Kenny Edwards

Kenny Edwards, a co-founding member of the Stone Poneys, died Wednesday after battles with cancer and a blood disorder. He was 64.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Edwards -- who was instrumental in helping Linda Ronstadt launch her career -- was hospitalized in Denver earlier in the month after collapsing on tour with Karla Bonoff. The guitarist and vocalist was subsequently moved to a hospital near his home in Santa Barbara where he passed.

Edwards was just out of high school when he steered the aforementioned but short-lived country rock band, which included Ronstadt, onto the charts when the group's song 'Different Drum' peaked at No. 13 in 1967. Although the group split soon after, Edwards went on to form the folk rock outfit Bryndle with Bonoff, Andrew Gold and Wendy Waldman.

He was perhaps best known throughout his career for his supporting musical roles with artists such as Ronstadt, Stevie Nicks, Don Henley, Vince Gill, Art Garfunkel, Brian Wilson and Bonoff.

"He was always a beacon to me," Ronstadt told the paper Thursday, citing him for his efforts in crafting her 1974 US No. 1 "You're No Good." "He introduced me to so much stuff, and his opinion always counted a lot to me."

"He came up with that guitar and bass idea that gave it a very different sound, and really gave Andrew [Gold] and Peter [Asher] something to build on," Ronstadt continued. "When he and Andrew started singing together with me, that became a really important part of my sound. He was always a really good ensemble player."

Meanwhile, in a separate statement, Bonoff heralded Edwards "for being my teacher, my musical partner and my best friend for the last 43 years."

Born in Santa Monica on Feb. 10, 1946, Edwards formed the Stone Poneys in 1965 with Bobby Kimmell. Aside from 'Different Drum,' which was penned by the Monkees' Mike Nesmith, the band had one other Top 100 hit, 'Up to My Neck in High Muddy Water.'
Although he was supporting musician for the bulk of his career, Edwards released his second solo album, 'Resurrection Road' in November 2009.

Edwards had reportedly been diagnosed with the blood disorder TTP (thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura) and had also been receiving chemotherapy for prostate cancer. He is survived by his mother.

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California Coast Credit Union

Credit unions have a reputation as small, conservative and community minded – not the kinds of financial houses that get rocked when the economy turns down.
But that reputation may no longer be deserved.

Los Angeles County has lost 20 credit unions, more than 11 percent of the total, since the beginning of last year, primarily because of failures or mergers, according to a Business Journal analysis of regulators’ data.

That compares with eight local commercial banks that were lost over that span, about 10 percent of their total.

Part of the reason that the credit union industry has contracted is that most of its customers are individuals rather than businesses, and with a lingering unemployment rate of greater than 12 percent, many people have been unable to pay their auto or home loans.

Beyond that, credit unions have been allowed to expand and offer new products in recent years. Analysts said some institutions grew recklessly during the housing boom, leaving them vulnerable when the recession took hold.
“There are many credit unions that did get into markets that they didn’t immediately understand, and that led to some poor decisions that many are paying for today,” said Tom Glatt Jr., founder of Glatt Consulting LLC, a credit union consulting firm in Wilmington, N.C.

To be sure, not all credit unions are suffering, with many seeing big growth in their deposits. What’s more, at least some of the shrinkage resulted from strategic mergers between credit unions in relatively strong financial condition.

Of the credit unions that the county has lost, most have merged with other credit unions. But four have failed, two have voluntarily closed and one moved its headquarters across the country after its parent company relocated.

Those county closures do not include the region’s most spectacular recent credit union failure: the June 25 seizure of Arrowhead Credit Union in San Bernardino County by regulators who charged executives with reporting inaccurate financial data.
The most recent closure in Los Angeles County occurred July 31 when regulators shuttered Certified Federal Credit Union in Commerce. Founded more than 60 years ago, the institution had persevered through many economic downturns. However, like a number of other credit unions, it had gotten into a variety of problematic loan products, including adjustable-rate mortgages.

“You have a certain amount of credit unions that expanded very aggressively and have had a lot of problems,” said Stephen Weakley, chief executive of Vons Credit Union in El Monte, which assumed the assets of Certified after it was closed. “For a lot of credit unions, capital has become critical, and a lot of them are struggling.”

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Snazzy Napper

I watched this video twice, not believing what I was seeing. But the Snazzy Napper seems to be legit. Basically, it's like a blanket for your face designed to keep out light and allow you to sleep without the "terrible inconvenience" of light seeping through your lids.

But wait, there's more. If you opt for the extra large Snazzy Napper (which looks across between a ghost costume for Halloween and a KKK robe), it has pockets for things like your cell phone.

This may be the silliest part of the whole thing. I mean, if you are distracted by a sliver of light peeking through your peppers, do you really think your vibrating (or ringing) cell phone isn't going to cause some serious interruption?

The Snazzy Napper costs $15 - $25, depending on the size, and is available here.

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Ten ways to protect your privacy online – Telegraph.co.uk

The Hindu Ten ways to protect your privacy online Telegraph.co.uk Facebook, Google, MySpace, Twitter, Bebo, Habbo, the proliferation of social networking means people are making more information about themselves accessible … Google name service would be cause for alert San Francisco Chronicle Google CEO Exposes Dark Side of Social Networking Reuters Google CEO: Change Names to Avoid Social Networking Past PC Magazine ZDNet (blog)

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Nikki Reed Has Bieber Fever

Hopping on the Justin Bieber bandwagon, Nikki Reed is finally ready to call herself a fan.
In a sit-down interview with MTV News, the “Twilight” beauty admitted, "I didn't really understand that for a while, and I finally get it."
Ms Reed explained how she stumbled upon an old Bieber video where was 6 years old at the time and playing a guitar on the side of the road.
Of her discovery, she gushed, "The excitement and passion in his eyes and his voice, this little tiny kid holding this big huge guitar ... he's singing, his voice penetrates into the world. "People across the street were listening, it's truly incredible. He's a talented kid."
Popout

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Beautiful Kardashian Sisters Cover ‘L.A. Confidential’ Mag

Los Angeles Confidential has released it’s ‘Fall Fashion Issue,’ but the cover is what slowed us down at the news stand to pick it up.  The cover is adorned by the beautiful Kardashian sisters; Khloe, Kim, and Kourtney.
The sisters tweeted their excitement on Wednesday of how well the cover turned out.
Khloe tweeted: “OMG I die for this LA Confidential cover!!!! I just saw it for the first time this morning and I absolutely love it!”
I have to agree with Khloe, they look great, and the publisher, Jason Binn, did an amazing job landing them for the cover.

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'The Real Housewives of Atlanta' gets new cast

There's been a major shake up for the cast of The Real Housewives of Atlanta. Lisa Wu Hartwell left the show three episodes into the show’s third season.
Filling the void left by Hartwell are two new cast members, Cynthia Bailey and Phaedra Parks. They’ll make their debut in the season premiere on Oct. 4.

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Celebrity birthdays on August 20, 2010

OnTheRedCarpet.com wishes happy birthday to everyone celebrating today, August 20, 2010, including  singer Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin) (62), actor James Marsters (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) (48) and singer-actress Demi Lovato (Camp Rock) is 18.
News anchor Connie Chung is 64.
Trombone player Jimmy Pankow of Chicago is 63.
Singer Rudy Gatlin of the Gatlin Brothers is 58.
Singer-songwriter John Hiatt is 58.
Actor-director Peter Horton (thirtysomething') is 57.
Today show weatherman Al Roker is 56.
Actress Joan Allen is 54. Rapper KRS-One is 45.
Singer Fred Durst of Limp Bizkit is 40.
Guitarist Brad Avery of Third Day is 39.
Singer Monique Powell of Save Ferris is 35.
Actor Ben Barnes (Prince Caspian) is 29.

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