hollywood didn't think so.ey were about to do it. sony had spent $10 million already, were about to start shooting, they said, no, we don't want this. >> brad pitt and michael lewis, that movie can't get made? >> they're working on it again with another studio, a new director. but you see the struggle. generally, i think, three years ago, brad pitt could have walked into any studio and said, i want to make a movie about "the phone book," and they would be like, great, let's do it. now, not so much. >> chrystia, i'm a little bit surprised because i know entertainment has always been something we've flocked to, generally speaking, but especially during tough times. >> there is the general lipstick, cigarettes, and entertainment suggestion, that those sins, small pleasures do well in a recession. and one thing that's been good for hollywood, people are actually going and seeing movies. >> so they're going to the cinema, might not not be -- >> might not be buying the dvd, but people are going out and seeing the dvd

in the poor economy and more tv shows and movies giving up on hollywood for other cities, the hollywood prop industry has gone from boom to bust. so, what do you do with movie pieces like this shotup cadillac, used in the 2002 movie "bandits"? if they cannot find an investor, they will go to auction in the coming weeks. >> i had 20 employees at the beginning of the year. i have seven now. and those employees that are out on the streets, a lot of them haven't found jobs yet. >> reporter: the problem now, nobody knows where to even start with prices on these items. like the morgue from the tv show "the x-files." >> everybody needs a morgue. >> reporter: or more classic memorabilia. >> the really big items will be the howard hughes desk, which was his original hollywood office desk, used in "the aviator." >> reporter: at the end of the month, it looks like these pieces of hollywood history will go to the highest bidder. alex stone, abc news, north hollywood, california. >>> michael jackson's brother

they hardly need lavish sets and hollywood isn't shooting movies in hollywood anymore because it's cheaper to shoot them elsewhere. at least 40 states have offered tax incentives to lure movie business away from tinseltown. >> 2008 was the worst year for filming and the first quarter of 2009 is even worse than that. >> reporter: they're called runaway productions like "the proposal" shot in massachusetts. "year one" was filmed in louisiana, which leaves a lot of people in hollywood including like big-time set decorators like jay hart shopping elseere. >> the industry as a who is just contracting in l.a. we don't know where that's going to stop. >> reporter: for harvey, it stops here. the caretaker of movie artifacts has become an artifact himself. lee cowan, nbc news, los angeles. >>> frank mccourt has died. he was born in america but in many ways he was america's irishman which was a good thing because he left us one of the greatest memoirs of all time. >> when i look back on my childhood, i wonder how i survived at all. it was a miserable childhood. a happy childhood is hardly worth your

was it the walk of fame, the hollywood freeway or the hollywood sign? well, the answer is the hollywood sign. it was dedicated on july 13th, 1923. it originally read hollywood land and was intended to advertise a new housing development in the hollywood hills. in 1949 the hollywood chamber of commerce signed a contract with the city of los angeles which stipulated the word "land "be removed from the sign to promote the district. so thus was born hollywood. >>> in sportsmanny acta tells espn he has been fired. the nats enter with the worst record. manny is quoted as saying i thank the nationals for giving me this opportunity and i'm sorry things didn't work out. in three seasons acta's record was 158 and 252. bench coach jim wriggleman is expected to take over the managing duties on an interim basis. >>> this year's team is worst than last year. at the all star break in 2000, the nationals were ten games better than in 2009. this year's offense is a little better but pitching remains a sore spot. >>> lack of pitching played a role in yesterday's game. th

take a listen at this zinger against hollywood. >> by the way, hollywood needs to know we eat therefore we hunt. >> of course, richard lui has more on palin's hollywood slam. we need a back story for that one. >> she was talking about your right to bear arms, or alluding to that the second amendment. palin is an an avid hunter and warned her fellow alaskans about pressure from hollywood on certain types of hunting as well. take a listen. >> you'll see anti-hunting and anti-second amendment circuses from hollywood. here's how they do it. they use these delicate, celebrity star lets. they use alaska as a fund-raising tool for their anti-second amendment causes. >> politico dom come says it must be targeted to ashley judd. >> she also hammered the media and urged the media to stop making stuff up. let's talk about what made her make that statement. >> sure, robin. she said in honor of the u.s. soldier, but she did not elaborate further in yesterday's speech on that note. she also alluded to her concerns that some media had attacked her family. now, if we go back to her resignation announce

she's going after the media, after the government, after hollywood. >> let's call it what it is. it's a classic strategy. >> after her speech on the media, it was an enormous success. nixon was -- >> your thought. pat is patting himself on the back here again which is fair enough on this show. he wrote the damn speech. that's why he's saying it is great. >> this is the classic republican triumvirate of hollywood and the media, you know, the big bad wolves of the left. let's be clear about that is. again, i don't think we know what sarah palin is going to do. i think if she's smart she will, again, continue to raise money, galvanize support, put a good team around her that she trusts because that's obviously critical. she could end up being another pat buchanan or a rush limbaugh of the party. i think she could take that role. make money and be someone who could be a critic both outside and inside or she could run for office, but i do think -- >> pat gave up the money to run. let's get that straight. pat gave up money to run. i'm not going to hold that against him. he was -- >> i

only at aplebee's. >>> f >>> finally tonight, hollywood likes happy endings, but one hollywood endingoday was rather sad. tens of thousands of pieces of movie memorabilia, mostly props, went up for auction. it is a changing industry, and these are tough times. here's mike von fremd. >> reporter: they came today for a piece, a small piece of hollywood. from the magnificent to the freaky, props used to make fantasy come alive for more than 40 years. >> sold it. >> reporter: first item sold today, a spaceship used in "men in black 2." more than 90,000 pieces in all have to be liquidated immediately. bit players in big films and shows, the nightclub doors seen in "the mask," dr. evil's powers and a rattan couch from "the golden girls." judy ryan, a psychotherapist from los angeles, came here to find a new couch. if you were going to come up with tacky, i think we have hit the jackpot here. >> oh, i think it has so much style and character. >> reporter: future movie makers won't have at their fingertips all those little things like manual typewriters and change machines that paint what lif

hollywood needs to know we eat, therefore we hunt.e weary of accepting government large -- it doesn't come free. >> joining me now, democratic strategist and republican strategist, want to take a stab at a reaction? >> i can't believe we're still talking about her. when i watch this, i can because she actually managed to become more audacious each time she speaks. the fact that she is equating the media with somehow harming the american soldier is ridiculous. i think it's almost offensive that she uses the american soldier, our brave men and women in uniform, to bullet proof herself from reasonable questioning. >> let me repeat her words. she said that's why our troops are willing to die for you, meaning the media. so how about in honor of the american soldier, you quit making things up. alex, what did she mean by that? >> i think she's entitled to point fingers at the media. she's had rough treatment in the press. she's gone back to alaska and tried to be a governor. as she said a couple of weeks ago, she figures it's best she move o

. >>> and hollywood goes up for auction. why pieces from your favorite movie sets is must be sold. crest whitestrips has created a strip so revolutionary... you can use it while you do just about anything. it molds better... it grips better... and seals better. you can even drink water with it on. crest whitestrips advanced seal. it's a breakthrough technology... that molds and adheres to your teeth better... ...giving you a dramatically whiter smile. whitening that fits any life and every smile. crest whitestrips advanced seal. >>> the official coroner's report on michael jackson's death is expected soon, and there were more signs today of where it may lead. authorities searched the las vegas home and office of jackson's personal doctor near lay week after going through his houston office. dr. conrad murray was with the singer when he died. court records say he is now the subject of a manslaughter investigation. here is abc's carla wohl. >> reporter: drug enforcement agents raided the las vegas home and office of dr. conrad murray, as the net appears to be closing in on michael ja

she talked about hollywood starlets, those anti-second amendment people, and she said we hear in alaska, we eat, therefore, we hunt. this was a defensive speech in many way. she also said she plans to protect the interests of the state like a grizzly guards her cubs. but she didn't say what or how she plans to do that, chris, and that's really still the big question mark, and that's how this woman operates. through mystery. we don't know what's next of her. she likes surprises. she likes stunning people, and she likes throwing red meat out to the crowd and that's exactly what she did to thousands of people here in fairbanks. >> well, you said she was mad. is that a pose or is she actually mad and what about? >> no, i think she's angry. i think she's been treated unfairly. she sees she's got the lowest approval ratings of her career. so she is angry. she wants to be free from all these ethics complaints that are dogging her. but i think what was most remarkable, the thing i noticed, what's new, is she's grown more insular. she's distrustful i think of even her own staff. she doesn't comm

which is the movie hollywood did?s in the last few years that hit on the very top.cal subjects. americans turn it off right now. >> what's the title. >> ial e-mail you the titles. you're ignorant. there have been several. >> the conversation still about our definition of what is american. and i understand notalgia. my father was a master sergeant in the army. i looked at an american flag every day i walked out of the door. it is great to have nostalgia. isn't it a burden to try to make everything, this is what american is or this is what american is not? it's just a movie? it doesn't make you more loyal because you have a flag pin which we've certainly debated time and again in this country. >> look, what i'm saying is that g.i. joe is not what he used to be. >> none of us are. >> this movie is marketed partly on nostalgia. we remember what g.i. joe used to be. g.i. joe now apparently is an acronym that stands for global integrated joint operating entity which sounds like an a-team for the united nations for crying ou

. >> a look at hollywood and >> a look at hollywood and highland, the intersection right there in l.agest prop houses in hollywood is closing at the end of the month because of the economy. >> so everything is going on the auction block and it's all stuff seen on tv or in the movies. here's alex stone. >> reporter: when a hollywood producer has an urgent need for, say, a life-size submare, the grave stone of a private first class or whatever this is, they've historically come here. >> we're in the middle of a warehouse that's over 200,000 square feet, one of the biggest prop houses in the world. >> reporter: harvey swartz created this movie prop empire. >> basically i started in the and teague basis 40 years ago and some of the early movies i can really remember that did a really big job with me would be the blade runner. that was 1979. i remember it well. it was a good year. >> reporter: but times are changing and the poor economy and with more tv shows and movies giving up on hollywood for tax breaks in oer cities, the hollywood prop industry has gone from boone to bust. >> losing m

in hollywood, making a movie takes money. but at warner brothers headquarters, their focus is on green of a different kind. can we take a ride in it? >> hop in zbloonchts. >> reporter: from the front seat of her solar powered golf cart, shelly is driving the studio's environmental charge. >> you can imagine that when you do make television shows and films have you a lot of materials. >> reporter: shelly's job is to look behind the scenes and find ways washer brothers, which like cnn is owned by time warner, can reduce its impant on the environment. for the latest projects, stage 23, believed to be hollywood's first green sound stage with sustainably harvested lumber on set and energy efficient lighting. >> the perimeter lights, house lights, cat walk lights, we have some cooling technology that uses nighttime cooling for the data rooms. so we really focus on reducing the energy use. >> we face a convergence of crises. all of which are a concern for life. >> reporter: sometimes it's green message takes center stage on the silv

these days, even in the high-flying hollywood world of "entourage" -- >> what's wrong?> what's right? have you seen any stock portfolio. >> reporter: the recession has gone primetime. chris jansing, nbc news, los angeles. >> that's "nbc nightly news" for this sunday. brian

the plan is coming there hollywood. contain a nitrogen-enriched cleaning system... that seeks and destroys engine gunk... left by lower-quality gasoline. it protects engines from performance-robbing gunk. try new nitrogen-enriched shell gasolines. [ thinking ] burning, itching... but the pain's the worst. i shoulda used... [ bump ] [ male announcer ] preparation h cream. burning, itching, plus maximum strength pain relief, on contact. the most complete relief, from preparation h. pain relief on contact. so what do you think? i think i'll go with the basic package. good choice. only meineke lets you choose the brake service that's right for you. and save 50% on pads and shoes. meineke. >>> mark your calendars, saturday, august 29, las vegas a star-studded tribute and benefit concert honoring michael jackson. all the stars from the las vegas strip will appear in the show. august 29th is hi birthday. jermaine jackson is talking about a possible jackson brothers reunion tour. >>> the death of arturo gatti may have been a hd. the boxer's 23-year-old wife is being held by

. >> and we're told that that funeral home or mortuary is the forest lawn cemetery, in the hollywoodills. and we saw last night another private ceremony it seemed to be, camera spotted la toya jackson and one of the family members seen last night. but now there will be more of a formal private ceremony word on how many people will be at the private ceremony, if it's just family or close friends as well. the family, as you can see there, arriving. it has been very tight-lipped as to how this will all come about. but we are getting word just now they are xpected to have about 100 people at this ceremony here at the cemetery. and then there is some question as to whether the casket will be taken to the staples center or not. but we know the family is arriving and they are starting to go inside there and pay their last respects to michael jackson. >>> just a so many per scene. hard to still believe. but again michael jackson, 50, dying last week. and today they've decided that they will open up the ceremony after this private ceremony you're seeing, as the family walks in, with a larger

he rose and hollywood villains of all time. that is out of every single character in every single hollywood movie ever made, which character is represented humanity at its best and humanity at its worst? there was only one character who made it on to both top 100 hero and top 100 villain lisper cow it was the terminator, the robot killing machine. so, i think it shows a couple of things. one is inches the duality of our technology. it can be used for both good and evil.

. >> reporter: you'd think these crowds were lined up to see a hollywood blockbuster. >> it's the best movie-going experience, truly. >> reporter: but chances are, you've never even heard of the film they're waiting to see. >> hey, bab. >> reporter: and for good reason. "the room" has been called the worst movie ever made. >> i seriously think that it was supposed to be a drama that went terribly wrong in production. >> reporter: the acting is, well, bad. the shots are out of focus. and parts of the movie just make no sense. >> you are tearing me apart, lisa! >> reporter: but "the room" has built a strange cult following.

. >> i'm in hollywood. emmy nominations are out. coming up the ones that got recognized and whthe ones that didn't. >>> 9news now weather terrace brought to you by . . . if we don't act, medical bills will wipe out their savings. if we don't act, she'll be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. and he won't get the chemotherapy he needs. if we don't act, health care costs will rise 70%. and he'll have to cut benefits for his employees. but we can act. the president and congress have a plan to lower your costs and stop denials for pre-existing conditions. it's time to act. with new unisom sleep melts i get to sleep faster, stay asleep and wake refreshed. melt to sleep fast. new unisom sleep melts. >>> i'm howard bernstein with your living green tip of the day. 25% of bacteria in groundwater comes from pet waste. scoop up the poop, clean the earth and in most places it is the law. for more tips go to wusa9.com and click on living green. >>> i'm not messing with howard, right. cleaning up into that's right. >> don't want

we are focusing on the glamor of hollywood, but the family, 11 people.he boys and their parents in one room. the girls in another bedroom. out of that comes with a praying mother, she made all of their uniforms many a father, a welder and print operator, teaching dance and music at night and out of that, becomes the number one musical family in the whole world. out of that came a structure and family values, and i think that -- what happened in that household is really to be pri praised. >> people who came from a similar place to that, attached their emotions to their ascendency. >> the little white house in the side of the street is akin to the big white house in washington, d.c. the impact on inspiring people, i think the family -- the impact, the cultural impact on the world. >> very, very quickly. anything you saw in your entire encounters with michael jackson that would lead you to believe there was credence in any of sordid allegations against him? >> no. we spent tough times together, like during the neverland crisis, and he restructured his busin

hollywood gears up to get the king of pop on to the silver screen. >>> a captured american's soldier's hometown rallies behind him. tonight what the american government is doing to get him home. >>> plus, a 15-year-old girl standing outside her house struck and killed bay drunk driver. >> now abc 2 news, the latest at 11. >> and tonight a mother's desperate plea. good evening, everybody. i'm terry owens. 15-year-old catlin bossler was killed sunday night while she was standing on the side of the road talking to friends. tonight her mother says something has to be done to stop drunk drivers. delia goncalves has the story. >> reporter: 15-year-old katlynn was standing on this very shoulder off 194, talking to a parked car full of her friends when suddenly she and the car were hit. >> i can't imagine life without her. i just -- [ crying ] i can't imagine life without her. >> reporter: working on very little sleep since the nightmare began, linda bossler speaks to us from her stoop. just feet from where a car driven by an accused drunk driver took her daughter's life. >> i'm mad as hell at

prescription drug abuse was once hollywood's dirty secret, the cat's certainly out of the bag. jackson's death we're learning more about rampant abuse. dr. drew pinski is an addiction spekzist, the host of celebrity rehab with dr. drew an vh1 and co-author of the mirror effect how celebrity narcissism is seducing america. good morning. >> good morning. >> toxicology report not due back for another three to four weeks. but we've heard so much about the reported drug use that michael jackson, apparently all the drugs that he was using. bring us up to date, demerol, diprivan. >> those are opiod painkillers, highly, highly addictive. michael had a history of being addicted for opiate addiction years ago. he strugged with this for a long time and clearly had access to these things from physicians. i guess physicians, some, don't understands that when you give opiates to an opiate addict their disease is very active. >> these are powerful painkillers. diprivan is something that only is used in surgery as an anesthetic. >> the diprivan thing even caught me on guard. diprivan is someth

amendment circuses from hollywood. here's how they do it -- they use these delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlets. by the way, hollywood needs to know we eat, therefore we hunt. >> reporter: but she saved her toughest attack for the media. >> democracy depends on you, and that is why -- that's why our troops are willing to die for you. so how about in honor of the american soldier, you quit making things up. >> reporter: palin believes there is a double standard for her family, with children of other politicians off-limits. >> one other thing for the media, our new governor has a very nice family, too. so leave his kids ale. >> reporter: it's clear palin is angry about the past year in the national spotlight. her approval ratings are at record lows. >> she has the goldwater problem. there's enormous intensity behind her. there's enormous affection and support and admiration for her, but her base does not reach 50%, and half of the country is still skeptical of her. >> reporter: sarah palin's raised over $1 mi

we had a drug like this in hollywood and it is called lying. i know a lot of drugs that will shorten your drugs by ten years look into it. it's called drinking and smoking, kids. >> greg: the upcoming block is the most upcoming block since berloques have been upcoming. what does mr. proobs think about miss goose? probably something proobs and goosey. to demonstrate the allergen trappers in pledge, we've trapped kimberly in this glass box... with all this dust. well, it's only dust. in that dust are allergens from pet dander and dust mites. eww! pledge with allergen trappers... traps up to 84% of allergens in dust. 84%? that's... nothing to sneeze at? yeah... no. that's great. allergen trappers. that's the beauty of pledge®. also available in wipes. s.c. johnson. a family company. welcome home, man. greg-alogue. >> greg: so on a recent radio show hosted by the reverend al sharpton a caller called in with a theory about michael jackson's death. he blames sarah palin. according to the caller maybe she did something to michael jackson and stepped d

the emails would be, "hollywood."we would do the media training, we would always have someone refer to him as "hollywood entertainer" or "hollywood moviemaker michael moore". >> moyers: why? >> well, just to... hollywood, i think people think "that's entertainment, that's movie- making. that's not real documentary." they don't want you to think that it was a documentary that had some truth. they would want you to see this as just some fantasy that a hollywood filmmaker had come up with. that's part of the strategy. >> moyers: so you would actually hear politicians mouth the talking points that had been circulated by the industry to discredit michael moore. >> absolutely. >> moyers: you'd hear ordinary people talking that. and politicians as well, right? >> absolutely. >> moyers: so your plan worked. >> it worked beautifully. >> moyers: the film was blunted, right? >> the film was blunted. it... >> moyers: was it true? did you think it contained a great truth? >> absolutely did. >> moyers: what was it? >> that we shoul

having a big impact and hollywood. hello and welcome. a dramatic rise in the number of swine flu cases here in england. 100,000 more in the last seven days, most of them children. today, a new telephone and internet service was launched, the first of its kind, to prescribe the antiviral medication tamiflu. it crashed in minutes because of high demand. there's a fear that swine flu could rise among moslems on a pilgrimage to mecca. but first, how england is dealing with the epidemic. >> the spread of swine flu continues to escalate across england. according to the health protection agency, it is mainly children under 14 who are affected. in the past, it was thought the number of new cases has doubled, with an estimated 100,000 affected in the past seven days. n hospital, 6n proximity of millions of people from around the globe through november could feel the outbreak of this highly contagious disease. already one egyptian woman died after contracting swine flu on a pilgrimage to saudi arabia. many senior islamic clerics

tom watson was denied the hollywood ending. >> i feel like i had a chance to win the tournament. i knew i was playing well to win. it almost happened. >> no one knew what to expect from jeremy guthrie. he was sick. he missed another start because he was still sick, but, boy, did he get well against the white sox. whatever guthrie had, he looked awful. 1-0. the guy could not find the plate, and in the fifth, he got it again. two wild pitches. this was an exhibition in how not to pitch. five strikeouts, his first win in three weeks, and wendy white socks pitcher did find the plate -- -and when the white sox pitcher did find the plate -- what is wrong with this picture? you have got yogi berra, and a yankees old timer, ouch. they could not get mark teixeira. the yankees beat the tigers, 2-1 the final. lance armstrong says that is it. the show is over. he cannot win the tour the frantz, not after falling behind by more than 1.5 minutes -- he cannot win the tour the france. he pulls the water out of the back back, and then he slides up next demands armstrong. supporters give him what

she makes some references to hollywood and since you're out there in l.a., you know something about hollywood. i want to give you a chance to respond. did you have a chance to watch her comments in announcing that -- you know, in her formal -- final remarks as governor? >> of course, wolf. i would never miss a sarah palin speech. even though there seems to be a new one every week. i mean, how many times does this woman get to quit? but, first of all, i want to know, who is this tiny starlet she's talking about? miley cyrus? >> somebody who did some sort of psa in alaska, i guess. >> but, you know, i mean, when you think of tiny starlets, i think of ashley olson. i just want to know who she's talking about. second of all, i think it's a little ungrateful. who has been better to guns than hollywood? hollywood does nothing but make movies with a million guns killing people and blowing everything up. so, she should reconsider her remarks. >> you think she has a future nationally as the presidential candidate? >> i don't know about a presidential candidate, but i would never put anything past this

our address is 6834 hollywood boulevard, hollywood, california.e your information and the name of the [ bleep ] you're trying to reach after the beep. have a great [ bleep ] day. >> beautifully done. that's very nice. samuel jackson, everybody. the espys sunday night on espn. we'll be right back. ( conversation ) garth, you're up. hold on, i'm at capitalone.com picking a photo... for my credit card. here's one from my prom. oh, what memories. how 'bout one from our golf outing? ( shouting ) i know, maybe one of my first-born son. dad, mom says the boys gotta go. personalize your card by uploading... your own photo at capitalone.com. what's in your wallet? ♪ first stop bing. cause any search engine can help you find a plane ticket. but bing, with price predictor, can help make sure you don't pay too much for it. (sfx: "bing") it's not just a search engine it's the first ever decision engine from microsoft. ( meows ) ( meows ) cats everywhere are using fresh step because it doesn't just mask odors, it eliminates them. so don't be surprised if your c

nothing is hollywood magic or fantasy. nothing is powered by teenage hormones harry potter. these are systems already here today. now, to pull back on this, there is something big going on in the history of warfare and maybe even history itself. u.s. military went into iraq with just a handful of unmanned aerial systems, uhs, uav, drums, pilot plains, whatever you want to call them. a handful during the 03 invasion. we now have over 7,000 in the military inventory. our invasion force went into iraq on the ground with zero unmanned ground vehicles. we now have over 12,000 in the u.s. military inventory. now, these packbot predator drones are the model t fords, the wright brother flyers and the term killer app for killer application doesn't just describe what i posted in the industry, the take, a new meaning when you were talking about systems like this becoming armed with everything from machine guns to rockets to missiles, you name it. that's where we are at right now. one air force three-star general i met with what describe how very soon we will be using tens of thousands

from hollywood, and here's how they do it. they use these delicate, tiny, very talented celebrity starlets. by the way, hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore we hunt. where but she saves her toughest attack for the media. >> democracy depends on you, and that is why our troops are willing to die for you, so how about in honor of the american soldier, you quit making things up. >> reporter: palin has always believed there is a double standard for her family with children of other political families off-limits. >> one other thing for the media -- our new governor has a very nice family, too, so leave his kids alone. >> reporter: as for her political future, she's raised over $1 million for her political action committee. advisors say more than $300,000 since she announced her decision to step down. >> remember i promised to steadfastly and doggedly guard the interests of this great state, like that grizzly guards her cubs. as a mother naturally guards her own. and i will keep that vow wherever the road may lead. >> reporter

. >>> plus, they are two of the hottest faces in hollywood. only problem is reports say their marriage isn't so hot. >>> brett favre finally makes a decision on his future. can mark buehrle really pitch a perfect second game in and run, run. you're watching "early today." >>> good morning and welcome back to "early today." i'm christina brown. and here are some of your top headlines this morning. >>> the space shuttle "endeavour" parted ways with the international space station yesterday, undock after spending 11 days together. today the space shuttle "endeavour's" crew members will inspect the spacecraft and safe repair for a friday return to earth. >>> venue sway hand president hugo chavez recalled his ambassador from colombia in the latest tension between the two countries. venezuela provided weapons to colombi colombian guerrillas. >>> california governor arnold schwarzenegger signed a new state budget into law yesterday. before doing so, the governor used his veto power to slash another 600 plus million dollars in cuts. it's a move angere

. >>> she may be it right now in hollywood, but the things she does has people saying, what? your early morning entertainment headlines are straight ahead. >>> plus, what would cats do if firefighters were not around to rescue them? you're watching "early today." >>> good thursday morning. the rain unfortunately once again. detroit back through buffalo, over near lake erie. cleveland this morning probably need the umbrella, too. pittsburgh, showers. look what's happening off the coast of virginia. all of this rain headed for new england as we go throughout this evening. carry the umbrella even though you won't need it until the ride home. wet weather here. also look at the southeast. pretty dry today actually. temperatures warming up. if you're watching wtlv nbc 12 jacksonville, florida, if your kids like to perform, let them express their creativity on stage through improv and other drama games as the main library presents dramarama. that's your eastern ooechevent e day. >>> now, here's an early look at this morning's headlines in entertainment. johnny depp has made dressing

a big imct and hollywood hello an welcome. a dramatic rise in the number of swine flu cases here in england. 100,000 more in the last seven days, most of em children. today, a new telephone d internet service was launched, the first of its kind, to prescribe the antivil medicatn tamiflu. crashed in minutes bause of high demand. ther's a fearhat swine flu couldrise among mosle on a pilgrima to mecca. but first, how england is dealing with th epidemic. >> the sprd of swi flu continues to ealate across engld. accordg to the heth protection agency, it is maly children under 14 who are affected. thepast, it was thought the number of new cases ha doubled, with an estimated 100,000 affected in the past seven days. 847 are now in hoital, 63 in critical condion. the best figures have been revised down for the number dead. it is now thought that sne flu is sponsibleor 26 deaths in england, for an herwise healthy ople. in scland, four deaths. >> we're seeing a surge, but if we track it careful, we may find a bit of a slowg of th increase

before we go any further, we contacted the hollywood police department. they sell us they would not be able to comment and a violation of them of the law to talk about the allegations. the department said as soon as the police chief became aware of the allegations before they were reported by the media, he launched an internal affairs investigation. we understand all four of the officers are basically doing administrative duty, they're not out on the road as this investigation continues. we'll take your calls, 1-877-tell-hln is the number. let's welcome back our attorneys, mike eiglarsh, and janet pennisi, a criminal defense attorney as well. all right. again, janet, cops on administrative duty right now. how are they going to fight this, when we have the audio of them talking it out right in dash cam microphones on? >> they're not going to deny what happened, what they're going to do is min niz what the mun issuement is going to be. you read what's going on about this case, everyone's like take away their pension, do this, do that. people do things that

. >> to a great degree, spike, you have gone around hollywood to get movies made.recent that with your track record that there are a number of movies? i know that you continue to look to be made that are perhaps a different ilk, different color and different hue and you don't have to sell it in the same way. well, i still think that with material that is deeply rooted in african-american history, it is still harder to get that stuff made. we have malcolm x made and the producer, marvin worth who braut bought the rights from the late, great shabbaz and he got it made 20 years before he and i did it. it took 20 years to get that made. >> you as a, quote, celebrity director, do you like the fact that you have become a sheb rid along with being a director. >> i don't consider myself a celebrity. >>, but you are one. >> as i said before i don't consider myself a celebrity. i consider myself an artist, a fi filmmaker and that's a big difference. i'm not trying to get on tmz. but the reason why people might think i'm a celebrity is because most directors, you don't know w

." >> motown goes hollywood.listers like george clooney and robert de niro save the motor city? %%%% to stay in tune with life after 50, i switched to a complete multivitamin with more. only one a day women's 50+ advantage... has gingko for memory and concentration... plus support for bone and breast health. just what i need. one a day women's. you know, it makes me feel pretty good. we're offering a solution for a customer that maybe has to choose between paying their credit card or putting food on the table and that's why they call us. our main objective is to reach out to the customers that are falling behind on their payments. a lot of customers are proud and happy that bank of america actually has a solution to help them out with their cards. i listen. that's the first thing i do is listen. you know what, what happened? what put you in this situation? and everyone's situation is different. we always want to make sure that we're doing what's best for our cardholders. i'll go through some of his monthly exp

hollywood starlets taking the guns away. >> this is a big applause line. there, in the midwest, the south, the interior west, so many parts of this country that are hunters. republicans have used guns and the protection of the second amendment as one of their main issues that they talk about in campaigns. there is nothing you can say to a conservative other than the abortion issue that gets them more rallied than the idea of taking their guns away, the second amendment. again, using alaska as the prism. these are national republican themes. >> yeah. which gave me an indication, hmm, sounds like she is speaking to a national audience. i knew where she was going to go when she said i'm going to exercise my freedom of speech and straight talk. i knew the next subject was going to be the media. candy, we appreciate you guiding us through this. candy, thank you, we appreciate it. >>> we continue with our live coverage of sarah palin, her farewell speech. we will get back to fairbanks, alaska. there is other news happening. joe biden had tough moments and tough

sarah palin lashes out at political opponents, the media and hollywood starlets as she officially steps down at alaska's governor. >> by the way, hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore we hunt. >> was her campaign-style farewell the start of a presidential run? >>> "today" exclusive. katherine jackson's attorney joins us live in studio to answer the big questions swirling around michael jackson's death. where do things stand with the will? what will happen to the kids? and is this mystery man really michael's fourth child? >>> and women gone wild. the adirondacks may never be the same. ann and i have made our way to new york's ladies and gentlemen lake george to do a little fishing, camping and boating in the great outdoors as "today takes a vacation." the great outdoors as "today takes a vacation." "today," monday, july 27, 2009. captions paid for by nbc-universal television >>> and welcome to a special edition of "today" on this absolutely gorgeous monday morning. i'm meredith vieira, along with my buddy ann curry here. matt lauer, about a four-hour drive south of us in studio 1a.

it is a nationwide problem, but what about hollywood? >> it's huge in hollywood, because stars -- i mean, because doctors are human beings and they get star-struck. when a star comes to a doctor and says, i need this script, i need this prescription, the doctor is until recently going to say yes because there hasn't been any repercussions. we saw with anna nicole smith, with heath ledger, now with michael jackson, and that's why i'm hoping this investigation is far-reaching. because we need doctors in hollywood, and around the country, who are prescribing these drugs to these celebrities, to take a second and say, wait a minute, i don't want to get in trouble if something bad happens. >> when we come back, we'll talk to cooper lawrence about this, the author of "cult of celebrities." not only the celebrities themselves, but the star-struck doctors. we'll hit on that coming up. more on the investigation. taking your calls, 1-877-tell-hln. >>> continuing with it latest in the michael jackson investigation. toxicology reports probably due o

it is a place a piece for other hollywood legends, but not for him.atives said they want to have a private family function here for the singer. for a star whose life and death have been so publicly scrutinized, that seems unlikely. some are watching in despair. this teenager won tickets to the memorial but cannot get there in time. >>> i cannot believe it. i thought it was a hoax. i entered the code and got my ticket. i could not believe it. it is such short notice, there is no chance i will be able to get to america in 24 hours. it is really disappointing. >>> final preparations are being made for a unique event. not even the show business capital of the world has seen anything like this. >> it has been a london landmark for years. trafalgar square and now has an added attraction. for the next 100 days, these people will be hoisted and given one hour each to do whatever they like. our bbc correspondent explains. >> it has become one of the most prestigious platforms for public sculpture. for the next few months, living statues will adorn it. people w

. >> reporter: and in hollywood -- >> hollywood needs to know, we eat, therefore, we hunt. >> reporter: but why is she stepping down? >> i have no idea what her game plan is. >> reporter: not her colleagues. >> i have no idea what her future plans are. >> reporter: as for palin, she's offering no more clarity or closure than when she announced her resignation three weeks ago. >> all i can do is ask you to trust me and know that it's no more politics as usual. >> reporter: nothing is politics as usual with sarah palin. she shot from little-known governor to one of the most popular and polarizing politicians in the country in john mccain's running mate. hailed as an asset when she first hit the national stage. >> the chance is drill, baby, drill. >> reporter: she soon was criticized as a liability. >> i'm going real great now rr the butt of late night comics. and while the majority of americans, 53% view her negatively, she remains widely popular in the republican party. 70% have a positive opinion of her. now with a book deal, book tour in the works, and one million in political action