In conjunction with the 6/9  DVD release of the stunningly opulent NORMAN LEAR COLLECTION, we had a chance to spend some time with the great man himself. LEAR was joined by SETH MacFARLANE (FAMILY GUY) and PHIL ROSENTHAL (EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND) for a talk about all things sitcom. LEAR was especially forthcoming in talking about his late friend BEA ARTHUR and how she came to be MAUDE. (Click on the media bar below):

On this day in 1978, WARNER BROTHERS PICTURES released CAPRICORN ONE and conspiracy theorists all over the world were thrilled. Directed and written by PETER HYAMS, this sci-fi/sci-fact story told of how NASA’s mission to Mars was failing and in danger of losing funding so they fake it. The all-star cast included HAL HOLBROOK, JAMES BROLIN, ELLIOTT GOULD, SAM WATERSON, BRENDA VACARRO, KAREN BLACK, TELLY SAVALAS and O.J. SIMPSON. Still fun today.

On this day in 1935, Babe Ruth, one of the greatest players in the history of baseball, ends his Major League playing career after 22 seasons, 10 World Series and 714 home runs. The following year, Ruth, a larger-than-life figure whose name became synonymous with baseball, was one of the first five players inducted into the sport’s hall of fame.

 George Herman Ruth was born February 6, 1895, into a poor family in Baltimore. As a child, he was sent to St. Mary’s Industrial School for Boys, a school run by Roman Catholic brothers, where he learned to play baseball and was a standout athlete. At 19, Ruth was signed by the Baltimore Orioles, then a Boston Red Sox minor league team. Ruth’s fellow teammates and the media began referring to him as team owner Jack Dunn’s newest “babe,” a nickname that stuck. Ruth would later acquire other nicknames, including “The Sultan of Swat” and “The Bambino.”

Ruth made his Major League debut as a left-handed pitcher with the Red Sox in July 1914 and pitched 89 winning games for the team before 1920, when he was traded to the New York Yankees. After Ruth left Boston, in what became known as “the curse of the Bambino,” the Red Sox didn’t win another World Series until 2004. In New York, Ruth’s primary position changed to outfielder and he led the Yankees to seven American League pennants and four World Series victories. Ruth was a huge star in New York and attracted so many fans that the team was able to open a new stadium in 1923, Yankee Stadium, dubbed “The House That Ruth Built.”

 The southpaw slugger’s final season, in 1935, was with the Boston Braves. He had joined the Braves with the hope that he’d become the team’s manager the next season. However, this dream never came to pass for a disappointed Ruth, who had a reputation for excessive drinking, gambling and womanizing.

 Many of the records Ruth set remained in place for decades. His career homerun record stood until 1974, when it was broken by Hank Aaron. Ruth’s record of 60 homeruns in a single season (1927) of 154 games wasn’t bested until 1961, when Roger Maris knocked out 61 homers in an extended season of 162 games. The Sultan of Swat’s career slugging percentage of .690 remains the highest in Major League history.

Ruth died of throat cancer at age 53 on August 16, 1948, in New York City. His body lay in state at Yankee Stadium for two days and was visited by over 100,000 fans.

On this day in 1978, MGM released CORVETTE SUMMER, a low-budget throw away that, over the years, has built a pretty solid cult following. Directed by MATTHEW ROBBINS, the film starred MARK HAMILL as a High School kid who becomes a mechanic in hopes of realizing his dream of racing Corvettes. Also along for the ride were ANNIE POTTS, KIM MILFORD and (yep) DANNY BONADUCE.

There isn’t much down time in the world of “American Idol,” is there? FOX has announced the auditions cities and dates for season 9 and they start in less than two weeks. Holy cow!

I realize that they don’t really do much all Fall, but I had no idea that auditions would start this early after the show ended. No wonder the judges can be so punch-drunk during auditions, they’ve only had about 3 weeks off from the giant hoopla of the finale!

Is it your dream to be the next Kris Allen or Carrie Underwood? Or are you just street-rat crazy and want to be made fun of on national television?  We have the info for you!

So far the dates and cities look like this:

Boston Gillette Stadium, June 12th to June 14th

Atlanta Georgia Dome, June 16th to June 18th

Los Angeles Rose Bowl, June 28th to June 30th

Orlando Arena, July 7th to July 9th

Denver Mile High, July 12th to July 14th

Chicago: Dates to be announced

Dallas: Dates to be announced

Sources close to MTV and Sacha Baron Cohen tell EW that the infamous stunt on the show between Eminem and the Bruno star was staged, with Eminem’s consent and participation. The sources confirm rampant speculation that the rapper simply must have known that the comedian, dressed in a thong and angel’s wings as his flamboyantly gay alter ego Bruno, would fall from a high-wire harness onto the rapper’s lap and straddle his face.

Meanwhile, comedy writer Scott Aukerman, who says he was the head comedy writer for the awards show, also claims on his blog that “the Bruno/Eminem incident was staged,” explaining “they rehearsed it at dress and yes, it went as far as it did on the live show.”

Los Angeles (E! Online) – Zac Efron really wants to be in girlfriend Vanessa Hudgens’s upcoming action flick, Sucker Punch, because he’s dying to work with director Zach Snyder.

There’s just one thing getting in the way: Zac’s manhood…

“I think it’s an all-girl movie,” Efron told me backstage at the MTV Movie Awards right after picking up the Golden Popcorn for Best Male Performance for his work in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. “But if there’s any way to be in that film, I’d do it. I’d play a girl if I had to.”

LOS ANGELES – Gamers, get ready for your close-up.

Microsoft introduced a prototype camera Monday that can be used as a controller for the Xbox 360. Codenamed “Project Natal,” the camera eliminates the need for a handheld input device — instead, the gizmo can track a player’s full body movement, recognize their face and voice, scan images of real items and respond to both physical and vocal commands.

Microsoft also debuted 10 exclusive new games and several additions to the Xbox Live online service at their flashy Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference at University of Southern California’s Galen Center.

But the biggest gee-whiz moment came when Microsoft senior vice president Don Mattrick and Steven Spielberg introduced “Project Natal.”

THIS JUST IN:

Ousted AMERICAN IDOL contestant SANJAYA MALAKAR is one of the seven questionable celebs starring in tonight’s season premier of the NBC reality show, I’M A CELEBRITY…GET ME OUT. And even though fellow player STEPHEN BALDWIN says MALAKAR will crumble first, SANJAYA tells us he’s in it for the challange. (Click on the media bar below):