Technology Slice Blog

Lindsay Lohan to Read David Letterman Top 10 - Lindsay Lohan will read the Top 10 list on CBS’ Late Show With David Letterman Thursday. Her fifth appearance on the show - via satellite - comes days after the late night host made a joke about her at the Feb. 13 Grammys. (He included her on his Top 10 Grammy Surprises list: Lindsay Lohan seen leaving Staples Center with Grammy-shaped bulge in her jacket.) The joke was in reference to Lohan being charged with grand theft Feb. 9 for allegedly stealing a $2,500 necklace from a Los Angeles jeweler. She is due in court for another hearing Feb. 23. If convicted, she faces up to three years in state prison. Lindsay Lohan to Read David Letterman Top 10

Mickey Rooney Restraining Order Against Stepson - Mickey Rooney has obtained a temporary restraining order against his stepson, who is accused in court documents of allegedly abusing the actor and meddling in his finances. Lawyers for Rooney obtained a restraining order requiring stepson Chris Aber to stay 100 yards award from the 90-year-old and his home. Court documents allege Aber has prevented Rooney from leaving the house, forced the actor to sign documents without reading them and has been withholding food and medicine. The filing describes Aber as making Rooney a "prisoner in his own home". The actor's lawyers also obtained a temporary conservatorship for Rooney to protect his personal and financial interests. The order allows his legal team to secure Rooney's financials assets and obtain control of his website and any financial documents in Aber's possession. Rooney is described in a news release about the case as still being sharp-witted. M...

Nancy Kerrigan's Brother Back in Jail - A Massachusetts judge put Mark Kerrigan back in jail Monday after he failed a mandatory sobriety test on Saturday. The judge ordered Kerrigan, brother of figure skater Nancy Kerrigan, held without bail. Kerrigan had been free on $25,000 bail after being charged with manslaughter in the death of his father in early 2010. Prosecutors say Daniel Kerrigan, 70, died after having an argument with his intoxicated son. A medical examiner had found that Daniel Kerrigan's death came from cardiac dysrhythmia triggered by the brawl, which resulted in a larynx injury. Previously, Kerrigan's family members said Daniel Kerrigan had a heart condition. Nancy Kerrigan's Brother Back in Jail

Debbie Reynolds Visits Oprah - The unsinkable Debbie Reynolds will join her daughter, the wonderfully caustic Carrie Fisher, on Tuesday’s edition of “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” Carrie will talk about her substance abuse and mental breakdown. Debbie will discuss the Elizabeth Taylor-Eddie Fisher scandal. Reynolds, Taylor and Fisher were the Jennifer Aniston-Angelina Jolie-Brad Pitt of the late 1950s. Here’s hoping the women discuss their movies: Carrie zoomed to stardom in “Star Wars.” And Debbie’s output includes the beloved “Singin’ in the Rain” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” Debbie Reynolds Visits Oprah

General David Petraeus to Leave Afghanistan Campaign - The Times of London reports that "General David Petraeus, the most celebrated American soldier of his generation, is to leave his post as commander of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan." "The Times can reveal that the Pentagon aims to replace General Petraeus, who was appointed less than eight months ago, by the end of the year," it adds. A Petraeus departure might raise serious questions about continued support for President Obama's Afghan plans, as well as rekindle speculation about a possible 2012 presidential run for General Petraeus (though if he were to stay on until the end of 2011, that would obviously be impossible). While this may seem shocking, Petreaus' departure has been hinted at -- and it's possible Petraeus may be looking at a promotion. General David Petraeus to Leave Afghanistan Campaign

ICE Agents Shot in Mexico - Two US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) special agents were shot in Mexico Tuesday afternoon. The agents, who had been assigned to the ICE Attache office in Mexico City, were shot while driving between Mexico City and Monterrey by unknown assailants, ICE said in a statement. The condition of the officers was unclear. "ICE is working with the US State Department, Mexican authorities and other US law enforcement partners to investigate the shooting," the agency said. ICE Agents Shot in Mexico

Lara Logan Sexual Assault - CBS News correspondent Lara Logan was assaulted and sexually abused by an Egyptian crowd last week during the celebration of President Hosni Mubarak's decision to step aside. Logan, a veteran foreign correspondent, was covering the jubilation in Tahrir Square for "60 Minutes" on Feb. 11 when "she and her team and their security were surrounded by a dangerous element amidst the celebration," CBS News said in a statement published on their website today. "In the crush of the mob, she was separated from her crew. She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers," read the statement. Thousands of Egyptians swarmed Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the protests that night, and the crowds were generally peaceful. Soon after the assault Logan reconnected with her crew, "returned to her hotel and returned to the ...

Jeopardy Champ Ken Jennings Faces IBM Computer - Ken Jennings is used to feeling confident behind the "Jeopardy!" podium. That changed when he squared off against a computer the size of an RV. In matches set to air next week, the Seattle-area game-show whiz and his fellow "Jeopardy!" champion Brad Rutter played against Watson, an IBM computer built specifically to rival a human's ability to answer questions in natural language. Watson demonstrated the wonders of artificial intelligence as a formidable competitor against mere humans. Except when it made a goofy mistake. Asked what grasshoppers eat, Watson responded: "kosher," Jennings said. When asked for goodbye in Russian, it responded "cholesterol." "Occasionally the curtain will part, and you'll see that what it's doing under the hood is not as sophisticated as what the human brain can do," Jennings said. Jeopardy Champ Ken Jennings Faces IBM Computer

BHP Billiton Record Half Year Profit - The world's biggest mining firm BHP Billiton has made record half-year profits, and is promising to give back $10bn (£6.25bn) to shareholders. First-half profits nearly doubled to $10.5bn as the boom in demand for commodities boosted prices of its iron ore and copper products. The Anglo-Australian company said it expected demand to continue to rise. BHP, which was forced to call off a merger with Canada's giant Potash Corp, benefits hugely from Chinese demand. The company's chief executive, Marius Kloppers, said in a statement: "While we expect a slowdown in the growth rate of global commodity demand in calendar year 2011, the economic environment still underpins a robust near term outlook for our products." BHP has virtually no debt, and with the failure of the recent Potash merger has no obvious target for a new major tie-up. Potash was the latest significant potential deal to founder in the past three years. ...

Peltz Offer to Buy Family Dollar - Activist investor Nelson Peltz, famous for his big bets on restaurant chains including Wendy's, disclosed in a filing that he's offering to buy discount retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. for between $55 and $60 a share in cash. At $60 a share, a Family Dollar buyout would be worth $7.6 billion. Charlotte, N.C.-based Family Dollar was up 13 cents at $43.96 in 4 p.m. trading on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares jumped 30% to $57.20 in after-hours trading. Mr. Peltz said in a regulatory filing that he also offered Howard Levine, the Family Dollar CEO, an opportunity to participate in a company buyout. Mr. Peltz's New York-based investment firm, Trian Partners, "also advised Mr. Levine that in their view, the ultimate decision of whether the Issuer should be sold should be determined by the Issuer's shareholders," according to the regulatory filing. Trian owns nearly 8% of Family Dollar's shares, according to to...

CBS Reporter Lara Logan Suffered Sexual Assault in Egypt - CBS News announced Tuesday that correspondent Lara Logan — who was on location in Egypt covering the protests against now former President Hosni Mubarak – was beaten and sexually assaulted after being mobbed Feb. 11. According to CBS, after President Mubarak vacated his seat, Logan was separated from her crew when a group of over 200 protesters erupted into celebration. “She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers,” CBS News wrote on their website. The reporter returned to the U.S. the following day, and is currently recovering in a hospital. “There will be no further comment from CBS News and Correspondent Logan and her family respectfully request privacy at this time,” CBS News wrote. Logan is not the only journalist to have been injured while in Egypt; during the protests, CNN’s Anderson Cooper was attacked b...

Elycia Turnbow Frankie Muniz Brawl - Just days before Valentine's Day, Frankie Muniz and his longtime girlfriend, Elycia Marie Turnbow, had an explosive fight during which the actor allegedly put a gun to his head. According to a police report obtained by TMZ.com, Muniz called the cops to his Phoenix home hours after the initial argument began on Friday, because "he was scared that this was getting out of control." It was Turnbow, however, who told the police about the incident with the gun, admitting she was worried the 25-year-old was going to harm himself. Turnbow said they were in the midst of an "intense" fight about past relationships when Muniz allegedly "grabbed a gun and held it to his head, possibly with the intent of committing suicide," the police report said. She further explained that she called one of Muniz's You Hang Up bandmates to take him to the hospital. When he returned later that day, the argument continued. The for...

Bonnaroo Lineup 2011 - With Coachella already set to go and a handful of Lollapalooza acts already leaking out, the summer festival season is already shaping up to be one of the biggest and best of all time. But what of Bonnaroo, the rural Tennessee camping adventure that began as a gathering of jam band obsessives but has evolved into one of the best music events in the world? On Tuesday morning (February 15), the Bonnaroo lineup was unveiled, with Eminem, Lil Wayne and Arcade Fire serving as the big headliners at this year's model (which will run June 9-12 in Manchester, Tennessee). The top line is rounded out by the likes of the Strokes, the Black Keys, My Morning Jacket, Florence and the Machine and a reuniting Buffalo Springfield (making their only festival appearance). That's an eclectic lineup, for sure (there's more hip-hop on the bill than ever before, especially in the headlining spots), but there's still plenty for the Bonnaroo purists. No matter who you a...

Lara Logan Sexual Assault in Egypt - CBS News released a statement today regarding the condition of Lara Logan, its chief foreign affairs correspondent. According to CBS, Logan was separated from her crew, beaten and sexually assaulted by a mob in Cairo's Tahrir Square on the day that Hosni Mubarak stepped down as president of Egypt. In the crush of the mob, she was separated from her crew. She was surrounded and suffered a brutal and sustained sexual assault and beating before being saved by a group of women and an estimated 20 Egyptian soldiers. She reconnected with the CBS team, returned to her hotel and returned to the United States on the first flight the next morning. She is currently in the hospital recovering. The 39-year-old Logan has often found herself in dangerous situations throughout her reporting career, covering the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, where she often ventured off beyond areas deemed safe by the U.S. military. In 2008, I had the pleasure of intervie...

Roseanne Barr and Lifetime Unscripted Show - Lifetime announced on Monday afternoon that it has ordered 16 episodes of a new, unscripted series from the 58-year-old former "Roseanne" star. The series will follow Barr as she attempts to run a macadamia and livestock farm in Hawaii. The as-yet-untitled series, which will also feature Barr's writer-musician boyfriend Johnny Argent and son Jake, will debut later this year. “Roseanne Barr is an undeniable force of nature and the idea of following her in this unique premise excited us from the get-go,” Nancy Dubuc, Lifetime Networks’ President and General Manager, said in a statement. “Roseanne is funny and brutally-honest, and our audience will relate to her decision to go on this adventure and create an entirely new life for herself." Roseanne Barr and Lifetime Unscripted Show

Tatum O'Neal Memoir - Tatum O'Neal has not finished telling her life story. The Academy Award-winning actress has a second memoir, "Found," scheduled to come out in June. The book, published by HarperCollins, is a follow-up to "A Paper Life," which was released in 2004. HarperCollins announced Monday that the new book will be "part memoir, part Hollywood tell-all, part personal journal." The 47-year-old O'Neal was 10 years old when she won an Oscar for "Paper Moon," but she has since struggled with substance abuse. She also was estranged for years from her father and "Paper Moon" co-star, Ryan O'Neal. "Found" will coincide with the airing of "Ryan and Tatum: The O'Neals," a reality show on OWN about O'Neal and her father. Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/02/14/2066605/tatum-oneal-releasing-second-memoir.html#ixzz1E0wbSnCu Tatum O'Neal Memoir