WRLTHD: September 2015

Jimmy Kimmel Beats Stephen Colbert in Ratings for First Time

By Joe Otterson

ABC late-night show tops “Late Show” in key demo

“Jimmy Kimmel Live” bested “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert” in the ratings for the first time on Thursday night, in addition to almost tying “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”

Kimmel scored a 0.9 rating/5 share in the advertiser coveted adults 18-49 demographic, while Colbert got a 0.7/5. Fallon’s show got a 1.0/5.

Kimmel enjoyed a strong lead in thanks the return of Shondaland shows on ABC, in addition to welcoming Shonda Rhimes herself as a guest.

Kimmel also hosted Dave Salmoni and Jill Scott, as well wrapping up his week of Mean Tweets with celebrities like George Clooney and Halle Berry reading the worst things internet trolls could throw at them.

The NFL match up between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants lead in to Colbert, who had guests on like Maria Shriver, Jim Gaffigan, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

Fallon hosted Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing a barbershop quartet version of Rihanna‘s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and interviewed Chris Hardwick.

ABC late-night show tops “Late Show” in key demo

See video: Shonda Rhimes Reveals Whether ABC Has Ever Told Her 'No,' #TGIT Premiere Thoughts

Kimmel also hosted Dave Salmoni and Jill Scott, as well wrapping up his week of Mean Tweets with celebrities like George Clooney and Halle Berry reading the worst things internet trolls could throw at them.
The NFL match up between the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants lead in to Colbert, who had guests on like Maria Shriver, Jim Gaffigan, and Archbishop Thomas Wenski.

See video: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy Fallon's Barbershop Quartet Sing Rihanna's 'Bitch Better Have My Money'

Fallon hosted Joseph Gordon-Levitt singing a barbershop quartet version of Rihanna‘s “Bitch Better Have My Money,” and interviewed Chris Hardwick.
- See more at: http://www.thewrap.com/jimmy-kimmel-beats-stephen-colbert-in-ratings-for-first-time-ever/#.dpuf

ABC late-night show tops “Late Show” in key demo

See video: Shonda Rhimes Reveals Whether ABC Has Ever Told Her 'No,' #TGIT Premiere Thoughts

See video: Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jimmy Fallon's Barbershop Quartet Sing Rihanna's 'Bitch Better Have My Money'

Investors Are Mining for Water, the Next Hot Commodity

Drip-irrigated lemon orchards at the Cadiz water project in the Mojave Desert.
Monica Almeida/The New York Times

By NELSON D. SCHWARTZ

SEPT. 24, 2015

CADIZ, Calif. — Gazing out of a turboprop high above his company’s main asset — 34,000 acres in the Mojave Desert with billions of gallons of fresh water locked deep below the sagebrush-dotted land — Scott Slater paints a lush picture that has enticed a hardy band of investors for a quarter-century.

Yes, Mr. Slater admits, his company, Cadiz, has never earned a dime from water. And he freely concedes it will take at least another $200 million to dig dozens of wells, filter the water and then move it 43 miles across the desert through a new pipeline before thirsty Southern Californians can drink a drop.

But tapping cash, as opposed to actual water, has never been a problem for Cadiz. “I think there’s plenty of money out there,” Mr. Slater said.

Real profits may be nearly as scarce as snow in the High Sierra, but Wall Street, as it is wont to do, smells profit as California endures its worst drought in decades.

“Investing in the water industry is one of the great opportunities for the coming decades,” said Matthew J. Diserio of Water Asset Management, a New York firm that is a major backer of Cadiz.

“Water is the scarce resource that will define the 21st century, much like plentiful oil defined the last century.”

So far, though, this veritable Gold Rush has mostly turned up fool’s gold.

Over the last decade, Cadiz has accrued $185 million in losses, and revenue from the lemon groves and vineyards it owns in the Mojave has added up to only a trickle: $7.1 million total since 2005.

To develop the project, the company burns through $10 million to $20 million annually, paying for a never-ending battle in courthouses and conference rooms across California to win make-or-break government permits and to cover the salaries of its 10 full-time employees.

Cadiz has generated that money by borrowing and regularly issuing more shares, prompting skeptics to wonder if it will ever actually deliver any water, much less any profits.

“It’s a tough game,” said John Dickerson, chief executive of Summit Global Management, a 20-year-old San Diego firm that invests in water infrastructure companies, local water suppliers and water rights, both in the United States and overseas.

Scott S. Slater, the chief executive of Cadiz.

“Cadiz has promoted the dream and for years Wall Street has pumped optimistic paper water for Cadiz,” he added. “But now the hard question for them is, Where is your real water and when can we drink it?”

Other water ventures have also promised more than they have been able to deliver, at least so far. Obstacles abound in the forms of skeptical regulators, wary customers and implacably opposed environmental groups.

But some projects are finally nearing fruition. Near San Diego, the privately held Poseidon Water is getting ready to flip the switch on a new desalination plant that it built after 15 years of battling lawsuits filed by environmental groups and waiting for go-aheads from cautious regulators.

The drought, however, hasn’t softened local opposition to private players like Cadiz or Poseidon entering California’s water market. A main reason is money.

After Poseidon’s new plant begins producing desalinated water late this year, the monthly water bill for a typical consumer in the San Diego area will rise by about $5, to $80, according to the San Diego County Water Authority.

Drip-irrigated lemon trees and vineyards are so far producing the project’s only revenue.

Located on the grounds of a power plant in Carlsbad facing the Pacific Ocean, the facility should produce as much as 50 million gallons of drinking water a day, if not more, expanding the region’s water supply nearly 10 percent.

Nonetheless, for Adam Scow, California director of Food and Water Watch, a nonprofit environmental group that opposes the desalination project, any private control over the water supply is too much.

“Water is a public trust, and it shouldn’t be privatized,” Mr. Scow said. “It can’t be managed for the benefit of a few people like Poseidon’s investors. The rates are unjustified.”

Poseidon officials reject arguments from critics like Mr. Scow that they are taking advantage of consumers.

“The Carlsbad desalination project is a true public-private partnership,” said Andrew Kingman, executive vice president at Poseidon Water. “Poseidon’s role in the project is that of a service provider. The Water Authority doesn’t have any payment obligations for the water until it is converted and delivered, and thereafter has full control over its use.”

Cadiz plans to construct a 43-mile pipeline along the railroad tracks to carry water from the eastern edge of San Bernardino County to thirsty cities to the west.

Indeed, despite fears that Wall Street is making money off the drought, so far it has mainly been Poseidon’s investors who have been on the losing end. The company’s first return on its investment is not expected until next year, after years on the drawing board. A similar Poseidon project up the coast in Huntington Beach is still mired in the permitting process.

“It took more than a decade of struggle to get the Poseidon project permitted, not the kind of experience to make for happy investors,” Mr. Dickerson said. “This may well discourage potential investors in future desalination projects in California.”

But for those with a long enough time horizon, water may ultimately prove to be a good investment.

“Water has been taken for granted, but reliable access is no longer guaranteed,” said Disque D. Deane Jr., a Wall Street veteran who runs Water Asset Management with Mr. Diserio. “It will be seen as an asset class that will be allocated in portfolios like health care stocks or energy or real estate.”

Their firm now oversees more than $500 million for pension plans, sovereign funds and wealthy families, and their flagship fund has generally outperformed global stock market benchmarks since inception in 2006. Assets at Impax Asset Management, a London-based firm that also focuses on water, have doubled to $1.8 billion over the last two years.

Vegas to LA in 80 minutes!

by Mike Marcil

CEO Energy Media Group

Energy Media Group broke the story today about our long time friend, advocate and investor Gary Tharaldson securing a major deal with the Chinese today to build a high bullet train from Las Vegas to Los Angeles. This has been a vision that Gary has had for many years. We are so proud of his dedication to North Dakota and all the the amazing business success he has had over the years. Great work Gary and THANK YOU!
Vegas to LA in 80 mins: High-speed rail brainchild of ND billionaire Gary Tharaldson.

On Thursday Chinese officials announced that a long-discussed high-speed rail project linking Las Vegas and Southern California will be built by a U.S.-China joint venture, reports the LA Times.

The project will be supported by $100 million in initial capital, financed in part by Energy Media Group investor and North Dakota real estate mogul Gary Tharaldson. To accelerate the launch of the rail project, XpressWest and China Railway International USA Co. have entered into an agreement to construct the “Southwest Rail Network.”

The project, in discussion since 2007, will consist of a 230-mile high-speed rail running from Las Vegas, Nevada to Victorville, California, 85 miles northeast of downtown Los Angeles. Although details of the project’s cost and completion weren’t specified, Chinese news agencies and the 21st Century Business Herald reported the project will cost approximately $12.7 billion and will take up to three years, according to Quartz.

The announcement comes just days ahead of Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to the United States. At a news conference in Beijing, China Railway Group Deputy Chief Engineer Yang Zhongmin said, “This is the first high-speed railway project where China and the U.S. will have systematic cooperation. It shows the advancement of China-made high-speed railways.”

The project will serve as a model of international cooperation and will firmly establish the high-speed rail industry in the U.S. by creating a significant number of jobs throughout the Southwest region as construction is slated to begin as soon as September 2016. All necessary regulatory and commercial activities to advance the project will begin immediately, and implementation will begin with the next 100 days.

XpressWest is a privately owned company, while China Railway International USA’s ownership consists of a consortium of subsidiaries from Chinese state firms, including China Railway Group and China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation. “As China’s first high-speed railway project in the United States, the project will be a landmark in overseas investment for the Chinese railway sector and serve as a model of international cooperation,” Zhongmin told Xinhua news.

The train is anticipated to transport passengers between Las Vegas and Victorville in 80 minutes and fares will be set at $89.

The Johnny Cash Only His Family Knew, According to John Carter Cash

by Michael Rothman

Concert photo by Ray Tharaldson

The music world lost an incomparable icon 12 years ago today. Johnny Cash died on Sept. 12, 2003 at age 71.

To honor this groundbreaking singer, song writer and pioneer, CMT will air its original documentary, "Johnny Cash: American Rebel."

John Carter Cash, a Grammy-winning producer, author and singer in his own right, stopped by ABC News to reflect on his legendary father and the unique documentary that will "not only show who my father was as an entertainment and a human being, but also show how his world was formed."

John, 45, is joined by Rosanne Cash and Carlene Carter in the special, which also features the likes of Eric Church, Sheryl Crow and Willie Nelson. Interviews, concert footage, and personal items from the Cash family are some of the elements in the documentary used to tell Cash's incredible story that takes him from "the son of a cotton farmer to the high-speed Morse code interceptor in the Air Force to the person of great vision who had the talent to walk into Sun Studios and perform there."

"My dad was a unique person," Cash said. "This film ... it paints that picture in a way that hasn't been done before. My father, to me, is an important piece in American history ... [In the special] there's valuable insight into my father's personal life, into his relationships with both his first wife Vivian and my mother [June Carter Cash] provided by family members. It's very honest."

But what the film really does is expose Cash's softer side and the love that permeated his very being, John says.

PHOTO: John Carter Cash performs at The Rutledge on Jan. 18, 2014 in Nashville, Tenn. — John Carter Cash performs at The Rutledge on Jan. 18, 2014 in Nashville, Tenn.

"There is a focus about my father's personality, of his joy and laughter," he said. "There was so much about my dad that wasn't on the surface ... my father was always much more willing to laugh than to go to the darkness. There were so many facets to the man that aren't as well known."

He continued, "He was so gentle and loving. He had so many grandchildren, he was so loving with them. Also, what I cling to most are the memories of when my father and I went on trips together, went on adventures together. He loved to fish, those memories I cherish. We had a lot of great times.

The travel, the music, the performances was all part of him, but there's so much more."

Cash said even though now, he can't pick up the phone and call him or tell him about his upcoming wedding, his father is always there.

PHOTO: John Carter Cash and Ana Cristina backstage at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 7, 2015 in Nashville, Tenn. — John Carter Cash and Ana Cristina backstage at Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum on July 7, 2015 in Nashville, Tenn.more +

"I want him to meet my fiance," he said. "It's that kind of thing that can't happen. I want to reach out and say, 'Your grandson Jack, guess what he's doing now.' Just as with any lost loved one, that's not a possibility. But, in so many ways, he's right here. It's not just the music, it's who he was, what he stood for."

Cash is following in his father footsteps in the music industry, but definitely paving his own path and putting his own stamp on the world.

"I just finished 6 records for Loretta Lynn ... I have been blessed with opportunity to be around some masters, people whose genius reverberates throughout society," he said. "It's all about pursing what I love. This is what I love. I hope to prusue with passion, things that are important and of an enduring legacy, that's what my dad always did and that the ideal."

“Johnny Cash: American Rebel” premieres tonight at 9 p.m. EST on CMT.

Hard to believe that 12 years ago today we lost a cornerstone of truly American music. Here's to the one and only Man In Black.

Johnny died of complications from diabetes on Sept. 12, 2003. He was known for songs like "I Walk the Line," "Folsom Prison Blues" and "Ring of Fire."

Plane Crash on Tom Cruise Film Set Leaves 2 Dead

David Fisher/REX

by Anna Marie de la Fuente

A plane crash during the shoot of Tom Cruise’s movie “Mena” killed two and seriously injured a third person on Friday night in Medellin, Colombia.

Cruise, a trained pilot, was not on the plane. The two people killed were identified as American film pilot Alan David Purwin and Colombian Carlos Berl. Another American pilot, Jimmy Lee Garland, was severely injured and hospitalized in Medellin.

Purwin was founder and president of Los Angeles-based Helinet Technologies, which provides aerial surveillance technology to law enforcement and government agencies. He’s worked on such films as

“Transformers,” “Pearl Harbor” and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Purwin was recently featured in Variety‘s Artisans video series in a segment about aerial photography. Purwin spoke of his efforts to “de-risk” as much as possible when working in dangerous conditions.

Local authorities believe that bad weather caused the twin-engine Aerostar to crash against the Alto de la Clarita mountain.

The Universal Pictures drama directed by Doug Liman has been shooting in Colombia since late August. Cruise plays Barry Seal, the American pilot who worked for Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar before he became a spy for the Drug Enforcement Agency. The film also stars Jesse Plemons, Domhnall Gleeson, Sarah Wright and Caleb Landry Jones.

“An aircraft carrying crew members crashed while returning to Enrique Olaya Herrera Airport in Medellin following production wrap on the film ‘Mena’ resulting in two fatalities,” a Universal spokesperson said in a statement. “Further details are not available at this time. On behalf of the production, our hearts and prayers go out to the crew members and their families at this difficult time.”

“Mena” was the first international production to tap the film incentives offered by Medellin, which offers cash rebates of up to 15%.

Filed Under:

Alan Purwin

Mena

Tom Cruise

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Game On! Brady to suit up after 'Deflategate' win; NFL appeals

By Joseph Ax and
Steve Ginsburg | Reuters

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Star quarterback Tom Brady will play in the New England Patriots' season opener next week after a federal judge threw out his "Deflategate" suspension on Thursday - but the National Football League has not conceded defeat just yet.

Within hours of the ruling, the NFL appealed the order vacating Brady's four-game suspension.

U.S. District Judge Richard Berman's decision in New York was a major setback for NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who had suspended Brady for his alleged role in a scheme to deflate footballs used in the Patriots' January playoff victory.

The league's appeal, which will likely take months to resolve, ensures the litigation will continue to loom over the 2015 season.

"While the legal phase of this process continues, we look forward to focusing on football and the opening of the regular season," Goodell said in a statement.

Brady, 38, had been banned until an Oct. 18 clash with the Indianapolis Colts, which would have cost him nearly $2 million in salary. He is expected to start the Patriots' first game on Sept. 10 against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Shortly after the decision, the Patriots posted a picture on Twitter of Brady pumping his fist in the air during a game.

"Tom Brady is a classy person of the highest integrity," Patriots owner Robert Kraft said in a statement. "He represents everything that is great about this game and this league."

Brady did not comment on the ruling, but his lawyer, Andrew Tulumello, said, "We are gratified by the court’s decision and look forward to Mr. Brady’s return to the playing field."

Patriots fans, Brady's teammates and Massachusetts politicians reacted with glee to the news. New England running back LeGarrette Blount said on Twitter, "Let's goooo TB12!!! This is gonna be a fun season!!! 1st win of the year for #PatsNation."

Berman said Goodell's ruling was plagued by "several significant legal deficiencies," including a failure to notify Brady beforehand that his alleged conduct could be punished by suspension.

"The court finds that Brady had no notice that he could receive a four-game suspension for general awareness of ball deflation by others or participation in any scheme to deflate footballs," Berman wrote.

The judge did not evaluate the underlying allegations, including whether Brady knew of the scheme, saying it was not his role as judge to review Goodell's factual findings. The ruling can be found at http://bit.ly/1KtOh6L.

For seven months, the controversy has dominated sports radio, made national headlines and inspired nicknames like "Deflategate" and "Ballghazi."

Brady was suspended over the footballs used in the Patriots' 45-7 postseason victory against the Colts that sent them to the Super Bowl, where they defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28-24.

In May, Ted Wells, a lawyer the NFL hired to investigate the incident, found it was "more probable than not" that Brady was "generally aware" two low-level Patriots employees had conspired to let air out of the footballs, which can make them easier to grip.

Wells' 243-page report, which cost more than $2.5 million, formed the basis for Brady's suspension.
Berman, in addition to saying that Brady was not properly on notice that he could face a ban, criticized Goodell for comparing the quarterback's penalty to that given to steroid users.

The judge also said Brady's lawyers were improperly barred from cross-examining the NFL's general counsel, Jeff Pash, who helped lead the Deflategate probe, and were unfairly denied access to certain investigative notes.

The league has already fined the Patriots a record $1 million and stripped the team of two draft picks, a penalty Kraft previously said he would "reluctantly" accept rather than appeal.

Amid months of recriminations and lawsuits, the stakes had grown beyond a mere four-game suspension. For the NFL and the union, the case became a test of how broadly to interpret Goodell's authority to discipline players under the players' collective bargaining agreement with the league.

For Brady, the allegations threatened his legacy as one of the NFL's all-time greats. Brady and his wife, supermodel Gisele Bundchen, are one of the country's most visible celebrity couples.

Brady was drafted with the 199th pick in the 2000 NFL draft and served as a backup for the Patriots before becoming the starter in his second season, leading the franchise to its first championship ever in 2002.

The quarterback is entering his 16th season and has played in six Super Bowls, winning four.
The NFL and the union had engaged in settlement talks for weeks with Berman, who urged them to find an acceptable solution. But a deal never emerged.

It is rare for a federal judge to overturn an arbitrator's decision, in part because the legal standard is quite stringent.

"The courts say pretty much, unless something goofy going on, we're not going to intervene," said Alfred Yen, a Boston College Law School professor.

The ruling is the latest setback for Goodell, who has seen other punishments reduced or vacated on appeal, including in domestic abuse cases involving players Ray Rice, Adrian Peterson and Greg Hardy, as well as in the "Bountygate" case in which the New Orleans Saints were accused of paying bonuses for injuring opposing team players.

(Additional reporting by Nate Raymond; Writing by Joseph Ax; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Alan Crosby)