Saturday, May 28, 2005
Defeating Ken Jenningsis thrill for man from Pa.
NEW YORK -- After winning 74 straight "Jeopardy!" games and becoming a household name last year, Ken Jennings is now 0 for his last 2 on the show. The man who until Wednesday was the winningest game-show contestant in history ceded that crown to Brad Rutter, a 27-year-old Pennsylvanian who defeated Jennings and Jerome Vered in the "Jeopardy!" Ultimate Tournament of Champions. For his efforts, Rutter walks away with $2 million. That sum, added to the more than $1.2 million he won in previous appearances on the show, makes Rutter the all-time game-show money leader. Jennings, who got $500,000 for his second-place finish on Wednesday's show, has now won just over $3 million. Third-place finisher Jerome Vered received $250,000. "It's an honor and a privilege to have won 'Jeopardy!'s' Ultimate Tournament of Champions," Rutter said. "Meeting and playing against the biggest legends in 'Jeopardy!' history has been more of a thrill than I can describe." Rutter, a former record store clerk who now hosts a local game show in Pennsylvania, and Vered, a writer from Los Angeles, played their way into the finals of the tournament; Jennings, based on his record-setting run, was given a bye to the last round.
'Survivor' champ returnsto work at N.Y. firehouse
NEW YORK -- So where does winning $1 million on "Survivor: Palau" take you? If you're Tom Westman, it's, well, back to work. The New York Daily News says two weeks after raking in the dough, the 41-year-old firefighter is back to work at Brooklyn's Ladder 108 firehouse.
Osbourne's new passion:working out for his health
LONDON -- April 20 marked the one-year anniversary of sobriety for rock's seemingly indestructible icon, Ozzy Osbourne. Now he's found a new passion to feed his addictive personality: working out. To get himself in shape for Ozzfest, now in its tenth year, the "Mad Man of Rock" is hitting the elliptical machine, the track and the weights instead of the bottle. "I absolutely ... love it," Osbourne told The Associated Press, with his trademark profanity of course. "I get a normal endorphin, it's as good as any drug. I'm addicted to [that], and being yelled at by my wife." Osbourne, who is still recovering from an all-terrain vehicle accident last year on his England estate, is working hard to stay healthy. "I'm getting myself in shape. I no longer smoke, I no longer drink, I no longer use dope," Osbourne said. "I'm still ----ing crazy. On the surface I'm pretty normal. I just don't want to drink or be [intoxicated] anymore." Although Osbourne spent the majority of his life teetering on the razor's edge of death, he's in great shape for the 26-city tour, which kicks off July 15 in Boston, with Black Sabbath and Iron Maiden as the co-headlining acts.
'Fear Factor' coming back this summer
NEW YORK -- Although "Fear Factor" doesn't have a space on NBC's fall schedule yet, the reality show's producers know exactly where they're going: homes across America. "Fear Factor," which typically films in and around the Los Angeles area, will shoot 22 "home invasion" stunts this summer featuring fans who won't have to leave their homes to eat bugs or perform similarly crazy stunts. Winners will receive a $5,000 Capital One credit card. The new "Home Invasion" segment is just one of several changes in a retooling of the gross-out reality show. Instead of pitting six individuals against each other, two-person teams will now duke it out for the $50,000 prize. During the show's sixth season, "Fear Factor" will also visit exotic locations, including an aircraft carrier, a South American country and the "Psycho" house on the Universal backlot. In the past, "Fear Factor," which is hosted by comedian Joe Rogan, has visited New York, Las Vegas and Orlando, Fla., to film special episodes.
Monument planned for Hunter S. Thompson
ASPEN, Colo. -- Organizers of a memorial for Hunter S. Thompson plan to erect a 150-foot structure -- courtesy of actor Johnny Depp -- to shoot the gonzo journalist's ashes onto his ranch near here. Friends and acquaintances gathered Thursday to discuss the Aug. 20 invitation-only service, which will be six months after Thompson shot himself in his Woody Creek home. Jon Equis, the event producer working with Thompson's family, said the tower will be 12 feet wide at the base and 8 feet wide at the top, where a cannon will be placed. Depp, who portrayed the author in the movie version of Thompson's book "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," will pay for the tower. As Thompson requested, his ashes will be shot out of the cannon onto his property. Equis said the tower will be constructed far from Woody Creek Road and covered with a black drape before the service to discourage tourists. A public event is expected to be planned later to commemorate the writer's life.
Today's birthdays
Actor Clifton James is 84. Former Baseball Commissioner Fay Vincent is 67. Race car driver Al Unser Sr. is 66. CBS Correspondent Bob Simon is 64. Actor Kevin Conway is 63. Actor Helmut Berger is 61. Rock singer Gary Brooker (Procol Harum) is 60. Actor Anthony Geary is 58. Singer Rebbie Jackson is 55. Movie composer Danny Elfman is 52. Rock musician Michael Porcaro is 50. Singer LaToya Jackson is 49. Actress Annette Bening is 47. Actor Rupert Everett is 46. Rock musician Mel Gaynor is 46. Actor Adrian Paul is 46. Singer Melissa Etheridge is 44. Actress Lisa Whelchel is 42. Actress Tracey Bregman is 42. Rock musician Noel Gallagher (Oasis) is 38. Singer Jayski McGowan (Quad City DJ's) is 38. Rock musician Chan Kinchla (Blues Traveler) is 36. Rock musician Mark Lee (Third Day) is 32. Singer Melanie Brown (Spice Girls) is