SASHA NAGY
Globe and Mail Update Published on Friday, Nov. 21, 2008 4:17PM EST Last updated on Tuesday, Mar. 31, 2009 9:18PM EDT
Perhaps we should have seen the media blitz coming. Not long after news broke that former New York Governor Eliot Spitzer would not face criminal charges for patronizing a high-priced prostitution ring, along comes Ashley Dupre. The prostitute at the centre of the scandal that brought down Mr. Spitzer made a return to the national spotlight this week with a series of high-profile interviews. Ms. Dupre said that she didn't know the identity of Client No. 9 (Spitzer), even though she knew who the New York Governor was. She just never made the connection since she wasn't much for watching television. Ms. Dupre apologized to Mr. Spitzer's wife, Silda Wall Spitzer, in a People Magazine piece and in an interview with Diane Sawyer that will air later.
Despite falling off the mass media radar since the March scandal, Ms. Dupre has remained a staple in the New York tabloids . The former escort hopes to forge a career in music and would like to write books. Not sure if she plans a tell-all tome. She must have saved some salacious details, since the People interview was short on them.
Related web coverage: Gawker
1. Ashley apologizes (The Associated Press), 23,361 page views
The video report from The Associated Press didn't divulge any real new information, apart from the quote from Ms. Dupre that she "feels her pain" and her revelation that sex with Mr. Spitzer was like a "transaction." Technically, she's right of course. Still the video topped the weekly globeandmail.com video list, a testament to the huge amount of interest the Spitzer scandal generated when the story first broke back in March.
2. Building goes boom (The Associated Press) 6,761 views
Nothing like seeing a building blow up, or in this case, come crashing down. A dye house situated alongside Virginia's Dan Rover was taken down during a planned implosion. Not to be confused with Sarah Palin's recently concluded election campaign.
3. Bond does boffo box office (The Associated Press) 5,488 views
Daniel Craig returned to the silver screen as Agent 007 in the new Bond movie, Quantum of Solace. The movie generated mixed response, but Bonds fans won't care. In fact, despite the lukewarm reviews, the film shattered records for the franchise. Here's a link to Globe's review by Liam Lacey.
4. The AGO's Thomson collection (Globe and Mail) 5,395 views
The Art Gallery of Ontario re-opened after a multi-million dollar transformation by acclaimed architect Frank Gehry last week. A key component to the redesign was the addition of a major art collection donated by the Thomson family. Ken Thomson, who built a business empire that include the Globe and Mail, was a significant art collector of international reknown. The decision by his family to put his collection on display was a major coup for the AGO. The video, commissioned by the Thomsons, tells the story of how the art ended up at the AGO.
5. First look at new Star Trek (The Associated Press) 5,167 views
Space, the final frontier. These are the stories of the Starship Enterprise. Well, not exactly. The retooling of the Star Trek franchise by director J.J. Abrams doesn't hit the big screen until May 2009, but a sneak peek was released this week. It's just a trailer which makes it difficult to form an opinion. First impression? Aside from the pointy ears, it's tough to distinguish Zachary Quinto's Spock, from his Heroes' character Syler.
6. Al-Qaeda denounces Barack Obama (The Associated Press) 5,097 views
Al-Qaeda calls out President-elect Barack Obama. Ayman Zawahiri, No. 2 leader in the terror group's hierarchy, described Mr. Obama as a "house negro" and featured an old speech by Malcolm X in the message that was distributed over the Internet. The slur was condemned by the United States.
7. Pastor's sex-sermon (The Associated Press) 4,361 views
When a Texas pastor urged his married flock to engage in sex for seven days, it seemed like a publicity stunt. However, in further explaining his motives in a sermon delivered last Sunday, he said that he hoped to strengthen marriages through the "sexperiment." He called his sermon "Leaving Lust Vegas."
8. High stepping (The Associated Press) 4,118 views
This video was a carryover from last week's list. The video clearly had "legs." Svetlana Pankratova showed off her 1.32 metre-long legs, at a ceremony in New York held for the Guinness Book of World Records.
9. Domino effect (The Associated Press) 3,493 views
Speaking of world records. A Dutch group set a new world record by toppling 4,345,027 tablets in an elaborate display.
10. Top toys (The Canadian Press) 3,476 views
A richer, greener Monopoly game, a "cool" dinosaur set and a child-friendly MP3 player are among the top toys this year, as chosen by kids. The annual list from the Canadian Toy Testing Council, a non-profit group that ranks toys by farming them out to youngsters, included a list of 11 choice playthings this year. .
Honourbale mention: Palin fires back at critics (Associated Press) 3,262; Lesner defeats Couture in UFC 91 (Canadian Press) 3,160
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