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Janelle Vreeland

Blagojevich sentencing draws some supporters

Blagojevich supporters wait outside Chicago courthouse

Rod Blagojevich will be sentenced today and the event has drawn a few supporters to the Chicago courthouse.

The Chicago Tribune reports that Blagojevich kept quiet as he made his way to the federal courthouse to face sentencing for corruption charges. Today marks the second day of Blagojevich’s sentencing hearing and he is expected to address U.S. District Judge James Zagel.

After Tuesday’s hearing, it has become apparent that Blagojevich will likely be hit with a stiff sentence and his legal team abandoned their hopes that he would avoid prison time. Still, this didn’t prevent Blagojevich’s wife, Patti, and his lawyer, Aaron Goldstein, from pleading the judge to “be merciful.”

About 20 Blagojevich supporters crowded around the courthouse on Tuesday, making it clear that Blagojevich did wrong, but deserved mercy.

“Yeah, he did wrong, but I’ve seen worse,” said Linda Marsh, 37. “They made him look like Al Capone the second.”

“When you do the crime, you’re supposed to do the time,” said Lynn Cruz, 41. “But at the same time, he has a wife and kids. Did [Blagojevich] really intend to do wrong or was he just kind of ignorant and being led astray? I don’t know the answer to that.”

Read more about Rod Blagojevich here and here.

Xbox LIVE update causing problems for some users

Xbox LIVE update rolled out yesterday, transforming the Xbox 360 dashboard

The latest Xbox LIVE update rolled out yesterday with some users are now reporting connection errors.

Gamezone reports that some users were experiencing connection errors after downloading the Xbox LIVE update. One user reported, “Hello, I just updated my Xbox 360 250GB Slim console and now, it won’t connect to Xbox Live at all. I try to connect and it signs me in ten a pop-up about asking if I want the extra security with the requirement to put my ID password in every time I sign in pops up. I say no I don’t and then it returns to the sign in screen before signing me out again. I tried again this time saying ‘yes’ and got the same result.”

Major Nelson tweeted, “Some Xbox LIVE members are getting a connection error when signing in to LIVE. We are aware of the issue and the team is working it!”

According to the Xbox LIVE status page, all LIVE services are up and running. The only app experiencing difficulty is EPIX.

OXM reports that the Xbox LIVE updates will transform the Xbox 360 dashboard, allowing users to use Kinect voice control and navigate through a Metro-based interface. Windows 7 phones and Windows 8 are also built around Metro, tying the platforms and products together.

Check out screenshots and read more about the Xbox LIVE update here.

"MythBusters" cannonball hits house

“MythBusters” experiment results in accident

The “MythBusters” team may be in some unfortunate hot water following an experiment that went awry.

MSNBC reports that the “MythBusters” team accidentally sent a cannonball through an Alameda County home. Although it is not known what the experiment entailed, the cannonball reportedly missed its intended target and instead hit a home near Tassajara Road and Somerset Lane where it entered the home through one wall and exited through another.

The Alameda County Sheriff’s Department reported that the “MythBusters” experiment cannonball “took a few unfortunate bounces.”

No one was injured in the accident. Authorities are still investigating the incident. It is not known where the cannonball came to rest.

Read more about the “MythBusters” experiment accident here.

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame chooses inductees

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to induct Beastie Boys, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses

Next year’s class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees has been announced and includes a group with a wide variety of styles.

Rolling Stone reports that included in next year’s class of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame artists are the Beastie Boys, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Guns N’ Roses, Donovan, the Small Faces/Faces and Laura Nyro. In addition, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will honor the late Don Kirshner with the Ahmet Ertegun (non performer) Award. The award is named after the late Ertegun who was the founder and president of Atlantic Records.

Also among those being honored by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are producers Cosimo Matassa, Tom Dowd and Glyn Johns, who will receive the Award for Musical Excellence, and Freddie King, who will enter the Hall of Fame as an Early Influence.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held April 14, 2012 at Cleveland’s Public Hall and will be aired on HBO in May. The ceremony will be open to the public.

Read more about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s inductees here.

New planet located in habitable zone

New planet Kepler-22b: Scientists have not ruled out the possibility of life

A new planet has been discovered by researchers and its discovery is exciting scientists and science/space fans everywhere.

The Christian Science Monitor reports that the new planet is 600 lightyears away from Earth. This new planet also has roughly the right temperature for plant and animal life to exist. The new planet is located in the “Goldilocks zone” — the zone where the elements are just right for life.

“This is a phenomenal discovery in the course of human history,” Geoff Marcy of University of California, Berkeley, said of the new planet. “This discovery shows that we Homo sapiens are straining our reach into the universe to find planets that remind us of home. We are almost there.”

The new planet has been named Kepler-22b and is very similar to Earth, with the exception that it is a bit too big for life to exist on its surface.

NASA announced the new planet’s discover on Monday.

Read more about the discover of the new planet Kepler-22b here.

Tim Minchin LIVE: "Ready for This?"

Tim Minchin rocks the stage in his new DVD/CD set

Tim Minchin has been a staple on the comedy scene in the U.K. and Australia for years, but if his DVD/CD set “Ready For This?” are any indication, he’s sure to become a household name in the U.S. in no time.

“Ready for This?” was recorded in October 2009 during Minchin’s sold-out run at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo theater and encapsulates perfectly Minchin’s raucous yet refined style. Minchin impressive vocals and astounding piano playing give his hilarious songs a twist. The impressive production value of his songs and performance make his jokes even funnier and his show even more enjoyable.

Minchin’s songs run the gamut,from satiric (“The Good Book”), to silly (“Bears Don’t Dig on Dancing”), to surprisingly sincere (“White Wine in the Sun”) with each offering something slightly different to the viewer/listener. Like other excellent comedians, Minchin earns laughs by playing on the unexpected in a way that doesn’t feel forced or predictable. The best example of this might be Minchin’s three-part song “Confessions,” particularly the first part entitled “Feminism” where he sings sincerely, “I’m ashamed on behalf of my sex for making women feel like objects…” promptly following it up with a giddy almost sheepish confession of “I love boobs, though.”

“Ready for This?” also comes with a live CD featuring Minchin performing at the Queen Elizabeth Hall with band accompaniment and a url where fans can download a pdf version of Minchin’s songbook featuring all the songs performed at the HMV Hammersmith Apollo theater.

Tim Minchin has been described as a piano-bashing, icon-trashing, nerd-brained, rock-voiced, hedgehog-haired, tight-trousered philsopher-comedian…but no compound adjective or noun can quite do him justice. Minchin’s hilarious, clever and, yes, touching songs need to be experienced in order to be appreciated. So, are you ready for this?

Purchase “Ready for This?” here or on Amazon, and find more information about Tim Minchin here. For a peek of what is in store for you, check out his appearance on “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” below.

Pearl Harbor Day

Pearl Harbor Day marks 70th anniversary

Wednesday will mark the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day and the event is being recognized with rare photos courtesy of Life magazine.

On December 7, 1941, Japan launched a deadly offensive against the United States in Pearl Harbor. President Franklin Roosevelt famously called it  “a date which will live in infamy.” As a result, 2,042 Americans were killed and the country was spurred to enter World War II.

As the country remembers the 70th anniversary of Pearl Harbor Day, Life is unveiling previously unseen photos detailing the aftermath and days that followed Pearl Harbor Day. Included in the photos displayed are photos of the exposed wreckage of the USS Arizona, Vice Admiral Joseph “Bull” Reeves on Waikiki Beach and photos of troops shore up defenses in Hawaii in the weeks after Pearl Harbor.

You can view photos of the aftermath of Pearl Harbor Day here.

Google Wallet nixed by Verizon

Google Wallet blocked based on security and user experience

Google Wallet has been nixed by Verizon for the time being.

The Next Web reports that Verizon cut Google Wallet from its Samsung Galaxy Nexus over concerns with security and user experience. “Verizon Wireless is working to have ‘the best security and user experience,’ Jeffrey Nelson, a company spokesman, said today in an e-mailed statement. The carrier will allow the Google service, called Google Wallet, ‘when those goals are achieved,'” Bloomberg reports.

Google’s only comment on the cut stated directly, “Verizon asked us not to include this functionality in the product.”

Nexus users who prefer to use Google Wallet have had to use unofficial routes to download it on their devices. For the time being, it appears Verizon customers will have to do the same.

Read more about Google Wallet and Verizon here.

Brett Favre of no interest to Chicago Bears

Brett Favre said he would listen if Bears made a pitch

Brett Favre fans, apparently the Chicago Bears have no interest in making a pitch to him.

ESPN reports that Favre had said he would be willing to listen to a pitch by the Bears if they showed interest in him. Even though the Bears lost Jay Cutler to a broken hand, the team officials still have no interest in signing Favre.

Favre, 42, is in retirement but has reportedly been working out and keeping in shape.

Favre’s retirement came after what many considered to be his worst season of his 20-year professional football career.

Read more about Brett Favre here.

Rita Hayworth's grandson found dead

Rita Hayworth’s grandson, Andrew Embiricos, dead of apparent suicide

Rita Hayworth’s grandson has been found dead in his NYC apartment.

CBS News reports that Andrew Embiricos, 25, was found in his apartment with a bag over his head, dead of an apparent suicide. The cause of his death is pending autopsy results.

Embiricos was the son of Hayworth’s daughter Yasmin Aga Khan. Embiricos was a graduate of Fordham University.

Embiricos’ legendary grandmother, actress Rita Hayworth, rose to fame during the ’40s and ’50s. Hayworth starred in such classics as “Cover Girl,” “Gilda” and “The Lady from Shanghai.” Hayworth died in 1987 at the age of 68 after succombing to Alzheimer’s disease.

Read more about Rita Hayworth and Andrew Embiricos here.