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Kosovo honors former US president with statue
This 11 foot tall statue of former president Bill Clinton was unveiled on November 1, 2009, in Pristina, Kosovo. (photo: AP/Nimani)
On Sunday a statue was unveiled in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, honoring a man many ethnic Albanians consider integral to their fight for independence - former U.S. president Bill Clinton.
“I never expected that anywhere, someone would make such a big statue of me,” Clinton told the crowd of thousands who stood in the cold, waving flags and cheering.
The statue is gold plated, stands 11 feet tall, and depicts Clinton waving and holding a folder with his name and the date March 24, 1999, engraved on it. It was erected on a street named after Clinton, who gave a speech at the unveiling of his new statue. He thanked the Kosovars and called for them to set aside the past and work together with minority groups to build their new country.
As president, Clinton ordered NATO air strikes on Yugoslavia on March 24, 1999, helping to end a wave of genocide that claimed the lives of 10,000 Albanians and displaced some 800,000 more. Kosovo was officially recognized as a state by 62 countries in the UN last year. 
“He is our savior. He saved us from extermination,” sculptor Izeir Mustafa told an interviewer in 2007. “I was thrilled by the work because I know what he did for us.”
Conan O’Brien hosts his first Tonight Show
Conan's first Night - NBC
Conan O’Brien hosted his first Tonight Show monday night, after a 3 month hiatus from late night television. Jay Leno’s last hosted show aired last Friday, marking a 17 year anniversary for the retired host.
The move to the Tonight Show meant that Conan O’Brien and his staff needed to relocate to the Los Angeles area. The new set is located at Universal Studios.
The openening sketch of the show portrayed a Conan who had forgotten to move to Los Angeles. Similar to the scene from Forrest Gump, Conan makes the trek across country on foot.
O’Brien suggested that there wouldn’t be any major changes in the format of the show even though his old sidekick made a reappearance, Andy Richter. The first show also included an appearance by Will Ferrell who was promoting the movie “Land of the Lost” and musical guest Pearl Jam, promoting their new album “Backspacer” scheduled to be released this September.
Conan has been replaced as the Late Show host by Jimmy Fallon and Jay Leno will move to a ten o’clock spot with the “Jay Leno Show”.
Diversity - Britian’s Got Talent 2009 Winners
The favorite to win Britain’s Got Talent Final, Susan Boyle was defeated when dance group Diversity performed a stunning, flawless performance.
Diversity took the first place to win a £100,000 prize and a special performance for the her highness, the Queen.
Boyle and Diversity performed their way into the final three alongside saxophonist 39 year old Julian Smith, from Birmingham.
Diversity consists of 10 members, including 20 year old Ashley Banjo, 16 year old Jordan Banjo, 25 year old Ian McNaughton, 23 year old Jamie McNaughton, 16 year old Matthew McNaughton, 12 year old Mitchell Craske, 19 year old Sam Craske, 18 year old Warren Russell, 24 year old Terry Smith and 13 year old Perri Luc Kiely.
The 10-piece group placed first in a shocking result following an emotionally filled two-hour final.
Boyle offered her congratulations to the group saying “The best people won. That’s showbiz.”.
Carrie Prejean keeps crown, and controversy
The scandelous picture of Miss America runner-up Carrie Prejean has generated lots of internet buzz since surfacing May 4, on TheDirty.com.
After gaining notoriety for her opinions on gay marriage in the 2009 Miss America pageant, Carrie Prejean is again in the spotlight, this time for pictures of the beauty pageant runner-up in nothing but a pair of pink boycut underwear.
On May 4, the picture of a scantily clad 17 year old Prejean hit TheDirty.com and two days later TMZ.com receives three others, which they chose not to release. Prejean explains the pictures as part of her early modeling career, where swimwear or lingerie shoots were sometimes expected, and blames their leak on character assassins who mock her for her outspoken Christian beliefs.
The bikini Carrie Prejean wore during the pageant is not much more modest than the pink underwear.
Those beliefs were broadcast live on the Miss USA telecast when openly gay blogger and pageant judge Perez Hilton asked the 21-year old San Diego native for her views on gay marriage. Her belief that “marriage should be between a man and a woman” left Hilton, and many in the gay community, insulted and hurt.
This latest scandal comes after the recent discovery that California pageant officials paid for Prejean’s breast implants shortly before the Miss America competition. The accusations were confirmed April 29, by Miss California Co-Chairwoman Shanna Moakler.
Prejean admits pageant officials have urged her to take back her answer, but the beauty queen refuses. She stands firm and has issued no apology for her insult to the gay community, her failure to tell pageant officials about the pictures prior to entering the contest, or her connections to groups opposed to gay marriage, the latter two of which constitute a violation in her contract.
According to sources early Tuesday morning, Donald Trump, Miss Universe Organization co-owner, has reviewed the matter and has decision to let Prejean keep her Miss California crown.
“Star Trek” a hit with fans old and new
Star Trek Movie
Taking in $76.5 million in its opening weekend, “Star Trek” has established its place as one of the first blockbusters of the summer, knocking “X-Men Origins: Wolverine” (which had an $87 million opening) out of the top spot, with “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” a somewhat distant third.
“Star Trek” has found a home on the biggest of big screens, IMAX, which grossed $9.6 million this weekend at its 163 theaters worldwide, surpassing last year’s smash “The Dark Knight.” The company, previously known for giant screens and science documentaries, is branching out into major motion pictures and 3D effects.
With its legendary fan base, it isn’t surprising “Star Trek” pulled in a crowd, but what may come as a pleasant surprise is how little new-comers need to know about the Star Trek universe to enjoy this flick. Appealing to long-standing fans, as well as a younger generation who may not know the chronicles of the U.S.S. Enterprise, this movie starts at the beginning with the ship’s maiden voyage. Following a younger crew than previous “Star Trek” installments, it stars Chris Pine (Bottle Shock) and Zachary Quinto (Heros) as the timeless Kirk and Spockduo, with a few notable and diverse cameos from Winona Ryder (Girl, Interrupted), Eric Bana (The Other Boylen Girl), Tyler Perry (Madea Goes To Jail), and the original Spock, Leonard Nemoy. This J.J. Abrams film has all the basics: plenty of laughs, the dramatic struggle between Spock’s logic and Kirk’s impulse, the essential Kirk-meets-girl love story, and of course, big intergalactic space fights.