Curious advice to the ladies of "Mad Men", Wyclef for prez and LT v. his former teammates

- Here’s an interesting change of pace for Hollywood: a producer for a popular primetime drama (or any show) telling female cast members not to exercise or diet so as to not appear too thin or fit. No, it’s not the producer for some cheesy WE network show or Lifetime series designed to make overweight women feel better about themselves by showing obese characters living a happy, successful life. The show is none other than AMC’s hit drama Mad Men, with creator Matthew Weiner issuing that no-exercise directive to female cast members like Christina Hendricks and January Jones. "He would prefer we didn't work out and that we eat really well, so we look like healthy women," Jones said in a recent interview. "It's OK to have curves and be a woman. I wish more women would realize that's what men like." Well, I would have to disagree with that in large part because there is no universal “what men like.” All men have a slightly different take on what’s attractive and sure, some men do find curves hot, while other men actually like women who look like they make it to the gym on a regular basis. What I find interesting is that Jones was actually chastised by the show’s producers last year for being too thin, thus not fitting the show’s motif, which is set five decades in the past. Jones admits that she has since learned to embrace her curves — as well as "beer and carbs." Clearly, some people like what Weiner is asking from his female cast members because Hendricks was named Esquire's best-looking woman in America earlier this year. So maybe more show runners and producers will begin issuing orders to the ladies on their programs to avoid the gym at all costs, eat as many carbs and down as many brews as possible and try to put on the pounds. Then again, probably not………

- His music may not be good, but that doesn’t mean Wyclef Jean can't make a positive impact on the world. The Haitian immigrant who came onto the scene in the mid-1990s as a member of The Fugees, a U.S.-based hip-hop and reggae group, will reportedly announce on CNN's "Larry King Live" Thursday night that he intends to run for president of Haiti. Jean has long been an outspoken advocate for the impoverished island nation and that advocacy increased exponentially following January’s devastating earthquake that leveled much of the country. To help Haiti on the road to recovery, Jean plans to follow in the footsteps of Philippine boxer and newly minted congressman Manny Pacquiao, who was recently elected to his nation’s legislature in the hopes of leading the country back from difficult economic times. In addition to planning a run for president, Jean has also worked on behalf of Haiti through his Yele Foundation and was one of the first celebrities to offer aid after the earthquake in January. He hinted at his presidential run last month when he admitted to filling out the necessary paperwork to make a run at the country's highest office. Not knowing Haitian politics or how much his celebrity will help him in the campaign, it’s difficult to predict Jean’s chances of being elected, but I would imagine that at this point, Haitians are primarily concerned with rebuilding their lives, homes, businesses and families and whichever candidate can do the best job of facilitating those efforts is the one they’ll vote for………

- For the duration of his eight seasons as a member of the San Diego Chargers, running back LaDanian Tomlinson was universally respected by fans and those around the NFL, along with his teammates….or so we thought. The man who had 1,000-plus yards in all but his final season as a Charger, rushed for 12,490 yards and 138 rushing touchdowns, caught 530 passes for 3,955 yards and 15 touchdowns, was named the NFL's MVP in 2006 and set the NFL single-season record for rushing touchdowns with 28 in 2006, was thought to be the perfect teammate, a classy, dignified and proud star. But now that LT is gone from San Diego and suiting up in the green and white of the New York Jets, his former teammates don’t sound all that broken up that he’s gone. Quarterback Phillip Rivers stated to local media that it was a "relief" to start camp without the specter of Tomlinson lurking over the team. "I don't know how everyone feels or if they felt it," Rivers said. "Maybe it was a little bit of a relief. Maybe it's a feeling of, 'I can do a little more without wondering what he thinks.'" Those aren’t exactly words of scathing condemnation, but they do cast some doubt on just how much the Chargers as a whole enjoyed playing with Tomlinson. Gates cited Tomlinson’s star status as something of an issue, with that status that Rivers doesn't demand. "He has done a phenomenal job with opening relationships with people," Gates stated. "When you talk about great player, you have to be careful what you say. Obviously, I miss LT. I played with him a whole lot. But the reality is Philip and I have a more core friendship because of the openness. Me and LT had a wonderful relationship too. But sometimes you got the sense of stardom status and you can only take it so far. With Philip, I never feel that." In a sense, he’s saying LT felt like he was above it all and maybe his performance entitled him to a bit of that, but it’s troubling that guys who are star players in their own right are so openly musing about how good it is to have Tomlinson gone. To Tomlinson’s credit, he didn’t take the bait when the comments were run back to him and said simply that he has "moved on." After signing with the Jets this offseason after being released by the Chargers, LT will compete for carries with Shonn Greene on the Jets. "This is my first time going live in practice in all my years and I love that because it's football, and you're going to get hit," Tomlinson said. "The quicker you get acclimated to getting hit and being on the ground, it's better for you when the games start. I want to play. I want to be with the guys. Everybody else is going to play and I want to be a part of that." It remains to be seen if the five-time Pro Bowler can regain his old form, but he could have ample motivation to succeed because of the words of Gates and Rivers. "Honestly, I really have no reaction to it," Tomlinson claimed. "I don't spend any of my time thinking about what's going on there because I'm so focused in this football team and job at hand. I've moved on." He added that he is not surprised by the comments because he views his situation as similar to the experience of former Chargers linebacker Junior Seau when he left San Diego. "It doesn't hurt me, but nothing surprises me because guys want to speak their opinion on things. Junior Seau went through the same thing with guys when he was the big star and he left the team and guys said how they felt about him. It's the same situation. Good luck to those guys," Tomlinson explained. For two teams that should be the class of the AFC this season, perhaps these words will provide a nice backdrop of drama for a possible playoff meeting at the tail end of the season……….

- In hopes of fending off Apple’s iPhone and Google's Android operating system, Research in Motion, the Canadian company that makes the BlackBerry, announced on Tuesday the release of a new model designed to compete the aforementioned smartphones. The BlackBerry Torch is the company’s first phone with a true touch-screen interface, comparable to iPhone and Android phones. It’s also the first phone to use the new BlackBerry 6 operating system, so there could be bugs to work out or it could turn out to be an amazing new OS that will turn the smartphone market on its ear. Like Apple’s Snow Leopard operating system for all its computers, the BlackBerry 6 OS comes with a web browser that lets you use two fingers to "pinch" the screen to zoom in and out. Additionally, the Torch itself has a brand-new media player, enhanced media synchronization and "universal search" that allows users to locate anything, anywhere on their phones or the Internet with a single search tool that scans contacts, apps, personal data and websites. The Torch works hand in hand with BlackBerry's "App World," which is RIM's answer to the Apple App store and Google's Android Marketplace, coming already configured to work with the app store. Now, it’s not an overwhelmingly impressive phone in terms of hardware, rocking a small 3.2-inch (360 by 480 pixel) screen that is significantly smaller than the 4.3-inch screen on Sprint's HTC Evo 4G and Verizon's Motorola Droid X. Also, its 5-megapixel camera is markedly worse than the Evo's 8 megapixel camera. The one positive the Torch derives from those apparent drawbacks is that its overall size is smaller than those other smartphones. Built into that small size is an optical trackpad that can be used in addition to the touch-screen to move navigate. Plus, unlike the iPhone, it sports a slide-out physical keyboard. BlackBerry addicts won't have to wait long for the Torch, as it goes on sale at AT&T stores on Aug. 12th. The cost will be in line with what you might expect for a smartphone of its ilk, costing $199 for those willing to sign a 2-year contract. AT&T has exclusive rights to carry the phone right now, but RIM is expected to reach agreements with other carriers within a few months. Oh, and there’s also the looming threat of BlackBerry data bans in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to consider, although I don’t see that being a huge factor for most BlackBerry users……..

- Let the man put prison-like metal bars on his windows if he wants them and leave him alone, f***ing homeowners associations. I stand behind Houston resident Brady Roberts in this pursuit and hopefully, I’m not alone. Roberts lives in a developing neighborhood called Ballpark Plaza just east of downtown and Minute Maid Park. It’s a fairly well-off area filled with new townhomes under constant construction as old industrial warehouses are torn down to make room for new residents. However, in spite of the nice, new townhomes, Roberts said he has been tracking criminal activity in the area for months and isn’t encouraged by what he has found. “After I heard about the other continuing robberies, home invasions, even while people were home, that's when I decided to go ahead and install my burglar bars immediately and send in my application to the board,” he said. For some odd reason, board members from the local Ballpark Plaza Community Association ruled that his burglar bars were not permissible even when presented with Roberts’ findings. And I told them there is no better visible deterrent. I don’t want to have to get into a violent confrontation with anyone. And this is the best way to keep anyone out of my house,” Roberts said. That argument failed to sway the neighborhood association, which has been fining Roberts $25 a day since May 1. As someone who absolutely loathes the self-important, no-life-having jackasses who serve on homeowners’ boards everywhere, I could not be more in Roberts’ corner on this. His first priority is the safety of his home, family and belongings and NOT the aesthetic value of his home’s external decorations. If burglar bars will help keep his home safe and he can live with them, leave him alone. Roberts even admits that the burglar bars aren’t visually appealing, but he just doesn’t care. “I know it's not the most attractive thing, and I would love to not even have them, but with the crime and everything that is going on right now, I really don’t see not having them as an option,” Roberts conceded. To his credit, Roberts hired a lawyer and is suing the community association for the right to both keep his bars and have the mounting fines against him dismissed. Fight on, good citizen Roberts, fight on…………