for the more than 42-thousand dollars worth of damage that she intentionally caused.

Police in Menasha, Wisconsin have a prosthetic leg that's been sitting in their evidence locker for two weeks. On the morning of August 4th, a woman found the leg, which is wearing a black shoe, on the street and turned it in to the authorities. Officer Aaron Zemlock told the Appleton Post-Crescent, "It's certainly a very odd situation. My understanding is they are pretty expensive." However, it's fairly likely that the owner is having a tough time coming forward.

Not too long ago, Lady Gaga gave Cher one of her unreleased demos, a song called The Greatest Thing. Apparently the two decided to record the tune as a duet, and it's going to be released in September. Cher passed that information along via her Twitter page.

This weekend marks the premiere of Colbie Caillat's When I Was 17 special on MTV. During the show, she speaks about a time that she had a party when she was in high school, and a bunch of stuff got broken in her house because people started fighting. Well it just so happens that one of those things that broke was her dad Ken's Grammy Award, which he got for his production work on Fleetwood Mac's classic album, Rumours. When I Was 17 airs this weekend MTV.

Nigel Lythgoe, the reality television producer whose credits include American Idol and So You Think You Can Dance, is in talks with the CW to bring forth another singing competition. Lythgoe's potential series would revolve around finding a family singing group.

Charlie Sheen is being roasted by Comedy Central in September and apparently some of his ex-girlfriends are getting in on the action. According to the Huffington Post, Capri Anderson, the porn star who was with Sheen when he infamously trashed a New York City Hotel room last year, says she's considering appearing on the show.

I first heard about Texas artist Natalie Irish when she posted a YouTube video showing how she used her mouth to paint a portrait of Marilyn Monroe. More recently, she completed a likeness of one of the Northwest's most noted rock icons -- Jimi Hendrix. She used her lips and a purple-hewed shade of lipstick for the portrait. 

NASA has issued the facts about a comet called Elenin that will be zipping by Earth in October. Basically the 2- to 3-mile-wide comet can't hurt us. It's too small and its closest approach to Earth will bring it 90 times the Earth-moon distance. That's 22 million miles away.

Facebook has its first Bible-themed game. Weaving throughout ancient Egypt and the Middle East, the Journey of Moses is described as a "fun, immersive adventure game, complete with complex characters, engaging quests, puzzles and mysteries."

"Always be prepared for life and the ladies" -- that's the slogan for GuyHaus, a website which delivers man supplies to a guy's front door on the same day every month. We're talking toilet paper, shaving cream, deodorant and more. All a guy has to do is visit the GuyHause website, pick his favorite products, input a credit number and prepare to look and smell good.

Throwing trash out the window of a moving car is called littering. Drinking adult beverages while operating a motor vehicle is called drinking and driving. Doing both while in your patrol car and using the lights to pass other drivers is called being a bad cop. According to KUSA-TV, Wyoming Police Officer Bradley B. Bickett is definitely landing on Santa's naughty list this year. Last week he and another officer were driving to the funeral of two other police officers when a firefighter spotted their erratic behavior. As a result, Bradley and his cohort have been put in non-uniform status and will not be working with the public until disciplinary actions have been taken.

Trivia Answer: Matthew Langford Perry who turns 42 today. The show Six of One, of course, later came to be known as Friends and Matthew Perry landed the the role of Chandler Bing. A role he held from 1994 to 2004. I mentioned that he speaks French. He is one of the three members of the Friends' cast who speak French fluently (the other two are Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc).

The DOWn Jones did it again today.  Wall Street was walloped by a stock sell-off driven by renewed fears about the US and global economies. Major stock indexes plunged. Investors plowed their money into safe US government bonds -- briefly pushing the yield on the benchmark 10-year Treasury below 2%. Gold settled at a record $1,822 an ounce. The Dow dropped 419 points, or 3.7%. The S&P 500 and the Nasdaq Composite each lost more than 4%. 

Former Mariner Brandon Morrow allowed three hits and one run over six innings and the Toronto Blue Jays connected for three home runs in a 5-1 victory over the Seattle Mariners last night. Mike Carp extended his hitting streak to 17 games. The Mariners are off today. They open a three-game series with the Rays in Tampa Bay tomorrow.

The Tacoma Rainiers fell to the Omaha Storm Chasers, 4-2, last night. The same two teams again tonight and tomorrow night at Cheney Stadium.

And then Saturday is a busy day as the Seahawks host Minnesota in a pre-season contest, the Storm hosts New York, and the Sounders travel to Texas to face FC Dallas.

It's Pet Parade time. The annual event sponsored by The Olympian is Saturday. Now in it's 82nd year, the parade's theme this year is Movie Madness: Villains vs Super Heroes. The line-up starts at 8 Saturday morning at Heritage Park on Water Street. The parade begins at 10. The eight-block parade route ends in Sylvester Park.

J.P. Patches -- the fictional mayor of the city dump who arguably has a higher approval rating than the real Seattle mayor – may retire. He says, "I think this is going to be my last year of getting out and meeting all the kids and all the Patches Pals." The J.P. Patches Show was on KIRO from February 1958 to 1981 and once ranked as the nation's longest running, locally produced kids' show. Chris Wedes (WEE-dus), the man behind J.P., was diagnosed with a blood cancer, acute myeloma, in 2007. In an interview with the P-I the following year, he said his condition was treatable with regular dialysis. Wedes says, "I don't think about the health problems, I just say, 'OK, today's a wonderful day. I have the most wonderful doctors and nurses and technicians that are taking care of me." Between 2005 and 2008, supporters collected $150,000 to help create a statue of J.P. and Gertrude in Fremont near "Waiting for the Interurban." The sum was helped by a group of Patches Pals headed by Pemco President and CEO Stan McNaughton. When the statue was unveiled Aug. 17, 2008, roughly 1,500 people greeted J.P. and Gertrude when they arrived. Gov. Chris Gregoire, a Patches Pal herself, was there with Rep. Jim McDermott and Seattle City Council members. A police officer there to escort traffic even sported a clown nose.

But wait ... The Lone Ranger may ride again. It appears producers aren't willing to let the film ride off into the sunset just yet. Quite a few script changes and fee cuts are under way in an attempt to bring the film's budget closer to around $200 million. Either way, Johnny Depp gets paid.

Jennifer Lopez has signed up for a second season as a judge on American Idol. Fox television officials made the announcement yesterday ending months of speculation about her return. J-Lo joins Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler and record producer Randy Jackson for the 11th season of the show which begins airing January 22nd.

A Muslim militant has urged American followers to assassinate David Letterman, saying his tongue deserves to be cut out. That word from an intelligence monitoring group yesterday. The group said the death threat was posted on an online website used by militants after the writer became upset by a joke Letterman made about the death of a leading member of al Qaeda killed in an airstrike in Pakistan. The militant called on Muslims in the United States to "cut the tongue of this lowly Jew and shut it forever," according to a translation by SITE. Letterman is not Jewish. Executives at CBS declined to comment on the threat.

Katy Perry has become the first woman to score five number one singles off of one album. Perry also ties Michael Jackson in the history books, who also had five singles hit number one back in 1987 and '88. Katy's Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.) is her fifth single from her Teenage Dream album to peak at number one. 

The Black Eyed Peas have rescheduled their Concert 4 NYC for September 30th after extreme weather in June forced organizers to cancel the Central Park event. Will.I.Am made the announcement yesterday. The Black Eyed Peas singer and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg held a joint news conference to unveil the new date and tell the 54,000 ticket holders to the benefit concert that they could now claim new tickets. The Central Park event benefits Robin Hood, a poverty-focused charity in New York City and funds the creation of three new sites for The Black Eyed Peas' Peapod Music and Arts Academies, which cater to disadvantaged and foster children.

Colbie Caillat is going to be making a guest appearance on the forthcoming NBC show The Playboy Club. According to EW.com, the pop star will be portraying legendary singer Lesley Gore on the new '60s period drama, and will be performing Gore's signature song, It's My Party. The Playboy Club premieres September 19th.

For the first time since her album, 21, was released in late February, Adele has fallen out of the top three of the Billboard 200 chart. She's now sitting in the fourth spot after selling another 72-thousand copies. This leaves her less than 20-thousand albums away from going triple platinum.

Rob Thomas is getting a tattoo ... for his mother in law. The matchbox twenty wrote on Twitter that he was going into New York City to get a new tat with the mother of his wife, Mari. He then posted a picture of himself getting tatted up.

Abercrombie & Fitch has offered money to get away from what it sees as an undesirable Situation. The retailer has offered to pay cast members from Jersey Shore to stop wearing its clothes. In a news release, the company said it is "deeply concerned" that Michael 'The Situation' Sorrentino "could cause significant damage" to the brand's "aspirational nature." MTV which produces Jersey Shore, released a statement of its own that called Abercrombie's offer "a clever PR stunt."

Trivia Answer: Malcolm-Jamal Warner who turns 41 today. At the age of 9, Warner demonstrated an interest in show business which led to enrollment in acting schools. With appearances and roles on many television shows and films, he landed his most successful role as Theo Huxtable, the only son of Heathcliff Huxtable, who was played by Bill Cosby on the NBC sitcom, The Cosby Show from 1984 to 1992. Warner auditioned for the role on the very last day of the nationwide search and was chosen by Cosby himself. He also starred in Jeremiah, was the voice of The Producer character on The Magic School Bus. He has directed several music videos, as well as many sitcom episodes including The Cosby Show. In addition, he directed the acclaimed, teen-oriented public health video "Time Out: The Truth About HIV, AIDS, and You" in 1992, which featured Arsenio Hall and Earvin "Magic" Johnson (among others) discussing the realities of HIV and AIDS and the best ways to prevent its spread. He has released a couple of CDs in 2003 and 2007. This year, he guest starred in an episode of the NBC series Community. His character subtly referenced his Cosby Show past by wearing a "Cosby sweater" that he stated was from his dad.

The Toronto Blue Jays appeared on the way to an easy victory with a six-run first inning last night. By the third inning, though, the Mariners had tied it. The Jays, however, regrouped and went on to a six-run victory beating the Ms 13-7. Seattle and Toronto wrap up their series tonight at 7 at Safeco.

The Tacoma Rainiers fell to the Omaha Storm Chasers 3-2 last night in the first of a four-game series at Cheney Stadium. Game two tonight at 7.

The Phoenix Mercury broke a nine-game losing streak to the Seattle Storm by over-coming an 18-point first half deficit. Phoenix wins it 81-79 last night. The Storm is back home Saturday night hosting New York.

Saturday, the Seattle Sounders return to MLS play when they travel to Texas to meet FC Dallas

Also Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks host the Minnesota Vikings in pre-season action.

Here in Olympia, City council member Stephen Buxbaum and longtime radio personality Dick Pust advanced to the November general election in the race for mayor. Council member Karen Rogers was eliminated from the race. According to preliminary numbers from yesterday's primary election, Buxbaum led the way with 43.75 percent of the vote while Pust had 33.27 percent. Rogers received 22.59 percent.

Word from the National Hurricane Center this morning that tropical storm Greg has formed in the Pacific off the coast of Mexico.

US stocks ended a thinly traded session mixed today as investors weighed the latest corporate results against global economic and debt concerns. The Dow Jones industrial average rose 4 points, or less than 0.1%, to close at 11,410. The S&P 500 added 1 point to 1,193. The Nasdaq composite fell 12 points to 2,511.

Today is Coonskin Cap Day, always on the birthday of Davy Crockett, born on this date in 1786 on a mountaintop in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Today is also Drink Coffee at the Office from A Sippy Cup Day, just see if anyone notices. It's apparently for those who are too shy to wear a coonskin cap. Today is also National Thriftshop Day and #2 Pencil Day.

Colbie Caillat has announced via her Twitter account that she's performing on America's Got Talent tonight.

The Little Red School House Project is providing school supplies for families in need at Jefferson Middle School on Conger in West Olympia tomorrow from 8 to 6. Basic supplies, backpacks and new and used clothing are available at the event. Details from the organizers: Upon arrival, each family receives a number and gets an approximate time for admission. Each child is able to choose 2 or 3 outfits and a backpack filled with school supplies (based on individual school lists). Families should plan on spending several hours shopping as the event is usually crowded.

On this date in 1987: The movie Dirty Dancing, starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey opened throughout the US. A remake is scheduled for 2013. Justin Timberlake is reportedly the frontrunner to get the role originally played by Swayze.

Casey Anthony's parents, Cindy and George, appear on the season premiere of Dr. Phil. The TV psychologist released a statement: "Cindy and George have suffered a horrific loss with the untimely death of their granddaughter Caylee, and they have since endured an unprecedented public attack on their family. Have these attacks been warranted, or not? I looked them straight in the eye and asked some very tough questions. Nothing is off limits during this interview."

Kate Gosselin's reality show, Kate Plus 8, has been cancelled, and her ex-husband Jon couldn't be happier. He told RadarOnline.com that he's "very relieved" that his eight children will be away from the cameras, and he hopes they can all have a little "more privacy" now. Jon and Kate first separated in June 2009 and divorced soon after that.

Watching TV is killing you. A new study found an association between people who watch loads of TV and living shorter. By tracking death rates and lifestyle survey responses, the study found that for people over 25, for every hour of TV watched, their lifespan shortened by 22 minutes.

Trivia Answer: Davy Crockett who was born on this date in 1786. Crockett grew up in East Tennessee, where he gained a reputation for hunting and storytelling. After being elected to the rank of colonel in the militia of Lawrence County, Tennessee, he was elected to the Tennessee state legislature in 1821. In 1826, Crockett was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. Congressman Crockett vehemently opposed many of the policies of President Andrew Jackson, most notably the Indian Removal Act. Crockett's opposition to Jackson's policies led to his defeat in the 1834 elections, prompting his angry departure to Texas shortly thereafter. In early 1836, Crockett took part in the Texas Revolution and was killed at the Battle of the Alamo in March. Crockett became famous in his own lifetime for larger-than-life exploits popularized by stage plays and almanacs. After his death, he continued to be credited with brazen acts of mythical proportion. By the late 19th century, Crockett was largely forgotten. His legend was reborn in a 1950s TV show by Walt Disney, which also introduced his legendary coonskin cap. Fess Parker portrayed Crocket on the show, first on ABC and then later -- in color -- on NBC. In films, Crockett has been played by -- amongst others -- John Wayne, Brian Keith, Johnny Cash, John Schneider, and Billy Bob Thornton. On MythBusters, they explored a story of Crockett's backwoods exploits: that he could stick an axe into a tree trunk, fire his long rifle from 40 yards away, and hit the edge so precisely that the bullet would split in two. After some practice, Tory Belleci was able to duplicate the feat from 20 yards with the gun resting on sandbags and declared the myth CONFIRMED, reasoning that Crockett could have consistently made the 40-yard shot with enough experience.

Mike Carp and Casper Wells hit back-to-back home runs in the eighth inning to lead the Seattle Mariners to a 6-5 comeback win over the Toronto Blue Jays last night. Carp also homered in the third inning. He has a 15-game hitting streak. It was his first two-home run game. Wells homered in his third straight game. Ms and Jays again tonight at 7.

A bases-loaded grounder was booted for a two-run error, giving the Tacoma Rainiers a 3-2 win over Iowa at Cheney Stadium last night. Now, the Rainiers host the Omaha Storm Chasers for four stating tonight at 7.

After, Saturday, suffering their worst loss at home since their inaugural game on June 1st of 2000, the Seattle Storm tries to rebound tonight. The Storm is at Phoenix to face the Mercury tonight at 7:00.

His stint in Buffalo and playoffs included, Marshawn Lynch ran for 870 yards last season but you likely only remember about 67 of them. The Beast Quake run is, of course, the defining moment of Lynch's career. And it was awfully impressive. The problem was the number of runs that came before it that resulted in minimal yardage for Seahawks ball carriers. The Seahawks managed just 89 yards per game on the ground last season, good for 31st in the NFL. The Hawks needed 143 yards rushing against the Rams in Week 17 to avoid their worst rushing season in franchise history. That lack of success led coach Pete Carroll to declare a strong desire to revamp the offensive line. Seattle drafted a pair of o-linemen with their first two picks in this year's NFL draft, then signed left guard Robert Gallery in free agency. All of which means Lynch could have a whole lot to say about whether the Seahawks are successful as an offense this season. The 25-year-old running back spoke with reporters yesterday for the first time this training camp, saying he feels that being here from the beginning this season will be a big help in terms of making himself familiar with what the Seahawks are trying to do on offense. So how many times has he watched his famed run in the New Orleans game? Lynch said, "I've watched it several times. People might email it to me. If I look over at somebody's phone, they recognize me and they might look at it to make sure that's really me. I've seen it quite a few times." Saturday, the Seahawks preseason continues as they host the Minnesota Vikings.

Also Saturday, the Seattle Sounders are at FC Dallas.

It was on this date in 1954 that the first issue of Sports Illustrated was published.

On this date in 2002, scientists at the University of Glasgow in Scotland published research validating the so-called "beer goggles" effect. In their study of 120 male and female students, those who had drunk a moderate amount of alcohol found the faces of the opposite sex 25% more attractive than their sober counterparts.

Today is Elvis Memorial Day. Elvis died on this date in 1977 at age 42. Today is National True Love Forever Day. Today is also Remember What Your Spouse Wore the First Time You Met Day.

Primary election ballots are due by 8 o'clock tonight and 18 drop box locations are located throughout Thurston County. If you're mailing your ballot it's gotta have a postmark from today or earlier.

Stocks are still swinging but the swings aren't quite as wide this week as they were last week. US stocks fell today after German and French leaders spoke about Europe's debt problems, but offered little in the way of action. The pullback -- which briefly sent the Dow down nearly 190 points on Tuesday afternoon -- came after three straight sessions of healthy gains. At the market close, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 77 points, or 0.7%. The S&P 500 lost 12 points, or 1%, and the Nasdaq composite dropped 32 points, or 1.2%.

Amy Winehouse is still on top of the UK album chart. Her 2006 effort Back to Black remains at number one for the third week in a row, holding off Adele's 21. Amy's first album, Frank, is in the number four position.

Justin Timberlake is reportedly one of the frontrunners in consideration for the Dirty Dancing remake, due out in 2013. The singer and actor is said to be up for the part of Johnny Castle, made famous by Patrick Swayze back in 1987. Other actors being discussed for the role include Chris Hemsworth and Zac Efron.

Kate Plus 8 is not being renewed for a ninth season. In a statement yesterday the show's network said: "TLC has decided not to renew another season of Kate Plus 8. By the end of this season Kate Plus 8 will have hit the 150 episode mark (including Jon & Kate Plus 8); an exceptional milestone. TLC hopes to check in with Kate and the family periodically with specials in the future."

According to an analysis of what TV shows are being tweeted and blogged about, the season premiere of Glee is the most anticipated TV show of Fall.

NBC has announced that Alec Baldwin is hosting the season premiere of Saturday Night Live on September 24th, and Radiohead is the musical guest. The following weekend, October 1st, Melissa McCarthy hosts with Lady Antebellum providing the music.

American Idol winner Scotty McCreery and runner-up Lauren Alaina have announced their debut albums. Scotty's Clear As Day comes out on October 4th while Lauren's debut, Wildflower hits stores one week later on October 11th.

The bare minimum of exercise is good enough, suggests a study published yesterday concluding that just 15 minutes of daily physical activity increases your life expectancy by 14 percent, or three years, over your lazy counterparts.

Trivia Answer: Vanessa Lee Carlton who turns 31 today. Carlton first met songwriter/producer Peter Zizzo at a singer-songwriter workshop. A few months later, Zizzo invited Vanessa to his studio to record a demo. Three months after recording the demo, Carlton was signed by Jimmy Iovine and began to record the album, Rinse. That album was never released, but a few tracks were reworked for her debut album Be Not Nobody. One song included on Rinse was Interlude (later known as A Thousand Miles). The song became a hit, and went on to become the sixth-most-played song of the year in 2002, as well as garnering Grammy Award nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s).

Charlie Furbush allowed just one run in a career-best seven innings, Casper Wells homered and scored two runs and the Seattle Mariners beat Boston 5-3 yesterday afternoon, taking two of three from the AL East-leading Red Sox. For one afternoon, the deal the Mariners made with Detroit on July 30th to bring Wells and Furbush to Seattle looked very much a success. Wells homered for the second time in the series with Boston after hitting just two in his first nine games with the Mariners and Furbush threw possibly his finest game as a starter. Seattle won a series against an American League team other than Oakland for the first time since taking three of four from Tampa Bay in early June. Michael Pineda makes his 23rd start tonight for Seattle against Toronto.

The Tacoma Rainiers beat the Iowa Cubs on Saturday night, 8-3, to even up the series. They won again yesterday, 9 to 1, to take a 2-games-to-1 lead with the series finale coming up tonight at Cheney Stadium. The Rainiers are back over the .500 mark at 62-and-60.

Saturday, the Seattle Sounders and Chivas USA played to a scoreless tie. Seattle's Kasey Keller made three saves in his seventh shutout. The Sounders are back in action Saturday, when they face FC Dallas in Texas.

Saturday, the Seattle Storm suffered its worst loss at home since its inaugural game at Key Arena on June 1st of 2000. The Atlanta Dream routed the Storm 92-63 for a season sweep. Tomorrow, the Storm is at Phoenix.

Saturday, the Seattle Seahawks' pre-season continues as they host the Minnesota Vikings.

Heading into today, we were warned to brace for more turbulence on Wall Street. This week could be just as bumpy as last week's wild ride, as investors continue to deal with the fallout of S&P's downgrade, the problems in Europe and the fate of the US economy. The Dow finished today up 213 points. Meanwhile, sales of security safes and vaults have spiked. While some shoppers sought to protect whatever valuables they had left, others needed a place to stash their newly-acquired safe haven assets such as gold and cash. Port Charlotte, Florida-based Value Safes said it sold an average of $13,000 in safes a day last week, more than tripling its daily average of $3,500 from the previous week. On Amazon.com, SentrySafe's $170 1.2-cubic foot combination safe was among the site's biggest "movers and shakers" Friday, with sales rising 44% over the previous 24 hours.

A wind gust toppled a stage at the Indiana State Fair Saturday night, killing five and injuring dozens of fans waiting for Sugarland to perform. Authorities says the gust was a "fluke" that no one could have anticipated. The wind was far stronger than that in other areas of the fairgrounds, said Dan McCarthy, chief meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Indiana. He estimated the gust at 60 to 70 miles an hour. Four people were killed when the metal scaffolding that holds lights and other stage equipment fell, and a fifth died overnight at a hospital, according to Indiana State Police. Forty-five people were taken to hospitals.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes held off a slew of newcomers this weekend, to take the top spot at the box office for the second consecutive weekend. The seventh installment of the 43-year-old Apes franchise, swept up $27.5 million. The film has done $104.9 million in 10 days, helping it stave off a rush of summer films on one of the busiest weekends of the year. The best-seller adaptation The Help was second for the weekend. Final Destination 5 took third place. The animated comedy The Smurfs finished 4th. The new comedy 30 Minutes or Less rounded out the top five.

A guy in Nottingham, England, has the biggest collection of Smurf memorabilia in the world -- some 1,200 items.

Oscar-winning The King's Speech is set to hit Broadway in the fall of 2012. David Seidler, who won an Oscar for best original screenplay in February, originally wrote the story as a play and later adapted it to the screenplay.

Reports indicate that Disney has called a halt to all production on its upcoming adaptation of The Lone Ranger. The film had just barely gotten started, but was further along than some of Disney's other current projects. Director Gore Verbinski had already finalized the shooting script and signed on his lead actors, Armie Hammer and Johnny Depp -- both of which will now have to be paid whether the project goes further or not.

Tim Pawlenty announced yesterday that he was officially withdrawing from the presidential race following the results of the Ames Straw Poll, which placed the former Minnesota Governor third behind Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul.

From the Rock & Roll Calendar: On this date in 1965, The Beatles played to nearly 60,000 fans at Shea Stadium in New York City, in an event later seen as marking the birth of stadium rock. And on this date in 1969, the Woodstock Music and Art Festival opened.

Former Warrant singer Jani Lane has passed away at the age of 47. According to TMZ, Lane was found dead in a hotel room in Woodland Hills, California on Thursday evening. No cause of death has been released. In the past, Lane has had problems with alcohol abuse, and was ordered to serve 120 days in jail for DUI last year. Warrant's biggest song is arguably 1989's Cherry Pie.

P!nk has just put her Sherman Oaks, California house on the market. According to E! Online, the Spanish-style four bedroom house was built in 1946. It boasts five bathrooms, an in-ground pool, built-in grill, a gym,.and a fire pit surrounded by gardens. Asking price is around four-million dollars. P!nk, husband Carey Hart, and daughter Willow, recently moved to a mansion in Malibu.

Trivia Answer: Jimmy Layne Webb -- Jimmy Webb -- who turns 65 today. Interesting to note that the first record Jimmy Webb ever bought -- he was 14 at the time -- was Turn Around Look At Me by Glen Campbell. He later would write some of Glen Campbell's biggest songs: Wichita Lineman, Galveston, and By the Time I Get to Phoenix. Webb continues to give live performances in the United States and abroad, and recently released a live album of his show, Live and at Large, which was recorded in the United Kingdom.

Wall Street went into the weekend on a relatively calm note after four days of wild turbulence driven by the first-ever downgrade of the United States' credit rating and escalating concerns about debt in Europe. The Dow closed up about 126 points -- about 1% higher for the day. It was the second straight day the Dow was in the black -- a remarkable finish after plunges of 625 points on Monday and 520 points on Wednesday. For the week, the DOWn Jones finished lower by 175 points, or 1.5%.

The Seattle Seahawks can only hope Tarvaris Jackson someday runs their offense as smoothly as Philip Rivers controls the San Diego Chargers. Rivers went 5 for 6 while leading an 89-yard scoring drive in his only series for the Chargers, but Thomas Clayton rushed for a tie-breaking 25-yard touchdown with 3:05 left and the Seahawks scored a 24-17 victory over San Diego last night in both clubs' exhibition opener. Jackson passed for 13 yards over two moderately successful series in his debut as Matt Hasselbeck's replacement with the Seahawks, who trailed 10-0 at halftime. The Hawks next game is a week from tomorrow, Saturday the 20th, as they host the Minnesota Vikings.

Struggling as they have been during a long stretch of road games, the Seattle Storm were happy to be back home last night -- and they played like it. Seattle led from the start in a 77-63 win over Tulsa, handing the Shock their 16th straight loss. Tomorrow night at 7, the Storm hosts Atlanta. It's Sue Bird Bobblehead Night celebrating Sue's 10 seasons with the Storm.

Speaking of Bobbleheads, have you seen the latest Seattle Mariner Bobblehead promotion? Resulting from a Facebook campaign, the Ms are presenting Larry Bernandez Bobblehead Night on Saturday the 27th. Even those that don't care for Bobbleheads have to appreciate -- or at least smirk at -- this one.

The Mariners, by the way, host the Boston Red Sox for the weekend. Game one tonight at 7:10.

The Tacoma Rainiers host the Iowa Cubs for the weekend. Game one tonight at 7:05. A Friday night home game means post-game fireworks.

Tomorrow afternoon at 1:00, the Seattle Sounders host Chivas USA.

Today is Put Peanuts in Your Coke Day. Kool-Aid Days begin today in Hastings, Nebraska – that's where Kool-Aid was invented. Today is National Toasted Almond Bar Day. Today is Vinyl Record Day. Today is PC Day, marking IBM's introduction of the personal computer on August 12th of 1981. Today is Thank You Day, a good day to say thank you or send someone a thank you note. And today is Thumper's birthday. Remember Thumper, Bambi's buddy, the well-fed rabbit with Restless Foot Syndrome? Sorry, I have no idea how old Thumper is, was, or might have been.

Sunday is the UK Backward Running Championships in Manchester, England. Competitors negotiate a mile-long course backwards.

Simon Cowell wants Adele to perform at the finales of both the American and UK versions of his show The X-Factor. According to British paper the Daily Star, Simon wanted Adele to be a judge on at least one of the shows, but she had to decline due to her work schedule. Instead, he now wants her to perform on both shows in December, as -- he says -- she's the "biggest singer in the world right now." The American X-Factor premieres next month.

Tomorrow, Farm Aid is happening in Kansas City, Kansas. There, John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and many others are performing, and proceeds benefit independent farmers.

Ashton Kutcher is developing another reality show, one that will focus on California DMV offices.

Gavin DeGraw isn't completely healed yet. He was attacked last weekend in New York City and then hit by a cab. He wrote on his Twitter account that he is "still sometimes seeing double," and then joked that "NYC looks overpopulated." Gavin was released from the hospital on Wednesday.

Word this week that Jennifer Lopez is heading back to American Idol for $20-million has Steven Tyler's people scrambling.  It seems Steven signed a two-year deal for $10-million, of which he's done one year.  Now, in light of J-Lo's deal, Steven is reportedly asking for more money.

Trivia Answer: Lester William Polsfuss -- Les Paul. Among his many honors, Paul is one of a handful of artists with a permanent, stand-alone exhibit in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He's prominently named by the music museum on its website as an "architect" and a "key inductee" along with Sam Phillips and Alan Freed. Les gave Steve Miller Steve's first guitar lesson. Miller's father was best man at Paul's wedding to Mary Ford. In 1988, Paul was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame by Jeff Beck, who said, "I've copied more licks from Les Paul than I'd like to admit." In July of 2005, a 90th-birthday tribute concert was held at Carnegie Hall in New York City. After performances by Steve Miller, Peter Frampton, Jose Feliciano and a number of others, Les was presented with a commemorative guitar from the Gibson Guitar Corporation. It was on this date in 2009, that Paul died of complications from pneumonia. Upon learning of his death many artists and popular musicians paid tribute by publicly expressing their sorrow. Former Guns N' Roses guitarist Slash called him "vibrant and full of positive energy.", while Richie Sambora of Bon Jovi, referred to him as "revolutionary in the music business". U2 guitarist The Edge said, "His legacy as a musician and inventor will live on and his influence on rock and roll will never be forgotten."

The schizophrenic week on Wall Street continued today as all three indexes surged on positive news about the American jobs market and corporate earnings. The Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped more than 400 points today, or about 4.0%. On Monday, the Dow sank 635 points -- its worst day since the 2008 financial crisis. Tuesday, it rallied 430 points. And yesterday, it plunged 520 points. Optimism returned today after a report showed that the number of people seeking jobless benefits fell to a four-month low and Cisco Systems -- a bellwether of the technology sector -- said it expected its revenue to grow more than expected.

If you had to fork over $1,000 right now, would you be able to do so without borrowing money or using your credit card? If so, then a new survey from the National Foundation for Credit Counseling says you're in the minority. According to the survey, 64% of Americans don't have enough cash available to them to cover a $1,000 emergency.

President Obama plans to vacation with his family later this month on Martha's Vineyard. A spokesperson for Obama said he doubts the American people would begrudge the president some time off with his family, even in the midst of an economic downturn.

Although Pete Carroll is an unabashed optimist who has attacked the Seahawks' post-lockout challenges with his usual can-do attitude, even Seattle's perpetually sunny coach realizes Tarvaris Jackson can't possibly be ready to run his offense after just a handful of practices. At least Carroll's new quarterback won't be the only player learning on the job when the NFL finally returns tonight with five preseason games. Seattle visits the San Diego Chargers for the first nationally televised game of the year - even if both teams still aren't ready for prime time. After the lockout wiped out most offseason activities and led to short training camps for all 32 teams, the exhibition season could be even more ramshackle than normal. Look for miscommunications, dropped passes, missed blocks, and games with more bloopers than the cutting-room floor at NFL Films. But the Qualcomm Stadium crowd will see two offenses on opposite sides of the post-lockout spectrum. While the Seahawks undertook an overhaul of their inconsistent offense, the Chargers made almost no changes to their vaunted attack, hoping it pays off in continuity and consistency. Kick-off at 5:00 on ESPN.

Casper Wells hit a tie-breaking RBI single in the seventh inning for the Seattle Mariners in a 4-3 victory over the AL West-leading Texas Rangers last night. It was the Ms first win at Arlington this year. Jason Vargas went seven innings with three strikeouts and four walks throwing a season-high 121 pitches to get his first win in his last seven starts. An off day for the Ms today. They host the Boston Red Sox for the weekend starting tomorrow night.

It took a lot longer than anyone anticipated, but the Tacoma Rainiers edged the Round Rock Express, 3-2 in 14 innings last night. The game took 4 hours, 12 minutes to complete

The Rainiers are off today before opening an eight-game homestand tomorrow night with a 7:05 game against the Iowa Cubs.

The Seattle Storm hosts Tulsa tonight at the Key. You can see Tacoma-native and The Voice finalist, Vicci Martinez, at halftime doing an exclusive acoustic performance. Tip-off is tonight at 7:00.

Saturday afternoon at 1:00, the Seattle Sounders host Chivas USA at The Clink -- Century Link Field.

Today is National Assistance Dog Day. Today's the last Dog Day of 2011. Today is also Presidential Joke Day, marking this date in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan, during a thought-to-be off-the-record voice test, instead of "testing 1-2-3," said, "My fellow Americans, I am pleased to tell you I just signed legislation which outlaws Russia forever. The bombing begins in five minutes." The statement was picked by live TV cameras and carried worldwide. Today is also National Play in the Sand Day. And National Apple Week begins, as proclaimed by The Beatles in 1965 when announcing their Apple record label.

Talk show host and former Daily Mirror editor Piers Morgan is responding to allegations that he knew of or practiced phone hacking while he was at the helm of the paper, including one claim from Heather Mills that he hacked into the voicemail of her ex-husband, Paul McCartney. While appearing on Conan, he told Conan O'Brien that he suspects it was Heather who hacked Paul since, apparently, Paul's divorce papers accuse her of doing that. See the entire interview at TeamCoco.com.

Lopez Tonight! has been canceled. TBS released a statement on Tuesday stating that they would not be renewing George Lopez's show for a third season. Therefore, the final episode of Lopez Tonight! airs tonight on TBS.

It is not quite official, but it is pretty close. American Idol's lead producer said yesterday that Jennifer Lopez is returning as a judge. When asked whether J-Lo would return, Nigel Lythgoe said, "I believe we're still waiting for the official announcements, but I'm delighted to say that all three judges are back for the next season." Lopez returns to join longtime Idol judge Randy Jackson and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Her decision to rejoin the show has been the source of much speculation she singer said earlier this summer that she was undecided. Showbiz news website TheWrap.com has reported that J-Lo has already closed a deal that would pay her just over $20 million to return for the upcoming season, which begins in January.

We all remember that Charlie Sheen was replaced by Ashton Kutcher on the hit CBS show Two and a Half Men. Well, it looks like Charlie is taking the high road. He told TMZ that he thinks Ashton will do really well on the show. Find out when the season premiere of Two and a Half Men airs September 19th.

On Saturday, Farm Aid is happening in Kansas City, Kansas. John Mellencamp, Willie Nelson, Neil Young, Dave Matthews and many others are performing, and proceeds benefit independent farmers.

Adele is back on top of the Billboard 200 chart. Her 21 album has returned to the number one position after a week at number two, selling another 76-thousand copies, which puts her US total at just over 2.9-million. She should hit triple-platinum in the next week or so. It's her 12th non-consecutive week at number one. Adele kicked off her rescheduled North American tour on Tuesday night in Vancouver, BC. She plays the Paramount tomorrow night.

More Americans choke on toothpicks than any other object.

When you head out into the woods to save a missing person, make sure to pack a GPS. That's the lesson that two police officers and an environmental officer in Fall River, Massachusetts learned this week after heading into the Freetown State Forest to search for a lost woman Monday. According to WCVB-TV Boston, the officers found the 25-year-old and then realized that they didn't know how to get back to safety. The foursome didn't have to wander long though, less than an hour later they were found by a Massachusetts State Police helicopter which, apparently, was equipped with navigation devices.

Journalism students at Florida Atlantic University recently constructed their final summer issue of the student newspaper. And it turned out to be a very special issue because they did it the old-fashioned way: with typewriters, paste-up editing, and cameras with film.

Trivia Answer: Eric Howard Carmen who turns 62 today. His greatest success came in the 1970s, first as a member of The Raspberries (who scored a major hit with their song Go All The Way), then with his solo career, including hits like All By Myself and Never Gonna Fall in Love Again. Then in the 80s with Hungry Eyes and Make Me Lose Control.

The rollercoaster that Wall Street has become did it again today. We climbed the hill yesterday ... only to come speeding down the other side today. Stocks plunged as investors turned their attention back to the weak economy and Europe's debt problems. The Dow Jones industrial average fell over 500 points, or 4.6 percent, in afternoon trading. The average plummeted more than 300 points within minutes of the opening bell. The S&P 500 fell 40, or 3.4 percent, to 1,132, and the Nasdaq fell 77, or 3.1 percent, to 2,405. Yesterday, the Dow surged more than 429 points, its tenth highest point gain in history and the biggest since March 2009.

Josh Hamilton drove in the winning run with a single in the ninth inning and the AL West-leading Texas Rangers rallied from a three-run deficit for a 7-6 victory over the Seattle Mariners last night. The Rangers division lead over second-place Los Angeles remained at 1½ games with the Angels beating the Yankees. The Ms wrap up the series in Texas tonight at 5. An off day tomorrow, then the Boston Red Sox at Safeco for the weekend.

While Texas was beating Seattle, their Triple-A affiliate was beating Seattle's Triple-A affiliate. The Round Rock Express dispatched the Tacoma Rainiers 10-5 last night. That series also wraps up tonight at 5:05. The Rainiers are off tomorrow before hosting the Iowa Cubs for the weekend.

The New York Liberty outlasted the Seattle Storm in the Big Apple last night. New York wins a 58-56 thriller. Sue Bird poured in a team-high 17 points including five 3-pointers. The Storm hosts Tulsa tomorrow at the Key. You can see Tacoma-native and The Voice finalist, Vicci Martinez, at halftime doing an exclusive acoustic performance.

Tomorrow night at 5 on ESPN, the Seattle Seahawks get this pre-season underway. They're in San Diego at Qualcomm Stadium to face the Chargers.

Saturday, Sounders host Chivas USA

At a special council meeting last night, Lacey Mayor Tom Nelson and the City Council appointed Scott Spence as the new City Manager for the city. The appointment follows a nationwide search and a comprehensive selection process to succeed Greg Cuoio, who retired from the position at the end of the June after 24 years of public service with the city. Spence has been with the City of Lacey since 1999, first serving as Public Affairs Director and then appointed as Assistant City Manager in 2003. Congratulations to Scott Spence.

Olympia's own Whoa Dizzy brings their sounds of pop, rock and jazzy blues to Music in the Park this week.The music starts at 7 tonight at Sylvester Park in Downtown Olympia. Terry Holder takes the stage next Wednesday night and Locust Street Taxi rounds out the concert series coming up on the 24th.

Today is Improve Your Ice Cubes By Swapping Recipes Day (I'm still not sure what that's all about). Today is National Duran Duran Appreciation Day. Today is National S'Mores Day. Today is also National Lazy Day, a day to take it easy.

Our tweet du jour comes from Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine who writes: Starting to think that maybe the Mayans are right. Still kinda hoping they aren't.

Another twitter post. This one from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea reacting to the terrible ongoing riots in London. He wrote: Not a rhetorical or sarcastic question…has the scale of justice ever been tipped in a positive way as the result of a riot?

Lady Gaga, Eminem, Rihanna, Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Shakira, Kanye West and 150 other stars are combining their social media might to raise awareness about the growing food crisis in East Africa. They're each taking to Twitter and Facebook pages today with the goal of raising awareness and funds for the nearly 10-million people facing starvation in Somalia and across East Africa.

Android and iPhone app-maker Rovio has teamed up with baby product maker SwaddleDesigns to release an Angry Birds Baby line. New parents can now opt to outfit, wrap or protect their bundles of joy while showing off their Angry Birds fan status.

With people living longer than ever and baby boomers entering old age, look for plastic surgery among those 65 and older to continue its remarkable growth. The New York Times reports there were 84,685 procedures last year alone.

Trivia Answer: Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr. -- Isaac Hayes -- who died on this date three years ago. His 1972 Academy Award was for the Theme from Shaft. He also won two Grammy Awards that year. On South Park, Hayes provided the voice for Chef from the show's debut on August 13th of 1997 through the end of its ninth season in 2006. In the South Park episode Trapped in the Closet, a satire of Scientology which aired on November 16, 2005, Hayes did not appear in his role as Chef. A few months later, a statement was issued in Hayes' name, indicated that he was asking to be released from his contract with Comedy Central, citing recent episodes which satirized religious beliefs as being intolerant. Hayes request for release from his contract was agreed to. On August 10th of 2008, Hayes was found unconscious in his home just east of Memphis. His wife found him on the floor near a still-running treadmill. Medical examiners later listed a recurrence of stroke as the cause of death.

That boing sound you hear is Wall Street. US stocks ended a gut-wrenching session today with huge gains -- erasing a big chunk of yesterday's massive loss -- after the Federal Reserve said it's keeping interest rates exceptionally low until 2013. The Dow Jones industrial average rallied 430 points, or 4%. The S&P 500 added 53 points, or 5%; and the Nasdaq gained 125 points, or 5%. Immediately following the Fed's statement, the major indexes all briefly slid into the red -- with the Dow dropping more than 200 points. The Dow fluctuated by more than 600 points during today's session. In its latest monetary policy statement, the Federal Reserve left key interest rates unchanged, saying that deterioration in the labor market and slower-than-expected economic growth will require the central bank to keep rates "exceptionally low" until the middle of 2013.

It just gets uglier and uglier for the Seattle Mariners. The Ms placed shortstop Brendan Ryan on the 15-day disabled list with a left shoulder injury before last night's game against the Texas Rangers. In that game in Texas, Matt Harrison pitched seven strong innings for his career-high 10th victory, Nelson Cruz homered, and the Texas Rangers beat the Seattle Mariners 9-2. Cruz, Mitch Moreland, and (former Mariner) Yorvit Torrealba all had three hits for the AL West-leading Rangers, who stretched their lead over second-place Los Angeles to 1 1-2 games. The Ms and Rangers go again tonight.

Meanwhile, the Tacoma Rainiers are playing the Rangers Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock, Texas. Sunday, the Rainiers cruised past the Express 12-7. A little tighter last night but still a win for Tacoma as they won 8-7. Two more games for the Rainiers in Round Rock, tonight and tomorrow night, before an off-day Thursday. Rainiers are back at Cheney Stadium hosting the Iowa Cubs Friday night.

The Seattle Storm is at New York tonight at 5.

Thursday, the Seattle Seahawks launch the pre-season at San Diego.

Saturday, the Seattle Sounders host Chivas USA

You can fill in a couple of gaps in your Blu-ray collection today. Dazed and Confused, and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are both out on Blu-ray today.

Today is Send an E-Mail Greeting Day. Today is National Rice Pudding Day. Today is National Clean Out the Kitchen Cabinets Day. Today is National Snickerdoodle Day.

A Moment of Silence is being observed today at Peace Memorial Park in Nagasaki, Japan, where an American bomber dropped an atomic bomb on August 9th of 1945.

After nearly 200 years, the House page program that allowed high school students to serve as messengers and learn about Congress is ending, rendered obsolete by the Internet and email in cost-cutting times. House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said the $5 million annual expense can no longer be justified when messages and other materials are delivered electronically. The blue-jacketed pages, who have been a common sight in the House since the 1820s, now have little to do, according to the two leaders. The program, which has also been touched by scandal, is ending by August 31st. The Supreme Court ended its page program in the 1970s, The Senate page program will continue.

The classic 1987 film Dirty Dancing is getting a remake, adding songs from the 1960s and brand new compositions to some of the original music. That word from the film studio Lionsgate yesterday. The beloved coming of age movie, starring the late Patrick Swayze as smoldering dance teacher Johnny Castle in a forbidden romance with teenager Jennifer Grey as Frances "Baby" Houseman, is being modernized for a new generation, according to the producers. Kenny Ortega, the film's original choreographer and the director of the Michael Jackson concert movie This Is It and High School Musical, is directing the new version which has not yet been cast. Dirty Dancing is the latest iconic dance film to be revisited. A much-delayed remake of the 1984 film Footloose starring newcomer Kenny Wormald and Julianne Hough is due to arrive in movie theaters in October, while an updated version of the 1980 musical Fame was a critical flop in 2009.

The film version of the hit Broadway musical Rock of Ages is in production in Florida and when the guys from Def Leppard were in the state, they got to check in on how things are going. In the movie, Stacee Jaxx, the rock star character played by Tom Cruise, sings Def Leppard's hit Pour Some Sugar on Me.

Comedy Central has partnered up with Weird Al Yankovic for the world premiere of Weird Al Yankovic Live this coming fall! It's Al's first tour special since 1999. Catch it on Comedy Central Saturday, October 1st. Weird Al Yankovic Live! -- The Alpocalypse Tour special. It's out on DVD, and Blu-Ray on October 4th.

Crazy About Pippa is on TLC tonight. Featuring interviews with the people who know her best, this documentary aims to discover everything about Britain's most eligible bachelorette, Pippa Middleton.

Gavin DeGraw is recovering after being attacked by a group of men on a New York City street. Police say DeGraw suffered a broken nose and a cut to his face after he was beaten up by "unknown male attackers" early Sunday morning in the East Village. An investigation is ongoing. A statement sent out by his spokesman last night says he was taken to Bellevue Hospital in an ambulance and is still hospitalized under observation. DeGraw has been forced to cancel a planned concert tonight in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

A New York City couple has gotten back their beanie baby that they've raised like a son. Last week word came out that the grief-stricken New Yorkers frantically papered their neighborhood with fliers offering hundreds of dollars for the safe return of their beloved monkey doll named Bongo. Bongo was found and safely returned by a man in Brooklyn.

Trivia Answer: Melanie Griffith who turns 54 today. Griffith began work at just nine months old appearing in a commercial In 1975, she played her first major roles in Smile, The Drowning Pool, and Night Moves, in which she did racy nude scenes at age 17, and was typecast in sexy nymphet roles in later movies such as One on One. She achieved mainstream success when Mike Nichols cast her as spunky secretary Tess McGill in the hit 1988 film Working Girl, with Harrison Ford, Sigourney Weaver, Alec Baldwin and Joan Cusack. Griffith's performance earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress and won her the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Musical or Comedy. At age 14, Griffith began dating 22-year old actor Don Johnson who co-starred with her mother in The Harrad Experiment, in which Griffith was an extra. The relationship culminated in a six-month marriage in 1976. In September 1981, Griffith married Steven Bauer, her co-star in the TV film She's in the Army Now. The couple divorced in 1987. She checked into rehab in 1988. During this time, she reconciled with Johnson, became sober and pregnant. They remarried in June 1989. She left him six years later because of his own substance abuse problems, reconciled with him, then left him again for Antonio Banderas.Don and Melanie finalized their divorce in February 1996. Griffith and Banderas have been married since May of 1996.

It was another "don't even look at your 401(k)" kind of day. The Dow ended the day down 633 points, closing at 10,811. The S&P and Nasdaq were both down more than 6.7 percent. This was the first session following news that the United States had lost its coveted "AAA" credit rating. And it wasn't just here as markets around the globe were lower. European stocks ended the session sharply lower. Britain's FTSE 100 dropped 2.7%, the DAX in Germany sank 4.7%, and France's CAC 40 dropped 4.2%. Asian markets also ended deep in the red. The Shanghai Composite retreated 3.8%, the Hang Seng in Hong Kong and Japan's Nikkei each fell 2.2%. Wow and sheesh.

A new survey finds that 67% of American Adults say the state of the economy is causing more stress on their family. Ya think?

Not a good start to Seafair weekend for driver Kevin Eacret and the Miss 94Five Roxy. The boat blew a prop during the qualifying heat on Saturday. In fact, she was unable to complete a qualifying heat all weekend but was still eligible to run in the finals yesterday. In the first attempt to run the final, the race was stopped when driver Kayleigh Perkins Mallory's hydro flipped. She appeared to be fine after being pulled from the boat by rescue crews. Perkins captured the Unlimited Lights championship at Seafair in 2009. When the race was run later, it was The Wolford Demolition boat taking first place with driver Paul Becker scoring his second consecutive Graham Trucking Cup. Kevin and the Roxy Boat finished second. The Miss 94Five Roxy boat is racing again the 20th and 21st at Polson Montana, then is racing in the Race at Salmon Days in Issaquah, October 1st and 2nd. In the main event of the day, Steve David used a slingshot maneuver to gain the inside lane at the start and raced the Oh Boy! Oberto to the Albert Lee Cup title.  During trials last year, the Roxy boat almost flipped on the Lake Washington course.  Click here for the video.

Ervin Santana pitched into the ninth inning of his fourth straight phenomenal start, and Mark Trumbo homered off Felix Hernandez and the Los Angeles Angels beat the Seattle Mariner, 2-1, yesterday. Santana lost his shutout bid on Mike Carp's one-out homer in the ninth, and manager Mike Scioscia pulled him two outs short of his third consecutive complete game. Hernandez retired 18 of the Angels' first 19 hitters, striking out four in a row while racking up nine strikeouts in the first six innings. He ended up with a dozen. Hernandez limited the Angels to four hits and didn't walk a batter in eight innings, yet he hasn't beaten Los Angeles in eight starts and dropped to 1-5 in 12 career starts at Angel Stadium. The Mariners lost two of three in Anaheim despite giving up just four runs in the three-game weekend series. New Mariner Charlie Furbush takes the mound for his fourth major league start as the Mariners open a three-game series at Texas this afternoon at 5:05.

The Tacoma Rainiers are in Round Rock, Texas for four games. They were 12-7 winners of game one against the Express last night. The Round Rock Express is the Triple-A affiliate of the Texas Rangers. Round Rock is adjacent to Austin. Game two tonight at 5:05.

The Seattle Storm fell to the Atlanta Dream in Georgia yesterday afternoon. Swin Cash had 16 points and Katie Smith came off the bench for 11 but the Storm came up short In a rematch of last year's WNBA finals falling to the Dream 70-53. The Storm plays at New York tomorrow afternoon at 5.

The Seahawks get things going Thursday as they play their first pre-season game of the year. They're in San Diego to face the Chargers.

Saturday night, the Sounders got 2 late goals to beat Sporting KC. Mauro Rosales and Lamar Neagle scored less than two minutes apart at the close of the second half, giving Seattle Sounders a 2-1 win and snapping Sporting Kansas City's 14-match unbeaten streak. Kansas City lost its first game since May 21st — ending a 6-0-8 stretch. Coming up Saturday, the Sounders host Chivas USA.

Former Senator Mark Hatfield, an outspoken critic of war whose liberal views often put him at odds with fellow Republicans but endeared him to Oregonians, died yesterday. Hatfield, who had become increasingly frail in recent years, died at a Portland residence. Also a former governor, Hatfield was the longest serving US senator in Oregon history, serving five terms from 1967 to 1997. He gained fame for key efforts against American involvement in Vietnam and the Persian Gulf war, but also spoke in favor of President George W. Bush's decision to invade Iraq. Hatfield was a Republican in a predominantly Democratic state. But his causes -- championing the environment, the needy and human rights -- won him admirers across the political spectrum. Mark Hatfield was 89.

Today is The Date to Create. You're supposed to brainstorm with family members or co-workers on ways to be creative today. Tonight is Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor's Porch Night, a night for gardeners who grew too much zucchini. Today also marks the start of National Farmers Market Week. The current US Department of Agriculture's National Farmers Market Directory says there's a total of 7,175 farmers markets operating throughout the US.

Prime Time has arrived at Canton. Deion Sanders joined Marshall Faulk in entering the hall in their first year of eligibility. Shannon Sharpe, Richard Dent, Chris Hanburger, Les Richter, and Ed Sabol were also enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame before an enthusiastic crowd of 13,300 -- much lower than the usual turnout. With yesterday's Hall of Fame game a victim of the 4½-month NFL lockout, Fawcett Stadium was half full.

More than 900 red-lipsticked, redheaded women -- and men -- gathered near a Vitameatavegamin sign in the hometown of I Love Lucy star Lucille Ball to mark her 100th birthday on Saturday. Sporting upswept hairdos and blue and white polka dot dresses, the crowd of 915 Lucy Ricardos set to establish the first Guinness world record for most Lucy look-alikes in her honor. It was all part of the annual Lucy Fest in Jamestown, which drew fans from as far away as Australia to the normally sleepy town of 30,000 people in upstate New York. I Love Lucy ran for 179 episodes from 1951 to 1957 and has been seen in reruns for decades since.

Last week, mentioned the 20th anniversary edition of U2's 1991 album Achtung Baby album is coming out in November. Now more details have emerged. The Uber-Deluxe release features a hardback book, four badges, a sticker sheet and a replica of Bono's 'The Fly' sunglasses. It all comes November 1st.

A 29-year-old British woman fell 35-hundred feet, thanks to a faulty parachute, but managed to limp away from the scene. According to the Daily Mail newspaper, when the skydiver's main chute didn't open, she pulled on her backup, which did open, but didn't deploy correctly. She began to spiral before landing in a boggy field in Scotland, just a mile-and-a-half from her intended location. Shockingly, her only injury was a broken ankle.

If you thought Charlie's Angels were just butt kicking female superheroes, think again. The Angels are storming back next month in a high-stakes remake of the classic 1970s television series that producers say will bring the crime-fighting trio back down to earth. The iconic TV series, which aired from 1976 to 1981, made the late Farrah Fawcett an international sex symbol, and girl power found a new generation of fans in the 2000 and 2003 movies. The executive producer of the new show says "We know a show like this has a big target on its back." He said said the two hit feature films based on the series, starring Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu, were "like superhero movies for girls." He says, "We wanted to make this more grounded, make these women feel real, to give them a past. We wanted audiences to have something to come back to each week. The show is about redemption and second chances." Grey's Anatomy actress Rachael Taylor, Minka Kelly of Friday Night Lights and Annie Ilonzeh, last seen on General Hospital, are taking on the roles first made famous by Fawcett, Jaclyn Smith and Kate Jackson. ABC's new series, premiering next month switches the action to Miami. Actor Robert Wagner provided the voice of Charlie in the ABC pilot but has since dropped out because of what producers called "scheduling issues." The program makers are still looking for a new Charlie, someone whose voice has the sufficient "mystery, paternalism and authority."

Trivia Answer: Don Most -- sometimes credited as Donny Most -- who turns 58 today. Following his role as a regular cast member on Happy Days, Most has appeared in other film and television work. Film credits include EDtv (1999), Planting Melvin (2005) and The Great Buck Howard (2008). He also made guest appearances on many TV shows, including CHiPs, The Love Boat, Sliders, Star Trek: Voyager and Diagnosis Murder. Most performed as a voice actor on several Saturday morning cartoon series. Among these roles were: Ralph Malph on The Fonz and the Happy Days Gang (1980); Eric the Cavalier in Dungeons & Dragons (1983); and Stiles on Teen Wolf (1986-1989). Most makes a brief appearance 3 minutes into the 17th episode of the fifth season of Family Guy titled "It Takes a Village Idiot, and I Married One." Most is married to actress Morgan Hart. He has two daughters and lives near Los Angeles.

A rough day in the stock market yesterday. The financial markets suffered their worst day since the crisis of 2008. The Dow Jones industrial average fell more than 500 points, its ninth-steepest decline ever. The sell-off wiped out the Dow's gains for 2011. It put the Dow and broader stock indexes into what investors call a correction -- down 10 percent from the highs of this spring. The day was reminiscent of the wild swings that defined the markets during the crisis three years ago. Gold prices briefly hit a record high, oil fell an extraordinary $5 a barrel, and frightened investors were so desperate to get into some government bonds that they were willing accept almost no return on their money. It was the most alarming day yet in the almost uninterrupted selling that has swept Wall Street for two weeks. Since July 21st, the Dow has lost more than 1,300 points, or 10.5 percent of its value. It has closed lower nine of the 10 trading days since then. Today, however, was an up day with the Dow closing up 60.93 to close at 11,444.61.

Ron Harris was talking on his show last night about a Facebook page he had come across.  It's called You might be from Olympia if... We then had a post on our Facebook page explaining that the Oly page "was created by my good friend Alona Cabiao and I'm trying to get her some recognition for it!"  Check it out here.

The Jack Cust experiment was over months ago, but the Mariners made it official yesterday when they released the designated hitter. Cust was signed in the offseason with hopes that he could provide some pop in the middle of a power-starved lineup. He didn't. Also yesterday, the Mariners optioned outfielder Greg Halman to Triple-A Tacoma. A corresponding roster move is being made before tonight's game against the Los Angeles Angels in Anaheim.

After losing the opener on the road trip, the Tacoma Rainiers bounced back last night knocking off the Isotopes at Albuquerque, 12-4. The same two teams tonight and tomorrow night before the Rainiers head off to Round Rock, Texas on Sunday.

The Seattle Storm hosts the Connecticut Sun tonight at 7 at Key Arena.

The Seattle Sounders return to MLS play tomorrow. They're in Kansas City (on the Kansas side of the river) to face Sporting KC tomorrow night at 5:30.

Former Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux has reportedly signed a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans. Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray was the Seahawks secondary coach last season. Babineaux, who spent seven seasons with the Seahawks, reportedly turned down better offers to reunite with Gray. Babineaux joins longtime Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck in Tennessee. Coming up Thursday, it's the Seahawks first pre-season game of the year. They're at San Diego to face the Chargers.

National Chigger Week begins today. Today is Work Like a Dog Day, a day to celebrate everyone who works like a dog to be successful. The Twins Day Festival begins today in Twinsburg Ohio. Word is you won't find a bigger gathering of twins anywhere.

Ever felt like everyone changed the plan and forgot to tell you? Serbian pro tennis player Bojana Jovanovski does. This week, she was headed to Carlsbad, California for the Mercury Insurance Open, but her travel agent sent her to Carlsbad, New Mexico. According to the El Paso Times, she didn't realize the mistake until she was waiting for her ride to take her to the hotel, only it was a thousand miles away. After spending the night in the airport, she caught a flight to Albuquerque then another to San Diego and arrived in Carlsbad, California just 30 minutes before her match. Looks like that travel agent is out of a job.

Paul McCartney said yesterday that he appears to be a victim of the newspaper phone hacking scandal in Britain and plans to talk to police when he finishes his US tour. Speaking to journalists in Los Angeles via satellite from Ohio, McCartney said he didn't have the full facts but called phone hacking by British newspaper journalists a "horrendous invasion of privacy." McCartney's ex-wife Heather Mills told the BBC earlier this week that a journalist working for a British newspaper had confronted her with details of a message left by McCartney on her phone in early 2001 following an argument with the singer. The claim by Mills appeared to widen the hacking scandal from News Corp-owned British newspapers to rival publications in the Daily Mirror group. It also put pressure on Piers Morgan, who edited the Mirror from 1995-2004 and who is now a talk show host for CNN. Morgan has repeatedly denied any involvement in phone hacking. British police are conducting a wide-ranging inquiry into claims that journalists and private detectives seeking gossip for stories illegally intercepted voicemail messages on the phones of people ranging from celebrities and politicians to murder victims.

It's looking like Adele's album, 21, could be back on top of the Billboard album chart come next week. Billboard.com reports it's set to return to the summit. If that does indeed happen, it will be Adele's non-consecutive week at number one, and that would also mean that the album hasn't dropped out of the top three since it came out 22 weeks ago. The official word is due in the middle of next week. If Adele does reach number one again, she'll have the most weeks at the top since Santana's Supernatural was there for 12 non-consecutive weeks back in 1999 and 2000.

Could Lady Gaga and Madonna be teaming up for a series of concerts, not unlike the Face 2 Face shows that Elton John and Billy Joel did a while back? In a word -- no. That was the rumor going around, but the New York Daily News reached out to Madge's longtime rep, Liz Rosenberg, for a comment, who proceeded to "laugh" at their question and then said, "Go to the title of Stevie Nicks' new album for the answer." Stevie's new album is called, In Your Dreams."

Trivia Answer: Rick Derringer -- born Richard Zehringer -- who turns 64 today. He was born with the last name Z E H R I N G E R. Hang on Sloopy was released on Bang Records whose logo was a derringer pistol. Because his real name was often misspelled, he adopted the stage name Derringer. He, of course, also had a successful solo career, and his solo version of Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo was a hit single. Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo was featured in the 1993 film Dazed and Confused, as well as in the Xbox 360 version of Guitar Hero II in 2007.

It made it up to 81 here in Olympia yesterday but we're wimps when you look at what's going on in other parts of the country. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories for parts of 15 states today, nearly all in the South, stretching from a sliver of Southern California to North Carolina. Today will be the 34th straight day of 100-plus-degree temperatures in Dallas, if the forecast holds true.

Just a horrendous day on Wall Street today. Stocks suffered the worst sell-off since the 2008 financial crisis. The Dow plunged more than 500 points on fears of a global economic slowdown. US markets were already sharply lower on widespread worries, including the weak job market. But the selling gained momentum as Japanese and European policymakers stepped in with dramatic measures to shore up their financial markets. All three major indexes tumbled more than 4% today and erased all their gains for the year. The indexes have also pushed into 'correction' territory -- defined as a 10% drop from their highs earlier this year. Over the past 10 days alone, the Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq have dropped about 8%. You weren't planning on retiring any time soon anyway, right?

Things seem to be changing on the good ship Mariner -- both the roster and the results. It's too little too late for this year but … After losing 17-in-a-row, the Ms, won for the fifth time in their last seven games yesterday, beating the Oakland Athletics 7-4 behind newly acquired pitcher Charlie Furbush. The left-hander retired the first 13 batters in five strong innings and he was supported by stellar defense and a 14-hit attack. Seattle swept the Oakland series. It was just the third series sweep for the Mariners this season. An off day for the Ms today then they're at Anaheim to face Los Angeles Angels for the weekend.

The Rainiers lose the first game of the road trip falling to the Isotopes at Albuquerque last night, 6-3. The same two teams tonight at 6:05

With its CONCACAF Champions League life on the line, the Sounders FC returned to the cozy confines of Century Link Field, faced Panama's San Francisco FC for the second time in 10 days, and took care of business. It took 120 minutes, but the Sounders ended the night on top, winning the two-match, aggregate-scoring CCL preliminary round, 2-1. Saturday, the Sounders return to MLS play on the road at Sporting KC.

Tomorrow night, the Seattle Storm hosts Connecticut

One week from today, the Seahawks are back in action. They open the pre-season in San Diego against the Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium.

Football great and Police Academy star Bubba Smith has died. Charles Aaron 'Bubba' Smith was found dead at his home yesterday, according tothe Los Angeles County Coroner's Office. Police and fire officials were called to Smith's home after "he was found unresponsive" and pronounced him dead. An autopsy is being performed to determine cause of death. An imposing 6 foot 8 and 260 pounds, Smith played for the Colts in two Super Bowls and was also a two-time Pro Bowl pick. After retiring from pro football in 1975, Smith landed small roles on TV series such as Good Times, Charlie's Angels, and Semi-Tough before landing his signature role as Lt. Moses Hightower in the first Police Academy movie in 1984. He reprised the role in all six movies in the popular comedy franchise. Bubba Smith was 66.

According to CBS, Ashton Kutcher plays "an Internet billionaire with a broken heart" on the upcoming season of Two and a Half Men. His character's name is Walden Schmidt and unlike Charlie Sheen's character, Walden isn't related to the other Two and a Half Men characters. The new season of Two and a Half Men starts September 19th.

It looks like Lindsay Lohan isn't guaranteed the role of Kim Gotti in the new Gotti film, as was previously reported. But both her camp and the movie producers have said they're still talking about Lohan appearing in the film.

Today is National Chocolate Chip Day. Today is also Coast Guard Day. Tentatively, today is National Underwear Day. I figure even if it's not, I'd go ahead and wear some anyway.

Over the past 15 years, Nickelback has sold over 21-million albums in US alone. The band is currently in the studio working on the follow-up to their hugely successful 2008 album, Dark Horse. No word on when Nickelback is releasing new music, but we should hear a single within the next few months.

Matchbox twenty is in the studio working on their next album, but it seems that they're missing one key member. Frontman Rob Thomas wrote on Twitter that he's actually at home in New York doing some writing while the rest of the guys are in Nashville recording without him. He said that he'll be joining them "next week." Still no word on when we can expect to hear any of this new music, either.

It was yet another steady week toward the top of the Billboard album chart for Adele. Her album, 21, fell from the summit to number two, but she still managed to sell another 80-thousand copies, putting her over 2.8-million records sold in the US alone. She should hit triple-platinum in the next couple of weeks.

Duran Duran has officially announced the dates for their North American tour. That September 23rd show at Comcast Arena in Everett is the first of the nationwide trek. The tour wraps up October 29th in Atlantic City. Neon Trees is opening for the guys at almost every show, including in Everett.

According to Rolling Stone, Kings of Leon could have to fork up as much as 15-million dollars to promoters, venues and others for the cancellation of their summer tour. The cancellation may also make it difficult for the band to procure insurance for future gigs.

In Florida, an orthodontist fitted a 171-pound green sea turtle with braces ... for his shell. The Palm Beach Post is reporting that the endangered animal, who's named after the late wrester Andre the Giant, had received two large gashes in its shell after being hit by a boat propeller. The orthodontist was brought in to bridge the wounds together in order for the shell to grow back together. Unlike most people who opt for braces, Andre only had to wear his for 13 months. His shell is now hard enough to withstand the ocean and he is ready to be released back into the wild.

Ace Hardware is the new one-stop-shop. You can pick-up your lawn and garden supplies, a few gallons of paint and ... an artificial limb for your legless turtle. A 12-year-old African tortoise had one of its limbs amputated recently after an injury and the veterinarians' seemingly far-fetched fix was a seven-dollar swiveling wheel from the local Ace Hardware. The glue used to attach the wheel to the turtle's shell was also purchased at the store. The caster-style wheel allows the amphibian to roll on smooth as well as lumpy surfaces. Doctors report the turtle is thriving with its new leg and even gaining weight.

A carjacker in Pittsburgh had some rotten luck this weekend when he targeted a plainclothes detective. According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 21-year-old Micah Calamosca began to carjack Pittsburgh detective Robert DiGiacomo, but was instead apprehended. In his defense, Micah told police that the attempt was part of filming for the next installment in the Batman franchise, The Dark Knight Rises, which started shooting in the city Friday. Evidently, Commissioner Gordon wasn't able to corroborate his story, as this not-so-caped crusader was charged with felony robbery of a motor vehicle and jailed. Heckuva try though, eh?

Trivia Answer: The US Air Force. I believe it began as the US Army Air Corps, but don't quote me. Since we're talking aircraft, I wanted to take moment and mention the Blue Angels are in the Northwest this weekend for Seafair. Than Angels aren't Air Force, however, they're a product of the U.S. Navy. The Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, popularly known as the Blue Angels, was formed in 1946 and is currently the oldest formal flying aerobatic team. The squadron's six demonstration pilots currently fly the F/A-18 Hornet in more than 70 shows at 34 locations throughout the United States each year, where they still employ many of the same practices and techniques used in their aerial displays in 1946. With the Blue Angels overhead, WSDOT is closing all lanes and several ramps of I-90 between today and Sunday during the Angels' practice sessions. If you're heading that way any time in the next couple or three days, it'd be a good idea to check in with WSDOT.

Casper Wells hit a two-run homer in his third game with Seattle and the Mariners chalked up a 4-2 win over the Oakland Athletics last night. Ms and As wrap up the series -- and the Mariners go for the sweep --with a matinee today.

The Tacoma Rainiers wrapped up the homestand yesterday getting past the Las Vegas 51s, 6-2. Tonight the Rainiers are in Albuquerque to face the Isotopes.

The Seattle Storm knocked off the San Antonio Silver Stars at Key Arena last night, 78-64. The home stand continues for the Storm as they host Connecticut Friday night.

Three-time WNBA MVP Lauren Jackson has signed a multi-year extension that will likely allow her to end her career with the Seattle Storm, the only franchise she has played for. The Storm announced the extension yesterday. Terms of the deal were not released.

Tonight at 7:00, the Seattle Sounders host San Francisco in a CONCACAF match.

The Seahawks confirmed yesterday that they have agreed to terms with Pro Bowl tight end Zach Miller. Miller was long expected to re-sign with the Oakland Raiders. Miller gives the Seahawks a big-time receiving threat at tight end. It's unclear yet how the move will impact John Carlson, the team's second-round pick in 2008. Carlson was slowed by injury last season, but played 15 games and caught 31 passes for 318 yards. Miller is younger and has posted superior statistics to Carlson, meaning Carlson could be relegated to a backup role if the Seahawks decide to keep him. It also wouldn't be surprising to see Seattle try to trade Carlson, who is entering the fourth year of his rookie contract. Seahawks pre-season play kicks off a week from tomorrow at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego against the Chargers.

Steven Tyler is teaming up with Boston Red Sox designated hitter David Ortiz for a good cause. On September 24th, the pair is taking part in the Ride for Our Heroes, a motorcycle ride that raises funds for clinical care and other services for veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many were wondering how CBS was going to transition from Charlie Sheen to Ashton Kutcher on Two and a Half Men. Well, Sheen's character is going to die. The season premiere of Two and a Half Men on CBS is featuring Charlie Harper's funeral and introducing Ashton's character into the series. The season premiere of Two and a Half Men is September 19th. That just happens to be the air date for Comedy Central's Roast of Charlie Sheen.

There are lots of rumors spreading about Kings of Leon right now after they abruptly cancelled the remaining dates on their summer tour. Us Weekly reports that a source close to the band says the group is urging frontman Caleb Followill to enter rehab, saying his drinking is out of control. Drummer Nathan Followill took to Twitter to write, "Bummed about the tour not happening. So sorry 4 all the fans. We just need some rest. Thanks 4 understanding. WE ARE NOT BREAKING UP!"

Duran Duran with special guests Neon Trees play Comcast Arena in Everett on Friday, September 23rd. Tickets go on sale Friday morning at 10.

A couple of free concerts are on tap this week in downtown Olympia as the Concerts in the Park series rolls on. The reggae/rock group from Bellingham, Yogoman Burning Band, takes the stage at Sylvester Park tonight at 7. Friday night at 7, the Jacob Merlin Band from Portland brings what's being called an "old school sound with a new style of funky jazz, pop rock" to Port Plaza behind Anthony's HomePort.

Word from Miami where the US Coast Guard says its crews helped stop a submarine-like craft filled with $180 million of cocaine in the western Caribbean. The Coast Guard said that a cutter found the semi-submersible craft July 13th off the coast of Honduras near the Nicaraguan border. Officials say it was found with the help of a US Customs and Border Protection airplane. The watercraft sank, but it was found a couple of days ago after several searches by the Coast Guard, FBI dive teams, and the Honduran Navy. An FBI dive team recovered nearly 7.5 tons of cocaine, which was turned over to US law enforcement. Similar crafts regularly smuggle drugs along Central America's Pacific Coast, though U.S. and Honduran authorities said this was the first time such a vessel was intercepted in Caribbean waters.

A South Carolina trooper says he found a kilogram of cocaine in a suspect's prosthetic leg, after he pulled over a vehicle for driving slow in the fast lane.

The Illinois Secretary Of State's office is considering turning residents' vehicles into moving billboards. You could get a break on your vehicle registration fee if you allow an advertisement on your license plate. According to the Chicago Tribune, a study is currently underway to determine the cost of implementing the plan, public interest and whether or not the ad will be visible enough to justify the program.

This week, a fugitive in New York City challenged police officers by posting "Catch me if you can. I'm in Brooklyn" on his Facebook page. And, guess what? They did. The New York Daily News reports that Victor Burgos of Utica, New York was wanted by police for domestic violence charges and harassment of his former girlfriend. So, logically, he harassed the police right into finding him. NYPD detectives tracked the 29-year-old to an apartment in Brooklyn, where he sat at a computer with his Facebook page still open.

Amy Winehouse's Back to Black album has reached the top of the UK album chart. It's the second time that the effort has topped the charts, as it also reached number one when it was first released in 2006. By the way, Amy's official cause of death is yet to be determined.

Bryan Adams showed off his new baby daughter for the first time over the weekend in London. According to ContactMusic.com, the 51-year-old first-time father hadn't been seen in public with Mirabella Bunny since she was born in mid-April. Bryan had the baby with his personal assistant, Alicia Grimaldi.

Adam Levine seems to have had such a good experience being on NBC as a part of The Voice that he's decided to team up with the network in yet another capacity. According to Deadline.com, the Maroon 5 frontman will produce a still-unnamed sitcom about a karaoke bar. No word yet on when the show will begin filming. Meanwhile, he's got moves like Jagger.  Check it out ...

Bruce Springsteen looks cool in just about everything he does, but sometimes, in the things you don't see, The Boss doesn't look so great. Recently, an unused video the rocker did for his 1984 classic Dancing in the Dark came out and in it, Bruce is dressed like he's in an aerobics class and does some less-than-cool dance moves. While wearing a white tank top, suspenders and a head band, Springsteen does things like pirouette and point to the viewer and say "hey baby." Check it out...

The Princeton Review is out with its annual list of the best colleges -- and top party schools. This year, Ohio University in Athens, Ohio, captured the top party prize.

New research shows if you're an innie and not an outie, your belly button is home to at least 60 to 100 or more species of bacteria, fungi and yeasts.

A piece of the space shuttle Columbia has been discovered in an east Texas lake. The shuttle broke up when re-entering the atmosphere in 2003, killing its seven-person crew. The newly-discovered part is a tank 4 feet in diameter that contributed power and water to the shuttle. The part was discovered after a drought lowered the lake's water level.

Police in Idaho Falls, Idaho, investigated a man in a bunny suit after neighbors reported him as a public nuisance for frightening children in their neighborhood. Thirty-four year old William Falkingham was advised by police not to wear his bunny suit in public. Ya know, I put my bunny suit away once I turned 30.

Trivia Answer: Nate McMillan who turns 47 today. The team that drafted him into the NBA was, of course, the Seattle Supersonics. Today, he's the Portland Trailblazers' head coach. Known as 'Mr. Sonic' for his 19 years of service to the team, his #10 jersey was retired by the Sonics.

In one inning last night, the Seattle Mariners topped their run output from the previous three games. It was a 5-run second inning and the Mariners beat the Oakland Athletics 8-4. Game two tonight at 7.

The Seattle Sounders host San Francisco in a CONCACAF match tomorrow night at 7:00. They return to MLS action Saturday at Kansas City.

The Seattle Storm is hosting San Antonio tonight at 7:00.

The Seattle Seahawks first game is just a little over a week away. It comes up on Thursday the 11th in San Diego.

Be sure to join Roxy's Ron Harris tonight in the City of Fircrest. Ron and the Fircrest Police Department are joining and over 15,000 other communities for the National Night Out Against Crime. Ron's at Fircrest Park from 6 til 9. There are lots of activities for both young and old. You can get a hot dog, can of pop, and potato chips for only $1.00. There are numerous food vendors handing out samples. There's also a live band, a giant slide, and clowns galore who are, painting faces, and handing out balloons to children at no cost. The evening wraps up with a fireworks show.

Leonardo DiCaprio and Johnny Depp topped the latest list of Forbes magazine's highest-earning actors. DiCaprio earned $77 million while Depp pulled in $50 million.

Carrie Underwood was the top earning former American Idol contestant between May of 2010 and May of 2011, with an estimated $20 million.

Mentioned yesterday that trouble was brewing in the Kings of Leon camp over the weekend as the band cut short a concert in Dallas, and then cancelled a show in Houston the following night. The group has now cancelled the remaining dates of their summer tour. Singer Caleb Followill is reportedly suffering from "vocal issues and exhaustion," but bassist Jared Followill took to his Twitter over the weekend to write, "There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade." The cancelled shows include the September 14th show at Key Arena. Get your refund at the point of purchase. The guys are set to resume touring on September 28th in Vancouver, BC.

Duran Duran with special guests Neon Trees play Comcast Arena in Everett on Friday, September 23rd. Tickets go on sale this Friday morning at 10 o'clock.

A couple of free concerts are on tap this week in downtown Olympia as the Concerts in the Park series rolls on. The reggae/rock group from Bellingham, Yogoman Burning Band, takes the stage at Sylvester Park tomorrow night at 7. Friday night at 7, the Jacob Merlin Band from Portland brings what's being called an "old school sound with a new style of funky jazz, pop rock" to Port Plaza behind Anthony's HomePort.

Website TheDailyMeal has come up with a list of the 25 Best Celebrity-Owned Restaurants. In this case, celebrities don't include ones whose fame and expertise relies on their abilities in the kitchen. At the top of the list is Market Restaurant and Bar in Del Mar, California, owned by Tony Hawk.

Coldplay is headlining Lollapalooza this weekend. It all gets underway this Friday at Chicago's Grant Park.

Our tweet du jour comes from Seth MacFarlane who writes: This debt ceiling has felt like a giant meteor headed toward us, except I understand what a meteor is.

It's a series premiere tonight on ABC. It's a new reality competition from the producers of The Amazing Race. It's called Take the Money and Run. Two civilians are given a briefcase with $100,000 in it and an hour to hide it. Two detectives then have 48 hours to find the briefcase. If the detectives find the briefcase, they keep the money. If not, the two players keep the $100,000.

Al Pacino's daughter, Julie Pacino was arrested in New York City over the weekend for DWI. The 21-year-old was stopped at a DWI checkpoint in Manhattan around 1:35 Saturday morning according to People. The police report states that the actor's daughter had bloodshot eyes, slurred speech and a strong smell of alcohol on her breath. She admitted to the cops that she had been drinking and smoking marijuana. Julie was arraigned and released from jail on Saturday night.

When lighters are outlawed, only outlaws will have lighters. A California woman accidentally shot her 12-year-old daughter recently when she mistook a .22-caliber "derringer style" revolver for a lighter. According to the police report, Rachel Avila tried to light her cigarette with the gun when the "bullet struck the ground, and then ricocheted upward and entered her daughter's upper right arm." The child has been treated and is fine, but police are still trying to determine who the firearm belongs to.

Trivia Answer: John Carroll O'Connor -- better known as Carroll O'Connor -- who was born on this date in 1924. He'll forever be known as the bigoted Archie Bunker on All in the Family and the subsequent spin-off Archie Bunker's Place. He was also among the actors considered for the roles of The Skipper on Gilligan's Island and Dr. Smith in the TV show Lost In Space. O'Connor was living in Italy in 1968 when producer Norman Lear first asked him to come to New York to star in a pilot he was creating for ABC called Justice For All, inspired by the popular BBC series Til Death Us Do Part, playing Archie Justice, a loveable yet controversial bigot. After three pilots done between 1968 to 1970, a network change to CBS, and the last name of the character changed to Bunker, the new sitcom was renamed All in the Family. It has been stated that O'Connor's Queens background and New York accent influenced Lear to set the show in Queens. Wanting a well-known actor to tackle the controversial material, Lear had approached Jackie Gleason and Mickey Rooney to play Archie; both declined. O'Connor accepted, not expecting the show to be a success and believing he would be able to move back to Europe. Instead, the show became the highest-rated television program on American television for five consecutive seasons until the 1976-1977 season (the sixth season). The Cosby Show has since met the record set by All in the Family. O'Connor's own politics were liberal, but he understood the Bunker character and played him not only with bombast and humor but with touches of vulnerability. Although Bunker was famous for his malapropisms of the English language, O'Connor was highly educated and cultured and was an English teacher before he turned to acting. O'Connor died on June 21st of 2001 in Culver City, California from a heart attack brought on by complications from diabetes.

The Seattle Seahawks and linebacker Lofa Tatupu have mutually parted ways, making Tatupu a free agent. Reports surfaced Saturday that the Seahawks were attempting to restructure Tatupu's contract. ESPN reported yesterday that Tatupu asked to be released after Seattle asked him to take a pay cut. It's an unceremonious end to a stellar career in Seattle for Tatupu, who became such a fixture at middle linebacker that in 2008 the team extended his contract through the 2015 season. He made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and was a key part of Seattle's defense as a rookie during the team's Super Bowl run in 2005. His departure likely means David Hawthorne will take over as the team's starting middle linebacker.

Seattle coach Pete Carroll expects Tarvaris Jackson to be the Seahawks' starting quarterback on opening day. Saturday, Carroll said, "Tarvaris needs to be our starter right now. He comes in as our starter, he's going to own that position." Jackson signed a two-year deal with the Seahawks on Friday, and then watched practice in shorts and a T-shirt, unable to participate in camp until Thursday, when a new collective bargaining agreement is expected to be ratified. In addition to Jackson, Carroll had other potential starters standing around in shirts and shorts under the same league-year limitations: former Vikings receiver Sidney Rice, new left guard Robert Gallery from Oakland, and defensive tackle Alan Branch from Arizona. The Hawks first game is August 11th in San Diego.

Tampa Bay pitcher Jeremy Hellickson held the Seattle Mariners to five hits and one run over seven-plus innings, becoming the first AL rookie with 10 wins as the Rays rolled to an 8-1 victory yesterday. The Ms now begin a 9-game stretch against AL West foes starting with Oakland tonight at 7:00.

Yesterday, the Seattle Mariners traded Erik Bedard to Boston in 3-team deal. The Mariners pick up outfielder Trayvon Robinson from the Dodgers, and AA outfield prospect Chih-Hsien Chiang from Boston. On Saturday, the Mariners traded right-handed starter Doug Fister and righty reliever David Pauley to the Detroit Tigers for outfielder Casper Wells, infielder Francisco Martinez, left-hander Charlie Furbush and a player to be named later. By the way, Casper Wells is the first player named Casper to ever reach the majors

The Seattle Sounders saw their nine-game unbeaten streak come to an end at Robertson Stadium in Texas on Saturday as the Houston Dynamo beat Seattle, 3-1. Wednesday, the Sounders host San Francisco in a CONCACAF match. They return to MLS action Saturday at Kansas City.

Sue Bird scored a season-high 29 points and the Seattle Storm handed the Tulsa Shock their 12th straight loss with an 89-72 victory Saturday night. Tomorrow, the Storm hosts San Antonio.

It's a new day, a new week, and a new month. August is National Catfish Month, sponsored by the Loyal Order of Catfish Lovers in New York City. It's also Black Business Month, Get Ready for Kindergarten Month, National Back-to-School Month, Family Meal Month, and National Panini Month. August is Happiness Happens Month, sponsored by the Secret Society of Happy People in Lewisville, Texas. August is Family Fun Month and National Toddler Month.

Today is Respect for Parents Day. Today is also Colorado Admission Day. Colorado became the 38th U.S. state on August 1, 1876.

Today is Spider-Man Day, marking the Super heroes debut in 1962 in issue #15 of Amazing Fantasy comics. Nerdy teen Peter Parker was bitten by a radioactive spider and soon developed the spider's powers as well as its web shooting talent and "spidey sense." Spidey got his own comic in March of 1963.

A terrible tragedy yesterday at Little Creek Casino Resort. A woman died when she fell five stories inside the hotel. That word from the Mason County Sheriff's Department. The incident happened just after 11 yesterday morning. The woman was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle where she later died. Authorities say there are no indications of foul play. The investigation is ongoing. The woman had attended Shelton High School's 10-year reunion at the casino on Saturday and had stayed the night at the hotel. She has not been identified.

An unexpectedly fierce battle at the box office between cowboys, aliens, and Smurfs ended in a tie this weekend at theaters. Cowboys & Aliens and The Smurfs each expected to earn $36,206,250 according to studio estimates yesterday. It's the first time in more than a decade that studios for the No. 1 movies have claimed the exact gross. A winner will be announced when final figures are released today. No. 3 for the weekend was Captain America: The First Avenger. The No. 4 slot went to Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Crazy, Stupid, Love rounded out the top five.

The latest Harry Potter film has become the first in the series to make $1 billion. Avatar is still the box office champ. In theaters alone it made $2.8 billion worldwide.

Starting today, four businesses are transforming the vacant block at State Avenue and Adams Street into Olympia's first mobile food court, serving hamburgers, pizza, fish and chips, southern barbecue and perhaps much more. The businesses are The Firehouse Grill's Extreme Burgers, Ricardo's Wood Fired Pizza Express, Kell's Kitchen and Barb's BBQ. They're already known for serving food throughout the area. The group has named the venture Oly Food. They plan to operate Monday through Friday, from 11 til 3 each day. Recent changes to some city regulations make it possible. Mobile food vendors got the boost they needed after the Olympia City Council voted to approve a new set of regulations for temporary use permits. Rather than require the permit be renewed every 90 days at a cost of $180, it now can be renewed once a year for the same price. Permit holders also no longer have to move twice within the year. The city still requires that they maintain attractive, trash-free sites, do not obstruct emergency services, and meet certain state and health department requirements. The mobile food vendors also have to get property owner approval.

The Discovery Channel's famous Shark Week began yesterday.

The Kings of Leon are promising a redo for their Dallas fans after canceling a show because their lead singer complained it was too hot to perform, leading other members to profusely apologize to the audience. In a statement, the band announced plans to return to Dallas on Sept. 21 to make up for Friday's mid-show cancellation, which drummer Nathan Followill called a "fiasco" on Twitter. A statement sent by the group's publicist said, ""The Kings of Leon apologize to their fans for the inconvenience this may have caused and look forward to seeing their fans again in September." On Friday, lead singer Caleb Followill repeatedly complained that it was too hot and that his voice was suffering because of it. He said, "My voice is completely 100 percent gone." After a few more songs, he announced to the audience: "I'm gonna go back stage for a second, I'm gonna vomit, I'm gonna drink a beer and I'm gonna come back out and play three more songs." He never did come back out, leaving the rest of the band to announce the abrupt end of the show to a booing audience. The other members, including guitarist Matthew Followill and bassist Jared Followill, were apologetic and later took to Twitter to let out their frustrations. Nathan Followill tweeted. "Ashamed & embarrassed by last night's fiasco. Can't apologize enough, utterly gutted. A million I'm sorrys." Jared Followill tweeted: "Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words." He added: " There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade." However, the statement released by the band did not address other troubles, and it said Caleb "suffered from heat exhaustion and dehydration ... causing his vocal chords to seize." The Nashville-based band also canceled Saturday's show in Houston. That show was rescheduled for September 22nd.

UPDATE: Mid-day today, Kings of Leon announced that they've cancelled the remainder of their US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion. The cancelled shows include the September 14th show at Key Arena. Tickets are being refunded at the point of purchase.

Lady Gaga is releasing a coffee-table book in the fall. The book features more than 350 pictures taken of her over the past year by controversial fashion photographer Terry Richardson. According to Publishers Weekly, the book boasts never-before-scene images of the singer taken during a 10-month period when Richardson followed Gaga on the road, in the studio and everywhere in between as he was given complete access to her everyday life. The pictures range from Lollapalooza in August 2010 to the final shows of this year's Monster Ball. Richardson, who is known for his provocative, often explicit images, took some topless shots of the singer in February as well as the instant classic shots of Gaga draped in a bikini version of her infamous raw-meat dress. The book arrives in stores on November 22nd.

On this date in 1981, MTV begins in the United States and plays its first video, Video Killed the Radio Star by The Buggles.

NFL player Chad Ochocinco was just traded to the New England Patriots, where he might not play as number 85. Chad, who changed his last name to match his jersey number on the Bengals a few years ago, told TMZ he's willing to pay a lot of money to keep the number 85 while playing for the Patriots. Right now Aaron Hernandez holds the number for the Pats.

The most successful concert tour of all time, U2's 360° tour, came to an end on Saturday night in Canada. The 26 month-long tour saw U2 play 110 concerts in front of more than 7.1-million fans in 30 countries across five continents. Some more numbers:

Fans attending show - 7,100,000
People that watched a live stream of U2 360° at the Rose Bowl on YouTube - 10 million
Fans that saw 360° in Mexico City - 320,000
Meals fed to working staff and guests on the tour - 92,270
Tee shirts given to local stagehands - 29,000
Guitar strings utilized - 9,760
Approximate distance traveled by space station while talking with U2 - 7,100 miles
Collective touring experience of U2 tour personnel - 5,200 years
Crew members - 134
Truck drivers - 126
Most shows attended by a single fan - 53
Countries - 30
Bus drivers - 12
Babies born to crew - 11
Astronauts attended - 7
Appreciative Irishmen - 4
Fairytale crew weddings - 2
World leaders released from house arrest during tour - 1

Trivia Answer: Adam Duritz of The Counting Crows who turns 47 today. He was born in Baltimore, moved to Boston, then El Paso, and finally to Berkeley. Duritz has lived in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Houston, Amsterdam and, most recently, New York City. Adam's lyrics have been described as "morose" and "tortured" and as "wordy introspection" and his vocals "expressive." He has also suffered from what he describes as "a dissociative disorder, which makes the world seem like it's not real," which contributes to the length of time between albums and the inspiration for many of his lyrics. Adam maintains an account and has frequently updated Twitter. He also reads and responds to posts on the band's messageboard. Adam and The Counting Crows do the Puyallup on Thursday, September 22nd.