jimblr.com

Viewership is up over last season on ABC (28%), ESPN (27%) and TNT (16%), per ACNielsen, New York. A key reason is that the teams in the Conference finals—Boston and Detroit (East), Los Angeles and San Antonio (West)—brought many high-profile stars to the table, giving casual and non-NBA fans a reason to tune in. And that’s always a plus for marketers trying to reach untapped demos.
T-Mobile, Gatorade, Haier and Wrigley. 2K Sports will break a spot prior to Game 1 on June 5 to unveil the cover athlete of its NBA 2K9 videogame (being released this fall). The NBA also will have new versions of “There can only be one,” its playoffs-centric campaign, via Goodby, Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco. The spots, which show players from opposing teams in a split-screen but speaking in unison about their goals and desires, has inspired its own cottage industry, including a Time cover (May 5) that juxtaposed Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and a spot with Adam Sandler and NBA star Baron Davis for Sandler’s You Don’t Mess with the Zohan.
“Michael challenged us to reinvent our product and to become more relevant to kids who are spending more time online,” said Mark Sapir, director of marketing at Topps, New York. So this week, Topps will launch Toppstown.com, a virtual world where visitors can collect and trade cards, create a baseball card avatar and play games. To enter Topps Town, consumers must first find a special code card (located one per every two packs) in the new 2008 Topps Series No. 2

brandweek.com

NEW YORK (Thomson Financial) - Barnes Group Inc. Monday said its chief financial officer and senior vice president William Denninger will retire effective June 2 to spend time with his family.
Denninger will also leave the company’s board. After he leaves, the board will have 10 members.
Francis Boyle, Jr., the company’s vice president and controller, will serve as acting finance chief while a search for a replacement is conducted.
Shares of Barnes fell 26 cents to $31.68 Monday.
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Sebastian Faulks’ rollicking new Bond story brings back that old Ian Fleming feeling. It’s a good day to be a Bond fan.

forbes.com

‘97. Simon Bossell. A researcher investigating the extinction of small creatures meets a woman whose cabin is infested with odd creatures. (R) (2:00) SCI-FI: Mon. 10 A.M.
‘06. Justin Long. After trying and failing to get into college, a high-school senior and his friends fool parents and peers by creating their own university. (PG-13) (1:30) MAX: Fri. 8:30 P.M. (CC)
• The Accident: A Moment of Truth Movie
‘97. Donna Bullock. A grief-stricken teen drowns her sorrows in alcohol after she kills her best friend in a drunken-driving accident. (2:00) LIFE: Tue. noon (CC)
• Adam and Evalyn
‘49. Stewart Granger. A gambler raises a homeless girl in style, telling her he is a stockbroker, then falls in love with her. (NR) (1:30) TCM: Mon. midnight.
• The Adventures of Pluto Nash
‘02. Eddie Murphy. In the future, the owner of a nightclub on the moon refuses to sell his business to a mobster. (PG-13) (1:45) HBO: Wed. 5:15 P.M., Fri. 7:45 A.M. (CC)
• The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle
‘00. Voices of Rene Russo. Live action/animated. A flying squirrel and a moose confront their adversaries Boris and Natasha. (PG) (2:00) AMC: Sun. 9 A.M. (CC)
• The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl
‘05. Taylor Lautner. A 10-year-old and his imaginary friends try to save a distant planet from the forces of darkness. (PG) (1:40) DIS: Sun. noon (CC)
‘05. Charlize Theron. In the last city on Earth, underground rebels dispatch their top assassin to kill a government leader. (PG-13) (1:35) SHO: Fri. 8:25 P.M. (CC)
• Akeelah and the Bee
‘06. Laurence Fishburne. Akeelah, an 11-year-old girl living in South Los Angeles, discovers she has a talent for spelling, which she hopes will take her to the National Spelling Bee. (PG) (1:55) TMC: Sat. 6:40 A.M., 7 P.M. (CC)

post-gazette.com

Updated: April 5, 2008, 9:44 AM ET
Kanu’s tap-in goal and a clinical defensive performance in the second half swept Portsmouth into their first FA Cup final since 1939 at the expense of West Bromwich Albion and wrecked hopes of a first all-Championship showdown.
Kanu, twice an FA Cup winner with Arsenal, continued his love affair with the competition with the only goal of the game in the 55th minute, after former Pompey goalkeeper Dean Kiely could only push out Milan Baros’ shot.
Baros had other chances to wrap it up, but with Sol Campbell and Sylvain Distin rock solid in defence, David James was barely troubled, despite a late West Brom rally in which Robert Koren hit the top of the crossbar.
Pompey arrived for their first Wembley appearance in 69 years with a record of seven wins in their previous nine games and lying sixth in the Barclays Premier League.
Apart from cup-tied striker Jermain Defoe, all their top players were in place but for a long time you could not tell Pompey apart in terms of quality from promotion-chasing Albion, playing their fourth semi-final since winning the FA Cup in 1968.
The occasion seemed to overwhelm both sides for too long, but Kanu’s scrambled goal 10 minutes into the second half gave them enough inspiration to go through.
Albion - spearheaded by prolific veteran Kevin Phillips, who has 24 goals this season and five in the previous seven games - were first to fire as Pompey made a stuttering start.
Phillips clipped a shot over James’ crossbar from 20 yards, before in the sixth minute the England goalkeeper spilled a tame effort by Gera and was thankful to see Campbell clearing up the loose ball.
Albion continued to dictate the pace, although Hermann Hreidarsson, passed fit before the kick-off after an Achilles injury, almost sent Baros clean through the inside left channel, his pass just a shade heavy.

soccernet.espn.go.com

“Brownstone.” World premiere of a dramatic comedy by Catherine Butterfield about the occupants of one Manhattan brownstone: a rich young couple in the 1930s, aspiring actresses in the 1970s and a self-absorbed “power couple” of today. Preview tonight; opens 7:30 p.m. Saturday. 8 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday and April 10; through April 27. Laguna Playhouse, 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach. $25-$65. (949) 497-2787, www.lagunaplayhouse.com
“Culture Clash in AmeriCCa.” Culture Clash (Richard Montoya, Ric Salinas, Herbert Siguenza) performs its trademark blend of irreverent humor and social satire. 7:45 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; through April 6. South Coast Repertory, 655 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $28-$62. (714) 708-5555, www.scr.org
“Jest a Second.” In James Sherman’s comedy sequel to “Beau Jest,” Sarah and Bob, expecting their first child, are hosting a birthday party for Sarah’s mother when a family secret is revealed. 8 p.m. Friday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; through April 12. Long Beach Playhouse Studio Theater, 5021 E. Anaheim St., Long Beach. $22, $20 seniors, $12 students. (562) 494-1014, www.lbph.com
“The Lion in Winter.” James Goldman’s comedy-drama in which Henry II and Eleanor of Aquitaine battle to decide which of their
three sons will become the next king of England in the 12th century. Final performances 8 tonight-Saturday. Little Fish Theatre, 777 Centre St., San Pedro. $22; $20 seniors, students. (310) 512-6030, www.littlefishtheatre.org
“A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” The Long Beach Shakespeare Company presents Shakespeare’s comedy set in a forest filled with love, laughter and magic. Final performances 8 tonight-Saturday. Richard Goad Theater, 4250 Atlantic Ave., Long Beach. $20, $10 students. (562) 997-1494.
“The Phantom of the Opera.” The blockbuster, Tony Award-winning Andrew Lloyd Webber musical returns with its original creative team, including director Harold Prince. Starring Jason Mills and Sara Jean Ford. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 2 and 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 1 and 6:30 p.m. Sunday, 2 p.m. April 17; through April 19. Segerstrom Hall, Orange County Performing Artscenter, 600 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa. $23.25-$73.25. (714) 556-2787, www.ocpac.org

presstelegram.com

As the smell of incense lingered in the air after Holy Thursday services, a mother and daughter ambled toward a corner of St. Ambrose Catholic Church in Grosse Pointe Park. Before a softly lit copy of the Gospels, Shirley and Tracey Wyatt prayed together.
They weren’t Catholics yet, but would be soon. At Easter Vigil services Saturday night, the Detroiters were to become fully part of the Catholic Church, along with about 1,100 other metro Detroiters at parishes across the region.
Since the late 1960s, adults joining the Catholic Church have usually done so during Holy Week, the days before Easter that celebrate the resurrection of Jesus and serve as a symbol for their own everlasting life. And in recent years, some Protestant denominations and the Orthodox Church have seen an increase in the number of people who join during the Lent and Easter season.
The custom seeks to connect modern worshippers with the early Christian Church, when Easter was often the time people embraced the religion.
“I’m excited, overflowing with joy,” Tracey Wyatt said during the Thursday services that recalled Jesus’ last supper with his disciples. “Having this during Easter makes it even better.”
That’s the idea behind converting and baptizing during this time — it enriches the experience for the congregation, which sees their faith anew again.
“They’re energized by it,” said the Rev. Timothy Pelc, pastor at St. Ambrose.
At Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church, a small congregation in Highland Park, the Rev. David Bullock expects to see more people join his church or affirm their faith today compared with a typical Sunday.
“From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, you have a number of people who rededicate themselves or convert for the first time,” said Bullock, pastor of the church and chairman of the issues committee for the Council of Baptist Pastors of Detroit and Vicinity.

freep.com

OAK RIDGE - Using cutting-edge software and top-end computers, two high school teams are engaged in a fierce branding battle to upstage Starbucks.
The student squads are creating corporate identities for two fictional coffee shop chains.
One is named “MocaTopia,” and the other is “GrindHouse.”
They’ve come up with posters, logos, carryout boxes and other ways to lure customers to their brands.
In another class in the high-tech graphics lab at Oak Ridge High School, student Sean Wesner is peering into an iMac computer.
Frame by frame, Sean is creating a simulated police chase through Manhattan’s concrete canyons.
“I’m trying to add so many details,” said Sean, a senior. He’s even planning to have the reflections of buildings show up in the cars’ windows as they zoom through the city.
“I’m focusing on the physics of the cars’ motions,” he said.
The lab is likely the most advanced - and expensive - facility of its kind in area public schools, teacher Steve LaFollette says.
Colorful posters and mock magazine covers - the products of other students’ creativity - adorn the lab’s walls.
Students brainstorm their next projects around a long conference table in the middle of the lab.
Those who finish all four years of digital design coursework “would almost be entry-level designers,” LaFollette said.
LaFollette is a former executive with a Washington, D.C., creative design firm.
He wearied of 18-hour workdays, and he and his family headed south after the technology bubble burst.
“I’ve always had a desire to teach,” he said. Students who stay with the digital design program and sharpen their talents with college courses can take their skills and work anywhere, he said.
LaFollette said school district Superintendent Tom Bailey and Principal Chuck Carringer helped secure the lab’s pricey computers and software, and more iMacs are planned next year.
Also in the planning stage: coursework that would lead students toward designing interactive games.
LaFollette is in his second year at the helm of the program.
His courses take students from the basics to as far as they want to go. Some ongoing projects are “unusually ambitious,” senior Joseph Cantrell says.
The coursework is a “platform that leads to many jobs, from game design to advertising to simulation,” Joseph said.
“I have a brother who works in game design, and he’s jealous of my classes,” he said.
There will be a student design exhibition 6-7 p.m. April 2 in the digital lab, located in Room CS 249.

read_more

James Constable doesn’t believe he is a bad omen as he prepares to impress his second manager in less than two months at Shrewsbury Town.
The ex-Chippenham Town striker saw former Shrews manager Gary Peters - the man who brought him to the club in January from Kidderminster - leave by mutual consent ten days ago, with Paul Simpson replacing him.
It brought back memories of when Paul Merson left Walsall in February 2006 just a month after permanently signing Constable from the Bluebirds.
“It’s déjà vu,” joked Constable. “It always seems to happen but I’m getting used to it.
“I didn’t know too much about their results before I joined but I was disappointed because he was the gaffer who brought me to the club and I was trying my best to repay his faith in me.”
Peters left the New Meadow after a seven game winless run, and signed Constable in a bid to improve the clubs fortunes.
The 23-year-old has had a big impact, scoring three times in five starts, and, although Peters has left, he is enjoying life in League Two.
“Coming into a new team is always difficult,” he said. “I started the first couple of games on the bench and then got a run in the side.

read_more

The 35-year-old stayed on the lavatory in Ness City, Kansas, so long that her body was stuck to the seat by the time her partner finally called police.
It appeared the woman’s skin had grown around the seat, Ness County Sheriff Bryan Whipple said.
The officer told reporters her muscles had atrophied and that a medical crew had to separate her from the toilet because she was bound to it by “natural means”.
“We pried the toilet seat off with a pry bar and the seat went with her to the hospital,” Mr Whipple said. “The hospital removed it.”
“She was not glued. She was not tied. She was just physically stuck by her body.
“It is hard to imagine… I still have a hard time imagining it myself.”
The woman had initially refused help when emergency services arrived.
But she was eventually convinced that she needed to be checked out at a hospital.
Police would not release the couple’s names but the boyfriend, Kory McFarren, identified the woman as Pam Babcock.
Mr McFarren, 36, told investigators he took her food and water and asked her every day to come out of the bathroom.
The sheriff said his office was considering a charge of mistreatment of a dependent adult.

read_more

B-2 crashes…Rioters sought…Rockets hit the Green Zone
HAGATNA, Guam (AP) The military is investigating what caused a B-2 stealth bomber to crash and burn after taking off in Guam. It’s the first time one of the billion-dollar bombers has ever crashed.
The pilots ejected safely and no one was hurt on the ground.
BELGRADE, Serbia (AP) Serbia’s top state prosecutor says authorities are hunting for the rioters who attacked the U.S. and other embassies this week, after Kosovo declared independence.
Police say they’ve already arrested nearly 200 people after Belgrade’s worst anti-Western violence in years. One person died and more than 150 were hurt.
BAGHDAD (AP) A U.S military spokesman says rockets or mortars have hit the U.S.-protected Green Zone in Baghdad. Nearly 10 blasts could be heard in the area that houses the U.S. and British embassies, the Iraqi government headquarters and thousands of American troops. It’s the fourth time this week that U.S. outposts have been targeted.
SAIPAN, Northern Mariana Island (AP) John McCain has picked up the support of the nine Republican delegates from the U.S.
Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas. The GOP on the Pacific island is participating in an U.S. election for the first timeeven though residents of Pacific island U.S. territories cannot vote in the presidential election.
LOS ANGELES (AP) Kevin Federline has agreed to give Britney Spears visitation rights with their two young sons. A spokesman for Federline says Spears’ father gets the credit for that development.
Spears hasn’t been allowed to see her children in almost two months.
(Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.) APNP 02-23-08 0757CST|
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