The guidelines, the society’s first concerning prostate screening in more than a decade, come after two huge studies last year called into question whether the prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test actually saves lives.

“The new guidelines give information on the discussions physicians and patients need to have before any blood is drawn,” stated Durango Brooks, the society’s director of prostate and colorectal cancers. “Screening should not take place in the absence of informed decision-making.”

The guidelines single out as a concern those community events, often staged during prostate cancer awareness month, at which hospitals and clinics offer free, quick screenings to massive populations of men. Methodist and Memorial Hermann hospitals are among the Houston institutions to host such annual screenings.

The advice reflects the growing concern in the cancer community over the risks of overtesting and overtreating. In 2009, a government task force recommended most women in their 40s not get mammograms and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called for young women to get Pap smears less often. Last week, a University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center study found the vast majority of women diagnosed with cancer in one breast do not benefit from a preventative double mastectomy.

M.D. Anderson urologist Dr. Jon Davis stated the new guidelines represent “a growing shift from the more simplistic days when physicians told men to go get screened, then we will deal with it.” Since then, studies have shown that most prostate cancers are so slow growing that most men die with prostate cancer rather than because of it. Surgical treatment can leave men incontinent or impotent, and men who get hormone treatment may be at greater risk of heart disease and diabetes.

192,000 diagnosed in ‘09

The latest study, published last August in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found routine screening led to more than 1 million men diagnosed with prostate cancer between 1986 and 2005 who likely did not benefit from the subsequent treatment.

The disease was diagnosed in an estimated 192,000 U.S. men last year and caused 27,000 deaths.

The new guidelines recommend that men whose PSA is less than 2.5 nanograms per milliliter need only be screened every two years. The previous guidelines called for men with a PSA of less than 4.0 to be screened annually.

The guidelines also urge physicians to give patients written information or videos that discuss the likelihood of false positive test results and treatment side effects; make the digital rectal exam an option rather than using it as a standard screening tool; and base the frequency of PSA testing on previous scores.

The guidelines do not call for eliminating mass screening events, instead saying they must include high-quality information upfront of screening’s potential risks and a clear path to the full gamut of treatment available for those without insurance.

Dr. Ganesh S. Palapattu, Methodist’s new Chief of Urologic Oncology, stated the hospital’s annual PSA screening event at an Astros game is being revamped to accentuate education.

He stated those still interested can initiate the process to get screened.

A Memorial Hermann spokeswoman stated that its annual screenings come with “informed consent” and all those screened are encouraged to discuss their results with their urologist. She stated “these screenings are important to keep prostate cancer on top of the minds of all men in our community. At the end of the day, 1 in 5 men have prostate cancer.”

The Texas Urological Society also concurs with the American Cancer Society’s new guidelines, a spokeswoman said.

M.D. Anderson’s Davis generally praised the recommendations but also stated he worries that “they paint a very negative picture of prostate cancer treatment, that harm is inevitable.” He stated that for those properly evaluated, treatment in the right hands can limit the harm.

source : www.seattlepi.com

I’ve been dating my boyfriend for 5 1/2 years now, and we have been living together for most of that. He moved across the country to be with me, and a year ago I returned the favor. I realized I had been taking some frustrations out on him lately, so I wrote him a letter apologizing and telling him I’d be more supportive.

This led to a conversation that surprised me: He stated he feels like at our age (25) he should know if he wants to marry me, and he is still not sure. Also he wants to live independently, which he feels he hasn’t done yet because we have been sharing bills and responsibilities.

He’s not ready to break up, but he is pessimistic about our long-term chances. But he adores me and wants to give it a chance because I’m willing to work on things. We are thinking about having him move out but continuing to date. Is this a good idea, or am I kidding myself that this relationship has a chance?

— S.

Those two aren’t mutually exclusive: You can be kidding yourself that you and he have a chance, and it can be a good idea for him to move out.

Whatever his feelings are for you, neither of you can ignore his yearning to live on his own. For one thing, it’s an empowering thing to do at least once. And, living alone is one of those needs that doesn’t just pass when ignored, but instead becomes a what-if — or, worse, an if-only.

Even if he were optimistic about your long-term future, he had still be a something you love that you need to set free. (I hoped to publish this on a rainbow background, but no luck.)

Since his feelings for you are diminished, that only makes the move-out argument more compelling. You want a mate who feels drawn to you, not stuck with you.

Once the torture of household-stuff separation is behind them, people often find themselves miraculously “ready to break up”; I doubt he will do anything other than move out and not look back. Still, even the wishful-thinking scenario starts with his moving out. That’s the one where he lives enough life without you to recognize that he prefers it with you.

The latter is OK to hope for, as long as the former is what you expect.

Dear Carolyn:

A friend asked me to be her bridesmaid, and I am pleased and honored. The problem is that I have been out of work for the past four months and barely have enough money to pay my bills and purchase food. I do not know how I will pay for the plane ticket, hotel room, dress, etc. My friend knows I have not been working but doesn’t seem to realize just how critical my financial situation is. I’m afraid I will have to tell her that I just cannot afford to be her bridesmaid, but I do not want to hurt her feelings. What should I do?

— Broke bridesmaid

Recognize that your solvency trumps her feelings, and hope she does, too. If her affection is in fact an honor, she will be sympathetic, not hurt, when you explain that you’d be there with dyed-to-match bells on, if it did not mean giving up food.

source : www.seattlepi.com

Tuesday, March 9th 2010, 4:29 PM

Want a fantasy wedding? Just get Conan O’Brien to follow you on Twitter.

It worked for Sarah Killen, a 19-year-old from Michigan. After joining the Twittersphere just last month, O’Brien started to follow Killen about two weeks ago, in a funny attempt to follow a “random” person.

Since then, she is become a cyber celeb.

“He’s changed my life,” Killen told PopEater.com.

The attention has drawn Killen and her fiancé a slew of freebies and special treats for their upcoming wedding.

“It has really helped,” she said. “I’m getting married on September 25th, and we did not know if we would be able to afford it. Now I’m getting custom made shoes and a dress from Kelima in New York. We’re getting a limo, Classic Creations is giving us wedding bands and there is a vineyard in California sending us wine. We’ve got it all covered now.”

And will O’Brien be attending the Killen’s Big Day? He’s certainly invited.

“My fiancé wants Conan to be his ideal man,” she added. “That would be really cool. And hey, if he wants us to come on his show, we had get married on there. That would be fantastic.”

That is, when he gets a show.

source : feeds.nydailynews.com

Originally Published:Tuesday, March 9th 2010, 11:57 AM
Updated: Tuesday, March 9th 2010, 5:47 PM

An Emmy-winning CBS News producer pleaded guilty Tuesday to shaking down David Letterman for $2 million as payback for the host’s torrid affair with his live-in girlfriend.

Robert Halderman admitted delivering a screenplay treatment to the “Late Night” host that was “a thinly veiled threat to ruin Mr. Letterman if he did not pay me a lot of money.”

In exchange for the plea, Halderman will receive a six-month jail sentence, sources said.

He will also serve 4 1/2 years probation and do 1,000 hours of community service.

An apologetic Halderman entered his guilty plea before Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon.

Outside court, he expressed his remorse for the sordid episode.

“I apologize to Mr. Letterman, to his family, to (girlfriend) Stephanie Birkitt and her family, and my family and friends,” stated Halderman, who left without answering questions.

The plea came five months after Halderman, 51, threatened to expose Letterman’s affairs with a number of female staffers on his “Late Show” – including the blackmailer’s ex-girlfriend, Birkitt.

Letterman released a statement thanking city police and prosecutors for their help in resolving the a bizarre case that exposed his fondness for young staffers.

“When they became involved with this case, I had complete faith that a just and appropriate result was inevitable,” Letterman said.

“On behalf of my family, I am extremely grateful for their tireless efforts.”

Halderman will return in two months for his sentencing, and then start his jail term. Halderman would have faced up to 15 years behind bars if he had been convicted of a bizarre blackmail scheme involving the long-time “Late Night” host.

Letterman was having an affair with Halderman’s former girlfriend, “Late Night” staffer Stephanie Birkitt.

The pair broke up shortly before Halderman’s blackmail bid. Birkitt, 34, went from one of Letterman’s on-air foils to his off-screen paramour.

Halderman, who will plead to attempted grand larceny charges, has directed dozens of “48 Hours” documentaries, covering everything the Winter Olympics to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Halderman was arrested after Letterman – in a stunning admission that opened his show – admitted the affairs and detailed the blackmail attempt.

Halderman actually collected a $2 million check from Letterman as part of a sting operation started after the late-night funnyman went to police about the shakedown.

The CBS newsman was arrested outside the network’s Manhattan offices after depositing the check in his Connecticut bank.

Halderman had demanded the payment from Letterman in return for spiking a “screenplay treatment” that detailed the married comedian’s dalliances with his employees.

Prosecutors state Halderman, in addition to his anger over Birkitt, was heavily in debt after a divorce from his wife, Patty Montet, left him with $6,000 a month in support payments.

source : feeds.nydailynews.com

But Does It Change Everything? In Love Never Dies, Paris Opera star Christine Daae (Sierra Boggess) accepts an invitation from an anonymous impresario to perform at Coney Island. She soon discovers that her mysterious new patron is her onetime mentor and lover, the former Phantom of the Opera (Ramin Karimloo).

Catherine Ashmore

But Does It Change Everything? In Love Never Dies, Paris Opera star Christine Daae (Sierra Boggess) accepts an invitation from an anonymous impresario to perform at Coney Island. She soon discovers that her mysterious new patron is her onetime mentor and lover, the former Phantom of the Opera (Ramin Karimloo).

When last we saw the evil genius behind the mask, he had mysteriously disappeared from his lair underneath the Paris Opera. But he is back.

Actually, he never left: Twenty-six years after the premiere of The Phantom of the Opera, the monster hit musical is still running at Her Majesty’s Theatre in London. And nearby, on the evening of March 9, Andrew Lloyd Webber unveils a sequel that, with productions already planned for Broadway in November and Australia in 2011, will nearly certainly be coming to a theatre near you.

Lush and romantic, Love Never Dies picks up the story 10 years after the chandelier-crashing events of Phantom, with its love triangle involving the disfIgured genius composer, his beautiful opera-singer muse and the dashing count Raoul. The new show is set at New York’s Coney Island, where the Phantom has become a rich impresario running a freak show. The singer, Christine, now has a 10-year-old son, who’s a musical genius himself.

Lloyd Webber states the idea of writing the sequel came to him some 15 years ago, in a conversation with Maria Bjornson, the set designer of the original Phantom.

“I remember saying to her, ‘You know, I think it’s slightly unfinished business, because all we do is we just leave a mask on a chair,’ and what happened?” he explains. “What did happen? Did Christine really live with Raoul happily ever after? I doubt it. So, there had to be a continuation of the story.”

Following Musical Theater’s Single Toughest Act?

The original Phantom of the Opera is not just the most popular musical of all time; it may be the most popular entertainment of all time. It’s still running in the West End and on Broadway; its tours and sit-down productions have played to over 100 million people in 27 countries, grossing more than $5 billion worldwide. (The film adaptation, with Gerard Butler as the Phantom, earned an additional $150 million.) As a result, states International Herald Tribune critic Matt Wolf, the anticipation for Love Never Dies has been nearly impossibly high.

Audio ExtrasEnlarge Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber chose the backdrop for the Phantom-Christine reunion after watching a documentary about Coney Island and deciding that the Phantom’s new home should be among the freaks and oddities of the seaside resort.

Paul Hawthorne/Getty Images

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber chose the backdrop for the Phantom-Christine reunion after watching a documentary about Coney Island and deciding that the Phantom’s new home should be among the freaks and oddities of the seaside resort.

“I think people are very interested because it’s been a very long time since Andrew Lloyd Webber had a huge global smash hit,” Wolf says.

Jack O’Brien, the Michigan-born director tapped for the project, states following such a global smash has been both intimidating and irresistible.

“I realized, right at the outset, that no one would thank us for doing this,” states O’Brien, a Tony Award winner whose resume extends from Stoppard to Hairspray. “I realized that we probably would never get, critically, a fair evaluation, because how can we? So what you are thinking about is being consistent, being honest, honest to the characters, honest to Andrew Lloyd Webber and his music. In other words, you do not think about the rest of it. You just don’t.”

Decadence And Folly, Framing A More Adult Romance

Lloyd Webber states he has poured himself into every note of Love Never Dies. And he is feeling confident about it.

“I think ‘Till I Hear You Sing’ is probably as strong a song as I’ve ever done,” he says. “And I think it’s a stronger song than ‘The Music of the Night.’ I actually think that the score, overall, goes a lot further than the original Phantom.”

O’Brien states the evocative setting — Coney Island, at the turn of the 20th century — provides a perfect backdrop for the new melodrama.

“It was Sodom by the Sea, and it was permissive and it was fast bucks and it was a fertile ground for criminality,” he says. “It was all of the ideal and worst early nascent hot stuff in America, rolled up in one area. What a great playground for the Phantom to come to!”

Still, it’s the rekindled romance between the Phantom and Christine that drives the new show. Sierra Boggess, who played Christine in the Las Vegas production of Phantom and plays her in the sequel as well, states the characters have matured.

“This is high romance, but more grown up,” she says. “It’s not fantasy anymore. She’s not singing on the rooftop to this beautiful man in a tuxedo, you know? It’s sort of damaged love.”

O’Brien states that at this point in Lloyd Webber’s career, the showman has already more than proved himself — but that in many ways, Love Never Dies is the riskiest thing he has ever done.

“It’s like a late, great romantic work [in which] he is trying to deal with himself, his own self-knowledge, his own ghosts, his own past,” O’Brien says. “I mean, you can’t not see him in the pigment of this piece, because he is back there behind his own musical mask, pulling the strings — and hoping for, I think, acceptance.”

source : www.npr.org

Monday, March 8th 2010, 4:10 PM

Your individuality comes equipped with a set of diverse personal traits, some showing off the most fabulous creature you are, while others can be exhaustingly aggravating. Read on to see what your star sign irresistible and irritating traits are.

ARIES – Irresistible Traits: You’re an influential leader who refuses to give up even if those around you do. Extremely dedicated to those you love, your willingness to help people achieve their dreams is highly attractive. Irritating Traits: You cringe at the thought of being told what to do and tend to huff and puff to get your own way. You can be quick to state what you mean with a sharp tongue, and even though you mean no harm, can leave a trail of emotional destruction in your path.

TAURUS – Irresistible Traits: Highly dependable, attentive and trustworthy; you shine in any task you are given. Your creative side comes out in the kitchen since cooking is a major passion of yours. Irritating Traits: Your self-indulgent nature of all things high end couture can come off as materialistic. Your stubborn nature and lengthy pondering can drive people crazy; it’s a shame they don’t realize you could care less!

GEMINI – Irresistible Traits: Quick, witty, inquisitive yet tantalizingly charming, people can become lost in your world of mesmerizing story telling. Full of adventure, you are always on the hunt for the next awesome journey. Irritating Traits: You bore quickly and entertain yourself by becoming the office scandal chatter box. Your duel personality keeps others on their toes with them guessing who they’ll be dealing with next, their darling pal or wicked clone.

CANCER – Irresistible Traits: Kind, caring, compassionate and domestic you make for a fabulous host or hostess. Your intuitive side makes you sensitive to people’s needs and you can be extremely protective of those you love. Irritating Traits: Your feelings can get hurt easily and you can hold onto insults instead of getting over them. You can get overly possessive and crabby if your friends bring new people into your social circle without your permission.

LEO – Irresistible Traits: You can’t help but attract liveliness and live to being treated like the king or queen you are. People are drawn to your generous personality and take pleasure in your sharing your love of luxurious surroundings. Irritating Traits: You have the tendency to cut others down due to their appearance and can be a real snob when it comes to maintaining your image. If someone crosses you, watch out as they could very well be on the receiving end of a cold hearted reaction.

source : www.nydailynews.com

Clarke hits huge in the opening match of New Zealand tour / Getty Images Source: Getty Images

MICHAEL Clarke has quit Australia’s cricket tour of New Zealand on the same day his fiancee, Lara Bingle, broke her silence on the nude pic scandal.

Clarke, the team’s vice-captain left the team hotel in Hamilton on the eve of today’s third one-day international against the Black Caps and it is not known when he will return.

FoxSports: Full coverage of the impact on the Australian team
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Cricket Australia’s general manager of cricket Michael Brown said: “Michael is attending to personal, non-cricket matters and we ask on his behalf that his privacy be respected”.

Bingle has announced she is suing AFL player Brendan Fevola over a nude pic she claims Fevola took without her permission.

Woman’s Day last week published the pic of Bingle in the shower which was allegedly taken while she and Fevola were involved in a secret affair in 2006.

Bingle, 22, has opened up in a magazine interview about the release of the photo, saying she has been deeply humiliated.

Her celebrity agent, Max Markson, states reports that she was paid $200,000 for the interview and pic shoot with Woman’s Day were “false”.

However, he stated she would donate an “undisclosed amount” of money from her interview about a nude pic scandal to a domestic violence charity.

Bingle told the magazine the nude pic was taken without her permission and she felt exploited and compromised by its release.

The model states she is suing the footballer to restore her “dignity and self-respect” and to show it’s “not cool or funny” to distribute nude pics of anyone.

Bingle describes Clarke, 28, as astonishing and states he has supported her in the “ups and downs that have happened in my life”.

source : www.news.com.au

by Patrick Jarenwattananon

I quite like this lede:

Jazz musicians are kind of like street names — most people only know the huge ones.

You’ve got Main, High and Bechtle, or their respective jazz equivalents Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Kenny G.

It’s a pretty astute analogy. Most people who pass through the jazz community only travel down certain main thoroughfares. But in order for there to be a vibrant community, you need all those side streets, some of which are trafficked heavily by people in the know, others which remain mostly quiet despite their distinctive architecture. They’re all important; the side streets are where people live, after all. Their existence is similar to how all those musicians who never headline festivals or appear on magazine covers are the ones populating clubs, bars, restaurants, universities and studios night after night across the world.

Anyway, those lines comes from a story from Springfield, Ohio, where some not-so-prominent but well-traveled jazz musicians from the area were recently remembered. Reedman Garvin Bushell, alto saxophonist Earle Warren (of the great Old Testament Count Basie band), vibraphonist Johnny Lytle, pianist “Sir” Charles Thompson (the nickname came from Lester Young, naturally) and the original incarnation of McKinney’s Cotton Pickers all came from Springfield. And while their stories may not be well remembered, they all intersect with major points in jazz history in ways that reveal enormous amounts about how this music works. If you do not believe me, you can even read Bushell’s autobiography for proof. [Springfield News-Sun: Jazz spotlight shines on Springfield's legacy]

1:34 PM ET | 03- 8-2010 | permalink

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source : www.npr.org

Mark Linkous’ often pretty melodies contrasted with lyrics that were sometimes dark.

Barney Britton/Redferns/Getty Images

Mark Linkous’ often pretty melodies contrasted with lyrics that were sometimes dark.

Mark Linkous, founder of the acclaimed alternative rock band Sparklehorse, has died. The singer and multi-instrumentalist took his own life Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. He was 47.

Linkous was the creative force behind Sparklehorse, his recording moniker and band. He wrote all the songs, played nearly all of the instruments, and manipulated his voice like it was just another layer in the mix.

“I started at first trying to disguise my voice ’cause I did not like it,” Linkous told WHYY’s Fresh Air in 1999. “But now, I’ve gotten to really just use it as just another instrument. Seems to make the proximity of a voice seem a lot closer to your ear.”

What the Virginia native’s voice was saying was often surreal. Yet the music drew the attention of indie-rock giant Radiohead, which invited Sparklehorse to open for it in 1996. During the tour, Linkous overdosed on a cocktail of antidepressants and other drugs. He actually died for several minutes, and suffered permanent damage to his legs.

Still, Linkous’ friend and collaborator Wayne Coyne, of the band The Flaming Lips, states that did not stop him from recording and performing.

“He was always gentle and pleasant,” Coyne says. “What made it more pronounced was that I knew he was in pain. He struggled to stand there and sing those gentle, crazy songs.”

Coyne and Linkous worked together on last year’s Dark Night of the Soul, a music-photography project involving Sparklehorse, Danger Mouse, filmmaker David Lynch and others. The project had been held up for legal matters, but just days before Linkous’ death, it was announced that the record was finally going to see official release this summer.

While Linkous seemed happiest working on studio projects like this one, he told Fresh Air that he also enjoyed performing before an audience.

“When they really appreciate the slow songs,” Linkous said. “When you can get 500, 200, 2,000 people to be totally silent, and they totally get it, and it’s not just like a social situation where everyone’s going out to drink and speak and socialize. They’re really there to listen to what is going on.”

Linkous was in the process of moving his studio to Knoxville, and had nearly completed work on a new Sparklehorse album due later this year.

source : www.npr.org

Sean Hayes, who played flamboyant Jack McFarland on NBC’s Will and Grace for eight years, has publicly confirmed his sexuality for the first time.

The resolutely private actor recently gave his first interview to gay newsmagazine The Advocate after many denied requests.

The Advocate and other media had long criticized Hayes, 39, for not confirming what many have called the “open secret” of his sexual orientation.

Hollywood’s biggest parties! See the stars go out on Oscar night 2010

“Really? You’re gonna shoot the gay guy down? I never have had a problem saying who I am,” Hayes states in the new cover story.

“I am who I am. I was never in, as they say. Never,” he states.

Where are they now? See what some of your favorite old TV stars are up to today

The actor, about to star in the Broadway musical Promises, Promises with Kristen Chenowith, still bristles at the idea that he was somehow obligated to come out earlier.  “Nobody owes anything to anybody,” he says. “You are your authentic self to whom and when you select to be, and if you do not know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?”

Oscars, schmoscars: see TV’s biggest stars gather at the Emmys

The star of the popular, Emmy-winning gay sitcom adds, “I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it.”

Hayes remains hesitant to reveal too much about his personal life, however. “I spend time with a special someone in my life,” he states simply. “That’s all I need…I do not do a lot. I live my life like an 85-year-old man. I’m just quiet. It’s fantastic.”

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source : feeds.usmagazine.com