LOS ANGELES - Showtime's new series "Huff" has yet to generate ratings to match its critical acclaim, so the channel tried a "minimarathon" to draw viewers.
The first five episodes of the drama, starring Hank Azaria as a troubled psychiatrist, aired back-to-back Saturday.
Showtime President Bob Greenblatt said the minimarathon was designed to give "people who haven't seen it amidst all the other stuff going on in November sweeps to maybe hook into it."
He referred to the intensive period of ratings measurement that is marked by competitive network programming.
Calling the drama "one of the best shows if not the best show we've ever done," Greenblatt said he's already renewed "Huff" for another 13 episodes for next season.
LONDON - Singer Elton John canceled a second British concert because of a throat infection.
John, 57, blamed the infection for the cancellation of his planned show Sunday at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Center in Glasgow - the fourth concert in a tour of Britain. Two nights earlier, he had canceled a concert in Nottingham.
"I've been doing all that I can to try to get my voice back and I've seen a throat specialist again today and he's advised that it would be foolish to go ahead with tonight's show," John said in a statement.
Earlier this month, the rock legend was honored with a star-studded tribute at the Kennedy Center.
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KINGSTON, Jamaica - He's received countless musical accolades, inspired millions with his message of "one love" and is even hailed as a prophet by some.
Now, members of Bob Marley's estate are lobbying the government to proclaim the dreadlocked reggae singer a national hero, Jamaica's highest honor. Marley died of cancer in Miami in 1981 at 36, and some of his family members have lived in South Florida.
"Anywhere you go in the world the first thing people think of when they hear Jamaica is Bob Marley," said Jacqueline Knight-Campbell, who is organizing the campaign for the Bob Marley Foundation. "He has inspired so many people with his songs so it's time for us to step up and take Bob's recognition to a higher level."
The foundation is also seeking to have his birthday - Feb. 6 - declared a national holiday. The group is planning special celebrations, including a concert and a block party in the capital of Kingston, to mark his 60th birthday next year.
Only seven Jamaicans have been named national heroes, including black civil rights leader Marcus Garvey and former Prime Minister Alexander Bustamante.
Past efforts to bestow Marley with the honor have failed, but support has grown in recent years as Marley's music enjoys a resurgence worldwide. The BBC recently named his "One Love" song the anthem of the century, and Time magazine called 1977's "Exodus" the album of the century.
Born in rural St. Ann parish in 1945, Marley rose from the gritty shantytowns of Kingston to global stardom in the 1970s with hits like "No Woman, No Cry" and "I Shot the Sheriff."
Marley was awarded Jamaica's third highest honor, the Order of Merit, in 1981, one month before he died.
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http://www.bobmarley-foundation.com
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LINCOLN, Neb. - Navy pilot Shane Osborn, who guided a crippled surveillance plane to a safe landing on Chinese soil in 2001, plans to move back to Nebraska this spring.
The University of Nebraska-Lincoln graduate said he and his family probably will make their home in Omaha or Lincoln.
Currently, Osborn is stationed at the Naval Discharge Review Board in Washington, D.C. He has served nine years in the Navy.
On April 1, 2001, Osborn was flying over the South China Sea when a Chinese fighter plane got too close to the Navy plane and the jets collided. The plane plunged 7,500 feet before Osborn gained control and landed.
None of the 24 crew members was hurt, but they were taken prisoner for 11 days before being released.
Osborn's shoulder was hurt in the incident, but he says he waited to repair the injuries so he could fly reconnaissance missions in Afghanistan and work as a Navy flight instructor in Pensacola, Fla.
"It tore out my left shoulder," said Osborn, 30. "It's bothered me since. I've had a hard time even getting milk out of the fridge."
Osborn, 30, said he has loved serving his country, but he also expressed other interests.
"Public service is near and dear to me," Osborn told the Lincoln Journal Star. "But my first priority is to find my next career."
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