Donnie update

Diddy signs LI's Klang to Bad Boy

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 31, 2007

Donnie Klang may have lost the battle but plans to win the war.

The 22-year-old from Levittown failed to make the final cut on the season finale last week of MTV's "Making the Band 4," but couldn't be ignored after he took the lead as fan favorite on MTV.com. That pushed the show's producer Sean "P. Diddy" Combs to sign him to his label, Bad Boy Records, anyway.

"There was a good 20 seconds in between when they announced the band and called my name," Klang said of the live season finale in Times Square. "I kept thinking about my mom and my family and how upset they were going to be…I had come so close."

The piano-playing, soulful singer made it past thousands who auditioned nationwide and survived the rigorous and competitive environment, to say the least, "Diddy" creates on the popular reality show. But now that the show's signature, out-of-control atmosphere has subsided Klang said he's ready to work.

"I'm expecting to have to work harder, I know he expects perfection," he said of "Diddy" and his label, Bad Boy Records. "I'm hoping the album will have a pop/R&B-ish feel. I'm just ready to get out there and bring it for the fans."

Dawn Richards of "Making the Band 3's" Danity Kane said crossing over the reality show hump into the music industry is no picnic, but said the boys shouldn't have a problem now that they've shown it can be done.

"People find it hard to take you seriously when you come from a reality show," she said. "They think we just decided one day we wanted to sing and got in a line."

Model Albert Reed on "Dancing with the Stars"

Dancing with the cover boy

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 30, 2007

Model Albert Reed, seen with Jeffrey and Lori Foster,
his aunt and uncle, on summer vacation in 2006 in Glen Cove.

Supermodel Albert Reed joins the ranks with a Spice Girl, an Emmy-winning actress and an Indy 500 champion on "Dancing With the Stars," which returns Sept. 24 for its fifth season.

Though the Abercrombie & Fitch cover boy may be lighting up primetime come fall, his No. 1 fan will be sitting in Glen Cove.

Reed's grandmother, Anne Foster, 81, refers to Reed as a "very nice, clean-cut boy." With her quiet voice, raspy with age, she tells of her "handsome grandson's" modeling career.

"He just walked into a modeling company in Miami, I guess he met a girl there," she said. "When they saw Albert they right away chose him as a model."

Reed, 22, who grew up in Miami and Vero Beach, Fla., was randomly sent by his agent to an interview with ABC. And that interview landed him a spot on one of TV's most popular shows, said Reed's mother, Barbara Foster of Vero Beach.

"He doesn't watch much TV, and didn't even know what the show was," said Jeffrey Foster, Reed's uncle, also of Glen Cove.

When watching Reed on a show that averages 15 million viewers, Anne Foster says she won't see a supermodel but the sweet surfing enthusiast who stays grounded enough to still enjoy grandma's company at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Reed's partner will be ballroom and Latin dancer Anna Trebunskaya, who took second place with football star Jerry Rice in season two.

Along with Reed the celebs on this year's edition will be Jane ("Dr. Quinn") Seymour, "Cheetah Girl" Sabrina Bryan, Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, model Josie Maran, Las Vegas legend Wayne Newton, singer Marie Osmond, boxer Floyd Mayweather, former Spice Girl Melanie Brown, Indianapolis 500 winner Helio Castroneves, "Beverly Hills 90210's" Jennie Garth and soap star Cameron Mathison. Reed was not on the list of contestants leaked to TMZ.com on Monday.

E-mail tips

Before you send, think again

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 29, 2007

Who among us hasn't hit SEND without first engaging our brain?

It seems e-mail became an essential part of office communication long before anyone sorted out the etiquette. And as some of us have learned the hard way, tripping fingers and short fuses can lead to e-mails that destroy a person's career.

Such problems are the stuff of self-help publishing, and publishers have, indeed, begun to weigh in.

David Shipley and Will Schwalbe's book, "Send: The Essential Guide to E-mail for Office and Home," offers a horde of harrowing e-mail mishaps and tips. Its Web site, ThinkBeforeYouSend.com, even features a Hall of Shame where readers can send their e-mail horror stories. Rachel Weingarten's "Career and Corporate Cool: How to Look, Dress and Act the Part at Every Stage of Your Career..." devotes a chapter to proper e-mail etiquette. And Hallmark Magazine's latest edition takes up the topic in a piece entitled "Tips on How to Type Your Way Out of E-mail Goofs."

"All business communication," Weingarten warns, "though it feels like it could be throwaway, could have a very long shelf life."

Here are e-mailing tips these experts offered to help avoid disaster.

Keep it simple
Opening with "Dear" or "Hello" and nothing more is sufficient, said Weingarten. "You don't want to write, 'Dear Stud Muffin,' or sign off with 'Big Sloppy Kisses,'" she said. "Not at work. Save it for your own time." Sign-offs? "One you use for home and one you use for business," said Lisa Benenson, editor of Hallmark Magazine, such as "Best," "All best," "Warmest regards" or "Cheers."

Change the "Subject"
Always include a subject and keep it fresh, Shipley and Schwalbe's Web site advises. Sending a line of e-mails with the same subject line once the conversation's veered elsewhere could land you in jail. If someone's e-mails are subpoenaed, all that are under a certain subject line could mistakenly be used, they said.

Stay professional
"Text-speak," abbreviations such as "u," "r" and "luv," commonly used in text messaging, is a huge no-no, Weingarten said. "You're telling them, 'You're not important enough for me to write out my words.'"

Avoid a "Claire Swire"
Weingarten refers to the urban legend of "Claire Swire." Swire and Bradley Chait, clerks at a law firm in London, decided to discuss the specifics of their relationship at the office via e-mail. Chait decided to show the e-mail to friends, who started a vicious cycle of e-mails that led to the Internet. "It's the e-mail read round the world," Weingarten said.

When "keeping it real" goes wrong
Imagine sitting at your desk and you receive an annoying forward from a colleague. You proceed to compose an e-mail with disparaging remarks about said sender and instead of "Forward," you hit "Reply" or "Reply All." Time to panic, right? Wrong. Go to the emergency plan. "If you send the message to everyone, assess the situation," Weingarten said. "Decide, in order of importance, who you've offended. Was the CEO on that list? The president?"

Then, don't say you're e-Sorry. If you have insulted someone, "you have to face the music," said Benenson. The music cannot be faced online, however. "People usually don't believe you," she said. "You really need to follow up with a phone call or an old-fashioned letter."

Weingarten suggests calling immediately to request a meeting. If they refuse, only then is e-mail appropriate. "Apologize without specifics," she said. "Hopefully they'll have buried the e-mail."

When Attachments Go Awry
Sending the wrong attachment may have you revealing more to colleagues then you wish. If you've accidentally attached medical results or personal finance records to an e-mail keep it cool but act fast, said Lisa Benenson, editor of Hallmark Magazine.

"Just walk over to their [the unintended recipient's] desk and say, 'I sent you something embarrassing please delete it,'" she said. "But be sure to stay there and watch them delete it. It's human nature, they're going to want to read it."

Always Go Blind
Blind Carbon Copy (BCC), which keeps the recipient list hidden, is an e-mailer's best friend, but is commonly unused, said corporate etiquette writer Rachel Weingarten said. "If you send out something to a lot of people without using blind carbon copy, you've given out everyone's information and showed yourself to be an amateur," she said.

The "Undercooked" Reply
Hitting "Send" instead of "Save" when composing a very important e-mail that still needs work is a very common mistake, Benenson said. "People appreciate candor; send a follow-up e-mail immediately," she said. "Be sure, however, to preface the e-mail's 'Subject' line with 'Correct Version' so they know which one to trash."

Confronting Annoying Forwards
If you have friends who enjoys filling your inbox with inspirational messages and chain letters, step lightly when asking them to stop, Benenson said. "E-mail lacks visual cues or vocal inflections; you're almost guaranteed to sound harsher then you mean," she said. "The best way to deal with this is to blame it on your boss. Say you're not allowed to get personal e-mails at work. Or plead insufficient memory space. That's a good one."

Donnie of Making the Band 4

LI rapper faces ultimate hip-hop judgement on MTV

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 23, 2007

Donnie Klang of Levittown has been given a chance at fame. The 22-year-old hip-hopper will face the music Sunday night as Sean "P. Diddy" Combs decides the fate of Klang and the other nine contestants on the season finale of "Making the Band 4."

The P. Diddy-produced reality MTV show has created four platinum-recording bands, such as Danity Kane, whose self-titled album debuted at number one last year. The show also ranked number one in it's Tuesday night time slot and roped in 57.5 millions viewers this year. The show's gimmick is to produce a chart topping male R&B foursome.

Though the pressure is on, Klang is no stranger to defeat. The young singer spent his high school days as part of the hip-hop boy band I.N.T.(I'm Not Telling) which never seemed to get where he wanted it to go, he said."

We were together for eight years and even got into the studio, but were never able to break in," Klang said. The group released one album, "Hip Pop" in 2005. "We got let down over and over. It takes a lot out of you."

Klang said he was ready to give up on the music scene and head back to college (he had attended Hofstra) before he auditioned for the show last year. But after some nudging from family and friends, he said. he eventually tried out.

"Now it's been like a dream," he said. "I keep thinking I'm going to wake up to life before all this happened."

P. Diddy enlists the help of MTV fans on-line before revealing the winners (to vote,go to www.makingtheband.mtv.com). On-line voting will continue until the show airs live at 10 p.m. from Times Square.

Klang's hoping Sunday night will not bring an I.N.T. repeat, but is unsure of his chances against the others.

"Overall everybody brings something to the table, which is why Diddy's having trouble choosing," he said. "He could choose any combination of the 10 and make a hit."

Making grammar cool

And now, iGrammar

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 22, 2007

Could it be that good grammar is back in style. Possibly, if the success of Mignon Fogarty’s "Grammar Girl’s Quick and Dirty Tips To Clean Up Your Writing" is any indication.

Barely a year ago Fogarty, a technical writer from Arizona, started a small podcast to help fellow technical writers with their grammar and sparked what you migh call a worldwide, syntax-driven fiesta. Her iTunes podcast has been downloaded 5 million times and has over 2 million listeners each week, from Chinese schoolchildren to American CEOs.

As she guides listeners through such things as the distinction between affect and effect and teh proper use of the semicolon, Fogarty’s Grammar Girl consistantly tops iTunes as most downloaded podcast in the education category. On the strength of that accomplishment she was asked to appear in March as a grammar expert on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."

Mignon Fogarty, author of "Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips To Clean Up Your Writing"

All the feedback prompted Audio Renaissance her to publish her first audiobook. It's in bookstores and sold on-line for $9.95 through Barens and Noble and Amazon.com. Audio Renaissance's sister company, Henry Holt and Co., is hoping to have a hardback published in 2008, said Liz Noland, Audio Renaissance publicist.

The hour-long CD is divided into three parts and offers tidbits including memorization tips for often confused works (which and that; nauseous and nauseating) and "how-to" sound bites on punctuation marks.

Moving beyond Grammar Girl, Fogarty created a Quick and Dirty Tips empire, at QDnow.com. The site features a host of "Tips for Doing Thing Better," including Mr. Manner’s Tips for a More Polite Life, Money Girl’s Tips for a Richer Life and Mighty Mommy’s Tips for Practical Parenting, which are sampled on the audiobook.

Spot-lighting the underdog

If it feels good, watch it

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 22, 2007

Americans love to cheer the underdog.

In the movie world, it translates into your Rockys, your "Chariots of Fire," your "Blades of Glory." But nowhere is the feel-good genre more pure than in the up-from-the-ashes documentary. Something about watching underdogs rise above all odds or even seeing them crushed by defeat (but with integrity intact) keeps audiences coming back for that it-could-be-worse affirmation.

With the release of "The King of Kong: A Fist Full of Quarters" last week, the competitive documentary returns. The film follows Billy Mitchell and Steve Wiebe, who compete for the Donkey Kong video game's world record high score, cementing their names in the proverbial arcade games hall of fame.

But why stop that feel-good feeling when the lights come up? Here are some documentaries worth seeking out for home viewing.

"Murderball"
This intense and emotional 2005 film showcases a Rugby team of quadriplegic men as they train and compete around the country. Fitted with custom reinforced wheelchairs, they bang and crash their way to the 2004 Paralympics in Athens. We gain insight into the lives of five team members who share with the filmmakers their disabilities, families and even their sex lives. The movie won a 2005 Sundance Film Festival award and was nominated for an Academy Award in 2006.

"Crazy Legs Conti: Zen and the Art of Competitive Eating"
Eccentric New York City window washer, nude art-class model and sperm donor, Jason "Crazy Legs" Conti delves into the outlandish and radical world of competitive eating. Conti happens upon an oyster-eating contest in New Orleans and ends up breaking the world record in the event. The triumph sends him on a life-changing quest to be signed by the International Federation of Competitive Eating. His journey takes him from coast to coast as he turns the powers and calming effects of Zen into tools of his new trade. The movie was recognized at the Tribeca and Los Angeles International film festivals in 2004.

"Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit"
Small wooden gauntlets are thrown, and the gloves come off, when four men take to the competitive Scrabble circuit, their efforts culminating in the 2002 National Championship in San Diego, where the top prize was $25,000 and an appearance on the "Today" show. The documentary was honored at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2005.

"Spellbound"
Eight young students train and fight for the last word at the Scripps Howard National Spelling Bee competition in Washington, D.C. Cameras follow the kids and their parents as they force-feed themselves the dictionary. The movie was nominated for a 2002 Academy Award and sparked a pop culture frenzy around spelling bees: "Akeelah and the Bee," a movie starring Laurence Fishburne and Angela Bassett, came out shortly after, and "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" on Broadway won two Tony Awards in 2005.

"Hoop Dreams"
"Hoop Dreams" hit the documentary scene with a vengeance upon its award-winning release in 1994. Hailed by critics as the best film of the year, the story spotlights the challenges of life in the inner city through the experiences of two Chicago high school students, Arthur Agee and William Gates, as they try to make their way to the NBA. The film received many accolades, including an Academy Award nomination in 1995, and was added to the U.S. National Film Registry in 2005.

Is Hollywood too skinny?

Skinny role models: Are LI women following?

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 22, 2007

Stephanie Greenberg, 17, of Melville giggles amid friends as they pass the scantily clad window models of Aeropostale and Banana Republic at Walt Whitman Mall in Huntington Station. Their eyes quickly gaze over the Abercrombie & Fitch advertisement featuring a rail-thin seductress.

When asked if the girls notice the unhealthy societal implications of these images, they simply scoff.

"Every time I open my favorite magazine I see Nicole Richie and I just want to take her to McDonald's and give her a large fries and a cheeseburger," Greenberg said.

Anyone who opens the latest celebrity tabloid or flips on "Entertainment Tonight" can see thin is in, and some health experts are decrying the effect this may have on today's youth.

Greenberg, however, was adamant about the lack of influence actresses such as Angelina Jolie and Nicole Richie have on her diet regimen.

"It's disgusting to see girls like that, they look like Barbies," she said, her friends nodding in agreement.

However, Alyssa Petrucci, 19, of Massapequa said she's witnessed the dangerous effects firsthand.

"I have a lot of friends who have suffered from anorexia because they feel they need to be like Paris Hilton," she said. "I definitely think it's a problem and I don't think it's beautiful. I think it's ugly."

Even those who are no longer teens face issues with self-image after seeing Lindsay Lohan's or Mischa Barton's protruding backbones on the red carpet.

"Even at 25 I sort of feel uncomfortable and think I need to be like them," said Lindsay Cantor of Dix Hills. "To see your bones has become socially acceptable."

The trend is becoming more dangerous as technology becomes more advanced, said Traci Levy, a gender studies professor at Adelphi University.

"These actresses go through hours and hours of makeup and their pictures are airbrushed," she said. "It's presenting a very unrealistic and unattainable images for kids to look up to."

But the blame doesn't just fall on the actresses, who, Levy said, are also victims.

"Modern mainstream society encourages an arms race on thinness," she said. "On one hand these actresses are trendsetters, on the other they're playing into this pop culture ideal. I think that they do get caught up in it."

Long Live the King

Presley is this artist's good luck charm

by Dwayne Steward
Entertainment reporter
Newsday
August 12, 2007

Shawn Klush says becoming someone else is his higher calling, a sacrifice he makes with pride.

Donning the white, sequined jumpsuit, slicking back his jet-black hair - it's all for just that moment when Klush can be Elvis Presley.

"It's a rush like no other when you get on that stage with the original band," says Klush, who will be a headliner at the Rock 'n' Roll King Spectacular at the North Fork Theatre in Westbury on Aug. 18.

Klush, 38, has been an Elvis tribute artist for 20 years, a one-stop Elvis extravaganza. His performance includes everything from early hits "It's Now or Never" and "Love Me" to later classics such as "Suspicious Minds."

Growing up in the small town of Pittston, Pa., Klush remembers watching Elvis on television with his father. He sang his first Elvis song professionally in 1988. Little did he know, his love for The King would lead him to performing for sold-out crowds all over the world.

It's the audience Klush craves, the love they shower him with every night. He says he is bringing Elvis back to the world the right way.

"The whole idea is that we bring as much realism as we can," Klush says.

His act incorporates some of the people who performed with Presley, including his original drummer, D.J. Fontana. Klush strives to be completely faithful, even down to using Presley's tailor and jeweler for his own wardrobe.

The only thing missing is Elvis himself, but Klush believes he gets pretty close.

"This isn't about me," he says. "I just want to get the perception of Elvis back to where it was at the height of his career and not when he died."

Klush doesn't consider himself among the many beer-bellied men in tacky, stained, white jumpsuits that dot the Las Vegas landscape. For Klush it's about giving people an Elvis experience they've never seen.

"For every show we say, 'Let's make the guy proud as if he's looking down on us,'" he says. "I look at it like I'm just riding a vessel and someone else is the captain."

Michelle visits French perfume firm

Blind teen savors the scents of France

by Dwayne Steward
Newsday
Entertainment reporter
August 6, 2007

When 14-year-old Michelle Hackman recalls her recent trip to France, she describes the smell of the Provence cherry blossoms, the sounds of the streets and the way the light breeze felt across her cheek.

No mention, you will notice, of the sights. The Great Neck teen was born with only a small portion of her right eye, and completely lost her vision when she was 8. The trip to France for a four-day perfume workshop was a much-needed diversion, she said recently. "It wasn't just a free trip to France, it was so much more than that."

L'Occitane, an international chain of boutiques selling organic fragrance and bath and body products, joined forces with the American Foundation for the Blind to send Hackman and four other visually impaired students from across the United States to the French company's headquarters in Manosque, Provence.

During their stay, the young women attended hands-on seminars detailing the perfume production process and toured the company's factory, where they learned how garden plants are transformed into perfumes.

"I held up the group at the factory for an hour asking questions," Hackman said. "It was the best part of the trip."

This is the fourth time AFB has sent students to the workshop, which is usually reserved for French students, said Kelly Parisi, AFB spokeswoman. "Trips like these are invaluable for many blind or visually impaired students because it's sometimes the only way they are able to bond with students like themselves," she said.

L'Occitane's interest in working with the visually impaired arose when founder Olivier Baussan saw a blind woman having difficulty using a free sample, company spokesman Jeremiah Despain said. From then on, he had Braille added to all of the company's packaging.

During the workshop, the students were also able to work with the scents, painting them on fabric for a fragrance tree that still stands in the factory. "We used orange essential oils, ylang-ylang leaves and lavender," Hackman said, adding that she learned "scents aren't just some chemicals that are mixed together. They come from an idea, a place, a feeling."

She will not soon forget the experience.

"Once I touch or smell something, I usually have memorized it," she said. "I remember the gardens, and the smell of the flowers and the dirt. I remember the sounds in the factory."

Bratz!

Long Island parents worry about popular Bratz toy

by Dwayne Steward
Newsday
Entertainment reporter
August 6, 2007

Catherine Rice, 6, of Smithtown, has six of the Bratz dolls.

Jason Weiss' 8-year-old daughter, Zaida, picked up a special movie edition Bratz doll from the display at a Toys "R" Us in Huntington Station last week. Quickly, Weiss said "no," explaining that she already has too many.

"They look like prostitutes," Weiss, of Huntington Station, told a reporter.

"They wear thongs!," said Rosemary Cook, of Melville, as her 5-year-old daughter eyed the display.

To Bratz, or not to Bratz?Into this intergenerational minefield came "Bratz: The Movie," which rode into multiplexes this weekend on a wave of tween-ticipation - and some parental hand-wringing. It's mostly about the doll. Arriving on the scene in 2001, the brassily attired figures shouldered into the little girl doll market, never quite eclipsing Barbie - with her hourglass figure, wholesome accessories and relatively chaste persona - but offering a, shall we say, sexualized alternative.

And like Barbie, who at the height of her popularity in the '70s and '80s alarmed some parents with her curves, Bratz have come under fire because of their slightly provocative chic, urban wardrobe.

"They wear lots of makeup and are scantily clad," said Cathy Rice of Smithtown, whose 6-year-old daughter, Catherine, has six of the dolls. "They definitely don't look like teenagers."

Not everyone is alarmed.

Angela Clement, of Copiague has five daughters - all Bratz fans. She said her house is overrun by the dolls.

"I really don't think there's anything wrong with them," she said. "They're realistic. My daughters play with the Bratz much more than Barbie."

"Barbies are boring," said Clement's 11-year-old daughter, Gabriella. "They all look the same, the only thing that changes is their hair color."

Most parents queried during an afternoon at the Toys "R" Us said they were reluctant to prevent their children from playing with the dolls but thought the manufacturers were overshooting their age market.

"My daughter loves them, but I can't stand them," Weiss said. "I'll take her to the movie if she asks, but I'm hoping she doesn't."

Cook agrees that the dolls are much too mature for smaller girls and doesn't deny their influence.

"They're so popular because little kids idolize older kids and the dolls look much older," she said. "All my daughter's friends have them and when one kid has it, everyone has to have it. That's what starts it all."

Whether or not the dolls are appropriately dressed, Rice said the message received is different with each child."

It depends on the parents and how they're raising their kids," she said.

Elizabeth Avila, of Wyandanch, shares Rice's sentiments.

"She's not going to start acting like that or anything, I would make sure of that," said Avila of her 4-year-old daughter. "I don't think there's anything wrong with them. They're just depicting how kids dress today."

Monuments take millions

Washington memorials take time, money and persistence

by Dwayne Steward
Newsday
Entertainment reporter
August 1, 2007

Queen Latifah and Kenny "Babyface" Edmonds are among the many scheduled to perform at a concert fundraiser to build a Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial on the Washington, D.C. National Mall. The big ticket names can only help, since a memorial is quite the big-ticket item.

So far, the Martin Luther King Jr. National Memorial Project Foundation has raised $81 million of the $100 million required by Congress to break ground.

The MLK Memorial has been in the works since 1996 and isn't slated to open until spring 2008. That span is fairly standard for getting a memorial up in the nation's most visited area. King's Memorial elements are a "mountain of despair," "water wall of quotes," "stone of hope," "niches of reflection," and a visitor center.

Here's a look at what it can take to build a memorial in the nation's capitol.

The Washington Monument. Construction spanned nearly 30 years, against the backdrop of constant funding flops. Phase one began July 4, 1848, but things ground to a halt in 1854 when donations dried up. A second phase of construction used a different type of marble, which explains why the shading is different 150 feet up the 555-foot obelisk. Final costs were about $1.2 million, roughly $21 million today. It was completed February 1885.

The Lincoln Memorial. This took a mere eight years to build in the early 1900s but ran $1 million over the Congressionally approved $2-million budget. This edifice, dedicated May 1922, would cost about $30.6 million to build today.

The Jefferson Memorial. This one was Franklin Delano Roosevelt's idea. The $3-million structure (roughly $30 million today) was completed after four years of construction in April 1943, and was a nod to Jefferson's obsession with Roman architecture.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Funded privately with $8.4 million in donations, Maya Lin's famous wall was completed in less than eight months in 1982. The Three Soldiers and Vietnam Women's Memorial were added in 1984 and 1993, respectively.

The Korean War Veterans Memorial. This multi-part memorial was dedicated in July 1995 after a 3-year construction. The monument cost $19 million to build, $18 million of which was paid for with private donations. The government chipped in $1 million to complete the project.

The Franklin Delano Roosevelt Memorial. Congress approved the creation of this massive memorial in 1955 but a design wasn't chosen until 1978 and it wasn't dedicated until 1997. The $78-million project was steeped in controversy. Animal rights activists protested adding Eleanor Roosevelt's trademark fox fur to her statue and anti-smoking activists made sure FDR's trademark cigarette holder was removed. Also disability advocates started a petition against the FDR statue's exclusion of a wheelchair, and raised $1.65 million to have another statue placed near the memorial entrance in January 2001.

World War II Veterans Memorial. It took former Ohio Rep. Marcy Kaptur, a Democrat, four tries before she was able to persuade Congress to pass the bill for this memorial. Former Republican Sen. Bob Dole, a veteran who was seriously injured in the war, led the fundraising that helped supply the $197 million needed. The federal government added $16 million. Friedrich St. Florian's design was chosen in 1997, but construction didn't start for four years. It was dedicated in May 2004.

Child stars gone wild

Child stars who've run into substance-abuse trouble

By Dwayne Steward
Newsday
Entertainment reporter
July 24, 2007

The proverbial "curse of the child star" is definitely alive and well, with Lindsey Lohan's arrest Tuesday for alleged DUI and cocaine possession. Here's a list of other former child stars who've run into substance-abuse trouble.

Danny Bonaduce, 48
Played Danny Partridge in "The Partridge Family"
Arrested in 1985 when the cops found 50 grams of coke in his car, arrested again in 1990 at a crack house in Daytona Beach, Fla., after police found cocaine on him. He was also arrested in 1991 for allegedly beating up a transvestite prostitute in Phoenix, Ariz. He checked himself into rehab in April 2005.

Dana Plato, died in 1999
Played Kimberly Drummond in "Different Strokes"
She was arrested in January 1992 for forging Valium prescriptions and was later cited for parole violation, for which she served 30 days in jail. The same year she entered rehab, which she fell in and out of until she committed suicide in 1999 by taking an overdose of painkillers at the age of 34.

Todd Bridges, 42
Played Willis Jackson in "Different Strokes"
He was arrested in 1993 in Burbank, Calif., after police found methamphetamine and a handgun in a car he was driving. He pled guilty to the charges and entered a court-ordered, one-year drug treatment program. In 1990, a jury acquitted him after he was accused of shooting a drug dealer in Los Angeles.

Jodie Sweetin, 25
Played Stephanie in "Full House"
In March 2005, after being taken to the emergency room suffering from the effects of alcohol and methamphetamine, she voluntarily checked herself into rehab.

Tatum O'Neal, 43
Youngest person to win an Academy Award, 1n 1973 at age 10, for her supporting role in Paper Moon
In early 2000, O'Neal revealed her story of long-time drug abuse. She began using drugs by age 14, going from marijuana to Quaaludes and cocaine to heroin. In 1992 lost custody of her three children because of drug abuse.

Leif Garrett, 45
'70s teen singing idol
Pleaded guilty in March 2005 to attempted possession of cocaine-based narcotics and was placed on probation. Arrested and charged Jan. 18, 2006 with possessing heroin after he was arrested for allegedly trying to ride the subway without paying. He failed several drug tests while in a drug diversion program and was sentenced in May 2006 to 90 days in jail and three years probation after opting out of another drug treatment program.

Drew Barrymore, 32
Played Gertie in "E.T."
Entered a rehab clinic at the age of 13 to fight drug and alcohol abuse. She hit rock bottom after stealing her mother's credit card and bought a plane ticket to the West Coast with the intention of going to Hawaii. She was apprehended by private investigators in Los Angeles and led back to rehab in handcuffs.

Haley Joel Osment, 19
Played Cole in "The Sixth Sense"
In October 2006, he pleaded no contest to misdemeanor charges of drunken driving and drug possession after an automobile crash in Los Angeles. He was put on three years probation, paid $1,500 in fines and was ordered to spend 60 hours in alcohol rehabilitation and attend Alcoholics Anonymous.

Corey Feldman, 36
'80s child star, played in "Gremlins", "The Goonies" and "Stand By Me"
Arrested in 1990 for heroin possession and was sentenced to community service.