the dish

the dish
quote/unquote
"Sleep in -- for me, that's about 9:15 -- make coffee, quiet my head, make an omelette for my girl and play music. I make a hell of an omelette. And I make great chicken soup too!" -- Eric Dane ("Grey's Anatomy"), on his ideal Sunday, in People.
"I'm not good at telling jokes, but I will talk about flatulence at any point, and it always makes me laugh." -- Cameron Diaz, in Self magazine.
generous gamers
Video game players don't make the nightly news too often, and when they do it's usually for something crazy, like camping outside Best Buy for three days or hurling their Wii controllers through plate glass windows. So it's refreshing to report on gamers who are doing something nice -- namely, buying toys and games for sick kids.
In 2003, Mike Krahulik and Jerry Holkins, creators of the Web comic "Penny Arcade," began the Child's Play charity to help out the Seattle Children's Hospital; this year, online donations and proceeds from an auction will go to 37 children's hospitals around the world. This year's auction in Bellevue, Wash., included such items as a speaking part in "Halo 3" and a Wii signed by Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime. So far, more than 760,000 has been donated this year, and you can chip in at Childsplaycharity.org.
'guitar hero' wrist
You may have heard of Wii elbow, an affliction that's been troubling new Wii fans who aren't used to getting such a workout while gaming. Over the summer, though, another ailment surfaced that could be deadlier: "Guitar Hero" wrist. The victim was Detroit Tigers pitcher Joel Zumaya, who missed three games of this year's American League Championship Series because of right wrist and forearm inflammation.
Tigers general manager Dave Dombrowski had said trainers thought Zumaya's pain was more consistent with the action of a guitar player than a baseball pitcher. So, the Tigers made him stop playing "Guitar Hero" -- and Zumaya ended up with a 3.00 ERA in three World Series appearances.
next week's music
CDs due in stores Tuesday:
Gang Starr, "Mass Appeal: The Best of Gang Starr" (Virgin).
N.W.A., "The Strength of Street Knowledge: The Best of N.W.A." (Priority). CD/DVD combo.
Omarion, "21" (Sony).
Collin Raye, "Fearless" (Country Roads).
Switchfoot, "Oh, Gravity!" (Sony).
Various, "The Family Values Tour" (Firm).
Various, "Grand Hustle Presents In Da Streets Volume 4" (Grand Hustle/Atlantic).
Various, "Rocky Balboa -- The Best of Rocky" (Capitol).
books
and the title is...
We now have a title for Book VII: "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."
You can visit J.K. Rowling's Web site, jkrowling.com, and play a little game of hangman for more clues.
new approach
Drinking seems to be a common topic discussed in schools these days.
The book "From Binge to Blackout," by Toren and Chris Volkmann (NAL Trade, 15) takes a different approach to alcohol education. It is written by a mother and son who share their own experiences with the son's alcoholism. In doing so, they share insight about the origins of alcoholism.