What Caught My Eye Today

Britain - Britain announced two new arrests in the failed car bombings in London and at Glasgow's airport. Police had searched at least 19 locations as part of a "fast-moving investigation" into what British officials have called an al-Qaida-linked network. Vigilance was already heightened ahead of the anniversary of Britain's first suicide attacks, the July 7, 2005, London transit bombings in which four British-bred Muslims killed themselves and 52 commuters on three subway trains and a bus. In the latest attacks, two car bombs failed to explode in central London on Friday and two men rammed a Jeep Cherokee into the entrance of Glasgow International Airport on Saturday. Thankfully, no casualties have been reported and you have to applaud the efficiency in which law enforcement officials are apprehending the perpetrators.

British Royal Family - Waving their arms in the air and dancing with 70,000 fans at London's Wembley Stadium, princes William and Harry celebrated the life of their mother, Princess Diana, on what would have been her 46th birthday Sunday at a concert they organized. "This evening is about all that my mother loved in life: her music, her dance, her charities and her family and friends," William told the crowd, thanking them and millions more who watched the show on television. William said the concert was a chance for people to "remember all the good things about her because she's not here to defend herself when she gets criticized." Tickets for the concert cost $90 with proceeds going to causes Diana supported. I caught some of the concert on VH1, and must say, it was rather well done. Willian and Harry certainly appear to have a knack for throwing a party. Of course, Harry does have some experience to draw from.

Russia - Russian President Vladimir Putin is in Kennebunkport, Maine for talks with President Bush. Bush and Putin have contrasting views on democracy and missile defense, NATO expansion into Russia's backyard and independence for Kosovo. They both want to stymie Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions, but don't see eye-to-eye on how tough to get with Tehran or even whether Iranian missiles currently pose a threat. For all the pleasantries and talk about patching up the Bush-Putin friendship and forging fresh relations with Russia as it transitions from its communist past, the rhetoric coming out of the Kremlin of late seems mired in the Cold War. I find myself in rather unfamiliar territory here. Bush is actually trying to patch up a relationship with dialogue? Clearly, he didn't consult with Cheney, who never would have stooped to such a pathetic display of weakness.

Axis of Unity - The presidents of Iran and Venezuela launched construction of a joint petrochemical plant on Monday, strengthening an "axis of unity" between two oil-rich nations staunchly opposed to the United States. Venezuela's Hugo Chavez and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who both often rail against Washington, also signed a series of other deals to expand economic cooperation, ranging from setting up a dairy factory in Venezuela to forming an oil company. "The two countries will united defeat the imperialism of North America," a beaming Chavez told a news conference during an official visit to the Islamic Republic, which the United States has labeled part of an "axis of evil." I'm sorry, but 'axis of unity' so totally lacks the panache of 'axis of evil.' You guys need to hire some better PR people to add some punch to your slogan. Marketing is all about perception. This copy cat stuff is weak.

Top 100 Lists - Yet another argument for reading a good book, this one courtesy of the Associated Press. Lists have become such a popular television format that even The Weather Channel offered the "100 Biggest Weather Moments" this spring. Lists have been a reliable staple for magazines and other publications for years, but it wasn't until VH1 polled musicians a decade ago to come up with the "100 Greatest Artists of Rock 'n' Roll" that things really took off on TV. AP came up with its own list of the "5 Biggest Reasons TV Lists Are Hot!

5. Surfability. Perhaps no TV format is better designed for the 100-channel universe. Light upon one of these lists at any time and it's easy to figure out what's going on and get engrossed.

4. Storytelling. The best list specials tell us things we didn't know, even if it's not particularly groundbreaking.

3. Repeats. Lists do very well in repeats, great for networks with many hours to fill. E! has shown "101 Biggest Celebrity Oops!" 52 times, at last count. Some lists get higher ratings in reruns than in original airings.

2. Cheap Stuff. It doesn't cost much to pull tape and line a few comics or industry sages up to riff on camera about memorable moments. Many of these lists are just concocted by network employees gathering in a back room and tossing ideas around.

1. Ratings. People watch. While some lists do better than others, executives say they almost always improve upon typical fare.

Sports Update - A couple of sports items caught my eye this past weekend.

Tennis - The third major of the year, Wimbledon, is entering its second week. Most of the top seeds have advanced as expected. On the women's side, both Williams' sisters are into the fourth round. Venus is slated to face Maria Sharapova, while Serena goes up against Daniela Hantuchova. Should she win, Serena will likely get Justine Henin in the quarter finals (lucky her). Over on the men's side, Roger Federer advanced to the quarterfinals without having to serve for a single point when his opponent, Tommy Haas, withdrew from the tournament with an injury. Unlike the French Open, the American's still have one player left. Andy Roddick has safely made it through to the fourth round.

Yachting - It seems that the America's Cup will conclude shortly. Alinghi fought back from behind to beat Team New Zealand and take their lead in the America's Cup to 4-2 on Saturday, putting them just one win away from defending sailing's most coveted prize.

Baseball - Seeing as this All-Star Game is going to be a San Francisco thing anyway, they might as well have put Barry Bonds in the middle of it, in the city and amid the fans that adore him without reservation. Bonds overtook Alfonso Soriano in the final days of balloting, a quarter million-vote rally that put him into the National League outfield with Ken Griffey Jr. and Carlos Beltran. Bonds has been selected to 13 others and this will be his 12th start. He is batting .304, back from .265 a little more than a month ago, with 16 home runs and 40 RBIs. Oh, and by the way, dude has 750 career home runs. Maybe that had something to do with making the starting rotation.

Golf - Rubbing an injured wrist and teary eyes, Wie withdrew from the U.S. Women's Open halfway through her second round Saturday on her way to another score in the 80s. She was 6 over through nine holes when she quit after hitting her second shot on the par-5 first hole, telling her playing partners, "I'm done." The 17-year-old from Hawaii was 17 over for the tournament when she walked away, the second time in three tournaments she has withdrawn. For the year, she has completed seven rounds with an average score of just under 78. Only a year ago, she had a share of the lead on the back nine of all three U.S. majors on the LPGA Tour, and made headlines around the world by coming close to qualifying for the men's U.S. Open at Winged Foot. Her latest scorecard -- withdraw, dead last, withdraw. so like, this would qualify as a slump, right? Here's a radical idea, Michelle. Stop playing until you properly rehabilitate your wrist.