Parking for MJ Memorial

Supply + demand + Michael Jackson = parking madness!!!

Tickets for the Michael Jackson memorial on Tuesday are tough to come by -- but parking may be even tougher. We talked to a couple of valets at the Holiday Inn across the street from Staples Center. They told us that guests will have first dibs on parking, but after that it will cost $200 for a spot -- and maybe even higher. Parking for non-guests can usually run up to $45/day.

Now get this -- a few residents of local apartments tell us they are going to try and sell their garage spots for the day and just leave their car at work for the day.

The lesson as always -- public transportation.

District 9 Poster

The new District 9 poster is here and it’s better than any we have seen. Apparently, Sony decided that it was time to wow us right before the new trailer debuted in this week in theaters before Bruno. Sure the new poster shows a desolate city with an enormous spaceship over it, but it’s the center piece that completes the poster– “No Humans Allowed,” outlined in red.

Take a look at the entire poster after the jump…
District 9 is a story about extraterrestrial beings forced to live in slum-like conditions on Earth (that explains the lack of color in the poster), who later find a company that utilizes aliens. The film is set out to hit theaters later this year on August 14.

Houston fireworks Day 2009

Houston fireworks, The Houston Symphony 4th of July Celebration the largest celebration in the city of Houston, Taxas and the fireworks display is one of the biggest in the stat. The festival starts at 4 p.m. in Houston. This year July 4 Saturday Country singing sensation, Clay Walker, will set fire to the stage and a concert will precede the main event, the Independence Day fireworks presented by Shell Oil Company and choreographed by the world-renowned fireworks artists from Pyro Spectaculars “North by Souza”.

The Houston Independence Day 2009 is associated with fireworks, and other activates like, parades, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating 4th July. The forth July is the day to relax, have fun and spend some time with friends and family.

This year’s grand celebration honors “Houston Heroes” including members of the military and NASA’s astronauts. Clay Walker performs at 8 p.m., and the fabulous fireworks show starts at 9:30 p.m. Through the daytime, three stages will keep everyone dancing with music running the gauntlet between country, rock ‘n’ roll, and Latin, pop and oldies.
Here is a list of some of the fireworks displays planned around the Houston area.

1. Eleanor Tinsley Park at Buffalo Bayou: The July 4 celebrates Independence Day with fireworks at dusk, around 4:00 PM to 10:00 PM.
2. Miller Outdoor Theater: The Houston annual salute to Independence Day starts on July 4 at 8:30 p.m. Of course, the evening concludes with a fantastic fireworks display.
3. Bicentennial Park: The Bicentennial Park celebrates Independence Day with special family-friendly activities and spectacular fireworks at 9:30 pm and the parade launch at 5:30 p.m.
4. Friendswood: The Friends wood celebrates Independence Day on July 4 at 7:30 p.m., Centenial Park (Evening Program) and the fireworks start at 9:20 p.m. Parade at 10:00 p.m. begins on F.M. 518 at Heritage Drive.
5. Kemah: The 4th of July fireworks launch at 9:30 p.m. over Galveston Bay and parade will starting on Bradford Avenue at 6th Street.
6. Galveston: The Galveston annual salute to Independence Day starts on July 4 at 10: 00pm parade throughout downtown.
7. Lake Conroe: The Lake Conroe fireworks start in Walden Marina on July 4 at 9:20pm.
8. The Woodlands: The Woodlands July4th parade at 9 a.m. through Town Center and Market Street and then the Red, Hot, and Blue Festival and Fireworks Extravaganza from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
9. Towne Lake: The Towne Lake community in NW Houston hosts July 4th festivities from 7:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Barker Cypress and West Road.
   

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4th of July 2009 Watch Fireworks Live online free – Watch 4th July Fireworks live streaming online – 4th july celebrations 2009 fireworks video streaming. Independence Day is the national day of the United States, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

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Tour de France starts tomorrow

Independence tomorrow (although most don't even realize it), the cycling community will be shooting off bottle rockets in celebration of another incredible day: the first stage of the 2009 Tour de France! This is a three-week long opportunity for all Americans to get into the spirit of competition and keep up with the world's fastest cyclists, and there are many ways to get involved.

The easiest way to get involved this year is to watch the race. For the next three weeks (I know! Three weeks!) the race will be broadcasted on the cable channel Versus three times a day. (Sorry WWF fans, this is our time. Hey, don't hate on us, we have our mutual love of spandex to bring us together, right?) For those unlucky few who do not have cable the cycling community's heart goes out to you. The Versus website is also a fantastic place to visit during the next month to see how to get involved.

For the first time this year, the actual Tour is sponsoring a kind of fantasy game for fans. It is completely free to play, one only has to download a quick special player and they are up and running, or, er, cycling, I should say. The gist of the game is that players pick their cyclists, they basically create a team, and then for the duration of the Tour they manage their hand-picked team through each stage of the race. For anyone incredibly devoted to cycling this time-consuming game could pay off in the end. There is a good sum to be won by the "best" team manager. All the rules and regulations, including amounts to be won, can be read by visiting the English version of the Tour de France website and clicking on Games.

The people behind the Versus channel have been very helpful in the last few years, as far as helping fans get more involved in the race. For instance, every day there is a secret code that can only be attained by watching the race on television which viewers can use to enter the online sweepstakes. And the prizes for the online games are usually very awesome. They include everything from autographed gear to extremely expensive and fancy bikes to visits with famous cyclists. The website has more than just one contest, too. Because they know cyclists love competition there is something for everyone online.

Before the sun sets tomorrow, all Americans, cyclists and wannabes alike should give a friendly salute to our beautiful Statue of Liberty and thank her country for hosting such a marvelous event for more than ninety years!

100 concerts in 100 days

HOT DOG! We wait all year, and now it's finally here - Coney Island's "2009 Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest" (Saturday at noon and 1 p.m., ESPN). If one stop's not enough, try the cross-country trip "A Hot Dog Program" (Saturday at 2 p.m., WNET/13). Or savor another prefab food product: There's a SPAM cook-off on "America Wild and Wacky" (Sunday at 4 p.m., Smithsonian). Channel info at smithsonianchannel .com.

CROSSOVER SPORTS.Everybody knows Lance Armstrong, who saddles up again in cycling's annual "Tour de France" (Stage 1 live, today 9:30 a.m.- 2 p.m., Versus). It's preceded by the setup hour "Lance Armstrong: The Comeback Story" (today at 8:30 a.m., Versus). And baseball fans aren't the only ones hot to see Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon in the '80s fave "Bull Durham" (today at 11 p.m., Sunday at 5 and 9 p.m., MSG; Wednesday at 1 p.m., WLNY/55/10). More Tour de France at versus.com/tdf.

BOLLYWOOD WEEKLY.Prepping for next month's Chris Kattan comedy series, "Bollywood Hero," IFC launches a Sunday morning festival from India's inimitable film industry. First up: "Johnny Gaddaar" (Sunday at 10 a.m., IFC), 2007's sharp noir crime thriller starring hottie Neil Nitin Mukesh.

REAKING OUT. Before " Breaking Bad," Bryan Cranston cooked as a hapless dad, with Jane Kaczmarek ("Raising the Bar") as his hot-tempered wife, on the single-camera comedy "Malcolm in the Middle" (Sunday 8 p.m.-6 a.m., Nick at Nite). The 2000 Fox series joins Nick at Nite's lineup tomorrow-Thursday at 8 and 8:30 p.m. Visit nickatnite .com.

CONCERT CARAVAN. Get ready for VH1 Classic's 100 Concerts in 100 Days stunt, running through Oct. 13. Kicking off the jams is 1983's "US Festival" (Monday at 11 a.m. and 11 p.m., VH1 Classic), featuring The Clash, INXS, Men at Work and The English Beat. Coming titles include "Bruce Spring- steen & The E Street Band: Live in NYC," " John Lennon: Live in NYC '72," " Pink Floyd: Dark Side of the Moon," " Tina Turner Live in Holland" and " Brian Wilson Presents Pet Sounds: Live in London." Check out vh1classic.com.

GET READY TO RUMBLE.Boxing announcer Michael Buffer hosts the pop culture clash "The Great Debate" (Monday-Friday at 10 p.m., VH1), sort of a broader "Best Week Ever" look at life's big questions. You know - "Star Trek" or "Star Wars"? Angelina Jolie or Jennifer Aniston? Sneak peek at vh1.com/shows/ the_great_debate/series.jhtml.

ATTACK OF THE 1,000th! Celebrate a thousand episodes of the digital mag "Attack of the Show" (Thursday 7-9 p.m., G4) with even more stunts, skits and scoops on technology, games and Web/pop culture. All things "AOTS" at g4tv.com/aots.

Tour de France windfall

The race is divided into 21 stages, or "etapes", and being a town at the start or finish of an etape is a great honour and much sought after.

Tonnerre - a two-hour train ride south of Paris - is one such town.

It will become a "ville-etape" for the first time on 16 July, when the 211km (131-mile) 12th stage to Vittel begins there.

Tonnerre, sleepy but picturesque, will see its population of 6,500 more than double as the "caravan" - the travelling circus that accompanies the Tour de France - moves in.

The riders, technicians, support personnel, organisers, sponsors and journalists make up around 4,500 alone.

Add to that thousands of spectators arriving to cram up against the metal barriers lining the streets.

Meanwhile, millions more will watch on television as Tonnerre enjoys its five minutes of fame, with captivating aerial shots relayed round the world.

The benefits of being a ville-etape are - at first glance - easy to see, though the longer-term economic rewards are more difficult to calculate.

Aside from the income from visitors on the day, the hope is that tourism will grow in the days and months that follow.

Tonnerre does not lack attractions, such as the intriguing Fosse Dionne - a wide natural well more than 300m (900 ft) deep whose source remains a mystery despite numerous diving expeditions.

Tour De France TV Schedule

Versus will be covering the 2009 Tour de France for the US. Their Tour de France home page has a nice stage map, with links for each stage. The TV schedule page has complete listings for the actual race coverage, but there’s also plenty of additional Tour-related programming that you might not want to miss.

Note the ads for Road ID reflective safety bracelets, anklets, and labels. For more information about these, click the link above or below, on this page. Then your purchase will help support VBF.

FOX to Re-Air Michael Jackson-Featuring 'The Simpsons'

To preserve Michael Jackson's legacy, FOX is planning to air "The Simpsons" episode where the King of Pop contributed a voice. On Sunday, July 5 at 8/7c, the network will re-run "Stark Raving Dad", the first episode of season 3 that originally aired in September 1991.

Michael voiced the character of Leon Kompowsky, an overweight brick-layer whom Homer met during his stint at Mental Institution. Leon made Homer believe that he was Michael Jackson. Not recognizing the famous name, Homer brought Leon home to Springfield where many had anticipated the arrival of the star.

Michael was not credited when the episode was first aired because due to contractual reasons, he has to use the pseudonym of John Jay Smith. There is a time where Leon sings, but the singing voice was provided by impressionist Kipp Lennon.

However, Michael's contribution is beyond just making a guest voice on the show. He also composed the song "Do the Bartman" which was performed by Bart's voice Nancy Cartwright. The song appeared on The Simpsons' 1990 album "The Simpsons Sing the Blues" but again, Michael was not credited because he was under contract with another label.

"It was always amazing to me that no one ever found out that Michael Jackson wrote that song," creator Matt Groening said in 1998. "He was a big fan of the show."

Memorial Service - 11,000 Free Tickets Offered for Michael Jackson's

It turns out that the planned funeral for Michael Jackson, which according to earlier report will be held next Tuesday, July 7 at Staples Center in L.A., will serve as a memorial service opened for public. And while official confirmation on that matter is expected to be made by the late singer's family on Friday, July 3, speculation has just emerged that there will be 11,000 free tickets given for fans to attend the service.

Representatives for the Jacksons announced Thursday, July 2, a press conference will be held at 10 A.M. PT Friday, during when Tim Leiweke, the president and CEO of AEG, the parent company that owns the Staples Center, will share with the press details of the public memorial service. Further information on how fans can register for the tickets will also be outed during the press conference.

In the meantime, it is reported that more than 750,000 people from all over the world are expected to attend the memorial. According to ABC News, approximately 2,500 police will be placed around the Staples Center in a bid to anticipate the huge crowds occupying the downtown area.