1 New Orleans, LA
2 Camden, NJ
3 Detroit, MI
4 St. Louis, MO
5 Oakland, CA
6 Flint, MI
7 Gary, IN
8 Birmingham, AL
9 Richmond, CA
10 North Charleston, SC
11 Cleveland, OH
12 Baltimore, MD
13 Miami Gardens, FL
14 Memphis, TN
15 Youngstown, OH
16 Atlanta, GA
17 Compton, CA
18 Orlando, FL
19 Little Rock, AR
20 Minneapolis, MN
21 Washington, DC
22 Philadelphia, PA
23 Jackson, MS
24 Newark, NJ
25 Milwaukee, WI

The NFL awarded the 2010 Super Bowl — Super Bowl XLIV — to Miami and the championship game will be played February 7, 2010 at Dolphin Stadium. It is the 10th time the city, who last hosted in 2007, will play host to the championship event. Some think that it is Florida’s weather that is the real winner, and I certainly can’t argue with that. The fact that Tampa just hosted the 2009 Super Bowl, pretty much confirms Florida as a “super” location in my mind.

Super Bowl XLIV FAQs

Miami Is Hosting the 2010 Championship Game

There are less than 100 days until Super Bowl XLIV. I’m sure many of you have questions regarding the championship game, so here are a few of them answered:

What is Super Bowl XLIV?
Each year, the National Football League (NFL) conducts a professional football championship game between the champions of the American Football Conderence (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The winning team is declared champions of the NFL and winners of the Vince Lombardi Trophy.

When will Super Bowl XLIV (44) be played?
February 7, 2010

Where will Super Bowl XLIV be played?
Dolphin Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL
Editors Note: Through a sponsorship deal with Jimmy Buffet, Dolphin Stadium was renamed Land Shark Stadium through the 2009 NFL Season. The sponsorship deal does not include naming rights for the Pro Bowl or Super Bowl games scheduled for 2010.

What is the seating capacity for Dolphin Stadium?
75,540

How are Super Bowl tickets distributed?
The majority of Super Bowl tickets are distributed to the NFL teams, with each team receiving 17.5 percent of the tickets. The non-participating teams receive 1.2 percent; and, the host team — Miami Dolphins — will receive five percent. The remaining tickets are controlled by the NFL. It distributes those primarily to NFL affiliated companies, the broadcast network, corporate sponsors, media, charities, fans and the host committee. Only about one percent of the tickets go to fans. What fans? Lucky ones. The annual Super Bowl random drawing determines exactly which fans. Entries for the drawing will only accepted between February 1 and June 1, 2009. All entries must include name, address, phone number and email address, and must be sent via certified or registered mail. Potential recipients will be notified by mail in October or November.

Mail ticket requests to:

Super Bowl Random Drawing
P. O. Box 49140
Strongsville, OH 44149-0140

Only one request per address will be accepted. Duplicate requests will be ineligible. Those selected will have the opportunity to purchase two tickets.

How much are Super Bowl tickets?
Ticket prices have not been determined at this time, but historically are between $800 and $1000.

Which airport should I fly into?
If you will be traveling to Miami by plane, you have a choice of two major airports. Take a look at the pros and cons of Miami International Airport and Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport, and find out which offers the cheapest flights. Click here more information on planning your trip to Miami for the Super Bowl.

Are volunteers needed for Super Bowl XLIV?
Yes. Volunteers — known as “Ambassadors” — are needed to welcome guests to the airport and hotels, assist with transportation and Super Bowl special events.

What do I need to do to volunteer for Super Bowl XLIV?
Volunteer positions are filling up quickly, so apply as soon as possible. You must be over 18 years of age by November, 2009 and provide proof with a valid driver’s license or state identification. All volunteers are required to attend at least one training session for the event(s) they have been assigned. Additionally, all volunteers must attend the general volunteer orientation in January, 2010.
| Volunteer Guidelines | Volunteer Application |

If I volunteer, will I get Super Bowl tickets?
No. Super Bowl tickets are not issued to volunteers and no volunteers will be placed in Dolphin Stadium on game day.

What television network will carry Super Bowl XLIV?
CBS

What radio network will carry Super Bowl XLIV?
CBS Radio

How many times has the Super Bowl been played in Miami?
February 7, 2010 will mark the 10th Super Bowl that has been played in Miami — in 1968 (II), 1969 (III), 1971 (V), 1976 (X), 1979 (XIII), 1989 (XXIII), 1995 (XXIX), 1999 (XXXIII), 2007 (XLI) and 2010 (XLIV).

Has it been played in other locations in Florida?
Yes. In Tampa — 1984 (XVIII), 1991 (XXV), 2001 (XXXV) and 2009 (XLIII) — and, in Jacksonville in 2005 (XXXIX).

Of course, the biggest question of all… who will be the two teams playing on February 7, 2010 still hasn’t been answered. Whatever teams play, you can be certain that Miami will uphold its reputation as a “super” Super Bowl site with pleasant weather and a variety of outdoor activities sure to please every visitor.

Over the holidays, we wanted to take a break from all our running around and decided to have some fun playing with our avatars. What we came up with? Celebrity look-a-likes! Today, Tyra Banks!

What do you think of our Tyra Banks avatar? We are loving how Tyra’s attitude has been captured! Now, we can dress her up in different outfits and it’s like having our very own Tyra doll to model clothes for.

We are also sitting here thinking up other celebs we can emulate. Any ideas? We would love to hear them!

The offensive player of the year is Seantrel Henderson, an offensive tackle from Cretin-Derham Hall in St. Paul.

The defensive player of the year is Lamarcus Joyner, a defensive back from St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale.

The coach of the year is Greg Toal, whose Don Bosco Prep (N.J.) team is No. 1 in the final rankings of USA TODAY.

All-USA First Team | All-USA Second Team

***

Offensive player of the year

SEANTREL HENDERSON

Offensive tackle for Cretin-Derham Hall, St. Paul

Ht: 6-8. Wt. 301.

Why him: Led his team to state title and was player of the year on the Associated Press’ all-state team. Despite his size, he’s remarkably agile and is one of the top basketball players in Minnesota. In the summer, he played on an AAU team with the No. 1 basketball recruit, Harrison Barnes.

Little-known fact: He weighed 7 pounds, 9 ounces even though he was born a month early.

Where next? Plans to announce on signing day Feb. 3. Has had official visits to Florida, Notre Dame, Southern California and Ohio State and unofficial visits to Minnesota and Iowa.

Recent read: “I just starting reading The Blind Side. I saw the movie first.”

How did you get into football? “I played Pee Wee for Folwell Park. I just played on the line. I played two years up because I was big.”

Football or basketball? “Basketball has always been my favorite sport. If I could play in the NBA, I would pick that over the NFL.”

On recruiting: “The hardest part is trying to keep up with recruiting and your other personal things, like school, friends and family. Trying to balance everything out is hard with time management. The best part is when you go on visits and get to do fun things and look at schools.”

Favorite musician: Drake (a Canadian rapper).

Best athlete to come out of your school: “Probably (Minnesota Twins catcher) Joe Mauer.”

Highlight: “Out of all the good athletes who went to our

***

Defensive player of the year

LAMARCUS JOYNER

Defensive back for St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale

Ht. 5-9. Wt. 175.

Why him: His athleticism and 4.3 speed for 40 yards made him a impact player on defense. Also ran for four TDs on 47 attempts, caught 16 passes for four TDs, and returned three kickoffs for TDs.

Why Florida State? “A lot of schools had a lot to offer. At the end, it was just my heart to go to FSU. Going there felt like a natural adjustment. On top of that, it was my dream school. I was always a Florida State fan growing up.”

Football start: “I started playing Pop Warner 110 (pounds) when I was 12 years old. Before that, I always played around the neighborhood. I didn’t come from a wealthy family. You have to pay for the shirt and all that and my mom, said, ‘Oh, no.’ One day, one of my friends from across the yard said that he would pay for it.”

How did you get the nickname Frank? “That came from Little League football, the first time I ever played. I was a hard hitter. They starting call me the beast. I would never wrap up. It was always a hard hit. They just started calling me Frankenstein.”

Season highlight: “Running back a kickoff against Byrnes.”

Favorite position: “Free safety.”

What player did you pretend to be when you were little? “I always felt like (Baltimore Ravens linebacker) Ray Lewis.”

On recruiting: “I just thank God because most guys in my shoes don’t have the opportunity to go to any D-I team in the nation. My least favorite part of it is all the coaches coming after you.”

After football: ” I want to major in journalism. I always wanted to be on TV. I love talking about sports, and I like talking with people.”

***

Coach of the year

GREG TOAL

Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J.

Age: 56

Family: Wife, Susan. Three sons, all of whom played college football. Brian and Greg played at Boston College and Mike at William & Mary.

Why him: His team went 12-0 to win its fourth consecutive state Non-Public, Group 4 title and finished No. 1 in the USA TODAY Super 25 rankings. His record is 246-35-2 with 13 state titles, six at Don Bosco (he won state titles with two other teams).

Coaching philosophy: “The most important thing is the player-coach relationship. I have been blessed that I have a great coaching staff. I hire good guys, and I let them coach. As coaches, we’re also real good friends. We socialize together.”

Coaching influences: “The guy that really excited me was Jimmy Sharp at Virginia Tech (where Toal played). Looking back, we had a lot of great coaches on that staff —Danny Ford, Charlie Pell and others. I learned a lot about football and went from a guy who went to practice to a guy who couldn’t wait to go to practice. You have to have enthusiasm. (Sharp) used to talk to us every day about something about life, how to hold yourself accountable.”

What I’ll remember about this year’s team: “As soon as it was challenged, it responded. When they got behind, they immediately answered. That’s a sign of a great football team.”

Career highlight: “Going to De La Salle (Concord, Calif.), beating De La Salle there (in 2008), is something I’ll never forget. That put us in the national picture on their home field. Going to Prattville, Ala., this year was exciting because we were down 21-7 and came back to win.”

Favorite book:Flags of our Fathers by James Bradley.

***

First-team offense
Pos.	Player, ht., wt.	School, location	College	The skinny
ATH	Matt Elam, 6-0, 205	Dwyer, West Palm Beach, Fla.	Florida	Had 179 carries for 1,708 yards and 26 touchdowns, a 9.54 yards-per-carry average. As defensive back, had 66 tackles, two interceptions, four sacks, eight tackles for loss, six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries
WR	Kyle Prater, 6-5, 205	Proviso West, Hillside, Ill.	Southern California	He had 64 receptions for 1,151 yards and 13 touchdowns and led his team to the playoffs for the first time
WR	Darius White, 6-2, 205	Dunbar, Fort Worth	Undecided	Also a Division I basketball prospect, he had TDs on seven of his 20 catches this season
WR	Robert Woods, 6-1, 180	Junipero Serra, Gardena, Calif.	Southern California	Had 13 TD receptions and averaged 16 yards a catch. Also had eight interceptions. Runs a 4.4 40 and has a 33-inch vertical leap
QB	Jake Heaps, 6-2, 195	Skyline, Sammamish, Wash.	Brigham Young	Led his team to third consecutive state title, completing 213 of 352 passes for 3,191 yards and 45 touchdowns with seven interceptions. Had four TD passes in state title game. Was 14-0 in postseason games
RB	Marcus Lattimore, 6-0, 210	Byrnes, Duncan, S.C.	Undecided	Ran for 1,905 yards and 31 TDs and had 53 catches for 751 yards and five TDs
RB	Lache Seastrunk, 5-11, 192	Temple, Texas	Undecided	Averaging only 16 carries a game, speedster ran for 1,174 yards in 10 games, including 305 in his final game. He also had 15 total TDs
L	James Hurst, 6-5, 284	Plainfield, Ind.	North Carolina	Conference player of year will play alongside brother Nelson in Chapel Hill.
L	Matt James, 6-8, 290	St. Xavier, Cincinnati	Undecided	All-State player already has NFL size, strength.
L	Christian Lombard, 6-5, 290	Fremd, Palatine, Ill.	Notre Dame	He had 48 pancake blocks
K	Kip Smith, 6-0, 200	Legacy, Broomfield, Colo.	UCLA	Made eight of 12 FGs, including a state-record 67-yarder. Also made 27 of 28 PATs

First-team defense
Pos.	Player, ht., wt.	School, location	College	The skinny
L	Sharrif Floyd, 6-3, 310	Washington, Philadelphia	Undecided	50 tackles, nine sacks and 28 tackles for loss. Blocked four punts and a field goal, knocked down six passes
L	Jackson Jeffcoat, 6-5, 230	Plano (Texas) West	Undecided	67 solo tackles, 20 assists, 11 tackles for loss, 22 QB pressures, 8.5 sacks, two interceptions, two blocked kicks
L	Ronald Powell, 6-4, 230	Rancho Verde, Moreno Valley, Calif.	Undecided	Can also play linebacker, running back or tight end. Runs a 4.6 40
L	Jacques Smith, 6-3, 225	Ooltewah, Tenn.	Tennessee	State’s Mr. Football for second consecutive season. Had 57.5 tackles, 8.5 sacks
L	Brandon Willis, 6-3, 255	Byrnes, Duncan, S.C.	Tennessee	Had 125 tackles with 11 sacks
LB	Jordan Hicks, 6-2, 220	Lakota West, West Chester, Ohio	Undecided	95 tackles in 10 games, including 65 solos and 13 for loss. Earned Butkus Award as top high school linebacker
LB	Jeff Luc, 6-1, 230	Treasure Coast, New Port Richey, Fla.	Florida State	103 tackles, including 80 solos, 14 for loss, two sacks. Forced three fumbles and knocked down four passes
LB	Chris Martin, 6-4, 240	Grandview, Aurora, Colo.	California	Had 69 tackles, including 34 solo, 12 QB pressures and six sacks, including two solo. Also ran for four TDs as a RB and caught seven passes as a WR
DB	Tony Jefferson, 6-0, 196	East Lake, Chula Vista, Calif.	Oklahoma	Led team to first CIF San Diego Section title. Two interceptions, 51 total tackles, including 40 solos. Also rushed for 1,991 yards
DB	DeMarcus Milliner, 6-2, 180	Stanhope Elmore, Millbrook, Ala.	Alabama	Had 71 tackles and three interceptions
DB	Alec Ogletree, 6-3, 210	Newnan, Ga.	Georgia	All-around athlete led team to state semifinals. His twin Alexander is also headed to Athens

***

Second-team offense
Pos.	Player	School, location	Ht., wt.	College choice
ATH	Demarco Cobbs	Tulsa Central	6-1, 200	Texas
WR	Chris Dunkley	Pahokee, Fla.	5-10, 164	Undecided
WR	Keenan Allen	Northern Guilford, Greensboro, N.C.	6-3, 195	Alabama
TE	C.J. Fiedorowicz	Johnsburg, Ill.	6-7, 240	Iowa
TE	Xavier Grimble	Bishop Gorman, Las Vegas	6-6, 245	USC
L	Robert Crisp	Athens Drive, Raleigh, N.C.	6-7, 299	N.C. State
L	Jake Matthews	Elkins, Missouri City, Texas	6-5, 275	Texas A&M
L	Ian Silberman	Fleming Island, Orange Park, Fla.	6-5, 256	Florida
RB	Malcolm Jones	Oaks Christian, Westlake Village, Calif.	6-1, 210	UCLA
RB	Herschel Sims	Abilene, Texas	5-10, 190	Undecided
QB	Phillip Sims	Oscar Smith, Chesapeake, Va.	6-2, 215	Alabama
K	Cody Parkey	Jupiter, Fla.	6-2, 195	Auburn

Second-team defense
Pos.	Player	School, location	Ht., wt.
L	William Gholston	Southeastern, Detroit	6-7, 250	Michigan State
L	Corey Miller	Byrnes, Duncan, S.C.	6-4, 227	Tennessee
L	Reggie Wilson	Haltom, Haltom City, Texas	6-4, 240	Texas
L	Owamagbe Odighizuwa	David Douglas, Portland, Ore.	6-3, 245	Undecided
LB	Steele Devitto	Don Bosco Prep, Ramsey, N.J.	6-2, 214	Boston College
LB	Khairi Fortt	Stamford, Conn.	6-2, 220	Penn State
LB	James Wilder Jr.*	Plant, Tampa	6-2, 223
DB	Cody Riggs	St. Thomas Aquinas, Fort Lauderdale	5-8, 154	Florida
DB	Demar Dorsey	Boyd Anderson, Fort Lauderdale	6-1, 180	Florida
DB	Sean Parker	Narbonne, Harbor City, Calif.	5-10, 185	Undecided
DB	Latwan Anderson	Glenville, Cleveland	5-11, 185	Undecided
ATH	DeAnthony Thomas*	Crenshaw, Los Angeles	5-11, 185

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At least in this neighborhood, maybe. Just a year after what seemed to be fiscal Armageddon, when the government had to send billions to New York to keep the banking industry solvent, Wall Street will post nearly $59 billion in profits for 2009. Much of that money — the state comptroller estimates more than $18 billion — will be paid to financial industry employees as year-end bonuses.

The rest of the city hopes they’ll run out and spend it, the quicker to ease the recession plaguing most everyone else.

“Amen,” says Katie Grieco, operations chief at Craft, a restaurant group headed by Top Chef’s Tom Colicchio.

“Don’t hold your breath,” says James Parrott, chief economist at the Fiscal Policy Institute, a New York-based think tank. “If we’re lucky, we’ll get one piece of tinfoil-covered gelt,” the chocolate coins typically given out for Hanukkah.

Banks will pay big bonuses over the objections of Congress, President Obama and much of the nation. Yet in New York, the local economy is so closely tied to the fortunes of Wall Street that people here are in the awkward position of rooting for the fat cats — as Obama called them — even if the ripple of recovery has yet to reach their own wallets.

“We share in the nation’s frustration at Wall Street and the outsized and seemingly unfair bonuses that they are enjoying while most of us are suffering. But there is a real benefit to New York,” says Jonathan Bowles of the Center for an Urban Future, a think tank focused on policies affecting the poor. “There’s a big part of New York’s economy that is built up around servicing the finance industry and people who work on Wall Street. When they’re not spending, hundreds if not thousands of businesses and entrepreneurs are out of luck.”

Number-crunching blues

Evidence of the recession is still plastered all over the city: Unemployment was 10% in November, matching the national rate and more than 3 percentage points higher than a year earlier.

Parts of the city are suffering even more: The unemployment rate in the Bronx is 13.1%,, in Brooklyn 10.7%. The vacancy rate for commercial real estate in Manhattan is the highest in 13 years, according to real estate consulting firm Colliers, and demand at food pantries is up 21%, reports the Coalition Against Hunger. There are now more than 500 stalled real estate construction projects in the city, according to the New York Building Congress, an association of developers and contractors.

This month, US Airways announced it will eliminate 261 jobs at LaGuardia Airport; the Museum of Modern Art froze employee pay; and on Broadway, both a crowd-pleasing musical, Bye Bye Birdie, and a serious play, Oleanna, announced they would close earlier than planned. The city’s transit agency, facing a $383 million budget gap, plans to end free rides for schoolchildren.

“Just because some big checks are being cut, that doesn’t mean that money immediately finds its way to every corner of the economy,” says Ronnie Lowenstein of the city’s Independent Budget Office. “It’ll take some time for that to happen.”

When end-of-year bonuses are big, tax revenue, home values, charitable donations, restaurant and retail spending all go up — but only if the bonuses are paid in cash, says Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a business group that opposes Obama’s efforts to regulate bonuses.

The big banks that received bailout money have repaid it, freeing themselves from government oversight of their compensation. Yet public disapproval has been so great that Goldman Sachs will pay its top 30 executives bonuses in stock that can’t be sold for five years.

“If the money stays in the firm and doesn’t go out in bonuses, then we don’t see it,” Wylde says. “This is our key industry.” What’s more, fewer people will receive bonuses this year because so many financial jobs were lost when three major firms —Lehman Brothers, Bear Stearns and Merrill Lynch— ceased to exist last year.

“Finding ways to cut corners

Some industries close to the bonus gusher are starting to get a drink.

Many Wall Street firms, sensitive to public perception, skipped holiday parties and told employees not to throw any, either. Nonetheless, at Craft’s three restaurants, the private dining rooms are booked solid for corporate parties, Grieco says, although they aren’t as lavish as in previous years.

“We have other restaurants around the country where people aren’t feeling that push to spend again. I think New York is ready to come out of that slump,” she says. Craft has filled the six positions it cut over the summer — a sous chef and hostess at each restaurant — and ended its “Frugal Fridays” offerings of inexpensive, small menu items such as high-style cheese and crackers for $6.

Caterer Alison Mesrop says December has been busier than ever. On a recent Saturday she served mini-lobster rolls and beggar’s purses filled with wild mushrooms for a holiday party given by a financial industry client in Greenwich, Conn. Total bill: about $6,000, she says.

“I do have a lot of finance people, a lot of hedge fund people. They don’t seem to be suffering at all,” Mesrop says. “Back in the summer, people were saying, ‘Consider the economy, let’s try to keep the cost down.’ I have not heard that in the last two months.”

In the real estate market, which was moribund a year ago, the number of sales has perked up, though prices are still down 18% to 25% from last year, according to Corcoran Group, a large real estate firm. “People who do have money feel like prices are not going down any more and this is a good time to get in there,” president Pamela Liebman says.

Non-profit groups have been hurt by declines in giving and in their endowments. The Roundabout Theatre, the non-profit theater that staged Bye Bye Birdie, had a “horrendous” drop in revenue last year of nearly 9%, executive director Julia Levy says. Now, giving has picked up even if audiences weren’t buying tickets for Birdie, she says. “Everyone is in a better position today.”

The quick turnaround of the banks also has prompted more optimistic — or less dire — economic forecasts. The state comptroller’s office, in a December report, predicted the city will lose 220,000 jobs, 108,000 fewer than originally predicted. The Independent Budget Office now forecasts that revenues for the city, which relies heavily on income taxes, will grow slightly in 2010. It previously said that revenue would fall 6.3%

Jobs aren’t going to start coming back until the second half of next year, economists predict.

“There’s just still so much uncertainty in the New York City economy in general,” says Barbara Byrne Denham, chief economist at Eastern Consolidated, a real estate investment services firm. “I don’t think it says that the worst is behind us.”

‘Resentment doesn’t help’

In other words, this Christmas, Wall Street is richer and the unemployed are still unemployed.

“Resentment doesn’t help. Picketing and protesting (banks) — we need these places to be profitable, to create employment, to give money back,” says Janet Raiffa, who was laid off in March from her law firm recruiting job and has kept busy with temp jobs from law school admissions consulting to sales clerking to a bit part on Law and Order, a one-day job that paid $85.

Among the other extras, she says, “I met a laid-off math teacher, a laid-off private wealth management person, a laid-off person from consulting.”

Still, it isn’t easy being the one dropping HBO to save a few bucks on the cable bill, as Raiffa is doing, when your old colleagues are in line for bonuses that range from $50,000 to millions.

Raiffa planned a holiday party with her old team from Goldman Sachs, where she spent nine years as a top recruiter. In contrast to the theater outings or cooking classes she used to spring for, this year’s gathering is Dutch treat at a restaurant for $30 a head.

“You go out with friends and they feel they have to pay, and you want them to pay but you don’t want them to feel they have to pay,” she says. What bothers her more, she says, is not the missing paycheck but reading her friends’ Facebook complaints about dreading Monday mornings. “I would be excited about a real Monday morning. Every day is Sunday for me.”

Even among those spending money again, it’s not clear they will ever do it with the same brio as before the financial system looked into the abyss.

“People used to call us: ‘I got my bonus, let’s go shopping.’ Now the buyers are much more coy,” says Pamela Liebman, Corcoran’s president. “It’s not proper to brag about money anymore.”

At Craft, the holiday party-givers are ordering $80 bottles of wine, not $150 bottles like they used to.

“We used to look forward to that (bonus) time of year in the restaurant business,” Grieco says. “As garish as it may seem, we’d still love for those people to come in and spend as much money as they want.” She doubts it will happen, though. “On some level they’re forever altered,” she says. “Maybe that’s the way it should be.”

Heene will take “all and full” responsibility for his actions, and knows that Judge Stephen Schapanski could send him to jail two days before Christmas, said Heene’s attorney David Lane. The two are scheduled to be sentenced this morning. Lane said Richard Heene is more likely to receive a jail sentence than his wife.

“You know, what happened here has spun so wildly out of control that nobody hand any inkling that this would be the worldwide event that it turned into,” Lane said. Richard and Mayumi Heene pleaded guilty on Nov. 13 in connection with the Oct. 15 incident in which they told the world their son had floated away from their Fort Collins home in a UFO-shaped helium balloon.

Falcon wasn’t aboard the balloon when it landed near Denver International Airport, 50 miles away. Instead, the boy reappeared at his home later that afternoon, and his parents said he had been hiding in the garage attic.

The outpouring of support for the family turned to skepticism and outright hostility hours later, when Falcon said during a CNN interview that they did it “for the show.”

The Heenes face paying a “substantial” amount of restitution in the case, according to the judge. The Federal Aviation Administration has also proposed fining the couple $11,000 for launching an unauthorized aircraft, Lane said. FAA spokesman Mike Fergus confirmed the agency has completed its investigation, but he did not release details. Court records indicate the Heenes were in financial trouble and working with a production company to create a reality television show based on their lives. Those documents say Richard Heene told a friend he planned to stage a hoax involving a UFO-shaped balloon that would grab worldwide attention.

Under questioning by sheriff’s investigators, Mayumi Heene confessed to helping stage the hoax. That confession set the stage for the plea bargain that settled the criminal cases. Richard Heene, 48, pleaded guilty to one count of attempting to influence a public servant, a class 4 felony, for which he could receive two to six years in prison and a fine of between $2,000 and $500,000. Mayumi Heene, 45, pleaded guilty to one count of false reporting to authorities, a class 3 misdemeanor for which she could receive up to six months in county jail and a fine of $50 to $750.

How much the couple will have to pay in restitution remains undecided. Prosecutors say they will also present a recommendation today.

Hughes reports for the Fort CollinsColoradoan. Contributing: Brian Willie, KUSA-TV, Denver

In one corner, there’s Kim Kardashian, the sexy cable star, eager to chat via webcam with Carl’s Jr. customers on “The Ultimate Salad Lunch Date” at www.facebook.com/carlsjr.

In the other corner, there’s Burger King’s “Shower Babe,” an anonymous 20-year-old from South London. Folks can watch and hear her online while she showers in a bikini and sings. Viewers are asked to vote for what song she’ll sing — and what bikini she’ll wear — the next day.

One “seriously lucky” person in the U.K. who visits the website, www.singingintheshower.co.uk, will win a breakfast date with Shower Babe.

This may be the virtual future of fast-food advertising. Never mind that BK is pitching breakfast items and Carl’s is pitching salads with these promos. Chains such as BK and Carl’s, which squarely target teens and twentysomethings, find that the triple combo of hot babes, fast food and webcams work well to draw hard-to-reach teen guy prime customers to their sites and, ultimately, into stores.

But critics abound.

“It’s as if we’re back in the 1950s the way pop culture portrays women, but with New Age technology,” says Terry O’Neill, president of the National Organization for Women.

Martin Lindstrom, a marketing consultant, questions whether sex in ads really sells. While viewers are quick to recall sexual imagery, they mostly forget what brand is behind the ad, he says. “What does sex really have to do with burgers?”

That’s not the point, says Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl’s Jr. “You can say 1,000 times that you have a great burger and no one will listen to you, but if you put a beautiful woman in the ad, they will.”

Consumers who buy new Carl’s salads between Dec. 30 and Jan. 12 will be given a special code granting access to ask Kardashian questions during the Jan. 13 virtual lunch date. No code is required, however, to watch the event via streaming video.

The BK site advises fans to “watch our shower babe shake her bits to the hits at 9:30 a.m. every morning.”

The campaign, which began Dec. 8, ends on Thursday. The site has had 70,000 unique visitors. “While we know (it) won’t appeal to every consumer,” BK spokeswoman Michelle Miguelez says, “we do know that it does resonate with our key male superfans in the U.K.”

Murphy died about 10 a.m. Sunday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, according to the hospital.

She was transported to the medical center after the Fire Department responded to a call at 8 a.m. at the home she shared with her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, in the Hollywood Hills.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Murphy apparently collapsed in the bathroom, and authorities were looking into her medical history.

An official cause of death may not be determined for some time, since toxicology tests will be required, but “it appears to be natural,” Winter said. He said an autopsy was planned for Monday or Tuesday.

Los Angeles police have opened an investigation into Murphy’s death, Officer Norma Eisenman said. Detectives and coroner’s officials were at Murphy and Monjack’s home Sunday afternoon but did not talk to reporters. Paparazzi were camped outside the multistory home, located above the Sunset Strip.

Neighbor Clare Staples said she saw firefighters working to resuscitate the actress Sunday morning. She said Murphy was on a stretcher.

Murphy’s husband, wearing pajama bottoms and no shoes, appeared “dazed” as firefighters tried to save her, Staples said. “It’s just tragic,” she added.

Murphy’s publicist, Nicole Perna, said in a statement: “In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy.”

Messages left for Murphy’s manager and agent by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

Murphy’s father, Angelo Bertolotti, said he learned of her death from his son, the actress’s brother, and was stunned.

“She was just an absolute doll since she was born,” Bertolotti said from his Branford, Fla., home. “Her personality was always outward. Everybody loved her — people that made movies with her, people on a cruise — they all loved her. She was just a regular gal.”

He said he hadn’t heard much about the circumstances of Murphy’s death. Bertolotti divorced her mother when Murphy was young and hadn’t seen Murphy in the past few years.

“She was just talented,” Bertolotti said. “And I loved her very much.”

Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy grew up in New Jersey and later moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in Girl, Interrupted, Clueless and 8 Mile.

Her on-screen work had lessened of late, but Murphy’s voice gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox’s King of the Hill and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature Happy Feet.

She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone’s upcoming film, The Expendables, set for release next year.

Her role in 8 Mile led to more recognition, Murphy told AP in 2003. “That changed a lot,” she said. “That was the difference between people knowing my first and last name as opposed to not.”

Murphy credited her mother, Sharon, with being a key to her success.

“When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me,” Murphy said. “I was really grateful to have grown up in an environment that was conducive to creating and didn’t stifle any of that. She always believed in me.”

She dated Ashton Kutcher, who costarred with Murphy in 2003’s romantic comedy “Just Married.”

Kutcher sent a message on Twitter Sunday morning about Murphy’s death: “2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine,” Kutcher wrote. “My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany’s family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced.

FBI data show theft of video game systems, such as Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation, jumped 285% over three years, to 42,615 in 2009. Computer laptops reported stolen rose 32%, to 128,280 in 2009.

The holiday season is prime time for theft of electronics, FBI Special Agent Jason Pack says.

“Local and state police officers routinely see a spike in these type of crimes during the holiday season,” Pack says. “Stolen electronics are easily sold on the street for quick cash.”

Property crime, which includes thefts of electronics, dropped from 10 million thefts in 2006 to 9.8 million in 2008, the latest year available for the overall FBI data. The report on gadgets is based on annual data covering the period Nov. 1 to Oct. 31.

The FBI provided the consumer electronics theft data at the request of Rep. Anthony Weiner, D-N.Y., who serves on the House Judiciary Committee, which oversees law enforcement. He said he sought the data after constituents told him about having their electronics stolen.

As the devices become smaller, “they seem to become bigger targets for theft,” Weiner says. “It’s the omnipresent, miniature electronics crime paradox: Even as crime goes down, when you have more electronics, you have more theft.”

Weiner says he will propose a law to create a database of each cellphone’s identifying code. The legislation would require cell service providers to block re-registration of a stolen phone, making it useless to thieves.

More than 106,000 cellphones were stolen this year, a 5% drop since such thefts spiked in 2007, the year Apple launched its iPhone, FBI data show.

“Criminals are rational. They steal things that have high value, are easily transportable and easily sold,” says Larry J. Siegel, a criminologist at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell. “The most expensive thing in my house is my refrigerator, but nobody is trying to steal my refrigerator.”

Thefts of electronic devices up

Year	Laptops	Video game systems	Cameras	TVs
2007	96,834	11,074	28,113	27,176
2008	108,730	21,732	34,583	53,443
2009	128,280	42,615	39,454	78,227

Source: FBI National Crime Information Center

Danica, meet Dale. Welcome to a world where a driver races on national television every week, fans are renowned for fervent brand loyalty and Fortune 500 sponsors remain plentiful despite the economic downturn.

The NASCAR marriage of Dale Earnhardt Jr., the most popular driver, and Danica Patrick, IndyCar’s transcendent queen, is as much about perfect timing as gargantuan personalities. NASCAR, plagued by lagging TV ratings and crowds, gets a popularity jolt, and Patrick gains millions of eyeballs to dazzle with her emerging brand as “a beautiful revolution.”

It could be an ideal union — where one completes the other.

“She could be awesome for our sport,” says Earnhardt, whose team would have virtually no sponsorship absent Patrick.

“I’ve always been lucky enough to thrive under pressure,” Patrick told USA TODAY after last week’s announcement. “… I hope to kick butt right away.”

Patrick, who last year became the first woman to win an oval race in a national series and has the highest finish and only laps led by a woman in the Indianapolis 500, is attempting a crossover to bulky, full-fendered stock cars from nimble, open-wheel vehicles. It’s a shift that’s been daunting for more accomplished drivers, the last being two-time IndyCar champ Dario Franchitti.

But in making a part-time move to the second-tier Nationwide Series for likely a dozen races (while continuing full time in IndyCar with Andretti Autosport), Patrick joins a circuit whose ratings, though smaller than the premier Sprint Cup Series, dwarf IndyCar. Nationwide races are on ESPN, while IndyCar moved most of its races to Versus last year. She also will be driving for JR Motorsports (co-owned by Earnhardt and his sister Kelley), which receives engines and technology from Hendrick Motorsports, which has won four consecutive Sprint Cup titles with Jimmie Johnson.

The challenge starts this weekend for Patrick, who will test a Chevy at Daytona International Speedway for a debut in minor-league ARCA (Automobile Racing Club of America) on Feb. 6.

That debut comes the day before she appears in two Super Bowl ads, the hallowed ground that once belonged to Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon in NASCAR.

It’s coming at the right time for Patrick, 27, who is mapping out a career after racing. This year she turned her business and racing affairs over to IMG, a global sports-marketing behemoth that works with athletes such as Tiger Woods and Peyton Manning to build a portfolio of lucrative endorsements and ancillary product lines. IMG already has hooked Patrick a deal with Mattel.

Though sponsor GoDaddy.com likely will market Patrick with edgy commercials counter to the more staid corporate image projected by Cup drivers, NASCAR could mark “a great platform for Danica,” IMG President George Pyne says.

The upside is high both ways.

“They can position her as girl next door, a woman in a man’s world, a competitor with a temper,” says William Sutton, a professor of sports management at the University of Central Florida. “She’ll be a huge personality.”

A hero for female fans

As Kelley Earnhardt hammered out Patrick’s contract, her daughter, Kayson, caught wind and got excited. Not because Patrick was a driver, but because Patrick was in a “Got Milk!” ad from a Miley Cyrus magazine owned by Kayson, 9.

“For my daughter’s age, it’s inherent nature women aren’t supposed to be as competitive,” Earnhardt says. “I see a role model in Danica. Young females could gravitate to that.”

According to NASCAR fan demographics, 40% are women, and Patrick offers plenty beyond the wheel. “Danica For Her” perfume will be launched next spring, and Patrick’s likeness has been used with a Barbie doll.

“I embrace that role,” says Patrick, whose long-term goals include a clothing line. “There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing kids excited to meet you because they’re just so pure.”

Patrick concedes her on-track persona can be less than ladylike. She has stomped away after running out of gas and hasn’t backed down from tiffs, slapping one driver (Jaques Lazier) and smacking another’s helmet (Rafael Matos). “I have a lot of passion that could be perceived as temper,” she says.

Such emotion is welcomed in NASCAR, which has been encouraging drivers to express themselves after complaints the sport has been whitewashed by sponsor-driven political correctness. Sutton says Patrick could “fill that void … because she gets upset she doesn’t win, and sports fans relate to that.”

Lesa France Kennedy, a member of NASCAR’s board of directors, says Patrick has a competitive fire “that’ll broaden our fan base. She’s dynamic, interesting and very, very bright. She’d be a head turner.”

Earnhardt, who drives for Hendrick, suggests Patrick’s entry into NASCAR’s conservative environs might mean sponsors “change up their marketing. Some of that stuff is a little crazy.” In commercials for Boost Mobile and GoDaddy, Patrick has been surrounded by scantily clad men and women (some ads were relegated to the Internet). She says the new Super Bowl ads play off her “as the strait-laced one put out by these crazy girls. … I’m not very funny, but I like to pretend I am. It’s part of my brand.”

Patrick has several personal endorsements (including watchmaker Tissot, Peak antifreeze and Kaenon sunglasses), and experts say NASCAR could build her marketing portfolio. “GoDaddy has an edge, and she’s very feminine,” Sutton says. “That balance is interesting.”

Pyne, NASCAR’s former chief operating officer, says IMG views Patrick’s move as “an endorsement of NASCAR … because it offers enormous opportunities” through its larger audience. In the Davie Brown Index, which measures a celebrity’s ability to influence consumer behavior, Patrick is ranked third among drivers. She trails Gordon and Earnhardt because of a lower awareness score. “Her awareness will go up considerably in the initial year,” says Mike Mooney, vice president of Millsport Motorsports, an agency that helps produce the DBI. “After that, performance is the litmus test in NASCAR.”

What’s on the track matters

And therein lie the risks: if Patrick fails, her and Earnhardt’s brands could be damaged. Says David Carter, executive director of the University of Southern California’s Sports Business Institute: “If they hang her out in the window, she has to do her part, or it’s detrimental to both.”

While considering NASCAR last summer, Patrick had dinner at the Charlotte-area home of IMG’s Mark Dyer with ESPN analysts Ray Evernham (three championships as Gordon’s crew chief) and Rusty Wallace (1989 champion), whom Patrick peppered with questions. Dyer toured several NASCAR shops with Patrick.

Her decision to hop between two different cars (stock cars are twice as heavy but have skinnier tires and less braking) has drawn skepticism, perhaps most notably from Juan Pablo Montoya, a former Indy 500 winner who needed three seasons to become a NASCAR contender.

“There’s no doubt about her abilities,” SpeedTV.com analyst Robin Miller says. “This is something you can’t do part time.”

Says Fox analyst Darrell Waltrip: “Stock cars are like wrestling bears. They’re not precise and quick-responding like IndyCar.”

Patrick joins a team whose Chevys had four Nationwide wins in ‘09 and finished third in the standings. She could be tutored by Hendrick drivers Gordon, Johnson and Mark Martin, whose Go Daddy-sponsored car is a likely destination if she moves to Cup when her IndyCar deal is up after 2011. (Patrick says, “It’d be nice to have as an option.”)

For now, her part-time gig will provide a significant test for two of racing’s biggest names. “(Kelley’s) got a very competitive team, so that’s why I wanted to do it,” Patrick says. “It’s really about giving me the opportunity to perform. The very famous last name is the icing.”