"TREME" Writer/Producer DAVID MILLS died on 3/30/10

We've lost one of the greats.

Noted journalist/producer/screenwriter DAVID MILLS passed away suddenly yesterday in New Orleans at the age of 48, of a brain aneurysm.

Mills is perhaps known best for his work on the Baltimore-set HBO miniseries “The Corner,” which he co-wrote and co-executive produced with David Simon. The six-episode mini earned Mills 2 prime time Emmy awards: Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special and Outstanding Mini-Series.

Prior to “The Corner,” Mills had previously worked with Simon once before as a writer on an episode of “Homicide: Life on the Street.” He went on to write a season four episode of “The Wire” (”Soft Eyes”) and later returned to that team as a staff writer for the HBO series’ fifth and final season, a gig that earned him a Writer’s Guild of America nomination for Best Dramatic Series in 2009. He also has series writer and co-executive producer credits on “Treme,” HBO’s David Simon/Eric Overmyer series, which premieres on April 11.

A statement issued by the cable network reads: “HBO is deeply saddened by the sudden loss of our dear friend and colleague David Mills. He was a gracious and humble man, and will be sorely missed by those who knew and loved him, as well as those who were aware of his immense talent. David has left us too soon but his brilliant work will live on.”

Mills did some work for noted TV series’ “ER” and “Conviction,” and he developed the NBC miniseries “Kingpin.” He also wrote nine episodes for “NYPD Blue” between 1995 and 1997, a job he landed after writing a letter to The Washington Post in response to comments made by series creator David Milch about the challenges black American writers face in writing for mass audiences. Milch saw the letter and hired Mills.

Prior to his work on the small screen, Mills made a name for himself as a noted journalist. He was a features writer for The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Times and The Washington Post, and he conducted memorable interviews with Sister Souljah and Public Enemy emcee Professor Griff. He was also known for his love of George Clinton and Parliament-Funkadelic; Mills’ TV work made frequent references to the classic funk outfit and he later went on to collaborate on the book, “George Clinton and P-Funk: An Oral History.”

Mills had been living in New Orleans at the time of his death as part of his work on “Treme.” The 10 episodes set to air for the first season all feature him as a co-executive producer and series writer. The little I’ve seen of the series so far is flawless, a musically-driven companion piece to “The Wire,” only with the focus on post-Katrina New Orleans and the music scene there. Make sure you tune in on April 11 to see for yourself.


We here at The French Quarter Wedding Chapel send our condolences to the Mills’ friends and family during what must be a terribly difficult time.

Carrie Underwood will serve CUPCAKES at her wedding. Yum.

Although Carrie Underwood and Mike Fisher are planning a traditional wedding this summer, they won’t be feeding each other wedding cake when they tie the knot.

“We’re kind of doing cupcakes,” Underwood tells CMT Radio Live’s Cody Alan. “I consider myself a very traditional person. More than anything, we’re going to get married, that’s the important part. And we want everyone to have a good time, so we’re doing some things like that, that are a little bit different.”

The cupcakes will be from Ivey Cake in Franklin, Tenn., which is run by Ivey Childers, wife of Underwood’s bass player, Mark Childers. She “makes the most amazing cupcakes in the universe,” Underwood says.

The couple, who got engaged in December, have not announced a wedding date.

Next Stop, Marriage: L.I. Man Proposes on NJ Transit Bus

TEANECK, N.J. (AP/ 1010 WINS) -- NJ Transit might want to call Bus 7174 "The Love Bus."

That's because a Long Island man decided to propose to his girlfriend on the bus at the Port Authority Bus Terminal on Thursday.

Leora Feigenbaum, 20, was on her way home from midtown Manhattan when a Port Authority employee escorted her from the back of the line for the 167T line.

On board the bus she found flowers, decorations and boyfriend Adam Frohlinger holding an engagement ring.

Frohlinger, 21, says he picked the bus because he knew it was the last place his girlfriend would expect a proposal.

Port Authority and New Jersey Transit officials were in on the fix, helping Frohlinger and some co-conspiring friends get to the bus without being spotted.

"This might be the first time this has ever happened at the bus terminal," Jennifer Friedberg, a Port Authority employee, told the Bergen Record.

The juniors at Yeshiva University met while working at a summer camp in upstate New York two summers ago.

Bhutan Wedding

Bhutan's King, Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck has married with his childhood sweetheart and India-educated commoner Jetsun Pema on 13 October 2011. The Royal Wedding of His Majesty the King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and Her Majesty the Queen Jetsun Pema is one of Bhutan's most anticipated event. Thousands of people have gathered in Bhutan's capital Thimphu to catch a glimpse of King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and his new queen after an elaborate wedding ceremony earlier this week. On Sunday, I check if the Bhutan Royal Wedding Coin still available, look like the" Bhutan Royal Wedding 1oz 999 Fine Silver Proof Colour Coin" has been sold out.

The Singapore Mint is the official Mint for the Bhutan Royal Wedding Commemorative Coins. The exclusive coins bear the portrait of the esteemed Royal Couple on the obverse and the logo of the Royal Wedding is featured on the reverse. The Royal Wedding Logo embodies the symbolic Khorlo (Wheel), signifying the Royalty; Two Circles with the Dhar (Ceremonial Scarf) signifying the Eternal Union of Thap (Method) and Sherab (Wisdom) and the Dham Tshig Tsangma and Lotus, symbolising the Purity of the Union. The Singapore Mint also produce two specially minted one-kilogramme coins as a Royal Wedding Coin Gift.

"Our Family Wedding"-Film review

Actor Michael Vartan excited about wedding plans

Actor Michael Vartan (Monster-In-Law) has thrown himself into planning his upcoming wedding- he's determined to have a say in every detail from picking the bridesmaid dresses to choosing the food.

Actor Michael Vartan has thrown himself into planning his upcoming wedding - he's determined to have a say in every detail from picking the bridesmaid dresses to choosing the food. He proposed to Lauren Skaar earlier this month (Mar 10) and they are preparing to exchange vows next year.

And Vartan, who previously dated his Alias co-star Jennifer Garner, admits he's heavily involved in making sure the big day runs smoothly.

He tells America's OK! magazine, "I feel wonderful! I feel very blessed. I feel like it’s about God damned time I met someone special. I’m excited about throwing an engagement party, I’m excited about choosing the bridesmaid dresses, and what kind of knives and food. "The hardest thing about planning a wedding is where you’re going to seat the people! Who’s going to be seated with who. It’s like playing chess. You can put your family with whoever and they’ll be fine, but then those people in the middle. Are they going to get along?”

Consumer Confidence Flags, Intensifying Economic Fears

Americans' confidence in the economy has suffered a sudden relapse, dimming hopes that they will start spending -- and spurring job growth -- any time soon.

The Consumer Confidence Index figures released Tuesday were much worse than analysts had expected and showed that Americans are morose about the job market and their economic prospects. That bodes ill for the sort of uptick in consumer spending that normally powers economic recovery, and could raise pressure on the Obama administration and Congress to create jobs themselves.

The index fell almost 11 points to 46 in February, down from a revised 56.5 in January and the lowest level since a 40.8 reading in April 2009. It erased three consecutive months of improvement, according to the Conference Board, the research group that releases the monthly index.

Analysts were expecting only a slight decrease to 55. Economists watch the confidence numbers closely because consumer spending accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity.

Outside of the Great Recession, the index hasn't been this low since December 1974.

"It still feels like a recession" to consumers, said Lynn Franco, director of the Conference Board Consumer Research Center.

Confidence has been recovering fitfully since hitting a historic low of 25.3 in February 2009. Many economists believe it will remain well below healthy levels for at least another year or two. A reading above 90 indicates an economy is on solid footing. Above 100 signals strong growth.

Dana Huskey of Chattanooga, Tenn., said she's being very cautious with her spending -- limiting her trips out to eat and her drives around town. The 26-year-old lost her job at Ann Taylor in July and has lined up a job at a yarn store, but it won't open until this summer. Her family has been helping her since then.

"I try not to go out to eat unless I have to," said Huskey. "I got a subscription to the local paper for the weekend edition, to do coupons."

Some economists say Americans won't start to feel better and spend more until they see clear evidence of sizable job growth. In past recessions, however, the employment picture didn't improve dramatically until after a recovery in consumer spending and confidence.

Many economists say business investments and exports can help drive the nascent turnaround in the short term, but a rise in consumer spending is essential to keep it going.

"Without a sustained acceleration in consumption growth, this recovery will eventually fade," said Paul Ashworth, senior U.S. economist at Capital Economics Ltd.

The consumer confidence report put a scare into the stock market, overshadowing retailers' reports that showed stronger holiday profits but also offered cautious sales outlooks. There were also signs that the U.S. housing market is continuing its bumpy recovery: A key index showed home prices rose for the seventh straight month in December.

Executives at discount chain Target Corp. said they expect the recovery to continue -- slowly -- as shoppers grapple with high rates of unemployment and pay down debt.

"I think we're going to see two steps forward, one step back," said Gregg Steinhafel, Target's chairman, president and CEO, in a conference call with investors Tuesday.

The Dow Jones industrials were off 100 points. Interest rates also fell as investors moved money out of stocks and into the safety of Treasury bonds.

The confidence index is based on a sample of 5,000 U.S. households surveyed between Feb. 1 and Feb. 17.

A surprising aspect of the report was that the index's key gauge -- consumers' expectations over the next six months -- took a big hit. The gauge had been on the rise since last October. Consumers' assessment of the current economy slipped to a 27-year low.

Several factors may have aggravated the decline. Heavy snowstorms in many areas of the country may have dampened confidence as they shut down businesses and thwarted job searches. Worries about Greece's national debt hammered the U.S. stock market.

The unemployment picture has become a full-time preoccupation in Congress. The Senate cleared a key hurdle Monday on its way to passing a $15 billion package that includes tax breaks to encourage hiring. Final passage on that measure is scheduled for Wednesday. The measure, however, is likely to boost hiring only modestly.

A second measure for broader and longer-term assistance was under discussion as well. Such a package could include a full-year extension of unemployment insurance and a 65 percent health insurance subsidy for the unemployed through the federal COBRA program. States could also get direct assistance to help them with their straining Medicaid budget.

The overall economy expanded at an annual rate of 5.7 percent in the fourth quarter, but only about one-fourth of that growth came from consumers. Most of the growth came from companies replenishing low inventories.

For those out of work, the economy's recent improvement has been invisible.

"The jobs aren't coming fast enough," said Jim Fox, who was laid off from a steel mill in Sharon, Pa., last August. "The jobs that I do see pay less than what I was making."

Many economists expect new jobs to be created in coming months. Unemployment fell to 9.7 percent in January from 10 percent in December, and employers shed 20,000 jobs. Economists believe the unemployment rate fell because many unemployed people gave up on their job searches, and worry that it will climb back up by summer as those without jobs start trying again.

Gary Thayer, chief economist at Wells Fargo Advisors, believes big improvements in jobs, confidence and spending will be "marching together."

"This is going to be a year when people are waiting to see what happens rather than assuming the best going forward," he said.

Mysterious Wedding Planner Scarlett Johansson

Scarlett Johansson says planning her low-key 2008 wedding to Ryan Reynolds was like conducting a ''drug deal'' because of all the secrecy surrounding the nuptials.

Scarlett Johansson says planning her wedding to Ryan Reynolds was like conducting a "drug deal".

The actress - who married the 'Adventure land' actor in an intimate ceremony on Vancouver Island, Canada, in September 2008 - admits the pair had to do a lot sneaking around so they could keep their big day private.

During an appearance on the 'Late Show with David Letterman', she joked: "I never thought that I'd be planning my wedding in a dark alley somewhere but it turned out that way. It was really quite secretive and I felt like I was doing a drug deal - without all the fun."

Scarlett, 25, also revealed the small number of guests at the ceremony also included the local wildlife.

She added: "It was a very remote part of Canada. Where we got married there were bears and whales and eagles."

Scarlett has previously admitted marrying 33-year-old Ryan cemented the couple's love and brought them closer together.

She said: "We're enjoying evolving our relationship together. I feel that my life and my work are heading in the right direction.

"Being married is a bit like being part of a tribe."

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