Ford Motor Co. will cease production of its 72-year-old Mercury brand by the end of 2010 after years of declining sales. Mercury’s death is the latest in a string of casualties as Detroit carmakers try to cut costs and invest more heavily in fewer offerings. By shedding a mid-range brand that was more and more […]
Growing Number of Aircraft Near-Collisions
The growing number of aircraft near-misses in US skies is making civilian aviation authorities increasingly concerned and has prompted them to reexamine air traffic control procedures. “Over the last weeks there have been a number of instances where separation was lost between aircraft and in some cases there was a bit of a delay of […]
Gas Mileage Myths
Do Americans care about fuel economy as oil spills into the Gulf of Mexico and gasoline hovers around $3 a gallon? You bet they do, though they also have a fair number of misconceptions about how to squeeze a few more miles out of every drop. The Consumer Federation of America’s (CFA) most recent survey […]
American Idol’ Still A Boys Club: Lee DeWyze Wins
“American Idol” premiered in January this year amid hype that Season 9 would be a “girls’ season.” But when that didn’t quite pan out — all of the female front-runners, except for Crystal Bowersox, were voted off early — the judges (especially Simon Cowell) changed their tune and started blatantly throwing their support behind Lee […]
What Went Wrong On American Idol
This week, Lee DeWyze and Crystal Bowersox head to L.A.’s Nokia Theater for what is likely to be the most anti-climactic and least-watched “American Idol” finale ever, capping off a season that some (and by “some,” I mean me) would argue was the worst season in “Idol” history. However, despite the imminent departure of Simon […]
24’s Most Ridiculous Storylines
24’s Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) and less-than-plausible story lines have always had an uneasy alliance. Every really bad day of Bauer’s packs so many plot devices into 24 hours it’s hard to always keep things fresh. Here are a few of the most ridiculous plotlines the writers of the Fox series conjured up over eight […]
Facebook in privacy damage-control mode
Buffeted by privacy snafus and the lingering fallout from a damning, years-old instant messaging thread, Facebook chief exec Mark Zuckerberg switched into full-on damage control Monday, confessing that the sprawling social network had “missed the mark” when it comes to its complex privacy controls — and pledging to do better. In an open letter published […]
Shrek Forever After tops box office
“Shrek Forever After” roared its way to the top of the box office, making $71.3 million in its opening weekend. But the fourth film in the monster franchise from DreamWorks Animation had the weakest debut of all “Shrek” sequels, according to studio estimates Sunday. “Shrek 2,” from 2004, opened with $108 million. “Shrek the Third,” […]