LIGHTNING LIGHTS UP THE EVENING SKY THIS PAST WEEKEND, NEAR TUCSON, ARIZONA.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
MEDIA/ VF HIGHLIGHTS LEDGER IN AUGUST
The cover story from the August 2009 issue of Vanity Fair is titled, "The Last of Heath." According to a press release, the article sheds new light on Heath Ledger's life and death. The article explores Ledger’s final movie role, his uncertainty about Hollywood, his devotion to his young daughter, and what happened in the days and weeks leading up to his death as he battled chronic insomnia, pneumonia, and exhaustion. The August issue will hit newstands in New York and L. A. tomorrow, and the rest of the country on July 7.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
THEATRE/"HAMLET" TRANSFERRING TO BROADWAY: Producers announced today, that the current acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production of "Hamlet," starring Jude Law in the title role, will arrive on Broadway September 12 for a 12-week engagement at the Broadhurst Theatre. Michael Grandage directs. In a statement director Grandage said, "Following our recent productions of "Frost/Nixon" and "Mary Stuart," I am delighted we have been invited to bring another of our productions to Broadway. We feel very privileged to be part of such a vibrant theatre community and it is exciting to think that so many people will get to engage with our work and to witness Jude Law’s extraordinary performance." "Hamlet" will conclude its sold-out run at London's Wyndham's Theatre August 22. It then travels to Kronberg Castle, Elsinore, for a sold-out run August 25-30. The limited run of "Hamlet" will officially open on Broadway October 6. Law will be joined onstage by the Donmar Theatre company of actors from London and Elsinore. Complete casting for the New York run will be announced at a later date.
THEATRE/"NUTTY PROFESSOR" BROADWAY BOUND: Jerry Lewis will direct a new musical adaptation of "The Nutty Professor," aiming to land on Broadway during the 2010-11 season. Marvin Hamlisch ("A Chorus Line") composes the music while Rupert Holmes ("Curtains") pens the book and lyrics for the show, based on the 1963 Paramount pic that Lewis co-wrote, directed and toplined. The plot of "Nutty Professor," also reprised in a 1996 remake starring Eddie Murphy, centers on an awkward science geek who invents a potion that temporarily turns him into a stud named Buddy Love. Lewis has never directed for the stage. He previously appeared on Broadway in 1995, when he stepped into the role of the devil in the 1994 revival of "Damn Yankees." 
THEATRE/"THRILLER" MAY BE UP IN AIR: In January it was announced that The Nederlander Organization had acquired the rights to produce a musical based on the 14-minute "Thriller," the video spawned from the late Michael Jackson's top-selling album of the same name. The recent, untimely death of the international star might affect the production, since Mr. Jackson was expected to be part of the show's creation. A spokesman said, "We just don't know what's going to happen, and that's all we're saying for now. Plans for the future are forthcoming, and we may know more in the next week of two. All we're saying for now is that we're mourning the death of Michael Jackson." The musical, according to the January press release, will be based on the "Thriller" video, which was a "horror film spoof in which a young couple are out on a date on a beautiful full moon evening, when suddenly the young man, played by Jackson, turns into a werewolf." The production will feature songs from both "Thriller" and Jackson's "Off the Wall" albums.
THEATRE/"AVENUE Q" TO CLOSE THIS FALL: Tony Award winning Broadway musical "Avenue Q" will shutter in the fall after a run of 6 years. The comedy, in which a cast of humans and puppets play twentysomethings struggling to find their way in New York City, was one of the first of a new generation of small-scale offerings that carved out a stable foothold on the Broadway landscape more often associated with splashier fare. The Broadway production has grossed almost $120 million so far. The last several months run have seen sales diminish, with weekly box office sometimes dipping below the $200,000 mark. Both the production's low running costs and its berth at one of Broadway's smaller venues, the John Golden Theater, helped extend its longevity. The show became the epitome of an underdog legit success when the musical beat out big-budget competitor "Wicked" for the top musical Tony in 2004. It also won Tonys for score and book. When it closes September 13, it will have played 2534 performances and 22 previews.MUSIC/ JACKSON REVIEWAL SET FOR FRIDAY
Michael Jackson's body will return to his Neverland Ranch tomorrow morning for a public viewing Friday. A private memorial service is scheduled for Sunday. It is not clear whether Jackson's body would be interred at Neverland. He purchased the Neverland Ranch, north of Santa Barbara, in 1987 and filled it with animals and amusement rides. He lived at the property until soon after his 2005 acquittal on child molestation charges. He later ran into financial problems with Neverland but retained a stake in it at the time of his death June 25. The ranch is named for the fictional world in J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan," a favorite story of Jackson's. In other developments, the last pictures of Michael Jackson on stage, seen above, were released. They were taken 2 days prior to his death and show Jackson at rehearsal for his London "This Is It" shows, scheduled to begin in July. It was also reported that Jackson had completed an elaborate video production, 2 weeks prior to his death. The 5 week project, dubbed "Dome Project" could be his last taped peformance. The piece has 4 sets, including 1 resembling the "Thriller" video. The project is now in post production and expected to be completed in mid-July. No word on whether the project will be released for retail sale. US NEWS/ OBAMA TO CHAMPION GAY RIGHTS
President Obama honored Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month with a White House reception yesterday, where he likened the struggle for gay rights with the struggle of African-Americans for civil rights. With first lady Michelle Obama at his side, the president told the cheering crowd filling the East Room that his administration would work to repeal the so-called Defense of Marriage Act and end the "don't ask, don't tell" policy regarding gays in the military. "I know that many in this room don't believe that progress has come fast enough, and I understand that," Obama said. "It's not for me to tell you to be patient any more than it was for others to counsel patience to African-Americans who were petitioning for equal rights a half-century ago." The "don't ask, don't tell" policy bars military officials from asking about a service member's sexual orientation but also bars the service member from revealing it, and allows the dismissal of a service member if a same-sex orientation is discovered. "I believe preventing patriotic Americans from serving their country weakens our national security," Obama said to applause. Ending the policy requires an act of Congress and will take time, he added. The Defense of Marriage Act effectively bars the federal government from recognizing same-sex unions, even as individual states legalize them. It is one of the most divisive political issues in America, strongly backed by conservatives, particularly the religious right. "We have a duty to uphold existing law, but I believe we must do so in a way that does not exacerbate old divides," Obama said. "And fulfilling this duty in upholding the law in no way lessens my commitment to reversing this law." He also is pushing for passage of a law guaranteeing full benefits including health care for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender couples and their children, as well as bills to strengthen laws against hate crimes and prevent employment discrimination based on sexuality, Obama said. "There are unjust laws to overturn and unfair practices to stop," he said. "And though we've made progress, there are still fellow citizens -- perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones -- who still hold fast to worn arguments and old attitudes, who fail to see your families like their families and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted. And I know this is painful, and I know it can be heartbreaking." Obama cited the roots of the gay rights struggle in the Stonewall riot 40 years ago, when police raided a New York nightclub and sparked a demonstration that lasted for days. "As we've seen so many times in history, once that spirit takes hold, there's little that can stand in its way," he said to cheers that turned to laughs when he added: "The truth is, when these folks protested at Stonewall 40 years ago, no one could have imagined that you or, for that matter, I would be standing here today."
AVIATION/ YEMENIA A310 CRASHES IN COMOROS
A YEMENIA AIRWAYS Airbus A310 crashed early this morning off the Coast of Comoros, while attempting to land in strong winds at Hahaya Airport in Moroni. According to press reports, a 14 year old girl appears to be the only survivor of the crash. Yemenia Airways reported a total of 142 passengers and 11 crew members onboard the A310, while Comores Foreign Ministry said that there were 147 passengers and 11 crew members onboard. The Ministry said their total included lap children. Regardless of the final toll, this is the 2nd worst accident in the history of the Airbus A310. Yemenia Flight 626 was on Scheduled International Service from Sanaa, Yemen, to Moroni, Comoros, with a stop in Djibouti. Most of the passengers had begun their journey late yesterday on flights from Paris or Marseille, on a different aircraft, to Sanaa. Late this morning, French authorities said that 66 of the passengers were French, although many are thought to have dual French-Comoran citizenship. The A310 had departed Sanaa last evening at 9:30pm, for the estimated 4.5 hour trip to Moroni, including the stop in Djibouti. The A310 completed its Sanaa to Djibouti leg without incident. Shortly after 1am, local time, Yemen's Civil Aviation Authority reported that Flight 626 has been on approach to runway 20 at Hahaya Airport, when it was unable to land, and performed a go-around. The A310 then disappeared from radar while on its 2nd approach to Moroni, at about 1:44am. About 5:00am, local time, a boat discovered debris of the missing airliner in the Indian Ocean. Initially there were no signs of survivors, and several bodies have been sighted. About 9:00am, searchers reported finding the 14 year old girl alive. Gen. Bruno de Bourdoncle de Saint-Salvy, the senior commander for French forces in the southern Indian Ocean, said the Airbus 310 crashed in deep waters about 8 nautical miles (9.2 miles) north from the Comoran coast and 18 nautical miles (21 miles) from the Moroni Airport. 
A Yemenia official said it was too early to speculate on the reasons for the crash, adding that the flight data recorder hadn't been found. "The weather was very bad ... the wind was very strong," he said, adding the windy conditions hampered rescue efforts. According to Airport officials, wind speed was 40mph as the plane was landing. A French minister said faults were found on the plane during a check in 2007. "The A310 in question was inspected in 2007 by the DGAC and they noticed a certain number of faults. Since then the plane had not returned to France. The company was not on the black list but was subject to stricter checks on our part, and was due to be interviewed shortly by the European Union's safety committee," the French Transport Minister said. An EU official said there were concerns about the Airline's "incomplete reporting procedure and incomplete follow-up" following the 2007 tests but that its record was now improving. A Yemeni Transport Minister said that the plane had undergone a thorough inspection and conformed to international standards. This is the 1st fatal crash for Yemenia Airways since its inception in 1978. An Airbus statement said the plane that crashed went into service 19 years ago, in 1990, and had accumulated 51,900 flight hours. It has been operated by Yemenia Airways since 1999. Comoran Aviation Officials, the French BEA, Airbus, and Yemenia Airways, have all announced that they will jointly investigate the crash. AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS
BFU UPDATES ON AIR BERLIN FL6303: The German Bureau for Aviation Accident Investigation (BFU) reported has issued a very preliminary update into an incident involving an AIR BERLIN A319 and a private Cessna aircraft at Hamburg, Germany, on April 10, 2009. On that date, Air Berlin Flight 6303 was on Scheduled Domestic Service from Hamburg to Munich, Germany. The A319 departed at 12:22pm, and at 12:24pm, while on its initial climbout, the A319 came in conflict with a Cessna 172S, which operated under visual flight rules. The BFU, in its update, only stated that the minimum seperation between the 2 aircraft 200 feet vertical and 0.7nm lateral. Their investigation continues. According to media reports, the First Officer onboard Flight 6303 has spoken about the incident. The First Officer said the Cessna Pilot had been ordered to fly a holding pattern above the harbour of Hamburg, due to traffic congestion, however did not follow the intended pattern. Thus, he was ordered to turn right (away from the departure track of runway 15), however turned left instead. The Air Berlin crew received a TCAS resolution advisory, but also turned left to avoid the Cessna and explained the deviation from the flight path to the tower later. The remainder of the flight was uneventful. The First Officer stated that once they reached cruise level for the flight to Munich, they discovered how close they really were to colliding with the Cessna.
ENGINE FORCES AA 757 RETURN: AMERICAN AIRLINES Flight 769 was on Scheduled Domestic Boeing 757 Service from New York JFK to San Juan, Puerto Rico, when it had to make an emergency return to JFK, yesterday, June 29. Flight 769, with 188 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency due to problems with its left engine, while on its inital climb out of JFK. The crew leveled at 3000 feet, and requested immediate return. The 757 landed back at JFK without incident, about 13 minutes after its initial departure. The 757 was removed from service for inspection and repairs.
SMOKE FORCES AIR BERLIN 737 RETURN: AIR BERLIN Flight 2740 was on Scheduled International Boeing 737 Service from Dusseldorf, Germany, to Heraklion, Greece, when it had to make an emergency return to Dusseldorf, yesterday, June 29. Flight 2740, with 181 passengers and crew onboard, declared an emergency shortly after takeoff, reporting smoke in the cockpit. The 737 landed back at Dusseldorf without incident. In a statement, Air Berlin stated that there was no fire, and the source of the smoke appears to have been coming from an oil source. The aircraft was removed from service for further inspection and repair.
TIRES BLOW ON JAZZ CRJ: AIR CANADA JAZZ Flight 8028 was on Scheduled International CRJ200 Service from Kansas City, Missouri, to Toronto, Canada, when it blew tires upon landing at Toronto, on Sunday, June 28. According to the flight crew, Flight 8028, with 34 passengers and crew onboard, landed without incident, and began to taxi to the gate. An airliner landing on an adjacent runway moments later, reported tire debris on the runway. Flight 8028 halted its taxi, and was towed to an apron. Inspection revealed that there were 2 tires blown on the Jazz Dash. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repair.
QANTAS A380 RETURNS OVER WINDSHIELD: QANTAS Flight 32 was on Scheduled International A380 Service from London Heathrow to Singapore, when it had to make an emergency return to Heathrow, on Sunday, June 28. Flight 32 was about 1 hour into its flight, and overhead the Netherlands, when the crew declared an emergency reporting problems with the cockpit windshield. The crew performed an emergency descent to 10000 feet, and turned back. The A380 landed back at Heathrow close to 2 hours after its initial departure. According to local media, some passengers reported that they were told the windshield had cracked. The aircraft was removed from service for repair.
AUTOPILOT FAILS ON LOT 767: LOT Flight 26 was on Scheduled International Boeing 767 Service from Warsaw, Poland, to New York JFK, when it had to make an emergency return to Warsaw, on Saturday, June 27. Flight 26 was about 1 hour into its flight, and over the Baltic Sea, when the autopilot failed. The crew declared an emergency and turned around. After circling to dump fuel, the 767 landed without incident back at Warsaw, about 3 hours after its initial departure. The aircraft was removed from service for inspection and repair.
HAINAN & BA JETS DAMAGED AT AIRPORT: HAINAN AIRLINES Flight 7923 was on Scheduled International A340 Service from Dubai, UAE, to Luanda, Angola, when it collided with a parked BRITISH AIRWAYS Boeing 777 at Luanda, on Saturday, June 27. Flight 7923 had landed without incident and taxiing on the apron towards the stand, when the wing of the Airbus hit the wing of the Boeing. The BA 777 had arrived several hours earlier and was being prepped for Scheduled Service out of Luanda. No one was injured, however both aircraft sustained substantial damage in the incident. The A340 lost its winglet, while the 777 sustained damaged to its left outboard aileron. Both aircraft remain in Luanda at this time. It is not known what type of investigation Angolan authorities will carry out.
ANTI-ICING FAILS ON JAC DASH: JAPAN AIR COMMUTER Flight 3823 was on Scheduled Domestic Dash 8-400 Service from Kagoshima to Yoronjima, Japan, when it had to return to Kagoshima, on Saturday, June 27. Flight 3823, with 62 passengers and crew onboard, was halfway thru its scheduled flying time to Yoronjima, when the crew recieved an alert that the anti-icing system had failed on a propeller. Due to forecasted weather for the Yoronjima area, the crew had to return to Kagoshima, where the Dash landed without incident. The Dash was removed from service for repairs. Monday, June 29, 2009
SNAPSHOTS
A LARGE WATERSPOUT IS PHOTOGRAPHED OVER THE ST JOHNS RIVER IN JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA, LATE LAST WEEK.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
FILM/OSCARS TWEAK SONG CATEGORY: Last Friday, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences board OK'd the music branch's recommendation to alter the best-song voting so that it's possible there will be no nominees in any given year. It's an apparent attempt to preserve the integrity of the category, but an example of "in order to save it, maybe we could eliminate it" thinking. The music branch annually conducts a "bake-off" in which voters see clips of eligible songs as they are used in each film. The voters then rate a song on a scale of 6 to 10. Under the new ruling, if no song earns 8.25, there will be no nominations. If at least 1 hits that magic number, it will be nominated, as will the 2nd-highest scorer. Previous rules had specified 3 to 5 nominees, and the new rules say the category will still max out at 5. The bake-off was an attempt to ensure that a song's contribution to a film was more important than diskery sales, since pop-rock singer-songwriters have increasingly become a presence in a film's score, much to the consternation of some music branch members. But the bake-off limited the voting pool (one couldn't vote without seeing these clips) and worked to the disadvantage of songs that summed up the mood and ideas of the film but were played during closing credits. (Bruce Springsteen's "The Wrestler" and Eddie Vedder's song from "Into the Wild" were 2 recent examples of closing-credits songs that were shut out.) The board also decided to present the "testimonial" awards, the Thalberg nod to filmmakers, the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award and the honorary Oscars for career excellence, at a black-tie event in November for 500 invited guests, rather than presenting them on the Oscarcast.
MUSIC/BON JOVI TEAMS UP FOR IRAN: A new version of Ben E. King's "Stand By Me" featuring Jon Bon Jovi and exiled Iranian singer Andy Madadian, is making the rounds as an online video. The video is meant to send "a musical message of worldwide solidarity" to the Iranian people in the wake of the country's controversial recent election, according to co-producer Don Was. At the end of the video Maladian and Bon Jovi stand next to each other, with the latter holding a sing saying "We are one" in Farsi. "It is not for sale," Was says. "It wasn't intended to be on the Billboard charts, wasn't meant to be a hit record or even pressed on a CD. It's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people. The whole idea was to get it into Iran and tell them to carry on, that the world is watching and we're with you."
MUSIC/JANET REMEMBERS MICHAEL: Some of the biggest stars on the planet turned back into gushing Michael Jackson fans at the BET Awards last night, donning single gloves, swapping stories about their idol and singing The King of Pop's standards. One person who perhaps knew him best, though, brought the night into perspective: his sister. "To you, Michael is an icon," a somber Janet Jackson told the crowd at the end of Sunday's show. "To us, Michael is family and he will forever live in all of our hearts. On behalf of my family and myself, thank you for all of your love, thank you for all of your support," she said. "We miss him so much, thank you so much." It was a stirring emotional climax for a telecast that was completely revamped to recognize the legacy of Jackson, who died Thursday at age 50. For the most part, it was a joyous wake. "He's the man who made it possible for me to be on the stage; I love you and I miss you," said Ne-Yo, who sang one of Jackson's most sensual songs, "Lady In My Life." Host Jamie Foxx kicked off the show with a re-enactment of the choreography from Jackson's iconic "Beat It" video in front of the star-studded crowd, on its feet from the start of the show. In other news today, Michael Jackson's Mother, Kathrine, was granted temporary guardianship of his 3 children. The family also filed a petition asking that Katherine Jackson be named administrator of Michael Jackson's estate and that the children be named his sole beneficiaries. The filing did not estimate Jackson's estate. No word yet from the family on when a funeral service may be held.
MEDIA/HEART MAY HAVE KILLED MAYS: Television pitchman Billy Mays likely died of a heart attack in his sleep, but further tests are needed to be sure of the cause of death, a medical examiner said today. Hillsborough County Medical Examiner Vernard Adams said Mays suffered from hypertensive heart disease, and the wall of the left ventricle of Mays' heart and the wall of one of his arteries were enlarged. The bearded 50-year-old known for hawking OxiClean and other products on national commercials was found dead yesterday by his wife in their Tampa condominium. "The heart disease is perfectly consistent with sudden death," Adams said. An official cause of death will be issued after toxicology and other tests are completed in 8 to 10 weeks. Mays told his wife he didn't feel well when he went to bed sometime after 10pm Saturday. Earlier in the day, he said he was hit on the head when his flight from Philadelphia had a rough landing at Tampa International Airport. US AIRWAYS said no passengers reported serious injuries. Adams said the autopsy showed no evidence of head trauma.
TV/GALE STORM DIES AT 87: Gale Storm, who shot to the top on television as the vivacious star of 2 popular 1950s situation comedies, "My Little Margie" and "The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna," has died. She was 87. Storm, who also had a successful recording career during her TV heyday, died Saturday of natural causes at a convalescent hospital in the Northern California community of Danville, according to her son. A summer replacement for "I Love Lucy," "My Little Margie" ran from 1952 to 1955, with Storm starring as the plucky young Margie Albright and Charles Farrell as her widower father, Vern. Although critics generally panned "My Little Margie" as a lightweight farce, the public fell in love with the mischievous Margie. A 1953 poll of the most popular TV stars listed Storm at #2, behind TV comedy queen Lucille Ball. After "My Little Margie" ended, Storm starred in "The Gale Storm Show: Oh! Susanna," in which she played social director Susanna Pomeroy aboard the luxury liner the SS Ocean Queen. The situation comedy, featuring Zasu Pitts as the ship's flighty beautician Elvira "Nugey" Nugent and Roy Roberts as Capt. Huxley, ran from 1956 to 1960. Her success with "My Little Margie" led to her being approached to do a nightclub act in Las Vegas during the summers of 1953 and 1954. After hearing Storm sing on one live TV show, Dot Records signed her to a contract. Her first record, the rhythm and blues song "I Hear You Knocking," soared to #2 on the Billboard chart in 1955. Other Top 20 hits followed, including "Teenage Prayer," "Memories Are Made of This," "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?," "Ivory Tower" and "Dark Moon." Beginning with "Tom Brown's School Days" in 1940, Storm also appeared in 36 movies during the next dozen years. Dropped by RKO after six months and two pictures, she appeared in a variety of B-movies at Republic, Monogram, Allied Artists and Universal. Among her film credits, which included musical comedies, film noir dramas and westerns (three with Roy Rogers), are starring roles in films such as "Freckles Comes Home," "Where Are Your Children?," "Campus Rhythm," "G.I. Honeymoon," "Sunbonnet Sue," "Swing Parade of 1946," and "It Happened on 5th Avenue." Storm received 3 stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame recognizing her work in TV, radio and recordings. Storm is survived by 4 children.
PEOPLE/FRED TRAVALENA DIES AT 66: Comedian and impersonator Fred Travalena died yesterday afternoon after a 7 year battle with cancer. He was 66. Travalena, known as "The Man of a Thousand Faces," died at home in Encino, California, surrounded by family. During Travalena's 40-year career, he entertained audiences with impressions of celebrities such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Bob Hope. He was a regular on the "Tonight Show," with Johnny Carson. Travalena is survived by his wife, 2 sons, and a granddaughter. Private services will be held later this week.US NEWS/ TX POLICE UNDER FIRE FOR RAID
Several dozen people marched outside the Tarrant County Courthouse in Texas last night, to protest arrests made at a gay bar over the weekend. Protesters said they want to know why Fort Worth police officers and Texas Alcohol Beverage Commission agents used what the protesters described as excessive force when arresting 7 patrons at the Rainbow Lounge early yesterday. 1 person was hospitalized in critical condition after hitting his head during the incident. The man has bleeding on the brain and is in ICU. "It was incredibly excessive and brutal," a man who was at the bar said. In a statement, the Fort Worth Police Department said agents inspected 3 bars early yesterday and police arrested patrons at the Rainbow Lounge because they were drunk and tried to grope officers. "A thorough internal investigation into the allegations made is being conducted as all allegations against officers are investigated," the statement said. The bar, which opened S of downtown Ft Worth last week, was due for a TABC inspection, officials said. Police said they told the bar's owner they were coming. Rainbow Lounge owner J.R. Schrock said claims that patrons made sexual advances to the officers and that 1 patron groped an officer were lies. “The groping of the police officer — really? We’re gay, but we’re not dumb,” Schrock said to the crowd that gathered at the bar yesterday afternoon. “That is a lie, and I am appalled by it. The arrests came exactly 40 years after the Stonewall Inn uprising, where patrons at a New York City gay bar fought back against a police raid. Fort Worth council member Joel Burns, the 1st and only gay council member in the city, told protesters last night he would ensure a thorough investigation.
AVIATION NEWS BRIEFS
SMOKE FORCES PIA A310 RETURN: PAKISTAN INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES Flight 363 was on Scheduled Domestic A310 Service from Quetta to Karachi, Pakistan, when it had to make an emergency return to Quetta, yesterday, June 28. Flight 363, with 163 passengers and crew onboard, was climbing thru 7000 feet after departing from Quetta, when smoke began to fill the passenger cabin. The crew declared an emergency, and returned to Quetta without incident. The A310 was removed from service for inspection and repair. According to PIA officials, the source of the smoke appears to have come from the A/C system.
SMOKE FORCES SAS A330 TO DIVERT: SCANDANAVIAN AIRLINES Flight 910 was on Scheduled International A330 Service from Newark, New Jersey, to Copenhagen, Denmark, when it had to divert while enroute, on Saturday, June 27. Flight 910 was about 50 minutes into its flight, when smoke began to appear in the passenger cabin. The Cabin Crew could not determine the source of the smoke. The crew declared an emergency and the A330 was diverted to Bangor, Maine, where it landed without incident. Emergency Services also could not determine the source of the smoke. After troubleshooting for about 3 hours, the crew elected to continue on the journey to Copenhagen. However, once the engines were started up again, the smoke once again appeared, and the flight was canceled. SAS maintenance staff flew to Bangor to repair the aircraft. They determined that the source of the smoke was a short circut from an aircon motor fan. The A330 was eventually cleared for service, and departed Bangor last evening as Flight 6908. The aircraft landed in Copenhagen around 8:30am, this morning, without incident. Sunday, June 28, 2009
SNAPSHOTS
A FIGHTING FALCON FROM THE NETHERLANDS AIR FORCE IS CAPTURED PERFORMING AT THE AIRPOWER AIR SHOW IN ZELTWEG, STYRIA, AUSTRIA.
ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
MUSIC/JACKSON TOPS UK ALBUM CHART:Michael Jackson topped the UK album chart today, and had 6 new entries in the singles top 40, 6 years after his last #1. His greatest hits album, "Number Ones," rocketed from #121 to the top spot after a surge in sales since the superstar's death on Thursday. The same album earned Jackson his last #1 when first released in 2003. 4 of his other hit albums also made a reappearance in the top 20, the Official Charts Company said. "Thriller," still the biggest-selling album of all time, raced from #179 to #7, "King of Pop" reached #14, "Off The Wall" got to #17 and "The Essential Michael Jackson" came in at #20. A total of 11 Michael Jackson or Jackson Five albums are featured in the top 200. In the singles chart, 43 out of the top 200 singles feature the singer, with Jackson hits accounting for all but 1 of the new entries in the top 40. Overall, Michael Jackson accounted for over 300,000 record sales across singles and albums in the UK, in just 2 days this week. Music retailers said that although demand for Jackson's singles had been high since his death, his extensive back catalogue meant that no one song stood out in sales and he was narrowly denied a posthumous entry in the top 10. "Man in the Mirror" re-entered the charts at #11, nearly 20 years after its original release, while "Billie Jean" got to #25, "Smooth Criminal" to #28, "Beat It" reached #30 and "Earth Song" reached #38. Jackson's return to the charts overshadowed electro-pop newcomer La Roux's new entry at #1 in the singles chart with "Bulletproof". Kasabian also suffered and was knocked off the #1 spot in the albums chart with "West Ryder Pauper Lunatic Asylum."
TV/FAWCETT FUNERAL TO BE PRIVATE: A private funeral for actress Farrah Fawcett will be held on Tuesday. The service will take place at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in Los Angeles. The actress died on Thursday aged 62 after losing a 3-year battle with anal cancer. The star became a 1970s icon after appearing in the TV series "Charlie's Angels." She declared herself cancer-free 4 months after originally being diagnosed with cancer in September 2006, only to have the disease return in May 2007. Her death came just days after actor Ryan O'Neal, Fawcett's partner since 1982, revealed they would finally get married, but the pair never got the chance to exchange vows. The couple have one son together, Redmond.
THEATRE/3 SHOWS SHUTTER TODAY: The Broadway run of Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning "August: Osage County," Tracy Letts' play about a brutally dysfunctional Oklahoma family, ends today at the Music Box Theatre after 18 previews and 648 regular performances. The acclaimed Steppenwolf Theatre Company production, which runs 3 acts and 3.5 hours, won the Best Play Tony Award in 2008, and the 2008 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. Anna D. Shapiro also won the Best Direction Tony, and Deanna Dunagan was named Best Actress. Dunagan, as the fierce matriarch Violet, was succeeded by Estelle Parsons, who will tour with the play starting in July. Tony winner Phylicia Rashad currently plays the pill-poppin' mama who scorches her brood. The play opened on Broadway Oct. 30, 2007, at the Imperial after a world premiere by Steppenwolf in Chicago. Also closing today is the Directors Company production of Dan Gordon's "Irena's Vow," which plays its final performance at Broadway's Walter Kerr Theatre. When it closes, the production, starring 4-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh in the title role, will have played 21 previews and 105 regular performances. "Irena's Vow" began previews March 10 and opened March 29. And finally, Manhattan Theatre Club's production of Samson Raphelson's rueful showbusiness comedy, "Accent on Youth," ends its limited engagement today at Broadway's Samuel J. Friedman Theatre after 24 previews and 71 regular performances. The production opened April 29. Tony Award winner David Hyde Pierce starred as a middle-aged playwright surprised by his secretary's confession of love. Mary Catherine Garrison played his secretary, who becomes a leading lady and slips out of the writer's hands. The play was first presented on Broadway in 1934. MUSIC/ BET AWARDS TO HONOR JACKSON
The father of Michael Jackson says he does not believe stress over the intense series of concerts the King of Pop planned for his comeback led to his death. Joe Jackson also said in an interview today, that he believes his son will be larger in death than he was in life. The patriarch of the Jackson 5 said he wished Michael Jackson were around to see the outpouring of affection since his death. "Michael was the biggest superstar in the world and in history," Joe Jackson said." ''He was loved by everybody, whether poor or wealthy or whatever may be." Michael Jackson was to begin a series of 50 concerts in London in July. 3 days after the pop icon died, celebrities descended on Los Angeles for what promised to be a spectacular celebration of Jackson's life at the annual BET awards show, which is being held tonight. Previously announced performers including Beyonce and Ne-Yo, were working to overhaul performances they had planned for weeks so they could honor Jackson. Other stars who had not planned to attend, including Usher and Justin Timberlake, tried to catch last-minute flights, producers said. There was no word from the Jackson family on funeral plans. Many of Jackson's relatives have gathered at the family's Encino compound, caring there for Jackson's 3 children.MEDIA/ BILLY MAYS DIES AT 50
A media figure in the US died today, hours after being involved in an incident involving a US AIRWAYS Boeing 737. Billy Mays, the burly, bearded television pitchman whose boisterous hawking of products such as Orange Glo and OxiClean made him a pop-culture icon, has died. He was 50. Tampa police said Mays was found unresponsive by his wife this morning. A fire rescue crew pronounced him dead at 7:45am. It was not immediately clear how he died. He said he was hit on the head when the airliner he was on made a rough landing yesterday, and Mays' wife told investigators he didn't feel well before he went to bed that night. There were no signs of a break-in at the home, and investigators do not suspect foul play. The coroner's office expects to have an autopsy done by tomorrow afternoon. Mays' wife told investigators that her husband had complained he didn't feel well before he went to bed some time after 10pm, last night. US Airways confirmed today that Mays was among the passengers on Flight 1241, the Boeing 737 that made a rough landing on yesterday afternoon at Tampa International Airport, leaving debris on the runway after apparently blowing its front tires. (For more information on the incident, see Aviation News Briefs, posted earlier today). A Tampa news station interviewed Mays after the incident. "All of a sudden as we hit you know it was just the hardest hit, all the things from the ceiling started dropping," he said. "It hit me on the head, but I got a hard head." According to police, linking Mays' death to the landing would "purely be speculation." Laura Brown, spokeswoman for the FAA, said she did not know if Mays was wearing his seatbelt on the flight because the FAA is not investigating his death at this time. However, that could change, pending the results of the autopsy.
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