OverTheLimit

Although Delta hikes baggage fees yet once again they are only going to affect individuals who have booked airplane reservations on (or after) January 5th of 2010. These new rates will now match those of US Airways and Continental Airlines is preparing to announce the same baggage rate increases very shortly.

The low cost rate of $15 for one baggage item will soon be a memory for those who fly on Delta aircraft. According to Delta official Susan Elliott the new rates were necessary because of economic concerns for the airline. Hiking the baggage fees should help them offset some of the normal losses that the company is experiencing without having to raise other prices as well. People who have attained an elite Frequent Flier status and active military duty passengers will be exempt from the rate hike. Other passengers who will be granted exemption are people who fly first class or business class, and those who are purchasing coach class tickets at the regular price.

Beginning this week passengers who use the Delta online website there will be an assessed fee of $23 for the first bag being checked. An additional second piece of baggage will cost the individual $32. The fees are $25 and $35 respectively for any checked baggage that is processed at Delta’s in-terminal counters, at curbside or through the airport kiosk ticket stations.

41 year old funny man and Howard Stern sidekick Artie Lange was rushed to a hospital in New Jersey on Saturday. A representative for Lange has confirmed this report. The Lange camp is being quiet about the details, but published reports state that the comedian stabbed himself in an apparent suicide attempt.

A source from the police department revealed that Lange’s mother who was coming to visit her son and to drop off food for her son made a frantic 911 call after she found her son in his Hoboken apartment on Saturday morning.

Lange is said to have stabbed himself nine times. Six of the stab wounds were described as being “hesitation” wounds and the other three were said to have been deeper which caused Lange to bleed heavily. Despite the heavy bleeding doctors managed to save Lange’s life.

Earlier this week shock jock Howard Stern spoke about Lange’s hospitalization on his radio show but he did not reveal why Lange was taken to the hospital. Stern was very upset about his friend and co-worker and talked about Lange being a great guy. He also mentioned Lange’s past troubles with drug addiction. Reportedly, Lange has been battling drug addition for a long time.

Lange took a leave of absence from the Howard Stern show in December but was set to return to the show in early January.

Jennifer Aniston can breathe a sigh of relief next Sunday at the Golden Globes.

She’s been confirmed as a presenter at the awards and now won’t have to worry about running into her ex Brad Pitt and girlfriend Angelina Jolie as they are now making an appearance this year.

Jen Rade, stylist for Jolie confirmed the news saying “They’re not going because he’s not nominated individually,” she said. ““Inglourious Basterds” is, but not him.”

Other presenters at the Golden Globes include Cher, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz, Jodie Foster, Taylor Lautner, Tom Hanks and Neil Patrick Harris. The awards will air live on NBC on January 17 at 5pm Pacific time.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010 – Reports are claiming that Dennis Hopper is losing his fight against cancer.
In October it was announced that the actor was battling with prostate cancer and was admitted to the hospital with severe flu type symptoms.

Immediately Hopper underwent treatment for his illness at the University of Southern California, but it is said that the disease has spread to his bones. His health has been worsening each day. Presently Hopper is in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and has been there since Christmas.

According to Britain’s News, doctors are admitting that the battle for the 73 year old may be over soon with the disease spreading like it is. The publication states the doctors have discussed with Hopper that the illness is incurable and that these may be his final days.

The acting legend has been struggling with the beast of diseases since 2002.

The actor is a legendary star that has performed in films like Apocalypse Now, Speed and Hoosiers, and Blue Velvet. He just finished the shooting for the TV Series Crash.

He is married to his fifth wife, Victoria Duffy, 42 and they both have a 6 year old daughter together.

The FOX News Channel has scored another big hit in the U.S. cable news wars by landing former Alaska governor and vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin. Fox News has signed Palin to a multi-year contract that will have her contributing as a political analyst as well as hosting a handful of episodes of Fox’s “Real American Stories.” The deal comes on the heels of Palin’s “Going Rogue” book tour which drew large crowds of fans and supporters around the country.

In a written statement Palin said, “I am thrilled to be joining the great talent and management team at Fox News. It’s wonderful to be part of a place that so values fair and balanced news.”

Some political analysts, including the University of Virginia’s Larry Sabato, believe Palin’s tenure with FOX News may be a prelude to a 2012 presidential run.

“This gives her more exposure for as long as she wants it,” Sabato said. “She can always resign the position to run for office.”

The constant exposure on America’s highest rated cable news outlet would give Palin the opportunity to dispel the notion she is a political and historical neophyte, perceptions that hounded her throughout the 2008 race. Love her or hate her, FOX now gives us the opportunity to see more of Sarah Palin.

James Cameron’s “Avatar” continued its reign at the box office this weekend; for the fourth weekend in a row the sci-fi movie has taken the number one spot.

This weekend “Avatar” added another $48.5 million bringing its four week total to $429 million domestically. Holding onto second and third place for the third week in a row are “Sherlock Holmes” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel”.

The totals were very close with “Sherlock Holmes grossing $16.6 million and “Alvin and the Chipmunks” $16.3 million.

The newly released vampire movie “Daybreakers” took the fourth spot with $15 million.

Finally rounding out the top five was the Alec Baldwin, Meryl Streep, and Steve Martin starrer “It’s Complicated” which added another $11 million for a total of $76.4 million.

After The Jay Leno Show posted dismal ratings in the 10 p.m. slot, yesterday NBC confirmed it was moving the comedian elsewhere once the winter Olympics are underway on Feb. 12.

Word has it the Peacock wants Jay Leno to do a half-hour show back in his old 11:35 p.m. slot, moving The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien to 12:05 a.m., and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon to 1:05 a.m.

Though nothing is confirmed and those involved have yet to sign on, there’s been much speculation about the debacle and NBC star Jerry Seinfeld has weighed in.

Speaking at the Television Critics Association winter press tour, Seinfeld said airing Leno at 10 p.m. was the “right idea at the wrong time” and compared the move to the AOL-Time Warner deal: “Everyone goes, ‘What a horribly horrible deal that was.’ And it wasn’t. It was just bad timing.”

He then lauded the Leno experiment as courageous, saying, “I’m proud of NBC for trying to do something different. That’s just showbiz and you’ve got to try things.”

Seinfeld wasn’t as generous with his comments about Conan O’Brien, though, claiming that the Tonight Show’s sagging ratings were a reflection of the ginger-haired host’s abilities, not Leno’s.

“I don’t think anybody’s done anything to Conan,” he said. “What did the network do to him? I don’t think anybody’s preventing anyone from watching Conan.”

“You gotta hit the ball. They can’t hit the ball for you. They can only give you the bat.”

Seinfeld is executive-producing the new NBC series The Marriage Ref, which is scheduled to air a preview episode Feb. 28. (It will première in its regular Sundays at 8 p.m. timeslot on March 14.)

The show will feature celebrities, comedians and sports stars cracking wise about the marital disputes of real-life couples.

He will be a celebrity guest, along with Alec Baldwin, Tina Fey, Charles Barkley and Larry David.

Last week David Hasselhoff announced he was leaving his judging post on NBC’s America’s Got Talent to pursue his own show.

And now we know non other than Canadian born funny man Howie Mandel will replacing the Hoff.

NBC announced that Mandel, who recently hosted the prank show Howie Do It and headlines Deal or No Deal on the Peacock network, will debut on the reality talent competition’s fifth season.

Nick Cannon will return as host.

Mandel should have time for the new gig – NBC doesn’t have plans to bring Deal or No Deal back to prime time, and Howie Do It’s run ended last May.

In addition to his new judging duties, Mandel has a larger overall first-look deal with NBC and will continue to produce projects through his production company, Alevy Productions.

Howie Mandel To Replace David hasselhoff On America's Got Talent

The real housewives of Orange County will have one less housewife in their group. Tamara Barney’s husband Simon Barney has served her with divorce papers. Barney is claiming that his wife has been verbally abusive to him and committed acts of infidelity and disloyalty.

Tamera (42) and Simon Barney have been married for 11 years they also have three children ranging in ages from 4 to 10. Tamera also has a 23 year old son from a previous marriage. News of the pending divorce may not come as a shock to many, as Simon and Tamera’s marriage woes have been played out in the hit Bravo series during the currant season. Some of the most memorable arguments have been over financial troubles as well as the fact that Tamera is friends with fellow Housewives of O.C. alum Vicki Gunvalson. Trouble has also brewed over Tamera’s older son Ryan.

Both Tamera and Simon Baker plan on speaking about the separation. Tamera is going to tell her side on the Bravo “Watch what happens show” on January 14th, and Simon has already blogged stating that he has been portrayed as an evil, controlling husband and it is simply not true.

The Burj Khalifa, which opened formally, last Monday (January 4, 2010), holds the title as the world’s tallest building. It is 2,717 feet (828m) high and has the world’s highest swimming pool and the worlds highest mosque.

It was designed by the Chicago form of Skidmore, Ownings and Merrell. The original name of the tower was supposed to be Burg Dubai (Dubai Tower) but it was changed Monday night at the launch party in honor of the president of the United Arab Emirates and rule of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. Abu Dhabi gave Dubai $10bn as a bailout.

The developers of tower though insist that 90% of the 900 apartments in it are sold and that 300,000 of the office space is rented. Sadly though Dubai has gone from the world’s best performing property market to one of the worst in the space of a year.

There have also been several occasions where workers on the tower held riots to protest the wages they were being paid which were actually below the poverty level. Cover ups of suicide, overwork an deaths from the heat where also discovered by a Human Rights Watch survey. Nine hundred seventy one deaths were reported in the period up to 2005 after which they stopped counting.