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Overnight Briefing & General Reality Check
October 12, 2009
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So that's how they made the pyramids:
It has been called "the most comprehensive illustrated online version of the Bible" ever. And, it's made entirely out of Legos.
The Daily Telegraph says a website called thebricktestament.com uses 45-hundred different Lego dioramas to tell the complete story of the Bible. Everything from Genesis to Revelations is represented with photographs of the dioramas, which are built completely out of Lego bricks.
It's the brainchild of a man named BRENDAN POWELL SMITH, who calls himself "THE REVEREND". He says the Lego retelling of the Good Book is a labor of love and is intended to be fun and compelling at the same time. Smith says, "I am not at all religious myself, but have a longstanding interest in religion, the Bible, and the study of ancient Christianity." (Still)
Health and Medical Briefs:
More Americans are lining up for seasonal flu shots this year. That's the good news. The bad news is that two of the nation's largest drugstore chains are having a hard time keeping up with the demand.
Bloomberg News reports CVS and Walgreens are experiencing spot shortages of seasonal flu vaccines. CVS MinuteClinics in Austin, TX and New York ran out of vaccine before restocking. Walgreens stores in Manhattan also ran out of the seasonal flu vaccine. There are also shortages in the South and Southeastern U-S.
Walgreens officials say their clinics have already given twice as many doses of the seasonal flu shot in September as they did during the entire 2008 flu season. (Page)
Grace notes:
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN & THE E STREET BAND played the last ever concert at Giants Stadium on Friday night. The New Jersey venue, which opened in 1976, will be torn down after the current football season to make way for a new stadium. Backstreets.com says Bruce opened the concert with a new tune called "Wrecking Ball," written especially for his five-show run. The Boss ran through all of the "Born In The U.S.A." album, and played a whole bunch other tunes, including a request for "The Last Time," by THE ROLLING STONES. The evening ended with fireworks and the best Bruce song not written by The Boss, TOM WAITS' "Jersey Girl." (Marino)
The Hollywood rumor mill:
Warning: potential spoiler
MEGAN FOX will be returning for a third installment of the "Transformers" movie, but may not be getting much screen time. Insiders close to MICHAEL BAY blabbed to PerezHilton.com that he's contemplating killing off the brunette siren in the first fifteen minutes and replacing her with another hot, young actress. (Lee)Reality Round-Up:
TV rumor mill says SIMON COWELL's new deal with Fox may include a new version of the British hit, "The X-Factor." The show --another music audition show like "Idol"-- was originally designed to be a replacement for "Pop Idol" in England --the show which spawned "American Idol." In England, "Pop Idol" went down the tubes after two series, and "The X-Factor" has gone on for six. LEONA LEWIS was the only big star to emerge from the series and go on to establish a recording career.
Here in the U-S, "Idol" has had nine seasons, and insiders believe that Simon's deal to be a judge for seasons 10 and 11 may also include bringing "The X-Factor" to Fox as well.
The whole thing came to a head over the weekend when PAULA ABDUL revealed via Twitter that she was in London watching rehearsals for the U-K version of "The X-Factor." Now the rumor mill is working overtime, speculating that Paula could come back as one of the judges for the new series.
On, off and way-off Broadway:
Look for "Harry Potter" actor DANIEL RADCLIFFE in the ROBERT MORSE role in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." For now, the part is just a reading, but Daily Variety magazine says if Radcliffe is good, it could be the basis for a musical revival of the 1961 show.
The original musical won seven Tony Awards, as well as spawning a movie in 1967. And MATTHEW BRODERICK won a Tony in the same role in a 1995 revival.
As for Daniel Radcliffe, he's had some success on Broadway already, starring in the 2008 Broadway revival of "Equus," which was previously a hit on London's West End as well.
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