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Congress-Loud Commercials
WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress could make TV broadcasters turn down the volume on their commercials.
California Democratic Congresswoman Anna Eshoo is among the TV viewers who complain that the volume gets louder during commercial breaks. Eshoo found that it's a common complaint with the Federal Communications Commission. So, she drafted a bill aimed at keeping TV ads from playing noticeably louder than the programs they sponsor.
But Robert Thompson, a professor of television and popular culture at Syracuse University, says Congress should have better things to do. He says he doesn't think anyone has ever been harmed by loud commercials.
The House is scheduled to vote on the proposal today. An identical measure is before the Senate. But some experts say even if it becomes law, viewers may not notice a difference.
The head of an industry group says sound spikes can be part of the storytelling. And some commercials may just seem noisy because they follow a quiet, intense scene in the TV show.
Marijuana Legalization
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — A group campaigning to put a marijuana legalization measure before California voters says it has enough signatures to qualify for the 2010 ballot.
Oakland medical marijuana entrepreneur Richard Lee said Monday the measure has far more than the nearly 434,000 signatures needed to make the November 2010 ballot.
Campaign organizers say they will submit the signatures to the California Secretary of State next month for validation.
The proposal would legalize possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for California adults 21 and older. Residents could cultivate marijuana gardens up to 25 square feet. Local governments would determine whether to permit marijuana sales within their boundaries.
North Face-Lawsuit
ST. LOUIS (AP) — The North Face Apparel Corp. is suing a small suburban St. Louis-area company called The South Butt and the teenager who started it.
The lawsuit filed last week in federal court in St. Louis seeks unspecified damages and asks the court to prohibit The South Butt from marketing and selling its parody product line.
The North Face says it does not comment on pending litigation.
The South Butt's attorney, Albert Watkins, says the company was started by 18-year-old Jimmy Winkelmann to help pay for college. It puts out products with the tag line "Never Stop Relaxing," a parody of The North Face line, "Never Stop Exploring."
The parody company sells T-shirts, fleece jackets and sweatshirts on its Web site.
Walsh-Pregnant
Two-time Olympic beach volleyball gold medalist Kerri Walsh is pregnant for a second time.
Walsh is due at the end of May and her agent says she could be back as early as the end of the 2010 season.
Walsh and her husband, fellow beach volleyball pro Casey Jennings, had a son last May. After planning to take the whole year off, Walsh returned to the AVP tour in August.
The pregnancy was first reported by universalsports.com.
TV-History-Kennedy Miniseries
NEW YORK (AP) — The History Channel is planning its first scripted series and will base it on the Kennedys.
The cable network says the eight-hour series is called "The Kennedys" and will be told in a multigenerational manner akin to "The Godfather." The network says the series will depict a manipulative, egocentric father living out his ambitions through his sons.
The personal drama of the clan will be included in the saga as well as the era's major events. Some of those include the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban missile crisis and the civil rights struggle.
No casting has been announced for the series. It is scheduled to air in 2011.
