ON THIS DAY
On this date in 1841, the Venetian Blind was patented.
In 1858, the first of the many famous Lincoln-Douglas debates took place.
On this date in 1959, Hawaii became our 50th state.
Kim Cattrall from "Sex and the City" turns 53 today.
CBS Morning Show host Harry Smith celebrates his 57th birthday today.
Clarence Williams III, who played Link on the 70s TV show "Mod Squad," turns 70 and
Singer Kenny Rogers turns 71 today.
THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW
- Simon Cowell called in police after Internet hackers stole a new Leona Lewis song from his studio computers and leaked it to the Internet.
- Watch for a video ad inside Entertainment Weekly magazine next month. A paper-thin video screen will show video adsfor Pepsi and CBS.
- Whitney Houston will be Oprah's guest when she kicks off her 24th season on September 14.
- The new People magazine has pictures from Alyssa Milano's wedding all over, including the cover.
- Lil Wayne is going to become a father... again. Child #3 is on the way with actress Lauren London.
- 33-year-old freelance journalist Chima Simone has apologized for calling a "Big Brother" houseguest of Lebanese descent, Russell, a terrorist before she was kicked off the show.
- Just three days left to get your bid in on that crypt space directly above Marilyn Monroe! Last time I checked, the bid was at $4.5 million.
- "So You Think You Can Dance" choreographer Alex Da Silva has been arrested and charged with sexually assaulting four women.
- Hyundai is offering their own "Cash for Clunkers" program up in Canada, paying upwards of $1,000 for a clunker.
- A Seattle woman has filed a federal lawsuit against magician and entertainer David Copperfield, saying she was sexually assaulted while she was a guest on his private island in the Bahamas two years ago.
- Billy Joel is selling his homes in the Hamptons (he has two) for $35 million! These are the ones he bought when he was first married to the wife he's now divorcing and were bought from the late "Jaws" actor, Roy Scheider.
- Celine Dion is pregnant... with an embryo that had been frozen for 8 years!
A survey by Men's Health asked a group of guys "What's the one thing a woman you haven't met can do to get you to approach her?
- Laugh and smile, 49%
- Wink or stare, 31%
- Buy me a drink, 13%
- Toss her hair, 2%
- Ignore me, 1%
- Other, 4%
See a comedy on your next date. Couples who reminisce about funny experiences they've shared are more satisfied with their partners than those who recall cracking up alone, found Appalachian State University psychologists. A funny memory serves as an inside joke, which creates cohesiveness between two people, says study author Doris Bazzini, Ph.D. Need material? She advises couples to use amusing nicknames for each other that are based on a humorous recollection. This way the mood boosting power of the memory can be used often.
The race to make contact with technologically advanced ETs is reaching a fever pitch. SETI the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence, is beaming strong radio signals at a number of targeted planets, hoping for a reply. The effort has spawned a debate about what to say when the aliens respond. SETI has polled its members and the answers break down into two main categories. One group wants to welcome the ETs with open arms. The second urges caution, in case they mean us harm. Precise proposals for how to word a greeting indicate that it will take some time to reach a consensus. One space watcher suggested: "This is Earth speaking. We would like to know you. Please reply." A second SETI member was more candid: "Down here, we're all confused." A third reflected a great deal of insecurity at the prospect of meeting an alien being: "Don't kidnap us and poke us. We hate that." (Sun)
Turns out those zealots who nag you to get off the phone when you're on the road are right. According to a study in the journal Human Factors, even if you're calling hands-free, talking on your cell phone while driving can impair you more than being drunk. Researcher monitored 40 volunteers who used a driving simulator while undistracted, using a handheld cell phone, using a hands-free phone, or legally intoxicated. The cell phone talkers were more likely to vary their speed and to rear end another car, and they were slower to hit the breaks than the other drivers. "Talking on the phone requires you to pay attention to the person on the other end" rather than the road, says study coauthor Frank Drews, Ph.D. Turn off your cell in the car so you're not tempted to answer it.
Meanwhile, 40% of couples save their most important conversations for the car, according to Sheilas' Wheels, a British insurance company. Why? There are fewer distractions. And get this -- 20% of women have so little face-to-face contact with their partners that they primarily use text messages to communicate. Post-It notes are another favorite way for 10% of women to communicate with the husband, while one in 14 uses e-mail.
