The Media

Ben Whishaw to play Q in new Bond film "Skyfall" - Yahoo! News

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - British actor Ben Whishaw will reprise the character of high-tech weapons specialist "Q" in the upcoming James Bond film "Skyfall," a role previously played by actors Desmond Llewelyn and John Cleese, media outlets reported on Friday.

The BBC said Whishaw's agent confirmed the young actor in the role of Q opposite Daniel Craig's Bond in the upcoming 23rd installment of the franchise, directed by Sam Mendes.

Whishaw was introduced as a cast member in a London press conference announcing production on "Skyfall" last month, but his specific role was not revealed at the time.

via news.yahoo.com

NASA launches super-size Mars rover to red planet - Yahoo! News

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — The world's biggest extraterrestrial explorer, NASA's Curiosity rover, rocketed toward Mars on Saturday on a search for evidence that the red planet might once have been home to itsy-bitsy life.

It will take 8½ months for Curiosity to reach Mars following a journey of 354 million miles.

An unmanned Atlas V rocket hoisted the rover, officially known as Mars Science Laboratory, into a cloudy late morning sky. A Mars frenzy gripped the launch site, with more than 13,000 guests jamming the space center for NASA's first launch to Earth's next-door neighbor in four years, and the first send-off of a Martian rover in eight years.

NASA astrobiologist Pan Conrad, whose carbon compound-seeking instrument is on the rover, had a shirt custom made for the occasion. Her bright blue, short-sleeve blouse was emblazoned with rockets, planets and the words, "Next stop Mars!"

via news.yahoo.com

Regis Philbin says farewell to "Live!" after 28 years - Yahoo! News

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Veteran talk show host Regis Philbin on Friday ended his run on the popular television program "Live!" with well-wishers including Mayor Michael Bloomberg stopping by to pay tribute to his nearly three decades on the daily show.

Philbin, 80, bid farewell to the syndicated morning show after 28 years on the air, saying viewers had always told him they watched the show "because it makes them feel better, and it can't get better than that."

"I'll never be able to top that," he added in his sign-off remarks before a star-studded audience that included Tony Danza, Alan Alda, Diane Sawyer, Donald Trump, Katie Couric, Meredith Vieira and John McEnroe.

Philbin announced in September that Friday would be his final appearance on "Live! with Regis and Kelly," which will be renamed "Live! With Kelly" as Kelly Ripa welcomes a series of guest co-hosts starting next with comedian Jerry Seinfeld.

via news.yahoo.com