Dayton, Emmer in Minnesota governor cliffhanger

It’s the morning after Election Day in Minnesota, and once again the biggest statewide race does not have a declared winner.

Democrat Mark Dayton holds a small lead over Republican Tom Emmer in the governor’s race. With election returns in early Wednesday from all but nineteen precincts statewide, Dayton is up by 9,257 votes out of more than 1.8 millions cast.

That’s a considerably bigger lead than the 475 votes that separated Republican Norm Coleman and Democrat Al Franken in their Senate race the morning after polling day 2008. But it’s close enough that neither Dayton nor Emmer have claimed victory yet, and on Wednesday morning state GOP leaders are holding a morning news conference with one of the lawyers from Coleman’s recount legal team.

The Independence Party’s Tom Horner conceded defeat Tues night after attracting about 12 percent of the vote.

This is a Breaking News Update: Check back soon for further information. AP’s earlier story is below.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — It’s the morning after Election Day in Minnesota, and once again the biggest statewide race doesn’t have a declared winner.

Democrat Mark Dayton holds a small lead over Republican Tom Emmer in the governor’s race. With election returns in early Wednesday from all but nineteen precincts statewide, Dayton is up by 9,257 votes out of more than 1.8 million cast.

It’s close enough that neither Dayton nor Emmer have claimed victory yet, and on Wednesday morning state GOP leaders are holding a morning news conference with one of the lawyers from Coleman’s recount legal team.

The Independence Party’s Tom Horner conceded defeat Tues night after attracting about 12 percent of the vote.

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Obama On The Daily Show

When a sitting president of the US comes on your show, you've arrived. What was perhaps the most surprising part of President Obama's appearance on The Daily Show with Jon Stewart last night, was how comfortable it all seemed.

The interview was fairly standard, polite, a couple of jokes. Obama seemed more relaxed than Stewart at times, but there was no sense of anyone being that surprised that a President would appear on a comedy show. It's a tribute to how our times have changed, and a tribute to the growing influence on Mr. Stewart himself.

As if to illustrate that, at one point Stewart said that the President's health care reform seemed, "timid." Obama replied this way:

Obama: And this is — Jon, I love your show, but —

Stewart: Very kind of you!

Obama: — but this is something where, you know, I've a profound disagreement with you and — I do not want to lump you in with a lot of other pundits — but —

And then Obama goes on to defend his health care reform as anything but timid. But it's that remark, "I don't want to lump you in with a lot of other pundits," that shows just how much the landscape has changed when a comedian is taken just as seriously as other pundits. And with Stewart's rally this weekend an obvious echo of Glen Beck's rally last month, it seems that the difference between pundit and entertainer is trending towards zero.

Perhaps the funniest moment of the interview was when pressed on why he had brought in former Clinton economic adviser Larry Summers, Obama defended his performance saying, "In fairness, Larry Summers did a heckuva job."

Stewart quickly jumped in, "You do not want to use that phrase, dude." Referring to President George W. Bush saying that to the head of FEMA during Katrina. And possible the 1st time a sitting president has been called "dude" during an interview.

And Obama looked back, "Pun intended."

The only possible news that came out of it, if it's news, was certainly a signal from Obama that he's in favor of the "nuclear option." Saying at one point "I'll tell you that there are a couple of things that have changed in our politics that are gonna have to be fixed. One is the way the filibuster operates. As I said, that's just not in the Constitution." That seems a pretty clear telegraph that there may be some rules changes in the Senate after the election, or at least Obama would like some.

Martin Freeman and Richard Armitage join The Hobbit cast

MARTIN Freeman and Richard Armitage are set to join the cast of Peter Jackson’s two-part film adaptation of The Hobbit.

After days of rumours, New Line confirmed that Sherlock star Freeman will play Bilbo Baggins in the project, while Armitage, who stars in hit series Spooks as well as Captain America: The 1st Avenger, is set to play Thorin Oakenshield, the leader of the Company of Dwarves.

New Line has also confirmed several other casting names in a bid to dispel further rumours surrounding who will or will not appear – many of whom will play key roles of as part of the Company of Dwarves.

Aidan Turner (of Being Human) and Rob Kazinsky (EastEnders) will play Kili and Fili, respectively, while Graham McTavish (Secretariat, 24), stars as Dwalin, John Callen is Oin, Stephen Hunter is Bombur, Mark Hadlow is Dori and Peter Hambleton is Gloin.

As yet, there's no official word on who will play Elrond the sage, Beorn and Bard the Bowman, or who will voice the dragon. But both Ian McKellen and Andy Serkis are expected to return as, respectively, Gandalf and Gollum.

‘Blue Mountain State’s’ Darin Brooks on various sex scenes

Another parade of real-life famous sports personalities will be appearing on Spike’s “Blue Mountain State” raunch fest in Season 2, which gets underway tonight – including players from “the Bengals, the Jets, the Broncos…We have Brian Bosworth, Bill Parcells…” reports the series’ Darin Brooks. Also, from the wrestling world, “We have Stacy Keibler and Chuck Liddell. We’re reaching out to the women a little bit.”

Brooks acknowledges, “By the time you are done filming, you should probably be ashamed of yourself. I should be ashamed of myself. My mother is a little bit. To be honest, a lot of my friends Facebook me and say: ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this.’ Some of the scenes from last year are just obscene.”

However, he adds with a laugh, “It’s fun, it’s TV, you have got half-naked guys and girls running around.”

‘Blue Mountain State’s’ Darin Brooks on various sex scenes

Another parade of real-life famous sports personalities will be appearing on Spike’s “Blue Mountain State” raunch fest in Season 2, which gets underway tonight – including players from “the Bengals, the Jets, the Broncos…We have Brian Bosworth, Bill Parcells…” reports the series’ Darin Brooks. Also, from the wrestling world, “We have Stacy Keibler and Chuck Liddell. We’re reaching out to the women a little bit.”

Brooks acknowledges, “By the time you are done filming, you should probably be ashamed of yourself. I should be ashamed of myself. My mother is a little bit. To be honest, a lot of my friends Facebook me and say: ‘I can’t believe you’re doing this.’ Some of the scenes from last year are just obscene.”

However, he adds with a laugh, “It’s fun, it’s TV, you have got half-naked guys and girls running around.”

Anna Chapman on Maxim magazine cover - Is Playboy Next for Sexy Spy? (Photo)

From Russian with love! The super sexy spy Anna Chapman Maxim magazine cover and photo shoot is turning heads everywhere. Chapman is the infamous Russian spy who was apprehended and deported with 9 other spies in the United States' New York City back in July.

Now Chapman is continuing to cash in on her fame as a spy and sexy celebrity. Earlier this month she released the "Poker with Anna Chapman" app for iPods, iPhones and iPads. Now, she's posing for Russian Maxim, which gets her one step closer to Playboy. In the Russian Anna Chapman Maxim magazine, Chapman poses on the front cover in James Bond style, only she's wearing lingerie while holding a gun up.

A photo shoot video over at Maxim Russia website advertises the Oct 2010 issue by showing off Chapman's "assets" as a promotion while playing up the whole espionage theme. The sexy redhead has also been placed among the hundreds sexiest women in Russian Maxim's upcoming issue. Chapman, while in the U.S. as a spy, was unable to get any significant info or intelligence, making her mission a failure. It seems Russia has found other reasons to be proud of Anna Chapman now.

It also does not seem far-fetched to speculate that Chapman could receive a hefty offer from men's magazine Playboy (US or Russian) in exchange for appearing nude in their pages. She's controversial yet sexy. Hugh Heffner and company know that sells magazines, subscriptions to their VIP website and DVD's. How long before Playboy has Anna Chapman on the phone? Would they be charged with treason for putting a spy inside their American magazine pages?

MacBook Air Hands On: First Impressions

Although the latest updates to the iLife suite were pretty impressive (I'm definitely using that new movie trailer feature), and the forthcoming Lion OS sounds exciting, Steve Jobs' "one more thing," the 2 new MacBook Airs, kind of stole the Back to the Mac show. Who does not love new hardware!? And having voted for new MacBook Airs in our recent event poll, I left Cupertino satisfied.

Being there in person was worth the trip, as I got to play around with both the 13.3- and 11.6-inch models. Find out my thoughts on the new MacBook Airs after the break.

Screen
The LED backlit screens on both models are crisp and clear and are said to come with more pixels than even the newer MacBook Pros. That's pretty amazing.

Weight
Both Airs come in at less than 3 pounds, but that does not mean that they're flimsy. The new MBA is sturdy, feeling much like the MacBook Pro in touch, but looking like a thin wedge of cheese. Mmm, cheese.

Keyboard
The keyboards are comfy to type on, with the 13.3-inch model coming with a full-sized keyboard, and the 11.6-inch model being slightly smaller. It feels like you're typing on a MacBook Pro, but the only downside is that the keyboard Is not backlit, so you're pretty much out of luck if you're stuck typing in the dark. Get a lamp!

FaceTime
FaceTime was a breeze to use, firing up right away, letting me chit chat with a friendly iPhone 4 owner. It's like iChat, but mobile!

Connectivity
Both MacBook Airs come with a MagSafe power connector, 2 USB ports, headphone jack, and a Mini DisplayPort, while the larger 13.3-inch model also comes with a SD card slot to easily upload your pics. There's still no Ethernet port, or optical drive, but you can buy connectors for an additional price if you need them. Best part, both models come with Wireless-N, which ensures you are getting super fast wireless connections.

Final Thoughts
I will admit it — I'm pretty infatuated with the new MacBook Air. A few years ago, Steve Jobs nixed the possibility of an Apple netbook, but the smaller Air comes pretty close — the compact design ensures I can take this baby anywhere and not strain from the weight of it. But the heart of the MacBook Air beats for the traveler. It's definitely not meant to be a workhorse where you are heavily editing photos and video and the like, but is perfect for someone who's willing to pay for a lightweight machine to tote in their carry-on, or just needs a smooth and sleek computer to have around for daily computing, blogging, word processing, or writing up term papers.

Do NOT Let Your Kids Watch This Gumby Video: What In the World Were They Thinking?

If you notice a link to a video that purports to be about Gumby on Twitter, don't, repeat, don't click on it while your kids are in the room. Instead of a sweet romp with Pokey and the other not-so-cutting-edge Claymation characters you remember from your youth, the viral video features a guy providing a foul-mouthed commentary on what appears to be a John Madden game.

He’s narrating one of the Packers players running in to score as he grabs his leg in apparent pain. When the player gets there, the unseen narrator yells out, “[Bleep] you Gumby!” The nonsense of it all has led the video to get more than 240,000 hits on YouTube, and this morning a Ray William Johnson video that references the Gumby video is No. 2 in the YouTube comedy category.

My question is: What did Gumby ever do to this guy and why is he screaming about him? Perhaps there’s an NFL player nicknamed Gumby that I am unaware of? Perhaps this is afresh expression that will become common?

I’m just glad Pokey wasn't harmed in the making of this video – I always had a soft spot for him.

How about you – have you watched the video? What do you think?

Verizon Wireless Follows AT&T with Tiered Data Plans

Earlier this year AT&T announced that they'll be offering tiered data plans to their customers. It was only a matter of time before their largest competitor,Verizon Wireless , would do something similar. With a ever increasing number of smart phones on the market, the wireless companies, like Verizon, need to do something to ensure that data usage isn't abused by some while barely used by others who are paying the same prices.

Verizon’s plans for tiered data usage will likely be more appealing to consumers than AT&T’s was. Already, Verizon Wireless subscribers who have an unlimited data plan are likely paying $29.95 per month for unlimited usage. This plan will not change. Verizon customers can still get unlimited data on their 3G smartphones for the same price, however, they'll now be offered lower data usage plans as well. Below is a run down of all the data plans that the company will offer:

- 3G Smartphones Plans – $15 monthly access for 150 MB ($15/150 MB overage) or $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
- 3G Feature Phones — $1.99 pay as you go or $15 monthly access for 150 or 150 MB ($15/150 MB overage) or $29.99 for unlimited monthly access.
- 3G Netbooks/Notebooks Built-In Plans – $50 monthly access for 5 GB ($10/1 GB overage) or $80 monthly access for 10 GB ($10/1 GB overage).
- MiFi 2200 and Five Spot Mobile – $50 monthly access for 5 GB ($10 /1 GB overage), $80 for 10 GB ($10/1G overage) or as part of a 90-day promotion $35 monthly access for 3 GB ($10/1 GB overage)
- 3G Tablet Plans – $20 monthly access for 1 GB ($20/1 GB overage), $35 monthly access for 3 GB ($10/ 1 GB overage); $50 monthly access for 5 GB ($10/1 GB overage) and $80 for 10 GB ($10/1G overage).

The new data plan rates will launch on Oct 28, which is much earlier than most analysts had expected. This move is expected to be seen as a good one for consumers, who now have the option of paying less for data if they only use it intermittently.Verizon Wireless has yet to announce these details officially.

The company which employs over 222,000 people, headquartered in Lower Manhattan, had $107 billion in revenue last year alone. Other competitors like Sprint, and T-Mobile have yet to announce a tiered structure to their data plans. Industry insiders expect them to soon follow suit.

Newcomer Drew Van Acker Takes On Mysteries Of Cartoon Network's 'Tower Prep'

Let’s get one thing straight right off the bat: The character Drew Van Acker plays in Cartoon Network’s “Tower Prep” doesn't have super powers.

But Ian Archer, the character who finds himself waking up one morning in a mysterious school, does have special abilities. And so does every other student.

“It’s not quite X-men,” Van Acker said. “It does not have that super-power aspect to it. Each student that goes to Tower Prep, they've more heightened abilities, if you'll. They are kind of like 6th senses that each student there has.”

Van Acker’s character is always one step ahead of his opponent, whether it be mentally or physically. It’s a power -- pardon -- ability that makes him great in a fight.

It makes for a challenging role, too, but Van Acker said his athletic background helped a lot.

“When I got to Vancouver, I realized just how physically demanding it was going to be,” he said. “I did martial arts growing up, which I think really helped out a lot. I was very athletic my whole life.”

In the pilot of “Tower Prep,” Van Acker’s Archer passes out one night and wakes up in the school. He doesn’t know how he got there, and furthermore, does not even know where the school is. The faculty and teachers have no names. They only go by their titles, such as “Headmaster,” “Coach” and “Science.”

Archer eventually makes friends with 3 other students, and they vow to find out where they are and how to escape.

The mystery of the story is what intrigued Van Acker about the part of Archer.

“The fact that in any given episode you can be talking about one thing and thinking about one thing as a viewer, and then in the very next episode there’s something completely different than what you had thought before,” he said. “There’s so many twists and turns and mystery involved with the show; I just love that aspect of it.”

This is the 1st leading role for the 24-year-old Van Acker, who’s only been acting for about a year and a half. He's had a few guest-starring parts on “Castle,” “Greek” and The WB.com’s “The Lake.” He’s also recently completed an indie film called “Fortress,” that he hopes will be released soon. But he said he became really passionate about the role of Archer.

“I thought that from the moment I read the pilot that I was meant to do this role,” Van Acker said. “It was something that I was interested in the moment I got it, the moment I read it.”

And Van Acker said he's no problem being in his mid-20s and playing a teenager.

“I look pretty young, so I might as well take advantage of it while I still can,” he said. “It kind of takes you back to when you were that age. You feel like you were in school again.” Van Acker said that the 1st thirteen episodes of “Tower Prep” are ended, and now he is just waiting to see how well it’s received.

“I think, honestly, when people see the show, they are going to love it,” he said. “I thought it was special from day one. I’m excited to see how people are going to react to it. It’s an amazing show.”

OK, so according to Van Acker, his character does not technically have a super power. But if Van Acker the actor could have one, what would it be? “Mine has been the same since I was a kid. Mine would always be to fly. And that hasn’t changed,” he said. “I mean, how cool would it be to be able to fly?”

“Tower Prep” premieres Oct. 19 in its regular time slot at 7 p.m CDT on Cartoon Network.