Author: Brett

HOW THE CREATORS OF “WEB THERAPY” BECAME ACCIDENTAL PIONEERS OF THE WEB-TO-TV FORM

Brett

Every big actor in Hollywood has a producing partner. Often this partner is the business person–a development executive who knows how to navigate the industry and balance the star’s “creative nature.” But as the end of Friends approached, Lisa Kudrow realized that she didn’t want that kind of producing partner; she needed a true creative partner, one with whom she could do creative development and navigate the business. And finding that person was simple: her longtime friend, Dan Bucatinsky.

 

http://www.fastcocreate.com/1681084/how-the-creators-of-web-therapy-became-accidental-pioneers-of-the-web-to-tv-form

Obamas’ Nutrition and Fitness Routines: White House Staffers Tell All

Brett

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/07/12/obama-nutrition-fitness-regimen-routine-white-house_n_1667858.html?utm_hp_ref=healthy-living&ncid=edlinkusaolp00000008

WASHINGTON — The White House staff is spilling details about Obama family life, from the first family’s fitness regime to their eating habits.

White House chef Sam Kass and personal trainer Cornell McClellan answered questions about working for the Obamas as they read to more than 100 children Wednesday at the Department of Education.

Kass said he serves lots of vegetables including broccoli, spinach, green beans, brown rice, fish and chicken. He said the family still has fun with a pizza or burger, but “we have some very balanced meals.”

McClellan said the family does jumping jacks, push-ups, jump rope, boxing, running, soccer and basketball to keep fit.

Kass read “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle, while McClellan read Jonathan London’s “Froggy Learns to Swim” to the children from half a dozen schools and centers in the Washington, D.C. area and Pennsylvania.

After reading to the children, the two joined Education Secretary Arne Duncan in cheering on the youngsters in relay races, shooting hoops, using hula hoops and other physical activities.

“Keeping kids reading, keeping them engaged intellectually, going to libraries, going to museums, whatever it might be, is so important,” Duncan said. “The physical activities_ the moving part of this_ is a lot of fun, but we’re just trying to develop in students healthy lifestyles and if they start to build the habits now, they’ll literally last them a lifetime.”

The event was promoting the Education Department’s “Let’s Read! Let’s Move!” series, which encourages children to read and be physically active during the summer months away from school. White House administration, Cabinet members and other public figures are scheduled to participate in reading events throughout July.

Michelle Obama’s Popularity Makes Her Real Political Contender

Brett

Experts: Michelle Obama’s Popularity Makes Her Real Political Contender

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – “Absolutely not.” “Not interested in politics.” “It will not happen.” “No chance at all.”

Those are the not-so-minced words that first lady Michelle Obama has used in recent months to weather, crush and all but put out any speculation of a future political career. That said, what if Michelle Obama was interested in eventually pursuing her own political career?

Less than four months before what is expected to be a highly-contested general election between presumptive GOP nominee Mitt Romney and President Barack Obama, Michelle Obama figures to be a considerable asset on the campaign trail for her husband’s re-election bid, prompting pipe-dream ideas of what the first lady would look like as a future Senate or congressional candidate.

In May, a New York Times column hinted at rumblings of the first lady campaigning not for her husband, but for herself as soon as next year if the president was to be defeated by Romney in the November election. The days following featured Michelle Obama denying her interest in a political career of her own, whether it were to start next year or in five years, telling The View, USA Today and just about any media outlet that asked that public office wasn’t in her future plans. The first lady has repeatedly said she will continue to publicly serve the needs of military families once her husband is done serving as president, but she has veered away from any and all talk about public office.

$1 Million Attack on Tammy Baldwin’s Senate Campaign Produces Little

Brett

http://www.lgbtqnation.com/2012/07/1-million-attack-on-tammy-baldwins-senate-campaign-produces-little/

Two separate half-million dollar attack ad campaigns targeting U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wisc.) in the Wisconsin Senate race may have produced zip for the special interest groups that launched them.

New polling numbers suggest the presumptive Democratic nominee’s standing in the race has actually improved over the last few weeks.  Baldwin is now tied with two GOP challengers and leads two others, according to the firm Public Policy Polling.

For months, television ads backed by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a corporate lobbying group in Washington, and another group affiliated with the billionaire Koch brothers, slammed Baldwin’s progressive record, but with little apparent effect.

Baldwin has now pulled even with former Gov. Tommy Thompson, a Republican who has been leading the race for the GOP nomination.

In a head-to-head match-up, Baldwin and Thompson are tied at 45% each, according to PPP.  An earlier poll from Marquette University showed Baldwin trailing Thompson by 7 points.

Bohnett pledges $800,000 to LGBT leadership program

Brett

The Gay & Lesbian Victory Institute today announced it has received a grant of $800,000 from the David Bohnett Foundation to give senior LGBT leaders the opportunity to attend executive education programs at the Harvard Kennedy School.   The Victory Institute’s David Bohnett LGBT Leadership Fellows program, now in its tenth year, enrolled its 100th fellow this summer.

Graduates of the program include some of the country’s top LGBT political talents, including Houston Mayor Annise Parker, New York State Sen. Tom Duane, Dallas Sheriff Lupe Valdez and San Francisco Treasurer Jose Cisneros.

 

http://www.gaypolitics.com/2012/07/10/bohnett-pledges-800000-to-lgbt-leadership-program/

Love Among the Spuds

Brett

Tammy Baldwin, who has a very real chance of becoming the first openly gay or lesbian person elected to the United States Senate, stood with a 73-year-old potato farmer in his fields here the other day and asked him: “How hot am I?”

For the previous half-hour, the farmer had been boastfully showing Baldwin, 50, his equipment: the sorting machine, the stacking machine. And now, in response to her question, he nudged his thermometer close to her. I do mean thermometer, an infrared one, with which he’d just determined that the temperature of the dirt on this scorching July afternoon was 136 degrees.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/10/opinion/bruni-love-among-the-spuds.html?_r=1&emc=eta1

Simon is new Anoka-Hennepin School Board member

Brett

The Anoka-Hennepin School Board announced Jeff Simon as the new board member to replace Kathy Tingelstad at its meeting Monday, July 9.

Simon, a Coon Rapids resident and member of the district’s Future Focus team, will represent eastern Coon Rapids and southwest Andover until his term expires January 2014.         Tingelstad resigned from the board in March after school board members agreed to settle two lawsuits that challenged the district’s handling of allegations of anti-gay student bullying.

 http://www.twincities.com/localnews/ci_21037696/new-anoka-hennepin-school-board-member-be-announced?refresh=no

The Contenders: Hot LGBT Prospects for Office

Brett

http://www.advocate.com/print-issue/current-issue/2012/07/12/contenders-hot-lgbt-prospects-office

Luminaries like Barney Frank and Tammy Baldwin are leaving the House of Representatives after this session—the former is retiring and the latter running for the Senate—but in congressional and state-level races across the country, more LGBT candidates than ever are campaigning. There are so many candidates, in fact, that it can be difficult to keep track of all the contenders. By early June the Victory Fund, which works to elect out leaders to political office, had endorsed 113 LGBT hopefuls for this election cycle. From a prospective out lawmaker in Texas to a bisexual congressional candidate, check out the hot prospects for 2012.

Tyler Perry’s Amazing Journey to the Top

Brett

What filmmaker has had five movies open number one at the box office in the last four years? Spielberg, Tarantino, Scorsese? No. This record belongs to Tyler Perry, one of the biggest names in the movie business. Yet many Americans have never heard of him.

His nine films have grossed more than $481 million, one of the highest average grosses per film in the industry. And as we first reported last fall when we broadcast this story, they’re just part of Perry’s multi-million-dollar entertainment empire.

 

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/21/60minutes/main6698376.shtml?tag=currentVideoInfo;videoMetaInfo

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=6711929n&tag=segementExtraScroller;housing

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5414259n&tag=segementExtraScroller;housing

http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5419931n&tag=contentBody;storyMediaBox

A Reality Series Finds Silicon Valley Cringing

Brett

SAN FRANCISCO — Silicon Valley is finally getting the treatment once reserved for rowdy housewives and excitable chefs: its own Bravo reality series. But the tech world is not quite ready for its close-up.

When details about the show, tentatively titled “Silicon Valley,” first seeped out, many here were offended, saying it would trivialize the difficult and important work being done in the valley. “Yuck, please stay in LA,” Kevin Rose, an entrepreneur and venture capitalist, messaged his million-plus Twitter followers.