Darren Criss

We knew that "The Glee Project" was going to try and emulate "Glee" in a reality TV format to the best of its ability, but who would have ever thought the show would end up managing something that was so close to the real thing? From the similar color scheme to the background music, the producers over at Oxygen definitely made this as close to the real thing as a show can get.
As far as entertainment goes, the premiere was a mixed bag. After seeing so many audition rounds in the past it really wasn't that interesting watching people sing in front of a panel of judges, and even some of the initial challenges left a little bit of something to be desired. Yes, having the kids sing in a classroom is very similar to the show, but where's that extra kick? The best moment clearly came in the music video for "Firework," which really showed off some creativity along with the personalities of the cast. The show's going to need to keep pushing in this creative direction to remind us this is entertainment first and foremost -- not just a casting search.

When it comes to the contestants, producers did a pretty good job of assembling a rather diverse group. We have Alex with the high voice, Samuel with the dreadlocks, and Emily with the creepy "you can call me whatever you want" behavior towards guest Darren Criss.
Ultimately, the elimination process for this show may be one of the most frightening things ever. The "bottom three" contestants have to all step out and perform in front of co-creator Ryan Murphy (who looks very much like a Bond villain), and then find out if their name is on a sheet of paper. Luckily, crooner Damian (who flubbed the lyrics of "Jesse's Girl") and baby-faced Ellis stuck around -- and it was Bryce who went packing.
After this first episode, what do you think of this show?

QVS

Jeanne Bice, the creator and on-air peddler of QVC mainstay clothing line Quacker Factory, died Friday at 71. The cause of her death was not announced.
Bice, who first appeared on QVC in 1995, was known for her headbands, boisterous personality and even more boisterous clothing, which was typically sold in bright colors and embroidered with season- and holiday-themed adornments. She started her successful clothing line after her husband died and left her to raise their two children (Tim and Lee) on her own. She chronicled her life's highs and lows in the 2005 memoir Pull Yourself Up by Your Bra Straps and Other Quacker Wisdom.

Doug Howe, QVC's executive vice president of merchandising, planning and sales, wrote in a QVC forum: " Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and loved ones during this difficult time. ... Her passion and spirit will be greatly missed by all who knew her."
A lengthy obituary on the official Quacker Factory site includes this look back at Bice's on-screen work: "She loved QVC. Everything about it. She loved the people: the executives who ran it, and the production people who worked so hard to make every show perfect.  She loved the famous stars who appeared there, and had to pinch herself when others considered her one."

University Of Phoenix

University of Phoenix, the nation’s largest private university, announced the appointment of Dr. Mary Sortino as director of Academic Affairs for the University’s Delaware campus.
In her new role, Sortino will be responsible for hiring and managing faculty members, creating the academic program calendar and managing student inquiries.
“Mary brings a wealth of higher education leadership experience to our new campus,” said Tim Gilrain, campus director of University of Phoenix Delaware. “We are very pleased to welcome her and I’m confident she will be a tremendous asset and advocate for our students and faculty.”

Before joining University of Phoenix, Sortino served as department chair for human services and social sciences at the Delaware Technical & Community College Terry Campus. With more than a decade of experience in higher education administration, Sortino began her career as assistant program director of the Wesley College Center for Adult Studies in New Castle and also served as dean of graduate and professional studies at Rosemont College in Philadelphia, Pa.
“I’m excited to join the University of Phoenix family here in Delaware and help deliver on the University’s overall commitment to provide a relevant, rigorous and real-world education for today’s working learner,” Sortino said. “The new Delaware campus provides such a unique resource to students throughout Delaware and the surrounding area, and I look forward helping our students reach their higher education goals.”
Sortino earned her doctoral degree in clinical psychology from Widener University and bachelor of arts in psychology and sociology from West Chester University. In addition to her work in higher education, Sortino serves as a consultant to the department of health and social services.

Lunar Eclipse

The longest total lunar eclipse since July 2000 will occur on Wednesday (June 15), with skywatchers in Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Australia in prime position to witness the moon treat.
The event is the first lunar eclipse of 2011 and one of two total lunar eclipses this year. The eclipse, which will occur during June's full moon, will begin at 1:24 p.m. EDT (1724 GMT) and last until 7 p.m. EDT (2300 GMT), but it will not be visible from North America.
For observers in regions where it will be visible, the eclipse could offer an amazing sight: the period of totality will be 100 minutes. In the last 100 years, only three other eclipses have rivaled the duration of totality of this eclipse, according to SPACE.com's skywatching columnist Joe. Rao. The last lunar eclipse of similar length occured on July 16, 2000 and lasted 107 minutes.
"The entire event will be seen from the eastern half of Africa, the Middle East, central Asia and western Australia," stated the NASA Eclipse Website of the June 15 event. "Observers throughout Europe will miss the early stages of the eclipse because they occur before moonrise." [Video: Inside the June 15 Total Lunar Eclipse]
Total eclipse of the moonTotal lunar eclipses occur when the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, casting a deep shadow through which the moon then travels through. [Blood Moon: 2010 Total Lunar Eclipse Photos ]
"From the Earth, the moon will appear to darken and turn a deep red before eventually returning to normal," explained NASA officials at the agency's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md., in an advisory. "When light from the sun goes by the side of the Earth, it passes through a long and thick layer of Earth's atmosphere. Shorter wavelengths of sunlight, like blue, are scattered by the atmosphere, so by the time the light has finished its trip to the moon, more of the longer wavelengths, like red, are left over. On the Earth, the same thing happens at sunset as the ground you stand on gradually passes into night."
Unlike their solar counterparts, lunar eclipses are safe to view without any special protective glasses or equipment.
Countries in prime viewing positionAccording to NASA's eclipse website, Wednesday's total lunar eclipse will be visible during its peak to skywatchers throughout Europe, with the exception of Scotland and northern Scandinavia.

In eastern South America, Western Europe and the west coast of Africa, the eclipse will occur Wednesday evening, according to Rao. Skywatchers in eastern Brazil, Uruguay and Argentinahave a chance to see the lunar eclipse during its total stage, NASA officials said.
But for some countries, the event will be visible in the wee hours of Thursday (June 16) because the eclipse's region of visibility crosses the International Date Line. The early Thursday viewing times apply to observers in central Siberia, eastern Mongolia, northeast China, and most of Japan, Korea, New Guinea, eastern Australia and New Zealand, Rao explained.
"Eastern Asia, eastern Australia, and New Zealand will miss the last stages of eclipse because they occur after moonset," the NASA Eclipse Website advisory stated.
Wednesday's lunar eclipse is part of a rare three-eclipse series of events occurring in June and early July. It follows the June 1 partial solar eclipse and comes before another partial solar eclipse, which will occur on July 1 but only be visible from a remote region near Antarctica.
The second lunar eclipse of 2011 will occur on Dec. 10 and will also be a total lunar eclipse. That even should be visible from the western United States and Canada.

Myanmar

The U.S. Navy forced a North Korean ship on its way to Myanmar to return home after a standoff two weeks ago, The New York Times reported Sunday.
The Times said the U.S. suspected the North Korean cargo vessel, the M/V Light, was carrying missile technology to Myanmar. The Navy destroyer McCampbell was sent to track its movement.
On May 26, the Times reported, the McCampbell caught up with the ship and asked to board it. The North Koreans refused, and since the U.S. did not want to force its way aboard, it could not confirm whether its suspicions were true.
Nonetheless, a few days after the Navy approached it, the North Korean vessel stopped well short of Myanmar and returned to its home port.
A White House official contacted Sunday by The Associated Press confirmed the substance of the Times story. The official, who was not authorized to discuss the incident, spoke on condition of anonymity.
Joseph Yun, the United States’ deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific Affairs, visited Myanmar last month and expressed concerns about its military relationship with North Korea.

A UN Security Council resolution bans all North Korean arms exports, authorizes member states to inspect North Korean sea, air and land cargo, and requires them to seize and destroy any goods transported in violation of the sanctions.
Arms experts say Myanmar, which faces an arms embargo from many Western countries, gets weaponry from Pyongyang. Some analysts have suggested North Korea shares missile and nuclear technology with Myanmar, though the evidence is thin.
A recent UN report, obtained last month by The Associated Press, said North Korea remains “actively engaged” in exporting ballistic missiles, components and technology to numerous customers in the Middle East and South Asia in violation of UN sanctions.
The report said prohibited ballistic missile-related items are suspected of being transferred between North Korea and Iran on regularly scheduled flights of Air Koryo and Iran Air, with trans-shipment through a third country that diplomats identified as China. China denies such activity.

Dallas Mavericks

Well we’d better all get our aspirin ready because it’s going to be another year of constant LeBron James and Miami Heat hate.
The Mavericks just flat out wanted it more and they deserve every piece of recognition they deserve. Dirk Nowitzki was terrible for three quarters, but as we have seen so many times throughout the playoffs and the Finals he came good in the fourth as did his team.
Jason Kidd for me was the Finals MVP. I know Dirk was incredible and un-guardable and unconscious and undeniable and every other adjective you can associate with that same theme, but Jason Kidd was the collected leader Dallas never had and he continually made the right play to ensure he got his long awaited and deserved championship. I am very happy for both those guys, as they can finally leave that ‘they were very good but never won a championship’ conversation.
Jason Terry infuriated me over 6 games perhaps more than anyone else has in a series before. OK that’s a lie Paul Pierce trumps him in one game, but he definitely got under both my skin and the Miami Heat’s. His idiotic decision to get a championship trophy tattooed on his arm before the season may now become a craze for bidding NBA champions. Despite me hoping someone would shoot him down when he pretended to be a plane, or a ‘Jet’, him and Barea were two of the biggest reasons that can be attributed to Dallas’ comeback from a 2-1 deficit.
Coming into the series I truly doubted Marion could guard either James or Wade. I couldn’t figure out how Dallas, known for having probably the poorest defense of the elite teams, were going to stop Miami’s offensive onslaught. Despite Dallas’ firepower, I presumed Miami’s athletic defense would be the extinguisher, especially given their performances against the Celtics and Bulls.
How I was wrong. Dallas played unbelievable defense, defense we didn’t even see from the Celtics nor the Bulls, supposedly two of the top 5 defenses in the league, if not top 3. Dallas showed the zone is still relevant in the NBA.
Miami, much like the media that slammed LeBron for failing late, had completely forgotten about the Celtics and Bulls series’ and what had been so successful for them. They became so passive and stationary on offense it was embarrassing. When Wade had the ball James stood in the corner and vice versa. Bosh again went hiding and only popped up every now and then to give up easy buckets on defense.
So we come to LeBron James. Following the Boston and Chicago series he had even Scottie Pippen believing he could be better than Michael. How quickly that turned around. Before game 1 of the Finals everyone had forgotten every criticism they had on LeBron’s game as he, at times single handedly, tore apart the East’s best defensive teams, even more so in late game situations.
Rumours sprouted around the place of Rashard Lewis apparently sleeping with LeBron’s long time girlfriend and wife of his two children whilst she was living with LeBron in South Beach. As far as I am aware Savannah and James’ children live in their palatial mansion in Akron, Ohio and does not live in Miami because they did not want to re-locate the kids. That is why James still spends his off season in Akron. People believe this had a lot to do with LeBron’s dip in form, but until that is proved correct, which we all know won’t happen, it’s just an excuse to cover up his failures.

LeBron failed. Simple as that. Everyone fails, everyone has bad games or bad weeks. Unfortunately for him he lost form in the NBA Finals and his teammates were not good enough to cover for him. No one remembers Kobe Bryant shooting 6/24 in game 7 of last year’s Finals because his teammates were good enough to get the Lakers through, and the universe of hate that surrounds Miami too will be forgotten once they start winning.
Dallas wanted it more and they were clearly the better team. Miami must go away and get better, but I’ll discuss that tomorrow when I take a look at Miami’s season as a whole and how to move forward.
As a Cavaliers fan it wasn’t hard to watch Miami lose. As a LeBron James fan I have become accustomed to disappointment.
Regardless of the conflicting emotions nothing stirs me up like the abuse on LeBron James, and be sure he will be feeling the same way.
For the Heat fans out there, they will be back. For the LeBron James fans out there, this is only the beginning.

Game Of Thrones

So how about Sunday night's episode of "Game of Thrones"? To say that it was a doozy barely scratches the surface of all the shameless double-crossing and bloodshed that occurred.
SPOILER ALERT!: For those who haven't yet watched "Baelor" (or read the novel), do not read any further. MAJOR, major spoilers ahead.
A recap can hardly do justice to the episode's gruesome events, which have been adapted quite faithfully from author George R.R. Martin's brilliant plot twists and turns, but we can provide you with a video interview of "Game of Thrones" star Sean Bean talking about the big "event."
"It's quite heroic, I suppose," Bean told MTV News of the lead into his character's shocking death scene. "I didn't just get knocked off and nobody notices. Plenty of people noticed," he said with a smile. "It was a good one."
Bean said that when he read Martin's book, Ned Stark's death was as much of a shock to him as anyone.
"He's such a predominant character, straight through all of it, and you think, 'Wait a minute, what's happening?' He's obviously been betrayed left and right and center, but you never thought it would come to this," he admitted. "Even the shock on his face before it happens it's like, 'But we made a deal.' It's a pretty awful ending and the kids are watching as well."

Bean said that the short-lived role was amazing to play, and the filming of his final scene was appropriately epic and ambitious.
"We were in Malta in the middle of a big square," he recalled. "A big piazza with hundreds and hundreds of people on a raised platform, I'm making a last speech, I have my hands tied behind back. I kind of say that I have betrayed the realm and I have been a traitor in order to save my children. ... It's real heartbreaking stuff."
But as Martin fans well know, this doesn't mean the end of shocking twists in the series, because, as Cersei Lannister put it, "In the game of thrones, you win, or you die."