LAW & ORDER'S Future Looks Murky

LAW & ORDER, NBC's flagship crime drama might become an endangered species soon unless NBC can get TNT onboard a new syndication agreement deal. With rising production costs and sagging ratings, NBC needs TNT to purchase old episodes to make any continued deal to air LAW & ORDER profitable. So far, TNT has refused to extend their syndication deal with NBC beyond season 20 of the long running drama.

If the drama can last just one more season, then it will tie with GUNSMOKE for the longest running TV drama run of all time.

Strangely, although LAW & ORDER itself might be an endangered species, there are possible plans for another spin-off of the series called LAW & ORDER: LOS ANGELES. Whether this series will see the light of day remains to be seen.

Jesse James In Arizona Rehab Facility

Where do stars go that screw up big time? Well, like the old Amy Winehouse song says, ....Rehab! And now that Sandra Bullock's husband has screwed up big time, he's checked himself into Sierra Tucson in Tucson, Arizona.

The rehab center treats sex addictions(is there really such a thing? They used to call that just being a horndog) as well as alcohol and drug abuse issues. Seems like only yesterday Tiger needed a little rehab stay himself. And Charlie Sheen is still in one. Not taking personal responsibility and blaming phony "addictions" that don't even exist seems to be all the rage among celebrities these days.

Interestingly, good girl Sandra Bullock's only time in the Sierra Tucson facility was for a movie role only. America's sweetheart isn't likely to be claiming any rehab issues of her own. She's clean as they come.

Jesse James Uses California Highway Patrol Stop For A Little Marriage Counseling Session

The troubled marriage between Jesse James and Sandra Bullock might have gotten a help from a California Highway Patrol officer when Jesse James used the stop for a 15 minute talk about how to save his troubled marriage. Reportedly, the policeman stopped James for driving his tinted windows Mercedes without a front license plate. But then James opened up to the officer about his love for Sandra Bullock and his troubled marriage. The policeman kindly listened to James, and the two talked for 15 minutes.

BTW, the policeman let James off with a warning to get a front license plate and to comply with California state vehicle laws.

But, a further strain on the troubled marriage is the latest news that the number of women linked to James is now at four. Whether this marriage can survive this much stress is a very good question.

Oh Big Surprise! Ricky Martin Claims He's Gay

Not really the biggest surprise ever heard. But, Latin singing sensation Ricky Martin finally made it official and announced to the world that he's a happy gay man. Not many persons will be falling over from shock today. As reported on CNN Entertainment, Martin was quoted as saying that I'm a "fortunate homosexual man".

Martin has become one of the biggest names in Latin music since his debut with the boy band, Menudo. Martin has sold over 60 million albums world wide since he broke from the band and recorded as a solo act.

Twice PEOPLE Magazine has proclaimed Martin to be one of the "World's Most Beautiful People".

The Puerto Rican entertainer has remained very independent politically as well. He was a headline entertainer for the inaugural events of President Bush on one hand, but supported Hillary Clinton in her landslide win in the Puerto Rican primary over Barack Obama in 2008.

The Latin superstar continues to be one of the biggest names in recordings and entertainment since his crossover to English lyrics on some recordings.

Stocks, Bondage & Strippers?

Who likes to spend $1,946.25 a night at strip clubs? Well, move over Tiger, Britney and Lindsay, former CNN conservative pundit, Tucker Carlson now claims that RNC Chairman Michael Steele has strangely become one of the biggest nightclub party animal big spenders. According to FEC filings, the Republican National Committee paid $1,946.25 so that Steele could get his jollies off at Voyeur Hollywood West, a bondage oriented strip club where the girls engage in simulated lesbian sex acts onstage, although the RNC now disputes that Steele was at the club, claiming that another high ranking Republican leader was there instead. Regardless, someone at the party likes to spend big time at strip clubs.

And that's not all. The party chairman also is known to spend over $17,000 on private planes another $12,000 on limousines some months. Further, the party chairman would like to buy his own private jet for commuting.

Interesting, the party started out with over $22 million on hand before Steele took over. Now the party has a mere $9.5 cash on hand going into 2010 elections.

As a young man, Steele was headed towards becoming a Catholic Priest. But now it looks like all of that vow of poverty stuff has gone out the window as the party chairman lives the lifestyle of the rich and famous at the expense of GOP party donors.

Ultrapaul's Fantastic Drag Racing Wally Booth Gremlin Art

Ultrapaul is one of the greatest artists and designers out there. Check out his fantastic designs and art. And this awesome image created based off the famous drag racing Gremlin from racer Wally Booth is sheer mind-blowing art. Absolutely incredible.

Having A Pope That Looks Like Palpatine Doesn't Help

In an especially arrogant and callous remark made during the Palm Sunday homily marking the opening of Holy Week, the pope compared the building sex abuse scandal rocking the church to the "gossip" journalism rags. Instead of acknowledging the serious criminal wrongs of sex abuse, instead the pope proclaimed that God instills "the courage of not allowing oneself to be intimidated by the petty gossip of dominant opinion".

American victims and their lawyers probably were flabbergasted at the comment, which seems to indicate a culture in the church where the pope views himself and others as above the law and above questioning. And rather than the events being mere "petty gossip" as the pope may dismiss, the events are both real and documented, and extremely serious. Some American journalists now compare this scandal to Watergate.

THE BOSTON HERALD's latest news on the developing story opinions that the pope is probably unlikely to resign no matter how deeply he may be involved in the scandal. However, protesters in London and around the world are organizing and calling for the pope to resign for his said role in the scandal while acting as cardinal.

The news media will likely have a long story here with a long run as much more information comes to light and lawyers for victims press for the release of more documents. And the image of a religious organization that covers up for serious crimes is an unwholesome image that definitely casts a dark shadow over this year's celebration of Holy Week.

Alex Chilton: Rock And Roll Great

The recent heart attack death of American musical genius Alex Chilton closes out a spectacular life producing some great pop music. Chilton was once the driving force and lead vocalist behind The Box Tops, which were as good as any top UK pop musical act at the time. Their version of "The Letter" so impressed UK singer Joe Cocker that he just had to do his own version. And some singles by The Box Tops such as "Sweet Cream Ladies Forward March" impressed one baking company enough to become their commercial slogan for a time.

The Box Tops also managed to have a string of other successful singles such as "Cry Like A Baby", "Soul Deep", "I Shall Be Released" and more. Chilton's group was nominated for two Grammy Awards in 1967 for "The Letter" which sold a staggering four million copies and became a smash hit.

Chilton was probably also the originator of the "power-pop" sound, when he formed the new group, Big Star, in later years. And Chilton was also a big influence on the later new wave and punk rock genre as well. Chilton was probably a major figure in proto-punk history for this very reason.

Unfortunately, despite critical acclaim for Big Star from many sectors, Chilton's early success with The Box Tops never followed him in later years. But for a time, The Box Tops were the biggest act from the Bell Records label which included The Fifth Dimension, and later top UK acts such as Gary Glitter, The Sweet as well as Canadian acts like April Wine on their Big Tree Records label.

Alex Chilton was a real legend. A great influence on music both in the U.S. and the UK. He'll certainly be missed.

Dennis Hopper Receives Star On Hollywood's Walk Of Fame

This weekend, dying actor Dennis Hopper, who is terminally ill with inoperable prostate cancer became the 2,403rd celebrity or act to receive a star on the famous Hollywood Walk Of Fame. The frail looking actor Jack Nicholson, David Lynch Dwight Yoakam and other celebrity friends attended the ceremony to celebrate Hopper's great honor.

Friends of the very ill entertainer wanted to see him honored while still alive. And the 73 year old actor much appreciated the great honor and respect given to him. It was probably one of the greatest moments of his entire acting career.

Proof Positive That Some Cars Are An Extension Of A Guy's Manhood

Some guys get criticism from girls for owning cars that act way too much like an extension for their manhood. Well, here's the ultimate car in that genre, girls . Not much is really known about this wild car that surfaced as a photo inside the 1971 album by Steppenwolf, FOR LADIES ONLY. But it's definitely an attention grabber. Especially when parked alongside of Hollywood's Walk Of Fame.

One rumor circulated that the car was once owned by the band's leader, John Kay. However, since John Kay is legally blind, that seems highly unlikely. But whoever is responsible for this car must be a real cocky guy. It takes balls to drive something like this.

The car is strangely like a 1930's Cord sports car in many ways.

Former Portland Trailblazer Hopes To Become Oregon's Governor

6 foot 11, former center for the Portland Trailblazers, Chris Dudley, has entered the race for governor of Oregon, running as a Republican. Despite the huge celebrity status of players with the Portland Trailblazers, this marks the first time that any player from the team has ever sought elective office.

Dudley has always been a popular figure with fans in the state, with a squeaky-clean reputation. And his charitable work for children with diabetes has made him a sentimental favorite as well. Dudley has long suffered from this disease as well.

What might give Dudley some hope this year is the uneven nature of the slowly building economic recovery. While some retailers are reporting sharply increased and building retail sales as are many wholesalers, unemployment still lags in the state for many workers. Wisely, Dudley's campaign focuses mostly on economic issues and avoids many social issues that can cause trouble for more conservative politicians among the more socially liberal Oregon voters. But, Dudley straddles the abortion issue, probably not really pleasing anyone. However, in a year when Republicans have been able to win unlikely victories such as in Massachusetts, Dudley could be a wildcard.

The democrats are running two old retreaded politicians, former Governor John Kitzhaber and Secretary Of State Bill Bradbury. Both have some vulnerabilities and some political baggage issues with many voters.

Dudley was able to escape any of the bad image problems associated with old Trailblazers image of the past. And while a hard working center, Dudley was hardly a great center by any means. One of the greatest vulnerabilities of the old Trailblazers has always been weakness in the center position ever since the glory days of Bill Walton. However, in a year that voters might be sick of many politicians, Dudley might appear fresh enough to many voters to have an opportunity to surprise. And if you don't think so, just ask a former Wrestler by the name of Jesse Ventura or an actor by the name of Arnold Schwarzenegger.

FOX Cancels 24

Jack Bauer won't be saving the world from impeding doom on FOX after this season. It's now official, FOX is putting the edge of your seat action drama on permanent vacation after the May series finale. Reportedly, actor Kiefer Sutherland wanted the show to go out on a high note. But real world problems such as weaker scripts, sagging ratings and rising production costs began to tick the clock on 24. Now, those problems have driven the once great TV drama to the point of extinction.

But, fans of 24 shouldn't shed too many tears. The series finale will actually serve as the setup for a high budget movie version of the show. So 24 will be back, but not on the little screen. So the countdown clock won't exactly stop for good....Jack Bauer lives on for another day.

One Badass 707hp Cadillac!

As if the 6.2 liter LSA supercharged engined Cadillac CTS-V doesn't have near enough horsepower at a lowly 556, a Houston-area company run by John Hennessey has boosted the car way up to 707hp with 717foot lbs. of torque. The result is a crazy wild ride that rivals the Lamborghini Gallardo in neck breaking quickness.

The Hennessey V700 takes your basic Cadillac CTS-V supercharged ride costing nearly $62,000, and through the miracle of altering the cold air flow, polishing and porting the heads, putting in a better cam, etc.. your lowly $62k ride is converted into a $90k supercar. Ain't magic grand!

If anything, the Hennessey V700 has to be one of the best aftermarket Cadillac versions ever built. But okay, there's got to be more than a few higher wage earners who still love to spin tires who own a business or a bank for a living. And if you have to commute, then why not get there fast. Real fast. Neck breaking fast. The Hennessey V700 looks like the way to go.

Is Weird Al Ready For A 2010 Comeback?

Weird Al Yankovic may be on the verge of a 2010 comeback. After releasing the Grammy Award winning album POODLE HAT in 2003, Weird Al waited until 2006 to release STRAIGHT OUT OF LINWOOD, his largest commercial success so far. But, then nothing until his 5 song INTERNET LEAKS EP digital download package emerged this past Summer. Now, comes word that these songs will be included in a new cd to be released sometime this year. And over at Wizbang, writer Jay Tea announced the news of a trailer for a new movie about the life of Weird Al to be released this year as well.

INTERNET LEAKS was nominated for a Grammy Award, and contains an excellent parody of The Doors with Ray Manzarek of the legendary band playing keyboards to add authenticity to the song, "Craigslist". The music video for the song is floating around YouTube, with Weird Al doing his best Jim Morrison impression with scenes very much like some Doors music videos such as "L.A. Woman" and similar scenes from the Oliver Stone DOORS film as well. It's one of the best things that Weird Al has ever recorded. "Craigslist" seems mostly like a parody of "When The Music's Over" by The Doors for the most part, and Manzarek is in fine musical form on keyboards as well. The song does lift some from "The End" and "Light My Fire" as well. But you have to wonder what Jim Morrison would think about making fun of the accident scene and Native American Indian images. But, Manzarek proved that he's a great sport to help out. After all, how many people get to do music with any of The Doors?

But, the upcoming film about the life of Weird Al looks like a real gem compared to the flop UHF film. The film features an actor sporting the worst ill fitting wig and mustache since the days of early 70's porn(and that's just the girls I'm talking about). Patton Oswald plays Dr. Demento in the film as well.

Strangely, the film makes a comic comparison between Weird Al and Jim Morrison once again with a fictitious Miami arrest. In real life, Weird Al's song parodies are about as safe as milk, and pretty G-rated stuff. He usually opts for safe topics such as "food" or something nonsexual to joke about about. This is a sharp contrast to other funny song acts such as punk rock bands or The Fugs, which spawned-off The Holy Modal Rounders. "Boobs A Lot" by the Rounders was a favorite song by Dr. Demento to play, along with Weird Al favorites. But Weird Al has always been a favorite of the doctor.

But part of Weird Al's "safe as milk" musical formula might be because he identifies himself as being a Christian, and probably wants to avoid working more "blue" like many musical raunchy comics do. His more "family-friendly" approach to musical comedy makes his concerts events where you see all ages attend, babes to grandpa types.

2010 looks like it might be good year for the comic singer.

NIGHTLINE Asks Whether The Pope Should Resign

NIGHTLINE, ABC's news program that began as a special report on the Iranian hostage crisis is raising an important question worthy of consideration: Should Pope Benedict XVI resign for his role in the cover-up of an abusing priest? As then-Cardinal Joseph Ratsinger, he has been directly implicated in preventing an American abusing priest for coming to justice. Is this the sort of actions acceptable for someone who is supposed to be the successor to Peter, the early leader of the Christian Church?

Ratsinger ascended to the papacy amid some controversy because of his role as member of the Hitler Youth and as a German soldier during WWII, although he was never a Nazi Party member. Ratsinger had claimed that membership in Hitler Youth was compulsory, however he joined at 14, which was far older than many 10 year olds in the organization. Further, Ratsinger claims that he never fired at shot at allied forces, which may be true, however he only deserted as a German soldier at the end of the war in 1945, and remained in uniform assigned to protect a BMW factory against allied bombing until that time. Ratsinger must have been aware that prisoners from the Dachau concentration camp were being used as slave labor at the BMW plant to make aircraft engines. What would Ratsinger do if any prisoner attempted to escape? Ratsinger hasn't been entirely upfront and honest about his roles in the Hitler Youth, or as a German soldier, and now his involvement in the cover-up of an abusing priest raises new questions. Is this the "infallible" agent of God that he claims to be?

NIGHTLINE is raising an important issue here. News is supposed to make people think. NIGHTLINE isn't questioning faith here, but some of the leadership who claimed to be God's Earthly representatives. No doubt, NIGHTLINE will be airing far more shows on this scandal as more news comes out and lawyers press the issue with the church.

Wizbang Pop often reports about celebrity scandals. However, it's sad that religion often isn't very far behind with many scandals of it's own.