CAMDEN, N.J. (AP) — This year’s Farm Aid benefit concert will feature not only the nearly annual show’s mainstays such as Neil Young and Willie Nelson, but also genres from polka to reggae.
The lineup for the Sept. 30 concert at the Tweeter Center was announced Wednesday.
Farm Aid board founders Nelson, Young and John Mellencamp will be there, along with board member Dave Matthews.
By MIKE BAKER
Associated Press Writer
WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) — A hurricane watch was issued for the Carolina coast Thursday as Tropical Storm Ernesto gained strength over the Atlantic.
The watch, stretching from South Carolina’s Santee River to Cape Lookout in North Carolina, means hurricane conditions, with sustained winds of at least 74 mph, are possible within 12 hours.
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Actor Glenn Ford, a handsome and quiet character actor who made his mark in big films like “Gilda” and “The Big Heat,” died on Wednesday in his Beverly Hills home, police said. He was 90.
The Beverly Hills Police Department said in a statement that paramedics were called to Ford’s home in the afternoon and found the actor dead.
The cause of his death was not immediately known.
As the summer winds down, the hot breezes in Silicon Valley whisper all kinds of intriguing scenarios into the ears of pundits like John Dvorak. He revives the old Apple/Sun merger on the heels of Google CEO Eric Schmidt joining Apple’s board of directors. Much has been written (TechMeme) in the last 24 hours commenting on this possibility. Some think they are connecting dots, but it’s more a special kind of Silicon Valley Boolean pretzel logic. Sun has an alliance with Google (so far not much to write home about) and Google’s CEO Eric Schmidt is on Steve Jobs’ board. Dvorak suggests that Schmidt can be the dealmaker and would even be the right person to head up a Snapple.
By Larry Fine
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Former champion Andy Roddick celebrated his 24th birthday by using a booming serve to overpower Kristian Pless of Denmark on Wednesday and book the first berth in the third round of the U.S. Open.
The ninth-seeded Roddick served up 21 aces and never lost serve in beating the 25-year-old Pless, a former junior world number one, 6-3 7-6 6-3.
Roddick dropped only 12 points from the service line.
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Third seed Maria Sharapova used a dominant serve and laser-like groundstrokes to crush Dutch teenager Michaella Krajicek 6-3 6-0 and advance to the second round of the U.S. Open on Wednesday.
Sharapova, donning a sparkling black playing outfit, fired 10 aces and was successful on 82 percent of her first serves to defeat Krajicek in 59 minutes.
“I actually didn’t think I was hitting my serve big but I was placing it really well,” said Sharapova. “That’s a big key for me, coming up to the line and knowing I can place it.
“That was probably one of the best service displays I’ve had in my career.”
NEW YORK (AP) — Andre Agassi, Amelie Mauresmo, Rafael Nadal, Lindsay Davenport, Serena Williams, Justine Henin-Hardenne and Maria Sharapova are all in action at the U.S. Open today.
Andy Roddick is the first men’s player to reach the third round. He was a 6-3, 7-6, 6-3 winner over Kristian Pless last night.
NEW YORK (MarketWatch) — Verizon Communications (VZ), facing a possible inquiry from the government, decided Wednesday to drop a newly imposed fee for high-speed Internet service.
The New York telephone company, along with BellSouth Corp. (BLS), imposed new surcharges just as its customers were set to receive lower bills thanks to the elimination of a government-imposed fee for a phone subsidy program. The move fueled outrage with customers as well as at the Federal Communications Commission, which sent Verizon a letter of inquiry last week.
“We have listened to our customers,” said Bob Ingalls, chief marketing officer of Verizon Telecom, “and are eliminating this charge in response to their concerns.”
On Friday, BellSouth reversed its decision to impose a regulatory cost recovery fee of $2.97 for digital subscriber line, or DSL, service. AT&T Inc. (T), which is acquiring BellSouth, said it has no plans to implement a fee.
At the fourth annual BAFTA Tea Party (BAFTA is the Oscars for Brits), Voight was talking with a reporter on the red carpet when he decided to send birthday wishes to Maddox, Angelina’s five-year-old child. That went well, but then things took an ugly turn. Voight also sent well-wishes to “Shakira” — problem is, he was talking about Angelina’s 1 1/2-year-old daughter. Shakira is considerably older — 29. The correct name — Zahara. Close, but no cigar. Actors are famous for always getting another chance, and take two was perfect.
By Michael Erman
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Exelon Corp. on Wednesday cast doubt on its ability to complete a planned $18.5 billion takeover of Public Service Enterprise Group Inc. due to difficulty obtaining approval from New Jersey regulators.
Exelon (EXC.N: Quote, Profile, Research) said in a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that it was still committed to the acquisition, but its management believed it was no longer likely to close the deal.
Still, analysts stressed that all outcomes — closing the deal, calling it off or renegotiating its terms — were still a possibility.
DENVER (AP) — Carlos Beltran set modest goals this season. Instead, he’s having a huge year for the New York Mets.
Beltran set a career high with his 39th homer, Jose Reyes also connected and David Wright drove in three runs, sending the surging Mets to a 10-5 victory over the Colorado Rockies on Tuesday night.
By KRISTIE RIEKEN
AP Sports Writer
HOUSTON (AP) — Roy Oswalt got a $73 million birthday present from the Houston Astros.
The two-time 20-game winner agreed to a five-year, $73 million contract extension on his 29th birthday Tuesday, the biggest multiyear deal ever given to an Astros pitcher.
BOSTON (Reuters) – Internet retailer Amazon.com Inc. has started taking early orders for Microsoft Corp.’s long-delayed Windows Vista operating system, offering versions of the product from $100 to $399.
The retailer’s Web site said the software will be available on January 30, and an Amazon spokesman said on Tuesday the date was an estimate based on informal conversations with Microsoft and others in the computer industry.
