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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, October 11, 2009

Complex TV remotes perplex prince


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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Prince Philip

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Sigourney Weaver

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Bruce Springsteen

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LONDON — He may be married to Queen Elizabeth II, but Prince Philip has the same technological troubles as millions of commoners.

The 88-year-old prince has bemoaned the complexity of television remote controls, saying attempts to record programs often end up with him lying on the floor with a flashlight, a magnifying glass and an instruction manual.

The comments came in an interview posted yesterday on Buckingham Palace's official YouTube channel. The prince was celebrating the 50th anniversary of a design prize named for him.

He said that in some areas, like television, the quality of design remained "ghastly." The Times newspaper quoted Philip as saying, "To work out how to operate a TV set you practically have to make love to the thing."

ACTRESS TALKS UP GORILLA REHAB EFFORT

ATLANTA — Actress Sigourney Weaver said yesterday that orphaned gorillas desperately need a permanent rescue and rehabilitation center that's being built in the Congo.

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education, or GRACE, Center is set to open in March. It's a joint project of the Atlanta-based Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund and several other organizations.

Fossey made researching and rescuing the African gorilla population her life's mission. She lived among the rare mountain gorillas and observed their behavior over roughly 10 years at Karisoke, a research camp she established in Rwanda, before she was killed there in 1985.

Weaver played Fossey in the 1988 movie "Gorillas in the Mist" and is honorary chairwoman of the fund.

SPRINGSTEEN ROCKS DOOMED N.J. STADIUM

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Highlighting the album that shot him to superstardom, Bruce Springsteen rocked Giants Stadium in New Jersey for the last time.

Friday night's show — which drew nearly 60,000 people and lasted for more than three hours — was the last concert at the venue in East Rutherford. It will soon be demolished to create parking for a new stadium.

The show was the fifth that The Boss and the E Street Band had performed there since Sept. 30. All featured full-album sets, including "Born in the USA." And like previous shows, the final concert opened with a new song called "Wrecking Ball."

JACKO'S GLOVE, ELVIS' GUITAR SOLD AT AUCTION

LOS ANGELES — An illuminating glove worn by Michael Jackson during the 1984 Victory Tour brought in $70,800 at an auction of entertainment memorabilia.

And a Martin D-28 guitar played by Elvis Presley during his final Las Vegas performance was sold for $106,200.

They were among dozens of items from Hollywood and the music industry sold at an auction in Los Angeles by Profiles in History. The auction house says it sold about $5 million in memorabilia Thursday and Friday.

A bullwhip swung by Harrison Ford in "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" went for $56,050, and a full-scale Velociraptor model from "Jurassic Park" brought in $76,700.