Photo: NBC

Time is running out, if you plan to attend a “Tonight Show” taping hosted by Jay Leno. In two weeks, after 17 years,  the veteran comic will host his last “Tonight Show,” on Friday, May 29. Leno told CNN he’s planning some surprises for his finale and he revealed the guests will include singer James Taylor and new “Tonight Show” host Conan O’Brien.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove —Winter 2009, folks wait outside NBC Studios for a taping of “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

Long lines near ”The Tonight Show” studio is a very common sight in Burbank.  More than likely those lines will be even longer as Leno count downs to his final appearance as the official host of “The Tonight Show.”  Leno and his staff will be moving out of their old digs, but they’re not going far.  Only across the lot to some production offices for “The Jay Leno Show” scheduled for this September.

Leno’s new comedy talk-variety show is slated for the 10-to-11 p.m. slot five nights a week. It’s a major challenge, but Leno plans to offer what he does best; comedy and jokes. The way he sees it “… 10 o’clock is like the new 11:30…”

Photo: Chuck Kennedy/White House

Spectators at a town hall meeting in Rancho Rio, New Mexico yesterday eagerly reach out to shake President Obama’s hand or to snap a photo of the Commander-in-Chief.  At the meeting, inside a packed high school gym, the president recounted some horror stories of abuse by credit card companies who have been jacking up rates and raising fees on struggling Americans during these tough economic times.

Obama said, “Enough is enough.  It’s time for strong, reliable protections for our consumers. It’s time for reform …”  The president declared his commitment to sign the Credit Card Bill of Rights into law by Memorial Day. More of the president’s comments from this town hall meeting are on the White House blog.

Photo: NASA TV

Two astronauts swap-out a camera on the Hubble Space Telescope during a spacewalk today. It was a precarious operation. Yesterday, the space shuttle Atlantis latched onto Hubble and both are now floating in orbit, about 350 miles above Earth. The big concern for NASA officials is the tons of debris from discarded satellites. On Wednesday, a piece of space junk came within a few miles of Atlantis.  

Spacewalkers John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel removed Hubble’s 15-year-old camera, which has snapped more than 135-thousand images. The old workhorse will be brought back to Earth and eventually go on display at the Smithsonian Institution. The high-tech replacement camera cost $132 million. The new camera reportedly will be able to peer deeper into the universe than its predecessor and take large, clear, detailed color photos.

During the nearly seven and half hour session, the mission specialists installed a new computer unit as well. This is the first of five spacewalks scheduled over the next few days to rehab Hubble.

 Almost everyday we hear heartbreaking media reports about the desperate search for a missing person. I was surprised to learn from the National Vigil For Hope website that there are more than a million missing adults and children in America. To make us all aware of the situation, vigils will be held across the country this Sunday, May 17, National Vigil For Hope day.

Here locally, the American Business Women’s Association Verdugo Glen chapter is among the community organizations supporting the Glendale National Vigil For Hope event. ABWA Verdugo Glen chapter member Lynn White-Shelby sent me an e-mail describing the goal of the upcoming vigil as “… an hour of prayer, hope and awareness for the thousands of missing people who may be ‘gone…but are not forgotten.’”

The local vigil will be held at the Glendale Civic Center, Parcher Plaza, 613 E. Broadway, in Glendale from 4-5:30 p.m. The event will include entertainment, fingerprinting for children and an appearance by the parents of missing San Diego area teenager, Amber Dubois. 

Photo of Amber Dubois: http://www.bringamberhome.com/

The Escondido girl was on her way to school when she disappeared on February 13, 2009. There are well organized searches for the 14-year-old each weekend. Also, a total of $60,000 in reward money is being offered in this missing person case.

Photo:  starstories.astrology.com

Howard K. Stern, Anna Nicole Smith’s lawyer and companion, and two of the actress’ physicians were arraigned in a Downtown Los Angeles court today. The three defendants pleaded not guilty to charges they were involved in a conspiracy to provide the late actress with thousands of prescription pills and other drugs during the final years of her life.

Smith died in Florida in February of 2007, after being discovered unresponsive in a hotel room. Later, it was determined the 39-year-old former Playboy model died from a fatal drug overdose. The other two defendants in the case are 40-year-old Sandeep Kapoor and 61-year-old Khristine Eroshevich. State Attorney General Jerry Brown has accused 40-year-old Stern of being “the principal enabler” in an alleged scheme that involved prescriptions written using phony names.

Today, Commissioner Kristi Lousteau ordered Stern and the two doctors to give handwriting samples to investigators. Each defendant is free on $20,000 bond. The trio is due back in court on June 8, 2009 to set a date for a preliminary hearing.

Burbank Police Chief Tim Stehr  Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

A cloud of uncertainty is hanging over the city of Burbank, the “Media Capital of the World.” The uncertainty is not linked to the prominent entertainment industry in town nor is it fallout from the sluggish economy. No, it’s the city’s police department, which is the focus of this negative energy.

For weeks now the rumors and suspicions about allegations of police misconduct, lawsuits, indictments, and other police issues have been swirling around this San Fernando Valley city of 100,000 residents. Earlier this month, the Burbank Leader published an article about a private meeting on May 4 attended by rank-and-file union police officers to discuss their concerns.

Also, the Leader printed an internal police union memo about an April session between Chief Stehr and two officials of the Burbank Police Officers’ Association to discuss a number of pressing topics including: “morale, division among the members, lack of confidence in the Chief and administration, racial discrimination, rumors, perceptions, anonymous letters, lawsuits, inequities, current criminal cases, and negative events believed to be coming.”  

At the May meeting, police union members reportedly decided to try to work through these issues with the chief rather than take a no-confidence vote. Last night, during a break in the proceeding at the city council meeting I talked briefly with Chief Stehr who said he was confident he could lead the Burbank police department through this difficult period. Still, Stehr admitted, “… there are some issues…” but insisted “… (we will ) work together to fix them.”

Last week, I got an e-mail response from the Chairman of the Burbank Police Commission, Joe Gunn, about the situation: “The Chief had informed me of the issues before I left on a three week vacation and I am confident that he is taking all of the necessary steps to alleviate the problem. He maintains our trust and respect relative to his professional duties.”

 Meanwhile, listed on last night’s printed city council agenda, a closed session item involving litigation and a case of  “alleged violation of civil rights arising out of claimed wrongful and prolonged detention.” Is this one of the cases that has the Burbank police department in turmoil?

Clearly, there are some behind the scenes activities and negotiations going on in Burbank. Nevertheless, residents deserve to know what is happening; and how the police problems will be solved as well as how all of this will affect city services. At his first council meeting as an elected official, new Councilman Jess Talamantes explained he would rather be “proactive than reactive.” I think this is the position city officials should take with the police department problems. Don’t wait until it all explodes into a full blown controversy, but step forward now and explain the situation to residents. 

Photo: Effie Nidam/CNN

The Donald has spoken: controversial Miss California USA, Carrie Prejean, gets to keep her crown. Trump is the co-owner of the Miss Universe pageant, which governs the Miss California USA contest. Prejean has been in the eye of a media storm since April 19, when she was asked for her opinion on same-sex marriage during the interview segment of the Miss USA pageant. Prejean stated her preference for traditional marriage — between a man and a woman, which ruffled the feathers of one of the judges, gossip blogger, Perez Hilton and upset or hurt the feelings of a lot of other folks.

For the past few weeks, racy and seminude photos of Prejean have been popping up all over the Internet. Even today, a new crop was posted on the celebrity website, TMZ.  Also, the 21-year-old San Diego Christian College junior got into a dust-up with Miss California USA officials over missed appearances and her involvement with an anti-gay marriage organization. Prejean was in serious hot water and facing the possiblility of losing her title and crown, when Trump came to her rescue.

Today Trump was given the task of making the final decision on Prejean’s fate and he decided “… Carrie will remain Miss California.”  At a news conference in New York, Trump praised Prejean for speaking her mind and said those photos, even though admitting some were risque, did not violate her contract.

Prejean gave a passionate and sometimes tearful speech about her beliefs and faith in God:”I am a model and I am a Christian.” Prejean discredited some of those racy photos as doctored and defended others as never meant for public view. She insisted she did not break any pageant rules: “I answered truthfully that I had not been photographed in a nude or partially nude situation.”

My feelings about Prejean are mixed. At times she makes me cringe, other times, I want to cheer her on.  I’m a Christian and it bothers me that Prejean uses her Christian faith and “the way she was raised” as reasons for her belief in traditional marriage. I wonder if she was “raised” to show-off her body in skimpy underwear or tiny bikinis by her parents. I suspect this is a personal choice like her views on marriage.

Also, most everybody knows there are plenty of modeling jobs for an attractive woman like Prejean, which do not require her to pose in front of cameras wearing only a few strips of material. The Apostle Paul wrote in the Bible, 1 Timothy 2:10, that Christian women should dress “… appropriate for women who profess to worship God.” I wonder how Prejean balances this with her modeling gigs. Bottom line, it irks me and a lot of people to see Christians apply their faith to only selective areas of their lives.

Yet, I agree with Prejean when she said it’s great that ”… Americans are able to choose one or the other” when it comes to same-sex marriage or traditional marriage. However, problems arise and bitter battles develop when some folks attempt to deny this right of choice to some Americans on religious or whatever grounds.

Hopefully, Prejean will serve out the rest of her reign quietly and pass on her crown to the next Miss California USA in November without anymore controversy. Oh, and I really don’t want to see Prejean sprawled in the pages of some glossy nudie magazine under the title “Modern Christian Woman.”

Photo: NASA Television

The space shuttle Atlantis roared off the launch pad at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida today at 2:01 p.m. EDT. On board Atlantis, a crew of seven astronauts gearing up to service NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. During the 11-day mission and five spacewalks, the astronauts will install two new instruments, repair two others that are inactive, and do the kind of maintenance work which will keep the giant telescope functioning to at least 2014. This is the final shuttle mission to service, repair, and upgrade Hubble.

On April 24, 1990, space shuttle Discovery launched Hubble into orbit around Earth. Over the years, the powerful telescope has floated about our atmosphere beaming back hundreds of thousands of images. That incredible data has helped scientists determine such things as the universe is 13.7 billion years old. Also, Hubble has provided tons of important information about the birth of planets, black holes, and the existence of black energy —a mysterious force, which accelerates the expansion of the universe.

 The new “Star Trek” flick shot to the top of the Box Office at warp speed. The reboot of the classic sci-fi franchise earned a spectacular $31 million on Friday. Over the weekend, “Trekkies,” or “Trekkers” and thousands of other movie fans packed theater seats to see the futuristic adventure, propelling the film into first place with an estimated $72.5 million.

The newest “Star Trek” movie focuses on the original crew of the Enterprise at the beginning of their careers in Starfleet Academy. This time around, the brave crew members are played by a variety of fresh new faces including Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Simon Pegg, John Cho, Zoe Saldana, and Anton Zelchin. For a touch of nostalgia, there’s a cameo by the original Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy.

Last week’s number one movie, the sci-fi action fantasy ”X-Men Origins: Wolverine,” dropped to second with $27 million. So far, the latest in the comic book inspired “X-Men” franchise has earned around $130 million at movie houses across the nation.

The romantic comedy “Ghosts of Girlfriends Past” flirted up $10.4 million for third place and a two-week haul of $30.2 million. In fourth, the thriller “Obsessed” with $6.6 million and rounding out the top five the comedy “17 Again” with $4.4 million.  

 Photos: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove

Despite its problems, Grand View Memorial Park, will be open to the public today from noon until 4 p.m. Only a few hours for those who would like to share some time on this Mother’s Day with relatives and friends laid to rest at this 125-year-old cemetery in Glendale.

The cemetery’s legal and management problems date back to 2005, when a state investigator discovered thousands of mishandled human remains at Grand View. More than a year ago, the neighborhood landmark was shut down and is only open periodically now with the approval of a Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge.

Grand View will be open on May 24, June 14, June 21 Father’s Day, and June 28 as well. Grand View Memorial Park is located at 1341 Glenwood Road in Glendale.

Photo: Spencer Weiner/Los Angeles Times

Firefighters battling that huge Santa Barbara wildfire are getting some help from the weather today. The winds are calm, temperatures have dropped, the humidity is up, and the fog has rolled into the area. Fire officials at a news conference this morning announced they’re taking advantage of this break and are now going “on the offensive” against the five-day-old wildfire. Still they say their “guard is up” because they’re “not out of the woods” yet.

The wildfire is 30 percent contained, but has burned 8,700 acres and the number of homes destroyed or damaged now stands at 80. There was some good news. Thousands of evacuated residents were allowed to return to their homes.

Also this morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and actor Rob Lowe, a local resident, visited an evacuation shelter on the campus of UC Santa Barbara.

Meanwhile, two injured firefighters underwent surgery at the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks yesterday. A third injured firefighter was released from the hospital on Friday. Officials say 13 firefighters have been hurt battling the Santa Barbara wildfire, but most of their injuries have been minor. 

Thousands of members of the Screen Actors Guild will soon get to vote on that tentative contract deal with the big studio producers. The ballots to eligible guild members will be mailed out later this month on Tuesday, May 19, according to a message posted on the SAG website by Interim National Executive Director, David White, and SAG Chief Negotiator, John McGuire.

The old contract expired on June 30, 2008. After months of bickering between SAG and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers, a tentative agreement on a two-year contract was announced on April 17, 2009. The deal received the approval and recommendation of the SAG National Board of Directors. Yet, there will probably be some behind the scenes drama in the guild over the new media terms, which a group of hardliners had fought but failed to get sweetened for the estimated 120,000 SAG members. The opposition is lead by SAG President, Alan Rosenberg.

Ballots are due back by 5 p.m. June 9, 2009.  Some informational member meetings are scheduled, with the first planned for May 21, at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel, 1755 North Highland Avenue in Hollywood beginning at 7 p.m.

Photo: Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times

As the photo above shows, the Santa Barbara wildfire was pretty scary yesterday; today it’s even more so. Those erratic and strong sundowner winds kicked up last night and the wildfire exploded again, burning more acres, homes, and forcing thousands to grab what they could and evacuate.

Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times

Acting Santa Barbara City Fire Chief Andrew DiMizio described it best:”…last night all hell broke loose.” This morning, officials say the number of acres scorched has reached 3,500 along with at least 75 homes destroyed. Also, 30,000 residents have been forced out of their homes and another 16,000 have been told to be prepared to evacuate. 

Today, fire crews launched assaults on the ravenous flames from the air and on the ground. The winds are calm, but it is still hot and dry. Tonight, those devilish sundowners are expected return for an encore.

It’s really no surprise that the Los Angeles Dodgers got beat 11-to-9 by the Washington Nationals last night at Dodger Stadium. The loss ended a record setting streak of 13 home wins to start the season. It came hours after a 50 game suspension of the team’s superstar player, Manny Ramirez, became headline news. So you can understand the boys in blue being a little shaken up and off their stride.

Late yesterday at a news conference, Dodgers Manager Joe Torre and team General Manager Ned Colletti reacted to the Manny development. Colletti admitted he was “sick and saddened” by the news that the left fielder had failed a Major League Baseball drug test. Torres said he felt ”disappointment”  and described the situation as being like when someone punches ”… a hole in a balloon. ”

Ramirez issued an apology, in a prepared statement yesterday, but did not specifically address what the medication was that caused him to flunk the drug test. The Los Angeles Times, which broke the story yesterday morning on its website, and others in the media are reporting that in spring training Ramirez tested positive for a female fertility drug frequently found in athletes who are steroid users.

So the Manny score is now one game down and 49 to go.

Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times

Fire crews took advantage of the calmer winds today and aggressively attacked that Santa Barbara wildfire on the ground and from the air. Tonight, the number of acres scorched was up from 13-hundred to 27-hundred. Many homes were saved, but 75 were damaged or destroyed by the flames. Also, more than 13-thousand people have been evacuated.

Earlier in the day, we got an update on those three injured firefighters flown to the Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks yesterday. Their condition was upgraded from serious to good. A total of 10 firefighters have been injured battling this wildfire.

 Officials had hoped those fierce sundowner winds would not return, but tonight they kicked up, causing  additional evacuations and another intensive fire fight.

A short while ago, the Dodgers released this statement about the 50 game suspension of star player Manny Ramirez for testing positive for a banned substance in a Major League Baseball drug test.

STATEMENT FROM THE LOS ANGELES DODGERS

 LOS ANGELES, CA – Los Angeles Dodgers CEO Jamie McCourt issued the following statement in reaction to today’s statements from Major League Baseball, the Major League Baseball Players Association, and Manny Ramirez.

“We share the disappointment felt by our fans, our players, and every member of our organization. We support the policies of Major League Baseball, and we will welcome Manny back upon his return.”

This statement will constitute the comment of the Los Angeles Dodgers organization until Joe Torre meets with the media at approximately 4:30 p.m. today at Dodger Stadium.

Photo: Jill Weisleder/Los Angeles Dodgers  — Slugger Manny Ramirez hits his fifth home run of the season and 532 of his career on April 30, 2009 at Dodger Stadium. The Dodgers beat the San Diego Padres 8-to-5 in that game. 

The Los Angeles Dodgers were on a roll with the best record in Major League Baseball when they hit a major hurdle. Ironically, that hurdle was thrown up in front of the team by its star player and power hitter, Manny Ramirez. This morning there are reports all over the media and on the Internet that Ramirez has tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs and is suspended for 50 games by Major League Baseball. This means Ramirez will not be eligible to suit up with his team until July 3.

The suspension begins tonight against the Washington Nationals at Dodger Stadium. Talk about bad timing. Last night, the Dodgers beat the Nationals 10-to-3, setting a league record for kicking off the season with 13 consecutive home wins. Also, the Dodgers have the best record in the league at 21-8.  Clearly, the loss of Ramirez is going to take some serious adjustment for the boys in blue.

Off the field, this a huge blow to the team’s efforts to promote Ramirez with billboards, T-shirts, and even a section of seats at Dodger Stadium called Mannywood. And what about the fans? Thousands of them have been packing the seats at Dodger Stadium this season and Ramirez is part of the reason for that.

A Los Angeles Times report has reaction from Ramirez. In a prepared statement, the left fielder blamed the positive drug test on medication from a personal physician: “He gave me a medication, not a steroid, which he thought was okay to give me. Unfortunately, the medication was banned under our drug policy. Under the policy that mistake is now my responsibility. I have been advised not to say anything more for now. I do want to say one other thing; I’ve taken and passed about 15 drug tests over the past five seasons.”

Also, Ramirez expressed regret for the mistake:”I want to apologize to Mr. McCourt, Mrs. McCourt, Mr. Torre, my teammates, the Dodger organization, and to the Dodger fans. LA is a special place to me and I know everybody is disappointed. So am I. I’m sorry about this whole situation.”   

Ramirez is the most high-profile player to be caught by the Major League Baseball’s drug testing program, which began in 2003. Since players are not paid while on suspension, this is going to cost the left fielder big time; an estimated $7.7 million of his $25 million salary this year.

Photo: Lawrence K. Ho/ Los Angeles Times

Strong winds whipped that wildfire in the foothills of Santa Barbara into a firestorm late today. The powerful winds, known as sundowners, reached 50 miles an hour and higher in some areas. Eight thousand people  were evacuated, at least 500 acres charred, and at least 20 homes have burned to the ground.

Photo: Mark Boster/Los Angeles Times

KNX 1070 newsradio says several firefighters have been injured; three from Ventura County were airlifted to Grossman Burn Center in Sherman Oaks tonight. So far, no reports of civilians being hurt. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has declared a state of emergency in Santa Barbara County. More details and photos on the Los Angeles Times website.

Photo: Samantha Appleton/White House

First Lady Michelle Obama shared a group hug with some students during a Cinco de Mayo celebration on Monday, May 4, at the Latin American Montessori Bilingual Charter School in Washington, D.C.

Later that evening at a White House Cinco de Mayo event attended by Mexican Ambassador Arturo Saruklan, President Obama spoke about the significance of the holiday: “Nearly 150 years ago, a ragtag band of soldiers and citizens, badly outnumbered and facing impossible odds, held their ground on a muddy hill to defend their nation from what was at the time the most fearsome fighting force in the world. That decisive victory at what became known as the Battle of Puebla ignited a pride in country and culture that Mexican Americans feel to this day.” 

The president went on to say the celebration of that battle victory as Cinco de Mayo honors “our shared heritage…” and therefore ”… America is a richer and more vibrant place thanks to the contributions of Mexican Americans.” More of the president’s remarks on the White House website.

Photo: FLLewis/A Writer’s Groove –Burbank

The Southern California fire season kicked off early with a wildfire that erupted in the Santa Barbara foothills yesterday. The battle is still going on today with water-dropping aircraft and hand crews on the ground. More than a thousand homes have been evacuated and nearly 200 acres burned. Meanwhile here in Burbank, firefighters are keeping a close eye on local hillsides and brush areas, especially with temperatures expected in the mid-80s to the low 90s over the next couple of days.

A few weeks ago on March 31, Burbank fire crews demonstrated some state of the art equipment at city hall. On Saturday, May 9, more demonstrations are planned at the city’s fire department headquarters at Third Street and Orange Grove Avenue from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. as part of the annual Burbank Fire Service Day. The public is encouraged to visit the fire displays and take tours of the fire station as well.

Also, the event is being held in conjunction with National Police Week and the Burbank Water Festival. So there will be involvement by many civic groups and a number of information booths. More details on the city of Burbank website.