WORD POWER Move over Spelling Bee

Posted Sep 27, 2006 by Walt Belcher

Updated Sep 27, 2006 at 09:44 AM

  With the popularity of the National Spelling Bee, the GSN network (formerly Game Show Network) has lauched the first-ever ‘NATIONAL VOCABULARY CHAMPIONSHIP’

  The nationwide competition will give high school students a chance to test their vocabulary skills.

  The Winner of Championship Receives $40,000 invested in a “529” Savings Plan

  GSN has partnered with The Princeton Review and hopes to get high students, teachers and parents involved. The National Vocabulary Championship is open to eligible high school students in the 50 states and the District of Columbia.

  It will be promoted in schools and through a national “Win With Words” Public Service Announcement campaign. In addition, an interactive website (http://www.winwithwords.com) will offer a variety of free vocabulary-enhancing tools, word games and study materials. 

  Students are invited to enter the first round in one of two ways – by taking an online national qualifying exam or if the student attends a participating school, by taking an in-school qualifying exam to compete for an opportunity to advance to one of eight live citywide competitions.

  Forty-two top scorers from the national qualifying competition and eight winners from the citywide competitions will receive a trip to New York City to participate in the nationally televised National Vocabulary Championship finale in February 2007.

The ultimate winner will receive $40,000 deposited in a higher education “529” savings plan. In total, GSN will award over $100,000 to top-performing students and their schools this year through the program.

  Students who wish to participate in the national qualifying competition can register for the NVC online at http://www.winwithwords.com and choose from one of ten different times from October 27th through November 5th to take the qualifying exam.

Students who attend participating schools in Boston, Detroit, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Sacramento, St. Louis and Palm Beach County will have the opportunity to work with in-school “Vocabulary Coaches” in preparation for an in-school qualifying exam, from which approximately 100 students per city will advance to the live competition to be held in those cities. 

For Official Rules and more information about the National Vocabulary Championship and the “Win With Words” Campaign, visit http://www.winwithwords.com. 

Online National Qualifying Exam Dates

The dates and times that students can take the online national qualifying exams are as follows:

Friday, October 27th – 10:00 pm EST/7:00 pm PST

Saturday, October 28th – 12:00 pm EST/9:00 am PST

Sunday, October 29th – 10:00 pm EST/7:00 pm PST

Monday, October 30th – 11:00 pm EST/8:00 pm PST

Tuesday, October 31st – 11:30 pm EST/8:30 pm PST

Wednesday, November 1st – 7:00 pm EST/4:00 pm PST

Thursday, November 2nd – 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST

Friday, November 3rd –10:00 pm EST/7:00 pm PST

Saturday, November 4th – 5:00 pm EST/ 2:00 pm PST

Sunday, November 5th –9:00 pm EST/6:00 pm PST

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Anderson Cooper covers forgotten horror

Posted Sep 27, 2006 by Walt Belcher

Updated Sep 27, 2006 at 09:24 AM

    We hear so much about Iraq and Afghanistan. But what about Africa?

    CNN’s Anderson Cooper will anchor Anderson Cooper 360º for three nights from the Democratic Republic of the Congo from Tuesday, Oct. 3, through Thursday, Oct. 5, as part of the program’s weeklong emphasis on violence and political turmoil in several African nations.

    Ethnic strife and a civil war in Congo have been responsible for the deaths of more than 3 million people since 1998. As many as 1,250 people there die every day, mostly from hunger and disease. 

  The program also will focus on the Darfur region of Sudan where violence continues to rage. Africa correspondent Jeff Koinange provides updates on the continuing genocide there as well as ethnic and political conflicts. In addition, CNN senior medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta visits refugee camps along the border of Sudan and Chad to report on the medical conditions of refugees fleeing the brutal fighting between the two countries.

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March of Penguins

Posted Sep 26, 2006 by Walt Belcher

Updated Sep 26, 2006 at 01:29 PM

  This Thanksgiving you can have turkey and penguins.

  Less than a year after winning the Oscar for Best Documentary, the captivating “March of the Penguins” comes to cable television. And it will debut on Nov. 25 on the Hallmark Channel.  I would have thought Animal Planet or Discovery would get this first.

  The film,  which is about the strong family bonds of penguins, is out on DVD.  It was a hit even though it is a French film and many Americans haven’t been too fond of things made in France.

  This reminds me of that Garrison Keillor joke: Two penguins are on an ice float. One says to the other: “You look like you’re weraring a tuxedo.” The other penguin says “What makes you think I’m not.”

  Yeah, I don’t get it either.

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TOP CHEF

Posted Sep 26, 2006 by Walt Belcher

Updated Sep 26, 2006 at 01:07 PM

  I have enough trouble just watching all my favorites on broadcast TV.

  What will I do when “Top Chef” returns to Bravo on Oct. 11?

  The first episode will air at 11 p.m. that week. On Oct. 25, it will move to its regular slot at 10 p.m. Wednesdays.

  The first “Top Chef” was a tough competition that was better than Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen.”

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Bachelor Women

Posted Sep 25, 2006 by Walt Belcher

Updated Sep 25, 2006 at 01:45 PM

  On the next round of ABC’s “The Bachelor” the single guy is a Prince.

  Prince Lorenzo Borghese will begin searching for love or something like it on the ninth edition “The Bachelor: Rome,” that will debut with a two-hour special, MONDAY, OCTOBER 2 at 9 p.m.

  Lorenzo is a 34-year-old cosmetics entrepreneur whose family background reaches back to the 1600s in Rome.

  Segments will take place at Roman sites such as the historic Forum, Colosseum and Pantheon, the romantic Trevi Fountain and the lush Villa Borghese, the largest park in Rome, which bears his family’s name.

  In the premiere episode, at a castlle the Prince’s cocktail party is interrupted when two stunning Italian women who crash the party and quickly plot to steal Lorenzo’s heart and attention.

    The 25 jealous and already competitive American ladies step up their game to pull Lorenzo back into their fold, but the Italian beauties don’t give up. The tug-of-war over Prince Borghese continues through the evening.

Lorenzo must eliminate 15 of the 27 women (the 25 original women plus the two Italian newcomers), leaving 12 eligible to become Princess Borghese. It’s “arrivederci Roma” for over half the ladies.

The 25 American women are:

April, 23, model, who currently resides in Chicago, IL
Andrea, 28, hotel concierge, who currently resides in Cincinnati, OH
Brit, 28, beer chemist, who currently resides in Columbus, OH
Carissa, 25, attorney, who currently resides in Morristown, NJ
Claudia, 22, restaurateur, who currently resides in Boca Raton, FL
Desiree, 22, realtor, who currently resides in Salt Lake City, UT
Ellen, 30, realtor, who currently resides in New Haven, CT
Elyse, 27, physician, who currently resides in New York, NY
Erica, 23, socialite, who currently resides in Houston, TX
Gina, 28, ultrasound technician, who currently resides in Chicago, IL
Heather, 34, registered nurse, who currently resides in Aliquippa, PA
Jami, 27, event planner, who currently resides in Galveston, TX
Jeanette, 23, teacher, who currently resides in Bloomingdale, IL
Jennifer, 24, teacher, who currently resides in Pembroke Pines, FL
Jessica, 25, assistant buyer, who currently resides in Charlotte, NC
Kim, 27, interior designer, who currently resides in Long Beach, CA
Laura, 29, dolphin trainer, who currently resides in San Diego, CA
Lisa, 25, marketing manager, who currently resides in Portland, OR
Meri, 27, attorney, who currently resides in Biloxi, MI
Renee, 30, broadcast marketer, who currently resides in Baltimore, MD
Rita, 29, policy advisor, who currently resides in Richmond, VA
Rosella, 27, make-up artist, who currently resides in Chicago, IL
Sadie, 23, publicist, who currently resides in Carlsbad, CA
Sarah, 30, journalist, who currently resides in Nelson, British Columbia
Tara, 24, realtor, who currently resides in St. Augustine, FL

The identity of the two Italian beauties will remain a mystery to be uncovered on the premiere episode.

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