Look, up in the credits, it's Peters

An in-your-face producer could be borne up anew by "Superman Returns," which he championed.
This summer, moviegoers will flock to theaters to see the Man of Steel battle archnemesis Lex Luthor in "Superman Returns." But the $200-million-plus comic book extravaganza also marks another drama-filled return: the reemergence of movie producer Jon Peters.
He was the onetime hairdresser whose romance with Barbra Streisand led to an almost unfathomable ascent to blockbuster producer and then studio power broker. His messy 1991 departure as co-chairman of Columbia Pictures Entertainment Inc. was relished by those who were envious of his lavish, jet-setting lifestyle or were stung by his in-your-face demeanor and legendary temper.
To this day, the mere mention of his name invokes venom in Hollywood circles. "Egotistical," brayed one producer, when asked to comment on Peters. "He's a bully, a blowhard," lambasted another, before lapsing into obscenities. "Enormously charming ' and enormously lucky," quipped a third. All requested anonymity. Even his ex-wife, Mindy Peters, who is dating him once again, observed: "He's a madman, crazy and mean. But he has a beautiful heart. When he's passionate about something, he puts everything he can into it."
No one questions that it was the vision of director and co-writer Bryan Singer ("X-Men") that pumped life into the once-moribund "Superman" franchise at Warner Bros. But if the movie succeeds ' and quiet talks of sequels are already underway ' the producer who many considered washed-up could find himself soaring once again.
"He's somebody who doesn't quit, he has visions about how things should be done, and more often than not he's proven right," said producer Jeff Wald, who was a television executive at Peters' former production company years ago.
For 13 years, Peters played a pivotal role in keeping the "Superman" project alive within the studio. It was a long and arduous journey as Warners shelved earlier ideas, the project bled directors, writers and actors, and debates raged over whether Superman should be killed off ' or find himself pitted against Batman.
It paid off for Peters: After several years spent flying under the radar, he shares producing credit on one of the summer's biggest movies with Singer and Gilbert Adler.
Of course, Peters' championing of the caped superhero hasn't been without controversy.
In 2003, gossip columns buzzed with reports that Peters and director Brett Ratner came close to blows when Ratner abruptly quit the "Superman" project. Sources say Peters also erupted in a meeting with Warners production chief Jeff Robinov, accusing the studio of being disrespectful of director McG, who at the time was in discussions to helm "Superman." Robinov did not return phone calls seeking comment.
One might think that Peters would be front-and-center, trumpeting the new film. But from his enclave in the ritzy, celebrity-drenched Malibu Colony, the man who remains one of Hollywood's more intriguing figures declined to be interviewed. Meanwhile, his ex-wife spoke freely about her relationship with Peters ' as well as his penchant for confrontation and argument.
Sometimes, she said, "you have to say to him, 'Give it up! OK, fine, Jon, now shut up!' "
Mindy Peters said she can understand why some might avoid clashing with her ex-husband.
"He's not conventional. He doesn't live by the rules, so to speak'. He's definitely fair. He's the guy who, if you are in a predicament where it's going to get dangerous, you want Jon on your side. He's a passionate person. If somebody is trying to mess with you, he will mess back. He's a street fighter. He's trained in Brazilian jujitsu."
If Peters' latest career incarnation lands him back on top, will the "suits" in today's executive suites understand the likes of a Jon Peters? After all, some might say he's a dinosaur in a business that is becoming more corporate and risk-averse with each passing day.
"He's opinionated and talented," Wald said. "When I look around at the movies being made today, they're made by committee. You can't run that game on Jon."
Mindy Peters, who has her own film production company and said she was at Jon's side throughout the years the "Superman" project was in development, described him as someone who is smart, shrewd and can strategize like a chess master, even if he's not one to send memos.
She noted that during meetings "he closes his eyes, puts his head back, and then takes it all in, and when he opens those eyes, just be ready."
Mindy Peters also talked about the side of Peters that few get to see, such as his generosity. He donated money to the family of a deputy sheriff slain in the line of duty and paid for a terminally ill girl from the Pacific Northwest to come to L.A. for a week to visit Disneyland and other theme parks.
She said he also wakes up sweating, unable to breathe because of a recurring nightmare: "Jon is sitting on a curb waiting for his dad to come home and as he runs up to the car, the car pulls away."
With his wealth, good looks and the ability to turn on the charm, he has attracted some of the world's most glamorous women over the years. He was married to actress Lesley Ann Warren and has been romantically linked over the years to Streisand, "Batman" star Kim Basinger, Pamela Anderson, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Swedish supermodel Vendela.
Peters got his big break in the 1970s, as a hairdresser on the set of "For Pete's Sake." He charmed Streisand and persuaded her to make "A Star Is Born." The 1976 film became a hit and Peters was provided an entr'e into producing. He went on to team with producer Peter Guber, resulting in numerous hits, including the 1989 blockbuster "Batman."
His rocky tenure atop Columbia (with Guber as fellow co-chairman) led to a fall from grace in the eyes of many. In recent years, Peters has kept a lower profile even as he produced two well-known bombs, "Money Train" and "Wild, Wild West," along with critical favorites like "Rosewood" and "Ali."
Ronnie Grigg, president of Peters Entertainment, said his boss had a good relationship with Singer and was "a very facilitative guy" over the course of the "Superman" production.
But one former Warners executive who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was frustrating working on "Superman" with Peters because "every Monday he would come in after seeing some hit movie and change the script."
Mindy Peters described it as a "wild ride to say the least. None of us thought it would take this long or be this intense. It had so many fits and starts."
As years went by and "Superman" languished in development, it put a strain on their relationship. The project, she said, certainly was a factor in their 2004 divorce.
"I had so had it with him," she said of the decision to break up. "But we stayed connected because of the ["Superman"] project and because we have this really intense connection. This was a dream we had from so many years before."
Mindy Peters said all those memories came rushing back as she was driving along Sunset Boulevard recently and saw the first billboard for "Superman Returns." She pulled over, called to tell him, and began sobbing.
The couple are now rekindling their romance. They are also jointly involved in film and real estate deals. (The couple met 12 years ago when she was selling real estate in Montecito and he was looking to buy a ranch. He had just ended a long relationship with Vendela and poured his heart out.)
Together, they have plans to develop a 3,000-acre El Capitan Ranch north of Santa Barbara. They also are rebuilding the old Charlie Chaplin estate in Beverly Hills. They have an 8-year-old daughter, Kendyl Rose, and Mindy Peters says her former husband has more or less adopted her son by a previous marriage. They both study Kabbalah.
Even though "Superman Returns" helped cause their breakup, the couple were on the paparazzi-lined red carpet at the movie's Los Angeles premiere, and the irony of the moment was not lost on them.
Almost two decades before, Jon Peters had walked along a similar red carpet leading to the same theater for the premiere of "Batman."
But this time, as they got out of the car, Mindy Peters recalled, he hesitated. "Jon said, 'No, I'm not going to do that,' " and opted to slip into the theater unnoticed. "Then he saw Bryan [Singer] standing there smiling and waving us over," so he changed his mind.
"This was really a dream come true for Jon," she said. "He did 'Batman' and now he does 'Superman Returns'. This was a dream coming to fruition."
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Big ham Shatner to be roasted by Comedy Central

NEW YORK -- William Shatner has always done an excellent job of poking fun at himself but he's going to have plenty of help this summer.
The 75-year-old actor-singer, who starred as Captain Kirk in the TV and movie series Star Trek, will be the recipient of cheap shots and bawdy jokes -- as Pamela Anderson was last year -- at a Comedy Central celebrity roast in his honour, the channel has announced.
Roast of William Shatner, scheduled to air Aug. 20 (10 p.m.), will be taped earlier that month in Los Angeles.
On a more serious note: Shatner, an Emmy-winner for his role as wily but wacky lawyer Denny Crane in ABC's Boston Legal, will be inducted, along with Tom Brokaw and Regis Philbin, into the Academy of Television Art & Sciences Hall of Fame this year.

In the fast Lane

For most actresses, the question of whether to accept a high-profile role in one of the most hotly anticipated movies of the year would be a no-brainer.
Still, faced with the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to star as Lois Lane in director Bryan Singer's US$250 million ($399 million) blockbuster Superman Returns, which opens in Singapore tomorrow, Kate Bosworth initially hesitated.
"I felt insecure," she told Today in an interview in Los Angeles earlier this month. "I've done a few movies but I'm just starting out. I'm still learning and doing my best to improve and I thought: I'm not sure if I can do a good enough job with this."
Eventually, the 23-year-old star of Beyond the Sea did sign on to play the Man of Steel's love interest in the film ' Singer's unofficial sequel to 1978's Superman and its 1980 follow-up ' but that doesn't mean the jitters went away.
"I chose not to watch the TV show and the past films ... as I didn't want the pressure of mimicking things," she said. "There are elements to this character that have changed ' she's a single mum, for one ' and I didn't want that burden."
However, on the day of the interview, with the gruelling 118 days shoot in Australia behind her, there was little sign of Bosworth's admitted lack of confidence.
Dressed in a stunning Stella McCartney black-and-gray striped number with a plunging neckline that would make Pamela Anderson blush, the 1.65m Los-Angeles-born actress looked every inch the brash young budding superstar.
Even so, Bosworth revealed that her "awkward childhood" ' her family had relocated often when she was a youngster ' had proved a help in playing the "feisty, intelligent and motivated" Daily Planet reporter Lane.
"I moved a lot as a kid so I know what it's like to feel like the outsider," Bosworth said, before relating a childhood incident where she stood up in an auditorium to defend a classmate who was being bullied.
"I think Lois' passion, her fire, is what we share. Especially if something is unfair, she and I would probably be the first to speak out on it and get to the truth."
Though she politely fended off all attempts to do likewise and get the facts on her rumoured relationship with Pirates of the Caribbean star Orlando Bloom, Bosworth did go on record with her vision of the ideal man.
"Clark Kent," she said matter-of-factly when offered the choice between man and Superman.
"There's a wonderful sensitivity and awkwardness about him that makes him very human that I love in somebody."
At least onscreen, Brandon Routh ' the virtual unknown who plays Kent and his super-alter ego in the movie ' fits the bill for Bosworth, who said she bonded with her co-star during scenes in which they "fly" together through the power of special effects.
"It was uncomfortable but romantic," she said of the experience.
As for whether all the romance in the air, combined with playing surrogate mum to five-year-old actor Tristan Lake Leabu ' who plays her onscreen son Jason ' had brought out Bosworth's maternal instinct, the actress just laughed.
"It certainly gave me an insight as to how it feels to be a mum on the tiniest scale. And it's something I look forward to in the future," she said good-naturedly, waving her hands for emphasis.

Party Of Five

ANY takers? This is, after all, 'a unique opportunity for you and five friends to be Elton's and David's guests at their home to watch a movie together and join them for an Indian curry.'
That's the lot Elton John and David Furnish, for it is they, have put up at their charity auction. Any takers?
Sure, for most of us finding five friends in a lifetime would be a tall order, let alone getting them to table for one meal, but in Elton John and David Furnish's world, it is no big deal.
The couple have so many close and dear, dear friends that when they all get together they have to hire a big tent and call the meeting the white Tie & Tiara Ball.
And arriving for the party at their Windsor mansion is professional raisin eater Liz Hurley. The Sun says sees Liz appear dressed in a white gown and jewels - a 16-carat white gold necklace worth '2.5million and a tiara.
Liz calls this her 'official coming out'. But before Liz goes the gay way, the Mail spots some really little princesses arriving.
It's Princess Beatrice in an 'eye-catching dress' (Mail readers may find their eyes caught in Bea's exposed cleavage) and her sister Princess Eugenie (more bare flesh).
Neither girls wear a tiara, which is a flagrant breach of the dress code. And while Elton and David's staff fashion the Windsors little crowns from paper napkins and spittle, more guests arrive.
There's Tara Palmer-Tomkinson and her nose, and a tiara. And Kate Moss is at large once more. And there's the pixie-voiced Sharon Osbourne and her vibrating husband Ozzy. And there's Rod Stewart and his fiancee Penny Lancaster. And there's Robbie Williams, Simon Cowell and James Blunt. And, of course, there's Lulu, without whom no mention of Elton John is complete.
That's at least five friends already and the Express has only just spotted the star of the show. Look everyone (but try not to gawp) it's Kylie Minogue, or 'brave Kylie', as she is now known.
Kylie has spent the better part of the last year recovering from breast cancer and everyone is glad to see her looking well again.
So now all the guests are massed, what are we bid for that curry dinner and a movie? And, yes, Pamela Anderson, that does include a couple of stuffed nan breads...
Jordan and Peter Andre are not as they once were... Full Story
Seasons To Be Cheerful
[older stories]
Who needs to go overseas when you can stay in Britain and get terrorised by sharks, third degree sunburn and drowned?...

The Almanac

The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include baseball pioneer Abner Doubleday in 1819; British physicist and inventor William Kelvin in 1824; novelist Pearl Buck in 1892; German aircraft designer Willi Messerschmitt in 1898; William Lear, developer of the Lear jet, in 1902; actor Peter Lorre in 1904; "Colonel" Tom Parker, Elvis Presley's manager, in 1910; athlete Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias in 1914; actor/musician Chris Isaak in 1956 (age 50); cyclist Greg LeMond in 1961 (age 45); and actors Chris O'Donnell and Sean P. Hayes ("Will & Grace"), both in 1970 (age 36).
In 1900, Dr. Walter Reed and his medical team began a successful campaign to wipe out yellow fever in the Panama Canal Zone.
In 1917, the first troops of the American Expeditionary Force reached France in World War I.
In 1939, film censors approved "Gone With The Wind" but fined Producer David O. Selznick $5,000 for objectionable language in Rhett Butler's famous line to Scarlett O'Hara: "Frankly, my dear, I don't give a damn."
In 1945, the FCC began development of commercial television by allocating airwaves for 13 TV stations.
Also in 1945, the U.N. Charter was signed by representatives of 50 nations.
In 1959, U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower and Queen Elizabeth II formally opened the St. Lawrence Seaway in Canada.
In 1974, the bar code, allowing for the electronic scanning of prices, was used for the first time on a pack of gum at a supermarket in Troy, Ohio.
In 1976, the CN Tower, the world's tallest freestanding structure (1,815 feet, 5 inches), opened in Toronto.
In 1977, 42 people died in a county jail fire in Columbia, Tenn.
In 1986, a nationwide 26-day strike by 155,000 AT&T telecommunication workers, the first since the Bell System breakup in January 1984, ended with a new contract agreement.
Also in 1986, the Nicaraguan government closed the nation's last opposition newspaper, La Prensa.
In 1990, U.S. President George H.W. Bush discarded his "no new taxes" campaign pledge, saying "it is clear to me" taxes are needed as part of deficit-reduction package.
In 1991, 120 people drowned after an Indonesian trawler and an unidentified ship collided in the Straits of Malacca.
In 1992, U.S. Navy Secretary H. Lawrence Garrett resigned, accepting responsibility for the "Tailhook" incident involving the harassment of Navy women by naval aviators.
Also in 1992, Los Angeles Police Chief Daryl Gates, the target of public wrath for the Rodney King beating, resigned.
In 1993, in response to an Iraqi plot to assassinate former U.S. President George H.W. Bush during a visit to Kuwait, two U.S. ships in the Persian Gulf fired missiles at Iraq's intelligence complex. The main headquarters building was badly damaged.
In 1995, an attempted assassination of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak failed during his visit to Ethiopia.
In 2000, two rival groups of scientists announced they had deciphered the genetic code, the human genome.
In 2002, the U.S. Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the Pledge of Allegiance recited in schools was unconstitutional because of the phrase "under God." The ruling was stayed pending appeal.
In 2003, the U.S. Supreme Court gave a major boost to gay rights advocates by striking down a Texas law forbidding sexual activity between same-sex partners.
In 2004, a group that beheaded two hostages in Iraq said it had captured three Turkish workers and would kill them unless Turkish companies quit Iraq.
In 2005, six months after the Indian Ocean tsunami, the death toll stood at 178,000 in 11 countries with another 50,000 people missing and presumed dead.
A thought for the day: Tennessee Williams wrote, "All cruel people describe themselves as paragons of frankness."
Today is Tuesday, June 27, the 178th day of 2006 with 187 to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include King Charles XII, Charles the Great, of Sweden in 1682; Irish patriot Charles Stewart Parnell in 1846; poet Paul Laurence Dunbar 1872; blind and deaf author Helen Keller in 1880; "Captain Kangaroo" Bob Keeshan in 1927; H. Ross Perot in 1930 (age 76); fashion designer Norma Kamali in 1945 (age 61); and actors Julia Duffy in 1951 (age 55), Isabelle Adjani in 1955 (age 51), Jason Patric in 1966 (age 40), Christian Kane ("Angel") in 1974 (age 32) and Tobey Maguire in 1975 (age 31).
In 1801, British forces captured Cairo and the French began withdrawing from Egypt in one of the Napoleonic Wars.
In 1829, English scientist James Smithson leaves will that eventually funds the establishment of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, in a country he never visited.
In 1844, Mormon founder Joseph Smith was slain by a mob at a jail in Carthage, Ill.
In 1847, the first telegraph wire links were established between New York City and Boston.
In 1859, Louisville, Ky., schoolteacher Mildred Hill wrote a tune for her students and called it "Good Morning To You." Her sister, Patty, wrote the lyrics and later added a verse that began "Happy birthday To You."
In 1893, the "Panic of 1893" began as the value of the U.S. silver dollar fell to less than 60 cents in gold.
In 1950, U.S. President Harry Truman ordered U.S. naval and air forces to help repel the North Korean invasion of South Korea.
In 1979, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled private employers could give special preferences to blacks to eliminate "manifest racial imbalance" in traditionally white-only jobs.
In 1991, Associate Justice Thurgood Marshall announced he was retiring from the U.S. Supreme Court. He was the first black to sit on the high court.
Also in 1991, South Africa announced it would sign the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty and agree not to develop nuclear weapons.
In 1992, a severe earthquake shook Southern California, jolting residents awake, causing damage and killing one person.
Also in 1992, U.S. President H.W. Bush's only daughter married the former top aide to the House Democratic leader in a private ceremony at Camp David, Md.
In 1993, the Pentagon recommended closing 33 major military bases and nearly 100 smaller installations and shrinking 45 others.
Also in 1993, U.N.-sponsored talks between exiled Haitian President Aristide and the military leaders who ousted him opened in New York.
In 1995, the space shuttle Atlantis blasted off from Cape Canaveral, Fla., on an historic mission to dock with the Russian space station Mir. The flight was also the 100th U.S.-piloted space mission.
In 2002, the U.S. Supreme Court, acting in a Cleveland case, upheld that city's school vouchers program, in which public money goes to help parents pay tuition to non-public schools.
In 2003, the Federal Trade Commission opened a long-awaited nationwide registry Friday for those who want to block unwanted telemarketing calls.
In 2004, two car bombs exploded near a mosque in the southern Iraqi city of Hilla, killing at least 23 Iraqi civilians and wounding 58 others. The weeklong Iraqi death toll topped 100.
In 2005, Wal-Mart heir John Walton, 58, one of America's richest men, was killed in a plane crash near the Jackson, Wyo., airport.
Also in 2005, U.S. crude oil prices closed at a record high of $60 a barrel.
And, Dennis Rader, the so-called "BTK" killer (bind, torture, kill) pleaded guilty to 10 slayings s in the Wichita, Kan., area.
A thought for the day: Francis Bacon said, "If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties."
Today is Wednesday, June 28, the 179th day of 2006 with 186 to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include English King Henry VIII in 1491; Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens in 1577; English clergyman John Wesley, founder of Methodism, in 1703; French philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau in 1712; Italian author Luigi Pirandello in 1867; composer Richard Rodgers and bank robber John Dillinger, both in 1902; spy novelist Eric Ambler in 1909; Lester Flatt, Bluegrass mandolin/guitar, part of Flatt and Scruggs team, in 1914; filmmaker and comedian Mel Brooks in 1926 (age 80); actor Pat Morita in 1932 ; comedian Gilda Radner in 1946; actresses Kathy Bates in 1948 (age 58) and Alice Krige in 1954 (age 52); former football star John Elway in 1960 (age 46); actors John Cusack and Mary Stuart Masterson, both in 1966 (age 40); and actress/singer Danielle Brisebois in 1969 (age 37).
In 1778, the Continental Army under command of Gen. George Washington defeated the British at Monmouth, N.J.
In 1914, Archduke Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was assassinated in Sarajevo, Bosnia, an act credited with igniting World War I.
In 1919, World War I officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
In 1969, the clientele of a New York City gay bar, the Stonewall Inn, rioted after the club was raided by police. The event is considered the start of the gay liberation movement.
In 1971, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the use of public funds for parochial schools was unconstitutional.
In 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon announced that no more draftees would be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteered for service in the Asian nation.
In 1984, Israel and Syria exchanged prisoners for the first time in 10 years; 291 Syrian soldiers were traded for three Israelis.
In 1991, the Yugoslav army was deployed to Slovenia to take control of airports and border posts and to prevent the republic's declared independence.
In 1993, in its last report before disbanding, the White House National Committee on AIDS blasted the Bush administration's response to AIDS and challenged the Clinton administration to do more.
In 1994, U.S. President Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary established a legal defense fund to help cover legal expenses that would be connected with the Whitewater investigation and the sexual harassment suit brought against the president.
In 1996, the G7 leaders met in Paris and worked on anti-terrorism plans.
In 1997, Mike Tyson bit the ears of heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield, tearing off a piece of one ear, during a title fight in Las Vegas. The Nevada State Athletic Commission later revoked Tyson's license to fight in the state.
In 2000, Elian Gonzalez and his father returned to Cuba, hours after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from the Cuban refugee's Miami relatives who sought to keep the boy in the United States.
Also in 2000, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Boy Scouts of America had a constitutional right to exclude gay members.
In 2001, a U.S. Appeals Court in Washington unanimously threw out a lower court ruling that the Microsoft Corp. must be broken up.
In 2003, people eager to block telemarketing calls overwhelmed a government Web site that began accepting phone numbers at the national do-not-call registry. The Federal Trade Commission said 735,000 numbers were registered the first day.
In 2004, the U.S.-led coalition formally transferred political power in Iraq to an interim government that would run the country until elections were held.
In 2005, at least 30 people were killed in torrential rains that have pounded El Salvador causing flooding and damage to homes.
A thought for the day: Bertolt Brecht wrote, "What is robbing a bank compared to founding one?"
Today is Thursday, June 29, the 180th day of 2006 with 185 to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include William Mayo, co-founder of the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., in 1861; astronomer George Ellery Hale, founder of the Yerkes and Mount Palomar observatories, in 1868; actor/singer Nelson Eddy in 1901; composer/arranger Leroy Anderson in 1908; Broadway songwriter Frank Loesser in 1910; composer/conductor Bernard Herrmann in 1911; actor Slim Pickens in 1919; "black power" advocate Stokely Carmichael in 1941; actor Gary Busey in 1944 (age 62); actor-turned-congressman Fred Grandy in 1948 (age 58); and actress Sharon Lawrence in 1962 (age 44).
In 1853, the U.S. Senate ratified the $10 million Gadsden Purchase from Mexico, adding more than 29,000 square miles to the territories of Arizona and New Mexico and completing the modern geographical boundaries of the contiguous 48 states.
In 1933, Fatty Arbuckle, the silent film comedian and one of Hollywood's most beloved personalities until a manslaughter charge ruined his career, died while preparing a comeback. He was 46.
In 1941, Isabella Peron took office as president of Argentina.
In 1946, two years before Israel became a nation, British authorities arrested more than 2,700 Jewish Zionists in an effort to stop terrorism in Palestine.
In 1970, the last U.S. troops were withdrawn from Cambodia into South Vietnam.
In 1972, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that capital punishment, as then administered by individual states, was unconstitutional.
In 1991, the European Community announced $1.4 billion in aid for the Soviet Union.
In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court left intact the important aspects of the 1973 Roe vs. Wade decision legalizing abortion, but upheld most of Pennsylvania's new restrictions on a woman's right to abortion.
Also in 1992, doctors in Pittsburgh reported the world's first transplant of a baboon liver into a human patient. The recipient, a 35-year-old man, survived three months.
And in 1992, the president of Algeria, Mohammed Boudiaf, was assassinated during a speech.
In 1994, the Japanese Diet elected Tomiichi Murayama as prime minister.
Also in 1994, in a taped interview aired on British TV, Prince Charles admitted he'd been unfaithful to his estranged wife, Princess Diana.
In 1995, editors of The New York Times and The Washington Post said they were considering publishing the UNAbomber's manifesto in hopes of ending the bombings.
Also in 1995, the U.S. shuttle Atlantis docked with the Russian space station Mir.
In 1999, a Turkish court convicted Kurdish rebel leader Abdullah Ocalan of treason and sentenced him to death.
In 2003, Hollywood legend Katherine Hepburn died at the age of 96 after a six-decade career in which she won a record four Oscars for best actress.
In 2004, U.S. troops discovered and raided a car bomb factory in a small town south of Baghdad.
Also in 2004, the U.N. war crime tribunal for the former Yugoslavia reported trouble getting authorities to arrest 20 indicted people, including former Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic.
In 2005, the Bush administration has given the new director of national intelligence additional powers, including authority over operations by the FBI and other agencies.
Also in 2005, authorities said the bodies of 13 U.S. troops were recovered from a crashed Chinook helicopter in eastern Afghanistan. Seven others were reported missing.
A thought for the day: Walt Whitman wrote, "Whoever degrades another degrades me."
Today is Friday, June 30, the 181st day of 2006 with 184 to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include English socialist leader Harold Laski in 1893; film director Howard Hawks in 1896; actress Susan Hayward in 1917, drummer Buddy Rich in 1917, singer Lena Horne in 1917 (age 89), 1917; actress Nancy Dussault in 1936 (age 70); former Rep. Patricia Schroeder, D-Colo., in 1940 (age 66); singer Florence Ballard of The Supremes in 1943; actors William Atherton in 1947 (age 59) and David Alan Grier in 1955 (age 51); and former heavyweight champion boxer Mike Tyson in 1966 (age 40).
In 1859, Frenchman Jean Francois Gravelet, known professionally as the Great Blondin, became the first daredevil to walk across Niagara Falls on a tight rope.
In 1870, Ada Kepley became the first woman to graduate from an accredited law school in the United States: Union College of Law in Chicago.
In 1908, a spectacular explosion occurred over central Siberia, probably caused by a meteorite. The fireball reportedly could be seen hundreds of miles away.
In 1923, jazz pioneer Sidney Bechet made his first recording. It included "Wild Cat Blues": and "Kansas City Blues."
In 1934, German leader Adolf Hitler ordered a bloody purge of his own political party, assassinating hundreds of Nazis whom he feared might become political enemies some day.
In 1936, Margaret Mitchell's Civil War novel "Gone With the Wind" was published.
In 1950, U.S. troops were moved from Japan to help defend South Korea against the invading North Koreans.
In 1982, the extended deadline for ratification of the Equal Rights Amendment expired, three states short of the 38 needed for passage.
In 1971, three Soviet Cosmonauts, crewmembers of the world's first space station, were killed when their spacecraft depressurized during re-entry.
In 1986, Hugh Hefner, calling his Playboy Bunny a "symbol of the past," closed Playboy Clubs in Chicago, New York and Los Angeles.
In 1992, Fidel Ramos was inaugurated as the eighth Philippine president in the first peaceful transfer of power in a generation.
Also in 1992, toxic gas from a derailed tank car forced the evacuation of 80,000 people in Superior, Wis.
In 1994, the U.S. Figure Skating Association stripped Tonya Harding of her 1994 national championship title.
In 1997, Mike Tyson apologized publicly for biting Evander Holyfield's ears during a heavyweight championship boxing match in Las Vegas two days earlier, saying he'd become angered after Holyfield butted him.
In 1998, a casualty of the Vietnam War buried at the Tomb of the Unknown in Arlington, Va., was identified as Air Force Lt. Michael Blassie of St. Louis.
In 1999, for the first time since Nov. 1998, the Federal Reserve Board announced an increase in the prime rate -- the rate banks charge each other on overnight loans -- from 4.75 to 5 percent.
Also in 1999, Clinton crony Webster Hubbell, a former associate U.S. attorney general, pleaded guilty to reduced charges in the Whitewater land deal scandal.
In 2000, the Clinton administration said Iraq had restarted its missile program and had flight-tested a short-range ballistic missile.
Also in 2000, the Presbyterian Church ordered its ministers not to conduct same-sex unions.
In 2002, according to published reports, fugitive terrorist leader Osama bin Laden had written a letter to his operations chief in late December, meaning he survived the U.S. assault on his cave complex in Afghanistan if the reports were authentic.
Also in 2002, Israel announced it had killed a top Hamas bomb-maker, responsible for the deaths of more than 100 Israelis in suicide attacks, and had begun work on an electronic fence designed to block off three sides of Jerusalem from the West Bank.
And in 2002 sports, Brazil won its fifth World Cup soccer championship with a 2-0 victory over Germany.
In 2003, after agreeing on a cease-fire with the Palestinians, Israel pulled out of most of the Gaza strip, ending for the time being a blockade on the main highway that began in 2000.
Also in 2003, with the beginning of the new fiscal year, 12 states reported they faced increased taxes and drastic cuts in civic programs. The nationwide economic slowdown got much of the blame.
In 2004, the Federal Reserve, for the first time in four years, raised its benchmark interest rate from a record low 1 percent to 1.25 percent for overnight loans.
Also in 2004, the Cassini spacecraft, after nearly years in space on a U.S.-European mission, became the first to orbit the planet Saturn.
In 2005, the Federal Reserve raised key interest rates a ninth straight time, noting rising energy prices.
Also in 2005, Israel declared the Gaza Strip a closed military zone. All Israelis, except for residents, service providers and reporters, were barred from entering.
And, Spain became the third country to legalize same-sex marriage.
A thought for the day: Bertrand Russell argued that "Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist, since at least half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it."
Today is Saturday, July 1, the 182nd day of 2006 with 183 to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include German philosopher Gottfried Leibnitz in 1646; French novelist George Sand, a pseudonym for Amandine Dupin, in 1804; pioneer aviator Louis Bleriot in 1872; actor Frank Morgan in 1890; actor Charles Laughton in 1899; blues, gospel musician, composer Thomas Dorsey also in 1899; film director William Wyler in 1902; cosmetics executive Estee Lauder in 1908; blues musician Willie Dixon in 1915; actresses Olivia de Havilland in 1916 (age 90) and Leslie Caron in 1931 (age 75); filmmaker Sydney Pollack and actress/writer Jean Marsh, both in 1934 (age 72); actor Jamie Farr in 1936 (age 70); choreographer Twyla Tharp in 1941 (age 65); actresses Karen Black and Genevieve Bujold, both in 1942 (age 64); singer Deborah Harry in 1945 (age 61); actor/comedian Dan Aykroyd in 1952 (age 64); Britain's Princess Diana in 1961; and actors Andre Braugher in 1962 (age 44), Pamela Anderson Lee in 1967 (age 39) and Liv Tyler in 1977 (age 29).
In 1859, the first intercollegiate baseball game was played in Pittsfield, Mass. Amherst beat Williams, 66-32.
In 1867, Canada was granted its independence by Great Britain. It consisted at the time of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and future provinces of Ontario and Quebec.
In 1874, the Philadelphia Zoological Society, the first U.S. zoo, opened to the public.
In 1893, U.S. President Grover Cleveland underwent secret surgery to remove a cancerous growth in his mouth. The operation did not become public knowledge until a newspaper article about it was published on Sept. 22, 1917 -- nine years after Cleveland's death.
In 1898, Teddy Roosevelt and his Rough Riders led the charge up Cuba's heavily fortified San Juan Hill in a key Spanish-American War battle.
In 1916, in the worst single day of casualties in British military history, 20,000 soldiers were killed, 40,000 wounded in a massive offense against German forces in France's Somme River region during World War I.
In 1932, the Democrats nominated Franklin Delano Roosevelt for president. FDR eventually was elected to four consecutive terms.
In 1941, NBC broadcast the first FCC-sanctioned TV commercial, a spot for Bulova watches shown during a Dodgers-Phillies game. It cost Bulova all of $9.
In 1946, the United States conducted its first post-war test of the atomic bomb, at Bikini Atoll in the Pacific.
In 1979, Sony introduced the Walkman, known as the Soundabout, in U.S. stores. It sold for about $200.
In 1990, the West and East German economies were united as the deutsche mark replaced the mark as currency in East Germany.
In 1992, a gunman opened fire in a Fort Worth, Texas, courtroom, killing two lawyers and wounding three other people. He later surrendered at a TV station.
In 1993, the U.S. Congress completed action on an economic stimulus bill that fell far short of what U.S. President Bill Clinton wanted.
Also in 1993, U.S. President Bill Clinton unveiled a plan for logging in federal old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest that would also protect the northern spotted owl.
In 1994, the U.N. Security Council authorized a commission to investigate "acts of genocide" in Rwanda.
In 1996, a dozen members of a paramilitary organization were arrested in Arizona and charged with plotting to bomb government buildings.
In 1997, Hong Kong was returned to China after 99 years as a British territory.
In 2002, cannon fire and bombs from a U.S. Air Force AC-130 struck a town in southern Afghanistan, killing about 50 people, including members of a wedding party. U.S. officials said the plane had been fired on.
Also in 2002, in a rare high-altitude accident, a passenger airliner collided with a cargo plane over Germany, killing all 71 aboard.
In 2003, U.S. President George Bush blamed rogue elements for the daily attacks on U.S. troops in Iraq and claimed coalition forces were making steady progress in Afghanistan and Iraq.
In 2004, former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, looking tired and shaky, appeared before a special tribunal in Baghdad for the first time to face charges of crimes against humanity and genocide.
Also in 2004, dynamic Hollywood legend Marlon Brando died of lung failure. He was 80.
In 2005, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, announced she planned to retire.
A thought for the day: H.L. Mencken wrote that "It is the dull man who is always sure, and the sure man who is always dull."
Today is Sunday, July 2, the 183rd day of 2006 with 182 to follow.
The moon is waxing. The morning stars are Venus, Uranus and Neptune. The evening stars are Mercury, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Those born on this date are under the sign of Cancer. They include German novelist Herman Hesse in 1877; King Olav V of Norway in 1903; former U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1908; singer/actor Ken Curtis in 1916; comedian Dan Rowan in 1922; civil rights activist Medgar Evers in 1926; Imelda Marcos, wife of former Philippine President Fernando Marcos, in 1931 (age 75); Wendy's fast-food restaurant chain founder Dave Thomas in 1932; actress Polly Holliday and former race car driver Richard Petty, both in 1937 (age 69); actor/director Ron Silver in 1946 (age 50); actors Cheryl Ladd in 1952 (age 54) and Jimmy McNichol in 1961 (age 45); former baseball star Jose Canseco, first to hit 40 or more home runs and steal 40 or more bases in the same major league season, in 1964 (age 42).
In 1788, it was announced in the U.S. Congress that the new Constitution had been ratified by the required nine states, the ninth being New Hampshire.
In 1839, African slaves being shipped to Cuba revolted and seized the ship Amistad, leading to an eventual end of the African slave market.
In 1881, U.S. President James Garfield was shot and seriously wounded by Charles Guiteau, a mentally disturbed office-seeker. Garfield died Sept. 19 and was succeeded by Chester Arthur.
In 1900, the world's first rigid airship was demonstrated by Count Ferdinand Graf von Zeppelin in Germany.
In 1917, as many as 75 blacks were killed in rioting in St. Louis.
In 1934, 6-year-old Shirley Temple signed a new contract with Fox Film Corp. and went on to become one of the biggest movie stars of the day.
In 1937, U.S. aviator Amelia Earhart and navigator Frederick Noonan were reported lost over the Pacific Ocean. They were never found.
In 1964, U.S. President Lyndon Johnson signed into law the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
In 1974, U.S. President Richard Nixon and Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev agreed during a meeting in Yalta on limitations on underground nuclear testing and on a lower ceiling for defense missiles.
In 1986, the U.S. Supreme Court endorsed numerical hiring goals for minorities, rejecting the Reagan administration view that affirmative action be limited to proven victims of race discrimination.
In 1990, a stampede in a pedestrian tunnel at the Muslim holy city of Mecca during the annual Hajj killed 1,426 pilgrims.
In 1991, fighting broke out between the Yugoslav army and independent Slovenian forces in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.
In 1993, Sheik Omar Abdel Rahmen, whose followers were linked to two bombing plots, was taken into U.S. federal custody.
Also in 1993, South African President F.W de Klerk and African National Congress leader Nelson Mandela announced that South Africa's first election open to all races would be April 27, 1994.
In 1994, the Colombian soccer player who inadvertently scored a goal for the United States, contributing to his team's loss in the World Cup competition, was shot to death in Medellin, Colombia.
In 2002, after five unsuccessful attempts, American Steve Fossett completed a round-the-world solo flight in a balloon, reaching Queensland in the Australian outback to finish a 13-day, 19,428-mile trip that began in western Australia.
In 2003, talks between Palestinian and Israeli officials in Jerusalem gained momentum as leaders agreed to form high-level committees to deal with issues such as the release by Israel of Palestinian prisoners and Palestinian incitement of hatred toward Jews.
In 2004, a 21-year-old man opened fire on co-workers at a Kansas City, Kan., plant, fatally wounding five people before turning the gun on himself. Several others were wounded.
Also in 2004, medical reports said post-traumatic stress disorder was appearing in 1-in-6 U.S. soldiers returning from Iraq.
In 2005, Egypt's new ambassador to Iraq was abducted in Baghdad, reportedly by the al-Qaida. He was later slain.
A thought for the day: the adage "Appearances are often deceiving" comes from Aesop's "Fables," and something similar appears in the New Testament.

Just a friendly, little tete-a-tete -- if it happened

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DORFF'S TATTOO TRIBUTE

Movie & Entertainment News provided by World Entertainment News Network (www.wenn.com)
STEPHEN DORFF is celebrating his mother's good health after she recently recovered from an illness - by tattooing her name on his arm.
The BLADE actor, who used to date PAMELA ANDERSON and JULIETTE LEWIS, is extremely close to his mum and was shaken when she fell ill.
The 32-year-old says, "My mom recently had a health scare that really opened my eyes. I've got a tattoo of her name - NANCY - on my arm. People think it's my girlfriend. But I just wanted to keep her close.
"But she's a real strong lady and went back to school and became a psychologist. She wanted to understand about the mid-life crisis and now she's a full on doctor.
"I was a handful as a kid. I gave her a lot of trouble and now I realise how lucky I was to have such a great mom." Dorff has also vowed to leave his movie villain past behind to concentrate on more positive roles, for the sake of his mother.
He adds, "With recent film roles I've chosen to play nice guys with great morals. When I was younger I played the bad guy a lot in movies like Blade, but it was scaring my mom and grandma."