– In an interview with British magazine Uncut, Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards advised young people to “lay off the dope”, and for good reason. The only thing drugs have ever given Keith Richards is unbelievable fame and inexplicable longevity.

–British singer Amy Winehouse plans to release a line of clothing and makeup for the countless people out there who think it’s possible to get alcohol poisoning and still look fabulous.

–Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen are working on a coffee table book about fashion. I’m not sure what’s going to be in it, but I’ll bet it’s going to be the skinniest book you’ve ever seen.

–The Olsen’s fashion book is called “Influence”, and it will also feature an introduction written by Lance Armstrong.

–Boy George, the “famous” gender-bending pop star of the 1980’s, has pleaded not guilty in a London court to falsely imprisoning a male escort by chaining him to a wall, and I believe him. Boy George would never use a chain. Velvet ropes, sure, but a chain? That’s waaaaay too Goth for him.

–Unless “King of Pop” Michael Jackson comes up with $25 million by March 19, his Neverland Ranch will go up for public auction. According to court documents cited by Fox News, the auction is to include the house and everything on the estate including “all ferris wheels, carousels, merry-go-round type devices . . .” and boatload of creepiness.

–Harry Potter author JK Rowling told the media that she would feel “exploited” if an unofficial reference book about the boy wizard was published. “I am very frustrated that a former fan has tried to co-opt my work for financial gain,” Ms Rowling said. It’s good she has standards. Even though she sold the copyrights for her work to Warner Bros., and all the Harry Potter films have grossed over $4.4 billion worldwide, JK Rowling has never exploited her work for a profit. Ever.

–A Vincent van Gogh work, painted weeks before he killed himself, is going on the market for the first time in more than 90 ears—oops. I mean years . . . first time in 90 years. Sorry.

–Here’s an excellent example of how financially dense our government can be: In order to make $80 million worth of pennies, it costs $134 million. That means that a coin worth one cent takes about 1.67 cents to make. No wonder our economy sucks.

–An anonymous person closely associated with the program Britney Spears attended at UCLA Medical Center has reportedly told the media that “Patients like Britney go right back to their habits until they’ve hit rock bottom. She obviously hasn’t hit rock bottom”. You mean to tell me this is going to get worse? Sweet.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

For two hours I sat alongside fashionable Frenchmen in some smoky cabaret, drinking wine, listening to Edith Piaf’s unmistakable voice. I walked along the moonlit Seine afterward, the blinking Eiffel Tower in the distance. Oh, how I loved Paris.

The visit was lovely but brief, lasting only the length of the film La Vie en Rose. Marion Cotillard portrayed the legendary French singer Edith Piaf and won Best Actress in a Leading Role for her efforts. But I loved the film for one simple reason: It transported me to Paris.

My favorite films always inspire me this way, urging me to book a flight across the country or around the globe to see in person the landscape on the screen. I’m a sucker for a trip that begins with the press of the “Play” button.

It’s a phenomenon called “set-jetting.” From Harry Potter to Gunfight at the OK Corral, films often inspire fans to travel the world, either to visit the movie location or to recreate the fictional world of the Silver Screen.

Chuck and Betty Wibert of Spring Lake, Michigan, did just that on a fly-fishing trip to Montana after watching A River Runs Through It.

“We were impressed by the scenery in the film,” says Wibert. “I love to fly fish and we love to travel. Going to Montana hit all three interests: the scenery, the travel and the fishing.” This wasn’t their first set-jetting experience. Chuck and Betty visited Gettysburg and Richmond after watching Gettysburg, and they hope to visit The Netherlands next year to see key sites in A Bridge Too Far.

Whether you limit your travel to the length of a movie or become inspired to reproduce the journey yourself, Oscar season is a perfect time to honor the power of film. Try these favorites for an unforgettable journey.

Under the Tuscan Sun. Images of golden-green hills, centuries-old villas and those glorious Tuscan dinners never fail to remind me how wonderful Italy is—and how much I want to return.

Cold Mountain. There are lots of hard times in this Civil War flick, but the North Carolina Appalachians, shrouded in mist and sprinkled with dogwoods, are unforgettably beautiful.

Far and Away. Rolling pastureland dotted with sheep, the beautiful sea coast, gray stone architecture and the deep green you only find in Ireland: These are the stars of this film in my eyes.

Sideways. Two hours of male bonding over wine tasting, vineyard strolls and golf in the Santa Barbara wine country is enough to inspire anyone to pour a glass of Pinot Noir and book a flight to central California.

The Bridges of Madison County. OK, so the movie’s a little sappy. But you’ve got to give credit to any filmmaker that can inspire a tourism boom in Iowa. Just try to resist the beauty of winding country roads, spinning windmills, and those old covered bridges.

–Amy S. Eckert, RED Travel Writer.

For the last two months the Ottawa Senators have been terrible under head coach John Paddock, looking nothing at all like last season’s Stanley Cup finals team. Ottawa began the season with high hopes, but after winning just four of their last 14 games, it was time to hit the panic button.

The local Ottawa press is scolding the players for essentially not caring. That might be true, but since it’s easier to fire one guy than an entire bench of 23, Ottawa ex head coach turned general manager, Bryan Murray, figured that if you want something done right, do it yourself. The big question is, did Murray have his epiphany in time?

The answer is yes, but just barely.

Here’s the silver lining—recent history is on Ottawa’s side. It’s important to remember that Murray coached this team last season, and he did it very well indeed. Murray captained the Sens through choppy waters, and by the time the playoffs rolled around, the Sens keelhauled Pittsburgh, Jersey, and Buffalo to get to the finals.

So there’s no reason for despair in Ottawa. True, the Sens are in the doldrums right now after dropping 4 or their last 14 games, and their two most recent wins against Pittsburgh and Philly can be attributed to luck more than anything.

But for as bad as the Sens are playing, they’re still first in the Northeast Division (by a thread) and second in the Eastern Conference. Compared to last year, Murray has it relatively easy.

Coach Murray is also smart enough to figure out that his players are as much to blame as John Paddock. Pat Hickey, who writes for the Montreal Gazette, mentioned “Anyone who has been paying attention to the Senators’ slide will recognize the situation has all the earmarks of a dysfunctional team that had quit on the coach.”

So scaring the players straight is the first order of business. That’s why Eugene Melnyk, owner of the Senators, is dropping everything he’s doing to fly into town for tomorrow’s game against the Penguins—to let his players know they’re not immune to the whims of a man who doesn’t want to see his money wasted.

Next, Murray will have to get the Sens defense back. It’s the whole reason why they made it to the finals last year. Ottawa ranks 23rd in goals-against (188 for a 2.94 average), and even someone with the IQ of a hockey puck can tell you that’s enough to kill any team’s playoff hopes. But Bryan Murray should be able to handle this. He’s a good coach, and he’s proven he can pull this off.

Still, all compliments aside, he’d better be quick about it.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

After starting the season under new coach Billy Gillispe, Kentucky has been weathering their worst showing in recent memory. These are dark days for the Wildcat pedigree, but suddenly, there’s evidence for optimism in Lexington.

There isn’t a gag order on the Kentucky Wildcats when it comes to talking about the NCAA tournament. But the brass at UK wants mum to be the word anyway, so if no one wants to talk about it, I’m happy do it for them.

This year, it’s not just Kentucky’s season that’s at stake. According to the Official 2008 NCAA Men’s Basketball Records Book, Kentucky is the winningest team in the history of the game with 1,948 wins. North Carolina is second with 1,914, but as of this very moment, those numbers are a lot closer.

If my math is right, Kentucky has 1,978 all-time wins and North Carolina has 1,965. That’s a 13 game difference, and North Carolina has (best case scenario) 11 more games to play: three left in the season, three in the ACC tourney (if they win everything and get a first found bye) and five in the NCAA tourney (if they run the board).

If Kentucky falls completely apart and doesn’t win another game this year, North Carolina will almost certainly take the title of the winningest college team ever at some point next season. It’s one thing for Kentucky to have a bad year, but losing the title of most wins ever? That’s a hard pill to swallow.

Maybe that’s what lit a fire under the Wildcats. They aren’t “awesome” by any standard, but consider this. Kentucky has won 9 out of its last 10 games, including a 72-66 win over Tennessee on January 22. Kentucky has another shot at Tennessee on March 2, but Tennessee is at home, so it’s hard to favor the Wildcats in Knoxville.

Nonetheless, even if Kentucky loses at Tennessee but still picks up its last two games against South Carolina and Florida, the NCAA Tournament selection committee is going to have to start giving the Wildcats a thought. Of course, the committee will only have to give Kentucky half of a thought, but it’s better than nothing and I think coach Gillispe would agree.

It’s not that far fetched to think Kentucky will ruffle some feathers in the SEC tournament as well. The two biggest monsters in the SEC are No. 1 Tennessee and No. 14 Vanderbilt, but Kentucky has beaten each of those schools once before and I think we all know how unpredictable conference play can be.

The arguments against Kentucky getting an at-large bid for the NCAA Tournament still outnumber reasons why they should, and that makes sense. Kentucky gets demerits for a poor non-conference win total, and their RPI is 64th. But when it comes to at-large team bids in the tournament, it’s the selection committee’s job to find the 34 teams playing the best basketball.

It’s a numbers game, and math never lies.

So for Kentucky, it’s best that no one jinxes anything with early tournament talk. The equation is simple in Lexington. Take a deep breath and keep on winning.

By the time they come up for air, they might be inside the bubble.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

NASA is planning to send two unmanned spacecraft to the moon in search of hidden water and hydrogen, but the operation might not be as sophisticated as you think.

Scientists are building two spacecraft to fly to the moon, and when they arrive, they will slam into the moon’s surface in the name of science—just like your father used to bang on a television in the name of “fixing” it.

In its simplest form, the only difference between what your father did to the TV and what NASA plans on doing to the moon is that your father’s method was about $79 million cheaper.

The point of this scientific snuff film is to try and shake out the existence of water and hydrogen in the moon’s southern pole.

Tony Colaprete, principal investigator for the mission at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Moffett Field, Calif., has told the media “Nobody has ever been to the poles of the moon, and there are very unique craters—similar to Mercury—where sunlight doesn’t reach the bottom.”

Therefore, scientists postulate that these unexplored craters are a likely place to find frozen water on the lunar landscape.

The high-tech fist is called the Lunar Crater and Observation Sensing Satellite (LCROSS), and it’s set to crash into the moon one year from now. LCROSS will piggyback on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) mission for an Oct. 28 launch atop an Atlas 5 rocket equipped with a Centaur upper stage.

The launch will deliver LRO to the moon in roughly four days, but it’s going to take LCROSS another three-months to reach its proper moon-smashing position. Once within range, the Centaur upper stage doubles as the main 4,400-pound impactor spacecraft for LCROSS.

A smaller craft will be responsible for getting LCROSS into position, and after the bomb is away, so to speak, that smaller spacecraft will drop back and analyze the 1,102 tons of debris and dust that LCROSS is expected to kick up.

Afterwards, the smaller craft will accelerate and punch into the moon as well because, let’s be honest, what’s a left hook without a right hook?

Tony Colaprete is understanding of how some people might regard this newest lunar experiment, “I think that people are apprehensive about it because it seems violent or crude, but it’s very economical,” he said. In fact, scientists are predicting a 90 percent success rate with this approach.

Even so, Colapare is right to say this mission seems a little crude. But results are results, and when you consider mankind’s ancient and stereotypical propensity to strike that which confounds them, this approach makes a lot of sense.

Sometimes, old ways are the best ways.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

Al Franken made us laugh when the cum laude Harvard graduate started as one of the original writers for the TV show, “Saturday Night Live.” But comedy wasn’t the first choice for Franken who realized he had a gift for satire when he made the second grade girls at his elementary school cry with his scathing parody of “I’m a Little Teapot.”

“I had thought I’d have a career in one of the sciences,” says Franken who was raised in a suburb of Minneapolis. “Like being a physicist.”

Comedy won out and during Franken’s 15-year tenure at SNL, he earned four Emmys for writing and another for producing. Besides that, Franken created the character of the new age cable TV host Stuart Smalley and would later both write and star in the movie “Stuart Saves His Family” which was given “two thumbs up” by movie critics Siskel & Ebert. He also hosted a radio show and has written several books.

That might make some wonder why Franken, who was living in New York City until a few years ago, would give it all up to return to Minnesota to run for the U.S. Senate on the Democratic ticket against first term senator, Norm Coleman.

Yet, reaching into Franken’s past, it becomes apparent that not only comedy but also politics were an important aspect of his childhood. He and his father, Joseph, spent hours watching comedy shows; but they paid fond attention to world events as well.

“We watched the news each night and discussed it,” says Franken. “Starting with the Kennedy election in ’60.”

Franken describes his father as both a Republican and card carrying member of the NAACP. The older Franken was turned off by Republican candidate Barry Goldwater’s stance on race during the 1964 presidential election and changed his party affiliation.

“Ultimately my dad campaigned for Paul Wellstone,” says Franken about his close friend, the U.S. Senator from Minnesota who died in a plane crash shortly before the 2002 Senate race. Coleman, a Republican, won Wellstone’s seat after defeating former U.S. Senator and vice president Walter Mondale.

“It actually took me a couple of years to make the final decision, but all during that period people had been growing more and more unhappy with the direction this country’s going in,” says Franken on his decision to run. “People are yearning for a new political culture and for leaders who will stand up to special interests and stand up for working families, for leaders who will fight for what they believe and be a voice for those who don’t feel they have a voice in Washington.”

(Interview continued in part 2.)

Returning home was natural for Franken because, in a sense, he never really left.

“I feel very at home being at home,” says Franken who has been married for more than 30 years and is the father of two grown children.

“Even though I was in New York doing Saturday Night Live all those years, my parents stayed in Minnesota and I’d be back all the time. I think people who come to New York from other parts of the country do either one of two things: either they become a New Yorker or they become more of where they were from.”

Franken experienced the latter.

“The years I lived in New York,” he continues, “I always felt like a Minnesotan in New York. I’ll give you an example. There’s no subway in Minnesota, and yet, whenever I rode the subway in New York, which I did all the time, I felt like a Minnesotan because the subway is cheaper and very often, for example during rush hour, much faster, and I’d think to myself, this is exactly what a Minnesotan would do - ride the subway.”

One of the issues Franken says he’s fighting for is health care for all.

“It affects almost everything - veterans, cost of education, small business, big business, medium business, you name it,” he says. “We spend twice as much per person on health care as any other industrialized country, and yet they cover everybody. We have 47 million Americans without any health insurance and tens of millions more who live in constant fear that they’re one health care crisis away from bankruptcy. Every other industrialized country has universal health care.”

“There are many different systems, but the one thing they have in common is that everyone’s covered. We have to find an American system that promotes preventive care. According to the World Health Organization, we are last in the world in preventive care. That’s crazy.”

“We have to regulate the health insurance industry so that we’re not spending so much of our health care dollars on administrative fees. Right now we pay 34%. No other country pays more than 21%.”

“We have to allow the government to negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies. The fact that Medicare was prohibited from negotiating with the pharmaceuticals in Medicare Part D will add hundreds of billions to our health care costs. We have to stand up to the special interests, and I believe there’s now the political will to do so.”

Having been a comedian and now a politician, Franken muses on which is more difficult.

“Woody Allen once said, ‘comedy is either easy or it’s impossible,’” says Franken, who describes himself as a devout patriot and has made numerous USO tours to Iraq, Kosovo and Bosnia.

“When it’s working, there’s nothing more fun. I think politics involves a lot more spadework. Although there are certainly times when you feel exhilarated and that you’re accomplishing something, there are times when you feel like you’re rolling a boulder up a hill.”

–Interview by Jane Ammeson, Red Editorial Staff
–Photos courtesy of Al Franken

The Lakers don’t have a lot of problems. Not yet anyway. Now that the trade deadline has flatlined, the Lakers are the early and popular pick as this year’s champions. The evidence is there, and you’ll get no argument from me.

At the beginning of the season, it looked like L.A. might be without Kobe. Now, after Gasol, the only thing Kobe & Co. might be without is a loss. The Lakers are good—scary good. In fact, they might be too good for their own good.

Here’s the good news: L.A. has positioned itself to be serious contenders for this year and many to come. Here’s the bad news: they might have to let some people go after next season to keep it that way, and the people they’d let go are all pretty valuable because (here’s more good news) that’s all they’ve got.

What a great problem to have, eh?

When I say “people”, I really only mean one person. Lamar Odom. You see, the most appealing facet of L.A.’s recent nip and tuck is that their players are relatively young.

Kobe is 29, Odom is 28, Gasol is 27, Andrew Bynum is 20 and Farmar is 21. The oldest player on L.A.’s roster is Derek Fisher at 33, and he puts up about 12 points per game. Of course, you don’t get a roster like that without spending some money, and that’s really where the problem is.

The Lakers’ risk was worth it when you consider how easily they got Gasol, but it wasn’t cheap, so Kudos to owner Jerry Buss for doing it anyway. Gasol’s contract has three additional years and $49 million still left on it.

They’re paying their stars a mint, so the Lakers will have to weather a huge luxury tax hit, and because contract extensions are due this summer for Andrew Bynum, Ronny Turiaf, Sasha Vujacic, and Trevor Ariza, their total team salary and luxury tax payment will increase even more.

The Lakers HAVE to sign these guys, too. If they let them go, L.A. won’t have enough in the coffers to bring in any rookies.

What does this have to do with Lamar Odom? His contract expires after next season. By then, Jerry Buss will have to worry about the luxury tax. Also by then, Odom’s salary will be around $14 million.

If the Lakers haven’t won a championship (or two) by the end of next season, it’ll certainly be time to let Odom walk. Then again, it might be time to let him walk even if they have a championship. Odom has turned out to be a great contributor after Gasol’s arrival, but $14 million is a lot of lettuce.

At the end of 2008-2009, cutting Odom loose in favor of a younger (and cheaper) Trevor Ariza should probably happen. Plus, Ariza might be able to do Odom’s job better than Odom by then. Luke Walton and Vladimir Radmanovic can play Odom’s position too, but are any of these guys better than Odom right now?

No, but right now isn’t the issue. Buss said he’d pay the bill, so L.A. might as well enjoy the meal before he gets the check.

The Lakers are just getting started. It might be an expensive future, but at least they didn’t mortgage it like Dallas or make an ill-advised, mid-life-crisis-inspired trade like Phoenix. And if the Lakers end up with a title between now and the end of next season . . .

It’s worth every penny.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff.

On a recent flight from Miami to Chicago, I was seated in the next to the back row of the plane. After first class and those traveling with children, I was among the first to board.

When I found my way to my desired seat next to the toilets, I was surprised to see no one following me down the aisle.

Instead, at one of the first rows in coach, a young man had stopped, unzipped a large carry-on, and was retrieving a number of items for a woman seated near the front with a baby.

Oblivious to the flight attendant’s repeated announcements to “keep the aisles clear so that others may board in a timely manner,” the man continued. I watched in amazement as he pulled out toys, blankets and other baby paraphernalia. Then he diligently packed up the bag, and moved on down the aisle, and took the seat next to me.

Being the type of person I am, I said: “Pardon me sir. Is this your first time on a commercial airplane?”

“No, why do you ask?” he said in fluent English, which indicated that he understood at least one of the languages in which the flight attendant’s pleas had been spoken.

“Because your little camp-out in the middle of the aisle has delayed this flight and created a good deal of frustration for a number of people,” I replied.

“Oh, I didn’t notice,” he responded.

Which leads to the most important tip on how to board an airplane in a manner that doesn’t allow time for grass to grow on the runway before you take a seat:

• Remember that you are not the only person on the planet, and not the only person trying to board this airplane, which leads to point 2…

• Stay off your phone. Pay attention to what’s going on around you. Can you help someone else with their bags perhaps?

• Get prepared to board by having your iPod, book or laptop already pulled from your carry-on so you don’t stand in the aisle while doing so. Men, take your jacket off, fold it over your arm while you’re waiting in the jet way, and then it’s ready to slide into the overhead bin after your bag.

• Put roll-on bags into the overhead wheels first. It really does make more room and doesn’t cause others to stand there and move your junk.

• If you’re in the aisle seat, don’t buckle yourself in; get your laptop and everything out until the people on the inside are seated.

If you do these things, and then happen to be seated beside me, I promise I’ll keep my mouth shut and share my bag of peanuts.

–Diana Lambdin Meyer, RED Travel Writer
–Photo courtesy of American Airlines

Those who love following political developments like soap operas just got an awesome plot twist. In a move that surprised absolutely nobody, Ralph Nader announced his candidacy for president yesterday on “Meet the Press”.

Oh, Nader. Your career reminds me of a quote from Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, “A high-powered mutant of some kind never even considered for mass production. Too weird to live, and too rare to die.”

This latest attempt marks Nader’s fourth crack at the White House (fifth if you count his write-ins during the 1992 election), so you have to admire the man’s resolve even if he doesn’t really know what he’s doing.

I know that might sound a little condescending towards Mr. Nader, but let’s be pragmatic about this since he’s not willing to. Mr. Nader has accomplished a great many things, especially in the field of consumer advocacy, but his chances of winning this election are even smaller than Mike Huckabee’s chances of joining the K.I.S.S. Army.

No matter the odds, though, Nader’s bid for president is becoming as much a part of the electoral process as handshakes and baby kissing. Having an election without Nader in the mix is a lot like going to Vegas without seeing a Tom Jones show; you can do it, but it feels incomplete.

In fact, one might even argue that Nader is running out of habit. It’s like the most important thing for him is to announce his candidacy first and work out the details later—like what party he wants to align himself with.

In two of his three previous presidential bids, Nader ran on the Green Party ticket, but in yesterday’s phone interview on “Meet the Press”, Nader said he hasn’t yet worked out his party affiliation. The devil is in the details, I guess.

What’s even more interesting about Nader’s campaign is that it seems to be partially fueled by payback. In the 2004 election, Democrats in many states tried to keep him off their ballots in attempts to prevent another “voter vacuum” that some believe cost Al Gore the presidency in 2000.

The New York Times claims that Nader’s attempt this time around is “driven in part by his frustration over the efforts to thwart his last run.” If this were a movie franchise, the title of this latest film would have to be “Nader 4.0: This time, it’s personal.”

Joking aside, it’s hard to argue with Nader’s philosophy, especially if you’re the type of person who believes our electoral process is more than a little flawed. There’s a respectable number of Americans out there who’ve grown tired of the two-party system, so for them, Nader is the answer. Even if he isn’t a realistic answer.

But let’s not be too harsh on they guy. When Hillary Clinton was first informed of Nader’s announcement, the first thing she told the press was “Wow, that’s really unfortunate.” But I don’t see this as negative at all. It only makes sense that something like this would happen in what could be the most interesting election ever.

If you think of the road to the White House as a game of Monopoly, then Nader is the Chance card that sends you back three spaces on your way to Pennsylvania Avenue.

It’s not convenient, but it’s part of the game.

–Joey Alfino, RED Editorial Staff