Technology Slice Blog

Ray Chew New Idol Director - Among the changes for the upcoming tenth season of "American Idol" is a new music director to fill the seat Rickey Minor vacated when he left to lead "The Tonight Show" band at the end of Season 9. The Hollywood Reporter has learned that Ray Chew, a veteran of television music shows, has been handed the title and is already hard at work coming up with arrangements for the new crop of contestants. Chew has served as bandleader and musical director for such programs as NBC's "It's Showtime at the Apollo" and "The Singing Bee." He also curated all the music for the 2008 Democratic National Convention, where "Idol" alum Jennifer Hudson sang the national anthem, and the inaugural ball ushering in Barack Obama's presidency in January 2009. The latter featured performances by Mary J. Blige, Shakira, Mariah Carey, Stevie Wonder, and Sting, along with an unforgettable rendition of Etta James' ...

Jon Gosselin Kids Australia - Jon Gosselin made a desperate attempt to stop his ex-wife Kate's trip to Australia with their eight kids -- and even went to court over it -- but a judge ruled that she could make the excursion because it was work related, RadarOnline.com has exclusively learned. The decision to allow the trip was made following a secret closed door hearing at Berks County Court in Pennsylvania earlier this month by the same judge that allowed Kate to film her spin-off reality TV show Kate Plus 8 on the TLC network, despite objections by Jon. A source told RadarOnline.com: “It was another slap in the face for Jon because he did not want the kids to go to Australia. “But the judge ruled that because it was for work it was okay. Jon had plans to get together with his kids and friends for New Year, but now he will not see them until they return in the middle of January. Source: http://www.radaronline.com/exclusives/2010/12/exclusive-jon-gosselin-asked-judge-stop-...

Avoid an IRS Audit - After years of ignoring the ability of the rich to get around the tax code, the IRS has been cracking down on abuses by the wealthy. One of the reasons for making a move on the wealthy is that the abuses have been so flagrant that even Congress was offended. Plus, the government needs the cash. One way to get that cash is to make sure everyone pays his or her fair share -- including the rich, who can afford to pay high-priced tax attorneys to find the cracks in the tax code. These tax experts design investments for their clients and structure their financial situation so that much of their income is sheltered from tax. They do a great job. For tax year 2006, 8,252 returns with incomes of $200,000 or more showed no income tax liability. That was up from 7,389 in 2005. Cheating by corporations and individuals has been found to be worse than was once thought. Source: http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Taxes/AvoidAnAudit/6waysToKeepTheIRSatBay.aspx Avoid ...

Million E-Books Downloaded Christmas Day - Bookseller Barnes & Noble said Thursday that it now sells more digital books than physical volumes on its online bookstore. Customers bought or downloaded nearly 1 million e-books on Christmas Day alone, the company said in a press release. The Nook e-reader has become a bestseller, according to the bookseller. The Nook Color, introduced two months before Christmas, was the company's No. 1 selling holiday gift item, according to the company release. Barnes & Noble launched the Nook last year to compete with Amazon's Kindle reader. Analysts estimate that Barnes & Noble has sold about 2 million Nooks, while the Kindle, launched in 2007, is thought to have sold about 6 million devices, according to Reuters. Source: http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2010/12/barnes-noble-e-books-top-sellers.html Million E-Books Downloaded Christmas Day

What Economists got Right 2010 - Mainstream economic forecasters totally misjudged the collapse of the credit bubble in 2007 and the ensuing Great Recession, but when it came time to predict the recovery, they got it right. Here’s what I wrote a year ago in a preview of the 2010 economy: “The U.S. economy is limping — not sprinting — out of the Great Recession of 2008 and 2009. “While the economy is likely to grow at a steady but unspectacular 3% pace in 2010, the prospects for significant job growth are dim and the unemployment rate could still be in the 10% neighborhood at this time next year, economists say.” Read my 2010 outlook story. That’s exactly what happened. Source: http://www.marketwatch.com/story/economists-nailed-the-2010-forecast-2010-12-29 What Economists got Right 2010

Khloe Kardashian Reality Show - The 26-year-old socialite – who tied the knot with Los Angeles Lakers star Lamar Odom in September 2009 after a whirlwind one-month romance – is said to be branching out from the rest of the Kardashians to appear in the E! spin-off show, which will focus on the pair’s marriage. With both having already appeared in reality shows ‘Keeping Up with the Kardashians’ and ‘Kourtney and Khloe Take Miami’, the new series is believed to be taking a ‘Newlyweds’-style format and will see the couple go about their day-to-day lives. Lamar’s two children Destiny, 12, and eight-year-old Lamar junior – who he had with ex-wife Liza Morales – are also expected to be appearing in the spin-off show. Source: http://www.transworldnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?id=661739&cat=2 Khloe Kardashian Reality Show

Geraldine Hoff Doyle Dies - Geraldine Hoff Doyle, a World War II factory worker whose bandana-wearing image in a wire-service photo is said to have been the model for the woman depicted in the 1942 "We Can Do It!" poster, has died. She was 86. The iconic wartime poster became an enduring symbol of women's power from the Rosie the Riveter era. Doyle died of age-related causes Sunday at Hospice House of Mid-Michigan in Lansing, said her daughter, Stephanie Gregg. Source: http://www.baltimoresun.com/la-me-geraldine-hoff-doyle-20101231,0,2033819.story Geraldine Hoff Doyle Dies