Diane Sawyer, “Good Morning America” anchor, will take over from Charles Gibson as the anchor of “World News” on ABC.

Sawyer, 63, will start the new gig in January 2010.

“Diane Sawyer is the right person to succeed Charlie and build on what he has accomplished,” an ABC News’ spokesperson said in a statement. “She has an outstanding and varied career in television journalism, beginning with her role as a State Department correspondent and continuing at 60 Minutes, Primetime Live, and most recently Good Morning America.”

With the addition of Sawyer, that will make three major networks evening news anchors female. Sawyer and her “Good Morning America” co-host Robin Roberts were the first female co-anchor team.

Diane Sawyer joined ABC News in February 1989, as co-anchor of “Primetime Live.” Sawyer was named co-anchor, with Charles Gibson, of “Good Morning America” in January 1999. Read more about her here.

According to an article published by the Chicago Sun-Times, Chicago’s Near West Side will do just fine without the Oprah Winfrey Show. Ever since Oprah announced she is closing down her show, the feeling among business, civic, and political leaders is that the end of the show will not have an adverse effect.

Eric Sedler, vice president of the West Loop Community Organization, said “No one can discount the extra benefit the West Loop had from Oprah being here, but it’s a very mature neighborhood now.”

It is still not clear whether Winfrey will leave her production company, Harpo (located at 1058 W. Washington) or what she will do with the real estate in the area. Mayor Daley Oprah told him that she’s “going on to a new business venture,” but that she’s “keeping quite a bit of her operation here — the studio and other things,” Daley said. “. . . I don’t know the details.”

Local Alderman Walter Burnett said Harpo executives have told him they intend to move Oprah’s “show but not her operations” out of Chicago. Burnett said the plan is to keep the studio open for production of syndicated programs.

The Near West Side is active enough to thrive on its own, according to Lee Bey, executive director of the Chicago Central Area Committee. “I don’t want to say the impact is minuscule, but it’s relatively small because there’s so much momentum,” Lee Bey.

But Oprah will still be missed. Joel Nickson, co-owner of the nearly two-decade-old Wishbone restaurant at 1001 W. Washington, said, “I’ll miss her for sure.” Oprah audiences and staff members have frequented his restaurant, including Winfrey herself. “When she does her show, when they’re actually taping, it’s always 15 to 20 percent [of our business],” Nickson said.

Article Source: Harpo Studio just a part of vibrant Near W. Side (Chicago Sun-Times)

UPDATE: Tuesday, Dec. 1, 2009

Tiger Woods will be fined $164 for careless driving and have four points against his driver’s license for a car crash outside his Orlando-area mansion last week. However, he will not face criminal charges, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

The Highway Patrol said the investigation is now closed.

Monday, Nov. 30, 2009

People is reporting that Highway Patrol Police in Florida still want to speak to 33-year-old Tiger Woods about his car accident that happened early Friday morning.

Though police have previously reported that alcohol had not been a factor in the accident, charges could still be coming.

“As of Nov. 30, 2009, the Florida Highway Patrol has been unable to speak to Mr. Woods about the crash he was involved in on the morning of Nov. 27, 2009, despite attempts to do so,” reads a statement from the Highway Patrol. “Mr. Woods’ representatives have provided us with his driver license information, vehicle registration and current proof of insurance, as required by Florida Law.”

Other celebrity blogs are reporting that the case is getting stickier. At about 2:25 a.m. on Nov. 27, Woods pulled out of the driveway of his Florida home in his black Cadillac Escalade and hit a fire hydrant and then a tree.

Police have reported that they found him with cuts and blood on his face and that when they arrived his wife, Elin Nordegren was helping him. Some think there was some kind of altercation between Woods and Nordegren over allegations that he was having an affair.

Woods published a statement on his Web site that reads the following:

“As you all know, I had a single-car accident earlier this week, and sustained some injuries. I have some cuts, bruising and right now I’m pretty sore.

The only person responsible for the accident is me. My wife, Elin, acted courageously when she saw I was hurt and in trouble. She was the first person to help me. Any other assertion is absolutely false.
This incident has been stressful and very difficult for Elin, our family and me. I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received. But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be.”

Adam Lambert, American Idol star, is catching some flak for his performance on the American Music Awards, which some critics have called “racy.”

CNN is reporting that “Good Morning America” will cancel Lambert’s scheduled performance after ABC was “flooded with complaints about his previous performance at the awards show. His dance and song number that closed the show featured groping, and simulated oral sex.

“Given Adam Lambert’s controversial live performance on the AMAs, we were concerned about airing a similar concert so early in the morning,” a spokesperson for the network said.

Lambert is now booked on the “Early Show” to discuss the controversy.

The day after the performance, Lambert posted this on his Twitter page:

“All hail freedom of expression and artistic integrity. Fans, I adore u.”

Still he is getting some support on blogs and from fans.

Several news outlets are reporting that the new “Twilight” movie New Moon” sold $140.7 million tickets in its opening weekend.

It’s the second movie based on the four teenage vampire books by Stephanie Meyer. The weekend sales exceeded projected sales of about $100 million. The first movie “Twilight” sold $70 million in its first weekend, The New York Times reports.

Over the weekend, “New Moon” doubled the grosses of the first movie. BoxOfficemojo.com said according to exit polling by distributor Summit Entertainment 80 percent of the audience in attendance was female and 50 percent were under the age of 21.

The third movie, The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, is scheduled for June 30 of next year.

On the latest Saturday Night Live, the cast thought it would be funny to parody the disaster movie trailer for 2012. But in SNL’s version, the disaster is Sarah Palin is elected President of the United States in 2012.

Would the country and subsequently the world fall apart if this were to come true? Watch the fake trailer.

No it’s not the opening of the next Harry Potter movie. Instead it was a political figure that excited fans today.

The Associated Press is reporting that hundreds of people lined up to for a chance to get former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to sign a copy of her new book, “Going Rogue: An American Life,” in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The article reports that some people even waited overnight to be among the first in line at a Barnes and Noble store at the Woodland Mall. Palin was there for a three-hour signing as part of her book promotion tour.

The book was released officially on Tuesday, Nov. 17.

Palin appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show Monday, Nov. 16 where she skirted questions about a possible presidential bid in 2012 and also said she was not to blame for the Republican Party’s loss in the 2008 election.

In Oprah’s interview with Palin, the former vice presidential candidate talks about her daughter’s teenage pregnancy, her experience on the campaign trail, her decision to resign as governor of Alaska and, of course, her new book.

Watch a clip from the show:

Today, Monday, Nov. 16, the Library of Congress will award former Beatle Paul McCartney with the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song.

McCartney, now 67, is scheduled to accept the award in the spring of 2010.

“As a great admirer of the Gershwins’ songs, I am highly honored to be given the Gershwin Prize by such a great institution as the Library of Congress,” McCartney said in a news release from the library.

The Washington Post reports that the details are still uncertain. The library has plans for an all-star tribute concert, but no headliner names, nor a venue, have been released yet.

“It is hard to think of another performer and composer who has had a more indelible and transformative effect on popular song and music of several different genres than Paul McCartney,” said Librarian of Congress James H. Billington in the news release today.

Billington selected McCartney as the winner.

The prize commemorates George and Ira Gershwin, the legendary American songwriting team whose extensive manuscript collections reside in the Library of Congress. The prize is awarded to musicians whose lifetime contributions in the field of popular song exemplify the standard of excellence associated with the Gershwins.

The honor is also meant to draw attention to the musical collections in the Library of Congress and to encourage students, teachers, scholars and researchers to use the free public resource.

McCartney is just the third musician and songwriter to receive the award. Before him, Paul Simon was honored in 2007 and Stevie Wonder in February of this year.

McCartney was born in Liverpool, England on June 18, 1942 and wrote his first song at the age of 14.

McCartney is also a classical composer. His most recent classical album “Ecce Cor Meum” (”Behold My Heart”) was released in September 2006 and won the 2007 Best Album Award at the Classical Brit Awards.

A new biography depicting one of the most celebrated actresses and celebrities of all time provides new details about Elizabeth Taylor’s life.

“How to be a Movie Star: Elizabeth Taylor in Hollywood,” by William Mann, tells the life of a woman who was always reinventing herself to stay in the spotlight. Read the article on www.npr.org.

“Elizabeth always loved living large, and it served her very well,” Mann said in the NPR interview. “She was the woman swathed in mink and ermine, and dripping with diamonds and emeralds.”

Taylor, now 77, gave notable performances in films, such as “A Place in the Sun” and “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf.”

Taylor is still active in the media, even frequently updating her Twitter account. The star told the world her status after heart surgery in October.

“My heart procedure went off perfectly,” Taylor tweeted. “It’s like having a brand new ticker. Thank you for your prayers and good wishes.”