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The Public Observer on upcoming news ... and a pictorial roundup

The Public Observer offers a look at upcoming news next week and presents a pictorial roundup of recent images captured by photographers from The Associated Press.

NORTH KOREA

Members of the United Nations Security Council will meet over the weekend and likely will produce a new resolution next week in response to North Korea's recent nuclear test. It is expected that the resolution will call for countries to enforce existing sanctions, including an arms embargo and ship searches for illegal weapons.

SONIA SOTOMAYOR

President Barack Obama's Supreme Court nominee, Sonia Sotomayor, will make the rounds of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday and will meet with Senators Harry Reid, (D-Nevada), Jeff Sessions (R-Alabama) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vermont) and also could meet with Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Kentucky). She will make more visits as the confirmation process gets underway and also will return a 10-page questionnaire to the Senate next week in advance of her public confirmation hearings.

OBAMA TO DELIVER SPEECH TO MUSLIM WORLD, ATTEND D-DAY CEREMONIES

Obama will travel to the Middle East next week, making his first stop in Saudi Arabia where he will meet Wednesday with King Abdullah. The two likely will discuss the stalled Middle East peace process and rising oil prices. The president will deliver a speech in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday about U.S.-Muslim relations that will focus on outreach efforts and the contributions of Muslims in the United States. He also will visit a mosque while in Egypt.

Obama will then travel to Germany where he will visit troops and their families at a military hospital in Landstuhl. He'll also visit the Buchenwald concentration camp with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Obama's great uncle, Charles Payne, was among the U.S. infantrymen who liberated Ohrdruf, a subcamp of the Buchenwald camp.

The 65th anniversary of the Allied landings on D-Day will be commemorated at the end of next week in Normandy, France. Obama will attend the ceremonies and give a speech, but the British queen will not be there.

GEITHNER IN CHINA; 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF TIANANMEN SQUARE

U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner will be in China for two days early next week to discuss the Obama administration's attempts to deal with a massive budget deficit and America's soaring trade deficit with China. Geithner will meet with Chinese President Hua Jintao, Premier Wen Jiabao and other top Chinese officials.

Student-led protests against Chinese authoritarianism ended in early June 1989 with a deadly crackdown by the military and a brave act of defiance by one man who stood up to a column of rolling tanks in Tianenmen Square. The 20th anniversary of the Tianenmen Square massacre will be marked next week and Chinese authorities have been clamping down on dissenters, including activist lawyers ahead of the anniversary.

PICTORIAL ROUNDUP: Here's a look at some recent photographs by The Associated Press.

 

Candle lit lanterns dot the waters off Ala Moan Beach Park on Monday during the 10th anniversary of the Lantern Floating Hawaii Ceremony in Honolulu. During the traditonal Buddhist ceremony, lanterns are cast into the waters off the beach in remembrance of loved ones who have passed away. The ceremony is held on Memorial Day. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

A Pakistani displaced boy from Swat valley sleeps Tuesday under a mosquito net outside his tent at the Jalozai refugee camp near Peshawar, Pakistan. More than 2 million refugees have been displaced due to fighting between the military and the Taliban. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) 

Dancers of the World Roma festival Khamoro dance Thursday at the Old Town square in Prague, Czech Republic. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

 

A Bosnian woman walks away from a mass grave Tuesday after an attempt to identify remains buried in the village of Mrsici near the eastern Bosnian town of Vlasenica, northeast of Sarajevo, Bosnia. The grave may contain dozens of remains, most likely of Muslims, who were killed in July 1995 during the fall of Srebrenica. (AP Photo/Amel Emric) 

 

Russia's Maria Sharapova serves the ball to Kazakhstan's Yaroslava Shvedova during their third round match Friday at the Roland Garros stadium in Paris. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Pregnant women with baby faces painted on their bellies take part in a dance contest Tuesday to celebrate ''Healthy Maternity Week'' at a public hospital in Lima, Peru. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

 

Same-sex marriage advocate Niko Salas, center, waves a rainbow flag during a protest Tuesday in Los Angeles after the California Supreme Court upheld a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage. The court also decided that the estimated 18,000 gay couples who tied the knot before the law took effect will stay wed. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

Visit Clear365 News for the latest news and analysis.

MEDIA CIRCUS: Courtney's in the 'Hole,' Heather's on a pole

Happy Friday! Or maybe not-so-happy, for some of us. From the looks of things, Courtney is getting no love -- and neither is Candy. Read on ... 

 Courtney Love is in the 'Hole' with American Express: The credit-card giant is suing her for a $350,000 debt she allegedly refuses to pay. Love denies owing AmEx that kind of cash, and accuses the company of allowing fraudulent transactions to be made using her account. Must be tough dealing with credit problems in her 'Celebrity Skin.' 

 While it looks like Donna Martin is back in the 90210 for good, a real-life Spelling family reunion may not happen anytime soon. Candy Spelling, Tori's mom, recently spoke out against her daughter's decision to cut her family out of her life. Mother and daughter have been at each other's throats since before dad Aaron died in 2006, and Candy claims it was Tori's behavior that "killed" her TV mogul father.

Apparently, good things can result from a drug addiction. On Thursday's Larry King show, Nicole Richie talked about her now chemical-free "simple life" with Good Charlotte rocker Joel Madden, and (accompanied by dad Lionel) opened up about how her stint in rehab not only helped her recover from addiction, but also revive the bond with her divorced parents. 

 Heather Graham seems to have picked up a couple of vices in Sin City: stripping and gambling, to be specific. While in Las Vegas filming her latest comedy, 'The Hangover,' the 'Boogie Nights' star fell hard for two trendy pastimes, celebrity poker and pole-dancing. Does this mean we should start calling her 'Poker Girl'?

 Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are off to 'Wichita' ... the movie, that is. Sources say both Cruise and Diaz have approved the script for director James Mangold's upcoming action comedy, in which Cruise will play an international spy and Diaz's on-and-off lover. The last time the two paired up was for Cameron Crowe's 'Vanilla Sky' in 2001; while the 'Wichita' soundtrack may not be as good, we're kinda hoping the movie's a little less convoluted.

That's it for today! For more celeb news over the weekend, check out ClearEntertainment.

-- Joyce Liao & Ted Goslin, Clear365 Bloggers

MEDIA CIRCUS: Tom Hanks, Jessica Simpson & 'Idol' outrage

We know it's a zoo out there and you've got things to do and people to see ... who has the time to keep up with every bit of Tinseltown news (unless you're a member of the paparazzi, of course)?  That's why we're here to to help, with this daily installment of Hollywood's hottest happenings. Consider it an "entertainment cheat sheet," if you will, so that the next time you're chatting with friends or co-workers, you'll be totally ready to chime in on the gossip. (And don't worry, we won't tell them you've been hibernating in your cave and had to get the scoop from us.)   

 Tom Hanks has been so scared into shape by pal Robin Williams' recent health crisis that he's hired a new personal chef to help him stay trim. Hanks, who has had to drop pounds for movie roles including 'Castaway' and 'Philadelphia,' is no stranger to packing on the weight in his off-time. Lay off the cheeseburgers, Tom!

 Could this be the hugest voting controversy since the 2000 presidential elections? 'American Idol' organizers are slamming reports accusing them of rigging last week's 'Idol' upset, the biggest in the contest's history. What do you think?

 Spotted: Sean Penn and on-again wife Robin Wright partying with Tom Hanks (off his new diet already?) and Robert Downey Jr. at a Memorial Day bash -- just days after Oscar-winner Penn called off the couple's legal separation (for the second time). Penn initially filed separation papers a few days before before their 13th wedding anniversary ... maybe he was trying to weasel his way out of a present?

 Apparently, dreams do come true if you know the right people: 'Slumdog Millionaire' director Danny Boyle has purchased a new apartment for the family of Azhar Ismail, one of the movie's child stars, whose home was demolished in Mumbai, India recently. The apartment cost around $42,000.

 And when all else fails, there are reality gigs: Singer actress  professional girlfriend Jessica Simpson is getting another shot at reality TV. The new reality series, 'The Price of Beauty,' will follow Simpson and her friend on a global trek in search of true beauty. On the show, Simpson will talk candidly about -- among other things -- her weight issues. We say, as long as she leaves that high-waist denim ensemble at home, Jessica's good to go. 

That's all for today. For more celebrity, TV and movie news, check out ClearEntertainment.

-- Joyce Liao & Ted Goslin, Clear365 Bloggers

Summer Movies Guide: In theaters now

'NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: BATTLE OF THE SMITHSONIAN'
Director: Shawn Levy
Rating: PG
Ben Stiller and his real-life history-book buddies are back, with more 'interactive' exhibits, sight gags and slap-happy monkeys
Check out the website

'TERMINATOR SALVATION'
Director: McG
Rating: PG-13
It's got metal-on-metal sound effects, post-apocalyptic visuals and Christian Bale -- but have the machines already won?
Check out the website

'ANGELS & DEMONS'
Director: Ron Howard
Rating: PG-13
With twists, turns and revelations even more ridiculous than those in 'The Da Vinci Code,' this air-conditioned escapism is hard to beat.
Check out the website

'THE BROTHERS BLOOM'
Director: Rian Johnson
Rating: PG-13
Eccentric characters, clever background details and anachronistic wardrobe choices make for a con-man comedy straight out of the Wes Anderson playbook.
Check out the website

'STAR TREK'
Director: J.J. Abrams
Rating: PG-13
Inspired makeover aims for mainstream appeal, but stays true to 'Trek' vision with nods, gadgets and Leonard Nimoy
Check out the website

'RUDO Y CURSI'
Director: Carlos Cuaron
Rating: R
With lots of sports metaphors (and a Spanish version of a Cheap Trick classic), this story of two aspiring soccer players is hackneyed in concept but enjoyable in execution.
Check out the website

'ADVENTURELAND'
Director: Greg Mottola
Rating: R
This 'Super Bad' follow-up is full of '80s kitsch, gross-out gags and killer tunes. But it's got something to say, as well.
Check out the website

365 SUMMER MOVIES GUIDE

The exploits of a teenage wizard, shape-shifting mammoth robots and Roman Empire-era wanderers are among the choices moviegoers have this summer. (Clear365 Graphic)		365 Summer Movies Guide Blockbuster season is in full swing, but so many choices can be overwhelming: What's a moviegoer to do? Just relax. Whether you're in the mood for a comedy, romance, thriller or family flick, we'll help you navigate through the best of what's on-screen (and save the Duds for the concessions stand).
Summer Movies Cheat Sheet Looking for romance? From 'Management' to 'I Love You, Beth Cooper,' this summer's love stories lean toward honest and offbeat  New comedy classics Hollywood's comedy go-to guys -- Will Ferrell, Seth Rogan, Adam Sandler -- return for another season of laughs. And then there's the Sacha Baron Cohen thing Ready for some action? From 'Terminator' to 'Tranformers,' some movie franchises never die -- and that's not bad For the whole family Flights of fantasy and furry, four-legged fun take center stage in this season's batch of family films Indie-flick buzz These movies may not all be "indies" in the strictest sense, but they sure are in spirit  More movies ... COMING SOON Watch your favorite movies on Clear365! Get a sneak peek now

Summer Movies Guide: Indie-flick buzz

'THE GIRLFRIEND EXPERIENCE'
Director: Steven Soderbergh
Release Date: May 22
Set in the days leading up to the 2008 election, this drama centers on the life of a $2000/hour call girl. Just another 'Pretty Woman'? Not exactly: The lead is played by adult film star Sasha Grey, in her first mainstream roll.
Watch the trailer

'DRAG ME TO HELL'
Director: Sam Raimi
Release Date: May 29
A loan officer (how timely!) becomes the victim of an unpleasant supernatural curse when she must evict an old woman from her home. Terrific cast includes Justin Long, David Paymer, and Alison Lohman -- but no Bruce Campbell.
Check out the website

'MY LIFE IN RUINS'
Director: Donald Petrie
Release Date: June 5
A travel guide -- the star of 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' -- gets her groove back on a romantic trip through Greece. (Why not? It worked for ABBA.)
Check out the website

'CHERI'
Director: Stephen Frears
Release Date: June 26
In this romantic drama set in 1920s Paris, the bon-vivant son of a courtesan retreats into a fantasy world when he's forced to end his relationship with a sexually experienced older woman. (Rupert Friend is the bon-vivant son; Kathy Bates is not the experienced older woman.)

'TAKING WOODSTOCK'
Director: Ang Lee
Release Date: August 14
Based on a memoir by Elliot Tiber, this cinematic hippie-fest of shaggy sideburns, VW Bugs and '60s anthems tells the story of a dutiful son who views the now-legendary rock festival as a means to save his parents' seedy Catskills motel from foreclosure.
Check out the website

'ANTICHRIST'
Director: Lars von Trier
Release Date: August
After losing their child in a freak accident, a grieving couple -- identified as only "He" and "She" -- retreat to their isolated woodland cabin to mend their broken hearts and marriage. Every imaginable psychological-thriller/horror theme that's even vaguely controversial prevents that from happening.
Check out the website

'INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS'
Director: Quentin Tarantino
Release Date: August 21
In this fairy-taled retelling of WWII, an elite group of Nazi-hunting Jewish-American soldiers known as 'The Basterds' creatively take revenge on the Third Reich. (Excellent, typically Tarantino cast includes Brad Pitt, Samuel L. Jackson, Eli Roth, Mike Myers and Cloris Leachman.)
Check out the website

The Public Observer on upcoming news ... and a pictorial roundup

The Public Observer offers a look at upcoming news next week and presents a pictorial roundup of recent images captured by photographers from The Associated Press.

SRI LANKA AFTERMATH

Sri Lanka earlier this week declared victory in its quarter-century battle with Tamil Tiger rebels and the United Nations estimated that at least 7,000 civilians died in the final offensive and about 280,000 people have become war refugees.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon planned to seek permission for more international aid in the refugee camps and was expected to urge Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to initiate a reconciliation process with the minority Tamils, who make up 18 percent of the population.

ABBAS VISITS OBAMA

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Barack Obama next Friday at the White House as part of the U.S. attempt to restart Middle East peace efforts. Obama met last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a scheduled visit next week with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was canceled due to the death of Mubarak's grandson.

Abbas represents only the West Bank portion of the divided Palestinian state, with the militant group Hamas ruling the Gaza area. Palestinian unity talks brokered by Egypt have stalled with Hamas balking at Western demands that any Palestinian government recognize Israel, denounce violence and honor past peace deals. The European Union, the United States and Israel list Hamas as a terror organization.

GM'S FUTURE

Bankruptcy could be looming for General Motors as early as next week with bondholders facing a Tuesday deadline to agree to a swap deal for common stock. Ninety percent of the bondholders must approve the swap deal or GM will be forced into bankruptcy protection. GM has offered bondholders 225 shares for every $1,000 of debt in an attempt to erase $27 billion in unsecured debt.

CALIFORNIA - GAY MARRIAGE

The California Supreme Court on Tuesday will rule on the validity of Propostion 8, the ballot measure banning same-sex marriage that voters approved in November. The constitutional amendment overruled the court's 4-3 ruling from last year that legalized gay marriages.

The court also will decide whether to uphold the marriages of the 18,000 gay couples who wed before Proposition 8 was passed.

PICTORIAL ROUNDUP

Here's a look at some recent photographs by The Associated Press.

 

The moon is seen rising in the sky in the early dawn Tuesday above the domes of the Smolny Cathedral in St. Petersburg, Russia. The photo was taken with a digital camera through the eyepiece of a telescope. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

 

The 47 million-year-old fossilized remains of a creature were shown Tuesday during a news conference at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The skeleton, from Germany, may help illuminate the early evolution of monkeys, apes and humans. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Women cry Thursday during the funeral of a victim killed in a car bomb explosion in Shula, Iraq. The car bomb exploded Wednesday near several restaurants in a Shiite neighborhood of northwest Baghdad, killing 41 people and injuring more than 70, police and hospital officials said. The attack was part of a recent upsurge of violence in Iraq. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 

The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) and Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard tangle under the basket in the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals Wednesday in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

 

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, foreground, and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar arrive for the screening Tuesday of the film 'Los Abrazos Rotos' (Broken Embraces) during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, southern France. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Mourners pay their last respects Tuesday to poet Mario Benedetti during his funeral in Montevideo, Uruguay. Benedetti, a prolific Uruguayan writer whose novels and poems reflected the idiosyncrasies of Montevideo's middle class and a social commitment forged by years in exile from a military dictatorship, died Sunday. He was 88. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) 

 

In this image provided by NASA, Space Shuttle Atlantis is backdropped Wednesday by the blackness of space and the thin line of Earth's atmosphere. (AP Photo/NASA)

People walk past two man-shaped mirrors Wednesday outside the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte museum in Brussels. The 20th century surrealist, who famously painted a pipe with the comment "this is not a pipe," finally has his own temple. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe) 

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

Visit Clear365 News for the latest news and analysis.

The Public Observer on upcoming news ... and a pictorial roundup

The Public Observer offers a look at upcoming news next week and presents a pictorial roundup of recent images captured by photographers from The Associated Press.

SRI LANKA AFTERMATH

Sri Lanka earlier this week declared victory in its quarter-century battle with Tamil Tiger rebels and the United Nations estimated that at least 7,000 civilians died in the final offensive and about 280,000 people have become war refugees.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon planned to seek permission for more international aid in the refugee camps and was expected to urge Sri Lanka President Mahinda Rajapaksa to initiate a reconciliation process with the minority Tamils, who make up 18 percent of the population.

ABBAS VISITS OBAMA

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will meet with President Barack Obama next Friday at the White House as part of the U.S. attempt to restart Middle East peace efforts. Obama met last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a scheduled visit next week with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was canceled due to the death of Mubarak's grandson.

Abbas represents only the West Bank portion of the divided Palestinian state, with the militant group Hamas ruling the Gaza area. Palestinian unity talks brokered by Egypt have stalled with Hamas balking at Western demands that any Palestinian government recognize Israel, denounce violence and honor past peace deals. The European Union, the United States and Israel list Hamas as a terror organization.

GM'S FUTURE

Bankruptcy could be looming for General Motors as early as next week with bondholders facing a Tuesday deadline to agree to a swap deal for common stock. Ninety percent of the bondholders must approve the swap deal or GM will be forced into bankruptcy protection. GM has offered bondholders 225 shares for every $1,000 of debt in an attempt to erase $27 billion in unsecured debt.

CALIFORNIA - GAY MARRIAGE

The California Supreme Court on Tuesday will rule on the validity of Propostion 8, the ballot measure banning same-sex marriage that voters approved in November. The constitutional amendment overruled the court's 4-3 ruling from last year that legalized gay marriages.

The court also will decide whether to uphold the 18,000 gay couples who wed before Proposition 8 was passed.

PICTORIAL ROUNDUP

Here's a look at some recent photographs by The Associated Press.

 

The moon is seen rising in the sky in the early dawn Tuesday above the domes of the Smolny Cathedral in St.Petersburg, Russia. The photo was taken with a digital camera through the eyepiece of a telescope. (AP Photo/Dmitry Lovetsky)

 

The 47 million-year-old fossilized remains of a creature were shown Tuesday during a news conference at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The skeleton, from Germany, may help illuminate the early evolution of monkeys, apes and humans. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Women cry Thursday during the funeral of a victim killed in a car bomb explosion in Shula, Iraq. The car bomb exploded Wednesday near several restaurants in a Shiite neighborhood of northwest Baghdad, killing 41 people and injuring more than 70, police and hospital officials said. The attack was part of a recent upsurge of violence in Iraq. (AP Photo/Hadi Mizban) 

The Cleveland Cavaliers' LeBron James (23) and Orlando Magic's Dwight Howard tangle under the basket in the first quarter of Game 1 of the NBA Eastern Conference basketball finals Wednesday in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

 

Spanish actress Penelope Cruz, foreground, and Spanish director Pedro Almodovar arrive for the screening Tuesday of the film 'Los Abrazos Rotos' (Broken Embraces) during the 62nd International film festival in Cannes, southern France. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan)

Mourners pay their last respects Tuesday to poet Mario Benedetti during his funeral in Montevideo, Uruguay. Benedetti, a prolific Uruguayan writer whose novels and poems reflected the idiosyncrasies of Montevideo's middle class and a social commitment forged by years in exile from a military dictatorship, died Sunday. He was 88. (AP Photo/Matilde Campodonico) 

 

In this image provided by NASA, Space Shuttle Atlantis is backdropped Wednesday by the blackness of space and the thin line of Earth's atmosphere. (AP Photo/NASA)

People walk past two man-shaped mirrors Wednesday outside the Belgian surrealist painter Rene Magritte museum in Brussels. The 20th century surrealist, who famously painted a pipe with the comment "this is not a pipe," finally has his own temple. (AP Photo/Yves Logghe) 

--Paul Chavez, Clear365 News Editor

Visit Clear365 News for the latest news and analysis.

SOUNDBITES: Shia's date with Rihanna, Madge's menage a trois & more

** Looks like Chris Brown may have some more competition, sort of. In a recent Playboy magazine interview, 'Transformers' star Shia LaBeouf talks about his "infatuation" with R&B princess Rihanna -- and their not-so romantic date. "The spark wasn't there," LaBeouf admits. "We weren't passionate about each other in that way." While he may not have felt any chemistry with Rihanna, LaBeouf says he does have another crush, on a certain co-star ... Get the juicy details here.

** If you're wondering why so many celebs opt for private cars instead of public transportation, Lily Allen can tell you from first-hand experience: When the British songstress sang about being taken over by 'The Fear,' she was probably referring to her traumatic London subway incident. Find out what happened, and why she's determined never to set foot in the London Underground again.

** Is it true -- a Madge-in-the-middle menage a trois? With Kanye West? After weeks of rumors that Kanye and his girlfriend, model Amber Rose, shared an intimate fling with Madonna, the Grammy-winning rapper has finally taken to his blog to set the record straight. (Check it out!)

** Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark and Charlie McCoy were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on Sunday evening, in an emotional ceremony that saluted them for their music, and honored them with concert tributes by Garth, Reba, Alison Krauss and more. Get the scoop on what went down in Nashville -- and why it meant so much.

** Pink is ready to 'Get the Party Started' with on-again husband Carey Hart. The pop-punk singer recently reconciled with motocross champ Hart after separating last year, and in a recent TV appearance on 'Ellen,' she says the time has come to renew their wedding vows ... for the sake of the post-nuptial bash, of course.

** Let it be known -- if it's not already -- that the only thing the Jonas Brothers are looking to catch is the 'Love Bug.' The sinless siblings postponed their shows in Mexico over the weekend in light of the swine flu scare. In addition to the heartbreaking concert delay, the flu outbreak has put scores of film projects on hold, and studios' Mexican movie-premiere schedules are an absolute mess.

** Ciara's sharing her 'Goodies' with the children, in an effort to provide underprivileged youth with school supplies: The R&B star has teamed up with Staples and DoSomething.org for the second annual National Do Something 101 School Supply Drive. Find out exactly what Ciara is doing to support this worthwhile cause -- and how you can help!

** We know you're anxiously awaiting this week's 'Idol' duke-out -- who isn't? -- and here's something that will make it even sweeter: For the show's Wednesday finale, we're looking at an all-star lineup of performers, including Carlos Santana, Cyndi Lauper, Queen Latifah and the Black Eye Peas, among others. See what else 'Idol' has in store for the big finale ...

** Finally, what was Pearl Jam's bassist doing wandering around the woods with $3,000 in his pocket -- until it was stolen by three masked men dressed in black?

Until next week, get the latest music news, gossip and downloads on ClearMusic!

-- Joyce Liao, Clear365 Blogger

Image credits:
Shia LaBeouf, Pink: WENN
Carlos Santana: Associated Press

Raising the Roof: The Ford Skyliner 'Retrac'

With summer looming just around the corner, drive time is about to get a lot better for anyone behind the wheel of a convertible. With that in mind, auto columnist Aaron Severson takes a top-down drive through Memory Lane to look at the history of hardtop convertibles.

By Aaron Severson

If you've been to an auto show, read a car magazine, or dropped by a dealer showroom lately, you may have noticed an abundance of slick hardtop convertibles: drop-tops with folding steel roofs, rather than canvas tops.

It might surprise you to learn that retractable hardtops aren't a new idea. More than 50 years ago, Ford Motor Company proudly unveiled "the world's only Hide-A-Way hardtop": the 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 Skyliner.

Convertibles can be wonderful on beautiful, sunny days, but they're a terrible hassle the rest of the time: noisy, drafty, and vulnerable to theft and vandalism. Since the 1920s, motorists have dreamed of a car that could magically transform into a regular coupe at the touch of a button.

The first known attempt at a retractable hardtop convertible was created in 1922 by a Salt Lake City inventor named Ben Ellerbeck, based on a Hudson Super Six. Nothing much came of Ellerbeck's creation, but about a decade later, the French automaker Peugeot introduced the first production car with a retractable steel roof, the 1935 Peugeot 402BL Eclipse Decapotable. (Click here for photos of it.) It was impressive, but very expensive, and only a few were sold. In 1940, Chrysler created a retractable hardtop for its futuristic Thunderbolt, but it was little more than a show car, and it never went into mass production.

In the early 1950s, the Ford Motor Company began work on a new retractable hardtop design. It was originally intended for the Continental Mark II, a very expensive luxury coupe Ford offered in 1956-57. Ford management eventually canceled the convertible Mark II, fearing the retractable roof would make the Continental too expensive. Still, Ford didn't want to throw away the $2.2 million they'd spent developing the top mechanism. Instead, they decided to offer it on the regular Ford line.

The retractable hardtop roof, designed by Ford Special Projects engineer Ben Smith, was a cunning piece of work. It was very complicated, with seven different electric motors and more than 600 feet of wiring, but its operation was an amazing thing to see: it took only about 40 seconds to raise or lower the roof. Remarkably, it was reliable, too. Despite its complexity, the top was ingeniously counterbalanced so that none of its motors had to work very hard. It even included a hand crank to raise or lower the roof if one of the motors failed. (Try that with your new BMW convertible!)

Unfortunately, the mechanism consumed most of the trunk space. The only safe place to stow your bags beneath the massive rear deck was in a tiny bin at the very center of the trunk. Thoughtfully, Ford offered a special set of fitted luggage as an accessory.

The production "retrac" was named Skyliner. Part of Ford's top-of-the-line Fairlane 500 series, it was one of the most expensive models Ford offered in 1957, costing nearly 20 percent more than a normal ragtop. Since it also weighed 400 pounds more, the Skyliner wasn't very fast, even with the biggest optional engines, but that wasn't really the point. It excelled at what was really important: wowing friends and neighbors.

Shortly after the Skyliner made its debut in December 1956, Ford bought time on the popular "I Love Lucy" program, where Lucy and Ricky showed off how it worked:

Since the Skyliner was so expensive, it wasn't a huge seller. Ford moved 20,766 of them in 1957, a tiny fraction of the 1.7 million Ford cars sold that year. Still, the Skyliner sold well enough to make a profit, and it lured plenty of curious passersby into Ford dealerships to see it in action.

The Skyliner returned for 1958 and 1959, but a national recession took a big bite out of all new-car sales, especially big, expensive ones. Ford sold 14,713 Skyliners in 1958, and a further 12,915 for 1959. Ford vice president Robert McNamara considered bringing it back again for 1960, but ultimately decided it would be too expensive, so 1959 was the end of the line. There are believed to be about 2,500 survivors of the 48,394 Skyliners originally built; naturally, they've become prized collector's items.

The retractable hardtop idea lay dormant until 1994, when Mitsubishi unveiled a retractable-hardtop version of its 3000GT coupe. It was offered for only two years, but it made quite a splash, and it inspired other automakers to follow suit. In 1997, Mercedes introduced its compact SLK model, which also featured a folding steel roof. By 2001, Lexus and Peugeot had retractable hardtops of their own. Since then, almost every automaker in the world has introduced at least one, ranging from the $25,390 Mazda MX-5 Miata Hardtop to the $194,700 Mercedes SL65 AMG.

Like the Skyliner, these modern "retracs" are heavy, complicated, and expensive -- so expensive that many of them probably won't survive the current recession. They've become so ubiquitous, however, that the genre will almost certainly survive, even if the individual models don't. Buyers are quickly coming to expect convertibles to offer a folding steel roof. In a few years, they may not accept anything less.

Fifty years ago, the Ford Skyliner was just a technological novelty item -- today, it's an idea whose time has finally come.

--Severson is editor-in-chief of Ate Up With Motor.

Photos provided by Aaron Severson