I'm starting a new section here to keep track of whatever news stories I'm checking out online.

Daaamn son! Always liked Artie Lange on Howard Stern, thought he brought a much better vibe than Jackie the Jokeman (I thought he was a big influence on the show's racist elements).. So I'm sorry to hear Artie Lange is apparently out, especially under these circumstances

Artie Lange Fight On Howard Stern Show

siruisbuzz Artie Lange seems to be a person that deals in extremes. Yesterday, a docile Artie slept his way through the Howard Stern Show, and today, he exploded into a rage that resulted in a physical altercation with his assistant Teddy...

...Artie threw a glass of water across the studio, jumped over the studio console, and went right after Teddy. The studio erupted into confusion as Stern Show staffers threw themselves between the 300 pound Lange, and Teddy. Artie was so angered that he literally would have ripped off Teddy’s head had he been able to get to him. Robin was screaming, Stern was calling for control, and the sounds of a scuffle filled the airwaves.

Once settled, Howard expressed grave concern for what had transpired. Artie came back into the studio, and was still angered. At one point Lange even spoke of resigning from the show. Stern stated that the behavior exhibited by Artie was unacceptable and that informed Artie that he needs to maintain control of himself. Artie, speaking about himself said that he was not a good person, and there was no way he could guarantee that such an episode would not happen again. It was suggested that Artie leave the studio, which he did.
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Apparently Artie Lange is now considered "resigned"? Ouch.

One of the hottest stories today is the Speedo LZR, a new type of swimsuit(!) that is apparently letting people crush old world records in the leadup to the olympics..

Speedo LZR

The swimsuit that is causing major controversy - Speedo winning hands down science of sport

...Speedo's LZR has done more than just damage old world records - it's also dominated the swimsuit war raging between Speedo, Arena, TYR and Adidas, and created a real dilemma for swimmers who are not in the LZR Racer.

Now admittedly, it's too early to make a call, but reports earlier this week that Arena's CEO was pushing to have the LZR Racer banned on the grounds that it was illegal were suggestive that other companies are very concerned. For the record, FINA are saying that the LZR Racer is perfectly legal, and that Speedo met every criteria they laid down in the manufacturing and development phase. FINA will still be meeting the manufacturers on Saturday to discuss matters further, so nothing is official yet, but they are in a very tightly painted corner, it seems.

Not only are the manufacturers concerned, but newer reports suggest that coaches of swimmers who are NOT wearing the Speedo LZR are also worried. This article reports the US head coach Schubert suggesting that swimmers would be faced with a "black and white" decision over which swimsuit to wear, or face losing Olympic medals as a result...

...Whether or not the differences it makes are genuinely that large, one thing that is for sure, is that if I was a Speedo LZR swimmer, I'd have a whole lot more confidence knowing I was wearing what is rapidly becoming the "Ferrari of swimsuits"!

Looks like Katie Couric is looking at the front door over at CBS.. never want to take pleasure in someone's hardship but I've always resented Katie Couric after her callous tone when she reported Richard Pryor's passing..

Katie Couric will probably leave CBS early (maybe, possibly, maybe not)

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This is approximately the 57th "Katie Couric is doing badly in the ratings and will probably will fired or quit her job at CBS" story that has surfaced in the past year, but since it's The Wall Street Journal, perhaps he has a little more gravitas to it?

Possibly.

The newspaper is reporting that "CBS executives" and "people close to Katie Couric" say that she will probably leave her job as anchor of The CBS Evening News well before her contract is up in 2011. She might even leave in early 2009, right after the current Presidential election is over.

More than anything, may have just been unfortunate timing for Katie Couric, becoming an evening anchor right at the moment in history when evening anchors stopped being important..

The Purple Flowering Plant is apparently a thing that people care about right now. Perhaps the purple flowering plants were discussed by Rachael Ray or someone of her ilk? Here are some purple perennials, if you're looking for that. My cat does not allow flowers in the house.

The web is abuzz about the frog with no lungs..

Barbourula Kalimantanensis

Scientists make evolutionary history

Scientists have discovered a frog without lungs that breathes through its skin in a find making evolutionary history, a published report said on Thursday.

The aquatic frog was found in August in two mountain rivers in Indonesia's Kalimantan, The Straits Times said. The frog is called "Barbie," short for its scientific name, Barbourula kalimantanensis.

The frog absorbs dissolved oxygen from the water through its skin, said evolutionary biologist David Bickford of the National University of Singapore, who found the frog with eight other researchers.

It is only the fourth vertebrate known to breathe without lungs. The others - also amphibians - are two groups of salamanders and a single species of the earthworm-like caecilians.

Barbourula kalimantanensis

Yesterday I went to go buy some tomatoes, but when I grabbed the best looking tomatoes it made all the tomatoes tumble towards the earth in a blurgsome avalanche. Absolutely blurgsome. Tomatoes everywhere. Do tomatoes have feelings? Do they know they are falling to their doom? Hath not a tomato a soul?

Slow news day apparently, as the hottest story is a mysterious reflection in Dick Cheney's sunglasses.

Cheney sunglasses: Odd reflections

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People are having so much fun with Dick Cheney's sunglasses -- judging from comments already logged at the chicago tribune and queries on the Internet -- that we thought we'd reprise some of the suggestions for what's actually reflected in Dick Cheney's sunglasses, flyfishing on the Snake River in Idaho:

"It's a pack of Camels,'' C. Morris wrote.

"The flashback from the WMDs he's using to blow up fish with,'' writes John E.

"Of course she's a naked lady,'' writes Dawn Miller.

"Looks like someone next to a Ski-doo,'' writes Liz.

Well, it's not a naked lady, the vice president's office assures all. And in fact an enlargement of the photo bears out the official explanation: It's a hand on the fly fishing rod.

The tennis player Alona Bondarenko (Alyona Bondarenko) has risen to internet fame recently thanks to her appearance in a K Swiss ad entitled "Keep it Pure".. you can see the alona/alyona Bondarenko photo and a brief interview here:

Alona Bondarenko

The "Keep It Pure" Mystery

Last week, we introduced you to Alona Bondarenko and her K-Swiss ad. Satisfied that people have now seen that (no we're not that's why we're showing it again), we contacted the WTA and asked for some time with Ms. Bondarenko.

We spoke on phone after her second round victory at the Bausch & Lomb Championships on Thursday night.

Darren: Alona, you've become quite the sensation here. Fans of the Sports Biz blog here really thought highly of your K-Swiss ad.

Alona: It's a nice picture.

Darren: I agree. Have you heard it from the players on tour?

Alona: (Chuckle) Yeah. Tennis Magazine is in the players lounge so I've had a lot of players come up to me and tell me it's beautiful...

Umm yeah. I guess every day is a slow news day on the intarwebs.

Tricia Walsh Smith is a writer and playwright, who is stepping up with big moves on her work entitled "Addictions", and has also been in the news for her lawsuit against a tv producer:

Bonkers Playwright Walsh-Smith Files Suit Against TV Writer Wainwright
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Tricia Walsh-Smith, whose new play The Last Journey was presented at the Westport Country Playhouse in Connecticut in January, has filed suit against writer Sally Wainwright for breach of copyright, according to the U.K.'s Legal Week.

Walsh-Smith, who penned the play Bonkers in 1987, claims that Wainwright appropriated her idea for the ITV1 series, which was also titled "Bonkers." That series, which starred Liza Tarbuck, was co-produced by Sparkhouse Productions and Lime Pictures.

In a statement Walsh-Smith's lawyer said, "Following the broadcast of ITV1's pilot episode of its new comedy drama 'Bonkers,' Miss Walsh-Smith instructed us to act for her with regard to apparent breach of copyright. . . . Miss Walsh-Smith wrote the stage play Bonkers in 1987 and it was produced and toured outside London, appearing at various venues."...

The Gritty Groove Record Company was created by keebler elves in the Caucus mountains. It was once thought that the name "Gritty Groove" referred to a musical style but in fact it harkens back to the gritty grooves of the elves' shoes after they walk around in cookie crumbs all day. This is true. Look it up in Wikipedia! I'm not just making this up for google traffic. At all. Dude stop looking at me like that.

Gritty Groove Record Company

Time to hide your credit cards from the kids, a new Spongebob Squarepants DVD is dropping on the 15th entitled Pest of the West. Reportedly the Pest of the West DVD is a gritty animated adaptation of Sam Peckinpah's classic western "The Wild Bunch," and its gritty recreation of the original's violence makes it the first Spongebob DVD with an NC17 rating.

Pest of the West - New Spongebob Squarepants