kobe, kobe! >> how you doing? >> kobe, kobe! how are you kobe? >> i'm doing good. >> i have only two questions for you. the first one, -- [ speaking in spanish ] >> i appreciate the invitation. i have to check my schedule, c n can -- i can get back to you? >> yes. thank you very much. second question, kobe. do you think we'll ever have a black president? >> that's a tough one. i would have to say yes. >> yes? me too. one last one do you like basketball? >> a little bit. i enjoy it. >> me too. >> do you play? >> yes. >> you do? >> yeah. >> what position do you play? center? >> guard. >> that's surprising, i thought a man of your size would play center. >> well, play with mexican guys. good luck, i'll give you a high ey, kobe bryant. >> thank you very much, man. [ cheers and applause ] >> if you have been watching the games by now you've noticed that magic coach van gundy who looks more like a restaurant manager, and tell me if this doesn't match perfectly. >> listen to me, listen to me. i want the glasses full at all times and if i see you bus boy

has kobe been taking it around with him? >> all the time. >> one thing about this team, you have to thick skin to play on this team. >> is that right? >> these guys -- these guys are horrible. >> who gets it the worst? >> who gets it the worst? >> hey. >> oh, man, right there. >> d.j. does? i know -- >> we call him congo cash all the time. >> i saw you do something goonies related. >> had nothing to do with him, man. >> nothing to do with him? >> no. >> you're from belgium. >> yeah, from belgium. >> did they watch you there? did they watch the series? >> of course. just like pau say, they were watching. it was late over there, but people did watch. >> and do you know these guys are screwing around with you? do they do it because of your accent? [ laughter ] >> we just don't know where he's from. >> you don't? i have seen a lot of belgians. you don't look like one of them. [ laughter ] >> that's what we said. >> you know what? >> what? [ laughter ] >> get this man a waffle. >> i know. that's what we do all the time. sometimes

just sitting one night eating kobe because kobe beef is expensive. >> but lobster is coming down in price. >> shoot your wad on the kobe beef. no sauce on this. >> no sauce. >> no mustard, a one steak sauce. >> it has balsalmic vinegar in there. all these flavors, you don't need anything. >> the recipe is online at myfoxdcom if you are interested in whipping this concoction up yourself. if there is a chef, recipe you want to see featured, drop us a line. we have this little guy down here spinning his wheels cranking the burners. so, hopefully by the end of the show, it will be hot enough and it will be done. >> i'm hoping so. >> very good. back to you. >> all right. nice to see you. thank youholly. >>> makg headlines today, new york city mayor michael bloomberg defended his get out of town program. the city offers a homeless folks one way ticket out of town. there are no limits on where they can go or be sent. all it takes is a friend or relative to agree to take them in. the mayor admits he doesn't know what they do once they leave but it's cheaper than placing them in shelters. since 20

kobe compiles the b.n.a. wage trend index which is signaling smaller wage hikes in the next six months. in fact, smaller than anything tracked by government compensation statistics in more than 30 years. >> i think it is possible it could go a ways below 2%. so i think we haven't seen that sort of slow down in wages in a long time. >> reporter: and there are signs employers intend to keep a lock on wages for some time. watson wyatt found one in five employers surveyed plan to keep salary reductions made in this recession. and one out of four employers who have forced workers to take furloughs either don't know if they will, or don't plan to let workers eventually make up their lost pay. all this has economists like dean baker worrying about a downward spiral. >> so that means workers have less money in their pockets, they'll obviously be buying less. so that's going to reduce demand and therefore cause more firms to lay off workers, or even in some cases, go out of business. >> reporter: the one saving grace

. >>> when i hear kobe bryant this time of day and asia, i get hungry, but this is kobe bryant over in asia, holding a basketball clinic. that is a look at sports. >> thank you very much. nice pled. -- nice play. >>> michael steele has stepped up attacks on president obama's health care reform plan. >> when michael steele was asked about his own health care coverage, he told cnn he is not sure which company covered him. he said he thought it was blue cross blue shield, but according to sources, it looks like it is set up. democrats pounced on michael steele, sang it must be nice to have the luxury of not knowing the name of your health care provider -- saying that it must be nice to have the luxury of not knowing the name of your health care provhealth care >>> nobody has done more with less than me. >> new york city's naked cowboy has announced his candidacy for mayor. he says he has plenty of ideas about tax breaks, gay marriage, and homeland security. he will face michael bloomberg who is seeking a third term. >>> ok, follow that. >> most of the showersn o the western fringesn of th

and from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. not coming, jackson's ex-wife, debbie rowe, who said she didn't want to be a distraction. and elizabeth taylor, who said on her twitter page, i just don't feel that michael would want me to share my grief with others. 17,000 jackson fans will be there to honor the king of pop. >> i was going to go to one of his concerts. but this will be the closest thing i get to it. >> reporter: now, the public memorial will be broadcast live in tv and in movie theaters across the country. organizers say it will not be a sad event. rather, a celebration of a talented, if troubled, entertainer. jeremy? vinita? >> and, carla, you mentioned that jackson's arms showed signs of drug use. who else do we know about that? >> reporter: well, abc news has learned from investigators that the track marks are consistent with a very don't sedative, diprivan. and that is a drug that was found in jackson's house. it's a drug medical experts say should not be administered outside the hospital. but we have learned fr

most everne oside of orlando and denver are hoping to see kobe bryant play lebron james in the finals that did not happen, and the referee showed a blatant lack of favoritism. he walked off the court without shaking anyone's hand and afterwards he said he refused to shake because he's a winner. winners don't shake hands when they lose, because that would make them losers. technically, if your hands don't touch you're still a winner. suffice it to say, that i hope lebron james and susan boyle of "britain's got talent" are on an island and making sweet sweet love. they have been waiting for a title of any kind for quite a while now. we put this together maybe to hopefully cheer them up a ltleit bit. >> cleveland, ohio. a city without a major sports championship in 45 years. but hey, you've got the rock and roll hall of fame, the tallest building in all of ohio and chef ityardee. n dan e to tracy jacmak dennis kucinich thd at's it, but that's a lot. cheer up, cleveland. you're great american city and you don't have this. [ cheers and applause ] >> you know, that's something. so -- so tur

from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. not coming, debbie rowe, lisa marie presley and elizabeth taylor. thousands will be there to celebrate the king of pop. >> i was going to go to one of his concerts. i'm going to this. >> reporter: as the world prepares to say goodbye new information about his death surfaced in the investigation, that both of jackson's arms were scarred with track marks consistent with the finding of a potent sedative. sherrie johnson, abc2 news. >>> the latest now on president barack obama's trip to russia. mr. obama met with -- in moscow today with the prime minister putin, the man considered really in charge of russia. in talks yesterday obama and russia's president agreed to cut nuclear stockpiles by about a third. >>> and back here in baltimore, a man caught with 91 pounds of cocaine is expected to plead guilty today but as part of a plea agreement he's allowed to appeal his case. 34-year-old t -- trenell murphy was arrested for having drugs in his truck. his lawyer say the search of his truck was

however, lakers guard kobe bryant scored 31 points and played all but eight minutes of the game. the lakers followed their loss in game three by winning the next two games in orlando to win the 2009 nba championship. for this and for his outstanding play, during the nba finals, lakers guard kobe bryant was presented with the bill russell nba finals most valuable player award and his fourth nba championship. lakers head coach, phil jackson, won his 10th nba championship as the head coach and his 12th nba championship overall. congratulations to the lakers players, coaches and staff on winning the 2008-2009 nba championship. i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady from california yields back her time. the gentleman from utah is recognized. mr. chaffetz: madam speaker, i assure you, i'm confident the utah jazz will be back at some point, but for now, congratulations to the los angeles lakers. i, too, will be supporting h.res. 566. congratulations, and with that i yield back the balance of my time. the speaker pro tempore: the gentleman from utah

kobe bryant and berg shills are expected to take the stage. quick -- kobe bryant and broke oke shields are expected to take the stage. >> i got a note saying congratulations, i got accepted. >> others are expected to watch at home. the memorial will be broadcast live. >> if people are not credentialed, they will not be in an area where they cannot see anything. >> his sister was aeent the forest lawn cemetery. there are reports that his casket was created in indiana with -- is estimated to be worth $25,000. the private gathering with family members at the forest lawn cemetery is expected to take place before the public memorial service. it is not known if jackson's body will be taken to the staples center. kathy park, abc 7 news. >> thank you. >>> you can watch the memorial service right here on abc 7. charlie gibson will anger live coverage begins in -- beginning at 1:00 p.m. >>> we are learning new details on the murder investigation of steve mcnair. the gun found was bought by his 20-year-old girlfriend, sahel kazemi, just two days before t

defending championp joe chestnut took on kobe arby. this year's race was close, but chestnut did win in dramatic fashion, setting a world world by downing 68 hot dogs. that just looks gross. he did not look good. chestnut celebrated with lighter fair. a cob salad with ranch dressing. how you could eat after that, i don't know. you need lighter fair? who would need anything for five days. >> let's not go there. >> visitors are going inside the statue of liberty's grounds for the first time in eight years. >> and one couple in particular made the most of it. the surprise proposal and did sa? e es y you're going to want to stick around. >>> this 4th of july weekend many people are doing something they haven't done in eight years. for the first time since the 9/11 attack. visitors are being allowed into the statue of liberty crown. >> many got a spectacular view yesterday. more than 350 steps to the top. one man from california took full advantage of the grand reopening. he pulled out a ring, got down on one knee and popped the question to

they could have gone through the same thing with kobe saying we're going to wait -- >> but it wasn't -- am i wrong? was it pulled when he was charged? >> so sprite stopped commercials immediately. >> immediately. >> phased it out. and they did not renew. coca-cola, which owns sprite, did not renew. nutella did not renew. nike, which had signed him a month before to a $45 million endorsement deal, didn't bring out a signature shoe for two or three years later, after everything was settled. >> and this is civil. no idea if it -- can it go higher from there in. >> right now there doesn't seem to be an investigation which would lead to a criminal case. but we'll see what happens. each case is its own individual situation. there's a positive endorsement, there's a negative endorsement. but right now ben roethlisberger still positive for dick's sportsing goods. >> darren rovell, thank you so much. coming up next, we're going to have a final check on the markets. we'll be right back. >>> final check on the markets. you can see the dow is trying to be break even on the day. down by about fou

i think i got carried away a little bit because kobe bryant said i love your movies, he started to quote "superbad" and stuff. i think i got carried away because after a good play, lamar odom was coming back to the bench and he held out his hand for a high five and i thought, well, this is obviously for me all right, baby, bring it in! and he's like kind of like hold ought -- like holding out the hand. he brushed my hand away and high fived the players. oh, right, i'm an idiot who knows a rich person. i'm not on the lakers. >> wow. maybe that's the reason for the contract troubles. they did not like how you were treated. >> i don't want to say it's because of me, but it's because of me. >> it is because of you. yeah. >> can you hear the coaches and all that stuff like that? >> it's crazy. phil jackson is my hero. he is like the zen master they call him. he's the man. one of the best coaches in nba history and i worship this guy and a couple of times he never looked in my direction or anything. until one game, they were shooting an episode of "curb your enthusiasm". i don't know why i pro

brooke shields and kobe bryant will be among the guests. the city of los angeles is preparing for what could be the biggest celebrity send of all time. >> is this is probably the largest of an plan for a since the 1984 olympics. we have no idea how many people will show up. >> bans plant to show up with or without tickets so they can say farewell to an icon. >> i grew up listening to him andatching him dance in his music videos. he will be deeply missed. >> fans did not get tickets have decided to watch the event at their local theater. several venues will be broadcasting the memorial live. >>> you can watch the memorial service right here on abc 7. charlie gibson will anchor live coverage beginning very soon at 1:00. the city of los angeles is bracg for this extraordinary event. the cost associated with it is amazing. the city is providing 2500 police officers in and around the staples center. cost estimates for security are at least $2.5 million. city leaders have not heard from the jackson family about helping to pay for the service. aft

look at the kobe bryant case and what happened against the woman who accused kobe bryant of rape. these types of tactics frequently happen. they are used by defense counsel and defends and if you are going to state the charge you have to be able to defend it. >>> how about $64 for a flight to atlanta. cheap prices you'll never believe and prepare to payer the shopping bag when you buy something in the district. living with foot pain? get gold bond pain relieving foot cream. maximum strength medicine stops pain fast. gold bond pain relieving foot cream. finally fast relief for painful feet. >>> welcome back to 9 news now at 9:00 a.m. this is a live look at reagan national airport where you might be able to fly out of it with a 5 -- 50% discount on some fares. "usa today" reported on three airlines in the middle of a sale on ticket prices. southwest, airtran and frontier have slashed prices but you are going to have to hurry. southwest's sale ends tonight at 11:59. airtran's sale ends tomorrow and frontiers ends next wednesday. >> welcome to allstate's free gas giveaway. >> alexandr

but if a member of my family has a brain tumor i don't want oprah or kobe during the operation. i wanted this to your surgeon i can find and i'm not going to be looking for the low bidder were saying if there is a coupon in the paper for 10% off the cost. i want somebody who has worked really hard to know what he's doing. and doesn't well. and if he is really, really good at it, he was still only make about a penny for each dollar that oprah makes. if one of the results of government fixing healthcare is to encourage the smart people to do what oprah does and that some people to become doctors, then thanks but no thanks. i need a good doctor a lot more than i need oprah. and i want my doctor to make a lot of money. *applause . >> mike: that's my view and i welcome yours. contact me at huckabee -- mike@huckabee.com and click on the box index section and come your thoughts. you can get contact information for your senators and congressman pat mike huckabee.com. >> twenty years ago he was vice president of the united states. today, he has a lot to say about the state of our country

also some sports stars as well, magic johnson and kobe bryant. a long list of people. one person not coming, elizabeth taylor. she said she didn't want to put herself into what she called the whoopla. >> larry: well stated. thank you, both, ted rowlands, susan rose jen. always atop the scene. we'll do a special show tomorrow night following it. more on the jackson estate news. we'll talk to the attorney for the executors, howard wiseman. that exclusive when we come back. >> larry: judge decided today who should control michael jackson's assets it the attorney who represents those who will be controlling jackson's estates for now is with us, old friend howard wiseman. the court ruled who is granted control of the assets. what happens then to the mother? >> the mother as designated by michael jackson who was never to be this special administrator. this was to be done by the court because a poetition was filed. the reality is, there was a will. named john mcclane and john branca as the two executors. the judge affirmed -- >> larry: the children are with her. why did the e

kobe bryant, with the option to opt out of the final two years of his contract and force the lakers to pay him an enormous sum of money to keep him in los angeles has decided to not opt out. he declined that option so he will be staying in l.a. and presumably playing out the rest of his contract. welcome into the studios here at "espnews" where we keep you current. i'm bram weinstein in ten minutes or so you might want to opt out from watching this segment as two hot-dog eating champions joins. 'eric karabel will get you set for the fantasy football draft, and yes, it's that time of year for tennis and roger to shine. wimbledon, nobody defeats the king. here he goes, eyeing pete sampras. taking on 6'10" ivo karlovic. this is what the tennis world comes up with to handle federer. how about federer with the backhand winner. double-break point and serves wide. and federer gets it up the line for the winner. the first time in the tournament that karlovic, who has a bomb,   . >> bob: this may be the fastest rain delay to action. everybody. they di

a-rod was number three, followed by terrell owens and kobe bryant. the big surprise was john mcenroe at number 10. he retired years ago. what do you think about this and why? start your text with robin's name so it gets to us or e-mail us. jack texted, i dislike brett favre. he has played the attention game as much as he has football during his long, drawn-out retirement. he lost my respect. meanwhile, an anonymous viewer texted, robin, one name should do for the list: jose conseco. >>> tiger woods took a practice round for this week's buick open. the tournament is in michigan, so he teamed up with one of the fortunate sons, bob seger. listen to the cheer he gets. he reportedly was nervous, but he still played like a rock, hitting against the wind. and that's all i got. i don't have any bob seger albums. i'm sorry. >> thank you. >>> it looks like the "endeavour" is in pretty good shape for tomorrow's scheduled landing. nasa used lasers and cameras to check for damage yesterday. they said it looks okay. they're going to check the data just to make sur

be a huge events including some real big names like mariah carrey, stevie wonder, magic johnson and kobe bryant and brooke shields. joining me, jim moret correspondent for inside edition, also a lawyer, mike brooks and on the phone natisha lance, producer for the nancy grace show, one of the few journalists to attend this memorial. natisha, how did you work that out? who do you know? >> i don't know anybody. but yes, i will be inside for the memorial tomorrow set to start at 10:00 a.m. now we are learning that the family will have a funeral for michael jackson two hours before at 8:00 a.m. at forest lawn. there's five locations. we're not sure exactly which location it will be at. there have been a slew of media camped out at the hollywood hills one. forest lawn is kind of a beacon. many people who are -- during the golden era were buried at forest lawn, nat king cole and the list goes on in terms of many, many celebrities have been buried there. >> natisha, and this will be a funeral, too, right? this is a private service but it will also be the funeral so michael jackson's body will be

kobe compiles thb.n.a. wage end index which is signaling smaller wage hikes ithe next six months. in fact,maller than anything tracked by government compensationtatistics in more than 30 year >> i think it is posble it could a ways below 2%. so i think we haven't seen tt sort of slow down inages in a lo time. >> reporter: and the are signs employers intend to ep a lock on wes for somtime. tson wyatt found one in five employers sueyed plan to keep salary reductions de in this recession. anone out of four employers who have forced workers toake furloughs eith don't know if they will, or don't plano let works eventually make up their lost pay. all this hasconomists like dean baker woring about a downward spiral. >> so that means worke have less money in their poets, they'll obviouy be buying less. so that's gointo reduce mand d therefore cause more firms to lay offorkers, or even in some cases, gout of business. >> reporr: the one saving grace in all this is tt inflation has been tame in recent month so wages for most workers who do keep their bs are lding steady. at leastor now. dar

. >>> and the cardinals' kobe rasmus led the way. >>> when we return, the nation's top stories. and thawing relations. more on president obama's trip to russia today. >>> on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. showers and thunderstorms will continue to cool the south. it will be a beautiful day across the ohio valley and midwest. it will turn cooler throughout the northwest and really chilly tonight. >>> here's another look at this morning's top stories. nearly 9,000 michael jackson fans will pick up their tickets today for the memorial service tomorrow at the staples center in los angeles. today a hearing will be held on jackson's estate. at least 140 people were killed when protestors clashed with police in western china. yesterday riots began when members of an ethnic muslim group protested an incident at a factory. >>> and president obama arrives in russia this morning. u.s. diplomats say an agreement has been reached on a framework for a new arms control treaty. the president will meet with russian president dmitry medvedev later today. bill plante is

it took place at or row know kobe park on the potomac river. it bed as the city's independence day celebration. >>> happy birthday. >> what a nice day it was to have fireworks, hmm? >> we were expecting a little rain. >> that's right. >> and the front just fizzled on out. >> so did the people at the concert also. >> we were expecting it really late. so really into the late evening hours and into the nighttime hours. we could still see maybe. >> there's still a chance tonight. >> a shower or thunderstorm but it's going to be very widespread. it's not going to be a big deal. by tomorrow morning, the front is already out of here. we're going to see improving weather tomorrow. your sunday looks great with plenty of sunshine. show you what's going on. it is partly cloudy. partly to mostly cloudy right now. plentd i have clouds out there. the front is still well to the west and it is producing some really active weather just to our north. locally, things are quiet. 76 right now. partly cloudy. we have a southwesterly flow at 9. the dew point on the h

kobe rasmus breaks his bad. jonathan broxton blows the save. bottom of 11, that plates mark derosa. we are tied at 2-2. to the 12th we go. casey blake, the single to right. manny ramirez, trying to score from second. ludwig comes up throwing. manny, out at the plate. game stays tied at 2-2. to the 15th we go. one on. runners on the corners. dodgers playing in. the throw home gets brandon ryan. watch the replay. how close is this? russell martin, able to put the tag on ryan. two down. next batter, albert pujols. runners on first and second. he rakes one to center. matt kemp comes in. ball sails over his head. julio lugo scores. the cards take it. 3-2, is your final. >>> john chamberlain on the bump for the yankees against the race. novarro, a rocket. mark teixeira, it's in the glove. five ks. no earned runs allowed in eight innings of work. teixeira going deep, top nine. his 26th home run of the year. the yankees win it. your final, 6-2. >>> and now, let's go back to jeremy and vinita, in the studio. >>> well, golfers may be hard-pressed to find a caddie who doesn't critique their sw

kobe bryant walked in and the crowd erupted, but people are now just sitting and waiting. we are going to get the plug pulled on us. >> please take your seats. greta: we have heard that message before, so we do not known if it is imminent. >> please clear the aisles. shepard: you talk about mtc to? greta: -- empty seats? greta: i am stunned that there are sections that are not filled. there are still people coming in, but this is not a full house. there are empty seats in the higher locations. there was an expectation of millions outside. i understand that things are pretty orderly outside. the things are extremely orderly in here. people look like they are ready to go. shepard: adam housley is reporting that outside staples center they are handing out tickets to the event. everyone who won a ticket did not get one. they did not pick them up. i wonder, with great respect and admiration for michael jackson, if the news media has not run away with this thing in a way that the people have not. greta: all the media organizations are here. they all spent a fortune on this. when

got to wait until midnight, unfortunately, the big deal today was just seeing the guys like boozer, kobe bryant, okur waiting for them to opt out. believe me, there's plenty of activity and phone ringing and meetings and things like that that will all start at 12:01. >> how did the economy affect the decisions by both boozer and okur to stay with the jazz? >> yeah, they're really the latest victims of this, we've been talking for months, now, about how the global economic downturn has really gripped the nba. and teams, first of all there aren't that many teams with money to spend because everyone has positioned themselves to try to have cap space next summer when the whole -- the class of lebron and wade and bosh and the free agents we've been talking about, when they hit the market. that's factor number one. the other thing is, with these so few teams that are willing to spend, there isn't anywhere for guys like boozer and okur to go. detroit is the only team that anyone expects to do any kind of significant spending above the midlevel exception this summer. and if that's the case, that

from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. diana ross is a maybe because of security concerns. former girlfriend brooke shields is a yes. and while all the jackson family is expected to attend, including his three children, michael's two ex-wives lisa marie pressley and debbie rowe are definite nos. rowe, mother of prince and paris, is notoriously anti-crowd and has had run-ins with paparazzi th week. his fans seem unworried about the crowd. more than 11,000 lottery winners were happy to line up for wristbands and tickets. >> i was going to go to one of his concerts, but this is going to be the closest thing i get to it. so, it's kind of like a healing process. >> reporter: all the tickets are free, but the catch is without one, the public isn't allowed in a two-square block area of downtown los angeles. and everyone without a ticket is being warned they will not get past the police barricades on car or foot. and while organizers begged ticket winners not to resell, ebay was already advertising at $10,000 a pair. >> just drivi

athletes like kobe bryant and magic johnson. actors like brooke shields and jennifer hudson. ♪ the dancers who were going to be part of michael's final tour, this is from a recent rehearsal day they had with jackson, they will be performing tomorrow. ♪ and musicians will be there, lots. stevie wonder, lionel ritchie, smokey robinson, mariah carey. ♪ ♪ just call my name and i'll be there ♪ >> mariah carey whose own version of the jackson's hit "i'll be there" connects to very early days. ♪ >> meanwhile, artists who are not there are nevertheless memorializing jackson. this was madonna this weekend in england. >> let's give it up to one of the greatest that the world has ever known -- michael jackson. >> here there was something touchingly sweet and gentle about their brief vigil before the staples center doors and the ticket winners for whom it didn't feel like a funeral coming, but more like a chance to celebrate something they love. and cynthia, one last thing. i know we can't see in the darkness, but that line of p

participants taking part in tomorrow's memorial service for the king of pop will include stevie wonder, kobe bryant, and some of martin luther king, junior's chin. of the more than 1.6 million people who registered for online tickets, just over 787 names were chosen. >>> tomorrow abc 2 news will broadcast live coverage of the memorial service for michael jackson. the service start at 2:00 in the afternoon our time. but starting at 1:00, charles gibson will anchor abc's special coverage which is being called "remembering michael jackson." you can watch it all here on abc 2. >>> the man who served as defense secretary under president john f. kennedy and lyndon johnson has died. the wife of robert mcnamara has been in poor health for some time and passed away at his washington home this morning. he was 93 years old. >>> lights, camera, action! still ahead on abc 2 news at 5:30, who is letting some kids in baltimore take over television. ferocious growling. september, he started doing the housework and caring for his 7- year-old daughter elizabeth. >> you know, in spite of being laid off, i feel

he can even shoot hoops with nba champ kobe bryant. they look fantastic. they look so real. >> will smith, right on. >>> a fascinating spectacle took place this morning. a long solar eclipse plunged parts of asia into total darkness shortly after sunrise. >> abc's sonia galell reports millions of people have been waiting for this so they can practice their cultural rituals as the moon shifted right in front of the sun. >> reporter: as the moon moved, blocking the sun's rays and casting its shadow, people were excited and participated in rituals going back centuries. since the dawn of time these events have been shrouded in much superstition. in india huge crowds of people gathered along the banks of the river in india's most sacred places for the country's hindus. people offered prayers and bathed in the river. they believe doing so will cleanse one of sins. they also conducted traditional fire rituals as the sky darkened. one woman was in a stampeed where 200,000 people watched the event. in china excited crowd watched as murky skies gradually darkened an

. >> and open season on nba free agents, but kobe is stayingoo the west coast and continue his l.a. story. ♪ ♪ >> you are watching espnews where we are keeping you current with the latest breaking news, scores and highlights. plenty of baseball matinees. the mets won. >> i didn't know that. >> first the classic at wimbledon. andy roddick trying to take the next step facing lleyton hewitt. what a match. 5th set. hewitt leads 3-2. hewitt tries the backhand returner. roddick charges the net. tied at 3 in the 5th. next game, hewitt up 40-30. both players keep battling. hewitt in the near court. nice rally. stays on the other side for roddick. hewitt takes the 4-3 lead. next game roddick up. the serve, hewitt can do nothing with that. tied at 4. next game, advantage roddick. andy. at the net. andy passes the forehand up the line. a lead for roddick. roddick up 40-30. serving. the return. hewitt trying to make something happen. he comes in. that's out. andy roddick wins in a 5th set. a tremendous effort. that was a huge point right there. here's roddick again in the far court. both me

from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. diana ross is a maybe and former girlfriend brooke shields is a yes. all the jackson family is expected to attend including jackson's three children. but his ex-wife lisa marie presley and debbie rowe will not attend. many of michael jackson fans are excited after having won a ticket to the memorial service. >> i was just -- i couldn't believe it. i just couldn't believe it that, you know, i was one of the people that out of all these millions of people that want to go and it's me. >> reporter: in the battle over michael jackson's estate a judge ruled his longtime attorney and family friend should take charge of the pop singer's assets for now rejecting a request from jackson's mother. interpret sites are taking down postings that attempt to sell tickets to the memorial service. some bids reached as high as $10,000. meanwhile, new information has surfaced in the investigation that both of jackson's arms were scarred with track marks consistent with the finding of a potent sedative. sh

from the sports world, magic johnson and kobe bryant. dinah ross is a -- diana ross is a maybe because of security concerns. brooke shields is a yes. all the jackson family is expected to attend including his three children but his ex-wife lisa marie presley and debbie rowe will not attend. many fans are very excited after having won a ticket to the memorial service. >> no words can explain the feeling that we have right now. >> reporter: as the world prepares to say goodbye new information surfaced in the investigation that both his arms were scarred with marks consistent with the finding of a potent sedative. >>> the final preparations for michael jackson are also focusing national attention on a small community in indiana. a company there reportedly made the casket in which michael jackson will be buried. no confirmation from the company itself but workers are talking and they say jackson's casket comes with a price tag of around $25,000. >> they do it by hand. polish it by hand. >> it has 14-karat gold on it. it's a polished bronze.

he allowed kobe andnd i t tohav oureerss inpeople's memes rorosshe world because h was already the. he opened allll those d dors fo us. his s the e ildren will have t t mo incredible grandmother that god s put on this eartrth take care ofof tm.m. chael's three childrennwiwi haveve incredible uncles a and t take care of t theasasell. anthey will haveve plenenty of cousins toto pay tt m mayod contitieeo bless thth i incdidibl mimi. we say that we'rerrayg for you. remain strong. we want to tnk the city of l ls angeles s fo putting this on,aeg for p putngng this o and may gd ntinue to bless you, michahael ♪ ♪hohold me ♪ l lik the riveverr of jordan ♪ and i i would sasay ♪ y were rayer ♪ aring me liikeou were my brother ♪ to meme like mother ♪ wiwi you be terer ♪ yhh ♪ohohord ♪ yahah ♪ everyoneeakingonontr of me ♪ ems like t the world tthe wrong of me ♪ou will behere foror me ♪ take care enonoug tohold me ♪ cloak me ♪ carry me safe ♪ fd ♪ comfofort and f fee me ♪ free me ♪ i will be therere ♪ carry ♪arry slowly ♪ carry me thehe ♪ ho ♪ s

kobe bryant and magic giant each have nine nba championship rings between them as los angeles lakers super stars. johnson talked after kobe about playing games and shooting fireworks with the jackson family with his days of the lakers and recalled the evening he went to michael's house to discuss a role in one of his music videos. >> the chef brought me out the grilled chicken, but he brought michael out a bucket of kentucky fried chicken. and i went crazy like, wait a minute, michael, you eat kentucky fried chicken. that made my day. that was the greatest moment of my life. >> laughter and tears punctuating the moving two-hour ceremony in l.a. one of the most populars on cnn.com this morning, former figure skating champion nicol bobek faces drug charges, free on bond after being arrested at her home in florida last week on conspiracy to distribute meth. the 1995 u.s. champion is alleged to be one of 20 people connected to a new jersey drug ring people have been following for a year. the 31-year-old faces up to ten years in prison if she is convicted. >> thank you. >>> a woman was ab

think we should stay with what we got or go with what the senators and president and all them has got, kobe virginia because the fees are over $1,000 if you are on disability social security and you draw over $1,000 you are going to have to pay $100 a month for insurance plus 20% of your medicine and 20% on the doctor call every time you go to the doctor. i just think we would be better off with what we got and leave the government completely out of it. host: let's hear if peter brown has anything to say? guest: obviously there is a strong sentiment, whether a majority or not, to keep the government out of healthcare. and the question is the government is in healthcare. the question is how much more should it get involved. that is really the folks on capitol hill and at the white house are trying to decide and trying to figure out whether there is public support for. again, everybody is for healthcare but everybody has different definitions. host: how emotional are people about this? guest: it is hard to know from a poll but from your callers this matters to people. it is not an abstract co

and magic johnson and kobe bryant speak at michael ja would you like to see our new menu? look at this! (laughing) - woooh, nice! - that's a lot of food! yo, those things are so-o good. mmm, amazing. you think anybody can eat that whole thing by themselves? it's like i hit the lottery in food. now get big meals, like our stuffed pizza rolls, pizza mia, the p'zone... and our personal panormous pizza starting at just $5. - here's your check! - look at that! (laughing) - small price! - we just feasted for 5 bucks! the big eat tiny price menu. now you're eating america's favorite pizza. pizza hut. ♪ >> a look at a few starting pitchers for wednesday. contreras has been the seventh best starting pitcher on our player rater. he is owned in 5% of espn leagues. he is pitching again on wednesday and is worth a pickup. homer bailey on friday, arguably the best of his 20 career major league starts. i would like to see him put together a few starting roles before getting in fantasy. and if you're the gambling type, jeff suppan is pitching well against the cardinals since leaving the