A Boston startup that makes patient-tracking software has raised $31 million from investors to help it expand nationally.

PatientPing Inc. is set on Tuesday to disclose the new funding, led by Leerink Transformation Partners, a Boston-based fund, and Andreessen Horowitz of Menlo Park, Calif., which has invested in well-known companies such as Airbnb and Lyft.

Chief executive Jay Desai said the infusion of cash will help PatientPing double its workforce of 50 and expand into new states.

PatientPing makes software that tracks, in real time, when patients are admitted and discharged from hospitals and rehab facilities. By connecting to electronic health records, the program triggers a “ping” when patients enter and leave hospitals. Such basic information can enable doctors and nurses to coordinate care, by allowing them to call or visit patients after a hospital stay and helping them avoid future complications.

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This kind of information sharing is becoming increasingly important under new insurance models known as accountable care, which pay doctors and hospitals a set amount of money to care for patients. When health care providers stay under budget, they can keep some of the savings.

Desai said such data sharing can also help reduce unnecessary tests and treatments.

“There’s a lot of avoidable waste,” he said. “Patients get overtreated.”

PatientPing, founded in 2013, raised $9.6 million in venture funding from other investors last year. It sells its software to thousands of health care providers in six states, including Massachusetts.

Summary: The Boston startup makes software that tracks, in real time, when patients are admitted and discharged from hospitals and rehab facilities.


Police examine a damaged car outside the Morley home. (9NEWS)

Four people are assisting police after a man was found dead in a Perth driveway, the apparent victim of a bashing by a friend.

Police say the body of the man, aged in his 30s, was found outside a home on Fitzgerald Drive in Morley this morning.

Major Crime Squad detectives are investigating and the man's death is being treated as suspicious.

Neighbours said the couple who live at the home were heard arguing late last night, before a fight broke out between two men.

"He was saying, 'you're my best mate, why are you doing this?'," a neighbour who wished only to be referred to as Daniel said.

"And he said, 'you're gonna learn a lesson tonight, you never bash females'."

Daniel said it appeared the deceased man's girlfriend had attempted to revive him with CPR.

No charges have been laid.

Anyone with any information is urged to call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000, or report the information online at www.crimestopperswa.com.au.

© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2016

Summary: Four people are assisting police after a man's body was found in a Perth driveway.


NEW YORK — European competition officials filed charges Tuesday against Facebook, accusing the social media giant of making misleading statements to receive regulatory approval for its $19 billion purchase of WhatsApp, the Internet messaging service.

The accusation, which could lead to a fine of up to 1 percent of Facebook’s yearly revenue, meaning a penalty of about $200 million, comes amid growing tension with Europe’s policy makers over how the company is able to dominate much of the region’s digital world.

The social network is grappling with lengthy investigations into how it uses people’s digital data and fears that its perceived inability to clamp down on hate speech and fake news may have a harmful effect on how Europeans use popular Internet services like Facebook Messenger and Instagram, which is also owned by the company.

Facebook has faced similar questions in the aftermath of the US presidential campaign, during which fake news reports were widely shared on the platform.

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The company denies all the allegations but says it is doing more to remove fake news articles and posts that promote hate speech.

On Tuesday, Margrethe Vestager, Europe’s competition chief, said Facebook had misled regulators in 2014 when it bought WhatsApp. She said the company did not outline its plans to match people’s Facebook accounts with those on the popular messaging app, which now has more than 1 billion users worldwide.

In August, Facebook announced that it would start sharing some people’s digital information between the two services, allowing the company to send tailored advertising or “friend” suggestions to users. The company said the revamped service would also help to fight spam text messages.

Yet Vestager said the potential of such linking was not explained when the social network sought regulatory approval for the purchase, despite questioning from European officials.

By subsequently adding the data sharing to its wider digital offerings, she said, Facebook misled officials, since the company already had the ability to match people’s accounts when the takeover was first announced.

“Companies are obliged to give the commission accurate information during merger investigations,” Vestager said in a statement Tuesday. Such information was required to review potential industry-changing acquisitions, she said, and companies “must take this obligation seriously.”

Facebook said that it had acted in good faith when seeking approval of the deal from European regulators, and that the company had contacted the European Commission, the executive arm of the European Union, at the start of this year about its new plans to match people’s accounts.

“We respect the commission’s process,” a Facebook spokeswoman, Sally Aldous, said in a statement. “We will continue to cooperate and share information officials need to resolve their questions.”

Facebook has until the end of next month to respond to the European competition charges and there is no fixed deadline for the authorities in Brussels to make a decision in the case. Any legal appeal against the potential ruling could take years to resolve.

Despite the new regulatory standoff, Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp is not in question.

Facebook’s plans to link WhatsApp to its increasingly powerful online advertising business model have come under increasing scrutiny in Europe, which has some of the toughest privacy and competition rules.

Facebook’s legal problems in Europe, in part, represent a rite of passage as the company has grown into a global technology behemoth.

Google is fighting three separate charges that it broke the region’s antitrust rules, Apple is appealing a demand to repay $13.5 billion in back taxes, and Uber has been accused of operating illegally across the bloc. The companies deny the charges.

European policy makers say that they are protecting the region’s 500 million people from potential harmful acts by these dominant US companies, though industry executives have accused the region’s lawmakers of unfairly targeting Silicon Valley giants to promote European rivals.

Summary: European competition officials filed charges Tuesday against Facebook, which could face a $200 million fine.


Property Brothers’ Drew Scott finally popped the question to longtime girlfriend Linda Phan. Spoiler alert: she said yes!

The two dated for six years before Scott orchestrated his elaborate proposal — completely with a custom cake and, of course, that ring — last week at Toronto’s Piano Piano. So why now?

“I mean, for six years I’ve been waiting for her to propose to me, and I just figured she’s not going to do it,” Scott, 38, jokes. “No, when you have someone as amazing as Linda, it was important to propose [because] I want to be with her for the rest of my life.”

The newly engaged couple first met at a Toronto Fashion Week event in 2010 where Phan, 31, was dressed as the “fashion police.” “She was wearing a big cop badge and giving out tickets for ‘bad’ fashion,” he says. When Scott saw her he thought, “Oh, she’s attractive and she had a great personality,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue, on newsstands Friday. His actual pick-up-line, though, was a little less awww-inducing.

RELATED: The Property Brothers‘ on Girlfriends, Using Magic to Get Dates and Pole Dancing

WATCH THIS: Property Brothers‘ Drew Scott Is Engaged! All the Details from His Sweet Proposal

“My sister and I were backstage looking for pizza and having some water, and Drew came up to me and said ‘Hey, where’d you get that water?’” Phan recalls. Scott adds, “I was so smooth.”

It wasn’t until a few months later, though, that the couple embarked on “the longest first date ever,” according to Phan. The plans included stops at a sushi restaurant, a hot chocolate spot and finally a karaoke party that Scott wasn’t exactly on the list for.

“I thought, OK, I’m going to duck out and head to this party,” Phan says. “And Drew said, ‘Oh, I’ll come.’ And in my head I thought, I didn’t really invite you, but sure.”

Persistence paid off, though, as the moment “he picked up the microphone,” was when Phan fell for the HGTV star. His first song choice was The Lonely Island’s “I’m on a Boat” — “I have no shame,” he says — and the two sang the rest of the night away.

RELATED: The Property Brothers Are ‘Good to Do Some Babysitting’ for Chip and Joanna Gaines

With first-date jitters far behind them, the two are now focused on their upcoming nuptials. Although much is still to be decided, Scott says he and Phan “love the idea of a destination wedding” for some time next year.

One detail that’s still up in the air: the top spot in Scott’s lineup of groomsmen. “I have two great options,” Scott says, a nod to twin brother Jonathan and the eldest Scott, J.D. “So I might have to do a double best man.”

For more details on Scott and Phan’s sweet love story, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

Summary: It started with a quirky pickup line and a spontaneous first date! How the HGTV star met his fiancée Linda Phan


Sharks have been sighted at three Victorian beaches as the temperature continues to climb across much of the state.

The first shark was reported a Collendina, near Ocean Grove, about 11.50am on Christmas Day.

The Westpac lifesaver rescue helicopter confirmed the Collendina sighting, then spotted sharks near Anglesea and Fairhaven at 12.30pm and 12.43pm, Life Saving Victoria general manager Paul Shannon told AAP.

It's not uncommon to see sharks along that stretch of coast at this time of year, Mr Shannon said.

Do you know more? Email us at contact@9news.com.au

All three sightings have been recorded on the VicEmergency app, which Mr Shannon encouraged people to download.

He also appealed for people to swim between the flags at patrolled beaches.

"We've got another hot day tomorrow and if people could swim between the red and yellow flags, in the safe zone, they shouldn't have any concerns," Mr Shannon said.

Summary: Sharks have been spotted at three Victorian beaches along the same stretch of coast on Christmas Day.


Marcia Clark is opening up about reliving O.J. Simpson's infamous 1995 murder trial in the form of FX's true-crime miniseries, The People vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.

"Watching it happen again on television was enormously painful," Clark said in an exclusive interview with ET's Jennifer Peros. "It's killing me all over again."

Clark was the head prosecutor during Simpson's trial, and ended up taking a leave of absence from her job after the former NFL star was acquitted of murder, before retiring two years later. Clark went on to co-author a book about the case titled Without a Doubt.

WATCH: O.J. Simpson Prosecutor Recalls Verdict 20 Years Later: 'It Shook My Belief in the System'

Clark said that while Tuesday's debut of American Crime Story was "phenomenal," watching the events of the case unfold once again was like "reliving a nightmare."See photos from the infamous O.J. Simpson murder trial:

EXCLUSIVE: Marcia Clark opens up about watching 'The People v. O.J. Simpson': It's like 'reliving a nightmare'

FILE - In this Oct. 3, 1995 file photo, O.J. Simpson, center, reacts as he is found not guilty of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown and her friend Ron Goldman, as members of his defense team, F. Lee Bailey, left, and Johnnie Cochran Jr., right, look on, in court in Los Angeles. The return of O.J. Simpson to a Las Vegas courtroom next Monday, May, 13, will remind Americans of a tragedy that became a national obsession and in the process changed the country's attitude toward the justice system, the media and celebrity. The return of O.J. Simpson to a Las Vegas courtroom next Monday, May, 13, will remind Americans of a tragedy that became a national obsession and in the process changed the country's attitude toward the justice system, the media and celebrity.(AP Photo/Pool, Myung J. Chun, file)

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: O.J. Simpson (L) talks with attorney Robert Shapiro during an 18 January court hearing in Simpson's double-murder case in Los Angeles, California. Judge Lance Ito ruled that jurors may hear some domestic violence allegations against Simpson. Opening statements in the trial were moved to 23 January. (COLOR KEY: Brown wall) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read Vince Bucci/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 23: O.J. Simpson's children from his first marriage, Jason (L), Arnelle (R) and cousin Terri Baker (C) appear in court 23 January in Los Angeles as the former football great and television celebrity's double-murder trial is expected to begin with opening statements. O.J. Simpson is accused of murdering his ex-wife Nicole Brown-Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman on 12 June 1994. (COLOR KEY: Collar (L) is red) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read RICK MEYER/AFP/Getty Images)

Fred Goldman and Patti Glass Goldman, the father and stepmother of murder victim Ronald Goldman, listen to prosecutor Christopher Darden as he delivers opening statements during the O.J. Simpson murder trial, January 24, Los Angeles, California. (Photo by AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 23: O.J. Simpson (R) looks up during a 23 January court hearing in Los Angeles, Ca, as attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. reviews doucuments in what should be opening day in Simpson's double-murder trial begins. Several evidenciary issues remain before the trial will be heard in front of the jury. (COLOR KEY: Brown wall.) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

Deputy district attorney Marcia Clark gestures as she addresses the jury for the prosecution's opening statements in the murder trial of O.J. Simpson, Los Angeles, California, January 24, 1995. Simpson was accused of the 12 June 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. (Photo by Myung J. Chun/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Judge Lance Ito looks at prosecutor Marcia Clark as he admonishes her for argumentative behavior during her opening statements to the jury in the O.J. Simpson murder trial 24 January in Los Angeles, CA. Ito ended the hearing later, after learning that the court video camera viewed live images of two jurors. Ito may remove cameras from the courtroom because of the incident. (COLOR KEY: Brown wall) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 26: Lead prosecutor Marcia Clark (L) talks with fellow prosecutor Christopher Darden during court proceedings 26 January 1995 in Los Angeles. The OJ Simpson trial was delayed by the hospitalization of prosecutor William Hodgman and continuing fray over the defense's failure to turn over the names of its anticipated witnesses. (COLOR KEY: Wall is brown.) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 31: A picture taken by the Los Angeles Police Department on 01 January 1989 and projected on a screen in the courtroom 31 January 1995 shows Nicole Brown Simpson after her 911 call reporting a spousal abuse episode that defendant O.J. Simpson eventually pleaded no contest to. The picture was displayed by the prosecution during questioning of LAPD Detective John Edwards at the double murder trial of Simpson. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 9: Prosecutors in the O.J. Simpson murder trial Marcia Clark(L) and Christopher Darden(2nd L) show a display of a blood trail 09 February at Nicole Simpson's condominium to the jury and Los Angeles Police Department(LAPD) officer Robert Riske(R) during testimony in Superior Court in Los Angeles. Riske was the first police officer to arrive at the scene where Nicole Simpson and Ron Goldman were murdered. (COLOR KEY:Blue chart.) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 15: Defense attorneys Johnnie Cochran Jr. (R) and Robert Shapiro talk about the prosecution's announcement in court 15 February that the blood found on Nicole Brown Simpon's Bundy residence gate genetically matches that of murder defendant O.J. Simpson. (COLOR KEY: Red in Cochran's tie). AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 15: Double murder defendant O.J. Simpson puts on one of the bloody gloves as a Los Angeles Sheriff's Deputy looks on during the O.J. Simpson murder trial 15 June. One of the gloves was found at the murder scene, while the other was found at Simpson's state. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read SAM MIRCOVICH/AFP/Getty Images)

This 21 June 1995 file photo shows former US football player and actor O.J. Simpson looking at a new pair of Aris extra-large gloves that prosecutors had him put on during his double-murder trial in Los Angeles. Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch announced 20 November 2006 the cancellation of a controversial book and television interview involving O.J. Simpson being planned by his News Corp company. AFP PHOTO/Vince BUCCI/FILES (Photo credit should read VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty Images)

Defense attorney for O.J. Simpson, Robert Kardashian sits in a court in Los Angeles Friday, June 9, 1995. Kardashian was let off the hook by Superior Court Judge Stephen Czuleger as a possible prosecution witness in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. Kardashian called Czuleger's ruling a "victory." (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

FILE - This file photo combo shows O.J. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, left, and her friend Ron Goldman, both of whom were murdered and found dead in Los Angeles on June 12, 1994. O.J. Simpson was arrested in connection to the murder and acquitted of the crime. Simpson is now serving nine to 33 years in a Nevada prison after a jury found him guilty in 2008 of leading the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in Las Vegas, and he's seeking a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer failed to disclose that he knew about the plan in advance and told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial. (AP Photo/File)

O.J. Simpson, left, sits with his attorney Johnnie L. Cochran Jr., just after the prosecution rested its case in Simpson's double-murder trial Thursday, July 6, 1995, in a Los Angeles courtroom. (AP Photo/Sam Mircovich, Pool)

Pablo Fenjves (cq) provides testimony Friday, July 1, 1994, during the preliminary hearing for O. J. Simpson, accused of murder in connection with the deaths of Nicole Simpson Brown and Ron Goldman. Fenjves, Ms. Simpson's neighbor, discounted a police report stating he had seen a jeep in her in her driveway the night of the murders. (AP Photo/Douglas C. Pizac)

O.J. Simpson defense attorney Barry Scheck walks into the Los Angeles County Criminal Courts Building Tuesday, April 11, 1995 during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. Scheck, the defense's DNA expert, continues to cross-examine prosecution witness Dennis Fung, a Los Angeles Police Department criminalist, who collected blood evidence at the murder scene of Simpson's ex-wife and her friend. (AP Photo/Rene Macura)

O.J. Simpson, along with defense co-counsel Carl Douglas, left, and Robert Shapiro, right, smiles during a moment of levity Friday, Feb. 24, 1995, at the end of a trying week in the Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles. Following an extremely long hearing Friday, Judge Lance Ito ruled that defense witness Rosa Lopez, who wanted to leave for El Salvador Saturday, is to testify before the jury Monday. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, Pool)

O.J. Simpson smiles as Judge Lance Ito talks to the jury during a brief court session in Los Angeles Wednesday morning, March 1, 1995. Ito brought the jury into the courtroom to inform them that one of the jurors, a 46-year-old black man, had been dismissed. Foreground is Johnnie Cochran Jr. and background is Robert Shapiro. (AP Photo/Pool, Hal Garb)

Prosecutors in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial, from left, Hank Goldberg, Marcia Clark and Chris Darden react to a ruling Friday, April 14, 1995, by Judge Lance Ito at the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building. The judge ruled that the prosecution violated a court order in producing a late-discovered document in front of the jury without first telling the defense and the court. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, Pool)

O.J. Simpson tries on a leather glove allegedly used in the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman during testimony in Simpson's murder trial on June 15, 1995 in Los Angeles. (Photo by Lee Celano/WireImage)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 21: O.J. Simpson shows the jury a new pair of Aris extra-large gloves, similar to the gloves found at the Bundy and Rockingham crime scene 21 June 1995, during his double murder trial in Los Angeles,CA. Deputy Sheriff Roland Jex(L) and Prosecutor Christopher Darden (R) look on. (Photo credit should read VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty Images)

O.J. Simpson holds up his hands before the jury after putting on a new pair of gloves similar to the infamous bloody gloves during his double-murder trial in Los Angeles in this June 21, 1995 photo. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci, Pool)

Prosecutor Chris Darden, left, defense attorney Barry Scheck, second left, and prosecutors Marcia Clark and Rockne Harmon stand in line as they listen to scientist Gary Sims testify Wednesday, May 17, 1995, in Los Angeles during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial. Sims' testimony marked the first time anyone suggested the blood of Ronald Goldman was in Simpson's Ford Bronco. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci)

O.J. Simpson reacts to testimony during the morning session Friday July 8, 1994, in his preliminary hearing at the Criminal Courts building in Los Angeles. Simpson was charged with the murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Lyle Goldman on June 12, 1994. (AP Photo/Eric Draper, pool)

California Department of Justice criminalist Gary Sims shows the jury in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial one of Simpson's blood-stained socks Wednesday, May 31, 1995, in Los Angeles. Sims returned to the stand after his testimony was cut short when he had to attend a funeral. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci)

FILE -- This Polaroid photograph of Nicole Brown Simpson, taken from pool video courtesy CNN, became the subject of controversy as the prosecution attempted to enter it in evidence in the O.J. Simpson murder trial in Los Angeles Monday Feb. 6 1995. Judge Lance Ito disallowed submission of the 1989 photograph showing Simpson with a swollen eye. The ruling came after the defense demanded sanctions against the prosecution for introducing it without foundation. (AP Photo/FILE, Cable News Network)

Prosecuting attorney Brian Kelberg points to his throat Tuesday, June 13, 1995, as he questions Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran about knife wounds to Ron Goldman during a morning session of the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial.(AP Photo/Myung J. Chun, Pool)

Defense attorney Robert Shapiro wields a knife during the morning session Thursday, June 15, 1995, of the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles. During cross-examination of Los Angeles County Coroner Dr. Lakshmanan Sathyavagiswaran, Shapiro was demonstrating the many ways a knife could be handled. Prosecuting attorney Brian Kelberg is in background.(AP Photo/Sam Mircovich,Pool)

O.J. Simpson, left, is consolated by defense attorney Carl Douglas as Simpson breaks down while evidence from the Bundy murder site is shown in court during the Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles Monday, June 19, 1995. (AP Photo/Rick Meyer)

Denise Brown, sister of murder victim Nicole Brown Simpson, wipes her eye while testifying under direct examination by the prosecution in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles, in this Feb. 3, 1995 photo. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)

Superior Court Judge Lance Ito addresses the court Friday, Sept. 1, 1995, during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles. One day after Ito's ruling barring most of the Mark Fuhrman interview tapes, defense attorneys F. Lee Bailey and Johnnie Cochran Jr. turned to accounts of new witnesses concerning Fuhrman's use of racial epithets and possible involvement with Nazi symbols. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill, Pool)

Dismissed O.J. Simpson trial juror Francine Florio-Bunten brings a hand to her face Friday, June 23, 1995, in Los Angeles, during a hearing in which Superior Court Judge Lance Ito decided to open sealed transcripts of jury dismissal hearings. Florio-Bunten's lawyer said that her client believed "she was sabotaged in an effort to get her off the jury by unknown persons." (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian, Pool)

Superior Court Judge Lance Ito holds up a sample of an autoradiology picture of DNA sequences Tueday afternoon, May 9, 1995, at the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building, used to demonstrate what defendant O.J. Simpson's autorad would look like. Autorad is the shorthand name for the film depicting small bars that form the genetic patterns of a person's blood. (AP Photo/John McCoy)

Defendant O.J. Simpson stretches as the jury is brought into the courtroom in Los Angeles Thursday, May 11, 1995. Five blood drops at the murder scene outside Nicole Brown Simpson's home did not come from either victim and possibly came from Simpson, a scientist testified Thursday during the Simpson double-murder trial. (AP Photo/Pool, Sam Mircovich)

Witness Brian "Kato" Kaelin testifies under direct examination during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial at the Los Angeles Criminal Courts Building in this Tuesday, March 21, 1995 photo. (AP Photo/John McCoy, Pool)

O.J. Simpson defense attorney Barry Scheck, left, reviews transcripts of the Simpson trial as Prosecutor Marcia Clark, right, looks on Monday, Sept. 18, 1995 during the Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, pool)

Prosecutor Christopher Darden, center, holds a pair of gloves for glove expert Richard Rubin, left, and defense attorney Robert Blasier, during testimony in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 1995 in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/David Sprague, Pool)

O.J. Simpson's mother, Eunice Simpson, watches the proceedings in the double-murder trial of her son in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 6, 1995. Eunice Simpson is slated to be a defense witness. (AP Photo/Fred Prouser, Pool)

Screenwriter Laura Hart McKinny testifies in regards to transcripts of her taped interviews with retired Los Angeles police detective Mark Fuhrman, Tuesday, Aug. 29, 1995, during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles. The tapes were played in court Tuesday, without the jury present, to help Judge Lance Ito determine if they are relevant to Simpson's murder trial. (AP Photo/David Sprague, Pool)

Prosecutor Marcia Clark demonstrates to the jury how the murders were committed Tuesday, Sept. 26, 1995, during her closing arguements in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Myung J. Chun, Pool)

Arnelle Simpson, center, holds her head while her grandmother Eunice Simpson, left, and her aunt Shirley Baker sit in court during closing arguments of the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles Friday, Sept.29, 1995. Arnelle is O.J. Simpson's daughter from his first marriage. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, Pool)

Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito yells in court during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles Friday, Sept. 29, 1995. (AP Photo/Eric Draper, Pool)

Prosecutor Marcia Clark shows signs of weariness during the last moments of her closing arguments in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial Friday, Sept. 29, 1995 in Los Angeles as fellow prosecutor Hank Goldberg looks on. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon, pool)

FILE--Limousine driver Allan Park, left, testifies while attorney Johnnie Cochran Jr. displays a bag during the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial in Los Angeles Wednesday, March 29, 1995. Prosecutors finished up their closing arguments Friday, Sept. 29, 1995, citing Park's testimony as a key element in the trial. (AP Photo/Hal Garb, Pool)

Richard Rubin, former vice president of Aris Isotoner Inc., uses a pen to aid in measuring the left hand of O.J. Simpson without the presence of the jury Wednesday, June 21, 1995, during the double-murder trial in Los Angeles. Surrounding Simpson from left to right are defense attorneys Barry Scheck, Robert Shapiro, and Robert Blasier, seen from behind. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci, Pool)

O.J. Simpson puts on a new pair of gloves similar to the bloody gloves found at the murder scene in front of the jury during his double-murder trial in Los Angeles Wednesday, June 21, 1995. A prosecution glove expert declared that the gloves fit well. (AP Photo/Vince Bucci, Pool)

A smiling O.J. Simpson reacts to the jury's not guilty verdict in his double-murder trial in a Los Angeles courtroom Tuesday, Oct. 3, 1995. (AP Photo/Myung Chun, pool) <%% 0 PICTURE_OK HEADER_OK 0 2 %%>

Olympic gold medal champion Bruce Jenner and his wife Kris pause for a brief interview on the steps of the Criminal Courts Building as they arrive to watch the closing arguments in the O.J. Simpson double-murder trial, Wednesday, Sept. 27, 1995, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Nick Ut)

However, the 62-year-old had nothing but praise for actress Sarah Paulson, who portrays her on the miniseries.

"I think she is a genius," Clark gushed, adding that she feels it's "an honor" to be played by Paulson, whom she met with as the actress was wrapping up her work on the series.

MORE: 'The People v. O.J. Simpson': Get to Know the 10 Key Characters (and the Star-Studded Cast!) of 'American Crime Story'

Paulson went in-depth researching the role, even going so far as to wear the same perfume Clark did during the 1995 trial.

"She's an amazing actress," the prosecutor said. "She surpassed anything I could have ever imagined. She's funny and so brilliant and she's a wonderful person."

Clark admitted, however, that she had to apologize to Paulson for one of her style choices during the highly-publicized murder trial.

"The first thing I said to her was sorry about that hair," recalled Clark -- who famously sported a curly perm during the televised proceedings -- with a laugh.

WATCH: Cuba Gooding Jr. Explains Why He Didn't Reach Out to O.J. Simpson About 'American Crime Story'

"She said, yeah, they had a series of wigs she had to wear," the prosecutor added. "So she didn't really have to [get a perm]. There's only so far you have to go."

Looking back, Clark is surprised that her appearance garnered so much attention, and says she's happy that executive producer Ryan Murphy had "the guts" to take a look at the "sexism aspect" of how she was portrayed in the media.See photos of all of the people involved in the murder trial:

EXCLUSIVE: Marcia Clark opens up about watching 'The People v. O.J. Simpson': It's like 'reliving a nightmare'

The televised courtroom saga of O.J. Simpson made household names of prosecutors, defense lawyers, family friends, even a houseguest. Pictured in this combination of file photos are some of those individuals: top row from left, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Lance Ito; defense co-counsel Johnnie Cochran Jr.; defense DNA expert Barry Scheck; defense co-counsel F. Lee Bailey; lead prosecutor Marcia Clark. From left, bottom row; co-prosecutor Christopher Darden; former Los Angeles Police detective Mark Fuhrman; Simpson house guest Brian "Kato" Kaelin; victim Ron Goldman's father Fred Goldman and sister of victim Nicole Brown Simpson, Denise Brown. Saturday, June 12, 2014, marks the 20-year anniversary of the murders Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown Simpson.

Judge Lance Ito, still on the Los Angeles Superior Court bench, has presided over some 500 trials since the Simpson case made him famous. He long ago took his name plate off his courtroom door because it kept getting stolen. He is not standing for re-election this year and will retire in 2015 with few plans other than to learn to play guitar.

Judge Lance Ito, still on the Los Angeles Superior Court bench, has presided over some 500 trials since the Simpson case made him famous. He long ago took his name plate off his courtroom door because it kept getting stolen. He is not standing for re-election this year and will retire in 2015 with few plans other than to learn to play guitar.

Gil Garcetti, Los Angeles district attorney during the Simpson trial, was re-elected to another term in spite of criticism of his handling of the case. He later changed careers, focusing on photography, and traveled the world taking pictures that were published in six books to raise awareness of social needs such as water wells in Africa. He has been consulting director of TV crime dramas, "The Closer" and "Major Crimes." His son, Eric, is mayor of Los Angeles.

Gil Garcetti, Los Angeles district attorney during the Simpson trial, was re-elected to another term in spite of criticism of his handling of the case. He later changed careers, focusing on photography, and traveled the world taking pictures that were published in six books to raise awareness of social needs such as water wells in Africa. He has been consulting director of TV crime dramas, "The Closer" and "Major Crimes." His son, Eric, is mayor of Los Angeles.

Marcia Clark, who prosecuted Simpson unsuccessfully, was paid $4 million for her memoir of the case and wrote a series of mystery novels. She never tried another case and stopped practicing law, though she has appeared as a TV commentator on high-profile trials.

(AP Photo/Myung J. Chun, Pool)

Marcia Clark, who prosecuted Simpson unsuccessfully, was paid $4 million for her memoir of the case and wrote a series of mystery novels. She never tried another case and stopped practicing law, though she has appeared as a TV commentator on high-profile trials.

Christopher Darden, the co-prosecutor criticized for having Simpson try on the so-called murder gloves, left the district attorney's office following the trial and became a defense attorney. He wrote a memoir of the trial and has published several mystery novels.

Christopher Darden, the co-prosecutor criticized for having Simpson try on the so-called murder gloves, left the district attorney's office following the trial and became a defense attorney. He wrote a memoir of the trial and has published several mystery novels.

Robert Shapiro, the first member of Simpson's defense team, launched a foundation to help drug addicted youngsters after his son, Brent, fatally overdosed in 2005. He was one of the founders of LegalZoom.com, a do-it-yourself document service for people bringing lawsuits.

Robert Shapiro, the first member of Simpson's defense team, launched a foundation to help drug addicted youngsters after his son, Brent, fatally overdosed in 2005. He was one of the founders of LegalZoom.com, a do-it-yourself document service for people bringing lawsuits.

(Katy Winn/Invision for LA Friendly House/AP Images)

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Simpson's lead attorney who coined the phrase, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," wrote a memoir revealing his rift with Shapiro over control of the defense case. He expanded his law firm to 15 states and was the success story of the team until he was stricken with brain cancer and died in 2005 at 68.

Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., Simpson's lead attorney who coined the phrase, "If it doesn't fit, you must acquit," wrote a memoir revealing his rift with Shapiro over control of the defense case. He expanded his law firm to 15 states and was the success story of the team until he was stricken with brain cancer and died in 2005 at 68.

Barry Scheck, the lawyer who introduced the science of DNA to jurors and to the public watching on TV, attacked police methods of evidence collection and demolished the prosecution's forensic evidence case. He and co-counsel on the Simpson case, Peter Neufeld, founded The Innocence Project that uses DNA evidence to exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners. They have helped overturn hundreds of cases.

Barry Scheck, the lawyer who introduced the science of DNA to jurors and to the public watching on TV, attacked police methods of evidence collection and demolished the prosecution's forensic evidence case. He and co-counsel on the Simpson case, Peter Neufeld, founded The Innocence Project that uses DNA evidence to exonerate wrongly convicted prisoners. They have helped overturn hundreds of cases.

(Amy Sussman/Getty Images for The New Yorker)

F. Lee Bailey, famed for his role in the trials of Dr. Sam Shepard and heiress Patty Hearst, was a part-time member of the "Dream Team" who exposed detective Mark Fuhrman's racist statements. Bailey later was disbarred in Massachusetts and Florida for misconduct in handling a client's case. He continues to seek readmission to the bar and has written a lengthy treatise on why he believes in Simpson's innocence.

F. Lee Bailey, famed for his role in the trials of Dr. Sam Shepard and heiress Patty Hearst, was a part-time member of the "Dream Team" who exposed detective Mark Fuhrman's racist statements. Bailey later was disbarred in Massachusetts and Florida for misconduct in handling a client's case. He continues to seek readmission to the bar and has written a lengthy treatise on why he believes in Simpson's innocence.

(Gregory Rec/Portland Press Herald via Getty Images)

Robert Kardashian, a close friend of Simpson, renewed his lapsed law license to participate in the trial. Simpson stayed at his home after the killings were discovered and Kardashian read to the public a rambling message from Simpson as he was fleeing from police in a white Ford Bronco. Kardashian died at the age of 59 in 2003 from esophageal cancer. His ex-wife, Kris, and his children, Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob, became famous after his death with their reality show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians."

Kato Kaelin, known as America's most famous house guest, was living on Simpson's property when he claimed to hear a bump in the night that prosecutors suggested was Simpson returning from the murders. Kaelin tried to extend his moment in the spotlight to show business after the trial and is now involved in promoting a clothing line called, "Kato's Potatoes."

Kato Kaelin, known as America's most famous house guest, was living on Simpson's property when he claimed to hear a bump in the night that prosecutors suggested was Simpson returning from the murders. Kaelin tried to extend his moment in the spotlight to show business after the trial and is now involved in promoting a clothing line called, "Kato's Potatoes."

Kim Goldman, Ron Goldman's younger sister, was 22 when she burst into hysterical sobs when the not guilty verdict was read. She counsels troubled teens as executive director of the Southern California-based nonprofit The Youth Project and is a frequent speaker to victims' rights group. She is the author of two books. Her latest, "Can't Forgive: My Twenty-Year Battle With O.J. Simpson," was published last month. Goldman, 42, is divorced and lives in a Southern California suburb with her 10-year-old son.

Kim Goldman, Ron Goldman's younger sister, was 22 when she burst into hysterical sobs when the not guilty verdict was read. She counsels troubled teens as executive director of the Southern California-based nonprofit The Youth Project and is a frequent speaker to victims' rights group. She is the author of two books. Her latest, "Can't Forgive: My Twenty-Year Battle With O.J. Simpson," was published last month. Goldman, 42, is divorced and lives in a Southern California suburb with her 10-year-old son.

(Photo by Heidi Gutman/ABC via Getty Images)

Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, relentlessly pursued O.J. Simpson through civil courts for more than a decade. Goldman's family seized Simpson's Heisman Trophy, the rights to his movies, a book he wrote about the killings and other items to satisfy part of a $33.5 million judgment by a civil court jury that held Simpson liable for the killings. Goldman, a 73-year-old former architect, lives with his wife, Patti, in Arizona, where he works in retail sales. "Can't afford to retire," says Goldman, who adds he has put what share of the judgment he's recovered into the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice that he founded with his wife and daughter.

Fred Goldman, Ron Goldman's father, relentlessly pursued O.J. Simpson through civil courts for more than a decade. Goldman's family seized Simpson's Heisman Trophy, the rights to his movies, a book he wrote about the killings and other items to satisfy part of a $33.5 million judgment by a civil court jury that held Simpson liable for the killings. Goldman, a 73-year-old former architect, lives with his wife, Patti, in Arizona, where he works in retail sales. "Can't afford to retire," says Goldman, who adds he has put what share of the judgment he's recovered into the Ron Goldman Foundation for Justice that he founded with his wife and daughter.

(Photo by Issac Brekken-Pool/Getty Images)

This photo released by Harpo Studios Wednesday Sept. 12, 2007, shows, from left-right, Fred and Kim Goldman, the father and sister of Ron Goldman, Oprah Winfrey. and former O.J. prosecutors Marcia Clark and Christopher Darden. They talked about the controversial book that O.J. Simpson wrote and why the Goldman's decided to publish it.

"I mean, I'm a prosecutor. I'm not a model. I'm not an actress," she reflected. "I'm prosecuting a case, I'm a lawyer! No one had ever cared before ... and suddenly everybody is talking about my hair and my makeup, it was mind-blowing. It was like living on another planet. And I have to say, no one until now has talked about that."

WATCH: Nicole Brown and Ron Goldman's Families Tell Dr. Phil 'American Crime Story' Is 'Epitome of Disrespect'

While Clark supports the show and Paulson's on-screen portrayal, she acknowledged the complaints leveled against the series by the families of Simpson's alleged victims, ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, who have been vocally opposed to the production, calling it the "epitome of disrespect."

"I think the series actually makes an effort to acknowledge them and the ways in which that they were forgotten," Clark said. "This is an important series that's beautifully done, very compelling and I can't thank Ryan Murphy enough for what he's done here in terms of raising these issues in a very serious and compelling and very substantive way."See photos of the infamous car chase:

OJ Simpson car chase, June 17 1994

EXCLUSIVE: Marcia Clark opens up about watching 'The People v. O.J. Simpson': It's like 'reliving a nightmare'

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 17: Police cars pursue the Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson's friend Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home, with Simpson ducked under the back passenger seat, to Brentwood where he surrendered after a stand-off with police. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 17: Motorists wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco (white, R) driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson's friend Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home, with Simpson ducked under the back passenger seat, to Brentwood where he surrendered after a stand-off with police. (Photo by Jean-Marc Giboux/Liaison)

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 17: Motorists wave signs as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson's friend Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home, with Simpson ducked under the back passenger seat, to Brentwood where he surrendered after a stand-off with police. (Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Archive Photos/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 17: Motorists wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco (white, R) driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson's friend Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home, with Simpson ducked under the back passenger seat, to Brentwood where he surrendered after a stand-off with police. (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES - JUNE 17: Motorists stop and wave as police cars pursue the Ford Bronco (white, R) driven by Al Cowlings, carrying fugitive murder suspect O.J. Simpson, on a 90-minute slow-speed car chase June 17, 1994 on the 405 freeway in Los Angeles, California. Simpson's friend Cowlings eventually drove Simpson home, with Simpson ducked under the back passenger seat, to Brentwood where he surrendered after a stand-off with police. (Photo by Jean-Marc Giboux/Liaison)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JUNE 18: Ex-football superstar O.J. Simpson (C) is accompanied by two LAPD detectives to Parker Center after he was arrested following a 90 minute highway chase 17 June. Simpson has been charged with the murder of his ex-wife Nicole Simpson and her friend Ronald Goldman who were brutally slain late 12 June 1994. (Photo credit should read VINCE BUCCI/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, UNITED STATES: A photograph dated 29 September 1994 of O.J. Simpson in a Los Angeles courthouse during his trial. (Photo credit should read MIKE NELSON/AFP/Getty Images)

FILE - This file photo combo shows O.J. Simpson's ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson, left, and her friend Ron Goldman, both of whom were murdered and found dead in Los Angeles on June 12, 1994. O.J. Simpson was arrested in connection to the murder and acquitted of the crime. Simpson is now serving nine to 33 years in a Nevada prison after a jury found him guilty in 2008 of leading the gunpoint robbery of two sports memorabilia dealers in Las Vegas, and he's seeking a new trial because he says his longtime lawyer failed to disclose that he knew about the plan in advance and told Simpson it was legal and provided bad advice at trial. (AP Photo/File)

LOS ANGELES, CA - MARCH 6: Los Angeles Police Detective Tom Lange (L) points to pictures 06 March of the trail of blood at Nicole Brown Simpson's condominium where she and her friend Ron Goldman were murdered 12 June 1994 during testimony in the O.J. Simpson murder trial. Lange, one of the lead investigators in the case, was cross-examined by the defense as to his actions at the murder scene. On the right is Simpson attorney Johnnie Cochran, Jr. AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read Lori SHELPER/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 24: Prosecutor Marcia Clark points to a chart as she describes to jurors where evidence was found at O.J. Simpson's home during opening statements in the O.J. Simpson murder trial 24 January in Los Angeles, CA. Simpson is accused of the 12 June 1994 murders of his ex-wife Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman. (COLOR KEY: Chart has blue border) AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 8: Sukru Boztepe points 08 February in a Los Angeles court to O.J. Simpson ex-wife Nicole Brown Simpson's condominium where he found her body 'lying down full of blood' just after midnight 12 June 1994. A friend, Ronald Goldman, was also found murdered. (COLOR KEY: Boztepe's shirt is red). AFP PHOTO (Photo credit should read POO/AFP/Getty Images)

"But at the end of the day two people lost their lives in a brutal murder," she added. "So we have to remember that. We can't forget them again. Remember Ron and Nicole."

These days, Clark works in criminal defense, "helping people who can't afford to take care of their own," while also writing crime novels. Her latest book, Blood Defense, which draws on her legal experience to tell the story of a criminal defense lawyer with a "twisted kind of justice," hits shelves May 1.

WATCH: Nicole Brown Simpson's Sister Sounds Off on 'American Crime Story'

Summary: Marcia Clark opens up about reliving O.J. Simpson's infamous trial in the form of new miniseries, 'The People vs O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.'


LONG THE SUDAN-CHAD BORDER  Meet Magboula Muhammad Khattar and her baby, Nada.

I wrote about Ms. Khattar in my last two columns, recounting how the Janjaweed Arab militia burned her village, murdered her parents and finally tracked her family down in the mountains. Ms. Khattar hid, but the Janjaweed caught her husband and his brothers, only 4, 6 and 8 years old, and killed them all.

Ms. Khattar decided that the only hope for saving her two daughters and her baby sister was to lead them by night to Chad. They had to avoid wells where the Janjaweed kept watch, but eight days later, half-dead with hunger and thirst, they staggered across the dry riverbed that marks the border with Chad.

That's where I found Ms. Khattar. She is part of a wave of 1.2 million people left homeless by the genocide in Darfur.

Among those I met was Haiga Ibrahim, a 16-year-old girl who said her father and three older brothers had been killed by the Janjaweed. So Haiga led her crippled mother and younger brothers and sisters to Chad. But the place they reached along the border, Bamina, was too remote to get help from overtaxed aid agencies.

So when I found her, Haiga was leading her brothers and sisters 30 miles across the desert to the town of Bahai. "My mother can't walk any more," she said wearily. "First I'm taking my brother and sisters, and then I hope to go back and bring my mother."

There is no childhood here. I saw a 4-year-old orphan girl, Nijah Ahmed, carrying her 13-month-old brother, Nibraz, on her back. Their parents and 15-year-old brother are missing in Sudan and presumed dead.

As for Ms. Khattar, she is camping beneath a tree, sharing the shade with three other women also widowed by the Janjaweed. In some ways Ms. Khattar is lucky; her children all survived. Moreover, in some Sudanese tribes, widows must endure having their vaginas sewn shut to preserve their honor, but that is not true of her Zaghawa tribe.

Ms. Khattar's children have nightmares, their screams at night mixing with the yelps of jackals, and she worries that she will lose them to hunger or disease. But her plight pales beside that of Hatum Atraman Bashir, a 35-year-old woman who is pregnant with the baby of one of the 20 Janjaweed raiders who murdered her husband and then gang-raped her.

Ms. Bashir said that when the Janjaweed attacked her village, Kornei, she fled with her seven children. But when she and a few other mothers crept out to find food, the Janjaweed captured them and tied them on the ground, spread-eagled, then gang-raped them.

"They said, `You are black women, and you are our slaves,' and they also said other bad things that I cannot repeat," she said, crying softly. "One of the women cried, and they killed her. Then they told me, `If you cry, we will kill you, too.' " Other women from Kornei confirm her story and say that another woman who was gang-raped at that time had her ears partly cut off as an added humiliation.

One moment Ms. Bashir reviles the baby inside her. The next moment, she tearfully changes her mind. "I will not kill the baby," she said. "I will love it. This baby has no problem, except for his father."

Ms. Khattar, the orphans, Ms. Bashir and countless more like them have gone through hell in the last few months, as we have all turned our backs  and the rainy season is starting to make their lives even more miserable. In my next column, I'll suggest what we can do to save them. For readers eager to act now, some options are at www.nytimes.com/kristofresponds, Posting 479.

Summary: Magboula Muhammad Khattar is part of a wave of 1.2 million people left homeless by the genocide in Darfur, Sudan.


Derek Lamb, an Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer of animated films, died on Nov. 5 in Poulsbo, Wash., where he was visiting a friend. He was 69 and lived in Cambridge, Mass.

The cause was cancer, said Janet Perlman, Mr. Lamb's former wife and a longtime collaborator.

For many years associated with the National Film Board of Canada, Mr. Lamb earned an Oscar for Best Animated Short Film for "Every Child" (1979). The six-minute film was directed by Eugene Fedorenko and produced by Mr. Lamb, who was also a co-writer. It follows the tribulations of a baby left on a doorstep who bounces from one inhospitable household to the next.

Mr. Lamb also produced "Special Delivery" (1978), an Oscar-winning animated short. A darkly funny cautionary tale, the film chronicles the series of unfortunate events that ensues after a man fails to clear his porch of snow and ice.

With Mr. Fedorenko and Ms. Perlman, Mr. Lamb created the mordant, much-loved credit sequence for the PBS "Mystery!" series, featuring the art of Edward Gorey.

Derek Reginald Steven Lamb was born on June 20, 1936, in Bromley, England, and studied graphic design in Britain. In the late 1950's, he became smitten with animation after seeing the work of the renowned Canadian animator Norman McLaren in Montreal. Mr. Lamb eventually talked his way into a job as a writer with the National Film Board of Canada.

Among Mr. Lamb's best-known work from this period is "I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly" (1964), which he directed. The film's soundtrack is sung by Burl Ives.

After a stint producing animation for "Sesame Street," Mr. Lamb returned to the National Film Board in the mid-1970's as the head of its English-language animation department. In 1983, he and Ms. Perlman formed Lamb Perlman Productions.

Mr. Lamb taught animation at Harvard from 1965 to 1970; in later years, he returned to the university as a guest lecturer.

Mr. Lamb's first marriage, to Avril Ellenport, ended in divorce, as did his second, to Ms. Perlman. He is survived by his third wife, Tracie Smart; two children from his first marriage, Richard, of Bennington, Vt., and Tom, of Los Angeles; and one grandchild.

In recent years, Mr. Lamb directed several animated films for Street Kids International, a human rights organization. Aimed at audiences of street children throughout the world, they include "Goldtooth" (1996), about the dangers of substance abuse, and "Karate Kids" (1990), about AIDS.

Summary: Derek Lamb was an Academy Award-winning writer, director and producer of animated films.


By LUKE CYPHERS DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

Sunday, August 29th 1999, 2:11AM

LOMITA, Calif. Eric Basica, his long skinny limbs sprawling across his family room like grapevines, tapped his laptop for news of his best friend, Alexandra Stevenson, the would-be darling of this year's U.S. Open.

"Found the draw," says Basica, a smile beaming beneath a newly shaved pate. "Alexandra got Nathalie Tauziat in the first round. That's really good for her. Tauziat's seeded, but Alexandra can beat her."

He grew up on California tennis courts with Stevenson. For eight years, the pair traded ground strokes and verbal volleys across the nets on Court 2 at the prestigious Jack Kramer Club. They shared the same shamed coach, Pete Fischer, who now sits in prison as a child molester, and have both stood by him.

Separately, they've each borne up under weights that would crush most 18-year-olds. Stevenson is coping with the sudden fame brought about by her riveting run to the semifinals at Wimbledon and the revelation that she is the out-of-wedlock child of basketball legend Julius Erving.

Basica is trying to beat testicular cancer, which has sidelined his tennis career and his college plans.

"She was a girl, and I was a little squirt she was just a bit bigger, about a foot or so," Basica says. "We always wanted to kill each other out there. We'd play tiebreaks, and I didn't want to lose to a girl, and she didn't want to lose to a squirt."

Long before Stevenson grabbed the nation's fancy with her powerful serves and dainty curtseys at Wimbledon, she had a big-time rivalry with her once-diminutive hitting partner.

"I hated him, omigosh," she says, volume rising on her high-decibel Valley Girl accent. "He'd say something or annoy me just as I'd hit the ball, then I'd do something back and get caught, and [the coach] would put me on 'vacation.' That's what he called it when you got thrown out of the lesson."

Basica tossed taunts. "He'd call me fat and ugly," she says. (For the record, he denies it.)

Stevenson tossed rackets. "One time, she threw it as hard as she could hit me right here," Basica said, laughing, pointing just below his neck.

They were inseparable. Stevenson and her mother, Samantha, made the two-hour trip from San Diego to this posh section of L.A. three times a week for lessons. Often on Fridays the gangly girl and the skinny boy would have to be dragged off the court.

"We'd just keep playing till way after dark, getting into these late-night screaming matches," says Stevenson . "You could hear us all across the club. We were infamous. It was basically the Eric and Alexandra show."

Often, Stevenson and her mom would stay over. "After the lessons, we'd go swimming, ice skating, have pizza," Basica says. "No grudges."

It was all part of a plan overseen by Fischer, the Palos Verdes physician who helped mold Pete Sampras into a champion. "I used to hate seeing them argue, and I wanted Alexandra out of it," says Samantha Stevenson, who this summer might have become the world's best-known female sportswriter.

"But Pete would just tell me, 'No, they're going to be like siblings. They'll fight, but they're close. Let it happen.' Pete was right."

Stevenson, an only child raised by a single mother, says she thinks of Basica now a lanky 6-feet-3 as a brother. "Oh, we're bonded," she says, smiling. "We talk almost every day."

They'd love it if they could all hang out together right now in New York: Alexandra and Eric, with their coach, who never charged a penny for a lesson.

They can't. While Stevenson takes the court this week, coping with the pitfalls of sudden fame and expectations, Basica will be taking chemotherapy to treat the cancer that has put his life on hold. He thought he had it beat once, after a series of chemo treatments in 1997, but it came back last winter.

Offered a full scholarship to UCLA, he has to wait to enroll in school until January.

"It's very upsetting, because he's not out here with me, and he should be," Stevenson says. "It's horrible."

Fischer, meanwhile, sits in a minimum-security prison cell in San Luis Obispo, serving time on charges of molesting children he treated in his medical practice. Basica visited him two weeks ago and corresponds with him often.

"Out of all the people I know and Alexandra knows, he's been the kindest person," Basica says. "For all we know, he wouldn't hurt a fly. I'm gonna stand by him. And so's Alexandra."

Stevenson's recent ride would have been hard on anyone, let alone a vulnerable teenage girl. Coach gets convicted. Friend gets cancer. A few weeks out of high school, you get famous.

Meantime, Mom gets demonized by fellow journalists who say her relationship with Erving some 20 years ago set the profession back, well, 20 years. "She scared the hell out of everyone," read the headline of one negative profile of Samantha.

On top of it all, with the whole world watching her after Wimbledon, Stevenson's game took a vacation. She has been bounced from her last two tournaments in the first round, killing herself with unforced errors.

But this is an aspiring thespian known for belting out show tunes in restaurants. "Once at this Italian place, she got up and sang from 'Guys and Dolls' after the waitress asked her," Basica says. "She's got a good voice, a Broadway voice."

Stevenson doesn't shrink from the attention. "I like being recognized," she says. "It's fun."

Though her mother sometimes sounds bitter about the prying media "We kept a secret, with dignity, and we were outed," she says Alexandra laughs it off.

She'd rather people talk about her tennis rather than her circumstances, but chalks it up to Americans being "nosy" about celebrities. If people want to know about her personal life, she says, they're probably also interested in her tennis game.

Basica thinks Stevenson will do just fine. "She always knew she'd get to this point," he says. "This is what she always wanted. And Alexandra's different from the rest of the girls on the tour. She's brought up in a more friendly manner. She's not just a tennis player."

Her best friend offers a diagnosis of her recent poor play: a post-Wimbledon letdown.

"Look, she was just at the semis and Wimbledon, and then she comes back to play in what really are rinky-dink tournaments," he says.

"She's goooood," he continues. "She has all the shots. She's got probably the best serve in the game."

He recalls a time when Sampras came by to play a tiebreaker with Alexandra, and she aced him. Twice. "The second time he threw his racket and yelled [bleep]," Basica says. "We were just laughing. Pete did not like it."

He says his hitting partner is nowhere near her full potential yet.

Under Fischer's guidance, both Stevenson and Basica switched from two-handed backhands, which allow younger kids to hit the ball harder and dominate junior tournaments, to a more difficult but versatile one-handed backhand the one favored by Sampras.

"Switching to a one-handed backhand, you know how many matches she lost because of that?" Basica asks. "When you're little, you don't want to do that. I know I didn't. It takes like five years to be really comfortable with it. But it changes how you think out there. You can slice it and come to the net. It opens up the court more. It makes your volleys stronger."

For her part, Stevenson draws strength from thinking about Basica. "I can't get upset about losing a match, because I'm out here playing and having fun," she says, "and I know Eric is back there, a lot of times too weak to even toss up a ball for a serve."

They talk all the time, but not about everything. Basica didn't tease her about being interviewed by Barbara Walters, and he never prodded her about her father. "I never asked, and she never told," he says.

When he was first diagnosed with cancer and taking treatments for a year, Basica didn't tell anyone not even Stevenson. He kept playing and going to school as though nothing had happened.

"No one would have ever known if [the cancer] hadn't come back," says his mother, Becky.

Although he doesn't volunteer this either, Basica, when healthy, can play a little, too. "He was the No. 1 player at Peninsula High, and they were the third-ranked high school team in the country. Did he tell you that?" asks his father, Val, an engineer at Boeing.

"Even after his cancer came back, he played through it," Becky says. "He won the team's most valuable player award and the most inspirational."

Basica doesn't talk much about his illness, but his mother says doctors believe radiation can knock it out permanently. "They're telling us his prognosis is good," she says.

That's how Basica's approaching it. He's biding his time and watching Stevenson, aching to knock it around again with his old hitting partner. "Playing against men pros in tournaments is nothing compared to playing against her," he says.

He is saying this during a driving tour of their old stomping grounds: the Kramer Club, Fischer's old house, the green hills of Palos Verdes. "I want to show you something," he interrupts. "It's a hill I run up."

Several miles up the coast in Manhattan Beach, a few blocks from the ocean, there it is: a wall of sand rising at least 200 feet, at a 50-degree angle. Fitness freaks trudge up it, gaining ground almost imperceptibly as the sand slips beneath their feet.

"Aww, they're not even running it," says Basica with some disdain. "After these treatments are over, in a couple months I'm going to get back where I was. I used to run up that five times."

Hard sprints, he says. "I'm going to do that again, that'll be my test, before I go play a tournament again. I'm going to do it five times."

He marvels at the thought, then adds, "I always wanted to get Alexandra to go, but she never did."

Maybe this winter, he says, "I'd like to get her out there and run it with me."

Summary: LOMITA, Calif. Eric Basica, his long skinny limbs sprawling across his family room like grapevines, tapped his laptop for news of his best friend, Alexandra Stevenson, the would-be darling of this year's U.S. Open. "Found the draw,"says Basica, a smile beaming beneath a newly shaved pate. "Alexandra got Nathalie Tauziat in the first round. That's really good for her. Tauziat's seeded, but Alexandra can beat her."Basica ought to know. He grew up on


Is Hef a two-second man?

Crystal Harris, the buxom blonde beauty who was engaged to Playboy’s Hugh Hefner until she called off their wedding in June, said in an interview Tuesday that they only had sex once in their two-year relationship -- and he didn’t live up to expectations.

“I was over it,” she said in an interview with shock radio host Howard Stern. “I just like, walked away. I am not turned on by Hef.”

Although the lovebirds were together for two years, she said she never saw him naked and the one time they had sex, it only lasted “like about two seconds.”

The harsh criticism from the 25-year-old Playmate may be perceived as an abrupt turn for a woman who was five days away from tying the knot with the 85-year-old magazine founder.

In a Tweet he later removed, Hefner said, "Crystal lied about our relationship on Howard Stern but I don't know why. Maybe a new boyfriend?" according to People.

Hefner, who said he was heartbroken after the breakup, appeared to move on and is now dating a slightly older woman of 27.

Summary: Crystal Harris, the buxom blonde beauty who was once engaged to Playboy’s Hugh Hefner, said in an interview Tuesday that they only had sex once in their two-year relationship and he didn’t live up to expectations.


Archeologists have joined the investigation into three skulls unearthed by a Florida plumber who was installing pool pipes at a new home. The skulls may have been buried for more than 30 years.

The archeologists joined detectives and crime scene technicians at a home in the Carriage Pointe subdivision in Winter Garden, Fla., Monday after a plumber located a partial skull buried there while working on installing a pool, police said today. Authorities then located two more human skulls during their own digging.

No other bones were located, which ruled out any chance of the plot being a former cemetery, police said.

A purse or bag also located in the area contained a piece of paper inside of it dated from 1978, according to the report. Police quickly checked records to see if the town or county had reported missing individuals during that year, but ruled out the possibility, according to Lt. Keith Ralston.

Ralston said he thought a horse farm and orange grove had predated the subdivision, while ABC affiliate WFTV reported the land had once been covered in trees and wetlands.

“We just built our home here a year and a half ago and that’s a scary thing,” resident Debra Brockway told the station.

Police said the remains may have been as deep as 10 to 15 feet before the dirt was moved in order to level the ground for construction of the subdivision.

“Crazy stuff happens all the time, so I don’t even know what to think,” Dave D’Amato told WFTV. “It was undeveloped land, so anything could’ve been going on back then.”

Police said they have no idea how the bones got there but would open an investigation which would include further archaeological study, the report said. The bones have been sent to a crime lab for testing.

Investigators ask that any one with information to call Crimeline at (800) 423-TIPS.

Summary: Archeologists have joined the investigation into three skulls unearthed by a Florida plumber who was installing pool pipes at a new home. The skulls may have been buried for more than 30 years. The archeologists joined detectives and crime scene technicians at a home in the Carriage Pointe subdivision in Winter Garden, Fla., Monday after a plumber located a partial skull buried there while working on installing a pool, police said today. Authorities then located two more human skulls during their own digging. No other bones were located, which ruled out any chance of the plot being a former cemetery, police said….


The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, an enterprise-grade application for marketers who manage multiple social channels. Learn more here.

Engaging in social media is about being extremely open, creative and flexible. To stay competitive online, brands need to be investing in social media as a way to extend themselves to their customers.

While advertising and cultivating an image are still important, it’s interaction that creates loyal customers. Using social media to show customers that your business is connected to what they say, think and feel about your products can amplify your brand’s message.

We’ve compiled a list of five big brands that are most engaged in social media, and that go to extensive lengths to connect with consumers. Add your own thoughts on which brands are ahead of the curve in the comments below.

Starbucks is on just about every corner in the real world, and that’s the same strategy the company has taken online as well. When it comes to a web presence, Starbucks has made its mark on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Foursquare, mobile apps and with its own social network, My Starbucks Ideas. The company dominates the social media landscape, creating active and engaging profiles on a variety of platforms. And according to some reports, Starbucks is the most engaged brand using social media for a few years running.

Take a quick look at the coffee giant’s Twitter page, and you’ll see the company has just more than 1 million followers. The next thing you’ll notice is that there’s a lot of conversation going on. Starbucks is keeping busy responding to mentions, apologizing for bad experiences, and just carrying on some interesting conversations with its followers.

Meanwhile on Facebook, more than 15 million people “Like” the brand. And Starbucks is trying to make buying its product as integrated and seamless as possible. Take, for example, the Starbucks Card Facebook application it introduced this past April, which allows customers to manage their Starbucks Card accounts from within the social network. The company also recently announced that customers could now “Give a Gift” and credit their friends’ cards via Facebook, too.

That feature is an idea born out of their community site, My Starbucks Idea. The Seattle-based caffeine king wants to know what you want from Starbucks, and the company is listening. The site enables consumers to share their ideas and critique others’ ideas as well. Discussions are encouraged, and the community votes to see which ideas become reality. The “Give a Gift” idea was suggested back in 2008, and drew more than 42,000 votes. It may have taken some time for the idea to become a reality, but it shows that Starbucks is listening to its customers.

As one of the most universally recognized brands, it’s not surprising that Coca-Cola is the second most engaged brand according to Famecount. Just like Starbucks, Coke is active on Twitter, engaging in conversation with its 142,000 followers. Given that it has a worldwide following, it’s appropriate that many of the tweets are written in different languages. In addition to its overarching brand, each drink it produces also has its own Twitter page.

On Facebook, it’s somewhat astounding that 15 million people “Like” the soft drink empire, but the company has done a good job of keeping things interesting and interactive. The Page is a hub of all sorts of activity, including posting fan photos, videos and social good initiatives like Live Positively, where fans voted for America’s favorite park to receive a $100,000 grant.

On Coca-Cola’s YouTube channel, the soda company launched “Unlock The Secret,” a viral video campaign featuring Coke’s inventor, Doc Pemberton. By clicking on bottle links in the videos, viewers are taken to the @docpemberton Twitter page, Coke’s Ahh Giver app on Facebook (which allows users to send a message to a friend delivered in video format by the Coke polar bear), and Coke’s Smilezier, a novel feature that allows users to record their laughter and listen to other people’s as well.

All of these efforts tie together Coca-Cola’s brand of happiness, and it’s created an interesting and original experience while engaging with consumers online.

Oreo is the third most engaged brand according to Famecount, and for a brand that’s been around since 1912, racking up 12 million “Likes” on Facebook is a great way to prove that good products have real staying power.

For Kraft, makers of the delicious black and white cookie, Facebook outreach has been the main strategy. While other brands are engaged across the board, Oreo hasn’t leveraged Twitter at all yet.

The Oreo Facebook Page is a place to find recipes, videos, photos of fans enjoying the cookie, and games like Twist To Win for a chance to meet the Double Stuf Racing League (Shaquille O’Neal, Apolo Ohno, Eli Manning and Venus Williams).

The DSRL’s videos are the main focus on Oreo’s YouTube channel, including interviews with the athletes, commercials, and behind-the-scenes footage.

Check out Kraft Foods’ digital and social marketing lead Beth Reilly speaking on “how Oreo learned to fish where the fish are” in the video below.

Skittles has an amazing online presence, starting with its website — a vibrant landing page that invites you to “Experience The Rainbow” by interacting with various features throughout the on-site experience. Users have opportunities to vote and post photos and videos while interacting with content. Keeping with the community theme on another site, Share Skittles is the place where YouTube videos of fans eating Skittles are posted.

While Skittles hasn’t quite figured out how to leverage Twitter, logging little more than 6,000 followers and producing some really weird tweets, more than 12 million “Likes” show they managed to figured out how to make use of Facebook.

The “Mob The Rainbow” feature was an innovative effort that strove to bring fans together to create something big. The first mob was a massive outpouring of Valentine’s Day greetings to a person who doesn’t get much love: a parking enforcement officer. Fans were asked to either make a card on the site or get the address and send one on their own — 43,037 cards were sent. Since the launch of Mob The Rainbow last year, fans have completed three mobs, with plans for a fourth one to “crash” an 85-year-old grandmother’s birthday party. It’s a brilliant way to engage the company’s audience with social good and keep its quirky image alive.

Red Bull is a brand that is associated with procrastination and the need for energy — last-minute studying, late-night partying, early morning meetings or classes, and the ability to keep you awake at almost any hour of the day.

With social media, though, the Austrian company has something more to offer than salvation from long work days and early morning grumpiness. With more than 10 million “Likes” on Facebook, it offers a really cool and interactive Facebook Page that appeals to the brand’s core consumer.

The Procrastination Station, featured on its Games page, offers high quality, engaging and interactive options for procrastinators, including a soapbox car racing game, a rock, paper, scissors game, and “Drunkish Dials” recordings — recordings of Red Bull drinkers who called the company’s toll free number, leaving “drunkish” messages. Yep, that’s what happens if you leave them a ridiculous drunken message — they’ll put it online.

Plus, they’ve run creative contests like 2009′s Red Bull Stash, where the company hid Energy Shots all over the country and posted clues on its Facebook wall. It was the company’s way of thanking fans when it hit the 1 million fan mark. Currently, the company has teamed up with San Francisco Giants player Tim Lincecum to create an ongoing scavenger hunt for 11 autographed baseballs hidden on the streets of San Fran. A picture of each baseball has been uploaded at a specific location and the first fan to arrive and check in with Facebook Places and the password “San Francisco’s Got Wings” wins the coveted ball.

The company has also done an impressive job on the mobile front with the Red Bull X-Fighters app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, the Red Bull TV app, and the Red Bull BPM app that turns your iPhone into a complete DJ setup. All these apps are great extensions of the brand’s core product, and complementing the consumer’s lifestyle goes a long way.

The Social Media for Business Leaders Series is supported by The Awareness Social Marketing Hub, which builds social marketing software for marketers leveraging multiple social channels to engage with customers, build their brand, and increase revenues. Built upon Awareness’ expertise deploying more than 200 communities and social media projects for the world’s biggest brands including Sony, JetBlue, Kodak, ASOS.com and AIRMiles.

The Awareness Social Marketing Hub is a leading enterprise-grade application for marketers struggling with the social media chaos of managing multiple social channels. With the Awareness Social Marketing Hub, marketers are now able to publish, manage and measure across all their social channels from one central location using advanced built-in permissioning, workflow and audit controls.

- Top 5 Enterprises Using Social Media - 5 Winning Social Media Campaigns to Learn From - HOW TO: Get the Most Out of Your Business Facebook Page - 5 Huge Trends in Social Media Right Now - A Field Guide to Using Facebook Places

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, mattjeacock

Summary: These five brands go above and beyond when it comes to social consumer engagement. Find out how their successes can translate to your social strategy.


Actor Hugh Grant said Monday that he believes his phone was hacked by Britain's Mail on Sunday tabloid — the first time he has implicated a newspaper not owned by Rupert Murdoch in the wrongdoing.

Grant, star of "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and other movies, told an inquiry into media ethics that a 2007 story about his romantic life could only have been obtained through eavesdropping on his voice mails.

He said he could not think of any other way the newspaper could have obtained the story alleging that his romance with Jemima Khan was on the rocks because of his conversations with a "plummy voiced" woman the paper identified as a film studio executive.

Grant said there was no such woman, but he did receive voice messages from the assistant of a producer friend.

"She would leave charming, joking messages ... and she had a voice that can only be described as plummy," he said.

Grant sued the newspaper for libel and won.

Challenged as to whether he was speculating about the source of the story, Grant acknowledged that he didn't have any hard proof.

"Speculation? O.K. But ... I'd love to hear what the Daily Mail or the Sunday Mail's explanation of what that source was if it wasn't phone hacking."

Prime Minister David Cameron set up the inquiry into media ethics in the wake of a still-evolving scandal over phone hacking in Britain. Murdoch shut down the discredited News of the World tabloid in July after evidence emerged that it had routinely eavesdropped on the voice mails of public figures, celebrities and even crime victims in its search for scoops.

Grant is one of a string of high-profile witnesses, including actress Sienna Miller and author J.K. Rowling, who will testify about how they were followed, photographed, entrapped and harassed by tabloid journalists.

The first witnesses Monday were the parents of murdered teenager Milly Dowler, whose mobile phone voice mails were hacked after she disappeared in 2002.

Her mother told the inquiry that she believed her missing 13-year-old was still alive once she reached the girl's previously full voice mailbox.

Sally Dowler said when she could finally leave a message on her daughter Milly's voice mail weeks after the girl disappeared, she shouted: "She's picked up the voice mails! ... She's alive!"

In fact, messages on Milly's phone had been deleted by someone working for the News of the World tabloid while the Dowlers and the police were still searching for the girl, who was later found dead.

The Dowlers said they had been utterly shocked when police told them, much later, that Milly's phone had been hacked.

Sally Dowler said she "didn't sleep for about three nights."

"When we were given that information, it was terribly difficult to process it," she said.

Her husband Bob said he recognized immediately that the information was "dynamite." News that tabloid journalists had targeted not just celebrities but a murdered girl shocked many Britons and triggered a police investigation and media recriminations that are still unfolding.

The Dowlers took the stand together and spoke in quiet, composed voices during their 30 minutes of nationally televised testimony.

They described their shock and anger when a private walk to retrace their missing daughter's last steps was secretly photographed by the tabloid.

Sally Dowler said she and her husband Bob had no idea they were being observed as they walked near their home in May 2002, but days later saw the pictures in the News of the World.

"It just felt like such an intrusion into a really, really private grief moment," she said. The couple said they later realized that their own phone, as well as their daughter's, had been hacked.

More than a dozen News of the World journalists and editors have been arrested and several senior Murdoch executives have resigned over the still-evolving scandal. Two top London police officers also lost their jobs, along with Cameron's media adviser.

The inquiry, led by Judge Brian Leveson, could recommend major changes to the way the media in Britain are regulated.

The second witness Monday was journalist and novelist Joan Smith, whose phone was hacked while she was in a relationship with a politician, Denis MacShane. Smith said she was shocked when police said her name and details had been found in the notebooks of private eye Glenn Mulcaire, who worked for the News of the World and was jailed in 2007 for phone hacking.

"I don't think I'm somebody whose private life would be of much interest to the reading public," she said.

"This could happen to almost anybody. That's the astonishing thing. You don't have to be an incredibly famous actress or actor ... you just have to tangentially come into the orbit of somebody who is well known."

Graham Shear, a sports and media lawyer who has represented many celebrities, told the inquiry about the host of tabloid techniques he has encountered, from checkbook journalism to "kiss and tell girls" who target athletes.

Shear is suing the News of the World's parent company, alleging that his own voice mail messages, as well as those of his clients, were hacked.

He said tabloid journalism was "a business model that's become dependent and infatuated with sensationalist and titillating stories."

In that environment, he said, "the News of the World was at the front as the most effective story-gatherer."

Grant, a fierce critic of press intrusion, smiled for photographers as he arrived at the Royal Courts of Justice, where the hearings are being held.

Later this week the inquiry will hear from "Harry Potter" author Rowling, comedian Steve Coogan, actress Miller and former Formula 1 boss Max Mosley — whose taste for sadomasochism was revealed in a widely publicized News of the World sting.

It's a courtroom lineup that Britain's celebrity-obsessed tabloids would love, if only they weren't the ones in the dock.

Summary: Hugh Grant Targets Second Paper in Hacking Testimony


Four decades after the birth of the coin-operated arcade video game -- Galaxy Game, 1971 -- the first with 1080p HD display is finally here. No, it's not Pac-Man or Galaxian or Pong or Donkey Kong or Golden Tee or any of the "Golden Age" games founded in the 70s and 80s.

It is Big Buck HD, the latest version of the hunting game that launched in 2000. Found mostly in bars, Big Buck has a cult following, and now, with 1080p HD graphics, the series is a pioneer. It is also on the cutting edge with not only online play at the arcade/bar but also social media functionality built into the game. The display, though, is the 'wow' factor.

"There are even home games for Xbox and stuff that aren't even full 1080p," says Dave Snipes, an executive for Play Mechanix, the game's developer. "Some of them are 720, and they're called high definition, but they're not."

During a demonstration at Aspen Social Club in New York, that point was accentuated by showing Big Buck HD on a 55-inch monitor. It was part of the game's 100-unit test run with a full rollout scheduled for the end of July.

Although Big Buck Hunter, published by Raw Thrills, may not be a household name, the series has been a financial success in an arcade game industry deemed by many to be on the decline. The franchise has sold more than 36,000 Big Buck Hunter game units since 2000. That figure includes 18,000 units sold in the technological generation before Big Buck HD, which dates back to 2006.

Online connectivity has been a part of Big Buck Hunter since 2008, but Big Buck HD is the first to integrate Facebook and Twitter into the experience. The game allows players to check in at gaming sites, share achievements and awards, and compare scores with friends via Facebook and Twitter.

"It's basically that everybody nowadays has a Facebook account and a lot of people have Twitter accounts," Snipes says. "We've noticed, a lot of people, especially the younger generation, just really want to be connected wherever they're at, so we wanted to integrate that into our game so players, when they're playing the game, can still be connected to their whole entire network."

While Big Buck Hunter progresses, Snipes admits the arcade gaming industry may not be on the rise as a whole. This does not mean he has fear. "Yeah, the arcade industry has fallen. Pac-Man, Defender and that 80s market was huge," Snipes says. "Now, you've got iPhones and texting, and it's harder to grab someone's attention. We work hard to grab your attention from across the bar. It's certainly been a downswing in the industry, but we don't see that with our game. We continue to make the best around possible."

According to George Petro, Play Mechanix president and one of the creators of the original Big Buck Hunter, the vision for a 1080p HD Big Buck Hunter Game connected to social media had been developing for a number of years. In 2008, while Facebook and Twitter were still on the brink of success, Play Mechanix's online connectivity featured a social feature, which allowed players to share scores and accomplishments within its own network. Since 2008, Facebook and Twitter have both made more than enough of an impression to be included in Big Buck HD.

"In that time, those particular services kind of got really huge," Petro said in a phone interview about the two social media sites. "We were all ready doing the social media stuff with Big Buck Hunter on a kind of small scale. Facebook sort of fit right. It just kind of took the place of that."

Big Buck HD's online connectivity also allows players to participate in "Showdown Mode" against friends and other players located around the world. Scores are still shown on one's Big Buck HD profile, as well as Facebook and Twitter.

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In terms of the graphics, Petro attributes the 1080p HD idea to both the previous technological generation of Big Buck Hunter and another Play Mechanix game, Terminator Salvation, developed in 2010. "We knew from that game the high-res graphics looked really good, although that game was 720p," he said of Terminator Salvation. "We felt we could make the leap to 1080p during that time because we spent a lot of time with the graphics and everything. It was a design goal from the beginning."

Petro's hope for the product is durability. Play Mechanix aimed to create a product that could maintain a fresh look for an extended time. "We were trying to make sure it lasts for several years," Petro says. He believes with the 1080p HD graphics and the addition of social media, Big Buck Hunter has caught up with the times and the long developmental period will be worth the work.

For the first time, the featured event in the Big Buck Hunter community, the World Championships, will be played in 1080p HD. The fifth annual competition will be held in New York City in November after the first four were in Chicago. The winner will take home a $15,000 grand prize.

Snipes says New Yorkers, despite not being your average hunters, are the second-most interested group of people in the series behind Minnesotans. (Think Fisherman's Quest in "How I Met Your Mother.")

Alex Derhohannesian, the 2010 world champion in Big Buck Safari, is a 32-year-old music producer from Louisville who was introduced to the game after moving to New York in 2006. Derhohannesian has a hypothesis as to why Big Buck Hunter games have prevailed against veteran competition.

"Action-wise, Pac-Man's been the same. It never changes," he says. "Golden Tee, that was pretty popular, but same thing. I think this has probably gotten more popular than that in recent years because there's more you can do with this game. Think of anything you can shoot with a gun fictionally or virtually and throw it up on the screen with some pretty cool animation. They switch it up a lot. I think that keeps it new and fresh. They keep coming out with better versions every year, so it keeps it fun and interesting."

Derhohannesian insists one does not have to be an avid hunter or gamer to become attracted to Big Buck Hunter. He thinks players are introduced to the game indirectly. "Most people just stumble upon the game when they're at a bar with their friends and eventually realize that it's the greatest bar sports game you can ever find in the world," he says. "It's definitely about the sexiest thing I ever did see."

Two of Derhohannesian's top competitors are Carley Szweda, a Trader Joe's employee and student, and Thomas Szemere, a Trader Joe's manager, of New Brunswick, New Jersey. Szweda and Szemere, who have been dating for four years, recall their accidental introduction to Big Buck Hunter.

"We were actually in Massachusetts visiting his sister in Greenfield, and there was nothing else to do there," says Szweda, who finished second in the first-ever Ladies' tournament and 44th for both genders at the 2011 World Championships. "There was a machine at one of the bars and we started playing, and I just fell in love. We've been playing pretty consistently now for a year and a half."

Szemere remembers things a bit differently. "She didn't like it at first," he says. "Then we just kind of turned into a personal competition." Szemere qualified for the 2011 World Championships, but endured an early exit.

Both Szweda and Szemere expect the new 1080p HD version of Big Buck to expand the game's population. "Oh, it's huge," Szweda says of the graphics. "I still talk to people who have never heard of Big Buck Hunter, so I think this will definitely make it more well-known."

Szweda and Szemere also have another message to put across: Big Buck players are not all violent hunters. They are just people who happen to be intrigued by a video game that involves shooting. ""We both love animals and we'd never kill one," Szemere says. "Never."

On the topic of animals, the gameplay of Big Buck HD is fairly simple. A standard stage features an animal, which may be a deer, moose, elk, wildebeest or other animal. In a period of a few seconds, three males (bucks, bulls, etc.), travel across the screen in a North American forest or an African safari location. The object of the game is to hunt the males, who have horns/antlers, using a virtual plastic gun without shooting females (does, cows, etc.). If a female is shot, the player's turn is over. "Dangerous Animals" such as lions are also available to be hunted for trophies, and bonus levels contain other creatures, some fictitious.

Big Buck HD is not just about spending 25 cents for a little virtual hunting fun. The ability to win money is part of the game. Players have to ability to enter their scores into add-on tourneys for a $1.00 fee. Depending on where scores end up, cash prizes may be won. Winnings are sent directly to a player's account, where he or she can have the money backed by a credit card or debit card. This is one way Big Buck Hunter hopes to draw gamers away from their Xboxes and into the bars.

"One thing they can't get at home is winning cash prizes, so you can come out here and get that same exact home experience except you're in a bar, drinking a beer, hanging out with friends, so there's a big social aspect to that, and you have the potential of winning money," Snipes says. "Right there, that tops anything you can do in the home market."

As of right now, the plans for Big Buck HD online play includes only connectivity in bars and public places. Players cannot buy their own unit to battle online competition and win prizes in their basements. This stems from Big Buck Hunter's relationship with bars.

"One of our jobs as a coin-operated game manufacturer is to get people out to the bar because then the bar's happy because people are buying beers and buying food, and the operator of the game is happy because people are putting money in," Snipes said. "If we give them that experience at home, they're just going to stay home and do it, so that's the one thing you can't get at home: playing this game online. That's where we stand right now."

Derhohannesian agrees with this idea, but not just for financial reasons. As a player, he feels part of the game is playing it in bars and other social environments. He fears social media may be bringing the game down a different path. "I think I'd like to keep Buck Hunter in the bar, as opposed to at home or in the office when on Facebook or other social media," he says. "Keep it in the bar."

At the Play Mechanix office in Glen Ellyn, Ill., this has been Petro's vision all along: Targeting a social scene. He points to this as the way Big Buck Hunter has remained a player as an arcade game in a video game industry dominated by home systems.

"The Big Buck franchise in particular is targeted towards an age between 22 and 35," Petro says. "People are away from home, out of college, and they're kind of done being at home in their basement playing Xbox or PlayStation. This is a time when young people want to be out socializing, having a good time, and Big Buck Hunter kind of plays right into that social experience."

It's a social experience that extends to celebrity-athletes who are fans of the game. Motorsports competitor, stunt performer and television star Travis Pastrana (at right) finished eighth in the Big Buck Hunter Pro and 10th in Big Buck Safari competitions in 2010 and 11th at the 2011 World Championships. Snowboarder Scotty Lago, the halfpipe bronze medalist at the 2010 Olympics, also participated in the 2011 World Championships, and Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher and Blackhawks center Dave Bolland are among the notable enthusiasts.

"We think it's kind of a testament to how the game has become a part of popular culture," Petro says. "As designers, that's our goal, right? As designers of products like that, who doesn't want to be part of one that becomes part of popular culture?"

Big Buck Hunter has also been used in film and television scenes.

Petro admits the 100-unit test has led Play Mechanix to develop one change to Big Buck Hunter HD. Originally, the developer intended buyers to provide their own LCD, LED or plasma monitor. Due to response times between monitors and the Big Buck HD game not always matching up correctly, Play Mechanix has determined a universal monitor connected with the game is necessary.

Although the Big Buck Hunter series has added themed pinball machines, slots, iOS Game and a Nintendo Wii version in its first decade, an 1080p HD game featuring social media integration suggests arcade technology has officially caught up with the times.

Well, actually that is not entirely true.

Some arcade games do not need to change their technology. Snipes can name one game in particular that is not affected by technology and does well in the modern technological world: Cranes.

"We do cranes and they do well," he says. "Kids still always want to put a quarter in and try to win."

No 1080p HD graphics can change that.

Summary: Four decades after the birth of the coin-operated arcade video game -- Galaxy Game, 1971 -- the first with 1080p HD display is finally here. No, it's ...


It was the signal markets were waiting for. When Europe’s central bank president vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to keep the euro monetary union intact, stocks raced higher. The S&P 500 rose for the first time in five days. ‘The number one problem in the world now is Europe’s finances,’ said John Fox, at Fenimore Asset Management.

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Summary: It was the signal markets were waiting for. When Europe’s central bank president vowed to do ‘whatever it takes’ to keep the euro monetary union intact, stocks raced higher. The S&P 500 rose for the first time in five days. ‘The number one problem in the world now isEurope’s finances,’ said John Fox, at Fenimore Asset Management.