| NEWS IN BRIEF
PASSPORTS: No final word yet on when U.S. citizens will need a passport or an as-yet-to-be-created alternative for land and sea border crossings involving Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean. But the State Department is preparing now.
As early as next month, department officials will begin accepting applications for a "passport card" that is cheaper and smaller than a passport and good only in the circumstances noted above. The limited-use card, which lasts 10 years, will cost $45 for adults ($25 of that will be waived if you already have a passport, including one up for renewal). Children 16 and younger pay $35 for a five-year card.
And, a reminder: As of Jan. 31, to cross the U.S. border by land or sea into Mexico, Canada, Bermuda, the Bahamas and the Caribbean (except for Puerto Rico and the U.S.
Couric mocks Rather in pre-broadcast taping
Though battles between news anchors have historically been between rival networks, today's ripest feud is a purely CBS affair: Katie vs. Dan.The rivalry took a humorous turn Thursday when a video was posted on the Web showing Katie Couric mocking Dan Rather while preparing to anchor a broadcast from Nashville, Tenn., last week.While her CBS crew prepared for the Nov. 8 evening broadcast and makeup was applied to her, Couric mocked Rather. A video of Rather surfaced last month, showing the former "CBS Evening News" anchor obsessing over his appearance before a remote broadcast - particularly questioning the wearing of an overcoat."I'm going to be like Dan Rather on YouTube," joked Couric, alluding to Rather by fiddling with her coat. "Geez, don't you think he deserves a little payback?"She then added, laughing: "This tart is ready to go!"Rather, who left CBS News in March 2005, in June referred to his successor as "a nice person," but said "the mistake was to try to bring the `Today' show ethos to the 'Evening News,' and to dumb it down, tart it up in hopes of attracting a younger audience."The video of Couric (http://tinyurl.com/2w6y6a) was posted by comedian Harry Shearer on MyDamnChannel.com, a video Web site co-founded by Shearer.Letterman edges Leno in rerun battleIn the final count, the first week of the writers strike helped ABC's "Nightline" gain viewers but not enough to pull past its late-night competition.But even in repeats, NBC's "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and CBS' "Late Show With David Letterman" had more eyeballs - 3.87 million viewers and 3.96 million viewers, respectively.The big news: The perennially second-place Letterman beat Leno, who fell from a season average of nearly 5 million viewers.
Jeff Thelen's Blog
Hi everybody. I'm back from really slacking off from the blog over the holidays. This week, it's just a few random thoughts. How many people are sick at your home, office or school? Seems like everyone in this newsroom is fighting some sort of bug right now. My symptoms are a sore throat, tiredness and aches and pains. I have no congestion, but my nose only runs at night. Wierd, isn't it? Alison Struve blows her nose so much she sounds like a foghorn. Stephanie Luisier and chief photographer Randy Bise both have that "sick sound" when they talk. Was it just me or did the Badgers seem a little unfocused and unprepared for their bowl game? Perhaps it's the long layoff between their last regular season game and the contest on January 1. It was a sort of a fun game to watch, even if it was rather sloppily played.
Corey's story: fair game or camera fodder?
Take off your sunglasses and apologise," she demanded. He said he would apologise but he wasn't taking off his sunglasses and this then became the substance of the interview. Is this really what current affairs news has turned into? It would be laughable if it wasn't so sad. McKinnon's dismissive sign-off at the end "I suggest you go home and take a long, hard look at yourself", prompted nothing more than a smart-arse kid retort which has made him legendary among youth worldwide: "I have... everyone has... they love it." Media savvy Love him or hate him, this kid seemed extremely media savvy. His interview with McKinnon was posted on YouTube, his MySpace site had thousands of hits and news organisations and bloggers around the globe were obsessed with the story.
Mora: Coaching in Seattle his ‘priority’
His decision came after the Redskins' owner had sent a plane to fly him east and then hosted Seattle's assistant head coach and defensive backs coach at the tycoon's guesthouse during two days of interviews. "I want to thank the Redskins organization and owner Daniel Snyder for the opportunity to interview for the head coaching position," Mora said in a statement released by the Seahawks. "The process reconfirmed that the quality of life for my family in Seattle is my first priority. This past year has been a great experience both professionally and personally for myself, my wife Shannon, and our kids. We are very happy members of this community and the Seattle Seahawks organization." Holmgren added Mora, 46, to his staff soon after he was fired as head coach of the Falcons on New Year's Day, 2007, after three seasons leading Atlanta.
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