Big Brother

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. But what if people create a show for ABC called "The Glass House" and it's surprisingly like a show called "Big Brother" on CBS? Can CBS throw stones? Can the network sue? Attorneys for CBS have sent ABC executives a letter warning that "The Glass House" is "strikingly" similar to "Big Brother. " CBS also notes that ABC may be benefiting from the fact that 18 former "Big Brother" staffers and executives are now working on the planned ABC show.

9 tonight CHANNEL 3 Remember your college roomie from hell? How long would you spend with him or her for a shot at $500,000? Tonight we find out who takes home the jackpot.

In more ways than one, Greg Heffley is caught in the middle. At home, big brother Rodrick bullies him and little brother Manny breaks stuff and blames it on him. At school, Greg is not remarkable enough for the cool seventh graders and not eccentric enough for the geeks. In terms of height and popularity, he ranks about 50 in a class of 55. In short (pun intended), Greg is radiantly average. He is the relatable title character of Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2: Rodrick Rules , the sunny if sitcommy sequel to the first in the franchise based on Jeff Kinney's beloved books.

YES, my friends, since the late '50s I've been told Big Brother was coming. Well, lo and behold, the land of the free is no longer. Understand, I'm not saying all this is healthy, but where's our choice? You can no longer smoke in most places, but they sure as heck want our tobacco-tax money. What about owners deciding what their clients want? What's wrong with a "Smoking permitted" sign? Let the people choose to go in or stay away. Same for transfats - let people choose, we do have some smarts!

PICTURE THIS: An Arabic-looking man loses his high-speed Internet connection. He calls Comcast. They send somebody out to the house for repair. When the Comcast representative arrives, he sees what be believes to be bomb-making material and a model of the Walt Whitman Bridge sitting on the kitchen table. Would a call to authorities be in order? I assume that your answer, like my own, is "Hell yes!" It's a no-brainer. And I'll bet you agree that the same would apply to a plumber, meter reader, telephone man or letter carrier.

At the moment of deepest grief in "Crooklyn," Spike Lee's paean to family life in Bedford-Stuyvesant in the early '70s, the oldest brother reaches out for his younger sister's hand, redeeming with one small gesture his years of petty selfishness. The tender act could not be further removed from the way Lee's character in "Do the Right Thing" ignited the summer of 1989, by throwing a garbage can through the window of a white man's pizzeria, but the gentle act of atonement punctuates "Crooklyn" just as effectively.

The people behind CBS' reality competition "Big Brother" will continue to be mocked by a grassroots group that has been flying banners over the show's house, according to the head of the group. Jeff Oswald, a free-lance videographer who claims responsibility for some of the banners over the house, said this week the group is conducting "culture jamming," which he described as using legal avenues to mock the media. "This is the first thing that we've tried, and we've been getting some interesting feedback," Oswald said.

Cameras here, cameras there, cameras everywhere. Whether we are shopping in a store, picking our kids up at school, or merely grabbing the dry cleaning, Big Brother is watching - and in many cases recording - our every move. While it feels creepy to know we are being watched, in many instances these cameras have helped nab criminals or prevent crimes from occurring. Recently, the surveillance camera in ShopRite came through for me in a way I couldn't have imagined. After checking out an unusually large order, the cashier asked for my Price Plus card, which would give me savings on items I had purchased.

The 1,200 new closed-circuit cameras that airport officials want to mount throughout Los Angeles Airport (LAX) to thwart terrorists would join cameras already spying on Christian youth groups proselytizing on the stairs of the Lincoln Monument and union organizers discussing strategy on the sidewalks of Virginia Beach, Va.. . . Since 9/11, the government has thrown its formidable weight onto the security side of the tenuous balance between safety and...

People who live in glass houses shouldn't throw stones. But what if people create a show for ABC called "The Glass House" and it's surprisingly like a show called "Big Brother" on CBS? Can CBS throw stones? Can the network sue? Attorneys for CBS have sent ABC executives a letter warning that "The Glass House" is "strikingly" similar to "Big Brother. " CBS also notes that ABC may be benefiting from the fact that 18 former "Big Brother" staffers and executives are now working on the planned ABC show.

NEW YORK - Standing in the spacious New York Knicks locker room at Madison Square Garden sporting a long-sleeved "Team Jardine" T-shirt, Scoop Jardine appeared to be leading three teams into March Madness. There were his family and friends wearing "Team Jardine" attire whenever and wherever he takes the court; his second-ranked Syracuse (31-2), a No. 1 seed in the East in the NCAA tournament field; and his "Team Philly" mates. Jardine, a fifth-year senior who played at Neumann-Goretti High, is part of that last team along with sophomore Dion Waiters, his cousin, who starred at Life Center Academy in Burlington, N.J., and freshman Rakeem Christmas, a McDonald's All-American from Academy of the New Church.

DEAR ABBY : My husband and I are in our 30s and have been happily married for almost six years. After two years of trying, we're finally expecting our first child. The problem is, how do we handle questions as to whether we conceived naturally? I am appalled by people we hardly know asking if we did in vitro fertilization. As a matter of fact, we DID conceive using IVF. I don't think it is anyone else's business. Please help me respond properly without seeming as rude as those who ask. - Intruded on in Dallas DEAR INTRUDED ON : Say, "That is a very personal question and I'd rather not discuss it. " That an acquaintance would have such little respect for boundaries to ask this question is appalling, I agree.

Frank Diamond is a freelance writer in Langhorne When Bernie met Mary, he was a budding scholar and she looked like Goldie Hawn: short skirts, nice legs. Hey, love happens. There were flowers, dinner dates, movies - plenty of what's celebrated on St. Valentine's Day. They married, settled in the Olney section of Philadelphia, and raised four children who are now successful, good-hearted adults. They were active in their church and maintained a large network of friends. Every Christmas they were hosts to a huge party where songbooks were distributed and carols sung.

TO BE HONEST, this isn't a debate I contemplated having. On one hand, I've always believed that the accomplishments of New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning have been shortchanged because they have been judged in comparison to those of his older brother, Peyton, of the Indianapolis Colts. I never agreed with those Eagles fans who had so much contempt for the Giants that they refused to ever give Eli his full due, even on those occasions when he clearly outplayed whoever was quarterbacking the Eagles.

WONDER what Chase Utley's 33rd birthday will be like Saturday? Since the Phils second baseman's no longer the only man of the house - he and wife Jen welcomed firstborn Benjamin Cooper into the world on Dec. 2 - chances are, he's not going to be whooping it up on his big day. Still, he has big news in the stars. Come January, Utley will be psyched to have a project finished. And all next year, he'll be mega-psyched to be part of his just-expanded family. Here's hoping big brother Jack (the family's rescued pit mix)

BALTIMORE - Big brother got the best of little brother in a unique NFL duel. The Baltimore Ravens tied a franchise record with nine sacks and beat the San Francisco 49ers, 16-6, last night, giving John Harbaugh reason to celebrate after the first NFL game featuring brothers as opposing head coaches. The Ravens (8-3) chased, hindered and battered Alex Smith for much of the night despite playing without middle linebacker Ray Lewis, the team's leading tackler and spiritual leader.

DEAR ABBY: Our neighbor's son, "Donny," has become a regular fixture in our home. His parents divorced years ago, and his father is terminally ill. Donny has "adopted" me as a father figure. We have spent a great deal of time together. Not having a son - I have daughters - I admit that being with him is a novelty. My wife, on the other hand, feels no one should "infiltrate" her family. I can't bring myself to turn him away knowing how lonely he is and how difficult his life will become.

HARVEY LEWIS, 15, and his best friend, Dominique Smith, 17, were walking home in Grays Ferry the evening of April 19, 2009, when the unspeakable befell them. Walking toward them were two armed thugs - Derek "Slim" Barnes, 19, and Anthony Satchell, 16 - looking to rumble,. The thugs first mistakenly thought that Lewis and Smith were street rivals, but even after realizing that they were not, Satchell, urged on by Barnes, shot both teens in the head. Lewis, a member of the Police Explorer Cadet Program, and Smith, who had plans to join the program, died at the scene, 29th Street near Morris.

MATT BALASAVAGE wasn't aware that his fellow Temple tight end, Evan Rodriguez, has had a Big Brother most of his life. Or that his mother, Kathleen, had actually had a Little Sister when she was about his age. He just knew it sounded like something that might be for him. "I didn't really know anything about it," said the fifth-year senior from Lancaster. "One day they did a presentation on the program in my Campaigns and Movements class. I thought about it, started looking into it. I called my mom to see what she thought, and that's when I found out she'd done it. So I made some phone calls, and got hooked up. " With a 12-year-old from North Philadelphia, Julian (Balasavage didn't want to give the last name)