Free Republic

Keely Smith has died at age 89. Here is a press release regarding her death: “Keely Smith, the iconic singer/performer known for her many solo recordings as well as her musical partnership with first husband Louis Prima died in Palm Springs, CA on Saturday, December 16. She was 89 and under physicians’ care at the time of her passing from apparent heart failure. Born Dorothy Jacqueline Keely in Norfolk VA on March 9, 19 28 of Native American (Cherokee) and Irish parentage, Smith showed a natural aptitude for singing at a young age. At 14, she sang with a naval...

First Light for the PRIMA instrumentThe PRIMA instrument [1] of the ESO Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) recently saw "first light" at its new home atop Cerro Paranal in Chile. When fully operational, PRIMA will boost the capabilities of the VLTI to see sources much fainter than any previous interferometers, and enable astrometric precision unmatched by any other existing astronomical facility. PRIMA will be a unique tool for the detection of exoplanets.

For weeks, publisher Judith Regan had been in trouble with higher-ups over the debacle of the canceled O.J. Simpson book and TV deal. But her firing swiftly followed a Friday afternoon phone call from her Los Angeles office to a HarperCollins attorney that included comments that were characterized as offensive, two highly placed corporate sources said Saturday. The comments, the precise nature of which was not disclosed, came just before News Corp., the parent company of HarperCollins, held its annual holiday party, an expensive hotel bash in Manhattan attended by more than 4,000 people. Regan's company, Los Angeles-based ReganMedia, is...