Winter storm Nemo didn't stop radio host Howard Stern and wife Beth Ostrosky Stern from getting out and enjoying the snow. Beth Stern tweeted a series of photos, taken by her husband, showing her in knee-deep snow wearing sleeveless gowns and, in one instance, a bikini.
Beth and Howard Stern wed in 2008. She has worked as a model and actress, appearing in the 2000 Amanda Peet film "Whipped" and the 1996 Ben Stiller comedy "Flirting With Disaster," and has been named numerous times to FHM's 100 Sexiest Women of the Year lists.
Conservative media personality Glenn Beck's attempt to sell a project he called "Obama in Pee Pee" was thwarted by eBay Wednesday, but Beck then began taking bids via email instead.
theblazeTV.com
Glenn Beck's Obama bobblehead floating in a jar of what he joked was "pee pee," but was reportedly only beer.
Dressed as a parody of an artist, Beck pointed to a copy of the Constitution and said, "That document means I can't stop (the artist), and the spirit of that document is that I shouldn't try."
After painting clothing on replicas of some famous nudes, Beck then walked to a large jar of yellow liquid, calling it "my own specially brewed CountryTime, if you will."
Placing a bobblehead of a flag-draped Obama in the jar, Beck called the president the "savior of mankind" and announced, "this is when icon and art come together." He labeled the jar with a pricetag of $25,000.
"So whether you're offended by this one or by this one," he said, indicating the Obama jar and a framed copy of the painting showing Obama in the crucifixion pose, "Sucks to be you, doesn't it? Welcome to America."
He then said if the original project sold, he would make another one featuring "Michelle Obama and her little abs."
On Wednesday's show, Beck was given a letter from eBay, where bidding on the jar had topped $11,000. The letter said the auction had been removed because it contained "bodily waste." The liquid was revealed on Beck's website to be beer, not urine.
"But everybody on the left, they are so open and tolerant, and they just don't like it when people complain about taking the image of the savior and putting him in pee pee," Beck said. "But the savior Obama in pee pee? Oh no, that's just too much."
Beck said proceeds from the sale of the jar would go to his Mercury One charity.
John Cusack hasn't been shy about his own liberal politics, but the actor plans to play conservative radio host Rush Limbaugh in a big-screen movie, Cusack confirmed on his Twitter feed.
Getty Images file
Rush Limbaugh may be played by John Cusack in an upcoming movie.
Deadline.com and The Hollywood Reporter both ran articles on the film. Cusack wrote in response, "these guys all jumped the gun," but confirmed the project was in development from his own production company.
"Script not done -- (we'll) see what (it) looks like -- could be good," Cusack wrote. Betty Thomas, who focused on another radio host when she directed the 1997 Howard Stern biopic "Private Parts," is directing the film. More recently, the former "Hill Street Blues" star directed "Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel."
One of Cusack's Twitter followers challenged him on the Limbaugh movie, saying it would give the controversial host unneeded publicity. Cusack responded by saying the film "would be about the power and history of talk radio," adding that "what (Limbaugh) says is on record."
A statement from Cusack's company says "New Crime Productions and John Cusack are currently considering a project about the larger-than-life radio personality, Rush Limbaugh," adding that "the script would explore the rise and reinvention of American Talk Radio, and Limbaugh's continued influence and impact over the last three decades in that world."
The movie, which The Associated Press reports would be called simply "Rush," would begin production in 2013. No release date has been announced.
Talk-show host Glenn Beck certainly knows how to put his spin on things, but this particular spin is frighteningly bonkers! The pundit survived a close call this past weekend when his car rolled down a hill after he parked it, flipping over several times before coming to a stop.
Thankfully, the 48-year-old was left unscathed and no injuries were reported.
"So my rental car got totaled this weekend...at my daughter's wedding," he tweeted on Tuesday.
According to Beck, who later recounted the hairy incident on his radio show, he was attending his daughter's nuptials in Finger Lakes, N.Y., when, after parking his car atop a hill, he suddenly heard his wife screaming.
"I see my wife dressed in her evening gown from the wedding, and she's holding on to the door handle of the car as the car is starting to slide down the hill," he reportedly said on the show, per the New York Daily News.
"I watched my car roll down the hill, literally roll," he recalled. "It was like an action movie."
Photos of the wrecked SUV were posted on The Blaze, which reported that after Beck's wife tried to hang on to the vehicle, a member of his security team hopped into it and attempted to stop its slide. He managed to jump out in time just as the SUV began to flip over.
David Rakoff, the author of three books of essays and a frequent "This American Life" contributor, died Thursday, according to the New York Times, and his death was confirmed by a rep for "This American Life." He was 47.
His mother, Gina Rakoff, told the Times that he died in his apartment, "surrounded by his loving family." While he was being treated for cancer, an immediate cause of death was not specified.
The humorist, a Canadian who resided in New York City, was the winner of the James Thurber Prize for American Humor in 2011 for his last book, "Half Empty." His two other books are "Fraud" (2001) and "Don't Get Too Comfortable" (2005). But many recognized him for his oral storytelling, in wry and self-deprecating stories he contributed to the Chicago Public Radio program "This American Life."
Rakoff opened up about his diagnosis on "The Daily Show" in 2010, once he was undergoing chemotherapy for a malignant tumor. (This was his second go-around with the disease, having faced Hodgkin's disease, a form of lymphomia, when he was 22.) As he told host Jon Stewart at the time, "When it turns out to be your own mortality on the line, people tend to be quite optimistic about their long-term chances for survival. The will to keep on going is incredibly strong."
He also appeared in Off-Broadway shows and a handful of movies, including 2005's "Capote." In May he appeared in a stage version of "This American Life" where he talked more about his diagnosis and subsequent loss of his left arm to his disease. He also proved he could dance in public (audio of the full episode can be found here.)
Glenn Beck will remain a force in radio for at least five more years. The conservative firebrand has inked a new five-year, $100 million deal with Clear Channel's Premiere Networks. The pact, roughly double the size of the previous five-year deal he signed in 2007, is a vote of confidence for the syndicated "Glenn Beck Program," which regularly lures 10 million listeners a week.
The morning show, behind only to Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity's radio programs in typical audience size, is carried by more than 400 stations. Since "The Glenn Beck Program's" official launch in early 2002, Beck has used the mutliple-hour format to peddle all part of the Beck brand, from books to Web shows to comedy events.
The news, first reported by The New York Times, comes about a year after Beck signed off on his popular if ever-controversial Fox News show. In the months since, he has continued to grow his subscription-based Internet-only network, GBTV, which a recent Wall Street Journal article estimated would bring in at least $40 million in revenue this year.
Brothers Tom Magliozzi, left, and Ray Magliozzi, hosts of National Public Radio's "Car Talk," are seen in 2008.
By Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, NBC News
After 25 years, Click and Clack are putting "Car Talk" in park.
Tom and Ray Magliozzi, hosts of the nationally broadcast radio show "Car Talk," announced Friday that as of October, they won't make any more new shows. While the hosts won't be as involved, NPR will continue to air a program that combines old material and a few updates from the Magliozzis.
In a statement from NPR, Ray Magliozzi, 63, jokes, "My brother has always been 'work-averse,' Now, apparently, even the one hour a week is killing him!"
"It's brutal," Tom Magliozzi, 74, was quoted as saying.
The brothers will continue to write "Dear Tom & Ray," their twice-weekly car-advice column.
The show will celebrate its 25th anniversary on NPR stations before the brothers retire. The brothers actually have been doing the show for 35 years, with 10 of those in Boston before hooking up with NPR.
Robin Quivers, sidekick of radio host Howard Stern, returned live to "The Howard Stern Show" on Monday and Tuesday after undergoing major surgery on May 23
Quivers was not in the studio with Stern for the Sirius XM broadcast, but joined from her New York City home via an ISDN line, the show announced via Twitter.
"I had a major surgery, a major abdominal surgery -- and a mass was removed from my pelvic area," Quivers told the audience, according to DigitalSpy. "I do have some more recovery to do, but everything seems to be fine."
On the May 14 show, she had said the mass was a grapefruit-sized growth on her bladder.
According to Stern fan site MarksFriggin, Stern visited Quivers when she was hospitalized and was told to give the secret code "From Baltimore" in order to see her. Stern said that the guard he tried to use that code name with had no idea what he was talking about, leading him on a wild goose chase from one hospital floor to the other.
Quivers joked to Stern that maybe the guard was really a mental patient who'd stolen a guard's uniform, and Stern in turn told her she chose the worst imaginable code name. He then suggested "Alissa Abromowitz" for a future code name, saying it would at least be at the beginning of the alphabet.
Quivers also appeared on Tuesday's show from her home, and said she wants to eventually talk about the procedure she had done, but needs to talk to Stern off-air before broaching it on-air, MarksFriggin reports.
"Stern Show" head of special projects Jim McClure helped out at Quivers' apartment, while Scott Salem, better known to Stern fans as Scott the Engineer, handled the studio end of things.
"She looks amazing, she sounds great," McClure said in a Howard 100 News Spotlight feature.
Salem agreed, saying "She sounds great, you know, you can't tell. Everybody thinks she's here (in the studio)."
On the day of Quivers' surgery, Stern told his audience, "Doing a show without Robin is like cutting off my left arm. Or my right arm. Or maybe both."
And on Monday, "Star Trek" actor George Takei tweeted, "A shout out to my friend Robin Quivers (@rqui) who was back live on @HowardStern today after major abdominal surgery. Robin, I love you."
Robin Quivers, Howard Stern’s longtime radio wing-woman, announced last week that she would be undergoing "a procedure" to remove a newly discovered tumor on her bladder, a procedure that reportedly was performed on Wednesday, May 23.
Quivers was noticeably vague with her initial statements on the issue, stating on-air on “The Howard Stern Show” on Monday, May 14 only that she would undergo "a procedure" to remove a grapefruit-sized growth on her bladder, which had awakened her the previous weekend, preventing her from urinating. Reports Examiner.com, following the emergency, Stern’s co-host of more than 30 years had a CAT scan, which revealed the tumor, and came to work the following Monday attached to a catheter.
Robin Quivers announces she is in the midst of a medical scare that currently requires her to wear a catheter.
“When you see me, I’m peeing,” Quivers joked. “It could be something not so bad. It could be really bad ... Hopefully it's something that can just be cut out.”
In response, Stern replied sarcastically, “Think of me for once. You'll be dead and I'll still have to do the show."
It was also Stern who suggested Quivers’ surgery took place on Wednesday, offering an emotional tribute to his cohort during his broadcast that day, and commenting on her absence, "Doing a show without Robin is like cutting off my left arm. Or my right arm. Or maybe both.
"She was my backbone, you understand," Stern said. "Where I would lose courage, Robin always had the courage. She always is the brave one. Always the brave one with me. I could go to her, and I could always rely on her.”
While the results of the operation are unknown, the 59-year-old Quivers mentioned she’s had non-cancerous fibroid tumors in the past, and is hoping the current condition is similar. Also reported by Examiner.com, “The Howard Stern Show” producer JD Harmeyer is equally out of the loop on Quivers’ condition, remarking, “I know as much as the audience does. Clearly she doesn’t want the full details of what’s she’s going through out on the air, because she hasn’t given the full details and I think the less people here who know the full details, the better chance she will have of them not spilling out.”
Stern has said a few times now he would not continue the program without Quivers, which may not be a far stretch considering his current position as co-host of “America’s Got Talent,” and ongoing contract dispute with SiriusXM radio, which broadcasts his show. Reports USA Today, after signing a five-year contract with the network in 2010, the self-proclaimed King of All Media sued the company for $300 million in March 2011 over a bonus dispute. The suit was dismissed by a judge in April, citing the ambiguous language of his contract, but Stern said he will appeal.
Whether or not Quivers’ potential exit would be reason enough for Stern to cut ties with the satellite radio company is speculation, but the host appeared disheartened by his colleague’s struggle.
"I'll f***ing kill you if you have cancer," said Stern when he heard the news. "I'm not doing the show without you… I'm quitting if you're not doing the show."
A judge has dismissed radio personality Howard Stern's $330 million lawsuit accusing Sirius XM Radio Inc of failing to pay him stock awards he was due for helping the dominant U.S. satellite radio company exceed growth targets.
New York State Supreme Court Justice Barbara Kapnick in Manhattan said Stern and his agent Don Buchwald were bound by the language of the 2004 agreement that brought the now 58-year-old "shock jock" to what became Sirius XM from traditional radio.
The case centered on whether to count subscribers of the former XM Satellite Radio Inc, which Sirius bought in 2008, to help determine performance-based awards for Stern's production company, One Twelve Inc, and fees for Buchwald. Kapnick agreed with Sirius that XM subscribers should not be counted.
"While it may be true that Stern and Buchwald hoped and expected to reap the benefits from any significant growth that Sirius experienced after they entered into the agreement, that subjective expectation cannot suffice to override the clear, unambiguous language of the agreement," Kapnick wrote.
The judge dismissed the lawsuit with prejudice, meaning Stern cannot bring it again. Kapnick issued her decision on Monday.
Seth Rothman, a lawyer who represents Stern, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Patrick Reilly, a Sirius spokesman, declined to comment.
Sirius ended 2011 with 21.9 million subscribers, up from 3.3 million at the end of 2005, when the New York-based company was known as Sirius Satellite Radio Inc.
Stern moved his radio show to Sirius on Jan. 9, 2006. He renewed his contract for five years in December 2010, only to file his lawsuit three months later.
According to the lawsuit, Stern's presence helped Sirius exceed subscriber targets by at least 2 million in each of several years beginning in 2006, triggering a new stock award every time.
Sirius awarded $75 million to One Twelve and $7.5 million to Buchwald after the first year.
Kapnick said the company could have owed One Twelve another $300 million and Buchwald another $30 million had all the performance awards been triggered.
She noted, however, that the only contractual provision that even mentioned XM or a potential merger called for Sirius to pay $25 million to One Twelve and $2.5 million to Buchwald if the XM merger took place. These payments were made, she said.
Last month, Sirius asked the Federal Communications Commission to reject an application by John Malone's Liberty Media Corp for 'de facto' control of Sirius. Malone is Sirius' largest shareholder, with preferred stock convertible into a 40 percent stake, but does not exercise full control.
Sirius shares rose 7 cents, or 3.2 percent, to $2.24 in afternoon trading on the Nasdaq.
Howard Stern is 58 today, and there are many reasons to wish the self-proclaimed King of All Media a happy one. Wait a minute -- hear us out.
Say Stern's name and you're likely to get one of two responses: "Baba Booey to you!" or "Ugh! What a disgusting pig!" If you fall into the "ugh!" camp, 2012 just might be the year you start to come over to "Baba Booey"-ville.
Stern started the year on a very high note when he reached out to fans via Twitter on New Year's Eve, asking them to tweet him their phone numbers so that he could call them, thank them for their support and wish them a happy new year. The gesture thrilled fans and gave the man himself an emotional boost, which he shared with his listeners on his SiriusXM radio show.
The announcement brought condemnation from various parental watch groups and more than a few "I'll never watch agains" from the "ugh" crowd. But their vitriol is misplaced. Stern is an unbashed fan of the show, as well as "American Idol," "Dancing With the Stars" and "X Factor." In his long career, he has seen a host of musical talent -- and the lack of it -- and is in a very strong position to offer truthful, and occasionally biting, comments to contestants. If you're expecting him to be nasty or vulgar, you may be disappointed, because ... wait for it ... he's actually a nice guy.
A devoted husband and father, Stern has been a vocal advocate for free speech, gay rights and animal rights. Listeners know that despite his bluster, he is a pussycat of a boss and has seemingly infinite compassion for his "whack pack." Just when you think he's finally done with Eric the Actor, he reaches out to help him yet again. He may rail furiously at Scott the Engineer or Benjy or Sal on Monday, but by Tuesday, all is forgiven.
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