LOS ANGELES (AP) — “American Idol” judge Kara DioGuardi (KEHR’-uh dee-oh-GWAR’-dee) is glad to have Ellen DeGeneres on the panel this season but expressed doubt that shock jock Howard Stern could make the cut as a replacement for Simon Cowell. DioGuardi also suggested that speculation about tension on the set between DeGeneres and Cowell is unfounded, saying any rumor about the show should be taken with a grain of salt and is usually untrue and “just ridiculous.” DeGeneres made her debut Tuesday on “American Idol,” which continues with its Hollywood auditions Wednesday. As for the possibility that’s been floated of Stern joining “American Idol,” DioGuardi said that someone with a musical background who knows how to groom artists should take over Cowell’s chair when he leaves after this season.
February 10, 2010 | Posted in
Entertainment |
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Putting the Toyota recall fix to the test By Jeremiah Jacobsen Story Created: Feb 8, 2010 at 10:23 PM EST Story Updated: Feb 8, 2010 at 10:23 PM EST FORT MYERS, Fla. – As Toyota recalls its popular hybrid Prius model in Japan, service garages in the U.S. are already filling up with customers getting fixes on two earlier recalls. WINK News rode along in a repaired vehicle to see how the fix works. Fort Myers Toyota service director Gary Meyer, showed us how a repaired car comes to a complete stop, even when the accelerator is pressed all the way to the floor. “The braking system on a car is designed to overpower an accelerator,” Meyer said. “If a person’s firm on the brakes, there’s no way they cannot control the vehicle.” It’s part of the three-step repair process in Toyota’s recall for problem floormats. Service techs remove a portion of floor padding, trim about half-inch off the accelerator pedal itself, then reprogram the car’s computer to ensure the brakes overtake the accelerator. It’s a two hour process for the floor mat issue, even less for the larger “sticky pedal” recall, where a small shim is installed in the pedal to increase tension on the spring and make it more responsive. “We’ve had approximately 500 vehicles so far,” Meyer said. “Our biggest problem right now has been availability of parts.” Fort Myers Toyota says the recall repairs have gone smoothly, so they haven’t had to stay open round-the-clock as planned. While they’ve never actually seen a case of sticky pedal in their shop, they say the recall repairs should give customers peace of mind. “If they have their foot on the brake, its definitely going to stop, there’s not going to be any question about it,” Meyer said. Owners of recalled Toyotas can expect a letter in the mail from the automaker with a notice to call their local Toyota dealer to schedule a repair. Previous article Jack Hanna kicks off Naples Zoo giraffe project Next article Cut cable causes thousands to miss Super Bowl
February 9, 2010 | Posted in
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