From the
Desk of L
Judge sides with anchor Tom Brokaw. A judge has ruled in favour of NBC Nightly News anchor Tom Brokaw in his attempt to keep an outfitter from bringing more big-game hunters on land bordering the newsman's ranch. Judge Randall Spaulding ordered the Montana Board of Outfitters to revoke David Nelson's additional permits to guide big-game hunting trips on the land near Brokaw's Montana ranch. "We're very happy with the decision," Brokaw told The Associated Press in a telephone interview. "We want to reiterate that this is not about trying to stop all hunting by any means. . . . Our concern is about the safety of an out-of-state outfitter bringing hunters to an area they were likely not familiar with." The Board of Outfitters in September granted Nelson 10 additional big-game hunting permits on nearly 1,100 hectares owned by Brokaw's neighbour. Brokaw sought a judge's order to prevent the increased hunting, citing the danger posed by high-powered rifles. In his ruling released Monday, Spaulding said there were serious safety concerns in adding the hunters. He said "novice hunters armed with rifles" guided by Nelson are a danger to people and buildings on Brokaw's land, and said the Board of Outfitters "failed abysmally" in considering safety issues before awarding Nelson the extra hunting permits. "This is a significant issue of public safety that without this court's intervention may end up with tragic consequences," the judge wrote.
Grammy-award winning rapper Murphy Lee was arrested after police pulled him over for an expired licence plate and found marijuana in his Mercedes Benz, authorities said. Lee, born Tohri Harper, was stopped Oct. 31 on Interstate 55 south of St. Louis. Sheriff's deputies allegedly smelled marijuana, and the 22-year-old Lee was arrested on charges of possession and driving under the influence of drugs. Lee's lawyer, Scott Rosenblum, declined to discuss the charges Monday, saying only that Lee expects to plead not guilty during a court appearance next month. Lee, part of the original St. Lunatics clique featuring Nelly, has been featured on a few of Nelly's solo recordings. Lee had a gold CD with last year's debut solo album Murphy's Law, which included the hit Wat da Hook Gon Be. He shared a 2004 Grammy for best rap performance by a duo or group for Shake Ya Tailfeather, a collaboration with Nelly and P. Diddy.
David
Letterman, left, joins Regis Philbin, center, and Kelly Ripa on their morning
show Live with Regis and Kelly.
David Letterman cracked a few jokes, showed some baby pictures and, yes, was a little cranky about going on television so early in the morning. But, as Regis Philbin said, Letterman "did the right thing" and appeared on Live with Regis and Kelly , especially since Philbin has been one of the CBS late-night host's favourite foils for many years. By a Late Show count, Philbin has appeared 83 times on Letterman's show since it moved to CBS in 1993. He was a guest host when Letterman underwent heart bypass surgery in 2000 and recovered from an eye infection last year. Letterman, who's rarely seen on TV outside of his own show, had visited Live twice before, the most recent in February 1997. At least he had the television smarts to show up during a ratings "sweeps" month. "This is a live Mardi Gras every morning," Letterman told Philbin and co-host Kelly Ripa. Letterman showed pictures of son Harry, joking that the one-year-old was looking at "mom's beer can" in one. He and Philbin traded good-natured jibes about who was most negligent about inviting the other on social occasions. After Letterman complained that Philbin hadn't invited him to dinner, the stage curtain opened to reveal a table for two, with breakfast steaks set out. "I want nothing to do with this phoney dinner!" Letterman said. They made some small talk about Notre Dame football, and Philbin tossed in a political question: Why did John Kerry lose? "Geez, I have no idea," Letterman said. "I know nothing about politics. If I knew anything, why would I be here?" Philbin said Live had asked Letterman to appear so many times that the show had nearly stopped asking. "I know how private he is and how much he didn't want to do this," he said. "It was awfully nice of him to come by." As for a return engagement, don't hold you're breath. That's what Letterman indicated when Philbin asked when he'd be back. "None of us will live that long," he replied. -AP.
Continues on the next page.